Category: English

Today was supposed to be my wedding day with Zach, but when it was time to pick up the bride, he was late. I called him, but he didn’t answer. Just as I was getting anxious, a stream of floating text suddenly appeared before my eyes. [The supporting character has no idea that our male lead deliberately went the wrong way to pick up his ex-girlfriend instead.] [The female lead and male lead are the real couple. The supporting character is just part of their story.] [If it weren’t for the business marriage arrangement, the male lead would never marry the supporting character. He’s being forced into this.] I stared at the floating text and opened my phone to check Zach’s location. Sure enough, he was at Serena’s place. It seemed this floating text was telling the truth. Zach finally returned my call. “Hey, Hazel, our wedding car broke down on the road. I’ll be there soon.” I watched the text still scrolling before my eyes and replied coldly. “Don’t bother coming. The wedding’s canceled.”

The moment those words left my mouth, Zach froze on the other end of the line. Then he snapped back to reality and spoke in a panicked voice. “Hazel, what are you talking about? So I’m a little late—is that really worth getting this angry? This isn’t something to joke about. Just wait for me, okay? I’ll be right there.” He hung up hastily. [Why is the supporting character suddenly refusing to get married? According to the plot, she’s supposed to play the clueless wife tonight and watch the male and female leads get together.] [The male lead is so bad. He got the female lead so worn out she couldn’t get out of bed, and only then remembered to call the supporting character.] [The supporting character is just throwing a tantrum. Don’t worry about her. Once she gets to the hotel, she’ll obediently participate in the wedding.] I watched the floating text and unconsciously clenched my fists. A clueless wife? Were they planning to do that in my wedding bed? My mother walked up behind me then, pretending to be angry. “What’s gotten into Zach? How can he be late for his own wedding? When he gets here, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind!” She grabbed my hand. “Don’t be too upset. He’s probably just so excited he took a wrong turn.” I looked at my mother’s face as a terrifying suspicion rose in my mind. Besides being Zach’s ex-girlfriend, Serena was also my mother’s goddaughter. Could it be… did Mom know about what was going on between them? Just as I was wondering, the floating text gave me the answer. [I love the mother-in-law the most! She’s the biggest assist for the male and female leads! Without her, how could they have it so easy?] [Exactly! To help the male and female leads be together, she’s the one who drugged the supporting character.] [Well, the female lead is her biological daughter too. Of course she’s going to help her own daughter.] I turned to look at my mother, trying to stay calm. Serena was actually my mother’s illegitimate daughter! No wonder I always felt like she treated Serena better than me. Did Dad know about this? Just as my mind was racing, commotion suddenly erupted in the courtyard. “They’re here! They’re here! The wedding convoy is here!” Mom quickly pulled my hand, dragging me toward the house. “Hurry inside to the bridal suite. Zach’s here.” I hadn’t recovered from the enormous shock yet when she forcibly pulled me back to the bridal suite. Since Zach was so late, all the traditional bride-picking games were skipped. He rushed straight into the bridal suite to get me. “Hazel, our parents at the hotel are already calling. All the relatives are there waiting for us.” But I didn’t get up. I stared at Zach and spoke slowly. “You’re this late because the car really broke down?” When Zach heard my question, his expression instantly froze. He forced himself to stay calm as he replied. “Really, Hazel. Why would you ask that? Don’t you trust me?” I pulled out my phone, opened the location app, and turned the screen toward him. “Then why was your location showing you at Serena’s place just now?” The moment those words fell, the bridal suite went completely silent.

The groomsmen and bridesmaids were all our friends, so naturally they knew Serena was Zach’s ex-girlfriend and also my mother’s goddaughter. For a moment, everyone held their breath, not daring to speak. Zach’s face turned deathly pale. He tried to change the subject. “Hazel, when did you install location tracking on my phone? You’re spying on me?” I laughed bitterly. “Spying on you? You were the one who begged me to install this, crying and insisting. You said it would let you know where I was at all times so you could find me. Now I see it just makes it convenient for you to cheat with Serena!” Zach was speechless, unable to say a word. Just then, Mom stepped forward to break the deadlock. “Oh, Hazel, this is all a misunderstanding! Don’t blame Zach. I’m the one who asked him to go. Serena called me this morning saying she had terrible stomach pain and no one was home. I was really worried, so I asked Zach to stop by and bring her some pain medication. Zach didn’t tell you because he was afraid you’d overthink it. Please don’t misunderstand him.” [The mother-in-law is clutch! Saving the day at a critical moment. Almost exposed that the male and female leads are still entangled.] [Pain medication? Hahaha, more like emergency contraception! The male lead spent all last night with the female lead—of course he needs to take precautions.] [The original book didn’t have this part where the supporting character finds out. How did she suddenly get smart? Did she awaken?] Zach quickly followed Mom’s lead. “Right, Hazel. Your mom asked me to bring pain medication. I didn’t want to go at first. I was afraid you’d be upset, so I didn’t tell you. I never expected you’d still misunderstand.” He stepped forward, trying to hug me. “Hazel, don’t be angry, okay? Today is our big day. Don’t let this little thing ruin our mood.” Mom gave Zach a meaningful look. Zach immediately understood and forcibly picked me up. “Hazel, stop making a fuss.” Zach leaned close to my ear and added quietly. “The only person in my heart right now is you. Serena is already in the past for me.” If he’d said this before, I definitely would have been touched. But now, I just felt disgusted. After carrying me to the wedding car, Zach started calling his parents, telling them we were about to leave and asking them to play our wedding photos at the venue to stall for time. I looked at his profile, thinking. Mom had introduced me to Zach. As long as I married him, Dad would invest in the Williams family business. Although the two families claimed it was a partnership publicly, in reality the Hayes family was bailing out the Williams family. That was also why Zach kept trying to please me. And I had fallen for Zach at first sight, loved him desperately. Even though Dad thought Zach wasn’t reliable and had ulterior motives in approaching me, I insisted on marrying him, threatening to kill myself otherwise. Dad had no choice but to agree in the end. Given the current situation, I absolutely would not marry Zach. And I couldn’t let him off this easily either. He’d been playing me for a fool for so long. The wedding car soon arrived at the hotel. Zach’s parents were waiting anxiously for us at the entrance. As soon as I got out of the car, Mrs. Williams came over and grabbed my hand. “You’re finally here. Hurry inside.” As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously glanced behind her—clearly she had something on her mind. [This is so exciting! The female lead is hiding in the trunk of the wedding car. The whole family knows except the supporting character who’s completely in the dark.] [When we get to the banquet hall, the female lead is going to change into a wedding dress in the dressing room and listen to the male lead’s passionate confession from below the stage.] [This wedding is really for the female lead and male lead. The supporting character is just serving a cosmetic function.]

I followed Mrs. Williams’s gaze toward the trunk of the wedding car. No wonder Zach stopped talking to me once we got in the car. Serena was also in the car, hiding in the trunk. Just then, my parents got out of the car behind us. The moment Zach saw my dad, he immediately put on a respectful smile and hurried forward to ingratiate himself. “Dad, you’re here! Please, come inside!” But Dad didn’t even look at him. He just grunted and walked past without giving him a single glance. An awkward expression flashed across Zach’s face as he turned around sheepishly. Dad walked up to me, his eyes full of heartache and reluctance. “Hazel, this is the husband you chose. I respect your choice and won’t object. As long as you’re happy.” Looking at Dad’s caring eyes, my nose tingled and tears almost fell. In this world, the only person who truly cared about me was probably Dad. And I had hurt his heart again and again for a man who deceived me. [What’s the supporting character’s dad acting so superior for? Once the Hayes family’s money gets into the male lead’s hands, won’t he be begging the male lead on his knees?] [The male lead married the supporting character because she’s an only child. After the wedding, the supporting character’s mom will convince her dad to transfer the company shares to the supporting character. Then it’ll all belong to the male lead.] [Though this method seems pretty underhanded, who told the supporting character to interfere with the male and female leads’ relationship? The supporting character deserves this fate.] They even wanted my family’s assets? And Mom was in on it with them. Did Mom really value Serena more than Dad and me? My pupils constricted as waves surged through my heart. Mom hurried over and tugged on my arm, urging me. “The wedding started a while ago. Don’t just stand here. Let’s go inside.” “No rush.” I looked at the trunk, an idea forming in my mind. “Yesterday I saw online that newlyweds should burn their wedding car. It symbolizes a prosperous future together. Let’s burn this car now. I’ll go in and get married after we burn it.” The moment those words fell, the Williams family and my mother’s faces turned deathly pale. Dad immediately supported my decision and instructed his assistant. “Young people have this tradition now? Alright then. Dylan, go ahead and light it.” Zach snapped back to reality and frantically tried to stop it. “No! You can’t!” I pretended to look upset at him. “Why not? This car isn’t even expensive. If you won’t burn it, that means you don’t love me and don’t want to marry me. Then I won’t get married today!” [What’s wrong with the supporting character? Why is she causing so many problems today?] [Our female lead is still in the trunk! We can’t burn the car!] [But if we don’t burn the car, the supporting character won’t participate in the wedding. Won’t that stall the plot?] My dad also looked sternly at Zach. “My daughter just wants to burn a car, and your family won’t agree? Looks like your sincerity about this partnership isn’t very strong.” Zach was sweating profusely now. He struggled for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and nodded. “Fine. Burn it. We’ll do whatever Hazel and Dad want.” The moment he spoke, Dylan immediately lit the fire. The car body instantly ignited, and I could feel the heat wave from several meters away. I wonder how Serena was feeling in that trunk. Mom couldn’t help but urge me again. “The car’s burned. Let’s go inside now.” This time I didn’t refuse. I nodded and went straight into the banquet hall. The moment I appeared, the wedding ceremony began. Throughout the entire ceremony, Zach was distracted, his mind on worrying about Serena. And through the floating text, I learned that Serena had already been rescued by people Zach sent.

I wasn’t worried about that, because the real show was still to come. Burning the car was just a small lesson for her. After the ceremony ended, Zach’s parents were making small talk with guests, and Dad was pulled into socializing too. Mom came over and handed me a glass of wine. “Hazel, congratulations on your wedding.” The floating text immediately flooded the screen. [Hurry up and drink, supporting character! Drink it! The good show is about to start!] [Finally waited for this moment! After drinking this wine, the supporting character will pass out and the male and female leads can have sex!] [Drink it, drink it! I’ve already pulled up a chair to watch the famous scene!] I calmly took the glass and drank it down in one gulp. Mom’s eyes lit up the moment she saw me finish the wine. She quickly stepped forward and held my arm. “Hazel, you’ve had a long day. Go back to your room early and rest.” As she spoke, she pulled me upstairs. When passing by Zach, she even gave him a subtle look. Zach understood immediately and returned the look. I obediently let Mom pull me upstairs, closing my eyes and pretending to feel dizzy. After reaching the room, Mom helped me onto the bed. “Rest well. Zach will be up soon.” After saying this, she tiptoed out of the room. The moment the door closed, my tightly shut eyes flew open. I had prepared in advance. Before coming to the hotel, I deliberately went to a pharmacy to buy an antidote and took it beforehand. The little bit of sedative in her wine had absolutely no effect on me. I quickly climbed out of bed and pulled a tiny pinhole camera from my small purse. I had just asked someone to buy this camera for me. I installed the camera in the light directly above the bed, adjusted the angle, then returned to lie down on the bed. The floating text didn’t notice any of my actions. I’d observed the pattern of the floating text today. It only appeared when someone was around me. When I was alone, it wouldn’t appear. I’d barely been lying down for a few minutes when the room door was pushed open. I could hear two sets of footsteps walking toward the bed. Without even thinking, I knew it was Zach and Serena. “The burns on my body hurt so much. Be gentle when you touch me.” It was Serena’s voice. Zach’s voice carried a hint of sleazy laughter. “Okay, I’ll be gentle. Tonight, let her be the clueless wife as punishment for suddenly burning the car and tormenting you.” Then I felt the other side of the bed sink down. The two of them were already embracing, kissing and biting each other, making suggestive moaning sounds. Their movements were rough, completely disregarding that there was still a sleeping me on the bed. I suppressed the urge to vomit, turned my back to them, and quietly pulled out my phone. I opened the monitoring software and found the connection to the banquet hall’s large screen. With a light tap of my finger, the image on the screen instantly switched, broadcasting the live feed from the room directly to the large screen in the banquet hall downstairs.

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After my husband Liam cheated on me, I threatened him countless times: “I’m going to find a lover too!” But he didn’t even bother to look up, just mocked me: “Tara, you’ve said that a hundred times already, but you haven’t found a single man. I don’t have time for your drama—I need to take my sweetheart on a trip.” He had no idea that this time, I meant it. A month later, Liam came back. Looking at me curled up on the couch, he shook his head with a laugh: “Tara, after what happened in high school, you developed severe mysophobia. You can’t stand any man touching you except me.” My phone buzzed. A message from my boyfriend. An ultrasound image, followed by a line: “Tara, our babies are twins. In three days, I’m coming to marry you.” Liam finally noticed I was distracted. He looked somewhat displeased. “Did you hear what I said?” I looked up at him, slightly dazed. This man’s face—I’d been looking at it for ten years. Seven years dating, three years married. I remembered how nervous and stuttering he was the day he proposed. I remembered him crying at our wedding, vowing to be together for all eternity. I also remembered the first night he didn’t come home. We fought. He slammed the door and left. I sat on the balcony all night. After that came a hundred chances, a hundred threats, a hundred disappointments. I thought this time would cut my heart like a knife, just like before. But now, watching his lips move, I felt nothing. My thoughts even drifted away to another man. His cool lips, burning body, scorching hands. I liked every part of him. In fact, he and I were more compatible than Liam ever was. More importantly, that man had loved me in secret for ten years. I stood up. I was a head shorter than him, but for the first time, I felt I could finally look him in the eye. “Liam.” I called his name, my tone unusually calm. “I’ve printed out the divorce papers and left them on the desk. Go sign them. City Hall closes soon—we need to hurry.” His expression froze instantly on his face. I walked past him toward the door to change my shoes. As I passed him, I caught a whiff of that perfume. Gardenia. My once-favorite flower. I never bought them again after that. “Oh, by the way,” I turned back and smiled at him slightly, “that pot of flowers of yours—I forgot to water it. It died.” Liam pressed his lips together tightly. A sign he was getting angry. But I didn’t care. “After the divorce, I’ll leave with nothing. Not even this house. It’s all written clearly in the divorce agreement. If you don’t believe me, you can read it first.” “But Coco—even though you were the one who got her, I’m the one who took care of her all these years while you were cheating. I can’t bear to part with her, so I’m taking her.” “I’ve been busy these past couple days handling the divorce and moving, so I didn’t have time to take care of her. I dropped her off at the pet boarding place yesterday.” After a long silence, I heard nothing. I looked up. Liam had already walked up to me. He stared at me intently. Just when I thought he would question me, he suddenly laughed. “Baby, who taught you this trick? You actually changed your tactics? You want to divorce me?” I paused, then looked at him with complete seriousness. “No one taught me, Liam. I really want to divorce you.”

Seeing how serious I was, he suddenly burst out laughing. “Baby, stop joking. If you divorce me, where will you go?” “You’re an orphan. No father, no mother. You don’t even have a family to go back to.” “Oh, right! You said you don’t want any assets. You’ve been a housewife for so many years—if you don’t take a single penny, what are you planning to do?” “Paint? But baby, you haven’t painted in years, and you have no reputation. Do you really think you can sell anything?” With every word he spoke, my heart sank a little deeper. Liam lovingly ruffled my hair. “Alright, stop making a fuss. She’s on her period today and in a bad mood. I need to go be with her. I’ll have my assistant transfer you some extra money later to make it up to you.” With that, he grabbed his car keys with a smile and left. I watched his retreating back. Liam, this time I’m not making a fuss. I really don’t want to be with you anymore. I looked down and contacted a lawyer: [Can I file for divorce unilaterally?] [Yes, as long as you have sufficient evidence of the other party’s infidelity.] After leaving the law office, I contacted my best friend Brooklyn and told her everything. Brooklyn’s eyes immediately turned red with rage: “Tara! Did you even consider me your friend?! Something this important and you’re only telling me now?!” “That bastard Liam! I always thought something was off about him—I knew he was no good!” “And now he’s not only blatantly cheating, but he dares to humiliate you?! I’m going to kill him right now!” I grabbed her hand with a smile, looking helpless. “Come on! I don’t care anymore.” That made it worse. Brooklyn burst into tears on the spot. “How can you not care?! You two were together for ten years! I saw more clearly than anyone how you spent those ten years!” “How much you suffered for him, and that time you entered that competition for him…” Brooklyn saw my expression change and immediately switched topics. “Anyway, I just can’t stand that bastard. If he dares betray you, I’ll definitely find a way to destroy him and that homewrecker!” Watching her defend me so fiercely, my nose tingled with emotion. To have someone by my side like this all these years—it was enough. “Alright, Brooklyn, let’s not talk about unhappy things.” “I have good news to tell you.” Brooklyn blinked. “What good news?” I smiled and pulled her hand to rest on my lower abdomen. “You’re going to be a godmother.” Brooklyn’s eyes went wide. “You’re actually keeping Liam’s spawn? Tara, are you crazy? He cheated on you!” I knew she’d react this way. “It’s not his.” “What?” Brooklyn’s voice shot up. People around us turned to look. I quickly pulled her closer. “Keep your voice down.” Brooklyn looked shell-shocked from one revelation after another. “You better come clean.” I nodded. “Remember that genius from high school, Julian Scott?” “Of course I remember. We share a last name but not brain cells.” I smiled slightly, about to say “It’s his” when a deep voice suddenly came from nearby: “Tara, what are you doing here?” I turned my head to see Liam walking out of a private room with a young, pretty girl on his arm. “You bastard! I was just looking for you!” Seeing him, Brooklyn grabbed the ketchup from the table and strode forward, slapping it hard against his shirt. “Do you have any conscience at all? How dare you cheat!” “How can you face Tara? How can you face all those years she spent suffering with you?” “I’ll kill you today!”

The girl beside Liam immediately stepped in front of him. “Who the hell do you think you are to hit my man?” “Your man?” Brooklyn laughed bitterly. “Bitch, get it straight—he’s a married man. What you’re doing is called homewrecking. You’re the mistress. Do you have no shame?” Chloe snorted coldly. “In love, the one who isn’t loved is the real mistress. Liam and I have mutual feelings. If anyone’s the mistress, it’s that old hag.” She looked at me, eyes full of triumph. Brooklyn suddenly grabbed her hair. “If your mother didn’t teach you how to be a decent human being, I’ll teach you today.” “Ah!” Chloe was yanked to the ground, and before she could react, her clothes were being ripped open. She desperately covered her chest, crying as she looked at Liam. “Liam, make this crazy woman stop!” Liam snapped out of it and pulled Brooklyn away forcefully. “Brooklyn, you can’t even control your own husband—what right do you have to control others?” Hearing his words, Brooklyn’s face turned deathly pale. My expression turned cold. I stood up and slapped him hard across the face. “Liam! What gives you the right to say that to her!” Liam took the slap head-on. He looked at me, face dark, but said nothing. But the woman in his arms couldn’t keep quiet. Eyes red, she shouted at me: “You old hag, what gives you the right to hit him! I can’t even bear to touch a hair on his head, and you dare slap him—Ah!” A sharp crack rang out. I cut off her words. Chloe covered her face, disbelief written all over it. “You dare hit me?” I sneered. “You dare to be a homewrecker, so why wouldn’t I dare hit you?” “Only someone like you would pick up someone else’s trash like it’s treasure and then flaunt it in front of me.” Chloe trembled with rage. “You think you’re so noble? You were raped before and got pregnant! It was Liam who scraped together money to take you for an abortion and stayed with you in the hospital for over a month before you dared to—Ah!” “What gives you the right to say that about me!” My eyes turned red as I grabbed her hair. Chloe’s face contorted with pain. “Am I wrong?” I raised my hand to slap her again, but Liam grabbed my wrist and flung it away. “Enough! Tara, there’s a limit to throwing tantrums!” “I’m throwing a tantrum?” My eyes were red. “Liam, get it straight! She’s the one who started cursing—” “Isn’t she right?” Liam coldly interrupted. My entire body went ice cold. I couldn’t believe it. “What did you say?” Liam repeated in a cold voice, “I said, isn’t she right? Weren’t you raped? Didn’t you have an abortion? So, is she wrong?” Hearing his heart-gouging words one by one, I could barely stand. Chloe leaned against him, face full of smugness. I suddenly laughed—a laugh with bloodshot eyes—staring at him hard. “Liam, you’re truly disgusting.” With that, I turned to leave. Chloe’s eyes flickered, and just as I turned around, she deliberately pushed me. Off-balance, my stomach slammed hard into the table. “Ah!” “Tara!” Brooklyn’s face changed. She rushed forward immediately. I clutched my stomach desperately, feeling a warm flow slide down between my legs. My face instantly turned deathly pale. Liam came to his senses and was about to step forward when Chloe suddenly cried out too.

“Ah! Liam, I’m so dizzy! Did I lose too much blood?” With that, she closed her eyes and fainted directly into Liam’s arms. Liam glanced at me, then at the person in his arms. In the end, he picked up Chloe and rushed out. “Fuck you, Liam!” Brooklyn’s hands trembled as she dialed emergency services. By the time they got me into the ambulance, my consciousness was fading. I passed out. … When I woke up, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. Instinctively, I touched my lower abdomen. A nurse’s voice sounded by my ear: “Don’t worry, the baby’s fine. Very strong.” I let out a breath of relief and said hoarsely, “Thank you.” Suddenly remembering something, I asked the young nurse, “Is Dr. Scott in the hospital?” “Dr. Scott?” The nurse smiled. “Julian Scott?” I nodded. “He took time off. I heard his girlfriend got pregnant, so he went back to prepare the bride price.” She sighed. “We didn’t even know he had a girlfriend all these years. A few days ago we suddenly heard his girlfriend was pregnant and he was going back to prepare the bride price. Broke quite a few hearts among the young nurses here.” I smiled and touched my abdomen. “After you’re discharged, remember to rest well and take care of the pregnancy. Don’t have any more accidents.” After giving her instructions, the young nurse turned and left. I threw off the covers and got out of bed to handle the discharge. Remembering I hadn’t seen Coco in days, I decided to pick her up. The divorce proceedings were almost complete anyway. But when I got to the pet boarding place, I was told someone had already picked her up. “Half an hour ago, your husband came to pick her up. You both brought the dog here for a bath before, so when he came, I handed her over to him.” I thanked them and turned to leave, face somewhat grim. But in the end, I still opened my chat with him. [Is Coco with you? I’ll come get her.] He replied instantly: [Come over. I’m at our house.] Coco’s bed, food, and toys were all at the house. I could bring everything back at once. I hailed a cab and went straight there. The villa door stood wide open. But the moment I stepped inside, I froze completely. Coco’s dog bed was a complete mess. Several pieces of blood-soaked fur and broken bones were carelessly scattered on the ground. The spilled blood had half-congealed, showing a glaring red color in the morning light. I stood frozen in place, only the thick smell of blood continuously invading my nostrils. Suddenly, a piece of brown dog skin, like a torn rag, was thrown out. A coquettish voice rang out: “Stupid dog. Finally dead.” Chloe walked out, her hands stained with blood, waving them in front of my eyes. My eyes instantly filled with blood. “You killed Coco?” Chloe said carelessly: “Who told her to bite me? Besides, Liam allowed it. He knew I was studying veterinary medicine and wasn’t good at dissection practice, so he let me practice on her.” I grabbed a wooden stick from the ground, eyes bloodshot, and swung it at her. “Chloe! I’ll kill you!” Before the stick could hit her, a large hand grabbed it. “Tara, haven’t you caused enough trouble?” Liam’s voice was ice cold. Seeing him, my hand holding the stick trembled. “Liam, you actually let her kill Coco? Are you even human? Do you have a heart? How can you face her?”

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Late at night, I received a notification from my smart home app. It showed that the electronic lock at my house had been unlocked by fingerprint. I thought my husband Damian Reed had ended his business trip early to surprise me. Filled with joy, I opened the surveillance playback to check, only to see him passionately kissing the young housekeeper we’d just hired. The housekeeper cooed coyly, “Mr. Reed, be gentle.” My heart sank like a stone. The next second, I received a message from Damian: “Honey, my flight got delayed. I’ll have to spend the night at the airport.” I couldn’t take it anymore. That very night, I downloaded all the cloud recordings from the door lock over the past two years. Only then did I discover that during the two years, they’d had sex over a hundred and fifty times while I was away from home. My heart turned completely cold. I packaged all the indecent videos and sent them to all the group chats at his company. Damian, since you can’t control yourself, then prepare to be completely disgraced.

I’d just sent the videos to Damian’s company chat groups. In less than a minute, I was forcibly kicked out of the groups. Damian’s call came through immediately. He roared into the phone, “What the hell is wrong with you?” “How dare you slander me with fabricated videos?” “Get your ass to my office right now and explain yourself!” I clutched the breast cancer diagnosis report in my hand, the edges of the paper almost cutting into my flesh. I hailed a cab straight to Damian’s headquarters at Reed Corporation. As soon as I reached the first-floor lobby, I saw Damian wearing a custom-tailored suit, looking radiant. Standing beside him was that young housekeeper, Jessica Shaw. Jessica was now dressed in designer clothes, carrying a limited-edition handbag. She looked nothing like a housekeeper. The receptionists and security guards were fawning over them obsequiously. The receptionist said, “Mr. Reed and Ms. Shaw are a match made in heaven.” “Ms. Shaw, you look so elegant today.” I walked up and used all my strength to slap Damian across the face. The crisp sound made the entire lobby fall silent in an instant. “Damian, you bastard.” Jessica immediately let out a shriek. She hid behind Damian like a frightened rabbit. “Mr. Reed, who is this crazy woman?” Damian covered his rapidly swelling face, his eyes vicious enough to devour someone. He shoved me away forcefully. My back slammed heavily into the cold glass door, the pain making my vision go black. Damian pointed at my nose and cursed. “Security, throw this lunatic out.” I steadied myself against the door and shouted back, “I’m your wife.” “I sent videos of you messing around at home with this housekeeper to the group chats. Are you going to deny what you did?” All eyes in the lobby hit me like spotlights. Jessica covered her mouth, her eyes showing undisguised mockery. “Are you out of your mind? I’m the Vice President of Reed Corporation. Mr. Reed has always been single—everyone in the company knows that.” I stared at Damian in shock, my heart feeling like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. “You’ve been pretending to be single at the company? Have you forgotten how you knelt before my father begging for funding?” Damian’s eyes darted away, then were replaced by even greater fury. “Shut up. You’re money-crazy. I don’t even know you.” He turned to the security guards and roared. “Are you all dead? Throw her out!” Several security guards rushed forward. They twisted my arms like I was a criminal being apprehended. I struggled desperately. “Damian, you’ll die a terrible death. You used my father’s money to start your business, and now you want to kick me aside?” Jessica walked up in her high heels and slapped me across the face. “Shut your filthy mouth. Mr. Reed built his business from nothing—what does it have to do with you?” “If you keep slandering him, I’ll have you thrown in jail.” She lifted her foot and kicked me hard in the abdomen with her heel. I curled up on the ground in pain, cold sweat instantly soaking through my back. The dull ache from my breast cancer combined with the sharp pain from this kick nearly made me pass out. The security guards dragged me across the smooth marble floor like a dead dog. They threw me at the bottom of the steps outside the company entrance. My knees scraped across the rough ground, blood seeping out bright red. Damian walked out and looked down at me from above, his eyes full of disgust. “If you dare make trouble again, I’ll break your legs.” I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up off the ground. “Damian, we’re not divorced yet. You’re transferring marital assets and keeping a mistress. I’m going to sue you in court.” Damian let out a scoffing laugh. “Go ahead and sue. Let’s see who’ll believe a mental patient.” He turned around and put his arm around Jessica’s waist. The two of them swaggered into the private elevator as if what just happened was an insignificant farce. I pulled out my phone to call the police. But I discovered the screen had been smashed by the security guards at some point. It was completely black and wouldn’t turn on at all. I could only drag my injured leg and walk out step by painful step.

I limped toward the roadside. I wanted to hail a taxi. A black SUV suddenly screeched to a halt in front of me. The window rolled down, and Jessica sat in the passenger seat. She took off her sunglasses, her face full of mockery. “What’s wrong? Can’t get a cab?” Damian sat in the driver’s seat, his gaze cold, as if looking at a stranger. Jessica pulled out a stack of bills and threw them out the window, hitting me in the face. “Take this and buy yourself some medicine.” “Stop fantasizing that you’re the CEO’s wife.” “Looking like a poor wretch, you’re not even worthy of carrying my shoes.” I said nothing and stomped hard on the bills on the ground. “Jessica, you’re getting a superiority complex from being a mistress?” “When you were a housekeeper at my house, you were on your knees washing my feet.” Jessica’s face instantly turned ugly. She immediately turned to Damian, her voice taking on a whining tone. “Damian, look at her talking nonsense again.” “When did I ever work as her housekeeper?” Damian glared at me viciously. “Try insulting Jessica one more time.” “Jessica graduated from a prestigious university overseas.” “She agreed to do part-time housework at my place to experience life.” “Stop flattering yourself.” I was so angry at his shamelessness that I laughed. “Experience life? Experiencing her way into the master’s bed?” “A hundred and fifty videos—do you want to watch them again carefully?” Damian pushed open the car door and strode toward me. He grabbed my hair and forced me to look up. “You dare bring up those fabricated videos again?” “I’ve already reported you to the police for blackmail and extortion.” “Wait for the court summons.” A tearing pain shot through my scalp. “Damian, you’re truly shameless.” “Those videos are from the cloud monitoring built into your door lock.” “The police will know if they’re real or fake with one check.” Damian suddenly lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the two of us could hear. “You think the police can find anything?” “I deleted all the cloud data long ago.” “The backups on your phone have already been hacked by someone I hired.” “What proof do you have now?” A chill rose from my spine and instantly spread to all my limbs. No wonder he was so fearless. He’d already destroyed all the evidence. Jessica got out of the car and affectionately took Damian’s arm. “Damian, don’t waste words on this crazy woman.” “We still need to go look at wedding houses.” “Wedding house?” Those two words pierced my ears like needles. “Damian, we’re not divorced yet.” Damian disgustedly released my hair. “We will be soon.” “I’ve already submitted proof to the court that you have schizophrenia.” “Your assets will be managed entirely by me.” “You’ll spend the rest of your life in a mental institution.” He pulled out several photos from his pocket and threw them at me. The photos clearly showed my “medical records” from a psychiatric department. “When did you forge these?” I desperately tore up those false documents. “I have breast cancer, not a mental illness!” Jessica giggled delicately. “Mental patients never admit they’re sick.” “See, you can’t even remember what illness you have.” “How pitiful.” She turned and pulled Damian toward the car. “Damian, let’s go. The baby just kicked me.” I stared at her flat stomach. “You’re pregnant?” Damian’s face showed vindictive satisfaction. “That’s right, Jessica is carrying my son.” “You barren hen should have gotten lost long ago.” The car roared away, splashing mud all over me. I stood there, chilled to the bone. I’d managed the household for him for eight years. I developed breast cancer from years of exhaustion. Not only did he cheat, but he also wanted to seize my assets. He even wanted to silence me permanently by locking me in a mental institution. I absolutely couldn’t let him succeed. I had to seek help from my father’s old friends.

I dragged my injured body to a pay phone booth. I dialed Mr. Harrison’s number. Mr. Harrison was my father’s former business partner. The startup capital for Damian years ago was pooled together by Mr. Harrison and my father. The phone connected, and I cried out. “Mr. Harrison, it’s Claire.” There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. “Claire, what do you need from me?” I told him everything about Damian’s affair and transferring assets. “Mr. Harrison, can you help me?” Mr. Harrison let out a long sigh. “Claire, it’s not that I won’t help you.” “Damian is now the chairman of Reed Corporation.” “My company depends on him for orders.” “Your marital affairs—I’m an outsider, it’s not appropriate for me to interfere.” My heart sank to the bottom. “Mr. Harrison, if it weren’t for my father back then, he wouldn’t be where he is today.” “You can’t just watch me die.” A shrill female voice came from the other end. “Harrison, don’t meddle in other people’s business. Be careful or Mr. Reed will cut off our supply.” Mr. Harrison immediately said, “Claire, I have a meeting. I’ve got to go.” The phone was hastily hung up. I leaned against the cold glass of the phone booth in despair. Damian now had absolute power. Everyone chose to stand on his side. What could I do? Just then, several thugs with bleached hair surrounded me. The lead thug had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, reeking of cheap tobacco. He looked me up and down. “You’re Claire?” I backed away warily. “What do you want?” The thug sneered coldly and spat out his cigarette. “Someone paid for one of your legs.” “Do it.” Several thugs rushed at me. They pinned me to the ground, fists and feet raining down on me like hail. I protected my head and screamed for help. “Help! They’re attacking me!” Passersby all avoided the scene. No one dared come forward. A thug pulled out a gleaming steel pipe and aimed it at my right leg. “Bitch, you should’ve watched yourself.” I closed my eyes, waiting in despair for the excruciating pain to come. Suddenly, the piercing wail of a police siren grew from distant to near. A patrol car stopped at the roadside. The thugs saw this, cursed, dropped the pipe, and ran. The police came over and helped me up. “Ma’am, are you alright?” I was covered in blood and shook my head weakly. “I need to report a crime. Someone hired people to hurt me.” The police took me back to the station. I gave my statement, identifying Damian and Jessica as the instigators. The police checked the surveillance footage and quickly caught the lead thug. But in the interrogation room, the thug insisted stubbornly. “I don’t know any Damian.” “This woman owes us loan shark money.” “We were just collecting the debt.” The police told me, “Ms. Williams, there’s no evidence proving Damian was behind this.” “He’s just a debt collector. We can only detain him for a few days.” I sat in the chair in despair. Damian had covered his tracks completely. He’d already arranged a scapegoat. I left the police station covered in injuries. My stomach suddenly cramped sharply. The dull pain from my breast cancer also began to flare up. I had to go to the hospital to get medication. I took a cab to City Central Hospital. Just as I reached the obstetrics department entrance, I heard a commotion. Damian was carefully supporting Jessica as she came out of the examination room. Jessica held an ultrasound report in her hand, her face full of coy shyness. “Damian, the doctor said it’s a boy.”

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After my husband Derek Kingsley had sex with his secretary Vivian Clarke 100 times, he forced me to sign the divorce papers. He even personally pulled the plug on our son’s ventilator. But I wasn’t one to back down—I leaked company secrets, drove him to bankruptcy, and took a knife to his chest. That blade was blocked by Vivian Clarke. I was taken away by the police. A year later, he had already made a comeback and had a child with Vivian. When we met again, I was cleaning the house. Derek mocked me: “What gives you the right to be here? Does the Harrison family know you’ve been to prison? Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be fit to lick their shoes!” I laughed coldly. Me, unworthy? I’ve never been to prison. Besides, today wasn’t just the day my husband Brandon Harrison became CEO of Harrison Group—it was also our son’s first birthday party. I had every right to be here. Seeing my silence, Derek became even more animated. He blocked my path: “Serena, I really didn’t expect you to still have such smooth skin after a year in prison. You must have bribed those guards quite a bit, huh?” “What can a woman use to bribe them? Her body, perhaps?” He deliberately drew out his words, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. The implication was crystal clear. After all these years, his mouth was still as vile as ever. I casually picked up a fruit knife from the table beside me. Vivian immediately went on alert. She spread her arms wide, shielding Derek completely. Just like that year. “Serena, I know my presence made you resentful back then. If you have a problem, come at me! Derek has nothing to do with this!” I toyed with the knife in my hand, then slowly picked up a pear from the side and began peeling it, one cut at a time. Back then, Derek and I had been together for four years before we got married. My family and I spent money and effort supporting him, helping his career climb steadily upward. But on our fourth wedding anniversary, a female secretary joined the company—Vivian Clarke. From that moment on, he came home later and later. Midnight became 3 a.m., and eventually he stopped coming home at all. My son and I huddled together at home, until one day my son was diagnosed with leukemia. During his chemotherapy at the hospital, Derek never once came to visit. The only time he showed up was when I went abroad on business—he took that opportunity to pull the plug on our son’s ventilator. I rushed back from overseas, but I didn’t even get to see his whole body. All that was left for me was a handful of ashes that would scatter with the slightest breeze. And Derek, the “model husband” in everyone’s eyes, was having an affair with his secretary in a hotel room on the day of our son’s funeral. At this thought, I imagined the pear in my hand was Derek and stabbed the knife in viciously. If today weren’t such a special day, I would have driven this knife straight into this scumbag’s chest without hesitation or mercy. Derek watched my angry but restrained expression and laughed again. In his eyes, I was just a servant in the Harrison household. Even if I wanted to hurt him, I wouldn’t dare. I was about to leave, planning to settle accounts with this pair of cheaters after the party ended smoothly. But then a little boy grabbed something and threw it at me.

“You bad woman, what are you trying to do to my mom and dad!” The sharp object grazed my neck. I felt something cold, and when I raised my hand to touch it, there was blood! Derek and Vivian’s child stood in front of me with his hands on his hips, looking exactly like a carbon copy of his father with that arrogant expression. As the object clattered to the ground, I finally saw what it was—a small pair of scissors. Though they weren’t large and the child didn’t have much strength, they had definitely cut my neck. I walked over, picked up the scissors, and threw them back without hesitation. But Derek was quick—he stepped forward and blocked the child. Unfortunately, the scissors didn’t touch his skin. Neither of them was hurt. “Serena! Have you lost your mind? What are you doing to a child!” Vivian let out a piercing shriek, screaming as she threw herself into Derek’s arms. “Derek, are you okay?” After checking Derek from head to toe, she went to examine her child. After confirming they were both fine, she ran up to me and slapped me across the face. I didn’t react in time and actually let her land the hit. But I wasn’t someone to be pushed around—I immediately slapped her back. Derek seemed shocked that I, now just a servant, would dare to be so bold. He swung his hand and shoved me to the ground. “You crazy woman, what the hell do you want? I get it now—you knew I’d be at the Harrison party today, didn’t you? You were waiting here on purpose to hurt my child and my wife!” Vivian’s scream had already drawn a lot of attention. Now, with this commotion, a crowd gathered around us, whispering. “Isn’t that Mr. Kingsley? Why is he getting physical with a servant?” “I saw it clearly just now—this woman tried to hurt Mr. Kingsley’s child!” “That’s right. Someone else’s wife got angry and tried to discipline her, and she dared to hit back!” “So shameless. Does she think working as a servant for the Harrisons makes her one of them? She’s not even worthy of carrying Mr. Harrison’s shoes!” I had been pushed to the ground by Derek and listened silently to everyone’s commentary. I thought of my child who had already passed away. My heart felt both tragic and absurd. I had merely disciplined Vivian’s child, and Derek flew into a rage and attacked me. But my child, when he was dying in that hospital bed, called out “Daddy” over and over again. And Derek remained completely unmoved. I clenched my teeth and my fists. A few seconds later, I released them. Forget it. Patience for a moment brings calm. I had secretly bought the Harrison family’s lost Ocean Heart gemstone at auction at a high price, hiding it from everyone. I did this to surprise Brandon today, and I didn’t want some dirty things to ruin it. I slowly got up. Brandon had an art class today and should be picking him up right now—he’d be back any minute. I wanted to hide and surprise him and our child. However, the onlookers’ words grew increasingly vicious. Some called me shameless, some called me a whore, and one person even called me a mistress. I couldn’t understand where these blind people got the idea I was a mistress. Did they think that when a man appeared with two women at the same time, one of them must be a mistress? I glared viciously at the man who called me a mistress. The man saw my fierce expression and immediately fell silent. But Derek clearly had no intention of letting me go. Seeing my defiant attitude, he sneered again.

“He’s not wrong to call you a mistress.” Derek walked up to me, leaned down slightly, and said in a voice only we could hear: “After all, the one who isn’t loved is the real mistress.” Then he turned around, took Vivian’s hand, and raised it high. “This is my wife, Vivian Kingsley. I will never betray her in this lifetime.” The crowd erupted in cheers, all praising Derek as a responsible, good man. I found this scene utterly ridiculous. When we graduated from college, Derek had said the same thing to me. He said: Serena, you’re the only one I’ll ever marry. Besides you, I’ll never love another woman. In the years from our courtship to our marriage, I had believed those words completely, because he truly did respond to everything. He cared for me and our child immensely. But Vivian’s appearance shattered it all. But if he could fall in love with Vivian during our marriage, how could he guarantee he wouldn’t fall for someone else during Vivian’s marriage? A look of pity flashed across my face. Derek froze slightly, thinking his words had hurt me. He whispered in my ear again: “I know you must be struggling since you got out of prison. How about this—I’ll give you a place to stay. Every weekend, I’ll come visit you. If you behave well, I might even stay a few extra days.” “Get lost!” I didn’t want any further entanglement with Derek. Brandon would be back any minute. I just wanted to surprise my husband. But after I’d only taken a few steps, as I passed Vivian, she suddenly stuck out her leg and tripped me. “Thud!” I fell hard, and the box in my pocket fell out. I tried to get up, but the pain in my knee was impossible to ignore. In a daze, I heard the people around me whispering again. “That box looks so exquisite. How would a servant have something like that? She must have stolen it from the Harrisons, right?” Derek looked at the box thoughtfully. Clearly, he also believed what those people were saying—that I might have stolen the box from somewhere. The next second, he walked over, picked it up, and opened the beautiful box in front of everyone. Inside lay the Ocean Heart. “Isn’t that the Ocean Heart, the Harrison family heirloom that’s been passed down for hundreds of years?” Vivian screamed when she saw it. The fact that the Ocean Heart was a Harrison family heirloom wasn’t a secret in New York. Many people also knew that over a hundred years ago, this treasure had been stolen from the Harrison family. I had searched for a long time to find out where the Ocean Heart was. All so I could surprise Brandon today. But now the treasure I’d bought at such a high price was in someone else’s hands. I forced myself to stand despite the intense pain, trying to take back what was mine. But Derek gripped the Ocean Heart tightly, his face full of disbelief. The people around also recognized the item, their eyes filled with suspicion. Vivian immediately jumped out to mock me: “So you showed up at the Harrison house for this Ocean Heart?” “It’s not enough that you like stealing other people’s men—apparently you also like stealing their family heirlooms!” I ignored the pain and lunged forward to grab it, but Derek caught my arm and held me in place. “This isn’t the Ocean Heart. It’s obviously fake. She’s just trying to use this thing to scam money from the Harrisons.”

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I was found three years after I disappeared. I was only nineteen, but I’d gone blind and was pregnant. My parents held me, sobbing. “My dear daughter, you’ve suffered so much…” But I asked softly, “Where’s Ruth?” Vivian quickly explained. “She didn’t mean to lose you that year. I already punished her—no snacks for a month.” “Don’t blame her, okay?” But I remember when I was little. I just tripped once, and Mom grabbed a knife and stormed over to the neighbor’s kid’s house to raise hell. Even when people spat at her and called her a shrew. When I had a high fever that wouldn’t break, Dad desperately went to church to pray. He prayed for ten days straight. They protected me fiercely, standing firm behind me, time after time. And then Ruth appeared. They sent me to the countryside. I could only see them once a year… The wind carried my parents’ anguished screams. I stood on the hospital rooftop. Smiling, I said, “I’m going to become a little star and fly up to the sky.” That way I won’t be abandoned again, right?

When someone grabbed me, I thought it was the bastard who tortured me every night. I screamed in terror: “I’m being good! I’m not crying!” The person quickly let go, his voice trembling with remorse. “Daughter, we’ve been searching for you for three years. We finally found you!” “Don’t you recognize me? I’m your dad!” Dad? Those two words pierced my mind like a thorn, like thunder. Countless images flashed through my mind. The clearest one was of me being taken by a man and woman from a broken wooden shack to a beautiful big house. They said that would be my home from now on. A girl who looked like an angel came out of the house. She called out sweetly, “Daddy! Mommy! You’re back?” When the girl saw me, she gave me a candy. “Fran, we meet again. Don’t be scared. My parents are your parents now.” I remembered! Even though my body hurt badly—the bastard had hit me with a hammer so many times. But I still couldn’t help feeling excited: “Is Dad here to take me home?” In the darkness. I reached out my hand hopefully, wanting to be held by Dad like Ruth was. But I grasped at empty air. “Your eyes…” Dad’s voice cut off abruptly. I panicked a little: “I’ve gone blind. Will Dad hate me now?” “How could I? Dad loves Fran the most.” He sounded like he was crying. When he picked me up, he barely dared to use any strength. But he was lying! I clearly saw in those flashes of memory that he was only good to that angel girl. Dad held her and spun her around, making her giggle with delight. “Fran, your mom and I have been working hard in the city these years. We had no choice but to send you back to our hometown. Only Ruth stayed by our side.” “Even though she’s just my coworker’s daughter, her parents died in an accident. She’s very pitiful. You need to treat her like a real sister and not bully her, understand?” I nodded obediently. Secretly, I wrote in my diary: [As long as I can stay with Mom and Dad, those people won’t be able to call me a bastard with no parents anymore.] Strange… I didn’t cry when the bastard beat and kicked me. But when I saw that thick diary. My muddled brain felt like it had been shot through with an arrow and exploded! My ears filled with chaotic noise. “Fran! Why are you always jealous of Ruth? She’s smarter and more likable than you—isn’t that how it should be?” “Fran, can’t you learn from Ruth? Is it so hard to smile at your parents and act cute? We raised you for nothing!” Dad gently touched my forehead, asking what was wrong. I came back to my senses in a panic. I asked uncertainly: “…Do I still have a home?” The last page of the diary read: Dad and Mom are Ruth’s dad and mom. That beautiful big house is also Ruth’s home. None of it is mine. My whole body curled up. My damaged eyes and torn lower body throbbed with unbearable pain. Covering my face, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I broke down crying. “Bad people hurt me. I hurt everywhere!” “I waited so long. No one came to save me.” “You think I’m stupid. You don’t want me anymore!”

Dad carried me away from the place where I’d lived for three years. The rotten, foul smell disappeared. But I felt very uncomfortable. I didn’t dare breathe deeply. My face turned red from holding my breath. Dad painfully stroked the area around my eyes. “Your mom and I didn’t abandon you. Bad people locked you up, and we couldn’t find you.” “Don’t worry, Fran. The bastard who trafficked and abused you has been caught by the police. He’ll get what he deserves.” His voice shook as he promised he would cure me. I stared blankly at the pitch-black air. I wanted to tell him I was used to it now. “I’m not scared of the dark anymore.” I comforted Dad, gently probing: “Mom won’t want to send me away again, will she?” The air froze. Dad didn’t respond to my words. Just then, a call came rushing over. “Fran!” A familiar fragrance hit my nose. I greedily took a few more breaths. The woman’s hand touching my face trembled with excitement, her voice thick with tears. “My sweet daughter, I missed you so much.” “Making you suffer so much out there—Mom is so sorry…” I wanted to speak. But suddenly I dry-heaved, scaring them. “Is Fran blaming me?” Vivian’s voice became anxious. The doctor happened to come over with the examination report. His tone was complicated: “The patient was imprisoned and beaten for a long time. She’ll have post-traumatic stress reactions. Try not to upset her.” “As for her physical condition—multiple fractures, internal bleeding, detached retinas in both eyes. We need to schedule surgery soon to restore her sight.” “…Also, she’s pregnant. Four months along.” The hospital room fell silent as death. “Bang!” Something crashed to the floor. Dad roared like a lion. “I’m going to kill that animal!” Vivian sobbed uncontrollably too. She kept apologizing to me. “You were only sixteen before you went missing. What did you go through these three years…” I touched my slightly protruding belly. So I was pregnant. There was a child here whose father I didn’t even know. Even more unlucky than me. While waiting for surgery, my parents stayed by my side the whole time. They tactfully didn’t mention Ruth. I greedily enjoyed this special care, but couldn’t help comparing. “Why didn’t Ruth come?” The hospital room fell silent for a few seconds. Dad asked, “Fran, do you hate Ruth?” Mom hesitated for a moment, then held my hand earnestly. “After you disappeared, Ruth blamed herself terribly. She fell into a slump for a long time. Fortunately, she came to her senses in time, got into the best university in the province, and even got a police officer boyfriend who could help look for information about you.” “So Fran, Ruth didn’t mean to lose you three years ago.” “I already punished her at the time—no snacks for a month. She had to reflect properly.” My whole body trembled. I clutched the blanket tightly. I heard her say quietly: “I read that diary of yours. Every page blamed your dad and me for favoring Ruth.” “That’s all our fault. But don’t resent Ruth, okay? She’s innocent.” Dad also came over to pat my head. “You were silly enough to follow bad people. In the end, you bear more responsibility for this than Ruth does.” He sighed. “Never mind, let’s not talk about it. It’s good that Fran is safely home.” My hands hidden in the bedding clenched into fists. I wanted to tell them. That day at the alley entrance, it was Ruth who stuffed Mom’s bank card into the bad person’s hand. She also said: “Fran, Daddy and Mommy will only ever belong to me!” But my heart felt like it was being torn apart. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. I didn’t understand why it hurt so much. Amidst the ringing in my ears, I could no longer hear what they said after that… The surgery was scheduled quickly. Before entering the operating room, my parents encouraged me. “Fran, you’re stronger than most people. You’ll definitely get better.” Yes, I’m very strong. When so many people rode on top of me, I didn’t die. The smell of disinfectant was strong. The anesthesia took effect. In my daze, I thought about many things.

When I was little, I had a high fever. Everyone said my brain got fried and I became stupid. That’s why my parents sent me to the countryside. But I know I’m not stupid at all! I have a really, really good memory! Later, when I was brought back from the countryside to the city, I tried hard to make my parents not send me away again. I studied hard, sleeping only four hours a day. I finally ranked first in my grade. Excitedly, I brought my report card home. My parents were indeed happy. They even made a huge table full of dishes. But the whole time, no one noticed. I didn’t eat a single bite. Because every dish had chili peppers—Ruth’s favorite. And I would break out in red rashes if I ate them. I watched Mom smile and kiss Ruth’s forehead, praising her delicate skin. Like a peeled egg. I secretly touched my own face. Bumpy and uneven, covered in acne. So I desperately applied things to my face. Sometimes my cheeks would ulcerate, itching unbearably. After struggling for a while, I finally got a bit prettier. Boys even started pursuing me. But Mom still never noticed the change. Until one day I was cornered in an alley by some thugs and came home crying with my clothes disheveled. Before I could say anything, Mom scolded me harshly: “Fran! Didn’t your teacher teach you about decency and shame?” She looked at me with exhausted eyes. “This is the city, not some rural village.” “At such a young age, if you don’t respect yourself, are you trying to corrupt Ruth?” But Mom. I just wanted you to kiss my forehead too. Like when I was little. Back then, even if I just had a nightmare, it would scare Mom so much she couldn’t sleep all night. Dad would stay by my side too, telling me stories all night long. I racked my brain but couldn’t figure out why things had changed. Maybe I really am that stupid, unlikable. After accepting this fact, I got sick. Every night I wanted to kill myself. My hair fell out in clumps. The smell of meat made me want to vomit. The high school entrance exam scores came out. My first-in-grade performance had plummeted to barely qualifying for vocational school. My parents looked at me with both helplessness and complexity. They comforted me: “You were never that smart anyway. We don’t expect you to do well in school.” Then they turned around and treated Ruth even better. At every meal, Ruth would complain: “Dad and Mom favor Fran! They only put food on my plate. They want to fatten me up like a pig!” When I went to vocational school, people gossiped behind my back. So my parents paid to get Ruth into the city’s best high school and hired a premium tutor for her at thirty thousand a month. “The Faulkner family’s daughter is no worse than anyone else. Our family will definitely produce a college graduate!” On my birthday. They said they had to work overtime and couldn’t send me a gift. But on Ruth’s birthday, they flew back overnight from thousands of miles away just to give her an expensive, beautiful princess dress. “Happy fourteenth birthday to our princess Ruth! Baby wants to go to the beach for vacation, right? We’ll take you during winter break in a few days.” The moment she blew out the birthday candles, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. I rushed back to my bedroom in a panic. The door blocked sound, but it couldn’t block out the happy laughter of Dad, Mom, and Ruth outside. Curled up under the blanket, I dug my nails into the mottled scars on my wrist. The old ones hadn’t healed yet, and new ones were bleeding. Just like my illness, it would never get better. … I came back to consciousness from the suffocating feeling of drowning. The surgery was over. I don’t know how much time had passed. Suddenly a crisp female voice rang out: “Dad, Mom, I heard you found Fran! I rushed back overnight to see her!” “Is Fran okay?” That voice came to my ear, full of self-reproach. “I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. Fran, wake up quickly. Hit me, yell at me—I’ll accept it!” All the blood in my body flowed backward.

Finally, the day came to remove the bandages. After a slight sting, my eyelids slowly lifted. The long-lost light made me uncomfortable, so I quickly blocked it with my hand. Seeing my reaction, my parents breathed a sigh of relief. “You can see now, right! That’s wonderful.” The first thing I saw. Was Ruth. She stood behind my parents, smiling at me from across the room, revealing two cute dimples. Like an angel. But my heart filled with panic. Three years had passed. She’d grown much taller. Her hair had a slight curl. She’d become even more beautiful, radiating the vitality of a teenage girl. Confident and bold. Making me feel like a rat in the gutter, utterly ashamed. I quickly lowered my head. But she wouldn’t let it go. She forcibly lifted my chin to examine me carefully. “Fran used to care so much about her appearance. Too bad her face has scars now.” “Mom, one of my classmates’ families runs a beauty salon. Why don’t we let Fran try it?” Mom stepped forward and slapped away her hand holding my chin. She chided, “Watch your manners! Is that how you talk to your sister? Do you think you’re at home?” Realizing she’d said the wrong thing, Mom looked at me nervously. She changed the subject. “Now that your eyes are better, should we consider the matter of the child?” All eyes focused on my belly. Dad spoke first: “This bastard child must be aborted!” He patted my shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t be afraid. You’re my daughter. Even if you were violated, it’s okay. Your mom and I will take care of you for life.” Mom chimed in agreement. She looked proudly at Ruth: “Ruth is so outstanding. She’ll definitely be successful in the future. By then there’ll be no shortage of excellent men around her. She can just pick one for you.” The smile on Ruth’s face grew bigger and bigger. She affectionately rested her head on Mom’s shoulder. “Mom, you only care about Fran. You’ve even figured out her whole life. Am I still your daughter or not?” “Yes, yes, yes. You’re the one who knows how to act cute…” I quietly watched them laugh together. For some reason, my throat filled with the taste of blood. The day of the abortion. My parents had to go out for something. Only Ruth stayed by my side. She gently stroked my swollen belly and suddenly asked. “Fran, why did you come back?” There were only the two of us in the hospital room. Her beautiful face twisted. She looked down at me from above. “Do you know? Dad and Mom are really wonderful. They treat me even better than my real parents did.” “So when my parents died in that car accident, I wasn’t sad at all.” “That year I was five. My only birthday wish was to be a family with Dad and Mom forever.” “But then you appeared. You stole the love that should have belonged only to me!” Ruth’s eyes turned red as she glared at me with hatred. “Ever since you were brought back, everything had to be bought in pairs. You even had to sleep in my room. That was clearly my home!” I was like a child being scolded, not daring to make a sound. Thinking, so this was why Ruth gave me to those bad people. I was the extra one in this family. Dad and Mom must think so too. They just pitied me for being stupid and didn’t want to hurt me. But I’m really not stupid! The hospital room door was pushed open. Ruth immediately put on a smile. “Fran, once you’ve recovered, I’ll take you out to play again.” Was she going to give me to bad people again? My whole body trembled, my heart panicking. As the doctor wheeled me away for the abortion, touching my round belly, all I could think about was how to escape. No one in the family welcomed me. So I’d just leave on my own. I didn’t want to be hit with a hammer by that bastard again! Before the surgery started, I made an excuse to use the bathroom and secretly slipped away. I walked for a long time and found myself on the hospital rooftop. The sunlight was harsh, hurting my eyes. But I couldn’t walk anymore, so I just sat there in the sun. Suddenly, shouts came from below: “Look! Someone’s going to jump!” I was surprised to see the crowd gathering below growing larger and larger. Alarm sounds echoed throughout the hospital. Ruth came too. And so did my parents, rushing over in a hurry. They were far away. I couldn’t see their expressions clearly, but I heard their frantic shouting. “Fran! Are you crazy? Get down right now!” “Fran! We finally found you, and now you’re doing this? Are you trying to drive your dad and me to death?” So many people held up their phones. I saw my parents getting angry. I anxiously wanted to go down, but my body wouldn’t listen. The dense scars on my wrist suddenly started itching. I scratched them until they were bloody. I was having an episode again. But I didn’t dare tell my parents. I was afraid they’d hate me even more. Suddenly a voice in my heart spoke up: Jump! Books say that when people die, they become stars and fly to the sky to protect their family. Dad and Mom don’t want to hurt me or abandon me. But I should be sensible. I need to protect them. After figuring this out, I grinned and smiled in my parents’ direction. Amidst their horrified screams, I walked forward without hesitation. Slowly, I fell… I’m going to become a little star! Fly up to the sky and protect you. “No!!!” Someone was shouting. Someone was screaming. Time seemed to stop.

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My Aunt Eleanor left a will, granting her entire million-dollar estate to me. My father, Robert, snatched the will and ripped it to shreds. “What does a dying person need so much money for?” he sneered. “Without a will, the three of us siblings will split it equally, as per the law.” I felt all the color drain from my face. “That’s Aunt Eleanor’s money, left specifically for me! I need it for my leukemia treatment.” My uncle, Gary, stomped hard on the shredded pieces of paper on the floor. “Even with the money, your illness might not be cured anyway,” he said, callous. “We’re Aunt Eleanor’s closest relatives. The adults decide how it’s divided.” Everyone else looked gleeful. “Your father is right, we completely agree.” A cold dread washed over me. They clearly had no idea that Aunt Eleanor’s will also existed digitally. If you don’t care that I’m critically ill, then don’t blame me for abandoning all family ties. Seeing me frozen in place, speechless, my father, Robert, calmly tried to console me. “Ava, I know you’re upset. But the living are important too. Gary’s son, Daniel, is getting married soon, and Richard’s daughter, Chloe, is preparing to study abroad. Everyone is short on cash right now. Splitting it equally among our three families, as the law dictates, is the fairest way.” It felt like I was being brutally dragged to hell; the pain was excruciating. “Even without this money, Daniel would still get married as planned, and Richard and Sharon could still afford to send Chloe to study abroad. But I’ll die if I don’t get enough money for treatment! Besides, Aunt Eleanor clearly stated in black and white that this money was for me. What right do you have to take it?” Robert was furious at my “immaturity,” the flesh on his face trembling. “Ava, how can you be so selfish! This money might not even cure your illness, but it would make everyone else’s lives much more comfortable.” Brenda started to tear up dramatically. “Don’t be silly, talking about dying. Would we, your family, ever abandon you?” Sharon quickly chimed in. “Exactly! We’d definitely work hard to find you the best doctors and hospitals. Blood is thicker than water; we’d never treat you badly.” I found it laughable. Ever since my diagnosis, they had been avoiding me like the plague. Afraid I’d infect them, or worse, ask them to get tested for bone marrow donation. “Oh no, we’re too old for surgery.” “Daniel and Chloe aren’t even married yet. What if something goes wrong with the bone marrow donation? I won’t allow it.” Where was their “blood is thicker than water” concern back then? I countered their pretense. “The doctors already said they found a suitable bone marrow donor. The cost is exactly one million. If I inherit Aunt Eleanor’s full estate, I’ll live.” They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with cunning. Richard was the first to speak. “Doctors aren’t saints. Is everything they say absolutely true? Maybe they’re just after your surgery fees.” At Richard’s words, everyone nodded in silent agreement. “We’re family. Would we really harm you?” My expression remained unmoved. “In short, Aunt Eleanor’s money was promised to me. I won’t give a dime to anyone.” Robert was the first to accuse me. “Ava! If I get the inheritance, wouldn’t I still give you money for treatment? You wouldn’t be losing anything. Splitting the money equally would make everyone happy. Do you really have to upset everyone because of your illness?” Robert’s words emboldened the others. Brenda began to earnestly lecture me. “Ava, don’t blame me for being blunt. With your illness, even if you survive, you’ll burden the family with your care. Just take pity on Robert, who worked so hard to raise you alone. Don’t put him through any more trouble.” Sharon nodded vigorously. “Besides, Eleanor’s money should belong to the Sterling family. It’s only right and legally supported for us to split it equally.” I gasped in anger, loudly refuting them. “No! The law won’t support that!” Sharon looked at me as if I were a clown. “If the law doesn’t support an equal split, does it support you taking everything? Now that the will is gone, the law will certainly not support you.” I pointed at the fragments on the floor, arguing passionately. “The will clearly stated in black and white that all of Aunt Eleanor’s estate was for me alone!” The Sterling family had never truly cared for Aunt Eleanor. Early on, my grandparents had wanted to marry Eleanor off for financial gain. After a huge argument with the family, Eleanor ran off to make her own way. Robert felt Eleanor’s actions betrayed the Sterling family, and he was furious. “Let’s just pretend Eleanor was never part of our family!” I knelt on the floor, trying to pick up the fragments of the will. “You didn’t respect Aunt Eleanor when she was alive. What right do you have to divvy up her money now that she’s dead!”

Gary’s son, Daniel, stood idly by, watching me. “Robert, Brenda, Gary, don’t you remember? Ava always loved going to Aunt Eleanor’s house as a child. Aunt Eleanor doted on Ava, and she’d given her a lot of money privately over the years. See? Now she’s left her entire estate to Ava.” Gary and Brenda understood Daniel’s insinuation. Brenda quickly squatted down and used her sturdy body to shove me to the floor. “So you’re a conniving little thing! So young, and you already manipulated Aunt Eleanor into leaving her entire estate to you. The Sterling family’s inheritance should rightfully go to the men of the family! What business does a dying woman like you have with it!” I lay sprawled on the floor, my body aching all over, but I still defended Aunt Eleanor. “You’re the ones who abandoned Aunt Eleanor first! Her death isn’t even unrelated to you! You have no right to take a single penny of Aunt Eleanor’s money.” Aunt Eleanor was never married and had no children, so she poured a lot of her affection into me. She’d always give me pocket money, delicious snacks, and pretty clothes and bags. Later, when Daniel and Chloe found out, they came to Aunt Eleanor’s house demanding things. “My parents said that since you don’t have kids, everything you own will go to Daniel after you die.” Aunt Eleanor was furious and kicked them out on the spot. “You can forget about taking my money!” But Daniel’s words gave her a sense of urgency. Aunt Eleanor pulled me aside and made her will in advance. “Ava, Aunt Eleanor loves you the most. You must guard her money carefully and don’t give a single penny to anyone from the Sterling family.” For double assurance, Aunt Eleanor specifically tucked another legally binding copy of the will into her diary. That was the will we had just found while going through Aunt Eleanor’s belongings. Later, when I was diagnosed with leukemia, Aunt Eleanor, heartbroken for me, wired me fifty thousand dollars. “Don’t worry, Ava. Aunt Eleanor has money, and she’ll pay for whatever treatment you need.” When Brenda found out Aunt Eleanor had given me money, she went to Aunt Eleanor’s place and caused a scene. “What are you doing? Why are you giving Daniel’s money to Ava? Give us back the money!” During the argument, Aunt Eleanor fell, and not long after, she passed away in bed. Brenda suddenly remembered the money Aunt Eleanor had given me before she died, walked over, and kicked me. “Eleanor’s fifty thousand dollars to you also belongs to Daniel! Cough it up, now!” Helpless, I looked up at Robert. Robert stood there, not showing a hint of sympathy. Instead, he just looked annoyed by my “immaturity.” “Ava, this is where you’re wrong. Quickly hand over that fifty thousand dollars to be part of Aunt Eleanor’s estate, and then our three families can split it equally. That’s the only proper way. Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution for keeping that fifty thousand dollars?” I reached out, struggling to grasp the fragments on the floor, my eyes burning with hatred. “You wish. Aunt Eleanor’s will clearly states all her money goes to me. You won’t get a single cent!” Daniel stomped heavily on my hand. “Stop struggling. You’re half-dead already. Why not give up on treatment sooner, die sooner, and be free? At least leave some money for your dad.” Brenda was practically spitting as she spoke. “Exactly! We spoiled you for nothing! How can you be so cold-blooded and petty? What if you win this inheritance fight, what if you get cured? You’ll be hated by everyone, completely alienated, and no one will want anything to do with you.” I bit back the pain and reached for the fragments. Robert grabbed a handful of fragments and, pulling out a lighter, burned them to ashes. “Give up. Now there’s no will, so the inheritance has to be split equally.” Tears streamed down my face from the pain. “Dad, why are you so cruel? I’m your own daughter! Can you really just stand by and watch me die from lack of surgery money?” I didn’t wait for Robert’s answer; the pain simply overwhelmed me, and I passed out.

When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital bed. The nurse saw I was awake and couldn’t help but complain to me. “You’re finally awake! You wouldn’t believe how ‘exciting’ it was while you were unconscious. A group of people brought you here, demanding we wake you up by any means necessary so you’d ‘cough up’ that fifty thousand dollars. The hospital staff thought they were causing a disturbance and kicked them out. Who exactly are those people, to treat you like that?” My heart felt like it was being pricked by countless needles, yet I replied calmly. “They’re my family.” The nurse gasped in shock. “No way! They looked like they wanted you dead.” Realizing she’d spoken out of turn, she quickly covered her mouth, watching my reaction. I didn’t say anything, just quietly made a call. “Hello, Mr. Evans? I’d like to claim Aunt Eleanor’s inheritance according to her will, to be used entirely for my leukemia treatment.” I arrived at Mr. Evans’s law firm, only to find Robert, Gary, and Brenda already there. Brenda was the first to look at me with disdain. “Well, look who’s got good intel, knowing we’re here today to discuss Aunt Eleanor’s estate. Too late, though. We asked a lawyer. Without a will, the estate is split equally among her siblings. Your share? Go ask Robert for it.” Robert’s tone was dismissive. “Ava, out of a million, our family would only get a little over three hundred thousand. It’s barely enough for your initial surgery, and after that, we’d be out of resources. Don’t bother with this anymore. Consider the fifty thousand Eleanor gave you before she died as a goodwill gesture from our three families. Live well, eat well, and consider your life complete.” Seeing me silent, Brenda walked up to me and handed me a bright red invitation. “Oh, by the way, Daniel is getting married. You should really try to stay alive to attend the wedding, you know.” I opened it and saw it was for a famous five-star hotel in town. Daniel’s fiancée was a rich girl. To ensure Daniel married well, Gary and Brenda were pulling out all the stops, sparing no expense for the wedding, just to keep up appearances. I didn’t expect them to lend me money for my treatment. But why were they still trying to steal my life-saving money? Angrily, I tore the invitation to shreds and threw it on the floor. Brenda cursed loudly. “Ava, don’t be so ungrateful!” I shrugged. “Just following your lead. Didn’t you rip up the will too?” Mr. Evans came out to greet me. “Ms. Sterling, hello.” I stated my purpose. “Hello, Mr. Evans. I’m here to inherit Aunt Eleanor’s entire estate according to her last wishes.” The moment I finished speaking, they burst into laughter. Sharon laughed, calling me presumptuous. “Are you crazy from your illness? What will?” Robert, clearly embarrassed by me, explained to Mr. Evans. “I apologize. My daughter is ill, and her mind isn’t quite right. Please don’t listen to her nonsense. And don’t accept any money from her; she has no income and can’t afford legal fees.” I still didn’t understand why Robert was so determined to prevent me from inheriting Aunt Eleanor’s entire estate. “Dad, Aunt Eleanor’s will clearly states all her money is mine. If I don’t get cured, my money would eventually be yours. Why did you still tear up the will to split it with the others? Wouldn’t you get less that way?” Robert stammered for a long time, finally retorting with a flushed face. “I’m doing this for the good of the family! You can’t be so selfish.” Since Robert wouldn’t tell me the truth, I had no desire to engage with him. I pulled out the paper copy of Aunt Eleanor’s will and scanned the room. “I have Aunt Eleanor’s will, and all the money belongs to me.”

At first, they didn’t believe me. “Impossible! How could you have a will?” “It must be fake! You’re lying!” Sharon grabbed Mr. Evans’s arm. “Don’t believe her! Her will is definitely a fake! Quickly, tell her what the consequences are for forging a will!” Robert, without bothering to distinguish right from wrong, started yelling at me. “Ava! I know you’re desperate for money for treatment! But you can’t forge a fake will just for money! You’re completely shaming the Sterling family name!” Mr. Evans calmly addressed everyone. “Everyone, please calm down. The will Ms. Ava Sterling holds is indeed the will created by Ms. Eleanor Sterling during her lifetime, and it is legally binding.” Their panic was palpable. “How is that possible? The will was clearly torn up that day!” “Yes, it was torn up. If it’s torn, it has no legal validity.” The moment he spoke, Robert rushed forward, snatched the paper will from my hand, and, repeating his previous act, tore it into tiny pieces. He let out a long breath and looked at Mr. Evans. “Now the will is gone. Eleanor Sterling’s estate can be split equally among us three brothers, as the law dictates, right?” I stared wide-eyed in disbelief. “Dad, why? Why would you tear up the will, even in front of a lawyer? Are you really so desperate for that three hundred thousand dollars that you’d abandon your daughter’s dignity and even her life?” Overwhelmed with anger and grief, I suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Robert didn’t answer my question or show any concern for my pain. Instead, he muttered regretfully. “If only I’d known she’d die so soon, I wouldn’t have torn up the will then. All her estate would have been mine after she died.” A knot of anger formed in my chest, making me so choked up I wanted to cry. Mr. Evans quickly supported me, concern etched on his face. “Are you alright?” I gritted my teeth and forced out a sentence. “Continue with the legal proceedings. I want to inherit Aunt Eleanor’s entire estate.” Robert was still scoffing at my audacity. “Ava, you don’t have a will. The law states that the money is to be split equally among us three brothers.” Mr. Evans adjusted his glasses. “Ms. Eleanor Sterling’s will has a digital copy. Even if you tear up the paper version countless times, it still holds legal effect. Ms. Ava Sterling possesses the lawful right of inheritance; you will receive absolutely nothing. Furthermore, Ms. Sterling has formally petitioned the court to rule that you intentionally destroyed the will. This action is suspected of misappropriating another’s property, and we reserve the right to prosecute.” Gary was the first to react, immediately throwing Robert under the bus. “It was him! He was the one who tore up the will, from start to finish. It has nothing to do with us.” The others quickly formed a united front, blaming Robert. “Counselor, he was the one who instructed us to go along with splitting the money. We knew nothing!” Robert stared in disbelief at the people who had just turned against him. “When we were talking about splitting the money, you called me a hero! Now there’s trouble, and you’re throwing me out? We’re family, aren’t we?” Robert turned to me, whining. “Ava, are you really going to force your own father to his death?” Just then, a man suddenly burst into the law firm and threatened me. “Ava, you must split Eleanor Sterling’s estate equally today, or I will take Robert to court.” Looking at the man’s familiar face, I finally understood why Robert was willing to take such risks just to split my money with his relatives. I fought through my physical pain and asked the man. “Fine, let’s both sue. We’ll see whose priority is higher. I’m suing him for destroying a will with intent to infringe upon my lawful property. What about you? What are you suing him for?” The man was clearly prepared. “I’m suing him for…”

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I married Tristan three years ago. We’ve slept in separate rooms for one thousand and ninety-five days. Everyone says Tristan is cold and ascetic, like some untouchable deity. I used to think so too, until tonight, when I pushed open his study door to finally settle that long-delayed divorce agreement. I witnessed a scene that made my face flush and my heart race. Cassidy’s POV The main light in the study was off. Only the blue glow from the computer screen barely outlined the silhouette of the man behind the desk. The usually immaculate Tristan was now leaning back in his leather chair. His shirt collar hung wide open, exposing a large expanse of flushed chest. His tie dangled loosely around his neck, pulled askew. His entire body was trembling violently. And the instant I pushed the door open, a heavy, nasal groan drilled clearly into my ears. “…Mm.” I froze in the doorway, my palm gripping the door handle instantly slick with sweat. What was he doing? In the middle of the night, hiding in his study-what was he doing? My gaze involuntarily traveled past his shoulder toward the lit computer screen. The screen seemed to show a video window, but I only caught a glimpse of a blurred, flesh-colored blur. “Who let you in?!” An furious roar exploded through the room. Tristan’s reaction was startlingly fast. Almost the instant my eyes landed on the screen, he slammed the laptop shut. He spun around, his phoenix eyes alarmingly red. He sat there in the darkness, chest heaving violently, staring at me with deadly intensity. “Get out!” He ground his teeth, voice hoarse. “Who gave you permission to barge in without knocking? Get the hell out!” His savage expression scared me into taking a step back, the divorce papers in my hand nearly slipping to the floor. A massive wave of shame and fury surged through me. Three years of marriage, and he wouldn’t even touch me once. I’d even suspected at one point that he had some kind of dysfunction down there, and felt guilty enough to buy him six months’ worth of vitamins and supplements. And the result? He wasn’t impotent. He just wasn’t interested in me! He’d rather hide in his study watching God-knows-what filth on his computer, rather handle things himself, than fulfill his duties as a husband! “Tristan, you disgust me.” I took a deep breath, forcing back the sting in my eyes, and hurled the papers at him. “Since you’re so in love with your computer, let’s just get divorced! I don’t want this ‘Mrs. Bennett’ anymore!” White pages fluttered through the air. One sharp edge sliced across his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. Tristan didn’t even seem to feel the pain. He just sat there rigidly, hands gripping the desk edge so hard his knuckles were white, nails nearly embedding into the wood. His Adam’s apple bobbed as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, only one word squeezed from his throat. “Leave.” I let out a cold laugh, turned, and slammed the door behind me. Back in my bedroom, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. My hands were shaking. What had these three years been? A decoration? A joke? Not only did I have to endure a sexless marriage, I had to endure this kind of mental humiliation too! I dragged out my suitcase and started throwing clothes into it haphazardly. I couldn’t do this anymore. Not for one more minute! Just as I zipped up the suitcase and prepared to leave, a massive crash of shattering glass echoed from downstairs. Then came the housekeeper, John’s panicked scream. “Mr. Bennett! Mr. Bennett, are you ok?! Someone help! Mr. Bennett collapsed!” I froze mid-motion. Collapsed? I wanted to just walk away, but my feet seemed rooted to the spot. A few seconds later, cursing my own soft heart, I dropped the suitcase and rushed out of the room. Downstairs in the living room, Tristan lay collapsed beside the sofa, his laptop thrown to one side. His eyes were shut tight, his face deathly pale, but his body was burning hot. Even unconscious, his body continued to convulse uncontrollably, incoherent murmurs spilling from his lips. I ran over and tried to lift him. The moment my hand touched his skin, I was scalded by the shocking temperature. “Tristan? Tristan!” I leaned close to his lips, trying to hear what he was saying. Amid the chaotic, ragged breathing, I finally made out those two syllables. He was calling. “…Cassidy.” I froze. He was calling my name? Just then, the laptop on the floor suddenly flickered to life. On the screen, that video window popped up again. I instinctively glanced over. This time, I saw it clearly. It wasn’t some explicit video. It wasn’t some cam girl stream. It was surveillance footage. And the background was my room. The woman sleeping on the bed, clutching a pillow, was clearly me from last night!

Cassidy’s POV I stared at that glowing screen, blood seeming to flow backward through my veins. What was this? A chill ran down my spine. I thought he was just cold and indifferent. I didn’t realize he was a voyeur? “Mrs. Bennett! Stop standing there! Call an ambulance!” The housekeeper’s tearful, frantic shouting pulled me back to reality. I snapped out of it, looking down at the deathly pale man in my arms. Even unconscious, his hand still gripped my wrist in a death grip. His body temperature was abnormally high, his scorching breath fanning against the hollow of my neck, making my skin tingle. “Don’t call an ambulance.” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. “Call Dr. Morgan. This kind of thing… can’t get out.” If the outside world found out that Tristan Bennett, billionaire CEO, collapsed from watching surveillance footage of his own wife late at night, the company’s stock would probably crash by morning. Half an hour later, Dr. Morgan, our private physician, arrived in a rush. After a thorough examination and an IV drip, it was well past midnight before Tristan’s condition stabilized. “How is he?” I stood by the bed, looking at that face that remained sharp even in sleep, my emotions tangled. Dr. Morgan removed his stethoscope and sighed. “This is acute stress-induced hyperthermic convulsion. And there’s a large residue of sedatives in his system. He’s been taking them long-term.” He gave me a meaningful look. “He has a strong constitution, but even he can’t take this kind of abuse. Some things can’t be cured with medicine. You’ll need to be patient.” Long-term sedative use? I was stunned. Was that pill bottle in the study earlier really filled with sedatives? After seeing Dr. Morgan out, I didn’t leave. I sat in the chair beside the bed, watching the sleeping Tristan. The room was very quiet, only the soft drip of the IV breaking the silence. My gaze fell again on that laptop. The screen had gone black. But that surveillance footage stuck in my mind like a thorn. If he was spying on me, why hadn’t he touched me once in three years? Unless… He was some kind of psychological deviant who only liked to watch, not act? Or maybe he saw me as some kind of observation subject? “…Don’t go.” Just as I was lost in wild speculation, the man on the bed suddenly moved. Tristan’s voice was hoarse, carrying the incoherence of someone not fully awake. I instinctively tried to pull my hand back, only to find my wrist still clamped in his grip. He opened his eyes. Those eyes, usually cold as ice, now looked somewhat unfocused and moist from the fever and medication. He stared at me fixedly, as if unable to distinguish dream from reality. “Cassidy?” He called my name, his voice impossibly soft. “You’re awake?” I kept my face cold, trying to shake off his hand. “If you’re awake, let go.” Hearing my cold tone, clarity returned to Tristan’s eyes for a moment. He released my hand and tried to sit up, but collapsed back down from weakness. His gaze shifted and landed on the laptop on the nightstand. His pupils constricted sharply. He raised his head, staring at me hard, and asked, “You saw it?” I didn’t avoid the question, meeting his eyes directly. “I saw it. So Tristan, care to explain? Installing surveillance in the master bedroom-am I a criminal under interrogation, or a pet you’re raising?” Tristan pressed his thin lips into a tight line, his jawline tense. He didn’t explain. Silence spread through the air. After a long while, he finally spoke, voice hoarse, tone full of mockery. “Since you saw it, I’ll give you what you want.” “I’m a pervert.” He looked at me, the corner of his mouth curling into a self-deprecating arc. “I’m a pervert who spies on you. Is that reason enough for you to divorce me?”

Cassidy’s POV Of course it was enough. It was the perfect reason for divorce. But seeing him like that, the fire inside me inexplicably died down by half. If he really hated me, why would he call my name in his dreams? “Tristan, that reverse psychology trick is pathetic.” I crossed my arms. “You want to scare me away by playing the pervert card? So your pathetic ego can stay intact?” Tristan’s expression froze for a moment. I leaned down, bringing my face close to his. I could even see his fine lashes trembling. “You think I’ll be scared?” I smiled. “Tristan, let’s make a deal.” “What?” His brows knitted together, clearly not following my train of thought. “I’m not getting divorced.” I straightened up, speaking deliberately. “Since you like watching surveillance footage, I’ll let you watch to your heart’s content. But what’s the fun in just watching?” “Starting today, I’m moving back into the master bedroom.” I stared into his eyes, enunciating each word. “I’ll change clothes in front of you every day. I won’t lock the bathroom door. I’ll wear those lace nightgowns you hate most and parade around in front of you. Since you like torturing yourself, I’ll just see how long you can hold out!” Tristan’s face instantly turned ashen. “Cassidy, you wouldn’t dare!” He ground his teeth, looking like he wanted to strangle me right there. “Why wouldn’t I dare?” I shrugged, turning to leave. “I’m Mrs. Bennett, legally. If you can’t stand it, you can move out of the villa right now.” I glanced back at him and winked. “Or you could beg me. Beg me to sleep with you.” “Get out!” Behind me came the dull thud of a pillow hitting the door. Since he wanted to hide, I’d just peel away his shell layer by layer. I’d see what kind of heart was hidden beneath that cold exterior. … Tristan and I fell into a cold war. Though he didn’t move out, he avoided running into me as much as possible. He left early and came home late every day, diving straight into his study the moment he returned. And I kept my word. I replaced all the sleepwear in the master bedroom with nothing but slip dresses. Every night, I deliberately left the bedroom door cracked open, letting the hallway light spill inside. I knew he was watching. Even if he didn’t come into the room, I knew those eyes were staring at me from behind some screen somewhere. That feeling of being watched was both chilling and carried an indescribable thrill. The fourth night. I’d just gotten out of the shower and was about to blow-dry my hair when my phone rang. It was my friend Mia calling. “Cassidy! Help! My clingy ex showed up at my door. Can you come get me out of here? Please!” I sighed helplessly. “Fine. Send me the address.” After hanging up, I casually threw on a trench coat over the low-cut silk nightgown I was still wearing, grabbed my car keys, and headed out. I didn’t notice that from the second-floor study window, a pair of eyes was staring fixedly at my car as it drove away from the villa. Half an hour later, as my friend and I walked out of the bar entrance, a black car screeched to a halt right in front of us. The window rolled down. Revealing Tristan’s dark, stormy face. His gaze landed on my open collar, his eyes murderous. “Get in.” He coldly spat out those words. I hesitated for a moment, then released my friend’s hand, gave her an apologetic smile, and opened the car door to get in. The door had barely closed, and I hadn’t even buckled my seatbelt yet, when Tristan suddenly leaned over. His overwhelming presence instantly engulfed me. He gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him, his voice dangerous. “Cassidy, my patience has limits.” I was forced to tilt my head back, looking at him so close I could see every detail. This was the closest we’d been in three years of marriage. I could even see myself reflected in his pupils. “What?” I challenged him. “You can spy on me, but I can’t have friends?” “Spy?” Tristan suddenly laughed. The smile carried a touch of pathological obsession. “Since you know I’m a pervert, you should know…” His fingers traced my lips, his fingertips scorching hot. “Prey marked by a pervert isn’t allowed to be touched by anyone else.” The next second, without any warning, he lowered his head and kissed me fiercely.

Cassidy’s POV Tristan kissed me aggressively, with no technique at all. I was pinned against the passenger seat backrest, nearly suffocating. Just when I thought he was going to have sex with me right there in the car, he suddenly stopped. Tristan abruptly released me and collapsed heavily back into the driver’s seat. He was gasping for air, chest heaving violently, veins bulging on the back of his hands, as if desperately restraining some out-of-control impulse. His body was shaking, worse than that time in the study. “Buckle up.” After a long moment, he forced those words from his throat. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, looking at him. “Tristan, what’s wrong with you?” “Don’t ask.” He didn’t look at me, slamming his foot on the gas pedal. The car shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. On the way back to the villa, he drove terrifyingly fast. Tristan kept his face tense the entire time, not saying a word. The moment we arrived home, before the car had fully stopped, he pushed the door open and got out. His steps were somewhat unsteady, but he walked quickly, heading straight for the second floor. I unbuckled my seatbelt and chased after him. “Tristan!” He completely ignored me, taking the stairs two at a time, rushing into the study and slamming the door. I stood outside the door, hearing the sound of rummaging inside. I raised my hand and pounded on the door. “Tristan, open the door! You can’t take those pills randomly! Dr. Morgan said those are powerful sedatives. Taking too many will cause problems!” “Get lost!” A suppressed roar came from inside, accompanied by the sound of a glass breaking. “Don’t worry about me, Cassidy. Stay away from me!” The voice was laced with pained groans. My hand froze mid-air. Just from one kiss, he had such a reaction? Had he really reached this pathological state? But why?

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At the gala, Xavier ‌Gibson publicly announced we were getting married. The entire hall erupted in applause. But what I didn’t expect was that before the event even ended, I’d find myself standing outside the lounge door, staring at the projection screen on the wall. On the screen was a massive Excel spreadsheet. Behind dozens of candidate names were densely packed rating categories: housekeeping ability, bedroom endurance… In the baseline column, my name was written prominently: Jade Monroe. “Relationships are like companies,” he said, casually swirling his wine. “You have to cut the underperformers.” So seven years of companionship meant nothing more to him than an asset with terrible returns. I didn’t burst through the door to confront him. Instead, I turned and walked to the end of the hallway, pulled out my phone, and sent a text to a number at the bottom of my contacts. “I’m ready to honor the terms from ten years ago.” Three seconds later, came the reply. “Finally giving up on that scumbag? Let’s register our marriage tomorrow then.”

Jade Monroe’s POV Xavier had just publicly announced our engagement on stage, with everyone applauding and offering congratulations. But what I didn’t expect was that before the gala even ended, I’d overhear him at the lounge door, discussing how to dump me. The door wasn’t fully closed. I’d come to bring him tea, only to catch sight of the projection screen on the wall. Displayed on it was a massive Excel spreadsheet. “Xavier, is this really how you choose a wife?” The voice of his business partner, Mr. Davis, drifted out with a hint of mockery. “You’ve literally turned wife selection into a competitive hiring process.” I stopped in my tracks and peered through the gap in the door. A complex Excel spreadsheet was projected on the wall. The spreadsheet listed dozens of names, each followed by densely packed rating categories: housekeeping ability, social etiquette, and even a brazenly explicit “bedroom endurance level.” Mr. Davis held a cigarette between his fingers, pointing at the data analysis on screen. “Look at this Candidate No.19, Amber Thomson, right? Her scores in emotional support provision and bedroom compatibility completely crush the baseline.” In the baseline column, my name was written clearly: Jade Monroe. Mr. Davis exhaled a smoke ring, his tone becoming hesitant. “But Jade’s been with you since the startup days. If you just fire her and promote someone new, won’t that damage the company’s image? After all, people are watching.” Two seconds of silence inside the room. Xavier sat in the main seat on the sofa, swirling half a glass of red wine, his face showing not a trace of intoxication. He glanced up at the data on screen, his eyes cold. “Relationships are like companies-both need to eliminate underperformers to maintain vitality.” He tilted his head back and took a sip of wine. “Jade’s cost-efficiency ratio is too low now.” “This feels like you fed Amber the test questions, doesn’t it? Her scores just barely beat Jade’s across the board. That’s pretty cruel to Jade.” In the VIP lounge, the partner’s voice carried a hint of hesitation. Xavier’s tone was casual. “There’s still two months left in the probationary period. If Jade can accept a pay cut and demotion, she can stay. She’s a veteran employee after all. But that depends on whether she can tolerate Amber’s presence. Otherwise, she’ll have to go.” Standing outside the door, the hot tea spilled from my hands. I didn’t feel the pain, only felt like a complete joke. Seven years of companionship, selling my house to help fund his startup-in his eyes, I was just an employee with poor returns. Since I was being liquidated as a bad asset, I might as well proactively file for bankruptcy reorganization. I didn’t push the door open to confront him. I walked to the trash can at the end of the hallway and poured out the tea. Then I pulled out my phone and scrolled to a number at the bottom of my contacts. My finger hovered over the screen without any hesitation as I typed a message. “I’m ready to honor the terms from ten years ago.” Send. I reapplied my lipstick using the hallway mirror. A few minutes later, Xavier emerged from the lounge. He casually put his arm around my waist and led me toward the center of the ballroom. As the spotlight hit us, he wore a smile and whispered a warning in my ear. “Smile. Don’t make a scene. The stock price just went up today.” When his fingers touched my waist, I stiffened reflexively. I could smell it on him. Amber’s scent. I avoided his touch and pulled my lips into a standard social smile. Until now, I’d never doubted Xavier. Not until that girl named Amber showed up at my door with an expense report. The next morning, I was processing files at my studio. The receptionist called through the internal line. “Jade, there’s an intern sent by Xavier who insists on seeing you.”

Jade Monroe’s POV I looked out through the blinds. The girl wasn’t wearing an employee badge, but she was carrying a limited edition Hermès bag. The same one Xavier had claimed he’d accidentally lost at the airport last week. Not only was she replacing me as a person, she was inheriting my accessories too. “Let her in.” I put down the phone. Amber pushed the door open. Nineteen years old, young, with tight skin, wearing a business suit obviously imitating my style, but with cheap tailoring and exposed thread ends. Her eyes were full of eager ambition. She walked up to my desk and handed over a crumpled receipt. “Ms. Monroe, Mr. Gibson accidentally spilled red wine on my dress in the car last night. He said it counts as business entertainment and told me to ask you to reimburse the dry cleaning fee.” I glanced at the receipt amount: $180. Then I glanced at the dress she was wearing. A bestseller from online shopping sites, not even worth dry cleaning. I didn’t take the receipt. Instead, I pulled out my phone, opened my payment QR code, and transferred $200. “Keep the change.” I didn’t look up, continuing to review the design drawings in my hand. “Use the rest to buy some mouthwash. A dirty mouth makes it hard to pass your probationary period.” Amber froze, clearly not expecting this reaction. She grabbed the receipt from the desk, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it hard at me. “Who do you think you are! Mr. Gibson said you’re just an aging woman who can only draw pictures! He said just looking at you makes him sick!” I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. Amber covered her face, staring at me in shock. “Let me teach you something as your senior.” I pulled out a wet wipe and meticulously cleaned the hand I’d just used to slap her. “Challenging your supervisor before you’ve even been confirmed is a major workplace taboo.” Amber’s eyes instantly reddened. She pulled out her phone, took a photo of me, and sent a voice message with a sobbing tone. “Xavier, that old woman hit me… She’s so mean, I’m scared.” After sending the voice message, she glared at me viciously, covered her face, and ran out. “Mr. Gibson says you’re just a maid.” That sentence echoed in the office. I threw the used wet wipe into the trash. Seven years ago when Xavier had a high fever, I stayed by his bedside all night changing cold towels. Back then he’d said: “You’re my angel.” Now angels had inflated and depreciated into maids. Only youth remained the sole hard currency. I watched as that wet wipe slowly soaked into the ink at the bottom of the trash can. That slap was just the interest payment.

Jade Monroe’s POV By the time I got home, it was already dark. There was a pair of pink slippers by the entrance, like a territorial marker. Xavier sat on the sofa holding a tablet, looking at reports. Hearing the door open, he didn’t look up. His first words were reproachful. “Why are you making trouble with an intern at the company? Amber sent me photos-her face is swollen. Can’t you be more magnanimous?” I ignored him and walked straight to the bedroom, dragging out my suitcase. Xavier followed me in, leaning against the doorframe with furrowed brows. “I’m talking to you! Jade, are you going through early menopause or something? Amber’s family is poor, she’s trying to work hard and get ahead. I’m just giving her an opportunity. You’re engaging in workplace bullying.” I opened the closet and took down the clothes hanging inside one by one, throwing them into the suitcase. “I don’t have time to listen to your nonsense.” I swept my skincare products into my makeup bag. Xavier finally sensed something was wrong and stepped forward to hold down my suitcase. “What are you doing? Running away from home again? I told you it’s just a work relationship. Can you stop being so unreasonable?” I backhanded him with a slap. This slap was harder than the one I’d given Amber earlier. Xavier’s head snapped to the side, and five finger marks quickly appeared on his face. He covered his face, looking at me in disbelief. “This slap is part of the resignation handover process.” I said. Xavier took a deep breath, his eyes turning cold. “Fine, Jade, you’ve grown bold. Since you want to make a scene, let’s settle accounts. Everything you eat, wear, and live in-which of it wasn’t paid for with my money? You can leave if you want, but don’t expect me to beg you to come back. And I’m freezing your supplementary card as punishment for hitting someone today.” “Do whatever you want.” I closed the suitcase. “I don’t want that mess anymore.” “Don’t regret this!” Xavier pointed at me. “Once you walk out that door, don’t ever expect me to spend another cent on you!” With that, feeling he’d lost face, he stormed out and slammed the door. The force knocked a framed photo off the wall. I surveyed this mansion filled with seven years of memories. I pulled out a stack of yellow sticky notes and placed labels on all the furniture, appliances, and decorative paintings I’d purchased myself. After finishing this task, I took one last look at the house with my suitcase, then turned and left. As I drove away from the villa district, my phone vibrated. It was a message from the security guard. “Did you just leave? A young woman just claimed to be your relative and asked me to let her in.” Sure enough, the replacement was eager to move in the moment I left. I replied. “I don’t know this person. If she’s a solicitor, I suggest calling the police.” An hour later, I arrived at the small apartment I’d purchased before the relationship. I immediately opened my computer and connected with Sebastian White. The screen lit up, showing Sebastian’s background as an overseas conference room. A group of executives sat solemnly, but he raised his hand to pause the meeting and focused on the camera. “Did I interrupt your acquisition?” I asked. Sebastian stared at me. “The acquisition isn’t as important as you. Are you sure you want to activate the agreement? Once you sign, I won’t let you go.” “I’m sure.” I looked at him. “I want to get married. To you.” Sebastian couldn’t suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth and immediately turned to instruct his assistant to book flights. “I’m not waiting two months. I’m flying back tomorrow to get married. Put the wedding on the schedule.” “Alright, I’ll wait for you.” The video call ended. I sat alone on the carpet. Ten years ago he’d said if Xavier ever let me down, he’d be there. I thought it was a joke then. Now it was a lifeline. Xavier’s love was a consumable good. Sebastian’s love was a fixed asset.

Jade Monroe’s POV Early the next morning, I went to the downstairs supermarket to buy necessities. At checkout, I handed over the black card I usually used. A few seconds later, the cashier awkwardly returned it. “The transaction was declined.” The customers in line behind me cast strange looks. I took back the card, and my phone immediately showed a message from Xavier. “Supplementary card suspended. If you want to spend money, come home and apologize.” I switched to my own salary card for payment and carried my shopping bags out of the supermarket. As soon as I got home, my phone vibrated. A bank text: $200,000 has been forcibly redeemed and transferred from your joint investment account ending in 8899. The note read: Family operational cost deduction. That was an account we’d opened years ago to save money together. Most of the money in it came from my early design copyright fees. Xavier was openly robbing me. The phone call came immediately after. “Jade, did you see the deduction notice?” Xavier’s voice was self-righteous. “This is a fine for your emotional outburst. That two hundred thousand is Amber’s compensation for emotional distress and medical expenses. Don’t feel wronged-you have to pay the price for doing wrong.” In the background of the call, I could hear Amber’s voice. “Xavier, how do you turn on the seat heater? Does only your girlfriend’s seat have one?” Xavier hastily brushed me off. “Reflect on yourself. When you’re ready to apologize, I’ll transfer the money back.” With that, he hung up. I screenshotted that deduction text and sent it along with the transfer records to my lawyer. And sent Xavier a message. “This constitutes illegal misappropriation of jointly owned property. If you don’t return it within 24 hours, see you in court.” After returning to my apartment, I opened my computer and pulled up the household expense ledger. Thanks to Xavier’s habits-for his so-called enterprise-level family management, he required every large expenditure to be documented. This had left me with perfect evidence. Late at night, a social media notification popped up about someone I might know. The profile picture was Amber. The photo was taken in what used to be my bedroom. She wore my pajamas, taking a selfie in the mirror. Caption: “The previous owner had decent taste, but now it all belongs to me.” Moments later, a direct message appeared. “I used up all your skincare products for you. Wouldn’t want them to go to waste, right? He’s sleeping so soundly next to me right now.” I calmly typed a reply. “I wore those pajamas when I had a skin condition and never washed them. The skincare products expired three months ago. Hope you enjoy them.” The other side immediately showed “typing…” for a long time, but in the end, sent nothing. At 3 AM, I couldn’t sleep. I got up and took a melatonin tablet, then sent my lawyer an email asking him to prepare a lawsuit authorization form for recovering gifts given to a third party. In my dream, Xavier used his first earnings to buy me a ring, swearing to treat me well for a lifetime. When I woke up, there was a bank deduction notice on my phone. That “lifetime” turned out to be only seven years. You want to talk money? Then let’s discuss it as commercial fraud.

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My husband Alex discovered I was immortal — and turned me into a blood bag for his beloved Bella. When a stalker targeted Bella, he had me pose as her. I ended up beaten and crippled. When kidnappers took Bella, he sent me in as her substitute. I got blown apart by explosives. I tried to run, sobbing, desperate to escape — but he always dragged me back. He’d always say: “It’s fine. It’s not like you can die anyway.” What he didn’t know was that I’d made a deal with a god to give up my immortality. Within three months, my immortality would fade away entirely. And yet he was still using me as Bella’s human shield, right up to the very end. He had no idea this would be the last time. I woke up again and stared blankly at the wedding photo of me and Alex hanging on the wall. The couple in the photo looked perfect together — he was handsome, I was pretty. But there wasn’t a single smile on his face. Everyone said Alex loved me to the bone. What they didn’t know was that I was nothing more than a stand-in for Bella — his foster sister, the woman he truly wanted. By day, I took Bella’s hits. By night, I took her place in his bed. All because they couldn’t be together. A few hours ago, I’d been attacked by one of Bella’s obsessed fans. The guy came at me with a knife, stabbing me over and over until I was covered in holes, bleeding everywhere. Bella laughed from the comfort of Alex’s arms and said, “Good thing you had Chloe pretend to be me. Otherwise, I’d be the one looking like a pincushion right now.” The way she looked at me — like I was the lowest, most pathetic creature alive. And Alex just gazed at her with that tender, adoring look of his, and said lightly, “It’s fine. It’s not like she can die.” I’d lost count of how many times I’d taken the fall for Bella. A stalker hunted her — I stepped in and got beaten until I couldn’t walk. Kidnappers took her — I went in her place and got blown to pieces by explosives. And now? A few dozen stab wounds. No big deal. I looked down at my wounds in silence. They weren’t healing the way they used to. My immortality was disappearing. A few days ago, a divine presence from another realm had come to me. I was the one who’d asked it to remove my immortality. It agreed. In three months, my immortality would be gone completely. After that, I would be ordinary. No powers. No protection. I gave my wounds one last bitter look and let the memories of my life with Alex wash over me. Everything that had already happened — I’d endured it all. Everything still to come — I was powerless to change. Some time passed. The bedroom door swung open and Alex walked in. His handsome face was half-hidden in shadow. He looked at my pale face and the wounds exposed on my skin, and his brow furrowed. “What’s going on? Why is it taking so long to heal this time?” I gave a hollow smile and said nothing. He reached out and touched my face — the face that looked so much like Bella’s — and let out a relieved sigh. “Good. The face is untouched.” It felt like a needle to the heart. The only thing he cared about was how much I resembled her. What about the dozens of stab wounds covering the rest of me? He pulled me close, his grip carrying a raw, possessive pull. I hissed and pulled back, whimpering, “That hurts.” But he didn’t stop. He didn’t care what I wanted. He spoke coldly against my ear: “Then grit your teeth.” At the most intimate moment, I heard him murmur softly against my skin — “Bella…” The tenderness in his voice — as if I were the most precious thing in the world to him. I stared up at the crystal chandelier above me, and in that moment, I felt my tears run dry. To him, I was nothing. Just a body he used to fill the void she left. A clap of thunder shook the air. Outside, rain came pouring down — just like my tears. Alex’s phone rang. It was Bella. She was crying, saying she was scared of the thunder, saying she needed him. Alex’s voice went soft and gentle. “I’ll be right there.” He didn’t look at me once. No explanation. He just grabbed his jacket and walked out the door — like I was a piece of garbage he could throw away whenever he felt like it.

About an hour later, Bella posted on Instagram: “Stormy night, so glad to have Alex by my side.” The photo showed two hands intertwined. On the slender white wrist of one hand was a tattoo — a lush, blooming rose. My heart clenched. I turned and stared at my own wrist. In the exact same spot, I had the same rose. Alex had forced me to get it. No wonder he always pressed his lips to my wrist like he was starving for it. He was pretending it was Bella’s. Something inside me shattered like broken glass. Any tattoo on my skin would eventually fade away on its own — my body rejected them, just like everything else. So every few days, when the ink started to blur, Alex would redo it with that obsessive, almost unhinged intensity of his. Day after day. Year after year. Hundreds of times. Maybe thousands. Every single time, it hurt. I’d cry through it. He never cared. My entire existence was just to feed his forbidden obsession. I had tried to run before. But he always caught me. The worst time, he locked me in the basement as punishment. For three whole months, he never once brought me water or food. I’d gone in at 120 pounds. By the time he came back, I was barely 90. I was practically a skeleton — nothing but skin and bone. And yet I couldn’t die. At first I screamed and cried day and night down there, begging him to let me go. Eventually, I didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore. When he finally came to get me, one look at the state I was in and he wasn’t happy. I didn’t look like Bella anymore. He forced me to eat — whatever would put weight back on the fastest. Fried chicken. Cream cake. Fatty cuts of meat. Every time, I gagged and threw it back up. He didn’t care. He’d grab me by the hair and shove it into my mouth anyway. The more he forced it, the more violently I vomited — until all that was left was stomach acid. Only then did he panic and rush me to the hospital. I spent a full month on IV nutrition before I started to stabilize. Near the end of my stay, he came into the room and, seeing me slowly recovering, let a rare look of relief cross his face. I watched him dully, too exhausted to speak. He took my chin in his hand. His voice was softer than usual. “I’m sorry. I went too far this time. I promise — I’ll never lock you up again.” I pressed my lips together and said nothing. He leaned toward me slowly, lips almost touching mine. I turned my head away. His kiss landed on my cheek. His brow furrowed. His voice sharpened with impatience. “Don’t you dare push me away. It’s been four months.” I had no strength left to fight him. I just let him take what he wanted. The hallway outside was full of people coming and going. He hadn’t even bothered to close the door. Anyone could walk in at any moment. He didn’t care how exposed I was. He was fully dressed in his suit. I had nothing. One wrong person walking through that door and I’d have nothing left. I gripped the cold metal railing of the hospital bed with both hands, bit down on my lip until it bled, and fought to hold back every sound trying to escape me. Tears slid down from the corners of my eyes. All at once, I felt a wave of humiliation so deep it nearly swallowed me whole.

Time passed, and I grew weaker and weaker. I started coughing up blood. After the stormy night, Alex had taken Bella on a month-long trip to Europe. When they came back and he saw me, his brow creased. “Why have you gotten so thin?” I smiled faintly. “Nothing. I’ve just been a little sick.” He blinked, then let out a cold laugh. “What kind of trick are you pulling now? Are you upset that I took Bella to Europe? So you’re using this as an excuse to mess with me?” “We both know you can’t die. So how could you possibly be sick?” I lowered my head. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “If you say so.” He stepped closer, tipped my chin up, forcing me to meet his eyes. “Is this because I’ve been neglecting you? Don’t worry. I can spend more time with you going forward.” If he’d said that to me a year ago, I would have been overjoyed. Now, I felt nothing. I shook my head. “It’s fine. Spend time with Bella.” His brow furrowed deeper. He studied me coldly, watching for a reaction. When I gave him none, he shoved me away with a sneer. “Don’t be ungrateful.” I stumbled and fell, my thigh catching the sharp corner of the table. The pain was blinding. Alex moved like he might check on me — then his phone rang. Bella’s voice came through the speaker, breathless and crying. “Alex, I was trying to make dinner for you and there was a fire — my hand — my hand really hurts!” Alex’s expression changed instantly. “Don’t move. I’m coming right now.” He was out the door before I could blink. He didn’t look back once. I stared at his retreating figure, a hollow, mocking smile on my lips. Same as always. The moment Bella called, I ceased to exist. Half an hour later, his bodyguard came in and said Alex had sent instructions — I was to be taken to the hospital. At the hospital, I found Alex pacing anxiously outside the operating room. He saw me and said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “Bella burned her hand. She needs a skin graft right away.” “You heal on your own anyway. Give her your skin.” My chest seized. My immortality was already fading. How was I supposed to heal from a skin graft? We were down to the last two months, and he still didn’t care about me at all. I smiled — a bleak, hollow smile — and reached for the last thread of hope I had left. “What if I told you I can’t heal from this one? Would you believe me?” Alex’s expression tightened. He looked at me with barely concealed disgust. “What are you scheming now? If you don’t want to help Bella, just say so!” The last flicker of hope went out. Alex overrode every objection and had me wheeled into the operating room. They strapped me to the table. Several pairs of hands pressed down on mine. Cold alcohol swabbed across my bare, pallid skin. I told myself not to be afraid. But my whole body shook uncontrollably. I felt like a cut of meat on a butcher’s block. Something to be used up and discarded. “Should we use anesthesia, Mr. Alex?” The doctor asked from beside him. I looked up at Alex, a faint, desperate hope rising in me despite everything. Without a second’s hesitation, Alex said: “No anesthesia. Bella will scar if we wait any longer. Just do it.”

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My wife had an affair right after giving birth. I caught her in the act—and she called the police first, accusing me of marital rape and sending me to prison. Three years later, when I walked out of that cell, I discovered she’d dumped our one-month-old daughter in an orphanage just so she could run off and have fun with her lover. I fought with everything I had left to get my daughter back. To give her a good life, I hauled bricks, made deliveries, and spent twenty years building a company from nothing. We were finally getting somewhere. Life was looking up. Then, on the eve of our IPO, the company’s core project collapsed overnight. Eighty million dollars in debt. Twenty years of blood and sweat, gone in a single night. I rushed to get my daughter’s visa sorted out. I transferred every last dollar in my savings to her account. My plan was simple: once she boarded that plane, I’d jump. I was standing on the windowsill, ready to go, when she came bursting through the door. And behind her was the woman I hated more than anyone in this world—my ex-wife.

“Marta? What are you doing back here?” I grabbed the windowsill to steady myself, frozen in place. She was supposed to be on a flight to Australia. I’d walked her to security myself. Watched her pass through without looking back. By the time she landed, I was supposed to be gone. I’d thought I’d never see her again. But there she was, standing right in front of me. “Dad.” She said the word quietly, without answering my question. She shifted to the side and reached back behind her. “Look who I brought.” A figure stepped out from behind her. It took me three full seconds to recognize that face. Laura. My ex-wife. The woman who had carved the deepest wound of my life. My expression went cold. The chill rolling off me could have frozen the air solid. I stared hard at my daughter. “Why are you with her?” “Don’t you know how much I hate that woman?” But Marta acted like she hadn’t heard a word I said. She looped her arm through Laura’s and softened her voice into something gentle and coaxing. “Dad, it was all just a misunderstanding back then. Mom knows she was wrong. Can’t you just forgive her?” A misunderstanding. The word hit me like a slap. A wave of rage surged straight to my head. This woman had cheated on me after giving birth. I’d caught her. Then she’d flipped it around and accused me of marital rape, landing me in prison for three years—turning me into the kind of man the whole neighborhood pointed at and called a rapist. When I got out, I found she’d cleaned out every account I had, run off with her lover, and left our one-month-old daughter in an orphanage to fend for herself. And now my daughter—the girl I’d raised for twenty years—was calling all of that a “misunderstanding.” I looked at her and felt something go cold inside me. She was a stranger. “Marta,” I said, pressing hard to keep my voice level, “you were too young back then. You don’t know what really happened. That woman is a selfish, heartless liar.” “She abandoned her own newborn daughter. She has no right to call herself a mother. She—” “Enough!” She cut me off before I could finish. Her eyes were red, and the look she gave me was full of disappointment and fury. “Dad, Mom had her reasons!” “If you hadn’t interfered and pulled me out of that orphanage early, she would’ve come for me herself!” “I wouldn’t have spent all those years without her—growing up like some kid nobody wanted!” I went still. She thought me taking her out of the orphanage was interfering? I opened my mouth. Something lodged in my throat like a stone. Then Laura spoke up from beside her, eyes glistening. “That’s right, Andre. I was completely out of options back then. I had no choice but to leave Marta at the orphanage temporarily.” “But you took her without a word to anyone. Do you have any idea how many years I spent trying to find her?” Her voice broke. She began to cry softly, shoulders trembling. Marta immediately stepped in front of her, eyes full of reproach aimed straight at me. I stared at Laura standing there twisting everything upside down, and the blood rushed so hard to my head I could barely see straight. I leveled a finger at her face. “That’s a lie! You took every cent I had and disappeared with your boyfriend! You know exactly what you did!” “You cold, scheming—” I spat out those last words and lunged forward a step. But I didn’t reach Laura. Marta stepped between us and shoved me hard in the chest. I stumbled back two steps and slammed into the windowsill. For a second I nearly went over. “Stop it!” She stood in front of me, eyes blazing. “You’re a rapist. What gives you the right to talk about my mom like that?”

I gripped the windowsill. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me from head to toe. Rapist. Marta had called me a rapist. Those words, coming from her mouth, hurt worse than the moment the judge read the verdict in that courtroom. “Marta…” My voice shook. “What did you just say?” Her eyes flickered for a split second. Like she’d heard herself and knew it was too far. But she lifted her chin and didn’t back down. “I—I’m not wrong! You forced yourself on Mom back then!” “Yeah, Mom made mistakes too. But you’re no saint either!” Not a saint. I had raised her for twenty years, and in the end, to her, I was just a rapist. I looked at her. And suddenly I had nothing left to say. I thought about the time she was three, burning up with a high fever. I’d carried her on my back and run two kilometers to the hospital. Lost a shoe along the way. Cut the bottom of my foot open on broken glass. Left a trail of blood all the way through the ER doors. She kept murmuring “Daddy” in her daze, and I kept saying “I’m here, I’m here” the whole way. I thought about when she was seven and some kid at school called her a motherless girl. The next day I went straight to her teacher, then called every single parent. That kid apologized to her in front of the whole class. She came home that afternoon, wrapped her arms around me and said, “You’re the best dad ever.” I thought about the day she turned eighteen and went off to college. I helped her set up her dorm room, made her bed, bought her lunch. When I was leaving, she grabbed the hem of my jacket and said, “Dad, I’m going to miss you.” I cried the whole ride home. I thought about three days ago, the moment I found out the company was going under. The first thing I thought of wasn’t the eighty million dollars. It was her. I’d stayed up all night pushing through her visa paperwork. Transferred every last dollar I had into her bank account. Made sure she wouldn’t be touched by any of it. And now she was standing here pointing at me, calling me a rapist. I pressed my hand to my chest. The pain felt like someone dragging a knife through me. “So you’ve made up your mind. You’re going to forgive her. Is that it?” Marta looked at me. She hesitated for just a second. Then she nodded. “Fine.” I stepped back. “Go with her then.” “I spent all these years raising a kid who couldn’t care less about me.” “We’re done. As of today.” Saying those words felt like someone had reached into my chest and ripped out a chunk of flesh while I was still breathing. But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going to be around much longer anyway. Eighty million in debt. I had no way out. My original plan had been to wait until she was on that plane, then jump from this window. If she didn’t want to leave the country, if she wanted to go with Laura instead—fine. Let her go. At least she wouldn’t have to watch me fall. But before I could finish the thought, Marta frowned. “Dad,” she said. “We’re not the ones leaving. You are.” I stared at her. “What does that mean?” She didn’t answer. She turned around, pulled a document out of her bag, and set it on the desk. “Dad, the company’s almost ready to go public. You’ve worked hard enough. It’s time to rest.” She tapped the document. “Because of you, Mom’s had a really difficult life all these years.” “Think of this as making it right.” I stared at the document. Every muscle in my body locked up. It was a stock transfer agreement. I lifted my eyes to my daughter. “You… you want me to sign the company over to her?” Marta nodded, casual as anything. “Don’t worry, Dad. After everything you’ve done raising me, I’ll still take care of you when you’re old.” Laura, who had been quiet this whole time, finally spoke. She walked forward and took Marta’s arm, looking at me with an expression of practiced warmth. “Andre, don’t worry. I’ll manage the company well. You just stay home and relax. You’ve earned it.” I looked at her face. And in that instant, I understood everything. She hadn’t come back for her daughter. She’d come back for the company. She’d worked on Marta, driven a wedge between us, turned my own daughter against me—all to get her hands on this business. What she didn’t know was that the company was about to collapse. Eighty million in debt. A bottomless hole. I opened my mouth. Then closed it. I looked at my daughter and asked, slowly and carefully: “This company is twenty years of my life. Are you sure—absolutely sure—you want to do this for someone like her?” Marta’s expression pinched into impatience. “Dad, this is what you owe Mom. What you owe me.” “Do you know what it was like growing up with everyone calling me the girl with no mom?” “Stop fighting it. Just sign.” She slid the stock transfer agreement across the desk toward me. I looked down at it. One signature, and everything the company owned would belong to Laura. Including eighty million dollars of debt. I picked up the pen. My hand hovered in the air. I didn’t bring it down. And then— “Hold on!” A voice cut through the room from the doorway.

The door swung open and a man in a tailored suit walked in. He was holding a document, wearing the smile of someone who’d already won. Bob. My oldest friend. The company’s head of legal. My first thought was that he’d come to help me. “Bob—” I started to speak. He walked straight past me without slowing down and stopped at Laura’s side. He handed the document to Marta. “Have him sign this one.” Bob tilted his chin toward me. “Along with the stock transfer—he needs to hand over the factory outside of town too.” I stood there like someone had cracked me across the skull. My vision went white at the edges. Bob. My closest friend for decades. Back when his parents couldn’t afford his tuition and he was about to drop out of high school, I’d handed him my entire month’s living expenses. Ate nothing but plain bread for two months so he could finish school. When the company finally got off the ground, he was the first person I brought in. I put him in charge of the legal department, gave him the highest salary, made sure his workload was easy. He was single, so I bought him an apartment. Whatever car he wanted, I got it. Whenever his family hit trouble, I handed over cash, no questions asked. I’d believed that no matter who else betrayed me, he never would. And here he was, standing next to Laura, asking for my factory. I found myself thinking back to that trial. After Laura’s accusation, I’d gone looking for a lawyer. But by then my name was mud—nobody would touch a case with a “rapist” attached to it. Bob was the only one who stepped forward. He took my case while everyone else turned their backs on him for doing it. He argued for me in court. He fought hard enough to get my sentence reduced. The day of the verdict, he clapped a hand on my shoulder and said, “Andre, three years goes fast. When you’re out, we’ll start fresh.” During those three years inside, he came every single month. Brought cigarettes, food, news from the outside. I thought that was what a real friend looked like. But now— I snapped my head up. My eyes were bloodshot. “Bob. The evidence in my case back then—you tampered with it, didn’t you?” Bob paused for a fraction of a second. Then a cold smile spread across his face. “You’re only figuring that out now?” He raised an eyebrow. “Too late.” I clenched my fist and slammed it down on the desk. The impact sent papers jumping across the surface. It made sense now. Laura’s evidence had been full of holes—sloppy, almost laughable—and yet I’d still been convicted. I’d spent three years in that cell trying to understand how. Now I knew. He’d rigged it. The man I’d trusted most had driven a knife into my back at the moment I needed him most. “Why?” My voice came out rough and barely recognizable. “Why did you betray me?” Bob let out a short, cold laugh. “Why?” He turned, put his arm around Laura’s waist, and kissed her. My pupils shrank to pinpoints. Marta spoke up from where she stood. “Bob was Mom’s first love.” Her voice was completely flat, like she was stating a fact about the weather. “If you hadn’t gotten in the way back then, they’d already be together.” Bob raised his head and looked at me. His eyes were full of hatred. “That’s right, Andre. You took the woman I loved. There’s no forgiving that.” I stared at him. I couldn’t make it compute. “Over a woman?” My voice cracked. “You threw away decades of friendship over a woman? After everything I did for you—do you even remember any of it?” “Did for me?” Bob let out a sharp, contemptuous laugh. Like what I’d said was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “That’s a generous way to put it. The honest word is charity.” He stepped toward me. Looked down at me. “Andre, do you have any idea how much I’ve hated watching you act like you’re above everyone else, year after year?” “You’re a convicted rapist. What exactly makes you think you deserve to be the one running things?” “What gives you the right to the big house, the nice car, the whole entourage?” “And me?” He jabbed a finger at himself. “I have a real law degree. I’m smarter than you. I’m more capable than you.” “But for all these years, I’ve been nothing but your dog. Sitting when you said sit. Coming when you called.” “Everything you gave me—the car, the money—it was all handouts. Scraps you tossed at me to show everyone what a generous, big-hearted man you were.” “Today—” He slapped the document down in front of me. “I’m going to leave you with nothing.” The papers landed with a sharp crack. The edges rustled in the air. Marta’s voice came from beside me, cold and flat. “Dad. Sign it. Or—” “This time you won’t be looking at three years.”

My head snapped up. “What did you just say?” Marta tossed the pen onto the desk in front of me. “Dad. Sign.” I didn’t move. I kept my eyes locked on her. “That thing you just said. What did you mean by that?” Her gaze shifted for just a second. But she squared her jaw and didn’t back down. “If you don’t sign, evidence of you assaulting me—years of it—will end up in front of a judge.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of photographs. Dropped them on the desk. They fanned out across the surface. I looked down at them. It felt like someone had thrown a bucket of filth directly in my face. Photos of me supposedly hurting her. One showed me reaching out and grabbing her arm from behind—framed by the camera angle to look like an attack. Another showed fake bruises on her skin, with a shot of my face looking cold and expressionless just beside it. A few more were screenshots of text messages. All fabricated. All supposedly me threatening her. Every single one was fake. I stared at these carefully manufactured lies, and something inside me short-circuited. I stood completely still. This was the daughter I had treasured. The child I had held in the palm of my hand for twenty years. “That’s fake!” The words tore out of me. My voice broke on the way out. “That’s all fabricated!” Marta let out a short, dismissive laugh. “Does it matter?” She looked at me like I was something beneath her. “Dad, you’re a convicted felon. A rapist on record. Tell me—when the judge looks at this, who do you think they’ll believe? Me, or you?” I looked at her face. And then, strangely, I laughed. I had raised this girl for twenty years. I’d never let her go without. Never let her feel one moment of real hardship if I could help it. I’d worked myself to the bone to give her the best schools, the nicest clothes, every good thing I could find. I had never once laid a hand on her. Never even raised my voice at her when I could avoid it. And she was standing here using forged photographs to threaten me. Trying to put me back behind bars. I looked over at Bob and Laura. They were watching me with matching expressions of smug satisfaction. “Just sign it,” Bob said, tilting his chin up. “Your own daughter is on our side. What exactly do you think you’re fighting for?” Laura smiled and chimed in. “Andre, stop making this hard. Once you sign, you’re free to go. I’ll take good care of the company. I promise.” I looked down at the stock transfer agreement. Eighty million in debt. And the factory on the edge of town. They thought they were grabbing a gold mine. They had no idea they were grabbing a live grenade. I picked up the pen and slowly wrote my name across the document. When I finished the last page, I slid it across the desk. Then I looked up at my daughter. “Marta. I hope you don’t regret this.” She made a short, scornful sound. She didn’t even look at me. “Regret? Not a chance.” She took Laura’s arm. The look on her face was the pure, satisfied relief of someone who’d finally gotten what they wanted. “Now I get to live with my mom. And I never have to see you again.” I nodded. I had nothing left to say. Bob and Laura took the document and flipped through every page. When they were sure everything was in order, they couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces. Bob pulled out his phone and posted an announcement on the company’s official website right then and there. Stock Transfer Notice: Effective immediately, all shares of SSS Technologies are held by Ms. Laura. Personnel Update: Andre has been relieved of all positions within the company and is dismissed effective today. Laura watched the announcement pop up on the screen. Her eyes curved into crescents. She turned to face me, looking down from where she stood. “Andre. This company belongs to us now.” She lifted her chin toward the door. “You’re trespassing. Get out.” Bob followed up, unable to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. “Andre, if you beg nicely, maybe I’ll find you a spot cleaning the bathrooms.” “You’re not exactly young anymore. What are you going to do out there on your own?” I looked at both their faces—that shining, gloating triumph—and I laughed again. “No need for that.” I stood up and straightened my collar. “After all, we’ll see who gets the last laugh.” Laura frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I didn’t answer her. I glanced at the agreement they’d already put away, and the corner of my mouth lifted slightly. “The company’s yours now. Enjoy it.” Then I turned and walked toward the door. Marta made a short, contemptuous sound behind me. As if she found my parting words pathetic. I didn’t look back. I pushed the office door open and walked out. Their laughter followed me down the hall. Mixed in with it was my daughter’s voice, soft and playful. And the moment I stepped out through the front doors of the building, I saw them—a line of black sedans parked along the curb. A group of men in dark suits climbing out and heading toward the entrance.

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