Category: English

1 In the fourth year of my marriage to Jasper Blackwood, the childhood sweetheart who swore he’d marry no one else, I was induced to deliver my fifth stillborn child. Through it all, he loved me as if I were his entire world, comforting me that it just wasn’t our time yet. When I became pregnant again, I found the top specialist in the country, begging him to help me save this baby. He just sighed. “Ma’am, the first child you delivered for your ex-husband four years ago caused permanent damage. It’s very difficult for you to carry a pregnancy to term.” My mind went blank. Jasper and I got married right after college. What ex-husband? What first child? I stumbled home, and as I pushed open the door, I heard voices. “Dad, are you done playing with her yet?” “When you are, can you send her away? I want to live with Auntie Felicity all the time. I’m tired of hiding from her.” A man’s soft laugh. My ex-husband. “You’re a clever one, Noah. She still has no idea her memories have been altered. She doesn’t even remember that I divorced her for Felicity.” Then, Jasper’s voice, nonchalant. “When Felicity was diagnosed as infertile, I promised I’d give her a child to fulfill her dream.” “As for Rachel… seeing as she’s willing to try for a sixth baby, I suppose she’s passed my little test of devotion. I’ll give her a real marriage certificate. A proper reward.” My head exploded with pain. I leaned against the wall, tears streaming down my face in silence. The memories were fake. The marriage was fake. The two men I loved most in the world… neither of them had ever truly loved me. … My phone buzzed. It was the acceptance letter from the architectural design program in Milan—the one I’d been applying to for five years. I wiped my tears, about to reply, but the email vanished before my eyes. The voices from the study started again. “That’s the fifth time you’ve deleted that email.” Jasper’s voice was flat. “What if she remembers something in Milan? How would I get her back for the procedure? Besides, after I ‘married’ her, no one dared to call her the bastard daughter of a mistress again. She shouldn’t be so greedy.” Those quiet words shattered my heart into a million pieces. But Jasper, I remembered everything now. I remembered the despair when my first husband cheated. I remembered the agony of you forcing me onto a surgical table, rewriting my mind. All these years, the love I cherished was nothing but poison coated in sugar. The two men I loved most in my life had personally dragged me from one hell and thrown me into another. To understand Jasper’s world, I had poured myself into architecture, staying up all night to master dense textbooks, my fingers raw and blistered from drafting pencils. From intern to project lead, I applied to the Milan program every year, just to be able to stand beside him as an equal. I never imagined that the life-altering path I had chosen for him was nothing but a joke. In his eyes, his love and his name were just charity, a gift to indulge my foolish fantasy. I went downstairs to escape that suffocating house, but the little boy, Noah, burst out of a room. He had the same two tear-shaped moles as my first baby. The tears I’d been holding back finally broke free. I took a hesitant step toward him. The next second, I was shoved violently from behind. A porcelain vase on the stair landing crashed at my feet, the shards slicing into my ankle, drawing blood. Felicity stood there, tears streaming down her face, grabbing my hand and slapping her own cheek with it. “Rachel, you can’t just kidnap my child because you can’t have your own!” “I’m sorry! I know you’re still angry that Jasper helped me move while you were having the induction. I promise I won’t bother him again!” I stared at her familiar face, frozen to the core despite the summer heat. She was the one who had led the charge at school, calling me a bastard. For four years, she had called Jasper away every time I needed him, casually exposing my deepest wounds in front of others. And because of my fake memories, I had thought she was my best friend, forgiving her every transgression. All of her blatant, malicious games… Jasper had allowed them. Before I could react, Jasper rushed out. He glanced at my bleeding ankle for a fraction of a second before hurrying to Felicity, frantically checking her face for a non-existent mark. “Rachel, you’ve already lost five of your own children. Now you’re trying to take Felicity’s? Are you even human?” I stared at him in disbelief. But that was my child… my child… For four years, my body had been torn apart five times, my heart shredded by hope and loss. All those nights we held each other, I thought we were enduring the pain together. But I was the only one suffering. He was just a cold observer, treating my agony as a test, and now he was reprimanding me for it. I took a deep breath. “I didn’t do anything.” The words were barely out of my mouth when the boy stomped hard on my injured ankle. “She was bullying my mommy! Uncle Jasper, save me! I don’t want this bastard to take me away!” I saw the cunning glint in his eyes, and the pain in my heart was so sharp I couldn’t breathe. The child I had given birth to was helping my enemies destroy me. Jasper’s face darkened. He dragged me into the shower. My body trembled in an almost Pavlovian response, and I pushed against him. “Jasper… let me go!” He grabbed me by the throat, his voice like ice. “Rachel, if you won’t even spare a child, then don’t blame me for punishing you like this.” A punishingly cold jet of water slammed down on my head. I couldn’t breathe, struggling against his iron grip, the feeling of drowning overwhelming me. Through the haze, I saw the eighteen-year-old Jasper, risking punishment to storm the girls’ dorm and snatch a showerhead from Felicity’s hand as she tried to douse me. “As long as I’m here, no one will ever hurt Rachel.” His voice echoed in my ears, but the twenty-eight-year-old Jasper was now using Felicity’s methods to hurt me. I forced my eyes open and saw Noah comforting Felicity. “I stomped on that bitch really hard, Mommy. I bet she won’t dare to bully you again.” My heart felt as if it were being crushed by a tiny pair of hands. The pain was so intense that my vision went black, and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, Jasper was gently applying ointment to my ankle, as if he hadn’t been the one to hurt me. “Felicity bought this for you. Don’t be angry with her anymore. Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see you injured?” I looked at the tube of ointment, unsure who was the bigger hypocrite. Years ago, Jasper had thrown this exact brand of cheap ointment in the trash. “Don’t use this cheap stuff with hormones in it. I’ll buy you the best.” But now, because it was a gift from Felicity, this same cheap ointment was a treasure in his eyes. The wound stung. I quietly pulled my foot back. “Rachel, Felicity and Noah were frightened today, so they’re staying in the guest room. They don’t want to see you. Could you please just stay in our room for now?” In my own home, I was a prisoner in my room because of another woman. My throat was dry. I nodded silently. I booked a flight to Milan for three days from now. He didn’t know. The doctor had said that with proper care, there was a good chance this baby would survive. But in three days, he would never see either of us again. I had just finished packing when the door was kicked open. Jasper stormed in, his hand clamping around my wrist like a vice. “Rachel, I never knew you could be so vicious! You put nettles in Felicity’s bed and hired paparazzi to film her face being ruined!” “The internet figured out it was our house. Now everyone is calling her a homewrecker. Are you satisfied?” A self-mocking smile touched my lips. “Since you’ve already decided I’m the villain, let’s get a divorce.” Jasper froze, then moved to block me as I tried to wheel my suitcase past him. Before he could speak, Felicity rushed in and knelt before me, crying. “Rachel, please don’t threaten Jasper like this, okay? Fine, I put the nettles there myself! Is that what you want to hear?” “I have no reason to live anymore anyway! I’ll just die and get out of your way for good!” She made a dash for the balcony, and Jasper caught her, holding her tight. “Felicity! I know you’ve been wronged. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.” “Men, you can start now.” As a dozen bodyguards entered the room, I had no time to struggle before a needle pierced my arm. Within seconds, I was paralyzed. My clothes were ripped away and replaced with something cheap and vulgar. I was taken to the busiest street in the city. A table was set before me, covered in an array of sharp instruments. And a sign. 【Daughter of a Mistress. Do what you will.】 Jasper’s voice was cold. “Rachel, you forced my hand. Enjoy this little public test of humanity.” I stared at him in disbelief, tears blurring my vision. This was his solution? To rip open my deepest wounds for the entire world to see? He was the one who had taught me how to stand on my own two feet again. Now, for the woman who bullied me, he was the one breaking my legs, forcing me to kneel in shame. Camera flashes seared my exposed skin. The disgusted glares of passersby were like needles. “What good can come from a mistress’s kid? She looks like a slut.” “Dressed like that, who is she trying to seduce? Like mother, like daughter. She was born to be a homewrecker.” “I guess being shameless is genetic.” A rotten egg splattered against my face. Someone cut my scalp with scissors, then my arms, my legs. Fists and palms rained down in a chaotic blur. Then, someone picked up a brick and brought it crashing down on my head. Blood streamed down my face, but I didn’t even have the strength to whimper. As the brick was raised again, I closed my eyes in despair. The next second, someone threw themselves in front of me, taking the full force of the blow. My last conscious image was of Jasper, his head bleeding, holding me protectively in his arms, his face a mask of panic. As I faded out, I heard the wail of an ambulance siren. Jasper’s furious voice drifted in and out. “Find the person who did that!” “What if that blow made her remember everything? What would happen to Felicity’s reputation? What would Noah think of her?” My eyelashes fluttered. A silent tear slid into my hair. He was terrified for Felicity, but he never once wondered what would happen to me. Or what Noah would think of me. How utterly laughable. … I woke up in the hospital. Jasper was warming the IV tube with his hands, his voice hoarse. “Rachel, you’re awake. You should eat something.” He presented containers of all my favorite foods. There was a time I would have happily eaten even his worst culinary disasters. Later, when I was sick and asked for the porridge he used to make, he told me to just order takeout. But Felicity’s lunch boxes were always filled with his specialties. Now, looking at this food I had longed for, I felt nothing. I took a shallow breath, but a sharp pain shot through my abdomen, the one place I thought had been least injured. My heart sank. “Felicity… she accidentally pushed your gurney into the wrong operating room. They removed your ovaries before they realized you were pregnant. They had to take the baby out too.” I stared at him, and then I laughed, a raw, broken sound that tasted of blood. “You believe she did it by accident, but you won’t believe a single word I say? Jasper, that was your child too!” His face darkened. “Would this accident have happened if Felicity wasn’t so desperate to save you? Besides, it would have just been another stillbirth anyway. This time, at least it can be donated to medical research.” “It’s far more valuable than the five pieces of medical waste you produced before.” I could barely believe my ears. The five children I had fought to bring into this world… to him, they were just garbage? He seemed to realize his mistake, his voice softening. “I had a thank-you banner made for you. You can give it to Felicity later. I know losing your ovaries means you’ll age faster, but I won’t mind—” I looked at the banner, which read, A Debt of Gratitude, My Second Mother. Trembling, I threw it in his face. “Get out! I never want to see you again!” As the door slammed behind him, I collapsed onto the bed, my sobs tearing through me. He would never know. This child… this one might have had a chance to call him Dad. My flight was in three hours. I forced my trembling body out of bed and discharged myself. As I was heading to the airport, I heard a child’s piercing scream from the hospital rooftop. “Don’t kill me!” I pushed through the crowd to see Noah, a man holding a knife to his throat. The man’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared, “That bitch Felicity calls herself a midwife? My baby died because she gave my wife too much anesthesia, and then she used my dead child to practice induction techniques! Today, her son is going to pay the price!” My heart seized. So that’s what happened. My five babies… maybe they could have been saved. Maybe they were just practice for Felicity. Noah saw me, his small hands reaching out desperately. “Mommy!” A sharp pain shot through me. Despite everything, he was still my son. “Let him go! He’s my child! You have the wrong person.” The man sneered. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re that bitch’s best friend. Trying to protect your master, are you? Get on your knees and slap yourself two hundred times!” Without hesitation, I dropped to my knees and began to slap my own face. The sharp cracks echoed across the rooftop. My cheeks swelled, burning with pain. I wiped the blood from my lips, my mouth numb. “Are you satisfied now?” The man’s smile was cold and cruel. “It was entertaining. But who said I was going to be merciful?” He raised the knife and lunged at Noah. “No!” I threw myself over the boy, shielding him with my body. The blade plunged into me, and a wave of hot blood gushed out. My face was ashen, but I forced myself to soothe him. “Mommy’s here. Noah will be okay…” Noah’s cries grew louder, his small hands smearing tears across his face. And then I saw it. The two tear-shaped moles he’d smudged away. I froze. A roaring filled my ears. I couldn’t speak. So… even the last thing I was holding onto… that was a lie too? Sirens wailed as police officers swarmed the rooftop and subdued the attacker. Jasper and Felicity arrived at the same time. “Rachel!” Jasper’s voice trembled when he saw me covered in blood. He rushed toward me, about to lift me up. But Felicity got there first, crying and screaming. She snatched Noah from my arms and delivered a resounding slap across my swollen face. My head snapped to the side. I didn’t even have the strength to react. “Rachel, you remember everything, don’t you? That’s why you staged all this, to try and steal my Noah!” Without a moment’s hesitation, Jasper’s face hardened. “Felicity, are you saying…” She yanked the knife from my wound. Blood spurted out, and the agony made my vision go black. When the knife hit the ground, the blade retracted into the handle. “See? It’s a prop knife! Rachel, will you stop with these pathetic games already?!” “Noah is not your son! You killed your own child!” It felt like a hot coal was searing my heart. “How is that possible…?” Noah sobbed as he pushed me away. “So you’re the mistress mom who faked a marriage with that bastard’s dad!” “All the kids in my class hate him! Whenever we were bored, we’d go beat him up. It’s not like he had a mom to stand up for him.” “The other day, someone pushed him down the stairs. His head was bleeding, and he kept whispering, ‘Mommy, why are you a mistress?’ and then he stopped breathing.” Felicity leaned in close, her voice a venomous whisper in my ear. “He could have survived, actually. But I happened to need a bone marrow transplant, and Jasper didn’t hesitate. He sent your son to the operating table and had them drain him dry.” “The two of you, with your pathetic, worthless lives… what could I do but gratefully accept your gifts?” The last thread of my sanity snapped. He was the only thing I had left in this world… My precious boy, who should have been cherished, had been forced to live a life just like mine, worse than a weed. How much fear and despair must have filled his short life? The overwhelming grief threatened to split me in two. My vision blurred, turning red. Jasper’s hand clamped around my wrist, hauling me to my feet. “Rachel, you did something wrong, and you got caught. Stop acting crazy.” “Now that you remember, you’ll just have another surgery! We’ll get all those poisonous thoughts out of your head for good!” With the last of my strength, I ripped my arm free and slapped him across the face. “Jasper, after all this, you still want to play games with my life?” He frowned, his face cold. “I’m doing this for your own good!” “After the surgery, you won’t be so vicious anymore. You won’t be in pain! I’ll treat you just like I used to—” At that, I started to laugh, tears of blood rolling down my cheeks. “Like you used to? And give me more of your fake, nauseating love?” “I don’t want it anymore. Jasper, if you’re so determined to operate on me, then this life you twisted beyond recognition… I don’t want it anymore either.” Before the last word left my lips, ignoring Jasper’s horrified screams behind me, I ran to the edge of the rooftop and threw myself over.

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My younger brother got a new girlfriend. The very next day, she deleted every single female contact on his phone. His girlfriend: “If you need something from him, tell me and I’ll pass it on.” Me: “Oh, then pass this on: our family doesn’t accept you!” 1 On Saturday, I was stuck at the office working overtime like a good corporate drone when I suddenly received a relentless bombardment of texts from my mom: Mom: Stella, your brother deleted me from his contacts. Mom: Can you get ahold of him? I laughed out loud. Wow, is this kid’s delayed rebellious phase finally kicking in? I switched over to my chat with Leo: Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): Did you seriously delete Mom’s contact? The message spun for a long time. Just as I was about to curse my cousin Owen for being a cheapskate and refusing to upgrade our company’s terrible Wi-Fi, the message finally processed. A bright red exclamation mark popped up, mocking me: Message Not Delivered. You have been blocked. I stared at the screen for a solid minute, a vein throbbing in my temple. I switched back to my chat with Mom: Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): Mrs. Thorne, please forgive your daughter’s incompetence. Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): Your precious son blocked me too!!! Mom’s status showed: Typing… For ten whole minutes, nothing came through. Finally, a barrage of texts arrived: Mom: Forget about that ungrateful brat!!! Mom: Let’s see who he begs for his allowance this month! Mom: Blocking his own mother and sister? He’s out of his damn mind! Watching those three messages pop up like machine-gun fire, I could only sigh in admiration. Mrs. Thorne, beautifully done. Though I wholeheartedly agreed with Mom’s proposal to leave Leo out in the cold, I still switched over to the chat with my childhood best friend, Ethan Brooks. Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): My brother blocked me and my mom. Can you reach him? Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): If you can, ask him if he’s still breathing. It didn’t take long for a reply. It was a screenshot of a text conversation: Ethan: Leo, did you block your mom and sister? Leo: I’m Leo’s girlfriend. I deleted them. Is there a problem? Ethan: His mom and sister are worried about him. Can you have him text them back? Leo: If they need something from him, tell me and I’ll pass it on. Just skimming that screenshot made my blood boil. Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): Ethan, text that girl back right now. Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): Say: ‘Oh.’ Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): ‘Then pass this on: our family doesn’t accept you!’ Stella (18-Year-Old Beauty): And tell Leo he can go collect cans to pay for his own tuition and living expenses because his mom cut him off! 2 Even though I was fuming over Leo’s new girlfriend, as his older sister, I still had an obligation to figure out what the hell this kid was doing. I grabbed my purse and marched out of the office, suddenly struck by a terrifying thought: Did Leo join a cult or a pyramid scheme?! Before my panic could fully set in, I spotted Ethan. Dressed in a black trench coat over a crisp dress shirt and slacks, he was leaning against his car. Seeing me walk out, he looked up from his phone. “Did you just get back from Southern University?” I asked. Ethan nodded. “I figured you’d be heading to Hudson University to track Leo down. I had to swing by to pick up some documents from my old professor anyway.” “Good guess,” I marveled. “Get in.” Ethan opened the passenger door, holding it steady for me. I pulled my seatbelt across my chest. “Didn’t you finish covering those substitute lectures at Hudson? Why do you still have documents left with your professor?” Ethan cleared his throat softly. “I forgot them. My professor asked me to come grab them.” “What’s the situation with Leo?” “Oh, that idiot is either in a cult or severely brain-damaged by love.” Thinking of that bright red exclamation mark, I rolled my eyes. “He really pissed my mom off this time.” The car drove through the gates of Hudson University. As we passed a small grove of trees, I caught a glimpse of my love-struck, brain-damaged brother. “Ethan, I see him. Can you park around here?” “Yeah, there’s a spot up ahead,” Ethan replied, turning the steering wheel. The moment my feet hit the pavement, I dragged Ethan toward Leo. Halfway there, the girl leaning affectionately against Leo’s chest started to look incredibly familiar. “Ethan.” I nudged him with my elbow. “Isn’t that the girl who aggressively chased you for three months while you were lecturing here?” Ethan glanced over. “Yeah. It’s her.” Wow! Good for her! She got rejected by Ethan and decided to settle for my brother instead?! I marched over in three strides and grabbed Leo by the ear. “Excuse me, little girl, borrowing your boyfriend for a second.” “Stella?!” Standing over six feet tall, Leo was forced to bend sideways as I yanked his ear. “What are you doing here?” “What am I doing here?!” I let out a dry, angry laugh. “Why don’t you ask your precious girlfriend what she did?!” I dragged him by the ear a few yards away. The moment Leo spotted Ethan, he broke free from my grip and hid behind him like a lifeline. “When did you get a girlfriend?” I demanded. Leo peeked his head out from behind Ethan’s shoulder. “Yesterday.” “You started dating yesterday, and today she deleted your own mother and sister from your phone?!” I reached out, trying to smack him. “Did you know about this?!” “Y-Yeah,” Leo stammered, looking slightly guilty. “Vanessa… she has trust issues! She lacks a sense of security!” “Lacks a sense of security? So she finds security by deleting every female contact in your phone?!” I was furious. “This precious girlfriend of yours chased Ethan for three months, got rejected, and immediately hooked up with you. What? Do you think you’re hotter than Ethan?” “With that empty head of yours, if you fed your brain to a zombie, it would spit it out and yell, ‘Gross! Simp brain!’” Leo glanced at Ethan, then puffed out his chest defensively. “Vanessa and I were love at first sight! It’s destiny! You wouldn’t understand because you’ve been forever alone since birth!” “You little—!” My head was buzzing with rage. I rolled up my sleeves, fully prepared to beat him to a pulp. Daring to call his sister ‘forever alone’? I clearly needed to remind him of his place in the food chain. “Stella, calm down,” Ethan intervened, gently holding me back. “Let Leo call your mom to tell her he’s safe first.” Taking a deep breath, I pointed at Leo. “Call Mrs. Thorne right now and tell her you’re breathing.” With that, I grabbed Ethan’s arm and dragged him away from that infuriating scene. Ugh. Naive little boys in love are a lethal hazard. 3 Back at the office. I sat at my desk, stressing out so much my hair was practically falling out. Because of Vanessa’s little stunt, Mrs. Thorne had gone nuclear. Not only did she cut off Leo’s allowance, but she decisively kicked him out of the house. Mrs. Thorne’s exact words: That ungrateful brat can come back when he’s single! Even so, seeing how utterly brainwashed Leo was, if I didn’t intervene, I was genuinely going to become an only child. I opened my text thread with Ethan: Stella: My mom invited you over for dinner tonight. Bring Leo with you. Ethan: Sounds good. I’ll pick you up after work. Stella: Perfect. Just as I hit send, I saw General Manager Price walk into my department with someone trailing behind him. I took a closer look. Well, well, well. If it isn’t the innocent little green tea girlfriend herself! Mr. Price set Vanessa up at an empty desk and pulled me aside. “Stella, my daughter wants to intern here to gain some experience. Vanessa says she really looks up to you. I’d appreciate it if you could show her the ropes.” “An internship? Isn’t she only a sophomore?” Mr. Price scratched his head. “She asked for it herself. I figured some real-world experience wouldn’t hurt.” I looked at Mr. Price, then at Vanessa. “Alright. But let me be clear, Mr. Price—I treat everyone equally. I’m not going to give her special treatment just because she’s your daughter.” Mr. Price nodded happily. “Of course, of course.” After seeing him out, I sat back at my desk. Vanessa walked over, holding a cup of coffee. She placed the coffee on my desk, her large doe eyes blinking sweetly. “Sister.” “Stop right there. I’m not your sister. While you’re at this company, I highly recommend you call me Director Thorne.” Vanessa looked pitifully wronged. “But Leo calls you that, so I thought…” I gave her a half-smile. “Leo who? That ungrateful brat was officially disowned by our family. Don’t try to play the family card with me.” “But I feel so close to you, Director Thorne. You feel like my own older sister. I thought you felt the same way.” Close? You didn’t feel ‘close’ when you used my brother’s phone to block me. I continued, “Since you’re here to learn, you’ll start like every other intern. Go organize the company’s entire design pitch portfolio for the past year. I want it by Friday.” Vanessa bit her lip. “Understood, Director Thorne.” “Wait,” I called out as she turned. “Thank you for the gesture, but I don’t drink coffee. Please take it with you.” Vanessa froze. Her small face instantly flushed crimson. Grabbing the coffee, she practically fled. I ignored the little manipulator and focused on my work. Around 4:30 PM, the office suddenly erupted into a commotion. Someone who only showed his face once every eight hundred years had actually appeared—our company’s CEO, my older cousin Owen. Despite his usual goofy demeanor, he was surprisingly dressed in a sharp suit. He clapped his hands as he walked into the department. “Design team! I just landed a massive account! We’re partnering with Southern University’s research lab to design the branding for their new tech product. Their representative is arriving shortly. Stella, make sure you greet them properly.” Before leaving, Cousin Owen threw me a ridiculously exaggerated, sleazy wink. I took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch him. “Understood.” After Owen left, Vanessa suddenly appeared behind me. She asked in a sickly-sweet voice, “Director Thorne, can I come with you?” Between the mention of Southern University and Cousin Owen’s sleazy wink, I knew exactly who the representative was. I eyed Vanessa critically. Did she hear about this partnership from her dad, and specifically begged to intern here just to stalk Ethan?! If that was the case, this girl had some serious nerve! Eating from my brother’s bowl while staring at the steak on Ethan’s plate! “Vanessa, did you finish summarizing the pitch portfolio?” She nervously twisted the hem of her shirt. “N-No.” I patted her shoulder. “Then stay here and keep working on it. Maya, come with me.” Ignoring Vanessa’s reaction, I called over another intern who had been with us for a while and walked out. 4 Unsurprisingly, the representative was Ethan. “You told me a while ago you were looking for a design partner for the lab’s new product. I didn’t expect you to actually bring it to us,” I said. Ethan gently patted my head. “What, is our great Design Director unhappy about it?” I feigned surrender. “Stop talking nonsense. I’m deeply honored.” By the time we finished discussing the partnership, it was almost time to clock out. Ethan checked his watch. “Are you working overtime tonight, Stella?” “Of course not.” I handed my final notes to Maya. “Cousin Owen is a massive cheapskate. He refuses to pay overtime, so why would I stay late?” Ethan’s eyes crinkled with amusement. He offered me his arm. “Do I have the honor of escorting Miss Stella out?” I hooked my purse over his outstretched arm. “Permission granted!” At my house. I unlocked the front door, fully prepared to yell: Mrs. Thorne, your precious daughter is home! But the words died in my throat. I grabbed Ethan’s arm. “Don’t you feel like the vibe in here is a little… off?” “Yeah. It’s much quieter than usual.” “Exactly! Usually, Mom would be yelling at me to wash my hands by now. Why is it dead silent?” Oh no! Did a burglar break in and kidnap Mrs. Thorne?! I pulled out my phone, ready to dial 911, when Mom walked out of her bedroom looking absolutely exasperated. I immediately dropped my phone and ran over to hug her. “Who had the audacity to upset our beautiful Mrs. Thorne?” “Who else? Your brother!” “What did Leo do?” “What did he do? He brought his girlfriend over! They’re currently giving her a grand tour of his bedroom!” Mom marched angrily toward the kitchen. “Infuriating! Absolutely infuriating!” Leo brought the green tea girlfriend here? Was he trying to give Mom a stroke?! Ethan leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I take it Leo hasn’t unblocked you and your mom yet?” “He wishes he could,” I scoffed. “Mrs. Thorne blacklisted his number days ago.” When dinner was ready, Leo emerged with his precious girlfriend. Vanessa looked at me timidly. “Hello, Director Thorne.” Me: What is with that look? If anyone else saw this, they’d think I was the Wicked Witch of the West about to eat her! Then, Vanessa turned her shimmering gaze toward Ethan. “Hello, Ethan.” Before Ethan could say a word, Leo chimed in. “Vanessa, you don’t need to be so formal calling her Director Thorne. Just call her ‘Sister’ like I do.” I looked horrified. “Please don’t. I absolutely cannot bear the weight of her calling me that.” “Stella, you—” “It’s not Director Thorne’s fault. I’m the one who wanted to call her that,” Vanessa interrupted gently. Leo: “But Vanessa…” Vanessa knitted her thin brows together, her doe eyes brimming with grievance. “Leo, it’s okay. Director Thorne just doesn’t like me.” As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, hanging precariously on her lashes. Seeing this, Leo immediately pulled her into a protective embrace, looking heartbroken. What a master-class performance. I let out a harsh scoff, too exhausted to watch her put on a soap opera. I kicked Leo hard in the shin. “Move! You’re in my way!” If I knew Leo was bringing this girl, I wouldn’t have arranged this dinner. I would’ve let him starve on the streets! “Ethan, let’s go help Mom.” I grabbed Ethan and dragged him away from the toxic fumes.

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1 After my husband Asher and our son vanished, presumed dead, I refused to believe it. No bodies, no goodbyes. So I tore a hole in time, jumping five years into the future to find them. And I did. They were alive, but with no memory of me. I wept with joy, but as I reached for them, Asher’s voice stopped me cold. “The truth is, we never had amnesia. We just started a new family.” My eyes, bloodshot with disbelief, darted to my son, Noah. He just shrugged, adding casually, “It’s true. Our new mom is your best friend, Auntie Isla. We’ve been living here the whole time.” A roar filled my ears. I looked down at the three pale scars that circled my wrist, a souvenir from my suicide attempt, and felt my soul detach from my body. As if reading my mind, Asher’s tone turned scolding. “Why did you have to go and try to kill yourself? If you hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have lost the baby.” “Be a good girl and go back,” he said. “When we’ve had enough of this life, we’ll come home.” Be a good girl? A broken laugh escaped my lips. There was no need to rush. If this time-jump mission failed, my memories would be wiped clean. In three days, at most, I would be sent back to my own time. And I would remember nothing of them. … Seeing me frozen there, my eyes burning red, Noah frowned. “Mom, what are you waiting for? Auntie Isla will be home soon. We don’t want to make her sad.” My heart felt like it had been run over by a train. After five years, his first thought was of someone else’s feelings. A fresh wave of red flooded my vision, but I clung to one last sliver of hope. “Noah, do you have any idea what my life has been like?” After they “died,” I became a pariah. People pointed and called me a jinx, a curse who’d destroyed her own husband and son. I spent a month in a daze, truly believing I was the one who had killed them. Finally, one night, I sliced my wrists open. If my mother hadn’t had a bad feeling and come to check on me, I’d be nothing but a pile of ash now. But Noah just turned his head away, indifferent. “Why would I want to know? You’re old and boring. I’m not interested.” A sharp pain lanced through my chest, like a blade carving me up, piece by piece. Asher saw the shock on my face and let out a short, harsh laugh. “Why are you arguing with a child?” “Besides, kids know who’s genuinely good to them. Isla never forces Noah to do anything he doesn’t want to. Not like you and your mother, with your suffocating, two-faced kindness.” The roaring in my head was deafening. The last thread of my control snapped. I lunged forward, grabbing his collar, my voice breaking. “Are you even human?! Do you know my mother died in a car accident looking for you? When they found her, she was still clutching the missing persons flyer with your faces on it!” I screamed, I accused, I expected some flicker of guilt. But the room was silent for two long seconds before he sighed with mild regret. “Of course, I knew. But she wasn’t watching the road. Who can you blame for that?” “You can’t pin a tragedy like that on me and my son.” He offered a troubled smile, but his eyes held no remorse, only a faint, weary annoyance. “I was going to visit you, but Isla happened to get sick right then. I couldn’t leave her.” “You couldn’t leave her?” I was laughing and crying at the same time, a shattered wreck of a person. Asher watched me for a few moments, a flicker of something like pity in his eyes. “Sera, listen to me. Now that you know the truth, when you go back, stop fighting with my mom. She didn’t have a choice.” “Take good care of her for me. I’ll make it up to you when I get back, I promise.” I froze, the taste of blood filling my mouth as I bit down on my lip. “Your mother… she knew about your plan the whole time?” Asher admitted it without hesitation, even offering a lazy smile. “If she didn’t, how else would you have been so willing to serve her?” I opened my mouth, but my vocal cords felt shredded. In the year after they “died,” I lived in hell. Because I was the one who had planned the cruise ship vacation, his mother, Meredith, tortured me relentlessly. She would stick me with needles every day, my arms, my legs—there wasn’t an inch of unblemished skin. My clothes were often soaked with blood. My own mother would weep seeing it and started fighting with her. But that only made Meredith more vicious. She grabbed a hammer and brought it down on my mother’s head. “You and your daughter are a curse! First my son, then my grandson! Why don’t you just die!” My mother was bleeding profusely, but even as they took her to the hospital, she stood in front of me, holding back tears. “From now on, if she wants to hit someone, she hits me. Let her take it all out on me.” From then on, I became Meredith’s slave. Because in my heart, I believed I was atoning for my sins. But now I knew. It was all a lie. The suffering my mother and I endured was nothing but a sick joke. I finally broke, my hands flying, slapping his face again and again like a hailstorm. “How could you do this to me?” Asher didn’t fight back. He just closed his eyes and took it. “Sera!” A sharp cry cut through the air. Isla stood in the doorway, her face pale as she stared at us. I froze, my gaze falling to her swollen, pregnant belly. Instantly, Asher and Noah moved to shield her. “This has nothing to do with Isla. If you have a problem, you take it up with me.” “If you dare hurt Auntie Isla, you’re not my mother anymore!” Father and son roared at me in unison. Tears streamed down Isla’s face as she shook her head. “No, it’s my fault. Sera, I’m the one who stole your family. Whatever you want to do to me, I’ll accept it.” The three of them, protecting each other. A perfect family unit. And me? The legal wife, the biological mother? I was nothing. A giant hand seemed to squeeze my heart, the pain so intense I doubled over. My voice trembled, my eyes filled with hatred. “Asher, this is bigamy. I’m calling the police!” He just watched as I fumbled with my phone, not a trace of panic on his face. Only when my thumb hovered over the final digit did he speak, his voice casual. “You probably don’t know what they do to time travelers they catch these days.” “What?” My hand froze mid-air, my heart hammering against my ribs. “First, they drug you. Strap you to an operating table for observation.” “Then comes the electroshock, to see how your brain chemistry reacts.” “Finally, they scoop out your brain and preserve it as a specimen for study.” Asher looked at me with something akin to pity. “Trust me, Sera,” he whispered. “You don’t want to go through that.” He smiled, a cruel, cutting thing, and suddenly I was back on our honeymoon. We were in a foreign country when we were mugged. We let them take all our money. But as they were leaving, one of them reached for me with a leering grin. In a flash, Asher was on them, a whirlwind of fists and fury against three men. Blood sprayed the air, and he screamed at me to run. By the time the police arrived, his brow was split open, his leg was broken, and he had a bullet in his side. He was barely breathing, but he smiled without a single regret. “Sera, I would rather die than let anyone lay a finger on you.” Looking at the man in front of me now, I slapped him again, but this time, pathetic tears streamed down my face. Asher understood my pain. He clenched his jaw, his voice almost a plea. “Sera, a part of me will always love you. But Isla… she’s been through so much. Can’t you just find it in your heart to pity her? Please?” I lifted my tear-streaked face, my voice choked with agony. “Why did it have to be her?” “Because she’s not just your best friend. She’s your half-sister!” My mouth fell open. I was frozen to the spot. Suddenly, Isla’s eyes welled with red, and she dropped to her knees before me. “Sera, I always wanted to tell you, but I was so scared! My mom and your dad separated a long time ago, and I never, ever wanted to take his love from you.” “But if you’re angry, please, take it all out on me.” Isla knelt there, her pregnant belly prominent, her shoulders trembling. Asher’s eyes turned crimson with rage, and he roared at me. “Are you even human?! She’s on her knees in front of you! What more do you want?” “Honey, please don’t fight with Sera because of me, I’m begging you!” Isla sobbed, clutching his leg. The blood in my veins turned to ice. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I couldn’t stop myself from vomiting. Everything was a lie. My best friend, my husband… even the father I had revered for thirty years. All of it, fake. Noah watched the scene with dark, cold eyes. He suddenly charged at me, shoving me hard. “Go away! We don’t want you here! Why did you have to make Auntie Isla sad?” I stumbled and fell, landing in the mess I’d just made. Isla rushed to Noah, hugging him, her voice thick with tears. “You can’t treat her like that. She’s your real mother. The one who gave birth to you.” “No! I don’t want her! You’re my mom! I only want you!” Noah didn’t even glance at me, his disgust for me on full display. I wiped the tears from my face, slowly pulling myself to my feet and walking towards the door. I never wanted to see them again. Not for a single second. Maybe it was a side effect of the time jump, or maybe my mind had just reached its breaking point. My vision went black, and I collapsed. The last thing I saw before the world disappeared was Asher’s worried face rushing towards me. When I woke up, only Isla was in the room. She smiled at me gently, but her voice was glacial. “Don’t bother looking. They went out.” With them gone, Isla dropped the act completely. Her eyes raked over me with contempt. “My mother stole your father, and I stole Asher. You and your mother are both pathetic losers, always have been.” “Shut up! You don’t get to talk about my mother!” Isla was in a wonderful mood, a cheerful smile playing on her lips. “So much fire. Just like your useless mother.” She paused, then continued in a lazy drawl. “You probably didn’t know, but your mother came to see mine once. She barely said two words before she burst into tears, begging my mom not to steal her man. It was so pathetic. My mom and I still laugh until our stomachs hurt whenever we think about it.” My fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. Isla didn’t notice. She wiped a tear of mirth from her eye. “So you can imagine how sorry I felt for you when I realized you thought I was your best friend! Ahh—” Her words were cut off as I tackled her to the ground, my face a mask of triumphant rage. “You deserve this! I was so happy when I heard your mother was dead!” Something inside me snapped. I saw red. I grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the floor. Once, twice. Isla’s screams were sharp and piercing. The door burst open with a loud bang. Asher and Noah hadn’t left after all. Seeing what I was doing, Asher’s eyes widened in fury. “You bitch!” A vicious slap sent me flying, my body crashing hard against a cabinet. Isla was crying pitifully, clutching her bruised forehead. “Don’t hit her,” she trembled. “It’s okay. Let her get her anger out.” Noah burst into tears. “Auntie Isla, you’re too kind! Your head is bleeding, and you’re still defending that awful woman!” “It doesn’t hurt,” Isla said softly, like a true mother. “It’s my fault. I made your mom angry.” But then, her expression changed. She clutched her stomach. “Ah, the pain! Asher, our baby… I think…” Asher’s face went white. He swept Isla into his arms and shot me a look of pure loathing. “Be gone before we get back. If anything happens to Isla’s baby, you’ll pay with your life.” The door slammed shut, and they were gone. They never noticed the small knife embedded in my abdomen, or the growing pool of blood beneath me. Isla had stabbed me during our struggle. My face was pale as I glanced at the time. Six hours left. Then I would disappear. I just had to hold on. My legs were weak as I fumbled for some gauze, tying it tightly around the wound to stop the bleeding. But as I used the wall to pull myself up, I fainted again. I don’t know how much time passed before Asher’s deep voice woke me. “What are you doing?! Why is there so much blood? Are you trying to kill yourself for attention?” “No… my stomach… I was…” Before I could finish, Asher hauled me to my feet, dragging me out of the room like a dog. “Isla’s in trouble. She needs a blood transfusion, and she said you have the same blood type. Let’s go.” My legs could barely hold me, and a cold sweat drenched my forehead from the pain, but I pushed against him with all my might. “I’m not going!” Asher stopped, his eyes filled with disgust. “It’s a matter of life and death. You don’t have a choice!” Ignoring my screams, he took out a rope and tied my hands tightly. The pressure made my wound bleed afresh. Noah’s face paled. He saw the begging in my eyes, hesitated for a second, then quickly looked away. In that instant, my heart turned to ash. As they pushed me towards the operating room, Asher grabbed my hand. “Sera, help me this one time, and I’ll do anything you ask after this. Be good. I’ll be waiting for you when you get out.” A tear slid from the corner of my eye. I stopped struggling. Inside the operating room, Isla stood waiting, a smug smile on her face. She didn’t look like she’d been injured at all. A chill shot up my spine. She spoke slowly, her hands running over my body with satisfaction. “I didn’t bring you here for a transfusion. I brought you here to give my mother a new kidney.” “If you want to blame someone, blame your own bad luck. And your stupidity.” Just then, a doctor exclaimed, “Miss, one of her kidneys is failing.” Isla frowned for a moment, then shrugged it off with a smile. “Then take the other one.” “But… she’ll die.” “So what? She brought this on herself.” Isla commanded coldly, “Get it done. Now.” My body was tense, my bound hands frantically working a tiny nail clipper against the ropes. Faster, faster. The surgeon raised a scalpel, poising it over my stomach. Just as he was about to make the cut, my ropes fell away. I lunged for the door. Isla’s face contorted in fury. “Stop her!” she shrieked. “Kill her if you have to, but don’t let her get out!” In that life-or-death moment, a primal survival instinct kicked in. I kicked the doctor over and threw open the operating room doors. The next second, a searing pain erupted in my back. I fell to my knees, and in the last moment before my eyes closed, I saw Asher and Noah, their faces masks of horror, screaming my name.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “447279”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

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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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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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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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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The brand new Tesla I just bought for $100,000—I sold it for a measly $30,000. All because of my past life coworker Kate, who was eight months pregnant and suddenly clutched her belly in pain, crying and begging me: “Alice, I’m going into labor. Please take me to the hospital.” I panicked immediately and drove her to the hospital in my new car. When we got there, the baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck and was stillborn. The next day, her husband hung a banner at the company entrance: “Heartless coworker’s reckless driving caused improper fetal position and suffocation death!” The video went viral online. I was cyberbullied and doxxed across the internet. Her husband wouldn’t let it go either. He said I killed his son, forced me to kneel and apologize, and demanded compensation. My dad was so upset he had a stroke and became paralyzed. Our house was vandalized with paint. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the office. I had just sold my car when Kate clutched her belly with a pained expression: “Alice, I think I’m going into labor. Can you drive me to the hospital?” I replied calmly: “If you need to go to the hospital, call 911. Why are you asking me?”

Kate clutched her belly, cold sweat covering her forehead, her whole body swaying unsteadily. She grabbed my arm: “I’m about to give birth. Please drive me to the hospital. It hurts so much…” That expression, that tone, those words—every single punctuation mark was exactly the same as in my past life. I stared at her face as my mind exploded with a roar. In my past life, I was deceived by this very act. She had cried and begged me just like this, saying things like “can’t get a cab,” “no time,” “you just bought a new car.” I had softened then. I was so panicked I could barely grip the steering wheel, but I still gritted my teeth and rushed to the hospital in my newly purchased Tesla. On the way, I ran two yellow lights and went over three speed bumps. When we got to the hospital, she was wheeled into the delivery room. Two hours later, the doctor came out with a very grave expression: “Is the family here? The baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck. Stillborn.” My legs went weak right then. Kate cried, “It’s you. It’s all because you drove too fast. You killed my baby.” I didn’t know any better then and actually thought it was my fault for driving. I apologized to her helplessly. Marcus didn’t say anything at the time. He just looked at me with red eyes. The next day, he hung a banner at the company entrance. White background, black letters: “Heartless coworker’s reckless driving caused improper fetal position and suffocation death!” A dozen relatives stood behind him. Some held phones livestreaming, others cursed on the street. The video shot to the top of the local trending topics that same day. The topic “Tesla Driver Kills Baby” got over 200 million views in three days. My name, my photo, my ID number, my home address—all of it was posted online. Every single comment cursed me out. “Someone like this is allowed to drive? Murderer!” “Oh, so driving a Tesla makes you special? Pay compensation! Go to prison!” “Why doesn’t she just die?” The company called me in for a meeting that same day. The HR manager said expressionlessly, “Alice, this incident has caused extremely negative impact on the company’s image. The board has decided you’re fired.” I was terminated without even a chance to defend myself. Marcus even came to my house: “You killed my son. My wife is traumatized now, physically and mentally. You have to come take care of her, or you won’t have peace.” Every day at six in the morning, I went to his house to cook for Kate, wipe her down, and wash her underwear. Kate lay in bed, crying and cursing me: “Alice, give me back my son, give him back…” I served at their house for a whole month. When I got home, I learned my dad had been so upset he became paralyzed, and relatives and friends had cut ties with us. I wanted to drive to the hospital, but I was killed by an out-of-control truck. Now, Kate was still grabbing my arm. That pitiful look on her face was exactly the same as in my past life. I pulled my arm from her hand, prying off one finger at a time. “If you’re going into labor, call 911. Why are you asking me?” Kate froze. Tears still hung on her face, and her expression suddenly stiffened, like someone had pressed pause. Madison beside us got anxious: “Alice, how can you talk like that! She’s about to give birth!” “Exactly! You have a car at least. Waiting for 911 takes forever!” Kate snapped out of it and cried even harder: “Alice, wouldn’t it be faster if you drove me? I really can’t hold on…” Tears dripped down, hitting the floor. Her acting was as good as in my past life. I looked at her, the corner of my mouth twitching. “Car? I already sold it.” The moment those words landed, the entire office went silent for a full two seconds. Kate’s crying caught in her throat. The expression on her face changed from pitiful to disbelieving. “Your Tesla that you just bought! $100,000! You’re telling me you sold it? Impossible!”

Her voice suddenly became shrill, drawing everyone’s attention. “Alice, that’s really uncool. If you don’t want to take her, just say so. Why make up such lies?” “You just got that car last week. You sold it after a few days? Who’s going to believe that?” “That was a new car, $100,000. She doesn’t want to take her, so she won’t.” Everyone’s eyes fell on me in unison. Kate reacted even faster. She clutched her belly, her body tilting as she leaned against a nearby desk, tears dripping down. “Alice, if you don’t want to take me, I really won’t force you…” Her voice was soft and trembling: “But you can’t lie about selling your car. My belly really hurts. I just wanted you to help me…” As she spoke, her whole body started sliding down, as if she couldn’t stand anymore. Madison rushed over to support her, then glared back at me. “Alice, look! She’s about to faint from the pain! And you’re here making up stories!” Carter chimed in too: “Exactly. How hard is it to drive someone? Do you really want to just watch her die?” Tony picked up his tea, took a leisurely sip, his voice neither loud nor soft, just enough for everyone to hear: “Some people act all mighty when they’re driving nice cars, but when it’s time to actually use them, they play poor. Sold the car? Who believes that?” I didn’t say anything. I watched this group coldly. In my past life, they wore the same faces. Madison was the first person to repost the cyberbullying video. She even said in the company group: “Having someone like this in our department is so embarrassing.” Later, when someone doxxed my home address, Tony twisted the knife: “Someone like that doesn’t deserve to live in that neighborhood.” Now they stood here, surrounding me. Their eyes full of contempt, as if I were some cold-blooded animal. I felt not a ripple of emotion inside. I simply said calmly: “My car is mine to sell whenever I want. I don’t have a car. Don’t come asking me.” Kate let out another scream, this time much louder than before. Her face really did turn pale, her forehead covered in cold sweat, her lips purple, even her breathing becoming rapid. The people around started panicking. “Call 911 quick!” Someone shouted, “Right, right, call 911!” Carter pulled out his phone, his hands shaking. Kate collapsed on the floor, still crying, still screaming in pain. But her eyes looked past the crowd, staring straight at me. Full of hatred. She hated me for not taking her. In my past life, after I obediently served her for a month, I also supplemented my knowledge about babies extensively. I read over a dozen books and watched hundreds of educational videos online. The videos said that when the umbilical cord wraps around the neck three or more times, the probability of fetal death is already extremely high. Especially in late pregnancy, the wrapping causes insufficient blood supply. It has nothing to do with riding in a car or bumpy roads. But they insisted it was my fault. I was guilt-ridden and devastated. Until I accidentally saw text messages on Kate’s phone that she sent to Marcus during her late pregnancy. The baby clearly had the cord wrapped around its neck, yet they still refused a cesarean section. She and her husband had been waiting for this day from the start, waiting for a “sucker” to take them. The sound of an ambulance came from downstairs. I stood in place, motionless. The moment Kate was lifted onto the stretcher, she looked at me again. I smiled at her. That smile held no warmth. “Kate, don’t blame the wrong person this time.” After Kate was carried away, the office was quiet for less than half an hour. Then my phone started buzzing. In the company group, Kate was handing out good person cards: “Thank you everyone for calling 911 for me just now. Without you all, I really wouldn’t have known what to do.” “I’m at the hospital now. I’ll be going into the delivery room soon.” “Thank you all so much. You’re all my lifesavers…”

Three messages in a row, the tone excessively polite. Then she added a fourth. “But I still want to say, some people can’t be so cold-blooded. Refusing to help will bring karmic retribution!” After the message went out, the group fell silent for a dozen seconds. Madison was the first to respond: “Some people are like that. When they buy a new car, they want the whole world to know. But when it’s time to actually use it, they play dead.” Carter followed closely: “Exactly. Kate even helped her get breakfast all the time.” Tony sent a sarcastic emoji with the caption “heh.” Other people in the group started talking too. “What’s going on? Who’s cold-blooded?” “I heard Alice refused to help? The pregnant woman was about to give birth and she wouldn’t even lend her car?” “Not wouldn’t lend—she said she sold it.” “The Tesla she just bought for $100,000. She said she sold it. Who’s going to believe that?” Messages came one after another. The group exploded. I didn’t reply. Not a single word. I stood up, pushed my chair back, and walked straight to the manager’s office. When I pushed the door open, Mr. Pierre was holding his thermos and reading the group messages. He looked up when he saw me. His expression clearly paused as he turned his phone face-down on the desk. “Alice, have a seat.” I didn’t sit. “Mr. Pierre, I’m resigning.” The air went quiet for two seconds. Mr. Pierre furrowed his brows: “You just got top sales for the quarter. Your bonus hasn’t even been paid yet. Do you know how much the quarterly bonus is? $80,000. If you leave now, you won’t get a cent.” “Just because of what they said in the group? Let them talk. It’s not like you’re losing anything.” I shook my head. “It’s not because of that.” Mr. Pierre sighed and pulled out a piece of paper from his drawer, pushing it over. “Are you sure? Once you sign this, the bonus is gone.” I picked up the pen and signed my name on the resignation letter without hesitation. “I don’t need it. My health isn’t good.” In my past life, the despair of being wrongly accused was vivid. Not a single person at the company stood up for me. Many even stabbed me in the back. That’s when I understood—Kate targeted me as a sucker because I was top sales. The others were unrecognizable due to jealousy. Now I was staying away from this pit of fire. I wanted to see who else they’d target! Mr. Pierre looked at me for a few seconds and didn’t try to persuade me further. He put the resignation letter in his drawer, stood up, and shook my hand. “Alice, you’re the best salesperson I’ve ever managed. If you ever want to come back, find me anytime.” I nodded at him and turned to walk out of the office. As I passed through the office area, several people looked up at me. Madison’s gaze scraped over me like a knife. She muttered under her breath, “Guilty conscience, huh.” Carter leaned over to whisper with her, and both of them laughed together. I didn’t look at them. I picked up my bag from the desk, took off my ID badge and placed it on the keyboard, and walked out without looking back. The moment the elevator doors closed, I realized my palms were covered in sweat. Since being reborn, this was the first moment I truly felt alive again. After leaving the company building, I pulled out my phone and dialed my cousin Molina’s number. “Molina, help me look into someone.” “Who?” “Kate. Obstetrics. Just admitted. Help me check her prenatal examination records.” There was silence on the other end for two seconds. Molina’s voice lowered: “Why are you checking her prenatal records? That’s not according to protocol.” I paused, then said word by word: “I suspect there’s something wrong with the baby in her belly.” “Make sure to photograph all the records for evidence. Examination reports, consent forms, doctor’s notes—save everything.”

Only after Molina assured me repeatedly did I hang up. At ten that night, in the small group I hadn’t left, messages were still coming. Someone gossiped curiously in the group: “Do you think Kate’s having a boy or a girl?” Bella responded fastest: “Definitely a boy. Look how pointy her belly is. Round is a girl, pointy is a boy. The old saying is never wrong.” “Boy or girl, as long as it’s safe.” “Kate has such good relationships. God will definitely bless her.” As they talked, the topic gradually turned to me. Tony sent a message: “Speaking of which, since Alice didn’t take Kate today, shouldn’t she make up for it somehow? Buying something to compensate isn’t too much to ask, right?” Madison replied instantly: “Exactly. The pregnant woman was about to give birth and she refused to help. Shouldn’t she at least buy some bird’s nest to visit her later?” “I bet Alice never sold that car at all. It was just an excuse not to take her.” “Someone @ her and make her come out and say something.” Someone @’d me. I ignored it. Messages kept coming. I stared at the screen, reading word by word. These people were the same in my past life. Madison led the charge demanding I pay compensation. Tony egged Marcus on to sue me in court. Carter posed as an “insider” online to spread rumors. Now, before the baby was even born, they were already arranging how I should “atone.” My phone buzzed. It was a voice message from Molina. I played it. Her voice was very low but extremely fast: “The baby didn’t make it. The doctor said it was due to umbilical cord strangulation causing suffocation, directly related to the mother’s refusal of a cesarean section.” I stared at this message for a long time. At this time in my past life, I was kneeling in the hospital corridor kowtowing until my forehead bled, my mouth repeating “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Marcus stood beside me filming a video, the camera shoved in my face, his voice cold: “Everyone look. This is the perpetrator’s attitude.” That video went viral the next day. In this life, I just wanted to see how they’d continue their act without me. Early the next morning, I opened a short video platform. A topic hung prominently on the trending list. I clicked on the first video. Marcus stood at the company entrance with a white banner with black letters behind him. “Heartless company abuses pregnant woman—give me back my son!” Kate’s parents were collapsed on the ground crying. Seven or eight relatives stood nearby. Some held phones livestreaming, others cursed. The scene was even bigger than in my past life. The video already had over ten thousand comments. Netizens were commenting with all kinds of opinions. “This kind of company should be exposed!” “Are the managers hiding too? Pay compensation!” “The coworkers are all accomplices!” In the livestream, Madison and Carter were trapped inside the revolving door, their faces completely pale. Suddenly, Bella squeezed out from the crowd. She rushed up to Marcus, her voice shrill and urgent: “Stop making a scene! The person who killed your son isn’t the company! It’s Alice! She refused to drive your wife to the hospital! If you’re looking for revenge, go find her!” Marcus froze for a moment, then cried even louder: “Where’s that bitch? Make her come out!” “She resigned! She ran away!” Bella pointed back at the company entrance. “We’re all good people! She’s the only cold-blooded animal! Go find her, not us!” Carter also shouted: “Right, right, it has nothing to do with us! Alice refused to help!” Madison shrank in the back, nodding vigorously. Various discussions came from the crowd. “Is she fleeing from guilt?” “If she’d driven the pregnant woman to the hospital right away, maybe the baby could’ve been saved.” “So cold-blooded. If it were me, I definitely would’ve taken her immediately.” I stood outside the crowd, listening to everyone’s discussions and watching my coworkers’ righteous indignation. Suddenly, I smiled and said loudly: “You want me, someone without a car, to take a pregnant woman? With my two legs?”

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