Category: English

On the day of the earthquake, my fiancé’s sponsored student, Mia, insisted on finishing the last bite of her Wellington steak. My fiancé, Liam, commanded coldly: “Wait for her to finish, then we all evacuate together.” With hearing far beyond normal, I heard the sound of rocks cracking and urged everyone to evacuate with Liam first. When Mia got up to follow, she was struck by the falling ceiling and died instantly. Later, during our honeymoon, Liam pushed me off a cliff, crushing me with rocks. “It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t taken me away, Mia wouldn’t have died if she stayed put! She was just greedy for food, what’s wrong with that!” Even though he knew I was pregnant with his child at the time. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the earthquake. This time, if he wants to wait, let him wait. 1 “What’s the rush? We’re not in an earthquake zone, it’s at most an aftershock. Everyone wait for Mia to finish before we go.” “If anyone dares to leave without permission, don’t blame me for getting ugly.” Liam was arrogant, refusing to let anyone disobey his orders. I looked at the Western feast laid out before me, the phantom pain of being crushed to death in my past life still lingering in my body, and I had already hit the record button on my phone. The sound of cracking stones was getting closer. If I remembered correctly, the ceiling would collapse in two minutes. Someone’s dog started getting restless, showing dissatisfaction. “Mr. Vance, we should evacuate. She can eat that steak anytime.” The steak was still steaming. Mia picked up a piece and put it in her mouth, her face full of satisfaction: “This meat is so tender. It’s my first time eating Wellington.” Liam looked at Mia with a doting smile. “This is prime beef I specifically had flown in from the US. It would be a shame if you didn’t taste it.” Actually, I didn’t understand why Liam was so obsessed with this mere piece of steak. In my past life, I even went out of my way to check the shipping records for this steak, thinking of leaving an identical one at the girl’s grave. But I couldn’t find any records. Only then did I realize that Liam had raised that cow himself. He had tortured it beyond recognition, and in the end, this was the only piece of steak produced. Someone shot me a pleading look. “Miss Hastings, please persuade Mr. Vance. If there really is an earthquake, it’s a matter of life and death.” I shook my head. I wouldn’t dare interrupt for such a precious steak. Liam and I used to be quite affectionate, a model couple in our circle. But ever since he sponsored Mia, everything changed. The Liam before me had eyes only for her; where was there any room for me? I looked up at the ceiling and took a slow sip of red wine. “If Mr. Vance says wait, then wait. Everyone stay in your seats, we’ll be fine.” While the crowd was arguing, a massive chunk of the ceiling fell between the two tables with a loud crash. Flying debris cut Mia’s calf, leaving a thin trail of blood. She cried pitifully: “Liam, it hurts so much. Is my bone broken?” “Bear with it, I’ll take you to the hospital right away.” Liam coaxed her softly, his movements gentler than ever. But he immediately turned his fury on me. “Chloe Hastings! Can’t you pinpoint sounds by hearing? The ceiling fell, why didn’t you urge me to evacuate just now? You caused Mia to get hurt.” I lowered my eyes, bowing my head to apologize, using my wine glass to hide my smirk. “I’m sorry, I misjudged. I’ll penalize myself with a drink.” It seems I’m the only one who was reborn. This is fantastic news. Liam knocked over my wine glass, spilling red wine all over my white dress. “Enough, stop pretending. Let’s all evacuate quickly. What if something else falls?” The scattered debris made me lose my footing and fall. But Liam carried Mia away, leaving me only a cold glare. “Get up if you don’t want to die. You just fell down, stop acting so delicate.” I sat on my knees, watching him leave, my fingers resting by my side slowly clenching. Liam probably forgot that the reason we were here today was for our engagement party, yet I didn’t look like the female lead at all. But that’s okay. This time, Liam will pay the price he deserves. I leaned against the table corner and stood up, my dress covered in red wine and dirt. Liam had called an ambulance for Mia and taken all the bodyguards with him. Before closing the car door, he coldly threw down a sentence, “Chloe, find your own way back.” And then he sped off. I don’t know how to drive, and this place wasn’t in the city center, so I couldn’t get a cab. The guests left in twos and threes. Some took photos, some posted on social media, and some whispered among themselves. “What’s wrong with Chloe? Isn’t today her engagement party? But so far, only that one piece of ceiling fell. Could she have arranged it out of jealousy towards Mia?” “I heard she’s been given the cold shoulder by Mr. Vance for a long time. Mia was hurt, and Chloe was still in the mood to drink. Tsk, tsk, what a venomous woman.” I ignored them. My phone pinged; I received a notification that Mia had tagged me in a post. “I never thought someone would be willing to stay with me in an earthquake just to let me finish the last bite of steak, all because of one thing I said. Thank you, Liam.” I just found it ridiculous. This little girl had never seen the world. If this post was used by someone with ulterior motives, the Vance Group’s stock would likely hit the daily limit down. I was just pondering how to secretly scheme against Liam when I heard the sound of an approaching car. The next second, I was dragged into the car by a few men in black suits. “Miss Hastings, please come with us.” “Where to?” I instinctively stepped back. “Mr. Vance told us to take you to the hospital.” I paused, and just as I was about to refuse, I was grabbed by the arms on both sides, giving me no chance to break free. “Let me go! I can walk by myself!” As soon as I got out of the car, I saw Liam standing at the hospital entrance, looking at me with utter disgust. Mia, limping, leaned against him, looking as if she had suffered a grave injustice. “Liam, she’s here.” Mia said softly. I gritted my teeth. “Why did you bring me to the hospital?” “Don’t you love to pretend?” He sneered, looking down at me. “This scene today wouldn’t be complete without your acting.” He raised his hand and slapped me, making my eardrums ring and even drawing blood from the corner of my mouth. “Aren’t you supposed to have better hearing than others? How come you didn’t notice a thing before that piece of ceiling fell?” My swollen ankle gave out, and I stumbled, tumbling down the few steps in front of the hospital, looking completely disheveled. Liam closed in. “You didn’t warn us, didn’t speak up, you wanted Mia dead, didn’t you?! Or was the falling ceiling entirely your design?” Liam’s attitude changed so quickly, I immediately guessed someone had been gossiping. In my past life, seeing Liam favor Mia, those people would constantly badmouth me. I looked at Liam, my face full of grievance. “If I had called to stop, you probably would have been the first to call me a buzzkill. You said you’d get ugly with anyone who dared to leave, have you forgotten?” In my past life, pulling him away was my fault; this time, letting him wait is still my fault. Tears welled up in Mia’s eyes. “Liam, look at her, always making excuses. I just wanted to finish a piece of steak, and you wanted to see me get hurt? Why do you hate me so much?” I raised my hand and slapped Mia back. “Mia, don’t forget, I am Liam’s future wife!” Mia covered her face with one hand. “Liam, she hit me…” “Chloe Hastings!” Liam’s tone was filled with hatred. “You dare hit Mia in front of me? Are you crazy?” I sneered, “She started it, I’m just getting justice for myself. You’d better go investigate it yourself. It was a real earthquake today, not something I designed. I’m not that capable.” “Very well.” He suddenly turned his head, looked at Mia in his arms, and said gently, “Hit her back.” Mia was stunned. “Hit her back,” he repeated. “Since she dared to touch you, she should pay the price. Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” Mia shot me a timid glance, but a flash of triumph crossed her eyes. She stepped forward, pretending to argue with me, but took the opportunity to rip the buttons on my chest, exposing my cleavage. Even so, Liam had no intention of calling a stop. I quickly reached up to cover my chest, glaring angrily at Mia. “Mia?!” “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I just wanted to talk things out with you, but you suddenly lost control and ripped your own clothes…” “What did you say?” My pupils shrank as I looked at her in disbelief. “Chloe, you’re shameless.” Liam’s disgust deepened. “Arguing with someone looking so disheveled. If you don’t care about your dignity, I still care about mine!” “Mia!” My fingers trembled with anger. “You were the one who ripped my clothes!” “Enough!” Liam roared. “I saw it clearly, don’t you dare falsely accuse Mia again!” “Liam, it hurts.” Mia gently clutched her calf. The thin trail of blood had long stopped, but she still cried as if she were incredibly frail. “I was so angry at her just now I couldn’t catch my breath, and now my calf hurts again…” “Let’s go.” Liam didn’t hesitate to take off his coat and drape it over her. “I’ll take you for a full checkup.” Before leaving, Liam actually noticed my swollen ankle and frowned. But he still gave the doctors at the hospital a strict order: no one was allowed to treat me, considering it my punishment. I bought some Yunnan Baiyao and moved back into my own house. Late at night, I was awakened by a string of footsteps, only to find it was Liam. The next second, his hands were roaming over my body. “Liam!” My voice trembled. “What are you doing?!” My eyes widened, and I tried to push him away, but he pinned my hands down, pressing me firmly into the bed. “Wasn’t your performance at the hospital today because you were sexually frustrated?” I struggled and screamed, “Liam! Let me go!!” He sneered, “Why are you playing the chaste maiden here? It’s not like we haven’t done it before.” Liam forcefully kissed my lips, the taste of alcohol filling my mouth. He had been drinking. I suddenly remembered that in my past life, he got drunk because of Mia’s death, threw himself on me, and called out her name. That was the day I got pregnant. But this time, Mia only had minor injuries. Why is he acting like this? I bit his lip, and the smell of blood instantly filled the air. “You dare bite me?!” But this bite only deepened his beastly desire. He leaned in even closer. “Good, the more you act like this, the more I like it.” I screamed, grabbed the glass water cup from the nightstand, and smashed it against his head. “Crash!” He was stunned, his movements halting. I took the opportunity to push him away with all my might. Clutching the broken glass and dragging my burning ankle, I limped off the bed and shrank into the corner. “If you dare touch me again, I’ll kill myself right now!!” Liam wiped the blood from his face, staring at me blankly, his eyes full of anger and surprise. “You dare hit me? Chloe, you’ve really grown a spine!” “From today on, our engagement is off! Don’t even think about getting anything from me ever again!” The next day, Mia sent me photos of her and Liam in bed. “Sister, last night Liam was drunk and called out your name~ But in the end, I was the one who accompanied him.” “Yesterday happened to be my ovulation day. Who knows, there might already be a baby in my belly. The title of Mrs. Vance is going to be mine~” I couldn’t be bothered and just replied “Congrats.” Just two days after Liam left, I was barely able to get out of bed, my ankle still not fully healed, when the media exploded. [Liam Vance Announces Broken Engagement with Hastings Heiress] [Mia’s New Identity Revealed, May Become Mrs. Vance] My social media feeds and the trending topics were all filled with Mia smiling happily, while I became the background of a joke. But that’s okay. I couldn’t wait for them to lock it down. At 10:00 AM, I received a call from an unknown number. “Miss Hastings, there’s an auction at the Emerald Club at 10:00 PM tonight. Important clients will be there, involving the Vance Group’s future transformation projects. Mr. Vance instructed that you must attend. I will pick you up shortly.” After my father passed away, I invested almost all my money into the Vance Group. Even though Liam and I had fallen out, I had a share in what the Vance Group is today, so I’ll go this one last time. But I had a vague feeling Liam was up to no good, so I made a call in advance to have someone handle a few things for me.

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After eight years of marriage, the passion between my husband and me slowly died out in bed. I was complaining about it during a girls’ night when a friend, hearing my woes, recommended a famous couple account on an international platform. “It’s actually quite a coincidence. They’ve also been together for eight years, and they still go at it five times a night!” “I know this account too! I’ve been following them for a long time. The guy is so devoted and the girl is amazing. Every time they post a spicy video, I’m drooling… Just remember, don’t play their videos out loud in public.” In the middle of the night, driven by curiosity, I followed their instructions and clicked on the profile. The most recent video was updated just last night. White lace paired with a black tie—the overwhelming sexual tension made me blush and my heart race instantly. The caption read: [Love has no expiration date.] Having grown up together for over twenty years, my husband and I had long viewed each other as an extension of our own bodies. Our intimacy had always been respectful and measured; we never interacted with such unbridled abandon. I watched the video with the mindset of someone trying to learn. But at the very end of the video, on the man’s forearm, where veins bulged with exertion, a familiar watch caused my pupils to dilate in shock. That looked exactly… like my husband’s watch. Throughout our marriage, he had kept himself completely clean and distant from scandal. Except for one time, the night before our wedding, when I caught him in bed with a young woman I didn’t know. As proud as he was, that was the first time tears streamed down his face. He explained with a trembling voice that he had drunk too much, mistaken her for me, and that it would absolutely never happen again. In the eight years that followed, true to his promise, we treated each other with the utmost respect. We were the loving couple everyone envied. I believed him, but I was terrified to gamble on it again. So, on the night of my husband’s thirtieth birthday, I specifically took time off work and took an 11-hour international flight to surprise him. I figured that if everything was fine, this would be the last time I ever checked up on him, and I could casually drop the news that I was pregnant. After landing, I walked into a convenience store to buy water, just like I usually do. The woman next to me was on the phone. “You’re so clingy. We haven’t spoken for an hour and you’re blowing up my phone.” “Just wait, I’m going to squeeze you dry tonight.” Hearing another person speaking Mandarin, I curiously took a second look. I froze instantly. This woman… was the young girl from all those years ago. 1 Having not seen me in years, she didn’t seem to recognize me and turned toward the checkout counter. I couldn’t hear what the person on the other end said, but she replied with a playful pout, “I’m not cold. I’m wearing a lot. If you don’t believe me, you can check later.” “You can slip your hand in, follow my waist, all the way down to…” As if possessed by a ghost, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Julian Hayes. 【Julian, are you off work yet?】 He didn’t reply. The woman reached out and grabbed two boxes from the contraceptive aisle. The same brand, the same scent, the same size. The ones I was intimately familiar with, the ones Julian always used. Her voice was sickeningly sweet: “It’s your birthday today. You decide how many times we go.” I looked down at my phone. Still no reply. After she paid, I followed her out of the store. Her tone was coquettish: “Stop rushing me, I see your car.” The London rain hit my face, cold as ice. I pulled my coat tighter and hit the call button with a trembling finger. A cold, mechanical female voice replied, “The subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable.” I understood. He had turned on ‘Do Not Disturb’. This year, he said the overseas branch was very busy, and once he stepped into the office, he had no time to answer calls. This wasn’t the first time I couldn’t reach him. A Bentley pulled up and stopped at the corner not far away. “Julian!” The woman quickened her pace and opened the passenger door. I turned my head slightly to look. With just one glance, I was nailed to the spot. The car window was half open. The man in the driver’s seat looked composed and aristocratic. The woman twisted her waist and planted a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. He gave a helpless smile. “Acting spoiled again.” The streetlights were dim, but I saw his face with agonizing clarity. The owner of this face had accompanied me for my entire thirty years of life. At three years old, we held hands as we walked into kindergarten. He secretly slipped me the candy the teacher gave him: “I’ll protect you, don’t cry.” At sixteen, he imitated a scene from a movie and hid a drawing of me in a book. When I found it, his ears turned red. “I like you, so what?” At nineteen, our first love, our first kiss. He was so excited he bought out the entire restaurant. “I want to tell everyone that I am the happiest man in the world.” At twenty-two, he successfully proposed in front of both our families, swearing he would only ever love me. Everything froze on the night before our wedding. When I opened the hotel room door, he was naked, tangled with a strange girl. That day was pure chaos. Everyone said he had drunk too much and mistaken her for me. Since we grew up together, they said I should give him another chance. Even the girl knelt down and apologized. She said it was all her fault, that she bribed a waiter to get a keycard, just to fulfill a fantasy of her secret crush. Julian, proud and overbearing since childhood, had red eyes for the first time. Seeing me crying silently, he grabbed a fruit knife and aimed it at his own heart. “Chloe, it’s my fault it’s come to this.” “If you don’t believe me, I’ll cut it open and show you. My heart really only has you in it!” Tears blurred his face. His voice kept trembling. “Don’t leave me, honey. I’m begging you. You know how long I’ve loved you.” “If you don’t want me, I’ll die. I really will die…” Later, I sealed that memory away. Having lived intertwined for so many years, I thought we were inseparable. I thought we would go from childhood sweethearts to growing old together. But in this single second. Our thirty years. Finally collapsed. 2 I returned to the apartment in a daze. My mom sent a message: 【How did it go? Julian must be thrilled to know you’re pregnant!】 I took a deep breath, swallowed the sourness in my throat, and replied with feigned calm: 【Not yet. I just got to his apartment, I haven’t told him yet.】 The apartment door was pushed open from the outside. It was Julian returning. Our eyes met. His gaze was unnatural for a few seconds before quickly recovering its composure. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up from the airport.” My expression was flat: “I wanted to surprise you.” He walked over with a smile and gently ruffled my hair: “I can’t bear for you to be so tired.” “The flight must have been exhausting, right? It’s just a birthday, and my wife has to suffer through jet lag.” Julian was about to say something else, but his phone rang. Looking down to reply, his eyes held the gentleness and patience I was so familiar with. Then, he looked apologetic: “It’s a shame I have a client meeting tonight. My baby is going to feel neglected.” Before I could speak, he grabbed a piece of clothing from the closet. I instantly understood. He came back to grab a personal item that woman had forgotten. This apartment, where he stayed during his overseas business trips, was something I had decorated bit by bit in my spare time. I took a week off work and lost a major client to do it. But right now, the vase I had spent an entire afternoon hunting down and personally brought over from back home was gone. Even the photo of us stuck to the fridge had vanished without a trace. A piercing, damp cold seeped into my heart along with the rain-soaked clothes clinging to my skin. I abruptly stood up, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the door. Julian followed: “Are you angry?” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders from behind: “The apartment hasn’t been cleaned. Let me book you a room at a five-star hotel nearby.” “I promise I’ll spend the entire day with you tomorrow, okay?” He tilted his head to kiss me, just like he always did. A strange citrus scent flooded my nose. It was that woman’s scent. I turned my face away. Julian didn’t seem to care and left in a hurry. In front of the elevator, a sleazy local guy whistled at me, his gaze sticky. “How much? If he doesn’t want you, selling to me is the same.” “He has a girlfriend. I’ve seen her. You’re so beautiful, why degrade yourself?” “All the neighbors know them. He wouldn’t even let his girlfriend walk. He carried her on his back all the way from the garage several times. That girl looked so happy.” He grabbed my waist, grinning as he tried to kiss me. Like a reflex, I stomped down hard on his foot. While he cried out in pain, I dragged my suitcase and escaped through the emergency exit. Even when I awkwardly tripped and fell, I didn’t dare stop to check for scraped skin. I scrambled up and ran downstairs. Heading straight to the airport, I sat blankly in the departure lounge. I didn’t understand. Why did Julian cheat again? During the first two years of our marriage, I often had nightmares. In my dreams, Julian was naked, holding a strange girl. When I woke up, I would always cry. He would hold me, coaxing me over and over again. “It’s all my fault. I made my precious wife sad.” He changed all his device passwords to my birthday and introduced me as his wife at every public event. Every day, he would report everything he did and everyone he met. Even when he had to stay in a hotel during business trips, he would leave a video call on all night, falling asleep to the sound of my breathing. Both he and I were carefully repairing that trust. When exactly did it start? Vaguely remembering the woman’s name, I opened the social media app and searched. It only took me a minute to find her among the many accounts with the same name. Because her profile picture was taken in Julian’s office back home. 3 The painting behind her was one I had specially commissioned from a master artist. Just because Julian mentioned he liked it, I personally visited the artist, standing outside the studio in high heels for an entire afternoon before finally moving the artist to accept the commission. Chloe was a somewhat famous travel influencer with a decent following. I scrolled down. The first post related to Julian appeared three years ago. Chloe had her fingers intertwined with a man’s, the background being our high school track field. 【Together with my high school crush!】 In that exact spot, eighteen-year-old us held hands for the first time. The night breeze was cool, and Julian was so nervous his palms were sweating. “When our hair turns gray, we’ll come back here together.” Mid-August the year before last, right around our wedding anniversary. Julian said he had business and couldn’t make it, but Chloe’s post showed him keeping her company at a street food stall. Last New Year’s Eve, I was hospitalized with a high fever from the flu. Julian appeared in Chloe’s video, intently disinfecting a scrape on her fingertip. The hand holding my phone was shaking. Julian’s face never fully appeared in any of the photos. But the familiar cuffs, the lines on his palm, made it impossible for me to keep lying to myself. Chloe’s newest post refreshed on the screen. The lace maid outfit in the picture was so revealing it made me sick just looking at it. 【I bought it but forgot to take it. Good thing someone remembered. I’ll reward him tonight.】 So, that’s what Julian came back to the apartment to grab. In the comments, her fans were joking around. 【Brother-in-law is eating well! Sister loves him so much.】 Chloe replied: 【I can’t help it. I asked him today when he started falling for me.】 【He said it was eight years ago, the day I first bravely told him I liked him. He said my eyes were shockingly bright, and he never forgot it.】 【Thinking about how he was thinking of me during those years makes my heart melt completely.】 Eight years ago. That was the day I caught them in bed. I pressed my lips tightly together. But the tears stubbornly, silently rolled down my face. Chloe posted another video. The camera pointed at a large bed covered in rose petals. A woman’s voice giggled coquettishly: “My fans told me to ask you, now that you’re thirty, do you have any new plans for our relationship?” A man chuckled softly: “Plans?” “I do want a child. Baby, will you give me one?” The camera shook, and the sound of fabric rustling violently could be heard. My fingertips were stiff. I misdialed several times before finally calling Julian. The phone rang three times before connecting. My voice trembled as I asked, “Julian, am I still in your future plans?” He was silent for a few seconds, then said casually, “Of course, why wouldn’t you be?” “Oh, right, my parents said you had a surprise for me. They asked me several times, what is it?” From the other end came Chloe’s soft urging. “Hubby, if you don’t focus, I’m going to punish you.” If I hadn’t stumbled upon the truth, I probably would have been stupid enough to think it was his subordinate. My gaze swept over the torn ultrasound report in the trash can, and I said softly, “There isn’t one.” The surprise is gone. The love of the past, the future we looked forward to together. It’s all gone. Julian’s tone carried a hint of anger. “What kind of petty tantrum are you throwing?” “For you, I’ve turned down dozens of international partnership opportunities, just because you’re always so paranoid!” “I’m out entertaining clients tonight, considering our future, can’t you give me a moment to breathe?” Tears fell again, and I gave a soft laugh. “Julian, you’re right.” “I am throwing a petty tantrum.” “When you get back to the States, let’s get a divorce.” 4 Julian hung up first. He scoffed coldly, “Fine, throw a fit if you want to.” The disconnected dial tone echoed in the receiver, hitting my heart like a drumbeat. During the ten-plus hour return flight, I didn’t sleep a wink. It wasn’t until I lay on the operating table and the anesthesia flowed into my veins that I was finally freed from the endless agony. The day I found out I was pregnant, I was truly overjoyed. I thought this would be a new beginning for our little family. Just a few more months, and the baby would be born. Happiness was within reach. But now, everything had fallen apart. After resting for a day, I received another message from Julian. 【I’m back. Family dinner tonight, don’t throw a tantrum in front of my parents.】 【Chloe, you’re not a little girl anymore. There should be a limit to your temper.】 I replied, agreeing to attend. By the time I pulled myself together and arrived at the Hayes family estate, both families were already there. Julian sat down next to me. He looked at my averted face, his tone exasperated. “Are you still angry?” He pulled out a necklace and shoved it into my hand. “It was my fault, okay?” “An apology gift for you. Give me a smile, hmm?” My palms turned ice cold. Just yesterday, right before I was about to go into the operating room, Chloe posted an update. The messy bed was covered in gifts. She opened them one by one: a limited-edition crocodile skin bag, a custom luxury perfume, a diamond-encrusted bracelet… Only when she got to this gold necklace did she grimace in disgust: “The style is so old-fashioned, I don’t want it.” The person filming laughed indulgently: “I get you a gift for my birthday and you still complain. I’ll just go throw it away, alright?” I loosened my grip, letting the necklace fall to the floor. Julian frowned: “What more do you want? Take it or leave it.” Julian’s mother smiled affectionately, trying to ease the tension. “I heard you specifically flew to London for Julian’s birthday, but he didn’t spend time with you because of work. He was in the wrong for that.” My mom chimed in to smooth things over. “You’re going to be a mother soon, you can’t be throwing petty tantrums. It’s not good for your health.” “Be a… mother?” Julian froze, turning to look at me in disbelief. “Chloe, you’re pregnant?!” He stood up abruptly, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curling upward. “I’m going to be a dad, aren’t I?!” The coldness in his eyes melted away, replaced by unconcealed excitement. I didn’t look away, clearly seeing every ounce of his emotion. But this time, was it real or fake? I couldn’t tell anymore. And I didn’t care. The elders from both families laughed out loud. “Look at this silly boy.” I said softly: “No.” “I aborted the baby.” The atmosphere froze. Julian’s excitement stiffened on his face. Panic flashed in his eyes for a few seconds before he squeezed out a smile: “Chloe, don’t make jokes like that.” I didn’t respond. I pulled out the pre-prepared divorce agreement from my bag. Then I gave a slight smile: “Julian, I met Chloe.” “If we don’t get a divorce, are you going to make her be the other woman for the rest of her life?”

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I was very satisfied with my arranged marriage because my husband kept himself clean and had strong moral boundaries. So, during a dinner party, when I saw him peel a shrimp for his female assistant, I didn’t say anything. But the night we got home, I bought ten pounds of shrimp and dumped them in front of him. “Peel them. You seem to be pretty good at it.” A man who lacks boundaries—if he can learn to behave, I’ll make do. If he can’t, I’ll just replace him. After all, I’m a germaphobe. 1 When I walked through the door, an unfamiliar girl was placing a piece of sea cucumber into Carter’s bowl. She didn’t use serving chopsticks. I smiled and greeted the several managers seated at the table, then looked at the girl who remained seated without moving. The sales manager next to her shot her a look: “This is Mrs. Sterling, our CEO’s wife.” The girl stood up and smiled at me: “Hello, Ma’am. I’m the new executive secretary, Chloe. Nice to meet you, please take care of me.” I smiled politely, didn’t reply, and took the nearest open seat. I exchanged pleasantries with everyone as usual, quietly observing Carter and Chloe sitting opposite me. I watched as Carter naturally ate the sea cucumber Chloe had put in his bowl. Then, I watched Chloe pick up a shrimp, looking at it with a troubled expression, before shooting a helpless look at Carter. Carter frowned slightly, took the shrimp, put on disposable gloves, elegantly peeled it, and tossed the shrimp meat into Chloe’s bowl. I narrowed my eyes, looked down, and sent a message to Martha, our housekeeper. “Go buy ten pounds of fresh shrimp and boil them.” Just as I hit send, Chloe, who had been mostly quiet, suddenly spoke up: “Ma’am, I’m so jealous of how lucky you are. Marrying a successful man like Mr. Sterling, you just have to stay home and be a good wife. Unlike us corporate slaves, who have to toil away just to feed ourselves.” I looked up, my gaze landing with amusement on her young, pretty face: “A newbie indeed. So ill-mannered.” Chloe froze, probably not expecting me to be so blunt. Then she quickly put on an expression of perfectly calculated panic and grievance. “I’m sorry, Ma’am. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just used to speaking my mind. Please don’t hold it against me.” Her eyes blatantly assessed my Chanel suit and handbag: “It’s just that seeing you spend so lavishly and dress so expensively, my heart aches a bit for Mr. Sterling. After all, he sacrificed a lot to build the Sterling Group to what it is today.” I couldn’t help but laugh, resting my chin on my hand without saying a word. The others at the table, however, looked panicked. The product director scolded her: “What nonsense are you talking about! Do you think Mrs. Sterling is just a housewife? We call her Mrs. Sterling here, but outside these doors, everyone respectfully calls her ‘CEO Davis’!” Chloe looked bewildered, as if she still didn’t understand. The sales manager next to her whispered a reminder: “CEO Davis and Mr. Sterling had a marriage alliance between two powerful families. CEO Davis is also the sole heir to the Davis Group. What on earth are you blabbering about? Apologize to Ma’am right now!” Chloe’s pretty face turned pale. She bit her lip, a thin mist of tears quickly welling up in her large eyes, and looked at Carter pleadingly. Meeting my half-smiling gaze, Carter shook his head somewhat helplessly and reprimanded her lightly: “Apologize to Ma’am. From now on, pay attention to your surroundings when you speak, and more importantly, know your place. If you don’t understand something, ask. If you don’t know how to do something, learn.” Having no other choice, Chloe looked at me and said pitifully in a small voice, “Ma’am, I’m sorry.” I stood up without even looking at her and smiled at everyone: “My other engagement hasn’t finished yet. Please excuse me, we’ll catch up next time.” By the time my other event ended, it was already 10 PM. Walking to the parking lot, Carter was still waiting there. Seeing me, he opened the car door for me just like always. We chatted casually on the way back, the atmosphere mild. Once home, Carter went to shower first. When he came out, I threw the ten pounds of shrimp Martha had prepared right in front of him. The ten pounds of boiled shrimp were neatly arranged in several large bowls, filling the long dining table. Meeting Carter’s confused gaze, I smiled gently. “Hubby, peel these for me.” 2 Carter looked surprised: “Did you not eat enough at the dinner? You didn’t need to buy this much, there’s no way you can finish it all.” He was about to call Martha down to clean it up, but I interrupted him: “I want you to peel them for me, personally.” Carter froze, then frowned imperceptibly: “Sarah, you know I’m a germaphobe.” I smiled mildly: “Are you? But during the dinner today, you seemed to have no problem peeling shrimp for your new little assistant.” Carter paused, then suddenly chuckled in realization: “So you’re jealous over that?” He sat down next to me with a smile, wrapping his arm around my shoulder: “It’s rare to see you jealous. I thought CEO Davis was always calm and collected.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead: “She’s just a new intern. She just entered the real world and doesn’t know anything. She speaks without thinking. I just saw how young she was and helped her out casually. If you mind, I promise it won’t happen again.” I looked up at his handsome face so close to mine. Three years of marriage, in his thirties, and time hadn’t left any harsh marks on his face; instead, it added a settled charm. I reached up and gently stroked his face: “Carter, do you know why, out of all the potential marriage candidates back then, I chose you at first glance?” Carter tilted his head. I smiled tenderly: “Because you were clean.” “Your parents said you were a germaphobe, that you didn’t like unnecessary physical contact with people you weren’t close to, and you didn’t like people invading your boundaries.” “What a coincidence. I’m exactly the same.” Meeting Carter’s dazed gaze: “Our marriage is an alliance of interests between the Davis and Sterling families. We’ve gotten along well these past few years. I want our marriage to remain clean and smooth. Whether it’s you and me, or the Davis and Sterling families, I want everything to go well. Don’t disappoint me.” I stood up, bent down, dropped a kiss on his lips, and raised an eyebrow: “Remember to peel all these shrimp for me. This is your punishment for failing to maintain proper boundaries with another woman for the first time. Be a good boy.” I didn’t care what time Carter went to bed. I put on a sheet mask and went to sleep early. When I woke up the next day, there were several large bowls filled with peeled shrimp meat on the dining table. Carter had gone to work early due to an emergency meeting. Martha stood quietly to the side. I smiled: “Martha, you have quite a few people in your family, right? Take these home. Sir peeled them himself, so they should be very clean. Don’t let them go to waste.” After that day, life between Carter and me went on as usual, as if that unpleasant little interlude was just a spice in our marriage, harmless and adding a bit of flavor. He even treated me better than before. I didn’t have the time or energy to monitor what women he interacted with every day. As the heir to the Davis Group, I was incredibly busy. However, a month later, on his way to pick me up for a family dinner, he rolled down the window, revealing Chloe’s slightly smug face in the passenger seat. I furrowed my brow. 3 “Hello, Ma’am. You look beautiful today!” Chloe seemed completely oblivious to my displeasure, smiling brightly, her pretty face radiating a seemingly innocent naivety. Carter also looked normal, as if he didn’t sense anything wrong. My face darkened. I pulled open the passenger door and said coldly: “Get out.” Chloe’s expression froze. It took her a long time to mutter: “Ma’am, Mr. Sterling is just dropping me off on his way. I get carsick, so I sat in the front.” She turned her head, casting a pleading look at Carter. Carter looked at me somewhat helplessly. Probably knowing my temper, he didn’t speak up to defend her this time. I repeated coldly for the second time: “Get out.” Carter finally spoke: “Let Ma’am sit.” Biting her lip, Chloe reluctantly got out of the car. Just as she reached for the back door handle, I interrupted coldly: “Who said you could get in?” Chloe froze. I took a deep breath, pulled two red hundred-dollar bills from my purse, and stuffed them into her jacket pocket. “Can’t even afford cab fare? Life must be tough. I’ll cover it for you. Go home, and be safe.” Carter watched Chloe and me standing outside the car awkwardly, attempting to intervene. I smiled brightly at him: “Carter, this is your fault. Your employees are so poor they can’t even afford a cab ride home. That’s a failure on your part. Starting tomorrow, all level-three and above employees at both Sterling and Davis Groups will have their transportation allowance increased by 10%, paid out of the Sterling accounts.” Chloe’s eyes reddened, tears welling up but refusing to fall, giving her the aura of a stubborn, resilient heroine from a tragic drama. “Ma’am,” she said with a trembling voice, “I may be poor, but I have ambition. What gives you the right to use your status as the CEO’s wife to humiliate my character with money?!” I couldn’t help but laugh: “You’re so poor you can’t afford a cab and have to hitch a ride with the CEO. How is me paying for your cab humiliating your character? Does it only count as ‘not humiliating’ if the CEO personally drives you to your door? Your character must be incredibly valuable, considering the few minutes you just wasted cost your CEO and me several hundred million in potential earnings. If he spent extra time detouring to drop you off, how would you compensate us for the financial loss? With your character?” I sneered, not bothering to look at her face anymore, leaned in, got in the car, and slammed the door shut with a bang. Carter silently started the car. Through the rearview mirror, I saw Chloe still standing there, biting her lip, looking utterly humiliated. The silence in the car was suffocating, but I had no intention of being the first to speak. Carter coughed lightly, attempting to explain: “The place she rents isn’t far from the old estate. It wasn’t out of my way to give her a ride. Why did you have to…” “Carter.” Through the rearview mirror, I met his eyes. “I told you, I liked you because you were clean. Because you aren’t the only germaphobe here; I am too.” “We let the shrimp incident slide. Today, you allowed her to sit in your passenger seat and even adjusted my seat settings.” “I only ever give anyone around me three chances. Today was your second.” “My demands aren’t high. Just maintain an appropriate distance and boundaries with other women, like you used to. That shouldn’t be hard for you.” “Carter, don’t disappoint me.” 4 He didn’t say anything else, and silence returned to the car. I couldn’t be bothered to figure out if he was upset. Since childhood, I’ve never had to walk on eggshells for anyone. The car pulled smoothly into the parking area of the old estate. Getting out, I linked my arm through Carter’s as if nothing had happened, acting as if our earlier spat never occurred. “You should know that our marriage isn’t just about us. If you don’t want the stock prices of both our families to fluctuate tomorrow, put on a smile. We are adults; don’t act immature, okay?” I was smiling brightly, but my words were ice-cold. From the corner of my eye, I saw Carter force a plausible smile. Only then did we walk into the estate together. As soon as we walked in, my mother-in-law warmly greeted us, giving me an affectionate hug: “Sarah gets more beautiful every day. Come, sit next to me.” Carter sat down next to me. The Sterling family was large and prosperous. We sat around a large table, a lively atmosphere filling the room. Carter’s mother chatted warmly with me while constantly putting food on my plate. “The joint project between our two families is progressing very smoothly. Sarah, you are so capable.” “Mom, please, we are all family. There’s no need to speak as if we’re separate.” Carter’s mother suddenly frowned, looking at Carter, who hadn’t said much: “What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you talking? You don’t even know how to take care of your wife at the dinner table.” Carter’s expression was a bit strained: “You two were having such a great conversation, how could I interrupt?” Carter’s mother tucked a stray hair behind her ear, bringing it up seemingly casually: “I heard you have a new little assistant who doesn’t quite know the rules?” Carter paused his chopsticks, frowning as he looked over. His gaze swept between me and his mother. His mother sounded casual, but every word carried a sting: “I’ve already informed the HR manager to fire her. A mere intern, lacking both ability and tact. Pay her three months’ severance and let her seek employment elsewhere.” Carter slammed his chopsticks down: “Mom, I am the head of the company now. If you want to fire someone on my team, you should go through me!” His mother calmly placed a shrimp in my bowl: “You handle other matters well enough, but you are a bit too soft-hearted towards these nobodies. You’re still young; there’s no need to rush.” She looked at Carter with deep meaning: “The alliance between the Sterling and Davis families is of paramount importance. When we were selecting an heir, the reason you came out on top was because of your understanding of propriety and your ability to assess the situation. Don’t lose your greatest strengths.” I acted as if I hadn’t heard a thing, maintaining a faint smile and conversing in a low voice. The family dinner had a minor hiccup but remained relatively harmonious. Upon returning home, Carter leaned against the entryway. Looking down at me as I finished changing my shoes, he said in a deep voice: “Sarah, we need to talk.” His voice carried suppressed anger. 5 I walked to the bathroom as usual, washing my hands while asking: “Talk.” The light in the entryway cast a sharp shadow across Carter’s high nose bridge. He spoke in a deep voice: “Was it really necessary to involve my mother in matters between us as husband and wife?” I paused, dried my hands, and looked up at him: “You think I complained to your mother?” Carter’s eyes were pitch black. In the years I’ve known him, he had never looked at me with such a chilling gaze. “Isn’t it? Sarah, I can tolerate your diva temper, but you’ve repeatedly made things difficult for Chloe. You have no sympathy, and your jealousy has gone too far!” I narrowed my eyes, assessing this man I’d shared a bed with for years, beginning to reflect that maybe my judgment was occasionally flawed. Carter wasn’t finished venting: “This time you’ve pushed it even further, taking the matter to my mother and having her fire my subordinate! You know I hate people interfering in my company affairs!” “Are you done?” I cut him off coldly. “So, are you angry because your mother interfered in your work, making you feel your authority was challenged? Or are you heartbroken because your little assistant was humiliated and lost her job?” Seemingly enraged by my indifferent tone, Carter’s anger flared: “It seems you still don’t think you did anything wrong!” “What did I do wrong?!” I stepped closer to him: “Was I wrong for not remaining indifferent when I saw you and your little assistant crossing boundaries? Or was I wrong for not stopping your mother when she saw through Chloe’s ulterior motives and fired her?” “Or was my mistake not divorcing you the very first time you peeled shrimp for her?” Carter’s pupils violently contracted. I took two steps back, looked him up and down, and shook my head with considerable regret. “Carter, I told you, everyone around me only gets three chances. You’ve just used them all up.” That night’s argument ended bitterly. Carter, furious, slammed the door and left in the middle of the night, unilaterally starting a cold war. Before leaving, he threw out one sentence: “No one can stand your condescension!” I had a lot of work to deal with and no time to play games with him. The Davis Group was preparing to expand its overseas enterprises, and I was up to my neck in work. Until a week later, when I saw the news in the paper about Carter attending a high-profile charity gala with a date. The photos were taken very well. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match. Chloe was wearing an haute couture evening gown, the diamond necklace around her neck sparkling brilliantly. I looked at it for a while, nodded, and had my secretary assemble a top-tier legal team. A marriage alliance between two powerful families involved many intricate details. The terms of the divorce agreement required meticulous research and careful polishing. While we were discussing the terms, I received a call from Carter’s mother.

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Just after I gave birth to my second child, my parents rushed over from our hometown and transferred me a huge red envelope of $88,000. My husband smiled and said, “Mom and Dad are so generous to their maternal grandson.” My parents and I exchanged glances, all of us stunned. “Liam, what do you mean? Didn’t we agree that the second child would take my last name? Why ‘maternal grandson’?” My face immediately darkened. Before my husband could open his mouth, my mother-in-law standing nearby immediately stepped forward. “That won’t do! The little treasure is a boy! He definitely has to carry on our Sterling family line, how could he take your last name!” My parents’ faces instantly darkened. Their good upbringing and manners made them suppress their emotions and not lash out. But I couldn’t hold it in! “Liam! Is this your idea, or your mother’s?” My husband looked at me, hemming and hawing. “Well, how about we change Chloe’s last name to yours instead?” As soon as he said this, the room instantly went quiet. I immediately laughed out of pure anger. “Fine!” “Then let our daughter take my last name!” … Hearing this, my mother-in-law’s eyes instantly widened. “What? Take your last name? Liam, is your brain broken? Letting your daughter take someone else’s last name! Your dad will beat you to death!” My mother-in-law was still yelling about the rules passed down from our ancestors, how children must definitely take their father’s last name. My mom took a deep breath, trying her best to remain peaceful. “Mrs. Sterling, times are different now, it’s very common for children to take their mother’s last name. Maya is our only daughter, we just want to have a namesake to carry on.” My mother-in-law sneered, looking my mom up and down from the corner of her eye: “Oh, a namesake? Sounds nice! Isn’t it just because you couldn’t give birth to a son yourself, so you want to come and steal our Sterling family’s grandson to provide for you in your old age? Let me tell you, no way!” “You! How can you speak like that!” My mom trembled with anger. My dad quickly supported her, his face livid. Anger flared in my heart. I looked at Liam shrinking to the side and roared: “We agreed from the start that the second child would take my last name, what does your mother mean by this now?” Liam’s eyes darted around, hemming and hawing for a long time, “Well, how about we ask Chloe what she thinks?” I simply couldn’t believe my ears! He actually wanted a child to bear the weight of such a decision? My dad, heartbroken for his granddaughter, but still holding onto a sliver of hope, nodded in agreement: “Alright, asking Chloe is fine too.” But who could have imagined that as soon as Chloe heard this, she immediately burst into loud wails, throwing herself into her grandmother’s arms: “Waaah, I don’t want to take Mom’s last name! Then Dad and I wouldn’t be a family anymore! The other kids will mock me for being a wild child!” The air instantly froze. My daughter is only 7 years old, she absolutely wouldn’t say things like this on her own. Unless someone had deliberately taught her. Thinking of this, my parents’ faces instantly became even uglier. They didn’t expect the granddaughter they loved so dearly to reject them so strongly. My mom, afraid that my emotional agitation would cause a clogged milk duct, suppressed her emotions, “Enough, we’ll talk about this later. Maya, you focus on your postpartum recovery first.” Seeing this, Liam visibly breathed a sigh of relief, “Yes, yes, Mom is right, anyway, no matter whose last name they take, they are both my and Maya’s children!” Hearing this, my parents didn’t say another word. In the afternoon, my parents went back early, using business at their factory as an excuse. As soon as they left, my mother-in-law started making passive-aggressive remarks. “Hmph! Ran away fast enough! As soon as they heard their grandson wasn’t changing his last name and there was no advantage to be gained, they left immediately!” My husband smiled awkwardly, offering a token word of advice, “Mom! Don’t say that, Maya’s parents really are busy at their factory!” I couldn’t hold it in anymore and shot right back: “They really are busy! After all, everything our whole family eats, uses, and lives in now is paid for by my parents’ money!” My mother-in-law, hit where it hurt, instantly turned red in the face and thick in the neck. Just as she was about to lash out, the maternity nurse came over to remind me it was time to breastfeed. I just turned over and lay down, saying coldly: “I can’t feed him, I’m too full of anger, my milk ducts are clogged!” My mother-in-law was so angry she wanted to charge over and argue, but was pulled out by Liam. 2 Liam and I dated freely. Back then, when my friends found out that I, an only child from a wealthy East Coast family, was going to marry into a rural Midwestern family, their eyes almost popped out of their heads. They took turns advising me, saying even if I had to get married, the man should marry into our family. But Liam simply couldn’t stand the idea of ‘marrying into’ my family. “Maya, I’m the only son in my family, my parents depend on me, I can’t leave them!” At that time, my brain clouded by love, I ignored my parents’ tears and my friends’ advice, and went back with him. But reality gave me a resounding slap in the face. After marriage, the farm he and his parents contracted lost money year after year, relying entirely on my parents for financial support. When we were dating, he solemnly promised “have two kids, one takes your last name, one takes mine.” It turns out, from the very beginning, it was an out-and-out scam. His family had made up their minds long ago to leech off our family. Thinking of this, I only felt a knot of pent-up anger blocking my chest, painfully stifling. I don’t know how long passed, but the bedroom door was gently pushed open. Liam came in carrying my favorite soup dumplings. “Honey, still angry? I just coaxed Chloe to sleep, she cried very sadly, saying no matter what she wouldn’t change her name.” I sneered inwardly. “True! Changing a name is indeed troublesome, you have to go through a lot of paperwork all over again.” Hearing me say this, his face instantly lit up with joy. “Exactly, exactly! Honey, you finally figured it out, I knew you were the most reasonable…” “So,” I coldly interrupted him, “it’s just more convenient to change the baby’s name directly, just as we agreed before, he’ll be called Ethan Vance.” Liam’s smile instantly froze on his face. He stood up abruptly, his voice rising sharply in anger. “How can we do that?!” Seeing me staring coldly at him without speaking, he suppressed his anger, putting on an earnest and well-meaning tone. “Maya, be reasonable, our family has had a single male heir for three generations! If the baby takes your last name, won’t this family line be broken? How are my parents supposed to hold their heads up in front of relatives and friends in the future?!” I took a deep breath, “So, your promise to my parents back then, to have two kids and each takes one last name, was all bullshit?” Faced with my accusation, Liam’s face turned the color of pig liver. “Maya Vance! Why are you so aggressive? Is this the same thing? Besides, if you were capable, you would have had a son the first time, and we wouldn’t have all this trouble now!” The blood in my entire body instantly froze. “Liam, do you have any common sense? Whether it’s a boy or a girl is determined by the man’s chromosomes!” Liam was choked by my words and couldn’t speak. He fiercely kicked the chair next to him, making a huge noise, scaring the sleeping baby into loud wails. Watching him leave in a huff, my heart sank to the bottom. I had actually given birth to two children for a man like this. 3 Because of my insistence, Liam finally agreed to change our daughter’s name. Not feeling reassured, I asked my best friend, Sarah, to accompany him and complete all the procedures. “Don’t worry, I watched him do it step-by-step. See, it’s changed, from Chloe Sterling to Chloe Vance.” In the afternoon, Sarah returned with the brand new documents. I nodded in satisfaction, the pent-up frustration of many days finally dissipating a little. “Sarah, thanks for your hard work, stay for dinner tonight, I’ll have the nanny make a few extra dishes.” Sarah’s eyes flickered, however, and she smiled and declined, “No, no, I have a date tonight.” Seeing her coy expression, I couldn’t help but tease her. “It’s a man, right? Tell me, did you find yourself a boyfriend?” “Oh stop, it’s nothing official yet, I’ll tell you first when we make it official.” Her tone was coy, and she subconsciously moved the bag in her hand behind her back. It was a newly released luxury brand handbag, definitely not her usual level of spending. A subtle feeling brushed across my heart, but it was diluted by the joy of my daughter successfully changing her name. “Alright, then hurry up and go. Liam,” I turned to my silent husband standing to the side, “drive Sarah, she helped us a lot.” Liam agreed, his face still gloomy, “Let’s go.” Early the next morning, I woke up early because my breasts were engorged, only to hear a slight noise outside the door. I threw on some clothes and got up, just in time to see Liam opening the door and coming in from outside. I felt suspicious, but kept my face neutral: “So early? Did you go out, or did you just get back?” He was clearly startled, then forced a tired smile: “The boss called for sudden overtime last night, tossed and turned all night, I just made do on the sofa at the office. See, I thought you’d like these, so I went early to buy some soup dumplings.” I nodded and didn’t ask further. That piece of farmland in his hometown lost money year after year. After my repeated suggestions, he reluctantly found a job. But his abilities were average, and his ambitions were higher than his skills, so his work wasn’t going smoothly. “Honey, I have something else I want to discuss with you.” Liam suddenly spoke, and I had a premonition it wasn’t anything good. “Go ahead.” “Look, the baby is about to be one month old, here’s what I’m thinking, we should celebrate it properly, make it lively!” I immediately frowned: “He’s just a baby, a simple gesture is enough, besides, when Chloe was one month old, we didn’t celebrate it, did we?” Liam blurted out almost instantly: “How can that be the same!” As soon as the words left his mouth, seeing my face darken, he immediately and hastily explained: “Just because Chloe didn’t have one, that’s why we absolutely must have one for the baby! Besides, over all these years, how much money have my parents given out as gifts for other people’s events? It’s time to use this opportunity to recoup it!” Looking at his calculating face, I sneered inwardly: “Fine, if you want to host it, go ahead.” A hint of joy had just appeared on Liam’s face when he immediately replaced it with a troubled expression: “Honey, you know my parents don’t have any savings. Look, could your parents help us out with fifty thousand first?” “Fifty thousand?” I jerked my head up, “Liam, are you crazy? A one-month celebration costs fifty thousand?” Liam couldn’t help but frown: “This is our Sterling family’s first grandson! Can the event look shabby?” “My parents’ money is hard-earned! It’s not for you to show off and fill your family’s bottomless pit!” I suppressed my anger, my voice icy. “I agree to the celebration, but you figure out the money for this yourself, I can’t bring myself to ask.” Liam’s face instantly turned extremely ugly. He glared at me fixedly, and after a long while, finally squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: “Fine! Maya Vance, you’re ruthless!” 4 Liam took it upon himself to book the baby’s one-month celebration at the best hotel in the city. That day, he and his mother were at home counting the invitations. I happened to walk by and glanced over, only to discover that my parents’ names weren’t even on them. “Liam! The baby’s one-month celebration, and you didn’t invite my parents?!” Liam panicked instantly, quickly gathering the scattered invitations on the table. “That’s not true, I’m just checking who I missed, I was going to add them right away.” I frowned at him, my intuition telling me his words were untrustworthy. Still feeling uneasy, I found a time to call my mom. “Mom, you know the baby’s one-month celebration is this Saturday, right?” My mom smiled and nodded, “Of course, I already have the red envelope ready, to celebrate my eldest grandson turning one month old!” “Eldest grandson?” I was full of doubts, “What do you mean?” My dad took the phone and said, “Liam told us he’s going to let the baby take your last name, he’ll change it right after the celebration.” I was just about to tell them that Chloe’s name had already been changed, but before I could finish, the call was hung up. Afterwards, my mom sent a text message saying she had something to do and we’d talk when we met on Saturday. In the evening, Liam came back, and I sat in the living room waiting for him. “My parents said you agreed to let the baby take my last name?” Liam smiled and nodded, “Yeah, didn’t Mom and Dad want the baby to take your last name.” I frowned, repeatedly reminding him, “But hasn’t Chloe already…” He suddenly bent down, kissed my forehead, and looked at me with deep affection. “It’s okay honey, I’ve thought it through. If we let both kids take your last name, I wouldn’t mind.” Hearing this, I was even more confused. How did he suddenly become a completely different person. Moreover, even if he really agreed, what about my mother-in-law, would she agree? At night, I tested the waters with my mother-in-law. To my surprise, she actually agreed too. “Yes, Liam told me. Your parents are getting older, it’s normal for them to want a grandson of their own bloodline.” Seeing her say this, I didn’t dwell on it anymore. After all, having both kids change to my last name would only mean my parents would contribute more. The next day, I dressed the baby early in his outfit for the celebration. My mother-in-law suddenly said. “Maya, you see there will be a lot of people at the banquet later, why don’t you and the baby just stay home, don’t go join the crowd. What if there are too many people and it scares the baby…” I was full of confusion, “Today is to celebrate the baby turning one month old, is it appropriate for him not to go?” My mother-in-law smiled and explained, “It’s just an excuse. The baby is so small, it’s inconvenient for him to go. Your dad’s relatives all love to smoke, we don’t want them smoking out the baby.” I agreed with this point. The first year of our marriage, Liam and I went back to his hometown to host a banquet. Those relatives smoked so much the whole room reeked, you couldn’t stay in there at all. “Alright then.” Seeing this, my mother-in-law said again, “Hey, your parents definitely want to see the baby, tell them not to go to the hotel either, just come straight to the house to keep your dad company?” I had originally thought of this too, and seeing my mother-in-law offer, I didn’t refuse. But because the baby suddenly had diarrhea, I was busy changing his diaper and forgot to message my parents. By the time I remembered, it was already noon, so I called them immediately. “Hello, Mom and Dad, have you arrived at the hotel? You don’t need to go, just come straight to the house to see me and the baby.” But my mom said, “You and the baby are at home? Then who is the baby I saw Liam and his mother holding?” Hearing this, I was instantly dumbfounded. I looked down at the baby in my arms. The baby was at home with me, so whose baby was Liam holding? Right at this moment, my daughter’s teacher suddenly tagged me in the group chat, saying my daughter was the only one left who hadn’t signed up for the school summer camp, and asked me to take a picture of my daughter’s household registration information to apply for her. I hurriedly looked for the documents, but when I flipped to my daughter’s section, I was dumbfounded. The name, which should have been changed to Chloe Vance, still glaringly displayed Chloe Sterling, with no new section added for “former name.” Which means, Liam never changed our daughter’s name?! Thinking of this, my whole body trembled uncontrollably, and I immediately called my best friend, Sarah. But her phone rang for a long time before being answered. Before I could speak, a familiar voice came from the other end of the line. “Sarah, come quick, your dad is calling you to take the baby around to toast everyone.” That was… my mother-in-law’s voice!! The next second, the call was cut off.

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At the company dinner, the newly appointed big boss’s daughter from headquarters accidentally spilled wine on Arthur’s shirt. While Arthur went to the restroom to clean up. Everyone was guessing whether he would get angry. “I bet three shots that Mr. Vance will definitely lose his temper. Last time a young girl accidentally got his documents dirty, she was fired the next day!” “Tsk, tsk, tsk, that’s not necessarily true. Haven’t you heard that the big boss’s daughter is Mr. Vance’s first love?!” Hearing this, everyone gasped. The person continued: “After graduation, she went abroad, and the two were forced to break up. But later, Mr. Vance actually came to our company. Why do you think that is?” “Isn’t it just to wait for her to come back! I bet they’ll rekindle their old flame in no time!” A colleague next to me nudged my elbow: “Chloe, weren’t you and those two alumni from the same university? Were you also shipping their fairytale romance?” “Quick, tell us why exactly they broke up!” Secretly married to Arthur for a year, I silently took the ring off my ring finger and put it in my pocket. 1 Everyone’s excited gazes instantly fell on me. Urging me to quickly tell them the legendary love story between the aloof top student and the big boss’s daughter that once caused a sensation throughout the school. I was sitting in the farthest corner of the private room, my presence originally very low. Suddenly surrounded by so many eyes, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Just then, the door to the private room opened. Mia walked in smiling, Arthur’s coat draped over her arm. “Arthur said we don’t need to wait for him, let’s start playing.” She was still exactly as she was in college. The moment she entered, she became the center of attention. Hearing her intimate way of addressing Arthur, the colleagues’ faces all showed a “we ship it” expression. Arthur Vance, Mia Sullivan. Even their names matched perfectly, like the male and female leads in a romance novel. Someone bold, emboldened by alcohol, asked directly: “Mia, tell us, did you and Mr. Vance… have a history before?” Mia, seemingly unsurprised by the gossip, blinked mischievously. “That’s all in the past, Arthur won’t let me talk about it.” Seeing this, everyone let out a knowing “Oh~”. A hint of shyness appeared on her face: “Let me tell you, don’t bring this up in front of Arthur. He has a thin skin, I’m afraid he’ll get mad at me when we get back.” The hooting grew even louder. She didn’t say anything explicitly, yet it seemed like she had said everything. So, after Arthur returned from cleaning the wine stain, although the colleagues didn’t dare continue the previous topic in front of him. Their eyes couldn’t help but constantly dart between the two of them. Occasionally, they would deliberately bring up topics like “youth,” “first love,” and “regrets.” The ring in my pocket had sharp edges, and through the thin fabric, it dug into me somewhat uncomfortably. My gaze instinctively fell on Arthur’s bare left ring finger. On the day we registered our marriage, my mother-in-law bought us wedding rings. Arthur said he didn’t have the habit of wearing accessories. His wedding ring was still sitting in a drawer in his study. I started regretting attending this dinner. Throughout the entire gathering, Arthur remained as taciturn as usual, like an intimidating iceberg. It was only when Mia had a bit too much to drink and showed signs of intoxication that he spoke softly: “Let’s call it a night.” When the boss speaks, who dares disobey? Everyone stood up, sharing rides home in twos and threes. Someone nudged Mia toward Mr. Vance: “Mr. Vance, it’s not safe for Mia to go home alone. Could you please take her back?” Arthur looked up at me. Right at that moment, Mia’s legs gave out, and she stumbled into his arms. I almost fled, turning sharply and leaving the crowd. From behind, his voice faintly reached me: “Give me her home address.” I separated from the crowd and took a cab home alone. Upon arriving home, I soaked myself in the bathtub. Wrapped in the rising, misty steam, the tears I had held back all night finally fell. How pathetic. What was there to feel wronged about? He was always a moon high up in the sky, far out of reach. I was already very lucky to have briefly had the moon all to myself. In college, our interactions were pitifully few. The only time was when he needed to bring an umbrella to Mia and asked me to hand in his group project for him. By a twist of fate, after graduating with my master’s, I became an intern under him. And serendipitously discovered that my unlikely older friend was actually his mother. Under his mother’s matchmaking and pressure to marry. That afternoon, Arthur suddenly asked me. “Chloe, would you consider marrying me?” Yes, no dating, no proposal. We fast-forwarded straight to marriage. So fast, it was as if he had just casually discussed a business deal, and it wouldn’t matter if it fell through. We got our marriage certificate that afternoon, and the next day went to work as usual. Besides moving in together, nothing seemed different between us than before. He hadn’t told anyone about our marriage, so much so that people in the company still thought he was single. Now, his first love was back, and my time as a background character in this love story was up. I should make my exit. When I came out of the bathroom, Arthur was already back. Sitting on the sofa, reading documents. I mustered my courage, walked over to him, and hesitantly started: “I…” Before I could finish, his phone suddenly rang. I don’t know what was said on the other end, but Arthur grabbed his coat with a solemn expression. “Sorry, something urgent came up. Let’s talk about whatever it is when I get back, okay?” He had never gone out late at night before. This was the first time. Half an hour later, the person who made him make an exception updated her Moments. [Thanks to someone for bringing hangover soup late at night.] A man’s hand was accidentally revealed in the attached photo. Colleagues flooded the comments section, gossiping if good news was on the way, implicitly saying they didn’t expect the aloof Mr. Vance to have such a considerate side. I thought, my moon seems to be returning to the sky. 2 My period came very suddenly this time. It hurt all night, and I barely managed to fall asleep in a haze. When I woke up, Arthur had already left for work, as usual. He had a habit of arriving at the company early, while I wouldn’t arrive a minute earlier than necessary. So even though we worked at the same company, we went our separate ways. When I arrived at the company, Mia was standing in the middle of the aisle, in a great mood, distributing coffee to everyone. Saying it was her treat since she just arrived. Colleagues smiled and praised the big boss’s daughter for being beautiful and kind, understanding the hardships of us corporate drones, promising to work doubly hard today. When she got to me, she handed over an Americano filled to the brim with ice. “Sorry, you came a bit late, this is the only one left.” Although I had taken painkillers in the morning, a dull ache still emanated from my lower abdomen. But out of politeness, I still said thank you and took the coffee from her hand. Thinking that if I really couldn’t drink it, I’d secretly pour it away when no one was looking later. Besides that, I was actually a bit petty; I just didn’t want to drink the coffee she bought. But what I didn’t expect was that after distributing the coffee, Mia didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she looked at me with a smile: “Chloe, you’ve changed so much, I barely recognized you last night.” “You’ve lost a lot of weight since college, and gotten much prettier. I didn’t expect you to be working under Arthur.” In college, Arthur and I were in Class 3, she was in Class 1, and we didn’t even share core classes. So I was a bit surprised that she actually remembered me. Mia showed no intention of leaving. Although she wore a smile, perhaps because I was being cynical, I felt her scrutinizing gaze made me a bit uncomfortable. “Speaking of which, I still have to thank you for helping Arthur deliver his group project back then, otherwise I would have been drenched like a drowned rat.” “Why did you choose to come to our company? Was it because you knew Arthur was here?” This sentence sounded fine at first listen. Coming to a company where an old classmate works is a very normal thing. But if it fell on the ears of someone looking for trouble, it might be interpreted in another way. I pursed my lips, just about to answer, when Arthur happened to push open the office door at that exact moment: “Mia, come here for a moment.” Mia was directly appointed by headquarters as Arthur’s secretary. Hearing this, she replied cheerfully, her high heels clicking loudly as she walked in his direction. As the office door closed, the gossiping spirit of the colleagues burned once more. Hooting and hollering in low voices. I stared blankly at the solo photo on my desk. This photo was taken on my birthday last year. Coincidentally, Arthur also asked me to marry him on that day. I reached out and took down the frame. In the hidden compartment, there was a more youthful face, silly flashing a peace sign at the camera. That was taken by my roommate when I graduated with my bachelor’s degree. At the time, she muttered a bit dissatisfied, saying when other people take photos, the background is either the school emblem or the main gate. Why did I have to pick a rundown academic building? At the time, I just explained that the lighting was good. Actually, I lied to her. At the time, Arthur was standing just fifteen feet behind me. At the exact moment my roommate pressed the shutter, he happened to look up, facing the camera. This was our first, and only, not-quite-a-photo-together photo. “Chloe, come to the small conference room, we’re having a team meeting.” I looked up and acknowledged, casually slipping the photo into a folder on my desk. They called it a team meeting, but it lasted a full two hours. The intermittent pain from my lower abdomen made me break out in a cold sweat. When I walked out of the small conference room, my head spinning, I found several colleagues gathered around my desk, heads bowed, discussing something. But when I got closer, my mind suddenly went completely blank. Because Mia was holding that photo in her hand, looking at me leisurely. “Chloe, so you actually liked Arthur?” 3 My first instinct was to snatch the photo back. But she was faster, flipping the photo over. Reading the words written on the back with clear enunciation, her tone amused and exaggerated: “You are my moon.” “Chloe, so I was right. You stayed just because of Arthur, didn’t you?” I pursed my lips, looking at her exquisite face, my nails digging deep into my palms. A colleague nearby let out a disdainful scoff: “She looks so innocent, who knew she was so disgusting in private. ‘Moon’? I’m gonna throw up!” “Exactly. Even though Mia threw a tantrum and went abroad back then, Mr. Vance waited for her for three years! Secretly hiding his photo, isn’t this obviously trying to be a homewrecker?” “Tsk, tsk, I was wondering why she fought tooth and nail to pass the assessment and stay. She really doesn’t know her place.” The air conditioning vent above my head intermittently blew down piercingly cold air. My whole body trembled uncontrollably. God knows how much I wanted to retort, to tell them that Arthur and I are legally married. When Arthur and I reunited, they were already broken up! But I knew, even if I said it, no one would believe me. Because Arthur had never acknowledged me. Tears welled up in my eyes; I gritted my teeth hard to keep them from falling. As if that could maintain my last shred of dignity. I snatched the photo from Mia’s hand like a madwoman, tore it to shreds in a few quick motions, and threw it into the trash can nearby. Mia looked at me mockingly. Just as she was about to say something more, Arthur suddenly came out. “What’s all this noise? Not enough work to do?” Everyone scattered in a panic. Arthur took long strides and stood in front of me, staring at me for a moment. When his gaze fell on the photo in the trash can, he seemed a bit stunned. “Why did you…” Before he could finish, I shoved him hard, kept my head down, and ran into the restroom. I didn’t dare face him, at least not right then. I was afraid that after he found out I had harbored different feelings for him a long time ago. He, like everyone else, would secretly laugh at me for overestimating myself. I survived until the end of the workday, moving in a daze like a zombie. When I walked out of the company, Mia was already waiting at the entrance. “Chloe, let’s talk.” The coffee shop was filled with the rich aroma of caramel, but to me, it smelled sour and bitter. “I called Arthur before I returned to the country, and he actually told me he was married.” “And the person he married is actually you.” Mia got straight to the point as soon as she sat down, her tone full of disdain. “I asked him then if he loved you. Guess what he said?” Her nails tapped against the wooden table, making an irritating sound. The answer was obvious. Arthur clearly didn’t love me, otherwise Mia wouldn’t have returned to the country. But even so, it wasn’t her place to say anything. “Miss Sullivan, he was the one who proposed marriage. Even if we are to divorce, he should be the one to tell me.” Mia seemed somewhat surprised by my sudden toughness, the mockery at the corner of her mouth deepening: “Since I’m back, it’s only a matter of time before you divorce.” “It’s just that…” She drew out her words, propping her chin on one hand, raising an eyebrow at me: “Do you really think Arthur didn’t know about your dirty little crush on him in the past?” “Did you think no one knew you secretly kept the notebook he handed back?” “Do you know what he said when he found out back then?” “He said, ‘That’s disgusting’.” It was true. When the group project Arthur asked me to hand in was graded and returned, I had selfish motives. I secretly kept it. Because that piece of paper had Arthur’s elegant signature on it, the only proof that our paths had crossed. On the day my girlish secret was exposed and mocked, a sense of shame erupted like never before. When I returned home, utterly devastated, Arthur was already back. On the coffee table in front of him lay a document. Only one word was visible: [Di], for divorce. Arthur took off his gold-rimmed glasses, looked at me, and said: “Chloe, there’s something I want to discuss with you.” 4 Arthur is a decent man, after all. Even for something like a divorce, he used the word “discuss.” What’s there to discuss? Is he afraid I’ll covet his assets, or afraid I’ll cling to him and refuse to divorce? I sniffled, forcing a smile that I thought looked nonchalant: “It’s fine, whatever works for me.” “You talk to Mom.” “Also, when do you need me to move out?” Arthur’s expression showed obvious shock, a hint of confusion surfacing in his eyes. I stretched my smile wider, so wide it actually hurt a little. “Hand it over, don’t you need my signature?” “Are you misunder—” Before he could finish, the doorbell suddenly rang. As soon as Arthur opened the door, Mia threw herself crying into his arms. “Arthur, someone is following me, I’m so scared…” She was wearing a sexy lace slip dress, a completely different style from the tailored skirt suit she wore at work during the day. But equally beautiful. Enough to make any man’s heart flutter. Perhaps because I was there, Arthur frowned and pushed her away. “What are you doing here?” He instinctively turned to look at me, a rare flash of panic crossing his face. Before he could speak, I waved my hand: “You guys talk, I’m going back to the bedroom.” Arthur had already given me enough dignity and respect. I couldn’t be so tactless as to act as a third wheel when I clearly knew a divorce was imminent. Back in the bedroom, my nearly frozen smiling face finally found release. I threw myself hard onto the bed, biting down fiercely on the edge of the quilt. The tears I had held back all day finally broke like a breached dam, impossible to stop. I cried until my world went dark, and when I emerged with eyes swollen like walnuts. The house was already completely empty. I picked up my phone, wanting to ask Arthur when he’d be back so we could process the divorce tomorrow. But I saw Mia’s recently updated Moments. The caption was simple, just one word: [Secured] But the attached photo was a selfie of her; her pale neck was covered in shocking red marks. My phone clattered to the floor. I hurriedly picked it up, gritting my teeth to force myself not to think about them being intimate. Then, mechanically, I grabbed my personal belongings and a few commonly used clothes, shoving them all into my suitcase. Just before leaving, I realized the divorce agreement on the coffee table was gone. I didn’t know where Arthur had casually put it, so I had to download a template online, filled in our information. And signed my name on it. I left it in the most prominent spot on the coffee table. Arthur, we are over after all. … By the time Arthur dropped off the endlessly crying Mia at the police station, and rushed back to headquarters overnight to submit his resignation. It was nearing midnight. He opened the door wearily. The house was dark; the young woman must be asleep. Arthur felt a bit anxious, not knowing if she would agree to leave River City with him and develop in Coast City. But when he turned on the light. His gaze was dead locked on the glaring divorce agreement on the coffee table.

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In my past life, I was the undisputed king of paparazzi in the entertainment industry. I held the dark secrets of half of Hollywood in my hands, and ultimately, I was silenced by the capital that controlled them. After my rebirth, I became the central node of the village’s gossip network—the ultimate “know-it-all.” Who lost a chicken, whose husband was cheating… I knew everything. Until the fake heiress decided she wanted to enter the entertainment industry. Her wealthy parents were terrified that I, the stain living in obscurity, would become a ticking time bomb for her future. They drove all the way to my village overnight, throwing an NDA in my face that demanded I never acknowledge our blood ties for the rest of my life. “Take this half-million dollar hush money and rot in the mud forever. If you dare stand in the way of Chloe’s stardom, we’ll take your life.” The fake heiress, crying pitifully on a video call, said: “Sister, you only lost your identity, but I can’t lose my dream.” I silently started a live stream. “Half a million? Are you trying to pay off a beggar? Do you know how much a trending hashtag costs these days?” “I’ve already compiled all your family’s secrets into a PowerPoint.” “Come on, smile for the camera. I’ve already thought of tomorrow’s headline.” “Wealthy Family Attempts Murder to Pave Way for Starlet; True Heiress Exposes Scum Parents on Live Stream.” “If you won’t do things the easy way, we’ll do them the hard way. Smash that phone!” Arthur Vance gave a look to his bodyguards, and the two men in black suits lunged forward. I didn’t move. I even adjusted the beauty filter on my camera. The viewer count in my live stream instantly skyrocketed to two hundred thousand. The comments were flying so fast I couldn’t even read them. 【Holy crap, is this a live broadcast of rich people drama? Better than reality TV!】 【Isn’t that the CEO of Vance Group? And the washed-up actress Margaret Vance next to him?】 Just as the bodyguards’ hands were about to touch me, I took a step back and screamed at the top of my lungs. “Help! City folks are in the village trying to kill people!” The ’80s crew of our village, who had been lying in wait by the wall, made their entrance. Auntie May took the lead, followed by seven or eight elderly folks, average age eighty-five and up. They moved with military precision, dropping straight to the ground at the bodyguards’ feet. “Ouch! You’re killing me! My back! My hip! My kneecap!” The bodyguards were dumbfounded. Who dared to touch them? One touch could cost them a luxury condo in medical bills. Arthur Vance’s hands shook with rage: “You bunch of uneducated hicks! Get out of my way!” Taking advantage of the distraction, I pointed the camera directly at Arthur and sneered. “Alright, my dear viewers, do you see this? This is the true face of the ultra-rich.” “Since Mr. Vance is in such a hurry to shut me up, let’s speed things up.” With a tap of my finger, the PowerPoint flipped to the second slide. It showed Arthur Vance with his arm around a young model, his hand resting somewhere it definitely shouldn’t be. Next to the photo, I thoughtfully added the time, location, and even hotel booking records. The live stream exploded. 【666! This tea is piping hot!】 【Isn’t that the model who just debuted from that idol show? So he’s her sugar daddy!】 【Mr. Vance is still going strong! Keeping the wife at home while playing the field outside!】 Seeing the photo on the screen, Arthur’s face went from red to purple. He clutched his chest, gasping for air. Margaret Vance let out a shriek and lunged at me to scratch my face: “You little bitch! You dare use photoshopped pictures to spread rumors?!” I responded by simply hitting play on a video. In the video, Margaret was at the White Horse Club. She was shoving a Porsche key down the pants of a young male host. Laughing wildly, without a shred of the elegance she portrayed as an actress. Arthur stared at Margaret in disbelief. She guiltily looked away. Their carefully crafted image as the perfect model couple shattered into pieces right then and there. I threw up a peace sign to the camera: “Don’t rush, this is just the appetizer.” “Chloe Vance’s plastic surgery records and videos of her sleeping her way to the top are on the next slide.” “If you want to see them, type ‘1’ in the chat. If we hit a million likes, I’ll release them immediately!” The screen was instantly flooded with “1”s. Chloe, who had been on the video call this whole time without hanging up, turned pale with terror on the other end. I looked at her coldly. “Didn’t you just say you couldn’t lose your dream? Is your dream to sleep with every director in the industry?” Chloe screamed and disconnected the call. Seeing the situation spinning completely out of control, Arthur pulled out his emergency heart medication and dumped it into his mouth. “Let’s go! Hurry!” He signaled the bodyguards, eager to retreat. I picked up the check from the ground, tore it to shreds, and threw the pieces against the window of their Maybach. “Take your half-million dollar check with you! I don’t mind getting dirty, but I do mind bad luck!” My adoptive parents huddled in the corner, trembling with fear. My adoptive mother pulled on my sleeve, her voice shaking. “Emily, those are your biological parents. Are we in trouble?” I patted her calloused hands, my heart aching. “Mom, they aren’t my parents. They’re jackals. And you need a shotgun to deal with jackals.” That night, the Vance Group’s cease and desist letter was posted online. My live stream account was banned across all platforms. The reason: invasion of privacy and malicious defamation. Banned? Who did they think I was? I was the king of paparazzi in my past life. I dragged an old box out from under my bed. Inside was everything I had been preparing since I was young. Dozens of backup accounts, and contact information for hundreds of gossip blogs. I switched to a new account and changed the ID to “Village Gossip King.” The bio had only one sentence: 【Don’t go to sleep. The big one is coming.】 The Vance family’s PR team was undeniably skilled. Overnight, the narrative completely shifted. The trending hashtags were all about #EmilyExtortion# and #EmilyUngratefulDaughter#. Paid trolls flooded the internet, claiming I would do anything for money, even extorting my own biological parents. Chloe even posted a series of photos doing charity work at an orphanage. The caption read: “Even though I’ve been wronged, seeing the smiles on these children’s faces makes me believe the world is still a beautiful place.” The comments section was filled with sympathy. Someone even doxxed the address of my adoptive parents. Early the next morning, when my adoptive mother went to town to sell eggs, people threw rotten vegetables at her. She came back holding her forehead, blood dripping through her fingers. “Emily, Mom is fine. I just accidentally tripped and fell.” She forced a smile, not wanting me to worry. The anger inside me shot straight to the top of my head. Originally, I wanted to play with them slowly. But since they were asking for it, they couldn’t blame me for playing dirty. I opened my laptop, my fingers flying across the keyboard, typing out strings of code. In my past life, to dig up dirt, I taught myself hacking. I wasn’t a top-tier hacker, but infiltrating a postnatal care center’s system from over a decade ago was child’s play. Eighteen-year-old nursing records, and a blurry backup of security footage. I bundled them together and posted them directly to my new account. The title was simple and brutal. The Truth About the Abandoned Heiress: Was she lost, or was it attempted murder? In the security footage, Margaret Vance looked at the baby in the crib with utter disgust. “Cry, cry, cry, all she knows how to do is cry! It’s giving me a headache. Was this damn child born just to curse me?” Arthur Vance stood nearby, holding a piece of yellow paper. It was a fortune-teller’s reading. “This girl has a cursed destiny. She will bring ruin to her relatives. She is a harbinger of doom. If she stays, the entire family will perish.” “The master said we can’t keep her. Throw her far away tonight while it’s snowing heavily.” The footage switched to street cameras. Arthur, carrying the swaddled baby, threw her into the snow and walked away without looking back. That baby was me. That so-called master was just a con artist who later went to prison for fraud. And Chloe was the “lucky star” they adopted on the master’s advice. The moment this video was released, the internet erupted like a volcano. 【Animals! These people are absolute animals!】 【It’s the 21st century! How can people still believe in this feudal superstition and try to commit murder?!】 【Throwing a baby in the snow in sub-zero temperatures? That’s attempted murder!】 The netizens who were cursing me just moments ago instantly switched sides. Chloe’s comment section was overrun, filled with people calling her a beneficiary of crime and a bloodsucker. I immediately released the second wave: comparison photos. Left side: Eighteen-year-old Chloe, celebrating her birthday on a luxury yacht, wearing a custom gown worth thirty thousand dollars. Right side: Eighteen-year-old me, wearing a patched-up winter coat, helping my adoptive father collect scrap in the freezing snow, my hands red and swollen like carrots. Left side: A bag Chloe casually threw away could feed my adoptive family for five years. Right side: To save fifty cents on bus fare, I carried a fifty-pound sack of sweet potatoes and walked ten miles through the mountains. This intense visual contrast was more lethal than any words. The internet’s sympathy overflowed. 【I’m crying. Emily has had it so hard.】 【Who’s the real bad seed here? The entire Vance family is rotten to the core!】 The Vance Group’s stock hit the limit down as soon as the market opened. Over a billion dollars in market value evaporated. My phone rang. It was Arthur. This time, his voice carried none of its previous arrogance, only exhaustion and fawning. “Emily, it was all a misunderstanding. Dad was tricked back then too.” “How about this? I’ll give you five million. Delete the video, and let’s go home and talk about this slowly.” Five million? If this were my past life, I might have actually been tempted. But now, it only made me sick. “Dad, I won’t be coming back.” “The master said I’m a harbinger of doom who will ruin your fortune.” “Take a look. Hasn’t your fortune really been ruined by me this time?” After saying that, I hung up and blocked his number. Outside the window, my adoptive mother was applying medicine to her forehead. I walked over and gently took the cotton swab from her hand. “Mom, does it hurt?” My adoptive mother shook her head. “Emily, let’s stop fighting them, okay? Mom is afraid you’ll get hurt.” I hugged this frail, rural woman. “Mom, don’t be afraid. You used to protect me. From now on, it’s my turn to protect you.” Arthur had clearly grown desperate. He dropped the facade of a loving father and directly mobilized his underworld connections. Early the next morning, before the sun even came up. A deafening roar woke the entire village. A dozen excavators rolled aggressively toward the village entrance. Leading the charge was my biological brother, Leo Vance. “Push it down! Flatten this entire shithole village!” The excavator’s bucket raised high and smashed violently into the stone monument at the village entrance. With a loud crash, the monument was reduced to rubble. That was the village’s landmark, the pride of the whole community. I frantically pulled out my phone to start a live stream, only to find the signal was jammed! Next, the excavators charged into the orchards. Over a hundred acres of newly ripened pumpkins and fruit trees—the villagers’ entire livelihood for the year. Old Man Lee rushed over like a madman, hugging a giant pumpkin and crying out. “You can’t destroy this! This is our lifeblood!” A bodyguard rushed up and kicked Old Man Lee squarely in the chest. Old Man Lee went flying, landing heavily in a mud puddle. The pumpkin in his arms smashed to pieces, its bright red flesh splattering everywhere. “Grandpa!” With bloodshot eyes, I rushed out to help him. But I was blocked by two burly men. Auntie May and her ’80s crew tried to help block the vehicles. Leo sneered and snapped his fingers. “Release the dogs!” Two massive, vicious dogs leaped from the trucks, baring their fangs, and lunged at the elderly villagers. Auntie May’s calf was viciously bitten, blood instantly staining her pant leg red. Screams pierced the sky. “Ah! Help!” The villagers were in chaos, the sounds of crying, screaming, and barking mixing together. A group of tattooed thugs burst into my house. They smashed everything in sight, even overturning the stove. My adoptive father tried to protect my computer—it was my only piece of evidence. A bodyguard slammed a baton into his leg. With a sickening crack. My adoptive father’s agonizing scream pierced my eardrums. “Dad!” I tried to rush over like a madwoman, but Leo grabbed me by the hair. “Emily, aren’t you supposed to be so capable? Aren’t you a streamer?” “Try streaming now!” He stepped on my adoptive father’s broken leg, grinding his foot down. My father, his face covered in cold sweat from the pain, gritted his teeth and refused to beg for mercy. “Emily… run…” My adoptive mother knelt on the ground begging, but a bodyguard dragged her away by the hair. The village chief tried to go call the police, but his phone was smashed to pieces by Leo. “I’ve got my eye on this land for development.” “Anyone who dares to call the police is crossing the Vance family! I’ll kill their entire family!” Extreme anger stripped me of my reason. I pulled a can of pepper spray from my sleeve and sprayed it directly into Leo’s face. “Ah! My eyes!” Leo covered his eyes and screamed in agony. In the chaos, I broke free, grabbed a brick, and lunged at him. But two fists are no match for four hands. Seven or eight thugs swarmed me and pinned me to the ground. Leo, his eyes red and looking like a lunatic, walked over. He took a lit cigarette from a subordinate and took a deep drag. “Look closely. This is what happens when people help you.” “These poor losers are dying because of you!” Then, he flicked the cigarette onto a nearby pile of dry thatch. Flames shot into the sky. That was our only home. The home my adoptive parents built brick by brick. Watching my adoptive parents’ despairing faces in the firelight, my heart shattered. I had caused this. I was too naive. I underestimated the shamelessness and cruelty of capital. Leo signaled his men to bring out a syringe. “Give her a shot and take her away.” My consciousness began to blur. My last sight was Auntie May twitching in a pool of blood. My adoptive father’s mangled leg. And the fire consuming everything. Darkness fell. The feeling of powerlessness from my past life washed over me again. Did I get a second chance at life just to drag more people down with me? The pungent smell of disinfectant violently jolted me awake. My head was splitting, and my limbs felt as heavy as lead. I struggled to open my eyes and found myself lying on a freezing operating table. My hands and feet were strapped tightly to the bed, immobilizing me completely. The scene felt exactly like livestock waiting to be slaughtered. From the next room, muffled arguing drifted over. Margaret’s voice trembled. “Arthur, is… is this going to work? What if the police investigate…” “Investigate what?!” “As long as we make it look like a surgical accident and cremate the body, who will know she’s missing two kidneys?”

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My husband, whom I’ve been in a long-distance marriage with for three years, video-called to report in as usual: “Good morning, honey.” Instantly, I froze. It was currently 11:30 PM. Looking closer at the background of his video, it was clearly illuminated by the morning sun, around seven or eight o’clock. Clinging to a sliver of hope, I tentatively asked, “Are you at home, or on a business trip?” He answered smoothly, “At home, of course. I have classes tomorrow. Plus, without my wife’s permission, I wouldn’t dare run around.” I didn’t say much more, just absentmindedly agreeing with him. After hanging up, I immediately called his university and asked for his itinerary. It was a list for a university-sponsored faculty trip. The destination was Country A. And under Liam’s “accompanying family member” column, the name was Chloe. His female student. Furthermore, for every faculty trip over the past three years, it was the exact same arrangement: one room, one bed. The blood rushed to my head. I immediately bought a plane ticket to Country A. … After getting off the plane, I went straight to Liam’s hotel. The girl waiting for the elevator with me had a student ID from his university hanging around her neck. It read Chloe, the exact same “idiot student” my husband often mentioned giving him endless headaches. I forced down the tremor in my voice: “Monroe University? What a coincidence, my husband is a professor there.” Chloe stepped into the elevator and smiled, striking up a conversation: “Are you here accompanying a family member on the trip too?” “My Professor Hayes brings me here every year. You know how men are, they claim it’s for academic exchange, but really…” Saying this, the girl acted shy. I dragged my stiff legs into the elevator behind her, my heart plummeting in pain. Liam and I had been long-distance ever since we got married. Even seeing each other was a luxury. Many times, feeling bad about how busy he was, I flew to his city, suggesting we finally take the honeymoon we never had. He would always hug me, his eyes full of guilt, and hastily leave me with one sentence: “There will be opportunities in the future, once I finish this busy period.” I believed him. But that “wait” turned into three years. Little did I know, he had the opportunity to take his “spouse” on international trips every year. Unable to hold back my tears, I turned my head away and continued to probe: “Do you know… that he’s married?” Chloe nodded casually. “So what if he’s married? I’m not destroying their family. It’s just a mutual exchange of needs.” “He helps me get a guaranteed spot in grad school by bending the rules. And he constantly complains to me about how vulgar his long-distance wife is. That’s why he hid the fact that he had several opportunities to transfer to her city.” “You can see how annoying that old woman is. I’m different. I’m young.” The girl’s words oozed with a sense of superiority. My reflection in the elevator doors looked incredibly haggard. For three years of marriage, I bore the burden of everything big and small at home entirely on my own. When my father-in-law passed away, my bedridden, paralyzed mother-in-law required my constant, undivided care. When she had a medical emergency in the middle of the night, I dragged my exhausted body—after a full day of work—to take her to the hospital. When I couldn’t handle it anymore, I would call Liam in tears, asking him to talk to the dean about transferring to the branch campus. But he would always massage his temples, looking troubled: “I know it’s hard for you, but job transfers are arranged by the university. There’s nothing I can do.” It turned out it wasn’t that he couldn’t do anything; it was that he didn’t want to. Chloe’s phone ringtone suddenly broke the silence. “Hubby, I brought back so much stuff, come to the elevator to get me~” From the other end came a male voice I was incredibly familiar with: “Okay, okay, just wait there for me.” The next second, the elevator reached the thirteenth floor. With a ding, the doors slowly opened. Seeing Chloe and me standing in the elevator together. The usually calm and composed Professor Hayes lost his smile instantly. But within two seconds, Liam quickly masked his panic, stepping forward to grab my arm first. “Honey, what are you doing here so suddenly?” “My company sent me on a last-minute business trip, I didn’t have time to tell you.” I smiled bitterly, “Is that so? Is she on a business trip too?” “She…” Chloe, standing to the side, turned pale. But the next second, a look of provocation appeared in her eyes: “You didn’t even know Professor Hayes was on a business trip. You should really pay more attention to him in the future. I won’t bother you with my matters.” As soon as she finished speaking, unable to bear it any longer, I raised my hand to slap her. But as Chloe instinctively raised her arm to block it, I noticed the ring on her finger. It looked completely out of place with her young, designer clothes. Once, after returning from Liam’s city, I realized my wedding ring was gone after getting off the plane. I regretted it endlessly. I called the airline over a dozen times but couldn’t find it. Liam stayed up all night video chatting with me: “It’s just a ring. Your health is the most important thing. I’ll just buy you another one.” At the time, feeling bad that he was working overtime, I refused. I never expected to see it again a year later, on Chloe’s finger. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I lost the strength to follow through with the slap. “Chloe, go back to the room!” Liam yelled angrily, and the girl, flushed with humiliation, went into the room. He roughly dragged me into a car heading for the airport. After a long silence, he suddenly became agitated: “Evelyn, are you doubting me?” “I told you Chloe is just my student. I brought her on this academic exchange to broaden her horizons. When did you start checking up on me?” Endless grievances surged in my heart. My heart felt like it was being violently torn apart: “Broadening horizons by exchanging academics all the way into bed!” Liam’s face darkened instantly: “I told you she’s just my student!” “You said you’d understand my work. Why are you being so unreasonable now?” I opened my mouth to retort, but his phone suddenly chimed. He answered it immediately. “Professor Hayes, you must apologize to Mrs. Hayes for me. I misspoke earlier.” “Because I’m your emergency contact at the university, the business trip info wasn’t synced to Mrs. Hayes. I shouldn’t have said that earlier, wuuuwuuu…” Liam quickly offered gentle comfort: “How is it your fault? You’re in the same city as me, it’s safer to leave your number. She’s just making a mountain out of a molehill.” So living apart is my fault now? I gritted my teeth in anger: “I don’t need your apology.” As soon as I spoke, a woman’s scream came from the phone, followed by it hanging up. “Chloe? What’s wrong?” Liam slammed on the brakes. My forehead smashed hard against the dashboard, blurring my vision. “Get out! I need to go see what happened to her.” Under his disgusted gaze, I was kicked out of the car. The car sped away, leaving me standing there in a daze. In the suburbs of a foreign country, I walked for a full hour without seeing another soul. It was midnight by the time I fumbled my way to the airport. Right before boarding, I immediately called my lawyer friend: “Liam cheated on me. Draft a divorce agreement for me.” “And look into how his female student, Chloe, actually got her guaranteed grad school spot.” Quickly, my friend found all the information about Chloe. Clicking on her social media, the first time she posted about “Mr. Hayes” was in August three years ago. But that was exactly when my mother passed away. I couldn’t eat or sleep; I withered away like a ghost. Liam frequently took red-eye flights to come see me, made me late-night snacks, and cried with me: “Mom in heaven definitely wants you to be okay. You have me with you…” But it was precisely during that time that he and Chloe hooked up. My friend sent over the evidence: “Her grad school application materials are basically all forged. The system shows she failed several classes.” He paused: “But these videos might break your heart, maybe you shouldn’t watch them…” Before I had time to process it, a notification popped up on my phone: 【Shocking! Jealous wife of university professor hires hitman to assault beautiful student abroad!】 The comment section was filled with curses: 【Heartless! How can a woman be so vicious to another woman? She doesn’t deserve to be a professor’s wife!】 【Chloe is about to get her guaranteed grad school spot. She must be jealous of her academic success, that’s why she did it.】 【Come out and apologize! Or we’ll all report you to the police!】 … I was just trying to figure out what was going on when Liam burst through the door furiously, followed by a tearful Chloe. “Evelyn, do you know how vile your actions are?!” “You tried to hit her that day. When you didn’t, I thought you’d found your conscience. I didn’t expect you to have a backup plan!” Chloe, covered in scars, knelt pitifully in front of me: “Mrs. Hayes, I don’t know what I did wrong. You can hit me or scold me, but please don’t ruin my future…” I gritted my teeth and said word by word: “I didn’t do it.” After saying that, I made a move to leave. Chloe unexpectedly crashed into me. Immediately after, photos of her completely naked scattered all over the floor. “Ah! These are the photos from when I was attacked! Why does Mrs. Hayes have them?” “Mrs. Hayes, you’re so cruel!” Looking up, I met Liam’s icy, indifferent gaze. “And you still say you didn’t?” “Aren’t these photos ironclad proof? What else do you have to say for yourself!” With that, a slap thrown with full force smashed hard against my face. The taste of blood instantly filled my mouth, and my vision went black. The man who once swore he trusted me unconditionally was gone. Just then, a group of people rushed in holding phones and cameras. The girls leading them were clearly Chloe’s close friends. They shoved their phones in my face: “What grudge do you have against Chloe? Why would you harm her like this!” “Is it just because she’s prettier than you, so you got paranoid and thought she stole your husband? You’re so old, stop acting like you’re the star of a romance novel!” “If you don’t apologize to Chloe today, we won’t let this go!” I clenched my fists in anger. “I didn’t do any of this. But as for what you and your ‘sisters’ did, you should ask her.” Chloe trembled, leaning against Liam’s chest, secretly showing a victor’s smile. The next second, before I could react, they swarmed me and started tearing at my clothes. “Everyone turn on your live streams! Make her strip naked and apologize to Chloe!” “Let go of me!” I struggled desperately. In the blink of an eye, I was almost half-naked on the live stream, every hair on my body standing on end. Suddenly someone yelled in surprise: “There are already three hundred thousand viewers right after starting the stream! Mrs. Hayes, you’re going to be famous!” Piercing mockery and ridicule echoed around me. Trembling all over, I looked at Liam: “Liam, I said I didn’t do it! How can you just let them treat me like this!” The man averted his eyes, but his words were cruel enough: “You brought this on yourself!” “Chloe is about to officially secure her grad school spot. Her commendation ceremony is right after this. How is she supposed to face anyone?” I suddenly started laughing maniacally: “Secure her grad school spot? Do you dare admit exactly how she secured it?” Liam froze, immediately clearing his throat. “Chloe studies very hard, of course you wouldn’t know.” The next second, fists and slaps rained down on me, and they spat at me. “All you know is how to frame people! Chloe’s grades are excellent!” “She frequently stays up late to discuss academics with the professor. Pulling all-nighters is normal for her. What does an old woman like you know?” “Hurry up and apologize!” I gritted my teeth tightly, ultimately not making a single sound. As time ticked by, Chloe was the first to get anxious: “Professor Hayes, let’s just forget it. Mrs. Hayes isn’t going to apologize.” “We should go catch our flight, otherwise we’ll miss the commendation ceremony.” Liam nodded. The last bit of pity he gave me before leaving was draping his jacket over my shoulders. “They were a bit out of line. I’ll apologize to you later.” Watching his hurried departure, my eyes were bloodshot. Liam, I don’t want an apology. I want your reputation destroyed. I changed clothes, put on a baseball cap, and bought the earliest high-speed rail ticket. When I rushed to the commendation ceremony, Chloe was just smugly preparing to go on stage. On stage, Liam, wearing the suit I saved up to buy for him, elegantly and amiably read the announcement regarding Chloe’s guaranteed grad school spot. His gaze occasionally fell on Chloe’s youthful, vibrant face, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turning up. I found a corner and sat down. Whispers drifted into my ears: “Professor Hayes’s wife went too far. How could she spread such rumors about a hardworking student like Chloe?” “Professor Hayes has always been upright. He hates unethical deals the most. But… he does treat Chloe somewhat specially.” “Don’t talk nonsense, that’s just mentorship. After all, Chloe is a top student.” … I sat to the side, seriously listening to the speech of the “upright” Professor Hayes they spoke of: “Chloe’s journey here hasn’t been easy. She’s put in a lot of effort and endured a lot of hardship…” Chloe walked onto the stage with her head held high, preparing to receive her medal. Deafening applause erupted from the audience. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Professor Hayes. For all four years of college, Professor Hayes has guided me. Although I’ve faced some hardships, I’m very happy…” “I can testify to that.” I suddenly stood up from my seat in the audience, interrupting her. “Student Chloe indeed endured a lot of… hardship.” Immediately after, in full view of everyone, the large screen behind them flashed on. The venue instantly erupted in an uproar. Seeing the content playing on the screen, all color drained from the faces of the two on stage. The video was pixelated, but the audio was exceptionally clear. Inside a hotel room, Chloe whined pitifully: “I failed several classes this semester. I haven’t eaten all day because I’m so worried about the grad school spot…” Followed by Liam’s confident response: “I’ll handle the grad school spot. How can you not eat? I’ll take you down to the restaurant to eat.” The woman hugged him ambiguously from behind, asking deliberately: “Between me and that woman, who do you love more? If you don’t give me an answer, I’m not going to eat…” Liam smiled indulgently, pulling the woman into his arms. “You, of course. Otherwise, I would have transferred to her city years ago. The reason I kept it quiet is because I want to stay here with you.” The video stopped abruptly. Liam, enraged from humiliation, yanked out the plug, completely losing control: “Where is the staff?! What is all this garbage!” He practically charged off the stage, grabbing my arm, stammering: “Evelyn, listen to me, things are absolutely not what you think…” I violently shook off his hand, my eyes filled with nothing but disgust: “I have the unpixelated version here too. Do you want to share it with everyone?” Liam was completely choked up. A commotion broke out in the venue. Especially among those who firmly believed in Liam and Chloe’s innocence, their expressions were uglier than the last. “So Chloe and Professor Hayes are… in that kind of relationship?” “She used to tell us roommates she wasn’t coming back at night. Turns out she was looking for Professor Hayes…” “And the grad school spot—” Chloe couldn’t bear to listen anymore and lunged forward like a madwoman. “My grad school spot was earned through my own ability! It’s not what you think! You’re not allowed to talk nonsense!” At this moment, the dean’s face had turned as black as charcoal, trembling with anger in the audience. “We will investigate this matter thoroughly! We absolutely will not tolerate this kind of behavior!” “Dean, please listen to my explanation…” Liam chased after him, but it was futile. Just then, a plainly dressed girl stood up in the audience, crying pitifully: “Professor Hayes, I never dared to ask before, but why are all my other grades A’s, and only one is a B? I could have gotten that guaranteed spot too…” The man stood frozen in place, opening his mouth several times but saying nothing. Seeing the girl crying so pitifully—she was probably the legendary student whose spot was stolen—I went over to comfort her: “Don’t worry, the dean will investigate this thoroughly. He’ll definitely get you justice.” I turned to look at Liam, confronting our tragic marriage for the first time. “Is this the normal mentor-student relationship you spoke of? You are truly disappointing.” “Whether as a husband or a professor, I never thought you could be so despicable.” Liam instantly panicked. The usually proud and composed man lowered his stance. “Honey, it was a mistake I made in a moment of confusion. Let’s go home, and I’ll explain everything properly. Let’s go back first…” Saying this, he reached out to grab me. I quickly dodged, not wanting him to touch me ever again. “I’ve had enough of this long-distance marriage. Liam, let’s get a divorce.” After saying that, I handed him the divorce agreement my friend had delivered. “Now, sign it.”

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While waiting for my abortion surgery, I scrolled past a post: “What are your regrets?” My mind immediately went to my boyfriend, who died in a plane crash before we even had the chance to hold our wedding. He loved me deeply; his very last message before he died was to me: “Chloe, you must find happiness after I’m gone. I love you.” Even my mother-in-law had done everything possible, accompanying me to get the abortion and urging me to start a new life. Just as I was about to reply, the top comment on the trending list made my entire body stiffen: “I chased him for ten years to no avail. He even almost married his pregnant girlfriend.” “But luckily, he still couldn’t let me go. He faked his death on their wedding day to end things with her, and even had his mom take that woman to get an abortion.” “Now he’s sleeping right beside me, hehe. My regret has been fulfilled, I’m so happy~” I stared rigidly at the photo she posted. The hand resting on her chest was still wearing a wedding ring. It was the exact matching custom design to the one on my ring finger. ………… The replies under the comment were a barrage of insults: “You’re a homewrecker and you’re proud of it? What about the other girl? Does she deserve to be deceived by you two? Do you have any shame?” “Does anyone know who the other girl is? Quick, tell her the truth!” With trembling hands, I clicked into her profile, and my mind instantly went blank. I had been dating Arthur for ten years, and she had been chasing him for ten years. From high school graduation to now, they had never stopped contacting each other. I remembered this girl; she was the only one who didn’t offer her blessings when we became a campus couple. Red-eyed, she had once blocked Arthur as he was walking me home, stubbornly demanding he break up with me: “I’ve chased you for so long, why don’t you like me? What’s so great about her?” The usually gentle Arthur had a dark expression that day: “Chloe doesn’t need to do anything; I love her just standing there.” “And no matter what you do, I will never love you. Is that clear enough?” Since that day, I had never seen this girl again. I thought that was the end of it. Even when Arthur’s phone later frequently received harassing texts from an unknown number, his dismissive attitude reassured me. I never expected that he had secretly been keeping in touch with her the whole time. He even lied on our anniversary just to go see a movie with her. The impact of the truth left my entire body trembling uncontrollably. “Chloe, it’s your turn. Let’s go, I’ll go with you for the surgery.” My mother-in-law’s gentle voice pulled me from my thoughts. I abruptly looked up, stared at her mild face, and blurted out: “Auntie, Arthur’s seven-day mourning period isn’t even over yet, and you’re this anxious for me to get an abortion?” My mother-in-law froze, the smile stiffening on her lips: “Didn’t I already say? I treat you like my own daughter; I can’t bear to see you raising a child alone.” “Arthur loved you so much when he was alive. Auntie also hopes you’ll live a good life in the future. If you have any difficulties, you can come to me—” “Is Arthur actually not dead?” I interrupted her with a trembling voice, shouting uncontrollably. My mother-in-law visibly froze, a fleeting look of guilt flashing across her face: “Child, what are you talking about?” “I know you’re grieving, but he’s dead, and the living must always look forward—” Without waiting for her to finish, I shoved her aside and bolted out the door. Rushing out of the hospital, I immediately hailed a cab and hurried to the location of Mia’s newly posted comment. She had posted a photo of them holding hands, with our high school track field in the background: “Curse me all you want, but I have no regrets now~” “He said he treated me too poorly in high school, so he specially came here to personally take down his photo with that woman and stroll around the campus with me, hehe~” The next second, my best friend sent a picture: “Chloe, didn’t you say Arthur died in a plane crash?” “Is there a mistake? He just updated his Moments!” “Hey, if I click on his Moments again, there’s nothing there. He probably forgot to block me.” I clicked on the picture, and large tears instantly smashed down. “Walking the wrong path for ten years, only to realize the right person has been waiting for me in the same place all along.” I fiercely wiped away my tears, the anger surging to my heart before the pain did. As soon as I got out of the car, I saw a couple passionately kissing at the entrance to the track field. I rushed forward and gave a hard shove: “Arthur! Do you have no shame!” The guy looked bewildered, and the girl, just about to get angry, cried out in pleasant surprise: “Chloe!” I froze, only then realizing the person in front of me wasn’t Arthur. After hastily apologizing, the girl took my hand, her face full of envy: “Chloe, I was in the grade below you! My boyfriend and I have also been together since high school until now!” “The story of you and Arthur has been circulating for years! The ultimate power couple! Both recommended for admission abroad! Both top of your majors! So amazing!” “Because of you two, the school doesn’t even oppose high school dating anymore. They even tell us dating couples to learn from you!” “Are you also here with Arthur to reminisce about your youth? Oh my god, did you guys get married?!” As the girl excitedly recounted the story, my thoughts drifted back to those most passionate three years. The school heartthrob, Arthur, was a terrible student, but he buried himself in studying just for me. For me, he managed to shoot up to second place in our grade in just one month, and for me, he gave up an admission offer from a prestigious university. He said he didn’t want a long-distance relationship with me, and fought tooth and nail to get the second recommended admission spot. Teachers who always cracked down on high school dating pretended not to notice when they saw us going to the library as a couple. To this day, I still remember the summer of our senior year, when he received an offer from a top foreign university, he held me and spun me around excitedly: “We can finally be together forever!” The cherry blossoms bloomed late that year, falling right onto us. On graduation day, when we gave speeches together, he proudly held me in his arms: “If it weren’t for Chloe, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I will love her forever!” The moment my thoughts snapped back, I saw the girl looking deathly pale at something behind me, her voice very soft: “Chlo-Chloe, is that Arthur?” I turned my head stiffly and saw the man kneeling on one knee in the middle of the track field. Mia’s eyes were red with joy as she sobbed softly. Arthur’s voice was still the gentle one I was familiar with: “I did a lot of things to hurt you before. Please let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you, okay, Mia?” Just a moment before the ring was put on, I called out with a trembling voice: “Arthur?” The man’s broad back stiffened, and his face was deathly pale the moment he turned around. He immediately covered his face in a panic and tried to pull Mia away. I rushed forward and grabbed his arm tightly, my voice rising involuntarily: “Arthur!” “How dare you, how dare you lie to me?” “You—” “Sister, if you want to blame someone, blame me, don’t blame Arthur.” Mia yanked my hand away, standing tearfully in front of Arthur. “It was me, I threatened suicide to make Arthur do this.” “I just love him too much, I can’t live without him.” “You’ve already had Arthur for ten years, you should be satisfied, Sister. Please, give Arthur to me.” As she spoke, she sobbed and revealed the ugly scars on her wrists. The guilt on Arthur’s face was instantly replaced by heartache. He hugged Mia tightly and finally looked at me straight on: “Don’t blame Mia, I wanted to do this myself.” “I originally didn’t want to hurt you, so I put on a play to make you give up. Since you found out, I’ll just say it straight.” “Mia and I are getting married. You’ll give us your blessing, right?” “Mia is right. We’ve been together for ten years, the feelings are long gone. So why not set each other free?” Watching his increasingly self-righteous demeanor, my heart completely died. This scene made it seem as if I were the one who had done something wrong. Before I had time to speak, Arthur’s phone rang. He answered the phone for a moment, his face turning ugly, staring unblinkingly at me: “You didn’t get the abortion?” “Chloe, stop doing meaningless things. I don’t love you anymore, don’t bring a child into this world to suffer!” His cold words pierced my heart. I suddenly realized I didn’t know the man in front of me anymore. He was like a completely different person from the man who was so happy he couldn’t sleep when he found out I was pregnant. I swallowed all the pain, my red eyes instinctively wanting to escape this place. The next second, a heavy force struck my waist, and I fell hard to the ground. Behind me came Mia’s anxious voice: “Arthur, you can’t keep this child!” “Otherwise, what about the baby in my belly?” My lower abdomen slammed into the ground, the pain making my whole body tremble. Feeling a rush of warm fluid pooling beneath me, I instinctively reached out a hand to Arthur: “Arthur, our child—” However, he simply reached out to cover Mia’s eyes, saying in a low voice: “Don’t look, it’s dirty.” My brain felt like it had been struck by lightning. I looked at him in disbelief: “Dirty?” “Arthur, this is our child!” “What did I do wrong that you have to treat me like this?” The man frowned, looking down at me, the heartache in his eyes replaced by disappointment: “Chloe, you have the nerve to ask me what you did wrong?” “You lied to me for ten years. I really thought you were harmless, I didn’t expect you to be so vicious!” “Mia just liked me in high school, and you had someone strip her clothes and film a video to threaten her not to bother me!” “After graduating from college and returning to the country, she just coincidentally applied as an intern at my company, and you sent her to a business partner’s bed!” “What else is there that I don’t know!” “Yes, I admit that lying to you was my fault, but you’re no saint yourself!” I shook my head continuously, tears streaming down non-stop: “I didn’t, Arthur, I didn’t do anything.” “How can you doubt me? Don’t you know what kind of person I am?” Arthur stepped back two paces to avoid my touch, sneering: “Now I finally know what kind of person you are.” “Just like your mistress mother, your head is full of schemes and tricks. It makes me sick!” The blood in my body seemed to instantly freeze. My mind kept replaying the heartbroken look on his face when I told him about my family. He said, being born into such a family wasn’t my choice, I didn’t need to be sad. He said he would give me a normal family. He said I was wonderful. Memories and reality overlapped, and the immense impact made the blood beneath me flow even more heavily. Arthur simply put his arm around Mia and turned to leave: “Don’t drag Mia into your dirty business; she doesn’t know anything.” “Otherwise, I don’t mind telling people that you are a mistress’s daughter.” “After all, you care about your reputation the most, don’t you?” After saying that, he turned and left. No matter how much I cried and begged, he never looked back. Finally, my vision went black, and I passed out from the intense pain. When I opened my eyes again, my best friend, pale-faced, handed me her phone: “Chloe, you’re finally awake, look…” The moment I took the phone, my body felt like it had plunged into an ice cave. The video of Mia having her clothes stripped in high school, and the photos of her going in and out of a hotel with a business partner when she was an intern, had been posted online. Coincidentally catching the momentum of the previous video, she was being cursed out brutally. But Arthur, disregarding the reputation of the Vance Group, released a video using the company’s official account. In the video, Mia was crying hysterically, begging me to forgive her and let her go. And Arthur issued a statement: “Mia is my girlfriend. She has suffered a lot of undeserved harm, and all this harm was brought upon her by my ex-girlfriend, the very ‘poor, deceived woman’ you all talk about.” “Since things have come to this, I won’t hide it from everyone anymore. My ex-girlfriend is the child of a mistress, and therefore she harbors a deep hatred for mistresses. These actions in the video are all things she did because she mistakenly believed Mia was a mistress.” “Mia and I had absolutely no contact before I broke up with my ex-girlfriend. Everything happened after the breakup. She is not a mistress; she is my lover.” “As for the whistleblower, I am already investigating. If it was my ex-girlfriend, even if she has a mental illness, I will not let her get away with it.” “Chloe, I know you will see this video. Please behave yourself!” The last line directly exposed my name. All my social media accounts were flooded by completely biased netizens. They cursed me as a bully who deserved to be cheated on, cursed me as a misogynist who deserved to be a mistress’s daughter. My company also fired me directly, even threatening to hold me accountable for bringing negative reviews to the company. All of this was something I had never anticipated, and for a moment, I couldn’t even process it. My best friend was the first to slam the table in anger: “How could Arthur do this! He knows perfectly well that these things are your trauma, and he actually spoke about them for a Mia!” “And he threw dirty water on you! What bullying? We were inseparable in high school, how come I didn’t know?” “What business partner! Wasn’t I the one negotiating with the Vance Group that day? How come I don’t remember going in and out of a hotel with her? Where did these photos come from, just making up rumors!” “I’m so mad! You had a miscarriage because of him, and he still treats you like this!” “No, I have to go find him and settle the score right now!” Saying that, my best friend got up to go find Arthur. The next second, my phone rang. I pulled my best friend back, gathered my emotions, and calmly answered the phone. Arthur’s cold voice sounded: “You saw the video, right?” “There’s a lot of public outcry online now. I’ve arranged a press conference for you to publicly apologize to Mia and me.” “Otherwise, I don’t mind blacklisting you in the entire industry.” “Chloe, think clearly. You always have to pay the price for doing wrong.” I paused, and gave a self-deprecating laugh: “Pay the price for doing wrong? Then why aren’t you dead yet?” There was silence on the other end for a moment, followed by the man’s cold laughter: “Chloe, no matter how sharp-tongued you are, it’s useless in the face of the truth.” “Tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock. I’ll send you the address.” “Come over, apologize publicly, and give me and Mia your blessing, and this matter will end here.” The phone was abruptly hung up. I gripped the phone tightly for a long while, looked up to meet my best friend’s worried gaze, and smiled reassuringly: “It’s fine.” “I’ll handle it.” That night, I contacted the person I thought I would never contact again in this lifetime. The next day, I arrived as scheduled, walking in gracefully under everyone’s contemptuous gazes. The camera flashes were blinding, but I maintained a smile throughout. Arthur seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded to me in satisfaction. I walked up to the stage, took the microphone, and pressed the play button on the large screen. A mournful crying sound, identical to the video circulating online, played, and the audience erupted: “Isn’t this the video the whistleblower released? Is she beating a dead horse? Won’t Miss Mia be traumatized hearing this? How can Chloe be so vicious!” Arthur also tried to stop me with an ugly expression. I, however, let out a light laugh: “Traumatized? Why would she be traumatized?” As soon as I spoke, the crying in the audio abruptly stopped. What followed was the coquettish voice of a young Mia: “Alright, alright, that’s enough filming.” “Don’t tell anyone I staged this video, or I won’t let you sleep with me anymore!” The noisy venue instantly fell dead silent, all eyes turning to a deathly pale Mia. Arthur also turned pale, glaring fiercely at the dazed woman. “Mia, you actually staged this all along?!” The woman immediately reacted, anxiously grabbing Arthur’s arm and shaking her head continuously: “I didn’t, Arthur, you have to believe me. How could I stage my own video!” “It must be, it must be Chloe who can’t stand seeing us together and is deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us!” “She’s also the one who exposed me online! She’s deliberately spreading rumors at the press conference that I staged it. You can’t let her fool you!” Arthur frowned deeply, turned, and stared at me, his tone softening slightly: “Chloe, did you leak the videos and photos online?” “And what’s going on at the end of this audio today? Explain it to me.” I sneered twice and pressed the play button again. The footage from the audio was displayed. It was a steamy scene between a young Mia and some blonde punk. The reporters were stunned at first, then immediately raised their cameras, reporting while broadcasting live. Mia screamed and tried to snatch the remote from my hand. I dodged nimbly and smiled: “Since you say this is a video I fabricated myself, why are you so anxious?” Mia stomped her feet in anxiety and looked pleadingly at Arthur: “Arthur! Can I explain this to you later?” “There are so many people here now, and reporters broadcasting live. These videos cannot be aired! Otherwise, how can I show my face in the future!” Arthur didn’t speak; he just stared at me unblinkingly, his face full of shock. After the video finished playing, I laid out the evidence that the business partner negotiating with Mia that day was my best friend. At the same time, I displayed the IP address of the online whistleblower, which was located right at the Vance Group. As for who it was, one could easily guess. Then, I provided the source of this evidence— The top overseas hacker, Julian. Now the whole room was completely boiling over: “Julian?! Isn’t he the hacker that even Wall Street giants couldn’t poach!” “Oh my god, Chloe actually knows Julian! Then these documents must be real!” “Mia really messed with the wrong person. There’s nothing in this world Julian can’t find out!” Amidst the clamor, I had already completed my mission and prepared to leave. However, as I stepped down the stairs, I was forcefully grabbed by Arthur. A hint of anger colored his brow: “Chloe, you actually, you actually still have contact with Julian! How did you promise me back then?!” I frowned, gently shook off his hand, and spoke flatly: “Does it have anything to do with you?” “I’m your boyfriend! You promised me you wouldn’t contact him anymore!” Arthur blurted out. Looking completely justified. As if he forgot he didn’t hesitate to fake his own death to break up with me. I curled my lips into a mocking smile: “I’m sorry.” “My boyfriend is already dead, in a plane crash. Didn’t you know?” “Now, who I want to contact is entirely my own right.” Arthur’s face turned completely ashen. His lips trembled for a long time before he spoke with a shaky voice: “There was a reason for that, Chloe.” “You still have our child in your belly. You can’t let my child call another man ‘Dad’!” I threw off his hand in disgust, too lazy to say another word to him. A group of uniformed bodyguards charged through the doors and escorted me out. I heard sounds of shock behind me: “Aren’t those Julian’s personal bodyguards? Chloe really does know Julian!” “Oh my god, what a huge scoop, write it down, quick!” Mixed in with these discussions was a hint of Arthur’s voice, breaking down: “Chloe, if you really leave with Julian, we are completely over!” I paused my steps, then walked even faster. In my heart, the man I loved for ten years was already dead, dead in the plane crash. The current Arthur was just a stranger who shared his name and appearance. Getting into the car, I looked at Julian, whom I hadn’t seen in ten years, my heart filled with mixed emotions. After a long while, I said softly: “Thank you for helping me.” Julian instinctively grabbed a blanket to cover his disabled legs, still smiling gently at me: “I said, no matter what difficulties you have, I will help you, anytime.” “Don’t worry, Arthur’s retribution won’t end just like this. The information I have is enough to make him wish he were dead.” I nodded, feeling no ripples in my heart. I knew the information Julian could uncover was enough to damn Arthur beyond redemption. If it had been in the past, I would definitely have tried my hardest to stop him, not wanting him to hurt Arthur. But now, I just smiled and changed the subject: “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be a good assistant for you.” Julian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his handsome eyes shining even brighter: “I thought you would feel sorry for Arthur.” “After all, you liked him so much before, liking him enough to give up the opportunity to study in the US, just so you could be with him.” I paused, then gave a faint smile. Yes, in everyone’s eyes, Arthur was the one who sacrificed the most. Giving up a top domestic university for me to get a recommended spot at a school in Malaysia. But what he didn’t know was that I also sacrificed a lot. I sacrificed my language learning time to tutor him, and rejected a recommended spot at a top US university to go to Malaysia. These things were only known by Julian, who was also recommended for admission to the US at the time. He liked me, but he respected my choice. When Arthur and I were inseparable, he would always sit in his wheelchair, smiling gently as he watched us. I used to think it was a gaze of blessing, but looking back now, it was envy. Seeing I didn’t answer, Julian instinctively shrank back into his seat, trying to cover his legs. I proactively placed my hand on his leg, my voice very light but resolute: “I didn’t choose you back then not because of your disability, but simply because youthful infatuation has no logic.” “To avoid suspicion back then, I couldn’t tell you. Now I want to tell you, a physical disability is just a flaw in a precious jade, it doesn’t matter.” “After all, compared to a physical disability, your mind is very sound, and that’s something Arthur could never achieve.” The man lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes trembling constantly. Finally, with forbearance and restraint, he gently brushed over my hand, his voice filled with relief: “I’m also very happy that you didn’t throw your whole life away because of these ten years.” “Let’s look forward together.” The car sped away, the afterglow of the setting sun falling upon us. We exchanged a smile, and neither of us brought up Arthur again.

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After giving birth, my sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ignoring my objections, she insisted on breastfeeding. This went on for ten years. For ten years, my nephew was constantly plagued by major and minor illnesses. From coughing and fevers to severe festering and oozing sores all over his body. Miraculously, her breast cancer gradually healed. Until my nephew was ten, multiple organs failed, and he died despite emergency medical efforts. In the morgue. My sister-in-law said nonchalantly, “Raising him for ten years, I’ve fulfilled my duty as a mother. It’s just that the child had no fortune, dying early is a release.” The next day, my sister-in-law suddenly barged into my home and threw a paternity test in front of me. Holding my son, she cried bitterly, “Back at the hospital, the nurse mixed up the names. Kiki is my biological child!” She kowtowed to me, thanking me for the kindness of raising her child for ten years, and then tried to take him away. Later, I investigated and found out she did it intentionally. She found a folk remedy that required someone to suck out the pus long-term for her breast cancer to heal. And the one she chose was my son. I went to her for an explanation but was pushed to my death by her design. “Blame yourself for being stupid, not even recognizing your own son.” When I opened my eyes again, I was back ten years ago. The first thing I did was entrust my child to my own parents. But the next day, my sister-in-law still appeared holding a baby, insisting on breastfeeding. … “Blame yourself for being stupid, not even recognizing your own son.” Before plunging into darkness, my sister-in-law Mary’s shrill voice still echoed in my ears. I wished I could tear her apart bone by bone, skin her alive, but I could only watch helplessly as I fell into a pool of blood. The next second, countless images flashed by, pulling me out of the darkness. “Honey, Mary said her postpartum care center has a two-person group discount, it’s a great deal. How about we just book it with her?” “I’ve been there, the environment, food, and landscaping are all exceptionally well done. When you guys have your babies, you can look out for each other.” My husband’s words sent a cold sweat down my spine. I instinctively glanced at the calendar on the wall. Thank God, I was actually sent back ten years. In my previous life, right before my due date, Mary suddenly visited. Dropping her usual arrogance, she warmly took my hand and chatted about the two-person group discount at the postpartum care center. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I just thought since we were both about to become mothers, it brought us closer, so I agreed. Looking back now, she probably had already been diagnosed with cancer and planned to use my son’s life to cure her disease! I forced myself to calm down and discussed it with my husband: “Last time at the prenatal checkup, the doctor said my baby was in a breech position, and it’s best to be hospitalized early for observation. Having a baby is a huge deal for a woman, and I’m a bit anxious. I want my mom to come and accompany me during the birth. No matter how good the postpartum care center is, it’s not as reassuring as having my own mother by my side.” I knew my husband also cared about me. He was afraid that as a man, he wouldn’t be able to take good care of me, so he wanted to book the postpartum center to make me more comfortable after giving birth. Thinking of how, in my previous life, his hair turned half white from running around gathering evidence to sue Mary’s family after learning the truth, my eyes welled up with tears. Seeing me like this, his heart ached for me, and he quickly agreed. “Okay, okay, don’t be sad. Let’s just have your mom come. I was originally worried about your mom traveling at her age, but since you’ve decided, we’ll give her a big red envelope.” After calming my emotions, he immediately called my mom. After getting her confirmation, he called Mary back. “Mary, something came up at home, let’s forget about the postpartum care center.” I didn’t know what was said on the other end, but my husband’s brow furrowed, tinged with a bit of anger. “At the time, I only said I’d go home and discuss it with Chloe. What do you mean by going back on my word? Chloe giving birth is a big deal, it’s not your place to dictate.” With that, he hung up the phone. He looked at me and let out a long sigh. “Good thing you didn’t agree. Look at how she reacted like a dog getting its tail stepped on, probably plotting something bad again.” She was definitely plotting for my child’s life. And I knew Mary wouldn’t give up so easily. For now, all we could do was be on guard everywhere. Early the next morning, while still asleep, I heard urgent ringing of the doorbell. Woken up like this, I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I followed my husband to the door. As soon as he opened it, Mary and my brother-in-law stood there, holding two bags of slightly wrinkled, cheap apples. Before we could react, they squeezed themselves into the living room and sat down. My husband was about to ask questions with a cold face, but I stopped him. “Let’s hear what they’re here for first, otherwise we won’t be able to guard against whatever underhanded tricks they try later.” My husband nodded and went to the kitchen to pour water. Mary still wore that hypocritical smile, trying to take my hand as she spoke, which I subtly avoided. “Chloe, yesterday Mary spoke a bit harshly, pregnancy hormones got the better of my emotions, don’t take it to heart.” “I heard from your brother-in-law that you need to be hospitalized early due to a breech baby. As your sister-in-law, I couldn’t help but worry, so I had your brother-in-law book a double room for us. We can still have our babies together!” Chapter 2 Hearing this, my heart plummeted. My voice tightened as I quickly said, “Mary, my mom is coming to be with me during the delivery. Mark and I have already agreed to book a double room so my mom can sleep in the other bed.” Mary waved her hand dismissively, disagreeing, “How can we let your mom sleep in the hospital at her age? That’s suffering! I’ll have your brother-in-law book a hotel room near the hospital for her. She can stay as long as she wants.” My brother-in-law quickly nodded in agreement. “Sister-in-law, don’t worry, I’ll definitely arrange everything for your mom.” Hearing her say this, the unease in my heart grew stronger. “No need…” I wanted to say more, but she cut me off. A glint flashed in Mary’s eyes as she said with a dark expression, “Chloe, what do you mean by this? Declining again and again, do you not want to have our babies together?” “Other families want everyone to be harmonious. Two people having babies together is such a great thing, a blessing others beg for. If you don’t agree today, you must look down on me. You don’t need to call me Mary anymore!” Mary’s words practically forced my hand. If I didn’t agree, I’d be accused of destroying family harmony. At this moment, my husband walked out carrying water. He immediately sensed the tense atmosphere in the living room and quickly sat beside me to ask what was going on. With Mary’s barrage of arguments, it was indeed hard to find a reason to refuse. My husband carefully asked me, “Why don’t we just agree? Otherwise, if this goes to my mom, it’ll be another huge mess.” I sighed helplessly. My mother-in-law played favorites. If it really went to her, we’d definitely be the ones to compromise, and we’d still have to spend effort placating them before sending them off. For now, we could only agree and think of another way to break the deadlock later. “Then let’s listen to Mary. We’ll arrange things for my mom ourselves.” Mary’s face instantly bloomed into a smile, unable to hide her excitement. No matter how I looked at it, I felt she must be thinking she had caught a lifeline. “Then it’s settled.” “I see you haven’t gained much weight during this pregnancy, you definitely won’t have much milk. I can help feed the baby then. A child who grows up drinking my milk will definitely be closer to me later on.” I gave a perfunctory smile, feeling utterly disgusted inside. Thinking of the unrecognizable child I saw in the morgue in my past life, a sharp pain shot through my heart. I couldn’t help but touch my belly and silently vow. “Mommy will definitely protect you and won’t let you go through that kind of pain again.” After sending off my brother-in-law and Mary, I threw the apples on the table into the trash can, quickly pulled my husband to sit down, and said seriously: “After I give birth, don’t worry about me. You must keep a close eye on the baby. If you have to step away, my mom must watch him. Do not leave the baby’s side for a single step.” My husband was confused but still readily agreed. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Time flew by, and it was the day of admission, two weeks later. I was three days away from giving birth. My husband went to the station to pick up my mom, leaving only Mary and me in the hospital room. Her eyes flickered as she sat on my bed, chatting casually as if it were nothing. “Chloe, you’re almost due. Have you thought of a name for the baby yet?” I was immediately on high alert. She had asked me this in my past life too, and I had told her without thinking much of it. Remembering the day I gave birth in my past life, there were eight babies born in the hospital, yet Mary was able to accurately swap my child. It was hard not to overthink it. “Haven’t thought of one yet. I want to wait until the baby is born and find a master to calculate a good name.” “What era is this to still believe in superstition? It’s just a name, just a way to address someone.” I couldn’t hold back and retorted, “How is this the same? Didn’t you also go to the police station to change your name from Mary Farmer to Mary Gentle?” Chapter 3 Being told off by me like this, the smile hanging on her face instantly froze, and she didn’t continue the topic. A while later, my mom was brought to the hospital. The moment we met, all my feelings of grievance and bitterness flooded back. I hugged her and wailed loudly. Seeing me like this, my mom’s heart ached terribly: “My sweet girl, what’s wrong? Is the pregnancy making you uncomfortable? Don’t be afraid, Mom is here.” In my past life, I was busy with work, taking care of the family, and later seeking justice for my child after the incident. I didn’t even know my mom was bedridden with a severe illness. I don’t even know how heartbroken she must have been after I died. After crying, I used the excuse of wanting to catch up with my mom to book a private room at a restaurant near the hospital. After taking our seats, my tense nerves finally relaxed. “Mom, I suspect Mary wants to swap my baby.” Upon hearing this, my mom turned pale with shock. She finally understood why her usually independent daughter insisted on having her come this time. “Your sister-in-law has targeted you everywhere these past few years and never gave you a good look. I was wondering when I arrived today why she’d be so kind as to want to share a room with you. So this was her plan.” Saying this, she paused, then asked, “Why does she want to swap babies?” My face was calm, but my tone was laced with hatred: “She has breast cancer, already in the mid-to-late stages. I don’t know where she found some folk remedy, but she wants to swap my baby to help her suck out the unclean things. She wants to swap my baby simply because we’re giving birth at the same time, so after swapping, she can still have her biological child living right under her nose.” My mom trembled with anger and spat several times: “This black-hearted, rotten-gutted thing, completely devoid of morality.” “Does your husband know about this?” I shook my head. If my husband knew, he would definitely be guarded everywhere. Mary is shrewd; if she noticed, she might pull some underhanded tricks behind our backs that we wouldn’t see coming, making it even harder to defend against. “Don’t worry, Mom won’t go anywhere when the time comes. I will definitely keep a close eye on the baby.” During these three days, my mom didn’t leave my side, which put my mind at ease considerably. At night, I suddenly felt labor pains, and my mom quickly called the nurse. Seeing this, a look of pleasant surprise erupted in Mary’s eyes, as if she had seen the dawn of hope. She hurriedly called my brother-in-law over too. “Quick, tell the nurse to give me labor-inducing shots. I want to give birth together with my sister-in-law, a double blessing!” Hearing her say this, I started feeling anxious again. My mom held my hand tightly. She patted me gently to comfort me: “It’s okay, Mom is here.” Soon, I was pushed into the delivery room. My mom applied to accompany me in the delivery room. As the pain grew stronger, it felt like it was going to tear me in half. By the time I heard the baby’s cry, I was exhausted and passed out. When I woke up again, I saw the familiar white ceiling. Mary, having forced induction like in the past life, hadn’t come out of the delivery room yet. I quickly grabbed my husband, who was wiping my sweat, and asked, “Where’s the baby?” “Mom took the baby to get registered.” Unable to see the baby, I couldn’t rest for a moment, and quickly pushed him. “Go help Mom finish the paperwork and bring the baby over for me to see.” Ten minutes later, my mom finally returned holding the baby. Seeing the birthmark behind his ear, I let out a sigh of relief. It was my baby, no mistake. Looking at the fragrant, soft little bundle in my arms, I almost cried. The gloom of lying in the cold morgue in my past life was finally dispelled at this moment. Two hours later, Mary was also wheeled back into the room. As soon as she saw the baby in my arms, she quickly sat up and said: “Chloe, quickly bring your baby over for me to see.” My mom quickly took the baby in her arms, slapped her forehead, and said, “I almost forgot, the nurse just notified me to take the baby to get jaundice phototherapy.” With that, she hurried away. Mary’s face instantly looked a bit unpleasant, but she didn’t say much and turned around to sleep. In the middle of the night, I woke up groggily. It was already midnight. I turned my head and saw Mary’s bed was empty, and she wasn’t in the bathroom. My mom stayed at a hotel near the hospital at night; she didn’t stay in the hospital overnight. My husband was also not in the hospital because he went home to pack baby supplies. A sense of unease immediately washed over me. I quickly got out of bed. After opening the door, I saw my brother-in-law supporting Mary as they walked back from the direction of the neonatal incubator room. I caught every word of their conversation. Mary’s tone carried the excitement of getting what she wanted: “Long nights bring many dreams. Tomorrow we must quickly complete the discharge procedures and take the child home first. My illness can’t be delayed any longer.” “Don’t worry, honey. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll pack our things and take you to my mom’s place. With her watching the baby, everything will be fine.” My heart instantly went half cold, my legs so weak I could barely stand. Why did I guard against everything, yet still fail to prevent this? Is heaven’s will truly unavoidable? The anger pent up in my heart could no longer be contained. Just as I was about to rush out, I heard her say again: “That damn old woman, perfectly good hotel room but won’t stay in it, guarding the baby in the middle of the night instead. She made it impossible for us to make a move. I don’t know whose baby we randomly swapped for. What are their family conditions like? I can’t let my child go suffer in their home.” Chapter 4 When I got up in the morning, I saw my brother-in-law packing their bags. Mary sat on the bed feeding the baby in her arms, and the milk was clearly not a normal color. Seeing this scene, I couldn’t help but frown. Even though I knew the baby in her arms wasn’t mine, it was still an innocent life. I really couldn’t just ignore it. “Mary, does your chest still hurt? Maybe you should ask the doctor before breastfeeding?” Mary dropped her recent enthusiasm, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure. “Is it your place to tell me how to feed my own child?” I was speechless and didn’t say more. Not long after, they packed their things and left. My husband happened to return from buying breakfast. Seeing the empty bed, he asked, “Mary and her husband have already been discharged? Didn’t they say it’s best to stay for seven days?” I pulled him to sit on the edge of the bed and told him everything that happened last night, as well as Mary’s illness and her plan to use my son’s life. “She’s rushing to be discharged now, probably afraid that the longer she waits, the more problems might arise.” My husband trembled with anger, his voice shaking involuntarily: “How could they do something so insane? No wonder you’ve been avoiding her lately. So you knew they had this plan.” “We can’t just watch someone else’s child be ruined either.” My thoughts were exactly the same as my husband’s. I leaned close to his ear and explained the plan in my head. Following my plan, my husband went to the nurse’s station. “That gold chain was still on my baby’s ankle in the incubator room yesterday. It was a gift from an elder and holds special meaning for the child. Could you please check the surveillance footage and help us look for it?” My husband’s tone was sincere. The nurses didn’t make things difficult and quickly pulled up the footage. The video fast-forwarded to midnight. Two figures abruptly appeared on the screen. I feigned confusion and asked, “Why do these two people look so much like my brother-in-law and Mary?” The nurse frowned, her expression turning unpleasant. “So those are your brother-in-law and Mary. Those two threw a fit last night insisting on going in to see the baby, threatening to complain about me if I didn’t let them. It was late, and I didn’t want to disturb the other resting mothers, so I let them in. They stayed inside for a bit and then came out.” “This morning they were in such a hurry to be discharged. Could your chain have been picked up by them?” I didn’t speak, my eyes fixed on the screen. The nurse suddenly gasped and stood up in a panic. “Wait, why did they swap the babies’ positions? Those spots are assigned with bed numbers, you can’t just swap them! The baby they discharged with this morning is the one from the next room!” The nurse had no time to care about our missing chain. She quickly ran to the nursing station to make a call. My husband’s eyes darkened. Even though I had told him about Mary wanting to swap babies, seeing it with his own eyes finally made it feel real. His older brother and Mary actually committed such a heinous act. That was a fresh, living life! Thinking of this, my husband immediately took out his phone to call his brother and confront him. But I pressed his hand down. “The bed next door is a single room. The patient is the wife of the city’s police chief. If you notify your brother now, when things blow up, they will definitely hold a grudge against us. We can’t avoid seeing family during holidays. What if they try to harm our child behind our backs? Let the family handle it according to the law.” In my past life, I searched everywhere for evidence, running to the hospital every day, memorizing every pregnant woman who gave birth that day. The day I died, I had just received confirmation from the chief’s wife that she would help. If I could save her child’s life in this life, it would be considered repaying her kindness. A hint of hesitation flashed in my husband’s eyes. This was his biological brother, after all. But if we hadn’t found out, the victim today would have been his own child. Thinking of this, he finally nodded and agreed. Chapter 5 Things progressed quickly. The day they were discharged, the two took the baby on a high-speed train, then a bus, all the way to the countryside. When they were found, the baby was crying heart-wrenchingly on the heated brick bed with a high fever, his body showing unnatural bruising. This place was my husband’s family’s long-abandoned old house. Besides a few eighty-year-old elderly people with mobility issues, even my mother-in-law had moved away long ago. I didn’t expect them to hide in such a place. My husband and I stood far away outside the village. The police soon came out with the baby. Mary chased after them, wailing loudly. “This is my baby, what right do you have to take him away? I’m going to sue you!” The police officer looked straight at her, his tone stern and cold: “A paternity test will prove whether he’s your child or not. We have the video of you intentionally swapping babies at the hospital. Do you even know whose child you swapped?” “This is the child of our police chief. The evidence is solid. Do you know you are a suspect for child trafficking?” Hearing this, Mary immediately shut up. Panic flashed in her eyes, and her body went limp as she slumped to the ground. “I just accidentally picked up the wrong baby. It’s not that serious. At worst, I’ll just swap them back.” “I haven’t even finished my postpartum confinement yet. If you scare me like this and something happens to me, can you take responsibility?” Seeing her act tough but cowardly inside, a flash of disgust crossed the police officer’s eyes. “Whether you picked up the wrong one or not, we’ll know once you come back to the station with us!” With that, Mary was dragged and pulled into the police car. At the police station. We delayed for a while before arriving. As soon as Mary saw us, she immediately pointed at me and shouted, “I didn’t intentionally take your chief’s child. I originally planned to take my sister-in-law’s. Release me, this is all a misunderstanding!” I laughed out of sheer anger. So my child deserves it, is that it? Seeing I didn’t speak, Mary quickly grabbed me and yelled, “Say something! Didn’t we agree to swap children and raise them for a while? I just accidentally took the wrong one, right?” She blinked at me, trying to get me to play along with her scam. I coldly retorted. “Mary, perjury is punishable by jail time. I can’t jump into this fire pit. You better tell the truth.” Mary’s eyes widened, not expecting me to refuse to buy her story at all. Angered, she argued unreasonably, “Everything I said is the truth. Mom can testify for me.” Just as she was speaking, my brother-in-law rushed in with my mother-in-law. Upon seeing me, my mother-in-law charged at me without a word, raising her hand and slapping me fiercely across the face. A clear handprint immediately appeared on my face, red, swollen, and numb. A metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. She cursed loudly, “Are you trying to kill your sister-in-law? You jinx! Your sister-in-law treated you so well. She knew you were pregnant and wanted to take care of you, and this is how you repay her!” My husband pulled me behind him protectively, angrily saying, “Mom, Mary is the one who did something wrong, why are you hitting Chloe?” My mother-in-law spat. “Ever since this little bitch married into our family, there hasn’t been a single day of peace.” She turned to the police, acting arrogant, “This is a family matter. We indeed agreed to swap babies for a while, but there was a misunderstanding. Can you release my daughter-in-law now?” The police officer, with a dark face, said coldly, “This is a police station, not a wet market for you to haggle. Everything requires evidence. The child your daughter-in-law took is currently lying in the hospital. You better ask her what she did to the baby first.” Guilty, Mary took a step back, her face turning red and white. She argued, “The temperature in the countryside is low, the baby just caught a cold. It’s nothing serious.” Her eyes darted around, and she immediately lay down on the floor, clutching her chest and crying in pain. “I’m a sick person. Keeping me locked up here delays my treatment. You’re committing murder!” My brother-in-law also reacted and hurriedly pulled medical records from his pocket. “That’s right, my wife has cancer. What if you delay her treatment by keeping her locked up here!”

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I was pregnant with twins, and my sugar daddy of six years told me he was finally going to give me a title. When he proposed, asking if I would marry him, I was just about to say yes when two tiny, childish voices echoed out of nowhere: 【Mommy, don’t say yes! My daddy isn’t Liam Hayes!】 【The baby in your sister’s belly is Liam’s!】 Those two short sentences completely fried my brain… The entire venue was waiting for my answer, but I stood frozen on the spot. If the babies in my belly weren’t Liam’s, then whose were they? The next second, the little milky voices piped up again. 【Silly Mommy, that scumbag has been hooking up with your sister for a long time. If you marry him, he’s going to sell you to human traffickers in international waters!】 【Hurry, ask my dad for help! He’s the one off stage wearing the black suit and the Buddhist amulet!】 I was shocked, my gaze involuntarily drifting toward the man sitting at the main table, radiating a lethal, chilling aura—the underground arms king of New York, Arthur Vance. … Even though today was my wedding to Liam, everyone’s attention couldn’t help but gravitate toward him. This man exuded an intimidating “keep away” aura, casually playing with a blood-red Buddhist amulet in his hand. His eyes were sharp as a hawk’s. I glanced at him and accidentally met his icy stare. I immediately looked away, my heart pounding in terror: My sweet babies, do you know who he is? The Arthur Vance, who controls half the arms trade in North America, has never had a woman by his side. How could you possibly be his kids? Even if Liam is just a mid-level boss, you can’t just maliciously frame someone else and refuse to acknowledge your own father! Be good, accept reality. It’s too late to pick a new dad on the spot. Try again in your next life. I tried to comfort the little dumplings, thinking they were just rejecting Liam because his gang was too small-time. But I didn’t expect the tiny voices to scream in protest: 【Did you forget about the time you woke up in the VIP suite of that casino?!】 【Your fiancé and your sister tricked you into going to the casino, planning to use you to pay off a gambling debt. But you went into the wrong room…】 【The man lying next to you that night was Arthur Vance!】 I gasped in shock: That was Arthur? I thought it was Liam… Memories flooded back like a tidal wave. The late night, my back covered in hickeys, limbs intertwined. The air thick with the smell of gunpowder and cigars. Liam was still looking at me tenderly, but all I could see was the sweat and suppressed panting of Arthur from that night. He had handcuffed my wrists to the headboard as he took what he wanted. The legendary, terrifying arms dealer was shockingly ferocious in private. Seeing my lack of response, the officiant repeated, “Ms. Chloe Jenkins, do you take Mr. Liam Hayes to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Liam squeezed my hand, looking concerned. “What’s wrong, Chloe? Are you not mentally prepared yet?” He gently scratched my palm to soothe me: “Don’t be afraid. Once you marry into the Hayes family, I’ll make sure you enjoy endless wealth and luxury.” 【Don’t believe him! He has a hidden dungeon in a warehouse by the docks specifically for locking up disobedient women!】 I shuddered in terror and immediately shouted at the top of my lungs, “I do not!” The moment I spoke, the entire hall erupted in an uproar. The Hayes family was a decently powerful syndicate in the city. No one expected me to publicly reject Liam. Especially since I had been Liam’s submissive mistress for six years. Everyone called the eldest daughter of the Jenkins family a notorious gold digger. Now that I was finally getting “promoted” to wife, I was actually turning down this golden opportunity. Liam’s face instantly darkened. He clearly hadn’t anticipated I would reject him at our own wedding. “Chloe, stop fooling around. This is our wedding! If you have a problem with me, we can talk about it after…” 【If you wait until after the wedding, it’ll be too late! My real dad is about to take his private jet to Mexico for a business deal!】 【Mom! Time waits for no one! Hurry up and kick this scumbag to the curb! Go grab onto the thigh of my ruthless, billionaire dad!】 “I’m not marrying you!” I answered firmly. My own flesh and blood wouldn’t lie to me. If they said Liam was a scumbag, then I absolutely could not marry him! Right then, my younger sister walked onto the stage, her belly slightly protruding, and stood next to Liam. “Sister, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now? Hasn’t Liam already agreed to marry you?” It wasn’t until she got close that I noticed the diamond necklace she was wearing was from the exact same collection as my wedding ring. Comparing the quality, my ring looked like a cheap knockoff from a street vendor. In a flash, I understood everything. The baby in my belly was nothing but a pawn in a scheme she and Liam had planned long ago. As an adopted daughter, she didn’t have the status to be Mrs. Hayes. And I was merely the stepping stone for her to climb the ranks. My parents stood up and furiously berated me: “Chloe! Haven’t you embarrassed the Jenkins family enough? Do you think you can just ruin a wedding on a whim?!” “You were the one crying and begging to be with Liam back then, and now you’re backing out at the altar! Do you think marriage is a game?! Why can’t you be sensible like your sister, Mia?!” “You are marrying him today whether you want to or not!” 2 No one expected the wedding to turn into a farce. The guests were whispering amongst themselves, eager to watch me make a fool of myself. “This Jenkins girl really has no sense. She threw herself at the Hayes heir for six years, and now that she’s finally becoming the wife, she backs out? The whole underworld is waiting to see her thrown into the ocean!” “The adopted daughter is so much more sensible. She knows her place, found herself a rich backer, and is living a comfortable, secure life.” “The Jenkins family is so unlucky, giving birth to such an ungrateful biological daughter.” Hearing the malicious gossip, I realized my reputation in the city was already completely ruined. Yet, I used to be the elegant, well-educated heiress of the Jenkins family. It seemed that ever since my adopted sister, Mia, entered our home, my status began to plummet, and the attitudes of my parents and Liam slowly changed. Liam grabbed my hand directly, ignoring my words, and announced to the crowd, “Chloe is just throwing a little tantrum. Please forgive her. She has agreed to marry me, and I am willing to take her as my wife.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mia clenching her fists. I took a deep breath and violently shook off Liam’s hand: “I said I’m not marrying you, and I mean it! I already know about the dirty secrets between you and my sister! The baby in her belly is yours, isn’t it, Liam?” Those words hit the banquet hall like a bombshell. 【Great job! Mom! Tear off the hypocritical masks of this cheating couple!】 【Your adopted sister has been spreading rumors about you non-stop. Your reputation is ruined entirely because of her!】 The little dumpling, thriving on the chaos, cheered excitedly in my belly. “What nonsense are you talking about?!” Mia covered her mouth, looking pitiful and wronged. “Sister, it’s bad enough you bully me normally, but why would you falsely accuse me of something so huge in public?!” “How could you use my baby as an excuse to run away from your wedding?” Hearing her words, Liam’s expression shifted from guilty to composed. He said righteously, “Chloe, you’re crossing the line! Even if you don’t want to get married, you shouldn’t slander me and your sister!” My parents looked at me with immense disappointment, their faces twisted in anger: “Are you out of your mind?! Humiliating your sister and fiancé in public? How did the Jenkins family raise such a daughter?!” “Do you realize your words have turned us into the laughingstock of the city?!” The guests below were almost laughing out loud: “This is too good. This Jenkins heiress is truly trashy, spreading rumors about her own sugar daddy and sister in public!” I ripped off my veil, threw it on the ground, and turned to leave, but several heavily tattooed thugs immediately blocked the exit. Taking advantage of my momentary shock, Liam grabbed my wrist, intending to force me through the rest of the ceremony. His voice was squeezed through his teeth, his usually gentle demeanor now incredibly ferocious: “Once you become Mrs. Hayes, you’ll never have the right to be this willful again!” The eyes of the people around me were filled with mockery and ridicule. Not a single person respected my wishes. For the first time, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head, waking me up. My situation was this dire. I had been used as a pawn by my adopted sister and my supposed backer for their own interests. The little dumpling yelled anxiously: 【As soon as this wedding ceremony is over, your husband will find an excuse to lock you up in the dock warehouse!】 【The black SUVs are already lined up at the door. The second you walk out, you’ll be tied up!】 【Mom, hurry up and ask my real dad for help!】 Arthur? I looked toward where he had been sitting, only to find him standing up, leading two bodyguards in black suits toward the exit. 【Oh no, my dad is taking a helicopter to Mexico!】 This might be my last lifeline! In a moment of desperation, I bit down hard on the webbing between Liam’s thumb and index finger. He yelled in pain and let go. I turned, bolted, and threw myself toward Arthur. The bodyguards ran to intercept me, but I directly flipped over a display table, sending a towering pyramid of red wine glasses crashing to the floor. The long train of my wedding dress wove through the chaotic crowd. People screamed, and the venue dissolved into total mayhem. Ignoring everything, I dragged my wedding dress and sprinted straight for Arthur. His bodyguards didn’t react in time. Hearing the commotion, Arthur turned around, and I crashed directly into his chest. “Take me away, please!” Arthur’s face was obscured by the backlight. The next second, I was shoved away violently. He brushed off his suit as if he had touched something filthy, looking at me with sheer disgust: “Get lost. Didn’t you know I absolutely loathe women getting close to me?” 【So fake! Don’t believe him, he’s just acting tough right now. Once my dad falls in love with you, he’ll turn into a totally devoted puppy!】 Arthur turned to leave again. I desperately grabbed the cuff of his trousers, refusing to let him go. Footsteps rushed up from behind. Liam and his bodyguards caught up and pinned me down. My parents looked at Arthur’s barely suppressed anger with terror in their eyes: “We’re so sorry, Mr. Vance! My daughter is mentally unstable and offended you. We will personally visit your estate to offer a formal apology!” Liam also chimed in, his expression subservient: “Mr. Vance, it’s my fault for not keeping my woman in check. I will discipline her properly when we get back. Please, be magnanimous and forgive us!” Mia, however, looked at Arthur with absolute infatuation. This was the man almost every woman in the city both feared and desired. Arthur didn’t reply. He looked down at my hand gripping his trouser leg. Mia also noticed and raised her high heel, stomping down hard on the back of my hand. “Sister, how could you offend Mr. Vance? Let go, now!” I screamed in pain. Arthur took the opportunity to pull his leg free and strode away coldly. Seeing his back about to disappear, I yelled at him in panic: “Arthur! The babies in my belly are yours!” 3 Arthur stopped abruptly. The atmosphere descended into an eerie silence. The guests in the banquet hall stared at me. Their eyes were no longer mocking, but looking at me like I was already a corpse. Mia, not expecting me to drag Arthur into this, looked at me with unconcealed schadenfreude. She whispered in my ear, “Sister, trying to climb the social ladder? You picked the wrong target.” “Arthur Vance isn’t a man you can just attach yourself to.” She was right. Everyone knew Arthur avoided women and despised physical contact. The blood-red Buddhist amulet in his hand was the symbol of his ruthless, lethal decisiveness. The last woman who approached him with ulterior motives was thrown into international waters to feed the fish. “Is this woman asking for a death wish? I thought she was just cheap, but she’s actually insane. No one who crossed Mr. Vance has ever lived to tell the tale in one piece…” The crowd held its breath, waiting for Arthur to erupt. As expected, Arthur turned around. His lips were pressed in a tight, freezing line. His cold eyes stared at me like I was dead. He rubbed the amulet in his hand and said coldly, “My children? Heh, Ms. Jenkins, you really are bold.” “There isn’t a single person in this city bold enough to stand in front of me with a pregnant belly and fake a claim. I’ve heard of your reputation, but have you really sunk so low that you’d try to pawn your kid off on another man at your own wedding?” The amulet flipped through his fingers, striking a rhythmic beat against the silence. It was a sign that Arthur was about to unleash his wrath. Liam quickly grabbed my head and forced it to the floor, apologizing to Arthur while forcing me to kowtow: “I’m so sorry, Mr. Vance! She’s truly out of her mind. Please, just spare her this once!” “Apologize to Mr. Vance right now, hurry!” Seeing Liam completely unbothered by my claim that the child wasn’t his, I knew he was well aware that I wasn’t carrying his baby. He just wanted to control me, so he could openly carry on his affair with Mia later. 【Mom, don’t be afraid! As long as there’s evidence that we’re his kids, he won’t abandon you!】 【Once you have the Vance family backing you up, everyone who bullied you will get their karma!】 Evidence? I smiled bitterly. Where was I going to get evidence? I didn’t even know Arthur as a person. My parents rushed forward and slapped me hard across the face twice, screaming, “Apologize to Mr. Vance immediately! Are you trying to get the entire Jenkins family killed?!” Arthur looked down at me from his towering height. I looked as pathetic as a maggot in the dirt. The intoxicating memories of that night felt as unreal as an illusion. Suddenly, remembering something, I looked up at Arthur and said calmly, “Mr. Vance, I saw the gunshot wound on the side of your waist.” As soon as the words left my mouth, Arthur froze. Though his expression didn’t change, his eyes were filled with shock. The gunshot wound on his waist was from a violent gang war in his early years. It was in a hidden location; no one knew about it unless they were incredibly intimate with him. The rest of the hall exchanged confused glances, not understanding what I was talking about. But Mia was smart and quickly interrupted: “Sister, everyone in the underworld has a gunshot wound. How can you use such a boring piece of evidence to prove you have a relationship with Mr. Vance? Do you know how many women have tried similar tricks over the years?” “If you really want to prove the seeds in your belly belong to Mr. Vance, why don’t we just do a paternity test?” Mia looked immensely smug. She didn’t believe for a second that I actually had any involvement with Arthur. After all, how could an unremarkable Jenkins daughter possibly get involved with the city’s arms king? Even his presence at this wedding today was only secured after Liam pulled massive strings, offering up a significant amount of weapons and territory. The people around me agreed: “Yeah! Do a paternity test! Slap this woman right in the face!” “Who does she think she is, trying to claim ties with Mr. Vance? And claiming the baby is his at her own wedding? What a shameless slut!” “She was yelling so confidently, let’s do the test and expose her ugly face personally! Let’s make sure she can never show her face in this city again!” Arthur’s eyes were dark and unreadable. Then, he nodded, giving me a chance. “Fine, let’s do a paternity test. I’ll make sure you die knowing exactly why.” 【Mom, you’re a badass! I finally get to see my dad’s face get slapped, hahaha!】 【Don’t worry, I’ll teach you how to handle him. By the time he falls in love with you, you’ll have a perfectly obedient, loyal puppy!】 The farce at the wedding quickly became the talk of the town. Old Mr. Vance, Arthur’s father, heard the news and rushed to the scene. Seeing my blood being drawn by a private doctor, he stood to the side, unable to hide his joyous expression. “Wonderful. To think I’d get to hold my grandchildren while I’m still alive.” Arthur sneered. “When she’s exposed in a few minutes, I hope she can still walk out of here in one piece.” I closed my eyes, letting the blood drain from my body. My parents stood by in terror, deeply afraid I would implicate the Jenkins family. Liam’s face was as dark as ink. At his wedding, his woman was getting a paternity test for another man’s children. Even if that man was Arthur Vance, he felt a crushing sense of humiliation. 【Thank god Mom didn’t marry this Hayes guy! He’s plotting how to deal with you as soon as the wedding is over!】 【Wuuuwuuu, drawing blood hurts so much, but for Mom’s happiness, I’ll endure it!】 At this moment, my body was covered in bruises. Drawing blood made me so weak I could barely stand. I leaned on the comfort of the little dumpling’s voice to keep waiting for the results. The guests sized me up with mocking eyes. They were all waiting to see Arthur punish me ruthlessly. No one believed that Arthur, who abstained from women, could possibly have a child. I also realized that if the babies weren’t Arthur’s, I would face absolute annihilation. Finally, hurried footsteps echoed outside the door. Arthur’s personal subordinate rushed in nervously, holding a report, and whispered into Arthur’s ear. Arthur’s cold expression was instantly replaced with absolute shock. Old Mr. Vance impatiently tapped his cane on the floor: “What are you whispering about? Are they my biological grandchildren or not? Spit it out!” Mia covered her mouth and giggled nearby. “Is there even a need to say it? How could it be the Vance family’s flesh and blood? It’s all my sister’s lies…” The subordinate wiped the sweat from his forehead and announced loudly: “The genetic similarity between Ms. Jenkins’s children and Mr. Vance is 99.99%!” 4 The room was silent for a moment before exploding into a frenzy of discussion. Everyone stared at me in sheer disbelief: “How is that possible?! A girl from such a small family, how could she get pregnant with Mr. Vance’s child?” The Buddhist amulet in Arthur’s hand was suddenly squeezed tight. He frowned: “I don’t even know this woman, how could…” But the paternity report, and the gunshot wound on his waist, proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the bride standing in front of him was indeed his woman. He suddenly remembered a night three months ago. After finishing an arms deal at a casino, he was ambushed, drugged, and ultimately passed out in a VIP suite. That night was a haze. He was consumed by lust and unable to pull himself out. When he woke up, he thought it was just a dream. He never expected it to be reality. “Sister, you are truly shameless!” Mia jumped out again. When she first heard that the babies in my belly were Arthur’s, the mask had slipped for a second, revealing intense jealousy. But seeing Arthur completely refuse to acknowledge me, she regained her smugness. “You cheated on Liam behind his back, and then shamelessly climbed into Mr. Vance’s bed! You’re too manipulative! You’ve played us all for fools!” “The virtuous and elegant image of the Jenkins family has been completely destroyed by you! I can’t believe we produced such a promiscuous woman like you!” Hearing her words, the crowd finally processed the situation. I was pregnant with Arthur’s child while marrying Liam. This was simply a gross violation of public decency. The guests immediately started attacking me: “Exactly! This woman clung to the Hayes heir, and then secretly plotted against Mr. Vance behind his back! How does someone like her deserve to enter the Vance family?!” “A cheating woman actually has the nerve to claim paternity at her own wedding! Why hasn’t the Jenkins family thrown her out yet? Still dreaming of climbing the ranks through her children? The Vance family won’t let her off easily!” “Kick her out of the city! Immoral, low character, cheating in public… it’s absolutely disgusting!” The insults directed at me grew louder and louder. Unable to bear the humiliation, my parents yelled: “The Jenkins family does not have a disgraceful daughter like you! Get out of here!” “Mia is the only daughter of our family!” Liam stood silently to the side, taking a vindictive pleasure in watching me being berated by the crowd. Suddenly, a cane struck the floor heavily. Old Mr. Vance’s voice carried an unquestionable authority: “Enough! What kind of place do you think this is? A whole crowd of people bullying a little girl!” “As long as the flesh and blood in Ms. Jenkins’s belly belongs to the Vance family, she is the daughter-in-law of the Vance family!” “Marcus, escort Ms. Jenkins to the car. We’re going home!” The bodyguard nodded and reached out to help me. By this point, I was utterly exhausted from the stress and pregnancy. After two steps, my body went weak, and I pitched forward. Just as I was about to hit the floor, a pair of hands caught me, sweeping me up into a firm embrace. Arthur looked entirely aloof. “Although I won’t acknowledge you, you are carrying my seed and you have been my woman. I will not allow others to bully you.” He carried me, his sharp gaze sweeping over the people who had just been mocking me. “From now on, Ms. Jenkins is part of the Vance family. If I hear any more malicious gossip, don’t blame me for turning hostile.” With that, he took long strides out of the banquet hall. Over his shoulder, I saw the faces of Mia and Liam. They glared at me with vicious eyes, clearly unwilling to let this go. I was quietly placed inside a black, bulletproof SUV by Arthur. When he got in and sat beside me, I instantly felt the immense pressure of his presence. The man sitting next to me had carved a path through blood and violence, building his own arms empire in the city. He was the eldest son of the Vance family, with a status that was completely out of reach. Logically, someone of my class shouldn’t even have the right to interact with such a massive figure. He closed his eyes and rested beside me. A moment later, he answered a satellite phone: “Cancel the helicopter. Just bring Elena back to the country later.” 【Mom, your biggest rival, Elena, is about to appear! She’s my dad’s one and only ‘white lotus’ first love! This woman is much more formidable than your sister!】 【But don’t worry! No matter if it’s your sister or Elena, Dad and I will absolutely back you up!】 I rubbed my belly and smiled bitterly. Even though the little dumpling said that, I didn’t hold out any hope. I was a woman who almost married another man, a woman he only had a one-night stand with. How could I possibly catch the eye of an arms warlord? I escaped Liam’s control and ended up with the Vance family. Who could say if I hadn’t just jumped from the frying pan into an even bigger fire? Arthur squinted, sizing me up. His suspicion of me had never vanished: “Ms. Jenkins, even though you’re carrying my seed, I will never marry you.” He sneered. “I don’t care what methods you used to get pregnant, or how long you planned out this little show today, but getting into the Vance family won’t be that easy.” Hearing his words, the little dumpling started screaming again: 【Fake! So fake! You have no idea how much he reminisced about that night after it happened!】 【He’s the ultimate hopeless romantic! Mom, you don’t even need to use any tricks. He’ll convince himself to fall in love with you!】 I closed my eyes, took three seconds to digest Arthur and the little dumpling’s words, and answered obediently: “I never thought about entering the Vance family. I just want to give birth to the children safely and watch them grow up healthy.” Arthur didn’t say another word, but the little dumpling issued a notification: 【Dad’s heart rate is rising! He’s very satisfied with your answer! Falling in love with you is just a matter of time!】

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