Category: English

My college roommate from four years ago, Anna, is getting married and asked us to be her bridesmaids. We had to pay for our own travel, accommodation, and bridesmaid dresses. And there was no traditional red envelope given to thank us for our help. The day before the wedding, we arrived at her rural hometown at 6 AM to help set up the bridal suite. The next evening, right after the wedding wrapped up, we had to find our own way out of the countryside. Thinking about our supposed “sisterhood,” the three of us still showed up like absolute suckers, even bringing generous cash gifts. We endured the humiliation of the vulgar, rural wedding hazing customs. And what did we get in return? She publicly referred to us as “my three maids.” The groom was my ex-boyfriend from college. During the reception, we had to sit through the retelling of their “eight-year-long romantic journey.” Throughout the story, Anna used all of our most embarrassing photos and awkward college moments to make herself look elegant and superior by comparison. Finally, we couldn’t take it anymore and smashed the giant LED screen. That night, I woke up in my college dorm room. Anna was standing there, bragging about an expensive bottle of perfume a suitor had given her. There were four people in this dorm. Three of us had just been reborn. 01 “I told him I didn’t need any perfume, but he insisted! Giving me this on Christmas Eve… do you guys think he’s into me?” Anna held up the expensive bottle of perfume, posing for a selfie, her humblebrag anything but subtle. She didn’t notice that the way I was looking at her had completely changed. When nobody responded, she just kept talking to herself: “This senior said his girlfriend isn’t as pretty as me, and doesn’t have my figure. Is he hinting at something? He even asked me out tonight, but I don’t think of him that way at all.” At that exact moment, my phone buzzed. My boyfriend sent me a selfie from his dorm room, followed by a $5.20 Venmo transfer. The message read: So sorry, baby. I’m stuck finishing a paper tonight and can’t be with you for Christmas Eve. Once I save up some money from my part-time job, I’ll buy you a real present! In the corner of his selfie, I spotted the torn wrapping paper from the exact same expensive perfume Anna was holding. The cheap audacity made me want to throw up. No wonder they had an “eight-year-long romantic journey” at their wedding. They were hooking up right now! Anna was wearing my Gucci coat and carrying my Chanel bag. She spritzed herself with my Jo Malone perfume and said, “Chloe, is your boyfriend not taking you out? I’m so jealous of you. I had plans booked for Christmas Eve a month ago. It’s like these guys have never seen a pretty, rich girl before…” “I’m going to the library tonight. Take off my coat and leave my bag here. I need to use them.” Anna froze. “Oh, and I forgot to mention,” I continued casually, “my family has a habit of putting rubbing alcohol into expired cosmetics so nobody accidentally uses them. Which foundation and perfume did you just put on? Does your face burn?” Anna’s face dropped. She frantically grabbed makeup wipes, furiously scrubbing her face, and yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?! Are you trying to ruin my skin on purpose?!” I hopped down from my loft bed and stared at her coldly. “Did you ask me before you stole my stuff? Just because I didn’t say anything before doesn’t mean I didn’t know.” “Why… why are you being so mean all of a sudden? It’s just a little bit of makeup.” Anna rolled her eyes, put on a face mask, and headed for the door. “Well, you aren’t wearing this dress, right? I’m running late, I have to go to my date.” The dress she was wearing was also mine—a designer summer slip dress. Anna grabbed a winter coat but purposefully draped it over her arm instead of wearing it. She strutted through the freezing December campus, her bare shoulders exposed, her curves on full display. She tossed her long, curled hair, ensuring every guy she walked past stared. Her intentions couldn’t have been more obvious. I smiled and used my phone app to remotely lock my Porsche. Sure enough, not even half an hour later, Anna kicked the dorm door open. She was completely wrapped in her winter coat, shivering violently, her lips practically purple. “What a broke loser! He actually expected me to take the bus! Taking the bus downtown for dinner?! Is he insane?!” At the exact same time, my boyfriend aggressively texted me five times in a row, asking why the Porsche wouldn’t start. Before I could even reply, he FaceTimed me. The loud ringtone startled Anna. She looked over at me and was about to speak when I answered the call right in front of her. “Chloe, what the hell is your problem? Why did you lock the Porsche?” 02 Hearing my boyfriend’s voice, Anna quickly looked away. But she didn’t look guilty or panicked at all. Wow. So they were intentionally making a fool out of me together. “I’ve been driving that car for weeks, how could you just—” “Who do you think owns the car, buddy? I was in a bad mood, can’t I lock my own car? I thought you were in your dorm doing homework. Why do you need to drive?” My tone was even more aggressive than his, completely catching him off guard. He stammered, “…I, I was just asking! Why are you so mad?” I saw Anna furiously pulling off my dress on the bottom bunk. I laughed and said to the screen, “Let me guess, were you planning to drive my car to take some girl out and pretend you’re rich?” “Well, let me tell you a funny story. I heard about a girl going on a date tonight. She wore her roommate’s clothes, carried her roommate’s bag, and even used her roommate’s expensive three-ply toilet paper. Am I at college to study, or am I running a charity for the homeless?” My boyfriend’s face flushed bright red. He immediately hung up the call. Anna immediately snapped, “Who are you being passive-aggressive towards, Chloe? I washed the clothes before I wore them! Are you really going to hold a few pieces of toilet paper over my head? I don’t owe you anything!” “Just because your boyfriend is broke and pathetic doesn’t mean you get to take your anger out on your roommate! I didn’t do anything to you!” Just then, Mia pushed the door open, returning from the library. As soon as she set down her thermos, Anna rushed over to her, playing the victim. “Mia, please talk some sense into her! Chloe is holding a grudge over a few sheets of toilet paper. Aren’t we supposed to be sisters?” Mia remained completely expressionless and said coldly, “That’s highly debatable.” Mia was also reborn. After attending that disastrous wedding, her hatred for Anna ran deep. Because during the wedding slideshow, Anna had publicly displayed a photo of Mia walking around the dorm in nothing but her bra and underwear. “What… what is wrong with you guys today? You’re acting so weird.” Anna awkwardly sat down in her chair, trying to change the subject. “We’re usually such good friends. It’s like you guys took crazy pills today. Whatever, I’ll let it slide. Mia, pour me a cup of hot water, I almost froze to death out there.” Mia didn’t even look at her. She slammed the lid onto her thermos. “If you want hot water, get it yourself. We aren’t your maids.” Anna froze. Her eyes instantly filled with tears. She curled up on her bed, crying, “I didn’t do anything to you guys…” Girl, are you ever going to drop the princess act? You played us for fools in our past life. Do you really think we’re going to put up with you this time around? Mia glanced at me, asking if I wanted to go shower, treating Anna like she didn’t even exist. When we came back from the showers, Anna was sitting on her bed, happily video-chatting with someone. “…Yes, Sean, I miss you too.” “Of course I’m in my dorm! It’s just three of us right now, one of the girls went home for the weekend.” “What’s so interesting about a girls’ dorm? It’s just a few beds and desks. Here, I’ll show you.” Saying that, Anna leaned out of her bed, switched to her rear camera, and brazenly started filming the entire room. I immediately clutched my towel tightly around myself and warned her, “People are changing in here! Stop filming!” Anna kept her AirPods in, acting like she couldn’t hear me, giggling and introducing the room to the guy on the phone. Mia lost it. She charged forward, hung up Anna’s FaceTime call, grabbed her by the collar, and slapped her hard across the face. “Are you deaf?! People are changing, and there’s underwear hanging up! Who the hell are you filming that for?!” Anna shrieked like a stepped-on cat. “Sean is my cousin! So what if I show him?!” “You’re acting like anyone actually wants to see you! Even if a fat cow like you stripped naked, nobody would want to look!” 03 Mia instantly went silent. She was from the Midwest. She was 5’7″ and weighed maybe 130 pounds. How on earth did that make her fat??? Her eyes, blazing with hatred, locked onto Anna. The fury practically radiated from her head. “You are utterly disgusting!” Mia was strong. She shoved Anna down onto the bed, forcefully ripped her phone from her hands, grabbed Anna’s thumb, and forced it onto the scanner to unlock the phone. “What are you doing?! Why are you taking my phone?!” Mia signaled to me with her eyes. I grimly opened Anna’s photo gallery. It didn’t take long to find the problematic photos. There were pictures of my drying underwear, photos of our other roommate Sarah changing her clothes, and… The photo of Mia completely naked while changing. When we got to that photo, I handed the phone to Mia. Her eyes instantly went red. “That… that was an accident! I must have hit the camera button by mistake, I didn’t even know I took that!” Anna stammered for a moment, then turned her head, acting tough. “What does my photo gallery have to do with you?! Stop invading my privacy! Do you know that’s illegal?!” The next second, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Mia grabbed the front of Anna’s shirt and ripped it clean in half. “Are you crazy?! You fat pig, you—” Mia shoved the torn fabric into Anna’s mouth to shut her up. She violently stripped Anna completely naked and threw her onto the bed. The dorm door was wide open, the hallway lights blazing. Anna turned pale as a ghost, huddling on her mattress, trembling and whimpering. “Listen to me very carefully. I have permanently deleted everything on your phone. If you ever dare to secretly film us again, I will strip you naked and throw you out the front doors of the lecture hall. Do you understand me?” Anna, crying and snotting all over herself, nodded frantically. Only then did Mia let her go, turning around to grab her laundry basket. Anna stayed curled up on the bed for a minute, recovering. Then she rapidly threw on fresh clothes, grabbed her phone, and bolted out the door. “Is she going to the RA?” I asked. “Maybe. But Mia has a stubborn streak. I’m guessing she’ll escalate this all the way to the top. I wonder what will happen if this blows up?” Anna suddenly stopped in the doorway. Her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were white, and tears were still streaming from her bloodshot eyes. I walked over with a cold smile, hooked my arm through hers, and offered some fake advice. “Come on, blowing this out of proportion is bad for everyone. Besides, we’re all roommates. We’re sisters, right?” Anna shot me a tearful look, a flash of calculating shrewdness hiding in her eyes. She quickly put on her best victim act. “Of course we’re sisters. I just wanted to record our memories together so we’d have something to look back on after graduation. How could Mia treat me like this?” What a masterclass in gaslighting. The manipulation was so thick, it was no wonder we had all been fooled by her in our past life. “She’s probably just stressed from working three jobs and is in a bad mood. Since we’re all sisters, why don’t you just let it go?” Anna wiped her tears and grabbed my hands, faking sincerity. “You’re right. Sisters shouldn’t hold grudges over small things. Mia is from the country, so she has a bad temper. I’m a well-educated city girl; I should just be the bigger person and tolerate it!” That very night, Anna sent massive paragraphs of text to our fourth roommate, Sarah, who had gone home for the weekend. The gist was: I’m being bullied and isolated in the dorm. Mia physically assaulted me. If you help me speak up, we can go to the RA together and get Mia expelled. I won’t let her get away with this. Do you really think Chloe cares about you? She’s so rich, she looks down on you. Do you really think Mia cares about you? She’s jealous that you’re a local city girl, and she curses you behind your back. You’re my only true friend left. We need to stick together. Sarah read it, instantly forwarded the screenshots to me, and added three words: Is she insane? Sarah was also reborn. She was lucky enough not to have her underwear photographed, but at the wedding, Anna had shamelessly mocked her during the toasts: “So what if she grew up in the city? Both her parents are dead anyway. She’s not nearly as happy as a country girl like me.” 04 Sarah’s parents had died in a car crash shortly after our college graduation. Because of that single, vicious comment, Sarah was the first one to throw a glass at the wedding’s LED screen. Late that night, the three of us reflected deeply in our group chat about why we had let Anna manipulate us so thoroughly in our past life. We were all first-time dorm residents. We figured that living together required tolerance and compromise. Living together for four years was like gaining three new family members. If one family member had “princess syndrome,” liked to take advantage of small things, and lacked a filter… well, she had flaws, but we definitely had flaws too. We decided to just tolerate it and let it go. Even after graduation, when Anna called us crying, saying she couldn’t find any bridesmaids, we stepped up and played the fools. We never expected her to completely trample over all of our bottom lines at her wedding. It finally showed us exactly how garbage her character truly was. So, getting a second chance, none of us planned on letting her off the hook. The next day was Monday. During class, Anna stuck to Sarah like glue, sitting in the very back row, leaning in close, and trying to act buddy-buddy. Her intentions couldn’t have been more obvious. During the lecture, my boyfriend texted me, asking why he couldn’t log into my PSN account. My PSN account had every single game and expansion unlocked, so I always let him use it. After being reborn, the first thing I did was change all my passwords. I instinctively glanced over at Anna. Sure enough, she was holding her phone sideways, sitting in a pre-game lobby, waiting for someone. I pulled out my phone and logged onto my gaming account. Within a second, I received a game invite from a user named [BeNiceToAnna]. In the team chat, Anna typed: I just need one more win to rank up! Carry me, big brother! It’s so nice getting to use your skins. She was even using a matching couple’s avatar with my account. Absolutely disgusting. In my past life, they had flaunted this right in front of my face, and I had been completely blind to it! I joined the game, picked a character, and spent the entire match stealing her loot, stealing her kills, and intentionally getting her killed. She got so mad she almost threw her phone multiple times. But, I still carried her to a win. Anna got so excited she ran to the bathroom to send a voice memo. In her most sickeningly sweet, baby voice, she cooed, “Thank you so much for carrying me to the next rank, big brother—” Before she could finish, I kicked open her stall door and shoved my victory screen right in her face. “Does it feel good to flirt with someone else’s boyfriend in a public toilet?” “Is that loser really as good as me? Can he carry you with a 12-0 streak, or can he drive a Porsche downtown to buy you dinner?” “Since you love digging through my trash so much, how about I put a dumpster on your bed so you can play in it day and night? You two are dating using my money. Am I your sugar daddy? Should I pay for your wedding and his honeymoon too?!” Anna’s face turned beet red. She stood awkwardly in the stall, shifting her weight from foot to foot, and mumbled defensively, “I don’t know what you’re talking about… I’m just playing a game with your boyfriend, are you jealous or something…” Mia just happened to walk into the bathroom. She rushed over, her eyes wide, and asked me loudly, “What? I heard she’s a homewrecker sleeping with taken guys now?” Mia rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to throw down. Anna shrieked, ducked under Mia’s arm, and sprinted out of the bathroom. Sarah walked past us carrying Anna’s abandoned backpack, giving us a reassuring nod. “Anna, what’s wrong? Why are you running?!” Sarah chased after her, pretending to be a concerned friend. As they walked away, I smiled. Insulting someone’s deceased parents is the ultimate line to cross. I knew that by trying to buddy up to Sarah, Anna was signing her own death warrant. Right then, my boyfriend called me again. Seeing I wasn’t picking up, Mia bluntly asked, “Do you want me to cuss out the cheating bastard for you?” How could I let him die so easily? I had to keep him around to properly torture him. Mia stood by the sink, rubbing lotion onto her hands, advising me, “Just don’t let him fool you again. I remember you two broke up senior year last time. This time, dump him early.” She was working a part-time job washing dishes in a cafeteria kitchen. Her hands were red and cracked from the cold water; sometimes she could barely hold a pen. Her family lived in a deeply impoverished rural county. In this second life, she wanted to ride the wave of social media to make money. During those years, platforms like YouTube and TikTok were just beginning to explode, offering massive creator incentives. Mia was working three jobs just to save up enough money to buy a high-end camera to start vlogging. I asked her if she needed any financial help, but she confidently declined. She believed that with her future knowledge, she could definitely make money. This time around, she didn’t even want to apply for the university’s low-income financial aid. She wanted to leave it for students who actually needed it. We never expected that on the day the financial aid applications were announced, someone casually mentioned Mia’s name in the dorm group chat. Instantly, Anna spammed the chat with four or five selfies. The caption read: I finally met a rich girl! This is the newest DJI camera, it’s so cool! My roommate bought a new drone! Turns out she’s been living frugally just to fund her expensive hobbies! She’s so amazing! Sneaking a touch of Mia’s (my roommate) new drone! [Heart] [Heart] Even though she quickly unsent the messages, a lot of people in the dorm group still saw them. She followed it up with a sticking-out-tongue emoji, acting totally innocent, saying she sent it to the wrong chat. And then she immediately posted the exact same thing on her Instagram story. I figured Mia was probably at work and hadn’t checked her phone. Otherwise, she would have climbed through the screen and strangled her. The next second, a direct message from [Class President Sarah] popped up on my screen: Anna actually applied for the low-income financial aid grant. She’s preparing her paperwork right now. What do you think, should we ‘arrange’ a little surprise for her?

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For three years, my husband spent every weekend night fishing with his female coworker. I’d screamed. I’d smashed things. He’d just looked at me, his voice dripping with righteousness. “We’re just fishing. Do you have to act like a complete psycho?” He was even baiting her fishing spot the day I miscarried. All he said was, “There’s nothing going on between us. You’re disgusting.” In the fourth year, I stopped checking up on him. I started leaving early and coming home late, wearing a new, expensive perfume every day. At first, he sneered. “Playing the independent woman now? This is just another one of your games, isn’t it?” But then he came home late one night, fishing gear in hand, to a house stripped bare, even the furniture gone. That’s when he finally panicked. When he called, his voice was trembling. “Where the hell are you in the middle of the night?” Listening to his impotent rage, I replied, my voice a lazy drawl. “So, it’s okay for you to go ‘fishing’ with your coworker, but I can’t go ‘hunting’ with someone else?” 01 My hand was still shaking after I signed the consent form. The doctor glanced at me, her voice flat. “Where’s your family?” “He’s… busy.” “Then you’ll have to go in alone.” The cold metal slid inside me, and my body seized with a pain so sharp it stole my breath. As my consciousness faded, I found myself back three years ago, on that first weekend. Mark was heading out the door, carrying his tackle box for the first time. “Where are you going?” “Company thing. A few of us are going fishing at the reservoir.” I didn’t think anything of it. I even packed sunscreen and lunch for him. He came back beaming, showing me pictures. In a large group of people, a girl named Tiffany stood next to him, her smile brilliant. Soon, the company outing became a weekly event. Then, the large group dwindled, until it was just him and Tiffany. Every weekend, from Friday night until the early hours of Sunday morning. A knot of unease started to form in my stomach. “Why is it always her?” “She’s the only other one who’s into fishing. We’re just friends, what are you thinking?” Then I saw the post on Tiffany’s Instagram. “Thanks to my best bud Mark for another great catch! The night breeze by the lake is amazing.” It was a nine-photo grid. Every shot was a profile of Mark, silhouetted against the water, plus a picture of two glowing fishing bobbers floating close together. I shoved the phone in his face. He snatched it from my hand and threw it onto the sofa. “What is wrong with you? We’re just fishing! Do you have to be so hysterical?” “There is nothing going on between us. We have nothing to hide. Can’t you get your mind out of the gutter for once?” From that day on, “hysterical,” “disgusting,” and “crazy” became my labels. I screamed. I smashed his precious fishing gear. All it got me was colder shoulders and longer absences. “If you keep this up,” he warned, “we’re done.” I was scared. So I learned to swallow it. I told myself I was being too sensitive, that it was just his hobby. I even started helping him pack for his night fishing trips. Mosquito repellent, hand warmers, a thermos filled with hot coffee. The impatience on his face finally began to soften. “See? This is much better. Trust and personal space are the most important things in a marriage.” I clung to those words, fooling myself for another year. Until I got pregnant. The doctor said it was a high-risk pregnancy. I needed bed rest, preferably with a family member around. I clutched Mark’s sleeve, begging him. “Please, don’t go this weekend. Stay home with me.” He frowned. “I already made plans with Tiffany. She’s already reserved the spot. It wouldn’t be right to bail.” “But the doctor said…” “The doctor’s just trying to scare you. You’re not that fragile.” He pried my fingers off his arm. “Look, I’ll be back early on Sunday.” And he left. Saturday afternoon, the cramping started. A sharp, pulling pain deep in my belly. I lay in bed, afraid to move, and called him. The first call went to voicemail. The second one connected. “Yeah?” He sounded annoyed. I could hear the wind and a woman’s laughter in the background. “Mark, I’m in so much pain… please, come home…” “Pain? How much pain can it be? You’re just freaking yourself out.” Over the line, Tiffany’s voice came through, clear as day. “Mark, who is that? Is your wife checking up on you again? You should be nicer to her, you don’t want her getting the wrong idea about us.” Her voice was sugary sweet, laced with a giggle. Mark’s tone immediately softened when he spoke to her. “It’s nothing. You just focus on baiting the spot. The wind’s picking up, the fish should be biting soon.” Then, his voice turned to ice as he spoke back into the phone. “I’m busy! You’re a grown woman. If you don’t feel well, go to the hospital. Stop calling me!” Click. He hung up. Blood trickled down my thighs, staining the white sheets crimson. I struggled out of bed and dialed 911. Lying on the cold operating table, the chill of the anesthesia seeped into my bones. The doctor’s face was impassive. “We couldn’t save the baby. Three months along. It was a boy.” “Your health is poor. It… it might be difficult for you to conceive again.” I couldn’t cry. My chest felt like a hollow cavern with an icy wind whistling through it. I took out my phone and, with the last of my strength, sent Mark a text. “I had a miscarriage.” The screen stayed lit for a long, long time, with no reply. I don’t know how much time passed. Just as I was about to drift off, my phone buzzed. It wasn’t Mark. It was an update to Tiffany’s Instagram story. A photo of her and Mark by the reservoir, a huge net between them, teeming with writhing fish. The caption read: “What a haul! The luck is always insane when I’m with Mark!” Below it, I saw that Mark had liked the post. Five minutes ago. My text message still sat in our chat, unread. In that moment, staring at the sterile, white light on the ceiling, I started to laugh. Olivia, you are such a pathetic fool. These four years have been a joke. After I was wheeled out of the operating room, a nurse handed me a bill. “You need to go settle this.” I looked at the amount and my head spun. I didn’t have my wallet. I had no choice but to dial that number I knew by heart one more time. It rang for a long time before he picked up. “What now?!” The rage in his voice practically burst through the speaker. “I’m at the hospital. I don’t have enough money, can you…” “Are you fucking kidding me?!” he cut me off. “I told you, we’re fishing! Fishing! Do you not understand English? It’s Tiffany’s birthday today, we’re all celebrating! Can you not be such a buzzkill?!” “Her birthday?” I whispered. “Yes, her birthday! We got a cake, we’re right by the lake! Do you have to ruin everything right now? It’s just money, right? I’ll send it to you! Just stop calling me, you’re so damn disgusting!” The line went dead again. A moment later, a notification. A five-hundred-dollar transfer. With a two-word memo: “Shut up.” I stared at those words, and the last bit of warmth drained from my body. I didn’t accept the money. I used the last of my credit on my phone to pay the bill. Alone, I braced myself against the wall and slowly walked out of the hospital. The night air cut against my face like a razor. I looked up at the moon. It was full and bright. Mark. Tiffany. I repeated their names, syllable by syllable. From this day on, I’m no longer the “hysterical” Olivia who revolves around you. What you owe me, I will take back. Every last cent, with interest. 02 I sat on a bench outside the hospital all night. At dawn, I took a cab home. The house was empty. On the coffee table sat the thermos and hand warmers I’d prepared for him. Next to them, a pile of his dirty clothes. Everything was exactly as I’d left it. It was as if yesterday’s heart-wrenching agony had been nothing but a hallucination. I walked into the bedroom and opened the closet. Half of it was mine: simple, elegant clothes. The other half was his: a collection of outdoor brands, tactical jackets, and fishing gear. Tucked in the very back was the tuxedo and wedding dress from our wedding day. I stared at that white gown for a long time. Then, I picked up my phone and made the first call. “Hey, Sophie? It’s me.” Sophie was my best friend, a take-no-prisoners lawyer. “Liv? What’s wrong? You don’t sound right.” “I had a miscarriage.” Three seconds of silence on the other end, followed by a surge of contained fury. “Where is that bastard Mark?!” “Out fishing with his ‘little sister’.” “Fuck!” Sophie swore. “Give me his location. I’m going to go skin him alive!” “Don’t,” I cut her off, my voice terrifyingly calm. “Sophie, I want a divorce.” Sophie was stunned. She knew better than anyone how much I loved Mark. “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” I looked out at the gray, dreary sky. “I’ve been sure since yesterday afternoon.” “Okay,” Sophie snapped into work mode. “Don’t panic. Don’t do anything. Wait for me to get there. Division of assets, evidence of his infidelity—we need a solid plan.” “Evidence…” I gave a bitter laugh. “I don’t have any.” For four years, I’d been a fool, so focused on fighting with him that I never thought to protect myself. “Doesn’t matter,” Sophie’s voice was steady. “If we don’t have direct evidence, we’ll build a chain of circumstantial evidence. Listen to me. From this moment on, you need to become a completely different person.” After the call, I sat on the cold floor and began to think. Sophie was right. What I wanted wasn’t to stand in a courtroom, crying and begging for a pittance in compensation. I wanted his life in ruins. I wanted him to feel a fraction of the pain I’d endured for four years. I wanted him to watch as I personally tore down everything he held dear. I got up and started moving. First step: assets. I opened my laptop and logged into our online banking. All these years, both our salaries went into a joint account that I managed. Mark was careless. He never asked about it. “The money’s with you, I’m not worried,” he’d always say. Looking back, it wasn’t that he trusted me. He just didn’t care. I looked at the balance. Seven figures. Our entire life savings, built from nothing. Without a moment’s hesitation, I started transferring half of it into a separate account under my mother’s name. Next, I found our stock portfolio. Mark had bought most of them, bragging about some inside tip that was a sure thing. I looked at the sea of red on the screen and let out a cold smirk. Sell. All of it. At market price. I didn’t care about the losses. Once that was done, I made a second call. A moving company. “Hello, I’d like to schedule a move.” “Of course, ma’am. When would you like to schedule it for? Do you have a lot of items?” “Next Saturday. And yes… a lot.” I looked around the home I had so carefully built. “Everything but the floor and the ceiling, I want it all gone.” “And especially, a six-foot-tall glass display cabinet.” That cabinet held Mark’s most prized possessions: his complete set of limited-edition fishing rods and lures. Every single one of them was more valuable to him than my wedding dress, which was currently stuffed in the back of the closet. The next week passed in a strange state of calm. On Sunday afternoon, Mark finally came home. He carried his empty tackle box, looking exhausted, and brought with him the faint scent of a perfume. Tiffany’s favorite. He saw me sitting on the couch and froze. He was probably expecting the usual interrogation, the tears. “You’re back?” I even managed a small smile. He looked uneasy as he set his gear by the wall. “Yeah, I’m back.” He was waiting for me to explode. But I didn’t. I stood up and walked into the kitchen. “You must be hungry. I’ll make you some pasta.” He followed me, leaning against the doorframe, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Are you… okay?” “I’m fine.” I poured the pasta into a bowl, adding a fried egg on top. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I placed the bowl in front of him. “Eat up. You should get some rest.” He picked up his fork but didn’t eat, his gaze fixed on me. “Olivia, what game are you playing now?” I looked up, meeting his eyes with a gentle smile. “No game. I’ve just had some time to think.” “Think about what?” “That trust and personal space are the most important things in a marriage, right?” I threw his own words back at him. “I was too clingy before, always trying to keep you tied down. I won’t be like that anymore. You have your hobbies, and I support you.” Mark’s expression shifted from wary to confused, and finally, to a look of smug relief. He thought he had finally tamed me. He thought I had finally accepted my fate. He dug into his pasta, eating ravenously. “That’s more like it,” he said, his mouth full. “If you’d just thought like this from the start, we could have avoided so many fights.” “Tiffany is always telling me I should spend more time with you, that you must be lonely at home by yourself. I told her you just overthink things.” He rambled on as he ate. I listened quietly, a perfect smile plastered on my face. Inside, I was counting down the days. Enjoy this peace while it lasts, Mark. The storm is coming. 03 From that day on, I changed. I stopped checking his phone, stopped asking where he was. When he went out for his weekend fishing trips, I would even help him clean his gear beforehand and clear out the trunk of the car. At first, Mark reveled in my 180-degree turn. He could talk loudly on the phone with Tiffany at home, discussing which reservoir had the best fish. He could like and comment on her latest Instagram post right in front of me. He savored the feeling of being in complete control. And I just smiled and nodded. “That’s nice.” “Have fun.” “Do you need me to pack anything for you?” A hint of contempt began to creep into his eyes. He believed I had completely given up. A pathetic woman who couldn’t live without him. Meanwhile, my own life was quietly transforming. I threw out all the plain, muted clothes in my closet. I replaced them with sharp, brightly colored power suits. I started using the supplementary credit card Mark had given me to buy things I never would have dared to before. Handbags that cost thousands, perfumes that cost hundreds. Every morning, I’d leave the house wearing a scent he couldn’t possibly name, my makeup flawless. I’d come home late. Sometimes, with the smell of alcohol on my breath. Mark finally started to notice something was wrong. That weekend, as he was getting ready to leave, he saw me standing in front of the mirror, putting on earrings with a little black dress. “You’re going out again?” he asked, frowning. “Mhm, meeting up with some friends.” “Male or female?” I met his gaze in the mirror and smiled. “Mark, we agreed, remember? Mutual trust, personal space.” My words left him speechless, his face turning a dark shade of red. “Don’t you dare use my own words against me! Olivia, something’s been off with you lately!” “Oh?” I turned to face him. “What’s off?” “Who are you dressing up for? Who are you screwing around with, coming home so late every night?” The suspicion and jealousy in his eyes were practically burning. I laughed coldly to myself. He could spend his nights with a female coworker, but he couldn’t stand the thought of me having a life of my own. The hypocrisy was laughable. “It’s just a normal social life,” I said, picking up my purse. “Weren’t you heading out? If you don’t leave soon, you’ll miss the best spot.” I started to walk past him towards the door. He grabbed my wrist, his grip shockingly tight. “Stop pretending to be some independent woman! Do you think your measly salary pays for all this? Tell me! Did you find some rich guy to latch onto?” His fingers dug into my wrist, but I didn’t flinch. I just looked at him calmly. “You’re hurting me.” My composure only fueled his rage. “Answer my question!” “Every penny I spend is clean,” I said, enunciating each word. “But you, Mark, can you say the same about you and Tiffany?” He reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “Why are you bringing her up again? There is nothing going on between us! You’re the one who’s disgusting me right now!” There it was again. That word. “Disgusting.” It used to feel like a knife to the heart. Now, I just felt numb. My phone rang. I pulled my arm free and answered. “Hello, Mr. Peterson.” A warm, male voice came from the other end. “Ms. Scott, about that position we discussed, the CEO of the company would like to meet you in person. Are you free sometime tomorrow?” “Yes,” I said, my voice bubbling with excitement. “Of course.” “That’s wonderful. I’ll send you the restaurant details shortly. This is an incredible opportunity; they’re very serious about bringing you on.” “Thank you, Mr. Peterson. Thank you so much.” I hung up, a smile still on my face. Mark was staring at me, his eyes practically murderous. “Mr. Peterson? Sounds pretty friendly.” “He’s a friend.” “A friend?” he sneered. “Or your sugar daddy? Olivia, I underestimated you. Playing hard to get while you were already lining up your next meal ticket?” I didn’t bother explaining. He wouldn’t believe me anyway. In his world, a woman was always dependent on a man. If I left him, it must be because I had found someone else to cling to. He couldn’t imagine that a woman could build a better life for herself, by herself. “Think whatever you want.” I opened the door. “I’m leaving. Hope you get a great haul tonight.” The door clicked shut behind me. I heard a loud crash from inside, the sound of something shattering. I leaned against the door and took a deep breath. Sophie’s plan was falling into place. This “Mr. Peterson” was a top-tier headhunter she had introduced me to. I wasn’t looking for another man. I was looking for a job that would let me leave this city for good and start a new life. A new, glittering future. And Mark’s suspicion, his anger—it was all playing right into my hands. The more convinced he was that I had another man, the more completely his world would shatter when the truth finally came out.

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The night before the SATs, my mom slipped sleeping pills into my brother’s milk, just so he could get a good night’s rest. I tried to stop her in time, but she scolded me for having ulterior motives. “If you hadn’t ruined Tyler’s sleep, would he have bombed the test?” Later, I was forced to drop out of school to work, and then forced into an engagement with a wealthy idiot just so she could use the money to buy my brother a house. The day before the wedding, I tried to escape through a window, but accidentally fell six stories to my death. Given a second chance at life, I returned to the night before my brother’s SATs. I stood there and watched as the sleeping pill dissolved into his milk, releasing a rapid stream of tiny bubbles. 1 Mom frowned at the bubbles in the baby bottle, added a spoonful of honey, and finally nodded in satisfaction. Yes, my brother was nineteen years old, but he still drank his milk from a baby bottle. My mom spoiled him rotten, claiming that drinking straight from a glass might make him choke, and a bottle was much safer. “Mom, are you prepping milk for Tyler?” My mom shot me a nasty glare. “Keep your voice down! Don’t wake your brother.” I looked at the blister pack of sleeping pills next to the bottle, two pills visibly popped out. I asked in a hushed whisper, “Did you put sleeping pills in his milk?” Our house was right next to a busy highway. Even at night, you could hear the piercing sound of car horns. My mom wanted my brother to sleep soundly, so she took it upon herself to come up with this brilliant idea. Sleeping pills might knock a person out fast, but they also slow down neural reaction times, causing the side effect of sluggish thinking. In my past life, I forcefully poured the spiked milk down the drain and ran out in the middle of the night to buy noise-canceling earplugs for him. Unfortunately, even if good sleep could magically add points to your SAT score, my brother still wouldn’t have qualified for anything better than an unaccredited strip-mall college. The day the scores came out, Tyler hung his head in anger. Mom hugged him, heartbroken, and then aggressively slapped the apple right out of my hand. “Eat, eat, eat, all you know how to do is eat! Your brother is devastated, and you still have an appetite?” Of course I had an appetite. He usually scored an 800, and this time he scored an 850. It wasn’t exactly a miracle, but you could at least call it a stroke of luck. “Your brother has a habit of drinking milk every night. If you hadn’t poured it out, he wouldn’t have performed so poorly!” From childhood to adulthood, I had heard things like this countless times. “Your brother only likes the tips of the strawberries. You can eat the rest.” “Your brother likes the room that gets the morning sun. You can sleep in the study.” “Your brother likes it quiet. Stop talking so much.” I was so angry I actually laughed. “If you love your precious son so much, why did you even give birth to me?” “If it wasn’t so Tyler would have someone to support him later in life, I would have thrown you out ages ago. You wretched little girl.” I’ve seen plenty of families that favored sons over daughters, but treating the son like a literal god and the daughter like a slave? My mom was truly one of a kind. 2 I always had better grades than my brother, but my mom never praised me once. Instead, she constantly hyped him up, claiming that boys were late bloomers and he would eventually surpass me. Maybe. Maybe when he was buried in the dirt, the grass on his grave would grow a little taller than me. “You still want to go to college? What use is reading so many books for a girl? While you’re young, you should be waiting tables. By the time you’re thirty, even the back of the kitchen won’t want you.” My mom went to my high school and officially withdrew me, completely ruining my bright future. Then she spent a fortune registering me as a VIP on an elite matchmaking site. Did you think she was trying to find me a good husband? Of course not. she wanted to find some rich idiot to extort a massive financial settlement from, all so she could buy her precious son a house. Thinking of everything from my past life, I couldn’t help but hate myself for playing the villain for nothing. “Tyler loves his milk with honey. After drinking this, maybe he’ll get a perfect score and get into an Ivy League,” I said smoothly. In this life, I turned a blind eye to the sleeping pills next to the bottle. My mom could dig her own grave for all I cared. The wrinkles on Mom’s face smoothed out as she beamed. “Your brother has always been smart. If he over-performs tomorrow, I’d be perfectly happy with a top-tier state school.” I smiled along, suppressing the sharp retort that almost slipped out. Hot tip: Scoring an 850 on the SATs does not get you into a top-tier school. 3 Tyler always used to say that Mom had a hard life, and told me I shouldn’t argue with her so much. Heh. He was the sole beneficiary of the system, so naturally, it was easy for him to sound so high and mighty. If Mom stopped favoring him, if her sacrifices suddenly cost him his own privileges, would he still be so magnanimous? After drinking the spiked milk, my brother, predictably, couldn’t wake up. In the morning, Mom paced nervously outside his bedroom door. It was 8:20 AM, and she still couldn’t bear to wake her baby boy. At 8:40 AM, Tyler was finally woken up by his own bladder. Sporting a severe case of bedhead, he stumbled out of his room. “Mom, what time is it?” he mumbled groggily. Mom dipped a mini dumpling in soy sauce and literally carried it all the way to the bathroom for him. “It’s 8:30, honey. Quickly, take a few bites, and then your sister will bike you to the testing center.” To ensure he ate peacefully, Mom deliberately lied, shaving ten minutes off the actual time. I followed right behind her holding a glass of juice. “Yes, exactly! You need a full stomach to have the energy to ace the test. Mom woke up at 5 AM to make these for you. She even hid a lucky silver coin inside one of them so you’d pass with flying colors!” Gag. My brother dry-heaved, his eyes rolling back. “What the hell, are you trying to choke me to death?!” He spat the silver coin aggressively onto the floor, knocking the plate of dumplings out of Mom’s hands. “Look what time it is! Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?!” Mom’s expression instantly morphed into that of a scolded child. “Mom just wanted you to get some good rest…” “Can you use your brain for once instead of just doing whatever pops into your head?!” The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, his words absolutely merciless. He was the only one allowed to speak to her like that. If it had been me, I would have been slapped across the face. “Tyler, Mom was just doing what’s best for you. How can you talk to her like that?” Wow, so this is what it feels like to be a saint. Being generous at someone else’s expense was truly exhilarating. Tyler shot Mom a hateful glare. “Hmph. ‘For my own good.’ If I don’t get into college, are you going to take responsibility for it?!” SLAM. Tyler stormed out of the house. Mom stood there, tears pattering down onto the bathroom floor. 4 The day the scores came out, Tyler held his 850 score report and sighed heavily. You have to hand it to him. He might have been dumb, but he was remarkably consistent. Even with a fresh start in a new life, it was the exact same familiar 850. This time, I was smart. I didn’t sit there eating an apple. Instead, I wore my neat school uniform and sat primly on the couch, my face twisted into an expression of deep, thoughtful sorrow. Snore… snort… In the dead-silent house, Dad’s booming snores from the bedroom felt incredibly jarring. Mom’s explosive anger finally found a landing spot. Taking three steps at a time, she kicked open the master bedroom door and slapped Dad right across the face. “Sleep, sleep, sleep! Is that all you know how to do?! Tyler’s future is ruined, and you can still sleep?!” My dad, Robert, was a safety engineer at a local plant. He had worked the night shift and only gotten home at 6 AM. He hadn’t been asleep long before Mom woke him with a slap. He groggily sat up, a mix of sheer exhaustion and rage twisting his face. “Are you crazy?! What the hell are you screaming about now?!” “You’re the crazy one!” Mom threw the printed score report directly at Dad’s face. “Take a good look! These are Tyler’s SAT scores. An 850! He can’t even get into a community college.” Mom cried as she spoke, grabbing Dad’s collar and pounding her fists against his chest. “Are you done yet?! You lunatic!” Dad forcefully shoved her away. He didn’t use much strength, but Mom used the momentum to throw herself onto the floor, slapping the wood planks as she wailed. “You hit me! I gave you a son, and this is how you treat me?! Oh my god, I was blind to marry you…” In our house, Mom had the highest combat power. I had already tasted the benefits of picking the right side, so if I didn’t jump in now, when would I? “Dad, even though you earn the money, Mom works incredibly hard running this house. You can’t just ignore her sacrifices.” I helped Mom sit up and confronted Dad with absolute, righteous indignation. “Running this house?! Good, fine! Let’s ask your mother exactly how she runs this house.” “In March, she spent $800 on ‘genius focus gummies’ for your brother.” “In April, she spent $2,000 enrolling him in an elite SAT boot camp.” “In May, she spent another $1,500 paying a psychic for a manifesting crystal to guarantee he’d get into a top school.” Dad seemed desperate to vomit out all his built-up bitterness. He couldn’t stop. “Every single cent of my hard-earned blood money was wasted by your mother! I haven’t even started crying yet, but here she is throwing a tantrum!” Hearing this, Mom refused to back down. “Isn’t Tyler your son too?! You’re so stingy about spending a few bucks on your own child, it makes me sick!” They went back and forth, throwing spectacular insults at each other. Meanwhile, I stood to the side, my mind floating in outer space. In my past life, my heart broke for Dad’s exhaustion, Mom’s labor, and my brother’s confusion. But none of that empathy brought me any good; it just made me the family’s eternal scapegoat. In this life, I chose to stay out of it. By refusing to intervene in their karma, the resentment buried deep in their hearts finally found a different outlet. “ENOUGH! Stop arguing! From today on, I’m never spending another dime of your money! I’ll go get a job myself!” Tyler jumped up from the couch in irritation, dropped his dramatic ultimatum, and slammed the front door on his way out. 5 The atmosphere in the house was terrifyingly suffocating. Taking advantage of the fact that my parents were too busy fighting to care about me, I slipped out the door. I had a part-time job as a barista at a coffee shop near my school. It paid a few hundred bucks a month—not much, but it was a safety net. With my brother failing his exams, whether he repeated his senior year or went to a shady private college, it would cost a fortune. Sooner or later, I was highly likely to be forced down the same path of dropping out. In this life, I couldn’t just sit and wait to die. I had to save up enough for my own tuition and living expenses so I could keep studying. “Why is a pretty girl like you working so hard? If you need cash, I can give it to you.” As I was wiping down a table, a clammy hand covered mine. I looked up. It was a guy around twenty years old. He had a bleached-blonde bowl cut, spoke with a raspy fuckboy voice, and was aggressively winking at me. I was naturally very pretty. Back at school, creepy guys always tried to harass me. In my past life, I asked my mom for help. She told me that flies don’t bite seamless eggs. “Why are they targeting you and not anyone else? Seducing men at your age, have you no shame?!” Now, having lived a second life, I decided to protect myself. I kept my right hand completely still while my left hand picked up a half-full cup of iced coffee, ready to splash it right into his flat face. “Little girl, are you thinking about throwing that coffee on me? Friendly warning: this T-shirt cost $300.” The blonde guy looked me up and down. Seeing my cheap thrift-store clothes, he assumed I was an easy target. He smirked confidently, his acne-scarred face leaning in closer. “That’s a good girl…” “Oh… SPLASH.” Before he could finish his sentence, his face was met with two cups of murky brown coffee. One was from me. “Three hundred dollars is a bit steep. Go ahead and call the cops. If they say it’s my fault, I’ll pay you back full price.” The other cup came from a guy sitting at the next table. He had just ordered an espresso and poured the entire thing onto the blonde punk’s head without taking a single sip. My eyes trailed down his rolling Adam’s apple, past his grayish stubble, all the way up to his hair, which was tied into a high ponytail. “Are you blind?! I’m sitting right here looking this gorgeous, and your eyes are glued to this scrawny girl?! You have zero taste!” Terrified, the blonde guy fell backward onto the floor, screamed “Freak!” and scrambled out of the coffee shop as fast as he could. I never expected to meet such a uniquely helpful civilian in our isolated little town. I bowed to the guy. “Thanks a lot, man.” “No problem.” He stared at me, slightly dazed. “I had a younger sister. If she were still here, she’d be about your age.” He explained that his sister was a year younger than him, but she went missing as a toddler. The trauma completely shattered his mother’s mental health, so she frequently coped by dressing him up like a little girl. Kidnappers deserve to rot in hell. For their own selfish greed, they destroy entire families. “Don’t worry,” I comforted him. “Since they stole your sister, they obviously wanted a girl very badly. She’s probably living a great life right now.” The guy nodded, the tight crease between his brows relaxing slightly. “If bad people try to bully you again, try acting completely unhinged.” “There’s no point reasoning with people like that. It’s better to just give them a taste of their own medicine.”

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1 My ex-boyfriend, whom I had desperately loved for years, was throwing a highly publicized engagement party with an avant-garde female director. But playing on the massive screens at their engagement was a five-year-old video of me, crying and begging outside a police station, pleading with him not to abandon me. “Schwartz! I’ll be your secret lover, I don’t care! Just please don’t leave me!” “If you leave me, I’ll die!” The short film was Samantha’s breakout masterpiece. It was a raw, humiliating documentary of my entire pathetic existence as Schwartz’s devoted lapdog. Amidst the disgusting, mocking laughter echoing through the ballroom, a spotlight suddenly snapped onto Samantha’s feet. I was wearing a catering uniform, kneeling on the floor, adjusting the hem of her designer gown. Samantha took the microphone from the host and pointed it right at my face. “Five years later, Stephanie, do you regret being such a shameless, desperate stalker?” I looked at the handsome man standing beside her—Schwartz. I looked right into his eyes and gave my completely honest answer. “I regret it.” Hearing those words, Schwartz, who had always looked at me with pure disgust, suddenly panicked. But I truly didn’t care anymore. Back then, to heal my own broken heart, I had used him as a substitute. Now, my heart was anchored to something much better. He didn’t matter to me anymore. … “Stephanie! Today is my engagement party!” “You sneaked in here just to ruin everything, didn’t you?!” Schwartz violently shoved me backward. “And now you’re trying to act tough?!” “As long as I’m here, you will not ruin Samantha’s special day!” I stumbled backward, the old injury in my knee flaring with sharp pain. My cheap heels flew off my feet, sliding across the marble floor into the crowd. I scrambled barefoot to retrieve them, only for a smirking guest to kick them further away in disgust. “They’re literally getting engaged, and she’s still stalking him! Have some shame!” “Does this bitch have a life outside of chasing men?” “She’s just gold-digging! Schwartz is young, rich, and successful. She’s just too stupid to secure the bag!” Many of Schwartz’s friends at the party had personally witnessed my shameless obsession with him years ago. Back then, Schwartz was the long-lost heir of the prestigious Sterling family, having just been brought back into the fold. As his personal assistant, I pursued him with a manic, suffocating desperation. I drank for him at business dinners until I was hospitalized for stomach bleeding. The very next morning, I ripped out my IV to cook him porridge and deliver it to his office, only for him to hand it directly to the water delivery guy. And I still smiled. He called me at 1 AM saying he hated my long hair. I immediately got out of bed, chopped off the hair I had been growing since childhood, and sent him a video. His response? “Stephanie, are you actually stupid?” “It was a truth-or-dare joke. Did you seriously believe me?” The tipping point was a party with a bunch of trust fund kids. They made a bet on who could eat the most ghost peppers to win a limited-edition necklace. Schwartz casually mentioned he wanted it. I was deathly allergic to peppers, but I ate enough to land myself in the ICU. That day in the ambulance, his voice was gentle for the very first time. “You really like me that much? Enough to throw your life away?” The way his eyes curved when he smiled made me break down in tears under my oxygen mask. “Yes. I can’t live without you. As long as you let me stay by your side, you can have my life.” I finally got my wish. For a year, we dated, and I obeyed him like a loyal dog. Until Samantha released her documentary: The Subservience of a Gold-Digger. It was a year-long compilation of my most pathetic, degrading attempts to beg for his love. The moment the film dropped, Schwartz poured massive funds into marketing it. As the internet ripped me to shreds, Samantha swept every major international documentary award that year. And my reward? A breakup text from Schwartz. “If it wasn’t for Sam, I would have never tolerated your disgusting presence for a whole year.” Samantha was his unattainable high-school sweetheart, the girl he chased before he became a Sterling. The necklace I had almost died to win for him was resting proudly on her collarbone. “Women like you throw yourselves at me because of my bank account,” he told me. “Only Sam is different.” Even then, I refused to let go. I stalked him, crying, begging him not to chase me away. “You can be with someone else! Just let me stay near you, I’ll do anything!” “Please! I’ll die without you!” My hysterical, tear-streaked face from five years ago was currently playing on the massive LED screens, broadcasting my absolute degradation. But today, I simply picked up my shoes, slipped them on, and stood up calmly. “Mr. Sterling, I am a temporary worker hired by the catering company.” “I had no idea this was your engagement party. If I had known, I wouldn’t have taken the shift.” I turned to leave, but Schwartz lunged forward, gripping my arm like a vice. “Five years ago, why did you disappear without a trace?!” “Is that really all you have to say?!” Standing behind him in her haute couture gown, Samantha looked much wealthier than she did five years ago. She tilted her chin at me haughtily. “You vanish for five years, only to conveniently show up on the day Schwartz and I get engaged.” “Stephanie, you used to be a pathetic stalker, but now you’ve learned how to play mind games?” “But since you’re using this ‘coincidence’ to save face, I won’t embarrass you further by calling out your lie in public.” I ignored her completely and looked at Schwartz. “Actually, I do have one thing to say.” “You shoved me and caused me to injure my knee. Mr. Sterling, you need to pay for my medical bills.” 2 Schwartz couldn’t hide the absolute shock on his face. Back in the day, I would have willingly died for him without ever asking for a single dime. The catering manager rushed over, sweating profusely. He threw two hundred-dollar bills directly at my face. “You always act so quiet and innocent! I didn’t know you were this kind of trash!” “You dare ruin Mr. Sterling’s engagement?! Take the cash and get the hell out! You’re fired!” Schwartz’s friends used to love making me the butt of the joke, asking me how much money it would take for me to leave him. Every time, I would panic and swear I didn’t want a single cent, just the privilege of staying by his side. But today, I bent down, picked up the two crumpled bills, and turned to walk away without a second of hesitation. The crowd erupted in fresh mockery, but Schwartz frowned deeply. His grip on my arm tightened. “Stephanie! If you push this act too far, you won’t have a way back!” “Are you seriously telling me you came here just for a couple of bucks?!” Five years later, I could finally look him dead in the eye without flinching. “What else? Why else would I work a minimum-wage job if not for money?” He scoffed, his tone dripping with arrogance. “You’re not still delusional enough to think I have ‘lingering feelings’ for you, are you?” “Pathetic.” I yanked my arm out of his grasp. Kindergarten was letting out soon. I needed to pick up my son. My son, Leo, was four years old. He was a sturdy, bright-eyed little boy. The second he saw me at the gate, he peeled a gold star sticker off his shirt and pressed it onto my forehead. “Mommy works so hard! Here is your reward!” Even though he was only four, the gentle cadence of his voice and the way his eyes curved when he smiled were identical to his father’s. I breathed in the scent of his hair, and all the dark clouds from the afternoon instantly evaporated. I kissed his chubby cheek. “Leo and Mommy both worked very hard today!” I pulled the two hundred-dollar bills out of my pocket. “Let’s go buy a little cake, okay?” “Does Leo remember what special day it is today?” His little hands shot straight up into the air. “It’s Daddy’s birthday!” … I had graduated with a finance degree from a top-tier university, but the documentary scandal completely destroyed my career. When I left Schwartz, I was treated like a diseased rat. I had to bounce between cash-in-hand odd jobs just to raise my son. I had pre-ordered a small, four-inch cake that morning. The design was simple, with the words Miss You written in icing. Leo was proudly carrying the little cake box as we walked out of the bakery. Suddenly, someone violently bumped into him. The cake hit the pavement, smashing into a ruined mess. Ignoring my son entirely, Schwartz grabbed my arm again. “You think you can just disgust everyone and walk away?!” “You are coming with me to apologize to Sam right now!” “Stephanie, you want to play hard to get with me? Do you even have the right?!” In the past, whenever I got “jealous” and forgot my place, I would try to give Schwartz the silent treatment. But it never lasted more than an hour before I came crawling back, begging him not to ignore me. Because I used to be so unconditionally submissive, Schwartz simply couldn’t comprehend that my “tantrum” today ended with me actually walking away. That’s why he tracked me down. “Mr. Sterling! Today is your engagement party. You abandoned your fiancée to chase after me? If you need a psychiatric evaluation, go to a hospital, don’t come here to disgust me!” Seeing me being bullied, Leo lowered his head and headbutted Schwartz’s leg. “Let go of my Mommy! You big bully!” My tiny, four-year-old son spread his arms wide, standing between me and the towering billionaire. “You broke my Daddy’s cake! And you’re being mean to Mommy!” “Apologize to my Mommy right now!” Seeing my son’s brave little face made my heart skip a beat. For a split second, I saw him again. But reality snapped me back. I didn’t want Leo dragged into this mess. I scooped him into my arms and turned to walk away quickly. “Stephanie! You actually got married and had a kid?!” Schwartz’s voice actually held a tremor of panic. “How could you?! How dare you?!” His possessive outrage left me completely baffled. In the past, he used to scream at me in disgust: “There are billions of men on this planet! If you want to get married and breed so badly, go drag a homeless guy off the street! Why the hell are you stalking me?!” Now that I had finally stopped stalking him, he was losing his mind. “Yes, Mr. Sterling. The law doesn’t forbid me from getting married and having a child.” “And it certainly doesn’t require me to stay celibate for you!” I barely took two steps before I collided head-on with Samantha, who had just rushed over. She was breathing heavily, a thin layer of sweat ruining her perfect makeup. “Stephanie! You ruined my engagement party! Are you happy now?!” The sudden shouting match in the middle of the street quickly drew a massive crowd. Videos of the chaos at the engagement party were already trending online. People in the crowd started recognizing me. “Isn’t that the crazy stalker from five years ago? She crashed the engagement and she’s still stalking him?!” “Why is she holding a kid? She has a kid and she’s still acting like a psycho?! Let me guess, it’s a bastard child!” When Samantha’s eyes locked onto the boy in my arms, her brow furrowed fiercely. Alarm bells practically rang in her eyes as she muttered under her breath. “That’s impossible…” Leo was still upset about the cake for his dad. He squirmed out of my arms and reached toward the ground. “Don’t step on my Daddy’s cake!” As he tried to salvage the crushed box from near Samantha’s feet, his little hand accidentally brushed against the hem of her dress. Samantha shrieked dramatically. “Why are you grabbing my dress?!” The massive bodyguard standing behind her surged forward and delivered a brutal, open-handed slap right across Leo’s face. “You little bastard! Getting handsy at your age?!” The force of the blow knocked Leo flat onto the pavement. Half of his soft, delicate face instantly swelled into an angry red welt. 3 My maternal instincts kicked in violently. I lunged forward to tear that man apart, but another bodyguard instantly pinned my arms behind my back. The crowd’s toxic whispering buzzed in my ears. “What kind of child did you expect a mother like that to raise?” “The mom is a gold-digging whore, and the kid is already a little pervert! He’s gonna grow up to be human garbage!” “That little brat needs to be taught a lesson! Pull his pants down! Let him learn what public humiliation feels like!” Eager to impress Samantha, the bodyguard actually reached down, fully intending to strip my four-year-old son in the middle of the street. He was only a baby. Faced with a giant, violent man, Leo broke down into terrified, hysterical sobs. Every single cry felt like a jagged knife carving into my heart. “Let go of my son!” “I didn’t try to ruin your engagement! You two are the ones chasing me down the street like maniacs!” “Schwartz! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Schwartz ignored my screaming. He walked over to Leo. When he finally got a clear look at the boy’s face, he froze dead in his tracks. It was a face that shared a sixty percent resemblance to his own. Suddenly, Schwartz started laughing. It was a laugh dripping with absolute, triumphant arrogance. “I was wondering why you suddenly vanished five years ago. Turns out, you snuck off to secretly have my baby.” The crowd immediately started murmuring, craning their necks to get a better look. My son, whom I had protected so fiercely for four years, was being gawked at like an animal in a zoo. “He really does look like Mr. Sterling!” “She couldn’t trap the man, so she stole his sperm and had a baby in secret! This bitch is actually psychotic!” “She’s probably trying to extort him! Crashing his engagement on purpose so he ‘discovers’ his bastard son! What a shameless homewrecker!” But Samantha denied it almost instantly, her voice bordering on frantic. “Impossible!” She glared at me with pure venom. “How could you possibly give birth to Schwartz’s child?!” It was true that I had gotten pregnant with Schwartz’s child once. But Samantha had personally ensured that pregnancy didn’t survive. I bit down savagely on the bodyguard’s hand, using every ounce of my adrenaline to break free. I threw myself over Leo, pulling him tight against my chest. I glared at Schwartz, my voice made of ice. “He is my son!” “Schwartz! I don’t care what kind of mental breakdown you’re having right now! If you touch my son, I will kill you myself!” Seeing my fury, Schwartz’s smile only grew wider. He looked like a man who held all the winning cards. He tapped the crushed cake box with the toe of his expensive leather shoe. He read the smeared Miss You written in the frosting. “If I remember correctly, today’s date is the exact anniversary of the day we first met.” “Stephanie, who else could you possibly be missing besides me?” He crouched down, using a sickeningly gentle voice to speak to Leo. “Where is your Daddy?” Before I could stop him, Schwartz threatened that if Leo didn’t answer, he would have me arrested. My brave little boy’s eyes welled with tears, but he answered. “My Daddy is dead…” “But I’m a big boy now! I’m here! You can’t bully my Mommy!” I wasn’t going to give them another second to traumatize my child. I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. “Let us leave!” “Schwartz! You really want to spend the night of your engagement in a police precinct?!” Remembering a news broadcast I had seen a few days ago, I raised the stakes. “You’re currently in the middle of a critical transition to take over the Sterling Group, aren’t you? If a scandal like this breaks, aren’t you afraid your stock will tank? Aren’t you afraid the board of directors will hold you accountable?!” The crowd hurled insults at me. “She’s the mistress and she’s acting like the victim!” “Threatening him with his own company?! She’s insane!” But Schwartz looked at me like he had completely figured me out. He actually looked pleased. “Must have been hard, constantly tracking my corporate news.” “Fine! Let’s see how long you can keep this stubborn act up!” He signaled the bodyguards to step aside, flashing me a calculated, gentle smile. “You can walk away. But think very carefully. If you walk away now, you will never get the chance to see me again.” In the past, I would have paid any price just to see him smile like that. But today, I didn’t need it. I carried my son in my arms and walked away without looking back once. Behind me, I heard Schwartz’s voice crack with genuine shock. “Stephanie! Where are you going?!” “If you walk away today, don’t ever expect me to acknowledge the child you gave birth to!” His stare burned into my back, trying to read my mind. He saw my footsteps pause. But before his lips could even curl into a triumphant smirk, he saw me break into a full sprint away from him. Watching my silhouette disappear down the street, Schwartz instinctively took a step forward to chase me, but Samantha grabbed his arm tight. “Everyone is watching. She’s doing this on purpose.” “Relax. Today proves that she went through all this effort just to stop you from getting engaged to me.” “As long as you hold your ground, she’ll definitely find another excuse to come crawling back to you.” When I got back to my tiny apartment, I immediately started packing our bags. I had specifically chosen this quiet southern town because it was a safe, healthy environment to raise a child. I never imagined Schwartz would choose to host his destination engagement party here. I owed Schwartz absolutely nothing. It was true that I had used him as a substitute to cope with my own devastating heartbreak. But while we were together, I had given him every ounce of my devotion. I never hurt him. Not once. He, on the other hand, only used me as a stepping stone to build Samantha’s fame. My initial intentions may have been “impure,” but considering the horrific trauma I endured because of him, Schwartz and I were completely even. 4 Leo was poking at his little smartwatch, his mouth turned down in a miserable pout. “Mommy, the kids at school are calling me a bastard. They said they’re never going to play with me again…” In just a few hours, the internet had exploded. Samantha, whose career had completely stalled over the last two years, was suddenly dominating the trending charts again. Millions of people were romanticizing the “turbulent journey” of her and Schwartz’s love story, while viciously attacking my lack of shame. The manager at my catering job had officially fired me in the staff group chat. My phone was vibrating endlessly with messages from former coworkers, gossip bloggers, and even Leo’s preschool teachers. The peaceful life I had spent five gruelling years building was incinerated in an afternoon. Schwartz was forcing me to bow my head. I knew perfectly well that a “peasant” like me couldn’t fight the Sterling Group. To avoid any more nightmares, I bought two bus tickets out of the state for that very evening. But the moment Leo went to the station restroom, he vanished. The security footage showed me waiting outside the door. A man in a black suit had walked in carrying a massive, empty hard-shell suitcase. When he walked out, the suitcase was visibly heavier. I was just dialing 911 when my phone buzzed. It was a photo of Leo, fast asleep in the backseat of a luxury car. [I brought our son back to the Sterling estate. If you want to see him, come yourself.] [If you call the cops, I guarantee you will never see your son again for the rest of your life.] The next photo was a forged DNA test, showing a 99.9% probability of paternity between Schwartz and Leo. The Sterling family’s roots ran deep and corrupt. Even if I called the cops, with that fake DNA test in his hand, I probably wouldn’t get my son back. Standing in front of Schwartz’s sprawling mansion felt like returning to a past life. Through the massive floor-to-ceiling bulletproof windows, I saw Leo sitting alone on the living room floor, his eyes swollen shut from crying. He saw me, jumped up, and ran toward the glass, only to be effortlessly scooped up by a bodyguard and carried back to the center of the room. He tried over and over again. Even through the thick glass, I could hear him screaming for his mommy. A heavy, matte-black camera lens was suddenly shoved into my face. A bodyguard stared at me with dead eyes. “You gave birth to the Sterling heir in secret. Your intentions are malicious.” “Mr. Sterling said that if you want to see the child, you must publicly confess to your disgusting schemes.” “Be a good girl and provide the footage Miss Samantha needs for her new documentary.” He was actually using this despicable extortion tactic to force me to be the stepping stone for Samantha’s career again! I ground my teeth together so hard my jaw ached. “Tell Schwartz to get out here!” The bodyguard ignored me completely. I picked up the heavy metal tripod sitting next to the camera and smashed it directly into the mansion’s front doors. Schwartz thought he had me backed into a corner. But he vastly underestimated what Leo meant to me. If anyone dared to touch that boy, I would burn this entire city to the ground, even if it cost me my life. The camera equipment shattered into pieces. As the bodyguards surged forward to subdue me, I reached into my coat and pulled out a heavy pair of fabric shears. “Who wants to go first?!” A mother pushed to the brink of insanity is more terrifying than a wild animal. For a moment, the wall of muscle hesitated. I used that split second to sprint through the doors and scoop up Leo, who had cried himself into a state of semi-consciousness. Just then, a group of trust fund kids sauntered down from the second floor, flanking Schwartz. “Schwartz, your charm is seriously lethal. This crazy bitch couldn’t have you, so she actually risked her life just to secure your bloodline.” “Did we get enough footage of her mental breakdown?” Schwartz was holding a compact camcorder. He had recorded my entire desperate display from the indoor balcony. He snapped the screen shut, looking incredibly satisfied. “Stephanie, when I found out you had a kid, I thought you had finally grown a spine.” “I didn’t expect your obsession with me to transfer to the kid. You really bet your entire life on a child just because he has my blood.” His tone was dripping with arrogant charity, as if he were a god granting a peasant a pardon. “I never believed anyone could actually be as pathetically devoted as you.” “But your absolute stupidity and your sheer stubbornness… it actually moved me.” “As long as you cooperate with Sam and film the sequel to The Subservience of a Gold-Digger, I will allow you and the child to stay by my side forever.” “I obviously can’t give you a title or marry you, but I’ll set you up in a nice house. I’ll give you the life you’ve spent years dreaming about. I am finally giving you permission to love me.” The sycophants surrounding him erupted in cheers and catcalls. “Is she crying from happiness?!” “She’s probably too shocked to speak!” I covered Leo’s ears with my hands. In front of the entire crowd of elites, I gathered the saliva in my mouth and spat directly into Schwartz’s face. “Schwartz! Wake the hell up from your delusion!” “Stop acting like a narcissistic psychopath! It’s sickening!” It was the first time I had ever spoken to him with such pure, unadulterated venom. Schwartz’s face froze in absolute shock. He didn’t even have time to wipe the spit off his cheek before I delivered the final blow. “Open your ears and listen to me very carefully! This child is not yours!” “And I have never, ever loved you!” Schwartz looked like he had been struck by lightning. His voice cracked with disbelief. “Impossible! Leo is a carbon copy of me! How could he not be my son?!” “Stephanie! If you’re claiming I’m not the father, then tell me! Who the hell is?!” Watching his chest heave with panicked breaths, I opened my mouth and revealed the secret of my five-year disappearance.

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I am a pureblood human, adopted by a family of vampire nobles. I thought I was destined to become their walking, breathing blood bank. Who knew the Duke and Duchess were obsessively doting parents, and my newly minted adopted brother would be head over heels for me? Overnight, I reached the absolute peak of my life. 1. Humans and vampires had been at war for over two hundred years before finally signing a truce. To show their sincerity, the human leaders decided to send someone over to be adopted by the Vampire Duke’s family. And the unlucky bastard chosen for the job was me. During the two centuries of war against vampires, humanity had genetically modified and evolved themselves to survive. I, however, was one of the very few remaining “pureblood” humans. As a pureblood, I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag. My combat power was a flat zero. In the old days, I would have been considered utterly useless. Nowadays? With a twist of fate, I was treated like a rare, endangered mascot. I had no right to refuse. I was packed up overnight and shipped off to the castle of Duke Dracula. Before I left, a kindly-looking old government official patted my shoulder with a smile. “Kid, you’ve seen spy movies, right? We don’t need you to do anything crazy. Just observe them and see if they actually intend to keep the truce.” I focused my mind and instantly heard his inner thoughts. [The girl is definitely pretty, but she doesn’t look too bright. I really hope she doesn’t mess this up.] I sneered internally. Surprise, old man. I might be a weak, delicate pureblood human, but I had my own cheat code—telepathy. Otherwise, going into vampire territory completely alone would be no different from throwing a sheep into a wolf’s den. 2. I finally met the Duke’s family. It was nothing like the creepy human folk songs from two hundred years ago. The Dracula Castle wasn’t dark or desolate at all; it was lavish, opulent, and brilliantly lit. The butler wasn’t a talking pig, there were no fat witches riding broomsticks, and no creepy black cats smiling from the shadows. I have to admit, the vampire race was blessed with absurdly good genes. They were breathtaking. The Duke was noble and handsome, and the Duchess was stunningly beautiful. Their only son, Wyatt, was exceptionally striking. He had deep, dark eyes, pale marble skin, and blood-red lips. Despite having such vivid, intense features, his overall aura was incredibly cold and untouchable. They threw a massive welcome banquet in my honor. At the party, the Duke proudly announced my adoption, officially declaring me the very first Human Princess of the vampire race. The entire banquet was livestreamed, instantly blowing up the internet and trending worldwide. Before coming here, I was terrified I’d just be a walking blood bank for the Dracula family. So, when they invited me to sit down for dinner, I was trembling like a leaf. The Duchess’s eyes sparkled as she smiled warmly. “Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. The noble House of Dracula gave up drinking human blood a long time ago. Besides, you are my daughter now.” [She’s so cute! A cute little human like this… I could kiss ten of her to death!] Me: ??? The Duke patiently comforted me. “Rest assured, darling, we will never hurt you.” His dark green eyes shimmered as he gazed at me with overwhelming tenderness. [She seems to lack a sense of security. Should I go kidnap a few more humans to keep her company? Wyatt won’t do; he walks around with a deadpan face all day, he’s too boring.] [Come to think of it, I haven’t raised a child in centuries. What do kids even like these days? Whatever my baby wants, I’ll buy it for her.] I was completely blown away by the wind. So, the legendary, ruthless, and bloodthirsty Duke and Duchess… were actually obsessive, doting parents?! When it was time to take our seats, I chose to sit next to Wyatt. At least my new brother seemed a bit more like a “normal” person. He remained entirely expressionless and indifferent to me sitting so close. His brows were slightly furrowed, and he didn’t say a single word. He looked the definition of aloof. I hesitated for a second, then gently tugged at his sleeve and gave him a friendly smile. “Brother.” To my shock, Wyatt reacted violently. He stood up abruptly, shaking off my hand. “Let go!” I was so startled I almost cried. A flash of regret crossed Wyatt’s eyes. [Is my sister going to cry? Damn it, I didn’t mean to do that.] [Her eyes are so pretty. Red and misty, like a fragile little bunny.] [She smells so incredibly good.] [No, I have to restrain myself. I can’t scare her.] As his inner thoughts popped into my head one after another, the corners of his eyes flushed pink, and a faint blush spread across his cold, pale cheeks. Meanwhile, my own face grew paler and paler. Help me! What kind of bizarre family had I just walked into?! 3. The dinner ended with Wyatt leaving the table early, and the Duke and Duchess showering me with endless comfort. That night, I lay in the gorgeous princess room the Duchess had prepared for me, tossing and turning. Unable to sleep, I eventually got up, planning to sneak down to the kitchen for a midnight snack. The moment I stepped out into the hallway, a hand shot out and violently yanked me into the adjacent room. My dear brother pinned me against the wall. His hair was damp with sweat, his face heavily flushed, and his dark eyes were misty, staring down at me with an intense, heated gaze. He looked… like a delicious, molten chocolate lava cake. I gulped uselessly. “Brother, what’s wrong? Are you sick?” He buried his face in the crook of my neck. His heavy breathing brushed against my skin, sending a tingling numbness down my spine. When he spoke, his tone was still fierce and cold: “Shut up.” [What do I do? I love my sister too much.] Well, then… After the mental bombardment at dinner, I was already immune to this. Was my brother’s inner monologue just permanently set to “embarrassingly affectionate”? The contrast between his outward behavior and his inner thoughts was way too extreme. Classic case of a guy whose mouth says no, but whose body says yes. Certain that he had no intention of hurting me, my anxiety dropped by half. I obediently acted as a human body pillow, staying perfectly still and letting him hold me. As a result, my brain was flooded with his thoughts, scrolling like a live chat feed. [Am I holding her for too long? Is this a bit weird?] [But it’s just so hard to push her away…] [House Dracula gave up human blood ages ago. Why am I feeling like this…] Suddenly, I felt something sharp pressing against the side of my neck. It felt like two conflicting emotions—restraint and aggression—were fighting a war inside him. I suddenly realized what it was. Those were the sharp fangs of a vampire. Instantly, my blood ran cold. [She is… so intoxicating.] [She seems to be shivering. Is it because she’s scared?] [Enough, Wyatt. Stop it right now!] Wyatt finally let go of me. I breathed a massive sigh of relief. The very next second, with a wave of his hand, I was swept right out the door. Bang! The door slammed shut behind me. I felt like I had literally taken flight, landing dizzily back in the hallway. My head was spinning. Once I calmed down, I analyzed the situation. Even though his confusing actions were rude and impatient, I was completely unharmed. He probably… wouldn’t hurt me, right? 4. The next morning, I went downstairs. The Duke and Duchess weren’t around, and neither was Wyatt. The butler approached me with a polite, professional smile. “Princess, the Duke and Duchess are still resting. They instructed me to have you eat breakfast first, and then Prince Wyatt will take you to school.” I looked at the butler’s warm smile, nodded gently, and pretended I couldn’t hear his inner monologue. [What on earth is the Duke thinking? Prince Wyatt can hardly be described as friendly toward the Princess.] The maids brought out over a dozen different American-style breakfast dishes. Pancakes, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, golden hash browns, avocado toast, and blueberry muffins… they had everything. I was amazed. These were the kinds of real, traditional foods I had only read about in the human historical archives. Ever since humans underwent genetic evolution and became obsessed with strength, nobody cared about actual food anymore. Most humans survived on nutrient paste just to maintain bodily functions. Only aristocrats cooked real meals daily as a symbol of their wealth and status. Back home, I obviously wasn’t qualified to eat stuff like this. But I was a pureblood human. That disgusting nutrient paste tasted like literal poison to me. Sitting at the table, I finally felt a genuine sense of gratitude that my fate had changed. Just as I was aggressively stuffing my face with a blueberry muffin, Wyatt slowly walked down the stairs wearing his school uniform. I took one look at him and almost burst out laughing. The uniform was tailored to perfection, crisp and sharp, giving him the ultimate aura of a noble aristocratic heir… Assuming, of course, you ignored the weird mask strapped to his face. I bit my lip to hold back my laughter and stole another two glances at him. His eyes and brows were still beautiful, but the thing covering his mouth… was that seriously not a dog’s anti-bite muzzle? Right then, I heard Wyatt’s inner voice. [Does this anti-bite mask look weird?] [But this is already the coolest-looking one they had!] [Why does my sister keep staring at me?] [She looks like… she really wants to laugh?] I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I let out a loud snort of laughter. Good lord, it actually was an anti-bite muzzle. 5. Because of my untimely laughter, Wyatt was as cold as a block of ice for the entire car ride to school, refusing to give me a single pleasant look. But I wasn’t afraid of him at all anymore. He was so scared of losing control and hurting me that he voluntarily strapped an ugly, bizarre muzzle to his own face. Wyatt was exactly like a hedgehog. His back was covered in sharp spikes, but if you flipped him over, his belly was soft, white, and completely harmless. I could feel the gentle warmth hiding beneath his icy exterior. The butler, perhaps afraid we might actually fight, rode in the car with us. Throughout the ride, I relied entirely on the butler to educate me on everything I needed to know. “St. Jude’s Academy is the most elite aristocratic school in the vampire community. The students are all sons and daughters of high-ranking officials and nobles. However, Your Highness, you outrank them all.” The highest leader of the vampire race was the Duke; they had no king or queen. That was why the butler said I was the most prestigious student there. “There are magical wards placed over the campus. All vampire abilities are neutralized on school grounds, so you don’t need to worry about them using powers to hurt you.” Thanks to the butler’s enthusiastic and detailed introduction, I learned everything I needed to know. St. Jude’s was a comprehensive academy combining middle school, high school, and university. It had produced countless top-tier geniuses across every industry in vampire society. Before I was sent here, I was a freshman at a human art college. I just had to continue my major here. I had heard that St. Jude’s had produced historically famous artists. Getting to study here was definitely me marrying up in life. Wyatt was in the medical school. He was their top genius student and was close to graduating. Thinking about this, I glanced over at him. My eyes naturally fell to the hands resting lightly on his lap. Pale, slender, with distinct knuckles. Hands that pretty were definitely suited for holding a scalpel. Sensing my gaze, Wyatt’s expression grew even colder, and he turned his head to stare out the window. But his fingers unconsciously curled into fists. [Damn it, why did Merlin have to bring me up?] [Will my sister think I told him to brag about me on purpose?] Help me. I wanted to laugh again. 6. Once we arrived at the school, Wyatt gave me a haughty, icy warning: “Behave yourself. Don’t cause trouble!” [I already warned all the old geezers on the board. She shouldn’t run into any trouble, right?] I flashed him a brilliant, sweet smile. “Okay, brother.” Wyatt frantically averted his eyes. His pale, jade-like earlobes flushed crimson. He turned around with a blank face and practically fled the scene. [My sister is… s-so cute.] The butler smiled and handed me my backpack. “You can head in now, Your Highness. I can only escort you this far.” I tilted my head, my eyes curving into happy crescents. “Thank you, Uncle Merlin.” The butler’s eyes lit up. “Just Merlin is perfectly fine, Your Highness.” [No wonder the Duke and Duchess adore Her Highness so much. What a good kid.] I grabbed my bag and walked onto campus. Every step I took resulted in a 100% head-turning rate. I could hear their inner thoughts constantly. [Oh my god, is that a human?] [Is that Princess Chloe? I watched the livestream, she really looks like that!] [Does someone like her really deserve to be Prince Wyatt’s sister?] … For a moment, it felt like tens of thousands of flies were buzzing in my ears. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I mentally blocked out their voices. My telepathy was controllable, like a switch. If I didn’t want to hear someone’s thoughts, I could just turn it off. Otherwise, I would have been driven insane a long time ago. The principal personally welcomed me, escorted me to my classroom, gave me a few words of advice, and left. With a polite smile, I introduced myself to the class. “My name is Chloe, I’m 19, and I live at the Dracula Castle.” A sneer echoed from the crowd. A blonde, blue-eyed girl stood up, looking at me with pure disdain. “Are all human women as ugly as you?” 7. The classroom went dead silent for a second. Then, the entire room erupted in mocking laughter. Everyone stared at me with varying degrees of ridicule, coldness, or contempt. Vampires, male or female, were naturally pale, gorgeous, with long legs. It was their racial trait. But I wasn’t exactly bad-looking either. I had classic almond eyes, big and round. Even if I couldn’t compare to their supernatural, physics-defying beauty, I hardly deserved to be called ugly, right? I gritted my teeth. I endured it. This was vampire territory. Why would they ever submit to a fake human princess? I had anticipated this kind of reception before I even arrived and mentally prepared myself for it. Sticking to my “don’t cause trouble” principle, I just smiled and didn’t say a word. But the blonde girl wasn’t going to let me off the hook. She walked right up to me and yanked my hair. “Hey, ugly freak. Roll back to your human territory, or sooner or later, I’ll suck your blood dry!” Screw this. I can’t take it anymore. I threw down with her. We brawled until the teacher rushed in and pulled us apart. Just like in human schools, fighting meant they had to call your parents. And my “parent”… was Wyatt. The teacher didn’t dare disturb the Duke and Duchess, so they called Wyatt over. I stood in front of him, hair a messy bird’s nest, hanging my head in shame. He had just warned me not to cause trouble, and five minutes later, I was fist-fighting a classmate. Why couldn’t I just hold it in?! Wyatt furrowed his brows deeply, his dark eyes scanning me up and down. He turned to the teacher, his voice chilling to the bone: “What exactly happened here?” I really couldn’t grasp his actual mood. So, I sneakily turned on my cheat code to hear his thoughts. [Is the Sinclair family tired of living?! Turning my cute, pretty sister into a scruffy little mud pie!] I had been feeling pretty wronged and upset a second ago.

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My company sent me on a week-long business trip out of town. After it ended, I hurried to drive home for my mother-in-law Harvey’s birthday. But just as I was waiting at a red light, a line of text suddenly appeared before my eyes. [Whatever you do, don’t go home! If you go back, you’re sealing your fate!] [The moment you step inside, Harvey will fall from the building!] [Harvey’s body will be covered in your fingerprints. You won’t be able to explain yourself and you’ll be sentenced to death. Then Cooper will take the insurance money and live it up with your best friend Shelly!] I froze. A few seconds later. I decided to trust what the text said. I’d take this gamble! The light ahead turned green, and the car started moving. I slammed my foot on the gas pedal and crashed straight into the stone barriers on the side of the road. Today was Harvey’s sixty-fifth birthday. My husband Cooper told me he wanted to have a simple celebration for Harvey at home. So as soon as my business trip ended, I rushed to drive home. The car was running smoothly on the road home, and I was just three intersections away from our neighborhood. That’s when semi-transparent text suddenly appeared out of nowhere before my eyes. Just like watching a TV show, lines of text scrolled across my vision. My mouth fell open. I thought my old eyes were playing tricks on me, so I rubbed them vigorously. But the text remained firmly floating before my eyes, not dissipating in the slightest. The messages kept sending me warnings. [It’s over, it’s over. Lester’s almost home! There’s no escaping this now!] [Lester, Cooper will find an excuse to leave you alone with Harvey—it’s all to frame you! Whatever you do, don’t go inside!] [At 7:10 PM tonight, Harvey will fall from the building right on schedule! And you’ll be the murderer!] [Watch out for your best friend Shelly. She’s been fooling around with Cooper, plotting to get rid of you.] My mouth fell open. I thought my old eyes were playing tricks on me, so I rubbed them vigorously. But the text remained firmly floating before my eyes, not dissipating in the slightest. My heart pounded wildly. Why would Harvey suddenly fall from the building when she was perfectly fine? And why would Cooper and my best friend Shelly want to frame me? Countless questions churned in my mind, leaving my head completely blank. Just then, my phone on the center console buzzed twice. It was a message from Cooper. “Lester, are you almost home?” “My boss just notified me that there’s an emergency at the company. I have to go handle it right away.” “Just get home and help Mom cut the cake. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done with this.” The moment I saw the message, the blood in my veins nearly froze. Could there really be such a coincidence? Right when I was about to get home, right at this moment, he had to leave. If what the text said was true, once I obediently went inside, only Harvey and I would be left at home. If Harvey fell from the building, all fingers would point at me. Those fingerprints all over the scene would only become ironclad evidence against me. I wouldn’t be able to explain myself even if I had a thousand mouths. I didn’t dare think further. The more I thought about it, the more terrified I became. My finger hovered over the chat box, but in the end I didn’t reply. I looked at the time—it was 6:40 PM. Thirty minutes until Harvey would fall. As the light ahead turned green, I made a decision. Since the text said I would be framed, I’d take this gamble!

As long as I didn’t appear alone with Harvey at home tonight, I wouldn’t fall into this conspiracy. I gripped the steering wheel tightly, took a deep breath, and suddenly pressed down hard on the gas pedal. The car engine roared as it shot forward. The car drove straight toward the heavy stone barriers on the side of the road and crashed into them with precision. A deafening bang exploded, and the car body shook violently. The next second, the airbag instantly deployed, protecting me firmly. My head rested against the seat as intense dizziness swept over me. My head felt like it had been struck hard with a hammer, incredibly foggy. In moments, I felt warmth on my forehead as sticky liquid trickled down. I could only vaguely see more and more people gathering around. Some were holding up their phones, filming and making calls. Several figures pushed through the crowd and walked quickly to the car. “How are you? Can you hear us?” The traffic officer’s voice came through the glass. I opened my mouth but couldn’t make any sound. Soon, I was lifted onto a stretcher. After confirming I was in the ambulance, I finally closed my eyes with relief and fell into brief unconsciousness. After arriving at the hospital, the doctor treated the wound on my head. By this time, my consciousness had cleared up quite a bit. I quietly opened my eyes, my gaze falling on the electronic clock on the wall. It was exactly seven o’clock. I closed my eyes again, telling myself I just needed to hold on for ten more minutes. During this time, I learned about the original plot through the text messages. It turned out Cooper and Shelly had been having an affair all along. Cooper wanted me to leave the marriage with nothing, but he couldn’t find a suitable reason. Plus, Harvey had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and Cooper felt Harvey was a burden—both expensive and exhausting to care for. So the two of them came up with this vicious plan. After I was sent to court, Cooper cried his heart out, accusing me to the judge of constantly beating and verbally abusing Harvey, saying I had repeatedly wished for Harvey to die. He successfully stirred up public sentiment, and thousands signed petitions demanding I pay with my life. The police also presented surveillance footage from our building in court. It clearly recorded me driving into the underground garage at 7 PM and taking the elevator to the tenth floor. Neighbors on the same floor claimed they heard me cursing and beating Harvey inside the apartment. Ten minutes later, there was a loud crash as Harvey fell from the balcony right on schedule and died on impact. With all this evidence, I was sentenced to death on the spot. And Cooper and Shelly not only got rid of Harvey, the big burden, and received a huge insurance payout, but also sent me to prison and seized all my assets. Reading these messages, my entire body went cold. So there had been two man-eating monsters lurking beside me all along. Although I didn’t know how they faked the scene or how they made it look like I cooperated so perfectly. But right now, I could only wait patiently.

Every second of pretending to be unconscious felt unbearably long, until the clock on the wall passed 7:10 PM. Only then did I quietly breathe a sigh of relief and slowly open my eyes. Just then, the hospital room door was gently pushed open. Seeing that I was awake, the doctor gave me a simple examination. Fortunately, my car’s safety features were solid, and my speed hadn’t been too high. I only suffered minor external injuries, and the CT scan of my head showed no problems. After a few days of rest, I’d be fine. After the doctor left, two uniformed traffic officers walked in, holding notebooks and pens. “How are you feeling? Can you cooperate with us for a simple inquiry to understand what happened during the accident?” I rubbed my still somewhat foggy head and said softly: “Thank you. I’m okay now, just still a bit dizzy.” I paused, pretending to recall with effort: “I was stopped at the intersection waiting for the red light when my phone suddenly rang. I instinctively reached for my phone, and then I accidentally hit the gas pedal. Somehow I just shot forward…” The officers carefully recorded everything I said. One of them said, “We’ve already examined the scene. Our preliminary judgment is that it was a single-vehicle accident. Fortunately, no other vehicles or people were involved. However, you may need to cover the cost of repairing the stone barrier.” “Also, your car’s front end was severely damaged. We’ve already contacted a tow truck to take it to an auto repair shop for inspection.” I nodded lightly, showing a bitter smile on my face. “Okay, okay. I should be responsible. Thank you for your trouble.” Although I lost some money and was covered in scrapes and bruises, it was worth it. There were traffic police at the crash scene, medical personnel, and so many onlookers. They had already left plenty of evidence for me. Then the officers returned my phone, which was shattered to pieces but could still barely turn on. After signing the accident report and paying the medical fees, I hurried out of the hospital. As I walked out the hospital doors, I glanced at my phone. It was almost 7:30 PM. I hailed a cab at the intersection. But when the taxi stopped at the entrance to our neighborhood and I opened the car door, my heart instantly sank to the bottom. A crowd had gathered downstairs from my building, voices discussing and sighing one after another. I pushed through the crowd and immediately saw Cooper kneeling on the ground. He still wore his work badge around his neck, his laptop bag beside him, clearly having just returned from the company. Cooper’s hair was disheveled, his face covered in tears and snot. He clutched a blood-covered figure tightly, crying heartbreakingly. “Mom! Mom, wake up! How could you just leave like this! I’m so sorry, Mom!” “It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have left, or that bitch wouldn’t have pushed you off the building!” Seeing Harvey’s familiar face clearly made me feel like I’d fallen into an ice cellar. I staggered back a step, my head roaring. I clearly hadn’t gone home, hadn’t followed the original plot.

So why did Harvey still fall from the building? Just as I stood there in a daze, a shrill voice suddenly rang out. “Lester! It’s her!” That sentence was like a thunderclap, instantly breaking through the chaos at the scene. Everyone’s eyes turned toward me in unison. Before I could open my mouth to explain, the crowd surged toward me like a tide, instantly surrounding me so tightly I couldn’t move. “It’s you, you vicious woman! You killed Harvey on her birthday!” “How cold-blooded! Harvey was so old and had Alzheimer’s, how could you do this to her!” “I heard you’d been treating Harvey like a burden for a long time. What a snake!” “Hurry up and arrest her! Don’t let her get away!” Curses and accusations came at me non-stop, with some even shoving me. Then Cooper suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at me. He rushed over and grabbed my arm, his grip so tight it felt like he might crush my bones. “I knew you hated my mom, hated that she was a burden to you! But today was her birthday!” “She treated you like her own daughter. How could you be so heartless?” “I only left for a little while, and you pushed her from such a height. Aren’t you afraid of karma?” I struggled hard to break free from his hand and shouted at the crowd, “I didn’t push Harvey! I wasn’t even home! Cooper is slandering me!” “Slandering you?” Cooper looked like he’d heard the world’s biggest joke. “You still dare to lie! The neighbors heard everything. Around seven o’clock, you came home and verbally abused and beat my mom. Many people downstairs saw it!” The neighbors chimed in one after another. I stood there trembling all over. I clearly hadn’t been at home, so why would people insist they saw me? Just then, several police officers pushed through the crowd and walked in. “Who called the police?” Cooper immediately rushed over and grabbed the officer’s arm. “Officer, it was this woman who killed my mom! Please arrest her and bring my mom justice!” The officer calmed Cooper down, then after confirming that Harvey was indeed dead, the police walked toward me. I fought back my grievances and tears, trying to stay calm. “Officer, I didn’t kill anyone! Because I wasn’t even home at the time! I…” But before I could finish, I was interrupted by my neighbor Nicole. Nicole stood with her hands on her hips, speaking firmly to the police: “Officer, don’t listen to her lies! I live right across from her. I personally heard her beating and cursing, saying things like ‘you old thing won’t die.’ Poor Harvey kept crying and begging for mercy.” Another woman quickly stepped forward, nodding repeatedly. “Officer, I can testify too! I was downstairs at the time and heard a loud crash.” “I instinctively looked up and clearly saw a figure at the window. It was her!” “Wearing a beige coat. I recognize that coat—it’s the one she usually wears! I couldn’t be mistaken!” Seeing people backing him up, Cooper immediately pointed at me emotionally. “Officer, you heard them, right! She’s just making excuses! Arrest her now!” The surrounding crowd joined in, shouting to arrest me, the waves of voices growing louder and louder. The officer took out handcuffs from his pocket and said sternly, “Ma’am, please come with us to cooperate with our investigation.” Just as the cold handcuffs were about to touch my wrist. I suddenly broke free from the officer’s hand and let out a cold laugh. I quickly pulled something from my pocket and held it high above my head. “You say I was home pushing Harvey off the building after seven? Fine, then take a look at this!” As my words fell, everyone froze. The officer took it and examined it. Cooper also hurried over to look. The next second, his expression froze on his face as he looked at me in disbelief.

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Ethan turned our love story into a movie and released it on twelve thousand screens nationwide. But he gave the role of the female lead, along with the title of wife, to a young woman who was five months pregnant. Turns out a man doesn’t need any warning signs to change his heart. Even though just twelve hours ago, he was still reminding me on video call to eat my meals on time. Now he was already in the spotlight, kissing another woman’s pregnant belly with deep affection, declaring to all the cameras in the room: “This film is dedicated to the love of my life.” But I’m the one who’s been his wife for five years. Serena’s POV The day before my fifth wedding anniversary with Ethan, I flew back from Africa after three connecting flights. I just wanted to surprise him, but I never expected the surprise would be mine. When I arrived at the cinema, the red carpet had already been rolled up. Crushed flower petals littered the ground. I entered through the side door with my invitation and was led by an usher to the last row. The lights in the theater had already dimmed. The screen lit up. The moment the title appeared, I saw the female lead’s face clearly. Very young, around twenty-two or twenty-three, with curved eyes and a dimple on her left cheek when she smiled. Exactly like me when I was twenty-two. I thought it was a coincidence. The movie opened with the male lead meeting the female lead in a library. She was carrying a stack of books, and he helped her pick them up. When that line came out, my fingers clenched tight. “I’ve read all of these books you chose.” That was the first thing Ethan ever said to me. Word for word. The scene cut to the coffee shop where we had our first date. That place had closed down long ago. For this film, Ethan had recreated it one-to-one in another location. The wall behind the counter with old photos hanging on it. Even the positions of the nails were exactly the same. The female lead spun around in the rain, her white dress twirling out. The male lead ran over and held an umbrella over her head. That was my twenty-third birthday. I sat in the last row. The entire movie ran for one hundred and eight minutes. I didn’t move once. When the end credits rolled, the whole theater erupted in applause. A spotlight came down. Ethan stood up from the first row, holding a young woman’s hand, and slowly walked onto the stage. The girl wore a light pink dress, her hand carefully cradling her belly. Her pregnancy bump was slightly visible. The host handed the microphone to Ethan. He took it, looked down at the girl with a tenderness I’d never seen in his eyes. “This film is dedicated to the love of my life.” The theater thundered with applause. Someone started screaming. People raised their phones. The girl leaned on his shoulder and cried. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. I could hear my own heartbeat. Slow. Like it was about to stop. The last time Ethan personally directed a film was the year he was pursuing me. That film was only shown once at our college. He said he’d only show it to me for the rest of his life. Back then, he stood below my dorm building, holding a whole bouquet of white roses, and said, “Serena, I, Ethan, will only love you for the rest of my life. If you don’t say yes, I’ll stand here all night.” I watched him from the third-floor window. My heart melted completely. Later, this man started a company and was so busy he spent a hundred days a year flying around. But every anniversary, he always made me feel like he’d never forgotten. On stage, Ethan took a ring box from his suit pocket. He knelt down on one knee and opened it. From the last row, across thirty rows of heads, I could see the ring clearly. An emerald, surrounded by nine small diamonds. That was the ring that had been passed down three generations in Ethan’s family. His mother Victoria had held it for twenty years, saying she’d wait for the woman her son married to wear it. I’d been married five years and had never seen it once.

Serena’s POV The girl on stage nodded through her tears. The whole venue cheered. When the crowd dispersed, I was pushed into the lounge area. I leaned against the wall, my legs too weak to stand steady. A young woman in uniform carrying a tray passed by me, glanced at me, and stopped. “Miss, are you with the media? The media entrance is on the right.” “I’m…” My voice was hoarse. “I’m looking for Ethan.” The girl smiled politely. “Ethan is with Violet right now. If you need something, please schedule through his assistant first.” “Violet?” “Violet, Ethan’s fiancée.” The girl lowered her voice with a hint of pride. “She’s five months pregnant. She made a special appearance today. Ethan gave strict orders that no one disturb her.” I steadied myself against the wall and slowly smiled. Before I could say anything, light footsteps approached from behind. “You don’t look well. Are you feeling okay?” I turned around. The girl who had just accepted a proposal on stage stood in front of me, one hand protecting her belly, the other reaching toward me. When she smiled, her eyes curved, and a dimple appeared on her left cheek. “Do you need me to help you sit down? Ethan is really busy today. There were so many elders at the premiere who weren’t feeling well. I helped them all.” She leaned closer, her voice sickeningly sweet. “My name is Violet. I’m Ethan’s fiancée. Which media outlet are you from? How come I’ve never seen you before?” I looked at her. At this face that resembled mine at twenty-two by about thirty percent. At the emerald ring on her hand. At the slight curve of her belly. “Violet, don’t wander off. I’ve been looking for you forever.” A familiar voice came from behind. I turned my head. Across the moving crowd, my eyes collided with Ethan’s. The smile on Ethan’s face froze inch by inch. The bouquet of red roses in his hands dropped to the ground with a thud. “Serena?” Violet leaned against Ethan’s shoulder, peeking out from his embrace like a startled fawn, looking at me timidly. “Ethan, who is this person…” “An old employee from the company.” Ethan’s expression looked uncomfortable. He avoided my gaze. “My assistant is waiting for you in the lobby on the first floor. Go to the car first.” “Ethan, I-” “Be good.” He coaxed her in a low voice. Violet left with reluctant backward glances. As she passed by me, she slowed down half a step. That fragile, helpless demeanor instantly vanished without a trace. She lowered her voice and laughed softly: “You don’t look well. Ethan can be pretty blunt when he talks. Whatever he says, please don’t take it too much to heart.” She smiled smugly, stroking her slightly swollen belly, and walked away triumphantly. I stood frozen in place, watching her retreating figure, nausea churning in my stomach. Ethan didn’t take me to the VIP lounge. With a cold face, he clamped down on my wrist with force hard enough to leave red marks. He dragged me all the way out through the cinema’s most hidden side door and roughly shoved me into a black van parked by the roadside. The moment the car door closed, the sounds of several reporters’ camera shutters and shouts were completely cut off. The car drove south. Ten minutes later, it stopped at the far end of the third underground parking level of the cinema. It was pitch black here, without even a single security camera. He turned off the engine and flicked on the interior light with a “click.” The harsh white light hit our faces. “When did you get back to the country?” His tone was accusatory. “This afternoon.” “Why didn’t you tell me you changed your flight?” I turned my head, using the overhead light to look at this familiar yet strange face. I didn’t get angry. I just felt sad. I said word by word, “Ethan, let’s get divorced.”

Serena’s POV Ethan didn’t respond. Expressionless, he took a document from his suit pocket and slapped it down on the center console with a “smack,” pushing it in front of me. “Look at this first.” It was a confidentiality agreement. My hands trembled as I opened the first page. There weren’t many clauses inside, but each one pierced me. Prohibited from publicly revealing wife status for eighteen months, must not approach Violet, penalty for breach: ten million dollars. I turned to the last page. Ethan’s hastily signed name was already written clearly. I jerked my head up, eyes red-rimmed, looking at him. “You had this prepared?” “This film is my company’s biggest project in the past two years.” Ethan leaned back in his seat, as calm as if discussing a business deal. “The investor is Federal Pictures. The theater screening schedule is already set. Twelve thousand screens nationwide. The release date is the eighth of next month. Violet’s contract specifies she must be the lead. She’s tied to this role. If it comes out now that I’m married…” “You’re finished.” I coldly finished his sentence. “We’re finished.” He frowned, correcting me. “Serena, you and I. We’ve gotten to where we are today together. The day this company was registered, you came with me to the business registration office. Have you forgotten?” I stared hard at his face. I really had forgotten. That day I wore a gray trench coat. He’d excitedly picked me up and spun me around at the entrance, his eyes red as he said, “Serena, from now on we’re the boss and the boss’s wife. I’ll never let you down for the rest of my life.” But now, he was using this company built on our memories to force me to make way for the other woman. Looking at his shameless face now, I suddenly wondered. When exactly did he learn to be this cold-blooded and calculating? Ethan took out a pen and forcibly shoved it into my icy hand. “Sign it and I’ll take you home. After eighteen months, when Violet has the baby and the film comes down, we’ll talk about what comes next.” “What comes next?” My voice trembled. “Serena, let me finish.” He reached out to hold my hand. I jerked it back like I’d been electrocuted. Ethan paused, then patiently withdrew his hand. “I have to keep the child in Violet’s belly. But you’re my wife. I’ve never thought about changing that. After eighteen months, I’ll arrange for Violet and the child to go to Canada. She won’t get the title. I already made that clear to her.” “But she accepted your ring today.” “That was just pretend, for the film promotion.” Ethan said it without the slightest shame. I laughed bitterly in anger. I really found it funny. This man I’d been with for twelve years sat in front of me, telling me without a trace of guilt that even kneeling before another woman and presenting her with the family heirloom was all “acting.” He seemed to think this bullshit could soften my heart. “Ethan.” I grabbed that disgusting agreement and hurled it hard at his chest. “I won’t sign it. I’m contacting a lawyer tomorrow.” Ethan’s false mask finally couldn’t hold. His face turned completely dark. “Serena, you’re angry. Sign this and we’ll talk slowly.” “I won’t sign.” The car fell deathly silent for two seconds. Ethan’s hand suddenly lifted. I thought he was going to hit me. I instinctively closed my eyes. However, he didn’t slap me. He clamped down hard on the back of my neck and brutally pressed my face toward the agreement on the center console. Bang. My forehead slammed hard into the stiff cardboard. The sharp paper edge instantly sliced through the skin above my eyebrow. “Serena, you’re a public figure’s wife!” His voice pressed down viciously from above. “Do you think your divorce only affects you? Do you think the film waiting on screens nationwide is trivial? Do you think if you make a scene, you’re only affecting me?” One of my ears was pressed hard against the paper. Humiliation gnawed at my entire body like a poisonous snake. “Sign it.” He commanded.

Serena’s POV I didn’t speak. Pressed beneath him, my fingers slowly felt for the edge of the agreement. Then, with all my strength, with a “rip,” I tore that agreement in half right in front of him. Ethan froze in shock. Taking advantage of his stunned moment when his grip loosened, I shoved him away hard and stumbled out of the car, pushing the door open. My high heels clicked against the cold concrete floor of the underground garage. I’d only run two steps when my legs went weak. My knees buckled and I nearly fell. I gripped a cold concrete pillar beside me tightly, barely managing to stay upright. Blood from above my eyebrow ran down my cheek and into my eye. My vision was a blur of red. Behind me, the car door made a sound. Ethan started to chase after me. Just then, his phone rang. The screen displayed “Violet,” glaringly bright in the dark underground garage. Ethan looked at the screen, then at me bleeding while holding the pillar. Finally, he still answered the call. “Violet? What’s wrong?” A woman’s delicate crying came through the phone. Ethan’s brow furrowed tight. He made an affirming sound, then immediately lowered his voice, walking toward the driver’s seat while urgently soothing her. “I’m coming right now. Don’t cry, whatever you do don’t hurt the baby…” I leaned against that rough pillar, watching him coldly. He walked to the car door and looked back at me with a charitable glance. “Serena, go home first. I’ll come find you after I handle Violet’s situation. We’ll talk about the agreement later.” With that, he got in the car without hesitation. The engine roared. The black car drove out of the garage without looking back. The vast underground parking garage instantly held only me. The dim yellow light overhead buzzed. My phone vibrated. It was a text message from an unsaved number. “These five years, have you been wronged or not? Victoria.” Victoria was Ethan’s mother’s name. In our five years of marriage, because she didn’t like me, I rarely initiated contact with her. I stood alone by the pillar. Blood from my eyebrow dripped down along my nose, drop by drop hitting the back of my hand, blooming into patches of glaring red. I stared at that text message for a very long time. My finger trembling, I typed four words. “I want a divorce.” After deciding to divorce, I forced myself to sleep. At five in the morning, before dawn. The door was kicked with earth-shattering force. “Serena! Open the door!” It was Ethan’s voice. I’d just turned the lock open a crack when he violently shoved the door open from outside. The heavy wooden door slammed into my shoulder. I groaned in pain and staggered back two steps. “There’s a press conference at the company at ten. You’re coming with me.” “I’m not going.” I pressed my numb shoulder, my voice shaking. “I said you’re going.” He didn’t give me any chance to resist. He grabbed my arm. The force felt like it would crush my bones. He dragged me directly from the living room toward the door. I was forcibly pulled out the door barefoot, my feet scraping a red trail across the floor tiles. “Ethan, let go of me! I can walk by myself!” “Put on shoes.” Without a word, like dragging a lifeless object, he roughly shoved me into the elevator. The elevator wall reflected my disheveled image. I looked at Ethan’s hard, cold profile, my heart turning ice-cold. I’d been with this man for twelve years. Only today did I learn for the first time that when he got ruthless, there wasn’t a shred of humanity in his eyes. Company backstage dressing room. Ethan shoved me inside with one push and locked the door with a “bang.” The woman in front of the mirror immediately stood up from her chair. Violet wore a light pink dress, her belly slightly swollen. As soon as she saw me, tears instantly streamed down her face.

Serena’s POV Violet quickly walked over and tightly grabbed my wrist. “Serena.” I was startled by her sudden action and stepped back half a pace. “Serena, I’m begging you. Later when the reporters ask, just say you and Ethan divorced a long time ago. Say you and he are just business partners now.” Violet gripped my clothes desperately, crying so hard she couldn’t breathe. “I’m six months pregnant. The doctor said if I get upset again I’ll lose this baby. Please take pity on the child in my belly!” My whole body went cold. I looked down at her from above. She really could act. Last night at the premiere, when she leaned on Ethan’s shoulder crying, she had this same fragile, helpless appearance. “Let go.” I forced down my disgust. “I won’t let go unless you agree.” “You got pregnant yourself, Violet. Watch your tone.” As soon as the words left my mouth, Ethan pushed the door open and entered. His expression changed. He strode forward and pulled Violet up, sheltering her in his arms, then turned and walked over to me. He reached out to touch my face. I turned my head away in revulsion, dodging him. His hand froze in midair. After two seconds, it slowly lowered. His tone carried a trace of impatience. “Serena, it’s just one scene. After you perform it you can go home. I’ll tear up the agreement. We’ll talk slowly about divorce. You’ve walked with me to this point. This last hurdle. Help me this once.” I looked up at him in disbelief, my eyes instantly reddening. I’ve been married to him for five years. I suddenly felt it was utterly ridiculous. Walked with him to this point? When I married him five years ago, that was walking with him to this point. Three years ago when his company’s funding dried up, I mortgaged the last house my father left me to lend him money to get through it. That was walking with him to this point. Last year when I contracted malaria while filming in Tanzania and was hospitalized, he didn’t call once. He complained I had poor physical fitness. “Ethan.” I clenched my teeth hard, forcing back tears, saying word by word, “I won’t act.” The tenderness in Ethan’s eyes instantly dissipated. His face darkened enough to drip water. “Ethan!” Violet suddenly grabbed something from the makeup table. Before I could react, she’d already pressed a sharp makeup scissors against her own arm. “Violet, what are you doing!” Ethan’s face went white, his voice cracking. “If Serena doesn’t agree I won’t live anymore!” Violet screamed through her tears. “Ethan, you saw it. She’s trying to force me to death! She just can’t stand to see me doing well!” “Violet, put down the scissors.” “I’m not making a scene!” Violet’s wrist trembled. The scissor tip pierced the skin of her arm. Bright red blood instantly seeped out, dripping onto the light pink dress in shocking drops. “Violet!” Ethan lunged over like a madman and snatched away the scissors. Violet leaned back with the momentum. Her eyes rolled back and she went limp in his arms. “Violet, wake up! Violet!” An assistant outside heard the commotion and rushed in. Ethan scooped Violet up and rushed out. At the doorway, he suddenly turned back. I’ll never forget the way he looked at me. No trace of our twelve years together. No disappointment. Only bone-deep disgust, like looking at a mortal enemy. “Serena.” He spoke through clenched teeth, his gaze poisonous. “If anything happens to Violet, I, Ethan, will never forgive you for the rest of my life.” The door slammed shut with a “bang.”

Serena’s POV I stood frozen in place, cold from head to toe, even my breathing hurt my chest. Five years married to him, the last sweet thing he said to me was just last month. Smiling on a video call, saying when he finished this project, he’d take me to the Maldives. Turns out when a man wants to change his heart, he doesn’t even need to put on a transitional act. The dressing room door opened again. Victoria walked in and locked the door behind her. “Did you see everything?” My voice shook. “You knew all along…” “I knew since last night.” Victoria looked at me blandly. “Serena, you’ve been married five years. Ethan tells you to go somewhere and you go. Tells you not to have kids yet and you don’t. Why do you listen to him so much?” I couldn’t answer. “Because you thought he was worth it.” Victoria finished the sentence herself. “Now tell me, is he still worth it?” My eyes reddened instantly. “Ten o’clock sharp, the press conference starts. You go on stage and say you and Ethan have an ordinary business relationship. This afternoon I’ll have the divorce decree from the court delivered to you. I’ll give you what you want.” “Otherwise, I can’t be sure what Ethan might do.” Victoria walked to the door and looked back at me. “Your choice.” I stood there stunned. Of course I knew what kind of person Ethan was. He really was capable of anything. I already had my answer. For a smooth divorce, I chose to compromise. Soon, it was ten o’clock. I stood at the dressing room door, my fingers digging into my palms. I turned and walked in the opposite direction. Two security guards at the back door immediately blocked me. “Serena, Ethan said-” I lifted my foot and kicked hard at the left guard’s knee. Caught off guard, his knee buckled and he went down. The one on the right reached out to grab me. I dodged sideways and ran out without looking back. “Don’t run! Stop!” I didn’t look back. I ran out of the office building’s back alley and hailed a taxi. “Where to?” I froze for three seconds. He knew my mother’s house. He knew the apartment. He could find out about the film crew. He’d been to my friends’ houses. Twelve years. I had nowhere to hide. I gave the address of the rental apartment from our college days. Eleven years. I’d never canceled the lease. I paid the rent myself every month. Ethan didn’t know about this place. I casually opened social media and immediately saw Ethan’s new post. The photo showed him rushing Violet into the emergency room. Violet’s face was deathly pale, her arm wrapped in gauze. “Today I almost lost my child. I don’t want to respond to those old stories. Please stop hurting a pregnant mother.” Over ten thousand comments. “Ethan was crying for real!” “What’s wrong with that woman?” “I heard she drove Violet to self-harm!” My fingers trembled. In less than twelve hours, I’d gone from being his wife to the vicious ex-wife everyone online was condemning. I watched the street scenes flying past the car window and suddenly laughed. As I laughed, tears fell.

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Alpha Ethan’s fated mate Amber, who went abroad for treatment after being poisoned, has recovered and returned. Seeing the photo Ethan posted of them together, I comforted myself. We’re mates now. Ethan loves me now. Until I overheard his conversation with a friend. “Ethan, Amber has recovered and come back. Why haven’t you broken up with her yet? Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for that replacement?” Ethan’s voice was cold and mocking. “How could I? I’m only with her because her voice sounds like Amber’s. An Omega… If she’s obedient, maybe I’ll let her continue as my mistress. But the Luna position. She’ll have to give it back to Amber.” He didn’t just treat me as a substitute. He wanted to crush my dignity. But on the seventh day after I left, he finally remembered that I wasn’t some fragile Omega who could only depend on him. I was also the most gifted herbalist and healer in the pack. Chapter One Molly POV In my second year as Luna, I got pregnant. But on the very day I found out, Ethan’s former fated mate Amber came back. Then I saw the photo he’d just taken with Amber on his social media. The comments were overwhelmingly positive. “Amber looks even more beautiful than before! She really is the beta’s daughter!” “She used to be a journalist! She even interviewed the Luna Queen!” “She got her wolf at sixteen and she’s incredibly strong. She’s my role model.” “If she hadn’t been poisoned during that hunt and voluntarily left alpha Ethan, Molly would never have had a chance to be with him!” At first, I told myself not to worry about these rumors. My father was a werewolf warrior, my mother just an ordinary Omega. My wolf was also very weak. In the werewolf world that valued strength above all, everyone believed I wasn’t worthy of the powerful alpha Ethan. But that didn’t matter. As long as Ethan loved me, that was enough. Until I saw one comment that made me freeze in place. “Ethan has very high standards for women’s voices. Back then he liked Amber not just because they were fated mates, but because of her voice. His current mate’s voice sounds almost exactly like Amber’s.” My mind exploded. Ethan had this quirk. During intimate moments, he liked to turn off all the lights and have me call his name over and over. Sometimes he’d even give me news scripts to record, then play them on loop in his study. I’d never thought much of it. I’d even considered it an intimate ritual that belonged just to us. With trembling hands, I pulled up those recorded news scripts, only to see that every single one was written by “Amber.” Tears fell onto the screen one by one as my heart felt like it had been shoved into an ice pit. I rushed to Ethan’s study, wanting only to ask him what was going on. But just as I reached the door, I heard laughter coming through the crack. “Ethan, Amber has recovered and come back. Why haven’t you broken up with her yet? Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for that replacement?” His tone was indifferent, though it couldn’t hide that trace of affection. “You’re overthinking it. I’m only with her to give Amber peace of mind. To put on a show so she could go get treated.” I froze outside the door, my legs going weak. The people in the study continued laughing. “Amber was just afraid she’d drag you down. After all, the pain between fated mates can transfer. If her poison couldn’t be cured and she died, it would have a huge impact on you too. That’s why she forced you to Mark someone else, to sever the fated bond.” I knew about this practice. I’d read about it in books. When one half of a fated mate pair Marks someone else, it means their connection is forcibly severed. Even if one dies, it won’t affect the other. But if both become single again, fate will guide them back together. There won’t be a second chance mate. But the process of a fated mate Marking someone else is extremely painful. I never imagined Amber would be willing to go that far for Ethan. “But Molly does have a great body. After you two break up, what if I go after her? Unless you’d mind, of course.” After a brief silence came his familiar yet strange voice. “After all, she’s been with me all these years. If you’re serious, go ahead and pursue her. But if you’re just playing around, forget it. If Amber finds out, she’ll blame me.” Replacement? My mind felt like someone had struck it hard. I staggered backward, unable to listen anymore. So the happiness I thought I had was just a performance from start to finish. The only one who got too into character was me. He’d once fought bitterly with his parents over me. He’d stood in front of me to protect me when I was being bullied. As an alpha, he’d made me breakfast for five years. But all of it was just acting! How ridiculous. Back home, I rushed into the bathroom and soaked in the tub, trying to calm myself down. As I dried my hair, I comforted myself. Maybe he was just joking around with his friends. That’s what men do when they’re together, right? They like to brag. But that evening, he only sent one message: “Have to handle urgent pack business tonight. Go to bed early.” I sat on the couch all night. When dawn was just breaking, he finally came home. He looked relaxed, and when he saw me, he smiled. “My little sleepyhead, couldn’t sleep without me? Look, I bought your favorite egg tarts.” I didn’t move, didn’t speak. Just quietly watched him, smelling the strong scent of roses on him. I never used rose-scented perfume. They were together last night, and they managed to hide it from our mate bond? No. Maybe it was distance. They weren’t in the pack last night. That’s why he could bring back egg tarts from that bakery in town. Chapter Two Molly POV I stared at him, trying to find any trace of deception in those eyes. But those eyes were filled with nothing but tenderness and love. My frozen heart warmed slightly. Clinging to that last bit of hope I shouldn’t have had, I grabbed his hand and said softly, “I saw Amber today. She’s recovered?” Undisguised joy appeared on his face. “Yes, she’s recovered. There’s an excellent healer in alpha King’s pack who found records of that poisonous herb in the royal library and cured Amber.” I closed my eyes in pain, asking nothing more. “Congratulations… go take a shower.” “Okay.” He didn’t notice my pain at all, just kissed my forehead. Then stuffed an egg tart in my mouth and headed into the bathroom. I reflexively took a bite, and the rich cheese flavor instantly exploded in my mouth. I froze, quickly spitting it out. How could he not remember I’m allergic to cheese? When we first started dating, I accidentally ate cheese and was rushed to the hospital. When I woke up, the healer joked: “Try to comfort Ethan. He was so scared he nearly lost it.” After that, whenever we ate out, Ethan would remind the servers repeatedly: absolutely no cheese in the food. The memory still tasted sweet, but right now my hands and feet were turning red, rashes spreading, itching unbearably. I laughed bitterly, finding the medicine and about to swallow it when I suddenly remembered I was pregnant. I was an Omega, different from those powerful werewolves. I didn’t have such strong physical constitution. If I took the allergy medicine, I might miscarry. My fingers trembled as I slowly put the medicine bottle down. Just then, the bathroom door opened. “What’s wrong? Not feeling well?” He looked at me with concern. Before I could speak, his phone suddenly rang. After answering, the laziness on his face disappeared instantly, his tone becoming tense. “Protect her. I’m coming right now.” He hurriedly changed clothes and walked to the door, then seemed to remember something and looked back at me. “There’s an urgent pack matter. I need to go check it out.” Then he reminded me, “Remember to eat your breakfast.” I casually pulled down my sleeves and asked quietly, “What flavor are the egg tarts?” “Cheese. It’s really popular lately. I waited in line forever.” His tone carried a hint of impatience, as if annoyed that I was asking too many questions. I nodded, saying only, “Got it. Drive carefully.” Clutching his phone, he seemed to sense something wasn’t right. But before he could figure it out, the phone rang again and he left without looking back. I watched his departing figure, my fingers trembling slightly. Then I grabbed my mask, left the house, and followed him from a distance. The car drove to a werewolf bar. A figure in red threw herself into his arms. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to a bar? What if you ran into trouble?” The woman, Amber, stood on tiptoe and gave him a light kiss on the lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone but you touch me.” I watched him push her into the car and lock the door. Then he cupped the back of her head and kissed her fiercely. That kiss was deep and possessive, as if he wanted to swallow her whole. Afterward, she shyly escaped from the car while he chased after her, his eyes full of affection. I leaned against the wall as pain swept through my lower abdomen, making it impossible to stand straight. The pain made me dry heave. Only after they separated and walked into the bar did I slowly recover. I took off the ring on my hand and casually tossed it into a storm drain. Then I turned and walked away with long strides. Chapter Three Molly POV That afternoon, I started running a fever. Half-awake and half-asleep, I felt that indescribable pain again. In my dream, I saw Ethan appear before my disheveled self. He asked me if I was willing to become his mate. I didn’t agree immediately, because my biological father and mother were fated mates, but after I was born, my father despised my mother for being just an ordinary Omega and abandoned her. I didn’t understand why alpha Ethan would choose me. We weren’t even fated mates. But later, his actions won me over. On the day of the Marking ceremony, I told him, “I will never betray you. But if one day you betray me first, I will leave without looking back.” Even though I was just an Omega, I swore I would never let anyone have the chance to humiliate my dignity. The dream ended. The fever made the allergic areas hot and itchy, like millions of ants crawling on my body. Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation down there, and I realized… The baby… Instinctively, I dialed Ethan’s number. The phone rang two or three times before a woman’s voice came through. I knew it was Amber. “Hello, if you have something to say, say it quickly. I just saw a kitten that got hit by a car. I don’t have time to chat with you.” A sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I couldn’t worry about much else and quickly said: “Please tell Ethan I might be having a miscarriage. Tell him to come home right away.” Silence on the other end, then her careless voice came through: “A miscarriage just proves this child doesn’t belong to you. Besides, with your inferior bloodline, the child wouldn’t be much use anyway. If it dies, it dies.” I clutched my stomach, wondering if I was hallucinating. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Give the phone to Ethan. I need to talk to him!” Amber answered carelessly: “Molly, the miscarriage proves this child doesn’t like you either. You should respect his choice.” Just as she was about to hang up, I heard Ethan’s voice in the background. I shouted in desperation, “Ethan!” But Ethan didn’t respond to me. I only heard his conversation with Amber. “Amber, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well? Is it aftereffects?” Ethan asked urgently. “My heart hurts so much! Ethan, maybe you should go back and talk to Molly. If something really happens to her baby…” He listened quietly, then picked up the phone, his voice calm but cutting. “Molly, you’re infertile. How could you possibly be pregnant? Stop acting. And don’t be so dramatic in the future. Amber’s health is fragile. Scaring people like that could cause issues…” I couldn’t speak. The woman on the other end kept chattering, finally leaving me with this. “I’m too busy these days to come back. Don’t call me about such trivial matters.” The phone went to dial tone, but my heart kept sinking. This villa was built halfway up the mountain, with almost no one else around. Even the housekeeper and servants weren’t nearby at the moment. Because I couldn’t mind link any of them. After all, I was just an Omega. I couldn’t cover all pack members like an alpha could. I could only call my friend Chloe and ask her to rush over and take me to the pack hospital. After the procedure, I was unconscious for three days and nights before waking. Chloe said that after receiving my call, she rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. The doctor said if I’d arrived even ten minutes earlier, they could have saved the baby. Then Chloe went out to buy me food. I took out my phone to scroll through my feed. Less than a minute in, I saw a video Ethan had shared. The two-minute content showed Amber advocating for the care of stray animals and cherishing life. Below the video, Ethan commented that he fully supported her charitable work. I gently touched my stomach. My heart had gone numb with pain, leaving only faint irony. At Chloe’s insistence, I rested two more days before being discharged. When I returned home, Ethan still hadn’t come back. I didn’t care, just went to work as usual. It wasn’t until the second weekend evening that he finally came home. When he entered, I was searching for my healer certification. Ethan said sarcastically, “Look at you, you’re just fine, aren’t you?” Before I could explain, he grabbed clothes and went into the bathroom. Soon, a phone ringtone came from the bathroom. Even though he lowered his voice, I could still hear his conversation with Amber: “Yeah, don’t worry, she’s not pregnant. Probably just being petty. Okay, I’ll listen to you and stay home tonight. When I’m not there, don’t kick off your blanket when you sleep!” I laughed quietly, pretending not to hear, and kept myself busy. We were going to separate anyway. Let him think whatever he wanted. No explanation from me would matter. But since he was staying home tonight, I’d need to find an excuse to sleep in separate rooms. Sharing a bed would be rather disgusting. Just as I was thinking this, he walked into the bedroom and said, “Amber’s having some trouble…” I interrupted him. “Go check on her.” A flash of discomfort crossed his face, but finally he just said, “I’ll be right back.” He didn’t come back that night, and I slept dreamlessly. Chapter Four Molly POV Early the next morning, Ethan unexpectedly rushed back and insisted on taking me out. I was somewhat puzzled but didn’t refuse. The car had just turned a corner when we saw an old man collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth. I immediately told Ethan to stop the car and pushed open the door. I hadn’t taken two steps when Ethan suddenly called out to me. “Amber’s monitoring watch is sending an alert. There might be something wrong with her health. I need to go check on her. You wait here for the ambulance.” Both situations were life-threatening. I didn’t stop him. The old man’s condition was terrible. Without proper herbs to detoxify him, and without moonlight, many remedies couldn’t be used. I could only quickly identify the plants around me. Finding a few types of herbs that could be used for emergency detoxification, I photographed the situation, then mixed these herbs simply and fed them to the old man. Then I quickly mind linked a guard and had him come send the old man to the pack hospital. Fortunately, a guard wasn’t far from here, or I probably would have had to drag the old man myself. But it still took some time. After the old man was sent to the hospital, they issued a critical condition notice. I called the number saved as “Granddaughter” in his phone countless times, but no one answered. By the time the enforcement team arrived and asked me to sign papers for special procedures, the old man was already gone. The doctor wheeled the body out of the operating room. I stayed where I was, waiting for follow-up procedures, when an ominous feeling suddenly arose in my heart. Soon, the elevator door dinged open. Amber rushed out, and seeing the old man, immediately threw herself over, crying heartbreakingly. “Grandpa! What happened to you? I’m here. Please wake up!” I stood stunned for a few seconds, an absurd thought flashing through my mind. Could the world really have such coincidences? But before I could speak, she stood up, rushed over to me, and slapped me hard across the face. “Molly, it was you, wasn’t it? You dared to use poisonous herbs to murder my grandfather! You hate me. Fine. Come find me. What kind of skill is it to take revenge on an old man!” Fire flashed in my eyes, but I remained calm. “I’ve already told the enforcement team what happened. If you have questions, go ask them.” She glared at me, her voice trembling and hysterical. “If it wasn’t you, why won’t you let the real responsible person come forward? If it wasn’t you, why would you be so kind as to send my grandfather to the hospital?” I was amused by her logic. Just as I was about to show her the photos I’d taken on my phone, she suddenly lunged forward to grab it. In the chaos, she used too much force and fell with the phone. Ethan arrived at that exact moment, just in time to see Amber and me on the ground. Without hesitation, he rushed over and shoved me toward the wall. “Have you lost your mind!” My spine and the back of my head hit the wall almost simultaneously. The intense pain made my vision go black. Before I could recover, Amber had thrown herself into his arms, crying almost hysterically. “Ethan, Grandpa’s dead! I don’t have a grandfather anymore! She killed him… make her pay with her life!” I looked at him, watching him stay silent, watching the hesitation in his eyes. My heart grew colder bit by bit. I suddenly remembered when I earned my healer certification with excellent grades. A classmate who was jealous of me got people to corner me in an alley and force me to bark like a dog. They even wanted to break my hands. He found me in time and fought those people until he was covered in blood. “This fool flipped through a thick herbal medicine book over a thousand times to become a good healer. She can practically recite the contents backward. You want to use dirty tricks to shatter her dream? Think again.” In that moment, he was the brightest light in my world. But now, this light before my eyes was as cold as ice. “Molly,” he said, “go apologize to Grandpa and let the old man rest in peace.” Amber leaned against his chest, looked up at me, and showed me a provocative smile. I  closed my eyes and laughed coldly. “Whether I did anything wrong, the enforcement team will tell you. But Amber, you’re crying so miserably. Are you afraid your grandfather’s ghost will come find you tonight and ask why you didn’t answer his-” Before I could finish, a slap landed hard across my face. Then Ethan ordered the guards to forcibly drag me to the hospital bed and kicked me in the knee. Bang. I fell to the ground. A sharp pain shot through my knee as I stared at him, my voice hoarse. “Ethan, you know exactly what happened.” He froze, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes. Then he bent down and whispered in my ear, “Amber’s health is poor. Grandpa’s death is too big a blow for her. If she can’t vent, she’ll get sick. Why don’t you just admit your mistake? It’s just the detention room. Nothing will happen.” I could barely believe my ears. Fury instantly blazed to its peak as I shoved him away. “Do you know what this means? If I admit I murdered him with poisonous herbs, I can never work as a healer again in this life! Ethan, how can you say this so easily?” Before I finished speaking, he pressed me back to the ground. The guards bound my hands behind my back and stuffed some cloth into my mouth. Ethan bent down, looked at me, and smiled with a gentleness that felt cruel. “Be good. It’s just a healer’s job. You don’t need to do it. From now on, I’ll take care of you.” Then he turned and walked to Amber’s side. He raised his hand, signaling the guards to proceed. Fists slammed into my face and body as my bones made cracking sounds. I wanted to protect my head, but my hands were tied. I could only curl up and let the fists and feet fall. I opened my eyes and saw Ethan’s face through the blur. Those eyes that once gave me peace now held only coldness. Amber pulled him away to “settle Grandpa’s body.” I slowly closed my eyes. Those fists and feet scattered the few remaining memories piece by piece. The man who became flustered with just one look from me. The man who couldn’t handle spicy food but was willing to eat Mexican food with me. The man who gave me the most bountiful spoils at the hunting festival. All of it was forcibly ripped from my mind. The pain was so intense I couldn’t catch my breath, and I completely blacked out. Ethan, so even your heartache has an expiration date. Loving you really hurts.

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Sixteen minutes after being abducted by aliens, I returned to Earth. I knocked on my front door. My husband, Ethan, stood there holding a little boy, with a strange woman wearing an apron beside him. When he saw me, Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Clara, you’ve been missing for six years. You’re actually still alive?” Before I could process what he meant by six years, Ethan was already losing patience. “I don’t care where you’ve been these six years, but I have a new family now. Don’t come around disrupting my life anymore.” “My daughter is in there.” I instinctively asked about the person I cared about most. “Your daughter?” Ethan sneered as he pulled the woman beside him closer. “Her mother is this woman now. She’s the mistress of this house. If you know what’s good for you, get lost.” Gripping the black crystal stone the aliens had given me as compensation—one that could grant wishes—I silently recited: “In three hours, make those who wronged me suffer a hundred times worse.”

Three hours. Enough time for me to figure out what had happened during the sixteen minutes I was gone. The disgust hadn’t yet faded from Ethan’s face when I voiced the question burning in my mind. “I was only gone for sixteen minutes. How could you have a new family?” “Sixteen minutes?” Ethan grabbed my arm and threw me in front of the calendar. “Look carefully. It’s 2032 now. You weren’t gone for sixteen minutes—you were gone for six years.” My head buzzed. Only now did I understand what the aliens meant when they said everything would change. But Ethan didn’t give me a chance to explain. He pushed me down at Melissa’s feet. “This is my wife now, Melissa.” He pointed at the child in her arms. “My son is already seven years old.” “During the six years you were gone, I married the woman I truly love and had an adorable son. This is the life I wanted.” His cold gaze twisted my heart into knots. This man who had once sworn to the heavens he’d never leave me didn’t have a single word of concern. Instead, he told me that in the short six years I’d been gone, he’d married the woman he truly loved. What was even more absurd was that the child was almost seven years old. I took a deep breath, swallowing the bitterness in my chest, and said, “Since you already have a new family, then give me back mine.” Ethan froze for a moment, then laughed mockingly. “Family? What family do you have?” His contemptuous gaze infuriated me. “I gave birth to our daughter. My father bought this house for me. How do I not have a family?” Ethan pulled a death certificate from the drawer and threw it in my face. “Look clearly, Clara. You died six years ago. These past six years, Melissa has been taking care of the child every day. In our daughter’s heart, Melissa is the only mother…” “Impossible!” I angrily cut him off. “Our daughter was already eight when I left. I read her bedtime stories for eight years, fed her with my own hands for eight years, and when she had pneumonia, I stayed sleepless in the hospital room for three days taking care of her. I’m her mother.” “I don’t have a promiscuous mother like you!” A small figure rushed over and shoved me hard to the ground. “You abandoned me for some man and made Grandpa so angry he died. You should’ve stayed dead out there. How dare you come back?” Looking at the girl before me who resembled me by at least seventy percent, I trembled as I reached for her hand. “Sweetheart, I didn’t abandon you. I was taken by aliens.” My daughter, Lily, viciously shook off my hand. “Aliens? Do you think I’m three years old?” She affectionately took Melissa’s arm. “Melissa already told me the whole truth.” “You’re nothing but a serial cheater. The house is full of photos of you with different men. Someone like you thinks she deserves to be my mother?” “Photos? What photos?”

I looked at my daughter in disbelief. Ethan held up a stack of photos in front of me with utter contempt on his face. “Here’s a photo of you singing with men at a nightclub. Dressed so scantily—wasn’t it just to let men take advantage of you?” “And this one’s even more explosive. Wearing a lace miniskirt, sprawled on a bed like a bitch in heat. If that’s not shameless, what is?” I didn’t hold back as I struck Ethan twice across the face. “The AI traces are so obvious, and you dare show these photos to our daughter to slander me?” Ethan clearly hadn’t expected me to hit him. He stood frozen, eyes wide. Lily rushed over, hitting and kicking me. “You evil woman! Don’t you dare hit Dad!” I used all my strength to pull the child into my arms. “Lily, I’m telling the truth. I was taken by aliens for sixteen minutes. I didn’t expect six years to have passed in reality. I didn’t leave you behind.” I glanced at the time and quickly pulled out the black crystal stone. “Look, the aliens gave me this. In two more hours, everyone who hurt me will face consequences.” Lily disgustedly knocked the stone from my hand. “Melissa was right. You’re not just a shameless vixen, you’re mentally ill too.” She looked at Melissa. “You’re the best doctor. Get some poison and kill her right now.” Hearing my daughter’s words made every part of my body ache. This child I’d spent half a year bedridden to carry safely, the child I’d given birth to—she actually wanted me dead. I closed my eyes and swallowed the surging pain. “Lily, I loved you for eight years. You’d rather believe a woman you’ve known for six years than believe me?” “Yes.” My daughter’s answer was resolute. “I not only believe her, I’ve decided she’s the only mother I’ll ever have in this lifetime.” Cold tears slid from the corners of my eyes. Lily just looked at me with disgust, then took Melissa’s hand. “Mom, let’s go write a disownment letter for this woman.” Melissa smiled triumphantly. “You go upstairs first. I’ll say a few words to her and then come up. Make sure she never bothers our lives again.” I stared at my daughter’s retreating back. Melissa had already walked up to me. Before I could react, she jabbed a needle into my shoulder. Dense, sharp pain instantly spread through my entire body. The smugness on Melissa’s face intensified. “Clara, does it hurt? This injection is just to let you taste what it’s like to hit my man and try to steal my daughter.” She grabbed my hair and forcibly pressed my head against the table. “Clara, you actually lost long ago. I was already pregnant with Ethan’s child before you even disappeared.” “As for your daughter, she’s only alive because she has a rich grandfather.” Melissa sneered coldly. “Since I couldn’t kill her, I could only be her good mother. I cook her delicious food every day just to make her forget how good you were. I also tell her bedtime stories, except in the stories, the female leads are all you.” “In her heart now, you’re worse than a cheap prostitute.” The immense pain was driving me insane. I gathered all my strength, straightened my body, and grabbed Melissa’s throat with my other hand. “You bitch! I’ll make you wish you were dead!”

Melissa only coughed a few times before Ethan rushed over. He kicked me in the leg. “Clara, you vicious woman! I was being merciful, thinking about the eight years we spent together. I was going to ask Melissa to let you be my mistress, and you dare hurt her?” He pounced and pinned me to the ground. “Apologize to Melissa. Beg her to let you stay as a maid. That way you can be close to me and see your daughter.” His words made me sick. I gritted my teeth. “In your dreams! I won’t serve you people. I’m going to kick you out of my house.” “Your house?” A sinister glint flashed in Ethan’s eyes. He grabbed my throat and pinned me against the wall. “These compromising photos of you are all photoshopped. I not only showed these photos to our daughter but also to your father.” The corner of his lips curled into a cold smile. “Do you know how your father reacted when he saw these photos?” Without waiting for my answer, he continued: “Your father said he didn’t have such a shameless daughter. He also said Melissa and I worked so hard to take care of our daughter, so he left all his assets to us.” “Impossible! My father would never believe your lies.” I roared. “Of course your father wouldn’t believe it easily, but I have a virtuous wife to help me.” Ethan looked at Melissa. “After you disappeared, your father was paralyzed. Melissa applied to be your father’s home nurse. She took care of his every need for two years before earning that old man’s trust.” He smiled. “Of course, I didn’t fall behind either. At night, Melissa and I would do it in your bedroom. During the day, I was still your father’s most filial son-in-law.” “With Melissa’s and my tireless efforts, your father finally believed you were a woman who abandoned her husband and child. He tearfully handed the company over to me, including this house.” I glared at him with hatred. “Ethan, you’ll get what’s coming to you.” Ethan was one of the first college students my father sponsored. Before my father gave him financial aid, Ethan could only attend school during the day and work at my family’s restaurant at night, usually eating customers’ leftovers. Once he fainted from malnutrition at the restaurant. My father happened to witness it and started sponsoring him. After graduation, Ethan knelt before my father to apply for a job, saying he didn’t need a salary and just wanted to repay the kindness. My father thought he was a grateful, good kid. He not only trained him carefully but also arranged for me to marry him. How could he do this? Melissa grabbed my chin and forced me to look into her eyes. “Clara, You have to look out for yourself, or the world will crush you. Ethan and I come from the countryside. We know how terrifying poverty is, so we started planning ten years ago, all to become rich.” “Ten years?!” I exclaimed in shock. “Ethan working at my father’s restaurant, not asking for salary when applying for the job, including… including marrying me—it was all part of your plan?” “Of course!” Melissa lifted her chin proudly. “Your father was our prey. Not asking for salary was just a tactic, and marrying you was our stepping stone to becoming rich.” She viciously pinched my arm. “Watching Ethan get down on one knee to propose to you made me so jealous. But Ethan compensated me by giving me your wedding rings.” “He also had me drug you while you were pregnant.” “So that’s why I kept bleeding and almost died during childbirth?” I stared at her with wide eyes. Melissa laughed coldly. “What a shame you were tough to kill. We couldn’t finish you off!” A flash of guilt crossed Ethan’s eyes. “I did have some feelings for you and your father. But you two were ungrateful, always on guard against me, not handing over the company sooner. I had no choice but to drug you both!” Watching the hour hand on my watch move forward another hour, I glared at them with hatred. Go ahead and spill all your secrets. I want to see just how painful a hundredfold suffering will be. “Clara, now you know everything. But what can you do about it? We have your father’s will for the inheritance we received. Your daughter only recognizes me now.” She forcibly grabbed my wrist. “Being born into privilege still doesn’t mean you won… huh?” Before she could finish, she suddenly stared at me with terrified eyes. “Clara, you’re… pregnant!”

After carefully checking my pulse, a gleam of delight flashed in Melissa’s eyes. “Ethan, Clara is so shameless—coming here pregnant, trying to get back together with you.” Melissa’s words made Ethan explode with rage. His eyes turned bloodshot as he grabbed my hair. “You bitch! Pregnant with some bastard’s child and you dare say you didn’t do anything to betray me?” Ethan raised his hand. Slaps rained down on my face like a storm. “I actually felt guilty and wanted to make it up to you, and you dare humiliate me like this?” I endured the pain and shouted, “The child is yours! I was only gone for sixteen minutes. There’s no way I could be pregnant with someone else’s child.” I told the truth not to win Ethan back, but to prove my innocence. Mine?!” Ethan laughed maniacally. “You’ve been pregnant for six years—what kind of monster is that?” He lifted his foot to kick my stomach when Melissa rushed forward to stop him. “Ethan, Clara says she was abducted by aliens for sixteen minutes and the baby is yours. Let’s go to the hospital and expose her lies, then send her to a mental institution.” Ethan directly grabbed my arm and hauled me up from the ground. “Clara, you say the child is mine, that you were abducted by aliens for sixteen minutes? Fine, I’ll give you a chance to prove it.” I stumbled as he shoved me into the car. Soon we arrived at the hospital where Melissa worked. Ethan threw me onto a pre-arranged operating table. The next second, a thin needle pierced through my skin. The dull, aching pain spread, pulling at every nerve in my abdomen until they trembled. I could hear Melissa’s excited voice in my ear. “Ethan, I already talked to my colleague in the lab. Results will be ready in half an hour. The people from the mental institution will be here soon too.” The pain made me close my eyes. Ethan dragged me down from the bed. He turned on his phone camera and pointed it at me. “You bitch, tell everyone where you went to fool around with men after you left me. How did you come back pregnant with a bastard?” His eyes seemed poisoned with venom. “Do you know how worried I was when you disappeared?” “I even neglected Melissa for several days looking for you…” Melissa’s sobbing interrupted Ethan. “That’s when I lost our second child.” Ethan comforted her gently. “Don’t be sad, Melissa. We’ll make Clara give you back a child.” His cold hand slid across my face. “You’re my woman for life. The bastard you’re carrying must die immediately, or I’ll be disgusted.” “Ethan, the child really is yours. You can’t hurt her.” I looked at him through my tears. No matter what, the child was innocent. But Ethan just sneered. “Feeling guilty? Or can’t bear to part with it?” “The bastard has to die eventually. Rather than wait for the test results and have a doctor kill it, I might as well do it myself.” He suddenly grabbed my chin and forced a pill down my throat. I knelt on the ground, clutching my body and dry heaving. Nothing came up, but my abdomen was already cramping with waves of pain. Melissa laughed. “Clara, This is my family’s homemade abortifacient It’s very painful, but very effective.” I curled up on the ground. The black crystal stone slipped from my pocket. I stared at it intently. “They must suffer a hundred times the pain I’m suffering.” Just then, a young nurse hurried over. “Melissa, the test results are back. The child really is Ethan’s.” “What… what did you say?” Ethan’s hands trembled as he took the test report from the nurse. “Could it be… was everything Clara said true?” Melissa’s pupils dilated. “The aliens are real, the wishing stone is real too. We’re…” An urgent phone ring interrupted Melissa’s words. Ethan quickly answered. His assistant’s terrified shout came through the phone. “Ethan… something terrible has happened at the company.”

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Twice in my life, I nearly killed someone. The first time was after my father’s affair, when my mother jumped from a building in despair. Eyes red with rage, I wanted to drag him down with me. It was Lucian Foster who held me back: “His worthless life isn’t worth your promising future. Don’t throw away your own prospects.” For five whole years, I was trapped in paranoid delusions. He stayed by my side, constantly counseling me. Knowing I was suspicious, he reported everything he did to me. The second time was on the eve of our wedding. Lucian used overtime as an excuse, but his location showed up at a couples’ hotel. Trembling all over, I grabbed a knife and rushed over like a madwoman. Finally, he couldn’t hold back anymore. Eyes red, he roared: “Claire, when will you ever stop?” “Five years! Every time I touch you, you act like you want to die, having panic attacks all night!” “I’m a man too. I have desires that need release.” “Do you want to end up like your mom—jumping from a building and ending up paralyzed?” I froze in place, my vision blurred by tears. I let the kitchen knife slip from my hand, feeling this relationship had reached its end. Suddenly, a system warning sounded in my mind: [Redemption mission failed. Erasure program initiated.] [Countdown: 24 hours.]

A flash of guilt crossed Lucian’s eyes: “Fine, I didn’t mean to bring up your mom. Stop looking like you want to die.” “I’ll buy you that limited edition cake later. Let’s just move past this.” He ruffled my hair like he always did. His expression natural, as if nothing had happened. Seeing my gloomy expression, he smiled and coaxed me: “Claire, don’t overthink it. You’re the only one in my heart.” But seeing the strawberry-flavored ultra-thin condoms scattered on the floor, I couldn’t deceive myself. I used all my strength to shove him away. His movements froze, his face instantly darkening: “All the men in our circle are like this.” “If you can’t even handle this much, how will you be Mrs. Foster?” For five years, I still hadn’t emerged from the shadow of my mother being the other woman. Originally, I didn’t want this wedding at all. It was Lucian who persuaded me again and again. He said it was time to move past old wounds. But when the day finally came, he still betrayed me. My heart throbbed with dull pain as tears streamed down against my will. I closed my eyes, my voice exhausted: “Let’s cancel the wedding. I can’t accept a cheating man.” Lucian didn’t expect me to say that. His voice rose, tinged with impatience: “Claire, I just slept with someone else once. Is that worth making such a big deal?” “Besides, back when your mom jumped, the scandal was all over the city. Her reputation was already ruined.” “Without me, you’re the daughter of a mistress. Who else do you think would want you?” I stared at this familiar yet strange man before me. My vision gradually blurred as my thoughts were instantly pulled back five years. Back then, my father had deceived my mother with a fake marriage certificate. Afterward, he came out to clarify, but instead made my mother get slandered online as a mistress. She was fired from her teaching job. Day and night, people threw red paint at our door. My grandparents fell ill from the stress and both passed away. When I was on the verge of suicide, it was Lucian who held me tight. “Your mother lived with integrity. She’s absolutely not the kind of person they say she is!” Back then, he seized the knife from my hand, eyes red as he said: “Claire, you’re so young. Why should you trade your life for a scumbag?” “If you want to die, I’ll die with you!” His comfort gradually helped me let go of my hatred for my father. But in just five years, he casually told me he had cheated. Lucian’s voice pulled me back from my pain: “Claire, you can’t blame me entirely for this.” “You’re the one who set the rule—only once a year, and you have to disinfect everything first.” “The Foster family has a huge legacy. I need an heir.” “I haven’t abandoned you all these years. That’s already more than generous.” With that, he reached out again, wanting to pull me into his arms to comfort me: “Besides, I already told you—the position of Mrs. Foster will always be yours. Stop throwing tantrums.” Instead, I bent down and picked up the kitchen knife, screaming at him: “Lucian, don’t touch me!” “You disgust me! You’re so filthy it makes me sick!” Suddenly, the door was pushed open. A refined woman walked in, carrying two boxes of ultra-thin condoms. Lucian immediately released me and rushed forward to wrap his arm around her waist. His tone intimate and familiar: “Nina, did you buy everything?” “Still can’t break that habit of liking strawberry flavor.” Watching the two of them so natural and intimate. I stood there stunned, too pained to make a sound. After a long while, I finally found my voice and asked tremulously: “Who is this bitch?” Lucian’s eyes were frivolous, his tone careless: “This is Nina Sutton, the daughter of the woman your father had an affair with.” “Don’t blame your dad. Nina inherited her mom’s sex appeal. She serves me very well.”

When he said this, his eyes held undisguised lingering pleasure. Nina clung to his arm and let out a mocking laugh: “If it isn’t Claire. Back then your mom went crazy and jumped from a building. Now you’ve gone crazy and are attacking people.” “Like mother, like daughter, I guess.” I stared hard at the frivolous, heartless Lucian before me. My mind flooded with all his promises from years ago. He said he’d protect me for life, that he’d help me get revenge on those who hurt me. But now he was with my enemy’s daughter, hurting me! Nina raised her hand, gently stroking her slightly rounded belly: “Claire, don’t be mad at Lucian.” “After all, our two families are practically one family.” “When the baby’s born, I’ll have the child call you Mom.” “Consider it my thanks for finding me such a good man.” Lucian also reached out, tenderly caressing Nina’s stomach. Smiling at me, he said: “You don’t want to have children anyway. When Nina’s baby is born, we’ll just adopt it as ours.” “It’ll make you a mom without any of the work.” I forced a smile as tears rolled down wildly. I screamed at him: “Lucian, dream on!” “I absolutely won’t attend the wedding, and I’ll never help my enemy raise her child!” Using all my strength, I slapped him hard across the face. I turned to push open the door and escape this place. But the moment I took a step, Lucian suddenly roared: “Claire, if you dare step out that door, I’ll immediately stop your mother’s special medication!” My footsteps froze in place. Looking at his face, it was as if I was seeing him for the first time. Back when my mother jumped and was critically injured, he postponed a multi-billion dollar business meeting to stay by her bedside without leaving. Back when I couldn’t afford the medical bills and wanted to take out a loan at a small clinic. He immediately transferred my mother to a top-tier private hospital. Back then, he looked at me angrily and said: “Claire, I won’t let you scrimp on this to shortchange Mom.” “From now on, with me here, just rely on me. Trust me.” But now, for my enemy’s daughter, he was actually threatening me with my mother’s life. Lucian touched the slap mark on his face, a cruel smile playing at his lips: “Claire, you made me angry today. I need to punish you properly.” “Teach you how to be Mrs. Foster.” With that, the two of them actually began removing their clothes right in front of me. I instantly understood what his so-called punishment meant. They embraced, kissing and entangling passionately as if I wasn’t even there. Nina nestled against him, pretending to be shy: “Lucian, are you really going to make Claire watch? What if it affects your performance?” Seeing my uncontrollable trembling. Lucian showed no sympathy. Instead, he smirked: “Doesn’t matter. She’s always resisted this kind of thing anyway.” “Today, let her see what real passion between a man and woman looks like.” “Besides, having her watch actually makes me more interested.” Nina immediately laughed mockingly: “Claire, you’d better study hard. After all, you’ll have the title of Mrs. Foster going forward.” “If you can’t satisfy Lucian and he keeps coming to me, I won’t be able to handle it.” Watching my fiancé entangle intimately with another woman. My stomach spasmed. I couldn’t hold it in anymore and bent over, vomiting violently. I nearly threw up bile. Seeing my agonized state, Lucian’s eyes flickered. But it was instantly covered by coldness: “Enough. When you caught your dad cheating back then, didn’t you see the same thing?” “No need to act like you’ve never seen it before with that innocent look.”

I instantly recalled how, back when I was collapsed in pain. How gently he had pulled me into his embrace to comfort me. And how now, every word stabbed at my heart to humiliate me. His gentle appearance from the past and his heartless face now could no longer overlap even slightly. Finally, I stumbled out of that place in a daze, not even remembering how I got home. I swept the carefully prepared wedding cake on the table into the trash. My gaze fell on the note card I had written with such joy. Planning to read it at tomorrow’s wedding: [Lucian, I’m so happy to have met you. For the rest of our lives, please take care of me.] Thinking back to the anticipation I felt when I first wrote those words. Now my chest tightened, even breathing brought sharp pain. I lay in bed, crying all night with my eyes open, my mind torn between two extremes. On one side were five years of his meticulous care, those tender and indulgent moments vivid in my mind. On the other was his blatant betrayal, his utterly heartless appearance. The two sets of images alternated, tormenting me mentally and physically. I don’t know when, but I finally fell into an exhausted sleep. When I woke again, my forehead was burning hot with fever. And Lucian was sitting by my bedside. He held a clean washcloth, repeatedly pressing it to my forehead. The faint aroma of oatmeal drifted from the kitchen. Seeing me open my eyes, he immediately looked up, his tone reproachful: “Claire, do you have to wreck your body like this just to spite me?” “If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you be Mrs. Foster?” His eyes flickered slightly, hiding a trace of concern. I suddenly remembered how before, when I fell critically ill and needed a kidney transplant. He didn’t hesitate and directly donated one of his kidneys. Back then, I cried and asked him why he was so foolish. He gently wiped away my tears, his tone tender: “It’s just one kidney. How could that be more important than my wife?” But now, looking into his eyes, my heart was filled with confusion. I could no longer tell if he truly loved me. He turned and brought over a bowl of warm porridge, scooping up a spoonful and gently blowing on it before bringing it to my lips. After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke: “Let’s give today’s wedding to Nina.” “You know she’s pregnant. She gets upset easily. Once she safely delivers the baby, I’ll definitely make it up to you.” My heart lurched sharply, my eyes instantly reddening. So his return today wasn’t because he was worried about my fever. He just came to inform me that my wedding was being given to another woman. Seeing my prolonged silence, his expression grew darker: “I already promised Nina I’d have you be her bridesmaid.” “People everywhere are saying she’s the mistress who interfered with our relationship. She can’t handle the pressure.” “If you don’t come out and clarify, she won’t give birth to this child.” He paused, then said the words that hurt me most: “I need you to publicly admit at the wedding that you’re the mistress.” The tears I’d been holding back finally burst forth uncontrollably. I used all my strength to push away the bowl of porridge in his hand. The warm porridge spilled onto his expensive suit. He already knew my stubborn nature—back then, I’d rather die than not drag my scumbag father down with me. He immediately pulled out a photo of my mom and threw it in my face: “Claire, don’t always be so willful. Think about your mother in the hospital bed.” “Right now, with just one word from me, I can cut off your mother’s special medication.” “Her life or death—you decide. Don’t force me to be cruel to you.” Looking at this man who had become completely unrecognizable, my heart finally died. A cold countdown echoed in my mind. Less than 3 hours until erasure. I calmly closed my eyes and nodded gently: “Fine. I’ll go to your wedding. I’ll also admit that I’m the mistress.” My compliance made him freeze. Clearly, he didn’t expect me, who had just been resolutely resisting, to suddenly give in. His face immediately lit up with joy: “Claire, just be obedient. After the wedding, I’ll definitely make it up to you.” Watching him like this, my heart throbbed with pain, making it almost impossible to breathe. But my face showed no emotion. After he left in high spirits. I finally broke down, covering my head tightly with the blanket and sobbing out loud. I deleted all his photos from my phone, erasing every trace of him. Finally, with trembling hands, I dialed Nina’s number: “Give me twenty million. Lucian—I’m giving him to you.”

With the last remaining time. I came to my mother’s special care ward. Seeing her frail form in the hospital bed, tears welled up. My mother looked up at me, immediately sensing something was wrong. Her voice hoarse as she spoke: “Isn’t today your wedding? Claire, why aren’t you there?” Eyes red, I forced back my sobs: “Mom, I don’t love him anymore.” My mother’s expression changed instantly: “Did Lucian… also cheat?” I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I nodded hard and collapsed by the bedside, crying uncontrollably. My mother gently patted my back, her voice full of heartache and helplessness: “Good girl, don’t cry. Men can’t be relied on.” “My daughter is wonderful. You’ll never lack people who love you.” But the more gently she comforted me, the more my heart twisted. The countdown kept ticking in my mind. I ultimately couldn’t tell her I was about to leave her forever. “Mom, I’ve already arranged to send you abroad for treatment.” “In a little while, I’ll come join you.” My mother immediately grabbed my hand, her eyes full of anxiety: “The hospital transfer and special medication cost a lot of money, don’t they?” “Claire, are you hiding something from me?” I suppressed the sharp pain in my chest, gently patting the back of her hand: “Mom, just focus on getting better. Don’t overthink it. I’ll definitely come find you.” The countdown showed only 1 hour remaining. I went alone to what should have been my wedding venue. On the grand wedding stage, Nina wore a white wedding dress, nestled against Lucian. The backdrop that should have displayed photos of Lucian and me had long been replaced with wedding photos of him and Nina. The guests below saw my disheveled appearance and immediately began gossiping: “Isn’t that the daughter of the mistress who jumped from a building back then?” “I heard she’s crazy too. She once tried to stab her own father with a knife.” “Mr. Foster already said she’s here today to admit she’s the mistress. Like mother, like daughter indeed.” Seeing me, Nina covered her mouth and laughed lightly: “Claire, is that twenty million spending well?” “I knew you and I are the same—what you’ve always valued about Lucian is his money.” Lucian’s face was cold, his tone full of impatience and contempt: “Claire, am I really worth so little? You sold me out for twenty million?” “If you obediently be Nina’s bridesmaid today, I’ll give you two hundred million.” Amid everyone’s mockery and disdain, I numbly accepted the bouquet. Standing behind Nina, silently holding up her long wedding train. Finally came the wedding vows. Lucian looked at my docile appearance. His face showed satisfaction as he said quietly: “Claire, you’ve finally grown sensible and learned how to be Mrs. Foster.” “This wedding is just going through the motions. I promise, the marriage certificate will still have your name.” Nina also turned around, her face full of fake sympathy: “Thank you, Claire, for making this possible for Lucian and me.” “You can go down now. We’re about to exchange vows.” At that very moment, I suddenly smiled—smiled through my tears. “Lucian, I’ll give you a wedding you’ll never forget.” I pulled out a fruit knife and slashed Nina’s face. Blood instantly gushed out. Lucian’s expression changed drastically. He immediately shielded Nina behind him and shouted: “Security! Grab this crazy woman now!” But I didn’t give him the chance. The countdown in my mind was about to reach its final second. I gripped the blood-stained knife. Without hesitation, I plunged it deep into my own heart. In the last moment before my vision blurred completely, I clearly saw. The fury in Lucian’s eyes instantly transform into terror. He lunged toward me like a madman, desperately reaching out. His voice hoarse and broken: “No! Claire, I never actually meant to hurt you!” “I just wanted you to stay by my side, I just…”

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