My name was Juliet Jones. When I won the eighty-million-dollar jackpot, I excitedly went home to tell my husband, Eden Bernal, the good news, but I saw flames flickering from our window.
I quickly took out my phone to call the police, but saw my husband, who should have been on duty as a firefighter, excitedly calling his mother, Jessica Smith.
“Mom, our plan worked! I glanced at the charred person on the bed. She was wearing the pearl necklace I gave her. That bitch is dead. I can finally marry Serena!”
But the person on the bed was not me. It was his dream lover, Serena Bright, whom he had long wanted to marry.
“Great news, Mom! Serena will marry me soon. If it weren’t for that bitch’s money, I wouldn’t have chosen her back in the day.
“After this fire, the money is ours. She was burned beyond recognition, with her skin falling off on the bed. I almost vomited just looking at it. It’s a pity she died while sleeping and didn’t suffer much. It would have been better if she was awake. Serena has followed me for years without any status. It was too hard for her. Only the bitch suffers the most could I vent my anger.”
Serena was our neighbor living next door. She claimed to be Eden’s junior schoolmate and often visited our home.
I had seen her sneak into my bedroom to wear my intimate clothing when she came over, and she enjoyed wearing the jewelry Eden had given me.
I felt dissatisfied and complained to Eden, but instead, he accused me of being petty.
He not only replaced our door with a fingerprint lock but also specially called Serena to record her fingerprint.
I once felt ashamed for overanalyzing their relationship, but now I realized Eden had been cheating on me with Serena all along, treating me like a fool.
Eden’s excited smile quickly turned to sorrow at the sight of the firefighters arriving.
He was heartbroken, kneeling at the bottom of the apartment building, screaming hoarsely, “My wife is still inside. My wife is still inside! Let me go in and save her!”
His colleagues held him back with great effort, not letting him move. He fixed a hateful stare at them.
“Why are you stopping me from saving my wife? She’s carrying my child.”
Eden’s eyes were bloodshot, and his throat was hoarse from shouting loudly.
His colleague sighed helplessly, “Eden, the fire is too intense. Going in would mean death. Trust us. We will do our best to rescue her.”
Eden then lay on the ground, curling up, looking as if he was about to faint from crying.
Once the fire calmed down a bit, the firefighters put out the blaze and carried out the badly burned figure from inside.
I was about to walk over when I noticed Serena’s phone on the floor of the hallway, likely dropped when the firefighters carried her out.
Eden was crying over Serena’s body, showing that he wished to die along with “me.”
Just then, Serena’s finger twitched.
One of Eden’s colleagues exclaimed in surprise, “She’s still alive. There’s still breath! Quickly, get her to the hospital.”
He patted Eden’s shoulder with a smile. “Eden, you’re really lucky. She’s savable! It seems that Death doesn’t want her yet.”
Eden’s sorrowful expression froze, forcing out a smile even uglier than crying, and then he followed his colleagues to lift the charred Serena into the ambulance.
At that moment, Serena’s phone buzzed in my hand.
I hesitated and entered Eden’s birthday, successfully unlocking it.
There was a message from someone saved as “Honey”: [Serena, that bitch Juliet actually didn’t die in the fire. I need to follow her to the hospital. Don’t worry. She won’t live long. Soon, she won’t be able to interfere with us being together openly.]
I felt disgusted but wanted to see what tricks Eden had up his sleeve.
So, I bought a sun-shielding mask and a thick coat to cover my face.
Once I disguised myself so that no one could recognize me, I took a taxi to the hospital and found Serena’s ICU.
The other firefighters and onlookers had dispersed, and the scene in the ward was laid bare.
Serena lay on the hospital bed with a respirator covering her face, and her entire body was tightly wrapped in bandages.
The doctor sighed as he spoke with Eden about Serena’s condition, “She has seventy-five percent of her body burned. Most of her bodily systems are severely damaged, and her vocal cords are completely destroyed. She almost lost her life. We can only provide conservative treatment and see if she has the will to survive. The total treatment cost may exceed one million dollars. You need to be prepared.”
When Eden heard about the enormous medical expenses, his eyes widened in shock. “You expect me to spend a million dollars to treat her, huh? She doesn’t deserve it!”
Noticing the doctor’s strange look, he quickly cleared his throat, frowning sadly. “I have no choice. I’m just a worker. I really can’t come up with a million dollars. My poor wife!”
The doctor shook his head and said, “Make a decision soon. Your wife is carrying a child.”
After the doctor left, Eden turned and slapped Serena hard enough to almost knock off her breathing mask.
“Hey, if you think I would spend over a million dollars to treat you, then you are totally wrong.”
I noticed the fluctuations on the monitoring equipment and knew that Serena must have regained consciousness.
Sure enough, Serena opened her eyes in front of Eden. When she saw him, she instinctively tried to move, struggling desperately but found herself tightly bound in bandages, unable to move at all.
She could hardly bear the intense pain from her burns, and tears streamed down her face as she looked at Eden, whimpering helplessly.
Seeing her swaying, Eden pressed down hard on her bandaged arm.
Eden’s grip was certainly not light. I even saw yellow tissue fluid seeping through the bandages where he held her.
Serena cried out in pain, but it did not soften Eden’s heart at all. Instead, he slapped her even harder.
Eden laughed like a demon as he removed Serena’s breathing mask. Once her face turned bright red from struggling to breathe, he put it back on her. Once she adjusted to breathing, Eden took the mask off again and again.
Serena widened her eyes in agony, unable to comprehend why Eden was treating her this way.
She twisted her body desperately, signaling Eden to look at her abdomen with her eyes.
I also noticed a slight bulge in Serena’s belly.
Eden paused for a moment as he removed the respirator, and his hand rested on Serena’s stomach.
Then, He spoke, “I know you’re pregnant. So what? The doctor who examined you told me it’s a girl. Since you won’t be able to survive, you might as well go die with your worthless daughter.”
His fingers lightly traced over Serena’s belly, and for a moment, his gaze softened.
“Do you know, Juliet? Serena is also carrying my child, a son. I don’t want them to wait any longer. If someone should be blamed, it’s you for getting in the way.
“Even if you’re lucky enough to survive, you will be useless. I will divorce you and let Serena take your place. If you die, that’s just your bad luck.”
His gaze suddenly turned vicious. In the next second, under Serena’s terrified stare, Eden pressed down hard on her belly again and again, increasing his strength each time.
Serena gasped in pain. She struggled with all her might, trying to say she was Serena, but it was no use.
I watched as Serena’s strength dwindled until she rolled her eyes back and fainted.
Beneath her, a pool of fresh blood slowly spread out, and the monitor began to alarm.
Next, Eden looked terrified, frantically pressing the nurse’s call button beside the bed.
“My wife is bleeding! She’s losing a lot of blood!”
Just after escaping from the gates of hell, Serena was once again taken into the operating room. I took the opportunity to rush to the stairwell, retching repeatedly.
I clutched my clothing tightly, with my eyes bloodshot.
Eden was heartless enough to not spare even his own child.
If it were me lying on that hospital bed, I couldn’t even fathom what I would go through.
By the time Serena was brought out of the emergency room again, it was already afternoon.
I sat on a bench outside Serena’s room, watching the scene inside.
Eden did not expect “me” to survive such torment. He sat inside the room with a dark expression on his face.
I couldn’t help but feel desolate for myself.
I had spent eight years with him, yet it couldn’t compare to Serena’s mere year of companionship.
I thought, “In his eyes, Serena was a treasure, while I was dirt, but I loved him wholeheartedly. Did that mean I deserved to die?”
Lost in thought, a person brushed past my shoulder and walked straight into the room.
That was Eden’s mother, Jessica Smith.
She squinted her eyes and turned back to look me up and down.
I felt a shiver run down my spine. Had I disguised myself so well that she still recognized me?
Fortunately, she only spat on the ground and cursed fiercely. “Don’t stand there watching. Get lost.”
I sighed in relief, turned around, and left, preparing to gather evidence for an appeal.
At that moment, Jessica’s voice filled with glee reached my ears again. I paused and looked back.
Jessica was beaming with excitement, holding Eden’s hand.
“I checked it out. You are a heroic firefighter, and reporters will come to interview you. You should tell them how miserable Juliet is, so they can get people to donate.”
Eden impatiently shook off Jessica’s hand.
“Does that mean I would become a beggar? How much can we raise this way? Aren’t those watching the live-stream just a bunch of poor folks?”
Jessica raised a finger.
“I calculated it. At least one million dollars. No matter what, that would be enough for a down payment on a house for my grandson.”
Eden paused for a moment, and then his gaze sparkled with greed.
“One million dollars? Is there really that much?”
“Of course! One million dollars is actually on the low end.”
Seeing Eden and Jessica reveling in their plans inside the hospital room made me feel disappointed and heartbroken.
They wouldn’t rest until they had fully exploited me.
Jessica had been blinded by money and began counting prices excitedly.
“And also, Juliet’s dumb father left her hundreds of thousands of dollars, so we could even get a new car for the family.”
Eden joined in the scheming.
“We also bought that bitch insurance, and we could get compensation, too.”
I clenched my fists outside the hospital room.
If I were lying on that hospital bed, hearing my husband and Jessica discuss how to exploit me while I was on the brink of death, I would undoubtedly feel worse than dead.
I put away my recording pen and was just about to get up and leave when I saw reporters rushing into the hospital room with cameras.
The leading reporter aimed the microphone at Eden. Eden was disheveled, with bloodshot eyes, slumped on the ground looking utterly defeated.
“Investigations say that the cause of the fire was insufficient fire safety measures in the building, with flammable materials piled up in evacuation areas like the stairwell. I was on duty outside, and by the time I got home, my wife had already…”
At this point, Eden covered his face and cried.
The reporter turned the camera toward Serena on the hospital bed.
“I’m just an ordinary firefighter, earning a low salary, and I simply can’t afford my wife’s medical bills. But my wife is still carrying my child…”
An indignant reporter stepped forward and said, “You need to get the insurance company to compensate. You’re a hero who risks his life for the people, so your wife and child must be protected.”
Jessica had been waiting for this statement. She immediately jumped out, throwing a tantrum on the floor.
“Poor Juliet! This isn’t over! They must compensate us five hundred thousand dollars… No, one million dollars!”
The onlookers whispered among themselves, “One million dollars is too much. The homeowner has some responsibility for piling up flammable materials in the stairwell. How can the insurance company cover it all?”
“Yeah, the insurance company will suffer a huge loss.”
Upon hearing this, Eden’s eyes turned red as he glared fiercely at the two people.
“Does that mean Juliet deserves to suffer? She’s been married to me for three years, and I haven’t given her a good life yet. Our child isn’t even born. Given that, isn’t that amount of money too much?”
The two people blushed at his words.
The reporters recorded the entire scene. Eden’s persona as a loving husband and responsible heroic firefighter began to form.
Many netizens were moved by Eden’s performance and willingly opened their wallets to donate to him.
In just fifteen minutes, the donations reached three hundred thousand dollars.
Eden was stunned, and his eyes were wide with disbelief, getting more engrossed in his act.
Jessica stopped crying and smiled broadly to thank the donors.
I couldn’t bear to watch their sordid performance any longer and wanted to turn around and leave with my recording pen.
But Jessica suddenly rushed forward and tightly grabbed my coat, ripping off my mask.
“You little sneak. I know you!”
🌟 Continue the story here
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The day Isolde Briar was released from prison, it was raining.
The chilly wind sliced through the rain as a swarm of reporters surged forward at the prison gates.
“Ms. Briar, your client lost the lawsuit in the Crescent Ridge rape case. She jumped to her death six months ago. Her mother is demanding justice. What’s your response?”
“Ms. Briar, your license was revoked, and your mentor was forced to retire. Do you have anything to say about that?”
Despite the barrage of questions, Isolde didn’t stop. She kept her head down and pushed through the crowd, forcing her way forward.
By the side of the road, a black G-Class SUV was parked. Lucian Voss stood beside it, casually smoking a cigarette.
Lyra Briar tugged at his sleeve and nodded toward the prison gates.
Without a word, the two of them walked over to Isolde.
Lyra pointed at the scar on Isolde’s forehead with a look of shock, her voice dripping with disgust. “Isolde, what happened to your forehead? It’s so ugly. It looks like you’ve been disfigured!”
Isolde glanced down at her forehead, trying to adjust her bangs to cover the scar, but it was too big to hide.
The scar had been a result of the abuse she suffered in prison.
Lucian didn’t speak, his eyes cold and distant as he looked at her.
Lyra, on the other hand, smiled and handed over a small box. “Isolde, this is from me and Lucian. A new pair of shoes. You should really start over and make better choices from now on.”
Isolde couldn’t help but feel the sting of sarcasm.
She knew better than anyone why she ended up in prison a year ago. Lyra and Lucian were more than aware of the truth.
Isolde had been an undefeated lawyer for five years, respected in her field and well-known as one of the top attorneys in the industry.
Lyra, however, was Isolde’s half-sister, a woman who had only been brought into the family two years ago.
She was also a lawyer, but after three years of practice, she had never won a case and was considered one of the least skilled lawyers around.
But everything changed a year ago because of the Crescent Ridge case.
In the case, Isolde had represented a young girl who accused the wealthy Renan Crowe of rape, while Lyra was his defense lawyer.
Despite having solid evidence and a strong case, everything fell apart.
The night before the trial, all the crucial evidence on Isolde’s computer was mysteriously deleted, leading to a disastrous defeat.
The case had far-reaching consequences. The victim was smeared by the media and painted as a prostitute.
Shortly after, Isolde was accused of falsifying evidence, and her law license was revoked. She was sentenced to a year in prison.
Meanwhile, Lyra’s career skyrocketed. She had won the case for Renan, and her fame soared.
Isolde had struggled to understand why everything had unfolded the way it did until she saw a private group chat on Lucian’s phone.
It was a conversation between him, Lyra, and their father, Edward Briar.
[Isolde has everything now, including fame and status, but she showed no mercy to me in court. I think she just wanted to see me fail.]
[Isolde did go too far. Lyra, I’m with you on this.]
[Lucian, what do you think?]
[Lyra, tell me what evidence or documents you don’t want to see.]
*****
As the car headed towards Briar Villa, Isolde stared out the window, watching the scenery pass by.
A year might not seem like a long time, but everything had changed in that single year.
The villa had been completely remodeled. Isolde’s eyes immediately landed on the empty space where her mother’s peach tree used to stand at the gate.
She ran up to the servant who was standing nearby. “Where’s the peach tree my mom planted?”
The servant looked at her coldly. “Ms. Lyra Briar likes roses, so Mr. Briar had the peach tree cut down and replaced it with roses.”
Isolde felt as though someone had punched her in the chest.
That peach tree had been over twenty years old. It had been planted by her mother, and it was the only thing left for her to hold onto.
And now, it was gone just because Lyra liked roses.
Isolde turned and walked away, intending to confront her father. But before she could reach the door, a woman burst out from the house and grabbed her arm.
A sharp slap landed across her face.
The woman clung to her, tears streaming down her face as she screamed, “Look, everyone! This heartless lawyer is the one who killed my daughter!”
The woman who slapped her was the mother of the rape case’s victim.
Surrounding her was a swarm of reporters, and the blinding flashes of their cameras made Isolde feel dizzy.
The woman shoved her again, her voice raw with anger.
“I told my daughter not to press charges. We never stood a chance against the rich! But this woman? She promised us she could win!
“Look at what happened! My daughter’s been smeared as a prostitute, jumped to her death, and now, she’s out of prison like nothing happened!
“Why is she still alive? She’s the one who should be dead! I want her to pay for my daughter’s life!”
Isolde stumbled back, nearly crashing to the ground.
But before she could fall, Lyra grabbed her, forcing her face to the cameras. She positioned her so the nasty scar on her forehead was front and center for everyone to see.
“Okay, fine. The rape case was my sister’s fault, but she’s already paid the price. You see her scar? That’s her price.
“The victim was just a waitress. My sister? She’s a rich, spoiled lady. How could anyone compare the girl’s life to hers?”
*****
Later that night, Isolde found herself on the evening news.
The camera caught Lyra pretending to protect her, saying exactly what the audience expected to hear. And of course, the viewers assumed it was Isolde’s own words.
When the segment aired, the internet exploded with hatred.
[This lawyer’s a disgrace. No wonder she spent a year in prison. She should’ve gotten life!]
[I’m glad her cellmates made her pay. She deserves to be disfigured.]
[Anyone got her address? I’d like to send her a “gift” to show how I feel.]
The hate wasn’t just online. It was a real threat to her safety.
Isolde stared at the comments, her heart heavy. But she knew she had to explain herself.
So, she recorded a video, ready to clear the air when Lucian stormed in.
He yanked the phone out of her hands. His voice was sharp with anger.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“I’m trying to clear things up.”
“Clear things up? You have no idea how much this will hurt Lyra!”
Isolde looked at him, her husband of five years, and the truth hit her like a slap.
The man who had sworn to protect her was now asking her to take the fall for someone else.
“What about me? What about the damage I’ve been through? Lucian, whose husband are you?”
“I’m your husband, but Lyra is your sister. I’m standing on the side of justice,” he replied, his words cold and rehearsed.
He added, “She’s been nothing but supportive of you, and now you’re going to turn on her?”
Isolde’s laugh was bitter.
“Turn on her? Who made me the villain in everyone’s eyes? Does Lyra really care about me? Lucian, are you blind or just plain stupid?”
“Isolde, you’re being unreasonable.”
“I’m being unreasonable? You’re the one who’s unreasonable! Give me my phone!”
She lunged at him, but he held the phone above his head, easily out of reach. Then, without hesitation, he deleted the video.
Isolde froze. “Lucian, how dare you delete my video?”
He looked at her with a cold, emotionless gaze.
“Isolde, it’s over. You can’t go back now.
“With Lyra now a top lawyer, there’s no need for you to work anymore. You can just stay home.”
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She stared at him, the man she’d once loved, feeling everything inside her crumble.
She didn’t want to cry for him. He wasn’t worth her tears, but they fell anyway, uncontrollably.
“Lucian, I graduated top of my class from Kingsford University’s law school. I’ve been practicing for five years without losing a single case. Every senior in the field said I had talent…
“And now, you want me to just be a housewife? So I can make room for Lyra?”
Maybe even Lucian had forgotten, but Isolde remembered it like it was yesterday.
Back then, she was the shining star of Kingsford University’s law department, and Lucian was just a penniless guy from economics.
He couldn’t even afford his tuition, and her mother had to help him out.
At that time, there were plenty of boys flocking around Isolde. Some wrote songs for her and some sent her flowers.
But none of them were like Lucian. Every day, without fail, he’d wait outside the girls’ dorm.
In summer, he’d bring her cold drinks. In winter, it was hot coffee, just so he could ride his bike and take her to the library.
Isolde never gave him the time of day. The girls in her dorm would even tease him.
“Look at that! A toad thinking it can eat a swan! Fairy tales aren’t just stories after all!”
That day, everyone burst into laughter, except Isolde.
She stopped in her tracks, walked up to Lucian, and said, “I’ve never ridden a bike before. Will you teach me?”
Soon, news of Isolde and Lucian’s relationship spread throughout the university.
Many of the boys were heartbroken.
There was even a thread on the school forum, speculating on how long the couple would last.
After all, the gap between them was just too huge.
Lucian was average in every way, while Isolde excelled in looks, academics, and family background.
What no one saw coming, though, was that they got married right after graduation.
When he proposed, Isolde looked into his eyes and said, “Lucian, you’ve been so good to me, too good. I almost feel guilty.
“I keep thinking that if I don’t say yes, I’ll be letting you down. Will you love me this way forever?”
Without a second thought, Lucian gave his answer.
He pulled her into a tight embrace as if he wanted to show her his very soul.
“Isolde, you gave me a new life. You made me feel alive again. I’ll only ever treat you this well for the rest of my life.”
Now, it felt almost laughable.
It had only been five years since they got married, but now, it seemed like it belonged to another lifetime.
It turned out that Lucian’s promises were made to be broken.
In their third year of marriage, Lyra was brought back to live with them.
From that day on, Isolde began to feel like she was losing both her father and her husband.
Edward, who usually said nothing, would spend hours comforting Lyra after she lost a lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Lucian, who didn’t even know what her favorite hobbies were, would stay up late, just to watch soap operas with Lyra.
The Crescent Ridge case from a year ago was the final turning point in their lives.
*****
Isolde tossed and turned all night, and by the time she woke up, it was already past noon.
As she made her way downstairs, the sound of laughter reached her ears from the living room. It was Lyra, Edward, and Lucian, all chatting merrily.
Lyra must’ve said something funny because Edward’s face was full of wrinkles from smiling.
Lucian, too, wore a gentle smile, affectionately ruffling Lyra’s nose.
But the moment Isolde entered the room, the lively chatter instantly stopped. It felt as if she had unwittingly stepped into someone else’s space.
But this was her home, and the villa was her inheritance from her mother.
Lyra, leaning into Lucian’s arm, grinned. “You really slept in, Isolde. We’ve already had lunch.”
Edward, not missing a beat, said casually, “Tell the kitchen to make her something.”
Lyra made a face. “The cook said she has personal business and took the afternoon off.”
Without lifting his eyes, Edward shrugged. “Then order takeout.”
His gaze softened as he looked at Lyra, every line of his face filled with tenderness.
“Lyra, you keep sneaking fast food without telling me. Don’t think I don’t know. It’s bad for your health, so no more takeout, okay?”
Lyra stuck out her tongue playfully.
Isolde, her face impassive, glanced away and turned toward the door without saying a word.
Suddenly, Lucian stood up. “I’ll cook.”
“Lucian!” Lyra was clearly not happy, but Lucian had already walked toward the kitchen, unfazed.
She rolled her eyes at Isolde, flashing her a sharp look.
At that moment, the maid entered, holding a package. “Ms. Isolde Briar, you have a delivery.”
Isolde paused. “For me?”
The maid placed the package on the table. “Yes, it’s addressed to you.”
Isolde felt a flicker of confusion. She had just returned home and hadn’t ordered anything.
Lyra’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she quickly grabbed the package.
“Let’s see what you’ve been shopping for.”
As she tore into the box, she couldn’t help but tease, “Isolde, you’ve only just come back and already you’re online shopping? Looks like you’re in a good mood.”
Before she could finish her sentence, her shrill scream broke through the air.
Lyra flung the box far away.
A bloody, mangled mess rolled out, leaving a gruesome streak across the carpet.
The maid stumbled back, her legs shaking. “A dead rat? How could it be a dead rat?”
At that moment, Lucian walked out with a plate of food in hand.
The scene froze him in place for a second before he dropped the plate and rushed over to Lyra.
“Lyra, are you okay?”
He crouched down in front of her, carefully holding her hands as if she were made of porcelain. His gaze was filled with nothing but concern.
Lyra flashed a delicate smile, her voice soft and sweet. “I’m fine.”
But as her eyes flicked toward Isolde, her expression shifted, and her lips quivered in mock grievance. “Isolde put a dead rat in that box on purpose to scare me! I was terrified!”
Lucian’s face darkened as he turned to Isolde. “What’s wrong with you? Did prison mess with your head or something?”
Edward chimed in, his tone sharp, “How could you be so cruel? Apologize to Lyra right now!”
Isolde lifted her head slowly, her voice eerily calm. “And what makes you so sure it was me?”
Lyra’s tone shot up immediately. “If not you, then who? Your name’s on the box!”
Isolde didn’t flinch. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and countered coolly, “Haven’t you ever received a package someone bought for you? Does having my name on it automatically mean I bought it for myself?”
That left Lyra momentarily speechless. But she quickly sneered, her voice dripping with disdain, “Oh, come on. You think someone sent it to you? Who would bother sending anything to an ex-con like you?”
Isolde chuckled coldly, “Maybe you should ask yourself that. If it weren’t for the things you said about me, do you think anyone would’ve sent me a dead rat?”
Lyra’s face turned bright red. “Just because you say someone else sent it doesn’t make it true! For all I know, you did it yourself. Can you prove otherwise?”
“And why should I have to prove anything?”
Isolde’s posture straightened as her gaze locked onto Lyra’s.
“You’re the one making accusations, so the burden of proof is on you.
“Or did law school forget to teach you that?”
She stood there, bathed in the morning sunlight, her figure radiating an air of quiet authority.
Lucian stared at her, his mind flashing back to the formidable lawyer she once was, sharp, logical, and always in control.
When she spoke, her words hit like a sledgehammer, leaving her opponents completely defenseless.
But before he could dwell on the memory, Edward slammed his newspaper onto the table with a loud thud.
“This is a family home, not a courtroom! Your law license is gone, so stop pretending to be some hotshot attorney.”
Isolde’s straight back seemed to slump a little at those words.
She glanced at her father, the man who had never once been fair to her, and felt a dull ache settle in her chest.
He wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t a lawyer anymore.
And she had them to thank for that.
The maid hesitated, her voice trembling as she pointed to the box. “There’s a note inside. It looks like there’s writing on it.”
Lucian strode over, grabbed the note, and scanned it. His expression tightened.
Lyra couldn’t wait. “What does it say, Lucian? Read it out loud!”
He pressed his lips. “Isolde, you’re nothing but a rat now. And you’ll end up just like this one.”
The room fell silent as he placed the note down. His gaze shifted to Isolde, who stood motionless nearby.
Her face was ghostly pale, and her figure looked so frail that it seemed she might disappear into the light streaming through the window.
A strange unease flickered in Lucian’s chest.
Edward’s snort broke the silence. “I told you not to become a lawyer. Look where it got you. You’ve only got yourself to blame.”
Lyra immediately jumped in. “Exactly! You’ve brought this on yourself, and now everyone’s scared because of you!”
Without saying a word, Isolde turned and walked upstairs. Her shoulders sagged, and her once-proud figure looked small and defeated.
Lucian found himself stepping forward before he could think twice. “I’m going to check on her.”
Lyra pouted, her voice rising in protest, “Lucian! I was the one who got scared.”
But Lucian didn’t stop. He disappeared around the corner without even looking back.
Lyra clenched her fists, grabbed a throw pillow, and hurled it to the floor with a frustrated growl.
Isolde sat quietly in the room, unmoving.
The door creaked open behind her, and Lucian stepped in. “About earlier, we were wrong to blame you.”
She didn’t react. It was hard to tell if she hadn’t heard him or just didn’t care.
She didn’t want to care about the three of them. Their misunderstandings and apologies meant nothing to her.
A hollow sensation crept into Lucian’s chest. “Isolde…”
But she remained turned away from him. “Lucian, where’s my mattress?”
He froze, momentarily caught off guard.
Isolde’s mattress had been a custom order, an expensive one.
As a lawyer, long hours of sitting and poring over case files had taken a toll on her back.
Her lower back pain was so severe that some nights it even woke her from sleep.
On her doctor’s advice, she had invested in a specialized orthopedic mattress.
Lucian didn’t answer, and Isolde wasn’t surprised.
“Lyra took it, didn’t she?”
Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion, like the surface of a dried-up lake.
Lucian’s chest tightened. “Isolde…”
She’d already figured it out the night she came home from prison.
Lying on her bed, something had felt off. Casually, she’d asked him, “Why does the mattress feel different?”
He hadn’t answered, and she hadn’t pressed.
The next day, walking past Lyra’s room, she overheard voices.
“Lyra, give the mattress back to Isolde. She noticed.”
“So what? She just spent a year in prison sleeping on wooden boards. Does she really deserve something that nice now?”
There had been silence after that.
Isolde hadn’t needed to hear more to know he’d agreed.
Because she’d been to prison, she didn’t even deserve her own mattress anymore.
She’d always known her time in prison would be a permanent stain on her life.
What she hadn’t expected was that it would become a knife in the hands of the people closest to her, one they would use to stab her, again and again, until her heart bled dry.
*****
Half a month after Isolde’s release, it was Lyra’s birthday.
The house was bustling from the early hours of the morning, servants rushing about to prepare for the grand celebration that evening.
Isolde glanced at the commotion from her window before turning away, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
Three days after her release had been her birthday.
In prison, she’d imagined how this year might be different and how she’d finally celebrate at home, surrounded by her family.
But when the day came, no one had remembered.
She’d bought herself a small, single-serving cake and sat alone in the dark, softly singing “Happy Birthday” to herself.
The flickering candlelight cast shadows on her face as she forced a smile.
When she blew out the candle, tears streamed down her cheeks.
Tonight, though, Lyra’s birthday was a completely different story.
Guests had started arriving long before the official start of the banquet.
Dressed in a pink gown and a glittering diamond tiara, Lyra was the star of the show, surrounded by compliments and admiration.
Everyone wanted to toast her success as a rising star in the legal world.
Meanwhile, Isolde stood in a forgotten corner, invisible to the crowd.
Halfway through the evening, a young woman approached her, smiling curiously.
“I just met Lyra recently. Are you a friend of hers? What’s your name?”
“I’m Isolde.”
The woman’s smile vanished instantly.
She rolled her eyes and walked away. “Why didn’t you just say so earlier?”
All around, she could feel the weight of people’s stares, sharp and judgmental, like arrows piercing her skin.
Suddenly, a man stepped forward. Without a word, he grabbed a glass of red wine from a server’s tray and poured it over her head.
A gasp rippled through the crowd, quickly followed by whispers and muffled laughter.
The man hurled the wine glass to the floor, the sharp crash silencing everyone nearby.
“Isolde, because of you, we’re all getting dragged through the mud.
“You’re a disgrace to lawyers everywhere!”
The commotion caught Lucian and Lyra’s attention. They hurried over, only to freeze at the scene in front of them.
In the chaos, a hand shot out from the crowd and shoved Isolde hard from behind. She stumbled and fell to the floor.
Lifting her head, she was met with mocking stares. Her eyes betrayed a fleeting confusion as if struggling to process what had just happened.
Lyra’s voice chimed in, laced with faux concern, “Oh no, Isolde! Did you spill wine on yourself? And you fell too?
“Honestly, you’re always so clumsy. No wonder you made such a mess of the Crescent Ridge case.”
Lucian coughed awkwardly, trying to diffuse the situation. “Lyra, we’re in public. Maybe show your sister some respect.”
Lyra pouted, her tone exaggeratedly innocent, “What? I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just being honest!”
Lucian softened, his eyes filled with indulgence. “That’s what I like about you. So straightforward.”
Watching the two of them, Isolde felt nothing, just an overwhelming numbness, like waves pulling her under.
And then, out of nowhere, a hand appeared in front of her.
A deep, steady voice spoke above her, “Take my hand. I’ll help you up.”
Startled, Isolde looked up.
Through the haze of tears and spilled wine, she saw a face that was strikingly handsome with sharp features, cool and composed.
The name Elliot Steele surfaced in her mind.
He wasn’t just any man. Elliot had been a legend at Kingsford University’s law school, a senior who had completed the four-year program in just two.
Everyone thought he was destined to be an extraordinary lawyer, but he surprised everyone by switching to business.
After graduating, he took over Steele Group and turned it into an unstoppable force.
In just a few short years, Elliot had propelled Steele Group to new heights, earning him the title of Fortune magazine’s “Next-Generation Business Leader”.
The crowd buzzed with murmurs.
“Elliot… It really is him.”
“I’ve heard he rarely shows up at events. Why is he here for Lyra’s birthday?”
Isolde felt a rush of embarrassment when she heard those words.
Elliot crouched down, his hand steady as he helped her to her feet.
From the pocket of his perfectly tailored suit, he pulled out a handkerchief. With an almost imperceptible hesitation, he reached up to wipe the wine from her hair.
“I can do it myself,” Isolde said, turning her head away.
His hand froze for a moment before he withdrew it gracefully. “Alright.”
Lyra practically bounced over, her face flushed with excitement. “Mr. Steele! I can’t believe you’re here. This is such an honor!”
She still couldn’t figure out why Elliot had come tonight.
Her firm had partnered with Steele Group on a case recently, and she’d dressed to the nines for every meeting, hoping to catch his attention.
But she never even caught a glimpse of him.
There were rumors that Elliot was distant and unapproachable, and Lyra had always believed them.
So, having him show up at her birthday party tonight was beyond her wildest dreams.
But Elliot barely spared her a glance. His sharp gaze shifted to Lucian instead.
Feeling the weight of that icy stare, Lucian tensed up. “M-Mr. Steele…”
Elliot didn’t respond, his silence cutting deeper than words.
Just then, his assistant approached, holding a phone. “Mr. Steele, there’s an urgent call for you.”
Elliot glanced at Isolde one last time before turning and walking away.
The crowd, having had their fill of drama, began to disperse.
Lucian stepped closer to Isolde, his voice soft with concern. “Isolde, are you okay?”
Isolde didn’t respond. She turned and walked away without a word.
Lucian hesitated, ready to follow, but Lyra grabbed his arm. “Where are you going? Everyone’s waiting for us to start the first dance!”
He paused, glancing between Isolde and Lyra. After a brief moment, he sighed, “Alright. Let’s go.”
Lyra beamed, triumphant.
After showering, Isolde stayed in her room and didn’t go downstairs.
The noise from the party below gradually faded, signaling that the banquet had ended.
As she was about to sleep, her phone buzzed with a message from Lyra.
[Isolde, come to my room. I’ve got a gift for you.]
Isolde left her room, and as she reached Lyra’s door, she could hear hushed voices from inside.
“Lyra, don’t do this. Isolde is right next door.”
“Isolde’s asleep. What are you worried about? You haven’t touched me since she came back. Lucian, I miss you.”
“Lyra, what if Isolde hears?”
“Are you really that scared of her?”
It sounded like Lyra was crying, her voice thick with emotion.
“Lucian, tell me the truth. Since Isolde came back, have you slept with her? You promised you’d only have sex with me…”
“I didn’t sleep with her.” Lucian’s voice was full of helplessness and concern. “Lyra, please stop crying.”
“You know about the scar on Isolde’s forehead. Do you really think I’d feel anything for her like that?”
Lyra’s sobs turned into a laugh.
“I knew you were always the best to me. You treat me so well. I have to show my appreciation.
“Stay still. Let me kneel and take care of you.”
“Lyra, you’d really do that? I don’t want to make you feel like you have to…”
“You’re a man, Lucian. Men have needs. I’m happy to do this for you.”
The sound of their conversation grew more intimate.
“Lucian, who’s prettier, me or my sister?”
“You.”
“Is it more comfortable with me or with her?”
“With you.”
“Then who do you like more?”
“Of course, it’s you, Lyra. Come on, a little faster…”
Isolde felt her body go numb, her blood freezing. Her mind felt like it had shut down.
She stumbled back to her room and sat by the window, staring blankly into the pitch-black night for what felt like forever.
She’d thought, no matter how much of a jerk Lucian was, at least he’d have some lines he wouldn’t cross. But it turned out she had overestimated him.
In the early hours of the morning, just as Isolde was about to fall asleep, her phone buzzed again, waking her up.
[Isolde, you heard everything, didn’t you? Both your mattress and your husband have been in my bed.]
[Let me be honest with you. During the year you were in prison, Lucian and I were together almost every night.]
[My dear sister, looks like you couldn’t satisfy your husband. Otherwise, why was he so desperate in my bed?]
[Now I’ve taken everything, your career, your father, your man. It’s all mine now, Isolde. I’m going to show everyone that I’m better than you. The only thing I’m missing is a rich mom. You’ve never been better than me!]
Isolde’s hand shook uncontrollably, nearly throwing her phone in anger.
After a long pause, she managed to steady her breath. Her mind cleared, bit by bit.
Lyra wasn’t entirely wrong. Isolde did have a wealthy mother.
But what Lyra didn’t realize was that her privileged life wasn’t thanks to her lazy father. It was because of the inheritance Isolde’s mother had left behind.
Isolde’s mother had been incredibly thoughtful.
She knew that her daughter might face struggles later in life, so she included a special clause in her will.
Now, that clause had been triggered.
Isolde opened her contacts and dialed the number of the lawyer, Richard Monroe.
The phone rang only twice before it was picked up, and Richard greeted her respectfully.
“Ms. Briar, how can I help you?”
“Mr. Monroe, it’s time to activate the additional clause in my mother’s will.”
“Are you sure, Ms. Briar?”
“I’m sure,” Isolde replied, then hung up the phone.
🌟 Continue the story here
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When Kreson Airlines flight US1082 successfully made its emergency landing, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But only Jonna Smith knew that she and Edmund Cane would never be the same.
Edmund, who loved her deeply, had pushed her out when the armed kidnappers threatened everyone.
He held Katherine Smith tightly in his arms and said firmly, “You’re her sister, Jonna. You have to protect her with your life.”
Jonna trembled slightly but said nothing.
A few days later, she left Kreson Airlines.
As soon as the plane landed, Katherine, hiding in Edmund’s arms, refused to come out. She extended her little finger, which had been scratched, and cried out in pain.
Seeing her tears, Edmund felt like his heart was shattering.
He turned to Jonna, who was walking toward them, and angrily pointed at her.
“Why didn’t you protect your sister? Are you happy now that she’s hurt?
“No wonder your parents said you’re an ungrateful brat!”
His harsh words and the venom in his tone made it seem as if Jonna were a murderer, not his wife.
Jonna followed his gaze and saw Katherine’s little finger bleeding slightly. A wave of absurdity washed over her.
He didn’t see the blood soaking her hair and face, nor did he see her blood-stained uniform. All he saw was Katherine.
The tenderness and affection in his eyes were so overwhelming that it could make anyone believe in true love.
If Edmund weren’t her husband, she would’ve applauded and given them her blessing.
At that moment, her adoptive parents’ call came in, as timely as ever.
There was no concern or inquiries as the familiar sharpness rang through the phone.
“You little brat! If anything happens to Katherine, we won’t let you off.
“We’ve raised you for years, and now you actually abandoned her in danger! Do you have no shame?”
The woman’s voice, filled with sharpness and coldness, struck Jonna’s ears like invisible needles, causing her to wince.
But she had long since grown accustomed to such baseless accusations and reproaches.
Her existence had always been in service of Katherine.
Katherine was the flower in the greenhouse, and Jonna was the leaf that sheltered it.
Whenever Katherine cried, it was Jonna who was punished. She, the adopted daughter of the Smith family, was nothing more than a tool to care for her.
Then came Edmund, pulling her out of the family’s mire, offering her warmth and protection.
But three years into their marriage, Edmund’s protection had extended to Katherine, leaving no place for her.
As she stared at the dark screen, she suppressed the bitter feeling in her chest and let out a sigh.
In comparison to all these silent accusations and verbal abuse, she was more grateful that today’s accident hadn’t resulted in any fatalities.
Otherwise, two hundred lives would’ve gone up in smoke.
Perhaps it was the reminder from nearby colleagues that made Edmund realize his harsh tone. He paused, trying to soften his words.
“Jonna, I’m sorry for what I said earlier… Don’t take it seriously.
“I was just worried…”
“You were worried that I wouldn’t be able to explain to my adoptive parents if Katherine got hurt. I understand.”
Jonna’s voice was soft as if she completely understood his concerns. She looked at him and even smiled faintly.
But inside, her heart felt like it was being torn, so painful and bitter that even her eyes burned with the sting of it.
Edmund was about to say something but faltered. He opened and closed his mouth several times, finally falling silent.
He didn’t notice Jonna’s smile which hid nothing but self-mockery and sorrow.
As he rushed off, cradling the tearful Katherine in his arms toward the infirmary, he completely ignored the bloodied Jonna standing behind him.
Watching him hurry away, Jonna couldn’t tell whether she felt colder or more hurt at that moment.
At some point, Katherine had surpassed her, becoming the one Edmund cared for most.
His way of calling her changed from Katherine to Katie, while Jonna was still addressed the same way.
Whenever she asked him about it, he would snap back impatiently, and his eyes were full of disapproval.
“You’re her sister, and are you worried about how you’re called?”
“No wonder Adam and Beth don’t care about you. Now, I finally get it.”
He couldn’t see Katherine’s provocation and insults toward Jonna, but somehow, all the blame was placed on Jonna.
He had forgotten the five years they had spent together, day in and day out, and how his eyes were always on someone else.
Forgot it.
Jonna bit her lip, and the sharp pain from the wound on her forehead cleared her mind just a little.
She looked around, and the mocking gazes from the people around her hit her all at once.
“Poor Jonna. She may be a captain, but what’s the use? She can’t even keep her own man or control her sister.”
“She gave up her future for a man, transferring from the control center to civil aviation.”
“In the end, her sister swooped in and stole her man. It’s hilarious.”
Hearing their words, Jonna tried to smile but failed. The bitterness in her chest spread throughout her entire body. She couldn’t laugh.
She had to swallow the pain in her limbs, using all her strength to widen her eyes and keep her tears from falling.
She lifted her foot with difficulty and took one step at a time toward the infirmary.
To those around her, she seemed even more pitiful than before.
As she entered, Katherine’s soft and coquettish voice filled the air.
“Edmund, my feet hurt. Can you rub them for me, please…”
To Jonna’s shock, Edmund, who was notoriously obsessive about cleanliness, immediately crouched down and began rubbing her feet.
He even gently said, “Your feet smell incredible. Does it feel good?”
But just a few nights ago, when Jonna had asked him to help her grab her slippers, he had snapped, “Jonna, you’re an adult, and you’re not disabled. Don’t make me touch those filthy things.”
The two voices overlapped at that moment, merging into one. Jonna felt an overwhelming bitterness while her eyes filled with tears.
She lowered her gaze and bit her lip hard.
With Katherine, he could be patient and accommodating, and even the stench of her feet became fragrant.
But with Jonna, his habit was to control her and consider her filthy.
At that moment, the sight of them exchanging smiles pierced her heart. Jonna’s fingers nearly crushed as she clenched her hands. The veins on her hands stood out as she fought the urge to escape.
But in her haste, she accidentally pushed open the door to the infirmary.
“Jonna, you’re here. Edmund’s massaging my feet.
“You must be able to enjoy this kind of service at home too, right?”
Katherine’s smile was sweet and innocent, but the smugness in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.
Edmund, seeing Jonna, immediately panicked. He rushed over to help her to the bed. But as soon as he got closer, Jonna instinctively took several steps back. The thought of him using the same hands that had just touched Katherine’s feet to touch her made her feel as if she had swallowed hundreds of flies. It was utterly repulsed.
She quickly turned to Dr. Rogers. “My forehead is hurting, and I’m feeling dizzy and nauseous. Could you take a look?”
Edmund’s hand froze for a moment before he slowly withdrew it. He looked at her forehead as if he had just noticed her injury.
“Why are you so careless? You didn’t even take care of yourself on the plane. You know you’re hurt. I would’ve been heartbroken if I had known.”
As he spoke, his eyes softened with a tenderness that seemed to say he cared for her deeply.
Jonna almost laughed in anger, and her nails dug into her flesh without her noticing.
The wound, bleeding profusely, was visible to everyone else, but he couldn’t even see it.
Just moments ago, he had scolded her for not protecting Katherine on the plane, and now he was blaming her for not taking care of herself.
The same man wore two completely different faces.
But no matter what he said now, Jonna wasn’t listening anymore. It all went in one ear and out the other. She no longer wanted to take it seriously.
“I hit my head when protecting Katherine. So, should I just stop looking out for her from now on?”
“No way!”
Edmund instinctively rejected her, but when he met Jonna’s almost amused look, he realized his reaction was too sharp and awkwardly forced a laugh.
Katherine couldn’t stand being ignored and chimed in, “Jonna wouldn’t dare neglect me. Don’t worry, Edmund.”
Her certainty, contrasted with Edmund’s unease, was evident to Jonna.
But this time, deep inside, she quietly said, “No.”
Dr. Rogers finished treating Jonna’s wound, set up an IV, and advised her to rest.
Then she started complaining to her assistant, “I don’t know what Mr. Cane is thinking. His wife is hurt, and yet he’s fussing over his wife’s sister…”
“Yeah, when I was giving Jonna her IV, I even heard her stomach growling…”
Their entire conversation reached Jonna’s ears. She didn’t react.
What could she say?
Edmund was busy bringing Katherine delicious food and even gum to pass the time.
And when he saw Jonna, he sheepishly apologized. “Jonna, sorry, I rushed off earlier and forgot your food…”
The guilt in his eyes was real, but Jonna understood one thing.
Edmund’s heart was no longer with her.
It was completely occupied by Katherine.
“Jonna, don’t worry. I’ll go get you something else…” Edmund hurriedly turned to leave but was stopped by Katherine.
“Edmund, I haven’t had the soup you bought yet. Leave it for Jonna.
“She has hurt her head, so she should eat something light. This soup is perfect for her.”
Edmund shot her a disapproving glance, and his tone dripped with affection. “That’s nonsense. I bought this soup for you. I can’t just give it to someone else.”
Even though Jonna had already grown numb to it all, hearing those words still made her heart lurch painfully.
Someone else?
So, she had always been “someone else.” They were the family.
With those words, Edmund turned to leave, even shutting the door behind him because Katherine said she was afraid of coldness.
At home, Edmund never closed doors. Whenever Jonna politely asked him to do so, she was met with sarcastic comments.
“We’re at home. What’s with all the fuss…
“At work, you’re the captain. But here, I’m your husband. Don’t even think about bossing me around.”
Jonna’s stomach growled again, and Katherine glanced at her with mockery in her eyes.
“Jonna, stop being so stubborn.”
“Just have the soup. You’ve eaten my leftovers more than once, anyway.”
Katherine’s beautiful face twisted with malice. She looked at Jonna as if she were a beggar with nowhere to go.
Jonna shook her head, speaking in a tone so calm it was almost indifferent, “You can keep the soup. Edmund will bring me food later.”
Katherine scoffed as if she had just heard a joke. Then, she sneered, “Believe it or not, if I call Edmund, you won’t get a single bite of anything.”
With that, she pulled out her phone and dialed Edmund’s number. Jonna sharply caught a glimpse of the contact’s name. Instead of “Edmund,” it was actually “Honey.”
Just as Jonna was staring at the screen, Edmund’s voice came through. “Katie, what’s wrong?”
“Edmund, I finished my soup. Can you take me home? The infirmary smells terrible…”
Even through the speaker, Jonna could hear the amusement in Edmund’s tone.
“Sure, wait by the north gate of the airport, I’ll come pick you up right away.”
Katherine, with a smile in the corner of her eye, deliberately asked, “What about Jonna? She hasn’t eaten yet.”
Edmund paused for a moment, then replied, and his tone was irritated, “Don’t worry. She’s a grown woman. If she’s really hungry, she’ll order takeout.”
The two of them continued to have a sticky-sweet conversation for a few more minutes before hanging up. At that moment, Edmund seemed to forget that the woman in the infirmary, covered in blood and receiving an IV, was his wife.
The last shred of hope in Jonna’s heart shattered, and a chill ran through her body.
“See that?” Katherine asked proudly, like a little girl who had just snatched a toy, and her eyes were full of arrogance.
Jonna didn’t say anything. She silently turned away, avoiding Katherine’s gaze.
Soon, tears soaked her pillow.
Shivering, she pulled out her phone and typed a message to her former superior, Enric Swain: [Captain Swain, I’d like to return to the base. Is that possible?]
Enric immediately called her back, and his voice was so loud. In the background, she could hear the sound of a plane propeller. He sounded surprised. “Sure! Of course, I’d love that!”
But then his voice faltered with a hint of confusion.
“Wasn’t I hearing that you were going to be promoted to flight instructor? What happened…”
Enric seemed to sense her sadness through the phone and didn’t press further.
Instead, he added, “If you want to join me, you should talk to your husband. After all, it’s not easy to build a family.”
“Okay,” Jonna replied, knowing that Enric was acting out of kindness.
The two exchanged a few more words before hanging up.
She stared blankly at the cold white ceiling, and her mind raced.
She had already turned down the flight instructor promotion Enric mentioned.
Since last year, Jonna had been promoted to captain, and she had received a lot of disdain from her fellow pilots. Even Edmund’s gaze towards her had grown colder.
Many of her colleagues said that if it weren’t for her, that promotion should have belonged to Edmund.
Guilt filled her heart. Jonna tried to overlook Edmund’s indifference, thinking it was just a phase.
She thought once he cooled down, he would come back to her.
Until now, when she finally saw the truth.
It seemed that drunken night the things he had said were all true. “Why do you need to show off so much?
“You were the best during training. At work, you still have to compete with me for the top spot…
“Can you just get lost? Get far away and never show up in front of me again!”
Jonna squeezed her phone tightly, and her knuckles turned white.
Her other hand pressed hard against her eyes as she sobbed softly.
Tears slid slowly through her fingers, spreading across the white sheets, as muffled sobs echoed through the silent infirmary. At this moment, Jonna sounded like a small animal licking its wounds.
She remembered how Edmund used to look at her with such intense affection. What had changed?
Wasn’t it he who once rushed into the school infirmary, carrying her after she had been injured on the field, staying by her side all night and refusing to leave?
Wasn’t it he who clumsily learned how to cook, burning a pot, but still proudly serving her two dishes?
In every previous training exercise, she was the one Edmund protected, the one he loved.
Why had everything changed?
He had vowed to love her forever, but in just three years, all of his love had been given to someone else.
Huh!
Edmund’s “forever” was so short.
That night, after finishing her IV, Jonna returned home and saw a message from Enric: [I’ve already talked to your boss. In three days, I’ll send someone to pick you up.]
[Okay.]
[Your husband… What about him? You’re leaving for at least three years. You two should really talk before you go.]
Enric was genuinely concerned about her family. He didn’t want her to end up with any unnecessary tension because of work.
Jonna instinctively thought of telling him that she and Edmund were getting a divorce, but the words caught in her throat. Enric, too, had gone through a divorce, and that made her hesitate.
She swallowed the words down and simply replied: [Okay.]
By the time she closed her phone, it was already at nine in the evening, but Edmund still hadn’t come home.
She sent him a message, and an hour later, she received a cold reply: [I’m at Adam and Beth’s home. Do you want to come over?]
Before she could respond, another message came in, as usual, vague and indirect: [Never mind. Don’t bother coming. If you do, no one can enjoy this meal.”
Jonna froze, and her fingers hovered over the keyboard. After a long pause, she smiled bitterly.
He wasn’t wrong. She was just a foster daughter of the Smith family, and her presence hardly meant anything.
They only considered Edmund and Katherine their real family.
After washing up, she turned off the lights and curled up in bed, motionless. The shock on the plane and the blood loss had left her utterly exhausted.
Perhaps it was the decision she had made earlier that had lifted the heavy weight off her chest, allowing her to sleep soundly. The next morning, she was surprisingly refreshed.
At the office, she saw Katherine handing out bags of apple chips while chatting away.
“That robber was so terrifying! Thank goodness, the special forces rescued us. My heart is still racing! Here, have some snacks to calm your nerves.”
The company had always been mostly female, and Katherine had mastered the art of using little tactics to win people over.
Though the snacks weren’t worth much, they were effective.
There were always people eager to back her up every time she stirred up trouble.
When she turned and saw Jonna, Katherine’s eyes narrowed with a knowing smile.
“Especially Jonna,” she said slowly, “She was so brave yesterday, playing the hostage for me. I’m really grateful, so all these snacks are for you. Consider them a little token of thanks.”
Jonna’s gaze swept over the apple chips, but she didn’t react. Her expression was cold and unreadable.
Katherine immediately pouted, and her eyes reddened, as she plaintively asked, “Are you still mad at me for yesterday? Don’t be angry, okay?
“It wasn’t what I wanted. Edmund said you knew self-defense… Please don’t be upset with me.”
The colleagues glanced at each other, exchanging knowing looks, before chiming in with supportive remarks, “Jonna is way too petty, still holding a grudge after all this time.”
“Exactly. If it wasn’t for the Smith family, she wouldn’t even have a place to stay.”
Jonna kept her lips pressed tight, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her. The wound on her forehead throbbed with dull pain again.
She had always been the one to make compromises for Katherine, but it was never enough. No matter how much she gave, Katherine, like a bottomless pit, was never satisfied.
In the past, Edmund would have stepped in to defend her, but now…
As Jonna thought of him, he walked into the room, still dressed in the same outfit from yesterday.
She immediately pressed her lips together, and a moment later, a bitter thought crossed her mind. It didn’t matter anymore.
Who he was with or where he went didn’t concern her.
“What’s going on? So lively in here?” Edmund asked as he walked over.
When Katherine saw him, her eyes lit up, and she quickly launched into her story. “Jonna refuses my apology, and now she’s turning down my snacks, too.”
Edmund glanced at the apple chips and paused for a moment, and his gaze shifted slightly.
Jonna’s heart skipped a beat.
No one knew she was allergic to apples, but Edmund knew it all too well.
Just as she expected him to call out her allergy, Edmund glanced at her coldly with a subtle disapproval in his expression.
“You’re her sister,” he said with a hint of reprimand, “Family should stick together. Don’t make things difficult for her. Just eat the snacks.”
As soon as Edmund finished speaking, he even carefully tore open the package and held the apple chips up to her mouth.
Jonna stared at the apples right in front of her, and something inside her heart collapsed completely. Her nose burned, and she could feel the tears rising in her eyes.
Three years ago, during training at the base, she had accidentally drunk a glass of apple juice. The pain was so intense that she collapsed to the ground, and her skin was covered in painful welts.
Edmund had held her in his arms, and his eyes were red with panic, shouting hoarsely, “Doctor, help!”
But now, Edmund was the one offering her the apple chips, telling her to eat them.
She closed her eyes, swallowing the sharp pain that sliced through her heart. Steadying herself, she looked at him, and her voice was barely audible. “Are you sure you want me to eat this?”
Edmund said nothing, but his cold eyes locked onto hers.
Though he hadn’t said a word, it felt as though he had said everything.
Jonna forced herself to hold back the shivers crawling up her spine. The fear began to seep through her veins, crawling like insects. She took a deep breath, and her fingers trembled as she reached out to take the chip and bite into it.
Edmund muttered as if trying to justify his actions, “You’re an adult now, and your immunity is stronger. One apple slice won’t hurt.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but to Jonna’s ears, it was the most biting sarcasm.
When he loved her, she was precious.
Now, when he no longer cared, she was just a pile of trash.
At that moment, a knock echoed from the door. “Jonna, I need you to sign this.”
Jonna forced herself to ignore the growing itch and picked up the pen, signing her name decisively.
Edmund glanced at her from the side, asking, “What are you signing?”
Jonna turned around, and her eyes locking onto Edmund’s, and replied softly, “The police report from yesterday.”
At the mention of yesterday, Edmund’s face briefly flashed with guilt. He averted his gaze before turning and walking away.
Katherine, seeing that her intended drama had achieved its purpose, followed him out.
Jonna didn’t want her allergic reaction to be witnessed by her harsh colleagues, so she slowly made her way out.
But by this point, her face had turned ghostly pale.
Her pale lips had already been bitten, and blood trickled from the small wound, mingling with the sharp, metallic taste in her mouth. Yet she was oblivious to the pain as she clenched her jaw, her hands trembling, as though they might shatter into pieces.
The pain mixed with an insidious itch spreading across her body. She gasped for breath, feeling as though her lungs were about to collapse.
Just as she was about to take another step, her legs gave way, and she tumbled down the stairs, unable to rise again.
She curled into herself, holding onto the last thread of hope, and dialed Edmund’s number. When the call connected, however, what came through was the sound of heavy, labored breathing, laced with intimacy.
She shuddered violently, trying to scream for help, but it felt as though her chest had been blocked with stones. No words could escape.
“Edmund… help me…”
But the response wasn’t what she hoped for. Instead, it was Katherine’s breathy urging. “Honey… harder…”
The muffled groan of a man followed, and each sound crashed through Jonna’s ears like thunder. The world around her seemed to shatter.
She swallowed the metallic taste in her throat and ended the call.
The next second, the phone slipped from her hand and Jonna lost consciousness.
When she woke up again, she found herself lying in the infirmary. Dr. Rogers sighed helplessly when she saw her consciousness returning, “Captain Smith, the wound on your head hasn’t healed yet, and now you’ve had a severe allergic reaction. Even the toughest person can’t handle that.
“You might as well stay here… Seeing you like this, I felt sad for you.”
Jonna’s pale lips moved slightly, but she didn’t say a word, looking like a lifeless doll.
The sounds of the man and woman’s breathy exchanges echoed in her mind over and over again. She shut her eyes tightly as if trying to block out the noise.
Dr. Rogers, sensing her discomfort, wisely chose not to speak further. She hooked her up to an IV drip and handed her several packets of medicine.
The cold wind was biting as nightfall approached.
Jonna dragged herself home, stumbling with every step.
As soon as she entered the door, Edmund was standing in the living room, his face as cold as ice. He immediately started scolding her, “Don’t call me whenever you want. It’s bad to take personal calls during work hours.
“I’m the captain, so I should set an example. If there’s anything, we can discuss it at home.”
His brows furrowed, and his tone was self-righteous, and Jonna nearly gagged from the hypocrisy.
He couldn’t take personal calls at work, but he had no problem engaging in intimate moments with someone else.
She really wanted to ask him. What example did he want to set?
Was it the example of messy relationships or crossing boundaries with his wife’s sister?
But Jonna was beyond exhausted, physically and mentally. She didn’t want to waste any more breath on him.
At that moment, Edmund’s phone rang, and he answered in a flash, “Katie, what’s up? I’m listening.”
In the blink of an eye, his cold demeanor had vanished, replaced with a voice dripping with indulgence.
It was too easy to tell who the woman he actually loved was.
Jonna stood there dazed for a moment, shaking her head as though she could shake off the bitterness that had built up inside her.
After Edmund hung up, he casually mentioned, “The colleagues on the flight crew want us to join them for a camping trip and fireworks show. I’ve already agreed for both of us.”
Jonna opened her mouth, ready to refuse, but he added another sentence, “Don’t think just because you’re the captain you can ignore everyone else. You still have to consider your colleagues.”
Her quiet “I’m not feeling well” got stuck in her throat. She rubbed her temple and slowly nodded.
It was fine. She was leaving anyway. She might as well treat it like a dinner gathering.
By the time they arrived at the destination, a group of flight attendants and Dr. Rogers from the infirmary were already there.
Some were setting off fireworks, while others sat around a bonfire, drinking.
Katherine, as usual, was in full motion. When she saw Edmund, her eyes lit up, and she coquettishly tugged at his sleeve, urging him to go set off fireworks with her.
A colleague nearby teased, “I think Captain Cane and Katherine make a perfect pair. He’s handsome, and she’s pretty. It’s definitely better than pairing up with a poker face.”
When those words left their mouth, a few stifled chuckles could be heard.
Katherine, clearly overjoyed, tried to act coy.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Captain Cane is Jonna’s husband… How could we be a match?”
“You two look great together. Anyway, you’re his wife’s sister. It’s better to keep it within the family, right?”
The group chattered on, and just as they turned around, they spotted Jonna. The lively scene immediately fell silent.
Jonna stood there as if she hadn’t heard anything.
It didn’t matter to her at all. The “poker face” label had stopped hurting her a long time ago.
Katherine, however, couldn’t stand Jonna’s aloof indifference. She stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
“Come on, Jonna. Let’s go to set off fireworks together.”
“You guys go ahead. I just want to sit for a bit.”
Katherine’s face visibly darkened, and her eyes reddened as she looked down. Her voice carried a touch of vulnerability.
“Jonna, why do you always reject me? You won’t eat the snacks I give you, and you won’t set off fireworks with me…
“Is it because I took away Mom and Dad’s love? I can apologize if you want… Just don’t ignore me.”
The colleagues around them eagerly fanned the flames.
“Captain Smith just loves to throw tantrums. It’s one thing to act cold toward us, but now she’s putting on airs in front of Katherine.”
Edmund, who had been listening nearby, frowned in displeasure.
The next moment, Dr. Rogers scoffed and said loudly, “She’s still recovering from the wound on her forehead and is in the middle of a severe allergic reaction.
“She’s supposed to be resting at home. But not only are you guys not letting her rest, you won’t even let her sit down to catch her breath.”
With that, Dr. Rogers draped her shawl over Jonna’s shoulders as if to shield her from the chill in the air.
The crowd exchanged glances, unsure how to react.
Edmund cleared his throat, and his expression softened just a little. But a hint of irritation still lingered in his voice.
“You should’ve told me you were feeling unwell back at home… You’re just too proud for your own good.”
Jonna didn’t want to listen to his meaningless words. She silently shifted her gaze away.
Even outsiders could see her pain and helplessness.
But her husband? He could only find fault and place blame.
Edmund didn’t push the issue further, settling down beside her. Katherine, still clearly unsatisfied, shot Jonna a resentful glare.
“Edmund, I’m afraid of fire…” She pouted, making her meaning clear.
But Edmund hesitated, and his gaze darted toward her briefly. In the end, Jonna gave in.
“Go ahead. Your Katie is still waiting for you.”
Edmund choked on his words, and a forced smile was on his face. “I’ll be right back. Wait for me.”
His rushed departure and the urgency in his steps made it clear that Jonna’s pain and hurt were nothing compared to Katherine’s little pout.
And Jonna? She would never wait for him again.
Dr. Rogers seemed to sense her down mood. He gently comforted her while trying to engage her in conversation.
“I heard from the higher-ups that the company is going to reward you for this incident,” she said.
“They’re even preparing a media report. You’re about to be famous.
“Impressive. You’re the only female captain in the country with this kind of honor. Edmund will surely be smiling from ear to ear.”
Dr. Rogers smiled warmly, and her face lighted up.
But when Jonna heard this, she only gave a faint smile, and her eyes betrayed no emotion.
She had joined the airline for Edmund to stay by his side, never considering anything else.
But life didn’t always go according to plan.
She could never have what she wanted.
Looking up at the dazzling stars in the sky, she couldn’t help but smile faintly, as though something had been released within her.
Maybe as some sort of compensation, after the fireworks display, Edmund handed her his jacket. “It’s cold. Be careful not to catch a cold.”
But Jonna didn’t move. She clearly remembered that the jacket had been draped over Katherine’s shoulders earlier.
It was just like Edmund’s heart, broken in two.
It had been tainted, and she no longer wanted it.
She didn’t take the jacket, nor did she speak. Instead, she turned around and went home.
The next day, as soon as Jonna returned to the office at the terminal, a message came through in the group chat: [Everyone, come to the conference hall.]
She hurriedly tidied herself up and rushed to the meeting room, where Mr. Taylor, the head of the flight operations, greeted her with a smile.
Turning around, he announced loudly, “As of today, Kreson Airlines has received 100 passengers’ thank-you letters. Jonna’s actions during the last incident greatly boosted the company’s reputation, and she is hereby named the Outstanding Captain of Kreson Airlines.”
The next moment, applause broke out across the room.
But Edmund, seated in the front row, raised his hand and shouted, “I object!”
His objection echoed loudly in the otherwise silent conference room, and Mr. Taylor shot him a cold glance, remaining silent.
Edmund hesitated for a moment and then met Katherine’s gaze. After a long pause, as if gaining the courage to speak, he declared with firm conviction, “Katherine was also held hostage by the criminals that day. Why doesn’t she deserve the honor?”
The room went quiet.
And then, hushed whispers began to ripple through the crowd.
“The honor went to his wife. Why is he objecting…”
Mr. Taylor overheard the comment and repeated it aloud. He walked over slowly and confronted Edmund directly.
“You pushed Jonna out as a hostage before the kidnapper could even reach Katherine.
“How dare she object? Even if she dares, do you have to play the hero?”
“Edmund.” Mr. Taylor’s voice grew louder. “Don’t forget. The one who gets rewarded is your wife.”
Each word was sharp, and Edmund grew pale as Mr. Taylor spoke.
Jonna noticed his clenched fists. The veins on his hands were bulged.
Normally, when he was being reprimanded, she’d rush to defend him.
But this time, she stayed quiet. She just watched with her arms crossed.
“Edmund.” Mr. Taylor pressed. “Don’t forget why Jonna came to Kreson Airlines.”
That last sentence seemed to hit Edmund hard.
His face turned red, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Katherine tried to speak up, but Mr. Taylor snapped, “Enough! I don’t want to hear another word. This meeting is over!”
The room emptied quickly, the tension lingering in the air.
Edmund stood in front of Jonna, looking like he was about to crumble.
“Why didn’t you help me out? You left me hanging like that…”
Jonna gave him a small and ironic smile. She met his gaze.
“Didn’t you tell me before not to interrupt when you’re talking to the higher-ups?”
Edmund froze for a moment, then his face tensed with frustration.
“I don’t know, Jonna. You’ve been acting weird lately… What’s going on?”
Jonna couldn’t even maintain her polite smile. “You’ve been acting weird, too. You’re way more enthusiastic with Katherine than you ever are with me.”
Edmund paused, struggling to come up with an excuse. “It’s not me, all right? It’s Adam and Beth. They asked me to help smooth things over…”
But he couldn’t bring himself to say anything else when he met Jonna’s piercing gaze.
“Edmund,” Jonna asked, and her voice was suddenly sharp, “What were you thinking when you pushed me out there?
“Did you ever think I might die?”
The words hit him hard. He froze, trying to find something to say, but Jonna cut him off.
She handed him a document and flipped it to the last page. “Sign here,” she said flatly.
“What’s this?” Edmund asked, and his voice was hesitant.
“The commendation form. You wanted to get credit for Katherine’s actions, right? I’ve already signed mine. Now, it’s your turn.”
As soon as he heard Katherine’s name, he didn’t hesitate. He signed his name without even looking at the form.
Jonna watched him do it, and the dull ache in her chest grew.
When it came to Katherine, it was like nothing else mattered to him.
Jonna had already decided to let go, but the pain still lingered, quietly eating away at her. She shut her eyes for a moment, then spoke, and her voice was steady but final.
“Edmund, let’s get a divorce.”
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A high school reunion was being organized, and my classmates in the group chat were practically begging me to attend.
[Lorraine, Livia’s boyfriend is hosting. Aren’t you coming?]
I had just returned from a business trip with a pile of documents waiting for my approval on my desk. I politely declined.
[I’m really busy with work lately. I don’t have time. You all have fun.]
The next second, the group chat exploded with mockery.
[What could you possibly be busy with? You haven’t even shown your face since graduation. Must be having a tough life.]
[Working late at night? You’re not doing anything legit, are you?]
[Livia’s boyfriend is the CEO of a listed company. She’s probably just jealous.]
They even sent a photo of Livia Hewitt and her boyfriend.
When I saw that familiar face on my screen, my hands and feet went cold.
Livia’s boyfriend was none other than Lukas Foster, my husband of two years.
*****
I had just parked my car when a text from Lukas popped up.
[Lorraine, I’m heading overseas for a business trip these next few days. I’ll bring you back a gift.]
Over the past two years of marriage, Lukas had always been gentle and attentive, reporting his whereabouts to me no matter where he went.
If I hadn’t seen that photo of him and Livia in the group chat, I never would have suspected him of cheating.
Thinking back, I realized his business trips had become more frequent in the past six months. Sometimes, they lasted two or three days, other times a week.
Now it was clear that those trips were probably spent with Livia.
I didn’t reply to his message. Meanwhile, the class group chat had suddenly become lively again.
Someone shared photos from the gathering. One of them showed a bottle of wine with a price tag of one hundred thousand dollars.
[Thanks to Livia’s boyfriend, I finally got to drink something this fancy. One bottle of this costs as much as my annual salary.]
The chat was flooded with compliments and praise for Livia.
Then, they started tagging me relentlessly. [Lorraine, where are you?]
[We’re just waiting on you now. Don’t tell me you’re too scared to show up?]
I put my phone into my bag and followed the server to the elevator up to the 22nd floor.
The moment the elevator doors opened, I saw a bold sign at the entrance.
It read: [Class 114 Reunion. Sponsored by Livia Hewitt and her boyfriend, Lukas Foster.]
At the dining area, Livia stood in the center of the crowd, wearing an expensive evening gown, basking in the adoration of her audience like a proud princess.
“Livia, will your boyfriend be joining us today? Since we’re all old classmates, could you introduce him to us?”
“Yeah, Livia, I always knew you’d end up the most successful of us all. It’s so great to see you living the dream. I’m genuinely happy for you.”
“Lorraine might have been top of the class back then, but look at her now, still can’t hold a candle to you.”
Livia couldn’t hide her smug grin. She clearly enjoyed their flattery.
Then they noticed me standing at the door. They suddenly became strangely quiet.
The class monitor broke the silence. “Lorraine’s here? Come in, quick.”
As I walked in, their gazes turned sharp and judgmental.
“Almost ten years since we’ve seen you, Lorraine. Why are you here alone? Still single, huh?”
Before I could answer, someone snickered.
“She probably didn’t know who to bring. With the kind of job she has, her boyfriends must be numerous and temporary.”
It had been over a decade since we last met, yet I couldn’t understand why they harbored such hostility toward me.
I frowned. “What do you mean by that? Watch your mouth.”
The room erupted into laughter.
One of them noticed the Hermès bag in my hand and pointed at it with a mocking expression.
“Lorraine, we’re all old classmates here. Even if you’re struggling, no one’s going to judge you. But I didn’t expect you to show up with a fake bag just to pretend to be rich.”
Their disdainful stares immediately landed on me. I met her gaze coldly and asked, “What makes you so sure it’s fake?”
She looked triumphant, her voice brimming with excitement. “My cousin works for this brand. She posted about this bag on Twitter just a few days ago.
“This model hasn’t even been released in the country yet. How could yours be real?”
Her words turned everyone’s gaze on me into that of ridicule, as if they were watching a clown.
Throughout high school, I had kept a low profile. To them, I was just an average girl from an ordinary family. They would never believe I had access to something as exclusive as this.
Before I could respond, Livia’s eyes locked onto my keychain.
Her face instantly darkened as she shouted, “Where did you get that figurine?”
Her reaction was intense. All eyes turned to the crystal keychain in my hand.
It was the Valentine’s Day gift I had given Lukas this year, custom-designed by a top artisan.
It had cost me 1.5 million dollars to commission a pair.
“This is mine.”
No sooner had I spoken than Livia stormed over with a glass of wine in hand.
Before I could react, she flung the wine in my face.
“Yours? That’s part of a set with my boyfriend’s!”
“I’ve been suspecting him of cheating lately, and now I finally know who the shameless woman is. It’s you!
How dare you seduce my boyfriend?”
Her accusations were sharp, and everyone’s eyes on me grew more hostile.
“Livia, are you sure? It’s just a keychain. Maybe you’re mistaken.”
“Yeah, Livia, your boyfriend is the CEO of Quantuva Group. How could she even get close to him?”
To prove her point, Livia pulled out a video she had taken while sitting in Lukas’ car.
In the video, the crystal figurine on his car keys was identical to mine.
Now, everyone believed her. Their judgmental stares intensified.
“So you really are a homewrecker? How disgusting. Stealing a classmate’s boyfriend!”
“I used to think you were the school goddess. Turns out you’re just a mistress!”
“You’re the kind of woman who destroys relationships. You deserve to rot in hell!”
“If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to show my face here. How dare you even come here?”
Without giving me a chance to explain, they had already branded me as the villain. From their moral high ground, they hurled insults and condemnation.
Some even spat at me and whipped out their phones to record.
“You’re a disgrace, selling your body for money. I feel embarrassed for you!
“I’m going to share this in the group. Everyone should know what a shameless mistress the former top student has become!”
I suppressed my nausea and stared coldly at Livia, who wore a smug, self-satisfied expression.
“You’d better call Lukas and ask him who the real mistress is.”
Livia’s face showed no fear. She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face.
“Do I even need to ask?
“Of course it’s you! You shameless woman, how dare you call him by his name!”
She raised her hand, showing off the ring on her finger, her smug expression like a slap in my face.
“See this? Lukas proposed to me last month.”
“Give it up already. A mistress like you doesn’t deserve to live!”
I stared at the ring on her hand, too disgusted to respond.
“Just wait till Lukas gets here. You’ll see how ridiculous you are.”
Livia glared at me, her face twisted with fury. “You shameless homewrecker, how dare you provoke me!”
She snatched my bag out of my hands before I could react.
“Let’s see what my boyfriend has been giving you!”
She turned the bag upside down, dumping everything onto the floor.
My face turned cold. Among the scattered items, a document fell out.
It was the contract I’d just picked up. It was a 90-million-dollar deal I had sealed with a business partner on my way here.
Before I could speak, one of her sycophants eagerly picked it up and handed it to her.
“You’d better give that back,” I said sharply. “That’s a multi-million-dollar contract. You can’t afford the consequences.”
Livia froze for a second, then burst out laughing, clutching her stomach like I’d told the best joke of her life.
“Are you insane? Do you really think I’d fall for that? You’re trying to scare me with this nonsense?”
She sneered and held up the papers. “You’re telling me these few pieces of paper are worth millions? Please! I’ll rip them up, and what can you do about it? Call the cops?”
Before I could stop her, she tore the contract in half and tossed the pieces at my face.
The room erupted in applause and cheers.
“That’s the spirit, Livia!”
“You’re going to be the wife of Quantuva Group’s CEO! This pathetic woman doesn’t deserve to stand in front of you!”
“And those papers worth millions? What a joke! I could grab some printer paper and call myself a billionaire!”
They all stood with Livia, their faces alight with mockery.
I shot them a cold glare, too tired of their idiocy to argue.
“I hope you can afford the price of your stupidity later,” I said icily.
When I pulled out my phone to call the police, Livia stormed over and snatched it out of my hand, smashing it against the floor.
“You think you can call the cops? Who do you think you are, you filthy mistress?”
Her shamelessness sent a chill down my spine.
Her gaze shifted to my wrist. When she spotted the bracelet peeking out from under my sleeve, her eyes lit up with greed.
I saw what she was thinking and quickly tried to pull my sleeve down, but she was faster.
She grabbed my arm and yanked the bracelet off my wrist in one swift motion.
Her movement was so quick that before I could react, the bracelet was already in her hand.
I froze, my face turning pale. My voice dropped to a dangerous chill.
“Give it back.”
Livia smirked, spinning the bracelet in her fingers.
“Oh? You seem awfully attached to this. It must be worth a fortune, right?”
My heart clenched, and I blurted out, “It’s not worth anything! It has nothing to do with Lukas. Give it back, now!”
I stepped forward to grab it from her, desperation gripping me.
This bracelet wasn’t just a piece of jewelry. It was the last gift my brother, Stefan Prescott, had given me before his tragic car accident.
Before I could celebrate that birthday, Stefan was gone.
Before his eyes closed for the last time, Stefan handed me the bracelet.
He told me it was something he had specially bought for my protection. He told me to take good care of it.
I had worn it every day since, keeping it close as a reminder of him.
This bracelet was the last thing he left me. I couldn’t let anyone destroy it!
But before I could touch Livia, her lackeys grabbed me, pinning me down.
Livia laughed, her face a mask of cruelty.
“You want it back? The more you care, the more I want to destroy it!”
With a cold smile, she raised the bracelet high and smashed it against the floor.
A sharp crack echoed in the room. The bracelet shattered into three pieces.
“No!”
A scream tore from my throat as my mind went blank. Tears blurred my vision.
Livia hummed in satisfaction and strutted over. She bent down and slapped my face with mock affection. “Don’t you get it? Things that aren’t yours are never yours to have. Stop dreaming.”
My chest heaved with fury as I glared at her and the pack of jackals around her.
“You animals. You’ll pay for this.”
“Did you just call me a bitch?”
Livia’s face twisted with rage as she slapped me hard twice. The force left me reeling.
The next moment, she grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me toward the dining table.
“I hate homewreckers. Today, I’ll show you what happens to women like you!”
She shoved my face into a steaming dish.
Grease smeared across my skin, and the scalding liquid stung my eyes and nose. I choked, struggling to breathe, but her lackeys pinned my arms down.
I couldn’t see, couldn’t move. Hot soup burned my throat as I gasped for air.
Around me, I heard the sound of applause. My heart sank.
“That’s right, Livia! Show her what happens to trash like her!”
“She was so smug earlier. Look at her now! She’s disgusting!”
Livia yanked my head out of the dish, her expression filled with disgust. She shoved me to the floor like I was filth.
Grease dripped down my face as I desperately wiped my eyes with my sleeve.
Livia stood tall, radiating arrogance. “Who wants to help me teach her a lesson? When Lukas gets here, I’ll make sure everyone who joins in gets a hundred thousand dollars!”
Her words sent a ripple through the room.
One brave soul stepped forward and kicked me.
Livia clapped in delight. “Good! You’re the first!”
Then, another stepped forward. And another.
Soon, a mob swarmed me, fueled by greed.
They clawed at my hair, slapped my face, and kicked me without mercy.
“You deserve this!”
“Beating up a mistress is justice!”
Their shouts blurred into one cacophony as the pain overwhelmed me.
I tried to crawl away, but they dragged me back, their hands bruising and tearing at me.
“You think you can run? You chose to be a mistress. Now face the consequences!”
They yanked me back, slapping me harder.
“Enough! I’m not a mistress! Let me go!”
I couldn’t take it anymore and screamed in defiance, but someone kicked me hard in the stomach.
“You still dare to argue? You filthy, shameless woman. Today, we’ll beat you until you admit it!”
Someone grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the floor.
They slammed my head into the floor, and my mind buzzed with dizziness.
The room fell silent as they watched, waiting for more.
“Do it harder! Make sure she never dares to steal someone else’s boyfriend!”
Blood trickled down my face, warm and sticky.
I spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor and fixed Livia with a glare of pure hatred.
“You’ll regret this,” I said, my voice trembling but defiant.
Livia burst out laughing, looking down at me as if I were nothing.
“This is what you get for messing with my man.”
Her smug words had barely left her lips when the door to the room swung open. Lukas strode in, his sharp suit immaculate, his expression cold.
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I finished my fieldwork and checked my phone, only to be bombarded with messages.
Some colleagues asked where I’d ordered my wedding dress from and who my husband was, while others immediately started calling me shallow and materialistic.
I opened the work group chat and realized that I’d accidentally sent the wedding dress photo to the wrong group.
Daphne Quinn, a colleague, was still typing away furiously in the chat.
[How dare you steal my wedding dress photo and try to pass it off as yours? Have you no shame?]
[My husband is Dorian Black! If he finds out you’re impersonating me, you’re in trouble!]
At that exact moment, Dorian was lying on my lap, looking up at me.
“Babe, don’t schedule so much work for yourself this week. Come to my private island and hang out with me.”
*****
Dorian and I met in college, and we recently got our marriage certificate.
Right now, we were caught up in wedding planning, barely keeping our heads above water.
But then Daphne suddenly popped up, claiming Dorian was her husband.
I didn’t tell him about it.
He had been busy taking over the family business, and this was something I could handle on my own.
Daphne and I had always been in competition, and she thought she had me cornered, so she wasn’t holding back.
She was still in the group chat, demanding that I apologize.
When I got back to the office, I went straight to confront her.
“This wedding dress is mine,” I said.
Daphne’s face turned red with fury. She stormed over, shouting, “I’ve never met anyone so shameless! The proof is right in front of you, and you’re still denying it!
“Since you’re so sure, why don’t you tell me what kind of flower is on the veil?”
The picture I posted only showed the dress, not the accessories.
I said confidently, “It’s jasmine.”
Daphne practically exploded. She screamed, “Did you hear that, everyone? She’s still lying to herself!”
Then, she sent another photo to the group, showing the whole wedding dress, but this time, the flower on the veil was a rose.
“Jasmine was just a sample accessory. This dress was completely redesigned by me to match my personal style.
“You, poor thing, could only dream of the mass-market version.”
I was confused. How did she manage to talk to the designer without me knowing?
I never asked for any changes to the accessories.
“Show me your chat history with the designer,” I demanded.
Her gaze immediately shifted, and she stumbled, “Eliza, you post a picture and claim it’s your wedding dress, but you don’t even know the style, and you’re still asking me for proof?”
The group chat exploded with more nasty comments.
[Vain woman. She looks all perfect on the outside, but behind closed doors, she’s stealing and lying. What a fraud.]
[I bet that designer handbag she had was probably a gift from some sugar daddy.]
[No wonder she’s so good at sucking up to the boss. She’s always getting the top projects. Must have learned that from somewhere.]
These people were jumping at the chance to spread rumors and gossip. I gripped my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.
Seeing the drama escalating in her favor, Daphne marched over, hand raised, ready to slap me.
“Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson, you shameless bitch!”
Quick on my feet, I grabbed a clipboard and blocked her hand.
Her hand hit the wooden board, and she yelped in pain.
“How dare you hit me!”
She was about to lose it, but our team leader, Mason Brooks, stepped in and stopped us.
“Alright, Daphne, don’t make a scene. The office isn’t the place for this.”
Daphne, realizing it wasn’t worth making a bigger fuss, reluctantly backed off.
When I got back to my desk, she still wasn’t done.
She shot me a final threat. “Just wait. After work, I’ll make sure my husband deals with you.”
Later, Mason pulled me into a meeting room and handed back the design proposal I had submitted earlier.
“Eliza, did you create this design all by yourself?”
A bad feeling crept over me, but I still answered honestly, “Yes.”
He gave me a half-smile and then pulled out another document.
I felt a knot form in my stomach as I compared Daphne’s design with mine.
Aside from some minor tweaks to the decoration and the final design being slightly different, everything else was identical.
Suddenly, it hit me. Just a couple of days ago, I’d been working late and left my computer unlocked when I went out for dinner. Daphne had been there too.
Looks like she had taken full advantage of that moment.
“So, what do you think? Noticed anything? Just so you know, Daphne submitted hers earlier than you,” Mason said, his tone clearly favoring her.
I took a deep breath and replied calmly, “Mason, I’m not sure how Daphne completed her design, but I can walk you through mine step by step.”
I explained my design process, the inspiration behind it, and how I developed the concept.
“Two days ago, I added a new element to make the design more appealing to the audience. Honestly, if I’d just wanted to finish quickly, I could have wrapped it up that afternoon.
“You can compare my design approach with Daphne’s and judge for yourself.”
Mason nodded but then said, “Eliza, you still don’t get it. I don’t need to ask Daphne anything.
“No matter how well you explain it, her version is just different.”
I was starting to feel confused.
I was just presenting the facts, but he was talking to me like I was some rookie.
Trying to hold back my frustration, I forced a smile. “I don’t quite understand. Could you explain it more clearly?”
Mason seemed pleased with my polite response, taking his time to sip his coffee.
“I get it. You’re talented and passionate, but talent alone won’t get you far here.
“Do you know who Daphne’s husband is? He’s the heir to the Black family! If I don’t take her side, I might as well kiss my career goodbye.”
I couldn’t hide my disgust. He was just blindly siding with her without even hearing me out, and he had the nerve to say this to my face.
Honestly, flattering someone didn’t mean they’d return the favor.
“You really don’t get it, do you? You’re making enemies everywhere. I’m covering for you this time, but what happens next time?”
My fists clenched under the sleeves. “How exactly are you covering for me?”
He casually replied, “I’ll keep the similarity in the designs under wraps. It wouldn’t look good for the company if it came out.
“You won’t be punished or forced to apologize. Just redo your design, and Daphne will handle this project from here on out.”
I couldn’t believe it.
I was the one who got plagiarized, yet he was acting like I was the one at fault.
I stood up quickly, startling Mason so much that he choked on his coffee. “W-what do you want?
“I’ve been helping you. If it were anyone else, this would have been discussed in a meeting. Daphne already came to complain about you yesterday.”
I bit my lip, forced out a sarcastic smile, and left the meeting room.
As I opened the door, I saw Daphne standing right outside, grinning like she’d won something.
“What’s up? Something wrong with your design?”
I didn’t even bother answering her.
She had stolen my work and now she was acting like the victim. I could tell she was more thrilled by my misfortune than her own success.
Mason wasn’t much better. He was just sucking up to her and pretending to be magnanimous, even though I was the one who’d been wronged.
But then again, even if I had gotten the project, I’d still be working under him, so maybe it was better to keep my distance.
They both seemed like they were all about their own gain, Daphne trying to shine and Mason eager to please her. I could already picture how well they’d work together.
So I forced a smile. “If you really want to know, maybe you should ask Mason. I’m sure he’d be happy to explain everything to you.”
Back at my desk, I encrypted all my files, created a new document, and saved a recording of my conversation with Mason. I was planning to report this to the director.
I could redo the design, but the team leader could also be replaced.
In the afternoon, we had an impromptu team meeting, where Mason announced that Daphne would be taking over the project.
Everyone was praising her, saying her design was brilliant.
Daphne humbly responded, “It’s all thanks to Mason for giving me this chance. I’m not great, just worked hard.”
I almost rolled my eyes.
Since she got the task, she’d been slacking off, only putting in the effort to steal my work.
“I’m not like some people, pretending something that’s not theirs is their own.”
Some colleagues snickered, clearly glancing at me.
Mason smiled. “Alright, as long as we all stay on the right path, everyone will get the chance to lead projects. Now, let’s get back to work.”
But it was clear Daphne wasn’t done with me yet.
I had just finished work when a man in a sharp suit appeared at the door, slicked-back hair, roses in hand.
Something about this stranger felt oddly familiar yet out of place.
“Babe! You came to pick me up!”
Daphne spotted him and instantly dropped her unfinished task, rushing over to throw herself into his arms.
“I got a new project today! Praise me!”
The man ran his hand gently along her waist. “You’re incredible, babe.”
Daphne nestled into his chest, taking in the cologne before turning to introduce him to the team.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce him. This is my husband, Dorian Black.”
He gave a polite nod. “Thanks, everyone, for looking out for Daphne.”
I couldn’t stomach the sight of them, so I started gathering my things, ready to head out.
“Eliza, don’t walk away!”
Daphne’s sharp nails snagged my sleeve. I yanked my bag away, knocking her hand off.
“Let go.”
She instantly started fake-crying, clinging to the man’s arm and pointing at me, her voice high-pitched.
“She’s been bullying me! She took a picture of my wedding dress, claimed it was hers, and refused to apologize. She’s so full of herself!”
The man raised an eyebrow, his gaze darkening as he turned to me.
“Oh? You dared to mess with my wife?
“Apologize to Daphne right now, or I’ll have your director fire you on the spot.”
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The day I found out I was pregnant, my mom posted a picture of her baby bump on social media.
[At 49, still spoiled and loved, I’m finally having another child!]
In the photo, she was wearing a sexy outfit that showed off her stretch-marked belly, snuggling up to a man as they took a selfie.
The guy was gently rubbing her stomach while holding the heart-shaped lunch I had made for him.
I liked the post, and just seconds later, Gabriel Hawthorne called me, practically yelling through the phone.
“Are you seriously jealous of your own mother? What, are you panicking now?
“You’ve been married for ages and still can’t get pregnant, but your mom? How is she pregnant already?”
A few minutes later, my mom posted another one.
[What should I do? My daughter is jealous because I’m pregnant.]
Gabriel commented right away, trying to comfort her.
I rolled my eyes and decided I was done. I’d head back to the hospital and schedule surgery to get rid of the baby.
*****
I took a deep breath and stepped into the house I’d lived in for four years.
The place was buzzing with excitement.
Mom was lounging on the sofa, letting Gabriel massage her shoulders.
When Gabriel saw me, he immediately started scolding me. “It’s six o’clock! Why haven’t you made dinner yet? Clary is starving!”
Clary, of course, was my mom, Clara Lockwood.
Noticing my blank expression, Gabriel frowned. “Still not pregnant?”
I didn’t say anything and just stuffed the pregnancy test results in my pocket.
Gabriel scoffed, “Seriously, how many times have you been to the gynecologist this month? Your mom’s pregnant and you’re still not?
“I don’t want to feed a barren hen.”
I gripped my canvas bag tighter, ready to speak, but my mom sweetly interrupted, “Gabe, don’t say that about my daughter!”
She snuggled into his arms and pouted, looking almost too cute for a woman with so many wrinkles. But Gabriel was eating it up.
He leaned down and continued massaging her temples.
“Alright, alright, Clary. Don’t be upset. Ariana is lucky to have such a great mom. Too bad she didn’t inherit anything from you.”
My mom sighed and shot me a glance.
“Maybe it’s her father’s genes. Your genes are definitely better.”
Gabriel took this to heart, clearly pleased by the compliment.
At 37, Gabriel still hadn’t fathered a child.
He worked as a foreman at a construction site, where the men all had kids by their twenties.
The workers used to joke that Gabriel must have some kind of problem, whether it was impotence or infertility.
Before long, the nickname “One-Minute Man” started circulating at the site.
Gabriel was obsessed with proving them wrong and was determined to make me pregnant.
He always said, “It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. You’ve got to be pregnant this year.”
Without responding, I just slipped off my shoes and walked past him.
“Why the long face? When you’re done changing, remember to wash your hands and make some chicken soup for Clary.”
He got up as if my mom was some kind of treasure, treating her like royalty.
Mom had been so lively yesterday, but today, she was lying on the couch, acting all fragile and in pain, while Gabriel fussed over her, practically in tears.
I decided to stir the pot a bit, dragging my words out.
“Mom, who is the father? Could it be some guy on the street?”
Mom’s face turned pale, and then she gave me a tearful glare. “You don’t have a heart, do you? Isn’t it a good thing that I’m giving you a little brother at my age?
“Plus, you still haven’t gotten pregnant. I’m worried too. Just pretend this child is yours and Gabe’s.”
She skirted around it, never once mentioning who the father really was.
Gabriel was so moved by her words that he didn’t even wait for me to get up and cook.
“You’re not cooking today. Since your mom’s pregnant, we’re going out to eat something nice.”
He carefully helped my mom up, even putting on her socks with a smile.
Gabriel nudged me aside and gave me a quick once-over, his eyes landing on my stomach.
“You stay home and clean up. Don’t come with us to dinner.”
Seeing my face fall, Gabriel softened his tone.
“After all, she’s your mom. Helping her is the least you can do.
“Plus, you’re not pregnant yet. You should be taking care of your mom.”
I could feel my blood boiling. “Yeah, you’re so busy ‘taking care of her’. People are going to think you’re sleeping with her.”
Gabriel’s eyes went wide, and before I could blink, he slapped me across the face. “Don’t you dare slander me and Clary! I’m doing all this for you. If she was anyone else’s mom, I’d have kicked her out already!”
The slap made my head spin, and my heart was racing.
My mom, standing off to the side, was barely holding back a laugh, looking totally smug.
Before I could say another word, the two of them stormed out, slamming the door behind them.
I slumped down on the couch, covering my face. On the table in front of me was my mom’s pregnancy test result.
She was already three months pregnant, a full month ahead of me.
Gabriel wasn’t infertile at all. In fact, he could even knock up his mother-in-law.
I reached out to Elise Westbrook, the daughter of Darren Westbrook next door. She’d just gotten divorced, so it seemed like the perfect time to ask her about it.
Elise walked in without hesitation, immediately glancing around.
“Are you making chicken soup? It smells amazing. So, what’s up? Did you call me over for something good?”
I gave her a quick look. “Good? It’s about my divorce!”
Elise froze for a second, then rushed over to sit next to me, grabbing my hand.
“You’re serious about this?
“Gabriel seemed like a nice guy, though. He was walking with your mom yesterday, right? It’s rare to find someone that thoughtful.
“He’s got some money and doesn’t cheat. All he wants is to have a kid with you! Honestly, even if it’s for your mom, you should really think about it.”
I stayed silent. Gabriel had indeed taken good care of my mom, and they had slept together.
But that was a family issue, and I wasn’t about to air it out.
“Elise, stop asking so much. I’ve made up my mind. This marriage is over!”
Elise thought for a moment, then said, “If you go through with the divorce, Gabriel probably won’t agree. Plus, there’s the whole cooling-off period.
“If it comes to that, you might have to move out. But how are you going to handle your mom?”
I sighed, feeling lost.
I didn’t have much education. My dad passed away early, and I started working with my mom right after middle school. No one around us even went to college.
Gabriel was introduced to me by my mom’s friends.
I didn’t feel much for him as our relationship was arranged.
But I never expected he’d get involved with my mom.
Before I could think it through, a message popped up on my phone.
It was from my mom, with several texts in a row.
[Gabe’s been losing weight. Can you make some beef soup tomorrow and take it to him at the construction site?]
The photo she sent showed her and Gabriel holding hands.
[Why is Gabe’s back so dirty? You didn’t help him wash when he took a shower?]
Another photo showed Gabriel’s dirty back.
[When I come home tonight, my feet are sore. Don’t forget to rub them. Gabe’s working, you know.]
The picture showed Gabriel massaging my mom’s feet, and there was even a bystander in the background holding their nose.
I felt my stomach churn and quickly turned off my phone. I could practically smell her feet through the screen.
Without getting a reply, my mom sent more messages, desperate for attention.
In the past, I would have rushed over to confront Gabriel. But now, I honestly didn’t care anymore.
At first, I wanted to have a child because Gabriel provided me with stability.
But now that my mom was pregnant, I didn’t need to worry about it anymore.
Gabriel just wanted a kid, so I decided to give them what they wanted.
Elise noticed me staring at my phone without saying anything. “What did your mom say?”
I shook my head. “Nothing important. I think you’re right. I’ll just move out.”
Elise’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re really doing this? Don’t let Gabriel think this was my idea! It’s just about getting pregnant. Try harder, and maybe you’ll be pregnant in no time.”
She started pacing, her eyes darting around until she saw the pregnancy test report on the table.
“You’re pregnant?”
She reached for it, but I quickly grabbed it from her.
“Are you showing off by calling me over here?”
Elise sighed in relief while I crumpled the report in my hands.
“It’s nothing. Just leave. It’s none of your business.”
Elise stood up and headed for the door. “Wow, you really got me there! I thought you were serious. Alright, I’m out.”
I followed her to the door, and just then, I saw Gabriel walking back with my mom in his arms.
My mom was pretending to be all shy, hiding her face against his chest. Elise didn’t recognize her at all.
“Oh my god!”
When she heard Elise, my mom tried to peek out, but by the time she did, Elise had already darted away. My mom didn’t catch a glimpse of her.
“Elise’s always in such a rush. I was just about to ask Darren how things are going with him!”
A message popped up on my phone.
[Ariana, I feel so bad for you. Gabriel is such a jerk. He even brought his mistress home.]
[Leave him! You have to get out of there!]
I didn’t respond. If Elise knew the truth, she’d probably be shocked for a while.
As soon as I walked in, I saw my mom’s eyes go red, and she pushed Gabriel aside, huddling into the corner of the sofa.
“What’s going on, Clary?” Gabriel rushed over, still wearing his shoes, clearly panicked.
I froze, my stomach tightening as I peered over.
My mom was staring at the pregnancy report I’d crumpled up, quietly sobbing.
“Ariana! Are you serious?”
Gabriel followed her gaze, saw the crumpled report, and, fuming, dragged me over to the sofa.
“You’re really gonna be this petty? You can’t even deal with your own mom?
“So what if she’s pregnant?”
He yanked me so hard my shoulder screamed in pain.
“Yeah, what’s the big deal? It’s just your kid, right?”
I sneered and tried to push back, but he threw me onto the sofa with a grunt.
I braced myself and grabbed something on the sofa to steady myself.
What I pulled out made my stomach churn. It was a pair of loose thongs, stained with yellowish liquid.
The smell hit me immediately, disgusting and rancid.
“Ugh, no wonder this place stinks.”
My mom had been watching quietly, but at that, her face turned crimson, and she lunged to grab the underwear from me.
“Don’t say anything else!”
Gabriel, seeing her embarrassment, suddenly lost his anger.
“Hey! Let me explain!”
I glared at him. “Explain what? You and my mom are having sex on the sofa, and you didn’t even use a condom?”
For a second, Gabriel sounded guilty, but then he snapped back.
“Is this my fault? It’s your fault! If you could have a baby, would I need to be doing this?
“Ariana, I don’t owe you anything! If it weren’t for your mom, I would’ve left you a long time ago!”
My mom, seeing it was getting out of hand, clung to Gabriel’s arm.
“Gabe! We promised not to talk about this!”
I felt a wave of nausea.
“Sweetheart, is it really necessary to blow this up? I’m doing this for our family.
“I’m having your child, and Gabe’s sticking around. Isn’t that enough for you?
“Why do you want to ruin everything?”
My mom was acting like she was heartbroken, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that her foot was still wrapped around Gabriel’s leg.
I sighed, defeated. “Fine. Do whatever you want. Just divorce me. I’m cool with you two being together.”
Without missing a beat, they both spoke in unison, “That’s not happening!”
Gabriel gently laid my mom back on the couch, then turned to me with a serious face.
“If you keep this up, you’re going to ruin my reputation. When Clary has the baby, we’ll just say it’s yours. If I marry a 50-year-old woman, what would people say about me?
“You’ve got to trust me. Clary and I both love you!”
My mom nodded along, clearly agreeing.
I didn’t want to stick around any longer. I walked out, leaving behind Gabriel’s angry shout.
“Do you really think you’ll find anyone else out there who’ll treat you like we do?”
I slammed the door shut and started walking, only to see Elise peeking her head out from next door.
She mimed with her lips. “Had a fight?”
I nodded, pressing the button for the elevator.
She raised an eyebrow. “Want to crash at my place?”
“Nah, too awkward. I’ll see if I can find a site that needs a cook. I’ll figure it out.”
I didn’t wait for her reply, heading straight for the elevator.
I had a few thousand dollars saved up from selling fast food at the construction site before.
I booked a hotel for the night, got some good rest, and the next day, I found a construction site that was hiring.
They offered food and lodging, plus four thousand dollars a month.
I took the job right away.
I didn’t think about home, just focused on cooking at the site and getting through the day.
But, of course, it didn’t take long for Gabriel to track me down.
He pulled up on his motorbike, frowning when he saw me handing out food.
“Really? You’re out here cooking instead of taking care of your mom?”
My mom was right behind him, holding a new pregnancy test in her hand.
“Honey, I really need you. I’m three and a half months pregnant, and I can’t eat anyone else’s cooking. I want you to make food for me.”
I didn’t even look up and just waved the ladle. “Move aside. Don’t disturb them.”
The workers, who were hungry from working all morning, crowded Gabriel out of the way.
“Ugh! What an ungrateful little brat!” I heard my mom’s voice from far off, cursing under her breath.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
After about an hour, I had a moment to check my phone.
There were a couple of messages from my mom and one from the hospital.
[Sweetie, have I done something wrong? Why are you ignoring me like this?]
[My 50th birthday is coming up. Can we talk?]
[Next Wednesday, Gabe will host a party for my birthday at Golden Restaurant. You better show up.]
[Love, Mom.]
[Ms. Hawthorne, your scheduled abortion is tomorrow at 10 AM. Please arrive on time.]
I wiped my hands, took a deep breath, and called my boss.
“Hey, can I take a week off? I’ve got something urgent to deal with. Thanks!”
I quickly went through the procedure, stuffed the aftercare instructions the doctor gave me into my bag, and left the hospital.
I don’t know why, but I felt no sadness at all.
Maybe at one point, I had considered keeping the baby, especially with how hard Gabriel had worked for us.
I’m not bad-looking, and Gabriel fell for me the moment he saw me.
He fought against everyone’s opinions to be with me, a penniless girl.
Over the years, there was no love, but I got used to having a man around to lean on.
But now my mom was pregnant with his child, and things had gotten way too complicated.
I didn’t know if I should call my mom’s baby my sibling or my husband’s illegitimate child.
To make matters worse, my mom’s pregnancy was actually further along than mine. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the kind of gossip I’d have to deal with if I had a baby now.
In a small town like ours, rumors spread fast, and I didn’t want to be the subject of everyone’s whispers.
Just as I got into a cab, my phone rang. It was Gabriel. His tone was a bit hesitant.
“Hey, babe, could you pick up some larger-sized underwear on your way back? The ones Clary has right now don’t fit her well.”
I blinked in surprise. “Why don’t you just buy them yourself?”
Gabriel coughed, a little awkward. “How could a guy like me go to a lingerie store? Clary’s your mom, after all! Can you just help me out?”
I couldn’t tell if they were treating me like a part of their little game, but after all, she was my mom, the one who gave birth to me and raised me.
With a sigh, I grabbed a few XXL-sized pieces of underwear, paid, and headed home.
As soon as I opened the door, a strange smell hit me.
“What’s going on here?”
Gabriel, wearing an apron, stepped out of the kitchen, his face smeared with yellow and black stains.
“Hey, babe, you’re back! I was just cooking for Clary.”
Mom, who was Gabriel’s little darling, had even made him go into the kitchen, something he’d never done before.
“Ariana, let me see what you bought me!”
Mom twirled over in her trendy pink puffball dress.
She dug through the bag, pouted, and said, “Honey, you’re only thirty. How do you have such bad taste?
“Who’s going to wear these? Why didn’t you get some with lace? Even men would think these are ugly!”
Gabriel quickly agreed, “Clary knows best. You should learn from her.”
He casually glanced between me and my mom’s chest.
I froze, realizing exactly what was going on.
I’d never felt at ease in bed, and there were times when Gabriel lost interest halfway through.
But I knew deep down, he wanted me to have his child.
He kept messaging me during this time, telling me that the thing he looked forward to most was me having his baby.
But I couldn’t bring myself to believe him anymore.
Mom’s 50th birthday was coming up, and Gabriel had planned a celebration that was even grander than our wedding.
He invited over a hundred people, including my mom’s side of the family.
It was supposed to be a birthday party, but it looked more like a wedding.
Flowers everywhere, and a giant family portrait of the three of us.
But if you looked closely, you’d see I was in the corner, half of my face hidden by Mom’s bun, making it look like a newlywed couple with their servant.
The moment I arrived, my grandparents rushed over to me.
“Ariana, you married a good man! He’s so good to your mom. You’ve got to have a baby with him soon!”
“Yeah, make sure to keep him tied down with a kid.”
“When you’re older, your face won’t be worth anything!”
I stayed silent because, honestly, Mom had already secured him with a baby.
Elise and her father showed up too.
She shot me a look of disappointment and mouthed, “Are you two back together?”
I shook my head.
Gabriel hadn’t invited his parents because I wasn’t pregnant yet and it’d be bad if they noticed anything.
But my mom was having the time of her life, thrilled by the lavish event after so many years of struggling.
She was collecting gifts and basking in compliments from our relatives.
That was when Gabriel came up to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“Babe, when you get pregnant, I’ll throw you an even bigger birthday party. How’s that sound?”
I rolled my eyes and tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t let go.
Back and forth, my bag dropped to the floor.
A piece of paper slipped out, and a child from the crowd picked it up for me.
She handed it to me with a curious look. “What’s this, the aftercare instructions for surgery?”
Gabriel’s face went pale. He quickly snatched the paper out of my hand. “Babe, what’s this? Are you pregnant?”
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The day I nearly lost my life during childbirth, my husband should have been waiting outside the delivery room, but instead, he was accompanying his first love to treat her child.
She shared a post: [With him, I, as a single mother, feel like I’ve found a home.]
The caption went with a photo of my husband holding her child, looking full of compassion.
Having narrowly escaped death, I no longer craved his attention.
Whether he had an ambiguous relationship with her or built a home outside of ours, it no longer mattered to me.
On the day I sent the divorce papers and prepared to leave the country, he chased me to the airport.
He asked desperately, “Honey, why don’t you care about me anymore?”
*****
The night before my due date, my water broke, and I was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night.
After signing some paperwork, my husband, Luke Carter, lingered in the waiting area, playing on his phone.
In excruciating pain, I wanted him to come in and comfort me, but he was indifferent.
While I missed the best window for anesthesia, he was still chatting with his first love.
As I bled heavily, and the doctor informed me that the baby was gone and that they would do their best to save me, he wasn’t even outside the delivery room.
I came back from the brink of death, only to see a lifeless fetus when I woke up, and Luke’s phone had powered off.
The doctor, exhausted, tried to console me, but I felt numb.
Without shedding a tear, I asked the nurse to take me away from the hospital.
Being sorrowful was meaningless. If even my husband didn’t care about me, no one else would.
Walking through the hospital corridor, I passed the emergency department and saw Luke, who had been missing for several hours.
He was holding the son of his first love, Jessica Ellis, in his arms.
The child was weak and burning with fever.
When he saw me, he whispered, “Did you give birth? A boy or a girl?”
Looking at the warm scene before me, I bitterly said, “She’s dead. It was a girl.”
Luke froze, while Jessica shot a look of high-handed pity.
The postpartum pain made it impossible for me to stand for long. I ignored them and left wearily.
My relationship with Luke was always poorly timed.
We were forced to sit at the matchmaking dinner table, thrown together by circumstance.
After the wedding, I learned that he had always been in love with Jessica, who lived overseas. He had only agreed to marry me out of disappointment.
He promised to treat me well, but after I was five months pregnant, Jessica returned home with her child after a divorce.
Luke’s rekindled feelings for her led to the most difficult four months of my life.
He began frequently coming home late, always citing work as the excuse. He smelled of unfamiliar perfume.
He never accompanied me to regular check-ups, but he would run around for Jessica’s son.
I opened my phone and saw her latest post: [With him, I, as a single mother, feel like I’ve found a home.]
The word “home” stung my eyes.
I was Luke’s wife, but Jessica and her child seemed to receive more care from him.
During my pregnancy, I would cry and argue, asking him why he couldn’t prioritize me.
But now, having come so close to death, I had let go.
If I survived such a major surgery without him by my side, I could live the rest of my life without him.
I no longer wanted the love he had begrudgingly given me.
I decided to stop giving him my heart and soul.
I continued clearing the unread messages from the past few days and saw an announcement from the company about a recruitment opportunity at the headquarters in Olisfast for two years.
My past achievements met the application criteria.
I felt a surge of gratitude toward fate for giving me a chance to start over right after I had shifted my perspective.
Without hesitation, I submitted my application and began secretly preparing for the documents to go abroad.
Luke had always disliked that I earned more than he did and that my household chores didn’t match up to his mother’s. He complained that I wasn’t good at taking care of him.
I couldn’t let him find out too soon, or he’d try to stop me.
As I was calculating my next steps, Luke came home.
Before I could close the webpage, he caught me red-handed.
“What are you looking at? You plan to go abroad?” he asked.
I hadn’t even had the chance to come up with an excuse when Luke frowned.
He said, “You lost your child and you’re still in the mood for a trip abroad?
“You should stay home and rest for now, stop running around and working.”
He still saw me as the woman who clung to fantasies about marriage.
But thanks to his dismissive attitude and self-righteousness, my plans to travel abroad remained a secret.
I kept my face neutral, closing the webpage. “Got it.”
Luke threw his coat onto the sofa and sat down, placing his feet on the table. “What’s for dinner?”
I didn’t want to move because I was in pain. “Isn’t your mom here today? Let her cook for you.”
Luke tilted his head and chuckled, “You want to eat without cooking? My mom is only here to take care of you because you’re pregnant.
“Now that the baby’s gone, she won’t come. If I didn’t stop her, she’d probably have a few harsh words to say to you.”
During my pregnancy, I still went to work and cooked, while my mother-in-law, who cared more about the child, came uninvited to take over the housework.
Luke didn’t care about me or our family. He expected everything to be served to him on a plate while running off all the time.
Now, after losing the baby, I was still weak. He had the nerve to blame me.
I bit my lip, not wanting to argue. I got up and went to the bedroom to lie down on the bed.
Luke was puzzled by my unusual silence.
He followed me into the bedroom. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you making dinner?”
I closed my eyes to rest.
He shook me lightly and continued, “You’ve had enough sleep at the hospital, haven’t you? If you’re not making dinner, what am I supposed to eat?”
I sighed, “I don’t want to move. Just order takeout.”
He retorted, “No way! My mom says takeout is unhealthy and expensive.”
His loud voice made my headache worse. I pulled the blanket over my head, ignoring him.
Luke bent down and leaned in.
He asked tentatively, “Amy, are you mad?”
Not waiting for my reply, he continued, “You’re angry, aren’t you?
“Jessica’s been divorced and raising a child on her own. It’s tough for her. I just want to help her out.
“I am her only friend in Yraburg, so please try to understand.”
In the past, I might have argued with him.
He just wouldn’t let go of his ridiculous need to save people.
I also needed his support, but he’d rather leave me to help someone else. He never cared about my feelings.
But now, I was too tired to bring it up anymore, because talking about it felt pointless.
I replied, “I’m not angry. She does have it hard.
“Since she’s your acquaintance, why don’t you ask her to make dinner for you? I’m tired today.”
Luke stood up, taking a deep breath.
He snapped, “What’s with the attitude? Honestly, it’s fine if you don’t want to cook. Don’t act like I’m some big fan of your cooking.”
It didn’t matter whether I agreed with him or not.
He was impossible to please.
He left in a huff and went to the living room, watching short videos on his phone and laughing loudly.
Soon enough, he received a phone call and rushed out of the house, grabbing his coat as he went.
He went to find Jessica.
I recognized the ringtone. It was set for Jessica specifically, by Luke.
The house fell silent.
After nearly a week of rest post-surgery, I had mostly recovered to my pre-pregnancy state.
One night, after finishing the work I had put off, Luke came back home reeking of alcohol.
Jessica had brought him back. She had almost been knocked over by him as she helped him walk.
She said, “Luke has been waiting for ten months, hoping for a child, and he’s not in a good mood these days. He drank too much.
“Amy, please be patient with him. After all, the baby died in your womb.”
Jessica’s smile was polite, but the hostility in her eyes was crystal clear.
I didn’t understand why she hated me so much, but in less than a month, I’d be divorcing Luke and leaving the country.
I ignored her glare, took Luke from her hands, and gave her the cold shoulder.
I said, “Thanks, it’s inappropriate for a single lady to be out so late. You should head home too.”
Jessica seemed unwilling to leave without getting in one last jab.
She said, “You can’t even have children, so make sure you watch your husband. Don’t blame me when things go wrong.”
I closed the door and tossed Luke onto the sofa.
His voice was weak and intermittent as he muttered, “Amy, I’m drunk. I feel terrible.”
I didn’t bother with him.
Luke had a bad drinking habit. Whenever he was either in a good mood or a bad mood, he’d go out and drink himself into a stupor.
He had never thought about changing this habit, and before we were married, he had relied on his mother, and after marriage, he relied on me.
Three years ago, it was the same thing. On a night like this, he had been brought home by his friends.
I took care of him diligently, bathing him and making soup for him. In return, he hit and scolded me.
He snapped, “Why did I marry you, you ugly freak?
“You’re nothing compared to Jessica. How can you expect me to care about you? No chance!”
He pulled out his belt, venting all his pent-up frustrations on me. He knocked over the bowl and left my body bruised.
He couldn’t hold his liquor, and his temper only worsened after drinking. He’d blackout completely.
I cried the entire night while taking care of him until he fell asleep. But when he woke up, he had forgotten everything he’d done to me.
He said, “Honey, I didn’t know. I was drunk. I promise I won’t hit you again, okay?”
I believed him.
But even when he wasn’t hitting me, he would still throw drunken tantrums, yelling at me as if everything going wrong in his life was my fault.
“Amy, why aren’t you here to take care of me?” he grumbled as if I had wronged him in some way.
I stood a few steps away from him.
I said indifferently, “Jessica can’t handle you. If you can come back on your own, it means you’re still standing. There’s soup on the table, help yourself.”
He snapped, “Why are you so stubborn? How long are you going to hold a grudge over Jessica?
“You heartless shrew, I already explained it to you.”
I ignored him and returned to my room to continue preparing my documents for leaving the country.
Luke kept whining, asking for my attention one moment and insulting me the next.
I acted as though I couldn’t hear him.
I wasn’t his maid. I still had my own life.
The next morning, still hungover, Luke packed his things, shot me a glare, and slammed the door on his way out.
He said, “I’m on a business trip. You have a few days to think about what a wife is supposed to be like.”
So, he could pack his luggage after all.
I hummed in response and went off to work.
A week went by without a word from Luke. He was adamant about freezing me out.
Meanwhile, Jessica’s posts were full of life.
Starting from the day Luke “went on a business trip”, she updated her travel photos like clockwork.
In every set of pictures, Luke appeared.
Her captions were as suggestive as ever.
[The important thing is not the scenery, but the person you see it with.]
[After all the twists and turns, the right person finally walked into my life.]
They made quite a sweet couple.
I took screenshots of all these posts, keeping them as evidence of his infidelity.
Thankfully, with Luke out of the picture, I had the peace of mind to prepare my documents for leaving the country.
Jessica’s flaunting was practically a gift to me, providing the perfect leverage for my divorce.
A week later, Luke returned home.
The first thing he did was nervously ask me, “Amy, I’ve been gone so many days, and you didn’t ask where I went or if I missed you.
“How did you change like this?”
I looked at him, feeling a bit bewildered by his anxious expression. If I didn’t know any better, I might think he was off on a vacation with someone else, not Jessica.
Freshly out of her arms, he came to me.
His mother taught him well, making him think that the world should revolve around him.
“What about me? You used to tell me not to bother you when you were on business trips, so I listened and didn’t disturb you,” I said.
Luke was speechless. After a long pause, he finally replied, “Alright. I promise I won’t contact Jessica again, okay?
“This weekend, I’ll invite some friends over for dinner. Cook for them and show them even though you can’t have children, you have other qualities. How about it?”
I smirked. “You don’t need to go through the trouble because I’m going on a business trip this week.”
His friends never liked me, always thinking Jessica was a better match for him. They had mocked me both openly and covertly.
Cooking for them would not change their opinions of me.
Moreover, their gatherings were always filled with heavy drinking and meats. I would be the one to clean up.
I had no reason to please people who would soon become my ex-husband’s friends.
Luke frowned, unable to believe that such a good proposal had been rejected.
He said, “You don’t know how to appreciate a favor.
“Is work more important than me?”
I heard him say these words, ones I had often said in the past, and I couldn’t help but feel a touch of irony.
“Sorry, maybe next time,” I said.
I thought that would be the end of it, but when I arrived home on the weekend, dragging my luggage and feeling exhausted, I was greeted by a loud noise.
“Kiss her!” Cheered Luke’s friends.
They were surrounding Luke and Jessica.
Luke and Jessica embraced each other. They were getting closer and closer when a child sitting nearby suddenly pointed at me.
He asked, “Daddy, who’s that lady?”
Luke quickly pulled away from Jessica.
He asked awkwardly, “Amy, you’re back.”
Without batting an eye, I closed the door and went downstairs, as though the house behind me wasn’t even mine anymore.
Luke opened the door and chased after me.
He didn’t care whether the neighbors heard. He shouted, “It’s not like that, Amy. Let me explain. You misunderstood.
“Amy, where are you going? Please come back.”
I flagged down a taxi by the side of the road and asked the driver to take me to the airport.
In truth, my visa had already been processed, and I had planned to leave for abroad tonight.
I wanted to leave quietly and calmly, officially part ways with Luke. That was why I had returned home.
But now, it didn’t seem necessary to set aside time for a conversation with him.
After all, that home had long been taken over by someone else.
I sat in the taxi and sent the electronic version of the divorce agreement to Luke.
My colleague, Jake Grant, who was also on this business trip, called me for a conference call to confirm my flight details and work arrangements.
After hanging up, I saw several missed calls from Luke.
I put my phone on silent. Aside from the signed divorce agreement, nothing else mattered.
At the airport, I met up with Jake. Just as we were about to go through security, someone grabbed my suitcase.
I turned around to see Luke, panting heavily.
His eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse as he said, “Amy, I’ve already sent them all away. Please come home with me, alright?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I took the paper version of the divorce agreement from my bag.
I asked, “Did you read the agreement I sent you?
“If it’s convenient, you can just sign this one instead.”
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I was Bob Packer’s adopted sister.
He took pity on my tragic past.
For thirteen years, I had been treated like a delicate treasure, nurtured in his immense care.
When I turned eighteen, I gathered the courage to confess my feelings to him.
However, he distanced himself from me and ignored me for two years.
Later, he chose to get engaged to his childhood sweetheart.
As for me, I decided to give up and no longer entertain the unfounded hopes.
I agreed to a marriage alliance with a young heir from a wealthy family.
“Let’s get married,” I said.
*****
When my family learned that I had agreed to the marriage alliance with the Hooper family, everyone was shocked.
Bob’s mother, Roselyn, gently took my hand, looking at me with a mix of concern and hesitation.
“Irene, are you sure about this? Marriage is no joke,” she asked.
I smiled faintly, “Roselyn, I’ve thought about it carefully.”
“But…” Roselyn furrowed her brows, unsure of what to say.
After a brief silence, she sighed, “I suppose… you’ve grown up and have your own mind now. Just don’t let yourself suffer.
“While this marriage is beneficial for our family business, we shouldn’t sacrifice your happiness just for profit.”
Her words warmed my heart.
“Roselyn, I understand. But…” I paused for a moment before continuing, “Could you please not tell Bob about this yet?”
Roselyn seemed to understand, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she nodded.
With that, she didn’t say anything further.
I silently returned to my room, and soon, my best friend Doris called.
“No way, Irene! Are you serious?” Doris sounded shocked, but I felt oddly calm.
“I’m serious,” I replied.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
Doris cautiously asked, “Is this because of Bob? Are you giving up because of him? But even if you’re acting out of spite, you don’t have to throw yourself into this, right?”
I bit my lip and fell silent.
Maybe it was out of spite, but I didn’t want to wait anymore.
He had made it clear he didn’t want to give me a chance…
Thirteen years ago, my parents died in an accident, leaving me an orphan.
My relatives all rejected me, unwilling to take the burden of raising me.
“I have two sons. I simply can’t manage another,” one said.
“My family’s situation is difficult,” said another.
“Let’s send her to the orphanage,” suggested another.
I sat silently in a corner, clutching a family photo tightly in my arms, feeling lost and helpless.
Then, a bright voice cut through the chaos. “Irene, come home with me.”
I looked up to see a tall, young figure reaching out to hold my hand with a big smile.
And at that moment, I had a home again.
From then on, I became the adopted daughter of the Packer family and Bob’s younger sister.
Although he was only two years older than me and we hadn’t known each other long before, Bob treated me with incredible care, pampering me for thirteen years.
He remembered every little thing I liked, took care to help me integrate into the family, and protected me whenever I was wronged.
He would always say to me, “No matter what, Irene, don’t be afraid. The Packer family is always behind you, and I’ll protect you forever.”
Every word Bob spoke was etched deeply into my heart.
I began to realize that my feelings for him went beyond familial affection.
I loved him. I wanted to be the one who stayed by his side forever.
When I turned eighteen, I lost my composure after seeing him accept another girl’s love letter.
I tore it up in a fit of rage and confessed my feelings to him. “Bob, I don’t want to just be your adopted sister. I’m into you!”
Our parents had been close friends when my parents were still alive.
If Bob and I were together, his parents would not object.
But from that point on, Bob became increasingly distant, avoiding me more and more.
I didn’t want to give up.
I believed that his care for me must have been love, and that he just needed more time. I was willing to wait.
But day after day, my persistence became a joke.
I would often hear whispers around me.
“The Packer family only took her in because she was pitiful. How could she really think she matters?”
“There are so many men in the world. Why does she have to fall for her own brother? Isn’t it awkward?”
I waited and waited, but never once did Bob say “I’m into you too”.
The boy who once loved to tease me never smiled at me again.
Eventually, Roselyn, seeing how much I was suffering, kindly advised me.
“Bob had a cousin he loved very much when he was young, but she passed away when he was five.
“When we decided to adopt you, he was very happy and sympathetic to your situation. He promised he would take good care of you.
“Feelings can’t be forced. Don’t be too persistent.”
At that moment, I finally understood.
Bob was kind to everyone, and his affection for me was no exception.
That day, Bob publicly announced that he had decided to get engaged to Daisy Glisson, his childhood sweetheart who had once written him a love letter.
Afterward, I replied to Jonathan, “I agree to the marriage.”
When Jonathan first approached me, I didn’t understand.
As far as I knew, the Hooper family and the Packer family rarely had any interaction.
I knew very little about either the Hooper family or Jonathan.
I had only heard rumors, mainly about the Hooper family being internally complicated and full of disputes.
After Jonathan’s father passed away unexpectedly, the rest of the Hooper family members became fiercely competitive over control of Hooper Group.
As the sole heir of the Hooper family, Jonathan was trapped in a precarious position, facing immense pressure.
After much consideration, Jonathan approached me.
He knew that the Packer family treated me like their own daughter and was aware of the challenges the family was facing.
Unlike others who were driven by ulterior motives, Jonathan trusted the Packer family’s integrity.
So, he proposed a marriage alliance to secure his position at the Hooper Group, while offering to form a lifelong partnership with Packer Group, ensuring they would never face any worries.
It was a mutually beneficial arrangement—after a year, we would part ways, with no further obligations.
Once we finalized the marriage agreement, I left.
When I returned home, the house was filled with laughter and joy.
It turned out that Bob had brought Daisy along.
She was sitting next to Roselyn, seemingly saying something that made Roselyn laugh heartily.
The atmosphere was harmonious, as if they were a real family.
“Irene, you’re back! Come on, dinner is ready,” Roselyn called out cheerfully, waving at me.
I forced a faint smile and said, “Roselyn, I’ve already had dinner.”
I was about to head upstairs, but Bob grabbed my arm, his tone brooking no refusal. “Sit down and eat with us.”
I pulled my arm free but reluctantly stayed.
I deliberately moved to sit beside Roselyn, making sure to keep my distance from Bob.
I ate in silence, my thoughts distant.
Suddenly, I found a piece of fish placed in my bowl.
I looked up and met Bob’s deep gaze.
“Why have you been going out so much these past few days? Is something going on?” he asked.
My voice was calm. “Nothing’s wrong.”
Daisy raised an eyebrow and teased, “Irene’s already twenty, Bob. Why do you control everything she does?”
Bob’s gaze darkened, his emotions unreadable.
“Don’t mess around with those guys you don’t know much,” he warned.
My heart jolted, and I quickly avoided his gaze.
“I see. You don’t need to worry about me.”
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
Daisy pursed her lips, glancing between Bob and me.
After a while, she gently tugged at Bob’s sleeve and spoke in a soft voice, “How about we go to the beach tomorrow? Bring Irene along, the more the merrier.”
Bob frowned slightly.
Daisy continued, “You said Irene loves the sea, right? It’ll be a good chance for me to bond with her.”
Then she turned to me and asked, “What do you think, Irene?”
My heart sank, and I instinctively wanted to refuse.
But before I could speak, Bob spoke first, “Okay, let’s go together.”
With everyone’s eyes on me, I couldn’t refuse Daisy’s request, so I stayed silent.
The meal felt tasteless.
The next day, we went to the beach.
I sat quietly on a rock, watching Bob and Daisy walk along the shore, holding hands, looking like the perfect couple.
It was such a harmonious scene.
At that moment, a picture of the past surged in my mind.
It was when Bob and I dropped the drift bottles into the sea to make our wishes.
Each time, I would make the same wish that I could stay with Bob forever.
But the reality was cruel.
Suddenly, a desperate cry rang out. “Help! Mommy…”
I looked around and saw a young girl not far from me, frantically trying to stay afloat in the waves.
The people around her were helpless, and it seemed like the girl was about to be swallowed by the sea.
Without thinking, I grabbed a lifebuoy and jumped into the water.
But the rising tide made the waves fierce, crashing into me one after another.
Though I was a good swimmer, I still swallowed several mouthfuls of seawater.
Suddenly, I felt a warm grip on my wrist.
I looked back to see Bob, his arms around me as he pulled me into his embrace.
After a short struggle, the three of us emerged from the water, shaken but safe.
I curled up, shivering uncontrollably.
As I looked at Bob, drenched and looking like a drowned rat, a complex mix of emotions surged within me.
I bit my lip, about to speak, but before I could, Bob scowled and snapped, “Are you stupid? What’s the point of showing off like that? Or do you think I’ll always be there to save you?”
I stood there frozen, my heart tightening as if I suddenly realized something.
The words in my throat were swallowed back.
Bob was right—he now had Daisy.
He could no longer be by my side all the time.
He was no longer the hero who belonged only to me.
I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the bitterness inside me.
After a long pause, I finally spoke in a hoarse voice, “I’m sorry…”
I shouldn’t have caused him trouble.
I shouldn’t have taken advantage of his affection.
I should have recognized my place long ago.
That night, I developed a fever, but I couldn’t fall asleep.
The door was suddenly knocked on.
I wrapped myself in a blanket and said, “Come in.”
The next moment, Bob’s cold expression appeared at the door.
He handed me some cold medicine.
“Are you still feeling bad? Do you want to go to the hospital?” he asked.
I was momentarily taken aback, and I shook my head. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
As I took the medicine from him, my eyes accidentally landed on the ring on his ring finger.
It must have been his engagement ring with Daisy.
The handmade bracelet I once gave him was gone.
The one I had made for him, with a strand of my hair inside, meant to wish him safety.
I bitterly smiled to myself.
He must have thrown it away, not wanting Daisy to misunderstand.
Bob seemed to notice my gaze and quickly withdrew his hand.
I kept my expression neutral and casually asked, “Has the wedding date been set?”
Bob’s eyes narrowed, and after a brief silence, he replied, “Next month, once I return from my business trip.”
A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, but I remained silent.
I nodded and said flatly, “I see. Congratulations.”
Bob looked at me deeply, his eyes like cold stars in the night.
He nodded slightly and said, “Good night.”
Then, he turned and left.
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh and whispered to myself, “Bob, I’ve let go. I don’t love you anymore.”
Jonathan arrived as planned to discuss the marriage arrangement.
Bob’s parents were initially hesitant, but after asking a few times and seeing I had no objections, they didn’t say anything more.
My only request was that the wedding be held as soon as possible.
Bob’s parents understood and said everything would be up to me.
But to my surprise, the week before the wedding, Bob returned beforehand.
I went to a banquet that day, and to my surprise, I ran into Daisy again.
Instinctively, I wanted to avoid her, but she greeted me warmly.
All her words were about Bob, and she even made a point of showing me the necklace Bob had given her.
It was one of only two Sapphire Tear necklaces in the world.
I kept my composure and said blandly, “It suits you.”
Daisy smiled, her eyes gleaming with a barely concealed sense of pride.
I didn’t have any emotions at all.
Since she wanted to show off, I’d play along.
However, not long after, Daisy came over with a group of her friends.
Bob was even in the crowd.
“Irene, did you steal Daisy’s necklace?” one of the women sneered down at me, her voice full of accusation.
I was taken aback.
I retorted, “You can just slander others like this without evidence? I’m not that idle.”
“How can we believe you? Let us search you!”
The woman persisted, clearly convinced it was me.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Fine, go ahead. Search me.”
I spread my arms, too tired to argue.
Moments later, the woman triumphantly pulled the necklace out of my coat pocket.
“Gotcha! Caught red-handed! What do you have to say now?”
I was shocked.
Looking at the woman’s smug expression, I understood this was all a setup, an act they had staged.
The crowd around us murmured in disbelief.
Bob’s face darkened as he approached me.
“We don’t give you enough pocket money, huh? You even stole things from others?”
I was stunned. “You don’t believe me? Can’t you see they’re framing me?”
Bob’s face remained emotionless as he said, “Apologize to Daisy!”
I stared at him, my nose stinging with unshed tears.
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” I shouted.
The atmosphere grew tense, thick with unresolved emotions.
Seeing this, Daisy quickly stepped in to mediate.
“Forget it, Bob. Maybe Irene didn’t mean to.”
Bob said nothing but gritted his teeth and repeated, “Apologize!”
My heart twisted painfully, and I suppressed the feelings of injustice rising inside me.
Without saying another word, I turned and left.
Returning home, I packed my bags and left a note for Bob’s parents.
I left the home I had lived in for thirteen years.
But from now on, it would no longer be my shelter.
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On the day of the company’s celebration party, our president’s first love came back.
The man who was still affectionate with me the night before rushed down the podium and hugged her tightly in front of the whole company.
During the banquet, I wanted to help him drink, but he scolded me in public, “You don’t have to come today. Go back and reflect on yourself!”
Looking at his ruthless and cold face, I felt bitter.
I loved him for seven years, but it ended up like this.
The strong liquor burned my throat. Seeing Spencer Scott’s look of being so happy about Taylor Xavier’s return that he lost his composure, I knew I had lost.
Over the years, I had been with Spencer from the start of the company to its rise to the top in the industry.
On countless late nights, I stayed up late until I suffered from insomnia and hair loss just to help him get a difficult order.
He said that I was the most important person in his life.
He also said that he would talk to me about marriage after the celebration party.
Before the banquet started, I was really looking forward to it. I thought that the relationship I insisted on unilaterally would finally have a good result.
But I was really wrong, so wrong.
I called a number I hadn’t called in a long time.
“Dad…” I choked up and couldn’t speak. My dad sighed, “You miss home, right?”
I wiped my tears and tried to smile and said, “Dad, I miss you. I want to go home.”
Of course, my dad could tell that I was in a bad mood. So, he comforted me. “You can come home anytime! My daughter shouldn’t be aggrieved.”
I stabilized my emotions and said with a smile, “It’s okay, Dad. I’ll go home after I deal with some things.”
I hadn’t seen my dad for a long time.
He tried his best to stop me from helping Spencer at all costs. He said that he knew the minds of men. What you can’t get is the best. He said that people like me who gave everything would get nothing in the end.
But my mom also pursued him for ten years before they got married.
My dad didn’t explain in detail but only said that my mom suffered a lot.
I didn’t understand it at that time. Now I finally understood how bitter it was to love but not get it.
After talking to my dad on the phone, I returned to the celebration party. When I was about to leave, I was forced to witness Spencer’s affectionate confession.
Spencer held Taylor’s face. They looked at each other lovingly.
Taylor stood in the spotlight like a princess.
She said coquettishly, “Spencer, I will never leave again. We will be together forever.”
Spencer’s nod was like a knife stabbing my heart again.
“Taylor, I’ve been waiting for you to come back. I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too!”
If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that the cold president of the Scott Group, Spencer, could say such cheesy and sweet words.
He always looked serious when facing me.
I thought it was his nature.
It turned out that he was not incapable of saying sweet words but just didn’t want to say them to me.
At the end of the party, Spencer got drunk.
Everyone subconsciously looked at me and waited for me to clean up the mess.
I sighed, resignedly carried Spencer on my shoulders, and prepared to take a taxi to take him home.
Taylor looked me up and down carefully and sneered, “Are you the legendary hardworking secretary Quiana Yost? How can you be worthy of the Scott Group with your shabby appearance?”
I sneered, “You don’t need to worry about work.”
Taylor lowered her eyes. “Do you think I don’t know that you are Spencer’s secretary on the surface but actually his lover? Who are you showing off this noble attitude to? Shame on you.”
She looked down at me with her usual attitude. “You must be jealous that Spencer treats me so well.”
Then she showed the shining diamond ring on her ring finger, which showed her status and the love she had.
My eyes were slightly sour, but I just smiled.
“How could it be? You and Mr. Scott are a perfect match, and you will be happy forever.”
I took Spencer back to the home where we had lived for three years.
I turned around and left after I put him down.
Spencer held my wrist and wouldn’t let me go. He pulled the tie on his chest nervously, muttering, “Quiana… Quiana…”
My breath stagnated, and I leaned close to his lips.
His hands brushed my cheeks, and our hair tangled together.
He kissed me softly on my lips.
My waist softened, and I subconsciously put my hands on the side of his neck.
He pressed me down. As our ears rubbed against each other, the smell of cedar and green-orange intertwined.
But the next second, I heard clearly the words he said, “Dear Taylor.”
I felt like I was falling into an ice cave.
I pushed him away and rushed to the bathroom.
The cold water washed over my head and face, and I was shivering with cold. But only in this way could my brain be clearer.
I thought to myself, “Don’t be stupid again, Quiana. If you want to let go, don’t think about looking back.”
I packed my luggage until dawn. I carried my bag and prepared to go to the company.
Spencer came out of the bathroom and stood in front of me with one hand wiping his wet hair.
His tone was still as cold as before, but the content was surprisingly gentle. “It happened suddenly yesterday. I shouldn’t have been so harsh to you.”
I restrained my expression. “I understand. It’s normal to be emotional when you meet your first love again.”
He frowned slightly. “Are you mocking me?”
I didn’t want to talk to him anymore and reached out to push him away.
“You’re overthinking it. I’m going to work.”
But he kept getting closer to me. He was 6.1 feet tall and sturdy. He held me in front of him.
“You don’t need to go to work. Resign. You don’t have to take care of the company’s affairs again.”
I was stunned.
I asked in disbelief, “Who will take over?”
Spencer hesitated for a second, then said, “Taylor. She studied MBA abroad and has rich experience.”
How ridiculous!
I tried to train new people to take over my position as assistant to the president before.
But Spencer had a cold personality, and he knew it himself.
He wanted others to know from his expression whether he wanted coffee, cut down the project, or add investment.
Who could stand it?
A newbie like Taylor who had never worked before?
I suppressed my anger and said indifferently, “It’s hard to judge. I wish her success.”
Spencer came closer but didn’t see the reaction he wanted from my face.
After a long pause, he added another condition. “You must teach Taylor all relevant professional skills before you leave.”
I pursed my lips. “No.”
“I’ll give you one million dollars.”
I laughed in anger. “Mr. Scott, do you think I need the one million dollars?”
He snorted coldly, “Then what have you been doing with me for so many years? Isn’t it just for these benefits from me?”
Benefits?
I stared at his eyes, trying to find a hint of a joke in them.
But no. He was serious.
I followed him for seven years. Four years on campus and three years of entrepreneurship. I was like a lackey, full of him in my heart.
People who knew me knew that I really liked him.
But Spencer thought I was being with him just for benefits.
What were these seven years for me then?
Unlucky for me.
I laughed so hard that tears came out. “One million dollars is too little. I want five million dollars.”
“Okay.”
When I signed the resignation letter, I was relieved.
I waited in the office for more than an hour before Taylor came in with a nonchalant look on her face.
I got straight to the point. “Here are the documents you need to be familiar with. Read them today.”
But she didn’t even look at them. She pouted and said, “Why do I need to do these jobs? I’m the boss’ wife. Let the employees do these things.”
The veins on my forehead popped out. “I don’t care if you will be the boss’ wife in the future, but you are the president’s assistant now. You should do what you should do in this position.”
But she just thought I was deliberately making things difficult for her.
She went to Spencer’s office. It was during working hours, but she still got into his arms and acted like a spoiled child.
“Spencer, Quiana is making things difficult for me. She wants to assign me a lot of work. I can’t do it.”
I stood in front of Spencer with the documents in my hand.
“This is my teaching style. If you don’t like it, you can ask someone else.”
Spencer never looked at me, just consoling Taylor in his arms. “If you are tired, take a rest. There is no rush.”
I clenched the documents in my hand and turned to leave.
But the thing I least wanted to see still happened.
Even though I helped Taylor with the aftermath, she still got into big trouble.
I warned her many times, but she still published the company secrets that must not be leaked on the company’s official website.
I took the most urgent measures, but I still couldn’t avoid being held accountable.
She cried and put all the blame on me.
“Quiana didn’t tell me. I didn’t know. Spencer, blame me if you want to.”
He looked up at me with his cold eyes.
I had been with him for so many years. How could I not see the doubt in his eyes?
I stepped forward to confront him in disbelief. “Spencer, when have I ever made such a low-level mistake in all the years that I have worked with you?”
His index finger tapped the table. It was his habitual action when thinking.
But I still thought it was ridiculous.
He not only doubted my feelings for him but even doubted my most basic professional ethics!
I looked into his eyes and said, “Have you lost your sense of right and wrong for her?”
Spencer’s face clearly flashed a trace of hesitation, but it disappeared in an instant.
“No matter what, you are the one who taught Taylor. If she makes a mistake, you will definitely be the first to be held accountable. Just apologize on the official website. No one will say anything.”
He knew very well whose fault it was, but he still chose me as a scapegoat without hesitation.
Was the difference between love and not love? It was so big.
I was shaking with anger. “I have told her this ten times. Even an idiot should have learned it. Why do you ask me to apologize?”
Taylor picked up the ink bottle on the table and smashed it on me. She cursed sharply, “You bitch. You can’t teach well yourself, but you blame me.”
Her words were dirty and unpleasant, but I ignored them.
I just stared at Spencer’s face.
But he only cared about the ink stains on Taylor’s hands, carefully wiping her fingers one by one.
“Spencer!”
“Just do it.”
The string in my heart broke.
The back of my head felt like it had been hit hard, and it hurt so much.
I held back my tears and went forward, smashing the bank card with five million dollars in it in his face.
“I won’t apologize. I can’t teach her. Mr. Scott, please ask someone else.”
He was obviously a little guilty, looking at me as if he was enduring something.
But in the end, he still didn’t say anything.
I didn’t want to look back, so I didn’t see the reluctance in his eyes.
After leaving the company, I leaned against the big tree at the door for a long time, still felt nauseous, and couldn’t stop wanting to retch.
Suddenly, I covered my abdomen, and a sense of uneasiness surged in my heart.
I was actually two months pregnant.
We took protective measures every time, but no contraceptive method was absolute after all.
If it was before, maybe I would have given birth to the child without even thinking about it.
But now, I didn’t want to.
A week after I made an appointment for an abortion, I was notified to come for surgery.
When I entered the hospital with the pregnancy test report, I ran into Taylor.
I turned around and left, but she still saw me. She rushed in front of me and said in a stern tone, “Today is Spencer’s regular stomach check-up time. What are you doing here? You’ve been fired. Did you follow him to the hospital? Are you still thinking about seducing Spencer?”
I didn’t want to talk to her.
She took the pregnancy test report from my hand.
“You are pregnant!” Taylor shouted in surprise, “Go to get an abortion! I won’t allow my future husband to have a child outside.”
“A child outside?”
Spencer heard the argument and came over.
I quickly snatched the pregnancy test report and stuffed it into my bag.
Spencer’s eyes lingered on my abdomen for a long time.
I gritted my teeth secretly and turned my face away from him.
I didn’t want him to know of the existence of this child.
Taylor folded his hands and said sarcastically, “Quiana said she wanted to give birth to a child for a married man in the future. I said that this is not good.”
Spencer was suddenly shocked, and he said in a heavier tone, “Children should not be a means for gold diggers to get married. Even if they are born, they will not be recognized.”
My abdomen suddenly felt a sharp pain.
“You are so nosy. Even if I choose an old and ugly rich man now, you can’t control it.”
Spencer’s breathing stagnated, and he stepped forward to pull hold wrists. “You can’t give up on yourself like this.”
I pried his fingers apart one by one, and a smile appeared on my pale face.
“It’s none of your business.”
His eyes were deep, and he seemed to have a lot to say. “Quiana…”
I didn’t want to listen, so I turned around and left.
But Taylor actually pushed me from behind while I was going down the stairs.
The sound in my ears was buzzing, and I couldn’t hear it clearly.
“Ah! It wasn’t me. I didn’t touch Quiana!”
“If anything happens to Quiana, I’ll kill you!”
I fell down the stairs and lay in a pool of blood. Then, my vision became blurred.
In a trance, I seemed to see Spencer losing his composure and rushing towards me in a hurry, without his usual rationality and elegance.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on a white hospital bed.
I touched my stomach.
I could feel that the child had left me.
Fine.
There was one less thing to worry about between him and me.
Spencer sat beside me. Seeing that I woke up, he blew on the soup and raised his hand to feed me.
I raised my hand in resistance and overturned the soup cup. The chicken soup he had carefully cooked was spilled all over the floor.
He didn’t even frown. He just asked me if I was hungry.
I said defensively, “You don’t have to be so hypocritical.”
A trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, and just as he was about to explain, his phone suddenly rang.
“Take some rest. I’ll be back.”
I looked around, and it was full of snacks that I loved to eat. If it weren’t for the people who had lived with me before, they would never know my preferences.
The tenderness that I had always dreamed of was now in front of me.
But I just felt that he had other intentions.
My colleague sent a message on my phone: [Quiana, the video of you and Mr. Scott has gone viral in the company!]
My heart tightened.
It turned out to be a video of Spencer and me being intimate in the company a month ago. It was spread by someone and labeled as indecent.
It had caused a great impact, and even the investors of the Scott Group knew about it.
I seemed to know why Spencer suddenly changed and became so gentle to me.
He was in the golden period of his career development. If there was a scandal, he could only be temporarily hidden. Otherwise, it was easy to piss everyone off.
It was impossible to suppress it, so he could only come out to clarify.
But what could he clarify? Our relationship was not pure to begin with.
I smiled bitterly when I remembered that when Taylor made a mistake, he decisively pushed me out to take the blame.
Maybe he was using the same old trick again.
I was discharged from the hospital before Spencer came back after answering the phone.
I sent the packed luggage back to my home.
Before boarding the plane, I asked my colleague to post a statement in the company chat group: [For three years, I deliberately approached Spencer. The video that was circulated recently was also me seducing him. Now, I have resigned. I have cut off all ties with the Scott Group and have nothing to do with it. Please don’t spread the relevant information.]
My dad picked me up in person and took me back to our old house.
The next morning, I received a call from Spencer.
His tone was more flustered than I had ever heard. “Quiana, where have you been? Who allowed you to do this?”
🌟 Continue the story here
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In my first year of residency training, my face was severely burned and scarred while shielding my boyfriend, Winslow Larson, from sulfuric acid during a hospital attack.
This disfigured face made my work in pediatrics an uphill battle.
Meanwhile, Winslow rose to prominence as the country’s leading researcher in rare pediatric diseases.
People praised him as young and promising, advising him that he didn’t need to stay with someone as disfigured as me.
But he would gently caress my scarred face, saying that a doctor’s worth lay in their skill, not their appearance.
He told me he loved me for who I was, that my face didn’t matter.
Yet, when a newly graduated and stunningly beautiful doctor, Madeleine Brooks, entered the picture, he fell for her almost instantly.
He put her name on the rare disease paper we had spent ten years researching together.
He claimed that top-tier doctors needed compatible partners. So, just before I was set to perform the surgery I’d spent a decade preparing for, he pushed me aside.
He told me not to overthink it, assuring me I was still the one he loved the most.
I smiled, turned away, and handed in my resignation.
Then, I disappeared from his world entirely.
When we met again, he looked at me with tears in his eyes as he begged for my forgiveness.
But by then, I held multiple medical patents and had made a name for myself in the field.
He had been right. A doctor’s worth truly lay in their skill.
So, I chose to live for myself.
*****
Madeleine’s résumé was as dazzling as her appearance.
The resident, smiling with pride, said enthusiastically, “Dr. Brooks graduated from the country’s top medical school with a doctorate. During her residency training, she participated in numerous major surgeries and published several SCI papers on rare pediatric diseases. No wonder she was able to join Mr. Larson’s team as soon as she graduated!”
I stood at the scrub sink, just one door away from the operating room.
I glanced at the patient already lying on the operating table, unsure of what to say.
In silence, I turned to look at the lead surgeon for this procedure.
Today’s lead surgeon was none other than Winslow, my boyfriend, the man I had grown up with.
To him, my silence meant acquiescence.
“After all, this is the first surgery using the BTR technique. Madeleine has more hands-on experience than you,” he said.
“Aleena, you’re a doctor. You should have the most basic sense of professional ethics.
“And besides…”
He studied my expression and added in a soothing tone, “We promised to bring the BTR technique to the world. We can’t let it fail at the first step.”
Hearing him suddenly invoke the promise we’d made ten years ago, I felt nothing but cold emptiness.
He had taken my scarred hand in his, promising sincerely, “Aleena, I swore to you I’d never let Aaron’s tragedy happen again.”
At the mention of my late brother, Aaron Wilson, my eyes stung. I turned and left the scrub sink without a word.
From the observation room, I watched the two of them perform the microscopic surgery below.
Their conversation was intimate.
“That’s right! Madeleine, you’re doing great. The wound closure looks perfect!
“You’re definitely the most talented doctor I’ve ever worked with.”
Madeleine stood beside him, her eyes sparkling with delight. She teased playfully, “Mr. Larson, it’s just a simple suture. Hardly worth such high praise!
“Don’t spoil me too much!”
Winslow, usually so serious, was smiling warmly. His tone was gentle and affectionate, far from how one typically spoke to a trainee.
“What, I can’t even compliment you? You’re impossible…”
I could feel the glances from the other doctors in the operating room shifting toward me.
Everyone present knew I had been by Winslow’s side for over a decade.
I wasn’t just his girlfriend; I had been his indispensable partner.
Yet here I was, pushed aside before the surgery I had dedicated ten years of my life to.
Hours flew by. After the patient’s wounds were sutured, the room erupted in applause.
Overcome with excitement, Winslow broke the sterile protocol and pulled Madeleine into an embrace.
“Madeleine, I’ve waited ten years for this! We finally did it!”
I switched off the lights in the observation room and left without a word.
Winslow and I had known each other since childhood.
We grew up inseparable, side by side, through everything.
Both of us excelled in school, and when it came time for college, we chose the same major.
In our first year of residency, he got into trouble for saying the wrong thing in front of a patient’s family.
When the furious family member hurled sulfuric acid at him, I didn’t hesitate and pushed him out of the way.
He was unharmed, but I was left with horrific scars all over my face and body.
At my hospital bed, Winslow’s voice was hoarse as he made a solemn vow. “Aleena, for the rest of my life, I will never let go of your hand.”
Later, his groundbreaking paper catapulted him to the forefront of rare disease research.
At the time, I was his assistant.
There were whispers behind my back. “Aleena’s face is ruined. How can she stay by Mr. Larson’s side as his assistant?”
“With her résumé, she doesn’t deserve to be Mr. Larson’s girlfriend!”
But at the highest-level medical summit, Winslow stood on stage holding my hand.
“The BTR technique isn’t my achievement alone. I owe everything to Aleena’s dedication. Her intelligence, precision, and care have brought hope to children suffering from rare diseases.
“To me, she is the best doctor and my destined partner.”
I could still hear his words echoing in my ears. But now, Madeleine had entered his life.
She was brilliant and beautiful, her education a glittering record of top-tier schools from childhood to adulthood. She returned from studying abroad, well-versed in the latest international research and advancements.
“Professor Stan has an unpublished paper on this very subject.
“There’s an academic conference on this topic in Sweden soon, and my mentor has two slots available.”
“The L897 drug showed excellent results in the Phase III clinical trials for pediatric rare diseases.”
She had a solid foundation, a sharp mind, and access to abundant academic resources.
Madeleine’s arrival completely disrupted our work.
She redefined what Winslow thought an assistant could be. For the first time, he realized how much a true elite could contribute.
And compared to her, I paled.
I had built my life entirely around rare diseases, driven by an obsession.
I was quiet and reserved, someone who seemed cold and dull in the eyes of others.
However, I still hadn’t expected that Winslow would push me out of the surgery that meant everything to me for Madeleine’s sake.
He knew how much it mattered to me.
I took a deep breath and buried my face in the pillow.
Tears soaked through the fabric.
A few nights later, during a late shift, I had just closed my eyes for a brief rest when Winslow suddenly pushed open the door to the lounge.
“Aleena, I’m here… I…”
He stood there, breath still uneven, as though he had rushed straight over.
He must have remembered our plan at the last minute.
“I got too caught up in the surgery. I forgot… I forgot we were supposed to celebrate with a nice meal.”
My chest tightened, disappointment flooding through me.
I could only stare at him silently, feeling a bitter mockery rise in my heart.
“What is this?” I thought.
For a moment, I felt ridiculous. I had been foolish enough to hope he’d remember our promise from ten years ago and come to apologize.
Yet he could recall an offhand comment about a nice meal from days ago but had completely forgotten something so important.
“It’s fine,” I said quietly.
“I didn’t even take part in the surgery. There’s no reason for me to celebrate with a nice meal.”
Winslow frowned, confusion clouding his face.
His grip on my wrist tightened.
I forced a smile, my voice steady and calm. “Since Aaron’s death, I’ve been entangled with rare diseases for ten years. Every single moment, I’ve wanted to overcome them, to avenge my brother Aaron with my own hands.
“For this surgery, I haven’t rested in a month. Every day, I went to see that child. I’ve read his medical records so many times I could recite them by heart.
“Winslow, ten years ago, you promised me I would perform the first curative surgery myself. So… I thought I could save him with my own hands, as if saving him would mean I could somehow bring Aaron back.”
I lifted my head and saw the panic in Winslow’s eyes.
I said a lot.
And slowly, from my words, Winslow seemed to recall the long-forgotten promise he had made.
He opened his mouth, instinctively trying to explain, but no words came out.
In the end, he just held onto my wrist tightly, saying nothing at all.
A coldness spread through me. I pulled my wrist free with a sharp tug.
I turned away, intending to sit back down.
But Winslow grabbed me again.
“Aleena, don’t go! It’s my fault… I let you down. I…”
His words were cut off by the shrill ring of his phone.
One glance at the screen and his expression immediately changed.
It was Madeleine.
“A special case at MediLexa Hospital?” He answered the call, glancing at me before softening his tone.
“Does it have to be transferred now? I’m still…”
They exchanged a few quick words before he hung up.
“Aleena, Madeleine said she arranged for a special case at MediLexa Hospital. It’s closely related to our project. She’s already there waiting for me. I might need to…”
I listened as he earnestly explained, his demeanor as serious as if he were heading into a critical consultation.
“Is it a critical patient? Without hospital authorization, her private arrangements wouldn’t even have transfer procedures in place, right?”
Winslow’s face darkened. He mumbled an awkward response.
I turned my head away, unwilling to hear more.
MediLexa Hospital was only a few kilometers away, with minimal transfer risks.
I wasn’t a fool. I couldn’t imagine what kind of critical patient would require both Winslow and Madeleine to personally handle the transfer.
I bit the inside of my cheek in self-torment, letting the sharp pain suppress the burning ache in my eyes.
Swallowing my sobs felt like choking down a stone.
“Winslow, if I told you the scars on my face hurt a lot today, and they itch terribly, could you delay the transfer… and stay with me for a while?”
It was the changing season, and my scars had been itching and burning relentlessly, day and night.
I had been overworking myself for the surgery, pushing my body to the brink.
Originally, I’d planned to take a few days off starting tomorrow to rest and recover.
But tonight, driven by physical pain, I allowed myself a rare moment of vulnerability.
I held onto his hand.
Yet the moment my rough, scarred skin brushed against his, his brow furrowed ever so slightly.
He instinctively adjusted his already perfectly straight tie.
“Madeleine said the patient is still waiting. I should…”
“Madeleine, Madeleine… She got to participate in the first BTR surgery right after graduation. Her future is certainly bright.”
I curved my lips into a smile, my tone dripping with mockery.
“She’s nothing like me. First, I lose my chance. Now, I lose my boyfriend too…”
“Enough!”
Winslow’s sharp voice cut me off, his expression full of impatience.
“This is a matter of life and death! Aleena, where is your sense of medical ethics?”
A sharp pain pierced my chest. I felt as though something was choking me, robbing me of speech.
Winslow turned decisively and strode away. His voice was curt as he said, “I’ve approved three days off for you. Rest well if your scars are bothering you.
“You’re not just physically weak. You’re not as smart or capable as Madeleine. Even your sense of duty as a doctor doesn’t measure up to hers!”
The wind lifted the hem of his long coat, billowing it high. His figure was still as lean and boyish as ever.
But I could no longer find any trace of the young man who had once stood by my hospital bed and sworn never to let go of my hand.
Ten years had passed in a blur.
The Winslow before me now was nothing but a stranger.
The sharp ring of a call bell from Bed 332 broke through my thoughts.
I had no time to dwell on my emotions. I rushed out the door.
By the time I had answered five or six calls, dawn had broken.
Exhausted, I leaned against the nurse’s station to rest for a moment.
Out of habit, I opened Twitter. What greeted me was Madeleine’s carefully curated post.
[Transfer canceled. Exploring the hidden alleys with Mr. Larson.]
I scrolled silently through her nine photos, feeling nothing but numbness.
In one of them, Winslow was feeding her hotdog, his eyes filled with unguarded tenderness.
The storefront in the photo was narrow, its plastic tabletops stained with years of grease.
Discarded single-use wrappers littered the dark cement floor.
Winslow, impeccably dressed in his tailored suit, sat among it all without the slightest hint of disdain.
Normally, he was the most fastidious about food safety. Yet there he was, indulging in street food with Madeleine as if the chaos around him didn’t exist.
I stared at the screen with a blank expression liked the post.
The next moment, Madeleine sent me a message.
[Dr. Wilson, Mr. Larson asked me to check if you’re still at the hospital. We brought back some leftover hot dogs.]
[I heard you were upset about me stepping in for your surgery. Consider this my apology.]
[I just got back to the country, so I’m not familiar with these unspoken rules. I assumed doctors operated on the principle that the best person gets the job.]
She even added a pitiful little emoji at the end.
I ignored her juvenile provocation and turned off my screen, ready to leave for the day.
But the head nurse stopped me.
“Dr. Wilson, Ms. Estrada wants to see you.”
I nodded vaguely, forcing myself to gather what energy I had left, and knocked on the office door.
Claudine Estrada was our director. She was a kind and gentle older woman, who was always smiling.
But today, her expression was unusually serious.
“Aleena, I received another complaint last night.”
Hearing this, I clenched my hands and lowered my head, shame prickling at my skin.
As a pediatrician, the scars on my face had always been a problem.
No matter how skilled I was, many children took one look at me and flat-out refused to let me treat them.
On night shifts, my scarred face often frightened the children, which naturally led to complaints from their worried parents.
“Ms. Estrada… I wore a mask last night,” I muttered, attempting to defend myself in a soft voice, though it sounded feeble even to me.
In the past, whenever a complaint came in, Winslow, as the deputy director, would always be the first to know.
He would stand by my side when I met with Claudine, explaining how crucial I was to the BTR project and tirelessly pleading my case.
But today, he wasn’t here.
“With your condition, whether you wear a mask or not doesn’t seem to matter much anymore.”
Claudine’s unsmiling face made my palms damp with cold sweat.
“Winslow usually defends you to no end. Luckily, he’s not here today, or he’d be giving me another long lecture about principles and fairness.”
I forced a bitter smile.
“He probably… won’t anymore.”
“Won’t?” Claudine waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t believe that.”
“But let’s get to the point. We all know your scars are the result of an accident. The hospital understands your situation. But Aleena, this is a children’s hospital. We have to put the patients first.”
“I’m not saying this to push you out. I’m asking you to think about your own future.”
“Your complaint rate is high, and fewer patients are requesting you. If this continues, it’s not going to be good for your career.”
Her words stung with bitter truth.
I opened my mouth to defend myself, but no argument came. There was nothing I could say.
My eyes burned, but no tears fell.
Then Claudine placed a stack of English documents in front of me.
“You have a background in BTR research and clinical experience. You’re a perfect fit for this project in Auroria Country.”
I took the papers with both hands, looking up at her in disbelief.
Claudine smiled and patted my shoulder.
“Aleena, you’re still young. You should explore more opportunities.”
“Being a doctor isn’t just about clinical work.”
That evening, I sat at home, poring over the English documents, lost in thought.
Even by nightfall, I remained torn.
The unsent message I had typed out to Winslow still lingered in the chat box: [Winslow, there’s something I want to talk to you about.]
If I decided to go, it would mean abandoning the BTR project I had spent ten years fighting for.
It would also mean letting go of Winslow.
I couldn’t bring myself to make a decision.
Winslow ignored my unsent messages and instead sent me something that felt more like a notice: [I’m heading home to pack. I’ll be traveling for lectures over the next two weeks.]
I stared at his message for a long time before finally typing out a single question: [Is Madeleine going too?]
[Madeleine is my student and also assisted with the first surgery. It wouldn’t be right to leave her out.]
[Bear with it for now. I’ll make it up to you when I’m back.]
I reread his words, my thoughts spiraling. I thought, “Bear with it?
Why is it that every time something involves Madeleine, I’m the one who has to bear with it?”
I didn’t reply. Instead, I buried my head back into the pillow.
Perhaps out of guilt, Winslow dutifully checked in with me every day for the next two weeks.
He sent dozens of messages, which I found so annoying that I muted him.
But I couldn’t avoid Madeleine’s Twitter.
[The coffee break today was amazing! I was standing next to Mr. Larson, and a few grad students even said we looked like a couple.]
[It’s true! When capable people stand on stage, they really shine. I want to be close to you, to become you! @Winslow]
[Today, Mr. Larson praised me during my presentation, saying I have a bright future ahead. But the only future I want is with you…]
Her words were no longer subtle.
The photos she posted were even worse. They were full of intimacy and closeness.
I scrolled through her posts expressionlessly until someone abruptly shoved me.
“Ugly freak!”
A boy, no more than seven or eight, stood beside me. He was tall for his age, almost up to my chin, and suffered from an endocrine disorder.
He was clearly spoiled at home. With his height and stocky build, he loomed over me like a wall.
“You’re an ugly freak! Bed 19 told me there was a freak in here, and I didn’t believe it. But you’re so ugly. Why don’t you just go die?”
As he spoke, he raised his foot and kicked me without hesitation.
I staggered back, instinctively wanting to push him away. But then I caught sight of the IV needle taped to his hand and the hospital wristband.
I froze.
I realized he was the boy who had undergone the first BTR surgery.
My chest tightened. I didn’t dodge as he kicked me again, this time harder.
A nurse saw the chaos here and rushed over. It took several people to restrain him.
I held my aching abdomen and turned to leave, hearing him yell from the lobby that I had scared him.
Once I found a quiet corner, I sank down against the wall.
I couldn’t hold it in any longer. My sobs escaped in ragged whispers.
This face of mine… It had barred me from every medical forum.
This face of mine… It had never earned a single word of gratitude from a patient.
I couldn’t stop thinking, “If only that accident hasn’t happened. If only I haven’t pushed Winslow out of harm’s way. Would my life be different now?
Would I have been the one to lead the BTR project, the one to conquer rare diseases with my own hands?”
My phone buzzed. Madeleine had just posted in the department group chat. She shared photos from her presentation, along with a caption: [Thank you to the hospital leadership and Mr. Larson for this incredible opportunity. I’ve successfully delivered the first external lecture on BTR therapy. We’ve taken the first step toward bringing BTR therapy to the world.]
The chat erupted with congratulatory messages. But my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
I gripped my phone tightly, wishing for Winslow to call me.
Even if all he offered were a flimsy excuse, anything would have been better than silence.
But as my tears dried, my phone remained dark.
A week later, the two of them returned to the hospital in a flurry of fanfare.
When Winslow brought her to see me, his face was alight with joy.
“Aleena, the BTR therapy was highly praised by our peers. Let’s go out for sashimi tonight and celebrate properly!”
There wasn’t a trace of inquiry in his tone. It was a notice, not an invitation.
Madeleine stood close beside him, dressed in a fitted, low-cut cocktail dress.
Her flawless makeup highlighted her striking features, making her look every bit the part of his companion.
She clung to his side like they belonged together.
I glanced at the two of them and let out a sharp laugh. “Just sashimi? I thought the two of you were headed to a gala.”
Winslow’s face darkened. “Enough. Madeleine was worried you’d feel left out, so she went out of her way to get you an extra ticket. Don’t be ungrateful.”
He gestured for Madeleine, who fished an envelope out of her clutch and handed it to me. I took the invitation and tore it cleanly in half.
“Aleena, have you lost your mind?”
Winslow grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it hurt.
“Sashimi? You know I can’t stand raw dishes!”
He knew. He knew my brother’s rare illness had been triggered by parasites in raw food.
Since then, I hadn’t been able to stomach anything raw.
The man who used to care about what I couldn’t eat didn’t seem to care anymore.
Winslow froze for a moment before it dawned on him. His expression twisted into annoyance.
“It’s been years. Do you really have to keep holding onto this?
“Aleena, you need to move on. Aaron’s been dead for over a decade. Why are you taking it out on Madeleine?”
I knew Aaron had been gone for over ten years.
By all accounts, I should have moved on by now.
But at that moment, I couldn’t stand his lectures anymore. I slapped him across the face.
“Yes! I can’t move on! I can’t let it go!
“I can’t accept that ten years later, I still haven’t been able to conquer rare diseases with my own hands!”
All the emotions I’d buried for so long came bursting out.
Winslow, however, just frowned, his disdain plain on his face.
“This doesn’t justify you taking it out on Madeleine. Apologize to her, Aleena.”
I stared at him, trembling as every ounce of strength drained from my body.
I staggered back a step, my face wet with tears.
“Apologize?”
I let out a laugh that was more of a sob, my voice cracking as I said, “Winslow… I just didn’t want to eat that tonight.
“Today is my brother’s death anniversary… I just didn’t want to eat raw food.
“If you can’t handle that, then let’s break up.”
Without waiting for his reaction, I turned and walked away.
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