Category: English

My mother tried to jump off a building three times because of me. The first time was after my SAT exam. I clearly qualified for an Ivy League university, but she stood on a rooftop and forced me to apply to a local school. I gave in and ended up choosing an ordinary local university. The second time was after college graduation. When I went to work in New York, she stood on top of my company building and forced me to quit. I went back to our hometown with her and worked at a gas station for three thousand dollars a month. The third time, she climbed up to a rooftop again, forcing me to marry a woman I’d only met once—a woman she was very satisfied with. I obediently married her. After the wedding, that woman cheated on me and stole all my money. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and jumped off a rooftop. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn. I went back to the day when my mother first used jumping off a building to force me to obey her. “If you dare apply to an out-of-state university today, I’ll jump from here!” She climbed onto the rooftop. I glanced at her, then turned and walked away. “Go ahead and jump. Don’t waste my time.”

My mother’s expression froze. That mixture of rage and disbelief on her face reminded me of my past life. In my past life, after all my savings were stolen and I discovered my wife’s affair, the first thing my mother said when she came to see me was: “Who told you not to listen to me? You can’t even control a woman. You’re useless!” In that moment, I suddenly understood that my repeated compromises back then had already ruined my entire life. “You… what did you say?” Her voice trembled. I turned toward the stairwell. “I said if you’re going to jump, hurry up. I’m in a rush—I need to go apply to universities.” “Julian!” Her voice turned shrill. “Stop right there! You heartless boy, are you really trying to drive me to my death?” I stopped and looked back at her. “Mom, you’re the one who voluntarily climbed onto the rooftop to threaten suicide. What does that have to do with me?” With that, I walked down from the rooftop without looking back. When I got home, I locked myself directly in the study and opened the college application system. My fingertips were trembling. This time, I wouldn’t attend some ordinary university. From memory, I filled in the Ivy League universities I’d been thinking about for three years, one by one. The moment I clicked submit, my nose stung and I almost cried. This was the first time I’d made a choice for my own life. I had just logged out of the system when the study door was suddenly pushed open. My mother stood in the doorway, her eyes red and swollen, her hair disheveled. She must have run down. Her chest was still heaving violently. “You…” She gasped for breath, her gaze falling on my computer screen. “Did you finish submitting?” I nodded and closed the laptop. “Let me see!” She rushed over, trying to grab the computer. I turned to shield it. “Mom, I already submitted it.” “I said let me see!” Her voice rose, carrying a sharp edge of losing control. When she saw I wouldn’t move, she reached out and pressed the computer’s power button. The screen lit up, showing a login page that required a password. She stared at me. “What’s the password?” “I’m not telling you.” I said, “The application is already submitted. It can’t be changed.” “Where did you apply?” Her voice began to tremble. “Is it out of state? Is it?” I said nothing. Silence was the answer. She suddenly screamed and grabbed my keyboard, smashing it violently on the floor. Plastic fragments flew everywhere. Several keys popped off and rolled into the corner. “Julian! Are you trying to drive me to death?” She cried out, tears flooding down her face. “I told you to apply locally! Don’t you understand human speech?” “I raised you all by myself through so much hardship! Was it easy for me?” “Now you’ve grown up and want to fly away!” “First it’s going to college out of state, then what? Working out of state! Getting married out of state!” “You’ll never care about your mother again. You’re just like your father—you both want to abandon me!” She collapsed on the floor, pounding the ground, her cries piercing. This scene had happened countless times in my past life. Every time I showed the slightest resistance, she would cry about how hard she had it and how unfilial I was. I used to truly believe I was wrong, that I had failed her—until the moment I jumped off that rooftop… “Mom,” I interrupted her. “I never said I wouldn’t take care of you.” She lifted her tear-filled eyes, as if grasping at a thread of hope: “Then change your college application! You can still change it! You have three days to change it!” “How great would it be if you applied to a local university! Mom could see you often…” “I won’t change it.” My voice was soft but firm. “Don’t try to interfere with my college application.” She froze, as if she hadn’t expected me to refuse so directly. I picked up the computer, walked around her collapsed body on the floor, and headed to my bedroom, locking the door. Outside, her crying continued. Before long, I heard her making phone calls. She was sobbing to relatives, crying about how much trouble I was causing and how hard she had it. I didn’t bother listening. I opened the password settings on my computer and changed it. I leaned against the headboard and silently repeated to myself: This time, I won’t compromise my life for anyone.

Maybe the pain of jumping off the building in my past life was too real—I slept deeply. My dreams were filled with fragments from that past life. My fingers cracking from the cold while pumping gas at the station in winter. The despair when I discovered my wife had stolen all my savings and run off with another man. My mother standing in my empty house saying, “When the money’s gone, just earn more. Listen to me, I’ll help you find another woman next time, definitely better than this one.” I woke up with a start, my forehead covered in cold sweat. The bedroom light was off, only the computer screen glowing faintly. I heard the soft tapping of keyboard keys. Someone was sitting at my desk, trying to guess my computer password. Hearing me wake up, the next second, the bedroom light snapped on, making me squint. Before I could react, my mother had already thrown the computer violently onto my bed. Her face was iron-gray, filled with the fury of being defied. She pointed at me and cursed: “You changed the password? What do you mean by that? You’re guarding against me like I’m a thief?” A fire blazed up inside me, but when our eyes met, I suddenly felt only powerless. I had already anticipated this scene. For over a decade, she’d entered my room whenever she wanted. She looked at my phone whenever she wanted. I even had to tell her when I set a password. I sat up, pulled the computer toward me, and said calmly: “I told you, I’m making my own decisions about college applications. This is my computer. You have no right to look through it.” “I’m your mother! What can’t I see that belongs to you?” Her face flushed red, her voice shrill. “Would I hurt you? I just want to see what schools you applied to. I’m doing this for your own good!” “Why do you need to go so far away?” “If you study locally, after graduation I’ll find you a stable job. Isn’t that better than being out there?” I’d heard these words my entire life. In my past life, it was all this “for your own good” that dragged me into hell. “Enough!” My voice wasn’t loud, but it made her stop abruptly. I walked to the desk and picked up the fruit knife lying there. I wasn’t pointing it at her, just holding it. “Mom, you said if I don’t apply to local schools, I’m driving you to death. But have you ever considered me?” She opened her mouth but said nothing. “My grades can get me into the best schools in America, studying the major I most want to study.” “But you insist I stay local and attend an ordinary school I don’t even respect. Mom, that’s not for my own good—that’s ruining the rest of my life.” “I think you’re the one trying to drive me to death.” The moment those words left my mouth, my mother’s expression went blank. She seemed to truly see me for the first time. For the first time, she realized that her always-obedient son harbored such deep resentment. Then she exploded. “I’m driving you to death? Julian, do you have no conscience? I provided food and clothes for you! I sacrificed everything for you!” “And now you’re telling me I’m forcing you? Fine! I’ll die right now and let you see! You’ll be satisfied when I’m dead!” She cried and rushed toward the balcony, her movements exaggerated, but I knew she wouldn’t jump. This was just her most effective method to make me compromise. Seeing I hadn’t moved, Mom cried even louder. Soon, impatient banging came from next door, followed by the neighbor across the way opening their window and roaring angrily: “What’s all this wailing in the middle of the night? Are you going to let people sleep? Keep it up and I’m calling the police!” My mother’s cries caught in her throat. She froze at the balcony edge, unable to advance or retreat, her face alternating between red and white. Finally, she glared at me fiercely, quickly walked back to her own room, and slammed the door heavily. The world was finally quiet. But I knew it wasn’t over yet. The next morning when I woke up, my mother was already gone. I didn’t think much of it. After washing up and changing clothes, I went out to look for part-time work. College would cost money. Although I had a scholarship, I didn’t want to rely on her for living expenses anymore. More importantly, I needed to start saving myself an escape route. After running around all afternoon, I got home around five-thirty. I walked to my bedroom door, grabbed the handle, pushed it open—my computer was gone. “Where’s my computer?” “Oh, that.” She put vegetables into a basin, her tone casual. “I accidentally knocked over my water cup today and spilled water on the computer.” “So I took it to a repair shop. The technician said it needs to be examined, might take a few days.” Something felt wrong.

I didn’t argue with her. I turned and went back to my bedroom. Then immediately took out my phone and opened the college application system. I entered the password. A line of bright red text appeared on the screen: Password incorrect, please re-enter. I tried three times in a row. All wrong. My hands were shaking. Struggling to maintain my composure, I walked out of the bedroom again. Phone in hand, I walked up to her and held the screen in front of her eyes, suppressing my anger as I asked: “What’s going on? What did you really do with the computer today?” The faucet was turned off. My mother shook off the water, turned around, wiped her hands on her apron, then looked at me, completely self-righteous: “College applications are such a big deal, I had to help you check.” “You’re young, you don’t understand. What’s the use of just looking at the school’s reputation? You need to look at the major, the employment prospects!” “Today Mom pulled some strings, spent thirty thousand dollars, and hired an experienced consultant to review your schools and choose majors for you.” “They’re all local. After graduation you can become a high school teacher—so stable, so good!” “I already changed your college application for you. You don’t need to worry about it.” Thirty thousand dollars. She was really willing to spend. I was so angry my voice shook. “Who gave you the right to change my college application? Did I ask you to apply for me?” “Change it back right now! Tell me the password!” Hearing this, she immediately put on that life-or-death act again, pointing at me and shouting: “Tell you? You’ll definitely change it back to those out-of-state schools, won’t you?” “Let me tell you, no way! If you dare change the application, don’t recognize me as your mother! I’ll act like I never gave birth to a son like you!” She’d said this line many times. In my past life, every time she said it, I would cry, beg her, compromise. This time, I looked at her, watched for a few seconds, then turned, pulled open the door, and ran out. “Julian! Where are you going? Come back!” Her shouts were shut inside. After running out of the apartment complex, my phone rang. It was my mother’s sister, Martha. I hung up without expression. It rang again quickly. This time it was my mother’s brother, Brandon. Twitter also started going crazy with notifications. [Julian, how can you treat your mother this way? Raising you alone wasn’t easy for her!] [I heard you want to apply to out-of-state universities? Going so far isn’t good. Be obedient and stay with your mother.] One message after another, all urging me to be sensible and obedient. Looking at those words, I found them absurdly laughable, but I knew I couldn’t fight head-on right now. The college application deadline was in three days. Even if I found a way to reset the password and change it back, my mother would definitely cause more trouble. I sat in a pavilion, scrolling through Twitter in frustration. I came across a photo posted by a senior one year ahead of me showing his computer programming competition award. My spirits lifted—I had an idea. Just after I finished messaging the senior, my phone rang again. This time it was Aunt Michelle. I answered. “Julian! Where are you?” Michelle’s voice was urgent. “Get to the hospital quick! Your mother collapsed!” When I arrived at the hospital, my mother was already awake. She was leaning against the hospital bed, pale-faced, receiving an IV drip. Seeing me enter, she snorted coldly and turned her head away: “What are you doing here? I don’t have a son like you.” “What are you saying!” Michelle tried to smooth things over, pulling me to sit down. “Julian rushed over as soon as he heard you were sick.” “Julian, I’m not criticizing you, but your mother didn’t eat all day because of you, running around everywhere. She collapsed from stress and anger. Can’t you be a little more understanding?” I’d heard these words too many times. Every time, I would compromise under the weight of family obligation. I knew that this time, I could only compromise too. For my future, to make my mother lower her guard, I had to compromise. I lowered my head, my fingertips digging into my palm, and said hoarsely: “I understand.”

The hospital room fell silent for a few seconds. My mother turned her head and looked at me suspiciously. “I know I shouldn’t have made you angry.” I continued, my voice carrying exhaustion and helplessness. “The college application… wherever you want me to apply, I’ll apply there.” My mother’s eyes lit up instantly: “Really? You’re willing to stay local?” I smiled bitterly. “What else can I do? You’re already hospitalized from anger, you changed the password. What can I do?” “Oh! Now that’s right!” Michelle clapped happily. “Julian, that’s right! Would your mother hurt you? She’s doing everything for your own good!” My mother’s face immediately brightened. She reached out to pat the back of my hand, her tone rarely gentle: “Now that’s my good son. You’re still young, all you think about is going out to explore. In a few years you’ll understand your mother’s good intentions.” “Staying local is so much better. Mom can still cook and do laundry for you. If you go out of state, who’ll take care of you?” Her hand was warm, gripping mine tightly. In my past life, she also held my hand like this, saying “I’m doing this for your own good.” Then at the gas station, exposed to wind and sun, my hands cracked from the cold, earning only three thousand dollars a month. I discovered that woman had stolen all my savings and run off with another man, without even a word of explanation. I let her hold my hand without pulling away, only saying softly: “Mm.” Over the next two days, I became unusually obedient. My mother logged into the college application system at least twice a day to confirm I hadn’t changed anything. I didn’t say much, even actively leaned over to look, saying “the major you chose is actually pretty good.” Every day I accompanied her shopping and cooking, helped massage her shoulders and back. Whatever she asked me to do, I did, without any resistance. She finally relaxed, laughing cheerfully when talking to relatives on the phone. Saying I’d finally become sensible, that I understood her devotion. On the evening the college application deadline closed, after dinner, I proactively told her: “My classmate said there’s a meteor shower on the mountain in the suburbs tonight. I want to go see it.” “If you’re worried about me, you can hold my phone or come with me.” She paused, probably not expecting me to actively make a request. She took my phone and scrolled through it for a long time, finding nothing suspicious. Seeing my expectant expression, she nodded: “Alright, I’ll go with you. Better than letting you run around.” When we climbed the mountain it was just past nine. There were already quite a few people waiting. I sat quietly beside her, chatting with her, showing no sign of anything unusual. At eleven-forty, I tugged her sleeve and said: “Mom, I need to use the restroom.” My mother, afraid I’d pull something, followed me and stood outside the men’s room waiting. I walked into the innermost stall, locked it, then pulled out an old phone from a hidden pocket in my jeans. It was an old phone from high school, long since deactivated, but it could still connect to Wi-Fi. I quickly powered it on, connected to the observation deck’s public network, then logged into a cloud note app. Inside was a complex password string and a phone number. I dialed the number. It rang three times, then connected. “Hello?” A young male voice answered. “It’s me,” I lowered my voice. “You can do it now. Right now.” The call ended. I heard my own heart pounding like a drum. My palms were already soaked with sweat. I took several deep breaths, stuffed the phone back in the hidden pocket, flushed, and walked out of the stall. My mother was waiting at the door. Seeing me come out, she looked me up and down: “Why so long?” “My stomach felt a little uncomfortable.” I touched my stomach. She didn’t ask more, just urged me to hurry back. When we returned to our seats, it was exactly midnight. My mother let out a long sigh of relief, a victorious smile on her face: “Good. Now the college application system is closed. Everything’s settled.” “Just wait for the acceptance letter from the local university.” I turned to look at my mother. Her face in the distant firelight appeared blurry and soft, filled with the relief of a mission accomplished. I smiled too. “Yes, Mom.” My voice scattered in the night wind, very light but very clear. “Everything’s settled. I’m definitely going to that out-of-state school.”

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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.

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When the tabloids broke the news of Ethan Cross’s engagement, he was lying on my lap, reviewing a merger file. I thought it was just another piece of celebrity gossip. I teased him. “Very funny. They’re saying you’re getting married next month.” Ethan casually flipped to the next page of the contract. “Yeah. Make sure you’re free to play piano at the reception.” I froze, completely stunned. Ethan traced a hand over my face, a touch of mockery in his eyes. “It took a lot of work to get her to say yes. Be a good girl, okay? Don’t make a scene.” 01 My mind went completely blank. I stared at him, not knowing how to react. Ethan let out a soft scoff and set the merger file down on the coffee table. “Don’t look at me like a deer in headlights. It’s not like we’re never going to see each other again.” He paused, tilting his head. “Or did you actually think I was going to marry you?” I fought back tears, pushing against his shoulders to sit up. “These five years… what was I to you?” Ethan refined his brow, sitting up and gripping my chin. “An assistant. You are the most capable assistant I’ve ever had.” I wasn’t satisfied. I asked again, my voice trembling. “Just an assistant?” Ethan’s expression darkened slightly. He wound a lock of my hair around his finger. “Sarah, do you know what I like most about you? You’re compliant. Smart. Rational. Sane.” He applied pressure to my chin. “Right now, you’re acting in a way that is very annoying.” My heart felt like it was being stuck by a thousand needles. A dense, stinging pain surged through my body. He leaned in and kissed away the tear at the corner of my eye, his hand moving down. My body’s instinctual reaction made me shudder slightly against my will. He let out a sharp laugh, the sound filled with ridicule. “Don’t act so aggrieved. After all, you enjoy this too, don’t you?” I pushed him away with all my might and frantically grabbed my clothes, pulling them on over my head. He sat back, resting his chin on one hand, watching me amusedly. “By the way, you know my fiancée. She’s timid. Don’t go near her, don’t scare her.” I froze mid-motion. A horrifying premonition seized my brain. “Who is it?” “The Sterling Group heiress. Harper Sterling.” It was like a lightning bolt struck me. My brain felt like it exploded, pressure throbbing violently at my temples, mixed with a piercing pain. “Why her? You know… she…” “That was all a misunderstanding.” Ethan reached out, pulled me back toward him, and got down on one knee to slide my high heels back onto my feet. “Harper already explained everything to me. If you are disrespectful to her because of things that happened in high school, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” He squeezed my ankle hard, looking up at me. It was an open threat. The pain made it almost impossible to sit still. I forced a sliver of a voice out of my throat. “Understood.” 02 Winter in the Midwest is unforgivably cold. I stood by the railing of the downtown bridge, the wind stinging my face like a slap. I used to think that Ethan and I would get married, have kids, and live a quiet, happy life just like any other loving couple. After all, no other man had ever treated me as well as he did. He would clumsily cook my favorite dishes. Even though he hated the smell of spicy crawfish, he still took me to a shack on the Gulf just to get the authentic stuff. He even went to a simulation class to experience the pain of childbirth, crying as he told me we shouldn’t have kids because he didn’t want me to suffer. I thought he loved me to his core. But it turns out, he never once considered marrying me, let alone having a family with me. The wind howled past, and the black water rushed furiously beneath the bridge. I lifted my foot to step onto the bottom railing, intending to just feel the wind, but someone suddenly grabbed me from behind in a tight bear hug. It was an older woman, her face filled with panic, gripping my arm tightly. “Oh dear, I’ve been watching you for a while. It’s not worth it, sweetie, it really isn’t.” “If something happened to you, it would break your parents’ hearts.” “Life is long. There’s nothing you can’t get through.” She practically forced her own gloves, scarf, and beanie onto me. Finally, she pulled a warm, foil-wrapped breakfast burrito from her coat pocket and shoved it into my hand. I had been holding back tears for so long, but at that moment, they completely exploded. I sobbed uncontrollably. I wasn’t trying to jump. I just wanted to freeze myself into feeling rational again. I wanted to accept the brutal reality that Ethan Cross did not love me. But facing this stranger’s warmth, I suddenly felt so aggrieved, so full of resentment. 03 By the time Ethan’s call came through, I was already back at my apartment. “I’m formally introducing Harper to everyone tomorrow. You should be there.” I gripped the phone, my hand slowly tightening. “I don’t want to go.” Ethan let out a soft scoff. “Sarah, this is a notification, not a request. Harper wants you there.” “I said I don’t want to go.” My voice was terribly raspy. The cold wind from earlier seemed to have blown into my very bones. A bone-deep chill settled into my core. “Sarah!” Ethan lost his patience, his voice booming through the speaker. “If I don’t see you tomorrow, you can forget about ever getting your mother’s prescription covered again.” The line went dead. I leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, collapsing. 04 Having been with Ethan for five years, I knew his friends well enough. So, at the party, when they saw me, their eyes were filled with mockery. “How does she still have the nerve to show up? Live as a mistress long enough, and you actually start thinking you belong here.” “Some people just don’t know what shame is. Who else would stripped naked and crawl into a bed for a promotion?” I kept my eyes on the ground, pretending to be deaf. Someone walked over and pressed his hand down on mine on the table. His sticky breath fanned against my ear. “Sarah, don’t be sad. Now that Ethan’s done with you, you can always come find me. I don’t mind seconds.” The area erupted in crude, disgusting laughter. I clenched my teeth, stood up, and took a step back to put distance between us. “Respect yourself, please.” He gave me a predatory look, scanning my body. “Still acting high and mighty? Believe it or not, I could handle you right here.” My body instantly went rigid. My palms were wet with fear. I looked toward the door over and over, desperately hoping Ethan would walk in. I knew exactly how vicious these people could be. At a moment like this, only Ethan could help me. As he kept crowding me, I slowly backed into a corner. “Sarah, just give in to Mr. Miller. It’s not like trash like you has other options.” They looked at me with greed, disdain, and excitement. They were nailing me to a cross of shame. I had nowhere left to retreat. I tried to quickly dart around him. But someone stuck their leg out, tripping me. I crashed to the floor. My arm caught a bottle of Cabernet on the adjacent table. It fell and shattered. I landed with both hands directly onto the glass shards. My white dress was instantly stained red with blood. The crowd erupted in roars of laughter. I struggled to move, trying to stand up, but a sharp, agonizing pain shot up from my ankle. Mark Miller bent down and grabbed my wrist. “Sarah, let me help you…” The door suddenly opened. Ethan walked in, Harper Sterling on his arm. They were late. He saw me sprawled on the floor. He frowned. “What’s going on?” “Sarah wasn’t careful. She tripped and broke a wine bottle. Mr. Miller was just trying to help her up,” someone smoothed over. Ethan’s gaze moved to Mark Miller’s hand gripping my wrist. His expression darkened slightly. “Let go.” Mark awkwardly stood up, backing away from me. “Mr. Cross, don’t misinterpret this.” Ethan walked over quickly, a faint trace of worry in his eyes. “Ethan, let me help Ms. Jenkins up.” Harper Sterling’s voice was soft and warm, interrupting him as he started to bend down. Ethan froze for a microsecond, then stood back up. “Alright.” Harper extended her hand to me. I looked at that smiling face, and it was like I was transported back ten years. Pure terror broke me into a cold sweat. “Ms. Jenkins, do you not like me helping you?” She looked innocent, a trace of grievance in her voice. Before I could speak. Ethan said with a cold face, “If she doesn’t want to get up, let her crawl on the floor. What an embarrassment.” “Ethan, don’t speak to a woman like that,” Harper chided softly, helping me up. “Are you okay?” Then, she whispered close to my ear, just loud enough for me to hear. “Even though everyone knows Mark is a predator, you didn’t have to humiliate yourself like this just to get his attention.” Her face was full of concern, but her eyes were venomous. She viciously pinched the glass wounds on my hand. The pain was unbearable. I violently pushed her away. “Get away from me. Don’t touch me.” Harper staggered back a step and fell toward the floor. I stared straight at her, wishing with every fiber of my being that she would fall onto the broken glass. Unfortunately, Ethan caught her. He stepped forward furiously and slapped me across the face. “Harper was kindly trying to help you, and you treat her like this? You ungrateful bitch.” My ears were ringing. I felt like I stepped off a ledge, plunging into darkness. Ethan’s mouth was opening and closing; he was probably saying more horrible things, but I couldn’t hear him. When my senses finally returned, I only heard the last sentence. “Sarah, apologize to Harper.” I looked at him in disbelief, wanting to defend myself, but not knowing how to say it. Even if I did say it, Ethan wouldn’t believe me. “I am telling you for the last time. Apologize. Otherwise, you know what I’m capable of.” His voice held an undertone of a threat. I curled my lips in a self-deprecating smile, letting out a bitter laugh. “If I don’t apologize, you’ll cut off my mother’s treatment, right?” He snorted coldly and said nothing else. How ridiculous. The man who once swore he would never let me suffer a single grievance was now forcing me to apologize to the person who used to bully me. Just a week ago, he was sitting in front of my mom, peeling an apple for her, swearing that she would live to be a hundred. “Forget it, Ethan. Sarah didn’t do anything wrong. She just doesn’t like me, that’s all.” Harper’s eyes were downcast, pulling on Ethan’s sleeve. “I don’t need your hypocrisy,” I snapped, not knowing where the courage came from. Harper looked frightened by me. Her rim med with red, and she shrunk back behind Ethan. “Don’t be scared,” Ethan comforted her gently. Then he turned and viciously kicked my knee. “Watch your attitude!” I was forced to my knees on the ground. “Apologize, Sarah. Don’t push me.” Ethan’s jaw was tight, a storm brewing in his eyes. My heart was completely dead. My body didn’t even seem to feel the pain anymore. My mom’s illness could only be treated with a specialty drug developed by Ethan’s company. I could not sacrifice my mother’s life for the sake of my dignity. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I beg for Ms. Sterling’s forgiveness.” I looked down, my voice shattered and broken. 05 Late that night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the torrential rain outside. I heard the smart lock chime as the front door opened. A moment later, the sound of the shower ran in the bathroom. I turned over and closed my eyes. The other side of the bed dipped, and I was pulled into a damp, cold embrace. “Does your face still hurt?” He asked neutrally. “We broke up.” I pushed him away calmly. He let out a light laugh. “Still angry? It was just an apology.” I tightly gripped my nightgown. “Stop it, I’m having a hard time right now,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “Why didn’t you go to Harper Sterling?” “We’re not married yet. It wouldn’t be right to do this to her.” My heart was completely ash. I let my hands fall lifelessly, like a dead fish. Ethan struggled for a while, but seeing I was unresponsive, he turned over and flipped on the bedside lamp. “Sarah, do you have to ruin the mood like this?” He lit a cigarette, his cold gaze sweeping over my barely covered body. “I really don’t know what you’re dissatisfied about.” “If it weren’t for me, could you afford to live this decently?” I clenched the bedsheets, tears silently flowing down my face and into my ears. He forcefully turned my face toward him. When he saw my red, swollen eyes, he froze. His phone on the nightstand suddenly buzzed. It was Harper Sterling calling. “Ethan, it’s thundering. I’m so scared.” He comforted her with a few soft words, then quickly put his clothes back on. He turned to look down at me, his voice freezing. “Sarah, you need to seriously reflect on yourself. Don’t just cry over every little thing. Crying doesn’t solve any problems.” He was right. Crying doesn’t solve any problems. But nobody cries because they want to solve problems. 06 I stood outside the hospital room door and took several deep breaths before pushing it open. “Whose mom is this? Why is she so pretty?” I teased with a smile. My mom was sitting in bed, knitting a scarf. When she saw me, she dropped the yarn and waved me over. “There’s my girl.” Then she pretended to be angry. “Hmph. You haven’t been here to see me in days.” I happily hugged her. “I was just here two days ago. Didn’t the doctor say you need to rest? What are you busy with now?” She took my hand, showing off her work. “Oh, just lying here gets so boring. I’m knitting scarves for you and Ethan.” “Is this color nice? I specifically picked matching ones for couples.” My eyes stung with sourness. I slowly ran my hand over the scarf. “It’s beautiful.” “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” My mom realized my mood was off, her voice filled with worry. “Did you and Ethan have a fight?” “No.” I snuffed. “I just feel so lucky to have you, Mom.” “Silly child.” My mom patted my shoulder gently. “I only have one wish in this life, and that is for you to be happy and safe. I can’t be with you forever. You have to walk your own path in the future. Ethan is a good man, you can rely on him. When two people are together, there will always be disagreements, but as long as you talk it out, it’ll be fine.” “I know, Mom. Don’t worry, Ethan and I… are great.” I looked down to hide my expression. “That’s good.” My mom nodded in relief. “One of these days, when he isn’t busy, bring him by and we’ll all have… cough cough cough…” My mom suddenly started coughing, unable to catch her breath, her mouth suddenly filled with bright red blood. “Doctor! Nurse!” I frantically pressed the call button. A massive panic seized me. 07 After emergency resuscitation, my mom was temporarily out of danger. I stopped the primary physician in the hallway. “My mother’s condition has been stable for years. What happened today?” Dr. Lee looked at me with a complicated expression. “Ms. Jenkins, you should probably talk to Mr. Cross.” “What do you mean?” “Mr. Cross cut off the coverage for her specialty drug. If this happens again, I’m afraid your mother won’t make it. You need to handle this immediately.” My heart dropped into a bottomless pit. I frantically dialed Ethan’s number, but it showed that his phone was off. I called over twenty times, with the same result. I knew this was my punishment for not being “compliant” last night. He was waiting for me to beg. I looked everywhere—at the office, his house, his private club, the golf course. He was nowhere to be found. I collapsed helplessly against the front of my car. Finally, the housekeeper at his villa couldn’t watch me suffer anymore and told me where Ethan was. I immediately booked the closest flight to Miami. 08 When Harper Sterling saw me, her eyes filled with genuine surprise. “Sarah? What are you doing here?” Ethan, on the other hand, was not surprised at all by my arrival. I cut straight to the chase. “Mr. Cross, my mother…” Ethan gave a low, appreciative whistle, refined his brow, and pulled Harper into a tight embrace by her waist. “I’m busy.” I took a deep breath. “Then when will you have time?” “Depends on my mood.” He leaned back, resting his chin on his hand, looking down to coax Harper. “Should I take you to watch the sunset?” “I knew you were the best, Ethan.” Harper blushed and kissed him shyly. I turned to leave, but Ethan called out to me. “Stay right there. Don’t move.” 09 The night grew deeper. A few stars poked through the high sky. Giggles and soft sounds kept drifting out from Ethan’s suite. I looked down at the potted hibiscus nearby; there were fewer blooms this year than in the past. For the five years I was with Ethan, he took me here every winter. The same hotel. The same room. The pool, the lounge chairs, the balcony swing. Every inch of this place witnessed our past happiness. He really knew how to find new ways to humiliate me. But it didn’t matter. As long as my mother lived, I would do anything. The door was pushed open from the inside. I lifted my eyes, then immediately looked back down. “Sarah, you are just as spineless as always.” Harper smiled as she walked up to me, a lit cigarette dangling between her fingers. The terror that had disappeared for so long drilled back into my brain. For a dazed moment, I was back in high school. It was the same kind of lit cigarette. They had shamelessly used me as a human ashtray. Ash tapped into my mouth. Cherry pressed against my skin. They forced me into the abandoned art room. Harper said that if I crawled on all fours like a dog, they wouldn’t go cause trouble at my mom’s street food stall. Day after day. For all three years of high school—what should have been the brightest years of my life—I lived in an absolute living hell. Someone kicked the back of my knee, forcing me to stumble. Harper leaned close to my ear, her voice like a demon’s whisper. “Don’t be scared. Your life is only going to get more miserable from now on.” I looked up, staring straight into her eyes, asking the question I had wanted to ask for years. “Why? Why do you hate me so much?” She laughed arrogantly. “Sarah, you are still so naive. Hating someone doesn’t need a reason, just like loving someone doesn’t need a reason. From the moment I saw you, I despised you. Everything you want to protect, I want to take away. Including your mother.” Alarm bells went off in my head. A moment later, Dr. Lee’s call came through. “Ms. Jenkins, your mother needs the medication immediately, or…” I didn’t stay to hear the rest. I yanked open the door to the suite. “Ethan Cross, get out here. I’m begging you. Cover my mother’s medication again.” I woke him up. He looked annoyed, then quickly got out of bed and rushed toward me. A sliver of hope ignited in my heart. But it was quickly doused. “Harper! What’s wrong? Sarah, what did you do to her?” He pushed me aside furiously and scooped up the unconscious Harper from the floor behind me. I anxiously explained, “I didn’t! She’s faking it! Ethan, please, call the hospital. If my mom doesn’t have that medicine, she will die.” He snorted coldly. “Sarah, you really will stop at nothing. Just to get my attention, you’re actually cursing your own mother to die. You are truly shameless and disgusting.” “If anything happens to Harper, I will never forgive you.” He rushed out with her in his arms. I knelt on the floor, grabbing the cuff of his jeans. “I am telling the truth! It only takes a minute to make a phone call! Ethan, please! If you make the call, I will do anything. I’ll apologize to Harper Sterling with my life if you want!” “Get lost.” Ethan kicked me hard in the chest. “Your mother must be so miserable having a daughter like you.” 10 By the time I rushed back to the hospital, completely frantic, it was too late. I never got to see my mother for the last time. I collapsed to the floor. It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart, ripping it right out of my chest. Dr. Lee walked over and handed me a paper bag. “I’m sorry.” His eyes were full of guilt. I slowly opened it. The two brightly colored scarves were inside. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I cried out in agony. “Mom, I was wrong… It’s all my fault!” 11 After finishing my mother’s funeral arrangements, I locked myself in my apartment. On the third day, Ethan showed up. He disgustedly yanked open the blackout curtains. “What? Planning to die here? You’re going through all this life-and-death drama just over a little medication hitch?” “Do you love me that much?” The bright light outside instantly stung my eyes. Then he threw a designer handbag at me. “Here. The one you’ve always wanted. I brought it straight here from the airport.” Ethan’s mouth kept opening and closing. My head hurt so much from the noise. “Get out.” I stood up, hysterical, grabbed a pair of scissors from the table, and viciously stabbed them into the handbag over and over. “Have you gone insane?” Ethan walked over, clamped my wrists, and threw the scissors away. “Sarah, think about your mother before you do anything stupid. My patience is not unlimited. If you keep throwing these tantrums, you will never get that medication covered.” I suddenly started laughing. The laughter grew louder and louder, eventually turning into choking sobs. I forcefully slapped him across the face, pointing at the black-and-white photo on the wall. “My mother is dead.” 12 “That’s not possible. When?” Ethan froze, a trace of suspicion in his eyes. “Sarah, are you lying to me again?” I didn’t have the energy left to argue with him. I leaned against the table, breathing heavily. He violently grabbed my wrist, forcing me to look up. “Sarah, speak to me. You do not joke about things like this.” I let out a cold scoff, fighting the urge to vomit. “You’re right. I am lying to you. My mom isn’t dead at all. I staged this whole thing.” “Now that you’ve caught me, can you get the hell out?” He tightened his jaw, his eyes turning cold. He snorted and flung my hand away. “Don’t ever play stupid games like this again.” 13 After Ethan left, I changed the security code on the door lock. I called a real estate agent I knew to list the apartment. “Ms. Jenkins, the market isn’t great right now. The price might…” I interrupted him. “It doesn’t matter. Just sell it as quickly as possible.” This was the apartment I bought during my second year with Ethan. Back then, I thought he was just a struggling artist. To reassure my mom, I worked myself to the bone, saving every penny to make the down payment on this place, intending for it to be our future home. Later, when his true identity was revealed, I broke up with him in a rage. He stood outside in the pouring rain all night. Asking me pitifully, “Sarah, I was wrong. Please don’t leave me.” I was soft-hearted. I made him ginger tea to ward off the chill. I thought I had found true love.

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After marrying my childhood best friend, we treated each other like polite roommates. He barely spoke, and I was naturally cold. To this day, we still haven’t consummated our marriage. But what I didn’t know was… my husband could hear my inner thoughts. In the bedroom, I wore my usual blank expression, staring at my husband who had just stepped out of the shower. But in my mind: [If I do him right here, would he pass out?] 01 [It would definitely feel amazing. That spicy romance novel Chloe showed me described it as… what was it? Losing focus?] [I think they called it the ‘wet and wild’ shower scene.] Caleb slipped and almost fell. I stepped forward and caught his arm. “Are you okay?” [Why won’t this towel drop? Why wrap it so tightly? It’s not like I haven’t seen him before.] [His abs are perfectly sculpted. Long fingers, too.] “I’m fine.” Caleb spoke rapidly, as if desperately trying to stop something. He clutched his towel tightly. “Sorry, I couldn’t find my bathrobe earlier, so I just grabbed a towel…” [Of course you couldn’t find it.] [I threw it away.] [It’s probably being shredded in a landfill right now.] [I’ll throw the towel away tomorrow, too.] I let go of him and said flatly, “Be careful next time.” “…Okay.” 02 Caleb changed into his pajamas and got into bed. I flipped through my book, my peripheral vision instinctively darting toward him. He was wearing dark pajamas, long sleeves, and long pants. [Tank tops are better. Easier to cop a feel. Shame I only dare to do it when he’s asleep; I’m terrified of waking him up halfway.] [Ugh, I really want to slip a sleeping pill into his water.] [Then I could do whatever I want with him.] I stared blankly at the words in my book. Caleb, who had just gotten into bed, suddenly threw off the covers and got up. I looked at him, puzzled. “Not sleeping?” “I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I’m going to take some melatonin.” I didn’t think much of it and went back to my book. When Caleb came back, he had changed his clothes. He was wearing exactly what I wanted: a loose tank top. He explained, “It was too hot.” I replied softly, “Mhm.” Caleb lay down. Maybe it really was too hot; he only pulled the covers up to his waist. He rested his arm behind his head. His broad chest and defined muscles made it hard for me to look away. His body was better than a fitness model’s. He fell asleep quickly. Thoughtfully, I turned the AC down. After reading for a bit longer, I turned off the light and went to sleep. In the dark, Caleb silently opened his eyes, staring with a complex expression at Olivia sleeping beside him. She was fast asleep, her eyes shut tight, taking shallow breaths. No secret touches. No ‘wet and wild’ scenes. Caleb just lay there with his eyes wide open until dawn. The next morning, I walked out of the bedroom, rubbing my sleepy eyes. Maria was cooking breakfast. The delicious smell woke up my appetite. I pulled out a chair and sat down like a good girl. Today it was sweet potato pancakes and a fresh smoothie. Maria smiled at me. “Is it good?” My mouth was too full to answer, so I nodded enthusiastically. “Don’t choke,” Maria said, handing me the smoothie. “My own kids never appreciate my cooking this much.” Speaking of her kids, Maria couldn’t help but sigh. I comforted her. “They just don’t get it.” Maria genuinely adored me. Even though I seemed aloof on the outside, my eyes would instantly light up whenever I ate something delicious. It gave her a huge sense of accomplishment. “Speaking of Caleb, he’s usually up by now, isn’t he?” “He took a sleeping pill last night.” A sleeping pill? Maria thought back to when she was cleaning the bathroom that morning. The bottle in the medicine cabinet hadn’t looked touched. But the lid on the espresso powder hadn’t been screwed on tight. 03 I didn’t expect Caleb to sleep straight through to the afternoon. Even after sleeping that long, he still had dark circles under his eyes. [Looks like the quality of his sleep is really terrible. Good thing I didn’t grope him last night, or he’d be even worse off. I guess I’d better behave myself from now on.] Caleb, whose back was to me, suddenly turned around and stared at me darkly for a long time. “I slept perfectly fine.” “?” [What does that have to do with me?] Caleb ignored me. [Men are so complicated. Annoying.] Caleb slammed the door shut with a loud bang. That evening, the high school alumni group chat started blowing up. The reunion organizer was throwing a get-together. My best friend Chloe called. “Liv, you’re going, right?” “Yeah, I’m free.” Chloe and I met in high school and coincidentally went to the same college. We’ve always been super close. “What about your husband? Is he coming?” She was talking loudly. I looked up at Caleb across the room. He opened his mouth. [Please say no. I really don’t want to bring him.] Caleb closed his mouth. He gently shook his head. Satisfied, I replied to Chloe, “He’s not coming.” Chloe seemed to breathe a sigh of relief on the other end. “Good that he isn’t. Ethan is going to be there this time. You remember your high school boyfriend, right? He’s been single since you guys broke up. I heard he still wears that woven bracelet you gave him.” Chloe’s voice echoed clearly in the room. “…Oh.” I gave a dry response. “Awesome. Next Tuesday at 7 PM. Be there or be square.” I hung up. Seeing Caleb’s calm, unbothered expression, the slight anxiety in my heart faded. [What was I worried about? Even if I actually cheated on him, he probably wouldn’t care. How could he possibly get jealous over something so small…] “Terrible!” Caleb’s expression suddenly turned ice-cold. I jumped, staring at him in confusion. [What is his deal?!] Meeting my gaze, Caleb’s brow twitched, and his expression relaxed. “I meant Maria’s cooking… it’s terrible today.” Maria, hurrying in with a spatula: “?” 04 Tuesday before heading out. Caleb spent half the day staring at the mirror, styling himself. From head to toe, he was impeccably groomed. He had a handsome face and a body built like a runway model. Dressed up like this, he was even more eye-catching. [Chloe said that when a guy dresses up this much, there’s an 80% chance he’s looking for a side chick.] Caleb’s hand, about to spray hairspray, froze. He awkwardly put the can down. He turned, his gaze landing heavily on my shoulders. “It’ll be cold tonight. Take a shawl.” “It’s 85 degrees out.” “…Drive safe.” When I arrived at the venue, the private lounge was already packed. Chloe waved me over. I sat down next to her. She nudged me, gesturing for me to look to the side, and whispered, “Look at his wrist.” Ethan had shed some of his youthful awkwardness. He was chatting effortlessly with others. As he raised his cocktail glass with his right hand, his cuff slid down, revealing that old, worn-out woven bracelet. It was just a cheap trinket I bought at a street fair near our school years ago. In high school, Caleb was in the class next to mine. We weren’t particularly close; we just had that obligatory bond of growing up together. At school, we barely spoke. But Caleb’s mom frequently asked him to drop things off for me. And every day after school, Caleb would wait by my classroom door. Over time, everyone assumed we were a thing. I explained it a few times, but no one believed me, so I gave up trying. Later, those rumors died down. Because of Ethan. Whenever he had the chance, he’d clarify things for me, more enthusiastically than I ever did. Under his relentless chatter, our classmates got annoyed, then bored, and eventually stopped gossiping about me and Caleb. To thank him, I offered to buy him a smoothie after school. That was the first time I didn’t walk home with Caleb. Hearing my plans, Caleb didn’t say much. He just gave a slight nod and walked away. Ethan and Caleb were polar opposites. Ethan was warm, outgoing, and never hid his feelings. If he was happy, he was happy; if he was mad, he was mad. At eighteen, he confessed his feelings to me. I didn’t really understand what it meant to “like” or “not like” someone. But when he confessed for the thirty-fifth time, I said yes. Ethan clung to me, begging me to say I liked him. Worn down, I sighed, “Yeah, I like you.” Right as I said it, I saw Caleb. He stood in the doorway, backlit by the setting sun. His handsome features were cast in shadow, his dark hair looking soft and fluffy in the golden light. His expression was blank. I couldn’t tell if he was happy or angry. I felt a twinge of awkwardness. Ethan stood with one hand in his pocket, holding my backpack with the other. A little bunny plushie Caleb had given me was still dangling from the zipper. He smiled brightly, almost arrogantly. “Hey, Caleb. Liv and I are together now, so I’ll be walking her home from now on. Sorry for bothering you all this time. Let me buy you dinner sometime to make up for it.” Caleb stared unblinking at Ethan, his lips pressed into a tight line. Even someone as emotionally dense as me could feel the tension in the air. I walked over and grabbed Ethan’s arm, telling Caleb, “I’ll be home late tonight. Tell my parents for me.” “…Okay.” After that day, I never walked home with Caleb again. 05 Everyone in our class knew about my history with Ethan. But they also knew I was married, so by silent agreement, nobody brought up the past. One classmate who was a bit out of the loop noticed the bracelet on Ethan’s wrist and teased, “Ethan, man, you’re doing so well for yourself. Why are you still wearing a cheap bracelet like that?” The room fell silent for a second. Everyone’s eyes darted between Ethan and me. “Someone special gave it to me,” Ethan said, his voice soft but clear. “It’s priceless.” The classmate caught on. “Then you’d better cherish it.” Ethan rubbed the red bead on the bracelet, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally landing on me. Halfway through the night, I left the lounge to use the restroom. When I came out, Ethan was waiting for me. He stood with his hands in his pockets, the top button of his dress shirt undone. “Long time no see.” I glanced at the sinks. “This isn’t exactly the best place to catch up.” “Let’s go somewhere else then.” “We aren’t exactly in the kind of relationship where we need to catch up.” Ethan didn’t seem surprised by my response. “Liv, you haven’t changed. “When you broke up with me back then, you were just as calm and straightforward. Exactly like your little childhood friend.” My relationship with Ethan ended the summer after senior year. No dramatic reason—he just decided to study abroad because his family arranged it. When I suggested breaking up, Ethan couldn’t believe it. “I’m not staying overseas forever. I’ll come back after I get my degree. Why do we have to break up?” “The future is too unpredictable. I don’t like it.” He frowned, a hint of resentment in his voice. “We have something so good. We could totally face the uncertainty together. Liv, why won’t you sacrifice just a little for me?” I looked at him calmly. “Why don’t you sacrifice for me?” Ethan was speechless. We both chose our own paths, went our separate ways, and never saw each other again. “You married Caleb, right?” Ethan trailed behind me. I nodded. “Why? Didn’t you dislike him in high school? You even thanked me for clearing up the rumors about you two.” “I don’t dislike him.” Ethan didn’t seem willing to let it go. He stared at me intensely. “But a quiet, reserved guy like Caleb isn’t right for you at all. He’s cold, and you’re cold. How does a marriage like that even work?” I stopped in my tracks. Because of Caleb. He was standing at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, looking clean and sharp. His gaze lingered on Ethan for a moment. His eyes darkened. Caleb walked over, wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and said softly, yet coldly, “Whether we’re suited for each other or not, we’re already married. Mr. Davis, I hope you’ve been well.” Ethan narrowed his eyes, doing nothing to hide his displeasure. 06 “Caleb, old classmates are just catching up. Do you really need to hover?” “Catching up is fine, but there are boundaries, and I suggest you keep them, Mr. Davis. After all…” Caleb put on the perfect smile of a victor, masking the provocation underneath. “Olivia is my wife now.” “And… we love each other very much.” Saying that last part, Caleb’s confidence clearly faltered. He secretly glanced down at me. My eyes were lowered, lost in thought. A second later— [White pants really do emphasize the bulge.] Caleb closed his eyes. Forget it. “Love?” Ethan chuckled mockingly. “Olivia only married you because you two grew up together, and she’s used to you being around. Otherwise, why would she have ever dated me?” Caleb’s arm tightened slightly around me. His fingertips were ice cold. “Because I was young and stupid.” I replied calmly, “Whether we love each other or not is between me and my husband. We broke up years ago. You don’t get a say in my marriage.” I hated scenes like this. I came to a reunion, not to watch my husband and ex-boyfriend bicker. Ethan clearly didn’t expect me to defend Caleb. His face paled slightly. “I didn’t mean it like that…” Caleb, however, was incredibly satisfied. He smiled brightly. “She’s right, Mr. Davis. The past is the past. Why cling to it?” Ethan’s temper flared again. He forced his voice down, suppressing his rage: “If you hadn’t manipulated—” “Whoa, there you guys are! I was wondering where everyone went.” Mark, the reunion organizer, popped out of nowhere, interrupting Ethan. I frowned in confusion: [Manipulated what?] Caleb’s hand suddenly slid down to my waist, pulling me flush against him. I looked up at him. He smiled warmly. “And you are?” Mark enthusiastically introduced himself and asked, “You must be Caleb? I heard your name all the time back in high school. You really do look the part. Nice to finally meet you, man.” […You were always front row for the gossip, how could you have never met him?] [Oh right, he was the captain of the Olivia-and-Ethan ship.] [Whenever Ethan and I were together, he was always the loudest one cheering.] “Yes, I’m Olivia’s husband.” Caleb shook Mark’s hand with excessive force. Mark hissed in pain. “Sorry. I’ve been doing a lot of rowing lately. Grip strength is a bit tight.” [? What does rowing have to do with grip strength… actually wait, it does. Okay.] Mark seemed to have the same question. But seeing Caleb’s polite smile, he brushed it off. “It’s awesome that you childhood friends ended up getting married. Huge congratulations. Shame we didn’t get to go to the wedding.” “We’ll be sure to invite you to the vow renewal.” Ethan gave a fake, tight-lipped smile. [Pfft.] Caleb’s smile froze. “Haha, Ethan, you joker. Come on, let’s head back and get some drinks. Caleb, you should join us! Everyone really wants to meet Liv’s husband.” Mark hastily smoothed things over and dragged the three of us back. 07 As the party wound down, quite a few people were drunk. A girl I was friendly with leaned in. “Liv, you really scored with your husband. So handsome, so classy.” Caleb said politely, “You flatter me.” Someone else chimed in, “Ethan isn’t bad either. Liv, you’re so lucky, surrounded by hot guys.” “Liv was always top of the class, and she’s got a great job now. Hot guys are exactly what she deserves.” The girl clung to me. “Hey, Liv, who do you think is hotter? Your husband, or Ethan?” [Is this the grown-up version of ‘who do you love more, mommy or daddy’?] [How am I supposed to answer this??] But my friend was totally wasted, hanging onto me and demanding an answer. The girl who chimed in was also staring at me expectantly. It felt like they wouldn’t let me leave until I gave them a satisfying answer. I brushed them off casually: “They’re both pretty hot.” They finally let me go. I breathed a sigh of relief. I slowly went back to munching on my crackers. Completely oblivious to the fact that the man sitting next to me had vanished. Chloe was the first to notice. “Where’s Caleb?” “Huh? I don’t know.” “You’ve got a big heart, not even noticing your own husband bolted.” Chloe looked around, then pointed to a corner. “Ooh, looks like someone’s throwing a tantrum.” She had witnessed the whole exchange. I was confused. “Why is he mad?” “Go ask him yourself.” [So annoying.] Reluctantly, I walked over. Caleb was sitting in the corner nursing a drink. His face was blank; you couldn’t tell anything was wrong. But keeping Chloe’s words in mind, I asked anyway. “Are you mad?” He muttered a denial. “No.” “Then why are you sitting all the way over here?” “Fresh air.” I looked at the sweaty, drunken mess of our classmates tearing up the dance floor next to him. […It smells like straight tequila and body odor over here.] [Does he have a weird fetish for this smell?] [I don’t understand, but I respect it.] [I really am such a supportive wife.] After mentally giving myself a pat on the back, I dropped an “okay” and turned to leave. Before I could fully turn around, someone grabbed the hem of my shirt. The man’s voice carried a faint, barely noticeable pout, almost like he was accusing me: “You called him hot.” [Who did I call hot?] “You called Ethan hot.” “I was just blowing them off.” “Really?” [Of course really. I was just trying to get them to leave me alone.] [And objectively speaking, Caleb is way hotter anyway.] The corners of Caleb’s lips involuntarily curled up. [Though Ethan isn’t bad either. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dated him.] [As for Caleb… he’s hot, sure, but I see him every day. You get numb to it.] I nodded seriously. “Of course.” I figured that answer would definitely pacify him, but somehow, he looked even more pissed. For someone usually so stoic and quiet, this was the first time I had ever seen his face cycle through so many vibrant emotions in one go. [Did I say something wrong?] [Obviously not.] [He’s just too picky.] Caleb looked like he was about to laugh from sheer frustration. He pulled me down to sit on the sofa, while he unexpectedly dropped to one knee in front of me. His eyes were dark and heavy as he asked: “Between me and Ethan, who do you like more?” It was only then that I realized Caleb had unbuttoned his shirt at some point. Below his collarbone, his chest peeked through. Rising and falling with his breaths. “…You’re my husband.” “I want to hear you say it.” This request was actually quite difficult for me. I was used to keeping a poker face. I was terrible at expressing my feelings, especially out loud. Seeing me hesitate, Caleb undid another button. He leaned in, the neckline opening even wider. [Oh, dear lord.] From my vantage point looking down, Caleb’s incredible physique was on full display. Pale skin, a tight core, and I could even faintly see the… black waistband of his boxer briefs. They looked like the same brand I saw in his drawer. In this quiet, dimly lit corner of the loud party, the usually proper, aloof Caleb was kneeling beside my legs. The contrast against the noisy background made it secretly, thrillingly intoxicating. “Liv. Me or him. Who do you like?” Caleb asked me one more time. His voice was hoarse, magnetic, hanging on every syllable. As if under a spell, I whispered, “You.” “Only me?” “Yeah. “Only you.” 08 By the time the party ended, my face still felt hot. Caleb followed behind me, looking a bit unnaturally stiff too. [Such nice pecs. Such gorgeous lines. I want to take a bite. Chomp, chomp, chomp.] [Also, was he pitching a tent just now?] Caleb suddenly coughed. “We should get going.” “Liv!” Chloe popped out from nowhere and slapped me right on the butt, admiring my blushing face with satisfaction. “Leaving already? Not gonna grab one more drink?” I suppressed the urge to rub my stinging behind. I shook my head. “I’m tired.” […My poor butt.] [It just shattered into two pieces. Waaah.] [Wait, butts are naturally two pieces anyway.] [Left and right. I wonder… if it was an upper piece and a lower piece, would it make a clapping sound when you walk?] Caleb glared fiercely at Chloe’s offending hand. He silently shifted a step closer, perfectly blocking my back from view. Back home. Maria had prepared a late-night snack for us. Even though it wasn’t my usual time to eat, I dug in anyway. It was so good I completely forgot about Caleb. When I got back to the bedroom, he was in the shower. I went to hang up my jacket and spotted his phone screen lighting up on the nightstand. When did Caleb change his font size to be so huge? Is he going blind? Before I could process it, I had already read the text on the screen. It was an Instagram DM from Ethan: [A marriage without love won’t last.] [You and Olivia have known each other for years, and she never fell in love with you then. You think getting married magically changes that? Caleb, stop lying to yourself. Stop dragging her down. Divorce her while you still can.] I paused for a few seconds. Then Maria called out to me from the hall. She had made mango coconut panna cotta. The fruity and creamy flavors mixed perfectly; it was chilled and melted right in my mouth. It was so delicious that if Ethan had dropped dead next to me, I wouldn’t have even noticed. Caleb finished his shower and immediately checked his phone. The screen was black. Before going into the bathroom, he had specifically set it to “Never Sleep.” Caleb smirked victoriously. If Ethan had the guts to send a message like that, Caleb had the guts to tattle by leaving it out. He didn’t plan on replying anyway. Caleb unlocked his phone. Only to find a few short words typed out right below that arrogant text: [We’re trying to sleep. Stop messaging.] 09 I went to bed a little later than usual that night. I ate too much, and it took a while to digest. I slowly lay down, and the second I closed my eyes, they snapped wide open again. An arm was suddenly draped across my waist. Caleb pressed against my back, his breath tickling my neck. My brain completely short-circuited. He was holding me so tightly. Through the thin summer pajamas, I could clearly feel the heat of his skin and the contours of his chest. The intimate position put every nerve in my body on high alert, my spine stiff as a board. Caleb and I shared a bed every night, but we both slept peacefully on our respective sides. This had never happened before. I didn’t dare move an inch. “Caleb.” Is he asleep? I whispered his name a few more times. Caleb seemed to stir slightly. He let out a soft hum and buried his face into the crook of my neck like a giant cat. “Sleepy…” [Can’t move. Absolutely dare not move.] [Is he going to hold me like this all night?] [This feels so weird… but his chest is actually kind of soft.] [I want to bite it.] [Oh God, Olivia, stop these terrifying thoughts!] [I really want to bite it… come here, milkman. Tsk tsk tsk…] I was so absorbed in my own filthy mental world. Naturally, I completely missed the fact that the man behind me had shifted his lower half backward, leaving a safe distance between our bodies. The corners of his lips, however, were curving up like crazy. 10 Ever since that night, Caleb would cling to me every time we went to bed. The moment we lay down, he was stuck to me. During the day, he’d wake up and earnestly apologize, and then go right back to cuddling me at night. Honestly… I didn’t hate it. It was just that sometimes, Caleb would suddenly let go, rush to the bathroom, and stay there for ages. I mentioned this to Chloe over lunch. Chloe chewed on her straw, shaking her head. “You guys are finally acting like a married couple.” I looked confused. “We didn’t before? This is exactly how my parents act around each other.” “That’s because you’re in the room.” Chloe put down her drink. “I refuse to believe they’re that proper behind closed doors. Otherwise, how do you think you were born?” Now I was the one chewing my straw. “But we aren’t that familiar with each other.” “Then start by making out. Build up the familiarity.” “Alright, I’ll go back and ask him.” Chloe: “…” When I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Chloe’s advice. Making out… it sounded like a solid starting point. I looked over at Caleb, who was busy in the kitchen. He was wearing an apron, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, revealing his toned forearms. A delicious smell was wafting from the stove. Maria had taken the day off. Caleb volunteered to cook. [This scene looks so familiar.] [In that new graphic novel Chloe sent me this morning, the male lead was also cooking in the kitchen. Wearing an apron. And nothing else.] Caleb, who was tasting the soup, violently choked. Being a helpful wife, I went over to hand him a tissue. Caleb snatched it, his face red and glaring. If this kept up, he was either going to slip and crack his head open or choke to death on his own saliva. I casually let my gaze drift over his apron. [If he didn’t wear anything underneath, his whole back would be bare.] [I wonder if it would bounce when he chopped vegetables.] [Well, if he’s packing enough, it probably would.] [I wonder how big Caleb’s actually is.] “The kitchen is too smoky, you should go wait outside.” Caleb used both hands to shove me out of the kitchen and ruthlessly slammed the door shut in my face. I was baffled. Sure, my cooking skills were terrible, but it’s not like I was going to magically blow up the kitchen just by standing there. Why was he guarding the room like it was a crime scene? Men are truly incomprehensible creatures.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “408340”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I transmigrated into the female lead of a tragic romance novel, and right now, I’m tied up alongside the “other woman,” the second female lead. The kidnappers demanded $50 million per person. The male lead, Julian Chase, only had $50 million. He chose me. Just as I grinned, thrilled to survive, a floating text box—like a Twitch comment—appeared in front of my eyes. [This stupid female lead is actually smiling. Just wait until this psycho decides to torture you to death to make up for letting the second female lead die.] I instantly wiped the smile off my face and kicked the second female lead toward Julian. “With my A-list status, why is her ransom the same as mine? I demand $100 million! I’m not leaving for a penny less!” 01 “The $50 million has been wired to your account. Let her go.” As he spoke, Julian’s eyes looked at me with worry, but then shifted to Chloe, the girl beside me. The kidnapper’s face immediately dropped. “We said $50 million per person. There are two people here. Are you deaf, or do you just not know how to do math?” Julian’s eyes grew red, his voice strained. “That’s all I have.” The kidnapper let out a scoff. “Do you think this is a flea market? Are you trying to haggle with me?” “Since you only have enough for one, choose one.” Hearing this, Chloe, standing next to me, lowered her tear-filled eyes. She knew she didn’t stand a chance against me. Because I was Julian’s “first love,” his unforgettable ex, while she was just the stand-in who had been by his side for the past three years. Sure enough, without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I choose Aria.” I grinned, showing all my teeth, absolutely thrilled. However, two floating comments suddenly appeared in my line of sight. [This stupid female lead is actually smiling. Does she think they’re going to get back together when they go back? Just wait until this psycho decides to torture you to death to make up for letting the second female lead die.] [He only loves dead women. He’ll only start loving you again after you’re dead. You only lost your life, but he lost his love!] 02 Therefore, I immediately wiped the smile off my face and kicked the second female lead toward Julian. “With my A-list status, why is her ransom the same as mine? I demand $100 million! I’m not leaving for a penny less!” After shouting that, I glared indignantly at the kidnapper. “And why is the sack you put her in the same color as mine?” The kidnapper looked at me like I was a crazy person on the subway. “Lady, this isn’t the Oscars or the Met Gala. We are kidnapping you!” Hearing that, I got even angrier. “Then why was her name mentioned before mine?” I wiggled like a maggot, struggling to inch my way toward the center of the room. “So what if it’s a kidnapping? Even in a kidnapping, I demand to be center stage!” As soon as I said that, everyone in the room was stunned. Including the floating comments. [Hahahaha the female lead’s mental state is so beautiful. Our girl Aria demands top billing!] [The ransom better be $50 million plus emotional damages, she can definitely get you ten times that amount.] Chloe, who had been sobbing beautifully in Julian’s arms, was so shocked she stopped crying, staring at me with wide eyes. Julian spoke with difficulty: “Aria, this isn’t the time to worry about your status. If you don’t come with me right now, they’re going to kill you!” “Kill me?!” I finally started to panic. 03 “Wait, won’t there be a medical examiner taking pictures?” I frantically shook my head, trying to get my bangs to fall perfectly to make my face look smaller, while squeezing out two tears for good measure. “Then my crime scene photo has to be absolutely stunning! It needs to go viral!” In that moment, the air grew so quiet it felt like time had stopped. But only I knew that those two tears weren’t forced. Inside, I was crying a river. Sob sob sob, they aren’t actually going to kill me, are they? Julian tried bargaining with me again, and even the kidnapper tried to reason with me: “Miss, $50 million really isn’t a small amount. That’s A-list treatment right there. It’s very respectful. You’re a D-list actress asking for $100 million? That’s extortion on a cosmic level. I’ve been in this business a long time, trust me.” I held my head high like a proud rooster, refusing to budge a single cent. Feeling helpless, Julian finally left with Chloe. 04 I was tied up again and shoved back into the van. The guy in the passenger seat, a cigarette clamped between his teeth, frowned and looked back at me: “Bro, is the pressure in Hollywood really that bad? I feel like she’s lost her mind. We’ve kidnapped a lot of people, but I’ve never seen anyone actively ask us to raise their own ransom! What do we do with her now?” The guy driving was silent for a long time. After a while, he flicked his cigarette ash out the window. “Sell her. Even though she’s a nobody, with her looks, she can fetch a good price.” I covered my mouth, trying to cry as quietly as possible. Damn it, my life is a joke. Getting kidnapped is bad enough, but now even the kidnapper is roasting me for being a D-list nobody! 05 The car drove for a long time before I was yanked out. With a loud thud, I was thrown onto the hard concrete floor. It hurt so much I couldn’t help but hiss in pain. “Mr. Sterling, take a look. This one is top quality. She’s even a celebrity, very famous.” Heh. I had never seen anyone so shameless. Weren’t you just calling me a D-list nobody? The man they called Mr. Sterling sat in the main chair, his long legs crossed. The light cascaded across his face, accentuating his sharp jawline. He was so incredibly handsome it was hard to look away. His gaze landed on my face, a flicker of dark emotion passing through his eyes. “What’s the price?” “$40 million.” Damn it, why did I get a discount? A hint of displeasure flashed in Mr. Sterling’s eyes. I was just about to speak up when the kidnapper’s vice-like hand clamped over my mouth. He leaned in close to my ear: “Don’t you dare ruin this for me this time.” Then he looked up and smiled apologetically: “A few million less is fine too.” 06 The guy named Sterling walked over, crouched down in front of me, pinched my chin, looked me up and down, and let out a soft chuckle. Then he stood up, looking bored. The kidnapper started to panic: “$30 million! That’s my final offer, Mr. Sterling!” Sterling finally glanced at him, a fake smile on his face: “Do you think I, Lucas Sterling, am a man who lacks $10 million?” “$40 million it is. Keep your mouth shut about what happened here today.” “If a single word of this leaks out, you might just have to say goodbye to this beautiful world.” The kidnapper nodded frantically like a bobblehead: “Understood, understood.” 07 My heart was pounding like a drum. He voluntarily raised the price and told the kidnapper to keep it a secret that I was bought by him… This felt like he was planning to play me to death… Everyone left, leaving only the two of us in the room. He crouched down beside me playfully, his long, elegant fingers slowly tracing my eyebrows, my cheeks, my chin… I shivered all over: “You… if you really dare to do that kind of thing to me, I…” He leaned in closer, chuckling softly: “What will you do?” The floating comments appeared in front of my eyes again. [Female lead, hurry up and cling to him! Even though he seems like a ruthless main villain on the outside, he’s actually a pure virgin underneath. Sleep with him, and he’ll give you his life!] Staring at his cold, handsome face, my face flushed bright red: “I… I can’t even imagine what a cheerful, bubbly little girl I’d become!” 08 As expected, his face turned bright red. He awkwardly pulled his hand back, moving slightly away from me: “Forget it, I’m not in the mood today.” To stay alive, I steeled my resolve. He runs, I chase, he can’t escape! I did a perfect kip-up and planted a kiss right on his lips. His lips were surprisingly soft, carrying a crisp, clean scent of cedarwood. His beautiful amber eyes widened slightly in shock. He frantically pushed me away, his ears as red as ripe cherries, covering his moist, bright red lips in disbelief: “Aria, are you out of your fucking mind?” The comments were going crazy too! [Hahahahaha the female lead is awesome! So awesome!] [Holy shit, Mr. Sterling, don’t cover your mouth like that, it makes you look even more fragile!] 09 As if the floor was burning his feet, he paced back and forth anxiously. It seemed like he was mourning the loss of his first kiss. It was my first time forcibly kissing someone, and I was a bit embarrassed too: “Was that your first kiss? Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility.” Hearing that, he stomped over to me: “First kiss? Aria, did you fucking forget about the time you secretly kissed me?” Last time? There was a last time? I was stunned: “Mr. Sterling, isn’t today the first time we’ve met?” He angrily pulled out my phone, unlocked it with Face ID, and started typing in his phone number. “First time we met? You’re playing dumb, huh? Who was it at that party who shamelessly begged for my number? Begged me for a role in my new movie investment? And after I rejected you, you got drunk, kissed me, and…” “And… and what else?” Oh my god, did I commit a crime… 10 He gritted his teeth: “And stuffed two hundred dollars into my hand!” However, after he finished typing his phone number, he didn’t immediately shove the phone in my face to yell at me. Instead, he stared at it for a long time. His attractive, sculpted lips pressed into a thin line. “Heh.” That cold laugh seemed to be squeezed out from the back of his throat. I curiously leaned over to look. I saw the contact name I had saved for this ultimate villain: [Thinks He’s So Great Because He Has a Few Bucks, Asshole!] Me: … “Aria, I am not done with you!” He forcefully pinched my chin, his lips pressed tightly together, the anger in his eyes almost enough to ignite the air. “Not only do I have a few bucks, but I also have plenty of ways to torture people…” 11 I burst into terrified tears. Tears rolled down my cheeks drop by drop, falling onto his distinct knuckles. “You finally remembered my name, Lucas.” Lucas frowned: ? “If I hadn’t used these tactics, how would you have remembered me?” “So many women like you. I’m neither prettier nor smarter than them. I really didn’t know how to get your attention, so I came up with this stupid method. Am I really dumb?” He released my chin. The hand that was just filled with anger was now trembling slightly. So I cried even harder. “I saw you from afar two years ago. Just one glance, and I could never forget you.” “That day, you were wearing the exact same…” His eyes narrowed coldly, seemingly about to say something. Wait, I looked closer. Damn it, he was wearing the newest Louis Vuitton collection. 12 Aria’s First Rule of Acting: Never give up the floor to your scene partner. You have to steal the scene! So I rushed ahead and kept talking. “The exact same… black suit. Lucas, you look so good in a suit. Your future bride will be so lucky.” “Unlike me, I’ve never been lucky. I grew up poor and had a hard life. When I grew up, I finally got into the entertainment industry, thinking I could live a good life through hard work. But I’ve been constantly bullied. Now I’m kidnapped, and no one even cares.” I looked down at my white dress with red, swollen eyes. The tears soaked into the fabric, leaving damp spots: “It’s fitting that I’m wearing white. I’ll just pretend today is my wedding day with you.” His body stiffened. He awkwardly gripped the hem of his jacket, looking around helplessly. Like he was searching for a hole in the ground to crawl into. So I acted even harder. 13 I let out a long sigh, looking up at him pitifully with tear-filled eyes, forcing a bitter smile. Streams of tears poured from my red, swollen eyes. “Go ahead, kill me. Dying by your hands would make my life complete.” Even the comments were going wild praising my acting skills. [What a pitiful and devoted woman! I declare this to be Aria’s best performance since her debut!] Lucas, if you can bring yourself to kill a woman with such a tragic past who loves you this much! Then you’re simply not human! The next second, he pulled a folding knife from his pocket, flipped it open, and crouched beside me. His voice was colder than the gleaming blade: “Don’t move.” Holy shit! You really aren’t fucking human! Truly fitting for a villain. Killing me is one thing, but not even letting me move! 14 I squeezed my eyes shut, crying tears of genuine emotion. “Lucas, you’re a fucking…” Snap—the ropes binding me were cut. After being tied up all day, my limbs ached terribly, and I slumped down unexpectedly. He reached out his long, strong arms and caught me. The tight lines of his muscles were faintly visible beneath his white shirt. The crisp scent of cedarwood lingered around my nose. He raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice deep. “I’m a fucking what?” “You’re a fucking… incredible man, exactly the kind I’d fall for!” Those muscles! That build! That sexy voice! I can’t even imagine how happy I’d be! 15 He coughed awkwardly, turning his head away, not daring to look me in the eyes. His ears were tinged a faint pink. “Um… I didn’t know you had a crush on me all this time. When I bought you today, I originally planned to get back at you a little… Don’t worry, I’ll take care of those two kidnappers. And consider that $40 million a gift. Don’t worry about it.” While he was talking, I took the opportunity to feel his abs. Wow! Hard as a washboard. He caught my hand, his ears blushing furiously. “Focus on listening to what I have to say first.” I snuggled closer into his embrace, looking up at him with a goofy smile. “You stay here for the night. I’ll have someone take you back tomorrow.” My smile froze on my face: “You’re kicking me out?” He tried to explain: “No…” I wasn’t listening. I raised my voice again, the tears coming on command: “You’re kicking me out?” I finally managed to cling to a rich guy, and now he wants to kick me back to that psycho Julian to wait for death? Not a chance! 16 Seeing me cry, he panicked a bit and clumsily tried to wipe my tears. I stubbornly swatted his hand away, letting the tears roll down with my sobs. “I know I’m not good enough for you. Since I’m destined to leave, why wait until tomorrow? I’ll leave right now!” I got up resolutely and limped toward the pitch-black night. “So what if it’s the middle of the night? So what if I have no idea how to get home? So what if I might get kidnapped again? No one cares about me anyway!” To stall for time, I deliberately walked incredibly slow. A passing snail would probably curse me for being slow. But even as I zig-zagged my way to the door, he still showed no intention of stopping me. 17 Damn it! Cruel man! If you won’t stop me, I’ll… I’ll find a way to stay myself! So the next second, I tripped over a non-existent threshold. I cried, sniffling and sobbing. “Waaaah, Lucas, I think my leg is broken, I can’t walk.” A small dog dashed out from the darkness, staring at me with big, watery eyes. Aria’s Second Rule of Acting: Everything around you can be used as a prop! I immediately scooped up the dog, sobbing: “Are you all alone like me with no one who wants you? But even if you don’t have money, you can still eat shit. I’ll just starve to death…” The little dog wriggled out of my arms, jumped onto Lucas, and licked his face. My expression was priceless. I awkwardly, yet politely, reminded him: “Mr. Sterling, it might have just eaten… dinner…” 18 I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “shit.” Lucas’s face grew serious: “This is my dog. He does not eat shit!” Oh, so he’s a rich kid’s dog! I quickly snapped back into character and continued crying: “So he’s not an unwanted dog after all. I’m the only one who’s all alone…” Lucas walked up to me, seemingly very helpless: “Alright, stop crying.” He placed the puppy in my arms: “Now you’re not alone.” I cried even louder. Who isn’t alone? You’re not alone, you’re the dog! Is the dog what I want? I want you! I want you, with your eight-pack abs! Forget it, I’ll just go back and face my doom. Just as I finally accepted my fate and was about to get up and leave, my body suddenly floated into the air. His strong, firm arms wrapped around the back of my knees and my back, gently and steadily picking me up.

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My best friend blamed me for breaking up her and the school’s notorious bad boy. She reported me for a testing violation during our final exams. My scores were canceled. She got exactly what she wanted: an acceptance letter to an Ivy League university, and she cut me out of her life completely. Years later, when she returned to our high school as a distinguished alumna to give a speech, I hid in a corner to watch. When the massive backdrop behind her started to collapse, I instinctively sprinted toward her… My entire body was crushed with agonizing pain. As my consciousness faded, I let go of the hand I had been gripping so tightly. “This is the last time. If there is a next life, I will never help you again.” We were both reborn. She went back to loving the bad boy with a toxic, fiery passion. They cut class to go to concerts. He used the school’s morning announcements to make dramatic declarations of love. They were reckless and loud, burning like a wildfire, leaving destruction wherever they went. As for me, I followed my dying words from my past life. I stayed far away from Chloe, and I studied like my life depended on it. She mocked me. “You were stupid then, and you’re stupid now. No matter how hard you study, you’ll never get into Columbia. Stop wasting your youth.” Armed with the memories of the exams from our past life, she fantasized about having both a perfect romance and a perfect academic record. 01 With only 100 days left until graduation, Chloe Vance and Caleb Stone officially got together. The photo of them kissing on the roof of the bleachers in the rain spread throughout the entire school. Chloe had Caleb pinned against a discarded desk, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him while his ears turned bright red. She moved fast. Reborn yesterday, confessing today. It was as if she was terrified someone would stop her. I let out a self-deprecating laugh and buried my head in my AP vocabulary flashcards. Classmates around me were whispering. The restless energy of youth drowned out the sound of studying, filling the classroom. The girl sitting in front of me kept turning around, shooting Chloe looks of awe and envy. Chloe had her textbook propped up, hiding her phone underneath to text Caleb. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed, and she would occasionally let out a soft giggle when the conversation got exciting. After a few times, I frowned in annoyance. “If you want to play on your phone, go outside. Don’t disturb other people.” Chloe glanced up at me, letting out a dismissive scoff. “It’s not like you haven’t lived through this before. What’s the point of acting like such a try-hard?” She paused, as if remembering something, and intentionally added: “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t violate testing rules this time, I’m sure you can get into a decent state school.” I gritted my teeth and gripped my book. Remembering what happened in my past life, my heart felt like it was being pierced by needles. It was hard to breathe. In my past life, after the final English exam, I told Chloe that I hadn’t put my pen down immediately when the bell rang. She didn’t say anything at the time, but a few days later, I was notified that my scores were canceled. Someone had reported me for a testing violation. The only person who knew about it, and the only one who knew my candidate ID number, was Chloe. When I confronted her, her smile was even more mocking than it was now. “You exposed my relationship. I exposed your rule-breaking. We’re even, Hannah.” During the final semester of our past life, Caleb had been harassing Chloe relentlessly. She complained to me that it was ruining her studies. I didn’t know she was just showing off. I told her mother, hoping to help her. As a result, her mother went straight to Caleb’s family. It caused a massive scene, forcing Caleb to transfer schools, and he eventually moved on to someone else. I never expected her to hold such a deep grudge against me for that. I never expected that in her heart, my entire future meant absolutely nothing compared to her high school romance. I suppressed the bitter churning in my chest and carefully etched the vocabulary words on my desk into my brain. In my past life, violating the exam rules was my mistake. Trusting the wrong person was also my mistake. I owned that. But in this life, I had to work twice as hard to make up for my past regrets. 02 Chloe was still texting, her thumbs flying across her screen. The textbook in front of her had dense notes on the left side, but the right side was completely blank. Since she was reborn, she hadn’t paid attention to a single class or taken a single note. Her heart was entirely devoted to Caleb. She faked being sick to skip school and celebrate his birthday, and cut classes to watch him play basketball. She even spent class time folding origami stars and writing love letters to him… The homeroom teacher caught her and warned her twice, but it was useless. Chloe’s desk grew cleaner, and the crowd she hung out with grew rougher. She no longer sat at her desk studying all day. She preferred leaning against the hallway railing, chatting with a group of slackers. Her school uniform hung loosely on her frame, unzipped to reveal the limited-edition designer streetwear she wore underneath. And Caleb would bring her snacks and boba tea between classes. The two of them would flirt and soak up the sun. Chloe’s face, bathed in the sunlight, looked relaxed and soft, forming a stark contrast with the stressed, studying students inside the classroom. When I walked past to get water, her new friends called out to me. They slung their arms around each other, asking with a smirk: “Hannah, working so hard, are you planning to go to Harvard or Columbia?” I couldn’t be bothered with them and walked straight past. I faintly heard Chloe’s mocking laughter behind me: “Working hard is useless. With her IQ, she’s destined for community college at best.” In my past life, after my scores were canceled, I ended up at a low-tier state teachers’ college. Even if my scores had counted, I was still a long way from the Ivy League. I simply wasn’t enough. I wasn’t as naturally smart as Chloe. When she spent an hour absorbing a concept, it usually took me two or three hours to fully grasp it. In our past life, even when we spent the exact same amount of time and energy studying, I was always just chasing her shadow. “This is destiny, Hannah. Even if you work a thousand times harder, you’ll never beat me just flipping through a textbook.” Chloe hid under her desk, painting her nails while laughing at me for wasting the second youth God had given me. I ignored her. I wrote “Hard Work Pays Off” on a sticky note and stuck it to the top right corner of my desk. Harvard was fine, Columbia was fine too. Regardless, I didn’t believe in any bullshit destiny. To get more time to study, I applied to live in the campus dorms. After so many years, the routine of going strictly between the dorm, cafeteria, and classroom became my norm again. Meanwhile, Chloe and Caleb loved each other with a dramatic, fiery passion. They had minor arguments every two days and explosive fights every three. Every time they fought, Chloe would lay her head on her desk, weeping and acting like the world was ending. Then she would stare up at the sky, sighing, and listen to sad breakup songs on repeat. Until Caleb showed up with chocolates to coax her, and they were back to being a perfect couple. I endured it until the midterm exams were over, then asked the homeroom teacher if I could change seats. The teacher sighed and pulled out the freshly printed report cards. I scanned the list from the top down. I was ranked tenth. Chloe had plummeted out of the top hundred. In our past life, Chloe had never dropped out of the top ten, and she always ranked higher than me. “Chloe’s performance has been terrible lately. Since you two are close friends, how about you don’t change seats for now? Keep an eye on her.” I rejected the idea immediately. “Mrs. Davis, I’m struggling with my own studies right now. I don’t think I can help her.” I had forgotten a lot of the material over the years. Even cramming desperately before the exam only got me to tenth place. Moreover, Chloe didn’t need my supervision. She wished I was a million miles away from her and Caleb. On our first day back in this life, she had already warned me: “Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong this time. Stay as far away from me as possible.” So, when I ran into Chloe’s mom in the hallway again, I chose silence. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I really don’t know. Maybe you should ask Chloe.” Because of this exact incident in the past life, I became the “evil best friend” in Chloe’s eyes. She thought I was jealous of her, that I couldn’t stand seeing her happy, so I intentionally sabotaged her and Caleb. I never imagined that I would hear the most vile things about myself from the mouth of my closest, most trusted friend. We had known each other since preschool. I originally thought we would be friends for life… Unable to get any answers, Chloe’s mom refused to give up. Her gaze turned sharp as she interrogated me: “Aren’t you her best friend? How could you not know?” It felt like someone had slapped me. My cheeks burned, and my heart ached sourly. I shook my head, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, I broke free from her grasp and rushed out. Just as Chloe wished, this time I didn’t say a single word. And not just this time. I would never interfere with her business again. I kept strict boundaries, watching the fire from the opposite bank. Total respect, total understanding, but zero concern. But even though I played my part perfectly, the mess between Chloe and Caleb couldn’t be hidden forever. The day after the report cards were handed out, her parents were called into the school. 03 When I went to the teacher’s office, Mrs. Davis was talking to Chloe’s parents. Chloe stood next to them, nonchalantly rubbing her newly done black manicure. I set down the collected test papers, just in time to hear her shamelessly making promises. “Don’t worry. This won’t affect my studies. Scoring a 1550 on the SATs won’t be a problem.” Mrs. Davis looked at her, clearly exasperated, earnestly advising her not to be blindly confident. Unfortunately, Chloe was completely stubborn and refused to listen to a word. She had already been through this senior year once. She knew the exam questions perfectly well. As long as she remembered the original questions and memorized the answers right before the test, getting a perfect score was totally possible. I lowered my eyes, preparing to slip out unnoticed, but Mrs. Davis called out to me. “Look at your good friend, Hannah. She has never dropped out of the top ten. You should really learn from her.” That sentence seemed to step on a landmine for Chloe. Like a cat with its fur standing on end, she glared at me, full of defiance. “I just wasn’t trying! If I actually tried, she wouldn’t even be fit to tie my shoes!” As soon as she said this, all the teachers in the office looked up at her. Her parents’ faces changed color. Her dad quickly and loudly ordered her to stop talking nonsense. Under everyone’s gaze, her mom looked utterly embarrassed and awkwardly apologized to me. “Hannah, please don’t take it to heart. Chloe is just in a bad mood because she didn’t test well. You’re best friends, you should understand.” I remained silent throughout, greeted the teachers, and walked back to the classroom. Not long after, Chloe stormed into the classroom and swept everything off my desk onto the floor. “Why is it always you! Who do you think you are, daring to compare yourself to me?” She pointed at my nose and cursed, her eyes red as if she had been crying. Before I could react to what was happening, Caleb chased her into the room. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, shooting me a bizarre, cold glare. Then, in front of the entire class, he pulled Chloe into his embrace. “Chloe, you’re the only one I want in this life. Even if God himself came down, he couldn’t tear us apart!” Chloe looked up from his chest to meet his eyes. She gripped his shirt tightly, her voice firm and deeply affectionate: “Caleb, even if we have to make an enemy of the whole world, we will never part, even in death.” The whole class and I stared blankly at their performance until the bell rang for class. Caleb’s expression softened. He intertwined his fingers with Chloe’s and ran out of the classroom. I bent down to pick up my scattered books, hearing the whispers of my classmates around me. Chloe’s parents had pressured her to break up with Caleb and even yelled at him to his face. They threatened that if they didn’t break up, they would make a scene at his house and his dad’s company. The storyline seemed to be reverting back to our past life, and everyone was guessing if they would break up. Noah, the class representative who sat next to me and was always silent, finally stood up and handed out the new test papers for everyone to do. I packed up my things. I held the math test in my hand, but my mind was a bit of a mess. I originally thought that as long as I stayed quiet, Chloe wouldn’t be able to blame me for anything. But it turned out, even scoring higher than her was a crime. In my past life, I foolishly felt a hint of guilt towards her. Looking back now, it was pure stupidity. “You got this wrong.” A cold voice suddenly sounded beside me. Noah’s gaze lingered on the problem I had just finished. After my request to change seats was denied last time, I was placed next to Noah. In my impression, this guy was an absolute academic god who consistently ranked first in the grade, and he was very low-key and quiet. If the academic god said I was wrong, then I was definitely wrong. I tossed out the chaotic sadness and disappointment in my head, focused my mind, and re-read the question… Mrs. Davis didn’t show up to teach the class until the very end, walking in hurriedly with a dark expression. As for Chloe, she never reappeared for the rest of the afternoon. 04 During dinner time, it started raining outside. I held an umbrella and walked to the cafeteria. Passing by the football field, I saw a crowd gathered around. Looking closely, it was Chloe and Caleb. They were running side-by-side in the rain, letting the water hit their faces. Occasionally, they would turn to look at each other with affection and smile. The Vice Principal stood on the sidelines with an umbrella, scolding them with an ugly expression. I heard they had run out of the classroom and tried to jump the school fence, but were caught red-handed. Suddenly, Chloe tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground. Caleb immediately stopped, rushed over, scooped her up into a bridal carry, and sprinted toward the nurse’s office. The students gathered around holding colorful umbrellas automatically parted to make way for him. At that moment, no matter how bright the colors were, they all became their background props, turning into a dull gray. I heard people secretly exclaiming how cool and romantic it was. “This is what youth should look like!” I turned my head and looked at the digital countdown clock hanging high on the senior building. 80 days until graduation. The red numbers on a black background were the only bright spot in the gray scenery. The cold rain was blown onto my face by the wind. I shivered. I pulled my school jacket tighter and quickened my pace, following the crowd toward the cafeteria. During evening study hall, Chloe still hadn’t returned. I heard she caught a high fever from the rain. At such a critical, race-against-time moment, Mrs. Davis actually took up half a period to hold a class meeting. “There are only a few dozen days left. Those who want to date, hold it in for a bit. After graduation, you can date whoever you want.” “Of course, if you absolutely must date right now, there’s nothing I can do.” A flash of sorrow crossed her tired eyes. “Your future belongs to you. I hope you will take responsibility for your own future, and for the future of the person you claim to care about.” The commotion caused by Chloe and Caleb had too big of an impact, and many students were getting restless. But with graduation so close, the school couldn’t really expel them. They only gave them a formal warning and a school-wide public criticism. During the Monday morning assembly, Chloe and Caleb, who had been missing for days, each took an apology letter and stood on the podium. Caleb, sporting a newly dyed ash-blonde haircut, slouched and grabbed the microphone, but not to apologize. “Sorry to disturb everyone’s studying. I promise, from now on, we won’t show off our affection in front of everyone.” He was a rich kid. After his parents divorced, no one disciplined him. He spent his days fighting, going to bars, and street racing with thugs outside of school. Writing apologies was a daily routine for him. He didn’t feel embarrassed at all; instead, he seemed rather proud. I stood in the first row, focused on the small notebook of mistakes in my pocket, completely indifferent to the farce on stage. Until Chloe spoke up. I glanced up and froze. She was wearing makeup. Her eyelashes were thick and dense, and black eyeliner traced a beautiful curve from the corners of her eyes. Her originally baggy uniform pants had been altered into fitted capris, revealing slender, pale ankles and matching couple sneakers. This wasn’t her first time speaking from the podium, but it was her first time reading an apology letter. She cleared her throat, looked toward Caleb, and declared in front of all the teachers and students: “I do not regret being with Caleb, and I promise the teachers and students right here, right now, that I will absolutely get into an Ivy League school.” This was the second time she had said something like this, brazenly relying on her memories of our past life. But how could she be so certain that the exam questions in this life would be exactly the same as in our past life? 05 The morning assembly ended hastily, and Chloe and Caleb were invited to the principal’s office for a chat again. I followed the crowd back to the classroom. Passing the bulletin board downstairs, I saw a newly updated poster. The results for the school’s “Senior of the Month” selection were out. My name and photo were posted in the most prominent spot. In our past life, that spot belonged to Chloe. She even complained that the photo was too ugly and said she’d rather not be on there. Now, as she wished, it was me, but she started mocking me again. “It’s just ‘Senior of the Month,’ what’s the big deal.” A few days later, my photo was scribbled over. Next to it, a large poster was taped up. The headline read: “Can the daughter of a murderer be called outstanding?” I stared at that piece of paper, feeling like I was plunged into an ice cave, my whole body trembling. A crowd had gathered, and classmates who recognized me turned to look at me. I pushed through the crowd, tore down the paper, and went to the rooftop. I found Chloe leaning into Caleb’s embrace, trying to snatch a cigarette from him. “You posted this?” I threw the crumpled ball of paper at her face. She shrieked and hid in Caleb’s arms. Caleb tossed his cigarette, pulled Chloe behind him, and shoved my shoulder. “You got a death wish? How dare you touch my girl.” He was strong, and he hit hard. I was pushed to the ground. My palms scraped against the rough concrete. It throbbed and burned, the pain reaching all the way to my heart. The truth about my dad was my biggest secret. Nobody in the school knew except Chloe. She had sworn she would never tell anyone. No matter how bad our relationship had gotten, I never thought she would use this to hurt me. “Aren’t you afraid of karma?” I stood up, staring dead at Chloe, my heart feeling like a desolate wasteland. She used to say that if she ever leaked it, she would be cursed with bad luck for the rest of her life. “Karma? Which sentence on here isn’t a fact? Your dad is literally a murderer.” Chloe hid behind Caleb, acting tough. The guilt in her eyes turned to resolve in a matter of seconds. She looked down at me and sneered. “I just raised a reasonable question about the selection results. Is that against the rules?” I looked at her completely unfamiliar, vicious face, not understanding where things went wrong. In my past life, I genuinely treated her as my best friend, the person I trusted most, sharing everything with her. Now, the secrets whispered in the dead of night had all been laid bare under the sun, turning into swords aimed right at me. It felt like a ball of cotton was stuck in my throat. It took all my strength to ask the question I had been holding in: “Why?” Chloe acted like she had just heard the funniest joke in the world, looking me up and down with contempt. “Hannah, you don’t actually think I considered you a good friend, do you? You really need to look in the mirror. Do you even deserve it?” The girls watching around us erupted in laughter, gathering around her and affectionately linking arms with her. Someone pulled out a phone they had snuck into school, turned on the front-facing camera, and grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at the screen. In the camera, my face was sallow, my dark circles were heavy, and I had red, swollen acne on my forehead. I was wrapped in a faded, baggy uniform, and my slightly unglued canvas shoes were wrinkled. I raised my hand to fight back, but they pinned me down, shouting about giving me a makeover with expired lipstick. Chloe leaned against Caleb. The sun was warm, and a gentle breeze ruffled her perfectly styled, bouncy curls. Like a divine maiden, she looked at me with a mix of pity and mockery. “Don’t bully our ‘Senior of the Month’, guys. She’s pretty pathetic.” “Her family is super poor. Her mom washes men’s feet at a massage parlor just to pay for her schooling, and she has to take the need-based financial aid every year.” “One year she didn’t get the grant, and her mom came to the school to beg the homeroom teacher. She literally got on her knees in the office. I saw it with my own eyes.” Caleb lit another cigarette. He took one drag, choked, and started laughing hysterically while coughing. “Damn, that is so pathetic. If you’re that poor, why are you even studying? Just go work on an assembly line at a factory.” He pulled Chloe close and kissed her cheek affectionately. “Babe, stay away from her from now on. Don’t let her poverty rub off on you. You’re going to marry me and be a wealthy socialite.” The followers around them laughed too, brandishing the lipstick and lunging at my face. The bell rang. I had nowhere to hide and was slapped hard across the face by one of them. “Don’t be a bitch. We’ll let you go after we put some lipstick on you.” I was dizzy from the slap. In my daze, I heard a furious roar. “What are you doing!” The crowd was startled and turned around. Mrs. Davis, the Vice Principal, and the Principal were all standing at the entrance to the rooftop. I gritted my back teeth, forced myself to lift my red, swollen face, and let tears roll down from the corners of my eyes. “Mr. Principal, I want to call the police.” Chloe’s rosy complexion instantly turned deathly pale. She was completely at a loss regarding this sudden turn of events. She was so immersed in her wild youth that she forgot I was no longer that fragile girl from before. My mind was mature, my soul resilient. No amount of humiliation was enough to destroy me. Anyone who humiliated me, I would fight back against, one by one. 06 The door to the principal’s office was tightly shut. I held my mom’s hand, facing Chloe and her parents. Except for them, none of the other students’ parents had shown up. The police had arrived too, but because the group consisted of minors, and Chloe was still a month away from turning eighteen… And because they hadn’t caused any severe physical harm to me, they advised me to settle it through mediation. “I do not accept an apology. Punish them exactly as the school handbook dictates.” The school rules stated that insulting or assaulting a classmate, in severe cases, would result in suspension, and the student must be taken home by their parents for disciplinary action until they showed true remorse. Long before I went to the rooftop to confront Chloe, I had asked someone to fetch Mrs. Davis and the Vice Principal. If Chloe messed with me once, there would be a second time. I still had to take my final exams, and I didn’t have time to play her games. Since she didn’t want to study and only wanted to date, she could go home and date to her heart’s content. Chloe’s mom’s face changed drastically. “There are only two months until graduation. Isn’t this demand a bit excessive, Hannah?” “If Chloe’s exam performance suffers because of this, can you take responsibility?” She tried to guilt-trip me from every angle. “Besides, aren’t you and Chloe like sisters? You know she likes to joke around. She didn’t even lay a hand on you…” Even my mom, who was usually incredibly gentle, darkened her expression. She wanted to say something, but I stopped her. “Ma’am, your daughter never treated me like a sister, and I wouldn’t dare claim such a high status with her.” I gave a fake smile, my attitude resolute. “If she is not punished according to school rules, I will pursue legal action against all of them and file a formal police report.” Hearing the words ‘police report,’ the group cowering in the corner looked up in terror. Caleb clenched his fists, stepped forward, and pulled Chloe behind him to shield her. “This is mostly my responsibility. It has nothing to do with her. If you have a problem, come at me.” Chloe wasn’t afraid at all. Instead, she stepped out from behind Caleb and provoked me right in front of the police. “Who are you trying to scare? File a report then. If you have the guts, get us all thrown in jail.” Finally, even the police couldn’t stand listening to them anymore. They scolded them loudly and gave them a stern lecture on the law. The two were chewed out severely, reluctantly accepted their school suspensions, wrote their letters of guarantee, and were taken home. I walked my mom to the school gate. She was still incredibly puzzled. “How did Chloe turn out like that? She used to seem so sweet and well-behaved.” She urged me to study hard and advised me not to get too close to her in the future. Not only was I not getting close to her, I wished I would never have to see her again for the rest of my life. I even felt embarrassed that I ever knew her and hung out with her. Without Chloe and Caleb on campus, even the air felt fresher. It was just that my heart felt strangely empty. The air I breathed into my lungs turned into a raging, icy wind. I used to lie in the same bed with Chloe, fantasizing about our future. We promised to get into the same university and graduate together. Then we would make money together, build our careers, and be each other’s bridesmaids. Our significant others would become good friends, and our babies would grow up to be close friends just like us. Finally, we would hold hands, move into a retirement home together, and find handsome old men to dance with… I once swore to be Chloe’s best friend for life. I valued her more than I valued myself. But in the end, it was all fake. It was all just my own wishful thinking. The hole in my heart was blown wider by the icy wind, yet on the surface, I became increasingly calm. Mrs. Davis told me that the school would issue an official document stating that my dad’s situation would not affect me. My spot for “Senior of the Month” had been approved through multiple levels of school administration. There was absolutely no problem. I ignored the strange looks from my classmates and walked back to my seat with my head held high. Noah, who was always bent over his desk doing practice problems, mercifully turned his head and shot me a glance. His gaze lingered on my still-swollen right cheek for a few seconds. Then he pulled out a few practice tests from his desk and pressed them down in front of me. I stared at the tests, which were cleaner than my face, and the icy wind in my heart suddenly stopped. I took a deep breath and resigned myself to focusing entirely on the tests. I had absolutely no time to think about anything else. When the graduation countdown reached 40 days, the results of the final city-wide mock exams came out. I scored a 1550 on the SAT equivalent mock test, doing better than I ever had in my past life. On the same day, Chloe also returned to school.

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In the seventh year after being brought back to my biological family, I had already followed my parents’ demands, married a man I didn’t love, and raised a three-year-old daughter. The adopted daughter, who was a year older than me, was still acting like a spoiled child in our parents’ arms because she was “still young at heart.” The bitter feud between the biological and the adopted daughter had long faded like smoke. My family should have returned to peace. So, when I was on the verge of being beaten to death by my husband, I called my family. “I’m dying. Can you come pick Lily up and take her home, just like you picked me up all those years ago?” 01 I knew I was finally going to die, so I didn’t dial 911. Instead, I called my family. My mother answered the phone. She was in the middle of getting a manicure, her tone laced with impatience. “What is it now?” I covered the bleeding wound on my neck and told her I was dying. Could they come and take Lily away? Lily was only three years old. She was sleeping upstairs, completely unaware of the absolute devastation below. I couldn’t stop the bleeding. Beside me lay the shattered remains of a wine bottle, and after finishing his violent rampage, my husband had passed out on the sofa, snoring loudly. “Harper, are you ever going to stop? You pull this dramatic stunt every other week!” My brother, Asher, snatched the phone and started screaming at me. “You’ve been married for four years! Every time you call, you’re either crying for a divorce or claiming you’re going to be beaten to death. Is your life really that miserable?!” I fell silent. I didn’t know if I was numb from the pain or if I had just lost too much blood, but I felt incredibly tired. Looking back, I had actually been tired for years. I was kidnapped at five years old, forced to work like a slave on a remote, off-the-grid farm. I never saw the light of day, working until my back couldn’t stand straight. At fifteen, I finally came home. Faced with the deeply beloved adopted daughter who had taken my place, I walked on eggshells just to survive in the cracks of my own home, crying silently through countless nights because I was so tired. At eighteen, I was forced into an arranged marriage with an abusive heir. To avoid being beaten, I humbly played the role of a perfect, submissive wife, swallowing my grievances just to keep him happy. I was tired to the point that every inch of my skin twitched. At twenty, I fell into severe clinical depression. My daughter Lily’s smile was the only thing keeping me breathing. Every day felt like standing on the edge of a cliff staring into the abyss—wanting to jump, but terrified to take the step. I was tired to the point of ringing ears and a piercing ache in my heart. Finally, I was twenty-two, and a piece of a shattered wine bottle had sliced through my carotid artery. Suddenly, I wasn’t tired anymore. Because I was finally going to die. I answered Asher, “I’m not acting this time. I’m really dying. Can you please come over right now? I’m afraid Lily will be scared.” Actually, over the years, I hadn’t “acted” that many times. I had only mentioned divorce to my family three times. When they got annoyed, I never dared to bring it up again. I had only told my family I was hurt four times. When they didn’t believe me, I never mentioned it again. From the time I was brought home until now—seven years, seven cries for help. That wasn’t considered a lot, was it? “Then go die. We’ll pick Lily up when you’re dead!” 02 Asher hung up. I knew he wasn’t coming for Lily. Seven years, my eighth cry for help, and I had failed again. I smiled a bleak, tragic smile, leaning weakly against the wall. Half of my body felt burning hot. Steam seemed to rise from the fresh blood. I glanced upstairs. It was dead silent. Lily hadn’t woken up yet. Or maybe she was awake, but she was too terrified to come down. She was probably curled up under her blankets, shivering. Thinking of that, my heart twisted in agony. I tried to crawl up, but my strength was completely drained. What should I do? My tiny, innocent daughter was trembling in bed, and I couldn’t help her at all. After I died, if no one came to take her away, she would be left alone to face that demon. How was she going to survive? My phone suddenly buzzed. An Instagram DM notification popped up. I gasped for air, struggling to focus my eyes on the screen. It was from Mia, the girl they had adopted. [Harper, today is my 23rd birthday party. The whole family is here celebrating with me, so nobody has the time or energy to deal with you.] [Honestly, I don’t get it. You’ve already lost so completely, why won’t you just give up?] My lips moved, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. It wasn’t that I hadn’t given up. I just couldn’t let go of Lily. I don’t know where the last burst of strength came from, but I desperately pressed the microphone icon to send Mia a voice memo. I begged the person I hated the most. “Mia… I’m sorry. I was wrong… I shouldn’t have been hostile to you… I shouldn’t have fought for their love… I’ll beg on my hands and knees… Please, just come get my daughter…” Through broken, stuttering breaths, I bled, and I cried. All the dignity I had clung to for years completely shattered in that moment, ground into the dirt by my own hands. I had never bowed my head to Mia. Because I always believed that I was the true daughter of the Bennett family, and she was just a cuckoo in the nest, a fake taking up my space. But now, I bowed my head. I surrendered. “What?” Mia was clearly stunned, but then she laughed loudly. “No way? You… that’s hilarious. You’re going to beg on your knees? Seriously? Then let me hear you bang your head!” 03 Fine. I would beg Mia. I held down the voice record button, leaned my body forward, and slammed my forehead hard against the hardwood floor. Thud, thud, thud! The sound of my head hitting the floor sent over the app. I was nearing the edge of unconsciousness, crawling on the floor like a dog, gasping violently for air. Mia laughed again. “No way, you actually did it?! Haha, I have to admit, that feels amazing. Seven years, and I finally got you to surrender!” Yes, I surrendered. “Take Harper… home…” I shivered as I sent out the final voice memo. Mia’s tone shifted instantly. “Harper Bennett, are you messing with me? Didn’t you say you wanted us to take your daughter home? Why did it suddenly turn into taking you home? Subconsciously, you still just want to come back and steal my spot, don’t you?!” I stared blankly, my mind a muddy haze. Did I say ‘Take Harper home’? No, I meant to say ‘Take Lily home’! I didn’t have to go home, but Lily had to! But I didn’t have the strength to say another word. “Harper, say something! Did I hit the nail on the head, so now you’re too scared to speak?” Mia questioned me sharply. In the background of her voice note, I could hear my father’s strict, authoritative voice. “Harper, stop causing a scene! I’m visiting the Montgomery estate in half a month. I’ll see you then!” In half a month… my family was finally going to visit me? But I couldn’t wait that long. I was going to die. Lily, I’m so sorry. In the end, Mommy couldn’t help you escape this living hell. I just hoped ghosts were real, so Mommy could at least watch over you a little longer. 04 When I opened my eyes again, I was floating above my own corpse. Ghosts really did exist. The sun was up, but inside and outside the mansion, it was dead quiet. My husband, Declan, had long since fired all the maids. He forced me to be the housekeeper, which also made it easier for him to abuse me without anyone watching. So, even during the day, nobody came to the house. I noticed Declan was about to wake up. His snoring had stopped. I didn’t care about him. I hurriedly floated upstairs and phased through the bedroom door. Just as I thought, Lily was curled up tight under her blankets, her eyes squeezed shut, her tears soaking the pillow. There was a large wet spot under her. She had wet the bed, but she had been too terrified to move, crying herself to sleep like that. My heart broke. I leaned down to stroke her cheek, but my hand passed right through. Downstairs, Declan let out a shout of shock. He must have discovered my body. Sure enough, he quickly started dismembering me. Even though I was already a ghost, an icy chill still ran through my soul. The pure, unadulterated evil of human nature was fully on display with Declan. Yet, ironically, he was the perfect son-in-law my family had handpicked. Originally, my parents had planned to marry Mia to Declan. The two families had verbally agreed to a corporate merger through marriage. The Montgomery Group was the leading corporate titan in the city, and Declan was handsome, sharp, and had a limitless future. Mia had been thrilled about him, and they even went on a few dates. But then, a scandal leaked. Rumors surfaced that Declan had abused an escort to death at an underground club, causing a massive PR nightmare. My parents and my brother were deeply worried. They feared Declan was a beast in human clothing, a sadist, so they decided not to let Mia get too close to him anymore. But they couldn’t afford to burn bridges with the Montgomery family, so they made me take Mia’s place and marry him instead. [Harper is our biological daughter. She is a much better match for the Montgomery heir.] [Our Harper is gentle and submissive. She’s not like Mia, running wild all day without an ounce of proper etiquette!] [Mia still refuses to grow up. She’s basically a child herself. It’s better if we don’t marry her off yet, lest she embarrass the family!] At the time, that was what my parents said. Every word seemed to be criticizing Mia, which ultimately got the Montgomery family to nod and accept me as the bride. Looking back at it now, every word of ‘criticism’ toward Mia was actually dripping with profound, protective love. I gave a self-deprecating laugh and floated into the bathroom to watch Declan chop me up. 05 Declan’s face was deathly pale. He was swinging a meat cleaver, cursing me the entire time. It seemed like he was constantly insulting me just to comfort his own guilty conscience. He called me a filthy slut. He said I had been used by hundreds of men, and that I was completely unworthy of him. He said I deserved to die. I was confused. How was I a slut? Declan’s frantic muttering gave me the answer: “You filthy bitch, don’t blame me! Mia told me everything a long time ago. She told me how you turned tricks in that remote village, how you had abortions and birthed bastards! What right did you have to marry me?!” “You deserved every beating I gave you! You brought this on yourself!” It hit me like a ton of bricks. Mia was the one pulling the strings. No wonder when I first married Declan, he was friendly and treated me with basic respect. Then, his personality suddenly snapped. He abused me relentlessly, eventually leading to my death. Mia, you were so ruthless. Even when I had lost so completely, you still refused to let me go. By the time the sun set, Declan was finally done. He packed my body into heavy plastic bags and stuffed them into the large double-door freezer. He scrubbed the living room until it sparkled, leaving no trace of what happened. I didn’t know when Lily had gotten out of bed. She was crouching by the second-floor banister, peeking timidly downstairs. Declan looked up and spotted her, his voice as dark and sinister as a demon’s: “Lily, what did you see?” Lily was too scared to make a sound. “I said, speak!” Declan roared, terrifying Lily into furiously shaking her head. “No… nothing…” I was heartbroken and furious. I wanted to bite Declan’s throat out. But I couldn’t touch him at all. Declan gave a cold snort. He grabbed a few bags of dinner rolls from the pantry and tossed them up the stairs. “You are not allowed to come downstairs. If you dare come down, I’ll break your legs!” Lily nodded in sheer terror and scurried back into her bedroom. Declan didn’t linger. He grabbed a bag of my remains and rushed out the door under the cover of night. Lily then carefully sneaked out. She peered down the stairs for a long time, then trembling, she slowly crept down. My heart leaped into my throat. What was she doing? I watched as she walked straight to the refrigerator and pried open the bottom freezer drawer. My head was hidden right there, buried behind a pile of frozen meats. “Mommy…” Lily whispered. My ghost tears fell. She had seen everything. 06 The following days were spent with Declan disposing of the body. Every day, he would take a few pieces of me out the door. But sometimes, he would bring them back and freeze them again. In a bustling metropolis, it wasn’t easy to get rid of a body. At the very least, my head remained constantly frozen in the fridge. Lily was very obedient. She only snuck down to look at me after Declan left the house, and then ran back to her room crying. She ate, drank, and used the bathroom entirely on the second floor. Her only food was snacks and stale bread. Living like this would be suffocating and despair-inducing even for an adult. My heart ached beyond words. I finally floated out of the mansion, hoping to find a way to help her. Unknowingly, I drifted all the way to my parents’ house. That familiar yet foreign mansion glowed with warm light. Like I was possessed, I floated inside and saw Mia sitting on the couch, throwing a tantrum. “We agreed we were going on vacation tomorrow! I already planned the whole itinerary!” Mia was clearly a year older than me, but at home, she always acted like a spoiled child. My dad smiled dotingly. “Dad just got his dates mixed up, sweetie. I have to go to the Montgomery Group tomorrow to sign the new round of contracts. I’ll drop by to see your sister while I’m at it. Dad will take you on vacation the day after tomorrow.” “Yes, Mia, the contracts can’t be delayed. Don’t throw a tantrum now,” my mom said, shaking her head, though her lips were curved into a fond smile. My brother, Asher, looked up from the documents he was flipping through. “I can go sign the contracts. Taking Mia on vacation is more important.” “Right! Right! I want to go on vacation!” Mia kicked her legs and whined, incredibly demanding. To be honest, I was jealous of her. Kidnapped for ten years, when did I ever get to act like a spoiled child? After coming home, how could I ever dare to act like that? Only in my blurriest memories, when I was five, did I recklessly throw tantrums. “Well…” My dad looked conflicted. “I should go check on Harper. After all, we haven’t visited her in years.” Hearing this, Mia’s face darkened. She crossed her arms and huffed. “Fine, go. She’s your biological daughter, after all.” My dad instantly panicked, coaxing her like a toddler. “That’s not what I meant. I just think if we don’t visit for too long, the Montgomerys will think we don’t care and might look down on them.” My mom chimed in to agree. “Yes, the two families are tied by marriage. We should show we care.” “How about this? I’ll take you on vacation tomorrow, and your dad will go sign the contracts.” Only then was Mia satisfied. She smiled brightly and started eating a pastry. The family was perfectly happy and harmonious again. I floated silently in mid-air, unmoving for a long time. Suddenly, my mom glanced in my direction. Naturally, she didn’t see anything. But she rubbed her chest and muttered to herself, “I don’t know what’s wrong. I just got a sudden palpitation.” “Mom, are you okay?” Asher asked in concern. Dad and Mia also looked over. Mom waved her hand. “It’s nothing. I can’t explain it, I just feel a little uneasy. Probably just getting older.” The whole family laughed. Mia quickly praised Mom, saying she was still young and beautiful, making Mom burst into laughter. But she kept rubbing her chest. 07 Late that night, Mom seemed to have insomnia. She tossed and turned, waking Dad up. Dad was frustrated. “Honey, what are you doing? I have to get up early tomorrow.” “I don’t know what’s wrong. My heart is racing. I can’t sleep.” Mom was distressed, completely confused by her own anxiety. Dad thought about it. “Are you worried about the contract tomorrow? We’ve worked with the Montgomerys for years. Nothing will go wrong.” “It’s not the contract. I can’t explain it.” Mom ran her hands through her hair. Dad frowned. “If it’s not the contract, what else could it be? Harper? Did that phone call of hers scare you?” Mom froze, then started rubbing her chest again. Dad found it funny. “What’s with that look? Are you actually worried about Harper? She’s doing great. Who knows how happy she is, married to Declan.” Mom looked thoughtful and let out a heavy sigh. “I have a feeling Harper isn’t doing well. The last time she came back to visit, her wrists were covered in bruises.” Dad went silent. Mom continued, “She kept wanting a divorce, begging us to help her. I could tell Declan treated her terribly.” Dad stayed silent. I floated by the headboard, my dead heart giving a sudden tremor. Mom, you knew? Then why… why wouldn’t you help me? Mom provided the answer. “But there was nothing we could do. We couldn’t let Mia marry him. Mia has never suffered a day in her life. She couldn’t handle Declan’s beatings and verbal abuse.” “Harper suffered for ten years. She’s mentally much stronger. Taking a little beating and scolding won’t hurt her. It’s not like it’s going to kill her.” Dad nodded. The two turned off the lights and went to sleep in each other’s arms. My heart went completely dead again. I turned and drifted away. 08 I floated back to Declan’s house. Declan was busy moving body parts through the night. He had clearly found out my dad was visiting tomorrow. Because it was hard to dump bodies in the city, he had been moving pieces little by little, like an ant carrying crumbs, which meant a lot of me was still in the freezer. Maybe he was too nervous, or maybe he was just too busy and forgot. He moved all the body parts out, except he forgot my head. My head was tucked away in the bottom freezer drawer, hidden behind a bag of frozen sausages. It wasn’t until dawn that Declan finished. After a hasty check of the fridge, he collapsed into bed and slept. Lily hid on the second floor, peeking at him without making a sound. After all these days, Lily was emaciated and sickly, her eyes hollow. Hunger and terror had tortured her until she barely looked human. I secretly cheered her on. Lily, you have to escape today! It was past noon when Declan finally woke up. He rushed to shower, changed his clothes, and with a guilty conscience, checked the fridge one more time. Once again, he missed my head. Not long after, a car pulled up outside. My dad had arrived. He came alone, carrying some gifts, a faint smile on his face. Declan forced a smile and went out to greet him, enthusiastically shaking my dad’s hand. “Dad! Welcome, welcome.” Dad laughed heartily and looked behind Declan. “You’re too polite, Declan. Where’s my daughter?” “Harper… she went shopping with her friends bright and early. Said she wouldn’t be back tonight.” Declan lied. Dad frowned. “Did she not know I was coming?” “She knew, she knew…” Declan’s eyes shifted, making it look like he was intentionally trying to anger my dad. Dad narrowed his eyes and nodded dismissively. “Well, just take the gifts then. That disappointing daughter of mine only knows how to play around all day. I hope you don’t hold it against her.” Declan waved his hands, insisting it was fine. Dad asked again, “What about Lily?” “Harper took Lily with her. She won’t be back tonight either.” Declan continued to lie. Dad’s frown deepened, casting a displeased look toward the house. “Fine then. I’ll get going. I’ll come back another time… You know what, forget it. I won’t bother coming back at all!” Declan nodded repeatedly, respectfully seeing my dad off. Dad got into his car and didn’t even look back. I was frantic. Even though I hated my father, right now, I had no choice but to beg him for help. My daughter needed him! I involuntarily lunged forward, phasing into the car. Dad was sitting in the back seat, answering a call from my mom. Mom asked him if he saw me. Dad sneered. “Harper has some nerve. She knew I was visiting her today, yet she went out shopping early in the morning and even took my granddaughter. Isn’t she doing this on purpose to spite me?” “She didn’t stay home to wait for you?” “Wait for what?! I didn’t even step through the front door! If she’s going to give me attitude, why should I bother looking at her!” Dad was still fuming. On the other end of the line, Mia giggled. “Oh my, a married daughter is like thrown-out water. Harper’s wings have grown hard now. She even looks down on her own biological father.” With her fanning the flames, Dad got even angrier. Mom was also displeased. “Don’t leave just yet. I’ll call Harper and see where she is.” She hung up and called my phone. But my phone had been smashed to pieces by Declan ages ago. How could she possibly get through? A moment later, Mom called Dad back. “Harper isn’t answering her phone. Her wings really have grown hard! Before, whenever we called her, no matter how busy she was, she would pick up instantly!” It was true. Before, what I craved most was a phone call from my parents. Even if they didn’t call me more than a few times a year, the moment they did, I would answer immediately, overflowing with excitement. But now, I was dead. I couldn’t pick up. “That Harper is completely out of line. She can forget about ever coming back to visit us!” Dad slapped his thigh in anger. Mia started fanning the flames again. “Dad, we absolutely have to teach Harper a lesson. How about this? Mom and I will skip the vacation and come meet you right now.” “We’ll call Asher too. The whole family will go put Harper in her place. Let’s see how arrogant she can be!”

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At 11:00 AM, as my husband slowly suffocated in the bathtub, I was chatting with the other moms by the apartment complex’s playground slide. The slide was directly below our bathroom window, barely twenty feet away in a straight line. Normally, I would have gone home at 11:00 AM as usual, which would have given me enough time to save his life. But as fate would have it, Lily’s mom had just bought a new dress and enthusiastically invited us over to her place to admire it. When my daughter and I finally returned home at 11:10 AM, my husband was already dead. At the funeral, I was inconsolable, fainting several times from grief. Everyone sighed in sympathy. My mother-in-law, Martha, a tough elementary school principal who had traveled all the way from a remote town in the Midwest, walked right up to me in front of everyone. With a steely expression, she enunciated every single word: “You are the murderer who killed my son!” 01 It was an ordinary Saturday in late summer. Because he had pulled an all-nighter for work the day before, Arthur woke up a bit late, only sitting down at the dining table for breakfast around 10:00 AM. At 10:05 AM, our daughter, Mia, rushed me to go downstairs for the eighth time. As I was crouching by the door tying Mia’s shoelaces, she shook her head and made a funny face at her dad. “Daddy is a lazybones, the sun is already high in the sky and you just woke up. Shame on you, Daddy.” Arthur let out a muffled chuckle and made a funny face right back at her. “Mia is a little troublemaker, always needing Mommy to go downstairs and play with her. Shame on you too, Mia.” I was clumsily grabbing the water bottle and tissues. As I opened the door, I remembered something and turned around to remind him: “Honey, Mia is definitely going to work up a sweat today. Remember to start drawing the bathwater early so she can wash up as soon as she gets back.” Our bathtub filled slowly; it always took over 20 minutes to fill completely. Arthur held a bagel in one hand and gave a two-finger salute from his temple with the other. “Don’t worry, wifey, mission guaranteed to be accomplished!” I rolled my eyes at him. “Let’s go!” The slide was right below our apartment, the liveliest spot in the whole complex. Kids were running around everywhere, and parents were gathered in groups chatting. After sitting down with a few moms I knew well, I patted my pockets and realized in my rush, I had forgotten my phone. I turned to ask Lily’s mom next to me. “What time is it now? I left my phone at home.” Lily’s mom pulled out her newest foldable smartphone like she was showing it off and said loudly: “10:40.” Just as she finished speaking, our second-floor bathroom window opened. Arthur poked his head out, smiling and shouting down to me: “Honey, I’m starting the water! Come up when you’re done playing!” I turned to look at Mia, who was sweating profusely from playing, and gave him an “OK” sign. “Got it!” Arthur politely waved to the other moms before closing the window. The moms started gushing. “Your husband is just perfect. He’s handsome and has a great personality. I heard he made partner this year? He must be making a couple hundred thousand a year now, right?” “A couple hundred thousand? Try more than that! A lawyer at Mr. Sterling’s level easily makes over a million a year! Mia’s mom, you can just sit back and relax as a stay-at-home mom!” “He’s so capable, yet he comes home on time every day, helps with chores and cooking on the weekends, is always smiling, and doesn’t have any bad habits. Compared to my husband… tsk tsk, it’s like night and day.” “I’m not jealous of anything else, I’m just jealous of how much you two love each other. Take that car accident, for example. He really risked his own life for you!” The moms all nodded in agreement, sighing with envy. Half a year ago, while Arthur and I were driving to buy some plants, our car was rear-ended by a large truck and flipped over. The front of the car burst into flames almost instantly. His side, the driver’s side, was facing up, and he was quickly pulled out by bystanders. But I was pinned underneath, unable to move. Seeing the fire growing larger, everyone started backing away. Only Arthur pulled and tugged like a madman, his hands sliced open and bleeding profusely, screaming hoarsely, “Save my wife, please, someone save her!” Just five seconds after he finally managed to drag me out with his own strength, the car exploded with a massive roar. The accident was recorded and posted online, generating a massive amount of attention for a while. Netizens said I must have saved the galaxy in my past life to find a husband who loved me this much. Thinking of the scene from that day, my eyes reddened slightly. Arthur usually looked like a gentle scholar, but I never expected him to be so brave and fearless in a critical moment. Later, because he injured the tendons and bones in two fingers of his right hand and couldn’t do fine motor tasks anymore, my heart ached so much I couldn’t stop crying. He patted my head and smiled comfortingly: “It’s okay. I make my living with my brain anyway. Losing two more fingers wouldn’t stop me from taking care of you!” Right now. Amidst the moms’ sighs of admiration, I nodded honestly. “Yeah, he really is a perfect husband.” 02 “My husband isn’t bad either, you know!” Lily’s mom chimed in, raising her voice. “My husband went to Paris this time and brought me back several designer dresses. They’re absolutely gorgeous. Come on, let’s go to my place and I’ll show you!” Lily’s mom had a significant age gap with her husband and was constantly trying to show off how much he loved her, proving she married for love and not just for money. I smiled and shook my head. “I’ll pass. I have to take Mia up for her bath. You guys go ahead.” Lily’s mom loved comparing herself to me the most, and immediately expressed her dissatisfaction. “Didn’t your husband just say to come up in a little bit? Going to my place won’t take that long. You can’t even give me this little bit of face!” At 11:00 AM, I came out of Lily’s mom’s house. At 11:05 AM, I caught Mia, who was running wild by the slide, and pulled her along, telling her it was time to go home. She refused at first. She begged for “five more minutes,” “Mommy, just five more minutes, please?” I flatly refused, using the excuse that “the bathwater is getting cold.” She aggrievedly said goodbye to her little friends one by one. The parents sitting in a circle nearby watched with amusement, exchanging knowing smiles with me. At 11:08 AM, Mia and I got to the second floor and bumped into our single neighbor across the hall, Sam, who was coming out to throw away his trash. He greeted us, his face slightly flushed. Mia held his hand and sweetly asked when he would help her build her Lego set again. Meanwhile, I took out my keys and unlocked the door. At 11:09 AM, while Mia was saying goodbye to Sam in the hallway, I walked into the bathroom because Arthur didn’t answer when I called out “Honey.” At 11:10 AM, I let out a piercing scream. Arthur’s pale face was submerged under the water, his eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. He was already dead. 03 A lot of people came to the funeral. There were Arthur’s colleagues and friends, neighbors from our apartment complex, and even representatives from charitable organizations holding funeral wreaths. It was only then that everyone found out Arthur had been donating to rural children through charities for the past few years—$20,000 a year, totaling over $100,000. People sighed and lamented. “What a good man. Heaven is blind; why did this kind of accident have to happen to him! The good die young, while the wicked live for a thousand years!” “Arthur did a lot of pro bono legal aid over the years. He just made partner this year. He even said he was going to work hard for his wife and kid from now on, who would have thought…” “They were so in love. How is Mia’s mom going to bear this! She’s fainted several times over the past few days. Thank goodness the people from the HOA are keeping an eye on her.” “Mia’s mom doesn’t have an income, and they still have a mortgage. If Arthur had lived, they would have paid it off in a year or two. Things are going to be really tough for her from now on.” “This accident was truly a freak occurrence. I heard he slipped, hit his head, and knocked himself out, and the water ran for 20 minutes before slowly covering his nose and mouth. If he had woken up during that time, or if Mia’s mom had come home, he could have been saved at any moment. Sigh, you can only say it was fate!” Amidst the hushed whispers, I sat to the side, deathly pale, staring blankly at Arthur’s photo. Over the past few days, I had been completely consumed by extreme grief, crying until I was heartbroken, fainting multiple times. Anyone who saw me couldn’t help but sigh in sympathy. An HOA worker sat beside me, occasionally offering a few words of comfort. Lily’s mom walked over, looking guilty, and said: “Mia’s mom, I’m so sorry. If I hadn’t made you go to my place and waste time that day, maybe… maybe Arthur wouldn’t have died!” By the end of her sentence, she covered her mouth and sobbed. I shook my head mournfully. “No, it has nothing to do with you. It’s my fault. I was the one who told him to start the water early. I was the one who forgot my phone, forcing him to open the window to call me, which caused him to slip. I was the one who said I’d be home at 11 but dawdled and was ten minutes late. It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault, I killed him…” The HOA worker quickly interjected to comfort me. “Mia’s mom, you absolutely cannot think like that. It was just a tragic series of coincidences that no one could control. Besides, the police also said it was an accident—a freak accident with an incredibly low probability.” That day, when I screamed, Sam was the first to rush in. Realizing what had happened, he immediately blocked Mia outside and helped me call 911. After investigating the scene and conducting interviews, the police roughly deduced the sequence of events leading to the accident: 10:40 AM: Arthur turned on the faucet to fill the bathtub while simultaneously opening the window to talk to me. Because the window was on the same side as the bathtub and opened inward, he had to lean his body diagonally to stick his head out. However, while closing the window, he accidentally lost his balance, fell into the bathtub, and was knocked unconscious. 10:40 AM – 11:00 AM: The water slowly rose until it submerged his head. 11:00 AM – 11:05 AM: After being submerged for 5 minutes, Arthur died of asphyxiation. He never regained consciousness during the entire process, as there were no signs of struggle or water splashed outside the tub. 11:10 AM: I came home and discovered the accident scene. During this time, from when Arthur showed his face at the window to when I returned home, no outsiders entered or exited the hallway, and there were no suspicious traces at the scene. It was ruled an accident. Someone shook their head and sighed. “It really proves the saying, ‘When your time is up, there’s no escaping it.’ …Wait, who is that at the door? Why is she wearing such thick clothes on such a hot day?” “Yeah, isn’t she hot?” I kept my head down like a walking corpse, completely numb to everything around me. “She’s walking towards Mia’s mom.” “She’s not here to ask the grieving family for money, is she? That would be way out of line. This is a funeral, not a wedding.” A pair of worn, gray women’s sneakers came into my field of vision. The shoes were an old style, with small, matching-color patches, and covered in a fine layer of dust, as if narrating how far they had traveled. “Mia’s mom, do you recognize me?” A slightly weathered voice sounded. The voice was very close, right by my ear. I slowly raised my head. Before me was the face of an elderly woman. Her skin was dry and wrinkled, her temples graying, but her gaze was piercing beneath her drooping eyelids. On this hot summer day, she wore an inappropriately thick, light-wool coat, a worn black tote bag over one arm, and an old, chipped thermos in her other hand. “I am Martha, the mother-in-law you’ve never met.” I stared at her blankly, my exhausted neural pathways beginning to stretch, connect, bridge… My eyes suddenly flew wide open: “Mom?” Martha slowly nodded. “It’s good that you recognize me.” The crowd gathered around. “So it’s Arthur’s mother. Sigh, the white-haired burying the black-haired. My deepest condolences.” “It’s good that you’re here. With family to support each other, Mia’s mom and her daughter won’t be so miserable.” Someone kindly offered to help Martha with her bag and thermos. She slowly shook her head in refusal, turned to look at Arthur’s memorial photo, and then stared straight at me. “From the day I learned of my son’s death, I left the Midwest and traveled here non-stop, just to tell the police one sentence.” She stared at me, her expression resolute, enunciating every word. “You are the murderer who killed my son.” 04 After Martha dropped that bombshell, she turned and left, and no one could stop her. She appeared suddenly. And disappeared just as abruptly. As if she had come solely to deliver that one sentence. After looking at each other in bewilderment, everyone came over to comfort me. “Mia’s mom, the old lady might just be confused from grief. Don’t take it to heart. At a time like this, it’s easy for grief to mess with your head.” “Yeah, an old lady from a rural area who doesn’t know the situation probably heard some baseless rumors and believed them. Just sit down and have a good talk with her later.” “We’ve never seen Arthur’s mom before. Showing up right when he dies, could she be here to fight for custody or the inheritance?” “Never even heard of her, let alone seen her! Mia’s mom, that old lady just said she’s never met you. Are you sure that’s really Arthur’s mom?” I didn’t speak; I felt so weak I could barely hold myself up. An HOA worker handed me a cup of hot tea. “Alright, alright, stop asking questions. Right now, the most important thing is to finish the funeral properly and let Mia’s mom get some rest. Everything else will sort itself out.” I lowered my head and took a few sips of the hot tea, my mind slowly clearing a bit. Yes. Martha was indeed Arthur’s biological mother. Eight years ago, when Arthur and I got married, I saw this mother-in-law for the first time on a video call. She divorced Arthur’s father when Arthur was fifteen, abandoned everything, and went to teach in a remote town in the Midwest. Since then, mother and son were separated and lost contact for years. After Arthur’s father died, Arthur, who now had some financial stability, finally managed to track her down after several years and wanted to bring her to the city to live out her retirement. She refused, saying that when she decided to go to the mountains, she swore an oath never to leave that land. Over the past few years, Arthur traveled to the Midwest alone twice to visit her, while I only briefly video-chatted with her once a year on Mia’s birthday. At this very moment, I was plunged into deep confusion and bewilderment. I couldn’t understand why this woman, who swore never to leave the Midwest, had suddenly traveled all this way? Why did she suddenly say such a thing to me? Through my grief, I pondered endlessly… After the funeral, Martha didn’t leave the city. She stayed. Naturally, she didn’t stay in my apartment, but rather in a cheap motel near the train station. Late at night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, looking down on the joys and sorrows of the world below. I sat alone, wiping away tears as I looked at Arthur’s photo, and made a decision in my heart. No matter why she came. Whether for the child. Or the money. Or if there was some misunderstanding. She was, after all, my husband’s mother, my child’s grandmother. I couldn’t completely ignore her. 05 The next day, after packing some daily necessities, bedding, and a comforter, I knocked on the door of my neighbor across the hall, Sam. When he saw me, his gaze flickered. He hurriedly smoothed his hair and straightened his clothes. I tactfully expressed that I needed his help and asked if he was free and if it was convenient for him to give me a ride. “Of course.” “I’m free anytime,” he said, looking at me. Sam drove Mia and me to the cheap motel near the train station. The motel was dilapidated and dimly lit, with a sign out front reading: [Rooms – $30/night] “Mommy, does Grandma live here? It’s so rundown. Let’s have Grandma live at our house, okay?” Mia’s childish voice piped up. I sighed. “Grandma is a bit stubborn. She probably won’t agree.” Sam walked over, carrying several bags. “Mia’s mom, there’s a lot of stuff here. Let me help you bring it up.” I hesitated. “Maybe not. It’s too much trouble for you. You can just wait for us here.” A hint of worry crossed Sam’s face, and he said gently: “The old lady said those things to you the other day. If you two are alone and get into an argument, I can keep an eye on things. Mostly, I just don’t want Mia to get scared.” I smiled bitterly and nodded. “Thanks for your help, then.” When I saw Martha again. She was sitting in the spartan room, fiddling with her phone. Seeing me standing in the doorway, she froze for a moment, then stood up, her gaze calm. I took a deep breath and slowly began. “Mom, I know you probably don’t want to come stay at the house, so I brought you some things. No matter what misunderstanding you have against me, I hope you’ll accept this small gesture for Arthur’s and Mia’s sake.” I turned and gave Sam a look. He carried the things inside, set them down, and silently retreated back into the hallway. Martha stood there without saying a word. Neither accepting nor refusing, she just watched with an unreadable expression. Mia timidly stepped forward and spoke softly. “Grandma, why won’t you come live with us? Mommy says Daddy went on a really long business trip and won’t be back for a long time. Can you stay at our house and wait for Daddy with us?” Martha’s eyes instantly softened. Her rough, calloused palm gently stroked Mia’s head, and the wrinkled edges of her eyes grew red. “Be a good girl, Mia. Grandma has something very important to do. For now, I can’t go home with you.” “Grandma, I miss Daddy. Do you miss Daddy too?” “Yes, Grandma… misses him very much too.” She looked calm and composed on the surface, but her trembling voice betrayed the emotions she was trying so hard to hide. I turned my head and whispered something to Sam. He immediately walked in and coaxed Mia to go downstairs with him first. Only Martha and I were left in the room. This cheap motel, wedged between towering skyscrapers, only had a sliver of daylight filtering through its broken window. The chaotic noise outside contrasted sharply with the silence in this cramped corner. “I’ve already filed a police report.” Martha watched me calmly and suddenly spoke. I was stunned for a moment, then let out a soft sigh by the dim doorway. “Regarding my status as a suspect, the police have already finished their investigation. I had no time to commit the crime, no method, and absolutely no motive. Arthur’s death brings me nothing but harm; why would I hurt him? Mom, I truly don’t understand why you’re so stubbornly convinced that I wanted my husband dead…” “So this is the reason you came today?” Martha’s voice was steady. “You’re curious how I, thousands of miles away, knew that you were the real murderer who killed Arthur, so you came to test the waters?” A sense of tragic powerlessness rose in my heart. I wanted to say something, but felt that whatever I said would be meaningless. “Since you’re so stubbornly convinced I’m the killer, let’s wait for the police to reach their conclusion.” I said desolately, turning to leave. As I took a few steps down the hallway, Martha’s heavy voice sounded behind me. “Actually, I wasn’t entirely certain at first.” “But you coming here today, bringing that young man with you. You’re trying to mislead me into thinking you two are having an affair, aren’t you? You want me to push the police to investigate in that direction so they end up hitting a dead end…” “Now, I am certain you are the murderer.” As the last word fell, the hallway plunged into sudden silence. I slowly turned around… In the cramped, dark hallway. I met her silent gaze. 06 I was called down to the police station for questioning. This was my first time inside a precinct. I was anxious and felt a bit helpless. When I took the water the officer handed me, my hand went limp, spilling half the cup onto his sleeve. “There’s no need to be so nervous. The victim’s mother filed a report, so we’re just conducting an investigation following standard procedure.” Two officers sat across from me, trying to calm me down. “We already have a good grasp of your basic movements that day. Now, we just have a few questions we need to confirm with you. Please answer truthfully.” I nodded silently. “First question: whose idea was it to start filling the bathtub early?” “Mine.” “Why?” After pausing for a few seconds, I spoke slowly. “Mia is a very active child, and she always works up a sweat when she plays. That bathtub fills slowly, taking over twenty minutes to even get half full. I was worried she might catch a cold, so I told Arthur to start the water early so she could take a bath right when we got home.” “Mhm. Second question: why didn’t you take your phone that day?” I murmured: “I don’t know what came over me that day. I usually never forget my phone, but that day I just forgot it on the shoe cabinet. I just forgot.” The two officers exchanged a glance and continued: “Over the summer, you almost always took your child downstairs around 10:00 AM, played at the slide for an hour, and went home at 11:00 AM. But that day, why were you ten minutes late?” My eyes grew red, my voice thick with emotion. “I went to a neighbor’s house. Honestly, I didn’t want to go, but I’m too polite. When someone insists, I feel bad saying no…” “Your husband died in his own bathroom. Why was your neighbor across the hall, Sam, also present at the primary crime scene?” “Sam?” I stared blankly, trying to recall for a long moment. “When I opened the door, Mia was still in the hallway talking to Sam. When I called for my husband and got no response, I went into the bathroom… The bathroom is directly across from the front door. I collapsed at the doorway and screamed. Sam immediately rushed in—” The older officer suddenly let out a cold laugh, sharply interrupting me: “Mrs. Sterling, from the last time Arthur was seen alive to the discovery of the scene of death, you have a perfect alibi for every single step. Don’t you think that’s a bit too coincidental?” I looked at him in shock, then lowered my head, burying my face tightly in my hands, sobs escaping through my fingers. “Yes, it’s all my fault! For those 20-plus minutes, my husband was slowly dying in lonely desperation, while I, taking my sweet time, wasted time at Lily’s mom’s house, wasted time coaxing Mia to go home, wasted time talking to neighbors in the hallway.” “I killed him!” “I am the murderer who killed my husband!” I shouted these sentences, my voice trembling. Grief, pain, panic, self-blame—a cocktail of intense emotions surged wildly through my already exhausted body like a tidal wave. I finally couldn’t hold on any longer. And fainted. … When I woke up, I found myself lying in a small infirmary. The wind had picked up outside at some point. The wind blew the window open, carrying faint, low whispers from the hallway into the room. “Do you think she’s hiding something?” “Hard to say. Her alibi is full of coincidences, but every step is also a completely logical event in her daily life. We asked around during the previous investigation. Lily’s mom confirmed that inviting her over was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and running into the neighbor was just a chance encounter while he was taking out the trash. Moreover…” “Moreover what?” “When others are suspected, they try their hardest to clear their names. But she’s doing the exact opposite, pulling all the blame onto herself. Even things that could be explained clearly, she leaves ambiguous. This kind of behavior means she’s either truly lost her mind from the trauma, or she’s a criminal mastermind with an exceptional psychological profile.” “An ordinary housewife, who was so nervous she couldn’t even hold a cup of water steady when she walked in, who loses control of her emotions with just a little push… could she be?” “I don’t know. But even if she is, there’s a key element we can’t explain.” “What key element?” “The method.” “Yeah. Even if she’s a one-in-a-million criminal mastermind who meticulously planned every detail, how could she guarantee Arthur would definitely slip when opening the window? And even if he slipped, how could she guarantee he’d conveniently be knocked unconscious—” “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. My daughter is home alone. May I leave now?” The two officers whipped their heads around, looking in surprise at me standing behind them. I kept my eyes lowered, my face pale, so weak I could barely stand. The older officer coughed. “If you’re feeling okay, the questioning is concluded for today.” “Thank you.” I murmured my thanks and left. After taking two steps, I turned back and looked at the two men, speaking slowly. “Officers, I don’t know what my mother-in-law did to make you reopen the investigation. But for the sake of my child and I being able to live in peace, I think I should make things clear.” “I don’t understand the ‘alibis’ or ‘methods’ you were just talking about. But I know that to do something, you need a motive. I had absolutely no reason to murder my husband. I’m sure you’ve investigated that thoroughly.” “Thank you for your hard work regarding my husband’s case.” I bowed to them, turned, and left. As I slowly walked out of the precinct courtyard, the two men stood smoking in the hallway. “What did you just say? You said we intentionally let her overhear our conversation, which was psychological pressure. That the perpetrator, seeing the police confused by their own actions, would subconsciously show their true reaction when alone. Then we would show the footage of her to a micro-expression expert… But just now, she, well, proactively walked over. So what does that mean?” The older officer silently took a drag of his cigarette and spat. “It means we wasted our time!” 07 I went to the police station in the morning, and by the time I got home, it was already dark. Dragging my exhausted, weak body, I knocked on Sam’s door. He’s a freelance illustrator who usually stays at home. I had left Mia with him today. When Mia came home carrying an armful of toys, he suddenly whispered, “Mia’s grandmother started a livestream.” I narrowed my eyes. “What?” “The day before yesterday, when I was waiting downstairs at the motel with Mia for you, I heard a hotel worker complaining that a rural old lady was driving her crazy asking how to start a livestream. I kept an eye out and searched online these past two days. Sure enough, I found it. Look, this is the stream. Even though there aren’t many viewers, she’s been streaming all day.” After turning on the TV for Mia and seeing she was completely engrossed in cartoons, I silently went into my room. Leaning against the headboard, I closed my eyes and meditated for a moment. Then I took out my phone and found the livestream titled “The Truth Will Never Be Buried.” Martha sat formally in front of the camera. She was still wearing that somewhat dated light-wool coat, with the motel’s peeling white walls behind her. There were a few sparse comments in the chat. [Is she using the ‘old person’ filter? Looks pretty good.] [This is real! This old lady’s son died, she suspects her daughter-in-law killed him, and she’s looking for help online!] [I get it. Another case of a kid dying, and they immediately go online to stir up public opinion for sympathy without knowing the facts. At the end of the day, if it’s for clout, it’s just for money!] Martha’s eyes, etched with the marks of time, shifted slightly, and she suddenly spoke. “I don’t want money. I’m an elementary school teacher, making $2,280 a month.” [Yeah, yeah, you don’t want money. If you don’t want money, go to the police. What truth are you looking for online?] [Let me break it down: I live in the complex where it happened. This was actually just a tragic accident. The son and daughter-in-law had a great relationship. They’re the same couple who got into that car crash and explosion near the Outer Ring Bridge six months ago.] [Ah, I know that one! That news was huge at the time. Everyone was moved by their ’till death do us part’ love story. I even cried!] [I remember too! The husband didn’t even care about his own life to save his wife. And the wife turns around and kills the husband? I wouldn’t believe it even if you beat me to death!] [Old lady, you should really go see a doctor. You can’t just accuse people based on your delusions.] Martha stared at the screen and spoke calmly: “I am not delusional. I have already gone to the police.” “I’m livestreaming, not for money, not to snatch my grandchild, and certainly not for clout. I just want to seek the truth for my child.” “My son, Arthur, was smart, cheerful, and polite from a young age. He was a gifted child. Everyone who knew him liked him; everyone praised him! Once, I sprained my ankle outside, and he gritted his teeth and carried me on his back for miles to get home. He was only eleven then, skinny and small, his head barely reaching my shoulder.” “When he was fourteen, he excitedly held up his high school entrance exam results to share the good news with me, but that day, because I was divorcing his father, I had to leave that home.” “Later, I would often dream of him as he was that day. Carefully tugging at my clothes, looking helpless and terrified, calling out over and over for Mommy not to leave.” Tears streamed from her eyes, slowly rolling down her deeply lined face. “A week ago, my son Arthur died. At the prime age of 35, he drowned in his own bathtub.” “Everyone tells me it was an accident, but I know it wasn’t. He was murdered.” “Back then, I resolutely shook off his hand, and now I’ve come back for him. Although I am a mother with no power, no connections, and no skills, since I am here, I absolutely will not let my son die alone and in obscurity.” Her voice was old and tired, but her eyes were piercingly clear. The gentleness and resilience of a mother intertwined, merged, and extended from her… The livestream went silent for a moment. Then the comments flooded in. [I believe this isn’t acting. I don’t believe any actor could perform this authentically.] [Ma’am, we’ll help you!] [I just screen-recorded this. I’ll make clips and share them so more people can see. Maybe someone can provide some information.] I stared intently at the screen. At Martha on the screen.

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