Category: English

Liam had recently become obsessed with a girl who already had a boyfriend. She was fierce and stubborn — she would rather die than give in. But Liam never failed to get what he wanted. The day they finally slept together, he bought out every billboard in the city to wish her a happy birthday. I found all this out from the nurses gossiping at the hospital. Through tear-blurred eyes, I spotted Liam’s figure in the doorway. He looked at me, his expression completely unreadable. “As long as you behave yourself and stop interfering with her, your position as Mrs. Liam stays yours. And your brother’s debts — I’ll keep covering those too.” I looked at him, thinking of the endless collection calls I’d been getting. I nodded. What he didn’t know was that just yesterday, a nurse had mentioned that the girl he’d fought so hard to win over had a boyfriend who was HIV-positive. So he was cheating. Fine. I could live with that. After all, when he dies, everything goes to me. The moment I pushed open the bedroom door, used condoms were scattered all over the floor. When he saw me walk in, Liam let out a short, contemptuous laugh. His eyes swept over the mess, his voice edged with impatience. “What are you standing there for? Clean it up. I’m taking Cara out tonight — don’t make trouble.” My throat tightened. My fingernails dug deep into my palms. “The cleaning service can handle this.” Liam raised an eyebrow and stepped toward me, looking down at me from his height. “Ellie, it’s a small thing. Just do it yourself.” I closed my eyes. The color drained from my face. I knew what this was — Liam putting me in my place. “Your brother racked up another five million dollars in debt.” His voice came from above me. “I can cover it. As long as you behave.” I opened my eyes and watched a check flutter down onto the nightstand. While I cleaned up the mess, Liam stood in the doorway the entire time, watching. I knelt on the floor, picking up the used condoms one by one, my stomach lurching with every second of it. He watched me degrade myself, and he was satisfied. He reached out and patted my head, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. “The therapy actually did some good. You’re so much more sensible now, sweetheart.” I said nothing. My heart ached so badly it had gone numb. By the time I finally finished cleaning, the sky outside had gone dark. Liam had disappeared at some point. The check was still sitting there. I sank down onto the floor and pulled out my phone. Over a dozen missed calls — all from debt collectors. The cold glow of the screen lit up my hollow face. During the six months I’d been locked away in that private clinic, Liam had absorbed every asset the Hartley family owned. My parents died young and left behind a company. My brother was too young to know the ways of the world. And I, the eldest, had been locked up. I watched from a distance as Liam’s grip tightened, inch by inch, until he’d swallowed everything. The Hartley family, once respected and powerful, was now nothing but a hollow shell buried in debt. My brother — once the pampered, untouchable son of the Hartley name — had a hand broken by debt collectors. Now he worked three jobs a day just to stay afloat. My eyes landed on the check on the nightstand. Ten million dollars. All I had to do was be obedient, and Liam would pay me. I couldn’t refuse. There was no refusing.

In the bathroom, I washed my hands over and over until the skin turned raw. The woman in the mirror was pale, but her eyes were unusually bright. Yesterday at the hospital, I’d overheard nurses talking. The girl Liam had chased down so desperately — her boyfriend was HIV-positive. Standing there under the running water, I laughed. There was still a divorce agreement locked in the desk drawer in the study. My lawyer had everything ready to go. We were supposed to file with the court next week. The evidence against Liam was rock solid — infidelity, emotional abuse, psychological manipulation. I could have walked away with at least half of everything. But now, I didn’t want that anymore. Half wasn’t enough. I wanted all of it. I dried my hands, carefully folded the check into my pocket, and texted my brother back. “The money situation is handled.” Liam came home sometime after 3 a.m., reeking of perfume. I was lying in bed, forcing myself to keep my eyes shut. Liam glanced over at me and gave a low, quiet laugh. “I know you’re not asleep.” His shadow fell over me, carrying the scent of another woman. He leaned down. His hot, alcohol-soaked breath hit the side of my neck. The second his skin touched mine, a wave of visceral, uncontrollable nausea rose up from somewhere deep in my stomach. I turned my head away and stumbled into the bathroom, dry-heaving over the sink. Liam stood in the doorway. “What’s your problem, Ellie?” I had my back to him. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to push down the churning in my gut and the dull, spreading ache in my chest. “I’m not feeling well today.” Liam gave a cold laugh. “Pathetic.” That night, he didn’t come home. The next afternoon, I got a call from the building manager. “Ms. Hartley, Mr. Liam has moved a young woman into your property at Lakeview Manor.” My phone slipped from my fingers. Lakeview Manor. The one thing my mother had left me. That house held every good memory I had. Even when Liam had driven the Hartley name into bankruptcy and had every property and car seized and auctioned off, he had never touched that house. He knew what it meant to me. This was his retaliation for last night. When Liam came home that evening, I was waiting in the living room. “Why that house?” My eyes were red. My voice trembled slightly. He shrugged off his jacket, his tone casual. “Cara likes it there. It was just sitting empty anyway.” I stared at his indifferent profile, and felt something hollow out in my chest. “That house is mine.” Liam turned to look at me, and there was nothing in his eyes but contempt. “Wake up, Ellie. Everything you have right now is because I allow it — including that house. The Hartleys are finished.” “If you’re good, maybe after Cara gets tired of it, I’ll let you have it back.” I clenched my fists until my nails broke the skin. “Liam. You’re going to regret this.” Liam smiled, but his voice dropped cold. “Regret? Ellie, you’re the one who should be regretting things.” I watched him turn and walk away, and I fought back the burning behind my eyes with everything I had. A second later, my phone buzzed. A message from my brother. “Ellie, the check — it looks like it’s been frozen…”

I gripped my phone tight. My fingers went ice-cold. Ten million dollars. That was my brother’s lifeline. “Don’t panic. I’ll figure something out.” I hit send, took a slow breath, and walked toward the master bedroom. The door was slightly ajar. Through it came Liam’s voice on a phone call — gentle in a way I had never once heard him speak to me. “Do you like it, sweetheart? If you need anything, just say the word…” I raised my hand and knocked softly. “Come in.” His voice snapped back to its usual coldness. I pushed the door open. Liam was in his robe, leaning against the balcony railing, smoking. His profile looked blurred in the moonlight. “What do you want?” My throat felt tight. I opened my mouth, and the words came out dry. “The check. Why was it frozen?” He finally turned around. He tapped the ash off his cigarette, and the corner of his mouth curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Ellie, money doesn’t come for free. Your behavior lately has been… disappointing.” My heart dropped. I lowered my eyes. I pressed my nails into my palm — the pain kept me sharp. “Liam.” My voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m asking you. Please.” The word hung in the air. Liam went still for a moment. That was what I used to call him, back when we were in love — just Liam, not Mr. Hartley, not the cold, unreachable version of him. After the first affair, I had stopped saying it entirely. That was a long time ago. Liam drew on his cigarette. The ember glowed and faded. When he spoke, his voice was flat and indifferent. “Sweetheart, when you make me unhappy, there are always consequences.” I raised my head and met his eyes. “Then tell me what I need to do.” He was quiet for a few seconds. “Cara just moved in. She’s not used to the place yet. She grew up sheltered — she needs looking after.” His gaze locked onto mine. “You know Lakeview Manor better than anyone. You go.” My entire body went rigid. I could barely believe what I was hearing. “What do you mean?” “Exactly what I said.” Liam knocked the ash off his cigarette, his tone as casual as if he were scheduling a staff member. “You go to Lakeview Manor and act as Cara’s personal attendant. Take care of her day-to-day needs, make sure she’s comfortable.” “If she’s satisfied, the money gets unfrozen. And if that’s not enough—” He paused. “There’s more where that came from.” Each word landed like a slap across my face. He wanted me to go to my mother’s house and wait on his mistress hand and foot. He wanted his precious girl to walk all over the most treasured memories I had left. And he was going to use my brother’s life to make sure I smiled while I did it. “Liam.” My voice shook despite everything. “Does it really have to be this way?” “You can always say no.” He turned and walked toward the bathroom. His voice drifted out through the sound of running water. “Take your brother and get out of my sight. As for what he owes — those people he borrowed from aren’t exactly patient. That’s your problem.” The water ran loud and steady. I stood there, cold all the way through. My face had gone the color of chalk. But my eyes were burning red. I walked to the bathroom door and stood there, looking at the blurred shape of him through the frosted glass. “Fine.” My voice was quiet. But it was clear. “I’ll go.” The water cut off. Liam pulled the door open. He was still damp, hair dripping. He looked into my eyes for a moment, like he was confirming something. Then he smiled and reached out to cup my face. “Good girl.” “I’ll have the driver take you to Lakeview Manor tomorrow morning.” “Remember, Ellie.” He dried his hair as he walked past me, his voice low. “Don’t upset Cara. Because next time, it won’t just be the check that gets frozen.” The bedroom door clicked softly shut in front of me. I went to the guest room and sat down on the cold bed in the dark. I didn’t turn on the light. The moon outside was bright, lighting up my empty hands. My phone lit up again. My brother. “Ellie, they called again. They said if we don’t pay soon, they’re going to—” I typed back fast. “Don’t be scared. The money will be there tomorrow. Rest and take care of yourself.” Sent. Then I buried my face in my palms. My shoulders shook, and I couldn’t make them stop. But my eyes were dry. Not a single tear.

The morning the driver took me to Lakeview Manor, he watched me in the rearview mirror with something that looked like pity. Cara was waiting in a silk robe, barefoot on my mother’s rug, tilting her head at me with a sweet smile. “Ellie, thanks for all your help.” “Of course.” I kept my eyes down. Her demands were endless. She wanted her morning smoothie made fresh by hand. She couldn’t stand water spots on the floor. When she and Liam were together at night, I had to stand outside the master bedroom door, holding a glass of warm water. I did all of it. Liam came every night. He’d sprawl on the couch, watching me get bossed around in every direction, a satisfied smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He was enjoying every second of my humiliation. One afternoon, Cara sent me up to the second-floor terrace to clean. I had barely gotten up there when she followed me, resting one hand lightly on her lower stomach. “Ellie. I’m pregnant.” My steps faltered. My heart felt like it had been struck with something heavy. “Liam is so happy about it.” She stroked her still-flat belly. “He said this is our first child together. He’s going to give this baby everything.” She moved closer, dropping her voice low. “But Ellie — with you still living in this house, I just can’t feel at ease. You’re still his wife. What if you get jealous of me and the baby and do something terrible?” I looked at her carefully. “What are you getting at?” “I mean—” Without warning, she grabbed my wrist. “Ah! Don’t push me! Ellie, let go! Help! My baby! Someone help me!” Screaming, she yanked on my hand and threw herself backward — pitching toward the staircase landing. It happened in a flash. I could see the gleam of triumph in the very back of her eyes even as she fell. “Thud.” The heavy sound of a body rolling down stairs, tangled with a woman’s agonized cries, filled the entire house. I stood frozen on the landing, my fingertips ice-cold. The next second, rapid footsteps pounded up from below. Liam took the stairs almost at a run. Cara lay crumpled at the bottom of the staircase, curled in on herself, a deep red stain spreading slowly beneath her. “Cara!” Liam’s face turned ashen. He rushed over and gathered her in his arms, his voice cracking. “Are you okay? I’m here — I’ve got you!” Cara leaned into his chest, her eyes fluttering open weakly, tears pouring down her face. She raised a trembling hand and pointed up at me. “Liam — she pushed me. She hates me. She hates our baby—” Liam looked up at me. The hatred in his eyes could have cut me to pieces. “It wasn’t me—” My denial was thin and useless. He didn’t even let me finish. He shoved to his feet, clamped his hand around my wrist, and started dragging me toward the small door behind the staircase. “Liam, listen to me!” I struggled, being hauled toward the basement entrance — the one place in this house I’d been terrified of since I was a little girl. When I was young, I’d been trapped in there. I’d developed severe claustrophobia because of it. Liam knew that. “No! Liam! You know I can’t go in there!” I fought against him, my voice shaking. He stopped. He turned and looked at me, his eyes cold and flat. “That’s exactly why it’s a punishment.” The door swung open. Stale, damp air rushed out, along with a faint scratching sound. Mice. Every muscle in my body locked up. My blood ran cold. Liam shoved me in. Darkness swallowed everything. “Bang.” The door slammed shut. “Let me out! Liam! Please!” I pounded on the door and screamed. Silence on the other side. Just the dark, and the sound of scratching getting closer. The claustrophobia hit like a wave. The air felt like it was being sucked out of the room. The walls seemed to press in. I couldn’t breathe. My chest was caving in. I curled against the door, trembling violently. Cold sweat soaked through my clothes. In the dark, every tiny sound was amplified. I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears ran down my face. “Mom…” My voice came out ragged and small. “Mom, I’m scared…” No answer. Liam wasn’t coming. He wanted me to suffer here — for Cara, for the baby. My body grew colder and colder. My thoughts began to blur. In the haze, I thought I heard the lock turning. Was it Liam? I tried to push myself up off the floor, but I had no strength left. Just before everything went dark, I thought I saw the door crack open. But I couldn’t make out anything anymore. And just before I lost consciousness entirely, I saw a familiar figure rushing toward me through the dark.

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My husband Adrian was in the late stages of a brain tumor and had fallen into brain death. Friends and family all urged me: “Evelyn, let him go peacefully. Don’t make him suffer anymore.” Grief-stricken, I went home to sort through our memories, only to find farewell letters he’d written to friends and family before. The handwriting was messy, but it clearly stated that after his death, he wanted to donate his heart to his son with his first love. At the end, he’d specifically added a line: “Don’t let my wife know.” My blood instantly froze. So he’d had a child with another woman all along. My tears suddenly stopped. I wiped my face and dialed the hospital: “I agree to withdraw treatment. Arrange for cremation.” Later, when friends and family saw my husband’s ashes, they all stared wide-eyed: “How could you…” My gaze swept coldly over them. “Weren’t you the ones who told me to give him a quick release?” Friends and family were speechless, exchanging confused glances. Only Adrian’s ghost, floating beside me, looked completely shocked. He reached out to touch the urn, but his fingers passed straight through the wooden surface. “Evelyn! Have you lost your mind?!” His voice trembled with panic: “How could you do this? Noah is still waiting for my heart to save his life!” I ignored his insane rambling and held the urn expressionlessly. Friends and family were still whispering among themselves. Someone tentatively asked: “Evelyn, did Adrian leave any… last words?” I gripped the urn tighter, my knuckles turning white. “He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even leave a note. I just followed your advice and let him leave quickly.” The people present didn’t know what to say after hearing my words. Adrian’s ghost paced frantically in circles, his screams almost piercing my eardrums: “Noah is only seven years old. He has a congenital heart condition. Only my heart can save him! I know I wronged you, but the child is innocent. Just do this one good deed, okay?” I pulled at the corner of my mouth, revealing a faint, cold smile. Innocent? What about the grievances my daughter and I suffered all these years? Over the past few years, he’d always come home late, claiming he was working overtime or on business trips. He’d occasionally smell of perfume that wasn’t mine. His wallet would have tickets to children’s amusement parks I’d never been to. Time and again, I deceived myself, thinking it was just emotional distance from his worsening condition. Until this farewell letter completely tore apart all pretenses. “Adrian,” I spoke to the air, my voice cold as ice. “When you wrote those letters, you thought about keeping it from me. You thought about leaving a way out for someone else’s child. But did you ever think about Lily and me?” Friends and family exchanged confused looks. No one knew who I was talking to. They just thought I was overcome with grief. Someone softly consoled me: “Evelyn, don’t be too sad. The dead can’t come back. The living have to move forward.” I didn’t respond and just turned to leave. Of course I had to move forward now that the scumbag was dead. Adrian’s ghost followed behind me, cursing incessantly: “Evelyn, you’re heartless! You’ll face retribution! If Noah dies, I won’t let you go even as a ghost!” I turned a deaf ear, my steps never faltering. Retribution? My greatest retribution was marrying the wrong man and staying in a marriage full of lies.

Adrian’s funeral was kept simple, with only a few friends and family in attendance. I wore a black dress, holding six-year-old Lily as we stood in a corner. Lily’s small hand gripped my clothes tightly, her big eyes full of confusion: “Mommy, where did Daddy go? He promised to build blocks with me.” My heart felt like it was being pricked with needles. I gently stroked her head: “Daddy went to a far away place. He’ll watch Lily grow up from heaven.” Adrian’s ghost floated in mid-air, his face pale as he looked at us with complicated eyes. After the cremation, he’d been following me like this, constantly cursing me as vicious. When he tired of cursing, he’d fall silent, but the resentment in his eyes never diminished. Now, hearing my conversation with Lily, a crack appeared in his hateful expression, and his body trembled slightly. He reached out to touch our daughter, but could only pass futilely through the air. Suddenly, a woman’s shrill cry came from outside, along with chaotic footsteps and several men and women’s voices echoing. Melissa wore a garish white dress, followed by her brother Marcus and sister-in-law Jennifer. They broke through the blockade of friends and family, rushing at me like madwomen: “Evelyn! How can you be so vicious!” Melissa pointed at my nose, her voice piercingly shrill. “Adrian clearly agreed long ago that after death, he’d donate his heart to Noah. What right do you have to cremate him behind everyone’s back?” Marcus immediately chimed in, his tone indignant: “Exactly! How can someone be so heartless? A living child is waiting in the hospital for his life to be saved, and you can be this selfish!” Jennifer also fanned the flames, her face full of contempt: “Adrian loved Noah like his own son when he was alive. You won’t even fulfill his last wish? People like you will face divine punishment sooner or later!” The three of them looked righteous, as if they’d really come for Adrian’s dying wish. The originally noisy scene instantly fell into deathly silence. All eyes turned toward us, filled with scrutiny and curiosity. Lily was so frightened by their fierce manner that she trembled and quickly shrank into my arms, her small hands tightly hugging my neck. I held my daughter tighter and looked up, coldly sweeping my gaze over Melissa and her group: “This is a place to honor the deceased. Stop making a scene here.” “Making a scene?” Melissa laughed coldly. “You bitch, you still have the nerve to say I’m making a scene? Tell me, what right do you have to block the heart donation? Adrian was willing. He wanted to save Noah! Who are you to decide on your own?” “Because I, Evelyn, am his legal wife.” I stepped forward, my gaze sharp as a knife, my tone full of undisguised mockery. “According to the law, I have the absolute right to decide what to do with his body. You say he agreed to donate his heart—what evidence do you have? He never mentioned donating his heart after death to me.” I turned to look at Marcus and Jennifer, my tone icy: “As for you two, who are you to criticize my rights over my husband’s body?” Melissa still wanted to argue, craning her neck: “Adrian said it himself before he died. He even wrote a letter! The letter said he’d give his heart to Noah!” “A letter?” I sneered, my voice not loud but clearly reaching every corner. “Adrian wrote a letter, and I, his wife, didn’t know about it? Can you produce it?” Melissa froze in place. Of course she didn’t have the letter, because I’d already burned it. I hadn’t expected them to be so bold as to not even keep a backup. Looking at her stunned expression, I continued: “What right do you have to question me? During the days when Adrian was bedridden with a brain tumor, you came by frequently enough, but every time it was either saying Noah needed expensive imported medicine or high-end rehabilitation therapy. The money Adrian gave you was squandered in the blink of an eye. Now that he’s dead, you remember to play the good guys?” When Adrian and Melissa were dating, Melissa left him for a wealthy man and went abroad. Adrian was devastated, and it was I who stayed by his side as he rebuilt his life. Just when life was finally getting better, Melissa came back with her sick son. That spineless man actually softened. He kept lying to me, saying he just couldn’t ignore them for old times’ sake. Though I had my doubts, I decided to trust him, until I saw his letter. My words were like thunder. The faces of Melissa’s family of three instantly turned deathly pale, bloodless. Marcus instinctively looked away, not daring to meet my eyes. Jennifer also pressed her lips tightly together, unable to say a word, their earlier arrogance vanishing without a trace. I didn’t bother saying more and signaled to the people at the door with a look. Several people immediately stepped forward, restraining the three who were still trying to struggle. “Don’t touch me! Evelyn, you’ll die a horrible death! If something happens to Noah, I’ll never let you go!” Melissa struggled frantically but to no avail. She could only be thrown out of the funeral hall. Adrian’s ghost hovered nearby, frantically circling but unable to do anything, only staring at me with hateful eyes.

After the funeral, I immediately took over Adrian’s company. As his legal wife and original shareholder, this was my right. Adrian’s ghost could only watch helplessly. When I went to the company, he floated in corners, watching me work, constantly cursing, basically accusing me of not understanding business and that I’d eventually destroy his life’s work. During contract signings with partners, just as my pen touched the paper, his roar would sound in my ear: “Noah is still fighting for his life in the hospital, and here you are looking so smug. You’ll pay the price sooner or later.” On the way to inspect branch offices, he followed close behind, coldly mocking: “Stop pretending. Without me as your backing, you’re just an ordinary nobody.” I ignored his ranting the entire time. To me, Adrian was no longer the person I once shared a bed with, just a handful of cold ashes buried in the earth, not even worth getting angry over. That afternoon, I finished work early and drove to pick up Lily from kindergarten. While still some distance from the kindergarten gate, I spotted Melissa with Jennifer, crouched in front of Lily. Jennifer’s fingers were gripping the child’s wrist tightly, refusing to let go. Lily’s eyes were red, her small face full of fear, but she stubbornly pressed her lips together, not letting tears fall. “Let her go!” I rushed forward, swatting away Jennifer’s hand and pulling Lily protectively into my arms. Lily burrowed into my embrace, her weak voice tearful: “Mommy…” Melissa and Jennifer stumbled from my push, both with red, swollen eyes and tear-stained faces. Parents picking up their children gathered around at the sight. “Evelyn, please help me.” Melissa dropped to her knees with a thud, nearly sobbing. “Noah can’t hold on much longer. The hospital searched everywhere but couldn’t find a match. Lily might be compatible with him. Just draw a little blood for testing. If it really works, please save him, okay?” Jennifer also started wiping tears, chiming in: “Evelyn, the child is innocent. Just do this good deed. Adrian is watching from heaven and will be grateful for your mercy.” The two sang the same tune, every word morally blackmailing me, trying to use public opinion to force me to compromise. In the crowd, a white-haired old lady softened first, sighing: “Young lady, it’s a living life. Help if you can.” “Yes, it’s not right to refuse to save a dying person.” Another middle-aged woman also looked at me accusingly. Hearing these words, Melissa cried even more miserably, looking up at me with pleading in her voice: “Evelyn, I know I wronged you, but Noah is also Adrian’s child, Lily’s brother! You can’t be so heartless and just watch him die.” I laughed coldly: “During Adrian’s brain tumor when he was bedridden, who kept pestering him, deliberately aggravating his condition? And who took his money and squandered it recklessly, completely indifferent to his health? Now that he’s barely gone, you’re still not satisfied and are targeting my daughter?” I turned to look at the gathered parents, my voice clear and firm: “Everyone, put yourselves in my shoes. If your husband concealed his marriage and had a child with a mistress, and the mistress kept coming around demanding money, and on his deathbed your husband’s only thought was saving that illegitimate child, and finally, the mistress forced your own daughter to donate her heart to save that child’s life—would you agree?” The surrounding murmurs instantly ceased. The parents who had just implied I was heartless changed their expressions dramatically. Looking at Melissa and Jennifer, their eyes held only undisguised contempt and disgust. “So she’s a homewrecker who destroyed someone’s family. Shameless!” “She even scammed money and squandered it, and now she’s morally blackmailing. I wouldn’t agree either!” “She caused her own karma and now wants to drag someone else’s child down with her. This is too much!” Accusations rose one after another. Melissa and Jennifer’s faces turned deathly pale as they collapsed weakly on the ground, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single word of defense. I looked down and gently stroked Lily’s hair, softly comforting her: “Don’t be afraid, Lily. Mommy will take you home.” Adrian’s gaze fell on Lily in my arms, the guilt in his expression deepening, but he remained silent, unable to say a word. I understood his struggle—on one side was the daughter he’d neglected for years, on the other the illegitimate son whose life hung by a thread. But all this predicament was created by his own hands. His lips moved slightly, a weak voice emerging: “Evelyn, I know I was wrong, but Noah…” I didn’t acknowledge him and drove away. An apology could never make up for the harm he’d caused us. And Noah’s life or death had always been the karmic debt between him and Melissa, nothing to do with Lily and me.

Adrian’s ghost lingered by my side day and night, repeating the same plea over and over: “Just let Lily do the compatibility test. It’s just drawing one tube of blood. What if she’s a match? Noah really can’t wait any longer.” I was setting out Lily’s dinner when I looked up, my gaze coldly sweeping over his ethereal form: “And if she matches? Then what? Make Lily give her heart to the bastard child? Can Noah just die then?” Adrian’s anxiety made his ghostly form ripple, his tone full of desperate justification: “It’s just compatibility testing! It’s not deciding on donation! Noah is also my child. I can’t just watch him die!” “Your child?” I put down the utensils and laughed coldly. “When you were having your fun behind this family’s back, didn’t you think Lily was also your flesh and blood? For Melissa and her son, you neglected us mother and daughter for years. Now you have the nerve to make demands of me?” “During those days when you were bedridden with a brain tumor, I stayed by your side every moment, caring for you. But behind my back, you secretly transferred money to Melissa, even planning early on to donate your heart to save her child. Did you ever think that if you’d been honest from the start, we might have had room to work things out? But from beginning to end, you treated me like a fool, deceiving me!” These words left Adrian speechless. He could only pace frantically in place, his ghost flickering, his eyes churning with unwillingness and despair. I’d still underestimated Melissa’s madness. The next afternoon, I was chairing a senior management meeting when my phone rang at an inopportune moment. The caller ID showed Lily’s homeroom teacher, her tone full of hesitation and unease: “Lily’s mom, a lady just came to pick up Lily, saying she was the child’s aunt and that you asked her to take Lily to the dentist. I verified the photos of you on her phone and let her take the child. But thinking it over, I should confirm with you.” Those words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my entire body. I had no sisters, and I’d never asked anyone to pick up Lily! “That was a scammer!” My voice trembled uncontrollably, my fingers gripping the phone turning white. “What did she look like? What was she wearing?” After hearing the teacher’s description, my heart sank. I was certain it was Melissa. She dared to openly abduct my daughter! I immediately interrupted the meeting, quickly briefed my assistant on follow-up matters, grabbed my car keys and rushed out the door. On the way to the parking lot, I immediately opened Lily’s smartwatch location. The little red dot on the screen was rapidly moving toward the downtown hospital. I sped toward the hospital, the gas pedal floored, gripping the steering wheel tightly, my palms covered in cold sweat, my heart pounding almost out of my chest. Only one thought filled my mind: Lily can’t get hurt. Arriving outside the pediatric ward, I immediately spotted Melissa and Marcus guarding the door, their faces wearing strange, triumphant smiles. Through the glass of the ward door, I vaguely saw several doctors surrounding Lily, seemingly preparing instruments for pre-surgical examination. I rushed over and grabbed Melissa by the collar, fury burning my throat, my voice trembling with extreme anger: “You actually dared to kidnap my daughter!” Melissa struggled forcefully to push me away, her eyes full of crazed stubbornness: “You refused to budge. I had no choice but to use this method! Noah can’t hold on much longer. I absolutely won’t let him die!” Marcus also stepped forward, pushing me and threatening fiercely: “Evelyn, if you know what’s good for you, just let Lily do the compatibility test. Otherwise don’t blame us for not being polite!” “Dream on!” I slammed open the ward door and rushed over to pull Lily protectively into my arms. Seeing me, Lily’s pent-up fear instantly exploded. She burst into tears, her small hands tightly hugging my neck: “Mommy! I’m scared! They want to stick me with needles!” I raised my hand to shield Lily’s head and looked up at the doctors present: “Without my signed consent, anyone who touches a single hair on my daughter’s head will answer for it!” The ward instantly descended into chaos. Adrian’s ghost floated in a corner, watching Lily crying non-stop. A flash of fleeting guilt crossed his eyes, but the next second he was still shouting at me: “Evelyn, it’s just a test. It won’t hurt Lily!” Just then, a nurse rushed in hurriedly, saying loudly to Melissa: “Ms. Thompson, good news! A brain-dead car accident patient is a compatible match, and the family is willing to donate!” Melissa let out a shriek of wild joy, tears mixed with excitement sliding down: “Really? That’s wonderful! Noah is saved!” Adrian’s ghost also trembled violently with excitement. The look he gave me was full of mockery and triumph: “See that? Even without Lily, Noah can live! No matter how heartless you are, you can’t stop him from surviving!” Melissa’s eyes were red, her face wearing a twisted smile: “Evelyn, even heaven is helping us! You’ll go to hell sooner or later!” Holding Lily, I had no extra words. I turned and walked out of the ward. As long as Lily was safe, I didn’t care about their taunts and triumph. Noah’s surgery went smoothly. Melissa specifically sent me a text, which I deleted directly. I thought everything would end there, but a week later, Adrian’s ghost appeared again, his eyes full of despair and pain: “Evelyn, are you satisfied now? Noah is dead.”

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On our fifth anniversary, I walked into the country club carrying a cake, only to overhear something I shouldn’t have. “Who said I love Eleanor? I’m only with her because she looks like Vivian. She’s nothing but a stand-in.” “Besides, Vivian’s too delicate. Eleanor’s just a tool I use to get off.” Laughter erupted from inside the private room. I stood outside the door, my heart sinking bit by bit. Five years. I’d pulled all-nighters for him countless times to secure deals, even lowered myself into the dust to love him. Only to end up as nothing more than “a tool to get off” in his mouth. I didn’t storm in to confront him. I didn’t cry or make a scene. I turned around, threw the cake in the trash, and dialed the number of Tobias’s biggest rival. “Mr. Holt, I’d like to accept your invitation to join your team.” Eleanor’s POV The corridor of the upscale country club was dimly lit. I clutched the homemade mousse cake in my hand, my footsteps freezing outside the half-open door of a private room. Today marked the fifth year of my relationship with Tobias. “What do you mean, what should I do? These past five years, Eleanor’s spoiled Tobias rotten. Everyone in investment banking knows she’s the sharpest blade in his hand. Not only does she dominate at the negotiating table, but she goes home and takes care of Mr. Reed like nobody’s business.” Derek’s voice carried a teasing, mocking tone. My breath caught. My grip on the cake box handle tightened. Tobias and I kept our relationship secret. He said his grandfather didn’t like publicity, and once he firmly secured his position as head of the Reed family, he’d give me a grand public announcement. I believed him. For five years, I’d been like a tireless top, charging into battle for him in the business world, blocking attacks both open and hidden. The room fell silent for a few seconds, then came the crisp sound of a lighter wheel striking. “Vivian’s too soft. Those old vultures in the Reed family are ruthless, and the business world is even more cutthroat.” Tobias’s voice carried its usual cold indifference. “Eleanor’s smart and resilient. Using her as a shield to pave the way for Vivian couldn’t be more perfect.” Each word pierced my heart like an ice pick. “Damn, you’re ruthless.” Derek sucked in a breath. “So these five years, you’ve just been using Eleanor as a human shield? But seriously, Eleanor’s absolutely stunning. You never caught feelings?” “Feelings?” Tobias let out a soft, disdainful laugh. “A woman whose biological father is unknown, raised on her stepfather’s meager salary. Does she deserve to enter the Reed family? If she didn’t look a bit like Vivian around the eyes, I wouldn’t have given her a second glance when Vivian went abroad.” The room erupted in laughter. “That’s why Mr. Reed is so devoted. For our Miss Sullivan, he forced himself to tolerate a stand-in for five years despite his germaphobia.” “Right? Eleanor probably thinks she can actually cross class barriers, working herself to death in investment banking every day, not realizing she’s just working for Vivian.” Outside the door, my entire body went cold, my limbs so stiff I couldn’t even muster the strength to step back. Vivian Sullivan. My half-sister on my mother’s side. The one my mother took with her when she left, raised in the Sullivan family, pampered and spoiled, held in everyone’s palm like a little princess. While I struggled at the bottom with my sick stepfather. I studied desperately, clawed my way up desperately, all to be worthy of Tobias. But it turned out, from the very beginning, I was just a joke. A living target pushed to the front to protect Vivian Sullivan. I looked down at the cake in my hands. It still read “Happy 5th Anniversary.” The irony was almost poetic. I took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the stinging in my eyes. I took that cake I’d spent all afternoon making and precisely tossed it into the trash can beside the corridor. The soft thud sounded like a funeral for five wasted years of my youth. I turned and walked away from the club without looking back. The night breeze was cool, blowing away the lingering scent of alcohol and vice. I sat in the taxi, pulled out my phone, and calmly unpinned Tobias’s chat, then opened another pinned number. “Dad, how are you feeling today?” I tried hard to keep any trace of emotion from my voice. “Eleanor, I’m doing fine. Don’t worry so much about me. You work so hard. Take care of yourself.” My father’s weary but kind voice came through. “Did Tobias spend the anniversary with you today?” Hearing my father’s words, my nose tingled sharply, tears nearly spilling. My father had severe kidney disease. He was currently staying at a private hospital owned by Reed Corporation, surviving on expensive experimental drugs. “Yes, he took me to a fancy dinner.” I tilted my head back, forcing the tears back in. “Dad, focus on getting better. Don’t worry about anything else.” After hanging up, I watched the neon lights streak past the window. Back at the luxury apartment I shared with Tobias, I felt no attachment. I pulled out a suitcase and started packing my belongings. Clothes, skincare products, laptop. The things that belonged to me were pitifully few. Five years, and I’d barely left any trace of life in this gorgeous cage. All those designer bags and expensive jewelry Tobias casually bought. I hadn’t touched a single piece. They were all neatly arranged in the walk-in closet. I found them disgusting. I’d just zipped up my suitcase when I heard the electronic lock at the entrance click open. Tobias walked in carrying a faint scent of alcohol mixed with his signature mint fragrance. He loosened his tie and casually tossed his suit jacket on the sofa. When he saw the suitcase in the middle of the living room, his narrow eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s this tantrum in the middle of the night?” His tone carried a hint of impatience. I gripped the handle of my suitcase and looked at him calmly. “Tobias, let’s break up.”

Eleanor’s POV The air in the living room seemed to freeze instantly. Tobias’s hand paused mid-motion as he was unfastening his cufflinks. He looked up, his gaze cutting across my face like a blade. “Eleanor, do you think this little trick will get you what you want?” Tobias walked to the sofa and sat down, crossing his long legs, his posture still arrogantly superior. “If you’re upset because Vivian’s back in the country, fine, throw your tantrum. But know your limits. Don’t make me think you’re being unreasonable.” Hearing these matter-of-fact words made my stomach churn. “You think I’m throwing a tantrum?” I laughed coldly, my fingers gripping the suitcase handle tightly. “Tobias, I genuinely feel disgusted.” “You pushed me out front to take the hits for Vivian. You made me drink until I had a bleeding ulcer at business dinners to close deals, while behind my back you and your buddies discuss me like I’m some kind of joke.” I looked at that flawless, refined face of his, speaking rapidly. “I’m disgusted, Tobias. These five years. I must have been blind.” Tobias’s expression finally darkened. He stood up and approached me step by step, his tall frame radiating intense pressure. “You went to the club?” His brow furrowed, his eyes sinister. “What, afraid I’d hear about your dirty little schemes?” I met his gaze. “Tobias, I don’t owe you anything. The projects I closed for you, the money I made. It’s more than enough to repay whatever favors you’ve done for me these past few years.” “Favors?” Tobias looked like he’d heard the funniest joke in the world. He suddenly reached out and grabbed my chin, his grip so hard it felt like he might crush my bones. “Eleanor, did a few compliments in the investment banking circle make you actually think you’re something special?” I frowned in pain but refused to make a sound. “Don’t forget. Your stepfather is still lying in my hospital!” Tobias’s voice was ice-cold and piercing. “Without Reed’s experimental drugs, without me pulling strings to secure that overseas specialist’s schedule, he won’t make it past next month! What gives you the right to talk about breaking up? His life?” Those words silenced me instantly. My lips trembled slightly. I clenched my teeth, my heart churning with barely concealed despair and hatred. Yes, how could I leave? My father’s life was in his hands. I was like a bird with clipped wings. I didn’t even have the freedom to fall. Tobias released his grip, his fingertips lightly brushing across my chin as his tone returned to its usual composure. “Put away that pathetic pride of yours.” Tobias looked down at me condescendingly. “You’re a smart woman. You should know what choice to make. Tomorrow’s final meeting for the Stellar Acquisition. You’ll attend as planned. Do well, and I’ll arrange your father’s medication and specialist consultations for the second half of the year.” “Tobias, you’re absolutely insane.” I said. “Call me whatever you like.” Tobias turned toward the bathroom. “Put that suitcase away. I won’t say it twice.” As the bathroom door slammed shut, I collapsed onto my suitcase. I covered my face with my hands as tears broke free, silently hitting the floor through my fingers. I couldn’t fall apart. For my father’s sake, I had to endure. But from this moment on, the Eleanor who loved Tobias for five years was dead. The next morning. I applied bold red lipstick, did my best to hide my pallor, and walked into the top-floor conference room of Reed Corporation wearing a perfectly tailored black business suit. I was the Deputy Director of Reed’s Investment Department and the absolute core of the Stellar Acquisition. I’d worked on this project for three solid months, pulling countless all-nighters to figure out the other party’s bottom line. Once I closed this deal, it would be the crown jewel of my resume, and the bonus alone would cover my father’s medical expenses for the rest of the year. The conference room was already full. Tobias sat at the head of the table, expressionlessly flipping through documents. I walked straight toward my seat. Just as I was about to sit down, I noticed someone was already sitting there. A woman in a white suit with a pure, delicate appearance. Vivian Sullivan. Seeing me, Vivian stood up with an innocent, harmless smile on her face. “Eleanor, you’re here. Tobias said you’ve been too exhausted lately, so he asked me to take over the final stages of the Stellar Acquisition. You don’t mind, do you?”

Eleanor’s POV The conference room fell completely silent. Everyone’s eyes darted back and forth between Vivian and me. I looked toward Tobias at the head of the table. His expression remained impassive. He didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Eleanor, Vivian just returned to the country and needs a high-profile project to establish herself at the company. She’ll be fully responsible for the rest of this deal. Hand over all the core data and bottom-line figures to her.” My hands, hanging at my sides, clenched into fists, nails digging into my palms with sharp pain. “Mr. Reed,” I began. “The core data for Stellar involves the company’s highest-level secrets. Miss Sullivan only completed her onboarding yesterday and hasn’t even gone through basic M&A procedures once. Having her handle the final stage. Are you trying to destroy the entire project?” Tobias finally looked up, warning clear in his eyes. “Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?” “Tobias, don’t be angry with her.” Vivian quickly grabbed Tobias’s sleeve, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice as pitiful as a frightened rabbit. “Eleanor’s right. I don’t have experience. If I ruin the project, I’ll feel guilty forever. Let Eleanor keep handling it. I can just assist from the side.” Tobias held Vivian’s hand in return, patting it reassuringly. When he looked at me again, his eyes were cold as ice. “Eleanor, watch your attitude. The project will be credited under Vivian’s name. This is a notification, not a discussion.” Tobias’s tone was firm and uncompromising. “If you feel wronged, you can leave right now.” Strip away my hard work to pave the way for Vivian Sullivan. So this was what he meant by “Vivian needs a high-profile project.” I smiled. “Fine. Since Mr. Reed isn’t afraid of the project falling apart, why should I care?” I pulled out the core data document I’d stayed up countless nights compiling from my folder and threw it directly onto the table in front of Vivian. The sharp slap made Vivian flinch. “The data’s all here, Miss Sullivan. Make sure you read it carefully. Don’t fall for the other party’s bait and embarrass Reed Corporation.” I didn’t spare Tobias another glance as I turned and strode out of the conference room. After leaving the conference room, I went straight to the restroom. I braced myself against the marble counter, looking at my pale face and red-rimmed eyes in the mirror, taking a deep breath. I couldn’t go on like this. Tobias could steal my project today; tomorrow he could cut off my father’s medication. I needed to find leverage to break free from his control as soon as possible. I pulled out my phone and dialed a hidden number. “Hello, Mark. It’s Eleanor.” “You mentioned before that Cosmos Capital was hiring partners. Is the position still open? I’ll take it. One condition. Help me transfer someone abroad to the Rion Medical Center in Switzerland. You must guarantee a top-tier medical team throughout the journey.” The headhunter on the other end paused, then his voice filled with excitement. “Miss Hart! You’ve finally come around! No problem. Mr. Holt at Cosmos has had his eye on you for ages. As long as you’re willing to join, this request is nothing! I’ll arrange your interview immediately!” After hanging up, I washed my face with cold water and reapplied my lipstick. Tobias, you think you can trap me forever? We’ll see about that. For the next week, I was like a ghost at the company. I handed over all my work and watched coldly as Vivian, with Tobias’s protection, clumsily pushed forward the Stellar deal. Sure enough, due to Vivian’s inexperience and misjudgment, negotiations hit a deadlock. The other party took advantage and drove down the price. Reed Corporation stood to lose hundreds of millions in profit. Tobias threw a massive fit in his office. Just as I was about to use this opportunity to finalize my contract with Cosmos Capital, the hospital suddenly delivered devastating news. “Miss Hart, your father’s condition has suddenly worsened. He’s experiencing severe rejection. Current domestic medications can’t control it. He needs to use Rion’s latest targeted therapy drug immediately, or else… he won’t make it through this week.” My grip on the phone tightened sharply, my mind going blank. “Is that drug available domestically?” “I’m sorry, that drug is still in Phase II clinical trials. Domestically, only Reed Medical’s laboratory has a few slots available.” The doctor’s voice carried helplessness. Reed Corporation. It was Reed Corporation again. I closed my eyes as despair flooded over me like a tide. All my plans crumbled instantly in the face of my father’s life and death.

Eleanor’s POV I practically raced to Tobias’s office. When I pushed open the door, Tobias was sitting in his oversized executive chair while Vivian stood behind him, intimately massaging his shoulders. Both froze when they saw me burst in. “Don’t you know how to knock?” Tobias frowned, his tone displeased. I completely ignored Vivian’s presence and strode to the desk, bracing my hands on its surface, my voice trembling with extreme panic. “Tobias, I need Rion’s latest targeted therapy drug. I know your lab has slots. I’m begging you. Give me one dose.” Tobias leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming the desk unhurriedly. “Begging me?” He paused. “Eleanor, your attitude when asking for favors is a bit too perfunctory, don’t you think?” My jaw clenched tight. “What do you want me to do? As long as you give me the drug, name your terms.” Tobias chuckled softly, his gaze sweeping over me. “Tomorrow night is Vivian’s welcome-home party. Everyone in our circle will be there. Vivian just got back and needs a capable assistant. Tomorrow night, you’ll stay by her side, serving water and taking care of her. Do that, and I’ll have the drug sent to the hospital immediately.” The office fell into deathly silence. Vivian covered her mouth, looking shocked. “Tobias, that won’t do! Eleanor is so proud in investment banking circles. How can you make her do menial servant work? What will people think of her…” “Proud? She’d better have the credentials for it.” Tobias looked at me coldly, his tone contemptuous. “Eleanor, my patience is limited. Will you do it or not?” I stared at Tobias, wishing I could carve a piece of flesh from his body. Five years of feelings turned out to be not just a joke, but a knife he could stab me with at any time. “Fine.” My hoarse voice echoed in the office. “I’ll do it.” For my father’s life, I could trample any shred of dignity underfoot. The next evening, at the Junlan Grand Hotel ballroom. Perfume and silk, clinking glasses. Vivian wore an expensive custom gown Tobias had specially ordered for her, surrounded like a proud princess in the center of attention. And I, wearing the most inconspicuous black uniform, holding a tray like an actual server, stood quietly three steps behind Vivian. “Oh my, isn’t this Miss Hart? How come instead of closing hundred-million-dollar deals at the negotiating table today, you’re carrying trays?” Several women I’d previously dominated at negotiating tables deliberately raised their voices as they approached, mockery filling their eyes. “What Miss Hart? She’s just a dog Mr. Reed keeps on hand. Now that the real heiress is back, of course she has to show her true colors and do servant work.” Vicious taunts filled the air. The malicious gossip around me was like a light breeze. Vivian glanced back at me, a malicious smile curving her lips. She turned around, deliberately pretending to lose her balance, her body tilting sideways. The glass of red wine in her hand spilled perfectly all over my uniform. Dark red liquid ran down my neck. I looked utterly pathetic. “Oh no, Eleanor, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. These heels are too high, I lost my balance…” Vivian cried out, quickly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe, but her exaggerated movements knocked against the marble table edge. Crack. The expensive designer bracelet on Vivian’s wrist that Tobias had just given her today struck the marble edge and broke in two, falling to the floor. “Ah! My bracelet!” Vivian clutched her wrist as tears instantly fell. She pointed at me, looking completely wronged. “Eleanor, I was just trying to help wipe your clothes. Why did you push me? I know you’re jealous that Tobias gave me such an expensive gift, but you can’t be so cruel…” The surrounding crowd instantly erupted, everyone condemning me as vicious. The commotion quickly drew Tobias over. He pushed through the crowd and walked in. Seeing the broken pieces on the floor and Vivian’s tear-streaked face, his expression instantly turned terrifyingly dark. “What happened?” He demanded sharply. “Tobias, Eleanor… she pushed me…” Vivian threw herself into Tobias’s arms, crying so hard her whole body shook. “That was the gift you gave me, and now it’s broken…” Tobias pulled Vivian protectively into his embrace, then turned to look at me, his eyes frighteningly cold. “Eleanor, have you lost your mind?” He stepped closer, lowering his voice to a volume only we could hear, saying viciously, “I warned you. Don’t touch her!” I looked down at the broken pieces on the floor, then at Vivian playing the victim in Tobias’s arms, and suddenly felt utterly exhausted. “I didn’t push her.” I said. “Mr. Reed, if you don’t believe me, check the security footage.” “Check the footage? This corner happens to be a blind spot. You calculated this pretty well, didn’t you!” Vivian’s friend mocked from the side. “Mr. Reed, a vicious woman like this should be thrown out!” “Eleanor, apologize to Vivian immediately.” Tobias’s eyes were ruthless and cold. “I didn’t do it. Why should I apologize?” I held my head high, refusing to compromise. “Why?” Tobias laughed coldly, leaning close to my ear. “Because your father’s targeted therapy hasn’t been delivered to the hospital yet. If you don’t apologize, I’ll have the drug destroyed right now.”

Eleanor’s POV Fury and desolation intertwined in my chest, nearly tearing me apart. I stared hard at Tobias’s face, the one that had captivated me for five years, now feeling nothing but disgust. Around us, the onlookers whispered, their eyes full of condescending pity and mockery. Everyone was waiting for my backbone to break, waiting for me to grovel at Vivian Sullivan’s feet like a dog. “Eleanor, actually, if you just lower your head and say you’re sorry, this will all be over. After all, we’re family…” Vivian peeked out from Tobias’s embrace, her voice soft and sweet, yet laced with poison. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My lungs felt filled with shattered glass. Every breath tasted of blood. My father was still struggling in a hospital bed. I had no right to be stubborn. I slowly bent my knees, about to bow my straight spine. “Mr. Reed, quite the show of power. Forcing a woman to submit in your own venue to demonstrate authority. The Reed family’s upbringing is truly eye-opening.” A low, lazy voice carrying absolute authority suddenly rang out from the ballroom entrance. The entire hall fell instantly silent. Everyone turned toward the sound. A group of people entered through the main doors. The man at the front wore an impeccably tailored black suit, his tall frame commanding. His features were sharp and defined, his eyes carrying the cold detachment of someone long accustomed to power. He casually toyed with a ring on his finger. With each step, his presence seemed to compress the air around him. The true helmsman of Cosmos Capital. Sebastian Holt. Why would he come to this level of party? Everyone present gasped, and even Tobias’s expression changed instantly. He unconsciously released Vivian, a trace of wariness crossing his features. “Mr. Holt, what brings you here?” Tobias suppressed his shock and approached. Sebastian didn’t spare him a glance. He walked straight past Tobias and stopped directly in front of me. Sebastian removed his suit jacket and naturally draped it over my trembling shoulders. “Miss Hart, the offer Cosmos made was for you to become a partner, not to be treated like a performing monkey by a bunch of fools.” The man’s voice wasn’t loud, but it struck like thunder throughout the ballroom. I froze, looking up at this nobleman who seemed as untouchable as a deity. I knew Mark was helping me connect with Cosmos Capital, but I never imagined that Sebastian Holt, the true power behind Cosmos, would personally intervene to save me. “Mr. Holt, what exactly do you mean by this?” Tobias’s expression turned ugly. He stared at the men’s jacket draped over my shoulders. “Exactly what I said.” Sebastian finally deigned to turn and give Tobias a glance, his tone dripping with contempt. “Eleanor Hart is now my person at Cosmos. If Mr. Reed has any complaints, feel free to come find me. As for this mess on the floor…” Sebastian glanced at the broken pieces, then turned to instruct his assistant Mike. “Go pick out two decent bracelets and send them to Mr. Reed. Consider it a gift from Miss Hart, my compliments to Miss Sullivan.” The word “compliments” was used with maximum insult. Vivian’s face instantly went pale. She swayed unsteadily. Tobias clenched his fists so tight his veins bulged, but facing the supremely powerful Sebastian Holt, he didn’t even have the right to lose his temper. “Let’s go, Miss Hart. Don’t let this disgusting place dirty your eyes.” Sebastian turned slightly, making an extremely gentlemanly gesture of invitation. Without a moment’s hesitation, I pulled the jacket tighter around me and walked out of the ballroom alongside Sebastian, not sparing Tobias a backward glance. As soon as we exited the hotel, the cold wind hit me. My tightly wound nerves finally relaxed, my legs went weak, and I nearly collapsed. Sebastian caught my wrist with quick reflexes, steadying me. His palm was warm and dry, radiating reassuring strength. “Thank you for helping me, Mr. Holt.” I steadied myself and subtly created distance. Sebastian withdrew his hand, twisting the ring on his finger. “No need for thanks. I told you, what I value is you… your capabilities. Eleanor Hart, Cosmos doesn’t shelter the weak. The medical jet transferring your father to Switzerland takes off at eight tomorrow morning. Before then, clean up your messes. All of them.” I jerked my head up, my heart filled with disbelieving joy. “You mean… the jet and the hospital are all arranged?” “Cosmos’s way of protecting our own has always been simple and direct.” Sebastian opened the car door, his voice low. “Go. Make your break. Tomorrow, I expect to see a brand new Miss Hart.” Watching Sebastian’s car disappear into the distance, I clenched my fists tightly. Finally, I could completely escape that lunatic Tobias.

Eleanor’s POV I didn’t return to the apartment. Instead, I went straight to the hospital. With Sebastian’s promise, I could finally relax a little. I worked through the night handling my father’s transfer procedures, coordinating with the medical team for tomorrow morning’s jet. As long as I made it through tonight, I could leave with my father. At 2 a.m., I returned to the apartment to retrieve some of my father’s important medical records and documents. As soon as I pushed open the door, a heavy smell of alcohol and acrid cigarette smoke hit me. The living room lights were off. In the darkness, a tall, ominous figure sat on the sofa. “Where were you?” Tobias’s voice was hoarse, filled with barely suppressed mania. I flipped the switch at the entrance. Harsh light flooded the room. Tobias’s eyes were bloodshot, his shirt buttons undone, his tie thrown carelessly on the floor. He stared at me, or rather, at the oversized suit jacket I still wore. Sebastian’s jacket. “Mr. Reed, instead of fawning over Vivian in the middle of the night, what are you doing here losing your mind?” I removed the jacket and carefully draped it over a chair back without even glancing at him, heading straight for the study. “Stop right there!” Tobias shot up like a crazed predator, charging over and slamming me against the wall. He roughly gripped my chin, his strength nearly crushing my jawbone. “What, now that you’re with Sebastian Holt, you can’t even be bothered to look at me?” Tobias ground his teeth, his rapid breathing reeking of alcohol washing over my face. “No wonder you’ve been so defiant these past few days, not even caring about your father’s life! Turns out you’ve already lined up your next man! Eleanor Hart, do you have no shame? Sebastian Holt, that ruthless capitalist. You think he could actually be interested in you? You’re nothing but a tool he’s using to get at me!” I was forced to tilt my head back, looking at this man before me, distorted beyond recognition by jealousy and rage. I suddenly felt unbearably sad. This was the man I’d loved for five years. Not only cold-blooded, but arrogant beyond redemption. “Tool, plaything. Whatever.” I laughed coldly. “At least Sebastian gives me dignity, instead of grinding me into the mud beneath Vivian Sullivan’s feet like you do! Tobias, what exactly are you so angry about? That I didn’t kneel before you like a dog and beg, or that your pathetic control over me has failed?” “You think you can escape?” Tobias suddenly lowered his head, trying to bite my lips. I turned my head away in disgust. His lips scraped heavily across my cheek. “Don’t touch me. You disgust me.” I coldly spat out those words. Tobias’s movements froze abruptly. He stared at me, his chest heaving violently. After a long moment, he suddenly laughed. That smile cold and cruel to the extreme. “I disgust you? Fine, Eleanor. You’ve got guts.” Tobias released me and stepped back, straightening his disheveled shirt, resuming that superior, domineering posture. “You think Sebastian Holt can save your father’s life? All the clinical data from that overseas specialist is in my hands! Without my approval, no one can take that targeted therapy drug! Even if you fly your father to heaven, all he can do is wait to die!” My heart clenched sharply. “Vivian Sullivan is at my villa right now. One word from her, and all those projects you fought tooth and nail for become hers. And you’ll forever be nothing but a stand-in hiding in the gutter, never seeing the light of day!” He stepped closer, leaning near my ear, his voice soft yet venomous. “Eleanor, whenever Vivian needs something, you’ll have to step aside. I’m giving you three days. Break it off with Sebastian. Come back to me obediently and kneel to beg me. Otherwise, I guarantee your father won’t see tomorrow’s sunrise.” With that, Tobias turned and strode out of the apartment. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang. I leaned against the cold wall, my body trembling uncontrollably. Not from fear, but from bone-deep cold. I knew Tobias too well. What he said, he would do. He was a madman. To clip my wings, he would do anything. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. I walked into the study and pulled out the transfer agreement I’d prepared long ago from the bottom drawer. An assignment I’d secretly applied for through the company. A brutal overseas market in Africa. All to escape Tobias. If he could control everything here, then I’d disappear completely. As long as the medical jet took off tomorrow, I would never be threatened by anyone again. I picked up the pen and signed my name without hesitation. My pen pressed hard into the paper. Every stroke was final.

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On the day of my fifth wedding anniversary with Ethan Wright, I discovered he was cheating through the smart body composition scale at our house. The scale’s app showed a new guest record: weight 99 pounds, body fat percentage 18%. Meanwhile, my weight had long soared to 132 pounds, a side effect of years on fertility drugs. I held my phone, watching Ethan sitting on the couch, sending a voice message to his “good buddy,” Chelsea Miller. “Bro, I weighed myself at your place today, and I’ve lost more weight. You definitely need to treat me to a feast to fatten me up.” Chelsea’s voice leaked from the earpiece. Ethan chuckled, responding, “Alright, I’ll take you out for a nice meal tomorrow.” I calmly took a screenshot, then canceled the 30 million dollar transfer scheduled for his company the next day. Since he liked playing charity, let him swallow the bitter fruit of bankruptcy himself. “Ava Sterling, these pajamas are really comfy. You don’t mind if I borrow them for a night, do you?” Chelsea, draped in my silk pajamas, boldly leaned on Ethan’s shoulder. I’d paid twenty thousand dollars for those pajamas, custom-made in Italy. The tag hadn’t even been cut off the collar yet. Now, they hung loosely on Chelsea, the collar wide open, revealing a lot of her fair skin. Ethan sat on the sofa, a glass of red wine in his hand. He frowned and nudged Chelsea slightly to the side, but the gesture was clearly half-hearted. “Chelsea’s pipes burst at her place, nowhere to stay, so I told her to crash here for a night.” He looked up at me. His tone was a statement of fact, not a request for discussion. I stood in the entryway, still holding the medical report I’d just picked up from the hospital. “Take them off,” I said, looking at Chelsea. Chelsea paused, then dramatically covered her mouth. “Oh, Ava, you’re not actually mad, are you?” She shrank closer to Ethan. “I just treat your husband like my brother usually, so I didn’t think too much of it.” “If you mind, Ava, I’ll take them off right now.” She started to unbutton the pajamas, but her movements were incredibly slow. Ethan instantly pressed her hand down. “Ava, what the hell is wrong with you?” He stood up, looking down at me. “It’s just a piece of clothing. Chelsea’s a girl; what do you expect her to wear if she takes them off now?” I tossed my bag onto the entryway cabinet. “Anything. Just not mine.” I walked over, staring at Chelsea’s innocent face. “Those pajamas cost twenty-two thousand. Take them off now, and I’ll throw them away like trash.” “If you don’t, then transfer the money.” Chelsea’s eyes instantly welled up. She bit her lower lip, looking at Ethan for help. “Ethan, did I make Ava unhappy?” “I told you I shouldn’t have come, but you insisted.” “I’ll leave then. I’ll just sleep under a bridge.” Ethan’s face darkened completely. He pulled Chelsea behind him, shielding her. “Ava Sterling, do you have to cause such a scene over a piece of clothing?” “Chelsea’s my best friend. What’s wrong with me helping her when she’s in trouble?” “You used to be so understanding; now you’ve become so petty.” I looked at his self-righteous face and suddenly found it amusing. Five years of marriage, I’d been with him from nothing to his company going public. I’d developed endocrine disorders and my body had changed because of fertility drugs. Yet, he thought I’d become petty. “Ethan, I saw the record on the body composition scale.” My voice was calm. Ethan’s gaze flickered. But he quickly straightened his posture. “What body composition scale? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Chelsea came over this afternoon to pick up some files and weighed herself. That’s all.” “Are you even monitoring me now?” Chelsea poked her head out from behind him. “Ava, you don’t actually think there’s anything between Ethan and me, do you?” “Come on, we’re pure buddies, like he’s my male best friend.” “You’re just too insecure.” She sized me up, her gaze lingering on my waist for two seconds. It was an utterly contemptuous look. I ignored her, turning to walk towards the bedroom. “Replace this sofa tomorrow.” I stopped, without looking back. “It’s been touched by trash; I find it repulsive.” Behind me, the sound of a glass shattering echoed. “Ava Sterling, don’t push it too far!” Ethan’s voice boomed in the living room. I closed the bedroom door and locked it. I pulled out my phone and dialed Mark, my assistant. “Send me the financial assessment report for Wright Industries by 9 AM tomorrow.” “Also, cancel all supplementary cards I issued to Ethan from my accounts.” Mark’s respectful voice came from the other end. “Understood, Ms. Sterling. Should I notify Mr. Wright?” “No need.” I looked at my slightly drawn face in the mirror. “He’ll find out soon enough.”

“Ethan, was Ava really angry last night?” Chelsea sat in the passenger seat, biting her straw and sneaking glances at me in the back. Today she was wearing a loose men’s hoodie. I recognized it instantly as the limited-edition one Ethan had bought last month. Ethan steered with one hand, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “That’s just how she is. She’ll get over it in a couple of days.” “We’re going to that trendy brunch spot. Didn’t you say you were craving smoked steak salad?” His tone was indulgent, completely ignoring me in the backseat. Today was Wright Industries’ annual gala. As Ethan’s legal wife, I was supposed to attend. But he’d insisted on picking up Chelsea first, using the excuse that it was “on the way.” “Ava, that dress looks pretty on you, but it makes your stomach look a little big.” Chelsea turned around, smiling at me. “Unlike me, I just can’t gain weight no matter how much I eat. It’s so annoying.” She purposely puffed out her flat stomach. I looked down at the financial report on my phone, not bothering to look up. “Is that so? That’s good then.” “After all, besides eating, you don’t seem to have any other talents.” Chelsea’s smile froze. She looked at Ethan, feigning hurt. “Ethan, look at Ava, how can she talk like that?” Ethan slammed on the brakes. “Ava Sterling, are you looking for a fight today?” “Chelsea was just trying to give you a compliment. Why are you being so sarcastic?” I looked up, meeting his angry gaze. “I’m merely stating facts.” “If she feels wronged, she can get out of the car.” Ethan took a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress his rage. “Fine, I won’t argue with you.” The car restarted, and the interior fell silent. The gala was a glittering affair. As soon as I walked into the ballroom, several familiar wives surrounded me. “Mrs. Wright, I hear your company is securing a big investment recently?” “Mr. Wright is truly promising.” I responded politely, but my peripheral vision caught Ethan leading Chelsea towards the circle of core investors. Chelsea clung to Ethan’s arm, beaming brightly, almost excessively. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was the president’s wife of Wright Industries. “Who’s that?” one of the wives asked, following my gaze. “Mr. Wright’s assistant? She looks new.” I took a sip of champagne. “Just someone who doesn’t know her place.” Halfway through the gala, it was time for the charity auction. I had mentioned a blue diamond necklace to Ethan once before, something I’d taken a liking to. As soon as the auctioneer presented the necklace, Ethan raised his paddle. “Fifty thousand.” A wave of appreciative murmurs went through the crowd. “Mr. Wright is so devoted to his wife!” “Mrs. Sterling is truly blessed.” I looked at the necklace on the stage, but my heart felt nothing. Ultimately, Ethan won the necklace for eighty thousand dollars. He walked down the stage with the gift box, heading straight for me. I was about to reach out. But he brushed past my shoulder, walking towards Chelsea, who stood behind me. “Try it on.” He handed the necklace to Chelsea, his voice soft. All eyes in the room instantly focused on that corner. The air seemed to freeze. Chelsea covered her mouth, a look of feigned surprise on her face. “Ethan, this is too precious, I can’t accept it.” “Just take it,” Ethan said, pressing the necklace into her hand. “You helped me follow up on that big project recently. This is a well-deserved reward.” Chelsea’s face flushed, and she put on the necklace in front of everyone. She then turned, purposely walking up to me. “Ava, isn’t it beautiful?” She touched the blue diamond on her neck, smiling like a victor. I looked at the necklace around her neck, which was originally meant for me. My smartwatch on my wrist suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Mark, my assistant. “Ms. Sterling, the account Mr. Wright used to pay for the auction item just now was your mother’s medical emergency fund account.” I stared at the line of text on the screen. “Why is that necklace on your neck?” I looked up at Chelsea. Chelsea froze for a moment, then her smile grew even wider. “Ava Sterling, Ethan said I helped him secure an investment, and this was his special reward for me.” “You wouldn’t try to snatch this away too, would you?”

“A thirty-million-dollar shortfall. How do you plan to cover it?” I slammed the financial report onto Ethan’s desk. Papers scattered, falling to the floor. Ethan didn’t even look up. He was focused on peeling an orange for Chelsea, who sat on the sofa. “The company’s cash flow was tight, so I temporarily diverted some money from the foundation in your name.” He placed the peeled orange on Chelsea’s plate, then pulled a tissue to wipe his hands. His tone was as flat as if discussing the weather. “That’s the life-saving money for my mother’s heart surgery next month.” I stared into his eyes, my voice like ice. That foundation was established before our marriage, specifically to deal with my mother’s potentially worsening condition at any time. Only Ethan and I knew the password. Ethan finally looked up. He irritably tugged at his tie. “Ava Sterling, can you stop always making such a fuss?” “Your mother’s surgery isn’t until next month, is it? As soon as this batch of payments comes in, I’ll put the money back immediately.” Chelsea, eating her orange, mumbled an interruption. “That’s right, Ava. Ethan’s doing this for the company’s good too.” “I worked so hard to get that project through my connections. If the funding stops, all the initial investment will be wasted.” She pulled a wet wipe to clean her mouth, then walked up to me. “Ava, you’re also part of the company. You can’t just stand by and watch Ethan’s hard work be ruined, can you?” “Besides, your mother’s illness isn’t new. A few days’ delay won’t kill her.” I looked at Chelsea’s self-important face. I raised my hand and slapped her hard. A crisp smack echoed clearly in the office. Chelsea stumbled, clutching her face, looking at me in disbelief. “You hit me?” Ethan abruptly stood up and pushed me away. “Ava Sterling, are you crazy!” He tenderly cupped Chelsea’s face, checking her for injuries. “Chelsea, are you okay?” Turning his head, he glared at me, his eyes bloodshot with fury. “How dare you hit her? Diverting the funds was my idea, what does it have to do with her?” I was pushed, hitting the edge of the office desk, a sharp pain shot through my waist. But I straightened up, coldly looking at the despicable pair. “How dare I?” I sneered. “Because she used my mother’s life-saving money to fill the hole in her shell company.” “Ethan, do you really think I don’t know what her so-called ‘big project’ is?” I pulled a document from my bag and threw it directly at Ethan’s face. “A shell company with only ten thousand dollars in registered capital, and you poured thirty million into it.” “The money went in, but it vanished without a trace.” “Are you running a business, or a charity?” Ethan’s face changed. He glanced down at the documents on the floor, his eyes showing a hint of panic. But he quickly recomposed himself. “You don’t understand business. This is called early-stage investment.” “Chelsea has wide connections; this money will double quickly.” I looked at his stubborn refusal to admit his mistake, losing even the energy to be angry. “Fine, I don’t understand.” I nodded. “But do you understand that misappropriating funds for a specific purpose is considered embezzlement?” “If I call the police, how many years do you think you’d spend behind bars?” Ethan froze. He hadn’t seemed to expect me to say such a thing. “Ava Sterling, are you threatening me?” He gritted his teeth, glaring at me. “For thirty million, you’re going to send your husband to jail?” Chelsea, hiding behind Ethan, added fuel to the fire. “Ethan, I told you Ava doesn’t love you at all; she only cares about money.” “Look at how aggressive she is now, not an ounce of a good wife in her.” I looked at Chelsea. “Shut up.” I pulled out my phone and activated the recording function. “Ava Sterling, your mother’s surgery can be delayed by half a month, she won’t die.” Ethan pointed a finger at my nose, completely dropping his pretense. “But if Chelsea’s project fails, she’ll be ruined.” “I used this money. What can you do about it?” I pressed save. Putting my phone back in my bag. “Ethan Wright, remember what you said today.” I turned and walked towards the door. “I hope you won’t be begging me on your knees later.”

“Ava Sterling, Ethan’s gaming all night with me, so he won’t be coming home.” Chelsea’s triumphant laugh came through the phone. In the background, there was deafening club music, mixed with the cheers of men and women. I sat on a cold corridor bench in the city hospital. In my hand, I clutched the diagnostic report I’d just received. Hippocampal atrophy, early-stage Alzheimer’s. Commonly known as irreversible memory loss. The doctor said I would slowly forget everyone, forget my way home, until I became a shell of a person, unable to even feed myself. “Put him on the phone.” My voice was calm, without any fluctuation. Chelsea clicked her tongue on the other end of the line. “Ava, you’re checking up on him too much.” “Ethan finally got a chance to relax; do you have to ruin the fun?” “Hey, Ethan, Ava Sterling insists on talking to you.” A rustling sound came from the other end. Followed by Ethan’s impatient voice. “What now?” “Did the house catch fire or the sky fall? Why call at this hour?” I took a deep breath, trying to make my voice sound normal. “Ethan, I’m at City Hospital.” “I got my check-up report today, the doctor said…” “Alright, alright, another check-up report.” Ethan cut me off directly. “You just want to say your endocrine system is out of whack again, and you need to buy some expensive imported medicine, don’t you?” “Ava Sterling, can’t you try a new trick?” “It’s Chelsea’s dog’s birthday today; everyone’s in high spirits. Don’t be a downer.” My knuckles, gripping the phone, turned white. “Ethan, I’m sick. Very seriously.” “That’s your problem.” Ethan’s voice was as cold as a stranger’s. “If you’re really about to die, just call 911. What’s the point of calling me? I’m not a doctor.” “Don’t call again. It’s annoying.” Beep, beep, beep. The call ended. I looked at the darkened phone screen. Suddenly, I felt a sense of release. I folded the diagnostic report neatly and put it in my bag. Stepping out of the hospital, a torrential rain poured down outside. I didn’t open my umbrella, letting the rain soak me completely. Back home, I walked straight into the study. I opened the safe and took out the divorce papers I had already prepared. On the line for the wife, I signed my name. Then, I called Mr. Davis, my lawyer. “Mr. Davis, all the materials I asked you to prepare can be submitted now.” “Yes, all of them.” “Including the ledgers detailing Wright Industries’ suspected tax evasion, and the evidence of Ethan Wright’s fund misappropriation.” After hanging up, I placed the divorce papers on the coffee table in the living room. Beside it, I placed the men’s hoodie Chelsea had left behind. Having done all this, I pulled my suitcase and walked out of the villa I had lived in for five years. The night was deep. I sat in a taxi heading to the airport, watching the neon lights outside speed past. My phone suddenly vibrated violently. It was Ethan’s assistant calling. I pressed the answer button. “Madam, where are you?” Mark’s voice sounded full of panic. “Mr. Wright drank too much at the club just now, got into a fight, and was hit in the head with a bottle. He’s currently in emergency care…” “What? Madam, what did you say?” Mark swallowed, relaying the message to Ethan. “Mr. Wright, Madam was in a serious car accident on Oceanview Road just now. Also… all your assets were frozen ten minutes ago.” Ethan’s weak and shocked voice came from the other end of the line. “What did you say?”

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I spent fifteen years working myself to the bone, handing every dollar I earned to my husband, Derek, to fund his PhD and launch his career as a professor. Then one day, I walked into his office and found his student, Sienna, halfdressed and sitting in his lap. He just looked away and said nothing when she called me “the housekeeper.” I walked out without a word. Then I enrolled in community college. One month later, at his tenure review hearing, I stood at the podium as a firstyear student giving a speech while the screen behind me scrolled through fifteen years of bank transfers and photos of him with his girlfriend. I smiled and asked the room: “A professor built on his wife’s blood and sweat who’s also sleeping with his own student does he deserve to stand in a classroom?” I pushed open the door to my husband Derek’s office. He was sitting behind his desk. With a girl in his lap. She was straddling him, clothes disheveled, cheeks flushed pink. “Professor,” she cooed, “I really don’t understand this part.” My footsteps made them both look up. Derek shoved the girl off him like he’d been electrocuted. “Lynn I mean, Sarah?” He stumbled over my name. “What are you doing here?” I didn’t answer. The girl turned to look at me. Her eyes dropped to the shopping bag in my hand the one holding the dress shirt Derek needed for his lecture tomorrow. “Oh, are you the housekeeper?” She crossed her legs and tilted her chin toward the water cooler. “Get me some water. Warm, please.” I looked at Derek. He looked away. Said nothing. I set the shopping bag by the door, walked to the water cooler, filled a cup with warm water, and placed it on the desk in front of her. She didn’t even glance at me. She turned back to Derek with a smile. “So, Professor should we keep going?” Derek finally spoke. His voice came out rough. “Sienna. That’s enough for today. I have something to take care of.” Sienna slowly gathered her things. As she passed me, she stopped and leaned in, studying my face. “Huh. You kind of look like the Professor’s relative or something.” She paused, smiled, and walked out. The door clicked shut. Derek crossed the room quickly, reaching for my hand. “Sarah, just let me explain” I stepped back. “What relative?” I asked. He froze. “No you’ve got it wrong.” The words came out fast. “Sienna’s father is on the board of trustees. I have to keep her happy. She was just here about her thesis, we were looking over her paper” “Are you coming home tonight?” I asked. “Yes, of course.” He sounded almost desperate. “I don’t have anything tonight. We can sit down and talk, really talk” “That’s okay.” I reached down and picked up the shopping bag. I opened the door. I looked back at him one last time. Fifteen years. I’d carried him from a broke college student to a PhD. He’d gotten a teaching position, made associate professor, and now he was one step away from full professor. I had washed dishes, delivered food, stocked shelves at a grocery store. During his PhD years, I worked three jobs at the same time. His tuition, his living expenses, money for textbooks and faculty dinners every single dollar had come from me. Now he was a professor at a prestigious university. And I was “some relative from back home.” My voice was very calm. “Derek. Your tenure review hearing is next month, right?” He blinked. “How do you know about that?” “You left the paperwork on your desk. I saw it.” I paused. “Good luck preparing.” I closed the door. I walked to the stairwell and stopped at the landing. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. The recording indicator was lit up red. 2 minutes, 47 seconds. I hit save and named the file: “office.” Then I opened my contacts and scrolled to a number I hadn’t called in years an old coworker who’d eventually opened a print shop near the university district. She picked up. “Janet? It’s me, Sarah,” I said. “Quick question can your shop make copies of bank statements? Years’ worth of them?”

I got home at four in the afternoon. The apartment was eight hundred square feet, two bedrooms. The university had assigned it to Derek when he made associate professor a faculty housing benefit. Only his name was on the title. At the time, he’d said it was simpler that way. The living room shelves were packed with his academic books. My things were crammed into a small corner of the bedroom. In fifteen years, I’d moved nine times. Always renting. Every move, I owned a little less. He used to say: “once things settle down, we’ll buy a real place and put both our names on it.” Things had settled down, all right. He’d settled into being Professor Collins. And I’d settled into being “the housekeeper.” I went to the bedroom and pulled an old suitcase out from under the bed. It was full of notebooks. Kraftpaper covers, eleven of them in total. From 2008, when he first started college, all the way to now. I opened the first one. “September 3, 2008. Transferred $6,800 for tuition. $1,000 for living expenses. Kept $300 for myself.” “October 12, 2008. Transferred $800. He said he needed reference books.” “November 7, 2008. Transferred $1,200. He said his advisor was organizing a group dinner and everyone needed to chip in.” Every transfer was followed by a note of my income that month. I closed the last notebook and picked up my phone. I opened my banking app and pulled up the full transfer history. I searched: “Derek Collins.” A long list filled the screen. I screenshotted everything. Fortyseven pages. Then I opened my laptop and went to the university website. I enrolled in the community college. It was affiliated with Derek’s university the same campus, a different program. Tuition: eight thousand dollars a year. “System notification: Please report for your placement exam next Monday.” I closed the browser and opened a new Word document. Title: “The Cost of Building a Professor: A Financial Analysis” I picked up the first notebook and started typing. “Chapter One: Direct Financial Support Itemized Record.” The sound of the keyboard filled the quiet apartment, steady and even. At nine that night, Derek came home. He looked tense when he walked in. When he saw me sitting at the computer, he frowned. “What are you doing?” “Organizing some files.” He walked up behind me and glanced at the screen. I’d already switched to a browser tab a recipe site. “Sarah.” His voice softened. “About what happened today we need to talk. Sienna is just a student. Her father is on the board of trustees. I have to manage that relationship. Earlier, we were literally just going over her paper” “I know,” I said. I saved the Word document and password protected it. “That’s your reaction?” His voice sharpened. “I just explained everything. What more do you want?” He paused, then: “Sarah, you need to understand I’m in a very visible position right now. A lot of people are watching me. I can’t afford any complications. I need you not to make things difficult.” I stood up and turned to face him. “Derek. For your tenure review does your spouse need to sign anything? Provide any kind of documentation?” He blinked. “What?” “The review process. Do they need my signature, or any supporting documents from me?” “No.” His tone shifted, a little uneasy. “Why are you asking that?” “Just curious.” I headed toward the kitchen. “Did you eat?” “Already ate.” He hesitated. “Sarah. The review next month is critical. During this period try not to come by the university to find me, okay? The other faculty wives are always comparing notes on everything.” “Understood.” I cut him off. He exhaled, visibly relieved. His voice warmed up. “Once I get the promotion, the pay bump will be significant. I’ll take you shopping get you some nice things. You deserve to treat yourself a little.” “Sure. That sounds good,” I said. He went into his study. I could hear him on the phone, voice low, with a laugh in it. “”It’s fine. Handled it. Yeah, she doesn’t know anything…”“ I washed my hands and sat back down at the computer. The document was already at ten thousand words. I created a new folder and named it “Evidence.” I moved in the bank statement screenshots. I photographed the notebooks, page by page, making sure every entry was legible. I added the recording from today. Then I opened my photo gallery. I scrolled back to last week the day I’d gone to campus to drop off a flash drive he’d left at home and pulled up the photos I’d taken from the hallway. In the photos, Derek and Sienna were walking side by side. Sienna’s hand was looped casually through his arm. Timestamp: October 18, 2023. I dragged the photos into the folder.

The community college placement exam was straightforward. As I turned in my test, the proctor looked at me for a second longer than necessary. “What do you do? You don’t look like a recent grad.” “I’ve been at home,” I said. A brief flicker of understanding crossed her face. She’d pegged me as a housewife. Three days later, the results came out. I’d passed. On enrollment day, I wore a plain tshirt and jeans, carried a canvas backpack. Most of my classmates were in their twenties and thirties working adults coming back to upgrade their credentials. No one paid me any attention. The program coordinator was a young teaching assistant. After handing out the syllabi, he said: “Even though this is an evening program, the university holds us to full academic standards. You need the required credit hours, and assignments and exams are nonnegotiable.” He raised his voice: “And don’t even think about coasting through. This department does not play around with academic standards. Fail enough courses and you’ll be out.” A few groans from the back. After class, I walked over to the main campus library. My new student ID worked for everything. I found the core accounting textbooks a thick stack and carried them to a seat in the corner. I’d barely sat down when I heard familiar laughter. Across the reading room, by the window, Derek and Sienna were sitting together. She was leaning into him, practically pressed against his arm, pointing at something in an open book. He was tilted toward her, a small smile on his face. Two cups of coffee sat on the table in front of them. Same cups, different colored straws. Matching set. I lowered my head and opened “Introduction to Financial Accounting. Chapter One: Cash and Cash Equivalents.” My phone buzzed. A text from Derek: “Department dinner tonight. Don’t wait up.” I typed back: “OK. Don’t drink too much.” Then I raised my phone, zoomed in on the window seats across the room, and took a photo. Three shots in a row. Sienna fed Derek a piece of fruit from her cup. He ate it. I saved the photos to the “Evidence” folder. Life settled into a rhythm. Tuesday and Thursday evenings. All day Saturday. Classes. Everything else: the library, selfstudy, auditing open lectures from the accounting department. There was a woman in my cohort named Mia. She worked as an assistant at an accounting firm. When she noticed how hard I was studying, she offered to lend me her practical training notes. “Are you doing this to find a job?” she asked. “Yeah. I want to be an accountant.” “Then you’ll need to sit for the CPA exam. But you need a bachelor’s degree to register.” “I know.” I smiled. “I’ll get the degree first.” Mia pointed me toward online courses and study guides. I bought all of them. I pulled the money from the household budget. Derek gave me three thousand dollars a month for “household expenses.” I logged it in the notebook under: “Education personal development.” He never noticed. He was getting busier. Home two, maybe three nights a week, always talking about preparing materials for the review, “building relationships” with the evaluation committee. One night he came in well past midnight, and there was perfume on his jacket. Not mine. I spoke into the dark. “Derek. The review hearing it’s on the fifteenth, next month, right?” He tensed. “How do you know that?” “You mentioned it once.” I paused. “Which room is it in?” “Conference Room A in the admin building. Why?” “I thought I might come watch. I’ve never seen you present before.” He made a short, dismissive sound. “You wouldn’t follow any of it. It’s all technical content. They’ll be streaming it live on the university site. Just watch it from home.” “Oh. Okay.” A beat of silence. Then his voice softened, already getting drowsy. “Once the promotion goes through, the package gets a lot better. We’ll go somewhere in Europe. And I’ll get you a decent bag.” He was almost asleep. “You should have some nice things…” His breathing evened out. I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Then I reached under my pillow for my phone and opened the calendar. “November 15. Hearing.” Twentythree days away. I got up quietly, went to the living room, and opened the laptop. “The Cost of Building a Professor” was already at Chapter Five: “Invisible Labor and Social Capital Management.” I created a new chapter: “Academic Ethics and Personal Character: An Analysis of Their Relationship.” I started typing. “”The criteria for the Professor rank explicitly includes evaluation of professional ethics and conduct.”“ “”The following constitutes partial evidence of Professor Derek Collins’s inappropriate conduct with female students over the past several years…”“ I inserted the photos. The office. The library. Last week’s shot of Derek’s car Sienna in the passenger seat. Photo timestamps: June through October, 2023. “”Furthermore, Professor Collins has on multiple occasions described his legal spouse, Sarah Collins, as a ‘distant relative’ in public settings, suggesting deliberate concealment of his marital status for reasons that remain unclear…”“ I logged into the campus forum under my anonymous account three months old, levelthree status, enough to send private messages. I found a user called “Academic Tea Spillers.” They ran an anonymous tip account faculty drama, departmental scandals, the kind of thing people whispered about but never said out loud. I sent a message: “I have significant material on Professor Derek Collins. Financial misconduct, inappropriate relationships, ethics violations. Timed for before his review. Interested in collaborating?” Ten minutes later: “Do you have proof?” I sent a blurred photo Derek and Sienna, silhouettes in his car. “More available in person. I need you to guarantee the post goes live at exactly 10 a.m. on November 15th.” “Why that time?” “That’s when his tenure hearing starts.” Silence for a few minutes. “Deal. How do we stay in touch?” I gave them a second phone number. “Pleasure doing business.” By the time I finished, it was almost dawn. I shut the laptop and went back to bed. Derek was sound asleep, face relaxed, the faintest upward curve at the corner of his mouth. Probably dreaming about his promotion. I closed my eyes. Twentythree days. The countdown had started.

Derek stopped coming home entirely. He said the review had entered a critical phase and he was staying in faculty housing to be “available for the team at all times.” I put everything into studying. Mia noticed how fast I was improving and pulled me into her study group two other guys, both preparing for the CPA exam. “Honestly, you should just start studying for the CPA now,” Mia said. “You’ve got realworld experience, which gives you a huge advantage. As for the degree I know a way to fasttrack it.” “What kind of way?” “There’s an accelerated path for adult learners. Extra fees, extra exams, but you can finish in a year.” She lowered her voice. “I have a contact. But it costs money.” “How much?” “Thirty thousand dollars.” I thought about it all night. The next morning, I went to Derek’s office. No warning. I knocked. There was a rustling sound inside. Half a minute passed before the door opened. His expression went flat when he saw me. “You again.” “I need to talk to you.” I walked in. “Make it quick. I have a meeting.” He didn’t sit down. “I need thirty thousand dollars,” I said. He stared at me. “For what?” “Family matter.” His eyes narrowed. “Sarah, you’ve been acting strange. Always out somewhere. And now you’re asking for this kind of money.” He paused, and suspicion crept into his voice. “Did someone tell you something?” “Tell me what?” I asked. He opened his mouth, closed it, waved his hand. “Never mind. I can give you the money, but I’m tapped out right now. Wait until the promotion comes through the bonus will cover it.” “I need it now.” “Are you being reasonable?” His voice rose. “Do you have any idea how much I’m spending to manage this review? I don’t have thirty thousand dollars to hand you.” “Stop making things harder, Sarah. Not right now.” I looked at him steadily. “When you said you needed a laptop for your research, I pulled out everything I had saved four thousand eight hundred dollars. I gave you every cent. You said you’d pay me back when you were earning.” His expression shifted. “When your mother needed surgery, the bill was fifty thousand dollars. I borrowed from every coworker I had, then took out a highinterest loan. You said she was as good as my own mother and you’d never forget what I did.” “When your paper got rejected and you needed money to get it placed, I worked three jobs for two months and lost fifteen pounds. You said that once you made something of yourself, you’d never let me struggle again.” “That’s “enough”.” He kept his voice low, but the edge in it was sharp. “You want to drag up the past? I’m “working” on it. Once the promotion goes through, everything gets better. That was always the plan.” “So. Thirty thousand dollars. Yes or no?” He stared at me for a long moment. Then he grabbed his wallet, yanked out a card, and slapped it on the desk. “The PIN is my birthday. There’s twentyfive thousand in there that’s everything I’ve got. Take it and go.” I picked up the card. I turned and walked out. As the door closed behind me, I heard him get on the phone, voice deliberately softened. “”Nothing. Just a relative needing a loan. Took care of it…”“ I didn’t take the elevator. I walked down the stairs. At the landing, I called Mia. “I have the money. Go ahead and start the paperwork for the accelerated degree. As fast as possible.” “On it! You just focus on studying, I’ll handle everything else.” “CPA registration opens in April you’ll make it no problem.” I hung up and pushed through the building’s front doors. I opened the campus forum app and checked my anonymous inbox. “Academic Tea Spillers” had messaged: “Evidence received. This is explosive.” “You’re sure about 10 a.m. on the 15th? That’s when he’s midhearing. Maximum impact.” I replied: “Confirmed. I want the exact moment it destroys him. Down to the second.” “Understood. Final payment?” “Thirty minutes before the hearing starts. In full.” “Pleasure doing business.” I logged out and cleared the cache. Then I opened the encrypted audio file on my phone. Derek’s voice came through the speaker: “”Sienna is just a student. Her father’s on the board. I have to manage that.”“ “”The other faculty wives are always comparing notes.”“ “”Once I get the promotion, I’ll take you shopping.”“ I clipped several segments, opened “The Cost of Building a Professor,” and inserted the audio links into the final chapter with the note: “Additional recordings available in the attached archive.” I compressed the file, encrypted it, and backed it up to three separate cloud accounts. When that was done, I walked to the accounting department’s administrative office. “Hi I had a question about CPA exam registration. If someone is currently enrolled in an adult bachelor’s program, can they register?” The advisor pushed his glasses up. “Per current regulations, you need a completed bachelor’s degree.” “However, if you can provide an enrollment verification and your transcripts, we can run a preliminary review. You’d submit the actual diploma once it’s issued.” “What’s the fastest timeline for getting a degree?” He flipped through some paperwork. “Standard track is two years. Expedited…” He scanned the page. “Three to four months, but it requires additional coursework and fees.” “I want the expedited track,” I said. “You’ve got real drive,” he said with a smile. “Bring in your documents and I’ll submit the paperwork personally.” “Thank you.” Walking out of the office, I got a call from Derek. His tone had done a complete oneeighty. “Hey. I was pretty short with you earlier I’m sorry about that.” “Take whatever you need from the account. If it’s not enough, just tell me.” “I’ve been under a lot of pressure. Don’t take it personally.” A pause. “The fifteenth they’re streaming the hearing live on the university site. You can watch from home.” Another pause. “Wish me luck.” “Good luck,” I said. “You’ll do great.” I hung up and stood outside the building in the open air. I held my phone tightly. Ten days until November 15th. I just needed nothing to go wrong.

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I spent six years helping the down-and-out mafia boss Ethan Chase build his empire from nothing. Everyone around me urged me to push for marriage, but he always said to wait—wait until everything was more stable. Then, the night before my birthday, I saw him talking to an old wooden box with a tenderness I’d never heard before. “My wife, I made it through another year. Now I have everything, but I’ve spent less time with you.” “Don’t worry. Once everything settles down, I’ll make it all up to you.” My heart ached. That box was a keepsake from his mother. He said he would keep the most important thing in his life inside it. I thought that after all these years of taking bullets for him and risking my life, he finally felt he owed me something, so he’d bought me an expensive birthday gift. After he returned to the bedroom, I tiptoed to the study and opened the wooden box. Inside was only a yellowed wedding invitation. The groom’s name was Ethan Chase, and the bride’s name was Sophia Hayes. Beneath the invitation was a birth certificate. A boy, six years old. Fighting back tears, I reached for a document at the very bottom. It was a deed of gift transferring all his assets, signed with his handwriting. “To my only child in this life, Eric Chase.” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning, frozen in place, unable to move. So all those times he made me lose our children—it was because he already had one. And the wife in his heart wasn’t me. There had been someone else all along.

My fingers trembled as I carefully placed everything back in the box exactly as I’d found it. The next second, the butler Zane came running over in a panic. “Ethan never lets anyone touch that box. You… you didn’t touch it, did you?” His eyes darted away. “Zane,” I looked up at him, “all these years, you’ve watched me go through hell and high water with him.” “Can you tell me when these things were put in the box?” Zane’s shoulders slumped, his eyes filled with reluctance. “The old invitation—that was when you helped us escape from New York to Las Vegas six years ago. Before we boarded the ship, he put it in himself.” I laughed, my throat tightening. Six years ago, the Chase family was framed and went bankrupt overnight. Ethan insisted on finding the mastermind and ended up being hunted. I didn’t hesitate to cut ties with my family, changed my name to Lily Lynn, got him fake documents, pulled every string I had to arrange passage on a ship to Las Vegas, and fled New York with him and Zane, desperately fighting for our lives. On the ship, he kept his head down and said nothing, clutching that wooden box tightly to his chest, tears dripping onto it. I thought he was grieving his mother’s death and the cruel reality that had crushed him. Heartbroken, I held him in my arms. “Ethan, don’t be afraid. I’m here.” He buried his head against my chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me. He said, “Lily, you’re all I have now.” It turned out he didn’t only have me. I was just the only one left willing to suffer with him. His tears were for his first love, Sophia Hayes, who had left him the moment she learned his family went bankrupt. Zane looked at my pale face and sighed before continuing. “The birth certificate was placed inside six months after we arrived in Las Vegas. Ethan stayed with Sophia until after the child was born before returning to Las Vegas.” Those six months were the most miserable of my entire life. I stayed with him in the gambling city, calculating cards day and night, winning him his first fortune for his comeback. But in doing so, we offended some dangerous people at the casino. They threatened to kill us. We had to hide and run from constant attempts on our lives. That’s when I took a bullet for him. It pierced through the right side of my chest, just one centimeter from my heart. At that time, I was already carrying our first child. But the day after I was admitted to the hospital, Zane came to tell me, “Ethan’s mother’s death anniversary arrived. He secretly went back to New York to pay his respects.” “Also, Ethan says you need to be careful. Things are too chaotic right now.” Then he left. That trip lasted two full months. During those two months, I was captured by those people and tortured relentlessly. Covered in wounds, they forced me to reveal Ethan’s whereabouts and where he’d hidden the money. I gritted my teeth and said nothing. Because of the severe beatings, I lost the baby. Now I know—he was with the woman he truly loved and their child. I was such a fool. Zane looked at my calm expression, his eyes reddening too. “The asset transfer contract was signed and placed inside yesterday.” Yesterday. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. Yesterday he held me and said, “Lily, if things go smoothly in New York this time, I’ll give you a grand wedding and make you the happiest wife.” It turned out the man I loved with my life had been lying to me all along.

Just then, the study door burst open and Ethan rushed in, his eyes full of panic. He immediately looked at Zane with questioning eyes. Zane silently shook his head. Ethan’s anxious heart instantly relaxed, and that gentle smile returned to his face. He walked over quickly and raised his hand to wipe the tears from my face. “Lily, why are you crying?” I forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I couldn’t sleep tonight, so I was talking with Zane about everything we’ve been through together. I got a bit emotional.” He pulled me into his arms and said softly, “Those terrible days are over. I’ll never let you get hurt again. Never.” With that, he scooped me up and strode toward the bedroom. As soon as we reached the bed, his kiss pressed down forcefully. He slowly pulled down my nightgown and kissed the gunshot scar on the right side of my chest over and over with warm lips. This was something he did every time we were intimate. I thought he was cherishing my sacrifice. Now I realize—maybe he was just using that scar to force himself to stay with me, to bind himself with moral obligation. But that wasn’t love. I wrapped my arms around him and responded passionately. Perhaps this would be our last time. Consider it a proper goodbye. But just then, his phone rang urgently. When he answered, a childish crying voice immediately came through. “Daddy, I feel terrible. I miss you…” Then a gentle woman’s voice followed, choked with tears. “Ethan, our son has a high fever. He keeps crying for his daddy. Please come back and see him, okay?” It was Sophia Hayes. Ethan’s body stiffened. He pushed me away and frantically started getting dressed. “Lily, there’s a problem with the company project. I have to go right away. Don’t worry—tomorrow is your birthday, and I’ll definitely be back to celebrate with you.” He opened the door and was about to leave. But after one step, he suddenly stopped. He realized that from the moment he answered the phone until now, I hadn’t said a single word. Every other time he went on a business trip, I would give him a goodbye kiss and tell him to be careful. But not this time. I just looked at him with lifeless eyes. Guilt flashed across his face as he turned and kissed my forehead. “What birthday gift do you want? Tell me and I’ll buy it for you.” I looked up at him seriously. “I want a wedding. Can I have that?” He smiled and ruffled my hair. “Don’t be silly. There’s no way to prepare a wedding in one day.” He turned to leave. Clinging to one last shred of hope, I grabbed his hand, my eyes almost pleading. “Then can we at least get our marriage license?” His body froze for a moment. Then he pulled his hand away and smiled. “Once we move our business back to New York and get married in our hometown—wouldn’t that be more meaningful? Lily, just wait a little longer, okay?” Wait a little longer. He’d been saying those words for six years. This time, I wouldn’t wait anymore.

“Fine. Go.” I said softly. He breathed a sigh of relief. As he was leaving, he suddenly remembered something. He turned back seriously. “Tomorrow afternoon at that auction, you must win that land at any cost. It’s our only guarantee for returning to New York. Understand?” I looked at him expressionlessly. “Damien Foster is determined to get that land. Have you forgotten what happened when we framed his father Xavier Foster? If I, a woman, outbid him, what do you think will happen to me?” Back when he disappeared for those two months, I barely escaped from my captors and had nowhere to turn. I went to beg the underground emperor at the time—Xavier Foster. I knelt at his door for three days and nights before he gave me a chance. He said he could protect us, but the condition was that we’d give him fifty percent of our company shares and all dividends. And if we didn’t make a hundred million in profit within a year, he’d personally deal with us. A year later, we did it. We even exceeded expectations. But Ethan started resenting having to split half the profits with Xavier. So he pulled me into a scheme that sent Xavier to prison. Where he died from torture. The year after his death, his son Damien Foster, who’d been studying abroad, returned. Damien was even more ruthless than his father. He abandoned everything from the underworld and started legitimate businesses from scratch. In just two years, his empire spread across Las Vegas. He publicly vowed to avenge his father, to destroy Ethan’s reputation, to make him fall back to rock bottom. But now Ethan was asking me to face such a ruthless enemy alone. I laughed bitterly. “Ethan, I could die. Don’t you care at all?” He just waved his hand dismissively. “You’ve done this kind of thing for me many times over the years, and you’ve always pulled through. I trust you. This time will be no different.” His words were like an icy blade, shredding my last bit of hope. The next morning, I’d just changed and was about to leave. My phone received a message from an unknown number. I opened it. On the screen was a marriage certificate. The names were crystal clear. Ethan Chase. Sophia Hayes. Followed by a text message. “Lily, I know you’ve done a lot for him, but we truly love each other, and we have a child together. Please don’t interfere with us anymore. Please leave him.” The words “family of three” stabbed at my heart. I bit my lip hard to keep tears from falling. With trembling fingers, I replied. “Okay.” That afternoon, at the auction. The land started at ten million dollars. I kept raising my paddle. But in the end, I lost, letting Damien Foster win the land for eighty million dollars. After leaving the auction, I called Ethan to tell the result. He immediately started berating me. “Lily Lynn! Since when did you become such a coward? Afraid of Damien’s revenge, so you hand over our only hope of returning to New York? You’ve disappointed me!” Before I could speak, two large bodyguards suddenly appeared behind me and forcibly shoved me into a black SUV. I was taken to the rooftop of an abandoned building. I immediately saw Damien Foster sitting in a chair. He took my phone and video-called Ethan.

The moment the video connected, Ethan’s furious voice came through. “Lily Lynn! You made a mistake and won’t let me criticize you? How dare you hang up on me!” The next second, his voice cut off abruptly. Because what he saw wasn’t my face, but Damien’s cold, cruel expression. Damien sneered. “You’re right. She did make a mistake. Her mistake was driving the price up to eighty million before backing down, making me waste all that money.” “So I’m going to punish her.” With that, he raised a finger slightly. A bodyguard beside him swung a club viciously into my back. I coughed up blood. Damien spoke again. “Ethan Chase, if you come back right now to trade places with her, I’ll consider sparing her life.” Blood covering my face, I begged the Ethan on screen. “Ethan, save me!” His face went deathly pale. “Damien Foster, don’t touch her! I’m coming back right now. Wait for me!” But then Sophia’s and Eric’s voices came through the video. “Ethan, today is the day we’re getting our marriage license. You promised to celebrate with me. And Eric has been looking forward to this day for so long. Can’t you bear to disappoint us?” “Daddy, Eric doesn’t want Daddy to leave. Can’t Daddy just stay with us for one day? Please, Daddy…” Ethan hesitated. I trembled, pleading desperately. “Ethan Chase, please come back and save me.” Finally, Ethan looked up at me, apology in his eyes. “Lily, I have something very important here and can’t get away right now. I’ll head back first thing tomorrow morning. I believe you’ll find a way to hold on until then.” “When I get back, we’ll have the wedding right away, okay? Just hang in there.” I laughed—laughed wildly, laughed miserably. Damien immediately grabbed the phone and said to Ethan on screen, “I don’t have that much patience to wait for you. New York to Las Vegas—four hours is enough. Ethan Chase, you choose.” Ethan choked. He turned to look at Sophia and Eric, their eyes full of pleading. He gritted his teeth. “I’ll definitely be there by eight tomorrow morning. Damien Foster, don’t touch Lily!” I gave the screen a desperate smile. “Ethan Chase, forget it. I’m tired of waiting.” With that, I looked at Damien and said calmly, “If you want revenge, do it.” Damien didn’t hesitate for a second. He reached out and shoved me hard. My body went light as I fell over the edge of the rooftop. Wind roared past my ears, along with Ethan’s hysterical roar from the phone. “Lily! No!” I closed my eyes. Ethan Chase. I’ll never interfere with your family of three again. Never again.

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My husband Sean cheated on me and brought his mistress home right after her miscarriage, forcing me to swap lives with her. She would live in luxury in the city while I went to the countryside to do farm work. My in-laws completely approved. “Your health has always been poor. It must be because your parents raised you too delicately.” “Living in the countryside for a few days will strengthen your constitution.” In my previous life, they didn’t ask for my opinion and just threw me there. I moved into my husband’s mistress’s rural home, waking up before dawn and working until dark, ordered around by her parents. My already poor health deteriorated rapidly. After I fell ill, her parents found me useless for work and locked me in the basement, where I starved to death. When I opened my eyes again, I heard my husband and in-laws discussing this life-swap scheme once more. I refused, but my husband threatened me: “If you don’t go, we’ll get divorced and I’ll take custody of our child.”

“Then let’s get divorced!” “You can have the child. I don’t want anything.” I had figured it out—rather than being sent there to die, I’d rather be alone. Sean hadn’t expected me to make the decision so quickly. He froze for a moment, then his expression gradually twisted: “Are you seeing another man?” “I’m just asking you to live somewhere else temporarily to improve your health and make it up to Raina a little. And you treat me like this…” I didn’t want to explain. I felt that communicating with this psycho would make me one too. I walked around them and went straight to the bedroom to pack my clothes. I’d barely packed two items when he charged in, grabbed my hand, and pinned me against the closet. He forcibly lifted my chin, locking my gaze: “Can you not be so selfish? Having you swap lives with Raina is only temporary. Raina had a miscarriage and asked me for one wish.” “She just wants to be my wife for a while. You can improve your health in the countryside, and she can fulfill her wish. What’s there to object to?” Listening to his self-righteous arrangements, I felt a chill sweep through my entire body. Sean and I had married for love. We both had congenital heart disease. I cried and begged my father to give up my heart donor and save him instead. But I never found a suitable heart donor and had been staying alive on my family’s money. Fortunately, he had always loved me. We got married, had a family, even had a child. But these past few years, my episodes became more frequent, and I was hospitalized more often. Sean’s movements softened: “Go to the countryside and take care of your health. I’ll keep looking for a heart donor for you.” “Don’t be angry at Raina either. I just saw your shadow in her. I’m a man. I have needs. Your health is poor, so I could only…” “Don’t be angry. You’re the one I care about most.” I pulled away from his hand, suddenly feeling disgusted. I stared at him viciously: “Don’t talk about caring. It’s revolting.” “Just marry her already.” Sean’s eyes went cold for a moment. He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. It was Diana’s voice: “Sean, the people are here. Get your wife out here.” I heard the voices of several familiar men from my previous life. Taking advantage of Sean’s distraction, I shoved him away. I rushed to the window, trying to climb down. With his long arms and legs, Sean caught up in a few steps, picked me up, and dragged me toward the door.

I was furious, pounding on his hands: “Sean, let me go!” The bedroom door flew open. Diana’s smiling face instantly darkened. Seeing Sean’s reddened hands, her eyes turned cold as knives. “She’s scheming. Just throw her in the trunk.” My son was woken up by the noise. He walked out of his room, saw me struggling, and his eyes filled with impatience: “Dad, can you cover Mom’s mouth? She’s keeping me awake.” “It’s just going to the countryside for a while. Why is she screaming like someone’s trying to kill her?” Hearing my son’s merciless words, my heart turned to ash. Sean looked at my expression with satisfaction and gagged me with a towel. “See, even our son is on my side.” “Go live there obediently. I’ll come back for you.” I was shoved straight into the trunk. The car started. The smell of gasoline mixed with cheap leather invaded my nostrils. The car jolted, and my heart ached with each bump. I bit my tongue to keep from passing out. While the car hadn’t gone too far yet, I had to save myself. When they tied me up, I deliberately kept my hands tensed. When I relaxed, it left a large gap. Sean had taught me this trick himself. Shortly after we got engaged, I was kidnapped by a psycho delivery driver. The man was jealous of my happy life and wanted Sean and me to be husband and wife in hell. Fortunately, Sean noticed something was wrong and successfully fought back. Sean held me after the rescue, crying tears of joy: “From now on, I’ll come home and cook for you. You don’t need to order delivery. I won’t let you be in any danger ever again.” Everyone envied me for having such a husband. He even taught me escape techniques, including this one. I never thought the first time I’d use it would be now. I jumped from the car. I ran through the night, my heart aching from fear and exertion. I lost a shoe while running, and by the end, my feet were scraped raw. The men trying to catch me were closing in again. Just when I was about to despair, a pair of hands appeared behind me. My best friend had come to save me. “Sophia!” In Lauren’s rental apartment, I drank hot water, calming my emotions. When Lauren heard my story, she was furious: “That bastard! How dare he?” “Sophia, don’t worry. I won’t let him find you.” Perhaps feeling safe, I felt drowsy after drinking the water. I fell asleep on the sofa. In my daze, I heard several familiar voices talking. “I even betrayed my best friend for this. Thirty thousand dollars isn’t too much to ask, is it?” “Mr. Whitmore, you’re a big boss now. You’re not going to be stingy, are you?” My body felt limp. I forced my eyes open a crack and saw my supposed best friend making a deal with Sean. Each mention of “best friend” was like a knife stabbing through me. I looked at my phone nearby and stuffed it into my bra. The transaction ended. Sean picked me up. Seeing the tears not yet dry in my eyes, he gently wiped them away. His movements were tender. I suppressed the urge to dodge and pretended to be unconscious. Raina walked over. Just as she was about to approach, she twisted her ankle and fell hard to the ground. Sean reacted quickly, throwing me back down to help her. The back of my head hit the floor hard. My consciousness faded along with his concerned voice for Raina.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the countryside. Raina stood alone watching me: “Sean is so good to you. He was worried you’d suffer here, so he came specially to check on your future living conditions.” “You’d better learn to adapt. After all, in this remote rural area, you can’t just sit around waiting to be fed. You have to work the fields.” After speaking, she went outside. Holding Sean’s arm, she introduced him to her parents: “This is my boyfriend. That woman inside is his sister. She was raised too delicately at home, so they’re sending her here for you to toughen her up.” “Treat her however you’d treat any other girl.” Her last sentence was in a heavily accented dialect. Translated, it meant: treat her like a pig, a dog, or livestock—anything goes. She walked to my side, smiling brightly at me, still speaking in dialect: “Right, bitch?” She thought I couldn’t understand and kindly explained: “Sophia, I’m praising you.” “Aren’t you happy?” Expressionless, I looked at her smug face, grabbed her father’s ashtray from the bed—still full of cigarette ash—and splashed it directly on her face. I mimicked her words: “Bitch.” “I’m praising you too.” Raina’s face instantly turned ashen gray. She shrieked and reached up to touch her face. The more disheveled she became, the more she cried from anger. Sean quickly grabbed her hand, pulled out a wet wipe, and wiped her face. He looked at me with fury: “Raina just had a miscarriage. Her health is already poor.” “How could you do this to her?!” Raina’s parents got agitated too. Her father picked up the coal tongs from the floor and was about to hit me with them: “You bitch! How dare you hurt my daughter!” I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him: “So what if I hit her? Kill me if you dare.” “She seduced my man and got me sent to this godforsaken place.” “If you don’t like it, call the police. Get yourselves all arrested.” The other neighbors who came to watch heard my words, and their eyes changed as they looked at them. “I thought his daughter married a rich man. Turns out she’s a mistress.” “And she brought the real wife here. How wicked.” “Wait, I heard she was dating him properly and they were going to get married officially?” Raina couldn’t stand the pointing and gossip. She snatched the wet wipe from Sean’s hand and threw it away. She snapped back at the crowd: “You’re listening to her bullshit! I’m Sean’s wife. Ask him if you don’t believe me.” “Sean, say something! You promised me!” Sean had already slipped back into character. He touched her head, helping her out: “Everyone, stop talking nonsense. Raina and I are the couple.” “She’s just a woman trying to seduce me. I sent her here to teach her a small lesson. I didn’t expect she still hasn’t changed.” His expression was full of disgust: “Now she’s even trying to frame Raina.” “I remember Raina telling me your village has ways of dealing with women like this…” My heart suddenly lurched. I had a bad feeling. “It’s time to teach her a proper lesson.” I slowly backed away until my back hit the wall. The room was locked. Several burly women rushed in with willow branch whips. They lashed down at me. “Mistresses are possessed by demons!”

“Willow whips drive out demons. We’ll help drive out your demons.” The willow whips were soaked in salt water. With the first strike, the salt water penetrated my wounds. I screamed. Sean tried to rush in but was held back. “Honey, they know what they’re doing. They won’t really hurt her.” “If you go in, she’ll know she can manipulate you even more.” Sean’s expression changed, but in the end, he didn’t go in. Sixty-six lashes. The dual pain in my heart and body left me unable to even scream. Something was flowing down my legs. The people in the room saw the blood and panicked. “Is she pregnant?” Sean heard the commotion and came in. Seeing the blood between my legs, he completely panicked. “It was just supposed to be a simple lesson. Why is there blood?” The women couldn’t say a word. They all looked at Raina. Raina panicked too. She quickly grabbed Sean’s arm and lowered her voice: “It must be her period.” “You know Sophia’s menstrual cycle best. Isn’t it around these days?” Sean’s worry subsided by half. “You’re probably right.” Raina smiled, looking at me with contempt: “Sophia is pretending to miscarry so you’ll soften and take her home.” “Sean, you’ve told me before that Sophia is very smart.” “She knows she can’t go back soon, so she wants to use her body to manipulate you.” I felt the life gradually dRainaing from my abdomen, and I laughed bitterly. In my previous life, I didn’t keep this child either. But the child wasn’t lost at this time. I lost it because they forced me to work the fields until I was exhausted. This time it was beaten out of me. Sean completely believed Raina’s words: “Sophia, you really are shameless.” “Still trying to scheme against me at a time like this, trying to make me take you away.” “Watching me worry—is that fun for you?” Raina looked at me with disapproval. “Sophia, using Sean’s concern like this is really wrong.” “Apologize to Sean quickly.” I gently placed my hand on my lower abdomen, feeling the warmth gradually fading inside. I bit my lip until I tasted the sweet metallic tang, then suddenly lunged forward, ramming straight into Raina’s stomach. Raina fell flat on her back, clutching her stomach, crying pitifully. “My stomach, my stomach hurts so much.” “Sean, will I never be able to be a mother now?” Sean slapped me hard across the face: “You’d better pray Raina will be okay.” He turned to Raina’s parents who were peeking in and raised his voice: “I’m taking Raina to the hospital first. She’s in your hands now.” “Just do what Raina said.” He carried Raina and left. As the car engine started, Raina’s parents sent the other people in the room away. Raina’s mother came forward and slapped me twice: “So what if you’re that CEO’s wife? He likes my daughter now.” “When you die, my daughter will be the CEO’s wife.” “Of course, we won’t let you die too suddenly. A spoiled rich girl who ran into a pigsty in a tantrum and got bitten to death by pigs…” Raina’s father grabbed my hair and dragged me outside. My legs were cut by stones, leaving a trail of blood. Raina’s father was quite satisfied. “Once I starve those animals for a few days, they’ll smell the blood and you’ll be their dinner.”

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I bought coffee and headed back to the parking lot. From a distance, I spotted a couple holding up their phones, making out against my newly purchased Rolls-Royce. They were disheveled, practically about to have sex on the hood. The woman winked at the camera and blew a kiss. “My husband spoils me so much! I absolutely love this custom Rolls-Royce. Thank you for the gift, Mark!” The man beside her ran his fingers through his greasy hair and gave her an exaggerated kiss, raising his eyebrows at the camera. “As long as Lisa’s happy, this is pocket change.” I stood a few steps away, completely bewildered. Wasn’t this my car? 1 Seeing me standing not far from the Rolls-Royce, Lisa rolled her eyes with utter disdain and waved me away dismissively. “What are you staring at? Where did this homeless person come from? Get away from my car before you damage it!” Her perfume was cheap and pungent, making me wrinkle my nose involuntarily. Mark smoothed his greasy hair and chimed in. “Exactly! This is a custom Rolls-Royce. If you scratch it even a little, you couldn’t afford to pay for it even if we sold you.” He raised his selfie stick, pointing the camera at me with a contemptuous smirk on his lips. “Look at this, everyone. Society these days has all kinds of weirdos. She sees a luxury car and can’t move her feet!” Lisa leaned toward the screen, chatting sweetly with her livestream fans. “She probably wants to take a photo to post on social media and pretend she’s rich. So disgusting!” Watching this absurd couple, I felt utterly ridiculous. I pointed at the Rolls-Royce behind them, trying to keep my voice calm. “You’re saying this car is yours?” “Duh! If it’s not ours, is it yours?” Lisa looked at me with contempt. “This is a gift my husband just gave me. It cost several hundred thousand dollars!” “A broke woman like you wearing thrift store clothes can’t even afford a tire. Get lost!” Mark also sneered. “Lisa, don’t bother with these lower-class people. It’s beneath us.” He turned to the camera, putting on an affectionate expression. “If you all hit that follow button, we’ll randomly select a fan to come experience our new car!” I watched their pathetic performance coldly, having no patience to continue this circus. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key fob with the double-R logo. I pressed it lightly. “Beep beep.” The Rolls-Royce, which had been sitting quietly, suddenly flashed its lights twice and made a clear unlocking sound. The air fell silent in that moment. Lisa’s smile froze instantly. Mark’s hand holding the selfie stick trembled violently, nearly dropping his phone. The livestream comments paused briefly, then began scrolling frantically. “Holy shit? The car responded?” “That woman pressed the key and the car unlocked!” “What’s going on? Didn’t they say the car was a gift from the host’s husband?” “They’re getting exposed! So they were just using someone else’s car to show off!” Seeing the comments turn against them, Lisa’s face turned pale and flushed alternately as she looked at Mark in panic. “Mark, what… what’s happening?” Mark’s forehead broke out in cold sweat, but his eyes darted around before he suddenly pointed at me and shouted. “You’ve got some nerve! How dare you steal the key to my brand new Rolls-Royce!” His shout was extremely loud, instantly attracting the attention of passersby. Lisa was stunned for a second, then immediately caught on and started screaming. “Catch the thief! Someone stole our car key!” “Everyone, this woman is a professional thief! She stole our new car key!” I was amused by their shameless attempt to turn the tables. “Are you out of your minds? I bought this car in full. When did it become yours?” Mark shouted harshly, “You shameless woman! You lie without even thinking it through!” He then rushed forward, trying to snatch the key from my hand. I quickly stepped back, avoiding his grabby hands. He glared at me viciously, spitting as he threatened. “You dare dodge? Hand over the key now, or you’ll regret it!” The commotion was too loud and soon attracted mall security. A fat, middle-aged security captain pushed through the crowd, holding a walkie-talkie. “What’s going on? What’s all this noise about?” When Lisa saw security, she immediately put on a pitiful expression, tears appearing instantly. “Security officer, you have to help us!” “This car is a gift my husband just gave me. We were filming a video.” “This woman took advantage of us not paying attention, stole the car key, and tried to drive it away!” The security captain looked at the brand new Rolls-Royce, then at the couple covered in designer logos. Finally, his gaze fell on me. I had just returned from my annual vacation today, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans. I certainly didn’t look like a wealthy person. The security captain’s eyes immediately became contemptuous. “Miss, you’re young. Why would you steal instead of doing something productive?” “Just return the key to them. Don’t make me use force.” I frowned, suppressing my anger. “Security, can you figure out the situation before speaking?” “This car is mine, and so is the key. They’re the frauds using someone else’s car to show off.” The security captain scoffed, his face full of disbelief. “Your car? You drive a Rolls-Royce worth hundreds of thousands and dress like a delivery person? Who are you trying to fool?” Seeing security on their side, Mark became even more arrogant. “Security, why waste words with this thief? Just restrain her!” “Everyone, today we’re going to catch a thief live and give you all a law lesson!” He shoved the camera in my face, practically sticking it to my nose. I pushed his phone away, my eyes turning completely cold. “Fine. Since you insist on falsely accusing me, let’s take this all the way!” I took out my phone and directly dialed 91

“Hello, 911? I’m at the Sunshine Mall underground parking lot. Someone is trying to rob my car and falsely accusing me of being a thief.” Hearing me call the police, Lisa not only wasn’t scared but laughed even harder. “Oh, the thief is crying thief! Go ahead and call! Let’s see who the police arrest when they arrive!” “Today we’re definitely sending you, this car thief, to jail!” 2 In less than ten minutes, a police car pulled into the underground parking lot. Two uniformed officers got out of the car. The lead young officer scanned the crowd and asked sternly, “Who called the police? What happened?” Lisa immediately rushed over on her high heels as if she’d seen her savior. “Officer, it’s her! She stole the key to our brand new Rolls-Royce and tried to drive it away!” “That’s right, officer! This woman is a habitual thief. We caught her red-handed and she still won’t admit it!” Mark also hurried forward, not forgetting to point his livestream camera at the police. “Everyone, the police are here. Justice will never be absent!” The young officer frowned and blocked Mark’s phone with his hand. “Turn off the livestream first. Live broadcasting is not allowed at a crime scene.” Mark was somewhat reluctant, but under the officer’s stern gaze, he grudgingly turned off the livestream. The officer turned to me with a serious tone. “You called saying someone was robbing you?” I nodded and pointed at the couple. “This Rolls-Royce is the new car I picked up today.” “When I came back after buying coffee, I found them leaning on my car doing a livestream, claiming the car was theirs.” “After I took out the key and unlocked it, they falsely accused me of being a thief to cover their lies and even tried to snatch my car key.” The officer listened to my words, then looked at the couple. “Is what she said true?” Lisa immediately jumped up, her tone aggressive. “Bullshit! She’s slandering us!” “Officer, look at how poor she looks. Is everything she’s wearing worth even a thousand dollars?” “Can she afford a Rolls-Royce? That’s the biggest joke ever!” Mark also quickly pulled out his phone and showed the officer a screenshot. “Officer, look. This is a screenshot of the purchase contract we signed with the dealership.” “I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in full to buy this car for my wife.” “This woman must have seen our car was unlocked and stole the key!” The officer took the phone and glanced at it, his brow furrowing slightly. He returned the phone to Mark and turned to me. “They have a screenshot of a purchase contract. What evidence do you have to prove this car is yours?” I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “I picked up the car from the dealership this morning. Since it’s a custom version, I haven’t had time to get the official license plates yet.” “The purchase invoice, temporary plates, and all the documentation are in the glove compartment on the passenger side.” “You can come with me to get them. You’ll see immediately.” I turned to pull open the car door. “Stop!” Mark suddenly shouted and rushed forward to block the car door. “Officer, you can’t let her near the car!” “Who knows what she’s planning? What if she takes the opportunity to destroy something in the car or eliminate evidence?” Lisa also quickly ran over, spreading her arms to protect the car. “Exactly! This car is worth hundreds of thousands. Can she afford to pay if she damages anything?” “Absolutely cannot let her touch our car!” Looking at their shameless behavior, I trembled with rage. “Are you sick? The car is mine. Do I need your permission to take my own things?” “You’re just guilty and afraid your lies will be exposed!” The security captain jumped out again to assert his presence. “Officer, this girl is stubborn. She was cursing at people earlier.” “I think she’s a habitual thief. Just arrest her already. Don’t let her affect our mall’s business.” The officer looked at the chaotic scene, his expression darkening. “Enough! Everyone stop arguing!” “Since you claim there’s evidence in the car, let’s verify it on the spot!” The young officer pushed aside Mark blocking the car. “Move. Cooperate with the investigation!” Mark’s face stiffened, and he could only reluctantly step aside. I walked forward and opened the car door, taking out the purchase invoice, temporary plates, and other documents from the glove compartment. I turned around and threw these documents directly at Mark’s chest. “Look closely! The invoice header has my name on it, and the VIN and engine number match exactly!” “You said the car is yours? Where are your documents?” Mark fumbled to catch the documents. Looking down, his forehead immediately broke out in cold sweat. Lisa leaned over to look. Her previously arrogant attitude instantly deflated. Her face turned pale as she looked at Mark, stammering. “Mark… this… this really has her name on it. How is this possible?” I pressed forward step by step, looking at them coldly. “Why aren’t you talking now? Weren’t you pretty vocal just a moment ago?” Mark gritted his teeth and suddenly crumpled the invoice in his hand into a ball, pointing at my nose and shouting. “Officer, this is fake!” “Fake documents these days look so real. You can get a full set under any overpass for fifty bucks!” “She must have been targeting our car all along and deliberately forged a complete set of fake documents to steal the car!” Hearing this, Lisa immediately grabbed onto this lifeline and started screaming. “Yes! It must be fake documents!” “Officer, look at how poor she looks. How could she possibly afford a Rolls-Royce worth hundreds of thousands! This invoice is definitely photoshopped!” I was amused by their shamelessness. “The invoice has the tax authority’s stamp on it. Are you blind?” The officer took the crumpled invoice, spread it out, and examined it carefully, his brow furrowed. With the naked eye alone, it was indeed difficult to immediately determine the authenticity of an invoice worth hundreds of thousands. The officer put away the invoice and looked at us with a serious expression. “Since both sides have conflicting stories and we can’t resolve this here, all of you need to come with me to the police station to cooperate with the investigation!” Hearing about going to the station, Lisa immediately panicked. “Officer, we’re internet celebrities with hundreds of thousands of fans. Our time is very valuable.” “Can’t you just arrest her directly?” The officer gave her a cold glance. “Cooperating with police investigation is every citizen’s duty.” “Let’s go. Get in the car!” Seeing this, Mark quickly pulled on Lisa’s sleeve and lowered his voice. “It’s okay, Lisa. I’ve already messaged Mr. Thompson. Once we get to the station, let’s see how stubborn she can be!” 3 As soon as we arrived at the mediation room at the police station, the door was suddenly pushed open from outside. A man in a custom suit with slicked-back hair strode in. He presented his business card with a smile plastered across his face. “Thank you for your hard work, officers. I’m Brian Thompson, legal director and agent at StarShine Media.” “These two are our company’s top influencers. They bought this car with their own money.” Thompson, dressed in his suit, handed over his phone while also presenting a printed paper document. “This is the electronic purchase contract, and here’s the paper version with the dealership’s official stamp and VIN.” Seeing their agent arrive, Lisa’s confidence instantly surged. “Mr. Thompson, you’re finally here!” “This woman not only stole the key but also created fake invoices to slander us!” Thompson patted Lisa’s shoulder and turned to the officer. The officer took Thompson’s documents and placed my invoice on the table as well, carefully comparing them. “This contract looks very official. The stamp is also clear.” The officer looked at me, his tone becoming more severe. “Ms. Walker, the other party has presented a purchase certificate with the dealership’s official stamp.” “They’re accusing you of forging the invoice. Before we verify it with the tax system, you need to provide more direct evidence.” I sneered, looking at Thompson’s smug expression. “A forged contract, and you dare bring it to the police station to deceive officers?” “This car was custom-ordered by me in full payment. Check the system registration for this vehicle and see who the actual owner is!” Thompson scoffed, his eyes full of contempt. “Young lady, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t say whatever you want.” “You claim the contract is fake. Where’s your proof?” “You pull out some fake invoice from who knows where and think you can claim a car worth hundreds of thousands as your own. Are you delusional?” I ignored their barking and directly called the dealership sales manager on my phone. As long as he sent over a screenshot from the purchase system backend, these people’s lies would collapse completely. “Ring… ring…” The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered. I frowned and dialed again. “Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable…” What’s going on? A sense of unease rose in my heart. I quickly opened my messaging app and sent him a voice message. “Mr. Davis, please send me the electronic version of my purchase contract. I’m at the police station right now.” But the message sank like a stone into the sea. Seeing my anxious state, Thompson’s smile grew even more triumphant. “What’s wrong? Can’t reach your sales guy?” “Didn’t pay your actor enough, so he went on strike?” Mark also mockingly chimed in. “These days, even car thieves can’t put on a decent act! Can’t even find someone to back you up. Hilarious!” The officer knocked on the table, interrupting their taunts. “Ms. Walker, can you provide further evidence or not?” “If you can’t, based on the other party’s contract stamp and testimony, we have reason to suspect you of theft.” I bit my lip, my palms breaking out in cold sweat. I bought this car to celebrate my company going public, specifically pulling strings to have it custom-ordered from the UK headquarters. Because it went through special channels, the domestic networked system might not have been updated yet. And that sales manager was unreachable at this critical moment. “Officer, my car is an overseas custom version. The domestic system may not be synced yet.” “But I have transfer records to prove it!” I quickly opened my mobile banking, wanting to pull up the wire transfer record for ten million dollars. Thompson suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table. “Officer, we don’t have time to waste here with her.” “Our influencers’ livestream event tonight has already been delayed. The sponsorship fee for this livestream is worth hundreds of thousands.” “Since she can’t produce evidence, we demand that she be detained immediately! And she must compensate us for all economic and reputational damages!” Lisa also started clamoring. “That’s right! Without evidence proving the car is yours, you better sign this settlement agreement right now.” She pulled out a pre-prepared paper from her bag and slapped it on the table. “Otherwise, internet harassment is no joke. Our fans’ criticism alone could drown you!” 4 “I’m not signing. You forged a contract. That’s fraud.” I looked coldly at the so-called “settlement agreement” on the table without even touching it. It brazenly stated that I should admit to being an obsessed fan who, out of jealousy, stole the key, and I would have to pay them five hundred thousand dollars in compensation. This was absolutely ridiculous. Thompson’s expression darkened, a flash of malice in his eyes. “Fine! You’re truly shameless!” “Officer, since she refuses to cooperate, we’ll pursue legal action and sue her!” Because I couldn’t produce immediate physical evidence, while their fake contract appeared authentic on the surface, the officer could only release me temporarily according to procedure but required me to remain available for summons. I walked out of the police station doors. Outside, the sky had already darkened. The night wind blew against me, carrying a hint of coolness. I took out my phone and found my social media had exploded. My best friend had sent dozens of voice messages, all asking what happened. I opened Twitter and saw several glaring trending topics on the list. #StarShineMediaInfluencersVictimizedByCrazyFan# #RollsRoyceCarThiefDefiantlyResistsLaw# #HowTerrifyingIsLowerClassWomen’sClassResentment# I clicked on the topics. Inside were video screenshots of me being confronted in the underground parking lot. My face was covered with low-quality pixelation, but anyone familiar with me could recognize me at a glance. In the comments section were unbearable insults and curses. [This woman is so disgusting. If you can’t afford it, you steal it?] [She looks like a sneaky schemer. Suggest immediate execution.] [Dox her! Expose her home address and workplace. Make her socially dead!] I sneered and was about to lock my screen when I suddenly heard hurried footsteps. “It’s her! That car thief!” Accompanied by a shrill shout, several thugs holding phones suddenly rushed out from behind the landscaping. They had multicolored hair, cigarettes in their mouths, and fanatical looks in their eyes. “How dare you bully our company’s people! You’re asking for death!” A thug rushed to the front, holding a cup of ice-cold cola. Without a word, he violently splashed the cola all over me. The icy liquid mixed with sticky sugar ran down my hair into my neck, making me shiver from the cold. “What are you doing!” I shouted angrily, trying to back away. But the others had already surrounded me, blocking me tightly in the corner. “We’re seeking justice!” “You shameless bitch, how dare you steal our idol’s car!” A fat guy reached out to shove my shoulder with tremendous force. I was pushed and stumbled, my back slamming hard into the rough brick wall. A piercing pain shot through me. “Beat this car thief to death! Teach her a lesson!” They cursed while frantically filming my face with their phones. The camera flashes were so bright I couldn’t open my eyes. “Get away!” I struggled desperately, kicking the fat guy’s shin. The fat guy yelped and, humiliated and enraged, raised his hand to slap my face. At this critical moment, a patrolling police car came roaring over. The piercing siren cut through the night sky. Seeing this, those punks instantly cowered. “The cops are coming! Run!” They scattered like frightened rats, disappearing in an instant. I leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. My white T-shirt had been stained brown by the cola. I looked utterly disheveled. The pain in my back made me gasp involuntarily. I watched the direction they fled, clenching my fists tightly. Fortunately, I still had a way to turn this around!

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I had just walked out of the massage parlor with my guide dog when someone shoved the back of my head hard. I fell flat on the ground. The shrill scream of influencer Sophie Pierce pierced my ears: “That’s him! He’s the pervert who was secretly filming me!” Her assistant pulled out a pinhole camera transmitter from my bag, then kicked my white cane flying. Onlookers gathered around cursing about “a blind man faking blindness to harass a pretty influencer.” Someone started a livestream, with “pervert” flooding the comments. Someone kicked my guide dog away. It yelped and crashed into a trash can. I lay on the ground groping for my knocked-away cane, screaming inside— I went blind at three years old. I’ve never seen light in my entire life. A camera? I don’t even know what a camera looks like. I had just walked out of the massage parlor with my guide dog. Someone shoved the back of my head hard. I fell flat on the ground as my guide dog barked frantically at me. Before I could get up, a woman screamed. “That’s him! He’s the pervert who was secretly filming me!” Sophie Pierce. I’d heard her voice on my phone. She was an influencer with thirty million followers on TikTok. “I was changing in my hotel room and found a pinhole camera in the closet! The police said the signal transmitter was nearby!” Chloe pulled something from the side pocket of my backpack and held it up, shouting: “Officer, found it! The signal transmitter!” I lay on the ground, my mind completely blank. What was that thing? How did it get in my bag? A man rushed out from the crowd. “You sick pervert! How dare you film Sophie?” He kicked my white cane flying and pinned me down by the neck. I tried to shout, but with my throat being squeezed, I could only wheeze: “I’m blind… I can’t see…” No one paid attention. Sophie yelled: “Devon, stop hitting him!” Devon roared: “Why shouldn’t I hit him? He filmed you!” “I didn’t film anything…” The words squeezed out of my throat like a mosquito’s buzz. Devon said: “Blind? A blind man can run his own massage parlor? Stop pretending!” Onlookers gathered around. I heard footsteps surging from all directions like a tide. “A blind man filming people?” “Probably faking blindness on purpose to film pretty women!” Someone shouted: “Kick his dog!” A dull thud. The guide dog yelped. My whole body stiffened. “Don’t kick my dog!” I shouted. The dog rolled on the ground, its paws scraping the pavement, trying to stand up. It whimpered. Sophie said: “Don’t kick the dog!” Devon said: “You’re defending him? He’s the pervert who filmed your private photos!” Sophie went silent. Someone started a livestream. Noisy voices came from the phone speaker, people shouting “slap him” and “beat this pervert to death.” Devon said: “Bro, smash that like button! At a hundred thousand likes, I’ll slap him!” I heard voices from the phone saying “a hundred thousand likes already.” Then a slap landed across my face. My mouth filled with the taste of blood. I lay there, my head buzzing. Why? I clearly didn’t do anything. I could barely hear what they were saying anymore. “Officer, please handcuff him and take him away! The evidence is so clear!” Chloe was shouting. “We’re handling it, everyone stop! Nobody move!” The police officer’s voice. “He filmed Sophie! The evidence is right in his bag!” Devon said. That thing wasn’t mine. I didn’t know how it got in my bag. Sophie walked over, her high heels clicking crisply on the ground. “You’re so disgusting… Did you develop some psychological problem from watching my livestreams…” “I can’t see,” I said. “Can’t see? If you can’t see, how do you know who I am?” I froze for a moment. “I recognized your voice. I can recognize your voice.” Devon laughed: “Recognized the voice? You’re pretty good at making stuff up!” Sophie said nothing. I heard her take two steps back. The guide dog limped back and nuzzled my hand with its head. The police officer walked over. “Lincoln Shaw, right? Please cooperate with our investigation.” I lay on the ground, only one thought in my mind— I went blind at three years old. I’ve never seen light in my entire life. A camera? I don’t even know what a camera looks like.

The police officer helped me up from the ground. My whole body hurt, my face burned, and my mouth was full of the taste of blood. “Where’s your disability certificate?” the officer asked. I fumbled in my inner pocket, pulled out my disability certificate, and handed it over with both hands. “This… can prove I’m really blind.” Chloe came over for a look and sneered: “You can buy fake certificates like this all over the internet. Can a real blind person run their own shop?” “Exactly!” Devon chimed in. “There are tons of scammers faking disabilities these days! Look how fast he walks—does he look blind to you?” I opened my mouth, wanting to say the guide dog leads me. The officer scanned the code on the certificate with his police device. A few seconds later, he looked up: “The certificate is real.” My heart eased a bit. But Chloe said: “So what if it’s real? He could have hired people to do it. He’s the mastermind. Otherwise, why is all the evidence on him?” Devon shouted into his phone: “Everyone hear that? This sick pervert isn’t just pretending to be blind, he’s the mastermind! Share this, let him get canceled!” A stream of curses came from the phone. The breath I’d just released caught in my throat again. “Officer,” Chloe said. “His massage parlor is right next door. Why don’t we search it? Maybe there’s more evidence.” “Yeah yeah yeah!” Devon said. “Search it! We’ll definitely find more stuff!” The officer hesitated, then nodded. Chloe volunteered to lead: “I’ll take you. I know the shop.” “I know the shop”—those words stuck in my ears. Why was she familiar with my shop? I was pushed toward the massage parlor. The guide dog stayed close to my leg, limping and still trembling. Going up the stairs, I heard Chloe’s footsteps ahead. She knew the route well, never pausing. Five minutes later, the officer came down from the second floor. He was holding an extra phone and a key card. Chloe told everyone: “The phone was found under his pillow, the key card in the drawer.” The officer turned on the phone. I heard Sophie gasp. “These… these are my photos, this is my schedule from last month. How does he have these?” Chloe said: “Sophie, he’s the stalker who’s been following you. The evidence is all here.” “It’s not mine…” I said. “That phone isn’t mine…” “Not yours?” Devon roared. “It was found under your pillow and it’s not yours? Then whose is it? Did it fly in there by itself?” “I don’t know… I really don’t know…” I couldn’t explain clearly. I didn’t even know what that phone looked like. How could I prove it wasn’t mine? The officer searched my pockets and pulled out my own phone. “Is this one yours too?” “Yes… that’s mine…” The officer turned on the screen and scrolled through the home screen. “You have TikTok installed on your phone?” “That’s impossible…” I said. “I never installed TikTok. I use screen reader software…” Chloe leaned over for a look: “Isn’t this TikTok? Could I mistake the icon?” “No…” I got anxious. “That’s screen reader software, the icon is different…” “Different?” Devon said. “You can’t even see the screen. How do you know the icon is different?” I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak. He was right—I couldn’t see. Someone in Devon’s livestream posted a comment. “I looked it up! This blind guy registered a TikTok burner account three months ago. His following list only has Sophie Pierce!” Devon shoved his phone in my face. “What else do you have to say?” “I never registered a TikTok account…” “Never?” Devon roared. “The IP address is from your massage parlor! If you didn’t register it, who did?” Sophie suddenly spoke: “That account… sent me a DM.” Her voice trembled: “He asked me ‘Sophie, when are you coming to New York?’ and said ‘I really want to see you.’ I thought it was some creepy fan and ignored it.” Chloe said: “Sophie, why didn’t you say this earlier?” “I thought it was nothing…” Sophie said. “Now that I think about it, he probably targeted me back then…” “No…” I panicked. “I never sent DMs! I don’t even have TikTok!” Chloe said: “You don’t? It’s installed on your phone and you don’t have it? You registered a burner account and you don’t have it? You sent DMs and you didn’t?” “I don’t know…” I said. “I don’t know why there’s TikTok on my phone…” “Don’t know?” Devon laughed. “Stuff on your own phone and you don’t know?” The officer put both phones in evidence bags and looked at me. “Anything else you want to say?” I opened my mouth. What could I say? I said that phone wasn’t mine, but it was under my pillow. I said I didn’t have TikTok, but TikTok was installed on my phone, the burner account was mine, the DMs were “sent” by me. I said I was blind, but nobody believed me.

The police officer brought me to the entrance of the massage parlor and had me wait on the side while they logged the evidence. Devon shoved me. I slammed into the wall. “Stay put!” The guide dog squeezed against my leg, nuzzling my hand with its head. It was trembling. Devon’s livestream was still on, with over twenty thousand viewers online. The sounds from the phone were chaotic—people taking turns cursing me, people sending gifts. “Found the address! 53 19th Street, blind massage parlor!” “Go leave him bad reviews!” “This kind of pervert should be canceled!” I heard someone read out my shop name and address. Someone shouted they’d already found my shop on the delivery app and were leaving one-star reviews. Someone shouted they’d call to report me and get me shut down. I leaned against the wall, my legs going weak. The shop was my rental. The contract had half a year left. If there were too many bad reviews, if people reported me, I was finished. “I want to see the surveillance footage,” I said. “The hotel entrance surveillance can prove I never went there.” The officer looked at me and said: “We already investigated.” “The alley at the hotel’s back entrance has no cameras.” My heart sank. “However,” the officer said, “the alley entrance faces the street, and there are public safety cameras on the street.” “Can they capture me?” I asked. The officer said: “They can capture the alley entrance. Your massage parlor’s back door is inside the alley, about twenty meters from the alley entrance.” I froze. My massage parlor’s back door faced directly toward the alley at the hotel’s back entrance. “Your massage parlor is less than twenty meters from the hotel’s back door.” The officer said, “From your back door, it’s just a few steps to the hotel’s back door.” Someone nearby muttered: “So close, no wonder he could film.” “No wonder all the evidence is on him.” “He definitely scoped it out.” I stood in place, my head buzzing. Chloe’s voice drifted over: “Officer, his shop is so close to the hotel, it must have been him. Otherwise why would all the evidence be in his place?” Devon said: “Exactly! The cameras can’t catch it, so nobody can prove he didn’t go! He can’t even explain it himself!” I couldn’t speak. He was right—I had no evidence to prove I didn’t go. Sophie stood a few steps away, saying nothing. Chloe walked to her side. Her voice wasn’t loud, but I heard it. “Sophie, how could a blind man complete the filming by himself? He must have accomplices.” Sophie didn’t respond. Chloe continued: “Check his phone and we’ll know. He must have contacted someone.” The officer was logging my phone and came to the voice memos. “There are over thirty recordings here. What are these?” “I’m used to keeping recordings on…” I said. “Makes it easier to replay messages…” Chloe interrupted: “A blind man recording this much audio? Who knows what he recorded? What if he recorded Sophie’s private information?” Devon said: “Exactly! Who records audio all day? There’s definitely something wrong!” The livestream chat flooded with comments—“Pervert!” “Delete the recordings!” “Investigate thoroughly!” The officer said nothing and continued scrolling through my phone. A woman wearing a mask pushed through the crowd. Her voice trembled: “I… I saw it. Last week late at night, I saw him coming out of the hotel’s back door, acting all sneaky…”

“You’re lying!” I shouted. “I don’t go out at night!” The woman said: “It was you! You had a guide dog with you. I remember!” Someone nearby chimed in: “Yeah, I see that dog all the time. It’s definitely his dog.” The guide dog was indeed very conspicuous—the only one on the whole street. I opened my mouth to argue, but when I said I didn’t go out at night, who could verify it? I lived alone, no neighbors, no friends. How could I prove I didn’t go out at night? Chloe suddenly clapped her hands: “I just remembered.” “Last month Sophie lost a key card. We checked at the time—replacing it would cost five hundred dollars.” “Sophie said forget it, she’d just replace it.” Sophie nodded: “Right, I thought I’d just lost it myself.” Chloe said: “Sophie recently had events in New York so she’s been staying here. This pervert obtained Sophie’s itinerary in advance!” “He stole the key card so he could enter the room and plant the camera.” “His shop is so close, he could steal the key card and return it immediately without anyone knowing.” The officer finished logging all the evidence and walked over. “Lincoln Shaw, please come with us to the station for further investigation.” Devon shouted: “Cuff him and take him away!” Chloe shouted: “Hurry up and arrest him!” Comments flooded the livestream. “Good arrest!” “Send him to prison!” “Voyeur scum deserves to die, who knows where those private photos of that girl will spread!” Sophie walked up to me. The sound of her high heels on the ground was crisp, very close to me. “You’re so disgusting.” She said. “My account has thirty million followers. Even if everyone just spits once, you’d drown. You just wait.” The officer pulled out handcuffs and walked over. The metal cuff touched my wrist, ice cold. Click—one cuff locked. I seemed to hear people in the livestream saying— “Serves him right!” “This kind of person should be locked up!” “Let’s see if he dares do it again!” The guide dog came after me, rubbing its head against my leg. Someone kicked it. It yelped. “You can hit me! But don’t kick my dog!” I screamed in agony. No one paid attention. I was pushed toward the police car door, my face nearly hitting the doorframe. Just then, a thought exploded in my mind— This afternoon I was sleeping on the second floor. My phone was on the nightstand. I had a habit—my phone recorded audio 24/7. Because I couldn’t see the screen, keeping the recording on made it convenient to replay missed messages later. If someone had entered my room—footsteps, voices, sounds of rummaging through things—it would all be recorded. My phone! There should be a recording that could prove those things weren’t placed by me! “Wait!” I shouted. “I have evidence! The evidence is in my phone that was confiscated!”

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While washing my husband Adrian Clark ‘s suit, I found a box of condoms, an ultrasound photo of a baby, and plane tickets. Several condoms were missing. The dates on the two documents were clear—right during the month he claimed he was overseas on a business trip. My heart instantly sank. Suddenly I remembered how his phone had been on silent for the past six months, and how he’d take it into the bathroom even when showering. Once, late at night, I noticed an unfamiliar orange blossom perfume scent on his shirt collar. When I asked him about it, he just smiled and patted my head. “You’re overthinking it. These things happen at business dinners.” I’d even felt guilty for being so sensitive, but now it seemed that scent was the smell of another home. I immediately sent the photo to my assistant: “Book me a ticket to the same destination.” I got up and walked to the window. Below was our carefully landscaped garden, the roses in full bloom. Adrian had planted them himself last year on our anniversary, saying he wanted to watch them bloom year after year with me. I didn’t call to confront him. After all these years handling divorce cases, I knew too well that emotional outbursts got you nothing. Only evidence gave you leverage. I opened my laptop and typed “Lily White” into the keyboard, starting my search. There wasn’t much public information, just a college graduation photo. The girl had delicate features and a shy smile. But following the trail of her social media accounts, I found a private blog. The most recent update was from last week, paired with a sunset photo at the beach. The caption read: “Someone once said, you fall in love with a city because someone you love lives there.” In the background of the photo was half of a man’s arm, with a watch on his wrist—the birthday gift I’d given Adrian last year, a limited edition. He’d said he couldn’t bear to wear it and only used it on important occasions. My chest felt like it had been struck by something heavy. A dull ache. I booked the earliest flight to Los Angeles and didn’t tell anyone. I landed in the evening and headed straight to the beachside inn mentioned in the blog. The front desk checked the records. Last week, a couple with the surnames Miller and Clark had indeed checked in, staying in the top-floor ocean-view room. “They seemed very much in love. The man was especially attentive to the woman. Every day they had us order fresh seafood for them,” the receptionist said casually. My phone vibrated. A text from Adrian: “Honey, done with work? Let’s video chat tonight. I’ll show you the souvenirs I got you.” I replied “okay” and turned off the screen. Early the next morning, I waited outside the inn for Lily. She wore a white dress, her belly slightly rounded, unconsciously supporting her lower back as she walked. Adrian followed beside her, carrying breakfast, talking to her with his head lowered, that tender look in his eyes—I’d seen it before. They walked into the inn side by side. Adrian held the door open for her, his fingers gently brushing through her hair. In that moment, all my self-consolation and wishful thinking shattered. I didn’t approach them. I turned and went to the airport, bought a return ticket. When I got home, Adrian was already there. He wore loungewear and an apron, cooking in the kitchen. “Honey, you’re back?” He came over, wanting to hug me. I dodged to the side, making an excuse: “I’m a bit tired. Going to take a shower first.” In the bathroom, hot water rushing down, I stared at myself in the mirror. Pale face, but clear eyes. Seven years of marriage—it had all been a carefully staged performance. He’d acted with commitment, and I’d watched intently, until the truth tore off the mask, revealing the filth and disgrace underneath. When I came out of the shower, Adrian had already set the food on the table. All things I loved to eat. “What’s wrong? You don’t look well.” He cut the steak and placed it in front of me. “Are you overworking? I’ve told you so many times not to push yourself so hard. It’s not like we need your income.” I looked at him, this man I’d loved for seven years, trusted for seven years. His face was full of concern now. What great acting. “It’s nothing.” I picked up my knife and fork. “Maybe I caught a chill.” “Then get some rest early after eating. I’ll make you some honey lemon water.” He started to get up to go to the kitchen. “No need.” I stopped him. “By the way, how was the summit last week? Did you meet anyone interesting?” His movements paused for a second, then returned to normal. “It was alright. Mostly old acquaintances. Discussed a few potential partnerships. Just really boring. Home is better.” “Is that so?” I sipped my soup, tone neutral. “I heard from a friend that the coastal city had especially nice weather last week. Beautiful sunsets.” Adrian’s hand froze mid-air with his fork, his eyes flickering. “Oh? Really? I didn’t pay attention to that.” “Mm.” I didn’t press further. The atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat strange. He tried several times to start a conversation, but I blocked him with brief responses. Before bed, he wanted to hold me like usual. I turned over, my back to him. “I’m a bit tired. Want to sleep early.” He was silent for a while, then said “okay” and turned off the light.

On the third day of collecting evidence, Adrian brought her home. When the door opened, I was in the study organizing bank statements. Hearing the commotion, I looked up and saw Lily standing behind him. She wore a light-colored floral dress. Her belly was more prominent than when I’d seen her in the coastal city. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail. She looked timid, like a startled deer. “Sophia, this is Lily.” Adrian’s tone was natural, as if he’d just brought home an ordinary friend. “She’s from out of town, a relative of an important client. She needs to stay here for her pregnancy but has nowhere to go, so she’ll stay at our place for a few days.” I looked at Lily. When her eyes met mine, she immediately lowered her head, nervously wringing the hem of her dress. “Pregnancy?” I put down the documents and stood up, walking toward them. “Adrian, our house isn’t a hotel.” “Just for a few days, until her family comes to pick her up.” Adrian walked over, wanting to pat my shoulder, but I avoided it. “Look, she’s a pregnant woman. It’s not easy for her with that belly. Let’s help her out.” “Friends?” I smiled slightly, my gaze landing on Lily. “Miss White, is it? Adrian says you’re a client’s relative. Which client? What do they do?” Lily raised her head, her eyes panicked, stammering without being able to speak. “I’m not too clear. My family arranged it.” “Not clear?” I took a step forward, closing in on her. “You’re not clear, but you dare to stay at someone else’s house? Or is it that you’re very clear, you just don’t dare say?” “Sophia!” Adrian interrupted me, his tone becoming heavy. “What do you mean by that? Lily is a guest. How can you talk like that?” “Guest?” I turned to look at him. “Adrian, you bring a pregnant woman into the house, saying she’s a client’s relative, without even knowing her background. You think that’s reasonable?” “I told you, she’s an important client’s relative. How could it be fake?” His tone carried impatience, even a hint of warning. “Sophia Hart, don’t make a scene. I’ve got a lot going on at work right now. Can’t you make my life a bit easier?” I looked at his self-righteous expression and suddenly felt there was no need to keep pretending. He dared to be this brazen because he assumed I’d consider the bigger picture and wouldn’t make a scene on the spot. But he forgot—I’m a divorce lawyer. What I’m best at is tearing off hypocritical facades. Or rather, after seven years of knowing each other, he still saw me as that little girl who only knew how to cry when things went wrong. “Make your life easier?” I picked up a document from the table—a printout of the flight booking I’d made. “You want me to make things easy while you’re watching sunsets with Miss White in the coastal city? Adrian, do you think I’m blind or stupid?” Adrian’s expression changed instantly. Lily was so frightened she stepped back, tears welling in her eyes. “Sophia, let me explain…” “Explain what?” I cut him off. “Explain why you lied about going to a conference when you were actually on vacation with another woman? Explain whose child is in her belly? Or explain why you brought her to our house—to assert your dominance over me?” The string of questions left Adrian speechless. He opened his mouth, but finally just said viciously: “Since you already know, I have nothing to hide. Lily is carrying my child. I can’t just abandon her.” “So you bring her to my house?” My voice was cold as ice. “Adrian, this is my house. Pre-marital property. You have no right to let a woman who destroyed our marriage live here.” “Your house?” He sneered. “Sophia Hart, don’t forget, several of your law firm’s big clients were introduced by me. Without me, would you have what you have today? What’s wrong with letting Lily stay for a few days? Just consider it doing me a favor and tolerate it.” “Tolerate?” I was almost laughing at his shamelessness. “Why should I tolerate it? Adrian, either she leaves now, or we go file for divorce right now.” “Divorce?” He seemed to hear a joke. “Sophia Hart, if you divorce me, can you find someone better? Don’t think you’re something special just because you’re a lawyer. Without my resources, you’re nothing.” His words were like a dull knife, cutting into my heart. Seven years of feelings—in his eyes, I was just an appendage dependent on him. Lily suddenly started crying, pulling on Adrian’s sleeve: “It’s all my fault. Don’t fight with Sophia. I’ll just leave. I can stay in a hotel.” “Why should you leave?” Adrian held onto her, then glared at me. “Sophia Hart, I’m telling you, Lily must stay here. If you dare to make her leave, I’ll have all your law firm’s clients cancel their contracts. I’ll make sure you can’t survive in the legal profession!” A naked threat. I looked at Adrian and slapped each of them across the face. Before he could react, I opened my phone, clicked on the recording function, then walked to the study and took out the divorce agreement I’d prepared long ago. I walked to the living room with the agreement and placed it in front of Adrian. “Adrian, sign it. We’re getting divorced.” Adrian looked at the agreement, his face suddenly changing. “Sophia Hart, you dare to divorce me?” “Why wouldn’t I dare?” I looked at him, my eyes calm. “Adrian, between us, this should have ended long ago.” “I won’t sign!” He threw the agreement on the floor. “You want a divorce? It’s not that easy. Unless I’m dead!”

Adrian didn’t sign the divorce agreement. He acted like nothing had happened, going to and from work as usual every day, never mentioning the divorce. Lily also continued living in the house, just more cautiously than before, trying to avoid being alone with me. I didn’t push him anymore. I knew he was waiting for me to compromise, waiting for me to be unable to stand this atmosphere and give up on the idea of divorce. But he was wrong. I’m Sophia Hart. Once I decide on something, I never turn back. Friday night, Adrian came home very late, reeking of alcohol. He walked into the study and saw me organizing evidence. His expression darkened. “Sophia Hart, what exactly do you want?” He walked up to me and snatched the documents from my hands. “What’s the point of collecting all this? You want to destroy me?” Documents scattered on the floor—all printouts of bank statements, flight bookings, chat message screenshots. “Destroy you?” I bent down to pick up the documents, my tone calm. “You destroyed our marriage first, destroyed my trust in you. Adrian, isn’t it too late for you to say this now?” “Trust?” He sneered. “Sophia Hart, do you deserve to talk to me about trust? You’re busy with work all day long. Besides cases and clients, how long has it been since you cared about me? The house is as cold as an icebox. I can’t feel any warmth. I went to Lily because you forced me to!” “I forced you?” I could hardly believe my ears. “Adrian, you had an affair, you betrayed our marriage, and now you’re pushing the responsibility onto me? You find this amusing?” “I’m not pushing responsibility—it’s the truth!” He raised his voice. “If you could spend more time with me, be a little gentler, take care of me like other women do, would I have gone to Lily? Sophia Hart, you’re too strong-willed, so strong-willed that I feel suffocated!” Strong-willed. This was the first time he’d used this word to describe me. We parted on bad terms again. My phone vibrated. A message from my assistant: “Ms. Hart, the charity gala invitation has been received. Mr. Clark received one too.” The charity gala. An annual gathering of the business world, full of celebrities and media. Adrian would definitely go. He needed this occasion to maintain his image. I smiled and replied to my assistant: “Got it.”

Three days before the charity gala, Adrian called me. “Sophia, you’re coming to the gala, right?” His tone carried a hint of barely detectable pleading. “The company is at a critical juncture right now. Many clients will be there. If we attend together as husband and wife, it’ll help stabilize things.” “Stabilize things?” I sneered. “Adrian, do you think talking about this still has any meaning?” “Sophia, for the sake of our seven years together, accompany me in one last performance.” His voice softened, even carrying a hint of vulnerability. “Afterward, we’ll discuss the divorce properly. Whatever you want, as long as I can do it, I’ll give it to you.” “A performance?” I looked out the window. “Adrian, what do you think marriage is? A show that can end anytime?” “I know I’ve wronged you.” He sighed. “But I have no choice. If news of our divorce gets out now, the company’s stock price will definitely plummet. All our previous efforts will be wasted. Sophia, you’re a smart person. You should know that ‘win-win’ is better than ‘lose-lose.’” Win-win? He actually dared to talk to me about win-win? “What if I don’t agree?” I asked. His tone changed instantly, turning cold. “Sophia Hart, don’t force me. Several of your law firm’s big clients were introduced by me. If I don’t look good, your career might not stay unscathed either. I advise you not to be too willful.” I’d expected him to say this all along. “Fine, I’ll go.” I said calmly. Adrian paused, probably not expecting me to agree so easily. “Really?” “Of course.” On the night of the gala, the venue was filled with elegantly dressed guests and celebrities. Adrian and I walked into the venue side by side. We looked like a loving couple, accepting everyone’s blessings and attention. “Keep smiling.” Adrian whispered in my ear, his tone carrying a warning. “When you go up to accept the award later, you know what to say.” Tonight, Adrian would receive the “Person of the Year” award. This was an honor he’d long anticipated, an important step in maintaining his “successful person” image. I turned my head to look at him, my eyes holding depths he couldn’t read: “Of course. I’ve prepared the most spectacular speech for you.” He paused, not understanding my meaning, just assuming I’d compromised. He nodded with satisfaction. Halfway through the gala, the award ceremony began. When the host called Adrian’s name, applause filled the room. He straightened his suit and walked onto the stage with his head held high. “Thank you all for your support and recognition.” He picked up the microphone and began his acceptance speech. “This award is not only an affirmation of me personally, but also an encouragement to all the employees of our company. I want to thank my team, thank my family, especially my wife, Ms. Sophia Hart.” His gaze fell on me affectionately. “She has always been my strongest support. During my entrepreneurial period, she supported me. When I encountered difficulties, she encouraged me. Without her, there would be no me today.” Applause filled the room again. Everyone looked at me with envious eyes. The host took the opportunity to invite me on stage. “Let’s give a warm round of applause to welcome Ms. Sophia Hart on stage to share this honor with Mr. Clark!” Adrian looked at me, his eyes carrying a hint of nervousness and anticipation. He probably thought I would go on stage and say some routine words about our loving marriage, as usual. I smoothed my evening gown and walked onto the stage gracefully. Taking the microphone, my gaze slowly swept across the audience below, finally settling on Adrian’s face. The whole room fell silent. Everyone was waiting for my speech. “Thank you for Mr. Clark’s praise.” I began, my voice transmitted clearly through the high-end sound system to every corner. “As his legal wife, I have indeed done a lot for him. But now, I also need to do something for myself.” “For example, attend my own divorce proceedings in my capacity as a divorce lawyer.”

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