I have congenital analgesia, a condition that means I feel no physical pain. My family saw me as a pawn for an advantageous marriage, offering me to Sterling Cumming, a ruthless figure in the business world. Everyone placed bets, knowing I couldn’t feel pain and he felt no pity. What kind of bleak end awaited this marriage?
Then, his secretary deliberately spilled hot tea on me, eager to watch me suffer. I merely said, “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt.”
He immediately blacklisted the secretary from the entire industry. That night, he physically taught me, over and over again: “Darling, not feeling pain doesn’t mean you aren’t injured. Just like now. Even if you don’t utter a sound, you’ll still struggle to walk tomorrow, understood?”
1.
I was diagnosed with congenital analgesia when I was a child. My father’s reaction wasn’t worry, but regret. “What a pity, such a good tool for an alliance, but it has a flaw.”
My stepmother, however, came up with a brilliant plan. She packaged my analgesia as a supreme virtue: “emotionally stable, always composed.” In family meetings, she’ vehemently pitched to everyone: “Think about it, what socialite’s wife can endure beatings and scolding without crying or making a scene, always maintaining the family’s dignity? This isn’t a defect; this is a perfect wife tailor-made for a prominent family!”
And so, the Campbell family finally ascended to the esteemed Cumming family, a height they had always aspired to reach. Surprisingly, Sterling Cumming himself agreed.
On our wedding night, Sterling stood alone by the vast floor-to-ceiling window. He didn’t turn to glance at me, leaving only a frigid remark. “From now on, we’ll each get what we need and not interfere with one another.” Having said that, he walked straight to his study. The door clicked shut, separating two worlds. I sat alone on the cold marital bed. There was no sense of loss, no feeling of injustice. I had long grown accustomed to being alone.
And so, Sterling and I began our lives as roommates, each in our separate rooms. He left early and returned late; I kept to myself. In the vast mansion, our encounters were rare. Our conversations were shorter than a weather report. Only occasionally, when we happened to cross paths, if he saw me walking barefoot on the floor, he would instinctively frown and ask the housekeeper to bring me slippers. He would watch me, ensuring I put them on before he left.
This fragile peace was utterly shattered the first time we returned to the Cumming family estate for a family dinner. Sterling’s relatives sat around, looking at me as if I were a rare animal in a zoo, their whispers sharp and cutting. “Look, that’s the one from the Campbell family. I hear she can’t feel pain.” “What does Sterling see in her? That she won’t cry even if she’s hurt?” “I heard she doesn’t even know when she’s bleeding from an injury. How unlucky to live with someone like that.”
These words, like a tide, washed over me, all falling into my ears. I took a deep breath. Just as I was about to get up and go for a walk, an uninvited guest appeared. “Juliet, why are you sitting here all alone? Are you not used to it?”
2.
A gentle female voice sounded beside me. I looked up and saw Clara Leigh, Sterling Cumming’s childhood friend. She was originally the destined bride for the Cumming family. Unfortunately, she had wavered between Sterling and another rising entrepreneur. Sterling had seen through her subtle maneuverings. Consequently, he chose the arranged marriage offered by the Campbell family and married me instead.
Clara was wearing a pink gown today. Her makeup was exquisite, and her smile radiant, as if she were the hostess here. “Come, don’t be so reserved. We’re family now.” She affectionately linked her arm through mine, feigning to introduce me into the circle of prominent ladies. As we walked, she seemed to suddenly trip on something, her body lurching towards me. I felt something sharply poke my arm. Beyond that, I felt nothing else.
I looked down. I saw the ornate diamond brooch on Clara’s gown. The pin had pierced deeply into my forearm. When she pulled it out, a string of bright red blood beads emerged.
“Oh dear! I’m so sorry, so sorry! Juliet, are you alright? Does it hurt?” Clara gasped dramatically, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. All eyes were fixed on my bleeding arm and my calm, unruffled face. I shook my head, gently pulling my arm back. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and pressed it against the small, bleeding puncture. “It’s fine.”
Seeing my reaction, a hint of triumphant disdain flashed in Clara’s eyes. She then turned to the crowd, chuckling with a pitying, helpless tone: “See, everyone? I told you Juliet is different. Brother Sterling… sigh, he really married a doll who can’t even flirt.” A chorus of knowing chuckles rippled through the room. My expression remained serene. But in their eyes, this was interpreted as numbness, dullness, even stupidity. I had long grown accustomed to such misunderstandings. I had also grown accustomed to hiding my true feelings beneath the guise of congenital analgesia.
Just then, a voice so cold it could freeze the air came from behind the crowd. “What are you all laughing at?” It was Sterling.
3.
He stood there, unnoticed until now, his face grim. His gaze didn’t linger on anyone. Instead, it cut straight through the crowd, landing on the handkerchief pressing against my wound.
Clara’s smile froze. She immediately adopted a wronged and concerned expression, rushing towards him. “Brother Sterling, you’re here!”
Sterling didn’t even glance at her. He strode to my side and gently removed my hand from the wound. He stared at the still-seeping pinprick, his brows furrowed in a deep frown. His gaze wasn’t like someone looking at an injury; it was as if he were scrutinizing a cherished item that had been deliberately damaged. For a moment, I wondered if I was hallucinating. The entire ballroom fell into a sudden, hushed silence.
“Who did this?” His voice was low, yet carried the oppressive weight of an impending storm.
Clara’s face paled, and she stammered, “I accidentally hurt Juliet just now. She…”
Sterling finally shifted his gaze from my wound. He turned to her, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “Accidentally?” He repeated, a mocking curve to his lips.
Having said that, he ignored everyone else. He took my hand and, amidst the startled gazes of the Cumming family, walked straight out of the estate.
After the family dinner, Sterling and I spoke even less. For appearances, and perhaps to better “monitor” me, Sterling arranged for me to work at his company as his special assistant. This naturally caused an uproar. And Sterling’s chief secretary, Bethany George, was Clara Leigh’s most loyal informant. She hadn’t given me a pleasant look since my first day. She probably believed Sterling’s marriage to me was merely a whim. He would soon tire of me, this “pain-immune block of wood,” and eventually welcome Clara back. Her mission was to accelerate this process.
4.
That afternoon, I was delivering an urgent document to Sterling. As I pushed open the door to the CEO’s office, Bethany was just about to enter, carrying a steaming cup of tea. Seeing me, a flicker of calculation crossed her eyes. She stepped aside to let me go first. Just as I brushed past her, her hand “accidentally” trembled. The entire cup of scalding tea splashed directly onto the back of my hand, the hot liquid soaking into my skin.
I paused. I looked at my hand, which was rapidly turning red, even beginning to blister. No expression flickered across my face.
Here we go again.
Bethany immediately shrieked, her voice, however, filled with schadenfreude and excitement: “Oh dear! Juliet Campbell! Are you alright?” “I’m so sorry, so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” She waited for me to cry, to scream. Or at least, to show a hint of pain. So she could perform a scene of “panicked good Samaritan” in front of Sterling.
However, I merely looked up. I calmly met her gaze and said, “It’s fine. I don’t feel any pain.”
Bethany’s expression froze. She probably thought, this person can’t even bother to pretend. How utterly boring.
Upon seeing Sterling, her thoughts changed. She was just about to exaggerate her complaint to him. But she hadn’t seen Sterling, sitting behind his desk. From the moment the tea splashed on my hand, his face had darkened.
“Get out!” Sterling’s voice carried a terrifying malevolence.
Bethany’s face lit up. She thought Sterling was angry at me. She was about to reprimand me with feigned righteous indignation. Then she realized Sterling’s icy eyes were fixed on her.
“I said…” Sterling articulated each word slowly. Each word struck Bethany’s heart like a heavy hammer. “Bethany George, you, take your things and get out of my company.”
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To give my wife a sense of security, once the company was on track, I stepped back and became a stay-at-home husband. For ten years since the company’s founding, she had never once let me attend the annual gala.
When the tenth-anniversary gala was scheduled at a five-star hotel, I suggested I should go. She, busy lacing her shoes, didn’t even look up.
“You’re my husband. If you come, the employees won’t feel relaxed.”
Before leaving, she hurriedly planted a kiss on my cheek.
“Be good. After this busy period, we’ll take Sunny to Hawaii.”
The door clicked shut.
I looked at the scattered Lego bricks and picture books on the floor, my chest aching. My three-year-old son suddenly ran up, holding a black phone.
“Daddy! Mommy forgot her phone!”
I froze for a moment. This wasn’t the phone she usually carried.
“Honey, your gala suit is chosen, twenty-eight thousand. Waiting for your card, okay~.”
1.
The sender’s name was saved as: “Sweetheart, Henry.”
My breath hitched. Blood rushed to my ears, buzzing. My fingers instinctively slid across the screen. I don’t know if Eleanor was too confident, or simply trusted me too much. The phone had no password.
I tapped on “Sweetheart, Henry”‘s chat window. The earliest message was from three years ago, August:
“Ms. Castro, the proposal has been revised. I’ve sent it to your email.”
That was when I was with her during the hardest times of her startup. She always said she had many engagements, came home late. Eleanor claimed it was a critical period for the company, so she had to sleep at the office.
Last Valentine’s Day, Eleanor transferred $520 to me:
“Hard work, hubby.”
At the exact same moment—
“Other people’s Valentines get flowers, I just want a transfer from Ms. Castro [playful emoji]”
“Transfer: $10,000.00”
“Love you! [heart emoji]”
“Same place tonight?”
That day, she came home at three in the morning, smelling of alcohol. She said, “For this family, no matter how tired I am, I have to keep going.”
For my birthday, she gave me a watch worth two thousand dollars, saying:
“Hard work, hubby. I’ll buy you a better one every year from now on.”
At the exact same moment, she transferred $8888.88 to “Sweetheart, Henry.”
He said, “Thanks, wifey! Much more generous than that old man of yours [smirking emoji]”
She replied, “How can he compare to you?”
“Old man.”
Those two words stung my eyes. Sunny hummed a tune, clutching his toy car, sunlight illuminating the soft golden fuzz on his hair. My son, three years old. And my wife’s lover had been by her side for three years.
I continued to scroll up. The last message from yesterday—
“Wifey, can we finally come clean that day? [shy emoji]”
My world completely crumbled at that moment. Come clean? What was she going to come clean about? Divorce?
The lock turned. Eleanor pushed the door open, her gaze sweeping the living room. “I left my black phone at home. Did you see it?”
“Sunny found it.” I walked over, pulling out the phone. “How could you forget something so important?”
She snatched it, quickly pressed the screen dark, and tucked it into her suit’s inner pocket. The entire process took less than three seconds.
“I’m swamped.” She cleared her throat. “Gala preparations, so much to do.”
“Well, you’d better go.”
She paused, then ruffled my cheek. “I have a dinner engagement tonight. Don’t wait for me.”
The door closed. I leaned against the wall, slowly sliding to the floor. The spires of the Lego castle blurred and distorted in my vision. I knew that from today, some paths I would have to walk alone. And the first step was learning not to tremble.
2.
A week later, I sat beside her with the household ledger.
“Sunny’s extracurricular fees have gone up.”
I opened the ledger. “The joint account balance isn’t much. Is the company’s cash flow alright?”
“The company’s fine.” She glanced cursorily. “The gala budget was approved long ago. If money’s tight, just use a credit card. I’ll deposit more next month.”
“The gala… it’s at the Grand Imperial Hotel?”
“Mm, the Starry Sky Ballroom.” Her eyes flickered. “How did you know?”
“I saw the advertisement passing by last time.” I lowered my eyes. “I heard it’s quite expensive.”
“Ten years for the company, it needs to have the appropriate grandeur.”
She hugged me. “After this busy period, I’ll take you and Sunny to Hawaii.”
Another promise.
“Oh,” I looked up, “can I see the gala schedule? I don’t even know what our company’s gala is like.”
A minute later, the electronic version of the schedule and seating plan arrived.
“Just look, don’t forward it.”
“Got it.”
She got up to shower. I opened my phone.
Main Table 01: CEO Eleanor Castro
Main Table 02: Head of Administration Henry Taylor
Head of Administration. So, he was in the company, right under her nose. I took a screenshot, uploaded it to the cloud, and backed it up to an encrypted hard drive.
Passing the study, the door was ajar. Her old laptop was on the desk, its indicator light on. I pushed the door open and went in. The computer had no password. The folders were a mess. I clicked on “Work Backup – 2021”. As I exited, my peripheral vision caught a strangely named folder: “L”. I double-clicked it. It required a password. I tried her birthday, my birthday, the company’s founding date—none worked.
I typed in “Henry”‘s name. The folder opened. Inside were photos. Dozens, hundreds. Gatherings, business trips, celebrations, hotels. Spanning three years, the male lead had the same face. Young, handsome, with a flamboyant smile. Eleanor’s hand rested on his shoulder, embracing his waist. My fingernails dug into my palm, leaving crescent marks. No pain.
I inserted a USB drive and copied the files. The progress bar moved slowly: 1%…5%…10%… The bathroom door opened. Footsteps approached the study. I pulled out the USB drive, closed the laptop, and turned, smiling.
“Are you done showering? Your pajamas are on the bed.”
She stood at the doorway, hair dripping wet, glancing at the computer. “Why are you in the study?”
“Looking for Sunny’s vaccination record. The kindergarten needs it tomorrow.”
I shook the small blue booklet. “Your old computer is still on. It’s wasting electricity.”
“Forgot to turn it off.” She walked over and pressed the power button. “Don’t touch my computer again. It has commercial secrets.”
“Got it, Mrs. Castro.” I smiled, patting her shoulder, and walked out of the study. The USB drive was tucked into the bottom-most secret compartment of the computer desk. Some other items were already stored there: transfer screenshots, recorded chat logs, unfamiliar phone numbers. Not enough yet.
A few days later, I met with Laura Vance, a lawyer. A university roommate, now a renowned family law attorney. After I briefly outlined the situation, she was silent for a long time.
“Buddy, are you sure you want to file a lawsuit?”
“Yes.” I looked at the traffic outside the window. “I want her to pay.”
“Alright then.” Laura took out her notebook. “To strike a snake, you must strike its vital point.”
“What’s her vital point?”
“The company.” Laura’s pen paused. “She’s the founder, but the company’s shares are marital property.”
“If she’s found to be at significant fault, you’ll have a decisive advantage in asset division, and it could even affect control of the company.”
She looked at me. “But this path is long and dirty. You need to be prepared.”
“I am prepared.”
“From the day I discovered ‘Sweetheart, Henry’, Leo Lane died.”
Laura patted my shoulder. “I’ll help you.”
Leaving the tea room, I went to a digital store on the west side of the city. The owner, Caleb Miller, was a university junior who once owed me a favor.
“Bro, here’s what you asked for.” He handed me a black velvet box. Inside, a rose gold tie clip, studded with tiny diamonds.
“4K high-definition, eight-hour battery life, wireless transmission to your phone.”
Caleb lowered his voice. “And this—”
A fountain pen.
“Side-press recording, extremely discreet. On the day of the gala, I’ll be nearby to help with remote signal reception.”
“Thanks.” I put the items away. “I’ll transfer the money.”
“Bro,” Caleb’s eyes were complex, “be careful.”
I smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not the one who needs to be careful.”
That night, Eleanor came home at two in the morning, reeking of alcohol. I helped her to bed, wiped her face, and took off her shoes. She groggily grabbed my hand. “Hubby… you’re still the best…”
“Sleep.” I gently pulled my hand away, pulled the covers over her. As I turned, I heard her murmur, “Henry… don’t be silly…”
I turned off the light, closed the door. In the darkness, I opened my phone. Henry Taylor’s social media updated. The photo showed him wearing a Rolex watch, holding a wine glass, with the sparkling dome of the Grand Imperial Hotel’s Starry Sky Ballroom as the backdrop. The caption: “Some moments deserve to be waited for. Three days left.”
I “liked” it, using Eleanor’s old phone. A minute later, Henry Taylor sent a private message:
“Ms. Castro? Why did you like it? Didn’t you say not to make it public yet?”
I replied, mimicking her tone: “Couldn’t help myself. Miss you.”
He sent a shy emoji: “I miss you too. The suit fits perfectly, super handsome. That day… will you announce it?”
“Of course. I’ll give you the best.”
3.
Three days before the gala, I went to the Grand Imperial Hotel under the pretense of checking out a wedding venue for a friend. The hall was being decorated. In the center of the stage, two gilded high-backed chairs, their backs intricately carved with intertwining lotus flowers. A double main seat.
“This decor is truly magnificent,” my friend remarked. “Which company is spending so much?”
“Indeed,” I said softly.
A man walked in from the side door. Black leather shoes, dark grey suit, neat short hair. He held a tablet, confirming details with the staff. It was Henry Taylor. He was even younger than in the photos, tall and well-built, with a confident aura. And I, having spent years tending to my family, had unknowingly gained weight, developing a beer belly. So this was what she meant by, “How can he compare to you?”
“Brighten the lights by another 30%. Mrs. Castro said she wants every shot clear that day.” Henry Taylor’s voice was clear and sharp.
The staff nodded. “Don’t worry, Mr. Taylor.”
My friend whispered, “Who’s that? He’s got a strong presence.”
I didn’t answer. Henry Taylor turned, his gaze sweeping over us. He paused for half a second, then a professional smile played on his lips. “And you two are?”
“We’re looking at wedding venues,” my friend said. “Is this… your annual gala?”
“Yes, the company’s tenth-anniversary celebration.”
Henry Taylor walked over, his gaze lingering on my face for a moment. “And you are?”
“Mr. Lane.”
“Mr. Lane.” He nodded. “This venue is suitable for weddings, but we’ve booked the entire hall.”
“If you need, I can recommend other halls.”
“No need, thank you.” I smiled. “This venue is beautiful. Your wife put a lot of thought into it.”
Henry Taylor’s smile stiffened slightly. It was subtle, but I caught it.
“Mrs. Castro put thought into it,” he corrected, his tone gentle. “I’m just helping with the execution.”
“Mrs. Castro? Is she single? Booking such a large venue, and with a double main seat, I thought it was prepared for her husband.”
The air was silent for a few seconds. Henry Taylor looked at me, his eyes filled with scrutiny, vigilance, and perhaps a hint of subtle triumph.
“I’m not too clear on Mrs. Castro’s matters.”
He shifted his gaze, telling the staff, “I’m going to confirm the menu. You all continue.” He turned and walked away, his leather shoes clicking crisply.
My friend nudged me. “Leo, why did you ask that? It was strange.”
“Just a casual question.” I withdrew my gaze. “Let’s go, let’s check out other halls.”
We walked towards the elevator. Before the doors closed, I looked back. Henry Taylor stood in the center of the stage, looking down at his tablet. The starry dome light fell upon him, enveloping him in a hazy glow. He looked up, towards the elevator. Our gazes met one last time through the closing doors. He smiled. It was the smile of a victor, full of pity.
The elevator descended. “Do you know him?” my friend asked.
“No,” I said, watching the numbers tick down. “But I will soon.”
That night, Eleanor came home unusually early, looking agitated. “What’s wrong?” I asked, serving her soup.
“Nothing.” She rubbed her temples. “The company has a small issue, it’ll be resolved soon.”
“That’s good.” I pushed the soup bowl towards her. “By the way, I went to the Grand Imperial Hotel today.”
Her movements paused. “What did you go there for?”
“Accompanying a friend to look at wedding venues.” My tone was natural. “I saw the Starry Sky Ballroom being decorated. Is it for your annual gala?”
“…Mm.”
“The double main seat design is very thoughtful.” I looked at her. “Was that your idea?”
Eleanor put down her spoon. “It’s the event planning company’s proposal. Don’t overthink it.”
“I’m not overthinking.” I smiled. “I just thought, if we were to renew our vows, we could also consider a design like that.”
Her expression softened slightly. She took my hand; her palm was warm, but her fingertips were cold.
“By the way, yesterday I was tidying the study and saw some photos on your old computer.”
I spoke casually. “Was it a team-building event? There was a boy who looked familiar. Was he the one who came to deliver documents to the house last time?”
Eleanor’s grip tightened. “Which boy?”
“The one with slightly curly hair, quite tall, seemed very capable.” I blinked. “His name was, I think, Taylor?”
Silence. A prolonged silence.
She let go of my hand, her tone returning to gentle. “That’s Henry from admin. He’s quite capable. Why are you suddenly asking about him?”
“I just thought he was quite handsome.” I got up to clear the dishes, my back to her. “With such a capable employee by your side, I feel at ease.”
She didn’t say anything more. I carried the dishes into the kitchen and turned on the faucet. The rushing water covered my pounding heart.
That night, Eleanor slept soundly. I got up, took the tie clip camera from its hidden compartment, and clipped it to the inside of the black coat I would wear tomorrow.
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My husband’s mistress, Scarlett, was throwing another fit and threatening to leave him. He drowned his sorrows, drinking until he got a perforated stomach and ended up in the hospital.
Half-dead, he mumbled, “Only she dares to treat me like this.”
Then he grabbed my hand and asked, “Eleanor, you’re a woman too. Tell me, how can I win her back this time?”
Indeed, of all his countless affairs, Scarlett was the only one who truly held his heart. My phone vibrated. A message from Scarlett.
“Mrs. Hayes! Please control your husband!”
“As a woman, do you have no dignity?! Tell him to stop bothering me!”
I scoffed, a cynical smile playing on my lips, and, as usual, offered no reply.
On the fifth day of Alistair Hayes’s hospitalization, my phone rang off the hook. He was furious.
“I’m in the hospital, and you haven’t visited me yet!”
“Do you even consider me your husband anymore?!”
I calmly replied, “I’m afraid if I go, you might fall in love with me again!”
…
A scoff came from the other end, as if surprised by my sudden wit. I hung up.
My phone chimed with a notification: the three-year mourning period was over. According to the original agreement between the Sterling and Hayes families, I was now free to divorce.
Just as I finished instructing my lawyer to begin the divorce process, I saw Scarlett flaunting her love on social media. She’d posted a picture of Alistair in his hospital gown, hooked up to an IV, half-crouching to massage her calf. She sat on the hospital bed, beaming happily.
The caption read: “Truly experiencing the phrase ‘even the wealthy can be hopelessly devoted.’ He, a man of such high standing, is just a simp I can’t shake off, no matter how hard I try.”
I felt nothing, not even a second glance. My lawyer was surprised by my composure.
“It’s truly rare and remarkable to have such a calm client as you, Mrs. Hayes.”
I offered a faint smile. She didn’t know that I had once screamed, fought, fallen into depression, and even attempted suicide over Alistair’s infidelity. It was only after my heart died, and then resurrected, that I became the woman I was today.
Alistair returned home a month later, in the early hours of the morning. Seeing me asleep, he moved lightly, like a tiptoeing thief. But he didn’t know that I was a light sleeper; the slightest sound would wake me.
Having another person beside me felt unsettling. I couldn’t remember how long it had been since Alistair had last slept in my bed.
The next morning, I woke to find a necklace, valued at thirty million dollars, on my bedside table. I was used to it. Sure enough, I received another triumphant, provocative message from Scarlett:
“Mrs. Hayes! Because of me, you’ve received another thirty-million-dollar necklace. Shouldn’t you thank me?”
Every time Alistair tried to appease Scarlett, he would buy all sorts of luxurious items. But Scarlett never accepted a single one. In Alistair’s mind, Scarlett was the purest woman, disdainful of money. She had been with Alistair for three years and hadn’t spent a single penny of his. They split all expenses, and Alistair, who had been born into luxury, willingly lived a commoner’s life with her. Thus, in Alistair’s heart, Scarlett’s love for him was the purest, untainted by any ulterior motive.
Only I knew Scarlett was playing a long game, baiting a big fish. Usually, I treated her like air, never replying to any of her messages. But today, I typed back: “Thank you.”
A rational woman doesn’t let money pass her by.
The reply from her side was instantaneous, as if the sun had risen in the west, and came back in a flash.
“Oh, you’re breathing today, are you? You know how to reply now.”
Her mouth was as if dipped in poison.
Alistair woke up and glanced at my chat history with Scarlett. A smile played on his lips, his voice filled with an undisguised affection for Scarlett.
“Scarlett’s little mouth is really… quite amusing!”
As he spoke, Alistair naturally reached out and stroked my head.
“My Eleanor is more composed now, truly like a big sister.”
His words felt like praising a dog. A surge of disgust welled up inside me.
Before, I had caused a city-wide scandal over his infidelity. I’d flipped tables in public, and the number of times I’d smashed bottles over his head, sending him to the hospital, was fifteen. Media exposés and other behaviors had cost him countless amounts of face. But he never reined himself in. Each time, he would only tell me:
“Go out and look around. Which man in this circle doesn’t have a few women?”
“I’m having my fun, but I’m not abandoning you!”
He had also said many times:
“No matter how many women I have, you are still the head, the older sister to all of them.”
It wasn’t until the day my father passed away that I truly woke up. For three years, I had been “blind” and “deaf”! It only earned me his patronizing compliment: “My Eleanor finally acts like a big sister.”
For these three years, I had not interfered with him. My presence to him was as if I were air. Even after our son turned two, he still didn’t know I had given birth to a boy for him. The day I nearly died in childbirth, he was with Scarlett, selling street food from a stall. He said he was utterly smitten by Scarlett’s non-materialistic, self-reliant character!
I simply offered a faint, cold smile, saying nothing. In my heart, he had long been dead.
On my mother-in-law’s birthday banquet, I went through the motions, playing the dutiful daughter-in-law. But as I walked in with my gifts, I saw Alistair and Scarlett standing on either side of my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law was beaming, chatting with acquaintances.
“Mrs. Hayes, your hairstyle today is truly beautiful. Paired with that dress, you look simply elegant and unrivaled.”
My mother-in-law’s hairstyle was indeed more beautiful than before, elegantly swept up with a retro hair ornament. She smiled gently, patting Scarlett’s hand with approval.
“My daughter-in-law styled it for me. She’s very skilled.”
So, my mother-in-law had also accepted Scarlett. Scarlett smiled gracefully in response.
“Mom, as long as you like it.”
Alistair said, “Mom, she loves you the most. She’s told me so many times.”
“You being our daughter-in-law is a blessing to our Hayes family.”
A cold laugh bubbled up inside me. I refused to stay another second. As I was about to turn and leave, Scarlett’s voice came from behind me.
“Eleanor.”
Her tone was light, deliberately making others mistakenly believe we had a good relationship. I paused, turned calmly, and offered a slight smile. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes; she must have expected me to either storm out in a rage, make a scene, or disregard my mother-in-law entirely. Never this calm, this composed.
“Sister, you look truly beautiful today.” She feigned composure and warmth.
“Thank you.”
I smiled faintly, accepting the compliment. I had long since dismissed her from my thoughts. Her deliberate acts of hostility were utterly superfluous to me.
My mother-in-law naturally said to me, “You two sisters should accompany me in receiving the guests.”
A memory suddenly flooded my mind of what my mother-in-law had told me before:
“You are my true daughter from now on. I will love you like my own.”
“If Alistair dares to cheat, I’ll be the first to break his legs for you.”
Those words were as clear as yesterday. Yet, she was the one causing me immense humiliation now. She gently patted my hand, whispering, “Eleanor, Scarlett is a good girl. She’s different from those other women.”
I smiled faintly, saying against my true feelings, “You’re right, Mom.”
Anyway, I was leaving. Nothing here mattered to me anymore. My mother-in-law smiled with relief. “It’s so good that you’ve come to your senses.”
She looked up at Alistair and said, “I told you, Eleanor is a reasonable person.”
Alistair looked at me with a relieved gaze, proudly stating, “I trained her myself.”
As if I were a cat or a dog.
In the past, I would have smashed every table at this birthday banquet. Now, I wouldn’t waste a single emotion or ounce of energy on people who weren’t worth it.
**
Scarlett and I stood on either side, accompanying my mother-in-law. Everyone looked at me strangely. Some were even whispering.
“Why has Eleanor suddenly changed? This isn’t like her at all.”
“In the past, she would have flipped tables by now. Why is she so quiet today?”
To everyone’s astonishment, my mother-in-law, beaming, announced, “I have some good news to share with everyone.”
“My daughter-in-law, Scarlett, is three months pregnant.”
“The family doctor checked, and it’s a boy.”
“For our Hayes family, this is a double blessing.”
Everyone present offered flattering words and pleasantries. In this circle of wealthy families, this was indeed a common occurrence. But to so openly slap my face as the legitimate wife—only the Hayes family would dare.
Scarlett smiled shyly, and Alistair embraced her, his face filled with happiness. I felt like a clown, an added amusement to the birthday banquet.
Finally, I spoke.
“I had intended to wait until after Mom’s birthday to discuss the divorce.”
“Since Scarlett is pregnant, we can’t have her child be born illegitimate, can we?”
“So, discussing the divorce on this occasion is quite fitting.”
I glanced at my lawyer, who was not far away. She understood immediately and handed the divorce papers to Alistair. Alistair frowned, stunned, his eyes scrutinizing me!
“Are you causing trouble again?”
I offered a faint, calm smile.
“I am very serious. Do you truly love Scarlett by making her a mistress for life?”
He was shocked by the unwavering calmness in my eyes. For a moment, his dark eyes were filled with disbelief. The woman he once believed would never leave him, even in death, was now calmly and resolutely proposing a divorce. My words choked him. He loved Scarlett so much; how could he say anything that would hurt her?
The entire hall fell silent, waiting for Alistair’s reaction. Scarlett stared fixedly at him. Alistair hesitated for only two seconds, and she couldn’t contain herself, feigning a wronged and compromising tone.
“Alistair, you don’t have to make it difficult.”
“I know we’re not a match.”
“I’ll have this baby aborted. I can be your mistress.”
“But truthfully, I don’t want my child to be called a bastard, an illegitimate child.”
“So I’ll have this baby aborted.”
Alistair panicked, quickly trying to soothe her. “You mustn’t! This is the crystallization of our love, and my first child.”
“Who says he’s illegitimate? I will give him a legitimate identity.”
I deliberately said with satisfaction, “Now that’s a man! Sign it!”
Under the combined pressure from Scarlett and me, Alistair picked up the pen. Without even looking, he signed the divorce papers. He leaned close to me, speaking in a voice only we two could hear.
“Once Scarlett has the baby, I’ll remarry you.”
“Just bear with it a little longer. I won’t abandon you.”
I remained calm, a sigh of relief washing over me. Alistair, I won’t take you back. Never again.
Scarlett flashed me a triumphant smile. I, too, smiled with relief.
Back at my and Alistair’s residence, the lawyer had already arranged for a moving company to take my valuable personal belongings. Our two-year-old son was still asleep, and I didn’t have the heart to wake him. The lawyer accidentally injured herself when a cabinet fell, so I rushed her to the hospital.
Estimating when my son would wake up, I hurried back to pick him up. Before I even reached the residence, I saw thick black smoke, like clouds, billowing from the house. My heart clenched, and I slammed the accelerator to the floor. The closer I got, the stronger the sense of dread grew. My hands trembled on the steering wheel, and I silently prayed that it wasn’t my and Alistair’s house on fire. But when I got out of the car and saw the villa engulfed in flames, my world instantly collapsed.
Scarlett was nestled in Alistair’s arms, weeping delicately. “Alistair, I’m so sorry. I never thought setting off fireworks to celebrate would set the house on fire.”
“What are we going to do? Waaah…”
She looked like a startled rabbit, her eyes wide with terror. Alistair showed no concern for the burning house, smiling as he comforted her.
“It’s okay, don’t cry. It’s just a house; it’s nothing major.”
“I have plenty of houses. This little loss means nothing to me.”
“Don’t cry, you silly girl.”
My legs weak, I stumbled forward, screaming desperately, “My son is inside! Put out the fire!”
“Put out the fire! Put out the fire!”
I lunged madly towards the house. Alistair quickly grabbed me from behind.
“Eleanor! Calm down!”
“We don’t have a child! Where would a child come from?!”
“If you’re worried about the house, I can buy you another one!”
Scarlett said sarcastically, “Eleanor, what’s this new trick of yours?”
“What child? You’re not hallucinating, are you?”
I struggled madly out of Alistair’s grasp and slapped him hard. Trembling, I roared.
“It’s our son! He’s two years old! He’s sleeping in there!”
I had lost all reason, and was about to rush into the blazing house again. The entire house was engulfed in flames, crackling and popping, about to be completely incinerated. In the distance, the wail of fire truck sirens grew louder.
Alistair grabbed me again, shouting angrily, “What are you doing?!”
“Are you trying to manipulate me with this?!”
“Eleanor, your life is your own!”
“If you rush in there today, you’ll only die.”
“And a son? When did you ever have a son? How come I don’t know?!”
“I think you’ve lost your mind!”
Scarlett chimed in, “I think so too. Eleanor, you can’t force feelings. Why are you doing this?”
I lunged at Scarlett like a madwoman, grabbing her hair and dragging her towards the flames. “Scarlett, if anything happens to my son, you’ll die in this fire too!”
She cried out in pain, struggling and screaming. Alistair rushed over and stood between Scarlett and me, angrily slapping me.
“Eleanor, what’s wrong with you?!”
He immediately ordered the bodyguards beside him, “Take her to the mental hospital for an examination!” Two burly bodyguards immediately moved to act against me.
In utter despair, I was ready to abandon everything and rush into the fire to find my son.
Suddenly, a familiar, shaken voice came from behind me. “Mommy, I’m here…”
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I loved Ethan deeply for ten years, yet I had to watch him play the husband to my brother-in-law’s widow, Selene.
Selene publicly called me a homewrecker and infuriated my critically ill mother to death.
Yet in his office, he told his friend he’d fallen for Selene, and our ten-year marriage now held only duty and compensation.
I endured, I compromised, and even when Selene tried to murder me with a knife, he still protected her and locked me in the attic.
On the day of my mother’s funeral, I publicly filed for divorce and exposed everything.
Later, Selene gave birth to a bastard child, Ethan went mad, kidnapped me, then became a vegetable in a car accident.
I boarded a plane to Europe, Adrian holding my hand, asking softly, “From now on, can I be your first priority?”
I nodded with a smile, and from then on walked alongside him toward my new life.
Tara’s POV
I’m Tara, Ethan’s wife, yet I had to watch helplessly as he played the husband to his brother Eric’s widow, Selene.
All because after Eric’s death, Selene suffered a severe shock, became mentally unstable, and insisted Ethan was her husband.
And she was pregnant with Eric’s child.
Ethan’s parents knelt and begged him to temporarily impersonate his brother to keep Selene stable until she gave birth.
“It’s just an act. I absolutely won’t touch her,” Ethan swore to me.
“Once the baby’s born, everything will end.”
But the act became more and more real.
He moved into Selene’s bedroom, took meticulous care of her, and the two looked exactly like a real couple.
What I couldn’t accept even more was that Selene publicly accused me of being a homewrecker.
My mother was already critically ill, couldn’t withstand the shock, and died on the spot.
I knelt on the ground, crying my heart out.
With trembling hands, I dialed Ethan’s number once, twice, three times… but no one answered.
Like a wandering ghost, I walked to his office, only to hear him say with a bitter smile to his friend, “What do I do? I think I’ve gotten too deep into the role. I’ve really fallen for Selene.”
That single sentence shattered my entire world!
Sharp pain shot from my heart straight to the top of my head, and I could barely stand.
Why?!
Wasn’t he the one who said it was just an act, that once the baby was born, everything would end?
Could all these years of feelings not compare to his few months with Selene?
I endured, I yielded, my mother even died because of this…
Now, was I going to lose my husband too?!
I refused to accept this!
I was unwilling!
I had to ask him face to face!
Just as I was about to push the door open, I heard his friend ask, “What about Tara?”
My movement suddenly froze.
I wanted to hear what Ethan would say.
Would there be even a trace of attachment? Would he be reluctant to see me hurt? Would he turn back in time?
Ethan was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, “Tara and I have been together for ten years. I should be responsible for her.”
“But do you understand? Ten years might really be too long. Touching her is like touching myself.”
“Now I don’t even want to answer her calls. Just hearing her name annoys me.”
“I can only let her continue being Mrs. Lancaster as compensation for her.”
I leaned against the cold wall, tears flooding out.
Ten years-a whole ten years!
I gave my entire heart, and in his eyes, it only earned me ‘duty’ and ‘compensation’!
What about love?
Had all that intense love between us died?!
Outside the window, rain poured down.
I thought of that reckless rainy night so many years ago…
Ethan and I were high school classmates.
I hadn’t wanted any entanglement with this man.
After all, Ethan was so unreachable.
Distinguished family background, excellent grades, and devastatingly handsome looks.
But unexpectedly, this dazzling Ethan had secretly loved me for three whole years.
I remember that night. Ethan stood in the pouring rain downstairs from my house, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Tara! I love you!”
On the day we chose universities, he didn’t even look at other options, directly choosing the same school as me, and said with a smile, “Wherever you are, that’s where my future is.”
After entering university, we were a famously model couple, and even now the school still tells stories about our romance.
After graduation, I went to Europe for further studies, while Ethan went to North America for his MBA.
But not even the entire Atlantic Ocean could separate our love.
Ethan frequently flew to my school. Even with only one day free, he had to see me.
After graduate school, Ethan defied family pressure and decisively proposed to me.
This year marks our tenth year together, our third year of marriage.
I had been so certain we would be happy forever.
I never expected that the boy who once professed his love in the rain would never come back.
Through the crack in the door, I saw Ethan’s profile.
Still so young, so handsome. Time seemed to have left no trace on him.
But his eyes were so unfamiliar, so cold, they made me tremble all over.
His next words plunged me straight into hell.
“These days with Selene, I’ve experienced a joy I’ve never felt before.”
“Once Selene gives birth, I’ll send her abroad, then continue taking care of her under Eric’s identity.”
His friend asked, “Will Tara agree?”
“What right does she have to disagree?”
Ethan was dismissive.
“Her mother’s still in the ICU. Several hundred thousand a month in expenses, and follow up treatment will cost even more. How could she afford it?”
“Besides continuing as Mrs. Lancaster and playing deaf and dumb, what other choice does she have?”
Word by word, each one pierced my heart.
I felt the air around me growing thin, couldn’t catch my breath no matter what.
I stumbled out, rushing into the rain.
So it turned out my critically ill mother was, in his eyes, just leverage to control me!
The heavy rain soaked me through, but couldn’t extinguish the flames of revenge in my heart.
Ethan, you don’t know yet, do you? My mother is already gone.
She was driven to death by you and your beloved, working together!
There’s nothing left to hold me back now…
I stopped in my tracks, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number.
“Transfer five million to my account. I need the best lawyer! I want a divorce!”
Tara’s POV
The next evening, I forced down my nausea and stepped into the Lancaster house.
The lawyer told me that if I wanted a smooth divorce, I’d better have solid evidence of Ethan’s infidelity.
I decided to hide my mother’s death for now and pretend everything was normal.
I’d barely crossed the living room when Selene’s sickeningly sweet voice latched onto me.
“Miss Tara, you’re finally back~ I’ve been craving the cake you make!”
Ethan had truly been taking excellent care of her.
Six months pregnant, she looked rosy-cheeked with innocent eyes.
As if the person who had shrilly accused me of being a homewrecker and infuriated my mother to death at the hospital yesterday wasn’t her at all.
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms, almost drawing blood.
The pain barely helped me maintain my composure, forcing down the bone-deep hatred as I said hoarsely, “Hire a chef. I’m tired.”
“But I want yours,” Selene pouted, rubbing her belly.
“The baby inside wants it too.”
Ethan’s mother immediately chimed in, “Selene’s carrying a precious child. Tara, can’t you show a little consideration?”
Ethan’s father frowned too, glancing at me with displeasure.
The study door opened. Ethan walked out, his gaze passing over me without the slightest warmth.
“If Selene wants it, go make it. Don’t keep her waiting.”
“Eric,” Selene cooed, leaning toward him. “Don’t be so harsh with her.”
Ethan looked down at her, the ice in his eyes melting instantly, becoming tender enough to drip water. “Alright, whatever you say.”
When he turned back to me, cold and distant again. “Hurry up.”
That sentence was like a sharp knife, stabbing my most painful spot.
This was clearly my husband, yet he brazenly played another man in front of me, being sweet with another woman.
But right now, I couldn’t act rashly.
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, then turned and walked into the kitchen.
Last night I’d been drenched in rain all night. A low fever made me dizzy and lightheaded, my vision going dark in waves.
As I mixed the batter, images of my mother’s pale face at death and the Lancaster family’s cold expressions flashed alternately, tearing at my nerves.
My eyes burned hot. I forced the tears back.
I couldn’t cry. At least not now. I still had more important things to do.
Nearly exhausted, I worked for almost two hours before the cake was barely finished.
But Selene only lazily tasted half a bite before pushing it away, pouting coquettishly, “I waited too long. I’m sleepy now. Don’t want it anymore.”
Ethan carefully helped her up, not even glancing back as he tossed at me, “Be faster next time.”
He supported Selene and headed straight to their room.
Selene gave me a faint glance, a trace of triumph flashing in her eyes.
I stood frozen, my chest heavy and cold, as if weighed down by ice.
I remembered how before, if I just had a slight loss of appetite, Ethan would chase after me to feed me, doing everything he could to coax me.
And now, all that tenderness and care had gone to another woman.
Love never disappears. Love only transfers.
Leaving me alone in the same place, foolishly waiting.
My vision began to blur, my head splitting with pain.
I knew I had a high fever and should take medicine quickly.
But I felt cold all over, couldn’t muster any strength.
Soon I collapsed onto the sofa, losing consciousness.
When I woke again, the entire Lancaster household was in chaos.
Apparently Selene had broken out in hives and was having difficulty breathing.
Ethan’s face was ashen. He scooped Selene up horizontally and rushed out the door, heading straight to the hospital.
He completely failed to notice me on the sofa, my face deathly pale.
I went to the hospital myself and registered for emergency care.
My name was called over the loudspeaker. I forced myself to stand up, about to go for treatment.
But a figure blocked my path, gripping my wrist hard.
“You knew perfectly well that Selene is severely allergic to peanuts! Why did you still put peanuts in the cake?!”
It was Ethan.
He stared at me, his eyes bloodshot.
I was burning with fever, dizzy, and he was shaking me until I could barely stand.
“There weren’t any peanuts… I didn’t put any in…”
“Liar!”
Ethan shoved me away. I stumbled backward, hitting the cold wall, my whole body swaying, yet it earned not a trace of his sympathy.
“The doctor said it was food allergy! Who else but you? Tara, how did you become so vicious? That’s Eric’s only flesh and blood in her belly!”
I took a deep breath and asked back, “Eric’s only flesh and blood. What does that have to do with me?”
He looked at me with disappointment, saying coldly, “If I hadn’t let Eric take that business trip to spend your birthday with you, he would never have been on that flight!”
“The one who should have been in the plane crash was me! The one who should have lost her husband was you!”
“Tara, you owe Eric a life! Yet you harm his wife and child. Do you have any conscience at all?!”
With a buzzing sound, my world fell completely silent.
The high fever and heartbreak dulled my senses. I could only see his lips moving.
His emotionless gaze was like a dull knife, slowly torturing my already mangled heart.
Eric’s death was an accident. Why should I atone for it?!
I’d already yielded my husband, even lost my mother whom I depended on-wasn’t that enough?!
I desperately wanted to question Ethan, but my throat was so dry and painful, I couldn’t make a sound.
Sliding down the cold wall to sit on the floor, I closed my eyes.
Before losing consciousness, I saw Ethan panic and rush toward me, calling out, “Tara, what’s wrong?”
But my heart was already completely numb.
In the last second before losing consciousness, I murmured, “Ethan, don’t call my name…”
You don’t deserve to.
In the darkness, I thought hazily.
Less than seven days until my mother’s funeral.
That day, I would hold a grand memorial service for my mother.
And that day, I would bring everything to an end. I would give my mother closure.
Tara’s POV
When I woke, my fever had broken.
Ethan sat by the hospital bed. Seeing me open my eyes, he reached out to feel my forehead, but I turned my head away.
His hand hung awkwardly in midair before slowly withdrawing.
“Tara,” he sighed, somewhat wearily.
“Selene has less than three months before giving birth. For my sake, for this family’s sake, just endure a bit longer. Stop fighting with her, okay?”
Seeing my silence, he coaxed gently, “Once the baby’s born, everything will return to normal. I promise.”
Return to normal?
I laughed coldly inside.
I knew he was lying to me.
Once the baby was born, he would just keep Selene abroad, enjoying happiness.
I closed my eyes, my voice hoarse. “I’m tired. Get out.”
Just then, a man in a black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest walked in and bowed to me.
“Ms. Tara, we’ve handled everything according to your requirements. Have you confirmed the time for the funeral?”
The air instantly froze.
Ethan turned his head, his sharp gaze shooting straight at me. “Funeral? What funeral? Who died?”
My heart raced wildly.
This was a funeral home employee. He was handling my mother’s arrangements.
I couldn’t reveal my hand now.
If Ethan realized he no longer had anything to hold over me, he’d surely be on guard.
I casually lied, “A family member.”
Ethan wanted to press further, but urgent footsteps sounded outside the room. The butler appeared breathlessly at the door, his face full of anxiety.
“You must come quickly! The lady woke up extremely agitated, crying and calling for your brother’s name. No one can calm her down, and the doctor says it’s very bad for the fetus!”
Ethan stood up almost instantly, completely forgetting about me and the suspicious farewell ceremony, striding out after the butler.
For most of the rest of the day, I lay alone in the hospital bed, listening to the gossip in the corridor.
“That Mrs. Lancaster in the VIP room is so blessed. Mr. Lancaster has been watching over her the whole time.”
“I heard Mr. Lancaster even contacted a top nutritionist to create a custom pregnancy plan for her. He treasures her like she’ll melt in his palm.”
“Different people, different fates. Look at that room. That woman passed out from fever, and not a single person came to check on her…”
These voices were like fine needles, piercing me full of holes.
I remembered five years ago when I was alone in Europe, had an appendicitis attack, and passed out from pain.
When I woke, Ethan’s eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion, holding my hand and calling my name.
Later I learned that Ethan had flown over overnight, not sleeping for more than ten hours.
Back then I thought that I want to be with this man for a lifetime, never to part.
But lifetime was still so far away. How had everything changed?
I stared at the stark white ceiling as the last bit of warmth in my chest dissipated…
As night fell, a nurse walked in. “Ms. Tara, there’s one more test. Please come with me.”
I didn’t think much of it and followed the nurse through the corridor, turned several corners, and stopped outside a hospital room.
“Wait a moment. I need to get something.”
The nurse said this, then turned and quickly walked away.
I was left there alone.
The door was ajar, and from inside came the faint sound of a woman acting coquettish and a man’s low, suppressed breathing.
Tara’s POV
I quickly recognized them, Selene and Ethan.
I instinctively wanted to flee, but those obscene sounds surrounded me with crystal clarity.
“Eric, I’m scared. Hold me tight, okay? Just like before…”
“Selene, don’t do this… You’re pregnant…”
“The doctor said we’re past the dangerous period. It’s fine… I know you want it too…”
The sound of clothes rustling, mixed with a woman’s moans.
The man laughed helplessly. “I really can’t do anything with you… Just for a little while. Be careful of the baby.”
Outside the door, I leaned against the wall, barely holding myself up.
Every coquettish moan, every gasp inside tortured what little dignity I had left.
Intense pain instantly swallowed all my senses, even breathing hurt.
Ethan, is this what you meant by ‘absolutely won’t touch her’?!
You not only gave her your heart, your body betrayed me too!
I bit down hard on my lower lip, the taste of blood spreading between lips and teeth, barely suppressing the sobs threatening to burst from my throat.
I couldn’t cry, couldn’t collapse. At least not now.
Intense hatred drove me to lift my heavy arm, pointing my phone camera at that half-open door.
Those images and conversations were clearly recorded.
I don’t know how long passed before the intense sounds inside gradually ceased.
I withdrew my phone and silently retreated to my own hospital room.
The moment the door closed, I slid to the floor.
My heart belatedly sent a sharp, twisting pain that made me curl up, gasping for air.
When I raised my head again, my eyes were bloodshot.
I had to recover quickly.
I would make that pair who deceived me, humiliated me, and killed my mother pay the price!
I struggled to climb up, collapsed onto the bed, and forced myself to sleep.
But the peace I expected didn’t come.
As dawn approached, a familiar perfume scent invaded my nostrils.
I jolted awake with a start.
I tried to move, but my limbs were firmly bound to the hospital bed.
I looked up in terror, and what met my eyes was Selene’s face wearing a bizarre smile.
“You’re awake.”
Selene toyed with a sharp scalpel, cold light flowing between her fingers.
“Selene?! What are you doing? Let me go!”
I struggled desperately, but to no avail.
“What am I doing?”
Selene tilted her head, her smile innocent yet cruel.
“Killing you, of course!”
“Why?! Haven’t you taken enough? You want my life too?”
“You’re too composed. Watching Ethan and me together, you can actually pretend nothing happened.”
Selene leaned down, the cold blade sliding across my hospital gown.
“So I have no choice but to kill you. Only when you disappear will Ethan belong completely to me.”
I looked at her in shock. “You… you’ve been pretending all along? You’re not crazy at all! You know Eric is dead. You know he’s Ethan!”
“That’s right.”
Selene smiled even more happily, undisguised triumph in her eyes.
“The one I’ve always loved is Ethan! If he hadn’t only had eyes for you back then, why would I have settled for marrying Eric? Now Eric’s dead. This is fate giving me a chance!”
“Calm down! Selene, murder is illegal! You’ll go to prison!”
I tried to awaken her reason.
“Prison?”
She tapped my face with the blade’s back.
“Don’t forget, Ethan loves me now. Even if I kill someone, he’ll cover for me.”
“Besides, everyone knows I’m a lunatic who suffered trauma. If I have an episode and accidentally kill someone, do I need to take legal responsibility?”
She straightened up, raising that gleaming scalpel and aiming it at my chest.
The smile faded from her face, leaving only bone-deep coldness.
“Don’t be afraid. Soon… you won’t have any more troubles.”
Tara’s POV
The hospital room door burst open.
Ethan froze in the doorway, horrified. “What… what are you doing?!”
Seeing the knife in Selene’s hand pointed at my chest, he rushed forward, snatched away the blade, and fumbled to cut the ropes binding me.
In an instant, the murderous madness drained completely from Selene’s face.
As if waking from a dream, her body swayed. She clutched her head, looking around in terror.
“Ah! Where… where am I? What am I doing?”
Large tears immediately flooded out, like a frightened child.
“Eric? Eric, I’m so scared… I had such a terrible dream… In it, there was a woman who wanted to steal you away! And harm our baby… I’m so afraid…”
She sobbed, her whole body trembling, tears streaming down her face as she reached out to Ethan.
Ethan’s pupils constricted. In one swift movement, he rushed forward and pulled Selene tightly into his arms, patting her back gently.
“It’s alright, Selene. I’m here. No one can hurt you or the baby.”
Forgotten on the hospital bed, I watched this absurd scene unfold, a fury capable of burning everything down finally overwhelming my reason.
“Ethan! Open your eyes! She just tried to kill me! She’s faking it all! She’s not crazy at all!”
“I didn’t… Why are you saying this about me… And why are you calling him Ethan… Where’s Eric? Isn’t Eric here?”
Selene cried even more pitifully, suddenly struggling and screaming hysterically.
“Where did Eric go? They said Eric is dead. Is it true? If Eric’s dead… then I don’t want to live either! Eric’s gone anyway, everyone hates me…”
As she spoke, heavily pregnant, she actually tried to ram herself into the wall.
“Selene! Don’t do anything foolish! I am Eric! I’m right here!”
Ethan panicked and held her, repeatedly soothing her.
Once she quieted down and collapsed in his arms, when he turned back to me, only fury remained in his eyes.
“Tara! That’s enough! Look at her condition! You’re still provoking her! What is your heart made of?”
The commotion attracted others too.
Ethan’s mother rushed in, shrieking, “Tara! Won’t you be satisfied until you drive Selene to death?”
Ethan’s father also wore a stern expression, scolding, “You can’t have children yourself, so you can’t stand others carrying the Lancaster family’s child? You’re simply unreasonable!”
They swarmed around her, comforting the nearly fainting Selene.
Then they surrounded her, protecting her like precious porcelain, and quickly left the hospital room.
And Ethan held Selene tightly the entire time, not sparing even a glance for me, who had just faced life and death.
I watched his resolute back, tears silently sliding down my cheeks.
Ethan’s father’s words still echoed in my ears. “You can’t have children yourself…”
Can’t have children?
My heart was bleeding.
I had a child too, two years ago.
I had the ultrasound photo printed, wanting to surprise Ethan.
But before I could show it to him, we were in a car accident together.
At the critical moment, I threw myself over him, using my body to shield Ethan.
The baby was just… gone.
Not wanting Ethan to be heartbroken, I had the doctor hide this fact.
After that, I could never get pregnant again.
Later, Ethan and I didn’t even have opportunities to be intimate.
Perhaps it was for the best. I closed my eyes, forcing back the surging tears.
From now on, that heart that once loved Ethan without reservation would no longer beat for him.
With a cold expression, I pulled out a small, delicate voice recorder from the inner pocket of my hospital gown.
Pressing play, after some static, Selene’s voice rang out.
“The one I’ve always loved is Ethan! If he hadn’t only had eyes for you back then, why would I have settled for marrying Eric? Now Eric’s dead. This is fate giving me a chance!”
This was enough.
I gripped the recorder tightly, my eyes gradually becoming resolute.
Mom, wait just a little longer.
At your memorial service, I will expose them for what they really are!
🌟 Continue the story here
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On the night of my birthday, a woman suffering from abdominal pain was rushed into the ER.
Ethan Ford rushed Isla James into the emergency room. Her ovarian cyst had ruptured from intense sex. Yet he lied to me, saying he was in a meeting.
I personally operated on my rival, only to be ordered by him afterward to quit my job and stay home to care for his mistress.
Ten years of deep love, exchanged for repeated humiliation and betrayal. Finally, I dialed the Lancaster family number. “Dad, I want a divorce. I’m coming home to the Lancaster family.”
When I stunned everyone at the charity gala as the Lancaster family heiress, when I personally destroyed the Ford Corporation as a doctor, he knelt on the ground, sobbing and begging to get back together.
I smiled as I tore up the old letters and said to Pierce, “Honey, the ring is beautiful.”
Sophia’s POV
On the night of my birthday, a young woman was rushed into the ER.
She was in unbearable pain, her face deathly pale.
I put on gloves, pressed her abdomen, and made my diagnosis.
“Ruptured ovarian cyst, intra-abdominal bleeding. Prep for surgery.”
I looked up and locked eyes with a familiar pair of slightly panicked eyes.
It was my husband, Ethan Ford.
Ten minutes ago, this man had been sweet-talking me on the phone, saying there was a last-minute international conference at the office and he couldn’t make it back to blow out candles with me.
Ten minutes later, he brought another woman to my operating table.
Even the cause was deeply ironic-a ruptured ovarian cyst from overly intense sex.
Outside the ER, Ethan’s friends were poking their heads in, their faces screaming “we’re screwed.”
“Holy shit, Sophia’s on duty tonight?”
“This is gonna blow up. Ethan really stepped in it this time.”
“What’s there to worry about? You all know what Sophia’s like, right? She’s crazy about Ethan. She’ll probably just cry for a bit and that’ll be the end of it.”
The nurse looked at my face, her hands trembling with anger. “Dr. Morgan, should I… call Dr. Lee down? This patient’s situation is delicate. Maybe you should recuse yourself?”
The whole hospital knew that the woman lying on the bed, Isla James, was Ethan Ford’s precious “sister”-and the thorn lodged in my heart.
I removed my stethoscope.
“No need. Prep anesthesia. I’ll operate myself.”
The murmuring outside immediately grew louder.
“Seriously? Sophia’s going to do it herself?”
“You think she’s gonna try to hurt Isla while she’s on the table? I mean, she is her rival.”
“Last time Isla sat on Ethan’s lap in a bikini, Sophia straight up poured a whole table of drinks on them. She’s way too calm today. Something’s definitely up.”
Amid all the noise, Ethan yanked his tie loose in frustration.
He strode over and stared hard at my lowered lashes.
“Family consent form.”
I handed him the surgical consent form without even looking at him.
Ethan gripped the pen so hard his knuckles turned white, pressing down with enough force to nearly tear the paper.
He lowered his voice, his tone tinged with inexplicable anger.
“Sophia, don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”
I glanced at the clock on the wall.
“The patient’s bleeding is increasing. Any more delay and she’ll go into shock. Mr. Ford, please hurry.”
Mr. Ford.
Ethan gritted his teeth and scrawled his signature, then shoved the form back at me.
“Fine. Dr. Morgan, so professional. Then you better listen carefully. If anything happens to Isla, I’m holding you personally responsible!”
I took the form and turned to leave.
The operating room doors slowly closed, and the “Surgery in Progress” light turned on like some kind of alarm.
I knew.
Ethan thought I would make a scene, lose my mind, and hysterically interrogate him like I used to.
But I didn’t.
2 a.m. Surgery complete.
I removed my mask and walked out of the OR, utterly exhausted.
Ethan immediately rushed over. The first thing he said was:
“How’s Isla?”
“The surgery was successful. She’ll need a month to recover.”
My voice was hoarse.
“During this month, sex is strictly prohibited. Next time Mr. Ford engages in such ‘strenuous activities,’ please show more restraint.”
Dead silence all around.
Ethan’s buddies looked like their jaws were about to hit the floor.
Ethan’s face turned ashen. He grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he wanted to crush my bones.
“Sophia, who the hell are you being sarcastic for? You’re my wife. Can’t you show a little grace? Isla’s health is fragile. I was worried about her and brought her here!”
I looked down at the large hand gripping my wrist and gently pulled free.
“Mr. Ford misunderstood.”
I looked up and smiled faintly.
“I’m a doctor. Saving lives is my duty. As for how you two play around or what happens. That’s your private business. I don’t care.”
“You don’t care?”
Ethan narrowed his eyes as if he’d heard a joke.
“Sophia, aren’t you tired of playing hard to get? Don’t think acting like you don’t care will make me look at you any differently.”
Just then, Isla was wheeled out, still groggy from anesthesia, mumbling incoherently.
“Ethan… it hurts…”
Ethan immediately released me, spun around, and rushed to the gurney, his voice dripping with tenderness.
“I’m here, I’m here. Don’t be scared. I’m right here.”
A crowd of people swarmed around the bed toward the VIP room.
The corridor instantly emptied.
I stood there, watching their retreating figures, the fake smile on my face slowly fading.
I pulled out my phone and found a number with no label saved, one I’d kept for a long time.
I dialed.
Someone picked up quickly. An elderly but authoritative voice came through, tinged with cautious hope.
“…Sophia?”
I looked out at the pitch-black night, my voice cold and resolute.
“Dad, it’s Sophia Morgan.”
“Within a month, help me finalize the divorce.”
“I’m coming home to the Lancaster family.”
Sophia’s POV
There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end before Dad’s voice broke into a choked, joyful sob.
“Yes! My dear daughter, you’ve finally come to your senses! I’ll arrange everything right away! Tomorrow…no, tonight I’ll have the legal team on standby!”
The Lancaster family. New York’s wealthiest. A true top-tier dynasty.
I was the Lancaster family’s long-lost heiress, separated from them for over twenty years. Six months ago, the Lancasters found me and begged me to come home.
At the time, I refused.
Because back then, I foolishly believed I could warm the heart of Ethan Ford, that cold, unfeeling stone.
I was an orphan. The Ford family sponsored my education.
Later, Ethan got into a car accident saving Isla. His legs were paralyzed, and doctors said he might spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
Isla ran off and flew overseas for “further studies.”
It was me who married paralyzed Ethan Ford, despite everyone’s ridicule.
For two whole years.
I taught myself rehabilitation massage and spent three hours a day massaging him until my finger joints became deformed. I learned to cook for him, and my hands were covered in burn scars.
The day Ethan stood up again, he held me and cried, swearing he would never betray me.
But a man’s vows are probably only real in that single moment.
When Isla came back to the country, she shed a few tears and offered some excuse about “hardships back then,” and Ethan’s heart tilted.
Once tilted, it stayed that way for a year.
Now, the debt was repaid. The love was spent.
“Dad, don’t make it too high-profile. I just want to divorce quietly.”
I said softly,
“Give me a month to clean up the mess here.”
“Whatever you say! As long as you come home, the entire Lancaster Corporation is yours! Anyone who dares bully you, I’ll make sure they can’t survive in this city!”
I hung up, and the weight in my chest finally seemed to lift.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Ethan:
“I submitted your resignation letter to your hospital director.”
“Isla’s coming to our place to recover after she’s discharged. I don’t trust outsiders to take care of her. Since you’re being so reasonable, spend this month at home looking after her.”
I stared at those lines of shameless text on the screen. I didn’t feel angry. I almost wanted to laugh.
He wanted me, his wife, to quit my job and stay home to care for his mistress?
Ethan Ford, you’re really pushing the limits of absurdity.
Thinking of my plan, I tapped lightly and replied with one word:
“Okay.”
This month would be my final tribute to this dead love.
By the time I got home, it was 4 a.m.
The villa was brightly lit.
Isla didn’t want to stay in the hospital, so she threw a fit about going home to recover. Ethan actually indulged her and brought her back in the middle of the night.
When I pushed open the door, I saw Isla wearing my silk pajamas, leaning delicately against the sofa.
Ethan was half-kneeling on the floor, carefully feeding her water.
At the sound of the door opening, Isla flinched like a startled little rabbit.
“She’s back… Ethan, I told you not to come here. She’s definitely going to be upset…”
Ethan slammed the glass down on the coffee table and shot me a cold look.
“This is my house. I’ll have whoever I want here. Does she dare have an opinion?”
I changed my shoes and walked over.
“The doctor said she needs rest. The mattress in the master bedroom is soft. Let her sleep there.”
Ethan ordered matter-of-factly,
“You sleep in the guest room.”
She was taking over my nest, and doing it so brazenly.
I nodded.
“Fine.”
I turned to go upstairs and pack my things.
I’d already been so compliant, but somehow he still stood up abruptly and blocked my way in a few strides.
“Sophia, what the hell are you playing at? This isn’t like you.”
I looked up.
“Aren’t you the one who told me to be reasonable? Now I’m not only reasonable but generous. I’ve given up my husband and my bed. What else could Mr. Ford possibly be dissatisfied with?”
“You-”
Ethan was left speechless.
“Oh, by the way,”
I remembered something.
“Since you’re taking care of a patient, don’t sleep too soundly tonight. Keep an eye on her temperature. I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed.”
With that, I walked past Ethan and went straight upstairs.
I entered the guest room and locked the door.
Leaning against the door, I let out a long breath.
I pulled out my phone and opened an encrypted app.
It was my private booking account as the top surgeon “M”-and another identity of the Lancaster heiress.
If I was leaving, I’d leave cleanly.
For the past three years, I’d worked earnestly at Ford Hospital on a fixed salary. Now, it was time to reclaim what I was truly worth.
Downstairs, Isla watched as Ethan stared blankly at the staircase. She bit her lip.
She tugged gently on his sleeve.
“Ethan, has she stopped loving you? She seems… like she really doesn’t care anymore.”
Ethan snapped out of it and sneered.
“Doesn’t care? She’s loved me for ten years. How could she just cut it off like that? She’s just trying a different way to get my attention.”
He was utterly confident.
I couldn’t leave him. That was common knowledge in their circle.
Even now, he still thought that as long as he crooked his finger, I’d crawl back to him like a dog.
“Just wait. Within three days, she’ll definitely come crying and beg me to kick you out.”
Ethan ruffled Isla’s hair.
“When that happens, I’ll make her kneel and apologize to you.”
Isla nodded obediently, but a flash of cunning gleamed in her eyes.
Sophia’s POV
The next morning, I was woken by pounding on the door.
“Sophia! What time is it and you’re still sleeping? Are you a pig?”
Ethan’s irritated voice came through the door.
I glanced at my phone. 6:30 a.m.
Rubbing my throbbing temples, I opened the door. Ethan stood there with a dark expression, wearing an apron that looked completely out of place.
“Isla’s hungry. She wants donuts from that place on the south side. Go get them.”
I leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.
“Mr. Ford, I resigned. I didn’t become your slave. If she wants food, go get it yourself or order delivery.”
“Delivery takes too long! You drive. It’s faster!”
Ethan said indignantly,
“You used to get up at dawn to make me oatmeal when I had stomach pain. Now you can’t even buy donuts for Isla?”
I looked at this man and suddenly felt like I’d been blind all these years.
“You said it yourself. That was before.”
“Sophia!”
Ethan grabbed my shoulder.
“You need to get this straight. Everything you eat, wear, and live in. Who’s paying for it? What’s wrong with asking you to do a little work? Don’t forget, if it weren’t for the Ford family back then, you’d still be fighting stray dogs for food in the orphanage!”
That sentence hit my weak spot with precision.
Debt of gratitude.
That damned debt of gratitude again.
I brushed Ethan’s hand away.
“Fine. I’ll go.”
This was the last time.
Once I repaid this final bit, we’d be even.
I changed and left, drove two hours, waited in line for an hour, and finally got the donuts.
By the time I returned to the villa, it was 10 a.m.
Laughter filled the living room.
Isla was sitting in Ethan’s lap. The two of them were sharing a tablet, laughing so hard tears were forming.
When they saw me enter, Isla immediately reined in her smile and timidly called out:
“Thank you.”
I set the donuts on the table, along with a complimentary hot coffee.
Isla reached for the hot coffee first. Suddenly, as if scalded, her hand jerked.
Most of the hot coffee spilled onto the back of my hand, with the rest splashing onto the carpet.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
My hand instantly turned bright red, the searing pain piercing to the bone.
“What happened?!”
Ethan shot up immediately. But his first instinct was to grab Isla’s hand.
“Are you burned?”
Isla’s eyes reddened, though her fingertips weren’t even slightly red.
“I’m fine… It was my fault… But Sophia made the coffee too hot. I couldn’t hold it…”
What a masterful twist of the truth.
It was obviously coffee I’d bought. How could I have made it?
But Ethan didn’t use his brain to think.
He turned to look at me. When he saw the red swelling on the back of my hand, his gaze froze for a moment, but anger quickly covered it.
“Sophia, you did this on purpose, didn’t you? You knew Isla just had surgery and is weak, yet you made the coffee this hot and handed it to her? What are you trying to pull?”
I looked at my blistered hand, my heart ice-cold.
This was the man I’d loved for ten years.
In his eyes, my hands were made of iron. They wouldn’t hurt no matter how badly they were burned.
But Isla’s hands were like glass. They’d shatter at the slightest touch.
“Ethan Ford.”
I looked up.
“You told me to buy the donuts and coffee. The takeout packaging is still right there. The temperature was set by the shop. As for why it spilled…”
I looked coldly at Isla.
“Ask Miss James why her hand shook so badly.”
“Sophia, watch your mouth!”
Ethan exploded in rage.
“Sob sob sob… Ethan, don’t blame her. It’s all my fault. I’m useless…”
Isla curled up in Ethan’s arms, tears streaming down her face.
Ethan’s heart ached. He pointed at the mess on the floor and yelled at me:
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and clean this! Wipe the carpet. If there’s even a stain left, don’t expect to eat dinner!”
I didn’t move.
I looked at Ethan and smiled.
“What are you smiling at? Get moving!”
I bent down.
Ethan thought I’d given in. He smirked.
But the next second, I didn’t reach for the carpet.
I picked up the coffee cup, which still had some warmth left, and flipped it over.
The remaining coffee landed precisely on Ethan’s six-figure custom shirt.
And on his face.
Dead silence.
Isla’s crying stopped abruptly, her mouth agape.
Ethan was completely stunned, brown coffee dripping down his prominent nose. He looked as pathetic as a drowned rat.
“Sophia!!!”
His furious roar nearly blew the roof off.
I pulled out a wet wipe and calmly cleaned my uninjured hand, my tone flat.
“Since you think I’m dirty, then nobody gets to stay clean.”
“Also, I’m not cleaning the carpet. Whoever made the mess can clean it.”
With that, I turned and walked away, leaving behind two spectacularly distorted faces.
Satisfying.
So satisfying.
This was the first time in three years I felt like I could breathe freely.
Ethan’s POV
I was furious.
I locked myself in the study and smashed a set of antiques.
“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!”
I never imagined that Sophia, who used to be too timid to even raise her voice, would dare pour coffee on my face!
“Mr. Ford…”
My assistant knocked timidly and entered.
“About tomorrow night’s charity gala… who should you bring as your plus-one?”
According to convention, for such formal occasions, I had to bring my wife to show marital harmony and stabilize stock prices.
I wiped the coffee stains from my hair with a dark expression.
“Bring what? Bring Isla!”
The assistant froze.
“But… the hosts specifically invited Mrs. Ford. I heard someone from the Lancaster Corporation will be there too. If we bring Miss James, won’t that…”
Lancaster Corporation.
Hearing that name, I calmed down a bit.
Lancaster was investing a hundred-billion-dollar project in New York recently, and every major family wanted a piece. The Fords were no exception. I’d heard the mysterious Lancaster heiress would make an appearance.
At such a critical moment, I really couldn’t afford any slip-ups.
“Tell Sophia,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Tomorrow night, she’d better clean herself up and come with me to the gala. If she dares embarrass me, I won’t let her off!”
“Also, tell her to apologize to Isla! Otherwise, she can forget about this month’s allowance!”
The assistant wiped his cold sweat and retreated.
When I called, Sophia was applying medicine to her burned hand.
After listening, she gave a derisive laugh.
“I’ll go to the gala.”
Sophia said into the phone,
“As for apologizing, dream on.”
Before I could lose my temper, she hung up.
I was so angry my chest hurt.
The next evening, New York’s largest banquet hall.
Luxury cars everywhere, stars gleaming.
I wore a black custom suit, with Isla on my arm.
Isla wore a white strapless gown with a diamond necklace I’d just won at auction around her neck. She looked delicate and charming, her face full of smugness.
“Ethan, is she really not coming?”
Isla asked worriedly.
I snorted coldly.
“She doesn’t know what’s good for her. If she doesn’t come, fine. Saves me the annoyance.”
I’d brought Isla anyway.
If Sophia didn’t show, I’d just say she wasn’t feeling well.
If she did show… well, that would be her own inability to keep me.
Just then, the banquet hall doors slowly opened.
A spotlight swept over, and the entire hall fell silent.
“Who is that?”
“So beautiful! Is she some celebrity?”
“Oh my God, that’s… Sophia?!”
At the end of the red carpet, a woman walked slowly forward.
She wore a deep blue haute couture gown like a starlit night sky, the hem encrusted with thousands of tiny diamonds that sparkled with each step. The fitted cut perfectly outlined her graceful waist, and her exposed shoulders and neck formed a swan-like curve.
Most shocking was her presence.
Gone was the timid, conservatively dressed Mrs. Ford.
Now, she held her chin high, lips a fiery red, gaze sweeping imperiously across the room, radiating a powerful aura.
I was stunned.
I nearly dropped my champagne.
This… this was Sophia?
That Sophia who used to hover around the kitchen reeking of cooking oil?
“Well, well, Mr. Ford.”
Sophia walked straight up to me in ten-centimeter heels.
She glanced at Isla on my arm, a playful smile curving her lips.
“Parading around with your mistress-Mr. Ford’s taste is as… unique as ever.”
Low laughter rippled through the crowd.
My face turned ashen.
“Sophia, what do you think you’re wearing?! Where’d you get the money for these clothes? Did you steal my card?”
After all, in my mind, Sophia was dirt poor.
Sophia raised an eyebrow, about to respond, when a commotion erupted behind her.
“Mr. Lancaster has arrived!”
The crowd automatically parted.
New York’s wealthiest man, Lancaster Corporation CEO Mr. Lancaster, strode forward surrounded by bodyguards.
I immediately straightened my tie and approached with a smile.
“Mr. Lancaster, hello. I’m from Ford Corporation-”
But Mr. Lancaster didn’t even glance at me.
He walked right past me.
My hand froze mid-air, embarrassment making my toes curl.
Mr. Lancaster stopped in front of Sophia. That stern face instantly softened into a warm, affectionate smile.
He reached out, carefully adjusting her gown, his tone so indulgent it was almost embarrassing.
“Sophia, my dear, does this dress fit? I picked it out for ages.”
Total silence.
My brain exploded.
Her father?
🌟 Continue the story here
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After discovering my husband, Ethan Holt, came back from a business trip where he’d been cheating, I didn’t fall into hysterical arguments.
Instead, I calmly sat him down with my pregnancy test results.
Either divorce, or cut things off with the other woman completely.
He stayed silent for a long time before choosing to return to our family.
But when the baby was born, Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and confessed:
“Actually, the person I’ve been having an affair with is your best friend, Jessica.”
“While you were in labor, we were having sex at the hotel across from the hospital.”
Seeing me too exhausted to even speak, he continued mercilessly:
“These past six months, you had her monitor me, but that actually gave us more opportunities to be together.”
“Your mom knows too, but she kept it from you because she was afraid you’d miscarry. We all did it for your own good.”
As the anesthesia wore off, I felt excruciating pain below.
But no physical pain could compare to the heartbreak.
I gripped the bedsheets tightly, forcing words from my throat.
“Why… why did you have to tell me this right after I gave birth?”
The moment I spoke, Jessica and Ethan’s friends burst into the room, laughing and joking.
“Jessica, you lost the bet! Vivian didn’t cry, so you have to wear the bunny girl outfit!”
“Yeah, when Jessica wears that, Ethan’s going to be completely obsessed!”
Jessica laughed shyly and scolded them, then said with a blushing face:
“I’ll only wear it for Ethan.”
Seeing my shocked, disbelieving expression, Ethan explained calmly:
“We bet on whether you’d cry when you found out I was cheating with your best friend. If you cried, I promised her ten rounds in one night. If you didn’t cry, Jessica would wear a sexy outfit.”
He spoke as if discussing something trivial, then raised an eyebrow as if remembering something.
“Oh, you don’t know this—Jessica and I already got our marriage license.”
“Then what about our marriage license!” My voice broke, tears flooding my eyes.
The next second, I was silenced by everyone’s mocking, zoo-animal stares.
“Vivian, you really didn’t know? Your marriage to Ethan is fake. The real one is with Jessica~”
Jessica shot that person a playfully reproachful glance.
Then she grabbed my hand with a fake smile: “Vivian, we didn’t tell you for your sake and the baby’s~”
That line was identical to what Ethan had said.
My blood ran completely cold.
A year ago, I’d been overjoyed to tell Ethan about my pregnancy.
But when he came back from his business trip, I saw the telltale marks on his body.
Panicked, I called my mom to explain the situation.
My mom spoke to me like a woman of experience: “If you step aside now, aren’t you just giving the other woman an opportunity? So what if he cheated? I can tell—Ethan loves you most!”
My mom convinced me. I swallowed all my hurt and talked with him through the night.
When Ethan learned I was pregnant with his child, he knelt and begged for forgiveness without hesitation, choosing to return to our family.
But he refused to tell me who the other woman was.
That became a thorn lodged in my heart.
After learning about this, my best friend Jessica volunteered to help monitor Ethan.
She reported everything Ethan did, every moment of every day.
Even the duration of his masturbation sessions during my pregnancy was precisely calculated by her.
Every time she called to report, she looked sleep-deprived.
I thought she was just exhausted, so I frequently bought her expensive supplements.
Just a few days ago, she’d even encouraged me to become a career-focused woman after giving birth.
Now I finally understood—she was the mistress I’d been trying to catch all along.
I trembled with rage, not even noticing when my IV came loose and blood ran down my entire arm.
No wonder my mother-in-law always looked down on me but treated Jessica like a daughter.
No wonder Ethan’s friends dared to make crude jokes about me but were polite to Jessica.
I’d been the only one played for a fool.
Blood from my arm pooled on the floor, the pain snapping me back to reality.
“What happened? You’re in postpartum recovery—don’t you know to take care of yourself?”
“Drink some of the mushroom soup Mom made.”
Ethan held my IV tube with one hand and fed me soup with the other.
His tone was gentle, as if he’d already forgotten his naked confession moments ago.
My throat felt raw. Eyes red, I stared at him stubbornly.
“Ethan, why?”
“Why did you lie to me? The marriage license is fake, being Mrs. Holt is fake—what’s real?!”
My voice grew more agitated, my chest heaving violently, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
Ethan set down the bowl. His peach-blossom eyes, which once held only me when we were in love, now looked cold as frost.
“Vivian, you’ve forgotten about that incident. I never will.”
“Five years ago, the three of us traveled abroad and encountered kidnappers. I was taken to Myanmar, and it was Jessica who risked her life to save me, while you just turned and ran.”
He shot me a mocking glance, his tone carrying a hint of vengeful pleasure.
“But you didn’t escape. You were violated instead.”
At those words, I froze completely, my entire body shrouded in bone-chilling cold.
Five years ago during that conflict, Jessica had deliberately reported our location to local scammers to save herself.
I ran thirty kilometers barefoot to transmit our location to the Holt family.
My feet were rubbed raw, my arm dislocated from an explosion, even my back burned with horrifying scars.
I finally reached the signal camp, but I was discovered, dragged, and thrown into hell.
When I got out, Ethan’s face was tight, silent.
I wanted to explain, but he shouted with red eyes:
“No one is allowed to mention this again!”
But he thought it was Jessica.
My heart went ice-cold: “If you think I’m a coward, why the fake marriage? Why endure this for five years?”
Ethan laughed coldly as he wiped the blood from my arm.
But his eyes looked tenderly toward Jessica, who was chatting and laughing at the door.
“Jessica became permanently infertile because she saved me. I owe her a child.”
“And you—you owe me.”
He paused, his expression growing colder.
“I tried to forget what happened, tried to forget that you were already dirty. But whenever I think of you running away like a madwoman, I feel disgusted, even physically repulsed.”
I laughed. Laughed until tears streamed down, laughed until I couldn’t breathe.
All because of a fabricated life-saving favor, Ethan spent five years making me birth a child that would be Jessica’s.
For five years, because I had difficulty conceiving, I took injections and medications daily, did IVF treatments.
My body accumulated new injuries on top of old ones until I was barely recognizable.
I thought I was sacrificing for love, but it was all a monstrous lie.
Ethan roughly wiped away my tears.
“Why are you crying? It’s not like I won’t support you or love you anymore.”
“As long as you let Jessica raise the child, you’re still the prestigious Mrs. Holt.”
Those words completely shattered the emotions I’d been suppressing.
I parted my cracked lips and screamed hysterically:
“In your dreams! This is fraud! Ethan, aren’t you afraid I’ll report you to the court!”
Ethan watched me finish my outburst coldly, then said lightly:
“Go ahead and report it. But you probably don’t want custody of the child anymore.”
Those words struck me like lightning, my ears ringing.
I didn’t believe it. I tried to call my lawyer friends, but Ethan smiled cruelly.
“Go ahead and call. But Vivian, you need to understand—without me, you’re nothing.”
After Ethan left, I started hopefully dialing lawyers one by one.
But in the end, some answered saying they were busy, others directly said they didn’t dare take the case.
Just as my emotions were about to collapse, that afternoon I was moved from the VIP room directly to the crowded hallway.
I knew it was Ethan’s arrangement.
But while I could endure it, the baby couldn’t.
In one hour, he cried fifteen times.
The constant noise from people passing by made the baby cry nonstop. When passersby got annoyed, they hurled verbal abuse at me.
Seeing I was easy to bully, some people later threw glass cups at my bed, telling me to get lost.
When Ethan came by, he saw me lying disheveled on the bed, the sheets half-soaked with blood.
“Vivian, see? This is your so-called independence.”
His mockery stabbed like knives into my heart.
Only when he held the baby to feed him did I finally collapse on the bed, drained of all strength.
I was a girl from the mountains. Ethan was the most privileged son of the elite circle.
To marry me, he defied his parents’ opposition and was beaten until his ribs broke.
To prevent others from looking down on me, he helped build my brand, took me to auctions and galas, introducing me to everyone.
The year I was misdiagnosed with cancer, he cried every day and prayed at church.
Before, when his friends saw me, they all tried to please me.
Even my mother-in-law said she wanted to recognize me as her daughter.
But for five years, it was all an elaborate lie they’d woven.
Ethan seemed to want to watch me struggle more, so he quickly returned the baby to me.
I gritted my teeth hard. For the sake of custody of my child, I prepared to sell my design studio.
When I called, I learned it had been contracted to the Holt Corporation indefinitely and leased to Jessica, who’d just won a fashion exhibition award.
The baby cried again. I hurriedly called the postpartum nanny I’d booked.
But I was told coldly:
“Ma’am, your price isn’t even a tenth of what your husband offered. I’m definitely not coming!”
Helpless, I comforted the baby while staying alert for the aggressive patient nearby, when the maternity center nurse came to notify me:
“Miss Reed, your husband refunded all the money. If you want to stay, you’ll need to pay again.”
My face went pale. I knew my cards were frozen.
So with weak legs, dragging my body that hadn’t finished postpartum recovery, I carried the baby step by step back home.
The door to the house was half-open. My heart sank, thinking burglars had broken in.
Inside, harsh sounds of sex suddenly rang out.
“Ethan~ I can’t take it anymore!”
At those words, my legs felt like lead, but I rushed to the bedroom in just a few steps.
Inside, Ethan was pressing Jessica beneath him, his strong hips thrusting against her body.
Seeing me standing there pale and frozen, Ethan turned Jessica over and smiled mockingly:
“What, watched long enough? Want to join us?”
Nausea rolled through my stomach. I hurriedly covered the baby’s eyes, but Jessica laughed and taunted me:
“Vivian, your mom said it herself—I’m your best friend. It’s better for me to help you and Ethan with your physical needs than some stranger. She’s the one who pushed me to Ethan~”
I froze instantly, tears flowing despite myself. I couldn’t believe my own mother had known even earlier and tacitly approved everything!
The three people closest to me had all betrayed me!
I was so angry my hands wouldn’t stop shaking, and my abdomen throbbed with pain.
Slowly, I felt liquid leaking from below, the pungent smell filling the entire room.
I couldn’t control the postpartum discharge during recovery, and I felt utterly humiliated.
Jessica covered her nose in disgust:
“Vivian, did you just wet yourself!”
Ethan also frowned, his movements unconsciously stopping. He put on a shirt and walked toward me.
The instant his nauseating cologne hit me, I shoved him away hard.
I collapsed on the floor, vomiting violently.
The baby started wailing in fright.
But Ethan’s face had darkened like the bottom of a pot.
“Vivian, I haven’t even found you disgusting yet—what are you so repulsed by?”
I wiped my mouth roughly and looked at him like I was looking at a dead man.
He froze for a moment, then smiled viciously through gritted teeth:
“Fine, fine, fine, Vivian. You brought this on yourself. I gave you a chance.”
“You’re the one who chose to abandon it.”
With that, he pulled out his phone with a dark expression:
“Transfer all shares of Vivian Reed’s father’s company to Jessica’s name. Also, put the house her father left her in his will up for auction on eBay.”
Jessica’s eyes immediately lit up with delight as she exclaimed: “Ethan, really! You’re so good to me—you’re giving me all of this!”
But my heart had died. The massive hands of powerlessness and despair were choking me.
I wanted to curse him with the most vicious words, but thinking of the consequences, my throat felt stuffed with cotton.
Seeing my awful expression, Ethan looked at me with a mocking smile, his eyes full of ridicule:
“Vivian, when you abandoned me in Myanmar and I was tortured by those people, this is exactly how much it hurt.”
“This has only been a few days. You’ll suffer slowly for the rest of your life.”
I lowered my head, my despairing gaze fixed on my shoes.
So that’s how it is.
Only now did I finally understand why Ethan spent five years weaving this lie.
Simply because he wasn’t willing to let go. He hated me. He wanted revenge.
He wanted to hold me in the palm of his hand, then viciously throw me into hell.
I looked up, smiling innocently:
“Ethan, you’re so stupid.”
He frowned, laughing in extreme anger:
“Still talking tough?”
“The one who saved you back then wasn’t even…” My gaze sharpened, the truth about to slip from my mouth.
Suddenly, Jessica pointed at the baby and screamed:
“The baby passed out! Vivian, what did you do to the child!”
At those words, the baby was snatched from my arms by Ethan.
He unwrapped the swaddling clothes. The child was foaming at the mouth, his little face red and swollen.
“So hot! Vivian, are you trying to kill the baby!”
Ethan touched the child’s forehead and shouted at me harshly.
My heart suspended in an instant.
I rushed to take the child from his arms, but Ethan refused to let go.
“Ethan! I have infant fever medicine in my bag! Give it to him first!”
But Jessica rushed up to me and slapped me across the face:
“Vivian, he’s going to be my child from now on! Are you trying to kill him!”
Ethan gave me a cold glance and carried the child out.
I stood there in a daze, watching his retreating back. Jessica leaned close to my ear smugly:
“Don’t worry, Vivian. I’ll make sure to kill your son properly.”
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When the gas explosion set the villa on fire, I used every ounce of strength I had to carry my unconscious mother and brother out to safety.
But when they woke up, they gathered around my cousin, whose hair had been singed by the flames, showering her with concern.
The butler asked anxiously, “Where’s Keira?”
Mom shouted furiously, “That ungrateful wretch Keira ran off first thing!”
“Thank god for Celeste—she even had her hair burned trying to save us.”
Mom and my brother looked at me with intense disgust, completely missing the flicker in my cousin’s eyes.
They didn’t know that at that very moment, I was lying collapsed inside the villa.
A heavy solid wood bookshelf had crushed my legs.
In the towering flames, my right hand was charred black, exposing the white bones beneath.
And the chandelier on the ceiling was swaying dangerously, about to crash down on my head.
Mom and my brother crowded around my cousin, the whole family rushing to the hospital to fuss over her singed hair.
My brother, Hayden Hayes, patted her head consolingly. “Don’t worry. Worst case, we’ll make Keira cut her hair and give it to you.”
He frowned irritably. “Where is Keira anyway?”
At that, Mom slapped the table twice in anger. “That ungrateful girl saw the fire and ran faster than anyone!”
“She’s probably lying around sleeping somewhere right now, completely indifferent to whether we live or die!”
Mom’s judgment of me continued.
Until the police called with news of my death, she suddenly froze like a machine jamming.
The disgust hadn’t faded from her face yet, making her expression look almost comical.
I floated in midair, watching their reactions, and couldn’t help wanting to laugh a little.
In the car ride home, Mom and my brother both wore expressionless faces.
Only their occasionally clenching fingers betrayed their inner turmoil.
Quite a crowd had gathered at the villa entrance, and my body lay on a white gurney to the side.
After getting out of the car, Mom grabbed my brother in a daze. “That… that’s Keira’s body, isn’t it?”
“No… this can’t be possible…”
Hayden took two steps back, panic flashing across his face as he asked repeatedly.
“You’re working with Keira to put on a show, aren’t you? She loves lying and playing tricks—this is fake too, right?”
When the villa caught fire, I had been in the garden watering flowers and turning soil.
My cousin Celeste had accused me of stealing her bracelet, and Mom, without asking any questions, had punished me by making me clean the entire villa garden alone.
When I saw the billowing black smoke, I rushed into the fire without hesitation.
Mom and my brother had already been knocked unconscious by the smoke. I used all my strength to rescue them from the villa one by one.
The scorching smoke seared my lungs—every breath brought tears of pain.
In his confusion, my brother grabbed my hand and mumbled, “Save Celeste… go save her…”
Gritting my teeth, I rushed back into the flames.
When I found my cousin, she was huddled in a corner of her room, curled up and screaming.
When she saw me, her eyes lit up. “Keira! Save me! Please save me!”
I draped the wet bedsheet over her. After just two steps, I saw the bookshelf beside us start to tilt.
I instinctively tried to dodge, but Celeste shoved me hard.
The intense pain made me cry out. When I came to my senses, the heavy solid wood bookshelf had already pinned my legs.
I looked at Celeste in disbelief.
A flash of struggle crossed her face, but it all turned to cold indifference in the end.
She said, “Keira, you only have yourself to blame for always competing with me for everything.”
Then she ran out of the villa without hesitation, shouting as she went.
“Aunt! Hayden! Where are you? I’m so scared!”
I instinctively called out “Mom”—it’s every child’s natural response in extreme panic.
The fire in the villa grew fiercer. I could clearly hear the sound of my skin splitting from the burns.
I tried turning my body, pushing hard against the bookshelf on my legs, veins bulging on my forehead.
My nails all broke off from the force, leaving my fingers bloody and mangled.
But the bookshelf on top of me didn’t budge an inch. Moments later, I collapsed heavily back to the ground.
Turning my head, through the bright second-floor window, I could clearly see the three people in the garden.
Mom and my brother had regained consciousness.
Celeste threw herself into Mom’s arms. Hayden tenderly touched her hair.
The whole family wore expressions of relief at having survived, but no one cared whether I lived or died. No one even mentioned me.
The chandelier overhead suddenly made a harsh creaking sound.
I looked up, then closed my eyes in despair.
Before my consciousness plunged into darkness, I felt only endless confusion and bewilderment.
I was clearly their daughter and little sister, so why wouldn’t they love me?
Hatred rose in my chest. I really didn’t have to die.
…
When the half-charred body was wheeled before Mom, she collapsed to the ground in shock.
She kept repeating, “Impossible—Keira wasn’t even in the villa, was she?”
Then she broke down crying.
“I’m sorry, Keira… I’m sorry, Mom could have saved you, you didn’t have to die…”
Hayden shook his head in a daze, looking at my body in disbelief.
“No… this isn’t Keira, she’s not my sister.”
“My sister was beautiful—how could she look like this now…”
I finally heard the words I’d wanted to hear.
But now, it was all too late.
Mom’s hands trembled, not daring to approach.
My brother stood to the side, gasping for breath, clutching his chest tightly.
Just then, a group of smiling reporters carrying cameras arrived at the villa entrance.
Seeing this scene, they looked confused at first, then asked cautiously,
“Is Miss Keira Hayes here?”
Hearing this, Mom looked up in a daze. When she saw the joy on his face, she was instantly triggered and shouted.
“What are you smiling about? Are you happy my daughter Keira is dead!”
The reporter quickly waved his hands.
“You misunderstand, we didn’t mean that… What did you say? Miss Keira Hayes… she’s dead?”
Celeste suddenly stood up excitedly and shoved the reporter.
“My sister is dead! Even if she did something else to trend on social media, can’t you just leave her alone?”
Mom heard her words and first frowned irritably by instinct, then closed her eyes.
“Yes, when someone dies, the past dies with them. I’ll apologize on her behalf…”
“You misunderstand!” The reporter interrupted her. “Miss Hayes won second place in the International Art Painting Awards!”
“She even received praise from a professor at the Florence Academy—she brought honor to the country!”
“What?” Mom shot to her feet, looking at him in disbelief.
“She won second place in a painting competition? How is that possible?”
The reporter looked at her with a complicated expression.
“You’re Mrs. Hayes, right? That’s a strange thing to say. The contestants all painted on site in front of everyone—of course it’s real!”
“Besides, as a mother, shouldn’t you feel proud when your daughter achieves such an honor?”
At this, tears began welling up in Mom’s eyes. She turned, looking at Celeste with suspicion.
In my memory, this was the first time Mom had chosen to question her instead of me.
Celeste wrung her fingers together and spoke softly.
“I heard from Keira’s classmate that she wanted to hire him as a ghost painter…”
The reporter looked at her mockingly.
“Don’t tell me this classmate of yours just happens to be the first-place winner of that painting competition?”
“Otherwise, why would Miss Hayes hire someone less skilled than herself to paint for her?”
Celeste tried to argue back, but my brother patted her shoulder, his voice hoarse.
“Forget it. Now’s not the time for this. Let’s just let our sister… rest in peace.”
She bit her lip, pouting unwillingly.
But just then, another woman with a stern expression walked up to them.
She scanned the surroundings and lowered her head in silence for a moment.
With reddened eyes, she pulled a bottle of medicine and a USB drive from her bag, speaking calmly.
“Keira didn’t come to pick up her medication last week. I wanted to bring it to her today, but now I see there’s no need.”
Mom and my brother froze.
Seeing the confused expressions on their faces, the woman’s voice turned mocking.
“You mean you don’t know?”
“The tumor in Keira’s brain has been severely compressing her nerves. She was sick.”
Mom looked at her in shock, mouth open, not knowing what to say.
The woman glanced at her and continued.
“She had already started forgetting many things. Afraid she might completely forget you all one day, she participated in my lab’s new project—the Memory Fragment Preservation Program.”
“This USB drive stores her life memories.”
“You suspect she hired a ghost painter? Just watch and find out!”
Her last sentence was deliberately loaded with meaning.
Celeste seemed to realize something, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.
She rushed forward, trying to stop the woman from inserting the USB drive and making my memories public.
But she was firmly blocked by the two bodyguards the woman had brought.
She shouted anxiously at Mom.
“Aunt, stop them! How can we just watch Keira’s privacy be exposed to everyone!”
Mom seemed to finally react, stepping forward and grabbing the woman’s hand firmly.
Her attitude was resolute. “I won’t allow anyone to hurt my daughter anymore. Please stop!”
The woman laughed softly, her voice still calm and detached.
“Don’t you want to know the truth about your husband’s death?”
“Haven’t you hated Keira for over ten years because of this?”
I saw Mom’s expression change rapidly in that moment.
Finally, she released the woman’s hand as if in a trance.
I floated in midair, watching my own memories being played, feeling strange and curious.
For a moment, I felt like I was outside this world entirely.
The expression on Celeste’s face grew increasingly terrified. She buried her face in Hayden’s chest.
“Hayden, please don’t let her play it, okay? I don’t want to see Uncle’s accident, and I don’t want… to watch my parents die again…”
Tenderness appeared on Hayden’s face. He spoke tentatively.
“Mom, maybe we shouldn’t watch this?”
“This is just too cruel for Celeste.”
But the memory USB had already started playing, and Mom was already staring entranced at Dad in the footage.
It was the summer when I was six years old.
Mom and Dad took Hayden and me to visit my cousin’s family, who had immigrated to Country M.
Throughout the journey, Hayden seemed very excited.
I knew he had always liked Celeste more than me. Feeling sullen, I didn’t want to talk to him.
Noticing this, he pinched my cheek with a smile.
“Who told you not to sweetly call me ‘brother’ every time you see me like Celeste does?”
“With your personality, you’re like a little old lady all day long.”
Though the words were complaints, his voice still carried affection.
Back then, Hayden wasn’t as disgusted with me as he is now.
But the accident happened without warning.
On our third day at my uncle’s house, a severe earthquake struck Country M.
My uncle and aunt were pierced through by steel beams from the villa and died on the spot.
Dad, dragging his injured leg, struggled to pull Hayden and me out.
Even unconscious, Hayden kept mumbling, “Save my sister… don’t worry about me, save my sister quickly.”
Dad turned to see Celeste standing under a chandelier, frozen in fear.
The massive chandelier swayed precariously, just like today’s scene.
Without hesitation, Dad pushed Celeste out of the way and was buried himself under the rubble.
At the time, Mom had been drinking tea in the spacious villa garden and escaped disaster.
But when everyone regained consciousness, Celeste tearfully told Mom,
“Uncle died trying to save Keira.”
“Keira was so scared she just stood there unable to move. No matter how much I called her, she didn’t respond. Uncle died trying to save her—he was crushed by the chandelier…”
I’ll never forget the look in Mom’s and my brother’s eyes that day.
Their eyes held bone-chilling hatred.
…
“Aunt! Hayden! It wasn’t like that!”
Celeste’s face was pale as she anxiously explained.
“I was too scared then, my memories got confused…”
“I didn’t mean to say that. I was terrified and just heard Hayden say ‘save sister’ and got confused. Please believe me!”
Hayden was silent for a long time, then suddenly sighed helplessly.
“Celeste, don’t blame yourself. We know you didn’t mean it.”
“Mom… you should comfort Celeste too. She’s always been prone to overthinking. Because of this, she probably won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
But Mom seemed not to hear, staring fixedly at the computer screen, mumbling continuously.
“He died saving Celeste, not Keira, not Keira.”
“It wasn’t Keira who caused her own father’s death, it wasn’t her, it wasn’t her all along…”
The colorful screen light fell on her face, illuminating her pale features even more clearly.
The woman beside them refused to let it go, scoffing.
“The one whose confused memories led to amnesia should be Keira, shouldn’t it?”
“The tumor has been compressing her nerves from age nine until now. All these years, not one of you noticed.”
“So even without today’s accident, she wouldn’t have lived past another year. I suppose we should congratulate her for being released early.”
My fingers trembled involuntarily twice.
So… I was so sick that I’d even forgotten something this important?
But even if I only had one year, I wanted to live it properly.
Because back then, it was Dad who dragged me out of the ruins and gave me a second life.
I hadn’t yet lived fully enough to see this world on his behalf…
Hayden’s expression became very ugly in an instant.
Celeste tugged his hand, looking at him pitifully and helplessly.
He stared at the ground with a complex expression, lips pressed tightly together.
“Don’t worry, there’s more excitement to come.”
The woman’s voice rang out like thunder exploding in Celeste’s ears.
Her body swayed, eyes wide with terror.
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At the engagement party, my fiancé Mario promised my father he would love me forever.
After the party ended, I stumbled upon a cheating photo on Instagram.
In the picture, a man with a body shape similar to Mario’s was holding hands with a woman, fingers interlaced.
I stiffly turned my head to look at Mario.
The ring on his hand was identical to the one on the man in the photo.
My fingertip pressed against my phone screen, repeatedly zooming in on the ring on the man’s hand in the photo.
The width of the band, the matte texture of the face, the minimalist lines on the side—every detail matched the one I’d custom-made for Mario perfectly.
Back then, Mario had even laughed at me, saying no one would notice such details.
I looked up toward the main table. My dad was patting Mario’s shoulder with satisfaction. “Timothy’s in your hands from now on.”
Mario stood up, his gaze landing on me with tender affection.
“Dad, rest assured. I won’t let Timothy suffer even a little.”
His voice was as sincere and pleasant as always.
For three years, he’d been exactly like this.
Gentle, considerate, taking care of me with meticulous attention.
Everyone said I’d found a treasure, and I’d believed it wholeheartedly myself.
But now, this photo was like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.
The light from my phone screen reflected my pale face.
Still, I didn’t dare believe it.
Maybe it was just a similar style? Plenty of people wore the same ring design.
I desperately made excuses for myself, but my heart pounded uncontrollably.
Mario walked to my side and wrapped his arm around my waist, his palm gently rubbing my back.
“You heard what I just told your dad, right? I’ll always treat you well.”
I looked up and met Mario’s eyes. They held a smile.
But unlike usual, I didn’t feel happy. Lowering my head, my voice came out muffled: “I heard.”
Mario’s brows furrowed slightly. He took my hand with concern. “What’s wrong, honey? Your hand is so cold.”
My peripheral vision caught his ring, and I quickly covered my mouth. Remembering the image from the photo, a wave of nausea hit me.
“I’m fine. Maybe… maybe I had too much to drink.”
My mom saw and teased me with a laugh: “That’s hardly anything! You really can’t hold your liquor.”
The relatives all laughed, and Mario laughed too.
“Are you just too excited?”
He took my hand again, his grip light but not allowing me to pull away.
“We’re getting our marriage license tomorrow. Tomorrow you’ll be my wife!”
Mario bent slightly, staring into my eyes with a sincere expression, his tone full of anticipation.
He seemed like a completely different person from the man in the photo who’d been leaning sideways, fingers tightly interlaced with a strange woman.
Looking at Mario’s affectionate eyes, my stomach churned violently.
I needed to confirm this. I had to confirm it right now.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to squeeze out a smile.
“Mario, do you like the couple’s rings I designed?”
“Honey, why are you suddenly asking this?”
Mario’s expression froze for a moment as he looked at me with confusion.
“Mario, I just thought of us back then when I saw the ring. Look, your ring’s gotten a bit dirty.”
I pointed at his hand. “Let me clean it for you.”
As I spoke, I reached to remove the ring from his hand.
Mario’s body stiffened for a split second, but he quickly relaxed and extended his hand with a smile.
“Sure, I want your personal service.”
My hand trembling, I removed the ring.
But no matter how I looked at it, it seemed identical to the one in the photo.
I couldn’t fool my own eyes. My world completely collapsed in that moment.
The joyful chatter around me became grating noise.
Holding that ring, it felt scorching hot in my hand.
Mario looked at me searchingly. “What’s wrong, Timothy? Is there something wrong with the ring?”
I snapped back to attention and shoved the ring back into his hand.
“No, nothing wrong.”
My voice shook slightly: “I just think that, well, today it looks especially beautiful.”
Lowering my eyes, I didn’t dare look at him anymore.
Mario laughed and put the ring back on, then took my hand.
“I’ll wear it every day from now on, so you can look at it as much as you want.”
His tone remained doting, making me instinctively doubt myself.
What if? What if it was just the same model?
My parents and relatives looked at us, their faces full of gratified smiles.
In their eyes, we were a loving couple about to enter the hall of marriage.
No one knew what kind of storm was raging inside my heart.
When the dinner ended, Mario drove me home.
The car played my favorite music.
While driving, he chatted with me about tomorrow’s marriage license arrangements and honeymoon travel plans.
Everything seemed normal, but I only felt suffocated.
How could this man so calmly plan our future with me while holding hands with another woman?
And that woman was someone else’s wife.
In the photo, her husband and child were sitting right beside her.
“Mario.” I opened a bottle of water and handed it to him. “Last Wednesday night, didn’t you say you were working overtime at the company? That the project was urgent?”
Mario unscrewed the cap and took a sip. “Yeah, we were rushing the project. Worked all night—nearly killed me.”
My fingertip picked at the seam of my skirt as my gaze fell on the ring on his hand.
“Really? I thought you went to see a movie.”
Mario’s drinking motion suddenly stopped. He choked on the water, and it went down the wrong pipe.
He frantically hit the brakes, his face turning red. “Honey, what are you talking about?”
“I was so busy those days I barely touched the ground. I practically lived at the office. Where would I have time to see a movie?”
“Oh, that’s good then.”
I lowered my head and said nothing more, but those comments from the trending topic kept echoing in my ears.
My heart sank bit by bit.
When we reached my building, Mario got out of the car as usual to open my door and planted a goodnight kiss on my forehead.
“Get some rest. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, and we’ll become a legal married couple.”
I grabbed the corner of his jacket, pretending to act drunk and clingy: “Mario, we’re getting our marriage license first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Park your car in my building’s garage. That way you won’t have to make an extra trip to pick me up tomorrow. Just take a cab home and come straight here tomorrow.”
Mario smiled and patted my head. “So clingy! Then I won’t leave tonight.”
My heart jumped, and I quickly pushed him away. “No, Mario!”
“We’re getting married tomorrow. We can’t stay together tonight. Hurry home!”
Only then did Mario shake his head helplessly and leave in a cab.
After his taillights disappeared around the corner, I turned and walked back to my own car.
We’d exchanged spare keys in case of emergencies.
I used to think this proved the trust between us. Now it just felt ironic.
I took out the spare key and opened Mario’s car door.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, I began searching.
His phone—Mario never left it behind, and I knew the password. I’d checked it before. It was clean as a new phone.
Social media—no suspicious chat records.
I opened the glove box. Besides documents and some miscellaneous items, there was nothing.
Had I really been overthinking?
Just as I was about to give up, I noticed the dash cam in the center console.
This car was one he’d just gotten last month. He’d complained to me that the functions were too complicated and he couldn’t figure many of them out.
I pressed the play button, and the recorder began playing recent driving footage.
I fast-forwarded, looking for last Wednesday night’s recording.
The footage showed Mario’s car leaving the company garage, but the direction wasn’t toward his home.
Mario drove to a mall in the west part of the city. On the top floor of that mall was a movie theater.
My heart rose to my throat.
In the recording, he parked the car and turned off the engine.
The screen went black, but the audio continued.
The car door opened, then closed.
A few seconds later, a woman’s voice sounded, carrying laughter: “You’re really punctual.”
Then came Mario’s voice: “Of course. For you, I’d brave fire and flood.”
My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, nausea rising in waves.
The woman’s voice sounded again, with an affected tone of coyness: “Stop it, you smooth talker.”
“Mario, when can we come here again?”
Mario’s voice replied tenderly: “Once I take care of the engagement party, I’ll take you out to play, okay?”
He’d used this same tone when confiding in me.
I turned off the audio and sat in the dark car, my whole body cold, my fingertips squeezing my phone so hard it felt hot.
Mario, is the love you claimed to have for me real or fake?
I don’t know how long I sat there until my phone rang. It was Mario calling.
“Honey, are you asleep? Why haven’t you replied to my messages?”
Ignoring the call, I put my phone on silent.
I needed to stay calm. This evidence wasn’t nearly enough.
The photo was from online, without a clear face shot. In the audio, they hadn’t mentioned what they were specifically going to do.
With Mario’s cunning, he could easily claim he was just meeting an ordinary friend.
I needed to leave him with no room for excuses.
Back home, I opened my computer and found that movie theater’s official website, checking last Wednesday night’s screening schedule.
In the trending photo, the background showed a vague corner of a movie poster for a newly released sci-fi film.
But I remembered Mario saying he hated sci-fi movies, finding them childish and boring. Back then, when I wanted to drag him to see one, he’d refused.
Turned out, he just wouldn’t watch them with me.
I cross-checked the time—the 7:30 PM showing.
Then I logged into Mario’s banking app.
He’d given me all his passwords, cupping my face and saying seriously: “What’s mine is yours. I’m completely open with you.”
I’d been so moved by that trust I’d been a mess. Now, thinking back, it was just his extreme confidence in controlling me.
In the transaction records, I found a payment around 7 PM last Wednesday night.
It was at a Japanese restaurant, and the address was right next to that movie theater.
I opened that restaurant’s app and went to the reviews section, scrolling through reviews from last Wednesday night page by page.
Finally, I saw an account with a gray cartoon character avatar that had posted a photo review at 9:30 PM that night.
“Great movie, and the Japanese food was delicious as always. Thank you, darling.”
The post included nine photos—pictures of Japanese food, two movie tickets, and a photo of a man’s hand.
That hand had distinct knuckles and was pouring tea.
On the ring finger was a ring. That ring—I couldn’t be more familiar with it.
I clicked into that account’s profile.
Most posts were about her child and food, with occasional selfies, all heavily blurred.
I couldn’t see her face clearly.
But in one photo of her and the child at an amusement park, I saw a man’s silhouette.
That silhouette wasn’t Mario.
So she really did have a family.
I saved screenshots of everything, feeling my hands shake.
Anger and the sense of betrayal almost swallowed me whole.
I used to think I was the happiest woman in the world.
Now I knew—I was just a fool living in lies.
Mario, good for you. You deceived me so thoroughly.
Looking at the pitch-black night outside my window, a plan had already formed in my mind.
Picking up my phone, I sent Mario a message.
“Mario, I can’t sleep. Tomorrow I’ll become your legal wife. I’m so nervous.”
He replied almost instantly: “Silly girl, don’t be nervous. I’m here.”
“Get some sleep. Tomorrow you’ll be the most beautiful bride.”
Looking at his reply, I continued typing.
“Let’s see a movie before we get our license tomorrow?”
“At the theater on top of that mall in the west. I want to see that sci-fi film.”
The phone went silent for a long time—so long I thought he wouldn’t reply.
Just as I was losing patience, a notification sounded.
“Okay, whatever you want.” Followed by a kissing emoji.
I turned off my phone and lay in bed, sleepless all night.
The next day, I deliberately did elaborate makeup—red lips, black dress.
The me in the mirror looked nothing like my usual gentle image.
My mom saw me and froze.
“Timothy, why are you… dressed so formally today?”
I smiled. “Mom, today’s an important day for me. Of course it should be different.”
When Mario came to pick me up, he was clearly stunned too.
The amazement in his eyes flashed by, then he smiled. “Honey, you look beautiful today.”
Mario tried to take my hand, but I subtly avoided it.
“Let’s go. Aren’t we seeing a movie? Don’t be late.”
On the way to the theater, the atmosphere in the car felt strange.
I didn’t speak, just looked out the window.
Mario seemed to want to find topics to discuss, but I deflected them all coldly.
As we neared the theater, I suddenly spoke.
“By the way, Mario.”
“A friend of mine said she thought she saw you around here a few days ago.”
Mario’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Really? She probably saw wrong.”
“She said you were with a woman, laughing and chatting.”
I continued, staring at him intently. “I told her she must have been mistaken. You were so busy those days working overtime with clients.”
Mario’s expression became unnatural for a moment. He laughed dryly. “Your friend’s eyesight must be terrible. I didn’t even leave the office those days.”
“Really?” I drew out the syllable. “Then she probably really did see wrong.”
At the theater, I went to the self-service kiosk to get the tickets.
When the two tickets emerged from the machine, I saw the seat numbers.
Row 7, Seats 11 and 12.
I remembered comments under that trending photo—some tech expert had analyzed that the couple in the photo sat in Row 7, Seats 12 and 13.
And their husband and child sat in Seat 11.
Holding the tickets, I walked over to Mario.
He was looking down at his phone, seemingly replying to a message.
“Got the tickets.”
I handed the tickets to Mario. He took them, his gaze falling on the seat numbers.
Mario’s expression changed instantly. He jerked his head up to look at me.
I calmly met his gaze, then slowly took out my phone.
I opened the “theater cheating photo” saved in my album, zoomed in, and held it in front of him.
“Take a look. Does this look familiar?”
The infrared camera image was so clear it left nowhere to hide.
In the photo, the ring on the man’s hand was identical to the one Mario wore.
Mario’s breathing became rapid. His lips moved, but he couldn’t say a word.
I put away my phone and pointed at the woman in the photo who was twisted in her seat, fingers interlaced with his.
My voice was light: “Now, can you tell me who she is?”
Mario’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.
He looked at the photo on my phone, his lips trembling, his eyes full of panic.
“Timothy, let me explain. This isn’t what you think.”
Mario’s voice was hoarse, carrying a tremor.
I crossed my arms and looked at him coldly. “Oh? Then what is it?”
Mario explained frantically: “She… she’s just a client of mine. That day after we finished talking business, she said she wanted to see a movie. Her husband and kid were there, so I just went along to watch with them.”
I laughed. “A client? One who requires you to abandon your fiancée who’s preparing for an engagement party to accompany her to a late-night movie?”
“As for holding hands… that was a misunderstanding! The theater was too dark. When she passed me popcorn, we accidentally touched!”
The more Mario spoke, the more fluent he became, as if he believed his own story.
He even started playing the victim, his face showing the pain and disappointment of being wronged. “Timothy, we’ve been together for three years. Is this how you see me?”
“One photo from who knows where, and you interrogate me like this?”
“We’re about to get married, and you’re still investigating me at this time?”
“In your heart, I can’t even get basic trust?”
Mario’s voice rose, carrying an angry tremor, as if I were the unreasonable criminal.
Watching his brilliant acting, my heart turned to ice.
“Really?”
I nodded, then pressed play on my phone.
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The night I slept with drunk Mabel, I had just broken up with my ex-girlfriend.
Out of responsibility, I married her.
Our marriage was peaceful and stable.
I once thought this would last forever.
Until my ex-girlfriend passed away from illness.
When I went to pay my respects, I learned that she had left back then because she discovered what happened between us that night, and her heart had completely died.
And my secret diary was discovered by him at exactly that moment.
He was convinced I had deliberately sabotaged their relationship, and he hated me to the bone.
He divorced me, made me leave with nothing, and suppressed me at every turn.
On the verge of death, all I heard was his cold voice:
“Your love truly disgusts me.”
When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn to the day he broke up with his ex-girlfriend.
I grabbed my jacket and rushed out of my room, knocking on his ex-girlfriend’s door.
Seeing me, Lily froze for a moment.
Her eyes were red and swollen—she’d clearly just been crying. “Mabel? How did you…”
“Lily.” I tried to keep my voice calm. “Can I come in and talk?”
The living room was a mess, with a half-eaten cake on the table.
I smiled and got straight to the point:
“I’m here to apologize on behalf of Mason. He forgot your birthday—that’s his fault.”
Lily pressed her lips together without speaking.
“It’s not that he doesn’t love you. He’s never been good at expressing himself since childhood. You mentioned breaking up, and now he’s at a bar drinking alone.”
I paused. “Lily, go find him.”
In my previous life, after he married me, every year on Lily’s birthday he would drink alone at a bar.
He had never let her go.
Lily looked at me, then suddenly smiled, though her tears flowed even harder.
“With Mason’s cold personality, how did he end up with such a thoughtful sister like you?”
“I’ll go right now.”
“Thank you, Mabel.”
After telling Lily which bar Mason was at, she changed clothes and left.
I watched her figure disappear, letting out a long breath.
In this life, that night would never happen.
Back home, I dug out the diary hidden deep in my closet.
When I was ten years old and wandering the streets, eighteen-year-old Mason found me.
He was cold to outsiders, but gentle with me.
When I first awakened to love, I knew—I had fallen for him.
But this was a crush I could never voice.
I took it out and tore it apart, page by page.
The torn pieces fell into the toilet, and I flushed them away with my own hands.
About two hours later, the door opened.
Lily helped the drunk Mason inside.
Mason held her tightly, mumbling:
“Lily… don’t break up… I was wrong… I was really wrong…”
Lily looked helpless, agreeing repeatedly: “Okay, okay, we won’t break up.”
Seeing me, she breathed a sigh of relief:
“Mabel, could you heat up some milk? I’ll help him to his room first.”
“Sure.”
Lily helped him into the bedroom.
I stood in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil, listening to the sounds coming from the bedroom.
He was acting cute, she was laughing.
When Mason first introduced me to Lily in my previous life, I knew immediately—they were perfect for each other.
Lily was bright and generous, from a good family, well-mannered, and treated me, his sister, very well.
She was a good person.
If not for me, she wouldn’t have died, and they would have been happy.
In this life, I would make amends.
Lily stayed in Mason’s room taking care of him all night.
The next morning, when I came downstairs, I saw Mason busy in the kitchen.
He fried eggs, heated milk, and arranged toast triangles on a plate.
Then he brought it to Lily, his voice gentle: “Eat it while it’s hot.”
Lily smiled and poked him: “When did you learn to take care of people so well?”
His gaze settled on Lily’s face. He didn’t speak, but the corners of his mouth curved upward.
In my previous life after we married, he would also cook for me.
When I had my period, he would clumsily make warm milk.
I stood at the bottom of the stairs, my footsteps pausing.
“Mabel, come have breakfast.” Lily called to me.
Mason looked up at me, his gaze indifferent.
No extra words, no extra expression.
I sat down at the table, and he stood up, keeping one seat between us.
The way he looked at me was like looking at a stranger.
It reminded me of the ruthlessness in his eyes when he forced me to leave with nothing in my previous life.
After forcing down a piece of bread, I stood up:
“I’m full. I have class at school, I’ll head out first.”
Lily said: “So soon? You haven’t had your milk yet…”
“I’m running late.”
I grabbed my bag and escaped out the door.
All day, I searched for study abroad information in the library and filled out applications.
In my previous life, I gave up my chance to study abroad to stay by Mason’s side.
This time, I would go far, far away and live for myself.
That evening, I planned to stay in the dorms, but Lily called.
“Mabel, come home for dinner, I have big news!”
When I got home, Mason opened the door.
Seeing me, he frowned: “Why did you come back?”
Clearly, he wasn’t the one who wanted me back.
“Lily said there was something.” I said quietly.
Lily poked her head out from the kitchen:
“Mabel’s back!”
She pressed me down on the sofa and handed me the remote: “You watch TV, dinner will be ready soon!”
Mason helped her in the kitchen.
Through the glass door, I watched him lower his head listening to Lily talk, his lips curved in a slight arc, his eyes so tender they could overflow.
He had also cooked for me before.
When I had a fever, he stayed up all night and made me porridge in the morning. On my birthday, he canceled his business dinners and came home to cook a whole table of dishes.
“What are you spacing out about?”
Seeing me lost in thought, Lily pushed Mason out of the kitchen.
“You go keep Mabel company. I can handle the last soup myself.”
Mason reluctantly wiped his hands and sat down on the single sofa across from me.
The distance was far.
Silence spread between us.
The TV played some boring variety show, the laughter sounding particularly harsh.
“Mabel.” Mason suddenly spoke.
I looked at him.
He looked at me, his eyes heavy: “Study hard, be more grounded, don’t think about things you shouldn’t.”
My heart felt like it was being squeezed tight.
Things I shouldn’t think about.
In his eyes, my feelings for him were things I shouldn’t think about.
In my previous life when he discovered my diary, he said: “Mabel Parker, you truly disgust me.”
He thought I deliberately sabotaged them, thought I was greedy and ungrateful.
But I just liked him. I never said anything to Lily to damage their relationship.
He didn’t believe me.
“I understand.” I heard my own calm voice. “I won’t.”
During dinner, Lily announced with flushed cheeks: “Mason proposed to me today!”
She extended her left hand, the diamond ring on her ring finger sparkling under the lights.
“Congratulations.” I showed a genuinely happy smile. “Mason, Lily, I wish you both happiness.”
Mason’s hand holding the knife and fork paused, and he looked up at me.
I lowered my head to eat, pretending not to notice.
After dinner, I volunteered to clean up the dishes.
Vague laughter came from the living room. Lily was talking about her vision for the wedding, and Mason responded in a low voice, his tone indulgent.
After washing the dishes, I dried my hands and was about to go out and tell them I had things to do at school.
Just as I reached the living room doorway, I heard Mason’s voice:
“…After she graduates, let’s have her move out. I’ll buy her an apartment near school. It’s not convenient for a young woman to keep living with us.”
Lily disagreed: “But isn’t it unsafe for Mabel to live alone?”
“Besides, you two are siblings, what’s wrong with living together?”
Mason’s voice was flat: “She’s grown up, she should have her own life. We also need our own space.”
I stood in place, not listening any further.
I turned around, quietly went upstairs, grabbed my bag, and left.
After getting far enough away, I sent Lily a message:
「Lily, something came up at school suddenly, I’m heading back. Good night.」
I took a deep breath.
Moving out was for the best.
The farther away, the safer.
Three days later, while researching materials in the library, I suddenly remembered something.
In my previous life, Lily died from bone cancer.
By the time it was discovered, it was already late stage.
Which meant that right now, cancer cells might already be in Lily’s body.
I suddenly stood up, knocking over my chair and drawing sidelong glances from those around me.
Without bothering to apologize, I rushed out of the library, calling Lily while running.
“Lily, are you free this afternoon? I’d like to treat you to afternoon tea.”
At the café, when I told Lily I wanted her to go for a health checkup with me, she couldn’t help laughing:
“Mabel, why do you suddenly want a checkup? Are you not feeling well?”
I made up an excuse: “The school organized it. Lily, I’m scared to go alone, can you come with me?”
Lily looked at me suspiciously: “Really?”
I tried to look as sincere as possible:
“Really. And I also want you to get checked. Consider it… a pre-wedding checkup? After all, you’re going to marry Mason.”
Lily’s face flushed red, and she chided: “You…”
Just then, her phone rang. It was Mason.
“Where are you?”
“Having afternoon tea with Mabel.”
There was silence on the other end: “Come home early.”
After hanging up, Lily smiled at him: “Clingy.”
I forced a smile, made an excuse about having class, and arranged to meet her on the weekend.
Just as I reached the school gate, I saw Mason’s car parked there.
He got out of the car, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me to a corner.
Before I could react, he shoved me away.
I stumbled and fell to the ground.
My knees and elbows burned with pain. Looking down, I saw the skin was scraped and blood was seeping out.
He looked down at me from above, his eyes cold as ice.
“Mabel Parker, I’m warning you, stay away from Lily.”
“Don’t say things you shouldn’t say, don’t do things you shouldn’t do.”
I braced myself with my arms and stood up, my voice shaking: “I didn’t.”
“I just wanted her to go for a checkup with me.”
He paused: “Are you sick?”
The words came out almost reflexively.
I froze, then shook my head: “No, the school requires it.”
He stared at me for a long time, his expression slowly changing.
As if remembering something, or confirming something.
After a moment, he crouched down and looked at the wound on my knee.
“Get in the car.”
He took me to a pharmacy to buy iodine and gauze, then crouched by the roadside to treat my wound.
His movements weren’t exactly gentle, but they were careful.
His voice was low: “This weekend, I’ll take you both for the checkup.”
I lowered my head, staring at my toes, everything blurry.
The day the test results came out, Lily cried until her whole body shook.
Early-stage bone cancer.
The doctor said: “It was discovered very timely. The cure rate is very high.”
Mason held Lily, his hands trembling with fear.
Lily looked at me with red eyes: “Mabel, thank you… really, thank you.”
I shook my head and patted her back.
Mason’s gaze moved past Lily’s shoulder and landed on me.
Deep and heavy.
I remembered the day Lily died in my previous life—it was raining heavily.
After Mason learned that she left back then because she discovered what happened between us that night, he stood in front of her grave all day, soaked through.
When he came home, he smashed everything he could, then found my diary hidden at the bottom of a drawer.
So he was convinced I had deliberately told Lily.
I explained. He didn’t believe me.
He divorced me, made me leave with nothing, and prevented me from finding any work.
In the end, I died of illness in a rental apartment with no one by my side.
Now, there was still time to fix everything.
Lily would live.
Mason wouldn’t blame me in the future.
And I would leave.
A huge weight finally lifted from my heart.
Leaving the hospital, the sun was setting.
Mason went to handle the admission procedures while Lily and I sat in the lobby waiting.
Lily leaned on my shoulder and said softly: “Mabel, I’m scared.”
I patted her hand: “Don’t be afraid. Mason will always be with you.”
Lily was hospitalized.
The surgery was very successful, followed by chemotherapy.
Mason pushed aside all his work to stay at the hospital with her every day.
I ran back and forth between school and the hospital while also preparing materials to study abroad, so busy my feet barely touched the ground.
That day when I came home from the hospital, Mason called out to me.
“Mabel.”
I stopped and turned to look at him.
He handed me a key:
“I bought an apartment near your school, two bedrooms and a living room, already furnished. You should… move there soon.”
I froze for a moment, then took it and nodded: “Okay.”
No questioning, no hesitation.
Mason looked at me, seeming to want to read something from my face.
But I simply calmly pocketed the key, turned, and went upstairs.
The next day, I started packing.
Most of my things I planned to donate or throw away.
In the new apartment, I would buy all new things and start a completely new life.
I came home later and later, barely appearing at the dinner table.
The things in my room decreased day by day.
The bookshelf emptied, the closet emptied, only a lonely jewelry box remained on the dresser.
That evening, I didn’t get home until after ten.
Mason sat on the living room sofa without turning on the lights.
In the darkness, the cigarette tip flickered on and off.
“So late.” He spoke, his voice cold. “Where were you?”
My movement of changing shoes paused: “I had things at school.”
After changing shoes, I headed straight for my room.
Behind me came the sound of a cup knocking against the table.
Lily’s chemotherapy went smoothly.
Three months later, the doctor said she was recovering well and could go home to recuperate with regular checkups.
On the day of discharge, I went too.
Lily had lost quite a bit of weight, but she was in good spirits.
Mason went to handle the discharge paperwork while Lily and I waited in the ward.
“Mabel.” Lily suddenly said, “Did you and Mason… have a fight?”
I froze.
Lily sighed: “He’s been in a terrible mood lately.”
“Everyone at the company avoids him when they see him coming.”
I didn’t speak.
Lily gripped my hand: “I know about him making you move out.”
“I scolded him for it. Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, that place will always be your home.”
I held her hand back and said very seriously:
“Lily. I’ve grown up, I should have my own life. Besides, I’m already processing paperwork to study abroad. I’ll probably leave next year.”
Lily’s eyes widened: “Study abroad? Where? For how long?”
“England, for graduate school. Probably two or three years.”
Lily’s eyes reddened again:
“Then… you have to take good care of yourself when you’re there alone. If anything happens, you must tell us, okay?”
“Mm.”
Lily wiped her eyes, then suddenly smiled:
“Mabel, let me introduce you to a friend. He’s my schoolmate, works in architectural design, a really great person.”
I shook my head: “No need.”
“Why not? You’ll be so lonely by yourself.”
I hesitated, then told the truth: “Actually… I’m already seeing someone.”
“What?” Lily’s eyes widened.
“I met him while processing study abroad paperwork. We’re planning to apply to the same school together.”
Lily’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands:
“That’s wonderful! I have to tell Mason! We need to check him out first, can’t let you be deceived!”
“No need…” I tried to stop her, but she had already picked up her phone.
“Oh, he’s back.” Lily put down her phone and looked toward the door.
Mason pushed the door open, holding the discharge documents.
Seeing our hands clasped together, his eyes darkened.
“What are you two so happy about?” He walked over and naturally put his arm around Lily’s shoulder.
Lily looked up at him, her eyes bright:
“I just said I wanted to introduce Mabel to someone, guess what?”
He glanced at me, his tone certain: “She definitely refused.”
“That’s right, she didn’t agree.”
He gave a light “mm”:
“She’s been attached to me since childhood, didn’t even want to live in dorms for college. Do you think she’d be willing to date?”
Lily continued with a smile:
“But she said she has a boy she likes, and she’s going abroad with him!”
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The day the TV drama wrapped, I was once again thrust onto trending topics by paparazzi photos.
But the person in the photos wasn’t me.
It was my husband, Gideon, the Best Actor, kissing Lillian Ross, the second female lead who played my rival in the show.
Along with the trending post came this caption: “Shocking Revelation: After Actress Serena Winters Wraps Her Drama, Best Actor Gideon’s Ninth Secret Rendezvous with Different Lovers Exposed!”
The story’s popularity continued to climb.
Gideon himself appeared in the comments section, posting an intimate photo with Lillian Ross. “With you, for the rest of my life.”
Everyone thought I would make a scene and fight with Gideon like I always did, throwing away all my dignity.
But this time, I simply removed my diamond ring with composure.
I posted it on my blog along with that photo of Gideon’s secret rendezvous and kiss.
With the caption: “I wish you both the best in your acting careers and your relationship. May both continue endlessly, without limit.”
After confirming the post was published successfully, I finally put down my phone.
Just last night, the paparazzi had sent the photos to my email first, using the photos as blackmail, demanding five million from me.
If this had been before, I would have run to Gideon like a madwoman and made a scene.
In front of everyone, abandoning all my pride and dignity.
Without caring about my image, I would have thrown myself at them both, scratching and hitting them wildly.
Crying and fighting until Gideon chose between me and that woman.
Every time I shed tears, Gideon would decisively cut things off with those women.
Then he’d pull me into his arms, kissing my forehead over and over.
“Serena, I get bored after a while. They’re just toys to pass the time when I’m idle.”
“Your place in my heart—no one can shake it even a fraction. Be good.”
“You’re an obedient wife. You’ll handle those reports for me, won’t you?”
For the past five years, to raise money for my mother’s surgery, I’d practically lived on set without a moment’s rest.
One drama after another that I starred in became hits. One mistress after another appeared by Gideon’s side.
The money I earned, aside from keeping my mother alive, all went to cleaning up Gideon’s scandals.
I naively thought that one day, Gideon would remember how good I’d been to him and return to me.
But when public opinion reached its peak and everyone was waiting to see me humiliated, he appeared in the comments section himself.
That intimate photo he personally posted felt like a vicious slap across my face.
My heart plummeted to rock bottom in that moment. I suddenly realized that everything I’d done to win Gideon back was utterly pointless.
My phone kept buzzing nonstop.
In less than an hour, my post had been viewed and shared over a hundred million times.
My blog completely crashed.
I’d just closed the comments section when Gideon kicked the door open, his face dark with rage.
He grabbed my wrist so hard I nearly cried out in pain.
“Serena Winters, have you lost your mind?! Delete your post right now and issue an apology to Lillian Ross!”
“Do you know that because of what you said, she’s being harassed everywhere as a homewrecker!”
“Even the brands that were ready to work with her have terminated their agreements. Are you trying to destroy her?!”
My face went pale. I pressed down the bitterness in my heart, trying to force out a dignified smile.
But seeing Gideon defend the woman who’d destroyed our marriage, the tears I’d been holding back finally fell.
How ridiculous.
I was clearly Gideon’s legal wife, yet I had to apologize to the mistress who’d deliberately destroyed my marriage.
Seeing my tears, Gideon’s tone softened somewhat.
Like always, he pulled me into his arms, gently wiping away the tears at the corners of my eyes.
“Serena, Lillian Ross is just a minor celebrity. She’s nowhere near as famous as you.”
“What you’re doing will ruin her.”
“Be good, don’t make a scene. Don’t take your anger out on an innocent person.”
“Just delete the post now and hold a press conference to apologize to Lillian Ross…”
In Gideon’s eyes, this homewrecker who destroyed someone else’s marriage was the innocent party.
And I, the wife seeking justice for myself, was making an unreasonable scene.
How utterly ironic!
“No!”
I broke free from Gideon’s embrace and cut off his unfinished sentence sharply.
“Gideon, you’re the one who’s lost his mind!”
“I’m clearly the victim here. What gives you the right to tell me to apologize to a mistress who seduced my husband and destroyed my marriage?”
At that, Gideon’s voice rose sharply, and the distress on his face vanished completely.
“Serena Winters, have I spoiled you too much?! Do you know Lillian Ross nearly committed suicide two days ago because of this?!”
“When did you become so vicious?!”
I closed my eyes and raised my voice involuntarily.
“You spoil me? You call cheating on me again and again ‘spoiling’? You call letting others humiliate me at will ‘spoiling’?”
“I’m vicious?! Gideon, aren’t you two the vicious ones?!”
“You’re the ones who pushed me to this point! Why should I apologize to you adulterous pair—”
“Slap—”
A vicious slap struck my face, and in an instant, all the arguing stopped.
The blow knocked my head to the side. Warm, metallic liquid trickled down from the corner of my mouth.
Pain shot straight to my head. Just moving my lips slightly pulled at the muscles in my nasal cavity, making even breathing hurt.
Gideon stared at his own hand in disbelief, frozen in place.
“Serena…”
He took a trembling step forward, wanting to wipe the blood from my lips.
The next second, I swatted his hand away decisively.
2.
Gideon froze in place after I pushed his hand away.
When his gaze fell on the bright red handprint on my face, his eyes slowly filled with regret and distress.
“Serena, I’m sorry…”
“I didn’t mean to. Come here and let me see…”
I’d just retreated two steps, covering my face, when Lillian Ross appeared in the doorway, pale-faced and crying.
She ran up to me and dropped straight to her knees.
“Serena, none of this is Gideon’s fault. It’s all my fault…”
“If you want to blame someone, blame me. I’ll accept whatever punishment you give me. But why did you incite online users to cyberbully me?”
“During this time, I nearly lost the will to live because of this…”
Gideon stood between us, but he quickly made his choice.
Turning his back to me, he lifted Lillian Ross from the ground with tender care, gently wiping away the tears falling from her eyes.
His movements were so gentle, as if he were handling some priceless treasure.
The look in his eyes when he gazed at Lillian Ross—filled with such distress—felt like thousands of fine needles piercing my heart.
The pain made it almost impossible to breathe.
Once upon a time, that same look had been directed at me.
When I was eighteen, Gideon would charge alone at street thugs harassing me, his eyes red with rage.
All to defend me and seek justice.
The golden glow of the setting sun fell upon the young Gideon.
That’s when I noticed a ten-centimeter knife wound across his chest, streaming with blood.
The doctor who treated him said if it had been an inch deeper, even a miracle worker couldn’t have saved him.
When I tearfully rushed him to the hospital, Gideon—standing just one step away from death’s door—showed no fear of dying in his eyes.
Only endless distress at my tears.
In the final moment before the emergency room doors closed, he was still gently comforting me.
“As long as I’m alive, I’ll protect you.”
“No one in this world can bully my Serena!”
“And if they do, I’ll make them pay a thousand times over, even if it costs me my life!”
In that moment, my heart thundered in my chest, and my tears flowed even more freely.
For his reckless, devoted love, and for my own hopeless infatuation.
Later, God took pity on that brave young man.
The scar on his chest became his get-out-of-jail-free card with me, used again and again.
Now, watching the two of them in front of me looking so in sync, images involuntarily flashed through my mind of Gideon being intimate with one mistress after another.
Finally freezing on the moment when I knelt on the ground begging him to come back, while people around me pointed and mocked.
I suddenly understood—for these past five years, from beginning to end, I hadn’t been begging for him to change his heart.
What I’d really been begging for was to see through it all myself. To finally give up hope.
At this realization, my emotions shifted from grief and fury to complete calm in an instant.
I instinctively touched my slightly burning eye sockets.
They were completely dry.
Looking up again, meeting Lillian Ross’s provocative gaze, I said, “I’ll let you have him.”
The moment those words left my mouth, I turned to leave, but Gideon suddenly grabbed my arm.
His eyes were red, a flash of imperceptible panic crossing his face. His voice even carried a barely detectable tremor.
“Serena Winters, stop right there!”
“If you dare take one step away from here, I swear I’ll—”
Before he could finish, I pulled my arm free. “Then as you wish. Let’s get divorced.”
Gideon anxiously tried to follow, but Lillian Ross’s tears held him back.
By the time he’d comforted her, I was already long gone from his sight.
3.
To raise money for my mother’s next surgery, I quickly threw myself into a new production.
But just after I’d finished makeup and shot my scene in the water, I discovered the entire set was eerily empty and silent.
Looking up, I saw Lillian Ross standing there with a smug expression on her face.
She stood on the shore, reached out, and grabbed my hair hard.
Then she shoved me back down underwater.
The earthy smell from the water rushed into my nose. The suffocating sensation quickly spread through my entire body.
I tried to struggle, only to realize with horror that my hands were tied and twisted behind my back.
The slightest movement produced a muffled crack.
“Don’t move,” Lillian Ross’s cunning voice came from above, even carrying a laugh.
“If you move around anymore, the ties in back will come loose. Tomorrow the whole world will be flooded with topless photos of our top actress! Hahaha!”
A chill shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head. Underwater, all I could hear was my pounding heartbeat mixed with my cries for help.
The next second, someone yanked me up from the water.
The thin fabric covering my chest was sliding down from the force of gravity. I instinctively tried to bend my arms to cover myself.
But my wrists were still locked in place, unable to move.
“Serena, smile! Let’s take a photo together!”
Lillian Ross quickly pressed the shutter. The screen reflected my face—pale, helpless, lips trembling non-stop.
Rage and humiliation nearly consumed my entire mind. I struggled desperately against the restraints behind me.
“Slap—”
I used all my strength to deliver a vicious slap across Lillian Ross’s face.
Her right cheek quickly swelled with a large bump. Her eyes went wide with instant fury.
But just as she was about to grab my hair, she suddenly fell backward with tears streaming down her face.
“Serena… I just came to try out for the second female lead position…”
“I never intended to steal your leading role. Please, stop…”
Lillian Ross’s sudden change caught me completely off guard. “What are you talking about?”
“Serena Winters! What are you doing?!”
An angry shout came from behind me. Gideon had already crossed to stand in front of me and slapped me hard across the face.
Intense pain exploded, spreading rapidly from my cheek through my entire skull.
My vision darkened. The world spun.
Lillian Ross’s aggrieved crying reached my ears. “Gideon, Serena saw me and immediately…”
“Maybe she thought I was trying to steal her leading role, so in her panic she…”
Her voice was thin, carrying a timid caution. After speaking, she deliberately revealed the bruised half of her face.
Lillian Ross’s complete distortion of the truth hammered heavily at my heart.
Gideon’s expression grew darker and darker. His gaze toward me was cold as ice.
“You’re lying! Lillian Ross, you’re completely twisting the truth!”
“You—”
“What is she lying about! I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Serena Winters, I thought your quiet behavior these past few days meant you’d recognized your mistakes. I didn’t expect you to remain so unrepentant.”
Gideon’s chest heaved with anger. Even the finger he pointed at me was shaking.
“Lillian Ross didn’t even press the issue about what happened before, and you still can’t tolerate her?!”
I just stared at Gideon’s eyes, red from anger.
Somewhere in my heart, it felt like a huge hole had been torn open.
Cold wind passed straight through, leaving only the whistling sound of wind.
“It’s like this again, Gideon. Your eyes are wasted on you…”
“You’ve never believed me…”
I murmured repeatedly, and without realizing it, I was laughing through my tears.
“Gideon, are you truly blind in both heart and eyes? You’re supposed to be a Best Actor, yet you can’t even see through such poor acting.”
“Serena Winters, you’re being completely unreasonable!”
“You love acting so much, don’t you? Let’s see how you perform without any roles!”
My heart sank suddenly, plunging into an icy abyss.
Sure enough, the next second, Gideon called over the director.
He gave all my scenes to Lillian Ross.
Lying in Gideon’s arms, Lillian Ross shot me a victor’s smile when he wasn’t looking.
“No, Gideon, you can’t do this!”
“This production is very important to me. I can’t lose it…!”
I closed my eyes. My mind filled with images of the hospital’s payment reminders and my mother lying alone in her hospital bed.
“Serena Winters, you only have yourself to blame.”
“This is what you owe Lillian Ross. Consider this role your compensation to her!”
My mind went blank. The terror of losing my mother consumed my entire consciousness.
Lillian Ross’s triumphant, provocative gaze pierced through my heart like madness.
I lost control and charged forward. But a massive force grabbed my arm.
Gideon threw me hard to the ground.
He held Lillian Ross tightly in his arms, his eyes full of rage.
“Serena Winters, have you gone insane?!”
I screamed hoarsely through my tears.
“Gideon, can you really not see the truth?! You know how much I need this—”
“Slap—!”
All sound stopped abruptly with Gideon’s slap.
Through my blurred vision, I saw countless curious and horrified eyes staring in our direction.
I could no longer feel the burning pain on my face—only overwhelming humiliation scorching my skin at every moment.
“Serena Winters, I can’t let you run wild anymore!”
“From start to finish, all I see is your viciousness! Someone, throw her in the water to reflect on her actions!”
Someone held me down and shoved me into the water. Murky river water poured into my nose and mouth.
That cold, deadly sensation washed over me again. Tears mixed with river water, drowning out my cries for help.
4.
I don’t know how much time passed. Just when I thought I would die there, someone pulled me from the water.
I vomited up water weeds mixed with mud all over the ground.
They tossed me aside in a corner like a drowned dog.
Gideon grabbed my jaw, forcing me to lift my head.
“Serena Winters, when will you finally understand?”
“Life only gets better when you learn to behave.”
I struggled to open my eyes and saw clearly the endless disappointment and disgust hidden in Gideon’s gaze.
After speaking, he didn’t spare me another glance. He picked up Lillian Ross and strode away.
The cold wind lifted the thin fabric on my body. I knelt on the ground, trembling violently.
But colder than this wind was the inescapable sense of humiliation from being publicly exposed.
I didn’t understand why, even after I’d chosen to withdraw, they still wouldn’t let me go.
Why use my life and my mother’s as fuel for their love story?
My phone on the ground kept vibrating with a buzzing sound.
Following my gaze downward, I saw it was the hospital calling.
Ignoring the pain in my body, I hurriedly picked up the phone.
“I’m sorry, I might need to pay this time’s fees a bit lat—”
“Ms. Winters, because you’ve been delaying payment for the imported equipment for too long and the surgery couldn’t be scheduled in time, your mother…”
“Please accept our condolences.”
“What…?”
Tears and phone both fell to the ground at once.
The voice on the other end was still notifying me about funeral arrangements.
Tears blurred my vision. I slowly crouched down.
With trembling hands, I fumbled on the ground for a long time before finally touching my phone.
Using all my strength and suppressing the pain in my throat, I responded with a simple, “Okay.”
Then, ignoring the shouts behind me and the strange looks from passersby, I ran barefoot straight toward the hospital.
The howling wind roared constantly in my ears. Tears mixed with sweat soaked through my clothes.
The hospital was eerily quiet. The empty ward contained only my mother’s bed.
A large white sheet covered her body. She’d been lying here alone like this for so long.
I stopped in my tracks. All the strength drained from my body in an instant.
I crawled trembling to my mother’s bedside, reaching out to touch her pale but kind face.
The moment I felt her cold skin, I truly realized it.
Mother was really dead.
I collapsed desperately on the floor. Surging pain nearly drowned me completely.
I’m sorry, Mom. I came too late.
I left you sleeping alone in this awful place for so long.
I’m a terrible daughter, aren’t I?
Wind from outside blew in. The curtains lifted with a rustling sound.
I leaned against the wall, slowly propping up a body that no longer seemed to belong to me.
My hands hurt. My face hurt. My heart was numb with pain.
But my head felt light and airy. As the wind blew past, it felt like my head had been freed from some heavy shackle.
As if possessed, I climbed to the window.
I saw Gideon downstairs, carefully applying medicine to Lillian Ross’s cheek.
But at this moment, my heart could no longer stir up any waves.
Golden sunlight poured in. I suddenly remembered how my mother loved freedom most when she was alive.
In that instant, I seemed to understand something.
I reached for the lighter on the ground.
I threw the lit flame toward the bed curtains.
Mom, I’m coming to join you.
🌟 Continue the story here
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