Category: English

All because she heard that grinding down finger bones made a great beauty treatment, my husband, Brad, chopped off my finger and gave it to his childhood sweetheart, Ashley. I died from the infection in the rundown shack across the street from our house. Before I died, my daughter, Lily, begged him to take me to the hospital. But Brad just didn’t care, and he threw her out of the house. In front of all the staff he said, “She’s really going to extreme lengths to get my attention.” Later, my hands and feet were shaking and I was coughing up blood. Lily swallowed her pride and went to him again. Brad just laughed, “It’s just one finger. It didn’t kill her. Why is she still going on about this?” Later, Lily knelt in front of him, banging her head on the ground. Blood was everywhere. He finally lost it and slapped her across the face. “You’re a useless little twit. What if she does die? If you bother me again, I swear I’ll sell you to some hillbillies in the mountains.” At her wit’s end, Lily stole my cell phone, which he’d confiscated, and called 911. But his sweetie Ashley caught her. She snatched the phone and stomped on it, looking totally unconcerned. “The company just got started. Calling the cops will ruin our reputation. As for your mom dying…who cares?” 1 Lily knew that her dad didn’t care about me. He was obsessed with his precious Ashley. To save my life, Lily knelt in front of Ashley and begged her to help me. Once, Lily had pointed her finger at Ashley and called her a shameless woman. Now, she was giving up everything to grovel at Ashley’s feet. “Ms. Ashley, please help my mom. She’s really going to die…” Lily was sobbing and banging her head on the floor. She didn’t know what price she could pay. She was just hoping her actions would work. Ashley looked down, watching coldly without saying a word. Lily kept banging her head on the ground, over and over. Blood started oozing out, staining the floor red. Finally, Ashley slowly smiled, her words dripping with sarcasm: “You’re just like your trashy mother. Pathetic, crawling on the ground.” Lily looked humiliated, her face burning red, but she grit her teeth and said, “You can say whatever you want. Just please save my mom.” Ashley just smirked, not agreeing or refusing. Instead, she lifted Lily’s chin with her foot. “If you like crawling around like a dog so much, then lick my shoes clean. Show me how sincere you really are.” Lily flinched. She hesitated for a few seconds, then lowered her head and stuck out her tongue, licking lightly. The maids all started laughing, taking pictures with their phones. “Wow, she’s a natural at being a dog, even at her age.” “We don’t need to keep a dog. We can just chain her up outside…” “Quiet, she’s still the master’s daughter. He wouldn’t like it if he heard you.” “Who cares? Everyone knows he hates that kid. He wouldn’t lose a second of sleep if she died out there…” Hearing the maids’ taunts, Ashley looked even more pleased. She kicked Lily. “Filthy thing! I wouldn’t even want your spit on my shoes!” Lily didn’t care. She just looked at Ashley with pleading eyes. But all she got was a cold smile. “We’ll see,” Ashley said. She sashayed away, leaving Lily standing there in despair, tears streaming down her face. I saw it all. I squeezed my eyes shut and whimpered, “Lily, come back…” A sharp pain shot through me, like my whole body was burning. I couldn’t stop shaking. I was trying to grab something for support but I knocked over a glass. Crash! The sound made the door fly open. “Mom, what’s wrong!” Lily ran to me, trying to stop me from shaking. Her tears were flowing again. “Mom, I’m so sorry. You’re suffering because of me…” Everything started to blur. My head was pounding. I slowly lifted my blue hand and touched my daughter’s head. I wasn’t going to make it. My only worry was Lily. She was too young to take care of herself. I forced a smile. “I’m okay, sweetie. Don’t worry.” Lily cried harder. “You’re lying! You were coughing up blood last night. You thought I didn’t see you!” I tried to explain, but I just coughed. My face was bloated, my body was blue. Brad wouldn’t even look at me. Why would anyone come see me? I was leaving. I didn’t want Lily to see me at my worst. “I want some candy. Can you go get me some?” I tried to smile, trying to seem calm. Lily started to nod, then stopped, shaking her head. “No! Mom, I don’t want to leave you!” Lily was smart. She knew what I was planning. But she had to go. I pulled out the last of my money and smiled, handing it to her. “Don’t you think I look a little better? ” Lily paused and looked at me closely. She nodded excitedly. “Mommy’s face… it’s got color again!” “See? Go now. Get a bunch of different kinds. I want to try them all…” “I promise, I’ll be here when you get back.” Lily nodded over and over. She wasn’t worried anymore. She ran out. I kept smiling until she was gone. I laughed softly, coughing up blood. I fell back on the bed. My moment of clarity didn’t last long enough. I wouldn’t get to taste that candy. “I’m sorry for breaking this promise…” 2 Maybe because I had unfinished business, my soul was floating above my body. I was surprised, and then I looked in the direction Lily had gone. I drifted that way. “Excuse me, do you know where I can buy some candy?” She left the house and then realized she didn’t know where to go. She was in a hurry. She didn’t have time to turn back. So she asked a stranger. “Get away from me! You’re filthy! You disgust me!” A woman looked disgusted and waved her purse at Lily, running away like she was escaping a disease. Lily couldn’t get out of the way. The purse hit her head and she fell. She stared at the woman as she left. “I just…wanted to know where to buy it.” My heart hurt. I ran to her and tried to help her up. But I floated right through her. I forgot. I was dead. Lily took a deep breath, clutching the money. She got up and ran to another person. “Sir, can you tell me where I can buy some candy?” This time, Lily was more careful, keeping a distance from the man. The man looked her up and down, looking disgusted. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were dirty, and her face was grimy. Only her bright eyes stood out. “You want to buy candy, beggar?” Lily nodded, looking eager. She held up the money. “I can pay!” The man’s eyes narrowed. He smiled slyly. “I have some right here. Come on in.” A few minutes later, Lily was kicked out. She landed hard on the ground. She was crying. She glared at the man. “Why did you steal my money!?” The man smirked, “You were stealing my money. I should be the one yelling at you. Get out of here before I call the cops!” Lily was furious. Her face was red. She pointed at the man, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. “I’m… I’m Brad’s daughter! Brad from the Brad Corporation!” The man laughed. So did the people watching. “The Brad Corporation? Take a look in the mirror. You’re not good enough.” The man picked up a chair. He laughed, holding it up. “If you can get the CEO of the Brad Corporation, I’ll leave you alone. Otherwise, I’m going to beat you with this chair, and you’re going to meet your maker!” Lily looked scared. She scrambled away, ignoring the pain. She ran around a corner and couldn’t hold it in anymore. She started sobbing. A soft voice spoke behind her. “Little girl, I have some candy. Do you want some?” Lily flinched. She turned around, looking terrified. “Sorry, I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to be here. I’ll leave…” She tried to leave, but the man stopped her. “Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you.” The man smiled and pulled out a bag of candy. “You want candy, right? Here, take it.” Lily looked stunned. She looked at the man for a long time and then got excited, thanking him over and over. The man waved his hand. He thought for a moment. “You haven’t eaten, have you?” “Brad from the Brad Corporation is throwing a big party to welcome back a woman. It’s at a restaurant not far from here. He’s invited the whole town to eat…” He smiled. “That woman is his childhood sweetheart. No one would look down on you at a party like that.” Lily trembled. She looked down. She remembered a lot when she heard Brad’s name. She remembered his cold face. She remembered her mom kneeling, getting whipped until she passed out. Her own father was the one throwing that party. “I understand…” I stood behind Lily, heartbroken. I knew how she felt. I used to be the most important person to Brad. I had everything I could want. Brad would always look at me with love. He was so caring. But then Ashley came along. Everything changed. She was Brad’s childhood sweetheart, the woman he could never have. Now she was here, and Brad was crazy about her. They were like a couple in love. Just because Ashley said something, Brad dragged me to the hospital and cut off my finger. She didn’t want to share Brad’s love. She just wanted me to die. Because of who Brad was, he wouldn’t let me get away, even if I ran. The man watched Lily. He pinched her cheek. “You’re so cute. Your parents must be beautiful.” “Parents?” Her eyes dimmed. She looked down, twisting her fingers together. “I don’t have a dad.” “My mom… is dying.” 3 Lily ran back with the candy. She was imagining how happy I would be. She turned a corner and saw Ashley talking on the phone. Lily slowed down, trying not to bother her. Since Ashley had moved in, Lily was always getting punished for something. Sometimes she had to stand in the corner. Other times she got punched and kicked. Ashley paused and glanced at Lily. Her voice was playful. “Honey, I’ll talk to you later. There’s a stray dog in the house.” She put the phone on speaker. The phone blasted Brad’s worried voice, “Stray dogs are filthy. Don’t let it bite you. Have the maid throw it out. I don’t want you seeing that…” Lily bit her lip, looking sad. Lily and I were no different than stray dogs. We lived in a rundown shack. We wore Ashley’s old clothes. We could only eat if Ashley was okay with it. Ashley was like the lady of the house. Lily and I were like outsiders, living in humiliation. Ashley hung up and walked over to Lily. “Come here.” “Ms. Ashley…” Lily backed away. “I said, come here!” Ashley glared, her eyes cold. Lily was defiant for once. “My mom needs me. I have to go back.” Ashley’s face darkened. She slapped Lily across the face. Lily screamed and stumbled, almost falling. But Ashley wasn’t going to let her go. She grabbed Lily’s chin. “All you ever talk about is your mother. Why doesn’t she come save you?” Lily tried to break free. She dropped the candy. It scattered on the ground. “Trash,” Ashley sneered, kicking the candy away. “No!” Lily’s eyes turned red. She bit Ashley’s hand. Then she scrambled to pick up the candy. “You little brat! I’ll kill you!” Ashley’s eyes teared up. She kicked Lily in the stomach. She laughed, stomping on the candy. “You want it, right?” “You’re not going to get it!” She grabbed Lily’s hair and dragged her into the corner, kicking her in the face. “I’ll teach you to bite! I’ll teach you!” The more Lily screamed, the more excited Ashley became. “It makes me sick to see you with your mother’s face. I’ll destroy it…” I was filled with hate. I wanted to fight Ashley to the death. The phone rang again. “Are you home? I forgot a file.” Lily was crying. She said, “Dad.” Lily was covered in blood. Her mouth was torn. Her voice was barely audible. But Brad heard her, sounding confused. “Who’s crying? Is that my daughter?” Ashley stepped on Lily’s face, grinding it into the floor. Blood poured out. “It’s nothing. You heard wrong…” I was frantic. I wanted to be the one under Ashley’s foot. But a few seconds later, Brad’s cold voice spoke behind us. “What are you doing here?”

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My fiancé ditched me at our engagement party because he’d fallen for the sweet, innocent new girl at his company. He took her on a reckless yacht trip trying to be romantic, which ended with him critically injured and unconscious. The new girl vanished. For the sake of our families’ intertwined businesses and reputations, I nursed him back to health. But the first thing he did when he woke up? He destroyed my family, made us bankrupt, all to supposedly avenge his lost love. I died on what would have been my third wedding anniversary with Ethan Hayes. Swallowing the nausea churning in my gut, I tried to keep my face neutral as I handed him the divorce papers. The Vance and Hayes families went way back, practically dynasties in this town. My parents had treated Ethan like their own son. After we got married, my family’s company, Vance Corp, trusted him completely, gave him access to everything. He used that trust to collude with our rivals, shorted our stock, and drove us into the ground. Our company collapsed. Grandpa had a massive heart attack. Dad was pushed to desperation and jumped from his office building. Mom withered away, lost in grief. I didn’t want to fight him anymore. All I wanted was for him to sign the papers and let me go. He took the agreement but didn’t sign. “Let’s have one last meal together,” he suggested. Seeing the refusal forming on my lips, he added, “I’ll sign after we eat.” So I sat down. The food tasted like ash in my mouth. I managed a few bites, put down my fork, and waited quietly. He took his time, raising his wine glass to me. “A toast, to thank you for taking care of me all these years.” I just wanted this to be over so I could go home and check on Mom. I picked up my glass and downed it in one gulp. The bitter aftertaste lingered. “Can you sign now?” I asked, looking up at him. That’s when I saw the smile playing on his lips. “Looks like signing won’t be necessary after all. You wanted freedom, didn’t you? Well, you’ve got it. Eternal freedom.” His voice, usually smooth and cultured like a cello, now held a demonic whisper. “What are you talking about?” I scrambled to my feet, but a wave of dizziness hit me. Was I drunk already? But seeing that smirk, I knew. This wasn’t just the wine. He’d drugged me. “Why?” I couldn’t understand. Our families had been close for decades. My parents adored him. I knew I couldn’t win against him; I just wanted to take Mom and disappear somewhere quiet, live out our lives in peace. “Why would you do this to me? To my family!” I screamed at him, my voice raw. I couldn’t think of a single thing I’d done to deserve this. He, on the other hand, had repaid every kindness with betrayal. He watched my staggering form, his expression dark and stormy. “This is what you owe me. What you owe Lily!” Lily? He must have seen the confusion on my face because he sneered. “What, forgotten already? If your family hadn’t insisted on that damned engagement, I wouldn’t have had to take Lily away. She wouldn’t have been lost at sea, her body never even found.” As he spoke, his eyes actually reddened. He glared at me, like I was some kind of monster responsible for it all. It was laughable. Utterly insane. He was blaming the Vances for that accident? I had to laugh, a broken, hollow sound. Six years. Three years tending to him while he lay in bed, recovering. Three years married after he got better. And he’d never forgotten her. It was pathetic. We’d known each other practically our whole lives, but it meant nothing compared to the few months he’d known her. Was he devoted? Or just cruel? “Vance Corporation has paid its price. Now, it’s your turn, Eleanor Vance.” “So, Mr. Hayes,” I spat, anger bubbling up through the haze, “what ending have you planned for me?” “Don’t worry,” he said, a chilling calm in his voice. “Considering you took care of me for a while, I won’t make it painful. Just go to sleep, and you’ll be free. Consider your shares in the company my compensation.” “I’ll arrange a beautiful funeral. ‘Mrs. Hayes, overcome with grief, succumbs to depression.’ ‘Mr. Hayes, heartbroken, mourns his beloved wife.’ How does that headline sound?” Looking at his familiar face, I felt nothing but disgust. My vision blurred. The world tilted. Finally, everything went black. 02 “Ellie, what’s wrong? You look so pale.” The first thing I heard when I came to was Mom’s worried voice. Across the room, Dad and Grandpa were talking to some guests, but their eyes kept flicking towards me. “Mom!” I threw my arms around her, clinging tight. She gently patted my back, comforting me just like she always did when I was upset. Nestled in her warm embrace, listening to her soft murmurs, I wished time could just stop right there. I was back. Somehow, unbelievably, I was back. “What’s this? Ethan’s a no-show, so now you’re throwing your usual princess tantrum?” A sharp, mocking voice cut through the moment. “Honestly, Eleanor. You come from such a good family, why do you have to chase after Ethan Hayes like a lovesick puppy?” I turned around. Standing there was Chloe Sterling, a petite girl with a sour expression. I managed a small smile. Ignoring her usual protests, I linked my arm through hers. “You know what? You’re absolutely right. I’m done with him. I’m taking your advice.” Chloe and I had always been rivals, constantly sniping at each other. But in my past life, after my family went bankrupt, all the fake friends who used to flatter me vanished instantly. Chloe, my supposed nemesis, was the one who actually started checking in on me. As for why Ethan wasn’t here yet… I knew exactly why. This was the year. The year Ethan had that accident – paragliding, I think it was. He was in a coma for days. When he woke up, Lily White was there by his bedside. She had bandages on, scratches on her pretty face. He was incredibly moved. Finding out Lily didn’t have a job, he ignored his family’s objections and hired her as his personal assistant. The very next day, they were splashed all over social media, riding a carousel at an amusement park. It even trended online. Mom heard the whispers around us and squeezed my hand reassuringly. “Ellie, don’t listen to them. You and Ethan grew up together. We all know he cares about you deep down.” I squeezed her hand back, seeing the worry in her eyes. “Mom, I’m fine. Really. I haven’t liked Ethan that way for a long time.” From the look on her face, she clearly didn’t believe me. And why would she? I used to follow Ethan around like a shadow. Saying I was suddenly over him? No one would buy it. “Ellie,” Mom’s grip tightened, her eyes lighting up, “Look, Ethan’s here!” 03 I followed her gaze. Ethan was just getting out of his car, head slightly bowed. The murmurs in the room died down the moment he appeared. We’d grown up together. It was an unspoken understanding between our families that we’d eventually merge the Vance and Hayes legacies through marriage. But Ethan didn’t walk towards us. Instead, he went around to the passenger side and opened the door. He reached in and helped out a girl dressed in a flowing white dress. The whispering started again, louder this time. “The heiress versus the ingenue…” “Looks like the newcomer won this round.” Ethan held Lily White’s delicate wrist and strode towards the main gathering area. Lily clung to his side like a frightened bird. When she saw me, she flinched and ducked slightly behind him. Ethan noticed her movement, followed her gaze to where I stood, and his expression soured. 04 I almost laughed out loud. I really was blind in my past life. I hadn’t noticed any of this back then. The moment Ethan arrived, my stupid, love-struck brain took over, and I rushed towards him. When I saw Lily, I lost it completely, calling her a homewrecker right there in front of everyone. It wasn’t my fault, not really, but my emotional outburst embarrassed the Hayes family terribly. And who got all the sympathy? Lily, the fragile flower. Thinking back, I forced my expression back to neutral. “Hi, Eleanor!” Lily peeked out from behind Ethan, offered a quick greeting, and immediately ducked back again. “Don’t you dare call her that, like you’re family! Who do you think you are?” Before I could even react, Chloe jumped in, fiercely protective. Ethan’s brow furrowed deeply. “Eleanor Vance, is this how you treat the person who saved my life?” Seriously? I hadn’t even said a word, and it was still my fault? How had I never noticed how messed up Ethan was before? “Ethan, it’s okay. I don’t mind,” Lily murmured, pulling at his sleeve. Her voice trembled, a single tear clinging precariously to her lashes. “I grew up poor, in the countryside. It’s only natural that people look down on me.” Look at that performance! So pitiful, so fragile. Any idiot would fall for that, right? I almost wanted to applaud her skill. Predictably, Ethan’s face darkened further. He gently wiped the tear from Lily’s cheek, murmuring soft reassurances. Then he turned back to me, glaring daggers. “Eleanor, you have absolutely no class!” 05 The composure I’d been fighting to maintain finally snapped, and I let out a laugh. Beside me, Mom and Chloe both looked worried. I waved a hand dismissively. “I’m fine.” Lily White was a truly gifted actress. Much more dedicated than Ethan, who couldn’t even be bothered to pretend in front of my own mother. It was pathetic how lovesick and blind I’d been in my past life, completely missing her true colors. I’d almost bought her whole innocent damsel act. Her schemes, her ambition – she hid it all so well behind that sweet facade. She fooled everyone. 06 I remember back then, weak and recovering from the shock of my family’s ruin, I’d asked Ethan why he fell for Lily. “Everyone around me is nice to me because I’m the Hayes heir,” he’d said. “Even your family, even you, Eleanor. Isn’t that why you stuck around?” At the time, his words completely threw me off. I just stayed silent, unable to respond. To him, my silence was proof of his accusation. “That’s why you’ll never compare to Lily,” he continued. “Her love for me is pure. Unconditional.” Looking back now, that whole speech was a massive red flag signaling just how warped his thinking was. So, being the heir to the Hayes fortune was some kind of burden for him? Fine, then give it up! He enjoyed all the perks and privileges that came with his family name but didn’t want any of the responsibility. What a joke. Lily takes care of him for a few months, and he remembers it forever. I took care of him for years, and he forgot in an instant. The watch he wore paragliding, the clothes – all high-end luxury brands. Was it really that hard to figure out he was wealthy? Lily obviously recognized the signs and decided to stick close to him, playing the long game. 07 “Ethan,” Lily whispered, tears welling up again, “Is… is Eleanor laughing at me?” “Maybe… maybe you should just ignore me. I’m not good enough for you anyway.” “Eleanor,” she turned her tear-streaked face towards me, “it’s all my fault. Please don’t misunderstand Ethan. I just mentioned I’d never been to a fancy party like this, and he kindly brought me along.” “Well, look at you, knowing exactly where you stand. That’s something, I guess. Not many people have that kind of self-awareness these days.” Chloe rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. “Enough!” Ethan roared, his voice cutting through the party chatter, silencing the entire hall. Lily jumped, feigning fright, her hand trembling as she clutched his suit jacket. Ethan captured her hand, holding it tightly in his own. I, meanwhile, casually picked up a glass of red wine, sipping it slowly as I enjoyed the melodrama unfolding. “Eleanor, can you forgive me?” Lily pleaded, looking at me with those big, tearful eyes. I took another sip of wine, saying nothing. After all, Chloe was the one laying into her. I just wanted to slap her. Suddenly, Ethan lunged forward and smacked the wine glass out of my hand. Red wine splashed onto the polished floor and my dress. “Eleanor Vance, don’t push it!” 08 “What did I even do? Just watch the pity party?” I didn’t react aggressively, just calmly dabbed at the wine staining my hand. Dealing with Ethan’s tantrums for years had unexpectedly turned me into a master of emotional control. “Is this how you treat guests? Is this the kind of manners the Hayes family taught you?” He turned back to Lily, dabbing at her crocodile tears again, before whirling back to me, his voice sharp: “Apologize to Lily! Now!” I couldn’t help it; I laughed again. “Guest? Since when is she a guest?” This time, I deliberately dropped the empty glass I was holding onto the floor. The shattering sound echoed in the now dead-silent room. “You brought a complete stranger into my family’s home uninvited. I should have had security escort her out. Now you’re causing a scene at my birthday party? Really, Ethan, where are your manners?” Last time around, Lily played the victim, Ethan was willfully blind, and I was the fool. The three of us created a trashy high-society drama that everyone gossiped about for weeks. I suddenly remembered something from my past life: I’d seen Lily acting suspiciously at the engagement party, talking furtively to someone bundled up, maybe even handing something over. Not long after that, a major Hayes project fell through spectacularly. It should have been a sure thing, but some small, insignificant company snatched it right out from under them. My gut told me the two incidents were connected. I called Ethan immediately, warned him to be careful around Lily. He blew up at me, accused me of trying to sabotage Lily just so I could force the engagement. It wasn’t until the night he killed me that he finally admitted it. He said it was because of my warning call that he confronted Lily out on the yacht. She got angry and jumped overboard. So, according to his twisted logic, I was the one who killed Lily White. Seriously, what kind of messed-up reasoning is that? He managed to be both the fool and the blind man in that scenario. 09 The upper crust of this city is a small world. Most people at the party were familiar faces, regulars at these events. Even bringing a date usually involves adding them to the guest list beforehand. Now, curious and judgmental eyes were all focused on Lily. Unable to stand the whispers, Lily shrank further behind Ethan. “Eleanor, why are you deliberately making things hard for Lily? Apologize!” Ethan’s inner knight-in-shining-armor complex flared up as he shielded her. His yelling was giving me a headache. I took a couple of steps back, forcing a tight smile. “You know, Ethan, you kind of remind me of a soap opera actor.” He clearly didn’t get the sarcastic reference, probably thinking I was complimenting his looks. “You think flattering me will work? No chance! Apologize!” “Hahahaha! A soap actor! That’s perfect! Hahaha, and he thinks she means he’s handsome!” Chloe doubled over laughing behind me. I couldn’t help the corners of my eyes crinkling in amusement. I really must have been blind. How did I ever think this guy was smart and sophisticated? “You’re mocking me!” His face flushed with anger. “Mom, are Grandpa and Mr. Hayes still in the study?” I ignored Ethan’s outburst and turned to my mother. Mom nodded, looking a bit dazed. I lifted the hem of my dress and headed towards the study. Seeing me make a move towards his grandfather, Ethan hurried after me. “What now? Going to run crying to Grandpa again?” “That’s all you ever do. Same old trick every time.” “Hey! Wait up!” I ignored his shouting and walked straight to the study door. Sometimes, calling in the grown-ups isn’t just for kids; it’s necessary for dealing with adult idiots you can’t reason with. My grandfather and Ethan’s grandfather, old Mr. Hayes, had been best friends since childhood. After Ethan’s parents died tragically, Mr. Hayes, already semi-retired, had to step back in to stabilize the family company. Worried someone might try to harm Ethan during the transition, Mr. Hayes asked my family to look out for him. My parents basically raised him alongside me. And now, Ethan was stubbornly insisting on choosing Lily. Old Mr. Hayes felt deeply indebted to my family because of this whole situation, which meant he usually indulged my requests. “Eleanor, don’t you dare use your birthday to make some unreasonable demand! I’m telling you, I am not marrying you!” So, he’d heard the rumors that Mr. Hayes planned to announce our engagement tonight. I glanced back at him. He really had been sheltered his whole life, completely clueless about the strategic importance of a Vance-Hayes merger. Perfect timing. Hearing the commotion, my grandfather opened the study door. “Ellie, what brings you here? Did you hear your wish is about to come true and came to thank your Grandpa Hayes early?” Ever since I turned eighteen, my birthday wish every year had been to marry Ethan Hayes. “Grandpa,” I said, taking his arm, “I don’t like Ethan anymore. I don’t want to marry him.” At first, Grandpa probably thought I was just throwing another fit. But when he saw the dead seriousness in my eyes, his expression changed, breaking into a wide grin. “Alright then! If you don’t want to marry him, you don’t have to. My dear Ellie deserves much better.” I knew Grandpa hadn’t been happy with Ethan for a while. He only tolerated the idea because he knew how much I supposedly loved him. The engagement announcement was quietly shelved. Later, when the birthday cake arrived, I closed my eyes and made a wish. “I only wish for my family to be safe, happy, and prosperous.”

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The first time my real parents, the Sterlings, the richest couple in the state, came to get me, their long-lost daughter, Tiffany – the girl who’d been living my life – set out to destroy me. She was a master manipulator, sweet as pie to your face but pure venom behind your back. She twisted everything, convincing Mom and Dad I was some kind of jealous, vindictive monster. She spread rumors at school until nobody would talk to me. Then, for her own sick gain, she set me up, drugged me, and handed me over to some predator, making sure the whole world knew. My life hit rock bottom. I didn’t survive it. But she did. She basked in Mom and Dad’s love, got into a top college, had the perfect future laid out for her. Then I opened my eyes. I was back. Back to the day Mom and Dad pulled up to that rundown shack to take me home. And there she was, Tiffany, waiting on the porch of the Sterling mansion with a practiced, welcoming smile. This time, I smiled back. Oh yeah, this life? I was going to play her game. I was going to beat her at it so badly, she wouldn’t know what hit her. 1 “Move it! Get this floor clean, or no dinner for you tonight!” My foster mother – the woman who’d raised me, if you could call it that – cracked the switch against my back. I gripped the rag tighter, scrubbing the filthy floor, my whole body shaking so hard I could barely stay upright. I bit down on my lip, trying not to cry out. That only made her hit harder. The switch whistled through the air, each strike sending jolts of pain deep inside me. “Get away from her! Don’t you touch my daughter!” Suddenly, a man burst in, shoving my foster mother aside. It was him – my real father. He knelt, pulling me up gently, his eyes full of pity. “Chloe? Are you okay?” My face was streaked with dirt and tears. I looked up at him, letting my voice tremble. “Am I dreaming? Are you… are you really my mom and dad?” That did it. My father’s face crumpled, and he pulled me into a hug, sobbing. My real mother, who’d been hovering near the door, finally came closer, her eyes brimming with tears. My foster mother shrieked in anger, raising the switch again. A police officer who had come with my parents quickly stepped in, blocking her. “Ma’am, that’s enough. Let’s go.” I followed my real parents out of that hellhole and back to my real home – the Sterling estate, a sprawling house in the city’s most exclusive neighborhood. And there she was, waiting by the massive front door. Tiffany. The architect of my previous demise. She wasn’t even their real daughter. She belonged to the trash who’d raised me, the ones who’d abused me for years. But some twisted scheme had put her here and me there. My fists clenched. As soon as Tiffany saw Mom, she rushed over, grabbing her hand. “Mom! You must be exhausted! That awful place… the roads are probably terrible, and those people looked so rough. You poor thing, you must have been terrified.” Mom shook her head, clearly touched. “I’m okay, sweetie. Don’t you worry.” Tiffany threw her arms around Mom, tears welling up. “Mom, I missed you so much while you were gone!” “I missed you too, baby.” They hugged like nothing else mattered, like I wasn’t even standing there. I cleared my throat softly. “The roads are pretty bad out there,” I said, my voice quiet and hoarse. “Full of potholes. I used to fall down all the time walking them. Sometimes… sometimes people would throw rocks at me. They called me… called me trash they found on the side of the road. I walked roads like that for ten years.” Mom let go of Tiffany, turning to me. Her eyes were filled with guilt and a fresh wave of pain. They’d spent one afternoon there and couldn’t stand it. I’d lived it. Dad choked up. “Chloe… honey, Dad will buy you a Rolls-Royce. Brand new. Wherever you want to go, a driver will take you.” Tiffany’s face paled instantly. “Dad! You said that car was going to be mine!” Dad frowned. “You already have a perfectly good car, Tiffany. Don’t be selfish.” She bit her lip, looking genuinely hurt. Okay, her current car wasn’t a Rolls, but still. She forced a smile. “Dad’s right. Sorry, Chloe. Let’s go inside.” She reached for my hand. I instinctively pulled back, looking down at the floor, saying nothing. She froze, her eyes widening slightly before instantly filling with tears. She looked so wounded, so rejected. Classic Tiffany. I knew she was secretly thrilled. Another chance to make me look bad. Sure enough, she started sniffling. “Do… do you hate me, Chloe? Do you think I stole your place? I’m so, so sorry. Maybe… maybe I should just leave. I’ll pack my bags…” She sniffled dramatically, making a show of turning to leave, clearly expecting someone to stop her. No one moved. I slowly held up my hand, showing the raw, slightly bloody scrape on my palm from scrubbing the floor earlier. “My hand’s bleeding,” I whispered, looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes. “I didn’t want to get blood on your pretty dress, Tiffany. Did… did I do something wrong?” I lowered my head again, shoulders slumping, the picture of shame and misery. My clothes were torn and filthy, practically falling apart, a stark contrast to her expensive-looking designer dress. Dad’s face turned thunderous when he saw my hand and heard my explanation. “Tiffany! Chloe is clearly injured, and you tried to grab her hand like that? Are you really welcoming her home? Apologize to your sister! Now!” Tiffany flinched, her body trembling slightly. Her eyes flashed with resentment, but she choked out a barely audible, “Sorry.” Heh. Last time, she’d pulled a similar stunt right at the door, making Mom and Dad feel sorry for her, promising they’d never neglect her. I was left standing there, alone and awkward, the outsider, the joke. This time? The tables had turned. 2 Tiffany mumbled her apology. As we walked inside, I shot her a tiny, knowing smile that only she could see. I saw the vein throbbing in her temple. While I was showering and changing into some clean, albeit borrowed, clothes, she cornered me. “Listen here, Chloe,” she hissed, dropping the sweet act entirely. “You lowlife piece of trash belong back in that dump. Don’t think for one second you can come back here and take my place!” She leaned in close, her voice dripping with menace. “Mark my words, I’ll have you thrown out of here within three months. You’ll never set foot in this house again!” I just smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry, Tiffany. The only one leaving will be you. I hear your real parents miss you terribly.” Her face went chalk-white. She knew exactly what her biological parents – the Grimeses – were like. Being their unwanted daughter from birth meant she knew the kind of monsters they were. “Oh, by the way,” I added casually, reaching for the cheap burner phone I still had. “I think I have your mom’s number here somewhere. Should I give her a call right now? Arrange a little mother-daughter reunion?” I started scrolling through contacts. Tiffany let out a strangled gasp and practically tripped over herself running out of the room. All bark, no bite. Pathetic. Once I was settled in my new room – which was bigger than the entire shack I grew up in – I sent an email to my twin brother, Ethan. Get home. Now. Last time, Ethan was the only one who was ever truly on my side after I came back. He’s brutally honest, says whatever he thinks, which made him easy pickings for Tiffany’s games. She’d framed him for things, complained constantly until Mom and Dad thought he needed discipline and shipped him off to boarding school. With him gone, Tiffany had free rein, and my life became even more isolated and miserable. I was too scared, too beaten down, always trying to keep the peace, not wanting to upset Mom and Dad further. And she exploited that weakness until she destroyed me. Not this time. Ethan showed up the next day. The second he saw me, his face lit up, and he swept me into a huge hug. “There she is! My real sister! Look how much you look like me! Way better than that imposter.” I hugged him back tightly. It was so good to see him. Last time, things went downhill so fast, I never got a proper chance to connect. I didn’t waste any time. I laid out my plan – how Tiffany operated, how she’d tried to ruin me, and how this time, we were fighting back together. He grinned, nodding enthusiastically. “About time someone saw through her act! Seriously, Chloe, I was worried you’d fall for her Miss Innocent routine just like Mom and Dad.” Trust me, I knew better. Last time, I had fallen for it initially. “Ethan, we gotta wise up,” I said firmly. “We play her game, use her tactics against her. We gotta be the ‘green tea,’ so the real ‘green tea’ has nowhere to go.” Ethan pumped his fist. “I’m so in! All those years at boarding school? I basically majored in spotting manipulative BS. I’ve been waiting for payback!” Mom and Dad weren’t thrilled Ethan had just shown up without permission and wanted to send him right back. I immediately put on my best pleading face, explaining how I’d just met my brother and desperately wanted time to get to know him. It worked. Ethan got switched to attending his school as a day student. The house felt a little more alive now. Showtime. 3 Dinner time. Tiffany was glued to Mom’s side on the sofa, whispering something that made them both laugh. Mom reached out and affectionately patted Tiffany’s head. It was a picture of pure maternal bliss. My brother came clattering down the stairs, took one look at the scene, and immediately threw an arm around my shoulders as I sat watching TV nearby. “Oh, my poor, dear sister!” Ethan declared loudly, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Seeing your own mother looking so happy with the fake daughter… it must break your heart! After all those years separated, you finally come home, only to sit here all alone! How lonely you must be!” I took my cue, letting out a choked sob. Big, fat tears started rolling down my cheeks. I looked small, fragile, utterly helpless. Mom’s smile vanished, replaced by guilt. She quickly beckoned me over. “Chloe, honey, I’m so sorry. Mommy wasn’t paying attention. Come, sit here with me.” Tiffany’s face tightened, but she reluctantly started to shift over. Ethan wasn’t having it. He physically pulled Tiffany out of her spot next to Mom. She whined, instantly playing the victim. “Ethan, what are you doing? I just wanted to sit with Mom!” “Who are you calling Ethan like you know me? Don’t call me your brother,” he scoffed. “Look at your face, look at mine. We don’t look alike from head to toe. My real sister is standing right here!” He pulled me forward. “And let me tell you, sis,” he continued, his voice rising with indignation, “while you were suffering, getting beaten, probably coughing up blood at her parents’ place, she was here living like a princess! Eating the best food, wearing designer clothes! And now she can’t even stand you sitting next to our own mother? Where’s the justice in this world?!” I covered my face, my thin shoulders shaking with silent sobs. His words hit Mom and Dad like a physical blow. Mom immediately pulled me into her arms, murmuring apologies. Dad’s eyes were red-rimmed. “Chloe,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “you’re our daughter. We’ll make up for all the suffering you endured. We promise. No one will ever hurt you again.” Tiffany watched us – the real Sterling family, finally together – her expression twisting into an ugly mask of jealousy. It was practically radiating off her. But she quickly smoothed her features, forcing a smile. “Mom, Dad, let’s just eat, okay?” We moved to the dining table. Tiffany was all smiles again, sweetly serving Dad and Mom food. Meanwhile, Ethan piled my plate high with all of Tiffany’s favorites – shrimp scampi, the best cut of steak, lobster mac and cheese. Tiffany didn’t take long to snap. “Ethan! I haven’t even had a bite yet!” Ethan sighed dramatically. “You’ve been impersonating my sister for ten years, Tiffany. You’ve eaten more fancy food in this house than most people see in a lifetime. My real sister,” he gestured to me, “barely had enough to eat out in that shack. It breaks my heart!” Tiffany’s complaint died in her throat. Her lower lip trembled. Here it comes, I thought. The waterworks. “Waaaah!” But the sobbing wasn’t coming from her. It was me. I suddenly burst into loud, gut-wrenching sobs, tears streaming down my face. Tiffany stared, completely thrown off. The tears she’d been summoning vanished from her eyes. I took a bite of steak, still sobbing. “It’s… it’s so good,” I choked out between cries. “I haven’t eaten food this good in ten years! Back at the… the Grimeses’ place… I only got scraps, maybe some thin soup. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad.” Ethan jumped right back in. “Waaah! My poor sister! So thin, just skin and bones! The real Sterling heiress, suffering like this! And now, finally home, trying to enjoy a decent meal, she gets attitude from the imposter! Oh, why is my sister’s life so tragic!” Mom and Dad looked deeply troubled. They glanced from Tiffany’s healthy, well-fed figure to my gaunt frame. Anyone could see the difference. Their guilt was hitting critical mass. Tiffany panicked, dropping the fake tears act. “I have nothing to do with the Grimeses!” she blurted out. “You are my parents! This is my home!” 4 She looked terrified of being abandoned, and that vulnerability tugged at Mom’s heartstrings. “Tiffany has been with us since she was a baby,” Mom said softly, defending her. “She’s not like those people.” Dad didn’t immediately agree. He looked at me. I was eating slowly, carefully, savoring each bite like it was precious gold. My oversized sleeves made my wrists look impossibly thin. When I felt his gaze, I looked up, a flicker of nervousness in my eyes. “Dad? Tiffany… she’s probably just not used to me being here yet. If she’s upset with me, I understand. It’s okay. As long as our family can just get along…” Dad’s expression softened into deep affection. He looked at me with pride. “Now that sounds like a Sterling,” he declared. “I’ve made a decision. Chloe, I’m transferring 20% of the Sterling Industries stock into your name. And I’m giving you two penthouse apartments downtown, plus a fifty-million-dollar trust fund. Do whatever you want with it – start a business, travel, anything.” The sheer scale of his generosity stunned Tiffany. Her mask of composure finally cracked. Her eyes were wide with disbelief and naked envy. After ten years of being the Sterling princess, her accumulated assets didn’t come close to this. I put on my best shocked-and-overwhelmed face. “Th-thank you… Thank you, Dad. Mom.” Tiffany’s face was practically green. The bitterness in her eyes was impossible to hide. I turned to her, a hint of a smile playing on my lips. “Is something wrong, Tiffany? You’re staring.” She forced her lips into a tight smile. “Nothing. Congratulations… sister.” Across the table, Ethan gave me a subtle thumbs-up. That dinner made one thing crystal clear: while Mom was still blinded by her affection for Tiffany, Dad was more rational, more inclined towards fairness. Thinking back, even last time, Dad had occasionally questioned Tiffany’s behavior when Mom was completely snowed. Deep down, I, his biological daughter, held a different place in his heart. It was only after Tiffany orchestrated event after event to discredit me that he finally lost hope. Tiffany wasn’t the type to take this defeat lying down. Her kind of personality wouldn’t let it go. Sure enough, a few days later, when everyone else was out, leaving just the two of us in the huge house, she made her move. She came sashaying towards me in a floaty white dress, holding a cup of coffee. “Chloe,” she said, her voice sickeningly sweet, “I have this amazing project idea, but I need about fifty million in seed money. Since Dad just gave you all that cash, could you lend it to me?” The nerve! I ignored her, pretending to read a magazine. “I knew it!” she snapped, her voice turning sharp. “All that talk about wanting the family to get along – it was all lies! You’re just a pathetic liar!” I finally looked up, giving her a cool glance. “The family I want to get along with doesn’t include you, Tiffany. Don’t forget, your real name is Grimes.” Her face contorted with rage. I’d hit a nerve. “You’re just like them!” she spat, her voice low and vicious. “Just as low-class, just as dirty! I bet those disgusting Grimeses pimped you out to half the town already, didn’t they? And you still try to act all innocent and pure around here?” My blood ran cold. Without a second thought, I swung my hand and slapped her, hard, across the face. She stood there, stunned for a moment, then her face flushed with fury. She shrieked and threw the hot coffee at me. I dodged it, then calmly picked up my glass of ice water and splashed it right in her face. No more turning the other cheek. Not this lifetime. “You bitch!” she screamed, completely losing it. “I’m going to kill you!” She lunged, claws out, aiming for my neck. Did she really think I was scared of her? I met her attack head-on. Years of hard labor on the Grimeses’ property meant that even though I was thin, I was strong. Way stronger than this pampered princess who’d never done a day of real work in her life. I grabbed a handful of her perfect hair and didn’t hold back. She didn’t stand a chance. I yanked out several clumps, and she started howling like a stuck pig. “Help! Somebody help me!” She scrambled backward, pure terror in her eyes. Just then, we heard the sound of the front door opening. Her face lit up with manic glee, and she started scrambling towards the entrance. I wasn’t letting her get away with framing me. I tackled her, landing on top of her. Instinctively, she grabbed my legs and flung me sideways with surprising strength. Thump! I hit the polished marble floor, hard. And right at that moment, the door swung open. Mom, Dad, and Ethan were home.

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My next-door neighbor is Liam Reynolds, the national heartthrob. Thanks to his insane track record—six movies and two TV shows in just two years—his house is mostly empty. We’re neighbors, right? So, letting my big orange tabby, Cheeto, hang out in his yard isn’t that big a deal, is it? I swear to God, I didn’t plan it initially! But the fence the builders put up is ridiculously low. Cheeto basically vaults over it like it’s nothing. He can jump it, but can I? I tried, once. Got my butt stuck. It took several security guards to pry me down. Mortifying. After that, His Majesty Cheeto just sunbathed in Liam’s yard during the day and came back to torment me at night. Until one night, the little traitor didn’t come home. Suddenly, I knew exactly how my parents felt when I snuck out to that party back in eighth grade. I can still hear my mom standing at the school gate, pointing right in my face and yelling, “Ava Fang, I don’t know who on earth would ever marry you!” So there I was, standing at Liam’s massive front gate, yelling Cheeto’s name over and over. “Cheeto! Cheeto!” Probably kept it up for five or six minutes, my voice getting hoarse. Nothing. Dead silence. Desperate times. I tentatively gripped the iron bars, put my feet on the lowest rung, and was about to hoist myself up when the gate… just slid open. Slowly. So, technically, I didn’t break in. The gate practically swung me inside! Totally invited. Yeah, let’s go with that. It doesn’t count as trespassing if the gate asks you in, right? I searched the whole yard. No Cheeto. The house lights were dim, like always. My stomach churned. Don’t tell me the little furball actually got inside? The front door was definitely locked. Was I seriously going to have to climb a window? Using the stone fountain base in the yard as a step stool, I carefully reached up and pushed on a second-floor wooden window. Creak. It actually opened! What the heck was going on with this house today? Was it haunted? “Can I help you?” A cool male voice suddenly came from inside the window. I looked up, and there was Liam Reynolds, staring straight at me with an expression of utter disbelief. 2 I knew who he was, obviously. Not just because he was a superstar actor, but because my best friend, Maya, totally stans him. I’d always been a little skeptical when Mike from security claimed Liam lived next door; figured he was just bragging. “Uh… hi,” I managed, feeling like an idiot. “I’m your neighbor.” Liam looked me up and down, a mix of amusement and resignation in his voice. “Well, you have a… unique way of saying hello.” Cheeto, nestled comfortably in his arms, let out a smug little meow, basically saying, The royal audience is over. You may leave. At Liam’s suggestion, we moved our conversation somewhere slightly less precarious – namely, inside his living room instead of me dangling from his window. Liam sat on the couch, wearing a black silk robe that hung open slightly, still holding a now-sleeping Cheeto. Now I finally had a chance to really look at the guy. Deep-set eyes, flawless skin, features so perfect they looked like they were CGI-generated. He seemed entirely focused on petting the cat, so I had to break the awkward silence. “Sooo… selfie?” Liam glanced down at his revealing robe, then back at me with that same look of disbelief. Right. Okay. Maybe a bit forward. “You say this cat is yours, and you’re my neighbor,” Liam said, clearly not buying it yet. “Do you have any proof?” How was I supposed to prove I was me, and Cheeto was my Cheeto? “You can call security! Mike knows me!” “No way,” he countered immediately. “It’s the middle of the night, and you just climbed into my house. How would we explain that if it got out?” He wasn’t trying to give me a hard time, though. After a simple confirmation that seemed to satisfy him, he handed Cheeto back. The cat’s fur is key for scent lock-in. I buried my nose in his orange fluff – classic sea salt and sage. Oh my god! His taste was impeccable. I loved it! As he walked me (and Cheeto) to the front door, he gave me a friendly warning, “Next time you want to drop by, maybe just ring the doorbell?” Next time? There was going to be a next time?! Okay, fine, his main point was probably “use the damn door like a normal person,” but my brain was already buzzing. Who cared about details! 3 I barely slept that night. My mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible excuse to “drop by” again. Every idea felt either too formal or totally unrealistic. The only foolproof method seemed to be… tossing Cheeto back into his yard. So, I spent half the night mentally practicing the perfect, elegant cat-toss technique. The next morning, I was sleeping soundly, Cheeto curled up beside me, until about 9:30 when Maya’s frantic call jolted me awake. “Ava! Wake up! Wake UP! Oh my god, I’m literally going to die!” I couldn’t figure out what crazy drama she was having this early. “What’s wrong, Maya?” I mumbled, still half-asleep. “Liam Reynolds’ house got broken into last night! Did you hear?” Maya sounded both panicked and outraged. Her words snapped me fully awake. Broken into? By… me? Maya didn’t wait for a response. “His agency hasn’t said anything yet, but there’s this video online… you can see this girl sneaking around, climbing his window! It looks like your neighborhood, Ava! Be careful, okay? Lock your doors, don’t let…” My brain went completely blank. Oh crap. They filmed me. Cut to: me sitting numbly on Liam Reynolds’ expensive sofa. Across from me sat Liam himself, his agent, his personal assistant, a crisis PR person, and a few other serious-looking people. Everyone except Liam had their brows furrowed, either yelling into phones or frantically typing, doing damage control on social media. The atmosphere felt like a full-blown interrogation. My skin prickled. Liam must have sensed how freaked out I was. He tried to lighten the mood. “Do we really need to make this so complicated? Can’t we just tell the truth?” His agent looked like she wanted to slam her hand on the table. “My dear boy, a young woman climbs into your window in the middle of the night to find her cat? Who on earth is going to believe that?” Liam leaned back, a sudden glint in his eye. “Then let’s say she’s my girlfriend. We were just… playing a little game. Our ‘thing’.”

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“Gavin Reynolds, I want a divorce.” Gavin and I were practically raised together. Our grandpas were obsessed with the idea of marrying us off, but both families only had sons, so they pinned their hopes on Gavin and me. We went through school together. I watched him fall head-over-heels for Tiffany Wilson, then watched her dump him to jet off to Europe. I crushed on him from the time I was sixteen until we finally got together at nineteen, got secretly hitched at twenty-four, and had our daughter at twenty-six. Now our little girl’s five – that’s fifteen years total. Through those fifteen years, from a stupid cold to the moment my water broke and I was rushing to the hospital to give birth, I never dared to bother him. He was a big star, and we were in a hush-hush marriage, so I walked on eggshells, afraid of screwing up his image or his career. And now, after all this time, the one time I ever humbled myself and asked him for a favor, he turned a deaf ear and blew me off. Fifteen years. I poured my best years into this. Fifteen years. I was naive enough to think he’d gotten over Tiffany Wilson. Fifteen years. I thought if I just kept at it, things would eventually work out. But I was wrong. So, so wrong. Because of my sappy, pathetic delusions, my daughter lost her life. She has every right to hate me. To hate having a mother like me. “Divorce? Summer, you can’t be serious. You’d give up on us? If you’re thinking about leaving, you’re not getting custody of our daughter!” The sneer on his face, the nasty glint in his eyes. Hearing him say “daughter” just twisted the knife. “Just play nice, okay? I’ve already found a specialist who thinks they can help her.” I blocked him out. My daughter deserves better than to be anywhere near him. 2. I spun around, marched back into the house, grabbed our marriage license and my driver’s license, and stormed back out. “Today. We’re doing this today. We’re getting divorced.” He scowled at the documents in my hand. “You’re really doing this?” I looked right at him, my throat tight. “Gavin, in all these years, have I ever hassled you about anything stupid or petty?” Gavin’s expression flickered. “No.” I tried to smile, but my eyes started to burn. “This is the only time… the only damn time…” “Were you even going to meet with those investors?” Maybe he finally felt a twinge of guilt. He was silent for a long, long time before admitting, “I messed up, okay? If you need anything from now on, you just ask. I promise I won’t let you down.” “Gavin, fifteen years. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say you’re sorry. But I can never forgive you. Never.” He started to say something, but his phone rang. He snatched it up and hurried away, without another glance back at me. No sooner had he left than my phone rang. It was the cemetery. “Ms. Summers, we’ve got a situation here. Some crazy woman came to the cemetery and dug up your daughter’s grave. We’ve called the cops.” I was shaking so hard I could barely breathe. I jumped in a cab and told the driver to step on it. Cemetery staff were waiting for me at the entrance and were full of apologies. “We are so sorry, Ms. Summers. We screwed up. She said she wanted to buy a plot and wanted to look around. We never thought she’d just go and dig it up! We’re so sorry!” “Where is she?” “Still out at the gravesite. The cops are there, waiting for you to sort things out.” I followed the staff at a dead run. I could see them in the distance – Tiffany Wilson sobbing and Gavin Reynolds patting her back. The cops and the cemetery workers looked like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. “Ms. Summers, that’s her.” I was trembling from head to toe. I clenched my fists and charged right in, slapping Tiffany Wilson across the face, hard. I went to hit her again, but a cop grabbed my arm. Tiffany Wilson was dazed by the blow. Before she could even open her mouth, Gavin Reynolds was in my face. 3. “Summer, were you stalking me?” “Have you lost your damn mind? You can’t just go around hitting people!” Tiffany Wilson, whimpering, clung to Gavin Reynolds. “Summer, you’ve got it all wrong. I just got back from overseas, and our ‘baby’ was really sick. So I asked Gavin to come say goodbye.” “Today, I was trying to find a nice spot for ‘baby’, but they wouldn’t let me have the one I wanted. These lunatics even tried to attack me, so I had to call Gavin.” I knew exactly who “baby” was. It was their dog. The dog they raised together. It hit me like a ton of bricks. He could make time to see a dying dog, but he couldn’t make time for his own daughter. The cops, figuring we knew each other, let me go. I stared at the torn-up earth, at the little garden I’d made for my daughter, now a complete disaster. My daughter loved flowers, but you couldn’t find anything decent this time of year. I’d flown all the way to New York City to get her a wreath made of dozens of different kinds of flowers. She would have loved it. And now it was all gone. I glared at Gavin Reynolds, clenched my jaw, and – my hand practically buzzing – slapped him across the face as hard as I could. “Gavin Reynolds, you are a piece of garbage.” The cops grabbed me again, trying to calm me down. “Let’s all just take a breath, okay? Mrs. Summers, let’s talk about how you want to handle this.” Hearing the cop, Gavin Reynolds asked, his voice tight, “You bought this plot?” I didn’t answer. The cemetery worker said, “Yes, sir. Ms. Summers bought this plot. You know her?” Gavin Reynolds looked at the cop. “I’m sorry for the trouble, Officer. This is my wife.” 4. The police and cemetery staff looked back and forth between us. “Actually, we’re still married, technically. But I don’t know this woman. I want her to get down on her knees and apologize.” “Summer, don’t be ridiculous.” I laughed, a cold, empty sound. Gavin Reynolds’ brow furrowed. “What did you buy this plot for? And why decorate it like this? Who is this for? For our daughter? Summer, how could you be so messed up as to be planning her funeral?” “My daughter, my Gavin Reynolds’ daughter, even if she was knocking on death’s door, I could pull her back. She doesn’t need a gravesite. In fact, it’d be perfect for ‘baby’.” I listened to his grandstanding and started to laugh, a shaky, hysterical laugh. Tears streamed down my face. I hadn’t finished decorating her gravesite. I’d designed the lettering on the headstone myself, but I hadn’t had it engraved yet. The picture wasn’t up either, so the headstone was still blank. “Officer, we can handle this ourselves. Sorry for the trouble.” The cop started to object, but I cut him off. “I know my limits.” After the cops left, Gavin Reynolds thought I was backing down. His tone softened. “Look, I’m already working on getting that top-notch surgical team to work on her. They’ll be here in a few days.” I didn’t say a word. I bent down and picked up my daughter’s urn, cradling it in my arms. I used my sleeve to carefully wipe off the dust. “Ms. Summers, we’ll give you double what you paid. We’d really appreciate you letting us have the space for ‘baby’.” I raised an eyebrow at Tiffany Wilson. “Who said I agreed? You could offer me the Empire State Building, and it still wouldn’t be yours.” “Oh, and I almost forgot. Gavin and I aren’t divorced yet. You’re not Mrs. Reynolds.” I looked at Gavin, spitting out every cruel word I could think of. “Gavin Reynolds, you’re worse than a dog. At least Tiffany took that dog with her when she left, and she brought it back. Unlike you. I took you in for fifteen years. “But starting today, I don’t want you anymore either.” 5. “Tiffany Wilson, take your stray dog and get out of here. You’re an eyesore.” Gavin Reynolds was beet red. His eyes blazed like he wanted to kill me. He grabbed the urn from Tiffany Wilson and stalked over to me, intending to put it back in the ground. “Summer, you’re really pushing it. Everything you have, everything you’ve ever spent, came from me. I paid for this gravesite. Get out of here!” I wasn’t expecting it. He shoved me hard, and I went sprawling. The lid flew off the urn, and ashes spilled onto the snow, mixing with the ground. I lay there, numb, desperately trying to scoop the scattered ashes back into the urn. But a gust of wind blew through, and the powdery remains swirled together with the snowflakes. They were gone… Gavin Reynolds’ assistant called him. “Mr. Reynolds, I just spoke with the doctor. He said she passed away ten days ago.” “I checked, and it was Ms. Summers who made all the arrangements. She had her buried at the Hemsley Cemetery.” “What are you talking about?” “That’s impossible! She would have called me! She wouldn’t do this without me knowing!” The voice on the other end was quiet for a moment. “She did call you. The night she died, she called you, like, a million times. I checked the records. She got through once, but you were with Ms. Wilson. I guess Ms. Wilson answered.” I kept scooping up the ashes, one piece at a time, like a robot. Gavin Reynolds went white as a ghost. He stumbled over to me and grabbed my arm. “Summer, let me do it.” I jerked my arm away. “You don’t deserve to touch her, Gavin!” I screamed, my eyes bloodshot. Gavin Reynolds hugged me tight, his voice shaking. “I’m sorry, Summer. I didn’t know… I didn’t know…” “Get off me!” He wouldn’t let go. I couldn’t get free. I leaned down and bit him as hard as I could on the hand. He finally released me, scrambling to gather up my daughter’s ashes. “Don’t touch her! Don’t you dare contaminate her, Gavin!” 6. Gavin Reynolds seemed to realize he’d just been holding the dog’s urn. He crouched down and started frantically scrubbing his hands in the snow. He kept saying, “I messed up, Summer, I messed up… I didn’t know.” I gathered up the remaining ashes, looked up at him. “Tell her to get down here and kneel. Forty-nine times.” Gavin Reynolds froze. Tiffany Wilson dropped to her knees, but before she could even bow her head, Gavin Reynolds pulled her up. “Get up. You have bad legs. It’s too cold out here. This isn’t your fault. You should go home.” I watched Gavin Reynolds send Tiffany Wilson away. I felt nothing. I carefully put the urn back in its place, shoveling soil back over it, carefully rearranging the wreath. When I got home, Gavin Reynolds’ parents, his brother and sister-in-law, his sister and her husband were all there. His dad walked up to Gavin and slapped him twice across the face. “You animal!” Gavin didn’t say a word. Everyone looked at me with pity. I knew I was a mess, but nothing compared to my daughter out there in the snow. His mom walked over, took my hand, and pulled me close. “Honey, why didn’t you tell us about this? He’s an idiot, but we’re here for you. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone!” I didn’t say anything. My mind was blank. The snow on my hands melted, mixing with the dirt. His mom saw my hands, covered in mud. “What were you doing out there?” I looked at her, my voice flat. “Tiffany Wilson dug up Annie’s grave. Gavin wanted me to let her bury her dog there. I was just taking care of things.” His mom stopped cold. His brother and sister-in-law, his sister and her husband exchanged stunned looks at Gavin. I didn’t care what anyone thought. I turned back to Gavin. “Let’s go. The county clerk’s office isn’t closed yet. Gavin, we’re getting a divorce.” I had to get away. And they were going to pay for what they did.

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Memorial Day, I flew back from overseas with my toddler son to visit my parents’ graves, and ran into my childhood sweetheart’s mom. She asked if my willingness to return meant I was finally over everything. “Ashley, you’re finally back! Does this mean you’re ready to marry Shane?” “This time, I’m going to make sure everything’s perfect, and that no trailer trash crashes in to ruin your wedding!” Shane was my childhood sweetheart and fiancé, but on our engagement party, his adopted sister, Crystal, showed up wearing the exact same dress as me. She declared that if Shane didn’t leave with her, she’d kill herself. The guests were in uproar, and I was left standing alone. Everyone judged me, my uncle and aunt abandoned me, and I ended up going overseas in disgrace. Now, meeting again, I gave a small smile, and pushed the stroller forward. “Aunt Carol, have Shane and Crystal gotten their marriage license yet?” “Say hi to Grandma, sweetie.” … After leaving for three years, I hadn’t visited my parents’ graves. This year, my son was finally old enough, so I took advantage of Memorial Day to bring him back and pay my respects. We were pushing the stroller towards the cemetery when I heard a familiar voice. “Ashley, you’re back!” Looking up, I saw Shane’s mom in the distance, looking happy as she hurried towards me. I greeted her politely, “Aunt Carol.” She affectionately took my hand, her gaze filled with love. I forced a smile and avoided her eyes. “You’ve lost weight. Must have been hard on you out there?” “What Shane did was wrong. That boy is with that girl right now, visiting her parents’ graves. I’ll make him apologize to you.” Before I could refuse, she was already calling Shane. Five minutes later, I saw Shane, panting, with Crystal following close behind. He looked at me with shock, then his gaze turned icy, just like it had been three years ago. “When did you get back?” Aunt Carol clucked and slapped him on the head. “What kind of way is that to talk!” Crystal immediately stepped in front of Shane, looking at Aunt Carol with a pitiful expression. “Mom…” Aunt Carol frowned and looked away from her. Crystal’s face froze, and she fidgeted in place. After a long pause, she seemed to finally notice me, putting on a surprised look. “Ashley, you’re back?” “I’m sorry about everything three years ago, but I love Shane so much. But don’t worry, I won’t try to steal him away anymore.” I watched Crystal’s acting with amusement. She hadn’t been so pathetic when she was mocking me. Shane switched places with Crystal, shielding her behind him, and looking at me warily. “I messed up, but it’s not Crystal’s fault.” Ignoring them, I turned to Aunt Carol, whose expression was twisted with anger. “Aunt Carol, I need to go visit my parents’ graves. I’ll be going now.” After saying goodbye, I pushed the stroller forward. But Crystal suddenly blocked my path. She asked in an innocent voice, “Ashley, is this your baby?” Shane rushed forward, anxiously studying my son. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Not her kid. Doesn’t look anything like her.” My son didn’t look like me, he was like a mini version of his dad, Greg. I didn’t want to waste my breath on him and tried to push the stroller around him. But he grabbed the stroller handle, raising an eyebrow. “Ashley, so you’re doing pretty bad without me, huh? Now you’re a nanny or something?” “Apologize to me, and I might consider going through with our engagement.” Apologize? He left me at our engagement party, and now he wants me to apologize? 2 I stared at Shane, gripping the stroller handle so hard my knuckles turned white. Three years ago, on the Fourth of July, on the day my parents and Shane’s parents planned our engagement. To keep the promise, Shane’s dad still had me and Shane get engaged on this day. At the time, I could see Shane was acting distant, with a hint of resentment in his eyes. But I didn’t think much of it, personally designing the engagement party’s theme, and anticipating that day’s arrival with excitement. On the Fourth of July, I came to the engagement party, shy and nervous, and immediately realized I was mistaken. The pink theme we’d agreed on had been changed to orange, and even my favorite tulips had been replaced with bright red roses. Looking at the screen, and confirming that the names above read Shane and Ashley, I immediately ran to question Shane. But he was casual, waving his hand dismissively. “Crystal said she liked the new theme, so I had it changed.” “It’s just an engagement party, not a wedding. We can follow your preferences when we get married.” Tears of frustration immediately filled my eyes. “But this is my engagement party…” Shane frowned, looking annoyed. “Can you ever stop crying? You’re nothing like Crystal, who’s always so sensible.” He didn’t offer a single word of comfort, going instead to greet his business partners. Shane’s mom noticed something was wrong, and hurriedly took me to the restroom to reapply my makeup. “Ashley, don’t be upset. Aunt Carol will talk to him. It’s almost time for the engagement, and you don’t want puffy eyes.” Looking at Shane’s mom, who was comforting me like a real mom, I felt even more upset. If my parents were still alive, would Shane dare to treat me this way? After redoing my makeup, I linked arms with Shane’s mom and went back to the engagement party. But Shane’s mom was looking around, confused. “That’s weird, where’s Crystal? I told her to come early. How selfish!” For some reason, I felt really panicked. The engagement party started as planned, and everything went smoothly. As the host asked Shane to help me put on the engagement ring, a tearful voice suddenly came from the entrance. “Shane…” Looking up, I saw Crystal wearing the exact same dress as me, even with the same hairstyle. I looked at Shane in surprise. He was looking at Crystal with a look of pain. “Shane, I love you. I know you love me too.” “This engagement party’s theme is your special compensation for me.” Saying that, Crystal’s tears fell, large and abundant. “Leave with me, okay? We’re not blood-related. We can be together.” I grabbed Shane’s hand, looking at him anxiously. “Shane, please don’t…” Shane’s eyes seemed to focus only on Crystal, without even looking at me. The guests below the stage looked at me with gossip in their eyes, with a few looking sympathetic. Shane’s dad suddenly yelled, “Enough!” “Take Crystal away!” The security guards immediately went forward. But Crystal suddenly produced a box cutter in her hand, looking at Shane with tear-filled eyes. “Shane, if you don’t come with me, I’ll die here.” Shane’s dad glared at the security guard, who stopped moving. “What are you waiting for? Take her away!” Shane, who was beside me, suddenly said, “Anyone who touches her will have to deal with me!” Ignoring my pleas, Shane pried my fingers away, one by one, and rushed towards Crystal. He snatched the box cutter from Crystal’s hand, pulling her into a tight embrace. Crystal cried even harder. “Shane, I knew you loved me.” “I’ll take you away.” After saying that, Shane ignored my feelings and left the engagement party with Crystal. The guests couldn’t sit any longer, pointing and gossiping about me. A cold wind blew past, and I felt like I was back at the engagement party, trembling uncontrollably. 3 Shane’s voice drifted to my ears on the wind, pulling me back to reality. “Does your boss treat you so badly? Can’t even afford to buy you a coat?” I glanced at him, not wanting to deal with him. Crystal tugged on his sleeve. “Shane, since Ashley’s so pitiful, let’s help her out?” She looked at me with an expression of pity, but I didn’t miss the contempt in her eyes. Shane raised an eyebrow, a smile slowly appearing on his face. “Ashley, if you apologize, I’ll go through with the engagement.” Hearing that again, I looked at him with ridicule. “What, it’s been three years, and you and Crystal haven’t gotten a marriage license yet?” Crystal, who already looked so pitiful, started sobbing as soon as I said that. Aunt Carol rolled her eyes at her, and took my hand, speaking earnestly. “Ashley, any trash can’t enter the Smith Family’s door.” Crystal paused, turning pale. She looked at Shane with pleading eyes, but Shane didn’t respond. She forced a smile, showing a pitiful look. “Ashley, don’t be a nanny, come back and be with Shane.” “It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about me.” Shane’s expression changed, and he suddenly pulled me with force. “Ashley, do you have to make Crystal upset?” “I already said I’d go through with the engagement. What more do you want? Why are you making things hard on Crystal!” Hearing Shane’s questions, I looked at him, surprised. Before I could respond, my son started crying in the stroller. I quickly picked up my son, patted his back skillfully, and looking at him with love. Aunt Carol suddenly asked: “Ashley. Is this truly your child?” She was a mother, and knew how mothers acted around their children. I looked at Aunt Carol with a smile, and nodded. Shane scoffed, “Mom, you’re getting senile. Ashley is obviously working as a nanny.” “When she ran off to America, she had bad depression.” “Besides, Ashley’s family is falling apart, does she even have time to get married?” I didn’t want to deal with Shane, I don’t care what he thought. Aunt Carol didn’t pay attention to him. Instead, she looked at me with a complicated expression, full of pity. After calming my son down, I gently put him back in the stroller, said goodbye to Aunt Carol, and prepared to leave. But Shane grabbed me again. “Ashley, I told you I’d marry you, what else do you want from me?” “I pulled you out of the abyss, and I made such a big sacrifice for you, you should be grateful.” I suppressed my anger, and asked him coldly. “You want to marry me? What about your dear sister?” Crystal looked at Shane with hope, treating Shane like her final lifeline. Shane looked at her, and sighed. “I’ve explained this many times, Crystal… is just my sister.” Hearing that, Crystal’s eyes instantly reddened, and a look of hatred flashed across her eyes. She was about to win Shane’s heart over, but the slut Ashley came back, and now he was hesitant. Seeing her losing control, Shane immediately changed his tone. “But after we get married, you have to treat Crystal well. She’s our sister, after all.” I laughed coldly, saying, “You don’t have to consider me, you can treat Crystal well now.” “Haven’t you always been like this for the past twenty years?”4 When I was dating Shane, he always put Crystal first. I still remember his 25th birthday. I dragged my best friend around the mall, and specially picked out a watch that suited him. When I arrived with the gift, I discovered that he was with Crystal. I forced a smile. “Shane, weren’t we supposed to spend your birthday alone, just the two of us?” Crystal immediately started sobbing. “Shane, should I go back?” But despite saying that, she didn’t get up, just kept crying. Shane frowned immediately. “I decide who comes to my birthday. It’s none of your business!” “If you don’t want to, you can leave!” I froze in place, gripping the gift tightly. Seeing the smug look in Crystal’s eyes, I felt powerless. But I loved Shane too much, and didn’t want to miss his birthday. I sat down next to Crystal anyway. Shane and Crystal were being affectionate, as if they were the ones who were dating. They were discussing Crystal’s favorite anime, and I couldn’t say a word. While Crystal was drinking her juice, I pulled out the gift I had prepared. I held the watch out to Shane. “Happy birthday.” Before Shane could see it, Crystal snatched it first. “Let me see!” She wore it on her hand, admiring it. “It’s so pretty.” “You can have it.” Shane said casually, not caring at all. I tried to force a smile, reminding him, “This is the birthday present I got for you.” Shane glanced at me. “So what?” “Crystal likes it, so I’m giving it to her.” “You’re going to be her sister-in-law soon, can’t you even handle a watch?” … “Ashley, I’m talking to you! When did you become like this?” Shane’s voice pulled me back from my memories. I thought that our connection had long ended, at that engagement party, but I didn’t expect to run into each other again. I looked at him. “Shane, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Please respect yourself.” Crystal grabbed Shane’s hand with heartache. “Shane, don’t be angry. I’ll make Ashley apologize to you!” She didn’t know what she was doing, and suddenly charged over, shouting, “You have to apologize!” She tried to grab my clothes, but I dodged it. But she aimed for the stroller, and before I could stop her, she grabbed it. “Wah…” My toddler son immediately started crying. I quickly pushed her away, picking up my son with heartache. He’d grown up sheltered, and had never been treated so cruelly. “Ah!” Crystal shrieked, and fell on the ground. Frowning, I saw Shane carefully examining the wound on Crystal’s knee. But her knee wasn’t even scraped, and she was crying like crazy. Aunt Carol couldn’t stand it, saying, “If you keep blowing on it, the wound will heal.” Shane quickly came to my side, pulling my arm hard, almost making me drop my son. “Ashley, apologize to Crystal!” I was about to yell back, when I heard a familiar voice. “Who are you making apologize?” … Looking back, Greg was wearing rimless glasses, with a scholarly air, but with piercing eyes. Behind him was a limo, with over a dozen men in black suits. Everyone watched as Greg came to my side, putting his arm around me. He smiled, repeating, “Who are you making apologize?”

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A few weeks before Memorial Day, the cemetery office called to say my mother-in-law’s plot needed to be relocated. I tried calling my husband, David, dozens of times before he finally picked up. “All I’m doing is taking Brittany out for a hike; do you have to be so dramatic?” Before I could explain, he hung up. With no other choice, I brought my mother-in-law’s ashes home. Three days later, David showed up with Brittany in tow. By the time I got back from work, they’d stuffed a dead stray cat into Mom’s urn. I rushed to stop them, but David just gave me an annoyed look. “You’re a pet cremation specialist, Ashley. You’ve got urns coming out of your ears. I just grabbed the oldest one we had lying around.” “Don’t be so uptight, okay?” I could be chill about it, sure. But when we went to move her and David saw there were barely any ashes left he was ready to collapse. 1 David grabbed Brittany’s hand and stormed out the door, not even looking back. The sky, which had been bright and sunny just a minute ago, instantly turned dark and gloomy. I ran after them. “Didn’t you even notice there was something in the urn?” David just rolled his eyes, like I was trying to pick a fight on purpose. “What are you talking about? “I told you, it was an old one. There was nothing in it but dust.” Brittany, flaunting the hand David was holding, chimed in with fake sweetness. “Seriously, that urn was ancient. It took us forever just to clean out all the dust and stuff.” “But David and I took care of it all, tossed the garbage. All done.” I was shocked, felt like I couldn’t breathe. I remembered how Mom had always looked out for me, treated me like her own daughter. And now, her ashes were being treated like garbage by her own son, thrown in the dumpster downstairs. No matter what was going on with him and Brittany, I just had to clear this up. “That urn contained Mom’s ashes!” David blinked, the expression on his face shifting through a dozen changes. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. Finally, he gave me a hard look. “You’re making this up, right?” “Mom’s ashes are buried in the cemetery. How could they possibly be here?” “She was always so good to you, and now you’re using her to start drama?” Before I could answer, Brittany’s voice piped up, all sweet and teary. “Ashley, I know you’re upset that I touched your stuff, but you can’t just say stuff like that. “I’ll Venmo you the money for the urn, okay? The kitty was just so sweet…” “Please don’t fight over this; it’s just silly. You and David should not fight.” She said it with a smile, but there was something smug in her eyes, like she knew she had me beat. Rain started pouring down, and I couldn’t waste any more time arguing. When I got to the dumpster, the rain had scattered Mom’s ashes. I managed to salvage what I could. I was trying to scoop the remaining ashes into a Mason jar when David and Brittany came back. David was soaked to the bone. I glanced at Brittany. Aside from a few fake tears, she was bone dry. I guessed David had kept her pretty well protected. Brittany fussed over David, dabbing his face with her sleeve. David tossed his wet jacket at me and frowned when he saw my hands. “What’s all this gunk on your hands?” “Go wash up and get Brittany a hot bath. Or a foot soak.” “She gets cold easily.” He didn’t even bother to look at me, just barked out the orders like always. When I didn’t move, his voice got a little harder. “You’re still mad about the urn? “It’s not a big deal, right?” “How much do you want for it? Brittany will Venmo you.” “Consider it done.” I couldn’t help myself; I snapped at him. “That urn was Mom’s, David. It’s priceless.” “You can never repay it. Ever.” David didn’t bother to listen, didn’t believe me anyway, and started lecturing me again. “Ashley, can’t you ever just be normal?” I felt so sick. To make Brittany happy, David had thrown away everything – his common sense, his decency. I didn’t say anything, but Brittany seemed to think she’d won. She rubbed her eyes, looking pitiful. “Maybe this urn was meant for one of Ashley’s clients. We shouldn’t have just taken it without asking.” Hearing that, David’s eyebrows furrowed. I shook my head quickly. Because if anyone had a right to be upset, it was my mother in law. Chapter 2 David never really liked my job, thought it was creepy. “So what if it was for a client?” “Cats and dogs, what’s the point of a funeral? It’s just weird.” I gave him a look. “If you think it’s so weird, why did you bother putting that stray cat in an urn?” “Even burying it in the rain.” David’s face went red, like he couldn’t believe I was still arguing. “It’s not the same thing!” Brittany coughed. “David did it for me. I’m sorry… cough, cough.” Seeing Brittany all delicate, David’s face softened. He looked at her like she was made of glass. But he grabbed my hands, shoving them under the faucet, cold and rough. “Wash your hands and go get some hot water!” I clenched my fists, trying to pull away. “I can’t! These are the last of Mom’s ashes on my hands!” Hearing me mention Mom again, David snapped. He stared at me, like he wanted to burn me alive. “You think this is funny?” “If you didn’t want to give Brittany a foot bath, just say so. Don’t drag Mom into it!” “Can’t you at least let her rest in peace?” No matter how I struggled, he was too strong. I knew there was no point in arguing, so I begged and pleaded. “David, we’ve been together for years. When have I ever lied to you?” “These really are Mom’s ashes. I brought them back from her old house yesterday…” David looked like he was starting to doubt himself, so I tried to pull my hands away. “The cemetery called to say the plot needed to be moved…” Brittany cut me off. “Ashley, please. You can’t keep doing this to him.” “If Aunt Susan’s grave really needed to be moved, why didn’t they call David instead of you?” I’d wondered the same thing. The person on the phone sounded really frantic, said they couldn’t get hold of David. And when I called David, he thought I was just being jealous and dramatic. David, who’d seemed to be wavering, suddenly hardened. He glared at me, teeth clenched. “Ashley, enough.” There was no reasoning with him, so I had to watch the last of Mom’s ashes swirl down the drain. Mom’s last connection to this world was gone. I sank to the floor, numb. I’d grown up in a broken home, never really knowing a mother’s love. I’d actually met Mom before I met David. We’d met on vacation. Mom said it was her first solo trip after raising David. She could finally be herself. But she found out she had cancer. She was only diagnosed six months before she passed away. To fulfill her wish, David and I got married. I remember her last words, before she faded away, hoping that David and I would have a good life. David was looking at the foot bath. “I’ll get you a new one tomorrow, okay?” I didn’t think he’d remember I was a clean freak. But he didn’t hesitate. “Don’t even start with me! Brittany doesn’t care, so why should you?” I smiled weakly. “Why bother? Just let Brittany take a shower.” Chapter 3 “What? You’re letting someone else use our shower?” David looked confused, like he couldn’t believe I’d suddenly changed my mind. Because of David’s crush on Brittany, she’d been over to our house three or four times. Sometimes she’d get there early, when no one was home. David even gave her a spare key. I used to fight with David about it all the time. Despite his confusion, David did what I said. He grabbed his pajamas from the bedroom and led Brittany to the bathroom. Afraid she’d be uncomfortable, David stood guard outside the door. I couldn’t stand it. “Why don’t you just go in there? You’re soaked anyway.” David turned bright red, like a kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Ashley, what…what are you saying?” “I can’t just shower with Brittany!” “She’s a girl! She’s got her reputation at stake!” Seeing the look on my face, David realized I was just messing with him. His face went from pink to black. “You just can’t stand that Brittany and I are friends!” “You always have to butt in and cause trouble!” “This time, you used Mom’s urn. I’m letting that slide, but what are you going to do next?” Next? There wouldn’t be a next time. The deepest connection between David and me had just been destroyed. He stood by the bathroom door, listening to Brittany call out requests. But he still kept nagging at me. “You should probably quit your job. It’s bad luck.” “I want to start a family soon.” “After you quit, focus on your health, and don’t touch anything spooky.” Just then, Brittany’s voice floated out of the bathroom. “David, the water’s too hot. I can’t figure it out…” “Which one’s the shampoo?” “Can I use Ashley’s body wash?” David forgot all about me, only focusing on answering Brittany’s questions. I rolled my eyes and went back to the bedroom. Seeing me leave, David lost all restraint and strode into the bathroom. I heard the door click shut, and I felt sick. I called my lawyer friend and asked him to draw up divorce papers. I finished talking with my friend an hour later, and there was finally some noise outside. “David, is Ashley still mad? Maybe I should go apologize.” After a while, the bedroom door opened. Brittany stood there wearing David’s pajamas, and of course the top buttons were undone. “Ashley, don’t be mad. I’ll leave as soon as my hair’s dry…” “But David got rained on today; remember to make him some ginger tea.” She wanted me to clean up her messes? No way. David stepped in front of her, like he was afraid I was going to hurt her. I sat on the bed, not saying a word. Breaking the silence was a phone call. It was the cemetery. I accidentally hit the speaker. “Mrs. Davis, we need to discuss the cemetery plot…” David ran at me. “Whose plot?”

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To celebrate my divorce, my best friend hooked me up with a young ‘puppy’ type. I definitely enjoyed myself, but the next day, paranoia kicked in, and I went to the clinic for a check-up. And guess what? The attending physician was my freaking ex-husband. 01 I’m 25 years old, newly divorced. When my friends heard the news, they cooked up a massive “surprise” for me. And just like that, this 25-year-old divorcee officially became… well, let’s just say I crossed a line I hadn’t crossed before. 2 Daylight. The guy who’d been in my bed was gone. Rubbing my temples, I called my best friend, Alex. Her voice came through the phone, giggling. “So, Chloe? How was it?” How it was wasn’t the point! “Who was the guy last night?” It was pitch black; I didn’t get a good look at him. “Oh, you know him.” “Who?” “Remember how you made that big declaration? That after the divorce, you’d find some cute young guy to soothe your soul? So, we contacted that guy you’ve been chatting with forever. The one you said was hitting on you online for like a year? The one you were thinking about meeting IRL but kept chickening out on… that ‘puppy’…” BOOM. My brain felt like it exploded. 3 Who doesn’t love unwinding with video games these days? Especially someone like me, whose real life felt like a dumpster fire, desperate for a digital escape? Right before my ex and I officially split, I got seriously hooked on this popular online shooter game. That’s when I met him… the online ‘puppy.’ He started out as a Bronze rank player. I figured he was a total newbie. But after a few matches, he completely carried me. From then on, before the divorce, whenever I logged on, I’d beg him to play with me. The night I signed the divorce papers with my ex, Ben, I got wasted. I vaguely remember crying and venting to the ‘puppy’ through my headset. I called Ben an asshole, said he wasn’t even a real man! This ‘puppy’ guy was great in every way, except he never showed his face, never wanted to voice chat. All I knew from his profile was that he was only 20. I’d never actually heard his voice speak clearly. But that night, I heard him say, in this incredibly low, husky, controlled voice, “Chloe… maybe we should try…” 4 Ben and I also met online, way back in the AOL Instant Messenger days. We dated online for five years before finally meeting up IRL. Two dates later, we were married. So, when the ‘puppy’ confessed his feelings, my drunken brain sobered up instantly. So that’s what his silence was hiding – this massive curveball. Little punk, hitting on anyone he could find. After my experience with Ben, I was terrified! I took a deep breath, tapped my headset mic, and yelled, “Hello? Hello? What did you say? My connection’s breaking up, this stupid internet…” Then, I pretended my game crashed and bailed! But from that day forward, the ‘puppy’ launched a full-on charm offensive. He still didn’t talk much, but he texted constantly. Sometimes, after a gaming session, we’d chat on messenger. He’d send tons of those secretly intense emojis and gifs – you know, the little animated guy bumping against another one, or the kitten stretching its paws out asking for a hug… And occasionally, late at night— When all the grown-up animals and people start feeling restless—he’d send those husky, raspy voice messages— “Chloe? Wanna meet up?” My reply: “Thanks, but no thanks!” 5 Alex’s voice snapped me back to reality. I was practically crying into the phone, feeling utterly miserable. “Uh… Chloe… you… you okay?” Alex asked hesitantly. I managed a bitter laugh. “Thanks to you geniuses, I’m just peachy. Look, I gotta go.” Before she could say another word, I hung up. Because of Ben’s profession (he’s a doctor), I’ve always been super careful about my health. I scrambled out of bed, needing to clean myself up and get to a clinic ASAP for a check-up. 6 Half an hour later, I was at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Don’t ask why this specific hospital; it’s just the closest one to my apartment. I skulked towards the OB/GYN clinic, deliberately checking the doctors’ schedule posted by the door. Phew, his name wasn’t on it. Soon, it was my turn. The female doctor looked new; she didn’t recognize me. Head down, she called out, “Chloe Miller…” “I’ll take this one.” A hand reached past me, grabbing the chart. Then, a tall figure brushed past my side. I froze, every muscle tense. The female doctor gently pushed me into the chair. “This is Dr. Carter, he’s the best doctor in our department. Please don’t feel uncomfortable just because he’s male.” Beneath my mask, I forced a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. Ben Carter. Like I didn’t know if he was a good doctor or not? My ex-husband! Quickly, the female doctor left the room. Ben sat down at the computer, typing away, and asked without looking up, “What seems to be the problem?” “…” When I didn’t answer, he continued, “I know you hate me, Chloe. But right now, we’re just doctor and patient.” This time, he looked up. His eyes were cold, distant – his standard treating-a-stranger look. Right. Ex-husband = Stranger. Okay, no need to act like I was caught having an affair. I stated calmly, “It hurts. Down there.” I kept it brief. And damn it, he understood immediately. He snapped his head back to look at me, his gaze intense, complicated, unreadable. Then, just as quickly, his expression smoothed over. “Okay. Pants off, lie down on the exam table, legs apart.” This… Knowing his ex-wife just slept with someone else, this was his reaction? Couldn’t he at least show a little annoyance? Make me squirm a bit?! Intent on provoking him, I complied, saying as I climbed onto the table, “Yeah, things got a little… wild yesterday. You should probably take a look.” But I underestimated Ben’s self-control. He actually picked up the instruments and walked towards me, replying calmly, “Alright.” Alright, my ass! 7 “Wait!” I suddenly yelled. Ben paused, frowning at me. “It looks swollen. I need to examine it more closely.” This whole situation felt surreal. Before we were married, when Ben was chasing me, he was horny as hell, always trying to get me into a hotel room. Back then, I was playing coy, thinking we’d be married soon, let him wait. But then, after the wedding – after all that supposed pent-up frustration – he barely touched me for the entire year we were married! 365 days! It made no sense! Thinking about the cold shoulder treatment I endured back then just made me want nothing to do with him now. I shoved his hand away, jumped off the exam table, and blurted out some bullshit excuse, “Oh! I just remembered I have a date with my boyfriend. Gotta go.” With that, I bolted out of the clinic, practically flying out of the hospital. I was catching my breath, squatting by the curb, when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out. Speak of the devil. My “boyfriend” had sent me a voice message on messenger. He said: “Hey Chloe, just call me anytime you need me, okay?” 8 “Need you like I need a hole in the head…” I started typing that into the chatbox, then instinctively glanced over my shoulder. My ex-husband just happened to be walking past with a few colleagues, and he casually glanced at my phone screen. Ha! I quickly deleted the text and switched to voice message instead. “Okay, baby! I’ll hit you up tonight. Sheraton, downtown. Don’t be late!” After sending it, I flagged down a cab like some triumphant peacock. The second I got in the car, I scrambled to retract the message, but he’d already read it. Not only read it, he replied instantly. “Okay Chloe, waiting for you! ” My mind just fried! Desperate to explain, I tried calling him via the app. It rang once, then he disconnected. WTF?? Tried again. He hung up again! Wasn’t even giving me a chance to backtrack?! As I was about to try a third time, he sent a picture first. You know the kind. The unsolicited transformation pic. Everything below the neck was visible – six-pack abs, V-line… crystal clear. Thump thump thump— Damn it. I was kind of tempted. I had to admit, the thing I liked most about my ex was his body. This ‘puppy’ was even more eye-candy than Ben. Gulp. I literally heard myself swallow. Then the ‘puppy’ sent another voice message— “Chloe, let me be your boyfriend. Please? Don’t look for other guys, okay?”

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“Ethan, what are you trying to say?” “I’m sorry, Chloe. You’re not the one I love. You were just… standing in for her.” “Ethan… look at me. Say that again.” Ethan and I grew up together, practically inseparable. But somewhere along the line, it felt like he’d lived a whole separate life I knew nothing about. Getting together felt natural, almost inevitable. I just couldn’t pinpoint when things started to go wrong. 1. Ethan was always that really cool, aloof guy. I knew that much. Until the day he stood under my dorm window, holding a massive bouquet of roses, shouting that he liked me. I asked him what he liked about me. Ethan listed off a ton of my good qualities, like he was taking an exam, his answers earnest and detailed. Then, flushed with excitement, he pulled a slightly clumsy-looking handmade bracelet from his pocket and asked, nervously, if I’d be his girlfriend. I smiled and said yes. He hugged me, ecstatic, like a little kid. He told me he’d made the bracelet himself, just for me. My friends teased me later, “Wow, Chloe! Look at you, turning the campus heartthrob into a total softie!” I just gave a polite little laugh. Deep down, I knew he was always meant to be bright and open like this. 2. After we started dating, I realized just how many girls were after Ethan. One afternoon, I brought him lunch I’d made myself. When I got there, two freshmen girls were standing on the other side of his table, their eyes practically glued to him. I walked right up, slipped under his arms, and nestled into his chest. Our eyes met, and the air suddenly felt charged, sweet. I pulled out my phone, waving it playfully in front of his face. “Hey handsome, can I get your number?” Ethan leaned down abruptly, his gorgeous face filling my vision. “Sure.” His voice was low, husky, undeniably flirty. My stupid heart started hammering. Seriously? Getting flustered by a guy a year younger than me. That move was enough to send the two freshmen blushing and scurrying away. 3. Before I knew it, graduation was just around the corner. Ethan, being a year younger, was just starting his senior year. After the official graduation photos, my friends started egging us on to take one together, just the two of us. Even the photographer was standing by, grinning, clearly enjoying the show. I didn’t think much of it and happily agreed. But as soon as Ethan and I stood side-by-side, my classmates somehow produced a big piece of red fabric, unfurling it behind us like a makeshift backdrop. Suddenly everyone was cheering and whistling. Only Ethan looked serious, staring right at me. “I want to marry you,” he said. I looked into his intense eyes, but I couldn’t shake the feeling he was looking through me, seeing someone else. Was it just my imagination? But that feeling started popping up more and more often. Sometimes when he watched me leave after a date, sometimes when we were eating across from each other, even sometimes catching his eye during a kiss – I could feel his mind was elsewhere. It was a strange, unsettling feeling that came out of nowhere but hit me hard. 4. I tried not to dwell on it. Ethan was so good to me, it was easy to get lost in how much he seemed to love me. If I mentioned wanting cake, he’d bring it to me, even if it meant running through a downpour. He’d arrive soaked like a drowned rat, racing back, ignoring the rain, the first thing he did was pull a slightly crumpled bag from inside his jacket. I saw something glinting on his forehead – maybe rain, maybe sweat. I asked him why he rushed like that, why he didn’t even grab an umbrella. He just chuckled, a warm sound. “It was fresh out of the oven. Didn’t want it to get cold.” I don’t like the smell of alcohol, but I’d never actually said it out loud. Ethan, I knew, used to enjoy a good drink. But since we got together, I never saw him touch a drop. Once, I asked him why he stopped drinking. “Because you don’t like the smell. So, I stopped.” “How did you know I don’t like the smell?” “Every time we were at a party, you’d push your glass away, make this little disgusted face. Hard not to notice.” “Just because of me?” “Yeah. I was afraid if I drank, you wouldn’t like me anymore.” 5. One day, Ethan finally got the official offer after his internship. “Hey, that new highly-rated Italian place opened downtown. Wanna check it out?” Ethan’s voice came through the phone. He always did that – asked my opinion before making a decision. It was one of the things my roommates and friends always pointed to as proof he was the “perfect boyfriend.” “Yeah, sounds great! Are you finishing up soon? I’ll wait for you at home.” I spent ages digging through my closet, finally settling on a deep green dress I loved. After changing, I bounced into the kitchen and baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies from a recipe I’d just learned a few days ago. I wanted him to try them, something I made just for him. But after we hung up, he never called back. I tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail. Midnight rolled around, then 1 AM, then 2 AM. He still wasn’t home. The apartment was dark and silent. The cookies I’d baked had long gone cold and weren’t crispy anymore. The green dress was getting wrinkled from me sitting and waiting. I started texting his close friends, the guys he always hung out with. After asking several people, I finally found out where he was. A bar. He was at a bar. I grabbed a cab and headed straight there. When I saw him, reeking of alcohol, slumped over the table, for a split second, I barely recognized him. This wasn’t the Ethan I knew. The Ethan I was with didn’t touch alcohol. I had no idea what had happened to make him get this wasted. But my gut feeling, that intuition women have, told me it wasn’t good. He was mumbling something, completely out of it. I helped him up, nodded a quick thanks to his friends, and steered him out. “What happened? Why did you drink so much?” I asked, leaning him onto the sofa back home, hands on my hips, catching my breath. “I miss her.” Ethan’s voice, though slurred, was strangely flat. So flat, it didn’t sound like someone who was drunk. I even wondered if he was actually drunk. So I asked, uncertainly. “Miss who?” His next words confirmed it. He was definitely drunk. He said, “The girl I love. But… I can never see her again.” The girl you love? But… aren’t I the girl you love? A bitter taste filled my mouth. So, that feeling I’d had for so long… it was real. But who was she? “Never see her again”… that meant it wasn’t his mom, and it wasn’t me. But growing up, I couldn’t remember any other girl being close to Ethan besides me. My nose started to sting, tears welling up unexpectedly. He suddenly stumbled to his feet and lurched towards the bathroom. He shut the door, locking me out. That was the first time he’d ever shut me out like that. Inside the bathroom, his phone started ringing, over and over. But he never picked up. He just kept crying. It was the first time I’d ever heard him cry. And he was crying for another woman. All I could do was stand outside the door, calling his name over the sound of his ignored phone. “Ethan,” I called out softly. He didn’t answer. 6. Something felt deeply wrong. Maybe it was curiosity, maybe it was the sting of betrayal, but I needed to know. We grew up together. How could I know nothing about this “her” he was talking about? So, I decided to find out. The thought itself startled me. Since we’d been together, the idea of investigating him, of digging into his past, had never crossed my mind. After all, I’d always assumed I knew everything about him. 7. I started by asking Ethan’s close friends, his buddies. Being his childhood friend and girlfriend meant I knew them pretty well. “Do you guys know anything about Ethan’s ex-girlfriend?” I asked, trying to sound casual. If he loved her like that, they must have dated, right? She’d be an ex. Friend A: “Uh… haha.” Awkward laugh. Friend B: “Look, Chloe, that’s between you two, how would I know?” Total deflection. Friend C: “Nope, no idea.” Clearly lying. It hit me then, really hit me: they were Ethan’s friends, not mine. Not only did they clam up, but they immediately launched into damage control, telling me how devoted Ethan was, that I shouldn’t overthink things. I got absolutely zero useful information about this supposed “ex-girlfriend.” Although I suspected they might tell Ethan I’d been asking questions, I didn’t expect them to relay the message quite so fast. Later that day, Ethan confronted me, his voice tight. “Why were you asking my friends about my past?” “Ethan, the other night was the first time you got drunk since we’ve been together. Now this is the first time you’ve been angry with me.” “Both times, it was because of this ‘her’ you love. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?” “This is making me feel really insecure, Ethan.” I tried to keep my voice steady, tried not to let the hurt show too much. But his response cut deep. “She’s not going to take me away from you. Don’t you trust me?” Hearing that, I just turned and walked away. He didn’t follow me.

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After being framed for kidnapping a child, my own husband sent me to prison. The day after I went in, he started spending every night screwing his old flame in my bed. Three years of hell turned me numb. When I got out, I was forced to live with a dog and give up my parents’ inheritance. Finally, I signed the divorce papers, just begging him to leave me alone. But then he went crazy, regretting everything, kneeling at my feet, pleading: “I was wrong, I sent that woman to prison, please forgive me, okay?” 1 “Inmate 1556, you’re clear for release.” The guard’s loud voice snapped me out of my daze. Three years behind bars had drained the life out of me, leaving me numb to almost everything. Even seeing Ethan Hayes, my husband, waiting for me—the first time in three years—didn’t stir the intense emotions I used to feel. Seeing me just standing there, dazedly, Ethan frowned impatiently, then rolled down the window and barked. “What? Didn’t three years in prison teach you anything? Do I have to get out and open the door for you?” That familiar tone sent a pang through my long-dormant heart. I quickly reached for the passenger door handle, but he snapped again. “Get in the back.” Stumbling, I opened the rear door, only then noticing the cute little charms hanging from the rearview mirror and dashboard. Ethan always hated childish things like that; anything I ever put up got thrown out. But these were carefully placed. I didn’t even need to guess who they belonged to. Sure enough, a familiar face turned around from the passenger seat, greeting me brightly. “Ava, long time no see!” It was Chloe Vance, Ethan’s old flame. I didn’t answer, just gave her a blank nod. The next second, Ethan suddenly turned, reaching towards me. Instinctively, I covered my head and curled up. “I’m sorry!” Ethan paused. “What the hell are you doing?” I looked up and saw he was just grabbing a water bottle from the back seat. It hit me then—I might be out of that hellhole, but my mind was still trapped there. Ethan scoffed. “Looks like Chloe was right. Trash like you who kidnaps kids really does learn to obey in prison, hahaha.” “Look at you, like a kicked dog. Did they make you bark in there? Did you go ‘woof woof’?” I didn’t argue. Prison is a concentration of malice. I was nearly beaten to death on my first day. Initially, I tried asking the guards for help, but all I got were disgusted looks. Sometimes, they even deliberately covered for the inmates. Before I was arrested, I knew my alleged crime would make me a target inside. But I never expected the prison system itself seemed designed to destroy me. Daily beatings, moved to a new cell block every other week to be tormented by fresh faces. Once, when I was seriously injured and sent to the infirmary, the doctor pressed down hard on my wounds while sneering and pouring alcohol. So, survival meant adopting the most subservient attitude possible. It wasn’t learning to be like a dog; it was being less than a dog. Seeing my lack of response, the contempt in Ethan’s eyes deepened. Chloe quickly tried to soothe him in a soft voice. “Ethan, honey, don’t be mad. Ava’s been cut off from society for three years, she’s learned her lesson. You’ll just have to guide her back to being a decent person.” “Don’t worry, I’ll help you guide her too. After all, she did genuinely love you and take care of you once. I’ll definitely look out for her, for your sake.” Chloe’s eyes seemed sincere. But Ethan just grabbed the water bottle and threw it, hitting my forehead. “Everything that happened to Ava, she brought on herself! She’s just good at playing the victim to fool soft-hearted people like you!” “Disgusting!” Ethan looked like he wanted to kill me. If I hadn’t supposedly kidnapped Chloe’s cousin at the mall, Chloe wouldn’t have rushed and fallen, injuring her leg. Chloe placated Ethan with a kiss on his cheek. “Don’t be angry, Ethan darling. I’ll always be here with you, facing whatever comes!” “Chloe, it’s so good to have you.” 2 It happened on my birthday. I received a rare text from Ethan, asking me to meet him at a restaurant to celebrate. I was overjoyed. I thought maybe this marriage, which only I seemed committed to, finally had a glimmer of hope. I always knew Ethan didn’t love me. He wouldn’t have married me if it wasn’t to save his family’s struggling business. But that night, he said he had prepared many gifts for me at the restaurant. Yet, as wave after wave of customers left, he still hadn’t shown up. Just then, a little girl came up to me and took my hand. “Miss, I’ll take you to him.” Thinking it was part of Ethan’s surprise, I followed the girl to the mall next door. Soon, sirens wailed. The girl suddenly fell, crying. Before I could even help her up, several police officers tackled me to the ground. When I saw Ethan arrive, I desperately pleaded for him to save me. But my frantic explanations were no match for Chloe’s choked words. “Ava, I know you’re jealous of my relationship with Ethan and always wanted revenge on me.” “But if you have a problem, take it out on me! My cousin is just a child!” Coupled with the girl’s terrified crying, I was suddenly accused of child abduction, completely bewildered. The hand I reached out to Ethan was flung away with disgust. “Ava, she’s only six! Can she lie? You are truly vicious!” And then, Ethan personally handed me over to the police. Later, when even the judge handling the case expressed doubts, it was Ethan who hired the best lawyer in the country to convince the judge to convict me. All of it, just to please his old flame. The car gradually entered the city limits and stopped at the old family house. This mansion, originally mine, had been transferred to Ethan’s name the day before I went to prison. The butler hesitated as he walked ahead of me. As much as he wanted to talk to me, he had to watch Ethan’s expression; Ethan was the master of the house now. Not long ago, a maid was fired just because she couldn’t style Chloe’s hair exactly the way she liked. Ethan not only fired her but also ruined her career, blacklisting her in the industry. “Miss Ava, you’ve suffered terribly.” While Ethan and Chloe went upstairs to change, the old butler quickly pulled me aside and pressed an envelope into my hand. I looked up, surprised. “Miss Ava, if it weren’t for you back then, my grandson might not be here today. He’s doing well now. Please take this money.” It was the bank card I had given him before. I clutched it tightly, ultimately pocketing it due to my current desperate situation. Indeed, as long as I was breathing, Ethan would only ever feel disgust towards me. My old room in the house had been converted into a room for Chloe’s pet dog. But he insisted I stay in that room, sharing it with Chloe’s dog. He was humiliating me. What he didn’t know was that even sharing a room with a dog was far better than the conditions I’d endured for the past three years. He wrapped his arm around Chloe’s waist, his eyes full of disdain for me. “Chloe’s and my room is right next door. You’ll stay here tonight. Behave yourself. Don’t you dare disturb our rest.” “And if you hear anything, don’t get any funny ideas, understand?” “Ava, you need to recognize your place now. You have absolutely no right to say no.” He looked at me like I was a dangerous criminal. But when he looked at Chloe, his eyes were always overflowing with affection. Watching him hold Chloe tight, for the first time, my heart felt no trace of bitterness. After all, I had already decided to divorce him. My love for him had died during those three years. 3 That night, I couldn’t sleep. Besides the dog whining, there were the low moans of Ethan and Chloe making love next door. They sounded like wild animals, unleashing buried desires in the dead of night. “Ethan honey, now that Ava’s back, does that mean I can’t stay here anymore?” “But I want to be with you forever. I want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up every day!” Her words, practically a confession of love, hit Ethan hard. He had waited so long to hear this. “Chloe, I feel the exact same way.” “Thank god, thank god I finally have your answer.” This was a message for me. A reminder that they were the perfectly matched pair in this world. And I was just an intruder, an invader. “But Ethan darling, what if Ava forces you to kick me out?” “Her? Dare she? She barely dares to speak loudly to me. You know how she kisses my ass.” “In Ava’s mind, I’m more important than her own life.” The next morning, I knocked on their bedroom door. Thanks to my old phone still working, I had prepared the divorce agreement overnight. As if deliberately trying to provoke me, Ethan opened the door shirtless. His body was covered in love bites and scratches. He held his head high, eyes dripping with scorn. “What do you want?” I silently averted my gaze and handed him the papers. “To divorce you.” Ethan laughed out loud, absurdly, as if he’d heard the world’s biggest joke. “You?” “Divorcing me?” He looked down on me, his tone full of disbelief. “Ava, don’t you know that divorce is something only I get to initiate?” Chloe emerged from behind him, throwing herself into Ethan’s arms. They ignored me, getting intimate right in front of me, leaving me standing there. The sounds of heavy breathing started again, like two animals constantly in heat. After a long while, Ethan finally spared me a sliver of his attention. “Fine, if you want a divorce, it’s not impossible.” “Ava, kneel and beg me.” I froze. I didn’t understand. He had the woman he loved by his side now, why deliberately make things difficult? Shouldn’t he, like me, want to end this marriage as soon as possible? Seeing my prolonged silence, Ethan sneered. “I knew it. This is just another one of your manipulative little dramas.” “Hearing me with another woman every night got to you, didn’t it? If you can’t stand it, move out! Don’t put on an act in front of me.” “Let’s see where you can possibly go once you leave me.” His overwhelming confidence crushed my self-esteem into dust. “Do you really… hate me that much?” I subconsciously voiced the question that had haunted me for three years. Ethan nodded without hesitation. “Of course. Just looking at you makes me sick.” I took a deep breath and pulled the divorce papers back. Pulling back the last shred of illusion I had about him. 4 The company my parents left me before they died… I had already transferred most of the shares to Ethan when we got married. Later, because of my sudden imprisonment, only one of the original senior executives remained. I didn’t know if the others quit on their own or if Ethan forced them out one by one. It wasn’t until he heard me personally say the word “divorce” that the remaining executive finally laughed with relief. “Ava, I stayed at the company all this time just waiting for you to come back! Thank goodness you’ve finally come to your senses. Don’t worry, this time I’ll do whatever it takes to get back what’s yours.” “Including your reputation.” Three years ago, when they framed me, I still clung to the fantasy that Ethan would save me. If I had used every means possible back then to prove my innocence, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up in such a wretched state. But that kind of clarity… Only dawned on me after three years of being emotionally stripped bare by love. Thanks to the butler’s bank card, I rented a small apartment outside the estate. When Ethan realized I wasn’t just putting on an act, a rare hint of panic flickered across his face. “Ava, what do you mean by this?” “Why are you still so manipulative? You have a home, why run off like this? Just to make sure everyone knows I drove you out?” I quietly finished packing my things before turning to address him. “Having a child kidnapper in the house… don’t you find it unlucky?” “After all, I’m the criminal you so righteously handed over yourself.” The moment the words left my mouth, Ethan slammed his fist against the wall, radiating a terrifying aura. Seeing this, Chloe rushed over, tenderly rubbing Ethan’s reddened knuckles. “Ethan, honey, don’t be angry with Ava.” “Maybe Ava just realizes the terrible things she did before, so she doesn’t dare stay near you anymore.” “Why don’t you just agree to the divorce? Out of sight, out of mind, for your own peace.” Chloe whispered softly in Ethan’s ear. One sentence after another, like brainwashing. Persuaded by the woman he adored, Ethan finally relented. He suppressed whatever fleeting unease or anger he felt, reverting to his usual look of disgust towards me. “Chloe’s right. Ava, I agree to divorce you.” “Hurry up and give me the papers. I’ll generously give you some assets, then disappear from this city. Saves me the nausea of looking at you.” His tone was as arrogant as ever. He seemed to assume I would obey him like I always used to, holding out his hand, waiting for me to place the divorce agreement in it. I stared at him for a moment.

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