Category: English

Driven to suicide by her, I thought my death would finally bring her remorse. Instead, I watched her pay a fortune to an occult medium: “Medium, exactly how many Spirit Dollars do I need to burn every day to stop her from overspending down there?” “Is there a way to make her ‘check in’ every day, just like when she was alive? If she behaves, I’ll burn more money.” In that moment, I actually felt a wave of relief— Thank God I was dead. I was finally free from her control. But the medium’s chilling voice instantly shattered my illusion: “Yes. “There actually is a way.” 1 After I died. My mom burned exactly twenty Spirit Dollars for me every single day. Just like when I was alive, she would transfer exactly twenty bucks to my bank account every morning for living expenses. Exact to the penny. Not a cent more. But surviving in the Netherworld was far more destitute than anyone could imagine. I stood shivering in the biting spectral wind, struggling to calculate today’s expenses: “Crypt Lease”—even the most rundown wooden coffin cost 10 Spirit Dollars a day. “Reaper Protection Fee”—to avoid being bullied by vicious poltergeists, you had to pay the Reapers 200 Spirit Dollars a month. “Soul Painkillers”—ghosts who died unnatural deaths, like me, were forced to repeatedly experience the agonizing pain of our final moments. You had to drink the painkillers to suppress it. Each dose cost 15 Spirit Dollars. On top of that, there were “Reincarnation Taxes,” “Soul Mending Fees,” “Incense Meals,” “Phantom Garments”… With twenty Spirit Dollars a day, I could barely afford to suppress my agonizing pain. Let alone find a safe place to live or avoid getting harassed. “Tsk.” The Reaper collecting the protection fee weighed my few, thin paper bills in his hand, looking at me weirdly. “When other families burn money, it’s tens of thousands at a time. This person in your family… burning twenty bucks a day? If I say she cares, she clearly remembers you. If I say she’s cheap… wow, she’s literally cheaping out the Netherworld.” I pressed my lips together tightly, not saying a word. They didn’t understand. This was my mother’s obsession with control, carved deep into her very bones. It was like this when I was alive. And now, in death… it followed me like a shadow. “Look, why don’t you request a Dream Visitation? Tell your mom to burn more cash. She probably just doesn’t know how expensive the Afterlife is,” the Reaper suggested slowly. “Every new soul gets one free Dream Visitation voucher, just so you can tell your folks to send more money.” Dream Visitation? That meant I’d have to face my mother again? A shudder violently racked my body. Just the thought of it made my soul run cold. I still clearly remembered how every single day of my life was spent simmering in fear and suffocation. My mother demanded that I video call her three times a day—morning, noon, and night. I had to report every microscopic detail of my college classes and my social life. Furthermore, I had to go to the library every single day, record a video of myself studying as a “check-in,” and state to the camera: “Today is day X of working hard.” Only when all of this was completed would I receive my twenty dollars for the next day. I tried to object once. But my mother was self-righteous: “Twenty bucks! I calculated it perfectly. It is exactly enough for your food and water! College girls are easily corrupted by temptations. I am controlling your materialistic desires so you build good, frugal habits. You ungrateful brat, I put my heart into this and you think I’m hurting you?!” The sheer entitlement in her voice instantly crushed any argument I had. I knew fighting back was useless. So, I learned to be silent. I learned to shove every ounce of grievance and every shred of desire deep down into my chest, building a shell of “obedience” just to earn my pitiful right to survive. Yet, even trying my absolute hardest, I could never seem to meet her demands. When I needed to buy tampons. When I ran out of toilet paper. When I just wanted a piece of fresh fruit. I was constantly trapped in humiliation. I couldn’t have a normal social life. When my roommates asked me to get boba tea or grab dinner, what was I supposed to say? Hold on, let me ask my mom to authorize a Venmo transfer? Besides, I knew that even if I asked, she wouldn’t give it to me. Once, I gathered my courage. After a roommate kindly bought me a coffee, I begged my mom for an extra twenty dollars so I could treat her back. My mother demanded I write a two-thousand-word essay detailing the exact justification for the extra funds. After I racked my brain to write that essay, she replied with only two words: [Request Denied.] There was another time when my period cramps were so bad I couldn’t get out of bed on time. At 7:00 AM sharp, her phone call rang out like a death warrant: “Where the hell are you?! Where is the video? Where is the check-in?! It’s only been a few days and you’re already slacking off?! Are you hanging out with those trashy girls again? I’m telling you, if today’s check-in isn’t done, don’t even think about tomorrow’s money!” Even as I explained through trembling lips that I was sick, she didn’t soften in the slightest. “So what if it’s your period?! What woman doesn’t get her period? I don’t see anyone else acting as dramatic as you! You’re just lazy to the bone and making excuses!” She didn’t even care that I had a final exam that day. The only thing that mattered was that I hadn’t greeted her at the exact right second, and her rage ignited like a wildfire, screaming that I didn’t respect her as a mother. I thought about running away. Getting a part-time job. Doing anything. But it was useless. My mother was a 24/7 surveillance camera. She would show up at my college unannounced to audit me. She kept her eyes locked on me, driving me like cattle. If I deviated even slightly, what awaited me was slap after slap, and a tidal wave of verbal abuse. I couldn’t defy her. I didn’t dare. So, I chose to jump off the roof. I used the most absolute, decisive method to finally find my escape. I wanted her to cry over my body. I wanted her to repent. I wanted her to admit that her suffocating “love” was wrong. I wanted to escape her control forever, and ever! So, looking at the Reaper, I shook my head. “I don’t want a Dream Visitation. Are there any jobs in the Netherworld? Can I earn my own Spirit Dollars?” The Reaper gave me a sideways glance, like he was looking at a defective product. “Ghosts like you who commit suicide are classified as ‘Self-Destructive Souls.’ Down here, you’re the equivalent of a high-risk felon. Who’s gonna hire you?” I refused to believe it. Dragging my weakening soul, I wandered through the gloomy, shadowy alleys, begging for work. “Get lost! Bad luck!” Cold rejections slammed into me over and over again. Without a crypt to shelter me, the spectral wind sliced through my soul like razor blades. Without Reaper protection, the malicious glares of older, violent ghosts pricked at my back. But the deepest despair was the agonizing, bone-shattering pain of my fatal fall, repeating itself on an endless loop every single day… “Ah—!” Torn apart by the phantom agony, I couldn’t help but cry out that name from the bottom of my heart: “Mom…” In that split second, a tiny, flickering flame of hope sparked in my despair: I’m dead… Mom must know she was wrong by now, right? Those twenty dollars she burns every day… it’s probably just because she doesn’t know how hard it is down here, right? That pathetic, desperate little hope gave me the strength to raise a trembling finger and tug at the Reaper’s sleeve. My voice was as thin as a thread: “Excuse me… where do I go to request a Dream Visitation?” 2 That night, I slipped into my mother’s dream. Her dreamscape was a cold, clinical prison of order. I saw countless versions of “me”— All wearing identical, perfectly pressed uniforms, sitting expressionless at identical desks, obediently copying Bible verses. The walls were plastered with schedules precise to the minute, and the air smelled heavily of bleach and ink. She sat high above it all in a carved, gothic armchair. Her eyes were sharp as a hawk’s, scanning every “daughter” to ensure our handwriting was neat and our posture was perfect. This was probably her ideal version of me. Obedient, flawless, and completely stripped of a soul. “Mom…” My voice drifted, broken and hollow. Because I couldn’t afford the protection fees or a place to sleep, my soul had been tortured until it was withered, flickering like a candle in the wind. Standing on the edge of her “perfect world,” I looked like a stain that didn’t belong. “Who’s there?” she snapped, her voice carrying a trace of caution. “It’s me.” She shot up from her chair, her eyes instantly focusing through the haze of the dream. “Serenity, is that you? You finally came to my dream…” Her voice carried a kind of profound relief. She reached out her hand to me, a gesture that made it seem like I had just had a bad day outside and was coming home to her embrace. Seeing her like this, a sour, emotional lump rose in my throat. Had she been waiting for me? Did she finally realize how cruel she had been? Did my death finally make her understand? “Mom, I’m doing really badly in the Afterlife.” My heart softened, and my tone unconsciously slipped into a pathetic, wronged whine. “It hurts so much. The pain of hitting the pavement… it repeats every single day… I need painkillers. I need to rent a crypt. I need to pay the Reapers for protection. Can you… can you please burn a little more money for me?” I don’t know why, but even though I was already dead, the moment I opened my mouth, I reverted right back to my old, submissive tone. I sounded like a lowly beggar, wagging my tail for scraps. That familiar feeling made me hate myself even more. But what I didn’t expect was for my mother’s face to instantly darken. “You useless disappointment!” Her voice suddenly shrieked. “You were a failure alive, and you’re a debt-collector in death! I always said you had cheap bones, no self-discipline! You go down there, and you still haven’t repented! You’re still infected with the disease of spending money! Do you think money just falls from the sky?!” I stood frozen, feeling like I’d been struck by lightning. My soul vibrated with shock. “Mom, you burn 20 dollars a day. Just the painkillers cost 15. I don’t have a place to live, and I have to save 200 a month for protection. If I want to reincarnate, there are taxes…” “Enough!” She cut me off viciously, her spit flying in the dream’s light. “Excuses! Twenty bucks was plenty for you to eat and shit when you were alive! You don’t even need to eat or drink down there. Twenty Spirit Dollars is more than enough. Don’t think I don’t know how it works. I consulted an Occult Medium! Twenty dollars is absolutely enough! It’s because you haven’t fixed your disgusting habits down there that you’re spending so much!” My mother’s voice was a sharp knife, piercing through every last drop of emotion I felt for her. “Did you think I was burning money for you to enjoy yourself? Let me tell you right now, I burn money every day so you remember every single second: I am your mother! I still control you! Don’t you dare think you can fly out of my palm just because you’re dead!” Something cracked deep inside my soul. So, my mother wasn’t burning money out of love. She was doing it out of “control.” She hadn’t changed one bit from when I was alive. In fact, she had gotten worse. “Do you really think… that you haven’t made a single mistake?” I asked, completely hollowed out. “I am your mother! Everything I do is for your own good!” She exploded like a powder keg, her voice piercing the air. “Look at me, I’m getting old, and I still have to break my back worrying about you! When you were alive, I bled for you, I taught you, and why the hell were you so fragile? You jumped off a roof over a little hardship! And now, you’re dead, and you still don’t understand shit!” She took a menacing step forward, and all the “perfect daughters” in her dreamscape crumbled into dust behind her. Leaving only her twisted face, contorted by her obsession with control. “Do you know why I named you Serenity? ‘Serene’ means quiet obedience! It means you shut up and follow orders. What you need right now is to reflect on your mistakes! Not think about how to squander money!” The one who needs to correct their mistakes… is me? I screamed silently in my head as tears streamed down my spectral face, utterly uncontrollable. My mother showed no sign of stopping. “From now on, do exactly as I say! Visit my dreams every night. Greet me, and tell me this is day X of your sincere reflection in the Netherworld. Be good! Let me see your ‘progress’! If I find out you’re not behaving—” A cruel, triumphant sneer tugged at the corner of her lips. “Then I’ll cut the Spirit Dollars off completely! Then we’ll see what you do!” She actually wanted me to continue “checking in” from the Afterlife? Even though I didn’t breathe anymore, I felt like I was suffocating all over again. The nightmare of my living days was replaying in the Netherworld in an even darker, more desperate way. But this time, from the depths of my freezing despair, a blazing, all-consuming fire suddenly roared to life! When I was alive, I was powerless to fight back. But now… I was already dead. What did I have to be afraid of? “I originally thought… my death might buy a single shred of remorse from you…” I laughed mockingly at myself, raising my hand and pointing directly at her hateful face. “Now I see I was incredibly stupid! Naive and ridiculous! “Let me tell you something: even if my soul shatters into a million pieces down here, I will never, ever visit your dream for another second! “You will never control me again! Not for a single minute!” My mother stared at me in shock, reaching out to grab my soul— “You think you can escape me? I’m telling you, even if you don’t visit my dreams, I have ways to make you—” Before she could finish, I scattered like smoke. The Dream Visitation was over. 3 “Are you okay?” Coming out of the dreamscape, Harper, the Reaper at the Department of Dream Visitation, caught my arm. My soul was practically disintegrating. It felt like all the energy had been drained from me, and I couldn’t even stand steady. Harper looked at me, hesitating. After a long pause, she sighed and gently patted my shoulder. “Getting stuck with a mom like that… you’ve had it rough.” I forced a tight, ugly smile. “You saw all that?” “Dream Visitations are monitored. Standard procedure.” She paused, asking tentatively, “So… are you really going to ‘check in’ with her every night?” I shook my head, my voice lighter than a wisp of smoke. “I jumped off a roof because I couldn’t stand her ‘checking in’ anymore. Now that I’m dead, no matter how much my soul hurts… it’s better than being controlled by her again.” Harper stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered her voice. “Actually… your mom refusing to burn you money might be a blessing in disguise.” I looked up. “If no one burns paper money for you for three consecutive months, and your personal assets fall below ten thousand Spirit Dollars, you can apply for ‘Netherworld Welfare.’” “Netherworld Welfare?” I sat up straight, a light kindling in my eyes. “Yeah. It’s 1,500 Spirit Dollars a month.” 1,500 dollars! That was huge! Even if my mom burned money every day, that was only 600 a month. The Afterlife’s welfare was more than double! Suddenly, my existence felt like it had a future. As long as my mom didn’t burn money for three months straight, I could get welfare! Looking at it this way, being dead was pretty great. Even if it was destitute, it wasn’t a dead end. Probably out of pity for what she saw in my dream, Harper sighed and pulled a dozen “Soul Painkiller” vials from her pocket, shoving them into my hands. “Take these. They’re Department perks. I don’t use them, and I was going to sell them on the side, but seeing how hard you have it… just take ’em.” Overwhelmed by her kindness, I took them, thanking her profusely. Harper thought for a moment, then added, “The workload here is getting intense. If you’re willing to help me out, I’ll give you all my monthly painkiller allocations from now on. But you can’t breathe a word of this outside. You’re a high-risk suicide soul. If the higher-ups find out I’m using you for labor… we’re both screwed!” I was ecstatic and quickly agreed. “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word!” With this job, even if my mother stopped burning me money, I could survive the three months. After three months, I’d get my welfare, and life would only get better! I bowed deeply to Harper. A Reaper I had never met before was willing to extend a helping hand when she saw my suffering. And my own mother, who claimed to love me, refused to let me go even in death. She probably… never loved me to begin with. Accepting that truth brought me a strange sense of peace. In the days that followed, I worked diligently at the Department of Dream Visitation, helping Harper with the grunt work. Filing life-and-death ledgers, calibrating visitation timelines, and floating between filing cabinets that smelled faintly of phantom lilies. Harper found a corner in the archives for me to stay in temporarily. Though the painkillers she gave me weren’t many, drinking half a vial a day was enough to ease the crushing agony in my soul. Day by day passed. Two months. Just one more month, and I could claim my welfare! I’d be financially free! But then, on that exact day. I was head-down, organizing dream files. Suddenly, a brutal, overwhelming force gripped my soul! Like an iron hook piercing my collarbone, I didn’t even have time to scream before I was violently yanked upward! When I opened my eyes, the blinding sunlight scorched my phantom body. —I had been pulled back to the living world. No, more accurately, my soul had been stuffed into a stuffed animal. My favorite childhood teddy bear. “It worked!” An old man with a greying beard stroked his chin, looking immensely smug. He was an Occult Medium. My mother stood to the side, wearing a triumphant, long-lost victor’s smile. She leaned down, her fingernail poking hard into the teddy bear’s head. Her voice was so cold it made my skin crawl: “Caught you, Serenity.” 4 “I told you to visit my dreams and check in every day! Why didn’t you listen? Huh? Your wings got tough, so you thought you could rebel even in death?!” My mother’s interrogation crashed down on me. Her nails dug deep into the cotton stuffing of the toy, sending spikes of pain through my soul. I could barely force a voice out. “I told you, I’m never checking in with you again! I’m already dead… why should I still follow your rules?” “How dare you talk back to me?!” Her pitch skyrocketed. She violently hoisted the teddy bear into the air, forcing my “eyes” to stare directly into her furious, contorted face. “I didn’t burn a single cent for you these past two months just to punish you and teach you a lesson! And what happened? You didn’t starve to death, did you? I knew it! The Afterlife doesn’t force you to spend money! You lied to me to squander my cash! Thank God I didn’t spoil a debt-collector like you!” A coppery taste of despair surged in my phantom throat, but I couldn’t even manage a whimper. —How laughable. She’d rather believe the bullshit of a random occult scammer than believe her own daughter when I said, ‘It hurts so much.’ “But I really didn’t expect you to be this stubborn.” Her tone carried the cruel amusement of a cat playing with a mouse. She dropped me back onto the table, poking my “face” over and over again. “Two whole months, and you didn’t visit me to say hello even once! You completely abandoned your filial duty! Fine, you won’t come? If you won’t come, I have ways to make you come! From now on, every single day! I will have the Medium drag you up here! You will respectfully greet me just like before, report on your reflections without missing a syllable, and listen to my lectures until your deeply ingrained flaws are completely fixed!” Every single day? The words drove through my soul like an ice pick. A drowning, absolute terror, far deeper than death itself, seized me. “How is that possible? I’m dead, you’re alive. We’re separated by life and death! How can you just pull me up whenever you want?” “It’s all thanks to the Medium’s vast powers.” My mother smugly pulled out a stack of dark yellow parchment, covered in twisted sigils drawn in blood-red ink. “Do you know what this is?” She waved the parchment in front of my face. “A ‘Soul-Binding Sigil.’ “Burn one a day, and no matter where you are, you will instantly be summoned before me.” Her fingers brushed against the teddy bear’s fur. The movement was gentle, but laced with a terrifying possessiveness. “I know you always loved sleeping with this ratty old doll. It’s covered in your essence. It’s the perfect vessel to trap your disobedient little soul! Daughter… do you finally understand your mother’s ‘good intentions’?” I felt an icy, agonizing dread wash over my entire being. With these cursed sigils, my soul was nothing more than a kite on her string. When she wanted me, I had to come. Trapped in this tiny stuffed animal, forced to listen to her lectures and curses. This was even more hopeless than when I was alive… “Now, just like before, give me a status report on your friends in the Netherworld. “What do those ghosts do for a living? How is your relationship with them? Tell me everything! Don’t you dare hide anything, and don’t you dare associate with those trashy, low-class wild ghosts! Do you hear me?” I just felt like laughing. —Mom, do you even know? I wander the Netherworld homeless. I drift from place to place. I am the trashy, low-class wild ghost you’re talking about. And you made me this way. “The sigil’s time limit is almost up. Hurry it up,” the Medium reminded her from the side. Only then did my mother reluctantly stop talking. But before I vanished, her freezing glare locked onto me. “I am extremely dissatisfied with your performance today! But considering you haven’t had any ‘living expenses’ in a long time, I’m sure you’ve suffered a bit… “I will still burn today’s twenty Spirit Dollars for you. Remember, tomorrow! I expect a proper report! Or else…” Twenty Spirit Dollars? My head jerked up. No! Absolutely not! I only had one month left before I could collect my Netherworld Welfare! If she resumed burning money, I wouldn’t meet the welfare requirements anymore! “I don’t want it!” I screamed with every last ounce of strength I had. “Take your filthy money back! I won’t check in, and I won’t take your living expenses! I’m cutting ties with you, and I will never use another cent of your money!” “Cut. Ties. With. Me?” My mother enunciated each word slowly, her smile suddenly turning grotesque. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. The Medium already told me. The Netherworld has a welfare system. If nobody burns paper money for three months, you can claim it.” She leaned in close to the teddy bear, dropping her voice to a sinister whisper: “But don’t even dream of getting it. I am your mother. Every single Spirit Dollar you get must come from me. If you think you can escape my control, keep dreaming!” The welfare… she even knew about that! My soul collapsed entirely, the last shred of my strength violently ripped away. There is no despair deeper than this. My body suddenly felt weightless, and I plunged heavily back down to the Netherworld. Lying in my palm were 20 Spirit Dollars—the “living expenses” my mother so graciously bestowed upon me. They felt like glowing branding irons, burning through my hand, burning away my final, desperate sliver of hope. The welfare… was gone. And tomorrow, the day after, the endless tomorrows… That daily “check-in” would follow me like maggots on a corpse, an inescapable shadow. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to die a second time, just to find release. But I couldn’t. I was already a ghost. There was nowhere left to run. I couldn’t even find an escape in death…

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My boyfriend, Ethan, suddenly got into a car accident and was rushed to the hospital. Our classmates were all chipping in and donating money, but I acted like nothing had happened. Ethan’s sister tracked me down at school, her eyes red and swollen. “Maya, our family isn’t rich. Can you please take out the money my brother has been saving with you all these years to help pay for his emergency surgery?” My expression remained flat. “The money he saved? That was spent a long time ago.” Tears streamed down the girl’s face. “My brother gets a $500 monthly allowance, and he transfers $400 of it straight to you. Plus all the money he makes from his part-time jobs… he asked to borrow money from me several times and told me to keep it a secret from our parents…” “You’re his girlfriend. How can you just leave him to die?” At that moment, Ethan’s college roommate stepped forward to back up the girl’s claims. But I stood my ground, insisting I had no money. When Ethan regained consciousness, he immediately demanded a breakup. The entire student body rallied behind him. Faced with everyone’s harsh accusations, I pulled out the joint income and expense records from our two-year relationship. 01 The hem of the girl’s t-shirt was frayed, making her look like she came from a struggling, working-class family. She looked at me, swallowed hard, and spoke up amidst the confused stares of the crowd. “Maya, can you please just take out the money my brother left with you to cover the hospital bills?” “Mom has already borrowed from everyone she can, but we’re still short…” “I know my brother has been depositing his money with you since the very beginning.” I frowned, completely unmoved by her pitiful display. “The money he saved with me was spent ages ago.” My face was completely calm, but the girl’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. “Spent? How is that possible?” Her voice was laced with shock. “My brother has been dating you since freshman year, it’s been almost four years. Out of his $500 monthly allowance, he sends you $400 and only keeps $100 for his own food.” “Not to mention the side hustles he works. All that money went into your shared savings app. There has to be at least ten thousand dollars in there! How could it possibly all be spent?!” “There were times he was so broke he was starving and had to borrow money from me. He even begged me not to tell our parents, which is the only reason I know about this.” “I’m begging you. I know this isn’t ideal, and I didn’t get my brother’s permission, but as his girlfriend, are you really just going to watch him die?” She bent forward slightly, tugging at the hem of my shirt, her eyes brimming with tears. A heavy silence fell over the crowd. “Wait… I thought Ethan was on full financial aid! Turns out his allowance isn’t that small after all!” “Yeah, he’s always so frugal… I used to think Maya was a decent person, not a gold digger like other girls… So all of Ethan’s money went to her?” “Wow, I always assumed Maya came from a rich family. So she’s been living large off the money Ethan starved himself to save?!” Voices of surprise and suspicion rippled through the onlookers. I frowned and looked around. “You’re all making wild assumptions based on a completely one-sided story?” I turned back to the girl. “I told you, your brother has no money saved with me. Stop making a scene. Everyone is responsible for their own fate.” My voice was cold and flat, lacking any emotional inflection. Clap. Clap. Clap. Just as I finished speaking, the sound of slow, sarcastic applause rang out. Ethan’s roommate, Noah, was clapping, a mocking sneer on his face. “Wow. ‘Everyone is responsible for their own fate.’ What a line.” “Other people might not know, but do you think his roommates are blind?” “I’ve watched Ethan get his allowance every month, and the very first thing he does is open Venmo to send it. So, he was sending it to you all along?” “Look at the clothes and shoes you’re wearing—all designer brands. And what about Ethan? To save money, he buys clearance bin clothes and wears sneakers until the soles literally detach!” “What’s the deal? Now that he’s in an accident and you need to cough up the money, you’re trying to cut ties? Do you think we’re all idiots?” Noah’s words hit like a sledgehammer, leaving everyone stunned. Unlike the crying girl, Noah was our class representative. He was known for being responsible, gentle, and level-headed. No one had ever seen him lose his temper. But right now, his eyes were wide with blazing anger. “Do you even realize that Ethan got into that car crash while heading to an extra shift just so he could buy you a birthday present?!” The classmates who had been on the fence were now entirely convinced. “Holy crap. I never would’ve guessed Maya was this kind of person.” “How does she live with herself? Shouldn’t a relationship be 50/50? This is just pure greed!” Facing the crowd’s accusations, I merely scoffed, turned on my heel, and walked out of the noisy classroom. I didn’t expect my phone to blow up with a barrage of notifications just minutes later. 02 Amidst the sea of vile messages, the first one I noticed was from my college friend, Emma. “Maya, check… check the Campus Confessions page right now. What the hell is going on?” Emma usually never paid attention to college drama. For her to tell me to look at the gossip page meant this was blowing up massively. I opened my feed and was instantly hit with a viral post. “We are Maya’s roommates. We were asked by the people involved to take these photos (Pictures attached).” “We honestly didn’t want to believe that our own roommate could be such a cold-blooded, selfish, and greedy person.” The photo grid showed various designer bags and exquisite gifts. Every single item looked incredibly expensive. They specifically pointed out a small bear keychain. “This keychain right here—we looked it up. It’s smaller than a fist and retails for $800. Maya somehow has five of them.” “From what we know, Maya’s family isn’t wealthy at all.” “So it goes without saying where she got the money to buy these luxury goods. We only found out the truth today. Ethan wanted to save money together with you because he loved you, and this is how you treat your joint assets?” “Especially now that his life is on the line, and you just turn a blind eye. We are exposing all of this today. We refuse to be roommates with you any longer.” The post triggered a massive explosion of comments. People were filling in the blanks of the story, throwing fuel onto the fire of the student body’s outrage. “Holy shit, this girl is a psychopath!” “This is exactly why you shouldn’t mix finances in a relationship.” “God, how could she? That poor guy is skin and bones, and she’s spending money like water. She’s literally a leech…” “Terrifying. I’m scared to even date now, I don’t want to be treated like an ATM.” “Girls have it so easy. If I was a girl and dated ten guys, I’d be a millionaire.” “She has money to buy $800 keychains and thousands of dollars on bags, but no money to pay her boyfriend’s medical bills? She is drowning in her own vanity.” “I heard her boyfriend only got into the accident because of her.” Honestly, compared to my private messages, the comment section was actually tame. It was just some sharp criticism. When I opened my message requests, it was pure, unadulterated filth. Words that couldn’t pass community guidelines were creatively misspelled or swapped with homophones, then viciously hurled at my face. People who had absolutely no idea what the real story was were happily smashing their keyboards. Some of the guys were getting particularly worked up, completely projecting themselves into Ethan’s shoes. Even if they had never experienced anything like this, they were all playing the righteous victims, united in their hatred. By the time I got back to my dorm, my clothes and bags had been thrown all over the floor, covered in dirt. Some of my tulle dresses had mysterious new holes ripped in them, and my leather bags had deep, visible scratches. Meanwhile, my three roommates were just sitting there, playing on their phones or doing their makeup, acting like I didn’t even exist. My face darkened. “You’re destroying private property. I can call the cops for this.” Harper, who was doing her makeup, didn’t even turn around. She just kept checking her reflection in the mirror. “Call them, then. Go ahead. And while they’re here, maybe we can calculate exactly where all these things came from, whose money bought them, and see if we’re the ones paying you, or if you’re the one going to jail.” Her tone was dripping with disdain, completely devoid of any guilt. Another roommate chimed in. “Heh, I was wondering how you always had the money to flaunt this stuff. Turns out you were using someone else’s blood, sweat, and tears. No wonder you treated them like garbage.” She crossed her legs and mocked me openly. The last roommate simply ignored the situation entirely. Watching the three of them act so nonchalant, I didn’t say another word. I just walked straight over to their closets and pulled the doors open. 03 I grabbed a pair of scissors and started snipping their clothes. One piece, two pieces… It wasn’t until the room was littered with ruined fabric that they finally realized what I was doing. “Holy shit! Are you psychotic?! What are you doing?!” “Why are you touching my stuff?! I saved up for a whole month just to buy that dress, you’re paying for that!!!” “What the fuck! That’s my favorite brand, I paid a fortune for that! You bitch!!” They lunged at me, clawing and screaming. I immediately spun around, bolted out of the dorm, and locked the door behind me. Since I couldn’t stay in the dorm, I checked into a hotel near campus. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I got a call from the Dean of Students, summoning me to her office. When I arrived, I saw my three roommates huddled in the corner. The moment they saw me, their faces twisted into masks of pure victimization. Mrs. Higgins, the Dean, tapped her finger on the desk and took a slow sip of her coffee. Her eyes narrowed behind her thin glasses as she looked me up and down, her gaze full of heavy scrutiny. “Maya, right? I know who you are.” “The girl in the Comp Sci program who’s always dressed to the nines. It’s hard not to remember you.” “But you need to realize that students come to college to learn, not to compete with each other over material things, and certainly not to feed their vanity.” “Regarding the damage to your roommates’ personal property, they have already calculated the exact cost of their losses.” “If you refuse to compensate them, then my hands are tied. I’ll have to put a major disciplinary mark on your permanent record.” “Your fast-track admission to grad school will be completely jeopardized by this.” “As for the scandal that’s been making waves recently, I’ve heard all about it. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but let me remind you: you cannot just take advantage of someone’s love and do whatever you please.” “Being pretty isn’t currency. Kindness and consideration for others are the virtues a young woman should possess. That boy cared for you so deeply, and your actions have truly chilled everyone to the bone.” “It’s no wonder more and more people are criticizing young women today. People like you bring it upon themselves.” The office was quiet. Every single word she said drilled straight into my eardrums. I pursed my lips. “So you just believe whatever they tell you?” “As a faculty member, you should at least aim for fairness. If this is just going to be a kangaroo court, then issue whatever punishment you want. Why even bother calling me in?” Mrs. Higgins didn’t take kindly to my defiance. She slammed her coffee mug onto the desk with a heavy thud. “Aren’t you supposedly rich? I am ordering you to pay for the damages by the deadline, and return the money Ethan left with you. If you don’t, I will call your parents and have them pay it back.” “We have your parents’ phone numbers on file. If you refuse to act like a sensible adult, we’ll find some adults who will.” Even though she was sitting down, her years of authority gave her a condescending, threatening glare. I kept my expression blank. “Call them if you want.” Mrs. Higgins glared at me, her voice dropping dangerously low. “Let me repeat myself. A major disciplinary mark will absolutely destroy your grad school fellowship. Our university does not allow students of your poor moral character to attend our graduate programs.” My chest tightened slightly. They were the ones refusing to investigate. They were the ones jumping to conclusions. Since this whole thing started, not a single person cared about the truth. They just blindly followed the mob. I didn’t expect a university official to be exactly the same. I lowered my eyes. “Oh. Then let it destroy it.” I turned around and walked toward the door. If all my hard work was going to be erased because of this, then to hell with their fellowship. 04 The school organized a fundraiser for Ethan, and afterward, they arranged a group visit to the hospital. Only twenty people from our class needed to go, but for some reason, they specifically dragged me along. When I arrived, I immediately understood why. It wasn’t just students and teachers from our school; there was also a popular campus vlogger with a camera crew. It was obvious they brought me here with malicious intent, trying to manufacture a viral moment. Ethan was out of the woods and resting in bed. His gaze drifted through the crowd and locked onto me. He had always been incredibly skinny. Right now, he looked practically skeletal. Combined with his pale, post-surgery face, he looked exceptionally pitiful. Classmates stepped forward one by one, offering him words of comfort. Standing in the corner was Ethan’s sister, Lily. When she looked at me, her eyes held nothing but loathing and resentment. “Who let you come here? I don’t want to see you.” She pointed at me, looking like she was about to cry. The vlogger smelled prime content and immediately shoved the camera lens in my face. The classmates quickly parted ways, leaving a massive empty space around me. Ethan sighed heavily and grabbed his sister’s sleeve. “Let’s break up.” He looked at me, his eyes completely devoid of light. “Ethan!” His sister stomped her foot in panic. “Even if you break up, you need to make her give the money back first! Why should she get to spend all the money you worked yourself to the bone for!” “I get sick just looking at her. It’s your money, why should it be wasted on someone with no conscience?!” Ethan looked deeply conflicted. He stared at me, his eyes swimming with disappointment. “I never thought you were this kind of person, but we did love each other once.” “I don’t want to drag this out. Just do what my sister said and calculate the money. I won’t ask for extra, just give me half.” “I’ll give you one month to pay me back. After that, we cut all ties.” The classmates were instantly outraged. “Why?! If she owes it, she needs to pay it all back! Are you still hung up on a girl like this?” “She’s just taking advantage of your good heart! You gave her everything, and this is how she repays you!” “Gold diggers like her deserve to rot!” Off to the side, the vlogger was actively telling his livestream chat to stop swearing. My roommate Harper shoved me hard from behind. I lost my balance and stumbled forward violently. “Do the math!!” “Yeah! Let’s do the math right now!!” The voices of pure hatred grew louder and louder. Looking at Ethan’s fake, pained expression, I forced down the urge to vomit. “You want to do the math? Fine, let’s do the math.” 05 I pulled out my phone and opened the shared savings app we had created together. I read aloud in a calm, steady voice. “Ethan: November 2022. Deposited $300. Withdrawn $2,000.” “Ethan: December 2022. Deposited $250. Withdrawn $1,200.” “Ethan: January 2023. Deposited $250. Withdrawn $1,800…” As the numbers I read kept climbing, the murmurs around the room started to die down until there was complete silence. Everyone looked deeply confused. “Wait, how is that possible?” “She’s definitely making it up. Depositing $300 and withdrawing $2,000 is a joke. Did the two of you even have $2,000 between you in a single month?” “Your fake numbers are way too ridiculous. Even if you want to lie and say he spent the money himself, at least make it realistic! Who would believe this crap?” People started chiming in one after another. Not a single person believed I was telling the truth. Ethan looked at me, his tone dripping with disappointment. “It’s come to this, and you’re still trying to frame me?” “Ask yourself honestly, how have I treated you all these years? Why are you doing this to me now?” “We promised we would get married after graduation… Let’s put aside the fact that you left me to die. Now you’re standing in front of everyone, lying and spreading rumors about me…” “What did I do wrong to make you hate me so much?” He tilted his head up, letting his vulnerability show. They say boys don’t cry easily, but right now, his eyes were red, brimming with profound sorrow. His roommate Noah couldn’t watch anymore. He stepped up and shoved me. “If you’re claiming he withdrew all that money, didn’t you guys use the shared savings app?” “Then just show us the actual records on the app! Why are you just reading it out loud? You can’t fake the app interface.” My fingers gripping my phone turned white. Seeing my reaction, Noah immediately snatched the phone from my hand. He scrolled down, swiping through the screen. A moment later, he sneered in disgust. “You didn’t even put effort into faking this. The withdrawals clearly show they were custom categories you added yourself, yet you’re claiming Ethan spent it.” “It’s written right here in black and white. Did you really think anyone would buy this?” Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He was a tall guy, but right now he looked like nothing but a skeleton. His wrist bones protruded, his cheeks were completely sunken. Ethan’s sister rushed over and shielded him, glaring at me furiously. “You are not welcome here. Please leave.” “Ethan hasn’t even fully recovered. Do you really have to come here and torture him right now?” “I already looked into it. You won’t even eat at the dining hall, you only eat at off-campus restaurants. But do you know what my brother eats?” “He’s over six feet tall, and most days he only eats plain white rice and a tiny side of cheap vegetables.” “You used his money to keep yourself glowing and healthy, and now you have the nerve to pin the blame on him?” “Have some basic human decency. I don’t want to see you. Get out.” Seeing his sister’s fierce defense, the classmates started shoving me toward the door. The vlogger’s camera remained locked onto my face, clearly aiming to capture my moment of absolute humiliation. Some of the drama-loving classmates had already peeked at my phone screen and were openly scoffing. “She doesn’t even know how to properly fake evidence. Still claims others are spreading rumors about her, when she’s the one holding the fakest receipts ever.” Seeing that I refused to leave, Ethan’s sister became furious and marched straight up to the vlogger. 06 “I’m not afraid of making a fool of myself in front of your audience.” “Because my grades were terrible, I actually started working full-time right out of high school.” “Ethan and I are very close. For his junior year birthday, I saved up $3,000. I wanted to buy him a brand new phone and laptop.” “But who would’ve thought my lovestruck brother gave every single penny to Maya.” “Or rather, he saved it all up and deposited it into Maya’s account.” “That was money I lived incredibly frugally for half a year to save.” She pulled out her phone and opened Ethan’s Instagram page. “Look at this timestamp. June. My brother didn’t get a new laptop, and he didn’t get a new phone. He was still using his old one with the shattered screen.” “During summer break, he didn’t rest. He chose to go work shifts at a factory.” “These are his posts. It’s all just his daily factory routine, and his lunch was literally just plain bread and pickles.” “Now look at Maya’s Instagram. During that exact same timeframe, she switched to the newest iPhone, and within a single month, she took trips to four different states.” “She sure had a great time blowing through my money.” “I told Ethan to end things with her so many times. I knew she wasn’t the right girl for him, and now the facts prove it. Not only is she an awful girlfriend, she’s an awful human being.” “I will never understand how she can so comfortably spend someone else’s hard-earned money as if it were her own. Doesn’t she feel any guilt?” The stark contrast between the two Instagram feeds sent shockwaves through the room. No one could have imagined that Ethan’s sister had sacrificed so much for him. The girl had a fragile frame, and the ends of her hair looked dry and yellow. In this moment, she looked incredibly sympathetic. “My heart breaks for that girl. How did her brother end up with someone like that…” “Her brother is an idiot too. All the money his sister broke her back to earn, he just threw away on a gold digger.” “You can’t really blame him. She said she was helping him save money for their future. How was he supposed to know she’d blow it all?” “Yeah, humans are terrible. The person closest to you is always the one who stabs you the deepest. Ethan is a victim here too.” The abuse in the vlogger’s livestream chat escalated rapidly. You didn’t even need to look to know the kind of vile slurs being thrown around. I looked directly at Ethan. “They all question if my transaction records are real. What about you?” “Are you truly going to tell me you don’t know exactly where those massive withdrawals came from?” A brief flash of panic darted across Ethan’s eyes, but he quickly met my gaze, regaining his absolute composure. “Isn’t everything logged in the app? What more do you want me to say? Didn’t you spend almost all the money in there?” “Buying clothes, buying cakes, buying designer bags. It’s all recorded clearly. What are you still trying to spin?” I let out a harsh laugh. I had been an absolute idiot. It took me four full years to see the true face of the man lying in front of me. “Yeah, the app shows that I was the one making the purchases. But don’t you know exactly why I spent that money?” “You kept going on and on about ‘saving money’ and building a ‘future fund’, and I was dumb enough to believe you. That’s how I fell into your trap.” “You relied on the fact that you deposited all your money into the joint app to claim it was all being spent on me. But how many holidays did you conveniently gloss over? Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries… Every time we went out, I paid the bill. You claimed the savings app was ‘untouchable’ because it was our safety net for the future.” “But whenever there was a holiday sale, you immediately started playing the victim. You used emotional blackmail to guilt-trip me into buying you this and that—mostly extremely expensive electronics.” I unzipped my backpack, pulled out a thick stack of receipts, and slammed them down onto his hospital bed. “You guys want to know where those massive monthly withdrawals came from? Right here.”

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Liam Sterling was famous for his bitter tongue. Because I was prone to gaining weight, when he saw the white lace dress sample sent by a merchant, he mockingly said: “Do you have to wear that and humiliate yourself? It looks like a sow playing bondage.” I don’t know how many times I broke down because of his harsh words, but every time, forced by his handsome face and generosity, I made myself not care. Until the eve of a debate competition, when a junior girl in our club leaked our debate manuscript to the opposing team. Normally, Liam would have sneered and mocked this girl for having an underdeveloped brain. But this time, Liam just threw a pack of tissues at her, turned his face away, and said: “What are you crying for? You look so ugly.” 1. Daisy Miller was sobbing: “I’m sorry, it’s all because I was careless that everyone can’t participate in the competition!” Just five minutes ago, the organizers had disqualified us due to the leaked debate manuscript. We had worked hard for months, only to be disqualified before even taking the stage. The club members were furious. “Careless? I think you did it on purpose, didn’t you? Who accidentally prints out our manuscripts copy by copy and puts them directly at the door of the opposing team’s room?” Daisy choked out, “I’m sorry… I got your room numbers wrong, that’s why it happened…” The members were even more furious upon hearing this: “Aren’t our rooms right next to each other? You don’t remember where we live, did you even forget where you live?” “Enough, stop crying in front of me. Even if you cry yourself to death here today, you won’t drain all the water in your brain!” Liam originally had no intention of speaking, but hearing the guy say this, he clicked his tongue: “Go wash your mouth if it stinks so much. Bullying a little girl like that, aren’t you ashamed?” Liam’s words stunned everyone. After all, not only was Liam the first debater in this competition, but his toxic tongue was also famous. If it were before. If such a low-level, almost intentional mistake occurred around him, Liam would probably have asked about her entire family with a cold face. And casually asked if she was the product of inbreeding. But this time, Liam just took a pack of tissues from his pocket, tossed it in front of Daisy, and turned his head: “Alright, what’s done is done. What’s the use of crying?” Watching Liam’s actions, my heart felt like it was pricked by a very fine needle. It was extremely uncomfortable. Liam had a toxic mouth and didn’t know how to comfort people. Several times I was angered to tears by Liam, and even though he was right beside me, he wouldn’t say a single nice word to me. He would just keep his hands in his pockets, impatiently tapping his foot: “Are you done yet? How long are you going to cry over such a trivial matter?” Everyone was waiting for my reaction as the club president. I suppressed the strange feeling in my heart and said to Daisy: “Whether you did it on purpose or not, you did affect our competition. You don’t need to come to future club activities.” Hearing this, Daisy cried even more pitifully: “Chloe, I know you’ve never liked me, but nobody is perfect. Are you going to strip me of my right to pursue my hobbies just because of this little thing?” The members ground their teeth in anger: “What hobbies do you have? You can’t even write a debate script. Even if the president gives you a chance to show your face and lets you use the script she wrote, you stumble on stage and drag everyone down!” “Not to mention, you know perfectly well how important this competition is to our club. This is the championship match! In your eyes, is this just a little thing?” Before Daisy could speak, Liam shouted in a low voice: “Enough!” Then, he turned to look at me: “Chloe Vance, you call yourself the president, yet you just watch a group of people bully a little girl like this?” Finally, Liam looked me up and down and softly spat out a few words: “Right, I forgot. You’re an accomplice too.” My throat suddenly felt like it was blocked by a wet wad of cotton. The sudden suffocation made me unable to say a word. Fortunately, other members spoke up: “Make yourself clear, how did we bully her?” “The president just told her not to come make a mess next time, and didn’t even plan to hold her accountable. How is she an accomplice?” Daisy sniffled and grabbed Liam’s cuff: “Liam, I know you’re just standing up for me because you care about me, but…” Daisy glanced at me, as if I were some terrible monster, lowered her head, and her voice was full of disappointment: “Maybe it’s really because Chloe doesn’t like me that it turned out this way.” 2. That day ended in a bitter argument. Before Liam left holding Daisy’s hand, he glanced at me and finally said coldly: “Chloe Vance, you are too petty. I hope you carefully reflect on your mistakes.” Watching the backs of the two of them walking away hand in hand, my heart fell into a state of blankness. Where did I go wrong? I still hadn’t figured this question out even when I dazedly returned to the apartment Liam and I shared. Looking at the floor the cleaning lady had wiped spotless, I belatedly remembered that Liam was a severe germaphobe. He practically had “keep away” written on his face. But Liam wasn’t just unapproachable; even I, his girlfriend, couldn’t get close to him on regular days. Unless he was willing, let alone holding his hand—he would dodge with a cold face. Even if I wanted to pull his cuff, like Daisy did today. Liam would put on a cold face and, right in front of me, throw the clothes I touched into the trash as if throwing away something dirty. I remember once, when I was working part-time at a food truck, I was bullied by some punks. Crying at the police station, I called Liam to come pick me up. When I saw Liam appear at the station with a cold face, the grievances in my heart could no longer be suppressed. I threw my arms around Liam’s waist and wailed. “You… you’re finally here, Liam. You don’t know, I was scared to death just now.” But Liam first let me hug him for a long time. Only when I had cried enough did he look down at my red and swollen eyes. I thought that even if Liam spoke harshly, he would always comfort me with a few words when something like this happened. But unexpectedly, his thin lips gently spat out a few words: “Chloe Vance, hugging me like this, aren’t you dirty?” Thinking of that incident, tears unknowingly streamed down my face. Coincidentally, Liam came home at this moment. When our eyes met, I didn’t even have time to wipe away the teardrops from the corners of my eyes. Liam impatiently kicked his shoes aside and sneered, turning his head away: “Daisy was bullied by you guys like that and didn’t say anything. You, the instigator, are crying instead. Impressive.” My voice was still choked with sobs: “She ruined everyone’s competition. I just asked her to quit the club. Is that asking too much?” “Besides…” The displeasure I had suppressed all afternoon blurted out at this moment: “Don’t you usually hate stupidity more than anything? Why were you so biased towards Daisy Miller today?” Liam froze for a moment, then spoke impatiently: “Hate stupidity? Chloe Vance, can’t you speak nicer? I couldn’t stand watching you guys bully a little girl to tears, what’s wrong with that?” I wanted to raise my hand to wipe away my tears, but they flowed even more fiercely. “Daisy Miller is an outsider, yet you can’t bear to see her tears.” “What about me? As your girlfriend, do I just have to watch you take the side of an outsider?” Liam sneered: “Here we go again. Chloe Vance, I really admire you, always getting insanely jealous over such trivial things.” Insanely jealous? I laughed and laughed until tears fell again: “You think we bullied Daisy Miller, so you kept defending her?” “But don’t you know, I was counting on the prize money from the debate competition to pay my tuition for next semester. She ruined everyone’s competition. I just asked her to quit the club. Is that asking too much?” Liam showed no emotion at all, merely saying disdainfully: “Playing the victim again?” It’s not like Liam hadn’t seen my desperation when I couldn’t pay my tuition, nor my exhausted appearance when working part-time. I put my heart and soul into winning the debate competition just to use the prize money to cover next semester’s expenses. But all of this, in Liam’s eyes, was just playing the victim. I spent the whole afternoon in a daze, wondering what I did wrong. My only mistake was dating a guy like Liam for three years. Crying for too long made me dizzy for a moment when I stood up abruptly. Liam subconsciously tried to grab my arm, but remembering something, he pursed his lips and withdrew his hand. I smiled bitterly, my voice carrying the numbness that comes after crying too much. “Think whatever you want.” “Liam Sterling, let’s break up.” A trace of disbelief flashed in Liam’s eyes. He asked: “Just because of this little thing, you want to break up with me?” Then, he sneered: “Fine, Chloe Vance. Since you brought up the breakup, don’t regret it.” I said numbly, “I won’t regret it.” I didn’t want to waste any more time on Liam, a cold-hearted man who never treated me as an equal. “I’ll move out of your place as soon as possible. You…” Before I could finish, Liam’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Liam twitched the corner of his mouth, answered the phone, and even put it on speaker. Daisy Miller’s weak voice came through: “Liam, I hurt my leg while running just now. Can you come see me?” Liam’s gaze fell on me, then he smiled and said: “Sure, send me your location. I’ll be right there.” Hanging up the phone, Liam looked down at me and said: “Let me reiterate, I don’t go back to my exes. If you apologize to Daisy Miller, I’ll pretend nothing happened today. Otherwise…” I interrupted Liam, looking him straight in the eyes, and said word by word: “I didn’t do anything wrong to Daisy Miller, why should I apologize?” “Daisy Miller is still waiting for you. Go find her.” Liam looked me up and down, gritted his teeth, and threw down a sentence: “Fine, you’re doing great!” He then slammed the door and left without looking back. 3. After Liam left, I packed my bags overnight. He was very generous to me. After we got together, designer skincare products I had never even seen filled the vanity, and there were quite a few designer bags too. But I was always terrified to accept them. Let alone carrying them, I was careful even when brushing past them while cleaning. I didn’t plan on taking any of these things. I still had a supplementary credit card from Liam in my hand. He had impatiently thrown it at me when he saw me on the sofa, fighting through the pain to disinfect a wound I got from a fall while delivering takeout. “Take this card. My girlfriend, Liam Sterling’s girlfriend, doesn’t need to suffer like this.” I cherished Liam’s sentiment, but I never carelessly spent a single cent on the card. A few times when my grandma’s condition worsened and she was rushed to the ICU, even if I touched this card, I would pay the money back penny by penny afterward. Now, this card lay quietly on the coffee table in the living room. It was already late at night when I returned to the college dorm. Because the debate team had been disqualified, before I even woke up the next day, I was called into the academic advisor’s office. “How are you being the president? You prepared for this competition for so long, why were you disqualified?” Seeing me being scolded, other members of the club righteously spoke up: “This has nothing to do with Chloe. It’s all because Daisy Miller leaked our debate manuscript to the opposing team that this happened!” The advisor frowned and called Daisy Miller over. When they saw Liam coming with Daisy Miller, the members of the debate club all coincidentally looked at me. Daisy Miller looked at the advisor pitifully and said: “Professor, you were looking for me?” Seeing Daisy Miller like this made the advisor furious. Before the professor could speak, Liam said sarcastically: “Wow, Chloe Vance. Was it not enough for your gang to gang up on a little girl yesterday, that today you had to run to the professor to complain?” The advisor frowned and scolded Liam: “Watch your tone. What do you mean Chloe came to complain to me? My students were inexplicably forced to withdraw from the competition. Can’t I even ask a question?” Liam said nonchalantly: “Sure, why not?” Then, he added: “It’s true that Daisy was careless about this, but even if you want to punish someone, you can’t just put all the blame on one person, right?” “Chloe Vance is the president. Even if someone has to take responsibility, her responsibility is the greatest, don’t you think?” I was shaking with anger, but Liam was completely oblivious. He looked at me mockingly and said: “Aren’t some people always pursuing fairness and justice? You’re the president, you have to take the primary responsibility. You admit to this, right?” My fingertips dug deeply into my flesh. Actually, what Liam said was right. No matter what happened, as the president, I did have to take the primary responsibility. But these words shouldn’t have come from Liam. They shouldn’t have come from the person who had dated me for three years. I stopped the members who wanted to speak for me, and word by word, I said to the advisor: “It was my oversight. I failed to stop Daisy Miller from handing the victory to the opposing debaters.” “However you decide to handle this, you have the final say.” The advisor moved his lips, finally sighed, and said: “Since that’s the case, Daisy Miller is expelled from the debate club. As for you… you should vacate the position of president for someone else.” Liam was pleased to see this result. He crossed his arms, chuckled a few times, and said: “Now that you’ve been stripped of your position, let’s see how you can still use your status to stand on the moral high ground and judge others.” I closed my eyes and said to Liam: “Now that official business is over, let’s talk about personal matters.” Liam acted as if he heard some funny joke: “What personal matters do we have between us…” Before Liam could finish, I gathered all the strength in my body and slapped him across the face. The force was so great that it directly snapped Liam’s head to the side! In the past, let alone a slap, I hadn’t even said a harsh word to Liam. In front of him, I had always been gentle and obedient. This slap stunned Liam. After a long while, a bit of hostility gradually gathered in his eyes: “Chloe Vance, slapping me out of nowhere. Explain yourself.” My palm was red and numb, but looking at the handprint on Liam’s face, I felt an unspeakable sense of relief in my heart. “Yesterday, it was clearly your girlfriend who lost her qualification for the competition because of Daisy Miller. You didn’t speak up for me, but instead ran off holding Daisy Miller’s hand.” “I hit you for not understanding boundaries, for bullying your girlfriend for the sake of an outsider.” “With this slap, we’re even!” 4. The news of me slapping Liam spread like wildfire across campus. After all, before this, my reputation at school wasn’t very good. Labels like “simp,” “gold digger,” and “pathetic” followed me like a shadow. Simply because no matter how poorly Liam treated me, I never broke up with him. Hearing that I actually slapped Liam this time, certain bored circles on campus completely exploded. They were all betting. After this incident, how would I clean up the mess to win back Liam’s heart? But I paid no attention to those meaningless rumors. Without the debate competition, the prize money naturally vanished. Lately, I had been busy with part-time jobs to earn tuition and living expenses for the next semester. Until late one night, after I finished my last delivery run, my back aching and legs weak, I received a call from Liam. Liam rarely contacted me proactively unless there was something important. As soon as the call connected, Liam’s lazy voice came through: “You left your stuff at my place. Hurry up and get it, don’t pollute the air in my house.” I was already used to Liam’s cold words. My voice carried a hint of exhaustion: “What stuff?” Liam on the other end of the phone said: “That trashy ring of yours. I’ll give you half an hour to come get it, otherwise I’ll just throw it away.” Thinking of that ring, my mind went into a trance. Custom-made silver rings suddenly became popular during our sophomore year. I didn’t have much money back then, but I wanted to give Liam a gift. So, on a Wednesday afternoon when we had no classes, I dragged Liam along with me to make a pair of rings that belonged only to us. Liam expressed God knows how much disgust while we were there, but after the ring was made, he still put it on his hand, just like I did. My heart was sweeter than honey back then. After making sure I wasn’t dirty, I smilingly threw my arms around Liam’s neck from the side: “How is it, do you like it?” Liam pursed his lips in disgust and said: “No, it’s so ugly.” But that ring, since Liam put it on, he never took it off. Last night, when I took off that silver ring and saw the mark it left on my finger, I was also stunned for a long time, but eventually, I gently slipped it off. Seeing that I hadn’t spoken for a while, Liam’s voice impatiently rang out: “Are you deaf?” My consciousness returned, and I said to Liam: “I don’t want that ring anymore. Throw it away.” Liam seemed to freeze for a few seconds before saying: “Chloe Vance, are you treating my house like a recycling center? You’re just leaving whatever junk you don’t want here?” My lips moved. I wanted to say something, but felt it was unnecessary. “Whatever you say.” 5. I thought I could make a clean break from Liam. I didn’t expect to run into them again when I was working part-time at a karaoke bar. Through the unclosed door of a private room, several familiar and unfamiliar classmates were sitting around Liam. Liam had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. As the flame flickered and the cigarette was lit, someone saw and asked: “Liam is smoking again?” Then, realizing they misspoke, they shut their mouth. Before we got together, Liam was quite a heavy smoker, but I had sinus issues and couldn’t stand the smell of smoke. Liam would call me “squeamish and high-maintenance,” but he still cut down on smoking. The few times he occasionally smoked, he would wait downstairs to let the smell air out before coming home. Hearing the guy say that, Liam paused his motion of putting away the lighter, glaring at the guy: “Got nothing better to say?” The other classmates in the room quickly tried to smooth things over. Someone said: “Recently, that simp Chloe Vance hasn’t been bothering Liam. Liam is enjoying the freedom, what’s wrong with smoking a few cigarettes?” Liam lowered his eyes, his voice carrying a bit of coldness: “Don’t mention her to me.” Everyone looked at each other. They had all heard rumors about Liam’s growing temper lately. Today someone organized a gathering and called Liam over to hang out. Only upon seeing him did they realize the rumors were true. Liam’s good buddy smilingly poured him some alcohol and said: “Who doesn’t know Chloe Vance loves Liam to death, you can’t drive her away no matter how hard you try. I’m guessing, Chloe Vance can only keep this up for two or three days. Once she can’t bear the pain of missing you anymore, she’ll come running back with her tail between her legs.” Liam exhaled a puff of thin smoke: “You talk too much.” But anyone with eyes could see that the subtle irritability between Liam’s brows had dissipated significantly. I don’t know who had sharp eyes and spotted me, but they yelled in surprise: “Chloe Vance, why are you here?” Liam’s buddy immediately said: “What did I say? In less than half a month, Chloe Vance would definitely look for you to get back together.” Liam also looked up at me and asked: “What are you doing here?” As soon as he finished speaking, other classmates started jeering: “What else could she be here for? Of course, she’s here to make up with you, Liam!” “Chloe Vance, how are you planning to coax him this time?” Under everyone’s mocking gazes, I slightly raised my lips and said: “Sorry, you misunderstood. I have no intention of getting back together with Liam Sterling.” Liam’s face instantly dropped. Liam’s buddy pulled me towards Liam, using a peacemaker’s tone on me: “Alright, Chloe, it’s no fun to keep making a scene.” “We all see your feelings for Liam. This time, as long as you apologize to Liam, we’ll let this go.” Liam flicked his cigarette ash and sneered: “Chloe Vance, your intelligence network is pretty good. I just got here, and you tracked me down right after?” I sighed, not understanding why they were so obsessed with this. I showed them my employee badge and said: “I’m just working a part-time job here. I didn’t expect to run into you guys here either.” Everyone looked at the badge on me in silence. I said: “I still have to work. Have fun.” After saying that, I bypassed them and turned to leave. Unexpectedly, someone forcefully grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Liam pinned me against the wall behind him, making me unable to move. His voice was very low: “You’ve already chased me all the way here, why still play these hard-to-get games?” “Seeing how much you like me, I won’t hold it against you. As long as you apologize to Daisy Miller, we’ll turn the page on this matter.” I was so angry I laughed, and I shoved him away: “Liam Sterling, don’t flatter yourself. It’s really just a coincidence that I’m working here. If I had known I’d run into you here tonight, I definitely wouldn’t have come!” As soon as I said this, the room went quiet for a few seconds. Liam’s tone instantly turned cold: “Chloe Vance, know when to stop. Don’t play yourself.” I said indifferently: “I hope you get this clear: the breakup that night really wasn’t a joke.” After saying that, I turned around and left. From the private room behind me, there suddenly came a huge crash of a bottle hitting the floor. Liam’s buddy asked tremblingly: “Liam, are you okay?” Liam’s voice was full of hostility: “Get the fuck out, all of you!” 6. I don’t know who spread the word about what happened that night. Those classmates at school who were waiting for me to go back crying, begging Liam for forgiveness so they could continue watching the show, only belatedly realized at this point. So the breakup I spoke of was not a joke. But I had no time to worry about the gossip of other classmates. In the academic advisor’s office, I was dizzy with the sudden good news: “The school wants to recommend me as an exchange student to the UK?” The advisor nodded, looking at me with some approval: “Yes.” But I hadn’t been happy for a few minutes before reality pulled me back. I squeezed the hem of my shirt, my tone showing some helplessness: “But my family’s situation, professor, you know it. The cost of studying abroad is too high. I probably can’t afford it.” The advisor smiled kindly at me, then said: “The application for you this time is a full scholarship. Tuition is already included. The school there has also specially arranged a dorm room for you. As long as you work part-time in your spare time, your living expenses will be covered.” Going abroad for further studies had always been my dream. Hearing that the advisor had actually arranged everything for me, my eyes unconsciously welled up with tears. I bowed to the advisor: “Professor, thank you.” Leaving the office, I rushed to start preparing my documents, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find my ID. It took me a long time to recall that when I went on a trip with Liam last month, I left my ID with him. Actually, I didn’t want to contact Liam, but this wasn’t the time to act out of spite. It took a long time for the call to connect. When I heard Daisy Miller’s sweet “Hello” from the other end of the line… My hand subconsciously gripped the phone tighter, and I said: “Let Liam answer the phone.” Daisy Miller let out a sweet laugh over there, then said: “Chloe, if you need anything just tell me. I reckon Liam probably doesn’t really want to talk to you.” Before I could speak, Liam lazily asked: “Who is it?” A chorus of jeers immediately erupted over there: “Who else could it be? Chloe Vance finally couldn’t hold back and wants to make up with you, Liam!” “Awesome, Liam! You subdued that simp Chloe Vance once again!” Liam finally took the phone and asked me: “Chloe Vance, have I ever told you that I, Liam Sterling, don’t go back to my exes? We’ve already broken up, what are you coming to look for me for?” I suppressed the anger in my heart and told Liam: “My ID is still with you. Where are you? I’ll come get it.” On the other end of the screen, my sentence made the careless smile on Liam’s face freeze instantly. He gripped his phone tighter, and his tone suddenly worsened: “You’re looking for me just for this?” I said: “Yes, exactly for this. Where are you? I’ll go find you.” Liam wanted to swear, but seeing his buddies winking frantically, he took a breath and finally said: “Wanhai Road, Jinyue Karaoke.” Hearing the busy signal of me hanging up without hesitation, Liam’s face didn’t look too good. Liam’s good friend secretly wiped away a drop of sweat. Others couldn’t tell, but he, the good buddy who hung out with Liam every day, saw it clearly. Ever since Chloe and Liam broke up, Liam’s mood had been getting worse day by day. Often, while hanging out, he would suddenly pick up his phone to check his unread messages. When he didn’t see the message he wanted, he would darken his face and place the phone face down on the sofa. And… Liam’s good buddy actually wished his eyes weren’t so sharp. That plain ring the two of us made together, Chloe had already taken it off when she moved out of Liam’s place. But Liam always wore that ring on his hand. Whenever he felt frustrated, he would unconsciously twist the band. Seeing Liam looking very pissed off, he hurried over to Liam’s side and said: “Liam, don’t listen to Chloe’s nonsense. An ID card, not looking for it early, not looking for it late, why did she have to come looking for you exactly when you took Daisy out to play?” “She must be jealous, so she came up with such a clumsy little trick to attract your attention!” Liam’s hand reaching for his wine glass paused: “Really?” His buddy, seeing he had hit the nail on the head, punched his own palm: “Can’t be more real!” Saying that, he peeked at Liam’s expression and cautiously said: “But Liam, I advise you not to push it too far. No matter how much Chloe loves you, she’s a girl and needs to save face. Today, as long as she behaves well enough, just give her a way out.” Liam’s furrowed brows had completely relaxed. He said, “We’ll see.” Actually, Liam was quite annoyed, not understanding why I was always so petty. That night when he went home and saw the empty living room and the lonely ring rolling on the coffee table, for some inexplicable reason, he felt like a piece of his heart was missing. Everyone said I had no temper. But Liam angrily smashed several vases, thinking to himself. What do you mean no temper? Isn’t her temper huge right now? Running away from home over such a trivial matter? When I arrived, the private room was very lively. Liam wasn’t singing; he was sitting in the very middle seat without saying a word, while Daisy Miller leaned intimately against his shoulder. Before I could speak, Liam’s friend greeted me: “Chloe, why are you so late?” Daisy Miller, as if just noticing me, quickly got off Liam, giving a dry, guilty explanation: “Chloe, don’t misunderstand my relationship with Liam, I…” I couldn’t be bothered to listen to Daisy’s nonsense, and just said to Liam: “Where’s my ID?” Liam looked me up and down and asked: “What do you need your ID for?” I took a deep breath and said: “It has nothing to do with you. We’ve already broken up. Give me back my ID.” Liam’s buddy hurried to smooth things over in the middle: “Chloe, don’t be so absolute. Look, you two finally got together, why keep talking in anger?” Liam’s eyes grew cold. He took out his cardholder, casually tossed my ID onto the floor like trash, and it landed right under the sofa. He looked down at me from above and said indifferently: “Sorry, threw it too far. Pick it up yourself.” I resisted the urge to argue with Liam again, just twitched my mouth and said: “Liam Sterling, your aim is as bad as ever.” I crouched down to grope for my ID, but Daisy Miller suddenly moved. Her foot in a high heel stepped precisely on the back of my hand. Then she let out an “Ouch” and said: “Sorry Chloe, I didn’t see your hand. Did I hurt you?” The back of my hand was stepped on so hard it turned red and swollen, but I still blew the dust off my ID first before standing up. “That day I was only focused on slapping Liam, I forgot about you, you bitch.” Daisy Miller hid behind Liam: “Chloe, you…” I delivered a slap right to Daisy Miller’s face: “Stop intentionally doing these blind, dirty things one after another. You disgust me.” Liam grabbed my wrist tightly. When he clearly saw the red and swollen back of my hand, he first frowned imperceptibly, then asked in a deep voice: “Why are you hitting people? Are you here to pick a fight?” I smirked, forcefully broke free from Liam’s grip, and said: “I’m not that free. If possible, I really don’t want to have any more ties with you cheating pair ever again.” After saying that, I turned around to leave. Liam’s voice echoed in the room: “Chloe Vance, apologize.” “If you don’t apologize to Daisy, never come looking for me again from now on.” I turned my head and gave Liam a half-smile: “Who cares.”

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I was the billionaire CEO’s tragic first love who died young. Fifteen years after my death, the System resurrected me and told me to save the kid standing on the edge of the rooftop. “He is your flesh and blood. If you don’t help him, he’ll truly have nothing left in this world.” But I grew up with a fiery temper and a spoiled personality. I was used to people serving me, not the other way around. So, I marched over in my stilettos, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him back. “Stop acting like you’re going to jump. You’re just as pathetic and useless as your father.” “Where is he, anyway? Doesn’t he know I’m back? Why isn’t he here to pick me up?” 01 The teenage boy looked at me quietly. For a split second, a look of bewilderment crossed his face, but he quickly recovered, his expression returning to a stagnant, ripple-less pool of water. He tilted his head slightly, lost in his own world. I clicked my tongue impatiently and gave him an order. “Call Arthur Sterling.” It took him a long while to pull out his phone and dial a number. The phone rang for thirty seconds before the automated voicemail prompt kicked in. I narrowed my eyes. “Arthur dares to ignore calls? He’s got some nerve!” Leo seemed used to it. He was just about to put his phone away. I snatched it right out of his hand and dialed the number three or four more times in a row. Finally, the call connected, but it was a crisp female voice on the other end. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling is currently in a meeting. Please do not interrupt.” She hung up before I even had a chance to speak. I almost smashed the phone against the wall, but suddenly remembered it wasn’t mine. I forced my raised hand down, grinding my teeth in anger. “Alright, just you wait!” Leo tugged at my sleeve. When I looked over in confusion, he stared at me with those clear, glass-like eyes and softly said two words. “Go back.” 02 On the ride back, I confirmed with the System one more time: “Is this silent kid really my son?” I told Leo the cab’s seats were uncomfortable; he just said, “Mm.” I told him I didn’t like the driver’s heavy breathing because the rhythm was too messy and annoying; he just said, “Mm.” I told him the clothes he was wearing were painfully ugly and dragging down my aesthetic; he still just said, “Mm.” Eventually, I got so mad I started cursing, demanding to know where that bastard Arthur had rolled off to. He finally raised his eyes to look at me, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and whispered two words. “Business trip.” I almost died of anger. Getting a single word out of him was like pulling teeth. He didn’t seem like my son at all. When he was two, he used to scream so loud he’d keep Arthur awake all night. He clearly had my exact fiery temper back then. How did he turn into this silent, closed-off shell? [Host, please try to be a little understanding. The child suffers from severe psychological trauma. Communication barriers are just one of the symptoms.] I pursed my lips, looking at Leo’s thin, frail silhouette and his dull, lifeless eyes. My chest physically ached with anger. In the fifteen years I was gone, how the hell did that bastard Arthur raise our kid?! 03 After getting home, I did a quick tour of my own bedroom. Good. The layout was exactly the same as it was fifteen years ago, and not a single one of my belongings was missing. However, in the shoe cabinet by the door, there was an extra pair of pale green women’s slippers. I glanced at them. They fit my personal style, so I didn’t overthink it. By the time I finished my inspection, I realized that kid Leo had disappeared. His bedroom door was locked. I frowned, grabbed a spare key, and opened the door myself. The room was pitch black. The lights were off, and the heavy blackout curtains were drawn tight, blocking out every sliver of sunlight. As the light from the living room spilled into the room through the open door, I saw a lonely, desolate figure sitting by the window. I stomped over, flipped the light switch with a loud click, crossed my arms, and sat down right in front of him. Leo just sat there blankly, staring unblinkingly in one direction, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were completely dull and devoid of light. I stared at him and spat out three words. “I am hungry.” Leo finally seemed to register my presence. Hearing my words, he looked down, pulled out his phone, and opened UberEats. “I don’t eat takeout!” “Is this how Arthur lets you resolve your three meals a day?!” Leo put his phone down, lowered his head, and stopped responding to me entirely. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, turned around, and walked out, unable to stop myself from complaining to the System. “With a mess like this, you might as well have let me stay dead.” Behind me, Leo looked up, his eyelashes trembling slightly. 04 I called the System out and demanded a full rundown of what Leo had been through over the last fifteen years. The System told me that after I died, Arthur grew more depressed by the day. There were times he completely neglected his own company, let alone taking proper care of Leo. Once, Arthur got blackout drunk and slept for two days straight. During that time, Leo didn’t eat a single bite of food. He cried from hunger until he passed out, and had to be rushed to the ER to be resuscitated. After that incident, Arthur dumped Leo on a nanny and threw himself entirely into his work. The nanny saw that Arthur didn’t pay much attention to the kid, so her attitude toward Leo was terrible. She rarely cooked for him and occasionally even hit or scolded him. It wasn’t until Leo fainted from starvation again that Arthur rushed back and discovered what was happening. By then, Leo was already severely ill, to the point where he couldn’t even go to school. Arthur fired the nanny, but struggled to find someone suitable to care for the boy. His executive assistant, Sylvia Thorne, volunteered to take on the task. “Sylvia?” I recalled the woman who had answered Arthur’s phone earlier. It had to be her. [Leo hates her very much. Because of her, he had a massive falling out with your husband.] [Three years ago, Arthur planned to marry Sylvia to balance his work and family life. Leo vehemently opposed it. He held a knife to his own wrist and forced Arthur to swear he would never marry Sylvia, or else he would kill himself.] I couldn’t believe my ears. “Arthur actually wanted to marry someone else?” [Please don’t worry, Host. In the end, he didn’t marry Sylvia. To this day, their relationship remains strictly boss and subordinate.] [However, ever since that incident, Sylvia has harbored deep resentment toward Leo, and her attitude toward him is no longer what it used to be.] I frowned. “What did she do?” [Learning from the previous nanny’s mistakes, she didn’t dare do anything too obvious. Instead, she just tells Leo every single day that his mother is never coming back. She tells him he needs to be obedient and not be a burden to his father. She constantly reminds him that Arthur needs a capable wife who can be his right-hand woman, not the ghost of a dead first love.] I let out a cold laugh. “Oh, really? A right-hand woman, huh?” [Host, what do you plan to do next?] “Arthur clearly has water in his brain. I’ll just have to beat it out of him,” I smiled playfully. “And as for this Sylvia… using those kinds of psychological tricks on my son? She’s about to get what’s coming to her.” 05 But even I didn’t expect the confrontation with Sylvia to happen so quickly. The next morning, I was still sleeping in my room when I was abruptly woken up by a loud commotion. I pulled the blanket over my head, intending to go back to sleep. Then I heard the argument outside my door. A female voice, dripping with blame, said, “Leo, how could you just bring a stranger home? And a woman of unknown origin at that?” “I know you’ve always hated me being by Mr. Sterling’s side, but you don’t have to retaliate against him like this. Where does this put Mr. Sterling? And what do you think you’re doing?” But no matter what Sylvia said, Leo’s attitude was resolute. He refused to let her in. Sylvia raised her voice slightly. “Leo, you are being so disobedient. It is truly disappointing.” “Do you want me to tell Mr. Sterling that you brought some shady woman home and let her sleep in your mother’s bedroom?” I didn’t catch what Leo said, but Sylvia’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming incredibly severe. “If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to have Mr. Sterling come back and discipline you personally.” I played with my manicured nails, chuckled to myself, and opened the door. Seeing me step out, Leo frowned slightly. “Did she… wake you?” “It’s fine. It was about time to wake up anyway.” Sylvia looked me up and down. “You are certainly pretty. No wonder you managed to seduce Leo like this.” “But as long as I am by Mr. Sterling’s side, I will never allow someone like you to step foot in the Sterling household. Leo is naive and isolated from the world. You’re just taking advantage of that to manipulate him…” SMACK! A crisp, resounding slap echoed through the hallway. Sylvia covered the bright red handprint on her cheek, staring at me in absolute disbelief. “You actually hit me?” I smiled. “You’re exactly the person I intended to hit.” Sylvia took a deep breath and spoke into her phone. “Mr. Sterling, you heard all of that. Leo has truly gone too far this time, letting this woman run wild in your home…” “Hold on.” Arthur’s voice came through the speakerphone, carrying a trace of undetectable agitation and uncontrollable, overwhelming joy. “Turn on your camera. Let me see her face.” Sylvia froze for a second, but she obeyed Arthur’s command, switching to a video call and pointing the camera right at me. “Get out.” A voice laced with icy hostility rang out. Leo stepped in front of me, blocking the camera lens with his hand, refusing to let Arthur see my face. Before anyone could react, he pulled me back into the room and locked the door behind us. Sylvia banged on the door from the outside, berating him. “Leo, why are you being so rebellious now? Going against your father for some woman—you’re going to disappoint him deeply…” Leo’s tone was indifferent and entirely calm. “None of your business.” Sylvia tried using both soft pleas and harsh threats through the door, but nothing worked. Even when she threatened to complain to Arthur, Leo treated it like white noise. She wasted almost an hour at the door before finally giving up and leaving. Inside the room, I stared at Leo, deep in thought. “Why didn’t you want Arthur to see me?” Leo’s actions were incredibly abnormal. It wasn’t just a kid throwing a tantrum. He seemed withdrawn and antisocial, but his mind was delicate and sensitive. There had to be a reason he did that. Leo slowly looked up and met my gaze. He suddenly reached out and grabbed my wrist, a faint tremor in his voice. “Don’t. Leave.” My heart swelled with warmth. I gently wrapped my arm around his back, softly stroking the top of his head. My voice was gentle. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t leave.” Leo buried his face in my embrace for a few seconds before pulling back slightly. He pulled out his phone and showed me a document. The more I read, the deeper my frown became. “What the hell is Arthur thinking? He actually agreed to this?!” The document detailed ten top-performing students Arthur had sponsored over the years. According to the proposal, he was going to select one of these ten to adopt as his stepson and heir. I was so furious I wanted to call Arthur and curse him out immediately. “Is his brain filled with water? Did his brain cells shrink as he aged? What an absolute idiot.” Leo tugged at my hand. “It’s… cousin’s arrangement.” “Don’t… trust him.” I froze for a second. Leo’s “cousin” was Richard Hayes, my own cousin who had grown up with me. Richard and I had a pretty good relationship. Back when I insisted on marrying Arthur, my grandfather vehemently opposed it, and Richard was the one who helped me convince him. I forced myself to calm down and looked at Leo. “What else do you know?” He shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ll handle this.” I made a phone call to my grandfather’s executive secretary. I briefly explained the situation and asked him to investigate Richard Hayes, as well as Arthur’s current whereabouts. “Understood. I’ll send people to investigate immediately. You’ll have the results in three hours.” “Wait. One more thing.” “…Miss Chloe, does the old Mr. Vance know you’re back?” “I haven’t told Grandpa yet. Don’t rush to tell him. By the way, is Grandpa’s health doing okay?” “The old man is strong and healthy. He just misses you very much. He talks about you all the time.” I blinked rapidly, my throat tightening. “I miss Grandpa too.” 06 The secretary informed me that Arthur had just flown back into the country. The moment he stepped out of the airport, he was heading straight to corporate headquarters for a board meeting to announce his chosen heir. I told Leo to stay put at home and changed the front door passcode. Then, I drove straight to the highway to intercept Arthur. In the years I was gone, this was how he took care of Leo. He was doing a fantastic job. Following the location data the secretary sent, I tailed Arthur’s car. I was just about to overtake them and force them to pull over when I realized something was wrong. This wasn’t the route to the corporate headquarters. I slowed down, trailing them from a safe distance, wanting to see exactly what he was up to. To my surprise, the car drove straight out into the deserted suburbs. I followed closely behind. Suddenly, the car’s trajectory became erratic, swerving wildly before slamming on the brakes, scraping against the guardrail, and coming to a screeching halt. The car doors flew open, and two men tumbled out, violently brawling with each other. Arthur was clearly losing. He was grabbed by his collar, slammed against the car window, and took a brutal punch to the gut that made him double over and drop to a crouch. The driver pinned Arthur to the ground, picked up a heavy rock, and aimed it right at Arthur’s head, ready to smash it down. I slammed on my brakes, jumped out of the car, and sprinted over in my stilettos. I grabbed a heavy steel wrench I had grabbed from my trunk and brought it down hard on the driver’s head. The driver’s grip on Arthur loosened. He stumbled sideways, turning toward me in a daze. Before he could fully turn around, I delivered a swift, brutal kick, sending him sprawling to the dirt. Arthur looked like an absolute wreck. His custom suit was filthy, and his hair was plastered messily across his forehead with sweat. He gasped for air, squinting as he looked up at me. His attempt to stand up suddenly froze. He stayed frozen in that position, staring at me intently, muttering to himself as if he were sleepwalking. “Chloe? Is it you?” “I haven’t seen you in so long… I thought you’d never want to see me again…” Confirmed. This man’s brain was definitely not functioning properly. I didn’t have the patience to waste time with him. I raised my leg and delivered a solid kick right to his thigh. He let out a muffled groan, and in the next second, he reached out and grabbed my ankle. “Such a familiar force…” Arthur chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving me for a single second. “Chloe. It really is you.” I let out a cold laugh, wrenched my ankle out of his grasp, and slammed my stiletto heel down squarely onto his chest, grinding it in. “Alright, let’s hear it.” “In the fifteen years I was gone, exactly how did you bully my son?” Arthur stared at me in a daze, letting out a confused, “Ah?” I straddled his waist and delivered a stinging slap across his face. “Who gave you permission to dump Leo with a nanny? Who allowed you to let Sylvia Thorne walk all over him? And who agreed to adopt some random kid as your heir?! You think just because I died, you can bully my son?! Do you even have me in your heart? Do you even care about Leo?!” Arthur grabbed my hands, his eyes turning red. “I’m sorry, Chloe.” “The first few years after you left, every time I looked at that child, he reminded me of you… There were so many times I just wanted to end it and go find you. I really… I had no other choice but to entrust him to someone else’s care.” “Later, when he grew up a bit, he completely refused to get close to me. And I was overwhelmed with company affairs…” SMACK! Another resounding slap. I grabbed Arthur by his collar, gritting my teeth and enunciating every word. “What does any of that have to do with him?! Why should a two-year-old child have to bear the burden of my death?!” “He was only two when I left! He was so small, what did he know?! He lost his mother at such a young age, and you just neglected him. Are you even human, Arthur? Do you have a conscience?!” Arthur obediently took the slaps without fighting back, then stealthily reached over to hold my hand. Tears were welling in his eyes, threatening to spill over. His refined, handsome face bore the bright red marks of my fingers. He looked thoroughly victimized. “I was wrong, Chloe. I swear I’ll never do it again.” “What the hell are you and Richard playing at? And what’s going on today? Explain it to me clearly!” “It’s a long story. Chloe, why don’t you let go of me first…” I slowly released his collar, my voice freezing cold. “You’d better have your own master plan, because if you don’t, I won’t spare you today.” Seeing me let go, Arthur leaned in, nuzzling against me as he held my hand. He pushed up his half-rim glasses and flashed me a smile. “Don’t worry, Chloe. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

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During my sophomore year of college, I sent a box of gifts to my boyfriend. He was happily video-chatting with me when he opened it. Suddenly, a roommate walking by his screen chimed in: “That stuff looks cheap. Why are you flexing that so hard?” My boyfriend turned his head and shot back playfully: “Oh, and that raggedy old little pouch you carry around isn’t a treasure? You won’t even let anyone touch it.” The next second, my ex-boyfriend’s face appeared in the camera frame. I was instantly transported back to my senior year of high school. I remembered the moment I was framed for stealing an exam answer key, losing my guaranteed college admission spot. The bad boy who had once sworn to be my ultimate protector had looked at me with impatience and said: “Do you know who her family is? Do you know who you are? Did you really have to provoke her?” 1 I froze for a second before I realized the face on the screen was Cole. I hadn’t seen him in a few years, and he looked even better than before. He didn’t need to pretend to be a broke kid in front of me anymore; he had reverted to being the rich heir, though he had shed some of his teenage arrogance and immaturity. The moment his eyes met mine through the screen, the hand holding his cigarette visibly trembled. Ash fell onto his hand. He quickly averted his gaze and let out a cold scoff: “This is it?” Liam’s face instantly darkened. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, get the hell out of the frame. My girlfriend is the best thing in the world.” “The best? Who knows if she’s just with you for your money.” Cole leaned back against his headboard, his eyes dark and unreadable. Liam turned back to the camera, flashing me a brilliant smile. “Baby, what else do you want? Anything money can buy is no problem. You know I’m loaded.” “Please, I’m begging you, let me spend some money on you.” He continued to playfully whine at the camera. I looked down at the floor, not saying a word. Cole suddenly let out a cold laugh. “Isn’t that what you’ve been waiting for this whole time? Hurry up and ask him.” Liam only had endless patience and a good temper when it came to me. Normally, he couldn’t stand anyone saying a bad word about me. He whipped around and kicked Cole’s desk. “Did the Sterling family go bankrupt? Why are you so sensitive about money?” Finally, Liam frowned and delivered the killing blow: “Or is it that time of the month for you? Why are you being so passive-aggressive to my girlfriend today?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Cole’s face turned black as thunder. His chest heaved, but he couldn’t utter a single word. He stood up, his face icy, and slammed the dorm room door behind him. Liam acted like he hadn’t noticed a thing, leaning back toward his desk and continuing our call. “I’m sorry, babe. I don’t know what’s wrong with him today. Don’t let it ruin your mood. I’ll take you to look at some apartments later.” “My family’s new development is finished. Do you want to go check it out? I specifically had them set aside the best units.” He rambled on, simultaneously watching my expression with careful observation. If anyone saw the untouchable, highly-sought-after heir of the Miller family talking to a girl like this, their jaws would probably drop. I looked up and offered him a reassuring smile. “It’s fine.” “We can talk about the apartments later. I have to get to class soon.” “Okay. Wait for me, I’ll come pick you up right now.” To be honest, when I moved to this city, I was mentally prepared to eventually run into Cole. But I never expected him to be roommates with Liam. Back when I was fighting tooth and nail to claw my way up, I always thought that if Cole saw me, I needed him to know that leaving him only made my life better. But seeing him now, I realized I felt absolutely nothing. 2 It started raining when I left my dorm. I stood under the awning, reading a research paper while waiting for Liam. “You’ve really moved up in the world, Chloe.” “Where’s Liam?” My gaze passed right through him, staring blankly into the distance. Cole suddenly reached out and pulled me under his umbrella. “Is it a crime for me to pick you up?” That single sentence yanked me from the pristine college campus right back to the damp, rundown trailer park of my youth. It was pouring rain. The power in the classroom had gone out. While the other students were celebrating getting out of school early, I was just glad I could start my delivery shift sooner and make a little extra cash. I didn’t have a choice. I was an orphan; if I needed money, I had to earn it myself. The moment I stepped out into the rain, I was instantly soaked to the bone. Terrified of getting bad ratings, I took off my own raincoat and wrapped it around the delivery box on the back of my e-bike. Before I could even feel good about the money I was going to make, the e-bike skidded and crashed heavily onto the wet pavement. My leg was badly scraped. I struggled for a long time but couldn’t manage to stand up. With no other option, I called my childhood friend, Ethan, to come get me. But the person who showed up wasn’t Ethan; it was Cole. Back then, Cole was the quintessential bad boy. Covered in cheap, clinking jewelry, he looked like a walking hardware store as he ran through the storm to reach me. “Where’s Ethan?” “Is it a crime for me to pick you up? I’m your best friend too, you know.” He helped me pick up the fallen e-bike, then scooped me up into his arms. A faint scent of antiseptic enveloped me. I clung to his back, watching the rich kid clumsily try to start the e-bike, cursing the entire time. “Chloe, are you crazy? If you need money, just tell me. Delivering food in a storm like this… aren’t you afraid of getting killed?” “If you die, Mr. Wilson is going to dramatically slit his throat in front of the whole class.” Mr. Wilson was our homeroom teacher. He had always looked out for me. I lay against his back, feeling his body heat. Maybe I just found him annoying, or maybe my heart was beating too fast and scrambling my brain, but I reached out and covered his mouth. “Shut up.” It was instantly quiet, leaving only the sound of the relentless rain and the pounding of a heartbeat. His warm breath hit my hand, making my ears turn bright red. I was always someone who prioritized efficiency, but suddenly, I wished time would just stop for a while. But now. Now, I wished time would fast-forward, so I could escape having to interact with him. “Chloe, I’m here.” Liam arrived, and I practically sprinted toward him. He wrapped me in a tight hug before finally looking at Cole. Cole stood in the rain, looking inexplicably lonely. He gripped a small, embroidered pouch in his hand, his mouth opening and closing. Liam’s gaze swept over him, and the grip on my hand tightened slightly. “Let’s go.” But Cole called out to him. “Do you know who gave me this pouch?” My body went a little stiff. Liam, however, turned around with a smile. “Does it matter who gave it to you?” “Aren’t you just the guy who got dumped and is now desperately clinging to some raggedy pouch to reminisce?” Cole didn’t get angry. “But when she gave it to me, she put a good luck charm inside. She prayed for it herself.” “Liam, has your girlfriend ever given you anything like that?” The two men stared at each other in tense silence. Liam suddenly grabbed my arm, revealing the beaded bracelet on my wrist. “I couldn’t bear to make my girlfriend do that kind of work, so I prayed for this one for her.” Cole’s pupils contracted violently. He gripped the pouch so tightly it crumpled. He opened his mouth, then closed it. I guessed he wanted to ask. He wanted to ask if the scar on my wrist had finally healed. 3 Years ago, the day I found out Cole was in the hospital after a car crash, I learned what it truly felt like to be scared out of my mind. Ethan brought me to the hospital, but I could only press my face against the glass window of the ICU. Cole was lying there, surrounded by beeping monitors, hooked up to a dozen tubes. The doctor was giving the Sterling family an update. “The patient’s condition is extremely critical. Whether he wakes up or not depends entirely on tonight and tomorrow. If he doesn’t wake up by tomorrow…” “The family needs to prepare for the worst.” I covered my mouth, slowly sliding down the wall until I hit the floor. In that moment, staring at the sterile white walls, I thought about praying to a higher power for the first time in my life. For the first eighteen years of my life, I had been a staunch atheist. But this time, I wanted to beg the heavens, just to let me be lucky this one time. Let him live. I stayed outside his hospital room all night. The next day, Ethan took me to a famous local temple. It was said to be the most effective temple in the area, located at the very top of a seemingly endless mountain. Even though there was a cable car, barely anyone took it. People believed that climbing the mountain path on foot showed true sincerity. And only then would the heavens grant your wish. The mountain path was brutal. Ethan accompanied me quietly. I didn’t dare stop or rest for a single second. By the time we reached the top, I was drenched in sweat. The moment I knelt before the altar, I offered up all the devotion I possessed. “Please, please let Cole wake up.” A monk standing nearby handed me a good luck charm, offering a gentle smile. “Though the path is fraught with hardship, the end will bring fulfillment.” I joyfully placed the charm inside the embroidered pouch I had made. On the way down the mountain, I practically ran the entire way. As a result, joy turned to disaster. I tripped and fell, tearing a deep gash into my arm. Right at that moment, the hospital called to say Cole had woken up. Clutching the pouch, crying and laughing simultaneously, I completely ignored my bleeding wrist and rushed back to the hospital. Cole had just woken from his coma and was still on a ventilator. His hands were moving frantically. I thought he was in pain and was about to call the doctor. But when the doctor arrived, Cole just pointed a weak finger at my wrist. “Hurts…” “Worry about yourself first.” My anxiety made me snap at him like a firecracker, but he just offered a weak, good-natured smile. Later, when he was discharged from the hospital, I handed him the pouch containing the good luck charm. Because of the car crash, he had a long scar down his back. Because of him, I had a scar on my arm. “We have matching scars,” I had said. Cole had simply gripped the pouch and pulled me into his arms. “Chloe, let’s be together.” The messy, chaotic stitches on that pouch held all my secret, teenage hopes and dreams. I said yes, and we began a secret, high school romance. Back then, I truly believed that Cole and I would have a perfect, happy ending. But now, the scar on my wrist was covered by a bracelet engraved with Liam’s name. 4 After finishing an intense Calculus lecture, I felt energized and ready to go, but Liam had turned into a deflated puppy. He switched into his ‘needy’ persona, clinging to me and whining. “Babe, compared to you, I feel so stupid.” I found it endearing, ruffling his hair to comfort him. “You’re not stupid, you’re not stupid. Tell me what part you didn’t understand, I’ll explain it.” “No, let’s go get food first.” He grabbed my hand to lead me out, then stopped halfway down the hall. “I left my phone on the desk.” “I’ll go grab it. Wait here.” He sprinted off, and I leaned against the wall to fill out an application form. There was a highly coveted internship opportunity available, and the competition in our department was fierce. Even though I was ranked first in my class, I couldn’t afford to slack off. My temples started throbbing again. I instinctively reached into my bag. “Here.” A lighter and a cigarette were placed into my hand. I pulled out a piece of candy instead. “I quit.” Cole nodded, his eyes carrying an emotion I couldn’t read. “Do you always have to push yourself this hard?” He had said those exact words to me before. We had gotten into a huge fight over it. Right before the SATs, I was pushing myself to the absolute limit. To stay awake and study, I had even started smoking. I was fiercely ambitious. I had to get into a top-tier university. That was the first step toward my dream. When Ethan, acting on his mom’s orders, brought me food, he was shocked by how awful I looked. He didn’t say much, just tossed me a bottle of vitamins. “Eat this before you study.” I nodded and silently ate the food. My phone kept buzzing. It was a text from Cole. “Chloe, I miss you so much. Can I come see you?” Below the text was the address of a notoriously expensive, exclusive club. I hadn’t planned on going, but it was his birthday today, and I caved. When I walked into the private VIP room, Cole immediately pulled me into a hug. “You haven’t spent time with me in so long. Just stay with me tonight.” “I can’t. I have to be back by ten to finish practice tests. Once exams are over…” Before I could finish, a female voice cut me off. “Give it a rest. She’s a self-made academic weapon. Why are you trying to distract her?” I knew the girl who spoke. It was Cole’s childhood friend, Victoria. She looked me up and down with obvious disdain, letting out a cold scoff. “Tsk. Playing hard to get is fine, but don’t overdo it. If you play your hand wrong, you’ll be crying when it’s too late.” As soon as she finished speaking, the room erupted in laughter. Cole’s face darkened, and he smashed his glass on the floor. “If any of you motherf***ers say one more passive-aggressive thing, I swear to God.” “What my girlfriend does is none of your damn business.” He threw a massive fit, and those ‘friends’ of his never dared to say another bad word about me. He even grabbed Victoria and forced her to apologize to me. Honestly, I knew his friends looked down on me. They all thought I was only with him for his money. But I didn’t care what they thought. I only cared what Cole thought. As long as Cole believed in me and supported me, I wasn’t afraid of anything. That night, Cole ended his birthday party early and personally walked me home. “Don’t exhaust yourself. Get some sleep after you finish those practice tests.” His eyes were sparkling, but he still sounded a little sheepish when he spoke. “Can you at least say ‘Happy Birthday’ to me?” “Happy Birthday. Here’s your gift.” It was a pair of boxing gloves. They had cost me a whole month’s salary. Cole smiled so wide he couldn’t close his mouth. “I love them.” I buried my face in his jacket and took a deep breath, feeling all my exhaustion melt away. For the following weeks, he quietly took charge of bringing me three meals a day. One day, I was studying like a maniac and finally managed to carve out an hour to go see him. Instead, I overheard him complaining to Victoria. “Does she really need to push herself this hard?” “Wouldn’t it be better to just stay by my side? I can give her whatever she wants. I seriously don’t understand why she’s being so difficult.” I didn’t hear what he said to Victoria after that. I just felt a sudden, sharp ache in my chest. But back then, I convinced myself he was just worried about me. I had no idea that this was just the beginning of the end. 5 Liam walked out of the classroom with his phone, smoothly pulling me into his arms without missing a beat. “Figured out what you want to eat?” His thumbs expertly massaged my temples. “Headache again? The family doctor prescribed some herbal medicine for you. I’ll have them brew it and send it over later.” I leaned against him and gently patted his hand. “I’m fine. Don’t go through the trouble.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss me. His movements were gentle, but laced with a deep possessiveness. “You’re leaving soon for your internship. You need to focus on taking care of your health while you can.” I squeezed his hand. “Okay. Just come with me to drop off this application form first.” Cole, who had been standing in the shadows, suddenly moved. His face was dark. “You’re letting her go work in the mountains?” The smile on Liam’s face vanished completely. He shot Cole a freezing glare. “Whatever she wants to do, I support her.” “Besides, she is my girlfriend. Cole, you’re crossing the line.” … Cole stormed off with a dark expression. Liam and I went to his off-campus apartment. I knew he had definitely noticed the tension between Cole and me. He kept his head down, kissing me deeply. “Chloe, he doesn’t deserve you.” “Are you jealous?” Liam frowned, grabbing my hand as it wandered downwards. “Every single person who gets close to you makes me jealous.” “That’s why I’m going to hold onto you so tightly, and make sure I never make a single mistake.” “That way, you’ll stay with me forever and ever.” He didn’t bother hiding the possessiveness in his eyes anymore. At the height of our intimacy, I gripped the back of his neck. A faint flush appeared at the corners of Liam’s eyes. “Chloe, only ever look at me. Promise me.” “Chloe, let me stay by your side. I’ll always support you. I will never be an obstacle to anything you want to do.” I stared at him, and kissed him hard. Their breath mingling, Liam’s rhythm grew erratic, his movements accelerating. Finally, he bit down on the soft flesh of my neck, pausing. The next day in class, Cole kept turning around to look at me. Following his gaze, Liam casually reached up and stroked the red mark on my neck. 6 Right after I finished my final seminar report, someone told me Liam and Cole were fighting. By the time I ran over, the two of them were already tangled in a brawl. “What happened?” “I don’t know, it looked like Liam accidentally bumped into Cole’s embroidered pouch, and then they just started swinging.” “Stop fighting.” The people around them managed to pull Cole back. I frantically checked Liam for injuries. “Are you okay?” I was so anxious I didn’t even notice I had stepped directly on the pouch Cole had dropped. “Chloe!” He grabbed the hem of my shirt desperately. “Is he the only person you see now?” “Obviously? Who is he to me, and who are you to me? Why are you trying to start a fight with him?” The color drained from Cole’s face, inch by inch. He crouched on the ground, helplessly clutching the pouch. “Chloe, listen to me…” I dragged Liam toward the campus clinic, leaving his words behind me. “Chloe, who am I to you?” Liam leaned his head on my shoulder, his eyes rimmed with red. I knew his stubborn, needy side was acting up again. “My boyfriend.” Liam closed his eyes in deep satisfaction, looking like a cat that had just been petted exactly right. “The things you said to Cole today… he used to say those exact same things to you, didn’t he?” Liam secretly traced circles on my palm with his finger, over and over. Nothing got past him. Cole had said those exact words to me once. 7 That year, as the SATs approached, I grew increasingly anxious. I desperately needed that golden ticket to a top university. I wanted a good future, and I needed a ladder to bridge the massive gap between me and Cole. He was a trust fund baby; I was an orphaned girl with dead parents. He held all the chips, while the only card I had to play was my academic ability. My life felt like a high-wire balancing act. I was pushing myself to the absolute limit. All I saw was a top-tier university. Cole came to find me every day, but I never spoke to him for more than three minutes at a time. Finally, one day, he lost his temper. “Chloe, why do you have to push yourself so hard?! Is it for the money? How much do you need? Can’t I just give it to you?!” I stood there, my face deathly pale, slowly picking up the practice workbooks I had dropped on the floor, trying to piece together my crumbling dignity. If someone offered me that money now, I would take it without hesitation. But that’s how teenagers are. When you think you’re invincible, you’re also the easiest to destroy. Before my frustrated tears could fall, Cole pulled me into a hug and apologized. “I’m sorry, Chloe, I’m just so worried. Do you have any idea how much weight you’ve lost lately? I’m genuinely terrified. Please, I’m begging you, just take it easy on yourself.” “Stop pushing yourself so hard. I will always be your safety net.” A teenage boy’s promises look like a beautiful bouquet of flowers, but underneath, they are completely empty. And I almost fell for it, almost let myself become nothing more than fertilizer for those flowers. As much as Cole liked me, Victoria hated me. But she always maintained the facade of just being a “friend” who stayed quietly by Cole’s side, so I couldn’t really say anything. It wasn’t until the day she fully exposed her malice that I nearly broke. During the final school-wide mock exams, I gripped my pen, calculating furiously. Looking at the familiar test format, my confidence slowly grew. By the time I finished the last question, I even felt a surge of pride. I thought I had that golden ticket secured. Our school had two guaranteed admission spots for top universities, and I was always ranked first in my grade. But just after finishing my last exam, I was called into the principal’s office. For an absolutely absurd reason. “You’re saying I stole the mock exam answer key? Are you insane?” I stood there, trembling uncontrollably. The principal slammed a document onto the desk without any explanation. “The security cameras caught you going into the records room.” “Chloe, don’t be stubborn.” Then, he immediately switched to a different, patronizing tone. “Chloe, actually, given your academic ability, you don’t even need this guaranteed admission spot to get into a top school. Why fight so hard for it here?” He tapped a bank card on the desk and held up five fingers. Fifty thousand dollars. “I didn’t steal the exam.” Victoria stepped out from the shadows, her eyes full of blatant malice. “Stop struggling. Don’t you just study so hard for the money?” “This is more money than you’ll see in your entire life.” I gritted my teeth. “I didn’t steal the exam, and I’m going to make you pay for this.” Back then, I always thought right was right and wrong was wrong, so my first instinct was to expose her and demand justice. But there was no justice. The principal spoke first. “If you keep causing a scene, I can’t guarantee you’ll even be allowed to take the SATs this year.” His eyes were freezing cold. I stood frozen in place. “My academic record has brought this school a lot of prestige.” “Don’t be ridiculous. Without Chloe, there will be an Emily, or an Ashley.” “But finding a student like Victoria, whose family can donate ten million dollars with the snap of a finger, isn’t easy.” “Chloe, stop causing trouble. Just take the money and walk away. It’s better for everyone.” I didn’t believe it, so I went to find Cole. He had said he was my safety net. He could demand justice for me, just like he had at the club that night. But he avoided my eyes. “Chloe, my family’s company ran into some issues recently. Right now, Victoria is our main supplier. I can’t treat her the way I used to.” “It’s just college. I can take you to study abroad with me. You can go wherever you want.” He grabbed my shoulders, looking desperate, while I was on the verge of a total breakdown. “I don’t need the guaranteed admission spot! But why are they framing me for stealing the exam?! I didn’t do it!” I screamed at him, my voice hoarse. “I refuse to carry the stigma of being a thief!” Didn’t he know? Did he know how many people were pointing fingers behind my back, saying the most horrific things about me? “Chloe, those people are just talking nonsense. Why do you care what they think?” “I need you to clear my name.” The continuous breakdown in communication finally triggered Cole’s rich-kid temper. He slammed his fist onto the table. “Do you know who her family is? Do you know who you are? Did you really have to provoke her?” The rain poured down on me. I involuntarily shivered. I almost… I almost actually believed I had a safety net.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “403343”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When I was 18, I caught my sister lifting Carter’s shirt, her hands trailing over his abs. The boy’s shirt hung loose, and he simply let her do whatever she wanted. At 22, Carter listened to his family and married me. But everyone knew that even though we were married, he still couldn’t let go of the sister he loved so fiercely. Later, I asked for a divorce. He stayed silent for a long time before finally signing the divorce papers. “If you ever need any help in the future, just ask.” At 28, I came back to attend his wedding to my sister. He glared darkly at the man standing beside me. “You couldn’t wait to divorce me back then. Was it all just for him?” 01 “I heard Maya Hayes is back.” “I remember she was the one who asked for the divorce, right?” “Carter Vance is the CEO of the Vance family now. I bet she’s regretting it.” “What’s there to regret? She stole her sister’s marriage in the first place. This is just returning things to their rightful owner.” … The moment I stepped toward the VIP room, I heard them talking about me. Over the past three years, the rumors about me hadn’t died down. They all said I was just playing hard to get. Even my own parents thought so. On the day of my divorce, my mother specifically warned me: “Since you two are divorced, you are not to contact him anymore.” “Your sister injured her leg, and she needs Carter right now. Don’t do anything to upset her.” Seeing me look down in silence, she added: “This marriage belonged to your sister in the first place. If she hadn’t gone abroad to further her career, it never would have been your turn.” My sister, Serena Hayes, and Carter Vance had been the envy of our social circle. But on the eve of their wedding, Serena ran away. By then, the news of the two families merging had already been announced to the press. Under immense public pressure, the Vance family elders decided to swap the bride and have him marry me instead. I don’t know how they convinced him, but Carter eventually agreed to marry me. For three years, we lived like a perfectly normal married couple. But everyone knew that despite marrying me, he had never let go of Serena. He never let me into his home office. One day, he forgot to lock the door. I peeked through the crack and instantly felt like I had been plunged into an ice bath. The walls of his study were covered in his and Serena’s pre-wedding photos. I had never seen Carter look like that. So vibrant, so doting, so utterly focused. His eyes were entirely filled with Serena. That was the moment the thought of divorce first crossed my mind. On the day I finally made up my mind, I accidentally overheard him on the phone. He was speaking in a gentle, coaxing voice to the person on the other end: “Yeah, don’t be scared. I’ll be there in ten minutes… Don’t try to walk, just wait for me. Be a good girl.” The moment he turned around, he saw me. I spoke calmly, “Dinner is ready. Have some before you leave.” He paused for a brief second, then continued walking toward the door. “You eat. Don’t wait up for me.” Just as he was about to step out, I called his name again. A flash of impatience crossed his face. “What is it?” “Carter,” I said. “Let’s get a divorce.” 02 By the time the news of our divorce reached my parents, we had already signed the papers. Carter didn’t mistreat me. He gave me half of his assets. My parents summoned me home in the middle of the night. They interrogated me like a criminal, demanding to know how I could be so cruel as to take half of Carter’s fortune. “Maya, is this how we raised you? Did you only marry him for the Vance family’s money?” Serena stood to the side on her crutches, shedding tears. “Maya, are you blaming me? Are you mad that I came back and took Carter away from you…” Before she could finish, my parents cut her off. “Carter was supposed to be your husband anyway! If you hadn’t been so stubborn about running away, you and Carter would have kids running around by now.” Serena loved Carter, but she loved ballet more. Shortly after accepting Carter’s proposal, she received an offer from a world-renowned ballet company in Europe. She dumped Carter without hesitation and flew across the world. For three years, she practically cut all contact with him. Until that one night, when Carter received an international call. He had been leaning against my shoulder, trying to catch his breath. He answered the phone right in front of me. Because we were so close, I clearly heard the tearful female voice on the other end. Carter froze. One second… five seconds… ten seconds… It took a full thirty seconds for Carter to react. He quickly grabbed a robe and hurried out of the room. Carter didn’t come back that night. The next day, I found out from my parents that Serena had been in an accident during a performance and shattered her leg. Carter personally flew out to bring her back. Even though she was staying at my parents’ house, Carter handled everything related to her personally. Because of this, my parents even sat me down to “counsel” me. “Don’t take it to heart. Your sister can never dance again. She’s devastated, and Carter is the only one who can comfort her right now.” My parents had favored Serena since we were little. She was beautiful, had great grades, and was incredibly talented at singing and dancing. I, on the other hand, was just a bookworm—boring, and terrible at sweet-talking. Everyone revolved around the injured Serena. Including my husband. He gradually lost all patience with me. One evening, he promised to pick me up, but left me waiting in the pouring rain for two hours. I got soaked and came down with a high fever. Carter had no choice but to leave Serena and come to the hospital to take care of me. But my mother believed it was just a manipulative trick to force Carter to come home. She screamed at me hysterically: “Because you dragged Carter away, your sister almost did something unthinkable last night!” “You are a perfectly healthy person! Why do you have to compete with a disabled woman?” I looked at her in disbelief. “But… Carter is my husband.” “So what? This marriage belonged to her in the first place! You stole her husband!” But back then, she was the one who begged me to marry him. Before Serena went abroad, she came to me, trying to convince me to marry Carter. “Maya, I know you like him. Isn’t this a great opportunity?” “Let’s keep the wealth in the family. You don’t want Carter ending up with some other woman, do you?” I kept my head down, staying silent. Serena got anxious. “Are you really just going to watch our family go bankrupt?” “I’m begging you, Maya. Or… are you worried I’ll come back and fight you for him?” My expression shifted slightly. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry. Once I go abroad, I won’t ever contact him again. I swear!” For the first three years, she actually kept her word. But in the end, she forgot the vow she had made. 03 After getting the divorce certificate, I moved out West by myself. I didn’t contact my family for three years. A little while ago, they reached out to tell me that Carter and Serena were getting married. Serena was the one who called. “Maya, you have to come back for my wedding. I’ll only feel like I haven’t wronged you if you’re there.” I stayed silent for a long time before saying, “Fine.” The day I arrived home, the weather was beautiful. As soon as I pulled my suitcase through the front door, Serena came running out of her room. “Maya!” Her steps were light and quick. It was late autumn, but she was only wearing a thin slip dress. Behind her, Carter strode quickly, holding a coat. “Why can you never remember to put your slippers on? If you do this again, I’m going to…” His voice suddenly stopped. He saw me. This was the first time we had seen each other since the divorce. Common courtesy dictated I should say hello. I turned and gave him a faint nod. After three years, Carter looked exactly as I remembered. Only, the coldness in his eyes had been replaced by a lingering tenderness. He nodded back, shifted his gaze, and draped the coat over Serena’s shoulders. “You two catch up. I need to go handle some work.” Serena stepped up to me and affectionately linked her arm through mine. “I was so worried you wouldn’t come. I’m going for my dress fitting tomorrow, will you come with me?” I pulled my arm away with a blank expression. “I’m busy tomorrow.” Serena looked disappointed. “Is it really important?” “Yes. Very important.” She thought for a moment. “Then let’s reschedule for the day after tomorrow. Come home early tomorrow after you’re done…” “I’m not staying here,” I interrupted. “Tell Mom and Dad I’ll be pretty busy the next few days, so I won’t be staying at the house.” With that, I grabbed my suitcase and walked away without looking back. I hadn’t walked far when a car slowly pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing Carter’s handsome face. “Get in. I’ll drop you off.” I politely refused. “No thanks. I’m fine.” He was stubborn. Since I wouldn’t get in, he just drove slowly alongside me. “It’s hard to get an Uber around here. Get in.” Looking at the endless road ahead, I finally compromised. I got in the car and gave him an address. His brow furrowed slightly. “Why aren’t you staying at The Belvedere?” “I don’t like it.” The condo at The Belvedere was the one given to me in the divorce settlement. But what he didn’t know was that I had already sold it. Carter’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t ask any more questions. When we arrived at my apartment building, I got out, and Carter followed. He grabbed my suitcase, showing no intention of handing it over. “Let’s go.” “I can take it up myself.” I tried to pull the suitcase back, but it wouldn’t budge. He scanned the surroundings. “Are you having financial troubles?” This place was more than a few steps down from The Belvedere. “No.” He simply dragged the suitcase toward the entrance. “Which building? What floor?” Carter was a persistent man. When he wanted to do something, no one could change his mind. I stopped fighting it and led the way in silence. We got in the elevator and went up. Standing at my front door, I took the suitcase from him. “Thank you. It’s not a good time today, so I won’t invite you in.” “Wait.” I looked back. “These past few years… have you been doing okay?” Looking into his sincere eyes, I felt a wave of dizziness. In my memory, he had never spoken to me with that tone of voice. Just as I was about to answer, the door suddenly opened from the inside. A tall, strikingly handsome man appeared in front of us without warning. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, tall and lean—he looked like walking pheromones. He reached out a long arm and pulled me into his embrace. “What took you so long, hm?” He leaned in to kiss me. The moment his lips touched mine, Carter’s furious voice rang out from behind: “What are you doing?!” But the man had no intention of stopping. He laid a deep kiss on me before slowly turning his head to look at Carter, still holding me tight. But his words were meant for me: “I’ve only been gone a little while, and you’ve already found your next target? You really know how to keep a guy on his toes~” I shoved him lightly, but he didn’t budge an inch. I had no choice but to look at Carter. “Whatever it is, we’ll talk next time.” Carter’s hands balled into fists at his sides, his lips pressed into a thin line. It was the precursor to his rage. But before he could explode, I was pulled inside. The door clicked shut. The man in front of me leaned in dangerously close. “If I recall correctly, your flight landed at 11 AM. It’s currently 2 PM. Three hours, and you’re already meeting up with your ex-husband?” I lightly poked his firm waist. “Liam…” He immediately caught my hand. His voice dropped low. “Don’t try to brush this off.” I gripped the edge of his shirt, looking down in silence. A large hand gently lifted my chin. The second our eyes met, Liam let out an exasperated laugh. “I haven’t even started punishing you yet, why are you crying?” I sniffled. “I missed you so much…” 04 After the divorce, I moved out West and opened a cozy little B&B in a mountain town in Colorado. The town had perfect weather year-round, and the locals were incredibly warm and genuine. Spending time with them did wonders for my mental health. Within a year, the reputation of my little inn grew, and business was no longer as bleak as when I first started. Liam Sterling was the most reclusive guest I had ever hosted. Most of the time, he stayed locked in his room, never stepping outside. He only appeared on the terrace when there were very few people around. At first, I was worried something might happen to him, so I unconsciously kept an eye on his movements. Until one day, while I was sunbathing in the courtyard, he walked over to me with a half-smile and asked: “Do I really look like someone who’s about to end it all?” I looked up in shock. He lay down on the lounge chair next to mine, looking completely relaxed and careless. “I heard you on the phone.” I was instantly mortified. The night before, I had called my best friend and mentioned Liam. I had said, “That guy is really good-looking. It’d be a real shame if he just dropped dead.” I never expected Liam to overhear it. While I was dying of embarrassment, Liam suddenly asked, “You don’t look like a local. What made you want to open a B&B here?” I made up some nonsense: “Too much money, too much free time.” A low, incredibly pleasant laugh rumbled in his throat. I couldn’t help but look over at him, and I was met with a breathtaking sight— The man was resting his head on his arm, staring out at the horizon. His jawline was sharp and clean, his side profile sculpted to perfection. Carter was already incredibly good-looking, but Liam was on a completely different level. He must have felt my stare, because he turned his head, and our eyes locked. I don’t remember who looked away first, but from that day on, the atmosphere between us changed subtly. The day we finally crossed the line, Liam and I had gone hiking in the mountains. On our way down, the weather suddenly turned, and a massive thunderstorm broke out. By the time we got back to the inn, we were completely soaked. That night, I developed a high fever. While trying to get up to take some medicine, I shattered a glass on the floor. Liam literally broke the door down to get to me. I don’t know if it was an illusion or my fever-addled brain, but I distinctly saw sheer terror on his face the moment he burst in. And the second he saw me, he visibly let out a massive sigh of relief. The sickness hit me like a truck. I was bedridden for five days, and Liam took care of me for all five. He moved his instruments into my room, which was how I found out he was a musician. “So, are you just ready to pack up and leave at any moment?” I asked, clutching a mug of hot water. He didn’t answer, instead asking, “Do you want me to leave?” I stayed silent. He took the mug from my hands and suddenly leaned in to kiss me. His burning breath seared every cell in my body. I gripped his shirt, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst from my chest. After that day, Liam essentially became the new co-owner of the B&B. Changing lightbulbs, fixing broken chairs—it all became his job. The guests at the inn loved to tease him: “You’re such a good househusband! You should make the beautiful boss marry you already.” Whenever they said that, he would turn to me and ask: “When are you planning to marry me?” I would always just laugh it off. On the surface, he didn’t seem to mind, but the second we were alone, he would find every way possible to torment me in bed. Even when I begged for mercy, he showed absolutely no restraint. I thought those days would last forever. But one day, Liam vanished. I asked the other guests at the inn, and they gossiped: “Where else could he have gone? With a face like that, and being in the music industry? I bet a sugar mama came and scooped him up.” 05 And today, after his sudden disappearance, I finally saw him again. The more I thought about it, the more it hurt, and my tears fell even harder. Liam stared down at me, waiting for me to finish my sentence. But I didn’t say a word. I just kept crying. After a long moment, the man who had looked furious just seconds ago resignedly cupped my face. “I am so fucking hopelessly wrapped around your finger.” “Are you still going to leave?” “Leave? You’re a mess, how could I possibly leave you?” I still didn’t quite believe him. Exhausted from crying, I wrapped my arms around his neck and refused to let go. Helpless, he had no choice but to lie down with me. I slept incredibly soundly that time. When I opened my eyes, Liam was no longer beside me. My phone had been switched to silent at some point, and I had 99+ missed calls—more than half of them from Carter. Aside from that, the long-dead college alumni group chat had suddenly exploded. It was Carter sending a message, saying he wanted to organize a reunion. [If Carter is hosting, we absolutely have to go!] [I heard Liam Sterling is back in town too. Someone invite him!] [Liam? Liam Sterling? When did he get back?!] [It’s really him! I’m a massive fan, I track all his movements. Word is, he came back this time to propose to the girl he’s been secretly in love with for ten years.] Just as I read that, my hand felt empty. My phone had been snatched away. Liam’s handsome face zoomed in close. He ruffled my messy hair. “Sleep well?” I shook my head and slowly shuffled over to rest my head on his lap. “I thought you weren’t going to come.” Before I flew back, I had sent him an email giving him my address. He never replied. I assumed he was too busy to even check his emails. I never expected to see him the moment I got back. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. But behind the surprise was also a bit of a shock. He scooped me up into his arms. “Are you mad?” I wrapped my arms around his waist, buried my face in his chest, and refused to make a sound. His voice softened. “I left in such a rush that day, and I lost my phone, so I couldn’t contact you right away. But I reached out as soon as I could, didn’t I?” “Don’t be mad, okay?” After he left, I had fallen into a deep emotional abyss for a long time. When they said a sugar mama had taken him away, I actually believed it. His phone was disconnected, he didn’t reply to texts—it was like he had vanished off the face of the earth. If he hadn’t finally managed to get a hold of me later, I would have gone to the police. I rolled over in his arms and kept interrogating him: “Then why didn’t you reply to my email?” “The second I saw the email, I bought a plane ticket. I wanted to give you a surprise. Instead, you gave me a heart attack.” Thinking back to how he must have felt seeing me show up with Carter, the impact definitely wasn’t small. I smiled faintly. “But I still haven’t forgiven you.” He lowered his head, a dangerous aura instantly enveloping me. “Then I’ll just have to use that method.” My instinct was to run, but he grabbed my ankle and pulled me right back. Don’t let Liam’s polished exterior fool you—he was a completely different beast behind closed doors. I pressed my hands against his chest. “Liam, I just got off a plane…” “It’s fine. I’ll do all the work, you just lie there.” By the time he was done tossing me around, it was the middle of the night. I was starving and exhausted, pouting in his arms. He seemed to be in a fantastic mood and brought up the alumni reunion. “I’m meeting up with a good buddy of mine. Do you want to go to the reunion together later?” I purposely tried to get a rise out of him: “Carter’s going to be there. Aren’t you worried something might happen between us?” His hand slowly trailed down the curve of my waist, his smile so handsome it made the hairs on my arms stand up. “You’re welcome to try.” What a petty, jealous man!

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “403328”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I am a princess of the Manhattan elite. After being married to the city’s newest tech billionaire for barely a year, he went bankrupt. Following our divorce, I experienced a horrifying vision of my ultimate, tragic fate. Desperate, I went to find him to demand we get back together. He just frowned, his thin lips forming a cruel, icy line: “I’m sorry, Miss Sinclair.” “The Sterling family has fallen. We are no longer worthy of a deity like you.” Standing right beside him was his childhood best friend, her smile blindingly smug. I touched my flat stomach and let out an awkward laugh: “Alright, then should I just find a new dad for the baby?” His pupils violently contracted, a massive storm surging in the depths of his eyes: “What. Did. You. Just. Say?” 01 I was wheeled into the operating room for an abortion. The freezing cold of the surgical table stimulated every single one of my senses. Suddenly— Strange, unfamiliar images flashed through my mind. In these visions, following my parents’ arrangements, I entered into a second marriage with a man who basically married into our wealth. Less than six months later, my parents died in a tragic car accident, and this new husband immediately threw me out onto the streets. Penniless and homeless, I was starving to the point where I had to dig through dumpsters for food. The stench of rot and sour decay, the sticky, filthy textures—it was a suffocating, absolute despair. Finally, a passing vagrant snatched the spoiled food right out of my hands and shoved me to the ground. Under a sky full of swirling snow, my body withered and frail, I lay completely motionless. Until I was entirely buried by the snow. The vision permanently froze on that image. Right at that moment, the harsh, surgical spotlight snapped on above me. “Hello, please relax your legs.” The nurse’s voice seemed to echo from far away. I shot up from the table like a coiled spring, my throat choking with sobs. “I’m… I’m sorry. I don’t want to do this anymore.” Walking out of the operating room, my mom immediately grabbed my arm. “Mia? Are you finished already?” “No…” I shook my head, lingering terror gripping my heart as tears rolled uncontrollably down my face. “Mom, I don’t want to go through with it.” If I got rid of this baby, I was going to die a miserable, horrific death. I needed to find Elias Sterling! I needed to remarry him! 02 I headed straight for the rundown, walk-up apartment complex the Sterling family had just moved into. The rusted, peeling metal of the main entrance door reflected my panicked, unsettled face. It seemed to overlap with that dark purple, frostbitten, shriveled face from my vision. I shuddered in sheer terror. Just then, the sound of voices and laughter drifted from nearby. I panicked and ducked into the dark space beneath the stairwell. Peeking out, I saw Elias walking in from outside with another woman. He was carrying a bag of groceries. He looked completely focused as he listened to her speak. “I’ll keep an eye on that project for you. I won’t let you treat me to this meal for nothing.” “How are your parents adjusting since the move?” “If you need anything, I can come over whenever. I actually got really good at cooking while I was living abroad these past few years. You can try my food today.” … The woman’s clear, elegant voice was laced with a light, natural laugh. And Elias, who was usually so cold and aloof, actually responded to her. I bit my lip, feeling an uncontrollable surge of suffocating frustration. The ink on our divorce papers wasn’t even dry yet, and he already had a new woman in his life. But if we didn’t remarry… I was going to lose everything and die a miserable death on the streets! Those horrific images flashed through my mind again, “swish, swish,” like a computer virus spamming pop-up windows. A string of rainbow-colored text wiggled across my vision like a caterpillar: [Uh-oh~ This is what happens when you get a divorce~] My entire body violently trembled. The fear was like a massive, suffocating black shroud pressing down on my head, making it impossible to breathe. Ugh! It was too terrifying! The instinct to survive overpowered everything else. I gritted my teeth and bolted out of the shadows. I had just opened my mouth to shout: “Eli—” CLICK! The apartment door shut. I stared at the closed door in absolute defeat. Suddenly, the door opened again!! A pair of long, straight legs stepped out. I froze in complete shock. 03 Elias stood in the hallway. His gaze, entirely devoid of warmth, landed on my face, carrying the distant annoyance of someone whose peace had been disturbed. “What are you doing here?” His tone was absolute ice. He had always possessed a cold, aloof personality and kept people at a distance. But during the nearly twelve months we were married, whenever it was just the two of us, his demeanor was always warm and gentle. This was the very first time he had ever used such a freezing, hostile tone with me. My heart involuntarily tightened, and my voice trembled: “I… I came to see you.” “I want… to rem…” “What? I can’t hear you.” “I said I want to remarry! I want to remarry you!” I gathered every ounce of courage I had, squeezed my eyes shut, and shouted it out. The lighting in the stairwell was dim. The flash of pure shock in Elias’s eyes disappeared as quickly as it came, so fast it felt like a hallucination. He didn’t say a word. The air stagnated, leaving only the drafty, suffocating silence of the hallway and the thunderous pounding of my own heart. He glanced at the half-open door behind him, then raised a hand and pulled it shut. His long legs stepped forward, descending the stairs one by one. His movements were deliberate and unhurried, carrying a silent, crushing pressure. Like a low-pressure system rapidly building before a massive hurricane. I held my breath, my fingernails digging deeply into the soft flesh of my palms. The flashing images of my tragic death were still actively stimulating my nerves. Elias stopped right in front of me, barely an arm’s length away. His gaze locked onto me again, his eyes as dark and cold as a deep abyss. “I’m sorry, Miss Sinclair.” His tone was perfectly flat, every syllable razor-sharp. He paused, devoid of any emotion, offering only a freezing, objective statement: “The Sterling family has fallen. We are no longer worthy of a deity like you.” 04 He said, no longer worthy… Those three words hit my heart like massive blocks of ice. Humiliation instantly swallowed me whole. My face burned with a searing heat. When the Sterling family filed for bankruptcy, right when Elias needed me the absolute most, I listened to my parents’ arrangements and demanded a divorce. And now, barely a week after receiving the official divorce decree, I was shamelessly showing up to beg for a “remarriage.” It was incredibly abrupt, and deeply offensive. It was entirely natural for him to assume I was just playing some sick game with him. But… “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I’m here because…” I frantically tried to explain, but the words died on my lips. What was I supposed to say? Say that I foresaw the future? Say that if I left him, I would die a gruesome death? He wouldn’t just think I was playing with him; he’d think I belonged in a psychiatric ward! I was so anxious that tears welled up in my eyes. One blink, and they spilled over without warning. “Why are you crying?” His brow furrowed slightly, a hint of impatience leaking into his voice. “Isn’t a divorce exactly what you wanted?” His Adam’s apple bobbed. He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but ultimately just pressed his lips into a tight line. “We are finished.” “Go home. The princess of the Manhattan elite shouldn’t be in a place like this.” He gave a slight nod, assuming the posture of a formal farewell. Just as he turned to leave, I practically threw myself at him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist, crying out with a trembling voice: “Don’t go!” “I… I really need you!” “Ever since we got the divorce papers, I’ve actually been thinking about you every single day. I think about what it was like when we were together. I… I realized I can’t live without you. Can we please get back together? I can’t do this without you!” Through the thin fabric of his shirt, the muscles in his waist instantly went rigid, radiating an aura of intense, suppressed power. He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling onto my hands wrapped around him. His eyes held scrutiny, probing curiosity, and a sliver of dark, turbulent emotion buried deep beneath the ice. After a moment, he raised his hands and, inch by inch, pried my fingers apart. My heart jumped into my throat. He turned his head to look back at me, his dark eyes bottomless. “On what grounds?” His thin lips barely moved. His voice was as cold as a knife plunged into freezing water, piercing with agonizing precision into the deepest, most vulnerable part of my heart. He paused, and every word was devastatingly clear as he delivered his cold-blooded interrogation: “What does marriage mean to you?” “A tool you can summon and discard at your convenience?” He didn’t speak quickly, but every word was a blade. “Or do you think that just because I, Elias Sterling, am down on my luck, I have to allow Miss Sinclair to manipulate me however she pleases?” “…” Dead silence surrounded us. I opened my mouth several times, but I couldn’t force a single sound out. He was right… On what grounds? Seeing me completely speechless, the last microscopic trace of emotion in Elias’s eyes completely vanished, leaving only a profound, abyss-like stillness and… utter exhaustion. “Nothing to say?” He curled his lip in a mocking sneer. “Then, regarding remarriage—” “Ab. So. Lutely. Not.” Four words. Ironclad. Leaving absolutely zero room for negotiation. 05 The atmosphere was frozen solid. The words hanging on the edge of my lips were completely shattered by the sheer exhaustion and disgust in his eyes. Right at that moment, a faint noise came from upstairs. That tightly closed door was pushed open a crack once again. The voices inside were a bit distant, but they filtered clearly into my eardrums: “…You’re cooking tonight yourself. What is that boy doing running out into the hallway? Let me go find him.” “It’s fine, Mrs. Sterling. I’ll go.” A clear, elegant, and gentle female voice drifted closer. I went completely rigid. It felt like all the blood had instantly drained from my body. My fingertips turned to ice. For some inexplicable reason, my heart violently clenched. I stared intently at that crack in the door, where a sliver of light spilled out. In my peripheral vision, Elias remained turned sideways, perfectly still. His cold, almost clinical, scrutinizing gaze remained heavily fixed on my face, as if he were trying to dissect something from my expression. But what was he looking at? Looking at the humiliation of my rejection? Or… something else? I subconsciously bit my dry lips, my gaze uncontrollably drifting back upstairs. The door was pushed open a bit wider, and a slender, pale hand rested on the doorframe. That female voice sounded again, carrying a hint of intimacy and inquiry: “Elias? Are you out here?” Elias finally stopped looking at me. He turned his body fully away, his jawline tight, his tone absolute: “Go back. And from now on, don’t ever come looking for me again.” Before he even finished the sentence, he had already lifted his foot to leave. But the moment his foot hit the first step, I couldn’t stop a sharp, pathetic sniffle from escaping my nose. His footsteps faltered. His tall, broad back stiffened for a fraction of a second. Then, with a look that seemed like a mix of exasperation and impatience, he turned back around. I looked up at him with pathetic, pleading eyes, meeting his gaze, and whispered timidly: “I… I don’t know how to get back…” “Where is your driver?” His brow furrowed deeply. I shook my head, my voice getting quieter and quieter: “I took the bus here by myself…” Elias turned completely around to face me. He stared at me intently, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “…Why?” His voice was dry, carrying its usual coldness, but it also seemed layered with another, entirely different emotion. I kept my head down, wringing my hands, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, answering like a child who had been caught doing something wrong: “I wanted to try it.” “Try what?” “Try… if we get remarried, and I don’t have a driver or a car anymore, and I can only take the bus or the subway… try to see if I can actually handle it.” I explained honestly, shooting him a quick, nervous glance. “I just… wanted to adapt ahead of time!” The air went dead silent for a second. Elias stared at me, his eyes as deep as a dark pool. Something seemed to flash rapidly across the depths of his eyes, like a pebble tossed into a deep well, sending out microscopic ripples. But in the blink of an eye, it was covered by ice again. I couldn’t read his expression. I only felt that his jaw was clenched as tight as a drawn bowstring. Tight, but still incredibly handsome. That thought made even me pause in shock. Upstairs, the light in the crack of the door shifted. That clear female voice drifted down again, tinged with confusion: “Elias? Are you not done yet?” That voice was like a kill switch. Whatever microscopic emotion I couldn’t understand in Elias’s eyes instantly froze over, leaving nothing but pure, unadulterated coldness. He pulled at the corner of his mouth, the icy curve laced with an indescribable, mocking bitterness: “You probably couldn’t even recognize half the bus routes if you tried. What are you talking about ‘adapting’?” “Stop being naive. We are no longer people who walk the same path.” “Go back. Go live the life you’re supposed to live.” With that, he didn’t spare me another glance. He turned and took long, purposeful strides up the stairs. His back was resolute. He didn’t hesitate for a single second. 06 I stood frozen in place. The door upstairs had already clicked shut. The soundproofing in this walk-up building was terrible. In the stairwell, I could still hear the muffled, indistinct sounds of their conversation from inside. The July wind was supposed to be sweltering. So why did I feel so incredibly cold? My chest felt tight and suffocating, and my nose stung painfully. He seemed… even angrier now? But I was just telling the truth… Amidst the suffocating feeling, those pop-up-like visions flashed through my mind again. But what was different this time was that I wasn’t entering a second marriage. Instead, I was heavily pregnant, being shoved down a flight of stairs by the man who was supposed to be my second husband. Bright red blood rapidly pooled beneath me. I died with my eyes wide open, as my devastated parents came running from a distance… This scene was infinitely more terrifying than freezing to death on the streets! I instinctively clutched my lower abdomen. Go back and live the life I’m “supposed” to live? No, no, no! I don’t have a life I’m supposed to live! If we don’t remarry, I’m just going to die in a variety of gruesome ways. His refusal to remarry must just mean he thinks I’m not showing enough sincerity. I have to prove it to him! If he rejects me once, I’ll go back twice. If he rejects me twice, I’ll go back four times! I’ll overwhelm him with sheer volume until it causes a qualitative change! 07 And so, I went back time and time again. Everyone in the building, and even half the neighborhood, knew that Elias Sterling’s ex-wife was begging for a remarriage. But when Elias faced me, he continued to reject me with a cold, stony expression. It was only occasionally, when I clumsily tried to help out, that his deeply furrowed brow would ease, and his gaze would linger on me for a moment. Carrying a complex, scrutinizing weight. As if I was the one who bankrupted his family, rather than the business partner who had embezzled the funds and was currently on the run. Elias’s parents still treated me with the same warmth and affection as always, but even they tried to dissuade me: “You grew up in the lap of luxury. Your parents couldn’t bear to see you suffer, and we equally can’t bear to see you come back and suffer with us!” “Look at your hands. You just peeled some garlic, and your manicured nails are already chipping.” “Mia, be a good girl. Don’t come back starting tomorrow.” I completely disagreed, smiling as I said: “But I don’t feel like I’m suffering at all! Everyone has to experience a lot of ‘firsts’ in life.” “I’m going to work hard and get better at this!” That’s what I said out loud. But the reality was, the person navigating the kitchen with expert ease was Audrey Jenkins. While I could only stand outside the kitchen, watching helplessly. There was no helping it. Lately, if I smelled even the slightest hint of cooking odors, my stomach would violently churn. Watching Elias’s mom and Audrey interact like family, a thick, indescribable wave of envy and bitterness washed over me. When no one was looking, I quietly slipped out the door. Just as I pulled the door shut, I looked up and ran right into Elias, who was just returning home. His eyes were cold, and his tone was even colder. “What’s wrong?” I shook my head in utter defeat. I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was feeling incredibly frustrated and useless, could I? He stepped up the last two stairs, stopping just inches away from me. “If you can’t handle it, just go back,” his low, raspy voice seemed to carry a hint of a sigh. I was stunned. I looked up at him, defiant. “I am not unable to handle the hardship! This doesn’t even count as hardship, okay?! I’m just…” “Just… feeling like I can’t really help with anything…” My voice trailed off, laced with a subtle, hard-to-hide despair. I couldn’t accept the fact that, compared to Audrey Jenkins, I was so incredibly useless. Audrey’s family used to be neighbors with the Sterlings. She and Elias had practically grown up together as childhood sweethearts. After high school graduation, the Jenkins family immigrated to Europe. She must have heard about the Sterling family’s bankruptcy and specifically flown back. That kind of deep, supportive loyalty in a time of crisis was infinitely better than me, the ex-wife who demanded a divorce the second he went bankrupt. “Anyway!” I paused, biting out the words with emphasis. “I’m not leaving! Unless you agree to remarry me!” Having delivered my ultimatum, I immediately looked away. Tears were pooling in my eyes, and I bit down hard on my jaw to keep them from falling. His gaze swept over my eyes, and he remained silent. After a long time, he finally spoke. “Understood.” Understood? What did he understand? The reason I couldn’t go into the kitchen wasn’t because I lacked the ability; it was because I was carrying a tiny human life in my belly, okay?! You don’t understand anything at all! 08 My morning sickness was getting progressively worse. Seeing my misery, my mom couldn’t stand it anymore and suggested I just use the pregnancy to force Elias into remarrying me. I refused. What if he was truly ruthless and didn’t even want the baby? I couldn’t risk the baby’s life. 09 Elias had been working like a maniac lately. The only time I ever saw him was when I brought him food. In his sparse, rundown office, his profile as he bent over his desk under the harsh fluorescent lights looked incredibly focused and lonely. The interplay of light and shadow highlighted his sharp, deep features, his straight nose, and his tightly pressed, thin lips. I suddenly remembered that in the past, late at night, he used to sit in his home office, focused on his documents just like this. And I would curl up in a rocking chair nearby, hugging a throw pillow, just watching him. I would watch him until I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was always in his arms. Thinking about that, my heart gave an inexplicable, phantom flutter. The past and the present overlapped, creating the illusion that we had never actually gotten divorced. He was always so cold and distant with the outside world. I was the only one who had ever seen him lose all control. Those indescribable days and nights were seared into my bones, making me blush and my heart race just thinking about them. “What are you standing there for?” He looked up, noticing me, and stood up to walk over. As he took the insulated lunch box from me, his fingertips casually brushed against mine. He frowned. “Are you feeling sick?” “Huh? No, I’m fine…” I shook my head, totally oblivious. His cool hand rested on my burning cheek. He looked suspicious, his eyes searching. “Your face is really red.” “Uh… I’m really fine…” I looked away in embarrassment, but the heat spread from my cheeks all the way to the tips of my ears. He stared at me, his gaze growing darker and deeper, like a predator gathering its strength. That kind of surging, highly aggressive gaze was incredibly familiar. So familiar that my heart almost beat out of my chest. After a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice was slightly hoarse. “It’s late. You should head back.” “What about you? Are you still working?” “Yeah.” He turned to walk back to his desk, and I followed right behind him. I clasped my hands behind my back, shaking my head back and forth, and said, “Then I’m not leaving either.” “It’s too dark outside. I’m scared. I need you to walk me home.” Under the harsh spotlight, our two shadows, one tall and one short, intersected and overlapped. After a long pause, I finally heard his response: “…Suit yourself.” 10 With his tacit approval, delivering food became my excuse to linger and refuse to leave. After eating, he went back to burying himself in his work. I rested my face in my hands, staring at him for hours, inevitably becoming completely mesmerized. Beneath his thick, long eyelashes, his eyes held a glimmer of starlight. I loved seeing my own reflection in his eyes, as if I were the only person in his entire world. And those thin, warm lips. Whenever he kissed me, he always liked to start with a tentative, gentle taste. Sometimes, unable to withstand my pleading, this seemingly cold man would actually whisper a few incredibly romantic, dirty things to me. My thoughts drifted from those memories back to the present, and as if possessed, I called out his name: “Elias…” “Hmm?” “Elias,” I called again. “Yeah.” “E…li…as?” He looked up from his documents, looking at me with helpless exasperation. “What is it?” I leaned closer, asking with absolute, profound sincerity: “The way things are between us right now… isn’t it nice?” “Why won’t you just remarry me?” “If you remarry me, my family will help you. Everything will become so much easier, and…” “Mia.” He cut me off, his gaze as heavy and impenetrable as fog. “Have you ever thought about what would happen if… your family fell, too?” My heart plummeted instantly. The horrific images that had flashed before my eyes surged into my mind. “There is no such thing as a permanent safety net,” his voice was cold and hard. “Relying on yourself is the only reliable thing.” After saying that, his expression softened slightly, his tone becoming gentler, laced with a hint of apology. “I’m sorry, I can’t.” “Your safety net will always be there,” he added, his eyes carrying a heavy, unspoken weight. Looking at the absolute sincerity in his eyes, a warm current seemed to flood my heart. See? This is the Elias Sterling I married. He had always treated me with such tender warmth. His coldness was nothing but a shell he presented to the outside world. I shook my head, pretending not to care, and smiled encouragingly. “Then I’ll cheer you on! I’ll wait for you to make your comeback, and I’ll wait for you to become someone else’s safety net!” He let out a sudden, faint laugh. It was very subtle, but blindingly beautiful. “I have no intention of being anyone else’s safety net.” “You have the Sinclair family now, and in the future, you’ll have…” The rest of the sentence was incredibly soft, as light as a sigh. I didn’t catch it. When I looked up again, he was already focused back on his documents. As if the tenderness and the unfinished sentence from a moment ago were entirely a figment of my imagination. I stared at his handsome profile, entirely unable to tear my eyes away. It felt as if a voice was secretly whispering in my ear: Just looking at him like this… is actually pretty wonderful…

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A female employee from our external vendor made a massive error on a project proposal in our shared Slack channel. I planned to send her a direct message to kindly give her a heads-up. I sent her a message request, but she ignored it twice. She even changed her profile picture to a matching couple’s photo. My assistant showed me the chat logs from their private company channel. She was bragging to everyone that I was aggressively pursuing her. “I’ve dropped enough hints, but he just won’t let it go. He really needs to look in the mirror and see what a creep he is.” “I literally have a boyfriend. How can he be this desperate? It’s so gross.” “That toad probably had a breakdown last night and didn’t dare reply. He must feel so insecure now, right?” 1. Our company was working on a major project, an eighty-million-dollar deal. Although Manager Hayes was the lead, I was also in the main project Slack channel keeping an eye on things. There were over a hundred people in that channel, an absolute chaotic mess. The vendor was a young creative agency called Vanguard Creatives. A woman named Jessica from their project team dropped a file into the channel. I opened it and gave it a quick scan. The units for the material data were completely wrong. She had written “kilograms” instead of “tons.” The decimal point needed to be moved over three places. It was an easy fix. But if nobody noticed, and the procurement, construction, and cost accounting teams proceeded with those incorrect numbers downstream, it would be an absolute disaster. Vanguard generally had a good reputation and was usually quite responsible. Everyone makes a slip of the finger sometimes. I felt a bit of sympathy. I found Jessica’s profile in the project channel, clicked on it, and sent a direct message request. A day passed. My request vanished into the void. Manager Hayes was the public-facing lead for this project. I didn’t want to step on his toes or seem disrespectful to his authority. So, I hadn’t revealed my actual title in the channel. My display name was just my real name: Michael Thorne. I clicked on Jessica’s profile again and sent another message request. This time, I specifically added a note: “Work-related communication. Need to verify some data in the file.” That should be clear enough, right? Another day passed. Still nothing. I tapped on her profile again. Her profile picture had changed. Yesterday, it was a cartoon girl holding a coffee cup. Today, it had been swapped out for a matching couple’s avatar. It was a little boy and girl, wearing matching goofy striped shirts, with a giant red heart in the background. My heart skipped a beat. Could it be… Does this person think I’m messaging her on a professional app to hit on her? And she specifically rushed to change her profile picture to a couple’s photo just to mark her territory? I shook my head, throwing the thought out of my mind. No way. A normal person’s brain doesn’t work in such a bizarre way. It must be a coincidence. She just happened to change her picture. My assistant, Sam, knocked on my door and walked in. He had a weird look on his face. “Mr. Thorne…” Sam held his phone screen out to me. It was a screenshot of a Slack channel. Looking at the channel name, “#Vanguard-Watercooler,” I guessed it was a private channel set up by the vendor’s employees just to spill tea. The chat was blowing up. An ID named “Jessica (Design Dept Demon Boss),” whose avatar was the exact same matching couple’s photo, was extremely active in the chat. “LMAO, that Michael guy from the client’s side tried to message me again. This time he pretended it was for ‘work-related communication’.” “Ugh, men are so transparent. I can smell his desperation through the screen.” “I think I dropped enough hints, right? I literally put up a couple’s profile pic, and he still won’t let it go. How obsessed with me is he?” “I have a boyfriend, and he’s still acting this desperate. Total creepy, entitled male behavior!” 2. Below her message was a pile of people chiming in. “Hahaha, Jessica’s charm is irresistible!” “Seriously. He needs to take a good look in the mirror.” “A toad trying to punch way above his weight.” Sam scrolled his finger quickly down the screen. There was more. “Jessica’s boyfriend is so hot. He leaves that toad in the dust.” “Right, right?! Handsome and so sweet!” “Of course! My man just bought me the newest designer bag yesterday!” It was that “Jessica (Design Dept Demon Boss)” again. “Some people can probably only drool over my profile picture, hehe.” Sam coughed awkwardly. “Mr. Thorne, I think she really doesn’t know who you are and totally misunderstood.” I looked at the blindingly arrogant words on the screen and spoke. “Tomorrow afternoon, set up a meeting with CEO Mercer from Vanguard. Manager Hayes and I are going.” Sam nodded quickly. “Understood, Mr. Thorne. I’ll arrange it immediately.” He practically sprinted out of my office, phone in hand. I leaned back in my chair, my fingers unconsciously tapping the desk. Interesting. I’ve lived this long, and nobody has ever laughed at me for being a “toad” before. Not long after Sam left, my phone screen lit up on my desk. A notification popped up: “Jessica (Design Dept) has accepted your message request.” Now she accepts it? I looked at that matching couple’s profile picture and let out a cold laugh. I didn’t send a message. I didn’t want to say a single word to her. Talking to someone whose brain operated on such a bizarre frequency was a waste of breath. If I wasn’t careful, it would just become new material for her “harassment” claims. My phone buzzed again. It was a message from her. “Mr. Thorne, hello. First of all, thank you for your admiration.” “But I must formally state: Between us, aside from necessary project-related communication, there will be absolutely nothing else.” “Please ensure you keep your distance from me. This is not only a matter of basic respect for me as a person, but also respect for my boyfriend.” “Emotional boundaries are necessary. I hope you understand and act accordingly.” “Secondly, I am officially being promoted to Project Lead in the Design Department tomorrow.” “I love my work and will be pouring all my energy into it.” “I simply do not have the extra time or energy to deal with unnecessary personal entanglements.” “I’ve said all I need to say. I hope you have some self-respect. – Jessica.” I stared at this massive, righteous, logic-defying “declaration.” My finger hovered over the keyboard. I typed something, deleted it, typed something else, deleted it again. In the end, I didn’t reply with a single word. Reason with her? That would just be asking for a headache. I simply put my phone face down on the desk. Out of sight, out of mind. 3. The next afternoon, Manager Hayes and I arrived right on time outside the Vanguard Creatives building. The vendor’s CEO, Robert Mercer, was indeed waiting by the main lobby entrance with several of his people. As soon as the car stopped, Robert jogged over, his face plastered with an enthusiastic yet slightly nervous smile. “Ah, Mr. Thorne! Manager Hayes! Welcome, welcome! It’s an honor to have you here. You grace our humble office!” He personally opened the car door for me, his posture incredibly deferential. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Robert led us toward the elevators. “The conference room is all set up. Right this way, gentlemen.” The elevator took us straight to the fifth floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I could faintly hear a burst of giggling and chatting. It was a group of women’s voices coming from the large conference room at the end of the hall. Chirping away. Robert’s face changed slightly, and he quickened his pace. “These guys. I told them we had important clients coming today.” He muttered under his breath, turning back to give us an apologetic smile. “I’ll have them quiet down immediately.” We reached the conference room. The heavy frosted glass door was closed. The laughter inside was even clearer now. Completely unrestrained. “Haha, Jessica, what happened next? Did that Michael guy reply to you?” An excited female voice asked. My heart sank a little. It was Jessica’s voice next, carrying an undisguised tone of mockery. “Reply? Do you think he’d dare?” “He probably saw my message and completely broke down.” “From last night until now, not a single peep out of him.” “Tsk, I’ve seen so many guys like him. Once I called out his dirty little thoughts, he probably felt so ashamed of himself.” “What a coward!” The room erupted in laughter. “Hahaha, a coward! Jessica, that description is too perfect!” “Right, right?! He doesn’t even know his place, and he dares to hit on Jessica?” “Our Jessica is about to become a Project Lead!” “Exactly, our Jessica is so capable.” “Beautiful, capable, and her boyfriend is so handsome and spoils her so much.” “Some toad could never even compare to one of her boyfriend’s fingers!” Jessica’s voice carried a hint of smug “humility.” “Oh, stop it. My boyfriend is just okay, I guess.” “Yesterday he insisted on taking me to that Michelin-star French place that costs two grand a head. It was so overwhelming.” “I told him we could just eat anywhere, but he wouldn’t listen.” “Oh, right. He also said that once I officially get promoted to Lead, he’s taking me on a trip to Europe to celebrate.” “It’s so annoying. Who has the time? Ugh, he’s such a pain!” Robert Mercer’s face was completely black. His forehead was covered in sweat. He raised his hand to push the door open. I stopped him, signaling him to stay quiet. Manager Hayes stood next to me, his expression also looking a bit stiff. Robert looked at my ice-cold profile. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He didn’t dare breathe too loudly. 4. I gave Robert a slight nod, signaling him to go ahead. Robert looked like he had just received a royal pardon. He took a sharp breath and violently shoved open the heavy glass conference room door. BANG. The door slammed against the wall, making a massive racket. The conference room instantly went dead silent. Inside sat three or four young women, gathered around the conference table. Several half-empty iced coffees were scattered across the table. Jessica was sitting next to the head seat, legs crossed, holding a Starbucks cup. She was wearing fairly heavy makeup today and a rather form-fitting dress. The smug, animated look on her face instantly switched to a standard, sycophantic corporate fake smile the moment she saw Robert. “Mr. Mercer!” She was the first to stand up, her voice sickeningly sweet. The other women also scrambled to stand up, plastering smiles on their faces. “Hello, Mr. Mercer.” “Mr. Mercer, you’re here.” Robert’s face was livid. He glared fiercely at Jessica and the others, then stepped aside. “Mr. Thorne, Manager Hayes. Please come in, please.” He forced a smile, gesturing for us to enter. Manager Hayes and I walked in. Jessica’s gaze swept over Manager Hayes, carrying a familiar respect. Then her eyes landed on my face, and the warmth in her eyes visibly plummeted. Manager Hayes coughed, trying to ease the tension. “Mr. Mercer, this is?” I cut him off directly, looking calmly at Jessica. “Hello. I’m Michael Thorne.” I stated my name, my voice not loud. But in the excessively quiet conference room, it was exceptionally clear. The smile on Jessica’s face froze for a second. A flash of shock quickly darted across her eyes. She seemed to think the name sounded familiar. But that brief shock was quickly replaced by a much stronger sense of impatience and disdain. She looked me up and down. Her gaze was like she was evaluating a cheap, defective product. The corners of her mouth curled into a mocking sneer. “Oh?” She dragged out the syllable. “So it’s you, Mr. Michael Thorne.” “Tsk, tsk. You really don’t know when to quit, do you? Are you that desperate?” “You actually chased me all the way to my company, right behind our CEO?” “What, did I bruise your ego when I called you out last night? So you came here today to corner me?” She let out a scoff. “Was my message yesterday not clear enough? Do I really have to repeat it in front of all these people to get it through your thick skull?” “I told you to keep your distance!” “Do you not understand English?” The air was dead silent. The other women’s eyes darted back and forth between me and Jessica, filled with the excitement of watching a trainwreck. Robert’s lips were trembling. “Jessica, shut your damn mouth!” “Mr. Mercer!” Jessica suddenly raised her voice, cutting Robert off, wearing an expression of someone who had suffered the world’s greatest injustice. She pointed her finger at me, almost jabbing it into my face. “Look at him! I was trying to be nice yesterday. I gave him enough face on Slack, hoping he’d take the hint and back off.” “But what does he do? He actually follows me to the office today to harass me.” “Is there no law? Is there no justice?” “Mr. Mercer, you have to do something about this, otherwise I can’t work in peace!” Her voice carried a dramatic sob. Her acting skills were practically Oscar-worthy. 5. Robert’s face was now as white as a sheet. Cold sweat was pouring down his face. I raised my hand and gently batted away the finger that was about to poke me in the eye. “Everyone out.” I glanced at the other women. Robert immediately acted like he had received a divine command, roaring at the women who were watching the show. “Did you hear him?! Get out, immediately! Right now!” The women flinched in terror. They quickly grabbed their drinks and phones, kept their heads down, and scurried out, hugging the walls. As they passed me, their eyes were filled with undisguised disdain and schadenfreude. They definitely thought I was sending everyone away to create an opportunity to be “alone” with Jessica so I could “pursue” her. Truly incredibly stupid. Jessica stood her ground. Watching her coworkers scurry away, the fake grievance on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a smug “I knew it” expression. She even shot a look toward the door, her lips pouting high, and mouthed the words: “See? I told you this toad wouldn’t give up. I yelled at him, and he still wants to be alone with me.” Manager Hayes coughed awkwardly. “Mr. Mercer, Mr. Thorne is…” Robert let out a ragged, heavy breath. “Jessica, shut your f*cking mouth! Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!” Jessica stiffened her neck, looking completely defiant. “Mr. Mercer, how could I not know? He’s the Michael who’s been harassing me!” “I made it very clear to him last night. I told him I have a boyfriend. Even if you’re trying to play matchmaker for him, I’m not going to agree.” “Work is work, and private life is private life. Even if you are the boss, you can’t interfere in your employees’ personal matters.” She turned to look at me. “If you keep doing this, I’m going to expose your disgusting behavior right in the main project channel. Let everyone from both companies judge who’s right!” I was completely speechless. What the hell was she talking about? Her imagination was running wild. What disgusting behavior? Was it just a direct message request? Robert almost roared, cutting her off. “Are your eyes glued to the ceiling?! This is Mr. Thorne from the client’s corporate headquarters! CEO Michael Thorne!” “The biggest boss of our entire project! The eighty-million-dollar deal depends on Mr. Thorne’s approval! Who the hell do you think you are, talking to Mr. Thorne like that?” “His net worth is in the hundreds of millions. He’s the most sought-after eligible bachelor in the city. How many socialites and celebrities are lining up for him? You think he’d look at you?!” “And you dare falsely accuse Mr. Thorne of harassing you? I think you’ve lost your damn mind!” 6. Robert roared until his voice was hoarse, spit flying everywhere. He really couldn’t hold it in anymore. If he let this idiot keep talking, Vanguard Creatives would be shutting its doors tomorrow. “Mr. Thorne from the client’s corporate headquarters?” Jessica’s eyes—which just a moment ago were filled with disdain and impatience—suddenly went wide. Her pupils practically dilated in shock. She stared at me, her mouth slightly open, as if trying to confirm whether Robert was talking crazy. Manager Hayes appropriately chimed in with a low voice. “That’s right, Jessica. This is CEO Michael Thorne from the corporate group. He is responsible for the final review of this project. The project proposal was personally reviewed and vetted by Mr. Thorne.” “The project proposal?” Jessica muttered, repeating the words. Her face started turning from white to red, and then back from red to white. Beneath that shock and disbelief, did I actually catch a hint of secret delight? Her eyes flickered rapidly, and her posture seemed to unconsciously straighten a bit. That shrew-like, aggressive stance she had just a second ago instantly vanished. Her entire aura changed. Hah. I couldn’t be bothered to watch her rapidly changing expressions. I walked straight over and sat in the head seat of the conference table. Manager Hayes and Robert quickly stood on either side behind me. “Sit.” I pointed to the chair across from me. Jessica forced out what she probably thought was her most graceful, even slightly shy smile. “Mr. Thorne, it really was a misunderstanding just now. I didn’t purposely ignore your message request. I just really didn’t expect you to be so young.” “Since you are so sincere, I will definitely give you some serious consideration.” I couldn’t believe it. Even at this point, she still thought I was trying to hit on her. Was her brain broken? I didn’t listen to her nonsense at all. I simply threw the manila envelope in my hand onto the conference table. The sound wasn’t loud, but it was enough to make her jump. I pulled out a printed document from inside. It was the exact file she had uploaded to the main project channel. I flipped to the critical page and tapped my finger heavily on the glaringly incorrect unit. “Jessica. Project Lead Jessica.” My voice was ice-cold. “Is this how Vanguard Creatives works?” “The most basic material data unit possible. You wrote ‘kilograms’ instead of ‘tons’? Moving the decimal point three places?” “Do you know what this means?” “If we procured materials based on this incorrect data, how much would the cost accounting be off on an eighty-million-dollar project?” “How massive of a disaster would the construction materials be?” “The entire project’s timeline, quality, and even safety could have landmines planted in them because of this incredibly stupid mistake!” “Is this the work you ‘love’? Is this the professional competence you are ‘proud of’? Is this the level of someone who is about to become a Project Lead?” I pushed the document forward. “This is why I tried to message you. I wanted to tell you privately, to save you some face.” “But instead of appreciating that, you go full drama queen and imagine this whole theatrical plot.” “And you go around telling everyone I’m harassing you? Desperate? Creepy entitled male? A toad trying to eat swan meat?” “Jessica, tell me. What exactly is inside that head of yours?” My voice wasn’t loud, but every word was a kill shot. Robert’s face turned green listening to this. He violently slammed his hand on the table. “Jessica, you incompetent, blundering idiot! You almost killed the company! You almost ruined all of us!” “And you dare to slander Mr. Thorne? Accuse him of harassing you? Who the f*ck do you think you are! You think Mr. Thorne would look at you? I spit on that!” “Apologize! Apologize to Mr. Thorne immediately!”

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1 On the drive back from picking my daughter up from her dad’s house, she suddenly spoke up. “Mom, you’re actually pretty calculating. You dump me there as soon as break starts, and then drag me back the second school begins.” I shot her a bewildered look, not understanding why she’d say something like that. My daughter continued, “It’s just like when I was a toddler and the hardest to deal with—you bailed. Then, when I got older and easier to manage, you fought tooth and nail to take me back. You always make sure you get the best end of the deal.” When I was pregnant with her, my ex-husband, David, cheated on me. Barely a month after I gave birth, he took my daughter away from me. It was only years later, when his new wife got pregnant, that he finally allowed us to be reunited. I never imagined that, all these years, this was how she saw it. My heart turned to ice. Without a word, I spun the steering wheel around and drove her right back to her dad’s house. 2 As my car pulled up to his gated community, I saw David’s SUV pulling out. My daughter excitedly rolled down the window and yelled, “Dad! Dad!” She signaled for me to stop, then hopped out and jogged over to his car. A moment later, she came back. I watched David’s SUV drive away. His current wife and their young son were in the car with him. “What did he say?” I asked. My daughter rolled her eyes at me, her tone laced with annoyance. “Dad and Ashley are taking Liam to the community center for a class. I told him you agreed to let me keep staying with him.” “Just drop me off here. I can go in by myself.” I watched her skip away, dragging her suitcase behind her, feeling like I was in an alternate reality. When David finally returned her to me, she was already four years old. A tiny little thing, she clung to Ashley, refusing to let go. When I forced myself to pick her up and take her away, she cried so hard she could barely breathe. She kept screaming, “Mommy, Daddy, save me!” as if I were some evil kidnapper tearing her away from her real family. For the first few days, she cried herself to sleep and woke up crying. Every single second, she begged to go back to that house. Thankfully, kids are resilient. Their grief comes and goes quickly. Under my meticulous, round-the-clock care, my daughter finally started calling me “Mom.” As she grew older, she started to understand the complicated dynamics of our family. She stopped calling Ashley “Mom” and switched to “Aunt Ashley.” All these years, terrified of leaving her with any psychological trauma… I never said a single bad word about her father in front of her. I even made sure to drop her off to spend holidays with them. I never expected that in her heart, all of that was just proof of my “calculating” nature. 3 I drove back home alone. Looking at the steak and lobster I had specifically bought to celebrate her coming home, I let out a heavy sigh. Over the years, to make up for the broken home, I never skimped on her clothing, food, or housing. Knowing David had his own new family to worry about, I shouldered 100% of the financial burden of raising her. Thankfully, I had managed to build a relatively successful career for myself. I could afford to spoil my daughter. Realizing I couldn’t possibly eat all this food alone, I called my best friend, Sarah. Then, I buried myself in the kitchen, trying to use the physical labor to fend off the crushing depression in my chest. By the time Sarah arrived, I had already whipped up five dishes and a soup. Staring at the mouth-watering steak and lobster bisque on the table, Sarah clicked her tongue in amazement. “I’m telling you, Claire, with your cooking skills, Chloe is one spoiled kid.” “Why couldn’t you have been my mom? Can I be your daughter instead?” I offered a bitter smile and told her how Chloe would rather stay at David’s than come home to me. Hearing this, Sarah slammed her hand hard on the table. “That little brat! Does she really think her dad actually gives a damn about her?” Then, her eyes welled up with tears. “Claire, I’ve watched how much you’ve sacrificed for that kid all these years.” “Please don’t think this is your fault. She’s probably just hitting her rebellious teenage phase.” I let out a long, heavy sigh. Over the years, how many incredible career opportunities or great guys had I let slip through my fingers? It wasn’t that I didn’t want to grab them, but as a single mom, I had to prioritize her stability. Eight years ago, I was almost engaged to my boyfriend at the time. But when I read a line in Chloe’s diary that said, “If Mom gets remarried, I will never forgive her for the rest of my life,” I resolutely broke things off with him. When it came to Chloe, my conscience was absolutely clear. 4 After seeing Sarah out, I collapsed onto the sofa alone. I had grown so used to having my daughter around; the days without her felt incredibly lonely. I had originally thought I’d be happily bringing her home today. I never expected to have a bucket of ice water dumped over my head instead. I opened Chloe’s social media and, unsurprisingly, saw a blank grey line across her profile. She had blocked me from seeing her posts since she was 15. I couldn’t see a single thing she shared. It was as if I were some kind of terrifying monster. After thinking about it, I sent her a picture of the steak and lobster. [Hey sweetie, did Dad cook for you? What did you have for dinner tonight?] A little while later, she sent a picture back. I clicked on it. It was a pile of pizza and fried food. [Dad brought me back some leftover pizza. It was good.] Even though I could tell at a glance from the size of the takeout box that it was likely just leftovers from their dinner out. But seeing that she seemed to be in a good mood, I played along. [As long as it’s good, eat up. Mom will make it for you next time.] She didn’t reply again. Feeling melancholic, I locked my phone and got up to take out the trash. Walking through the apartment complex, I ran into an old coworker, Brenda. She had witnessed David’s affair and the messy divorce that followed firsthand. She knew all my dirty laundry inside and out. After a few minutes of small talk, she suddenly asked: “Hey, isn’t your daughter back yet?” I answered automatically, “No, she’s spending the summer at her dad’s.” “Really? I actually ran into your ex-husband and his family at Six Flags today, but I didn’t see your daughter.” Six Flags? Weren’t they taking the kid to a class at the community center? I forced a dry laugh. “Kids get older, they probably don’t want to hang out with the family as much.” Brenda nodded knowingly, her eyes filling with a deeper sense of pity. “It’s just a shame you’ve wasted so many years. If you meet someone decent, you really should put yourself out there.” Normally, I would have politely but firmly declined. But today, driven by some inexplicable impulse, I actually nodded. “Okay. If you know anyone suitable, feel free to introduce us.” 5 I didn’t expect Brenda to move so fast. The very next day, she sent me an address. “It’s a distant nephew of mine, just moved back from the States. You guys should meet.” Afraid I wouldn’t go, she quickly added: “He’s a great catch. He’s been so focused on his career all these years that he never got married. Just treat it like making a new friend.” Even though I was already regretting what I’d agreed to yesterday… Since things were already in motion, I went to the restaurant at the agreed-upon time. When I saw the silhouette of the man waiting for me, I almost didn’t process it. “Claire?” “Mark?” Looking at the surprised face of the man in front of me, I let out a surprised laugh. Years ago, because Chloe had thrown a massive fit and refused to let me marry Mark. I had initiated a harsh, clean break with him. At the time, he had desperately begged to know why, but I only apologized and refused to see him again. Later, I heard he had moved overseas, and I locked that relationship away deep in my heart. I never imagined that our reunion today would be a blind date. Was it just a massive coincidence, or was it fate? “If I had known it was you, I would have come even if I had to crawl,” he joked with a smile. I laughed along. “I can’t believe after all these years, you still aren’t married.” A shy, bashful smile spread across Mark’s face. Just like eight years ago, when our relationship was at its best. We had a wonderful dinner. Before we left, Mark looked at me and spoke with genuine sincerity. “Actually, all these years, I never forgot you. We…” “It’s not possible anymore,” I cut him off cleanly. “My daughter is taking her SATs next year. I don’t want to hold you back.” “Alright,” he shrugged with a hint of regret. “But I still wish you happiness.” 6 When I turned on the lights in my apartment, I realized my daughter was already home. “Sweetie? Why didn’t you tell Mom you were coming back?” Pleasantly surprised, I swapped my heels for slippers and moved to hug her. Chloe sat on the sofa, arms crossed, glaring at me coldly. “Where were you? Why are you back so late? Have you been drinking?” I sniffed my clothes. I didn’t smell anything. “I just had dinner with a friend and a glass of wine. What’s wrong?” “A friend?” Chloe sneered, tossing her phone onto the coffee table. “Are you sure about that ‘friend’?” On the screen was a clear photo of Mark and me having dinner together. “If a classmate hadn’t run into you and asked me why my mom was out on a date…” “I wouldn’t have even known you were still talking to this random guy.” Looking at my daughter’s mocking expression, I forced myself to be patient and explain. “Mom only found out it was Mark when I got to the restaurant. We just caught up as old friends.” “Please. You just can’t survive without a man, can you?” My daughter’s words hit me like a physical blow. I stood frozen in place. “Did you think I didn’t know about you secretly meeting up with my math teacher?” “And Mr. Davis? You guys text every single day. Isn’t that disgusting?” “You preach to me every day about not dating in high school, but your own personal life is filthier than anyone’s.” “You really think nobody knows the disgusting things you do? Having a mother like you is humiliating.” My daughter screamed at me as if she were venting a deep-seated hatred. When she finished, she grabbed her bag, slammed the door, and stormed out. Leaving me standing alone in the living room, trying to digest the vile character assassination delivered by the person I loved most in the world. 7 Chloe had always struggled with math, so I frequently communicated with her teacher, hoping to find ways to boost her grades. Since she was a sickly child, I was constantly in touch with Dr. Davis, her pediatrician, to manage her health. And Mark? Today was the first time I had seen him in 8 years, and I had no intention of seeing him again. I never, ever imagined that in my daughter’s heart, this was the kind of person I was. Selfish, calculating, promiscuous, desperate for male attention. I sat on the sofa with a bitter smile, feeling a pain in my chest that was even sharper than the day I caught David cheating. That day, he had shielded Ashley behind him and told me: “Claire, if you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t hurt an innocent person.” They were the innocent ones. I was the villain. I don’t know how long I sat in the dark. My phone chimed. I opened it. Sarah had sent me a screenshot. [What is Ashley trying to pull? She’s really treating your daughter like her own.] I tapped on the image. It was a selfie of Ashley with her arm around Chloe. The caption read: [My poor, misunderstood girl.] Chloe’s eyes were still red from crying, but she was leaning into Ashley’s embrace. A perfect picture of mother-daughter bonding. I clicked over to Chloe’s profile. Surprisingly, I could see a new post. It was the exact same photo, but with a different caption. [Heart-to-heart with Mom.] I hadn’t been granted access to her posts in almost two years. So in this moment, I was absolutely certain she had unblocked me just so I could see this. She wanted me to see their “mother-daughter” bond. She wanted me to see her leaning on another woman. She knew perfectly well that Ashley was the woman her father cheated with, yet she still chose to call her “Mom.” Maybe only the people closest to you know exactly where to twist the knife so it hurts the most. But she wasn’t a child anymore. She needed to take responsibility for her own choices. And I was going to support her decision. This daughter… I didn’t want her anymore. 8 For the next few weeks, I poured all my energy back into my career. I proactively took on several massive, complex projects, working until my head spun every single day. Naturally, I didn’t have the time or energy to obsess over what Chloe was doing. I didn’t send five or six texts a day, desperately trying to prove my love. I imagine she was quite happy to be rid of me. During this time, Ashley only contacted me once. Her voice was still that soft, gentle purr that seemed to captivate both men and women. “Claire, when are you going to come pick Chloe up?” At the time, I was busy finalizing the final draft of a major design project. I replied with genuine confusion: “She has arms and legs. She can come back whenever she wants.” All these years, I had strictly adhered to a “no contact unless absolutely necessary” policy with David, communicating only through Ashley when needed. When it came to that cheating bastard and his mistress, my stance was always: ‘I hope you two are locked together forever.’ Ashley didn’t say much else, only trying to excuse Chloe’s behavior by saying she was in her rebellious teenage phase. She asked me to be a little more understanding if she had done anything to upset me. I almost laughed out loud. The mistress who usurped my marriage was now trying to lecture me on maternal patience. “She can do whatever she wants. You don’t need to tell me that.” To my surprise, Chloe actually did come home on her own. That day, my department had finally closed a massive deal, and as the Director, I treated my team to dinner. I drank a little too much out of sheer excitement, and one of the junior girls on my team had to drive me home. As soon as I walked through the door, I saw Chloe storming out of her bedroom, looking pissed. “You really are going wild, aren’t you? What kind of mother acts like this?” My junior, Maya, who was just about to say hello, froze in her tracks. She shot me an awkward glance, then forced a polite smile. “This must be Chloe! Director Li talks about you all the time. You’re so pretty.” Chloe glared at her and scoffed. Then she turned, slammed her bedroom door shut, and went back inside. Tipsy and exhausted, I told Maya to drive safe, and then I fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep. 9 The reason Chloe came back was that the new school year was starting. Previously, to accommodate the intense schedule of her junior year, I had meticulously planned out her schedule for the entire year, optimizing every single second. This meant I had to wake up at 4:30 AM every day to make breakfast, and drive her to school at 5:30 AM sharp. I’d rush home at 6:00 PM to cook dinner, then drive back to work at 8:00 PM. I’d sneak out of the office early at 11:30 AM just to deliver a hot lunch to her school. And the evenings were a whole new battleground… But back then, I felt incredibly fulfilled. It felt like we were fighting the battle of high school together. But now, looking at that meticulously color-coded schedule, I just felt like the old me was completely insane. I had a perfectly good life, and I chose to torture myself. I wasn’t expecting it, but on the very first day of school, Chloe was late. She barged into my bedroom, furious, screaming at me to drive her to school. “It’s 8:00 AM, do you realize that?! Morning homeroom is already over!” “Why didn’t you wake me up?! WHY!!!” I was groggily jolted awake by her screaming, her voice piercing my eardrums. “The allowance I gave you yesterday included Uber money.” “If you think the commute is too inconvenient, you can apply to live in the dorms.” “I am not obligated to drive you to school every morning. I’ll pick you up in the evenings since it’s late.” Seeing she was about to argue, I glanced at my phone. “It’s almost 8:30 now. Are you sure you want to keep throwing a tantrum here?” Chloe stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls shook. I actually knew exactly why she had overslept. At 2:00 AM last night, I could still hear the sound of video games coming from her room. In the past, I would have gone in and scolded her, telling her to go to sleep immediately. But now, what did any of that have to do with me?

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So, when he turned 28, I was already 33. He used to tell me that age would never be an issue between us. But later, he told his childhood best friend: “I don’t know what it is, man. But once Sarah crossed 30, I just felt she was… kind of dirty.” Then, he found a mistress. She looked a bit like me. He gave me his love, and gave her his sex. He thought he had the perfect, flawless setup. Until I handed him the divorce papers. I smiled and told him, “Actually, there’s one huge perk to dating and marrying an older woman. And that is, an older woman knows how to play the game—and she knows how to take a loss!” 01 A woman’s sixth sense is terrifyingly sharp when it needs to be. While Caleb Wright was taking a shower, a call came through on his phone. It was a local number, no caller ID. I answered it. I said “Hello” twice, and asked “Who is this?” The person on the other end didn’t make a sound and hung up immediately. Those few seconds of silence felt like a mutual understanding. The other person knew who I was. And I realized that something was very wrong. So, I unlocked Caleb’s phone. Using that phone number, I tracked down her profile on his social media apps. It was a young girl with a soft, cute anime profile picture. Her nickname was “Sweetheart,” there was no saved contact name, and her notifications were set to mute. Their chat history was completely clean. Except for one unread message: [I miss you.] Just those three words made my heart violently clench. I figured, there was a massive chance Caleb was cheating on me. My hand holding the phone suddenly felt weak and shaky. I clicked into the girl’s feed. Her cover photo was a selfie—messy bun, duck lips, radiating youthful energy. She was undeniably pretty. I didn’t look too closely. I just pulled out my own phone and took a picture of the screen. She didn’t have many posts. I scrolled through quickly and froze on one of them. She wrote: [I told you I only wanted $143! Not a penny more!] Below it was a screenshot. A screenshot of her Venmo history with Caleb. Her note for him: Princess Feeder. She asked Caleb: [Where’s my $143?] Caleb transferred her $2,000. She didn’t accept it. She sent it right back. [I only want $143!] Caleb replied with a string of ellipses, but eventually sent her the exact amount she asked for. She replied: [Do you know what 143 means? It means ‘I love you’—I want to be with you forever!] My face was totally blank. I took a picture of it all for my records. After exiting the girl’s feed, I opened Caleb’s bank and Venmo apps. I checked every single transaction between them. One after another, scrolling down, there was seemingly no end to it. The most consistent ones were the massive $5,000 transfers at the beginning of every month. That had been going on for three months. Besides that, there were hundreds of random transfers. A thousand here, two thousand there, a hundred, two hundred. Countless. Including the special numbers: $143, $520, $1314. I photographed every single transaction. Throughout the entire process, I was dead calm. I was even calm enough to mark their chat as “unread” before I put the phone down. 02 “What’s wrong? Why are you zoning out?” Caleb walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel, looking at me with confusion. I snapped back to reality. I looked up at him. He was only wearing a towel. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, eight-pack abs. Caleb had always kept himself in incredible shape. People used to envy me: “With a guy who looks like that, as long as he isn’t out committing murder or arson, what can’t you forgive? Plus, he’s so devoted to you!” I used to think Caleb was devoted to me, too. But looking at it now, that was just my own delusion. “Nothing. Someone just called your phone, didn’t say a word, and hung up. Do you want to check it?” “Probably just a spam call. Ignore it.” Caleb’s expression was completely natural as he took the phone. He threw his damp towel into the hamper and grabbed his pack of cigarettes from the nightstand. “I’m gonna go smoke on the balcony.” Because I hated the smell of smoke, Caleb always went out to the balcony. Turns out, he wasn’t really going out there to smoke. A moment later, he walked back in. He started changing his clothes while talking to me. “Babe, I gotta head out for a bit. It’s an emergency, don’t wait up for me.” “What happened?” “The machines over at Greg’s shop are acting up. I don’t know if the guy’s just cursed or what. They were totally fine during calibration, but the screens keep glitching out on him. I need to go take a look. If it gets too late, I’ll just crash there.” “Is Liam going with you?” “Yeah!” It sounded so real. He had facts, he had a timeline, he even had a witness. I nodded. “Drive safe.” 03 Caleb left in a hurry. I stared at our framed wedding photo on the wall for a long time. I just couldn’t understand. Why? Why would Caleb cheat? And that girl. Who was she? Her face, her financial dynamic with Caleb, her social media posts… Everything flashed through my mind, piece by piece. Suddenly, I caught something. I scrambled for my phone. That girl. I had seen her before. 04 It was about six months ago. Caleb had been taken to the police precinct for getting into a bar brawl. I went to bail him out. He was mostly fine, just a scrape on his cheekbone. But his mood was awful. His eyes were vicious, his whole body radiating hostility. Aside from his teenage years, I hadn’t seen Caleb like that in a very long time. He had beaten the other guy to a bloody pulp. He clearly hadn’t held back. The other guy was screaming for an apology and compensation. Caleb just sneered. If I hadn’t been holding him back, he would have lunged at the guy again. After the paperwork was finally sorted, I led him out. A girl wearing an apron from a local diner rushed up to us. She thanked Caleb profusely: “Sir, if I hadn’t run into you today, I really don’t know what would have happened. Seriously, thank you so much!” I paused and looked at Caleb. He looked completely impatient. “I suggest you get a new job.” The girl looked distressed. “If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t be…” Caleb’s expression grew even more irritated. He cut her off roughly. “Not my problem. Do whatever you want!” Maya Davis had come with me that day. As Caleb shook the girl off and stormed ahead, Maya pulled my arm: “Don’t you think that girl looks a little bit like you?” I laughed it off, thinking she was overthinking it. But I couldn’t help glancing back at the girl one more time. The image in my memory merged perfectly with the photo on the phone. It was her. 05 Caleb didn’t come home that night. He finally walked in the following evening. He brought me takeout from my favorite Mexican spot. “It’s from that place you love. I waited in line forever. You eat first, I’m gonna hit the shower!” “Okay!” Caleb went into the bathroom. I grabbed my spare keys, carried the takeout bag, and headed straight to the underground garage. His car had been washed. It was spotless. The passenger seat was adjusted to the position I usually kept it in. There seemed to be absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. But none of that was what I was there for. I wanted the dashcam footage. I pulled the memory card and reviewed all the footage from yesterday to today. Caleb drove to the south side of the city. He called the girl and said two words: “Come down!” The girl practically skipped as she hopped into the passenger seat. The sound of kissing. Heavy breathing. “Did you touch that old woman?” “Shut up!” “Did you or not?” Caleb’s voice was hoarse, thick with lust. “What do you think?” The girl sounded smug: “You’re all mine!” “Don’t go begging for mercy later!” The speed of the car perfectly illustrated the driver’s urgency. The car finally parked at an apartment complex near the local college. The next time the camera recorded video, it was 10:00 AM the following day. Only Caleb was in the car. The video played quietly. I sat in the car, my entire body stiff. My muscles were so tense they ached. I reached out to turn off the screen, but a phone rang through the audio. It was Liam Carter, Caleb’s best friend. “Where are you man? Why aren’t you here yet?” “On my way!” “Tsk. Being this late isn’t your style. Don’t tell me you were with your little Sweetheart again.” Caleb just hummed in agreement. Liam sounded somewhat speechless: “No way, man. The frequency of this is way too high. Are you falling for her?” Caleb chuckled lightly. “What’s real? What’s fake?” “Cut the crap! I thought you were just playing around. How did this turn into a long-term thing? Weren’t you so madly in love with Sarah you’d die for her? Why the sudden cheating?” That question seemed to stump Caleb. After a long pause, he finally spoke: “Sarah is 33.” “And?” “I don’t know why, man. But once she crossed thirty, I just felt she was… kind of dirty.” 06 How long had it been since Caleb touched me? I smoked a cigarette while thinking about it. It felt like it started right around six months ago. During that time, work had gotten crazy. I was pushing for a promotion, pulling all-nighters, working back-to-back shifts. Every day I came home, all I wanted to do was sleep. Caleb would wrap his arms around me, trying to kiss me. I pushed him away. “Stop, I’m too exhausted. Next time!” The first time, Caleb didn’t mind. He even felt bad for me. The second time, he wasn’t happy, but he kept his temper in check. The third time, he got mad and slammed the door as he left. I had to track him down at a bar later that night. I realized I was handling things poorly. So I wrapped my arms around his neck and accepted his aggressive kisses. That time wasn’t beautiful. It actually hurt. Caleb noticed, and finished quickly. That night, he turned his back to me. It was the first time he hadn’t rolled over to hold me. I felt helpless. I didn’t know how to fix it, and I didn’t know how to coax him back into a good mood. But he managed to fix his own mood before I could. He said it was his fault. He said he was being too impatient. “Don’t overthink it, and don’t take it to heart. Once you’re done with this busy period, let’s take a vacation!” I thought the issue was resolved. He was still good to me. Even though he no longer held me when we slept, even though we hadn’t been intimate in six months. He was still good to me. But now he was saying that he thought I was dirty. That word. From the moment I heard it until now, just thinking about it sent chills deep into my bones. My hand holding the cigarette hadn’t stopped shaking. The ash fell onto my hand, burning my skin. But it was nothing compared to the damage that one word had done to me. 07 Caleb called me, asking where I was and why I wasn’t back yet. I told him I went downstairs to throw out the trash and would be right up. He just said, “Okay.” “I’m gonna go to sleep then!” By the time I got upstairs, Caleb was already fast asleep. He was facing the left, clinging to the edge of the bed, leaving more than half the mattress empty for me. I didn’t get under the covers. I just sat on the edge of the bed. I stared at his back all night. The year I met him, he was eighteen. He had just been accepted to a college in this city. The rebellious teenager had applied to a school behind his parents’ backs, grabbed his acceptance letter, and ran. He didn’t even pack luggage, just a backpack. His older brother, Ethan Wright, was worried about him. Ethan asked for a favor and had me pick him up at the bus station. “He has no money on him, and the dorms aren’t open yet. Let him crash at your place for a bit. The kid is stubborn as hell. If he says or does anything to piss you off, just smack him!” I thought Ethan was insane. Even if he was just a kid, there was no way I was letting him live with me. I was fully prepared to just rent him a hotel room. But he looked so pathetic. And so obedient. When I got to the station, he was squatting under a big tree, hugging his backpack like an abandoned puppy. He quietly followed me back to my apartment. Before I could even tell him he needed to stay somewhere else, he grabbed my sleeve and started playing the pity card. “Sarah, I’ll be so good. I’ll cook for you, I’ll clean the apartment. Please don’t kick me out!” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I thought he was just sweet-talking me. But he actually cooked for me every single day. He even rode his little electric scooter to pick me up from work. Because of him, my lonely, quiet apartment finally felt alive. The daily grind suddenly didn’t feel so exhausting anymore. We lived under the same roof for a month. Eventually, I helped him buy his dorm supplies and moved him onto campus. At first, I thought it was just a fleeting moment in time. But later he told me, he only applied to that university because of me. He said he saw me once when he was sixteen. And from then on, I was the only thing he looked forward to. This man—back when he was still just a boy—offered me his entire, unblemished heart. I fell for it. But now, he wanted it back. So I had to pull myself out of the mud, as fast as I could.

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