Category: English

The day before we were supposed to move into our newly bought townhouse, my fiancé’s childhood best friend, Rachel, had a plumbing emergency. Naturally, she moved right in. She took the master bedroom, used my brand-new luxury bath towels, wore my slippers, and even changed the smart lock passcode to her own birthday. I asked Ethan, “She’s sleeping in our marriage bed. Where am I supposed to sleep?” He answered as if I were the one being unreasonable. “The guest room is empty, isn’t it? Rachel has a bad back, and the mattress in the master bedroom is better for her. It’s only for two weeks, Elena. Don’t be so dramatic.” But I hadn’t slept on that bed even once. And right at that moment, he was already helping another woman take down the custom bedside lamp I had spent three months picking out. That weekend was our housewarming party. All our friends and family had arrived. Rachel, wearing a cute apron, was busy hosting and serving appetizers. Ethan gently wiped a smudge of flour off her cheek. His mother, Linda, held her hand, praising her for keeping the place so spotless. Someone mistook Rachel for the bride, and the whole living room erupted into laughter. Ethan only offered a half-hearted “Stop joking,” before turning around to scold me for arriving too late. I stood right in the middle of the moving crew, holding up my itemized receipt list. “The bride isn’t coming.” “I’m just here to take my things. And by the way, to let everyone know—” “The wedding is canceled.”

I first realized Rachel had moved into our house when I went over to deliver the custom curtains. The smart lock passcode was originally Ethan’s birthday. I entered it three times, and each time it flashed red: Access Denied. Just as I was about to call him, the door opened from the inside. Rachel stood there, wearing Ethan’s oversized grey flannel shirt, her wet hair draped over her shoulders. When she saw me, she blinked in surprise, then quickly offered a warm smile. “Elena! What are you doing here?” That flannel shirt was a designer piece I bought for Ethan’s birthday last year. She looked down at herself, as if she had just realized what she was wearing. “Oh, I just got out of the shower and realized I forgot to pack a change of clothes. I had to borrow his. You don’t mind, right?” I didn’t answer her. I only asked, “Why was the lock code changed?” “Oh, I kept forgetting the old one, so Ethan just changed it to my birthday. It was easier.” She stepped aside to let me in, her tone so natural, as if this house had belonged to her all along. In the entryway hung a bright orange-red abstract painting that wasn’t there before. A matching throw blanket was draped over the sofa, and the coffee table was covered with her collection of ceramic figurines. On the shoe rack, the top shelf I had reserved for myself was now crammed with her designer high heels. The home I had spent months decorating was suddenly covered in another woman’s footprints. Rachel took the shopping bag from my hands. “Are these the curtains? Honestly, cream is a bit too boring. Ethan and I ordered emerald green velvet ones. They’ll be delivered tomorrow afternoon.” “You and Ethan ordered them?” “Yeah. He said you’ve been super busy with work lately, so he told me to just make the executive decisions on the interior decor.” She pulled me into the master bedroom. The bed was made with her favorite floral sheets. Her expensive skincare products lined the nightstand. In the closet, half of the space was taken up by Ethan’s shirts, and the other half was packed with her sundresses. My custom monogrammed wedding duvet set had been ripped out of its packaging, crumpled into a ball, and stuffed into the bottom of the closet. Rachel followed my gaze and laughed quickly. “Red is just so loud, so I took it off. It’s not too late to put it back on when you guys actually get married.” I bent down and pulled the duvet out. The protective cover was gone. The matching silk pillowcases, which my mother had bought for me as part of my bridal registry, were being used to prop up her vanity mirror. One corner was stained with liquid foundation. My chest tightened, a heavy weight crushing my lungs. “Rachel, who gave you permission to touch my bridal registry gifts?” The smile on her face froze for a fraction of a second. “It was just a temporary loan, Elena. Don’t get defensive. The pipes at my apartment literally burst, the drywall is ruined, and hotels are so overpriced right now…” “Are you telling me you can’t afford a hotel?” She went quiet. Of course Rachel could afford a hotel. She was just used to this. She knew that as long as she asked, Ethan would hand her the world on a silver platter. I dialed Ethan’s number. He took his time picking up, and I could hear mall music playing in the background. “Hey, what’s up?” “Did you seriously change our house passcode to Rachel’s birthday?” He paused for two seconds. “She kept getting locked out. It’s just a passcode, Elena. You can just memorize the new one, right?” “Why is she sleeping in the master bedroom? And why did she ruin my bridal bedding?” “The guest room faces the highway, and she’s a light sleeper. The bedding was just sitting there anyway. What’s the big deal if she uses it for a couple of days?” I stared at the bed I had never even slept in. “We were supposed to move in tomorrow, Ethan. If she’s in the master bedroom, where am I sleeping?” Ethan’s tone turned sharp and impatient. “The guest room is empty, isn’t it? Rachel has a bad back, and the master bedroom mattress is better for her spine. Just crash in the guest room for a few days. Once her apartment is fixed, she’ll leave.” “This is our marriage bed.” “A bed is literally just a piece of furniture to sleep on, Elena.” He sighed, and then I heard him whispering to Rachel on the other end, his voice softening. “Hey, don’t cry. Don’t go to a hotel. It’s not safe for a girl to stay in a cheap motel by herself.” Then, he turned his cold tone back to me. “Elena, Rachel and I grew up together. She’s basically family. She’s going through a hard time, and we’re just helping her out. Can you please just be supportive for once?”

Rachel stood in front of me, her eyes turning slightly red, but she didn’t make a single move to pack her bags. In that exact moment, the desire to fight completely drained out of me. “Fine,” I said. I heard Ethan let out a massive sigh of relief over the phone. “I knew you were reasonable. Oh, by the way, I’m helping Rachel pick out a new bedside lamp. The one you bought is too dim, and she likes to read before bed. Let’s just swap it out.” So, that flannel shirt wasn’t just “borrowed after her shower.” She had been living here comfortably. I hugged my ruined wedding duvet and turned to leave. Rachel chased me to the front door, her voice dropping to a soft, pathetic whisper. “Elena, we’ve known each other for years. I don’t want something so small to ruin our friendship.” I stopped and looked back at her. “If it’s such a small thing, why didn’t you sleep in the guest room?” She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Ethan and I had been dating for seven years. Rachel had been a shadow over six and a half of them. When she went on business trips, he would drive five hours just to pick her up from the airport. When I had a 103-degree fever in the middle of the night, he told me to just call an Uber to the ER. When she sprained her ankle, he stayed up all night by her bedside. When I waited for him in a pouring rainstorm for three hours, he shrugged and said, “A little rain never killed anyone.” Every single time I drew a boundary, he would say: “Her parents live out of state. If I don’t look out for her, who will?” Eventually, I stopped fighting. It felt like asking for basic respect made me the villain in my own relationship. When I got back to my parents’ house, my mom was in the living room organizing my wedding registry gifts. Four custom duvets, a vintage vanity box, and luxury dinnerware sets were piled high on the carpet. Our wedding was scheduled for the 18th of next month. The invitations had been mailed, and the venue and caterers were already paid for. When my mom saw me walk in carrying the dirty, unboxed duvet, her face fell. “Why is it stained?” I looked down at the beige foundation smudge. “Someone borrowed it.” She opened her mouth to ask more, but I cut her off. “Mom, what if I don’t want to get married anymore?” She stared at me for a long time. Finally, she only asked one thing: “Are you sure?” My nose stung with unshed tears, and I nodded. My mom took my hand and pressed her savings account card into my palm. “Then don’t. A canceled wedding is just a temporary embarrassment. A miserable marriage is a lifetime sentence.” My phone buzzed continuously. Ethan sent me several photos of bedside lamps on SnapChat. Rachel likes the first one, but I think the third one looks more classic. You choose. I didn’t reply. Two minutes later, another message popped up. Actually, never mind. We’ll go with the first one. As long as she likes it. I looked at those last words and laughed. When we were decorating the townhouse, I begged him to go lamp shopping with me. He sat in the store for less than ten minutes before checking his watch, saying, “As long as it lights up, who cares?” It wasn’t that he lacked patience. His patience was just never reserved for me. At 1:00 AM, he called. “I’ll drive over tomorrow morning to help you pack your apartment. We have a lot of stuff, so wake up early.” “No need. My company scheduled an emergency business trip for me.” It was the first time in seven years I had ever lied to him. He didn’t ask where I was going or for how long. He only said, “Make sure you’re back by the weekend. I already invited our relatives over for the housewarming party. Don’t leave Rachel to handle all the hosting alone.” Right before he hung up, he added one more thing. “Oh, and don’t bother bringing those cream curtains. The emerald green ones Rachel ordered are already paid for, and they’re non-refundable.”

The call ended. I immediately opened my laptop and began canceling everything: the venue, the caterers, the photographer, and the limo service. I lost nearly ten thousand dollars in non-refundable deposits. But as the cancellation emails flooded my inbox, I felt myself breathe truly, deeply, for the first time in years. The next morning, I took our co-ownership deed, the renovation receipts, and my bank statements showing my $270,000 contribution straight to a divorce and family lawyer. The title of the townhouse had both our names on it. His family paid 60% of the down payment, and mine paid 40%. But almost all the renovations, custom appliances, and high-end furniture were paid for by me. The lawyer confirmed that if Ethan wanted to keep the house, he would have to buy out my 40% share, plus appreciation, and return every single item I had purchased. I drafted a list based on my receipts. Even the custom bed in the master bedroom was under my name. Ethan was so used to me letting things slide. He never expected me to actually keep score. On Friday night, Rachel sent me a photo on SnapChat. Hanging in the center of the living room wall was a framed photo from a New Year’s Eve party three years ago. Rachel stood dead center. Ethan and I stood on either side of her. But the photo had been cropped. My body was cut in half, making me look like a random stranger who had accidentally walked into the frame. Beneath the photo, on the entryway table, stood three mugs. Two of them were matching custom ceramic mugs with “Ethan” and “Rachel” printed on them. The third one was a cheap, plain white mug with a handwritten label taped to it: Elena. She texted: Doesn’t it feel so much like home now? I replied with a single word. Yeah. It really did look like a home. Except I was never the homeowner. On Saturday morning at 9:40 AM, I arrived at the townhouse with a professional moving truck. The front door was wide open, and the living room was already packed with relatives. Rachel was wearing a pastel dress and a matching linen apron, carrying a fruit platter and socializing with the guests. Ethan stood right behind her, gently tightening the apron strings that had come loose around her waist. Linda, Ethan’s mom, was holding Rachel’s hand, grinning from ear to ear. “Rachel is just so capable. Ethan and Elena are always so busy with work. This house would be a mess without you.” A distant relative who didn’t recognize me smiled at them. “Is this the lovely bride? She and Ethan look so perfect together!” Laughter erupted in the room. Rachel’s cheeks flushed pink, and she waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, stop it! Elena will be here any minute.” Ethan didn’t immediately let go of the apron strings around her waist. He only offered a casual, “Don’t make jokes like that.” Then, he looked up and saw me standing there. His very first words were: “Where have you been? The guests have been waiting for ages.” I walked in. My eyes swept past the cropped photo on the wall, landing on the dining table. The red holiday dinnerware my mother had carefully selected was nowhere to be seen. In its place was the emerald green set Rachel had bought. The master bedroom door was open. The floral sheets were still draped over the bed. My bridal duvet was gone, replaced by a framed childhood photo of Ethan and Rachel on the nightstand. Linda saw where I was looking and said dismissively, “Rachel’s only staying for a few more days. You kids shouldn’t let small things ruin your relationship. We have guests today, Elena. Don’t make a scene.” Before I could even speak, Rachel walked over with a glass of water. “Elena, you must be exhausted from your trip. I put your cup right at the edge of the counter so it’s easy for you to grab.” She handed me the cheap white mug with the handwritten Elena label on it. Ethan saw that I wasn’t reaching out to take it, and his brow furrowed. “Rachel’s been running around helping out all day. The least you could do is say thank you.”

I looked up, meeting his eyes. “Thank her for what?” “For everything! The furniture delivery, the cleaning, the catering menu, the housewarming party—she took care of all of it. You’ve been a ghost all week, and now you just walk into a fully decorated home. Yes, you should thank her.” I looked around at the beautiful furniture—every piece picked out and paid for by me. During the renovations, I was the one who stood in the dust, dealing with contractors, fixing leaks, and supervising the deep clean. Rachel had only lived here for a few days, swapped out my curtains, my lamps, and my plates, and suddenly she was the hero of this house. And I was just a difficult guest. Just then, the elevator doors chimed open. Three burly movers rolled in heavy-duty dollies and packing blankets. The lead mover looked at me. “Are you Elena? Is this the unit?” The living room fell into a dead silence. Ethan’s expression hardened. “What are they doing here?” I pulled the itemized list from my bag. “I’m moving out.” “Moving what out?” “The flat-screen TV, the sectional sofa, the coffee table, the dining table and chairs, the refrigerator, the washer and dryer, the master bed, and both nightstands. I bought all of it.” I handed the clipboard to the mover. “Please pack everything on this list.” Rachel’s hand trembled, spilling water all over her apron. Ethan grabbed my arm tightly. “Elena, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you insane?” I shook his hand off and slammed the legal buyout agreement onto the dining table. “I don’t want the house. You will pay me out for my 40% share of the property based on the current market appraisal.” “As for everything inside—whoever paid for it, keeps it.” Linda quickly ran over, throwing herself in front of the movers. “Elena! Couples fight, but you don’t do this in front of family! Everyone is here today. If you strip this house bare, where is our family’s dignity supposed to go?” I looked at her calmly. “Linda, this isn’t a fight.” “The wedding is canceled.” “Ethan and I are done.” Ethan went completely stiff. “What did you just say?” “I canceled the venue, the catering, and the photographer on Monday.” The color drained from his face. “So you never had a business trip. You lied to me?” Even now, at a moment like this, his immediate reaction was anger that I had lied to him. “If I didn’t lie, would you have let me cancel it peacefully?” “Of course not!” he yelled, his voice cracking before he forced it down into a whisper. “Rachel stayed here for a few days. That is it! Is that really worth ruining our entire wedding over?” I looked at him, feeling nothing but pity. “Do you really think this is just about a bed, Ethan?” “Isn’t it?” “Fine,” I nodded. “Since you think it’s so insignificant, then give me back my bed.” The movers had already begun unscrewing the TV bracket from the wall. Rachel finally panicked. She rushed over, tears welling in her eyes. “Elena, please! I’ll pack my things right now. The sheets, the towels, the slippers—I’ll replace all of them with brand-new ones. We’ll change the lock code back today. If you hate the photo on the wall, I’ll take it down right now!” She was desperate, but she still didn’t get it. She still thought this was just a list of “small things” that made me snap. I looked at her with complete serenity. “No need.” “You don’t have to move out.” “Since you love it here so much, you can keep living here.” “The house, the man—I don’t want either of them anymore.”

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On our wedding night, Luke handed me a box of birth control pills after it was over. “Rosie, you can’t have kids.” My brows knit slightly. “My body is fine.” He shook his head. “It’s not about that.” “I already have a son out there. He’s five years old.” “I married you, but I also promised her I wouldn’t have a second child.” I felt like I had fallen into an ice cave, shaking all over. “Who is she? Why are you only telling me this now?” “The scholarship girl you used to support. She kept clinging to me and wouldn’t let go.” “But don’t worry. You’re the only one in my heart, and the spot of Mrs. Luke will always be yours.” Luke’s marks were still on my body. Looking at those glaring red bruises, I suddenly found it all ridiculous. “Luke, let’s get divorced.” 1 Luke grabbed my wrist hard. “You want a divorce just for this? Isn’t that a little much?” “Everything I could give you, I gave you. The title of Mrs. Luke, endless pocket money, and even the bone marrow that could save your brother’s life. I’ve been personally looking for it the whole time.” “Now it’s just one kid. I never meant to hide it from you. Is it really that important?” His brows were slightly furrowed, and his displeasure was obvious. I broke free. “Either cut things off with Lily and let her take that kid and disappear from Harbor City forever.” “Or don’t expect me to ever forgive you.” “After all, that’s still my blood, and I’ve raised him for five years. I can’t bear to do that.” Luke sighed and lit a cigarette. The smoke curled around and burned into my nose. It made my eyes sting. Five years, but we had only been together for seven. So in the second year, he already cheated on me. And he even had a child with someone else. If I counted the time, that was the exact year my brother was diagnosed with leukemia. When Luke heard the news, he immediately cut his business trip short and rushed back. He held me in the hospital while I shook with fear, comforting me over and over. “It’ll be okay. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to your brother.” But it turned out he hadn’t gone on a business trip at all. He had gone to keep his lover company while she gave birth. “Rosie, forgive me. Let’s just let this go, okay?” Luke snuffed out his cigarette and stepped forward, wanting to pull me into his arms. “I promise I won’t ever let you be wronged again.” I shoved him away. I put on my clothes and said nothing, then turned and left. Harbor City nights were cold, and the wind bit hard. My face, which had been burning with anger, quickly cooled down. I wandered the streets like a ghost. I didn’t know where to go. Years ago, my parents passed away and left only my brother and me to depend on each other. Later, after I got together with Luke, I thought fate had finally been kind to me. Luke had promised me a lifetime of devotion and sworn he would never betray me. But seven years later, all I got was finding out on my wedding night that he had already cheated. At that moment, my phone rang. It was the caregiver calling. “Miss Miller, your brother’s condition suddenly worsened. I’m afraid he’s not going to make it!” “He said not to contact you because he was worried it would affect your wedding night…” My heart clenched hard. “I’m on my way right now. Take good care of him!” When I got to the hospital, it took my brother a long time to wake up. But his condition was terrible, and his face was pale as paper. “Sis, you still came.” Looking at him like that, the emotions I had been holding back for so long finally broke loose. My voice cracked. “Why are you so stupid? You were almost dead and still kept this from me?” “They can’t find a matching donor. I could die at any moment. Don’t be too sad, sis.” My brother gave a bitter little smile. “I won’t be able to protect you anymore. At least Luke is really good to you.” “Don’t say that,” I said through tears. “I’ll find another way for the marrow!” I didn’t want my brother to see my tears and feel upset. I left the room and went to the hallway to calm myself down.

2 I didn’t know how I was going to tell my brother that I wanted a divorce from Luke. If I told him now, “Your brother-in-law isn’t a good man at all. He has a child with someone else, and the kid is already five.” “And he won’t even let me have children. He wants me to help raise his illegitimate son.” I was afraid my brother’s body wouldn’t be able to take it. Too many things happened tonight, and even I felt dazed. Then a familiar voice came from behind me. “Rosie, are you okay?” I turned around and saw that Luke had actually hurried over, breathing hard. He was even carrying a thick coat. “You left so fast. I was worried, so I called your brother.” “He told me you came to the hospital. I’m glad you’re okay.” As he spoke, he tried to drape the coat over my shoulders. “What happened tonight was my fault. Go in and see your brother. Don’t let him worry, okay?” Luke’s eyes were deep and dark, as if he were really thinking about me. I turned my head away and refused to look at his eyes. For seven years, every time Luke and I fought, he would look at me with that kind of tender gaze. I really believed his heart belonged only to me, and I would calm down very quickly. Even now, he still wanted to use that trick. It didn’t work anymore. The next second, Luke forcefully took my hand and dragged me into the room. My brother looked at our tightly joined hands and finally relaxed. “Sis, I thought you two were fighting.” “As long as everything’s fine now.” I shook off Luke’s hand, thinking how shameless a person could be. But he didn’t seem to notice at all. He casually sat by my brother’s hospital bed. “I’ll peel an apple for you.” I couldn’t take it anymore and drove him out. “Luke, are you doing this on purpose?” “As long as you don’t deal with your thing with Lily, don’t come in front of me and disgust me.” I lowered my voice as much as I could. “I’ll take care of the divorce papers too.” He just looked at me quietly. “Even if I can find a matching donor, I still can’t be here?” In an instant, I froze. Luke continued, “Rosie, you know I’ve been looking for a marrow match for your brother for a whole year. I finally got a spot, and they agreed they could come to Harbor City for the surgery in seven days.” “I’ve already given them a hefty reward. If I refuse now, everything we’ve done will be wasted.” Putting everything else aside, Luke really had put a lot of effort into my brother’s illness. He was also the one who kept using every connection he had to look for a marrow donor. Even I, his real sister, couldn’t compare. I hesitated. Luke smiled and bent down to kiss me. “Rosie, I knew you’d soften.” “I’ll handle the marrow arrangement. You just promise me you’ll help raise that kid, okay?” This time, I didn’t push him away. But the pain and bitterness in my heart were still there. “Go back first. I want to stay with my brother alone.” After a long pause, Luke let out a soft breath and finally let go of me. Desire had already colored his eyes. “Rosie, today is our wedding night. You’re coming with me.” After I repeatedly refused him, he finally gave up. Unwillingly, he left the hospital. I straightened my clothes and went back into the room. “Brother, there’s hope for your illness.” “In seven days, someone will come to donate bone marrow for you.” Even my brother, who had been forcing himself to stay strong so I wouldn’t worry, finally dropped all his pretense after hearing that. “Sis, I can live…” “I can protect you for the rest of my life now.” I wiped the tears from his cheeks, and the emptiness in my heart was slowly filled in. As long as my brother could live, even if it really meant spending the rest of my life in a fake marriage with Luke. I would still be willing.

3 But I never expected that, after I refused him, Luke would turn around and go to Lily for comfort. When I got her provocative message, I was getting ready to rest on the empty bed beside my brother. “Miss Miller, today is your wedding night, but Luke came to keep me company. You’re not mad, are you?” She sent me a few photos of Luke lying on top of her, clearly satisfied and asleep. He was shirtless, with several scratch marks on his neck. It was obvious what kind of intense sex they’d just had. “Lily, do you not feel even a little ashamed?” I shot back, “Back then, you couldn’t even afford tuition. I took money I saved from part-time jobs to help support you, and this is how you repay me now?” The Lily from before was innocent and naive. We met through a club activity. She always liked to run after me and call me “sis.” That made me think of my sickly brother, who was also so obedient. So I treated her a little better on purpose. Who would have thought I was raising a white-eyed wolf? Very quickly, Lily replied, “Sis, I just love seeing you angry.” “I used to wonder why you always looked so calm and could casually take out a huge sum of money to support me.” “And I nearly ended up working in a nightclub as a hostess just for that money.” Her voice carried a faint smugness. “Later, when I saw your rich boyfriend, I understood where your confidence came from. Since you’re so kind, surely you wouldn’t mind letting me borrow a little of that light too, right?” I held my phone, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. What had been a good deed in my mind had become, in Lily’s eyes, the final straw that crushed her conscience. “Do whatever you want.” I deleted and blocked her, not wanting to say another word. Someone like her was like a parasitic vine. Once Luke got tired of her, where would she go then? I thought that cutting off contact with Lily would be enough. I never expected that the next day, she would show up in the room under the excuse of delivering food. By the time I came back after buying a nutritious meal, she was already feeding my brother with her own hands. “Sis, this is the delivery girl Luke specially found for me. You don’t have to buy meals for me every day anymore.” My silly brother was grinning happily. “Luke really cares about you. He even worries about you getting tired from buying food.” “It really is enviable.” Lily was also looking at me, smiling in agreement. I didn’t know what her purpose in coming here was. But the moment I saw her, my stomach turned with disgust. “Go back and tell Luke I don’t need this.” I looked at Lily coldly. “I’m not crippled. I can buy my own food. He doesn’t need to worry about it.” Just yesterday, I had been thinking that as long as my brother could live, I would put up with Luke. But he kept pushing it further and further. My brother looked at me in confusion. “Sis, why are you mad?” “Did you fight with my brother-in-law? Was it because of me…” My brother was sensitive, and I was afraid he would notice something was wrong. I pulled Lily out with me. “Let’s talk outside.” She didn’t struggle. A smile tugged at her lips as she let me drag her away. “You care about your brother so much. I knew coming here was the right move.” “I know exactly what Luke is planning. Once you can accept it, he’ll take my child and let you raise him.” “But sis, I’m the child’s biological mother. How could I bear that?” A terrifying, mad light flashed in Lily’s eyes. “As long as you agree to divorce Luke, I’ll let your brother live peacefully until the surgery is over. Otherwise, he will die.”

4 When she said the last few words, Lily deliberately lowered her voice. But it shattered my last line of defense. Without the slightest hesitation, I slapped her. “If you touch my brother, I’ll send you to keep him company in the grave.” “Your bargain-bin son means nothing to me. Whoever wants to raise him can do it.” Lily’s cheek swelled up instantly, and even spit was knocked out of her mouth. She didn’t get angry. Instead, she took my hand on her own. One slap, two slaps, three slaps… she kept slapping her own face. “You’re right to scold me. I’m shameless, I betrayed trust, and I deserve to be hit.” “But my child is innocent. Sis, I beg you, please give him a way to live.” When I realized something was wrong, Luke was already standing in front of me with a dark face. “Rosie!” He caught my wrist and shoved hard in the opposite direction. “Don’t go too far.” “Lily only realized her mistake and came over on her own to make up with you.” “How can you keep hitting her and even use the kid to threaten her?” I lost my balance and fell to the ground. Pain shot through my lower back instantly. “Ah…” I cried out in pain. “Luke, she was the one who grabbed my hand and made me hit her. Are you blind?” But Luke didn’t hear a word of it. He only gently touched Lily’s cheek with his hand, comforting her, “Don’t be scared. I’m here. The kid will be fine too.” Lily obediently swallowed her tears and told Luke to take her away. At that moment, my brother heard the commotion and came out of the room. “Sis!” He saw me sitting on the ground and panicked. “Are you okay?” But when his eyes landed on the way Luke and Lily were tightly clinging to each other, he instantly understood everything. His brother-in-law had cheated! “You bitch, how dare you bully my sister.” My brother got furious and went to shove Lily, trying to stand up for me. But before his hand could even touch her, Luke kicked him hard in the stomach. Then, right in front of me, he crashed heavily to the floor. His urine bag and IV line all scattered in a mess on the ground. “No…” My heart broke as I crawled to my brother, tears pouring down nonstop. But Luke only hesitated for a second before coldly throwing out one word: “Serves you right.” Then he wrapped his arm around Lily and turned to leave. My heart was completely dead. Because of Luke’s kick, my brother had to go through another long emergency surgery before he woke up. But his condition still worsened. “Sis, don’t cry.” Right now, he didn’t even have the strength to wipe away my tears. “Don’t go looking for him for me. Don’t beg the person who hurt you.” My brother could tell what I was thinking and stubbornly forced me to agree before he would go to sleep. I nodded through tears, but after I went out, I still took a taxi to Luke’s place. He was lazily soaking in an indoor hot spring with Lily, and the atmosphere was suggestive. When he saw me barge in, he wasn’t surprised at all. “What? You finally know to beg me now?” “I heard about your brother’s condition. What do you want to do?” Luke took a sip of red wine and looked at me with amusement. I spoke with difficulty. “As long as you can get the donor here early to switch the marrow, I’ll agree to any condition.” “Then kneel down and apologize to Lily with a loud kowtow.” When I saw Lily pull out her phone and get ready to record, my breathing tightened. Was pride important? Yes. But my brother’s life was more important. I gritted my teeth, knelt down, and kowtowed to Lily. “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” Not long after that, my phone suddenly rang wildly. A familiar nurse’s voice came through in tears. “Miss Miller, your brother pulled out his own IV. He’s gone.” “He received a video on his phone of you kneeling, and he asked me to tell you that from now on, don’t ever kneel for him again…”

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I attended my best friend’s mother’s funeral, only to find my wife there—the same wife who was supposed to be on an overseas business trip. She was standing by his side, greeting the guests as if she were his wife. When she saw me, panic flashed across her face. She quickly pulled me to a quiet corner and whispered: “Tyler’s mom always wanted to see him settled down before she passed. I’m just helping him fulfill her dying wish. Don’t overthink it, Ethan.” My “best friend” even put his arm around my shoulder. “I just needed Chloe’s help to play the part, bro. Respect the dead. You’re not that petty, are you, Ethan?” I sneered, brushing his hand off my shoulder, and shoved my wife right into his chest. “Of course not. In fact, why don’t you two celebrate a wedding alongside the funeral today?” The lobby fell into dead silence. The surrounding guests, completely clueless about what was happening, turned to stare at us. Chloe stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Ethan, do you even hear yourself? This is Tyler’s mom’s funeral! How can you be so incredibly disrespectful?” Me? Disrespectful? I almost laughed out loud. Just two days ago, she told me she had an urgent business trip. I was the one who packed her bags. If I hadn’t come to pay my respects today, I would have never known that her “business trip” was actually her playing the lady of the house at my best friend’s place. No wonder she adamantly refused to let me drive her to the airport the other morning. The whole thing was a lie from start to finish. How did she have the nerve to turn around and accuse me of being disrespectful? Seeing my cold silence, Chloe probably realized she was in the wrong. She walked over and grabbed my arm. “Ethan, please don’t be like this. We can talk about this when we get home. But right now, we have to respect the dead. Tyler is your best friend. We’re just helping him out. It’s not like it’s hurting you.” Oh, right. It wouldn’t hurt me. Even if the two of them slept in the same bed tonight, it wouldn’t physically hurt me! I violently shook off her hand. My heart felt like ice. I stared into her pleading eyes and asked, one slow word at a time, “I’m asking you one last time. Are you coming home with me right now?” Chloe shook her head without a second thought. “The service just started. How can I leave now?” I nodded. Fine. If that was her choice, then we were done. “I’ll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers and send them to you. I wish you two a long and happy life together.” With that, I turned to leave. Tyler ran out after me. Dressed in a black suit, his eyes slightly red, he looked at me with deep sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Ethan. I know I didn’t think this through. But it was an emergency, and I didn’t have time to discuss it with you. Please don’t take it to heart.” “If you want to blame someone, blame me. It has nothing to do with Chloe.” Chloe frowned in annoyance and muttered, “Why are you explaining things to him? Do you think he’d even believe you?” “Getting jealous over your own best friend… you really are one of a kind.” She grabbed Tyler’s arm and pulled him back inside. “Ignore him. Let’s go back in.” Watching them pull and push at each other, I almost wanted to applaud. So now, I was the unreasonable one? My eyes locked onto Chloe’s hand holding Tyler’s arm, and memories started flooding back. For instance, I hated seafood, but Tyler loved it. Chloe’s signature dish was seafood paella. She’d always make a huge batch, tell me not to let it go to waste, and ask me to bring Tyler over for dinner. Back then, I thought she was just being kind. I didn’t realize I was the idiot. Stupid enough to invite the wolf right into my home, handing my wife over to him on a silver platter. Whenever I went on business trips, Tyler would always say he’d look after Chloe for me. “A brother’s wife is my own family. Just let me know if she needs anything,” he’d say. But was she really just “family” to him? They were practically a couple, and I was just the annoying third wheel! Tyler patted Chloe’s hand and stepped back in front of me. He gave me a deep bow. “I’m really sorry, Ethan. I didn’t think this through. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll go inside right now and clear things up with everyone.” “Even if it upsets my mom’s spirit, I can’t do this to my best friend!” He said the right words, but I didn’t see a single shred of genuine apology in his eyes. “Sure, go ahead.”

Anyone can talk a big game. I wanted to see if Tyler would actually tell everyone the truth just because I said so. The moment the words left my mouth, Tyler froze in awkward silence. “Ethan, I…” He stammered, but before he could finish, Tyler’s Aunt Brenda walked over. “Tyler, Chloe, what are you two doing out here? And who is this?” The hallway fell quiet, and several guests turned to look at us. Chloe spoke first. “Just a friend. He heard about Evelyn’s passing and came to pay his respects.” A friend? I almost laughed. It turned out I truly held no place in Chloe’s heart. Aunt Brenda nodded, completely oblivious, and even invited me to stay for lunch. Before I could speak, Chloe quickly declined on my behalf. “He’s super busy. He has a ton of work back at the office, so I don’t think he can stay.” I nodded, playing along. “That’s right, I’m very busy. But I can always make time for important events. Like your wedding, for instance. Make sure to send me an invite so I can prepare a nice, fat check.” Chloe’s face instantly fell. She looked like she wanted to scream at me, but with her relatives watching, she bit her lip and kept quiet. Aunt Brenda, totally clueless, smiled warmly. “Tyler and Chloe make such a beautiful couple. We all support them. It’s just a shame about his mother. Out of respect, Tyler really should wait at least a year before they marry.” Ignoring her chatter, I turned and walked away. Seeing me leave, Chloe panicked. “Ethan…” But before she could take a step, Tyler grabbed her arm. “Chloe, please stay and help me light another candle for my mom. I need you by my side.” As I turned the corner, I saw Chloe stop. Without another glance my way, she followed Tyler back into the memorial hall. In that moment, my heart turned completely numb. Maybe I had lost the moment I chose to hope.

When I got home, I barely got my shoes off before a fluffy Ragdoll cat trotted over and rubbed against my leg. Cleo was a stray Chloe and I had rescued from our neighborhood when we first started dating. She had followed us all the way to our door. Chloe said it was a sign of good luck, so we brought her inside and named her Cleo—hoping she’d spend the rest of her life surrounded by love. I sighed softly and picked Cleo up. My marriage was dead, but Cleo would always be a precious baby who deserved to be loved. Sensing my mood, Cleo let out a soft meow and began kneading my chest with her tiny paws. The heavy weight in my chest instantly lightened. I smiled, stroking her head. “What’s wrong, sweetie? Hungry?” Just as I was about to fill her food bowl, the front door clicked open. I looked up to see Chloe walking in. The moment she saw me holding Cleo on the sofa, her forehead creased in irritation. “Ugh, why is that cat on the sofa? I just bought those covers! What if she claws them?” Without warning, she rushed over, grabbed Cleo by the scruff of her neck, and flung her to the floor. There was a dull thud. Terrified Cleo was hurt, I leapt up to check on her. That was when I noticed Tyler walking in right behind Chloe. “Hey Ethan, I was just dropping Chloe off. I figured you hadn’t eaten, so I brought you some food.” He walked over to the dining table and started unpacking a takeout bag as if he owned the place. He was so comfortable, it was like he was in his own house. I watched him coldly, cradling Cleo in my arms. My voice was ice. “Aren’t you in mourning? Isn’t it incredibly disrespectful to barge into someone else’s home right after a death?” “Instead of taking care of your guests, you seem very focused on taking care of another man’s wife.” Tyler’s face stiffened. But Chloe was the one who blew up. She marched over and glared at me. “Ethan Miller, I’ve tolerated enough of your attitude today! Why are you being such a jerk?” “He was nice enough to bring you food and drive me home. What are you even jealous of?” “Stop acting like you’re the king of the house. Just shut up and eat!” I glanced at the greasy takeout boxes on the table. Inside was seafood fried rice. Tyler watched with a smug, mocking look. “Chloe made this herself. Most people don’t get to taste her cooking. Don’t be mad, Ethan. Come eat.” Suddenly, he let out a loud sneeze and took two steps back. “Ah, I almost forgot. I’m allergic to cat hair.” Chloe immediately rushed to his side, looking extremely worried, asking if he was okay and if he needed to go to the hospital. Cleo whimpered, trembling in my arms, terrified by the tension in the room. I found the whole thing hilarious. Seafood fried rice? “I have a severe seafood allergy. Eating this could literally kill me. Do you not know that, or are you just pretending? Or maybe you’re just hoping I’ll die so you can marry Tyler?” Chloe’s eyes went red with fury. She lunged forward to slap me. “Ethan, that’s enough!” Tyler stepped in, pretending to play the peacemaker. “Hey, don’t fight because of me. It’s my fault for coming over, and I crossed the line at the funeral too. Ethan, I don’t want this to ruin our brotherhood, okay?” I scoffed, ignoring him. But then, Chloe suddenly snatched Cleo out of my arms and threw her to the ground. Cleo shrieked in pain and terror. Chloe scoffed in disgust and kicked her. Cleo’s head slammed hard against the coffee table. She collapsed onto the floor, completely motionless. “Chloe! What the hell are you doing?!” I never expected her to hurt Cleo. With a furious roar, I shoved her aside. I rushed over, gently scooping Cleo into my arms. When I felt her shallow breathing, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. But Chloe stood there, completely unbothered, showing no remorse whatsoever. “Stray cats are ungrateful beasts anyway. I told you we should have never brought her home!” Ungrateful? If you ask me, the cat wasn’t the ungrateful one here. Sometimes, human hearts are far more vicious than animals. I stood up with Cleo in my arms, staring coldly at Chloe. Seeing the icy fury in my eyes, her smug attitude faltered slightly. But she still muttered under her breath. “I’m not wrong. Strays carry all kinds of diseases.” “None of your business.” I stormed out of the house, holding Cleo tight.

Fortunately, after a thorough checkup at the vet, Cleo didn’t have any life-threatening injuries. But she was severely traumatized. Fearing what Chloe might do to her if I brought her back immediately, I decided to leave her at the clinic overnight. I drove back home alone. But as I unlocked the front door, I froze. Soft, breathless moans echoed from inside the living room. My hand paused on the doorknob. I couldn’t believe my ears. Even if Chloe and Tyler were completely shameless, this was still my home. And Tyler’s mother had literally just been buried today. No one could be that sick and twisted. But when I pushed the door open… I saw two bodies tangled on the sofa. Chloe’s clothes were disheveled, her eyes glassy with lust, pinned beneath Tyler. In that instant, my brain went entirely numb. The final thread of my sanity snapped. They actually did it. Hearing the door open, they both spun their heads toward me. When our eyes met, Chloe froze. She scrambled to shove Tyler off her, frantically fixing her clothes as she sat up. But the more she panicked, the more she fumbled. Tyler, on the other hand, remained dead silent. He stood up, adjusted his clothes, and kept his head down. “Ethan… why are you back? Weren’t you at the vet clinic with Cleo?” I stared at her blankly. “What? Am I not allowed in my own house?” She wrung her hands nervously. “I didn’t mean it like that.” A suffocating silence filled the room. Tyler took a step forward, trying to sound apologetic. “Ethan, what you saw… it’s not what it looks like. Chloe and I…” Before he could finish, Chloe pointed a trembling finger at him and shrieked, “It’s him! It was all him!” “He drugged me! I didn’t want this! None of this was consensual!” She sobbed, lunging to throw her arms around me. “Ethan, thank God you came back when you did! I don’t even want to think about what he would’ve done to me!” Listening to her crying, I didn’t open my arms. I shoved her away with everything I had. Drugged? Thank God I came back? Did she seriously take me for a fool? Did she think I’d just blindly believe whatever lie slipped through her teeth? Stumbling back from my shove, Chloe looked up at me in utter disbelief. “Ethan, you don’t believe me? I’m the victim here! How could I ever betray you? How could I throw away our years of marriage for your best friend?” Hearing this, Tyler’s expression turned incredibly dark. But he remained silent, willingly taking the fall for the absurd accusation she threw at him. Honestly, I was a bit surprised. Tearfully, Chloe reached out to grab my hand, but I dodged her easily. “Chloe, listen to yourself. Do you actually expect me to buy that garbage?” “I have eyes. And I trust what I see.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I didn’t give her the chance. I slapped the newly printed divorce papers right onto her chest. “Sign it. I’m done with this marriage. I’m out.”

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I was the daughter of the strongest warrior in the Crimson Pack, but my life was destroyed by two werewolves with their own hands. The first was Ethan, the Alpha heir who grew up with me. To avenge his fated mate Maya, he broke my legs with silver nails himself. The second was Luke, the Alpha of the Ridge Pack, who saved me in my darkest moment. He appeared when I was at my most helpless and took me away from the place that had broken my heart. He encouraged me to accept treatment and rehabilitation training, leading me out of the shadows. But when I was ready to return to training, he framed me for using wolfsbane to murder my own packmates. Later, he even tore the tendons in my limbs with a silver blade, turning me completely into a cripple. I was banished from the Pack and died miserably in the wilderness. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the night before my legs were broken. “Audrey, tomorrow is my coming-of-age ceremony, and you have to be there.” Ethan, standing in front of me, said the exact same words he had said in my previous life. I smiled. This time, I wanted to watch them walk into the trap I had set for them.

My heart felt heavy, as if a huge stone were pressing down on it, and my fingertips were a little numb. Sure enough, he said the same thing as in my previous life. But I refused to give up, and I tried to find an excuse not to go. “But I have something to do…” Before I could finish, Ethan frowned, his tone filled with displeasure, and the first thing he brought up was our friendship of more than ten years. “Audrey, what do you mean by that?” “When have you ever missed one of my birthday gatherings before?” “Are we still friends or not?” My face stayed calm, but deep down, I was shocked. In my previous life, I had been tricked into the council room by his sweet words, and then my legs had been broken alive with silver nails. Holding back the pain churning in my chest, I pretended not to notice the stiffness in his tone and kept testing him. “I have to be there?” Ethan’s tone was forceful, leaving no room for discussion. “Whether you still want me as your friend of more than ten years is up to you!” I always remembered how, in my previous life, after he learned my legs were broken, he unilaterally cut off contact with me. He had even turned away without hesitation after I was mocked and shoved down by Maya’s lackeys, just like today. I could not understand why growing up with him for more than ten years had earned me such carefully planned scheming. Fortunately, I had come back to life. In my previous life, I swallowed all that loss, but in this life, I would never repeat the same mistakes. But plans could not keep up with change, and just as I reached the intersection, a car came speeding toward me like it had gone mad, moving so fast that I had no time to dodge. I instinctively closed my eyes, thinking I could not escape this disaster and that coming back to life was nothing more than a cruel joke fate had played on me. In the next instant, a force yanked me backward. After stumbling until I steadied myself, I had not yet recovered from the shock when I looked up and met a pair of deep black eyes. It was Luke. My body instinctively felt sick, and I almost threw up. In my previous life, I had been like a homeless stray dog after my legs were broken, and he had protected me. But he was also the one who had not hesitated to give false testimony when I was accused of using wolfsbane to murder my packmates, personally destroying my future. “Are you okay?” His gentle voice made Luke seem very kind. But this time, because I had not been deceived, I saw his completely cold eyes with my own eyes. I remembered when I was accused in my previous life of using wolfsbane to murder my packmates, and I tried to take the evidence to the elders to demand justice. It was he who, as my mate, announced in front of the entire Pack that I was guilty. An Alpha’s word was a command. If he said I had used wolfsbane to murder my packmates, then I had used wolfsbane to murder my packmates. No one questioned it, and no one argued. Otherwise, why would Luke, who supposedly loved me so much, personally declare me guilty? The betrayal from the werewolf closest to me saddled me with a terrible reputation I could never wash clean. After that, I lost all hope and was prepared to spend the rest of my life like that, but then my tendons were torn apart by werewolves with silver blades, and Luke locked me in his basement. I became completely useless, a person who could only depend on him. In this life, I would not only get away from these two evil werewolves, but I would also take revenge.

“Audrey, what’s wrong?” Luke saw that I had not spoken for a long time and subconsciously frowned as he called out to me. The flash of impatience in his eyes was clear to see. The moment my hand touched his, an inexplicable pull came from my fingertips—it was the instinct of a fated mate. I gritted my teeth, forced down that impulse, and shook off his hand. “Thank you, Alpha Luke.” After leaving those words behind, I turned and walked away, but Luke chased after me. “I saved you, and all I get is one thank-you?” “What, Alpha Luke, do you want me to become your mate to repay you?” I looked at Luke, my words sharp. He was shocked by the way I acted. That made sense, since at this point in my previous life, we did not know each other well, so by all logic, I should have been extremely grateful to him. But the hatred from my previous life made it impossible for me to endure him at all. While Luke was distracted, I had already gotten in the car and left. After returning home, I looked at everything familiar, and my tears kept falling. When my parents saw me crying, they thought Ethan had bullied me and hurriedly questioned me. To keep them from worrying, I made up a random excuse and brushed it off. But being able to see my parents again still made me very content. In my previous life, after I was locked up, my parents searched for me many times without success and began to suspect that Luke might be harming me. Unfortunately, they were eventually plotted against and not only lost their status, but also lost their lives. Fortunately, there was still time for everything now. After reassuring my parents, I secretly hired someone to investigate Luke, as well as Ethan and Maya. Three hours later, I obtained all of their information. Looking at the densely packed words on the page, my heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar. So that was it. So Maya and Ethan were the true fated mates. No wonder Ethan would risk everything for her. And although Luke and Maya came from the same Pack and grew up together, he was not her fated mate. He was only her most loyal guardian, nothing more. Yet I had become the target of their games. While flipping through their information, I looked at the messages Ethan had sent me. [I’ll wait for you, Audrey, and if you don’t come, my coming-of-age ceremony won’t be complete.] [Audrey, didn’t you say you would stay with me for the rest of your life? You won’t even come to one coming-of-age ceremony?] [I miss you so much.] The many messages meant that Ethan wanted me dead. In the end, I replied with one message. [I’ll be there.] Ethan immediately replied right after. [I’ll wait for you.] In the past, the two of us had also messaged each other like this, and Ethan had even sworn to me, “From now on, I’ll always reply to your messages immediately.” Ethan really had done it, but everything changed after Maya appeared. I did not understand how Maya had changed Ethan in just half a year. In my previous life, I disliked Maya very much, because she always used her identity as an outsider to morally pressure people. When I asked her to participate in Pack training, she cried and said, “Vance, are you looking down on me because I come from a low background, so you’re targeting me on purpose?” At first, Ethan would still take my side and scold Maya. “Are you sick? Which part of what she said meant that?” But later, Ethan would only frown. “Enough, Audrey, Maya didn’t do it on purpose.” At that time, I did not notice anything wrong, and sometimes I even complained to Ethan about Maya. But all of that became the reason he used silver nails to pierce my legs. He glared at me fiercely and said, “Do you really look down on people that much? What did Maya ever do to you? Why are you always targeting her? Is it just because she likes me?” “Audrey, when did you become so vicious? Aren’t you just relying on the fact that your father is the strongest warrior in the Pack to humiliate people? Let’s see how you become a warrior after this.”

That day was the darkest moment of my life. I had even thought about dying. Later, my parents went to Ethan for an explanation because of me, but no one testified for me. My parents were also suppressed by Ethan. Much later, I finally learned that this was only the beginning of my life’s descent into misery. After getting my emotions under control, I made several phone calls before falling into a deep sleep. Early the next morning, Ethan called me. “Don’t forget to come.” “Okay.” After hanging up, I used an unfamiliar number to send Luke a message. Then I contacted my parents, Alpha Marcus Hart, and prepared everything before setting out for Ethan’s coming-of-age ceremony. Whether Maya could handle today’s big show would be up to her. Ethan’s coming-of-age ceremony was grand, and the members of our Crimson Pack, as well as werewolves from nearby Packs, all came. Maya stayed by Ethan’s side like she was the hostess. My arrival caused quite a stir. Everyone knew about my relationship with Ethan, so when they now saw Maya standing beside him, they naturally could not help looking over as if they were watching a show. When Maya saw me, she looked as if she had seen some terrifying werewolf and instinctively hid behind Ethan. “I’m sorry, Vance, I just, I just wanted to…” I interrupted Maya’s act of pretending to be timid and afraid. “Congratulations, and happy coming-of-age.” I handed over the gift and turned to leave, but Ethan grabbed me. “You just got here and you’re leaving? Are you really giving me that little respect?” When Ethan grabbed me, the anger in Maya’s eyes was almost impossible to hide. I raised my brows and looked at her. “Someone’s about to cry, so why aren’t you going to comfort her?” Following my gaze, Ethan immediately saw Maya’s slightly red eyes. “Maya, are you okay?” Maya shook her head in grievance, and Ethan looked at me angrily. “Audrey, you bullied Maya again, didn’t you? Are you crazy? Do you feel awful if you don’t bully Maya for a single day?” I swore I had not even touched a single strand of Maya’s hair, so how had I bullied her? So when he favored another person, he really could become completely unreasonable. I rolled my eyes at Ethan. “Did I bully her through the air? Ethan, you were the one who shamelessly asked me to come to your coming-of-age ceremony, and now you’re treating me like this. What do you mean? Was this on purpose?” My voice was loud, and the surrounding werewolves all heard me. Some werewolves even stood on my side. “What is Maya even doing? Audrey didn’t do anything, so why is she crying?” “You don’t get it? She’s just a delicate little werewolf.” Those almost mocking words made Maya’s expression turn awkward. But Ethan did not think there was anything wrong with Maya, and instead, he glared at me through gritted teeth. “Are you satisfied now?” After that, Ethan chased after Maya, who had run off. Meanwhile, I looked at their backs and fell into thought. Ethan, this was only the beginning, and tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. Then I looked toward the raised platform, where my people were already ready. Tonight, no one could even think about running. Thinking of that, I could not help smiling. But as soon as I turned around, I met a pair of gloomy eyes. How could I have forgotten him? As Maya’s greatest guardian, how could he not show up? The moment we looked at each other, Luke could not put away his expression in time, so he could only give me an awkward smile. Just then, my phone rang, and when I saw the message, I could no longer hide the smile in my eyes. Then I walked straight to Luke’s side. “Alpha Luke, what a coincidence. Do you know Ethan?”

Facing my question, Luke frowned slightly. “I don’t know him.” “Oh, then who are you here for? Today is Ethan’s coming-of-age ceremony.” “I…” The words Luke blurted out could no longer justify themselves. Under the pressure of my step-by-step stare, Luke smiled awkwardly. “I came to join the fun.” “Is that so?” I cleared my throat. “Everyone, the man in front of me is the Alpha of the Ridge Pack. Don’t you want to come meet him?” My words made the werewolves present come forward one after another, and after they surrounded Luke, I took the opportunity to go to the preparation room. Sure enough, I saw a heated scene. I quickly opened my phone and started recording. Only then did I return to the gathering hall. At this moment, Ethan was looking for me. After he saw me, a smile with unclear meaning appeared in his eyes. The coming-of-age ceremony officially started five minutes later, and during that time, Ethan kept staring at me, afraid that I would run away. He did not even notice that Maya had already been away from his side for a long time. Five minutes later, Ethan stepped onto the platform. “Everyone, today is my coming-of-age ceremony, and I am very grateful for the arrival of one werewolf.” Everyone looked at me one after another. Unfortunately, Ethan waved at Maya instead. She ran onto the stage excitedly and said coquettishly, “Ethan, what are you doing?” “Today, I might as well tell everyone the truth. Maya is my fated mate, and Audrey and I are only childhood playmates who grew up together.” At this moment, my heart no longer hurt that much. Then Ethan openly expressed his love, and Maya cried from being moved. Only at this moment did Ethan finally look at me. “I also want to say one more thing. In truth, everyone has always misunderstood the relationship between Audrey and me. I know Audrey spread those rumors herself, and I’ve been unable to stand her for a long time. Today, I’m going to avenge Maya.” As soon as Ethan finished speaking, several werewolf warriors rushed toward me. But before they could get close, the doors of the gathering hall were pushed open. My parents came in with Alpha Marcus Hart and Luna Serena Hart. This time, Ethan froze. “Dad, Mom, why are you here?” “It’s your coming-of-age ceremony, so what’s wrong with us coming?” Alpha Marcus and Luna Serena looked at Ethan in confusion. At that moment, I screamed. “Ah, who are you, and what are you trying to do?” When my parents heard the commotion, they hurriedly rushed over, and Alpha Marcus and Luna Serena also came to me. At that moment, Ethan’s face was filled with embarrassment, and he frowned as he looked at everything. But I secretly smiled at Maya behind Ethan, then mouthed, “You’re dead.” In the next instant, an ambiguous sound came from the projection screen in the gathering hall. Everyone looked toward the sound, and what they saw was the most exciting scene. [This is a paid chapter point]

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In my previous life, my mate Jack left me surrounded by rogues in order to save his fragile human foster sister, Lily. He carried the pregnant Lily out of the encirclement and said to me coldly, “Lily is human, and she can’t hold on. You’re different, so hang in there a little longer. I’ll go find people to save you.” But until I was torn apart alive by the rogues, I never waited for him to come back and save me. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of the formal mate ceremony. Lily arrived late, and I smelled the scent of a pup on her. This time, facing pressure from every member of Black Pack and Jack’s coercion, I gave a cold laugh and directly rejected the alliance marriage. 01 I opened my eyes. Moonlight spilled in through the banquet hall windows, and the air was filled with the scent of the fireplace and pinewood. I lowered my head, looked at the pure white ceremonial gown on my body, and suddenly dug my fingertips into my palm. It hurt. It was not the terrible pain of being torn apart by rogues, but a vivid, sharp sting. I was back. I had returned to the formal mate ceremony between Black Pack and Shadowfang Pack. A commotion came from the entrance of the banquet hall. I raised my head and, without the slightest surprise, saw my affectionate fiancé Jack quickly pass through the crowd and walk toward Lily, who had just arrived. He moved so fast that it was as if his life would vanish with hers if he were one second late. The guests from the surrounding packs instantly gathered around, and whispers and discussions rang out everywhere. “Isn’t Jack a little too concerned about this foster sister?” “After all, Lily’s parents died protecting the Alpha and Luna. Two brave humans left behind only one fragile daughter, so of course they have to protect her well.” “But today is the mate ceremony. Leaving the future Luna standing aside like this—what is that supposed to mean?” I stood in place and watched coldly as Jack led Lily to the front of the banquet hall as if he were protecting a priceless treasure. Lily wore a thin long dress, and under the moonlight, her originally flat lower abdomen actually showed a somewhat unusual swell. Jack took off his outer robe and wrapped her tightly in it, and even his voice was trembling. “Lily, don’t be scared. I’m here.” Lily leaned in his arms, her face as pale as paper, her lashes trembling slightly, but one hand instinctively protected her lower abdomen before she turned her head and suddenly retched. That movement was far too obvious. The discussions around us instantly quieted, and everyone’s gazes became subtle. Luna Sarah pushed through the crowd and rushed over, her face livid. “What are you standing around for! Hurry and help Lily to the lounge in the back!” On Shadowfang Pack’s side, my father David’s face also darkened, and he turned to look at the representatives sent by each pack. I followed his gaze and swept my eyes over those representatives without saying a word. It was still the same ugly faces. It had been the same in my previous life too: whenever a huge scandal happened, their first reaction was always to suppress it, then push me out as a shield. “Healer Miller.” I pushed through the crowd, and my cool voice was especially clear in the silent banquet hall. “Since she’s unwell, don’t trouble her by taking her to the back. Examine her right here.” The accompanying Healer Miller froze for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Luna Sarah. Luna Sarah’s expression turned ugly, and she lowered her voice to warn me. “Emma, today is your big day. Don’t make trouble.” I met her gaze without giving an inch. “It is precisely because this is my mate ceremony that we need to clarify everything. Lily is Black Pack’s foster daughter and has a special status. She retched on an occasion like this, so shouldn’t she give everyone an explanation in public? If something is wrong and the hall full of guests is startled, who can afford to take responsibility?” Jack supported Lily, his brows tightly furrowed. “Emma, Lily is already like this, and you still insist on pushing her?” I stared at him, my eyes without a trace of warmth. “Am I pushing her, or are you feeling guilty?” As soon as those words fell, the banquet hall became deathly silent. Healer Miller crouched down to examine her, and Lily’s lashes trembled violently as her fingers clutched Jack’s shirt tightly. I could see it clearly: she had woken up long ago and was only pretending to faint. After a while, Healer Miller moved his hand away from her wrist, his face turning deathly pale. Luna Sarah immediately reached out. “What exactly is going on? Did she catch a chill?” Sweat broke out on Healer Miller’s forehead, and he braced himself as he spoke. “Based on the examination results… Miss Lily should be carrying a pup.” Carrying a pup. Those two words exploded in the banquet hall like a thunderclap. I heard the sounds of people around us sucking in cold breaths. “Carrying a pup? Lily doesn’t even have a mate, so where did the child come from?” “Look at how nervous Jack is… It couldn’t be…” The discussions surged over like a tide and could not be suppressed at all. Luna Sarah panicked and shouted sharply, “Nonsense! The moonlight is wrong tonight, Healer Miller, you made a mistake! Hurry and take her away!” “Wait.” I took a step forward, and my boots stepped on the stone floor with a crisp sound. “Luna Sarah, since Lily is carrying a pup, we must make it clear who the father is. If someone deceived her, forced her, or deliberately hid a relationship, we will report it to the Werewolf Council right now. The ceremony is not over yet, so no one can run.” When she heard that it would be reported to the Werewolf Council, Lily finally could not keep pretending anymore. She suddenly opened her eyes, her eye sockets red, tears falling in large drops as she begged in a hoarse voice, “Emma, don’t report it… It’s my fault. It’s all my fault…” I looked down at her from above. “Tell us whose child it is.” She bit her lower lip, but she refused to say the key point and only kept shrinking into Jack’s arms, crying in such a pitiful way. “Jack… don’t say it… Please don’t say it…” Jack. She called him so intimately. I suddenly felt incomparably disgusted and pointed at Jack. “She is your foster sister in name, yet she’s carrying a child of unknown origin in her belly. Every word from you is ‘Lily’ and ‘don’t be scared.’ Jack, tell me, what are you afraid of?” 02 Jack’s Adam’s apple rolled violently. He looked at me, then lowered his head and looked at the trembling Lily in his arms. The next second, he did something that shocked the entire hall. In front of all the pack members, representatives from each pack, and allies, he knelt straight down before me. “Emma.” He raised his head, and his eyes were full of pleading. “Lily lost her parents when she was young, and her health has never been good. That night, I drank too much… I’m the one who wronged you.” With a boom, the people around us completely exploded into chaos. The representatives of each pack whispered to one another, and even though David’s people tried to stop them, they could not stop the spread of this earth-shattering scandal at all. “The child is mine.” Jack gritted his teeth and admitted it. “But the one I love is you. Emma, I’m begging you, let this child be born.” I looked at his humble figure kneeling on the ground and only felt that it was absurd to the extreme. The person he was kneeling to was me, but every word he said was protecting Lily. Lily cried and shook her head, struggling as if she also wanted to kneel. “No, Jack didn’t force me… It was only that one time. I didn’t do it on purpose…” Seeing this, Luna Sarah’s eyes shifted, and she immediately changed into a serious expression as she began calculating very quickly. “Emma, this matter has already become like this, but the pup is always innocent. After the child is born, register it under your name. You will still be Black Pack’s only Luna, and no one will ever surpass you!” I slowly turned my head and looked at Luna Sarah. “Register it under my name?” “Yes!” Luna Sarah seemed to have grabbed onto a life-saving straw. “Lily won’t fight with you. She only wants a place to settle down. After you marry in, Jack will live properly with you, and Black Pack will handle the rumors outside.” A few Black Pack elders beside her also came forward, talking over one another as they tried to persuade me. “What pack doesn’t have something like this? He’s an Alpha, so he was confused for a moment.” “If you want to be Luna, you must have the tolerance of a Luna.” “Jack has already knelt to you in public, so do you still want to force Lily to her death?” Listening to these disgusting remarks, I suddenly laughed. The sound of my laughter seemed especially abrupt under the moonlight. They did not think they had wronged me. They thought that since the matter had already happened, I should know my place and accept this mess. I should hide Lily’s shame, preserve Black Pack’s heir, and help Jack continue maintaining his devoted image. In the future, I would even have to raise this child for them and pretend that nothing had happened. In my previous life, I had believed their bullshit. In my previous life, for the greater picture of the alliance between Shadowfang Pack and Black Pack, I swallowed this insult. I thought that as long as I took one step back, Jack would settle down. After our marriage, he was indeed obedient to me in everything, caring and considerate, and he would become nervous for ages even if I frowned once. Until that fierce battle with the rogues. I was trapped in the encirclement, isolated and helpless. With my face covered in blood, I reached my hand toward him. “Jack, save me…” But he turned around, picked up Lily, who had only scraped a little skin, and rushed out of the encirclement. More and more rogues gathered, and the smell of blood choked me so badly that I could not breathe. I desperately swung my claws and looked at him in despair. He stood in the safe zone and looked coldly at me struggling in the encirclement, without the slightest warmth from the past in his eyes. “Emma, Lily is human, and she can’t hold on. You’re different, so hang in there a little longer. Reinforcements will arrive soon.” He held Lily just like that and watched helplessly as the rogues tore me apart. Before I died, through the moonlight, I saw Lily lying on his shoulder and showing me a smug, vicious smile. It turned out that all his kindness to me had only been to stabilize Shadowfang Pack and make me willingly become Lily’s shield. Pulling my thoughts back, I looked at Jack, who was still kneeling on the ground, and my eyes turned completely cold. “You want me to acknowledge the bastard child you had with your foster sister? You want me to enter your pack as the laughingstock of every pack?” I took a step forward and looked down at him from above. “Jack, what the hell do you think you are, that you deserve to have me serve as your cover?” Jack’s expression changed abruptly. “Emma! I’ve already knelt down and begged you, so what else do you want?!” “What do I want?” I turned around to face all the guests, and my voice rang through the entire banquet hall. “Everyone present today is a witness!” My voice echoed beneath the moonlight. “Black Pack clearly knew that Jack and his foster sister Lily were secretly involved and that she was pregnant, yet they still proceeded with the alliance marriage with Shadowfang Pack! After the matter was exposed, their first reaction was not to admit their fault, but to force me to swallow this insult and force me to be the mother of this child!” “In their eyes, I, Emma, have only one use, and that is to serve as a shield for this shameless couple!” 03 David finally could not bear it anymore. He rushed forward and lowered his voice in an angry roar. “Emma! Are you insane?! Do you know the value of an alliance between two packs? Isn’t it just one pup? Just raise it! Will you only be satisfied after you make this matter impossible to end?!” I turned my head and looked at this wonderful father of mine, and my heart was filled with desolation. This was my biological father. In his eyes, his daughter’s dignity and lifelong happiness could not compare to a pile of numbers on the territorial border. “Dad.” I looked at him coldly. “If I endure this today, then tomorrow Shadowfang Pack will become Black Pack’s subordinate. Do you think what they want is only the title of Luna? What they want is for the entire Shadowfang Pack to pave the way for this child!” David choked, his face livid, yet he could not say a single word for a long time. I no longer paid attention to him and picked up the alliance contract between the two packs from the table, then used both hands to apply force. “Rip—” In front of everyone, I tore the contract in half, and the fragments scattered over Jack’s face like falling snow. “From today on, the engagement between Jack and me is terminated!” I tossed the scraps of paper in my hand straight into the fireplace in the center of the banquet hall as if I were throwing away trash. “Jack, take your lover and your child and get out of my sight.” After saying that, I turned without looking back and strode out of the banquet hall under the shocked gazes of everyone present. The night wind lifted my long hair, and my back was straight. This was only the beginning. The pain of being abandoned that I suffered in my previous life—I would make them repay it a thousandfold and ten thousandfold. On the second day after the mate ceremony, the entire werewolf territory exploded. Rumors spread through every pack, and eight out of ten were about Black Pack’s scandal. Black Pack’s reputation crashed the moment the market opened, and resource allocation within the territory fell into chaos. David flew into a rage at the residence, smashed everything he could smash, pointed at my nose, and cursed me as an ignorant wastrel. “You will go to Black Pack immediately and apologize! Say that you lost your head last night! This alliance marriage must happen!” I sat on a stone chair and calmly drank herbal tea, not even lifting my eyelids. “If you want the marriage, you go marry them. I’m not marrying him anyway.” “You—!” David was so angry that he raised his hand to hit me. “Hit me.” I raised my head and looked at him coldly. “If this slap lands today, I will take all the cooperation channels my mother left behind and leave Shadowfang Pack tomorrow. Then you can see whether those packs will cooperate with you or with me.” David’s hand froze in midair, and his face alternated between blue and white. When my mother was alive, as Luna, she single-handedly established trade partnerships between Shadowfang Pack and several surrounding packs. The Alphas of those packs only acknowledged my mother’s favor. Before she died, she handed all these networks to me. This was also why David had always feared me, yet had no choice but to support me. “You think you don’t have to listen to me anymore, is that it?!” He gritted his teeth and lowered his hand. “Yes.” I stood up and straightened my robe. “Dad, I don’t care whether Shadowfang Pack lives or dies. But no one should even think about touching what my mother left me. Black Pack is a bottomless pit now, and if you insist on jumping in, I absolutely won’t accompany you.” After saying that, I directly left the main manor building of Shadowfang Pack and moved into an independent residence under my name. As soon as I settled in, my Gamma Kate—my mother’s capable assistant when she was alive, who had followed me ever since my mother passed away—sent me an encrypted record. “Emma, I found it. Over the past six months, large amounts of money have flowed abnormally out of Jack’s private accounts.” I opened the record and scanned through the transfer lists line by line. Sports cars, custom jewelry, overseas trust funds… and even a luxury villa by the sea. And the ultimate beneficiary of all these assets was Lily. Even more laughably, the funds used to purchase that villa had actually been public funds that Jack secretly misappropriated from a real estate project jointly advanced by Black Pack and Shadowfang Pack. I looked at the numbers on the screen and laughed coldly. Jack, oh Jack, you really are a hopeless romantic. You took my Shadowfang Pack’s money to support your lover. “Kate.” I looked at Gamma Kate. “Keep a close eye on the flow of this money. Also, investigate Lily’s records in Black Pack. I want the original files of every action she has taken since childhood.” In my previous life, Lily always occupied Jack’s time with all kinds of excuses, such as being weak and needing care. I wanted to see exactly how many lies were hidden inside that delicate body of hers. 04 That afternoon, Jack actually came to my door. There were dark circles under his eyes, so it was obvious he had not slept all night, and he was holding a large bouquet of my favorite white lilies. “Emma.” He stood outside the door, his voice hoarse and carrying a trace of coaxing. “Are you still angry?” Looking at his affectionate appearance, I only felt my stomach churn. “Jack, do you need something?” I leaned against the doorframe and had no intention of letting him in. “Emma, I handled what happened last night badly. Lily’s emotions were unstable, so I could only comfort her first at the time.” He sighed, took a check from inside his clothes, and handed it to me. “This is a check for thirty million, as my apology to you.” I lowered my head and glanced at the check. Thirty million. To stabilize me, he really had spent a lot of money. In my previous life, he had also used this kind of seemingly unreserved compensation to gradually lower my guard. I took the check, flicked it twice casually, and suddenly smiled. “Jack, do you think I’m short of these thirty million?” He froze for a moment, and his eyes became somewhat panicked. “Emma, I know you feel wronged. I’ve already made arrangements for Lily. She will move out of Black Pack and go to a foreign sanatorium to wait for the birth. In the future, she will never appear in front of you again.” “Is that so?” I looked at him with a half-smile. “A foreign sanatorium? Or is she going to the seaside villa you bought for her with Shadowfang Pack project funds and become its mistress?” Jack’s expression changed instantly, and his pupils suddenly contracted. “You… you investigated me?” “Things that have been done will always be discovered.” I smashed the check hard into his face. “Jack, you used my Shadowfang Pack’s money and took someone else’s things to buy favors. Did you really think I was blind?” The sharp edge of the paper cut his cheek and left a thin trace of blood. He did not even bother to wipe it and stepped forward, wanting to grab my hand. “Emma, listen to my explanation. That money was only temporarily misappropriated, and I’ll make it up! My feelings for you are real!” “Real?” I suddenly shook off his hand, and my eyes were as cold as ice. “Your real feelings mean making me raise your child? Your real feelings mean holding a mate ceremony with me while buying another woman a villa? Jack, take your fake affection and get out!” “Bang!” I slammed the stone door shut, completely shutting out his hypocritical face. Outside the door, it was quiet for a moment before his voice came, suppressing anger. “Emma, don’t be too ruthless! Without Black Pack, do you think David will let you go? We’ll see!” I leaned against the back of the door, listening to the sound of his footsteps gradually fading away, and a bloodthirsty cold smile curved my lips. Then we would see. In this life, if I did not strip a layer of skin off you and Black Pack, then my name would not be Emma. Over the next few days, Black Pack had a very hard time. Its reputation kept falling, and several important partnerships were forced to stop because the funding chain had broken. Although David was angry with me, after seeing Black Pack’s mess, he did not dare mention the alliance marriage so easily again. As for me, I secretly sped up the closing of the net. “Emma.” Kate placed a thick file bag on my stone table, and her eyes carried a bit of disbelief. “You guessed right. All of Lily’s past records were fabricated by herself.” I pulled out the documents and quickly flipped through them. “Her so-called weak health and need for care were all fake. There is one more thing—her parents’ deaths were not an accident at all. That fire five years ago was deliberately designed by her. She tampered with things in advance so that her parents would be trapped in the fire, right when Jack’s parents happened to see them. Her parents ‘sacrificed themselves’ to save Jack’s parents, and she was then naturally adopted by Black Pack.” I looked at Lily’s gentle smile in the photo, and my eyes gradually turned cold. What a perfect image of weakness and harmlessness. In my previous life, for the sake of such a ruthless woman, Jack left me surrounded by rogues and let me be torn apart alive. “There is one more thing.” Kate lowered her voice. “About the pup in Lily’s belly…” “Speak.” “I found that she secretly went to a human hospital in the city for a prenatal checkup three months ago. I used some connections and got her medical records, and there is a DNA test report inside.” Kate pushed a report in front of me. “That pup is not Jack’s at all.” I suddenly raised my head, and my pupils shrank slightly. Not Jack’s? “Whose is it?” Kate took a deep breath. “It belongs to Derek’s younger brother, that notorious playboy, Tom.” Derek was the Alpha of Ironclaw Pack. Black Pack’s biggest rival in the territorial dispute. Looking at that DNA report, I suddenly could not help laughing loudly. I laughed until tears almost came out. Jack, oh Jack, you pride yourself on being extremely clever, and for one woman you could even abandon the life of your future Luna, but in the end, not only are you raising someone else’s child, you are also cleaning up your mortal enemy’s mess! This was simply the biggest joke in the world! “Emma, should we release this report now?” Kate asked. “No rush.” I put away my smile, and icy killing intent flickered in my eyes. “If we release it just like this, it would be too easy on them. I want them to fall completely from their highest moment.”

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Following Ethan Vance around for ten long years, he finally asked me to marry him. He even put a blindfold on me, whispering that he had a massive surprise waiting. But the second I took a single step into the room, a bucket of freezing cold water splashed right over my head. “Chloe, when the hell are you going to wake up?” “Did you honestly think I would ever marry you?” My hands trembled as I ripped off the blindfold. There he was, sitting on the plush leather couch, casually sipping a glass of whiskey. “See? I told you she’d fall for it! Whoever bet against me, pay up!” Seeing my silence, Ethan scoffed, his eyes flashing with amusement. “Honestly, Chloe, you’re not getting any younger. You should find some random guy to marry before you end up dying alone with ten cats.” The moment the words left his mouth, his friends burst into roaring laughter, throwing me looks of pure disgust. But when I actually took his advice and married someone else, why did he end up on his knees, begging for me back?

Ethan smiled warmly and waved at the waitress. “Hey, bring us a glass of every single alcohol on this menu!” “And one of every appetizer too!” With that, he snatched a thousand-dollar bill from his friend’s pocket and tossed it to the waitress as a tip. Seeing this, the realization hit me like a physical blow. I was just a clown to him. Again. One of Ethan’s friends complained loudly. “Oh my god, Chloe, how can you be so stupid?” “Anyone with half a brain could tell this was a prank! Why would a guy like Ethan ever put a ring on you?” “Seriously, stop being so delusional. He would never marry you!” Listening to their back-and-forth mockery, I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. Ethan threw back a shot of whiskey, his voice dripping with fake sincerity. “Ah, free drinks taste the best. Thanks for paying the tab, boys!” “But hey, Chloe, don’t be too sad. I did promise you a surprise, didn’t I?” He reached into a nearby trash can, pulled out a cheap, tarnished metal bracelet, and tossed it to me. The girl sitting next to him couldn’t help but chime in, giggling. “Ethan, how could you give her something someone literally threw away?” She intentionally shook her wrist, letting her expensive designer bracelet catch the light. Her eyes were filled with mockery. Ethan stared at me, his lips curling into a smug smirk. “Our Chloe isn’t that superficial.” “As long as it’s from me, she’ll cherish it like a treasure. Am I right, Chloe?” Seeing me actually take the bracelet, his friends burst into another round of snickers. “Wow, she really is a cheap doormat. She’ll take literally anything.” If this were the old me, I would have screamed, cried, and fought to defend my dignity. But now, I just calmly used the cheap bracelet as a hair tie to pull my hair up into a neat bun. “Thanks. I actually have wedding toasts to make today, so having my hair down isn’t really practical.” Hearing this, Ethan froze for a second before letting out a loud laugh. “Wait, Chloe. Are you seriously still playing along with this fantasy?” “Toasts? Do you honestly think I’d ever introduce a girl like you to my parents?” “You’re daydreaming in broad daylight. There must be something seriously wrong with your head.” He crossed his legs, looking at me with nothing but disgust. Even though I had expected this, hearing those words directly from his mouth still made my chest ache with a dull, throbbing pain. The truth was, I already knew today’s proposal was a setup. Yesterday at noon, I had made lunch and brought it to Ethan’s office, just like I always did. But as I reached the door, I heard loud laughter coming from inside. Peeking through the crack, I saw Ethan sitting on his couch, smoking a cigarette. “Ethan, you’re the king of savage bets. Only you could pull this off.” “Let’s see if that delusional girl actually believes you’re going to marry her!” “But you’ve played her so many times. Will she really fall for it again? She looked pretty pissed off last time.” “Tell you what, if you lose, you have to make Serena sing for us. I heard she’s a music major at—” Before the guy could even finish his sentence, Ethan kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Ethan’s face was terrifyingly dark. “Who the fuck do you think Serena is?” “She’s a classical music student! Not some cheap bar singer!” Everyone in our circle knew that Serena was Ethan’s ultimate muse. Her reputation was more important to him than his own life. If anyone dared to say a single bad word about Serena, they’d pay for it dearly the very next day. The guy who made the joke quickly scrambled to his knees, begging for mercy. “I’m sorry, Ethan! I was being an idiot! Please, don’t take it seriously!” Watching that scene yesterday, I felt like my heart was being shredded by a thousand knives. I hadn’t even realized my collar was soaked with my own tears. Ethan had completely forgotten. He forgot the promises he once made to me. “Hey, little girl. Follow me from now on. I’ll protect you, and no one will ever hurt you again.” “Chloe, if neither of us is married in ten years, let’s just settle down together.” Those two promises were engraved in my heart. Too bad the one who said them forgot, while the one who heard them was trapped by them. Today marked exactly ten years. And yes, I was indeed getting married. But my groom wasn’t Ethan. Pulling myself back to reality, I forced a tight smile. “Anyway, I have to go sign my marriage license now. Enjoy your drinks.” But the moment I took a step toward the door, Ethan grabbed my wrist in a vice grip. “Chloe, what kind of act is this?” “Do you seriously think you can drag me to City Hall by pulling a stunt like this? Have some self-respect!” Looking at his exhausted, annoyed face, a wave of profound weariness washed over me. The Ethan who once fought off a gang of thugs just to keep me safe was long gone. The man in front of me only wished I would vanish from his sight. Before I could speak, a sweet, high-pitched voice echoed from the doorway. “Ethan!” I turned my head. Serena was running toward him, her eyes wide and innocent. Ethan instantly let go of my wrist. He even wiped his hand on his pants several times before reaching out to clasp Serena’s hand. His gaze softened into pure tenderness. “Why are you here, babe? This place is too loud for you.” Serena crossed her arms and pouted. “You’re one to talk!” “I heard your friends were celebrating a proposal today! How could you not invite me to such an important event?” Panic flashed through Ethan’s eyes. Thinking quickly, he pulled one of his friends, Brad, forward with a nervous laugh. “Oh, you know how busy your music rehearsals are. I didn’t want to bother you.” “Actually, today is the day Brad is proposing to Chloe! You came just in time to witness their special moment!” With that, he nudged Brad hard. Brad quickly wrapped a sweaty arm around my shoulders, playing along. “Yeah, absolutely! We’re heading to the courthouse to get married right after this!” I looked up and was met with Brad’s greasy, acne-scarred face. Out of all of Ethan’s friends, Brad was the one I loathed the most. He was a creep who constantly made inappropriate, highly sexual jokes about me in public. He had ruined my reputation in our social circle. Brad leaned down, whispering in my ear so only I could hear. “Ethan’s never going to touch you, sweetie.” “Why not just roll with me? I promise I can show you a real good time in bed.” An overwhelming wave of disgust surged inside me. I violently shoved him away and bolted for the door. But Brad lunged forward, trying to grab me into a tight embrace. In sheer panic, I screamed at the top of my lungs. “I already have a husband! He’s waiting for me outside!”

The room fell dead silent for a second before exploding into a collective roar of laughter. “Chloe, stop acting. Don’t you get tired of living in a web of lies?” “Seriously, Brad is being so sweet to you. Don’t break his heart!” “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!” Watching me get humiliated, Ethan didn’t look worried at all. Instead, he joined in on the chanting. “Honestly, Chloe, I think you and Brad make a perfect couple.” I clenched my fists, staring Ethan dead in the eye. “I said, I have a husband.” “If you don’t believe me, you can come to City Hall right now and see for yourselves!” To prove my point, I reached into my bag to grab the wedding invitation, only to realize I had mailed out the last of the physical ones last night. Seeing my hesitation, Serena stepped forward, putting on her best fake-nice face. “Chloe, you know I’m always on your side. But this time, you’re being really unfair to Brad.” “He gathered so much courage to confess to you. Even if you want to reject him, you shouldn’t make up such a pathetic lie to hurt him.” “After all… everyone knows you’ve been chasing Ethan for a decade. How could you suddenly have a husband?” “Don’t be mad. Everyone is just looking out for you. Lying like this is only going to ruin your own life.” The moment Serena finished speaking, the crowd nodded in agreement. “As expected of a classical music student—so elegant and sensible.” “No wonder Ethan loves her. If I were him, I’d choose her in a heartbeat over someone as crazy and dramatic as Chloe!” Hearing their praise, Serena frowned slightly, looking at me with mock pity. “Chloe, just apologize to Brad, and we can all pretend this never happened, okay? We’re still friends.” There it was. That line again. Every single time there was a conflict, she would play the mediator. She always pretended to support me, but in reality, she was just forcing me to bow my head and apologize. And Ethan and his friends absolutely ate it up. I pulled out my phone, tapped the screen a few times, and held it up in front of their faces. “The paper invitations are gone, but I still have the digital e-vite.” “If you guys are so curious, you’re more than welcome to join. I’ll make sure you’re well accommodated.” A few of them leaned in to look at the screen. Suddenly, one of them gasped. “Holy shit… a private island wedding?!” “Isn’t that Sterling Island? That place is worth hundreds of millions!” Ethan scoffed and slapped my phone down. “Please, it’s obviously fake.” “Look at Chloe. Does she look like someone who could get married on a private island?” “She probably just photoshopped her name onto someone else’s invitation. Talk about desperately trying to look rich.” The mocking sneers on everyone’s faces deepened. “Chloe, your delusions are getting out of hand!” “Exactly! As if a billionaire who owns a private island would ever look at someone like you!” Serena walked over, trying to grab my arm gently. “Chloe, please don’t do this to yourself.” “Why must you embarrass yourself like this?” “Ethan might not love you back, but he’s always treated you like family. Doing this is only going to make him hate you more.” Ethan laughed dismissively. “Serena, don’t waste your breath on her. You can’t talk sense into a crazy person.” I let out a soft sigh and slowly pulled off my glove. On my ring finger, a massive, flawless pear-cut diamond ring caught the light, sparkling brilliantly. Serena gasped, her eyes widening in shock. “Is that… ‘The Star of the Ocean’ from the Christie’s auction?!”

Ethan, being a regular at high-end auctions, instantly recognized the name. He lunged forward, grabbing my hand and staring intensely at the diamond. After a long silence, he looked up, his voice sharp with suspicion. “Where did you steal this?” “This ring is worth over ten million dollars.” I blinked, genuinely surprised myself. I knew Julian was wealthy, but I didn’t realize the ring he gave me when we got engaged was *this* expensive. Seeing me space out, Ethan sneered. “Yeah, you definitely stole it.” “With your bank account, you couldn’t even afford a single dust particle on this ring if you sold all your organs.” Before I could fire back, my phone vibrated in my palm. I pushed past the crowd to a quieter corner and answered the call. “Hey. Yeah, I’m on my way. Wait for me.” The moment I hung up and turned around, Ethan was standing right behind me. He held a lit cigarette, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Let me guess. Was that your imaginary billionaire husband calling?” I nodded calmly. “Yes. It’s time for our appointment at City Hall.” “If you guys are so eager to watch, you’re welcome to follow me.” Before Ethan could say anything, his friends cheered. “Hell yeah! I want to see this ‘billionaire’ who supposedly bought a private island and the Star of the Ocean!” “Chloe, don’t chicken out when we get there!” I turned to walk out, but Ethan suddenly grabbed my arm again. “Chloe, this is your last chance to tell the truth before we walk out those doors.” “If we actually go to City Hall and no one shows up, you’ll be the laughingstock of the entire city.” I frowned, looking at him with genuine confusion. “Ethan, why are you so convinced I’m lying?” “I am getting married. For real.” Without waiting for his reply, I shook off his hand and walked out, the group trailing close behind me. Along the way, his friends pulled out their phones, recording me for their Snapchat and Instagram stories. “Guys, you won’t believe this! Ethan’s ultimate simp is claiming she’s marrying a billionaire today!” “Look at her! The ultimate clinger says she’s got a sugar daddy who bought her a private island!” They blasted the videos to their entire social circles. Within minutes, I became the joke of the town. Everyone was eagerly waiting to watch me fall flat on my face. When we arrived at City Hall, however, Julian’s car wasn’t parked at the entrance. Ethan’s friends immediately pounced on the opportunity. “Oh, look! Where is this mysterious husband? I don’t see anyone!” “Did your billionaire husband turn into a pumpkin?” They laughed loudly, intentionally drawing the attention of bystanders. “Hey everyone, come look! This girl claimed she was marrying a billionaire and dragged us all the way here! Turns out she’s completely full of shit!” “People these days will lie about anything just to feel important!” “Tell you what! I’ll make a bet right now! If her ‘billionaire husband’ actually shows up in the next fifteen minutes, I’ll hand everyone here a hundred bucks!” “But if he doesn’t, this lying bitch has to pay everyone a thousand!” With money on the line, a crowd of curious onlookers quickly gathered, whispering and pointing at me. Everyone was waiting to watch me burn. Feeling the suffocating weight of dozens of judgmental eyes, I instinctively took a step back. “What’s wrong? Are you scared now? Want to run away?” Brad sneered, stepping into my personal space. But before I could even open my mouth to speak, a warm, firm hand wrapped securely around my shoulder. A gorgeous bouquet of hand-woven, delicate wire roses was gently pressed into my hands. “I am so sorry, sweetheart. I got caught in traffic.”

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My husband, Ethan Vance, wanted to enjoy a tropical vacation with his mistress. So, he somehow brought his twenty-three-year-old self back to cover his shift at work. The younger version of Ethan was irritably flipping through financial reports at the desk. When he looked up and saw me, he froze, completely stunned. “Holy shit. Did I actually end up marrying you?” Our daughter, Lily, stumbled out of her room, rubbing her eyes. “Daddy?” she called out in her sweet, sleepy voice. Young Ethan froze instantly. Even the tips of his ears turned bright red. He was shaking with excitement. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his voice trembled. “You’re so afraid of pain… It must have hurt so much to give birth to her…” “Mommy,” Lily interrupted quietly, looking up at me with timid eyes. “Is Daddy back to kick us out this time? Is he going to marry that Serena woman?” Ethan’s jaw clenched hard. His face instantly darkened. “Who dares to kick you out?” Though he still looked like a young college kid, his explosive temper and terrifying aura were exactly the same as the current Ethan. He looked around our sleek, luxury penthouse. Then, lowering his voice, he tried to comfort Lily. “Don’t worry, Lily. This will always be our home.” “Did you just have a bad dream?” Lily stared at him with wide, terrified eyes. Fear was written all over her face. She took a big step back, startled. Then she burst into a loud sob. I rubbed my temples and politely, yet coldly, told Young Ethan to take a seat in the living room. About half an hour later, I finally got Lily back to sleep. When I walked back out, Young Ethan was staring blankly at a pile of shredded wedding photos on the coffee table. “Who is the homewrecker?” he asked. His voice was incredibly raspy in the dimly lit room. He squeezed the torn photos so hard his knuckles turned white. It felt like he was forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “Who the hell is this Serena woman?” “She ruined our family, didn’t she?” He looked up at me, his eyes red and tearful. His voice shook. “I gave you my whole life when I was eighteen. I couldn’t even bring myself to raise my voice at you.” “It must be that woman’s fault…” Outside, the night was dark. The city lights flickered through the window. I said nothing. I just pulled out my phone. I dialed Serena’s number. A few seconds later. A deep, steady male voice came through the speaker. He sounded extremely annoyed. “It’s the middle of the night. Why are you calling Serena? What kind of drama are you trying to start now?” Hearing his future self speak. Young Ethan was completely frozen in shock. His face instantly turned pale and rigid. Just as he was about to blow up and scream, I put a finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet. I asked into the phone in a flat, emotionless voice: “When are you coming home?” “Next month.” The background sound of waves crashing on the beach, mixed with a romantic love song, sounded incredibly cozy and intimate. But the words that followed stabbed into my ears like ice. He paused, took a deep breath, and continued. “Serena is pregnant.”

It felt like someone had suddenly wrapped a plastic bag tightly around my neck. Every breath I took sent a sharp pain through my chest. I felt like I was suffocating. “It was just an accident. We forgot protection once.” His tone was so casual, as if he were just talking about what to have for dinner. “Serena won’t affect our marriage. She promised to get an abortion.” “I brought her out here not just to relax, but to find a clinic for the procedure.” “I’m the one at fault here, so I have to take responsibility and look after her until she recovers.” Right then, Serena’s sweet, whiny voice echoed from the other end. “Ethan, baby, come back over here~” In the next second, the call was abruptly cut off. Less than thirty seconds later, a Snapchat message popped up on my phone. “My 23-year-old self should have arrived by now.” “He’s careless. Keep an eye on the company’s business for him.” The phone screen glowed coldly on the coffee table. Young Ethan stood opposite me, wrapped in a dead silence for a very long time. I blankly glanced at his chest. My name was still tattooed right over his heart. I turned around, pulled a set of divorce papers from behind a sofa cushion, and handed them to him along with a pen. “Your future self refuses to sign.” “Do it for him, will you?” He looked up and stared straight at me. A dry, bitter laugh escaped his throat. He cursed under his breath. “Fuck.” Then, he swung his arm and slapped himself hard across the face. He roared with a desperate, sobbing voice: “Ethan Vance, are you fucking blind? How could you sleep with a piece of trash like Serena Miller?”

It was true. At twenty-three, Ethan already knew Serena. Only back then, he absolutely loathed her fake, damsel-in-distress act. Later, when he started his own business, Serena joined the company. Ethan used to point at her nose and call her an idiot almost every single day just to vent. Back then, I even defended her. “She’s just a fresh graduate, Ethan. It’s normal for her to make mistakes.” “Just guide her a bit.” Every time I said that. Ethan would wrap his arms around me. “Nora, if it weren’t for our baby on the way, I would have fired her a long time ago.” I didn’t think much of it. I just focused on my pregnancy and managed our home. Gradually, he stopped mentioning Serena as much. I was foolish enough to think it was just because the business was doing well. I never suspected a thing. Until one day, when I was eight months pregnant. I stopped by his office after my prenatal checkup. I pushed the door open, only to see Serena sitting right on Ethan’s lap. Her hand was unbuckling his belt, and she was rubbing her soft body against his cheek. Her white shirt was wrinkled, and her pencil skirt was pulled up almost to her waist. Looking into Ethan’s bloodshot, lust-filled eyes. I shook with rage. Like a madwoman, I threw myself forward, grabbed Serena’s hair, and dragged her violently to the floor. I swung my handbag and bashed it against Ethan’s face with all my might. The metal buckle sliced a bloody gash across his cheek, but it didn’t ease the burning hatred in my heart. My mind raced with memories of all those years we spent building our life from scratch. I thought of how I threw up every single day during my pregnancy, how I could barely walk, and how the pelvic pain kept me awake all night. Just the night before, I had cried myself to sleep over the stretch marks covering my stomach. And yet, Ethan, who was about to become a father, was having a sleazy affair right in his office. It felt like my heart had been ripped open, cold wind rushing into the wound. I didn’t care about dignity anymore. I shoved past the employees who tried to hold me back. Their pleas of “Nora, calm down, think about the baby!” fell on deaf ears. I grabbed a heavy laptop from his desk and hurled it straight at Ethan’s head. “Go to hell, you bastard!” But Serena was fast. She threw herself over Ethan to shield him. The heavy laptop slammed hard into the back of her pale neck before shattering on the floor. Screams erupted in the office. Half of them were because Serena’s neck was sliced open and bleeding heavily. The other half was because of me. My water had just broken.

The premature labor started with no warning. Drenched in sweat and trembling from the intense pain, I was wheeled into the delivery room. The doctor shouted anxiously, “Where is Nora’s family?” The hallway was deathly quiet. Ethan’s parents lived in another state and weren’t supposed to fly in until closer to my due date. My own parents had divorced years ago and had long abandoned me. “Where is your husband? Giving birth is a major event, he needs to be here.” I painfully turned my head to look through the glass door of the delivery room. Ethan, the man who usually remained calm under any pressure, was running frantically down the hallway, carrying Serena in his arms. He was practically begging the nurses. “Please, get me the best plastic surgeon. She’s still young, she can’t have a scar on her neck. I’ll pay whatever it takes. Just contact them now.” Knowing that giving birth carried risks, I swallowed my nausea and dialed his number. But when he picked up, his voice was filled with absolute rage. “Serena was just leaning over to grab a contract, and her hair got caught on my belt! That’s all it was!” “You didn’t even ask before jumping to conclusions, throwing a tantrum in my office, and hurting her.” “Now that things are a mess, you still expect me to put you first?” Ethan hissed, his voice cold as ice. “Nora, you are acting like a lunatic.” Then, I heard Serena playing the saint in a weak voice nearby. “Ethan, don’t talk to Nora like that.” “It’s fine… I don’t plan on getting married anyway, so a little scar doesn’t matter.” At dawn the next morning, I gave birth to Lily. Meanwhile, Serena was sleeping peacefully under Ethan’s obsessive care.

That ugly scandal became a thorn in our marriage. He fired Serena. He still came home on time and played with Lily, but he completely checked out of our relationship. He didn’t care about my feelings anymore. We became strangers living under the same roof. We used to cuddle on the sofa and talk about everything. Now, our only conversations were stiff updates like “I have a dinner tonight,” “I’m flying out tomorrow,” or “I’ll be sleeping at the office next week to hit a deadline.” At first, I still tried to share things like “Taking care of the baby is so exhausting” or “Lily rolled over today.” But eventually, my replies dwindled to “Okay,” “Fine,” and “Understood.” Eventually, our only connection was the cold monthly allowance he transferred to my bank account. I never stepped foot in his company again. But I heard rumors. People in the office gossiped about me, calling Ethan a poor guy who was stuck with a crazy, controlling wife. I didn’t even want to think about it. I just used his money to raise Lily and keep our lives going. Until our sixth wedding anniversary, Ethan sent me a surprise. A diamond necklace worth two hundred thousand dollars. I genuinely thought he was finally trying to make amends. But before a smile could even form on my lips… The new courier apologized in a panic. “I am so sorry, ma’am. I got the address wrong.” “This necklace was meant for Mr. Vance’s wife. The delivery address is the estate on the East Side, not here.” “I am so sorry, could you please give it back? I just started this job, and I can’t afford to pay for something this expensive.” He took the necklace back with trembling hands. He quickly pulled out his phone to call someone. “I’m sending you the correct address. Don’t mess up like I did.” “Mr. Vance completely adores this Mrs. Vance. If her lunch isn’t prepared on time, we’ll both be fired.” I froze. Then, a bitter laugh escaped me. So that was it. For the past six months, Ethan had been keeping Serena in a luxury mansion on the East Side. To everyone else, she was the real “Mrs. Vance.” What did that make me?

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On the very day my billionaire grandfather passed away, my family showed their true colors. Everyone was fighting over his estate. My dad couldn’t stop them, so he dragged my mom and joined the chaos. When I arrived at the estate, Grandpa Charles was still lying on the bed. They hadn’t even bothered to change his clothes. Some relatives were tearing each other’s hair out over a luxury high-rise deed. Others were rolling on the floor, wrestling for his Rolls-Royce keys. This bunch of usually sophisticated, upper-class snobs was now fighting like animals at a Black Friday sale. My mom hugged a heavy metal safe and screamed at me. “Hailey. What are you standing there for? Take the diamond ring off your grandfather’s finger.” I rubbed my hands together and knelt beside the bed, ready to slide the ring off. But the moment I crouched down, I saw Grandpa’s pinky finger twitch. I rubbed my eyes. Grandpa Charles’s hand was completely still again. My heart did a flip. I didn’t dare touch the ring anymore. Instead, I gently squeezed his finger. It was freezing cold. It didn’t feel like a living person’s hand at all. Just to be safe, I stood up and yelled over the noise, “Everyone, stop fighting! We need to get Grandpa to the hospital right now!” The shouting temporarily died down. My aunt, Mary, rolled her eyes at me. “Your grandfather was literally just discharged from the hospital to die at home. What hospital?” I hesitated. “What if… what if he’s not actually dead?” My uncle, Mark, snatched a piece of paper and threw it right in my face. “He had terminal brain cancer, Hailey. He was going to kick the bucket sooner or later. Now that he’s finally gone, why are you trying to ruin things with your bad vibes?” I picked up the death certificate and stared at it. It looked completely authentic. Did I really just hallucinate? Was Grandpa actually dead? Mark’s wife, Chloe, curled her lips in disgust. “Dead is dead. But the old man didn’t even leave a proper will! If he had, would we even need to be here tearing each other apart?” “My son, Leo, is the only grandson who carries the Miller name. Who else is the fortune supposed to go to?” Mary instantly lost her temper. “My son is also a boy! Why shouldn’t he inherit? If anyone is disqualified from the family trust, it’s Hailey!” She shot a venomous glare in my direction. “Hailey is going to marry some guy and change her last name anyway. She won’t even be a Miller. Giving her a piece of jewelry or two is already more than generous.” My mom went berserk. She lunged forward and shoved Mary. “Who the hell do you think you are, Mary? You married out and changed your name too! Charles loved my daughter the most when he was alive. If anyone deserves the lion’s share, it’s Hailey!” Seeing them about to claw each other’s eyes out again, I covered my ears in sheer frustration and looked back at Grandpa. This time, I saw it clearly. His eyelid twitched. It absolutely wasn’t an hallucination. Grandpa was alive! But why was he faking his death? My throat went dry. I swallowed hard and tugged at my mother’s sleeve. “Mom, please, stop fighting. I don’t want any of the inheritance, okay? Let them have it.”

The room fell dead silent. Mark and Chloe exchanged looks and muttered under their breath, “What an idiot. Does Hailey even realize how much money Charles had? It’s enough for three generations to burn through for a lifetime.” Mary crossed her arms, sneering. “Oh, cut the saint act. If you really don’t want the money, why don’t you sign a waiver right now? Who are you trying to put on a show for? The corpse?” Actually, I was putting on a show for the “corpse.” But honestly, I couldn’t entirely blame my family for being so heartless. Grandpa had always been an incredibly eccentric man. He had built a multi-billion-dollar empire from scratch, dominating real estate, tech, and retail. Even the state governor had to treat him with utmost respect. By all accounts, with that kind of wealth, our family should have been living like royalty. But Grandpa was naturally paranoid and hyper-cautious. He always suspected everyone was trying to steal his money. When my dad got married and asked for help with a down payment on a house, Grandpa accused him of trying to carve up the family estate. He threw my dad out of the house after a massive screaming match. When Mary didn’t get into college and wanted to open a small boutique, Grandpa mocked her relentlessly, saying she would just lose all his money. When Mark wanted to study abroad, Grandpa blasted him for being a spoiled brat who only wanted to squander his hard-earned cash. So, despite our patriarch being the richest man in the state, our three families lived on tight budgets, constantly pinching pennies. How could such a stingy, overly calculating man pass away without securing his fortune first? This fake death was a setup. He was testing us! My knees went weak, and I threw myself by his bedside, sobbing loudly. “What is wrong with all of you? Grandpa just passed away, and all you care about is dividing his money! Aren’t you afraid of breaking his heart?” “Stop acting! If you’re so noble, sign the waiver!” Mary clapped her hands, and Mr. Davis, Grandpa’s senior estate lawyer, walked into the room, dressed in a sharp, expensive suit. “Mr. Davis, Hailey just said she wants to waive her inheritance rights!” Mary yelled eagerly. Mr. Davis looked at me. “Is this true, Miss Hailey Miller?” Before I could speak, my mom panicked and pinched my arm hard. “She’s talking nonsense, Mr. Davis! My girl is just devastated by grief. She didn’t mean it!” Mr. Davis nodded slowly. “Actually, before Mr. Charles Miller passed, he did leave a will.” “And everyone in this room has a chance to inherit his entire estate.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the bickering stopped. Everyone locked their eyes on the lawyer. Mark couldn’t hold back. “Mr. Davis, stop beating around the bush! Tell us, did he leave everything to my son, Leo?” Mr. Davis calmly pulled a stamped document from his leather briefcase. The will was incredibly short, with only a few lines printed on it. “To my ungrateful descendants: If you can find my most precious possession within three days of my passing, you will inherit my entire estate.” Everyone stared blankly for a few seconds. No one expected Grandpa’s will to be so bizarre. Mary rolled her eyes. “Even in death, he has to be a pain in the ass. How the hell are we supposed to know what his ‘most precious possession’ is?” “Mr. Davis, can you at least give us a hint? He owned so many things. Where do we even start looking?” The others chimed in. “Yeah! Give us a clue!” Mr. Davis tapped his foot lightly. “His most precious possession is hidden right here, in this old family estate.” “There is only one of it. Whoever finds it first will be the sole heir to the entire Miller fortune.” The old estate had three floors, but Grandpa lived quite minimally. Mary’s eyes suddenly lit up. She bolted toward the master bedroom. “I know what it is! It has to be that!” Though no one knew what she had realized, everyone immediately stormed after her like a pack of wolves. We watched as Mary reached into a secret compartment inside the nightstand and pulled out a yellowed land deed. She clutched it to her chest like a lifeline, looking at us defensively. “I found this first!” My dad stared at it for a moment, his eyes widening. “That’s the original deed to this estate! How did you know it was there?” Mary smirked triumphantly. “Because Dad loved me the most, obviously. I saw him hide it there when I was a kid.” “Mr. Davis, is this deed the most precious thing?” Mr. Davis simply offered a polite, enigmatic smile. He didn’t say yes, and he didn’t say no. “The truth will be revealed on the day of the funeral. Remember, each family can only submit one item.” “But let me make this clear: if no one finds the correct item within three days, the entire Miller fortune will be donated to charity.”

I gasped. Grandpa’s net worth was easily over eight billion dollars. No one in their right mind would willingly let eight billion dollars slip through their fingers, especially when they were so close to it. Mary held the deed tighter, but a shadow of doubt crossed her face. This land deed had been passed down through generations. To fund his early business ventures, Grandpa had once mortgaged it. The very first thing he did after making his first million was buy this land back and build this estate. It was where my dad, Mark, and Mary grew up. It was undeniably sentimental. Mark and Chloe were green with envy. Still, Mark sneered, “Charles owned dozens of properties. Who knows if he even remembered this old paper?” “Come on, let’s keep searching.” My parents immediately joined the frantic treasure hunt. Seeing me standing frozen, my mom smacked my shoulder. “What are you doing? Search! Even if we don’t sleep for three days, we have to find it!” I looked down at Grandpa, who was lying peacefully in his bed, playing dead. My mind raced. What on earth did Grandpa want us to find? I couldn’t figure it out yet, so I could only follow my parents around to pretend I was searching. To find this “possession,” Mark hired a top-tier private investigator. Mary literally brought in a celebrity psychic. My parents were desperately debating who they should hire. Finally, my mom snapped her fingers and called her father, Andrew. “Andrew and Charles used to be best friends back in the day. He might know what Charles valued most.” But fearing her elderly father might get too emotional, my mom didn’t tell him that Grandpa had “passed.” She just asked casually over the phone. Andrew chuckled on the line. “What did Charles love most? Well, it had to be his late wife, of course. She’s been gone for over thirty years now.” “Why are you asking? Did your husband finally decide to kiss up to his old man?” My mom quickly made up an excuse and hung up. My parents decided to focus on things related to my late grandmother. Eventually, they actually managed to find their original engagement ring hidden deep inside Grandpa’s pillowcase. Meanwhile, the other two families seemed to have found their own leads, but everyone kept their mouths shut, glaring at each other like enemies.

Three days later, the funeral was held at the local chapel. Grandpa’s “body” was placed in a glass cooling casket. The funeral home staff had dressed him in a formal suit. My greedy relatives had spent the last three days hunting for treasure, not spending a single second mourning him. Of course, because of their neglect, nobody realized that Grandpa had been sneaking out of his casket late at night to eat snacks and use the restroom. The funeral was grand. All the men wore tailored black suits. The same people who were screaming at each other yesterday were now crying as if their hearts were breaking. Mary wept loudly, “Dad! How am I supposed to live without you?” Guests held her shoulders, comforting her. “He’s in a better place now. Stay strong.” As everyone sobbed, I stood there silently, not shedding a single tear. Once the tedious service concluded, the main event finally arrived. Holding the will, Mr. Davis stood before the gathered crowd of relatives and distinguished guests. “Today, we lay Mr. Charles Miller to rest. As per his final wishes, whichever of his three children presents his most precious possession will inherit his entire estate.” Mary was the first to step forward, holding the yellowed deed. “My dad valued this land more than anything. Even though it’s remote, he turned it into a premier resort. Someone once offered him a hundred million dollars for it, and he flat out refused!” “This is undoubtedly his most cherished possession!” Mary held the deed high, looking incredibly smug. It seemed her celebrity psychic had given her a massive dose of confidence. My mom whispered anxiously in my ear, “I heard your aunt’s psychic supposedly channeled your grandpa, and he confirmed it’s the deed! What if it really is?” I glanced toward the casket. Grandpa lay there perfectly still, looking incredibly dead. Mary had definitely been scammed. Grandpa wasn’t even dead yet, so how could a psychic channel him? Sure enough, Mr. Davis examined the deed briefly, then shook his head. “This is not his most precious possession.”

The smile on Mary’s face froze. Her expression instantly distorted with rage. She dropped her elegant act and screamed, “Fuck you! Who are you to decide? I bet you’re just trying to steal my dad’s fortune for yourself!” Security guards quickly restrained her. Mr. Davis remained entirely unfazed. “Next.” Mark nudged my dad’s shoulder. “Jason, what do you think Dad’s most precious thing is?” Before my dad could speak, my mom pinched his arm. “None of your business!” Mark rolled his eyes. “Keep your secrets then. We found it anyway!” Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, beat-up car key. “This is what my dad cherished most.” The key was ancient. It didn’t belong to a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley, but to an old commercial truck. Mark explained proudly, “This key belonged to Charles’s very first delivery truck. Decades ago, he was driving it to make a delivery when he got caught in a massive landslide. The truck was severely damaged, yet it miraculously kept running just long enough to get him to safety.” “Since then, no matter how rich he got, he refused to sell it.” “For forty years, that truck has sat in the family garage. He had it serviced regularly and even hired someone to drive it weekly just to keep the engine from rusting. He treated that truck better than his own sons!” It looked like Mark’s private investigator had actually done some solid homework to dug up this piece of history. I looked at Grandpa again. His fingers seemed to twitch. Could it really be the truck key? My parents began to sweat. Everyone stared at the lawyer. Mr. Davis glanced at the key and said calmly, “This is not his most precious possession.” Mark lost his mind. He lunged at Mr. Davis, sobbing. “How can it not be? My investigator swore it was! Mr. Davis, look, if you let me inherit, I’ll give you half! Please! If I don’t get this money, I’m ruined!” But Mr. Davis coldly brushed him off. Now, only our family was left. Everyone stared at the three of us, waiting for a trainwreck. If we couldn’t produce the right item either, over eight billion dollars would go straight to charity! My dad took a deep breath, his hand trembling as he reached into his pocket. Was it really the engagement ring? I looked at my dad, then at Grandpa. Something didn’t sit right with me. What did Grandpa truly value? Something he would fake his own death just to get us to understand. Suddenly, it hit me. I grabbed my dad’s hand. “Dad, don’t. I know what Grandpa’s most precious possession is.”

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I suffer from selective mutism. Whenever my emotions get too intense, my throat locks up, and I can’t utter a single word. Everyone at school teased me and called me the mute freak. Only Chloe and Ethan protected me. When I wanted to confess my love to Ethan, Chloe read my love letter out loud for me. On the day he proposed, Chloe was the one who shouted “Yes” on my behalf. I thought they were the two people in the world who understood me best. Until we started planning the wedding. I wanted a beautiful beach ceremony, but Chloe ruined it by saying, “A castle wedding is way more romantic, Ethan.” I wanted our house to be downtown, but Chloe spoke up first. “Audrey hates noisy places. The suburbs would be perfect for her.” Ethan bought the suburban house immediately. On our wedding day, I finished putting on my bridal gown and walked out, only to find the entire house completely empty. I sent a single question mark in our family Snapchat group. A group FaceTime call popped up instantly. My entire family was already at the wedding venue. Ethan spoke through the screen, his tone casual. “Audrey, you don’t need to come to the venue anymore. Chloe is going to walk down the aisle and complete the ceremony for you.” My mom, Sarah, joined in to pressure me. “Audrey, a wedding is a massive event. What if you freeze up and can’t speak in front of everyone? Our family cannot afford to be embarrassed like that.” Chloe smiled sweetly on camera. “Audrey, a wedding is just a formality. It doesn’t matter who stands at the altar. Besides, I’m Sarah’s daughter too. It’s the same thing.” In that moment, I, who had been silent for years, suddenly found my voice in front of everyone. “You two can have the wedding. I’m out.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Ethan frowned. “Audrey, Sarah is right. A wedding is a high-pressure environment. You can’t handle it.” Chloe chimed in gently from the side. “Yes, Audrey. Just leave the ceremony to me. Don’t force yourself.” I opened my mouth. I wanted to tell them that I had practiced my wedding vows hundreds of times in front of the mirror. I wouldn’t have messed up. But my throat felt like it was clogged with wet cement. Not a single sound came out. Sarah sneered. “A mute is a mute. Why are you guys even wasting your breath on her?” The call disconnected. A few minutes later, Ethan posted a livestream link of the wedding on his Instagram. By the time I clicked on it, the ceremony had already started. Chloe was wearing a wedding dress identical to mine. She held my favorite bouquet of white roses, walking down the aisle with a radiant smile. The live comment section was buzzing. “I knew Ethan would choose Chloe in the end!” “Chloe and Ethan are the perfect match. Period!” I typed in the chat: The bride is Audrey. Someone replied instantly. “So what? It’s been like this for years, hasn’t it? Chloe has to do everything for her anyway.” “Lmao, the mute girl wouldn’t even survive a day without Chloe.” My hands shook violently as I stared at the screen. Back in high school, every time my mutism kicked in, Chloe would step up to speak for me. She yelled at the bullies for me. She answered the teachers’ questions for me. She even took my place in speech competitions. As time went on, even though I could technically speak sometimes, everyone just assumed I was completely mute. Ethan and Chloe stopped waiting for me to speak altogether. They made every single decision for me. This time was no different. Nobody asked if I agreed. They just replaced the bride. On the giant screen at the venue, my pre-wedding photos with Ethan were still playing. But nobody looked up at them. Everyone’s eyes were glued to Chloe. Ethan took Chloe’s hand. Under the officiant’s guidance, they exchanged rings and took their vows. When the officiant asked if the bride would take the groom as her husband, she blushed and nodded. “I do.” Those two words should have been spoken by me. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause. Ethan’s friends started chanting in unison, “Kiss her! Kiss her!” Chloe lowered her head with a crimson face, tugging at Ethan’s sleeve as if she didn’t know what to do. Ethan shielded her behind his back. “Alright guys, that’s enough. Audrey is the real bride. Chloe is just standing in to help us finish the ceremony.” “Oh, come on, Ethan! Stop acting. Who doesn’t know you love Chloe?” “Exactly! The bride’s already been swapped. Why keep up the act?” “You two probably wanted this wedding for a long time!” Laughter filled the venue. Not a single person in that room remembered me. After the ceremony, Chloe posted a photo on Instagram. In the picture, she and Ethan were leaning close to each other. In the background, my bridal cardboard cutout stood alone in a dusty corner. Her caption read: My first time pretending to be a bride! It felt pretty good. Wishing my bestie and my childhood friend a lifetime of love! Ethan was the very first person to like the post. Someone commented: “Chloe is too nice. If I were her, I would have just married him for real!” “You and Ethan are the ultimate match!” Tears splashed onto my phone screen. I lost track of how long I cried. Eventually, Sarah posted a short video in the group chat. In the video, Chloe had changed into an evening gown. She was walking table to table with Ethan, raising her glass to toast the guests. She was graceful, social, and drank every glass of champagne with ease. Sarah’s voice could be heard in the background: “Having a daughter as wonderful as Chloe is the greatest blessing of my life.” I always knew everyone loved her. Including my own mother. Chloe and I were from a blended family. Even though I was Sarah’s biological daughter, she always favored her stepdaughter, Chloe. At the very end of the video, the wine glass in Chloe’s hand suddenly slipped and shattered on the floor. She leaned heavily against the table, clutching her stomach, and began to dry-heave uncontrollably.

The video cut off abruptly. I looked up and stared at my reflection in the mirror. The wedding dress didn’t fit. The chest was two inches too loose, and the waist was so tight it left painful red welts on my skin. It was Chloe’s style. And it was tailored to Chloe’s measurements. I began to strip the dress off my body. The zipper got stuck on my back. I had to tug at it roughly before it finally slid down. I suddenly realized how absurd my life was. As the actual bride, I had been completely excluded from my own wedding from start to finish. My phone screen lit up. A message popped up in the family group chat. “Congratulations, Chloe…” Before I could read the rest of the sentence, the message was instantly unsent. The next second, Chloe and Ethan both tagged me in the group. Chloe: Audrey, I’m so sorry. My stomach started hurting out of nowhere. Ethan and the parents are taking me to the ER right now. Ethan: Audrey, you’ve had a long day too. Are you hungry? I’ll buy you something on my way back. Before I could even type a response, Chloe answered for me. Audrey loves those cinnamon rolls from the bakery near campus. Ethan replied instantly: On it. But I hadn’t eaten those cinnamon rolls in years. I actually hated them. It was Chloe who loved them. She used to drag me to that bakery every week. Somewhere along the line, everything she liked became what I supposedly liked. Every detail she “remembered” about me never actually belonged to me. The family chat was buzzing, the unread messages quickly reaching 99+. I had known for a long time that they had another group chat, one that didn’t include me. Sometimes, when someone accidentally posted something in our shared chat, they would quickly flood the screen with random messages to bury it. I started typing, wanting to ask what that “Congratulations” was about. But halfway through, I deleted it. The tears I had just stopped began to fall again. Whenever they talked, I could never get a word in. On the rare occasions I did text, everyone would collectively ignore me. I had tried to confront them about this before. Chloe had told me, “Audrey, you’re just too quiet. You only say one or two words at a time. We honestly just don’t notice.” So, I tried to speak up more. If they didn’t reply, I would repeat myself. But Ethan would just frown and cut me off. “Audrey, saying it once is enough. We can hear you.” Of course they could hear me. They just chose to ignore me. They chose to treat me like a mute. My phone buzzed again. It was a direct message from my supervisor at the news station. Audrey, the UN-backed NGO team we’re sending to Somalia is still missing a sign language interpreter. Are you interested? Ever since I heard about this deployment opportunity, I had been waiting to discuss it with Ethan. But now, there was no need. I clicked “Accept” and sent my application. Then, I threw myself into packing my things. Most of my important belongings had already been moved to the new suburban house. My room here was only filled with old clothes. All of them were hand-me-downs that Chloe didn’t want anymore. I stuffed them all into a giant trash bag and threw them in the bin. Ethan and Chloe didn’t return until very late into the night. And they weren’t alone. Sarah, Andrew, and Ethan’s parents, Rachel and David, were all with them. They thought I wasn’t home. The whole family sat in the living room, talking. Just as I was about to walk out of my room, I heard Chloe’s sobbing voice. “Ethan, what do we do? You and Audrey just got married legally… but I’m pregnant with your baby…” My brain went entirely blank. It felt like a bomb had exploded in my ears. The next second, I heard Ethan comforting her, his voice soft as he pulled her into his arms. “We will explain it to Audrey later. If we sit her down and talk to her gently, she’ll understand.” Sarah stared at Chloe’s stomach, her voice tight with anxiety. “Chloe, sweetie, don’t cry. You have to think about the baby.” Rachel chimed in. “Well, you two already had the wedding ceremony anyway. Let’s just have Ethan and Chloe sign the marriage certificate instead.” Andrew and David shook hands, laughing. “Well, looks like we really are one big family now.” “We’ve always been family. No need to be strangers.” A cold dread crept up from the soles of my feet, freezing me to the core. I blinked away my tears, and suddenly, everything clicked. That deleted message in the group chat… they were congratulating my best friend for getting pregnant with my husband’s child. I always knew I could never compete with Chloe for my family’s affection. But I never expected that everyone, literally everyone, knew about their affair and kept me in the dark. I had been played like a fool, kept around just to watch them perform their happy family drama.

My throat ached with a burning tightness. I forced myself to stand straight, my eyes bloodshot, my teeth biting into my lip until it bled. Finally, I walked out of the hallway. I couldn’t control my rage anymore. I grabbed a glass vase from the console table and slammed it onto the hardwood floor. It shattered into a million pieces. Ethan jumped up from the sofa, panic written all over his face. “Audrey!” Seeing my state, Chloe turned pale and rushed forward to grab my arm. “Audrey, I’m so copy. The pregnancy was an accident. I swear I never wanted to take Ethan away from you…” The suffocating pain in my chest made it hard to breathe. I couldn’t say a single word. Forcing my tears back, I raised my hand and violently shoved her away. Using sign language, I demanded: Why? Why did you play me like this? Why did everyone lie to me? “Enough! What are you waving your hands around for?” Sarah rushed over and pushed me back hard. “If you can’t speak, then keep your hands to yourself! Don’t you dare stress Chloe out!” I stumbled backward, almost falling over the shattered glass. Ethan gasped, instinctively reaching out to catch me, but he stopped himself and looked away. Chloe began to cry hysterically, pulling out her phone. “Audrey, it’s my fault. I’ll make an appointment at the clinic right now. I’ll get an abortion.” Instantly, everyone rushed to stop her. Ethan held her tight, murmuring gently, “Chloe, don’t do anything stupid. I will take full responsibility for you and the baby.” Sarah pointed a finger at me, screaming, “Audrey, Chloe is your best friend! Don’t be so heartless!” “Ethan and Chloe loved each other first. They only let you have Ethan out of pity! What right do you have to throw a tantrum now?” Rachel sighed, her voice dripping with guilt-tripping sweetness. “Audrey, I know you’re a good girl. You wouldn’t want Chloe’s baby to grow up as an illegitimate child, right?” Everyone was cornering me, forcing me to nod, telling me: It’s time for you to step aside. Slowly, I raised my hands and signed a single question: Why should I? My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant, icy hand. I gasped for air. Ethan walked over and tried to hug me, his voice softening into a pleading tone. “Audrey, I’m so sorry… I promise you, once the baby is born and Chloe is recovered, I’ll divorce her and marry you. I swear.” I was too exhausted and heartbroken to speak. I could only struggle against his grip, pounding my fists against his chest. But he only held me tighter, whispering “I’m sorry” over and over again into my hair. Eventually, I stopped fighting. I went completely limp. They took my silence as submission. They thought I had agreed. The dramatic crisis was finally resolved to their satisfaction. Chloe wiped her tears and smiled. “Thank you, Audrey. Don’t worry, as soon as the baby is born, I’ll leave Ethan. You will always be his true wife.” Sarah’s attitude softened as well. She didn’t yell at me anymore. She even went to the kitchen and made me a grilled cheese sandwich, adding an extra slice of cheese. Growing up, I never got the extra slice of cheese. Only Chloe did. Now, I finally got my eggs. But I didn’t want them anymore. On the drive back to our new house, Ethan kept apologizing. He said Chloe had a weak constitution, and an abortion would devastate her health. He said his parents had been begging for a grandchild and he couldn’t bear to disappoint them. He even said his feelings for me would never change, and he would make it up to me tenfold in the future. But how do you make up for a betrayed heart? A crack in a mirror is permanent. Ethan dropped me off at the bedroom door, looking guilty. “Audrey, take some time to calm down. I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight.” He turned and walked away, his posture tense. The door shut. My tears finally fell freely. I remembered the day Ethan proposed. He had taken me for a walk by the river. Halfway through, fireworks had lit up the night sky. He had dropped to one knee, holding out a diamond ring. “Audrey, I love you. Let me protect you for the rest of our lives, okay?” My heart had beaten so fast, and I had cried tears of pure joy. I truly believed that to him, I was the only one. But now, while he claimed to love me, he cherished Chloe more. He couldn’t bear to let her lose the baby, so much so that he was willing to sign a marriage license with her. My phone screen lit up on the nightstand. My application for the Somalia deployment had been approved. We were set to leave in two days. The NGO team would be stationed there for a minimum of three years. I opened the portal and changed my deployment duration to permanent. A relationship of three is too crowded. This time, I chose to walk away.

The next morning, I went to the news station to complete the handover paperwork. When I got home, Chloe and Ethan were both there. On the coffee table lay two signed marriage certificates. Chloe was leaning against Ethan’s shoulder. “Ethan, am I being too selfish? If it weren’t for the baby, we would never have registered our marriage.” “Audrey is supposed to be your wife.” Ethan wrapped his arm around her. “Then we’ll just have to treat her even better from now on.” I clutched my car keys tightly and walked in. Seeing me, they quickly pulled apart. Chloe stood up, panic in her eyes as she tried to explain. “Audrey, don’t get the wrong idea. I…” I didn’t even look at her. I walked straight past them into my bedroom to grab my packed suitcase. Chloe pushed the door open and ran inside. Seeing my suitcase, she grabbed my arm, tears streaming down her face. “Audrey, where are you going? If you want me to leave, I’ll leave! Please don’t do this…” I pulled my arm away and dragged my suitcase toward the front door. But she chased after me, blocking my path at the top of the stairs. “Audrey, I want you to be happy more than anyone else does! But I just can’t let go of Ethan. I’m sorry, just give me some time…” She had slept with my fiancé behind my back and gotten pregnant. And now, she had the audacity to ask me for time. I laughed, a bitter, breathless sound. “Get lost.” But she refused to let go, tugging at my sleeve as we struggled near the edge of the staircase. “Audrey, please…” I couldn’t take her hypocrisy for another second. With every ounce of strength left in my body, I violently yanked my arm back. “Get away from me! I don’t want to hear your voice!” Chloe lost her footing on the hardwood stairs. She fell backward. She rolled all the way down to the foyer. Very quickly, a pool of bright red blood began to seep through her clothes. Ethan rushed over like a madman, violently shoving me aside. “Are you insane?!” He scooped Chloe up into his arms and ran out the door. I was thrown against the wall, sliding down to the floor, my shoulder throbbing so hard my vision went black. Chloe lost the baby. She cried hysterically in the hospital bed. Both families gathered around her, whispering words of comfort. The moment I stepped into the room, Sarah’s hand flew across my face. Slap! “How did I raise such a monster?!” Sarah screamed. Ethan sat by the bed, holding Chloe. He stared at me with pure coldness. “Audrey, you’ve disappointed me so much. You couldn’t even tolerate an innocent child?” Rachel joined in, her voice dripping with venom. “Chloe promised she would divorce Ethan eventually! What more did you want? That was my grandchild…” I opened my mouth, trying to say, “I didn’t push her.” But Chloe beat me to it. “Don’t blame Audrey… it was my fault. I just didn’t stand firmly…” Ethan squeezed Chloe’s hand. “Chloe, stop defending her! Haven’t you done enough for her over the years?” His eyes were filled with pain and protective rage for Chloe. Yet, when Sarah slapped me across the face, he hadn’t even blinked. Sarah glared at me. “Apologize to Chloe. Right now!” “Sarah, please, you’re misunderstanding. Audrey really didn’t push me!” Chloe cried out. But the more she “defended” me, the more convinced everyone became of my guilt. Because they had already decided I was the villain. I raised my chin, staring back at them. One clear, sharp word cut through the room. “Never.” Sarah froze. Then, she lunged at me to strike me again. I fought back my tears, standing my ground. For the first time in my life, I talked back to her. “I will say it one last time: I did not push Chloe. I am your biological daughter, Sarah. Why do you never believe me?” “You…” Sarah’s face flushed a deep, angry purple. She pointed a trembling finger at me, gasping for air, before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the floor. The hospital room descended into chaos once again. Nurses rushed in to wheel Sarah to the emergency room. Andrew glared at me, his voice filled with disgust. “Audrey… do you have to ruin this entire family to be satisfied? Are you trying to kill your mother?” The hospital door was wide open. In the hallway, several nurses and visitors peeked in, whispering and pointing at me. I heard someone murmur, “What an ungrateful brat.” That label had been forced onto my head for as long as I could remember. I had spent my entire life enduring Sarah’s favoritism and constant criticism, always accepting it in silence. I turned around, pushed past the gossiping crowd, and walked toward the exit. “Audrey!” Ethan yelled from behind me. “Get back here!” I didn’t look back. Once outside, I hailed a cab and headed straight for the airport. A text from my colleague popped up: Audrey, our flight leaves in an hour. Don’t be late. I replied: On my way. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, leaned against the window, and closed my eyes. This family, this relationship… I was leaving it all behind.

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In the back seat of my car, my fiancée sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Why is it so dark? Ethan, we’re in the middle of nowhere. Where are you taking me?” I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. I didn’t answer. Chloe kept talking. “By the way, of all the wedding dresses I tried on this afternoon, which one did you like best?” “Ethan?” “Why are you ignoring me?” Because I didn’t dare to look at her. My fiancée, Chloe, had been dead for six months. “You’re regretting it again. You want to call off the wedding, don’t you? I just don’t get it. What is so good about that cheap little bitch? She does nothing but spend your money! You wouldn’t have this company today if it weren’t for me!” “Let me tell you something, Ethan. Over my dead body will you ever leave me!” Chloe’s voice kept ringing in my ears. I was paralyzed with fear. My foot slammed down on the gas pedal. I didn’t dare to look in the rearview mirror, not even once. Ever since I got back from the Cascade Mountains, she had been in my car. Her voice grew louder, sharper, and more grating. The hair on my neck stood on end. It felt like her lips were pressed right against my ear. “Ethan, don’t be like this. I won’t yell at you anymore. Just talk to me, okay?” “Haha, are you still pretending?” “I know you can see me!” “Ethan… Ethan…” I couldn’t take it anymore. I let out a terrified scream and floored the gas. If I could just make it through the last traffic light, I’d be in the crowded downtown area! But as I sped through the intersection, a blinding flash of light hit me from the side. There was no time to swerve. The impact sent my car spinning and flipping through the air. The airbag deployed with a deafening bang, pinning me to the seat and choking the air from my lungs. Behind me, Chloe was still whispering in my ear, laughing. “Are you coming to join me now?” “Hehe… I told you. Dead or alive, you’re staying with me!” Her face leaned in close. Her hair was matted with blood, her skin pale and rotting. My soul shivered with pure terror. Ignoring the agonizing pain in my body, I fumbled to unbuckle my seatbelt, crawled out of the shattered window, and scrambled on my hands and knees toward the other driver. “Help! Help me—” “Ethan Vance? Are you out of your mind?” “Who the hell runs a red light at midnight? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” The driver who hit me was my biggest business rival in Seattle, Marcus Sterling! But right now, my pride meant nothing. I pointed frantically at the back seat of my wrecked car. “Chloe… Chloe is in there—” Then, I froze. Inside my car, other than a smear of blood on the seat, there was absolutely no one. Marcus glared at me with pure disgust. “I’m warning you, Ethan. You were speeding and ran a red light. Don’t you dare try to pin this on me! And your missing fiancée has nothing to do with me. If you hire those internet trolls to spread rumors that I kidnapped her again, I’ll sue your ass into bankruptcy!” I couldn’t speak. I just sat on the cold asphalt, trembling. With Chloe gone, the adrenaline began to fade. A searing, tearing pain ripped through my body. I looked down and realized I was covered in blood. Marcus called 911 and stood by his car, waiting. I forced myself to stand, ignoring the pain, and hobbled over to him. “Marcus… when you hit me, did you see… was there anyone else in my car?” Marcus spat on the ground. “Fuck off! For the last time, I didn’t hit you, you ran into me. And did you hit your head too hard? You don’t even know if there was someone in your own car?” Suddenly, Marcus paused, his brows furrowing deep. “Wait a minute. Ethan, did you just say Chloe? Isn’t she still missing? Did you find her?” Seeing Marcus’s genuine confusion, I realized what had just happened was likely a hallucination. I let out a shaky breath and lied, “No… still looking for her…” And I would never find her. Because she was dead. Buried in a place where no one would ever look.

When the police arrived, Marcus blamed the entire accident on me. I didn’t have the energy to fight him. I admitted to everything, wanting nothing more than to get bandaged up and go home. As I was being loaded into the ambulance, Marcus blocked the door, looking suspicious. “Ethan, did you take the wrong meds today? Usually, you’d use any excuse to ruin my reputation. Now you’re half-dead, and you just take the blame without a fight?” Marcus and I had been at each other’s throats for three years. We had used every dirty trick in the book to sabotage each other. But right now, I was too exhausted to care. I snarled, “Fuck off,” and slammed the ambulance doors shut. By the time the hospital finished stitching me up, it was 3:00 AM. I refused to be admitted and called Hailey to pick me up. “Ethan! Oh my god, what happened to you?” “Chloe is missing. Just let the cops handle it! Why are you running around in the middle of the night for her?” Hailey’s eyes welled with tears. Her fragile, helpless look made my heart ache. I pulled her close and whispered softly, “Shh, it’s okay. You know I only love you. Honestly, I hope she never comes back.” “But everyone knows I built my career on her back. If I don’t put on a show of looking for her, people will call me heartless. It’ll ruin my reputation and the company. How else am I going to give you the life you deserve?” Hailey parked the car by the curb and wept in my arms, deeply moved. Feeling her young, soft body against mine, my frayed nerves finally began to calm down. Hailey was a college student I had sponsored through my charity foundation. She was young and beautiful, but more importantly, she was obedient and highly capable—miles ahead of Chloe. As long as I could be with her, any amount of stress was worth it. In time, people would forget about Chloe… “Mr. Vance, Miss Miller embezzled another $200,000 from the purchasing department! When Chloe was managing things, she never took a single dime from the company.” Hearing my secretary, Leo, mention Chloe again made my head throb. “I don’t care. Why are you making a big deal out of it? I’ll talk to Hailey in private.” Leo looked troubled. “When business was good, we could overlook these things. But ever since Chloe vanished, the company’s financials have been—” “Enough!” I cut him off, annoyed. “I said I’ll handle it!” Leo lowered his head. “There’s one more thing. Chloe’s parents are sick with worry because they can’t find her. Her father was hospitalized, and they came to the office asking if you could help with the medical bills…” I waved my hand dismissively. “Tell them the company is struggling and we don’t have the cash.” “What?” Leo looked at me in disbelief. “Mr. Vance, Chloe gave everything to this company. Her parents are sick, and you’re just going to ignore them?” My patience snapped. “What kind of bullshit are you talking? Chloe was just a manager, she didn’t own shares. Now that she’s gone, why the hell should I take care of her parents? If every senior employee went missing, would I have to support their entire families?” “But Mr. Vance, Chloe only transferred her shares to you because you two were engaged—” I grabbed my coffee mug and hurled it at him. “Get the fuck out! Just do what I told you to do!” If Leo hadn’t been incredibly loyal to me—even refusing a massive bribe from Marcus to defect—I would have fired this blind idiot on the spot. Once he left, I immediately called Hailey to my office under the guise of work to soothe my growing anxiety. Another week passed, and Chloe didn’t appear again. I thought my mental state was improving, that life was returning to normal. But then, the unthinkable happened. The dead woman didn’t just reappear. She came back to my house. Wearing an apron, cooking dinner for me.

I opened the front door. Through the darkness, I saw Chloe carrying a steaming plate of food from the kitchen to the dining table. My skin crawled, and my limbs went completely numb. I tried to flip the light switch, but the power was out. I pressed it repeatedly, but nothing happened. I pulled out my phone. No service. “Ethan, you’re home. Why are you standing at the door?” “Go wash your hands. I made all your favorites.” Was I having another hallucination? But her voice, the smell of the food… it was all so incredibly real. I pinched my thigh hard. The pain was real, but the scene before me didn’t change. Chloe kept talking. “Oh, silly me. Ethan, I forgot to get your slippers. Hold on, I’ll grab them for you—” She set the plate down and began walking toward me, step by step, through the pitch blackness. A freezing chill ran up my spine. My legs turned to jelly, but I forced myself to turn around and run toward the elevator. For the first time in my life, the elevator felt like it was taking an eternity. Footsteps echoed down the dark hallway behind me, getting closer and closer. Chloe’s voice trailed right behind me. “Sweetheart, we haven’t eaten dinner, and we aren’t married yet. Why are you in such a rush to leave?” “Did you forget? When you begged me to sleep with those clients and sacrifice my dignity to save your business, you swore you’d marry me. When I was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning, you held my hand and told me I was the only one you’d ever love.” “Oh? Are you scared? Why are you shaking so much?” “Hehe… you must remember now! You said if you ever betrayed me, you’d lose everything and suffer a fate worse than death. I’m just here to help you keep your promise…” I leaned against the wall to keep from collapsing, my body shaking violently as I frantically mashed the elevator button. Finally, just as I was about to scream, the elevator doors slid open. The hallway flooded with bright light, and Hailey’s beautiful face appeared before me. I threw myself into the elevator, grabbing her, trembling. “Go! Get us out of here! She’s coming—” “Who?” Hailey worriedly touched my forehead, then peeked out into the hallway. “Ethan, there’s nobody out there. Are you sick?” Nobody? I took a deep breath and forced myself to look. The hallway was empty. Chloe was gone. The building’s lights were back on, and my phone suddenly had full service again. Hailey held my hand as we walked back to my apartment. “Ethan, is work stressing you out too much? Maybe you should see a doctor.” I shook my head, unable to speak, my mind a chaotic mess. Was it really just a hallucination? But my mind had felt perfectly fine lately! Soon, I realized it wasn’t a hallucination at all. Because on my dining table sat a fresh, hot dinner. Hailey giggled and gave me a playful shove. “Oh, stop it! Ethan, did you scare me on purpose just to surprise me with this dinner?” “It smells amazing. You’re such a good cook!”

Hailey sat down, picking up a fork. Suddenly, my brain kicked into gear. I lunged forward, grabbed the plates, and threw everything into the trash can. “Don’t eat that!” “I… I didn’t make this.” Hailey blinked, confused. “Then who did? Only Chloe cooks this well. Ethan… did Chloe come back?” She stood up and wrapped her arms around me. “Is she… really back?” Seeing the strange, testing look in Hailey’s eyes, my body went rigid. I pushed her away. “Chloe lost her mind, screamed at me, and ran away. Who knows if she’s ever coming back?” I couldn’t let anyone know Chloe was dead. Not even Hailey. I kept up the lie that we had a fight and she ran away. To cover my tracks, I had dropped hints to the police that Marcus Sterling was behind her disappearance, which threw off their investigation. No one should have been able to find her. I should have been safe. But… The horror of the car crash and tonight’s feast kept looping in my head. I dug my fingernails into my palms to keep myself calm and took Hailey out to a restaurant. I was too terrified to be alone, so I didn’t go back to my place. I stayed at the apartment I had bought for Hailey. But that night, I dreamed of Chloe again and woke up drenched in cold sweat. I couldn’t keep running. The dinner on the table proved that these occurrences weren’t in my head. My sanity was intact. “Chloe” was back. She wanted revenge. She wanted to punish me. She wanted to strip me of everything and torture me. On top of the psychological horror, my company was suddenly facing aggressive, expensive attacks from a rival, causing our stocks to plummet. The next day, I gathered my courage and went back to my apartment alone. I didn’t turn on the lights. I just sat on the sofa in the pitch black, waiting. As expected, she came. The front door creaked open. Then came Chloe’s voice. “Sweetheart, didn’t we agree to take our wedding photos today? Why are you sitting in the dark?” My heart leaped into my throat. Controlling my terror with every ounce of strength, I secretly sent a text to Hailey. “Gosh, ignoring me again…” Chloe’s melancholic voice seemed to echo from every corner of the room, swallowing me whole. Her footsteps sounded clearly behind me, drawing closer. Suddenly! A cold hand touched my shoulder. The icy temperature sent goosebumps breaking out all over my skin. “Sweetheart, it’s me. Why are you shaking?” “Hehe, what are you afraid of?” In a split second, I grabbed her wrist and snarled through gritted teeth, “Stop playing games! You’re not Chloe! You’re her best friend, the one she helped study abroad, aren’t you?” “Did you think getting plastic surgery to look like her would fool me?” Staring at her pale face, I wrapped my other hand around her throat. “Tell me! What the fuck do you want?!” She squinted, looking confused. “Sweetheart, what are you talking about? I’m your fiancée.” “Still playing dumb?” I squeezed harder. “The night of the crash, why did Marcus Sterling just happen to be there? Because he’s my rival! He’s the only one who would help you!” “He helped you act, pretending he couldn’t see you. He’s the one funding the attack on my company to make me think Chloe’s ghost is coming for me!” Hearing the front door unlock, I let out a vicious laugh. “Hailey is here. You worthless bitch, let’s see how long you can keep up this act!” The door swung open, and Hailey stepped in. I yelled immediately, “Hailey! Call the cops! Catch this fucking imposter!” But Hailey didn’t move. After a few seconds of silence, she shrank into the corner, trembling. “Ethan… stop scaring me! There’s no one else in here but us!” Then, Chloe began to laugh, a chilling, high-pitched giggle. “Sweetheart, looks like your little mistress can’t see me either~”

My hand, still wrapped around Chloe’s throat, began to shake uncontrollably. Her laughter grew louder and sharper, piercing straight into my skull. “Hehe… Sweetheart, you’re even more terrified now.” “But what are you afraid of? You promised to marry me, to be with me forever. How could you bring your little mistress into our home right in front of my face?” She raised her icy hand and easily broke my grip. Her fingernails grazed my cheek, slowly tracing down to my neck. The sheer terror paralyzed me; I was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. I used every bit of energy in my lungs to squeeze out a raspy scream. “Get out! Get the fuck away from me!” “You’re not real!” “Chloe, I’m not afraid of you! I’m not!” In my panic, I didn’t notice Hailey approaching. Only when her shaking arms wrapped around me did I realize she was there. “Ethan, what’s wrong with you? Who are you talking to?” I couldn’t answer. Chloe was standing right in front of her, yet Hailey couldn’t see a thing, even as Chloe leaned in and blew cold air onto my neck. At that moment, fear overcame everything. I shoved Hailey away. “Go! Get out of here!” My concern for Hailey temporarily overpowered my fear. No matter what, I couldn’t let Hailey get hurt. But my action enraged Chloe. She suddenly grabbed my throat, her voice turning wild and malicious. “You care about this little bitch that much?!” “I gave you everything! I sacrificed my body, my dignity, and you threw me away for this whore!” “Die!” “Just die!—” Her sharp nails sunk into the flesh of my neck. The pain and terror overwhelmed me, and my vision went black. When I opened my eyes, it was morning. I was lying in my own bed, sunlight streaming through the window. Hailey, her eyes red from crying, was sitting beside me. Seeing me wake up, she threw herself into my arms, sobbing. “Ethan, you scared me to death!” “Last night, you started choking yourself and then just collapsed.” “What is happening to you…” Dazed, I touched my neck. My fingers came away stained with dried blood. Marcus could have been lying to me, but Hailey would never lie to me. “Hailey.” “Do you… do you know any spiritual mediums? Anyone who deals with the occult?”

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