Category: English

I was out of town when I received a text from my neighbor, saying my husband had brought a flashy woman home. I rushed back immediately. My husband wasn’t there. I frantically tore through the apartment. “You bitch, where are you hiding? Get out here!” I peeked under the bed, only to find a bloody female corpse. Her head had been severed. Her eyes were wide open, staring dead at me. I was scared out of my wits. Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. My husband was back! 1 Click. The front door unlocked. A shiver ran through my entire body. Almost on instinct, I glanced left and right, then swiftly darted into the closet. The closet had louvered doors. Through the slats, I could still see that head under the bed. The woman was wearing heavy smokey-eye makeup and exaggerated colored contacts. At first glance, her two eyeballs looked completely black, bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. I clamped my hand over my mouth, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it would explode. I just couldn’t figure it out. I came here to catch a cheater; how did I stumble into this?! Why did my husband kill her? Did they get into some kind of fight? My husband has always had a bad temper. When we go out to eat, if the waiter is a bit slow bringing the food, he’ll slam his fist on the table. Arguing with people is practically a daily occurrence for him. But no matter what, it shouldn’t escalate to murder, right? That’s a serious crime. Didn’t he consider the consequences? While my mind was racing, my husband walked into the bedroom. He looked to be in a great mood. He was carrying a black plastic trash bag in his hand, casually humming a tune. “Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day~” Humming, he slowly crouched down, set the plastic bag by his feet, and fished that head out from under the bed. He held the head in his left hand, and with his right hand, he tapped the woman’s nose in an exasperated manner. “You!” “You just wouldn’t listen!” His tone was playful, as if they were flirting. “Look at you, so pretty. I really did like you.” “I told you to be a good girl and lie on the bed, but you just had to go snooping through my things.” “You found out my secret. What could I do? I had to let you die!” “We haven’t even been together that long. I really hate to see you go.” As he spoke, he actually leaned in and planted two hard kisses on the woman’s bright red lips. The thick, foul stench of blood rushed to my nose. I almost threw up. I never, ever expected my husband to be such a sick freak. Holding a severed head, and he could actually kiss it! Is he some kind of psychopathic serial killer? And what was this secret he just mentioned? We’ve been married for four years. I’m the one who cleans the house. His phone password is my birthday, and I can look through it whenever I want. I’ve never noticed anything unusual! 2 I stared at Derek’s blood-stained face, twisted in a grotesque, eerie expression. He looked like a complete stranger. He kissed the head a few more times, then started humming again. “Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh, what a beautiful day…” While humming, he tossed the head into the black plastic bag, then bent down and reached under the bed to drag out the woman’s body. Only then did I see clearly that the woman had no clothes on. She had a curvy figure, her waist shockingly thin. If she were alive, who knows how captivating she would be. But now, that slender waist had been slashed with a massive knife, looking as if she had been sliced in half. A small section of her intestines was even spilling out. Derek reached out, slowly stroking that bloody, mangled piece of intestine, a look of slight heartbreak crossing his face. “What a shame. I didn’t want to kill you so soon!” After saying that, he turned and went to the kitchen, coming back with a heavy meat cleaver. He crouched on the floor and began expertly dismembering the body. Watching him slice meat and separate bones, stroke by stroke, a wave of intense nausea washed over me. I was on the verge of vomiting. Everyone’s heard of the legendary master butcher, right? The kind whose technique is so practiced and superb that the blade slides precisely into the gaps between the joints without ever needing to hack forcefully. That’s the exact vibe Derek gave me. His movements as he dismembered the body were smooth and fluid; it was almost too seamless. I barely heard any sounds of chopping bone. He was clearly reveling in his own skill, a smug expression on his face. Soon, he had dismantled both legs, separated and piled the bones, chopped the meat into pieces, and stuffed it all into the black plastic bag. He stood up, stretched, and suddenly, his gaze stopped. His expression changed drastically. 3 I looked in the direction his gaze had fixed on, my eyes instantly widening in terror, cold sweat pouring down my back. It was my earring! I instinctively touched my earlobe; my left ear was indeed bare. It must have fallen off when I was frantically tearing through the room earlier. Derek furrowed his brow tightly, walked over, and picked up the earring. “Why do I remember Brooke wearing these earrings when she went out?” This pair of pearl earrings was a birthday gift from Derek. I loved them. Before leaving the house, I even specifically chose an outfit to match them. Derek teased me, saying people usually pick jewelry to match their clothes, but I was doing it backward. Derek obviously remembered this scene too, and his expression grew increasingly grim. He raised his head, carefully scanning the room, his eyes darting everywhere. I was so terrified I held my breath. The next second, I realized something and immediately pulled my phone from my pocket. My palms were drenched in sweat, my fingers slipping wildly against the glass. I tapped the screen several times but couldn’t get it to unlock. My whole body was shaking, my heart practically leaping out of my throat. Through the louvered wooden door, I saw Derek pick up his phone from the nightstand and dial my number. My phone wasn’t on silent. If it rang, I was dead meat! In the nick of time, a flash of inspiration hit me. I just pressed and held the power button on the side to shut the phone off! And right at that moment, I heard a clear female voice echo in the quiet bedroom. “The subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable.” 4 “The subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable.” After trying a few times, Derek’s frown deepened. “Why is it turned off all of a sudden? Did the battery die?” “Forget it, I’m probably just overthinking. There’s no way she’d be back so soon.” “That silly girl probably lost the earring before she even left the house.” Derek shook his head and chuckled, slipping the earring into his pocket before going back to dismembering the body. For about half an hour, he separated all the bones and chopped meat, bagging them into different large black plastic bags, and took them to the kitchen. Hiding in the closet, my legs had gone completely numb from crouching. The sound of running water came from the kitchen. I rolled my numb ankles and carefully pushed the closet door open a crack. Our apartment’s layout had been remodeled. The small room next to the kitchen was opened up to create a dining area, and the kitchen sliding door opened towards that side too. Between the dining area and the living room, there was a cabinet partition. Which meant, if I slipped out of the master bedroom without making a sound, I could walk straight to the front door without catching Derek’s attention. I planned to use this opportunity to escape. As for how this would end, I had no idea, and I didn’t have the luxury to think that far ahead. Right now, I just desperately wanted to get away from Derek, this murderer. 5 I opened the closet door and stood still for a few seconds, letting the feeling return to my legs. Then, tiptoeing, trying my absolute hardest not to make a single sound, I slowly moved toward the front door. One step, two steps, three steps. The dark red security door was right in front of me! Derek was still in the kitchen, intently washing things. The sound of running water hadn’t stopped. I had just grabbed the door handle, my knuckles white from gripping it so tight. Suddenly— Bang! Bang! Bang! Knocking exploded on the door without warning, startling me so badly I shook all over. “Brooke? Derek? Are you guys home?” It was the neighbor, Mrs. Gable. Her voice was loud and carried an irrepressible excitement. Almost instantly, the water in the kitchen stopped. My scalp prickled. I immediately yanked my hand back and looked around frantically. The living room was wide open with nowhere to hide; only the heavy, L-shaped fabric sofa had its side facing the front door. I practically dove behind the corner of the sofa, curling up into a ball, my heart pounding like a drum. Derek’s footsteps grew closer, brushing past the sofa where I hid, heading toward the door. “Who is it?” He asked, his voice as calm as ever. “It’s me, Mrs. Gable from next door.” The voice outside grew even more enthusiastic. “I heard noise coming from your place, thought maybe Brooke was back?” “I just baked some fresh cornbread muffins. They’re Brooke’s favorite, still piping hot.” “Oh, Mrs. Gable.” Derek cracked the door open just a sliver, not all the way. “Brooke isn’t back yet. I was just in the kitchen chopping some bones for a rib stew. Want some, Mrs. Gable?” “Oh, is that so?” Mrs. Gable’s tone shifted, her eyes trying to peer through the crack in the door, looking like she wanted to squeeze her whole body inside. “That can’t be right. I think I saw her coming into the complex this afternoon.” “Did you two have a fight?” “Derek, you’re an honest man. You can’t be messing around behind our Brooke’s back!” 6 I lay flat on the cold tile floor, cold sweat drenching my back. Mrs. Gable lived right across the hall. She was straightforward, enthusiastic, and extremely nosy. She was the one who texted me to hurry back and catch my husband bringing a woman home. I never imagined that after sending the text, she’d actually come knocking to watch the drama unfold. This was going to get me killed! Hearing her words, Derek’s face predictably changed. “What do you mean?” “Isn’t Brooke coming back tomorrow? I’m the one who bought her the flight ticket.” “How could she be back today? Mrs. Gable, are you sure you didn’t see wrong?” Derek’s voice was still smiling, but beneath that smile, something had snapped taut. He gripped the door handle, his knuckles turning white. Mrs. Gable let out an “Oh my,” lowering her voice a bit, filled with the eager curiosity of someone who loves a good spectacle. “My kid, Toby, saw her. Said he ran into Brooke at the front gate half an hour ago. She even said hi to him. He wouldn’t make a mistake like that!” She paused, then her voice rose again, probing. “What, she didn’t come inside?” “Or did she come in, see something she shouldn’t have, you two fought, and she ran away?” Mrs. Gable narrowed her eyes, implying heavily. “Derek, you can’t be doing things like this!” “Brooke is such a good girl. Her parents treat you like their own son, always bringing you food, buying this and that, taking such good care of you.” “You can’t do anything stupid!” Derek’s face was livid, his jaw clenched tight. He stayed silent for a long time before forcing out a response. “Mrs. Gable, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “Brooke really hasn’t come back, and there’s nothing shameful going on in this house.” He stepped aside, his tone carrying a hint of exasperation. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you come in and see for yourself?” 7 Mrs. Gable let out an awkward, dry laugh. “Oh, listen to you. Why wouldn’t I believe you?” While grumbling internally, she figured I must have had something come up and gotten delayed somewhere in the complex. Otherwise, rushing back to catch him cheating and running into a woman caked in makeup, the two of us would have already blown the roof off. It wouldn’t be this dead quiet. Thinking this, Mrs. Gable shoved the plate of cornbread muffins into Derek’s hands, smiling apologetically: “I guess our Toby must have seen wrong.” “You go back to what you were doing. I won’t bother you anymore. If Brooke comes back, tell her I said hi.” “Yeah, okay. Thanks for checking in, Mrs. Gable.” Closing the door, Derek slowly turned around. He stood in place for a moment, the corners of his mouth inching up into a wide grin. “Baby~” “You’re back. Why aren’t you coming out?” “Are we playing hide-and-seek with Hubby?” As he spoke, he started walking. Unhurried, yet with a clear target, straight toward the sofa. The crisp sound of his footsteps exploded in my brain. I was paralyzed with terror, nearly fainting from the sheer fear. My mind went completely blank; I had no idea how to react. The footsteps stopped. Above my head, Derek’s deep voice sounded. “Ha, found you!” 8 My entire body went rigid. My neck popped and cracked as I mechanically raised my head. Derek crouched down, raising his hand to stroke the top of my head. “Brooke, you’ve been a bad girl. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?” “AHHH—” I let out a blood-curdling scream. Derek moved fast. His hand slid swiftly down from the top of my head, clamping tightly over my mouth. The scream was muffled in my throat. I struggled desperately, using all my strength to push him. “Let me go! Let go!” Derek was tall and heavily built, incredibly strong. I couldn’t break free at all. With both my mouth and nose covered, my vision went black in waves. My chest tightened, suffocating. Soon, my eyes rolled back, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was lying on the sofa, covered with a thick blanket. Derek poked his head out from the dining room, calling me gently. “Honey, I figured it was time for you to wake up.” “You little sleepyhead, you sure can sleep. Come eat now that you’re awake.” “I simmered this rib stew for three whole hours. It smells amazing.” I jolted, bolting upright. For a split second, I almost suspected I was already dead. But the warm, thick blanket on me, and the autumn breeze blowing in from the balcony carrying that distinct, damp post-rain smell, reminded me I was still alive. I looked at Derek with terror and uncertainty, clutching the blanket tightly around me. Derek walked over carrying a white porcelain bowl. “Try it. You’ll love it.” A thick layer of milky-yellow oil floated in the bowl, with a few off-white bones bobbing inside. Just like the bones that had been chopped up earlier. My stomach heaved, and I nearly vomited. I forced it down, shrinking back against the cushions. “I need to use the bathroom.”

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Mom and Dad brought me to the city to buy an apartment. I walked up to a dilapidated, tiny old house and refused to leave. No matter how much they tried to persuade me, I stood my ground. Helpless, Mom and Dad had no choice but to buy it. Three days later, a red “Demolition” sign appeared on the wall of our newly purchased house. Mom and Dad were shocked. 1. Right after dinner, my cousin and I were running around the yard. “Chloe, come here and let me wipe your sweat. Look at your little face, it’s as dirty as a little kitten,” my mom said, smiling as she walked over, hugged me, and wiped my face. Our neighbor, Mrs. Smith, walked by and smiled. “Chloe is such a lucky charm! It’s rare for a little girl to be loved this much.” “But, Sarah,” she continued, “a woman still needs a son to secure her future. It would be great if you and Chloe’s dad had another baby and gave Chloe a little brother.” Hearing Mrs. Smith’s words, my mom looked a bit displeased. While tickling me with one hand, she replied politely, “We are perfectly happy with just Chloe. You don’t need to worry about us.” Seeing me laughing heartily as my mom tickled me, Mrs. Smith shook her head and walked away. My grandmother came out of the house. “Don’t listen to that old busybody. Having Chloe is perfectly fine for our family.” My mom smiled too. “Mom, Chloe’s dad and I are planning to go to the city tomorrow to look at houses. We’ve saved up quite a bit these past two years, and for the sake of Chloe’s future education, we want to move to the city as soon as possible.” Grandma smiled warmly and patted my head. “Alright, as long as you find something you like. I’ve saved up a little bit too; if it’s not enough, I can chip in!” My parents wouldn’t actually take my grandmother’s money. After all, I still had an uncle, and she needed to be fair to both her sons. In rural areas, favoring boys over girls wasn’t uncommon, and my grandmother originally held those views too. When I was first born and she heard I was a girl, she showed obvious disappointment on her face. But from the moment I was born, I loved to smile. Seeing me swaddled like a little white dumpling, grinning widely at everyone, my parents and grandmother couldn’t help but smile too. They held me in their arms, unable to put me down. Add to that my sweet talk, and with this skill, I gained a lot of love in the family. But what truly elevated my status was another incident. When I was a year old, my parents had something to attend to, and my grandmother was watching me at home. After feeding me lunch, my grandmother was working in the yard while I played on the bed by myself. Not long after, I suddenly started crying loudly. My grandmother held me, trying everything to soothe me, but it didn’t work. My cries grew louder and louder, my voice becoming increasingly hoarse. For someone like me, who naturally loved to smile, this was extremely unusual. My grandmother didn’t dare delay and hurriedly carried me to the local clinic. The doctor at the clinic couldn’t find anything wrong with me and just told her to take me home and observe me. My grandmother carried me home, and on the way, she saw black smoke billowing from the direction of our house. “Fire… there’s a fire…” When my grandmother finally ran back carrying me, she found that several nearby houses, including ours, were on fire. The fire was quite large, and the villagers were all helping to put it out. My parents also rushed back, and seeing that my grandmother and I were safe, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. It took the whole afternoon to put out the fire; it wasn’t extinguished until nightfall. Later, we heard that people in several of the nearby houses were severely injured, and even after being saved, they were left disabled. Our family was the only one that didn’t suffer much loss, and no one was hurt. Hearing this news, my parents were silent for a long time. My grandmother held me tightly, her eyes still showing lingering fear. “Thanks to Chloe! Our Chloe is a little lucky charm, Grandma’s sweetheart.” 2. Since that incident, everyone in the family favored me even more. My grandmother and mother even fought over who got to take care of me, making my aunt, who had two sons, green with envy. My parents also gave up the idea of having a son; they only wanted to take good care of me. When I was two, my dad was laid off and started his own business. Unexpectedly, his first venture didn’t lose money; instead, he paid off all the money he borrowed to start the business in just one year. Not long after, my mom also quit her job to help my dad, and a year later, they made a neat little profit. As our family’s life improved day by day, my parents started thinking about moving to the city. After all, the educational and medical facilities in the city were relatively much better. Early the next morning, my mom picked me up from bed. “Chloe, are we going to the city to look at houses with Mommy and Daddy today? Does that sound good?” With my eyes closed, I let my mom dress me and groggily washed my face. After eating the breakfast my grandmother prepared, my parents and I set off. My parents had been making frequent trips to the city for their business over the past few years, so they had some knowledge of the well-known neighborhoods. When my parents brought me to a sales office, I instinctively disliked the place. The houses sold here were considered upper-middle-class in the city, and many people were buying them. While my parents were listening to the sales lady’s introduction, I sat in my mom’s lap, looking around. Just then, I saw an elegantly dressed couple walk in through the door with a little girl. The couple looked very kind; the man was tall and handsome, and the woman was gentle and beautiful. However, the woman looked pale, as if her health wasn’t very good. The little girl with them was wearing a princess dress and delicate white leather shoes, but she looked unhappy. Seeing them, the sales manager hurried out to greet them. “Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling, what brings you here personally today? And this must be your daughter?” The little girl glanced at the sales manager expressionlessly. The man referred to as Mr. Sterling spoke: “Today we want to pick out another villa for ourselves. My wife isn’t used to living in the one we bought previously.” Seeing Mrs. Sterling coughing softly, the sales manager nodded in understanding and personally began showing them around. But the little girl didn’t seem very close to the couple; she just sat impatiently on the side by herself. My parents picked me up, ready to go look at the houses in the neighborhood. As my mom picked me up, the family next to us also noticed us. The woman called Mrs. Sterling froze for a moment when she saw me. Noticing her gaze, the man also looked at us. Seeing my face, the man, like the woman, was stunned for a moment, but soon returned to normal. Both of their gazes lingered on us. It wasn’t until my parents and I left that their line of sight vanished. My parents were very satisfied with the house they viewed. But ever since I walked in, I didn’t like it. I shook my mom’s hand: “I don’t like it here, Mommy. Let’s look somewhere else.” “Chloe, be good. Look how big this bedroom is! You can have your own room from now on.” But I still shook my head, my face showing my reluctance. My parents looked awkwardly at the salesperson and said they would think about it. After going outside, my dad picked me up: “Does Chloe really not like it there?” “I don’t like it!” I immediately replied. “Then we’ll keep looking. There are plenty of houses anyway.” “You just spoil her,” my mom said, smiling and shaking her head. My parents decided to take me to get something to eat first. We came to an alley where the road was full of potholes and very difficult to walk on. My dad, holding me, looked up. There weren’t many houses here, and the layout was scattered. When we reached a certain house, I struggled to be put down. After my dad set me down, I scurried over to the house and took a look. I didn’t know why, but I really liked it here. “Mommy, Daddy, I want to live here!” My parents were shocked by my words: “Chloe, it’s too run-down here. It’s not even as good as our house in the country. Let’s live in a new house, okay?” “No, no, I want to live here!” A “For Sale” sign was posted on the mottled gate of the house. My mom tried to coax me for a long time, but I refused to leave. Having no choice, my dad called the “For Sale” number posted on the gate. Hearing that we wanted to view the house, the owner excitedly said he would be right there. When the gate opened, we could see the yard wasn’t small, but it was piled high with junk. Upon entering the house, the overall appearance was even more dilapidated. My parents really didn’t think much of the place, but since coming in, I found myself liking the house more and more. I hugged my mom’s thigh. “I want to live here. I like it here.” My mom looked at my dad, conflicted. After all, I had been very sensible since I was little and rarely stubbornly demanded anything. My dad looked at my hopeful little face. “Buy it! If my daughter likes it, we’ll buy it! Worst case, we save up and buy another one later!” My dad made the final decision. Hearing this, my mom didn’t object either. Afraid we might change our minds, the owner offered an at-cost price and rushed the transfer of ownership. Looking at the property deed in our hands, our family of three stared at each other in disbelief. 3. There was too much junk here, making it a hassle to clean up. My parents decided to pack up our things from the country and move them over little by little. After returning home, the neighbors heard that my parents had bought an old house and gossiped while snacking on sunflower seeds. “The Davis family must have lost their minds! Listening to a little girl!” “They finally saved up enough money, and they go to the city just to buy a house like that? I wouldn’t live there even if they gave it to me for free!” “Tell me about it! Last time I suggested Chloe’s mom have another boy, she gave me such a dirty look!” Mrs. Smith said, spit flying. “No matter how lucky this girl is, she’s still not a son! Just wait and see! There will come a day when the Davis family regrets it!” My grandmother also disapproved a bit when she heard, but her attitude completely changed when she heard I liked it. “Since Chloe likes it, then we bought it! Don’t listen to their nonsense. At least we own a house in the city now!” My parents felt the same way and started packing up the things at home. The next day, my dad received a phone call and walked home looking like he was sleepwalking. “Richard? What’s wrong with you? Did you lose your soul?” My mom waved her hand in front of my dad’s face. My dad recovered after a while and said, “Sarah, the old house we just bought is going to be demolished.” “What… what nonsense are you talking about?!” My mom looked doubtful. “It’s true, that call just now was from the demolition office!” My mom and grandmother still couldn’t quite believe it, afraid they had encountered a scammer. The family rushed to the city in a panic. It wasn’t until they negotiated with the demolition office, signed the contract, and saw the red “Demolition” sign painted on our newly purchased house that it finally felt real. “Oh my, I told you our Chloe is a little lucky charm!” My grandmother hugged me and happily kissed my cheek. My parents were also smiling, looking at me with absolute adoration. After all, trading the price of a dilapidated house for a massive demolition payout was something they wouldn’t have even dared to dream of. Since the house was going to be demolished, it couldn’t be lived in. Striking while the iron was hot, my parents took the fresh demolition payout, gritted their teeth, and bought a small villa in the city center. Soon, our whole family moved to the city. The villas here were divided into Zone A and Zone B. Zone B was sold to families with a little bit of money, like ours. Zone A villas, on the other hand, were priceless; only the wealthiest and most prestigious people in the city lived there. On our very first day moving in, we ran into the family from the sales office. It turned out their family had also moved here, but they lived in Zone A. Mr. Sterling wasn’t there. Mrs. Sterling still looked pale, but it didn’t detract from her beauty. Mrs. Sterling was holding the hand of the little girl from last time. The little girl was dressed like a little princess, even wearing a small tiara on her head. When she saw our family, she didn’t look friendly and muttered “hicks” under her breath. My parents didn’t notice, and I turned my head away, ignoring her. We found out later that they were the Sterling family. The Sterling family enterprise was a leading corporation in the city. Mr. Sterling was famous for doting on his wife, and they only had this one daughter, Lily Sterling. Lily had been spoiled since childhood; calling her a princess wouldn’t be an overstatement. I thought this was just a minor interlude, never expecting our two families’ fates to be intertwined forever. Not long after moving, I was getting ready to start elementary school. I adapted to the new school pretty well, but I saw Lily Sterling here too. She and I didn’t know each other, so I didn’t approach her. But Lily wasn’t happy about that. Since she was little, wherever she went, she was always the center of attention. Her peers would try their best to please her. And yet I, someone she had disliked from the very first glance, hadn’t taken the initiative to approach her. So, during recess one day, Lily and her little followers came looking for me. “Hey, Chloe Davis, who told you to wear this hairstyle?” I touched the half-up princess style my mom had just done for me that morning, looking confused. Lily stared at me unkindly, as if trying to burn a hole in my face. Seeing that I didn’t speak, another follower next to her spoke up. “We’re talking to you! Are you mute? Who told you to wear this hairstyle?” “Why do I need your permission?” I asked seriously. “Don’t you know Lily is the little princess of our school? Are you trying to steal her thunder by dressing up so elaborately?” Listening to this illogical nonsense, I didn’t want to talk to them anymore and put on a cold expression: “Sorry, I don’t know you guys.” I didn’t expect this sentence to completely infuriate Lily. She ordered her followers to lunge at me and mess up my hair. But having grown up in a village, I was also a little boss no one dared to mess with. Seeing this, how could I just take it? I nimbly dodged their attacks, grabbed firmly, and yanked the hair clip right off Lily’s head. A strand of Lily’s hair was still clinging to the fallen clip. They were completely enraged by me and were preparing to all jump me to teach me a lesson. The farce only ended when the teacher walked into the classroom. After school, both my mom and Mrs. Sterling appeared at the school. Mrs. Sterling recognized me and was clearly surprised to see me. My mom put her arm around me and looked angrily at Lily. I was actually fine, my hair was just a bit messy. But Lily’s hands had several red scratch marks from me. After Mrs. Sterling heard the whole story, she pulled Lily forward to apologize to us. Lily looked incredibly resistant, glaring at me with anger in her eyes. “I’m not apologizing to her, that hick!” Lily refused to cooperate. “Lily Sterling!” Mrs. Sterling gave her a warning look. Lily turned and ran, completely disregarding Mrs. Sterling’s presence. “I’m so sorry, Lily has been spoiled since she was little. How about this, you leave me your address, and we’ll come to your house another day to formally apologize?” My mom didn’t care for her apology and led me away, turning her back on them.

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Arthur Vance cheated on me. A one-night stand. The girl got pregnant, caused a huge scene right in front of me, and demanded Arthur take responsibility. Arthur smoked a cigarette and handed the power of choice to me. “It was just once.” “If you can forgive me, we’ll keep living our lives together.” “If not, we get a divorce.” My face pale, my voice trembling, I asked: “It’s your fault, right?” “If we get a divorce, you’ll admit that it’s your fault, right?” 1 My marriage to Arthur Vance was built on the scraps my younger sister didn’t want. Chloe Hayes was lively, outgoing, and wildly unruly. She refused to be trapped for life by a so-called arranged marriage. So, she grabbed a debit card loaded with three million dollars and ran away. My mother’s heart ached for her youngest daughter, but she also couldn’t bear to let go of a golden son-in-law like Arthur. So, she pushed me forward instead. Acting as if Arthur would marry any daughter as long as she belonged to the Hayes family. Who was Arthur Vance? In the upper echelons of New York society, if a chandelier fell, it would crush a whole row of old-money heirs. He was the biggest one of them all. Chloe fleeing the wedding had already severely damaged his pride. And now they wanted him to marry me? Were they daydreaming? But I still went to see him once, volunteering myself, and he actually agreed. This year marks our fourth year of marriage. In front of outsiders, we are the model couple. But in private, we treat each other with the utmost, distant courtesy. Even when we sleep together, we maintain the most basic etiquette. My mother kept pressuring me, saying it was time I had a child. She constantly nagged about how useless I was, warning me that if things continued this way, I wouldn’t be able to tie Arthur down—what if he ran off? I wanted to say, Arthur isn’t a dog. Even if I wanted to tie him down, would he let me? But I didn’t say that. I just nodded submissively, over and over again. My mother hated seeing me like that the most. She rolled her eyes, twisted her waist, and strutted away. But what I never expected was that I actually got pregnant. 2 My period was late by one, two, three… looks like four weeks. Last night, I bought a pregnancy test. Two pink lines. Today, I went to the hospital and got bloodwork done. The doctor held the lab report. “You’re 9 weeks pregnant. Are you planning to keep this baby or not?” “Keep it, of course!” I hesitated slightly. Arthur didn’t know yet. This child was also completely outside our plans. I needed to go ask him. So, holding the report, I went straight to his company. When I arrived, Arthur was in a meeting. His assistant led me into his office, poured me some coffee, brought me dessert, and asked me to wait a bit. I picked up the cup, about to drink. Can you drink coffee when you’re pregnant? I wasn’t sure. Let me google it. You can. Then no problem. I took a small sip and sighed in satisfaction. I had only let out half that sigh when suddenly, noisy arguing erupted outside, accompanied by a woman’s scream. I pushed the door open and locked eyes with a woman being held back by security. Her eyes were red as she roared: “Tell Arthur Vance to get out here! He knocked someone up, does he think he doesn’t have to take responsibility?!” Such a loud voice. Such a huge scene. So many people. So humiliating!!! I wished I could find a crack in the floor to crawl into. I just wanted to say, this has absolutely nothing to do with me! Thankfully, Arthur appeared just in time. With a cold face, he strode through the crowd and spotted me peeking through the crack of the door. His large, well-defined hand covered my eyes. I instinctively shrank back. He moved his hand and pulled the door shut. I blinked. Wait. My husband cheated, knocked someone else up, and now the mistress was confronting him at the office—and I was completely excluded from this drama? 3 Arthur indicated that I wasn’t entirely excluded. He dismissed the crowd, whispered a couple of words to the woman, pushed open the door, and brought her right in front of me. Seeing how calm, breezy, and composed he was, I really wanted to give him a standing ovation. To be able to cheat and act this self-righteous about it… he was probably the first in history, and likely the last. The woman was very cool. Wearing simple athleisure, a high ponytail, and a baseball cap. She sat there, legs crossed, her whole demeanor screaming, “Don’t mess with me.” But she was genuinely beautiful. Exquisite features, a cold and stunning aura. With looks alone, it was hard to hate her. It’s just a shame she opened her mouth. “This is your wife?” “Get a divorce.” “I’m pregnant, and you need to take responsibility for me.” I twitched my mouth. Well, I’m pregnant too, so who’s taking responsibility for me? Logically speaking, as the legal wife, I definitely had more leverage than a mistress. But when marriage becomes a battlefield, the more immoral one is, the more self-righteous they act. “Sigh!” I let out a sigh, grabbed a small cookie, and started eating. It was milky and buttery, not too sweet. Not bad. “Do you want one?” The woman looked at me with utter disgust, pointing her finger. “Is she crazy?” Arthur, for once, actually frowned. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the adjoining lounge. He smoked a cigarette in suffocating silence. “It was just once.” “I accidentally drank something spiked, and unexpectedly slept with her.” “Stella.” He raised his eyes to look at me, his gaze exceptionally serious. He said: “The fault is mine, you make the decision.” “If you can forgive me, we’ll keep living our lives together.” “If not, we get a divorce.” The sudden appearance of the word “divorce” made my heart skip a beat, and then it started racing wildly. I uncontrollably pinched the webbing between my thumb and index finger. “It’s your fault, right?” “If we get a divorce, you’ll admit that it’s your fault, right?” 4 Arthur looked at me intently. He was handsome, much better looking than anyone else I had ever met. I really liked looking at him. Especially in bed, looking up at him, seeing his hazy eyes, hearing his sexy panting. It all always made me lose myself and experience ultimate pleasure. Divorce… it’s a bit of a shame. But divorce… it’s not entirely out of the question either. “So, your choice is divorce?” I nodded and pointed outside. “With things like this, we have to divorce!” “It’s just my mom… you will admit to her that it was your fault, right?” I confirmed once more. Arthur’s expression, however, faded. Those unfamiliar, distant eyes were quite hard to bear. But I am best at handling internal discomfort. Take a deep breath, exhale, and you’re good. Arthur stood up, brushed off imaginary dust from his clothes, and said calmly: “Don’t worry, I will handle it.” Phew! Then I’m relieved. “If we divorce, I don’t need anything else, I just want Vance Pharmaceuticals.” “Fine.” “But if it’s convenient for you, giving me a villa would be nice too.” “Okay.” “Then can I also ask for thirty million dollars?” Arthur turned his head, staring at me. “You want everything, and you still want a divorce?” “If we don’t divorce, it’s all yours.” I avoided his gaze, lowered my head, and awkwardly shifted my feet. Listen to him. Then you shouldn’t have cheated! If you didn’t cheat, we wouldn’t have to divorce. If we don’t divorce, your wife and child are both yours. ………… Wait. Even if he cheated and we divorced, he’d still have a wife and child. Damn it! As expected of a businessman, always calculating profit down to the last cent. 5 Arthur sent the woman away. What they talked about, or what he promised her, I have no idea. By the time I came out of the lounge, the woman was already gone. There wasn’t a single delicious dessert left. I looked around, checked again. When I left, I still couldn’t help but grab the assistant. “Those little cookies from earlier, could you pack some up for me?” Assistant Davis looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t, his expression incredibly complicated. Behind me, Arthur let out a cold scoff. “Pack them for her!” This incident blew up way too big. By evening, my mother was already calling. The first one, I didn’t answer. The second one, I still didn’t answer. The third one, I stared at the phone for a long time, then tossed it into the sink filled with water. Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, I figured out the answer to a question: I was going to keep the baby in my belly. This child… I would provide half of his chromosomes. He would be nourished by my flesh and blood, emerge from my body, and grow into a new life form. He shares my bloodline. He is my most beloved family. What reason do I have not to give birth to him? Yes, I’m going to have him! This decision made me excited. I opened a bottle of $4,000 red wine from the wine cabinet. Can you drink wine when you’re pregnant? No? No, in moderation. So, cheers!

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When my husband’s first love’s daughter was kidnapped, she banged her head against the floor until she bled in front of me. “Lily is just a child. If you want to kill someone or torture someone, come at me!” Eight months pregnant, I had no idea what she was talking about, but my husband’s face darkened. “Have I spoiled you so much that you would actually do something like this?” My usually doting husband choked my neck viciously. As my consciousness blurred, I finally realized they believed I was the one who hired someone to kidnap Lily. Failing to receive the ransom in time, the kidnappers brutally killed her. The first love, holding Lily’s broken body, nearly sought death herself. My husband, with bloodshot eyes, hired the top biologists and worked tirelessly for a month until he finally obtained a viable cloned cell from Lily. Unfortunately, the first love had suffered a difficult labor when she gave birth to Lily and had long lost the ability to have children. So, his gaze fell upon my pregnant belly. 1 I shook my head in terror, clutching my stomach as I backed away step by step. “Arthur, I sympathize with what happened to Mia, but I had nothing to do with Lily’s kidnapping. You can’t do this to me.” “Chloe, Mia’s husband died young. Lily was her only reason to live. Even if you were jealous, you shouldn’t have touched her child.” “This is what you owe Lily.” Refusing to listen to my pleas, he forced an induced labor upon me. Our baby was already full-term. When he was taken out, he could still cry, but he was smothered to death right there. Before I could even catch a glimpse of the child nurtured in hope and love, I was tied back onto the operating table. Having just lost my baby, I was now being forced to incubate the flesh and blood of my enemy. I struggled madly on the table, fighting the heavy dose of anesthesia to stay awake. Due to my resistance, the surgery couldn’t proceed. Seeing that Lily’s hard-won cell was about to lose its viability, Arthur walked in carrying the lifeless body of our baby. Looking at my baby with his eyes tightly shut, looking as if he were merely sleeping, my heart ached so much I wept tears of blood. Arthur clamped his hand around our baby’s neck. “If you don’t cooperate and Lily’s cell dies, causing the surgery to fail, don’t even think about your child leaving here in one piece.” “Arthur! He is your flesh and blood too!” I screamed hoarsely, but my body grew heavier and heavier. “You’re a mother too. How could you be so cruel to Lily?” Arthur looked at me with deep sorrow and indignation. I didn’t do it. But no one believed me. My body slowly lost the strength to fight the anesthesia. Amidst profound grief, I unwillingly closed my eyes. When I woke up again, my hands and feet were firmly strapped to the hospital bed. I looked down at my now-flat stomach, truly realizing that my baby was gone forever. And the warm bed that once held him was now nourishing the bloodline of his murderer. Having lost all will to live, I bit down hard on my tongue. Arthur pushed the door open. Seeing the pristine white sheets covered in the blood I had coughed up, he rushed over, pinching my cheeks to force my mouth open. I clamped my jaw shut, watching him chuckle darkly. With bloodshot eyes, he summoned all the doctors in the hospital. I thought he was worried about my health, but after the emergency treatment, he slapped me hard across the face. “I’m warning you, until Lily is safely born, don’t even think about committing suicide to escape your punishment.” He looked down at me from above. I stared at the canine tooth he had knocked onto the floor, my heart a barren wasteland. To prevent me from attempting suicide again, he ordered someone to put a bite guard on me. Chapter 2 I lost a small piece of my tongue and could no longer speak clearly, but it didn’t matter. After all, no one would listen to what I had to say anyway. Once my tongue completely healed, I didn’t have to eat a liquid diet anymore. Arthur personally brought over a bowl of nutritional soup. He sat down beside me in silence, gently removing the bite guard. I had no strength left to resist. Like a lifeless doll, I let him do as he pleased. He scooped up a spoonful of soup, blowing on it softly, just as gentle and careful as when I was first pregnant. “Chloe, making you carry Lily is your punishment. As long as Lily is born smoothly, Mia might not pursue charges against you.” He rambled on, but I gave no response whatsoever. “Inducing our child was to teach you a lesson. Life is not a game. If you admit your mistake, I can have another one with you.” I couldn’t hold back anymore and turned my head to look at him. Before I could say anything, my gaze locked onto the contents of the bowl. It was my placenta. 2 I threw up violently. Arthur used a wet wipe to carefully clean the vomit from the corners of my mouth. The next second, he pinched my cheeks and forced the placenta down my throat. “Chloe, this is highly nutritious. It’s very good for both you and Lily.” I wanted to struggle, but my limbs and head were restrained. I could only let the boiled placenta slide down my esophagus. Seeing me swallow it all, Arthur let go. “Mia’s mental state is still poor. I’m going to take her abroad to relax. Take good care of the pregnancy during this time. Don’t cause any more trouble.” “As long as you behave, I’ll find a good burial spot for our baby. But if anything happens to Lily, don’t even think about getting his complete ashes.” “Wasn’t he your child too?” I couldn’t help but ask. Salty tears slid into the corners of my mouth, more bitter than my heart. His footsteps paused, but in the end, he didn’t look back. “With a mother like you, even if he grew up, he would only be a menace.” The door closed, and the last shred of feeling I had for Arthur extinguished with it. He was gone for exactly nine months. During these nine months, Lily gradually took shape in my belly, while I gradually stopped looking like a human being. She seemed to feel my hatred for her; my pregnancy symptoms were incredibly severe. Morning sickness plagued me throughout the entire pregnancy. I rapidly wasted away, yet my stomach protruded terrifyingly. Arthur video-called every day, not to see me, but to look at Lily through my belly. Mia even did prenatal education for Lily over the video call. To prevent me from harming Lily, my hands and feet were firmly restrained for nine months. The wounds from my struggles had long since healed over the shackles. Bedsores had almost rotted away my entire back, but no one cared, as long as Lily was healthy. In the month I was due, Arthur and Mia finally reluctantly returned from abroad. “Why are you so thin?” This was the first thing Arthur said to me after not seeing me for nine months. “If you’re this thin, will Lily be malnourished?” Hearing that Lily was very healthy, Arthur nodded in satisfaction. “After Lily is born, I’ll properly nurse you back to health.” “Lily, Mommy finally gets to see you again. In this life, Mommy will never leave your side. I will never let you get hurt again.” Chapter 3 Mia looked at my belly with maternal love in her eyes. “Arthur, could you leave me alone to talk to Lily for a bit?” Arthur immediately looked at me warily. After confirming that I, barely clinging to life, posed absolutely no threat to Mia, Arthur left the room, looking back anxiously with every step. Mia instantly dropped the gentle facade from her eyes. “I orchestrated Lily’s kidnapping myself.” 3 She looked at me with a smile, but there was no warmth in her expression. “Do you know why I did it?” Mia leaned in close, almost touching my nose. She carried the distinct woody scent from Arthur’s clothes, a cologne I had personally chosen for him before I got pregnant with our baby. My eyes remained indifferent, giving her no reaction. “Five years ago, to tear Arthur and me apart, his mother hired someone to pose as my husband, forcefully taking me and sending me abroad. Arthur swore he would never marry anyone else. But when I finally escaped his mother’s control abroad and rushed back to find him, I found out he had already married you a year ago.” Mia’s expression turned fierce. “I suffered so much abroad, but he never proactively contacted me. I thought his mother was controlling him, but who knew he had forgotten all about me!” “I clearly had Arthur first. What right did you have to steal him?!” “I thought you were the daughter of some prestigious family, a perfect match for Arthur. Turns out you’re just an orphan whose background isn’t even as good as mine!” The more Mia spoke, the more agitated she became, eventually slapping me across the face. The taste of blood filled my mouth. I spat the blood directly onto her face. As if she couldn’t believe I would dare do such a thing, she wiped her face fiercely. Her expression, smeared with blood and grime, looked even more grotesque. “Just to make a scumbag change his mind, you would even sacrifice your own flesh and blood?” She froze. Then she started laughing. “What’s the point of a cheap life living without even a legitimate status?” “Since she was useless, I might as well use her for a gamble.” “I originally just wanted to use her to get rid of you and the bastard in your belly. Who knew Arthur cared about me so much that he’d use cloning technology to bring Lily back. Even I didn’t expect him to go this far for us.” “The ‘scumbag’ you’re talking about has enough power to bring the dead back to life. Do you still think it wasn’t worth gambling my own flesh and blood to win him back?” Her fingertips gently traced my belly. “If you had been a bit more cooperative, Arthur might have saved some of your baby’s hair or fingernails. Too bad he rushed to burn it all to ashes~” At the mention of my baby, my emotions uncontrollably surged. I roared, trying to lunge forward and bite Mia. She stepped back with a smile, but a shriek of terror escaped her throat, completely contradicting her expression. “Mia!” Outside the door, Arthur’s anxious footsteps grew closer. Mia unhesitatingly bit down on her own palm. My breathing grew rapid, my belly tightening in waves. Triggered by Mia, I went into premature labor. With a loud bang, Arthur kicked the door open and rushed in. Mia successfully managed to bite her right hand until it was bleeding profusely, putting on a tearful, pitiable expression. However, Arthur’s tense expression only lingered on her injured hand for a second. Chapter 4 He strode purposefully toward me. 4 Without even looking down, I knew my water had broken. Arthur was anxious about Lily inside my belly. Even so, a venomous look flashed across Mia’s face. What a terrifying woman, jealous even of her own daughter. Arthur assembled the top obstetricians in record time, but upon seeing the injury on Mia’s hand, he commanded coldly: “C-section. No anesthesia. Make her watch the child be born smoothly while fully conscious.” “I’m sorry, Ms. Hayes.” Watching Arthur leave with his arm around Mia, the doctor put on his gloves and whispered sympathetically: “Don’t blame me. I’ll try to finish the surgery as quickly as possible so you suffer less.” The moment the cold scalpel sliced into my abdomen, the pain shook my very soul. For the first time, I realized a person could be butchered like a piece of dead meat without a shred of dignity. I screamed until my throat bled, passing out several times. To keep me conscious, the doctor had to inject me with adrenaline. By the end of the pain, I had completely lost my mind, even forgetting I was human. Lily’s cries felt like my pardon. The moment she was carried out of the operating room, the female doctor assisting rapidly injected me with a painkiller. “Ms. Hayes, it’s all over. Get some good sleep.” The moment I closed my eyes, the pain all over my body instantly vanished. I thought her painkiller had worked. My body gradually felt lighter. I relaxed, only to realize I was floating up uncontrollably. When I opened my eyes again and saw myself looking down from above at my mutilated body on the operating table, I realized I was already dead. If I weren’t the only one left in the operating room, I wouldn’t have believed the person on the table was me. Since losing my baby, I hadn’t looked in a mirror. My once chubby cheeks were deeply sunken. My belly, which I had taken such good care of during my pregnancy with my baby that not a single stretch mark had appeared, now looked like blackened, shriveled fruit peel, covered in deep and shallow grooves. My limbs were emaciated. On my wrists and ankles were permanent scars from long-term restraints, where wounds had healed into the shackles only to be torn open again. I gazed at my broken self for a long time. The operating room door opened. The person who walked in was actually Arthur. Even in death, my soul trembled uncontrollably. What was he doing here? Did he think he hadn’t punished me enough? If he found out I was dead, would he feel sad and heartbroken, or would he blame me for dying too soon, saying the punishment wasn’t enough to atone for Lily? He brought in a basin and a kettle of boiling water. Did he think I was sleeping instead of breastfeeding Lily right after giving birth, and wanted to scald me awake? He poured in the boiling water, then added cold water, repeatedly checking the temperature with his hand. I was starting to get confused. Seeming satisfied with the temperature, Arthur took out a soft towel, soaked it in the basin, and wrung it out. He lifted one of my arms and began to carefully wipe it with the towel. Arthur was giving me a sponge bath. I laughed in disbelief. He tortured me to death over crimes forced upon me, and now he’s putting on a show of tender affection? I couldn’t wait to see the expression on his face when he realized I was already dead. To my surprise, the next second, my corpse opened its eyes. Chapter 5 5 Seeing “me” wake up, Arthur spoke. “Lily will need you to take care of her until she’s weaned. To make it easier for Mia to see the baby, you’ll live in the annex attached to her bedroom. As long as you behave, I’ll gradually loosen the restrictions on you.” With that, he gently stroked the wounds on my wrists and sighed. “I,” naturally, didn’t reply, merely staring at him blankly, eyes as clear as an innocent child’s. “Once Lily is weaned, I’ll compensate you with another child.” “I” still showed no reaction. Seeing my continued silence, Arthur’s face instantly darkened. He probably thought I was still throwing a tantrum. He ordered someone to bring Lily in, with Mia following closely behind. In front of everyone, Arthur shoved the crying Lily into my arms. To prevent me from hurting Lily, he once again locked my hands in the shackles. Starving, Lily latched onto me and began sucking greedily. “I” showed no expression or movement, my face a mask of numbness and emptiness. I understood my situation now. The agony of a C-section without anesthesia had exceeded my limits. My body’s self-defense mechanism had triggered dissociation. My consciousness and emotions had left the body; what remained in front of Arthur was an empty shell driven only by biological instincts. I realized with sadness that he seemed to prefer this shell, unresponsive to external stimuli. Because Lily sucked too hard, my blood seeped from the corners of her mouth. “I” acted as if I couldn’t feel the pain. Seeing the blood, Arthur grew anxious. He quickly snatched Lily away and examined her thoroughly inside and out. Only after confirming there were no wounds in Lily’s mouth did he realize the blood was mine. Arthur looked grimly at the wound on my chest; Lily’s toothless gums had actually bitten off a small piece of my flesh. Noticing Arthur’s gaze, “I” stared blankly at him. In the moment our eyes met, a fawning smile actually crept onto “my” face. Interrupted from her feeding, Lily immediately began to wail impatiently. Mia scooped Lily up, cooing and patting her sympathetically. “Her temper hasn’t changed a bit. When I raised her alone abroad, she was like this too. If she bit me on the left, I’d let her feed on the right. Often, the wound hadn’t even healed before she sucked it open again…” Arthur frowned deeply. Mia attempted to guide Lily toward my other side. “It’s going to be hard on Ms. Hayes for a while.” “You know it hurts the mother, yet you still indulge her? Can’t she just drink formula?” Arthur pushed Mia so hard she stumbled and nearly fell to the floor. A flash of disbelief crossed her face before she forced a smile: “Back abroad, I didn’t have much money for formula. Even if it hurt, I just had to endure it. Now that Ms. Hayes’s situation is different, Lily can certainly try formula. It’s just that, as a cloned baby, her constitution is naturally weak. I worry that formula won’t provide enough nutrition, and if something happens to her again…” “Let her try formula first. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll find a wet nurse.” With that, Arthur ignored her. He took cotton swabs and iodine from the nurse, crouched down, and carefully treated my wound. Mia held Lily, biting her lower lip as she stood by, the resentment in her eyes practically spilling over. Unable to nurse, Lily cried her heart out in Mia’s arms, but Mia turned a deaf ear. Chapter 6 6 “The child is crying her eyes out, can’t you hear her? What are you standing there like an idiot for? Waiting for Chloe to make her a bottle? Who is the mother here anyway?” Startled by Arthur’s scolding, Mia trembled and quickly carried Lily out of the room. For the next few days, Arthur practically lived at the hospital, guarding me day and night. If it weren’t for the shocking wounds on my body, I would have thought we were back to the days before Mia returned. He ordered the family chef to make different nutritious meals for me every day, personally feeding me bite by bite. He also personally changed the dressings on my limbs and chest every day. Once they healed, he found the best plastic surgeons in the country to remove my scars. The bedsores on my back were so severe that the skin had completely rotted away; there was no better solution than a skin graft. But my rejection reaction to other people’s skin was too severe; the worst episode almost killed me with a high fever. When the operating room light went out and he learned I was safe, Arthur pulled me into his arms, afraid to hold me too tightly, his eyes filled with the profound cherishing of regaining something lost. To make me better, after testing that I had no obvious rejection to his skin, Arthur resolutely donated skin from his own back and thighs to me. “From now on, we are truly one, Chloe.” He held my hand tightly. I stared at him blankly, still not speaking. Arthur finally realized something was wrong with me. “Chloe, you haven’t spoken to me for so many days. Have you still not forgiven me?” Arthur sat properly in front of me, our fingers intertwined. I was as quiet as a porcelain doll; only my eyes would blink. “No matter what, Lily is a life. You had her child kidnapped and even killed just because you were jealous of Mia. I only treated you that way to teach you a lesson.” Seeing no response from me, Arthur grew anxious. “Now the punishment is over. I gave our baby a proper burial long ago. We’re still young, we’ll have many more children. Once you recover, I’ll take you to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, and travel to all the places you’ve always wanted to go to relax, okay?” At the mention of our baby, the “me” in front of Arthur still showed no reaction. “Chloe, don’t scare me. Say something.” Arthur reached out a trembling hand to stroke my head. In the past, I would happily nuzzle my head into his palm. But now, even when his hand completely covered my head, I just sat there quietly. He pulled his hand back as if electrocuted. Due to inertia, I fell straight backward. With a smack, my still-healing back hit the headboard heavily, and the pristine white sheets instantly stained red. Yet, I didn’t utter a single groan of pain, only staring blankly at the ceiling. Arthur, a man who would remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed in front of him, showed an expression of pure terror. 7 To figure out what exactly had happened to me, Arthur hadn’t left the hospital for a full month. The top neurologists and psychologists in the country were all brought in. After a series of evaluations and tests, the final results would take another three days. Arthur’s physical and mental state had reached the breaking point. Under the doctors’ half-advising, half-forcing suggestions, Arthur finally agreed to go back and get some proper rest so he would have the mental fortitude to face the results.

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Everyone in the New York elite circle knew I was a dog raised by the Sterling family. The true heiress of the Sterling family was my twin sister, Sophia Sterling. She was the apple of everyone’s eye. And I was just the imposter dragged out to take the blame whenever she made a mistake. Only my uncle, Arthur Sterling, would secretly bring me pastries when I was punished by kneeling in the family chapel. “Chloe, just endure it a little longer. When your uncle takes over the Sterling family, I’ll take you away.” Sophia hated me to the core for this, torturing me in every way possible, but Arthur would always quietly intervene. Until Arthur finally defeated my father and became the new head of the Sterling family. I thought my suffering was finally over. I pushed open his bedroom door, only to see him and Sophia passionately entangled in bed. “If your good niece knew that you went through all this trouble to ruin the Sterling family just so she’d have nowhere to go and become your dog, would she go crazy?” I instantly felt like I had plummeted into an abyss. Faced with my broken questioning, Arthur didn’t even bat an eyelid. “Since you know everything now, I can’t be bothered to pretend anymore.” “This is the Sterling family’s underground fight club. If you want freedom, beat all the opponents I arrange for you and walk out of there alive.” … My whole body stiffened, thinking I must be dreaming. “What, you don’t believe me?” He chuckled lightly. “Did you think I intervened with Sophia because my heart ached for you?” “I just didn’t want my toy to be broken by someone else before I got to play with it.” Sophia also poked her head out of the room at this moment. “Sister, did you really think Uncle loved you?” She walked up to me. “The only one he has ever loved is me.” “As for you, you’re just a replacement who looks like me. Actually, you’re not even a replacement, just a dog that needs to be trained.” “Looking at your eyes, you want to kill us, don’t you? The more you hate, the more excited I get.” I stared dead at Arthur, my voice so hoarse it barely sounded human. “Why… you weren’t like this before!” “There is no ‘why’,” Arthur walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. “From the day your father picked me up, I was just a tool for him to climb higher. Now that I’ve taken back everything that’s mine, is there a problem?” “And you, Chloe Sterling, are just a part of my spoils of war.” “Think it’s unfair? There is no such thing as fairness in this world.” “You’ve enjoyed twenty years under the title of the eldest Miss Sterling. Now, it’s time for you to pay the price.” Too lazy to say more, he waved his hand impatiently, and two men in black suits appeared behind me. “Take her to the fight club. Teach her the rules.” Before I even had time to react, one of them grabbed my hair and roughly dragged my entire body out. A tearing agony shot through my scalp. As I passed Sophia, she leaned into my ear and whispered: “Sister, guess who the first opponent will be?” “It’s that bodyguard whose legs Uncle broke just because he took a second look at you.” “He’s… probably going crazy missing you right now.” Arthur’s voice came from behind. “To make it more interesting, all your opponents will be men.” “Chloe Sterling, don’t disappoint me.” He added a touch of amusement, “At least, survive for a little while.” I was dragged into the elevator, the feeling of weightlessness making my stomach churn. Ding— The elevator doors opened, and the frantic, roaring sound instantly drowned me. I was roughly pushed out, stumbling a few steps before crashing into a man’s back. The man looked at me, froze for a second, and then let out a lewd whistle: “Yo, Mr. Sterling’s new toy? So tender, it’d be a shame to just beat her to death.” The people around immediately erupted into mocking laughter. Looking at these crazed faces, I laughed—laughed at myself for actually having fantasies about Arthur. I was thrown into a dilapidated room. The bodyguard threw a set of black lace lingerie at my feet. “Mr. Sterling’s orders. Put it on.” There was so little fabric it couldn’t even cover my body properly. “What if… I don’t put it on?” The bodyguard sneered and lit up his phone screen, showing a picture of my grandmother in her nursing home. “Mr. Sterling said, if you don’t obey, your grandmother might have a sudden heart attack in the nursing home at any moment.” The last trace of color drained from my face. Without another word of nonsense, I took that ridiculous lingerie and, under the bodyguard’s explicit and greedy gaze, took off my clothes piece by piece. I straightened my back, letting those gazes flay me alive. The corridor leading to the fight club was lined with people. The moment I appeared, whistles and filthy jokes were relentless. “This is tonight’s appetizer? Mr. Sterling is really getting more and more creative.” “Fighting in that? I bet she won’t last ten seconds!” “Ten seconds? I bet she’ll piss her pants the moment she steps into the ring!” I walked step by step toward the iron cage illuminated by the spotlights. Arthur was sitting in the VIP section directly facing the cage door. Sophia was draped all over him, laughing and saying something to him. Seeing me, Sophia smiled even more triumphantly. She raised her glass to me and silently mouthed: “Good luck.” The referee stopped me and loudly announced the rules tailor-made for me. “First, for the sake of fairness, Miss Sterling is not allowed to use any weapons.” The crowd erupted in a roar of laughter. A woman who lacked the strength to tie a chicken, wearing lingerie, and they actually said “for the sake of fairness” she wasn’t allowed to use weapons. “Second, to increase the entertainment value, Miss Sterling is not allowed to retreat more than three steps during the match; otherwise, it’s an automatic forfeit.” This meant I could only take the hits head-on, unable to dodge. “Third, and the most important point,” the referee dragged out his voice, “after each round, the audience will vote to decide on a ‘special performance’ to be completed by Miss Sterling and the victor.” What the so-called “special performance” entailed went without saying. The cheers almost blew the roof off. Arthur’s gaze fell on me. He wanted to see me break down, wanted to see me kneel and beg for mercy. “What if I win?” The referee froze, seemingly having never considered this question. Arthur, however, curled the corners of his mouth. “You win? That would be even more interesting.” “Win all the matches, and you can walk out of here alive.” He paused. “And, you can do anything you want to your final opponent.” “Including killing him.” As he said this, his eyes never left me, as if hinting at something. Sophia giggled in his arms. “Uncle, you think too highly of her. She can’t even stand steady.” Before she could finish her sentence, I mimicked the posture of a fighter, adopting a clumsy fighting stance. The ridiculous lingerie I was wearing, paired with this comical action, instantly triggered roars of laughter from the entire venue. “Hahahaha! What does she think she’s doing? Dancing Swan Lake?” “Oh my god, I’m dying of laughter. Where did Mr. Sterling find this clown?” The smile on Arthur’s face deepened; it was the pleasure of watching a clown perform. Only a friend beside him frowned and said in a low voice: “Arthur, isn’t this going a bit too far? She is your niece, after all.” Arthur’s eyes instantly went cold: “Shut up! There is no niece of mine here, only my plaything.” The moment the words fell, memories of our past flashed through his mind. He picked up his glass, using the alcohol to suppress that fleeting fluctuation. I slowly lowered my hands, faced Arthur in the VIP section, and clearly enunciated two words. “I accept.” The opponent for the first round was indeed the bodyguard Sophia had mentioned, Max. He limped onto the stage, his eyes looking at me filled with a twisted, perverse excitement. “Eldest Miss Sterling, long time no see. Never thought we’d meet in a place like this, did you?” He sneered viciously, cracking his knuckles. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you die too quickly.” “I will break your bones inch by inch, and let you taste what I went through back then.” At the referee’s command, Max lunged at me fiercely. I instinctively retreated, and the referee’s voice rang out, reminding me of that ridiculous “no retreating more than three steps” rule. I forced myself to stop, facing his massive fist head-on. Bam! A heavy punch smashed ruthlessly into my lower abdomen. The excruciating pain made me double over instantly, stomach acid rushing up my throat. He didn’t give me any chance to catch my breath, grabbing my hair and violently smashing my face into the chain-link fence. “Scream! Why aren’t you screaming? Weren’t you so high and mighty before!” The rough wire mesh scraped my cheek, leaving streaks of blood. The roars and whistles from the crowd grew increasingly frantic. “Useless trash, can’t even dodge,” Sophia’s shrill voice drifted over. “Uncle, look at her, she’s really embarrassing our Sterling family.” Arthur didn’t say anything, just picked up his glass and took a sip. The pain almost made me lose consciousness, but Max’s insults, Sophia’s mockery, and Arthur’s indifference—these kept me awake at all times. The moment Max grabbed my head to smash it against the wire mesh again, I used all the strength in my body and violently kneed him right in the groin! “Aaargh—!” Max let out a bloodcurdling scream, clutching his crotch and collapsing to the ground in agony. No one expected that this seemingly weak and fragile woman would use such a ruthless move. I took the opportunity to break free, leaning against the wire mesh, panting heavily. Although my entire body throbbed with pain, a sliver of dark satisfaction rose in my heart. In the VIP section, Sophia’s mouth hung open in shock: “How… how dare she!?” However, my counterattack did not bring victory. After twitching on the ground for a few seconds, Max suddenly jerked his head up, filled with crazed, murderous intent. “Bitch! You’re asking to die!” He leaped up from the ground, his fists raining down on my face like a violent storm. I was beaten completely defenseless and soon collapsed onto the ground. He stepped on the back of my hand with one foot, his heel slowly rotating, grinding down with force. Crack. The crisp sound of breaking bones echoed throughout the venue. The excruciating pain made my vision go black, almost causing me to faint. “Stop!” The referee’s voice rang out. “Max wins!” Only then did Max lift his foot, a look of vengeful pleasure on his face: “Eldest Miss Sterling, how does that taste?” I lay on the cold ground, my consciousness blurring. On the big screen, the vote count rolled rapidly, finally stopping on the words “Lick Feet”. The entire venue cheered. Max smugly extended his foot towards my face. “Come on, lick it clean, like a good bitch.” At this moment, Arthur was watching this scene with great interest. Not only did he not stop it, he picked up the microphone and said to the entire venue: “It seems our Miss Sterling still doesn’t quite understand the rules. Who wants to teach her?” As soon as the words fell, two burly men stepped onto the stage, pressing down hard on the back of my neck, trying to force me to lick his foot. For the next few matches, I became a joke. Every night, I was dragged back to that small room, and the next day dragged back onto the boxing ring, repeating the failures and humiliations. “Striptease,” “Bark like a dog”… The “special performances” the audience came up with became increasingly vulgar, each one trampling my dignity underfoot. But I didn’t beg Arthur for mercy. Not once. My silence clearly enraged him more than crying or screaming would have. He arranged stronger and stronger opponents for me, even ruthless outlaws. Until a butcher pulled out a dagger. The venue was in an uproar, and even the referee looked towards Arthur. Arthur just said flatly: “In the ring, life and death are your own responsibility.” The sharp knife slashed across my face, leaving a wound so deep the bone was visible. Just when I thought I was going to die there, some latent instinct within my body was awakened. I dodged the fatal stab, violently rammed my shoulder into his ribs, and then came an extreme burst of energy. I won, in a tragic, bloody manner. Clutching my bleeding arm, I looked coldly at the VIP section. The expression on Arthur’s face seemed to be one of heartache. But before that emotion could fully form, it was completely strangled by Sophia’s vicious words. “Uncle, look at her eyes, it’s like she wants to eat you alive.” “She’s an untamable wolf cub. Your soft-heartedness will only make her hate you more.” She leaned close to his ear and said something else. Arthur’s body visibly stiffened, and immediately, the trace of heartache in his eyes vanished completely. “You’re right. I’ve been too merciful.” He picked up the microphone and announced to the venue: “Tonight’s matches are over.” “But to reward our brave Miss Sterling, I have prepared a… true special performance for her.” As soon as the words fell, several men walked in, surrounding me with malicious intent. Leading them was Max, the one who broke my hand in the first match. “Arthur! You’re crazy!” The friend who had tried to persuade him earlier stood up again. “You can’t do this!” Arthur shoved him away. “What I do is none of your business!” “Chloe, this is the last chance I’m giving you.” “Kneel down now, beg me, say you were wrong, say you’re willing to be my dog, and I’ll let you go.” Sophia giggled on the side: “Sister, hurry up and beg for mercy. Look how much Uncle cares about you. All you have to do is kneel down and wag your tail, and you’ll be saved.” Looking at those ugly, wicked faces, I suddenly laughed. “Arthur Sterling, keep dreaming.” My answer completely destroyed his last shred of patience. “Show her what true despair is.” I didn’t struggle, nor did I cry or scream. I just kept my eyes wide open, staring dead at that blurry figure in the VIP section. I don’t know how much time passed, but it was all over. I was left just like that in the center of the boxing ring. “Arthur Sterling, you will regret this!!” I don’t know how much time passed, but I was dragged out of the iron cage like a dead dog and thrown into a corner backstage. Arthur and Sophia had also left. In the massive fight club, only a few cleaners remained, numbly cleaning up the mess. One of the older cleaners saw me, a flash of pity in his eyes. He quietly walked over and draped a reasonably clean staff jacket over my broken body. “Girl, get out of here, quick.” “If you don’t leave now, you really won’t be able to leave.” Using all my strength, I barely managed to prop myself up, but the excruciating pain in my hand bones and the agonizing feeling of my body being torn apart made me fall again. Right at that moment, a pair of expensive leather shoes stopped in front of me. It was the friend who had tried to advise Arthur earlier, Julian. He took off his suit jacket, wrapped my entire body in it, and picked me up sideways. “Don’t be afraid. I’m getting you out of here.” Leaning against his chest, my consciousness hovering between wakefulness and fainting, I only heard him make a phone call. “Dave, do me a favor. Get the best room and doctor ready at a private hospital. I’m bringing someone over right now.” “Remember, use your name. We can’t let anyone trace this, especially not Arthur.” When I woke up again, I was lying in a clean, bright hospital room. My wrist had been properly bandaged and immobilized, and the wounds on my body had been treated. Julian was keeping watch by the bed. Seeing me awake, he breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re finally awake. You’ve been unconscious for two days.” I looked at him and said hoarsely: “Why did you save me?” “Because I still have a conscience.” “Arthur… he’s gone crazy, blinded by hatred. I couldn’t just watch him destroy you, and destroy himself.” I let out a cold laugh, the laughter pulling at the wound on my face, a piercing pain. “Destroy himself? He’s riding high right now.” Julian was silent for a moment, then handed me a tablet. “I secretly copied this. It’s the illegal records of all the assets Arthur has absorbed, including the financial flows and transaction lists of that underground fight club.” “I don’t know what you want to do, but I figured you’d need this.” I took the tablet, my fingertips turning white from gripping it so tightly. “Why are you betraying him?” “He was my best friend,” Julian’s eyes dimmed, “but I can’t watch him turn into an absolute monster.” “And…” he paused, his voice deepening, “I owe you my life.” I was stunned. “Five years ago, your father planned a car accident to get rid of me. It was you who secretly made an anonymous call that saved me.” “Even though you never admitted it, I know it was you.” So that was it. It turns out a thoughtless act of mine back then ended up saving me today. I looked at the shocking documents on the tablet screen, and the suppressed hatred in my heart began to grow wildly. I didn’t cry, just said calmly to Julian. “Help me contact someone.” “I want to see the CEO of Starlight Media, the biggest media conglomerate in New York.” I was going to make Arthur Sterling pay a bloody price for everything he had done.

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My brother accidentally sent a text meant for his mistress to my phone. “Babe, Night Carp Hotel, midnight. Have the red lingerie ready.” A cold sneer crept onto my lips. I immediately replied to his message. “Five million. Hush money.” My brother called me right away. The moment I answered, he started screaming at me. Calling me shameless, accusing me of extorting money from my own flesh and blood. I just smiled and didn’t argue back. I simply hung up the phone. Five minutes later, a transfer of five million dollars hit my account. Along with another text message. “I’m begging you, don’t tell your sister-in-law. She’s pregnant right now, and it hasn’t been easy for her.” 1 I didn’t reply to his text. I just calmly transferred three million dollars to my sister-in-law, Clara. Once she confirmed she received the money, I asked her, “The baby is five months along now, right? Being pregnant, you probably can’t get a divorce right away?” Her reply was not what I expected. “That’s why I’ve decided to get an abortion. Your brother doesn’t even want this baby anyway. What about you? What’s your plan?” Me? My gaze fell on the framed photo of me and Ethan on the coffee table. It was taken during our college years by a passing stranger. But in that single captured moment, as we looked into each other’s eyes, our gazes were overflowing with deep affection. But now… A bitter smile touched my lips. “I’m planning to get an abortion, too.” She didn’t reply immediately. Half an hour passed before she finally texted back. “Your brother just got home.” “Okay, if you’re also planning to abort, I’ll go arrange a private clinic right now. What time works for you?” “Seven days from now. Seven days from now is my seventh wedding anniversary with your brother, and your third anniversary with Ethan. We both started on that day, so let’s both end it on that day.” She sent a “thumbs up” emoji. And just as I cleared our chat history… My brother texted me again. “Glad to see you know what’s good for you. Thanks for keeping your mouth shut.” Know what’s good for me? Of course I do. After all, this is the same brother who, when I was eighteen, tore up my Harvard acceptance letter and destroyed my academic records, forcing me to study abroad. All because Mia, the girl who had taken my place in this family for ten years, didn’t score as high as I did. She cried. And fueled by his misguided sense of justice, he destroyed the future I had fought so hard to secure for myself. And now, in the third year of my marriage to his best friend Ethan, while I’m three months pregnant… That woman, whom I had managed to chase away with sheer stubbornness, was back. Simply because she claimed she “still couldn’t forget Ethan.” My wonderful brother played matchmaker, constantly creating opportunities for her to seduce Ethan. Honestly, I’ve never understood why my brother is so ruthless toward me. Is it just because when I was lost as a child and finally found, I pointed him out as the one who intentionally lost me? When my dad was whipping him with a belt until his skin bled… Mia cried and threw herself in front of him to protect him. So I, his actual sister, became his enemy. And Mia became the apple of his eye. To the point where he’d viciously destroy my life and my marriage, all just to help Mia. 2 As I sank deep into these painful memories, the sound of the door opening jolted me back. It was Ethan. Seeing me curled up on the sofa, he froze for a second before instinctively asking: “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” He quickly took off his shoes, walked over, and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Is the baby keeping you up again?” He reached out to gently stroke my still-flat stomach and began softly singing a lullaby. Listening to his gentle voice, my grip on the blanket tightened. Sometimes, I really couldn’t help but want to interrogate Ethan. How exactly did he manage it? He came home smelling like the shower he took after sleeping with that girl, yet he still managed to make it back right on time for the 10 PM curfew I set for him. Then he’d kiss my cheek. Then he’d sit with me, doing prenatal bonding exercises for our baby. I suppose it makes sense. After all, when I was first brought back to the family, he managed to cautiously approach me and listen to me recount the trauma of those five years I was lost. Yet, he was also capable of taking Mia out for midnight motorcycle rides just because she called him. He was always so compartmentalized, unable to let go of me, and unable to let go of Mia. Even back when my brother ruined my life, forcing me to go to college abroad alone and helpless… When I called my parents asking for living expenses, they were too busy vacationing with Mia and my brother to answer or pay attention to me. I cried and called Ethan. He only heard two sobs from me. That very night, he unhesitatingly flew overseas, giving me money and the emotional support I needed. But when he returned to the States, he showed up at my family’s New Year’s party, holding Mia, looking like a golden couple in my family’s portrait. I always thought I had won. After I returned from abroad, I threw tantrums and forced my parents to send Mia away. I forced Ethan to ultimately choose me. But only now do I realize that I lost. I lost completely. The pain was so overwhelming that tears involuntarily streamed down the corners of my eyes. Seeing me cry, Ethan immediately panicked. “What’s wrong, Chloe? Don’t cry. Tell me what’s wrong.” I looked at the man before me through a blur of tears, his eyes filled with concern. For a split second, I really believed I was his everything. But as he turned his head to grab a tissue to wipe my tears, I saw the dense cluster of hickeys exposed on his neck. My heart violently seized. No wonder Ethan had been sleeping in turtlenecks lately. When I was asleep, he was still “working” in the study. When I woke up, he was already dressed in a suit. I had always thought Ethan was feeling guilty about betraying me, but only at this moment did it suddenly click. All his elaborate cover-ups were just hiding the evidence of his affair. But what was there to hide? On the day Mia returned, she made a vow to me. This time, she was going to take back everything that belonged to her. So all these days, the photos of Ethan and Mia in bed were already stuffed into the drawer where I kept my wedding ring. The moment Ethan noticed I wasn’t wearing my ring and impulsively decided to put it on for me, he would open that drawer and see them. Before, if I didn’t wear my ring for even a single day, he’d act all hurt and complain that I didn’t value our marriage. Since Mia came back, not only did he fail to notice that I had long since taken off my ring… I also noticed that the wedding ring Ethan was wearing had changed. It was a ring that looked almost identical to mine overall, but the details were completely different. I even slipped it off his finger while he was sleeping to check. The engraving inside the band had changed from “ZX” to “ZQ.” My heart ached suffocatingly. As Ethan reached out with a tissue to wipe the tears from my face… A sudden wave of nausea rose in my chest. I instinctively slapped his hand away. Ethan, holding the tissue, froze slightly. I quickly scrambled for an excuse: “Sorry, my morning sickness must be acting up. I’m going to go lie down.” After that, I didn’t care what Ethan’s expression was like. I fled back to my room in a panic. The moment the door closed, I slumped over the toilet and threw up violently. For the past three months of my pregnancy, this baby had been incredibly considerate; I hadn’t experienced any morning sickness at all. But now, it hit me. So it wasn’t just me who was disgusted by Ethan’s two-faced, clingy affection. The baby inside me was disgusted, too. 3 I didn’t sleep a wink all night. After the violent vomiting, my stomach even started to ache with a dull pain. If it were in the past, I would have frantically rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night. After all, having been unloved by my father, unloved by my mother, and unloved by my brother… I desperately wanted a child whose eyes would only ever hold me. But this time, like a masochist, I didn’t move an inch. Just as Clara said, if his father doesn’t love him anyway, him choosing to leave might be the best option. That night, Ethan never returned to the bedroom. I heard the front door close at midnight, and I heard it close again at six in the morning. Where did Ethan go? It goes without saying. Because at 2 AM, I received a photo from Mia. She and Ethan were cuddling on the bed in my childhood bedroom. On the nightstand sat the stuffed bear I used to sleep with every night as a kid. But in front of the bear was a photo of Mia in a princess dress. After all, from the moment I returned to this family after being lost for five agonizing years… My room became Mia’s. My brother became Mia’s. My parents became Mia’s. The most painful memory was when I woke up crying from a nightmare about my abusive, incarcerated foster father. I got out of bed, crying, looking for my parents… Only to find my parents and brother gathered around a complaining Mia, who had a stomachache in the middle of the night, their faces full of heartache. “The guest room is drafty. Mia must have caught a chill; that’s why her stomach hurts.” As soon as my mom finished speaking, my brother immediately chimed in: “It would be better if Chloe hadn’t come back. Then Mia wouldn’t have been kicked out of her room. You guys clearly didn’t want Chloe back either. Look how hard she is to get along with now. But you’re all too proud to admit it.” “And you gave the room that belonged to Mia to Chloe. Do you really think she deserves it?” The moment my brother finished, my dad slapped him on the back of the head. “Shut up! Be careful Chloe doesn’t hear you, or she’ll throw another tantrum.” After that, the living room was filled with soft voices coaxing Mia to stop crying. That night, after I returned to my room, I developed a high fever. But the three people outside knew nothing about it. It wasn’t until I had been lying there for four days that my cold naturally broke. I took the initiative to suggest moving out of that room that once belonged to me, and suggested moving to my grandmother’s house. Only then did they seemingly realize that they hadn’t seen me leave my room for four days. Thinking of that painful past, a suffocating ache washed over me again. I struggled out of bed. I had just brushed my teeth and walked out the door when I saw Ethan wearing an apron, preparing a prenatal breakfast for me. The scene stung my eyes, making them red. Seeing me appear, Ethan took off his apron and walked toward me. “I saw you throwing up last night. I didn’t want to disturb your rest, so I slept in the study.” As he spoke, Ethan guided me to sit down at the dining table. “I read online that pregnant women need to eat well to avoid morning sickness.” Saying that, he turned and went to the kitchen to pour me a glass of milk. But looking at the breakfast laid out on the table—all dishes made with eggs—my heart seized again. I’m allergic to eggs. My eyes started to sting again. The next second, my phone chimed with a message notification. It was a text from Mia. “Do you like the egg feast I had Ethan prepare for you?” “Consider this meal a reward for sleeping alone last night.” “I hope after you eat it, you and the little bastard in your stomach end up in the hospital, dead and buried.” “Oh, right. Ethan should be telling you about a business trip soon. But actually, he promised to accompany me to visit my parents’ graves.” “You know, I just got back from abroad. I have to go visit my biological parents.” “By the way, your parents and brother are going too.” My fingers gripped the phone tightly. After pouring the milk, Ethan walked back toward me. He placed the milk on the table, kissed my cheek, and said: “Baby, I have to go on a business trip today. There’s an emergency with a project in Seattle.” Saying that, he reached back and untied his apron. “You and this little troublemaker stay home and be good. I’ll be back in a couple of days.” With that, regardless of how pale my face was. Regardless of whether I had taken a single bite of his meticulously prepared egg dishes. He hurried back to the bedroom, grabbed his pre-packed suitcase, and walked out the door. Throughout the entire process, he didn’t even say goodbye to me. He didn’t even ask why my eyes were so red before he slammed the door shut. Listening to the sound of the door slamming echoing in the apartment, tears fell drop by drop. And the knife and fork Ethan had handed me had, unknowingly, pierced into the flesh of my palm. Bright red blood dripped down the blade, drop by drop, into the milky white glass, swirling into a pinkish cloud. 4 I sat at the dining table for two whole hours that day before I regained my senses. That very day, I made an appointment with Clara to go to the clinic early for the abortions. I didn’t expect her to be like me; as soon as I suggested it, she agreed. When we met at the private clinic, her face was as ghastly pale as mine. Before I even had a chance to ask her how she was doing. She walked over and hugged me tightly, her scalding tears threatening to burn my neck. “Don’t ask. I don’t want to talk about it.” Chapter 2 Stroking the trembling back of the woman in my arms, I felt a deep ache in my chest. She and my brother were college sweethearts. She had put so much effort into pursuing him. I will never forget the happiness and joy on her face when my brother first brought her home to meet our parents. But it had only been a short seven years. That once innocent, sweet girl had been ground down like a withered rose, devoid of any brightness. After holding me tightly for several minutes, she finally let go. “I’m so glad that in my most painful moment, I still have someone with me.” With that, she resolutely walked into the doctor’s office. Looking at her retreating back, I wiped away the tears that had involuntarily fallen from my eyes. Yes, I’m glad that in my most painful moment, at least there is someone by my side. After that, I followed her example. Resolutely, without a hint of hesitation, I walked into another doctor’s office. Three hours later, Clara and I were lying in the same recovery room. I didn’t speak. Neither did she. The only sound was the hollow beeping of the heart monitor in the room. I don’t know how much time passed before muffled sobs came from behind the white privacy curtain. “Chloe, you know what? I always thought that once I aborted the baby, I’d be fine.” “I wouldn’t love your brother anymore, and I wouldn’t be in pain anymore. But why… why does it hurt so much now that this baby, who was in my stomach for five months, is gone?” As soon as the woman finished speaking, the sound of her loud, agonizing wails filled the room. Listening to her tragic and desperate crying, I cried silently too. Yes, why does it hurt so much? Clearly, this was the best choice. Clearly, his father didn’t love him anyway. Clearly, as long as I severed this final tie with that family, I would be completely free from Mia’s vortex. But why does it hurt so much? It felt like my skin was being peeled off, my flesh scraped away. My heart felt like it was suffering a death by a thousand cuts. Clara and I spent our 7-day post-abortion recovery in the clinic. During those seven days, the man who constantly claimed he loved me to the marrow of his bones didn’t send me a single text. He didn’t make a single phone call. But Clara’s phone notifications pinged constantly. Afraid she would be in pain, I took her phone from her. Looking at the endless stream of messages from my brother. Telling her to help pick up Mia’s packages. Telling her to go to the jewelry store to pick up a limited-edition bag he had pre-ordered for Mia. More tears fell from my eyes. Just as my trembling fingers were about to type back a string of curses, Clara opened her lifeless eyes. “It’s pathetic, isn’t it?” “Sometimes I think I’m so pathetic.” “Actually, back when I was dating your brother in college, I knew he had a sister he doted on deeply.” “He would transfer money to her every month, buy her pads regularly, and every holiday, he would just disappear without a word.” “At the time, I thought that girl was you. I was even jealous of you for a very long time.” “But it wasn’t until I married your brother that I realized the girl wasn’t you. He doted on a sister who shared absolutely no blood with him.” “But me, I was just so stupid. So stupidly thinking that if I just tried hard enough, if I gave my all, your brother would love me.” “But if he doesn’t love me, he just doesn’t. Even if I throw away all my pride to please him, to love him… he still won’t love me. He’d rather go out and find a hundred look-alikes of Mia than love me.” Listening to Clara’s tearful voice, my heart ached suffocatingly. I quickly tried to comfort her: “It’s all in the past. Once we get our divorces, we’ll leave this place.” “If you don’t know where to go, you can come with me.” “Those people who only have Mia in their hearts—we don’t need them anymore, okay?” Clara agreed with a trembling voice, then pulled the covers over her head. After that, Clara and I spent another half-month recovering in the clinic before we were discharged. As soon as I was discharged, I received a call from Ethan. He told me my parents wanted to host a family dinner to celebrate Mia’s birthday. What a hilariously absurd phone call. My parents planning a family dinner didn’t inform me; they informed my husband. And perhaps not only my parents forgot, but even my husband forgot that today was my birthday, too. My sister-in-law received a similar call. Her situation was even worse than mine. Aside from telling her to attend the dinner… My brother also gave her a whole list of errands. Go to the bakery to order a cake. Get his suit and dress shoes ready. He even demanded she go to the airport to pick them up. They were going back to my mom’s villa, so he wanted my sister-in-law to take their luggage home first. Seeing my brother’s text. My sister-in-law and I exchanged a glance. “Are you ready?” My sister-in-law nodded. “I’m ready.” So she immediately replied to my brother on her phone: “I’m busy today. I don’t have time to be your maid.”

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The day I divorced my fifty-year-old CEO husband, I wore a full face of makeup and a bright, crimson red dress. A flicker of impatience crossed Ethan Vance’s elegant features. “Dressed so festively. Are you getting married today?” I ran my fingers through my newly permed curls, the image of that handsome face floating into my mind. I couldn’t help but smile: “As a matter of fact, yes.” “And you actually know the guy.” Hearing this, a cold sneer appeared on his face: “The people in my circle are all famously devoted husbands. If you’re going to make up a lie, could you at least put some thought into it?” I just smiled and shook my head. I didn’t explain. It didn’t matter anyway; that person was already on his way. … Once we got in the car, Ethan didn’t drive straight to City Hall. Instead, he headed in the completely opposite direction. Meeting my confused gaze, he said coldly: “Mia is going today too. She’s waited over twenty years, and I don’t want to make her wait any longer.” So, our marriage of convenience, this sham of a union, had actually been a front for that long. When we arrived near Mia Harper’s neighborhood, I received a text from him. While replying, I got out of the car and went to a convenience store to buy a bottle of water. When I returned, someone was already sitting in the passenger seat. “Chloe, I’m so used to sitting in the passenger seat of Ethan’s car. You don’t mind, do you?” What was there to mind? We were on our way to get a divorce today anyway. I reached out to grab my purse from the seat, and Mia covered her mouth with a gasp: “What a gorgeous bag!” “Chloe, give the bag to Mia,” Ethan commanded, his hands on the steering wheel, not even bothering to look back. I just wanted to get my bag to take off the little charm attached to it. He slammed on the brakes and whipped his head around: “I bought that bag for you. Are you seriously expecting me to pay you for it now?” I held up the cute charm I had just unclipped: “You didn’t buy this.” His face darkened, a strange look flashing through his eyes. I then tossed the bag into Mia’s lap and said: “There are plenty more brand-new bags at home. Give me your address, and I’ll send them all to you.” Seeing this, Ethan nodded in satisfaction: “Chloe, as long as you don’t cause a scene, I guarantee no one in our circle will know about our divorce.” I didn’t respond. Because the man I was going to marry didn’t want to keep our relationship a secret. My phone started vibrating frantically. I leaned against the window and answered it quietly. It was him. He said he was already boarding his flight. A smile played on my lips as I replied softly: “Okay.” Ethan caught the smile on my lips through the rearview mirror. A surge of irritation instantly flared in his chest. Just as he was about to demand who I was talking to, Mia, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly let out a deep sigh. She stroked the bag in her lap absentmindedly. “What’s wrong?” Ethan asked gently, turning his head while waiting at a red light. Mia hurriedly covered a spot on the bag, her eyes darting away: “N-nothing…” Sensing something was off, Ethan forcefully snatched the bag from her. There was a long, deep gash across the leather. It looked fresh. And very obvious. The anger in Ethan’s heart instantly ignited. He grabbed the bag and hurled it straight at me. I was looking out the window, completely off guard, and took the full force of the blow on my arm. My hand jerked, accidentally pressing the ‘end call’ button. But I still had things I wanted to say. Ignoring the urge to argue with Ethan, I grabbed my phone to call him back. Just as I dialed the number, Ethan got out from the front seat, snatched my phone, and smashed it viciously onto the pavement. In an instant, the phone was crushed into pieces by a passing car. “Ethan Vance, you…” Before I could finish, he dragged me out of the car. Wearing high heels, I lost my balance and twisted my ankle the moment my feet hit the ground, unable to even stand up straight. Seeing my red and swollen ankle, Ethan shook off my hand in disgust. “I just asked you to give her a bag, and you actually slashed it before handing it over. Chloe, I truly never realized you were such a manipulative and scheming woman!” Convicting me without even asking a single question? I looked up at Mia in the car. She hurriedly averted her eyes, her hands nervously twisting her clothes. Ever since she appeared, I had become the most manipulative woman in Ethan’s eyes. Marrying him to help the Vance family through a crisis was seen as using a favor to blackmail him—manipulative; Working myself to the bone on projects to expand the company was seen as using his connections as a stepping stone—manipulative; Agreeing to step aside for him and Mia was seen as playing hard to get—manipulative… In the past, I would have patiently explained myself over and over again. But today, I didn’t want to defend myself anymore. “That’s right, I just didn’t want to give it to her. I just wanted to disgust her. Are you satisfied?” Fighting the excruciating pain in my ankle, I stood up straight, turned around, and walked toward the sidewalk without looking back. Ethan, I will never chase after you to explain myself again. He stood by the car, his temples throbbing: “Chloe, since you admit it, don’t blame me for leaving you here. You can walk there yourself today!” Hah, leaving me behind? Has he left me behind for Mia’s sake only a few times? When he received a message from Mia at our wedding, he left without a word of explanation in front of all the guests; At a gala, he secretly went to pick up Mia without telling me, leaving me shivering in the cold wind for two hours; On a business trip abroad, Mia made one phone call, and he left me all alone without saying a word. After all this, my heart had grown cold a long time ago. By the time I hobbled near City Hall, my foot was swollen beyond recognition. Every step I took brought out a cold sweat from the pain. I was leaning against a wall to rest when someone suddenly darted out from behind and forcefully scooped me up into his arms. “Ethan, put me down!” His jaw was tight, acting as if he hadn’t heard me, and walked straight inside. As we passed Mia, a flash of resentment crossed her eyes. As soon as we entered, a helpful bystander pointed the way: “Sir, marriage registration is over here.” Ethan’s face darkened, and he immediately dropped me: “We’re here for a divorce.” Falling heavily to the ground, the impact sent another piercing jolt of pain through my twisted ankle. The paperwork was finished, and I had the divorce certificate in hand. I went straight to a bench to sit and wait. Calculating the time, he should be arriving soon. “Chloe, aren’t you leaving? Your foot looks pretty bad. Ethan and I can give you a ride to the hospital after we get our marriage certificate!” Mia clung affectionately to Ethan’s arm, smiling at me. I took out a compact to touch up my lipstick: “No need. I’m waiting for someone to get married. He’ll take me to the hospital later.” “Oh~ What a coincidence! Ethan, let’s wait with Chloe for a bit, okay?” Mia pulled Ethan over to sit next to me: “Once we get our certificate, if the person Chloe is talking about doesn’t have a car, we can even give her a ride home.” Ethan thoughtfully took her hand and tucked it into his coat pocket to keep it warm: “You, always worrying about others.” But the sky was growing dark, and no one showed up. I reached into my pocket for my phone, only to realize it had just been crushed by a car. Full of regret, I was about to get up and leave. Mia, clutching her brand-new marriage certificate, walked over with a beaming smile: “Chloe, let’s not worry about whether this person exists or not. Listen to me, take Ethan’s car to the hospital first. We’ll take you!” I patted my pockets again. I truly didn’t have a single penny on me. The only valuable thing, my bag, had just been given away. So, I didn’t refuse her offer. As we walked out, I held onto the railing, carefully stepping down the stairs. “Chloe, let me help you.” Mia quickly caught up to me. Just as I was about to wave her off and decline. “Ah—” She let out a scream, her foot slipped, and she fell backward. Ethan caught her securely. She leaned against Ethan’s chest, her eyes welling with tears: “Chloe, I was just trying to help you. Why did you push me?” Ethan gently patted her back with a look of heartache, then turned around, grabbed my arm, and yanked me down the stairs. “Chloe, you really don’t know what’s good for you…” Seeing me cry out in pain and clutch my ankle, a flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes. Just as he opened his mouth to tell me to get in the car. Mia parted her lips and murmured: “Ethan…” He immediately helped the woman in his arms into the car. And sped off. I limped to the police station, and the police kindly gave me a ride home. My assistant got me a replacement SIM card, bought a new phone, and brought it to me at the hospital. As soon as I turned it on, I had countless missed calls. The moment I unlocked the screen, another call popped up. “Chloe! You finally answered! Did something happen?!” The person on the other end sounded like he was about to cry from anxiety. I looked at my freshly bandaged ankle, lowered my eyes, and said: “Nothing major, just twisted my ankle.” “What?! Is it serious? Are you at the hospital?” His voice was frantic; he wished he could magically appear by my side right that second. “I bought a high-speed train ticket the moment I got off the plane. I’ll be there in half an hour.” “My flight had to turn back halfway because of the weather.” “I called you the second we landed, but no one answered. I was scared to death.” Right after the call ended, Ethan, who hadn’t posted on social media in a century, actually updated his status with a photo. It was a silhouette of him and Mia holding their marriage certificate. I left a comment: [Lovers finally united. Wishing you both happiness.] When I looked again, the post had been deleted. A call from Ethan popped up at the top of my screen. I hit decline and blocked the number. Just as I stepped out of the examination room, I ran into Ethan and Mia coming out of the room next door. “Alone?” Ethan instinctively furrowed his brow. Resentment flooded Mia’s face. She stepped forward, pressing herself against Ethan, instantly changing her expression. She wrapped her arm around his waist and laughed: “Chloe, hasn’t the person you’re supposed to marry shown up yet?” “How can anyone be so unpunctual these days! Making a sick person come to the hospital all alone.” My phone alarm went off. Ignoring their questions, I hurriedly limped toward the hospital exit. They followed unhurriedly behind me. “Chloe, did you just make up this person because Ethan and I are getting married?” Hearing Mia’s words, a look of understanding dawned on Ethan’s face. He stroked Mia’s hair with absolute tenderness: “Chloe, you don’t need to put up a front and pretend you’re getting married too. After all, there aren’t many people in this world who, like Mia, are willing to wait over twenty years.” Mia clung to Ethan’s arm, acting coquettish: “Ethan~ Let’s not talk about the past. I’d do anything for you.” My phone buzzed. I pointed at my phone over my shoulder to the people behind me: “Sorry about this, my ride is here. I’ll introduce him to you guys another day.” “Chloe, look at the situation, are you still trying to lie to us?” Ethan stood a short distance away, looking as if he was waiting to see if I had actually called a car. The driver had just pulled over. Ethan pulled out a stack of cash and threw it through the car window: “Cancel this ride. You don’t need to take her.” Then he turned back to me, a smirk on his face, seemingly convinced that the person I mentioned was fabricated: “Where to? I’ll give you a ride.” Mia enthusiastically opened the back door for me: “Chloe, why don’t you just admit it!” “Even if that person was just something you made up on the spot, it’s fine. Ethan and I promise we won’t laugh at you.” I sighed, feeling a bit amused. Since these two wanted to know so badly. Then finding out a little earlier wouldn’t hurt. It just so happened that both of them knew this person. The car hit the road. Mia alternated between feeding Ethan fruit and sleeping with her head on his shoulder. They were practically glued together, just like a young, newlywed couple. Ethan glanced at me from time to time through the rearview mirror, but only saw me glued to my phone, replying to messages. A faint smile lingered on my lips. A wave of irritation suddenly washed over him. Notifications kept popping up on my phone. It wouldn’t stop buzzing. Seeing this, the frustration in Ethan’s chest grew. “What, did you get a friend to pretend to be that guy messaging you?” I replied to the last message and locked my phone: “No need for that.” He gritted his teeth and reached back, trying to snatch my phone. I slightly tilted my hand and dodged it: “Ethan, you have no right to check my phone now.” Anger flashed across his face. Finally, he turned his head away and stopped looking at me: “Fine, let’s see how long you can keep up this act.” When we arrived at the station, I naturally got out to wait for someone. Mia, eager to watch a good show, dragged Ethan out of the car to follow me. The crowd gradually dispersed, and the smile on Mia’s face grew deeper. “Chloe, it’s pretty cold today. You really don’t need to leave yourself stranded here just because you spoke out of turn.” “Let’s go home. This time, I’ll make sure Ethan takes you all the way to your door…” Mia’s voice trailed off as she saw the person approaching. Until I cupped that person’s face and gently planted a kiss on his lips. Ethan and Mia’s faces instantly drained of color. Ethan stormed over, his face livid, and yanked me away: “Chloe, how could you be with him!” Mia, clutching her chest tightly in anger, grabbed the person’s arm and demanded loudly: “How could you be with her!”

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The day I found out I miscarried Arthur’s child, my best friend Mia gasped over the phone. “Did he cheat on you?” “No. At least, I haven’t caught him.” “Then… are his parents causing trouble again?” “My in-laws live abroad. We see them once a year. It’s very polite.” “It can’t be domestic violence, can it?!” “He rarely even raises his voice.” Mia was completely baffled. Arthur Sterling. The most outstanding heir of his generation in the Sterling family, the young and successful CEO of a major construction conglomerate. Tall, refined, elegant, and emotionally stable. In our three years of marriage, he hadn’t fooled around outside, he hadn’t let me suffer any financial grievances, and he even remembered to buy birthday gifts for my parents. Everyone said, Chloe, you are so lucky. I lay in the hospital bed, staring at the stark white ceiling. The anesthesia was just wearing off, and a hollow ache emanated from my lower abdomen. It was probably late at night, three days ago. Clutching the lab results, I waited for him in the living room for four hours. When he pushed the door open, he carried the smell of alcohol, and a faint, almost imperceptible scent of gardenias. It wasn’t the perfume I used. I said, “Arthur, I’m pregnant.” His hand, pausing as he loosened his tie, stopped. He looked up at me for two seconds. Then he spoke calmly: “Chloe, now is not the time for a child.” “I’m bidding on the Bayview International Center project next month. This project is very important to me.” “Take care of it first. We’ll talk about this later.” After saying that, he walked straight to his study. He didn’t even ask how far along I was, or if I was feeling unwell. In that moment, I suddenly remembered. When we got married, he had someone design our new home. The designer asked him if they should leave space in the master suite for a nursery. He had replied in the same calm tone back then: “No need. We don’t have plans for the near future.” You see. It turns out some endings are written right at the beginning. 1 The procedure was scheduled for Friday morning. A private hospital, VIP floor, so quiet you could hear the IV fluid dripping. The nurse came in for the third time to confirm. “Ms. Miller, has your family arrived yet? The surgical consent form needs a signature.” I glanced at my phone. The screen was as clean as freshly wiped glass. Yesterday, when I told him the procedure was today, he was tying his tie, not even looking up. “What time? I’ll try my best to make it.” “Nine o’clock.” “Mm. I’ll have Secretary Chen go with you.” You see. Even his rejections are so proper. “No need.” I spoke calmly. “I can do it myself.” The nurse hesitated. “Then… you’ll sign it yourself?” “I’ll sign it.” The pen tip scratched across the paper, making a rustling sound. It turns out that when a person’s heart is completely dead, their hand doesn’t shake. When the doors to the operating room opened, I took one last look at my phone. 9:07 AM. My social media feed refreshed with a new post. Posted by Sierra. Arthur’s chief designer, his capable right-hand woman who had been with him for five years. The photo showed the office in the early hours of the morning, dawn breaking outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. The caption: “Another all-nighter fighting side-by-side with the boss. It feels so good to give it your all for a dream. P.S.: Thanks to someone’s gardenias for keeping me awake~” Location: Sterling Group Headquarters. In the corner of the photo, a hand with distinct knuckles was in the frame, wearing the Patek Philippe watch I gave him on the wrist. I suddenly remembered that hint of gardenia scent from the other night. I remembered his increasingly frequent “overtime” over the past six months. I remembered the way Sierra looked at him. The moment the anesthesia was pushed into my vein, I closed my eyes. An icy feeling spread up my arm. Like this marriage. From the very beginning, it was cold. 2 I woke up in a hospital room. A private suite, the sunlight outside the window blinding. A dull ache came in waves from my lower abdomen, empty, as if a very important piece had been dug out of my body. The door was pushed open. Arthur walked in, carrying a fruit basket. His iron-gray suit was impeccable, his tie straight, even his hair was neatly combed. He looked as if he hadn’t rushed over from outside the operating room, but had just finished an important board meeting. “You’re awake?” He placed the fruit basket on the nightstand. “How do you feel?” His voice was steady, devoid of emotion. I looked at him and suddenly really wanted to laugh. “You came.” “Mm. Just finished a meeting.” He glanced at his watch. “I can only stay for twenty minutes. I have a lunch meeting with the city officials this afternoon.” “Is that so.” I turned my head to look out the window. “Then go do your work.” Silence spread through the hospital room. He stood for a while, finally speaking. “Chloe, the Bayview International Center project is really important to me. If we win this, Sterling Group can completely open up the East Coast market—” “Arthur.” I cut him off. My voice was very light, as if afraid of startling something. “Our child is gone.” He paused. Then he said, “I know. We’ll have more in the future.” Even his comfort sounded like he was discussing business. The door was pushed open again. Sierra walked in holding a bouquet of white lilies, smiling gently and appropriately. “Mr. Sterling, you are here. I’ve prepared the materials for this afternoon’s lunch meeting.” Seeing me, she showed a perfectly measured look of concern. “Ms. Miller, are you alright? Mr. Sterling was so worried last night he didn’t sleep well, and rushed over right after the meeting today.” How considerate. She even thought of an excuse for him. Arthur took the documents from her hand, flipping through them quickly. “Have the numbers been verified?” “Yes. Also, we’ve taken care of Director Lee. He likes vintage wine; I’ve prepared a thirty-year-old Macallan.” “Good.” They stood side-by-side by the window, discussing the details of the project in low voices. The sunlight spilled over them, like a golden halo. The talented man and the beautiful woman, fighting side by side. What a matching picture. While I lay in the hospital bed, my whole body cold, having just lost a child. A child he didn’t care about at all. 3 On the day I was discharged, I handled the paperwork myself. Arthur called. “I’ll have the driver pick you up.” “No need.” “Chloe, don’t throw a tantrum.” “Arthur.” I stood at the hospital entrance, watching the bustling traffic. “I’m not throwing a tantrum.” “I just suddenly realized that for the past three years, I’ve been living in an illusion.” Silence on the other end of the line. “I thought we were husband and wife.” “But actually, I’m just an expendable decoration in your life.” “And now this decoration is broken, taking up space. You’re starting to find it troublesome, aren’t you?” “Chloe!” His voice dropped. “Do you have to speak like this?” “Then how should I speak?” I laughed. “Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to let me have an abortion? Thank you for having your secretary come to the hospital to perform ‘concern’ for you?” “Sierra is just my subordinate.” “Is that so.” I said softly. “But the way you look at her has much more warmth than the way you look at me.” I hung up the phone. I flagged down a taxi. The driver asked, “Where to, miss?” Watching the rapidly retreating street scenes outside the window, I suddenly didn’t know where I should go. That three-thousand-square-foot luxury condo, equipped with the top-tier smart home systems, a temperature and humidity-controlled wine cellar, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. But it had no warmth. No signs of life. No feeling of home. Finally, I said, “To Pine Lake Apartments.” That was the small apartment I bought myself before I got married. Five hundred square feet, one bedroom, one living room. In our three years of marriage, I had only been back there twice. The last time I went back was for my birthday last year. He forgot. I sat there until dawn, and he didn’t even notice I wasn’t home. 4 I lay at home for three days. Arthur didn’t call once. But Mia came every day, bringing soup she had simmered, along with a bellyful of curses. “That bastard Arthur! I saw him at the Plaza Hotel the other day, having dinner with a client, accompanied by Sierra. The way Sierra was acting, she practically wanted to glue herself to him!” “Also, do you know what Sierra has been saying in our circles lately? She says Mr. Sterling is going to marry her sooner or later, and that your current position was originally meant for her.” “Chloe, you can’t keep putting up with this!” I took small sips of the soup, not saying a word. Yeah. I had put up with it for three years. I always thought, wait until the company stabilizes, wait until this project is over, wait until he’s not so busy… Then he would see me. Then we would be like he promised when we got married. “Live a good life together.” But I forgot. People like Arthur are born to conquer. His battlefield is in the business world, at the negotiation table, in every opportunity to expand his business empire. Marriage, to him, is just a necessary step in his life plan. A KPI that needs to be completed. “Mia.” I put down the soup spoon. “Do me a favor.” “Tell me!” “Help me clear out the studio in my Pine Lake apartment. I want to start painting again.” Mia’s eyes lit up. “You’ve figured it out?!” “Mm.” I looked at the gray sky outside the window. “For the past three years, to be a good Mrs. Sterling, I practically abandoned my paintbrushes.” “Now I’ve figured it out.” “Being anyone’s wife is not as good as being myself.” 5 During the first week of picking up the paintbrush again, my hands felt incredibly rusty. In college, I was the acknowledged genius of the oil painting department at the fine arts academy. My graduation piece, “Urban Breath,” was collected by an art museum. My mentor said my brushstrokes possessed an “architectural sense of structure” and a “flowing vitality.” That was when Arthur had just taken over his family’s business and came to the academy looking for collaborating artists to create art installations for Sterling Group’s new real estate developments. We met in my mentor’s studio. He was wearing a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, looking at my portfolio. The sunlight shone through the window behind him, giving him a soft, golden halo. He looked up at me, his eyes very bright. “Ms. Miller’s paintings are very powerful.” Later, he said it was at that exact moment he decided to marry me. “Your talent, your composure, are exactly what I need.” Even his reason for proposing was so pragmatic. After we got married, he stuffed me into the Sterling Group’s branding department, giving me the empty title of “Art Consultant.” Calling it “utilizing your talent.” In reality, my job was to accompany him to art exhibitions when he needed me, explain artworks to clients, and play the role of a “Mrs. Sterling with good taste.” I brought up wanting to continue creating art. He said, “Chloe, you are Mrs. Sterling now. Your time should be spent on more valuable things.” What is valuable? Accompanying him to social engagements is valuable. Maintaining client relationships for him is valuable. Playing the loving couple when he needs it is valuable. What about my dreams? What about my paintbrushes? Not important. Just like that child. Not important. 6 On my seventh day back at Pine Lake Apartments, Arthur finally appeared. At ten o’clock at night, there was a knock on the door. Through the peephole, I saw him standing outside. His tie was loose, his hair a bit messy, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes. I opened the door. The smell of alcohol on him hit me in the face. “Why are you here?” I didn’t let him in. Arthur looked at me, his expression complex. “Chloe, how long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum?” “I’m not throwing a tantrum.” “Then why haven’t you come home?” “This is my home.” He frowned. “You bought this apartment yourself; it’s small, and the location is average. It’s not comfortable to live in.” “Arthur.” I leaned against the doorframe. “Do you know why I like it here?” “Why?” “Because everything here is my own.” “The paintings on the wall I painted, the books on the shelf I picked out, even that dying pothos plant on the balcony I brought from my college dorm.” “But in that luxury condo of yours, I feel like a renter.” He was silent for a moment. “If you don’t like the interior design, we can remodel. I’ll have the designer—” “I don’t need a designer.” I cut him off. “What I need is a husband.” “Not a boss assigning me tasks.” Arthur’s face darkened. “Chloe, I’ve been very tired lately. The bidding for the Bayview International Center is at a crucial stage, and there’s a ton of stuff going on at the company. Can’t you be a little considerate?” Considerate. There’s that word again. These past three years, I’ve been far too considerate. So considerate that I lost myself in the process. “Arthur.” I looked at him, enunciating every word. “The day I lost the baby, I was on the operating table, the anesthesia had just worn off, and I was shivering from the pain.” “At that moment, I was thinking, if only you were here.” “If only you could hold my hand and tell me not to be afraid.” “But you didn’t come.” “You were working overtime with another woman, accepting the gardenias she gave you, fighting side by side with her.” His pupils contracted slightly. “Sierra is just—” “I know she’s just a subordinate.” I smiled. “But Arthur, you care about her way more than you care about me.” “At least you remember she’s allergic to pollen, you remember she takes two scoops of sugar in her coffee, you give her limited-edition design sketches for her birthday.” “And me?” “On my birthday, you were at a meeting in New York. Even the ‘Happy Birthday’ message was sent by Secretary Chen on your behalf.” Arthur opened his mouth. But ultimately, he couldn’t say anything. Because he knew that every word I said was true. “I’ve mailed you the divorce agreement.” “If you don’t sign it, I’ll file for a contested divorce.” “You wouldn’t want that either, would you?” 7 That night, Arthur stood outside the door for half an hour. Finally, he said, “Chloe, we both need to cool down.” “After the bidding is over, we’ll have a good talk.” I closed the door. Leaning against it, I slowly slid down to sit on the floor. The tears finally fell. Not from sadness. From relief. I finally said everything I had been holding in for three years. It turns out that being yourself feels this incredibly satisfying. The next day, I formally submitted my resignation to Sterling Group. Secretary Chen called, his tone sounding conflicted. “Madam, Mr. Sterling says your position was specially created, there’s no resignation procedure…” “Then terminate the contract.” I said. “I signed an employment contract with Sterling Group; I’ll pay whatever penalty the law requires.” “This… shouldn’t you speak with Mr. Sterling yourself?” “No need. Tell him that from now on, my relationship with Sterling Group is solely that of a former employee and a former employer.” After hanging up, I blocked all of Arthur’s contact information. Except for one number. His mother’s. That elegant lady recuperating in Switzerland would call every few months for a routine, business-like greeting. In the afternoon, her call came as expected. “Chloe, Arthur mentioned you two are having a little disagreement?” Her voice was gentle, but carried a condescending aloofness. “Mrs. Sterling.” For the first time, I didn’t call her “Mom.” “We’re not having a disagreement; we’re getting a divorce.” There were a few seconds of silence on the other end. “Because of the child?” “Not entirely.” “Then why? Is Arthur not treating you well?” I laughed. “Mrs. Sterling, what do you consider ‘treating someone well’?” “Is it providing an ample allowance? Is it providing excellent material conditions? Is it giving you face in public?” “If it’s those things, Arthur has done very well.” “But the ‘well’ I want is for him to see me, to hear me, to treat me like a living, breathing human being.” A sigh came from the other end of the line. “Chloe, Arthur has been like this since he was a child. His father passed away early, and he had to learn to manage the company in his teens. In his eyes, there are only goals and efficiency.” “Emotions are too foreign to him.” “I know.” I said softly. “That’s why I’m tired.” “I don’t want to use my warmth to try and warm up a stone anymore.”

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Chapter 1 After preparing for a long time, the wedding reception was canceled once again because the groom didn’t show up. My parents, carrying the gifts they had prepared in advance, bowed and apologized table by table, skillfully returning the cash gifts one by one. The relatives finally couldn’t hold it back anymore and started making sarcastic remarks: “Is your family ever going to stop? You’ve held this wedding ninety-nine times, and we still haven’t even seen what the groom looks like. Is this a real wedding?” My mom apologized profusely, promising there wouldn’t be a next time. When Arthur Vance finally rushed over, the wedding venue had already been torn down and was in shambles. “There was a fluctuation in the experimental data, so I’m late.” I had heard this sentence many, many times. Unexpectedly, this time I wasn’t hysterical. I thought he would at least say sorry, but Arthur just grabbed a handful of wedding candy with his usual expression. “Since everything is fine, I’ll head out first. Mia is still waiting for me to tutor her.” Mia Harper was his junior in the research group. And Arthur never missed a single one of her tutoring sessions. I looked back at my parents, whose usually proud spines were bent by the repeated scoldings. Exhaustion and weariness swept over me. I suddenly realized that the groom didn’t have to be him. … Arthur didn’t care about anything unrelated to physics. Sometimes he would even mistake me for someone else. I thought he was always just immersed in his own world. That he was like this with everyone. But just now, the few pieces of candy he took were all Mia’s favorites. Strawberry flavored, beautifully packaged candies. Yet I was allergic to flowers, and he never remembered. Dense, red hives quickly broke out on my arm. I looked expressionlessly at the yellow roses Arthur brought as an apology. I thought of how I had lost my temper more than once because of his inattentiveness. But he never explained. He would only furrow his brow, creating fine lines. He would silently watch me vent. And then act as if nothing had happened. “Chloe!” My mom turned around and was frightened by the large and small red patches all over my body. She and my dad quickly took me to the hospital. My consciousness grew fuzzy, and my mom’s suppressed crying lingered in my ears. “Richard, it’s all your fault for insisting on introducing Arthur to Chloe!” My dad was Arthur’s college professor. Back then, he recognized Arthur’s abilities and was determined to match us up. And I was attracted by Arthur’s aloof and detached aura, chasing after him recklessly. He had sighed: “Chloe Sterling, I don’t know how to date.” I blinked and said cheerfully: “That’s okay, I’ll teach you!” He laughed. It was only now that I understood the helplessness and annoyance in his laugh. My dad couldn’t reach Arthur. Suppressing his anger, he called the university lab. He couldn’t find him there either. “Arthur isn’t here. He seems to have something important to take care of.” “What could be more important than his fiancée being sick?” Just as my dad finished roaring this sentence, I looked up and saw Arthur supporting a pale, clean-looking girl. Arthur, who usually had a strong sense of boundaries, was pressed seamlessly against her. Usually a man of few words, he was constantly reminding her: “Mia, the doctor said you have to take the fever medicine every day, you can’t…” Before he could finish his sentence, his eyes met mine mid-air. It turns out that Mia’s slight fever was a massive deal to him. Enough to make him willingly interrupt his experiment. I remembered the year I was harassed by some street thugs and frantically called Arthur for help. His voice was extremely calm, like glass beakers clinking together. “It’s useless to call me. Chloe, what you need to do right now is call the police.” In Arthur’s eyes. There was no difference between me and any other random passerby he couldn’t name. “What’s wrong with you?” He walked over, asking me in a rare show of benevolence. While Mia still clung to his arm, looking weak and apologetic. “Sister Chloe, I’m really sorry. I troubled him so much on your wedding day.” I curled my lips into a smile: “You can trouble him all you want from now on.” “Because I’m not going to marry him.” Chapter 2 The straight line of Arthur’s mouth suddenly wavered. My parents looked at me with both surprise and joy. Because I’m as stubborn as a mule; once I set my mind on something, I never let go. Similarly, I absolutely never turn back to things I don’t want anymore. Arthur clearly hadn’t realized this. He wearily pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking I was just throwing another crazy, jealous fit. “Chloe Sterling, you’d better be able to back up what you say.” The reason he said this was because every time I made a fuss about breaking up, I would clamor to get back together within two days. He thought this time was the same. However, when he finished his tedious and complex experiments and returned home. What greeted him was silence and desolation when he opened the door. Arthur’s groggy brain suddenly jammed. After frowning in thought for a few seconds, he took out his phone and called me. “Chloe Sterling, I’m hungry.” I froze on the other end of the line. I didn’t expect this to be the first thing Arthur said after our cold war. Thinking about it carefully, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Arthur was hailed as a genius in the physics world. No matter how complex the experiment, he could pull it off. But someone like him had zero life skills. Back then, I was young and completely obsessed with him. I willingly moved into his place and became his maid. I thought this would warm up his heart of stone. But just now, Mia’s social media, which was usually restricted from me, became visible. [Day 100 of bringing food for my senior. Today is eggplant with minced pork over rice!] The accompanying picture was a brightly colored lunch box, and I recognized at a glance that the long, slender hand in the frame belonged to Arthur. [He said it was delicious, and he ate it all up!] When I scrolled to this sentence, my eyes stung so much I could cry. Because Arthur’s most hated food was eggplant. I pressed my finger hard against the screen, zooming in desperately, only to discover the nutritious meal I had painstakingly prepared for him by waking up at 6 AM every day. It was in the trash can in the corner. I forced down the emotions churning in my heart and enunciated every word: “Arthur Vance, do you think I’m incredibly easy to bully?” Hearing my crying voice. His breathing hitched, and just as he wanted to say something else. I had already hung up and blocked him. I thought he was a smart person and would understand an adult’s refusal to communicate. It meant the end of this relationship. But Arthur was clearly missing a screw compared to normal people. In the pouring rain, he stood at my door holding a cake. “Mia said to make a girl happy, you have to give her a cake. I specifically ran to…” “Enough!” I raised my hand and knocked the cake over, the accumulated emotions finally breaking the dam. “Arthur Vance, you are not Mia’s dog! You don’t have to ask for her opinion on everything you do!” “I’ve really had enough! You and Mia should just be together. I sincerely wish you two the best!” The moment I roared and slammed the door shut. Water droplets dripped from his long eyelashes, his gaze stunned. Only then did he sluggishly realize that my anger this time was different from usual. Before he could delve into it, his advisor called, saying there was a problem with the experimental data. Arthur had no choice but to leave in a hurry. We lost contact for half a month this time. From my dad’s brief mentions, it seemed he was preparing to contend for the most important prize in physics, the Buckley Prize. However, one night, I received a call from him. “Chloe, what are you doing?” Hearing Arthur’s exhausted, hoarse voice. I paused for a moment, then told the truth: “I’m trying on my wedding dress.” Chapter 3 I don’t know if it was my illusion. But Arthur’s tone suddenly became much lighter. “What day is the wedding set for?” Although this wedding had nothing to do with him, I still told him: “In a week.” “Okay, I understand.” Right as the call was about to end, Mia’s cheerful exclamation came from his end. “Arthur, where did you put my pajamas?” Smack. The phone slipped from my hand, my brain instantly buzzing. They… slept together? At the thought of this possibility, my eyes pathetically turned red. That deliberately forgotten memory also kept flashing back. Back then, I had just gotten together with Arthur. I begged him to introduce me to his fellow students in the research group. Unlike the crowd of people who were tortured by experimental data to the point of being lifeless. Mia always had a smiling face, like a bright sun. At that time, Arthur was being pressured to drink by his seniors and juniors. This group of people teasingly asked him who he loved the most. The alcohol had flushed Arthur’s eyes under his rimless glasses. He was drunk, and instinctively answered: “It’s Mia…” The scene instantly fell dead silent. I wrung my fingers tightly, forcing a smile. Deceiving them was also deceiving myself, constantly repeating: “He means Chloe, it’s Chloe!” This farce was then casually brushed over. But I still stubbornly stuck by Arthur’s side, believing time would prove everything. But after chasing him for eight years, I was truly tired. Now that I, the stumbling block, was gone, it was normal for them to get together. So I was also prepared to forget him. Throwing away the various Lego puzzles he had given me. Actually, I didn’t like these puzzle games at all; I only cared about the process of doing them with him. But Arthur was always too busy. So I secretly hid a few puzzle pieces, hoping he would stay with me a little longer. But Arthur’s sharp eyes instantly saw through my thoughts. “You hid the pieces, didn’t you.” “Chloe, I don’t have time to waste with you. Mia is still waiting for me to test the experimental data.” Mia had always been a thorn in my heart. Once I heard her name, I became bitter and mean. “Are you like this with Mia too?” He seemed to freeze for a moment, stating a fact. “Mia wouldn’t be as boring as you.” His casual sentence destroyed all my psychological defenses. There were three days left until the wedding. My dad suddenly left a document at home and asked me to bring it to the university. To take a shortcut, I had to walk through the science building. But just as I stepped inside, Mia reached out and stopped me. She had a tight little face. “Sister Chloe, Arthur is busy doing experiments right now. You’d better not harass him anymore.” The gossiping students around us whispered: “Wow, that’s Arthur’s simp fiancée.” “What a pity, I was really shipping Mia and Arthur.” I wondered if Arthur hadn’t told them we broke up? My phone kept popping up with rapid-fire calls from my dad. I didn’t have time to explain to them, hurriedly saying: “I have an emergency.” “No!” Mia reached out and shoved me. I stumbled, thinking oh no. This was the stairwell on the third floor! A strong arm caught mine just in time. I turned my head, the lingering fear on my face turning into pleasant surprise: “Why are you here!” Chapter 4 “If I didn’t come, you would have been smashed into a pancake.” Julian Vance familiarly hooked his arm through mine. He was my childhood friend, and also the person I would spend the rest of my life with. Before I had time to speak, a gloomy voice suddenly sounded from behind. “What are you doing?” Arthur, wearing safety goggles, revealed eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. Those eyes slowly moved down, fixing dead on Julian’s hand holding my arm. More and more people were gathering around. I gave a somewhat awkward, perfunctory reply: “Nothing, an accident.” Arthur wasn’t the type to relentlessly pursue an answer. But this time, it was somewhat surprising. As he passed by, he suddenly grabbed my hand, his tone serious: “You haven’t answered my question yet.” Just as he finished speaking, a few sobs suddenly sounded beside us. No one blamed Mia, yet she started crying on her own. Arthur’s expression changed. Without hesitation, he let go of my hand and walked quickly to her side. “Who bullied you?” Mia looked up at me silently. She didn’t speak, just kept crying. Arthur followed her gaze and frowned in displeasure. “Why are you opposing Mia again?” I was clearly the one who got hurt, but Arthur didn’t even give me a chance to speak. Or maybe, someone who valued logic so much simply didn’t care about the origin of the matter. “Can you stop making a scene…” He blamed everything on me. “I told you not to drag other people into our business.” “I’m going abroad for a competition tomorrow, but I will definitely rush back for the wedding. Just put your heart at ease.” Julian clicked his tongue softly, about to punch him. I stopped him, remaining extremely calm from beginning to end. “First, I haven’t touched Mia from beginning to end. Her crying has nothing to do with me.” “Second, the groom isn’t you. You don’t need to rush back.” “Fine, fine, it’s not me.” But Arthur didn’t seem to believe me. He pulled Mia through the crowd and left. That day, Mia’s social media updated. [He said his feelings for her are only responsibility, not love. Only he and I are on the same path.] The accompanying picture was a grand and brilliant fireworks display on a mountaintop. I had said more than once that I wanted to see fireworks. But Arthur always used the excuse of being busy to brush me off. It turns out that someone who cares about you can always make time for you, no matter how busy they are. Although Arthur said he would be back in two days, he still delayed his return by a week because Mia suddenly had a stomachache. His colleagues couldn’t help but sweat for him. “Arthur, what about your wedding?” “Chloe probably won’t forgive you easily this time.” Arthur pushed his glasses up indifferently. “It’s fine, she’s easy to coax.” However, when he showed up at our door with two bags of gifts. My parents looked at him coldly. He asked: “Where’s Chloe?” My mom finally got the chance to vent her anger, and said with a beaming smile: “Chloe went on her honeymoon.”

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Ethan’s little canary had run away again. This time, he forced a high-speed train to make an emergency stop just for her. That night, he hurried home and saw the divorce papers in my hand. He let out a muffled laugh. “The little girl was being disobedient. It took a lot of effort to catch her and bring her back. Honey, you understand, right?” I still handed him the pen. He sneered: “You can’t be serious. You really want a divorce?” “You signed a prenuptial agreement. If we divorce, you won’t get a single cent!” I nodded: “I want a divorce.” Ethan’s smile faded. “You’re not going to treat your mom’s illness anymore? You’re just going to watch her die?” He threw out the trump card that had never failed him before. I calmly shook my head. “I’m not treating it anymore.” Ethan’s face completely darkened. He didn’t know yet. My critically ill mother had been lying on that very high-speed train. The hours of delay caused her to miss the critical window for her treatment. From now on. This place could never trap me again. 1 Ethan was very arrogant. He was certain I couldn’t leave my mother. After all, she was severely ill, and the medical bills were incredibly expensive. And my pockets were completely empty. As long as he had a hold on my mother, it was like he held my life in his hands. So no matter how far he went, even having an affair with my mother’s former student, I never dared to mention divorce. But this time, not only did I bring it up, but my attitude was also incredibly calm. So even he was taken aback. We remained at an impasse for a few seconds. Ethan was the first to break the silence. He chuckled lightly and patted my head: “Alright, don’t make yourself sick with anger.” “Are you still mad that Chloe ran to the hospital last time and disturbed Mom’s rest? I promise there won’t be a next time, okay?” “Besides, didn’t you get your revenge in the end? The poor girl was terrified of you.” The “revenge” he mentioned… Referred to the time Chloe, just to provoke me, barged into my mother’s hospital room and showed her a bunch of intimate videos of her and Ethan. My mother couldn’t catch her breath and almost died right there. I was furious to the extreme. I brought people to block her at her workplace, beat her until she was crying and begging for mercy on her knees, and even got her fired. That was the second time I had completely lost my mind. “Don’t touch me! You’re filthy!” I scoffed, slapping Ethan’s hand away: “Ethan, your promises are just like you—worthless!” Ethan pulled his hand back in pain, his eyes suddenly turning sharp. Obviously, being repeatedly rebuffed by me today had ignited a fire in him. Right at that moment, his phone rang. He glanced at me and answered it. It was Chloe’s aggrieved voice. “Ethan, I wanted to go apologize to Mrs. Davis, but the nurses said she was transferred…” “But all the specialists you hired are at this hospital! Does Chloe hate us so much that she’d risk Mrs. Davis’s health just to spite us? And Mrs. Davis, too, how could she let her daughter act so recklessly!” Ethan gently comforted her for a while. When he put away his phone and looked at me again, he had resumed his usual careless demeanor. “Olivia, you colluded with Mom just to get back at me? Tsk, Mom really is getting old and senile from her illness.” He lazily held a cigarette in his mouth: “Are you mother and daughter so sure I wouldn’t dare pull the medical team?” Countless times in the past. This was how Ethan forced me to compromise. Using my mother as a bargaining chip, forcing me to obey, even making me bow my head to the mistress he was keeping. It was a tactic that never failed him. But now. Looking at his posture, thinking he was in control of everything. I suddenly wanted to laugh. And as I laughed, my eyes uncontrollably turned red. I violently grabbed an ashtray and hurled it at him as hard as I could. “Pull them! Pull your medical team right now! My mom and I don’t need your charity!” Blood seeped from Ethan’s forehead. The veins on his forehead bulged. After a long silence, he stood up, walked toward the door, and said indifferently: “Olivia, you might not have a conscience, but I can’t be without one.” “After all, a teacher’s grace is as heavy as a mountain. I can’t be as reckless and willful as you and delay the teacher’s treatment.” What answered him… Was another vase I hurled fiercely at his back. 2 The door slammed shut heavily. I collapsed onto the sofa, drained of all strength. My eyes fell on the shattered pieces covering the floor. Remembering Ethan’s phrase, “A teacher’s grace is as heavy as a mountain,” I let out a mocking laugh. Exactly how shameless do you have to be… To say such weighty words so lightly, and so self-righteously? And exactly how much of a failure was I… To have let my life turn out like this? Ethan was, indeed, once my mother’s student. Back then, he wasn’t the heir to the Sterling family; he was just a kid who had nothing. Raised by a single, violent, gambling-addict father, he had a gloomy personality, terrible grades, and was a problem student that no teacher wanted to deal with. Later, my mother noticed the bruises on him. As his homeroom teacher, she did home visits time and time again, but they always ended in vain. Pitying him because he was skin and bones, my mother frequently invited him to our house for dinner. That year, we were in high school. Two miserable kids from single-parent homes ended up crossing paths. Those years, my mother, a senior teacher, personally tutored Ethan, helping him transform from a despised underachiever into a top student, eventually getting into a prestigious university. This led to Ethan later following his biological mother back to the Sterling family, and with his knowledge and the halo of a top university… He managed to earn a place and recognition within the Sterling family. Later, he changed completely. I asked my mother if she regretted it. She only shook her head: “At least it gave a child a different life.” But as she shook her head, tears fell: “My only regret is letting you marry him!” When she was critically ill, she gripped me tightly: “If I don’t make it, you should head to New York. Don’t keep holding on for my sake.” “Do whatever you want to do. My Livvy shouldn’t be trapped here.” Only then did I realize that my mother had known everything all along. I forcefully wiped my face and looked at the message popping up on my phone. [Olivia, that cruel woman who always stopped us father and daughter from seeing each other is finally gone. No one can stop you now!] [Your little brother is still young and can’t handle things. You’re my only daughter. If you’re willing to come home, everything I have in the future, including the company, will be yours!] Even though we hadn’t been in contact for years, the selfishness and coldness in the bones of my biological father hadn’t changed a bit. Even hearing that the wife who had shared his hardships in their youth had passed away, he didn’t show a hint of sadness. He even had to kick her while she was down. I lowered my eyes, staring quietly at the words on the screen. I only felt it was ridiculous. All mine? That brother of mine was the precious son this man had longed for, the son he didn’t hesitate to abandon his wife and daughter for. Would he really be willing to let me, his daughter, take half of the family fortune? I’d be the biggest joke if I believed his nonsense. But since leaving was a foregone conclusion, there was no reason not to use this stepping stone delivered right to my door. I twitched my lips and replied: [Okay, I’ll go back.] 3 As if trying to teach me a lesson… Ethan never came home again. I didn’t care. I handled my mother’s funeral alone. My mother was an only child. My grandparents had passed away long ago, and we had no other relatives. Everything was kept simple. After everything was done, I went home to pack my bags. I didn’t expect that right after I stepped through the door, the keypad lock chimed again. The moment I locked eyes with Chloe. I was still a little incredulous. “How did you get in here?” She even had the passcode to my house? Since when? Did Ethan give it to her? Or, during those days and nights when I was running to the hospital taking care of my mom, had he already moved this woman in? Sleeping in our bed? Thinking of those possible scenes… I felt a moment of nausea. “Oh, Mrs. Sterling is home?” Chloe smirked, her red lips curling. She walked in with practiced ease, acting as if she were the lady of the house: “Mr. Sterling left a jacket behind, I’m just here to grab it. I’m used to just walking right in, I forgot you might be home. You don’t mind, do you?” Before I could answer, she seemed to remember something and let out an “Oh”: “I almost forgot. You’re a full-time housewife, with no work to keep you busy. Aside from holing up at home, you really don’t have anywhere else to go.” After she finished speaking, she turned and strutted into the bedroom in her stilettos. Soon, she came out carrying Ethan’s clothes. Seeing that I was calmly watering the plants, completely ignoring her behavior, it was like a punch landing on cotton. Her face instantly darkened: “Some people spend all day guarding a few pathetic plants, unable to hold onto their man’s heart, not even having a decent career. What a pathetic way to live! Wouldn’t you agree, sister?” I put down the watering can, looked at her, and chuckled. “Career? You mean being a sugar baby whose only job is to warm someone’s bed?” I clapped my hands loudly: “Well, I guess it takes skill to lick a sugar daddy until he’s comfortable enough to hand you a job, right?” Back when I got Chloe fired from her job… Ethan turned around and hired her as his secretary, which was undoubtedly a harsh slap in the face to me. Chloe’s face instantly flushed bright red. She pointed at me, her voice shrill: “It’s still better than being a piece of trash like you! Even with a degree from a top university, you’re still blacklisted by the entire industry. Olivia, tell me, who in this entire city would dare to hire you?” My face went pale. What Chloe said was the truth. The day I found out Ethan was cheating, I had brought up divorce. The very next day, I lost my job. To pay for my mother’s medical bills, I also thought about starting my own business. But the reality was, any project I was involved in would eventually fall through, or even inexplicably blow up, leaving me with piles of debt. Over time, no one in the entire industry dared to hire me, let alone anything else. Until that day, when I broke down again because I couldn’t afford my mother’s medical bills, Ethan looked at me and smiled. He said: “Olivia, this is your punishment for bringing up divorce. Be a good Mrs. Sterling, and what could you possibly lack?” From that day on. I never dared to think about it again. It was also from then on. That I realized how cold-blooded this man truly was. He could use his power to severely punish the thugs who used to bully me. And he could use the same methods, without breaking a sweat, to crush an ordinary person like me into the mud. 4 Probably because she saw me lose my composure. Chloe felt she had won a round and said smugly: “Did I hit a nerve? I’m just telling the truth.” She flipped her hair and leaned in close to me: “Olivia, you must be so mad, aren’t you? Mad that a country bumpkin you’ve always looked down upon crawled into your husband’s bed!” She said hatefully: “You and your mother looked down on me, thinking I should rely on your charity and live at your mercy, humiliating me. So I stole your man! I stole her son-in-law!” My eyes turned icy, and I said coldly: “My mother genuinely helped you. But you? Your mind is twisted, and you actually use such absurd lies as an excuse for your own shamelessness!” Chloe used to be an impoverished student in my mother’s class. She lived with relatives in the city and always wore a torn coat. My mother was always soft-hearted, so she frequently bought her clothes and shoes, and gave her my lightly used clothes. I never imagined that this kindness would be seen as humiliation in her eyes. “What kindness? Your mother just used helping me as an excuse to show off that she had a daughter who was better than me in every way!” “But so what? In the end, your man was still seduced away by me!” Chloe smiled, her eyes full of malicious delight: “You don’t even know. That day when your teacher fell asleep, Ethan and I were right by her bed… The look on her face when she woke up was absolutely fascinating.” “It’s a pity, though. We couldn’t piss that old hag to death.” My brain buzzed. Blood rushed to my head. I turned around and, amidst Chloe’s screams, viciously grabbed her by the hair. Bang. Her head smashed heavily against the wall. “Ah! You dare hit me!” Wearing a short skirt, Chloe was no match for me at all. Pinned down by me, she could only scream and curse: “I’m going to make Ethan cut off your mother’s medical funds and make that old hag croak early!” My eyes were bloodshot. I held her down and smashed her head against the wall, over and over again. “If you don’t know how to speak like a human, I’ll teach you!” At this moment, I didn’t care about anything. I just wanted to shut her up and make her pay! Until a massive force violently threw me away, accompanied by a man’s disbelieving, furious roar: “Olivia! What the hell are you doing?!”

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