Category: English

My parents were famous. I only ever saw them on television. They were always on the front lines of war zones, claiming the environment was too dangerous, so they left me in the countryside with my grandmother. But later, they adopted their deceased colleague’s daughter. They brought her to live with them, pouring all the love and compensation they owed me onto her. She became their precious darling, never having to look at her parents through a cold screen. Years later, when they finally remembered I existed, I had already survived a severe fever that burned away any remaining affection I had for them. 01 I got sick. It wasn’t critical, but it lasted a long time. It started with a bet I made with my parents’ adopted daughter, Harper, to see who could reach the top of the mountain trail first. The winner could ask our parents to attend their parent-teacher conference. When I pushed myself to the limit, braving the cold morning wind and dew to reach the summit, I saw my parents and Harper—playing the perfect family of three—smiling and pitching a tent, getting ready to photograph the sunrise. Seeing me arrive, Harper smiled brightly and spoke up. She said, “I only said we’d race to see who gets here first. I didn’t say how we had to get here.” She said, “Chloe, haven’t you figured it out yet? On the same path, to reach the destination, you only have your own two feet. But I have Mom and Dad to carry me. You lost from the very beginning.” My parents, holding their cameras behind her, heard our conversation and realized what was going on. They looked a bit awkward and were about to invite me to watch the sunrise with them. But I had already turned around and walked away without a second glance. “Let her go!” I heard my mother’s angry voice from behind. “Why can’t she be sensible like Harper? If she knew how to be close to her parents like Harper does, instead of always wearing that cold, miserable face, why would we ignore her?” Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but find it ridiculous. My parents always said I didn’t know how to soften my stance, that I didn’t know how to get close to them or please them. But during the fifteen years they were absent from my life, I couldn’t even see them. How was I supposed to learn how to be close to them? How was I supposed to know how to do something no one had ever taught me? After returning home, I fell ill. It should have just been a slight chill from the morning dew, but I developed a high fever. My entire body felt heavy, completely drained of energy. Before completely passing out, I managed to dial 911 for an ambulance. Then, I plunged into darkness. During that time in a coma, I saw my childhood again. When I was very young, I always saw my parents on TV. And only on TV. They were nationally renowned journalists. College sweethearts who shared the same passions and ideals. After graduation, they chased their shared dream, rushing to the front lines of major news events. Later, they even volunteered to go overseas to war zones, eating and living with refugees devastated by conflict. Before they left, they took one last photo. In the picture, I was still a baby swaddled in blankets, held by a smiling, gentle man and woman. A family of three, happily leaning against each other. At that time, I didn’t know that would be the last time I would be hugged by my parents for the rest of my life. That was the one thing that made me beat my chest in frustration countless times during my childhood. I hated myself for not developing memories earlier—so I could at least remember what it felt like to be in my parents’ arms. That would have definitely been an experience worth remembering for a lifetime. Unfortunately, there are no “what ifs.” Communication technology wasn’t very advanced back then. I was dumped with my grandmother, who lived alone in a rural town in the Midwest. The old woman didn’t really know how to use the clunky cell phone my parents left her. At the beginning of every month, she would lean on her cane and walk miles to the post office in town to see if there were any letters for us. When I got a little older, she took me with her. Every time before we left the house, I would put on my nice Sunday dress that I usually saved for special occasions, and I would wear two flower clips in the shiny black braids Grandma tied for me. I thought my parents could see me through the letters, so I had to dress up beautifully for them. But I never received a single letter. It wasn’t until third grade, when my English teacher assigned us to write a letter to our mothers, that I finally realized letters were only sent one way. My parents wouldn’t magically appear in the post office to hear me tell them how much I missed them. Thankfully, even without letters, we had the television. My parents had been abroad for years, missing Thanksgiving and Christmas for seven or eight years straight. Occasionally, they would ask someone to send Grandma some new appliances. When that 45-inch color TV was set up in our living room, it drew many neighbors to come and watch. Grandma was hospitable, inviting everyone in to watch TV together. Once the antenna was set up and the TV was turned on, it happened to be the evening news. The anchor in a suit said a few words, the screen cut, and a man and a woman in plain clothes holding microphones appeared on the screen. In that instant, my eyes lit up. The people on the news were my parents. Standing in front of the smoke of war, they concisely reported on the local situation and urged society to extend a helping hand to the innocent refugees suffering from the disaster. Looking at their faces, which were much more weathered than in the photograph, I walked toward the TV in a daze. “Daddy, Mommy…” I looked up, calling out to them loudly, but received no response. 02 From then on, watching the news became my unbreakable habit. They weren’t on the news every day, but whenever they were, I would always have a good dream that night. In the dream, my parents took me with them, and we went exploring together. They would hold me in their arms, rub my head, and call me their sweet girl. Later, I started middle school in the town. By then, cell phones had slowly become more common. One day after school, I dug out that old cell phone from Grandma’s nightstand that hadn’t been turned on in a long time. I charged it, and when I found the number saved under my parents’ names in the contacts, my heart pounded uncontrollably. The call didn’t go through; the phone plan had been out of minutes for a long time. Later, I saved up my allowance for a long time, silently reciting that string of numbers that represented my parents every day. Finally, on my birthday, I gave a ten-dollar bill to the owner of the convenience store at the edge of town and borrowed her phone to dial that number. The phone rang for a long time. Just when I thought no one would answer. That gentle male voice that haunted my dreams day and night sounded. “Daddy!” I shouted his name excitedly, telling him it was Chloe. But he was silent for a long time. It seemed he couldn’t even remember that he had a daughter named Chloe back in his hometown. When he finally spoke, his voice was rushed. He said, “Chloe, Daddy is busy with work. I’ll call you back later. Be a good girl and listen to Grandma.” After saying that, he hung up directly without waiting for my reply. Holding the phone, which had been warmed by my ear, I felt a deep sense of loss. That was the first time in my memory that I had spoken to my father. A child’s intuition is actually very sharp. On that very day, I suddenly realized something. My parents didn’t miss me as naturally as I missed them. From then on, I couldn’t break the habit of waiting in front of the TV for the news, but when I waited, I was never as excited as before. I used to imagine I was a loved girl, thinking my parents also wanted to see me through the screen. But now, I finally understood that they didn’t seem to love me. To them, I was a stranger who left little impression because we had been apart for so long. 03 A turning point happened when I was in high school. At that time, in order to get into the journalism industry, I buried myself in my studies all day. High school required boarding, so I naturally lost the opportunity to watch the news every day. One day after evening study hall, I saw Grandma standing at the classroom door leaning on her cane. She had even specifically put on a new dress. As soon as she saw me, she said excitedly, “Chloe, your mom and dad are back! Let’s go pick them up.” In that moment, the books in my hand fell to the floor, and the whole world was reduced to a ringing sound in my ears. I was going to see my mom and dad. They would finally no longer be just cold images existing on a screen. I could throw myself into their arms and act spoiled. I could hold their hands, sit next to them, and show them all the certificates of achievement I had earned over the years. Growing up in the country, I didn’t have any special talents. Those certificates commending me for ranking first every year were the only things I could proudly present. I wanted to know if they would be proud of me. I hurried to the station with Grandma. While waiting, I adjusted my hair countless times. I quietly bought a pack of wet wipes to clean my face. Using the reflection on the steel armrests of the station seats, I checked my appearance over and over again, constantly regretting that I hadn’t washed my hair before coming out. I was afraid my first impression on them would be bad, but then I thought, since they are my parents, they shouldn’t judge. I had already entered puberty by then, and my ignorant self-esteem had long since taken root. I thought, since my parents neglected me so much when I was little, when I see them, I should act a bit reserved so we’d be even. Grandma and I ultimately didn’t wait for my parents. When we had been sitting at the station until past midnight, a friend of my dad’s came looking for Grandma. He said my dad had called him, saying they were stopping in Washington D.C. for only a week. Once they finished handing over their work, they would be deployed again, so there was no need to make the trip back to their hometown. They told us not to wait. I listened to this news numbly, my head dizzy, only feeling that this was exactly what they would do. But there was an added layer of contempt for them in my heart. I thought, Grandma is getting old. Even I know to respect and care for her, yet they let their own mother’s expectations fall flat time and time again. Perhaps they weren’t as wonderful as I imagined, perhaps… they weren’t even as good as me. After going back, I got a high fever. While I was sick, I found out the reason for their return from the uncle who came to visit me. The war zone they were stationed in had been completely destroyed by artillery fire. The attacks came too suddenly; the journalists were a step too slow to evacuate, and many were injured. My parents, to record the war-torn city firsthand, forcibly delayed their departure until the very end. Their best friend—the photographer who had braved life and death with them—died as a result. They carried the weight of their friend’s life and expectations, making them even more unwilling to stop. After returning to regroup, they quickly packed their bags and headed to the front lines again. As if to express their guilt, they had someone buy new cell phones for Grandma and me. They even took the initiative to call me. But we were indeed strangers. After exchanging a few polite words on the phone, we had nothing left to say. Before hanging up, my dad told me to study hard and said that mom and dad were waiting for me ahead. But my attention was entirely on the crisp “Daddy!” from a little girl that came through the receiver. Yes, they had adopted their colleague’s daughter. That girl, five months younger than me, was very pitiful. Her mother died when she was very young, and now she had lost her father. My parents took her in. War is cruel and dangerous, but they kept Harper by their side. 04 Later, perhaps it was out of genuine heartache for Harper. To ensure Harper could grow up happy and safe, they returned to the States, stopped being journalists, and found stable government jobs, settling down in the city. They used all their savings from over the years to provide for my sister, giving her the best education and family environment. From beginning to end, no one remembered the mother and daughter forgotten in the countryside. Slowly, my beautiful fantasies about my parents began to dissipate. I no longer longed for their love, and the journalism major I had once prioritized was crossed out of my plans. Seeing this, Grandma often comforted me. She said, “No matter what, Grandma will always love Chloe. So Chloe has to treat herself well. If Chloe loves herself, Grandma will be happy.” I studied harder and harder, wanting to pass my exams early and get a good job so Grandma could live a better life. But things rarely go as planned. During my junior year of high school, Grandma slipped on a puddle at the doorway while going out to buy groceries and fell. She didn’t tell anyone, living alone as usual. She even promised over the phone that when I came back for the monthly break, she would make my favorite braised pork ribs. But before the monthly break arrived, I saw my parents who had returned to the hometown to handle Grandma’s funeral. They stood at the door of the principal’s office, followed by a girl with a tan complexion. As soon as she saw me, she snorted coldly and turned her head away. She was truly confident and arrogant, wearing all her emotions on her sleeve. As for my parents, looking at the decent middle-aged man and woman standing in front of me, we were speechless, the atmosphere strange and awkward. Until they told me that Grandma had passed away. They came to pick me up to fulfill Grandma’s dying wish, to take me to the city to raise me. In that moment, my whole world seemed to shatter. I forgot how I cried and screamed, begging them to take me to see Grandma. But ultimately, all I saw was a cold tombstone. They comforted me as if it were their right, saying that without Grandma, I still had Mom and Dad. Their words of comfort felt unfamiliar and stiff, like they were reading lines from a script. Harper, whom they had adopted, made a face at me from behind them. “Mom and Dad don’t owe you anything. When I was suffering with them in the war zones, who knows where you were enjoying yourself.” She looked very indignant, muttering this in the background. It was that single sentence that completely ignited my fury. Ignoring my parents’ attempts to stop me, I rushed forward to hit her. My parents tried to pull us apart several times but failed. It wasn’t until I fiercely yanked a tuft of hair from Harper’s head, her scream piercing the silence of the cemetery, that a sharp slap echoed. The mother, who had always been praised for her elegance, looked at her palm in a daze, then at my red and swollen cheek. Belatedly, she tried to step forward to touch me. I turned my head to avoid her. Behind me, Grandma’s warm smile was printed on the black-and-white photograph. I finally realized that in this world, I was completely alone. Even though I had found my parents, they already had another daughter. They poured all the guilt they owed me onto her. In the end, they even hurt me for her sake. “Don’t expect anything from them anymore, and don’t love them anymore. From now on, love yourself well.” In the dream, an old and kind voice sounded. The gentle tone was so familiar. She said, “They are foolish. They lost their best girl. They will regret it.” I couldn’t help but let my eyelids flutter, and a tear slid from the corner of my eye. 05 When I woke up again, my heart just felt empty. All the emotions born from yearning for parental love had vanished. I was calmer than anyone else. Seeing me awake, the nurse checking the beds showed a look of sheer surprise. “You’re finally awake! You were in a coma for four days,” she said, about to call my parents. She came back a moment later, looking a bit awkward. “Your mom was just here. She must have had an emergency; I can’t reach her right now. She should be back later.” I knew what was going on. Today was Harper’s parent-teacher conference. Since my senior year, the two of us had been fiercely competing in grades. Finally, in the latest diagnostic test, I took the first place that Harper had always held. But Harper said that even if I got first place, it was useless. Mom and Dad wouldn’t care. They would still only go to her parent-teacher conference. I refused to accept that, which led to our race up the mountain. Thinking about it now, it was just a pointless ego battle. My parents’ love was illusory, but knowledge was solid. I had already achieved the rank I wanted; there was no need to compete with Harper anymore. In the evening, my mother finally arrived. The nurse had finally gotten through to her half an hour ago. She rushed over, holding a box of cake. She was perhaps a bit guilty and apologetic. But when the nurse told her I had already discharged myself and left, the guilt on my mother’s face instantly turned into anger. I didn’t have a phone, couldn’t hail a cab, and didn’t even have spare change for the bus. I could only walk home. It was easy for my mother to catch up to me driving halfway. Before she even rolled the window down completely, her angry voice reached me: “Chloe! Why are you so insensible! Do you have any manners, standing your own mother up?!” “I waited for you from 8 AM to 5 PM.” I looked at her calmly. “I had no money on me. You only paid the medical bills. I was starving, couldn’t buy food, and could only walk home first.” She hadn’t expected me to say that. She froze for a moment, then turned her face away and told me to get in the car. I obediently got in. Sitting in the front seat, she spoke awkwardly: “I was delayed by something. I bought you a gift to apologize. You shouldn’t be mad at your parents over such a small thing.” Hearing this, I calmly looked around and finally rested my eyes on the cake box. “It’s my sister’s favorite brand and flavor. Looks like she did well today, is this her reward?” As if I had hit a nerve, she took a deep breath, ready to explode again. But the moment she looked up, she met my calm, unrippled gaze in the rearview mirror. There was no grievance or anger like before, just a calm narration of a fact. “Chloe?” She sounded unsure and startled, calling my name. I just curled the corners of my mouth, offering a polite, business-like smile. When we got home, the hospital had probably already told my dad what happened during the day. At the dinner table, he rarely scolded my mom, telling her to be more thoughtful in the future. After saying that, he tried to smooth things over. “This was Mom and Dad’s fault. Don’t be mad, Chloe. Mom and Dad will definitely change.” His voice revealed a hint of guilt. From beginning to end, no one asked why I got sick. They just wanted to gloss over it. In the past, I might have felt wronged, but now I just wanted more time to study. There was no need to argue with irrelevant people. “I won’t.” My calm voice came out. Irrelevant people and things obviously weren’t worth my anger. Under their scrutinizing gaze, I ate slowly. I didn’t prepare after-dinner fruit for them anymore, nor did I offer a massage. I turned around and went upstairs to do practice problems. Around 9 PM, there was a knock on the door. “Chloe, are you free right now? Can Mom and Dad talk to you for a bit?” My dad’s cautious voice came from the door. This was a treatment I had never received since moving in. I frowned, looking at the physics problem under my pen, and couldn’t help but click my tongue. “No need.” Finally, I politely declined them. I rejected them, but they became persistent, insisting on talking to me. I knew they thought I was throwing a tantrum because I felt neglected, thinking they just needed to coax me. But gradually, they started to panic. Because they realized I truly, completely didn’t care about them anymore. 06 I no longer woke up early to prepare their favorite breakfast and tea, just so I could be the first to say “good morning” to them. In the past, they used to say I was too rigid and didn’t know how to act cute and sweet with my parents like Harper did. But they accepted my kindness without hesitation. Just like now, when they saw me in the morning, they still instinctively reached for their teacups, even though there was no longer the hand-ground coffee or herbal tea I used to painstakingly prepare for them. They attributed my behavior to anger and tried to talk to me several times, but I refused. After repeated rejections, they finally felt guilty. My dad, who usually only drove Harper to school, surprisingly asked if I needed a ride. I didn’t refuse. The pace of senior year was already tight, and I didn’t want to waste more time squeezing onto public buses. However, seeing me get in the car, Harper threw a tantrum and refused to go to school. With no other choice, my parents ended up driving us separately. My mom’s workplace wasn’t on the way to our school. After dropping Harper off a few times, she started complaining openly and subtly in front of me. I didn’t act “sensible” and yield like I used to. I just pretended not to hear. Over time, her look of dissatisfaction grew. But I had long stopped caring about her opinion of me. After I stopped trying to please them, my life ushered in unprecedented peace and relaxation. One day, Harper refused my mom’s car and caused a scene, demanding my dad drive her. She thought that since my mom was already dissatisfied with me, once my dad stopped driving me, my mom would definitely refuse too, and I would have to walk to school. But my mom uncharacteristically said nothing, just drove me with a dark expression. In that moment, the secret joy in Harper’s eyes turned into panic. I was equally surprised. On the way to school that day, I don’t know what my mom was thinking, but she was so distracted that she accidentally rear-ended the car in front of us. When the muscular, fierce-looking owner stepped out of his car, she visibly panicked. She rarely drove unless it was to pick us up, and getting into an accident left her flustered. Just as she was helplessly about to call my dad, I, not wanting to be delayed any longer, stepped out of the car. I calmly took her phone, called the insurance company, and then stepped forward to negotiate with the driver. She watched the whole process from the side, hesitating to speak several times. Fortunately, having grown up in the village and dealt with rascals alongside my grandmother, I found the driver to be quite reasonable. In the end, the incident was resolved without much trouble. And my mom, who witnessed the whole thing, started looking at me with admiration instead of dissatisfaction from that moment on. That evening at the dinner table, she proactively told my dad about what happened. Hearing it, he also praised my composure. They generously praised me, put food on my plate, and casually asked about my life at school. But I had no interest in answering. I picked out the dishes they gave me—the ones Harper loved—put them aside, and ate my meal in silence. Then, under the ugly expressions of the family of three, I calmly put down my bowl and chopsticks, turned around, and went upstairs to study. But this distance didn’t deter them. They actually became even more interested in me. After discovering this one strength of mine, it was like they had opened Pandora’s box, unable to hide their curiosity and exploration of me. They used to think I was dull and boring, unwilling to spend time with me. But now, the more they paid attention to me, the more they discovered my strengths. I had excellent grades, was self-motivated, enjoyed helping classmates, and had a good reputation among my peers. I was clean, kept my room bright and tidy, was a great cook, and even knew how to knit and garden. These skills, which I had learned in the countryside to ensure a better life for my grandmother and me, made them feel novel and surprised. So in their eyes, my dullness became maturity, my boringness became sensibility. They observed me constantly. Just like now, my mom looked at the heavy old photo album in my hand and let out a sound of pleasant surprise. In this album, every moment of them as journalists captured by the print media had been carefully cut out and treasured beneath yellowing plastic protectors. With the decline of print media over the years, even they might not be able to find some of these pictures again. But now, they were all perfectly preserved in this album. “Chloe… did you collect all these specifically for Mom and Dad?” My mom’s voice choked up. She looked very moved, reaching out to hug me, but I stepped aside to avoid her. Seemingly not expecting this reaction, she stood there awkwardly, wiped her tears, and then her eyes lit up again. She seemed certain that everything I was doing now was just a tactic used by a love-starved child to get her parents’ attention. She turned and excitedly went to share the “heartfelt gift” she had accidentally discovered with my dad. But she didn’t know, I was about to throw this album away. Three days later, she and my dad saw that album in the recycling center at the neighborhood gate. When she came to me angrily holding the album, I just said calmly: “I was going to throw it straight into the trash, but someone picked it up. Next time I’ll throw it further away.” That one sentence completely ignited the anger she had been suppressing for days. For the first time in a year, she raised her hand to hit me again. But my dad stopped her in time. “Let’s go outside to talk.” My dad tried his best to soothe my mom’s emotions. As he led her away, he glanced at me. I ignored him and just went back to my room to continue memorizing SAT vocabulary. 07 I don’t know how they discussed it. From that day on, they paid even more attention to me. This made Harper dissatisfied. She threw a tantrum many times, hoping to bring our parents’ attention back to her. But the effect wasn’t great. Instead, it was her own grades that gradually began to drag. She was actually very smart, but in the past, she only cooperated with her studies when our parents took turns coaxing her. Now that her focus was off, her grades plummeted. Finally, three months before graduation, my parents noticed her regression. That day, Harper was brought home from school crying. Her homeroom teacher had called my mom in for a talk, its words full of warnings and reprimands regarding Harper’s current state. In the past, as Harper’s parent, my mom only received honors and praise at school. This was the first time she was lectured like this. Feeling humiliated, she couldn’t help but scold Harper a few times. And starting from the moment my mom unconsciously blurted out, “Why can’t you be as sensible as Chloe and save us some trouble,” Harper couldn’t stop crying. My mom panicked and had to take her home first. As soon as she got home, Harper rushed into my room and threw my things all over the floor like a madwoman. When I returned home, I saw this chaotic scene. Seeing me, Harper’s just-calmed emotions erupted again. “Get out! Get out! You’re the outsider! When Mom and Dad were struggling to survive under a hail of bullets, you were nowhere to be found!” “Why do you get to enjoy the good life forever!” She roared at me with red eyes, like a lion defending its territory, desperately trying to drive away the intruder. “Harper…” My parents looked at her, not knowing what to say. In the end, they actually cast pleading glances at me. What were they pleading for? Hoping I would say something soft to coax Harper, or hoping I would humbly admit that I was the outsider in this family. I looked at the parents who still wanted to pass the buck at this moment, and couldn’t help but sneer from the bottom of my heart. Right. Only people like this would only care about pursuing their dreams, leaving their elderly mother and young daughter in the countryside without a care. Only people like this would, to move themselves, infinitely indulge the adopted daughter of a colleague, letting her become lawless at the age when she most needed discipline. They had always been people like this—naive and cowardly, with selfish and cold blood flowing deep within them. They might be good journalists, but they are absolutely not people I should admire. Grandma, it turns out you were right. They are not worth my love; I should save that love for myself. I didn’t say anything more. I stepped over the mess on the floor, bent down to grab a few essential items of clothing, and after packing slightly, I turned and walked toward the door. “Chloe, where are you going?” My mom called out from behind. “I’m going to board at school.” This time, I didn’t look back. I said: “Harper is right. This has never been my home, and you are not my parents. There’s no need for me to stay here.” “What do you mean by that?” My dad, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly raised his voice. I ignored him and quickly walked out the door. “Chloe!” My mom chased after me. For the first time, when she spoke to me, even her voice was trembling. It seemed she also felt that after this departure, I would have nothing more to do with them. As if afraid to hear my answer, she raised her pitch before I could speak: “I know you’re resentful, thinking Mom and Dad neglected you before. But Mom and Dad know we were wrong, and we’re changing. Whether it’s Harper or you, you are both our daughters. Why can’t we just live together peacefully…” “We can’t.” I stated decisively. “It was you who indulged Harper’s greed, and it’s you who can’t handle the balance between your two daughters. With parents like you, we will never live peacefully.” The color drained from her face the moment she heard this. This was the first time she had heard such blunt, sharp words from me. She moved her lips, seemingly wanting to say more, but I cut her off directly. I said: “If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to be your daughter anymore. You should go back to how it was before, just having Harper as your only daughter.” After saying that, without waiting for her reaction, I turned and left. This time, I walked very briskly. That yearning for love during my lonely, repressed childhood, which had once become a shackle binding me, was finally broken today. In the days to come, you must love yourself. I told myself in my heart. I must live even more wonderfully, carrying Grandma’s expectations for me.

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Before I met him, Carter Hayes had never dated a C-cup before. He thought my body wasn’t good enough, thought I was plain and boring. Relying on the fact that I wouldn’t dare break off our engagement, he openly paraded his flings around town. For the sake of fairness, I cheated too. The day after I slept with a handsome stranger, something huge happened at my fiancé’s estate. The antique statue his family had worshipped in their private chapel for generations disappeared. Over the phone, my fiancé told me: The guardian spirit’s name was Silas Thorne. Wait a minute. I looked at the handsome guy in front of me, his chest covered in hickeys. “What did you say your name was again?” “Silas Thorne. Didn’t he just tell you on the phone?” The handsome guy smiled at me. 1 The night before his birthday, Carter invited a bunch of friends over to his estate. We were playing a drinking game. The “King” dared a guy and a girl to kiss with a napkin pressed between their lips. Since Carter was the birthday boy, the King cut him some slack. He told Carter he could pick any girl in the room. Everyone started cheering and immediately looked at me. I was Carter’s fiancée. Everyone knew that. Carter wore an ambiguous smile as he scanned the room. Finally, his gaze landed right next to me. “Chloe Davis. I choose you.” My name isn’t Chloe Davis. Chloe was my college roommate. 2 Being singled out, Chloe looked thrilled. But she quickly forced the corners of her mouth down, playing coy. “Me? I don’t know…” Carter smirked. “I’m the birthday boy. What I say goes.” Chloe happily stood up, standing bashfully in front of Carter. It wasn’t until their bodies were practically pressed together that she turned her head to ask me: “Hazel, this is just a game. You don’t mind, right?” Before I could answer, Carter beat me to it: “She wouldn’t dare.” His cold, dismissive gaze swept over my face for a split second. It felt like a slap. I stood up calmly. “You guys have fun. I’m going to the bathroom.” After leaving the living room, I heard wave after wave of cheering and catcalls. They were definitely kissing. And for quite a while, too. I felt a little sick, staring at myself in the bathroom mirror. Carter was right about one thing. I didn’t dare. My engagement to Carter was arranged by my family. Our family business had been tanking for years. We weren’t just bankrupt; we were drowning in debt. My parents were desperate, and they finally managed to hook the wealthy Hayes family. As long as I married Carter, they would inject capital and bail us out. At the time, my dad actually fell to his knees, crying. “The whole family’s survival rests on your shoulders.” I said fine, but only if you leave your assets to me in the future, instead of giving everything to my younger brother. My dad, who had favored his son his entire life, shockingly nodded. It was only after the engagement that I found out the truth. Carter hated me. Before me, he had dated countless girls. Every single one was a bombshell, curvy and gorgeous with long legs. Just like Chloe. In contrast, I had plain features and a slender, unassuming figure. I wasn’t his type at all. After washing my face, I was just about to head back to the living room. Then I heard Carter’s voice from the hallway. “Hazel? She’s boring as hell. Even if every other woman on earth died, I still wouldn’t like her.” Someone asked, “Then why agree to the engagement? Even if your parents pushed for it, if you said no, they couldn’t force you.” “Because she’s obedient.” Carter let out a scornful scoff. “Once I marry her and stick her in the house, she won’t dare keep tabs on me. I can play around outside all I want.” I stopped in my tracks, listening in silence. The mocking laughter continued. I raised my eyes and suddenly looked down the end of the grand hallway. A heavy mahogany shrine stood elevated in a private alcove. 3 The Hayes family was incredibly superstitious. They had worshipped a guardian spirit for generations, showing absolute devotion. Rumor had it that this spirit blessed them with endless prosperity. And it seemed to be true. Generation after generation, the Hayes family had been wildly successful. Back when they agreed to the marriage, aside from eyeing my dad’s remaining assets, they had also consulted a psychic about my astrological chart. They said it was a perfect match. I walked quietly toward the shrine. The smooth, antique wood glowed with a timeless aura in the dim light. A statue sat squarely in the center. Backlit by a stained-glass window, its face was obscured. Carter had mentioned that this wasn’t some mainstream deity. It was a colonial-era general, an ancestor who had sworn to protect their bloodline. I quietly put my hands together. Founder of the Hayes family. I hope one day, I can make Carter feel the exact same pain he’s causing me. After making the wish, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Wishful thinking, wasn’t it? This was the Hayes family’s personal patron spirit. Why on earth would it listen to me? But… did the shrine just flicker? It must have been my imagination. 4 By the time the party ended, it was late. Carter said he was going to drive Chloe back to campus. I didn’t go back. Since tomorrow I was expected to act as the dutiful fiancée and join his family in offering prayers at the shrine, I was staying the night at the estate. He said he was just dropping her off, but by 11 PM, Carter still wasn’t back. Instead, I got a text. Carter: [Buy a box of condoms and send it to Room 901 at the Grand Plaza Hotel.] Wasn’t he just dropping her off? Why were they at a hotel downtown? I opened Instagram. Sure enough, Chloe had just posted a selfie. [Had such a great time today. I feel like such a spoiled princess! ~] In the corner of the selfie, I could clearly see the hotel’s white bedsheets and Carter lying on the bed. Carter: [Hurry up. Just leave it at the front desk, the robot will bring it up.] It had started raining outside. I held an umbrella and walked to a nearby convenience store. It was my first time buying something like this, and I felt a little awkward. Cashier: “Just the one box?” “No.” Driven by some inexplicable impulse, I grabbed another. “Two.” I dropped one box off at the front desk. I kept the other box in my pocket. I didn’t even know why I bought it. What was I going to do, blow balloons with them? While my mind was wandering, something strange on the sidewalk caught my eye. A bizarre man was standing in the pouring rain. He was dressed in full historical colonial garb, his long, ink-black hair cascading down his back, holding an antique paper umbrella. People walking by were staring, casting all sorts of weird looks his way. But he acted as if he couldn’t see them, standing tall and straight like a lone pine tree. The moment I saw his face, I couldn’t look away. He was strikingly handsome, but there was a sharp, lethal aura about his brow that gave him a fierce, commanding presence. I walked up and struck up a conversation. “Cosplay?” He looked down at me, his eyes like cold silver moonlight. “That outfit looks expensive. Must have cost a lot to make. Is there a convention today?” He didn’t answer. I squeezed the little box in my pocket. I didn’t know where the courage came from, but I invited him. “Want to come upstairs and hang out for a bit?” 5 I got a room with the guy. Room 902. Right next door to Carter. Once the door closed, I realized his long hair was real. The texture was incredible. Like spilled ink. “Hazel.” He suddenly called my name. I jumped. “How do you know my name?” He didn’t answer. I figured he must have seen it when I was checking in at the front desk. “What exactly do you want me to do, Hazel?” His voice was deep. When he said my name, it sounded absurdly good, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my brain. “Do something adults do.” “Are you sure?” “Do you have a girlfriend?” “No.” “Then it’s fine. Wait here, I’m going to take a shower…” “Let’s shower together.” His words caught me completely off guard. Ten minutes later, we were standing together under the showerhead. I was incredibly awkward. I didn’t dare look at him, let alone face him head-on. I just prayed the steam would fill the room and blur everything… Suddenly, he hugged me from behind. My whole body stiffened, a tingling, desperate craving washing over me. “Are you afraid?” “Yeah…” “Don’t be. I’m very clean.” It all started with a kiss. A gentle, damp kiss. The bathroom tiles were freezing against my burning back. “My name is Silas. Remember that. My name is Silas Thorne.” He whispered into my ear. My rationality had already mostly fled the building. Because of that, I didn’t stop to think—where had I heard that name before? Just as things were getting intense, Silas tore open the packaging. I sobered up a little, suddenly unable to cross that final mental hurdle. I gritted my teeth and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t. Actually, let’s just forget it…” I didn’t even finish my sentence. A noise suddenly came through the wall. It was definitely coming from 901. It was an unmistakable rhythm, and it was getting louder by the second. “Do you still want to forget it?” Silas asked me. I stared blankly for a second. “No. Keep going.” 6 The next morning, I was woken up by Carter’s phone call. “Where are you?” He sounded frantic. From the looks of it, he must have gone back to the estate and realized I wasn’t there. Today was his birthday, and there was serious family business to attend to. My brain slowly booted up. “I’m outside—” “Don’t you want to sleep a little longer?” Silas suddenly spoke up. Carter heard it and instantly got suspicious. “Hazel, is there someone next to you?” “Ah, no one.” I frantically signaled Silas to be quiet. But he acted like he didn’t understand my frantic waving. He pulled me close, leaning right up to the phone. “Were you satisfied last night?” I highly suspected Silas did that on purpose. Even through the phone, I could feel Carter freeze completely. “I heard a man’s voice. Who is talking?!” “No one, I’m just out for a walk. You heard wrong.” I slapped my hand over Silas’s mouth. His eyes curved into a sly smile, his thin lips brushing against my palm as if tracing the lines of my hand. Carter couldn’t even focus on that anymore. He panicked, “A walk? Something massive just happened, and you’re in the mood for a walk?!” “What happened?” “The statue in the shrine is gone!!!” 7 I threw my clothes on, rushing to head back to the Hayes estate. Behind me, Silas spoke with complete nonchalance. “It’s just a missing statue.” “That’s an incredibly important artifact. How can you say ‘just’?” “Important?” Silas grew serious. “You don’t believe in it, and it has never protected you. Yet you think it’s important?” “Of course.” Silas didn’t say anything else, just watched quietly as I left. When I rushed back to the estate, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The entire family was kneeling in front of the shrine, no one daring to breathe. Carter was supposed to be the center of attention today. For the statue to vanish on his birthday was an unimaginably bad omen. I tiptoed over and knelt beside Carter, whispering, “What’s going on?” “The statue came back.” “What?” “I don’t even know what happened. It was gone this morning, everyone was losing their minds, but just now…” He sighed heavily. “Just now, it suddenly reappeared in the shrine.” No wonder he looked so pale. The whole thing was supernatural and terrifying. I looked up at the shrine. It wasn’t backlit right now, and I could finally see the details. Carved into the pedestal were the words: Silas Thorne. I stared in shock. “Your family’s guardian spirit… his name is Silas?” “Yeah. General Silas Thorne.” That’s way too much of a coincidence. As I marveled at it, I tilted my head up to look at the statue’s face. I froze instantly. Isn’t this… the gorgeous guy from last night?! 8 The statue looked down with lowered eyes, gazing at the crowd with a tragic sort of mercy. For a split second. I felt like it was making eye contact with me. The shiver that ran down my spine was the exact same feeling from when I first saw Silas yesterday in the rain. The same name. The same face. The coincidence gave me goosebumps all over. As soon as the prayers were over, I wanted nothing more than to sprint back to the hotel. If Silas hadn’t checked out yet, I needed to ask him what the hell was going on. But Carter stopped me. “Maria said you didn’t sleep here last night.” Maria was their housekeeper. “Oh, right. I stayed at a hotel last night.” Carter was shocked by my bluntness. “Why were you at a hotel?” “You get to book a room, but I can’t?” I had never spoken to him like this before. “That hotel is actually really nice. The showers are huge, the bed is soft. Right?” I was personally ripping off my own mask of the obedient fiancée. Carter stared at me blankly, looking at me like he was seeing me for the first time. It took him a long moment to process. “Hazel, you misunderstood. Nothing happened between me and Chloe.” I looked at him like he was an alien. “You literally had me drop off condoms. What is there to explain?” “Those weren’t for me!” Carter desperately tried to explain. “Yesterday Chloe said her roommates weren’t going back, she was scared to be alone, so she asked me to book her a room. “I wasn’t planning to stay, but I drank too much, saw the bed, and just passed out. Chloe took my phone and texted you. You know that when a guy is blackout drunk, he can’t possibly do that. “I didn’t even see the text until this morning. I yelled at Chloe, and she said she was just messing around to see if you’d get jealous.” I cut him off. “Well, that’s a shame.” “A shame?” A shame that the noises I heard last night didn’t come from Room 901 after all. A shame that Chloe’s little scheme completely backfired. But I definitely got mine. The corners of my mouth curled up. I didn’t hide my absolute delight. Carter stared at my smile, freezing again. “Hazel, did you get a room with a guy last night?” he demanded. I blinked twice, my smile growing wider. “Take a wild guess.” 9 Because Carter delayed me, Silas was already gone by the time I got back to the hotel. I hadn’t gotten his number. When I left this morning, I figured I’d never see him again. But now that I actually couldn’t find him, I felt an empty ache in my chest. It was May, graduation season. The design department was hosting our senior portfolio showcase. Major brands and top-tier firms would send scouts to pick the best graduating talent. This was a massive deal, and everyone was taking it seriously. The night before the showcase. Chloe suddenly asked me, “Carter is coming to see my design tomorrow. Hazel, you don’t mind, do you?” “Whatever.” “Don’t be mad. Carter just sees me as a good friend. You absolutely cannot misunderstand us.” I scoffed, too lazy to even entertain her. The other roommates chimed in curiously. “Chloe, how do you even know the Hayes family heir?” “Oh, you know, we met through mutual friends.” Liar. She had obviously stolen Carter’s number from my phone behind my back. Chloe really thought I didn’t know about that. I just didn’t care enough to expose her. “Omg, I can’t believe you invited him…” “I didn’t invite him! He insisted on coming to support me,” Chloe said bashfully. “I told him it wasn’t a huge deal and he didn’t have to come, but he insisted. I couldn’t say no.” “Does he have a crush on you?” The roommate who asked that immediately got glared at by the others. They glanced at me guiltily. Seeing me with my AirPods in, they sighed in relief. Honestly, they didn’t need to be so tense. I truly, genuinely did not give a damn about that trashy man. The next day, the showcase began. Carter made a grand entrance. Chloe rushed up to greet him immediately. She was wearing a cocktail dress today, treating an academic showcase like her own personal red carpet. No one found it strange. Word on the street was that Chloe’s family had pulled some strings and already locked down the job offer from the top firm today. The internship slot was practically hers. “Carter, you really came! And you brought flowers?” Chloe asked happily. “Did you buy these because you know I’m signing with the agency today?” But Carter didn’t answer her. His eyes landed squarely on me first. “Hazel, what’s your problem? Why haven’t you been answering my texts?” For the past few days, Carter had actually been initiating conversations. Texting me random nonsense, even asking me out to dinner. But I barely replied. I gave a brush-off answer: “I was busy. Didn’t see them.” “Next time you’re busy, you still need to reply to me.” “And if I don’t? Are you going to just sit there hugging your phone waiting?” “Of course not! Who cares if you reply!” Carter snapped, humiliated. “Hazel, don’t test my limits. I can cancel this engagement at any second and make you regret it.” He turned and shoved the bouquet into Chloe’s arms. “Chloe, you guessed right. These are for you. Why would I buy flowers for anyone else?” It was pathetic. What was he even trying to prove? I rolled my eyes and looked away, completely bored. And in the next second, I saw a familiar silhouette. Silas! He was standing by the entrance, smiling at me from afar. I instantly pushed through the crowd and chased after him. 10 I followed Silas to a quiet corner where no one was around. He had actually adapted to modern times today. He was wearing normal casual clothes, his hair was cut short, and he had a baseball cap on. He looked exactly like a modern-day heartthrob. “Silas, who exactly are you?” I asked frantically. “You already know, don’t you?” He looked at me, a smile playing on his lips. “Are you seriously… the spirit from the shrine???” “Yes.” No wonder when I first met him, I felt that aura of blood and violence on him. General Silas Thorne had been a brutal warlord before he died. “Then why did you come to find me?” “I am a spirit. Naturally, I heard your prayer.” He patted my head, his gaze incredibly tender. “For hundreds of years, I’ve listened to the Hayes family’s selfish, greedy wishes every single day. When someone completely different suddenly showed up, it was hard not to notice.” He paused, then added. “But it was my first time taking human form. I wasn’t used to it, and I didn’t dress quite right. This is better, isn’t it?” I latched onto the other key piece of information. “First time taking human form?” “Right.” “So for hundreds of years… you just sat inside that wooden box?” “Yes. Sitting there, listening to their boring, greedy demands. My ears were practically bleeding.” I fell silent. Silas noticed. “Scared? It’s normal to be afraid—” “I’m not scared,” I looked up, meeting his eyes seriously. “I’m just wondering… were you lonely? Were you happy?” Silas froze, then let out a soft laugh. “That’s a very strange question. No one cares if a spirit is lonely or happy.” “I care.” Silas’s smile vanished. He stared at me for a long time, as if trying to permanently carve my expression into his memory. “No one has ever asked me that. Not even when I was alive, when I was just a soldier…” “Whether you’re a soldier or a guardian spirit, you still have moments of vulnerability.” I got up on my tiptoes, mimicking his earlier gesture, and ruffled his short, choppy hair. “Silas, whoever you are, I just want you to be happy.” And then, something bizarre happened. All around us, the decorative flowers that hadn’t bloomed yet burst open in a single instant, like magic. I understood immediately. It was Silas’s subconscious divine power leaking out. His heart was currently beating out of his chest for me. As Silas leaned down to kiss me, I thought to myself: This pure, ancient spirit is actually pretty easy to charm.

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In the third year after our daughter was abducted, Arthur gave up the search. He said it was fate, that we couldn’t be too selfish, and that moving on and living in the present was the most important thing. But later, his “first love” went missing too. Arthur’s hair turned white overnight. He spent the next fifty years searching for her. Reborn into a new life, I took the initiative to protect my daughter first and immediately demanded a divorce. I didn’t expect that Arthur had been reborn, too. On his first night back, he booked a flight to take his first love on a romantic getaway. It wasn’t until half a year later that he finally remembered his daughter. Clutching a cheap doll he bought from the airport gift shop, Arthur tried to pick her up from school. But my daughter pushed him away without hesitation, turned around, and threw herself into another man’s arms. “I’m sorry, I already have a new daddy!” 1 When the news of Chloe’s disappearance broke, Arthur and I had just had a massive fight. He gripped my shoulders, practically roaring. “Lily has been missing for three years! We’ve tried every possible way, but we just can’t find her. Life has to go on. Can’t you just look forward?” I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. My heart turned to ice. “But we are Lily’s parents! If even we stop looking for her, she’ll truly never come home!” Lily was our daughter. When she was five, her nanny took her out to play in our gated community’s park. The nanny turned her back for just a moment, and the child was gone. Terrified, the nanny didn’t call 911 immediately, missing the golden window to save Lily. Arthur and I tried everything, but there was no trace of her. It was as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth. This year marked the third year of her disappearance. Yet, Arthur suddenly told me he didn’t want to keep searching. He wanted me to give up, to look forward, to focus on our present life—saying we could always have another child. His cold, resolute attitude made me feel like I was looking at a stranger. Lily was a piece of my own flesh and blood. To have a piece of my heart violently carved out was an agonizing pain I could never just “give up” on. Because of this, we had the most explosive argument of our marriage. In the past, I loved him more, so I was always willing to yield. Arthur relied on my love to force my compromises. But when it came to Lily, I would absolutely never back down! Everything in the house that could be thrown was shattered. Screaming hysterically had drained every ounce of my energy. Yet he just stood there, watching me coldly as if I were a clown. “Evelyn, you are too selfish! Are you going to tear this family apart for a child we can’t find?” His initial guilt had gradually warped into impatience. Leaving those words behind, he turned, walked into his room, and locked the door. The chaotic living room plunged into a sudden, suffocating silence. I sat on the sofa, staring at photos of my daughter on my phone, tears streaming down my face. But the next second, a notification popped up in our old high school alumni group chat. It said Chloe Adams had gone missing. She was the smart, beautiful girl who transferred into our class in high school and captured the attention of countless boys—Arthur included. I had barely processed the message when the tightly locked bedroom door was suddenly thrown open. Arthur looked frantic, desperately dialing his phone over and over, but the calls wouldn’t go through. He muttered to himself, “Chloe, please don’t let anything happen to you…” Arthur was famous for his composure. Even when Lily went missing, he maintained his usual calm. I had never seen him panic like this, his hands physically shaking. To Arthur, Chloe was the untouchable “white moonlight” of his heart. In the past, I hadn’t thought much of it. Arthur was the boy I had loved since childhood. Our families ran in the same elite circles; we were practically childhood sweethearts. I loved him, always had. But he was naturally aloof, so his special treatment of Chloe in high school had once crushed me. But later, Chloe chose to study in Paris, voluntarily giving him up. Their budding romance died before it could bloom. Arthur was depressed for a long time before he gradually stepped out of the shadows, never mentioning Chloe’s name again. I stayed by his side, just like always, year after year. Fortunately, I finally waited long enough for him to confess his feelings to me. We started dating, got married, and had our beautiful Lily. I truly cherished our relationship. But looking at it now, I was nothing but a colossal joke. I used to think Arthur only lost his composure over Chloe because of that lingering high school crush. But I never imagined that when Chloe actually did go missing, he would be so overwhelmed with grief that his hair turned white overnight. Yet, when Lily was taken, he remained perfectly calm. Not a single slip of composure. It turned out— A child born to a woman you don’t truly love will never be loved, either. In the end, Arthur decided he had to help the Adams family search for the missing Chloe. I asked him, “What about our daughter?” What about the daughter who had been stolen by traffickers for three whole years? Arthur’s eyes darted away evasively. “We searched for Lily for three years. That’s long enough. But Chloe is different. She just went missing. Maybe if we try hard enough, we can find her?” That “hard enough” lasted a lifetime. I spent my entire life searching for Lily, and he spent his entire life searching for Chloe. We fought countless times over this. I begged him to give up—Chloe had her own family and friends looking for her, but Lily only had us. She needed us more. But Arthur furiously rebuked me. “Evelyn, you are too selfish! Chloe is a living, breathing human being. How can we just give up on her?” Disappointment, heartbreak, and pure hatred finally killed whatever love I had left for this man. By the time we reached our twilight years, we still hadn’t found Lily or Chloe. We both lay in our respective hospital beds. I stared at a faded photo of my daughter. He stared at a photo of Chloe, his eyes filled with endless sorrow. It was the ultimate irony. “If I could do it all over again, I truly wish Lily never had you for a father.” Because he simply didn’t deserve it! 2 But I never expected that I would actually be reborn! And I was reborn right back to the very day my daughter was taken. I tore out of the house, sprinting down the street, desperate to save my Lily before those monsters could get to her. Thank God. Before the trafficker could reach her. I lunged forward, snatching my child into my arms, screaming at the top of my lungs for the negligent nanny to call 911 immediately. A kidnapper sneaking into a luxury gated community was a massive scandal. Many residents, terrified that the trafficker might have accomplices targeting their own kids, crowded around, waiting for the police to arrive so the monster could face justice. I didn’t leave either. But in the midst of waiting, I saw Arthur rushing out of the house from a distance. At this exact time in the timeline, he should have just returned from a business trip, exhausted, sleeping off his jet lag in the bedroom until evening. It wasn’t until the nanny couldn’t find Lily that I was forced to wake him and tell him she was missing. That was when he had suddenly jolted awake. But why were things different now? Could it be that Arthur had been reborn too? But if he had been reborn, he should know that the most urgent thing right now was to save our poor Lily, not to run out in a panic. I didn’t have time to dwell on it. The police arrived, and I had to take Lily to the station to give a statement. By the time we finished the paperwork and returned home, the sky had already darkened. “Where’s Daddy?” Holding my hand, the moment Lily walked through the door, she peeked into the master bedroom. She loved Arthur so much. She loved hugging his legs and calling for him in her sweet, babyish voice. But the bedroom was empty. Arthur still hadn’t returned home. Lily looked a bit disappointed, but she was always a good girl. She forced a smile, assuming her dad just had too much work, like always. “I haven’t finished my book yet anyway. Daddy would be mad if he knew I wasn’t reading!” She giggled, ran to the living room, found a spot to sit, and seriously began reading her storybook. The regrets of my past life made me unwilling to leave Lily’s side for even a single step. I held her as we sat in the living room. She turned to smile at me, kissed my cheek, and said, “Don’t be sad, Mommy. Daddy will be home after work. We’ll wait for him together.” Perhaps it was because of the memories of my past life. This man, whom I had once loved so deeply and then hated for half a lifetime—now that I had a second chance, even if everything was back on track, I absolutely refused to wrong myself or my daughter ever again. Divorce was inevitable. But Arthur’s phone was completely unreachable. It was turned off every time I called. He had vanished into thin air. For a full day and night, I couldn’t get in touch with him. “Did the bad guys take Daddy away?” Even though Lily was young, she was more mature than kids her age and incredibly perceptive of my emotions. She tugged at my dress with her little hands, her eyes filled with sadness. I quickly bent down and scooped her into my arms, soothing her gently. “No, baby. Daddy is probably just caught up with something very important. But your birthday is the day after tomorrow. Daddy will definitely be back by then.” “Really?” Her big, round eyes were wide open, full of pure hope. 3 But the truth was, he went to find Chloe. That night, as I held Lily and read her a bedtime story until she fell asleep, I picked up my phone, opened Instagram, and immediately saw Chloe’s latest post. One picture. One sentence. The picture: A pair of hands wrapped intimately around her waist. The sentence: After all the twists and turns, I finally waited long enough for your confession. On the index finger of that right hand, there was a distinct scar. Hilariously enough, Arthur had the exact same one. In the comments section, everyone was congratulating Chloe and this unseen man, wishing them a lifetime of happiness. I glanced at the location tag on the post. It was Santorini, Greece. That island was famous for being a top destination for couples. When Arthur and I first started dating, he promised to take me there for a romantic vacation so we could show off our love to the world. But he was always “too busy with work” and said we had to wait. That wait stretched until we got married, and then until we had a child. I waited year after year, but it was all an empty promise. Yet now, Arthur had dropped everything to make up for the lost love of his youth. He took his “white moonlight” on a romantic getaway overseas, living his best life. I looked down at the photo, my heart completely devoid of any emotion. Perhaps the disappointment from my past life was just too heavy. I had hurt, I had cried, I had screamed. After the hysterical breakdowns, whenever I looked into his eyes, all that remained was disappointment and hatred. I tapped on the image, zoomed in, and saved it to my camera roll. Since I had already decided on a divorce, I absolutely had to fight for full custody of Lily. And all the evidence proving his infidelity— I needed to back it all up. That way, during the divorce, I could secure the maximum advantage for myself. 4 I had a lawyer draft the divorce papers. But since Arthur was currently overseas and had deliberately cut off all contact, I couldn’t hand the papers to him immediately. I could only wait, and in the meantime, I told my parents. But just as I expected, the moment I mentioned divorcing Arthur, my parents expressed intense opposition. I didn’t hide anything. I told them bluntly about Arthur’s infidelity. My mother looked at the photos, silent for a long time. Finally, she looked up at me, a complex expression in her eyes. “Evelyn, sometimes in life, you just have to turn a blind eye, and the days will pass. Besides, you two have a daughter now. For the sake of the child, can you please not be so selfish?” My own mother was telling me to tolerate my husband’s infidelity—for the sake of the child. Even though I had known early on that my parents were emotionally detached, always putting business and family interests first, I never expected it to go this far. Even now, my happiness couldn’t outweigh the corporate benefits our arranged marriage brought them. “No, Mom. If I choose to just ‘get by,’ that would be truly selfish and irresponsible. My life isn’t Lily’s life. I can take perfectly good care of her on my own.” At least, with or without Arthur, there wouldn’t be much difference from the past few years anyway. As for my Lily, I truly felt guilty that I couldn’t give her a complete family. But I wasn’t the one who destroyed it. So why should I be the one to swallow the bitter fruit Arthur planted? My father snapped. He slapped me across the face and swore that if I went through with the divorce, he would never let me step foot in their house again. Divorce meant I would become an Evelyn without a family. Unable to hold it back, I let a few tears fall. “Fine. Let’s just consider our bond as father and daughter officially severed.” Regardless, the divorce was happening. I took Lily and left. I didn’t go straight home. Halfway through the drive, unable to keep my emotions in check, I found a quiet spot to pull over. In front of my daughter, I broke down and cried like a failure. Lily was so good. She unbuckled herself from her car seat, climbed into the passenger seat, and didn’t say a word. She just gently patted my back and, when I looked up, pulled a few tissues to wipe my tears. “Mommy, don’t be sad. Lily is here. Lily will always be here.” Her voice was still soft and childish. I looked at her and asked, “If Mommy and Daddy have to separate, and you stay with Mommy, would you be okay with that?” Lily didn’t answer immediately. She tilted her head, as if thinking. After a long while, she asked me, “If we leave Daddy, will Mommy be happy? Will you not have to cry anymore?” I didn’t know how to answer her. Choking back a sob, I just hummed in agreement. Lily immediately smiled. She reached out her short little arms and hugged me, mimicking the way I always held her. “Lily wants Mommy to be happy. I don’t want Mommy to cry. Daddy is mean, and I don’t want him anymore either.” Completely breaking down, I hugged Lily tight and sobbed. The little girl, who was smiling at first, suddenly pouted. As if she had suffered a massive grievance herself, she buried her face in my chest and cried with me. But she cried so hard and got so worked up that my chest suddenly flared with an agonizing pain. Lily knew I had a heart condition. She instantly wiped her tears and started scrambling around the car, searching for my medication. But the pain in my chest was so severe that my vision began to blur, pulling me toward unconsciousness. Right before I completely blacked out, I vaguely saw a panicked Lily grab my phone and, mimicking what I always did, dial Arthur’s number. But the call never went through. 5 When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. I was only dazed for two seconds. Then I scrambled up from the bed, looking around frantically. “Where’s Lily?!” Passing out so suddenly. I was terrified something had happened to Lily. I couldn’t bear the agony of losing her a second time. Perhaps hearing my voice, Lily, who had been sitting on the sofa reading a picture book, dropped it and trotted over to the bed. I pulled her into a tight hug. She sat by my side, her eyes still shimmering with tears. “Mommy, you’re finally awake.” Her voice still carried a hint of a sob, but she forced a bright smile, leaning against me obediently. She didn’t say anything else; she just looked at me quietly. I asked her, “Lily, who brought Mommy to the hospital?” Lily counted on her fingers, trying to remember. “It was a really handsome uncle.” Just as she finished speaking, someone pushed the hospital room door open. The person said, “You’re awake?” I looked toward the door. The moment I saw who it was, my eyes went wide in shock. “Nolan Vance?!” Nolan Vance was my high school classmate. But he and Arthur were complete opposites. Arthur was aloof, like a flower on a high peak—sacred and unapproachable. Nolan was pure sunshine. He was passionate about everything and everyone, always wearing a smile that warmed everyone around him. Not only that, we were childhood friends. Grandpa Vance had adored me since I was little. Back then, our families used to joke about an arranged marriage. But then I met Arthur, and I devoted all my attention to following him around. Later, Arthur and I officially started dating. Around the same time, Nolan received an acceptance letter from a prestigious university overseas and left the country. In my past life, Nolan never moved back. Or if he did, I was so consumed with my missing daughter that I never noticed. Seeing him so suddenly now felt like a lifetime had passed. “You have a heart condition. Doctors warned you since you were a kid to avoid extreme emotional swings. Good thing I happened to be driving by.” Nolan peeled an apple for me, meticulously cutting it into small cubes and placing them on a plate. He stuck toothpicks in them, handed one piece to me, and gave another to Lily. Lily thanked him, flashing an innocent smile. “Uncle Nolan, how did you know Mommy likes her apples cut into tiny pieces?” Nolan gently tapped her nose. He looked at me, his eyes full of the same warm smile as always, just with a hint of teasing now. “Since she was little, she’s been the most spoiled. If it wasn’t cut perfectly, she wouldn’t eat it.” Lily shook her head. “But at home, Daddy never cuts fruit for Mommy. Mommy always prepares it and brings it to Daddy.” Hearing this, Nolan’s smile vanished. He stared at me quietly without saying a word, holding my gaze for a long time. “What is it, Nolan? Why are you staring at me like that?” It was making me feel a bit uneasy. I pretended to look down and eat the fruit, but Nolan suddenly reached out and flicked my forehead. It actually hurt a little. “Nolan, that hurts! I’m a patient!” I couldn’t help but yelp. We were childhood friends, so we were familiar with each other’s boundaries. Aside from the initial awkwardness of meeting again, we easily slipped back into our old, comfortable dynamic. Around Nolan, I was always unreasonable and liked to tease him. And he would always let me. Just like now, even after I yelled at him, he completely ignored it and handed me another piece of apple. “Calm down, eat some more fruit.” I took the plate, shoved two pieces into my mouth, and muttered, “We haven’t seen each other in years, and the first thing you do is hit me without even explaining why?” Nolan smiled and shrugged. “Can’t help it. I’ve liked bullying you since we were kids.” With that, he turned and walked out, saying he was going to find my attending physician. I was looking down, eating the fruit, so I didn’t hear the words he muttered just before he walked out the door: “I just can’t stand seeing you wrong yourself. If I could smack that love-struck brain out of you, I would.” 6 There wasn’t anything seriously wrong with me physically. After I woke up, the attending physician gave me another checkup and cleared me to go home and rest. Since I had made up my mind to get a divorce, I had no intention of staying in the marital home, which was under Arthur’s name. I planned to move out with Lily. I owned several properties under my own name. I let Lily pick her favorite one, and we prepared to move in immediately. When Nolan found out I was getting a divorce and moving, he came over to help without a second thought. In less than a day, he moved all of Lily’s and my belongings over. The new house was just one street away from where Nolan currently lived. Lily was thrilled when she found out. “Do you really like Uncle Nolan?” That night, as I held Lily in bed, she snuggled into my arms, chattering endlessly about him. Over the past few days, Nolan acted like he didn’t have a job, coming over to mooch meals every single day. The moment Lily got out of school, she stuck to him like glue. The two of them hit it off instantly and played together brilliantly. They even made plans to go out on the weekend, completely leaving me out of it. Honestly, I felt a little like a third wheel. Lily sensed I was feeling a bit down and quickly hugged my neck, kissing my cheek. “Uncle Nolan is so nice. He’s willing to play with me and he’s so patient. Not like Daddy. Daddy always says he’s busy, he’s forever busy. He didn’t even come to my birthday yesterday. Uncle Nolan stayed with me, and he even gave me the present I wanted the most. If… if Uncle Nolan was my daddy, that would be great.” As Lily finished her sentence, a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes. A child’s world is simple. She might not be old enough to fully understand everything, but she was sharp enough to feel Arthur’s emotional distance. In contrast, Nolan gave her the fatherly love she had never experienced. My heart ached for my daughter. I pulled her into a tight embrace. Arthur really didn’t deserve to be a father. 7 In the afternoon, Lily came home from school. She didn’t look very happy. I asked her what was wrong, but she barely answered me. It wasn’t until dinner time that she finally spoke, her voice pitiful. “Kindergarten is having a parent-child event. A lot of the activities require the dads to participate. But… Daddy…” I sighed and said, “It’s okay, Mommy can do it too.” Lily shook her head, still looking miserable. She stared down at the rice in her bowl, lost in thought, when the doorbell suddenly rang. I didn’t need to guess to know who was here to mooch a meal. My previously depressed daughter shot her head up instantly. “Uncle Nolan is here!” With that, she scrambled out of her chair and ran to open the door for him. “Lily looks even cuter today.” Nolan carried Lily to the dining table, the two of them looking as natural as a real father and daughter. I felt a twinge of jealousy and glared at him playfully. “I almost died giving birth to this precious girl, and she’s closer to you than she is to me. It’s like you’re the one who gave birth to her.” Nolan’s smile grew even brighter. He leaned right into my words. “If that’s the case, then just pretend I did. I promise I’ll raise this precious girl right.” I quickly snatched my child back from his arms. “In your dreams! This is my precious girl!” Lily squeezed my hand, looking like a wise little peacemaker. “Stop fighting, you guys! One is Daddy, one is Mommy. Lily loves both of you!” Right. Just a few days ago, they had done a mock “adoption” ceremony. The two of them played along perfectly, calling each other “God-dad” and “Precious God-daughter.” Lily looked at Nolan, blinked her big eyes, and suddenly asked, “Mommy, since he’s already a daddy anyway, can Uncle Nolan be my daddy and go to the parent-child event with me?” I looked at Nolan, and he was looking at me, as if waiting for my approval. I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head. “That’s probably not a good idea…” “But all the other kids’ dads are going to be there. Only my dad… He hasn’t called me in so long. Why can’t Uncle Nolan be my dad? Mommy, I don’t want the other kids to make fun of me and say I’m a kid whose dad doesn’t love her.” The more my daughter spoke, the more heartbroken she sounded. She even started shedding tears, which shattered my heart. Nolan quickly chimed in. “Lily is my god-daughter now. That piece of trash Arthur is living it up overseas. I should definitely go! Do you really want Lily to be mocked by the other kids?” Naturally, I didn’t want that. So, on Monday, Nolan took on the role of “Dad” and went to the kindergarten event with me. The games were simple. Some tested the coordination between father and daughter, and others tested how well the parents knew each other. For example: “What is Mommy’s favorite color?” Nolan: “Purple.” “What is Mommy’s favorite fruit?” Nolan: “Apples.” “What does Mommy hate the most?” Nolan: “She hates being lied to.” Nolan answered every single question perfectly in record time. I couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. The host was one of the kindergarten teachers. Holding her script, she smiled at the kids, hyped up the atmosphere, and then asked the moms one last question. “So, who is Daddy’s favorite person?” Many parents wrote down their child’s name. I wrote Lily’s name too, because for questions like this, you’re supposed to write the kid’s name. But Nolan’s answer was—You. “Me?” I didn’t process it at first and instinctively pointed at myself. The host smiled and said, “It looks like Lily’s parents are very much in love! Out of all the dads here, he’s the only one with a different answer.” For some reason, my heart suddenly started beating a little faster. It didn’t return to normal even after the segment ended. Nolan held Lily’s hand and walked up to me. “What’s wrong? Is your heart bothering you again?” His voice was gentle as always, his eyes filled with genuine concern and inquiry. I shook my head. “Nolan, why didn’t you write Lily’s name?” Nolan’s smile paused for a moment before he replied, “Since I’m acting as Lily’s dad, naturally, my favorite person is Lily’s mom. So… saying I like you, I don’t see any problem with that answer.” There was a problem. A huge problem! My heart beat even faster.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “418560”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My connection to Silas was forbidden—a twisted, “Flowers in the Attic” kind of situation. At least, that’s what I thought. I had no idea that “brother” was just a title, not a blood bond. Until the real daughter showed up at our door with DNA results in hand. I packed my bags to leave. Before I walked out, I made one last call to Silas. “Your real sister is back. Can I finally stop pretending to be your girlfriend and actually be her?” “Maya, give it a rest.” Ten years of constant rejection. It finally broke me. Every ounce of self-respect was gone. Brokenhearted, I did something wild. I hit the clubs and ordered up the hottest guys the VIP section had to offer. Plying myself with expensive drinks, I made a fool of myself, loudmouth and reckless. Then, a shadowy figure showed up in the club, dragging me out and throwing me into a private jet that very night. That evening, he pinned me rough against the harsh sheets of the hotel bed. “Feel that, Maya? Tell me, do you still think those club boys compare to me?” 01 I knew my time as the heiress to the sterling fortune was up the moment I walked downstairs and saw my parents, weeping and holding a strange girl in their arms. Deep down, I always knew. Growing up, everyone whispered that I looked nothing like them. It wasn’t just physical; our personalities were night and day. The Sterlings were old money, distinguished, reserved, and fiercely adherent to high-society rules. Then there was me: loud, wild, and rebellious. Bungee jumping, skydiving, urban exploring, drag racing—if it gave an adrenaline rush, I was there. Initially, those whispers made me angry. But as they grew louder, doubt crept in. One day, I snuck into my father’s study, swiped some hair from his brush, and took it to a private clinic for a DNA test. Just to be sure, I, in a stroke of utter disrespect, did the same with my mother. The results were life-altering, yet entirely expected. I wasn’t theirs. My first instinct wasn’t to hide it. But the crushing guilt of living a lie, of occupying a spot that didn’t belong to me, made it impossible to stay silent. I dropped hints. Subtle ones at first, then more obvious. I begged them to do a family DNA test, framing it as a fun ancestry thing. They always laughed it off, brushing my hair out of my face with parental affection. “Sweetheart, no matter what gossips say, you will always be a Sterling.” But how could I be a Sterling when I was in love with my brother? 02 I stood at the top of the stairs, gripping the handle of my packed suitcase. The trio downstairs finally snapped out of their emotional huddle. “Maya? I thought you were at that charity event?” my mother asked, her voice cracking as she quickly stood up, looking flustered. “Cancelled,” I said curtly. My gaze involuntarily shifted to the stranger. She wore a plain sleeveless tank and olive cargo pants. She was tall, slim, with a clean-cut bob and healthy, sun-kissed skin. She was the polar opposite of the polished, pampered debutantes of our circle. She stood next to a tattered black duffel bag, looking weathered and exhausted, like an old oak tree that had survived too many storms. She was a warrior. I studied her features in silence, awestruck. So this is the power of bloodlines, I thought. Well, damn. No wonder they always said I didn’t belong. Perhaps my stare was too intense. My mother shifted, instinctively stepping in front of the girl, her eyes flashing with possessiveness. A cold chuckle bubbled in my chest. Did she really think I was going to hurt her precious, newfound daughter? “Maya, this is Chloe. She’s…” My father frowned, struggling to find the right words to explain the situation to the girl I used to call my sister. Her name was Chloe Sterling now. She got the last name on day one. And me? Twenty-odd years later, I still carried a different name: Maya Thorne. My “mother,” Eleanor Sterling, was originally a Thorne. So, I wasn’t even using her maiden name. Even in the extended family, there wasn’t a single relative named Thorne. Memories rushed back, sharp and painful. “I told you she was some stray the Sterlings picked up! I knew it!” “She’s just a pawn for an alliance marriage. She thinks she’s a real heiress? Just wait till the real one comes back; she’ll be kicked to the curb.” The voices of the high-society hens echoed in my mind, sharp and vicious. My head began to throb. My parents—the ones who raised me—were good people. I knew that even with Chloe back, they wouldn’t kick me out. But I couldn’t bear to make things difficult for them. As my father was about to say the word “sister,” my ears began to ring. Before he could utter it, I dropped to my knees. I bowed my head in a final gesture of respect, then stood up, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out the door without looking back. The winter wind howling outside drowned out my mother’s cries for me to stay. I pulled my wool coat tighter, quickening my pace. 03 I slid into the back of a taxi, the blast of the heater instantly enveloping me. I rubbed my frozen hands together and pulled out my phone. I counted to ten in my head before the call connected. “Silas,” I said. “Call me ‘brother’.” Even though he must have received the news about Chloe, Silas was still as stubborn as ever, correcting me. I let out a dry laugh, then blurted out, “I’m not your sister. I want to be your girlfriend.” “Maya, stop messing around.” Silas sighed after a long pause, sounding weary. I had heard this rejection a hundred times. From the moment I realized I wasn’t biologically a Sterling, I also realized I had developed a sickening, borderline obsessive possessiveness over Silas. I stopped calling him “brother” and started using his first name. I acted like a jealous girlfriend, pushing my way into his social circle, monitoring his texts, restricting who he could see. I even crawled into his bed in the middle of the night on multiple occasions, using a fear of thunder as an excuse, then quietly slipping out of my nightgown. When our naked skin touched, Silas bolted upright, looking at me in sheer disbelief under the covers. “Maya Thorne, are you insane!” he had said. “I love you, Silas.” “I’m your damn brother!” “Brother, I love you!” I smirked, changing my address seamlessly. He had choked on his words, unsure of how to respond. After a long silence, he took a deep breath, wrapped me tightly in the comforter like a cocoon, and silently carried me back to my own room. After that, Silas started avoiding me. He became a workaholic, practically living at the office. He was traveling five out of seven days a week. Even our mother started complaining about his grueling schedule. “We have enough money. Stop killing yourself.” Silas shot me a quick glance and coughed. “I’m not tired.” Then he’d head back to the airport before sunrise. My focus returned to the present. Outside the taxi window, the wind was still howling. I had heard the word “no” too many times. I thought I had built a shield against it. I took a sharp breath, forcing a casual tone. “Silas, this is the last time I’m ever going to tell you I love you. Are you sure you want to say no?” “Maya…” His voice was hesitant, as if he was struggling with something. My heart stopped. The thudding in my ears was so loud it was deafening. But the faint spark of hope was extinguished instantly. “I have someone I like.” What? My mind went completely blank. I sat frozen, clutching the phone, unable to process his words. He wasn’t done with the execution. “I’ve loved her for years and years.” It felt like someone had physically grabbed my heart and squeezed. Tears blurred my vision. My mind began to sift through every woman in Silas’s life. Who is it? His secretary? A business partner? Some model? Suddenly, a memory flashed in my mind. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone. I heard my own voice, raw and raspy, barely managing to speak. “Is it… the other owner of that ring?” “Yes.” Silas’s voice actually carried a trace of a smile, as if he was remembering something beautiful. Silas wore a simple platinum band on his left pinky finger. He had worn it for years. Whenever I asked about it, he always casually dismissed it as just a trinket. Until one time, while he was showering, I sneaked in and stole it to play with. By some stroke of awful luck, the ring fell off the balcony and plunged into the swimming pool two floors below. That was the first time I had ever seen a look of utter terror on Silas’s face. His brows were tightly knit, his expression dark and ominous. His eyes, usually cool, were cold and menacing. For a moment, I honestly thought he might kill me right then and there. I stood frozen, waiting for the screaming. But he said nothing. He just silently stripped off his clothes and dove into the icy pool, over and over, until he found it. That was when I knew that “trinket” meant everything to him. I wanted to ask who she was, if she was beautiful. If she loved him as much as I did. A thousand accusatory questions burned on the tip of my tongue, but in the end, I only managed, “Brother, I hope you’re happy.” The snow and wind continued to batter the taxi. This winter felt colder than any other. 04 By the time Savannah called, I had been in a hotel room for three days, sleeping the days away. “You got dumped? Perfect! I have just the cure!” When I walked into the VIP section of the club, I stared at the lineup of men, all easily over six feet tall. I pinched Savannah’s arm. “You call this the cure?” Savannah smirked, looking pleased. “Impressive, right? For your broken heart, I went all out.” She waved her hand, and instantly two guys slid into the booth on either side of me. I could see their abs defined under their tight t shirts. I couldn’t help but look. They were hot. But compared to Silas… they were still lacking. Ugh, why am I thinking about him again? I felt a surge of pure annoyance, picked up the glass in front of me, and downed it. Then I quickly let them refill it. Drink after drink. The bass in the club was deafening. I was completely plastered. I glanced up; Savannah had abandoned me for the dance floor. The guy next to me kept pouring. I grabbed his hand, slurring my words. “Do you like me?” He looked startled, then flushed and nodded. “Then why doesn’t he! “I’m a model, I’m smart, I’m hot! Why doesn’t he like me!” I downed the rest of my drink, pulling out my phone. “I’m going to show him. I don’t need him.” I hit the video call button. It was picked up almost instantly, and a familiar face appeared on the screen before I was even ready. “Maya Thorne! Where are you?” He was roaring through the phone. I flinched, instantly sobering up a little. Am I seriously still scared of him? The realization fueled my drunken frustration. I yelled at the phone, “Why the hell is it your business where I am? You don’t control me!” To prove my point, I recklessly pulled the two guys next to me into the frame, planting a messy kiss on one of their cheeks, leaving a vivid red lipstick mark. “See? See! I don’t need you! He’s hotter and way more fun!” After that, I don’t remember what Silas said. I only hazily recall hearing something that sounded like, “Don’t move.” If I remember correctly, he’s currently out of the country, right? Wait? Yeah, right. By the time he gets here, I’ll be long gone. 05 I was leaning heavily on Savannah as we stumbled out of the club, when someone suddenly grabbed my arm, yanking me out of her grasp. I stumbled, shaking my head violently to clear my vision. I must be hallucinating. I was seeing Silas. He gripped my arm, his face terrifyingly calm as he instructed Savannah’s driver, “Take Miss Reynolds home.” I tried to follow her, but Silas swept me up in a fireman’s carry. I thrashed against him. “Let me go!” “So you can go find more boys?” Silas sneered. “It’s my business! They’re hot and they actually want me. Unlike you!” I slammed my fists into his shoulder, screaming at him. Silas’s face was dark as he quickened his pace. Presidential Suite. He tossed me onto the bed with brutal force. My head was spinning. I suppressed the urge to vomit and slowly opened my eyes, only to see him towering over me. “What are you doing?” I gasped. Silas stared down at me with cold, detached eyes. He spat out two words: “You.” He crushed his lips against mine. The alcohol was hitting me hard, and I was dizzy. I subconsciously began to respond. The kiss was brutal, punishing, an absolute claim of ownership. Silas was too good at this. It felt like something he had done a thousand times. I managed to find a burst of strength and shoved him back. “Silas, this is my first kiss.” I gasped for air, my eyes red as I stared at him. I desperately wanted him to say it was his too. But he didn’t. Silas froze for a split second, then lowered his gaze, refusing to meet my eyes as he silently buried his face in my neck. Tears burned and flowed down my face. I clutched his shoulders, my nails digging into his skin. “It hurts,” I whispered. He gentled his movements, but I pulled him closer. “Don’t let me go.” 06 The sound of running water drifted from the bathroom. I could see the outline of his body through the frosted glass. I looked away, and my gaze fell on the simple band on the nightstand. He had worn it for so long, and I realized there was minor wear on the outside. But what about the inside? Driven by a crazy impulse, I reached out. Under the dim lamp light, I finally saw the inscription. 60 forever. I didn’t understand. Perhaps it was a secret code between him and that girl. I offered a self-deprecating smile. The water in the bathroom stopped. I scrambled to put the ring back, then picked up the remote and turned on the TV to cover my tracks. It was the morning news. The anchor’s voice, tinged with emotion, filled the room. “There has been a new development in the case of Ambassador Richard Thorne and his wife, the renowned academic Dr. Amelia Thorne, who were victims of a terrorist attack seven years ago in New York. We hope to finally bring our heroes home…” Before I could finish watching, the screen went black. Silas dropped the remote. “Not tired? Still have energy for the news?” I looked up at him and said nothing. His towering figure leaned down, and a gentle kiss covered my lips. Unlike the punishing, desperate mess from earlier, this time he was gentle, almost as if he was trying to soothe me. “Do you do this with the girl you like, too?” I asked suddenly. Silas paused. He was standing with the light behind him, his face hidden in shadow. I couldn’t read his expression. But I got the distinct feeling he was staring at me. The room was silent. It felt like an eternity passed, or maybe just a few seconds. “She’s gone,” Silas said, not answering the question directly. The answer threw me. Gone? Like, dead? I didn’t understand, but I didn’t press further. At 8:00 AM, Silas was dressed impeccably in his suit. His assistant, Sarah, had delivered a fresh outfit for me. “The Angel’s Cove condo,” Silas said. “If you don’t want to go home, stay there.” The front door clicked shut. I sat frozen on the bed, only realizing what he meant after a long moment. Was he offering to keep me as his mistress? 07 “Maya, are you sure you won’t stay with me?” Savannah pleaded over the phone. “I found a place. I’ll see you for your birthday next month, okay?” After turning down Savannah’s invitation, I took my suitcase and headed to Silas’s private condo in Angel’s Cove. The security guard at the gate smiled as he buzzed me in. “Miss Thorne, are you here to see your brother?” It wasn’t my first time here, but it was my first time as… well, whatever I was now. When I entered the condo, everything was exactly as I remembered. A strange, melancholy feeling washed over me. I don’t know if it was because we had crossed that line in the hotel room, but Silas seemed to have stopped pretending. He transformed from a workaholic to a homebody. He stopped going to the main Sterling estate and lived entirely at the Angel’s Cove condo with me. When I crawled into his bed at night, he didn’t push me away. He pulled me into his arms. His body heat was intense. I leaned into his ear. “Let me help you.” Silas looked down at me for a long moment, then brushed his fingers against my lips. “Stop.” I turned my head. He let out a low chuckle, planting a soothing kiss on the corner of my mouth. “Just sleep.” The whole thing felt like a dream. We were like a normal couple, going on dates, watching movies. When Silas held my hand as we walked along the waterfront, I always felt like he was reliving a path he had walked with someone else. “Silas,” I called his name. He stopped, lowering his gaze to look at me. His expression was glazed, as if he was lost in a memory. My heart constricted. I asked the bitter question: “Who are you seeing when you look at me?” Silas smiled. “You.” He was lying. I bit my lip, but I didn’t expose him. Like a fragile dream, someone had to pretend to be asleep for it to continue. 08 The day of Savannah’s mother’s birthday party arrived. I took my gift and headed to the Reynolds estate. “There are so many people here! My face is starting to cramp from smiling,” Savannah said, slumping onto the sofa in the corner. Looking at her, I laughed. For families like the Sterlings and the Reynolds, these parties were just a spectacle to introduce the new generation and build business connections. “That’s just how it is. Before, I also…” The comforting words caught in my throat. I suddenly realized that in a little over a month, it would be Eleanor Sterling’s birthday. This year, the person standing by her side would be her real daughter. Actually, after finding out I wasn’t a Sterling, I had privately looked into Chloe Thorne’s background. But every time I got close to finding something, the trail would go dead, as if someone was deliberately blocking me. My thoughts were leading nowhere. I shook my head, clearing the strange suspicion. I was probably just overthinking things. “Look at that! She got kicked out of the family and she still has the nerve to show up at a party like this!” A woman in a dramatic black gown sauntered over. It was the same face that had called me a “stray” years ago—Bianca. “Bianca, Maya is our friend. Show some respect,” Savannah snapped, standing up defensively. “Being friends with her? Aren’t you afraid she’s going to steal your parents from you too?” “You—!” Savannah was shaking with anger. I grabbed her arm. I shook my head at her. Today was Savannah’s mother’s big night. As the host, it would be bad form for Savannah to get into a fight with a guest. Bianca was targeting me. I couldn’t hide behind Savannah. I squeezed Savannah’s hand, pulled her behind me, and was about to speak when a gentle voice interrupted. “Bianca, what’s going on?” “Amelia!” Bianca beamed and looped her arm intimately through the newcomer’s. “I need to introduce you to my ‘friends’.” Amelia Sterling swept a cool glance over Savannah, then focused on me. Her gaze lingered for a moment. “The real heiress, Amelia Vance. She just got back from studying abroad.” Bianca announced arrogantly, emphasizing the last few words. She looked like a proud hen showing off a prize. I ignored Bianca’s ridiculous posturing. My gaze was locked on the girl she introduced as Amelia Sterling. A simple white dress, loose waves, and a perfect, practiced smile. She was the definition of old money. But what caught my attention was the simple band on her left pinky. It looked exactly like Silas’s. Recognizing my stare, Bianca smirked and proudly lifted Amelia’s hand. “Isn’t this the engagement ring the Sterling family gave you?” “Engagement?” I frowned. “You don’t know? He was practically betrothed to Amelia years ago. They had an agreement. “She’s basically your sister-in-law. “Well, actually, since you aren’t a Sterling anymore, you don’t even have the right to call her that.” “Bianca! Stop it!” Amelia frowned, but her tone carried no actual weight. Then she turned to me, her smile still perfect. “My welcome-back party is tomorrow night, Maya. You should come. It’s always good to meet new friends.” Her tone was gentle, but I felt a distinct current of hostility. I looked at her, then calmly declined. “Sorry, I don’t usually make friends that easily.” She seemed genuinely surprised that I had turned her down so flatly. “That’s fine.” Bianca wasn’t going to let it go. She opened her mouth to start screaming at me. I moved instantly, grabbing her by the jaw. My expression was icy. “You… what do you think you’re doing!” We were too close. Her voice was trembling. Just as the crowd thought I was going to slap her, I suddenly let go and took a step back with a look of pure disgust. “You have spinach in your teeth.” My voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone close to us to hear. Bianca’s face turned scarlet. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth. The corner of my mouth quirked up. I grabbed the stunned Savannah and walked out. We were ten steps away when Bianca’s furious scream echoed behind us: “I DIDN’T EAT SPINACH TODAY!” “Haha, did you see the look on Bianca’s face? That was brilliant!” Savannah was doubled over laughing before she finally composed herself and apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t arrange things well. I knew you two hated each other and I still invited her. I’ll make it up to you, I promise!” I knew the invites were handled by her parents for business networking, so it wasn’t Savannah’s fault. But I still agreed to her offer, knowing that otherwise she would be consumed by guilt all night.

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Caleb, a man known for his unshakable self-control, played the role of a knight in shining armor. He settled a young woman into a suburban villa, paid off her debts, and opened a bakery for her, yet he never laid a finger on her. He just went over every day to eat a single meal. His friends couldn’t understand why he would do such a thing. He said, “I’m just greedy for a half-day of peace. When I go back, I am still Sloane’s perfect husband!” 01 That day, our daughter fell ill. As Caleb was heading downstairs, he asked casually, “Why hasn’t Autumn left for school yet?” Our daughter, eating her breakfast, looked up. “Daddy, I’m sick!” Caleb froze, looking up at me. “What’s wrong?” I said, “The flu. I’m taking her to the doctor in a bit.” “Is it serious?” “It’s fine. Her fever has already broken.” Caleb nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. “Drive safe, then. Call me if you need anything.” He kissed Autumn, said goodbye, and walked out the door. The nanny looked at me, hesitating to speak. I smiled and said nothing, just reminding Autumn to eat faster. I knew what she wanted to say. It was nothing more than: The child is sick, so why does her father seem completely unconcerned? He didn’t even know until she was almost fully recovered? To any normal American family, this would seem completely dysfunctional. But I was already used to it. Used to it to the point of apathy. After packing our things, I drove Autumn to the clinic. We ran into a car accident halfway there. The engine of the car ahead suddenly blew out, causing a three-car pileup behind it. I was the fourth car. I braked in time and narrowly escaped the crash. I originally wanted to just turn the car around and leave. But I unexpectedly spotted Caleb’s SUV—the one he claimed he lent to a friend. I had asked him before which friend it was. He said, “You don’t know him.” That answer was very clever. A friend I didn’t know meant they weren’t that close. If they weren’t that close, why would he be generous enough to lend out his car long-term? But I didn’t press the issue. I just played the part of the gullible, naive wife. Now, it seemed he had indeed lied. I clearly recognized the person getting out of that car. Even though we had only met once, I remembered her name perfectly—Piper! Piper anxiously checked the damage to the car, then pulled out her phone to make a call. Inexplicably, I felt that call was to Caleb. “Autumn, watch some cartoons on your iPad for a bit. We’ll go to the clinic in a minute, okay?” My daughter nodded obediently. “Okay, Mommy!” I pulled over and waited. Less than half an hour later, a black Range Rover sped over. A man holding a jacket hurried out of the vehicle. Piper looked at him as if he were her savior, stumbling into his arms. The man caught her, draped his jacket over her shoulders, and ushered her into his own car. I had no interest in watching the rest. “Autumn, buckle up. We’re going to the doctor now!” 02 I had only seen Piper once. But even before meeting her, I had heard her name. Her name was linked with Caleb’s, dragging out a rather colorful piece of gossip in our elite Manhattan social circle. To be honest, it had been years since anyone dared to throw a woman at Caleb. First, Caleb had a flawless reputation for keeping his hands clean. Second, he and his wife were known to be deeply in love. Once, some smart-ass tried to test his limits. Caleb not only severed all business ties with him but also beat him to a pulp. “If my wife misunderstands, I’ll beat you to death!” Because of that, things were quiet for many years. But recently, someone tried their luck again. “They probably figured you guys have been married for so long, and your kid is getting older. They thought Mr. Carter was getting lonely and needed a distraction. They bet on the wrong horse.” The person telling me this was Mrs. Vance. She said that night was incredibly dramatic. A young bottle girl from the club was wrapped in a blanket and delivered to his hotel room, like some ancient emperor being presented with a concubine. They thought any normal man wouldn’t be able to resist that kind of temptation. But Caleb walked out of the room in less than five minutes. His face was dark, radiating an icy, oppressive aura. “He called his own assistant first, had him buy the girl some clothes, and sent her home. Then he started settling the score.” Rumor had it, he barged into that manager’s room and beat him up. Then he called the cops, reporting prostitution, and had the guy arrested right there. Following that, he terminated all contracts with that company. Mrs. Vance spoke with a mix of envy and a sigh: “Caleb is truly devoted to you!” I smiled and exchanged pleasantries with her. But my heart sank a little. Devoted? Not necessarily! Caleb’s outward attitude toward this kind of thing seemed the same as before. But he hid things from me. That point alone was abnormal. And then there was Caleb’s attitude toward that girl. If it were the past, he wouldn’t have stayed for five minutes, nor would he have had his personal assistant handle the “aftermath.” So, I did a little digging into that girl. I discovered she had gone from a bottle girl at a club to suddenly becoming Caleb’s new secretary. 03 When Caleb got home, I was still working in my home office. Having spent the whole day with Autumn, I was behind on a lot of things. “Still busy?” “Yeah!” “I’m heading to bed then!” “Wait for me in the living room after you shower!” I looked back at him. “We need to talk.” Caleb instinctively frowned. The atmosphere instantly stagnated. He didn’t say anything, just gave me a cold glance, closed the office door, and left. I didn’t know if he would actually wait for me. He hated it when I used that tone with him. Just like he complained to his friends. Whenever I started a conversation like that, it was never a good thing. Today was obviously no exception. But I didn’t want to fight with him, nor did I want to make a scene. So, when I finished working and came out, seeing him sitting in the living room, I asked, “Want a drink? We can chat.” Caleb raised an eyebrow. “An interrogation?” I smiled. “Nothing that serious. Just a casual chat.” His tense body relaxed. He stood up and took a small piece of cake out of the fridge. “I bought this for Autumn, but it looks like she missed out.” He said, “You have a bad stomach. Eat something first, don’t drink on an empty stomach.” Actually, the vibe was pretty good at that moment. If we had just gone with the flow, we might have had a productive conversation. But that cake had to ruin it. Sure enough, I overestimated myself. “Where did you buy it?” I asked him. Caleb said, “A bakery I passed by on the way.” “Isn’t that Piper’s place?” When Piper stepped out of that car, I knew Caleb hadn’t kept his promise to me. After finding out Piper had become Caleb’s secretary, I went to his office once. It was bad timing; Caleb wasn’t there. I asked his assistant, “Where’s Piper?” He stuttered, looking incredibly nervous. Later, I found her in Caleb’s private lounge. She was curled up on the single bed, covered in the cashmere blanket I bought for Caleb, her face pale, looking sick. When she saw me, she panicked and scrambled up. I asked her, “Where’s Caleb?” She bit her lip and said shyly, “It’s my time of the month, and my stomach hurts. Mr. Carter went to buy me painkillers and a hot drink.” I nodded. “Let’s wait together, then!” Taking care of a woman on her period was something Caleb was very experienced at. Because since my very first period, he was the one making me ginger tea. He would even turn bright red going to the pharmacy to buy me pads. He knew exactly which painkillers worked best without upsetting the stomach. He also knew that women on their periods had bad appetites but loved sweets. So, he bought Piper the over-the-counter meds I usually took, along with a ginger tea and a slice of red velvet cake. I handed the items to Piper. “This medicine works okay. It’s not as fast as prescription painkillers, but the side effects are minimal. If you really can’t handle it, just take a sick day. The company offers that basic benefit, at least!” Piper nodded timidly. She glanced at Caleb, and seeing him silent, she left the room looking disheartened, taking the stuff with her. When the office door closed, Caleb called my name: “Sloane!” But I walked straight into the lounge, grabbed the cashmere blanket, and threw it into the trash can right in front of him. Caleb frowned. “You don’t need to do that. I just felt sorry for her. There’s nothing going on between us.” “Who is she?” “The new secretary.” “I’m asking you, who is she!” This time, Caleb went silent. After a long while, he told me the whole story about him and Piper. He said she was a pitiful girl who only agreed to that “delivery” setup because she needed to pay off her father’s gambling debts. She dropped out of school young and couldn’t find a decent job, so she sold liquor at a club and was constantly harassed. “I ran into her at the club that day. She was being forced to drink. She’s so young, she should have a better life. Sloane, I only helped her out of pity!” Was that the truth? The suspicious part was that Caleb almost never went to clubs. Yet, after Piper was delivered to his room, he just happened to “bump into” her at a club? Was it really a coincidence, or did Caleb specifically go looking for her? It was quite intriguing to think about. But I didn’t dig deeper. I just nodded. I told him, “Fire her. Find her a different job.” Caleb didn’t even hesitate. He agreed immediately. He said he wouldn’t contact Piper anymore. He said he wouldn’t betray me. I believed him. I never expected that he would not only house Piper in a suburban villa but also open a bakery for her. 04 My single sentence completely froze the room. Caleb’s demeanor slowly changed. From scrutinizing to cold. “You investigated me?” He said, “Sloane, that poor girl has suffered enough. You doing this is completely out of line!” I sighed. “Caleb, you’re panicking.” Panic clouds judgment. “Otherwise, you’d know that if I hadn’t found something, I wouldn’t have done anything extra.” I tapped my phone and pushed the dashcam footage from the car accident toward him. “It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together. If she can drive your car, she definitely lives in your house. So where is she working now?” Caleb didn’t click on the video. He just kept his eyes lowered. After a long time, he let out a heavy breath. “Whether you believe it or not, I haven’t cheated, and I haven’t betrayed you. I just pity her. Her place was constantly harassed by debt collectors. She had nowhere to go. She deserves a better job, not relying on selling herself for money. Sloane, these things mean nothing to us, but they can change a young girl’s entire life.” I had no patience for this. So I interrupted him: “Do you love her?” Caleb looked at me, his eyes filling with disappointment. “Is romance and sex all you see between men and women? Sloane, she and I are completely innocent. You shouldn’t start rumors about a girl based on your own paranoid delusions.” Caleb’s words truly stunned me. I never thought he could utter something so… shamelessly self-righteous. I had always thought he was a smart man. The biggest advantage of a smart person is that you can communicate with them. We know what the other is trying to say, we understand each other perfectly, and things click. But since when had Caleb become someone I no longer recognized? His reaction completely missed my expectations. This would make the next steps very difficult. But the arrow was already nocked; I had to shoot. I couldn’t let myself and my child fall into an even more humiliating situation. So I spoke decisively: “Caleb, let’s get a divorce! Take your time to think about it. Once you’ve made up your mind, we can discuss the details.” 05 I had realized very early on that getting a divorce is a huge hassle. Unless both parties reach a consensus, it’s a protracted war of attrition. All along, I had never sensed any desire for divorce from Caleb. Until Piper appeared. He put so much thought and effort into a girl other than me for the first time. Knowing him, it was either he already caught feelings, or he was about to. So, I demanded he fire Piper. I thought he would refuse. But he agreed. Had I guessed wrong? Half a month ago, some friends came over, and they were talking in his study. One of them teased Caleb: “They say marriage is the graveyard of love. As the ultimate authority on this, how does it feel now?” Caleb chuckled. “I couldn’t agree more!” “Oh?” his friend exclaimed. “What? Got the seven-year itch?” Caleb sighed. “Not exactly! It’s just… if I had known married life was this boring, I would have played around for a few more years!” “Then why did you turn down that girl who stripped naked and sent herself to your room?” “That’s a different matter entirely!” His friend disagreed. “What do you mean ‘different matter’? As long as you hide it well, finding a little fun is no big deal!” This time, Caleb fell silent. After a long while, he said in a flat tone, “We’ll see.” Hearing those words, I turned away from the cracked door and left. Caleb was looking for some “fun.” Whether it was because of that naked girl or the sheer boredom of married life, he wanted to step out. And I couldn’t possibly wait until he actually cheated to get a divorce. So, before he crossed that line, I had to terminate this marriage. My demand for a divorce left Caleb silent for a long time. He just stared at me, like he was looking at an unreasonable child. It wasn’t just him; I also thought of the past. That period when I frequently brought up divorce. Back then, I was anxious, miserable, and completely at a loss. I relieved my emotions through screaming matches, and I exploded by threatening divorce. But I didn’t actually want a divorce. I just didn’t know what else to do. My relationship with Caleb had hit a dead end, and I was just repeatedly smashing my head against a brick wall. Until my head was bloody and the wall finally broke. Caleb sighed. “Sloane, there is really nothing between me and Piper. If it bothers you, I’ll try my best not to contact her. Just drop the divorce talk, I don’t want to hear it.” I sighed too. “Caleb, don’t give me an answer right away. Think about it carefully. Do you really not want a divorce? Because right now, for you, the pros of divorce heavily outweigh the cons!” 06 That night, Caleb and I parted on bad terms. For the next consecutive week, he slept in the guest room, leaving early and coming home late, not saying a single word to me. Autumn smoothed out a crease in her storybook. “Mommy, when is Daddy coming home?” “What’s wrong?” “I want to read this storybook with Daddy.” “Can’t Mommy read it with you?” The little girl looked at me. “But I want to read this one with Daddy!” My heart ached. It seemed I couldn’t just passively wait anymore. Piper’s villa wasn’t far from ours. It was a property given to Caleb as collateral for a debt years ago. I went to the security office. Using the excuse of losing a valuable item, I requested to view the surveillance footage accompanied by a guard. Over the past week, without missing a single day, Caleb drove in every afternoon and left an hour or two later. Today, it hadn’t even been an hour since he arrived. The front door had an electronic lock. I had long forgotten the passcode. I had to knock. The door opened quickly, and a bright, pretty little face peeked out. “Why are you so early today…” Seeing me, the smile froze on her face, and she stood rooted to the spot. Seeing her wearing an apron, I asked, “Cooking?” Piper tightly gripped the hem of her apron. “Mrs. Carter!” I nodded and stepped past her into the house. Piper followed me inside. She asked, “Mrs. Carter, can I help you with something?” “I’m sorry,” I said. “I need to revoke the usage rights to this house. Will an hour be enough for you to pack your things? Do you need me to call a moving company for you? Oh, right, and that bakery—you can either return the startup capital to me, or I’ll take the storefront back!” Piper’s eyes widened. Her initial timidity transformed into anger. “What gives you the right?” I smiled. “Because these are marital assets.” Piper’s face darkened. She stepped back and shook her head. “Mrs. Carter, this is between Caleb and me. You have no right to interfere!” “Alright, then let’s wait for him!” I found a spot and sat down, while Piper remained standing. After I don’t know how long, she broke the silence. “Mrs. Carter, do you know how much Caleb hates going back to that house?” “Oh? How much?” She curled her lips into a mocking smile. She said, “He’d rather work overtime at the office or drink at a club. Do you know that every day when he gets home, he sits in his car and smokes for half an hour before going inside?” “Mrs. Carter, things between Caleb and me aren’t as filthy as you think. He just wants to steal a half-day of peace here. The pressure on him is too much, and this place lets him relax. Are you going to strip him of his very last bit of personal space?” “Mrs. Carter, you make your husband dread going home. What a failure of a wife you must be!” “Did you hear that?” I suddenly spoke up. “What?” Piper looked confused. I held up my phone and spoke to the person on the other end of the line: “Caleb, did you hear what your little girl just said?” There was silence on the other end. I continued, “I can’t imagine how devastated I would be hearing that if I were still deeply in love with you. But thankfully, I don’t love you anymore. Caleb, I don’t love you anymore. Let’s finalize this divorce as soon as possible! I’ll give you two days to think. If I don’t get the answer I want, I’m filing a lawsuit!” 07 That day, Caleb ultimately didn’t stay for dinner at Piper’s. When he got back, not only Autumn but even the nanny was shocked and quickly cooked two extra dishes. At the dinner table, Autumn was very excited, chattering endlessly about her day at preschool. For once, Caleb didn’t tell her “No talking at the dinner table.” After dinner, we played games with Autumn together. She dragged Caleb to read that storybook she had been saving, and finally drifted off to sleep, completely satisfied. Coming out of Autumn’s room, we instinctively went to the living room. This time, Caleb spoke first. “Sloane, there are some things I didn’t know how to tell you, so letting it out to a passing acquaintance like Piper was easier. Sloane, there is really nothing between Piper and me. You can look at our relationship as an equal exchange. I give her help, and she acts as my emotional trash can, that’s it. Sloane, I didn’t want to bring my negative emotions home to you. I always thought, as long as I could steal a half-day of peace there, I’d still be Sloane’s perfect husband when I got home.” Men and women are seemingly never on the same frequency. Once, I desperately wanted to hear Caleb’s true thoughts, but he was always so stingy with his words, even treating me like I was neurotic. But now, when he finally started bearing his soul, I only felt disgusted. “Caleb, can we skip the bullshit? What are your thoughts on the divorce?” My stubbornness made Caleb irritable. “Why does it have to be a divorce? Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll fix it!” I couldn’t understand him either. “Why won’t you agree to a divorce? You heard Piper today. She definitely has those intentions. All it takes is piercing that thin veil, and the rest is inevitable. Doesn’t your current life feel incredibly boring? Isn’t divorce the best option?” My words were too blunt. A rare look of panic flashed across Caleb’s face. He clenched his fists, looked away, and growled, “I never wanted a divorce!” I leaned back on the couch. “Then you really need to think hard about it! Caleb, our ties are deep. The relationship between our families, the business overlaps, various joint investments, and most importantly, me and Autumn. If we can split amicably, there’s no need to tear each other apart. Otherwise, it will get very ugly. I’m suggesting this sincerely: if you want to step out, divorce me first.” “I told you, I never wanted a divorce, and I won’t cheat. Why don’t you believe me?” My patience was running thin. “Tell me, what will it take for you to agree to a divorce?” Caleb gritted his teeth. “I’m not getting a divorce!” “Why?” “Because I love you!” Caleb’s sudden outburst made me close my eyes in agony. I clenched my jaw. “Don’t love me. I’m begging you, stop loving me!” Caleb and I were childhood sweethearts. From high school to walking down the aisle, we were each other’s first loves and only loves. Along this journey, Caleb told me countless times that he loved me. The first time, it made my heart flutter. Subsequent times, it felt deeply romantic and tender. That feeling of holding the entire world in my hands had kept me intoxicated for a very long time. Until Caleb broke it all. Once, after getting drunk, he told me he still loved me, but he didn’t love Autumn. “If it weren’t for you, Autumn would mean absolutely nothing to me!” Was that supposed to be romantic? No, it made my blood run cold. If a person can’t even love their own child, then they must only truly love themselves. “Caleb, actually, your current life—aside from being a bit boring—must be pretty comfortable for you. After all, I don’t demand that you come home early, I don’t demand your company, I don’t track your whereabouts, and I don’t interfere with your actions. You easily get to be the father of a five-year-old. You have a home, a wife, and a child, yet you don’t have to sacrifice anything. So, after doing all those terrible things, you can still self-righteously say no to a divorce because you are the beneficiary of this arrangement, aren’t you?” “Here we go again! Here we go again!” Caleb flared up. “Can we stick to the issue at hand? Do you have to dig up the past? Sloane, this is getting really tiring!” Stick to the issue? Fine! “Your desire to cheat is an established fact. If not Piper, it would be someone else. Your relationship with Piper has already crossed the line of normal boundaries. I have reasonable suspicion that you have already cheated!” “I haven’t!” Caleb growled. I sneered. “I don’t believe you!” “Then what do I have to do to make you believe me?!” “I won’t believe anything you do!” Caleb glared at me furiously. “Sloane, you’re being completely unreasonable!” I nodded. “So what? Caleb, since I’ve brought up divorce, I will get it done at any cost. You can take my words as a threat!” Caleb was expressionless. I continued, “Or let me be clearer. Your company is in a critical pre-IPO phase. You can consider which causes less damage: a massive scandal, or an amicable divorce!” At that moment, Caleb fell silent. I had said everything that needed to be said. The rest was up to Caleb. He seemed to stay up all night. When I went down to get water in the middle of the night, I could still see the light shining from under the study door. The next day, we took Autumn to preschool together. After Autumn walked inside, Caleb said to me, “I agree.” “If this is what you want, I’ll give it to you!”

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In the third year of our marriage, my husband’s mistress was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Logan, a man who had never stepped foot in a church or believed in anything higher than a stock ticker, personally went to the National Cathedral. He knelt at every altar, lighting candles and praying for a miracle. The story broke the internet. Everyone was talking about the “devoted” man and his “tragic” love. He called me to explain: “It’s her final wish, Jade. I couldn’t say no to a dying girl.” I smiled to myself and hung up. Then, I turned back to the sheets, tangling again with Silas Thorne—the rebellious, billionaire heir of the Thorne empire. 01 I was curled up on the sofa reading a script when Logan returned from his business trip. He looked rattled. His expression was loose, his eyes darting around the room. The atmosphere between us felt like ice. I kicked off my slippers and asked, “Why so late?” Logan walked past me without a word. As we brushed shoulders, I caught the faint, clinical scent of antiseptic. “Did you go to the hospital?” “Just visiting a friend,” he said, his voice flat. I frowned, but I didn’t push him. I figured he was just exhausted from the flight. Later that night, I showered and changed into a silk slip, spritzing a bit of perfume on my neck. We had been in a cold war since before his trip because of his sudden pressure to get pregnant. I wanted to end the silence. I walked into the bedroom and sat on his lap. For a second, his body went rigid. But we had been together for years; I knew exactly how to move. Within moments, we were breathless. Logan’s face was flushed, his breathing ragged against my ear. I thought this was our “makeup” night. But then, his phone on the nightstand chimed repeatedly. Before I could glance at the screen, Logan grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me into a kiss that felt forced, designed to keep me from turning around. Suddenly, he pulled away entirely, his brow furrowed. “Something came up at the office. I have to handle it now. Go to sleep.” I looked at him, confused and annoyed. “It’s midnight, Logan. What could be so urgent?” He didn’t give me a chance to get angry. He grabbed his phone and locked himself in the study, leaving me cold and bewildered in the middle of the bed. Logan had never been like this. Eight years of dating, three years of marriage. He used to leave his phone on silent the moment he walked through the front door. He never prioritized work over me. Maybe it really is an emergency, I tried to tell myself. I tried to shake the feeling, pulling my robe back over my shoulders. As I stood up, I noticed Logan’s iPad was still active on the nightstand. Driven by a gut feeling, I leaned over. The screen was open to an Instagram “alt” account. I scrolled through the posts. It was a digital diary of our relationship, starting from our college days. Seeing the old photos made me smile. Until I reached the very top. The latest post. “I finally realized that the only person in the world who truly, selflessly loves me is Lily.” I froze. I tapped on the comments. A user named @Lily_Vance had left a single heart-eyes emoji. “Logan, you never change.” Logan had replied thirty minutes ago: “Rest up. I’m coming.” Lily replied: “I’m so happy. I missed you so much. I feel like I can’t live without you anymore. What am I going to do?” Lily Vance. The girl who had been stalking and chasing Logan for ten years. 02 Lily appeared in Logan’s life a year after I did. She was a freshman when we were seniors. She claimed she fell in love with Logan at first sight during orientation and asked for his number in front of everyone. Logan had politely turned her down. “Sorry, I have a girlfriend.” That night, I had teased him about it. He leaned down, cupping my face with his hands, his eyes soft. “I don’t have eyes for anyone but you, Jade.” But then, Lily started showing up everywhere. She was at every basketball game, cheering for him until her voice went hoarse. She would do full “clean girl” makeup looks that looked ridiculous under the stadium lights—thick white foundation that didn’t match her neck, and bright pink blush that made her look like a doll. She ignored the whispers of the crowd, shouting, “Go Logan! You’re the best!” My roommate nudged me, smirking. “Your boyfriend sure attracts the crazies.” “At least the competition isn’t very threatening,” I joked. After the game, Lily would be the first to run toward him with a Gatorade. It made me uncomfortable, but Logan always walked straight past her to me. He’d wipe the sweat from his hands before putting an arm around my shoulder. “Hey, Jade. Dinner with the team?” He never even looked at her. I’d look back at the girl. She’d be standing there, clutching her skirt, looking down at her feet. This happened for four years. Lily’s obsession made her a local legend—a joke, really. She was the “stalker girl” everyone used to mock over drinks. Logan blocked her number a hundred times. He never gave her an inch. One day, she sat directly across from us in the dining hall and smiled, asking if she could join the table. Logan’s face went dark. He didn’t raise his voice, but his tone was lethal. “I’ve been polite because you’re a girl, but let me be clear: my girlfriend is sitting right here. You’re making a fool of yourself. Don’t you have any dignity?” “Even if Jade and I broke up tomorrow, I would never look at you.” “You are exactly the type of person I despise.” Lily’s eyes filled with tears instantly. “I’m just following my heart. What’s wrong with that?” The tears washed tracks through her foundation. It was pathetic. I told her, “Take the hint, Lily. Go back to your dorm, have a cry, and focus on your GPA. Or find a guy who’s actually single. This is embarrassing.” When she finally stumbled away, Logan exhaled a long breath. “God, she’s exhausting. I should have been meaner sooner.” I kissed him, thinking that was the end of the drama. I was wrong. Six months later, Lily managed to transfer into the same graduate research program as Logan. Logan still ignored her, but because they shared a mentor, he was forced to have her on his contact list. He would show me his phone every night to prove he never replied to her. Eventually, we graduated, got married, and stayed happy. Logan worked at a high-end research institute. Lily seemed to vanish. I thought she had finally given up. Until Logan’s colleague ran into her in the oncology ward. 03 In our three years of marriage, Logan had been the perfect husband. So when did it change? Lily had undergone surgery. Their mentor organized a small group to visit her. She had breast cancer. It was aggressive. Because of her depression and physical weakness, she had been refusing treatment. When Logan came home from the hospital visit, we had some colleagues over for dinner. A junior researcher laughed and said to me, “Jade, you should have seen it. Lily is literally on her deathbed and she’s still obsessed. The way she looked at Logan… it was like she saw a god.” “The girl is mentally ill,” another added. “Stalking a man for a decade? Crazy.” “She’s nothing compared to Jade,” a younger girl said, hugging my arm. “You and Logan are the blueprint.” They laughed and gossiped about Lily’s past antics. I just gave a tight smile. “Alright, let’s leave it. She’s sick.” I didn’t notice Logan’s face darkening. But when someone mentioned how Logan used to throw the lunches she made him into the trash, Logan slammed his fork down. “That’s enough!” The table went silent. Four or five people stared at him in shock. I stepped in. “Logan just thinks we should focus on the food. Try the roast, guys.” The mood recovered, but no one mentioned Lily again. At midnight, after the guests left, I went into the bedroom to finally talk to him. Logan was leaning against the headboard, staring at his phone. The light from the screen cast a soft, almost tender glow on his face. When he heard me enter, he snapped the phone shut. His face turned to stone. “I have more work. I’m sleeping in the study tonight.” Usually, after I’d been away on a trip, we were inseparable. Now, he was freezing me out for the third night in a row. “What is going on with you?” I demanded. He avoided my eyes. “Work is just heavy.” “Work wasn’t heavy for the others at dinner. Just you?” I reached for his phone. “Let me see.” Logan flinched, hiding the phone behind his back. “Stop being dramatic, Jade. I’m busy.” I didn’t listen. I lunged for it. In the struggle, the phone hit the floor and the screen lit up with a notification. “Are you not coming to stay with me tonight? I’m used to sleeping alone, but I’m scared.” “The doctor says if I stay stable, I can go home in a few days. But without you, I don’t think I can make it through the next surgery.” “Logan… if I get better, can I give you the son you’ve always wanted?” Logan shoved me back and snatched the phone. I stood there, my breath hitching. I didn’t think. I just slapped him. “How long has this been going on?” My voice was hoarse. “She has cancer, Logan. Do you have any common sense left? Or have you lost your mind?” Logan gritted his teeth. “We haven’t done anything!” “Nothing? She’s offering to have your children!” I suddenly realized why he had been pushing for a baby. We had agreed to be child-free when we got married. But lately, his mother had been pestering him for a grandson. Logan had started wavering, trying to convince me to quit my job and “prepare.” He knew my history. He knew I watched my own mother die in a hospital bed from a traumatic birth. Marriage and childbirth were my biggest fears. I only married Logan because he promised me a life without that pressure. He even promised to get a vasectomy. And now, I was up for a major promotion at the law firm. I couldn’t go back to being a housewife. We had fought about this for weeks. Was it really that simple? Because Lily was willing to die to give him a child? Logan turned his face away. “Enough, Jade. I don’t want to fight.” “She’s a terminal patient. She has nothing. I’m just looking after her. Why do you have to be so petty?” “I have work. I’m leaving.” I sat alone on the sofa. I found that alt account on Instagram again. He had updated. A photo of a girl’s head resting on his lap. “Get well soon.” Lily had commented with a laughing-crying emoji: “Why are you so eager? Are you ready to take my ‘first time’ finally?” 04 Logan didn’t come home for days. I slept alone. I dreamed of our wedding—Logan smiling, promising to always choose me. Then the dream would shift to him looking at me with pure irritation before walking away. I was tired of the cold war. I wanted a confrontation. But every time I called, his voice was like ice. “The lab is busy. We’ll talk when I’m back.” I couldn’t wait. I took a half-day off and went to the institute. His junior colleague looked at me with pity. “Logan? He took a week off. Said there was a family emergency.” My heart hammered against my ribs. I opened an app on my phone. When we first got married, Logan had installed a tracking app on both our phones. He said it was for my safety because we both worked late. I tracked his location. I got an address from a colleague. It was an apartment in a neighborhood slated for demolition. The walls were peeling, showing red brick and mold. Logan made a six-figure salary. Why was he here? I knocked. A raspy but cheerful voice answered. “Is that the food? Hurry up, I’m starving!” “I’ve got it, you little glutton.” The door opened. Logan and I locked eyes. He was wearing a bathrobe, his hair damp. I felt a sharp, stinging pain in my chest, but I forced a smile. “Sorry to interrupt the party.” I pushed past him into the room. Lily was lounging on the sofa in a slip dress. No bra. She was so thin her ribs were visible, but her neck was covered in faint pink hickeys. I looked at the bedroom. The bed was a disaster. And on the pale pink sheets, I saw a dark red stain. I felt like I was going to throw up. Lily looked surprised. “Jade? What are you doing here?” I didn’t answer her. I threw my designer bag straight at Logan’s face. “If you want a divorce, just say the word. I’ll give it to you.” “But this? This is fucking disgusting.” Logan stayed silent. The hardware on my bag had cut his cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood. Lily stumbled over, shielding him. She glared at me, her face full of defiance. I looked at her closely. She wasn’t pretty. The anemia made her skin look greyish-yellow. Her freckles were dark against her pale face. She looked like a corpse. I couldn’t understand how Logan could touch her. Lily started crying. “Jade, you’ve had him for ten years! Can’t you just give me a few days?” “I’m giving him my entire life. I just want him by my side as I die. Is that too much to ask?” “I love him. I…” She didn’t finish. She coughed up a spray of blood onto the floor. I looked at the blood on my coat. I felt nothing but a cold, heavy exhaustion. Logan pushed me aside and scooped Lily up. He roared at me, “She just had surgery! She can’t get worked up! What is wrong with you?!” He grabbed his keys to take her to the ER. Lily nestled into his chest like a frightened rabbit. “Logan,” I said, my voice hollow. “Are you really choosing to walk out on your wife right now?” Logan paused, his jaw tight. “Lily has no one. Her parents are gone. She’s dying. You… you have your career, your family. You’ll be fine without me.” I let out a short, sharp laugh. “So it’s my fault for being healthy? My fault for being independent?” Logan didn’t answer. I raised my hand to stop him from speaking. “Fine. Divorce.” 05 I took a deep breath and laid it all out. “Our salaries have always been separate, so we don’t need to split that. You rarely use the car, so I’m taking it. We bought the house together, but it goes to me. You’re the one who cheated; I’m entitled to damages.” Logan blinked. “I’m just taking care of her for a while, Jade. We don’t have to do this.” “What? You want to wait until she gets better or dies, then come crawling back to me? You want to force me to ‘forgive’ you for the sake of our history while I rot away as a bitter, suspicious wife? No.” I walked forward and yanked his robe open. His chest was covered in marks. The thought of them together made my stomach turn. “I already have the evidence of your affair and your cohabitation. You know I’m a lawyer. I’m good at this. Don’t waste my time.” “You’re so cold-blooded,” Lily piped up from his arms. She looked at me with pure malice. “You treat Logan like a defendant in a courtroom. Do you even have feelings for him?” “No wonder he chose me. You never gave him real love.” I didn’t bother replying to her. I just tilted my chin up. “Expect the papers by morning.” I grabbed my bag to leave. Logan called out behind me. “Jade! Every time we fight, you have to win. You never back down.” “Do you know what it’s like at the lab? Other wives bring their husbands lunch and clothes. I have nothing. I come home to an empty house. I asked you to quit, I told you I could support you, but you always chose your job over me.” “In college, having a high-achieving, beautiful girlfriend was a flex. I was proud of you.” “But now that we’re married, I just wanted a wife who cooks and takes care of the family. Is that a crime?” “Lily is different. She’s willing to do those things for me.” He slid his wedding ring off and threw it at my feet. “Fine. Have it your way. Good luck with your ‘limitless’ career.” The ring clattered on the concrete. My heart died right then and there. “If you wanted to use a PUA tactic on me, Logan, you should have tried harder. I’m not looking back.” The next day, I drafted the papers and faxed them to his office. Ten minutes later, a former colleague called me. “Jade? Did you and Logan break up?” “He didn’t tell you?” I was reviewing a brief. “He’s with his ‘gentle and sweet’ Lily now.” I heard a gasp, then a disgusted “Tsk.” “What an idiot. Leaving a wife like you for… her? Men are trash.” “Actually, Jade, I heard a secret at the lab today.” The girl lowered her voice. “Lily is actually our mentor’s niece. That’s why Dr. Harrison always gave her a pass. Her grad school admission was basically rigged.” I went silent. Logan’s career hadn’t been going well lately. He was the most senior researcher but his results were thin, and he was being passed over for promotions. He was ambitious and proud. He had been depressed for months. Was that when he started wavering? I realized that the man I had slept next to for years was even more disgusting than I thought. I went home to pack the rest of my things. I opened a drawer and saw a box of condoms. I felt a chill. I picked one up and looked closer. Every single wrapper had been pricked with a tiny needle. I dropped the box, grabbed my keys, and drove straight to a clinic for a blood test. When the results came back negative for pregnancy, I finally breathed. As I was leaving the hospital, I heard a familiar voice. Lily was standing outside the OB-GYN clinic. “Doctor, if my condition stabilizes, can I start trying to get pregnant?” 06 Lily turned around and we locked eyes. She gave me a slow, poisonous smile. Even with her gaunt face and sunken eyes, she had applied a bold red lipstick. She looked like a caricature. “Logan said he’ll marry me as soon as the divorce is final.” I ignored her. I had no interest in a public scene. But she followed me, grabbing my arm like a lunatic. “I told you, Jade. What’s wrong with following your heart? If you love someone long enough, they come around.” “You were just the college sweetheart. I’m the one he chose in the end.” “I’m willing to do anything for him. I love him more than you ever did. I even wrote a will leaving everything to him. When he saw it, his eyes went red. He held me so tight it hurt.” I stopped and looked at her coldly. “I think you have brain cancer, not breast cancer.” Lily acted like she didn’t hear me. She began shouting to the crowd of onlookers about how she “won” Logan’s heart. “He stayed with me for seven days while you were away on business!” “The nurses all thought he was my husband! He’s so devoted! When you called him, he lied just to keep me from getting upset!” “You’re the one who’s alone now, Jade. No parents, no husband. You’re pathetic!” Whatever grief I had left for the marriage evaporated. If it weren’t for my professional ethics and my upbringing, I would have slapped her right there. I walked out to the parking lot and saw Logan waiting by the curb. When he saw me, guilt flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by tenderness when he looked at Lily. I watched expressionlessly as Lily threw herself into his arms. They kissed in the middle of the sidewalk—a tall, handsome man and a shriveled, sickly girl who looked like a skeleton. A few bypassers even took photos, thinking it was a touching “sick-girl-reunited-with-hero-boyfriend” moment. I got into a cab and didn’t look back. The cold wind blew through the window, but I didn’t feel it until my phone started buzzing. My college group chat was blowing up. Someone had posted a screenshot of Lily’s Instagram. She had posted a photo of her clinging to Logan, her legs wrapped around his waist. The caption: “True love knows no timeline.” I let out a cold laugh and called my old roommate. I told her everything. “What is Logan thinking?” she asked. “Does he really want her ‘inheritance’?” “I heard Lily is drowning in debt. Debt collectors were calling her classmates last month. She doesn’t have an inheritance.” I paused. “Wait. Don’t researchers at that level make good money?” “I don’t know about that. All I know is that in college, Lily was always on financial aid. And in this city? She’s only been working a few years. How much could she possibly have saved?” I exhaled. “Whatever. I got the house. I’m done.” But after I hung up, I hired a private investigator to look into Lily’s “background.” It turned out she came from a family in the rural Midwest that treated women like property. She had promised to send them $20,000 a year just so they’d let her go to grad school. Her relatives had been showing up at her apartment demanding extra cash for years. No wonder she lived in a dump despite her salary. Between her family of leeches and her medical bills, she was likely broke. I laughed silently. Logan had some savings. I wondered if it would be enough to feed those parasites. 07 A few days later, the signed divorce papers arrived at my office. Included in the envelope was a wedding invitation. Red and gold. I glanced at the names, tossed it in the trash, and headed to the courthouse. Outside the building, I saw them again. They looked like Siamese twins. Lily was draped over Logan, ignoring everyone’s stares. Logan is 6’2”. Lily is barely 5’2”. She looked like she was trying to drag him down to the earth. We didn’t speak. We went in and got the decree. When I held the paper in my hand, Logan looked at me. He mouthed the words: “I’m sorry.” I just wanted to laugh. “Sorry” is such a cheap word. Right then, Lily leaned over the counter and asked the clerk, “My husband just got his divorce. Can we apply for a marriage license right now?” Her voice was loud, completely ignoring the people around her. I could feel the judgmental stares from the other couples in the lobby. The clerk looked between the three of us, her expression strained. “You can apply today, yes.” Lily couldn’t wait. She dragged Logan toward the next window. Logan looked humiliated. “Can’t we do this another day?” “The clerk said we can do it today! What’s the problem?” she snapped. “You promised! You said you’d marry me as soon as I got better. I’m better now!” “Don’t make me upset. The doctor said stress is bad for my recovery!” Logan opened his mouth to argue, then saw her face and shut it. I grabbed my bag and walked out. Lily shouted after me, “Jade! You got the invite, right? We’re getting married next month! I’m inviting all our old classmates! Make sure you show up!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “418546”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When I was seven months pregnant, I discovered that Caleb Sterling had a “soulmate.” They were perfectly in sync, sharing thoughts and secrets I was no longer privy to. Every day, Caleb would buy two bouquets of lilies—one for me, and one for her. He swore they never crossed the line. Until that woman sent him a text: [If you had met me first, would you have married me?] Caleb didn’t reply. Instead, he stood on the balcony and smoked until the sun came up. 01 Caleb was distracted all day today. Several times he looked like he wanted to say something, but the words seemed to die in his throat. Finally, I was the one who broke the silence. “Is something wrong?” Caleb let out a heavy sigh. “I have to go to Philly for a business trip. I’ll be back tomorrow. But you’re so close to your due date… Forget it, I’ll send someone else.” I watched him as he spoke. He sounded sincere, his eyes meeting mine without flinching. I shook my head. “It’s fine. You should go.” “But you’ll be alone.” “I’ll have my mom come over.” Since I got pregnant, Caleb had been the picture of the perfect husband. He was meticulous, overprotective, and had canceled almost all his social engagements just to stay by my side. “If anything happened and I wasn’t here, I’d never forgive myself,” he used to say. Even if he absolutely had to leave, he would wait until my mother arrived, giving her a thousand instructions on how to care for me until she laughed at his mothering. But today, he only hesitated for two seconds before nodding. “Okay. Take care of yourself. Call me if anything happens.” He was in a hurry. He packed a single change of clothes and rushed out. I sat on the sofa, unmoving. I even managed a smile and a wave as he looked back one last time. But the moment the door clicked shut, my posture collapsed. Caleb was acting strange. From start to finish, everything was off. But I didn’t ask a single extra question. Because I knew exactly where he was going. And who he was going to see. 02 At first, I didn’t even know her name. I only knew her as “The Cafe Owner.” Caleb called her Piper. I first saw her a year ago, before I was pregnant. I was waiting for Caleb at a new boutique coffee shop right below his office building. I hadn’t told him I was coming, planning to surprise him for lunch. Then he walked in. The woman behind the counter, who had been leaning lazily against the espresso machine, straightened up immediately. Caleb gave her a small nod. She smiled and flashed him an ‘OK’ sign. It was a silent, terrifying kind of chemistry. The kind that makes two people feel like they were written in the stars. But at the time, the feeling only flickered in my mind for a second before I dismissed it. Caleb saw me and was genuinely surprised. “Waiting for our lunch date,” I told him. “Why didn’t you call?” “I didn’t want to interrupt your flow,” I said, then tilted my head. “Why are you down here?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Work is a mess. I needed a walk and some caffeine. Their artisanal cookies are incredible—you have to try one.” He raised a hand. “Piper, one more order of the sea-salt chocolate chip!” Meeting her curious gaze, Caleb smiled. “This is my wife, Sloane.” That day, they were both so transparent. Caleb was open with the introduction. Piper was gracious, even waiving our bill. Caleb said the coffee was authentic and that he’d set up the company’s standing catering order with her. One visit became many. They became “familiar.” Back then, I thought they were just a shopkeeper and a regular. I didn’t know that those specific cookies weren’t actually for sale to the public. And I didn’t know that Piper would eventually text my husband: [If you had met me first, would you have married me?] 03 Caleb texted me at 10 PM. He said he’d just finished work and was checking into his hotel. He said he was too exhausted for a FaceTime call. He told me to take care of myself and to call if I needed anything. I replied normally, telling him not to worry. Then I called the cafe. A young barista answered. I used a familiar tone and asked for Piper. “Oh, she’s out!” the girl chirped. “She left early this afternoon. It’s her birthday today. I think she’s on a date—someone sent her a massive bouquet of red roses. So romantic!” I nodded to the empty room, hung up, and set my phone down. New York is a massive city, but finding two people isn’t that hard if you have the right tools. Before Caleb left, I had slipped a small GPS tracker into his laptop bag. It was actually part of a high-end health-monitoring watch he had bought for me in my fourth month. I had suffered from severe morning sickness and anemia; I’d even fainted in a mall once. Caleb had been terrified. He’d bought the most expensive tech to monitor my vitals and track my location for emergencies. The tracking was precise. And right now, it showed he had been on the 12th floor of a luxury hotel for exactly three hours. I didn’t rush over in the middle of the night. I was twenty-three days away from my due date. I had to choose myself. I poured out the cold coffee, drank a glass of warm milk, and lay down on the bed, listening to white noise. But I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about the night a month ago when I first looked at his phone. He had been so agitated lately. He’d cut his finger peeling an apple for me. He’d smashed a glass while pouring water. He’d even kicked a chair across the room in a dark mood. He apologized, claiming it was just the stress of a new merger. But when I woke up in the middle of the night, his side of the bed was cold. I found him on the balcony, chain-smoking in the dark. I unlocked his phone with a heavy heart. He hadn’t closed the messaging app. The contact was saved only as ‘P.’ The message had arrived that afternoon. [If you had met me first, would you have married me?] Caleb hadn’t replied. Not a single word. But that night, my heart died inside his phone. 04 I arrived at the hotel at 6 AM with my ID and our marriage certificate. I placed them on the front desk. “Caleb Sterling is my husband. I need to know which room he’s in. If you can’t tell me, I’ll call the police and report a missing person.” I didn’t have the energy for a long debate. I was exhausted—physically, mentally, soul-deep. The receptionist stared at me for a long time. Her gaze shifted from shock to hesitation, and finally, to pity. “One moment, Mrs. Sterling. I’ll check that for you.” She gave me the room number and asked if I needed an escort. I smiled and shook my head. I stroked my swollen belly and took the elevator up. Caleb didn’t make me wait long. I had only been standing outside the door for forty minutes when it clicked open. Caleb stood there, hand on the knob. And behind him, a pair of slender arms wrapped around his waist. “Caleb, thank you for last night. I’ll remember it for the rest of my…” The rest of her what? She didn’t finish. Caleb shoved her away in a panic the moment he saw me. He stepped toward me. I looked past him. Piper was sitting on the floor, her silk slip barely covering her. She was staring at Caleb’s back with a look of pure heartbreak and grievance. “Sloane!” Caleb’s voice was trembling. So was mine. My hands, hidden behind my back, wouldn’t stop shaking. I thought I was prepared for this. I thought I could be calm. But standing there, I realized I could barely keep my balance. “Where’s the car?” I asked. “In the garage.” “Let’s go.” I leaned against the wall for support and turned toward the elevators. Caleb tried to reach for me. “Don’t touch me!” I hissed. His hand froze. He followed me like a ghost. Piper ran out into the hallway after us. “Mrs. Sterling, you don’t have to act like this! There’s nothing dirty between Caleb and me!” She sounded so righteous, so defiant. The moment the words left her mouth, I turned and slapped him. Hard. Crack. “Ah!” Piper screamed. “How could you hit him?” She reached out, wanting to touch the red mark on Caleb’s face. Caleb flinched away. He looked at me with pleading eyes. “Sloane, let’s just go home.” Piper clenched her fists, glaring at me. “If you have a problem, take it out on me! Why are you hitting Caleb?” “Shut up,” Caleb snapped. He didn’t even look at Piper. His eyes were fixed on me. “Sloane, please. Let’s go home.” 05 “Sloane, I can explain. “Yesterday was Piper’s birthday. She doesn’t have anyone in the city, and she begged me to stay. “I just stayed for her birthday. Nothing happened. “I lied to you, and I’m sorry. I was just afraid you’d be upset. “I was wrong. If it bothers you, I’ll never see her again. “She’s just a friend.” From the moment we got home, Caleb hadn’t stopped talking. Explaining. Apologizing. Self-flagellating. I wanted to speak. But my throat felt like it was stuffed with dry cotton. I couldn’t get a single word out. I didn’t know where to start. Finally, I managed one sentence. “Caleb, I want a divorce.” Caleb flinched as if I’d struck him again. He balled his hands into fists and closed his eyes tight. “Nothing happened between us, Sloane. We just drank and talked. Please, don’t do this. I know you’re angry, and I’ll take any punishment you want. But you have to believe me. I haven’t betrayed you.” “What does ‘betrayal’ mean to you?” I asked quietly. “You probably hugged. You probably kissed. You smell like her perfume. And right here…” I pointed to his lip. “A bite mark.” Caleb froze. His lips thinned into a hard line. I looked at him with pure despair. “What’s the next step? Getting caught in the act? You spent the entire night in a hotel room together. How am I supposed to trust you? Caleb, how?” Caleb’s head dropped. He sank to one knee in front of me, wanting to touch me but not daring to. “I was stupid. I had a moment of madness. But I swear, it went no further. Please, for the sake of all our years together… for the sake of the baby… give me one more chance.” It was pathetic. He knew exactly how long we had been together. He knew our child was about to be born. And yet he did it anyway. And now he wanted to use those very things as leverage for a pardon. The layers of grief, the memories of a decade, the crushing weight of the present—it all came crashing down. I looked around the room, then at my stomach. I started to sob. It wasn’t a pretty cry; it was the sound of a wounded animal. Caleb panicked, trying to shield me. “Sloane, Sloane, what is it? What are you looking for? Tell me? I’ll find it!” His voice was the match that lit the fuse. “I want a divorce!” I screamed. “I’m leaving you!” 06 This was the fourth year of our marriage. We had been so happy when we found out I was pregnant. But it had been a nightmare from the start. The morning sickness was so violent I couldn’t keep anything down. My body was failing. I cried every single day. It was so hard that there were moments I thought I’d rather die. We had even considered not keeping the baby. But when the first signs of a threatened miscarriage appeared, we both panicked. I spent a month in the hospital. Those early months were a blur of malnutrition, anemia, and that terrifying fainting spell. “Chaotic” didn’t even cover it. This little life seemed so fragile. And yet so stubborn. I was terrified that the stress of this would trigger a premature birth. I was already prepared to call 911 at any second. I didn’t dare throw things. I didn’t dare scream. I even tried to hold back my tears. Until I couldn’t anymore. The reaction was violent—I started vomiting. I knelt on the bathroom floor, clutching the toilet, feeling like my internal organs were being rearranged. Caleb pounded on the door. He begged me to open up. He roared at me, telling me not to gamble with my life or the baby’s. I held my stomach, looking pathetic. I had wanted to end this with dignity. But the moment Caleb started drifting, my dignity was already being trampled in the dirt. Caleb called my parents. I only opened the door when I heard my mother’s voice. My father, usually the most mild-mannered man, looked at Caleb with a face of ice. “Is this how you treat my daughter?” They took me away. Caleb couldn’t stop them. My father asked me, “What do you want to do?” “I want a divorce,” I whispered. He was silent for a long time. “Then get one.” That night, my mother slept beside me. She held me, patting my back gently, but she didn’t ask a single question. The silent support of my parents allowed me to finally go numb. The next morning, Caleb was at the door. He brought breakfast, forcing a smile for my parents. They just nodded and left the house. They gave us space. Caleb held out a bowl of the soup I liked, looking at me like a kicked puppy. “Sloane, please eat something.” I kept my face blank. “Caleb, we need to talk.” 07 Where to even begin? “I gave you chances,” I said. “I even tried to pretend it didn’t happen.” Caleb looked at me, confused. I let out a hollow laugh. “That day Piper asked you if you’d marry her if you’d met her first… you were so anxious, so angry. You couldn’t sleep. You spent the whole night smoking on the balcony. That’s when I looked at your phone.” I’ve always believed that checking a partner’s phone is the beginning of the end. Once you do it, the trust is gone. And if there’s no trust, why be together? But here I was. Caleb stiffened. He instinctively leaned back. The posture of someone wanting to run. He balled his fists and took a deep breath. “But I didn’t reply to her.” I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. “I know. And that hurts more than if you had.” The suffocating silence returned. Caleb tried to speak several times. Finally, he said, “If you saw the messages, you know we never crossed the line before. I only ever saw her as a friend. The other night… we drank too much. We were reckless. But that was it. I never betrayed you, Sloane.” I didn’t look at him. I just stared at the wall. “April 3rd. The day of the anatomy scan. The first time we could really see what the baby looked like. I was so excited. You said you couldn’t make it because of a high-stakes board meeting. But you were hiking in the Catskills with Piper. “Every morning, you buy two bouquets of baby’s breath. One for her, one for me. Except for Valentine’s Day. That day, you bought her nineteen red roses. “The private elevator in your office requires a keycard. Piper complained about waiting for the public one, so you gave her your spare. “You told me your shoulder was aching from the gym, and she went to a specialist to get you custom medicated patches. I asked you about the smell of menthol, and you told me you bought them at a pharmacy. “On your birthday, after I fell asleep at midnight, you went downstairs. Piper gave you a pair of cufflinks. She asked if she was the first person to wish you a happy birthday. You said yes. “Your shorthand with her: She says [Go?], you say [Go!]. She says [Penthouse], you reply [1]. She says [Tired], you say [Coming now]. “The day you got the new car, you took her for the test drive. She told you people thought you were a couple, and you sent a ‘blushing’ emoji followed by a screen full of ‘Hahaha.’ “You spend twenty-seven minutes on the phone with her every day on your commute home. Except for when we were first dating, we’ve never talked that much. Do you have any idea how much that hurts?” The Caleb who talked to Piper was a stranger to me. No, that’s not right. He was the Caleb I remembered from college. Bright, talkative, even a little childish. But that version of him no longer belonged to me. The realization felt like a thousand ants crawling under my skin. Caleb’s head hung lower. “I just saw her as a friend,” he whispered, his voice devoid of conviction. “Sometimes I was just tired and needed someone to talk to. It was just talking. Sloane, what do I have to do to make you believe me?” “Caleb, do you know how much I wished you had just had a physical affair? Your ‘connection,’ your ‘understanding’… it’s a guillotine hanging over my head. I’ve been waiting for it to fall, living in terror. I tried to close my eyes. I debated if I could just live with it. “But I can’t. The moment you leave my sight, I wonder if you’re with her. I wonder what you’re saying. The suspicion is eating me alive. I’m going crazy, Caleb! You’re driving me insane!” I sobbed, my voice cracking. That last month and a half had been a living hell. I felt like I was losing my mind. Until he agreed to spend that night with her. She said: [Maybe this will help me move on. Caleb, please. Just one night.] Caleb replied: [Okay.] In that moment, the blade finally fell. “I want a divorce.” 08 Caleb wouldn’t agree. He said he’d do anything, make any sacrifice, except that. He started coming to my parents’ house every day. When they wouldn’t let him in, he sat in his car. He’d stay there all day. We were both bleeding out. It was only then that I realized how hard it is to get a divorce in this country. Without a mutual agreement, it’s a legal war. Mediation, filings, court dates. If it isn’t “at-fault,” it could take a year or more. But I was about to give birth. I couldn’t wait a month, let alone a year. I had to endure. It made me anxious, insomniac, and prone to fits of rage. One morning, when Caleb tried to hand me a bag of groceries at the door, I lost it. I grabbed the warm oatmeal he’d brought and threw it at him. It soaked his expensive suit. Caleb shook with anger. “What the hell do you want from me? I’ve admitted I was wrong. I’ve apologized. I’ve sworn it’ll never happen again. Why can’t you let it go? Am I really that unforgivable? After everything we’ve been through, you won’t give me a single chance? Sloane, stop being so dramatic!” My ears started ringing. My hand on the doorframe lost its strength, and I began to slide down. “Caleb, please… just stop disgusting me.” That was the last thing I said to him before I blacked out. My mother told me later I had a massive hemorrhage. Emergency C-section. It was a close call. But we both survived. Caleb’s mother flew in from London. She held my hand, her face full of pity. “You’ve been through so much. Why didn’t you call me? Caleb… well, he’s learned his lesson. He’s been crying in the stairwell for days.” I was too tired to speak. My mother was the one who pulled my hand away from hers. “Mrs. Sterling, if you really care about Sloane, tell your son to sign the papers. Stop the torture.” Caleb’s mother stiffened. “Now, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Couples have friction. Caleb was wrong, and I’ll make him apologize. But marriage is a marathon. There are bumps in the road. And now that the baby is here, for her sake…” They went on and on. I stopped listening. I drifted into a heavy, dreamless sleep. I had always respected Caleb’s mother. She had been good to me. But when the storm hits, a mother always protects her own. In her eyes—and in Caleb’s—I was the one blowing things out of proportion. Caleb wasn’t allowed in the room, so he stood in the hallway. My father wouldn’t let him in. He didn’t cause a scene. He just waited. Occasionally, he’d beg to see the baby. My mother caved a few times, taking the baby out while I was asleep. I knew. I just pretended I didn’t. I couldn’t erase the blood tie between them. Life is long. Could I really stop them from ever seeing each other? Caleb’s persistence was working. My parents were wavering. Looking at the baby, they’d sigh. “Maybe…” my mom whispered, “maybe you should reconsider?” 09 The isolation of being the only one who remembered the pain was agonizing. How could I explain it? If it were anyone else, maybe. But not Caleb. I had loved him so much. I had been so pure in my expectation of our family. And he stabbed me right when I was most vulnerable. The betrayal of a soulmate is a wound that never heals. I can’t spend the rest of my life with him. Why wait until the marriage is a rotted corpse to walk away?

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In the third year of our marriage, my husband’s college-student mistress was diagnosed with “cancer.” The man who had never believed in a higher power actually went to a historic cathedral, kneeling at every step to pray and light a candle for her. The incident went completely viral, making national headlines. He called me to explain: “It was her dying wish. I couldn’t refuse the kid.” I looked down, smiled, and hung up the phone. Then, I went back to tangling the sheets with the rebellious, untamable heir of the Vance empire. 1 That night, I was curled up on the sofa reading a script when my agent, Valerie, FaceTimed me. She looked furious. “Stella, your husband and his little pet canary are trending on X.” My finger paused on the script. I frowned in displeasure. Oliver cheating wasn’t exactly breaking news, but this was the first time it had trended so publicly. Valerie forwarded me a video, her face dark. “The girl he’s keeping on the side, Bella, apparently got diagnosed with cancer and only has a few months to live. Oliver somehow heard that St. Patrick’s Cathedral is miraculous, so he went there personally to pray for her. Now every media outlet is reporting on it. The PR team is having a hard time suppressing the trending tags.” I tapped on the video Valerie sent. It was filmed from a bystander’s perspective. In the video, the usually immaculate, suit-clad man was kneeling reverently, praying with absolute devotion before carefully placing a blessed silver pendant around the neck of the petite girl beside him. Watching this, I remembered the time I asked Oliver to come with me to church for a holiday service. He had exuded nothing but impatience. He didn’t even bother looking up from his stack of documents, his tone ice-cold: “I don’t believe in any of that nonsense. Find someone else to go with you.” I tossed the script aside and leaned back into the sofa. I thought about how Oliver and I had gotten to this point. We grew up together as childhood sweethearts. When I first entered the entertainment industry, a sleazy director got me drunk and tried to grope me. Oliver, who was negotiating a business deal in the VIP room next door, got a frantic call from Valerie and kicked the door down. I heard later that the director had to be carried out on a stretcher. When that story hit the internet, the romance between Oliver and me skyrocketed to the top of the trending charts. #StellaSterlingHarassed,OliverGrantFliesIntoARage #StellaAndOliverPowerCouple #ChildhoodSweetheartsToSoulmates Back then, I never imagined Oliver would ever change. And I certainly never imagined he would bring another woman right in front of my face. That day, all my dignity and pride were shattered. I screamed hysterically, “Who is she?!” Bella was petite, looking soft and fragile. Hearing my voice, she hid behind Oliver in terror. The man gently patted her head, signaling her not to be afraid. “Stella, maybe we should both try seeing younger people.” I understood exactly what he meant. My heart plummeted to the absolute bottom. “So, you cheated? And you’re trying to make it sound noble?!” Oliver frowned, disliking my phrasing. “It’s an open marriage. We can both play the field. You’ll enjoy it.” Crying, I launched myself at him, hitting him with my fists. Oliver didn’t dodge or flinch. He just stared at me for a few seconds, frowning. “Take some time to calm down.” He grabbed Bella’s hand and walked toward the door. I grabbed the crystal vase next to me and hurled it at them. Oliver only glanced back at me once before leaving without a second of hesitation. From the beginning, when he first started seeing women on the side, he would at least remember to change his clothes before coming home. Later on, he didn’t even care if there were lipstick stains on his shirt collar. 2 “Sister, I’m done showering. Have you finished reading your script?” A gentle, incredibly attractive male voice drifted from the bedroom. I snapped back to reality, instinctively looking at my phone screen. Valerie had clearly heard it. I met her probing, shocked gaze. I took a deep breath and spoke slowly, “Oliver isn’t the only one who stepped out. I cheated too.” Valerie’s expression looked as if she had just been struck by lightning. She was petrified. A few seconds later, a barrage of questions hit me: “When did this happen?!” “Who is he?!” “Are you two seriously dating, or is it just a fling?!” I was struggling with how to explain it to her when Wesley Vance walked out of the bedroom, shirtless. Droplets of water clung to his sculpted torso, trailing slowly down his abs to his waistline. Valerie’s jaw dropped to the floor. “M-Mr. Vance?!” I quickly threw out a, “I’ll explain another day!” and hung up. 3 Wesley pinned me against the sofa, his burning skin pressing against mine. “Sister, when are you getting a divorce? That trashy couple is trending online, which proves he doesn’t care about you at all. Everything Oliver can give you, I can give you too. Divorce him, please?” “Be good. Let’s not talk about that right now. Kiss me.” Wesley flushed red from his ears to his neck. His lips crushed against mine, deepening the kiss relentlessly. Outside the window, a heavy rain suddenly began to pour, the raindrops drumming against the glass. Inside, shadows intertwined. A sudden, urgent ringtone interrupted us. Glancing at the caller ID, my tone was flat. “What do you want?” As soon as I spoke, I realized how husky my voice was. On the other end, Oliver paused. “Is it a convenient time to talk?” Wesley, hearing that it was him, lightly bit my earlobe, eliciting an ambiguous sound from my throat. Noticing his petty little move, I smiled. “Pour me a glass of water.” Wesley glared at my phone, huffed twice in annoyance, and deliberately made a loud clatter as he walked to the kitchen. I shook my head. His temper was getting bigger by the day. Hearing the noise on my end fade, Oliver stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking. “I won’t be coming home for a while. I’m staying at the hospital to keep Bella company.” I was annoyed. Was it really worth a phone call just to tell me this garbage? Too lazy to argue, I impatiently gave an “Mhm.” “Bella’s final wish is for me to get her a blessed pendant. You know I couldn’t refuse. She’s just a young girl looking for romance. She posted it online, and I know it caused some negative PR for you, but please don’t hold it against her. Two of the top luxury brands—Eastwood and Carberry—have agreed to make you their exclusive global ambassador for the next five years.” I felt like I was listening to a joke. “You’re trying to buy my silence with sponsorships?” “Aren’t you thinking a little too highly of yourself? Grant Corp has skyrocketed over the past two years. Do you honestly not know how much of that was due to my industry connections?” “Have you spent so much time with that naive little girl that you’ve become ‘naive’ too?” I heavily emphasized the word ‘naive’. Normally, the conversation would end right here. Oliver would get angry out of humiliation and hang up. But today, he clearly had more to say. “That guy just now… is he your new boyfriend? His voice sounded familiar. Do I know him?” “Oliver.” I cut him off. “You’re crossing a line. You set the rules—we don’t ask about each other’s private lives.” I hung up the phone. Wesley walked back in right on cue. With that ridiculously handsome face, he didn’t say a word, just quietly waited for me to finish the water before picking up right where we left off. 4 The next morning, I threw off the covers and stepped out of bed. The moment my feet hit the floor, my legs gave out, and I nearly fell to my knees. Thinking about Wesley calling me “Sister” over and over last night, my face flushed hot. After washing up, I saw a bowl of pork and century egg congee and a veggie-cheese omelet on the dining table. I took a spoonful. It tasted amazing. I picked up my phone and called Oliver first to confirm he was at the office. Then, I dialed my lawyer. “Attorney Hayes, remember that divorce case I asked you to look into? Prepare the paperwork. We’re heading to Grant Corp shortly.” “Understood, Miss Sterling.” He paused. “You mentioned before that this case wasn’t urgent. Did something change?” “You saw the trending news yesterday, right? When an opportunity delivers itself to your doorstep, you take it.” Grant Corp, 38th floor. “Stella, post a tweet saying you went to the cathedral with us yesterday, but you rested in the car. Say you and Bella are close friends and that the internet rumors are false.” “Do you speak without using your brain now?” I took a sip of the coffee in front of me. Anyone could hear the mockery dripping from my voice. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stop being unreasonable. If Grant Corp’s stock drops, we both lose.” “Watch your phrasing. We don’t lose. I am the victim.” Oliver stretched his legs out. “I know you felt wronged by this. We agreed to an open marriage, but I went too far this time and didn’t consider your public image. You didn’t accept my compensation offer, so I’ll be more careful next time.” “Let’s get a divorce.” Oliver frowned, confusion in his eyes. “Divorce? Just because I got Bella a pendant?” He suddenly laughed, pulled an identical silver pendant from his pocket, and placed it in front of me. “I promise the trending drama won’t happen again. As for Bella, don’t hold a grudge against her. She’s just a kid, and you’re a grown woman.” I sneered and introduced the man beside me. “This is my attorney. My terms for the divorce are 20% of Grant Corp’s shares, plus a 70/30 split of all our joint assets. 70 for me, 30 for you.” The usually arrogant, composed Oliver completely dropped his smile after hearing my demands. “Bella only has two months left to live, and you’re forcing me to abandon her at a time like this?” “Don’t flatter yourself. If you don’t understand English, I can have Grant Corp’s legal team and translation department come in to explain it to you.” He didn’t speak. A minute passed. “Stella, are you serious?” “Out of all the women, why are you relentlessly targeting Bella?” “Don’t even think about the divorce. It’s impossible!” His refusal was exactly what I expected. I replied, “Right now, the entire internet is waiting for me to respond to your scandal with Bella. If you refuse the divorce and my terms, just sit back and watch Grant Corp’s stock hit rock bottom.” Oliver flew into a rage, but within seconds, he forced himself to calm down. “Mutual destruction does you no good. Don’t forget, you have a man on the side too.” “True. Unfortunately, you don’t have proof. But I do have high-def photos of you and Bella passionately kissing in underground parking lots, plus the receipts for every piece of real estate, jewelry, and luxury item you’ve bought her. Once those go public, your flawless CEO persona will crumble, and the stock will tank. Sure, it’ll impact me a bit, but I couldn’t care less.” I glanced at Attorney Hayes, who immediately produced a thick stack of photos. Every angle of Oliver and Bella you could imagine. The veins on Oliver’s forehead bulged. “Stella! You really are something. You’ve been preparing this for a long time.” I leaned lazily back in my chair, offering a faint smile. “So? Are we divorcing, or not?” “We’re divorcing!” 5 On the day of the divorce, the usually gloomy, rainy city suddenly cleared up. The paperwork was processed quickly. I slipped the official divorce decree into my designer bag. Walking out of the courthouse lobby, Oliver stared at me with ice-cold eyes. I knew he wasn’t going to swallow this loss easily. “Stella, how are you going to explain this divorce to your father?” I frowned. “A good ex-husband should act like he’s dead. Don’t worry about my business.” He laughed bitterly. “Fine. I just hope Richard doesn’t call me complaining.” He heavily emphasized my father’s name. “If you block him, you won’t get his calls.” “Sister, why are you talking like that? I grew up without a father. You have no idea how much I envy your family. Why don’t you cherish it?” Bella, who had been lingering near Oliver, eagerly ran over when she saw us walk out. I sneered. “You don’t need to envy me anymore. My family is yours now.” Bella bit her lower lip, unsure if it was out of embarrassment or anger. Oliver shielded her behind him. “She’s sick. Is it really necessary to talk to her like that? Forget it, let’s not argue. You need to post a public statement immediately saying we had an amicable split and that Bella was not the other woman.” “I can do that.” That was one of Oliver’s conditions for the divorce. In exchange, I had bumped the 20% of shares up to 23%. A very fair trade. After posting the tweet, Oliver turned to leave. Just before walking away, he offered some cynical advice: “Stella, don’t let some random guy on the outside sweet-talk you into losing your mind. Do they actually love you, or do they just want your money?” As soon as the words left his mouth, an imposing black Maybach pulled up aggressively right in front of us. I watched Wesley step out of the car. The black dress shirt made him look even more untamed and arrogant. He walked toward me carrying a massive bouquet of red roses. “Sister, did you really divorce him for me?” My eyebrow twitched. How did this become about him? But I didn’t deny it. He pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss, completely ignoring the people around us. Oliver recognized the familiar voice from the phone call the other night. “Stella! Since when have you been hooking up with Wesley Vance?!” Hearing his outburst, Wesley finally let me go. “Oliver, I really have to thank you. So, I brought a gift for you today too.” Oliver tried to refuse. Wesley didn’t give him the chance. He unlocked his phone. “The guy who filmed the video of you two at the cathedral? That was me.” Oliver’s face darkened, his jaw tight, his eyes like ice. “You two set me up?” I was shocked. I honestly had no idea Wesley filmed that video. “If I didn’t set you up, how could I get to be with Stella?” Oliver narrowed his eyes. “Very well! Stella, you better watch your back!” “What is wrong with you? Just because you tell me to watch my back, I have to? What, you think your face is more intimidating than anyone else’s?” I got into Wesley’s car. Under Oliver’s furious and Bella’s utterly confused gazes, we sped away. 6 On the drive back, my dad called and demanded I get my ass home immediately. As soon as I hung up, Valerie called. I answered, and before I could speak, she fired off like a machine gun: “You divorced Mr. Grant?! What do you mean ‘amicable split’?! What kind of deal did you make with him?! And what the hell is going on between you and Mr. Vance?! Explain everything right now! You disappear for days, you refuse to post on social media, and when you finally do, it’s a bombshell divorce statement! Do you know how many sponsors are blowing up my phone right now?! If we don’t handle this PR nightmare, you won’t get a single endorsement for the next six months!” “We’re divorced. It’s amicable enough. I got what I wanted, and Oliver paid a heavy price.” I deliberately skipped the question about Wesley. Valerie had been in the entertainment industry for years. She was sharper than anyone. “Then what is going on with you and Mr. Vance?” Seeing I couldn’t avoid it, I sighed. “It’s a long story. It’s complicated. Just don’t ask.” I hung up. The car had mysteriously parked outside my family’s house. Wesley stared at me with pure grievance in his eyes. “Sister, you’re divorced now. Do I still not deserve to be your official boyfriend?” I reached out and ruffled his perfectly styled hair. “Be good. Go home for now.” I got out of the car. As soon as I walked into the living room, a porcelain teacup was hurled directly at me. The atmosphere in the house was incredibly tense. The maids kept their heads down, pretending to work, but secretly glancing my way. “You ungrateful brat! Who gave you permission to get a divorce?!” I looked at my biological father, Richard Thorne, who had thrown the cup. He pointed a trembling finger at me, unleashing a barrage of scolding. Thinking about the massive portfolio of assets I now held, I offered a faint smile. “It’s my own marriage. Why the hell do I need your permission to end it?” Richard pointed at me in utter disbelief. “Y-You… what did you say?! Say that to my face again!” “I said, whether I divorce or not has absolutely nothing to do with you.” My voice dropped lower, turning icy. The living room fell into a heavy silence. The first to break it was Martha. Years ago, Richard and Martha had an affair while he was still married to my mom. After putting my mom in the hospital with rage, he even went to her hospital bed to demand a divorce. Just two weeks after my mother passed away, Richard moved Martha into our house, bringing along a younger sister, Mia, who was only two months younger than me. “Stella, what kind of way is that to speak? Your father is just looking out for you. Apologize to him immediately. Tearing the family apart like this is embarrassing.” I ignored her. Martha offered an awkward, strained smile. She paused, then cut to the chase. “Stella, you divorced Oliver. What kind of settlement did he give you?” “Ah. So that’s the real reason you demanded I come home so urgently, isn’t it?” Richard’s face was cold. “All you do is play around in Hollywood. Do you even know what’s happening to the family? The company is facing a severe cash flow crisis. Transfer the settlement money to the company immediately to tide us over. I’ll pay you back later.” Martha chimed in, playing the perfect supporting role. “Exactly. You’ve been so busy filming, we didn’t want to burden you with these annoying family issues. Your father has been working himself to the bone these past few years. It breaks my heart to see.” Watching her fake crocodile tears made me sick. “Since you feel so bad for him, why don’t you hand total control of the company over to me? I’ll give you a generous monthly stipend so you can comfortably enjoy your retirement.” Martha’s face changed. She replied stiffly, “Stella loves to joke. You’re doing so well in the entertainment industry, how could you just quit?” “I’m not joking. This time, I am officially retiring from the entertainment industry to take over my grandfather’s company.” My grandfather’s company. Those words clearly triggered Richard. Back in the day, he was a poor man who married into my mother’s wealthy family. He endured countless eye-rolls and insults. Over the years, he gradually seized complete control of the company and rebranded it as Thorne Group. He had probably convinced himself he built it from scratch. “You insolent brat! Get out of my house!” Richard pointed at the door, panting heavily in sheer rage. “Don’t get so worked up. You wouldn’t want to have a stroke and never wake up.” He tried to say something else, but Martha grabbed his arm. “The doctor said you can’t get angry! I’ll talk to Stella. I’ll handle her.” The two of them completely ignored my presence, exchanging meaningful looks. Martha turned to me, looking incredibly distressed. “Stella, you know how your father is. Bark is worse than his bite. He cares about you deeply. The company is truly facing a massive hurdle this time. You have spare cash. As his daughter, you should help him out. We heard Oliver also gave you shares in Grant Corp. You clearly don’t care about managing a business. Why don’t you transfer those shares to your father? After we pass away, all this money will go to you and your sister anyway.” I felt like I was listening to the funniest joke in the world. “My mother only had one daughter. Where the hell did I get a sister?” “Every cent the Thorne family currently holds was left to me by my grandfather and my mother. What does it have to do with you?” “You’ve lived in this house for so long, you’ve actually forgotten your place as a homewrecker, haven’t you?” The anger Richard had just suppressed flared up again. I cut him off before he could speak. “I’ll give you three days to move out of my house. Otherwise, I’m calling the police and reporting you for trespassing.” I checked the time on my watch, turned, and walked away. I completely ignored the furious curses and the sound of breaking porcelain crashing against the floor behind me.

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During my senior year, I intentionally failed my tests so I could pay the “school heartthrob” to tutor me, all to help him out of poverty. He hated me for it, claiming I was stealing time away from his childhood sweetheart. When he found out my actual SAT scores were 400 points higher than his, he cursed me—the “evil rich girl” with a fake heart—saying I’d never find true love. Later, he killed me. Even at my grave, he didn’t forget to warn me: “If there’s a next life, don’t bother with your fake pity. Don’t try to force a relationship that was never yours.” As he wished. In this life, I never asked for tutoring. He finally had all the time in the world to wash dishes and bus tables with his sweetheart at a greasy diner. 1 The school heartthrob, Jax Thorne, lost his father three years ago. His dad, a firefighter, died in the line of duty during a massive warehouse fire. My family owns the Sterling Dining Group, a massive chain of restaurants, one of which was saved by his father’s crew. To honor his sacrifice, my family donated $150,000 to his mother. Grief-stricken, his mother became chronically ill and was hospitalized. By the time Jax and I were seniors at the same elite public high school, his family had drained the life insurance and the donations. When my mom found out he was in my honors classes, she offered another $100,000. Jax rejected it with a cold glare: “Stop insulting me with your charity.” In my past life, I came up with a plan. I tanked my placement exams to rank at the bottom, then hired Jax as a high-priced tutor. I thought it would save his pride while giving him a way to stop working double shifts at diners so he could focus on his SATs and his sick mother. But he hated me for it. First, he believed the tutoring sessions took him away from his sweetheart, Lily Miller, causing her to fall for a “bad boy” at a rival school. Second, he felt my high SAT scores were a personal insult. He didn’t think a “failing student” like me should be smarter than him, and he accused me of using money to buy my way into his life. He told me he could never love me. He cursed me to never find happiness. Later, he reinvented himself. He got into a decent grad school and started a high-end medical aesthetics company. Being a former “heartthrob,” his face was his best marketing tool. He made ten million dollars quickly. He finally got the courage to find Lily, only to discover she was pregnant with twins by a billionaire twenty years her senior. His ten million was pocket change compared to that family’s estate. So, Jax turned all that resentment toward me. He invited me to his clinic for a “complimentary treatment,” then secretly injected a neurotoxin into my veins. He masked my death as a “rare aesthetic surgery complication.” My parents wanted justice. But knowing it happened at the company of a “hero’s son,” they were blinded by respect for his late father. They believed Jax’s lies. He even helped organize my funeral. After the burial, Jax swindled my parents out of a new investment. He stood at my grave, gloating. He warned me with pure malice: “If there’s a next life, don’t play the saint. I never needed your handouts. I wasn’t worth your ‘pity,’ and I certainly didn’t need your money. It was your arrogance that killed you. I have a clear conscience.” Maybe the universe saw the injustice. It gave me a second chance. This time, I won’t hide my light for a second. I won’t give a loser the chance to earn a single cent from my family. And I won’t let him hurt me again. 2 Holding my failing mid-term report card from junior year, I walked into my house. Seeing my parents looking years younger felt like a dream. My mom took the report card, fed me a slice of orange, and winked. “Our little genius is back. Take your vitamins and fish oil, Chloe. But don’t forget, you were the top student in the district. Don’t get too into character as a ‘struggling student.’” I swallowed the orange, fighting back tears. “Starting today, we’re not hiring Jax Thorne to tutor me anymore. And for the next exam, I’m not failing on purpose.” “Also, if he applies to work at any of our restaurants, please tell the managers to reject him.” My mom looked startled, exchanging a glance with my dad. In the previous life, they agreed to my “undercover” tutoring plan to help Jax, but they had endured a lot of gossip because of it. The daughter of the district’s top scholar was suddenly failing in an honors class. For two years, people whispered that my middle school grades were faked or bought. “Rich kids only know how to calculate money, not math,” they’d say. “She’s just trying to get close to the hot guy. She’s trying to ‘upgrade’ her family’s genes because, usually, it’s either a beauty with a beast or a plain girl with a hunk.” My parents had endured that shame just to help a hero’s son. And I had been so deep in the “role” that I actually developed feelings for Jax. I defended him constantly. I was a teenager; I was a sucker for a handsome face and a “brooding bad boy” trope. But the tears were gone now. I spoke firmly: “I’m not joking. I’m going to the study to catch up on my own.” Just then, the doorbell rang. Our housekeeper, Mrs. Miller, led a cold, arrogant-looking Jax into the foyer. Seeing his 18-year-old face made me want to gag. I suppressed the urge and let out a scoff: “I bet tutoring a ‘rich girl’ like me is beneath you, Jax. You can leave now.” “I’ll pay you for today, but if you don’t want ‘charity,’ feel free to decline the Venmo. From tomorrow on, don’t come back. My family’s house is big, but we’re done playing the Good Samaritan for someone who greets us with a sneer.” 3 The phantom pain of the toxin in my veins still haunts my nightmares. I woke up in a cold sweat, screaming. My mom rushed in to comfort me. “Chloe, what’s wrong?” She wiped the sweat from my forehead. “It’s just a dream. We’re here.” “Mom,” I whispered, hugging her tight. “Can we make sure none of our partner restaurants or suppliers hire Jax Thorne for part-time work? Don’t give him a single chance to earn money from our network. Not even as a dishwasher.” My mom was confused. “Chloe, what happened? Yesterday you were obsessed with helping him. Did he do something to you?” I couldn’t tell her about the rebirth; it would sound insane. I just explained that Jax had repeatedly shown contempt for our family’s “dirty money” and that he had rejected her $100k donation. My mom understood. She agreed. But she added that if he couldn’t work for us, he’d likely end up at our rival’s place—Vance’s Bistro. The place with terrible reviews, known for mistreating staff, but still somehow popular. I nodded. That was exactly the plan. I had a new goal: clearing the air and getting my revenge. First, make Jax realize exactly who he is without our support. Second, make him suffer. Third, watch him fall. 4 As expected, a week later, Jax was working part-time at Vance’s Bistro. Initially, he didn’t care about being rejected by other places because Lily Miller was also working there. To him, being with Lily was the only thing that mattered, even if the pay was $5 less an hour than what my family’s restaurants offered. Every day after school, Jax and Lily would meet at the crosswalk, share a cheap snack, and take the bus to go wash dishes. Jax’s mother’s hospital bills were astronomical. In the past, my family’s “tutoring fee”—which was five times the market rate—had kept them afloat. But without it, his $12-an-hour dishwasher job didn’t even cover the interest on the debt. He started begging the hospital for extensions. He started working graveyard shifts and skipping school to bus tables. Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Harrison, noticed. He called Jax to his office. Harrison didn’t want a top-ten student to waste his potential. He gave Jax $1,000 out of his own pocket and promised to organize a class-wide fundraiser. During study hall, the donation QR code was passed around. My desk mate, Sarah Jenkins, scanned it and sent $200. “That’s my whole coffee and breakfast budget for the month,” Sarah sighed. “Chloe, I know your family is loaded, so don’t laugh at my small donation.” I didn’t stop my pen. I didn’t even look up. “I’m not donating.” Sarah froze. “What?!” “Didn’t you used to pay him a fortune for tutoring? He’s basically your mentor. And your family is so charitable—like the movie Parasite says, the rich are nice because they can afford to be.” “Wait, that came out wrong. I’m not trying to judge you, I’m just curious…” I put my pen down. I passed the QR code to the person behind me. “You can’t be too nice, Sarah. Otherwise, you become a ‘Saint’ that everyone hates. Look up ‘malice of the beneficiary.’ If I donate, he’ll just feel insulted and probably try to pick a fight with me for ‘flaunting’ my wealth.” Sarah laughed. I whispered in her ear: “I’m just trying to stay safe. Seriously.” “Two years ago, my mom tried to give his family $100k, and he acted like we spat on his face. I’m done trying to force my ‘pity’ on someone who doesn’t want it. The Sterling bank is closed for Jax Thorne.” During the next class meeting, Mr. Harrison announced the total: $10,498. He coughed and looked directly at me. “Most of you are very kind students. However, some people who could afford to help chose to stay silent…” At the same time, an icy, hateful glare shot toward me from the front row. Oh, it was our charity case, Jax. 5 I stared right back at him, waiting for him to say something. He just turned away, silent. I packed my bags and went home. I needed my sleep. I had the finals tomorrow, and I intended to dominate the exam hall again. It had been a while since I allowed myself to be at the top. A week later, the results were posted. I jumped from the bottom to the top 30 in the grade, and top 5 in my class. Jax, who had been a top-10 student for years, plummeted to rank 100. The school went into a frenzy. “No way! Chloe Sterling is top 30? She improved by over 300 points? She had to have cheated!” “Wait, wasn’t she the district valedictorian in middle school? Maybe she’s just back in form?” “Everyone said she bought that title. And look at Jax! Why did his grades drop? Did they swap papers? He needs money for his mom…” Mr. Harrison called me into his office. “Did you cheat, Chloe?” “No.” “Prove it. Why is your score so much higher than Jax’s—the boy who was supposedly tutoring you? You didn’t donate to him; did you use that money to buy his answers instead?” I laughed. “Why should I prove anything? Burden of proof is on the accuser.” “Mr. Harrison, I used to respect you, but I see you’ve got a bias. My parents started with a food truck and worked 80-hour weeks for a decade. They focused on quality and service. If you’re so bothered by wealth, feel free to quit and start your own truck.” “You have to admit that wealth buys time. It buys the ability to focus on studying instead of survival. And my family pays a massive amount of taxes that fund this school’s ‘education grants’—which you’ve benefited from. Don’t bite the hand that feeds the district. If you’re confused about how the world works, read an economics book.” Harrison was speechless. “You… you have no respect for your elders!” I walked out. “Respect is earned, not given by a title. Stop trying to label people just because they don’t fit your narrative.” 6 I walked back to class, and Jax was waiting by my desk. He still had that look of pure condescension. “Can we talk outside?” I rolled my eyes. “Say whatever you have to say right here.” He stayed quiet for a moment, then spat out: “What did you say to my mom? She wants to see you. She’s asking for you at the hospital.” “Listen, she wants to see you, but that doesn’t mean I accept you. There’s nothing between us. Stop playing these mind games to get my attention.” I stood up and slapped him hard. “Stop talking like a narcissist. I’m not playing games. I stopped paying you because I realized I could get a better score than you without your ‘tutoring.’ Why would I waste my money on someone who looks like they’re smelling something bad every time they see me?” “And ‘us’? Jax, have I ever asked you out? Have I ever sent you a letter? No. You’re the one standing at my desk right now. Get some self-awareness and stop wasting the reputation your father built.” Jax’s face turned bright red. He looked shocked, then roared: “Whatever! I told you she wants to see you. I’m going back to work to earn my own way.” “Then go bus your tables and stop acting like a martyr, you hypocrite!” I shouted at his back. Sarah Jenkins stopped sipping her latte and grabbed my hand. “Chill, Chloe. Your cortisol levels are going to spike.” “I’m fine, Sarah. Getting that out of my system is better than any detox.” I offered to take her out for Korean BBQ to celebrate our scores. Sarah had moved into the top 30 too. We walked out of the school, ignoring the whispers of our classmates. At the restaurant, we stuffed ourselves with brisket and pork belly. Sarah pulled out two boba teas. “To the top 30! Next year, let’s aim for the Ivy League!” “To giving up on being a ‘Saint,’” I added. We clinked our cups. “To a bright future.” 7 A week later, I saw Jax at the hospital while I was there for a check-up. He was checking his mother out. Not because she was better, but because she was worse. She had suffered a massive stroke. She was partially paralyzed. They were broke. The crowdfunding only covered the initial debt. People lose their “generosity” when a case becomes a long-term burden. Jax’s mother saw me and my mom. She feebly waved and thanked us. She knew my family had helped them in the past and wanted to show her gratitude. “Jax doesn’t want to ask for more money,” she whispered. “He’s a proud boy. I’ll just do my physical therapy at home. He can help me after he finishes his shifts at the diner.” I looked at Jax. He was scowling, his hands covered in Band-Aids. He pushed his mother’s wheelchair into the cold wind to wait for a bus. He was taking out his frustration from Vance’s Bistro on us. I called my contact at the Bistro. I had a “vibe checker” working there. Jax was having a nightmare of a time. He hadn’t received his full paycheck because he broke a stack of “custom-made” plates, and the manager charged him triple for damages. He tried to go back to his old jobs, but every restaurant in the Sterling network and our partners had a “no-hire” note on his file. “Is this the Thorne kid? Sorry, Sterling Group is a major stakeholder here. We can’t hire him.” Jax finally realized that making money was hard. He had to work double shifts, skip more classes, and endure the abuse at Vance’s Bistro just to buy his mom’s meds. Meanwhile, Lily Miller was no longer washing dishes. The manager put her in a glass booth at the entrance to “perform” as a prep cook because she was pretty. She hated Jax’s constant complaining and started ignoring his texts.

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When I announced to Lana that I wanted a divorce, the room froze. My father-in-law frowned, asking if it was because she was always locked in her art studio. I said it wasn’t that—it was what she was doing with the replica of the Statue of David. My mother-in-law exploded, shouting that Lana had severe postpartum depression, that she was just painting, and that we could hire a nanny if needed. Lana, livid, slapped me and swore she hadn’t cheated or betrayed me—she’d just been absorbed in her art lately. Was that really grounds for divorce? The guests whispered, giving me disgusted looks. I laughed coldly and pointed at her studio door. I told them the truth: since she claimed that sculpted marble was the only thing that satisfied her, I was letting her have it. The truth was, she never let me inside. In the center of the room stood a life-sized David. Ever since giving birth two months ago, she’d become obsessed with sketching it. She spent almost every day locked in there, surrounded by crumpled paper, unfazed even by our crying newborn. I’d had enough of this twisted charade. That’s why I served the papers. … I slammed the freshly printed divorce agreement onto the dining table. “Sign it.” Lana stared at me, utterly horrified, tears already pooling in her eyes. “Silas!” “Have you completely lost your mind? So what if I’ve been busy painting this month? I admit I neglected you, and I am sorry. I’ll make it up to you, okay?” She practically shrieked, playing the absolute victim. “Did you really have to bring up a divorce in front of all our friends and family?” I lifted my gaze and scanned the room. Today was our fifth wedding anniversary. Lana had used the occasion to throw a lavish dinner party at our house, claiming it was just an excuse for our loved ones to get together. Yet from the moment the night began, her eyes never once landed on me. She even locked arms and drank a toast with her childhood best friend, Blake, completely ignoring her own husband. I realized right then that dragging this dead marriage out was pointless. “Since you don’t want to make a massive scene in front of our guests, just be a good girl and sign the damn papers.” I dropped the icy ultimatum, absolutely drained of the desire to argue. A suffocating silence smothered the dining room. The guests exchanged incredibly awkward glances. For the past five years, everyone in our social circle believed we were the perfect, untouchable couple. Lana’s face drained of all color. Her shoulders trembled violently as she put on her best wounded expression. “I am begging you.” She stepped close to me, keeping her voice to a desperate, tearful whisper. “Silas, whatever your problem is, we can talk about it when everyone leaves. Please don’t do this here. You’re scaring my parents.” I violently shoved her hand away. “Do not touch me.” Seeing my hostile reaction, the mood in the room instantly turned toxic. Everyone glared at me with blatant disgust. My father-in-law slammed his wine glass onto the table. My mother-in-law’s face morphed into a vicious scowl. Lana stumbled back from my push, conveniently collapsing right into the waiting arms of her precious childhood buddy, Blake. “Silas, are you even a man?!” Blake completely lost it. He stepped forward, veins popping in his neck as he pointed a finger at my face. “Did you forget that Lana carried your baby for nine months? Her stomach is covered in stretch marks! She hasn’t slept a full night in a year!” “Did you forget that your complete lack of support gave her severe postpartum depression? She almost threw herself off a balcony! Her therapist literally told her she needed isolation and a creative outlet to heal!” “Now that she’s finally finding peace in her art, why the hell are you tormenting her?” “The baby is born, and now you think her stretch marks are ugly. You think her body is ruined, so you want to throw her away. You ungrateful, disgusting piece of trash! Have you no shame?!” Blake stood high on his moral pedestal, painting me as the ultimate villain of the century. Curses and a flying fist came straight for my jaw. But before his knuckles could even graze my skin, I easily slipped to the side. I stared him down, a chilling smirk creeping onto my lips. “My wife has stretch marks on her stomach. How exactly do you know that? Are you two…” Blake immediately panicked. “It is common medical knowledge! Ask any adult in this room, who doesn’t know that?” The guests around the table nodded in agreement, buying his pathetic cover-up. My father-in-law put on a stern face, trying to play the wise elder. “Silas, you cannot be this impulsive in a marriage. My daughter lost half her life giving you a child. This is the universe testing your bond. You have always been a stand-up guy. Don’t be a coward when things get tough.” My mother-in-law crossed her arms, letting out a loud, accusatory snort. “I always knew men were garbage. Asking for a divorce out of nowhere? I bet he has some little tramp waiting for him in a hotel room.” “Spit it out! Who is the home-wrecker? Is she forcing you to make her your legal wife? Is that why you’re torturing my daughter?” She aggressively rolled up her sleeves, looking entirely ready for a physical brawl. She patted Lana’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry, sweetie. Mom will handle the mistress.” I laughed out loud. It was a bitter, hollow sound. “The problem was never on my end.” “You can spin whatever fairy tale you want, but this divorce is happening today.” Lana’s eyes were swollen like walnuts. She took a deep breath, stepping forward to grab my hands. “Honey, please tell me what went wrong. You were never like this. Did you forget the vows we made at the altar? For better or for worse, in sickness and in health…” Watching her play the deeply devoted wife literally made my stomach turn. “Enough. Drop the act.” “Get the hell away from me!” I shoved Lana back with pure disgust. She let out a dramatic gasp, falling weakly to the hardwood floor, intentionally scraping her elbow. “Silas, I have had enough of your bullshit!” Blake’s face twisted in furious jealousy. He aimed a lethal glare at me. “If you dare divorce Lana today, I swear to God I will cripple you.” “I would rather Lana be a widow than let an ungrateful parasite like you drag her name through the mud!” Blake completely lost his temper. He charged at me like a raging bull, trying to tackle me to the floor and beat me to a pulp. I just chuckled darkly. “This is an issue between a husband and a wife. Why are you sweating so much? Who gave you the right to speak?” “We grew up together! I am practically her brother!” Blake spat the words like venom. I smirked. “The kind of brother that shares her bed?” “You’re full of shit!” “Your own mind is filthy, so you project it onto everyone else.” While he was busy acting morally outraged, I threw a devastating counter-hook. My movement was fast, brutal, and precise. Blake loved to show off his eight-pack abs on Instagram, but those were just gym muscles. He had absolutely no idea that I had spent years in a boxing ring. Watching her precious boy get manhandled, Lana let out a blood-curdling scream. “Silas, stop it!” “You’re going to severely injure him!” Seeing me lock my arm around Blake’s throat, watching his face turn a violent shade of purple as he choked for air, Lana panicked completely. In her frantic state, she grabbed a heavy, antique crystal decanter from the dinner table. She swung it with everything she had, smashing it directly into the back of my skull. The dining room erupted into absolute chaos. Guests screamed in sheer terror. “Oh my God! So much blood!” “Call an ambulance!” Warm, thick liquid cascaded down the side of my face, stinging my eyes. My vision blurred rapidly, the screaming fading into a muffled, underwater echo. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Lana’s trembling, pathetic voice. “Honey, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean it!” “I was just terrified you were going to kill him… I didn’t want you to go to prison for murder…” “I already called 911!” As my knees buckled and darkness swallowed me, I knew there was a bitter, mocking smile plastered on my face. Look at this. Look at my amazing, loving wife. To protect her childhood bestie, she cracked my skull open with a heavy piece of crystal. When I finally opened my eyes again, the harsh fluorescent lights of a hospital room blinded me. My head throbbed with an agonizing, explosive pain. “Silas, please don’t move.” “They just put fifteen stitches in your head…” I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a dry chuckle. “Did you sign the divorce papers yet?” “The second I am discharged, we are going straight to the courthouse to finalize this.” Lana’s fake weeping stopped instantly. “Why are you still talking about a divorce?!” She stared at me in absolute disbelief, massive tears dropping onto the back of my hand. “Silas, I love you so much. The moment you got hurt, I was the one who called the ambulance! What kind of spell are you under?!” I couldn’t hold back my bitter laugh. “You love me? So you smashed my skull open with a crystal decanter?” If that was her version of love, I would rather she loved literally any other man on earth. My rhetorical question choked her up. She scrambled to defend herself. “Silas, that was pure instinct in a terrifying situation! You looked possessed! You were strangling Blake to death, and you terrified all of us.” “You know my family and his family have been neighbors for decades. Blake and I grew up together. We have known each other since we were in diapers.” “He was just trying to help us! He wanted to fix our marriage, and you said those vile, disgusting things to him!” “Shut up.” I cut her off with a voice made of ice. “Spin whatever lies you want. I am done listening. My answer remains the same. Divorce.” Even my in-laws, who had been eavesdropping at the hospital room door, exchanged uneasy glances. They clearly hadn’t expected me to be this ruthlessly decisive. They pushed the door open and barged in. “Silas, you are normally a very level-headed guy. Tell me the truth. Did Lana do something to break your heart? You tell me, and I will discipline her myself.” The person speaking was my father-in-law, attempting to play the good cop. But it was entirely a facade. Before I could even open my mouth, he flipped the script. “Or is there another woman in the picture?” “We are both men here. Do not let some young, flashy girl ruin your judgment and destroy the rest of your life.” My mother-in-law’s expression turned incredibly impatient as she chimed in. “Exactly. Married couples fight all the time. You argue at the dinner table and make up in the bedroom. Stop throwing a childish tantrum.” “A real man needs to have some capacity for forgiveness.” “If you scream for a divorce every time you get a little upset, how are you ever going to survive a marriage?” Lana suddenly displayed an unnatural amount of patience. She gently held my hand, leaning in close. “Honey, what kind of trouble are you in? Tell us. We are a family, we can fix it together.” “You are so insanely determined to get a divorce. Are you… suspecting something?” Beneath her cautious, fragile gaze, I saw a terrifying undercurrent of raw panic. Yet the tears just kept rolling flawlessly down her cheeks. “No matter what kind of mess you are in, I will never abandon you. You don’t have to push me away to protect me.” I stared at her, my face devoid of all emotion. Over the years we had been together, her tears used to be my ultimate weakness. Whenever she cried, I surrendered. Whatever she asked for, I gave her. She wanted to convert the massive guest room into her private art studio? I agreed. She hung a sign on the studio door that read “No Silas and No Dogs Allowed”? I laughed it off and let her have her space. But right now, I was done turning a blind eye. “There is nothing left to say, Lana. I just don’t love you anymore.” Lana flinched like she had been struck by lightning. Her eyelashes fluttered frantically. “What did you just say?” “Silas, I gave birth to your child! Does it not destroy your conscience to say something so cruel?!” She sobbed violently, her shoulders heaving for dramatic effect. Seeing that I was entirely unmovable, my father-in-law let out a furious snort. “Silas, remember that you asked for this.” “If you force this divorce, you are leaving with absolutely nothing. We will make sure you walk out of here penniless.” I simply closed my eyes and ignored him. Faced with my absolute apathy, they lost their minds, cursing me under their breath. They practically carried the weeping, devastated Lana out of the hospital room. “Stay strong, sweetie. A man like this isn’t worth your tears. Let’s go!” But their anger was laced with deep confusion. They couldn’t fathom how a perfectly happy marriage had spontaneously combusted into an irreconcilable nightmare. My best friend, Jaxon, heard I was hospitalized and rushed over to see me. “Silas, man, what the hell happened to you?” He had already seen the viral gossip online. My wife smashing a vase over my head to protect her childhood bestie during our anniversary dinner had become the hottest trending topic in our city. I was officially the internet’s biggest joke. Jaxon winced as he looked at my bandages, taking a deep breath. “You and Lana were the poster couple for true love. How did it end up in a bloody divorce?” I sat in silence for a long time before speaking. “Have you ever seen the Statue of David?” Jaxon blinked, confused. “The naked marble guy in Italy? The world-famous masterpiece?” “Yeah.” Jaxon listened quietly as I continued. “Lana has a life-sized replica in her studio.” Jaxon paused, then let out a relieved laugh. “No way. That has to be a cheap fake…” “Exactly!” I cut him off sharply. “It is a fake.” “And—” “It moves.” Jaxon froze completely. The realization hit him like a freight train. “Are you saying…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence, his face cycling through sheer horror and disgust. Half a month dragged by. After I was discharged from the hospital and returned to the house, Lana completely changed her tactics. She wore an incredibly sheer, seductive nightgown, practically drowning herself in expensive perfume as she slid up next to me. “Silas, I know I have been freezing you out lately. Tell me what you don’t like, and I will change.” Her voice was husky and sweet, dripping with forced affection. She went from a cold artist to a desperate kitten. After five years of marriage, I knew exactly what this was. It was pure, unadulterated damage control. But every time I pictured that locked studio door, a wave of violent nausea washed over me. “Silas…” She wrapped her arms around me from behind, pressing her lips softly against the back of my neck. “Everything I held back from you before… I will give it all to you tonight… Ah! Silas, what the hell?!” Before she could finish her seductive whisper, I forcefully shoved her away. She tumbled backward, crashing onto the carpet. Seeing my aggressive, ruthless rejection, Lana’s fabricated patience instantly evaporated. “Don’t push your luck, you arrogant prick.” “Silas, I apologized. I begged. I literally threw myself at you. What more do you want from me?!” I looked at her flushed, rosy cheeks. I couldn’t tell if she was flushed from the anger, or if she had just been thoroughly entertained by someone else. “I don’t want anything. I told you, I only want a divorce.” I replied with a lazy, bored tone. Lana froze, reverting back to desperate begging, trying everything to manipulate my decision. “Silas, did you really forget the vows we made?” “You promised you would always stand by my side, no matter what. It has barely been five years!” “And our daughter is only a few months old! Are you truly cruel enough to abandon her? To let her grow up without a father?” “Silas, how can your heart be this cold?!” Lana’s eyes were bloodshot, massive tears streaming down her face. “If we divorce, what am I supposed to do? What is our daughter supposed to do?” I let out a dark chuckle, staring at her with dead eyes. “Why the hell would I care what you do?” Lana’s eyes filled with venomous disappointment. She ground her teeth together. “Fine. If you want to be a heartless monster.” “I might as well take the baby and jump off the roof.” She immediately bolted for the nursery, scooped up the baby wrapped in a blanket, and sprinted for the balcony. I sat on the couch, not moving a single muscle. I knew it was a pathetic bluff. She wasn’t going to die. Because I had heard her whisper to someone else that the person she and her daughter truly needed was never going to be me. Just as I predicted, Lana stood awkwardly on the balcony in the freezing wind, clutching the baby, completely frozen in place. “Silas, you really are a monster!” “You want a divorce so badly?!” “Then fine! We’re done!” A torrential downpour had started outside, but she dramatically carried the baby straight out the front door and into the storm. Barely ten minutes later. The front door was practically kicked off its hinges by her precious Blake. A barrage of furious insults rained down on me. “Silas, you are a piece of trash! Did you forget the time you got into that horrific car wreck? The doctors said you might never wake up. Lana stayed by your hospital bed every single day, wiping your face, taking care of you!” “And now you demand a divorce? Was your conscience eaten by a wild dog?!” Blake knew my reputation in our circle. He knew I valued loyalty and gratitude above all else. He saw my silence and assumed I was reminiscing about her past kindness, thinking my resolve was breaking. But I just stared at him with glacial eyes. “If she was the one who ended up in a coma, I would have taken care of her exactly the same way.” “But paying off a debt of gratitude doesn’t mean I am staying in this rotting marriage. I want a divorce.” Three days later, fueled by pure spite, Lana finally signed the divorce papers. But she added a brutal stipulation: I had to leave with absolutely nothing. I scoffed. “On what grounds? You are the one at fault here. If anyone is walking away with nothing, it’s you.” My mother-in-law’s chest heaved with fury. She rolled up her sleeves and pointed a shaking finger an inch from my nose. “Have you no shame?! How dare you say that out loud!” “My daughter paints pictures in her studio. What exactly did she do wrong?! You greedy, disgusting pig. Your math is brilliant. Are you going to demand the wedding ring back next?” My father-in-law was practically vibrating with rage. “You ungrateful parasite! Have you forgotten how you got everything you own?! Do not forget that I gave you your start. You were a penniless nobody when you met her!” “Now you’ve got a little money, you think you can disrespect us? You definitely have a mistress hidden somewhere. You dump my daughter, and now you want to leave her homeless?!” “I should call the local news right now and let the world see what kind of psychotic sociopath you really are!” Jaxon, who had been standing quietly behind me, finally stepped up. “I think you guys have a massive misunderstanding. Silas isn’t like that. There is a deeply messed up reason for this.” But I was exhausted. I was done arguing with brick walls. “If you refuse to let Lana leave with nothing, then we will settle this in front of a judge.” As I turned to walk out the door, the nanny tried to hand me the baby for a hug. “Mr. Silas, no matter what happens, the little lady is your own flesh and blood. How can you be so ruthless? Refusing child support is one thing, but how can you cut off their only lifeline?” I completely ignored her, brushing past without a second glance. Desperate to force my hand, Lana carried the baby and physically blocked my car on the street outside. Blake panicked, aggressively shoving my shoulder. “What the hell are you staring at?! Your wife and kid are standing in the middle of traffic! Go get them before they get hit by a damn car!” I laughed coldly. “If they get hit, that is none of my business.” But the universe has a sick sense of humor. A drunk driver suddenly blew through a red light, losing control of a massive SUV. The car clipped Lana and the baby. The baby was severely injured. She was rushed to the emergency room in critical condition, requiring an immediate, massive blood transfusion. Lana lost her mind. With nowhere left to turn, she dropped to her knees on the hospital floor right in front of a crowd of onlookers. “Silas, I am begging you! Please, go give your daughter your blood!” I stood there, absolutely untouchable. “Why the hell are you asking me for blood? Go ask your beloved David statue. I am sure he would be thrilled to donate.” Lana froze, her face instantly turning the color of chalk. The crowd in the waiting room erupted, cursing me, calling me a cold-blooded psychopath. They said I didn’t even deserve to be called human. “Her baby is dying, and he’s making jealous jokes about a piece of art?! A psycho like this shouldn’t even be allowed near women!” “He’s a controlling, demonic narcissist!” Lana’s face was stained with mascara and tears. She glared at me with absolute hatred. “Silas, I finally see you for the monster you are. Fine! We are getting divorced! And don’t you dare come crawling back to me when you realize what you lost!” In the end, it was Blake who miraculously happened to be a perfect blood match. He donated the blood. My cold, apathetic refusal was recorded by a bystander and uploaded to TikTok. The internet completely tore me apart. I was globally canceled in a matter of hours. “Oh my God, how does a man like this even exist? That is his own biological child! He deserves to rot in hell alone.” “Any woman who marries him is signing her own death warrant. Ladies, watch out for walking red flags like this guy.” Jaxon looked incredibly stressed. “Silas, the entire internet is calling for your head. Are you seriously not going to release a statement?” I shook my head, my face an emotionless mask. “There is no need to explain anything online. We just wait for the trial tomorrow.” I looked up, a lethal chill in my eyes. “Lana played me for a fool for way too long. I am going to destroy her.” The next morning. Lana and her parents arrived at the courthouse early, radiating arrogant confidence. Trailing closely behind them, looking incredibly smug, was Blake. They looked down their noses at me, issuing their final warning. “Silas, a judge isn’t going to side with a paranoid, controlling freak who throws tantrums over nothing.” “I suggest you plead guilty to emotional abuse right now. Maybe Lana will be generous enough to leave you one percent of the assets.” I ignored them completely, taking my seat at the plaintiff’s desk with an eerie calm. After Lana’s lawyer presented their fabricated evidence of my ‘cruelty’, the judge turned his attention to me. “Mr. Silas, your primary complaint is that your wife paints a replica of the Statue of David in her studio. How is this relevant?” “You absolutely cannot demand she forfeit all marital assets based on her artistic hobbies.” Facing their victorious, mocking smirks, I spoke loud and clear. “I have undeniable proof.” I slowly panned my gaze across the smug faces of my soon-to-be ex-family. “Right now, I am going to show this court the real reason I filed for divorce.”

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