Category: English

I held my daughter’s depression diagnosis in my hand and pushed open the door to the psychologist’s office. “Doctor, can you tell if a normal person is faking depression?” “I suspect my daughter is pretending to be depressed to avoid the SAT.” The doctor looked at me strangely, but still asked patiently. “Can you tell me about your daughter’s recent behavior? Why do you suspect she’s faking depression?” I thought carefully and answered honestly about my daughter’s situation. “Rachel has been obedient and studious since childhood. She follows the study plan I set for her every day, and her grades have always been first in her class.” “But this time, in the practice test before the SAT, she ranked seventh. After I slapped her, she ran away from home. When she came back, she had this paper, saying she was depressed.” “I’ve been so good to her. I wake up at four in the morning to make her a nutritious breakfast, and I stay up until midnight studying with her. I’m not depressed, so why should she claim to be?” The doctor saw I was getting emotional and quickly stood up to calm me down. “Dear, you don’t have a daughter!”

What did he mean I didn’t have a daughter? I pushed away the psychologist who had just come over to tell me to calm down. I looked at him in disbelief. “Doctor, what are you talking about? How could I not know whether I have a daughter or not?” I took all the documents out of my bag and slapped them on the desk. “See for yourself whether I have a daughter.” “Sammy is me, Rachel is my daughter.” The doctor picked up the documents and examined them carefully. “Ma’am, don’t get excited. Sit down first. Let me ask you a few questions.” “Are you raising the child alone? Where’s the child’s father?” I froze, not wanting to answer this question. “The child’s father has nothing to do with this.” “You’re a strange doctor. I’m starting to doubt whether you’re actually a psychologist.” I often saw online about patients who would put on a doctor’s white coat and impersonate doctors when the real doctor stepped out. This doctor seemed completely unprofessional. “You just questioned whether I have a daughter. Now I question whether you’re really a psychologist. Take out your credentials and let me see them.” The doctor just looked at me with a smile, offering no explanation and not producing his medical license. I was at my wit’s end, and my daughter was still lying at home refusing to go to school. And here someone was making a fool of me. “What a waste of my time.” I grabbed the documents from the desk and was about to leave. Time waits for no one. I had to find evidence that my daughter was faking depression. After all those years of hard study, the SAT was almost here, yet she refused to take it. I couldn’t accept that. Before leaving, I turned and spat on the floor. “Unscrupulous fraud impersonating a doctor.” He still didn’t speak, just shook something in his hand. I looked closely and saw my daughter’s diagnosis report was still in his hand. I snatched it from him and walked straight out the door. As I walked out, I suddenly thought—he was a fraud, but surely not all the other doctors were out of their offices too. I pushed open another office door. I immediately took out the relevant documents and my daughter’s diagnosis. “Doctor, my name is Sammy. This is my daughter Rachel. She insists she’s depressed. I want to ask you, can you tell if a normal person is faking depression?” The doctor seemed curious about my approach, but still picked up the documents to look at them. “You just said your daughter is depressed and that she’s faking it, right?” “So how did you determine she’s faking depression rather than actually being sick?” How else could I determine? She’s my own child—wouldn’t I know her? “She deliberately talks to herself in the middle of the night, crying one moment and laughing the next.” “Every time she waits until I’m asleep, then deliberately wakes me up. This morning she absolutely refused to go to school.” “Doctor, please write me a note proving she’s faking illness. I’ll take it home and show it to her, tell her to stop pretending and get to school.” The more I talked, the angrier I got. The older kids get, the more disobedient they become. To avoid going to school, she was deliberately faking illness. The doctor pushed up his glasses, carefully examined the diagnosis, then looked at me. “Ma’am, I think you’ve really misunderstood your daughter. She may actually be sick.”

“Impossible. Doctor, I’m certain she’s faking.” I answered decisively. “She just doesn’t want to go to school. Yesterday I discovered she used my phone to search for symptoms of depression.” I handed my phone to the doctor, which showed various symptoms of depression. “Doctor, just write me a note saying she’s faking illness. The SAT is coming up soon—she really can’t afford to miss it.” “Missing class all morning, who knows how much she’s falling behind. Why doesn’t she understand my good intentions?” The grievance and bitterness in my heart made me cry. The doctor kindly handed me a tissue and asked again. “Since you’ve always believed she’s faking, why not just send her directly to school?” “Why do you need proof that she’s faking?” At this point, I really needed to explain this properly to the doctor. “I sent her to school before morning reading today. Who knew she’d throw a tantrum at school, shouting that she had depression.” “Doctor, don’t you think she’s deliberately trying to upset me?” “When the teacher saw her like that, they sent her home with me, telling me to show more concern for my child.” “While I wasn’t paying attention, she ran home first and locked herself in her room. No matter how much I called, she wouldn’t open the door.” The doctor was writing notes, seeming to record something. He looked at me and asked again. “What’s your relationship with your daughter usually like?” Did he really need to ask? I raised my daughter single-handedly—of course we’re close. Seeing the doctor’s serious expression, I could only answer patiently. “My daughter and I eat and sleep together. You tell me if the relationship is good or not.” I couldn’t help complaining internally. This doctor didn’t seem professional either, asking such pointless questions. Growing up in a single-parent family, she’d never seen her father. Besides me, she had no other relatives. I was her everything. And of course, my daughter was my everything too. For her sake, I quit my job to work in her school cafeteria, afraid someone might bully her, and it also let me supervise her to make sure she ate well. Fortunately, my daughter was very successful, always first in her class. She made me look good working in the cafeteria. Every time I served food, I’d give her and her classmates a full scoop of meat, never shaking my hand even once. Which of her classmates didn’t envy her for having such a good mother? Thinking of this, I urged the doctor again. “All I want is that note. Doctor, why do you have so many questions?” By now the first class at school was already over. “Can you write it or not? If not, don’t waste my time.” My impression of this clinic was really bad. Suddenly I thought of something. I asked tentatively. “Doctor, just tell me—how much money do you want to write this note?” I’d been careless, forgetting that’s just how things work nowadays. Something that should be simple—if you don’t pay, they hold you up and won’t help. I took out the last thousand dollars or so from home from my bag and looked at the doctor. “That’s all I have. Name your price.” The doctor looked helpless and put the money back in my bag. “I just want to understand your daughter’s real situation carefully. Don’t misunderstand.” “Let me ask you one more question. Please answer honestly.” “Why does your daughter want to fake depression? Did something else happen between you two?” After asking, the doctor looked at me expectantly. I didn’t want to answer this question. I even felt this doctor was really nosy. “You already said she’s faking it. Can’t you just write a note?” “Or are you not a doctor either?”

Small clinics just weren’t reliable. Patients could randomly impersonate doctors. That one earlier was, and now this one apparently was too. Hearing my question, the doctor laughed and pulled out his work ID from his pocket. “I didn’t expect you to be so alert.” “Look, is the photo on this me? Do you have any other doubts?” I looked carefully. He really was a doctor. I felt a bit embarrassed. “Dr. John, I’m really sorry. Just now there was a patient impersonating a doctor from your clinic.” The doctor waved his hand, not caring at all. “It’s fine. I’m the only doctor here.” “You must answer why your daughter wants to fake depression, otherwise I can’t write this note.” “You don’t want to waste time going to another clinic, do you?” Thinking about it, I felt what Dr. John said made sense. So I told him the reason why my daughter was faking illness. “When I was serving food, I heard her classmate say she had a crush on the new math teacher in her class. When I got home, I interrogated her repeatedly, but she refused to admit it.” “Dr. John, tell me, can she be in a relationship with the SAT coming up? Especially with a teacher! I absolutely won’t allow this to happen.” My emotions were getting worked up again. The doctor timely handed me a glass of water. “Don’t get excited, Rachel’s mom. Continue. What happened next?” I drank the water in one gulp and continued. “Then I secretly monitored her at school and finally caught her walking alone with the math teacher.” “In front of all the students, I scolded her severely, then reported the math teacher to the education department.” “He’s shameless, taking advantage of being a recent college graduate to seduce a female student. He was going to ruin my daughter’s entire life!” The doctor followed up. “Was it after this that you noticed your daughter started faking illness?” I shook my head. No, it wasn’t. “She only started faking yesterday. Before, she was just playing dumb. I caught her spacing out in class a few times, not listening carefully.” “Her grades dropped from first in the class to seventh. This was the last practice test before the SAT. You tell me, wasn’t slapping her face not too much?” The doctor didn’t answer. I continued. “I’d never hit her before. I raised her with care since childhood. Hitting her face hurt my heart too.” “But she actually ran away from home. When she came back, she had this psychological diagnosis in her hand, saying she was depressed.” “Kids these days really can’t take a single word of criticism. At home she’s acting crazy and playing sick, just waiting for me to apologize.” As I spoke, Dr. John kept recording, now filling up an entire page. “Doctor, I’ve told you everything. Can you write the note now?” Another class period wasted. My anxiety grew, and I couldn’t help urging him. “Just write on this paper: diagnosis invalid, this person does not have depression. That’s all.” “Cross out this doctor’s name and write yours. What kind of unethical doctor gave this diagnosis…” Before I finished speaking, I took the note and looked at it carefully. The diagnosing doctor’s name was clearly written as John. “What a coincidence, there are so many people named John…” I didn’t think much of it, simply assuming it was the same name. The doctor had finally finished writing and looked up at me. “Do you really not remember me?” What did he mean? When had I ever met him? “Rachel, you were just here yesterday. Have you forgotten already?” “Wake up, Rachel. Think carefully about who you really are.”

Dr. John waved a pocket watch back and forth in front of my eyes. I grabbed it away and threw it aside. “What? You’re that Dr. John? No wonder you kept asking questions and stalling for time.” “You’re the one who diagnosed my daughter with depression. Now she’s treating that paper like a sacred decree and refusing to go to school.” “I’m blaming you for saying she has depression.” Before he could react, I attacked him directly, scratching at his face with my hands. Asking all sorts of random questions—turned out he was the culprit all along. He must have been the one who taught my daughter to talk to herself at night and deliberately fake illness. “Tell me, are you interested in my daughter too? I’ll show you what it means to be shameless, teaching young girls bad things.” “I’m going to report you, you pervert, molesting patients who come for treatment.” I was absolutely furious. How could there be such a doctor? From the beginning, he’d seen the diagnosis and knew he wrote it himself, yet he kept asking questions, looking shifty—clearly not a good person. I’d already scratched his face, but I still wasn’t satisfied. Pointing at him, I cursed. “You…” As soon as I opened my mouth, he stuffed something in it and tied me to a chair. Was this some kind of illegal clinic? I saw him pick up the pocket watch from the floor again and place it in front of my eyes. “Sleep, sleep. Everything will be fine when you wake up.” In a daze, I really fell asleep. I watched myself first come in and argue with him. I walked out of the office, stood at the door for a bit, then came back in and pushed open his office door again. Could it have been just him all along? In an instant, I woke up. When I awoke, I was lying on the sofa in the office. I stood up abruptly, which made me feel dizzy for a moment. “Rachel, are you okay?” Dr. John actually came forward to support my arm, calling my daughter’s name. And he said he hadn’t been seducing my daughter? What did this mean? Psychologists have some dark arts. My daughter must have fallen under his spell too. I didn’t dare open my eyes or make eye contact with him, afraid I’d be hypnotized again if I wasn’t careful. Supporting myself with his hand, I sat on the sofa. I felt my small cloth bag and my phone inside it. While he was turning around, I immediately dialed the emergency number. “Hello, 911? I want to report something. A psychologist used dark arts to hypnotize my daughter, and now he’s trapped me in his office. Please come quickly.” “I’m at a psychological clinic near AB Middle School. The doctor’s name is John. Please send someone quickly.” I looked at my phone. It was already noon. I’d slept for so long. My daughter had missed class all morning. Who knew how much she’d missed? This damn psychologist. He was actually frowning at me. “Bah.” “I’m telling you, I’ve already called the police. Just wait to face legal consequences.” “My perfectly good child came back from your place depressed, threatening to die at home and faking illness.” If I weren’t afraid he’d knock me out again, I’d want to bite him a couple times to vent my anger. The police arrived quickly. When they came in, they looked at us and asked. “Who called the police?” “Officers, I called. I want to see your badges first.” I was genuinely afraid. Everything felt like a dream. The officers cooperatively showed their police badges. I checked each one before returning them. “Officers, I’m reporting that he used his professional position to brainwash my daughter, making her falsely claim she’s depressed and refuse to go to school.” As I was about to continue, the police interrupted me. “Wait, you said your daughter?” “You look barely of age yourself. Where would you have a daughter?”

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My parents spent hundreds of thousands throwing a birthday party at a hotel for my twin sister, Kinsley. Meanwhile, I was working there as a waitress. After five years apart, when they saw me, their faces instantly darkened. But they didn’t want anything to do with me. That is, until they saw me kneeling on the ground, licking up food scraps for a thousand-dollar tip. Mom immediately stepped forward to scold me: “Colleen! I think you’ve gone crazy for money—you’ll do anything!” “If you want money, just say so! Why put on this show and humiliate us on purpose?” I knelt there in embarrassment, head down, saying nothing. Yes, I really would do anything for money. Because without that thousand dollars, I was going to die. Mocking voices surrounded me, everyone waiting to see what I’d do. A thousand dollars really wasn’t much—not even enough to buy a pair of socks for anyone here. But to me, it was everything. Kinsley stood nearby with my parents, but they didn’t stop it. Because they thought it was embarrassing. But when they actually saw me kneel down and lower my head to lick the floor, my parents finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Enough!” The laughter stopped. I froze, then numbly raised my head. Some inexplicable hope stirred in my heart. I saw Kinsley standing between my parents in a haute couture gown, looking like a little princess. Dad’s eyes were red with fury as he said: “Colleen! You know today is Kinsley’s birthday party—why can’t you stop causing trouble even after all these years!” “You’ve made your mother sick with anger! Stop performing—even if you swallow glass, we won’t forgive you!” Almost everyone here knew our family’s situation. They all turned to look at me with condemnation. I lowered my head and smiled bitterly. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t need your forgiveness.” The bite of food I’d just eaten contained shards of glass that had rolled into my mouth. When I spoke, my mouth was full of the taste of blood. But compared to everything else, this pain was nothing. “You!” Even Mom, who’d been silent, stepped forward angrily. Kinsley wiped away tears pitifully: “Colleen, after all the terrible things you did back then, after you pushed Mom down the stairs and left her with permanent health problems…” “Don’t you feel any guilt at all? And now you’re here to ruin my birthday…” Seeing his daughter’s distress and his wife’s pale face, Dad stepped forward. He slapped me hard across the face. Pain shot through me as I fell into the broken glass, blood flowing freely. “After all these years! You still haven’t learned!” Through my dizziness, I looked past Dad. That face identical to mine was watching me with mockery. Even five years later, I remained amazed by Kinsley’s acting skills. But I really had nothing to feel guilty about. Not because I was cold-blooded. But because I wasn’t actually Colleen at all! The Mitchell family had twin daughters. The older sister, Kinsley, was quiet and refined. The younger, Colleen, was rebellious and notorious. Five years ago, my name was still Kinsley. Colleen was naturally rebellious and unmanageable. She bullied classmates at school, had terrible grades, and dabbled in smoking and drinking. Our parents worried constantly about her. I’d been obedient and sensible since childhood, so I didn’t want to add to their troubles. I worked hard at everything, but became invisible at home. Mom hired expensive tutors for Colleen, while I, with my good grades, naturally didn’t need any. Dad personally drove Colleen to and from school every day, while I only had a driver, year-round. When Colleen wanted desserts, they’d wait in line all night, but they’d just transfer money to me and tell me to figure out my own dinner. Even the room I’d lived in since childhood was taken away because Colleen took a liking to it. Mom said: “Colleen says if she switches rooms, she’ll straighten up. You know how exhausting it is for Mom to deal with her.” “You’ve always been so understanding—you get it, right?” I only remember how warm Mom’s hand felt on mine at that moment. So I nodded without thinking. But Colleen didn’t straighten up. Instead, she got worse. Until one day, my parents caught her stealing Grandma’s heirloom that she’d left to Mom. Colleen had sold it for cash and secretly gone to a bar. The heirloom was lost, impossible to recover. My parents were furious and even hit Colleen. In a fit of rage, Colleen actually pushed Mom down the stairs! Amid the chaos, Mom lay in a pool of blood. Realizing what she’d done, Colleen panicked for the first time. She ran away. I didn’t realize then that this would be the beginning of my descent into hell. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have run out to find her, only to be knocked unconscious with a single hit. When I woke up again, our identities had been switched. She’d cut my long hair and styled hers to match mine. By the time I got back to the hospital, Colleen was already at Mom’s bedside. “Dad…” As soon as I approached, Dad kicked me to the ground. Intense pain washed over me. “Colleen, you dare come back! Look what you’ve done!” Dad’s eyes were bloodshot, trembling with rage. “After raising you all these years, this is how you repay us? Do you know that because of you, your mother will have to take medication for the rest of her life?” I’m not! I’m not Colleen! But no matter how I explained, he wouldn’t listen. He just thought I was making excuses. I even knelt at his feet, begging him to really look at me. But in the end, I was mercilessly dragged out of the hospital room. “Starting today, I’m cutting all ties with you, Colleen!” “From now on, whether you live or die has nothing to do with us!” No matter how much I cried out, no one listened. Finally, security dragged me out. As I struggled, I saw Mom wake up. Colleen was obediently giving her water, imitating how I used to act. “Mom has wronged you all these years, Kinsley.” Mom held Colleen’s hand, weak but affectionate. But the real Kinsley had already been thrown out of the hospital.

“I ate it. Can I have the money now?” I stood up expressionlessly and held out my hand to the person who’d challenged me in the first place. Countless glass shards were embedded in my thigh, blood staining my pants. But I was only fixated on getting the money. With a loud crash, Dad knocked my phone out of my hand. It smashed hard against the floor. “Nobody give her any money! Don’t do such disgusting things while wearing Kinsley’s face!” Dad said with disgust. Disgusting? Maybe it really was. In these five years of struggle, as long as it paid, had I done any less dirty, exhausting work? Otherwise I wouldn’t have developed cancer. I rushed to pick up my phone—it was my most valuable possession. I’d bought it with money saved from a year of janitorial work. When I was kicked out, I had nothing. I’d knelt at the front door begging. I’d slept in underpasses. I’d stayed in parks. Finally, I’d faced reality. The name Colleen had such a terrible reputation. Even as a janitor, I was constantly made things difficult for. I’d ended up with various health problems before I could afford this phone. I picked it up with trembling hands. The screen was shattered. Seeing the red chilblains on my hands, Mom’s heart softened. Twin sisters—one as delicate as a flower, the other humble as dirt in the dust. “Just go…” Mom said. “Leave now, and we won’t make things difficult for you. Just stop hurting people!” The handprint on my face, the glass in my thigh, the garbage I’d eaten. All evening, I didn’t know who I’d hurt. I only knew that I was in so much pain. My stomach began cramping violently. I hadn’t had medicine in so long. I needed that money. But in the end, I still didn’t get it. Because once again, I was thrown out by security. I returned to the kitchen in a daze. “Starting today, don’t come back!” the manager said coldly. My lips went white with panic. “Why!” “Why? Keeping you here is just trouble. I hired you because you seemed honest, but I didn’t know you had such connections. We can’t accommodate you here!” The manager shook off my hand without mercy. “What about my wages for this month…” I said anxiously. “Wages? You dare ask for wages? Get out!” The manager slammed the door and left. The Mitchell family was a major client. No one dared offend them. And I was the Mitchell family’s despised enemy, so no one would treat me well. I couldn’t stay here anymore either. But I never expected that in the end, I’d lose both my wages and that thousand-dollar tip. Because Colleen was a sinner who’d done evil, she would never have it easy for the rest of her life. But I’m not Colleen! Why, why did I have to suffer all this? I could only pack my things and return to my dwelling. The damp, cramped basement had no sunlight. But it was my only shelter for these five years. Without this month’s wages, I probably couldn’t even afford the rent for this basement room. The day I was diagnosed with cancer, my life collapsed. I didn’t want to die yet. Cancer hurts so much. I often woke up in the middle of the night in pain, drenched in sweat. My nails scraped hard against the walls, leaving bloody marks, but it still couldn’t stop the pain. Medicine could suppress it, but it was too expensive. So I endured it. I scrimped and saved, just to afford chemotherapy. Now I was just a thousand dollars short. I really needed that thousand dollars. I removed my clothes and used tweezers to extract the glass from my leg. The blood from last night had long since dried. The glass shards were deeply embedded. I had to pull hard to get them out. The pain made my vision go black. My consciousness wasn’t clear, but my parents’ words still echoed in my mind. “From now on, whether you live or die has nothing to do with us!” “Stop hurting people…” Five years had passed, and we’d met again. Every word they said still tugged at my heart. I often dreamed that I was the current Kinsley. That Mom and Dad loved me. When pain woke me from these dreams in the middle of the night… I realized that what I wanted most was simply to go home. Back when I was still Kinsley, my parents didn’t love me. Now that I wasn’t Kinsley anymore, my parents still didn’t love me. Is there a time difference for being loved? No—it’s just that I was the wrong person. I woke again to urgent ringing. “Colleen, today is the last day for payment. If you don’t pay, we can’t schedule your chemotherapy.” It was a nurse from the hospital. “I’m so sorry. Could you please give me a little more time?” I pleaded weakly. “It’s not easy for us either. So many people are waiting to save their lives! We can’t delay others’ lives because of you!” I could only promise to pay by tomorrow. But where was I going to get the money? Just then, someone pounded hard on the basement door. The drunk landlord had come to collect rent. I hadn’t paid rent for two months because I was saving for chemotherapy. I should have gotten my wages last night, but I’d returned empty-handed. I only had two hundred dollars left. The landlord took the two bills with disgust, then slapped them back in my face without mercy. “No money and you still rent? I’ve been sick of looking at you! If you can’t pay rent, get out!” He threw my belongings out of the room like garbage. Finally, he grabbed me and threw me out onto the floor outside the door. Already injured, pain shot through my entire body. I couldn’t get up for a long time. When I came to my senses, the landlord had already locked the door. My belongings were scattered on the ground like trash. The last place in this world that could shelter me had been taken away too.

My broken phone screen lit up. An anonymous text gave only a location. All these years I’d been searching for the heirloom that Colleen had sold. I’d finally found it! With it, whether I was Kinsley or Colleen, I could go home, right? I’d imagined this countless times. Because I was so tired. I missed the old days so much. Even if they didn’t love me, it was okay—as long as I had a home to return to. So I didn’t bother picking up my scattered belongings. I got up and took a five-hour bus ride to get there. Five years ago, that jade bracelet had changed hands several times before being bought by this family. They’d been planning to use it as a wedding gift. “What would it take for you to sell it to me?” I asked urgently. The woman with narrow eyes squinted, then held up a number with her fingers. I froze in place. After hesitating for a long time, I finally took out the card I’d sewn into the lining of my clothes. This money was what I’d been saving for chemotherapy. I was just a thousand short of being able to go. But it was okay. Once I got the jade bracelet home and told Mom and Dad about my cancer… They definitely wouldn’t ignore me. Then I wouldn’t have to hurt anymore. I received the box with both hands, holding it treasured in my arms. Then I took another five-hour bus ride back. After five years, I returned to the front of the Mitchell family villa. As soon as I entered, I saw the three of them eating dinner in the living room, happy and harmonious. Seeing me, Dad’s expression changed drastically. “What are you doing here! You’re not welcome here!” He was about to come push me out the door. Mom stood up, frowning, wanting to speak but hesitating. “I found it—I found the bracelet!” Like offering a treasure, I took the bracelet from my chest. Hearing this, Mom and Dad’s eyes lit up. Mom excitedly stepped forward to receive it, opening the box and examining it carefully. Seeing their happy expressions, I couldn’t help feeling excited. So I carefully told them about having cancer. My parents’ faces instantly went white. After all, I was their biological daughter. After all, they’d doted on me for so many years. No one could remain unmoved. Mom even came forward, took my hand, and her eyes reddened. “What cancer? Don’t be scared—Mom will take you to get treatment!” So warm—it made me dazed for a moment. So I missed the darkness in Kinsley’s eyes behind her. “Are you really sick?” she spoke up, interrupting this tender moment. “Mom, I forgot to tell you—I found this bracelet a few days ago too.” With that, she pulled out an identical jade bracelet from her chest. In that instant, my whole body felt like it had fallen into an ice cellar. Which was real and which was fake became obvious with a comparison. Even Mom reacted to this. Usually gentle, she couldn’t suppress her anger and slapped me hard across the face. Heaven one moment, hell the next. I was knocked to the ground. “I thought you’d turned over a new leaf! To think you’d use something like this to scam money!” “And cancer—why doesn’t cancer just kill you!” she roared. Overcome with rage, Mom suddenly couldn’t breathe and collapsed to the ground. I tried to help her up, but Dad kicked me away. That kick landed right on my stomach. My stomach immediately began cramping violently, a heavy taste of blood surging into my mouth. “People like you deserve to die! Why don’t you just die!” Dad pointed at me and roared. “Having a daughter like you is the greatest shame of my life!” They didn’t even give me a chance to explain. Five years ago, when I explained I wasn’t Colleen, they wouldn’t listen. Five years later, they’d stripped away even the right to explain. Thinking of the joy and warmth from just minutes ago… Thinking of the jade bracelet I’d carefully protected all the way here… The world spun around me. I didn’t even seem to have the strength to breathe. Only one thought remained in my mind. The money I’d saved for chemotherapy—I’d used it all to buy a fake bracelet. It hurt so much. “I’m really dying, Mom and Dad…” Swallowing the blood in my mouth, my voice was hoarse and weak. But no one was moved. “Ha! If you died, everyone would be happy!” Dad helped Mom to the sofa and said mockingly. The disappointment in Mom’s eyes, the hatred in Dad’s eyes, the smugness in Kinsley’s eyes—it all hurt my eyes to look at. Actually, I’d known for a while that even with chemotherapy, I wouldn’t live much longer. But I just wanted to try. Now, there was no need for that anymore. It was pouring rain outside as I was thrown out the door once again. Like garbage. The doors of the Mitchell house had shut me out once more. For the next month, they never saw me again. But no one cared. Because they were busy setting up a charity foundation in Colleen’s name, paving the way for her future. At the press conference, a reporter asked: “I heard you have twin daughters. Why is there so little news about the other one?” Dad’s face went cold as he said sternly: “We only have one daughter, Kinsley. Other irrelevant people—whether they live or die has nothing to do with us!” This completely severed any connection with me. If I’d seen that interview, I might have been heartbroken. But I would never see it. Late at night, Mom woke from her sleep. “Do you think Colleen might really be sick? That day, I found some blood on the floor.” She said worriedly. But Dad just laughed dismissively. “You’re too soft-hearted! What could be wrong with her? Disasters last a thousand years—I think she left it on purpose to make us feel bad!” But Dad, this time you’ll be disappointed. This disaster won’t last a thousand years. An urgent phone ring interrupted his words. He picked up the phone. On the other end was a police officer, speaking in an official, cold tone. “Hello, is this Mr. Mitchell? There’s a body here that needs you to come identify it.”

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“Transfer this $8 million in sales to Lily’s account.” Sales Director Zachary Grant slammed the file in front of me, his tone brooking no argument. Lily was an intern who’d just started yesterday. She couldn’t even use Excel. “Why should I?” I asked. Zachary replied: “Lily just graduated. She needs the sales numbers. You’re a senior employee—you should help new people. Besides, you’re going on maternity leave next month. Even if you win top salesperson, you won’t get promoted. Better to give it to your sister.” $8 million in sales meant a commission of $240,000. He wanted me to gift $240,000 to his little mistress? “What if I don’t transfer it?” “Then forget about maternity leave. Just resign.” I picked up the pen and signed the transfer form. Lily smiled. Zachary smiled too. I smiled as well. They didn’t know that this $8 million client was my ex-husband. An ex-husband who wasn’t just wealthy, but who was currently tearing the world apart trying to find me so we could remarry.

After signing, I capped the pen. Zachary smugly tucked the document into his briefcase—this was his only chip for pushing for vice president this quarter. “Thank you so much.” Lily leaned over, batting her innocent big eyes: “I just got here and don’t know anything. I’ll need Susan to teach me a lot from now on. This client… is he mean?” I looked at her. Skin so smooth you could squeeze water from it, eyes as clear as a college student’s. Unfortunately, she was an idiot. “Not mean at all.” I smiled. “Mr. Caldwell really likes innocent young girls. You should’ve deliberately fallen into his arms. He eats that right up.” “Really?” Lily’s eyes lit up. “Like in those short videos?” “Exactly.” Zachary listened from the side, his expression approving: “Susan, that’s the right attitude. Training new employees is your responsibility as a supervisor. When Lily closes this deal, I’ll save you a spot for the Outstanding Employee award at year-end.” Outstanding Employee. A $2,000 bonus. He took my $240,000 commission and wanted to buy me off with $2,000. “Thank you, Mr. Grant.” I stood up. “I’ll head back now. My morning sickness has been pretty bad these past few days.” I turned and walked out of the office. The moment the door closed, I heard laughter inside. “She’s so dumb, signing just like that.” “Of course. Pregnant women are the easiest to manipulate. Would she dare not sign? If she didn’t, I’d cut her maternity pay and kick her out.” “So that bag you promised to buy me…” “I’ll buy it! Once this commission comes through, I’ll get you whatever you want!” I touched my slightly swollen belly. I was a single mom. In this city, with no house and no car, I relied entirely on this job to support myself and the baby inside me. Zachary knew this perfectly well. He thought that for my salary, for my leave, I could only swallow my anger. If this were the old Susan, maybe I really would have endured it. But this time was different. I pulled out my phone and opened my contacts. In the blocked list lay a name: Adrian Caldwell. Also known as the “$8 million big client” in Zachary’s mouth. Also known as the madman who’d nearly turned Sea City upside down looking for me. Adrian and I had been divorced for three years. We divorced because he was too busy—so busy that his assistant came to sign for my appendicitis surgery, so busy that I blew out birthday candles alone. I didn’t lack money. I lacked love. So I left. Left cleanly, changed my phone number, changed cities. He searched for me like a madman. He’d been searching for three years. I never let anyone know about my past. In my colleagues’ eyes, I was a single mom abandoned by a scumbag. In Zachary’s eyes, I was a nobody with no connections, someone to be slaughtered at will. My phone vibrated. A text from the bank. Mortgage deduction: -$6,800. Balance: $3,205.40. This was everything I had. Originally, that $240,000 was meant to be saved for the baby’s formula and my postpartum care. Now Zachary had snatched it away to buy bags for his mistress. Perfect. People need not only a bottom line but also teeth. Since you won’t act human, don’t blame me for letting the dog loose. Lily posted a new Instagram. A selfie. The background was my workspace. She held Adrian’s project materials, making a peace sign. Caption: “Hardworking girls will have good luck! I’ll do my best!” A row of colleagues liked it below. Even Zachary commented: “Promising future.” I opened Adrian’s profile. Removed him from my blocked list, then sent him a message: “You there? Let’s talk.” Less than three seconds after I sent it, he called. “Susan? Is it you? Susan?” “It’s me.” “Where are you?” His voice instantly grew urgent. “Send me your location! I’ll come right now! I…” “Fine. Tomorrow afternoon at three, HongTech, conference room. I’ll be waiting for you to sign the contract.” “HongTech?” He paused. “You work at that company?” “Yes.” “Okay, I’ll definitely be there.” “There’s one more thing I need your help with.” “Tell me. I’ll give you anything you want.” A cold smile curved my lips. “Tomorrow, pretend you don’t know me.” “What?” “Not only pretend you don’t know me, but take good care of my colleague.” Silence on the other end for one second. Then came Adrian’s low, dangerous voice with a hint of pleading. “Who bullied you?” “You’ll find out tomorrow.” “Okay.” He said. “Susan, as long as you’re willing to see me, I’ll commit murder or arson.”

The next day. The entire sales department was on high alert. Zachary wore the custom suit he’d only worn at his wedding, his hair slicked back so shiny a fly would do the splits landing on it. Lily was even more dressed up. Short skirt, black stockings, low-cut top. Heavy makeup, perfume so strong it could knock you over from six feet away. “Susan, how do I look?” She turned to ask me. I was sitting in the corner eating bread—my lunch. “Pretty good.” I nodded sincerely. “Very… professional.” Nightclub professional. “That’s a relief.” She relaxed, proudly pushing out her chest. “Mr. Grant said Mr. Caldwell, being such a big boss, sees career women all the time and prefers someone delicate like me.” I suppressed a laugh. Adrian hated perfume more than anything. He had severe rhinitis. And he especially hated women who dressed like they were going clubbing during business meetings. He was a typical abstinent workaholic. Back when I tried to match his preferences, my closet was full of black, white, and gray business attire. I only dared wear faint woody fragrances. Lily waved the folder in her hand. “Mr. Grant said if I close this deal, I’ll be converted to a permanent position. I’ll treat you to boba tea then.” “No need.” I swallowed the last bite of bread. “Keep it for yourself. After all…” After all, this might be your last meal in this industry. “After all what?” “Nothing.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped my mouth. “Good luck.” 2:50 PM. A convoy of black Maybachs stopped downstairs from the company. Quite the spectacle. Zachary led the entire sales department to line up at the entrance in welcome. I stood at the very end, like a ghost. The car door opened. First came four bodyguards in black. Then a pair of shiny leather shoes, long legs. Adrian stepped out. Three years later, he was thinner, the sharp edge in his eyes even heavier. Zachary immediately rushed over with a fawning smile, bowing at a ninety-degree angle. “Mr. Caldwell! Welcome, welcome! I’m Sales Director Zachary Grant. I’ve heard so much about you!” Adrian didn’t look at him. His gaze swept through the crowd like radar. Finally, it locked onto me in the corner. I looked at him expressionlessly and shook my head slightly. His eyes instantly turned cold as an ice cellar as he strode inside. In the conference room. Zachary gave the head seat to Adrian. “Mr. Caldwell, we take this project very seriously. We’ve specially assigned our department’s most promising… that one, Lily!” Lily swayed over. “Hello, Mr. Caldwell~” That greeting had a sugar content of four pluses. She carried a cup of coffee, her body practically pressing against Adrian. “Mr. Caldwell, I specially ground this coffee for you. Careful, it’s hot~” Adrian recoiled like he’d seen something filthy. “Achoo!” “Mr. Caldwell, are you alright?” Lily panicked and reached out to pat his back. “Is the air conditioning too cold?” “Get away!” Adrian shot to his feet, swatting her hand away. The movement was too forceful—the coffee cup toppled. Brown liquid splashed all over Lily and onto Zachary’s face. Lily froze in place, tears welling in her eyes: “Mr… Mr. Caldwell?” “Who told you to get so close?” Adrian pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands in disgust. “Is this HongTech’s hospitality?” Zachary’s face went white with fear as he frantically wiped his face with tissues: “A misunderstanding! Mr. Caldwell, this is a misunderstanding! Lily’s new, she doesn’t know better…” Adrian sneered. “This kind of trash can get into your company? Are you running a nightclub?” I lowered my head, my shoulders trembling slightly. From suppressing laughter. Lily burst into tears with a wail. “What are you crying for!” Zachary roared. “Get out!” Lily covered her face and ran out. Zachary rubbed his hands awkwardly: “Mr. Caldwell, please calm down. How about… I present the proposal?” “Are you qualified?” “I’ve seen your proposal. It’s garbage.” Zachary’s smile froze on his face. “But this is… this is our best…” “Who made it?” Adrian interrupted him. Zachary’s eyes darted around. “Originally… Susan made it.” He pointed to me in the corner. “But she’s incompetent, her thinking is confused. Later Lily took over and revised it.” Good grief. Just now he said it was Lily’s achievement. Now that something went wrong, it became mine. Adrian followed his finger and looked at me. “Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Susan?” “Yes, yes, it’s her! Mr. Caldwell, it’s all because she’s incompetent! This proposal was mainly her responsibility. I said from the start she wasn’t up to it. You see…” “Since she was responsible for it.” Adrian interrupted him. “Then let her present it.” Zachary frantically waved at me: “Susan! What are you standing there for? Come present the proposal to Mr. Caldwell!” As he spoke, he desperately gave me meaningful looks. Meaning: Hold it together. If you screw this up, you’re fired. Everyone’s eyes focused on me. Some sympathetic, most waiting for the show. I walked to the projector. Without a USB drive, without documents. “Mr. Caldwell.” I spoke, my voice calm. “The proposal doesn’t need presenting.” “Why not?” “Because that proposal is indeed garbage.” Zachary gasped. “Susan! What nonsense are you talking! Do you want to get fired!” I ignored him and continued looking at Adrian. “The real proposal is in my head.” “The $8 million order includes three phases. Phase one focuses on smart upgrades, accounting for 40% of the budget. But I believe your company’s pain point isn’t hardware—it’s data integration.” “If we follow the original proposal, you’d just be swapping in a batch of more expensive computers. But if we follow my approach, it could save your company 15% in operating costs annually.” I spoke for three minutes straight. Professional, precise, hitting the nail on the head. This was the real proposal I’d stayed up three nights working on. Not the watered-down garbage I gave Lily. Adrian watched me. His Adam’s apple bobbed. His expression shifted from appreciation to infatuation. “Good.” “Very good.” He stood up and even clapped twice. “This is the proposal I want.” He turned to look at Zachary, his gaze instantly switching back to looking-at-garbage mode. “Mr. Grant, you just said this proposal was revised by… who?” Zachary was sweating bullets: “Mr. Caldwell, this… this…” “I think Mr. Grant isn’t that old. How did you go blind?” Adrian said coldly. “Such an excellent talent, and you say she’s incompetent?” “Or are you… trying to steal her credit?” Zachary’s legs went weak: “No… that’s not it! A misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding!” Adrian sneered and looked at me. “Miss Susan, I admire your proposal very much.” “For this deal, I’ll only sign with you.” Zachary was overjoyed: “Good, good! Signing with Susan is the same! It’s all the company’s achievement!” “Wait.” I spoke up. “Mr. Caldwell, before signing the contract, I have a few conditions.” “First, this deal’s performance must be credited to my personal account. The commission points must be written clearly in black and white in the contract—$240,000, not a penny less. And it must be paid immediately.” Zachary’s expression changed: “Susan, company policy…” “Second.” I interrupted him. “I’m taking maternity leave. All maternity benefits will be executed at the highest standard. If anyone dares dock a single penny, I’ll go to labor arbitration.” Zachary gritted his teeth: “You…” “Third.” I smiled and pointed to the door. “That girl named Lily—I don’t want to see her in the company again.” “Because I’m allergic to cheap perfume.” “Susan! Don’t push it!” Zachary finally couldn’t hold back. “Are you the supervisor or am I? You think you can fire whoever you want?” “Mr. Grant.” Adrian suddenly spoke. “I think Miss Susan’s suggestions are very reasonable.” “If you don’t agree…” He adjusted his cuffs, his tone casual. “Then this $8 million deal is off.” “Also, I’ll let all my friends in the industry know.” “HongTech’s integrity is questionable.” That one sentence was Zachary’s death sentence. Finally, he ground his teeth and squeezed out a few words: “Fine… I agree.” I smiled. “Mr. Grant is generous.” I turned to look at Adrian. “Mr. Caldwell, shall we… discuss the details over dinner tonight?” Adrian’s eyes lit up as he nodded frantically. “Yes! I’m free! I’m free right now!” He looked exactly like a golden retriever waiting for its owner’s touch.

Outside the company entrance. Adrian transformed into a different person. He grabbed my hand, his grip so tight it felt like he’d crush my bones. “Susan!” I shook off his hand. “Mr. Caldwell, please show some restraint.” “This is right outside the company.” He froze in place, as awkward as a child who’d done something wrong. “I’m sorry… I got too excited.” “These three years, where did you go? I nearly went crazy looking for you.” “Do you know why I didn’t want to see you?” I looked at him coldly. “Because you’re a lunatic.” “Yes, I’m a lunatic.” He smiled bitterly. “Without you, I can’t be normal.” He looked at my belly. His expression was impossibly complex. “The child… whose is it?” I touched my belly. “Not yours, anyway.” Adrian’s face instantly turned deathly pale, his fists clenched so hard they cracked. “Where’s the man?” “Dead.” I said flatly. “Dead?” He froze for a moment, then a strange light burst in his eyes. “Good that he’s dead… good that he’s dead!” “Now no one can compete with me.” “Susan, I don’t mind.” He rushed over and grabbed my shoulders. “I really don’t mind. I’ll raise him as my own. Come home with me, okay?” “Adrian, how desperate for love are you?” “I only want you.” His eyes were red. “As long as you’re by my side, I can endure anything.” I pushed him away. “But I don’t want to endure.” “I contacted you today only to use you.” “Now that I’m done using you, you can leave.” Adrian didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled. “Using me means I still have value.” “Susan, since you’re using me, use me thoroughly.” “That Zachary—do you think this is the end?” I frowned: “What do you mean?” “Someone like him—tonight’s dinner is the real show.” “Do you want to completely destroy him?” I looked at Adrian. “What do you want to do?” “I don’t want to do anything.” He straightened his tie. “I just want to help you… take out the trash.” 7 PM that evening. In a private room at the seafood restaurant, smoke filled the air. Zachary didn’t invite the big boss because he wanted to play dirty. Besides me and Adrian, there were three unfamiliar men in the room. Mr. Wilson, who dealt in building materials—notorious as a dinner table predator. “Mr. Wilson, this is Susan.” Zachary smiled disgustingly. “Not only is she excellent at business, her alcohol tolerance is legendary.” Mr. Wilson squinted as he looked me over, his gaze lingering on my slightly swollen belly for a second before a lewd smile appeared. “Miss Susan, you’re pregnant?” I looked at him coldly: “Yes.” “Pregnancy is good. Pregnancy has charm.” Mr. Wilson raised a glass of liquor. “Come, Miss Susan, this one’s for you.” A full glass of high-proof liquor. Zachary chimed in from the side: “Susan, Mr. Wilson is a key supplier for our project. You need to give him face.” “I’m not drinking.” Mr. Wilson’s face darkened. “If you don’t drink this today, I’ll cut off building materials tomorrow. Let’s see how you explain that to the big boss!” Adrian sat in the main seat, playing with his lighter. He said nothing. He was waiting for me to beg him. Three years ago it was the same—I wouldn’t bow my head, so he wouldn’t extend his hand. The game between us had always been about who would soften first, who would surrender first. But my greatest strength has always been my stubborn spine. “Cut off supply?” I pulled out my phone. “I’ll contact backup suppliers right now.” Mr. Wilson slammed his palm on the table. “Ungrateful bitch!” He stood up, his greasy fat hand reaching directly for my shoulder. “Acting all high and mighty? Pregnant and still coming out to drink with clients—who knows whose bastard…” His hand never touched me. A wine bottle exploded on his head. “CRASH!” Glass shards flew, mixed with red wine, flowing down Mr. Wilson’s face like blood. Adrian held the remaining half of the bottle, his face sinister. “Mr… Mr. Caldwell?” Mr. Wilson covered his head, scared stiff. Zachary was so frightened he’d crawled under the table. “You think you’re worthy of touching her?” He kicked Mr. Wilson in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Then he stepped on Mr. Wilson’s chest, bent down, and pointed the sharp glass at his eyeball. “She’s mine.” “The child in her belly is also mine.” “Who did you call a bastard?” I was stunned. Adrian had gone crazy? He actually publicly claimed this “bastard”? Mr. Wilson literally pissed himself—really pissed himself. A foul smell spread. “Mr. Caldwell, spare me! I didn’t know this was your wife! I didn’t know!” Adrian withdrew his foot in disgust. “Get lost.” Mr. Wilson scrambled away on all fours. Zachary crawled out from under the table, trembling all over: “Mr… Mr. Caldwell, this…” “You too. Get lost.” Adrian didn’t even look at him. Zachary fled as if pardoned, running faster than a rabbit. Only the two of us remained in the private room. Adrian threw down the bottle and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his hands. Then he turned and approached me step by step. That oppressive presence made me instinctively back away until my waist hit the table—nowhere left to retreat. He braced his hands on either side of me, caging me in his territory. “Susan.” He spoke through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse. “I just saved you.” “As repayment, tell me.” “Who is that man?” I looked into his bloodshot eyes. “Didn’t Mr. Caldwell just say it was yours?” “That was to protect your reputation!” He roared. “But…” He took a deep breath and buried his head in the crook of my neck. “But if you’re willing to come back to me.” “I can play dumb.” “Just don’t disappear again.” My heart jolted sharply. This man, proud to his very bones, had humbled himself to dust for me. Too bad. The more he did this, the less I could turn back. I pushed him away and straightened my clothes. “Mr. Caldwell, thank you for earlier.” “I forgot to tell you—I got married to my boyfriend last month.” “Please maintain appropriate boundaries.” I grabbed my bag and fled from the private room. Behind me came the sound of shattering plates. And Adrian’s desperate roar: “Susan! You don’t have a fucking heart!”

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On my wedding day, my fiancé Lucas’s best friend Sienna showed up wearing my wedding dress and made videos. I watched the entire ceremony through a livestream. Lucas even fed Sienna champagne mouth-to-mouth while his friends cheered them on. The wedding host held up the microphone, working the crowd: “When are you going to bring out the real bride, Lucas? If you keep stalling, she’s probably crying by now!” Lucas swirled his glass with a laugh: “She’ll be fine. She can’t leave me anyway. I’ll just sweet-talk her later.” I turned off the monitor and walked up to Lucas carrying a portfolio: “Mr. Harper, Miss Winters. Congratulations on your nuptials. This is my gift to you.” The portfolio contained my spring haute couture designs prepared for Harper Group. I tore it to pieces in front of all the guests. “I’m officially announcing that Smith Corporation is terminating its contract with Harper Group. All collaborations are void.” Lucas, your nightmare has just begun. “The groom may now kiss the bride!” the wedding host Ethan shouted. Lucas smiled and planted a kiss on Sienna’s hand. The next second, Sienna suddenly stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips against his. The room went silent for a moment. Then whistles and cheers erupted. “Lucas, taking it that far! Sienna, why don’t you substitute for the wedding night too?” Sienna looked at Lucas: “How are you not even surprised? I’m not satisfied with that reaction. Do it again!” Suddenly someone shouted. “Stop teasing them, or the real bride might get angry and run away!” Lucas said with a smile: “What’s she got to be angry about? Sienna and I grew up together. We’re just joking around.” Sienna hooked her arm through his and stuck her tongue out at the crowd below. “Exactly. Lucas and I have been friends for over twenty years. We kissed plenty of times as kids. When Lucas was seven, he promised to throw me a wedding. This time he’s just keeping his promise, or else he’d turn into a puppy.” Another round of laughter. Ethan was the smoothest of their friend group. He grabbed the microphone to smooth things over. “Looks like our Sienna is more eager than the bride! But that’s okay, we all know Lucas and Sienna are tight as can be. They can take a joke!” He paused and raised his voice. “The bride definitely won’t be mad, right everyone?” “Right!” The cheering nearly lifted the roof. Ethan gave a signal, and immediately someone brought over two glasses of champagne. He pressed them into Lucas and Sienna’s hands. “Come on, this toast is to your twenty-plus years of friendship!” Sienna’s eyes suddenly reddened, her voice catching. “Lucas, in the future… you can’t forget about me just because you have a wife.” Lucas publicly ruffled her hair. “What silly talk. You’ll always be my most important friend.” The two intertwined arms and drank it all. The room thundered with applause as many raised their phones to record. The wedding march changed to “Auld Lang Syne.”

Lucas pulled Sienna by the hand toward a dining table, constantly getting shoulder pats along the way. “Lucas, Sienna’s really something! You really don’t want to marry her?” Lucas laughed and punched the guy’s shoulder. “Get lost, stop talking nonsense.” But he never let go of Sienna’s hand, escorting her all the way to Mrs. Harper’s side. He leaned down to tell Sienna: “No more fooling around, okay? Emma’s still waiting for me. Just sit next to my mother.” A guest asked in confusion. “Who is this young lady?” Mrs. Harper smiled and pushed Sienna forward. “This is Sienna, Lucas’s childhood friend. She’s like our own daughter. Today we really have her to thank for livening up the atmosphere. Otherwise how could the wedding be this lively?” Sienna sweetly raised her glass. “I’m Sienna. I’m happier than anyone about Lucas getting married. The bride will be out soon.” She was charming, making a round of toasts that delighted all the elders. Mrs. Harper suddenly removed the jade bracelet from her wrist and slipped it onto Sienna’s hand. “Good girl, thank you for your hard work today.” That bracelet was a Harper family heirloom passed to daughters-in-law. Last month Mrs. Harper had personally given it to me, saying to wear it on the wedding day. I didn’t accept it, claiming it was too precious and I was afraid of damaging it. The truth was I wanted to save it for the most important moment. Now it adorned Sienna’s wrist, jade-green and translucent against her snow-white skin. Sienna gasped. “Mrs. Harper, this is too precious…” “If I’m giving it to you, wear it. Later, I’ll pick out something new for Emma.” Mrs. Harper pressed her hand down, eyes full of affection. All the guests at the table saw it, their expressions varied. Someone teased. “Mrs. Harper, why didn’t you just have Lucas marry Sienna directly?” Mr. Harper laughed heartily. “If Sienna married into our family, we’d be laughing in our sleep!” Sienna blushed and hid behind Lucas, who laughed and stood in front of her. “Mom, Dad, stop talking nonsense. I don’t even see Sienna as a woman. I only want to marry Emma for the rest of my life!” I laughed coldly, looking at my watch. It was already forty-four minutes past the scheduled wedding time. Yet no one had asked where the bride was. My phone screen lit up—a message Lucas sent five minutes ago. [Emma, Sienna was just joking, don’t take it to heart.] [I’ll have them restart the wedding ceremony now.] The phone’s glow illuminated the dim corner of the dressing room. Sienna’s livestream account was still on. The camera pointed directly at the wedding venue. The comments kept refreshing. [Holy shit, is this not the bride? She’s gorgeous!] [Wait, it’s Lucas’s wedding? He’s so handsome! They look perfect together!] [Hold on, isn’t today supposed to be Lucas and Emma Smith’s wedding? How is Sienna the bride?] [Anyone who knows them? They just said the girl in the wedding dress is Lucas’s friend of twenty-something years. It’s for views, just messing around. The real bride is backstage.] [This isn’t cool. The real bride must be fuming.]

[Mad about what? Emma was the homewrecker anyway. If it weren’t for her, Lucas and Sienna would’ve been together ages ago.] My finger scrolling through the screen paused. In the frame, Sienna leaned over to straighten his tie. The comments exploded again. [Can someone explain what actually happened?] [In college they were inseparable, okay! Everyone thought they were a couple.] [Then Emma appeared. Who knows what tricks she used, always clinging to Lucas.] [I was in Emma’s class. She was so poor back then, always eating the cheapest cafeteria food, clothes washed until they were faded. Lucas probably just felt sorry for her, then got caught.] [Isn’t this the classic rags-to-riches story? Look at that wedding dress she’s wearing—millions in custom design. She couldn’t afford it without latching onto the Harpers.] My nails dug into my palms. The camera suddenly swept across the main table. Some society wife was praising the jade bracelet on Sienna’s hand. Mrs. Harper held her hand, saying something with a smile. Comments cheered. [This is clearly the mother-in-law’s approval!] I closed my eyes. Thinking back to last month, that afternoon when Mrs. Harper personally handed me the bracelet. “Emma dear, this bracelet is a Harper family heirloom. By rights it should go to the daughter-in-law.” “But you’re young, and gentle-natured. I don’t know if jade suits your taste?” I thought Mrs. Harper was being considerate of me. Turns out she already had a more suitable candidate in mind. The comments were all praising how good they looked together, saying Lucas and Sienna were a match made in heaven. A match made in heaven? I laughed out loud, the sound jarring in the empty dressing room. My phone buzzed again—a message from my college roommate. [Emma, did you see the livestream? Don’t listen to those people talking nonsense! Lucas was the one who pursued you back then!] Yes. Lucas was the one who pursued me. Sophomore year, I was noticed by a sculpture professor who wanted me to switch majors, but I refused. The old professor was so angry his beard bristled. He made me clean the sculpture studio as punishment. Lucas was hiding from a girl who kept confessing to him. He ducked into the sculpture studio and locked the door. I was so startled I dropped the rag in my hand into the bucket. He froze, then walked over. “Cleaning all alone on such a cold day?” I ignored him and kept moving the heavy plaster blocks. He watched me for a while, then took the broom from my hands. “Let me do it. You rest.” After that he kept appearing around me. He would say: “Emma, why do you always eat alone? Join me.” “Your hands are so skilled. Whatever you make must be beautiful.” “The moment I saw this necklace, I thought it would suit you perfectly. It’s yours.” I rejected him many times. But he never minded. “Emma, I won’t give up. You’re the first girl I’ve ever liked.” The phone screen dimmed, then lit up again. Someone posted photos from my college days. Wearing a plain white shirt, expression cold. [Look at how shabby she was.] [I heard her parents died young. She was raised by her grandfather. Marrying into the Harpers is her rags-to-riches moment.] [Would the Harper parents even agree? They’re from completely different worlds.]

[What choice do they have? Maybe it’s a shotgun wedding. She does have decent looks.] The comments got increasingly vulgar. I originally thought the Harpers had no class prejudice. But now I realized. At Mrs. Harper’s age and with her scheming mind, she couldn’t possibly miss what Sienna was doing today—disrupting the wedding under the guise of jokes. She was just happy to let it happen. Using Sienna’s hand to put me in my place. To let me know that compared to a rich heiress like Sienna, I was nothing. And Lucas too. He was confident I wouldn’t back out of the wedding over this. So he let Sienna do whatever she wanted. Twenty years of childhood friendship? Doesn’t see her as a woman? More like he wanted to have his cake and eat it too under the guise of friendship. Finally, Ethan raised the microphone and called my name. “Let’s give the warmest applause to welcome today’s true star—” Just then Sienna burst through the dressing room door. “Emma, why are you still here?” Her voice was sickeningly sweet. “They’re about to toss the bouquet outside. Come play?” I closed my lipstick and turned to look at her. “Toss the bouquet?” I smiled. “Without the bride present, who’s the bouquet for?” “That’s why we need you.” Sienna stepped forward and affectionately linked arms with me. “I know you probably don’t care for all those stuffy wedding rituals anyway. Come on, I’ll go out with you. Let’s play a game, okay?” Without waiting for my answer, she pushed me into the spotlight. I signaled to the staff I’d arranged to follow me with the items. This wedding had completely turned into a farce. No one cared about the bride’s entrance. I walked casually alongside Sienna. As we walked, I asked: “What game do you want to play?” “Catching the bouquet!” She held up the lily of the valley bouquet to my face. “If I catch it, Lucas has to grant me one unconditional request. If you catch it…” She paused, her smile deepening. “I’ll give you back the bracelet Mrs. Harper just gave me. Fair, right?” She deliberately stopped and looked toward Mrs. Harper. Mrs. Harper’s expression changed. “Nonsense!” She walked over quickly, first glaring at me before turning to Sienna. “Sienna, that bracelet was my gift to you. How can you use it as a wager?” Then she looked at me. “Emma, Sienna likes to play around. You don’t need to humor her.” The room fell quiet. Everyone was watching me. I laughed lightly. “Mrs. Harper, Miss Winters proposed both the bet and the game. She also skipped all the original wedding ceremony steps. I think she’s quite eager to play this game.” Mrs. Harper was speechless. I stopped looking at her and turned to Sienna. “Since we’re playing, let me add to the stakes. If you win, I’ll give you a big gift.” Sienna’s eyes lit up. “What gift?” “You’ll find out soon.” A space had already been cleared in the banquet hall. Their friends formed a semicircle, ready to catch the bouquet. She showed a confident smile and stood in the center of the crowd. The groomsmen exchanged glances and inconspicuously positioned themselves behind her. Ethan began the countdown. “Three.” The groomsmen quietly moved forward half a step. “Two.” Sienna was already rising on her tiptoes. “One!”

I threw it hard backward. The bouquet arced through the air. The groomsmen all jumped at once, hands reaching in the same direction. Sienna was protected in their midst. Someone batted the bouquet, and it spun mid-air. The lily of the valley flew over all the reaching hands, heading straight for Lucas. He caught it instinctively, with barely a second’s hesitation. He directly stuffed the bouquet into Sienna’s hands. The room went silent for a second. “Man, I thought Lucas would side with his woman, but turns out he’s thinking of our Sienna first.” “You’re done for. Careful the missus doesn’t let you into the wedding chamber tonight.” “What’s to fear? Our Sienna’s wearing a wedding dress too. If there can be two brides, why not two wedding chambers?” “Right, right. With Sienna and Lucas’s revolutionary friendship, worst case Sienna makes another sacrifice.” Only when the suggestive cheers erupted did Lucas realize what he’d done. He looked at me, face full of awkwardness. “Emma, don’t mind it. She’s been eyeing this bouquet all day. If I didn’t give it to her, she’d make a scene again.” Sienna hugged the bouquet, cheeks flushed, playfully punching Lucas. “Listen to you, making it sound like Emma’s so petty. She’s always been the most generous, right, Emma?” I looked at her, suddenly remembering how in college she’d done the same thing—using an innocent tone to say the most hurtful words. Back then, Lucas had specially flown abroad to prepare my first birthday gift, bidding on a pink diamond necklace. The next day it was around Sienna’s neck. I stared at that necklace in shock. Lucas rubbed his nose. Before he could speak, Sienna said in an envious tone: “I’ve had my eye on this necklace forever. There’s only one, and he snagged it first. Lucas said I could borrow it for a while. That’s okay, right, Emma?” She stuck out her tongue then. “Emma’s so generous, she definitely won’t be mad.” Lucas chimed in from the side. “Exactly. It’s just a necklace. Next time I’ll pick an even better one for you.” But I never received any necklace after that. That pink diamond eventually just sat gathering dust in Sienna’s jewelry box. “Emma? You’re not actually mad, are you?” Sienna’s voice pulled me back. I smiled gently and said softly: “It’s just a bouquet. Why would I care?” Lucas suddenly looked at me. He seemed to sense something. He was about to walk toward me when Sienna grabbed his arm. “You just agreed to grant me one unconditional request. Come closer.” I watched as Sienna stood on tiptoes, lips pressed against Lucas’s ear. His ears instantly turned bright red. He tried to dodge sideways but was pulled back. I stood at the edge of the crowd, taking it all in. Lucas’s lack of hesitation. Sienna’s sense of entitlement. The smile on Mrs. Harper’s face. The guests’ suggestive jeering. I turned and walked toward the mobile display that had been sitting in the corner of the banquet hall. My heels clicked softly on the marble floor, but step by step, I cut through the crowd. The noise gradually died down. All eyes turned to me. I stopped in front of the display, hand on the edge of the red silk, and yanked it off. “Mr. Harper, Miss Winters. Congratulations on your nuptials, and congratulations to me for finally having nothing more to do with the Harper family.”

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I’d been searching for three years, and I finally saw my mother’s heirloom at the auction house—a ruby ring. But no matter how much I bid, Vivian Carter, a college student my ex-husband Zachary Hart once sponsored, always outbid me by one dollar. Zachary’s voice was cold and determined: “She loves these sparkly things. Let her have it.” Left with no choice, I offered a price far above market value. That’s when Zachary stood up and said: “Additional auction item: Serena Blake’s sex tapes, 1024 gigabytes. One hundred thousand dollars per gigabyte.” My intimate videos, eyes glazed and unfocused, were brazenly displayed as auction items. Zachary wrapped his arm around Vivian’s waist, looking at me mockingly: “You like competing for things, don’t you? If you don’t want these videos falling into someone else’s hands, then pay up and compete.” Three years ago, my family went bankrupt. He paid a high price to take me from an underground auction. After we married, he was insatiable every night, tangled up with me. Until three months ago, when Vivian appeared at our house, everything changed. I sat in the last row of the auction hall, my fingers gripping the bidding paddle so hard they turned white. The auctioneer introduced the items. The first few were warm-ups that no one took seriously. Then that ruby ring was presented on a tray, glinting coldly under the lights. My heartbeat stuttered. That was my mother’s heirloom. It was also why I came here today. The year my mother died, my father went bankrupt. The ring and I were illegally auctioned off to pay his debts. I’d searched for three years, finally waiting for it to appear here. “Item number five, antique ruby ring. Starting bid: three hundred thousand dollars.” I raised my paddle, my voice flat: “Three hundred thousand dollars.” Immediately, a sickeningly sweet voice rang out. “Three hundred thousand and one dollars.” My ex-husband Zachary Hart walked in with Vivian on his arm. His gray suit was impeccably pressed, his fingertips resting on Vivian’s waist in a casual yet possessive gesture. Vivian leaned against his shoulder, smiling innocently. “Zachary, there are so many people here tonight.” “It’s fine. You’re the star.” She purred like a cat receiving a reward, pressing closer to him. Vivian looked over at me, smiling sweetly, but her eyes were mocking. “You like it too? But Zachary said this antique style… suits me better.” I turned my head to see her clinging to Zachary’s arm, red lips curved upward, eyes full of a victor’s arrogance. Zachary raised his eyes, fingers tapping the armrest lightly, his voice cold. “She loves these sparkly things. Let her have it.” The room erupted in quiet laughter. Everyone knew I was Zachary Hart’s ex-wife—a pathetic creature he’d grown tired of and discarded. Vivian tilted her head, smiling at me. I gripped the bidding paddle tighter, my knuckles turning white. Three years ago, Zachary had done the same thing—brought me home from an auction in front of everyone. That night, he pressed me against the floor-to-ceiling window, biting my earlobe. “Serena Blake, you can’t escape anymore.” “Even though your family went bankrupt, I won’t let anyone bully you from now on.” Now he sat there, watching me get humiliated, without even a flicker in his eyes. She liked it, so I should just give it up? I gritted my teeth and raised my paddle: “Four hundred thousand dollars.” Vivian acted like this was a game: “Four hundred thousand and one dollars.” I bid again: “Five hundred thousand dollars.” She laughed, tilting her head coyly: “Zachary, am I being too mean?” Zachary ruffled her hair, his eyes sweeping over me coldly: “As long as you’re happy.” Vivian looked at me with her head tilted, smiling brightly. “Serena, Zachary said you have good taste—you just love picking up my leftovers, including men.” Whispers and snickers rippled through the crowd. “That’s her—Mr. Hart’s ex-wife!” “She was just a plaything Mr. Hart bought years ago. Three months ago, when Mr. Hart found someone else, he dumped her.” I stared at that ring, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. That was my mother’s heirloom. I couldn’t back down. I raised my number: “I’ll pay ten times the price.” The air went silent instantly. Zachary finally looked at me properly, his brow furrowing. Vivian’s expression shifted: “Serena Blake, are you insane? That broken ring is worth five million dollars?” I ignored her and walked straight to the verification desk. The auctioneer cleared his throat, struggling to maintain a smile. “Miss Blake has made the highest bid. Please proceed with account verification.” “Verification complete. Account balance: one hundred million dollars.” Zachary finally withdrew his contemptuous gaze, his brow furrowing slightly as he fixed his eyes on me. His suit knocked over a champagne glass as he moved, spilling wine across the floor. “Where did you get that money?” Zachary suddenly stood up, grabbing my wrist with enough force to almost crush bone. It reminded me of the night of our divorce. He’d gripped me the same way then, pressing the divorce papers onto the nightstand. I spoke flatly: “Mr. Hart, the alimony the court ordered three months ago. It was yours. Did you forget?” “I don’t like competing. But you two insisted on pushing me to this.” Vivian was practically jumping in frustration, about to say something, but I cut her off first. “Vivian, your taste isn’t that great either. I picked up your leftover man for three years. I feel sorry for myself.” I turned around, heels clicking, walking back to my seat step by step, my back straight. Laughter, gossip, and awkward silence wove together into a new tide. I didn’t look back. I’d gotten the ruby ring back. And my dignity too.

Zachary’s eyes turned completely cold. He raised his hand, signaling the auctioneer to pause. His voice exploded above my head. “Add one more item temporarily.” His voice was calm, but laced with poison. “Serena Blake’s private videos, 1024 gigabytes. One hundred thousand dollars per gigabyte.” The room fell deathly silent. Zachary looked at me, his gaze sharp, enunciating each word. “From age twenty to twenty-five. You like competing for things, don’t you? 1024 gigabytes. Take your time competing.” After saying this, he lightly brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve, as if swatting away an insignificant mosquito. My heart jolted, then went numb. The entire room erupted in shock and murmurs. The air filled with a mixture of perfume and desire. The clinking of glasses, men’s whispers, women’s laughter—it all wove together into a silent hunt. I was the prey. Vivian laughed softly, her eyes full of schadenfreude: “Oh my… so many videos! Serena, I wonder what they show. Will you cry while watching them?” I clutched my purse, knuckles white. The next second, the big screen lit up with blinding blue light. The footage was grainy. Twenty-year-old me wore a pristine white dress. Chasing after Zachary, pulling off the white dress until only my undergarments remained, voice choked with tears. “Zachary, can you please just look at me?” Amid the laughter filling the room, I heard the sound of my spine freezing inch by inch. Vivian’s soft laugh was like a serpent’s hiss. “Oh, you used to be… so slutty?” On screen, I was humble yet earnest. The room began to whisper. “That slutty? Chasing a man like that—so pathetic.” “She was still a socialite then, right? Where’s her dignity…” I bit down hard, staring at the big screen, my cheeks burning. “Stop.” I spoke, my voice so hoarse it barely made a sound. Zachary sat in the front row, posture lazy. He didn’t look at me, only said faintly: “You can bid for it.” “Why are you doing this to me? Just because I won that ruby ring?” Facing my question, Zachary turned his face away, silent. I gritted my teeth and spent one million dollars to buy it. The second video began playing. The burn scar on my wrist looked particularly gruesome in close-up. I got it when Zachary came home drunk one night and I spilled hot soup while cooking. He’d frowned while applying medicine, saying “You’re so clumsy.” His tone was dismissive, but I’d mistaken the faint glimmer in his eyes for concern. Another million dollars gone. The third segment was video from our honeymoon in the Maldives. I wore the bikini he’d chosen, too shy to lift my head. In the video, my earlobes were flushed red. Catcalls erupted throughout the room. Men whispered to each other, their eyes naked with lust. An older man from finance circles wolf-whistled. “Mr. Hart, such an obedient wife and you didn’t want her? What a waste.” Another chimed in: “That body, those eyes—bet she could steal your soul in bed, couldn’t she, Mr. Hart?” I stood there, dissected and served up as a joke. No one asked if I’d consented to those videos being recorded. No one cared that back then, my eyes held only one man—Zachary Hart. Men discussed me eagerly, as if appraising “a man’s trophy.” Women smiled falsely, silent, looking at me like I was the leading lady of a self-inflicted farce. I slowly raised my head, looking toward him sitting in the first row. Zachary said nothing, still leaning back in his chair, as if the person being humiliated on screen was a stranger. Segment after segment, like peeling skin, exposing my five years. Five years centered around Zachary Hart, living only for him. I bought back fifty videos for fifty million dollars.

Until the fifty-first segment. I wore a silk nightgown, drugged at a candlelit dinner, eyes unfocused. I hadn’t known he’d tampered with the wine that night. Zachary held me in his arms, eyes tender: “Let’s try a little couples’ game tonight, hmm?” I believed him. I always believed him. The last frame of the video. The strap of my silk nightgown slipped off, exposing a large expanse of bare shoulder and collarbone. In the final shot, the strap of my silk nightgown slid down. Eyes hazy, I looked like a drunk kitten, gazing at the camera without any guard up. Leaning against the doorframe, calling to him: “Zachary…” The screen cut to black. Click—Zachary’s lighter suddenly slipped from his hand and hit the floor. He stared at the screen, his eyes flickering. His Adam’s apple bobbed violently, his gaze dark and unreadable, but he quickly composed himself. “Beg me.” He suddenly spoke, his voice arrogant and disdainful. “I’ll take back these videos.” “Maybe I’ll even consider letting you be Mrs. Hart again.” I looked at myself on the big screen, helpless and at others’ mercy, and suddenly laughed. People really do laugh when they’re speechless. “Zachary Hart, I don’t love you anymore.” Vivian seized the opportunity to fan the flames. “Serena, don’t be stubborn. Everyone knows you love Zachary to death.” “Your account balance is at zero now. If you don’t have money, stop pretending. Why don’t you… beg Mr. Hart?” I just felt like someone had stuffed ice into my lungs, my heart hollowed out. Zachary’s voice dropped low. “It’s been three months since the divorce and you still haven’t learned? You won’t come back and beg me—are you waiting for me to coax you?” He was the one who wanted the divorce, and now he was the one telling me to come back and beg. Even if Vivian hadn’t appeared, there would have been a Lisa, a Jennifer… Zachary had never treated me as a lover. He just enjoyed the thrill of controlling me. “You really think too highly of yourself. Five years of loving you was enough. Now I just want to watch you fall from your pedestal.” His eyes turned cold: “Serena Blake, you brought this on yourself!” The screen continued playing. “Mr. Hart’s ex-wife collector’s edition—this kind of explosive material has high collectible value.” “Miss Blake looks so high and mighty, but when she gets frisky, she’s really something. Finally getting to the good part.” “Look at her moves—the straps were barely tied on purpose, right? She’d do anything to get into bed.” “Mr. Hart really knows how to play. Kept her hidden so well, then when he got tired of her, put her up for auction?” The laughter grew denser, more vulgar. Those men in suits and ties laughed while commenting on my body, their eyes full of naked excitement and superiority. The men’s laughter throughout the room was piercing. Their words slashed at my face like knives. The men watching couldn’t hold back anymore and started bidding. “Three hundred thousand dollars.” “Five hundred thousand dollars.” “One million dollars.” My whole body went cold. I hadn’t expected Zachary would go this far for Vivian. I don’t remember how I managed to stay standing. My hands gripped the edge of my purse so hard my knuckles turned white. I wouldn’t allow myself even a tremor. I told myself: don’t you dare hide. I raised my hand, flashing the card, golden light gleaming, and said slowly: “I’ll pay ten times the price.”

The auctioneer maintained a professional smile, but clearly no longer believed me. “Miss Blake, my apologies, but your verified total was one hundred million dollars. The ruby cost five million, the videos five million. Your account has no funds remaining.” A strange man laughed loudly: “Spend the night with me and I’ll buy them for you.” I ignored him, focusing my gaze on Zachary. Everyone looked toward him. After all, he was my ex-husband and the instigator of all this. “Why are you looking at me? Fair bidding. Highest bidder wins.” Just then, Vivian raised her hand: “I’ll buy this item for you. After all, it was Mr. Hart and I who sponsored you together initially. I don’t want you to be so embarrassed.” She lowered her head, biting her lower lip gently. That look was indeed pure and innocent. The room fell quiet for a moment, then exploded. “One’s a shameless ex-wife, the other’s a gentle, considerate mistress… any normal man would choose Vivian!” “So sensible, knows her place. Not like someone who, after being used up, still tries to bite back.” “Tsk, Vivian’s so pure. Not like Serena Blake—acts noble, acts like a victim, but so slutty in private!” “Don’t even start. After dozens of video segments, she should’ve just begged for mercy from the beginning. If Mr. Hart softened up, he might’ve let it go.” “Now look—disgraceful and dramatic. Lost all her dignity.” Their words, one by one, hammered into my bones like nails. I was the one who’d suggested Zachary sponsor Vivian, seeing her alone and pitiful. Zachary never cared about her one bit—I handled everything. After she graduated, I arranged for her to join the company. I never imagined she’d repay kindness with betrayal and wreck my marriage. I didn’t look at Vivian or acknowledge her false sympathy. I just lowered my head and answered that phone call. It was him. My only trump card, and what my mother left me. “Miss Blake, you’ve retrieved the ruby ring. The family trust has been unfrozen. Backup account funds have been deposited.” “I understand.” I stood up. The auctioneer instinctively asked: “Miss Blake, will you continue bidding?” I raised my eyes, voice steady and cold. “I’m requesting a second verification. This time, I’m buying out the entire venue.” The room went silent for three seconds, then erupted.

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While at work, I accidentally sent a photo of a car I meant for the auto shop to our work group chat instead. A new intern sharply questioned me: “Joanna, why are you sending photos of my car? Are you eyeing my sports car or something?” I was confused and asked if she’d made a mistake—this was my car. She immediately sent a series of photos and videos of herself driving the supercar, proving it was hers. Then she added sarcastically: “Some broke people really have no shame. This sports car was custom-made for me by my husband. There’s only one like it in the entire world. Did you think stealing a photo of my car would make you Mrs. Reid?” I frowned and looked over at my husband beside me, asking: “Do you have a second wife I don’t know about?” Because I was too busy at work, I accidentally sent the car photo meant for the auto shop to the intern group chat instead. Before I could unsend it, several interns had already seen it, and the chat immediately exploded: “Holy shit! A starlight-roof supercar—the customization alone must cost hundreds of thousands! Joanna’s actually loaded!” “Never would’ve guessed Joanna’s a trust fund kid!” “What do Joanna’s parents do? That supercar must be at least five million dollars, right?” The chat quickly filled with dozens of messages, all asking about my family background. Several male interns even privately messaged me asking to take me to dinner. Feeling a bit helpless, I casually explained: “I’m not a trust fund kid. It’s just a birthday gift from my husband. Everyone should focus on work instead…” Before I could finish, intern Quinn Rivera suddenly jumped in: “Joanna, why are you sending photos of my car?” “And claiming it’s a birthday gift from your husband—are you trying to brag that your husband’s a billionaire?” “I shouldn’t have driven my car to the hospital. Having someone like you steal photos to show off is just my bad luck!” The barrage of accusations left me instantly bewildered. I asked in confusion: “Quinn, I think you’ve misunderstood. Maybe our cars look similar?” She went silent for a few seconds, then started frantically posting various photos of herself with the supercar in the group chat, including videos of her driving from the driver’s seat. Her tone became even more mocking: “My starlight-roof supercar is custom-made, one of a kind in the entire world. How dare you, some broke doctor, claim it looks like yours?” “You steal one photo and dare to say it’s yours—you might as well take a photo in front of the White House and claim that’s your house too!” This blatant ridicule immediately reversed the other interns’ attitudes. They all turned on me: “Joanna, that’s not how you show off… This is so embarrassing.” “If you don’t have a car, just say so. Nobody’s judging. No need to do something this pathetic and get called out by Quinn.” “Never thought there’d be attention-seekers like this at the hospital. And she’s supposed to be training us? Hope she doesn’t turn us all into liars too, hahaha.” Another stream of passive-aggressive comments followed. Some even tagged me directly, demanding I apologize to Quinn. I frowned and tagged Quinn directly: “What’s going on? Why were you in my car? And when were those videos taken?” I participated in designing the starlight roof in my car—it was unique. So the moment Quinn posted those photos and videos, I knew that was my car. That’s why I confronted her directly. Quinn: [Can you have some shame? Even now you’re still claiming it’s your car. Do I really need to drive it right up to your face before you’ll give up?] “If it’s really your car, then tell me what color the interior is right now.” “Gray.” I answered confidently. I’d just had the auto shop change the color a few days ago. But the next second, Quinn sent a photo—a selfie of her sitting inside the car, with the interior now changed to pink. She immediately laughed mockingly: “Of course trashy people are trashy—you slipped up with one sentence! When you stole that photo of my car, the interior was gray, but I changed it to pink yesterday!” “What’s wrong? Can’t find updated stolen photos fast enough?” Seeing this, everyone in the group became even more convinced the car was Quinn’s, and they all piled on to attack me. “Joanna looks so aloof, but she’s actually this vain! Having someone like her as our supervisor is really bad luck!” “Exactly. She sees someone driving a luxury car, steals photos to lie about it, and now gets exposed by Quinn. How embarrassing!” “She opens her mouth and lies—maybe her impressive academic credentials are lies too. Aren’t there lots of female doctors who sleep with old professors just to publish papers?” The comments got more and more exaggerated, even making up scandals about me. I was furious and about to fight back when a colleague notified me about an emergency surgery I needed to perform immediately. Hearing this, I had no time to deal with these interns in the chat. I rushed off to do the surgery.

By the time I came out of the operating room, it was afternoon. As soon as I walked out of the main hall, I saw a delivery guy carrying an enormous bouquet of yellow roses coming in from outside, calling out loudly: “Excuse me, is there a Mrs. Reid here? These are flowers ordered for you by Mr. Reid!” Seeing this, I couldn’t help but smile. This morning when leaving the house, I’d rushed and had a little spat with Grayson Reid. We’d had a cold war all day without talking, but now he was sending yellow roses—clearly an apology. I suppressed my smile and stepped forward: “Give me the flowers. I’m Mrs.—” “Don’t touch my flowers!” Before my hand could take the bouquet, Quinn suddenly shrieked and ran over from the opposite direction, shoving me aside and glaring at me with utter contempt: “Joanna, can you have any shame? This morning you tried to claim my car, this afternoon you’re trying to steal my flowers—do you have no sense of dignity at all?” She shoved me and I stumbled. My initial willingness to let it go turned to complete anger. I frowned at her: “Is something wrong with your brain? These are my flowers!” “Hahahaha…” Quinn’s entourage—several other interns from the chat—all pointed at me and laughed: “How much do you love drama? A bouquet of roses this big—only Quinn’s wealthy young master husband could afford it. Who do you think would send flowers to a country bumpkin like you?” “Exactly! Never seen someone like this—completely shameless over a bouquet of flowers! The way she shamelessly pushed herself forward was so embarrassing to watch!” “Only someone like Quinn, a wealthy young madam with such grace, wouldn’t stoop to your level. Otherwise I’d really call the police!” Meanwhile, Quinn put on a shy expression: “Oh, you guys are terrible! I told you to keep my identity secret, and here you are blabbing about it!” “My darling husband is a wealthy family heir—very prestigious. So many people try to curry favor with him. I don’t want to be bothered by these people every day.” The others immediately comforted and praised her, expressing understanding and showing various envious expressions. I was dumbfounded by their performance—utterly speechless: “Your darling husband is so amazing but makes you drive someone else’s car and steal someone else’s flowers?” “And ‘wealthy young madam’—what kind of wealthy young madam does an internship? Just go home and lie around instead!” “What do you know? I believe in being self-reliant!” Quinn seemed to have a nerve struck. Her face flushed as she stepped forward: “If I told you my husband’s name, it would scare you to death. He’s the heir to the Reid Corporation!” I paused before processing who she meant, then asked with a frown: “You’re talking about Grayson?” “How dare you! How dare you speak my husband’s name so casually?” Quinn glared at me arrogantly, incredibly haughty. I was beyond speechless: “Did Grayson marry you in your dreams?” “How dare you insult me?” Quinn’s expression changed. She opened her mouth angrily: “My husband won’t let you get away with—” I raised my hand, cutting off her words: “I don’t know if your husband will let me get away with anything, but I’ll tell you this—you’re impersonating Mrs. Reid and swindling people. Grayson definitely won’t let you get away with it!” Someone impersonating a wealthy lady and landing on me—today really opened my eyes. Quinn’s face turned red: “What gives you the right to say I’m swindling people? I am Grayson’s wife!” “Proof?” I stared at her unflinchingly: “Empty words mean nothing. Why should I believe you’re Mrs. Reid?” “I’ll call my husband right now and have him come over immediately!” She pulled out her phone and made a call, her voice sweet and cloying: “Hello, honey, come to the hospital quick. Some bitch doesn’t believe your identity and keeps bullying me, boo hoo…” “Who dares bully Grayson’s woman? I’ll be right there!” The voice on the other end of the call—Grayson—immediately responded, saying he’d come over. Hearing this, Quinn immediately became confident, looking smugly at everyone: “Nobody leave. When my husband gets here, he won’t let this bitch off!” Watching Quinn so confident and certain, I felt bewildered for a moment. If her husband really was Grayson, then who was my husband? So I also took the opportunity to send Grayson a message on SnapChat, asking him to pick me up from the hospital. Grayson quickly replied “OK,” which put my mind at ease. I also started looking forward to this upcoming drama of “the real and fake Grayson”!

While waiting for Grayson to arrive, Quinn became increasingly smug. Holding that bouquet of yellow roses, she came up to me and said contemptuously: “Joanna, I understand you’re vain because you come from poverty, but I can’t just let you slandering me slide.” “You need to kneel and apologize to me, and promise never to ride my coattails again. Otherwise, I’ll definitely have my husband hold you accountable!” That pissed me off. Before I could respond, the other interns immediately chimed in: “Quinn, you’re so kind. She slandered you like that and you’re only asking her to kneel and apologize!” “Joanna, the Reid Corporation heir isn’t that easy to talk to. I think you should obediently kneel now before Mr. Reid gets here and refuses to let you off!” “Exactly! I heard Mr. Reid has avoided public appearances for years. Today he’s coming to the hospital to confront you for Quinn’s sake—don’t you realize how serious this is?” Grayson indeed disliked public appearances, but that was due to his personality. I never expected this would now give these people ammunition to attack me. How ridiculous. Thinking this, I couldn’t help but sneer: “I’d also like to see who won’t let who off!” Quinn was out there impersonating my identity and swindling people, even able to freely drive my car and change the interior colors. I needed to get to the bottom of this—I couldn’t let her keep ruining my reputation! Quinn snorted coldly: “Stubborn till the end! Just wait till you see how powerful my husband is!” As soon as she finished speaking, a commotion came from the hospital entrance. The hospital director and other leaders personally went to greet someone: “Oh my, Mr. Reid! If you were coming to the hospital, you should have told us in advance so I could personally pick you up! What a wonderful surprise!” “Mr. Reid, that thirty million dollars in medical equipment you invested in our hospital last time really solved a huge problem for us. The entire hospital is incredibly grateful to you!” I looked up and saw it was indeed Grayson. He strode toward us, his expression calm. Madison was the first to greet him with a fawning smile: “Mr. Reid, you really do dote on your wife. The moment you heard Mrs. Reid was wronged, you came right away.” “Look, Mrs. Reid has been waiting for you!” She pointed toward Quinn. Grayson glanced at Quinn and said in a low voice: “Honey, come here.” As soon as he said this, everyone present became excited, all looking enviously at Quinn.

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After three years of marriage, Ethan remained obsessively germaphobic to the point of pathology. No kissing allowed, and he insisted on wearing five layers of condoms. That was, until the day I brought him soup at his office and found him pinning Willow—the student I’d been sponsoring—against his desk, ravaging her without restraint. Their bodies were tangled together intimately, not even a single condom in sight. My eyes immediately turned red. I rushed forward and slapped Willow hard across the face, only to be kicked to the ground by Ethan. “How dare you hit Willow?” I couldn’t believe it. “Ethan, you’re cheating and you think you’re in the right?” Just as I was about to strike again with tears streaming down my face, his assistant suddenly appeared and expressionlessly threw a stack of papers in my face. “Lauren, your marriage certificate with Mr. Chandler is fake. His real wife is Willow. You’re the mistress!” “Given that you just assaulted Mrs. Chandler, Mr. Chandler is very angry and wants to reclaim all the assets he’s spent on you over the years.” I was ordered to repay fifty million dollars, and ultimately spent three years in prison for being unable to pay. Later, I was reunited with my billionaire father. On my first day back in the capital, I ran into a heavily pregnant Willow being held by Ethan. When he saw me, he sneered coldly. “That was just to teach you a lesson. Now that you’ve learned to behave in prison, you can come home and take care of Willow.” “As long as you don’t cause trouble, letting you work as a housekeeper in the Chandler household won’t be a problem.”

My gaze was ice-cold as I stared directly at the loving couple before me. The man who had once been pathologically germaphobic around me was now supporting Willow with a face full of tenderness. “Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and help Willow.” “After spending so long in prison, you still don’t know how to serve people properly.” Ethan’s face showed displeasure as he kept urging me. “Lauren hasn’t gone stupid from getting beaten in prison, has she? Why isn’t she responding?” Willow stroked her round belly, looking at me with contempt. Seeing me frozen in place, Ethan reached out and grabbed me. “Lauren, if you take good care of Willow, I’ll still give you a meal to eat.” “Otherwise, as an ex-convict, no one will take you in.” Watching Ethan’s aggressive expression, I thought back to when he was in college. Back then, he was still a shy and quiet young man. Too poor to apply for financial aid but too embarrassed to ask, he would eat other people’s leftovers in the cafeteria every day. As a student leader, I extended a helping hand, helping him apply for aid and buying him meals every day. His eyes would turn red, and he’d practically kneel before me in gratitude. In the end, he conspired with Willow to send me to prison. I suppressed the discomfort in my chest and turned to walk away. Willow stepped forward to grab me, and I quickly dodged to the side. She actually stumbled and fell directly to the ground. Seeing this, Ethan kicked me viciously. I cried out in pain and fell to the side. He hurried to help Willow up, his eyes full of heartache and anxiety. I lay on the ground for a long time, unable to get up. Years ago, to accompany Ethan in starting his business, I squeezed into a tiny rental apartment with him. I bought him thermal pants but couldn’t bear to buy any for myself, and my legs developed problems from the cold. During my years in prison, I had no proper care. That kick from Ethan just now—the pain was excruciating now. “You lunatic! Willow was kind enough to offer you a job, and you tried to hurt her.” Ethan’s eyes blazed with fury, his chest heaving. “I never thought that after all these years, Lauren would still hold a grudge against me.” “Ethan, she wanted to hurt our baby.” Willow cried pitifully, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. She was still addicted to playing the victim. Our commotion in the street attracted quite a few onlookers. “That woman just got out of prison. My husband and I are acquaintances, so we wanted to help her find a job.” “Not only is she ungrateful, she pushed me, trying to harm the baby in my belly.” Willow spoke timidly, tears streaming down her face. “That woman is absolute trash. They were kind enough to help her, and she tried to hurt their baby.” “No wonder she was in prison. Lock her up again before she hurts more people.” Several middle-aged women were indignant, throwing vegetable scraps at me. Seeing that I really couldn’t get up, Ethan reached out and pulled me to my feet. Willow’s eyes seemed ready to shoot flames as she shouted at the crowd, “I’m calling the police.”

Ethan showed a shocked expression, then whispered in my ear. “Come back with me and be our housekeeper, or you’ll have hell to pay at the police station.” I forced myself to stand, shook off his hand forcefully, and said through gritted teeth: “Dream on. I never pushed her.” Willow looked desolate. “Ethan, my stomach hurts so much.” “Won’t you seek justice for me and the baby?” Watching her tearful expression, Ethan pulled out his phone. “I’m filing a report…” The surrounding crowd encircled me, pointing and gossiping. Soon the police arrived. Willow spoke weakly: “Officers, this woman tried to harm me and my unborn baby.” “I didn’t. She fell on her own, trying to frame me.” I said firmly. Willow whimpered while clutching her stomach, collapsing against Ethan’s shoulder. “She just got out of prison. We kindly offered her a job, but she tried to hurt us.” The surrounding onlookers grew more agitated. “That prison woman pushed her. We all saw it.” “Obviously no good. Just got out and already hurting people. Lock her up again.” The police said they would take us all back to the station for investigation. Throughout the journey, Willow kept crying softly while Ethan consoled her in low tones. That gentle manner—I’d never seen it before. In all the years we were together, he had been taciturn. I once asked playfully, “Ethan, why do you always have such a stern face?” He said he wasn’t good at expressing himself, that he had childhood trauma and couldn’t say comforting words. I felt guilty for so long afterward, hating myself for tearing open Ethan’s wounds. Now it seemed he just didn’t want to say such things to me. Getting out of the police car and seeing the station entrance, I almost laughed out loud. I turned to look at Ethan. His gaze froze as well. This police station was where Ethan and I had made our relationship official. Back in college, Ethan had a breakdown and cried when his wallet was stolen. The station where I accompanied him to file a report was this very one. That day, coming out of the station, he pulled a woven grass ring from his pocket. With hesitant eyes, he asked if I would be his girlfriend. I didn’t hesitate and put on that grass ring.

As soon as we entered the interrogation room, Ethan and Willow insisted I had deliberately hurt her, even producing evidence of my recent release from prison. My gaze was cold. “I did serve time, but that doesn’t mean I pushed her.” “You went to prison for being a mistress. Now that you’re out, wouldn’t you want revenge?” Willow spoke quickly, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand, as if it was an accident. Everyone froze. Several witnesses who had followed began muttering among themselves. “Really awful. Went to prison for being a mistress, got out and hurt people again.” “This person is rotten to the core. Should be locked up for life.” People around looked at me with contempt. Even the police officers frowned. My chest felt a sharp pain. Three years ago, Ethan’s assistant said my marriage certificate with Ethan was fake, that I was the mistress. I nearly went mad. We’d had a wedding and gotten a marriage certificate—how could I be the mistress? I was ordered to pay money back. Unable to pay, I was sent to prison. In jail, I received divorce papers and a message from Ethan. Ethan said I talked back to him and wasn’t obedient at all. He told me to learn to behave, and once I did, he’d let me come back. Willow was pregnant and needed the position of wife, so I should sign quickly. I signed without hesitation. I faced the mocking stares around me and responded: “Everything requires evidence. I’m not a mistress, and I didn’t push anyone.” “I’m suing you for defamation.” The surrounding voices quieted somewhat. Willow showed a pained expression and sobbed, “Officer, you see how arrogant this person is. You must help us.” Ethan’s face was unkind as he pointed at me. “What are you threatening? You’re an ex-convict—who’s going to listen to your nonsense?” Watching him point and curse at me, I only felt amused. That innocent young man from years ago was completely dead. The police officer gestured for everyone to be quiet and said they were pulling nearby surveillance footage. Seeing the police officer get up and leave, Ethan walked toward me, his eyes full of pity. “Lauren, if you just come back with me and be our housekeeper, I won’t pursue today’s matter.” “Prison before was just to teach you a lesson. If you’d been obedient like Willow, why would I have sent you to prison?” I leaned close to Ethan and spat at him viciously. “Stop dreaming. Just seeing you two makes me sick.” Ethan grabbed my hand and forced me into a corner. “Lauren, three years in prison and you still have this much backbone. Still haven’t learned to behave!” “Looks like you need to study in there for a few more years.” I bit down hard on his hand. Ethan released me in pain. “You’re an ex-convict. No one will want you.” “Lauren, this is your last chance.” I ignored him and walked to the other side. In my heart, I prayed that as long as there was surveillance footage, it would prove I didn’t push Willow. After a while, the police officer came back in and said there was no surveillance nearby. If I couldn’t reach a settlement, I’d be detained for investigation. Hearing this, Willow’s eyes brightened. With a contemptuous smile on her lips, she looked at me provocatively. “A settlement is possible. You just need to sign a contract to be mine and Ethan’s housekeeper, taking care of our daily needs, and we’ll agree to settle.” “Ethan said you’re pretty good at taking care of people. Here’s your chance to redeem yourself.” After speaking, Willow pulled out paper and pen from her bag and threw them at me. “Our Willow is truly kind-hearted.” “Lauren, you’d better not be stubborn to the end.” Ethan’s eyes showed certain victory as he stood with his arms crossed, watching me. Looking at his smug expression, I really wanted to slap myself. I’d accompanied the penniless Ethan in starting his business years ago. I watched him grow from a stammering young man into Mr. Chandler who could command everything. In the company’s early days, I managed finances while handling business relations. I built the entire company with my own hands. Until Ethan grew strong enough and told me to stay home as Mrs. Chandler and stop working so hard. At the time, I thought Ethan was just concerned about me, so I gave up all my work at the company and stayed home trying to conceive. Looking back now, it was all Ethan’s conspiracy to seize power. I threw the paper and pen back. “I didn’t push her. I won’t settle. I want an investigation.” Shock flashed through Ethan’s eyes. “Lauren, are you crazy? You want to go to prison!” I didn’t respond and walked toward the police officer. “You can detain me, but I want a thorough investigation. I won’t settle.” The police officer showed disbelief and confirmed several times. I nodded. This time, I couldn’t be framed without knowing the truth again. Just as I was being led toward the detention room, a voice came from behind. “Wait. I have evidence proving Ms. Reed is being framed.”

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At eight months pregnant, I went to Everett Ford’s office to deliver some documents. Feeling the sweltering 115-degree heat in the office, I was about to turn on the air conditioning when his female secretary stopped me. “I’m on my period and sensitive to cold. You can’t turn that on.” Worried that heatstroke might harm the baby in my belly, I turned on the AC without a word. That evening, when Everett came home, he immediately interrogated me: “Nina’s on her period. Do you have any idea that by turning on that AC, you caused her so much abdominal pain she ended up in the ICU?” “Everett, she’s just having her period. But I’m eight months pregnant. If I get heatstroke, I could miscarry.” Everett pulled his lips into a smile and nodded. “You’re right.” That night, Everett coaxed me to sleep as usual. But when I woke up, I found myself inside a freezer with glass walls on all sides. Outside the freezer, Everett had his arm around Nina Sutton’s waist as they both smiled at me. “Afraid of heatstroke? Today I’ll make sure you cool off properly!” My heart sank. I calmly pulled out my phone and took photos of them one by one. Then I made a call: “Dad, I don’t want any of these people to see tomorrow’s sunrise!”

When I hung up, the people watching outside first froze. Then they burst into thunderous laughter. “Lana, your dad was thrown into international waters to feed the sharks half a year ago. Have you been frozen stupid, or were you always this delusional?” “Exactly! Still thinking you’re the precious daughter of the West family? Even daydreams aren’t this ridiculous!” Hearing his lackeys mock me, triumph surged in Everett’s eyes. He gently draped his mink coat over Nina’s shoulders, pulled her close, and slowly walked up to the freezer. He extended his index finger and lightly tapped the glass in front of me before speaking slowly: “Lana, are you cold? Do you realize your mistake now?” A large red thermometer indicated that the freezer had been set to negative 58 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrapped only in the thin nightgown I’d worn to bed, I trembled violently from the cold. The skin touching the floor had turned blue-purple and numb, continuously sending sharp, piercing pain through my body. I stumbled toward Everett and Nina, slamming my fist against the glass. “Everett, what did I do wrong?! Isn’t it appropriate to turn on the AC when it’s 115 degrees? Pregnant women are naturally sensitive to heat. If I got heatstroke, both the baby and I could die!” The sudden anger triggered a cramping pain in my lower abdomen. I quickly covered my belly and crouched down, staring at Everett with bloodshot eyes. “Everett, let me out! You know how much I’ve suffered for this baby. I can’t lose him!” A flicker of unreadable emotion crossed Everett’s eyes. He knew better than anyone the heartache of having this child. An accident years ago had left Everett with fertility issues. For eight years, egg retrieval needles as long as my forearm had pierced my body over a thousand times before we finally conceived this child. For eight months, I’d been incredibly careful, preserving this pregnancy day by day. Once, just because a servant brought brown sugar water that wasn’t warm enough, he’d broken the person’s arm. Yet now, just because Nina had menstrual cramps, he’d locked me in a freezer without hesitation. Bitterness welled up inside me. Just as I was about to speak again, Nina yanked off the mink coat Everett had just draped over her. With a pitiful, tearful voice, she said: “Everett, let your wife out. With her delicate constitution, how can she endure this kind of torture? Not like me—I’m from a poor family. Even when I fainted from the freezing AC, I didn’t dare complain…”

Fainted from the cold? I’d only turned on the AC for half an hour. When I left Everett’s office, Nina was still laughing and making plans with her girlfriends to hit the bar that evening! Just as I was about to clarify, Everett’s expression instantly changed, his tone turning ice-cold: “Someone get in there and strip off her coat! She thinks she’s so delicate? Today I’ll make her experience what it’s like to be poor!” He bent down to pick up the coat, gently draping it over Nina while looking at me coldly: “When you admit your mistake, then you can come out! The doctor said my son is perfectly healthy. Don’t think you can use this as an excuse to avoid punishment!” With that, he scooped Nina up in his arms, his voice overflowing with tenderness and affection: “Nina, during your period you can’t let your feet get cold. Today, stay in my arms. Let’s see who dares say anything!” The moment Everett sat down with Nina in his arms, a group of men charged toward me with malicious grins. I clutched my nightgown tightly, shrinking into the corner. But no matter how much I struggled, I was no match for several men. “Riiip…” The thin nightgown tore in half. Instantly, the frigid air crept through every pore into every corner of my body. They gleefully stripped off my nightgown, and as they left, they flashed Everett knowing smiles. “Boss, you’ve got great taste! Your wife’s figure—curves in all the right places!” “Thanks for letting us take care of your wife!” Left in only my underwear, I curled up on myself. My skin, which had retained some warmth, stuck to the frozen floor. Any movement would tear away a layer of skin. Heart-wrenching pain shot from the torn flesh straight to my core. Blood seeped continuously from the wounds, starkly visible against the blindingly white freezer. Everett clearly noticed. He set Nina down and approached, about to speak as he looked at the blood slowly reaching his feet— But Nina ran up from behind, touching the traces of blood through the glass with a trembling voice: “Lana, just apologize. With all of Everett’s friends watching, if you don’t apologize, he can’t back down…” I stared hard at Nina. “Why should I apologize! That day you were clearly enjoying the AC too, and you were even making plans with your girlfriends to—” Hearing my words, Everett looked at Nina with a hint of barely perceptible doubt. But before I could finish, Nina slapped herself across the face and dropped to her knees with a “thud.” Grabbing Everett’s hand, she said in a trembling voice: “Everett! I just can’t bear to see her suffer like this. If she still won’t apologize, then I’ll kneel out here with her!” Seeing Nina kneel, the doubt in Everett’s eyes instantly vanished. He quickly bent down to help Nina up, then looked at me with utter disgust: “Lana, you’ve been spoiled rotten. All these years Nina has endured your treatment in silence. Now, even though this is clearly your fault, she’s willing to suffer alongside you for my sake. You don’t deserve it!” “Today I’m going to fix that entitled attitude of yours! If you don’t apologize, don’t even think about getting out!” With that, he waved to the people behind him: “Go! Bring in more ice blocks and surround her with them! Then pour water over everything so she sticks to that ice!” The moment Everett finished speaking—

A young woman stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve. “Boss, ice plus water will stick to skin like glue. Any movement will tear off chunks of flesh. She’s about to give birth—something could go seriously wrong…” Everett’s commanding gesture froze mid-air. As he hesitated in silence, a soft whimper came from behind. “Everett, forget it. My time in the ICU wasn’t as terrible as you think…” Nina’s words made Everett’s expression turn instantly severe. He lowered his suspended hand and said coldly: “Do exactly as I said!” The young woman tried to stop him again, but Everett waved her off. “This suffering is nothing compared to what Nina went through. I’ve already got an ambulance on standby outside. What could possibly go wrong?” Hearing Everett’s words, the young woman didn’t dare say more. With Everett’s order given, the group grabbed ice blocks and re-entered the freezer. They yanked me up by my hair and surrounded me tightly with ice, then poured a basin of cold water over my head. The next second, my skin felt glued to the ice blocks. Bone-chilling cold flowed through my pores into my marrow. I glanced at the time—I’d already been in this freezer for at least five hours. My limbs had long since turned dark purple. To protect the baby in my belly, I tried to shift position within this ice-confined space. But every tiny movement tore away a piece of flesh. Yet the movements in my belly were growing increasingly faint. Ignoring the stabbing pain from my torn skin, I moved my body, trying to keep my belly in the warmest possible position. The transparent ice blocks gradually became stained with my crimson blood. By the time I’d adjusted my position, the ice had turned completely blood-red. The people nearby who’d been laughing fell silent at such a gruesome scene. Through the scarlet haze, I roared at Everett outside the freezer: “Everett, if anything happens to this child, you—his biological father—will be his murderer! I’ll kneel before his spirit every day and pray that you die a miserable death!” Everett’s gaze wavered, no longer as resolute as before. He slowly approached, seemingly wanting to check my condition through the blurred blood. In the silence, a cry suddenly came from behind: “Boss! My dad says a plane with the West family’s private aviation signature just appeared on their exclusive route!” Everett’s face changed instantly. He slammed his fist against the glass and roared at me: “Lana, what are you playing at?! Are you planning to use your family to intimidate me for the rest of your life?!” Before I could respond, Nina came forward, constantly soothing Everett’s back while looking at me with accusation mixed with grievance: “Lana, if you don’t want to apologize, fine, but why torture Everett like this? You know how much he suffered when Old Mr. West was alive. Now that he’s dead and the West family fortune has been liquidated, what’s the point of this charade?” Nina then took Everett’s hand and said gently: “Let it go, Everett. Let her out. We don’t want anything to happen to the baby and become sinners. I don’t think she’s ever seen people like us as anything but beneath her…” Nina’s words intensified the fury in Everett’s eyes. He cursed, then barked at the people behind him: “Set the freezer to negative 148 degrees Fahrenheit! Now!”

Seeing Everett’s rage, the others didn’t dare say another word. They immediately set the freezer to negative 148 degrees. Instantly, a bone-piercing wind rushed through the vents and struck me. I was frozen to the point where I couldn’t speak coherently, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. In my fading consciousness, a sudden piercing pain shot through my lower abdomen. I forced myself to look down. Bright red blood flowed from beneath me like a small stream, releasing crimson steam in the freezing environment. Soon, the fresh blood melted the surrounding ice and seeped through the cracks. I finally realized what was happening. Clutching my belly, I screamed frantically at Everett outside the freezer: “Everett! Let me out now! The baby! Save my baby!” Everett had been glaring at me with anger until he saw the blood—now melting ice—flowing to his feet. He completely panicked. He grabbed the person beside him and roared like a madman: “Quick! Get the freezer key! Didn’t you ask the doctor before we put her in? Didn’t they say it would be fine?! How did this happen?!” The person handed the key to Everett. Everett’s hands shook so badly he dropped it. The key fell at Nina’s feet. Everett gripped Nina’s arm: “Nina, quick! Open the door! Get Lana out! Hurry!” Frightened by Everett’s state, Nina didn’t even bother putting on her shoes properly and ran toward the freezer door. She glanced at Everett, took the key with her back to him, and inserted it into the lock. The moment she turned around, I caught a glimpse of a smile filled with hatred and triumph in Nina’s eyes. Sure enough—”Snap!” A crisp sound rang out. Nina turned back and dropped to her knees toward Everett: “Everett, the key… the key broke…” Everett’s face turned deathly pale. He stumbled to the door and demanded harshly: “What happened?! How did the key break?! Get a locksmith here now!” By now, warm blood had covered the entire freezer floor. The pain had me moaning uncontrollably. “Everett! Lana still hasn’t admitted her mistake! You said you’d use this opportunity to fix her arrogant personality. So many friends are watching…” “And my suffering in the ICU—are we just letting that go? You promised you’d give me an explanation…” Hearing this, Everett stopped the person going for a locksmith. He turned around, pounding on the freezer door and shouting at me with a hint of pleading in his voice: “Lana, just apologize, okay? For our child’s sake, please?” “Once you admit your mistake, I’ll let you out immediately. You don’t want anything to happen to our baby, right? Please, Lana, what’s the harm in being a little flexible?” The massive blood loss was making my consciousness fade. I lay in the pool of blood, looking at Everett outside and said in a trembling voice: “Everett! Let me out! Or my dad will kill you…” Nina looked at me with a barely concealed savage smile, though her voice still carried a pitiful, tearful tone: “Lana, are you really confused? Mr. West died half a year ago. The West family collapsed half a year ago! Apologize quickly, or no one can save you!” The people outside also began mocking me: “Miss West, stop dreaming! Kill Boss? Your dad is probably still a tormented ghost in hell! And you think he can kill anyone?!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “356439”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn

After the company’s video conference ended, my girlfriend, who was away on a business trip, forgot to turn off her camera. All the colleagues in the online meeting saw her having intense sex with her male assistant in the hotel. When she came back from her business trip, she shyly covered her lower abdomen and said to me: “Congratulations! You’re going to be a daddy.” His male assistant even shed tears of excitement. Everyone in the company watched the farce with cold eyes. They said they wanted to help me destroy this cheating woman together. After the company’s online meeting ended, as the meeting host, I was about to close the session when I discovered an intimate scene playing out in my girlfriend Bethany White’s video feed. Her male assistant rushed into the hotel room, pushed her onto the bed, tore off her clothes, and kissed her wildly. My hand gripping the mouse suddenly froze. My colleagues beside me were so shocked their jaws dropped. The atmosphere instantly solidified. At the same time, those sticky, disgusting moaning sounds continued without stopping. “Bethany, you’re so amazing, such a seductive little minx~ Tell me, who’s better—Leaf Newton or me?” “Of course it’s you, Jay Grant.” Bethany mocked: “Who would like an old stick-in-the-mud like Leaf? Ugh, I’ve been dating him for four years, and he’s never taken initiative in bed. He’s not a man at all! I’ve been sick of looking at that appetite-killing old face for ages!” I sat frozen in my seat, my hands and feet ice-cold. I sat motionless, listening to all the mockery and sneering. Anger rose higher and higher like a tide. Bethany and I had been dating since college. After graduation, we started a company with friends. Although we hadn’t met each other’s parents yet, we both considered each other to be life partners. Bethany came from an ordinary family. Her parents did odd jobs and had no money, but I thought she herself was excellent, ambitious, beautiful, and outstanding. Although my parents had some reservations, they still gave face to me and privately prepared a new house, new car, and double the bride price. They even had the wedding money ready, just waiting to finish this busy period and meet to set a date. But now, all of this was fake! And that man was exactly Bethany’s assistant, an intern who’d been with the company less than three months. “Bethany, when can I be with you openly and honestly?” “Watching you hold hands with Leaf and go out together, I’m so jealous!” Jay shamelessly held Bethany, his voice hoarse. “Where does it hurt? I’ll make it better.” The disgusting voices of the two made me want to vomit. They were even so eager they forgot to turn off the screen and camera. “Baby, once I swindle the double bride price from Leaf, won’t our future life be wonderful?” “Oh my, you’re so bad.” Jay giggled and playfully hit her. Bethany draped her arms over his shoulders and kissed him: “Isn’t my badness what you love about me…” The two rolled together again with their moaning and groaning. The scene was disgusting and vulgar, the sound effects more lively than an amusement park. The meeting was deathly silent. After a moment. My closest colleague carefully asked me: “Leaf, are you okay?” Everyone pulled together a group chat and comforted me not to be sad. Others also indignantly cursed, saying Bethany was trash and embarrassed them. Everyone was either a classmate or friend of both Bethany and me. They had witnessed our past sweetness. But now they all despised her actions. Hearing their protective words, my heart was deeply moved. After thinking it over, I asked them to keep it secret for now and pretend not to know. Everyone advised me repeatedly. “Leaf, don’t do anything stupid!” “A cheating woman like Bethany isn’t worth sacrificing your whole life for!” One older colleague even came out with a golden phrase: “A cuckold is temporary, but a dog will never stop eating shit!” Afraid I’d gone love-brain stupid, they clamored to take me to dig wild vegetables. I shook my head, swallowing the surging pain. “Of course I won’t let that scum Bethany get her way.” “But just letting her off easy like this—I’m not willing!” What she took from me, she’ll spit it all back out!

Within two days, I used every means to investigate everything. Soon, the evidence piled up so high it could barely fit on my desk. I collapsed limply into my chair, my whole body trembling, my heart hurting like knife twists. Bethany had betrayed me long ago. Four years of dating. She said she wanted to save money for our future and never gave me any gifts. But she would accompany Jay to sweep through luxury stores in neighboring cities. There were private generous transfer records and gift payments starting at four figures. She went with him to see the World Cup that I’d been longing to watch. Even last month on our anniversary. She had barely finished dinner with me before immediately rushing off to book a presidential suite with Jay! Only I was stupidly kept in the dark! Coming back to my senses. I realized tears had long since soaked my cheeks. A man doesn’t shed tears easily. Only when he reaches the point of heartbreak. I suddenly remembered that just last week I was still enthusiastically discussing with people how to arrange the proposal scene. At the time, Bethany just smiled and didn’t respond. I thought she was shy and silent. But thinking about it now… She was probably laughing at how stupid and naive I was! Bethany’s disgusting behavior was far from over. Soon, colleagues sent me messages. I noticed they were all high-level people in the company. They said Bethany was lobbying, wanting to unite everyone to kick me out of the shareholders’ group. In the chat records, Bethany spoke in high-sounding terms, saying it was for my own good. “Leaf and I are about to get married. In the future, I’ll handle external affairs and he’ll handle internal matters. I feel guilty that Leaf is occupying a position without working.” “How about this—you all help me persuade Leaf to quit the shareholders’ meeting. As compensation, I’ll make him the company’s legal representative. He can still control everything big and small, and he’ll have security…” Several colleagues were disgusted to death. They pretended to agree and strung Bethany along, waiting for the moment of revelation to strike back with satisfaction. I laughed bitterly, my eyes full of resentment. Before her business trip, Bethany found someone to take out a loan of one hundred million in the company’s investment name, promising to return it within six months. But once it couldn’t be repaid… All the debt would fall on me, the unlucky legal representative! “This fucking wants to drive someone to a dead end!” “I’m getting goosebumps reading this. Bethany is a piece of shit!” “On behalf of all women, I expel Bethany! Son of a bitch!!” The small group messages instantly hit 99+. All of it was condemnation of Bethany and sympathy and comfort for me. They wished they could personally tear the cheating woman apart. I calmed the anger in my chest and slowly typed: “Bethany said she’s coming back the day after tomorrow.” The group erupted in excitement again. Someone shared they bought pepper spray, and someone else said they were preparing to buy a stun gun after work. The most outrageous old colleague said he’d picked out the cactus downstairs from the company. Ready to let Bethany feel the refreshing sensation of holes in her ass. And Bethany was quite good at disguising herself too. During the business trip, her daily greetings and care never stopped. If not for the accident during the online meeting, I would never have discovered her beastly heart beneath a human face. Afraid of alerting her, I endured the disgust and chatted with her. I didn’t even glance at those pie-in-the-sky promises. This person didn’t notice anything at all and even said she’d prepared a surprise for me. Soon. Bethany came back from her business trip. She wore a flowing white dress. In front of everyone in the company, she shyly covered her lower abdomen and looked at me affectionately. “Honey, I have good news for you—you’re going to be a daddy!” She was completely immersed in her self-directed performance. She didn’t notice my expressionless face at all. Or the suppressed disgust in the eyes of people around us. Instead, Jay, who had returned from the business trip with her, excitedly said how lucky I was. “Wow, I’m so jealous that Leaf can meet such a good woman like Bethany!” I smiled and held her hand. Then, in Bethany’s delighted expression, I turned and threw her into Jay’s arms. “If you like her, she’s yours. The person too.” “How does it feel to be a happy father?” In that instant. The whole place fell silent. From the corner of my eye, I saw everyone ready to strike. Only Bethany and Jay’s faces turned pale.

“Leaf, what… what are you saying…” Jay was completely stunned. After a long while, the voice squeezed out from his throat kept trembling. It sounded much better than his video calls. I laughed softly, hiding the coldness in my eyes: “You’re so envious, so I’m giving her to you.” “We’ve been good brothers. When have I not given you what you wanted?” When Jay first joined the company, he said he’d been scammed online and couldn’t afford to eat. I felt sorry for him and bought him meals, even vouched for him to get his salary in advance. Later, when he wanted to buy a laptop and new phone, he used the excuse of self-improvement but was troubled by lack of money. I gave him those too. I treated him like a good brother, but he backstabbed me and gave me a cuckold’s horns. What bullshit child! Bethany and I had never had sex at all. Only once, two months ago when we got drunk, we woke up lying in the same bed. Bethany looked very shy at the time, but I didn’t think much of it. After all, a man knows in his heart whether something happened or not. Plus, when drunk, it simply doesn’t work. But I never expected that not only did they scheme for my company and give me a cuckold’s horns. They also wanted me to acknowledge this bastard whose father is uncertain! Simply too much! A modern version of The Farmer and the Snake! Jay was already guilty. With me deliberately pointing this out, he was so scared he didn’t dare say a word. Bethany was obviously panicked too. Cold sweat streamed down her forehead as she laughed awkwardly: “Honey, don’t joke around. I only love you.” I curled my lips and smiled gently: “Look at you two getting so nervous. You didn’t really do something behind my back, did you?” Bethany immediately got anxious: “Leaf, how can you suspect me! I love you so much! Besides, I’m carrying your child!” Look at that. Tell a lie so many times, even the liar believes it. She must love my double bride price and company more! After enjoying their guilty, panicked expressions enough, I smiled: “Just kidding, teasing you two.” The two suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. They even secretly exchanged a smug glance. Probably proud of their superb acting skills. They didn’t see the uniform contempt and disdain from everyone around them. Then Bethany shyly covered her lower abdomen. Acting all affectionate, she wanted me to publicly kneel and propose. Under her hopeful expression. I didn’t hesitate to say: “No!” Bethany’s expression instantly cracked. A trace of anger surfaced on her face. But just as she was about to question me. The surrounding colleagues cut her off. “Bethany, this is wrong of you. If you want Leaf to marry you, you have to let him prepare, right?” “Exactly, exactly. This kind of forced palace behavior is so ugly, it really hurts your years of relationship!” The female colleagues formed a bride’s family army and roasted Bethany until she was utterly destroyed. “Bethany, are you really pregnant? But why does your belly look so big?” “You didn’t do something less than human and want Leaf to be the fool taking the fall, did you!” They mocked Bethany until her face turned blue and white. Really satisfying. I had long anticipated that Bethany would try to make me the backup plan. She had always been bossy with me. Every holiday she’d hint around, making me give her expensive gifts. Not giving them meant I didn’t love her. She also chatted ambiguously with other men in private. Don’t ask—they were just “good buddies.” But she never—she’d self-righteously say those were all excuses, and she had as many scheming thoughts as she had petty schemes. During our dating period, I thought it was just little woman behavior and didn’t think much of it. But now that I’m clear-headed… Ha. Get out! To cooperate with the performance, I “sighed miserably” and leaned on my male colleague’s shoulder. I had to lean—my mouth was about to split to my temples. And Bethany seemed to really believe it. She humbly tried to please me. She even found excuses for herself: “Honey, I just wanted to give our baby a home so badly that I didn’t consider your feelings.” Only then did I emerge from my “sadness”: “Then I’ll forgive you for now.” “But you wanted a five-carat pigeon egg engagement ring before. That depends on your future performance.” Ha, who can’t make empty promises! Bethany’s face twisted for an instant. But under the watchful eyes of other colleagues, she stiffly nodded. Behind her, Jay’s mouth was about to twist in anger. When leaving, I noticed a flash of resentment on Bethany’s face. Because today she failed to trick me into being a fool. But Bethany didn’t know. Everyone already knew about her little schemes. Even if she had been fully prepared today. She would have been picked on by colleagues for stepping into the company with her left foot first—an unlucky omen. Want me to propose? In her dreams! At this moment, my closest male colleague quietly tugged at my sleeve and told me with a laugh that everyone was amused. “Watching this idiot think she’s in control when she’s actually being played like a clown.” “I wonder if she’ll die of shame when the truth is revealed!” I gently smiled: “The good show is yet to come.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “356440”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn

My ten-year-old son joined the school’s extracurricular swimming club, but during practice, a classmate held his head down forcefully against the drain. When I saw the water turning red, I frantically pulled my son out. But his entire face had been disfigured by the powerful suction. He coughed up a pool of blood and stopped breathing. The ringleader, a boy, shouted that he was a minor and not bound by law. “So what? I’ve had it out for him for a while. With him dead, no one’s competing with me for first place.” His father contemptuously tossed me a card. “There’s a hundred thousand in here. That should be enough to buy your son’s worthless life.” I was grief-stricken and demanded justice, but my wife stopped me. “He’s just a child too. Just because your son is dead, does that mean someone else’s child should lose their freedom?” I exhausted myself running around, only managing to get the boy sent to juvenile detention—but that wasn’t the outcome I wanted. In the end, disheartened and broken, I swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills at my son’s grave. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I sent my son to swimming lessons. I immediately turned around and pulled him back home, but this time, a boy still died at the pool.

I’d left in such a hurry that my son’s clothes were still in the changing room. I told him to wait in the car while I went back to get them and inform the pool manager about the safety hazard. The moment I stepped into the swimming facility, I heard bursts of mocking laughter. “Look at him—he’s like a dead fish! Move! Why isn’t he moving? Hahaha…” Three boys were laughing shrilly. The tallest one, Derek, was stepping on something blue beneath the water. Seeing the same blue swimsuit my son wore and the faint red tinge spreading through the water made my heart seize with terror. If I wasn’t certain my son was in the car right now, I couldn’t bear to face this scene again. In my previous life, Derek had targeted my son because he’d beaten Derek in academic rankings. Derek wanted to crush him in extracurricular activities too, so he’d murdered him. But who was this boy? And why? I didn’t dare think too much. Saving him was urgent. I shouted sternly. “Stop! What are you doing?!” When Derek saw me, he raised an eyebrow and slowly stepped back half a pace. “Well, well. The old dog’s here to protect the little dog. No more fun.” The other two boys jumped away like startled rabbits, not daring to look at me. Due to the powerful suction, even though they’d released their feet, the boy’s face remained pressed tightly against the drain outlet, his limbs floating with the current. In my previous life, this was how my son had been. I’d plunged into the water to save him, but the suction was too strong—I couldn’t pull him free. By the time the staff arrived and shut off the system, it was already too late. My son had died in my arms. The blue swimsuit before me, the short-medium length hair, the body shape… I kept telling myself this wasn’t Ashton, that he was safe in the car right now. But my hands still trembled violently. With my experience from the previous life, I turned to the staff member nearby. “What are you standing there for? Can’t you see someone’s stuck on the drain down there? Call someone to shut off the water circulation!” The manager finally snapped out of it and hurriedly contacted the control room. A few minutes later, I pulled the boy’s limp body out of the water. His face was swollen and deformed—completely unrecognizable. He’d stopped breathing. His pulse was gone too. Derek stood to the side with his arms crossed, a faint smirk on his lips. “He said he could hold his breath for three minutes. We were just helping him practice.” “Helping him?” My eyes burned red as I slapped him across the face. “You call pressing him against the drain ‘helping him’?” Derek clutched his face and glared at me. “We were just playing around! How were we supposed to know he couldn’t take it!” “You actually dare hit me! Do you know who my mom is? Believe me, I can make your whole family pay!” I knew exactly who she was. That’s why I wanted to tear that indifferent face of his to shreds. I had no idea what kind of taste his mother had—marrying a worthless leech like Cameronas her live-in husband and raising such a monstrous child. “Playing? You call this playing? This is murder! Do you understand?!” The chubby boy beside them finally showed fear, his voice trembling. “Are we in…?” Before he could finish, Derek cut him off. “In what? You were pressing just as hard as anyone a minute ago.” The other boy had already started crying. “I… I want to go home…” I had no time for them. I laid the boy flat on the ground, performing CPR while instructing the staff to call an ambulance. “Call 911 now! Maybe we can still save him!” As I lifted the boy’s chin to give rescue breaths, I noticed a plum blossom-shaped birthmark behind his ear. Something flashed through my mind. The coach exhaled his last puff of smoke and walked in slowly with Derek’s father, Cameron, through a side door. Seeing the scene by the pool, they instantly panicked. “What… how did this happen?!” Derek immediately put on an innocent expression and ran over. “Dad, we were competing to see who could hold their breath longest. He said he could last three minutes. Who knew…” “This is outrageous!” The coach’s face went pale. “How many times have I told you—no one goes in the water without me there!” “Sorry. Won’t happen again. But that uncle can’t just hit people, right?” Derek lowered his head but curved his lips into a smirk aimed at me. Cameron, seeing the handprint on his son’s face, pointed at my nose and cursed. “What gives you the right to hit my son?” He glanced contemptuously at me and the boy on the ground. “The kid didn’t follow the rules. As his parent, you should’ve watched him better. When something like this happens, you can’t blame others, right?” In my previous life, the surveillance footage showed my son doing warm-ups by the pool when Derek pushed him in from behind. Then three of them dragged him to the drain and held him down. This boy’s ordeal must have been similar to what happened to my son, Ashton. I understood that bone-crushing pain of losing a child all too well. So regardless of who this boy was, he was innocent. Saving him was urgent. I didn’t want to waste words on Cameron. Without stopping my compressions, I glanced at the coach. “Coach, you’re also responsible for what happened here. You should notify the child’s parents first.”

The coach fumbled for his phone with shaking hands, stammering. “R-right, right… I’ll… I’ll call right now…” A few seconds later, he looked at the boy’s swollen, deformed face. “He… his face is so badly injured, I don’t even know which student this is.” I looked up, somewhat exasperated. “Can’t you check? How many students were supposed to come today? Eliminate the ones who called in sick and the ones present, and what’s left…” Derek cut in. “No need to check. I know who it is.” He walked over and crouched in front of me, looking at the boy’s face up close. His voice was soft but stabbed into my ears like needles. “This is Ashton, isn’t it? You don’t even recognize your own son?” “You were so worked up just now—I thought you knew. Or can’t you accept the truth?” I stared at him with wide eyes. So he thought this was Ashton, which is why he’d done this? Derek seemed very satisfied with my shocked expression. Seeing that my compressions hadn’t stopped, he continued. “Don’t waste your energy. Haven’t you noticed he hasn’t responded after twenty minutes of CPR?” “Because from the time he went underwater to when you pulled him out, it’s been over ten minutes. The golden rescue window has long passed.” Hearing this, all strength left my body. I collapsed onto the ground, trembling slightly. Was I still too late? In my previous life, I couldn’t save my own son. Now I couldn’t save this boy either. I stared hard at Derek. “Why would you do this? Aren’t you afraid of karma?!” “Oh my, you’re scaring me.” He patted his chest dramatically. “What karma? The law? But I’m only eleven years old. Under the law, anyone under fourteen can’t be held criminally responsible.” He was so close I could smell the orange shampoo in his hair. These words and this scent had become my eternal nightmare in my previous life. Looking at that face mixing malice with childish innocence, I finally couldn’t suppress the hatred that had been churning through two lifetimes. I grabbed his head and tried to push it toward the pool. “So vicious at such a young age—today I’ll let you taste…” Cameron struck my head hard with his car keys, the key chain carving a long bloody gash across my forehead. Seeing me release my grip, he pulled Derek behind him. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” “What’s done is done! Why are you taking it out on a child? My son is just a kid—what does he know about consequences? This was an accident!” “An accident?” I felt all the blood in my body rushing to my head. “Go check the surveillance yourself! Three people holding a child’s head and shoving it into the drain—you call that an accident?!” Cameron turned to glance at his guilty-looking son, then slowly pulled out a card. “So what do you want? Justice? Let me tell you—justice in this world depends on status and money!” He stepped forward, the card nearly poking my nose. “Do you know who my son is? His mother is the only daughter of HX Corporation’s CEO!” “And your son? Just some kid from an ordinary working-class family. Dead is dead. You expect us to pay with our lives?” He casually threw the card at my face. “There’s a hundred thousand in this card. Password is six eights. Take the money and shut your mouth. Give your son a proper funeral.” “If you dare say one word outside, if you dare call the police… I guarantee you and your wife won’t even find work sweeping streets in this city!” Derek poked his head out from behind his father and made a face at me. Not a trace of fear—only smugness. The coach came to his senses and, not wanting things to escalate, advised in a low voice. “Ashton’s father, look—this was an accident. Since the other party has decided to settle privately, why don’t we all take a step back?” Take a step back? I looked down at the bank card on the ground, then at the boy’s cold body, and found it absurd. A human life had been turned into a transaction, spoken of so casually. My gaze swept over the boy’s birthmark again, and I suddenly remembered who he was. Since my son from an ordinary family didn’t deserve their lives in return, let’s see how many lives they’d need to pay for this boy. Derek was still jabbering away. “Look on the bright side. Money in hand is real. Your son is dead—just have another one…” I slowly raised my head, my gaze moving to that face that didn’t know the meaning of consequences. “Your mother’s money won’t work this time.” He raised his chin. “Say whatever you want. I’m not going to get in trouble anyway. My dad said the juvenile protection law is my shield!” I gently wiped the blood from the boy’s face, my fingertip brushing over that plum blossom birthmark. Then I took off my jacket and covered him with it, wanting to give him a final measure of dignity. “A shield?” I pulled my lips into a smile. “Then you’d better pray that everyone in this world believes in the law.” Cameron frowned. “What do you mean?” I ignored him and sent out a message on my phone, then lowered my head and whispered in the boy’s ear. “Don’t be afraid. Your mother will be here soon.” Then I dialed the police. “What do you think you’re doing?!” Cameron sensed something was wrong and demanded harshly. “I’m telling you, this matter ends here today! If you dare…”

Before he could finish, Rachel burst in, panting. “Matthew, I heard something happened at the pool…” She saw me kneeling on the ground in a disheveled state, with a small body covered by clothing beside me. All color drained from her face. “What… what on earth happened?!” Her voice trembled as she stumbled forward. This scene was almost identical to my previous life. But I only felt it was ironic. In my previous life, when she saw our son’s disfigured state, she’d also looked like her heart was shattered and her world had collapsed. But when she learned the killer was the son of her company’s chairman’s only daughter, that pitiful bit of maternal love seemed so laughable when weighed against her own career prospects. Sure enough, the next second, her eyes landed on Cameron nearby, and her expression instantly filled with panic. He bowed slightly, his voice unable to hide his flattery and nervousness. “Why are you here too?” Cameron raised his chin proudly, glossing over what had happened. “Since the other party is Rachel’s son, our family is reasonable. Out of humanitarian concern, I can increase the compensation to two hundred thousand. That’s more than fair.” “But your husband is emotionally unstable and unreasonable, insisting on making a big deal out of this.” “Rachel, I called you here because I believe you’re a sensible person. You can’t destroy several children’s futures—and the adults’ careers—over an accident with someone who’s already dead, right?” Rachel’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. Then she turned to me, her face showing complex emotions. “Honey, listen to me…” I knew what she was going to say and cut her off coldly. “Shut up. You don’t get to decide this!” Rachel thought I was throwing a tantrum and her voice changed pitch in panic. “Honey, we can’t bring the dead back to life. We still have our own lives to live!” “The other party is just a child too. What bad intentions could he have? It was just playing that went too far.” She glanced at Cameron’s expression and moved closer to me with a pleading tone. “They’re willing to compensate us two hundred thousand. We can negotiate the exact amount later.” “Take the money, give Ashton a proper funeral, and then while we’re still young, I can have another child. Everything can start over…” Looking at this woman I’d shared a bed with for years, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Start over?” Despite my best efforts to control it, my voice still trembled. “Start over with money bought with our son’s life? I’m not as cold-blooded and cruel as you!” “And I told you—you don’t get to decide this!” Seeing I was about to dial again, Rachel actually snatched the phone from me. “Give it back!” I got up to grab it back, but she pushed me forcefully backward. My back slammed against the cold pool wall, the pain making my vision go dark. Rachel looked at me, struggle in her eyes, but ultimately threw the phone into the pool. “Can you stop making a scene! You just lost your son. Do you have to make someone else’s child lose their freedom and ruin their life over this?!” So in her heart, our son’s life wasn’t as important as someone else’s freedom. I took a deep breath and nodded calmly. “Fine. I won’t call the police.” My gaze swept over Cameron and Derek, who were both smiling like victors, and I continued. “Just don’t regret it later!” After all, calling the police might have saved their lives. Not calling means it just depends on how tough their luck is. My well-intentioned warning made Cameron think I was being provocative. He spoke with a threatening tone. “Rachel, looks like you don’t have much standing in your family. You can’t even make decisions about your own son?” “An emotionally unstable, unreasonable employee’s family member like this… makes it hard to trust that you can properly handle projects and manage your own team, doesn’t it?” Rachel’s face instantly turned deathly pale. Derek also adopted the tone of adults, speaking with sarcastic mockery. “Just now this uncle was whispering in Ashton’s ear saying ‘don’t be afraid, your mother will be here soon.’ But now she’s really here and he won’t listen to her?” He seemed to realize something and covered his mouth with an expression both innocent and malicious. “Oh my, could it be that uncle has more than just Ashton as his biological son? So uncle…” This sentence made the naturally suspicious Rachel, already threatened regarding her career, whip her head around to look at me. The emotions in her eyes were instantly replaced by shock, humiliation, and rage. “Matthew, is what he said true?!” “Why did you say I can’t decide about our son? Who are you waiting for?!” Looking at that face twisted by suspicion, I only felt absurd and desolate. “He was never our son in the first place. What right do you have to make decisions for him?” Rachel’s eyes widened. “Not our son—what does that mean?” A flash of confusion crossed Cameron’s face, followed by a light laugh. “This is the first time I’ve seen someone admit so righteously to being cuckolded.” He turned to Rachel, his tone exaggerated. “Don’t you get it? He’s saying this dead child isn’t yours!” “So whose son have you been raising all these years? Doesn’t that make you… a living cuckold who’s been raising someone else’s kid for over ten years?!” Cameron’s words made Rachel’s face go from white to red to blue. Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, she clenched her fists and stared at me hard. I knew she’d misunderstood and tried to explain. “Rachel, calm down. This boy…” Before I could finish, she lunged at me and wrapped her hands tightly around my throat. “Matthew! I’ll strangle you, you bastard!” “You had an affair? You had a child with another woman and brought it into our home?” “Is Ashton even my son?! Answer me!!” I instantly couldn’t breathe, sharp pain shooting through my throat. “Let… go!” The air in my lungs was rapidly squeezed out, my cheeks flushed red from congestion and oxygen deprivation. Oxygen grew scarcer and scarcer. Just when I thought I would really die at this woman’s hands— A woman, flanked by several black-suited bodyguards, strode in quickly. Her voice wasn’t loud but carried a chill. “Where is my son? What happened to him?”

Vivian’s appearance made Rachel’s hands around my throat suddenly freeze. The pressure on my neck loosened. I seized the opportunity to bite her hard, and she shoved me away violently. Ignoring the pain in my throat and the dizziness in my head, I called out hoarsely. “Vivian…” “Well!” Before I could finish, Cameron blocked Vivian’s path. He crossed his arms, chin lifted, his gaze sweeping over Vivian like a searchlight. Seeing her approaching middle age but wearing a low-key tailored suit, her face cold and stern—this only confirmed Cameron’s suspicion. This must be my mistress who couldn’t see the light of day. Looking at her bearing, she might even be some nouveau riche with a bit of money. He scoffed, his tone full of mockery. “No wonder you’re so tough. Your mistress is here.” He looked Vivian up and down, his tone frivolous. “Looks-wise… you do have some appeal. No wonder you’ve got Matthew wrapped around your finger. Poor Rachel—been a cuckold all these years.” Derek immediately jumped over and pointed at Vivian. “I remember now! After training ended last week, I saw her talking with this uncle at the pool entrance, all sneaky!” Father and son sang in harmony, completely unaware they were desperately testing the edge of death. Vivian was the legendary living King of Hell who straddled both the legal and illegal worlds, known for her ruthless methods. My only conversation with her was when her son wanted the link to my son’s swimsuit, which is how we’d become contacts. And at this moment, her only son lay at my feet, his face blue and purple and swollen, completely devoid of life. I hadn’t expected this blue swimsuit would make Derek mistake him for someone else. From the moment she appeared, Vivian’s gaze had been locked on that small body on the ground. She didn’t even raise an eyelid at Cameron and Derek’s noise and slander. It wasn’t until Derek pointed and shouted at her that she finally shifted her gaze from her son, turning to the bodyguard beside her. Cameron, who’d been pampered and tyrannical for years, had never been so ignored. Humiliated and enraged, he was about to raise his voice to continue his mockery when a bodyguard behind Vivian slapped him hard across the mouth. “You dare block our boss’s path? You have a death wish!” Cameron’s whole body jerked to the side from the blow, stumbling. “Dad!” Derek screamed and went to support him, barely keeping him from falling. Clutching his face, he finally snapped out of his shock and let out a shrill voice. “You… you dare hit me?!” “Do you know who I am?! I’m the husband of HX Corporation chairman’s only daughter! I’ll make you…” His shouting cut off abruptly. Because Vivian’s gaze had fallen on him. That look was like a butcher examining livestock for slaughter, like a predator locking onto prey beneath its claws. No anger, no rebuke. Just quietly watching. This one glance even stopped Rachel, who’d been about to rush forward and question her, in her tracks. Vivian finally walked toward me step by step. When her gaze caught the edge of blue pants belonging to the boy whose upper body was covered, her pupils contracted sharply. After a long moment, she raised her head to look at me and asked politely. “May I ask where my son is? Did he run off to play again?” I looked at her—this woman rumored to strike fear into everyone who heard her name. Right now, all color had drained from her face. Her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were white and veins bulged, completely betraying her forced composure. She was afraid. Afraid to confirm that worst possibility. In my previous life, the heart-wrenching agony of losing my son pierced through time and space to strike me. My nose stung and my eyes uncontrollably reddened. I understood her. I understood too well—that desperate hope that your child had just wandered off mischievously, refusing to accept even the slightest hint of terrible news. But I had to personally shatter her last illusion.

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