Category: English

My uncle called me out of the blue, saying he urgently needed $340,000 for an emergency. I was put in a tough spot; after all, that’s a massive amount of money. Before I could process it, my husband chimed in: “When your uncle gave you that condo years ago, he definitely wasn’t expecting anything in return, right?” I nodded. He scoffed. “Then what right does he have to ask you for money now?” “He gave it to you, it’s yours. Now that the property value went up, he wants to leech off it? In his dreams.” I froze completely. On the other end of the line, my uncle heard every single word. 1 The other end of the line was dead silent. That silence travelled through the receiver, piercing my eardrum like an ice-cold needle. Every passing second felt like I was being fried in a vat of hot oil. I could imagine my uncle’s honest, hardworking face instantly turning ashen on the other side. “Uncle…” I forced the word out, my throat feeling like it was stuffed with wet cotton. Click. The call disconnected. It wasn’t an angry slam of the phone, but the kind of disconnect where the phone just slips from powerless fingers. My hand was still suspended in mid-air, the phone screen already gone dark. The bright lights of our living room suddenly made me feel freezing cold. Mark, my husband, the man I had shared a bed with for five years, was sitting on the sofa across from me. There wasn’t a trace of guilt on his face; if anything, he looked somewhat smug. “See? I called him out, and he hung up. He knows he’s in the wrong.” He picked up an apple from the coffee table and took a hard bite, making a loud, crisp crunch. “I’m doing this for your own good, Chloe.” “You’re just too soft-hearted. You let people walk all over you.” “These broke relatives of yours, they see you doing well now, see your property went up in value, and they want a piece of the pie.” “Today he has the nerve to ask for three hundred and forty grand. Tomorrow he’ll ask for more.” “It’s a bottomless pit, and we are not jumping in.” Every word he said was like a poisoned blade, stabbing with pinpoint accuracy into the softest part of my heart. I looked at him. This face that I once found so handsome, so reliable, now looked entirely alien. Ugly, even. “Mark, that’s my uncle.” My voice trembled with an anger I didn’t even know I was capable of. “When my parents passed away, all our other relatives avoided me like the plague.” “It was my uncle. He drained his life savings to buy me this condo, just so I would have a roof over my head.” “You can’t put a price tag on that kind of grace.” Mark sneered, casually tossing the apple core into the trash. “Grace? Can grace pay the bills?” “Wake up, Chloe. What century are you living in? You still care about that sentimental garbage?” “When he bought you this place, what was it worth? Maybe fifty grand?” “And what about now? Eight hundred and sixty-five thousand!” Greed flashed in his eyes. The number sounded almost feverish coming from his mouth. “He’s trying to use a fifty-grand investment to leverage over eight hundred grand in cash out of us.” “He really knows how to play the system.” I felt all the blood in my body rush to my head. So, in his eyes, my uncle’s lifesaving grace was nothing more than a calculated financial investment. “Us?” I caught the word he used, a chill rising from the soles of my feet. “Mark, this condo is a pre-marital asset. It’s mine.” His face instantly darkened. “Chloe, what is that supposed to mean?” “We are married. What’s yours is mine, isn’t it?” “I work my ass off for this family, do I get no credit?” He began to list his “sacrifices” over the years. Commuting every day, visiting my hometown during the holidays. He painted himself as the ultimate, selfless family man. I only found it ironic. We had been married for five years, and I covered the vast majority of our household expenses. Because I made more money than him. As for his income, to use his words, “A man needs walking around money for networking, and I need to save up for big investments.” And now, he was already fantasizing about that $865,000. “Once we sell this place, we’ll upgrade to a big house in the suburbs. One with a yard.” “Then we’ll help my brother put a down payment on a starter home downtown. He’s getting to that age.” “Whatever’s left, we save. Boom, college fund for our future kids, sorted.” He planned it all out so naturally. As if my uncle’s only purpose for existing was to provide him and his family with a more comfortable life. I was completely chilled to the bone. This man. I had loved him for five years. I thought he would be my rock for the rest of my life. But in the end, in his world, family, grace, everything… none of it held a candle to money. I didn’t want to argue with him anymore. Any words felt pale and powerless in the face of such naked greed. I turned, walked into the bedroom, and shut the door. I locked all of his filthy words outside. I dug out an old photo album from the deepest part of my nightstand. The cover was yellowed, the edges frayed. The very first page was a photo of me and my uncle. I was sixteen that year, having just lost my parents, skinny as a rail. I was wearing an ill-fitting school hoodie, my eyes full of terror and confusion. My uncle stood beside me, his rough, broad hand gripping my shoulder tightly. His face couldn’t hide his exhaustion, but the way he looked at me was full of determination and fierce compassion. The background of the photo was this very studio apartment. Back then, this area was still a dirt lot. But my uncle pointed at the construction site and said to me: “Chloe, don’t be scared. This is going to be your home from now on.” Tears, without any warning, smashed onto the photo album, blurring a small patch. The bedroom door was violently shoved open. Mark barged in, reeking of alcohol. “Chloe, I’m warning you, you are not allowed to contact that uncle of yours again!” His face was flushed, his eyes vicious. “And do not mention money! Not a single word!” “If you dare give him money behind my back, we are done!” I looked at him coldly. “Mark, what gives you the right?” He was enraged by my stare, his voice pitching higher. “What gives me the right? I am your husband!” “The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the things you use—what part of it isn’t provided by the Miller family?” “You’re an orphan with nothing! If I hadn’t been blind enough to marry you, who knows what gutter you’d be floating in right now!” “Do you really think you’re some high-class city girl now?” “Let me tell you, those broke hicks from your hometown aren’t getting a single dime from me!” Every sentence felt like a ringing slap across my face. So, this whole time, in his heart, I was just a destitute orphan. My only value was attached to an appreciating piece of real estate. I looked at him, and suddenly, I laughed. The sound was alien even to me—sharp, and full of absolute desolation. That night was destined to be sleepless. I stared wide-eyed at the ceiling until the first light of dawn crept through the window. I made a decision. No matter what, I was going to help my uncle. Even if it meant selling this condo. 2 The next day, the doorbell rang loudly and urgently. Looking through the peephole, I saw the anxious face of my mother-in-law, Susan. I knew Mark’s “reinforcements” had arrived. I opened the door, and Susan pushed past me, charging straight in. “Oh, my poor boy, what happened to you? You look awful.” She grabbed Mark’s hands, looking him up and down as if he had suffered some massive injustice. Mark immediately cooperated, putting on an exhausted, helpless expression. Susan turned her head, her gaze landing on me like a spotlight. “Chloe, I heard the news.” “Your uncle is trying to borrow money from you?” The probing tone in her voice was prickly as a needle. I gave a flat response. “Yes.” “How much?” “Over three hundred thousand.” Susan gasped, her voice instantly turning shrill. “Over three hundred thousand?! Why doesn’t he just go rob a bank!” “He’s trying to hollow out our family!” I looked at her coldly. “Mom, that is my uncle. He is family.” “Also, it’s just a loan to get through an emergency. It’s not a handout.” Susan plopped down on the sofa, slapping her thigh and starting her theatrics. “Loan my foot! Lending money to broke relatives is like throwing meat to stray dogs—it never comes back!” “Chloe, Chloe, you can’t be this ungrateful!” “You married into the Miller family now, everything you have belongs to the Millers!” “That condo of yours, even if you bought it before we met, you married my Mark. That makes it Miller family property!” Her logic was simply the logic of a bandit. I was so angry I laughed. “Mom, what you’re saying is very interesting.” “Since when did my condo become Miller family property?” Seeing I wasn’t playing along, Susan’s face changed. She put away the fake tears, revealing shrewd calculation. “Chloe, look, how about this.” “Just to be safe, and to make your uncle give up hope entirely.” “Add Mark’s name to the deed.” “That way, the condo becomes joint marital property. He won’t be able to scheme for it so easily.” Finally, the fox showed its tail. This was the real reason she came today. I rejected her without a second of hesitation. “No way.” Those two words were like a bucket of ice water on her scheming. Susan’s face instantly turned the color of raw liver. “You! You ungrateful wretch!” “Our family must have had the worst luck in the world to marry a traitor like you!” Mark, who had been silent this whole time, finally found his opening. He stood up, walked over to me, and looked down at me. “Chloe, what exactly do you think of me and my mom?” “We are a family!” “Why are we dividing things into ‘yours’ and ‘mine’?” “You’re being so defensive, have you been planning an exit strategy this whole time?” Every accusation felt like he was forcing a selfish, greedy hat onto my head. I was shaking with anger. “Family?” “My uncle is waiting for life-saving money right now, and what are you doing?” “Have you treated them like family for even a second?” Susan jumped up from the sofa, pointing her finger right at my nose. “Whether your uncle’s son lives or dies has nothing to do with the Millers!” “Why should we use our own money to fill their family’s sinkhole?” That sentence exploded in my brain like a thunderclap. I looked at the mother and son in front of me. At their entitled, cold-blooded, ruthless faces. For the first time, I genuinely considered divorce. This wasn’t my home. They weren’t my family. They were just two leeches attached to my property, hoping to suck me dry. I took a deep breath, suppressing the rising nausea in my chest. “Get out.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried undeniable finality. Both Mark and Susan froze. They probably never expected that I, usually so compliant, would say something like that. “What did you say?” Mark’s eyes widened. “I said, get the hell out of my condo.” I enunciated every single syllable clearly. Susan snapped out of it and tried to lunge at me, ready to throw a tantrum. “You little bitch, you dare kick me out! I’ll kill you!” I dodged to the side and used all my strength to shove the two of them toward the door. Mark was still trying to reason with me, or rather, threaten me. “Chloe, you’re crazy! You’re cutting ties with us over an outsider?” I didn’t answer. I just forcefully shoved them out the door. Then, with a heavy slam, I shut it. I turned the lock. Deadbolted. The world was finally quiet. I leaned against the cold door, my body sliding down until I hit the floor. But a voice inside my head was incredibly clear: This condo, this final shred of dignity, no one is taking it from me. 3 I sat on the cold floor until my legs went numb. Once I calmed down, the first thing I did was call my uncle back. It rang for a long time before someone picked up. “Hello?” It was my aunt’s voice, thick with congestion and exhaustion. “Auntie, it’s me, Chloe.” “Where’s Uncle?” The other end was silent for a moment before my uncle’s hoarse voice came through. “Chloe, honey.” “Uncle is fine, don’t worry.” “Yesterday… I was out of line. Don’t fight with your husband over me.” He was still thinking about me. My eyes instantly welled up. “Uncle, don’t say that.” “I’m the one who’s sorry.” “What exactly happened? You have to tell me.” After my repeated questioning, my uncle finally told me the truth. My cousin, Leo, was diagnosed with acute leukemia. He needed a bone marrow transplant immediately. They found a match, but the $340,000 surgical fee was a mountain crushing this already struggling family. “…Your cousin is still so young, he’s only twenty-five…” My uncle’s voice choked on a sob. “The doctor said as long as the money is there, the success rate is very high…” On my end of the phone, my face was already covered in tears. It was life-saving money. And yet, because of Mark’s garbage behavior, I had wasted precious time. Guilt and self-reproach washed over me like a tidal wave. “Uncle, don’t worry.” I wiped my tears away, my voice carrying a determination that surprised even me. “I will figure out the money.” “I will get it to you in the shortest amount of time possible.” I hung up and immediately opened my banking app to check the joint account I shared with Mark. But when I saw the balance, I was completely stunned. $36,217. We had been married for five years. Our combined income was over $30,000 a month. Even after daily expenses and his car payment, we should have easily had a six-figure savings account after five years. But now, there was only this pathetic fraction left. My heart sank, inch by inch. I immediately called Mark. He picked up, his voice still laced with anger. “What? Figured it out? Ready to apologize to my mom?” I ignored his yelling and asked directly: “Where is the money in our joint account?” Mark noticeably paused. “What money? Isn’t it all in the card?” “Mark, I’m going to ask you one more time. Where is the money?” My voice was ice cold. He must have heard that something was seriously wrong with my tone, and started stammering. “It… it didn’t go anywhere…” “It’s just… my brother wanted to buy a car a while ago, so I helped him out a bit.” “And, my parents wanted to renovate their old house back home, so I took some out for that too…” “We’re all family, we shouldn’t keep such strict accounts…” My heart felt like it was being sawed in half with a blunt knife. So that was it. So the money I had worked so hard to save up became his capital to subsidize his family. He used my money to play the “good son” and the “great brother” for his family. Yet, when my uncle’s family was waiting for life-saving money, he spewed those cold, cruel words. I finally understood. In his heart, we were never a family. I was just an outsider, a host providing blood and flesh for him and his family. This realization struck me like lightning, leaving me freezing cold. I couldn’t rely on him. There was only one way left. Sell this condo. I opened my laptop and started searching for real estate agents online. This place held all my youth and memories. It was my only safe harbor. Now, it was going to be used to save another family member’s life. I thought, if this condo had feelings, it would support me too. Mark quickly found out what I was doing. Probably through my browser history on the shared iPad. He charged into the study like an enraged lion. “Chloe! Don’t you dare!” He pointed at the agent’s contact info on the screen, his eyes bloodshot. “Let me tell you, you are not selling this condo!” “Don’t even think about it!” I looked up, meeting his gaze calmly. “Mark, we’re done.” My relationship with him had completely frozen over the moment he insulted my uncle. And now, we had fallen into an bottomless abyss below that freezing point. 4 Mark and my mother-in-law, in order to stop me from selling the house, began an absurd farce. They shadowed me constantly. If I went to the bathroom, Susan stood guard at the door. If I went to the kitchen for water, Mark followed right behind me. They acted like two prison guards, treating me like a maximum-security inmate. Even worse, they confiscated my driver’s license, my passport, and the original property deed. “Chloe, let’s see how you sell the house without these!” Mark locked the documents in his personal safe, wearing the smirk of a victor. Susan chimed in: “Exactly! Let’s see what you can do now!” “Just sit quietly at home and stop having these wild ideas.” They thought this would completely control me. I didn’t fight back. I didn’t even argue with them. I just watched them in silence, like watching a ridiculous comedy. My compliance made them drop their guard. They assumed I had finally surrendered and started parading around me, gloating. They mocked me daily, their words full of contempt and humiliation. “An orphan who thinks she’s somebody.” “If it wasn’t for our Mark, you’d still be living in that dump of a studio.” “Now that your wings are fully grown, you think you can just kick the Millers to the curb?” I listened silently, recording everything in my mind. But my eyes grew colder by the day. They didn’t know I had already reported my driver’s license lost and requested a replacement. The new ID was sitting quietly in the hidden compartment of a tote bag I used often. They also didn’t know that for something as important as a property deed, there was no way I wouldn’t have a backup plan. Copies, the original purchase agreement, and all related documents—I had duplicates hidden in a place they would never think to look. I used the time when Mark was at work and Susan was out grocery shopping to secretly meet with several real estate agents. I chose an experienced, reliable-looking senior agent, Sarah. I told her my entire situation. After listening, Sarah was furious. “Honey, don’t worry.” “I see this kind of stuff all the time.” “Not having the original deed is a bit of a hassle, but it’s not impossible.” “As long as you have the purchase agreement and your ID, we can sign a listing agreement first.” “I’ll help you navigate the rest of the process slowly.” Under the agent’s guidance, I prepared all the necessary listing materials. Mark and his mother knew absolutely nothing about this. They were still intoxicated by the thrill of controlling everything. Watching their smug, petty faces, I felt no anger, only a bone-deep coldness. That afternoon, while Susan was napping and Mark hadn’t gotten off work yet. I slipped out of the house and signed an exclusive listing agreement with Sarah. The moment I signed my name. I knew my counterattack had officially begun. Step one went even smoother than I had imagined.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396440”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

During the holidays, my e-bike suddenly exploded. It torched my neighbor’s Maybach and killed a grandfather and his young grandson who happened to be walking by. My entire family drained their savings to compensate the victims, saddling us with millions in debt. For twenty years, I was cursed and spat on by the victims’ families. I worked eight jobs a day just to pay off the money. The very night I finally cleared the debt, I collapsed and died of extreme overwork. But right before I closed my eyes, I heard my parents laughing outside my door: “Actually, that Maybach didn’t even burn. And that old man and his grandson? They faked their deaths. This idiot actually believed it and worked himself to the bone!” “What else were we supposed to do? If Chloe wanted a glamorous wedding, we needed cash! As an adopted son we took in from the streets, this was his only use.” It turned out my entire twenty years of suffering was nothing but a sick joke. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the explosion. This time, I rode the e-bike away early in the morning and sank it to the bottom of the reservoir behind the hills. Without the bike, let’s see how you put on this little show! But at 3:00 PM, the explosion still happened. …… The sunflower seeds in my hand scattered across the floor. I froze in place. Impossible. I had clearly sunk the e-bike into the reservoir. How could it possibly explode? I rushed out the door. Thick black smoke and roaring flames billowed from the entrance of our neighborhood. Neighbors were screaming and sprinting toward the commotion. I followed right behind them. My legs felt like jelly; my heart hammered fiercely against my ribs. The scene was even more gruesome than in my previous life. That Maybach was genuinely burning, letting out terrifying crackling and popping sounds. Next to the car, two charred bodies lay motionless on the asphalt, completely unrecognizable. “Call 911!” “Whose e-bike is this?! Why was it plugged in here?!” “I think it’s Carter’s! I saw him pushing it this morning!” Everyone turned to look at me in unison. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. This was impossible. My e-bike was at the bottom of the reservoir. How could it be here? And how could it explode? “Carter Hayes! Is this your e-bike?!” Mr. Sterling crawled out of the Maybach, his face covered in blood, screaming at me hysterically. “I’ll kill you! This is my brand-new Maybach! Half a million dollars! You’re paying me back every cent!” I backed away, my mind completely blank. The explosion in my past life had been faked. How did it become real this time? And my e-bike… I had thrown it into the water myself. Why was it here? “It wasn’t me…” I muttered to myself. “My e-bike isn’t here…” “Still trying to lie?!” Old man Jenkins pointed right at my nose. “I saw you pushing that e-bike out this morning with my own eyes! If it wasn’t you, who was it?” “Exactly! Around here, who else has a bright red e-bike?” “Murderer! You’ll pay for this with your life!” The crowd swarmed me, shoving and cursing. The sheer hatred threatened to drown me, making it far more terrifying than my past life. Because in my past life, at least I knew it was all a staged lie. But now, two real people had died right in front of me, and the Maybach was genuinely burning to a crisp. “Carter, what is going on?!” My parents and sister squeezed through the aggressive crowd. My dad, Robert, was livid. My mom, Brenda, just plopped onto the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing at the top of her lungs. “Oh, dear God! What are we going to do?! Our family is going to be ruined!” My sister, Chloe, and her boyfriend stood off to the side, their eyes darting nervously, refusing to look at me. It was the exact same scene from my previous life. But this time, the explosion was real, and the deaths were real. Didn’t they know? “Brother, is it really your e-bike?” Chloe walked over, lowering her voice. “Didn’t you take it to town for repairs this morning? How did it end up here?” I stared dead into her eyes, trying to find a crack in her facade, but all I saw was genuine panic. “This isn’t my bike!” I said through gritted teeth. “I sank mine into the reservoir!” “What?” Chloe’s eyes widened. “Carter, what are you talking about? Are you in shock?” “I’m not crazy! I pushed it to the reservoir at 6:00 AM, tied rocks to it, and sank it! The bike that exploded isn’t mine!” The crowd went dead silent for a second before erupting into an even louder uproar. “This kid has lost his mind. What nonsense is he spouting?” “Sank it in the reservoir? He’s just trying to dodge responsibility!” “Arrest him! Let the cops take him away!” My dad lunged forward and slapped me brutally across the face. “You bastard! You still dare to lie?! Those are two human lives!” I covered my cheek, tasting the metallic tang of blood in my mouth. This slap hurt just as much as it did in my previous life. But in my past life, I thought he was genuinely furious and devastated. I only learned later that it was all an act—a performance to make the guilt crush me so I would willingly become their cash cow. But this time, the explosion was real. If they really planned all of this, then what was the deal with the two dead bodies and the burning Maybach? The police arrived quickly and cordoned off the scene. I was pulled aside to give a statement, my entire body feeling numb. “Name?” “Carter Hayes.” “Is that e-bike yours?” “No.” I lifted my head, my eyes firm. “My e-bike is in the reservoir. I sank it there myself this morning. The bike that exploded looks like mine, but it’s not.” The officer frowned. “Mr. Hayes, we have eyewitnesses placing you with the bike this morning. Furthermore, we found the remnants of your license plate at the epicenter of the blast.” “Impossible!” I shot up from my chair. “My plate is a custom vanity plate—’LUCKY-8′. Chloe got it for me for good luck. What plate did you find?” The officer glanced down at his notepad. “‘LUCKY-8’.” I felt like I had been struck by lightning. I slumped back into the chair. This was impossible. My e-bike was in the water. How could my license plate be at the explosion site? Did someone fish my e-bike out of the water? But when? I sank it at 6:00 AM, and it exploded at 3:00 PM. Who could have dragged an e-bike out of a deep reservoir and brought it back to the neighborhood in such a short window of time? And why would they do that? “I need to go to the reservoir.” I grabbed the officer’s arm. “Take me to the hills. My e-bike is down there. Send divers down, you will definitely find it!” The officers exchanged a look. Seeing how desperate and agitated I was, they finally agreed. The banks of the reservoir were soon crowded with nosy onlookers. Two police divers stripped off their heavy gear and plunged into the freezing water. I paced anxiously on the shore, my hands balled into tight fists. As long as they pulled that e-bike out, I could prove my innocence. The one that exploded was a fake. Someone had intentionally framed me. “Got something!” A diver broke the surface, holding a piece of debris. My heart leaped into my throat. It was a piece of red plastic—definitely from an e-bike. “Is there more down there?! What about the rest of the bike?!” I yelled. The diver went back under. A few minutes later, he resurfaced and shook his head. “There’s nothing else down here. Just this fragment and some heavy rocks with cut ropes.” “Impossible!” I screamed. “I sank the whole bike! I tied four massive rocks to it! How could it be gone?!” “Mr. Hayes, are you absolutely sure you sank the bike here?” The officer climbed ashore, his face stern. “There’s no vehicle at the bottom. Just this fragment. And based on our preliminary checks, the VIN numbers recovered from the blast site match your registration perfectly.” “I don’t know what’s going on…” I clutched my head, my mind spinning into chaos. I remembered it so vividly. I pushed the bike here, tied the rocks, and watched it sink. But now, the bike was gone, leaving only a single fragment. Did I remember wrong? Did I not actually sink it? Did I just push it to the neighborhood entrance in a daze? No, impossible. I remembered the biting cold of the morning frost. I remembered the heavy strain of lifting the rocks. I remembered the bubbles bursting on the surface as the bike went under. Those memories were too real to be fake. “Carter, just stop making excuses.” My mom cried out from the crowd. “Murder demands a life, debt demands money. That’s the law of the world. Our family might be poor, but we can’t do something this evil and run away from it!” “Yeah, if you did the crime, do the time!” “He looked like such an honest kid. Who knew his heart was this black?” The curses from the crowd felt like knives stabbing into my skin. I looked around. Every face was so familiar, yet so completely alien. In my past life, they cursed me exactly like this. For twenty years. But before I died last time, I learned the truth. I knew I was innocent. This time, even I was starting to doubt myself. Did I really sink the bike? “I want to see the security footage.” I suddenly said. “There’s a camera at the neighborhood entrance. Check if I pushed the bike there!” The officer nodded. “We already checked. Unfortunately, the camera at the entrance was vandalized yesterday. It hasn’t been fixed.” My heart sank. “What… what about the other cameras nearby?” “We checked. You were caught on camera at 6:00 AM pushing the bike out of the neighborhood, but no other cameras picked you up after that.” “What about the path to the reservoir? Any cameras in the hills?” The officer shook his head. “It’s undeveloped land. No cameras.” I was drowning in despair. No cameras to prove I went to the reservoir. No bike at the bottom to prove my innocence. Everyone was pointing fingers at me, and my own mind was betraying me. Did I really cause the explosion? “Brother, don’t be like this.” Chloe walked over, a look of deep concern plastered on her face. “Even if it was an accident, we won’t blame you. We’re a family, we’ll shoulder the burden together.” She reached out, trying to help me up. Looking at her hypocritical face, a wave of nausea washed over me. In my past life, she said the exact same words. “Brother, we’ll shoulder it together.” Yet the only one carrying the burden was me. The only one enjoying the fruits of my labor was her. “Get away from me.” I slapped her hand away. “I don’t need your fake sympathy.” Chloe’s face fell, immediately shifting into a mask of pure victimization. “Carter, I know you’re under a lot of stress, but how can you treat me like this…” “Enough!” My dad, Robert, charged forward and kicked me hard in the shoulder. “You ungrateful wretch! You make a fatal mistake and then take your temper out on your sister! You’ve lost your damn mind!” I crashed to the ground, my shoulder burning in agony. My mom lunged at me, pinching and scratching. “I’ll beat you to death, you curse! You killed two people and now you want to drag our whole family down! Why didn’t you just die?!” I curled up on the dirt, letting them hit me. In my past life, they pinned all the blame on me and played the perfect victims. But back then, I eventually knew it was all a staged act. This time, I didn’t know anything anymore. If they really didn’t know the truth, if the explosion was truly an accident, then their anger right now was genuine. And I was the monster who killed two innocent people and torched a luxury car. “Break it up!” An officer pulled my parents away. “The investigation is still ongoing. You can’t assault him.” “What else is there to investigate?! He did it!” Brenda wailed. “What sin did the Hayes family commit to pick up this jinx off the streets?! We should have let him freeze to death!” I was taken back to the neighborhood and locked inside our living room. Late at night, I huddled in the corner, my brain a chaotic mess. Were the memories of my past life real? Was the memory of my parents conspiring against me a delusion? If they were innocent, what the hell were those twenty years of suffering? I felt dizzy. Was I actually losing my mind? Were all my memories just hallucinations? Around midnight, I snuck out through the window. I wanted to go back to the reservoir to see if I could find any clues. But to my shock, when I reached the banks of the reservoir, I saw my parents and sister standing there in the dark. Their voices were kept low, but I could still make out fragments of their conversation. “What do we do? The plan changed? Did he actually sink the bike?” “If he really sank it, then whose bike exploded?” “It doesn’t matter. It blew up, so we just stick to the original plan…” “But what about those two dead bodies? They’re actually dead, but they aren’t the actors we hired…” “Who did it?” “I don’t know, but it works out perfectly. Saves us the money we were going to pay the actors.” My blood ran freezing cold. It felt like I had plunged into an ice bath. They really did have a plan. The explosion, the deaths, the debt in my past life—they had orchestrated all of it. But this time, the explosion and the deaths became chillingly real, completely exceeding their expectations. And yet, they still wanted to proceed with the plan. They still wanted to make me the scapegoat to ruin my life! “What about the bike in the water?” It was Chloe’s voice. “Why is it missing?” “I don’t know. Is it possible he just remembered wrong and never actually sank it?” “No, I checked the ice this morning. There was a fresh hole. Something heavy definitely went down there.” “Then what happened? Did the bike sprout legs and run away?” “Who cares? It’s a dead end anyway. Nobody will believe a word he says. We just insist it was his bike and make him pay for it.” “But those are two real lives. Will he go to prison?” “No prison, just massive debt. We’ll pretend to help him out so he feels overwhelmingly grateful, then we send him out to work eight jobs a day. Just like we planned. He’ll be our blood bag!” I knew it! The voices I heard before I died in my past life weren’t a hallucination! This was their master plan all along! But if all of this was true, where the hell did the e-bike I sank into the reservoir go? My parents didn’t know. My sister didn’t know. They just wanted to exploit the situation and drain me dry. But I needed to find that e-bike to clear my name! Just then, a memory hit me like a freight train. When I bought the e-bike, I didn’t have enough cash, so I bought it on a payment plan from a shady dealership in town. The dealer had secretly installed a hidden GPS tracker inside the chassis, telling me he wouldn’t remove it until the debt was paid in full. Thinking of this, I sprinted through the night all the way to town and banged on the dealer’s door. I begged him to check the bike’s location on his computer. When the map loaded, I felt like I had been struck by lightning. I finally understood where the e-bike I sank had gone. And I finally knew exactly whose bike had exploded.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396441”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

In my past life, my name was Claire Vance. I donated over $10 million and sponsored 101 underprivileged kids through school. When I died of stomach cancer at 37, not a single one of those 101 kids came to visit me. In this life, the very first thing I did after waking up was throw that densely packed list of sponsored students straight into the trash. Taking the money I had prepared to donate, I took advantage of the pre-boom housing market and bought ten rental properties in one go. Soon after, I saw familiar faces flashing across my screen. The boys and girls who had once sworn to repay my kindness in my past life were now wiping away tears during a local news interview: “Ms. Claire promised she would pay for my entire college tuition, but now she’s disappeared. I heard she bought 10 houses instead.” “Now, we have no choice but to drop out and work fast-food jobs.” “I don’t hate her… it just hurts…” “We just want to ask one thing: Ms. Claire, we looked up to you like a mother. How could you be so cruel?” I turned off the TV with a blank expression. The moment I unlocked my phone, a tidal wave of notifications flooded in. The first text: “Ms. Vance, I’m a reporter from Metro News Tonight. May I ask why you suddenly cut off funding for 101 disadvantaged students? Are you available for an interview?” The second: “Ms. Claire! It’s Lily! Why aren’t you answering my calls? You promised you’d put me through college!” The third: “Claire Vance, as a well-known local philanthropist, you suddenly have ten new properties under your name while leaving children to drop out and work minimum wage. How do you sleep at night?” The fourth, the fifth, the sixth… My phone was vibrating so hard it felt like it was going to explode. At the same time, chaotic footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. Judging by the sound, there were at least a few dozen people gathered outside my door. Through the heavy wood, their impatient voices drilled in: “Ms. Vance! Come out and give us a statement!” “Why did you stop the funding?” “Do you know the kids are staging a sit-in outside the news station?!” I closed my eyes. In my past life, I was a selfless, dedicated “good person” who only knew how to give. My husband, Arthur, and I ran a wholesale building materials supply store. We worked from dawn to dusk, pinching every penny. We spent very little on ourselves; the vast majority of our profits went straight to charity. Over ten years, we donated over $10 million, sponsoring 101 kids from impoverished rural counties in the state. We sponsored many of them from the time they were in elementary school. I promised them that if they just focused on studying, I would cover everything through their college graduation. They wrote letters, calling us “Mama Claire” and “Papa Art,” promising they would repay us when they grew up. We saved every single letter. On nights when we couldn’t sleep, we’d take them out to read, often shedding tears of joy and comfort. Arthur and I didn’t have children of our own. We didn’t want the kids to “repay” us; we just didn’t want poverty to limit their potential in life. Then, Arthur died. His supply truck flipped on the highway. His last words were, “Make sure you take care of the kids.” Then, he was gone. I cried until I thought I would die. Before I could even recover from the grief, I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. During the year I was hospitalized, I lay in that bed, waiting for those kids to come see me. Not a single one came. I told myself they were busy, their coursework was heavy, and bus tickets were expensive. I didn’t blame them. Later, when my medical funds ran dry, I had no choice but to suspend the scholarship payments. That’s when my phone started ringing. “Aunt Claire, why hasn’t this month’s living stipend arrived yet?” “Aunt Claire, you promised to pay through college, and you’re cutting me off in my freshman year of high school? Isn’t this practically a scam?” “Ms. Vance, I’m [Redacted]’s parent. You made a promise. You can’t just stop paying now! What is our kid supposed to do?” The very last phone call came from a girl named Mia. Back when I was selecting students to sponsor, she had knelt in front of me, crying her eyes out, calling me “Mom.” On the phone, she said, “Mama Claire, how long is your treatment going to take? Hurry up and get better so you can get back to work. We have so many kids depending on you.” I hung up the phone and burned every single letter I had kept under my pillow. Later, a reporter dug up my story and went to interview the kids. Reporter: “Claire is very sick. Are you going to visit her?” Student A: “She promised to pay for my college. Now she’s just lying in a hospital and the money’s gone. What good would it do if I went?” Student B: “She’s so rich, it’s just a medical bill. Besides, how much is our tuition really costing her?” Student C—Mia—smiled innocently at the camera: “Nobody does anything without a motive. I won’t say what she was really after, but I think everyone can guess, right?” I turned off the TV. Without enough money to cover the final medical bills, I was discharged. I went home, lay in the bed Arthur used to sleep in, and suffered day by day. The night I died was New Year’s Eve. People were setting off fireworks outside my window. Staring at the ceiling, I whispered, “God, if I could do it all over again…” “I would absolutely put myself first.” Heaven had eyes. I truly was reborn. I woke up back when I was 33. Arthur wasn’t dead yet, and our family was still relatively wealthy. Changing fate wasn’t easy. That afternoon, I almost couldn’t make it out of my own neighborhood. A massive crowd was gathered downstairs. Nearly a hundred kids, wearing their school uniforms, holding up banners. “Mama Claire, we need you.” “Mama Claire, don’t abandon us.” Kneeling at the very front was Mia. Holding a megaphone, crying hysterically, she shouted: “Mama Claire! You said you’d put me through college! Did you forget?!” Countless reporters stood nearby, all their cameras aimed directly at my building’s entrance. The moment I stepped out of the lobby, I heard a wailing cry—”Mama Claire!” Mia crawled forward on her knees, lunging to wrap her arms tightly around my legs. “Mama Claire, please don’t abandon us! You said we were your children! You said you would always provide for us!” Her tears smeared against my pant leg, icy cold. Behind her, the other 100 kids started crying in unison. The sound was deafening. Security guards tried to step in but were blocked by the reporters. From every direction, telephoto lenses and cell phone cameras were pointed at me. People were livestreaming on TikTok and Instagram. Some bystanders were wiping away tears, whispering, “They’re so pitiful. How can this woman be so heartless?” I looked down at Mia. This face was exactly the same as in my past life. In my past life, she had knelt before me, crying exactly like this, promising she would take care of me when I grew old. Then, when I was dying, she looked into a camera and said, “Nobody does anything without a motive.” I reached down and peeled her fingers off my pant leg, one by one. “Mama Claire!” she shrieked, gripping tighter. I pried her last finger loose. I crouched down and looked her dead in the eye. “Mia, how old are you this year?” She froze for a second. “S-seventeen.” “Seventeen,” I nodded. “That’s not so young anymore.” I paused, enunciating every word clearly: “Nobody does anything without a motive. I won’t say what you’re really after right now, but I think I can guess.” Her face stiffened entirely. I stood up, stepped around her, and kept walking. Behind me, Mia suddenly burst into dramatic wails. “Mama Claire! You can’t do this! You promised us! You can’t go back on your word!” The other kids followed her lead, crying even louder than before. Someone started chanting: “Bring Mama Claire back! Bring Mama Claire back!” Cell phone cameras followed me relentlessly. The livestream chats were scrolling wildly. “What kind of person is this? So many kids are begging on their knees and she doesn’t even look back?” “So cold-blooded! I can’t believe I used to like her posts!” “Ten houses, and she won’t even donate one? I always knew her charity was a fake tax write-off!” “Claire Vance, how do you sleep at night?” The reporters practically shoved their microphones into my face, their mouths opening and closing, all asking variations of why I stopped the funding. Seeing that I couldn’t avoid them, I simply stopped and gave the reporters a polite wave. “That’s right, I have decided to permanently terminate the sponsorships.” “As for the reason, it is a private, personal matter, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to discuss it here.” “However, I believe there are mostly good people in this world. Like all of you, for example. You are more than welcome to take over sponsoring these children.” “Everyone here is so kind and righteous. I’m sure that even without me, they will successfully finish their education, right?” I smiled, scanning the faces of these seemingly “kind and righteous” people. Seeing me steer the conversation in this direction, the reporters instantly shut their mouths, not daring to pester me with more questions. Taking advantage of their silence, I pushed through the crowd and quickly walked to the neighborhood gate. A pickup truck was parked by the curb. The window rolled down; it was Arthur. He looked at me, his eyes red. “Honey, I saw everything,” his voice choked up. “Those kids… they’re so pitiful. Haven’t we always sponsored them? Why the sudden…” I opened the door and got in. Arthur turned to me. “Didn’t we always say we didn’t want them to repay us, we just wanted them to do well…” “I changed the PIN on the savings accounts,” I said. He froze. “What?” “The two main savings accounts. I changed the PINs,” I repeated, looking straight ahead. “If you need to withdraw money, you have to ask me.” “Honey, you—” I sighed. “Arthur, I had a dream. It was so real, I believe it’s a premonition.” “In the dream, you died in a crash. I got stomach cancer. I lay in a hospital bed for over a year, and out of those 101 kids, not a single one came to see me. When I stopped the funding, they called to harass me, telling me to hurry up, get cured, and get back to making money for them. They even went on TV to say I had an ulterior motive. In the end, I died alone in our house on New Year’s Eve while fireworks went off outside.” He was stunned silent. “Arthur,” I said, utterly exhausted. “In this life, let’s put ourselves first.” He sat there with his mouth open, looking at me in confusion, unable to speak for a long time. Outside the window, a massive digital billboard was playing the local news. “Well-known philanthropist Claire Vance abandons 101 disadvantaged children. Students kneel in the street begging her to return…” Many pedestrians were looking up at the screen. Someone shouted, “Claire Vance, go to hell!” A chorus of voices immediately agreed. I sneered. Give a man a fish, he’ll thank you. Give a man a fish every day, he’ll hate you when you stop. The ancients were right. Cyberbullying spreads like wildfire. For days, the area downstairs was completely packed with angry mobs. “Claire Vance! Get out here!” “Heartless bitch!” “Stop pretending to be a philanthropist, you’re just a scammer!” People threw eggs at my windows; the yolk dripped down the glass. Someone spray-painted the lobby doors with red paint: “Fake Charity, Real Bloodsucker.” They even hung banners: “Punish the corrupt businesswoman, get justice for the kids!” Peeking through the curtains, I saw Mia still standing at the very front of the crowd, accepting interviews with a tear-streaked face. “We never wanted to ask her for much money. We just want to know why she suddenly threw us away?” Next to her, a teenage boy cried hysterically: “She buys ten houses, but forces us to drop out! My little sister is only in seventh grade, and now she has to go work in a sweatshop!” The crowd exploded. “Call the cops! Arrest her!” “Cancel her! Ruin her life!” “Smash her house!” Suddenly, a fairly large rock shattered my living room window, sending glass shards flying dangerously close to my eyes. Arthur shielded me, his face pale. “Honey, let’s call the police.” I shook my head. What good would the police do? To the public, they were just a group of “pitiful,” “helpless,” “betrayed” children. The next day, things got worse. Someone doxxed my home address and the location of Arthur’s supply store online. By the time I rushed over to the store, I heard someone in the mob yell: “Smash it!” Before the words even faded, baseball bats shattered the glass storefront. The mob surged in like a tidal wave. Shelves were toppled, ceramic tiles were smashed, and the cash register was flipped over. Someone even lit the store’s sign on fire; thick black smoke billowed into the air. Honest, hardworking Arthur, his eyes completely red, rushed in to try and stop them, but was violently shoved to the ground. People spat on him; people kicked him. In that moment, the blood rushed to my head. But I didn’t charge in. Instead, I took a step back to the edge of the crowd and started a TikTok live stream. I pointed the camera at the fire, at the store being trashed, and at Arthur being trampled on the floor. The chat went wild: “What’s going on here?” “Holy shit, this is a full-on riot!” “Did someone call 911?” “That’s Claire Vance’s store!” “Good job! Make that fake philanthropist go bankrupt!” I stared at the screen, my voice calm but laced with a slight tremble: “Hello everyone, I am Claire Vance. What you are seeing right now is my husband being attacked by a mob.” “For the past three days, my home has been vandalized, my store has been besieged, and my husband is currently being stomped on the ground. And all of this is simply because I stopped funding 101 students.” “Up until now, I have sponsored them for over 3 years, totaling roughly $300,000. Every single transaction has bank records.” “As for why I suddenly stopped the funding, I originally didn’t want to say this today—” I pulled a few pieces of paper from my pocket and unfolded them in front of the camera. It was a medical pathology report. The date was from 5 days ago. Under the diagnosis section, in black and white, it read: Gastric Adenocarcinoma, Stage II. In my past life, by the time I found out I had stomach cancer, it was already late-stage. After being reborn, the very first thing I did was go to the hospital for a full screening. “I stopped the funding because I need the money for my own medical treatment. I didn’t want to make it public because I didn’t want people to worry. But now, I have no choice but to tell you all.” “I also wish I could keep paying for these kids to go to school, but my health won’t allow it. My husband’s health isn’t great either. Our medical bills are going to be massive, and potentially never-ending.” By the time I finished, I was openly sobbing. The live chat started scrolling frantically: “Wait… Stomach cancer?” “She didn’t say that before!” “Of course she needs her money for medical bills if she’s sick!” “Did the mob just force a cancer patient into this?” “Why didn’t she just say she was sick? No one would have bullied her!” “Are you stupid? If she said it, people would have accused her of playing the victim card!” “So she was cyberbullied for three days straight and just took it?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396426”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

At my brother-in-law’s wedding reception, my new sister-in-law suddenly went on the offensive, targeting me in front of everyone. “Chloé, it’s absolutely shameful how you and Liam have taken over Mom and Dad’s retirement estate since you got married. On top of that, you’ve monopolized their Maybach! It’s disgusting.” “Today, with all our friends and family present, I’m calling for a formal separation of the family assets. We’re going to make sure you can’t leech off Liam’s parents anymore!” The room erupted into hushed whispers among the relatives. My in-laws looked beyond mortified, shifting uncomfortably in their seats. I took a slow, calm sip of my wine, then nodded with a smile. “Divide the assets? honestly, I’d love nothing more.” It seems this incredibly self-righteous new sister-in-law of mine doesn’t actually know who pulls the strings in this family. The sprawling estate, the black Maybach, and even that glittering, publicly traded company they all rely on… The actual owner is me. 1. The once-boisterous reception hall fell instantly silent. Up on the stage, Tiffany didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing me fly into a rage. Instead, her own expression soured. Ignoring Liam’s brother, Caleb, who was frantically trying to pull her back, she gripped the microphone tightly and continued her public shaming. “Chloé Vance, I actually admire the sheer thickness of your skin.” “We’re both daughters-in-law married into the Miller family. Do you really think nobody sees what you’re up to? Don’t think you can just nod this away and pretend it’s over!” She turned to the crowd, pointing a trembling, righteous finger at me. “None of you know just how awful my sister-in-law is. She lives in my in-laws’ house but insists on occupying the master suite. She doesn’t lift a finger, expects to be waited on hand and foot. My mother-in-law kindly tried to tidy up the trash in Chloé’s study last week, and Chloé didn’t just show ingratitude—she screamed at her until my mother-in-law was in tears!” “And last month, when my father-in-law slipped at home and sprained his ankle, she didn’t care at all. She actually drove off in the family Maybach, leaving him writhing on the floor in pain!” “It’s the same story at ApexTech. That’s clearly a Miller family business, yet she has the nerve to squat on the title of Executive Vice President. She shows up late, leaves early, and spends her time at her desk doing her makeup, eating snacks, and binge-watching shows. All she does is order her sister-in-law around!” Tiffany glared at me, then looked down at my husband, Liam, who was sitting beside me. “Liam, you need to say something today. Are you really just going to sit there while your wife rides roughshod over the entire family?” Instantly, every eye in the room focused on Liam Miller. Even I looked at him, genuinely curious to see how he would respond. When we first got married five years ago, the Miller family was practically destitute. Liam was the only saving grace, an Ivy League graduate. His younger brother, Caleb, and sister, Mia, had both dropped out of high school to work in factories. His parents did grueling manual labor on construction sites. Their combined annual family income back then wouldn’t have been enough to buy my cheapest pair of shoes. In the five years since our wedding, I didn’t just buy them a mansion and luxury cars; I fully funded and founded ApexTech. I taught them how to do business from scratch, using my money and my connections to land their first clients. No one else in that room knew the truth, but every single person in the Miller family knew exactly how they got where they were. Under the weight of countless scorching stares, Liam’s face darkened. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his wine glass. After a few excruciating seconds, as if making a monumental decision, he turned to face me. “Chloé, Tiffany isn’t lying. You really were in the wrong for those things.” “As the eldest sister-in-law, you should have set an example. You should have shown respect to my parents.” “Today, in front of everyone, I want you to stand up, pour a glass of wine for Mom, Dad, and Mia, and give them a proper apology. We’ll let this go once you do.” My gaze icy cold. The smile completely vanished from my face. These words might have sounded like he was trying to smooth things over, but in reality, he was confirming every single one of Tiffany’s accusations. He was branding me a sinner in public, forcing me to confess on the spot. But Liam seemed to have forgotten the night we got married. He had knelt before me, crying, saying I was the savior of his entire family. He swore that even if it cost him his life, he would never let me suffer a single moment of grievance. The promises were still ringing in my ears, but the man was unrecognizable. I turned my head, my eyes slowly scanning my parents-in-law, Mia, and then Caleb up on the stage. That time Tiffany claimed I made my mother-in-law cry? It was because she ignored my explicit, repeated warnings never to enter my study. She snuck in while I was out under the guise of “cleaning” and threw away the original, signed copy of a multi-billion dollar international merger contract, thinking it was scrap paper. Yes, I used harsh words then. And the sprained ankle incident? I had immediately canceled a meeting with a major client to call a high-end private ambulance. I didn’t drive away until I saw my father-in-law safely inside the ambulance and on his way to the hospital. As for Mia, if I hadn’t stepped in, her money-grubbing parents would have practically sold her off in an arranged marriage to a rich, older widower back in their hometown. I treated her like my own sister. I paid for her to go to a top tier business school abroad to broaden her horizons, and when she started working, I kept her by my side, teaching her everything I knew about running and managing a company. Even Caleb—every luxury sports car he owned, his racing gear, the house and car he bought for Tiffany, the massive dowry, and the entire cost of this wedding reception—it was all my money. Yet now, faced with this “sinner” label being slapped on me, every single one of them avoided my eyes. Not one person intended to speak up for me. I felt a chilling sense of ridicule. I looked at Liam, who was silently urging me to submit, and just curled my lip. “You want me to apologize? In your dreams.” “I haven’t done anything wrong, so I’m not apologizing to anyone.” 2 Liam didn’t expect that I, who always protected his ego in public, would completely humiliate him like this. His face went totally black. “Chloé, this is a major day for the Miller family.” “For the sake of our years as husband and wife, don’t be so immature. Show some class.” Hearing his lowered, threatening tone, I actually laughed out loud. When we were dating, no matter how wild or impulsive I was, Liam accepted it all. He used to adore my stubborn streak, saying he loved how passionate and unyielding I was, like bright sunshine. But now, simply because I refused to take the blame for things I didn’t do, I was labeled “immature.” Looking at this man I had loved for nearly ten years, I realized for the first time just how hypocritical and selfish he was. He was frighteningly cold-hearted. “Show some class? Liam, who do you think provides the Miller family with the ‘class’ you have now?” Before I could finish, Liam interrupted me with an icy tone. “Enough, Chloé Vance. It seems I’ve spoiled you too much!” “I am announcing, as of this moment, that we are formally separating from my parents’ household!” “In the future, that retirement estate and the cars belong to them. You are not allowed to use them without explicit permission!” “As for ApexTech, you will surrender all the stock shares under your name. We are doing a clean break!” The mask was finally off. Only now, with the dagger pointed at me, did I understand the true purpose of this ambush. They wanted to seize the thirty percent of ApexTech’s original founders’ shares that I held. When Liam said those words, a look of cold, calculating greed flashed in the eyes of every single member of the Miller family. It was the primal, ferocious instinct of a pack of animals hunting together. Even though their prey was the very person who had dragged them out of poverty and completely changed their lives. In the second I recognized this, the last remaining shred of expectation and warmth I held for this family was extinguished. Ten years of devotion, five years of marriage. If I had fed my heart to dogs, it would have been more rewarding than this. “Liam Miller, have you really thought this through?” I turned my gaze squarely on him. Perhaps because he had never seen me look so cold and indifferent, Liam’s eyes flickered with a moment of uncertainty before he nodded firmly. “It doesn’t matter if you agree. As the eldest son of the Miller family, the actual legal representative, and the CEO of ApexTech, I have the right to dispose of your shares according to the initial stock agreement.” “Take the buyout money and walk away. This is the most dignified exit you’re going to get.” “Otherwise, you will end up with nothing.” As he spoke, he gestured to his secretary downstage. The secretary immediately brought up a document and handed it to me. Back when I helped the Miller family start ApexTech, I was fully aware of the small loop-hole in the stock agreement—it was enough for Liam to kick me out at any time. But back then, I believed love was worth more than gold. I didn’t believe the day would ever come when my partner would pick up a weapon against me for profit. I see now how naive I was. According to the document, all the equity I held in ApexTech was to be transferred unconditionally to be shared among the three Miller siblings: Liam, Caleb, and Mia. Furthermore, the estate registered in my name and the Maybach were all to be unconditionally “gifted” to Liam’s parents. The clauses even stated that I voluntarily waived all rights to any future claims and would not interfere in any way, shape, or form with any Miller family affairs, including the management of the company. I really hadn’t expected them to have prepared all this. It meant Tiffany’s sudden attack wasn’t a spontaneous whim at all; it was a carefully calculated plot they had all agreed upon. Perhaps for a very long time, they had been plotting how to legitimately steal everything in my hands. 3 After flipping through the last page, I put the document back on the table and looked up, scanning the faces of the people in front of me. “Have you all thought this through? Are you sure you want me to sign this?” My mother-in-law was the first to speak. “Chloé, this is how it should have been. The Miller family didn’t marry you so you could hoard the family assets.” “Just sign it, and we can still be one big, happy family in the future. Wouldn’t that be nice?” My father-in-law nodded, coughing once before adding, “Yes, we shouldn’t keep secrets from each other in a family. These things should have belonged to the Miller family from the start. Give them back, and you’ll still be our eldest daughter-in-law. No one will think ill of you.” Mia kept her head down, muttering softly, “Sister-in-law, just sign it. You’re so rich; these things are nothing to you.” “But they are different for us. We need this.” Caleb rushed to chime in, “Exactly, Chloé. You have your own massive family business; why do you care about this small stake? Just think of it as helping us out. We’ll definitely remember your kindness.” Tiffany scoffed next to him, crossing her arms and looking at me disdainfully. “You hear them, right? The whole family says so. Stop putting on an act and sign the damn paper.” “Don’t ruin our wedding reception and spoil everyone’s mood.” Finally, my gaze fell back on Liam. He looked at me, his tone softening slightly, as if he were coaxing a child, yet delivering an ultimatum. “Chloé, sign it. We’ve been married for so many years; don’t we have at least this much trust?” “If you really love me, sign this to prove to me that you didn’t stay with me just for the Miller family’s money.” When I heard that sentence, I finally couldn’t hold it back. I burst into laughter. Apparently, loving someone meant handing over my entire net worth to their family, letting them take whatever they wanted, and still being accused of only wanting them for their money. I laughed for a long time before stopping. I looked at Liam. “Liam, these things are indeed worthless to me.” “But are you sure you can handle them?” Liam’s face instantly darkened. He thought I was provoking him, that I was looking down on them. “Chloé Vance, what is that supposed to mean? I’m the one who runs ApexTech. I’ve been handling all the company’s business operations these past few years. Without you, we can still make this company thrive. Don’t think too highly of yourself.” “Fine.” I nodded and picked up the pen to sign my name. As I finished the last stroke, I threw the pen back onto the table and pushed the signed document forward. Tiffany was the first to pounce on it. She picked up the file and flipped through it, her face filled with excitement. She quickly handed the document to Caleb, telling him to put it away safely, as if she were afraid I would regret it. The tension on Liam’s face finally relaxed slightly, and a look of unreadable emotion appeared in his eyes as he looked at me. I didn’t give him a chance to speak. I simply said in a cold voice, “Liam, I’ve signed it. I’ve given you everything you wanted.” “From this day forward, nothing concerning the Miller family has anything to do with Chloé Vance.” With that, I turned around and walked straight toward the exit of the reception hall. Sitting in my car, I took out my phone and called my father’s special assistant, Mr. Henderson. “Mr. Henderson, as of this exact moment, ApexTech has absolutely nothing to do with me.” “Withdraw every single resource associated with the Vance family immediately.” “Within one month, I want this supposed commercial ‘miracle’ to become nothing more than a permanent joke.” Mr. Henderson was stunned for a second, but without asking a single question, he immediately responded with cool professionalism. “Understood, Miss Vance. I will see to it immediately.” I hung up the phone and leaned back against the seat, looking at the imposing ApexTech tower across from the hotel. I curled my lip in a smile. Let the wildfire that is about to destroy everything burn as brightly as possible. 4 The very next morning, Liam had barely sat in the CEO’s chair, not yet having the chance to fully savor the feeling of absolute power, when the building’s property manager pushed the door open and handed him a new rent notice. Liam looked at the number on it, and his face instantly turned pale. “What is the meaning of this? Wasn’t the previous rent two hundred thousand a month? Why has it suddenly jumped to eight hundred thousand? This is highway robbery!” The head of property management crossed his arms, his tone flat. “Mr. Miller, you can’t say that.” “Your previous VP, Mrs. Vance, has a close personal relationship with our owner. That’s why we were giving you the friends-and-family rate. Now that she has been removed from your management team, we naturally have to adjust to the market rate.” “Other comparable office buildings in this area go for this price. We aren’t asking for a penny more.” Liam froze in place, utterly speechless. The property manager looked at him and added one more thing: “Oh, and my boss said, either you pay one full year’s rent upfront at the new rate, or you move out by the end of this month.” “The choice is yours.” With that, the property manager turned and left. Caleb and the others rushed in as soon as they heard the news. “Liam, eight hundred thousand a month! That’s nine point six million a year! Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?” Caleb’s voice was shaking. Tiffany, however, was very calm. She had been the star of the show at the wedding reception yesterday, and today she had specially dressed up to come to the company as the legitimate second Mrs. Miller. She took the notice and glanced at it, then scoffed, throwing the paper back on the desk. “I thought it was some massive catastrophe. It’s just a rent increase. What are you panicking for?” “Eight hundred thousand is eight hundred thousand. We are the owners of the company now; we can’t come up with this small amount? Isn’t it just over nine million a year?” “We’ll make that back easily with one big contract. It’s no big deal. We’ll accept the increase; it’s just rent, we can afford it.” As soon as she said this, Caleb and Mia seemed to find their backbone again and nodded. “Yeah, Tiffany makes sense. It’s just a rent hike. We own the company now; why are we afraid of this small amount of money?” “Exactly. The company made so much money every year before; this rent is nothing.” Liam also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking Tiffany was right. Before he could fully relax, Caleb’s phone rang urgently. Caleb listened for only two seconds before his face went entirely pale. His legs actually buckled, and he fell to the floor. “Liam! It’s a disaster! Something major happened with the supply chain!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396443”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After seven years of marriage, my husband finally agreed to accompany me back to my parents’ house for the holidays. But once again, the car pulled to a stop outside his first love’s apartment building. “I accidentally took a wrong turn.” He didn’t even look up from his phone. “Since we’re already here, let’s just eat here today.” His first love’s mother came out to greet us with a beaming smile, immediately grabbing his wrist. “My dear son-in-law, you’re finally here!” When she saw my son, her smile grew even wider. “Leo! Did you miss Grandma?” My son greeted her sweetly. I was the only one left standing in the entryway, still holding the gifts I had bought for my own mother. This was the seventh time he had “accidentally taken a wrong turn.” Suddenly, I felt a profound sense of clarity. It was time for me to take a different road, too. … “Claire, you came too?” Mrs. Davis looked at me, a flicker of dissatisfaction crossing her eyes, though she maintained a polite smile. “You’re not getting any younger, you know. Why are you still following your brother around everywhere?” My fingernails dug so hard into my palms that they ached. When you think about it, it was actually quite hilarious. I had been married to Arthur Sterling for seven years. Yet every year, on the second day of Christmas, he brought me to his first love’s house. He even told her mother that I was his sister. Right in front of this woman, my own son, Leo, was forced to call me “Auntie Claire.” “Mom, don’t worry about her,” Arthur chuckled softly, walking into the house with the ease of someone who truly belonged there. “Where’s Chloe?” Right on cue, Chloe Davis emerged from the bedroom and naturally linked her arm through his. “Husband.” When Leo saw her, he immediately ran over and hugged her leg. “Mommy! I missed you!” Arthur looked down at the two of them, the corners of his mouth curling up into a gentle, tender smile—a smile I had never seen him direct at me. My chest tightened as if squeezed by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe. Mrs. Davis went into the kitchen. I looked at Arthur, hesitating for a moment before keeping my voice low. “Didn’t you say… you were going to accompany me to my parents’ house this year?” He still didn’t look at me, replying casually, “I’m just so used to driving this route, I made a wrong turn by mistake.” Leo, playing with blocks nearby, heard us and piped up in his sweet, childish voice: “Mommy is here! I like it here. I don’t want to go to your house.” I froze. That sweet, innocent voice hit my ears like a sharp knife. Chloe quickly stepped toward me, her face full of guilt. “Claire, kids just say whatever pops into their heads. Please don’t take it to heart.” She sighed, her eyes already turning red. “I’m so sorry… If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have to suffer this kind of humiliation.” Arthur immediately frowned and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders. “What did you do wrong?” He reached up to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye, then turned his head to glare at me, his brow heavily furrowed. “Claire, stop picking fights over nothing.” I lowered my eyes. On the console table sat a framed photograph—a picture of the three of them smiling together. Arthur and I had never taken a single photo together. Because he said he didn’t like taking pictures. Just like me—Arthur Sterling never liked me. But I loved him. I had loved him for fifteen years. Back then, he and Chloe had a massive misunderstanding and broke up. In a fit of anger and rebellion against his family’s arrangements, he agreed to marry me. I was ecstatic. But on our wedding night, he simply looked at me coldly and said: “I don’t love you, and I never will.” I didn’t believe him. I stubbornly continued to love him. The day our son was born, he stood at the door of my hospital room, looked at me, and said, “You’ve worked hard.” That was the very first gentle thing he had ever said to me. I felt like everything I had endured was finally worth it. I thought our future would only get better. But then Chloe came back. She threw herself into Arthur’s arms, crying hysterically. “Arthur, you have to help me.” “My mom has terminal cancer. Her dying wish is to see me marry you.” “Could you please… just pretend for her sake?” He was silent for a long time, but finally, he nodded and said yes. Every year after that, he tricked me into coming here using the excuse of a “wrong turn.” But anyone with eyes could see that Mrs. Davis was perfectly healthy. It was Arthur who was a willing participant in this charade. Looking at that framed photo, my eyes suddenly felt incredibly dry. Seven years. I didn’t want to play along in his play anymore. 2 The sound of sizzling food drifted from the kitchen. Arthur and Chloe had both gone in to help, and Leo stood on his tiptoes, peering over the counter as Mrs. Davis laughingly fed him a piece of spare rib. The room was filled with laughter and joy. Leaving me standing alone in the living room, completely isolated. It felt like a boulder was pressing down on my chest, making my eyes burn. When I looked up, I saw Arthur walking out of the kitchen with a stack of bowls. I stepped forward and blocked his path. “I want to go home now.” He stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing. “We haven’t even eaten yet. Where are you going?” “You can’t leave. If you leave now, her mom will think she was a bad host.” With that, he turned sideways, trying to walk past me. I grabbed his arm, insisting, “I don’t want to stay here.” He looked down at my hand gripping his sleeve, the crease between his brows deepening. “Why are you acting so dramatic? Haven’t you gotten used to this after all these years?” “Just sit down and behave. I’ll take you home after we eat.” I didn’t let go. “I want to leave.” Seeing my unusual persistence, Arthur’s face darkened completely. The air grew silent for a moment before he let out a short, cold laugh. “Fine. Leave.” I froze for a second, genuinely surprised he agreed so easily. But I didn’t hesitate. I turned around and pushed the front door open. The freezing winter wind hit my face, and I took a deep, sharp breath. Keeping my head down, I opened my phone to order an Uber. The loading icon spun twice. [Sorry, insufficient funds. Payment failed.] My entire body went rigid. I turned around. Arthur was standing in the hallway, just a few feet away, watching me quietly. He did it on purpose. He told me to leave because he knew I physically couldn’t. He had frozen my cards. I didn’t have a single cent to my name. “Are you done throwing a tantrum?” He walked toward me, his voice flat. “If you are, come inside. Dinner is ready.” Arthur’s perfect calmness made me feel like I was just humiliating myself. “Daddy!” Leo pushed the door open and ran out, glancing at me briefly. “Grandma says it’s time to eat.” Chloe followed right behind him. Her gaze darted back and forth between me and Arthur. “What’s wrong?” “Claire, did I do something to upset you?” “I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault… Please don’t be mad…” Seeing Chloe lowering her voice to beg me, Leo immediately rushed forward and stood protectively in front of her. He looked up at me and yelled: “You mean lady! Don’t you dare bully my mommy!” My fingernails dug so deeply into my palms they almost broke the skin. A bitter wave of sorrow washed over me. This was the child I carried for nine months. Initially, Arthur didn’t want a child with me. But his family pressured him relentlessly, and because I had been actively preparing my body for pregnancy, it eventually happened. My pregnancy was brutal. I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum to the point of severe dehydration. I had to go to the emergency room alone and lie in a hospital bed at 3:00 AM. Arthur never came to see me. But I didn’t care about the suffering. I just prayed and prayed for this baby to be born. To ensure a healthy pregnancy, I even quit my job, leaving myself without a single penny of my own income. I never imagined that he would end up hating me this much. I never imagined he would stand in front of Chloe and call me a “mean lady.” “Let’s go. Get inside.” Arthur gave me a final glance, his tone leaving no room for argument. For once in my life, I wanted to hold my ground to the bitter end. “I’m not going in. Arthur, I want to go home.” The air went dead silent. Arthur stared at me for a long time, his gaze growing colder by the second. “Then walk home yourself.” With that, he and Chloe took Leo’s hands and walked back inside. The door was left slightly ajar. I could hear Chloe’s voice drifting through the crack: “Arthur, is she going to be okay out there alone?” “She’s fine. Let her cool off by herself.” “Yeah, Mommy! Don’t worry about that mean lady!” Right on cue, it started to snow. I stood frozen in place, the bone-chilling cold piercing through my coat. From here to our house was thirty miles. And he told me to walk. I lowered my head, my vision blurring completely. The scalding hot tears I had been fighting back finally fell, leaving trails of ice on my cheeks. Just then, my phone rang. 3 “Claire? Didn’t you say you were coming over today? Why aren’t you here yet?” My mom’s voice came through the speaker, full of concern. “Your dad and I have been waiting. Is everything okay?” I bit down hard on my lower lip, desperately trying to swallow the sob rising in my throat. “Everything is fine.” “It’s just… Arthur took a wrong turn by mistake, so we won’t be able to make it today…” The line went dead silent. Then, a forced, lighthearted chuckle came through. “Oh, that’s fine, that’s fine…” “After the holidays, your dad and I can find some time to come see you.” “Don’t worry about us over here. Just make sure… make sure you aren’t suffering too much.” I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. But the tears kept falling, drop after drop, splashing onto the back of my hand. The snow was falling heavier now. Arthur and Chloe’s laughter faintly echoed through the crack in the door. I hung up the phone and crouched down in the snow, freezing from head to toe. The Davis family lived in the suburbs. It was the day after Christmas. The surrounding shops were all dark, and the streets were completely deserted. I couldn’t even find a place to take shelter from the snow. I don’t know how much time passed. Footsteps stopped right beside me. Arthur frowned, bent down, and scooped me up into his arms. For once, his voice was surprisingly gentle: “Why do you have to be so stubborn?” “Are you freezing?” I kept my jaw clamped shut, letting the tears stream silently down my face. I didn’t want to say a single word to him. He sighed and placed me in the passenger seat, blasting the heater to the maximum. As the warmth slowly filled the car, my frozen fingers began to throb with pain. He turned his head to look at me. “Leo wants to stay the night with Chloe. I’ll pick him up tomorrow.” “He grew up with you, but he doesn’t like being around you. Sometimes… you really need to reflect on why that is.” A dry, humorless laugh escaped my lips. The reason my son didn’t like me was incredibly simple. It was because I disciplined him every day, while Chloe let him get away with murder. And who knows? She probably whispered plenty of poison about me in his ear. I had absolutely nothing to reflect on. Seeing that I remained silent, Arthur’s tone softened. “I only came to spend the holidays with Chloe because I feel sorry for her sick mother. There’s no other reason.” “Stop being mad, okay?” As he spoke, he suddenly pulled a velvet jewelry box from his pocket and set it in front of me. “I bought you that necklace you were looking at the other day.” “Consider this an apology. Stop throwing a tantrum.” I looked down. Inside the box lay a diamond necklace, an exclusive limited edition. It was the exact one I had happened to see in a magazine a few days ago. I had only mentioned it in passing, yet he remembered. I looked up, staring at his profile, realizing I could never truly understand this man. He forgot almost everything about me, yet he remembered a random page I flipped to in a magazine. He didn’t love me. But he knew exactly how to make my heart soften. “Are we good now?” Arthur let out a soft chuckle and reached over to ruffle my hair. “You’re so easy to please.” “Since we have some free time today, how about I take you shopping? We can buy whatever you like. How does that sound?” My fingernails dug into my palms. Before I could even open my mouth, his phone rang. Arthur answered it. Chloe’s tearful, pathetic voice came through the speaker: “Arthur, I just… I just accidentally twisted my ankle. It hurts so much…” “Could you come back and take me to the hospital, please?” Arthur’s expression changed instantly. Without a second of hesitation, he whipped the steering wheel around. When the car pulled to a stop in front of Chloe’s house again, he seemed to finally remember I was sitting there. He said in a low voice: “Be good. She’s delicate, she needs me with her.” “I unfroze your cards. Go shopping by yourself, buy whatever you want.” With that, he hurriedly got out of the car and scooped Chloe, who was waiting by the door, into his arms. She buried her face in his chest. My son stood next to them, mimicking his father as he patted Chloe’s arm consolingly. His mouth moved as he spoke. Through the glass, I couldn’t hear what they were saying. But I knew. They were both comforting her. One was the husband I had loved for fifteen years; the other was the son I had carried for nine months. Both of them were comforting her. I suddenly felt an overwhelming, crushing wave of exhaustion. My finger hovered over the screen of my phone for a long time. Then, I typed out a message, word by word: [Have a divorce agreement drawn up for me.] 4 It was past midnight when Arthur finally returned home. The moment I saw him, I was about to bring up the divorce. But the next second, Chloe walked in, holding Leo’s hand. “Chloe twisted her ankle, she’s not feeling well.” “She’ll be staying with us for a few days so I can take care of her.” Leo cheered excitedly, “Mommy! Can you stay here forever?!” He turned his head and glared at me. “I don’t like her!” “I like you as my mommy!” Arthur let out a soft, indulgent chuckle. It took him a moment to notice the look on my face. He lowered his voice: “She’s just staying for a few days. Don’t be so petty.” “Besides, this is my house. Whoever I want to stay here, stays here.” My heart had gone numb from the pain a long time ago. Hearing these words now, I felt surprisingly calm. “Okay. If she wants to stay, she can stay.” “Do you want all three of you to sleep in the master bedroom? I can take the guest room for the next few days.” As soon as the words left my mouth, Arthur’s face darkened drastically. “What did you just say?” Chloe’s tears fell on cue, her voice trembling: “Claire, please don’t say that…” “If you… if you really don’t welcome me… I can just leave…” Leo immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, screaming at the top of his lungs. “Mommy is staying here! You mean lady! Don’t you dare bully my mommy!” Looking at the three of them, I felt a wave of sheer exhaustion. From the very beginning, I hadn’t said the word “no” a single time. I took a deep breath, trying to make my tone as sincere as possible. “I said, she can stay if she wants to. And you’re right, this is your house. You can do whatever you want.” Without waiting for their reaction, I quickly grabbed my blankets and headed to the guest room. “I’ll sleep in here tonight.” Arthur stared at me, completely frozen in place. I closed the door, completely shutting out the noise. I could hear Leo happily cheering as he hugged Chloe. But Arthur, his brow tightly furrowed, knocked on my door. “Claire, what’s wrong with you?” I opened the door, looked at him, and gave a faint smile. “Nothing is wrong.” “Are you mad?” “Chloe is just crashing here for a few days, please don’t make a big deal out of it.” I smiled at him and just gave a small nod. “I know. I’m not making a big deal out of it.” Arthur’s frown deepened, his eyes locking intensely onto mine. After a long pause, he sighed. “I know. You must still be angry.” “How about this… didn’t you want me to go to your parents’ house with you? I’ll go with you tomorrow, okay?” I was stunned. I genuinely didn’t know how to react. Seven years of marriage. Every year on the day after Christmas, he took me to his first love’s house. Every year when my mom called to ask, he was suddenly “busy.” Seven years, and he hadn’t visited them once. And now, he was actually willing to go. “No need,” I smiled faintly. “You should stay home and take good care of Chloe.” Seeing my reaction, Arthur became even more insistent: “I said I’m going with you.” I met his eyes but didn’t say anything. In the silence, I finally spoke: “I have a gift for you tomorrow.” Arthur was slightly taken aback. “What is it?” “You’ll see tomorrow. Anyway… you should like it.” Arthur stared at me for a long time. Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms. “Alright, stop throwing your little tantrums.” “I promise I’ll go with you tomorrow. Just be a good girl and get some sleep.” The next morning, when I woke up, the house was completely empty. Arthur was gone. My phone buzzed. A text message from him popped up. [Chloe was feeling sick, so I took her to the hospital.] [Wait for me at home. I’ll go with you as soon as I get back.] [Be good, get ready. I should be back in about an hour.] I locked my phone, feeling absolutely nothing. I had waited for him for so many years. I didn’t want to wait anymore. I packed my things and placed the divorce agreement on the dining table. This was a gift he had probably been wanting for years. This time, I was finally willing to let him go. I took a deep breath and looked back one last time. And then, I completely walked away from the “home” I had mistakenly walked into for seven years. I walked away from Arthur Sterling, the man I had loved for fifteen years. For the rest of my life, I never want to see him again.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396427”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I was just brought back to my wealthy biological family. But the moment I stepped foot into the house, the fake daughter threw herself into our parents’ arms, sobbing. “Dad, Mom, please forgive me, but I really can’t accept calling her my sister.” “She’s the transfer student who spread rumors about me at school and gave me depression!” Mom held the fake daughter, comforting her with a heartbroken expression. Dad was furious, looking at me with absolute disappointment. “I can’t believe leaving you out there for a few years turned you into such a delinquent!” “Butler, throw her out! The Vance family doesn’t have a daughter who bullies others!” I stood there, completely dumbfounded. My hands were signing so fast they looked like a blur. “I spread rumors about her?” “But I’m literally mute!” Chapter 1 I stood in the foyer, my fingertips still numb from the freezing wind outside. Chloe Vance was buried in my parents’ arms, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. She hid her face in Mom’s neck, her shoulders trembling violently. When she finally looked up, the corners of her eyes were flushed red. “Dad, Mom, you don’t know what she did.” “When I got second place in our grade on the midterms, she went around telling everyone I cheated. She said Dad bribed the teachers, and that I slept with the Dean of Students to secure my Ivy League recommendation…” With every word she choked out, Mom patted her back a little harder, and Dad’s brow furrowed deeper. I opened my mouth, but only faint, breathy rasps came out. I haven’t been able to speak since I was a toddler. The doctors said my vocal cords were irreparably damaged. Over the years, I had gotten used to communicating entirely through sign language and a notepad. I raised my hands, my fingers just about to sign “That’s not true,” when my biological brother, Connor, abruptly stood up from the sofa. He closed the distance between us in three long strides, glaring down at me. The disgust in his eyes practically spilled over. “Clara, how long are you going to keep up this act? Chloe is severely depressed because of you, and you still want to make excuses?” I froze, my fingers stalling mid-air. Connor was the only son of the Vance family. From the moment I walked in, he had been fiercely protecting Chloe, his gaze full of tenderness whenever he looked at her. But the way he looked at me was like looking at trash on the bottom of his shoe. “Connor, please don’t speak to my sister like that…” Chloe tugged at Connor’s sleeve, her voice soft and fragile, yet every word felt like a needle driving into my heart. “Maybe Clara just really wants to fit into this family, and she used the wrong method to get our attention. I don’t blame her, I really don’t…” “You’re just too kindhearted!” Mom immediately hugged her tighter, then turned to me, her eyes as cold as ice. “Clara, we brought you back so you could feel the warmth of a real family, not so you could come here and bully people! Can you please drop those ghetto tricks you learned on the streets?” Dad let out a heavy scoff, rapping his knuckles against the mahogany coffee table with a dull thud. “A daughter of Richard Vance, even one who grew up in the system, should carry herself with class. But you? The second you walk through the door, you start drama and bully Chloe. You’ve completely embarrassed the Vance family!” The maids standing off to the side whispered amongst themselves, doing nothing to hide their disdain. “I heard she was just some feral girl from the sticks. Who knew she was this malicious?” “Miss Chloe is so sweet, how could anyone have the heart to bully her?” “Look at her waving her hands around. She’s probably faking being mute just to play the victim and get sympathy.” Their words were like fine needles, piercing my eardrums. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm, and reached for the side pocket of my backpack. My school notebook was in there. I could write down exactly what happened. But just as my fingers brushed the zipper, Connor clamped his hand around my wrist. His grip was brutal; his knuckles practically dug into my bone. “What else are you trying to pull out to trick us?” I struggled, using my free hand to dig into the bag, finally pulling out a stack of loose papers with my notes. But before I could even unfold them, Connor snatched them away. With a violent tear, the stack of papers was reduced to a flurry of white confetti falling around us. The pieces landed in my hair. I stared at him blankly, the last shred of warmth in my heart freezing over. Right on cue, Chloe let out a delicate sob, burying her face deeper into Mom’s chest. “Connor, stop. My sister was just…” “She drove you to depression, and you’re still defending her?” Connor cut her off, his eyes blazing with fury. “Someone this manipulative and toxic doesn’t deserve a place in the Vance family!” Dad’s face darkened completely. He waved a hand at the butler near the door, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. “Throw her out. The Vance family doesn’t have a daughter like this.” Chapter 2 I spent the night curled up on a lumpy mattress at a cheap motel down the street. The next morning, before the homeroom bell even rang, Mr. Harrison called me into his office. When I pushed the door open, Chloe was already sitting in the chair opposite his desk. Her shoulders were heaving, a crumpled tissue in her hand, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts. The second she saw me, she snapped her head up. With a perfectly calibrated look of terror and grievance, she shrank back behind Mr. Harrison’s chair. “Clara, take a seat,” Mr. Harrison said, his voice frigid. “I want you to tell me exactly what you did to Chloe yesterday.” I stood in the doorway, paralyzed. Chloe immediately started sobbing on cue. “Mr. Harrison, please don’t pressure her. Yesterday, she cornered me in the hallway and called me a bastard who stole her nest. She threatened to make my life a living hell until I dropped out of school. I… I’m just so scared.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was articulated perfectly, striking me like a barrage of throwing knives. Mr. Harrison’s expression darkened further. He picked up his desk phone. “I’ve already called your parents. They’ll be here any minute.” A few moments later, the office door swung open. My biological parents walked in. Richard’s face was livid, while Eleanor immediately rushed over to hold Chloe’s hand, her eyes overflowing with heartache. My dad spoke, his voice vibrating with suppressed rage. “Mr. Harrison, what’s going on? Did Clara bully Chloe again?” Mr. Harrison pushed his glasses up his nose, his tone severe. “According to Chloe’s testimony, Clara has repeatedly subjected her to verbal abuse and defamation, even threatening her education.” “This type of behavior is absolutely zero-tolerance at our school.” Richard whipped his head toward me, the disappointment in his eyes threatening to drown me. “How did the Vance family produce a daughter like you?! Are you hellbent on destroying our reputation before you’re satisfied?” I opened my mouth, but only that weak, raspy air escaped. I raised my hands, my fingers just forming the sign for “No,” when Richard slapped me across the face. Smack. The sound was sharp and deafening. My head snapped to the side. My ears rang loudly, and my cheek burned with searing pain. I stared at him in shock, the tears I had been fighting back finally spilling over. “You still have the nerve to cry?!” His voice dripped with unfiltered revulsion. “You do something this horrific and you have the audacity to cry? You’re just putting on a pathetic act for sympathy!” Beside him, Chloe let out another whimper, pressing her face against Eleanor’s chest. “Dad, Mom, stop yelling at her. I don’t blame her.” Eleanor shot me a look of pure disgust. “White trash roots. The only thing she knows how to do is bully our sweet Chloe!” The office door had been left slightly ajar, and a few students were peering in from the hallway. Their whispers drifted clearly into the room. “So she really does bully Chloe…” “She looks so quiet, who knew she was a psycho?” “I heard her biological parents didn’t even want her back. No wonder she’s so toxic.” The gossip pierced my ears. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to ground my emotions. I raised my hands again, slowly signing the words, “I didn’t do it.” But halfway through the motion, Mr. Harrison interrupted me. He frowned, thoroughly annoyed. “Clara, can you please stop using these weird parlor tricks to get attention? If you have something to say, use your words! Stop waving your hands around like a freak!” I froze, my fingers hanging uselessly in the air. So even my silent pleas for justice were just “attention-seeking tricks” to them. Just then, the office door was pushed open a little wider. A girl stood in the doorway, her voice small but steady. “Mr. Harrison, she’s not doing parlor tricks… That’s sign language.” Everyone turned to stare at the girl. It was Mia. She kept her head down, her fingers gripping the hem of her sweater, but she gathered her courage and softly added: “M-my uncle works at the deaf community center. I helped out there over the summer and picked up some ASL. What she just signed was ‘I didn’t do it.’ And… she actually can’t speak.” Chapter 3 The air in the room practically froze. Mia stood in the doorway, her cheeks burning bright red, but she repeated herself, word by word: “I’m not making this up. I learned it from my uncle. She really signed ‘I didn’t do it.’” Mr. Harrison adjusted his glasses, highly skeptical. “Are you sure, Mia? This isn’t something to joke about.” Mia looked up, her eyes determined. “Sign language is structured. I wouldn’t mistake it. Besides… everyone knows Clara has never spoken a single word since she transferred here.” The office went dead silent. Richard and Eleanor’s expressions faltered. Eleanor looked at me, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something. A microscopic flash of guilt crossed her eyes. But in that exact moment, Chloe let out a pathetic, trembling sob. Wiping her tears, she whispered, “Clara, even if you don’t want to admit what you did, you shouldn’t have paid someone to act like you’re actually mute.” Her crying was like a sharp blade, instantly popping the tiny bubble of guilt forming in Eleanor’s chest. Richard’s face immediately darkened again. He glared at me, his fury threatening to incinerate me on the spot. “Clara, you are unbelievable! To escape punishment, you’d actually spin a lie this massive?! You even dragged an accomplice in to put on a show for us! You are rotten to the core!” Trembling, I reached into my uniform pocket and pulled out a neatly folded medical diagnosis. I tried to hold it up for them to see. But the moment the paper left my pocket, Richard snatched it from my hand. Without even glancing at it, he ripped it in half, and then in half again. The thin piece of paper fluttered to the floor in shreds. I stared at him, my tears silently cascading down my cheeks. “Act! Keep acting!” Richard’s voice was filled with pure loathing. “You just need to be disciplined! Since you love pretending to be mute so much, I’m calling the wilderness therapy boot camp. We’re sending you off to the woods for behavioral reform. Let’s see if you can keep faking it when you’re doing hard labor!” Eleanor’s face hardened in agreement. She held Chloe tight, her eyes dripping with contempt. “Clara, we were so wrong about you. To think you’d resort to such cheap, manipulative tactics just to avoid taking responsibility. You are a massive disappointment.” Leaning against Eleanor, the very faintest smirk played on Chloe’s lips, even as she continued to cry beautifully. “Dad, Mom, please don’t be so harsh. Maybe she just made a momentary mistake. She didn’t mean it…” “A momentary mistake?!” Richard sneered. “This is her true nature! Keeping a toxic sociopath like her in our house will only bring ruin to the Vance family! I’m calling Warden Miller from the reform camp right now to come haul her away!” Mr. Harrison stood to the side, looking uncomfortable. He glanced at me, then at my parents, and finally sighed, waving Mia away from the door. “You can go back to class, Mia. We’ll handle this here.” Mia opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but the stern warning in Mr. Harrison’s eyes stopped her. She gave me one last, deeply sympathetic look before turning and walking away. I stood rooted to the spot, looking down at the shredded pieces of my medical record on the floor. Suddenly, I smiled. The innocence I had desperately tried to prove was nothing but a laughable comedy routine in their eyes. I realized then that in this family, my existence meant absolutely nothing. I slowly crouched down and began picking up the torn pieces, one by one. The sharp edges of the paper sliced a tiny cut into my fingertip, but I couldn’t feel the sting. Compared to the agonizing pain in my chest, a papercut was nothing at all. Chapter 4 When the black SUV pulled up in front of the school’s administrative building, the air in the office grew stifling. Two burly men in tactical gray uniforms pushed through the door. They wore the hardened, indifferent expressions of men who dealt with “troubled youth” for a living. Richard immediately stepped forward, greeting them like old friends. “Warden Miller, thanks for making the trip. This girl is pathological and toxic. Keeping her around is a danger to others, so I’m handing her over to your camp for some strict behavioral reform.” The man addressed as Warden Miller glanced at me, a cruel, hardened smirk forming on his lips. “Don’t worry, Mr. Vance. No matter how tough they think they are, they all learn to obey once we get them out in the woods.” Chloe leaned against Eleanor, the triumphant glee in her eyes practically overflowing. She gently tugged on Eleanor’s sleeve, her voice as soft as cotton but laced with poison. “Dad, Mom, don’t be too hard on her. She’s just confused. I’m sure she’ll learn her lesson out at the camp.” Richard scoffed coldly. “She’s rotten to the bone! A place like that is exactly what she needs!” Miller marched over to me, towering above me with an intimidating glare. “So you’re the one? Playing deaf and mute to bully the other kids?” I didn’t speak. I just gripped the hem of my shirt, my fingertips ice cold. Miller’s eyes flashed with impatience. “What, you’re not going to talk? Still acting?” Without warning, he lifted his heavy boot and kicked me brutally in the back of my knee. Caught entirely off guard, I collapsed with a heavy thud. My kneecaps slammed into the unforgiving concrete floor, the pain so blinding my vision went black. “Still want to be stubborn?” Miller grabbed a handful of my hair, violently jerking my head up. “Drop the act!” He slapped me across the face so hard my neck snapped to the side. My ears rang violently, and the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I was trembling in agony, biting down on my lip so hard to keep from making a sound. But the excruciating pain forced a weak, broken whimper past my throat—a faint, raspy gasp for air. “She made a sound! She really is faking it!” Chloe’s voice pierced the room, shrill and laced with unrestrained excitement. “I knew she was faking being mute to trick us! She’s a liar!” My parents’ expressions turned utterly disgusted. Richard pointed a shaking finger at me, his face purple with rage. “You deceitful little rat! How could the Vance family produce a monster like you?! You are a total disgrace!” Mr. Harrison shook his head, his tone dripping with disappointment. “Clara, you really fooled me. I can’t believe you’d stoop this low to avoid suspension.” The students crowding the doorway began to jeer, their whispers acting like invisible slaps against my already burning cheeks. “So she was faking it!” “She looks so innocent, but she’s actually a complete psycho.” “Ship her off to the woods! It’s what she deserves!” Miller slapped me again, grabbing my arm to drag me out the door. “Let’s go! Let’s see how much you want to act once I get you back to camp!” I squeezed my eyes shut in total despair, the tears finally freely falling down my face. Just then, the office door was kicked open with explosive force. Everyone froze. A man in a pristine, four-star military uniform stood in the doorway. The stars on his shoulders glinted coldly under the fluorescent lights. He was tall, imposing, and radiated an aura of suffocating authority. His gaze swept across every single person in the room, finally landing on me. The heartbreak in his eyes was palpable. When he spoke, his voice was a low, lethal growl. “My daughter simply cannot speak, and you animals dare to humiliate her like this?” Chapter 5 The moment the man spoke, the oxygen seemed to vanish from the room. The raging fury on Richard’s face froze, replaced instantly by a look I had never seen him wear before. It was a mixture of absolute terror and pathetic, groveling submission. “G-General Sterling…” Miller, who was still gripping my hair, released me as if he’d been burned. He stumbled backward, the indifferent cruelty he usually wore cracking wide open. Without his grip holding me up, my shattered knees gave out, and I pitched forward. A second before I hit the ground, a pair of strong hands caught me. The General’s uniform smelled of clean soap and crisp pine—a scent that completely clashed with the toxicity and judgment of this office. He knelt down to my eye level, his gaze sweeping from my bruised, swollen cheek to the blood leaking from the corner of my mouth. The storm of emotions in his eyes was complex, but I recognized the primary one instantly. It was pure, devastating heartbreak. “Clara,” he said, his voice so gentle it sounded like he was afraid of breaking me. “Dad is late.” Dad. The word fell like a boulder into a stagnant pond. The shockwaves obliterated the emotional dams I had spent eighteen years building. I stared at him. A thousand words clogged my throat, but not a single one could make it past my ruined vocal cords. The tears in my eyes finally broke free, falling in heavy drops onto the back of the hand he was using to support my arm. Chloe’s face turned paper-white. She shot up from Eleanor’s embrace so fast her fingernails scratched Eleanor’s hand. But Eleanor didn’t even notice. She was just staring, paralyzed, at the man in the doorway. “G-General…” Chloe’s voice cracked, sounding shrill and terrified. “How is that possible? How could you be her…” She didn’t finish the sentence. Because Arthur Sterling looked at her. His gaze was completely devoid of emotion, like he was looking at a corpse. Chloe’s voice died in her throat. She froze in place. Arthur looked away. He looked down and, with agonizing care, helped me stand up from the floor. My knees were shaking violently, so he firmly wrapped an arm around my waist. His hold was gentle, terrified of hurting me, yet immovable. Then he turned to face the room of petrified people. His voice was slow and measured, yet coated in ice. Every syllable nailed them to the floor. “Eighteen years ago, my wife died in a flash flood while doing charity work in a rural town. Clara’s adoptive mother saved my daughter from the river, but lost her own life in the process. “Clara is the daughter of a fallen hero, and she is the daughter I, Arthur Sterling, have raised for eighteen years. In her entire life, I have never let her suffer a single injustice.” He paused. “I was genuinely happy when she found her biological family. But I never imagined her biological parents would treat her like a stray dog.” He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He opened it and slammed it down onto the desk right in front of Richard. It was a medical diagnosis from eighteen years ago. The paper was yellowed, the edges worn from time. But the ink was crystal clear. Patient: Clara Sterling Diagnosis: Organic structural damage to the vocal cords. Prognosis: Permanent, lifelong speech impairment. The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Richard stared at the paper. The color drained from his face like the tide rolling out. Eleanor’s jaw went slack, a few broken gasps escaping her lips. Mr. Harrison’s glasses began to slide down his sweaty nose. He fumbled to catch them and nearly knocked over his coffee mug. And Chloe. She bit down on her lower lip so hard it turned white. She looked at the diagnosis, then at the protective way the General stood beside me, and finally at the horrified faces of everyone in the room. The panic in her eyes finally burst through the dam. Arthur didn’t miss the terror in Chloe’s eyes. A cold sneer touched his lips as he continued smoothly: “Last night, Clara didn’t come home to the Sterling estate.” “I assumed she was happily reuniting with her biological family.” “And yet? This morning, I received a call from Military Command regarding a disturbance.” Richard’s Adam’s apple bobbed aggressively. His voice sounded like sandpaper on glass. “General Sterling, I… I had no idea! I thought she was…” “You thought she was pretending to be mute to play the victim.” Arthur finished the sentence for him. Richard choked, unable to form another word. Arthur’s piercing gaze locked onto his face. “You tore up her medical records.” His tone didn’t rise. He didn’t yell. But the terrifying calm of a four-star general pinned Richard in place. He looked like he forgot how to breathe. “In front of a dozen people, you slapped her in the face, called her a liar, and hired a thug to drag her through the dirt.” “When she was forced to her knees, you watched.” “When she was being beaten, you watched.” “When she was trembling in excruciating pain but physically couldn’t scream—” Arthur paused. “You. Just. Watched.” “The Vance family truly has impeccable morals. Beating your own flesh and blood, while coddling an imposter.” Richard’s legs gave out, and he stumbled a half-step backward. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but it was like someone had stuffed his throat with cotton. Eleanor—the woman who had been showering Chloe with motherly affection—finally snapped out of her shock. She shoved Chloe away. The motion was so violent and abrupt that Chloe lost her balance and hit her head against the edge of the desk with a dull thud. But Eleanor didn’t even glance down at her. She stumbled two steps toward me, then stopped, as if terrified to get any closer. Her voice was choked with sobs, her eyes bloodshot. “Clara… Mom didn’t know… I really didn’t know…” She reached out a trembling hand, trying to touch my wrist. I didn’t dodge. I just looked down, staring blankly at her perfectly manicured hand. Yesterday, this was the exact same hand that patted Chloe’s back, comforting her, cooing, “Our poor Chloe has suffered so much.” Yesterday, this was the exact same hand that pointed at my face and called me “white trash.” I gently pulled my wrist away and took a half-step behind Arthur. Eleanor’s hand froze in mid-air. It was as if all the strength had been siphoned from her body. She swayed, gripping the edge of the desk just to stay upright. Watching me retreat, the light in her eyes died completely. Her lips trembled violently, but no sound came out. Chloe clutched her bruised forehead, kneeling on the floor. Her voice was so shrill it bordered on hysterical. “General Sterling, I didn’t know! I swear I didn’t know she was your…” She choked. She didn’t know what to call me. Yesterday, I was the unwanted feral child of the Vance family. Today, I was the beloved, spoiled daughter of a four-star general. Tears smeared her makeup into a pathetic mess. She was shaking uncontrollably. “She started it! She targeted me first at school! She went around telling everyone I cheated to get second place, and that my dad bribed the admissions board…” “Spreading rumors.” Arthur suddenly repeated the phrase. “Fascinating. In what universe does a child with permanently severed vocal cords go around spreading rumors?” He didn’t even look at Chloe. He simply turned his head and gave an order to the military aide standing at attention behind him. “Play it.” “Yes, sir.” The aide stepped forward. He opened his briefcase, pulled out a stack of documents, and set a portable cassette player on the desk. He hit play. The tape hissed with static, and then a clear voice echoed in the room. It was a recording from an afternoon two months ago. Chloe’s voice floated out, crisp, sweet, and laced with perfectly manufactured concern. “Did you guys know? The new transfer student, Clara, grew up in the foster system. I heard her biological parents threw her out because she was bad luck.” “I don’t know how she scammed her way into the Vance family, but you guys should stay away from her. People like her are usually thieves. I heard her last foster family returned her because she kept stealing.” “It’s only because my parents are so charitable that they took pity on her and brought her in.” The recording kept playing. Sentence after sentence of Chloe’s lies echoed through the dead-silent office. Mr. Harrison stood with his mouth open, his glasses slipping off his face. Chloe’s face went entirely devoid of blood. The military aide professionally continued his report: “General Sterling, these materials were provided by the school’s disciplinary committee. According to the investigation, since Clara transferred here, Chloe Vance has repeatedly spread false rumors among the student body to destroy Clara’s reputation.” His voice carried zero emotion, reading it like a battlefield casualty report. “Furthermore, according to Clara’s previous homeroom teacher, Chloe used her status as the Vance family heiress to privately request that Clara be seated in the back row, falsely claiming Clara had a history of violent psychiatric episodes.” “This semester alone, Chloe ordered three classmates to go through Clara’s backpack, steal her class notes, and shred them, later telling everyone Clara was just careless and lost them.” “Additionally, Chloe anonymously wrote over a dozen derogatory slurs about Clara on the classroom chalkboard—” “Shut up!” Chloe suddenly shrieked. Her voice was like shattered glass scraping against metal. Her entire body convulsed. Her tear-streaked face looked feral, like a beautiful butterfly that had been stomped into the mud. “I did it! I did all of it! So what?!” She used the desk to drag herself to her feet, her legs shaking like jelly. She locked eyes with me, her gaze dripping with venom. “Clara, are you happy now?” She took a shaky step toward me. “You’re the General’s daughter! You’re so lucky! You were lost for eighteen years, but you still had someone treating you like royalty! But what about me?!” Her voice cracked, echoing loudly off the walls. “I was brought into the Vance family when I was three! I spent every single day walking on eggshells, terrified that if I wasn’t perfect, they’d send me back to the orphanage! Do you have any idea what it’s like to wake up every morning terrified of being abandoned?!” She aggressively pointed at Richard and Eleanor. “And them?! They kept me as a trophy! They played the perfect loving parents in front of the cameras, but behind closed doors, who actually cared about me?!” “When they found you, they pretended they were so excited to bring you home to a life of luxury. But before you even arrived, they didn’t even bother setting up a bedroom for you!” She sobbed, laughing hysterically, her voice hoarse and broken. “Clara, do you hate me?” I stayed silent for a long time. Then, I raised my hands and signed. No one in the room understood it. Arthur translated for me, his voice calm and steady: “She says, she doesn’t hate you.” “Hating you takes energy. She needs to save her energy to live her own life.” Chloe froze. She stared at me, a violent storm of emotions swirling in her eyes—emotions I couldn’t even begin to decipher. They surged like a tidal wave, then slowly receded, leaving behind nothing but an empty, hollow abyss. She didn’t say another word. Arthur gently took my hand and led me toward the door. As we passed Richard, my footsteps faltered. Like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline, Richard shot his head up, his voice ruined. “Clara, Dad… Dad really didn’t know! If I had known you were General Sterling’s daughter, I…” He didn’t finish the sentence. Because he saw my eyes. My gaze was dead calm. As still as a stagnant pool of water. How hilarious. My biological father’s regret wasn’t because he hurt his child; it was because my adoptive father had too much power. I slowly raised my hands and signed a single phrase. Richard frantically looked at Arthur. “What did she say? What did she say?!” Arthur didn’t translate immediately. He looked down at me, as if confirming it was what I wanted. I gave a tiny nod. Arthur looked up, his tone apathetic. “She says, the day she walked into your foyer, she made the exact same hand sign.” Richard froze. “She was saying—” Arthur enunciated every syllable clearly, “—I didn’t do it.” Richard looked as if he’d been struck by lightning, paralyzed on the spot. That day, when I stood in the Vance family’s foyer, I saw how fiercely they loved Chloe. I saw them lovingly peeling fruit and feeding it to her. I had harbored a secret, desperate hope that my biological parents were good, loving people. But the moment I walked in, their glares hit me like physical slaps, making me feel utterly worthless. When Chloe accused me of spreading rumors, I had desperately signed that exact same phrase. Back then, they couldn’t be bothered to look. They just assumed I was putting on an act. Now, they couldn’t understand the signs, yet they were begging someone to translate for them. How ironic. I looked away and followed Arthur out the door.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396444”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

For the three years I was with Nolan Hayes, I was known in his circle as the ultimate, perfect “Ride or Die” girlfriend. I never checked his location. I didn’t care how many other women he texted. Even when he stayed out partying until dawn, I never picked a fight. Nolan was incredibly proud of this. He loved bragging to his boys about how hopelessly devoted I was to him. That was until one day, by pure accident, he found an old, private social media account filled with videos of me and my first love. Back then, I was petty, possessive, and easily jealous. I was the exact opposite of the “emotionally stable” woman I am now. In one of the videos, my first love was laughing helplessly, asking me: “Why do you have such a crazy temper?” I answered, completely deadpan and confident: “I only get mad because I love you! If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t give a damn what you did!” Nolan just froze. 1 When I ran into Nolan at an upscale downtown club, a gorgeous girl in a tight bodysuit and denim cutoffs was sitting on his lap. Her pale, slender arms were looped around his neck, and her glossed lips were curved in a sugary smile as she leaned into him. A few of his married friends in the VIP booth were already standing up, offering Nolan apologetic smiles. “Sorry, Nolan man. The wife is strict, she’s already called me five times. If I’m not home in twenty minutes, I’m sleeping on the couch tonight.” Nolan let the girl on his lap take the cigarette right out of his mouth and place it between her own lips. He scoffed. “You guys are pathetic. Letting a woman keep you on a leash.” The single guys in the group started hyping him up. “That’s our boy Nolan! Doesn’t matter what time he rolls in, Stella never dares to ask questions. Seriously, man, how do you train her like that? Teach us your ways!” The girl in his lap giggled, pressing her chest against him. “Yeah, Nolan. Aren’t you afraid Stella might walk in and get mad seeing us like this?” Nolan played with her hair, a smug look of pride settling on his face. “She’s obsessed with me. She does whatever I tell her to. In the three years we’ve been together, she hasn’t started a single argument.” “Damn! Legend!” The surrounding guys laughed, looks of envy plastered on their faces. “All these years, Nolan’s done whatever he wants, and Stella hasn’t said a word. Now that’s a real man—” His words cut off abruptly. He had spotted me standing to the side, completely expressionless. Nolan saw me, too. There was zero panic on his face. He just casually pushed the girl off his lap, smirked, and waved me over. “What are you doing here?” I paused for a beat, then walked over, my voice calm. “I came with some friends.” The girl he’d pushed away looked annoyed. She looked me up and down, forcing a stiff smile. “Hey, Stella.” It was only when I got close that I recognized her. She was the new secretary at Nolan’s firm. Sienna. She was just a regular state college grad. I remember Nolan personally signing off on hiring her just because he liked the headshot on her resume. I didn’t expect him to sleep with her this fast. I ignored her. Nolan looked pretty wasted. His handsome, dark eyes were hazy under the club lights. He grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward him. “Should’ve told me you were coming out. Give me a kiss.” He leaned in toward my mouth. Instinctively, I dodged. I didn’t know if he’d just been kissing Sienna, and the idea disgusted me. Nolan’s expression changed. The smile slid off his face. Even though he was the one sitting down, the look he gave me was utterly condescending. “Stella, what is your problem?” I turned my head and said softly, “You’re drunk.” “You think you’re too good for me?” Probably feeling like I’d embarrassed him in front of his boys, Nolan’s eyes went cold. He suddenly grabbed Sienna, pulled her onto his lap, and cupped the back of her head. Sienna looked thrilled, eagerly accepting his kiss. The two of them proceeded to swap a wet, deep tongue-kiss right in front of my face. When Sienna finally pulled away ten seconds later, breathless, a thin string of saliva connected their lips. She looked at me, a triumphant smirk on her face. Nolan looked at me in pure defiance. His friends went silent, all eyes on me. No woman would tolerate her boyfriend kissing another girl right in front of her. They probably thought I was finally going to snap. I just locked eyes with Nolan for a second. “You’re wasted,” I said flatly. “I’m leaving.” As I turned to walk away, I heard one of Nolan’s friends gasp in awe. “Holy shit. Her emotions are like a rock. She’s not even mad!” “Nolan’s just got it like that. She’s terrified of losing him, so she won’t risk starting drama.” 2 “She loves him too much. I heard she chased Nolan for an entire year back in the day. Completely submissive. She does whatever he says.” Nolan let out a laugh, rich with contempt. “She can’t leave me. She’s too scared to ever get mad.” The mid-winter air outside hit my face like a knife. Snow had started falling at some point, heavy and silent. In the distance, the headlights of passing cars turned the flakes red, and under the streetlights, they looked a hazy, vintage yellow. I tightened my scarf, leaned against the brick wall, and lit a cigarette. Menthols. The cold air made the smoke sting my lungs with a sharp pain. These were my first love’s favorite brand. When we were together, I used to beg him to let me have a puff, and he’d scold me every single time. “Stella, are you crazy? If I ever catch you smoking, I will literally break your legs!” The day we broke up, I bought my own pack. I coughed through every single drag. After that, there was no one left to care, so I just kept smoking them. I didn’t do it often these days. But sometimes, when the emotions got too high, I couldn’t help it. Seeing Nolan kiss someone else… it really didn’t make me angry. Because I didn’t love him at all. My relationship with Nolan began with me chasing him. The first time I saw Nolan Hayes was at a brand-new upscale bar. He was there as a VIP investor. The table in front of him was loaded with expensive bottles, and the beautiful women surrounding him were laughing hysterically at his jokes. That face attracted every set of female eyes in the room. I remember dozens of girls went up to ask for his number that night. I did, too. Plenty of girls liked Nolan, but I was the one who stuck around the longest. For a whole year, I was at his beck and call. One word from him, and I’d show up, no matter how far away I was. Nolan’s reputation as a rich playboy was infamous. His roster of women was never empty. Even when I knew he’d just finished up with someone else, if he called me to pick him up, I’d go. I never asked questions. I never said a word. I’d just make him some hangover food. Everyone thought I was absolutely pathetic. People whispered about how sad it was that the only daughter of a bankrupt family was now obsessed with the youngest Hayes heir, willing to be his doormat. The catalyst for actually getting together was a night we both drank too much and ended up stumbling into the same bed. I only remember that Nolan was incredibly rough. I cried a lot, just holding him and sobbing. When we woke up the next morning, Nolan looked at the marks all over my body and my swollen, crying eyes. For once, he seemed to actually have a heart. He lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag as he asked me carelessly: “You want to be my girlfriend?” “Let’s get one thing straight, though,” he said, biting down on the filter. “Don’t try to control me. I hate women who nag.” I stared at the comforter pooled around my chest for a long moment, then said: “Okay.” Nolan always thought I was crying out of happiness that day. He didn’t know that it was actually my first love’s birthday. His side profile looked so much like my first love. At that bar, I had spotted Nolan immediately in the crowd. That night, in the dim lighting, for just a fleeting moment, I felt like the person I lost had come back to me. … I was with Lucas Wright from the time I was seventeen until we broke up at twenty-five. Almost a decade. He was the only scholarship kid at our prestigious private prep school, admitted solely because his test scores were through the roof. I heard his family used to be wealthy, but his father had been backstabbed by a business partner. After the bankruptcy, his father couldn’t handle the fall and committed suicide. His mother was already in poor health and died of a broken heart shortly after. Overnight, Lucas went from a popular rich kid to an orphan with nothing. But Lucas bounced back fast. He was never humble, never arrogant. Even surrounded by trust-fund babies, he maintained the number-one spot in the class and was voted student body president. Who wouldn’t fall for him? I confessed my love to him countless times, and got rejected every time. But I never gave up. Dozens of girls liked him, but they all gave up after being rejected. I was the only persistent one. Finally, right before graduation, during my sixth confession, Lucas asked me with a helpless look: “What do you even like about me?” My face was red, and my eyes were tearing up as I looked at him with stubborn defiance. I didn’t know if I was angry or sad. I just knew I loved Lucas Wright. There was no “why.” Sometimes love just doesn’t have a reason. “I just like you! I like everything about you!” Lucas’s expression was unreadable. After a long silence, he said softly: “But I have nothing. I can’t give you anything. A guy like me… do you still like me?” I shouted: “Yes! Lucas, listen, I love you, but even I have boundaries. If you don’t say yes this time, I swear I’m never asking you again!” Lucas stared at me for a long time, letting out a long, heavy exhale. It was part helplessness, part surrender. Finally, he reached out and pulled me into a soft hug. “You really are an idiot.” My eyes went wide, my heart missing a beat before hammering against my ribs. That was the first time I understood what it meant to be walking on air. Turns out, when you’re that happy, fireworks really do go off inside your chest. After that, Lucas and I were inseparable. He was brilliant, and my grades couldn’t compete. Just to be with me, he intentionally left two major sections blank on his SATs so he could get into the same university as me. When I found out, I cried hysterically. He just held me and laughed. “Idiot. Why are you crying? College is college. Trust me, I’m never going to let you suffer.” He didn’t just make empty promises. Starting sophomore year, Lucas began working on his own startups. He and a few friends launched a tech company and made their first fortune. By the time we graduated, he had already bought a massive luxury penthouse downtown. He decorated it exactly how I liked, planning to use it as our future home. Everything was perfect. Our plans for the future only included each other. Neither of us ever doubted we would be together until the end. Until after graduation, when I took him home to meet my parents. And then I saw my father’s face turn completely white. Lucas swayed on his feet, all the color draining from his face. Later, I learned the truth. My father was the business partner who had backstabbed Lucas’s dad, causing his family’s ruin. Life is just that absurdly cruel. Because my dad was always away on business, Lucas had never seen him before. Neither of us could have ever predicted this possibility. That day, my dad ordered my mom and me to leave, demanding a private conversation with Lucas. Not long after, Lucas left without saying a word. He moved to Europe. He didn’t leave a note. He didn’t tell me anything. The man who would travel across the country just because I said I missed him, who promised to love me forever, who knelt on one knee with red eyes begging me to marry him, telling me that with me he finally had a home… he just abandoned me. And I couldn’t even hate him. Because my father was the one who destroyed his life. Who wouldn’t be full of hate? If it were me, I’d hate, too. Maybe it was karma, but after that, my father made several bad investments and committed suicide. My family went bankrupt. Meanwhile, Lucas thrived abroad. He had an incredible eye for investments, riding the tech boom. Within a few years, his company was ringing the bell at NASDAQ, and he became a famous tech magnate. The tables had turned, and we had zero contact. It was impossible for us to ever cross paths again. So when I met Nolan Hayes, I felt my long-dead heart actually beat again for the first time in years. To me, what did it matter who I was with? Nolan looked so much like Lucas. To me, it was a godsend. For the sake of that face, I spent three years being completely submissive, always available. I was there whenever he needed me. It didn’t matter how late he was out partying; one phone call, and I’d get out of bed to go get him out of some other woman’s hands. He didn’t remember my birthday or our anniversary. Hell, on my birthday, he didn’t even come home; he was out having a blast with some new girl he’d just met. Nolan had always been a notorious playboy in our circle, rich, handsome, and loved to party. He swapped women faster than he changed his clothes. Even before my family went bankrupt, I knew his name. After getting together with me, he didn’t tone it down at all. Several girls even confronted me directly. I could tell a few times he wanted to break up with me, trying to start drama, but I never got jealous, and I never fought back. Over time, he just got used to having me around. He and all his friends truly believed I loved him to my core, that I was pathetically devoted. Truth was, I really didn’t care. I just wanted to see that face occasionally when I woke up in the middle of the night. To pretend that Lucas was still by my side. By clinging to that shadow, I could keep going. 3 It was one of Nolan’s friend’s birthdays, so he’d rented out a private room at a restaurant. Everyone had brought their partners, and Nolan brought me. Except I didn’t expect Sienna to show up, too. Naturally, she sat right next to Nolan. She actually looked at me and asked: “Stella, you don’t mind if I sit here, do you?” Nolan glanced at me. I didn’t say anything. The smile slowly slid off his face. With a cold laugh, he wrapped his arm around Sienna. Sienna looked genuinely crazy about Nolan. Throughout the meal, she kept toasting him, practically leaning against him as they whispered. She laughed at everything he said, collapsing onto his shoulder. I wasn’t angry in the slightest. I just sat there quietly eating. Beside us, one of Nolan’s friends shook his head in envy and said to his own girlfriend: “Look at how chill she is. Unlike you, getting mad over every little thing. Learn from her!” His girlfriend was tipsy. Hearing this, she scoffed disdainfully: “I only care because I love you! If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t give a damn what you did!” Maybe it was a coincidence, but the entire room went dead silent the second she said that. Nolan had obviously heard it, too. He was still smiling, but the fingers gripping his glass were white with tension. His friend froze, immediately trying to laugh it off and apologize: “My girl is wasted. Sorry, Nolan. She didn’t mean anything by it.” His girlfriend started apologizing, too. Nolan didn’t say anything. He just fixed his gaze on me. I turned my head away, avoiding his eyes. He suddenly asked me: “You aren’t even a little bit mad?” “Why would I be mad about this?” I asked, genuinely confused. “Isn’t this exactly the kind of freedom you wanted?” I could see his face whenever I wanted. And he got his precious freedom. We both got what we needed. What was wrong with that? After all, from the very beginning when Nolan agreed to be with me, he had warned me not to try and control him. For all these years, his roster of women had never been empty. I assumed this was the dynamic he preferred. Nolan looked pissed off now, getting even closer to Sienna. She was almost sitting on his thigh, and the two of them started deeply kissing right in front of me. Zero respect for me as his girlfriend. Everyone else was used to this, but a few people looked at me with pity. I scrolled through the photos on my phone to pass the time, just waiting for the meal to end so I could go home. A few rounds of drinks later, Sienna was clearly hammered. She’d probably finally decided to make her move to replace me. She scrutinized me for a few seconds before picking a fight: “Who even uses an iPhone 12 anymore? That’s so vintage.” I ignored her, which only made her more aggressive. “I forgot what an iPhone 12 even looked like. It’s an antique, right? I’m actually kinda curious. Stella, why don’t you let me see your phone?” “No,” I said, gripping the phone tighter. “Nolan~ tell Stella to let me see it. What’s the big deal with a phone?” Seeing I wasn’t speaking, Nolan frowned: “She wants to see it. Just let her see it.” “No,” I refused again. “Nolan~” Sienna whined, shaking his arm. Probably feeling like I’d embarrassed him by refusing, Nolan’s face went cold as he held his hand out to me: “Phone.” I didn’t say a word. “What’s on the phone, anyway?” Sienna added fuel to the fire. “Is it, like, something you can’t show people?” Nolan’s eyes darkened, and he lunged to snatch the phone from my hand. “What are you doing?!” I gasped, but the phone slipped and fell in the struggle. Instinctively, I shoved Nolan away to catch it. His lower back slammed into the edge of the table, and he groaned in pain, cursing at me: “What the hell is wrong with you, Stella?! It’s just a damn phone! If it breaks, I’ll buy you a new—” The next second, he saw the video playing on the screen, and all his words died in his throat. The video I had just been watching had started playing again. It was from back when Lucas and I were still together. I was on his back, not knowing he was recording me, pouting as I scolded him. “Why did you talk so much to that girl today?!” Lucas groaned, sounding helpless. “She’s the VP of the student body. We were talking about official club business. Seriously, Stella, why are you such a jealous brat?” I got angrier. “I only get jealous because I love you! If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t care if you died!” Lucas just laughed, shifting my weight higher on his back. “Fine, fine, you love me, I get it. Am I supposed to be happy about that?” I leaned down and poked his cheek: “You are not allowed to talk to other girls from now on. You are not allowed to add other girls on social media. You are not allowed to love anyone else!” “Okay, okay. I’ll listen to everything you say. Where do you get this crazy temper…” The video kept playing. I picked up the phone and shut it off. Nolan remained in the exact same position, completely frozen. No one had expected this twist. The room went silent, all eyes on us. The next second, Nolan suddenly snatched the phone from my hand and violently threw it against the ground! Instinctively, I slapped Nolan right across his face. I bent down in a panic, scrambling to pick up the phone. This was the very last thing I had left of Lucas Wright. The phone was completely destroyed. The screen was black. I clutched the phone, and only then did I react. I turned my head to look at Nolan. The slap hadn’t been that hard. But Nolan looked completely stunned. He didn’t even cover his face; he just stood there staring at me, looking lost, as if he didn’t recognize me anymore. Everyone was shocked. No one dared to make a sound. You could hear a pin drop. I felt a twinge of regret, but at the same time, I felt a strange sense of relief I couldn’t explain. Actually, I hadn’t meant to hit Nolan. It was just a reflex. Since things had already come to this, I knew Nolan and I were over. I stood up, grabbed my bag, and walked out. When I got outside, I sent Nolan one last text. “Let’s break up.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396428”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My mom eyed me with deep suspicion. “The neighbor’s kid, Tommy, goes to the exact same college as you. How come he isn’t heading back to campus a week early?” I rubbed my hands together, sweating bullets. “You’re going back early to see a boy, aren’t you? Look, I’m not some old-fashioned prude. Here’s an extra three hundred bucks. Go have fun.” I accepted the cash with profound gratitude. “You are so right, Mom. So right!” My mom completely bought it. On the Amtrak train back to campus, I pulled out my brand-new, untouched Physics 101 textbook and started frantically copying down formulas, scratching my head in despair. See a boy? Hell no. I was going back early to take a makeup exam! While I was literally on my way to the exam hall, a FaceTime call from my mom popped up. “Harper, honey! Let Mom get a look at this new boyfriend of yours.” 1 I was dead. The only new thing I was getting today was a new failing grade. I definitely didn’t have a new boyfriend to show her! Driven by pure desperation, I randomly aimed my phone camera at a stranger walking past me on the sidewalk. “Mom, this is the reason I came back to school early,” I whispered into the mic. When I lie to my mom, I fully commit to the bit. I had only planned to use the stranger’s side profile to appease her. But despite how softly I spoke, the gorgeous guy in the frame actually turned his head and looked at the camera. Through the phone, my mom shrieked. “He’s so handsome?! Are you dating a movie star?! Bring him home this weekend!” “Gotta go, honey! I’m taking screenshots to show off to my book club, hahahaha!” The video call abruptly ended on my mom’s exaggerated, booming laughter. Leaving me and the handsome stranger standing in the wind, staring at each other. The guy had perfect posture and a sharp, breathtakingly handsome jawline. Absolute god-tier looks. I scratched my head and let out an awkward laugh. “I’m so sorry. I was too embarrassed to tell my parents I came back early for a makeup exam, so I lied and said I was coming back to see a boyfriend.” The handsome guy nodded in understanding. He actually matched my pace and started walking with me. Clearly, we were heading to the same building. I shifted into a light jog to keep up and struck up a conversation. “Hey, are you taking the Physics makeup exam too?” The guy didn’t say a word, just kept walking forward. I noticed he wasn’t carrying a backpack or any study materials. It was obvious he was an honest student—but Physics 101 was brutally hard. Going in without cheating? He was guaranteed to fail! A brilliant idea struck me. “Bro, how about this? I’m locked and loaded with cheat sheets. I’ve transcribed almost every single formula. I’ll share my guaranteed-to-pass cheating tips with you, and in exchange, you come home with me this weekend to meet my parents.” The moment I said that, he stopped in his tracks. Seeing that he was intrigued, I officially began my entry-level cheating tutorial! I pulled out the “tissue-paper study guide” from my pocket. Then, I reached into my knee-high socks and produced a ten-fold formula accordion. And the ultimate weapon—my phone! The handsome guy looked confused. “How are you getting a phone into the exam hall? The proctors always use metal detector wands.” I smiled like a genius. “Heh. They only scan the body. If you hold the phone flat against your palm while you raise your arms, they never find it! Plus, my phone folds!” “What about the signal jammers?” “The ancient jammers our school uses can’t even block a 5G signal. My service works perfectly in there.” The guy nodded thoughtfully, then asked with genuine curiosity: “If you have so many brilliant methods, how did you fail the final exam in the first place?” I waved my hand dismissively and patted his broad shoulder. “Let us not dwell on past failures. We must look to the future!” When we got to the classroom, I spotted my fellow struggling friends. Perfect. Our academic survival squad was assembled. But I didn’t forget the handsome stranger I had just met. I quickly pulled him into our circle. The girls took one look at his suffocatingly good looks and instantly agreed to let him join. Everyone started enthusiastically sharing their cheat sheets and coordinating how we were going to pass answers under the proctor’s nose. The handsome guy must have been deeply moved by my generosity. He even asked for the names of everyone in our survival squad. I raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a look that said, No need to thank me. A true wingwoman always looks out for her bros. He’d remember this favor for the rest of his life. 2 Ten minutes left until the exam. Everyone was fully prepped and locked in. The only thing missing was the proctor, who was running late. My best friend, Zoe, started dishing the gossip on our invigilator. “I heard the proctor for our room is a literal god from Apex University. He’s a second-year PhD student, ridiculously hot—like, better looking than celebrities. He’s only proctoring at our college today to do a favor for a friend.” “Apparently, he’s a research genius. He hasn’t even graduated yet, and research labs from both Apex and our school are fighting over him. They’re already offering him seven-figure salaries.” Lexi, another girl in our group, slammed her hand on the desk in regret. “Damn it! If I had known, I would have worn a full face of makeup today.” “Ugh, we’re gonna have to be super careful cheating with a guy like that.” “Don’t worry about it!” I reassured them. “A golden boy like him has never seen the kind of high-tech underground cheating methods we use!” … The room finally quieted down when a roaming supervisor came in to drop off the exam packets. “Hey, where is Mr. Payne? Wasn’t he already on duty?” the supervisor muttered. Mr. Payne? I turned to my friends and whispered, “What a weird name. If he’s Mr. Payne, I guess I’m Miss Pleasure.” My dirty-minded friends instantly caught the joke and started giggling uncontrollably. My face flushed hot. “I didn’t mean it like that!” But no matter how much I tried to defend myself, the damage was done. Right as everyone was still grinning like idiots, the handsome stranger from earlier—who had been sitting quietly in the corner—slowly stood up. He calmly walked to the front, accepted the stack of exam papers, pulled a staff ID badge from his pocket, and stepped up to the podium. “Hello everyone. I am your proctor for today, Carter Payne.” Wait. Excuse me? Is it too late for me to apologize by throwing myself out the window? 3 Obviously, it was too late. Forget the phones and the cheat sheets. Even the smart-watch Zoe had strapped to her ankle got confiscated. Carter Payne stated he had no malicious intentions. I agreed. He didn’t have malicious intentions. He just didn’t want us to survive. There was zero suspense. My friends and I were completely wiped out by Carter in one fell swoop. We all failed and were forced to retake the class this semester. Utterly defeated, I practically got on my knees in our group chat. “I am so sorry. I invited the wolf into our house. To make up for this, I am willing to lay down my life for you all!” Lexi replied with a “disgusted” sticker. “Stop offering us worthless trash.” Zoe immediately followed up: “Since you sincerely want to make it up to us, we will mercifully grant you a chance to redeem yourself.” I nodded like a bobblehead. “Name it. Anything.” “Carter is working as an adjunct professor at our college this semester, and he just happens to be our Physics 101 instructor. Your mission: seduce him, conquer him, wreck him! Get revenge for us, and then secure the final exam answers for this semester.” Huh? Me? What kind of delusional confidence did they have to think I could make an Apex University god look at me twice? I typed back helplessly: “Zoe, do you have a reality-distortion filter on me? How on earth am I supposed to bag a guy like that?” Zoe was supremely confident: “Based on my years of social experience, the way Carter looked at you today was absolutely not innocent. Just crook your finger, and he’ll bite the hook.” I didn’t know if his eyesight was bad, but Zoe’s eyesight was definitely broken. But things had reached a critical point. I had to try a desperate measure. Besides, I had failed the makeup exam. I absolutely could not let my parents find out that I came back to school early just to fail a test. The weekend was two days away. Time was of the essence. I had to rush over to Apex University and convince Carter to come home with me. 4 Before I left, my entire dorm worked together to paint my face in the ultimate “siren/baddie” makeup style. The head-turning rate on the street was undeniably high. Our college and Apex University were only separated by one main avenue. Carter was famous. All it took was asking a random student, and I immediately found out which dorm building he lived in. When I arrived at his building, I was genuinely shocked. Apex didn’t play around with their PhD candidates. Not only were they single rooms, but the lobby looked like a luxury apartment complex. It made me want to apply for a PhD. I was lucky. I only had to camp out in the lobby for half an hour before Carter walked in. He was wearing a crisp black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up slightly, exposing prominent, defined wrists. Unlike the casual, messy vibe he had the first time we met, today his hair looked styled. Every single strand radiated stupid amounts of handsome. I literally forgot to breathe for a second. When he dressed up, he was way too highly-visible. Every girl walking past was staring at him. “Looking for me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “How did you know?” I asked, confused. The corner of his mouth ticked up. “You’ve been squatting by the entrance for twenty-eight minutes. You ignored every other guy who walked past, and the second I came down, you stepped forward.” Playing murder mystery games with him would be terrifying. He’d solve it in five minutes. I got straight to the point. “Yes. I want you to come home with me this weekend to pretend to be my boyfriend and deal with my mom.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why should I?” “Because you used me to infiltrate my friend group, made me public enemy number one, caused me to fail my makeup exam, and now I have no way to explain to my parents why I came back early!” I snapped, getting anxious. The nerve of him to ask why! If it weren’t for him, I would have easily passed that exam, and I wouldn’t be here begging him to come home with me. He frowned slightly. “You’re cheating, and you somehow think you’re in the right?” “You—!” I licked my lips, completely unable to argue back. He was right. He was an Apex PhD student; he hadn’t done anything wrong. I had absolutely zero leverage to make him fake-date me. It seemed Zoe really was blind. There was nothing “not innocent” about the way he looked at me. Messing with him was a terrible idea. Just as Carter was turning around to leave, a clear, familiar voice interrupted my thoughts. “Harper? What are you doing here?” “Caleb?” 5 Caleb was a senior at Apex University. We met at a Greek life mixer. He had a pretty obvious crush on me. He was gentle, considerate, and polite. Which is why I had previously rejected him by claiming I was only into “cold, emotionally unavailable” men. My eyes lit up, and I quickly grabbed Caleb’s sleeve. “Caleb, are you free this weekend?” Caleb had barely opened his mouth to answer when Carter spun back around, staring at me coldly. “He’s not free.” “Huh? Professor Payne, I…” Caleb started. “Have you submitted your graduation thesis yet?” Carter asked smoothly. Speaking of his thesis, Caleb wasn’t panicked at all; he looked quite confident. “Not yet, but I’ll easily finish it by next week!” “Too late. Professor Miller wants it this Saturday. He wants you in his office on Saturday to review it.” Caleb panicked a little. “He didn’t send out an announcement.” Carter spoke calmly. “Professor Miller will notify you tonight.” Caleb nodded, then turned to me. “Well, I’m free on Sunday then!” My dimmed hopes flared back to life. “Sunday doesn’t work either,” Carter interrupted again. “The mini-essay for this module is strictly due on Sunday.” Caleb gasped. “What? Mr. Payne, you never mentioned a mini-essay!” Carter calmly pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. “The notification has just been pushed to your student portal.” Seeing Caleb open his mouth to argue again, Carter kept going: “And the mock test that hasn’t been scheduled yet is now set for…” “I’m completely booked!!” Caleb shouted. He turned to me, looking extremely determined. “I am so sorry, Harper. I am not free this weekend. This weekend, I must study. I love studying. I’m going to go study now. Bye.” 6 “I can agree to pretend to be your boyfriend, but you have to agree to one condition.” After Caleb ran off, Carter leaned in close to me. His perfect features were suddenly magnified right in front of my face. I leaned back a few inches. “Deal! As long as you come home with me this weekend, I’ll agree to ten conditions!” “Good. My condition is that you come home with me tonight.” 7 Tonight? Come home with him? I looked down at my ultimate siren/baddie makeup, and then back up at Carter’s cold, restrained, academic face. Zoe’s words played in 3D surround sound in my head: Seduce him! Wreck him! Get the final exam answers! Could it be… I didn’t even need to initiate, and he was already biting the hook? Was this the legendary “the highest tier of hunter often appears as the prey” scenario? I swallowed hard, crossing my arms over my chest protectively, and stuttered, “Mr. Payne, although I do need your help, I have principles! Moving this fast… I-I’m not ready for this!” Carter looked at me like I was a complete moron. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What kind of garbage is floating around in your head? I meant we are going up to my apartment to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a three-point contract for the fake relationship.” “Oh…” I awkwardly lowered my arms, my toes curling so hard in my shoes I could have excavated a new basement for the Apex library. “Let’s go, then.” I followed behind him like an elementary school student called to the principal’s office. Carter didn’t take me into the dorms; instead, we walked out of the campus gates and arrived at a high-end luxury apartment building ten minutes away. The moment I stepped inside, I was stunned. It was a minimalist black, white, and gray aesthetic. Spotless hardwood floors, and abstract art pieces on the walls that were actually complex physics equations. But the most terrifying part was the massive desk in the center of the living room, piled high with foreign academic journals and scratch paper. This wasn’t a home. This was an interrogation room! “Sit,” Carter said, pointing to the chair opposite the desk. I obediently sat down and watched as he pulled a freshly printed A4 document from a drawer. Cooperation Agreement Regarding Carter Payne Acting as Harper Quinn’s Fake Boyfriend My eyes widened. “You already had this prepared? Are you a human printer?” “I printed it upstairs just now,” he said, handing me a pen. “Read the terms. If there are no issues, sign it.” I leaned in and read: [Article 1: Party B agrees to accompany Party A to her family home this weekend to act as her boyfriend and properly handle inquiries from Party A’s parents.] [Article 2: Party A must unconditionally cooperate with Party B’s established backstory during the fake relationship and must not expose the ruse.] [Article 3: In exchange, Party A’s retake of the “Physics 101” course this semester must be personally tutored by Party B. Party A is required to complete no less than 10 hours of extracurricular exercises at a location designated by Party B each week.] [Article 4: If Party A fails to score an 85 or higher on the final exam, Party B reserves the right to expose the fake boyfriend arrangement to Party A’s parents.] I slammed my hands on the desk and jumped up. “85?! You might as well kill me! I got an 18 on the makeup exam, Mr. Payne!” Carter leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, looking at me with a ghost of a smile. “What happened? Didn’t you just say you’d agree to ten conditions?” “But you can’t defy the laws of nature! Having my brain study Physics is like asking a pig to solve calculus!” “I won’t allow you to insult pigs like that.” “Carter!” “Are you signing or not?” He made a move to pull the contract back. “If you don’t sign, I’m face-timing your mom right now to tell her exactly how I confiscated your folding phone, tissue papers, and cheat sheets during the exam.” I slammed my hand down on the contract, grinding my teeth. “I’ll sign!” To avoid being murdered by my mom this weekend, I was forced to sell my soul. Carter watched with satisfaction as I signed my name, then pulled a textbook thicker than a cinderblock out from under the desk. Advanced Physics Problem Set. “Since you signed, let’s execute Article 3 right now. You can’t go back to your dorm until you finish chapter one.” I looked at that brick of a book, my vision going dark. Seduce him, wreck him… I chanted Zoe’s battle cry in my head, and with tears of grief, I opened the first page. The result was that Physics wrecked me for three solid hours. It wasn’t until 11:00 PM that I dragged my drained, empty husk of a soul out of Carter’s apartment. As I left, he leaned against the doorframe and instructed, “Tomorrow after class, I’ll pick you up from your campus, and we’ll head to the Amtrak station.” I waved weakly. “Got it, boyfriend.” He froze for a second, the tips of his ears turning suspiciously red, and then slam! he shut the door. Tch. What a prude.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396445”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The night before Valentine’s Day, my fiancé, who worked for a classified government agency, sent me a text. [Honey, I’m so sorry. A mission came up at the agency at the last minute, and my wedding leave has been canceled again.] The moment I received this message. I was standing less than thirty feet from the main gate of his facility. I watched with my own eyes as he tucked his “work wife,” Olivia Reed, inside his heavy overcoat. “Just to satisfy your sick sense of humor, your ‘Papa’ here has stood Emma up six times now.” “This is the last time. Next year, no matter what, I am marrying her.” Olivia smiled and held the Starbucks cup she had been drinking from up to his lips. “Didn’t you guys just buy a new wedding bed? I should go over and test it out for the bride.” “Don’t thank me, just consider it an early wedding gift.” Hearing this, I dug my fingernails into my palms and dialed the Brooks family’s number. [Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, call everyone. Let’s go over and decorate the new house tonight instead.] [Yes, I want to give Carter a surprise.] Since he didn’t care about basic decency. Then he shouldn’t blame me for going nuclear. …… [Let’s keep the fact that we’re all in West City a secret from Carter for now.] [Okay, I’ll wait for you guys downstairs at the apartment complex.] After hanging up the phone. I opened the surveillance app I had just installed yesterday. On the screen, they were already making out, moving from the entryway all the way into the master bedroom. I saw the blessed silver cross I had prayed on my knees at a cathedral to get for him. Right now, it was lying all alone in the mess scattered on the floor. My body went completely rigid, letting the freezing wind bite into my skin. Before long, both sets of parents and relatives arrived on time. Before they even got close, my parents anxiously surrounded me. “How is it, Emma? Did you see that scoundrel Carter?” “Don’t worry, your grandfather just called the director of his agency.” “Even if the sky falls tomorrow, the unit won’t call him in for a last-minute mission.” I fought back my absolute breaking point of emotions. I forced a smile onto my face for them. “Okay.” “Emma, didn’t you say you wanted to surprise Carter?” “What are we standing around for? Let’s get up there and start decorating.” Seeing the bright red balloons and ribbons in the hands of my parents and relatives. My nose stung, and I let the tears spill over my eyelashes. I had known Carter Brooks for ten years, dated him for eight, and we agreed to get married six years ago. Six years ago, one month before our wedding. He said he was up for a promotion to Senior Agent, so I agreed to push the wedding back a year. Three years ago, one week before our wedding. He said he had to go on a classified mission, and I agreed to postpone it for another year. Until this year, when both sets of parents finally lost their patience. Three days ago, we brought all our relatives and friends. We arrived early in the city where his agency was located to prepare for the wedding. But I never in my wildest dreams imagined. The wedding house I had spent six years meticulously decorating. Every single piece of furniture, every inch of the hardwood floor inside. Had already been broken in by his female bestie, Olivia Reed. Thinking of this, my stomach churned. I rushed over to a nearby trash can and threw up for a long time. I really wanted to tell them, to tell everyone. Just half an hour ago. Carter personally texted me to notify me. The wedding scheduled for tomorrow was being postponed for another year. I really wanted to tell my parents that Carter had betrayed me. Over the past six years, every time he lied about his wedding leave being canceled. He was actually fooling around with his work wife, Olivia Reed. But I found my throat felt like it was being choked by a massive, invisible hand. No matter what I did, I couldn’t force out a single word, nor make a single sound. As we walked into the apartment lobby, I took a massive gulp of ice-cold water. “Carter Brooks, it’s time for you to taste what it feels like to be played like a clown.” 2 The moment everyone stepped off the elevator. We saw shoes and a woman’s blouse scattered in the hallway. Seeing my extreme embarrassment as I kicked the clothes toward the wall. Carter’s mother covered her nose and smirked. Assuming she understood the situation, she unlocked the front door. At the same time, unspeakable sounds of intimacy drifted from the master bedroom. “Oh, baby, this bed is really comfortable.” “Later, when you’re doing this with your wife here, are you going to think of your bro?” “Change the sofa to leather, this fabric is too rough to lie on.” Hearing this, everyone’s expression froze. It was as if a spell had been cast over the group. Not a single person moved closer to see what was happening. Not a single person uttered a sound. I forced my heavy legs, which felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, to move. I picked up the silver cross, broken in two, from among the scattered bras and shirts. Even though I had prepared myself mentally. Being truly in the moment, I still felt as cowardly as a child who had done something wrong. I bit my lip so hard I tasted iron, letting the blood fill my mouth. “You Brooks son of a bitch, get your ass out here.” “Carter Brooks, do you hear me?” “You actually dared to betray my daughter? You have a death wish.” My dad ignored everything and charged toward the master bedroom. He slammed his fists heavily against the wooden door. Just as he was furious enough to raise his foot and kick the door in. Carter slipped out through a crack in the door, wrapped in a bath towel. “Uncle, Dad, Mom, Cousin…” “You, what are you all doing here?” “Why didn’t anyone tell…” Before he could finish, my dad punched him hard in the face. “You godless animal, you have the nerve to ask us?” “Our Emma waited for you for six long years, wishing upon every star.” “Was it just to wait and see how you would betray her?” Before Carter could even recover from his shock. My mom had already rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a heavy meat cleaver. “Where is that little bitch? Daring to ruin my daughter’s marriage.” “I’m going to butcher her. I’m going to butcher that little homewrecker right now.” Just as she raised the cleaver to storm into the master bedroom. Carter snatched the knife away and threw it to the floor. “Uncle, Auntie, are you misunderstanding something?” “My original plan was to leave the base at 7 AM tomorrow.” “Wasn’t this just to give Emma a surprise? That’s why I came home early.” “I just finished taking a shower and wanted to change clothes, and you guys were already here.” While he was speaking, my cousin Ethan had already rushed into the bedroom. “Carter, if you really betrayed my cousin, I’ll murder you.” The moment the door was pushed open. The wedding bed was made perfectly, incredibly neat. Scanning the entire room, there was no trace of a second person besides him. Seeing this, Carter’s mother immediately chimed in to deflect. “See, I told you. How could our Carter do something like that?” “It seems we’ve all misunderstood him.” “Emma, really, you should have just waited upstairs with Carter for us.” “What, were you afraid we couldn’t find our way with all these people?” She annoyed picked up his jacket from the floor and tossed it to her son. “Look at you, taking a shower is fine, but why are you watching those trashy videos?” “Now look, everyone misunderstood.” Carter’s cousin Jake also chimed in from the side. “To be honest, did you and the bride-to-be just finish a passionate session?” “You didn’t even clean up the battlefield before having everyone come decorate the new house.” “Yeah, you’re really not treating us like outsiders.” Carter, having quickly pulled his clothes on, took the easy way out. “Talk about bad luck.” “Who watches a spicy video in their own home and gets caught in the act like this?” He faked an awkward cough a few times. “Since everyone is here, why don’t we go out for dinner?” “Emma, what do you think?” 3 Seeing that I was completely unmoved. He strode right up and pulled me into his arms. “Weren’t you just cuddling in my arms acting spoiled?” “Now, in front of everyone, you’re getting shy?” As he said this, he lowered his head close to my ear. “Let’s take everyone out to eat first. I’ll explain the video thing to you later.” “Things aren’t what they look like, trust me.” “Say something quickly, everyone is waiting.” Heh, is he afraid everyone is waiting? Or is he afraid the person hiding in the master bedroom is waiting? After ten years together, Carter knew how to manipulate me better than anyone. He knew that every time he and Olivia Reed crossed the line under the guise of being “bros.” I would tirelessly believe his excuses, time and time again. But he didn’t know that when I found out he had done this for this so-called female bestie… Lying about his wedding leave being canceled for six consecutive years. I didn’t want to marry him at all anymore. But I didn’t want to just rip open this filthy paper window directly. I wanted to see with my own eyes how they would reap what they sowed and suffer the consequences of their actions. I laughed coldly, breaking free from his embrace. “What just happened was indeed a misunderstanding.” “It’s our fault for not being careful, sorry for making everyone laugh.” “Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, since it’s so rare for everyone to gather together.” “Why don’t we just order a massive BBQ feast here at home? It can be a housewarming for us.” “No!” As soon as these words were spoken, all three members of the Brooks family refused almost simultaneously. Seeing my confused expression. Carter’s mother was the first to explain. “There are no ingredients in the new house. Eating delivery here, wouldn’t that be neglecting everyone?” “Besides, it’s getting late now. There’s no time to go buy groceries and cook.” “Nancy is right, maybe we should all just go out to eat.” “My parents are right. Emma, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, let’s go out to eat.” In the entire room. Only I and the three members of the Brooks family knew. Behind the hidden door, there was a master bathroom. They wanted to use dinner as an excuse to get me and everyone else out of the house. So Olivia could take the opportunity to slip away? In their dreams! I ignored the Brooks family’s desperate attempts to feign calmness. I pulled my parents and relatives to sit down on the sofa. “Oh, everyone has been tired all day. Let’s not make it a hassle.” “I already placed an order on UberEats. It’ll be here in twenty minutes.” “Everyone wants extra brisket and ribs, right? I remember Cousin doesn’t eat spicy BBQ sauce, right?” “OK, I added it to the notes.” Although their faces were full of reluctance. The Brooks family still bit the bullet and sat down. While I was in the kitchenette brewing coffee and tea for everyone. Carter looked incredibly awkward as he whispered his explanation to me. “Emma, did you get the text I sent? I wanted to surprise you, I didn’t think it would blow up like this.” I pretended nothing was wrong, asking him casually. “What text? Did you just send me a text?” “Sorry, I was so focused on decorating the house, I didn’t have time to look at my phone.” Just as I was about to pull out my phone, he raised his hand to stop me. “It’s good you didn’t see it. The wedding will proceed as scheduled. After tomorrow, you are my lawfully wedded wife.” I smiled coldly and pushed him away. I returned to the living room to warmly host our relatives. While waiting for the BBQ to arrive. Some people were putting up wedding decals. Some were blowing up balloons. And the task of decorating the master bedroom. Was left to us, the couple. Just as I was about to lift the comforter to sprinkle traditional wedding chocolates and rose petals on the bed. Carter yanked the fitted sheet and comforter entirely onto the floor in one motion. Seeing my confused look. He explained with extreme awkwardness. “No one has lived here for a while, I was afraid it was dirty.” He pulled a brand new four-piece bedding set out of the closet. “You sit and rest for a bit, I’ll change it.” “Emma, I know it’s been hard on you planning the wedding all by yourself these past few years.” “Don’t worry, once my security clearance upgrade goes through smoothly, I’ll apply for a transfer to the private sector.” “Then, we can live that 9-to-5, everyday normal life you’ve been looking forward to.” I couldn’t be bothered to listen to his lies. Just as I raised my hand to push open the hidden door to the bathroom. He grabbed me tightly around the waist from behind. “Wait!” 4 My face was filled with anger as I questioned him loudly. “What are you doing? I need to use the bathroom.” The moment I broke free from his arms. I was completely enraged, shouting my question. “Carter Brooks, what exactly are you hiding?” I rushed into the bathroom behind the hidden door like a madwoman. Seeing that I almost ripped up the floorboards. But still couldn’t find a single trace of Olivia Reed. Carter visibly let out a sigh of relief. “Alright, stop being so paranoid.” “Hurry back to the living room, the BBQ is almost fully unpacked.” As the smell of smoked brisket permeated the air. I felt my eyes tearing up and becoming misty. This moment was what I had once dreamed of the most. Parents, my lover, and relatives all by my side. Everyone eating BBQ, drinking a little beer. The elders talking about business and family gossip. The younger generation talking about ideals, about the collision of reality and the soul. “Emma, what are you standing there for?” “Hurry up and eat. After we eat, I’ll drive everyone back to the hotel.” It wasn’t until Carter aggressively piled food onto plates and rushed the process. That I finally woke up from the illusion before my eyes. “What’s the rush? Who finishes a feast in just an hour?” “Since everyone is here today, whatever else you guys want, I’ll order it.” “Two more racks of ribs, two more orders of pulled pork, two more sides of mac and cheese…” I completely ignored the urgent, panicked eyes of the three members of the Brooks family. If the person wasn’t hiding indoors. And the bathroom window happened to face the external air conditioning unit. Then there was only one last possibility. Olivia Reed was currently hiding on the A/C unit outside the window. At this point, I just wanted to see. Would Olivia be frozen enough to call out to us for help while stark naked? Admitting she was intruding on someone else’s relationship. Or would she, for the sake of her so-called dignity… Bite the bullet and endure the sub-zero freezing weather. Either social death or freeze to death. Let’s see which one she chooses! Seeing the second UberEats delivery arrive. And everyone still showing no signs of getting up to leave. Carter finally, visibly panicked. He practically begged as he urged me. “Emma, let’s just go back to the hotel after eating. If we stay any longer, something bad is going to happen.” “If you like BBQ this much, after the wedding tomorrow, we can eat it every day, okay?” Feigning the liquid courage of alcohol, I grabbed him by the collar like a belligerent drunk. “What bad thing will happen? What could possibly happen?” “Carter Brooks, don’t tell me you actually hid someone in our wedding house?” “Where are they hiding? Could it be outside the window? No, I have to go look.” As I stumbled and swayed toward the master bedroom. Carter’s parents anxiously followed behind me. “Emma, are you drunk? How can someone hide outside this window?” “Exactly, do they have superpowers or something?” “In this freezing weather, hiding outside the window would freeze them to death!” At that moment, Carter grabbed me around the waist and hauled me back to the sofa. “Emma, the whole family is here, you can’t act crazy like a drunk.” “Robert, Helen, it’s already so late. Let me drive everyone back to the hotel first.” “Yes, Robert, Helen, let’s hurry back to the hotel. Tomorrow we still have to hold the wedding ceremo…” Before the words were finished, the doorbell was rung frantically. The moment the door was opened, a group of firefighters and EMTs rushed in with a stretcher. 5 (Chapter 2 in original) “Apartment 1203, right? Someone called to report someone in your house is trying to jump.” “Which room is the external A/C unit in? Take us there immediately.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396429”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When our old neighborhood was bought out by a luxury developer, we negotiated a deal for ten pre-construction condo units. My husband begged me to sell a few of the contracts to fund his former college mentee’s cancer treatment. “Audrey, I’m begging you to save Chloe. She’s so young, she hasn’t even had the chance to experience the beauty of the world. I don’t want her to die.” I refused. He immediately filed for divorce and walked away with five of my condo contracts. “Audrey, I love you, but my hands are tied. Once we sell the condos and cure Chloe, we’ll get remarried.” I turned and walked away, never looking back. He never expected the developer to go bankrupt and the CEO to be arrested for fraud. Until the day Chloe died of her illness, those condos were never built. 1 Carter and I walked out of the courthouse. He grabbed my hand. With a complex, tortured expression, he said to me: “Audrey, I know you’re upset, but I really had no other choice.” He pursed his lips, looking at me softly. “Chloe is barely in her twenties. She’s so pitiful, and she has no one else to rely on but me. I have to save her, and I know I can.” His eyes shone with absolute certainty. I shook off his hand and nodded. “Right. Good luck beating cancer. Goodbye.” Carter froze for a second, then reached for my hand again. “Audrey, listen to me. I don’t really want to divorce you. You refused to give me the condos, so I had to do this. We’re divorced on paper, but we don’t have to separate. I’m still going to live at home with you.” He tried to pull my head onto his shoulder, a dreamy look in his eyes. “Once the condos are built, I’ll sell them, use the cash to cure Chloe, and then we’ll have a baby, okay? Haven’t you always wanted a baby? We’ll get remarried. I know you still love me.” I gently pushed Carter away, pulled the divorce decree from my pocket, and said exhaustedly: “Carter, we are divorced. Ten condo contracts, and you took half. You got exactly what you wanted. Since your wish came true, let’s just go our separate ways. Bothering me anymore would be crossing a line.” Carter stood there, stunned. His eyes widened as if he was seeing me for the first time. He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but his phone rang. He answered it, his brow furrowing as he spoke softly: “Chloe, just bear with the pain for a little longer. I’m already getting the money together. We’ll get you treated soon, and you’re going to be fine.” He paused, seemingly realizing his tone had been a bit impatient, and quickly softened it to comfort her: “I’m heading over right now. Don’t panic, I’m always here for you.” Hanging up, he turned back to me. “Audrey, I need to go check on Chloe. She needs someone by her side right now. Stop throwing a childish tantrum and wait for me at home.” With that, he walked away quickly. I stood there, watching his back, and let out a long sigh. From the neighborhood buyout, to getting the ten condo contracts, to him filing for divorce—this past year had left me physically and mentally exhausted. I really didn’t want to stay in this city anymore. I wanted to find a quiet place to clear my head and leave all this garbage behind. I pulled myself together and walked toward a real estate brokerage. On the way, I passed the construction site for our new condos. The frames were already up, and they were scheduled to be finished in a few months. At the brokerage, I listed my remaining five pre-construction condo contracts on the market all at once. The agent told me that since the buildings weren’t finished and the deeds hadn’t been issued yet, selling the contracts now would mean taking a lower price. If I waited a few months, they would be worth significantly more. I waved my hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. Just sell them. I don’t care how much they go for. I’m moving out of state.” 2 I spent the whole day running errands and didn’t get home until the evening. When I opened the front door, I froze. Chloe was lying in the master bedroom, her face pale, her head completely bald. Carter was crouching next to the bed, holding a warm towel, gently wiping her face. Seeing me, Carter looked up and gave me a relieved smile. “Audrey, you’re back? Perfect. Chloe doesn’t have chemo for the next few days, and her apartment lease just ended. She has nowhere to go, so she’s going to crash with us for a bit.” Chloe shifted weakly, looking at me with a face full of guilt. “Audrey, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I dragged you into this and ruined your marriage. It breaks my heart. I shouldn’t be bothering you guys… I’ll leave right now.” She propped herself up, pretending to struggle. Carter immediately pushed her back down gently. “Chloe, don’t move. Just lie down and rest.” Carter shot me a glare, then turned back to comfort Chloe, his voice dripping with tenderness. “It has nothing to do with you. Audrey is just being petty and jealous. We’re completely platonic, we’re just like brother and sister. I’ll talk some sense into her, she’ll come around.” I stood in the doorway, watching this ridiculous performance, feeling completely drained. I didn’t even have the energy to be angry anymore. Leaning against the doorframe, I took a breath and spoke: “Carter, the divorce settlement was crystal clear. You took five condo contracts and half our savings. This house was left to me. You and your guest are not welcome here.” Carter frowned, looking at me in disbelief. “Audrey, what is your problem? How can you be so cold-blooded? Chloe is incredibly sick! Can’t you just let her stay for a few days? She has absolutely no one else. We’re the only ones who can help her!” My voice rose slightly as I pointed at him. “I’m cold-blooded? When you sued me for divorce and stripped me of half my assets, why didn’t you call yourself cold-blooded? Now you’re bringing a stranger to live in my house, and you have the nerve to lecture me?” Chloe tugged weakly at Carter’s shirt. “Carter, let it go. I should just leave. Please don’t fight with Audrey because of me. I’ll be fine, I’ll just find a motel or sleep in my car.” Carter immediately shielded her, glaring at me with a hardened tone. “Audrey, is this really necessary? Look at the state she’s in! Can’t you just be the bigger person? I know you’re still mad at me, but Chloe is innocent! If you’re really that miserable about it, then you can move out!” 3 The tension in the room spiked. Chloe suddenly started thrashing around, seemingly losing her balance, and fell off the bed onto the floor. The back of her head hit the edge of the nightstand, and blood started to seep out. I flinched slightly, but Carter went into a full-blown panic. He threw himself onto the floor, pulling Chloe into his arms. “Chloe! Are you okay? Did she scare you?!” He pressed his hand against her wound to stop the bleeding while frantically fumbling for his phone to call 911, his hands shaking violently. Chloe leaned weakly against his chest, her face even paler than before, but she still managed to look up at me and whisper: “Carter, don’t blame Audrey… It was my own fault. Don’t be mad at her.” Hearing that, Carter snapped his head up and glared at me, his eyes filled with pure hatred. The paramedics arrived quickly. As Carter helped load Chloe onto the stretcher, he threw me one last icy look. “Audrey, I was so wrong about you. You watched her suffer and did nothing. You’ll rot in hell for this!” I stood in the empty room, watching the ambulance speed away. I didn’t move, and I didn’t say a word. Once they were gone, I called my real estate agent and told him to list the house I was standing in on the market immediately. The very next day, the agent called me, his tone practically buzzing with excitement. “Audrey, we’ve got cash buyers lined up for all six of your properties! The market is red-hot right now, and the offers are actually a bit higher than you expected. Come down to the escrow office and let’s get the paperwork signed.” I agreed, quickly got ready, and headed to the title company. After finishing the closing paperwork, I walked out and bumped right into Carter, who was staring at a real estate market ticker in the lobby. His eyes were bloodshot—he had clearly stayed up all night at the hospital. When he saw me, he immediately marched over. “Audrey, I just saw the listings. You sold all six properties?! Are you insane? Are you really throwing this much of a tantrum? You sold your own home just to keep Chloe from staying there? What kind of monster are you?” I didn’t say a word. I just turned to leave. Carter frowned and chased after me, his tone laced with frustration. “Listen to me, you’re making a massive mistake. Housing prices are skyrocketing right now. I checked the projections—if you just waited a few more months until the condos are built, every single unit would sell for hundreds of thousands more! You just took a massive loss out of spite!” When I still didn’t react, he paused, and his tone softened a bit. “Look, I still have about a hundred grand in cash right now. That’s enough to cover Chloe’s treatments for the time being, so I don’t even need to sell my condos yet. Why are you rushing this? Look… once Chloe is cured, I’ll buy us a new house, and we can go back to living a good life together.” I glanced at Carter. He genuinely couldn’t comprehend why I had liquidated everything. It was because I was leaving for good. 4 As I turned away, he panicked. He reached out to grab my arm, moving so quickly that a piece of paper slipped out of his jacket pocket and fluttered to the ground. I glanced down. It was a lab report from the hospital. It clearly stated that Chloe was two weeks pregnant. Carter’s face drained of color. He scrambled to pick it up, his fingertips trembling. “It’s not what you think, Audrey! Don’t misunderstand!” He clutched the paper in his hand, stuttering through a frantic explanation, his eyes darting everywhere as he tried to act calm. “Chloe… because of her cancer, she’s been so depressed about her treatments. She kept crying about how her biggest regret was never having a baby. I couldn’t just sit there and watch her die with regrets! And the doctor said it was medically possible for her…” He swallowed hard and quickly added: “I swear to you, I never touched her! I never betrayed you! We just went to a clinic and did an IVF procedure! Once the baby is born, it’ll give Chloe a reason to live, and maybe her cancer will go into remission! Plus, I spent the last few months prepping for this—quitting drinking, eating healthy—so I have experience now! We can use all this experience when we have our own baby, okay?” I stood there, listening to him, feeling nothing but sheer absurdity. When I didn’t respond, he panicked even more and desperately tried to change the subject. “Audrey, you sold the house… where are you going to sleep? Where am I supposed to find you tonight? We agreed we were divorcing but not separating! Don’t think you can use this as an excuse to hide from me!” I opened my mouth to speak, but his phone rang again. He answered it, sounding irritated. “Chloe, what is it now?” Chloe’s frail, sweet voice echoed from the speaker: “Carter, hurry up and come over! I picked out my wedding dress! And I picked out a tuxedo for you too! I memorized your exact measurements, it’s going to look so handsome on you!” Before she could finish, Carter violently ended the call. He looked up at me. His face was deathly pale, his eyes darting away in shame. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. 5 It took him several agonizing seconds to regain his voice. He grabbed my arm and practically shouted: “Audrey, don’t misunderstand! It’s really not what it sounds like!” I frowned, trying to shake him off, but his grip was like a vise. He spoke at a mile a minute: “It’s just another one of Chloe’s regrets! She’s never had a wedding, so she just wants to do a fake wedding photoshoot! I’m just helping her fulfill a dying wish!” He swallowed hard. “We are completely platonic! There is nothing inappropriate going on! It’s literally just taking a few photos to give her a nice memory! Once she’s cured, we’ll cut contact completely, I promise! You have to believe me!” I looked at his pathetic, self-deluding face, and honestly, I just felt nauseous. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him, nor did I care to. I ripped my arm out of his grasp and walked away. He stood frozen on the sidewalk, his body trembling violently. For the next few days, Carter didn’t reach out. I didn’t know if he was too busy with Chloe’s chemo, or if he just couldn’t figure out how to lie to me anymore. Probably both. I couldn’t care less. The silence was peaceful. I officially resigned from my job and said goodbye to my friends. With the cash from the six properties sitting safely in my bank account, it was time to leave. On the way to the airport, my Uber drove past the construction site for the luxury condos. I noticed that the cranes had stopped moving, and all the heavy machinery had been hauled away. The site was completely deserted. I didn’t think much of it and continued to the airport. While sitting in the departure lounge, I was surprised to spot Carter and Chloe sitting a few rows away. Chloe was leaning heavily against Carter’s shoulder, holding a glossy wedding photography brochure. Carter was gently turning the pages for her, his voice soft and tender. “Look at this one, Chloe, isn’t it beautiful? You’re a little too skinny right now, but once you’re healthy again, we’ll take another set of photos.” Chloe smiled weakly. “Carter, I must have saved a nation in my past life to be lucky enough to meet you in this one. If I die tomorrow, I’d have no regrets.” Carter gently covered her mouth with his hand, frowning affectionately. “Don’t talk like that. Once we get back from our honeymoon, I’m going to sell all five condos and get you the best medical treatment in the world. Be a good girl.” Then, sensing someone watching him, he looked up and made eye contact with me.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “396446”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel