Category: English

Elias is the Alpha of the Dubois pack, and I’ve had a crush on him for years. The year we both turned eighteen, neither of us had found our mates yet, so I worked up the courage to confess my feelings to him. But I discovered he’d been drugged with an aphrodisiac. Without hesitation, I had sex with him to counteract the drug’s effects. Our sex was intense. During the process, he marked me, and I became his mate. When he came to his senses, he looked at me with utter disgust. I thought that given enough time together, he would eventually fall in love with me. But on our wedding night, I felt a soul-tearing pain. I realized Elias was cheating on me. I went to find him, only to discover him having sex with my sister Vivian. That’s when I learned he’d been in love with my sister all along. After I caught them, Elias didn’t even panic. He wrapped his arm around Vivian and burned me alive in a fire. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Elias was drugged with the aphrodisiac. Looking at Elias with his flushed face and labored breathing, I called for Vivian.

Elias opened his eyes with difficulty. A flash of disgust crossed his pupils as he said hoarsely, “Get away from me.” When he saw clearly who the woman before him was, he suddenly froze. “Vivian, why is it you?” He looked around and spotted me coming over to check on the situation. In my past life, I was the first to throw myself at him, having sex with Elias without hesitation to counteract the drug. But the first thing he did after coming to his senses was push me away, his eyes filled with revulsion. He showered for two hours straight, as if he’d just touched something filthy. But now… “Elias, I’m so glad you’re okay. I…” Vivian’s body was covered in intimate marks, her expression a mix of concern and coy embarrassment. She hesitated, deliberately covering her lips with her hand. Elias understood. He said nothing. He left with Vivian in his arms, not sparing me another glance. I knew Elias had been secretly drugged with an aphrodisiac, which caused him to lose control. In my previous life, he quickly found the culprit, so there was no need for me to remind him unnecessarily. The night wind was biting cold. I developed a fever that same evening. “Knock, knock.” My mind was fuzzy when I opened the door to see Elias. I instantly snapped awake. “…Why are you here?” Elias leaned lazily against the doorframe, giving me a casual glance. “Clara, what game are you playing now?” I looked at him in confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Elias let out a cold snort. “In front of all those people, you deliberately called Vivian to have sex with me. Doesn’t her reputation matter? How can you be so selfish?” I felt a tightness in my chest. I wanted to ask him what exactly he expected me to do. If I saved him, that was wrong. If I called for his beloved, that was also wrong. I should have just left him there to fend for himself. “Think whatever you want.” I sniffled, speaking slowly. “If there’s nothing else, I’d like to rest now. I’m not feeling well.” Elias probably thought I was putting on an act to gain his sympathy. He smiled with a curl of his lip. “Playing hard to get? Clara, you’re getting more and more tricks up your sleeve.” “If you’re not feeling well, take medicine. I’m not a doctor.” Watching his retreating figure, I let out a long sigh. Everyone in the Dubois pack knew I liked Elias—liked him in a way that was both humble and stubborn. He said long hair was gentle, so from childhood to now, I’d always kept my hair long, never changing my hairstyle. He also said light-colored clothes looked nice, so dark colors disappeared from my wardrobe entirely. He liked quiet, elegant girls, so I turned down party after party to practice piano and violin at home. It took the painful lesson of my previous life to understand. Vivian met all the conditions he mentioned, simply because she was the one he loved. And no matter how hard I tried or what I became standing before him, I didn’t deserve even a passing glance from him. Soon, news spread that Vivian had sex with Elias to counteract the drug. When something happened to him, the entire territory was in turmoil. Several people in security uniforms found me. “Miss Clara, please cooperate with the investigation.” They said that because I was the first to discover Elias had been drugged, I was the prime suspect. I didn’t understand. “But I saved him.” The security guard looked apologetic. “Elias says we can’t rule out the possibility that you orchestrated this whole thing to claim credit for saving him.” I froze. Claiming credit? So that’s what Elias thought of me. They forcibly took me to a storage room in the territory and locked me in, even though I warned them this was illegal. The only response I got was: “Elias will take full responsibility.” “He said not to let you out until the truth is uncovered.”

A day and a night later, they finally released me. After I got out, I heard Elias had already dealt with the drugging incident. After the banquet ended, he personally escorted Vivian home. When I arrived, I heard Elias saying, “Vivian saved me. I’ve already marked her. She will be the Luna of the Dubois pack, and I will hold a wedding ceremony with her.” My footsteps halted. Even though I’d already resolved to give up on Elias completely in this life, hearing those words still caused a sharp pain in my heart. He believed Vivian saved him and wanted to marry her. But if I had been the one to do it, he would only think I was throwing myself at him shamelessly. In my previous life, the gossip in our social circle became so intense that it reached my father’s ears. My father was the Beta of the Dubois pack. He personally asked Elias, and only then did Elias reluctantly agree to marry me. In this life, Elias couldn’t wait to marry Vivian. When Vivian saw me at home, she put on a conflicted expression. “That’s not right, Dad. Clara likes Elias. People can say what they want about me, but Clara would be so hurt.” My father hadn’t even spoken yet. Elias’s tall figure blocked my way through the door. “Since you’ve already heard, I might as well make things clear.” “Clara, I don’t like you. No matter how much effort you put in, it’s all wasted. You’d better accept it sooner rather than later. It’s better for both of us.” I replied softly, “Yes, don’t worry.” “I won’t bother you and Vivian anymore. I wish you both happiness.” Elias narrowed his eyes, studying me intently. Behind me came my father’s sigh. “Girl, you should have figured this out earlier. You’re eighteen now. Focus on finding your mate from now on.” I tried my best to ignore Elias’s penetrating gaze and nodded with a smile. “Okay.” After getting engaged to Vivian, Elias began frequenting our house. Before, seeing him even once was like reaching for the sky. I had to ask his friends about his whereabouts and endure being mocked as a simp without getting angry. Now, in the past two weeks, I’d seen him more times than the entire previous year combined. Yet I felt no happiness at all. Vivian always pretended to be kind while actually showing off. “Clara, these are the roses Elias sent. Want me to give you one?” “This is a jewelry necklace Elias specially ordered from Europe. Want to borrow it? He’s sent me so many things, I can’t even wear them all.” Yet in my previous life, even our wedding rings were ones I bought for Elias. While I was lost in thought, Vivian suddenly broke the necklace. The lustrous pearls scattered across the floor, rolling to a pair of black leather shoes. “Elias!” She threw herself at him pitifully, glancing at me. “Clara must have done it accidentally. Please don’t blame her. It’s my fault for not protecting the things you gave me…” Elias’s face darkened. “Clara, you act so understanding in front of your father, but the moment he goes on a business trip, your true colors show, don’t they?” “You’ve loved bullying Vivian since childhood. Haven’t you had enough yet?” A bitter taste spread through my throat. I said word by word, “I didn’t do it.” Vivian immediately lowered her head. “Elias, it’s all my fault. I’m the one to blame.” Elias shielded her behind him, his tone carrying an obvious warning. “Before, your family affairs weren’t my business, but now Vivian is my mate.” “For the time being, I’ll move in here until your father returns.” In the past, I would have been overjoyed to live under the same roof as him. Seeing my silence, Elias paused, then reminded me, “Behave yourself. Keep your distance from me so Vivian doesn’t get the wrong idea.” That night, Vivian acted coquettishly, asking Elias to blow-dry her hair. She deliberately made enough noise to ensure I’d notice. When I walked past, I didn’t slow my steps for even a moment. Elias had no reaction either. But the next day, when he saw I’d suddenly cut my hair short, he wore a knowing smile. “Did you cut it specifically for me to see?”

“No, you’re reading too much into it.” Even without last night’s scene, I’d already scheduled this haircut for today. Elias clearly didn’t believe me. He looked me up and down. “You should know I don’t like women with short hair. Using this trick to get my attention is rather foolish.” I ignored him and went straight to my room, changing into a red dress I hadn’t worn in a long time. The vivid color was particularly eye-catching. Elias stood at the railing, casting an indifferent glance my way, but the hand resting on the banister was gripping it tightly. Prominent veins appeared on the back of his hand. Just then, Vivian hugged him from behind. “Elias, Clara has changed so much lately. Is she still upset about us getting married? Has she not forgiven us?” Elias withdrew his gaze. “Let her make a scene.” “Once she realizes this approach doesn’t work, she’ll stop trying to seduce me.” I left without looking back, meeting the blind date my father had arranged for me at a café. This should have been our first meeting, yet it felt like we were old friends. We had a wonderful conversation and got along very well. That evening when I came home, I was humming a tune happily. But I was surprised to see Elias sitting on the living room sofa, bent forward slightly, looking very uncomfortable. In my previous life, he was my mate after all. I’d spent time with him and knew he had some heart problems. He probably didn’t want to worry Vivian, so he was sitting here forcing himself to endure it. I hadn’t intended to care, but I was in a good mood today. Plus, I didn’t want him to have an incident at my house that could negatively affect my father. After hesitating, I spoke up. “The medicine cabinet is in the second drawer of the white cabinet.” Elias looked up, and our eyes met. He probably expected me to get it for him. He sat there without moving, just a light sneer at the corner of his lips. “What, Clara, are you trying to use this opportunity to claim credit for saving me again?” Before he even finished speaking, I turned around and went back to my room. So I didn’t notice the man’s smile freezing slightly, or the gradually deepening look in his eyes. Things remained peaceful for a few days. Until Elias suddenly threw a lace bra in my face, his face full of rage. “Clara, how can you be so shameless?” I had no idea what was happening. I stood there stunned, instinctively catching it and looking—it really was my bra… A wave of humiliation washed over me. “Wh-what do you mean?” Elias sneered. “I almost believed you’d really given up on me. Turns out you’re just playing hard to get.” “On the surface, you act like you don’t care about me anymore, but behind the scenes, you secretly put your underwear on my bed to seduce me. Are you really that desperate, that starved for a man’s attention?” I hastily explained, “There must be some misunderstanding. I didn’t…” “Stop making excuses, Clara. You truly disgust me.” Elias looked at me with disappointment. He took Vivian’s hand and strode out. “I’m taking Vivian back to my place. Next time we meet, I’ll be your brother-in-law.” Their wedding ceremony was officially scheduled. Vivian had no friends in the territory, so my father asked me to be her bridesmaid. He returned on the day of the ceremony, taking my hand and speaking earnestly. “Vivian is getting married. Now it’s just you left.” I touched the couple’s bracelet on my right wrist, my cheeks warming slightly. “Well… I’ve met my mate too.” My father looked surprised. “When did this happen? Why didn’t you ever mention it to me?” I hadn’t expected to meet my mate so quickly after being reborn either. We’d just confirmed our relationship and didn’t know each other very well yet. I was too shy to introduce him. But in Elias’s eyes, this looked like a guilty conscience. He curled his lip mockingly, probably not taking it seriously, thinking I was lying. But seeing how certain I was, his brow furrowed slightly, and he seemed inexplicably irritated. When no one was around, he cornered me at the restroom exit, leaning close to my ear and saying in a low voice: “As long as you’re sensible and don’t harbor unrealistic fantasies, I’ll still treat you like a sister, like before. I’ll make time to keep you company.” I said seriously, “I have a boyfriend now. I definitely won’t cling to you anymore.” Elias scoffed. “Wasn’t it you who deliberately put your lace underwear on my bed to seduce me?” “No!” In the distance, Vivian watched this scene jealously, resentment flashing in her eyes. Before the wedding began, chaos suddenly erupted backstage. Vivian was crying, saying several werewolves had taken advantage of the confusion to break in and try to rape her. She’d fought desperately and barely escaped. When everyone gathered around to comfort her… Her gaze locked directly on me. “Clara, I know you’ve liked Elias for nearly ten years, but you can’t blame me just because you can’t have him.” “Elias is already my mate. Why did you have to pay those werewolves to ruin the wedding I’ve been looking forward to?” The crowd erupted in shocked murmurs. I’d once pursued Elias so publicly and dramatically—I was indeed the most likely person to do such a thing. When Elias arrived after hearing the news, Vivian buried her face in his chest, sobbing. “Elias, maybe I should just give you back to Clara. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what crazy things she might do in the future…” Slap! A heavy slap landed on my face. This wasn’t the first time Elias had humiliated me publicly, but it was the first time he’d been pushed far enough to physically strike me. I looked at his furious expression, my eyes growing dim. “Alpha Elias, are you ever willing to believe me? Even once?” “Do you even deserve that?” He looked down at me coldly as I fell to the ground, cruel and merciless. “Since you don’t know your place, don’t blame me for not showing you any courtesy.” “I’ll explain things to your father myself. Someone, do it.” He had those werewolf brothers cut up my dress and use lipstick to write “SLUT” on my face. He said he wanted to use the same methods I’d supposedly used to bully Vivian to properly punish me. I kept crying and struggling. Until someone coldly shouted, “Stop!” A pair of familiar hands picked me up. I buried my face desperately in the man’s chest. I faintly heard Elias’s voice suddenly deepen, seemingly tinged with displeasure as he demanded: “Who are you? What’s your relationship with Clara?”

My dress had been cut to shreds, practically to the point of indecent exposure. Leo tenderly took off his suit jacket to cover me, using his tie to wipe the lipstick from my face. Only then did he spare a glance for Elias. “Do you really need to ask?” “Can’t you tell? I’m Clara’s boyfriend.” Elias clenched his fists, his gaze fixed intently on Leo’s hand around my waist. On his wrist was a bracelet similar to mine—matching couple’s bracelets. Two seconds later, he suddenly relaxed his tense nerves. He wore an expression as if he’d seen through everything. “Clara, you’re quite something. You even know to hire someone to help you put on a show.” “Where did you find this actor? He’s pretty convincing, I’ll give you that.” Seeing Elias’s attention had been diverted, Vivian started crying plaintively again. “Clara, if you have a boyfriend, you should let go of your feelings for Elias even sooner. Why make such a big scene?” “Even if you’ve ruined my wedding today, do you really think you’ll have a chance to marry Elias yourself someday?” Elias sneered. “She’s delusional!” My father must have received word and came from the front hall. He still didn’t understand what had happened. He only saw me being held in Leo’s arms, their posture intimate. He asked in bewilderment: “Alpha Leo… what’s going on between you and Clara?” As his words fell… Elias froze, his expression changing. He muttered to himself, “Alpha Leo of the Ashclaw pack…” He finally recognized Leo’s identity. An inexplicable sense of unease rose in his heart. But he still maintained his surface composure, chin slightly raised. A cold laugh escaped him. “I didn’t realize the Alpha of the Ashclaw pack had so much free time.” “Coming all this way just to play house with a little girl in a pretend couple’s game?” Leo completely ignored him, answering my father’s question instead. “I’ll explain the details about Clara and me to you later.” “Right now, the priority is dealing with the current problem.” At this point, my father also noticed Vivian hiding behind Elias, her eyes red and teary. “Vivian, why are you crying?” “What happened? Did someone bully you?” “Tell me, and I’ll make it right for you!” Vivian choked up twice, looking at me fearfully. “No… no one bullied me.” She clearly looked like someone swallowing grievances despite being wronged. “Vivian is kind by nature and doesn’t want to put you in a difficult position.” Elias spoke matter-of-factly. “I’ll be direct—Clara paid several werewolves to rape Vivian out of jealousy. Her intentions were truly vicious.” “So I gave her a small punishment.” Hearing him speak with such certainty, my father looked at me in disbelief. “Is this true? Clara, didn’t you promise me you didn’t like Elias anymore? Why would you do such a thing?” “Speak, Clara! Don’t avoid responsibility! If you did it, admit it. If you didn’t, explain yourself clearly!” My tears soaked Leo’s shirt. I could feel the arms holding me tighten. Being misunderstood by Elias just made me angry and aggrieved. But if even my father didn’t trust me, I was truly heartbroken. I lifted my face. When he saw the lipstick marks not completely wiped from my face and the faintly visible writing, he gasped. “Dad, I didn’t do it.” “They’re framing me. They didn’t give me any chance to explain.” My father’s furious gaze returned to Elias, his voice shaking with rage. “So without solid evidence, you decided it was Clara and dared to treat her like this!” “This is what you call a ‘small punishment’?!” Elias met his gaze without fear. “Those werewolves got away.” “Clara is the most likely suspect. It couldn’t have been anyone else.” “They got away?” Leo suddenly raised an eyebrow. “How convenient. My Beta warriors happen to be excellent at finding people.” Vivian’s face instantly went pale.

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Two kids in my class got into an argument and started fighting. I got pushed to the ground by one of them. I had no choice but to call both children’s parents in. After the two mothers arrived, things got even more heated. Clutching my aching stomach, I called my boyfriend and asked him to come pick me up. The call was quickly disconnected. Then he sent me a text: “In a company meeting. We’ll talk tonight.” One of the boys’ mothers also called her husband. Ten minutes later, her husband rushed over. He pulled that mother into his arms and gently comforted her: “Baby, don’t be upset. I’ll handle this.” The next second, he looked up. Our eyes met, and I nearly collapsed. This man was none other than Ethan Rivers—the man I’d been dating for eight years. Ethan stared at me for a few seconds, a flicker of confusion passing through his eyes. I’d been too weak from the pain before, but in that moment I was so shocked I forgot about the agony. Ethan lowered his head and asked the woman in his arms, “What happened?” The woman quickly explained the situation. After hearing her out with a frown, Ethan efficiently called in a lawyer and even contacted the police. A whole crowd of people arrived. My gaze fixed on Ethan at the center of the group. I watched him comfort the mother and son in his arms, watched him handle the trouble with swift decisiveness. His eyes occasionally landed on me, only to quickly look away. Before long, the other parent was defeated and left with their child, utterly humiliated. The boy’s mother’s tears turned to laughter. She stood on tiptoe, cupped Ethan’s face, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you! You always drop everything to save me!” Ethan naturally wrapped his arm around her waist. “I promised when I married you that I’d take care of you for life.” The little boy also hugged Ethan’s leg, calling him the best dad. My lips turned pale, my fingers trembling slightly. A thousand questions stuck in my throat, but seeing this happy family of three before me, I swallowed them all down—like swallowing shards of glass, tearing me up inside and making me bleed. Just then, the boy’s mother came over with her child’s hand in hers and said to me, “Sorry for causing you trouble, Teacher. My son pushed you earlier too, right? To apologize, my husband and I would like to take you out for a meal.” I instinctively looked at Ethan. He frowned as our eyes met and gently shook his head. I looked at him, my voice hoarse. “Sure.” Ethan’s brow furrowed instantly, but I turned my head away. The boy’s mother came over and took my hand, then smiled. “I’m young, so my husband treats me like his second child. Whenever either of us has problems, we only turn to him.” I nodded bitterly, thinking about how during our eight years together, knowing how busy he was building his business from nothing, I never dared trouble him with anything big or small. When I taught at the school and was trapped in the office by unreasonable parents hurling abuse, I could only bow and apologize to the parents and children over and over. When gastritis struck late at night while I was writing lesson plans, I went to get an IV alone. When I moved, I carried all my luggage up to the sixth floor by myself, just wanting to set up our first home together after we started living together. These memories never made me feel bitter because I thought he was working hard for our future. But now, at this moment, it all seemed like a joke. The boy’s mother made a restaurant reservation and pulled me to the garage. I’d never seen Ethan drive the car in front of us. Before getting in, she realized she’d forgotten the child’s backpack and turned back to get it. I stood beside the car, my stomach still hurting badly. I held onto the car door to steady myself. I looked up and saw Ethan’s anxious face. He urgently asked me, “What’s wrong?” I pushed him away, but then his son called out “Dad.” He immediately let go and, after glancing at me, turned and got in the car.

After getting in the car, the boy’s mother introduced herself: “I’m Bethany White, and my husband is Ethan Rivers.” She seemed very interested in me and asked, “Joanna, do you have a boyfriend?” I stared at Ethan in the driver’s seat. His eyes met mine through the mirror. I answered, “Yes. We’ve been together for eight years. He chased me for two years.” “Wow, a ten-year relationship!” Bethany exclaimed. “Ethan and I met four years ago, got married four years ago, and our son is four years old too!” “Ethan and I fell in love at first sight. I got too drunk at a bar and ran into Ethan… That was my first time. The next day, he was still asleep when I snuck back to my dorm—I was still in college then. Later I found out I was pregnant. I was so panicked I didn’t know what to do, so I went to find him. Ethan was so responsible—he immediately said he’d take me to get our marriage license and take care of me forever.” Ethan freed one hand and ruffled her hair. “Alright, you talk too much. You have to tell everyone about these things.” She playfully grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “What’s wrong? Are you embarrassed?” Hearing her words felt like knives precisely stabbing into my heart. Back in college, Ethan and I had just gotten together. The first time, he refused to use protection, insisting he wanted to “really feel my presence.” I was coaxed and half-persuaded by him. Half a month later, I found out I was pregnant. Back then, Ethan stared at the pregnancy test showing two lines and smoked for half the night. Finally, he knelt before me, his voice hoarse: “Let’s terminate it. We can’t afford to raise it right now.” An abortion was too expensive, so we could only choose medication. The medication abortion left me in agony. What’s more, the doctor informed us that I would have difficulty getting pregnant again. After learning the consequences, Ethan slapped himself over and over, saying he was inhuman. He slapped his handsome face until it swelled badly, then stared at me with those deep eyes and swore: “I, Ethan Rivers, will only ever be good to Joanna in this life. I’ll be good to Joanna Clarke forever. If I can’t do that, may I die without anyone to mourn me!” Recalling all this, I looked at the four-year-old boy beside me. How come the person who betrayed true love didn’t get his comeuppance?

Bethany booked a Japanese restaurant. This was my favorite restaurant. I’d brought Ethan here many times, and we’d promised to keep eating here until we grew old. As Bethany walked inside, she told me, “This is the first restaurant Ethan brought me to. After eating here once, I fell in love with it. We come here often.” She sat down, and Ethan and their son Zachary naturally sat beside her. Ethan’s gaze still occasionally fell on me. He seemed afraid I might say something. I lowered my head and took a sip of tea, but my hand was shaking. Bethany added me on SnapChat and chatted warmly with me. She seemed to intentionally or unintentionally show off their affection in front of me—asking Ethan to serve her food one moment, then leaning on his shoulder the next. Ethan cooperatively and attentively peeled shrimp and placed them on her plate. I remembered him saying he was allergic to seafood and didn’t like it, so I, who grew up by the sea, stopped eating seafood too. I suddenly realized Ethan and I hadn’t eaten together like this in a very long time. He was busy every day, so busy we rarely even saw each other. In the past year or two, he said he was staying at the company, so we’d be living together much later. Just then, Bethany looked up and asked me, “Joanna, why haven’t you and your boyfriend gotten married after dating for eight years?” I raised my head and met Ethan’s gaze. “He said he wants to wait until his career is stable before starting a family.” Those were Ethan’s exact words. He built his business from scratch—the entire company was something he fought for himself. I understood how hard he worked and believed in our relationship, so I never brought up marriage. Who would have thought he’d already been married for four years behind my back? Bethany’s face glowed with happiness. “Ethan and I got married so fast. The day after I told him I was pregnant, he ordered a ring and proposed to me.” I suddenly felt like all my understanding before had been a joke. “That’s enough.” Ethan suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat stiff. “Stop talking.” Bethany froze, then pouted pitifully. “You’re being mean to me…” Ethan sighed and ruffled her hair. “I’m not being mean to you. Just eat.” Watching this scene, I suddenly felt my stomach churning.

“I’m going to the restroom.” I stood up, my legs somewhat weak. Bethany was still acting cute and didn’t notice my expression. Ethan’s gaze followed me, but I pretended not to see. The restroom lights were bright—blindingly bright. I leaned against the sink and looked down to discover bloodstains on my pants. My mind buzzed. My stomach still ached dully—it hadn’t stopped since the tutoring center. I’d thought I’d just hit the corner of a desk, but now it seemed much more serious. I pulled out my phone and called my best friend. “Nina… are you still busy? Could you come pick me up? I think… I’m sick…” Nina immediately panicked. “Send me your location! I’m coming right now!” I gave her the location, hung up, and leaned against the sink. Everything I’d experienced today left me physically and mentally exhausted, deeply distressed. Just then, the restroom door was pushed open. It was Ethan. His expression showed a flash of guilt and panic. “Joanna,” he spoke first. I looked at him without saying anything. He took a step closer. Seeing I didn’t resist, he tried to reach for me. My reaction was quick—the next second, I slapped him hard across the face. He turned his head aside, pressed his lips together, and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, but it’s not what you think.” My voice was very soft. “Then what is it?” He tried to move closer again. I dodged slightly, but he looked hurt. “Four years ago, someone got me drunk. When I woke up the next day, I didn’t remember anything—just that some young woman came into the wrong room. Then Bethany found me.” “She was only twenty that year—too young. She cried so much and told me she didn’t know what to do. She was so young—I couldn’t let her ruin her whole life because of me.” I couldn’t help it—I slapped him again. “Ethan Rivers, do you remember how old I was when you made me have an abortion?” He looked blank for a moment. My tears fell. “I was only nineteen.” His eyes immediately reddened, and his voice dropped very low. “I’m sorry, Joanna.” “Back then the doctor said you’d have difficulty getting pregnant again, so I treasure this child.” “Ethan Rivers.” I cut him off. “Let go of me.” He didn’t let go. “I’ll spend more time with you after I finish up some work. Don’t make a scene now, okay?”

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My boyfriend lost a game of Truth or Dare and was asked about his underwear color. His female friend Jennifer immediately answered: “Red!” Then Jennifer patted my shoulder: “We’re just good friends. He doesn’t see me as a woman. I wash his underwear for him, so don’t take it personally.” I rolled my eyes: “That’s disgusting.” My boyfriend immediately changed his tone: “Watch your words!” I covered my mouth and smiled: “My male best friend washes my underwear. How could a girl do such dirty work?” Everyone fell silent. After I said that, the private room went dead quiet. My boyfriend Ethan, who had been lecturing and belittling me, froze. Jennifer shrieked: “How can you let a man wash your underwear!?” Hearing this, Ethan finally snapped back to reality. He frowned and questioned me. “Natalie, have you no shame? How can you let a man wash your underwear?” I shrugged indifferently: “Oh come on, my male best friend and I practically grew up wearing the same pants.” “I don’t see him as a man, so what’s the problem?” “Besides, my male best friend has known me for twenty years. If something was going to happen, would it be your turn?” “Don’t worry, honey.” I ruffled Ethan’s hair and smiled graciously. Ethan’s face turned iron-blue with anger. Seeing this, Jennifer quickly pressed herself against Ethan and pulled his head into her chest. “Ethan, don’t be angry. Natalie is just being petty.” “She’s definitely jealous and saying these things to upset you. As a man, don’t stoop to her level.” “If you do, we’re cutting off this brotherhood!” Ethan didn’t push Jennifer away. He leaned against her chest and looked at me. “You don’t need to compete with Jennifer. It’s pointless.” “You’re both women. Can’t you get along? She’s just a bit blunt.” Ethan spoke with an air of magnanimously forgiving me. His buddies chimed in: “Exactly, Natalie. You can’t just make jokes like that.” “A proper woman should keep her distance from men.” I glanced at them and asked: “What about Jennifer then? Why don’t you worry about her reputation?” Ethan interrupted me impatiently: “Jennifer is different.” I widened my eyes and suddenly flipped up Jennifer’s skirt: “Wait, you actually have a dick!?” Jennifer screamed and ran away, her face flushed with anger. Ethan quickly shielded her and questioned me: “Are you crazy?” I shrugged indifferently: “We’re all bros, what’s there to be shy about.” “My male best friend asked me to go get a massage. I’m leaving.” I didn’t want to hear Ethan and Jennifer’s excuses. I waved at them and turned to leave. “Oh right, my male best friend has bigger tits than you. They’re really comfortable to rest on.” “Have some more, Ethan.” I pointed at Jennifer’s flat chest at the door and laughed, then slammed the door shut. Ethan had pursued me for half a year, bringing me meals and gifts. The day we got together, quite a few people sent me anonymous messages. Telling me not to date guys with their own little clique. No problem. He has his female friends, I have my male best friend.

Ethan and I hadn’t contacted each other for three days. Jennifer suddenly added me on SnapChat and asked me to go hiking. —Natalie, Ethan just likes to sulk. I’ve been coaxing him since we were kids. —Let me apologize on Ethan’s behalf first. —Couples need to clear up misunderstandings. How about we go hiking this weekend? Looking at Jennifer’s inappropriate tone, I admired my newly done nails and readily agreed. At the foot of the mountain, Ethan, Jennifer, and two other guys were all wearing matching sun-protective clothing. Ethan hesitantly walked over and grabbed my hand: “Dear Natalie, I was so afraid you wouldn’t come.” “What happened last time really was too much. My friends are used to running wild and don’t watch their mouths. Let’s be good.” “After all, we’ve already met each other’s parents. You’ll have to get used to it eventually.” Jennifer came over and warmly draped her arm around my shoulder: “Natalie, don’t be so petty.” “You two, hurry up and apologize to Natalie. Don’t make her angry.” The other two guys exchanged glances and reluctantly said sorry. Ethan squeezed my hand and coaxed: “You should feel better now, right?” “My buddies have never lowered themselves like this to apologize to anyone.” “Natalie, shouldn’t you show some appreciation?” Ethan unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it to me, hinting that I should say something conciliatory. Fine. Considering how thoughtful he was being, I cleared my throat. “Thank you guys.” “Natalie!” One of the guys jumped in anger. I quickly hid behind Ethan and wiped away tears. “Ethan, look, they’re so mean. They don’t like me at all.” “Maybe I should just leave?” Probably because he hadn’t seen me act vulnerable in so long, Ethan was instantly smitten. His protective instinct exploded as he stood in front of me: “Enough. Natalie is my fiancée, after all.” The two guys couldn’t say anything more. But Jennifer suddenly grabbed the water bottle from Ethan’s hand and chugged it aggressively. She drank quite boldly, water spilling out and soaking the front of her shirt. Then she unzipped her jacket, revealing the cleavage she’d pushed up. And the ring necklace around her neck. I recognized it immediately. It was the couple’s ring Ethan and I shared. “Natalie, you don’t mind me drinking Ethan’s water, right? We’ve been sharing cups since we were kids.” “Pure friendship. You can’t expect Ethan to lose all his friends just because he has a girlfriend.” Ethan didn’t notice. He frowned as he searched for tissues for Jennifer. I saw Jennifer raise her eyebrows at me provocatively. Seeing that I remained silent, Jennifer deliberately touched the necklace at her chest and continued. “We all apologized. Shouldn’t Natalie apologize too?” “Making up a man just to save face made Ethan cry for days.” Jennifer acted like she was seeking justice for Ethan. Ethan looked at me, frowning: “Natalie, you really did go too far.” I didn’t say anything. A guy in athletic wear with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and striking looks walked over. He took the water from my hand and took a sip. “Sorry I’m late. I’m Natalie’s male best friend.”

Blake’s timing was perfect. I affectionately linked my arm through his and introduced him. “This is Blake. My male best friend. We were born on the same day, same month, same year.” “He’s a friend too. I invited him to hike with us. You guys don’t mind, right?” Ethan pushed Jennifer aside and pulled me over. “Natalie! How can you link arms with another guy!?” I blinked and smiled: “Blake isn’t just anyone. He’s family.” “You’re not jealous of my male best friend, are you? Don’t be so petty.” “I don’t see him as a man at all.” As I spoke, I broke free from Ethan’s grip and patted Blake’s muscular shoulder with a smile. “Natalie, come back here!” Ethan’s face turned completely dark. After all, Blake was exceptionally good-looking, even somewhat overshadowing him. No matter how you looked at it, he was definitely a man. Blake held my hand, revealing the silver ring on his pinky finger. “Don’t misunderstand. We grew up sleeping in the same bed. If I liked Natalie, what chance would you have?” His voice was pleasant, though emotionless. But the provocative intent was clear. Ethan’s face turned bright red. He glared at Blake hatefully. “Natalie has a boyfriend now. Can you keep your distance!?” Before Blake could respond, I smiled: “Ethan, how can you be so selfish?” “I can’t just abandon my best friend because I have a boyfriend.” Ethan clenched both fists: “He’s a man!” I waved my hand: “I don’t see him as a man. Jennifer, talk some sense into Ethan.” “Why is he being such a jealous little man!?” Jennifer stood behind Ethan, as if just coming to her senses. She stood on her tiptoes, draped her arms around Ethan’s neck, and laughed awkwardly: “Come on, let’s go hiking.” “Ethan, you can’t make all of us childhood friends wait here.” Unfortunately, Ethan was too angry right now. He wasn’t buying it. He suddenly rushed over, pointing at the ring on Blake’s hand: “Why is your ring on his hand?” I patted my head: “Oh my, he said he liked it last time.” “It’s fine to lend it to him for a couple days.” Blake picked up where I left off: “We’ve shared everything since childhood. What’s mine is hers.” Ethan was so angry he nearly stamped his feet. He shouted: “That’s our couple’s ring!” “Natalie, this is cheating!” His eyes were bloodshot, as if he was about to cry. I dropped my smile and lifted my chin: “Then what is Jennifer wearing around her neck?” Ethan turned to look, then yanked the ring from Jennifer’s neck. “When did you take my ring!?” Jennifer’s neck was pulled red, her eyes tearing up from the pain: “Ethan, that hurts.” “It’s just a stupid ring. Why are you so angry?” The two guys behind Jennifer also came over to defend her: “Ethan, now you’ve gone too far.” “Back in the day we even shared socks!” I licked my lips and smiled: “Do you share girlfriends too?” The two guys fell silent, their faces flushed with anger. Ethan quickly put the ring back on: “Natalie, look. I got mine back.” “Put yours back on too. Don’t be angry anymore.” Seeing Ethan’s sincerity, I decided to give him a little reward. I put the couple’s ring back on. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. During the hike, Ethan carried my bag and handed me fruit. He stayed by my side, attentive like when he first pursued me. Jennifer tried to chat him up several times, but Ethan ignored her. She clenched her fists in anger, glaring at me as if she wanted to tear me apart. “Natalie, I know you’re bothered by my relationship with Jennifer, so you deliberately found someone to upset me.” “Making you jealous was my fault. I’ll definitely keep my distance from her from now on.” I glanced at him but didn’t respond. Ethan quickly repeated: “How much did you pay this actor? I’ll cover it.” “Don’t let him show up again!” With that, Ethan transferred five thousand dollars to my account on SnapChat, noting it as a voluntary gift. I looked at my phone and threw myself into Ethan’s arms, glancing at Jennifer. “Why did you transfer so much money to me?” Jennifer walked over, somewhat sourly asking: “How much did he transfer?” “Natalie doesn’t know—Ethan used to transfer me thirty, fifty thousand at a time.” She tried to peek at my phone screen, then turned to Ethan: “Hey, don’t forget your buddy.” “Why didn’t you transfer any to me?” Ethan looked at my face and said impatiently: “Jennifer, settle down. Can’t you see Natalie’s unhappy?” Jennifer’s face went pale. She plopped down on the ground, saying her ankle was sprained. “Ethan, carry me up the mountain.” Her voice carried a crying tone. “It hurts so much I can’t walk.” I looked up. Those two guys had somehow already walked to the very front. Jennifer shot me a provocative look. “Ethan, have you forgotten how I brought you home when you got lost in the mountains?” “We’re pure friends. Natalie won’t mind if I’m hurt.” Ethan, who had been so assertive just moments ago, immediately caved when he saw Jennifer cry. He looked at me: “Natalie…” “Jennifer is my friend, after all.” Jennifer: “Natalie wouldn’t just leave me to suffer, would she?” I smiled sweetly: “Of course not.” I beckoned to Blake, and he crouched in front of me. “I’m tired too. See you at the summit.” I climbed onto Blake’s back, my view suddenly rising. “We’re all friends. I understand. You guys are definitely pure friendship!” Blake carried me forward. Ethan left Jennifer behind and chased after me. “Natalie! Didn’t we agree no more actors?” My voice was troubled: “Ethan, Blake is my male best friend. Why won’t you believe me?” By the time we reached the summit, Ethan had completely settled down. He didn’t even glance at Jennifer. When everyone went to get their lunch boxes, Jennifer sidled up to me with a dark expression. “I really underestimated you.” “You think finding someone to provoke Ethan will make him give up our relationship? Dream on!” I also dropped my smile and asked her: “You like Ethan?” Jennifer sneered, confident of victory: “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll back out. The only woman for Ethan is me.” I shook my head. Jennifer threatened: “You know Emma, right? If you don’t wise up, you’ll end up just like her!” Emma was Ethan’s ex-girlfriend. They’d only dated two months before she jumped off a building. Her explicit photos had been posted all over campus. I trembled and stepped back half a step. Jennifer thought I was scared. As she flashed me a triumphant smile, I suddenly raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The commotion here was too loud. Several guys quickly walked over. I crashed into Ethan’s arms, crying piteously. “Ethan, Jennifer bullied me.” Jennifer took two steps toward me, covering her face and shouting: “You slapped me! Who’s bullying who!?” “Ethan, you can’t play favorites.” “Jennifer is the victim here.” Ethan’s face turned iron-blue as he asked what happened. Jennifer suddenly pushed me aside and grabbed Ethan’s hand, making him touch her face. “Ethan, my face is swollen and you’re still not going to get justice for me!?” Ethan frowned at me: “Natalie, how could you hit her? That’s too much!” I wiped my tears: “But Jennifer said I should watch out for Emma’s ghost coming to my bedside at night.” As soon as I finished speaking, not only Ethan froze, but the other two guys’ faces also turned ashen. For them, Emma’s suicide was the result of their “jokes” going too far. Ethan suddenly pushed Jennifer: “You’re crazy. We’re never associating again.” Ethan grabbed my hand and left. Behind us came the complaints of the two guys: “Didn’t we agree never to mention that name again?” “Jennifer, what’s wrong with your brain?” None of that mattered. What mattered was that Ethan promised me he’d never have anything to do with Jennifer again. After Ethan left, I vigorously wiped my hands with a wet wipe. Blake stood at the door smoking. I asked him: “How’s Emma?” He exhaled smoke, his expression grim. I nodded and took a deep breath. Three days later, it was Ethan’s birthday. The birthday party was held at his family’s villa. It was the same familiar group of friends, except this time Jennifer wasn’t there. Ethan warmly held my hand: “Natalie, I really love you so much.” “Let’s get engaged in a couple days, okay?” Before cutting the cake, his buddies insisted on giving gifts first. So a huge pink cardboard box was wheeled in, tied with a pink bow. Ethan was urged by everyone to open the gift. When the lid opened, Jennifer suddenly stood up from the box wearing a camisole minidress. “Happy birthday!” Jennifer pushed her chest together and struck a sexy pose. Everyone screamed. The men’s eyes went straight, calling her sexy. After all, a buddy turning into a goddess was quite sensational. I watched calmly as Ethan took Jennifer’s hand and asked: “Didn’t we say we’d cut off contact?” Ethan opened his mouth: “Natalie, Jennifer is my buddy after all.” “I ignored her for three whole days. That’s punishment enough. She knows she was wrong.” “Don’t be so petty. Jennifer already told me that Blake is from the theater department at school.” “You deliberately hired a male actor. This really embarrassed me.” “How could you be so intimate with a strange man!” I looked at him expressionlessly: “So what does Jennifer tying herself up with ribbons and presenting herself as a gift mean?” “Should I get you guys a bed?” Jennifer’s eyes reddened again as she loudly protested: “How can you insult my pure relationship with Ethan like this!” “He used to jerk off while I helped him, and we never had sex.” “Natalie, stop being so jealous all the time.” Ethan looked at me matter-of-factly: “Yeah, Natalie, be reasonable. I won’t have feelings for her.” I smiled and asked: “How long does he last?” Jennifer answered boldly: “Over twenty minutes! Natalie, don’t pry into our business between men.” I pretended to be shocked and exclaimed: “What? That short? My male best friend lasts forty to fifty minutes.” “Looks like the gift he picked for me is quite appropriate.” I handed over the smallest size condom. The atmosphere turned awkward again. The smile on Ethan’s face immediately vanished: “Natalie, I already told you.” “Stop hiring actors to upset me. I won’t believe it.” I spread my hands and smiled: “Why won’t you believe me? Blake and I have been classmates since kindergarten.” “Ask anyone.” “Be a bigger man. Don’t keep getting triggered. I won’t discriminate against you just because you can’t match his performance.” Ethan suddenly grabbed my hand: “Natalie! Even if he’s your male best friend, how can you two be so filthy!” I pointed at Jennifer. “What’s the problem? We’re childhood friends. How can you defile our pure relationship?” “Unless you think Jennifer is filthy too?” Ethan froze. His face flushed as he stammered without getting anywhere. Finally, he seemed to compromise, grabbing my sleeve: “Natalie, stop seeing that Blake.” “We’re getting engaged.” I asked in confusion: “What about your female friends?” Ethan suddenly kicked Jennifer out: “What are you doing here!? So embarrassing.” “Jennifer, don’t appear in front of me again!” Jennifer angrily cursed outside: “Ethan, don’t you want your daddy anymore!? Got some wings now!” “Don’t forget how I used to help you fall asleep!” “When you rested your head on my chest, you didn’t think I was embarrassing!” I pushed Ethan aside and smiled at Jennifer: “Jennifer, why are you making such a fuss?” “Aren’t you good buddies?” Jennifer glared: “You relationship-wrecking homewrecker! Just you wait.” With that, she left in anger. I turned to Ethan understandingly: “I’m not forcing you to cut ties. Talk things through with her properly.” “After so many years of friendship, can you sort it out in a week?” Ethan emotionally pulled me into his arms: “Natalie, you’re so understanding.” As soon as I left Ethan’s villa, I took off my jacket and threw it in the trash, then got in Blake’s car. “Bastard and his mistress.” I couldn’t help venting to Blake. Blake smiled and patted my head: “Thanks for your hard work.” Jennifer’s threats weren’t a joke. That very night, a post appeared on the campus confession page. Titled: My twenty-year buddy’s girlfriend is domineering and insists we cut ties. The post went viral. Countless people replied, and it was quickly pinned to the top.

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My sister and I saved an old man. To repay us, he gave us two systems. One system was called “Wealth,” and the other was called “Beauty.” In my previous life, my sister Gianna rushed to choose Wealth. She said she had to become rich so no one would ever bully her again. But she flaunted her money too recklessly. Her gambling-addict boyfriend violated her, seized all her assets, and left her unable to bear children for the rest of her life. As she was about to jump into the sea in despair, she saw me on a cruise ship with three billionaires competing to propose to me. Furious, she went mad and pushed me off the ship to my death in the ocean. In this second life, she rushed to choose the Beauty System. “Violet, this time it’s my turn to be life’s winner. Those three billionaires will line up for me to pick and choose, while you just wait to be trampled and killed by scumbag men and toxic friends!” Holding the leftover Wealth System, I curved my lips into a smile. What a fool. She couldn’t even use such a simple Wealth System properly. I’m afraid she’ll end up even worse off than in her last life!

The suffocating sensation of drowning in the sea felt like it happened just yesterday. I jolted awake to hear Gianna’s incredibly excited voice. “I want this one!” She pointed at the Beauty System without hesitation, making her choice. After speaking, she looked at me triumphantly. “Violet, you’ve always let me have everything since we were little. I finally found something I like in this Beauty System—you won’t fight me for it, will you?” In that moment, I instantly understood. She had been reborn too. We had both been reborn to the moment before we received the two systems. On this day, Gianna and I went camping in the suburbs and encountered an old man who was dying of thirst. I couldn’t bear to watch and wanted to give him my water. But Gianna stopped me. “These days, doing good deeds doesn’t get you good karma.” I frowned, hesitating. Gianna crossed her arms, watching coldly. “Besides, who dies of thirst nowadays? Even if he’s really thirsty, he can just find river water to drink. Worst case, he could even drink his own urine…” But a human life was at stake. I quickly pushed aside the gloating Gianna and handed over my water bottle. The old man was finally saved. To repay us, he gave us two systems. When we heard that one system was called Wealth and the other Beauty, Gianna’s eyes lit up as she rushed forward. “The Wealth System—does that mean I’ll become a millionaire? Then I definitely want the one that brings the most money!” So without consulting me, she chose the Wealth System without hesitation. The old man was clearly saved by me, and she had just been advising me to mind my own business, but now she was first in line to claim credit. Though I felt a bit uncomfortable, considering she was my own sister, I ended up taking what was left. “Beauty is good too. It’s better than nothing. After all, finding a suitable husband and living an ordinary, simple life isn’t bad either.” I contentedly bound myself to the Beauty System. From that moment on, my and Gianna’s fates began to undergo earth-shattering reversals. “Violet?” Gianna impatiently waved her hand in front of me, pulling me back from my thoughts. “I want to choose the Beauty System. You wouldn’t want to fight me for it, would you?” “In your last life, you lived so happily. This time, such a good system should be my turn, right?” She shrank back warily, as if afraid I would make the same decision as last time, seemingly determined not to let me have the system. I looked at her silently for a moment, then shook my head.

“Of course I won’t fight you for it. Then I’ll take the other one.” Seeing my indifferent attitude, I casually bound myself to the Wealth System. Along with a system notification: “Host, you have successfully bound.” Gianna suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, then leaned close to my ear and laughed softly. “Violet, do you really think this crappy Wealth System will bring you money? I’m afraid all it’ll bring is disaster.” I had just noticed that when Gianna looked at the Wealth System, her eyes were full of fear and dread. Her making this choice was completely within my expectations. “They’re just two systems. It’s all about how you use them.” Gianna rolled her eyes in disbelief. “You’re just saying sour grapes because you can’t have them.” “This time, I’m the one who grabbed the Beauty System first. Those three billionaires should fall at my feet in this life.” The smugness in Gianna’s eyes was practically overflowing. Sure enough, after getting the Beauty System, the first thing Gianna did was dress herself up elaborately. The system was very effective, raising Gianna’s charm value to the maximum. Watching herself walk down the street and attract a 90% turn-around rate, she was extremely pleased. “This Beauty System really works. In my last life, I was so stupid, letting Violet get such a great bargain for nothing.” “This time, no matter what, I’m going to be life’s ultimate winner!” I shook my head, pretending not to hear her muttering. This time, I was the one welcoming the arrival of wealth. With such a large sum of money, if I didn’t seize the opportunity to become the richest woman, I’d be doing a disservice to this system. Just as I was seriously studying the system rules, a mocking voice suddenly came from behind me. “Violet, don’t get too smug too soon. For the sake of us being sisters, I’ll give you a warning.” “If you still want to live well, I advise you not to use that Wealth System.” “Otherwise, before the wealth comes, disaster will arrive first, and I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.” I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned to look at her. “Gianna, then I’ll give you a warning too.” “If you want to live a good life, stay away from those three billionaires. That’s all I’ll say.” Gianna didn’t believe my words at all, letting out a disdainful cold laugh. “Violet, I think you’re just jealous that I got the Beauty System, so you’re saying this on purpose.” She looked at me with eyes full of wariness and suspicion. “I can’t forget—in my last life, I was harmed by that gambling addict until I couldn’t have children, lost everything, while you were on a cruise ship wearing a princess dress, enjoying the love and proposals of three billionaire men…” “In my last life, I was too stupid. I thought that having the Wealth System and money meant having everything. Only later did I understand that holding such an obvious target in my hands made me everyone’s living bullseye.” “But now it’s different.” “With the Beauty System on my side, those rich men and billionaires can become my playthings at any time, and their money will all be mine too, hahaha…” I regretfully shook my head, looking sympathetically at the smug Gianna before me, feeling only sadness. Gianna and I were blood sisters. When she couldn’t find work, I took her in. When her gambling-addict boyfriend beat her, I helped call the police. Even when that gambling-addict boyfriend beat her so badly she was hospitalized in critical condition, I gave up my well-paying $30,000-a-month job and ran to the hospital like a servant, exhausting myself to care for her. I gave her everything, my whole heart.

But how did she repay me in my last life? After she got rich through the Wealth System, the first thing she did was distance herself from me. She used hundred-thousand-dollar handbags as trash bins to hold water bottles. Yet when I asked to borrow $20,000, she coldly mocked me. “Violet, you have your Beauty System, but I don’t see you sharing any boyfriends with me.” “Now all this money I have, I earned it with my own real ability. You want to mooch off me? Dream on.” That very day, she moved out of my rental apartment and bought a ten-million-dollar oceanfront villa. When I was desperate and offered to write an IOU to borrow $20,000 from her, she coldly threw me a letter cutting ties. “Violet, from now on, I don’t have a sister like you. Don’t even think about taking advantage of me.” Her coldness and decisiveness back then broke my heart. What’s more, afterward, when she was violated by her gambling-addict boyfriend and left unable to bear children, reduced to something neither human nor ghost, she became jealous when she saw my happiness and pushed me off the cruise ship to die at the bottom of the sea. One thing after another, each incident had long since shown me the serpent’s heart of this sister of mine. So this time, I also withdrew my kindness, only wanting to manage my own life well. A few days after getting the system, Gianna carefully orchestrated going to the park to “accidentally” encounter those three billionaires, following the same scenario from my last life when I met them. Sure enough, she quickly became very close with all three of them. Billionaire 1 pampered her like a little princess and gave her a villa that very day. Billionaire 2 was even more generous, directly spending millions to take her to high-end auction houses where she could buy whatever she wanted. Billionaire 3 got down on his knees to pursue her, and with a grand wave of his hand, even gave her an island. Gianna was extremely pleased and came to show off to me. “Violet, I never imagined you lived such an amazing life in your last life.” “This Beauty System really is useful. Turns out having all the money in the world isn’t as useful as having a man’s love.” “Money in your hands just makes people covet it. But as long as you have men under your thumb, all that money comes rushing into your hands…” Listening to Gianna shamelessly say these things, I regretfully shook my head. “Don’t celebrate too soon.” “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even with the Beauty System’s boost, haven’t you wondered why those three billionaires appeared so conveniently?” Gianna froze, but still took my questioning as jealousy. “Violet, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.” “In this life, you didn’t get to snatch the Beauty System from me, so you want to trick me, right? I won’t fall for it.” With that, she went back to her room, noisily packed her luggage, then came out dragging a suitcase. “I’m planning to move out.” Gianna raised her chin, looking at me haughtily. “Those billionaires are lining up to give me villas and islands. My net worth has already risen more than one level.” “A shabby little rental like this suits you better.” I didn’t stop her, just nodded silently. “When you move out, remember to leave the key on the entrance table.” Gianna’s face instantly turned cold as she put her hands on her hips and stared at me. “Violet, I knew you always thought I was a burden, didn’t you?” “Now your true colors are finally showing.” “Fine, I’ll tell you clearly—when I become a billionaire’s wife, don’t come begging me to help you.” I lowered my head and smiled. “That day will never come.”

Unfortunately, Gianna didn’t hear me and huffily dragged her suitcase away. And I finally breathed a complete sigh of relief. With Gianna leaving on her own initiative, I had one less burden. I didn’t have to worry about being dragged down by her or even killed by her for the rest of my life. After getting the Wealth System, my fortune truly became explosive. Buying a scratch-off ticket at my doorstep, I could win $2,000. Helping an old lady on the street, she recognized me as her goddaughter in gratitude and left me most of her inheritance. Buying a lottery ticket, I could even win $50 million. When I went to claim the prize, I didn’t make a scene. Instead, I wore a mask and covered myself completely. After claiming the prize, I disposed of all those clothes and quickly moved away from my original circle. I also terminated the lease on my original apartment. Seeing me being so cautious, the Wealth System asked, “Host, aren’t you being a bit too careful?” I shook my head. “You don’t understand.” In my last life, Gianna suffered because she was too ostentatious, letting everyone know she was fortune’s darling. As a result, all her friends became jealous of her. Even her gambling-addict boyfriend Travis was like a wolf eyeing lamb, calculating every day how to take her money for himself. I still remembered that cruel scene. After Travis lost everything at the gambling table, he grabbed a fruit knife and threatened Gianna with bloodshot eyes. “Gianna, hand over all your money right now, or else don’t blame me for sending you to another man’s bed. By then, even if you beg for mercy, you won’t find a place to cry!” Gianna couldn’t break up with him. She had nowhere to turn for help. She could only obediently hand over all her money, making a wedding dress for that man. Travis took all that money and gambled heavily, losing almost everything. In the end, the Wealth System completely lost its power. Gianna also became useless. After Travis hired some men to violate her, he threw her onto the street, leaving her unable to bear children. I divided the money I received into three parts. The first part, I deposited in different bank accounts to earn interest. The second part, I established an offshore trust fund account and regularly deposited money into it every month. But to withdraw money, I set an annual limit of only $50 million, and it required my personal signature. The third part, I established a personal charity foundation. Quietly, under the name “Mr. Gray,” I regularly made donations. After all, financial fortune is also a flow. It needs to circulate to avoid becoming stagnant water. Moreover, being able to help others within my means is the greatest spiritual practice in itself. I stayed away from my original circle. Even when buying villas, I had my assistant handle it. I was careful and cautious enough, so I remained safe. This day, I was drinking coffee in the living room of my newly purchased villa when my private investigator suddenly called. “Miss Sinclair, there’s a new development at the location you asked me to monitor.” Gianna was dressed elaborately, just about to go on a date with Billionaire 3. Halfway there, she was suddenly blocked by Travis, who jumped out. That gambling-addict boyfriend who had harmed her so badly in her previous life—even after rebirth, seeing him again made Gianna’s face turn deathly pale with fear. “Travis, I’ve already broken up with you. If you keep harassing me, I’ll call the police.” Travis smiled wickedly as he approached her, pinning her against the wall. “Go ahead and call the police. Think I’m scared?” “Gianna, I didn’t expect you to be so capable. No wonder you were so determined to kick me to the curb these past few days—turns out you hooked up with a richer, more handsome guy…”

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I spent seven years by Tristan’s side. I drank until my stomach bled to protect him. I attended social events until I was worn down by the filth of that world. Yet he found me dirty, kept a pure college student as his mistress, and forced me to kneel and polish that woman’s shoes. I slit my wrists to give back the life I thought I owed him. Then I walked away and married Lucas Ashford, a man rumored to be blind and ruthless. Tristan went mad, kneeling in the snow clutching my shattered cello, begging me to come back. I sneered and took Lucas’s arm, ready to leave. Suddenly, Lucas removed the silk blindfold from his eyes and bent down to kiss my forehead. Those supposedly blind eyes looked down at Tristan kneeling on the ground, filled with mockery. “Get lost. Don’t appear before my wife again.” Selena’s POV The moment I pushed open the private room door, a wave of thick smoke and alcohol hit me in the face. Inside, the lights were dim, the deafening bass making my heart pound. I stood in the doorway, still wearing the black business suit I hadn’t had time to change out of, clutching an urgent acquisition contract. “Mr. Vale, the documents you requested…” Before I could finish, I froze. In the center of the sofa, Tristan lounged lazily. His long legs crossed, his shirt collar slightly open, revealing his sharply defined collarbones. Those usually unfathomable eyes now held traces of amusement. He wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was entirely fixed on the girl beside him. The girl wore a pure white cotton dress, her long straight black hair falling over her shoulders, her face free of makeup. She seemed very uncomfortable in this setting, like a frightened deer, clutching tightly at Tristan’s sleeve. “Mr. Vale, I… I want to go back to campus.” The girl’s voice was thin, carrying a tremor of fear. Tristan chuckled softly. He raised his hand, his slender fingers ruffling the girl’s hair with a gentleness I’d never seen before. “What’s there to be afraid of? I’m here. No one dares touch you.” The group of wealthy heirs around them immediately started whooping. “Where’d you find this innocent little thing? Protecting her so closely!” “She’s so pure! That’s a rare commodity in our circle!” “Your taste changed pretty fast, didn’t it? Didn’t you used to prefer the sexy type?” As they spoke, someone noticed me. The private room fell silent for a few seconds. Countless gazes landed on me, filled with scrutiny, mockery, and undisguised derision. My name is Selena Hart. I’m Tristan Vale’s executive assistant. I was also the “assistant” who’d been with him for seven years. Everyone in our circle knew me, but I’d never had any official status. Tristan finally lifted his eyelids and glanced at me. A flash of faint annoyance crossed his eyes. “Put it on the table.” His tone was cold, as if instructing an insignificant servant. I walked over and set down the documents. My gaze inadvertently met the girl’s. She looked at me with innocent eyes, a hint of shame in them. Just like me seven years ago. “Aren’t you going to introduce her?” Someone nearby drawled, cigarette dangling, grinning with ill intent. Tristan picked up his glass and took a sip. “Summer Lynn, sophomore at the Music Conservatory.” He only introduced her, not me. Perhaps in his eyes, I wasn’t even worthy of being mentioned alongside this clean little innocent. Someone deliberately stirred trouble, pointing at me and asking Summer. “Do you know who this is?” Summer shook her head, glancing at me timidly. “Is… is she Mr. Vale’s sister?” The private room erupted in roaring laughter. “Sister? You’re hilarious!” “This is his most capable person. She’ll do any dirty work. Her methods are ruthless.” “Right, Selena?” Those venomous words pierced me like needles. I dug my nails into my palms, forcing myself to maintain a polite smile. I looked at Tristan. Hoping he’d speak up for me like before. Even just one word. But he didn’t. He just toyed with his lighter, the blue flame flickering on and off, illuminating his coldly handsome face. “Enough.” After a long moment, he spoke lazily, “Don’t scare her.” He was protecting Summer Lynn. I lowered my eyes, feeling like my heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand, so painful I could barely breathe. “Mr. Vale, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.” I said. “Wait.” Tristan stopped me. He took the documents from the table, flipped through them casually, then tossed them back to me. “This contract has problems. Redo it tonight, submit it to me tomorrow morning.” I was stunned. “But Mr. Vale, you personally confirmed this yesterday…” “I’m saying it has problems now.” Tristan cut me off, his gaze sharp, “Selena, you’ve been getting careless with your work lately.” I stood there, cold all over. I knew the contract was fine. He was just using this method to warn me, to put me in my place. Because when I entered earlier, my eyes looking at Summer Lynn accidentally revealed a trace of emotion. He was blaming me for disturbing his little deer. “Alright, I understand.” I picked up the documents and turned to leave. As I neared the door, I heard Summer’s soft voice. “Mr. Vale, she looks so scary…” Tristan chuckled lightly, his voice carrying undisguised mockery. “Ignore her.” “That woman has nothing but schemes left.” My footsteps stopped abruptly. My eyes stung with tears, but I didn’t turn back. I pushed open the door and walked into the bitterly cold winter night.

Selena’s POV At 3 AM, I typed the last word. I sent the revised contract to Tristan’s email. I leaned back in my chair, looking at London’s desolate night view through the floor-to-ceiling windows, exhausted to the bone. Seven years. I’d been with Tristan since I was twenty. Back then, I was the principal cellist at the Music Conservatory. Back then, my heart and eyes were full of the cello and my future. Tristan had pursued me. He’d wait downstairs with the hardest-to-find lemon cake when I rehearsed until late at night. He’d furrow his brow in distress over a tiny scratch on my finger, applying medicine himself. He said. “Selena, your hands are for playing the cello, not for suffering.” He said. “Selena, after graduation, let’s get married.” I believed him. I fell in love with him completely, even giving up my opportunity to study abroad for him. But what happened after? The Hart family went bankrupt. My father became addicted to gambling, racking up loan shark debts. Debt collectors cornered me in an alley and nearly destroyed my hands. Tristan saved me, paid off my debts. But from that moment on, everything changed. He became my creditor, my benefactor, the only lifeline I could grasp. To be worthy of him, to help him secure his position in the Vale family. I took off my white dresses and put on rigid business suits. I learned to drink, learned to schmooze, learned to smile at those greasy old men. I even drank until I had stomach bleeding, just to shield him from alcohol. To secure a project for him, I stood in the snow for three hours. I became smooth, worldly, only caring about money. I personally killed the Selena who played the cello and turned myself into a blade that cleared the path for Tristan. But he found this blade covered in blood, found this blade no longer clean. My phone suddenly vibrated. It was the nursing home calling. My heart tightened. I answered immediately. “Ms. Hart, your brother had another episode today and broke quite a few things. We’ve already administered sedatives.” “Also, this month’s fees are due. Could you…” I took a deep breath, suppressing the sob in my throat. “I understand. I’ll transfer the money first thing tomorrow morning. Please take good care of him.” After hanging up, I opened my bank account. The balance was nearly depleted. Over the years, I’d earned quite a bit, but almost all of it went to filling the Hart family’s bottomless pit and my brother’s medical expenses. As for Tristan, he did pay me well, but he never gave me extra money. He used this method to control me precisely. Making it impossible for me to leave him, making me cling to him like a dog. The door lock clicked. Tristan was back. He walked into the living room carrying a chill and the faint scent of gardenias. That was Summer Lynn’s scent. I stood up and walked over to take his coat. “How much did you drink? I’ll get you some medicine.” I habitually reached out to loosen his tie. He suddenly stepped back, avoiding my hand. “Don’t touch me.” He frowned, his eyes carrying obvious disgust. My hand froze in mid-air. “You reek of cheap perfume and cigarettes. It’s nauseating.” He pulled off his tie and tossed it carelessly on the sofa. I looked down at myself. Tonight, for that contract, I had attended a social event and been forced to drink quite a bit. “Sorry, I’ll take a shower.” I said softly. “No need.” Tristan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and lit a cigarette. “Selena, we need to talk.” My heart sank. Instinct told me that what he was about to say would drag me completely into hell. “Summer is a good girl.” He exhaled a smoke ring, his voice calm yet cruel. “I really like her.” “She’s clean. Simple minded. Nothing like you are now. You’re full of schemes, willing to do anything for money.” My fingers trembled. “So?” “So I plan to support her through college, then marry her.” Tristan turned around, looking down at me. “You’ve been with me for seven years. Even without merit, you’ve worked hard.” “At the company, you’ll still be my chief secretary.” “But in private, know your place. Don’t provoke her. She’s timid and easily frightened.” My heart felt like it was thrown into a meat grinder, shredded, bloody and mangled. He was going to marry someone else, because he found me dirty. But who had I become dirty for? “Tristan.” I heard my hoarse voice, “What if I don’t agree?” Tristan paused, then laughed as if he’d heard the joke of the century. He stubbed out his cigarette, walked up to me, reached out and gripped my chin, squeezing hard. “Don’t agree?” “Selena, on what grounds would you not agree?” “Do you think you’re still that celebrated cellist from seven years ago?” “You’re nothing but a notorious social butterfly now! Everyone in London knows you, Selena Hart, will use any underhanded means to climb up!” “That gambling addict father of yours racked up another ten million last week. That mentally ill brother of yours costs hundreds of thousands in medical expenses every month.” He leaned close to my ear, his voice as gentle as a demon’s whisper. “Leave me, and what will you live on? Hmm?” My tears fell onto the back of his hand. He jerked his hand away in disgust and pulled out a wet wipe to clean it. “Put away those tears. So ugly.” “Remember what I said. Don’t touch Summer. Otherwise, I’ll show you what it truly means to wish you were dead.” He turned and went into the bathroom. Water started running. I collapsed onto the cold floor, covering my mouth, not even daring to cry out loud.

Selena’s POV Tristan began openly bringing Summer Lynn around. He didn’t avoid anyone, including me. Rumors about me spread like wildfire through the company. “Did you hear? Selena’s fallen out of favor.” “She should have fallen out of favor ages ago. Always putting on that cold face, acting all high and mighty. Compared to Summer, she’s like a weathered old woman.” “Mr. Vale only kept her around because she’s useful. Did she really think she could marry him?” I stood outside the break room door holding coffee, hearing every word clearly. If this were before, I definitely would have stormed in and thrown hot coffee in their faces. But now, I didn’t even have the energy to be angry. I turned and went back to my office, continuing to process the mountain of documents on my desk. At 3 PM, Tristan’s intercom rang. “Bring up the materials for the Starlight Bay project.” I carried the materials upstairs and pushed open the CEO’s office door. Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Tristan sat on the sofa with a cello resting on his lap. Summer Lynn sat beside him, awkwardly fumbling with the strings. “No, don’t be so stiff with your fingers. Relax them.” Tristan embraced Summer from behind, holding her hands, teaching her bit by bit how to pluck the strings. They were extremely close, their posture intimately entwined. My footsteps froze in place, all the blood in my body flowing backward in an instant. That cello… The body had extremely rare flame patterns, the scroll carved with a delicate iris flower. That was the cello Tristan had spent a fortune bidding on from overseas for my nineteenth birthday! That was MY cello! “Tristan…” My voice trembled. The two on the sofa looked over simultaneously. Summer jumped in fright, quickly pulling away from Tristan’s embrace, her cheeks flushing red. “Ms… Ms. Hart…” Tristan’s expression darkened. “Don’t you know to knock before entering? Where did all your manners go?” I stared fixedly at that cello. “You gave my cello to her?” Tristan frowned, his tone matter-of-fact. “It’s just a cello that was collecting dust anyway. Summer happens to need a good cello for a competition, so I lent it to her for practice.” Just a cello. He knew perfectly well what that cello meant to me. That was my last shred of dignity, proof that I once had everything. Five years ago, while protecting him from a car sent by his enemies, my right hand was crushed in a comminuted fracture. The doctor said I’d never be able to play the cello again in this lifetime. That cello became an untouchable scar in my heart. And now, he personally tore open that scar and even stomped on it twice. “Give it back to me.” I walked forward step by step, trembling all over. “Give the cello back to me!” I reached out to grab it. Summer screamed and backed away repeatedly. Tristan shot up, shoving me away hard. “Selena, what are you going crazy about!” I was pushed off guard, my entire body slamming heavily into the coffee table. A sharp pain shot through my waist. A glass shattered, shards embedding themselves in my palm. Blood immediately gushed out. I gasped in pain and looked up at him. Tristan looked down at me, not a trace of concern in his eyes, only coldness and warning. “How long are you going to keep this up?” “I said Summer needs it for a competition. She’s borrowing the cello for a few days. What’s the problem? What use is such a fine cello to a cripple who can’t even hold a bow?” Cripple. That word, like a poisoned blade, stabbed viciously into my heart. I looked at my blood-soaked right hand. Whose fault was it that this hand became crippled?! Summer looked at the blood on the floor, her eyes reddening. “Mr. Vale, don’t blame Selena. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have wanted this cello… I’ll give it back to her.” She bit her lip grievously, tears streaming down her face. Tristan immediately softened, pulling her into his arms and coaxing her gently. “It’s not your fault. She’s just being unreasonable.” “I said I’m giving you this cello, and it’s yours. No one can take it away.” He turned his head, looking at me coldly. “Get out. Stop being an eyesore here.” I looked at the couple before me. I suddenly felt disgusted. Really, sick to my stomach. I braced myself against the coffee table and shakily stood up. Blood dripped from my hand onto the carpet, blooming into alarmingly red flowers. I didn’t make a scene anymore, didn’t say another word. Just turned around and walked out of the office step by step. Back at my desk, my phone rang. It was my father calling. “Selena, my luck’s been bad lately. Lost a bit more… transfer me another five million.” I closed my eyes, my voice so calm it scared even me. “I have no money.” “No money? How could you have no money! Tristan’s loaded. You’ve been with him for years and he won’t even give you five million? If you don’t give it to me, I’ll go to the hospital and pull your brother’s life support myself!” I hung up the phone. Blocked his number. Looking at the dried blood on my palm, I suddenly started laughing. Laughing until tears streamed down uncontrollably. Selena, you’re truly pathetic. Seven years. You gave up everything, and in the end all you got was being called a “cripple.” Enough. Really, enough.

Selena’s POV A week later, London’s most elite charity gala. Tristan brought Summer Lynn. But he brought me too. Summer Lynn, as his companion, held his arm, wearing a million-pound haute couture gown like a proud little princess. While I wore a rigid black suit, holding a schedule in my hand, following behind them. Like a complete lackey. “Mr. Vale, at tonight’s auction, the ‘Tears of the Deep’ sapphire necklace you had your eye on earlier will be the finale piece.” I reported to him. Tristan gave a faint “mm.” That necklace he’d promised me a month ago, saying it was to celebrate our seven years together. I didn’t actually care about any necklace. I just wanted proof that he still cared about me. But now, I knew it was impossible. The gala was filled with elegant guests in fine attire. Tristan brought Summer Lynn around to network with business tycoons. I was stationed in a shadowy corner, ready to attend to him at any moment. Halfway through the event, I got up to use the restroom. The corridor lighting was dim. Passing a VIP lounge, the door was ajar, and low conversation came from inside. I glanced inadvertently. A man sat inside. He wore an impeccably tailored dark suit, his posture upright, broad-shouldered and long-legged. His coldly defined jawline looked particularly imposing in the half-light. Even with his eyes closed, the aura of someone in power couldn’t be ignored. Most striking was the black cane he idly twirled in his hands. The head of the Ashford family, Lucas. London’s most mysterious and most feared figure. Rumor had it that he’d been in a car accident a year ago and lost his sight. But even so, under his iron-fisted methods, the Ashford family remained powerful. He was truly ruthless. I didn’t want to stare, and was about to leave. The deep gray handkerchief in his hand suddenly slipped, falling near the doorway. My steps paused. Inexplicably, I walked over, bent down, and picked up the handkerchief. Just as I was about to hand it to him. A slender, powerful hand with prominent knuckles suddenly reached out and gripped my wrist. His strength was immense, brooking no resistance. I gasped, jerking my head up. Lucas had somehow already moved to the doorway. His eyes were closed, his face slightly turned toward me, his nose seeming to twitch. “Who?” His voice was low and magnetic, like a cold, hard cello. “Mr. Ashford, you dropped your handkerchief.” I suppressed the panic in my heart, trying to pull my hand back. He didn’t let go. Instead, his fingers tightened slightly, his fingertips brushing over the still-healing glass cut on my palm. “Selena Hart?” He called my name accurately. I froze. “You know me?” The corner of Lucas’s mouth curved into a faint arc. “Tristan Vale’s obedient little dog.” The words were too harsh. I yanked my hand free forcefully. “Mr. Ashford, please show some respect.” I shoved the handkerchief into his hand and turned to leave. But as I turned, I collided into a cold embrace. Tristan stood at the end of the corridor, I don’t know since when. He looked at me and Lucas, his eyes frighteningly sinister. “Mr. Vale…” Tristan jerked me behind him, his grip nearly crushing my wrist. “Mr. Ashford, long time no see. What, interested in my people?” Lucas held the handkerchief, casually straightening his cuff. “Just a biting dog. If Mr. Vale can’t control it, might as well throw it away early.” With that, he gripped his cane and, assisted by his aide, left calmly. Tristan stared at his retreating figure until it disappeared, then violently released my hand. “Selena, you really are shameless.” He ground his teeth, “Lucas is blind, and you still throw yourself at him?” I rubbed my reddened wrist, looking at him. “I only picked up his handkerchief.” “Stop making excuses!” Tristan’s eyes were full of malice, “Behave yourself and stop embarrassing me!” With that, he turned and headed toward the auction hall. The auction began. The finale piece, “Tears of the Deep,” was brought onto the display platform. The brilliant sapphires sparkled dazzlingly under the lights. Starting bid: fifty million. Tristan raised his paddle without hesitation. “Eighty million.” The entire hall gasped. No one dared compete with him anymore. The auctioneer’s gavel fell. Tristan stood up, and under everyone’s envious gazes, took the necklace in his hands. Then, he walked past me and straight to Summer Lynn. He personally placed that necklace-originally meant for me-around Summer Lynn’s neck. “Summer, do you like it?” He smiled with tender affection. Summer covered her mouth, so moved she was nearly in tears. “I love it… but it’s too expensive.” “As long as you like it, I could give you the entire family fortune.” Warm applause and cheers erupted around them. I stood in the corner, watching this scene, the last pathetic shred of hope in my heart completely reduced to ashes. After the gala ended, Tristan put Summer in the car, then turned to look at me. “Tomorrow, give Mr. Cooper three points off the profit from the West District project. He helped Summer tonight.” He spoke as if it were the most ordinary thing. I looked at him, suddenly finding this face terrifyingly unfamiliar. “Tristan.” I called his name. He frowned. “What?” “Let’s break up.” The winter night wind was cold, cutting like a knife across my face. Tristan froze. Then he laughed mockingly, as if he’d heard the most absurd joke. “Selena, what tantrum are you throwing now?” “Because of that necklace? It’s just a necklace. Tomorrow I’ll have my assistant pick out something more expensive for you.” He looked down at me, his tone full of disdain. “Don’t threaten me with breaking up. Can you even leave me?” “Your father’s gambling debts, your brother’s life-which one doesn’t need me?” “Put away those ridiculous tricks and obediently go back to work.” He finished speaking, turned, got in his car, and slammed the door shut. The car sped away. I stood there, watching the taillights disappear into the night. He thought I was playing hard to get. He thought I was a dog that would never leave. But he was wrong. Even a dog, when pushed to its limit, will bite through its chain.

Selena’s POV I returned to the apartment where Tristan and I had lived for five years. I only took a twenty-inch suitcase. I took a few sets of old clothes and an old photo my mother left me. Everything else the designer bags, the haute couture jewelry, anything Tristan had ever given me I didn’t take any of it. I didn’t take a single thing. I removed the plain ring I’d worn for seven years from my finger and left it on the shoe cabinet in the entryway. Then I blocked all of Tristan’s contact information. And blocked everyone from the company too. As I pushed open the door, I didn’t look back. 4 AM. I dragged my suitcase down the empty street. I hadn’t gone far when several dark figures suddenly emerged from the shadows, blocking my path. It was David Hart, my gambling addict father. He’d brought several vicious-looking debt collectors with him. “Selena! You’re finally out!” David grabbed my arm, his eyes wild with desperation, “Quick! Give me money! Ten million. If you don’t pay up, they’re going to chop off my hand today!” I looked at him. “I have no money.” “Bullshit! How could you have no money! Where’s Tristan? Call him and tell him to bring money!” “I broke up with him.” David froze, then his face contorted grotesquely. “Broke up? You bitch! How dare you break up with him!” He slapped me hard across the face. The force was tremendous. I fell to the ground, tasting blood in my mouth. The debt collectors grew impatient. “David, can you pay or not? If you can’t, we’re taking your daughter as payment today! She’s not bad looking. Sell her to a club and she’ll bring in good money.” Two men stepped forward to drag me away. I struggled desperately, my nails digging into the asphalt until my fingers were bloody. Despair submerged me like a tide. Just then, a blinding set of high beams suddenly shone over. A black Rolls-Royce Phantom stopped at the curb. The door opened. Several well-trained bodyguards rushed out and kicked the debt collectors and David to the ground in moments. I sat collapsed on the ground, trembling all over as I looked up. The car window slowly lowered. Lucas Ashford sat in the back seat, half his face hidden in shadow. His eyes were closed, his hand still gripping that cane. “Mr. Ashford…” My voice was hoarse, looking at him like a drowning person grasping at a lifeline. Lucas tilted his head slightly, as if identifying my location. “Selena, you look quite pathetic.” His tone remained coldly aloof. I bit down hard, crawled up regardless of everything, and rushed to the car window. “Mr. Ashford, save me.” Lucas laughed lightly, his fingers tapping the cane rhythmically. “Why should I save a dog someone else threw away?” I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms. “I’m not a dog.” “Mr. Ashford, I know the predicament you currently face.” I forced myself to calm down and spoke rapidly. “The Ashford family’s branch members are making moves. You’ve lost your sight, and they’re using this opportunity to pressure you into giving up power. They even want to force women on you through arranged marriages to control you.” Lucas’s fingers stopped tapping the cane. The air around us instantly dropped to freezing. The bodyguards were too frightened to even breathe. I endured the terrifying pressure emanating from him and continued. “You need a shield. A wife with no background, a clean record, completely under your control.” “I can be that person.” “I’ve been by Tristan’s side for seven years. I’m intimately familiar with the business battlefield. I can not only help you fend off those women, but I can also be your eyes, helping you clean up the company’s mess.” Lucas said nothing. He sat there quietly, like a perfect sculpture. After a long while, he suddenly smiled. That smile was extremely cold, carrying a bloodthirsty quality. “Bold. Daring to negotiate with me.” He leaned slightly, turning toward my direction. “What do you want?” “Protection.” I said, “Pay off David’s gambling debts for me, transfer my brother to a private hospital under the Ashford name. Then, help me escape from Tristan Vale.” “As long as you agree, I’m selling this life to the Ashford family.” The night wind howled. I was so nervous my breathing stopped. I don’t know how much time passed. Lucas slowly spoke, his low voice resonating in the darkness. “Get in the car.” My taut nerves finally snapped, my body collapsing powerlessly against the car door. I’d won. After getting in, the car was filled with a faint scent of agarwood. Lucas handed me a document. I looked down. “Marriage Agreement.” “Sign it.” Lucas leaned back in his seat, eyes closed, “From today on, you are Mrs. Ashford.” “Since you’re with me now, cut all ties with your past. All of it.” “If I discover you still have any connection with Tristan Vale…” He didn’t finish, but the chilling tone in his voice made me shudder. “Don’t worry, Mr. Ashford.” I signed my name without hesitation. “Tristan Vale is already dead to me.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “376915”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I chased after Ethan Sinclair for five years. I drank on his behalf until I had a stomach hemorrhage, attended social events for him until I was covered in the world’s grime. Yet he called me dirty, tore apart my mother’s keepsake in public while holding his new lover, and treated me like a dog that came running at his beck and call. I turned around and married Mason Westwood, the man rumored to be uninterested in women. It wasn’t until Ethan knelt in the snow, begging me to come back, that Mason kissed me in front of everyone. “Get lost. She’s mine now.” Joanna’s POV After pursuing Ethan for five years, I went from being the Brooks family heiress to becoming his most obedient servant. Everyone was betting on when he’d get bored and throw me away. When I stood at the private room door, soaked to the bone and clutching documents, I heard Ethan casually making fun of me to his friends. “With rain this heavy, will Joanna even show up?” “Why wouldn’t she? Everyone in our circle knows she gave up being a wealthy heiress just to run around being Ethan’s secretary.” “Joanna loves Ethan so much. Our boy Ethan’s got serious charm.” Laughter erupted from the room, mixed with the sound of drinking. Three hours earlier, Ethan had called me, asking me to find an important document. His new girlfriend, Sienna Cunningham, had lost it, and he urgently needed me to save the day. Without a second thought, I pulled out my IV, dragged my feverish body out to search through trash cans and review security footage for three hours. After finally recovering it, I rushed to the club. Just as I was about to knock, the conversation inside clearly reached my ears. “Last time he just casually mentioned wanting toast from that place downtown, and she waited in line for five hours. By the time she delivered it, she nearly passed out.” “She’s pathetically desperate.” A burst of laughter erupted, each laugh piercing my eardrums like needles. My hand gripping the documents trembled slightly from how hard I was clenching. That time buying toast, I really did pass out. It was winter then too. Ethan sent me a message in the middle of the night saying he was hungry and wanted toast from that shop. I drove halfway across London to get it. The shop was packed. I waited for five whole hours until my hands and feet went numb from the cold. When I finally delivered the toast to him, he just glanced at it and frowned. “I suddenly don’t want it anymore.” He casually tossed it in the trash. Later, I developed a high fever and collapsed at his doorstep. When I woke up in the hospital, Ethan only visited once, his tone full of impatience. “If your body can’t handle it, don’t push yourself. Who’s to blame? Stop doing these self-indulgent things.” Back then, I was foolish. I thought it was his awkward way of showing concern. I thought if I was good enough to him, one day he’d see my sincerity. Now I understand. He never valued my devotion. The next second, his careless voice drifted from the room. “Her?” Ethan’s voice carried a hint of drunkenness. “She’s just someone who comes when I call and leaves when I tell her to.” “As long as I crook my finger, even if I told her to crawl in here on her knees right now, she’d be willing.” “You’ve got real skills, training the Brooks family heir to be so obedient.” “Who doesn’t know Joanna loves him like crazy? Without him, she can’t survive.” The room filled with unrestrained laughter. Standing at the door, I felt my blood run cold. I drank on his behalf until stomach hemorrhaging sent me to emergency care while he celebrated another woman’s birthday. I cleaned up his messes, even giving up the opportunity to study at Cambridge, staying at his company like a workhorse. To match his preferences, I suppressed all my edges and became gentle and accommodating. I thought hearts were made of flesh. I thought after five years of companionship, even a stone would warm up. Tears fell on the back of my hand, but I didn’t cry out loud. Through the door crack, I glimpsed that man. He still stood out in the crowd. He was holding his new girlfriend, Sienna Cunningham, in his arms. He lowered his head to feed her a drink, his expression lazy and indifferent. Sienna nestled in his embrace, smiling brilliantly. I looked at the documents in my hand and felt truly pathetic. “Miss Brooks?” A waiter’s surprised voice came from behind me. “Why aren’t you going in? Mr. Sinclair and the others are all inside.” The waiter’s voice wasn’t quiet. The laughter in the room stopped abruptly. Ethan’s cold voice drifted out. “Since you’re here, why not come in?” “I just finished drinking anyway. Drive me home.” The waiter looked at me sympathetically. I took a deep breath and forced the stinging sensation in my eyes back down. I turned and left, casually tossing those documents into a trash can. Then I called my father. My voice choked as I spoke. “Dad, I’ve changed my mind. Arrange a marriage for me. Make it fast, or I’m afraid I’ll regret it.” Silence lasted a few seconds on the other end before his voice came through. “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” “Alright, I’ll arrange it.” After hanging up, I wiped the tears from my face and strode into the rain.

Joanna’s POV The next day, I started organizing everything related to my resignation. Since I’d promised my family I’d get married, I decided to cut all ties and leave myself no way back. The work I currently had wasn’t that much. Five days would be enough to properly hand everything over. Whether HR agreed or not, I’d completely leave this place after five days. I was about to write down Ethan’s preferences to leave for whoever came after me. Then he sent me a voice message asking. “Joanna, where’s the hangover remedy? Where did you put it?” Instinctively, I stood up, wanting to go to the break room to make honey water. For five years, whenever he had a hangover, I’d prepare a warm glass of honey water the next day, taking care of every detail, even though this wasn’t part of my job description. But this time, I stood halfway up and sat back down. I didn’t respond. I turned my phone face-down on the desk. I typed the last line on my keyboard. “When his stomach hurts, he can only drink warm water at exactly 45 degrees. One degree off and he’ll throw the cup.” After typing that line, the shallow scar on the back of my hand seemed to throb with phantom pain. That was from last year when the water was slightly too hot and I got cut by the glass he smashed. At the time, he just glanced at it. “Can’t even get such a small thing right. Joanna, what can you actually do?” Thinking about it now, I really couldn’t do anything. Except be pathetic. I changed the file name of my resignation handover document to “CEO Office Work Guidelines.” Just endure five more days. After five days, everything will be over. “Joanna, are you organizing materials for Mr. Sinclair again?” A junior assistant peeked over, looking at me carefully before saying. “Everyone’s saying Mr. Sinclair really favors that intern.” “Oh?” I laughed self-deprecatingly. “That’s her skill. I can’t compare.” The assistant looked at me, unable to hide the indignation on her face. “Mr. Sinclair is completely charmed by that intern, but he has no idea who’s been taking care of him so well all these years!” “His stomach problems-you went to doctors all over the city, begged for nutritional meal plans, and delivered them to him every single day without fail. He thinks they’re restaurant meal subscriptions!” “His severe insomnia-you sat by his bed every night, sometimes for half the night!” “His suits-every single one is ironed and coordinated by your own hands. You even went to learn how to tie his ties properly!” “Your life revolves entirely around him, but what about him? Some random intern dares to step all over you, and he doesn’t even care about you!” I froze. So others had been watching all along. Only he didn’t know. Or rather, he was used to it. Used to everything he wanted appearing at hand the moment he reached for it. I patted the assistant’s hand, my tone calm. “I was stupid before. It won’t happen again.” “Joanna.” Footsteps sounded behind me, interrupting our conversation. Ethan appeared, his expression cold. Sienna followed behind him, her eyes red. He threw a document on my desk-the same one I’d tossed in the trash last night. “Letting personal emotions interfere with work and treating it like a game-is this your upbringing?” Sienna spoke up pitifully. “It’s my fault. I’m clumsy and lost the contract, getting Joanna in trouble.” She tried to bow and apologize to me, but Ethan pulled her back and shielded her, looking at me even more coldly. “What right does she have to receive your apology?” “Joanna, Sienna made an honest mistake. What about you? You did it on purpose.” “I never thought you’d be so reckless just to get my attention.” The assistant tried to defend me. “Mr. Sinclair… yesterday she…” I held the assistant back and responded to him. “Mr. Sinclair is right.” I didn’t explain. I pushed the materials in front of me toward Sienna. “Then from now on, let Miss Cunningham handle these tasks.”

Joanna’s POV Sienna’s expression changed. She stood there, flustered. “Miss Brooks, did I do something to upset you? I absolutely didn’t mean to take your position. I’m just an intern. You’re still the person Mr. Sinclair trusts most.” I laughed coldly. I didn’t even bother looking at her. My gaze turned to Ethan. “Mr. Sinclair, how do you feel about this arrangement?” Ethan’s face darkened. “Why are you making things difficult for an intern? Or are you trying to tell me I can’t function without you?” He scoffed. “Joanna, these tactics get old when you use them too much.” I looked at him. “Mr. Sinclair misunderstands.” “Miss Cunningham is new. Learning more can’t hurt.” “Joanna, must you be so sarcastic?” His brow furrowed. Perhaps sensing my current mood, he softened his tone. “You’ve been by my side for years. I know your temperament well. You’re just worried I’ll overlook your contributions.” “But you shouldn’t make things difficult for a newcomer. Your position in the company won’t be easily replaced by one new person. You’re overthinking.” He turned to look at me warmly. “Next week is the company anniversary. You’ll still accompany me as my secretary.” He casually handed me a black card. “Buy whatever you like.” When I didn’t take it, he placed the card on my desk, then seemed to remember something and added. “Oh, and on the anniversary day, bring Sienna along too. Teach her more.” Sienna smiled at me. “Then I’ll be troubling you, Miss Brooks.” With that, Ethan turned and walked toward the CEO’s office. Sienna naturally hurried to follow, but after a few steps, she turned back and gave me a provocative look-completely different from the well-behaved, obedient girl she’d just been. Watching them leave, I picked up the black card from my desk. The assistant asked me worriedly. “Are you really going to the anniversary?” I snapped the card in half and tossed it in the trash, not answering her question. The anniversary happened to fall on my resignation day. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I needed to finish the work at hand. Before long, Sienna pushed the door open. She smiled innocently, reaching directly for my computer. “Joanna, there’s a document Mr. Sinclair urgently needs. He asked me to bring it over for review.” Afraid she’d see my resignation information, I blocked her hand. “I’m not done yet. I’ll deliver it myself later.” “No need. Mr. Sinclair is very busy. He said not to let anyone disturb him. I should be the one to deliver it.” She suddenly yanked hard. In the scuffle, she tilted toward the desk as if losing her balance. The coffee by her hand spilled onto the document Ethan needed and splashed onto my computer. The computer screen instantly went black. “Joanna, I’m sorry! I just wanted to get the document and lost my balance…” Sienna panicked and teared up, frantically trying to help me clean up. Ethan happened to appear. Seeing this scene, he frowned. “What’s going on?” Before I could speak, Sienna immediately rushed to Ethan’s side, her eyes red. “It’s my clumsy fault. I was rushing to get the document you needed and accidentally broke Joanna’s computer.” Ethan said nothing. I held up the wet document. “I already said it wasn’t finished. I’d deliver it when it was done. What’s your rush?” Sienna’s tears fell harder as she looked at Ethan. “It’s my fault. Joanna is so excellent, I was too eager to learn from her and made things worse instead. Mr. Sinclair, please punish me.”

Joanna’s POV But Ethan didn’t scold her. Instead, he looked at me with displeasure. “You know Sienna is still an intern. New people need proper guidance. If she doesn’t understand, surely you do?” “Even without Sienna today, there might be other newcomers making mistakes in the future. As their supervisor, training them properly is your responsibility.” “Let’s end this here. It’s just a document. Print it again.” He gently comforted Sienna, his tone carrying a hint of indulgence. “Were you hurt? Be more careful next time. If you really can’t handle something, just have Joanna do it. She’s used to these trivial tasks anyway. Don’t push yourself.” “But I really want to learn from Joanna.” Sienna’s voice was soft, and she carefully glanced at me. “Her work doesn’t require any technical skill. What’s there to learn?” After comforting Sienna, he led her away without giving me another glance. My desk was a mess, and there were a few red spots on the back of my hand from where the scalding coffee had splashed. It didn’t hurt much-not compared to how much my heart hurt. A chill surged through me. I remembered during those five years of chasing after him, he once said he didn’t like delicate, clingy girls. So I left the Brooks family, gave up my identity as the Brooks family heiress, and became a capable secretary by his side. But now, his every word and action defended Sienna. For her sake, he didn’t hesitate to belittle me completely. I closed my eyes and loosened my clenched fists. I was leaving soon. I didn’t want any complications. Before leaving work, I delivered the newly printed document to Ethan’s office. Sienna was also sitting in the office. The two were laughing and chatting intimately. Seeing me enter, Ethan’s smile faded. Sienna sat watching me approach as if waiting for me to report on my work. I placed the document in front of Ethan. “Legal has double-checked the terms. If there are no issues, this document can be sent out tomorrow.” “Mm.” Ethan took it, glanced through it casually, then signed. Perhaps feeling he’d been too harsh with me this afternoon, his expression softened as he looked at me. “Victor’s having a birthday party tonight. Come with me.” Victor was one of his good friends. Every year on his birthday, Ethan would bring me along. I felt a bit dazed, unsure what he meant. A complex emotion stirred in my heart. I looked at Sienna beside him and suddenly asked. “Will Miss Cunningham be going too?” Ethan paused. “Sienna? Of course she’s going.” I laughed self-deprecatingly. So I was being presumptuous again. “Then I won’t go. Miss Cunningham is new. You should bring her to more events like this, Mr. Sinclair.” Ethan’s face darkened. He was somewhat angry, not understanding what mood I was in. “Joanna, what are you implying? Or can you really not stand to see Sienna doing well?” Sienna tried to persuade him. “Ethan, maybe Joanna doesn’t mean it that way.” I bluntly shot back at her without courtesy. “Sorry, that’s exactly what I mean.” Sienna’s expression changed. Ethan grew angrier, his tone turning harsh. “Joanna, I never realized you were so intolerant! What exactly did Sienna do to offend you? Just because she accidentally spilled coffee earlier? It’s such a small matter-must you blow it out of proportion?” “You didn’t suffer any real loss. Can’t you just let it go? You’re the Brooks family heiress after all. Don’t make yourself a laughingstock.” I didn’t even have the desire to argue. With someone whose bias had reached this extreme, what was there to argue about? I said flatly. “Yes, I’m blowing things out of proportion. I’m petty and can’t tolerate others. So I won’t be going to tonight’s birthday party. I hope you both have fun.” “You’re not going? You go every year. If you don’t go this year, what will people think? That I’m mistreating you.” My phone rang. I glanced at it casually. It was a message from my father. He told me the meeting time and place were set, and sent me the contact information for the man I’d be meeting. He asked me to add him first so we could get acquainted. I held up my phone and waved it, smiling. “Sorry, my family arranged for me to meet another quality man. I’m afraid I don’t have time to attend the birthday party. Please convey my apologies to Victor, Mr. Sinclair.”

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My boyfriend, who died three years ago, sent me a wedding invitation. He’d even changed his Ins profile picture to a couple’s photo and made a post. In the picture, he was holding Ina’s hand and kissing her forehead. For a moment, I thought I was hallucinating. I organized his funeral. I signed his autopsy report when he died. Because he died in a car accident on a trip with me, his parents even beat me up. How the hell did he become my brother-in-law? Soon, Ina called me. “Betty, remember to come to my wedding this weekend! My fiancé will pick you up.” “Your fiancé’s name is Leo?” I asked. “Yes! Do you know each other?” Know each other? More than that—I organized his funeral. His parents have received countless transfers from me over the years. I let out a cold laugh. “No, I don’t. Just thought the name sounded familiar.” Ina innocently told me all about her boyfriend, then said, “I’ve been wanting to introduce you two, but Mom and Dad said you were too busy and told me not to bother you.” I was indeed busy. Busy paying Leo’s mortgage—the Leo who’d been dead for three years. I wished I could split myself into eight people to make enough money. I hadn’t gone home for three straight years for the holidays. No wonder I didn’t know Ina was dating someone. Usually, I’d end all phone conversations with my parents within a minute. They were the understanding type of parents anyway, rarely bothering me. So they never told me Ina was seeing someone. With this in mind, I exchanged a few pleasantries with Ina. The moment I hung up, I canceled the card I’d been using to send Leo’s parents their living expenses. For three years, his parents asked me to buy them toilet paper whenever they ran out. They took overseas trips once a year, easily spending over a hundred thousand each time. I scrimped and saved to support them, buying them only the finest things. Thinking about this, I couldn’t help but open their chat interface. Turned out they came knocking first. “A relative is getting married and we urgently need money. Send us a hundred thousand!” A hundred thousand? They really did think I was an ATM. I called them immediately. “Tell me the truth—is Leo dead or not?” When they heard my question, their tone instantly shot up. They were furious. Especially Leo’s mother. Perhaps she’d been well-nourished by bird’s nest soup all these years. The woman who used to speak in a weak, trembling voice like a baby chick was now roaring at me ferociously. “Wasn’t Leo killed by you back then?” “You insisted on going to that place for vacation, which got Leo killed, leaving us two lonely old people behind.” “So what if we spent some of your money? If it could bring Leo’s life back, who would care about your money!” She started wailing hysterically on the phone. First saying I’d killed Leo, forcing them to have no support in their old age. Then saying if Leo were still alive, their life would definitely be much better than now. After saying all this, she shouted into the phone, “Leo was about to be promoted to director when he died—that’s an annual salary!” “That’s way more than what you’ve been giving us.” As she said this, she even disdained the money I’d been giving them. I smiled and hung up without another word.

Getting the truth from them was impossible. I’d have to see for myself. After thinking it over, I called my parents first. I’d been out of touch with them too much these past years. I learned about family news very slowly. I only found out about Ina’s wedding right before the ceremony. With this thought, I dialed my parents’ number. They answered instantly. It was very noisy on their end. I could only hear my mom repeatedly saying “hello” and “hello.” Seemed like she couldn’t hear me clearly. Finally finding a quiet place, her first words were, “You need to come early for Ina’s wedding—they want you to be the witness!” Witness? Hearing those words and thinking of that family’s disgusting behavior made my scalp crawl. I briefly asked how Leo and Ina got together. “They’ve been together for a while now. Started dating three years ago around Christmas. Leo’s pretty good.” “He’s bought us quite a few things over the years, and he’s taken good care of Ina too.” “She’s pregnant now… We figured they should really get married, so we discussed having them do it first.” Pregnant? The words “Leo is my ex-boyfriend who died before I could bring him home” got stuck in my throat. Both my mom and I fell silent for a moment. My mom probably didn’t know what to say to me. But she didn’t want to hang up either, since I so rarely called. At this moment, my mom asked, “You can’t come back again?” I laughed awkwardly. “I’ll come back. I definitely will.” After hanging up, my heart felt heavy. But I still packed my things, planning to go back for the weekend. For the sake of that child, I’d hold off on digging up Leo’s grave. With this thought, I systematically canceled all the membership cards, fixed deposits, and personal pension plans I’d set up for Leo’s parents. As the money returned to my account bit by bit, I realized how much I’d spent over these three years. Just as I submitted the last refund request, Leo’s parents finally couldn’t take it anymore. They called one after another. I didn’t answer any of them, and finally just blocked them. I also stopped paying the mortgage. From today on, Leo’s family wouldn’t get another cent from me. After finishing everything, I collapsed into bed. It was the middle of the night when sudden knocking at my door woke me. I checked the video doorbell. It was Leo’s parents, so furious their eyebrows practically flew off their faces. I ignored them. They knocked louder and louder, attracting the property management’s attention. Eventually they were forcibly escorted away by security. The next morning, I woke up and checked my phone to find several missed calls from my parents. I quickly called them back. On the other end, my parents were crying. “We agreed to give the gift money before the wedding, but Leo’s parents are saying they want to cancel the wedding because they don’t have money.” “Ina’s already showing, and it’s too late for an abortion.” “We can’t reach Leo either. Ina’s so upset she’s been hospitalized.” My parents cried even harder as they spoke. I immediately stopped them. “Wait. There’s definitely more to this. You’d better tell me everything honestly.” Only then did my parents reluctantly tell me the truth. “When Ina first started dating Leo, your dad and I didn’t approve. Then Leo tricked Ina into going to another city with him. We just found out yesterday that Ina had already given birth to one child there. Now this pregnancy has some issues with the prenatal checkup, and Leo’s family is saying they don’t have money, won’t hold the wedding, won’t get the marriage license!”

What! “Stay home and wait!” As soon as I said that, my parents mumbled acknowledgment and hung up. I immediately requested time off, grabbed my luggage, and drove home. Suddenly I remembered something—the hundred thousand Leo’s parents mentioned for a relative’s wedding. I quickly asked my mom how much Leo’s side was contributing to the banquet. My mom said a hundred thousand. I suddenly laughed. So even Leo’s wedding money was supposed to come from me. And he’d tricked Ina into having one child with another on the way. Absolute scum. By the time I reached the hospital, it was noon. My parents had come with homemade food. I rounded a corner and just stared at them with wide eyes. “Betty!” My mom rushed over and hugged me. My mom had always been passive when I was little. If my dad wasn’t home, I had to manage the whole household. Now my dad was also looking down, knowing he’d spoiled Ina when she was young. That’s why she thought everyone in the world was good, and ended up being scammed so badly. My dad couldn’t say a word now, just looked at me and muttered quietly. “Betty, Ina was deceived too. Don’t scold her when you go in.” I snorted coldly. They’d said the same thing since childhood—can’t criticize mistakes, can’t say anything, raising her like a little princess. Every time Ina acted cute, both of them would cave. I sighed helplessly. “You didn’t raise me this way when I was young.” When I was young, my dad’s stick never stopped appearing on my body. Later, he compensated Ina with all the affection he owed me. Instead, it made me feel he favored her. We grew apart and now we’re the most familiar strangers. They didn’t dare say anything else. When I pushed open the hospital room door, I saw Ina lying in bed crying alone. I basically raised Ina. When we were young and our parents worked, I was the one watching her. Seeing her cry like this now made my heart ache too. I walked over and looked at her belly. “Get an abortion!” “This is my child. An abortion… wouldn’t that be bad?” “I said get an abortion, so get an abortion. You already had one child, and he still won’t marry you. Now he’s disappeared. Do you really think he loves you?” Ina lowered her head without speaking. After nearly several minutes of silence, she finally said something. “But I wronged him.” I turned to look at her. “How did you wrong him! Tell me!” Ina choked out, “I killed his ex-girlfriend!” The moment those words came out, my head started throbbing violently. Ex-girlfriend? Killed his ex-girlfriend? Then what was I—a ghost? Leo’s family had scammed our entire family. What a disaster. Just as I was about to speak, Ina grabbed my hand, as if mustering great courage. “I hit and killed his ex-girlfriend with my car. I should have gone to jail, but he let me go!” “He loved his ex-girlfriend so much. They were about to get engaged, and she was pregnant with his child. Don’t you think I’m evil? So I…” Every word she spoke made my head hurt more, but Ina thought I was agreeing with her. Crying, she hugged me. “So I had no choice. I couldn’t go to jail!” I grabbed her chin and made her look at me. Ina started rummaging through her bag for something. Before I could ask, she pulled out a photo. The face was blurred, but I could still tell—this was me! But Ina cried and said, “I even ruined the only photo of his ex-girlfriend. I’m just…” “I’m his ex-girlfriend!”

The moment I said those words. The three people sitting across from me froze, as if they didn’t understand what I’d said. Just as I was about to repeat myself, they all simultaneously let out a shocked “What!” I pulled up the original photo from my phone. This was a photo of Leo and me together, and it wasn’t the only one. I’d bought a printer to play around with back then and printed just this one. Yet Leo managed to use it for his act. I stared at Ina. “So where’s your other child?” “Being raised by his parents. They said I couldn’t take care of it properly.” “You’re really his ex-girlfriend?” I nodded and showed her all the evidence from when Leo and I were together. Photo after photo, plus Leo’s contact information, all laid out in front of Ina. Only then did Ina truly understand that I was the ex-girlfriend Leo had claimed died long ago. I also told my family about how Leo faked his death to scam me. In that instant, my usually timid parents went crazy. “I’m going to take a knife and chop up their whole family right now!” I stopped my dad. “Don’t go. You and Mom together aren’t even half Leo’s dad’s size. No point throwing eggs at a rock.” My parents, called back by me, just kept crying in anger. Ina kept crying too. She touched her belly, looking like she didn’t know what to do. I looked at her. “You can’t keep this child. Schedule the surgery now.” “Okay, I’ll listen to you.” After learning the truth, she didn’t argue with me and obediently underwent the surgery under my supervision. While she rested in the hospital room, I called my parents out. “Call Leo’s parents and tell them we’ll pay for the banquet. They just need to attend, no gift money required.” “Why?” My mom said excitedly. I glanced at her, and she nodded. “Got it. I’ll call now.” Hearing they wouldn’t have to spend a penny, Leo’s parents agreed immediately without even considering it. “They just didn’t want to pay. Ina’s really pitiful, getting scammed by people like that.” My parents said this as I opened my phone to look at Leo’s account with its couple profile picture. Obviously, after so much time, he’d forgotten who I was and hadn’t blocked me. He’d even posted tomorrow’s wedding invitation on Twitter. At that moment, my parents suddenly seemed to realize something. They quietly approached me. Softly they said, “Ina just had surgery. She can’t go to the wedding!” “I didn’t say she should go.” “Then who will?” “Me.”

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My wife suddenly arranged a seven-day trip to Scandinavia for me. I thought she had finally learned to be considerate, but I accidentally overheard her conversation with our son. “Mom, if you marry Uncle Osman, what about Dad?” My son asked innocently. “We’re just fake married.” My wife chuckled softly. “Diego, remember to keep it a secret. Don’t tell Dad about this, and I’ll buy you that toy car you’ve been wanting.” My head buzzed. I stood there stunned for a long time, then turned and went downstairs to smoke a cigarette. Since she wants to make up for past regrets with Osman. Then I have the right to pursue the dreams I abandoned too. This trip to Scandinavia—I won’t be coming back. After finishing my cigarette, I turned to go back upstairs and ran into Victoria in the hallway. Seeing her in a red dress, I asked in confusion, “I thought you hated the color red?” “The past is the past, now is now. Red is in this year, and besides, I’m going with my girlfriend to try on wedding dresses.” Victoria immediately came up with several excuses. But I suddenly remembered that red was Osman’s favorite color, and since Osman returned to the country, Victoria’s closet had gained several red outfits and handbags. It turned out, there were signs all along. “Trying on wedding dresses? Let me drive you,” I said flatly. “No, no need!” Victoria shook her head. “Why would a big guy like you get involved in girls’ stuff? When I get back, I’ll bring gifts for you and Diego.” After saying this, she hugged me, didn’t wait to hear what else I might say, and quickly ran off. My heart suddenly ached. I instinctively wanted to call out to Victoria, but in the end, I just shook my head. Everyone thought Victoria and I were the perfect couple in life and the best partners in business. She didn’t look down on my humble origins and married me without hesitation. I worked practically year-round, turning the tide multiple times, saving her family from the brink of bankruptcy. Ten years of working side by side—we not only had a lovely son but also rebuilt the glory of Victoria Group. But even I just discovered that Victoria had been harboring feelings for Osman in her heart. I walked into the house. “Dad.” My son Diego rushed over and hugged my leg tightly, saying, “No matter what happens, you’ll never leave me and Mom, right?” He seemed to sense something. His innocent face was filled with nervous fear. My heart ached. I crouched down, stroked Diego’s head, and asked gently, “If one day Mom and I separate, who would you want to stay with?” Diego froze, then tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m sorry.” I hugged Diego. “I’ll go make you dinner.” Diego was only eight years old. Adult matters shouldn’t trouble a child. We could have hired a nanny, but both Diego and Victoria loved my cooking. I remembered all their dietary restrictions and preferences. Tonight I made Diego’s favorite dishes. When Diego saw the food on the table, he suddenly burst into tears and looked up. “Dad.” “You already know about Uncle Osman and Mom getting married, don’t you?” “Mom told me it’s just a fake marriage. Dad, please don’t be angry, okay? Mom loves you.” I sighed softly and held Diego in my arms. I knew his little head couldn’t hold all those complicated twists and turns. He simply believed Victoria naively, hoping Mom and Dad wouldn’t separate.

Unfortunately, the adult world isn’t that simple. After dinner, I saw Victoria’s girlfriend post on Twitter and couldn’t help raising my eyebrows. Although the photo of trying on the wedding dress didn’t show the face, that little red mole on the neck—Victoria had one too. The photo of intertwined fingers with a man clearly showed the mark of a ring on the ring finger. The watch the man wore—I’d seen it before. It belonged to Osman. The caption read: “The moon I missed will always come back to illuminate me once more.” That phrase seemed familiar. I rushed into the study and moved Victoria’s computer. Underneath was a notebook. The moment I opened it, that exact phrase jumped out at me. All signs indicated this account wasn’t some girlfriend’s, but Victoria’s own. “Scandinavian trip.” “The fictional girlfriend’s wedding and Twitter account.” “Victoria, to deceive me, for Osman’s sake, you could come up with such absurd tricks.” I muttered to myself and picked up my phone to send a message. [Save me a partner spot.] [Also, have your lawyer draft a divorce agreement for me.] A few months ago, my childhood friend Brennan invited me to start a business in Scandinavia, offering me 30% equity without requiring a penny of investment. The other two partners agreed because they valued my abilities. But I had a wife and child and just wanted stability, so I kept refusing. Now it’s time to let loose. Close to midnight, Victoria came home drunk. She wasn’t carrying any gifts. Instead, her hair was wet and stuck to her cheeks, and her black stockings under her red dress had several holes. She looked completely disheveled. “Collins, why aren’t you asleep yet? Were you waiting for me? You naughty man, you just love wearing me out.” She flashed me a seductive smile and went straight to the bathroom. In the past, she would always hug me first. At this thought, my heart sank. Suddenly, I heard sobbing and hurried to Diego’s room. “What’s wrong? Bad dream?” Diego shook his head, his little finger pointing at his phone screen. I looked down—it was a Twitter post from Osman’s daughter, Millia. Millia was sitting at a pink piano, hugging a tablet computer, smiling happily. Caption: [Thank you to the best mom in the world for giving me a custom limited-edition piano.] “Dad.” “I saw this piano on Mom’s computer, and that tablet too.” One aggrieved sentence nearly shattered my psychological defenses. I finally understood why Diego was crying. Usually, Victoria would say, “Boys should be raised frugally so they don’t become spendthrifts later.” So she was very strict with Diego, almost never buying him the toys he wanted. Even this phone was my old one I secretly gave Diego. I would also secretly take Diego out to play. Every time Victoria found out, she would get angry with me. That’s why she used the toy car to buy Diego’s silence. And today before leaving, she said she would bring gifts for Diego and me, but came back empty-handed. Deceiving and tricking me was one thing. But how could she shower someone else’s daughter with love, giving her everything she wants, while being harsh and deceptive to her own son? “Be good, I’ll buy them for you.” I comforted Diego, coaxed him to sleep, then returned to the living room and sat on the sofa. Waiting for Victoria to come out. Suppressing my anger, I asked, “Didn’t you say you’d bring Diego a gift?” “I forgot, I forgot.” Victoria smiled awkwardly and snuggled into my arms. “I’ll buy it for him next time. Boys should be raised frugally anyway.”

While speaking, she caressed my chest. In the past, I couldn’t resist this kind of flirtation from her. Now my heart remained completely unmoved. “I see Millia gets whatever she wants from her family. Today she was smiling while holding a tablet sitting at a pink piano.” I deliberately spoke sarcastically. Victoria froze first, then exploded, standing up abruptly and frowning. “Why do you have to compare with others?” “It’s just a gift. Why are you being so passive-aggressive? Are you deliberately picking a fight?” “Is it Diego who wants a gift, or is it you?” I said nothing, just looked up and stared into her eyes. After a moment of tense atmosphere, Victoria seemed guilty. She looked away, and her tone softened considerably. “Collins, let’s not fight. The day after tomorrow is Diego’s birthday, and I’ll definitely prepare a big surprise for him!” “Keep yourself in a good mood these next couple days and get ready for the seven-day Scandinavian trip.” I nodded and went to the study under the pretext of handling work. The next day at the company meeting, Osman suddenly spoke up. “Someone should take over Collins’s work while he’s on vacation, right?” “I’d like to volunteer.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile, his eyes fixed on me with a hint of provocation. Everyone was stunned and looked at Victoria in unison, waiting for a response. It was just a seven-day vacation—normally Victoria or a deputy could have filled in. No one expected Osman to dare demand authority publicly. It was rather absurd. “Do as Osman says.” Victoria took a deep breath and looked at me. “Collins, relax on your vacation. Leave the work to Osman. He’s quite capable.” The room fell silent. This time everyone looked at me. “Collins, you don’t think I’m trying to steal your position, do you?” Osman smiled even more brightly, his tone even more provocative. Everyone could smell the tension. I’d been at Victoria Group for ten years—everyone knew I was decisive and formidable, not someone to mess with. Even Victoria seemed nervous. But I just smiled. “Fine, I agree.” No one expected me to yield authority so easily. Only Victoria breathed a long sigh of relief and showed a smile. Before she could say anything, I stood up and left. Victoria immediately followed me out and grabbed my hand from behind. “Collins! Let me explain…” I turned and interrupted. “Explain what? That this whole meeting was targeted at me?” Never mind me—anyone could see Victoria was paving the way for Osman at my expense. And it started with the seven-day Scandinavian trip. Her schemes ran too deep. I hadn’t noticed before. “Collins, let me explain properly.” Victoria opened her arms and hugged me tightly, speaking earnestly. “Osman is talented. He can shine and bring new vitality to the company.” “I was forced to come up with this solution.” “When you get back, I’ll definitely make you vice chairman of the company. I hope you can understand.” Vice chairman? Don’t make me laugh! Since Victoria Group was established, there had never been a vice chairman position! Just like the gift she kept promising Diego—it was nothing but empty words. “For ten years, I’ve been understanding you, being considerate of your difficulties.” After hesitating for a few seconds, I sighed. “Yes, you’re the best!” Victoria actually thought I wasn’t angry anymore. After complimenting me, she turned and went back to the conference room. When I was packing up things in my office, Osman walked in.

“I’m treating everyone to dinner tonight. Want to join?” He smiled. “No time.” I calmly declined and took my things to leave. Behind me came Osman’s voice. “So what if you’ve been together ten years? It doesn’t compare to one glance I give Victoria.” But I didn’t respond. In the afternoon, Osman sent a message in the executive group chat: [I got promoted today, treating everyone to dinner.] Victoria didn’t try to stop it at all. Instead, she took the lead in responding, then sent me a message. [Collins, don’t overthink it.] I didn’t reply. That evening, Victoria and Osman and the others happily dined out. I was at home packing my luggage. “Dad.” Diego ran over, tugging at my hand. “Dad, are you leaving? Can you wait a few days?” “Tomorrow is my birthday. Mom said she’d give me a big surprise. I’ll wish for you and Mom to never separate! For Mom not to marry Uncle Osman!” “She’ll definitely agree!” His little face looked anxious as he spoke incoherently. “Okay.” I nodded gently. Victoria didn’t come home all night. Diego and I stayed awake all night. “Mom must be preparing my surprise!” Diego looked out the window and spoke as dawn broke. But one hour, two hours… until it got dark again, Victoria still hadn’t come back. I couldn’t help calling Victoria. “Today is our son’s birthday. Where’s the surprise you prepared?” “Oh… it’s in the nightstand. Plane tickets to Scandinavia. Take Diego and go travel together!” Victoria laughed. “I’m too busy today. I’ll hang up now.” The call ended abruptly. I turned and took out the plane tickets from the nightstand. So Diego had also become an obstacle in Victoria’s path to fulfilling her wishes. Almost simultaneously, Victoria’s “girlfriend” account posted on Twitter again. [Engaged! If you love him, give him everything he wants.] The attached image was an equity transfer agreement. I clenched my fists. For ten years, I worked hard at Victoria Group, doing the work of ten departments by myself. From rules and regulations to company development direction, from choosing partners to factory locations—everything was painstakingly determined by me. Yet I only received an ordinary manager’s salary! Now all my achievements were being taken by Osman, who had contributed nothing. “Dad, Mom’s not coming, is she?” My son’s crying voice came through. I turned back to see my son trembling while holding his phone. On the screen, Osman’s daughter Millia had also posted on Twitter. [Thank you, Mom, for the little cake you made with your own hands!] For a child, this was undoubtedly a crushing blow. “Dad, I don’t want to stay here anymore. Can you take me with you?” Diego said through his tears. “Okay.” I nodded tearfully, packed all the luggage, left the divorce agreement, and led Diego out the door. We boarded a plane to Scandinavia. Victoria and Osman held their wedding, spent a few days on their honeymoon, and didn’t go home. They went directly back to the company for a regular meeting. Her eyes swept across everyone present. She asked in confusion, “Where’s Collins? Why isn’t he here?” Everyone shook their heads in unison. “He must be having too much fun.” Victoria muttered, stood up, walked out of the conference room, and called me. “Hello, Collins!” “You’re never late for work normally. Why didn’t you show up for today’s meeting? Haven’t you come back from Scandinavia yet?” Hearing her questioning tone. I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “You’ve already abandoned this family. Why should I come back?”

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I agreed to a marriage of convenience with my childhood frenemy, who happened to be deaf. We did the deed every single day. No feelings involved, just pure technique. When our five-year contract was up, I planned to terminate it immediately. But then, a memory flashed in my mind: him, unable to hear the blaring horn, almost getting hit by a car while trying to buy me a caramel apple. My heart instantly softened. Just as I was heading upstairs to talk to him, to see if he wanted to just keep living together like this, I heard his buddy joking with him in the hallway: “Bro, are you addicted to playing deaf?” Liam toyed with his hearing aid, leaning against the wall with a low, smirk-laced chuckle: “Only when I’m deaf can she feel completely free to be herself.” Standing on the other side of the wall, my mind went totally blank. Wait. All those filthy, dirty things I whispered in bed… he heard all of them?! 1 Most people have a secret crush on their childhood friend. Not me. I had pure, unadulterated hatred for mine. I hated him for throwing a lit firecracker into a pile of dog crap when we were kids, blowing it all over me. I hated him for sticking gum in my hair in middle school. I hated him for ditching study hall in high school and making me take the fall. Other people’s childhood friends are sweet and considerate. Mine felt like I ordered a luxury item, it went out of stock, and they sent me a random, annoying “free gift” that I couldn’t get rid of. In all the years we hung out. There wasn’t a single good memory. The bad memories could fill a dumpster. Thankfully, right after we graduated high school, he went to college abroad, allowing me to enjoy four peaceful years of university life. Who knew that right after I graduated college, I would run into the one person I least wanted to see from my youth? And then came the even more terrifying bad news: my family’s business went bankrupt, and my totally unreliable father decided to marry me off to secure funding. “My ears might never fully recover. Technically, I’ll always be partially disabled. If you’re not willing…” Sitting across the table, Liam kept his head down. Even his impeccable, expensive bespoke suit couldn’t hide his insecurity. There was absolutely no trace of the arrogant, cocky boy from our youth. When I didn’t say anything, Liam’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the table. His eyes were filled with a heartbreaking vulnerability. “I understand. I’ll tell Mr. Davis to call off the…” Wait! I suddenly snapped back to reality. I finally processed what he had just said. His ears were damaged? A jolt of electricity shot through me. I took a large step forward, right in front of him, and finally noticed the hearing aid hidden beneath his messy hair. “Chloe, is humiliating me fun for you?” Liam’s eyes darkened, a hint of his familiar, teeth-gritting annoyance creeping back into his tone. “How did it happen?” I asked. Liam was momentarily stunned. “When I was studying abroad, I didn’t know how to use an induction cooktop. It exploded and damaged my hearing.” “…” “You…” “I’ll marry you! I’ll marry you!” I covered his mouth just as he was about to speak again. Staring into his wide, dumbfounded puppy-dog eyes, I tried desperately to suppress the wild joy erupting in my chest. Growing up, I could never win an argument against Liam. For every sentence I threw at him, his rapid-fire mouth would shoot back ten. Hell yeah! If I just took out his hearing aid, I could curse him out until the end of time! 2 “Liam, are you part dog or something?!” Clutching my red, swollen, and stinging lips, I viciously shoved against Liam’s muscular chest. He didn’t budge. Instead, he pressed in even closer. The pain made me cry out involuntarily. “Liam! Stop moving! “Get the hell off me!” Liam paused his movements, squinting as he read my lips. “Wifey, what are you babbling about? I can’t understand you.” Then he just kept going. “…I’ve had it with you! Put your damn hearing aid in!” I reached out toward the nightstand to grab his hearing aid. A large, burning hot hand forcefully covered mine, aggressively lacing his fingers through mine, and pinned my hand above my head. Liam’s scorching breath washed over my neck. It sent a shiver down my spine. I looked up. The man lazily half-closed his eyes. His gaze was deep and dark, his voice husky: “Wifey, when we’re doing this, you don’t need to hear anything.” 3 After reaching an agreement at the restaurant that day. Liam and I went straight to the courthouse and got our marriage license. But I wasn’t stupid. After all, it was a marriage of convenience. At the end of the day, it was a relationship built on mutual exploitation. Helping my family’s business survive the crisis was enough. Did they really expect me to tie myself to this guy for the rest of my life?! I didn’t even like him. The term was five years. Liam was under massive pressure from his parents to get married, and he needed a proper, understanding wife for public appearances. And out of all the candidates presented to him, I was the most suitable option. We both got what we needed. When the benefits dried up, we’d part ways. Liam readily agreed and signed the contract. On our wedding night. Lying on the massive, rose-petal-covered bed, a wave of delayed panic finally hit me. I hadn’t thought this through completely. He needed a wife, and I needed the alliance. We were actually married. We weren’t playing house. Were we… going to do that? While my mind raced, the sound of the shower in the bathroom gradually stopped. Liam walked out wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Steam billowed out behind him. He hadn’t blow-dried his hair. It was wet, hanging over his forehead, water droplets still falling. They traced a path down his chest, disappearing into the V-line of his abs. Squinting for a closer look, Liam had a perfect swimmer’s build. Broad shoulders, narrow waist. Before I could inspect any further, Liam started walking toward me. My heart tightened. Is he going to… I swallowed hard. Isn’t this a little too fast? “Liam, I don’t think I’m quite ready for—” As he walked past my side of the bed, I squeezed my eyes shut and death-gripped the edge of the blanket. A breeze brushed past. The touch I expected never landed on me. The closet door next to me opened. Liam pulled out a spare comforter and smiled at me. “I’m going to sleep in the guest room.” ? He’s disgusted by me? I looked down at myself. Sure, I wasn’t Dolly Parton, but this was a massive insult! “Liam, do you think I’m too small?” A surge of pride-trampled anger erupted from the bottom of my heart. Liam didn’t turn around. “What is that supposed to mean?! We both agreed to this marriage! It wasn’t just my idea! “Are you looking down on me?! “I’m at least a C-cup, okay?! I’m not that small! “Hmph, you think you’re so huge?!” I unleashed a furious barrage of words. And the guy didn’t even turn his head. One more step, and he really would have disappeared into the next room. My eyes burned red with anger. I bounced right off the bed and tackled him from behind, landing squarely on his back. “Fulfill your marital obligations to me right now!” Liam looked completely bewildered as the towel around his waist was kicked off by my flailing legs. The moment my racing thoughts crashed into the mattress. I finally realized he wasn’t intentionally ignoring me. The idiot simply wasn’t wearing his hearing aid. 4 My marriage of convenience with Liam was much happier than I had imagined. We were old acquaintances, after all. Plus, by the time we got married, he had already taken over his family’s company as the CEO, and he was so busy I barely saw him during the day. What he left me with was peace, quiet, and a limitless black AMEX. Liam finished the last bite of his oatmeal, stood up, adjusted his cufflinks, grabbed a file folder, and prepared to leave for the office. I looked up from my bowl of oatmeal. “You’ve been so busy lately.” The clock on the wall showed it was only 8:00 AM. Usually, after we ate breakfast, he would sit and read the financial news for a bit, or chat with me before leaving. Liam loosened his tie slightly and walked to the door to put on his shoes. “Your dad has a project that he’s pushing really hard on. I need to go keep an eye on it.” Your dad… Whenever he said that, he meant my father. Doing the math, this was the fourth year we had spent together. And he was still working his ass off for my dad. I suddenly thought of the contract. Speaking without thinking, I blurted out: “Our arrangement is almost at the end of its term. You don’t have to work so hard for him anymore.” Liam’s hand, resting on the door handle, froze. The air in the room grew heavy and silent. Even though our marriage started as a contract, five years is a long time to spend living with someone day in and day out. Saying that now made it sound like I was just going to kick him to the curb the second I finished using him. I was just about to explain that that wasn’t what I meant, but Liam rushed to speak first: “I’ve just been too busy lately. We’ll talk about it later. “Oh, right, I have to fly out of state for a business trip tonight. Text me if you need anything.” Right before he left, I saw him awkwardly fiddle with his hearing aid. In that moment, it felt like a silver needle had been driven straight into my heart, causing a sharp, uncomfortable ache. He was feeling insecure again. Insecure about his hearing. Did he think I was disgusted by him because he was partially deaf? 5 In the beginning, I fully intended to cancel the contract the second the five years were up. But over the past four years, we had meshed perfectly in almost every way. As long as Liam wasn’t out of town, we basically did the deed every single day. On normal, quiet days, Liam would accompany me shopping, take me to theme parks, and go on vacations with me. At first, I didn’t really see him as a “husband.” He was just the guy I grew up with. Hanging out together didn’t feel awkward or unnatural. In fact, after being together for so long, I even started to struggle on the nights he wasn’t there to hold me while I slept. Like right now. Lying alone in a massive, empty bed. Staring at the empty chat log on my phone. I felt an inexplicable, restless anxiety. He had explicitly said to text him if I needed anything before he left this morning. It had been three hours since I sent a message, and there was dead silence on his end. Dammit. Did he get hit by a car or something?! A chill ran through my entire body, and I literally shot up in bed, terrified. During Christmas last year, Liam and I didn’t go back to either of our parents’ houses. Instead, we just had a simple, quiet dinner at home, the two of us. After eating, we wrapped ourselves in one long, oversized scarf and went for a walk down the street. I saw a street vendor selling caramel apples and threw a fit, demanding one. Liam pulled his head out from under the scarf, re-wrapped me tightly so I wouldn’t get cold, told me to stay put, and walked over to buy it. It was just across one street. Who could have known that a car’s brakes would fail? Liam wasn’t wearing his hearing aid. As he walked back toward me, he was even smiling and waving the caramel apple at me. If Liam hadn’t jogged the last few steps… I wouldn’t even dare imagine the consequences. He hadn’t realized how close danger had come to him at all, just smiling like an absolute idiot. He shoved the caramel apple into my hand, saying he had bought one of every flavor they had, so I could eat until I was full. Even my own father was too lazy to buy me a caramel apple when I asked. But Liam? He only regretted that he couldn’t pluck the stars from the sky and hand them to me. I don’t know if I was just traumatized by the sudden accident that day, or if Liam’s smile under the streetlights was just too beautiful. But my heart had secretly skipped a beat. The Liam of today is a good man. Even if the teenage version of him was an absolute terror. Buzz, buzz— The phone vibrating pulled me back from my thoughts. Liam: [Just finished a meeting. What’s up?] The heart that had been lodged in my throat fell back into its rightful place in my chest. I suddenly felt like there were some things… I needed to tell him face-to-face. 6 By the time I landed in Seattle. It was already the morning of the next day. There hadn’t been any red-eye flights available. I had to take the earliest morning flight I could get. After getting off the plane, I got the exact address from Liam’s assistant and rushed over without stopping for a breath. When I see him in a little while, what should I say? Just keeping living together like this… actually seems pretty great. Liam is a solid choice for a life partner. We know everything about each other. So what if his ears don’t work perfectly? Whether we “like” each other or not, in families like ours, that usually isn’t a high priority anyway. I think I’d be pretty willing… to spend the rest of my life with him. His abs are great to touch. His face is fun to squish. His lips are highly kissable. And, if I take out his hearing aid, I can curse him out without any consequences. What other man would just take me swearing at him like a mute? I think only a guy like Liam could meet all my requirements. I suddenly regretted being so overly cautious back then. I wasn’t even sure if Liam would be willing to tear up the contract and stay with me. I finally gathered the courage to walk into the office building. I pulled my phone out of my trench coat pocket, preparing to call Liam. A familiar voice drifted from the stairwell behind me: “Bro, are you addicted to playing deaf?” What playing deaf? I froze in my tracks, turning my head slightly. A familiar face came into view. It was Liam’s best friend. I had met him before when Liam brought me to a charity gala. Liam had his back to me. He was toying with the hearing aid he had just removed from his ear. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows, but his tone carried a distinct smile: “Only when I’m deaf can she feel completely free to be herself.” “But your hearing fully recovered months ago. You can’t keep this from her for the rest of your life, can you?” “We’ll see how it goes.” “Alright, man. But you should probably tell her sooner rather than later. You’re husband and wife, after all. Keeping secrets is never a good thing.” … A massive ringing exploded in my brain. I didn’t hear whatever was said next. It sounded like they had a meeting to get to; the two men walked away side-by-side. I hid inside the fire exit stairwell, trying to process those few sentences. Liam’s hearing was fine. The reason he hid it from me was so I could “feel free to be myself.” He didn’t like wearing his hearing aid at home. I always assumed he just found it too noisy and took it off to focus on his work. Who could have known his hearing had actually been recovering this whole time! I always assumed he couldn’t hear, so I constantly acted like an absolute lunatic around the house. Did that mean he heard me when I was ripping massive farts in the living room?! And even more terrifyingly— All those filthy, dirty things I whispered in bed… did he hear all of them?! 7 As I was sprinting through the airport, ready to flee back home. Liam’s call suddenly came through. “My assistant said you came looking for me?” Hiss. I almost forgot. I had contacted his assistant to ask for his location. I stopped dead in my tracks in the terminal, spouting absolute nonsense: “I was bored at home, so I flew up here for a little vacation.” “…What a coincidence?” I gripped my phone tightly, staring intently at the tips of my shoes. Liam’s face involuntarily floated into my mind again. This was exactly what I had come here to do in the first place. But those things I said in bed… He heard them. He heard them! Whatever. We’re still legally husband and wife right now, anyway. Is it a crime for a wife to talk a little dirty to her husband? Is it illegal? Are the morality police going to come arrest me? I pumped myself up, took a deep breath, and spoke: “I’m at the airport. Come pick me up.” I vastly overestimated my psychological resilience and the thickness of my skin. When Liam appeared in front of me, I couldn’t stop myself from turning bright red. “Are you hot?” I looked up. The man was wearing the dark grey suit I had seen him in near the stairwell. His entire aura was expensive and relaxed. It seemed he had rushed over right after his meeting ended. He took the small suitcase from my hand, his other hand naturally taking mine, shielding me on the inside of the walkway. “I’m flying back tomorrow. I’ll stay here for the night. Want to fly back together tomorrow?” He smiled as he looked at the crosswalk light, seemingly in a fantastic mood. I nodded. 8 Late at night. After taking a shower, I burrowed under Liam’s covers. As expected, sleeping next to Liam was always the warmest. I hugged his waist and buried my face deeply into his chest muscles. It was that familiar citrus scent. Liam’s natural scent. It smelled so good. Every time I buried my face in his chest, I slept so much sounder. I couldn’t help but hug him tighter and take another deep breath. I was completely oblivious to the rising body temperature of the man next to me. By the time I realized what was happening, I was already pinned underneath him. The atmosphere was hazy. Our noses touched. Slightly ragged breathing tangled together. I mentioned this before, but Liam is an incredible kisser. From my forehead, to my eyes, the bridge of my nose, my lips, my collarbone… It was like a current of electricity, sending shiver after shiver through me. Restrained yet desperate. I opened my eyes, already dazed and clouded, wanting to pull him even closer. “Liam, I want you to…” Suddenly, I snapped back to reality. The leg I had hooked around his waist froze instantly. I suddenly remembered what he told his friend in the stairwell. Liam could hear. He could hear! I stared at the man who had his head buried in his work, acting as if he knew absolutely nothing. I bit my lip hard, forcing down the rest of the sentence I was about to say. What a manipulative jerk. He must have loved listening to me say all that stuff! If he’s going to act, then two can play at that game. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my tense body to relax, keeping my mouth clamped shut and refusing to make a sound. Liam worked away for a long time. He seemed to sense something was off, but couldn’t blow his cover and reveal he could hear. He could only keep going. In a daze. He hooked my hand and pressed it against his stomach. The corners of his eyes were wet, looking like a pure yet feral male fox. I thought back to the things I used to say. “Hubby, you’re amazing. “Hubby, right there. “Hubby, you’re making me cry so hard I…” ENOUGH! I gritted my teeth, desperately holding onto my last shred of defense. Liam seemed to be engaged in a silent battle of wills with me. His wet, puppy-dog eyes stared at me intently, but his movements grew fiercer and fiercer. I honestly couldn’t hold it in anymore. I opened my mouth. But the words took a sharp, aggressive turn: “Liam, has your technique gotten worse?” I clearly felt the man on top of me go rigid. But he had to keep moving, tilting his head with a look of pure innocence, staring at my mouth and asking me what I was saying. I held back a laugh. “I said, you’re really bad at this.” “…” The man was furious but couldn’t dare speak. “Oh, right, you don’t have your hearing aid in, so you can’t hear me. “I really want to try a different guy. “I’ve been with you for too long, there’s no novelty left. “Right now, I’m kind of into the ‘golden retriever’ type. Sweet, young, and full of energy.” Liam’s face grew darker and darker. He still had to pretend he didn’t understand, asking me what I was babbling about. But before I could open my mouth to say anything else… He buried his face deep into the crook of my neck. He didn’t want to hear it anymore. The puppy didn’t like hearing those words. Tonight, a certain man who was playing deaf had his heart quietly shattered into a million pieces.

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My daughter, who lives abroad, specifically mailed me a box of imported, supposedly very expensive strawberries. I happily followed her instructions, washing them three times in a saltwater soak. Just as I was about to eat one, my one-year-old grandson started crying. After I finished feeding him and came back out to the living room, all that was left of the strawberries on the coffee table were a few green leaves. My husband of thirty-five years criticized me for being careless, saying I shouldn’t have used a colander to hold them. “I don’t know what you do all day. Look at this, there’s water all over the coffee table.” My son swallowed the very last strawberry, too busy playing a video game on his phone to even look up. “Mom, these strawberries are actually pretty good. Ask my sister where she bought them. I want to buy some for Chloe. She’s been working so hard lately, I need to treat her.” Looking at the puddle of water on the coffee table, I suddenly felt that this life was entirely meaningless. So, I turned around and called my daughter. “That visa you mentioned last time… can we still apply for it?” Later, my daughter posted a video of me picking giant strawberries at a farm abroad. I was smiling, looking ten years younger. The father and son back home saw it and their eyes went red. “It was just a strawberry. Why wouldn’t she come back?” 01 “You’re this old and you’re still so clumsy. I really don’t know how you manage to be a grandmother.” My husband, Arthur, leaned back in his recliner, his legs crossed. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and continued nagging me through the cloud of smoke. “And you’re still thinking about going to be a nanny for someone else? You’d be lucky if they didn’t fire you on the first day.” Looking at the face I had stared at for thirty-five years, I suddenly felt nauseous. It was like looking at a pile of old, rotting manure in a vegetable patch. I walked over and snatched the cigarette from his mouth, crushing it out in the ashtray. The movement was so sudden that Arthur froze for a good moment. “Have you lost your mind?!” I picked up the rag nearby and wiped the water off the coffee table. “My daughter-in-law said no smoking in the house. The baby is too young to be inhaling secondhand smoke.” Arthur’s eyes went wide. “I wasn’t smoking right next to my grandson! What’s the big deal? The smoke clears in a minute!” Seeing him reach for his lighter again, I slammed the rag down on the coffee table. “Then you still can’t smoke!” My suddenly raised voice finally caught the attention of my son, Mark. He looked up blankly from his phone screen, looked at me, then at his dad. He didn’t say a word, just stood up and walked into his bedroom, still yelling at his game. “Push the lane! Push the lane! I’ll tank the turret!” Honestly, I was famous for having a soft temper. In all our years of marriage, I rarely ever raised my voice at Arthur. Because every time I showed even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction, he would say: “Helen! Have your wings grown too stiff? Did you forget how I worked myself to the bone from dawn to dusk to support you all these years? You should be grateful!” Just like now. After I yelled at him, Arthur immediately stiffened his neck and started throwing out harsh threats. “I think you’re getting senile. Throwing a fit out of nowhere! If you don’t like the smoke, then get out of this house. If you’ve got the guts, leave my house!” “This is my house too! It’s marital property, what right do you have to kick me out?!” My daughter, Emma, taught me to say that. Ever since she became independent, she always loved telling me I was a pushover, letting her dad control me for decades. She wanted me to grow a spine. “Women hold up half the sky! Mom, are you planning on indulging them for the rest of your life? You’re only in your fifties. Instead of being an unpaid maid for them, you should come with me and see the world.” I used to mumble and not know how to argue back with her. For decades, I had lived the first half of my life exactly like this. No one ever told me it was wrong. My mother, who died young, and Emma’s grandmother, both said men were the sky, and women should yield and endure to keep the peace in the family. But Emma said that was wrong. She said a family is built by both partners, that a woman raising children is just as formidable as a man making money, and that there’s no rule saying women have to serve men. Emma said it so often that a tiny bit of it finally stuck with me. And it came in handy right now. He yelled, so I yelled back. Arthur had never seen me stand my ground like this. For a moment, he was actually choked up. He panted heavily like an old ox, but in the end, he didn’t light the cigarette. I looked down at the empty basket that used to hold the strawberries and said softly: “Those were the strawberries Emma bought for me. I didn’t even get to eat a single one.” “What?” Arthur acted like he didn’t understand. I repeated it again. He looked at me in disbelief. “Just because of a strawberry, you’re throwing a temper tantrum at me? How old are you, and you’re still this gluttonous?” Right. Just because of a strawberry. But I served my in-laws, managed all the household chores, and raised two children. In all these years, I had never eaten a strawberry. When I was young, we didn’t have the money for them. Now that I’m old, I just wanted to eat one strawberry, and my husband calls me a glutton. “Forget it. If you want to eat them so badly, go buy a pound and eat them. I’ve never seen such a gluttonous old woman.” Arthur’s face was dark, acting like he was doing me a favor by forgiving me. He was definitely waiting for me to soften up and apologize to him like I always did. But I didn’t want to deal with him, and I didn’t even want to take care of my grandson right now. I slowly went into the bedroom, dug out my ID and passport, and walked out the door. 02 Emma had gotten me a passport half a year ago, wanting me to visit her in Australia. But my daughter-in-law had just given birth, so I couldn’t find the time. Hearing that I had finally decided to visit her, she was overjoyed. She had one of her colleagues teach me how to apply for a visa. The young girl was very nice. She helped me with everything and didn’t mind my technological incompetence at all. “Auntie, it’ll take a week at most. I’ll let you know the second your application is approved.” One week. Not long. On the way home, I felt like the air today was exceptionally sweet. Even the little dog in the elevator looked adorable. I had been terrified of dogs since I was a kid. But for some reason today, I suddenly gathered the courage to pet that little golden retriever. It wasn’t as scary as I thought, and it even wagged its tail at me. This good mood lasted until I reached my front door. Before I even walked in, I heard my daughter-in-law, Chloe, throwing a fit. “Is he not your son? You don’t even bother to look at him? He’s so small, he gets hungry constantly! Is this whole family dead?!” I paused as I opened the door, then walked in pretending I hadn’t heard anything. Seeing me, Mark, who had been keeping his head down like a scolded dog, looked like he had found the culprit. “Mom! Where did you run off to all afternoon!? The baby was crying his lungs out from hunger!” Arthur suddenly seemed to come alive too. He walked out of the bedroom with his hands behind his back, his face grim as he started nagging. “If you’re going out, go out, but at least take the baby with you.” “We don’t know how to soothe him. My grandson cried all afternoon.” “If you have to leave, can’t you at least tell someone? Coming back this late, not making dinner… is the family supposed to starve…” Thinking about how I’d be leaving to see my daughter in a few days, I originally didn’t want to fight with him. But I tried to hold it in, and I just couldn’t. “If you don’t know how to soothe him, learn.” Emma said it best. No one is born knowing how to cook, do laundry, or soothe a baby. Arthur hadn’t washed a single piece of clothing or a single bowl in his entire life. Starting today, I wasn’t washing them either. If he doesn’t know how to cook, he can learn. If he doesn’t want to learn, he can starve. After all, we had just bickered that afternoon. Seeing that I was still angry, Arthur shut his mouth. But Mark had just been scolded by his wife, and he was genuinely angry. “Mom, what is wrong with you!? Are you trying to ruin this family?” “Chloe worked all day, and I finally get a day off. You’re the only one sitting around doing nothing. If you don’t cook, who will?” I didn’t bother arguing with them. I walked straight into my room, leaving the three of them staring at each other in the living room. Through the door, I could hear them whispering. “Dad? What’s going on?” “I don’t know! She has no real responsibilities, but a massive temper. It’s like she’s got a black hole in her mouth. She didn’t get to eat a single strawberry, and she completely lost her mind.” “Ugh, all this over something so small? If I had known, I would have saved two for her. Besides, we can just buy some more tomorrow, right?” Chloe didn’t say a word. She grabbed the baby and went back to her mother’s house. I didn’t cook that night. I didn’t make breakfast the next morning, either. 03 I broke my own rule and slept in. Outside my room, it was pure chaos. Mark woke up late and was rushing to get to work. “Mom, where did you put my white dress shirt? I need it for a meeting today. Did you iron it?” “I didn’t wash it.” “Then what am I supposed to do?” Mark was dumbfounded. Arthur followed me around as I got out of bed, rushing me. “Fine, you didn’t do the laundry. But my son is about to leave for work. Hurry up and make some noodles so he can eat before he goes. I’m supposed to meet Old Man Lee to go fishing.” I simply pulled the covers over my head. “I don’t feel well. Make it yourselves.” There was silence outside the covers for a few seconds, followed by a cold scoff from Arthur. “If you won’t cook, we’ll eat out! I refuse to believe the earth stops turning without you. If you’ve got the guts, don’t ever cook again! The whole family will just pay to eat at restaurants. Let’s see how many days you can keep this up.” I thought to myself, I’ll keep it up for six days. By then, whether you want to cook or not, you’ll have to. After they both left, I got out of bed and went to find my old friend, Mary. She was lucky. Her husband died early, and her neighborhood got bought out by developers twice. She was living a fantastic life now, going out to line dance in the park every single day. Hearing that I was going abroad, she dragged me to a high-end department store. “You’re going abroad, you have to buy some nice clothes! Look at what you’re wearing, it’s washed until it’s practically transparent. I’ve seen you wear these clothes for ten years.” The full-length mirror next to us reflected the awkwardness at my temples and the frayed white edges of my cuffs. It gave me a moment of daze. Thirty-five years ago, I was a young girl who loved dressing up, too. When we got married, Arthur said he would let me be a young girl for the rest of my life. But the ravages of time meant that in the blink of an eye, I had become an old woman. Mary picked out quite a few things for me, saying she wanted to gift them to me. I politely declined again and again. I was used to being frugal, so I only picked one item. Even that one piece was fifty dollars, and it made me feel a little panicky. But then I thought about how the fishing rods Arthur left collecting dust at home cost way more than this piece of clothing. Thinking like that, I added one more item, bringing the total to a lucky hundred dollars, and bought them. When I got home, Mark hadn’t finished work yet, but Arthur was home early. He leaned awkwardly on the sofa, giving me side-eye. My gaze quickly passed over him and landed on a plastic produce bag on the coffee table. Seeing me notice it, Arthur arrogantly lifted his chin. “Four dollars a pound, you really know how to cause trouble for me! Hurry up and eat them, then go make dinner!” The bag was open, revealing a dozen shriveled, sad-looking strawberries. They looked like the bad fruit that hadn’t sold for days. They weren’t washed. Arthur obviously didn’t plan on eating bad fruit like this. He bought them for me. It had always been like this. The money-making husband ate the best, the kids ate the best, and whatever was left over or spoiling was for me. Back then, times were tough for everyone. Being a little deprived didn’t feel like a big deal. But now, Arthur gets a pension every month, and the kids are grown. I didn’t want to eat them anymore. Right in front of Arthur, I threw the bag of strawberries into the trash can. Before he could explode, I beat him to the punch. “They’re rotten. Unedible.” Then, taking advantage of his shock, I turned and walked into the kitchen. Before I came home, my daughter-in-law called and said her father was coming over tonight. He was a guest, after all. I couldn’t let people go hungry. 04 Chloe was from a single-parent home. Her father had suffered a stroke before the New Year and was paralyzed on one side. He looked even worse now, arriving in a wheelchair. As soon as we sat down at the dinner table, Chloe brought up the idea of moving her father in. “Mom, my dad can’t be left alone. I did the math. Hiring a live-in caretaker or nurse would cost at least three thousand a month. My salary combined with Mark’s isn’t even ten thousand. We just can’t afford it. Instead of paying a caretaker, we should bring him here to live with us. The family can take care of him together. “We have that extra storage room anyway. We can clear it out for my dad. We can rent out his old apartment, and the rent can help cover living expenses.” Before I could even speak, Arthur and Mark nodded in agreement. “Of course, of course. A son-in-law is basically half a son. It’s our duty to be filial to our father-in-law.” “Don’t worry, Chloe. With all of us here, we’ll definitely take great care of him.” … The braised ribs I had specifically prepared for our guest tasted like cardboard in my mouth. I looked up at Arthur and Mark amidst their chorus of agreement. “Are you two going to take care of him?” My son and daughter-in-law work every day, and Arthur is a man who wouldn’t lift a finger to do a household chore. This massive burden would undoubtedly fall on my shoulders. The memory of serving my father-in-law and mother-in-law day and night for years involuntarily sprang to mind. Sick elderly people can’t be hit or scolded, and they often cause a ruckus that gives you no peace. It was truly exhausting. I had finally seen my sick in-laws pass away, and now they wanted me to take care of a half-paralyzed patient. Just thinking about it was suffocating. My voice was very soft, but it instantly froze the atmosphere at the table to absolute zero. Arthur furrowed his brows. “What’s your problem these past few days? You’re giving attitude left and right. What exactly do you want? It’s just taking care of a half-paralyzed patient. You’re used to doing it. Why won’t you do it now?” He put down his bowl. “Helen, you spent a hundred dollars this afternoon. What kind of clothes did you buy? Were they made of gold? I let that slide. I consider it paying for peace. But you’re pushing your luck. If you keep this up, I won’t give you another dime. “You’re an old woman. You don’t care about your son, you don’t care about your grandson. Are you trying to leave this family, find some shady guy outside, and demand a divorce at your age?” The word “divorce” made me freeze. Right. Divorce. Why hadn’t I thought of divorce before? Seeing me stay silent, Arthur paused and softened his tone. “I know you’re upset. That’s why I went out of my way to buy you strawberries this afternoon, didn’t I? You should be grateful.” Mark nodded vigorously in agreement. “Exactly! Mom! Am I not your biological son? Is it really that hard to help us out?” Mark looked exactly like his dad did when he was young. His face was full of dissatisfaction with me, as if I owed him something. “Do whatever you want. I’m not taking care of him anyway.” As soon as the words left my mouth, the bowl in Arthur’s hand came flying at me. It crashed to the floor, shattering loudly. “Fine! We don’t need you! It’s just taking care of a person. You seriously think this family will fall apart without you? If you don’t want to do it, then leave! Mark, from now on, pretend you don’t have a mother!!” I clutched my bleeding forehead. It took me a long time to recover from the shock. By the time I reacted, the entire table of people had already left the dining room. Mark was still muttering. “Mom, don’t blame Dad. You’re being completely unreasonable! Making a huge fuss over and over again about such a small thing.” That night, I asked my daughter about getting a divorce. 05 The father and son were men of their word. As soon as the caretaker left, my father-in-law’s luggage was moved in. At the same time, my daughter told me my expedited visa had been approved, the plane ticket was bought, and my flight was the morning after next. “Mom, you don’t have to worry about a thing. As soon as you get off the plane, you’ll see me.” Maybe it was an unspoken understanding between mother and daughter, but I didn’t mention this to the father and son, and Emma didn’t either. On the first day her father-in-law moved in, Arthur really did step up to take care of him, just as he said he would. Except he gagged for half an hour while changing adult diapers, and threw up for another half hour while giving him a sponge bath. He had only been taking care of him for one day. That night, as soon as Mark got home, he started complaining. “My back is completely broken. Someone acts like she’s blind, sitting on the sofa watching TV all day. Her conscience was eaten by a dog.” I pretended not to hear him, silently tending to the potted plants on the balcony. The two Rieger begonias I planted were very temperamental. Too much or too little water and they’d die. It wouldn’t be convenient to take them abroad, so I could only give them to Mary to look after. Arthur was passive-aggressive, and Mark was sarcastic towards his dad. Both of them looked at me eagerly, waiting for me to bow my head again, waiting for me to say what they wanted to hear. But I just turned around and went into my bedroom. I understood these two men too well. They were counting on me being soft-hearted, to take over the responsibility first, and then they’d wash their hands of it and leave the whole mess to me. But this time, they were going to have to suffer the consequences of their own actions. In our thirty-plus years together, Arthur had never seen me refuse to yield. He always assumed I wouldn’t be that cruel. That night, Old Man Lee called to invite him fishing the next day. He agreed without a second thought. He intentionally put the call on speakerphone in front of me. Naturally, I heard the whole conversation. But since he didn’t speak to me, I acted like I hadn’t heard a thing. I left the house early the next morning, ahead of him. I just didn’t expect that when I came back, my key wouldn’t open the front door. It was a brand new lock. The old key didn’t work. I called Mark. He hemmed and hawed for a long time on the other end of the line, finally squeezing out one sentence. “Mom, just apologize to Dad. I still have to work. I really shouldn’t get involved in you guys’ business.” At this point, how could I not understand? Arthur did it on purpose. When I made it so he couldn’t leave the house, he made it so I couldn’t enter it. Through the security door, I heard Arthur’s angry voice from inside. “Now you know how to come back? You like running outside so much, right?! Then you can stay out there forever!” I stood outside the door for a good while. I don’t know why, but all the events of the past flashed through my mind like a slideshow, stopping at a specific moment. When we were young, Arthur and I had a similar scene. At that time, I had just given birth to Mark. I hadn’t even finished my postpartum confinement when I discovered my husband flirting with the widow next door. That was the biggest fight I ever had with him. I packed up Mark, crying as I ran back to my parents’ house. At that time, I really thought about getting a divorce. But I hadn’t even stayed at my parents’ house for a week when I heard my sister-in-law complaining to my brother. “We’re already tight on money, and now we have two extra mouths to feed. What married woman runs back to her parents’ house to freeload?” My mother also advised me: “Men are all like that. They have wandering eyes. As long as he knows to come home, he’s a good man. For the sake of the two kids, just endure it and it’ll pass. You’re married. A married daughter is like spilled water. We can’t interfere too much.” I realized belatedly that I had suddenly become a person without a home. So, I could only quietly return. That time, Arthur also intentionally locked me out, only opening the door when Mark was crying so hard he could barely breathe. He had a “I knew it” expression on his face. Just like now, mocking me. “Now you know you need to come back?” Last night, my daughter asked me why I suddenly wanted a divorce. I didn’t know how to answer her then. But now I had the answer. The things I didn’t have the courage to do when I was young, I couldn’t just not do them for the rest of my life. 06 Fortunately, I had sent my luggage to Mary’s house early on. Crashing for one night wasn’t a big deal. Early the next morning, Mary drove me to the airport. Before boarding, Mark sent me a message. [Mom, can you please stop being so stubborn? Is it really that hard to just call or text Dad and admit you were wrong? You’re making it so awkward for me and my wife at home.] Arthur sent me a message too. [Helen! You’ve really grown a spine! I won’t stand in your way. If you want a divorce, fine!] I replied with a single word, “Okay,” then turned off my phone and swapped it for the new SIM card Emma’s friend had helped me get. Mary smiled from the side. “You’re really going through with the divorce?” I smiled too. “I still have a lot of days left to live. It’s time for a change of lifestyle.” 07 In his thirty-plus years of marriage, Arthur had never felt that life was so thoroughly unpleasant. He had just sent a message giving his wife an out, and then called his son. “I bet your mother will stay out for a few days, but then won’t she have to come crawling back home?” “Dad, I’m with you on this. I tried talking to Mom too. It’ll be fine. Just wait a few days, and then have Mom take over.” But before he even finished the call… In the living room, his half-paralyzed father-in-law was yelling that he needed to pee and needed his adult diaper changed. In the bedroom, his grandson, who couldn’t even speak clearly, was crying from hunger and needed a bottle. He was frantically trying to juggle the old and the young. In his rush, he accidentally dropped a glass baby bottle, spilling freshly mixed formula all over the floor. Seeing his grandson crying until he was breathless, he rushed to grab a mop to clean the floor, but slipped and banged his head against the foot of the bed. His vision went completely black for a moment. By the time he recovered, his grandson’s face was red from crying. He had no choice but to rub his bruised arm, limp back to the kitchen, and mix another bottle of formula. After his grandson finished the bottle and fell sound asleep… Arthur sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly out the window. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly thought of thirty years ago. Right after his wife, Helen, gave birth to Mark. Their older daughter, Emma, was only two. In the dead of winter, she accidentally fell into a cesspit. The stench was unbearable. He was so disgusted that he yelled at his wife to clean her up immediately. Back then, there were no water heaters. You had to boil water for a bath. By the time his wife had finally boiled the water and prepared to bathe their daughter, Emma’s lips were blue from the cold. But right at that moment, two-month-old Mark got hungry and started crying loudly, just like the baby earlier. His wife was frantically trying to manage both. “Arthur, feed the baby some formula. There’s rice cereal in the cupboard. I really can’t free up my hands.” What did he say back then? “You need my help for something this small? Did you forget how to eat? “Ugh, it stinks. Stay away from me!” And then? Then he didn’t go feed the baby. He used working overtime as an excuse and went out to play poker. When he finally came back, his son was full and sleeping soundly, and his daughter was clean. Before this, Arthur had never considered how Helen managed to take care of both kids at the same time. He just thought that since she could do it, and insisted he help, she must just be looking for trouble. But in this moment, for some reason, he suddenly remembered this insignificant little incident from decades ago. Since that day, Helen had never asked him to take care of the kids again, sparing him the trouble for his entire life. Arthur used to think he was just incredibly lucky in this life. He never imagined that one day, his partner of over thirty years would go on strike! She wouldn’t cook, wouldn’t wash dishes, wouldn’t help their son, and wouldn’t even look after their grandson. It was like she was possessed, yelling about gender equality. What kind of nonsense was that? When have men and women ever been equal? Thinking of this, he remembered the message he had sent to Helen earlier. Forget it. They were an old married couple. Bickering all the time was pointless. Maybe he would just take a step back and apologize. They couldn’t just stay in this deadlock forever. But when he picked up his phone, put on his reading glasses, and tried to type a softer-sounding message, he only saw a single, lonely word in response. “Okay.” Okay to what? To a divorce?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “402463”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel