Category: English

In the restaurant, my wife Alice’s boss poured a glass of red wine over my face and humiliated me: “Who the hell do you think you are? Do you know who I am? I’m giving Alice a chance for promotion. As her husband, you should be grateful to me, thanking me for giving Alice the opportunity to earn money, instead of coming here to stage some cheating drama.” All the guests in the restaurant turned to look at us. Alice’s boss rolled his eyes and continued: “I’ll give you a chance. Ask Alice whether she wants to stay or leave with you.” I ignored what he said and just pulled out a napkin to slowly wipe the red wine off my face. Then I looked at Alice, who was wearing a deep V-neck dress that exposed most of her chest. She looked at me and frowned: “Miles, go home.” “You’re not coming with me?” “We’ll talk at home tomorrow.” “Can’t you come back now? Do we have to wait until tomorrow?” “I’m not coming home tonight.” Hearing this, I smiled. If you’re not coming home tonight, you won’t be able to come home ever again.

A few days ago, I discovered a problem. Alice’s boss kept calling her frequently. After I pressed her about it. Alice finally told me the truth, saying her boss appreciated her and was preparing to put her in charge of a major project alone. If she could successfully complete this project, the performance bonus would be at least two hundred thousand dollars. At first, I didn’t suspect anything. I simply thought Alice was excellent and it was normal for her boss to appreciate her. But things got increasingly wrong after that. Alice started leaving early and coming home late every day, always drunk when she got home. After several days, we were like strangers. Apart from sleeping in the same bed at night, we had almost no communication during the day. Last night was even worse—Alice didn’t come home at all! I gradually realized things might not be as simple as I thought. Alice had the weekend off. Usually, she would stay home with me to cook, watch shows, and chat. But this time she dressed up carefully and deliberately wore a newly bought dress. And when she was looking at her phone replying to messages, her lips kept curling up in a smile she couldn’t suppress. All the signs indicated that Alice might be in love with someone! “Miles, I won’t be home for dinner tonight. Just order takeout for yourself.” After getting dressed up, Alice looked several years younger. Since she usually took good care of herself, she looked like a woman in her twenties. I saw Alice picking up her bag to leave, so I called out to her. “Alice.” “What is it?” Alice stopped and looked at me questioningly. “Who asked you out?” “I just told you, didn’t I? Mira broke up with her boyfriend. Since it’s the weekend, I’m going to keep her company. Mira and I might drink, so if it gets too late, I won’t come back. I’ll stay at Mira’s place. I’m afraid she might do something foolish if she’s alone. Don’t wait up for me tonight—go to sleep when you’re tired.” “Oh, okay.” “I’m leaving.” “Be safe.” “Okay.” Hearing the door close, my heart ached. I knew Alice had a close friend named Mira. Unfortunately, Alice didn’t know that I had heard her entire conversation with Mira in the bathroom. Alice told Mira. If I called to ask, Mira should tell me that she had broken up with her boyfriend. Without a doubt, Alice was making such thorough preparations in advance. Who she was going to see was self-evident. Thinking of this, I got up and left the house. I wanted to see who Alice’s new boyfriend was!

I followed Alice to an upscale Western restaurant. I watched Alice smiling and drinking with an old man. This old man’s perverted hands kept taking advantage of Alice. Seeing this, I was instantly furious. I rushed over and broke up their intimate atmosphere. I didn’t say a word, just glared angrily at the old man beside Alice. The old man was Alice’s boss. His name was Jamal. Jamal put down his wine glass, his other hand still wrapped around Alice’s slender waist. Alice’s expression became slightly unnatural. She frowned and asked me: “Did you follow me?” “I just wanted to confirm my suspicions.” I explained. “And is the result what you expected?” Jamal picked up his napkin and elegantly wiped the corner of his mouth, asking with a smile on his face. “Who is he?” I looked at Alice, asking a question I already knew the answer to. “My boss.” “So this is the old, perverted boss you mentioned.” My words made Jamal’s face change dramatically. Before he could speak. I sneered mockingly again: “You’re already so old, and you still have the nerve to seduce someone else’s wife? To put it bluntly, can you even still perform?” “Miles, I never said anything like that.” Alice hastily explained. At this point, unable to bear it any longer, Jamal suddenly stood up, furious, and grabbed his wine glass. In an instant, the entire glass of red wine was splashed on my face. “Who the hell do you think you are? Do you know who I am? I’m giving Alice a chance for promotion. As her husband, you should be grateful to me, thanking me for giving Alice the opportunity to earn money, instead of coming here to stage some cheating drama.” “Miles, can you stop acting like a child? So many people are watching. Aren’t you embarrassed?” Alice blinked at me, signaling me to leave. Of course, I wasn’t going to leave in disgrace like that. Alice was the one who wronged me. This old man was the third party. I glanced around. Many guests were watching us curiously. I pulled out a chair and sat down, demanding loudly: “How much money did he give you? You’re willing to give up our home and me?” “Miles!” Alice’s face changed dramatically, glaring at me with her whole body trembling. “How much money did he give you?” I pointed at Jamal and asked. “He didn’t give me money.” Alice said through gritted teeth. “Not for money? Then he promised to promote you?” After I asked this question, Alice fell silent. I immediately laughed. “He promoted you, giving you a few thousand dollars more per month, and you’re willing to drink and eat with him, and even sleep with him?” “Miles, stop talking!” Alice bit her lip, trembling with anger. “Why can’t I talk about it?” “If you had money, would I need to sell myself?” Hearing Alice’s question, I suddenly understood. “So after all this, you think I’m poor.” “That’s right, I do think you’re poor. I think you’re incompetent. I think you’re worthless. Compare yourself with any random man—who isn’t better than you?” “Then why did you willingly marry me in the first place?” “I was young and naive. I was blind. I thought all I wanted was love, but after getting married I realized that love is bullshit. Marriage without money and material things, this life worse than a dog’s—I’ve had enough!” “Is this what you really think?” “Yes!” “Fine, I understand.” I got up to leave, heartbroken. But Jamal suddenly called out to stop me: “Wait a minute.”

My gaze shifted to Jamal. “Young man, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. If you’re capable, call Alice back home. Let’s see whether she wants to stay or go with you.” Looking at the somewhat smug Jamal, I suppressed the urge to punch him. My gaze moved to Alice, watching her lean tipsily against Jamal after carefully dressing up. My heart ached faintly. From dating to marriage, everything had been moving in a beautiful direction. But I never dreamed she would sell her body for money. Originally, I was going to leave directly. But I wanted to see if Alice would suddenly change her mind. “Miles, stop embarrassing yourself. Go home.” Before I could ask, Alice told me to leave. “If you leave with me now, there might still be a chance to salvage things.” I reminded her. “We can talk about anything tomorrow when I get home.” “Tomorrow?” “As you wish.” I said nothing more and turned to leave. “Young man.” Jamal suddenly spoke. “Spit it out if you have something to say.” I frowned impatiently. “Are you interested in watching a livestream tonight?” Jamal paused. “Didn’t you say I’m too old to perform? Then I’ll let you appreciate my prowess.” I didn’t answer. Jamal’s lips curled up, continuing smugly: “Letting you watch your own wife become another man’s plaything with your own eyes—just thinking about it feels especially thrilling.” Hearing this, Alice’s pretty face became somewhat unpleasant, but she said nothing. “Can’t help it. Who told me to have money and power?” Jamal shrugged, looking completely fearless. “Are you very rich?” I raised an eyebrow and asked. “Not much, just tens of millions. Nothing worth mentioning.” Jamal said. Then he changed the subject, becoming even more smug: “Of course, what I have now, you couldn’t earn in a lifetime. If I were you, I’d just accept this, or pretend it never happened. After Alice satisfies me and gets her promotion and raise, you two can still continue living your good life together.” “A mere few tens of millions and you dare to be arrogant in front of me? In a few days, I’ll make you go bankrupt.” I said calmly. “What did you say? Did I hear wrong? You’re going to make me go bankrupt?” Jamal looked at me in astonishment, as if he’d heard the biggest joke ever. “Just wait and see.” I didn’t want to waste words and turned to leave. After I left, Jamal turned to Alice and asked: “Alice, did his head get caught in a door?” “Boss, ignore him. He just likes to brag.” Alice wrapped her arms around Jamal’s neck. “What an interesting young man, too bad his brain doesn’t work well.” Jamal laughed triumphantly, his hand tightly holding Alice’s waist. I stood outside the restaurant, taking in Jamal’s brilliant smile. The next second, I calmly took out my phone and made a call. “Mom, I want to come home and eat your cooking.”

That night, I scrolled through photos of Alice and me, unable to sleep. And Alice didn’t come home all night either. Although I already knew the answer, it would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt. To marry Alice, I had sacrificed so much. It’s just that no one knew about the sacrifices I made except myself, including Alice. After dawn, I simply packed my personal belongings and sat in the living room waiting for Alice to come home. I waited until around ten o’clock before Alice finally came home. After she entered, we made eye contact. She had gone out wearing black stockings last night, but when she returned, the stockings were gone. Thinking about how she had been intimate with that old man in bed last night, I clearly felt what it meant to have your heart ache to the point of suffocation. “You’re back?” I asked calmly on the surface. “Yeah.” Alice just responded faintly, then was about to go to the bedroom. “Sit down. Let’s talk.” “Talk about what?” Alice frowned. “I want a divorce.” I once thought Alice and I would be happy together forever. I never thought the word “divorce” would come out of my mouth. “Miles, are you crazy? You want to divorce me?” Alice looked at me in disbelief. “Yes, divorce.” I said. Alice walked up to me in a few steps, anger appearing on her tired face, asking: “Can you be more mature? Just because of this trivial matter, you want to divorce me?” Hearing this, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I suddenly stood up, my face livid: “You slept with your boss for a promotion. You betrayed me right in front of me, and you still think this is a trivial matter?” “I don’t think it’s a big deal.” Alice retorted. Then she defended her actions: “Jamal and I just made a transaction. He promised to promote me and said he would never touch me again after this. It was just one night. From now on, my salary will increase by six thousand dollars every month, and there’s a big project. If I do well, I could get a bonus of hundreds of thousands of dollars at any time. Such a good opportunity is right in front of me—do you want me to give it up?” I looked at Alice in shock as she spoke so righteously. I always thought I understood her well, but it turned out all that so-called understanding was just my own wishful thinking. “You win.” I gave Alice a thumbs up in despair. “You really want a divorce?” “Yes.” “Think it through. As long as you accept this, our life together will only get better and better from now on.” “Sorry, I can’t accept my woman cheating on me and showing no remorse.” “Fine. You want a divorce, right? I agree. Don’t come crying to me to remarry later.” After Alice finished speaking, she turned to leave. I took the divorce agreement out of the drawer and placed it on the table. Alice didn’t hesitate either, decisively signing her name on the divorce agreement. “As you wish. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other.” After Alice finished speaking, she viciously threw the agreement in my face. At this moment, I suddenly had an illusion that the person who made the mistake wasn’t her, but me. “The house is mine. Pack your things and get as far away as possible. Don’t ever let me see you again.” After dropping these words, Alice turned and left.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “375910”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

On my wedding day, Ethan Cross bombed the hotel to stop the ceremony. He dug me out of the rubble with his bare hands. Looking at me with my lost memories, he hid the wild joy in his eyes and said in a trembling voice that he was my lover. But Ethan’s devotion to me only lasted five years. That day, he smoothly removed his wedding ring and gently cradled his assistant’s pregnant belly. “Have my child. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just don’t let Aria find out.” But he didn’t know the assistant secretly recorded this and flaunted it to me. “You old hag! Ethan loves me. It’s time for you to step aside!” What he knew even less was that I had recovered my memory. Before him, my true love was named Nathan Kane. That man was gorgeous, but also a crazy mafia boss who never forgot a grudge. And I was just like him. Ethan Cross was finished. Ethan hid his mistress extremely well. Too bad the girl’s courage and ambition were both enormous. This girl named Summer Collins came straight to my door, belly protruding, to provoke me. “Aria, I’m carrying twins. The doctor said they’re boys.” “Their father feels bad that pregnancy is so hard on me. He’s been giving me massages every night lately, and only goes home to his wife after I fall asleep. He can’t wait to meet the babies!” I lifted my eyes with a smile, coldness flashing through them. “Has the father of your children never told you what kind of person I am?” If Ethan was so eager to see the children, shouldn’t I help him out? Half an hour later, an express delivery package was sent to Ethan’s company. While I enjoyed afternoon tea, I watched the company surveillance footage. When Ethan received my package, his cold, stern features instantly melted into gentle spring water. But the moment he opened it, his expression changed dramatically. Inside was a medical certificate for a miscarriage. Along with his and Summer’s children. An hour later, Ethan came home. Summer was lying on a temporary hospital bed. The moment she saw him, she burst into heartbroken sobs. “Ethan, she killed our children! Those were the babies you’ve been dreaming about!” “I want her dead!” Pain flashed through Ethan’s eyes. He grabbed my wrist, his cold, hard voice clearly suppressing tremendous rage. “Aria, she’s just a young girl fresh out of college! Did you really need to be this ruthless?” In five years of marriage, this was the first time he’d been harsh with me. And it was for another woman. I threw my phone in front of him. The chat history was full of intimate videos between Ethan and Summer. Along with messages insulting me and demanding I step aside. “Your mistress sent these to provoke me. As your wife, I was very hurt watching them. Isn’t it okay for me to retaliate?” Ethan froze. He glanced coldly at Summer. Then his eyes softened as he half-knelt before me, holding my hands. “Aria, you misunderstood.” “I just didn’t want you to suffer through childbirth. I planned to bring the baby home for you to raise after she gave birth.” “I swear on my life, the only person I’ll ever love is you, Aria.” I believed what he said was true. Back when we were considering having children, he directly signed up for a childbirth simulation experience. That was the first time I’d seen Ethan cry. He held me tight with heartache. “Aria, how can childbirth be this painful? Let’s not have children, okay? I can’t bear to see you suffer.” But because he couldn’t bear to see me suffer… He had another woman carry twins for me instead? I turned my head with a mocking look, just in time to see Summer’s eyes widen in disbelief, turning bloodshot. I laughed softly. “Ethan Cross, you’re the truly ruthless one, stabbing both of us with a single sentence.” “So now, what do you plan to do?” “In the past, when someone made me angry, you’d ruin them without a second thought and drive them out of the city.”

Ethan’s eyes swept over Summer with cold indifference. But his trembling hands betrayed him. After a long moment, he said: “Aria, I apologize on her behalf.” “What will it take for you to calm down and let me take her away?” A violent energy suddenly surged in my chest. No matter how prettily he spoke or how cold his eyes looked, he was still protecting her! Expressionless, I swept the porcelain in the house to the floor, shattering it everywhere. Without hesitation, Ethan took off his shoes. Barefoot, he stepped on the broken shards. He picked up Summer and walked away step by step. The bright red blood mixed with porcelain white, making my eyes tremble. Though Ethan was crazy, he was an extreme egoist. Since I’d known him, he’d only been hurt for me, only suffered losses because of me. My expression grew colder inch by inch. Ethan still didn’t know I had recovered my memory. What he knew even less was that I might have actually developed some feelings for him. For a few moments, I’d even wondered if I should continue pretending to have amnesia and stay with him forever. But now… A ruined man and a woman who stole my man. I would make them both pay dearly! After that day, Ethan sent me gifts in different ways every day. But he ran to Summer’s place daily. Tonight’s excuse was that he had a last-minute business dinner and would be home a few hours late. The moment Ethan finished lying, Summer’s message arrived. “Ha ha, are you regretting it now, old hag?” “So what if you killed my child? He just feels more sorry for me now. He makes me healthy meals every day.” In the video, a tall man wearing an apron was busy in the kitchen. Ethan never used to cook. For me, he learned from chefs everywhere. Now the dishes he made for Summer were all my favorites. Staring at the food in the video, I could even recall the familiar aromas. My mouth filled with nausea. Damn Ethan! He ruined all my favorite dishes! Summer’s laugh was full of malice and showing off. “He also said he’ll give me another child tonight, while you…” “Old hag, you’re finished.” The moment the voice message finished playing, my car was violently struck. I looked up to see a dozen tattooed, bald muscle men with clubs surrounding me. “So you’re the one who bullied my little sister Summer?” I raised an eyebrow and calmly called Ethan. As usual, he answered after just one ring. “Ethan, Summer called her gang friends. They’ve surrounded me with their men.” His voice on the other end sounded somewhat helpless. “Aria, stop making things up, okay? She’s just a college graduate. How could she…” I smiled and cut him off directly. “I won’t resist whatever they do. Whether you come or not is up to you.” With that, I hung up. The night wind was cool. I counted the traffic lights in a daze. Ethan appeared quickly. He’d encountered traffic on the way and abandoned his car to sprint here. The man was gasping, his chest heaving violently, his shirt vaguely outlining his muscular chest. I stared for a moment, then smiled slightly. Actually, I’d lied to him. The muscle men who’d tried to do something to me were now sprawled all over the ground. Ethan stared at me through clenched teeth. Finally, his gaze fell on my scratched leg. With heartache and defeat, he crouched in front of me. With extreme gentleness, he held my calf and applied medicine. “You’re only acting this way because you know I love you!” He had a thousand complaints in his heart, but this was all he dared to express. In that instant, my heart stirred again slightly. For once, I felt the urge to explain. “This wasn’t staged by me. Summer really did call them here.” But Ethan said without hesitation: “I asked Summer. She swore it wasn’t her. She’s a very innocent girl, not like…” His words cut off abruptly. But I understood. Not like me—vicious and cunning. My expression darkened. I grabbed my phone and called my lawyer right in front of Ethan. “Please prepare divorce papers for me. I’ll come pick them up right now.” I kicked Ethan out of the car and turned it around. He actually stood directly in front of my car. The night wind lifted his hair. His eyes were defiant yet crazed. He gritted his teeth, his voice practically squeezing through his throat. “Aria, if you want a divorce, run me over first!” The bright headlights illuminated his insane expression. I met his gaze and stepped on the gas.

The piercing sound of brakes rang out. I stopped just a few centimeters away. But Ethan didn’t retreat at all, staring at me with hot, crazy eyes. This time it was my turn to grit my teeth. “This lunatic!” I fled in panic, turning to leave in another direction. A few days later, I received another message from Summer. Unexpectedly, her attitude this time was surprisingly humble. “Aria, I’m here to apologize. I really know I was wrong.” “I know I made you angry. Give me a chance to make it up to you, okay?” She sent an address, saying she wanted to invite me to relax. And apologize in person. I went. An enormous rose garden appeared before my eyes. Summer stood in a white dress in front of intensely red rose bushes, waiting for me with a smile. Like a hostess, she used a key to open the estate’s gate. When I glimpsed the huge photograph by the flower bushes, my body stiffened. In the photo, Summer and Ethan held hands, lying in the flowers kissing. The scene was beautiful and warm. And the date it was taken was five years ago. Before I lost my memory. Summer’s pretentiously proud laughter came from beside me. “Aria, actually I knew about you long ago. I even helped Ethan come up with ideas to pursue you.” Only then did I learn that Summer had known Ethan much longer than I had. She was a poor student he sponsored. Ethan brought her out of the mountains. When she had nowhere to live, she stayed at his place. The corridor was filled with photos, every single one of Summer and Ethan together. This rose garden was built by him for her. Listening to Summer introduce their past photo by photo. My palms actually went a bit numb. She smiled as she looked at my wedding ring. “Every gift Ethan gave you, I helped him choose.” “Including this wedding ring—he only bought it because I liked this style.” I knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth, or rather not telling it completely. The wedding ring was something Ethan first selected from dozens of styles. He brought them to me and let me choose personally. But that didn’t stop me from being disgusted. Expressionless, I pulled off the ring and casually tossed it into the rose bushes. Seeing this, Summer’s eyes curved with satisfaction. “Mr. Cross really likes you. I’m so unwilling to accept it.” “But it’s okay. People always get tired, right! I acted understanding in front of him, saying I didn’t want anything, just that when he thought of me, he could spare me a little of the love you didn’t want.” “Guess what?” Summer laughed exaggeratedly, as if remembering something happy. “He took the initiative to sleep with me!” “You, the white moonlight, became a mosquito blood stain after he caught you. He’s tired of you!” “So I advise you to be smart and get lost. Mr. Cross will be mine sooner or later!” I stared at her for a while, then suddenly smiled sweetly. “If you’re this cheap, then I feel relieved.” Summer froze, looking at me suspiciously. I raised an eyebrow and smiled. “This way I won’t feel any guilt.” Under her confused gaze, I kicked over the shelving. Collectible wine shattered all over the floor. I pulled out a lighter. The flickering flame illuminated Summer’s terrified face. The next second, fire engulfed the entire estate. Ethan arrived quickly. Seeing me and Summer in the flames, his eyes nearly split with rage. Summer screamed at the top of her lungs: “Ethan, save me! The fire’s about to reach me!” “I just lost two children for you!” I watched Ethan with interest and mouthed words to him. “Between the two of us, who will you save first?”

The wild, unrestrained fire dragon licked at the sky. Illuminating the man’s struggling expression. He soaked himself thoroughly and rushed toward Summer. At the same time, I heard his anxious voice. “Aria, I know what you’re capable of. You can escape on your own, but Summer can’t!” He scooped Summer up in his arms. Through the rolling flames, I saw Summer turn her head and flash me a triumphant smile. I smiled back at her. Arms crossed, standing still without moving. The flames burned more and more fiercely. Ethan glanced at me not moving and hesitated for half a second before gritting his teeth. In the end, he put Summer down and rushed over to cover me with his wet jacket, pulling me to escape the fire. I stared at him with half disappointment. What a shame. If he’d just chosen to leave me behind, I could have used that as grounds for divorce. As for what the other half of my emotions were, I didn’t want to think about it. After rescuing me, Ethan went back for Summer. After we got out, the corridor’s flower stands collapsed. They fell right on Summer’s leg. When Ethan carried her out, she was crying her heart out. I knew Ethan was angry. As he passed me, he slammed heavily into my shoulder. He ordered coldly: “Take the lady to the hospital with us!” On the hospital bed. Summer’s leg was wrapped in thick bandages. She obediently held Ethan’s hand. “Ethan, don’t be angry. I’m fine.” “I don’t blame Aria for making trouble at the estate, and I don’t blame you for not saving me first. It’s my own fault…” As she spoke, her eyes reddened, but she stubbornly refused to let tears fall. She looked like she’d suffered a great injustice no matter how you looked at her. Ethan’s eyes filled with heartache and guilt. He even ignored my presence and directly cupped her face, kissing and comforting her tenderly. Then he frowned at me. “Aria, you trespassed on Summer’s estate, set fires, and hurt people. Don’t you think you should apologize?!” I smiled provocatively, resolute. “I won’t.” Ethan’s frown deepened. Summer said with false sincerity: “Ethan, don’t force Aria. Don’t fight because of me!” She suddenly smiled at me quickly and operated something on her phone. The next second, media reporters flooded into the hospital room. “Are you Mrs. Cross?” “We heard you won’t let any woman near Mr. Cross. This assistant was just doing her daily work, and you directly set a fire to hurt her. Is this true?” Dense microphones and cameras pointed at me. Ethan’s expression became panicked. Five years ago, to hide me after I lost my memory, he’d gone to great lengths. He spent hundreds of millions creating false leads to lure my lover, who was desperately searching for me, out of the country. He blocked the media, forbidding any reports or public photos showing my face for five years. He took big strides toward me. But at that moment, Summer pretended to be pushed down by the media and cried out in pain. “Ethan, my stomach hurts so much. Did my wound open again?” “Forget it, forget it. You should go check on Aria first. I can find a doctor myself.” “After all… this isn’t the first time you’ve abandoned me for her.” As she spoke, she shed bitter tears. Ethan’s eyes froze. Across the crowded cameras and heads of the media, he looked straight into my eyes. “Again? You arranged these media yourself, didn’t you?” “Aria, I won’t fall for your tricks this time.” “Summer is right. I’ve spoiled you too much these five years. It’s time you learned a lesson!” With that, he picked up Summer and turned to leave. “Summer, I’m sorry. I’ll never let you get hurt because of her again!” Over his shoulder, Summer gave me a flaunting look. This time, she’d finally won. I held my sides laughing until tears came. Ethan desperately hid me for five years. Turns out all it took was one Summer to make him let his guard down. The hospital room door slammed shut. I looked at the camera and smiled as I tucked my hair behind my ear. I knew he would definitely see me. As long as I gave him the slightest clue, he would spare no effort to find me. My former beloved, mafia boss Nathan Kane.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “375907”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

My best friend was a professional “relationship tester.” She said she was afraid I would get hurt by scumbags, so every time I dated someone, she would disguise herself as their ideal type and seduce them into bed. Every single time, she would send me photos from the bedroom. “Jade! If I was not protecting you, you would have been fooled by another scumbag! I am such a good friend to you!” I was tormented to the point of breaking down. I cut ties with her completely and moved to another city. Later, I met the love of my life, Ethan Rivers. On our wedding day, I saw my best friend disguised as a makeup artist. “Jade, let me test him before you get married!” She drugged me unconscious, put on my wedding dress, and got into Ethan’s bed. I woke up just in time, brought people to burst into the bridal suite, and had her sent to prison. Later, I got pregnant. During delivery, I hemorrhaged severely. Ethan watched me struggle in agony but refused to sign the consent form to save me. “Miranda just wanted to give herself to me before the wedding to fulfill her wish!” “But you sent her to prison and caused her suicide! When she died, she was carrying my child!” “You and that bastard in your belly both deserve to die for her!” Only then did I realize the man I thought was my true love had fallen for my best friend long ago. I died with grievances. He even threw my ashes into a sewer. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn to the day my best friend disguised herself as a makeup artist and appeared at my wedding.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Miranda Cole’s familiar yet stunning face again. Her foot slipped. She let out a soft cry and fell into Ethan’s arms, her face flushed as she looked at him. “Sorry.” This was her favorite seduction trick. I had witnessed it countless times. In my previous life, when I opened my eyes and saw Miranda like a nightmare before me, when I saw the wedding makeup I had looked forward to ruined by her, when I watched her flirt and use the same old tricks to seduce my husband again, my fear and rage poured out like a flood. I screamed and rushed forward, yanking her away and slapping her across the face. “Get out! You’re trying to seduce my boyfriend again, aren’t you? I won’t let you ! I will not let you succeed!” Ethan quickly called the bridesmaids to hold me down. Miranda cowered in the corner, her face red and pitiful. “I did not. Mrs. Rivers, you misunderstood. This is just a pre-wedding prank.” No matter how I explained that she was a relationship tester, that she had seduced several of my boyfriends and destroyed countless relationships of mine, Miranda just cried in panic. “I really did not. I do not even know you. I am just a makeup artist. Please stop slandering me…” Everyone whispered. “A relationship tester? Has she been reading too many novels? Who does that?” “She thinks everyone is trying to steal her husband. How embarrassing…”

My defenses grew pale under everyone’s mockery and Ethan’s weary gaze. Ethan sighed helplessly and came over to hug me gently. “It is okay. If you do not like her, we will fire her, alright?” “But you should have told me directly instead of misunderstanding her and slandering her…” I thought he, like the other guests, had been deceived by Miranda’s lies and disguise. But it was not until I died that I learned the truth. His heart had already turned toward Miranda. This time, I watched Miranda throw herself into Ethan’s arms with no expression on my face. I did not miss the flash of emotion in his eyes. But the next second, he glanced at me quickly. He pushed the person in his arms away and said coldly, “This joke is not funny. Apologize to my wife right now and remove that makeup properly so you can redo it.” “No need.” I spoke calmly, picking up a makeup remover wipe to clean the marks on my face. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief and patted her head gently. “Are not you going to thank my wife? If she was not so kind and forgiving…” I cut him off. “Ethan, no need to redo the makeup. Let us just cancel the wedding.” Ethan looked at me in disbelief, then laughed after a moment. “That joke is not funny.” “This is not a joke.” I simply took off the wedding dress Ethan had imported and threw it aside like garbage. “The wedding is canceled. We are breaking up.” I quickly put on my coat and walked toward the door. “Jade!” Only then did Ethan realize I was serious. He grabbed my wrist, veins bulging on his forehead as he suppressed his emotions. “You are canceling the wedding just because of a makeup artist’s prank?” He looked at me, his eyes full of grievance and confusion. “Jade! Stop making a scene!” “This wedding we put so much effort into. All our friends and family are here. You cannot…” I shook off his hand, ignoring the pointing and whispering around us, and looked at him with cold mockery. “Ethan, you know perfectly well why we are not getting married.” “I am giving you a chance to be with the person you truly love. Is not that good?” I thought I would see panic on Ethan’s face. But he looked perfectly calm, confused and aggrieved. “Jade, what are you talking about? Everyone knows you are the one I love most.” He pointed at Miranda. “Is it because of her?” He said helplessly, “I did not know she would pull that prank.” “Besides, did not I already say I would make her apologize? If you are still not satisfied, I will fire her.” Miranda ran out crying. Ethan did not even look at her. His eyes were fixed deeply on me. “Is that enough now?” I looked at him with calm eyes, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Ethan’s parents walked in, their tone reproachful as they tried to persuade me. “Ethan has already apologized. Do not push it.” “Jade, you know how good Ethan has been to you. Have you forgotten who arranged your mother’s surgery and follow-up treatment? Do not be ungrateful.”

My heart ached sharply. My mother’s stroke was caused by Miranda. She deliberately displayed photos of herself in bed with my ex at his and my wedding, then publicly eloped with my ex, leaving me as the laughingstock. My mother collapsed in anger and fell into a coma. To get her treatment, I transferred hospitals to Portland and met Ethan Rivers, a neurosurgery expert. Ethan and I gradually fell in love during the treatment process. I understood the threat in his mother’s words. Their family was prominent. If I ruined the wedding today and made them lose face, my mother would be kicked out of the Rivers Medical Center. “Mom!” Ethan cut off his mother’s words with measured firmness. “Jade is my wife. Her mother is my mother-in-law. This is what I should do.” He looked at me, his tone pleading. “Honey, for the sake of me saving your mother, please do not make a scene at the wedding today, okay?” I dug my nails into my palms and showed a wronged expression. “Ethan, do you really not know that makeup artist? But she whispered to me that you deliberately had her make me look ugly to get back at me. That is why I got angry.” As soon as I spoke, the guests who had been displeased with me all showed sympathetic expressions. Ethan’s mouth twitched, then he showed a reassuring smile. “She was talking nonsense, just jealous of your good marriage.” Seeing I remained silent, he promised helplessly, “I will file a complaint against her right now, okay?” Only then did I show a smile and say, “Then you have to make a vow.” “If you really have something going on with her and betrayed me, then we will get divorced.” Ethan coaxed me and raised his hand to make a vow. The guests laughed good-naturedly. “You are worrying too much. Ethan only has eyes for you.” Outside the door, Miranda’s face flashed by, filled with vicious resentment at her failed scheme. I ignored it. After the wedding ceremony ended, just as I was about to go back to the room to change out of my wedding dress, someone covered my mouth and nose. I stopped breathing and closed my eyes, going along with it. Just like in my previous life. Miranda and Ethan were entangled, stumbling through the door of the adjacent guest room. The two fell onto the bed, making intimate sounds. I suddenly opened my eyes, quickly went downstairs, and found my in-laws who were chatting with guests. This time, I did not do what I did in my previous life. I did not mention that Miranda had drugged me and climbed into bed with him. I just appeared worried and said, “Mom, Dad, Ethan seems to have drunk too much and is not feeling well.” The doting Mr. and Mrs. Rivers, along with the Rivers family relatives eager to watch drama unfold, immediately followed me upstairs in a massive group. As soon as we reached the guest room door, we heard intimate sounds from inside. Immediately, their faces turned ugly. They hurried to cover it up, but I pushed the door open directly. “Ethan, are you not feeling well?” The door opened. The two entangled figures on the bed immediately sprang apart, hurriedly pulling up the blanket. Miranda flashed me a triumphant smile through the crowd. In an instant, the people outside the door erupted. “Oh my God, that woman is not that the makeup artist from this morning?” “Looks like what Jade said was all true…” Mr. Rivers’ face flushed red with shame and anger. “Ethan! Look at what you have done!” Mrs. Rivers rushed forward, dragging Miranda from the bed. “It is all you! You must have drugged my son and made him think you were Jade!”

“Son, that is what happened, right? We will call the police! Send this bitch to prison!” At these words, Miranda, who had been so arrogant moments ago, was frightened into tears, shrinking into Ethan’s arms. “Enough!” Ethan roared, fiercely protecting Miranda. He raised his head and looked at me through the crowd. His eyes were dark but showed not a trace of panic or guilt. “Jade, let us talk.” Mr. and Mrs. Rivers cleared everyone out. Only the three of us remained in the room. I did not think there was anything left to discuss between him and me. I was just thinking about why, in this life, when I had not sent Miranda to prison or caused her death there, he could still face me without any guilt. For a moment, I could not tell if my heart felt bitter or resentful. I took off my wedding ring and threw it in the trash. I said flatly, “You made a vow. If you lied to me, we would get divorced.” “Ethan, I will draft divorce papers as soon as possible.” “Jade!” Ethan behind me called out. “I will not divorce you.” I whipped around, looking at him with hatred for the first time. “Then I will file for divorce!” “You can try!” Ethan’s face was obscured in the dim room. “If you dare file for divorce, I will immediately stop your mother’s treatment.” “I guarantee that in all of Portland no, the entire country no hospital will take your mother.” “Ethan!” I clenched my teeth, trembling uncontrollably. I must have looked utterly pathetic and powerless right now because I saw Miranda flash that gleeful smile again. “Why are you doing this to me?” “If you like her, just divorce me! You two can be together openly! Why do you have to drag me into this!” I looked at Ethan through tears. “I have already made way for you. I have never done anything wrong to you! Why will not you let me go!” Ethan said coldly, “You have not wronged me, but you have wronged Miranda.” I widened my eyes in shock. “When did I…” Ethan sneered. “Every boyfriend Miranda ever had were not they all stolen by you?” “It was you who, under the guise of being a ‘relationship tester,’ stole all of Miranda’s boyfriends, slept with them, and stimulated Miranda until she became depressed and nearly committed suicide!” “You stole so many of her lovers. You should feel what it is like to have your man stolen.” “And your mother! Dare you say why your mother had a stroke?” “It is because your mother went to Miranda’s wedding to make a scene, trying to help you steal her man, and got yelled at until she fainted. Your mother is half-dead that is what she deserves.” My head exploded with a roar. Almost instinctively, I rushed to them. I slapped Ethan hard across the face. But when I raised my hand to slap Miranda, Ethan shoved me away. “Enough! Even now you are still bullying Miranda!” I wiped my tears and said through gritted teeth. “I did not do it! I never did any of those things! Ethan! It was Miranda who stole my boyfriends! It was she who eloped with my ex at the wedding and made my mother collapse!” “So many people witnessed these things. So many chat records are still on my phone. You can go check…”

“Enough!” Ethan slapped me across the face, cutting off my words. His face was ugly. “At this point, you still will not admit it! Still will not repent!” “Jade, I never knew you were such a shameless, conscienceless person!” “Will not admit it, huh? Still lying, huh? Then let me see just how stubborn you can be!” He stood up directly and dragged me downstairs. “Ethan! Let me go!” He ignored my struggles and threw me directly into the basement freezer, locking the door. “Let me out! Ethan!” I frantically pounded on the freezer door. His only response was cold and merciless. “You will not admit it, right? Then let us see if your life is tougher or your mouth!” “When you admit it and kneel down to apologize to Miranda, that is when I will let you out!” I desperately pounded on the freezer door, but no one paid attention. The temperature dropped rapidly. I collapsed helplessly on the floor, beginning to lose body heat. I do not know how long passed before the freezer door opened. I looked up to see Miranda coming over with concern to help me. “Bestie, are you okay? Come out quickly! Let us go to the hospital!” Looking at the genuine concern on her face, I only felt torn apart. “Miranda, why are you doing this to me? What did I ever do to wrong you that you would hurt me like this!” My voice choked with sobs. If I hated anyone, I hated Miranda more than Ethan. We grew up together. We were best friends. I took slaps for her when blocking the seniors who bullied her. She once hugged my arm and said she wanted to be with me forever. But this same person kept stabbing me in the heart. Miranda looked hurt and wronged. “I am just afraid you will be deceived by scumbags. I just want to find you a husband who truly loves and trusts you!” “Look! If I had not tested him this time, you would have married a bad man. What if there is a mistress later who makes up lies like I did? Then you would…” I shook off her hand, sobbing. “You are not doing this for my good! You are hurting me again and again!” Miranda blinked her innocent eyes and said to me, “Okay, okay, it is my fault. Let us go to the hospital first.” She forcibly helped up the already unsteady me and pushed me into a car. The car drove all the way to a hotel. I looked at her warily. “What are you trying to do! Where are you taking me!” She just smiled mysteriously, grabbed my weakened body, and led me into a room. The door opened to reveal a group of sleazy-looking burly men inside. She suddenly screamed, tore her clothes, smashed her own head, and ran outside. “I was wrong! I am sorry, Miss White! I will not compete with you for him! I will not compete with you for anything! Do not hit me anymore!” My instincts screamed danger. I barely managed to stand, trying to grab her. Before I could steady myself, the door was kicked open. After Ethan saw me and the sleazy men behind me, his eyes turned red instantly. He slapped me across the face. “Jade! Do you have a death wish?!” “Not only do you refuse to repent for your mistakes, you want to keep retaliating against Miranda?! You even wanted to ruin her! How can you be so vicious!” “I did not!” I bit my lip and shouted. “It was Miranda who opened the freezer and brought me here!” “Enough! Only my parents and I know the freezer password! How could Miranda open it! You clearly sneaked out of the freezer and kidnapped Miranda here!” Ethan said through gritted teeth. “Fine! Threatening your life did not make you yield, so let us see if your mother’s life will!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “375908”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

My son got a girlfriend who’s ten years older than him, divorced, and has a five-year-old son. Of course I didn’t approve. I strongly opposed it, but my son went on a hunger strike for a week, threatening to die. Watching my son grow so weak he could barely speak, I gave in. On the day we met the parents, she said arrogantly, “Ethan said he’ll treat my son as his own, and to put my mind at ease, he’s already gotten a vasectomy.” “Of course, if your family treats my son well, I might consider letting Ethan get a reversal surgery.” My son also rushed to declare his loyalty, “Until Jessica agrees, I absolutely won’t have children of my own.” I completely gave up hope. I said calmly, “Whatever you two decide is fine. I have no objections.” When my son brought Jessica home for dinner, I didn’t make things difficult for her or show her a cold face. I received her with a calm heart. She wore elaborate makeup and dressed young, but standing next to my twenty-three-year-old son, you could see the age difference, though it wasn’t too dramatic. I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and smiled as I made small talk with her. After chatting for about half an hour, I took out an envelope I’d prepared beforehand and handed it to her. Inside was eleven thousand dollars, which by our local standards was already quite generous. When Jessica took it, she thought she was being subtle, but her fingers obviously pinched to gauge the thickness. The corners of her mouth turned down. Clearly she thought it was too little. I’d originally thought that since my son loved her so much, she must have some redeeming qualities I hadn’t discovered yet, and I wanted to talk with her more. Now I’d completely lost interest. I made an excuse about having work at the company, preparing to end this meeting. That’s when Jessica spoke up. “Since Ethan and I are planning to get married, we’ll be family from now on. There’s something I don’t want to hide from you.” “Ethan always says you’re an open-minded mother. I believe you’ll understand.” Hearing this, I had a bad feeling. Sure enough, Jessica’s attitude seemed respectful, but her eyes were full of provocation as she said, “Ethan said he’d treat my child as his own, but words are just words. So to put my mind at ease, he voluntarily got a vasectomy.” I could hardly believe what I was hearing. A vasectomy? Suppressing my anger, I looked sharply at my son. “Ethan, is what she’s saying true?” My son’s eyes flashed with guilt as he explained, “Mom, Andy is still young, at a sensitive age. He often has nightmares at night because he’s scared.” “Not only is Jessica worried, I’m worried too, so I went and… got the vasectomy.” Jessica pretended to comfort me. “This is all temporary. As long as I’m sure your family truly treats my son well, I’ll agree to let Ethan get a reversal surgery.” A surge of anger shot up, burning so hot my whole body trembled. What did she mean by “she’s sure”? “She’ll agree”? But before I could demand an explanation, my son was already rushing to show his loyalty to Jessica. “Don’t worry, I’ll never go back on what I promised you!” “Until you agree, I absolutely won’t have children of my own.” My son’s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over me, chilling me to the bone. In that moment, I completely gave up hope. I said calmly, “Whatever you two decide is fine. I have no objections.”

Ethan took Jessica home, and I collapsed on the sofa, lost in thought. My son Ethan had been obedient and sensible since childhood, did well in school, got into a prestigious university, and after graduation used his own abilities to get into a major tech company. I could say he’d never given me any trouble. But I never expected I’d stumble so badly on his marriage. Jessica was his coworker. Ethan fell for her at first sight. “She’s extremely capable, she’s been involved in so many major projects.” “She has a great personality, everyone at the company likes her.” “There are a lot of factions at the company. If she hadn’t warned me, I would have offended people.” “When we work overtime, she always orders takeout for me.” … This was Ethan’s first relationship. Of course I wanted to bless it, but Jessica was not only ten years older than him, she was also divorced, and even had a five-year-old son! What I didn’t expect even more was that Ethan would go on a hunger strike and threaten to die for her sake. A mother can probably never win against her son, so I gave in and tried hard to convince myself to accept them. But I never imagined that this woman Jessica would encourage Ethan to get a vasectomy! I run beauty salons—my job is dealing with women. I knew her little schemes crystal clear. Ethan’s hunger strike for her gave her confidence. She just wanted to use Ethan to control me. As long as I still wanted grandchildren, I’d have to listen to her. But what made me even angrier was Ethan. I didn’t believe he didn’t know how important the vasectomy was, how angry and upset I’d be when I found out, but he still did it. He was just relying on being my only son, convinced I couldn’t do anything about it. Instantly, a thought I couldn’t control popped up. I was forty-seven this year, healthy—I was completely in time to have another one! When Ethan came home, I was still wildly tempted by that thought. He sat down across from me, somewhat unhappy as he asked, “Mom, today when Jessica mentioned my vasectomy, if I hadn’t interrupted, were you going to get angry?” I stared at him sharply and asked, “You got a vasectomy without saying a word. Shouldn’t I be angry?” Ethan froze and said, “That’s not what I meant.” “Mom, you’ve always opposed us being together. Jessica doesn’t feel secure, so that’s why I came up with the vasectomy idea. Don’t blame her.” I didn’t believe a word of this! But the deed was already done. Arguing now about whose idea it was had no meaning. I looked at him steadily and asked with utmost seriousness, “Ethan, I’m asking you one last time. If I still don’t agree, will you still insist on marrying Jessica?” Ethan suddenly stood up and said emotionally, “Mom, didn’t we already agree? Why are you going back on your word?” “Anyway, she’s the only person I’ll love in this life!” “If I can’t marry her, I’d rather die!” “Mom, don’t make me hate you!” Hearing Ethan say “don’t make me hate you,” I laughed coldly inside and completely let go of that last shred of hope. Have another one. I made the decision instantly. I said calmly, “Ethan, you’re not young anymore, and you’re about to get married and start a family with someone else. From now on, I won’t interfere in your affairs. You make your own decisions.” After a pause, I said meaningfully, “You chose this partner yourself. I hope you won’t regret it.” Ethan’s obsession with Jessica was obvious to the naked eye, but the way Jessica looked at Ethan wasn’t as passionate as how she looked at my Hermès Birkin bag. Unfortunately, Ethan didn’t notice and kept singing Jessica’s praises to me. On the surface I listened attentively, but inside I was already screening candidates to father my child. Over ten years ago, when Ethan’s dad was secretly meeting his mistress, he died in a car accident. After that, I never remarried for Ethan’s sake, but I also had needs, so I dated a few boyfriends. My current one was a company employee. His family had difficulties and I helped them out, then later he got into my bed under the guise of repaying me. He was young and handsome, so I just went along with it. He’d been my underground lover for several years without any official status, never actively asked for anything, never used my influence to suppress anyone, and instead worked hard for the company. Almost instantly, I made my decision. Him it was. I took out my phone and sent him a message. I’m coming to your place tonight to stay over.

After that, in my effort to get pregnant, I was trying almost every day, always getting home in the middle of the night. And Ethan was right in the thick of his infatuation with Jessica, also frequently staying out all night. We clearly lived under the same roof, but we managed not to run into each other, and Ethan didn’t notice at all that I was coming home late. After more than two months of this, Ethan called me, saying he wanted to discuss the wedding. That day, we both rarely came home from work on time. He talked for a bit about his and Jessica’s recent situation, emphasizing how good Jessica was to him, how her son was starting to accept him, and how happy that made him. After going on about this for over half an hour, he asked me, “Mom, what style of wedding do you prefer?” After listening to him talk nonsense for so long, honestly, I was quite annoyed. I said bluntly, “This is your and Jessica’s wedding. Shouldn’t you be asking what she likes?” “I told you, I respect all your decisions.” Ethan was very happy. “I said there’d be no problem, but Jessica insisted I ask you.” He asked again, “Mom, Jessica says the wedding needs eighty thousand dollars. That’s okay, right?” Ethan said with both heartache and emotion, “I think eighty thousand is too little, but she insisted, saying as long as she can marry me, she’d be willing even without a wedding ceremony. Mom, Jessica is so good, I don’t want her to feel wronged.” As he spoke, Ethan’s eyes even reddened. I raised an eyebrow. Looks like Jessica’s ambitions weren’t small. Sure enough, Ethan immediately continued, “Mom, that luxury penthouse you bought me for my marriage—I want to add Jessica’s name to the deed, and then do a prenuptial agreement.” I put my water glass down on the coffee table, a bit heavily—bang. I looked at Ethan and said calmly, “If you bought the house yourself, you could even put only her name on it if you wanted.” “But I paid for that penthouse. Understand?” Ethan was stunned and after a long pause could only squeeze out, “Isn’t it all family money?” I laughed coldly. He knew it was family money! I was too lazy to beat around the bush with him and decided to speak plainly. “I don’t like Jessica, but if you insist on marrying her, I won’t oppose it. I respect you.” “But my things—tell Jessica to stop coveting them!” “And you stop coveting them too!” Ethan’s face turned from red to white. “Mom, I’m your son. Why do you have to be so clear about everything?” He said righteously, “Your things will eventually be left to us anyway!” Though I already knew he thought this way, thinking it and hearing it firsthand were two different things. I said mockingly, “Don’t speak in such absolutes. I don’t necessarily have to leave it to you.” Ethan said impatiently, “Mom, I know you’re angry about the vasectomy, but I’ve already explained. Can you stop being so passive-aggressive!” “Also, don’t think I can’t tell—you’re just trying to use money to control me, to make me break up with Jessica. Let me tell you, I absolutely won’t compromise!” “Just you wait and see—even without your money, we can live well!” After delivering his speech, Ethan slammed the door and left. After that, he started preparing for the wedding. It was very grand—custom wedding dress and diamond ring, five-star hotel, tables at sixty-eight hundred dollars each, the venue decorated entirely with imported fresh flowers. He really kept his word—he never asked me for a cent. But I only had this one son. I’d always been generous with money when it came to him. For holidays I’d give him envelopes with fifty or a hundred thousand dollars. During his university years, his monthly allowance was ten thousand. That only stopped when he started working. His savings must be at least close to a million. At the end of the day, wasn’t that also my money? So when Ethan stood on stage saying something about how no matter how many people opposed him, he had the ability to give Jessica happiness, I only found it laughable. My best friend sitting next to me rolled her eyes and said bluntly, “Your son was raised for nothing.” Thinking of the pregnancy test result from this morning, my smile deepened. “Yeah, so I’m hoping this time I can have a daughter.” My friend froze. “You mean you’re…” Before she could finish her sentence, Jessica’s mother’s shrill voice interrupted, “You’re pregnant?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “375909”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Chase Sterling and I were purely platonic friends for twenty-six years. We were inseparable, but he was a relentless player who couldn’t stand being alone. So, whenever he got a new girlfriend, I would proactively distance myself and cut contact. On my twenty-seventh birthday, Chase—likely annoyed by his family constantly pressuring him to settle down—showed up at my front door bright and early. “Quinn, why don’t we just make do with each other?” I was just about to curse him out when he added, “I’m serious.” For the first time ever, Chase crossed the boundary and held his hand out to me. I looked at him and thought about it for a few seconds. “Chase, if we cross this line and become a couple, we can never be friends again if we break up.” He gave me his signature, cocky grin. “We’re not going to break up. I couldn’t bear to lose you.” And so, I took his hand. That “making do” lasted for three years. At our engagement party, Chase and his frat brother, Tyler, sneaked out to the balcony for a smoke. “Chase, I know you originally asked Quinn to be your cover because you were terrified your grandfather would go after Lily. But looking at her today… I think Quinn is actually genuinely in love with you.” “You didn’t… forget to tell her this was all just for show, did you?” The hazy cigarette smoke obscured Chase’s face. His voice was cold and indifferent. “I was in a rush that day. I forgot.” My footsteps came to a dead halt right around the corner. In my hand, I was holding the cold medicine I had just bought for him. Tyler sounded horrified. His voice spiked as he called him a bastard, then leaned in closer to ask: “So what the hell is the situation with you and Quinn now? Are you actually marrying her or not?” “Because just yesterday, right before your engagement, I saw Lily post on her private story. You were at her apartment in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, cooking her late-night snacks.” Chase let out a low chuckle. “Lily is my real girlfriend, obviously.” “As for Quinn? She’s just a strategic business merger. What’s the difference between a real marriage and a fake one?” “I knew she liked me a long time ago. Giving her a picture-perfect marriage and the title of my wife… I’d say I’m treating her pretty damn well.” The glass of water in my hand grew so hot it burned my palm. I lowered my head, feeling incredibly pathetic. I realized the cold medicine tablets I was holding had already started melting into my sweaty skin. But what burned hotter was my face. It was the absolute, crushing humiliation of having my secret, years-long crush exposed, only to be mocked and trampled on. “You know what? Quinn is actually pretty clueless. I’ve been around the block enough times to know that nobody’s breathing hitches and refuses to make eye contact when they hold hands with a purely ‘business’ partner.” “She always acts so cool and indifferent, but she’s actually incredibly patient. She lets me get away with everything.” Chase coughed softly, a hint of smug bragging in his voice. “Two days before the engagement, I lied and told her I had an emergency business trip. She didn’t suspect a thing. She even packed my suitcase for me.” “Last night, Lily and I got a little crazy by the window. When I got home at 3 AM, my head was pounding, but all my meds were expired. Quinn literally threw a winter coat over her pajamas and ran out into the freezing cold to buy me medicine. Then she brewed me ginger tea and coaxed me to sleep.” “She woke up every half hour to feel my forehead, terrified I was running a fever.” “I don’t even think she realizes how obsessed with me she is.” Tyler sucked in a sharp breath. “Chase, she’s treated you like gold for years. I refuse to believe you haven’t caught even a tiny bit of feelings for her?” I stood outside the door. I felt like the biggest joke in the world. My eyes burned, and the tears threatened to spill. But I didn’t leave. I wanted to hear Chase’s answer. Without a single second of hesitation, Chase replied with dripping sarcasm. “What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I don’t.” “I’ve known Quinn for nearly thirty years. If we were going to happen, it would have happened a long time ago. I wouldn’t have waited until I was twenty-seven.” “My type has always been the sweet, innocent, soft girls. Quinn is a tough, cold badass. She completely misses every single box on my checklist.” “Love is something that hits you at first sight. I don’t believe in ‘growing to love someone over time.’ Even if you gave me another thirty years, I would never fall for her.” He took a deep drag of his cigarette, sounding completely self-righteous. “But Quinn is my best friend for life, and soon she’ll be my family. Even if I don’t love her, I’ll definitely make sure she’s taken care of.” “I want her, and I want Lily.” My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. But I couldn’t stop myself from smiling a bitter, hollow smile. What did Chase see me as? A convenient object he could just pick up and mold to his liking? Pick it up when he needed it, toss it aside when he didn’t. Just how pathetic and low did he think I was, to assume that marrying me was some kind of generous charity? Out on the balcony, Tyler sighed and patted Chase’s shoulder. “Let’s go back inside, man. The party is starting.” “So tonight, the plan is to introduce Lily as my cousin, right?” I turned my back and quickly hurried down the stairs. I sprinted into a vacant bathroom and dry-heaved over the sink. The tears fell faster than I could wipe them away, completely ruining my carefully done makeup. The emotions I had harbored for years suddenly felt like a putrid, suffocating swamp, pulling me under and making me physically sick. My phone buzzed constantly with group chat notifications. [It’s the engagement party! Where are our main characters?] [Chase and I are walking in now. My cousin is coming tonight too.] [Since when do you have a cousin, Tyler? Where’s Quinn? She’s been MIA.] I found an empty guest room. I washed my face clean and reapplied a light, sharp layer of makeup. For years, whenever Chase dated someone new, I proactively cut contact. Tonight, I wanted to see exactly what kind of girl had stolen his heart. As for him and me? I used a cotton swab to meticulously wipe away a stray tear from the corner of my eye, making sure my foundation was flawless. Chase probably thought I was joking when I told him on day one: If we break up, we don’t stay friends. But I, Quinn, have never been desperate for friends. And I absolutely refuse to spend another second of my life standing beside someone who doesn’t love me. “Baby, what took you so long?” The second I sat down in the VIP room, Chase leaned in, whining and acting cute. “I haven’t taken my meds tonight, and my cough is getting worse.” He blinked his puppy-dog eyes and nuzzled his face into my shoulder. There wasn’t a single trace of the cold, calculating bastard from the balcony. His friends around us started hooting and hollering. “Get a room! Leave the PDA at the door!” “You two are sickeningly sweet! If you weren’t so perfect for each other, I would have kicked you out of the group chat years ago!” “This is what you call a fairy-tale ending! Childhood sweethearts to soulmates! Chase played around for his whole life, but now he’s utterly whipped by our girl Quinn. It actually makes me believe in love.” The sticky, gross residue from the melting medicine tablets was still on my palm. I suppressed my nausea and offered a faint, detached smile. I leaned forward smoothly to grab a sparkling water from the table, expertly dodging Chase’s touch. “Where’s Tyler?” Chase had been about to lean in again, but hearing me ask about Tyler made him freeze. “He went to pick up his little sister! Oh, speak of the devil.” Tyler walked in, followed by a slender, fragile-looking girl in a white sundress. They sat down a few feet away. “You lucky bastard, Tyler. Your sister is gorgeous. You gonna introduce her to the single guys here?” one of the guys joked. Tyler shot an awkward, nervous glance at Chase and replied, “This is my sister, Lily.” “She’s a little shy and not used to this kind of scene, so go easy on her.” Amidst the roaring laughter, I looked at Lily. Her large, doe-like eyes were already locked tearfully onto Chase. The man who had just been trying to nuzzle into my shoulder quietly put some distance between us, leaning back against the armrest. That dull, throbbing pain flared up in my chest again. No matter how hard I tried to suppress it, the grief and fury were overwhelming. Lily hadn’t learned how to hide her feelings. Or maybe, because she was the one who was truly loved, she felt entitled to be bold. Her gaze lingered on Chase with reckless, unapologetic longing. My best friend, Zoe, instantly noticed I was unhappy. She didn’t hesitate. She smiled sharply and said, “Little girl, you shouldn’t be staring at that one. He’s getting married.” Lily’s face instantly flushed crimson. She quickly averted her eyes, forcing an embarrassed, fragile smile. “I’m sorry. I already have a boyfriend.” Chase still had a smile on his face, but his tone carried a sharp, defensive edge. “Zoe, you like to mess around, but not every sweet, innocent girl is like you.” Zoe’s temper flared instantly. She stood up, ready to smack him. I grabbed her arm, holding her back, and smiled directly at Chase. “You talk like you’re some saint. At least Zoe has never two-timed anyone.” Chase froze. He instinctively avoided my gaze. He forced a nervous chuckle to cover his panic. “I haven’t either, baby. Why are you suddenly getting mad at me?” Seeing my visibly icy expression, Chase grabbed a shot of liquor and downed it. “My bad, I phrased that wrong. I apologize to Zoe. Let’s drop it.” As everyone started laughing and changing the subject, I watched Lily look at Chase with profound, aching heartbreak. It was as if I was some tyrannical villain, ruthlessly torturing the two star-crossed lovers. “Alright, alright, let’s play a game! Camera Roll Roulette, how about it?” Tyler jumped in to smooth things over. “If you have anything sketchy on your phone, hide it now! Don’t traumatize us.” “I’ll pick the first date: May 17, 2023!” Everyone pulled out their phones. The rule was simple: if the bottle landed on you, you had to cast your camera roll from that exact date to the big screen for everyone to see. The bottle spun and landed pointing directly at me. I cast my phone screen to the TV. Ocean waves. A sandy beach. A candlelight dinner. And a screenshot of an UberEats delivery confirmation. “That was the year you guys went to the beach for your birthday, right?!” Zoe playfully shoved my shoulder, lowering her voice. “I even asked you if after twenty-eight years of being a saint, tasting a man for the first time was mind-blowing!” I smiled at Zoe. Those memories used to be so beautiful, but looking at them now, they only tasted like ash. One of the guys had sharp eyes and pointed at the screen. “Wait, you guys ordered delivery at 2:00 AM?” “What kind of delivery, Chase?! Was it that kind of delivery?!” The whole room erupted into wolf-whistles and laughter. But Chase, who usually loved dirty jokes, wasn’t smiling. He was staring at Lily, whose face had gone completely pale. “No, it was just some cold medicine. Don’t be gross.” A sudden, vicious wave of malice surged from my chest. “We ordered that medicine because you hurt me, didn’t we?” I smiled sweetly, willing to rip my own scars open just to make them sick to their stomachs. “You were entirely too rough. I have no idea why you were so frantic. That dress was incredibly expensive, and I only got to wear it once.” “Chase, you acted like you had never slept with a woman before. Your technique was terrible.” “Is it because the innocent little girls you usually like never let you touch them?” Amidst the roaring, scandalous cheers of the crowd… I watched Lily lower her head and wipe away tears. I watched Chase’s face twist in displeased, suffocating panic. Even though I had gotten the twisted satisfaction of laughing out loud… Why did my chest feel so painfully tight? Why did my nose sting? “Next!” Tyler wiped the sweat from his forehead and spun the bottle again. It pointed straight at Lily. She forced a fragile, trembling smile. “There’s nothing interesting on my camera roll.” Zoe looked at me, then at Lily, her sharp intuition immediately picking up on the vibe. She frowned. “Little girl, if you can’t handle the game, don’t sit at the table.” Chase frowned deeply. Before he could open his mouth to defend her, I grabbed his hand. I leaned in close to his visibly angry face. From the side angle, it probably looked like we were kissing. “Puppy, I’m a little hungry. Can you go order me some food?” Chase paused for a few seconds, but eventually stood up and walked over to the server by the door to grab an iPad. “I can handle it.” I knew Lily had watched our intimate interaction. Her voice was laced with grinding teeth. She glared at me, her eyes brimming with tears. It was the first time she had looked me dead in the eye all night, and her gaze was filled with reckless, undisguised hatred. Her phone screen was cast to the big screen. The very first image was a text message screenshot. One of the nosy guys in the group read it out loud. “‘Did you sleep with her? You swore to me it was just a strategic business merger! You promised you wouldn’t touch her!’” “‘But I was only thinking of you the entire time, my Lily.’” “‘I want fries, Quinn!’” The guy’s voice reading my food order perfectly overlapped with the last two words of that text message screenshot. The entire VIP room plunged into a suffocating, dead silence. I finished ordering and handed the iPad back to the server. I placed my violently trembling hands under the table and smiled. “What a coincidence.” “But listening to that… it sounds an awful lot like Ms. Lily is a homewrecker, doesn’t it?” “QUINN!” Chase snapped, shouting my name. Meeting my perfectly calm, dead eyes, he forced an ugly, strained smile. “Quinn. Don’t speak to a young girl like that.” Before I could even reply, Lily suddenly raised her voice. “I am NOT a homewrecker.” She stared directly at Chase, her face full of stubborn defiance. “My boyfriend and I are each other’s first loves. We were each other’s first everything. The only reason we’re separated is because his family is too stubborn and refused to let us be together!” “His relationship with his fiancée is just an open, arranged business merger. She had a desperate, pathetic crush on him, and his parents forced them together!” The young girl recklessly unleashed her pent-up emotions, swiping through the photos on her screen. “The day before May 17th, we celebrated his birthday together.” “His flight was at 11:00 PM, but he stayed with me until 9:00 PM before he finally rushed to the airport. He almost missed his flight.” “Before he left, he bought me flowers. We ate cake together, and we made love for hours.” “This is the birthday present he gave me. I just glanced at it on his phone, and he bought it for me instantly.” It was a photo of a breathtaking, dazzling sapphire ring. “He told me that in this lifetime, I am the only woman he will ever buy a ring for.” I was stunned. I had been at that exact auction. I had wanted that sapphire ring too, but some anonymous buyer had outbid everyone in the room with a blank check. Chase had coaxed me afterward. He promised he would buy me an even more beautiful one. But we were literally engaged now. I rubbed my bare, empty fingers. It suddenly hit me. Chase had never, ever bought me a ring. Lily swiped back to the screenshots from the 17th. As the images flew by, the truth hit me like a freight train. Even though he was physically next to me on that beach, Chase had been texting and coaxing her from morning until night. The beautiful scenery we saw? She got photos of all of it. The gorgeous travel souvenirs I looked at? Chase noted them in his app and had them shipped directly to her. And then, there was a photo of a cake. In the shadowy background of the picture, I could clearly see my own dress and the lower half of my chin. I saw myself, hands clasped together, eyes closed, earnestly wishing that I could stay with the man I loved forever. While he was sitting right next to me, texting Lily: “This cake is amazing. I’ll buy you one next time so you can taste it.” It was absolutely, sickeningly repulsive. I grabbed Zoe’s leg under the table. From the exact second that cake photo appeared on the screen… She had silently grabbed an empty glass liquor bottle. “Quinn, that’s… that’s…!” “Don’t rush it,” I smiled at Zoe. Her eyes were shimmering with furious tears. She muttered a few muffled curses about ‘idiots’ and ‘bitches.’ The atmosphere in the VIP room was so tense it was hard to breathe. “Is Ms. Lily finished? Then let’s move to the next round.” I calmly spun the bottle on the table. “I want to select April 2, 2025.” “Who’s playing?” For the first time all night, Chase completely lost his composure. He suddenly threw his arm around my shoulders. “Baby, my head is killing me.” “I just remembered I’m on antibiotics. I can’t be drinking tonight.” “Let’s go to the hospital, okay?” I methodically peeled his fingers off my shoulder one by one, and smiled. “No.” I was the first to cast my phone to the screen. The image was the stark, blinding white walls of a hospital room. It was a photo of the post-op care instructions for a miscarriage. It was the doctor’s warnings saved in my notes app. It was a screenshot of texts I sent to my mom. [The doctor said I might never be able to have children again.] [Mom, they still haven’t found the driver who caused the crash.] [Let’s postpone the courthouse wedding for now.] April 2, 2025, was exactly five days after the accident. On the day Chase and I were driving to the courthouse to officially sign our marriage license. A woman had suddenly sprinted directly into the middle of the road. There was enough distance to brake safely. Chase was an experienced driver; he even knew how to race cars. But he panicked. He panicked so completely that he violently yanked the steering wheel. The entire passenger side of the car—my side—was smashed brutally into the steel guardrail. The baby that had just barely developed a heartbeat was gone. I was critically injured and spent three days in the ICU. When I woke up, I saw Chase kneeling by my hospital bed. He had lost so much weight. He swore to me that he didn’t care if we never had kids, but in this lifetime, no matter what happened, he was going to stay by my side. “Let’s not look at this, Quinn.” Chase gripped my hand desperately, his eyes unable to hide his sheer terror. “I really don’t feel well. Let’s just leave, please.” Lily hesitated, about to disconnect her phone, but Zoe lunged across the table and snatched it out of her hand. With vicious speed, she swiped straight to that exact date. It was a mirror selfie of Lily wearing cheap, novelty lingerie. Followed by a shaky video, the camera pointed at a messy, dirty floor. Amidst the sounds of chaotic, heavy breathing… I heard Lily crying. “You said you hated me! You said you never wanted to see me again for the rest of your life! Why did you come back?!” She was kissed into silence. “I want to fucking kill you!” The man ground his teeth, his voice hoarse as he tried to soothe her. “Lily, that was my baby. Do you know she might never be able to get pregnant again?” “I can give you a baby!” Lily’s voice sounded so incredibly wronged and pitiful. “If you really want to make it up to her, just take our baby and give it to her to raise!” A heavy sigh echoed from Chase on the video. “I love you so much… how could I ever bear to let you lose your child?” “Just consider it… a debt she and I owe you.” I finished watching the grotesque, humiliating spectacle. I took the last sip of my drink, and set the glass down. It felt as if I was finally setting down thirty years of tangled, miserable history. “Chase, we’re done. Let’s break up.” The exact second the words left my mouth, Zoe smashed Lily’s phone against the wall and hurled the heavy glass liquor bottle directly at Chase’s head. “CHASE STERLING, FUCK YOU!” Lily threw herself over Chase to protect him. Tyler grabbed Zoe’s arms, narrowly avoiding getting his face clawed off by her manicured nails. But Chase just stared at me nervously. His eyes flickered with emotions I couldn’t understand, and frankly, had zero desire to decipher. I turned around and took long, purposeful strides out of the VIP room. My driver was already waiting downstairs. We sped all the way back to the apartment Chase and I shared. I pulled out my suitcases and rapidly packed up all my belongings. Even though we had lived together for two years, I was shocked to find that my entire life fit perfectly into just two suitcases. The driver loaded the bags into the trunk and drove me back to my parents’ estate. Everything had been such a chaotic blur. It wasn’t until I was lying in my childhood bed, staring out at the unfamiliar night skyline, that my heart finally slowed down. And then, the realization hit me. Chase and I were actually broken up. The dull, heavy pain I had been suppressing in my chest completely exploded in the silence of the empty room. I sobbed until my lungs burned. It felt like someone had literally carved a piece of flesh out of my body. Even if you know the flesh is necrotic and rotting, cutting it out still hurts like absolute hell. I don’t remember what time I finally cried myself to sleep. When I woke up, my eyes were so swollen they ached. I grabbed my phone. Chase had called me four times. And sent a barrage of texts. [Quinn, can we please just sit down and talk?] [After all these years, even if we can’t be together, are we really not going to be friends anymore?] [Quinn, please don’t do this.] The timestamp on his most recent message… Was right around the time my driver and I had pulled out of the underground parking garage at his building. So I hadn’t imagined it. That really was Chase sprinting desperately toward the elevator banks as my car drove away. I hugged my blanket tight and took two deep breaths. I raised my hand and permanently deleted Chase’s contact info. Break up. Two simple words. When I said them, I was absolutely resolute. I just didn’t expect the withdrawal period to be this agonizing. The most complicated part of all this was our engagement. Our families had deeply intertwined business interests, and we had just launched a massive joint venture. A messy, public fallout would be catastrophic for both sides. My mother saw the guilt on my face after I explained everything Chase had done over the years. Her tears fell first, her heart breaking for me. “Don’t worry about the Sterling family. Your father’s lawyers and I will handle everything.” “You just focus on resting and healing.” I kept my phone turned off for several days until my emotions finally began to stabilize, and then I slowly started checking my messages again. I heard through the grapevine that Chase had shown up at my family’s estate multiple times, but the security guards wouldn’t even let him through the front gates. “Your mom gave the security team a photo of Chase, and the license plates of every single car his family owns, and put them all on a permanent blacklist,” Zoe laughed, trying to cheer me up. “And he caught the family wrath.” “His grandfather beat him so badly he snapped a leather belt on him, and now he’s under house arrest.” “Serves him right!” Then, she scratched her head, looking a little awkward. “But his older brother… the CEO, Pierce Sterling… he asked me for your contact info. He wants to meet with you.” “At first, I told him to go to hell along with his brother.” “But then he told me some things, and I decided to pass the message along.” “Do you want to see him, Quinn?” Chase’s older brother? I searched my memory for any impression of him. He was the son of Mr. Sterling and his first wife. He had a quarter European blood and looked like he was sculpted out of marble. In my memory, he had always lived abroad. He was only three years older than our group of trust-fund brats, but he was incredibly accomplished, mature, and ruthless in business. He had already taken over half of the Sterling Group’s operations.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “400790”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

In the tenth year after my death, my husband—a high-profile, undefeated defense attorney—received a phone call from a kidnapper. The man on the other end gave him exactly twenty-four hours to overturn my criminal conviction. If he failed, his beloved protégée and junior partner, Chloe, would be killed. In a blind panic, he kicked open the front door of our old house. “This is you, isn’t it?! I know you’ve always resented me for forcing you to take the fall for Chloe!” “If you’re mad at me, take it out on me! Why would you kidnap her?!” Seeing the house completely empty and covered in dust, he dialed my old cell phone number. A gruff voice answered. It was the groundskeeper at the local cemetery. “Evelyn Hayes was buried here ten years ago. Who is this?” My husband let out a cold, mocking scoff, hung up the phone, and drove straight to the police precinct. After hearing his frantic story, the desk sergeant looked at him in total confusion. “Evelyn Hayes? She was executed by lethal injection ten years ago!” My husband froze instantly, violently shaking his head. “Impossible! She was sentenced to ten years in prison!” “She got out on parole three years ago! Why would she… I don’t believe you!” The sergeant turned to his computer and pulled up the federal database. [Inmate: Evelyn Hayes. Convicted of the murder of Mia Foster.] [Sentence carried out via lethal injection on February 6, 2014.] Liam froze for a fraction of a second before violently slamming his fist on the precinct desk. “IMPOSSIBLE!” “She must have hacked your system! The lengths she’s willing to go to just to trick me… it’s pathological!” The sergeant looked at him like he was a psychiatric patient. “This is the secure federal law enforcement database. Who the hell could forge this?” Hearing this, Liam let out a dark, cynical laugh. “Evelyn used to be one of the top cybersecurity hackers in the country. You think altering a database file is hard for her?” “I busted my ass on the outside trying to negotiate her early release! And instead of being grateful when she got out early, she’s been hiding from me for three years, and now she actually has the nerve to kidnap Chloe?!” “Open a case right now! Track her down and throw her back in a cell! I’ll make sure she rots in there for the rest of her life!” The sergeant just shook his head in exhaustion. Just then, Liam’s phone buzzed with a text from the kidnapper. [You have 12 hours left.] Seeing that the police still didn’t believe him, he stormed out, got into his car, and drove straight to the orphanage on the outskirts of the city. But when he arrived, all he saw was a charred, blackened wasteland of rubble. He violently kicked a piece of burnt brick across the asphalt, screaming into the empty air: “Evelyn! You are a ruthless, psychotic bitch! Just to hide from me, you burned down the place you grew up in?!” I floated in the air a few feet above him, watching him lose his mind in a fit of rage. The day after I was executed, Chloe sneaked onto the orphanage grounds and set it on fire. Over thirty children and a dozen teachers were burned alive. Every single one of those people had treated Liam like family when we were young. But in this exact moment, his mind was entirely focused on worrying about the woman who murdered them. Unable to find me, Liam got back into his car. He drove straight to the home of Mr. Davis, the old orphanage director. Mr. Davis had barely survived the fire. He had suffered catastrophic third-degree burns over most of his body, and the trauma had completely shattered his mind. The second Liam burst through the front door, he charged into the bedroom and violently grabbed the old man by the collar of his pajamas. “Where is Evelyn?! Tell her to get the hell out here right now!” The frail, burned old man trembled violently in his hospital bed, whimpering and trying to hide under the thin blankets. Liam grabbed a fistful of his thinning white hair and delivered several brutal slaps across his scarred face. “Stop playing dumb with me! If Chloe loses a single hair on her head, I will make you suffer!” “I know you’re the only family Evelyn cares about! I’ll beat you to death right here! Let’s see if that drags her out of hiding!” I lunged forward, desperately trying to stop him, but my hands phased uselessly right through his solid chest. All I could do was scream at him: “STOP IT! I DIDN’T KIDNAP CHLOE! I’M ALREADY DEAD!” But he couldn’t hear a single word. Mrs. Davis heard the commotion from the kitchen and ran into the room. She forcefully shoved Liam away from the bed, screaming at the top of her lungs: “What the hell are you doing?! He’s an old, sick man! How dare you lay a hand on him! I’m calling the police!” Liam just crossed his arms over his chest and let out a cold, arrogant laugh. “Go ahead! Call them!” “You two conspired with Evelyn to kidnap Chloe! Let’s see who the cops arrest first when they get here: me, or you!” Mrs. Davis stared at him in absolute, horrified disbelief. “Are you insane?! Evelyn is dead!” The mocking sneer on Liam’s face deepened. “Still trying to play me? She was only sentenced to ten years! I literally read the sentencing documents with my own eyes!” Hearing those words, Mrs. Davis’s entire body began to tremble violently. “A brutal murder conviction like that… how could she possibly have only gotten ten years?!” “Right before her execution, the prison called your cell phone over a dozen times. You declined every single call. Finally, out of desperation, they called our house.” “The warden told me that in the very last second before she died, Evelyn was screaming your name, begging you to save her!” A momentary flash of profound shock crossed Liam’s face. He muttered under his breath: “That’s impossible…” He immediately pulled out his phone and texted his paralegal. A minute later, his assistant sent over the official case files from back then. It clearly stated: [First Instance Verdict: Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison.] Liam let out a dark, furious laugh. The rage in his eyes looked ready to ignite the room. “Evelyn. Did you honestly think orchestrating this pathetic ‘faking your own death’ drama was going to fool me?” Floating in the air above him, my heart felt like it had turned to ash. During my first trial, with him aggressively defending me, I had indeed avoided the death penalty. But right before my appeals trial, Chloe orchestrated a car accident that left Liam hospitalized and unable to appear in court. While he was recovering in a hospital bed, Chloe eagerly volunteered to take over my case as my lead defense attorney. During the trial, she intentionally fed me leading questions and manipulated me into giving testimonies that directly incriminated me. Because of her deliberate sabotage, my sentence was upgraded to the death penalty! When I was sent back to death row, she paid off the other inmates to brutally beat me. They stomped on my legs until both my tibias were snapped in half! I passed out from the excruciating pain. When I woke up, the guards told me I had one final opportunity to make a phone call to my family before the execution. Dragging my shattered, useless legs and my bruised, broken body, I begged the guards to let me call Liam. One call. Two calls. Three calls… Over a dozen consecutive calls were ruthlessly declined. Finally, he blocked the prison’s number entirely. I was forced to walk to the execution chamber drowning in absolute, bottomless despair… Ring… The kidnapper suddenly initiated a FaceTime call on Liam’s phone. He scrambled to answer it. On the screen was a figure wearing a black mask. A distorted, robotic voice came through the speaker: “You have 9 hours left.” The camera panned, focusing on Chloe, who was bound tightly to a metal chair in a dark, grimy room. Her face was streaked with tears, her expression twisted in pure terror as she screamed: “Liam… Liam, please! You have to save me!” Liam frantically tried to comfort her. “Chloe, don’t be scared! I promise you, I will get you out of there!” Chloe’s tears fell continuously as she sobbed into the camera: “I know Evelyn is still holding a grudge against me for what happened at the trial ten years ago.” “But I swear, I tried everything I could to help her! Please, talk to her for me! Tell her she can have whatever she wants—any compensation she demands! As long as she doesn’t kill me, I swear to God I will never show my face in front of you ever again…” Click! The video feed was abruptly cut. Liam stared at the black screen, roaring in absolute fury: “EVELYN HAYES! I KNEW IT WAS YOU! I KNEW YOU WEREN’T DEAD!” “When I drag you out of whatever hole you’re hiding in, I am going to make you drop to your knees and beg for Chloe’s forgiveness!” He violently whipped his head around to glare at Mrs. Davis. “Talk! Where is Evelyn hiding right now?! Why the hell are you helping her do this?!” “As a former teacher, hiding a convicted felon… do you have even a shred of a conscience left?!” Mrs. Davis was shaking with apocalyptic rage. She shoved him forcefully toward the front door. “I don’t know who the kidnapper is, but it is physically impossible for it to be Evelyn! She is dead! Stop pouring your filthy lies over her grave!” Liam looked at her with pure, unadulterated disgust and violently swatted her hands away. Mrs. Davis was elderly. Caught off guard by the violent shove, she lost her balance and crashed to the floor, her forehead slamming brutally against the sharp edge of the coffee table. Blood instantly gushed from the wound. She clutched her head, crying out in agony: “Why did Evelyn ever have to meet a monster like you?! To keep your precious little protégée out of prison, you forced Evelyn to take the fall! You sent her to death row, and in the end, she didn’t even have anyone to claim her body!” “And now you have the audacity to come into my home and ask me where she is?! Are you even human?!” Hearing the commotion, the neighbors gathered in the hallway, pointing and whispering at the gruesome scene. Looking at the blood pouring down Mrs. Davis’s face, a microscopic flicker of hesitation crossed Liam’s eyes. “What exactly did she promise you to make you go this far?” “Let me remind you, conspiracy to commit kidnapping is a federal crime. You’ll be looking at a minimum of ten years in prison!” Before the words fully left his mouth, Liam’s phone buzzed again. He unlocked it, and his face instantly turned deathly pale. It was another video call from the kidnapper. He stepped out into the hallway to answer it. On the screen, blood was trickling from the corner of Chloe’s mouth. Her face was covered in fresh, dark bruises. It was glaringly obvious she had just been brutally beaten. She stared into the camera, crying out with a mixture of terror and tragic resignation: “Liam… I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said bad things about Evelyn. I deserve to die!” “Please don’t be mad at her anymore. I don’t want you two to turn on each other because of me…” Liam was so furious his eyes looked ready to pop out of his skull. He screamed into the phone: “EVELYN! YOU SICK, TWISTED BITCH!” “I was the one who forced you to take the fall! Beating Chloe proves absolutely nothing! If you want revenge, come after me!” Then, he forcibly softened his voice, trying to project strength for Chloe: “Chloe, hang in there! I swear to God, I am going to save you!” Chloe shook her head tragically on the screen, her tears mixing with the blood dripping onto the dirty floor. “If my death is what it takes for you and Evelyn to reconcile, I am willing to pay her with my life.” “I just want you to promise me you’ll take good care of yourself. Please don’t let anyone hurt you ever again…” Liam’s eyes flooded with burning red tears. He ordered fiercely: “Stop talking like that! I will absolutely not let anything happen to you!” He wanted to offer more comfort, but his phone vibrated with an incoming notification. It was his paralegal, sending over the complete, unredacted transcripts and verdicts from the appeals trial ten years ago. But Liam didn’t even have the patience to open the file. He was just about to swipe the notification away when his paralegal sent a frantic, stuttering voice memo: “Mr. Pierce… Ms. Hayes… During her appeals trial, her sentence was upgraded to the death penalty! She really is dead!” Liam’s heart slammed violently against his ribs. On the video call, Chloe clearly heard the voice memo as well. Her face instantly lost all its color, turning completely ashen. She nervously glanced sideways at the kidnapper standing just off-camera, testing the waters: “Evelyn, you must really hate me. You actually forged federal documents to make Liam think I killed you?!” “How is that possible?! She’s been locked up in this facility for seven years!” “I’ve called the prison dozens of times trying to request visitation rights, but the guards always told me she refused to see me!” Floating in the air above him, a wave of profound, icy sorrow washed over my soul. He tried to visit me because he still had feelings for me? Maybe he did. But whatever feelings he had for me were completely, utterly worthless when compared to his devotion to Chloe. Ever since Chloe became his junior associate, the two of them had quickly developed a magnetic, undeniable chemistry. I had confronted him and asked for a divorce, but he had looked at me with tears in his eyes, swearing on his life that he would cut Chloe off completely. But the very next day, all it took was one phone call from Chloe, and he went running right back to her side. His trust in Chloe was absolute. It was buried in his marrow. He never even noticed when Chloe installed intercept software on his phone. For years, any calls he made to the prison were automatically rerouted to a group of paid actors Chloe had hired to play the prison guards. In the present, the warden’s face darkened. He tapped his pen aggressively against the desk. “There is absolutely no record of her in our system. And there are certainly no logs of any visitation requests.” “If you don’t believe me, I suggest you go to the maximum-security facility where she was actually held and ask them.” Hearing this, Liam gritted his teeth in sheer, manic denial. “Evelyn. You actually have the audacity to hack a federal prison database. Your arrogance knows no bounds!” SMACK! The exact second the words left his mouth, a brutal, echoing slap struck Chloe across the face on the video feed. A cold, robotic voice followed immediately after: “You have 5 hours left.” The video feed was abruptly severed again. Liam screamed in frustration, violently hurling his phone against the precinct wall. A few seconds later, as if a terrifying realization had suddenly struck him, he sprinted down the stairs, jumped into his car, and drove like a maniac. He sped all the way to the state women’s penitentiary and barged into the warden’s office. “I need to see Evelyn Hayes’s release records! Give me the forwarding address she listed!” The warden typed her name into the federal database, his brow furrowing deeply. “This individual was never incarcerated at this facility.” Liam slammed his hands onto the warden’s desk, panicked and furious. “Maybe she was held at the county jail after the sentencing and never transferred to state! Check again!” Liam completely refused to believe it. But with absolutely zero leads, he had no choice but to drive to the county maximum-security detention center. The veteran corrections officer who had been assigned to my cell block ten years ago listened to Liam’s frantic story. His face instantly darkened into a furious scowl. “Mr. Pierce, I assure you, this kind of joke is not funny in the slightest.” “After Evelyn Hayes’s sentence was upgraded to the death penalty during the appeals trial, the Supreme Court review was expedited. She was executed on the third day.” The final, absolute sliver of denial in Liam’s eyes shattered, replaced by profound, paralyzing shock. “Impossible… that’s impossible!” “I was her husband! If she was really sentenced to death, why wasn’t I notified during the review phase?!” The corrections officer frowned deeply, opened a heavy metal filing cabinet, and pulled out a faded manila folder. “The official Notice of Execution Review was sent to your home via certified mail. Is this not your signature acknowledging receipt?” Liam stared down at the signature line. His entire body felt as though it had been struck by lightning. He froze completely solid. It was undeniably his handwriting. But he had absolutely zero memory of ever signing a document like this. A freezing, terrifying dread began to crawl up from the very depths of his soul. He frantically dialed the kidnapper’s number again, but it went straight to voicemail. He immediately called his paralegal, ordering him to file an emergency motion with the courts to obtain the raw, unedited video recordings of the appeals trial. Then, he demanded the entire physical box of case files from the original murder trial and began frantically reviewing every single microscopic detail. While examining the crime scene photos, he noticed something. On the back of the victim’s phone case, there were several deep, erratic scratches that looked like they had been gouged by fingernails. Ten years ago, the police had officially ruled those marks as standard scuff damage from the phone hitting the pavement. But Liam’s brow knotted tightly. He remembered that the victim—my younger sister, Mia—had been learning Braille. He pulled up a Braille alphabet chart on his computer. He meticulously traced the erratic scratches against the chart. His blood ran cold as the translation formed in his mind: “Chloe killed me.” I floated beside him in the air, watching as every drop of blood completely drained from his face. Ten years ago, for my sister Mia’s seventeenth birthday, Liam had invited Chloe to our house to celebrate. That night, Chloe had cornered Mia at the top of the stairs and began viciously bullying her. When Mia fought back, Chloe flew into a violent rage and literally shoved my sister down the massive, marble staircase. Afterward, Chloe fell to her knees in front of Liam, sobbing hysterically. She swore on her life that she was just drunk, and that she had accidentally bumped into Mia, causing her to fall. To save Chloe from a murder charge, Liam actually used extortion to force me to take the fall for her. “I have the city planning reports proving your childhood orphanage was expanded illegally. If I submit them to the zoning board, the entire facility will be bulldozed immediately. Dozens of orphans will be thrown onto the streets.” “All you have to do is confess to involuntary manslaughter. I promise you, with my defense, you’ll be out in three to five years max!” Backed into a corner with the lives of those children hanging over my head, I had no choice but to agree. But I never, in my wildest nightmares, imagined that this decision would cost me my life. At that exact moment, the kidnapper’s video call rang again. “Two hours left!” Chloe was sobbing hysterically, her voice raw and shredded: “Liam! Please, you have to save me… I’m still so young, I can’t die like this…” “I know I was a coward back then! I never should have let Evelyn take the fall for me…” Liam stared at her on the screen. But the deep, profound tenderness that usually filled his eyes was completely gone. “Ten years ago. Did you really just ‘accidentally’ push Mia down those stairs?” “And that Notice of Execution Review… did you forge my signature on it? Did Evelyn really…” Liam’s voice choked on the words. He couldn’t finish the sentence. Chloe’s eyes darted nervously in a micro-expression of panic, but she quickly masked it, crying even harder. “Liam, I’ve been by your side for over a decade! Don’t you know my character by now?! How could I ever intentionally murder someone?!” “Evelyn forged all those documents because she knew you had a soft heart! She wanted to manipulate you into feeling guilty for the rest of your life…” SMACK! The video feed was abruptly cut off again. Liam lost his mind. He violently swept his arm across his desk, sending files, laptops, and coffee mugs crashing to the floor. “EVELYN HAYES! Do you think I’m a complete fucking idiot?!” Just then, a memory flashed into his mind. The gruff voice of the cemetery groundskeeper from earlier today. He immediately pulled up his recent calls and dialed the number. The municipal cemetery on the outskirts of the city was desolate and bleak. The groundskeeper led Liam down a long, overgrown path, finally stopping in front of a massive, communal gravestone. “She’s buried right here. We found that old cell phone in the dirt when we were repairing the plot a few years ago. I kept it charged in the office, figuring someone might eventually come looking for it.” Liam’s eyes widened in horror. Carved deeply into the cold granite headstone were the words: [Here Lies the 37 Victims of the Sunlight Orphanage Fire, and Evelyn Hayes.]

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “400806”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Right before the Christmas holidays, I texted Julian: [What day are you coming to my parents’ house?] Julian took a full four days to reply. [1] Unable to suppress my fury, I took a screenshot of the chat and posted it on Reddit, asking the internet to judge: Is this a boyfriend, or a broken chatbot? The replies were brutal: “Definitely a boyfriend. ChatGPT isn’t this stupid; even AI knows how to ask how your day was.” “That’s harsh, but true.” “Why are you even with this guy? Are you keeping him around just so you don’t have to be single for the holidays?” “Don’t bother telling her, OP is obviously obsessed. She didn’t dump him immediately, she’s posting on Reddit asking for advice. She’s still holding out hope for this robot.” I let out a bitter laugh. The comments weren’t wrong. I was actually still waiting for Julian to send a real reply. [You said you were terrified of marriage, and I waited for you for seven years. This year, you finally said you were ready to meet my parents. What is this silent treatment supposed to mean?] [Are you coming or not? Give me a straight answer!] While waiting for him to reply, I was scrolling through TikTok and stumbled across a viral video. The caption read: [My boss agreed to pretend to be my boyfriend for the holidays to get my parents off my back. Which outfit should he wear?] The video was a slideshow of eight photos. In every single one, the man’s outfit was perfectly color-coordinated to match the girl’s outfit. It was obvious the guy had put a lot of thought into it. The comments were flooded with people shipping them: [OMG, my favorite CEO x Assistant trope is finally hitting the ‘meet the parents’ arc?!] When I swiped to the sixth photo, I froze. The custom cufflinks on the man’s tailored suit… were the exact ones I had custom-designed specifically for Julian. At that exact moment, a notification popped up from Julian. It was another cold, single-character reply: [1]. I stared at that “1” for a long time. It felt utterly ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as I had been for the past seven years, constantly dropping hints that I wanted to get married. I closed his chat thread and opened my blocked contacts list. I unblocked a contact saved as: “Crazy European Stalker.” [Come to my parents’ house on December 27th. Meet the family.] [We’re getting married after the holidays.] He replied instantly: [YES! Booking my flight right now!] Julian, you don’t need to come anymore. You never have to come again. I opened Julian’s chat thread again. That glaring “1” was still the most recent message. What was the point of this? It took me seven years just to force him to agree to meet my parents for the holidays. Was I supposed to spend the next seven years forcing him to marry me? And another seven forcing him to have kids? “Let’s break up,” I typed definitively, and hit send. I put my phone down and started packing. We started dating freshman year of college. We’d been together for ten years, living together for eight. We had accumulated a mountain of stuff. But once I made the absolute decision to leave, packing went faster than any time I had moved before. Throw away the trash. Donate the rest. Soon, the three-bedroom apartment that used to be crammed with our lives felt hollow and empty. I efficiently booked a moving company and had my boxes hauled to a small, one-bedroom condo I had bought a few years ago as an investment property. With that, the physical ties to this relationship were severed. Right before I walked out the door, I took one last look around the apartment we had lived in the longest—the place we had originally planned to renovate into our marital home. A sudden, sharp wave of sorrow washed over my chest. Ten years. Just like that, it was over, ending with barely a whisper. After finishing the move, I rolled my suitcase into the airport terminal. Right then, my phone chimed with a notification tone I had assigned specifically to Julian. Despite everything, a spark of hope uncontrollably flared up, and my thumb tapped the notification faster than my brain could process it. [1] “Ha.” I let out a sharp, neurotic laugh, then immediately permanently blocked his number. The soft, acoustic music playing in the airport coffee shop filtered through the air. I thought about the last ten years. We had sweet moments, and we had brutal fights. Ending things now was probably the only way to honor how serious we used to be about each other. I couldn’t wait until Julian’s little assistant showed up at my door to finally wake up. That would be way too pathetic. While lost in thought, I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram. A new post popped up on my feed. I tapped it out of habit. It was from Chloe, Julian’s young executive assistant. [AHHHHH! My boss agreed to pretend to be my boyfriend to help me deal with my parents pressuring me to get married! I am the luckiest girl in the world!] [You guys don’t even know, Mr. Vance spent forever picking out outfits just so he could come home with me for the holidays~ Who says guys hate shopping? I am so exhausted!] Attached was a carousel of nine photos showcasing Julian in different outfits. They were casual, yet still radiated that subtle, expensive aura. Hoodies, distressed denim, crisp white sneakers. It was a complete 180 from his usual, overly formal style. Just as I pressed the buttons to take a screenshot, the post vanished. She had deleted it. I let out a self-deprecating laugh, remembering when I first met Julian in college. As the Student Body President, he was already strictly adhering to a wardrobe of button-downs and slacks. I used to beg him to wear matching couple’s outfits with me, but he always refused. “My position in student government doesn’t allow me to wear that kind of flashy, childish clothing. Stop being unreasonable.” Since when were hoodies and jeans considered flashy and childish? I stared at the screenshots of Julian dressed like a frat boy, sharp pangs of pain radiating through my chest. Even though I had already broken up with him, my emotions were still being dragged around by him. The airport PA system announced my flight. I stood up and joined the boarding line. I had been taking this flight home for the holidays alone for ten years. I had been asking him to come home to meet my parents for five years. But Chloe? She had only been interning under Julian for six months. It doesn’t matter anymore, Julian. From now on, you’ll never have to rack your brain trying to invent excuses to reject me again. The plane was incredibly quiet, especially since it was a red-eye flight. Surrounded by hundreds of people, I was suddenly drowning in an overwhelming sense of isolation. I opened up the TikTok account I had accidentally discovered belonging to Chloe. Sure enough, she had posted a new storytime video titled: “When the one who loves you doesn’t need to be asked, he just knows.” “The second my boss heard my parents had set me up on a blind date for the holidays, he panicked! I hadn’t even brought up the idea of finding a fake boyfriend yet, and he volunteered to come home with me to deal with my parents!” “Omg guys, I think I’ve turned into one of those girls who gets a crush on their strict camp counselor, or falls in love with their manager. I’m so obsessed.” “But my boss treats me so incredibly well… What am I supposed to do if I’m catching real feelings?” The comments were a unified wall of encouragement and shipping. “Girl, your boss is built like a model and has the face of a CEO. He’s young, successful, and making the first move. How could you not catch feelings?!” “Verdict: OP is an oblivious, innocent sweetheart. Your boss is practically throwing himself at you, you just need to open your eyes!” “Agreed! I’ve been following OP for six months, checking every day wondering when she’s finally going to get it… When are you going to change your handle from ‘Intern Chloe Grinding Daily’ to ‘Sweet Daily Life with my CEO Hubby’?” “OP, confess your feelings right now! You guys are obviously just one step away from making it official!” … We had been together for ten years. How could I not have noticed Julian drifting away? I was just… so tired. Julian was strongly opposed to marriage. I found this out the year we graduated college. I thought about it for a week, and ultimately decided to break up with him. “I’m an only child. If I don’t get married, my parents, my grandparents—my entire family—would be absolutely devastated.” Julian’s face had gone ghostly white. “Do you really not care about me at all?” “What good does caring do?!” I had been furious—angry that he had hidden his stance against marriage. “I can’t just be your girlfriend for the rest of my life!” Julian scrambled for excuses. “Your life belongs to you. You shouldn’t have to carry the burden of your parents’ or your family’s expectations.” I held up a hand to stop him. “Who said this was just their expectation? We used to talk about having one kid and giving them all our love.” “This is what I want. I want a family. I love kids.” I glared at him coldly. “So, all those times you agreed with me, were you just talking out of your ass?” Julian had nothing to say. After that argument, we unofficially broke up. But a month later, he showed up at my corporate housing. Looking gaunt and pale, he held out a bouquet of flowers. “Anna, I don’t want to lose you.” He spoke with intense gravity. “Can you just give me some time? At least right now, I am absolutely not ready to step into a marriage.” My heart softened. He was, after all, my first love. “I never said we had to get married right this second.” “Are you sure about this?” I asked him. “Don’t change your views on marriage or your life plans just for someone else.” Julian’s deep, expressive eyes welled up. “Compared to getting married, I’m much more terrified of losing you.” He paused. “Anna, wait for me.” “I will get over this fear.” And so I waited. For seven years. I didn’t want to wait anymore. After walking out of the airport and grabbing my suitcase, I was about to call an Uber. To my surprise, the second I stepped out of the sliding doors, I got a call from my dad. “Sweetie, did you land?” “I’m parked by the bus stop near Exit 1. Walk toward this side when you get out.” “Okay, got it.” I was a little shocked. Aside from my first two years of college, my dad had never come to pick me up from the airport. “I just walked out, I’m heading your way.” I rolled my suitcase down the sidewalk and spotted my parents leaning against their SUV from a mile away, scanning the crowd. When they saw me, they rushed over. My dad grabbed my bag to put it in the trunk, while my mom kept stretching her neck, looking behind me. Seeing how eager they were, I was suddenly very glad I had called in a ringer. “Dad, Mom—” I opened the back door. “My boyfriend isn’t coming until the 27th. Stop looking.” “Oh, right, right, right—” My mom slapped her thigh. “Today’s only Christmas Eve. We gotta let the boy spend Christmas with his own family first.” My dad slapped the steering wheel. “That Julian kid is thirty now. Glad he finally realized he needs to step up.” I pursed my lips, cutting off their excited chatter about their future son-in-law Julian. “I broke up with Julian.” “I’m dating someone new. His name is Arthur.” “Make sure you get the name right.” My dad, completely ignoring the fact that he was currently driving, whipped his head around to stare at me. “But when you called last week, you said Julian was away on a business trip—” “Watch the road!” My mom expertly shoved his head back toward the windshield. “It’s not you getting a new boyfriend, why are you panicking? Our daughter said he’s coming on the 27th, so we’ll meet him on the 27th! You’re driving like a maniac, people are going to think you’ve been chugging eggnog…” I laid back against the rear seats, silently listening to my mom scold my dad. She was right. Just last week on the phone, I had told them Julian was coming home with me this year. It was a massive sudden change for them. I expected them to interrogate me, but they just bickered with each other and completely skipped over the topic. Tears blurred my vision, because I felt overwhelmingly, unconditionally loved. I dozed off in the car. When we pulled into the driveway, I was swarmed by relatives before I even stepped out of the vehicle. My grandmother on my dad’s side had five kids; my grandmother on my mom’s side had six. Both of my parents were the youngest, most spoiled children in their respective massive families. Consequently, my marital status had always been a high-priority issue for both sides of the family tree. My oldest cousin was bouncing his new grandson. “This year, I specifically brought the baby over so you and your man could get some good luck! Once you’re married, hurry up and have a kid so my aunt can finally relax.” “We will, we will. Very soon.” My two older female cousins stuck their heads into the car, looking around. “This new boyfriend of yours doesn’t seem to know the rules. How can he drag his feet like this?” They clicked their tongues in disapproval. “If he had any sense, he would have shown up today with gifts in hand. You’re treating him like a prince.” “Yeah, seriously. He’s really lacking etiquette.” My aunts and uncles crowded closer. “Where’s the new boyfriend? He didn’t come today?” “Not today. He’s coming on the 27th.” … My youngest aunt finally pulled me out of the mob. “Give the guy a break! Christmas Day and Boxing Day are for his own family! Anna already said he’s coming on the 27th. Why are you guys so impatient? Let the poor girl rest first.” Even in the freezing winter air, I was sweating from the interrogation. Crap. This Arthur guy, this European aristocrat… does he have any idea how to handle the sheer force of an American extended family? The 25th and 26th were a blur of visiting relatives’ houses. When I finally collapsed onto my bed to rest, my phone rang with an unknown number. I answered, exhausted. “Hello?” “It’s me.” It was Julian. Before I could even process it, his aggrieved voice came through the speaker. “You blocked me.” “Yeah,” I replied calmly. “We broke up. Am I supposed to keep you unblocked so I can like your Instagram posts?” “I admit I was wrong! But Anna, can you please just give me a little more time… I’m still not ready.” “You’ve done a lot of wrong things. Which one are you talking about?” I asked coldly. “You promised me you would come home with me for the holidays. If you couldn’t do it, why did you agree? And even if you changed your mind at the last minute, why didn’t you just communicate that to me?” “Ever since you agreed to come home, you either left my messages on read or ignored them completely. Go search our chat history and see how many times you just replied with ‘1’ this past year.” “You said you were terrified of marriage, that you didn’t want to meet my parents. I gave you time to prepare. Seven years! A full seven years.” I took a breath. “I was understanding and respectful of your boundaries. And you turned around and went to your assistant’s hometown with her for the holidays.” There was a loud crash over the phone, followed by Julian’s sharp intake of breath. “Ah!” “How did you know… no, wait, let me explain!” “I just came here to help Chloe avoid her parents trying to force her into an arranged marriage. She’s only 21, she shouldn’t have to…” I was sick of hearing it. I cut him off sharply. “I don’t want to hear it!” “We are already broken up. I do not want to hear your excuses!” Julian was both anxious and angry. “I admit that breaking my promise to you was my fault, but can you at least give me a chance to explain? We agreed that if we had issues, we’d talk them out. We never went to bed angry.” He was still avoiding the subject of Chloe entirely. I didn’t want to waste my precious downtime on him anymore. “There’s nothing left to explain. Julian, you deceived me about your stance on marriage, you broke your promises, you deflected blame, and you took absolutely zero accountability.” “I am unilaterally informing you: we are broken up. That’s it.” I finished speaking, immediately hung up, and blocked the number. When it came to Julian, I knew in my soul that I owed him absolutely nothing. My parents were childhood sweethearts who married for love. Their relationship was beautiful and full of mutual grace. I always believed that in a relationship, you need respect, grace, and mutual understanding. I gave Julian seven years. That was more than enough. I shifted to get comfortable and go back to sleep. A notification popped up on WhatsApp. It was Chloe, complaining that I was being too heartless. [Ms. Anna, you’ve completely misunderstood Mr. Vance.] [He really only came back with me to help me out. My parents are super traditional and are trying to force me to get married before I even graduate college.] [You’re a woman too, you should be able to understand what I’m going through.] [Mr. Vance bought a red-eye plane ticket just so he could explain things to you in person. He hasn’t slept properly in days, and he has to fly out again tonight.] [Ms. Anna, you’re his girlfriend. Don’t you feel bad for him at all?] [I am so grateful to Mr. Vance. He’s taught me so much, and I genuinely want you two to be happy together.] I forwarded her the link to her own TikTok video and added a single question: [Do Intern Chloe’s followers know she’s knowingly sleeping with her boss while he has a girlfriend of ten years?] Chloe went completely silent. She just frantically started deleting her TikTok videos. I put my phone down, deeply satisfied, and slept a dreamless sleep. The next day, I didn’t drag myself out of bed until right before lunch. Just as I opened my bedroom door, I heard a massive commotion coming from the living room. Curious, I washed my face and headed downstairs. Halfway down, I saw my entire extended family crowded around a tall, blonde man in a trench coat, treating him like royalty. “… Arthur?” I blurted his name out in shock. Across the room, the man flamboyantly swept his long hair back, turned around, and walked toward me. My relatives parted like the Red Sea, creating a clear path for him. Arthur stopped in front of me. Standing three steps up, I was a head taller than him. He bowed deeply in an exaggerated, aristocratic greeting. “At your service.” “My leading lady has finally awakened.” He took off his sunglasses, his trench coat flaring out dramatically. “Five years have passed, My Miss Ophelia.” “AHHHHH! He is so handsome! Is he like, a prince from another country?!” “Blonde hair! Six-foot-four! A Maybach! Auntie Anna really scored!” My nieces and nephews were clutching their chests and screaming. My cousin’s husband scratched his head. “Well, I’ll be damned. This guy is ridiculously good-looking.” My youngest aunt smiled maternally. “He’s very handsome. He’s definitely worthy of our Anna.” My dad grabbed Arthur’s arm. “Come on, let’s finish our game of chess. For a foreigner, you’re pretty damn good at this!” My mom rushed up the stairs and practically dragged me back into my room. “Good lord! Why did you come out here in your pajamas?! Hurry up, put on some makeup and change your clothes!” She started tearing through my closet. “You wear a trench coat too!” “You’re both tall, you both have great skin. The kids you have are going to be gorgeous! Hey, what do they call kids from different races? Mixed-race, right? Will they be American or European?” “This new boyfriend of yours has purple eyes! That’s so exotic! If it weren’t for him, I would have thought the world only had brown and blue eyes. If your kids inherit his eyes, that would be amazing. What’s the saying? ‘Rare things are precious’!” She was clearly lost in her own fantasy world. I didn’t interrupt her. My parents had deflected the family’s pressure to get married for five or six years, and they had never once pressured me themselves. I threw on a trench coat, pulled on some knee-high boots, and did some light makeup. My mom finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Take him around and introduce him to everyone. Don’t go wandering off, lunch is almost ready.” I agreed to everything and followed her downstairs. Arthur was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, good-naturedly chatting with the younger generation of my family. He really didn’t look like the psychotic maniac who, after being rejected, had tried to hold me hostage. Hearing us, he turned and held out a hand to help me down the last step. “Anna, I waited for you for a very long time.” I swatted his hand away. “Drop the theatrical act.” He didn’t get mad. He just smiled happily and squeezed in right next to me. “Your relatives are fascinating. They all really like me.” I grabbed his hand. “That’s because you’re my boyfriend.” “Follow me. I’m going to introduce you to everyone. Just repeat whatever I call them.” “It’s fine if you don’t remember their names. Just make a good impression.” Arthur looked down at our joined hands, absolutely thrilled, and agreed repeatedly. “Darling, whatever you say.” I shot him a sideways glance. What a two-faced chameleon. In reality, my nieces weren’t completely wrong. Arthur actually was a prince. More accurately, he was now a Duke. The first time I met him was during a road trip to a historic town. He was hitchhiking on the side of the road, looking like a total mess, and I pulled over. The second time was at a corporate trade negotiation. I was just a junior associate shadowing my manager to learn the ropes, and he was the lead executive for the opposing European conglomerate. Back then, I thought he was a stern, unsmiling, strictly-business type of guy. The third time, I was the lead negotiator. Due to business requirements, we started interacting a lot more. Then, we exchanged social media handles and became friends. And then… he suddenly confessed his love for me. When I rejected him, he actually had me kidnapped and taken to some undisclosed mansion. I had been furious. “This is how you show you like someone?! By violating my consent and holding me against my will?!” “We just need to spend more time together. You’ll fall in love with me eventually,” he stared at me, dangerously stubborn. “Also, I would never physically harm you.” I was rendered speechless by his bizarre, archaic views on romance. “I don’t care where you learned how to treat women, but let me make one thing crystal clear, Arthur.” “Any real relationship has to be built on free will. Affection that isn’t freely given is just submission.” “That kind of connection will evaporate the second it’s tested. Do you really want that kind of fake love?” Honestly, I hadn’t held out much hope that reasoning with him would work. After all, psychopaths aren’t exactly known for logic. To my absolute shock, after listening to me, he looked thoughtful for a moment… and then just let me go. After unlocking the ankle monitor he had put on me, he even hosted a lavish dinner for me. Before putting me in a car to send me home, he announced that he was going to pursue me properly. He pursued me relentlessly and flamboyantly for an entire year. I eventually blocked him on every single platform. Later, he told me he had to return to Europe to attend the Queen’s funeral and, coincidentally, inherit a title. That was when I found out he was literal aristocracy. On the day he left, he said, “Ophelia, you have no idea how much of a miracle your presence in my life has been.” “I beg of you, if you ever decide to get married… please consider me.” I had to admit, while his methods were deeply unhinged, he definitely made a lasting impression. Which was why, when I needed someone to swoop in and play the role of the fiancé, he was the very first person who came to mind. I led him from the living room to the kitchen, from the garden to my dad’s study. By the end of the tour, the pockets of his trench coat were stuffed with red envelopes filled with cash—traditional Chinese holiday gifts from my relatives. Halfway through the tour, when his pockets were literally overflowing, I had to find a gift bag for him to carry the rest of the envelopes. Once the tour was over and we were back in my room, Arthur started opening the red envelopes, looking absolutely ecstatic. “I love Chinese traditions. Especially the red envelopes.” I casually replied, “Well, when you get married, you’ll have to give out a lot of red envelopes yourself.” Arthur looked up at me, suddenly deadly serious. “So, when are we getting married?” I froze. “Uh,” I shifted uncomfortably under his expectant gaze. Usually, I was the one asking that question. “Whenever it’s convenient for you, I guess…” He stopped counting the cash, stood up, and pressed me. “I read that traditional Chinese weddings require a matchmaker and formal betrothal gifts! Tell me exactly what I need to do, Ophelia. I want to marry you as soon as possible.” I laughed. “It’s not that traditional anymore!” “Ophelia, marriage is incredibly sacred. I need you to take this seriously!” Being stared down by those deep purple eyes was making me a little nervous. “Okay, I…” “Anna! Arthur! Come downstairs, it’s time to eat!” My mom’s shout from downstairs interrupted us. We exchanged a look. He sighed and rubbed his temples. “Food first, everything else later.” I grabbed his hand and ran downstairs. At the dinner table, Arthur ate while seriously and politely answering all my relatives’ questions. He was handling the interrogation perfectly. Suddenly, he turned to my mom. “Mrs. Evans.” “What exactly do I need to do to marry in America?” “Anna is bullying me. She won’t tell me.” “Mrs. Evans, I want to marry Anna very badly. I am willing to… become a stay-at-home husband. Please, let me be a stay-at-home husband.” The entire table went dead silent. My mom stared at Arthur, her jaw hanging open. “Huh? Oh… wow, I… uh…” She shot me a frantic look. I actually managed to translate it instantly: [What does this mean?! You don’t want to marry him?! This kid is offering to be a stay-at-home husband! Opportunities like this don’t just fall out of the sky! What are you thinking?! Give me an answer!] I sighed helplessly. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, my uncle strolled into the dining room, hands behind his back. “Oh! You guys are eating.” He pointed out the front door. “There’s a young guy out there claiming to be Anna’s boyfriend. I brought him inside.” “Anna,” he coughed awkwardly. “I know you’re a beautiful girl, but we have to have some morals here. You can’t be dating two guys at the same time! You’re treating these boys like fish in a pond!” Holy crap. Did Julian actually show up?! I shot up from my chair and practically sprinted toward the front door. Arthur immediately abandoned his food and followed right behind me. It really was him. The second I saw Julian, I wanted to grab a shovel and bury him in the septic tank! “What are you doing here?” I hissed, keeping my voice low. Arthur shadowed me closely, standing right at my shoulder. Julian didn’t answer me. He glared at Arthur and demanded, “Who is he?” Arthur grabbed my hand, standing silently and protectively behind me. The residual anger I had been harboring instantly vanished—I hadn’t even cheated on him, and I certainly hadn’t done anything to feel guilty about. What was I afraid of?! “He’s my boyfriend,” I stated calmly. “He’s here to meet my parents.” “Julian, all the promises you made? Someone else is here to fulfill them. You should be thanking him.” Arthur proudly puffed out his chest. Julian’s face twisted in agony. “What about me?” “Didn’t we break up?” “I already explained! Chloe was being forced into an arranged marriage—” “You don’t need to explain anything to me. The breakup is a done deal.” I was so sick of his cyclical, pathetic excuses. “If you had an issue with the breakup, you should have said something the day it happened. Not five days later.” I stared him down. “Do you remember what you replied?” Julian’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t speak. I answered for him. “1.” “You replied with a ‘1’.” “That means ‘Understood. Agreed,’” my niece, who was eavesdropping, helpfully explained to the older relatives standing nearby. My face instantly burned bright red. I turned around and realized that the wall next to the front gate was lined with the heads of my neighbors, all straining to listen in on the drama.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “400791”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

It was 3:00 AM, and I was getting ready to head out for my night shift at the convenience store. Suddenly, a notification from a short-video app popped up on my phone. The headline read: [Show off the most bizarre gifts your significant other has ever given you] The comment section was on fire. People were roasting their partners for sending everything from live goldfish to ugly Christmas sweaters. But one comment stuck out like a sore thumb: “My wife’s gift is pretty unique. She got me my own exclusive Black Card~” Unlike the handmade photo albums or custom pillows others were posting, the card in the photo was matte black metal. Engraved in small gold letters were the words: “Baby’s Exclusive VIP,” “Unconditional Love 24/7,” “Present Card to Summon Wife.” I couldn’t help but shake my head. Are rich people really this competitive about showing off their relationships now? I was about to exit the app, but amidst a sea of rowdy comments, the user posted a video screenshot taken inside a bar. My finger froze mid-air. It felt like all the blood had been drained from my body. Under the dim, hazy lights, a woman was leaning back in a booth, holding a cocktail glass, her head turned slightly as she smiled. I would know that face anywhere, even if it were burned to ash. It was my wife, Sarah, who was supposed to be working the night shift at the hospital right now. Chapter 1 The replies in the comment section were still scrolling wildly. “Holy sh*t, is this card real? That is insanely loaded.” To prove it, the boy quietly started a live stream. In the frame, the woman, wearing a form-fitting knit dress, was behind the bar mixing a drink. Seeming to notice someone was filming, she turned back and smiled gently. Revealing Sarah’s familiar face. The boy sounded triumphant, keeping his voice low: “See that? My wife not only gives me a black card, but she also mixes drinks for me personally. Her friend owns this bar, so it’s basically our private date spot~” “Okay, I’m gonna go drink my wife’s special ‘Love Potion’ now~” The stream cut abruptly, leaving netizens howling that they hadn’t seen enough. Only my fingers grew colder, inch by inch. I picked up my phone, set it down, and picked it up again. Finally, unable to help myself, I dialed the familiar number. It rang for a long time before connecting. Sarah’s voice sounded slightly exhausted: “Liam? What’s wrong?” “Nothing… just wanted to ask, what are you doing?” Sarah let out a soft sigh: “What does it sound like? I’m on the night shift. Just finished rounds, I’m exhausted.” “Is Maya asleep? Remember to bolt the door when you leave.” “Oh, right, today is our third anniversary since we signed the papers. Once money isn’t so tight, I’ll make it up to you with a real gift.” I glanced at the time on my phone. 3:17 AM. Just as I was about to speak, a boy’s whining voice came from her end: “Honey, you promised to focus on me tonight. Why are you picking up calls again?” Sarah’s breath hitched. Her tone turned frantic: “There’s… there’s an emergency patient. The family keeps cornering me to ask about his condition. I have to go.” “And… try not to call when I’m on night shifts in the future, it’s not convenient.” With that, she hung up in a hurry. A bitter smile twisted my lips. Was it inconvenient, or was she afraid of making someone unhappy? Putting down the phone, I looked around this small, dilapidated rented apartment. After three years of marriage, this was our entire “marital home.” The paint was peeling in places, the sofa was sourced from a secondhand market, and the springs had collapsed. When I married Sarah, she had just lost a massive amount of money due to a malpractice lawsuit, burying herself in debt, and she was already saddled with a three-year-old daughter left by her ex-husband. She worked at the hospital during the day and took night shifts, wishing she could be on the clock twenty-four hours a day. Because I had to take care of the child, I couldn’t hold down a full-time job, so I took on piecemeal freelance gigs. Every night, after the child fell asleep, I went to work the night shift at the convenience store, thinking I could earn a little more, bit by bit. The jacket I was wearing was three or four years old, the collar washed out until it was white, but I couldn’t bring myself to replace it. Thinking of that high-end bar in the video, that exquisite cocktail, and the tenderness Sarah showed while mixing drinks for someone else. It felt like my chest was stuffed with waterlogged cotton. Heavy. Suffocating. “Ugh, this is so annoying. It’s the middle of the night, why aren’t you sleeping? What are you just staring at?” My stepdaughter, Maya, suddenly poked her head out of the bedroom, frowning at me. “My mom works so hard to make money for this family, and all you know how to do is slack off? You won’t even sleep properly?” “The food you make tastes awful, and you’re so poor and trashy. You don’t compare at all to—” I’ve asked myself over these past three years if I’ve done enough. I’ve been utterly submissive to her. But I don’t know when it started, this child’s eyes became filled with disdain whenever she looked at me. I always assumed she missed her biological father. But at this moment, I caught the anomaly in her words. “Compare to what?” Maya rolled her eyes, refusing to say more. She slammed the door shut, leaving behind only, “Anyway, he’s better than you.” Seeing I was about to be late, I could only tell her to lock the door and rushed out. The night shift at the convenience store was grittier than I imagined. Shelves needed stocking, expired food needed removing, and I had to deal with drunks coming in at midnight to buy beer. By the time the hand-off was done, the sky was growing pale. I was so tired I could barely straighten my back, ready to clock out. The store manager suddenly walked over with a dark expression: “Liam, I looked at your inventory sheet from last night. The numbers don’t match. Don’t leave yet. Re-count the whole thing.” I froze. I had clearly double-checked every item three times. But to avoid having my wages docked, I had to suppress my sleepiness and start counting again. Halfway through, I went to the back warehouse to get stock and heard the manager on the phone: “Mrs. Vance, don’t you worry. I did exactly as you said. I’m making him count slowly, he won’t be leaving anytime soon.” “Guaranteed that young master will get a good night’s sleep without being disturbed.” “Of course, of course. That thirty thousand is enough to cover my son’s wedding.” I leaned against the shelf, my legs heavy as lead. But no matter how heavy they were, they couldn’t compare to my heart, which was growing icy, piece by piece. Subconsciously, I opened my phone and pulled up the home security camera feed. In the frame, that boy from the photo last night was walking out of our bedroom wearing a bathrobe. Hickeys were dotted all over his neck. He wrapped his arms around Sarah’s waist from behind, whining: “Did you drop Maya off at school?” “Honey, since nobody’s here right now, come back to sleep with me for a bit~” “Stop it, I need to send you back. If Liam comes back and sees…” Sarah said no, but she didn’t push him away. The boy curled his lip disdainfully: “So what if he sees? Isn’t that loser just a free nanny you found to take care of Maya? Even your marriage certificate is fake.” “Right now, I’m not your brother-in-law. I’m your legally protected husband~” “When are you finally going to kick him out? I want to live with you in the open.” Sarah paused, then gently stroked his head: “Taking care of a child is too tiring. Liam is used to suffering since he was a kid; he’s better suited for this than you.” “You only need to be responsible for being spoiled by me. Just be a carefree kid.” My head buzzed. The phone almost slid out of my hand. Looking at that young, arrogant face, I finally remembered who he was. Sarah’s ex-husband’s younger brother—Tyler. When Sarah and I got married, because we had no money, we just got the certificate; we didn’t have a reception. Tyler came over once, saying he was checking in on behalf of his brother. He held his chin high, speaking to me in a commanding tone: “Take good care of my sister-in-law and Maya from now on. Don’t let them suffer.” At the time, I thought it was only natural for a brother-in-law to care about his brother’s widow. Now I understood that the arrogance in his eyes was the look a master gives a servant. I stumbled home in a daze. The door was unlocked. Sarah was sitting on the sofa. Standing next to her was a woman dressed professionally in a suit, speaking respectfully: “Mrs. Vance, I’ve already sent Master Tyler back.” “It’s just… yesterday was at least your wedding anniversary with Liam. Are you really not sending him anything?” “For Tyler’s birthday, you sent a sports car.” Sarah shook her head casually: “No need. Liam is someone who came up from poverty. If he finds out I have money, he’ll inevitably get greedy and try to funnel money to his family back home.” “Didn’t I choose him in the beginning because he knows how to raise a child, has no background, is easy to control, and won’t abuse Maya?” “As long as he honestly raises Maya until she’s an adult, I’ll give him a sum of money, enough for him to retire back to his hometown.” “As for Tyler, I promised his brother I’d take care of him. Naturally, I can’t let him suffer.” Sarah and I met because of an accident. That year, I was dragged back by my family to an arranged matchmaking. The other party was a woman in her late fifties who said she’d spend hundreds of thousands to make me her live-in son-in-law. I refused, and was pinned to the ground by the bodyguards she brought, getting beaten. Sarah was passing by and shouted at them to stop. She shielded me behind her, looking coldly at that gang: “He is a human being, not merchandise for you to buy and sell.” At the time, she was newly widowed, depressed all day, and didn’t know how to raise a three-year-old child on her own. She would frequently ask me, someone who came from a large family with many siblings. And I, having been used as free labor by my family since childhood, was indeed the best at raising children. To repay her, I often helped her take care of Maya. The oppression from my parents, the cold eyes of relatives. It left me insecure and starved for love down to my bones. Sarah was the first person to respect me, to protect me. Knowing full well she carried debt and still had her late husband in her heart, I married her anyway. I even quit the job I loved to better take care of the child. But I never imagined that after three years of devotion. In her eyes, I was just a free nanny. I couldn’t even compare to her late husband’s brother. I… was just an outsider. “Liam? When did you get back?” Sarah’s voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of panic. She gave a look to the woman in the suit, signaling her to leave. Then she managed a smile: “This is a colleague from the hospital. Shift just changed, she came by for a glass of water.” I didn’t speak. I just found it laughable. What hospital colleague would be wearing a custom suit worth tens of thousands of dollars? Sarah, seeing me silent, walked over to support me: “How are you this exhausted? Did the manager make trouble for you again?” She stuffed a breakfast burrito into my hand, her tone carrying guilt: “I’m sorry, Liam. It’s all my fault, dragging you into this kind of life.” “This is something you usually can’t bring yourself to buy. Consider it my belated anniversary gift to you.” “Once the debt is paid off in the future, I’ll make it up to you properly.” She was right. Over these three years, the money I earned went either to her “debt repayment,” or to buy Maya clothes and sign her up for tutoring classes. I couldn’t bring myself to buy even a bottle of water for myself. But after watching the security footage this morning, I knew. The moment I sent Maya to her tutoring class, she and Tyler picked her up right after, and the three went out for sushi and shopping. There was even one time she said she was taking Maya to her hometown to visit graves, but she actually went on vacation to Miami with Tyler. For Tyler’s birthday, she could casually send a sports car. And I, I only deserved a breakfast burrito. Perhaps in her heart, this was exactly what I was worth. I suddenly felt very tired. “Sarah, we…” Before I could finish, her phone suddenly rang. She glanced at it, violently shot to her feet: “Liam, eat something yourself. I have an emergency, I have to go.” A short while later, Tyler’s social media account updated. In the frame, Sarah was kneeling by the bed, gently rubbing his stomach for him. Her eyes were tender, like she was another person. “Hee hee, I just ate too much this morning and got a little bloated, and this woman got all nervous and rushed over to rub my belly~” He once again showed off that black gold membership card. An extra line of small text was added: The most precious little ancestor. My stomach suddenly churned violently. I rushed to the bathroom and dry-heaved for a long time. The phone rang; it was the school: “Hello, is this Maya Vance’s parent?” “Kindergarten is having a parent-child sports day today. Can you make it on time?” I froze for a moment. Sports day? Maya didn’t tell me. But in the end, this was a child I had raised with my own hands. I went. Arriving at the school, as soon as I stated my identity, the homeroom teacher was stunned: “You’re saying you’re Maya’s father? Then who is that gentleman inside?” I followed her gaze to the playground. Tyler was crouching next to Maya, helping her tie her shoelaces. A few little kids crowded around, sizing up my washed-out hoodie, asking disdainfully: “Maya, didn’t you say your handsome older brother was your dad? Who is this trashy, ugly old guy?” “Which one is real? We don’t play with liars!” Maya looked at Tyler’s branded streetwear, then looked at my old clothes. Her face flushed dark red. She ran over in a huff, giving me a violent push: “Who told you to come?!” “You’re just our nanny, you’re not worthy of coming to my sports day! My daddy is over there! Get out of here right now!” “Or else I’ll make my mom fire you!” Tyler, as if he had expected this long ago, curled his lip in a triumphant smile. I looked down at Maya. When she was three, her body was weak. She often had fevers in the middle of the night. The doctor said it might be because she missed her father. My heart ached for her endlessly. I held her all night long, telling her stories, coaxing her to sleep. When she was sick, I wouldn’t sleep or rest, guarding her, finding new ways to cook things she liked to eat. It could be said this child grew up in my arms. But this child, whom I regarded as my own, along with her mother, played me for a fool. Three years. I never got a single call of “Daddy,” yet Tyler got it easily. Yesterday wasn’t his first time spending the night. Otherwise, Maya wouldn’t have been in such a rush to usher me out. Perhaps, the bond of raising a child really cannot compete with bloodlines. It felt like a hole had been punctured in my chest. I spoke softly: “No need to kick me out. I’ll leave on my own.” Finishing, I didn’t acknowledge Maya’s slightly changing expression, and turned to leave. Walking to the stairwell corner, Tyler caught up. He walked up to me with a smirk, raised his hand, and slapped me right across the face: “What do you think you are? You dare come here to mark your territory?” “You heard Maya, right? You’re just a free nanny. Even the marriage certificate is fake.” “I am her legal husband.” “Sarah and I have known each other for over a decade. Maya is my brother’s child; she has Vance blood in her.” “Our bond is something you can never compare to. You only bring them shame.” Tyler got closer, lowering his voice: “You don’t actually think that child Sarah miscarried years ago was an accident, do you?” My eyes violently went wide: “What did you say?” “Sarah planned that herself. She originally could have saved her fertility, but she told the doctor to remove it.” “Because I told her, if she had your child, you would abuse Maya and fight over the estate in the future.” “Had to eliminate future trouble. She heard that, and she meekly complied.” He looked at me triumphantly: “But I’m different. I’m her late husband’s brother. Our child will have Vance blood.” “That’s why she was willing to get a certificate with me. She was thrilled when she found out I got her pregnant.” “She said we are a real family. As for you, and that dead child, you’re both outsiders.” “I heard you worked all kinds of gigs over these years to support the household? Tsk. Calling it ‘free’ is flattering you.” “Talk to a pathetic loser like you actually makes me feel dirty.” “If I were you, I’d get lost sooner rather than later, and stop getting in the way of our family’s life.” My hands were clenched and shaking. That miscarriage. That child. It was the deepest pain of my life. I held the Sarah who had just miscarried, crying my heart out, saying over and over that it was my fault. Three years of companionship. I thought we were the closest people in the world. But she set up barrier after barrier, guarding against me like I was a thief. For what? Why did my sincerity have to be trampled on like this? I raised my hand, but before it could fall, I was violently shoved aside from behind: “What are you doing?!” My knee already had an old injury; I didn’t keep my footing and rolled all the way down the stairs. Sharp pain shot through my elbow, and a warm stream flowed down from my forehead. Blood covered my face. Sarah’s eyes went wide in shock: “Liam! Are you okay? I didn’t mean to…” She wanted to come help me, but Tyler grabbed her arm tightly, saying pitifully: “Maya had her sports day today, and the teacher couldn’t get in touch with Liam no matter what. Those kids were calling Maya a fatherless bastard, so I came for her sake!” “But he came and started yelling at me for minding other people’s business, said I was an outsider, told me to get lost, and wanted to hit me!” “My brother is in heaven. If he saw me being bullied like this, how heartbreaking would that be…” Sarah’s face instantly darkened. She looked at me coldly: “Tyler is Maya’s biological uncle, they have a blood relation. If he’s an outsider, what are you?” “I don’t know what you’re busy doing all day that you can’t even attend your child’s sports day. Do you even deserve to be a parent?” “Tyler was kindly helping out, and you have the nerve to hit him?” I stumbled to my feet, wiping the blood from my face. I let out a cold laugh: “Sarah, is playing me this fun?” “If I’m not worthy of being a parent, then a lying cheat like you, who tricks people’s emotions…” “An animal who personally murders her own child, deserves to be a mother even less!” Sarah’s expression changed, just about to speak. Tyler tugged at her sleeve: “Maya is still waiting for us, don’t keep the child waiting alone. She’s wearing new shoes today; standing too long hurts her feet.” Sarah nodded, leaving behind one sentence: “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Tyler is much more sensible than you.” “Since you dislike going to Maya’s sports day so much, you don’t need to come in the future. Tyler will go.” “In the end, she’s not your biological child; you can’t compare to blood relation.” Finishing, heartbroken that Tyler’s feet might hurt. She helped him up and walked away without looking back. The glass window nearby reflected my pathetic appearance. Dried-out hair, gaunt face. Because of chronically staying up late, my skin was rough as sandpaper. But I never complained. In the end, it only bought me a scam, and the status of an “outsider.” It needs to end. I used the money saved from my freelance gigs to get my wound bandaged at the hospital. Went home to pack my bags—actually just a few old clothes. Booked a ticket on the nearest train. Sarah, I’m not playing your “pretending to be poor” game anymore.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “400807”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Every year on April Fools’ Day, my boyfriend teamed up with his “bro-girl” best friend to play a sick prank: he would fake a proposal to me. Last year, my heart pounded with anticipation as he slipped the ring onto my finger. But the moment it was on, a hidden spring mechanism in the trick ring snapped shut, crushing my skin. I screamed in agony. My boyfriend and his best friend, Chloe, just erupted into hysterical laughter. They didn’t care that my finger was turning purple and dangerously close to losing circulation. To apologize, my boyfriend, Liam, swore on his life that this year, the proposal would be real. So, when he frantically called me, begging me to meet him at the exact spot of our first date, I believed him. I got a blowout, had my nails done, spent two hours on my makeup, and bought a brand-new dress. I even had the engagement announcement drafted and ready to post on Instagram. But the second I walked through the door, my heart full of joy… a massive, heavy paper plate completely covered in shaving cream and frosting was smashed directly into my face. A bright, loud, feminine laugh exploded from the crowd. “I told you she’d show up! You owe me fifty bucks, Liam! You lose!” Liam stepped up and gently wiped the frosting off my face, using the same tender touch he always had. “You dressed up so pretty today, too. Shame about the outfit.” “I made a bet with the guys on whether we could actually get you to show up today. I bet you wouldn’t. If I won, I was going to propose to you tomorrow. If I lost, I’d propose next year.” “Sorry, babe. Since you showed up, I guess we aren’t getting married this year either.” I stood perfectly still, looking at him through the sticky mess on my eyelashes. “So. Do you even know what tomorrow is?” He smiled casually, brushing it off. “Of course I know. It’s our six-year anniversary. How could I forget?” The heavy, sickeningly sweet frosting clung to my skin. In that exact moment, a profound, suffocating exhaustion washed over me. It was all so pointless. Our anniversary was less important than an April Fools’ joke. Just like I was less important than his “bro-girl” best friend. I reached down and slid off the matching promise ring we had both worn for the last six years. “Then let’s break up.” The sharp clink of the silver ring hitting the hardwood floor silenced the entire VIP room. Liam frowned slightly, looking annoyed. “Stop being dramatic. It’s just a little frosting. I’ll help you wash it off when we get home. You know how Chloe is, she used to go way harder with her pranks. She actually held back for you.” “I went through a lot of trouble to get you out here. Don’t make me look like a whipped, spineless boyfriend in front of my friends.” Chloe immediately put on a pouting, victimized face. “Geez, Elena, it was just a joke. If you hate it so much, we won’t play anymore, okay? There’s no need to threaten a breakup over it.” “I told you guys she couldn’t take a joke, but you insisted on inviting her. Now look what happened.” She crossed her arms and threw herself onto the leather sofa, looking incredibly put out. Instantly, the glares from the rest of the friend group turned cold and hostile toward me. Chloe was the only girl in their tight-knit frat-bro circle. She was the undisputed princess of the group. If she was unhappy, everyone scrambled to coddle her. Liam was no exception. The very first time I met her, she organized a game of Truth or Dare. Everyone else’s dares were harmless, stupid pranks—like singing loudly in the street. But when it was my turn, she dared me to fake an orgasm in front of the entire room. I quietly said I wasn’t comfortable with that kind of inappropriate punishment. Chloe instantly burst into tears and ran out of the bar. The entire group of guys sprinted out after her. Including Liam. What was supposed to be my welcome party ended with me sitting alone at an empty table. Liam didn’t say anything about it afterward, but from that day on, he never brought me to another group hangout unless Chloe explicitly gave him permission. Liam glared at me, his brow furrowed in a stern warning. “Elena, apologize to Chloe.” If this were the past—if I was still desperately trying to fit in, still terrified of embarrassing Liam in front of his boys—I would have swallowed my pride. I would have proactively apologized and explained myself before he even had to ask. But right now, seeing that me threatening to end our six-year relationship carried less weight than Chloe looking slightly annoyed… I finally understood. From the very beginning, my place in his heart was inherently inferior to his “purely platonic” bond with his female best friend. I picked up the expensive trench coat and the designer handbag I had bought specifically to impress his parents later this week. I looked back at their judgmental, scrutinizing faces. “Liam. We’re done. I mean it. It’s over.” I turned and walked out, my brand-new heels clicking unsteadily against the floor. As the heavy door swung shut behind me, I could faintly hear Chloe’s teasing laughter from inside. “Are you really not going to chase after your little stage-five clinger?” Liam let out a cold, arrogant scoff. “She’s just throwing a tantrum to get attention. If I actually chased her, what would happen to you?” “Besides, she doesn’t have anyone else in this city to rely on but me. She’s easy to handle.” My heart, already burning and raw, was sliced wide open. His words were like freezing wind scraping against an open wound. Six years ago, Liam had stood in this exact same restaurant and confessed his love to me, swearing I was the only woman for him. Truthfully, it took a lot of effort for him to win me over. When I was fifteen, both of my parents remarried and started new families. I became the unwanted baggage that neither of them wanted to acknowledge. Because of that, I was terrified of dating. I was terrified of the idea of a family. I rejected him five times. The final time, a creep started stalking me while I was walking back to my lonely, empty apartment at night. Liam appeared out of nowhere and fought the guy off. He took a knife to the arm in the process and ended up in the ER. After the nurse finished stitching him up, his eyes suddenly turned red. “Elena, why do you have to be so fiercely independent? Can’t you just let me protect you?” In that single moment, the ice around my heart melted. I thought to myself: Maybe… maybe dating someone this reliable and gentle wouldn’t be so bad. That very night, he asked me to meet him at that restaurant and officially asked me to be his girlfriend. When I said yes, this usually sophisticated, composed guy picked me up and spun me around like a massive, goofy golden retriever. We spun until we were both dizzy and collapsed laughing onto the floor. He wrapped his strong arms around me, shielding me from the hard ground. We sat on the concrete steps outside the restaurant, and he swore to the moon that as long as he was around, I would never be lonely, and I would never be abandoned again. But tonight, the deepest, most vulnerable wounds I had ever exposed to him—wounds that had barely begun to scar over—were violently ripped open by the exact same man. I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. I opened my email app on my phone and clicked on an unread message from five days ago. It was a corporate transfer offer to our company’s headquarters on the East Coast. The offer expired at midnight. I typed my reply: [I accept the transfer to the New York HQ.] It turned out those words weren’t actually that hard to type. I looked up at the moon, half-hidden behind thin, wispy clouds. Liam. I’m actually not easy to handle at all. And I don’t need you to handle me anymore. My train ticket to New York was booked for the afternoon of the 2nd. I didn’t have much time left. As soon as I got back to the apartment, I quickly washed the sticky, smelling frosting off my skin and started packing my life away. I didn’t have a lot of things. It was mostly just clothes and a few personal items. I managed to fit everything into two suitcases—one large, one small. At 3:00 AM, I booked a nearby hotel for the night. Just as I grabbed the handle of my suitcase to leave, the front door swung open. Liam stumbled in, completely exhausted from partying. He dumped a blackout-drunk Chloe onto our living room sofa, then handed me a plastic grocery bag filled with fresh pears. “Perfect timing, you’re still awake. She had way too much to drink. Go boil some pear and ginger tea for her hangover, otherwise she’s going to be throwing up all night.” I stood perfectly still, not moving a muscle. When we first moved in together years ago, he came home completely trashed from a frat reunion, throwing up constantly. My heart ached for him. I woke up at 2:00 AM to brew him a traditional hangover remedy on the stove. But the cheap clay pot I was using couldn’t handle the heat. It shattered violently. Boiling water and sharp ceramic shards exploded all over me, burning my arms and chest. When he saw what happened, the alcohol instantly left his system. He looked at my burns with absolute, agonizing guilt. From that day forward, he never let me step foot in the kitchen again. Even when he was sick with the flu and craving homemade chicken noodle soup, he would rather order overpriced delivery than let me turn on the stove. For the last few years, I hadn’t cooked a single meal. He even washed and peeled the fruit before handing it to me. To this day, there was a custom wooden sign hanging on the kitchen door that he had carved himself: [DANGER ZONE: ELENA IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN.] I let out a cynical chuckle and tossed the plastic bag of pears directly into the trash can. “Sorry. Not my job. If she wants a hangover cure, she can order it on UberEats.” With that, I grabbed the handles of my suitcases and stepped toward the door. He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing my wrist and shoving me aggressively against the heavy wooden door. “Alright, Elena, enough. It was fine when you were just venting at the restaurant, but packing your bags? I already told you, it was an April Fools’ joke. Stop throwing a tantrum.” “I know you want to get married. I want to, too. Next year. I promise we will officially tie the knot next year, okay?” The smell of stale alcohol washed over my neck as he breathed heavily. But unlike every other time in the past, his half-hearted coaxing didn’t work. I shoved him away with both hands and delivered a sharp, echoing slap directly across his cheek. “Liam, I was incredibly clear. We are broken up. I am never marrying you!” The sharp crack of the slap didn’t just stun Liam; it also managed to partially wake up the drunk girl on the couch. Chloe stumbled to her feet, swaying violently, and charged at me. She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. “Who the hell do you think you are?! Who gave you the right to hit Liam?!” “If you want to break up, then break up! There are a million better girls out there! You… you’re literally a nobody!” A burning, stinging pain exploded across my cheek. My eyes turned red with fury. I raised my hand, ready to slap her back into next week. But Liam violently grabbed my wrist mid-air, twisting it and shoving me backward. The small of my back slammed brutally into the metal doorknob. A sharp, paralyzing pain shot through my spine. He stood protectively in front of Chloe, his brow furrowed in deep annoyance. “She’s blackout drunk. Are you seriously going to pick a physical fight with a drunk person?” “Just… get out of here. Go cool off. We’ll talk about this tomorrow when you’re acting rational.” I stared at him in absolute disbelief. He looked so incredibly indifferent, as if I were just some random, unreasonable stranger causing a scene in his home. He didn’t spare me a second glance. He immediately turned his attention back to the slurring, stumbling Chloe, his voice dropping into a soft, gentle whisper to calm her down. He saved every ounce of his tenderness for her. I dug my fingernails into my palms until they nearly bled. I grabbed my suitcases and walked out the door. I checked into the nearest Marriott. I didn’t manage to close my eyes until the sun started to rise. When I woke up, my phone was exploding with notifications. Aside from the generic mass texts about April Fools’ pranks, most of the messages were from coworkers and friends asking why I hadn’t shown up to work, and fishing for gossip about whether Liam had finally popped the question. My heart gave a dull, painful throb. I sent a mass reply saying simply, [We broke up,] feeling a deep, suffocating exhaustion settling into my bones. The ping-ping-ping of incoming texts continued. Some people thought it was a belated April Fools’ joke. Some said it was impossible. Some even told me to stop acting like a spoiled brat just because I was disappointed about the proposal. After all, in their eyes, Liam was the perfect man. Gentle, reliable, and incredibly successful. He was the ultimate safety net. A rare, high-value catch. But they didn’t know the reality of this “perfect man.” For our four-year anniversary, he set up a ridiculously romantic, elaborate proposal fake-out, specifically to lower my guard so his “bro-girl” could drop a realistic, terrifying rubber snake on my lap. For our five-year anniversary, he used a novelty trick ring Chloe had bought online to “propose.” I spent that night in the ER with the fire department using heavy machinery to cut the metal off my finger before it went necrotic. Yes, he had the ability to be an incredible safety net. But I wasn’t the person he was catching. In the past, I had automatically, delusionally blocked out all these massive red flags. I kept gaslighting myself, repeating: Aside from Chloe, he treats me like a queen. But once the fog finally cleared, I realized that a relationship like this—even if it ended in a proposal—was a dead end. I let out a bitter laugh and absentmindedly opened Instagram. Amidst the sea of predictable April Fools’ posts, the most prominent update was a massive photo dump from Chloe. Liam had taken her to a luxury movie theater, won her a massive teddy bear at the arcade, and played laser tag with her. Even though he technically always prioritized Chloe’s April Fools’ prank before celebrating our actual anniversary the next day… He had never, ever taken me to do any of those things. He always told me that arcades and laser tag were immature wastes of time for teenagers. He insisted that taking a pottery class or watching an indie documentary at home was much more “meaningful.” I had genuinely believed that was just his mature, sophisticated personality showing through. So, I actively suppressed all my youthful, silly desires from my first real relationship to match his energy. But now, looking at the photos of him laughing so brightly, so carefree, surrounded by neon arcade lights… I finally realized that those activities weren’t boring. He just found them boring when he was doing them with me. The comment section under Chloe’s post was an endless stream of people saying how cute they looked together. All of our mutual friends had liked the post. It had more likes than the post we made when we officially announced we were dating. Just as I was about to force-close the app, a text message popped up at the top of my screen. It was from Liam. [Don’t overthink the photos. I just took her out to burn off the hangover. If you have time, come back to the apartment. She said she wants to apologize to you.] I frowned deeply, my thumbs flying across the keyboard to type: [Don’t bother.] But suddenly, a delivery notification popped up from Amazon. The anniversary gift I had ordered for him weeks ago had just been signed for. I had used the apartment as the shipping address. I thought about it for a second. It was best to get total closure. I also needed to drop my set of keys on the counter. A clean, definitive break. I threw on some basic clothes and caught an Uber back to the apartment building. But the exact second I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, a massive splash of freezing, chemically-smelling liquid hit me directly in the face. A violent, burning sensation instantly erupted across my cheeks. “SURPRISE! HAPPY LATE APRIL FOOLS’!” Before I could even wipe my eyes, Chloe charged at me. She was holding a rough microfiber makeup remover cloth, aggressively scrubbing and dragging it across my face. The burning sensation intensified exponentially, accompanied by a terrifying, agonizing itch that felt like thousands of tiny insects chewing into my skin. It felt like my face was being physically peeled off. I violently shoved her away. I instinctively reached up to scratch my face, but the second my fingers made contact, a blinding, piercing pain shot through my nerves. “Cough… cough… my face… what is that?!” Liam sprinted out of the kitchen, grabbing my wrists forcefully to stop me from scratching. His voice was laced with genuine panic and fury. “Chloe! You said it was just micellar water! Why is her face breaking out in hives?!” Chloe’s face flushed a deep, guilty red. “I… I don’t know! I just grabbed a random bottle from the bathroom! Besides, she’s always wearing that pathetic, innocent ‘no-makeup makeup’ look trying to compete with me! I hate it! And you told me yourself you didn’t like how it looked, which is why you agreed to let me prank her!” My entire body was trembling uncontrollably. My limbs were going numb, and my airway was beginning to tighten. “And you really thought… she actually wanted to apologize to me?! Liam… you are a psychopathic monster. You don’t even deserve the phrase ‘clean break’!” Gasping for air, I tried to stumble toward the bathroom to wash my face. But after taking a single step, the world violently spun, and everything went black. “ELENA! ELENA, WAKE UP!” When I finally regained consciousness, the sun had already set. The burning, throbbing pain on my cheeks was still incredibly intense. While I was fading in and out in the ER, I vaguely remembered the doctors telling me I had suffered severe chemical burns and required several stitches on my chin and right cheek where the skin had split from the aggressive scrubbing. My shifting on the hospital bed woke Liam, who had been dozing in the chair next to me. “Elena, thank God you’re awake. You terrified me. The doctor said you had a severe anaphylactic shock reaction to an industrial-strength disinfectant.” “She genuinely wanted to apologize to you today. But you know how stubborn and defensive she is. Her actions were definitely out of line, but she honestly didn’t mean to hurt you this badly. Please don’t be too angry with her, okay?” His voice was frantic, tumbling over itself. But in all his desperate words, there wasn’t a single shred of concern about whether I would be permanently scarred, or whether I was in excruciating pain or feeling insecure about my ruined face. All of his energy was focused entirely on exonerating her. I looked at him. I looked at the face of the man I had loved so deeply for six years, and suddenly, he looked like a complete, terrifying stranger. Tears silently spilled over my lashes and slid down my bandaged cheeks. “I’m not angry. I just feel an overwhelming sense of regret. I never, ever should have dated you.” His body stiffened. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, his phone screen lit up on the nightstand. Liam glanced at the caller ID—[The Tyrant]—and instantly swallowed whatever he was going to say. “I need to step out for a second. Get some rest. I’ll be right back.” He practically sprinted out the door. Driven by some dark, masochistic curiosity, I quietly slipped out of bed and followed him. Through the narrow crack of the heavy fire-escape door at the end of the hall. He was sitting on the concrete stairs right next to Chloe. “It’s okay, don’t beat yourself up over it. She’s not going to stay mad. She always forgives us eventually. She always has.” Chloe lightly punched him in the shoulder. “If she can’t even handle this, imagine how nuclear she would go if she found out the only reason you asked her out was because you lost a bet with the guys! And that the only reason you chose April Fools’ Day to propose was because we picked it out as a joke!” In that singular moment, it felt like a flashbang had detonated inside my skull. A deafening, high-pitched ringing drowned out every other sound in the universe. Liam frantically clamped his hand over her mouth, looking around the stairwell in a panic. “SHH! Keep your voice down! That was six years ago! Take that secret to your grave!” My legs completely gave out. It felt as though every single bone in my body had been violently magically extracted. I couldn’t even stand up. The questions that had been haunting me like ghosts for years finally had their answers. Why, when forced to choose, I always lost to Chloe. Why Liam, who claimed to love me so deeply, always enabled and permitted her to abuse me. I had delusionally believed he was just overly loyal to his “found family” of frat brothers. I never, ever imagined that every single thing he had ever given me was a fabricated, toxic lie. Even the moment I thought was the beginning of my salvation… was built entirely on a humiliating, cruel joke. In their eyes, I was never Liam’s beloved girlfriend. I was just a pathetic, entertaining clown they kept around for laughs. In this moment, the last remaining shred of my dignity was completely, utterly annihilated. I pressed both hands forcefully over my mouth to stop myself from screaming. I had to leave. I had to escape this suffocating, artificial nightmare. I called an Uber, grabbed my suitcases from the hotel I had booked the night before, and went straight to Penn Station. I paid an exorbitant fee to change my ticket to the very next Amtrak train heading to the East Coast HQ. Just before I boarded the train, a text from Liam popped up on my phone. [The doctor said you need to be kept under observation. Don’t wander off. Where are you? I’m coming to find you.] Looking at his fake, hypocritical concern, I laughed until tears streamed down my face. I didn’t reply. I permanently blocked his number, and the numbers of every single one of his friends. Liam. I am officially resigning from your sick little April Fools’ game.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “400792”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When we got to my boyfriend’s apartment, I stopped dead in my tracks at the front door. “You need to text your mom for the temporary passcode, right? I can sit here and wait…” Liam expertly punched a string of numbers into the keypad. With a soft click, the heavy door swung open. “Why would I need a temporary passcode to get into my own house? Those are for plumbers and dog walkers.” He cheerfully typed the code into my phone so I’d have it. “From now on, you don’t even need to knock. Just let yourself in!” I stared at the numbers on the screen, and I suddenly broke down. Because my entire life, my mother had told me that the code to our front door changed every single day, and she was the only one who knew it. So every time I came home, I had to beg her to text me a temporary guest PIN. If she didn’t see my text, or if she was just in a bad mood, I had to sit on the concrete outside the door, waiting for her and my brother to get back. If I didn’t make it home before the temporary PIN expired, she would lock me out, claiming the app “only lets me generate one code a day.” It turned out, master codes existed all along. She just never wanted me to have it. Mrs. Carter walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on an apron. She had a naturally stern face. “You’re here? Come on in.” My heart skipped a beat. She looked incredibly intimidating. I forcibly swallowed my tears, took a timid half-step back, and acted as submissive as possible. “Mrs. Carter, do you have any disposable plastic shoe booties?” Her eyes dropped to my feet. She turned around, pulled something out of the shoe cabinet, and dropped it right by my toes. It wasn’t a plastic bootie. It was a pair of brand-new, plush pink slippers. The tags were still on them. “I bought these specifically for you. Whenever you come over, you wear these.” I stared down at the pink slippers, my throat tightening until it ached. At my house, I was only ever allowed to wear cheap, disposable plastic booties. They were paper-thin, squeaking loudly against the hardwood with every step I took. If we ran out, I had to use my own pathetic grocery allowance to buy more. My brother, Tyler, never had to wear them. He was allowed to track his muddy sneakers all over the house. Seeing my frozen expression, Mrs. Carter looked a little impatient. “What’s wrong? You don’t like pink? I don’t have time to run back to Target to buy you another pair!” Liam pouted, about to say something to defend me, but I quickly grabbed his arm and frantically slipped my feet into the shoes. “No, no! I love them!” At the dinner table, I stared blankly at the massive spread of food. Every single dish was my absolute favorite. At my house, Mom only ever cooked the things Dad and Tyler liked. Whenever I asked for something, I was met with a heavy, guilt-tripping sigh. “Anna, I’m just so exhausted. I promise I’ll make your favorite next time…” Mrs. Carter ate her food without paying much attention to me, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw her watching my reaction. She leaned over and whispered to Liam. “Are you sure these are her favorites? If you made me cook all this for nothing, I’m going to kill you.” I immediately started shoveling food into my mouth like I hadn’t eaten in weeks. The two of them stared at me in shock. As soon as dinner was over, Mrs. Carter dragged me to the smart lock on the front door. “Give me your hand.” I held my hand out blindly. She grabbed my index finger and pressed it against the biometric scanner. “Fingerprint is registered. From now on, you come over whenever you want. You don’t need to text me first.” Liam sneakily leaned into my ear and whispered, “This means my mom loves you. She basically considers you her daughter-in-law already!” I stared blankly at the heavy wooden door. I opened my mouth to say thank you, but the tears rolled down my cheeks first. Mrs. Carter jumped in surprise, then delivered a swift kick to Liam’s shin. “You little brat, did you bully her in the car on the way over?!” Liam winced in pain. “I didn’t do anything!” As I cried, I felt even more confused. She looked so intimidating, yet she wasn’t mad at me for crying. My own mother, who always put on the face of a gentle, long-suffering saint, would look at my tears and sigh. “Anna, you give me such a headache when you cry. Can’t you just be a little more mature?” Right at that moment, my phone buzzed. It was my mom. “Your curfew is almost up, Anna. Better run.” The call disconnected. A screenshot popped up in my texts: A six-digit temporary PIN. Below it, an active countdown timer: 29 minutes and 47 seconds. Ever since I was old enough to understand what a door was, getting inside my own house had been a battle. When I was little, we had a regular deadbolt. Mom, Dad, and Tyler all had keys. I didn’t. When I asked why, Mom patted my head with a look of deep, sorrowful apology. “You’re so clumsy, sweetie. If I gave you a key, you’d definitely lose it. It costs five dollars to cut a new one! That’s such a waste.” But Tyler was the one who constantly lost things. He lost his house key three times in the sixth grade alone. Every single time, Mom went to Home Depot the very next day to get him a new one, complete with a brand-new Marvel keychain. Tyler would dangle the shiny key right in my face. “Look, Anna! I’ve got a key! Now I can sneak out to the arcade at night and come home whenever I want!” I didn’t have a key, so I couldn’t leave the house. If I did, I might never get back in. When I was in high school, my parents upgraded to a digital smart lock. It had a keypad and a fingerprint scanner. Mom only called Tyler over. “Tyler, come register your thumbprint so you don’t have to memorize a code.” I stood to the side, my eyes full of hope. She noticed me looking. “Oh, Anna. The scanner only holds one fingerprint. Your dad and I can’t even use it.” I refused to give up. “Then what’s the master code?” Mom awkwardly looked away. “There is no master code. They generate randomly. It’s for security. If I gave you a permanent code, you might accidentally tell your friends, and what if we get robbed?” But Tyler was the one who lost keys! Tyler was the one who brought random friends over! I swallowed the words I wanted to scream, and gave a weak, pathetic nod. Mom was already abused by Dad and disrespected by Tyler. She had it hard enough. I needed to be the easy child. From that day on, every time I wanted to come home, I had to beg her to text me a temporary PIN. I tried to beg them to let me live in the dorms for college. When Mom heard that, her eyes turned red. “Dorms cost thousands of dollars extra a semester! Your father will beat me if I ask for that kind of money! The campus is only thirty minutes away… Anna, can’t you just run a little faster?” I felt incredibly guilty. I never brought it up again. But the temporary PIN was only valid for thirty minutes, and the countdown started the exact second she texted it. My campus was thirty minutes away on a good day. It meant I had to sprint like my life depended on it. When my last class ended, I was the first one out the door, sprinting to the bus stop. If I missed the bus, I ran the entire way home. I ran until my lungs felt like they were bleeding, my clothes soaked in sweat. Even then, there were times I didn’t make it. When the code expired, I would stand on the porch and ring the doorbell. Mom was always conveniently “not home.” Dad and Tyler were inside, but they would never open the door for me. So I would sit on the concrete porch doing my homework. When I got too tired, I would drape my jacket over my shoulders, curl into a ball, and sleep outside for the night. For all these years, I had been lying to myself. What if the person who wanted to keep me locked out… was my mother all along? I decided to stay the night at Liam’s apartment. Mrs. Carter specifically set up the guest room for me. The sheets were brand-new, powder-blue Egyptian cotton, incredibly soft to the touch. The pajamas were new, too. Simple, but the fabric felt like a cloud. It was a violent, jarring contrast to my home, where I slept in scratchy, faded clearance-rack pajamas on a mattress with torn bedsheets. I sat on the edge of the plush guest bed, staring at the wall. Thirty minutes had passed a long time ago. Mom didn’t reach out. No missed calls. No texts. I opened Instagram and posted a photo dump. The massive, beautiful dinner Mrs. Carter cooked, the pristine guest room, and a mirror selfie in my brand-new pajamas. Less than five minutes after I hit post, my phone exploded. It was Mom. “Anna, what the hell is that post?! Where are you?!” “At a friend’s house.” “Which friend?! A boy or a girl?! A young woman staying out overnight?! Get your ass home right now!” Her tone was shockingly frantic. It sounded like something had finally slipped out of her absolute control. I spoke completely flatly. “Didn’t my curfew expire? You want me to come back and sleep on the concrete porch?” “Then sleep on the concrete! That’s your punishment for missing curfew!” The moment she said it, she realized she had slipped up. She quickly pivoted back to her usual act. “I mean, it’s dangerous for a girl to be out all alone at night! Mommy is just worried about you!” “Hurry up and come home! I’ll make an exception and send you one more passcode today. If your dad yells at me, I’ll just take the blame…” I cut her off. “Mom. When I was in high school, there was a serial assaulter roaming our neighborhood. Do you remember?” She froze. “…Why are you bringing that up?” “I was late getting home from school that day. The passcode had already expired. No one would open the door for me. I was so terrified of being seen on the porch that I slept behind the community dumpsters all night.” The line went completely dead silent. “Were you really worried about my safety?” “Weren’t you afraid I was going to be murdered right outside our front door?” Silence. My heart turned to absolute ice. I was about to hang up. But suddenly, I heard the sound of plates violently shattering in the background. Then, Dad’s muffled, enraged roar: “What the hell are you doing?!” Mom’s voice broke into a terrified sob. “Anna, please, help me…” The call was violently disconnected. I shot up from the bed. Liam jumped in surprise. “Anna, what’s wrong?” I grabbed my coat and headed for the door. “I have to go back. I think my mom is in trouble.” Liam immediately grabbed his keys. “I’m coming with you!” “No. This is my family’s mess.” The entire Uber ride home, my heart hammered against my ribs. Childhood memories of Dad beating Mom until she sobbed flashed before my eyes. She used to hold me in the dark, whispering, “Anna, you’re all Mommy has left,” and “As soon as I save up enough money, we’re leaving him.” I believed those words for a decade. Even if I was cutting ties with her, I had to make sure she was okay first! I sprinted from the drop-off point to my familiar front door and pounded on the wood. No response. Not a single sound from inside. I pulled out my phone and dialed her number. It rang fifteen times before she finally picked up. “Hello?” Her voice sounded incredibly relaxed. She was actually laughing. I froze. “Mom, are you… are you okay?” “Oh, I’m perfectly fine! I just accidentally dropped a plate earlier and your dad yelled at me.” I gripped my phone. My throat went completely dry. A wave of profound, suffocating exhaustion washed over me. I had been played for a fool. “Are you at home right now?” Her next sentence completely shattered my reality. “No… we’re heading out for a family vacation! Your dad said he’s been super stressed at work and needs to unwind.” “We already bought the plane tickets. We’re in the Uber heading to the airport right now! Oh, and I have your debit card with me, so don’t worry, it’s safe.” The very next second, my phone vibrated. Push notifications from my banking app. Charge: Delta Airlines. Charge: Marriott Hotels. Charge: Uber. I made a decent salary at my corporate job. Over the last two years, I had saved up nearly twenty thousand dollars. Because Mom constantly played the victim, crying about how Dad controlled all the finances and wouldn’t give her a dime, I had secretly given her my debit card so she could buy groceries and things for herself. I never, ever intended for Dad and Tyler to touch a single cent of it. Let alone fund their luxury vacation! I needed to call the bank and freeze the card immediately. But my driver’s license and passport were locked inside my bedroom. I stared at the banking alerts. My breathing grew heavy. “When are you coming back?” “Next week! Gotta go, we’re boarding!” “Wait!” I yelled frantically. “I need to get into the house to grab my ID! Give me the master code!” Mom paused. “Code? What code?” “The front door code!” Mom’s voice instantly morphed back into that pathetic, helpless, victimized tone. “I told you, the smart lock generates random codes. I gave you one yesterday, but the app is glitching today and won’t give me a new one.” “You’re lying! Liam’s house has a permanent master code! Why doesn’t ours?!” Mom’s voice cracked into a fake sob. “Other people’s houses are different from ours!” “Anna, have you been listening to outsiders poisoning your mind against me? Have I not been a good mother to you? I raised you from a baby…” I had heard this exact speech hundreds of times. Right now, I felt nothing but absolute disgust. “Enough. Give me the code.” She snapped, dropping the act entirely. “If I say there isn’t one, there isn’t one! We won’t be back until next week! Figure it out yourself! You have someone else giving you a bed anyway!” With that, she hung up. Listening to the dead dial tone, standing outside the house I grew up in, I felt every ounce of strength drain from my body. For my entire life, I had been lying to myself. Lying to myself that my mother loved me, she just didn’t know how to show it. Lying to myself that she was a helpless victim who needed my protection. But now, the final, pathetic illusion had been completely ripped away. She didn’t love me. She never did. I wiped my face aggressively, pulled out my phone, and Googled local 24-hour locksmiths. A guy in a heavy canvas jacket arrived twenty minutes later. In less than five minutes, the smart lock that had kept me prisoner for a decade was easily bypassed. I walked in, grabbed my ID from my drawer, proved my residency to the locksmith, and handed him a massive cash tip. “Please wipe all the existing passcodes and fingerprints from the system.” “Then, re-program it. Register my fingerprint only, and set a brand-new master code.” The locksmith saw the dead, hollow look in my eyes. He hesitated for a second, but did exactly as I asked. Ten minutes later, the lock was completely wiped and reset. I registered my thumbprint. I set a brand-new master code. A code that only I knew. Next stop: The bank. Freezing the debit card and ordering a replacement was quick. The bank teller noticed how incredibly pale I was and gently asked if I needed any help. I shook my head, signing the final piece of paperwork. By the time I walked out of the bank, the sun had set. I stood on the bustling city street, watching the headlights blur into traffic, and suddenly had absolutely no idea where to go. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Liam: “Anna, how are things? Do you need me to come pick you up?” I stared at the text. My eyes burned. So there was still someone in this world who cared if I had a place to go. When I got back to Liam’s apartment, the dam finally broke. I collapsed into his arms and sobbed hysterically. Mrs. Carter handed me a glass of warm water, while Liam gently rubbed my back. Neither of them interrupted. They just sat with me and let me cry. I don’t know how long I cried, but I didn’t stop until my voice was completely hoarse. Right at that moment, my phone rang. It was Mom. I took a deep breath, hit accept, and put it on speakerphone. “ANNA!” Mom’s voice blasted through the speaker. It wasn’t relaxed anymore. It was vibrating with pure, unadulterated rage. “What the hell did you do?! Why is the card declining?!” “Go to the bank and unfreeze it right now! Your brother wants to buy souvenirs! He found a crystal sculpture he wants, it’s three grand! Wire the money to my account immediately!” I spoke with eerie, absolute calmness. “I reported the card stolen.” The line went dead silent for three seconds before exploding into a hysterical scream, laced with the panic of losing absolute control. “STOLEN?! How did you report it stolen?! Your ID is locked inside the house!” “Want to know how? Come home and find out.” I hung up the phone. I opened my contacts list and permanently blocked all three of their numbers. When I was done, I looked up at Liam and Mrs. Carter. They were both staring at me, their expressions incredibly complex. I forced a bitter, broken smile. “Mrs. Carter. Liam. You’ve seen what a disaster my family is.” “A family that worships their golden-boy son and treats their daughter like trash. If I stay tied to them, my future is just going to be bleeding myself dry to pay for my deadbeat brother’s life.” “If this is too much drama for you guys, I completely understand. I can pack my things and leave right now. I’m sorry for dragging you into my mess.” I lowered my head, biting my lip to stop it from trembling, waiting for the inevitable rejection. Suddenly, Mrs. Carter stood up and marched right up to me. Her normally stern face was flushed red with fury. But it wasn’t directed at me. “What kind of mother treats her own flesh and blood like that?! ‘Temporary passcodes’ my ass! What absolute bullshit!” She pointed a furious finger at my phone, her voice shaking with rage. “Stealing her daughter’s hard-earned savings to fund a luxury vacation, while literally locking her child out on the street like a stray dog?! What kind of psychopathic monsters are they?!” I was stunned. Liam pulled me into his arms, patting my head like I was a startled kitten. “Mom, you’re scaring Anna.” Mrs. Carter got even angrier. “I am furious! Such a sweet, hardworking girl, being tortured by those leeches! It’s a miracle she survived this long!” She glared at Liam. “What the hell are you standing around for?!” Liam let out a quick “Oh!” and pulled his wallet from his pocket. He slid a sleek debit card out and pressed it directly into my palm. I was completely bewildered. “What is this…” Liam looked at me with absolute sincerity. “My debit card. The PIN is your birthday.” “From now on, my money is your money. And your money is your money.” Mrs. Carter chimed in from the side. “My son makes a very solid salary. Adding his income to yours, you guys can easily save up a down payment for a condo in two years. We’ll put the deed entirely in your name. Then you’ll finally have a home that’s truly yours.” I held the plastic card in my hands, looking at the mother and son in front of me. The tears surged up again. So this is what a real family looks like. Mrs. Carter saw me crying and immediately put her stern face back on. “Stop crying! Wipe your tears! Your psychotic parents are definitely not going to let this go. We need to prepare for war.” I nodded heavily and wiped my face. The next day, Liam and I hired a moving company and drove back to the house I had lived in for over twenty years. The master bedroom belonged to my parents. The massive guest room belonged to Tyler. I lived in a makeshift, windowless storage space partitioned off from the living room. It held a twin bed and a cheap canvas wardrobe. Liam looked around the claustrophobic space, his jaw clenching. “You slept here?” I nodded casually. “Yeah. Since middle school.” He clenched his fists, saying nothing. I started packing, but I owned almost nothing of value. I took a few stacks of books, my diplomas, my birth certificate, birthday gifts from my friends, and the very first expensive lipstick I bought with my own paycheck. Everything I owned in the world fit into two suitcases. The movers took my things to Liam’s apartment for temporary storage until I could find my own place. That night, Liam and I sat on his couch, excitedly scrolling through Zillow listings. But right after dinner, a violent, aggressive pounding echoed from his front door. Liam and I exchanged a tense look. A heavy sense of dread settled in my stomach. I told him to call the building security immediately. Sure enough, a familiar, shrill voice screamed from the hallway. “ANNA! GET OUT HERE! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!” When we opened the door, Mom was standing there, radiating fury. Dad and Tyler were nowhere in sight. “Anna! What the hell did you do to the smart lock?! Why did my master code of ten years suddenly stop working?!” I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Ten years? Mom, didn’t you swear to me that the lock didn’t have a master code?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “400808”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel