Category: English

A week before our wedding, my fiancée successfully got pregnant using my brother’s frozen embryo. She posted the pregnancy test results on social media with the caption: “Fortunate to let our love continue in another way.” My brother commented below: “Meeting you is my greatest luck.” My mother quickly added: “Thank you for your hard work, Jocelyn White. Oscar Jones should put that apartment solely in your name!” I quietly commented: “Congratulations.” My fiancée immediately called to berate me: “Your brother can’t have children anymore. It’s just one child, and the baby still carries your Jones family bloodline! How can you be so petty as his older brother?” I chuckled softly and casually dialed a number: “Want to get married?” The person on the other end went silent for a moment, then erupted in jubilation. “Really? You finally came around! I’ll book my flight back right now! No backing out now—I’ll see you at the registry office next week! Honey~” That last coquettish “honey” caught me off guard, making even the tips of my ears inexplicably warm. The slight regret I felt about being too impulsive instantly vanished. Perhaps this was for the best. Meanwhile, my fiancée Jocelyn updated her Facebook again. I clicked to find photos of her massaging Hugo Jones’ legs. In the pictures, she was all smiles, without a trace of disgust. The comment section was filled with teasing remarks from Jocelyn’s friends. Sharp-eyed, I spotted a comment from my brother Hugo: “If only we had met before you were promised to another.” The implication was crystal clear. Jocelyn showed no restraint in her reply: “It’s never too late to follow your heart.” Below, Jocelyn’s girlfriends chimed in with more teasing and congratulations. Apparently, everyone around her knew about her affair with Hugo behind my back, yet whenever they saw me, they still criticized my every move. I used to think I wasn’t good enough, but now I realize it was simply because they all knew Jocelyn’s heart belonged to Hugo. My heart throbbed with pain. I felt like a complete fool. Just then, I received test results from the hospital. They showed a tumor in my stomach with risk of malignancy, requiring immediate surgery. The procedure needed a family member’s signature. I couldn’t count on my mother or Hugo. After much hesitation, I called Jocelyn. “Could you come to the hospital tomorrow? I need surgery—” Before I could finish, Jocelyn impatiently cut me off. “Oscar, aren’t you being a total pain? Just because I’m pregnant with your brother’s child, you’re making up stories about needing surgery to get attention? How pathetic for a grown man to use such tactics! Do you know that because of your comment, Hugo feels so guilty he’s depressed? He’s your own brother—can’t you be more generous and treat his child as your own? I’m busy comforting Hugo. You’re not dying, so stop bothering me, or the wedding is off!” She hung up furiously, giving me no chance to explain. I let out a bitter laugh, having lost count of how many times she’d threatened to call off our wedding. Whenever I showed the slightest disapproval of her relationship with Hugo, she would use our marriage as leverage. Especially after Hugo’s car accident that left his legs disabled. “If it weren’t for you, how would Hugo have injured his legs? How can you be so selfish?” “Hugo is your brother, and I’m his sister-in-law. What’s wrong with taking care of him? Why are you, a grown man, so petty?!” “If Hugo hadn’t kept persuading me, I wouldn’t want to marry you at all. You’re not even half as considerate as Hugo!” I’d heard such words too many times to count. But the truth was, Hugo had the accident while pretending to deliver medicine to me, when he was actually sneaking off to meet her. While I was working myself to exhaustion to buy her dream house and give her a better life—drinking until I suffered severe stomach bleeding and collapsed—she was secretly dating my own brother under the pretense of taking care of me. Before, I feared losing her, so I subconsciously avoided thinking about these things. I never defended myself, just apologized. But now, I decided to let her go. “Fine. The wedding is off.” With that, for the first time this Christmas, I hung up on Jocelyn first.

The next day, I went to the hospital alone. I signed the surgery consent form myself. When the doctor asked, I calmly replied, “I’m practically an orphan.” The surgery went relatively well. I stayed in the hospital for three days before the doctor said I could go home to recover. During this time, neither my mother nor Jocelyn sent me a single call or text message. Yet somehow, I felt a long-forgotten sense of peace. After being discharged, I boarded the bus home. As we passed through the university district, memories of Jocelyn and me flooded back. It might sound hard to believe, but initially, Jocelyn was the one who pursued me. Back then, she was full of youthful energy and boldness, even confessing her feelings for me in front of the entire school. Despite my repeated rejections, she never lost heart, showing me affection I’d never experienced before. Inevitably, I fell for her. During our senior year at Christmas, her father was defrauded of his business funds and fell seriously ill. Their once-privileged family was suddenly drowning in debt. During that period, I worked internships by day and part-time jobs by night, not only comforting her exhausted mind and body but also supporting both of us financially. That’s when my stomach problems began. Fortunately, her father later received help from a kind benefactor, and they recovered part of the stolen funds. Things gradually improved, and we set a date for our wedding. Until Hugo returned from abroad, and her heart changed… I got off the bus and arrived home. As soon as I pushed open the door, the scene before me left me utterly shocked and horrified. Our carefully decorated wedding home was in complete disarray. The house that had been clean and tidy when I left was now littered with takeout boxes, with cockroaches crawling over them. On the balcony, my carefully nurtured succulents had been maliciously uprooted. Through the open bedroom door, I saw Hugo sitting on my bed while Jocelyn crouched beside him, coaxing him to take medicine. My mother lounged carelessly on my new sofa. The cushion I’d specially selected—printed with a photo of Jocelyn and me—had been torn to shreds by Hugo’s dog, with stuffing spilling out everywhere. “What are you doing here?” Seeing me return, my mother merely glanced at me, snorted, and said, “Jocelyn is carrying a Jones family child. I thought this apartment of yours was quite nice—it was meant to be your marital home anyway—so I let Jocelyn and Hugo move in together.” “This is my wedding home. What right does he have to live here?!” I looked at Hugo, who was hiding behind Jocelyn with smug eyes, and took a deep breath before saying, “Besides, I no longer plan to marry Jocel—” Before I could finish, my mother rushed over, grabbed my arm, and started hitting me. “I’ll kill you, you ungrateful wretch! Hugo is your own brother. He broke his leg because of you! What’s wrong with letting him stay in your apartment? If you ask me, you should just transfer the deed to him! Besides, Jocelyn is now carrying Hugo’s child—of course the baby’s father and mother should live together. As for you, contributing nothing all day—how do you expect to support Jocelyn and Hugo’s child?!” I almost laughed bitterly at the absurdity. Since childhood, my mother never liked me. When she was pregnant with me, my father had an affair. After I was born, she directed all her resentment toward me, though none of it was my fault. As a child, I still craved maternal love, striving for top grades, handling all household chores, saving money to buy her gifts, carefully trying to please her. But none of that compared to Hugo doing nothing at all. Later, when I told her about my plans to get married, her first reaction was to make it clear I shouldn’t expect her to provide any dowry or wedding gifts, let alone help with buying a house. She even handed me an account book, telling me to repay everything once I had money. The book recorded every expense spent on me since childhood, down to erasers costing mere pennies. Most ironically, the total she’d spent on me from birth until now amounted to only fifty thousand yuan—a pittance. From that moment on, I stopped hoping for any maternal love. I felt warmth on my forehead. When I touched it, there was blood. Taking a deep breath, I looked at the three people in the room: my birth mother, my brother, and the woman I had planned to spend my life with. My mind had never been clearer. “Hugo, you know perfectly well how your leg was broken!” Hugo’s eyes darted away for a moment. I smiled sarcastically and said, “This apartment is mine. If you want it, fine—pay for it. And…” I turned to Jocelyn, “If you didn’t hear me clearly on the phone, let me say it again: I’m letting you and Hugo be together. This wedding is off, for good!”

The room suddenly fell silent, and the expressions on the three faces weren’t pleasant. Jocelyn’s face showed a rare hint of panic as she walked toward me, seemingly wanting to explain something. Just then, my phone rang. I pulled it out and saw a reminder text from the Civil Affairs Bureau about our appointment tomorrow morning at eight to get our marriage certificate. I was stunned for a moment before remembering it was Susan Hall. We hadn’t contacted each other since that phone call. I assumed she was just kidding back then—marriage isn’t a small matter, after all. But unexpectedly, she had made an appointment at the Civil Affairs Bureau, and it was scheduled for tomorrow morning at eight. Why was she in such a hurry? I couldn’t help recalling how she had sweetly called me “husband” on the phone that day, and my ears began to heat up again. Jocelyn glimpsed the message content and sighed with relief. “Oscar, I know you’re just saying these things because I’ve been neglecting you lately. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be on time for our appointment tomorrow.” Then, noticing the medicine bag in my hand, she took my hand and softened her tone. “Were you really sick? I thought you were lying. But seeing you standing here just fine, it can’t be anything serious. I promise I’ll make time for you from now on.” I didn’t explain. She took my silence as agreement and pulled me into the study. “Where’s that amulet I gave you before? Give it to me—Hugo wants it.” Her words struck me like lightning. “What did you say?” Though the amulet wasn’t valuable, it was something Jocelyn had gotten for me when she was pursuing me, kneeling at every third step on her way to the temple, a traditional act of devotion. She had even fallen ill because of it. It was precisely because of this that I vowed never to let her down, and I’d kept the amulet with me at all times. Jocelyn became irritated. “If you want one, I’ll buy you another one later. Right now, Hugo’s in a bad mood because of his broken leg. As his brother, you should be more accommodating!” Accommodating? Haven’t I been accommodating enough all these years? When has Hugo ever not gotten what he wanted? I’m even expected to give up my wife for him! I took off the amulet I had carefully worn around my neck, but didn’t immediately hand it over. “Jocelyn, did you ever really like me?” Jocelyn snatched the amulet from me. “Don’t be ridiculous! I’ve already agreed to marry you tomorrow, what more do you want? If you can’t even part with an amulet, how can I expect you to treat me well in the future?!” With that, she yanked open the study door and left. I stood there, watching drops of blood from my forehead fall onto the light oak floor, and whatever feelings I had left for Jocelyn completely vanished. After leaving, I immediately put the house up for sale. There was something I hadn’t told them—I’d been promoted, but needed to be transferred to another province. I had been hesitant before because I didn’t want to leave Jocelyn, but now I only felt relieved. I checked into a nearby hotel and soon received a video. In the video, the lights were flashing and the music was deafening, clearly at a bar. Jocelyn, dressed scantily, was sitting on Hugo’s lap. They were feeding each other mouth-to-mouth while people around them cheered. Someone nearby asked her, “Didn’t you say you’re getting your marriage certificate with Oscar tomorrow? Won’t he be angry if he finds out about you and his brother?” Jocelyn pressed her entire body against Hugo and replied confidently, “Even if he knows I’m carrying Hugo’s child, he’ll just throw a little tantrum, then rush to make an appointment at the Civil Affairs Bureau for tomorrow morning. Besides, Hugo is his own brother—what’s there to fuss about between family? The child will still be a Jones either way. If he were a real man, he’d be more generous about it!” Everyone around them roared with laughter. “Jocelyn is so impressive, keeping men wrapped around her finger!” “Men should be trained like dogs!” After the video ended, another message came through: [Oscar, you were born to be trampled under my feet!] Of course, I didn’t need to guess who sent the video. But my mood was surprisingly calm, and I even began looking forward to meeting Susan at the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow morning. I wonder if after all these years, she’s still the same as before…That night, I enjoyed the best sleep I’d had in a long time. When I woke up in the morning, the thought of seeing the little girl who used to follow me around years ago—and that we were going to get our marriage license—made me inexplicably nervous. I almost arrived late as a result. However, as soon as I reached the civil affairs bureau, I saw Jocelyn, dolled up excessively, pushing Hugo in his wheelchair. She looked me up and down, eyeing my suit with contempt before letting out a scornful laugh. “Seems like you’re taking this marriage license thing quite seriously, cleaning yourself up nicely!” She then pulled out a document from her bag. “But before we get the license, sign this agreement first.” I frowned, about to tell her that she wasn’t the one I was getting married to, but she had already forced the agreement into my arms, adding, “I’m only thinking about our future happiness. This way, you can’t say I took advantage of you later!” Hugo chimed in from the side: “That’s right, bro. Jocelyn stayed up all night working on this agreement. She even consulted Mom to make sure you wouldn’t feel it was unfair!” Not wanting to argue with them in public, I bit back my anger and glanced at the agreement. That one glance was enough to make me laugh sarcastically. [Agreement 1: After marriage, Oscar must treat the child in Jocelyn’s womb as his own, assume parental responsibilities, and pay no less than 10,000 yuan monthly for child support.] [Agreement 2: After marriage, Oscar must allow his brother Hugo to live with them and promise not to interfere with Hugo’s interactions with the child in Jocelyn’s womb.] [Agreement 3: After marriage, Jocelyn has the right to decide whether to have more children, and Oscar cannot interfere.] [Agreement 4: After marriage, Oscar must promise to leave his assets to the child in Jocelyn’s womb…] I couldn’t be bothered to read the rest. Calling this a one-sided agreement would be an understatement—they weren’t even treating me like a human being! Seeing me laugh, Jocelyn frowned and urged, “Oscar, what are you waiting for? Do you still want to get the license or not? Sign it now!” I looked up defiantly and, right in front of them, deliberately tore the agreement to shreds, throwing the pieces in their faces. “What do you take me for? Did you really think I’d sign something like this?” Jocelyn’s expression changed dramatically. She tried to threaten me again, starting to say, “You—” But I cut her off coldly, giving her a sidelong glance. “And who told you I was getting a marriage license with you?” Jocelyn’s face froze. Hugo quickly tried to smooth things over. “Bro, don’t be difficult. Everyone knows you won’t marry anyone but Jocelyn. We’ve finally made it to this day—don’t joke about something as serious as marriage. Besides, your appointment is at eight, right? If not with Jocelyn, who are you getting married to?” Jocelyn recovered her composure, crossing her arms and looking at me arrogantly. “Oscar, you’re just putting on this act to get my attention, aren’t you? I already told you, as soon as you sign this agreement, we can get our license!” I checked the time—it was already 8:10. Yet Susan still hadn’t shown up. Did she have an emergency, or had she changed her mind? Regardless, Jocelyn and I would absolutely never have any relationship again! Just as I was about to speak, a car horn sounded nearby, followed by a clear, sweet female voice: “Honey, I’m sorry I’m late.”

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After my parents divorced, I chose to live with my hardworking and honest community police officer father, while my sister chose to live with our higher-earning influencer mother. After turning eighteen, I became an adult, but my father unfortunately sacrificed his life while saving an elderly man from drowning. Unexpectedly, the rescued elderly man turned out to be the wealthiest man in the country. To express gratitude for my father’s life-saving deed, the billionaire offered ten million dollars as a gift to the family. My sister, who had long since left with our mother, suddenly appeared to claim the ten million. When I tried to argue, my mother berated me, saying I wasn’t their biological child and had no blood relation to my father. Because of my mother’s words, none of our relatives dared to acknowledge me. I ended up homeless and eventually died miserably… When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of my father’s death, when the billionaire was offering the ten million dollars. 1 “Lucy Clark, if you know what’s good for you, get out now!” “You have the audacity to still think about that ten million! Look at yourself—you don’t even qualify for a single penny!” Hearing the sharp scolding, I looked up and met my mother Mia Taylor’s eyes, filled with utter contempt and disgust. But I didn’t care at all, just quietly staring at my father’s memorial portrait. Seeing that I neither left nor responded, my “dear sister” Zora Clark couldn’t help but speak up. Her tone was dripping with mockery: “Lucy, this money is mine. Have some dignity, will you?” Since entering this room, Zora hadn’t spared a single glance at Dad’s photo. All she cared about was the money. Anger surged through my chest. I turned and gave Mia and Zora an ice-cold look, firing back: “You two are the shameless ones! When Dad was alive, you couldn’t care less about him. Now that he’s gone, you come running back to exploit his memory for every last penny. You’re truly despicable!” I straightened my back, not afraid at all, because I had been reborn! In my previous life, my parents had a bad relationship and divorced. I chose to live with my hardworking, honest community police officer father, while my sister Zora followed our higher-earning influencer mother. Dad treated me exceptionally well, and I thought I would continue to be happy, but tragedy struck. On Christmas of my eighteenth year, Dad sacrificed his life saving a drowning elderly man. Surprisingly, the rescued man turned out to be the wealthiest person in the country. To thank my father for saving his life, the billionaire offered ten million dollars as a token of gratitude to the family. My sister Zora, who had long since left with our mother, suddenly stepped forward to claim the ten million. Remembering how Zora used to look down on Dad, only to return now for the money, I was absolutely livid with rage. I argued desperately, not wanting Zora to get the money. But my mother Mia cursed me openly, saying I wasn’t their biological child and had no blood relation to my father. “Lucy was adopted by Noah Clark and me. She has absolutely no right to this ten million!” “Zora is our biological daughter. This money should go to her!” Because of my mother’s words, Zora smoothly took away my father’s death compensation. I ended up homeless, with relatives too afraid to take me in, and eventually died miserably. After my death, my mother and sister squandered the money and, using their status as the family of a national hero, shamelessly profited from his name. Fortunately, I’ve been reborn, returning to the day of my father’s death when the billionaire offered the ten million dollars!

2 My ruthless words left Mia and Zora stunned for several seconds. When they finally came to their senses, their faces instantly turned bright red. Mia secretly glanced at the billionaire sitting on the sofa, noticed his displeased expression, and saw the contemptuous looks from the relatives crowding the doorway to watch the drama. She hurriedly tried to defend herself: “Don’t talk nonsense! Zora was Noah’s most beloved daughter. His compensation should go to Zora, otherwise he wouldn’t rest in peace!” Hearing such shameless words, I almost laughed from anger. I took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to slap her twice across the face. Instead of wasting my breath on Mia, I turned to the billionaire sitting on the sofa and said, “Sir, my father and Ms. Zhang divorced years ago, and my sister’s custody went to Ms. Taylor. For years now, they’ve been like strangers to our family. My father’s compensation has nothing to do with either of them.” The billionaire seemed surprised that the situation would escalate so badly over money during a family gathering. He frowned, thought for a moment, then said, “This money is meant for Mr. Clark’s family. In that case, I’ll give it to Mr. Clark’s daughter, Lucy.” As he spoke, he pulled a check from his suit pocket, ready to hand it to me. Before I could reach for it, Mia immediately rushed forward, trying to snatch the check. Fortunately, the billionaire’s bodyguard was quick, blocking Mia with one arm. Afraid I might actually get the money, Mia’s eyes darted around before she shouted at the top of her lungs: “You can’t give the money to Lucy! She’s not Noah’s biological daughter!” The moment Mia’s words left her mouth, gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd, and the billionaire froze. The onlooking relatives began buzzing with gossip. “What? Lucy isn’t Mr. Clark’s real daughter?!” “That can’t be true. Mr. Clark adored Lucy since she was little. How could she not be his daughter?” “Well, Mr. Clark’s ex-wife herself just said it, so it must be true.” … As the gossip spread, Mia noticed everyone starting to doubt, and shot me a smug glance. Zora chimed in to help: “Lucy doesn’t look anything like me, and my mom never liked her. She can’t possibly be his real daughter!” The billionaire looked up at me, then glanced at Zora and Mia, seemingly comparing our appearances. After a long moment, the billionaire finally spoke: “You two sisters indeed look nothing alike!” As soon as the billionaire finished speaking, I heard Mia and Zora chuckle softly. These two thought they had won, but I wasn’t afraid in the slightest. My composure angered Zora. She glared at me fiercely, desperate to get rid of me: “Lucy, you have no business here anymore. Stop blocking me from collecting my father’s money!” I shot her a cold glare and said, “Huh, just because you say I’m not Dad’s daughter, that makes it true? Maybe you’re the one who isn’t his real daughter!” Zora was left speechless by my retort. She was so angry she wanted to lunge at me, but Mia held her back. Mia didn’t take me seriously at all, thinking I could only talk big. So she snorted dismissively: “Lucy, you really aren’t our biological child. You were an abandoned baby Noah took in!”

3 As she spoke, Mia turned to Aunt Eleanor, hoping to get her support. “Aunt Eleanor, you’re a doctor. You know Noah had type B blood and I have type AB. These two blood types can’t produce a child with type O blood, yet Lucy is type O!” Aunt Eleanor looked at me, then at Mia, and nodded. “Well… if Lucy is type O, then she certainly couldn’t be my brother’s biological daughter.” With Aunt Eleanor’s confirmation, the relatives began chattering among themselves. “What a shame. Noah raised this girl all these years, and she’s not even his own.” “Not being his biological daughter is one thing, but trying to take Noah’s compensation money is just too much!” “Exactly! Noah’s compensation should go to Zora, his real daughter!” Despite what everyone was saying, I stood motionless, showing none of the shame they expected to see on my face. Seeing that I wasn’t “thick-skinned” enough to leave, Mia grew anxious. Her eyes suddenly reddened as she began to sob quietly. “Lucy, Noah was kind enough to take you in. We gave you the gift of a home and family. Now that he’s gone, you can’t just claim what rightfully belongs to his biological daughter! How can you be so heartless?” As she spoke, she looked at my father’s memorial photo and threw herself toward it, crying dramatically. Between sobs, she lamented, “Noah, you should never have brought this ungrateful girl home. Now she’s bullying us—your wife and daughter!” Mia’s performance successfully garnered sympathy from everyone present. After all, in everyone’s eyes, Zora, the biological daughter, was clearly more important than me, the adopted one. Everyone believed Zora was the only true Clark bloodline. Aunt Eleanor and the others immediately urged the billionaire to give the money to Zora. Seeing everyone taking her side, Zora became as proud as a peacock displaying its feathers. She quickly changed her previously arrogant demeanor and approached me with fake sincerity. “Sis, Dad is gone now. Please show some mercy and stop causing trouble at his memorial. If you’re really concerned about the money, I can share a little with you. Just let Dad rest in peace!” With mother and daughter playing their parts perfectly, even the billionaire began to waver, ready to give the money to Zora. Just as he was about to speak, I broke my silence. I scanned everyone in the room and challenged Mia: “What good are your words without proof? Do you have any evidence?” She seemed surprised by my composure, disbelief flashing in her eyes, but she quickly recovered. “Lucy, you’re really stubborn! You want evidence? Of course I have it!” Mia walked into my father’s bedroom and retrieved a small metal box from the cabinet, taking out a piece of paper. In front of everyone, she unfolded the paper and announced loudly, “This is Lucy’s adoption certificate. Here’s your proof!” Mia passed the paper around for everyone to see before it finally reached my hands. The yellowed document was indeed the certificate of my adoption by the Clarks, and it confirmed my blood type as O, just as Mia had claimed. Mia stared at me intently, barely containing her excitement. “Lucy, are you satisfied now? I didn’t want things to get this ugly, but you forced my hand! Stop making a scene in front of Noah!” Just when everyone thought I had nothing more to say, I let out a soft laugh and tore the adoption certificate in half.

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My childhood friend Avery Johnson’s uncle, Oscar Hunter, killed himself. Before he died, someone found hundreds of love letters in his drawer—all written to me, none ever sent. So when I got a second chance at life and my mom asked if I wanted to marry Avery, I straight up told her no. I was choosing his uncle Oscar instead. This was my secret—I was living my second life. In my previous life, I married Avery, my childhood sweetheart. But after we tied the knot, he barely came home. Later, when I started bleeding bad during my pregnancy, he ditched me right there because his first love, Stella Locke, called. That snake said, “Avery, power’s out at my place and I’m really scared!” Just like that, my husband left without thinking twice. Eventually, the bleeding killed both my baby and me. After I died, Avery didn’t shed one tear. Just bitched about how my death messed up his vacation plans with his precious Stella… ***** When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day my mom asked me that question. “Amanda, are you sure about this? You and Avery grew up together. You really want to marry his uncle Oscar instead?” Every time my mom asked, I would just give her the same answer. “Yes, I’m sure.” “Well, if you want him, that’s what matters! Your dad and I will get the ball rolling!” Actually, my mom was more hyped than me. She ran straight to ask Oscar that same day, and after he said yes, she booked an outdoor venue right away. And as expected, Avery called, sounding quite pissed. “Amanda, you’re doing way too much. First you manipulate our parents into this arranged marriage, now you’re sneaking around booking venues? “Girl, have some self-respect! Are you really this thirsty to get hitched? This desperate act is exactly why I can’t be with you!” I bit my lip, took a breath, and explained, “Avery, I’m not marrying you this time. I chose your…” He just cut me off with a nasty laugh. “Playing hard to get now? Should’ve seen through your BS earlier. Just plan all the weddings you want. I love Stella, and she’s the only one I’m marrying. My heart’s hers! You’re just making me sick!” With that, he ended the call, cutting off anything I was about to say. Whatever. He’d figure it out soon enough. Our families had been tight for generations—a real old-school connection that meant everything in our circle. Avery and I literally grew up next door to each other, sharing every moment like those perfect childhood sweethearts you read about. After Christmas that year, our parents set up the marriage—keeping with tradition and all that family arrangement stuff. But in my last life, Avery dropped a bomb, wanting to break off our engagement to marry someone else. I wouldn’t back down, and things got ugly fast. I got my way and married him anyway, but that was just the start of the nightmare. He rarely came home after we tied the knot. And when I finally got pregnant, he straight up moved in with Stella. I could only see his face at some family events. It wasn’t until I was about to pop that his family finally pulled rank and made him come back home. But that first night he was back? We got into a crazy fight that had me bleeding bad. I was scared out of my mind, begging him to get me to a hospital. Then Stella called. And that was all it took—Avery was gone. Me and my unborn baby died right there in that hospital bed. My little one never even got to see daylight. After I died, Avery didn’t even show up to my funeral—just took Stella on vacation like it was nothing. My parents couldn’t handle the pain. They got sick from being so heartbroken and died not long after. Everything my family owned ended up in Avery’s hands, while he and Stella lived their best life with all their kids and grandkids. Last time around, marrying Avery straight up destroyed everything—my family, my life, all of it gone. This time? No way I’m letting that happen again. I gotta protect the people who actually care about me.

After we locked in the venue, my mom kept pushing me to pick out a wedding dress. Oscar Hunter already copped our wedding rings overseas, got some big-name designer on it. And since he was handling business out there and couldn’t come back yet, he sent me a black card to make up for it. Just a few days ago, I ordered the latest wedding dress from Christmas, a high-end designer brand. This morning, the shop called saying it just came in and invited me to try it on. But the second I walked into the bridal shop, I spotted Avery sitting in the waiting area. When he caught me, his face got all tight. “What are you doing here?” I kept it cool. “Trying on my wedding dress.” Maybe I was looking too unbothered. He seemed shocked for a moment before hitting me with that smirk. “Amanda, what’s good? Like the world ran out of men or something? You’re really that desperate to marry me?” I looked at that face I used to know so well, feeling a bitter smile creep up. This wasn’t the same Avery who would carry me through the rain when my stomach was killing me. Ever since Stella showed up, that protective, caring Avery was gone. Thank God I didn’t have to deal with this jerk in this lifetime anymore. I shot him an ice-cold look, then said all calm, “Avery, I already told you—I’m not marrying you. But you’re right about one thing—there’s plenty of other guys out there, and I’m done chasing after you.” Then, I walked straight to those wedding dresses without even looking back at him. But before I could get far, Avery grabbed my wrist hard, coming at me like crazy. “Amanda! What are you trying to pull this time?” I struggled to break free, but his grip was just too strong. I sighed helplessly, “Avery, what’s with all this? I said I won’t marry you and I’m over you now. Isn’t that what you want?” He glared at me with a cold smile. “You picked today to try on dresses and still saying you won’t marry me?” He then looked at the fitting room all lovey-dovey, claiming, “Stella’s my one and only. Give up already! I told my family last night that I’m canceling our engagement. I don’t care if my whole family’s against it, I’m marrying Stella no matter what it takes!” That “what it takes” he was talking about was just dropping everything the Johnsons gave him. He built his own company from scratch, and it was doing okay. But compared to the Johnson family’s empire? That little business was small potatoes. I forced a fake smile and said it smooth, “Well, hope you two are happy together. Don’t stress about it—I’m about to get hitched to someone else anyway, so this engagement thing’s already dead.” I tried to get him to let go, but he just kept staring, holding my wrist. “Amanda, what game are you playing now? Who else could you possibly marry besides me?” My wrist was hurting so bad that I started tearing up. Just then, Stella walked out. She exclaimed in surprise, “Avery, what are you doing?” Avery dropped my hand quickly and ran to Stella, trying to grab hers. When she pulled back, he caught on fast and went all soft. “Alright, let me hit the restroom and clean up first. Just wait for me, babe!” Then Avery rushed out, leaving the two of us there. Stella caught my eye and straight up looked at me like she won something. Well. She didn’t even try to hide how she felt. That’s when I noticed—she was wearing the exact wedding dress I’d put a deposit on. The sales associate rushed out after her, panic in her voice. “Ms. Locke, that dress is already reserved! We got more gorgeous new pieces that just landed this morning, why not check those out?” Stella went off on the girl, all attitude. “My fiancé is the heir of the Johnson family, and he’s tight with your boss! He said I can rock whatever I want—money ain’t a thing! Plus, it’s just reserved, not bought. Why can’t I try it on?” Then she smirked at me. “Right, Amanda? Even a marriage can be called off, let alone a little dress reservation.” The sales associate finally spotted me and almost started crying. “Ms. Brown, I’m so sorry! This dress just dropped this morning, and before I could lock it up, Ms. Locke was already trying it on!” I wasn’t trying to make the girl sweat, plus that dress had already touched somebody else’s body, so I was over it. I shot her a chill smile. “It’s fine. If Ms. Locke wants it so bad, she can have it. Didn’t y’all get that super exclusive piece in this morning? Let me check that out instead.” I tapped that black card in my bag. Since my future husband was so eager for me to spend his money, I might as well do him this one favor. Avery walked out right when I said that. He rolled his eyes hard. “Amanda, can you stop embarrassing yourself? I told you I’m marrying Stella, not you. Why are you still doing this? And you even know how much that piece costs? Ten million! How could you possibly afford it?” I smiled, pulled out that black card and passed it to the associate. “No need to try it on. I’ll just take it!” Then, I bounced out, leaving Avery looking shook and Stella mad salty.

That evening, I had a video call with Oscar. It was my first time “talking” face-to-face with him since my rebirth, and I felt somewhat nervous. Finally, we agreed to get our marriage papers the morning he came back. Though we were about to be husband and wife, it was kinda funny since we barely knew each other. Not even five minutes after the video call, Avery hit me up all accusatory. “Amanda, where’d you get the money for that crazy expensive dress? You better not be doing something shady behind my back. “You were trying to get at Stella at that shop today, weren’t you? Didn’t I tell you to leave my fiancée alone? You’ve been doing all this wedding stuff just to make me marry you, huh? Let me make this clear—I will never do it!” I was feeling quite good after talking to Oscar, but Avery just messed it up. I was so done with him so I snapped, “Avery, I’m only gonna say this one more time—you are not the one I’m marrying!” He was straight up driving me crazy, but no matter what I said, he wouldn’t get it through his head. That night, Avery posted on Facebook: “Getting my marriage certificate with my first and forever love on the 18th! All friends are welcome to come see us make it official!” Good for them, I guessed. As fate would have it, Oscar and I were planning to get our papers done that same day. The following days, Avery was so busy taking wedding photos with Stella that he finally stopped bugging me. On the 18th, I pulled up to the city hall rocking that million-dollar wedding dress, waiting for Oscar outside. Just thinking about how his jaw was gonna drop when he saw me had me smiling to myself. I waited in the car till I saw Avery and Stella go inside first. No way I was letting anyone mess up my big day. But drama found me anyway. “Amanda? That you?” Some guy who came in after me called out, making Avery’s crew in line look back. “God, Avery’s getting married and you’re showing up looking like this? You really out here being the most loyal simp, pulling up to the city hall in a whole wedding dress!” Avery burst in to check out the commotion. The second he spotted me, his face twisted up and he went off. “Amanda? What the hell are you doing here? Dressed like that? How thirsty can you be? Think this little stunt’s gonna make me put a ring on it? “Save yourself the trouble! I won’t marry you. Stella’s the one!” He pulled Stella tight against him, giving me a smug look. I was dead silent but kinda laughing inside. I got real serious. “I told you, I’m not marrying you! I’m dressed up but not for you! My man is gonna be here any minute, so please stay away from me!” His crew started dying laughing, clowning me for doing the most to marry Avery, saying I took being thirsty to another level. “Amanda, we’re tired of you playing hard to get! Stop dreaming—Avery’s about to get his papers with Stella! “If you’re that desperate to get married, just pick one of us. For real, I wouldn’t mind taking Avery’s crazy fans for once!” Avery sneered, “Come on, you guys are really interested in such a boring, annoying woman? Forget it, whoever can get her, she’s yours. I wouldn’t take her even if she were begging!” His trash talk pushed me over the edge. I swung to slap him, but he caught my wrist mid-air. I shot daggers at him and growled, “Get it through your thick skull, Avery! I told you, I’m not here to marry you! And I never wanted to marry your sorry ass in the first place!” Instead of getting mad, he let out a nasty laugh. “Yeah, right, Amanda. Who are you trying to fool? You’ve been stalking me since we were in kindergarten. “Been all up on me for years, even tried to force me to wife you. Now you’re acting like you’re over me? Impressive. So, where’s this guy you’re all dressed up for? Funny how he’s keeping you waiting.” I yanked my hand away, my face hot with anger. His words cut deep, and my eyes started to water. Then, a deep voice boomed from behind me. “Back the hell off, Avery!”

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Maxwell Brown’s company went bankrupt, and unfortunately, he lost his memory in a car accident. For five whole years, I was the only one who took care of him wholeheartedly. The first thing he did after regaining his memory was to ask me to prepare a venue—he wanted to propose to his fiancée, Natalie Locke. I thought this was just an act he was putting on to comfort his depressed fiancée. Until I arrived at the venue early and overheard his conversation with his brother. “Actually, Natalie doesn’t have depression; she lied to you. And when she found out about your accident, she ran far away. Only Hazel Foster was willing to take care of you. So, do you really want to propose to Natalie?” Maxwell’s words had a hidden meaning: “Of course I know. Precisely because Natalie lied to me, she’ll have to face me cautiously from now on.” “That’s much more comfortable than not being able to hold my head up in front of Hazel out of gratitude.” “Hazel has already helped me secure funding; she has no other use now. Once my company goes public, I’ll tell her the truth.” I neither cried nor made a scene. I quietly called the arranged marriage candidate who had pursued me for five years and even helped me prepare the proposal venue. “The venue is ready, but the person isn’t coming. Who am I supposed to accept a proposal from?” 1 Maxwell’s engagement ceremony was about to begin. He had invited all his family, friends, and brothers, but my name wasn’t on the guest list. The banquet was lively, with his brothers congratulating him one after another. Just then, I walked into the hall. In an instant, the atmosphere turned ice-cold, and everyone’s face showed embarrassment. Maxwell walked up to me, frowning, and said, “Didn’t I tell you not to come?” At that moment, his little fiancée Natalie was nestled in his arms, shrinking back in fear. Natalie’s fingers trembled as she looked at me with terror, then said in her fragile voice, “Hazel, are you here to give us your blessing?” Blessing? I couldn’t help but laugh coldly and asked, “Blessing? Do you think I would bless you two?” Hearing this, Natalie’s face turned deathly pale. Seeing my hostile tone, Maxwell immediately stood protectively in front of Natalie and said, “Hazel, let’s talk properly, don’t be so masculine energy feminine energy with that attitude!” Then, he lowered his voice to a volume only the two of us could hear: “I never realized how petty you were before. Did you have to come and ruin things today? I already told you, Natalie has depression, and this is just a fake proposal!” Maxwell now looked like a righteous knight protecting his damsel, and those uninformed guests thought I was the third party trying to destroy their relationship. Some guests couldn’t help but shout at me: “Miss, are you new to Manchester? Everyone in Manchester knows that the young Mr. Brown and Miss Locke are childhood sweethearts with an engagement since they were young. How dare you, a homewrecker, come so brazenly to crash their engagement?” “Exactly, homewreckers are so bold these days.” “The absolute shamelessness of this woman! Why hasn’t anyone thrown her out yet!” Everyone started attacking me fiercely, one after another. Natalie seized her moment to put on a dramatic performance. Her eyes reddened with tears welling up, looking pitiful as she said, “Hazel, I know you’ve done Maxwell a great favor, but Maxwell and I have been engaged for so many years—surely there’s something to be said for who came first? All these years, I couldn’t be by Maxwell’s side during his most difficult times, and I’ve felt so guilty that I developed depression. Look.” She lifted her dress to reveal dense scars on her wrist. “These are the punishments I gave myself. So Hazel, please don’t take him away from me, okay? He’s all I have in my life. Without him, I really can’t go on living.” What a masterful play of emotional blackmail! When I was still in the dark, I had felt sympathy too. One evening a week ago, Maxwell came to me and asked me to prepare a proposal venue. He said, “Hazel, Natalie has developed severe depression because of me. Her parents even got on their knees and begged me to fulfill Natalie’s wish to marry me. I’m just putting on a show, so don’t come that day.” I nodded, showing understanding. After all, Natalie was Maxwell’s legitimate fiancée. If Maxwell hadn’t had his accident years ago, they might have been married already. Now Maxwell was doing this to save someone’s life; he had no other choice. So I helped him contact Aman Hotel and booked the most luxurious banquet hall for a grand proposal ceremony for Natalie. I thought I was just helping to make up for Natalie’s regrets, and afterward, they could part ways amicably. Unexpectedly, on the day of the proposal, the venue manager said the person who booked the venue needed to sign some documents in person. Afraid of delaying Maxwell’s plans, I rushed to the hotel early in the morning. After signing the documents, I wanted to open the door to the banquet hall to see the proposal venue I had planned myself. After all, the man I loved was about to propose to another woman, even if it was fake, and I couldn’t help feeling a bit uncomfortable. As I gently pushed open the door, I discovered Maxwell inside. What I heard next shattered my illusions completely. I overheard his conversation with his brother, and that’s when I learned the whole truth. All these years, I had just been deluding myself. Thinking of this, I sneered at Natalie and Maxwell, saying, “Excuse me, who told you that today is Maxwell and Natalie’s proposal ceremony?”

“Hazel, are you not going to stop until you drive Natalie to her death?” “She’s already harming herself. Can’t you just grant her this wish? Do you have to push her to the edge?” Maxwell’s brothers couldn’t stand by any longer and stood up one by one to shield Natalie. “Yeah, Hazel, isn’t today Maxwell and Natalie’s engagement ceremony, not yours?” “Hazel, you may be wealthy, but Maxwell doesn’t love you. Just give it up already. Even if you make a scene here, Maxwell won’t propose to you.” As I listened to their back-and-forth remarks and watched their righteous indignation, a wave of bitterness welled up inside me. After all, the man I had so deeply loved for all these years hadn’t uttered a single word in my defense. Five years ago, when the Brown family was at its peak, they fell victim to a carefully planned car accident orchestrated by their enemies. Maxwell’s parents died in that accident, and Maxwell himself was severely injured, remaining comatose after the head trauma. Almost overnight, various influential families scrambled to divide up the Brown family’s assets. I pulled every string I could to save just one small company under the Brown family name for him. During his recovery, I stayed by his side constantly, paid all his medical bills, and settled many of his debts until he finally regained consciousness. He had forgotten everyone, including the fact that he had a fiancée—one who had abandoned him as soon as disaster struck. Only I remained loyal, staying by his side without asking for anything in return. Maxwell cried and told me that even though he had lost everything, he would treat me well for the rest of his life. I held his hand tightly and comforted him: “I’ll do everything in my power to help you rise again.” I kept my promise. I handed over the small company to him, helped him secure a round of financing, and accompanied him step by step as he reestablished his position in Manchester’s high society. But he callously broke his vow. He betrayed me without even offering an explanation. As I looked at this man before me, his silence became the final straw that broke me. “Natalie, I rented this venue, so how did it become your engagement ceremony? This is obviously my engagement ceremony.” Natalie clearly hadn’t expected me to publicly embarrass her, and her expression turned extremely unpleasant. “Hazel, no matter how much you pressure Maxwell, he’ll only follow his heart! Just let him go!” “Hazel, don’t think that having some money means you can force Maxwell to propose to you!” I let out a cold laugh and retorted, “Who are you to say such things? When he needed money, which one of you helped him? Was it you, or you?” I pointed at those present, who all awkwardly averted their gaze. They stubbornly continued, “You’ve been waiting for this day, haven’t you? You deliberately gave him money just to emotionally blackmail Maxwell into marrying you!” “Enough! Hazel, stop making a scene,” Maxwell interrupted with fury written all over his face. “I’m grateful for your help these past years, and I’ll pay back every penny you lent me. But today is my engagement party with Natalie. Can’t you show some compassion? She’s suffering from severe depression, and you choose today to cause trouble? I would never marry someone as heartless as you!” Everyone applauded. “Well said, Maxwell has backbone!” “Exactly! She came here to force Maxwell to marry her, and now she’s been put in her place!” Looking at Maxwell’s expression, I felt too disgusted to speak. Natalie’s lips curled into a subtle smile. She pretended to be considerate and said, “Oh, everyone, please stop arguing. Since Hazel is already here, let’s arrange a seat for her so she can witness the love between Maxwell and me.” She reached out to take my hand, but I immediately shook her off. She put on a theatrical display of fragility, crying out “Ah!” as she fell to the ground, looking utterly pitiful. I looked down at her, my eyes burning with contempt. “You’re right, someone is going to propose to me today, but it’s not this ungrateful Maxwell. Please clean this place up quickly and get out. My fiancé is already on his way, and I don’t want him to see trash like you.”

“Who the hell are you calling garbage?!” Maxwell’s brother jumped to his feet, glaring at me viciously. “Hazel, you’re going too far!” “Hazel, I only respected you because you seemed to treat Maxwell well. Do you think you’re so important that all of Manchester has to listen to you?! Don’t forget the Stone family ranks above your Foster family. You know Vincent, right? He’s my distant cousin. Want me to call him to put you in your place?” I laughed scornfully. “Really? I couldn’t care less about Vincent Stone. He probably wouldn’t even want to acknowledge a little punk like you.” “You—!” Maxwell cut him off. Then, looking somewhat exhausted, he unbuttoned his collar and rubbed his forehead. “Hazel, stop making trouble. What’s the point of making up this fiancé nonsense?” “Exactly, Ms. Foster. Everyone knows you’re head over heels for Maxwell. Who are you trying to fool with this angry talk?” Just then, my phone rang. I answered, and a man’s soft chuckle came through. “Honestly, I was quite flattered when you suddenly agreed. Though I know you don’t love me, I’m quite happy to be used as your weapon. How are things going over there? Need any help?” I said with complete indifference, “I’m not done here yet. I’ll have security kick them out in a minute. You just focus on driving safely.” After hanging up, Maxwell demanded, “Who were you talking to?” His expression was impatient, yet somehow anxious. I raised an eyebrow and mocked, “My fiancé, of course. Today is the day he proposed to me, and he rented this venue. You’re all trespassing, and security will be here soon to escort you out.” Natalie tried to reason with me. “Hazel, there’s no need for such spiteful words. I won’t force you to congratulate us. But today is Maxwell’s and my special day. Look what you’ve done.” The guests turned toward us, giving me disapproving looks. “The nerve of this homewrecker. It’s outrageous.” “Using her power to force others to stop a proposal ceremony. Why should we listen to you and just leave?” “Exactly! We only listen to today’s couple! Let’s ignore this crazy woman and help throw her out!” Soon, several burly men stood up and approached me. I knew self-defense and wasn’t easy to intimidate. I quickly took down two of them. But more and more people surrounded me, and I couldn’t handle them all alone. Then I caught Maxwell looking at me with pity. “Stop resisting, Hazel. Leave quietly, and I’ll make sure they don’t hurt you.” Furious, I shouted, “Maxwell, you bastard! Go to hell!” Maxwell’s friends yelled, “If you won’t take the easy way out, we’ll beat some sense into you!” Just as fists were about to land on me and I closed my eyes in desperation, the door suddenly burst open. Immediately, security guards flooded in. “Nobody move!” A commanding shout stopped everyone in their tracks. “I’m the manager of this hotel. Who dares cause trouble here?!”

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My boyfriend had a female “meal buddy” at his company. They shared meals year-round with perfectly matched tastes. He ate egg whites while she ate the yolks; he gnawed on chicken feet while she enjoyed the drumsticks; he ate the bottoms of strawberries, she ate the tips. He even brought her along for birthday celebrations. “Tired of work meals, so I brought my little meal buddy for a treat.” When I couldn’t stand it anymore and demanded they maintain boundaries, he patted her head and smiled at me: “Don’t worry, she’s just a meal buddy.” We had a long cold war over this. Later, when he thought I had learned my lesson, he came with flowers, only to be shocked seeing a man peek out from under my blanket, staring coldly at him. He growled with reddened eyes: “Who is he?” Leaning against the headboard, I patted the handsome man’s face beneath me. “Don’t worry, he’s just a bed buddy.”

My Aldrich is a psychopath. He has bipolar disorder and broke his own leg to prevent me from marrying my fiancé. Later, I was murdered by my fiancé and best friend. That couple had sex at my funeral, planning how to spend my inheritance. My Aldrich, with his broken leg, hunted them across half the globe like a madman. Covered in blood, he brought their severed heads to my corpse that was left like spaghetti. Then he held me, stroked my head, and whispered: “Trista, Aldrich has always been here.” Living again in this second chance at life. When my fiancé embraced me, asking me to drug Aldrich’s water, I pushed away that man with his disgusting smile. “What did Aldrich ever do wrong?” “Aldrich just loves me too much.”

In the sixth year of my secret crush on Cruz Wells, we were still just friends. When I was hospitalized, he was there for me financially and emotionally, doing more than anyone else. When my cousin got engaged, he accompanied me to the celebration and presented the most lavish gift at the event. Everyone believed we would eventually end up together. Finally, I gathered my courage and confessed my feelings to him. But he gave me a dismissive glance, playing with the lighter in his hand, and chuckled softly: “I see you as a friend, and you want to sleep with me? Aya, don’t joke around.” I remained silent for a long while, and finally just nodded, “Okay.” After that day, we didn’t contact each other for a long time. When I received his call again, it was already two months later. He casually asked, “What have you been up to lately? Haven’t seen you in ages.” I glanced at the elegant yet aloof man sitting across from me and answered truthfully, “I’m on a date.” The moment I said that, I heard the shocking sound of a phone being smashed on the other end of the line.

On my wedding day, my boyfriend of six years suddenly disappeared during our vows. The altar stood empty, with only me awkwardly standing there, until giggles from a man and woman echoed from the adjacent restroom. It was Jett Blackwood’s voice. He’d forgotten he was wearing a microphone, and his affectionate tone was clearly audible throughout the entire venue. In front of all my family and friends, my best friend’s voice came through the speakers distinctly. “Jett, Kayla’s bra hook came undone.” “Silly girl, let me help you. Pink today, huh? So cute.” “Stop it! Don’t touch me like that, it tickles!” Everyone in the room turned to stare at me, their faces wearing telling expressions. The old me would have burst in there, crying and screaming, demanding to know if he ever took our relationship seriously. But now, I just wanted to protect my breast health and stay away from those who couldn’t understand.

After returning home from a six-month business trip, I discovered my boyfriend had found himself a dining companion. She bustled about in the kitchen, preparing three dishes and a soup, looking more like the lady of the house than I did, appearing incredibly domestic. As we were about to sit down for dinner, she cradled matching couple’s bowls—hers and my boyfriend’s—in both hands, and with a sheepish expression, stuck her tongue out at me. “Oh dear, I forgot we only have one set of bowls and chopsticks.” “Susan, let me find you something to put your rice in.” In front of Harrison, she served me rice in a disposable plastic bowl. Harrison offered no comment whatsoever. I understood then that I needed to break up with Harrison.

After just one month of marriage, I’ve already had 38 arguments with my mother-in-law, Jane Holmes! My husband, Zane Holmes, has an extremely close relationship with Jane. For Zane’s sake, I voluntarily went on a two-month business trip to give myself and Jane some space to improve our relationship. One evening, Jane suddenly transferred me $20,000 with a thoughtful message: “Dottie, stay safe while you’re away. This money is for you to spend however you like.” Not long after, Zane called me, angrily saying: “Dottie, Mom thinks you’re actually having an affair while on your business trip. She gave you money because she’s worried you might spend another man’s money! She’s gone too far! I’ve already had an argument with her! Don’t worry, I’ll always take your side!” Zane had said things like this many times. Whenever Jane and I argued, he seemed particularly pleased! Once, when I accidentally knocked Jane over, he even said I shouldn’t hold back since she wasn’t my mother! It wasn’t until later that I discovered his love for both Jane and me was completely fake! 1 The day I returned from my business trip, Jane spent three hours in the kitchen preparing a table full of my favorite dishes. She smiled warmly while continuously serving me food: “Dottie, eat more, you’re too thin. Your work is stressful, you need to maintain your nutrition.” Jane’s kind and gentle demeanor warmed my heart, making me think that perhaps the conflicts between us were just misunderstandings. Even if there were no misunderstandings, some friction was normal. After all, I was newly married, and the adjustment process would naturally involve some tension. I enjoyed the meal thoroughly. As we were finishing, I said to her: “Thank you, Jane.” Jane’s eyes lit up with happiness, and she smiled. My gratitude seemed to make her happier than winning the lottery. “It’s no trouble at all. We’re family.” That night, as soon as I got into bed, Zane lowered his voice and complained to me: “Dottie, Mom said you ate too much! Guess why she made all that food for you?” He deliberately kept me in suspense, so I asked: “Why?” “It’s to help you build up your strength so you can have a baby!” We had discussed the topic of having children with Jane and Zane two weeks ago. My career was currently on the rise, and I wanted to wait a couple of years before having children. I never expected Jane would agree to my face but change her mind behind my back. I was instantly angry, but then I reconsidered. Jane had been so pleasant earlier, and I didn’t want to start arguing as soon as I returned, so I suppressed my emotions. “She can say what she wants. I’ll just ignore it.” As I lay down, I caught a glimpse of disappointment on Zane’s face, but I was too tired to care and fell asleep immediately. Not long after, I woke up needing to use the bathroom and vaguely heard Zane talking in Jane’s room. I faintly heard him say: “Mom, I’m sorry, Dottie is so ungrateful. You worked so hard to prepare all those dishes, and she complained that you’re messy and unclean. If it weren’t for your sake, I would have argued with her already!” I was stunned. I had never said any of those things. Furious, I gripped the doorknob, ready to confront Zane about why he was trying to drive a wedge between us. But then I heard Jane’s calm voice: “Being clean is a good thing. I’ll be more careful next time. Zane, you should control your temper and treat Dottie well.” I never expected Jane to respond like that. It immediately brought me back to my senses, and I didn’t open the door. I wanted to see why Zane was going to such lengths to create conflict between Jane and me.

2 In the days since I’ve been back, Jane and I have been getting along harmoniously. I could feel that we both had fire burning inside, but we were both holding back from exploding. While at work, I received a message from Zane. The photo showed my most expensive silk dress, a Valentine’s Day gift from Zane worth thirty thousand. It was my favorite piece of clothing, one I rarely wore because I cherished it so much. However, in the photo, the dress was completely ruined from washing. “Dottie, Mom went too far! I told her your clothes must be hand-washed, but she wouldn’t listen and put it in the washing machine!” “I told her this dress cost thirty thousand, and she said you’re extravagant and not a good wife. I’m about to burst a blood vessel!” “Don’t worry about me—you absolutely need to give her a good scolding, otherwise she’ll never change!” Seeing the photo, I was indeed angry, but realizing Zane was encouraging me to fight with his mother, I calmly replied: “It’s just a dress, no big deal.” There was silence from his end, then a moment later, he called me. Zane said: “Dottie, marrying me has really made you suffer. You’ve always had a fiery temper and never put up with nonsense!” “We’ve only been married a month and my mom has been giving you trouble the whole time. You don’t need to tolerate her for my sake.” “Even if you get into a fight with her, I’ll stand by you. You’re the most important person in my life. I love you the most, and no one should make you upset!” “How about we tell Mom tonight that we want to live separately?” I do have a bad temper and never take mistreatment or avoid conflict. Once, a confrontation with my boss ended up requiring police intervention. Everyone around me knows I’m not someone to mess with, but I’m not unreasonable—I don’t bother people unless they bother me first. Right now I was indeed angry, but not at Jane—at Zane. Controlling my anger, I told Zane: “Don’t treat your mom like that. You’re not short on money—just buy me another one.” I didn’t lose my temper, which seemed to make Zane anxious: “What if I buy a new one and Mom ruins it again?” “Then buy another one! She won’t keep wasting your money forever.” Zane fell silent on the other end, apparently not expecting this response from me. That evening when I returned home from work, Zane immediately said: “Mom’s angry. She went out with her friends and didn’t cook dinner for us. I complained, and she yelled at me.” “She said she doesn’t owe us anything and to leave her alone!” What he didn’t know was that two minutes before I walked through the door, I had received a message from Jane. Jane had transferred me 50,000 and explained: “Dottie, I’m so sorry. I was doing your laundry today and didn’t notice your silk dress wrapped up with the other clothes. It got ruined in the washing machine. Please accept my apology. Take this money and buy yourself a new one.” “Also, it’s my friend’s birthday today, so I’m out celebrating with her. I didn’t have time to make dinner for you two, but I’ve ordered takeout from a restaurant. It will be delivered at 8 PM.”

3 At that moment, I carefully examined the man before me. He had truly transformed into someone I didn’t recognize! Zane noticed my gaze and nervously asked, “What’s wrong, Dottie? Why are you looking at me like that?” Suppressing my anger, I replied casually, “Nothing. There’ll be food delivery soon, so we won’t go hungry.” Zane seemed extremely surprised and disappointed that I hadn’t lost my temper. Later when Jane returned, I overheard Zane badmouthing me in her room, “Mom, I’m sorry I married such a vicious woman. I told her it was normal for you to attend your friend’s birthday party, but Dottie claimed you were using the gathering as an excuse to meet men!” I clenched my fists in anger. Jane also vented her frustration, “Dottie is so heartless. I’ve been nothing but sincere to her, and this is how she treats me!” Zane encouraged her, “Mom, when I confronted her, she kicked me out to sleep on the couch. There are some things I can’t say as her husband, but you should confront her directly!” Jane hesitated, looking somewhat afraid. “Dottie has a bad temper. Let it go. I have a clear conscience anyway.” Zane grew anxious and continued urging Jane to confront me. But Jane said, “Family harmony is most important. Let it go.” Then she shooed Zane out of her room. He returned to our bedroom, quietly slipped into bed, and gently embraced me from behind. He kissed my neck and said in an incredibly affectionate tone, “Dottie, I love you so much. No one is more important to me than you.” Fighting the disgust I felt inside, I pretended to be asleep and gave him no response. A few days later, Zane started causing trouble again. He asked me out, held my hands, and with feigned sincerity said, “Dottie, something’s come up. I’ve negotiated a big deal that requires a 3 million advance payment. I mentioned this to Mom, but she doesn’t seem willing to help.” “Could you talk to Mom about this for me? I’m working myself to death to earn money, all for our family.” “But Mom doesn’t see it that way. I’m her only son, yet she refuses to help me!” “Dad’s been gone for some time now, and I’m worried she might spend his death benefits on other men.” “Dottie, would you please discuss this with Mom? We need to work together. If the company succeeds, our lives will improve. Don’t you agree?” I refused him, “Zane, that’s Jane’s retirement money. You’re a man and her son. Since she didn’t agree, let’s respect her decision.” Zane seemed about to say something more, looking extremely anxious as he tried again to persuade me. But I still didn’t agree, which angered Zane, and he stopped talking to me. That evening at dinner, Zane himself asked Jane for the 3 million. After a moment’s hesitation, Jane finally said, “Fine, I’ll transfer the money to Dottie. She’s more detail-oriented. You two can build the company together.” The moment Jane agreed, Zane’s face lit up with crow’s feet from smiling so widely, but when Jane mentioned giving the money to me, his disappointment was obvious. 4 Jane actually transferred that money to me, and I knew it was all she had. Zane repeatedly asked me for this money, but I refused each time, claiming the project wasn’t mature and carried high risks. While Zane appeared to listen to me on the surface, even when furious inside, he could only vent his frustration in private. After several attempts, he even hired people to act, trying to convince me the project was reliable. To make him give up, I told him directly: “I’ve invested this money in a private equity fund with a fixed term. We can’t withdraw it for three years.” I showed him the records, and Zane turned pale, completely losing hope. I told him: “I’ve reviewed your company’s accounts. Your business isn’t short of money. This is your mother’s retirement savings. We shouldn’t touch it unless absolutely necessary.” Zane didn’t say anything to my face, but behind my back, he smashed his phone to pieces in anger. That evening, when I noticed his new phone, he explained that he’d lost his old one and had to get a replacement. In our daily life, he would still occasionally try to provoke arguments between Jane and me. Sometimes when Jane couldn’t bear it anymore and scolded me, I deliberately maintained a good attitude to prevent Zane from succeeding, choosing to be respectful toward Jane instead of arguing. Seeing my increasingly better attitude, Jane grew even more affectionate toward me. So during Zane’s later attempts to stir up trouble, Jane restrained herself from getting angry with me. When Zane saw our relationship improving, he finally snapped! He brought several accident insurance policies, indignantly showing them to me: “Dottie, look at this! Mom has secretly purchased so many accident insurance policies for you, with coverage ranging from millions to tens of millions.” “The beneficiary is my mother’s name on all of them! It’s so vicious—she’s trying to harm you!” “This is unacceptable. Even if you don’t confront her for my sake, I can’t let her get away with this!” After examining the three policies, I calmly asked Zane: “Why would Jane want to harm me? She’s always been good to me. I can feel she truly loves me like her own daughter!” Zane fumed: “She’s just pretending. Dottie, you’re too innocent and kind-hearted.” “Remember when my mother took you hiking? Fortunately, I arrived early and saw her trying to push you off the cliff from behind.” “I didn’t overthink it then, but now it’s terrifying to consider. Think about it—there was that time you almost got hit by a car while crossing the street.” “You were badly frightened. Then there was the time your car lost control and nearly crashed; and another time when Mom took you on a sea trip, I saw her almost push you overboard.” “I’ve argued with her many times in private about this. I thought she wasn’t serious, but I never imagined her intentions could be so malicious.” “Dottie, we must address this, or she’ll eventually kill you.” As Zane spoke, he became increasingly agitated and angry, but I also noticed an indescribable excitement in his eyes. He indignantly pulled out his phone, preparing to call everyone in the Holmes family: “Even though you’re fine now and we don’t have evidence to catch my mother, I won’t let you get hurt. From now on, I disown her as my mother. We’ll expel her from the Holmes family—she’ll have nothing to do with us anymore.” With that, he called the Holmes family members and Jane’s relatives one by one, declaring he was cutting all ties with Jane. I didn’t stop him. It was time for friends, family, and even more people to see Zane’s true face! He thought I knew nothing, unaware that he too was merely a piece on my chessboard.

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