Category: English

It started as a whim, a bit of Friday-night madness between me and Beatrice. We decided to play a real-life version of “Identity Swap.” We went all in. We didn’t just borrow each other’s clothes; we ordered identical wigs and matched our makeup down to the exact shade of crimson on our lips. We wanted to see if we could actually pass for one another, a social experiment to see how much of “us” was just the packaging. The rules were simple: swap lives for twenty-four hours. Experience the world through the other’s eyes. After a day of playing the part, Beatrice decided to stay over at my place. As I started toward the master suite to crash, she caught my arm, a playful glint in her eyes. “If we’re doing this for real, you have to sleep in the guest room tonight,” she laughed, tossing her head—or rather, the wig that looked exactly like my hair. “Authenticity, remember?” I gave in with a tired shrug. My husband, Wyatt, was supposed to be out of town on a business trip anyway. It didn’t seem to matter which bed I collapsed into. In the dead of night, while I was drifting through a deep, dreamless sleep, the guest room door creaked open. Before my brain could fully shake off the fog of sleep, the mattress sank. A man’s weight pressed down on me, his breath ragged and hot against my neck. His hands were already moving, tugging at the hem of my silk camisole. “You little devil,” he whispered, his voice a low, playful growl. “How’d you get the nerve to come back to my house tonight?” He chuckled, a sound that made my skin crawl. “Couldn’t handle being lonely? Had to come over and tempt me right under her nose?” 1 Those words hit me like a physical blow. I froze, my heart leaping into my throat, every trace of sleep vanishing in an instant. I knew that voice. It was Wyatt. The man who had called me six hours ago to say he was stuck in Chicago. My husband. But he hadn’t come home and headed for our bedroom. He had crept into the guest room in the dark. His hands were restless now, fumbling with the buttons of my sleep shirt, his touch familiar yet suddenly repulsive. He began to slide his hand beneath the fabric, tracing the skin of my waist with a practiced ease that suggested this wasn’t the first time. I didn’t make a sound. I couldn’t. I forced myself to stay limp, pretending to be caught in the heavy grip of sleep. The room was a void of shadows; thank God he hadn’t turned on the light. He couldn’t see my face. But as his breathing grew heavier, a sickening, jagged realization tore through me. Did he know it was me? Or… did he think I was Beatrice? “Quiet tonight, are we?” Wyatt murmured, his body pressing firmly against my back, his heat radiating through the thin silk. He nipped at my earlobe, his breath smelling faintly of bourbon and something sweet. I remained a statue, terrified that even a sharp exhale would give me away. More buttons gave way. His breath hitched, turning raspy with a desire I hadn’t seen in months. “You little liar,” he groaned. “You said I should come to your place tonight. I went there and found the house empty. Then I find you here, dressed like this… is it the thrill? Does being in my house make it better for you?” “You just couldn’t wait, could you? Sleeping in the guest room, waiting for me to find you…” “Hmm? Why won’t you talk to me?” A bone-chilling cold washed over me, starting at my toes and settling in the pit of my stomach. Fury, sharp and acidic, surged up to drown out the shock. In that moment, the truth was undeniable. Wyatt was cheating on me. He wasn’t looking for his wife, Isla. He was looking for his “guest.” He had been sleeping with my best friend long before tonight’s little game. The rage peaked, blinding and hot. “Get off me!” I shoved him with everything I had and lunged for the lamp on the nightstand. The light flooded the room, harsh and unforgiving. Wyatt instinctively threw his arm up to shield his eyes. “Bea, babe, keep it down…” But as his eyes adjusted and he saw my face, the color drained from his skin until he looked like a ghost. I ripped the wig from my head—the one that made me look exactly like Beatrice—and hurled it at him. It landed on his chest like a dead animal. Wyatt sat there, paralyzed, his face a mask of pure terror. “Isla… what are you… why are you in here?” I let out a short, jagged laugh that felt more like a sob. “Who else were you expecting, Wyatt?” He continued to stare at me, his forehead slick with sudden sweat. He tried to speak, but his jaw just worked silently, like a fish gasping for air. I leaned in, my voice dropping to a deadly, quiet edge. “I’m going to ask you one time. Who did you think I was just now?” Wyatt scrambled, his eyes darting around the room as if looking for an escape hatch. “Honey, I… I was joking! It’s a prank!” “We’re in our house, Isla! I knew it was you the whole time. I was just… playing along with the game. I saw you guys earlier, and I thought I’d give you a scare. It was just a roleplay thing…” 2 “Was it?” His body was rigid, his pulse thrumming visibly in his neck. He was a terrible liar when he wasn’t prepared. My heart felt like a piece of lead. It all clicked into place—the countless times Beatrice had found an excuse to crash in our guest room over the last year. The time I’d woken up at 3:00 AM and thought I heard muffled laughter and the rhythmic creak of floorboards from the guest wing. I had told myself everyone deserved their privacy. I told myself she was my sister in every way that mattered. I had protected her secrets, never imagining that the secret was my own husband. I had been wearing a crown of thorns for months, and I was the only one who didn’t know it. The door clicked open. Beatrice stood there, yawning, wearing one of my old silk robes. When she saw Wyatt, she gasped, clutching the lapels of the robe over her chest in a theatrical display of shock. “Isla? Wyatt? What’s going on? Wyatt, I thought you were in Chicago!” I looked at Beatrice—my “best friend”—and felt a wave of nausea so strong I thought I might actually get sick. “I’d like to know that too,” I said, my voice dripping with ice. Wyatt’s face was ash-gray. “The trip… the meeting got pushed. I didn’t want to wake you up, Isla, so I just… I came in late…” He reached out, trying to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, trying to reclaim the role of the doting husband. “I’m so sorry I scared you, honey. I should have called.” I stepped back, revulsion blooming in my chest. I didn’t say a word, just let my gaze drift between the two of them. It settled on Beatrice’s nightgown—a low-cut, lace thing I’d never seen before. I remembered telling her once that her sleepwear was a bit… much for a guest staying with a married couple. She’d laughed it off. “What are you worried about, Isla? You think I’m gonna seduce Wyatt? Please. He’s like a brother to me. Only you could find that man attractive.” The lies were so thick they were suffocating. “Wyatt, I’m curious,” I said. “I never told you about the ‘Identity Swap’ game. I didn’t tell a soul that I’d be sleeping in the guest room tonight. So tell me… why did you come straight here instead of our bedroom?” The silence that followed was deafening. “Isla, I…” Wyatt fumbled, his eyes darting to Beatrice for a lifeline. “One question, Wyatt. Why was the guest room your first stop?” Sweat was rolling down his temples now. “I… I saw a light. I thought I heard a noise… I thought maybe someone had broken in…” It was pathetic. A child could have told a better lie. Seeing me unmoved, Beatrice stepped forward, a forced, sugary smile on her face. She reached out to grab my arm. “Isla, don’t be like that. It was me. I told him.” She squeezed my arm as if we were still co-conspirators. “I didn’t want him coming into the master bedroom and grabbing me by mistake in the dark! How awkward would that have been? So I sent him a quick text saying we’d swapped rooms for the night. Just to be safe.” I shook her hand off as if it were a spider. My eyes stayed locked on Wyatt. “And the ‘little devil’ comment? Calling me ‘Bea’ in the dark?” Wyatt’s composure shattered. His hands shook. “I didn’t! You misheard me, Isla!” He was desperate now, the veins in his neck bulging. “I called you… ‘Baby’! I said ‘Baby’!” “Baby?” I let out a jagged laugh. “We’ve been married for seven years, Wyatt. You haven’t called me ‘Baby’ since our honeymoon. Give me your phone.” Wyatt recoiled, shielding his pocket. “Isla, stop. You’re being paranoid.” I didn’t ask again. I lunged, snatching the device from the nightstand before he could grab it. “Isla!” My thumb found the sensor—he hadn’t changed his passcode. I opened his messages. There, pinned at the very top, was a contact named ‘Sweetheart.’ My heart stopped. “A sweetheart,” I whispered. I turned the screen toward them. “Except ‘Sweetheart’ is Beatrice’s number, isn’t it? Look at these messages. Look at how ‘ironic’ this roleplay is. Care to explain?” Wyatt looked like he was about to faint. Beatrice’s mask finally slipped, her face hardening into something cold and unrecognizable. “Isla, it’s a misunderstanding,” Wyatt pleaded. Beatrice stepped in, her voice losing its sweetness. “Oh, come off it, Isla. The ‘Sweetheart’ thing? It was part of the game! We were trying to see if we could trick everyone, even digitally. It was just a joke!” I reached the end of my rope. I swung my hand, the crack of my palm against her cheek echoing like a gunshot in the small room. “How do you even breathe with that much bullshit coming out of your mouth?” I pointed toward the door, my finger trembling with rage. “Both of you. Get out. We’re done.” I retreated into the study and slammed the door, locking it. I sat at my desk, my breath coming in shallow hitches, and pulled up the cloud storage for our home security system. Outside, the muffled sounds of their voices continued. Wyatt was begging, Beatrice was insisting it was a “prank gone wrong.” “Isla, I’m leaving,” Beatrice shouted through the door. “I’ll come back tomorrow when you’ve calmed down and we can talk this through like adults.” Eventually, the house fell silent. But I stayed awake, my eyes glued to the monitor. When we renovated three years ago, I’d installed a discreet camera in the hallway near the guest wing. We’d forgotten about it months ago. I began to scroll through the archives. Every Friday night Beatrice stayed over. Every “business trip” Wyatt took. By the fifth clip, I was numb. The tears started to fall, hot and silent, blurring the screen. 3 The footage was a catalog of betrayal. Every time Beatrice stayed over, Wyatt would “get up for a glass of water” in the middle of the night. He would walk straight to the guest room. Minutes later, he’d emerge carrying her, or they’d stumble out together, heading for the downstairs bathroom or the laundry room—places they thought were safe. The things they said to each other… the way they laughed at me while I slept upstairs… it was a visceral poison. “Your wife is right down the hall,” Beatrice whispered in one clip, giggling as he pressed her against the wall. “You’re gonna get caught, Wyatt.” He just kissed her harder. “She’s a heavy sleeper. She doesn’t have a clue.” “You little devil,” he murmured—the same phrase he’d used tonight. “You came here just to tempt me, didn’t you?” “You know me too well,” she replied, her voice a purr. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a hydraulic press. I couldn’t breathe. Beatrice. My maid of honor. The person who helped me pick out my wedding dress. The person who sent me links to “the best lingerie” and told me, “Keep that man happy, Isla, he’s a catch. Don’t get pregnant too soon, you need to keep the spark alive for a few more years.” She wasn’t giving me advice. She was protecting her own playground. I sat in that chair until the sun began to bleed through the blinds. When I finally opened the study door, Wyatt was slumped against the wall, his eyes bloodshot and dark. “Isla, thank God. Please, just let me explain. Beatrice and I, we aren’t—” I didn’t let him finish. I threw the tablet at his chest, the footage of them in the hallway playing on a loop. Wyatt watched for three seconds before his knees gave out. He collapsed onto the floor. “Isla… I… it was a mistake. A moment of weakness.” “Which one, Wyatt? The one in June? The one last Tuesday? Or the one ten minutes before I caught you?” My voice was a dead thing. “It was her! She set me up, she dressed like you, she made me think—” “Stop,” I snapped. “Don’t ever speak to me again. We’re getting a divorce.” I called a lawyer that morning. “The house stays with me. I bought it with my inheritance before we were even engaged. You’re the one who strayed. You’re leaving with nothing.” “You have three days to pack. If you’re still here on the fourth, I’m filing a police report for trespassing and releasing these videos to your mother and your boss.” The next week was a blur of cold fury. Wyatt tried to crawl back, tried to buy me flowers, tried to cry. Each time, I shut him down with a clinical precision that surprised even me. Eventually, he left, bruised and broken, moving into a shitty studio apartment across town. Beatrice tried a different tactic. She sent me “checking in” texts. She invited me to brunch as if nothing had happened. When I blocked her, she showed up at my favorite coffee shop. “Isla, seriously, what is wrong with you?” she asked, her voice tight with feigned indignation. “If you’re mad, just say it. Why the silent treatment?” I looked up from my book, my gaze level. “Ask yourself that, Bea.” “I’ve been your best friend for a decade. Do you really want to throw that away over a guy?” I felt a ghost of a smile touch my lips. “A guy? You mean my husband? The one you were fucking in my guest room while I slept twenty feet away?” She didn’t even flinch. She just let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Fine. I slept with him. So what? If he actually loved you, Isla, a million ‘temptations’ wouldn’t have worked. The fact that he came to me just proves your marriage was a shell. I was doing you a favor, showing you what he really is.” I closed my eyes, exhausted by her narcissism. “Get out of my sight, Beatrice. If I see you again, those videos go public. I’m sure your ‘influencer’ lifestyle won’t survive the scandal.” She stepped closer, a cruel glint in her eyes. She placed a hand over her stomach, which was still flat, but her gesture was deliberate. “Don’t be so sure you’ve won, Isla. Did you know I’m pregnant?” “And it’s Wyatt’s.” 4 The world tilted for a second, but I didn’t let my expression flicker. I let the news settle into the silence between us. “That’s between you and your lawyer,” I said finally. “Wyatt and I are over. Do whatever you want with his kid.” I turned to walk away. “Isla, wait,” she called out, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “I know how much you wanted a family. Don’t you want to know why he chose me to carry his child?” I tightened my grip on my bag. “Not really.” “He didn’t want it at first,” she continued, following me. “He was so careful. But after a while, he told me he liked my body better. He said he wanted a daughter who looked like me, because your genes were… well, a bit plain. He didn’t want a kid who looked like you, Isla.” “I was trying to be a good friend,” she added with a shrug. “I was going to tell you eventually.” “Enough!” The scream tore out of my throat before I could stop it. I was shaking, the image of them discussing my “plain” genes while they betrayed me burned into my mind. “Get away from me. If I ever see your face again, I will forget that I’m a lady and I will end you.” Three days later, Wyatt showed up at the door, looking like he’d been living in a dumpster. “Isla, I can’t sign the papers. Give me one more chance.” “Sign them, or I see you in court. And tell your mistress that if she contacts me again, I’m sending the ‘Sweetheart’ archives to her parents in Florida.” Wyatt’s face crumpled. He signed the papers with a shaking hand, the finality of it finally sinking in. He slinked back to his apartment, where Beatrice was waiting for him. “You’re back,” she said, lounging on his meager sofa. “You should be happy. You’re free now. No more ‘plain’ Isla to answer to. We can do whatever we want.” Wyatt didn’t look at her. “Don’t come here anymore, Bea.” Her smile faltered. “Oh, did I forget to tell you? I’m pregnant.” Wyatt froze. He looked at her, shock flickering in his eyes, followed quickly by a cold, hard resolve. “Get rid of it. We can’t have a kid.” “What? Why?” She stood up, grabbing his arm. “You said Isla was ‘barren.’ You said you were bored to death with her. You said if I got pregnant, you’d leave her for me! Well, she’s gone! This is your baby!” “It was a mistake,” Wyatt said, his voice flat. “Everything with you was a mistake. Isla is divorcing me because of you. If she finds out about a baby, she’ll never look at me again. There will be no chance of winning her back.” He looked at the small apartment, the reality of his new life hitting him. He didn’t want “freedom” with Beatrice. He wanted his big house, his comfortable life, and the wife who actually cared if he was fed and happy. He realized he’d burned his kingdom down for a handful of ash. “I’m taking you to the clinic,” he said, grabbing her wrist. “Now.” Beatrice fought him, screaming. “You coward! You pathetic excuse for a man!” “Beatrice, listen to me,” he hissed. “Isla is everything. You were just… a distraction. We have to fix this.” Beatrice stopped struggling and let out a chilling laugh. “You think she doesn’t know? I already told her, Wyatt. I told her days ago.” Wyatt’s face went white. “You did what?” “She’s never coming back. She hates you. But I have a plan. I know how to make her stay.” Wyatt looked at her, desperate. “How?” “Isla is so proud,” Beatrice whispered, her eyes alight with a frantic, dark energy. “She thinks she’s better than us because she’s ‘pure.’ But if she’s ‘dirty’ too… if she has a secret just as dark as yours… then she has no reason to leave you. You’ll be even.” “What are you talking about?” “We hire someone. We stage a ‘mishap.’ She loses her ‘purity’ to a stranger, and you ‘rescue’ her. She’ll be so broken, so ashamed, she’ll crawl into your arms and never let go. You’ll be her hero again.” Initially, Wyatt recoiled. But as the days passed and my lawyer squeezed him harder, his desperation turned into a localized insanity. He convinced himself he was doing it for me. To “save” our marriage. “Don’t hate me, Isla,” he whispered to my photo the night before. “I’ll still love you, even after you’re broken. I won’t care that you aren’t ‘clean’ anymore. I’ll be the only one who stays.” He waited in his car, heart hammering against his ribs, waiting for the clock to hit 10:00 AM. That was the plan. The men Beatrice hired would have been “finished” with me by then. He would burst in, the knight in shining armor, and take his traumatized wife home. “I’m coming, Isla. Hang on.” He and the police—whom he’d called to “report a suspicious tip”—kicked in the door of the abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. But as the dust settled, Wyatt didn’t see me. He saw a woman huddled on the floor, her face pale and streaked with blood. He gasped, his eyes bulging. “Bea? Where… where is Isla?”

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This marriage was a transaction from the very beginning. My family’s firm desperately needed an influx of capital to stay afloat; her family’s corporation was staring down the barrel of a massive lawsuit that only our political connections could make disappear. We were business partners, signing a contract disguised as a marriage license. Sleeping in separate bedrooms became the unspoken rule. Once, early on, I tentatively asked if she might want me to move my things into the master suite. She rejected the idea without a second of hesitation. Her reason was simple: “Patrick would mind.” Patrick. The golden boy. The untouchable first love carved so deeply into her bones that there was no room left for anyone else. She had looked at me with eyes like cracked ice and delivered the final blow: “If your family hadn’t forced this hand, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. This arrangement is fine as it is.” I had stood frozen in the hallway for what felt like hours, my throat tight, before finally managing a hoarse, “Okay.” Since the parameters were so clearly drawn, I stopped looking for warmth in a house built on ice. For the next three years, the ghost of Patrick haunted every corner of her life. Whether it was a Belmont family dinner, a corporate gala, or even my own father’s birthday banquet, the man standing dutifully by her side was always him. I could see the whispers behind the champagne glasses, the polite but pitying stares of the elite circle, silently placing bets on who the real husband in this story was. But it’s fine now. The lawsuit is buried, my family’s firm is thriving again. Our mutual usefulness has run its course. It is time to leave this hollow shell of a home. 1 I sat in the dim light of the study, reading the divorce agreement from top to bottom one last time. Black ink on stark white paper. Methodical. Clean. Under the division of assets, I had left every box blank. I didn’t want a single dime. This sprawling estate in Beacon Hill belonged to her before we wed, the cars were hers, the company shares had nothing to do with me. I was leaving with the exact balance my personal checking account held the day we walked down the aisle. I uncapped my pen and signed my name. Wesley Callahan. Three years ago, I was foolish enough to believe that even a marriage born of corporate strategy could grow into something real, if only I tended to it well enough. God, I was so stupid. I slid the papers into a manila envelope, leaving it dead center on the mahogany coffee table. Then, I pulled out my phone and tapped on my text thread with her. “Come home a little early tonight. We need to talk.” Two minutes bled by. A single grey bubble popped up next to her immaculate headshot. “Yeah.” I locked my screen and tossed the phone onto the leather sofa. Turning on my heel, I walked into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. It was a designer’s dream—a massive Sub-Zero fridge, double built-in ovens, imported German cutlery—all gleaming, untouched, arranged like a museum exhibit. I rarely used it anymore. When we were first married, I tried. I really did. I wanted her to come home to the smell of a warm meal. The first time, I spent hours slow-roasting red wine braised short ribs. She took one polite bite, said it was “fine,” and then her phone buzzed. She walked out the door five minutes later. Patrick needed something. The second time, I made pan-seared scallops. She never even came home. The third time, I cooked an absolute feast. I stood over the stove from four in the afternoon until seven in the evening. She actually walked through the front door—but Patrick was trailing right behind her. They were laughing, a shared inside joke dying on their lips the moment they saw me standing there with flour on my apron and a table full of food. Viola blinked, her smile faltering. “We have reservations,” she said flatly. “We’re heading back out.” Patrick stood just behind her shoulder, tilting his head. He offered me a soft, patronizing smile. “Looks like you worked hard.” Just thinking about that smile now makes battery acid pool in my stomach. I never cooked another meal. Seven o’clock came. She wasn’t home. Eight o’clock. Nothing. At nine, my phone finally vibrated. I picked it up. A text from Viola. “Patrick is dealing with something. I’m going to be late. Don’t wait up.” I stared at the glowing screen for a long time. Don’t wait up. I had lived inside those three words for three years. It was always like this. It was always Patrick. He was a man in perpetual crisis, and she was his eternal savior. If he caught a cold, she had to be there. If he felt melancholic, she was his sounding board. When he moved apartments, she was boxing up his life. When he adopted a stray cat, she was picking out the kibble. Once, Patrick mentioned craving a specific slice of red velvet cake from a bakery across town. Viola drove forty minutes in gridlock traffic, delivered it to his loft, and waited for him to finish eating before driving back. She got home at 1:00 AM. “Did you even eat dinner?” I had asked her in the dark kitchen. “I ate at Patrick’s,” she replied, not looking at me. She went straight to the shower and then locked herself in the guest bedroom. I should have understood it then. But I didn’t. I held onto the naive belief that a wedding ring bought me time. I thought that if I was patient, if I gave her space, she would eventually notice that I wasn’t so bad. That if I was just good enough, quiet enough, supportive enough, she would eventually turn her head and look at the life we could build. Looking back, it’s laughable. When someone has absolutely no space for you in their heart, your goodness is just white noise. She wouldn’t love me for being perfect; she would just view my perfection as entirely irrelevant to her. I didn’t reply to her text. In the past, I would always type back an immediate “Okay,” just to show I was reliable. Sometimes I’d add a pathetic “Drive safe,” desperate to perform the role of the understanding, magnanimous husband. Tonight, I couldn’t stomach it. It didn’t matter anyway. In a few days, she wouldn’t have to text me at all. 2 I left my phone on the table and picked up the remote, flipping channels blindly. A late-night talk show was on, celebrities throwing their heads back in exaggerated, booming laughter. I sank into the cushions, struck by the sudden, suffocating absurdity of my existence. Here I was, sitting in a multi-million dollar mansion, guarding a hollow marriage, waiting for a wife who would never prioritize me. And she was out with her first love. Openly. Righteously. Because on the day we signed our marriage license, she had made it crystal clear: If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be in this mess. In her eyes, I was the villain. I was the one who had driven a wedge between her and Patrick. I had used my family’s power to strong-arm her into a gilded cage. But what was the actual truth? The truth was, my father’s real estate empire had over-leveraged, and the cash flow had completely dried up. Her family’s tech firm had been caught in an ugly, potentially devastating federal probe, and they desperately needed my father’s political leverage to quash it. The patriarchs of our two families sat down over dry martinis and thick steaks, and our lives were traded like poker chips. No one asked me if I wanted to marry her. No one asked her if she wanted to be my wife. To the rest of the world, it was a perfectly balanced equation. Her family provided the capital, mine provided the shield. A flawless corporate merger. But Patrick became the casualty of our merger. Viola genuinely believed I had stolen his rightful place. I had demoted him from the man she was meant to marry to the dirty little secret she had to hide. And so, she gave every ounce of her guilt and devotion to Patrick, and reserved all her coldness for me. On our wedding night, she drank heavily at the reception. When someone finally helped her up to the master bedroom, I reached out to help her out of her heavy, beaded gown. She gripped my wrist. Her grip was terrifyingly strong. “Wesley Callahan,” she whispered, her voice rough with champagne and venom. “You know exactly what this marriage is. I don’t love you. I will never love you. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll play your part, go to work, and stay out of my way. We live our own lives.” She dropped my arm, stumbled out the door, and locked herself in the guest suite. We had slept in separate rooms ever since. She took the guest room; I took the master. Now that I thought about it, in three years, she had only crossed the threshold of the master bedroom twice. The first was that wedding night. The second was last winter, when my fever spiked to 103 degrees. I was delirious, shivering violently under the heavy down comforter. Marta, our housekeeper, had called her in a panic. Viola showed up two hours later. She stood in the doorway, her tailored trench coat still on, looked at my sweating, trembling form, and told Marta to call an Uber to take me to urgent care. Then she left again. She said Patrick had a gallery opening he was nervous about, and she had to be there to support him. She didn’t come home that night. When I woke up at 7:00 AM, throat feeling like broken glass, I checked my phone. Not a single notification. I washed up and walked slowly downstairs. Marta was already at the stove. When she saw me walk in alone, she stopped, her mouth opening and closing before she finally settled on a quiet, “Mr. Callahan, what can I make for you this morning?” “Just some toast and black coffee, Marta. Thanks.” I sat at the vast, empty granite island. My phone lit up. A text from Viola. “Patrick had too much to drink last night. I stayed over to make sure he was okay. I have a board meeting all morning, won’t be back.” I set the phone face down and took a sip of my bitter coffee. “Marta,” I said softly. “Could you pick up some cardboard moving boxes for me when you go to the store today?” She froze, the dish towel slipping from her hands. “You’re… moving, sir?” “Yeah. In a few days.” She opened her mouth, her eyes welling with questions she didn’t dare ask. But reading the absolute exhaustion on my face, she swallowed them down. She had worked in this house for three years. She had seen the quiet indignities. She knew. “Of course, Mr. Callahan.” 3 Marta nodded quietly and turned back to the stove. After breakfast, I went upstairs, pulled on a pair of raw denim jeans and a simple sweater. I was meeting a realtor today. Before I could officially walk away from this house, I needed a place to land. I hadn’t asked for a dime in the divorce, but that didn’t mean I was destitute. I had my own savings from before the marriage. And over the last three years, though I hadn’t worked, the Belmonts had dutifully deposited a $20,000 monthly “allowance” into my account. I rarely touched it. I had saved enough to float myself in a nice apartment for a year or two while I figured out the rest of my life. The realtor was a kid named Josh—sharp suit, fast talker, eager to please. He showed me a sun-drenched two-bedroom loft in Somerville, just outside the city center. The neighborhood had a quiet, artistic pulse to it. “Mr. Callahan, the natural light in here is incredible,” Josh pitched, gesturing to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “The owner just did a full gut renovation. Everything is brand new. They’re asking six and a half thousand a month. What do you think?” I stepped out onto the Juliet balcony. The air was crisp, overlooking a neighborhood park where autumn leaves were turning gold. It wasn’t massive, but it was enough. Most importantly, there wasn’t a single trace of Viola Belmont in these walls. “I’ll take it,” I said. Josh blinked, clearly not expecting me to bypass the negotiation phase entirely. Then his face broke into a massive grin. “Amazing! I’ll draw up the lease with the owner right now.” I signed a one-year lease, wired the first, last, and security deposit on the spot. Stepping out onto the pavement with the brass keys heavy in my pocket, the afternoon sun hit my face. It felt warm. For the first time in years, I felt incredibly light. By the time I got back to Beacon Hill, Marta had stacked flattened Home Depot boxes in the center of the living room. I was just about to head upstairs to tackle my closet when the heavy oak front door clicked open. I didn’t turn around. I could already feel the shift in the air. Sure enough, a second later, a voice rang out behind me. “Oh, you’re home.” I turned. Patrick Giles was standing in the foyer, shucking off a designer cashmere coat. His eyes drifted from my face down to the cardboard boxes at my feet, pausing for a fraction of a second. “Packing up?” I didn’t answer him. Instead, my voice came out flat, stripped of any emotion. “What are you doing here?” “Viola brought me.” He strolled into the living room like he owned the place. “The lease on my loft is up, and I haven’t found the right spot yet. She told me to crash here. Said I could stay as long as I need.” I simply nodded. “Oh.” Patrick clearly hadn’t anticipated such a lifeless reaction. The smug little smile playing on his lips faltered. “You don’t mind, do you?” He tilted his head, feigning innocence. “I mean, I told Viola it might be a little awkward, but she insisted. She said—” “If she told you to stay, then stay,” I interrupted, my voice perfectly level. “It’s a big house.” His jaw tightened. He walked over to the velvet armchair and sank into it, crossing one leg over the other. “You are just so incredibly generous, Wesley.” The venom was barely hidden now. “First you generously take my place at the altar, and now you generously let me sleep under your roof.” I looked down at him. Suddenly, I found the whole scene deeply, profoundly pathetic. I didn’t take the bait. I turned my back to him and started for the stairs. Feeling dismissed, Patrick raised his voice. “Wesley, I’m talking to you.” I paused on the first step and looked back over my shoulder. “I heard you. But you didn’t come here to bond with me, Patrick, so let’s not waste each other’s time. I have packing to do.” Patrick stood up, the faux-polite smile completely vanishing from his face. “You’re leaving?” The words slipped out, laced with genuine disbelief. “What else would I do?” I asked quietly. “Stay here and be a third wheel in my own marriage?” 4 Patrick stood frozen, struck completely dumb. I continued up the stairs, leaving him stranded in the vast, echoing living room. I opened my closet doors and began pulling hangers off the rack. After three years, I didn’t have much to show for my life here. Viola had never taken me on a vacation. She had never bought me a single gift. Not for our anniversary, not for my birthday, not for Christmas. Looking back, the sheer asymmetry of it all was staggering. I folded my last wool peacoat and placed it gently into the box. As I reached for the packing tape, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. Viola. “Dinner with clients tonight. Won’t be back to eat. Patrick moved his things in today. Make sure you set up the east guest suite for him.” I stared at the screen, locked the phone, and went back to taping my boxes. By early evening, my closet and study were practically stripped bare. When I finally walked downstairs, Patrick was sitting on the living room sofa, nursing an espresso. Hearing my footsteps, he glanced up. His eyes immediately locked onto the manila envelope I had left sitting squarely on the coffee table. “What’s that?” he asked. I didn’t answer. I walked over, picked up the envelope, and sat down in the armchair directly across from him. Patrick stared at the envelope for a few heavy seconds. Suddenly, he let out a short, sharp laugh. “Divorce papers?”

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After the arts exam ended, I was cornered at the school gate by a small-time livestreaming influencer. She suddenly whipped her camera around viciously to point at me. “It’s her! Someone with zero coordination who somehow got first place in the dance exam.” “While I ended up in last place.” “You all know how hard I work—I livestream my dance practice for you before dawn even breaks.” “I wonder if she didn’t sleep her way onto an examiner’s bed to…” She wiped away her tears pitifully, instantly stirring up emotions among her so-called family. They all proceeded to cyberbully me en masse. Just as I was about to clarify. She said to the livestream with fake sincerity: “I just want everyone to give me justice, that’s all…” “I’m definitely not doing this for attention. If this turns out to be fake news, I, Lily Matthews, will apologize live on stream!” I let out a cold laugh, suddenly no longer wanting to clarify. I do indeed have poor coordination, but I didn’t even take the arts exam—my scores came entirely from my academic subjects, earned fair and square.

A few comments on the screen made her even more defensive. “You don’t even have evidence. Aren’t you just jealous of first place and maliciously slandering her?” “I’ve seen this kind of thing plenty of times—it’s just spreading sexual rumors!” Lily’s face flushed redder with anger as she pulled up a video of me dancing. “You want evidence? Go watch this! This is the evidence!” In the video, my entire body was stiff, my limbs uncoordinated, like someone with a disability. I looked at the video she’d pulled up on her phone and froze for a moment. I really did dance poorly in that video. If I had gotten first place, the arts exam might as well take my last name. But I didn’t take the exam. This was just a video my twin sister recorded after she finished her exam, insisting I try dancing. I have a twin sister. We share the same name. I never expected it to be used as evidence. I found the online comments amusing and didn’t defend myself. I even liked some comments critiquing my dancing. Seeing how unconcerned I was, Lily shoved her streaming equipment right in my face. “Family, look at her—she doesn’t feel guilty at all, she can still smile.” “If she doesn’t have someone backing her up, what else could it be?” “We’ve been classmates for three years, and I never thought she’d stab me in the back like this…” I frowned impatiently and pushed her away. Her equipment clattered to the ground. “I don’t know you. Keep this up and I’m calling the police!” She froze for a moment, her eyes full of contempt for me, then leaned close to my ear and said viciously: “Stop pretending, Sophia Smith. It won’t work!” “What I can’t stand most is rich people like you acting all high and mighty!” Seeing her like this, I understood. She had mistaken me for my twin sister. We’re both named Sophia Smith, and our faces are identical. Aside from the mole under our eyes being on different sides, there’s no difference between us. But I’m nothing like my sister—I’m not soft and easy to push around. I chuckled softly and leaned close to her ear: “What can you do about it? You’re still in last place.” Lily seemed shocked that I would say such a thing. She covered her face, picked up her streaming equipment, and burst into tears. “I just wanted to show all the arts exam students her true colors, so next time she takes an exam, don’t bother showing up—you won’t win…” “But she hit me… I really feel it’s not worth it for those of us who practice dance non-stop every day.” Watching her forcefully press handprints onto her own face and cry to the livestream viewers, I just found it noisy. Just as I was about to leave, she grabbed me tightly. “You can’t leave. Today I’m going to expose your true face… and get justice for all arts exam students!” I looked at her coldly. “I’m giving you one more chance. I don’t know you. Let go!” But she still gripped me tightly, her eyes full of provocation. I let out a cold laugh. “Don’t regret this!” During our standoff, she stirred up her family’s protective instincts. They ran straight to the school, pulled me away from her, and shielded Lily protectively. “You’re the one, aren’t you? Bullying Lily wasn’t enough, now you want to threaten her too?” “A social parasite like you should just die, along with your parents. Stop harming other people.” “Your parents are no good either, letting their child sleep with examiners. Disgusting. You should all go to hell!” Listening to the accusations around me, I clenched my fists. Lily looked at me smugly and made an unfriendly gesture. I laughed in anger and pulled out my phone to call the police. Lily’s expression changed instantly when she heard. “Who knows if real police will come? You’re probably trying to threaten me into silence!” Hearing this, her family rushed forward and knocked my phone away. They pushed me to the ground and pinned me down. But I had already called the police. The police arrived quickly, stopped this farce, and safely escorted me home. Those who had caused the disturbance were all given verbal warnings by the police. But the next day, her video accusing me by name of faking my scores went viral. She even took me to court, saying she wanted to seek justice for all arts exam students. I let out a cold laugh and retweeted the post. “See you in court in three days. I hope your last place ranking is well-deserved!”

Over the next three days, the online abuse and questioning didn’t decrease at all. Some netizens even mocked me for being stupid. Why make such a big deal of something that could be resolved privately? Did I have a grudge against my own parents? I wasn’t worried at all. I sent all the IDs spreading rumors and defaming me to my lawyer, preserving the evidence. At that moment, my parents called. “Sophia, should we tell your sister to come back and clarify things?” I refused. My sister had finally gotten into the world’s top dance academy for intensive closed training. I didn’t want her distracted at this time. My parents sighed, told me to stay safe, and hung up. Soon, the court day arrived. Outside was already packed with people, camera equipment pointed at my face like cannons. “Sophia Smith, did you really get those scores by using your body?” “Is it because your family can control everything that you’re so calm?” “Sophia Smith, do you think money can fix everything?” I raised an eyebrow, ignored everyone, and walked straight in. Everyone inside had already arrived. The gallery was full, and streaming equipment was set up everywhere. When Lily saw me arrive, she instantly put on an aggrieved expression and pretended to wipe away tears. Immediately, voices appeared sympathizing with her, and the insults toward me increased. I sat down across from her, my expression unchanged. As soon as I sat down, tears poured from her eyes. “Your Honor, I didn’t want to use public resources, but this matter really has corruption…” “Although I’m insignificant, I still want to get justice for myself and fairness for all arts exam students.” She paused, then turned to the camera with red eyes. “And thank you all for giving me the courage to speak out!” After speaking, she handed evidence to the staff, and the screen displayed that video from online. “I’ve seen her dance. Her coordination is terrible. She can’t even do basic exercises without her hands and feet fighting each other. This video is proof.” When the video ended, the judge asked me seriously: “Sophia Smith, do you admit the person in the video is you?” I didn’t hesitate: “I admit it. It’s me.” Instantly, mocking laughter filled the room. “Where was this attitude earlier? Now she’s scared.” “She’s just stubborn. Boring. I thought there’d be a plot twist.” My tone shifted. “But this video was just taken while I was fooling around, not during the arts exam. How can it prove my scores are fake?” Lily hadn’t expected me to say this. She was stunned for a moment, then retorted: “Sophia Smith, even when we dance students are fooling around, you can tell we have foundation. You’re worse than someone with zero foundation. Stop making excuses. Admitting your mistakes isn’t shameful.” I glanced at her coldly and said to the judge: “Your Honor, I don’t accept this evidence. Please have the opposing party present other evidence.” The judge indicated for her to proceed. The screen suddenly changed to show photos of me and a man entering a hotel at night. The blurry quality made it seem like the man and I were very close. The date in the bottom right corner was exactly the day before the arts exam. Lily looked at me and wiped away fake tears. “Sophia, I considered you a good friend and didn’t want to turn hostile, but you’ve gone too far.” “You entered a hotel with Professor Miller the night before, and then your score became first place. If you say this is a coincidence, I don’t believe it!” The judge looked at me: “Do you admit this?” I nodded calmly. “I just stayed at a hotel near the exam venue in advance. I don’t know this man, and besides, the quality is blurry—it doesn’t prove we were intimate.” She suddenly smiled and said: “I knew you wouldn’t admit it, so I invited Professor Miller here.” Professor Miller walked in at that moment. He saw me and froze, then pointed at me and said: “I think I’ve seen you before!”

I froze and asked back: “Are you sure it was me?” He looked at me for a long while, nodded, then shook his head. “That night I had some drinks with other teachers at a gathering. I think I ran into you outside the hotel. You seemed like you wanted to get close to me…” I rolled my eyes internally. At the time, I had just felt sympathetic, seeing him about to collapse and preparing to help him up. Gasps filled the room. “It’s confirmed—she got those scores by using her body.” “If Lily didn’t have some followers, this matter would probably have been swept under the rug.” “It’s too hard for ordinary people to speak up.” The judge spoke. “Sophia Smith, regarding Lily’s claim that you obtained high scores through improper relationships, do you admit it?” I shook my head. “No.” The gallery erupted in murmurs, all telling me to stop struggling. Lily symbolically shed two tears, her voice choking up. “Sophia, we’ve known each other for three years. I don’t want to see you go to prison. As long as you apologize, I’ll plead for you. Although you won’t be able to go to college, you can do other things, or just live off your family—you’re rich anyway. Please leave us ordinary people alone…” After listening to her finish, I slowly spoke. “But this doesn’t prove I had relations with him and made him alter my scores. Besides, the hotel has records—I stayed alone.” “Professor Miller, did I sleep with you that night and have you change my scores?” Hearing this, Professor Miller quickly waved his hands. “I would never have relations with a student. Although I drank that night and wasn’t clear-headed, I was definitely alone!” “The arts exam is scored jointly by several teachers. It’s impossible for one teacher’s score change to matter!” But everyone present showed expressions of disbelief. They thought he was trying to cover it up. Finally, he was sent back to the witness seat. Seeing this, Lily covered her face and sobbed. “Since you’re so obstinate, I can’t care about our friendship anymore.” “Emma Sweet, you tell them!” Emma Sweet walked up from the witness stand, looking at me with provocation in her eyes. I knew her. She was that friend who always resented my sister for being better than her despite coming from a poor family. She even took my sister’s kindness as malice and ostracized her, causing my usually sunny sister to become gloomy for a while. Later, after my guidance, my sister came out of it and distanced herself from this toxic friend. She addressed the judge: “I’m her best friend. I personally saw her dance terribly in dance class. Her coordination was awful—she would always step on herself and fall flat on her face.” “Even classmates asked me if she had just started learning, and told me to ask her why she was only starting so close to the arts exam—she’d never pass.” I scoffed. My sister had danced very well in class with her before. Only after becoming mentally exhausted and not wanting to attend class with Emma, but also not wanting to waste the tuition, did she have me go instead. That’s how this scene came about. The judge asked me: “Do you agree?” I nodded. “What she said is indeed me.” “But I…”

Lily immediately interrupted me, her eyes showing unconcealed malice. “But what? Are you going to say she saw you dancing casually?” “Or that she’s not your best friend? That we’re all lying to everyone?” She addressed the camera indignantly. “I don’t want to be so aggressive, but I just want fairness, to keep the arts exam the pure place it used to be.” Watching her speak so righteously, with tears and snot covering her face, I couldn’t help but laugh. Lily froze in place, so angry she pointed at me. But before she could say anything, Emma shrieked at me: “Do you think I’m lying? All the dance class students can testify—with your level, there’s no way you could be first place!” “I don’t know what you’ve been so arrogant about around me. You’re just relying on your family’s money and power, treating us like servants.” “Now we’re not indulging you anymore. Not used to it, are you?” The judge banged the table and asked: “Sophia Smith, since you’ve admitted to all the evidence Lily has presented, that’s essentially admitting everything she said is true.” “Your scores were obtained through an improper relationship. We have the right to investigate you and cancel your exam results.” The gallery laughed mockingly, all feeling sorry for Lily. “I thought she had some tricks. Lily’s score was probably switched with hers!” “Exactly. They should give Lily back her first place!” Some even threw paper balls and water bottles at me. It was chaos all around, but my smile grew wider. The judge banged the table. “Quiet!” “Sophia Smith, if you don’t have other evidence to prove your scores aren’t fake, the judgment will take effect immediately.” Just as I was about to speak, my sister’s voice came from outside. “Of course she has evidence.” “Because I’m the one who got first place in the arts exam, and she, my sister.” “Never took the arts exam at all. All her scores came from academic subjects, earned fair and square!”

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My twin sister eloped for love, and I was forced to pretend to be her and marry Matias. But I was also Matias’s secretary. So during the day, Matias wore sharp suits, all refined and restrained, scolding me with an icy face until I wanted to die. At night, he’d loosen his tie and turn wild, insatiable and filthy-mouthed, biting my neck and saying: “Kate, if it weren’t for you, I would’ve fired your sister Violet ages ago.” Me: “…Haha.” The second before my total breakdown, my twin sister Kate came home, demanding I give her back the position of Matias’s wife. At the same time, Matias told me to get lost. “You’ve been secretly seducing me all along. Don’t think I haven’t noticed! Out of respect for your sister, I’m giving you face. Resign yourself. I don’t want to see you again!” Me: “…Wow.” I scammed them both out of a fortune and made a clean getaway. Three months later, I was lying on a beach sunbathing when Kate called me crying: “Matias won’t touch me. Come back and help us have a baby, please?” “Violet, I’m begging you to help me.” I hung up and fell into deep thought. Matias, that horny bastard, went three months without sex? How hasn’t he died from pent-up frustration?

I was Matias’s secretary, but I was about to quit. Who would’ve thought that Matias, who was ice-cold and kept everyone at arm’s length during the day, turned into a horny mess in bed at night? During meetings, his slender fingers would tap lightly on the table, his expression sharp and commanding, radiating intimidating pressure. But all I could think about was how he’d worn black lace lingerie last night, curling his toes and whining sweetly: “Hurry up~” “Violet!” A colleague next to me poked me, and only then did I hear Matias calling my name. I immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, I was just…” “Spacing out during a meeting? Am I paying you all this money to sit around doing nothing?” His face was full of disgust: “Don’t you sleep at night? You look half-dead every day. And when did SKY’s secretaries start coming to work looking so disheveled?” I was confused for a moment. Following his gaze, I realized he was talking about the hickey on my neck. Even my scarf couldn’t hide it. I pressed my lips together and said softly, “I’m sorry, I…” “I don’t need explanations!” He looked at me coldly: “Violet, I hope you understand—if it weren’t for your sister, you wouldn’t even deserve to be in this position! “Keep things with your boyfriend under control. I don’t want to see this kind of indecent display again. One more time, and you’re fired!” With that, ignoring my utterly mortified expression, he slammed the documents on the table, lifted his chin, and declared sharply: “Meeting adjourned!”

I’d been scolded, and I felt ashamed, but I still couldn’t muster any energy. Last night I’d only managed three hours of sleep total. My head felt like it was about to explode. I sat at my desk in a daze, looking depressed. Near lunchtime, I wobbled downstairs and went to the company’s adjacent apartment building. I rummaged through the closet and pulled out an elegant haute couture outfit and a dazzling diamond necklace. Under the dim lighting, the yellow diamond was as rich as solidified amber. It was the set Matias had bought for his wife at an auction last month. Worth ten million dollars, it even made headline news at the time. Now it was in my hands, and I was casually tapping it against the table, playing with the sound it made. That’s right—the wife he loved to his core was me, and the secretary he scolded into wanting to die was also me. He thought we were twin sisters, but it was actually both me. The hickey he found indecent—he’d made it himself last night. Half a year ago, I’d just started working as Matias’s secretary when my parents called me home. They said Kate had eloped with her boyfriend, and now there was no one to marry into the Williams family. They wanted me to marry him, under Kate’s name. “Kate will definitely regret this later. We can’t leave her without options!” Mom cried and begged me: “Violet, you’ve been with us since you were little, but Kate stayed in the countryside—she hasn’t had your advantages. She didn’t even get into high school.” “Just think of it as paying back what you owe her. Do this for her, okay?” She threatened to kill herself. Helpless, I agreed. I’d originally thought I’d just need to be Matias’s wife in name only, like most couples—politely minding our own business, maybe even living separately. At first, that’s exactly how it was. But later, Matias turned into a sex-crazed demon, clinging to me every night. Whenever I said no, his eyes would turn red and he’d look at me pitifully, his strong thighs wrapped around my waist, asking hoarsely: “Honey, don’t you love me anymore? Do you have another man out there?” Sigh… What could I do? He was the one clinging to me, so I could only reluctantly indulge him. It was exciting at first, but later, I just wanted to castrate Matias. Especially this past month—I’d averaged only three hours of sleep per night. Severely sleep-deprived, I made mistakes at work constantly, getting chewed out every single day. This life of working during the day and “overtime” at night—I really couldn’t take it anymore. I clutched my hair and collapsed onto the bed. Before I could figure out what to do, I fell into a drowsy sleep.

An hour later, the alarm woke me up. Resentfully, I put on makeup, pinned up my hair, transferred takeout into lunch boxes, and carried them over to Matias to bring him food. He was in a video conference, his brows sharp as he listened to reports from his European subordinates. When he saw me, he beckoned me over, gesturing for me to sit on his lap. “Why so late?” He buried his head in the crook of my neck, half-acting spoiled, half-complaining: “I thought you weren’t coming today.” The computer was still playing the formal report on speaker. Even though the mic and camera were off, I still felt embarrassed. I pushed him away uncomfortably and said: “You’re still in a meeting. Don’t do this.” “What’s there to be afraid of? We’re married. It doesn’t matter if others see.” “Don’t you think it’s indecent?” He paused before catching on, his face darkening instantly: “Did Violet complain to you again?” “She’s a young woman. Being scolded by you in public would hurt her feelings too… Don’t scold her next time, okay?” Matias fell silent. After a long moment, he kissed the corner of my mouth: “I know you’re kind, but don’t you think she’s imitating you in every way?” “Huh?” Matias turned on his mic and told them to move the meeting to the afternoon, then turned back to me: “Even twins can’t be identical in behavior and preferences. “But you like pearls, so she wears pearl earrings every day; you have a lively, cheerful personality, so she bounces around at work; you have a rising inflection at the end of your sentences, and she does the same. It’s obviously calculated.” “You mean…” “She’s imitating you to seduce me.” Matias said with certainty: “I’ve seen plenty of women like her. They take advantage of your trust in them to steal your man.” “You’re just too kind, that’s why you think she’s a good person. She’s bullied you since childhood, and your parents favor her. You need to be careful.” As he spoke, his fingers caressed my waist. His tone was serious and earnest, adopting the posture of educating his naive wife, leaving me thunderstruck. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” I smiled weakly: “Violet isn’t that kind of person.” “I knew you’d say that.” Matias sighed in disappointment: “Kate, I’m the person closest to you. Why don’t you believe me, and instead trust her?” Me: “…” I was speechless. Fortunately, Matias didn’t dwell on this matter. He just lovingly kissed me and held me while we ate in that position. When I left, he pulled me in for a goodbye kiss. After I tiredly walked out of the Williams Group building and had just wiped away the sticky sensation on my lips, I received a call from Matias. He tore into me: “Are you a child? Running to Kate to tattle when you get scolded? And what about last month’s report? It’s riddled with errors. If you can’t do the job, get out! Useless!” In that instant, I couldn’t control the twisted expression on my face. The next second, another call came in. I answered furiously: “I already said I’d be right back. Can you stop rushing me—” “Violet.” A gentle, familiar voice came through: “It’s me, Kate. I’m back.”

My relationship with Kate was complicated. We were indeed twins, but we hadn’t grown up together. I’d been with our parents in New York while they ran their business; she’d stayed with our grandparents in our hometown. Our parents always felt they’d wronged her. After bringing her to New York, they doted on her excessively and made me give in to her in everything. Whenever anything happened, it was always: “You stole Kate’s affection. You owe her this!” Later, when my sister didn’t get into high school, our parents sent her to study in Europe while I stayed in the country. We weren’t very close to each other. So hearing her speak to me in such a warm, familiar tone, my first reaction was confusion: “What do you want?” “I heard from Mom about our family’s arrangement with Matias.” Hearing my impatience, she stopped with the fake politeness: “Now that I’m back, shouldn’t you return the position of Matias’s wife to me?” “Come back to steal the position! What, did that gangster boyfriend dump you?” I mocked. “Violet, don’t push your luck!” She lowered her voice angrily: “Don’t forget, the Matias’s wife that the Williams family acknowledges is only me, Kate. What right does a fake like you have to be arrogant?” She had a point. Whether it was the Johnson family claiming their married-off daughter, or the wife Matias publicly acknowledged, it was Kate. Sometimes when Matias got in the mood, he’d call me Kate sweetly in bed. Disgusting. I crossed my arms: “I can’t clean up your mess for nothing!” “What do you mean?” She asked warily. “Give me ten million, or we’ll go to Matias and hash out who’s really his wife.” I said with a beaming smile: “Ten million for the position of Matias’s wife—that’s a great deal.” Out of guilt toward her, our parents stopped giving me money after I became an adult, using all their money to support her instead. When I was working odd jobs everywhere to pay for tuition, she was living it up in Europe. I had to get back some of what I was owed. But no matter how much our parents spoiled her, they couldn’t give her the entire family fortune. Ten million—even if she could come up with it, it would cost her dearly. So she hesitated for a long time before asking cautiously: “You promise you’ll leave after taking the money?” “If you don’t trust me, forget it. I’ll go right now…” “Don’t… I’ll give it to you!” She made up her mind: “I’ll give it to you, but you have to promise never to appear in front of Matias again.” I agreed readily. After hanging up, my mood improved considerably. I removed all my makeup, put on a blouse and pencil skirt, and admired my figure in the mirror. Thinking about how Matias said I was imitating and seducing him, I was silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. I found it absurd, but I didn’t want to cause more trouble. I replaced the pearl earrings with sapphire ones, then dug a long trench coat out of the closet, covering my body’s curves completely, before heading out to work.

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The night before our engagement, Marcus had my stepsister Olivia pinned down on our wedding bed, tangled up together. He didn’t answer my calls. Only after finishing sex did he bother to text me back. “I’m having dinner with a client. My phone died earlier. What’s up?” I uploaded the surveillance footage I’d just downloaded straight to Twitter and announced the cancellation of our engagement. Marcus hadn’t noticed my Twitter post. He was too busy cuddling with Olivia in his arms for another round. Less than a minute after I posted, my notifications blew up to 99 messages. Marcus’s cousin Lester messaged excitedly: “Shit, this content is R-rated! No minors allowed!” “Sophie, did you get hacked?” “You and my brother should watch this kind of porn video under the covers, not post it publicly~” “Wait a second! Why does this guy look like my brother??” I sneered and replied: “It looks like him because it IS him. Your brother’s starring in it himself.” I didn’t bother replying to the other comments. Instead, I posted another pinned tweet: “Thank you all for your concern. My engagement to Marcus tomorrow is cancelled.” After posting that, I logged out of Twitter. My mom called me several times in a row. I didn’t answer. She was extremely satisfied with Marcus, practically wanting to announce to the whole world that I was about to marry into a wealthy family. Now that she’d suddenly seen I was calling off the engagement, she’d definitely make me delete everything. My phone kept vibrating in my palm. I simply turned it off. Out of sight, out of mind. After driving to a bar, I ordered a whiskey and waited patiently. Someone like Marcus never checked Twitter. It was normal that he hadn’t seen my messages yet. But I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone with a loose tongue would notify him. My friend asked why it took me so long to arrive. I laughed bitterly: “I was helping someone catch cheaters.” And speak of the devil—here came the cheater himself. Marcus pushed through the noisy, crowded bar toward our private room. His brows were furrowed, his expression dark. He kept pulling out his phone to make calls, like he had urgent business. And the woman who’d just been desperately entangled with him in bed was following right behind him, step for step. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and said something I couldn’t hear, tears in her eyes. Marcus looked extremely impatient. He pried her arms off and shoved her aside, turning to leave without a backward glance. The woman burst into tears, sitting on the ground crying her heart out. I hadn’t been able to see her face clearly in the surveillance footage earlier. Now, as the bar lights flashed, I finally got a good look at her. Fair skin, beautiful features, big eyes, an oval face—exactly Marcus’s type. And as it happened, I knew this person too. It was none other than Olivia, the daughter my stepmother had brought into the family. I stared at her in a daze. My friend patted my shoulder. “Sophie, is your phone dead?” The bar was too noisy for me to hear her clearly. Seeing this, she sighed and leaned closer. “Marcus is going crazy looking for you! He even called me!” She held her phone in front of me, showing an active call. The bar was blasting DJ music at that moment, making my head throb. My friend very considerately held the phone to my ear. I could faintly hear Marcus’s voice on the other end. “Sophie, it’s not what you think! Let me explain!” I snatched the phone and threw it into the ice bucket. My friend shrieked, “Sophie, my phone! Why are you dragging me into your fight!” My gaze swept over the woman who’d been crying her eyes out moments ago. I snorted coldly: “I’ll buy you a new one later.” “Men are like phones. When they don’t work right, you throw them out.”

At three in the morning, I dragged my exhausted body home. Sure enough, Marcus was waiting at my door. He crushed out his cigarette and quickly walked toward me. “Sophie, where were you? Why didn’t you answer any of my calls?” Smelling the alcohol on me, his tone turned concerned: “You’re drunk. Let me carry you inside.” I shoved away his embrace. “Don’t touch me. You’re filthy.” Marcus’s hands froze in midair. “Sophie, let me explain. It’s not what you think.” “That video must be AI-generated. I absolutely didn’t do anything to betray you!” I looked at him coldly, my face full of mockery: “Marcus, can you stop treating everyone like idiots?” “I downloaded that video from the surveillance system myself. I’m not blind. I saw everything crystal clear.” Marcus’s expression froze instantly on his face. His body went rigid, and his eyes dodged mine in panic. The alcohol hit me, and my stomach churned violently. I shoved past the man in front of me and rushed into the bathroom to throw up endlessly. Marcus followed me in. He gently patted my back, handed me tissues and water. I even accidentally threw up on him. Marcus had a cleanliness obsession. If he’d done this for me before, I would have been touched. But now, images of him and Olivia tumbling together in bed played on repeat in my mind like a movie. I just found this man utterly hypocritical. “Marcus, leave my house. I don’t want to see you anymore.” Marcus didn’t answer me. He just silently cleaned up the bathroom, then went to the kitchen to make hangover soup and placed it by my bedside. “Sophie, remember to drink the hangover soup.” “Let’s not talk about this right now. Get some rest, and we’ll talk after you’ve sobered up.” I closed my eyes to avoid looking at him and coldly spat out one word. “Get out.” I couldn’t sleep all night. And my mom showed up right on time at eight in the morning. She literally dragged me out of bed. “Sophie! You still have the nerve to sleep!” “Who gave you that video? That absolutely cannot be Marcus! Don’t let people manipulate you—they just can’t stand to see you happy!” “You called off the engagement without consulting your family. Do you know how many people are laughing at us? You’ve completely humiliated me!” I rubbed my throbbing temples and sighed: “Mom, I downloaded the video from the surveillance system in our new house myself. It can’t be faked.” “Marcus cheated. He…” My mom didn’t let me finish. She cut me off directly: “Don’t give me your lectures! Who is Marcus? When he stomps his foot, all of Los Angeles shakes! It’s completely normal for a man like that to have women throwing themselves at him! You eat his food and wear his clothes—can’t you show him some understanding? You think calling off an engagement is like playing house when you were three? Where are you going to find another man with such good conditions after leaving Marcus!” I wasn’t at all surprised to hear these words from my mom’s mouth. Her low standards for men were legendary. But I was different from her. “Mom, if you like Marcus so much, why don’t you marry him yourself? The engagement can go on as planned.” My mom’s face turned red with anger. She raised her hand to hit me. My stomach churned violently. I pushed her aside and rushed into the bathroom to hug the toilet. Behind me, my mom cursed that I was outrageous—nearly thirty years old and still getting drunk, not knowing how to take care of my body at all. Finally, the topic circled back to Marcus. “The Williams family is prestigious. Marcus is handsome and rich. If you miss him, think it through yourself!” My mom’s words, spoken word by word, made me think again of Olivia lovingly entwined with Marcus. “Look at you—this room is a complete mess. Can’t you clean up a bit? Why is there blood on the sheets?” “Look how sloppy you are. Who would want you besides Marcus! And you’re still not satisfied!” I silently closed the bathroom door, blocking out her voice. Curled into a ball, I buried my face in my arms and let my tears flow freely.

The story between Marcus and me wasn’t what outsiders saw—him chasing novelty, me chasing money. We’d been together for eight years. We got together back in high school when the school was cracking down hard on teen dating. When we celebrated our eighth anniversary, I couldn’t help asking him while cutting the cake if there’d be another anniversary to celebrate. He smiled and pinched my nose, pulling out a diamond ring and slipping it on my ring finger. “Next time we’ll celebrate our first wedding anniversary together.” “Sophie, will you marry me?” No. I regret it. I should have refused then. Marcus, you said you’d love me forever. You said I was your first love, your first kiss, and I’d be everything for the rest of your life. Then who is she to you? My mom made a huge scene at my place, trying to get me to reconcile with Marcus. But when she found I was completely unmoved, she eventually cursed at me a few times and left. I stayed home for two days with my phone off, refusing to look at any messages about him. Trying to patch up my heart that was riddled with holes. On Monday, I pulled myself together and went to work as usual. As soon as my coworkers saw me, they congratulated me and asked for wedding candy. “Sorry, my engagement is cancelled. I’ll bring you some another time.” My coworker’s smile froze on her face. “Oh, that’s okay.” “Um… are you alright?” I nodded and smiled: “I’m fine. Really good.” With that, I opened my computer and started working. During lunch break, I overheard several coworkers chatting together in the hallway. “Why did Sophie suddenly call off her engagement?” “Her boyfriend is so handsome and rich. Did he dump her?” “Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve met her boyfriend. Last time when it was snowing and the roads were so slippery, her boyfriend came to pick her up in a Porsche. When he saw Sophie wearing high heels, he got out of the car and just picked her up. They seemed so in love—how could they just break up like that?” “Then what else could it be? Did Sophie cheat?” “I told you not to spread rumors. We’ve worked with Sophie for so long—don’t you know what kind of person she is? Sharp tongue but soft heart. She’s a really good person.” I didn’t keep listening. I turned back to my workstation to continue working. Two messages popped up on my phone screen. My mom was nagging at me again. [I heard from Marcus that you blocked him?] [You’re too old for this kind of behavior. Hurry up and add him back. Apologize. Talk through whatever misunderstanding you have.] I stared at her messages in a daze. My heart was completely calm. Coming back to my senses, I clicked on my mom’s profile and put both her and Marcus on my blocklist together. After work, it started drizzling. I opened a rideshare app. It showed 120 people in the queue. I stood in front of the building, waving goodbye to my coworkers one by one until I was the only one left. I suddenly thought of Marcus. All these years, whether it was windy or rainy, he always came to pick me up. Because I depended on him, I’d stopped even carrying an umbrella. Habits really are a terrible thing. Holding my bag over my head, I took a breath and rushed into the rain. I’d barely run a few steps when someone grabbed me and pulled me under an umbrella. The moment I looked up, I met Marcus’s eyes. “Sophie, I came to take you home—” “Get lost!” I pushed away his hand and ran toward the bus stop without looking back. But Marcus persisted. He kept following behind me, desperately holding the umbrella over my head. “Sophie, be good. What if you get sick from the rain?” “Even if I die, it has nothing to do with you!” I turned around and couldn’t help hitting him several times with my bag: “Can’t you understand human language! I don’t want to see you anymore! Every word you say to me makes me sick!” “Stop bothering me! We have nothing to do with each other anymore!” “Get lost! Just get lost!” My hysterical appearance in the rain made me look like a madwoman. Turns out losing control of your emotions really does happen in an instant. I’d had a pretty good day up until then. The weekly meeting went smoothly, my boss praised me, and I’d even treated everyone to coffee. But the moment I saw Marcus, he so easily shattered all my strength. Marcus seemed nailed to the spot. He stood motionless, letting me hit him until it hurt. My bag fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up and placed it in my hands. His lips moved like he had something to say, but ultimately it was all swallowed by the rain. I flagged down a taxi and got in without looking back. In the rearview mirror, Marcus’s figure grew farther and farther away. Finally, I couldn’t see anything clearly anymore. After getting home, I took a hot bath. While I was in the kitchen making soup, I received a call from an unknown number. “You dare block me! Marcus just got in a car accident, do you know that?!” “Los Angeles Hospital, get over here now! Any later and you won’t even see him one last time!”

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To replace my husband’s car, I secretly applied for a housekeeping job. The first time I saw such a luxurious house, I got nervous and accidentally broke a cup. Just as I was feeling anxious, Kelly, the lady of the villa, let out a scornful laugh: “It’s just a cup worth over ten thousand dollars. Is that really worth getting so nervous about? Don’t worry, you don’t have to pay for it.” I got even more nervous: “Thank you, ma’am. If even a single cup in your house costs over ten thousand, you must be really rich.” Kelly smiled: “It’s not that I’m rich. It’s that my sugar daddy is rich.” She showed me: “This bracelet cost a hundred and eighty thousand. My sugar daddy bought it for me without even blinking.” I froze. I had seen this necklace before on my husband’s phone. He said that once we had money, he’d buy it for me. Looking at it more would give me motivation. I smiled enviously: “Your sugar daddy is really wealthy. My husband said he’d buy it for me too, but there’s no way he could afford it. Still, just knowing he has that intention is enough for me.” Hearing me say this, Kelly looked disapproving. “Let me tell you, women need to treat themselves better.” “Otherwise you’ll end up like my sugar daddy’s wife. My sugar daddy is a billionaire, but his wife still lives in a rental in the slums.” Looking at the photo on her phone, I froze. Wasn’t this my home?

I tightened my grip on the cleaning cloth in my hand. “But since your sugar daddy has already become a billionaire, why doesn’t he tell his wife?” Kelly blew out a puff of smoke and laughed, “Actually, I’ve asked him that too. Guess what he said?” I shook my head. “He said that a woman willing to suffer hardships with him is so rare, someone who’s devoted her whole heart to him. That kind of genuine love shouldn’t be tainted with money.” Kelly sneered, “If you ask me, my sugar daddy is just tired of that old hag at home.” “I heard that old woman has been with him since she was eighteen. To support his startup, she went out to run a street stall every day. She did that for nine years straight.” “In that kind of street stall environment, exposed to wind and sun, no matter how good-looking someone is, how attractive can they stay?” She lowered her voice: “Let me tell you, my sugar daddy actually succeeded in his business five years ago. He’s loaded!” “But to keep up the act of being poor, even when his wife was eight months pregnant, he still made her go out to the street stall.” “Once, some troublemakers showed up. His wife’s belly got hit, and she almost died along with the baby!” She clicked her tongue with a sigh: “When his wife called him from the hospital, he was still on top of me, working hard, if you know what I mean.” “I asked him if he was going to go. He said he’d told his wife he was on a business trip with his boss, so if he went, his cover would be blown.” “I heard that poor wife had it terrible. She lost the child, and her uterine wall got scraped so thin.” “Who knows if she’ll ever be able to get pregnant again in this lifetime.” I instinctively covered my stomach. My memory drifted back to that winter. That day, I went out to my street stall as usual. A bunch of thugs came to eat burgers. When it was time to pay, they claimed there was a fly in the burger and refused to pay. I got anxious and grabbed the man’s hand, asking him to pay up. I didn’t make much money from a single burger. Going out in such cold weather was just to earn a bit more. But the man got angry and shoved me away hard. The gutter on the ground was frozen over. I slipped, and my whole body fell heavily to the ground. The pain felt like my pelvis had cracked. That group of thugs ran off immediately. I called Howard many times, but couldn’t get through. Later, someone nearby called 911 for me. After getting to the hospital, I was sent straight to the emergency room. The doctor told me there was an imported medication that might save the baby and would be better for my body too. But one injection cost fifty thousand dollars, and I needed two injections total. I called Howard. This time he finally picked up. On the other end, he sounded both anxious and hesitant, but in the end said we didn’t have that much money, so maybe we should just forget it. My child was just gone like that. And because of that surgery, my body was completely ruined. A day later, Howard appeared before me. He knelt heavily in front of me, slapping himself repeatedly. He said it was all because he was useless, and swore viciously that he would make big money in the future and never let me and our child face danger again. But I never imagined that he was already very rich back then. He was just busy pretending to be poor, busy rolling in the sheets with Kelly. Howard’s message suddenly came through. “Honey, I’m accompanying my boss on a business trip today. I got an extra five hundred dollars!” “Look at the gift I bought you. You’ll definitely love this necklace.” The picture showed a silver-plated necklace. Kelly let out an excited cry: “Look, my sugar daddy bought me an emerald and diamond necklace. I checked, and it costs three million eight hundred eighty thousand!” “He also said he’s coming to see me tonight. It must be to make up for not being with me the day my mother-in-law died!”

I was stunned. “His wife’s mother passed away?” Kelly nodded. “Yeah. That old woman was apparently from a single-parent family. Her mom worked hard to raise her alone and developed all kinds of health problems.” She wrinkled her nose. “Talk about bad luck. That day was our five-year anniversary, and she just had to pick that day to die. So annoying!” “I didn’t want to let him go, but he said her mom died trying to save his parents from a fire, so he had to go.” “I managed to delay him for three hours, making him have sex with me twice before leaving.” “Thinking about it now, I’m still a bit angry!” “If you ask me, that old hag deserved to die. She just had to go check on my sugar daddy’s parents.” I suppressed the rage in my heart and said hesitantly: “She was probably worried about them and wanted to make sure they were okay.” Kelly let out a scornful laugh and rolled her eyes. “His parents usually live in a villa community with plenty of housekeepers taking care of them. Why would they need that dead old hag to check on them?” “If it weren’t for cooperating with my sugar daddy’s act, they never would have gone back to that old rundown house.” “If they hadn’t gone back, there never would have been a fire.” “So you see, that old hag just had a cheap life. She deserved to die!” I clenched my fists. “So you’re saying your sugar daddy’s parents always knew their son had become rich, but they went along with him to deceive his wife and his wife’s mother?” Kelly admired her manicure and said casually: “No matter how heartless my sugar daddy is, he couldn’t possibly let his own parents suffer, right?” “His parents didn’t want to go along with it at first. They gave my sugar daddy a harsh scolding.” “But when my sugar daddy mentioned that his wife probably couldn’t even have children anymore, they agreed.” My heart felt desolate. When I first met Howard, his father was critically ill and his mother was disabled. They were the type who got bullied by neighbors even in daily life. When my mom found out I had a boyfriend, the first time she went to meet his parents, she saw them being bullied by a group of people. Those people threw stones at them and dunked their heads in sewage for fun. My mom’s loud voice scared them off as she swung a broom at them. Later, my mom felt sorry for them and would bring groceries to visit them from time to time. My mom even paid out of her own pocket to find doctors to treat them, trying to lighten my burden. That day, my mom went to check on them as usual, but a gas leak caused a massive fire. Seeing the bad situation, my mom forced her body to carry his parents, who had already been knocked out by the smoke, outside. My mom suffered severe burns over a large area of her body, and right before getting out, a falling beam crushed her leg. That day I knelt in the hospital begging the doctor to save my mom. The doctor said skin grafts and leg surgery were both major operations that would cost a lot of money—at least three hundred thousand. That day I kept calling Howard, wanting to tell him to maybe withdraw the money from his bank account for emergency use. But the phone just wouldn’t go through. My mom was tortured to death by the pain! And he was rolling in the sheets with Kelly again? Kelly seemed to remember something and laughed. “Let me tell you, his wife kept calling while my sugar daddy and I were having the time of our lives, so I just threw the phone away.” “Later when we finally finished, my sugar daddy wanted to call his wife back. Guess who picked up? That dead old hag.” She laughed heartily. “I’m telling you, when I heard that old hag’s voice, I moaned right into the phone.” “After a brief pause on the other end, she actually got so angry she started screaming at us through the phone, cursing us for being shameless.” “That day my sugar daddy got angry for the first time and actually slapped me.” She said indignantly, “Later I heard that dead old hag died.” She lowered her voice. “But let me tell you, that old hag actually could have survived.” “But my sugar daddy was afraid his wife would find out about his affair, so… he had someone pull the old hag’s tubes.”

Furious beyond control, I slapped Kelly across the face. “You scumbags and homewreckers, go to hell!” I grabbed Kelly by the throat, wishing I could drag her down with me. “You… what’s gotten into you? Someone, get over here and pull her off me!” I was quickly restrained by the other servants. Kelly slapped me across the face again and again, beating me until my mouth was full of blood. “You crazy woman, what’s gotten into you?” Enraged, I kept trying to lunge at her even as the servants held me down. One servant tried to reason with me: “My God, do you know who you just hit?” “That’s the woman of the Aimar Group CEO!” “She has power and influence. She could crush people like us with just a finger. Stop this madness!” I let out a cold laugh. Aimar Group? When Howard said he wanted to start a business, he said the company name absolutely had to be ‘Aimar.’ Because my name is Aimar. This was the new name my mom gave me after she took me away from my father’s hellhole. Howard used to say this company was created so I could live a good life. So not only would he use my name, but all the money the company made would go to me. He said no matter what he did, everything would only be for me. But I only knew about going out to my street stall every day. I didn’t even know his company had already been established! I struggled hard to break free, shouting, “I just can’t stand these homewreckers!” Seeing I still wouldn’t back down, the servant punched me several more times. He growled in my ear in a low voice: “Who do you think you are to look down on mistresses?” “People laugh at poverty, not prostitution. If you’re so capable, make your husband rich too. Otherwise, why are you working as a housekeeper?” “Let me tell you, since you’re working as a housekeeper, keep your mouth shut. Not everyone is someone you can afford to provoke!” Kelly started calling Howard, and the call connected in a second. Kelly’s voice was pitiful and tearful. “Hello…” Hearing something was wrong, he immediately asked what happened. “What’s wrong, baby? Who doesn’t want to live anymore and dared to bully you?” Kelly glared at me hard. “It’s the newly hired housekeeper.” “I don’t know what got into her. She just jumped up and hit me!” “She hit me so hard it hurts…” The other end sounded heartbroken, constantly comforting her. “It’s okay, it’s okay, baby. I’ll be home soon. When I get back, I’ll teach her a harsh lesson for you!” Kelly seemed unsatisfied. “How is that enough? That housekeeper even dared to call me a gold digger!” The other end chuckled lightly. “She’s not wrong, though. Aren’t you a gold digger?” Kelly got angry and shouted at him: “It’s one thing for me to be insulted, but can you really bear to let your son be called a bastard as soon as he’s born?” I froze. She even had a child?

Howard seemed equally shocked. “You’re pregnant?” Kelly glanced at me smugly. “Of course. You worked so hard planting seeds, naturally I got pregnant!” She said coquettishly: “You’ve been tired of the one at home for a long time, haven’t you?” “When are you finally going to kick her out and give our mother and son proper status?” Howard coaxed, “Be good. Let’s not keep the child. Find a time to abort it, and I’ll go with you.” Kelly sounded incredulous. “Howard, you’re actually saying you want to abort our child?” “I’ve been with you for five years. Am I still not as good as your wife in your eyes?” “Let me tell you, if you don’t give our mother and son proper status, I’ll make a scene in front of your wife!” The other end went silent for a moment, then Howard’s voice rang out again. Different from before, this time his voice was frighteningly cold. “Didn’t I tell you? Don’t even think about positions you shouldn’t covet.” “What are you to compare yourself to my wife?” “Let me tell you, if you dare make a scene in front of my wife, I’ll make your life a living hell!” Kelly got scared. “I… I won’t make a scene. I’ll be good.” The other end quickly softened his tone. “Good girl. I like it when you’re obedient. Pick any bag you want. This is your reward for being good.” Kelly nodded like she’d been frightened silly. She suddenly looked at me. “But I’m still not satisfied about that housekeeper hitting me!” Howard on the other end laughed. “Didn’t she call you shameless? Then make her become a plaything for men too. That way you’ll feel better, won’t you?” Kelly’s eyes lit up. “Howard, you’re right!” “She keeps going on about how great her husband is, acting like she loves him to death.” “I want to see if she’ll still have the face to call me a mistress after she has sex with another man in front of her own husband!” I struggled frantically, trying to speak. “No, I…” But my mouth was quickly covered. Howard on the other end sounded puzzled. “Who was that talking just now? Why does the voice sound so familiar?” Kelly dismissed it with a wave. “Just that crazy woman.” She excitedly grabbed my phone. “Howard, I’ve got her phone. I’ll call her husband in a bit.” “I want her husband to hear with his own ears the sounds of her sleeping with another man. Then we’ll see who’s more shameless!” She looked at me with a mocking smile. “I’ve already had someone strip off her clothes. Howard, when will you arrive? I want to watch with you.” A chuckle came from the other end. “I’m already at the door.”

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I was born with a natural milky scent. Any baby who came near me would stop crying. The owner of the maternity care center was amazed by my talent and offered me a $50,000 salary on the spot to work there. But I refused immediately and went to Europe to study the most difficult finance program. Because in my past life, I worked as a top-tier maternity nurse for the wealthiest family in the country, taking care of their newborn daughter and granddaughter. At the baby’s full moon celebration, a woman’s underwear stained with a fragrant scent suddenly fell from the wealthy heiress’s husband’s jacket. When confronted, that damned son-in-law insisted I had tried to seduce him and failed, then planted my own underwear to frame him. I desperately tried to explain, but because the underwear carried the exact same scent as mine, the wealthy heiress had me dragged out and mauled to death by dogs. My parents came to seek justice for me, but they were chopped into pieces and fed to fish. When I opened my eyes again, I painfully rejected the $50,000 salary and went overseas, working myself to the bone to become a Chief Securities Analyst. With a million-dollar annual salary, I successfully joined an international company and was invited to attend the full moon celebration of a business partner’s great-grandson, while also evaluating their company. At the celebration, the wealthy heiress’s husband’s jacket once again dropped that same piece of underwear. Facing the wealthy patriarch’s interrogation, he calmly looked past the crowd and pointed directly at me. “She tried to seduce me and failed, so she deliberately planted her intimate clothing to frame me!” “I can swear to God that I’ve never done anything to betray Scarlett!” —

The lace underwear was stained with bodily fluids. The full cup size definitely didn’t belong to the flat-chested heiress Scarlett Harper. Meeting Scarlett’s gaze that wanted to cut me into a thousand pieces, I calmly set down my wine glass. My eyes showed none of the panic from my past life. Instead, I looked directly at the Harper family’s son-in-law, Marcus Kane, and spoke. “Mr. Kane, I went abroad to study at eighteen and only returned today after completing my studies.” “Today is the first time we’ve ever met. How could I possibly plant underwear in your jacket?” “I’m afraid you had an affair and still weren’t satisfied, so you kept your lover’s underwear in your jacket to reminisce over it from time to time!” My words were too blunt and explicit. All the guests stared at him in shock. Marcus’s face turned red as his thoughts were exposed, but he still defended himself. “Nonsense! You’re clearly one of the maternity nurses working at my house!” “From your first day on the job, you kept making eyes at me. When I ignored you, you kept trying to seduce me!” “Last night I was caught off guard when you pushed open my door and crawled into my bed, offering yourself to me.” “If I hadn’t threatened you that my wife was right outside the door and I’d call her in to fire you if you didn’t leave, you wouldn’t have given up!” Marcus’s words made Scarlett frown slightly. Ever since giving birth to the baby, she had been sleeping in a separate room from Marcus on the professional maternity team’s recommendation. Last night when she got up thirsty for water, she did hear noises when passing by Marcus’s room. Her sharp gaze immediately fell on me. Seeing that Scarlett believed his words, Marcus continued to slander me with a pretentious air. “I saw you were a woman trying to make a living as a maternity nurse, so I didn’t want to expose you.” “I never expected you to be so vicious—failing to seduce me, you went straight to framing me! What a wicked heart!” “My daughter absolutely cannot be left in the care of such a maternity nurse. She should be fired immediately!” Marcus’s words hit Scarlett’s sore spot. Scarlett immediately demanded of Nathaniel Harper, the patriarch. “Nathaniel, this maternity nurse is too sinister. I’m afraid she’s already done something harmful to the baby.” “We should bring out Shadow and interrogate her thoroughly until she confesses on her own!” Nathaniel nodded. The next second, a huge iron cage was wheeled to the center of the banquet hall. When the black cloth was removed, a hunting dog as tall as a person stared at me fixedly, letting out excited low growls. The bodyguards opened the cage, preparing to stuff me inside. The image of being torn to shreds by the vicious dog in my past life seemed to play before my eyes. I immediately spoke up. “This underwear has the smell of breast milk on it. I’m not in my lactation period, so the clothing definitely isn’t mine!”

Marcus’s face darkened immediately, and he looked panicked as he tried to throw the underwear into the nearby swimming pool to destroy it. Unfortunately, Scarlett beat him to it, taking the underwear and having it examined. After seeing the obvious stains on it, her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Her gaze swept over my unremarkable chest, then she backhanded a slap directly across Marcus’s face. “I remember everyone who’s been breastfeeding my daughter. It’s definitely not her!” “Who is that bitch?” Marcus’s face was scratched bloody by the ring on Scarlett’s hand, but he didn’t dare show even a hint of anger. He could only lock his venomous gaze on me and continue throwing dirt on me. “Who says people not in their lactation period can’t have this scent?” “I’ve heard of people with special gifts who secrete milk even when not lactating, and they carry a unique fragrance on their bodies.” “No matter how fussy a child is, they’ll stop crying when near such a person and can’t help but feel close to them.” “She’s so young yet earning a $50,000 salary as a maternity nurse at the Harper house. Maybe it’s precisely because she has this exceptional quality.” “The owner of that underwear is her!” Marcus spoke with such conviction that Scarlett demanded I undress on the spot to prove my innocence. Naturally I refused, taking out my phone to call the police. But Marcus snatched my phone and smashed it on the ground. “If you say it’s not you, just have someone verify it! Why keep avoiding it? I think you’re guilty!” I wasn’t backing down either. “I didn’t do it, so I didn’t do it! Just because of baseless slander, I have to use this humiliating method to prove myself? Well then, I say you’re impotent!” “Why don’t you take off your pants and prove it to everyone?” Marcus was left speechless, but Scarlett’s brow furrowed tightly. She told me, “Marcus would never slander someone randomly. Since you say this underwear isn’t yours, then find a way to prove it.” “Or else, go in and have a chat with Shadow.” “I believe facing Shadow’s fangs, any liar will become honest.” Scarlett was forcing me. Either strip to prove my innocence, or enter the cage to be fed to the dog. The Harper family’s bodyguards had already surrounded me. If I showed any sign of trying to escape, they would immediately swarm forward, capture me and stuff me into the dog cage, making me a wronged soul under that hunting dog’s claws. Taking a deep breath, I made my choice on the spot. I pulled out my credentials from my carry-on bag. A graduation certificate from a top German university, a doctorate degree in economics. And an employment certificate as Chief Securities Analyst for Oceanic International Corporation. But I didn’t take that one out. I didn’t want to mix business with personal matters. Showing the two certificates, I told Scarlett. “Miss Harper, I studied at university in Germany. Anyone knows how difficult it is to study there.” “I spent six years working myself to the bone to become a finance doctorate from a world-class institution, with a million-dollar annual salary.” “Do you think I would work day and night for a measly $50,000 monthly salary taking care of a crying child and constantly watching out for ill-intentioned men in my employer’s household?” That last sentence was deliberate. I wanted to tell Scarlett that I looked down on her $50,000 maternity nurse position. Only a wealthy heiress like her—born into privilege but with an underdeveloped brain—would believe the lies of a man like Marcus who constantly ran his mouth. Sure enough, Scarlett’s gaze at me softened after seeing those two certificates. No matter how stupid she was, she should understand the value of a German doctorate. Her sharp gaze fell back on Marcus, but then a woman rushed forward and slapped me three times, screaming. “Sophia Clark, have you lost your mind! Forging credentials to deceive the wealthy heiress.” “Aren’t you afraid of being exposed and dragging our whole family to hell with you!”

My cheeks swelled up from the beating. Five clear finger marks appeared on my face. Looking closely at the woman before me, I realized I didn’t recognize her at all. With a cold expression, I covered my injured cheek and warned her. “I don’t know you at all! If you don’t apologize and compensate me immediately, I’ll have my legal team sue you!” But the woman wailed dramatically. “God help me! How did I give birth to such a troublemaker!” “To deceive people, she won’t even acknowledge her own mother!” “Miss Harper, Mr. Kane, I apologize to you. I failed to raise my daughter properly.” “However you want to punish her this time, go ahead. I won’t stop you anymore, to prevent her from continuing to swindle people everywhere!” The woman’s words caused an uproar. Many people gasped. “This girl is actually a professional con artist?” “Even her own mother is saying this, it must be true!” “Thank goodness she showed up in time, or we’d all have been fooled!” Scarlett gritted her back teeth and asked me. “Is it fun to play me for a fool?” “Someone, lock her up with Shadow. I want her to have a really good time!” Seeing the triumphant expressions flash in both the woman’s and Marcus’s eyes, I immediately called out loudly. “I’m not lying! This woman isn’t my mother! I’m not called Sophia Clark either.” “My name is Madison Smith. She doesn’t even know my name, so how could she be my mom?” Only then did Scarlett notice that the graduation certificate and degree in my hands indeed had the name Madison Smith written on them. Seeing the wavering in her eyes, Marcus quickly stepped forward to cover. “How could a mother possibly mistake her own daughter?” “She is Sophia Clark!” “To deceive you, she could even forge credentials.” “It’s just a name. Who knows if she made it up randomly because she’s swindled so many people and is afraid of being held accountable!” I immediately demanded that Scarlett send someone to the police department’s identity records to verify. My name was Madison Smith, and the parents listed in my records were definitely not this woman in front of me! Scarlett called the records department skeptically and soon received confirmation. I was indeed called Madison Smith, and the woman before me was not my mother. But facing Scarlett’s sharp gaze, the woman insisted she was my biological mother. “Sweetie, I divorced your abusive, cheating father when you were three years old, all for your sake, and raised you into adulthood by myself.” “You can’t just stop acknowledging your mother because that bastard said he’d buy you a car and house if you took his surname!” “He’s lying to you! Only I truly love you!” The woman spoke with tears streaming down her face and even pulled out a paternity test proving she was indeed my biological mother. Only then did I remember that when I was young, my father did tell me that the woman living with us wasn’t my biological mother. My birth mother was a gambling addict who tried to bet me at the card table when she got desperate. My father couldn’t stand her being so despicable, so he divorced her immediately, moved overnight, and cut ties completely. Our family hadn’t kept a single photo of her all these years, no wonder I didn’t recognize her. But no one believed my explanation. Even Nathaniel, who had been silent all along, stood up and said. “Miss Smith, I want to believe you too.” “But your mother has been working at the Harper house for twenty years. I trust her character.” “I absolutely won’t allow a woman who tries to destroy my daughter’s marriage and lies constantly to continue living in this world.” With a wave of his hand, Nathaniel signaled the bodyguards to stuff me into the dog cage. My gaze fell on Scarlett nearby, who had breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly thinking of something, I quickly grabbed Nathaniel’s pant leg. “Mr. Harper, I know who the woman having an affair with your son-in-law is! It’s her!”

Everyone looked in the direction I was pointing. Seeing that I was pointing at Scarlett herself, they all thought I’d lost my mind. Even Scarlett was amused by my accusation. “Madison, do you know what you’re saying?” “I’m Marcus’s wife! Me having an affair with him? Does that even make sense?” Nathaniel also looked at me with utter disgust. “If I’d known you were such a stupid con artist, I should have let Shadow tear you apart before you even spoke your first word!” “Take her to the beast arena. Notify the fireworks crew to postpone tonight’s fireworks display. I, Mr. Harper, invite everyone to watch a show of human versus beast combat!” Nathaniel spoke cruelly, and I was dragged toward the beast arena by the bodyguards. I struggled desperately to explain, but they found me too noisy and gagged me. Just as I was about to be taken out of the banquet hall, a business card fell from my shirt pocket with a soft sound. The bodyguards looked closely, and the next second their faces went white with fear. Trembling, they handed the card to Nathaniel. I also straightened my clothing and told Nathaniel. “To be honest, my real identity is Chief Securities Analyst for Oceanic International Corporation.” “I came to this family banquet today to evaluate whether the Harper family qualifies for Oceanic International’s first investment opportunity domestically…” “Ha ha ha!” Before I could finish, Marcus was laughing so hard tears came out. He clutched his stomach, pointing at me. “Madison, though your con is clumsy, I really admire your imagination.” “First a high-achieving overseas student, now Chief Securities Analyst for Oceanic International.” “Oceanic International is the world’s largest financial company. Even a janitor there makes more in a month than you do in a year!” “You’re just a nanny who wipes shit and piss. Stop putting gold on your face! Just go perform in the beast show!” Scarlett’s face also wore mockery as she casually tore up the business card and tossed it in the air. “I’ve seen this kind of trick plenty of times. You can’t fool people just by randomly printing some business cards.” “Your mouth is too stubborn. Shadow alone might not be enough to handle you.” “Nathaniel, didn’t you just buy me a few lions and tigers from Africa as gifts? Why not release them today and let everyone see?” Nathaniel’s gaze fell on the gold-embossed business card on the ground. The special watermark shone in the Smithlight so brightly he could barely open his eyes. But he still nodded, signaling his subordinates to throw me into the beast arena with the predators. Lions and tigers that had been starved for days immediately stood up, roaring excitedly at me through the bars. Marcus grabbed my hair, forcing me to make eye contact with the beasts. He didn’t forget to lower his voice by my ear, speaking in a volume only the two of us could hear. “Madison, you’re very clever. You almost got close to the truth.” “What a pity—you had bad luck. Just be good and let the beasts tear you apart, and no one will discover my secret.” He laughed arrogantly, raising his hand to signal the bodyguards to lift the bars. I watched helplessly as the bars were slowly raised. Death was only one step away from me. Just as the entire barrier was about to be opened, a hearty laugh suddenly rang out from outside the door. “Mr. Harper, congratulations on your great-grandson!” Seeing that it was the U.S. representative from Germany’s Oceanic Corporation, Nathaniel’s eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically invited the man to sit and watch the beast show. But when the man’s gaze fell on my disheveled appearance in the beast arena, his expression changed dramatically. He rushed into the arena regardless of everything, shielding me with his body.

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On May Day, my cousin had a wedding. I specifically turned down several major clients. I cleared out the top-floor banquet hall of our family’s five-star hotel to host her wedding reception for free. Who knew that during the toasting ceremony, her mother-in-law would die from suffocation after suffering an asthma attack without her medication. My cousin’s family immediately spread rumors that our hotel’s wild mushroom soup contained poisonous mushrooms. They claimed the old lady ate them, had hallucinations, and then fell ill, demanding we pay them a million dollars in compensation. The incident made it to the top of the local trending topics, and the hotel was shut down by the authorities. After my family of three went bankrupt and ended up homeless, we were hit and killed by a car. Those relatives who had been drinking wine worth tens of thousands of dollars per bottle at the wedding banquet even cursed me in the comments, saying I deserved to die. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to one week before May Day. My parents were discussing: “Lily, your cousin suddenly decided to get married on May Day. It’s hard to book a venue. Should we reserve a few private rooms for her at our hotel?” I put down the ledger. “No need. Don’t even reserve a single table.” My parents froze. “But everywhere is fully booked for May Day, and her in-laws are so stingy…” I let out a cold laugh. “What the hell does that have to do with me!”

I touched my frantically beating heart. The excruciating pain of being crushed by that truck in my previous life still lingered in my mind. Looking at my parents standing before me, completely unharmed, my eyes welled up. But I quickly calmed down. The bitter lessons of my previous life taught me that showing kindness to these bloodsucking relatives was asking for death. I grabbed the desk phone and called my assistant in. “Contact Mr. Lee immediately, the one who wanted to book our May Day slot.” “Tell him the panoramic banquet hall on the top floor is available for his business association event.” “Increase the price by ten percent from the original quote. The deposit must be paid in full today, or no deal.” My assistant looked somewhat surprised but moved quickly, immediately going to return the call. In less than half an hour, an urgently printed high-priced contract was placed on my office desk. I stared at the five million dollar deposit that had just arrived in the account and finally relaxed. I filled up all the hotel’s available slots during the May Day period. In this life, my cousin could forget about freeloading at our hotel. At two in the afternoon, someone kicked open my office door. My aunt Martha swaggered in with my cousin Shannon. Martha didn’t even knock, plopping her butt down on my leather sofa. She grabbed the imported cherries from the fruit plate and shoved them in her mouth. “Lily, your cousin is getting married on May Day. Have someone go change the carpet in the top-floor hall right away.” “That color is too dark, not festive enough. Change it to bright red.” Shannon, wearing high heels, walked to my desk and rolled her eyes. “Lily, that French menu of yours is too plain. It won’t impress anyone.” “My in-laws care about appearances. You must add Australian lobster to the menu.” “Oh, and wild mushroom soup – that dish looks high-class. Every table must have one.” “You can cover the price difference yourself. After all, you run such a big hotel, this small amount won’t matter to you.” Hearing this entitled tone, I almost laughed from anger. In my previous life, she used these exact words to get a million-dollar wedding banquet for free. I leaned back in my chair, watching this mother-daughter duo perform with cold eyes. Martha spat out a cherry pit and urged impatiently: “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf? Hurry up and call the kitchen to prepare the ingredients!” I pulled open my drawer, took out the newly signed contract, and slapped it hard in their faces. “No need to call.” “All the banquet halls have been booked.” “During May Day, our hotel is fully booked. We can’t even spare a spot in the employee cafeteria.” “Find someone else.” Shannon froze for a moment, picked up the contract, glanced at the numbers, and her face instantly turned extremely ugly. “Lily, what do you mean? You know I’m getting married!” Martha threw a tantrum on the spot, slapping the desk. Cherries rolled all over the floor. “You’re obsessed with money, aren’t you!” “For a few stinking dollars, you don’t even care about your cousin’s lifelong event?” “I’m your aunt! Is this how your family treats relatives?” Shannon’s eyes turned red. She squeezed out a few tears and started playing pitiful. “Lily, my life is so hard. My in-laws are poor and can’t afford a wedding.” “I was counting on hosting a grand wedding at our family hotel to collect more gifts and save face.” “If you don’t help me, how can I get my investment back?” I stared into her eyes and mercilessly exposed her. “How is your in-laws being broke any of my business?” “Are you going to split the gifts you receive with us?” “If you want a luxury wedding, pay for it yourself. Coming here to freeload – do you think I run a charity?” Shannon’s expression changed drastically. Her previously righteous gaze suddenly became flustered and evasive, and even her crying stopped. I keenly caught this detail. In my previous life, I found it strange – why would this family of extreme cheapskates insist on putting up a false front for an extravagant wedding? It seemed there was something going on here that I didn’t know about.

Seeing I was unmoved, Martha decided to go all in. She threw herself on the floor, kicking and screaming like a toddler having a meltdown. “This is outrageous! Rich people bullying poor relatives!” The commotion drew the attention of employees in the hallway. My parents happened to walk by after inspecting the guest rooms and were shocked by the scene. Seeing my parents, Martha immediately crawled over and grabbed my father’s leg. “Richard! You can’t forget your roots!” “Thirty years ago when you were dirt poor, I lent you two hundred dollars to buy rice.” ” I did you a small favor back then, and now you should repay me tenfold.! Now you run a five-star hotel and won’t even arrange a wedding venue for Shannon!” “You’re trying to kill us mother and daughter!” My father was soft-hearted and couldn’t stand hearing about these old debts. He looked troubled, glancing at my mother, then at me. “Lily, how about… we clear out the employee cafeteria on the first floor and set it up simply for Shannon’s wedding?” My mother Emily chimed in: “Yeah, they’re family after all. It’s not good to make things too ugly.” The horrifying scene of being crushed to death in my previous life flashed crazily through my mind. I felt a surge of rage shoot straight to the top of my head. I slammed the desk and pointed at the door, roaring. “Absolutely not!” “The banquet halls have all been rented to major clients. The first floor is also an auxiliary exhibition hall for their business association.” “The five million dollar deposit is already in the account!” “Breaking a contract with a billionaire client means we can’t survive in this industry!” “Whoever dares agree to clear the venue can pay the five million dollar penalty fee themselves!” My parents immediately shut up when they heard “five million dollars.” Shannon was so frightened by my murderous aura that she took two steps back. But she still wasn’t willing to give up, pointing at my nose and cursing. “Lily, you’re a cold-blooded monster!” “You’re such a vicious woman, you’ll never get married in your life!” I looked at her flustered, exasperated expression and sneered back. “Whether I get married or not is none of your business.” “But you, requesting time off for May Day and rushing into a wedding.” “Is there something unspeakable in your belly, and you’re desperately looking for an honest man to be your cleanup crew?” Shannon jumped up. “Bullshit! How dare you slander me!” She raised her hand and rushed at me to slap me. I was prepared, dodged to the side, and delivered a crisp slap in return. The sharp crack echoed as Shannon was sent staggering and fell to the ground. Half her face instantly swelled up red. Martha shrieked and lunged at me to pull my hair. “You little bitch, how dare you hit my daughter!” I coldly pressed the intercom on my desk. In less than ten seconds, four burly security guards rushed into the office. “Throw these two troublemakers out. If you ever let them into the hotel again, the security captain is fired immediately!” The guards immediately took action, dragging the shrieking mother-daughter duo and throwing them out of the hotel entrance. That evening, I stayed late to check the storage room. While inspecting the fire escape in the back alley of the hotel, I smelled cheap perfume. Then I saw a familiar figure – Shannon. What was she doing at the hotel so late? I lightened my footsteps and pressed against the wall corner. In the dark corner, Shannon was covering her swollen face while making a phone call, her voice trembling. I quietly turned on my phone and started recording. After listening to Shannon’s phone call, my whole body trembled. I finally understood the truth behind being scammed to death in my previous life. The poisonous mushroom scam in my previous life wasn’t an accident at all. What a vicious scheme. In my previous life, you stepped on my entire family to get ahead. Since that’s the case, in this life I’ll not only cut off your money path but personally send you to hell.

Early the next morning, my phone was bombarded with messages. The family group chat had exploded. Martha had posted a thousand-word essay in the group, tearfully accusing us. She denounced our family for being heartless after making money, refusing to acknowledge poor relatives. She said I beat my own aunt and cousin black and blue and threw them out the door, ruining my cousin’s marriage prospects. Several distant relatives who usually liked to freeload and didn’t know the truth immediately jumped out to take sides. George, a distant relative: “So what if you’re rich? You’ve lost all humanity!” Helen, another relative: “Lily has been heartless since she was little. She won’t even help relatives. When the hotel goes bankrupt, let’s see who goes to eat there!” Some even threatened to unite the whole family to boycott our hotel. Shannon also put on quite a show on social media. She posted: “Maybe I don’t deserve a perfect wedding. I’ve prepared everything, just missing a stage.” The accompanying image was an obviously filtered and blurred photo of her wrist with red marks, a fake suicide attempt photo. My father sat on the sofa, looking at the screen full of curses. His blood pressure nearly spiked as his hands trembled. “What… what is all this! We’ve offended all our relatives!” He anxiously typed on the screen, wanting to apologize and clarify in the group. He even planned to pay out of his own pocket to book a few tables for them at another hotel. I sneered and walked over, pressing down on my father’s hand and taking away his phone. “Dad, showing kindness to these bloodsuckers will only make them bite harder.” I took out my own phone, opened the financial software, and directly exported a statement. This was a receipt three meters long. I threw it directly into the family group chat. The statement clearly recorded every detail of Martha’s family’s consumption at our hotel over the past five years. Including but not limited to: eating for free, taking things for free, forcibly taking gifts. Down to the plate of peanuts she took last Thanksgiving, all with surveillance footage to match. The last line was marked in large red letters with the total amount: one hundred twenty-five thousand four hundred dollars. I directly @ Martha in the group. “Since Aunt Martha keeps saying we want to cut ties, then settle this account first.” “We’re family after all, so I’ll round down. One hundred twenty thousand, not a cent less.” “As long as you settle this one hundred twenty thousand, I’ll immediately pay out of my own pocket to host a wedding for you at the highest standard.” The distant relatives like George and Helen, who had just been wildly attacking, all played dead. These relatives had all freeloaded food and drinks at our place to some extent. They were afraid the fire would spread to them. After a minute, Martha sent a furious voice message in the group. “Lily, you’re full of shit. You forged the statement. You’re crazy for money and extorting your elders.” I had anticipated she would deny the debt. Calmly, I opened my photo album. I posted a surveillance video screenshot to the group. In the footage was last month when she brought people to dine and dash. After eating, not only did she not pay, but she also sneaked into the bar. When the cashier went to the bathroom, she directly shoved a box of cigars into her pants and took them. The video was extremely clear, even capturing the greedy expression on her face. I sent a voice message: “Martha, theft of property worth over five thousand dollars is prosecutable.” “Do you want me to call the police to arrest you, or will you pay back the money immediately?” Public opinion instantly reversed. Although the relatives didn’t dare speak up, soon several younger family members posted screens full of mocking emojis below. Shannon also quietly deleted that wrist-cutting post from social media. The mother-daughter duo became the laughingstock of the entire family. I knew that ever since I overheard Shannon’s phone call and learned that secret, given her viciousness, she would never let this go.

As I expected, after Shannon’s online narrative backfired, unable to gain relatives’ sympathy, she was planning another big move. Three days later at noon, Shannon brought her mother-in-law Edith, who suffered from severe asthma, and swaggered into our hotel lobby, ordering a table of the cheapest dishes. I figured this wasn’t just a simple meal, so I quietly sent a message to my friend who was deputy director of the emergency department at a major hospital, asking him to drive over immediately. At the same time, I called the security captain to my office. “Prepare two of the most concealed hidden cameras for me. Follow and film those customers comprehensively with no blind spots. Don’t miss a single fly.” Sure enough, after they quickly finished eating, they walked straight to the center of the hotel’s revolving door. Edith plopped down on the ground and started wailing. “There’s no justice. A five-star black-hearted shop bullying honest people.” “There were bugs in the food and they won’t refund the money, and they even hit an old woman.” “They promised to host a wedding banquet here before, now they suddenly broke the contract.” ” If you don’t agree to host my daughter-in-law’s wedding today, I’ll throw myself against this wall and make sure you get sued and let you lose all your business.” It was peak lunch hour, and more and more diners and passersby gathered to watch. Shannon took the opportunity to crouch down next to Edith, pretending to comfort her, while secretly slipping a small white medicine bottle to her mother-in-law. Edith immediately threw one pill into her mouth. At first, the old woman was still throwing a tantrum on the ground, and the onlookers were pointing and watching the excitement. But in less than a minute, after wailing twice, she suddenly convulsed violently all over and collapsed on the ground. Edith’s eyes rolled back, clutching her chest tightly. A wheezing sound came from her throat. She looked like she was dying from an acute asthma attack. Martha, who had been hiding outside the crowd, immediately rushed in, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Murder. A black-hearted five-star hotel drove my in-law’s mother to death.” “Everyone look. This restaurant has poisonous food.” This sudden turn of events attracted a large number of internet celebrities who had been camping nearby, all holding up their phones and starting live streams. Shannon, with red-rimmed eyes and the appearance of a wronged, filial daughter-in-law, pointed at my nose and cursed. “Lily. My mother-in-law just ate at your hotel, and now she’s dying.” “If someone dies today, your hotel is fully responsible. Compensate us. If you don’t pay several hundred thousand, this isn’t over.” I quickly calmed down. I arranged for security to maintain order while having my emergency department friend rush forward with a first aid kit. At the same time, I dialed 911 to report. I led the doctor through the crowd. “Everyone move. This is a deputy director physician from the emergency department. Let her perform first aid.” Seeing the doctor arrive, Shannon’s eyes instantly panicked, and she reached out to block. “We don’t need your fake kindness. Don’t touch my mother-in-law.” I was quick-eyed and quick-handed, fiercely grabbing Shannon’s wrist. With my other hand, I pulled out the white medicine bottle from Edith’s pocket. Shannon was shocked and wanted to scream and snatch it. But I had already quickly handed it to security to take to the hospital for drug testing. Just then, the piercing sound of police sirens roared in.

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I joked with my husband Damian about having an affair. Who would’ve thought he’d let out a long sigh of relief when he heard the news? “Emma, that’s great. Actually, I’ve been keeping something from you for a long time too.” His face bore a relieved smile that made my heart sink. “Since you’ve cheated, let’s break up. Your best friend Chloe is pregnant, and the baby’s mine. She’s been living in the apartment right below us. Every time I said I was working late, I was actually taking her to prenatal checkups.” “I’ve always felt guilty about this, but now that you’ve cheated too, I don’t feel bad anymore. This house goes to me—consider it compensation for your affair.” That night, he even told me outright he was going to sleep with Chloe. Watching him rush to leave, I laughed coldly. Want a divorce? There was no way I’d let him off that easily. A month later, Damian knelt before me with red-rimmed eyes. “Emma, I’m begging you, divorce me already!” “What’s with that look?” When Damian saw I wasn’t saying anything, his smile became even more unbridled. “We’re both adults. Since you found some other guy first, leaving me this house as compensation isn’t too much to ask, right?” He straightened his collar, his tone full of calculating entitlement. “Besides, you’re usually so dull and boring, and you just lie there like a dead fish in bed. Chloe is so much better than you—understanding, gentle, and adventurous. Not emotionally clueless like you.” Listening to his shameless remarks, I felt my stomach churning, disgusted to the point of nausea. “When did you two start sleeping together?” I forced my voice steady, staring at him intently. He shrugged carelessly and answered without hesitation. “About two years ago, right when your dad died.” Two years ago. Those three words crashed down on me, freezing every drop of blood in my veins in that instant. Back then, my dad had died suddenly from a heart attack. I’d completely broken down, unable to eat anything. I cried myself senseless every day. I thought Damian was leaving early and coming home late to support our family for me. Turns out, while I was drowning in grief, he was tumbling in bed with my best friend! “You had that miserable look on your face all the time back then—it was so depressing. I couldn’t stand seeing you like that.” “Chloe saw how stressed I was and invited me downstairs to comfort me. We ended up having sex.” He made his affair sound so noble, as if he were the one who’d suffered the greatest injustice. Looking at this man I’d shared a bed with for five years, I felt he was terrifyingly unfamiliar. He didn’t care whether I lived or died. He turned toward the door and changed his shoes. He couldn’t wait to go downstairs to his gentle haven—he didn’t want to stay even one more second. With his hand on the doorknob, he suddenly stopped and looked back at me. “Oh, remember to make some chicken soup for Chloe tomorrow.” “She’s been having severe morning sickness lately and can’t keep anything down. She’s lost so much weight.” “That chicken soup you made when I was in the hospital last time tasted pretty good. Chloe would definitely love it.” Hearing this, the fury in my chest exploded. Last time he was sick? That was a year ago when he’d gotten into a serious car accident, broke two ribs, and nearly died. When I got the call from the hospital, I was terrified out of my mind. I rushed to his bedside and took care of him day and night without rest. To make him chicken soup to help his recovery, I didn’t wear gloves while handling almonds, and my hands had an allergic reaction and swelled up red. Enduring the piercing itching and pain, I’d simmered the soup for four whole hours and fed it to him spoonful by spoonful. “That car accident—was that also because you were going to see her?” I forced my voice to stay calm. He paused for a moment, then waved his hand irritably, looking completely impatient. “Oh come on, that’s all in the past. Why bring it up now!” “Chloe said she wanted some macarons from that shop on the west side of town. I was rushing to see her and drove too fast, so I crashed into the guardrail.” “Anyway, now that we’ve laid everything out, we can each live our own lives. I wish you and your new lover a long and happy life together too.” He revealed the truth so casually, completely shattering the last shred of marital affection I had for him. So that accident that nearly killed him was also to please his little mistress. The scars my hands still bore from tearing them raw for his sake now seemed like the biggest joke in the world! I stood there in despair, too exhausted even to question him further. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to bark orders at me. “Pack up my stuff from the study tomorrow.” “From now on I’ll live downstairs. I’m not coming back—don’t want to disturb you and your boy toy.” “I’ll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers and send them to you. Sign them as soon as possible.” BANG—the security door slammed shut heavily. The empty living room held only me. I walked to the window and looked at the lights coming on downstairs, unable to hold back a cold laugh. Did he think one flippant sentence could erase two years of betrayal and deception? Did he think taking my house would let him live happily ever after with his mistress without a guilty conscience? Dream on. Divorce? That would be letting this pair of cheaters off too easily. Since he was so convinced I’d cheated, I’d make that joke come true. I would make them pay a much more painful price. I’d personally smash to pieces the love they were so proud of and the happiness they’d built together.

The next morning, the door was pushed open. Damian came back to move his things, looking smug and pleased with himself. I sat on the sofa, my eyes red-rimmed. “Are you really leaving?” My voice was hoarse as tears fell perfectly onto the back of my hand. “These five years, my whole heart has been with you. How am I supposed to live after this?” He paused in his movements, his face showing undisguised mockery. “Enough with the act. Don’t you already have some other guy?” He tugged at his tie. “We were married—you don’t need to make it seem like I’m forcing you.” I covered my face, sobbing uncontrollably. “I was just saying that to make you angry! There’s no one else! I just wanted you to spend more time with me…” I cried as if my heart was breaking. “You’re taking the house—where am I supposed to live? I don’t even have basic security. Are you trying to drive me to my death?” Hearing that I hadn’t actually cheated, he froze first, then couldn’t hide the smug satisfaction on his face. So he had such great appeal that I couldn’t live without him. “Ah, why put yourself through this?” He sighed, putting on a magnanimous air. “Chloe is kind-hearted and doesn’t want to see you homeless. How about this—I’ll transfer the three hundred thousand in savings to you. Consider it your living expenses for the future.” To prove to Chloe that he could handle me properly, and to show off his wealth, he immediately took out his phone and transferred the money to my account. Seeing the deposit notification, I kept my head down, desperately suppressing the smile at the corner of my mouth. The moment he moved his luggage downstairs, I immediately dropped the pitiful act. Wiping away my tears, I opened the computer and logged into his cloud account that he’d never signed out of. For five years, he’d been so convinced of my cluelessness that he hadn’t even changed his password. Those disgusting chat records, call logs, and Chloe’s prenatal examination reports—I saved them all. That afternoon, I printed out these photos and chat records and sent them all to Chloe’s parents back in her hometown—retired teachers who valued their reputation more than their lives. The next day, fierce arguments erupted from downstairs. Chloe’s parents had taken the overnight train and come straight over, breaking down their door. “You shameless bastard! We paid for your education, and you became a mistress for a married man!” The sound of slaps accompanied Chloe’s screams. Her father was shaking with rage, cursing viciously. “And pregnant out of wedlock? You’ve disgraced the entire family! If you don’t abort that bastard today, I’m disowning you as my daughter!” Damian rushed over to protect Chloe, only to have Chloe’s mother scratch his face bloody. “Who the hell do you think you are! Tricking my daughter into having your baby? If you don’t give us a clear explanation today and fifty thousand dollars in compensation, I’ll ruin your reputation!” Downstairs had turned into complete chaos while I leisurely sipped a glass of red wine upstairs. Damian must be frantic right now, desperate for money to shut the old couple up. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come up with a single cent now. Yesterday, I’d already taken his card to the most upscale mall in the city center. After such a huge shock, I deserved to buy some supplements to take care of my health, right? Truffle oil,caviar, limited edition handbags—I swiped without mercy. When the card ran out of money, I pulled out his credit card. The credit limit of several hundred thousand—I maxed it out in one morning. My phone kept getting notifications about exceeding the spending limit. I blocked his number. Right now, he was being pressured by Chloe’s parents to produce money, yet he couldn’t even scrape together next month’s rent for Chloe.

Just as I was contemplating my next move, the next morning, there was suddenly a knock at the door. “Open up! You little bitch, get out here right now!” As soon as I opened the door, my mother-in-law barged in aggressively. “My son just found someone else who can actually bear children, and you’re making a fuss about it?” “You’re a useless woman who can’t even have children, can’t even keep your man’s heart, and you still have the nerve to spend our family’s money?” Spittle flew from her mouth as she spoke, as if she wanted to tear me apart. “Hand over the property deed right now! This house needs to go to the child in Chloe’s belly!” “You jinx, hurry up and divorce him with nothing. Stop taking up space!” She rummaged wildly through the house. When she couldn’t find the property deed, she furiously lunged at me. I sidestepped, and she missed, tumbling awkwardly onto the sofa. “The property deed has my name on it. It’s my premarital property. If you want to steal it by force, I’ll call the police right now.” I looked at her coldly. My mother-in-law’s eyes went wide as she pointed at my nose, jumping with rage. “Bullshit! My son pays so much for the mortgage every month—how can it be your premarital property? You’re even scheming to take our family’s money!” “Mortgage?” I laughed coldly. “You must be senile. My dad bought this house in full for me. Your son never paid a cent of the down payment—where’s this mortgage you’re talking about?” My mother-in-law was rendered speechless, so she simply plopped down on the floor. “I can’t go on living! Evil daughter-in-law bullying her mother-in-law! Bullying us helpless women!” Too lazy to deal with her, I called building security directly and had her removed for trespassing. Then I opened the building residents’ group chat. “Everyone, please help me judge this situation. I’m pregnant, but not only does my husband refuse to acknowledge it, he’s also been sleeping with my best friend who lives in the apartment below me.” “The woman in the photos is Chloe from Unit 102 in Building 3. Not only is she pregnant with my husband’s child, but now the mistress’s parents and my mother-in-law come to my door every day forcing me to divorce and trying to steal my house. I really can’t go on living…” As soon as the message went out, the group chat exploded. The aunties and uncles in the group hated this kind of moral depravity the most. “That woman usually looks so innocent, but she’s actually a homewrecking mistress!” “So shameless! Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their own burrow, but she’s stealing her best friend’s husband!” “These morally bankrupt cheaters deserve to die!” The combat effectiveness of these aunties was legendary. In less than half a day, Chloe’s reputation had spread throughout the entire complex. Whenever she went out, the uncles and aunties would point and gossip, and some even splashed dirty water and threw rotten vegetables at her door. She was so scared she kept her door locked tight, not even daring to go downstairs to throw out the trash. This was just the appetizer I’d prepared for her. My husband proposed to Chloe to appease her. But Chloe’s parents weren’t buying it at all. They laid it out straight. “Want to marry our daughter? Get divorced first! Then give our daughter fifty thousand dollars and transfer the house into Chloe’s name! Miss even one thing, and you can forget about marrying her!” Damian was cornered with no way out, so he could only pin his hopes on work. Unfortunately, I’d already blocked this last escape route for him too. I’d sent all his dirty laundry to his company’s client group chat long ago. His boss was furious and immediately removed him from the important partnership project he’d been working on for six months. Colleagues who used to be polite to him now took detours to avoid him, afraid of being contaminated by association. In just one week, he’d been tortured beyond recognition. That evening, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Damian with heavy dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair, and a haggard face. With a thud, his knees buckled and he dropped heavily to his knees before me. His eyes were red-rimmed, his voice thick with tears. “Emma, I’m begging you, divorce me already!” “I don’t want anything anymore—the house is yours, the money is yours. Please just let me go, okay?” Looking at his pathetic state, I felt not a ripple of emotion in my heart. “Divorce?” I looked down at him from above, laughing coldly. “What’s the rush? The game is just getting started.” I was calculating my last trump card—it would be enough to let him taste true despair.

He jerked his head up, his face full of shock. “Didn’t you cheat? Didn’t you desperately want to get rid of me?” “I was just messing with you—it was a joke. Did you actually believe it?” I laughed lightly. “This house was left to me by my dad. Why should I move out? I’m going to drag this out with you.” Damian collapsed to the floor, his face ashen. “If you won’t divorce me, Chloe’s parents will kill me!” He grabbed his hair, shouting in complete breakdown. “That’s your problem, nothing to do with me.” I kicked him aside and shut the door. The next day, I timed it perfectly and went downstairs. Chloe was sneaking out wearing a mask to throw away trash. Once glamorous, she now had greasy hair and a sallow complexion. Seeing me, she turned to run as if she’d seen a ghost. “What are you running from? Afraid I’ll eat you?” She watched me warily. “What else do you want? Damian doesn’t want you anymore!” I scoffed and leaned close to her ear. “He doesn’t want me? Last night he was on his knees begging for my forgiveness.” Chloe’s eyes went wide. “You’re lying! He said today he’d divorce you!” “Divorce? He hasn’t even drafted the agreement.” “He personally promised me this house will always be mine, to support me in my old age.” “As for you, his exact words were: Chloe is just a breeding tool. Once she gives birth, he’ll give her some money and send her away.” “You’re lying! Damian isn’t that kind of person!” Chloe was shaking with rage, her nails digging deep into her palms. “Don’t believe me? Then go ask him why he still refuses to go to the courthouse with me.” I glanced contemptuously at her belly and turned to leave. Back upstairs, I took out my phone. It contained dozens of chat screenshots. Recently, to recover his performance metrics, Damian had been frantically flattering a “wealthy female client.” He had no idea this generous woman was someone I’d hired. In the chat records, Damian was extremely obsequious. “Baby, I’m so sick of those two crazy women at home.” “Some bitch got pregnant and uses that lump of flesh in her belly to pressure me for fifty thousand and marriage every day. She should take a good look at herself in the mirror—as if she’s worthy.” “You’re so much better—understanding and considerate. Once I get rid of them both, I’ll come keep you company.” I packaged these screenshots and sent them directly to Chloe’s SnapChat. Calculating the time, my mother-in-law should be downstairs serving her right about now. Sure enough, in less than three seconds, ear-splitting screams erupted from downstairs. “Damian! Get back here right now!” The downstairs door wasn’t closed properly, and the arguing came through clearly. “What are you yelling about! What if something happens to the baby in your belly? Hurry up and take your medicine. Your main task right now is to give me a child!” “Give birth for your ass!” Chloe completely lost it, accompanied by the crisp sound of a water glass shattering. “Damian is garbage! A scumbag juggling three boats!” “He lied and said he’d transfer the house to me, but behind my back he told his wife I’m a breeding tool!” “Now he’s out there seducing some old woman! Absolutely disgusting!” Immediately after, urgent footsteps echoed in the hallway. Damian came running back out of breath. “Chloe, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?” “You still have the nerve to ask!” Chloe shrieked. “Look at your phone yourself!” Damian clearly saw those screenshots, his voice instantly panicking. “Chloe, let me explain! That was all to close a business deal! That woman is a client!” “A client? Does doing business require you to call me a crazy woman who’s forcing you into marriage?” “You’re a complete liar! You want to get something for nothing—make me have your baby for free!” My mother-in-law heard this and wasn’t having it. “What do you mean for free? Bitch, you’re lucky to marry my son!” “Hurry up and drink this medicine! If you hurt my grandson, I won’t forgive you!” “I’ll make your whole family unable to have descendants!” Chloe screamed hysterically. “I’m going to abort this bastard right now! None of you will get a single cent!” “You dare!” My mother-in-law shrieked. Then came violent shoving sounds, followed by Chloe’s painful screams.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “390955”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

At the Dubois Pack’s moonlight ball, I was a temporary server pouring drinks for the wolves. I had told my six-year-old daughter Lily to stay put in the kitchen and wait for me, but she snuck out and came to my side. Along the way, she accidentally bumped into a drunk wolf. The wolf spilled his entire drink on me and started cursing me out. My ex-husband, Alpha Caius, appeared and got me out of the situation. He sighed. “Let’s remarry. Lily’s still young. She can’t keep living like this.” I agreed without hesitation. After we got back together, I stopped getting jealous and throwing tantrums. Lily also stopped competing with Kitty—the daughter of Caius’s childhood friend Aisling—for her father’s attention. When he stayed out all night with Aisling and her daughter, Lily and I didn’t call to check on him. When we ran into them outside, Lily and I tactfully kept our distance. We became exactly the kind of understanding wife and daughter he always wanted. But his eyes turned red. “Honey, why aren’t you angry?” “Lily, why won’t you come close to Daddy anymore?”

On the night of the moonlight ball, Caius marked me, and we became mates once again. The next day, after signing the remarriage papers, we returned to Caius’s mansion. He came up the steps behind us. Lily and I were standing at the door. “Why aren’t you going in?” I said calmly, “The password’s been changed.” As we spoke, the door opened from inside. Aisling appeared wearing an apron, her voice full of playful reproach. “What took you so long? Kitty’s asked about you several times—Talia?” I nodded politely. “Talia, please don’t misunderstand. Caius has been so busy with pack business lately, I just came to make him some soup.” “I always forget the password, so Caius changed it to my birthday. I’ll change it back right away.” But she made no move to do so. The smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide. “Daddy!” Aisling’s daughter Kitty threw herself at Caius’s legs. Aisling frantically covered her mouth, putting on a show of being afraid of me. “Kitty, didn’t I tell you to call him Uncle Caius?” Caius looked over at me awkwardly. Seeing that Lily and I weren’t making a scene like we used to, a flash of surprise crossed his face. Lily’s room was full of new things. Aisling bit her lower lip lightly. “Kitty sometimes sleeps here…” The little hand in my palm clenched tight. Lily said softly, “Mom, I can switch to a different room.” My heart, which had been completely calm until now, suddenly ached. In the past, whenever she saw Caius doting on Kitty, she would pout and cry, shouting “Daddy is mine and mine alone.” Every time, Caius would scold me for not disciplining her properly. Now she just quietly looked at her changed room. Children are sensitive. She already understood that only the favored ones could act spoiled. Caius frowned. Aisling hurried to say, “I’ll take the stuff away. Talia, please don’t be angry at us—” The mother and daughter huddled together, trembling, looking pitiful. In the past, I was always provoked by her passive-aggressive remarks, which led to fights with Caius. But now, I just looked at her coolly without saying a word. Caius suddenly spoke. “Don’t come in and out of my house so casually anymore. You’re a single mother—people will talk.” After packing up her things, Kitty said through tears, “Daddy, I want you to take me home.” Caius hesitated, looking at me. I smiled. “You and Aisling have so many years of history together. Of course you should take them home.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I turned to boil some water. Before leaving, Caius said hurriedly, “Wait for me to come back. We need to have a proper talk.” Only after everyone left did Lily and I truly relax. Soon, a message popped up on my phone. Aisling: [Sorry about this, Talia. Kitty’s used to having Caius watch cartoons with her, so he’ll be back a bit late.]

That familiar “sorry about this” again. I smiled and sent a brief reply: [Okay.] Caius didn’t come back until the next day. I was reading Lily her pre-nap story. I didn’t demand to know where he’d been. Throwing jealous fits like I used to would only make him resent me more, and it would affect Lily too. After Lily fell asleep, Caius handed me a box. It was the black diamond necklace I once wanted but that someone else had won at auction. In the past, I probably would have been overjoyed and thrown myself into Caius’s arms. But now, my heart was completely calm. I used to love jewelry. But after the divorce, I moved into a rough neighborhood and was dragged down the stairs by a thief yanking my necklace, ending up bloody and bruised. From that moment on, I realized these things were flashy and useless, and could even cost me my life. Not getting the enthusiastic reaction he expected, Caius’s expression flickered. “Let me put it on you.” I smiled and dodged. “Thank you, but I don’t like wearing jewelry anymore.” He stiffened. I went to the kitchen to cut some fruit. When I came back out, Caius was already gone. That afternoon, I took Lily out. Money had been tight these past two years. Lily often wore hand-me-downs from the landlord’s daughter. Now I could finally buy her clothes that fit properly. As we entered the children’s clothing store, we ran into Aisling and her daughter. And Caius. The sales clerk fawned over them. “Alpha Caius, Miss Aisling, these just arrived yesterday. They’d be perfect for Kitty.” Kitty shouted, “I want this one!” Caius smiled and swiped his card. “Ma’am, can I help you with something?” Another clerk approached me. I said softly, “I’d like to buy a couple outfits for my daughter to wear now.” Caius and the others also looked our way. I pretended not to notice and pulled Lily inside. When we came out after trying on clothes, Aisling and her daughter were gone. Caius looked at me with a complicated expression. “Today is Kitty’s birthday. I was buying her clothes as a gift…” “I see. Please send her my best wishes.” After speaking, I turned to the puzzled-looking clerk. “I’ll take both of these outfits.” Just as I was about to pay, Caius grabbed my arm. I quickly pulled my hand away. The clerk’s eyes darted between us. “Ma’am, you and Alpha Caius…” I smiled. “We’re friends.” A loud crash came from behind me. “Mr. Caius, you dropped your phone!” I turned around. Caius was staring at me intently. “What nonsense are you talking?” I looked puzzled. “Aren’t you going to celebrate her birthday with them?” He continued glaring at me, his chest heaving violently, but he said nothing. I didn’t understand, but I didn’t dare provoke him, so I pulled Lily toward the exit. The moment we left the store, Caius grabbed me. He asked in a low voice, “We’re clearly husband and wife. Why did you say we’re friends? Why did you just let them misunderstand our relationship?” I laughed. “Aisling was right there next to you. They obviously all thought Aisling was your girlfriend. If they knew you were already married, it would be terrible for Aisling’s reputation. Don’t you care most about Aisling’s reputation?” Caius was stunned into silence. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Why are you so different from before?” In the past, I would have made a huge scene over something like this. Caius was always impatient. “Stop being unreasonable. Aisling is a widow raising a child alone. It’s not easy for her. If people think she’s my girlfriend or mistress, at least they won’t bully her.” But what was the point of fighting with Aisling over these things now? I just wanted to raise Lily properly and let her live the comfortable life she deserved. I said calmly, “Isn’t this what you always wanted?” Caius’s face turned dark. He turned and left in anger. I didn’t care. I took Lily out to eat and shop, buying quite a few things. This life without worrying about making ends meet felt like it had before the divorce.

After getting married, I became a stay-at-home mom. Everyone around me envied me. Although I was just an ordinary wolf, I was Alpha Caius’s fated mate. We dated, got married, and I became the Luna of Dubois Pack—all perfectly natural. When we first got married, Caius treated me very well. The day I received the pregnancy test results and discovered I was expecting Lily, Caius was so excited he couldn’t contain himself. He held me and spun me around again and again. At that time, he gently caressed my belly and said, “I’ll make you and our child the happiest people in the world.” For a while, I truly believed I would stay this happy forever. Until Aisling’s mate died. That day it was pouring rain. Aisling came to our door with Kitty. She was soaked through. The moment she saw Caius, she threw herself into his arms, crying that her mate had died. And Caius didn’t push her away. Later, Caius told me he was just being considerate of Aisling’s grief over her recent loss. I believed him. Until Caius missed our anniversary for the first time. He told me he was handling pack business. But the moment he got home, Aisling showed up at our door to return his tie. I was confused. He just pinched the bridge of his nose. “Aisling was helping me with work. She brought it over on her way.” I wanted to ask more questions, but seeing how exhausted he looked, I didn’t have the heart. I lived a pampered life at home while he worked so hard outside. It really didn’t seem right to doubt him. I told myself that spouses needed basic trust. I couldn’t let jealousy run wild. But later, things like this happened more and more often. On our anniversary, Caius left me alone at the restaurant to go rescue Aisling from her difficult landlord. When sudden rain trapped Lily and me at the early learning center, Caius was taking Aisling and Kitty home. When Lily came down with the flu and had a fever-induced seizure, I couldn’t reach Caius. I took her to the hospital alone, only to find him bringing an entire team of pack medical specialists to treat Kitty’s scratched hand. Every single time, Aisling would proactively message me to “report.” [Sorry about this, Talia. Caius said I can’t stay here anymore, so he’s arranging for me to stay at another one of his properties.] [Sorry about this, Talia. It’s my fault for getting dizzy. Caius will come pick you up right after he drops me off.] [Sorry about this, Talia. Caius is just too worried about Kitty. I’ll talk to him about it later.] I couldn’t take it anymore. Again and again I demanded to know who his real wife and daughter were. At first he patiently explained. “We’ve known each other for so many years. I’m just helping her out when I can.” But he grew more and more impatient. “Aisling lost her parents and her mate. She has no one to rely on. Can’t you show her some compassion?” “Aisling is a widow raising a child alone. Why do you have to target her?” “Can’t you take care of yourself? I have so much pack business to handle. Do I really have to revolve around you two?” “If you can’t raise the child properly, get someone else to do it! She’s so young and already bullying others. What kind of monster will she be when she grows up?” Lily and I stopped waiting eagerly for him to come home. Because whenever he came back, all this little family got was fighting. Lily grew quieter and quieter. Even her daycare teacher came to ask if something was wrong at home. What finally made me decide to divorce him was what happened at the New Moon Festival celebration. I’d been exhausted and sleepy all the time during that period, and I completely forgot about the event. By the time I woke up, the celebration had been going on for quite a while. Then I saw a post on social media. [Alpha Caius and Aisling look so perfect together.] The attached photo showed Caius and Aisling sitting together at the event. Caius was cutting steak for Aisling. I called Caius five or six times. No answer. On the seventh call, someone finally picked up, but it was Aisling’s voice. “Talia, Caius is very busy right now. You can tell me whatever you need.” I told her to put Caius on the phone. But she just laughed coquettishly. “Talia, I’m Caius’s secretary. He has no secrets from me.” “You know, today so many people said I’d make a better Luna.” My whole body shook. I hung up and rushed to the venue still wearing my slippers.

Aisling had her arms around Caius’s waist, her whole body leaning into his embrace. I furiously pulled them apart and glared at Caius. “Is this what you do when I’m not around? Holding and hugging her?” Aisling came over to pull at me. “Talia, I had too much to drink. Don’t misunderstand—” I shook off her hand and glared at her. “Don’t touch me! Homewrecker!” I hadn’t used much force, but she cried out delicately and fell to the ground. “Talia! What’s wrong with you?” Caius roughly shoved me aside and helped Aisling up with concern, carefully checking her over. My lower back hit the corner of the table. The pain brought tears to my eyes. Aisling’s eyes were red as she held back tears. “It’s all my fault. Please don’t fight because of me…” Caius rushed to comfort her. “It has nothing to do with you. She’s the one having a breakdown.” Then he turned to me, his voice cold. “Talia, I’ve told you so many times—Aisling’s mother asked me on her deathbed to take care of her.” “Do you have any idea how hard it is for her to raise a child alone? You’re both women. How can you be so cruel as to call her a homewrecker?” The look he gave me was icy, even carrying a hint of disgust. “My patience with you has limits. Know when to stop.” “Don’t make me regret marrying you.” The moment those words left his mouth, my ears started ringing. I looked at Caius in disbelief. I wanted to say, “You’re my husband, Talia’s husband. How can you take an outsider’s side?” I wanted to say, “Aisling shows off and provokes me every time. Don’t you know that?” I wanted to tell him about Aisling’s true face on the phone earlier. But something was stuck in my throat. After a long time, all I could say was, “Then let’s divorce. We’ll break the mate bond.” The moment it came out, I suddenly felt liberated. I didn’t even want to bother with Aisling’s gloating expression. Caius froze for a moment, then laughed mockingly. “Talia, besides threatening divorce, what else can you do? Is fighting for attention and being jealous all your life amounts to?” With that, he helped Aisling leave. That day, I sat in the living room until dawn. It wasn’t until Lily started crying that I realized my legs were covered in blood. Only then did I learn that my recent drowsiness was because I was pregnant again. And by the time I realized it, I had already miscarried. The second child who came quietly had left just as quietly. A week later, Caius and I broke our mate bond and signed divorce papers along with custody and property division documents. I got custody of Lily. Later, my father suddenly fell critically ill. The doctor said he’d been poisoned with wolf’s bane, which could only be purchased from witches. My father was just an ordinary wolf who lived an honest life. I had no idea who would want to harm him. Despite several attempts to save him, he passed away. I used what little savings I had left to arrange his funeral. I tried to find work, but for some reason, no company would hire me. Many companies notified me of employment only to reverse their decision and reject me. With no other options, I could only take on various odd jobs for meager wages. Just like that, I went from being the esteemed Luna to a single mother living in a low-income neighborhood. Lily suffered a lot because of me. I woke up crying from nightmares countless times, regretting that I had ruined her life. This time, I wouldn’t fight with Caius over jealousy again. As long as I could provide a good life for myself and Lily, even if Caius found ten more “Aislings,” I would turn a blind eye.

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