Category: English

In my last life, I was canceled by the entire internet for refusing to star in a romance with the award-winning actress Juliana Vaughn. My agent abandoned me. The studio terminated my contract. With nowhere left to turn, I threw myself at the mercy of her biggest rival. I had no idea I was stepping into a nightmare that would swallow me whole, leading to a brutal death and an unmarked grave. So, in this life, the moment I saw Juliana again, I tossed my pride to the wind. All I wanted was to latch onto her and hold on for dear life. I just didn’t expect her to be so possessive. And more importantly, I had no idea she wasn’t straight. 1 “Juliana… don’t…” “Don’t what?” Juliana’s voice was a low purr. Her sly, almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile as she looked down at me, a full head shorter than her. She reached out, her long fingers closing around my chin, her thumb gently stroking my skin. My heart seized. I looked up at her, my mouth opening to protest, but she saw it coming. She cut me off, her voice smooth as silk. “Don’t forget, you’re the one who said I could do whatever I wanted with you. Are you already trying to back out?” Her eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in their depths. “Or were you just playing me? You know what happened to the last person who tried to play me, don’t you?” “No, that’s not what I meant… I just… I wasn’t expecting this. No one ever told me… that you weren’t straight.” Goddammit! Straight girls have rights, too! I’m not a lesbian! “Is that so?” she murmured. Her fingers moved from my chin to my earlobe, toying with it gently. Her voice was soft, but it sent a chill down my spine. “Well, you know now. What are you thinking?” “I’m not thinking anything… I just kind of want to go home, Juliana… I’m not… into girls.” I was trembling, watching as the warmth drained from her expression. The industry rumors about her ruthlessness flashed through my mind. My body tensed, ready to make a break for it. But she read me like an open book. In one swift movement, she pushed me back onto the bed, leaning over me, her breath warm against my ear as she whispered, “You can be. You said it yourself, remember?” “I…” I stared up at her, helpless. Whatever I was about to say was swallowed by her kiss. My eyes flew open in disbelief. I raised my hands to push her away. Just as quickly, she pulled back, her voice cool and detached. “What’s wrong? Having second thoughts about the role?” I froze. Just like that, I didn’t dare move a muscle. Without that show, this second chance at life would be meaningless. 2 One month ago. “I’ve got a great project for you. It’s a co-starring role with the A-lister Juliana Vaughn. Interested?” My agent, Sarah, tossed a script onto the desk in front of me. “Yes! Of course, I’m interested! Let’s sign it right now, Sarah! This is an incredible opportunity!” I said, agreeing instantly without even looking at the script. Sarah raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What’s the rush? You don’t even care what it’s about?” “Nope. As long as I’m acting with her, I’d be lucky to get any role. We’re talking about Juliana Vaughn! The youngest actress to sweep the awards season. This is a dream come true!” I gushed, sounding like her number one fan. The only thing missing was a giant sign declaring my undying admiration. Her expression shifted, becoming more probing. “Even if it’s a sapphic romance?” My answer didn’t waver. “Of course. To work with someone as talented as Juliana, I’d agree to anything. I’m sure I’ll learn so much from her. Plus, a role like this could be my big break.” I was practically glowing, my cheeks flushed with excitement, looking for all the world like a lucky fan who had just won the lottery. Sarah had nothing more to say. She just told me to go home and wait for news. “Okay, Sarah, I’m heading out! Let me know when the audition is!” She nodded, still looking a bit bewildered. She knew that, up until this point, I had despised Juliana Vaughn. My sudden change of heart was, to her, completely baffling. And if this were my past life, I would have thought I was insane, too. 3 It wasn’t that I was excited to star in a lesbian drama with Juliana Vaughn. It was that I was terrified of the consequences of refusing. Because that’s what happened in my last life. On this very day, Sarah had approached me with the same offer. I had rejected it instantly. My hatred for Juliana was so intense that I’d launched into a tirade, saying a lot of ugly, unprofessional things. Someone recorded it and leaked it online. The backlash was immediate and brutal. I was dragged across every social media platform for being disrespectful, for being ungrateful. The comments were vicious. Sarah had demanded I issue a public apology. But I was stubborn and proud, convinced I had done nothing wrong. Seeing that I was a lost cause, Sarah dropped me. After weeks of relentless online harassment, the studio terminated my contract and blacklisted me. At my lowest point, I met Claire Donovan. Juliana’s arch-nemesis. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I took that saying to heart and sought her out, foolishly believing she would welcome me with open arms, eager to team up against our common foe. Instead, I was used, turned into a plaything for her powerful friends, and ultimately discarded. My life ended in a brutal, lonely death. Perhaps fate decided I didn’t deserve to die like that. I was given a second chance. So this time, I had to seize this opportunity. It’s just a romance between two women. I can do that. And honestly, compared to Claire, Juliana was a goddamn saint. This time, I was going to get it right. I clenched my fists, a silent vow echoing in my heart. 4 When I got home, I immediately started researching Juliana. In my last life, I knew very little about her, other than that she was a brilliant actress with a terrible reputation. She was notoriously difficult to work with and had a penchant for tormenting newcomers. That wasn’t just a rumor. I had seen it with my own eyes. The strange thing was, the young actress she had tormented was the one who ended up co-starring with her in this very show. After the series wrapped, Juliana left the country and transitioned to international films. She never came back. The internet had a million theories. But the most persistent one was that the two of them had been in a relationship. I didn’t buy it. Based on how Juliana had treated her, it looked less like love and more like she wanted the girl dead. Soon enough, Sarah called with good news: the audition was set. Determined not to lose this chance, I memorized the script backward and forward. When it was my turn, I nailed it. The director was so impressed that he offered me the role on the spot. We signed the contract that day. Sarah finally looked relieved. She clapped me on the shoulder. “I knew you had it in you. That was a great performance. With time, you’re going to be a huge star.” “You’re exaggerating, Sarah,” I said with a bashful smile, but my eyes were drawn to a woman who had just stood up across the room. It was her—the young actress who had gotten the role in my past life. The one the tabloids claimed had grown up with Juliana. Juliana’s beauty had been apparent from a young age, and she was discovered and mentored by a famous director. This actress, Ava, was her childhood friend. While not as stunning as Juliana, she was still pretty. After Juliana made it big, she tried to recommend Ava to her director. But Ava took it as an act of pity. She lashed out at Juliana, and their friendship crumbled. They hadn’t seen each other since. Until this show brought them back together. When their history was dug up, the fans called it a story of a “broken mirror made whole again,” a testament to their enduring love. If I hadn’t seen what I saw in that parking garage all those years ago, I might have believed it too. Their backstory sounded like something out of a novel. But only Ava knew the cold, hard reality. I clenched my fists, took a deep breath, and walked over to her. I was about to introduce myself when she shot me a look of pure venom. “Shameless thief.” She spat the words and stalked away. I stood there, stunned. Sarah, who had overheard, looked at me, confused. “Do you know her?” “No,” I said, then quickly added, “I saw her at the audition. We were both trying out for the same part.” That seemed to satisfy Sarah. She told me not to worry about it. And I wouldn’t. I had more important things to do. Getting the role was just the first step. “Sarah,” I said, “I need you to do something for me.” “What is it?” “I need you to dig up some dirt on someone.” I leaned in and whispered a name in her ear. She gave me a long, searching look but left without another word. 5 We officially started filming two weeks later. On the day of the opening ceremony, Juliana arrived. She had the same unapproachable, icy beauty as I remembered, her deep-set eyes holding a cool distance that made you want to keep your distance. She was dressed simply in a grey long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, her waist-length black hair falling like a silk curtain over her shoulders. The director was busy with the preparations. He greeted her warmly, and they chatted for a few moments before her agent came over and whispered something in her ear. I watched from the sidelines. When she was finally alone, I gathered my courage and approached her, a small gift box in my hands. “Juliana,” I said, forcing a polite smile to mask my churning stomach. “I’m Stella, your co-star for this project. I made these cookies for you. I hope you like them.” Her eyes swept over me, a calculating look on her face. “You bake?” I nodded. She stared at me for a few seconds, then took the box and popped a cookie into her mouth. I held my breath. I was confident in my baking skills, but I was terrified she wouldn’t like them. I needed to get on her good side. This was all part of the plan. “So? Do you like them?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. She nodded. “They’re good,” she said, just as the director called for everyone to gather. I hesitated for a moment, then fell into step behind her. She glanced back at me but didn’t say anything, which I took as a good sign. The cookies must have worked. The ceremony was simple. After the director said a few auspicious words, the cast lit incense sticks for good luck. I stood next to Juliana, sneaking glances at her as she held the incense, her expression serene and devout. It reminded me of the rumors that she was a practicing Buddhist. Seeing her now, I believed it. I placed my incense in the burner and straightened up, only to find her staring at me. “What is it?” I mouthed, confused. She just shook her head and mouthed back, “Nothing.” But the intensity in her gaze said otherwise. She continued to stare at me until her agent pulled her away. Were the cookies that bad? To test my theory, I offered the remaining cookies to the director and producer. I even offered some to Juliana’s agent. As I did, I noticed Juliana watching from the side, her expression growing colder by the second. Oh god, does she think I’m trying to bribe everyone? My heart leaped into my throat. I quickly pulled back the box I was offering to her agent. “I’m so sorry,” I stammered, “these didn’t turn out right. I’ll make you a fresh batch next time.” The agent just stared at me, bewildered. I snuck a peek at Juliana. Her expression had softened slightly. Looks like I’d guessed right. A small smile touched my lips. When I looked back at her, she averted her gaze and walked away. 6 A few minutes later, the director approached me with a grim look on his face. “Stella, I’m so sorry,” he said, wringing his hands. “I’ve been thinking, and I just don’t think you’re right for this role. Maybe you should try looking for another project.” “What?” I was floored. “What do you mean? This morning you said I was born to play Lila. What changed?” “Just… consider me mistaken this morning,” he sighed. He saw the desperation in my eyes and glanced around. Seeing that no one was listening, he lowered his voice. “Look, it’s not my call. It’s Juliana. Did you do something to offend her? She came to me a few minutes ago and said she doesn’t want to work with you. She said it’s either you or her. The investors are all here for her, so my hands are tied. Maybe… maybe you should go talk to her. See if you can smooth things over.” He patted my shoulder sympathetically and left. I stood there, reeling, thinking back to Juliana’s strange behavior. It didn’t seem like she hated me. Why would she do this? I stared at the closed door of her dressing room. Finally, I took a deep breath and walked over. My hand was just inches from the door when it swung open. Juliana stood there, her stunning face half-hidden in the unlit room. She was backlit by the hallway light, a predator in the shadows, her eyes locked onto mine. A shiver went down my spine. Before I could say a word, she grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394095”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

1 In my past life, I ruined my family. My billionaire parents, bankrupt and broken, threw themselves from the roof of their skyscraper. My CEO brother was framed and jailed. My sister took her own life. Reborn, all they wanted was revenge. My brother’s eyes were dark with malice. “This time,” he vowed, “we’ll make her wish she were never born.” The next second, he heard my innermost thoughts. [My brother is so handsome, like a prince from a fairy tale! I have a fruit candy in my pocket. I want to give it to him. I wonder if he’d like it?] My brother froze. My sister offered a smile that was pure ice. “Little monsters are always good at pretending. Once we get her home, the truth will come out.” But I just gazed at my sister with pure adoration, clapping my tiny hands. [When sister dances, her skirt flies up like a fairy’s wings! I love it!] The family stared at my three-year-old self, a heavy silence falling over them. [Wait, was she really this cute as a child?] [How are we supposed to get revenge on… this?] … When the fabulously wealthy Vance family came to the orphanage, their eyes were all fixed on me, sharp and unyielding. I shrank back, my small hands twisting the hem of my worn-out dress. [Are these my long-lost family? They’re all so beautiful. I’m so happy!] [But… why do they look so angry? Is it because I don’t look like them?] My father gave me a single, cold glance. “Take her.” The orphanage director, Mama Ellen, beamed, her rough hand pulling me from the bench with a sense of urgency. “Nora, darling, quickly now! Go with your mommy and daddy! Your good life is just beginning!” I stumbled forward, dazed and confused. My mother flinched back half a step, as if I were carrying some deadly plague. My brother’s brow furrowed even deeper, the disgust in his eyes practically spilling over. Only my sister, Monica, extended a hand to me, her lips curved into a perfect, practiced smile. “Come now, little sister. Let’s go home.” Home? Hesitantly, I reached out with my own grimy little hand. [Am I finally going to have a home of my own? Sister’s hand is so white and clean. My hand is so dirty… will I get her dirty?] [But I’m so, so happy!] The very instant my fingertips were about to brush against hers… CRACK! The dim, yellow bulb overhead exploded without warning! A shower of fine glass rained down. “Ah!” my sister shrieked, snatching her hand back, her face draining of color. My father reacted instantly, pulling my mother and sister behind him as his sharp gaze locked onto me like a weapon. My brother, Liam, stepped forward, physically shielding them from me. “Hah! After all that nonsense you were just thinking, I almost believed you’d changed. But you’re the same as you were in our last life—a curse that exists only to harm us!” I stared at him, bewildered, my hands clutching my dress. “Brother,” I whispered, “I… I didn’t say anything.” All four of them looked at me, their faces a mask of stunned disbelief. “It’s my fault! That old light should have been replaced ages ago,” Mama Ellen explained frantically, pulling me close to check for injuries. “Nora, are you hurt?” A shard of glass had nicked my ankle. It stung. But I just stood there, frozen, staring at their guarded, hostile expressions. It felt like a piece of that glass had lodged itself in my chest, a dull, aching pain. [The light broke?] I thought, my mind a blank. [Was it because I reached for my sister?] [I’ve always been unlucky. Are they going to hate me because of this?] 2 A wave of overwhelming despair crashed over my tiny body. I thought, just like all the other times, my bad luck would get me abandoned again. But they still took me to the car. They still took me home. My brother, Liam, sat in the front passenger seat. He shot me a cold look through the rearview mirror. I flinched and immediately looked down, my fingers twisting the rough fabric of my dress. [Is brother looking at me?] [Does he think I’m dirty? Does he hate me?] “Yes, she is annoying,” Liam muttered under his breath. I looked up, confused, but he was already staring out the window, as if he hadn’t spoken at all. When we arrived at the house—no, the mansion—my eyes went wide, my mouth falling open slightly. [Wow.] [It’s just like the castle in a princess storybook!] The car glided to a stop under the grand portico of the main house. The driver quickly got out and opened the door. My father stepped out first, followed by my mother. Liam vaulted out gracefully, turning to help our sister. And that’s when it happened. As my sister, Monica, was getting out, the delicate satin ribbon on her shoe somehow snagged on a small, barely visible hook under the door, a hook meant to secure the floor mat. “Oh!” she cried out as her balance gave way, and she pitched forward. “Monica!” my mother screamed, her voice thin with terror. Liam moved like lightning, lunging forward and grabbing her arm just before her face could smash against the hard marble steps. Even so, the shock of the fall left Monica pale and trembling. She collapsed against her brother, her eyes instantly welling with tears. “What happened?!” my father, Marcus Vance, demanded, his voice sharp. The driver, sweating profusely, knelt to inspect the car. “Sir! It’s this hook for the mat. It’s never exposed like this! I don’t know how…” Inevitably, everyone’s gaze fell on me as I was the last one to get out of the car. I stood frozen, my heart pounding with fear. [Why is sister crying? Seeing her cry makes me so sad. But why is everyone looking at me? Did I make her fall?] My father’s heavy gaze rested on me for a few seconds. “Forget it. Let’s go inside. Mr. Kingston, take her to her room.” The butler stepped forward. “This way, little miss.” I was given a room at the far end of the third-floor corridor. It was large and beautifully furnished, with a soft white rug, a corner piled high with stuffed animals, and a large bay window overlooking the garden. But it was too empty, too quiet, and too far away. A long, silent hallway separated me from my parents’ master suite, from my brother’s and sister’s rooms. Mr. Kingston’s voice was polite but distant. “Little miss, this will be your room. The washroom is over there. Someone will call you for meals. You are not to wander the house without permission, and you are especially not to disturb Mr. and Mrs. Vance, or the young master and miss.” He then exited, closing the door softly behind him. Click. The sound echoed in the silence. It felt like I was the only person left in the world. [Don’t wander… don’t disturb them…] [Is it because… if I get close to them, I’ll bring them bad luck?] Used to being bullied at the orphanage, I buried my face in the thick duvet and began to cry, muffling the sobs. I scrubbed at my eyes with the back of my hand, but the tears just kept coming. No! Stop crying! Crying doesn’t help. It only makes people hate you more. I sniffled, forcing the tears back. 3 My gaze fell on the small bag I’d brought from the orphanage. I went over and opened it. Inside, aside from a few old clothes, was a dented plastic water bottle with a little yellow duck printed on it. I picked it up and hugged it to my chest. It was a gift from a kind older girl at the orphanage—my only possession. [Mama Ellen said drinking warm water is good for you. Daddy was coughing the whole way here in the car…] There was still some warm water left in my bottle. This tiny, fledgling desire to do something, anything, for him temporarily overshadowed my fear and sorrow. Summoning every ounce of courage I had, I clutched my little yellow duck bottle and carefully turned the doorknob. The hallway was carpeted, and my footsteps made no sound. Holding my breath, I tiptoed towards what I hoped was the master bedroom. My heart pounded like a drum. Finally, I reached the door. It was slightly ajar, a warm light spilling out from within, along with the murmur of voices. “It’s too bizarre! I swear I heard her talking, but I watched her mouth, and it didn’t move. Are we… are we hearing her thoughts?” That was Liam’s voice, full of disbelief. Monica’s voice was calm. “And what if we are? You, of all people, should know what she’s really like.” My mother, Isabelle, agreed. “I’m telling you, she’s playing games. It’s just another one of her demonic little tricks!” [Who are they talking about? Is it some super-duper evil villain?] I raised a tiny, indignant fist. Then I heard my father cough again. Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I gently pushed the door open a little wider and peeked inside. The whole family was sitting there, a united front. Liam looked up and saw me, a smirk twisting his lips. “Well, speak of the devil.” I offered him a sweet smile. [My brother is so handsome, just like a prince in a fairy tale! I’m so lucky to have such a handsome brother. Everyone must be so jealous of me!] Liam, hearing my praise, looked flustered for a second. I turned my attention to my father. He was looking at a document, his expression grim, and he let out another small cough. My fear forgotten, I clutched my little bottle like a treasure and scurried towards him on my short legs. “Daddy! Water! It’s warm!” I shouted, trying my best to lift the bottle up to him. But in my haste, my foot caught on the edge of the plush rug. “Whoa!” I yelped as the little yellow duck bottle flew from my hands. CRASH! The water splashed directly onto the important-looking documents in front of my father. “What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, his eyes like chips of ice. “It’s warm water,” I whimpered, my voice trembling. “For Daddy to drink…” “For me to drink?” His gaze turned lethal. He shot up from his chair, snatching the bottle away from me with a look of utter disgust. “Who knows what kind of filth you put in this!” “Didn’t manage to poison us in the last life, so you’re trying a new method this time? Why? Why, after being given a second chance, are you still so wicked!” Tears streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable. [There’s no filth… it’s clean, warm water. Mama Ellen said warm water helps a cough. I don’t want Daddy to cough. My bottle is clean…] My father’s hand, which had been raised as if to strike me, froze in mid-air. He stared at my tear-streaked face, at eyes that held nothing but hurt and confusion, not a hint of malice or calculation. Finally, with a deep, frustrated sigh, he lowered his hand. He didn’t hit me. But somehow, I felt he was even angrier than before. 4 A few days later, the family had guests coming over. My mother had laid out a breathtakingly beautiful dress, covered in shimmering sequins. [Mommy would look like a fairy princess in that dress!] [Oh! One of the little stars is dusty! It’s not shiny anymore!] My sharp eyes spotted a single sequin near the hem that had a speck of dust on it. Mama Ellen had always said that beautiful things must be cherished; they weren’t beautiful anymore if they were dirty. I felt my pocket. Inside was my small handkerchief, washed so many times it was pale, but it was clean. I took a deep breath. The moment my mother left the room to choose her accessories, I scurried over, knelt down, and began to gently wipe the dusty sequin with my handkerchief. “What are you doing!” “My dress! What are you doing to my dress!” My mother’s voice was shrill with fury. “I knew it! Are you trying to ruin my dress on purpose?” The shock sent me tumbling backward onto the floor, the little handkerchief falling from my grasp. My mother was trembling with rage, about to scream for the staff to drag me away and lock me in my room. [No, I was just trying to wipe the sequin clean for Mommy. The handkerchief is clean, Mama Ellen washed it for me…] She stared down in disbelief at the tiny, terrified child cowering on the floor. Then she looked at the hem of her dress where I had wiped it. The dust was gone. And the little handkerchief, though old, was indeed spotless. A wave of profound absurdity washed over my mother. She opened her mouth to say something scathing, but in the end, all that came out was a frustrated sigh. “Just stay away from my things!” After the incidents in the study and the dressing room, the atmosphere in the house shifted. The four of them would sometimes gather in hushed tones, discussing things I didn’t understand, using words like “inner voice,” “coincidence,” and “her act is too convincing.” Eventually, they reached an unspoken agreement: as long as the little jinx stayed in her lane and didn’t cause trouble, they could coexist peacefully. The notice for my siblings’ school trip to the amusement park was stuck to the refrigerator. It was a colorful flyer with a huge Ferris wheel and a carousel. Every time I passed it, I would stop, my feet seemingly nailed to the floor, and stare at it with a secret, greedy longing. [An amusement park! So many colorful houses! And horses that go round and round! And big balloons that float in the sky!] [I wish I could go! Just once…] My mother, Isabelle, happened to catch my expression. The look in my eyes—a pure, timid yearning—pricked her like a tiny needle. “Ahem.” She cleared her throat. Her tone was still cold, but her words took an unexpected turn. “Well, since you’re living here now… Monica, Liam, take her with you tomorrow. It’ll keep her from causing trouble around the house.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394111”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My Omega husband is the main character in a popular harem novel. Practically every desirable Alpha in the story is in love with him. The handsome, wealthy, aloof CEO; the wild, rebellious trust-fund kid; the gentle, devoted superstar… Without exception, they are all hopelessly devoted to my husband. And me? I’m just a plain, unremarkable Beta. In the story, I’m known as “the clueless husband.” My only purpose is to add a little spice to their thrilling affair, a background character they can cheat on for an extra dash of excitement. So, it turns out I’m the disposable nice guy trope? 1 After I took a nasty fall down the stairs, a flood of unfamiliar memories washed over me. That’s when I learned the truth: I was nothing more than the cannon fodder husband in a trashy romance novel. So, I immediately handed my husband, Jason, a set of divorce papers. When the Omega saw the words on the page, his fair, beautiful face filled with confusion and helplessness. “Josh… w-why do you want a divorce?” Jason’s voice trembled, and his lovely almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears. “Did I do something wrong?” After all, he was the man I had moved heaven and earth to win over, my one true love. Being his simp had become second nature. Seeing him look so pitiful, a familiar pang of sympathy shot through my chest. I instinctively wanted to reach out and wipe away the tears at the corners of his eyes. No, stop it! Josh, if you feel sorry for him now, who’s going to feel sorry for you later? The thought of not only being cheated on mercilessly but also being thrown into the ocean to feed the fishes by his jealous Alpha suitors sent a violent shiver down my spine. The fog in my brain cleared instantly. “You didn’t do anything wrong…” At this point in the story, Jason hadn’t even met the three main Alphas yet, so I couldn’t technically fault him for anything. I had to make something up. “I just… don’t feel the same way anymore.” “Let’s just end things amicably.” At my words, Jason began to cry even harder, his voice choked with sobs. “You swore to me! You promised you would make me happy for the rest of my life!” “Are you going back on your promise now?” His accusation made me feel a pang of guilt, and I nervously adjusted the black-framed glasses on my face. Everyone who knew we were married thought I was a classic case of punching way above my weight. After all, in a world where Omegas made up only six percent of the population, they were infinitely more precious than a dime-a-dozen Beta like me. And Jason wasn’t just any Omega; he was stunningly beautiful, came from a wealthy family, and had a gentle temperament. He was the perfect partner. I’d fallen for him the first moment I saw him in college. To win him over, I’d become the ultimate simp, catering to his every whim, always there for him, no matter what. But Jason always kept me at arm’s length—never rejecting me, but never accepting me either. I spent three years like that, and by the time we graduated, he still hadn’t agreed to be with me. I was crushed and on the verge of giving up when, out of the blue, he contacted me. I rushed to the coffee shop, my heart soaring, only to be met by the sight of his beautiful face, streaked with tears. “Josh, what am I going to do?” he cried, his eyes red and swollen like a terrified little rabbit. “My parents are forcing me into an arranged marriage! They want to marry me off to some sixty-year-old Alpha for a business deal!” The sight broke my heart. I immediately grabbed his hand. “Jason, come with me.” “I’ll make you happy!” And just like that, we eloped. I married the Omega I had dreamed of for years. I was, for a time, incredibly proud. In college, the line of suitors for Jason was endless. I was the least significant of them all. No one could believe that this dream man, pursued by countless Alphas, would end up choosing me. After all, I was just a plain Beta. My looks, my charisma, my talents… everything about me was average. I was an orphan with no family to my name. I thought I was the ultimate success story of the simp who got the girl. I never imagined the storm that was brewing, a storm that would turn my world upside down. 2 “I will never divorce you!” For the first time ever, Jason lost his temper. With red-rimmed eyes, he tore the divorce papers to shreds, then stormed into his room and locked the door, refusing to answer no matter how much I knocked. This was not how I expected things to go. According to the novel, Jason had only married me to escape his arranged marriage. He didn’t actually have any real feelings for me. He had always used the excuse that he had a “gland problem” to keep me from getting too close. We’d been sleeping in separate rooms for the entire year we’d been married. He found me, a Beta, to be dull and uninteresting, a far cry from his ideal partner. Logically, he should have been thrilled that I was the one initiating the divorce. So why was he fighting it so desperately? My head started to ache. The next morning, his door was still shut. I tried knocking, but got no response. Defeated, I gave up. After a quick breakfast, I headed to work as usual. I had barely settled at my desk when someone handed me a file. “Mr. Evans, could you please take this development proposal to Mr. Thorne for his signature?” “Sure.” I nodded and took the file up to the CEO’s office on the top floor. After a soft knock, a cold, sharp voice answered. “Come in.” The man behind the desk had deep-set eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a jawline so sharp it could cut glass. No one could deny that he was an exceptionally handsome Alpha. But seeing that familiar face again, something inside me had changed. The reason was simple. My boss, Damian Thorne, was the first male lead in this ridiculous novel. He was the first bastard to start this whole mess. The thought made me grind my teeth. My gaze toward him was now tinged with resentment. Seriously? I’m slaving away for you at this company, and you’re plotting to cheat with my husband?! Damian’s brow furrowed slightly when he saw it was me. He took the file from my hand, his voice cool. “Is my schedule for tonight prepared?” I nodded. “Yes, it’s all set.” He gave a slight nod, then after a moment’s pause, asked, as if it were an afterthought, “How are you and Jason doing lately?” I forced a polite smile. “We’re doing well. Thank you for asking, Mr. Thorne.” Damian and Jason were high school classmates. I’d only gotten this job at Thorne Industries because of Jason’s connection to him. But I never, ever suspected that this asshole had been secretly in love with my husband the whole time. No wonder he always looked at me funny, frowning whenever he saw me as if I were a piece of trash. It was the classic look of a man staring down his rival. 3 That evening, Damian had a charity auction to attend at six. As his secretary, I had to accompany him. Before the auction, there was a dinner gala. The hall glittered with chandeliers, filled with the city’s elite. Damian was his usual cool and composed self, exuding the powerful aura unique to a top-tier Alpha. I trailed silently behind him, but then I caught sight of someone out of the corner of my eye, holding a glass of champagne and slowly making his way toward us. “Long time no see…” The newcomer wore a perfectly tailored white suit that highlighted his tall, lean frame, making him stand out in the crowd. I recognized the handsome face, a regular on the big screen, and my heart skipped a beat. This was none other than the third male lead of the novel—the superstar, Elias Vance. Elias was smiling at Damian, his amber eyes glittering like honey under the chandelier lights. “Mr. Thorne, I hear you’ve been seeing the Li family’s Omega recently.” “It sounds like… wedding bells are in your future.” Damian’s brow twitched, and his tone was icy. “That’s none of your business.” The Thorne family had been actively searching for a suitable partner for Damian. But I knew that in the near future, after Damian got together with Jason, all these potential fiancées would become nothing but a distant memory. Elias was all smiles, while Damian’s face was so cold you could chip ice off it. Anyone could see they didn’t get along. I wasn’t surprised. I’d heard they were sworn enemies. The Thorne and Vance families were old friends, and Damian and Elias had grown up together. But their personalities clashed, and they’d never seen eye to eye. In the future, they would become bitter rivals over Jason, fighting practically every time they met. “The auction is about to begin. Mr. Evans, let’s go.” Damian clearly had no intention of engaging with Elias and turned to leave. I nodded, but couldn’t resist a glance back. Elias didn’t seem bothered by Damian’s cold shoulder, the smile never leaving his lips. But his eyes, fixed on Damian’s retreating back, held a dark, almost imperceptible glint of animosity. 4 After the auction, I called my best friend, Mark, to see if he wanted to grab a drink. “Josh, have you lost your damn mind?!” At the bar, Mark stared at me in disbelief when I told him I wanted to divorce Jason. “Jason was the most sought-after guy in our entire university, a total heartthrob!” “So many people were dying to be with him, and you, you lucky bastard, you want to divorce him?!” Mark looked at me, confused. “You’re not even drunk. Why are you talking crazy?” Of course, I couldn’t tell him about the novel. He’d think I was insane. He eyed me suspiciously. “Don’t tell me… you’re cheating on him, aren’t you?” “Get out of here!” I shot back, exasperated. “Am I that kind of guy?” “I just… I just don’t think we’re a good match.” To my surprise, Mark didn’t argue with that. “You know… I’m not entirely surprised you feel that way,” he said with a sigh. “We Betas don’t have pheromones. When an Omega goes into heat, we can’t do anything to help. Over time, it’s bound to cause problems in a relationship.” “Look around us. How many Betas do you know who actually make it work with an Omega long-term? Most Omegas might date a Beta for a while, but in the end, they almost always end up with an Alpha.” Mark sighed again. “After all, Omegas and Alphas are… biologically hardwired for each other.” His words hit me hard. I fell silent. He was right. In the novel, the first time Jason betrays our marriage is during his heat, when he runs into Damian. They can’t control themselves, and… well, that’s when it all starts. Bound by a sense of guilt, Jason feels bad about it at first. But he never had strong feelings for me to begin with. In the end, he can’t resist his Omega nature and chooses an Alpha as his partner. It’s true what they say: no good ever comes from being a simp. A wave of bitterness washed over me. I picked up my glass and downed it in one gulp. The cool liquid seemed to soothe some of the turmoil in my chest. I waved at the bartender. “Another brandy!” 5 Two drinks later, I was feeling unsteady on my feet. As I stumbled toward the restroom, a cloyingly sweet smell of chocolate hit me. Why does the restroom smell like chocolate? Before I could figure it out, a tall, slender figure lunged at me, pinning me against the wall. In that instant, the chocolate scent intensified, thick and overwhelming, wrapping around me like a suffocating blanket. Even through my clothes, I could feel the searing heat radiating from his body. The alcohol had slowed my reflexes. I stood there, dazed, for a few seconds before I slowly lifted my head. The man had a wild mane of blond hair, sharp features, and a rebellious air about him. Seeing his familiar face, I frowned. “You… Zane?!” Zane was a younger student from my university and my sworn enemy. We were both chasing after Jason back then, and we couldn’t stand each other. He used his family’s money to make my life miserable, always sneering at me with a condescending smirk whenever he saw me. I hated his arrogant attitude. What I hated even more was that Zane was the second male lead in the novel. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. A jerk like him gets to be with Jason, while I get thrown away like trash in the end?! “Get off me!” I snarled, trying to shove him away. But he effortlessly grabbed my wrists. The motion sent a jolt through me, clearing some of the alcoholic haze from my mind. That’s when I noticed that something was seriously wrong with him. His breathing was ragged, his eyes glazed over. He lowered his head, his lips parting, the warm breath from his mouth getting closer and closer to my neck. “Oh, crap!” This bastard was in a rut! “Are you blind?! Look at me!” I yelled, struggling against his grip. “I’m a Beta!” He just scowled in frustration, slamming my hands against the wall above my head before lowering his head again. Betas have glands, but they’re undeveloped and don’t produce pheromones. Without the scent to guide him, Zane couldn’t find my gland. So, in a fit of rage, he just bit down hard on my neck. The moment his sharp canines pierced my skin, my world went white. It hurts! The sharp pain sent a surge of adrenaline through me. I found a burst of strength from somewhere, and seeing an opening, I drove my fist hard into his stomach. He grunted, his grip finally loosening. Before he could recover, I scrambled out of the restroom and fled. It was midnight by the time I got home. The living room was dark, and I assumed Jason was already asleep. But when I flipped on the light, I saw a familiar figure sitting bolt upright on the sofa. I instinctively clapped a hand over the wound on my neck and forced a sheepish smile. “Why are you still up so late?” 6 On the sofa, Jason was staring at me, his gaze cold and piercing. His long, dark hair was loose, cascading down his back, which only served to accentuate his snow-white skin and ruby-red lips. Under the harsh, cold light, he radiated an eerie, chilling beauty, like a dangerous siren. Seeing his dark expression, I swallowed nervously. “What’s… what’s wrong?” Jason stood up, his face a mask of ice. He always used to lower his head in front of me, projecting an image of gentleness and submission. It was only now, belatedly, that I realized—he was a good half a head taller than me. “Who were you with tonight?” “Who else?” I rubbed my nose, feeling a strange sense of guilt. “Just Mark…” “You’re lying!” Jason’s eyes flashed with anger. “Mark isn’t an Alpha! You reek of some disgusting Alpha’s scent!” “Those are clearly Alpha pheromones!” I felt a flush of embarrassment. “Jason, let me explain…” But his face darkened further. He yanked my hand away from my neck. When he saw the bite mark, his entire body began to tremble, and the expression on his face was more terrifying than anything I had ever seen. “Josh!” “Did you sleep with an Alpha?!” His words were so blunt, so humiliating, that I exploded. “What the hell are you talking about?!” But Jason wasn’t listening. He seemed to have lost his mind with rage. He dragged me into the bedroom and threw me onto the bed, pinning me down. It was only then that I realized how strong he was, nothing like the delicate Omega I had always believed him to be. “Are you crazy?!” I yelled, trying to push him off. But he held my hands down, and I couldn’t move an inch. He traced the bite mark on my neck, his touch surprisingly gentle, but his voice was chilling. “A place I’ve been desperately holding back from, a place I couldn’t bear to touch… you just let someone else have it so easily?” A dangerous aura filled the room. Alarm bells screamed in my head, and my body began to tremble under his touch. “Honey, please, listen to me. It’s just a misunderstanding.” Jason placed a finger on my lips, silencing me. His voice was a soft whisper. “Shh…” “I don’t want to hear your excuses.” He was smiling, but his eyes were like chips of ice. He gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Since you say it’s just a misunderstanding, then let me…” “…conduct a thorough inspection.” 7 Inspection? What kind of inspection? Before I could process his words, a warm pressure covered my lips. “Mmph!” My eyes flew open. Was Jason… forcibly kissing me? As our lips and tongues tangled, the potent, intoxicating scent of tequila slammed into me, wrapping around me with an aggressive, domineering force. Was this… Jason’s pheromone scent? I was shocked. Because Jason had always claimed to have a gland problem, I had never smelled his pheromones before. I’d always imagined they would be soft and elegant, just like the gentle persona he presented to the world. I never expected them to be so…domineering. Is this really the kind of scent a sweet, gentle Omega is supposed to have? I was suddenly very confused. Jason seemed to sense my distraction. He nipped my lip in annoyance, and his hands began to roam over my body, finally settling on a very… private area. Wait. Something is very, very wrong here… Oh my God, is he trying to top me?! Panic seized me. No, no, no! As a Beta, I absolutely could not let an Omega dominate me! If word got out, I’d never be able to show my face in public again! With that thought, I tried to sit up and break free. But in the next instant, a strange, searing heat erupted from the gland at the back of my neck, spreading rapidly through my entire body. What the hell is happening?! Why was I, a Beta, experiencing symptoms similar to an Omega’s heat? I froze, completely stunned. My already foggy mind grew even hazier with the rising heat. Under the lamplight, Jason’s beautiful face seemed to become even more alluring. “Jason…” I managed to choke out his name, my throat dry and tight. Deep inside, a hollow, unfamiliar ache began to grow, an ache that was almost unbearable. But just then, Jason stopped. He simply watched me, a playful, cruel smile on his lips as he took in my pathetic state. “Tell me,” he purred, “do you want me to continue?” How had I never realized what a sadist he was? This was no gentle little rabbit. This was a calculating, vicious wolf. “Go to hell!” I snarled, glaring at him, refusing to back down. “If you can’t get the job done, I’ll just go find someone else!” “You dare!” My words clearly hit a nerve. He yanked me into his arms. “I was going to be gentle with you…” he hissed, then lowered his head, his sharp canines aimed directly at my gland. “Ah—!” My eyes shot open, pupils contracting in agony. Through my blurred vision, I could see Jason’s head buried in the crook of my neck. I don’t know how long it lasted. When he finally lifted his head, his lips were stained with a shocking smear of red. He stroked the wound on the back of my neck, his expression one of pure satisfaction. “The mark…” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “…is finally complete.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394127”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When my life became a story, I knew nothing about the plot except for my name. I woke up one day inside a novel I now know is called The CEO’s Crimson Contract. For the longest time, I was convinced I was the heroine. It made a perfect, beautiful sense. The protagonist’s name was Aurora, and my name—Elora—was its echo. The day I met my husband, Alaric, I fell in love so instantly and completely that I was sure I was the luckiest woman alive. But three years into our marriage, an intern named Aurora started at his company. And that’s when the voice in my head told me I’d gotten it all wrong. The heroine wasn’t the echo. It was the other way around. I wasn’t the star of the show. I was just the warm-up act. The disposable first wife. … [Elora, it’s time to face reality.] For the three months since Aurora had first walked through the doors of Aethelgard Industries, that voice—the one that called itself the System—had been a constant, cruel whisper in the back of my mind. [You aren’t the heroine, ‘Aurora.’ You’re the forgotten side character, ‘Elora.’ The story is correcting itself. The hero is destined to fall for the heroine. You are destined to be discarded.] I ignored it, just as I had every other time. I focused on the task at hand: arranging candles for the third-anniversary dinner I was making for Alaric and me. I wasn’t the heroine, maybe. But three years of marriage couldn’t be a lie. The feeling was real, even if the story wasn’t mine. When I first arrived in this world, I was just a grad student studying abroad. The moment I saw him, my heart simply gave itself away, no questions asked. I pursued him with a single-mindedness that felt like fate. And fate, it seemed, answered. One afternoon, in a grimy alley near my apartment, I found him. He was bleeding, weakened, leaning against a dumpster as if his strength had evaporated. He’d been shot with some kind of specialized silver round. The sunlight, slanting between the buildings, was like a physical poison against his skin. I didn’t hesitate. I threw my trench coat over him, shielding him with my own body as I frantically called an Uber, getting him to the private, unmarked address he’d managed to whisper. To repay what he called a life debt, Alaric offered me a blood bond and, with it, a marriage contract. After the wedding, he remained distant, a man carved from beautiful, cold marble. But his actions… his actions were warm. When my period cramps were agonizing, he would disappear into his high-tech private medical lab and return with a small IV bag of dark, rich fluid. He’d call it a “family nutritional supplement,” his touch gentle as he hooked it to my vein and let it drip, slowly, into me. The relief was immediate, a wave of warmth and strength that washed away the pain. Once, I mindlessly liked a picture on Instagram—a box of macarons from a century-old patisserie in Paris. The next day, he returned from a business trip to New York. Sitting on the table of his private jet was that exact same box, the confections still impossibly fresh. It was in these moments that I learned to read his love language. His affection wasn’t in words, but in quiet, overwhelming gestures. He was a man whose actions screamed the devotion his lips would never speak. I didn’t believe a heart like that could change. After placing the last fork, I glanced at the ornate clock on the wall. 8:23 PM. He should have been home from the office by now. Usually, he was. I called him. “Honey, what time will you be home tonight?” There was a pause on the other end, a pocket of silence that felt too heavy. Then, his voice, a low, magnetic rumble that always made my heart skip. “Elora. I’m sorry. Something’s come up. I won’t be home for dinner. You should eat without me.” Each word was a hammer blow against my chest. My fingers tightened on my phone. “Do you remember what today is…?” Before I could finish, the line went dead. He’d hung up. A cold dread coiled in my stomach. And then, the System’s voice returned, slick and venomous. [Do you want to see what your husband is doing right now?] I didn’t. God, I didn’t. But the System never gave me a choice. An image flooded my mind, vivid and unwelcome. Alaric was in the emergency room of the city’s most expensive private hospital. He was kneeling, his movements impossibly gentle as he massaged the swollen ankle of a young woman on the hospital bed. It was Aurora. And in his silver-grey eyes—eyes that were always so cool and distant with me—was a universe of raw, unguarded worry. A thousand silver needles pierced my heart all at once. The pain was everywhere. The System’s voice was as cold as a morgue slab. [Do you see? The hero’s heart is already turning toward the heroine. If you refuse to let go, the plot will ensure you end up dead in the street. And your family in the human world? They’ll meet with unfortunate accidents as well…] My hand clenched into a fist, my nails digging into my palm. I bit down on my lip, hard, just to keep myself from trembling. A consequence like that… Could I really afford to bear it? Chapter 2 Alaric didn’t come home until the next morning. He walked in and slipped off his jacket, holding it out to me with the easy familiarity of routine. I saw the exhaustion etched into the lines of his face. My eyes fell to his cuff, and I froze. A small, distinct coffee stain marred the crisp white fabric. I frowned. “What’s this?” He followed my gaze, his tone flat. “Aurora spilled it yesterday when she was bringing me a file. She twisted her ankle in the process, so I took her to the hospital.” He paused, then added, “I only learned recently that she’s the daughter of an old family associate. I owe her adoptive father a great debt.” We had known each other for five years, been married for three. It was the most he had ever said to me at one time. And it was all about another woman. When the System had threatened me, I’d brushed it off as a bad dream. When he missed our anniversary dinner, I’d chosen to believe him. But now, seeing the flicker of unguarded focus in his eyes as he spoke of Aurora—that shattered every last bit of my denial. I looked down, my fingers clenching and unclenching at my sides. After a long silence, I finally managed to speak, my voice barely a whisper. “Alaric, I don’t like her. Can you transfer her to another department?” “No.” The refusal was instant and absolute. “I made a promise to her father. It’s a promise I have to keep.” “I’m just asking you to move her, not fire her,” I pressed, hearing the desperate edge in my own voice. “You can’t even do that?” His face darkened. “Elora, she’s my executive assistant, that’s all. Are you always this petty? Does this mean I can’t hire any female employees from now on?” Petty. It was the first time he had ever used a word like that for me. In that moment, the absurdity of my situation crashed down on me. I had endured three months of psychological torture from the System, clinging to the belief that our love was real, that he was worth fighting for. How ridiculous it all seemed now. I said nothing more, just silently took his jacket to the laundry room. But the coffee stain felt like a stain on our marriage, and no matter how hard I scrubbed, it wouldn’t come out. I was about to throw the ruined jacket into the trash when a small velvet box tumbled out of the inside pocket. My breath caught. It was an emerald necklace, one I’d admired in a shop window months ago. Just then, two strong arms wrapped around me from behind. Alaric, fresh from the shower, pressed his cool skin against my back. “It’s your anniversary gift, Elora. I didn’t forget.” He smelled of pine and cold air, the same scent as my own body wash. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead. “I’m heading to the office. We’ll celebrate properly tonight.” My traitorous heart fluttered, the hope I was trying so hard to kill stirring back to life. But as I was straightening his tie, his phone rang. It was Aurora. “Mr. Aethelgard, I… I think I need to resign…” I was standing so close I could hear every word. I could hear the manufactured tears in her voice. “Everyone at the office is talking,” she sobbed. “They’re saying I’m trying to break up your marriage. I don’t know how a rumor like that could have started, but I can’t stay here anymore…” “Don’t worry,” Alaric soothed her, his voice low and reassuring. “I’ll take care of it.” He ended the call and his eyes, now cool and laced with suspicion, settled on me. I recoiled as if struck. “You think I did that?” He didn’t deny it. He grabbed my wrist, his grip like steel. “You spread those rumors just because I wouldn’t transfer her? You’re coming with me to the office right now to clear this up.” He dragged me out of the apartment, ignoring my struggles. The moment we walked onto the executive floor, a hush fell. Employees, once busy at their desks, now shot us veiled, curious glances. Aurora appeared, her eyes red and tear-filled, limping dramatically toward me. “Mrs. Aethelgard, I swear, there is nothing going on between Mr. Aethelgard and me. He didn’t come home yesterday because he was taking me to the hospital, but only because I sprained my ankle…” A cold laugh escaped my lips. “Are you telling me he’s the only person you know in this entire city? You had to bother him for something so minor? He’s your boss, not your father. If every employee with a scraped knee ran to him for help, he might as well shut down the company and open a daycare.” Aurora faltered, her eyes darting to Alaric for support. Alaric’s brow furrowed. “That’s enough. Aurora is different. I made a promise to take care of her.” The protectiveness in his voice was a physical blow. I stared at him, a bitter taste filling my mouth. Five years, and this was the first time I had ever seen him defend another woman against me. In front of his entire executive team, he stood tall, his expression severe. “Miss Aurora is the daughter of a dear friend. I have a responsibility to look after her. I don’t want to hear any more of these ridiculous rumors in this office. Is that clear?” I stood beside him, a statue of a jealous wife on public trial, enduring the pitying, contemptuous stares of everyone in the room. A humorless smile touched my lips. Right. Aurora had done nothing wrong. I was the one at fault. My only mistake was believing our love was indestructible. Chapter 3 After the spectacle at the office, Alaric had the driver take me home. I sat on the edge of our bed for a long time, staring into space. My gaze drifted to a photo frame on the nightstand. It was a picture of me with my family—my real family, from the world I’d left behind. Mom, Dad, and my older brother, all of us smiling under a summer sun. The System’s threat echoed in my mind, and with it came the horrifying visions it had shown me. My mother, her gentle smile frozen on her face, hit by a speeding car. My father, a man of quiet dignity, falling from the top of a skyscraper. My brother, his bright, easy grin gone forever, stabbed to death in a dark alley, his body left unrecognizable. The air in my lungs turned to poison. I couldn’t breathe. After what felt like an eternity, I did something I had never done before. I reached out with my mind, calling to the voice. “System. You want me to leave him, don’t you? I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you want. But you have to send me back. Send me home to my own world.” The System agreed. It informed me that in fifteen days, my time in this body would come to an end. I was going to “die.” I changed my clothes and went for a walk. With the little time I had left, I called my family. I told them I was going on a long trip, somewhere remote. I told them I loved them. It was the only goodbye I could give. That evening, Alaric picked me up from the park as if nothing had happened. On the drive home, I didn’t chatter away like I usually did, filling the space with stories about my day. The car was filled with a heavy, suffocating silence. He glanced over at me several times. “Are you still angry about this morning?” I shook my head. “No.” He hesitated. “There’s something else I need to tell you. Today, Aurora—” The moment I heard her name, a curtain fell in my mind. I couldn’t hear another word about her. “I’m tired,” I cut him off. “Let’s talk when we get home.” But when we walked through the front door, I saw her. Aurora was sitting on our sofa. And she was wearing Alaric’s silk dress shirt. He came in behind me. “This is what I was trying to tell you in the car.” I stood frozen in the entryway, my nails digging so deeply into my palms I was sure I’d drawn blood. Aurora immediately put on a frightened, timid expression. “Mrs. Aethelgard, please don’t misunderstand! My apartment was burglarized, and Mr. Aethelgard said… he said he owed my father a great debt. He’s letting me stay here until I can find a safe place.” She gestured to the shirt. “All my clothes were ruined. I knew you disliked me, so I didn’t dare borrow anything of yours. I could only borrow one of Mr. Aethelgard’s.” Alaric saw the look on my face and gently took my arm, guiding me toward the dining table. “Aurora cooked dinner for us—” He stopped short. We both stared at the table. Every single dish was a blackened, charred mess. Aurora blinked innocently. “I wanted to do something nice for you both, but I’m just so clumsy…” I took a deep breath, about to say something—anything—but Alaric spoke first, already forgiving her on my behalf. “It’s fine,” he said, his voice soft. “Elora doesn’t mind.” And just like that, all the words I might have said died in my throat. Without another sound, I turned and walked to the bedroom. Chapter 4 Alaric followed me in a moment later. He closed the door behind him, his voice low. “You and Aurora just got off on the wrong foot. Once you get to know her, you’ll see she’s actually quite sweet, just a little clumsy. Now that she’s living here, it’s a good chance for you two to connect.” A suffocating pressure built in my chest. My nails bit deeper into my palms. How funny. My own husband, telling me to my face that another woman was sweet. I looked at him, at the face that had once been the center of my universe, and I finally, finally made my decision. Taking a steadying breath, I met his eyes. “Alaric. Let’s get a divorce.” His expression instantly turned to thunder. “What did you just say?” “I’m not willing to stay married to a man on the verge of an affair,” I said, my voice eerily calm. His eyes were wide with disbelief. “I haven’t done anything with Aurora! What is wrong with you?” A bitter laugh escaped me. “Any other woman so much as brushes against your sleeve and you throw the jacket away. But Aurora? She can spill coffee all over you. She can demand your help for a twisted ankle, and you not only oblige, you personally massage her foot!” I took a step closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “Alaric, can you look me in the eye and tell me you feel nothing for her?” He flinched, his gaze faltering. For a moment, he was utterly silent. Just then, Aurora’s voice called from the living room. “Mr. Aethelgard? Could you come help me with something?” His eyes flickered with an emotion I couldn’t name. He looked at me, his jaw tight, but he offered no explanation. No defense. Finally, he spoke, his voice rough. “Elora, marriage isn’t a game. You can’t be this irresponsible.” He paused, his tone softening almost imperceptibly. “I’ll sleep in the study tonight. You need to calm down and think clearly. I don’t want to hear you say that word again.” The bedroom door clicked shut behind him. I stared at the closed door and let out a long, shuddering breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob. Chapter 5 When I woke up the next morning, Alaric and Aurora were already gone. As if to twist the knife, the System forced another vision into my head, showing me their departure. I saw Aurora presenting him with a plate of greasy, fried food for breakfast. I knew his digestive system was sensitive; I never made him things like that. But he ate what she offered, accepting it with a quiet nod. At the car, Aurora hesitated, putting on a show of reluctance. “The passenger seat… that’s Mrs. Aethelgard’s spot. She’ll be angry, won’t she?” Alaric simply opened the passenger door for her. “She won’t know.” And I watched, helpless, as the seat that had always been exclusively mine was occupied by another woman, at his personal invitation. I squeezed my eyes shut. Stop, I begged the System. I don’t want to see any more. My phone rang, startling me from my trance. It was Alaric’s assistant. “Ma’am, just a reminder about the family trust’s quarterly dinner this evening. Your attendance with Mr. Aethelgard is required.” I had completely forgotten. The mandatory gathering hosted by the clan’s elders. At a little past five, Alaric returned home with Aurora in tow. “Elora, Aurora will be joining us for the dinner tonight.” I stared at him. “Why?” “It was an order from the Chairwoman of the board,” he explained, his tone leaving no room for argument. “She’s seen the preliminary background report on Aurora and wants to meet her in person.” Thirty minutes later, we arrived at a private club perched atop the city’s tallest skyscraper—a property owned by the family. The moment we entered the grand dining hall, every eye turned to Aurora. The clan’s core members, led by a few elders who radiated an ancient and intimidating power, watched her with a mixture of scrutiny, curiosity, and something else… a subtle avarice that sent a chill down my spine. And me? His legal wife? I was completely invisible. The dinner was a tense, suffocating affair. The elders directed all their questions to Aurora, probing into her family history and upbringing. I distractedly took a sip of soup. A wave of nausea immediately washed over me. I clamped a hand over my mouth and rushed to the restroom. When I came out, a female elder—a distant relative of Alaric’s—was waiting for me. Her eyes were dark and unreadable. “Elora,” she said, her voice smooth as silk. “A reaction like that… could it be that you are with child?” My heart stopped. It was only then that I realized… my period was late. A dizzying panic set in. If I was pregnant, what would I do? How could I leave? I was given no time to process. The elders were already “suggesting” I be taken to the family’s private medical center for an immediate examination. After a series of tests, a doctor handed a report to Alaric, bowing his head respectfully. “Sir, your wife’s health is excellent. However… her body is not compatible with your bloodline. She cannot bear your heir.” The female elder let out a soft scoff, just loud enough for the entire room to hear. “All that excitement for nothing. Married all these years and still no results.” Another elder spoke, his voice a low rumble. “Alaric, you understand what must be done. The continuation of our lineage is paramount.” I said nothing. I just looked down at my own stomach. I should have been relieved, but the first thing I felt was a sharp, hollowing disappointment. Just then, the System’s voice echoed in my head, cold and clinical. [Host, you are merely a human. You could never have conceived the hero’s child.] I froze. The words replayed in my mind, but it wasn’t “hero” or “child” that held my attention. It was the other word. Human. It said… you are merely a human. The word was like a rusted key forcing open a door in my mind I had never dared to approach. Fragments of memory came rushing back, a tidal wave of suppressed truths. His “family nutritional supplement”… the chilling sensation of that cold fluid flowing through the IV tube and into my veins… it was… blood. Who gives their wife their own blood to cure cramps? His perpetually cold skin. No matter how warm the room, his embrace always carried a deep, unnatural chill. I’d thought it was just poor circulation. Now I knew it wasn’t the temperature of the living. His strength, so far beyond normal. Jars I couldn’t budge would open with a flick of his wrist. The one time I’d tripped on the stairs, he’d caught me with a speed that was little more than a blur. His preference for the night, his aversion to the sun. The floor-to-ceiling windows in our penthouse were fitted with specialized glass that blocked 100% of UV rays. I’d thought it was just the eccentricity of a top-tier CEO… And… the nights. The nights he would bury his face in my neck, the so-called “possessive kisses” that always left a faint, stinging ache, followed by a dizzying, euphoric rush… He wasn’t kissing me. He was… feeding from me. Blood. Cold. Strength. Aversion to light. Fangs. And the title of the novel itself—The CEO’s Crimson Contract. Crimson. A single, horrifying, and perfectly logical answer exploded in my mind. Vampire. My blood ran cold, seeming to freeze solid in my veins. I had always believed the difference between Aurora and me was simply a matter of love. That he loved her, and he didn’t love me. Now I understood. The chasm between us was not emotional. It was biological. We weren’t just a bad match. We weren’t even the same species. I wasn’t just the side character. I was a human. A fragile, incompatible, pathetic outsider who could never give him an heir. So that was it. That was the real reason the System had said I was unworthy. This whole twisted tragedy was so much more absurd, and so much more hopeless, than I had ever imagined.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394145”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My wedding was just around the corner. I was scrolling through Pinterest, looking for wedding planning ideas, when a post caught my eye. It was a photo of a couple at the altar, their backs to the camera. The caption beneath it read: “The man I love has already pretended to marry me.” “So, no matter who he marries in the future, I’ll wish him well.” The moment I saw the groom’s familiar silhouette, my nine-year relationship shattered into a million pieces, lost in the digital ether. 1 When I found the post, I was supposed to be looking at venue decorations. My chat with my fiancé, Liam, was still open, our last exchange just five minutes old. I’d excitedly sent him a link to a wedding photographer’s portfolio. He’d replied: “Whatever you like, babe. I’m happy if you’re happy.” The smile was still on my lips when the photo filled my screen. The man in the tuxedo was tall and broad-shouldered. I knew that back better than my own. I didn’t need to see his face. It was Liam. My gaze shifted to the woman beside him. She was breathtaking in a mermaid-style gown that hugged her curves perfectly. She had her arm looped through his. They stood before the priest, a perfect couple, exchanging vows in a solemn, sacred ceremony. There were no guests, but the sanctity of the moment was palpable. The comment section was flooded with people gushing about how perfect they looked together. The top comment was a rallying cry: “You two are meant to be! Girl, why are you letting him marry someone else? Go get your man!” The blogger’s profile picture was a cat. I clicked on her page. It was completely blank, except for that one post. Using my burner account, “Momo,” I left a comment, my fingers moving as if guided by some unseen force. “Dying to hear the story behind this.” 2 Liam called a little later, asking to take me out for dinner. I pretended nothing was wrong. When I got in his car, he took one hand off the steering wheel and reached for mine. His brows furrowed when he felt my icy skin. “Your hands are freezing,” he said, his voice laced with concern. “Are you on your period? Are your cramps bad?” I gently pulled my hand from his grasp. “No,” I said, my voice flat. He turned up the heat and redirected the vents on my side away from me. A few moments later, his hand was back on mine. This time, a satisfied smile touched his lips. “There. That’s better.” My nails dug into my palms. We had been together for nine years. For nine years, he had treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world. The slightest frown from me and he’d be fussing, trying to figure out what was wrong. He even tracked my cycle more accurately than I did. His friends always joked that I had him completely wrapped around my finger. Liam, whose world supposedly revolved around me. And yet, right before our wedding, he had walked into a church with another woman and made the sacred vows that were meant for us. Who was she? And who was it that he truly wanted to marry? 3 We were in a private room at a Japanese restaurant. The image of him with that other woman was burned into my mind. While we waited for our food, I tried to sound casual. “What do you think about getting married at that old chapel on the West Side in Charleston? It’s supposed to be beautiful. I saw a lot of pictures of it online.” It was beautiful. A century-old church, grand and majestic, with stained-glass windows that stretched to a vaulted ceiling. To stand there would be like stepping into a dream. That’s why the photo, paired with her caption, had gone viral overnight. His hand, which had been pouring me tea, paused. “Charleston’s a bit far, don’t you think? If you want a church wedding, we can find a nice one here.” It was the first time since we started planning the wedding that he had ever said no to one of my ideas. Beneath the table, I twisted the hem of my shirt in my hands. Before we had even finished our meal, my Pinterest notifications had hit 99+. My comment had over five hundred likes and had been pushed to the top. The blogger had finally replied. “Okay, I’ll post our story tonight.” 4 I closed the app and looked up at him. He was staring at his phone, a soft, happy smile on his face. My heart seized. On pure instinct, I lunged across the table and snatched the phone from his hand. He was watching the video from his proposal a year ago. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by an amused grin. “What’s this? We’re about to get married, and you’re already doing surprise inspections?” His passcode was my birthday. My fingerprint was saved in his phone. He left it lying around when he showered. He was so open, so transparent, that I’d never had a reason to doubt him. He was calm now because he was certain there was nothing incriminating on that phone for me to find. I forced a laugh. “I just wanted to watch the video again.” “Silly,” he said gently. “You have a copy on your phone, remember? You said you wanted to show it to our kids when we’re old.” The promise of growing old together still echoed in my ears, but a chasm had just opened up in our relationship. 5 I watched the video anyway. The one he’d personally edited for the proposal. It was a montage of our nine years together. Our high school graduation photo, where he’d switched places with a classmate to stand behind me. I remembered that day perfectly. He had leaned down, his voice uncharacteristically nervous for someone so confident, and asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend. “Don’t turn around,” he’d said. “I’m afraid you’ll say no.” The summer wind had brushed against our young faces. The photographer had counted down, “Three, two, one, say cheese!” And at the exact moment the shutter clicked, with my back still to him, I had said yes. We both went to college in the same state, but our campuses were two hours apart. He made the four-hour round trip constantly, just to see me for a few minutes. After we finished our master’s degrees, he proposed. In front of all our friends and family, he had kissed me and said he’d been waiting for that day for eight years. I tried to watch with a cold heart, but by the end, my eyes were wet. Nine years was a long time. We had both loved so fiercely, so completely. All this time, I thought his journey had been as single-minded as mine. But now, standing at the threshold of marriage, I realized his path had taken a detour. The thought was a dull, throbbing ache in my chest. In the tapestry of our shared memories, when had he found the space to weave in someone else? Seeing my tears, he wrapped his hand around mine. “You’re such a crybaby. You cry every time you watch this.” “I’m not letting you watch it anymore.” My hand trembled in his. I was afraid. Afraid of the truth that was about to be revealed. Afraid that nine years of my life were about to go up in flames. 6 When we got home, he went to his study to work. I sat in the living room, my hands shaking as I opened the Pinterest app. She had kept her promise. A new post had appeared. “A seventeen-year-old’s crush, finally fulfilled at twenty-nine.” I read her long, rambling story, word by word. The pieces started to fall into place. It was Sienna Vance. A girl from the class next to ours in high school who’d had a massive crush on Liam. During our freshman year of college, Sienna, who was going to school in Charleston, had come all the way to our campus to confess her feelings to Liam. He had been completely blindsided. He’d gently turned her down, telling her he had a girlfriend. He had told me about it at the time. What I never knew was that the story didn’t end there. Her crush hadn’t just lingered. It had blossomed. 7 The turning point came last year, when Liam did a year-long fellowship at a prestigious hospital in Charleston. By some cruel twist of fate, Sienna worked at that same hospital. They were colleagues in the same department. He had never mentioned this to me. One day, after being berated by a patient’s family, she was crying in her office. Liam saw her, pulled up a chair, and started telling her jokes to cheer her up. Through her tears, Sienna had leaned in and kissed him. In her post, she wrote: “He closed his eyes. He opened his mouth. And in that moment, my long-dormant crush bloomed in the dust.” A wave of nausea churned in my stomach. I dug my nails into my palms and forced myself to keep reading. They had laid out the ground rules from the start. He had a girlfriend. They were serious. He was going to marry me when he came back. She didn’t ask for anything more. All she wanted was one year with him. “We made a pact,” she wrote. “A one-year love affair. When the year was up, I would walk away without a fight.” 8 And so, their affair began. This is how she described their life together: “I never thought I would one day be living with the man I had crushed on for so long. We cooked together, watched movies together. We hugged, we kissed, we did everything a couple does.” “He seems so refined and composed, but when he lets go, he covers every inch of me with his touch, in every room of our apartment.” “I finally felt like he wasn’t just a distant dream anymore. He was right there, beside me, tangible.” “Whenever he called her, I would quietly leave the room so I wouldn’t disturb them. Hearing him say sweet things to her always hurt. But later, in the heat of the moment, he would whisper the same words in my ear, and then nothing else mattered.” When the year was up, he ended it. She had only one request. She wanted a fake wedding in that beautiful old church, a perfect, final chapter to their story. She promised she would cherish that year in her heart and never bother him again. He agreed. She wrote that after the ceremony, they had made love all night. Her words were a physical weight, crushing me. “That night, it was our last. We knew there was no tomorrow for us, so we loved each other until the sun came up.” “For the first time ever, he didn’t answer her call. He just wanted me one more time.” “That was my real wedding night.” 9 I sat on the sofa, my entire body trembling. I couldn’t stop replaying that year in my head. Every text he sent, every call he made from their love nest. The same mouth that kissed her day and night telling me he missed me, that he loved me. Every day that I thought our relationship was solid, he was living a double life. No wonder. No wonder he never wanted me to visit. He always said he didn’t want me to tire myself out with the travel. Instead, he would surprise me with sudden visits. All that thoughtful consideration was just a cover. And she, shameless and selfish, had reveled in their secret, sordid affair. They were disgusting. Both of them. I grabbed the pair of matching mugs from the coffee table, raised them high, and smashed them onto the floor. Shards of ceramic scattered everywhere. A perfect metaphor for my nine years. A bloody, mangled corpse. The noise startled Liam. The study door flew open, and he rushed over, his face etched with concern. He grabbed my hands, inspecting them carefully. “What happened? Are you hurt?” I snatched my hand back and slapped him across the face, hard. “Liam, we’re done.” “I don’t want a second-hand, cheating bastard.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394161”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The moment the second pink line appeared on the test, a jolt of pure joy shot through me. I didn’t even wait to catch my breath before racing to the office to tell Richard. But I froze outside his oak-paneled door, his voice, sharp and cold, slicing through the wood. He was on the phone with his personal physician. “Pregnant? How the hell is that possible? I’ve never missed a single dose of her birth control. With her fragile health, what right does she have to carry my child? God, don’t let her give me something… defective.” A pause. My blood ran cold. “Listen, at her next check-up, you tell her the embryo isn’t viable. Tell her she needs to terminate. And send me Scarlett’s ultrasound schedule. I want to be there for her.” The chill of the brass doorknob seeped through my palm, a venomous cold that shot straight to my core, shattering my heart into a million icy shards. And yet, months later, after I finally did lose the baby and fled the country to escape him, Richard Cross followed me across the ocean and knelt in the rain, begging me to love him again. 1 I drove home in a daze, a ghost behind the wheel, his cruel words echoing in the hollow space where my heart used to be. It was impossible to reconcile that man with the Richard who, just last night, had rested his head on my stomach, whispering with a soft sigh why our baby hadn’t come yet. When we first got married, Richard had been eager for a child, but I was the one who hesitated. My health had always been delicate, and I was terrified of passing my frailties on. I wanted to wait, to spend a couple of years getting my strength back. When I told him, he’d wrapped me in his arms, his voice a warm murmur against my hair. “It’s okay, Thea. We can wait. Your health comes first.” So I spent two years focusing on my body, and when I finally felt stronger, more ready, Richard never brought it up again. We were intimate, never using protection, and I just assumed we were leaving it up to fate. But month after month, year after year, nothing happened. The emptiness in my womb started to feel like a personal failing. I began to think something was wrong with me. Richard would always be there to soothe my anxieties. “Don’t worry, T,” he’d say. “It will happen when it happens. We can’t rush it.” I was so lost in my own self-blame that I never saw the glint of satisfaction in his eyes. Thinking of it now, my vision blurred, tears spilling over and tracing cold paths down my cheeks. Suddenly, a deafening CRUNCH of metal on metal threw me forward. My first thought was that I’d been rear-ended. Before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt, a woman emerged from the car behind me. She was stunning, all sharp angles and flawless makeup, a femme fatale in a designer dress. She stalked toward my car, her face a mask of fury. She pounded on my window with a manicured fist, demanding I get out. “What is wrong with you? The light was green! Are you blind? My husband just bought me this car! Of all the cursed luck to run into an idiot like you today!” My already frayed nerves snapped. A moment ago, I would have gotten out, ready to apologize and exchange insurance information. Now, I just scowled and rolled the window down an inch. “Ma’am, you hit me. The light may have been green, but that doesn’t give you the right to plow into my bumper.” “Oh, please!” she sneered. “If you weren’t daydreaming, I wouldn’t have hit you! Let me tell you something, my husband is the CEO of Cross Corp. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of this car, get on your knees, and pay for the damages before I make you wish you’d never been born!” The name ‘Cross Corp’ hit me like a physical blow. My head snapped up, my eyes locking onto hers. She saw my reaction and let out a triumphant, ugly laugh. “Oh, so you have heard of my husband? Good. That makes this easier. Get out and beg for my forgiveness right now. Because when he gets here, this is going to get a whole lot worse for you.” And then it clicked. Scarlett. This had to be the Scarlett from the phone call. I studied her properly for the first time—the killer curves, the fiercely beautiful face. We were polar opposites. Richard’s words came back to me: I want to be there for her. She was pregnant, too. A fresh wave of agony ripped through me as I thought about how he cherished her child while despising mine. My voice was ice. “Why don’t you call him? I’m dying to see what he can do to me when he gets here.” Scarlett froze, clearly thrown by my sudden shift in attitude. “Fine! You just wait!” she shrieked, turning away to furiously dial her phone. A dark, twisted part of me actually hoped he would come. I wanted to see the look on his face when he had to explain who this woman was. But Richard never showed. Instead, the police did, their sirens cutting through the gridlock our two cars had created. In the end, we were both found equally at fault and told to handle our own repairs. As we were leaving, Scarlett shot me a look of pure venom. “This isn’t over. I will make you pay for this.” I just smiled a thin, humorless smile, and watched her face contort in rage as I hit the gas and drove away. Back home, I collapsed onto the sofa, drained and exhausted. My hand instinctively went to my belly, to the tiny, secret life inside, and the tears started to fall again, silent and relentless. Just then, the front door opened, and Richard was there. He saw the tears on my face and was at my side in an instant. He knelt before me, his touch gentle as he wiped my cheeks with his thumbs, his voice laced with concern. “Thea? What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did I do something?” His anxious expression, the way he looked at me… he seemed like a man desperately in love. If I hadn’t heard that phone call with my own ears, I would have been completely fooled by his masterful performance. “I’m pregnant,” I said, my voice flat, my eyes fixed on his, searching for a crack in the facade. Just as I expected. A flicker of sheer panic crossed his eyes before he masked it with a performance of pure ecstasy. “Oh my God! Thea, that’s… that’s wonderful!” He pulled me into a fierce hug. “We’re finally having a baby!” He pulled back, his face beaming. “I’m calling the Cross Memorial Hospital right now. I’ll get you the best doctor, a whole team to look after you until the baby is born.” Watching him lie so effortlessly, I felt a wave of nausea so profound I thought I might be sick. I shoved him away, hard. He stumbled back, a look of genuine confusion on his face. “What is it? Thea, aren’t you happy?” “I’m thrilled,” I replied, my voice a monotone. “But I’m tired.” Seeing my exhaustion, he took my hand, his expression softening into one of deep sympathy. “Of course, you must be. I’m sorry. It must be tough on your body. I’ll make sure to spend more time with you from now on.” I laughed silently, a bitter, hollow sound in my own mind. I didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore. I just nodded and went to our bedroom, closing the door behind me. Let’s see how long you can keep this act up, Richard. 2 A few minutes later, the mattress dipped beside me. Richard’s arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. He nuzzled my neck, his voice a low murmur. “Thea, do you want a boy or a girl? I hope it’s a girl. A little girl, as beautiful and unique as you. I’d be the luckiest man in the world to have two of you in my life.” He kept whispering, musing about names, but his sweet words were a wall of noise I couldn’t let in. All I could see was Scarlett’s furious, beautiful face. When I didn’t respond, he seemed to lose interest. Just then, his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He slipped out of bed and took the call on the balcony. Even through the glass, I could hear his tone—low, careful, placating. He was cooing at her, promising a new car, designer bags, anything she wanted. But she was clearly not having it. He was practically begging, his voice dripping with a pathetic desperation I’d never heard from him before. “Just listen to me!” “Of course I love you! I love you and the baby.” “She’s just… acting strange today. I need to stay here with her.” “Okay, okay! Fine! I’m coming. I’m on my way right now, alright?” He ended the call and came back inside. I kept my eyes closed, feigning sleep. I felt his gaze linger on me for a moment before he quietly left the room. The second I heard the front door click shut, my eyes flew open. I listened for the sound of his car pulling out of the driveway, then scrambled out of bed, grabbed my keys, and raced to the garage. I followed him to a lavish, gated community on the other side of town. I owned a condo in the same development, a wedding gift from my parents, so getting past security was no problem. The route he took felt sickeningly familiar. He finally pulled up to a stunning yellow villa at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. He was keeping her here. Cross Corp had been an investor in this development. Richard had told me he was designing this specific house, a one-of-a-kind villa, just for me. A gift. And he had given it to me. He just let someone else live in it. The front door swung open, and Scarlett, clad in a slinky slip dress, launched herself into his arms. They kissed right there on the doorstep, a desperate, hungry kiss that seemed to go on forever. The sight was a dagger to my heart. I sat in my car, choking on silent sobs, the years I’d spent with Richard flashing before my eyes. I realized with a sickening lurch that I had never really known him at all. I was crying so hard I didn’t notice the man tapping on my passenger-side window. “Thea? Is that really you?” I hastily wiped my eyes and stared at the stranger. “It’s me! Leo! Leo Carter. I lived next door to you when we were kids.” When my confused expression didn’t change, he puffed out his cheeks. “You know! The little chubby kid who used to follow you around begging for candy!” Suddenly, the image of a small, round-faced boy materialized in my mind, perfectly overlaying the handsome face of the man in front of me. He took my stunned silence as an invitation, opening the passenger door and sliding in. His gaze followed mine to the villa across the street. “You like that place? Don’t even think about it, it’s been occupied for years. It was already taken when I bought my place here.” He continued, oblivious to the storm raging inside me. “That was about, what, four or five years ago? I saw it when I first moved in and thought of you immediately. It just seemed like your style. But when I asked the property manager, they said it wasn’t for sale. It was reserved by the developer’s CEO for his wife.” He shook his head. “I’ve seen the woman who lives there a few times, though. She doesn’t fit the house at all. No idea what the CEO was thinking.” Four or five years ago. We weren’t even married yet. They’d been together that whole time. The air in the car suddenly felt thick, unbreathable. My vision tunneled, the world went black, and I knew nothing more. When I came to, the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room swam into view. Leo was asleep in a chair beside the bed, and he jolD awake when I stirred, immediately calling for a doctor. “You’re finally awake,” he said, relief washing over his face. “You brought me here?” I asked, my voice a faint whisper. “Yeah. You just passed out cold. Scared the hell out of me. The doctor said you’re in the early stages of pregnancy. Your blood pressure is unstable, and the fainting spell was probably caused by extreme emotional distress. While you were out, I used your phone to call your husband. He should be here by now.” At the mention of Richard, my gaze dropped, a shadow falling over my heart. Speak of the devil. “Thea! What happened?” Richard burst into the room, his face a mask of panic. He rushed to my side, grabbing my hand, his eyes red and wet. “Why did you collapse? I nearly had a heart attack when I got the call!” 3 I pulled my hand from his grasp without a word, turning my face to the wall. I couldn’t bear to watch his performance. My rejection left an awkward silence hanging in the air. Leo, standing behind him, broke the tension, explaining what the doctor had told him. Only then did Richard seem to notice there was another person in the room. “You’re the one who brought my wife to the hospital?” he asked, his tone shifting from worried husband to imperious CEO. He pulled a checkbook from his jacket, scribbled a number, and tore it out, holding it out to Leo. “Thank you for your help, but we don’t require your assistance any longer. This is for your trouble. You can go now.” Leo glanced at the check, then at me, a look of pity in his eyes. He didn’t take it. “No, thank you. Thea and I are old friends. I was just helping her out.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly at Richard. “It’s just… you look awfully familiar, sir.” Richard’s eyes hardened, his posture becoming defensive. “I wasn’t aware my wife had any friends. You should take the money. It’s best to keep things clean.” The air crackled with a strange, unspoken hostility between them. Just as I was about to intervene, a nurse came in and asked for the family member to step outside for a moment. Richard shot Leo one last dismissive look, shoved the check into his hand, and followed the nurse out. With Richard gone, Leo placed the check on the bedside table. He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. I saw his struggle and made it easy for him. “You’ve seen him before, haven’t you? At the villa.” Leo’s face fell, and he gave a grim nod. “I understand now why you were crying earlier.” “Do something for me,” I said, cutting straight to the point. “Anything.” “Go to the Lefford Private Clinic. Find a doctor named Evelyn Reed. Ask her what these are.” I reached into my purse and pulled out the bottle of ‘vitamins’ I had been taking for years. Leo took the bottle, squinting at the plain white pills inside. “Okay. I’ll go right now.” My expression was stone. “Whatever you find out, you tell no one but me. Promise me.” He nodded, his face serious, and left without another word. He was barely gone when Richard returned, his expression utterly devastated. He looked like his world had just ended. “Thea,” he began, his voice choked with emotion. “The doctor… he said our baby has a severe developmental defect. The heartbeat has stopped. It’s a threatened miscarriage, and… and they said the only option is to terminate the pregnancy as soon as possible. For your own health.” He buried his face in his hands, a grown man, sobbing uncontrollably. A wave of revulsion washed over me. I stared blankly at the ceiling, waiting for his performance to end. When his sobs subsided, I asked, my voice empty, “Are you sure?” He was too lost in his act to notice my coldness. “Thea, I know how much this baby means to you. I know how hard this is to accept, but we have to. For your sake. We have to do the procedure.” He took my hand again. “We can have other children. Lots of them.” Without hesitation, I took the consent form and signed my name. Then I turned over, pulling the covers over my head. Richard must have mistaken my silence for grief. He patted my shoulder, his voice thick with false sympathy. “Don’t be so sad, Thea. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Then he eagerly took the signed form and rushed out to make the arrangements. The moment he was gone, I threw back the covers, packed my few belongings, and walked out of that hospital without looking back. I went home, grabbed the deed to the villa, and drove straight to the gated community, demanding the property manager accompany me to evict the unauthorized tenant. When the door opened, Scarlett’s eyes widened in surprise, which quickly morphed into a contemptuous sneer. “What are you doing here? I haven’t even gotten around to dealing with you, and you have the nerve to show up at my door?” The property manager, aware of her relationship with the CEO, tried to be diplomatic. “Miss Peters, I’m afraid we have to ask you to pack your things and vacate the premises. The owner of this property is returning.” “What?!” Scarlett’s smug superiority vanished. “Do you have any idea who I am? I’m Mrs. Richard Cross! How dare you try to kick me out? This house belongs to Richard! Who is this other owner?” The manager was sweating now. “The deed is in this lady’s name, ma’am. She is Mrs. Cross.” Scarlett’s head snapped toward me, her face twisting into an ugly mask of disbelief and hatred. “So it’s you! You’re the barren old hen who can’t even lay an egg!” she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394179”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

During my most financially desperate year, I overheard a classmate mention an ill heiress nearby. I secretly got tested. As soon as the results arrived, her older brother found me. He made me sign a contract and rushed me into hospitalization. Then live comments flashed before my eyes: 【Don’t sign! He’s your brother.】 【Your real brother.】 【Miles Sterling, you’ll regret this. You’re sending the sister you searched for to surgery.】 I ignored them. I knew the man before me had already learned the truth. He had simply chosen to abandon me. Six days post-surgery, as comments buzzed with excitement, I quietly left the hospital. Everyone anticipated my return—eager to see the lost daughter make the Sterlings pay. 【The big moment is here! Zoe’s happy ending!】 【The brother knows! YES!】 【The groveling arc begins!】 【Time to be the pampered princess and make them suffer!】 【Don’t forgive easily, Zoe!】 I shook my head. They’d be disappointed. I was exiting at the climax. That pampered life everyone expected? I didn’t want it. 1 The first time I met Miles Sterling was at a café near the hospital. The second he learned I was a kidney match for his sister, he contacted me. After confirming the details, he handed me the contract along with a disposable mask. “It’s probably best if you wear a mask outside.” I took it without a word, my eyes scanning the exorbitant penalty fee listed in the contract. After I put the mask on, his gaze lingered on my eyes for a moment. The hand holding the pen paused, then decisively signed his name. Suddenly, the live comments flickered to life. 【Baby, don’t sign it! He’s your brother.】 【Your real brother.】 【Miles Sterling, you are going to regret this. The sister you’ve been searching for is about to be sent to the operating table by your own hand.】 【Wait, I just re-read this part… isn’t this the point where Miles already suspects Zoe’s identity?】 【Definitely. With the mask on, her eyes are a dead ringer for their mom’s. No way he didn’t notice.】 【I bet he made her wear the mask specifically so he could get a better look without being obvious.】 【He’s a total snake. Right now he’s doing whatever it takes for Stella, but once Zoe’s identity is confirmed, he’ll flip and try to be the perfect doting brother.】 My expression didn’t change. I signed the contract and handed it to him. I had to admit, Miles was efficient. He had me admitted to a private room in the hospital almost immediately. I didn’t have to worry about a thing; my only job was to sign the surgical consent form when the time came. During my stay, besides the doctors and nurses, the person I saw most was Miles. Not that we had anything to say to each other. We were strangers, after all. But he didn’t seem to see it that way. He was always finding excuses to wander into my room. “Are you really this free?” I asked, my voice flat as I stared at him on his fifth visit in two days. He had brought lunch. Miles just smiled. “Give it a try. Our cook made it. Hope it’s to your taste.” He added, “You need to rest up and build your strength.” I forced a tight smile. “Thanks, but you don’t have to. I just ordered takeout.” His cheerful expression froze for a split second. He recovered quickly, his voice dropping into a low, persuasive tone. “Takeout is so unhealthy. Nothing beats a soup that’s been simmering for hours, don’t you think, Zoe?” The casual way he used my name reminded me of my sister. She was the only one who called me that. “You can try both when it arrives, if you want. A little taste test. I have complete faith in our cook’s skills.” Just as Miles was about to say more, a soft knock came from the door. A young woman in a patient’s gown peeked her head in. “Miles, I knew I’d find you here.” It was Stella. She entered with a bright smile directed at me. “Hi, you must be the one donating your kidney to me. Thank you so much, Miss Zuo. Is it okay if I call you that?” My gaze fell on her. She was clearly well cared for. “Whatever.” Miles was instantly at her side. “What are you doing down here? Are you feeling alright?” Stella stuck out her tongue playfully. “I’m fine! I just wanted to meet my savior.” She leaned into him slightly. “And the surgery is coming up so fast, Miles. I’m a little scared.” He gently stroked her hair. “I promise you, there’s nothing to worry about. You’ll fall asleep, and when you wake up, it’ll all be over.” “I trust you.” Her eyes swept across my room before she spoke again, her tone hesitant. “Miles, why didn’t you get Miss Zuo a room on our floor? This one isn’t very big. Is she comfortable here?” Before Miles could answer, the comments erupted. 【Kinda weird to tell the person giving you a kidney that you’re scared.】 【Wow, the passive aggression is strong with this one. ‘My floor is so much better than yours.’】 【Stop being so negative. She was just making a suggestion, trying to be nice to the main character.】 【Nice? Can you not read the room? She’s blatantly showing off that her room is better than Zoe’s.】 【Why isn’t Miles answering?】 【He can’t. If they were on the same floor, the rest of the family might run into Zoe. This room was a deliberate choice.】 【Can’t wait for his groveling arc to start.】 Just then, Stella’s phone rang. “Mom? I just came to find Miles… Okay, we’re heading back now.” She turned and gave me a polite smile. “Miss Zuo, my mom’s calling. We’re going to head back. I’ll come visit again when I can.” A gust of wind from the hallway seemed to usher them out. 2 The lunch Miles brought sat untouched on the table. I sat on my bed, staring out the window. The truth was, I’d first heard about Stella’s kidney failure from my roommate, Hannah. I had just gotten back to the dorm, exhausted from my part-time job, when she’d said, “Did you guys hear? That heiress from the business school, Stella Sterling? I think she has kidney disease.” “Seriously?” “For real. And I heard a rumor that her family is looking for a donor match. Money is no object.” “Wait, isn’t it better for a relative to donate?” “Who knows with rich people? What family member would willingly give up a kidney?” Hannah held up five fingers. “I heard a successful match gets at least this much.” “Whoa, five million?” “You bet.” “I still wouldn’t do it. Who knows what losing a kidney does to your body.” “The chances of a stranger being a match are tiny anyway. Don’t even think about it.” I had stopped on my way to the bathroom, my head down. Five million dollars. If I was a match, it would be more than enough to cover my sister’s medical bills. I found a contact and quietly got tested. After the results came in, Miles Sterling contacted me, desperate to get me into the hospital as soon as possible. The comments had screamed at me not to sign, but they didn’t know what I knew. A few days before, I had been getting hot water down the hall when I overheard Hannah on the phone. “Mr. Sterling, I told Zoe about it. About that job interview…” “You don’t need to interview. Just show up for work on Monday.” “Okay, thank you, Mr. Sterling.” The male voice on the other end was identical to Miles’s. That’s when I realized the person who wanted me to hear that rumor was Miles himself. He couldn’t just stand by and watch the sister he’d adored since childhood waste away. In his world, nothing was more important than Stella. And me? I was desperate for money. The cost of my sister’s treatment was a mountain I could never climb, no matter how many jobs I worked. He knew I’d jump at the chance. He understood desperation. And he played it perfectly. 3 That’s why, when the live comments first appeared, I barely reacted. What did a blood connection matter? His scheming had started long before we ever met. From the comments, I’d pieced together the story. When I was three months old, my parents had a huge fight. My mother, in a fit of rage, took me and drove off. After a few hours, exhausted, she pulled over to the side of the road to sleep. When she woke up, I was gone. She spiraled into a deep depression. Six months later, her younger sister gave birth to a baby girl but died from complications. By family agreement, my parents adopted the baby, giving her my mother’s maiden name. That child, Stella, became my mother’s lifeline. My two older brothers came to see her as their real sister. As for me, I was passed from one trafficker to another before being sold. My sister, Mia, was a victim of trafficking too. The difference was, I was just a baby, with no memories. She was four, and she remembered her parents, but she could never find them. When Mia got sick, her biggest fear was leaving me all alone. She dragged me to the police station to give a DNA sample for the national database, just in case. In fact, just before my kidney match results came in, I got a call from the police about a potential familial match from that sample. I’m sure Miles got the same notification. Why else would he have been in such a hurry to get me hospitalized the moment we met? More importantly, I didn’t believe for a second that if the rest of the Sterling family knew the truth, they would let me just walk away. It would be a guilt trip of epic proportions. A daughter they’d raised for twenty years versus one they’d lost for twenty years? Was there ever any question who they’d choose? 4 Miles had actually hired a caretaker for me, but he fired her after only a day. He’d overheard her on the phone, gossiping. “You wouldn’t believe it. This girl in my room is having major surgery, giving up a kidney, and no one is here with her. Just me. The guy who hired me, her employer I guess, barely knows her. It’s so weird. The room is nice, though. Such a shame.” Miles fired her on the spot and left in a hurry. Half an hour later, someone else came to my room. It was Catherine Sterling. Miles and Stella’s mother. The new caretaker trailed behind her. Elegant, with a hint of resolve. That was my first impression. The comments appeared again. 【It’s the mom!】 【She’s going to recognize her, right?】 【Mrs. Sterling is so classy.】 【Even if she doesn’t recognize her, she has to feel some kind of connection, right?】 Catherine’s voice was gentle. “Hello, Zoe. I’m Miles’s mother. I’ve arranged for a new caretaker for you.” She paused. “I just wanted to ask… are you doing this voluntarily? My son can be a bit… intense when it comes to his sister. I was worried he might have pressured you.” I shook my head. “You don’t have to worry. It was my decision. I signed a contract with Mr. Sterling.” Her gaze drifted to my eyes, and for a moment, she seemed lost in thought. Snapping out of it, she glanced around the room. “Are you here alone?” “Yes.” She hesitated. “Do your parents know?” A small smile touched my lips. “My consent is all that matters.” If Mia knew I was having surgery, she’d drag me out of this hospital by the ear. In her eyes, my health was everything. But in my eyes, her life was everything. A heavy silence fell between us. Just as it became unbearable, Stella appeared in the doorway. “Mom, are you visiting Miss Zuo too?” Catherine rushed to her side. “Stella, darling, what are you doing here? Are you feeling alright?” “I’m fine, Mom, don’t worry. I just wanted to see how Miss Zuo was doing, in case she was nervous.” Stella looked at me. “Miss Zuo, are you scared about the surgery? To be honest, I’m getting a little nervous myself.” “Don’t you worry, sweetie,” Catherine soothed her. “Everything is going to be fine.” When she turned back to me, presumably to offer similar words of comfort, I just shrugged. “I’m not scared.” The thought of five million dollars was all the motivation I needed. Fear hadn’t even entered the equation. Stella laughed. “You’re so much braver than I am, Miss Zuo. I should learn from you.” She leaned against her mother’s shoulder. “You don’t think I’m a coward, do you, Mom?” Catherine stroked her hair. “Of course not. In my eyes, you’re the bravest girl in the world.” This scene of mother-daughter affection felt deeply familiar. The comments drifted by. 【Déjà vu. First Miles, now Catherine.】 【Stella really is the family favorite.】 【I’ve noticed the Sterlings only ever visit Zoe in groups.】 【It’s like they need a buffer. Wonder if it’s intentional.】 Before they left, Catherine introduced the new caretaker. I had to hand it to her; the woman was a professional. She took care of everything, leaving me with nothing to worry about. 5 The day before the surgery, my sister called. She was ecstatic. “Zoe, the police think they’ve found your birth parents!” She babbled on for a while before asking if I wanted to meet them. I knew this was what she’d always wanted for me, for me to not be alone. Before I could answer, Miles burst into my room, his voice urgent. “Can we move the surgery to tonight?” I instinctively covered the phone, terrified Mia would overhear. I’d never seen Miles so panicked. On the other end of the line, Mia must have heard his voice. “Zoe, are you busy? Think about it and call me back. If you decide to go, I’ll go with you.” “Okay,” I said quickly. “Take care of yourself, Mia. Get some rest. I’ll be home soon.” After I hung up, I looked at Miles. “Fine.” The comments went into a frenzy. 【NOOOO!】 【I feel so bad for Zoe. Miles does not deserve to be her brother.】 【What’s the rush? Is Stella your only sister?】 【They were so close! If he’d just waited one more day, Zoe and her sister would have agreed to the meeting! Why move it up?】 【I’d bet my last bag of chips Miles knows the truth.】 【Someone in the Sterling family must have gotten the police notification. That’s why Miles is panicking.】 【So the parents are excited their precious daughter has found a donor, huh?】 【I wonder how they’ll feel when they find out that donor is their other daughter, the one their own son sent to the operating table.】 【How did Catherine not feel anything? She literally just met her.】 Hearing my agreement, Miles seemed stunned. He asked, a strange note in his voice, “Why did you agree so easily?” I blinked. “What’s the difference between having surgery today and having it tomorrow?” His eyes darkened. “Just remember to fast until then.” The comments screamed back. 【There’s a HUGE difference!】 【If you’d waited a day, your parents would have known the truth! They never would have let this happen!】 【Liam needs to find out, NOW! I can’t stand seeing Zoe get hurt like this.】 【Okay, unpopular opinion, but she’s not really losing here. She’s getting five million dollars and she’s doing it willingly. Why is everyone acting like she’s some huge victim?】 【They’ll make it up to her when she comes back to the family.】 【Why does everyone assume the long-lost daughter is automatically more important than the one they raised for twenty years? It’s obvious Stella is the priority right now.】 【If she went back now, they’d just guilt-trip her into donating anyway.】 My eyes scanned the comments, a small smile touching my lips as I read the last two. They thought just like I did. Miles quickly confirmed the new time with the doctors. As I was wheeled toward the operating room, I saw a familiar figure standing beside another gurney. It was Miles, surrounded by what I assumed was the rest of the Sterling family. As we passed, my eyes met a woman’s across the hall. It was Catherine. I didn’t have time to read her expression. The doors swung shut, and soon, the anesthesia pulled me under.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394196”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

In the fifth year of my marriage to Julian, after eight failed rounds of IVF, I finally conceived twins. But four months into the pregnancy, the woman he’d always loved, his high school sweetheart, came back to the country. She had kidney failure and needed a transplant. From that day on, my husband stopped coming home after work. Instead, he went to the hospital. The parenting books on our nightstand were replaced with medical journals. One day, Julian, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, came home and wrapped his arms around me, his voice ecstatic. “Scarlett, you’re my lucky star! Tens of thousands of people were tested, but you’re the only one who’s a match for Thea.” “If you give her one of your kidneys, she’ll be saved.” For a moment, I thought I was hearing things. “You mean,” I asked, my voice barely a whisper, “you want me to terminate our pregnancy… to donate a kidney to Thea?” Julian, lost in his joy, didn’t seem to notice my shock. “We can always have more children, Scarlett. Thea’s health is what’s most important right now.” I stared at him, at the cruel excitement in his eyes, and wondered if he had any idea what he was saying. 1. He didn’t seem to register the horror on my face. “With your kidney,” he continued, beaming, “Thea will make a full recovery.” My head was spinning. I looked him straight in the eye, needing to hear it again. “You want me to donate my kidney to Thea?” He tapped my nose playfully, a gesture that once felt endearing. “My wife is so smart. And so kind. Thea was worried you wouldn’t agree because of the babies.” When had I ever said I would agree? My voice trembled with rage. “You want me to get rid of the babies I fought so hard to conceive… to give a kidney to Thea?!” A flicker of impatience crossed Julian’s face. “Don’t be so dramatic, Scarlett. We haven’t even seen what these babies look like. But Thea… she’s been a part of my life for over twenty years. You expect me to just stand by and watch her die?” Horror, disappointment, helplessness—a tidal wave of emotions washed over me, and my legs gave out. I collapsed onto the sofa. But there was no concern in his eyes, only a frantic urgency as he yanked me back to my feet. “Don’t just sit there. We need to get to the hospital. There are a lot of tests to run.” He pulled me up so abruptly I stumbled, my thin nightgown offering no protection from the sudden chill in the room. As we reached the door, I grabbed the frame, my knuckles white. “You’re going to make me go out in my pajamas?” “Oh,” he said, as if just noticing. He quickly grabbed a coat from the rack and threw it over my shoulders. “You’re four months along, Scarlett. You’re huge. It doesn’t matter what you wear.” He flashed the smile that had once captivated me. “Besides, it’s not like I’m embarrassed by you.” But I saw the flicker of disdain in his eyes. How could he say that? On the wall, our wedding photo seemed to mock me. I was once a beautiful, slender bride, full of hope. It was the years of fertility drugs that had stolen my figure. 2. The car sped through the city streets. Soon, we arrived at Thea’s hospital. Nurses, doctors, even other patients, greeted Julian by name. He was, after all, the hospital’s biggest benefactor. They knew me, too—as the woman who had undergone more failed IVF cycles than anyone else. We went to Dr. Mason’s office. He was a good friend. Julian didn’t waste any time. “Scarlett is a match for Thea,” he announced. “Schedule the surgery as soon as possible.” Mason, who had just taken a sip of water, choked, spraying it across his desk. “Julian, do you have any idea what you’re saying?” A look of disgust crossed Julian’s handsome face. “Are you deaf as well as stupid?” he sneered. “I said, schedule an abortion for Scarlett. She’s donating a kidney to Thea.” Mason’s jaw dropped. I knew why he was so shocked. He had been with me through all eight rounds of IVF, through the endless, agonizing egg retrievals. He knew what this pregnancy meant to me. “Does Scarlett even agree to this?” Mason pressed, his voice strained. “She doesn’t have a choice,” Julian replied coldly. His words sent my heart plummeting back into the abyss. Five years of my understanding, my unconditional support, had led him to believe my opinion didn’t matter. I stumbled out of the office and sank onto a bench in the hallway, leaning against the cold wall. A pair of elegant heels appeared in front of me. I knew, without looking up, that it was Thea. Even in the hospital, she was dressed in a beautiful designer dress, her makeup flawless. Julian had arranged a VIP suite for her, of course. I thought back to my own hospital stays during the IVF treatments. I had once asked if I could wear my own pajamas instead of the scratchy hospital gown. Julian had accused me of being an attention-seeker. The signs were always there, weren’t they? I had just been lying to myself. I looked up. Thea was staring at me, her lip curled in a sneer. “Scarlett, you look pathetic. You’re embarrassing Julian, showing up here like this. He owns this hospital, for God’s sake. Have some respect.” She flicked her hair back. “But I have to admit, you’re smarter than I gave you credit for. You know what matters to him. Donating your kidney is the only way you’re going to keep him.” Just then, I felt a flutter. A tiny kick. For the first time, I felt my babies move. My hands flew to my belly, a protective instinct surging through me. Seeing my silence, Thea shoved me. “Are you deaf? Who do you think you are, clutching your stomach like that? You should be grateful for the opportunity to save me.” “Besides,” she hissed, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper, “those two little bastards should never have been born in the first place. Julian promised me…” I shot to my feet and slapped her, hard. “I don’t want your charity, and I will not harm my children for a viper like you. You want my kidney? Dream on.” The color drained from her already pale face. She stared at me, stunned. Then, she let out a piercing shriek. “Scarlett, how dare you hit me! You stole five years of my life with Julian! You owe me this!” She raised her hand to strike me, but I was ready. I shoved her, and she went sprawling to the floor. “I don’t owe you anything,” I said, my voice shaking with a lifetime of suppressed rage. “I’ve known women like you my whole life. The homewreckers who play the victim. You don’t deserve to live.” When I was a child, my father had an affair. His mistress, pregnant and triumphant, moved into our home. I watched my parents fight, listened to the screams that shattered our once-happy family. My mother, heartbroken, wasted away and died. That’s why I married Julian. He had sworn he would only ever love me. That’s why I had endured so much to have our children, to build the perfect, unbreakable family I’d always craved. Thea’s cries brought Julian running. He saw her on the floor and, without a second thought, shoved me aside, rushing to her aid. “Thea, what happened? Are you okay?” He glared at me, his eyes blazing. Thea clutched his arm, her face streaked with tears. “Julian, what am I going to do? I made Scarlett angry. She won’t give me her kidney. I don’t want to die, Julian. I don’t want to leave you.” Then, to my astonishment, she knelt before me. “Scarlett, I’m begging you. Please, save my life.” Julian immediately pulled her into his arms. “Shh, Thea, it’s okay. I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I couldn’t watch this pathetic melodrama a second longer. I turned to leave, but Julian grabbed my arm. “Where do you think you’re going? You’re not leaving until you apologize to Thea.” 3. I raised an eyebrow, a cold smile playing on my lips. “My husband is holding another woman in his arms, and I’m the one who has to apologize? Have you no shame, Julian?” His jaw tightened, a vein throbbing in his temple. Five years together had taught me to recognize this look. He was furious. Thea struggled to her feet, clinging to him. “Julian, it’s okay. As long as Scarlett agrees to the donation, a little humiliation is nothing.” And just like that, with a single word from her, the rage vanished from his face. He didn’t even glance at me as he scooped her into his arms and carried her back to her room. My own legs felt like they were made of cotton as I somehow managed to walk out of the hospital. I assumed Julian would stay with Thea that night. But just as I was about to fall asleep, he came home. He tiptoed into the room, his cold hand slipping under my nightgown, his fingers tracing my waist as if nothing had happened. “Why were you so childish at the hospital today?” he murmured, his voice soft and familiar. “Getting jealous like a little girl. Thea and I are just friends.” I no longer cared what they were. All that mattered was protecting my babies. He leaned in to kiss my forehead. I fought back a wave of nausea and took his hand, placing it on my belly. “Julian,” I whispered, “the babies moved today. They kicked me. They’re already…” “Enough!” He snatched his hand back as if he’d been burned. “I know you’re attached to them, Scarlett. But are you really going to watch Thea die?” As a mother, my children would always come first. They had been inside me for four months. I had waited for them for five years. I decided to try one last time. “Julian, I’ll do it,” I said, my voice pleading. “I’ll give Thea my kidney. But please, let’s wait until after the babies are born. Then I’ll do whatever you want.” He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then his voice turned to ice. “Thea can’t wait. This disease is destroying her, body and soul. She lives in constant fear. Get some rest. We’ll have other children.” He left the room, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed the shattering of my heart, and the tears I’d been holding back finally fell. 4. Hours later, my tears finally ran dry. I picked up my phone and saw something that plunged me even deeper into despair. Julian had canceled all the orders for the baby supplies we’d picked out together. The crib, the stroller, the tiny clothes. The reason for return on every single item was the same: “Pregnancy terminated. No longer needed.” He had even returned the pair of tiny pink socks he’d been so excited about. I remembered the way his eyes had lit up when he saw them. “My daughter has to have these,” he’d said. Now, he didn’t care. I wiped my eyes and got out of bed. I started to pack. I didn’t have much. In my single-minded pursuit of pregnancy, I hadn’t bought new clothes in years. I gathered the essentials, then started searching the house for anything of value. If I was going to do this alone, I would need money. Bank cards, cash, jewelry—I took everything I could find. I looked around the home I had shared with Julian for five years. There was a pang of sadness, but it was overshadowed by a gnawing anxiety for the future. But I would not let anyone hurt my children. I boarded a plane and flew to a city where no one knew me. I thought I had bought myself some time. I was wrong. On the third day, he found me. I was fast asleep. The babies had been particularly active the past few nights, and I was exhausted. A sharp, insistent knocking woke me. Thinking it was room service with my breakfast, I stumbled to the door. When I opened it, the face I never wanted to see again was staring back at me. Julian. His eyes were blazing with fury. “You’ve got some nerve, Scarlett. Running away with my money.” He pulled a wad of cash and a credit card from his pocket and threw them in my face. “You love money so much? Here. Is this enough to buy your kidney? If not, I can add more.” Tears blurred my vision. The man I had loved for five years felt no sadness, no regret at my absence. All he saw was a walking organ donation. Before I could react, he grabbed me. “It doesn’t matter where you run, Scarlett. I will always find you. Donating your kidney to Thea is your only way out.” He dragged me onto a plane and back to the hospital. He threw me into a private room and posted four guards at my door. Despair was a physical weight, crushing the air from my lungs. The babies, sensing my terror, kicked and tumbled inside me. Suddenly, I felt a warm gush between my legs. I looked down and saw blood. I curled into a ball on the bed, crying out his name. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want my babies to die. Julian, fresh from Thea’s room, stormed in and berated me in front of the guards. “She’s a pathological liar. She’ll do anything to get out of this. Just watch her. Make sure she doesn’t leave. The rest doesn’t matter. The babies will be gone soon enough anyway.” His words were a physical blow. I started to tremble uncontrollably as I felt my life, and the lives of my children, draining away with the warm blood. Just as my eyes fluttered shut, a figure burst into the room.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394214”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

“I was in love with my fiancée for years, but when it came time to seal the deal, I walked away. I let her go, handing her over to my adopted brother on a silver platter. I did it because I’d lived this life before. In the first one, I fought for her. I clawed and schemed and cheated to make sure my name was the one she chose. My brother, Leo, left for London with a broken heart, and I thought I had won. Thirty years later, my heart failed. My wife, Audrey, didn’t hesitate. She signed the papers, giving me hers. Everyone called us a model of devotion, a testament to true love. They envied me. They never saw her final letter. Three thousand words, and twenty-nine hundred of them were a tribute to Leo, the man she’d mourned since the day he died young. She had wanted to join him all along. For me, she left only a single sentence: “If you ever felt a shred of decency, Cole, do me one favor. In the next life, stay away from me.” The grief was a physical blow. The only woman I had ever wanted had never wanted me. And then I opened my eyes. I was back. Watching Audrey, poised to make her choice. So I tore the paper to shreds. “Don’t bother,” I said, my voice ringing through the silent, cavernous room. “You and Leo can have each other.” 1 My surrender stunned the glittering crowd of family friends and business partners my father had assembled. They all knew I was obsessed with Audrey Prescott. They’d all heard the stories: how, even after she was unofficially promised to Leo, the golden boy my parents adopted, I had debased myself. I’d begged, I’d pleaded, I’d knelt in the rain on the Prescott’s manicured lawn for three days straight, all for this one chance—a public declaration. “Is this you being noble, Cole? Or is it guilt?” Audrey’s voice was ice. She knelt, gathering the scraps of paper from the polished marble floor. She pieced them together, then held up the other, unopened envelope for everyone to see. “Both of them say ‘Cole Grayson,’” she announced, her eyes locking onto mine. “You were afraid of getting caught, weren’t you? That’s why you backed out.” In that instant, I knew. She remembered, too. She was reborn, just like me. A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I couldn’t even speak. Well, this simplified things. Let the star-crossed lovers have their reunion. Leo, a master of theatrics, rushed forward, feigning shock. He snatched the papers, his voice thick with false emotion. “Brother, I know Audrey was promised to you from birth. I’m not a true Grayson, I don’t deserve her. You didn’t have to do this, to stain the family name by cheating. I would have stepped aside. I’m stepping aside now!” If he’d truly meant that, we wouldn’t be standing here in the first place. But Audrey bought it completely. She gently wiped a tear from his cheek, her eyes filled with a tenderness I hadn’t seen in thirty years. A tenderness never once directed at me. “Don’t cry,” she whispered. “It was always going to be you.” I stood there, a clown in the presence of gods. The whispers started, sharp and cruel. “When they found Cole two years ago, I knew he was trouble. Look at him, no class at all. Trying to cheat his own brother out of a fiancée.” “My daughter told me he’s always forcing himself between them. He has no shame!” My father’s face was a thundercloud. He glared at me, the disappointment radiating from him in waves. He dismissed the guests with a clipped, “Family matter,” then dragged me into his study. The door had barely clicked shut before his hand cracked across my face. The sound was sharp, electric. I stumbled back, my cheek stinging. He kicked the back of my knee, forcing me to the floor. “You have disgraced me, Cole. You’ve shamed this entire family. After their wedding, you’re done. Get on a plane and don’t come back. Stay the hell away from Audrey and Leo.” He threw a one-way ticket to London on the desk in front of me. He couldn’t even look at me. My mother, standing by his side, just nodded. “You have our name, and our blood, but nothing else of us. Perhaps some time abroad will do you good.” I picked up the ticket. A hollow laugh echoed in my chest. They’d already planned my exile. In my first life, when Leo lost and flew to London in a rage, my parents had been devastated. They gave him half the company to “ease his suffering,” called him every day, and mourned him like a fallen prince when he died. When his casket was flown home, their hair turned white overnight. They were gone within a year. Now, they looked at me like I was something they’d scraped off their shoe. The difference between being loved and being tolerated is a chasm. Fine. In this life, I wouldn’t beg for scraps of affection. I would choose myself. I swallowed the bitterness and met my father’s gaze, a strange calm settling over me. “I’ll go. But I want what’s mine. My inheritance.” My father’s face hardened. I was a lost cause. “You insolent brat! Fine. You want your money? Then sign this.” He pulled a document from his desk. “A legal disavowal of all future claims on the Grayson estate. I’m not running a charity.” My mother touched his arm, murmuring for him to calm down, for me to just apologize. Instead, I took the pen, signed my name, and pressed my thumb onto the ink pad without hesitation. My father’s expression grew even colder. “The money will be in your account the day you leave.” He didn’t trust me not to take it and stay. A few hot tears splashed onto the paper. I wiped them away angrily, left the document on his mahogany desk, and walked out. Audrey and Leo were waiting in the hall. Leo put on a concerned face. “Cole, what’s that in your hand? I heard Dad yelling. This is all my fault. Let me go talk to them for you—” The same old act. If he wanted to help, he wouldn’t have waited until now. Audrey shot me a cool glance, then patted Leo’s hand. “Cole is their son. They won’t be too hard on him.” She turned to me, her voice dropping to a low, intense whisper. “I exposed you today to kill any lingering hope you might have. You can’t force happiness, Cole. Please, just stop chasing me.” Her words, so reminiscent of her final letter, sent a phantom pain through my chest. I just smiled faintly. “I will.” My simple agreement left her speechless. A dozen pre-rehearsed arguments died on her lips. Leo, ever the opportunist, slung an arm around my shoulder. “Come on, bro. Don’t be like that. The wedding’s in a week. We can still compete fairly until then! Name your terms, anything you want.” Audrey’s eyes narrowed. She pulled Leo behind her as if I were a threat. “Cole, I’m warning you, don’t repeat the past. No matter what tricks you pull, I will never marry you. Leo has been nothing but good to you. If you have any gratitude, you won’t do this to him.” There it was again. That familiar guilt trip from her letter. The irony was, I understood the lesson better than she ever could. I let out a short, sharp laugh. I clutched the plane ticket, my one tangible piece of this family’s love, and looked her dead in the eye. “Audrey, I will never bother you again,” I said, my voice clear and steady. “Or may I rot in hell.” If they all wanted Leo so badly, then fine. They could have him. I didn’t want any of them anymore. 2 I left Audrey and Leo standing there, stunned, and went to my room. It was in the back of the house, small and windowless. The only light came from a small desk lamp, perpetually on, illuminating a watch under a glass cloche. My gaze fell on the watch, and the memories flooded back. Five years ago. I was eighteen, a waiter at Leo’s extravagant college acceptance party. I’d bumped into Audrey, spilling soup all over her designer dress. But instead of anger, her eyes lit up with recognition. She dragged me in front of Robert and Eleanor Grayson. That’s how I found out the truth: my birth mother, a desperate woman, had switched me with their son to give him a life of luxury. The woman who raised me had beaten and starved me, pulling me out of school at sixteen to work and support her. When I first came to the Grayson estate, I was naive. I thought we could be a family. But I was a ghost. If I asked for a glass of water, the staff would look right through me until Leo gave a nod. I learned my place quickly. I learned to want nothing. A year later, on our shared nineteenth birthday, they threw a massive party. Everyone treated Leo as the sole heir. One mountain of gifts, one birthday boy. I stood in the corner, invisible, until Audrey found me. She pressed a small, wrapped box into my hand, her smile so bright it eclipsed everything else in the room. In that moment, she was an angel. And I was hopelessly, instantly lost. A single thought took root and became an obsession: Audrey was promised to me. That should be my life. The desperation grew like a weed, choking out everything else, and I began to fight Leo for every scrap of her attention. Her quiet permissions, her occasional gifts and kind words—I mistook it all for reciprocated love. But after I finally married her, she never smiled at me again. I told myself she felt guilty about Leo leaving. I tried to earn her love. I did her laundry, cooked her meals, drank myself sick at business dinners so she wouldn’t have to. I tended to her every need. She remained polite, distant, a beautiful piece of art in our cold house. I convinced myself this was what settled love looked like. Then came the end. Thirty years later, waking up from surgery with her heart beating in my chest. Waking up to her letter. That cool, reserved woman was capable of such fiery, passionate love. She could write poetry. Just not for me. She’d even denied me her ashes, requesting to be scattered at sea so the currents might carry her to him. The shock and grief were too much for my newly operated body. My system rejected her heart. I died choking on my own blood. I finally understood. You can’t force someone to love you. The only woman I ever wanted had never been mine at all. I reached out and switched off the small lamp. I lifted the glass cloche, took the watch, and dropped it into the trash can. I didn’t expect to see it again. But at dinner that night, Leo’s Samoyed, Lucky, trotted into the dining room with the watch dangling from his mouth, tail wagging. I gripped my fork. I knew what was coming. Leo feigned outrage, snatching the watch from the dog’s mouth and lightly tapping his head. “Lucky, no! This is my brother’s most prized possession! What are you doing? He’ll skin you alive for this!” To anyone listening, I sounded like a monster who’d abuse a dog. He continued his performance. “It was just a promotional gift, but my brother’s worn it for years. Don’t you know how important it is? You’re going to get me in so much trouble!” He held the slobber-covered watch out to me, his expression earnest. “Cole, I’m so sorry. Please, take it back.” A drop of dog saliva fell from the watch and landed in my bowl of soup. My parents, who knew I never let anyone touch the watch, broke their usual silence. “Cole, it was an accident. Leo didn’t mean it. Don’t make a scene.” But I wasn’t looking at them. I was looking at Audrey. “…A promotional gift?” Her eyes flickered away. She placed a piece of asparagus on Leo’s plate. “Don’t be dramatic, Leo. It wasn’t just a cheap giveaway. It came with the Patek Philippe I bought for you. It’s a genuine timepiece, worth a few thousand dollars.” A few thousand dollars. A footnote to his multi-million dollar masterpiece. It all clicked into place. She hadn’t bought a gift for me. She’d just handed off the freebie. And I, like an idiot, had treasured it, thinking someone in this cold, vast house actually saw me. My entire pursuit of her, my thirty-year devotion, it must have looked like a pathetic joke to them. I reached out and took the watch. Audrey, thinking the crisis was averted, managed a small smile. “The thought is what counts, Cole. I’ll get you the latest model next week—” I stood up. And in one smooth motion, I threw the watch across the room. Lucky, thinking it was a game, bounded after it, retrieved it, and brought it back, dropping it at my feet with an expectant whimper. I reached down and scratched the dog behind his ears. “Leo’s right,” I said, my voice calm and even. “It’s a cheap promotional gift. It’s perfect for a dog toy.” 3 Audrey stared at me, her composure cracking. An unreadable expression crossed her face—confusion, maybe even a flicker of hurt. Her cheeks flushed. Leo, seeing his plan to make me lose my temper had failed, switched tactics. His eyes instantly welled up with tears. “Brother, you said you weren’t mad, but you threw it away. If you’re that upset, just hit me. Get it out of your system!” A look of understanding dawned on Audrey’s face, and she seemed to relax, her certainty returning. “That’s enough, Cole. What is this, some kind of reverse psychology? No matter how you provoke Leo to get my attention, you will not be the one standing next to me at the altar.” My father slammed his hand on the table, convinced I was being a petty tyrant. “Cole, if you can’t behave, you can leave the table. Go to the safe room and think about what you’ve done.” The safe room was pitch black, soundproof. A concrete box in the basement. I lost all track of time, my throat raw with thirst, my stomach aching with hunger. Suddenly, the heavy door creaked open. A tactical flashlight beam hit my eyes, blinding me. “Being the blood son has its perks, doesn’t it?” a familiar voice mused, dripping with jealousy. “No matter how much I stir the pot, the worst you get is missing a meal. It’s just a slap on the wrist…” It was Leo. I sighed. “You’re wrong. They’ve already decided to send me to London after the wedding. They only see you as their son. You don’t have to do this. I’m not going to fight you for Audrey anymore.” He paused. “Really?” “I’m serious,” I said. “Check the top drawer of my dresser. The plane ticket is right there.” The silence stretched for a moment. He switched off the flashlight. I thought maybe, finally, this would be the end of it. Then he laughed, a low, cold sound. “You must think I’m an idiot, Cole. First you were the quiet little mouse, then you suddenly decided you were in love with my fiancée. You expect me to believe you’d just give her up?” He leaned in close, his voice a venomous whisper. “I don’t believe in luck, Cole. I believe in making my own.” He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room. I was weak from hunger, my legs unsteady. He pulled me toward the grand staircase. My eyes widened in alarm. “What are you doing?” A twisted smile played on his lips. “Guess how ugly your end is going to be?” I tried to pull away, but he was already in motion. With a final, conspiratorial glance, he let himself fall backward, tumbling down the long, winding staircase. He crashed into a massive porcelain vase at the bottom. The sound of shattering ceramic and his own theatrical screams echoed through the entire mansion. Lights flicked on everywhere. Audrey was the first one out of her room. She saw Leo crumpled on the floor and her face went pale. She flew down the stairs. “Leo! I’m taking you to the hospital!” In my first life, I’d been hit by a car saving her from walking into traffic. Lying in a pool of my own blood, I never saw that look of sheer terror on her face. Leo, knowing full well he was fine, clutched her dress, sobbing. “We can’t go. They’ll arrest Cole. Please, don’t blame him. I shouldn’t have gone to check on my tux… I wouldn’t have seen him sneaking out to cut it to pieces, and he wouldn’t have… he wouldn’t have pushed me.” He looked up at me, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Brother, I know you were mad about the watch, and I already said I was sorry. The wedding is next week… what am I going to do without a tuxedo?” Just then, a maid came running, her face white. “Mrs. Prescott-to-be, it’s true! Mr. Leo’s suit… it’s been shredded!” The frame was perfect. Audrey looked up at me, her lips a thin, hard line. The disappointment and shock in her eyes were a physical blow. I knew her better than anyone. When her gentle nature finally gave way to real anger, she could be ruthless. Her voice was cold steel. “Cole. Get down here and apologize to Leo. Now.” Before I could move, two of my father’s bodyguards grabbed me and hauled me down the stairs, my shins banging against the sharp edges of the steps. My head was finally clearing. I pointed to the corner of the ceiling. “Check the security cameras!” “How dare you!” My parents had appeared at the top of the stairs, their faces masks of fury. “Are you saying Leo is lying?” Audrey’s brow furrowed. She leaned in, her voice a low hiss in my ear. “Last time, you were the death of him, Cole. Are you going to torment him in this life, too? Don’t you feel the slightest bit of guilt? Apologize now, and I’ll put in a good word for you.” A lightning bolt of understanding struck me. I was the death of him? “What? No! He went abroad, he was reckless with money and made enemies! He got into a fight and was beaten to death—” CRACK! She slapped me, hard. The idea that I would slander his memory was too much for her. “There is a limit, Cole. He is the future son-in-law of the Prescott family. You will offer him a formal apology. Now.” The last bit of warmth in my heart turned to ice. It all made sense now. In our first life, our relationship, which had been slowly warming, turned arctic the day we heard Leo was dead. She became a stranger in our home, moving through the rooms like a ghost, never speaking to me unless she had to. In her mind, I wasn’t just her husband. I was a jealous monster who had chased his own brother to his death. A wave of despair washed over me. I looked around. Every single person was staring at me with anger and condemnation. It took a long time to find my voice. When I did, it was a hoarse whisper. “You’re right. It was my fault. Is that what you want to hear?” My father snorted. “Lock him in the safe room. Double the bolts. No one gives him food. If anyone lets him out, they’re fired.” As the guards dragged me away, I heard Leo’s voice, deliberately loud. “Audrey, you’ve always been so kind to everyone. I think it gave him the wrong idea. Seeing you get angry for my sake… it must be breaking his heart, don’t you think?” There was a pause. Then Audrey’s voice, devoid of all emotion. “He brought this on himself. He doesn’t deserve my kindness.” I laughed, a dry, rattling sound in my throat. In my first life, everyone envied me for marrying such a gentle, kind, perfect wife. They never knew. She was kind to everyone in the world. Everyone but me. This time, I was locked away for what felt like an eternity. Delirious from hunger, I was barely conscious when the door finally opened. Someone kicked me. “The wedding is tomorrow. Leo is worried you’ll cause a scene. Get out, you menace. Get out now!” My fingers twitched. I’d been locked in here for five days. My father hauled me to my feet and shoved a suitcase into my arms. “Stop pretending. No one would dare actually hurt you. The money’s been wired.” He pushed me out the front door into the cold night air. The clock on the Bentley waiting for me read 2:00 AM. The world was silent. Just me, a suitcase, a car, and a driver. Just like the day I arrived, when they snuck me in quietly so Leo wouldn’t get upset. The car started, pulling away toward the airport. I asked the driver for the bag of crackers I saw on the passenger seat and ate them like a starving animal. Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes. The seatbelt bit into my chest, and I choked, the taste of blood in my mouth. I looked up. Caught in the high beams of an oncoming car was a tall, familiar silhouette. 4 The driver panicked. “Mrs. Prescott-to-be? What are you doing out here?” Audrey ignored him. She pulled her trench coat tighter and tapped on my window. I lowered it. She saw my gaunt face, the sharp angles of my cheekbones. She frowned, then reached out and brushed a crumb from the corner of my mouth. “Why do you always end up looking so pathetic?” Her voice was softer now. “I heard the car. Leo said you couldn’t handle the punishment and snuck out for a feast. Don’t worry, I won’t tell on you. Just come back quietly, and please, don’t ruin the wedding.” I was too tired to argue. I just nodded. She paused, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a watch. A Patek Philippe. It shimmered under the faint moonlight, worth millions. “Leo and I won’t be getting a marriage license. It’s just for show. I’ll convince him to find someone who truly loves him… Just give me three months, Cole. Three months, and I’ll come back.” I thought I was hallucinating. She pressed the watch into my hand, her gaze intense. “Cole, if you swear to leave Leo alone, to treat him with kindness, I’m willing to be with you. I’ll help you atone for the sins of our last life.” Her eyes, a pale, clear gray, looked almost merciful. And I finally, truly understood. She wanted it all. The tragic romance with her dead lover’s memory, and the steady, obsessive devotion of the man who survived. She wanted to absolve her guilt without giving up a thing. A dry, aching lump formed in my throat. I shook my head slowly. “Don’t worry. I won’t fight him…” She mistook this for agreement. A genuine, beautiful smile spread across her face, the same one I’d fallen in love with at that birthday party. “See, Cole? A few days of discipline and you’re much more obedient. It’s settled, then.” She waved as my car pulled away. “Go on, get your big meal. I’m going back to bed…” The car picked up speed. When her slender figure had completely vanished in the rearview mirror, I rolled down the window and threw the Patek Philippe into the darkness. … The next morning, the wedding went on as scheduled. The venue was packed. My seat at the family table was occupied by a distant cousin. In the bridal suite, Audrey kept checking the time, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. She called my phone. “The number you have dialed has been switched off…” The robotic voice was cut off by Leo’s cheerful one as he entered the room. “My beautiful bride. Are you ready?” Audrey was distracted. “Cole isn’t back yet. The ceremony is about to start.” Leo’s eyes gleamed with triumph, but he put on a pained expression. “Well, maybe he doesn’t respect me enough to attend our wedding. If he doesn’t want to be here, we can’t force him…” But Audrey didn’t relent as he expected. Her brow furrowed. “No. That’s not possible. We had an agreement.” She gathered her skirts and went to find my parents. “Robert, Eleanor, Cole is missing. Have you called the driver? We need to find him.” My mother waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, don’t worry about him.” My father’s face was dark with contempt. “That useless screw-up? I put him on a plane to London last night. I wasn’t about to let him ruin your wedding and embarrass me further—” He was cut off by his assistant, who burst into the room, pale and sweating. “Mr. Grayson, sir, it’s terrible news. The flight… Mr. Cole’s flight… there was an accident. The plane went down.” “What did you say?” Audrey’s voice was a choked whisper, all the color draining from her face. The assistant wiped his brow and repeated, his voice trembling, “Mr. Cole’s flight last night… it went down over the Atlantic this morning at eight o’clock. The airline just confirmed…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394233”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

At Janice’s bachelorette party, I watched her—a woman with crippling mysophobia—casually sip from her mentor’s glass. In that moment, I knew I’d lost her. I stayed quiet as they talked effortlessly about projects and personal matters. That night, alone, I gave her an ultimatum: call off the wedding, or I’d ruin his academic career. She vanished overnight. The next morning, she returned, pale and exhausted. “The wedding will go on,” she said. But at the ceremony, in my tuxedo, I watched something break in her. She sobbed, “I can’t marry someone I don’t love. I never should have let him go.” Before anyone reacted, she posted a statement online, turning me into a joke. Within an hour, photos of her in her wedding gown kissing her mentor at the airport were everywhere. Every decision has a price. Ten minutes later, Mason Industries’ stock dropped ten points. If she chose public betrayal, she can’t blame me for her ruin. … My phone screen was still lit up, displaying Janice’s latest social media post. The caption was short: This time, I choose love. The photo accompanying it showed her, radiant in white, throwing herself into Lucas Thorne’s arms at the airport terminal. Below it, comments from our mutual friends flooded in. [Janice is so brave! How mortifying for Liam Sinclair.] [Ditching the groom at the altar to run off with her mentor? Wow. Liam deserved better.] [Is Janice insane? She’s going to bankrupt her family over a guy?] I dragged my gaze away from the phone and looked down at the wedding rings resting on the table. Our initials were engraved on the inner band. Janice had designed them herself, embedding tiny, powerful magnets into the settings so that when brought close, they would click together, inseparable. It was her symbolic gesture. Because of her severe mysophobia, she couldn’t always handle physical intimacy. The rings, she claimed, were proof that her heart would always overcome her condition, always gravitate toward me. I never pushed her. I respected her boundaries. But then I saw it with my own eyes at the party: her lifting Lucas Thorne’s glass, drinking without a moment’s hesitation. When Lucas noticed me staring at the glass in her hand, he actually turned to me with a dismissive little laugh. “We get stuck in long meetings for hours. We just share whatever water is around. It’s a habit. You don’t mind, do you, Liam?” Before I could answer, someone else slung an arm around my shoulder. “Mind? Come on, Liam Sinclair is bigger than that. Don’t insult the man’s character.” They worked in tandem, painting me into a corner where any objection would make me look petty and controlling. But how could I not mind? When I confronted Janice about it later that night, she flushed with embarrassment and apologized profusely, promising to be more careful next time. Looking back now, it was all a lie. She wanted the backing of the Sinclair fortune, and she wanted to keep her lover. She wanted everything. My assistant knocked and entered. “Sir, Chairman Mason is on line one. Will you take the call?” I glanced at the blinking light on the console. “What’s the damage report?” “Down seven points. Market cap loss approaching forty million.” Not enough. Not nearly enough to balance the public humiliation I’d endured. “I see,” I said, my voice flat. “Tell the Chairman to control his daughter. If he won’t, someone else will do it for him.” “Understood. And shall I have the PR department manage the online narrative?” “No.” I looked back at the photo of Janice, her expression one of almost religious sacrifice for love. “She chose love. Let everyone see just how much her love is worth.” The assistant retreated. I rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The city lights were beginning to ignite, outlining the cold, glittering skyline. The assistant must have relayed my message, because Chairman Mason didn’t call back immediately. I hadn’t anticipated how much leverage he still thought he had. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed again. This time, it was Janice. The name I once had pinned to the top of my contacts flashed on the screen. I ignored it, letting the call ring out until silence returned. Seconds later, a text message illuminated the screen: [You’re ruthless, Liam. Just because I chose Lucas, you’re going to destroy my family? You’re that pathetic a loser?] Another one followed immediately. [I know I hurt you, but you can’t force feelings that aren’t there. Why can’t you just be a man and let me go with dignity? Why resort to these dirty tricks? You disappoint me more than I can say.] I paused, a humorless smirk touching my lips. She could have ended things cleanly. But for the sake of the merger benefits, she chose to perform this charade. She, with her debilitating mysophobia that made her flinch from my touch, had no issue sharing saliva with Lucas Thorne. She, who had looked me in the eye and promised to proceed with the wedding, had chosen the most humiliating method possible to abandon me. She thought she could play us both, a delicate game between two powerful men. She nailed me to a cross of public ridicule, making me the butt of every joke in the city. And now she dared lecture me about dignity? I sent a message to my assistant. [Accelerate it. I want a full ten-point drop by morning.] After receiving the confirmation, I swiped away from the airport photo and watched the live feed of Mason Industries’ stock value evaporating. I trusted Chairman Mason would eventually understand the gravity of the situation. My phone lit up again. Janice. Her tone had shifted dramatically. [Liam, please, can we talk? This chaos isn’t helping anyone. My parents are frantic. I’ll come back. I won’t run away again. Just give me one more chance, please?] [I know I embarrassed you today. I can fix it. I’ll do whatever you want, any punishment you choose. Just stop going after my father. This has nothing to do with him.] My fingers tapped lightly on the screen as I replied. [If you’re asking for a truce, then show some sincerity.] The reply came back almost instantly. [Okay. I know what I have to do.] Reading that line, a strange feeling pricked at me, but I dismissed it. After finishing up at the office, I drove toward my private villa. Halfway there, my closest friend called, his voice tight with panic. “Liam, where are you?” “Just left the office, heading home…” “Turn around. Get back here now. Janice Mason is on the roof of the Sinclair tower. She’s threatening to jump, telling everyone you drove her to it. She just posted about it, and the press is already here. You need a strategy, fast. The entire narrative has flipped against you.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394249”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel