My wife bought luxury cars and a penthouse for her lover—
but refused to pay the ten thousand dollars that could have saved our daughter’s life.
The night our little girl died, my wife sent only one text:
“You’re overreacting. He and I are just traveling.”
So I placed my wedding ring inside my daughter’s urn.
From that day on, I was no longer her husband.
As a CEO, my wife is incredibly wealthy, yet she’s always worried I’m after her inheritance. She keeps a tight rein on our finances, allowing my daughter and me just $200 a month for spending money.
However, when her first love came back to the country, she didn’t hesitate to shower him with a luxury car and a mansion, worth millions, to welcome him.
Later, when my daughter had a sudden heart attack, the only thing that could save her was a $10,000 surgery. Instead, I was accused of being ambitious and was thrown out of the company by security.
I watched as my daughter passed away in the operating room, while my wife boarded a plane for a joyful world tour with her first love.
After I finished arranging my daughter’s funeral, my wife returned from her trip, as indifferent as ever. She said:
“Hey, didn’t you and our daughter always want to go to the amusement park? I’ll take you next week.”
But she didn’t know that the moment our daughter died on that operating table, I was ready to end our marriage.
I was packing up my daughter’s belongings when my wife, Evelyn, who had just returned from her world tour, casually walked back into our home.
“Luke, can you massage my shoulders? The trip really wore me out.”
Hearing this, I, who once cherished her dearly, remained silent and continued packing.
Seeing I ignored her, Evelyn frowned, then suddenly laughed as if something amusing had crossed her mind.
“Are you still jealous about Damian and I traveling together?”
Damian was her childhood friend.
Evelyn had left our daughter, who was gravely ill, to travel the world with this friend, letting our daughter die on a cold operating table.
Thinking about my daughter’s eyes slowly losing their warmth felt like a dagger through my heart.
Before I could speak, Damian walked in, feigning innocence:
“Oh, Luke, it’s all my fault for dragging Evelyn on the trip.”
“But don’t worry, it was just a trip, nothing more.”
He spoke lightly, yet they wore matching outfits and rings, looking like a genuine couple in public.
Meanwhile, the wedding ring Evelyn and I shared had long been discarded by her.
Seeing I still wouldn’t speak, Evelyn sighed, looking helpless.
“Alright, don’t be mad. I’ll send an extra $500 this month for Anna to get something nice.”
“Just remember, I’m doing this for you. No need to thank me.”
But looking at the transaction on my phone, I felt nothing but mockery.
She spent millions on a world tour with Damian, buying luxury brands, where a single bag costs thousands.
Yet now, giving me $500 felt as if she was doing me a huge favor.
Damian stood by, trying to suppress his laughter, sarcastically saying:
“Luke, $500 is quite a bit. You should thank Evelyn.”
“Let me tell you, kids should be raised modestly, so they won’t be materialistic when they grow up!”
As absurd as it was, Evelyn believed it.
To prevent our daughter from being materialistic, she strictly controlled our expenses, giving only $200 monthly.
I used to argue because I wanted a better life for our daughter, but now she’s gone. Arguing means nothing.
With this thought, I returned the money and said calmly:
“No need, I don’t want it.”
Evelyn’s smile froze, then she helplessly said:
“Luke, I already apologized. What more do you want?”
Before I could speak, Damian’s mocking voice came from the side,
“I think he just thinks $500 is too little, right?”
“Luke, not to be harsh, but with your greedy attitude, how can you be a good example for Anna?”
He lectured me condescendingly.
Hearing this, Evelyn also looked at me with disappointment.
“Luke, we’ve been married a few years, and you’re already this greedy?”
“In a few more years, are you planning to take over the shares and inheritance from Evelyn’s family?”
Listening to Evelyn’s accusation, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.
After all this time, this is how she sees me.
But my silence, to her, seemed like guilt.
The next moment, Evelyn spoke with irritation:
“Looks like Damian was right, you’re not a fit father.”
“I’m doing this to teach our daughter resilience.”
“If you keep this up, and Anna turns out materialistic and greedy like you, can we still call this a family?”
Looking at her seriousness, I found it ironic.
Her so-called resilience was scolding me for asking for a little extra for groceries, accusing me of eyeing her inheritance.
Even when our daughter scored high and wanted a small cake, she’d point at her, scolding:
“So materialistic at a young age, you’ll grow up to be a gold-digger!”
“Your dad will spoil you rotten someday!”
Thinking of this, I was about to tell her about our daughter.
“Evelyn, our daughter is already…”
But before I could finish, Damian suddenly cried out in pain at the door.
The next moment, Evelyn didn’t even bother continuing to lecture me, she rushed to Damian’s side.
“Damian, what happened?”
Damian feigned nonchalance, waving it off:
“Evelyn, I’m fine. Maybe the long flight triggered my old back pain.”
“I’m okay, don’t let me delay your time with family.”
Hearing this, Evelyn shook her head.
“Your health comes first. I’ll take you to the hospital now.”
Just before leaving, Evelyn seemed to remember something, turned to me, and sighed seriously.
“Luke, let’s both calm down first.”
“When I get back, we can discuss taking our daughter out next week.”
But she didn’t know our daughter was gone, and I had no intention of waiting for her anymore.
2.
After gathering my thoughts, I took my resignation letter and went straight to the company to resign.
On the way, colleagues pointed and whispered.
“Isn’t that Luke? How can he still show his face here?”
“Yeah, asking CEO Evelyn for $10,000 last month and got thrown out by security.”
“With his salary, how many years would he need to earn $10,000?”
“Ignore this clown, let’s go…”
Hearing these, I laughed at myself.
For years, Evelyn never announced our relationship, even arranged for me to be just a regular employee to avoid suspicion.
I’ve worked hard, even drank myself sick to secure big deals for the company.
All I wanted was to become better, to make her acknowledge me and our daughter.
But my promotion applications were repeatedly rejected by her.
I sought her out for an explanation.
She smiled, clinging to my arm, sweetly said: “Luke, this is all to train you, so you can be a better husband and father!”
“Besides, I earn enough for us. Do you think I can’t support you and our daughter, or are you trying to climb into the company’s upper ranks to seize power?”
I was left speechless, thinking she had her reasons.
But on the day Damian returned, she sent dozens of luxury cars to the airport, the cannon salute was deafening.
That night, Damian parachuted into the company, appointed as Vice President.
I realized then, love or lack thereof, the difference was obvious.
Given this, there’s no need to continue this ridiculous marriage.
I submitted my resignation.
Stepping out of the company, I expected to feel heavy-hearted, but I only felt relief.
For years, like a bird with clipped wings, I’ve been trapped in a cage, oppressed.
Now, I see freedom ahead.
I visited my daughter’s grave, placed her favorite toys by her small tombstone.
Stayed with her until nightfall, then dragged my tired body home.
To my surprise, opening the door, Evelyn was unexpectedly home waiting.
“Do you know what time it is? I thought you’d learned to stay out all night.”
On the couch, Evelyn frowned, arms crossed, displeased.
Her expression was a signal for me to comfort her.
But I found it odd that while Damian’s minor injuries would keep her by his side, she wasn’t with him at the hospital today.
Not my concern, so I didn’t ask. I calmly asked:
“What’s up?”
My cold tone made Evelyn’s face stiffen.
No matter what happened before, I always greeted her with a smile. But since she returned from her trip, I’ve been different. No arguments, no fuss, even my gaze lost warmth.
This made her uneasy, quickly saying:
“Are you still mad about me going with Damian? I told you, it was just to relax.”
“Didn’t our daughter always say she wanted to go to the beach? Once I’m less busy, I’ll take you and her, okay?”
“Is something the matter?”
Evelyn’s expression shifted, caught off guard by the icy tone.
In the past, no matter what happened, I always greeted her with a smile. But ever since she returned from her trip, I’ve changed. I no longer argue or make a fuss, and even my gaze towards her has grown cold.
This unsettled her, prompting her to say hurriedly, “Are you still upset about me going out with Damian? I told you, it was just a break to clear my mind.”
“Our daughter has always wanted to go to the beach, right? Once things settle down, I’ll take you both. How about that?”
Her attempt at reconciliation felt more like a condescending gesture. To her, my daughter and I were like pets—amusing when she was in a good mood, and pushed aside when she wasn’t.
Suddenly, Evelyn seemed to remember something and looked at me curiously.
“Wait, where’s our daughter? I haven’t seen her since I got back.”
“Did you send her to your mom?”
I stared at her in disbelief. She had been back for two days and was only now asking about our daughter?
It was clear she didn’t truly care about our daughter or this family.
Before I could respond, Damian emerged from the bathroom wearing my bathrobe.
3.
Seeing me, Damian was unfazed and acted as if he owned the place, warmly inviting me in:
“Luke, come on in, make yourself comfortable.”
I was momentarily speechless, looking questioningly at Evelyn on the sofa.
“Why is he here?”
Sensing my expression, Evelyn awkwardly explained, “Damian hasn’t been well, so I brought him here to look after him. Don’t overthink it.”
I suddenly understood. No wonder Evelyn was home tonight—it was all for Damian.
She seemed relieved, adding, “It’s a good thing you sent our daughter to your mom’s beforehand. Otherwise, it would’ve been inconvenient with so many people here.”
I found it ironic. She hadn’t even noticed our daughter’s absence, her mind solely occupied with Damian.
Damian feigned remorse, saying, “It’s all my fault for disrupting your married life, Luke. I’m just here temporarily. You aren’t upset, right?”
But his eyes were filled with smugness and a challenge.
Evelyn, anxious to avoid conflict, quickly interjected, “Luke, don’t worry. Damian and I agreed he’d sleep on the sofa. He won’t disturb us.”
But the next moment, I saw pity in her eyes for him.
How could she bear to let Damian sleep on a cold sofa? If I hadn’t come back suddenly, she would have cradled him in her arms.
Thinking of this, I said, “Since his back is bad, he shouldn’t sleep on the sofa. He should sleep in the master bedroom.”
Damian’s face lit up with delight at my words.
“Really? Luke, you’re so generous.”
Evelyn also breathed a sigh of relief.
“Luke, I’m glad you see it this way. I was worried you’d be jealous of Damian and make a scene.”
She thought I had matured and wouldn’t argue over such trivial matters.
I was leaving anyway, so why should it matter to me where he stays?
As Evelyn joyfully led Damian into the master bedroom, I quietly packed my bags, ready to stay at a hotel.
But as I reached the door, Evelyn emerged from the bedroom and stopped me.
“Luke, it’s late. Where are you going?”
I smiled faintly.
“To give you and Damian some space, of course.”
Upon hearing this, Evelyn’s expression turned grim, and she gritted her teeth.
“What do you mean by that, Luke?”
“I already explained. It’s because of Damian’s back pain that I brought him here temporarily. You’re the one who agreed to let him stay in the master bedroom. What are you doing now?”
“Don’t you have any sympathy?”
Her words were endless, but I found them amusing.
I used to argue with her about Damian, and she’d call me immature and unreasonable. Now that I was mature and didn’t argue, she was unhappy again.
Damian pretended to sob.
“I knew Luke was still mad at me. It’s all my fault. I should just suffer on the street.”
His poor acting fooled Evelyn, who then shielded Damian.
“Damian, you’re staying here today. I’d like to see who dares to kick you out!”
Crossing her arms, she coldly said to me:
“You’ve grown bold. Go ahead, leave if you dare!”
She assumed I loved her too much to really leave.
But from the moment our daughter died, my love for her vanished. I would never forgive her.
I chuckled coldly, grabbed my suitcase, and left.
Evelyn stared at my back in disbelief, unable to comprehend.
It wasn’t until I got in the elevator that I heard her shout,
“Go on! If you leave, don’t come back!”
But she didn’t realize I truly wouldn’t return. She had lost me forever.
At the hotel, I slept peacefully.
The next morning, I woke up to dozens of missed calls—all from Evelyn.
The last call was half an hour ago.
I was surprised she hadn’t slept all night.
She used to tell me to be more tolerant and not argue with Damian. When did she become so petty?
When I opened the door, Evelyn sat tiredly in a chair.
Seeing me, her eyes immediately welled up.
“Just because I let Damian stay with us, you’re leaving and quitting your job?”
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Sloane said she couldn’t come to dinner with me.
But an hour later, she walked into the same restaurant, standing right beside him.
She tried to sit next to me like nothing was wrong.
Aiden gave me a quiet, satisfied smile, as if he’d already won.
Sloane kept sending excuses and half-apologies, expecting me to melt the way I always did.
But I didn’t.
That night, I finally stopped being predictable—
and decided to walk away from her for good.
I sat at the table, watching the food grow cold, much like my heart.
Today was my birthday, but it was also the birthday of Aiden, Sloane’s childhood friend. I opened Aiden’s Instagram and saw a new post.
“Grateful to have you by my side every birthday. Let’s keep celebrating together for years to come!”
The photo showed two hands making a heart shape in front of a cake. One of them was Sloane’s, wearing the necklace I had given her.
I liked the post, then put down my phone and dumped all of Sloane’s favorite dishes I had prepared into the trash. I went out to a restaurant to order my own favorites and celebrate my birthday alone.
From now on, I would make each of my birthdays special – for myself.
Halfway through my meal, Sloane called. Her voice held a hint of anxiety: “Grant, did you see Aiden’s Instagram post?”
“I did.”
“I’ll be back after celebrating with him. I’ll spend next year’s birthday with you, okay? Don’t be upset!”
In the past, I would have thrown a fit, but not anymore. I simply replied, “Okay.”
The next morning, around 7 AM, I was woken up by my phone ringing. It rang three times before cutting off. I checked – it was Sloane.
She used to be too lazy to use her key, so she’d always call me to let her in, ringing three times before hanging up.
No matter what I was doing, I would rush to open the door for her.
Today, I didn’t. I tossed my phone aside and went back to sleep.
The spare key was under the shoe rack by the door. She knew that.
I had been up until 3 AM packing, and my head was still fuzzy. My phone rang a few more times, but I couldn’t be bothered to look.
Some time later, I vaguely heard someone unlocking the door and coming in. The door slammed against the wall loudly, followed by my bedroom door being flung open and Sloane’s angry voice.
“Grant, why didn’t you open the door for me? I called several times! You know I hate using keys!”
I opened my eyes and looked at her impassively. “Too tired. Didn’t hear it.”
Sloane opened her mouth, then closed it. Finally, she said, “I’m hungry. Get up and make me a sandwich. I didn’t sleep all night, and I need to catch up on some rest after I eat.”
In the past, I would have jumped up to make her breakfast. But now, I just said flatly, “I’m tired too. Why don’t you go downstairs and buy something?”
Sloane was furious but tried to control herself. “Are you still mad about me not being here for your birthday yesterday?”
“No, you’re overthinking it.”
Sloane didn’t believe me. She continued, “Aiden is like a brother to me. His parents passed away when he was young. If I don’t celebrate his birthday with him, who will? Don’t be so petty, or I’ll really get angry!”
“You’re right. You should celebrate with him. I’m not upset.”
I got up to go to the bathroom.
Sloane grabbed my hand and reluctantly pulled out a red string bracelet from her pocket. “Here, don’t be mad. This is your birthday gift. See? I remembered.”
Looking at the cheap red string with its dangling metal charm, which seemed so carelessly chosen, and thinking of the expensive watch Aiden had shown off on Instagram, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
I had thought Sloane’s recent frugality was to save up for my birthday gift. Apparently, I had been deluding myself.
I shook my wrist, showing the watch my mom had sent me a few days ago. “Thanks, but I already have a watch. It’s not convenient to wear this. You keep it.”
Sloane snapped, “You say you’re not angry, but you used to be happy with whatever I gave you. Are you getting picky now?”
Sloane’s salary wasn’t high. Her birthday gifts to me were always cheap, costing a few dollars or tens of dollars at most. Sometimes she even forgot to give me anything. But I never minded.
For her birthdays, I always prepared thoughtful gifts. Just a week ago, for her birthday, I had given her a gold necklace.
I was tired. I didn’t have the energy to argue anymore. I took the red string and put it in my pocket. “Thank you.”
I changed my clothes and opened the door. Sloane called out anxiously, “Where are you going?”
“To play basketball with friends.”
Since getting together with Sloane, all my free time belonged to her. I accompanied her everywhere, took care of her, and had no time left for myself.
That wouldn’t be the case anymore. I needed to live for myself now.
After an exhilarating game with my friends, we sat on the benches by the court, drinking water.
My friends joked, “We thought you’d forgotten about us since you got a girlfriend. We were about to stop inviting you out.”
I apologized and promised, “I’m sorry, guys. It won’t happen again. Count me in for any future plans.”
“That’s more like it! Come on, let’s go to the internet cafe and play some games.”
When I was with Sloane, I couldn’t fit into her Instagram world, but I had slowly distanced myself from my own friends for her sake.
I revolved my life around her, prioritizing her above all else. Looking back, I realized how foolish I had been.
When I got home, it was almost midnight. I opened the bedroom door to find Sloane sitting on the bed.
She frowned and said, “Grant, why are you back so late? I had to order takeout for lunch and dinner. It was awful.”
I opened the closet to get some clean clothes. “I ate at restaurants today too. The food was pretty good, not worse than home-cooked meals.”
Sloane stared at me in surprise. “You used to say you’d cook for me every day and that I shouldn’t eat takeout because it’s unhygienic!”
“I was wrong. Living in this society, if you can’t cook, you have to get used to takeout food.”
A flash of anger crossed Sloane’s eyes. “You say you’re not angry, but you’ve been out all day without a single call or message, and you didn’t come home to cook for me!”
I replied calmly, “I’m not angry. I was just hanging out with friends. My phone died, so I couldn’t call.”
Seeing my attitude, Sloane suddenly threw off the covers and got out of bed angrily. She grabbed me as I was about to leave, her voice shrill.
“Can’t you be more understanding? I’ve told you we’re just like siblings! What are you still upset about? Grant, my patience has limits!”
I shook off her hand. “I’m really not upset. I’m tired. I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight.”
With that, I took my clothes and went to the bathroom to shower, ignoring Sloane’s calls from inside the bedroom.
That night, I slept soundly for the first time in a long while.
Sloane was a restless sleeper, kicking off the covers several times a night. When we slept together, I never got a full night’s rest, having to get up multiple times to cover her.
Early the next morning, Sloane sat in the living room with her arms crossed, her face dark with anger.
I knew she was waiting for me to apologize first and make her happy.
In the past, whenever she was unhappy, I would beg for her forgiveness, even if I didn’t think I had done anything wrong.
Then she would list a bunch of conditions, and only after I had fulfilled them all would she reluctantly forgive me.
This had been the pattern for years, and I was tired of it.
I ignored her, got ready, and left. I had important things to do today.
I went to the office to submit my resignation letter. My manager was surprised and tried to persuade me to stay, but I insisted on leaving.
I had originally taken this job to be close to Sloane, to take care of her.
But now, that was no longer necessary.
Last night, I had a video call with my parents, telling them I was planning to quit my job and return home.
I saw the tears of joy in my mom’s eyes.
My dad’s health hasn’t been good lately, and he’s been struggling to run the small supermarket by himself.
When I say “home,” it’s not some remote village, but a coastal city.
Sloane had always refused to go back with me, saying she wasn’t used to the food there. So I left my parents to find work here with her.
That evening, I met up with my friends for dinner and told them the news.
They all agreed that going back was the right decision, as my parents’ health was more important.
After a few drinks, someone suddenly asked, “What about Sloane? Is she willing to go back with you now?”
I was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly. “No, we’ll probably break up.”
I used to think I could build a home here with Sloane, and then bring my parents over later.
But now that home was gone, and I was returning to the one with my parents – the one that would never abandon me.
When I got back home, I saw Sloane wearing a white dress, her black hair flowing loose, face perfectly made up, video chatting with Aiden on her phone.
Aiden’s voice came through the speaker: “Snow, you look absolutely gorgeous. Even in a simple white dress, you look like a fairy!”
Sloane giggled, covering her face coyly. “Really? You’re still such a sweet talker.”
I stood there silently. This “simple” white dress had cost me a month’s salary when I bought it for her.
Sloane turned around, still smiling, but her face fell when she saw me. She quickly told Aiden, “I have to go now. I’ll be there soon. Have a snack while you wait.”
Sloane could be all smiles and care for Aiden, but she couldn’t even spare a smile for me.
She looked at me with disgust, then walked past me to put on her shoes and leave.
She was starting her cold treatment again.
In the years we’ve been together, she often gave me the silent treatment over issues related to Aiden.
Each time, I would be anxious, trying everything to please her.
This time, I wasn’t nervous. I just took the groceries I had bought and went to the kitchen to make myself a late-night snack.
I had been drinking with my friends earlier and hadn’t eaten much, so I was a bit hungry now.
Over the next few days, I was busy handing over my work and packing my belongings.
My things in the house were gradually disappearing, but Sloane didn’t notice.
Today, Sloane went out again to meet Aiden.
I sat at the dining table, scrolling through my phone while eating.
Aiden had posted on Instagram: “Whenever I feel lonely, you’re always there for me. I’m so grateful!”
The photo showed Sloane and Aiden with their heads together, making peace signs at the camera.
Sloane’s girlfriends were all commenting, admiring their relationship.
They had always thought Sloane should be with Aiden, and that I was the third wheel interfering in their relationship.
Looking at that Instagram post, I suddenly felt that Sloane’s friends weren’t wrong – they did look more like a couple.
In the past, after enduring silently for a long time, I would gently remind Sloane to keep some distance from Aiden to avoid misunderstandings.
Her friends would then mock me for being too controlling, saying I was suffocating Sloane and not giving her any freedom to have friends.
Sloane never defended me. Instead, she joined them in criticizing me, telling me not to restrict her and to give her more freedom.
Sloane had commented: “You’re always there for me too!”
I exited Instagram without a ripple in my heart and got up to clear the table.
Thunder rumbled outside. It was about to rain.
I went to the balcony to bring in the laundry, and large raindrops began hitting the windows.
In the past, whenever it rained, I would anxiously call Sloane to ask where she was and rush out with an umbrella to pick her up, afraid she might get even slightly wet.
She and her friends would then laugh at me for being like an old woman, worrying too much and ruining their fun.
I showered early and lay in bed scrolling through short videos, eventually falling asleep without realizing it.
The sound of Sloane forcefully pushing open my bedroom door woke me up. Seeing that I was sleeping, she angrily questioned me.
“Grant, it’s pouring outside, and your girlfriend isn’t home yet. Aren’t you worried at all? If it were my friends’ boyfriends, they’d be calling non-stop asking where they are and rushing out with umbrellas to pick them up! What about you?!”
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Three months before my wedding, my fiancée posted a baby bump photo on her Ins.
It was her with my adopted brother.
The caption read:
[Legally welcoming our little one!]
My adopted brother, Noah, commented with a celebratory emoji.
My mom liked it.
[Once the baby is born, I’ll take care of them. You two can enjoy your time together.]
I couldn’t help but hit reply with a question mark.
The next second, Chloe’s furious texts flooded my phone.
“He’s just stepping up as the father figure for a bit, to give the baby a stable start. Once the baby is here, things will go back to normal between us, and I’ll be yours again.”
“Don’t be so petty. My mom also said we should wait until your career is stable before getting legally married—having the wedding first, then doing the paperwork later, isn’t that good enough?”
I calmly hummed in response, then deleted every single post related to Chloe on my Ins.
I updated my status:
“Need a bride. Any takers?”
Chloe Davis was the first to reply.
[Leo Hayes, are you insane? I’m just temporarily with Noah, do you really have to make this public knowledge?]
[Who are you posting this for? I’m warning you, don’t make things difficult for Noah!]
My adopted brother, Noah Hayes, quickly followed:
[Chloe just wants to give the baby a legal identity. I won’t steal her from you. When you two eventually marry, my child can even call you Dad.]
My mom, Brenda Hayes, scolded me for being ungrateful:
[You get a child without all the hard work. Noah is helping you so much; you should be thankful.]
Below, a flurry of Chloe’s friends joined in the mockery:
[They’re practically brothers anyway, right? Who cares who she marries? Noah can have her on weekdays, and you get the weekends!]
Everyone was joking, laughing.
I stared at the screen for a long time, my eyes burning. Tears eventually blurred my vision, hitting the phone screen.
They were the ones who messed up, yet they were acting so righteous, pointing fingers at me.
It was ridiculous.
These people weren’t worth my tears.
I wiped the wetness from my face with a harsh gesture. Amidst the chaotic comments, one stood out:
Mia Sterling asked, “Is the bride spot still open?”
Mia was my childhood friend.
After college, I stayed local, while she went abroad for her master’s.
Once Chloe and I started dating, Mia had intentionally kept her distance. We hadn’t seen each other in years.
While I was still reeling, her call came through.
“Leo, I’ve always liked you.”
“You know how much I despise your adopted brother; I would never get involved with him. All these years, I’ve focused on my career, my relationship history is clean, and I have no messy social connections.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a document popped up on my phone—it was an agreement to transfer all her assets.
“This is all my sincerity,” her voice was a little shaky. “Would you consider me?”
A lump formed in my throat. I suddenly remembered a time in elementary school when our teacher gave her two of her favorite chocolates as a reward.
She was so tempted, swallowing secretly, but she didn’t keep a single one. She put both into my pocket.
She’d always been like that, pouring her heart out, giving me her best.
I took a deep breath. “I will.”
Love had left me scarred. I’d planned to live alone.
But Grandma’s dying wish was to see me have my own family, with someone who genuinely loved me.
Chloe didn’t deserve that, but Mia would be the best choice.
Her voice trembled with surprise. “I’ll finish up work as fast as I can. I’ll be back in two weeks to marry you.”
“Leo, you won’t change your mind this time, right?”
The vulnerability in her tone reminded me of our childhood promise—I’d once laughed and said I’d be her groom when we grew up.
“No,” I whispered. “Mia, let’s pinky swear.”
After hanging up, my mom, Brenda, pushed open my bedroom door.
“Where are those sapphire cufflinks your dad left you before he passed?”
I remained silent, not answering.
Mom frowned, annoyed. “What’s with that attitude? Noah just thinks they’re exquisite and wants to borrow them for his formal wear. Hand them over. Don’t be so petty!”
My adopted brother, Noah, clung to Mom’s arm, looking forlorn. “Never mind, Mom. Leo never saw me as a real brother. If he doesn’t want to, then he doesn’t have to. I won’t force him.”
“He dares not to recognize you! Those cufflinks belonged to my husband, they’re your father’s. Today, I’m making the decision to give them to you.”
Mom hugged Noah, glaring at me sternly. “If you don’t hand them over now, don’t blame me for having someone search your room.”
I stared at her, stunned, then curved my lips into a smile that was uglier than a cry.
The gentle, understanding mother I remembered had long become unrecognizable.
But, I was about to leave this place forever.
Unwilling to engage in another meaningless argument, I silently retrieved the velvet box containing the cufflinks from the back of my drawer and handed it over.
Mom nodded, satisfied. “That’s right. Noah is your brother; you should naturally take care of him more.”
After she left, Noah fastened the cufflinks onto his shirt right in front of me, raising an eyebrow. “Bro, don’t blame Mom for being biased. Honestly, these cufflinks look better on me.”
“Just like Chloe is a better fit for me as a girlfriend.”
“What’s mine, no one can ever take away.”
I watched Noah’s smug expression, saying nothing.
With people like him, the more you engage, the more they cling.
I grabbed my backpack and walked straight to the stairs, ignoring him completely.
“Ah! Why did you push me… ”
Noah suddenly darted in front of me, pretending I’d shoved him, stumbling backward.
Though I loathed him, I instinctively reached out to grab him—twenty-some steps was no small fall.
“Leo, don’t you dare lay a hand on him!”
Chloe rushed up, violently swatting away my hand reaching for Noah.
My hand slammed hard against the metal railing with a dull thud, instantly swelling and bruising.
The sharp pain made me break out in a cold sweat.
“Chloe, good thing you came…” Noah cowered in Chloe’s arms, trembling with teary eyes.
“Don’t worry, I’m here.” Chloe gently patted his back, then shot me a cold glare. “You know he’s fragile, yet you’d be so cruel?”
I looked down at my rapidly swelling hand, then back at Noah, carefully shielded by Chloe.
The irony felt like ice water splashed on my face.
This woman, who had sworn to love me forever and was supposed to marry me in three months, how had she become so utterly unrecognizable?
After comforting Noah, Chloe turned to me, her expression grim. “I know you’re upset that I hid my marriage and pregnancy with him from you. You can vent your anger at me, since I didn’t tell you upfront.”
“But you can’t hurt Noah. He’s already weak and pitiful enough.”
“He only asked for a chance to be a father, is that so wrong? Why should he suffer your anger?”
She pointed a finger at me. “You will apologize to Noah today!”
I struggled to control my trembling body, rasping, “What did I do wrong? What exactly did I do wrong?”
Chloe stared at my bloodshot eyes, momentarily stunned.
“It’s okay, Chloe,” Noah interjected, tugging her sleeve, his voice filled with feigned sobs. “Even though I almost fell down the stairs… I don’t blame Leo. He doesn’t have to apologize.”
“You and Leo are still getting married. I don’t want you fighting because of me.”
Chloe sighed, her voice laced with pity. “Noah, your thoughtfulness sometimes breaks my heart.”
Her gaze hardened as she looked at me again. “Ultimately, you’re just jealous of Noah, can’t stand to see him doing better than you.”
“Today, for his sake, I’ll let the apology slide.”
“But if you ever dare to harm him again, I will make you pay.”
She lifted Noah into her arms, and as she left, she threw a remark filled with disappointment at me: “You’re nothing compared to Noah.”
The silent living room was empty except for me. I stared blankly at the withered leaves falling outside the window, finally unable to stop myself from crouching down, burying my face in my hands.
This was the last time I’d cry for Chloe.
That afternoon, Chloe updated her Ins. It was a nine-picture grid, showing off various meticulously decorated corners of what she called a bridal home.
The caption read: “Every room, every piece of furniture, every decoration here was chosen and arranged by me, all to give my baby a warm and happy home.”
The comments section quickly filled with well wishes.
“Congrats, Chloe, on your impending bundle of joy!”
“So, Chloe and Leo are having a shotgun wedding! Congrats, congrats!”
“Leo, you’re so lucky to have such a wonderful partner like Chloe!”
“I’ll cancel a hundred-million-dollar deal if I have to, but I won’t miss the wedding in three months!”
Just as the blessings poured in, Noah suddenly commented to clarify: “Everyone, please don’t misunderstand. This isn’t Chloe’s bridal home, this is my house.”
The comments section fell into an awkward silence.
I broke the deadlock, replying: “Three’s a crowd. I’m out. Wishing you two happiness.”
After sending that, I didn’t bother with the reactions. I just deleted Chloe and Noah from my friends list.
Minutes later, Chloe’s call came in. “Leo, are you done causing trouble?”
My tone was calm. “I’m not causing trouble.”
She exploded. “What you wrote on my Ins was practically slandering Noah! Are you only happy if you brand him as the third wheel? If you keep this up, our engagement is off!”
Listening to her cold accusations, my heart was like stagnant water, completely still. “Chloe, why do you think I’d still want something that’s been used by someone else?”
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Sloane cut my salary and gave the money to her assistant Aiden,
then told me I was “too emotional” for questioning it.
When I reminded her I’d built the company with her, she didn’t even look up.
“Stop acting entitled,” she said. Aiden smirked and added, “Maybe you should step aside.”
That was the moment I understood they expected me to obey forever.
So I placed my resignation on her desk and watched her smile collapse.
My fiancée Sloane, the CEO, told me the company wasn’t doing well and cut my salary in half. But then I saw her assistant Aiden bragging on Instagram.
“The boss not only gave me a raise but also bought me a luxury car because she was worried I’d be tired from work. She’s so thoughtful!”
In the photo, he and my fiancée were standing in front of a newly purchased million-dollar luxury car, looking blissfully happy.
I pondered for two seconds, then hit the like button.
That evening, Sloane called an emergency meeting. Using the excuse that I was disrupting the company’s atmosphere, she withheld my entire month’s salary and gave it to her assistant as compensation for emotional distress.
Everyone looked at me sympathetically, thinking I would go crazy and make a scene.
But I just calmly packed up my things from my desk and handed my resignation letter to her.
“Docking my salary isn’t enough for bullying a colleague? I’ll resign voluntarily.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Sloane’s assistant Aiden quickly chimed in.
“Dane, how can you resign over such a small matter?”
“You’ve been with the company for so long, and Sloane has always been so good to you. If you resign at this critical moment, how will everyone view Sloane?”
“Sloane, please come and talk Dane out of it!”
Sloane might have wanted to persuade me earlier.
But after hearing Aiden’s words, her anger grew. She snorted coldly: “Why should I persuade him? If he wants to leave, let him leave. I have nothing to hide, I’m not afraid of what anyone might say.”
Then, without hesitation, she signed my resignation letter and threw it in my face.
The onlooking colleagues were dumbfounded.
A colleague who was close to me quickly whispered, urging me to apologize and not to act on impulse.
Almost everyone present knew that I had helped Sloane build this company from scratch.
When the company was short on money, I worked tirelessly to secure investments. When projects couldn’t be completed, I led the team in pulling all-nighters to get the work done. I had poured countless hours and emotions into every aspect of the business.
Now that the company had completed its financing and was about to go public, anyone in their right mind wouldn’t leave at this time.
But I remained calm, picking up the resignation letter from the ground.
“I’ll leave after I finish handing over my work.”
“No need for a handover, just get out now,” Sloane said coldly, pointing at the door.
Seeing this, I said nothing more. After saying goodbye to a few people, I picked up my things and left.
Before I left, I looked back at Sloane one last time.
I clearly saw a flash of complexity in her cold, calm eyes.
Of course, I knew why.
She didn’t think I would leave.
We had fallen out before, but after leaving for a short while, I would always regret it and go back to her as if nothing had happened, apologizing and continuing to work as usual.
But perhaps she didn’t know that this time was different from before.
My patience with her had finally run out.
I walked to the parking garage.
I found my old car that I had been driving for ten years, with several patches of paint worn off.
Next to it was parked a brand new top-of-the-line Porsche, the one Sloane had just given to Aiden today.
There were many empty spaces in the garage, yet he chose to park right here.
I understood. This was his way of taunting me.
These weren’t just two cars; they were more like the two of us.
I had been with Sloane for ten years, yet I wasn’t as valued as Aiden who had only joined ten months ago.
I laughed self-mockingly and got into my car.
Just then, a text message came through. I opened it to see a transfer from my friend.
This morning when Sloane said the company wasn’t doing well and wanted to cut my salary, I was worried she was under too much pressure. I immediately contacted a friend and borrowed fifty thousand dollars.
I had originally planned to give it to her, but then I inadvertently saw Aiden’s Instagram post about Sloane buying him a new car.
At that moment, I was surprisingly calm, feeling neither sad nor jealous to the point of madness.
Perhaps it was because it had happened too many times.
Aiden had been recruited into the company by Sloane as an exception. His work ability was a complete mess, but Sloane, who had always been serious and meticulous about work, could tolerate his mistakes time and time again.
From small things like serving plain water to clients during meetings while getting milk tea for herself, to big mistakes like sending the bottom-line price list to partners instead of the quote list, causing the company to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars.
When I questioned Aiden about these issues, Sloane would unhesitatingly stand in front of him to protect him.
She would look at me with impatience.
“Aiden just graduated, isn’t it normal to make some mistakes? Why are you being so harsh on a newcomer?”
Over time, Aiden became increasingly arrogant, to the point where he didn’t take me seriously at all.
Soon after, I left the parking garage. As I was waiting for the barrier to rise, my car suddenly jolted.
Realizing I had been rear-ended, I got out of the car, only to see Sloane and Aiden getting out of the car behind, hand in hand.
“I’m so sorry… Oh, Dane, it’s you?” Aiden immediately walked up, looking distressed at his dented car front. “But why did you brake so suddenly? I didn’t have time to react.”
“What a shame, Sloane just gave me this new car,” he added.
Sloane also looked at me with a gloomy face and said coldly, “Did you do this on purpose? Did you know Aiden was behind you and deliberately brake to get revenge?”
I almost laughed at her accusation.
It was always like this.
She would push all the blame onto me without distinguishing right from wrong.
Before I could say anything, Aiden’s eyes slowly turned red.
“Sloane, don’t blame Dane,” he said.
“Dane just resigned because of me, it’s normal for him to be angry with me.”
“After all, it’s all my fault.”
As he spoke, he clenched his fist and hit his forehead hard, as if in frustration.
But just before his fist touched his forehead, he deliberately loosened his grip.
Sloane couldn’t see through this act. Her eyes filled with concern as she gently rubbed his forehead, saying lovingly, “It has nothing to do with you. Don’t take everything on yourself.”
After saying this, she glared at me angrily. Seeming to get more upset the more she thought about it, she poked my forehead hard.
“Dane, can’t you learn from Aiden and take some responsibility?”
“He knows how to be humble. You’ve been working for so many years, why are you still so childish and arrogant?”
I stumbled back a couple of steps from her push. After regaining my balance, I found it somewhat amusing.
Over the past year, it had been Aiden constantly stealing my achievements and scheming to pin blame on me. Now suddenly he was humble and responsible, while I was childish and arrogant.
Knowing that talking further would be a waste of breath, I couldn’t be bothered to say anything more. I turned around, preparing to leave.
“Wait a moment,” Sloane suddenly stopped me.
I thought she was going to scold me again and defend Aiden, but to my surprise, she pulled me aside.
She spoke earnestly.
“Dane, I admit my attitude towards you today was indeed too harsh.”
“But it’s because I have high expectations for you, that’s why I’m so strict with you.”
Hearing her gentle words, I was still a bit confused.
However, I soon understood her intentions.
Sloane smiled lightly at me and patted my shoulder.
“I’ll withdraw your resignation letter. Just come to work as usual, but find a time to apologize to Aiden in front of everyone.”
“Also, you’re fully responsible for this rear-end collision. I’ll deduct the compensation from your salary later.”
I realized what was happening.
I let out a sneer and looked up at Aiden.
He had probably already known what Sloane was going to say. His face was full of smugness as he winked at me provocatively.
I sneered again.
“No need.”
“As for who’s responsible for the rear-end collision, we can check the surveillance footage. If that’s not enough, you can call the police.”
“I have things to do, I’m leaving now.”
With that, I left directly.
Sloane was fuming behind me: “I’ve already given you a chance, don’t regret it!”
Regret?
I won’t regret it.
I got back in my car and sent a message to my friend.
“I’ve resigned. I can start working at your company tomorrow.”
My friend called back in less than half a second, his tone excited: “Are you serious?”
He sounded a bit unsure: “Do you want to discuss it with Sloane again?”
My friend and Sloane had started their businesses around the same time.
Compared to Sloane who started from scratch, my friend had more resources and could offer more attractive benefits.
My friend was in desperate need of excellent technical talent, so he promised me higher shares and profits to get me to help them out. He even made an exception and offered to let me work part-time after learning about my relationship with Sloane.
But for Sloane’s sake, I had refused without hesitation.
When I was at my lowest point, lying in the snow almost freezing to death, it was Sloane who dragged me into a police station and saved my life.
I was very grateful to her, so I gave up everything and devoted myself wholeheartedly to the business, doing everything I could to help Sloane’s company grow step by step.
But now it seemed that she didn’t care at all.
Moreover, after so many years, I had more than repaid her kindness.
I didn’t need to keep compromising myself anymore.
“No need, I can make my own decisions,” I replied.
After chatting with my friend for a bit more and confirming the time to sign the contract, I drove home first to get the documents needed for signing.
I thought Sloane wouldn’t be back until late at night as usual.
But to my surprise, she walked into the living room not long after, talking happily on the phone with Aiden.
Seeing me, her face immediately darkened. She deliberately rolled her eyes at me before pushing open the bedroom door.
I knew she was waiting for me to coax her.
Every time we had an unpleasant encounter at the company, I would always find ways to apologize to her and beg for her forgiveness.
Even when she was the one at fault, I would still have to swallow my pride and admit I was wrong.
Before, I thought I should do this, whether it was to repay her kindness or to maintain our relationship, I should pamper her.
But now I just found it boring.
I focused on looking for things in the drawer.
After a while, she came out of the room with a gloomy face.
“Has Aiden’s car been fixed? Have you fixed your car?” she asked.
I knew this was her signal of giving me a chance to make up.
In the past, I would have thought she had forgiven me and would have rushed to please her.
But now, I didn’t even look up as I replied indifferently, “It’s just an old car, not worth fixing.”
Sloane frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
I looked up at her in confusion, not understanding what she was unsatisfied with now.
This car had been scratched many times before. When I said I wanted to fix it, she would say the same thing I just said.
I thought she was going to get angry again, but to my surprise, she let out a sigh.
“Aiden has indeed been doing well at work lately, so I gave him a car to keep him motivated.”
“You’re my boyfriend, and when we get married, won’t the company be yours too? Why do you have to be so calculative about salary with him?”
“Dane, everything I do is for the company. I don’t want other colleagues to think I’m favoring you.”
Realizing she was actually trying to explain to me, I was a bit surprised.
She had never bothered to explain these things to me before.
But I knew clearly that these were just excuses.
In the company, all the colleagues knew how Sloane treated me and Aiden differently.
Projects that I had worked on for three days straight, she would suddenly hand over to Aiden on a whim. He would just make a PowerPoint presentation, and it would become Aiden’s achievement.
Clients that I had negotiated with for days and were about to sign contracts, she would take Aiden to have one meal with them under my name, and the contracts would become Aiden’s accomplishment.
There were countless such incidents.
Over time, other colleagues only felt that Sloane favored Aiden more.
Some even thought Sloane didn’t like me, and because of this, I endured quite a bit of side-eye and bullying in the company. She saw it but pretended not to notice.
I didn’t want to explain. Anyway, even if I did, she would say I was making excuses.
“Oh,” I responded indifferently. “You don’t need to tell me these things. I have nothing to do with the company anymore. Do whatever you think is best.”
Sloane didn’t say anything.
Finally, she let out a sigh.
She walked up to me, stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around my neck, her breath warm against my skin.
“Actually, I have my own selfish reasons. I want you to take a break for a while and think about our wedding.”
“When are you planning to propose to me?” she asked with a coy smile.
But I had already proposed many times before, and each time, she had rejected me.
Every time we had a fight, she would use marriage to coax me.
Sometimes, I felt like I wasn’t her boyfriend, but more like a dog she was toying with.
I didn’t say anything.
Sloane then scratched under my chin like she was teasing a dog.
“Don’t be angry anymore, can you smile for me?” she said.
As she spoke, she deliberately kissed my Adam’s apple, as if trying to please me.
She rarely took the initiative to be intimate with me.
In the past, I would probably have been very happy.
After her advances, I would have taken control, only to be pushed away by her, laughing as she called me dirty-minded.
Thinking about it now, I really found it quite boring.
I pulled her arms away and wiped my throat with a wet wipe.
Sloane stood there as if struck by lightning, dumbfounded.
“You’re disgusted by me?” she asked.
“I have to go out later, I’m going to change clothes now,” I said flatly.
I turned around, ready to go back to the bedroom.
Sloane tried to follow, but I closed the door without hesitation and locked it.
“Fine! Don’t regret it!” Sloane seemed to have really gotten angry this time. After throwing out these harsh words, she kicked the door hard and stormed off.
When I came out of the bedroom, the living room was already empty.
Sloane had sent a message in the company group chat saying she was treating everyone to dinner and asked who wanted to join.
Everyone remained silent.
Only Aiden sent three “excited” emojis in a row.
I knew Sloane was deliberately trying to make me jealous.
This had happened many times before. Every time it was like this – other colleagues were unwilling to participate, and only Aiden would enthusiastically respond.
In the past, I would have already been jealous and followed them, only to be mocked by them.
Now, I couldn’t be bothered.
I went directly to my friend’s place to sign the contract.
My friend was very happy and specially arranged a celebration dinner for me.
After three rounds of drinks, I went to the restroom. As I was walking, I heard familiar voices from a nearby private room.
I instinctively stopped.
Through the slightly open door, I saw Sloane nestled in Aiden’s arms. I don’t know what they said, but Sloane was laughing uncontrollably.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Aiden quickly lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Sloane was stunned for a moment but didn’t push him away.
“Sloane, when are you going to break up with Dane?” Aiden asked.
“I can’t wait to be with you. Do you know how upset I am every day seeing you with him?”
Aiden said with a grieved expression.
Sloane moved her lips, seeming to want to say something.
Finally, she hugged Aiden back, gently patting his back like comforting a child.
“Wait a little longer,” she said.
“It won’t be too long.”
The two of them cuddling intimately looked exactly like a couple.
I sneered and didn’t watch any further.
Back in the private room, after a few more drinks, we called it a night. As we were entering the underground parking garage together, my friend suddenly pulled me in front of a top-of-the-line Porsche and asked if I liked it.
I nodded, not quite understanding.
Thinking it was his new car, I was about to compliment him when my friend suddenly shoved a set of car keys into my hand.
“It’s for you,” he said.
He winked at me.
“I’ve been wanting to replace that old car of yours for a long time. It’s in such bad shape. Now that you’ve joined us, it’s time for an upgrade.”
I was about to refuse, but he seemed to already know what I was going to say and went straight to the point: “I heard Sloane gave a car to that new guy in your company. With his terrible skills, he can drive a luxury car, so of course you can’t be worse off than him.”
“You know, I’ve seen the stuff that new guy of yours produces. The style is different every time, obviously copied from somewhere. I don’t know how he’s managed to stay in the company…”
Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, but my friend spoke without any filter, complaining non-stop about Aiden.
I remained silent.
What he said was right. All those things were actually done by me and other colleagues in the team.
Almost every time, just as we were about to finish, Sloane would demand that we hand it over to Aiden.
That’s why Aiden’s style was always different.
Even my friend, who wasn’t in the company, could see through this.
Yet Sloane somehow couldn’t understand.
I thanked my friend and chatted with him for a bit more before heading home.
As I opened the door, I saw Sloane already sitting on the living room couch.
“Where have you been?” she asked.
She seemed to be in a good mood, her tone much lighter.
The scene of her and Aiden embracing in the hotel flashed before my eyes again.
I felt a wave of nausea.
“Had dinner with a friend,” I said flatly, walking straight towards the bedroom.
After just a couple of steps, Sloane suddenly blocked my way, frowning. “You’ve been drinking?”
“Didn’t we agree that you wouldn’t drink when I’m not around?”
I couldn’t help but sneer.
The implication was that I could only drink when I was helping her entertain clients.
I didn’t say anything.
Sloane, however, seemed to think of something and suddenly smiled, looking somewhat smug.
“You’re still upset about me going out with Aiden, aren’t you? If you didn’t want me to go out alone with him, you could have just said so. Was it necessary to drink so much?”
“You’re overthinking it. My drinking has nothing to do with you,” I said.
I felt tired and sat down on a chair.
“But I do have something I want to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Probably thinking I was going to apologize, Sloane’s tone became even more smug.
“Let me tell you in advance, it’s too late to apologize to me now. I’m very angry about what happened this afternoon.”
“Don’t think a simple apology will make me forgive you.”
As she spoke, she rolled her eyes at me.
I pretended not to see it and said, “I…”
Before I could finish, her phone rang.
Sloane looked down at it.
I noticed the caller ID was Aiden.
“Wait a moment, I need to take this call,” she said.
With that, Sloane had no intention of paying any more attention to me and was about to answer the phone.
I looked at her cold and resolute back, and calmly spoke up.
“Let’s break up, Sloane.”
As soon as I said this, Sloane’s body seemed to freeze for a moment.
“You want to break up with me over such a small matter?” Sloane looked at me in disbelief.
After a moment, she said impatiently, “Why have you become so petty? It was just a dinner with Aiden, is it really that serious? Forget it, I have something to do. You calm down first, and we’ll talk later.”
With that, she prepared to answer Aiden’s call again.
It had always been like this. Whenever we had a disagreement, she would tell me to calm down on my own.
This was often the beginning of our cold war.
But almost every time, I would be the one to brainwash myself, convincing myself to accept Sloane’s perspective, then take the initiative to make up with her and apologize.
At first, it was because I liked her and didn’t want her to feel wronged. Later, I couldn’t let go of our years of feelings, always thinking that if I endured a little more, things would get better after we got through this conflict.
But year after year passed, nine years went by, and things never got better.
Sloane answered Aiden’s call, smiling as she greeted him and was about to go back to the bedroom.
I strode forward and took her phone.
Without hesitation, I hung up.
Sloane was a bit angry: “What are you doing?”
“Let’s talk about us first. You’ll have plenty of chances to talk to him in the future,” I said, handing the phone back to her.
Since I had already decided to leave, it was best to cut ties cleanly. I had no inclination for self-torture.
“What is there to talk about? You really want to break up with me over this little thing?” Sloane snorted coldly, looking at me after sending Aiden a message.
“I really don’t know what’s gotten into you. Do you realize what breaking up with me means right now?”
“You have nothing now, you’re no longer good enough for me. Do you know how many people have advised me to leave you? But I’ve always considered our feelings and tolerated you time and time again. I’ve already compromised so much, what else are you unsatisfied with?”
Sloane’s demeanor was imperious.
Yes.
Her net worth now far exceeded mine, and she had reminded me more than once that our relationship was unequal, that she was with me only out of consideration for our years of history.
In the past, I had treated her words as playful banter between us. It wasn’t until recently that I realized she was serious.
In her eyes, there was no reason for us to break up.
It was about benefits, old feelings, charity, but never love.
I was about to speak when she seemed to think of something else.
She interrupted me and sneered, “Alright, I get it. I’ll restore your position in the company and give you some shares. Is that enough?”
“No need,” I said.
I found it somewhat amusing and shook my head. “It’s not because of that.”
“Then what is it?” Sloane asked, puzzled.
I didn’t hide it from her anymore and said calmly, “Let’s be frank. I heard everything you and Aiden said in the hotel today.”
Sloane’s face froze.
“You followed me?”
“It was just a coincidence,” I said.
But Sloane clearly didn’t believe me, looking at me suspiciously.
In the past, I probably would have tried to prove myself to her, but now, I didn’t care at all what she thought. I went straight to the point: “Since you want to break up too, we’re on the same page. Let’s just end it.”
“I won’t take anything under your name. Let’s part on good terms.”
Now that everything was out in the open, I thought Sloane would agree readily, but to my surprise, she hesitated.
“Dane, think it through. You’re not young anymore. If you break up with me now, with your conditions, you might not find a partner as good as me.”
“What I said at the hotel was just out of anger. If you can apologize to me, I don’t necessarily want to break up with you.”
“I’m not completely without feelings for you, you…”
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My wife called me petty for not trusting her “guy friends.”
“Stop acting insecure,” she snapped.
Tristan just smirked at me and said, “Relax. She’s safe with us.”
But when I found her wrapped in Tristan’s arm again，
and five men drinking around her like she was their prize.
I stopped being the quiet husband.
And this time, I’m taking everything back.
My wife has a ton of guy friends.
I kept telling her to keep her distance.
But she’d just say, “Why are you so petty? They’re all like brothers from the old neighborhood!”
Fine.
I immediately called my female friend who’d just returned from overseas.
My wife wasn’t happy about that.
My wife stayed out all night again.
I scrolled through SnapChat and saw a new video posted by Tristan Hayes, one of my wife’s guy friends.
My wife was in a crowd of men, glass in hand, beaming.
I didn’t feel a flicker of anger.
I turned off my phone, didn’t call her incessantly like I used to.
I slept straight through till morning.
The next day, my wife came home with breakfast, her heavy, smudged makeup still on.
She looked at me, trying to be sweet, and started to explain.
“Darling, I’m so sorry. Tristan just got back, so everyone gathered for a reunion. It got super late, and I didn’t want to disturb your sleep, so I just stayed at a hotel with them. But don’t worry, honey, I didn’t share a bed with any of them this time.”
She specifically emphasized that she hadn’t slept in the same bed as Tristan.
Last time she stayed out, we had a huge fight.
I was furious that she was a married woman, yet she had absolutely no boundaries.
Out drinking with guys every other night.
But my wife cried, calling me petty.
She swore they were all like brothers from the old neighborhood, her “best guy friends.”
Just thinking about her “best guy friends” made my blood boil.
Tristan Hayes was the one I resented most.
Tristan was Mira’s childhood sweetheart, they’d grown up together.
In today’s terms, Tristan was Mira’s closest male confidant, her male bestie.
But to me, their relationship had no boundaries whatsoever.
More than once, I’d seen a drunk Mira snuggled into Tristan’s arms, playfully whining.
They even shared the same drinking glass, completely unbothered.
At first,
My wife would patiently explain things to me.
She’d reassure me, give me peace of mind.
But as time went on, she grew increasingly impatient.
She’d just throw one line at me.
“Tristan and I have absolutely nothing going on. If something was going to happen between us, it would have happened already. You wouldn’t even be my husband.”
Of course, her guy friends all chimed in to “reason” with me.
“We grew up together, we’ve always treated Mira like our little sister, so don’t take it the wrong way, alright?”
“We’re just like family.”
Family?
What kind of brother and sister sit on each other’s laps and feed each other?
It made my stomach churn.
I told my wife countless times that I was uncomfortable.
I didn’t like her going out with them at night.
Later, I don’t know how it reached her guy friends’ ears.
Suddenly, her “good brothers” started making snide, passive-aggressive remarks about me.
“Oh, Mira, don’t drink anymore. Your husband will blame us for getting you drunk.”
“Dude, Mira’s all yours now. We wouldn’t dare take her home anymore.”
They said all these things right to my face.
Gradually, they all started to think I was petty,
Not a “real” man at all.
My relationship with my wife also started to cool.
Snapping back to reality.
My wife handed me a freshly made coffee.
She wrapped her arms around me from behind.
“Husband, are you still mad? Don’t be mad, please! They’re just friends to me. You’re way more important.”
I didn’t say anything.
“Don’t be mad. Let’s go on a trip next week! Just the two of us, a romantic getaway. Haven’t you always wanted to go hiking? I’ll go with you.”
I’m an outdoor enthusiast, I love hiking.
I’d tried to get Mira to go with me before, but she had absolutely no interest in it.
Her friends even laughed at me when they found out.
“Hiking? Is that what old people do?”
“Our Princess Mira can’t get a tan on a mountain!”
Gradually, I stopped bringing it up.
Now, my wife was actually suggesting it herself.
A flicker of hope ignited inside me.
Seeing my expression soften, my wife beamed.
She immediately promised she’d arrange everything for the hiking trip.
0
My wife had been well-behaved these past few days.
She hadn’t gone out to parties at night.
But today, I saw Tristan post his hiking photos.
It was the exact mountain I wanted to climb!
And in the corner of one picture, I spotted a pair of hands.
The ring on one hand was unmistakably Mira’s.
I grabbed my phone and confronted my wife with the photo.
“You went hiking with him?”
Her face immediately flushed with embarrassment and panic.
“I was just scouting out the trail! I mean, I’m going with you in a few days, right?”
It was the first I’d ever heard of needing to “scout” a hiking trail.
Didn’t her friends call hiking “old people’s entertainment”?
Why were they all so enthusiastic when my wife said she was going hiking?
“I asked you to go before, and you refused. But now you’re all over it with Tristan? Mira Harrington, how can I not overthink this?”
Seeing me get angry,
My wife’s own temper flared.
“I told you I was just scouting the trail! If you’re so bothered, let’s go right now! You want to hike, right? We’ll go together right now!”
She pulled my hand, dragging me toward the door.
I yanked my hand away.
“No need.”
I walked into the bedroom and started packing my suitcase.
My wife stared at me, shocked. “What are you doing?”
I kept packing, not looking up at her.
“My mom’s sick. I’m going home to see her.”
I’d married Mira right after college.
Since she was an only child and couldn’t leave her parents, I’d moved a thousand miles to settle in her city.
But I was an only child too. Now my mom was sick, and I couldn’t even be there for her immediately.
Mira froze for a moment.
I saw several emotions flash across her face.
A silent, suffocating tension filled the air.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Honey, I’m sad that Mom’s sick too. Do you need me to come back with you?”
I bent down, packed the last item, and closed my suitcase.
“No need.”
Anyone who truly wanted to go wouldn’t ask.
That night, I took a direct flight to City B.
Counting the time, it had been two years since I’d gone home to see my parents.
Looking at my mother in her hospital bed, an unexpected wave of guilt washed over me.
“Cole? Why are you here? Where’s Mira?”
“Mom, I came to see you. Mira… she’s pretty busy with work.”
My mother didn’t have many wishes, only that our family life would be harmonious.
“Good, good. It’s nothing serious, you don’t need to worry about me. You didn’t have to come. What a waste of your time!”
I spent the next few days taking care of my mom.
Mira, on the other hand, was checking in on me constantly.
Every day, she’d ask when I was coming back.
After my mother recovered, she urged me to return to City A.
So I told my wife the date of my return.
The day I landed at City A airport,
A luxury sedan pulled up in front of me.
My wife sat in the passenger seat, shouting,
“Honey, over here!”
I looked closer; the driver was Tristan Hayes.
My wife naturally got out to greet me.
Tristan gave me an insolent smirk. “Cole Sterling, you can handle your own bags, right? I won’t bother getting out.”
I didn’t reply, just put my suitcase in the trunk myself.
My wife linked her arm through mine affectionately. “Honey, you’re finally back! Tristan heard you were returning and offered to pick you up himself!”
I opened the back passenger door, expecting my wife to join me, but she casually opened the front passenger door and got back into the front.
Tristan, with a cheeky grin, casually put his hand on Mira’s shoulder, then glanced at me and immediately explained,
“Cole, seriously, I just wasn’t comfortable with Mira coming to pick you up alone.”
What a pathetic man, always relying on his woman. He’s totally beneath me.
My wife’s face showed a hint of awkwardness. She quickly changed the subject, opening her phone to show me a group chat.
“Honey, Tristan really did offer to pick you up, okay? Don’t misunderstand. I’ve been so good these past few days, waiting for you at home every single day.”
That group chat had all their old neighborhood friends in it. Everyone but me.
I pressed my lips together. “It’s fine.”
0
I ignored the barely perceptible challenge in Tristan’s eyes.
He always said he was afraid I’d misunderstand.
Yet he constantly did things that made me misunderstand.
How many nights had she stayed out? How many times had she been drunk somewhere else?
Ever since news of my fight with my wife got out,
Tristan’s overtly inappropriate touching of my wife had turned into subtle, sneaky touching.
Normally, what had just happened would have infuriated me.
But now, I didn’t care anymore.
I couldn’t be bothered with the two of them in the front, with their complete lack of boundaries.
“Can you wait a few minutes? I’m waiting for a friend.”
A stunning woman walked toward us.
Chloe Vance, clicking in her heels and dragging a suitcase, hurried toward me, waving as she ran.
“Cole! There you are, I finally found you!”
Chloe pouted playfully at me.
“You’re so inconsiderate, not waiting for me! Do you know how long I dragged this suitcase around looking for you?”
Chloe opened the car door and slid onto the seat beside me, intimately linking her arm through mine.
“This is my first time in City A. I don’t know anyone, so you’ll have to take responsibility for me!”
This scene made Mira Harrington and Tristan Hayes freeze simultaneously.
They didn’t understand what stunt I was pulling.
Mira immediately became alert, her brows furrowed so deeply it looked like she was trying to pinch something between them.
“Honey, is this who you were waiting for?”
Before I could reply,
Chloe introduced herself to both of them boldly.
“Hi everyone, I’m Chloe Vance, and Cole and I grew up together!”
“Grew up together?”
Mira’s tone was sharp.
“Yep! We’re best buddies, right, Cole?”
Chloe hooked her arm over my shoulder, saying it to Mira without a care in the world.
I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Mira, who was in the passenger seat.
Mira was completely stumped.
In contrast,
Chloe chattered away with me the whole ride.
“Oh my gosh, Cole, it’s so beautiful! Look!”
“Cole, do you remember when we were kids…”
“Cole…”
Compared to us, the front of the car was eerily quiet.
It wasn’t that Tristan wasn’t talking.
Normally, whenever we went out,
Tristan was the most talkative person there.
He’d always pull Mira into conversation, going on and on.
From childhood anecdotes to the latest gossip from their old neighborhood.
He’d always talk about things I couldn’t possibly join in on.
But now,
Tristan was still trying to start conversations, but Mira’s responses were always terse.
After dropping Chloe off at her hotel,
Mira immediately told Tristan to pull over.
Then she opened the car door and joined me in the back seat.
Her face was black with fury.
“Why did you move to the back?”
Mira snorted. “What, I’m not allowed to sit here? What exactly is that woman to you?”
I closed my eyes, feigning sleep, deliberately avoiding the question.
“I’m really tired. Let’s just go home.”
0
Mira walked into the house without a word.
I’d just finished changing my shoes when I saw her sitting on the sofa, arms crossed, her face a mile long.
I pretended not to notice and started unpacking my luggage.
After a while,
She finally spoke.
“What exactly is your relationship with that Chloe Vance?”
She stared at me intently, desperate for my answer.
“I told you, she’s a buddy!”
“A buddy? You’re calling a woman your ‘buddy’? That woman was clearly all over you! Were you seeing her the whole time you were home? Were you two together all those days?”
Her questions came like a machine gun, and the more she talked, the angrier she got.
She stood up and threw a cushion at me.
I dodged it, ignoring her rage.
I said calmly, “She’s a good person. As a friend, what does it matter if she’s a man or a woman?”
“Of course it matters! You’re married! How can you be calling another woman your ‘buddy’?”
I retorted, “Oh, really? Aren’t you married, and you’re still calling all those men from your old neighborhood ‘buddies’?”
Mira was so shocked she couldn’t speak.
I’d never seen so many expressions cross her face at once.
Shock, shame, and regret.
Finally, after a long pause, she squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.
“They’re different! I grew up with them, I know everything about them…”
I cut her off directly, mimicking her usual words.
“Chloe and I are childhood friends too! What’s so different about that? Can’t you trust me?”
Mira was completely stumped.
For days, she gave me the silent treatment around the house.
I simply pretended not to notice.
That weekend,
We went to Mrs. Harrington’s parents’ house for dinner, as usual.
At the dinner table, Mrs. Harrington noticed the tension in the air between Mira and me.
“Mira, Cole moved away from his hometown for you; you can’t keep acting like a spoiled princess.”
Then she looked at me kindly. “Cole, Mira’s been spoiled since she was little, she can be a bit delicate. Don’t take it too seriously. Married couples have their ups and downs, but they always work it out. You have to be more understanding.”
Mira, as if begging for peace, clasped my hand.
“Husband…”
She was about to speak when someone interrupted her.
“Mira, why didn’t you tell me you were coming for dinner?”
Tristan Hayes had arrived.
Tristan immediately hooked his arm around Mira’s neck.
Mira awkwardly pushed his hand away, glancing at me with a hint of embarrassment.
Tristan noticed me standing there and let out a dismissive “tsk.” He said casually, “Oh, Cole’s here too!”
As he spoke, a whole group of people came in behind Tristan.
These were all Mira’s “guy friends.”
“Mira, you’re here! Why didn’t you invite us to hang out?”
“It’s rare for everyone from our old neighborhood to be together like this.”
Mira’s face indeed lit up with anticipation.
Mira looked at me, pleadingly, hoping I would agree.
The other guys also looked at me,
As if they were practically glaring daggers at me if I didn’t agree.
Even though Mira and I had been married for three years,
I still wasn’t close to any of them. They were always somewhat distant toward me.
And, of course, I couldn’t integrate into their circle.
They couldn’t relax when I was around.
“Husband, how about you come hang out with us?”
Mira affectionately linked her arm through mine, asking sweetly.
For a moment, the entire room fell silent.
Everyone was looking at me.
Some of the guys exchanged glances.
Everyone was waiting for my answer.
They didn’t want me there, but they desperately wanted Mira.
Since that was the case, I’d give them what they wanted.
I wiped my mouth and replied coolly, “Okay.”
They stopped talking.
The atmosphere was incredibly strange.
A few minutes later,
Mira cautiously spoke, “Then I’ll… be back early.”
Then she added,
“You don’t have to come pick me up later; they’ll take me home. I’ll definitely be home early this time.”
She gave me a reassuring promise.
But I just smiled, quietly eating my dinner.
Mira stood up and left with them.
Before they even walked out the door, I heard someone say,
“Did Cole change his mind? He’s actually letting Mira go out with us?”
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I put on another man’s suit and saved Riley from being left at the altar.
For three years, I thought our marriage meant something.
Then her ex came back sick and weak, and she ran to him without even looking at me.
Now she cannot remember signing our divorce papers.
She also has no idea that in seven days I will leave her for good.
“Lucas, are you really going to divorce Riley and study abroad?”
In the quiet living room, Lucas looked at Mrs. Sullivan’s shocked face across from him and nodded.
“Yes, Mrs. Sullivan. As you know, I wasn’t the one who was supposed to marry her in the first place. For Riley, I was just an unexpected stand-in, a substitute when the real groom didn’t show up. Now that he’s back, she’s been so happy lately. It’s time for me to go.”
Outside, a light snow was falling, creating a beautiful winter scene.
He smiled lightly. “Studying abroad has always been my dream anyway.”
Mrs. Sullivan looked at the young man before her, remembering Riley’s wedding three years ago. Tristan, who was supposed to be the groom, had fled abroad at the last minute.
Just as Riley stood awkwardly on stage, red-eyed and unsure what to do, Lucas had put on an ill-fitting suit and slowly walked up.
He apologetically took the microphone and addressed all the guests: “I’m so sorry, there was traffic on the way. I’m late.”
With that act, he had saved Riley’s dignity and the Sullivan family’s reputation.
Mrs. Sullivan let out a long sigh, then asked uncertainly, “Will Riley agree to the divorce?”
Lucas shook his head with a smile. “I already got her to sign the divorce papers.”
Two weeks ago, he had given her the divorce agreement. At the time, Riley was in a rush to finish work and meet Tristan. She had signed without even looking and left.
Now, in just seven more days, he would be able to get the official divorce certificate. He would be free.
After all, the Sullivan family had a three-generation military background and couldn’t go abroad.
So once he left the country, he and Riley would never have to see each other again.
Just as Mrs. Sullivan was about to speak, a gentle female voice came from behind them.
“Lucas, what are you chatting about with Mom?”
Lucas turned around to see Riley, whom he hadn’t seen in days, walking towards them in a black evening gown that occasionally revealed her long legs.
“…Riley.”
Seeing her daughter approach, Mrs. Sullivan was about to step forward to scold her.
“Why are you here?”
With a mix of surprise and reassurance, Lucas stood up, giving Mrs. Sullivan a pleading look to interrupt her.
“I missed you, so I came by to pick you up,” Riley said, her eyes looking a bit guilty. In truth, she had come on purpose after finding out Lucas’s whereabouts.
After saying goodbye to the worried Mrs. Sullivan, the couple took their bags and left the Sullivan family home.
On the way back, heavy rain pounded on the car windows, while inside was completely silent.
Riley remained quiet for a long time before finally speaking.
“Lucas.”
“Tristan and I are really over. He just got back to the country and had heart surgery a few years ago, so his health isn’t good. As an old… friend, I just went to help him get settled. I hope you can understand.”
Lucas stared out the rain-blurred window and nodded.
If only he hadn’t seen how Riley had dropped everything and excitedly rushed to meet Tristan the day he returned.
If only he hadn’t noticed Riley selling the watch she had used for years and replacing it with a cheap bracelet Tristan had given her.
If only…
There were too many “if onlys.”
Lucas no longer had any expectations or trust left.
A soft sigh filled the car. Faced with this husband she had married by chance years ago, Riley wanted to explain further. But thinking of her own actions over the past two weeks, she ultimately chose to change the subject.
“Lucas, what was that document you had me sign two weeks ago?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lucas turned to look at Riley, his eyes showing three parts surprise and seven parts bitter amusement.
She was only now remembering to ask about that?
Then again, ever since Tristan came back, everything else in her life had faded into the background. How could she be expected to care about anything else?
Lucas was about to speak when Riley’s phone suddenly rang.
Seeing the name displayed on the car screen, Riley’s face instantly tensed up.
“It’s fine, go ahead and answer. It might be something important,” Lucas said, looking out the window with an indifferent expression that made Riley suddenly feel afraid.
But she still answered the call, with the car’s speakers automatically broadcasting the conversation.
“Riley, I miss you so much. It hurts. Can we meet?”
Hearing the whiny tone on the other end, Riley’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel. Her expression also suddenly turned cold.
“Tristan, I’m married now. I’ve told you many times, don’t talk to me like that!”
There was a moment of silence on the other end before Tristan replied, “But Riley, I was supposed to be the groom at that wedding.”
The car suddenly screeched to a halt in the middle of the road, the tires making a huge noise as they skidded on the pavement.
In their three years of marriage, this was the first time Lucas had seen Riley lose control. She shouted at the screen:
“But you left! You abandoned me and left!”
The phone went completely silent.
A moment later, Tristan’s voice came back sounding choked up: “I’m sorry. I was sick at the time and didn’t want you to worry. I had no idea it would have such serious consequences.”
“Ah! Riley! My heart hurts so much. It’s okay, just let me die like this. Then I won’t bother you anymore, and you can live happily with my substitute.”
Soon, there was no more sound from the other end. Riley instantly panicked. She immediately looked at Lucas.
Lucas spoke up first: “It’s fine, I’ll take a taxi home. You go check on him. Don’t let anything really happen.”
Riley still felt somewhat guilty and said softly, “I’m not going to see him. I just remembered there’s an urgent matter at the company, so I need to stop by there.”
“I’ll come back to be with you after I finish.”
Lucas nodded and opened the car door to get out.
Watching her car speed away, Lucas stood in the rain holding an umbrella, his eyes darkening.
A moment later, he gave a bitter smile and started walking towards home, over ten miles away.
Three years. It was time to end it.
Three years ago, he had put on that ill-fitting suit and married a woman who could barely remember his name.
Friends and relatives privately said Lucas was pitiful, just a stand-in for his wife’s true love.
But in the three years since, they had shared romantic moments together and dreamed of the future.
Lucas had thought he had melted the heart of this so-called ice queen.
But now, Lucas clearly knew he had been wrong.
If that was the case, he should return to where he truly belonged and give back this position as Mr. Sullivan.
It would fulfill Riley’s wishes.
And free himself as well.
Lightning split the night sky, followed closely by torrential rain that swept through like a tidal wave.
It also washed away the last of Lucas’s feelings for Riley.
Lucas slept alone that night. By noon the next day, Riley still hadn’t returned.
When he woke up, it was still raining outside.
Lucas stayed at home, calmly deleting all the posts about their married life from his social media accounts.
Just as he finished cleaning everything up, he saw that Tristan, who had been threatening to die yesterday, had suddenly posted on social media:
“What’s it like to be doted on by your ex-girlfriend?”
He included a grid of nine photos.
In the first, the usually cold and indifferent Riley was in his arms, feeding him porridge.
In the second, the normally aloof Riley was sitting by his bedside, holding his hand.
In the third, the usually proud Riley was kneeling in front of him, her eyes full of concern as she helped him take medicine.
The fourth showed a pile of luxury goods, each worth millions. Tristan had captioned it: “Thanks to Riley’s connections, I’m not angry or upset anymore.”
In the photos, the handsome man smiled sweetly, looking like the happiest prince on a phone call.
The comment section was full of envious remarks:
“Left and experienced hardships, returned and it’s still true love. Tristan, did you save the galaxy in your past life?”
“No way! It must have been at least ten galaxies. Tristan, how did you manage to make your ex still so devoted to you?”
Besides the envy, there were naturally some who wanted to mock Lucas.
Lucas just glanced over them briefly, a few comments catching his eye:
“I wonder how Mr. Xu feels seeing all this?”
“What could a mere substitute feel? Did he really think that by stepping in to save face as the groom, he could win the heart of the Sullivan family’s princess? He’s probably dying of jealousy right now. Want to bet how many minutes before this lapdog shows up?”
“I bet 10 minutes!”
“I bet 5 minutes!”
“I bet 1 minute! He’s probably already downstairs. I’ll stake my new Lamborghini on it!”
Many people eagerly joined in the betting, with the stakes getting higher and higher.
But Lucas just smiled resignedly. He would soon no longer be “Mr. Sullivan” in others’ eyes, so why chase after a woman who didn’t belong to him?
So Lucas quickly typed out a response on his phone:
“I bet he won’t show up for a lifetime.”
His words stirred up a storm, with many people immediately messaging to ask if he was joking.
Lucas simply turned off his phone and stopped looking at any messages.
Instead, he turned to make himself a bowl of noodles.
Just then, the phone suddenly rang.
Lucas didn’t answer, but the calls kept coming non-stop for five or six minutes before finally stopping.
But soon after, the housekeeper Mrs. Zhang came in holding her own phone, looking troubled.
“Sir, the young miss wants you to answer the phone.”
Only then did Lucas pick up the phone and answer.
“Lucas, it’s all a misunderstanding. I already made Tristan delete those posts. Don’t overthink it. He was feeling very unwell yesterday, that’s why I didn’t come home. Nothing happened between us.”
Riley’s anxious voice came through the phone. The moment she saw Lucas’s comment, she had panicked.
Lucas looked at the noodles he had made and calmly said, “I made noodles. Are you coming home to eat?”
Riley was stunned for a moment before replying, “I’m glad you’re not angry. You can eat the noodles yourself. Tristan’s heart is hurting again, so I’m taking him to the hospital for a check-up. Don’t worry, we’re really just frie-”
Before she could finish, Tristan’s panicked voice came through on the other end.
“Riley, where are you? I can’t see you. Did I lose you again? My heart feels so anxious.”
The call was abruptly hung up, leaving only Riley’s urgent voice addressing the other end:
“Tristan, I’m right here. You didn’t lose me.”
Looking at the ended call, Lucas sent Riley a message: “That document you asked about yesterday is in the glove compartment on your side.”
“Open it and you’ll see what it is.”
It wasn’t until two hours later that Riley finally replied with one sentence:
“No need. Whatever you had me sign, I’m sure it’s not to harm me.”
This meant she wouldn’t look at it.
Of course. Right now she just wanted to be by Tristan’s side. Why would she bother looking at anything unrelated to Tristan?
Even though that divorce agreement was right within her reach.
In the afternoon, Lucas drove to follow a truck delivering supplies to the orphanage where he grew up.
Lucas had been an orphan since childhood, raised here.
Seeing Lucas arrive, the children were all very excited, running up to cling to him and share their experiences.
After spending time with the kids, he went to the director’s office to say goodbye.
“Mama Director, I’m going abroad for further studies.”
The director was very happy. Lucas had been a top student in physics at Tsinghua University, but had suddenly given up studying abroad for a flash marriage. She had been regretful about it for a long time.
“Lucas, that’s wonderful news.” The director held Lucas’s hand, smiling with satisfaction. But then she thought of something and her expression turned worried. “But… you going abroad to study means you and Riley will be in a long-distance relationship. That can be very difficult.”
Lucas looked out the window at a few children playing and running around, shaking his head with a light smile.
“It’s not a long-distance relationship. We’re getting divorced.”
“Because… Tristan came back.”
The director was stunned at first, then let out a long sigh, feeling both regretful and relieved.
“I guess I wasn’t wrong in my initial assessment. This marriage of yours was never going to last long. You see, once a person still has someone else in their heart, no matter how loving things seem on the surface, it’s all fake. As soon as that person comes back, the marriage is over. So it’s good that you’re divorcing.”
She held Lucas’s hand sympathetically, comforting him softly.
Lucas smiled back and hugged the director. Yes, it was good that it was ending.
After returning from the orphanage, Lucas went to the civil affairs bureau and learned that in five more days he could finalize the divorce. Only then did he go home to pack his luggage.
It was then that he realized his clothes filled several entire closets.
Inside were also various expensive watches, sports car keys, and other priceless gifts from Riley.
In truth, during their three years of marriage, Riley had always been good to him, constantly giving him black credit cards, houses, cars, and more.
But he had never touched any of it.
Because every time Riley gave him gifts, Lucas would see the shadow of someone else in her reddened eyes.
To be precise, Riley’s kindness to him was all stolen from Tristan, who had temporarily exited the stage.
He used to think that with time, Riley would see his true heart. But reality proved that what didn’t belong to him would eventually have to be returned.
Lucas sorted out some of his own belongings, then took all the gifts he had given Riley over the years and sold them for scrap.
Over the years, to make her happy, he had carefully prepared many gifts for her. She had never even glanced at them.
The only watch she ever wore was quickly replaced by a cheap bracelet from Tristan after he returned.
Seeing all these gifts tossed aside with a thick layer of dust on them, Lucas smiled bitterly again. If Riley truly loved him, where did all this dust come from?
Watching the junk truck drive away, he was about to return to the villa when he heard a horn honk behind him.
Lucas turned to see a flashy Ferrari stop in front of him.
A girl in a red dress stepped out of the car with a showy air. It was his sister-in-law Sophie.
Sophie frowned at the departing junk truck, then snorted disdainfully.
“As expected of an orphan with no parents. Even cardboard boxes have to be sold for money. Acting like our Sullivan family is going bankrupt or something.”
Lucas didn’t even look at her, turning to leave.
Sophie’s mocking smile turned to anger. She stepped forward to grab him.
“Lucas!”
Ever since Lucas had entered their Sullivan family, he had always been very humble and tried to please everyone. He had never given her the cold shoulder like this before.
Today he actually dared to turn his back on her. A fire of rage instantly rose in Sophie’s heart.
“Hey orphan! Are you deaf? I’m talking to you!”
Lucas turned back and pulled off her hand, his eyes flashing with annoyance.
Sophie had always disliked him, feeling that someone of his background was completely unworthy of entering their prestigious Sullivan family.
So for three years after the wedding, she had constantly targeted him, saying things like the breakfast he made wasn’t fully cooked, or stepping on the clothes he had washed to dirty them.
But now that he was leaving, he didn’t want to tolerate her anymore.
Sophie was about to continue making a scene, but seemed to think of something. The corners of her mouth curved up into a sneer.
“Someone like you should sell more junk. After all, now that my sister’s true love Tristan is back, you can get lost, you so-called stand-in.”
As she finished speaking, a man in a white suit, dressed quite elegantly, stepped out from behind her.
This was Lucas’s first time seeing Tristan in person.
A pair of almond-shaped eyes brimming with charm, messy black hair casually swept back, porcelain white skin paired with the fitted white suit – just standing there exuded an aura of nobility.
No wonder Riley had been so obsessed with him for all these years.
But that suit, those accessories –
Lucas found them somewhat familiar. Wasn’t this style of dress exactly the same as what was in his own closet?
In that moment, Lucas fully understood. He really had just been a stand-in all along.
Tristan looked Lucas up and down, as if seeing a cheap version of himself, full of disdain and mockery.
But this expression was quickly hidden away when Riley’s car pulled in behind them.
He immediately put on a pitiful face and said, “Sophie, don’t talk about Mr. Xu like that. He’s your brother-in-law now. What if he gets angry and kicks me out?”
Just as he finished speaking, Riley’s panicked voice came from behind.
“What’s going on? Who’s kicking who out?!”
Riley hurried over.
Her gaze fell on Tristan standing there unharmed, and she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before turning to address Lucas.
“Lucas, Tristan’s house has been empty for years and needs to be renovated. So could he stay with us for a few days?”
Lucas looked at Riley without speaking.
In the silence, Tristan’s expression became very uneasy and a bit pitiful. “Riley, maybe I should just leave. After all, it was my fault for not showing up at the wedding. Now you have a new husband, and Mr. Xu doesn’t seem to welcome me.”
Riley looked at Lucas, her face hesitating.
Tristan let out a long sigh, turning away dejectedly.
Sophie immediately reached out to stop him. “Tristan! Why are you leaving?! If anyone should go, it’s him. The real man of this house should be-”
“Shut up, Sophie!” Riley snapped angrily. “Who said you could talk to Lucas like that? He’s my husband and your brother-in-law. Apologize to him right now or get out!”
Sophie’s eyes instantly reddened at this. Seeing the scene, Lucas finally spoke up, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile.
“It’s fine, you don’t need to scold Sophie. I didn’t refuse. Mr. Fu, please make yourself at home here.”
After all, in five more days, this home would belong to Tristan.
There was no need to ruin the sisters’ relationship over an outsider like himself.
With that, Lucas turned and walked into the villa.
“Hey orphan! Who said you could speak for me?! Am I wrong?! If my sister wasn’t the Sullivan family’s princess, would you have stepped up as the groom?!”
Sophie’s defiant voice came from behind, followed by Riley’s scolding and Tristan’s placating words.
Hearing Sophie’s words, complex emotions surged in Lucas’s eyes.
This was his eighth year of loving Riley.
He still remembered the scene when he first fell in love at first sight with her in the dance studio.
She was wearing a ballet dress, her graceful movements making her look just like a proud yet noble and beautiful white swan. In that moment, his heart was captivated.
But she was the Sullivan family’s princess, the darling of high society.
As an orphan, Lucas knew their backgrounds were worlds apart. But in the end, when he saw Riley red-eyed and at a loss standing on that stage, Lucas instinctively went up.
That feeling had nothing to do with status or benefits. He simply didn’t want to see the girl he liked cry.
Seemingly afraid Tristan would still leave, Riley immediately instructed the servants to move his luggage into the largest guest room.
Sophie instantly strutted over to Lucas, her nose in the air. “What are you standing around for? Go make dinner. Oh, and Tristan can’t eat spicy food, so make it bland.”
Hearing this, Tristan’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he looked Lucas up and down again.
“I’ve heard Mr. Xu’s cooking is quite good. Then today I’ll have to trouble-”
Before he could finish, Riley came down from the guest room upstairs. “Sophie, that’s enough! How many times have I told you, we have servants. Why do you always make Lucas cook for you?”
Tristan’s expression soured, his glance towards Lucas filled with hatred.
But when Riley walked over, Tristan immediately put on a different face, smiling.
“I’ll cook today. I learned a lot of skills abroad these past years and have been wanting to make something for you all to try.”
As he said this, Tristan was looking at Riley.
Riley’s eyes suddenly had a moment of haziness, but when she saw Lucas standing quietly to the side, she still shook her head and said, “No need. Your health isn’t good. Let the servants-”
Sophie latched onto her, grabbing Riley’s hand and saying, “Sis, just let Tristan cook for us. He worked so hard to learn.”
Riley seemed to think of something and finally nodded.
“Alright, but don’t tire yourself out.”
Lucas watched all of this without saying a word, just standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the garden.
Seeing Lucas so quiet, Riley suddenly felt an increasing sense of panic.
After a long silence, she walked to Lucas’s side and softly said,
“Lucas, if you don’t like Tristan staying here, I’ll send him back after this meal.”
“No need. Let him stay if he wants.”
Lucas turned to look at Riley. “That document, have you looked at it?”
Mentioning the document again, Riley’s brow furrowed slightly. “I haven’t looked yet. Didn’t I say I trust you? Do I really need to look at it?”
Did she need to or not? Lucas didn’t know.
The signature was already there anyway. But thinking of their three years together…
Lucas was about to speak when Tristan suddenly came over carrying a pot of hot soup. He glanced at Lucas standing like a stranger beside Riley, his eyes flashing with intense jealousy.
Then, pretending to stumble, he rushed forward towards Lucas in a panic, spilling the entire pot of soup.
“Watch out!”
“Watch out!”
Seeing the hot soup flying towards him, Lucas instinctively pulled Riley into his arms to protect her.
Then he watched helplessly as a huge pot of scalding chicken broth poured all over him.
“Ahh!”
In an instant, Lucas was drenched in soup, his skin immediately turning bright red from the burns. The searing pain nearly made him pass out.
“Lucas!”
Riley pushed Lucas away, her eyes full of panic. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you to the hospital right away!”
He looked up at her, the pain spreading through his whole body. He used all his strength but couldn’t say a word.
Then he looked at Tristan.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Xu. Are you alright? Riley, thank goodness Mr. Xu protected you.”
Seeing Tristan’s fake panic and the satisfaction hidden in his eyes, Lucas immediately realized what had happened and said shakily:
“You did that on purpose?”
Hearing this, Tristan was stunned for a moment, then tears started falling from the grown man’s eyes. “Mr. Xu, what are you saying? How could I do that on purpose? I know you feel insecure and prejudiced against me. It’s my fault for making you get burned!”
“But you can’t slander me like this.”
Seeing Tristan cry, Sophie resolutely stepped in front of him and angrily said:
“Lucas! That’s enough! So what if you got a little burn? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Tristan worked hard to cook for us, he’s tired enough already! Besides…”
Sophie looked at Riley, whose eyes were now filled with doubt and anger, and raised her chin to continue, “Besides, my sister was right there. Even if Tristan wanted to hurt someone, he’d never hurt my sister, right?”
As soon as she finished speaking, the doubt in Riley’s eyes instantly disappeared. She looked at Lucas with furrowed brows and said disappointedly,
“That’s right, Lucas. Tristan wouldn’t hurt anyone, least of all me. Please don’t overthink things, okay?”
Hearing these words, Lucas felt countless emotions rushing to his head, tears welling up in his eyes.
Riley sighed, her voice becoming calm. “Lucas, let’s go to the hospital, alright?”
Lucas knew that no matter what else he said, Riley wouldn’t believe him now.
He was about to nod when-
“Oh no, Tristan, you’re hurt so badly!” Sophie cried out.
Riley’s attention immediately shifted. She rushed over to Tristan in a panic. His snow-white arm had some small blisters, looking quite “severe” indeed.
Tristan put his arm behind his back, shaking his head with red-rimmed eyes.
“I’m fine. Mr. Xu looks much worse. You should take him to the hospital first.”
He had barely finished speaking when Riley turned back towards Lucas. Tristan immediately put on an agonized expression.
“Ah! Riley! My heart hurts so much. It must be the shock of Mr. Xu accusing me just now. Ah, Riley…”
Tristan collapsed, grabbing Riley’s hand as she tried to support him. He gasped weakly, “Riley, am I dying? Will I never see you again?”
Sophie stomped her foot anxiously. “Sis! Tristan’s heart condition is bad. Let’s get him to the hospital quickly!”
“I-I’m fine…” Tristan continued gasping pitifully.
But this act undoubtedly made Riley’s heart ache. She could no longer think about the disheveled Lucas. She helped Tristan up and headed for the door.
Just before leaving, she seemed to remember something and turned back to Lucas with a guilty look.
“Tristan’s heart is weak. I’m afraid something might happen to him. The hospital isn’t far from here.”
“…Lucas, you can take a taxi to the hospital yourself.”
It wasn’t until their three figures had disappeared from view that Lucas came back to his senses, inhaling sharply through clenched teeth as he fought against the pain.
Seeing how severely he was injured yet left behind, the servants quickly ran over with painkillers and alcohol.
But Lucas’s burns were too severe. Even after taking the painkillers, he still had to lean against the wall for support, enduring the pain as he slowly made his way towards the hospital.
With each step, he moved further and further away from the place he had called “home.”
At the hospital, the doctor used cotton swabs to carefully press down the blistered areas while asking Lucas with concern why he was so severely burned yet had no family accompanying him.
Lucas inhaled sharply from the pain. Two other doctors passed by the doorway, chatting.
“Miss Sullivan really dotes on her husband. Just a few small blisters and she booked the entire floor, getting all the dermatology specialists to consult.”
“I know, right? Those few blisters would have mostly healed on their own if he’d come in a bit later. If only I could find a caring woman like that who loved me.”
“Haha, dream on. Women like that only come along once in a blue moon.”
Once in a blue moon?
Lucas smiled bitterly.
Abandoning her severely injured husband to go take care of someone with minor injuries – she truly was a one-in-a-million good woman.
Lucas’s injuries were too severe. He needed to stay in the hospital for a few days.
Three days later, Lucas was finally discharged, his body still wrapped in bandages.
As soon as he turned on his phone, countless missed calls and messages popped up, filling the screen.
They were all from Riley.
This had never happened since Tristan’s return.
While Lucas was still in a daze, Sophie called. As soon as he answered, her shrill voice came through.
“Lucas, you’ve got some nerve! Where have you been for three days? Did you do it on purpose?! Can’t compete with Tristan so you’re pulling this kind of stunt? Do you know my sister’s been going crazy looking for you?! Don’t think this will get her attention. Dream on! The position of Sullivan son-in-law will always belong to Tristan!”
After finishing her tirade, Sophie hung up.
Lucas just furrowed his brow.
Had he heard wrong?
Riley had been frantically searching for him? How was that possible? Wasn’t she busy taking care of Tristan? Why would she look for him?
But when Lucas looked at the 999 missed calls on his phone, it did seem to show Riley’s urgency in trying to reach him.
Filled with confusion, Lucas returned home.
As soon as he entered the gate, the servants rushed over looking immensely relieved. Several of them were on the verge of tears as they spoke.
“Sir, you’re finally back. The young miss has been going crazy looking for you…”
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.
“Lucas!”
Riley anxiously ran over. In the three days apart, the usually glamorous woman looked rather haggard, especially the dark circles under her eyes.
“I was in the hospital. The same one where you were taking care of Tristan.”
Hearing this, Riley sighed. “About last time, I didn’t mean to abandon you. It’s just that after Tristan’s surgery, the doctors said he needed to stay calm and not get agitated, or something could happen. I’ve been used to taking care of him since we were kids, so that’s why I took him to the hospital first.”
“And you didn’t object at the time either. Since you were at the hospital, why didn’t you tell me or answer my calls? You’re my husband. Don’t you know I’d be worried? Can you not do this again next time?”
By the end, there was a hint of accusation in her tone.
But Lucas just looked at her calmly, not responding.
Because in two more days, he would be gone.
So there wouldn’t be a next time.
For some reason, seeing Lucas’s calmness, Riley suddenly felt panicked as she recalled Lucas’s behavior these past few days.
She stepped forward and took Lucas’s hand, sighing, “Actually, Tristan really didn’t mean to hurt you last time. Since you don’t want him staying here, I’ve already had him move out. Can you stop being upset over this little thing from now on?”
Riley stared directly at Lucas, hoping to see a trace of being moved in his eyes.
But Lucas had no reaction. He removed Riley’s hand and turned to go upstairs.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw an expensive watch placed on the bed.
He looked up questioningly at Riley who had followed behind.
Riley sighed. “Lucas, this is my way of making it up to you. You won’t be angry anymore now, right?”
Lucas looked at the watch in the box, worth millions, a complex look flashing in his eyes.
Three years. A full three years.
They had shared a bed, had happy times together.
In her eyes, was he really the type of person to fake being angry and hurt just for compensation?
Suddenly, he recalled the gifts Riley had carefully prepared for Tristan in her social media posts. A mocking feeling welled up, but he quickly suppressed it.
Forget it. If she didn’t understand, there was no point in explaining.
Seeing no smile appear on Lucas’s face, Riley didn’t think much of it, just assuming he didn’t like it.
“Lucas, if you don’t like these, once I’m done dealing with Tristan’s situation, I’ll take you to an auction to pick out the most expensive one for you…”
Riley hadn’t finished speaking when Sophie and Tristan’s voices came from outside the door.
“Tristan, I told you my sister loves you so much, she’d never really make you move out. It’s all that Lucas’s fault. I’ll scold him for you later. You’ll move back in, right?”
As they spoke, the two brazenly walked into Lucas and Riley’s bedroom.
Then upon seeing the watch set on the bed, Sophie exclaimed in delight: “Oh my god, sis! Tristan just mentioned to me that he really liked these watch models. I can’t believe you actually bought them!”
She looked at Tristan beside her, her eyes full of envy.
Hearing this, Tristan’s face instantly reddened, then he shot a smug look at Lucas.
Seeing that Riley didn’t immediately deny it, but instead looked hesitant, Lucas didn’t even think before picking up the box and handing it to Tristan.
“If it’s meant for you, then take it.”
With one sentence, he made the choice for Riley, resolving her dilemma.
At this moment, Riley looked at Lucas in shock. Seeing how generous he was being, the unease in Riley’s heart grew stronger. She wanted to object, but seeing how happy Tristan looked, she closed her mouth.
She thought to herself, it’s fine, next week is our wedding anniversary.
She could make it up to Lucas then.
Surely she was overthinking things. He was just jealous and sulking. Lucas loved Riley so much.
How could he possibly leave?
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“Lyra, leave. Now.”
Cassian was trembling, fighting the venom tearing through his wolf body.
But when he collapsed, his guards panicked.
“Alpha, only her kiss can neutralize the toxin.”
His hand grabbed mine before he could stop himself.
My lips saved his life. His pride hated it.
Then Theo called.
“You’re still chasing my brother. Pathetic.”
Cassian ripped the phone away.
“You did not cherish her. I will.”
His eyes were glowing when he pulled me close.
Theo’s family all had the werewolf gene. After turning 20, they would go into heat every full moon. Whoever they marked for the first time would become their lifelong, sole mate.
I thought the person Theo wanted to mark was definitely me.
But when he first awakened his werewolf nature, his friend called me over to help him ease the symptoms.
Instead, I overheard Theo saying irritably outside the private room:
“I really don’t want to give Lyra the satisfaction.”
“I want to pursue the campus beauty, but she’s not an easy girl.”
“Unlike Lyra, who’s like an eager puppy, always at my beck and call.”
“When she gets here, even if she begs to help me, I’ll have to resist.”
“I don’t want to sleep with her and end up tied to her for life, completely under her thumb.”
Standing outside the room, my mind went blank.
I never imagined that Theo, who had grown up with me, saw me this way.
His friends, always quick to jump on the bandwagon, all laughed:
“So in your eyes, she’s just a plaything.”
“Why don’t I call and tell her not to come? Save her from taking advantage of you tonight and trying to climb the social ladder through your bed. To be honest, I think you get what you pay for.”
But Theo stopped his friend from making the call, saying uncomfortably:
“Forget it. If we tell her not to come now, what will she think?”
“Even if she’s just a plaything, she’s the one I’ve spoiled since childhood. I can’t bear to hurt her feelings.”
“When she gets here, I’ll see if I can resist touching her.”
“There are some things I don’t want to spell out. This is a good opportunity to let her see things clearly.”
At that moment, I wanted to burst in and shout at Theo:
“You can’t bear to hurt my feelings, yet you compare me to an eager puppy in front of your friends, letting them mock and belittle me? You don’t deserve my infatuation!”
But I held back. Why waste words on someone who doesn’t cherish me?
I turned and fled the scene, telling myself not to cry.
After some thought, I called his brother’s bodyguard:
“Remember how you begged me to help ease Theo’s brother’s symptoms? Do you still need that now?”
“Send me the address. I’ll be right there.”
Half an hour earlier, the bodyguard had called to tell me a truth Theo had deliberately concealed:
“Miss Lyra, do you remember five years ago when the young master took you skiing and you unfortunately fell into a ravine?”
“The older young master led us on a rescue mission. We searched for three days and nights before finding you buried in the snow, frozen like an ice sculpture. You had no pulse at the time.”
“The older young master told his brother that werewolves could share half their lifespan with their mate through a blood ritual on the full moon night.”
“The blood ritual is another form of marking.”
“Once performed, they would consider that person their lifelong, sole mate.”
“But the younger master wasn’t willing to do it, yet he couldn’t bear to let you die like that. He held you and cried uncontrollably.”
“In the end, it was the older master who saved you.”
“You were very lucky. It happened to be a full moon night.”
“To save you, the older master performed the blood ritual and shared half his lifespan with you. But in doing so, he also marked you, committing to you as his sole mate for life.”
“The younger master begged his brother not to tell you about this.”
“For the past five years, every full moon night, the older master has endured alone, never bothering you, and strictly forbidding anyone from revealing the blood ritual to you.”
“But tonight he really can’t bear it anymore. He’s been severely injured and is fighting for his life. With the full moon, he won’t make it through without you.”
“Please, could you come and help him?”
At that moment, my mind went blank.
I never imagined that I had actually died once five years ago.
Theo, who had cherished me since childhood, wasn’t willing to sacrifice half his lifespan to save me. Instead, it was his “cold-faced” brother who had snatched me back from death’s grasp.
But I still hardened my heart and told the bodyguard:
“I’m sorry, but Theo needs me more tonight.”
I was willing to be ungrateful just to rush over and help Theo.
Only to be mocked by him as an eager puppy, a mere plaything.
Yes, I was truly pathetic.
I deserved to be treated so cheaply.
But I won’t debase myself anymore.
I wiped away my tears of hurt and humiliation, gripping my phone tightly as I told the bodyguard:
“Is it too late to repay this life-saving debt now?”
“If Lucas absolutely needs me tonight, I’ll go right now. I’ll give it my all!”
The bodyguard wept with joy:
“It’s not too late, not at all.”
“Miss Lyra, I’ll send you the location right away.”
“If the young master wasn’t critically injured and facing a full moon night, I would never have dared to disobey his orders and reveal this to you. The family rules are very strict.”
I understood. Lucas probably just wanted to save my life, nothing more.
He didn’t want me clinging to him.
And I just wanted to repay his kindness for saving my life.
It wasn’t because Theo had broken my heart, and I was running into his brother’s arms.
But I never expected that when I rushed to the VIP ward at the hospital,
I would see Fiona, the campus beauty, standing outside the room, desperate to get in:
“Let me in, quick!”
“Isn’t it a full moon night? How do you know Mr. Cassian doesn’t need me?”
“Cassian, Cassian, just let me in to help you, please?”
I suddenly found it amusing.
Theo said Fiona wasn’t an easy girl, yet here she was, offering herself to his brother.
The bodyguards who had refused to let Fiona in immediately opened the door when they saw me, tears in their eyes:
“Miss Lyra, you’re finally here.”
“Please, come in. The young master truly needs you tonight.”
Envy and hatred distorted Fiona’s face. She shrieked hysterically:
“Why does Lyra get to go in?”
“Cassian got hurt so badly just to save her.”
“She’s nothing but bad luck. How dare you let her in?”
I froze for a moment. Saved me again? What did that mean?
The ward was already in chaos.
I saw Cassian lying shirtless on the bed, his face flushed, short hair damp with sweat.
His fingertips curled tightly from the surging heat, and the thick white bandages on his back were soaked through with bright red blood.
The doctor stood nearby, shouting urgently:
“For heaven’s sake, stop resisting! I’m begging you, find a woman to help you quickly. The bandages we just changed are soaked through again. How much blood do you think you have left to endure this torment?”
“It’s a full moon night. The werewolf blood is raging far beyond normal levels, and your blood’s ability to clot has failed. Even the best hemostatic drugs I’ve given you aren’t working.”
“We need to find a way to ease the surging heat in your body now, or you might bleed to death tonight!”
“Where is this girl you say can save the young master? When will she arrive?”
The bodyguards standing by the bed had already seen me.
They bowed deeply to me with respect and gratitude.
“Doctor, she’s here.”
At these words, the man lying on the bed, enduring his private hell, suddenly opened his eyes.
A pair of intimidating dark red eyes, cold yet dazzling, held back the surging, intense desire as they fell unexpectedly on my face, surprised and annoyed:
“Who called her here? Take her away!”
The bodyguard bowed and said:
“Young master, it was me.”
“I’ll accept any punishment as long as Miss Lyra can help ease your symptoms tonight.”
“Besides, you were injured this time trying to save Miss Lyra again.”
“You’ve risked your life twice to save her without taking credit. You might not feel wronged, but we truly feel it on your behalf.”
I secretly observed the imposing man lying on the bed.
Although Theo and I were childhood friends, I had always avoided Cassian like the plague.
Because he was known as the living incarnation of the Grim Reaper.
Even the most arrogant troublemakers became meek in his presence.
It was an absolute domination of methods and aura.
I usually tried to avoid him at all costs when I saw him.
Now, this man who struck fear into everyone’s hearts was clutching the bedsheets, his feet involuntarily curling as he tried to resist. Every part of his body radiated heat waves, his passionate breathing becoming more and more evident. The contrast was so strong, it was captivating. A beautiful man in repose, mesmerizing.
However, “You say he was severely injured because of me again?”
The bodyguard was about to speak, but Cassian cut him off harshly:
“Shut up! Try saying one more word!”
Then he switched to a gentle yet distant tone to address me:
“Lyra, leave. I don’t need you here.”
The bodyguard, risking his life, said:
“Young master, stop pretending. You won’t win a wife by being stubborn.”
“Your mouth is the toughest part of you, but your heart is as soft as putty. Whenever Miss Lyra is in danger, you’d risk your life, even rush into a fire to save her. Do you think we’re blind?”
There was more than one bodyguard in the room, and they all fearlessly started to complain:
“That’s right. Last month’s full moon night, who was it staring at Miss Lyra’s photo on his phone screen, longing and pining until he was delirious, calling out Miss Lyra’s name? I bet she was in your dreams too.”
“And the full moon night before that, you parked your car outside Miss Lyra’s dorm all night. How many times did you want to rush into the dorm but held yourself back at the last second? Even a ninja turtle would kneel and call you daddy.”
“If we don’t say anything, Miss Lyra will never know. Do you really want to endure this for the rest of your life?”
“Shut up. I can endure it,” Cassian said, lowering his eyes.
The doctor standing nearby shouted anxiously:
“Endure my ass! If you keep this up, you won’t see tomorrow’s sunrise.”
“Miss, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and find a way to ease his symptoms.”
The bodyguards standing by the bed all bowed deeply to me with utmost respect.
But, “What should I do? I don’t know how.”
The doctor, while using scissors to cut away the blood-soaked bandages, said:
“Kiss him!”
I blushed, my cheeks turning crimson.
Standing at the head of the bed, I didn’t know how to kiss this aloof man in front of everyone.
Suddenly, a bodyguard shouted:
“Miss Lyra, do you know how the young master got injured?”
“Two days ago, there was a fire in your school’s auditorium. Weren’t you trapped inside, unable to escape? You even passed out from smoke inhalation, nearly suffocating to death.”
“Let me tell you, it was the young master who rescued you from the fire.”
“Because of the marking, the young master can sense when his mate is in danger.”
“The young master ignored everyone’s attempts to stop him and rushed into the inferno to find you. When he carried you out, he was unfortunately struck by a falling beam, and his entire back caught fire.”
“But he still endured the excruciating pain and used his last ounce of strength to carry you out of the fire, only to have his brother snatch you away.”
“When the younger master saw the older master carrying you out of the fire, he immediately rushed over and took you from the older master’s arms. If he was so concerned about you, why didn’t he go in to save you himself?”
What?
I couldn’t believe it. Was this how Cassian got hurt?
I remembered waking up from my coma two days ago with Theo by my side.
I had assumed Theo had saved me.
The information I was receiving today was too much to process, leaving no room for bashfulness or embarrassment.
Never mind, saving a life was the priority.
In the heat of the moment, I leaned down towards Cassian.
Staring at his sensual lips, I kissed him hard.
“Don’t touch me.” Cassian’s tone was fierce, pushing me away, but his hands gripped the bedsheets tighter and tighter. He was trying so hard to resist that his throat bobbed up and down, his eyes red and frightening.
The image of this beautiful man in repose was truly tempting.
But his tone grew even colder: “Lyra, do you know what you’re doing? Don’t you usually try to stay as far away from me as possible? Don’t do something you don’t like just to repay a debt. And don’t listen to their nonsense, it’s useless. Your kiss doesn’t affect me at all.”
But the doctor suddenly exclaimed excitedly:
“It’s working! The rate of blood loss has slowed down.”
“Miss Lyra, quickly, keep kissing him!”
“The young master’s body is far more honest than his mouth. Kiss him hard!”
The doctor’s excited words were like a harsh slap to Cassian’s stubborn mouth.
Cassian’s face grew uncomfortable, and for a moment, he buried it in the pillow.
Was he actually embarrassed?
The tips of his ears were so red they could drip blood.
🌟 Continue the story here
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My husband won five million in the lottery. That same day, he brought his mistress home.
He demanded a divorce and told me to get out without a cent.
When I refused, he drugged me. He hired five men, and they filmed it all.
The video went viral. I became the whore while he played the heartbroken, betrayed husband.
The scandal gave my father a heart attack. I watched Derek kick his medication across the floor.
His hired thugs tortured me to death.
When I opened my eyes, I was back to the day he left to buy the winning ticket.
I watched Derek heading for the door. “Honey, I’m coming with you.”
He looked at me, confused. “Why?”
Feigning a pout, I hooked my arm through his.
On this exact day in my previous life, he bought a lottery ticket that won the $5 million jackpot.
That same evening, he brought his mistress into our home and demanded a divorce.
When I refused to leave, he used the vilest methods to destroy my reputation.
On my birthday, he pretended he wanted to reconcile. He tricked me into drinking whiskey.
The drink was drugged with aphrodisiacs. As I grew disoriented, he led me into a room.
Five men wearing animal masks waited inside, holding various toys.
“Not bad for an older chick!”
“Who’s going first?”
The men traded crude jokes over my broken sobs. Soon they gagged me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, despair washing over me as hot tears of shame tracked down my face.
The horror deepened when the video surfaced online.
Shot from specific angles and brutally edited, it made me look like a willing participant.
A storm of online abuse came crashing down. I became the target of every vile insult, while Derek played the role of the pitiful, betrayed husband to perfection.
Extreme users tracked down our address. They smashed our windows and pounded on our door with midnight threats.
I sank into severe depression, trapped inside home, terrified to go out.
My father went to confront Derek, only to find him making out with his mistress in public.
The sight was too much for my dad’s weak heart. He collapsed on the spot, consumed by rage.
Instead of helping, Derek kicked my father’s emergency medication into a storm drain.
I never got to say goodbye.
I grabbed a knife, determined to make Derek pay. But his thugs disarmed me and threw me into the basement.
“It would’ve been easier if you’d just agreed to the divorce,” Derek said coldly. “Scarlett’s pregnant. I can’t have my child born a bastard.”
I spat in his face. “I’ll haunt you from my grave!
Wiping the spit from his jacket, he smirked. “You? Get revenge? Don’t make me laugh.”
Then he turned to his men. “She’s all yours. Have fun.”
The door slammed shut, sealing my fate.
After my death, Derek and his mistress lived a life of luxury with their newborn son.
My case was closed as a depression-related suicide.
I never become a ghost.
Instead, I woke up reborn.
This time, I’ll make them pay for everything!
I slipped my hand through Derek’s arm, gazing up at him sweetly.
” promised my followers I’d buy some lottery tickets for a giveaway. They all say I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. They want to share in my good fortune.”
As a minor influencer, I’d carefully crafted the image of a perfect marriage for my audience.
The reality was… different.
Before Derek could respond, I added, “I already had Scarlett bring the car around. The three of us can go together.”
At the mention of Scarlett’s name, his expression shifted instantly.
I knew. Today was his anniversary with his mistress. They’d planned to celebrate together, and I was crashing their precious date.
Feigning innocence, I continued, “ou’re so gentle, thoughtful, and loyal. Being married to you is truly the greatest honor.”
Hearing me praise, his expression softened into a proud smile.
“In that case, you’d better hold on to me tightly. Don’t give any other woman a chance, alright?”
A wave of nausea washed over me.
How could I have been so blind in my past life? He was a gold-digger who genuinely believed he was a coveted prize.
Just as we reached the curb, Scarlett pulled up in her car.
“Ava, Derek, hop in.”
Scarlett was wearing a red, deep V-neck dress today, her ample chest drawing all attention.
It looked like Scarlett had put a lot of effort into their anniversary.
In my previous life, I only found out right before I died that Derek and Scarlett weren’t cousins, as he claimed, but his lovers.
Scarlett was sexy, fiery, and knew how to charm men. Taking her out probably boosted Derek’s ego immensely.
I was a career woman, a boss. At home, he was a freeloader around me, but only with Scarlett could he feel like a man again.
He even recommended his “cousin” Scarlett when I needed to hire an assistant for my busy job.
I remembered how he used to come to my company frequently to bring me coffee.
Turns out, he wasn’t coming to see me at all. He was coming to see Scarlett.
Such blatant cheating! I was truly blind in my last life!
And at this moment, Derek was staring at Scarlett as if he wanted to rip her dress off.
I feigned jealousy. “Honey, you’re staring at Scarlett like that. People might think you two are a couple.”
My words made a flicker of panic flash in both their eyes.
Scarlett waved her hands frantically. “Ava, don’t joke around. Derek’s my cousin!”
“Is he?”
My gaze lingered between the two of them, my tone flat, as I stepped into the car.
My sarcastic question made them squirm.
The car was eerily quiet the whole way.
Derek frequently glanced at me, his lips moving, but he said nothing.
“Scarlett, how long have you been my assistant now?” I suddenly asked.
Scarlett paused, then said, “Three years.”
Scarlett had been my assistant for three years. And Derek’s mistress for three years.
I had been kept in the dark for three whole years!
Derek retorted, “Why do you ask? Scarlett is diligent and responsible. She’s helped you a lot, hasn’t she?”
I looked at him desperately defending Scarlett and found it amusing.
The car stopped. I turned my head, staring intently into Derek’s eyes.
A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by a smile.
I smiled. “Nothing, just thinking Scarlett’s been here three years, figured I’d give her a raise.”
“I didn’t expect you two to be so excited.”
I pushed the car door open and stepped out ahead of them.
Walking straight into the lottery shop, I approached the counter.
“I’d like to buy every ticket with a 9 in its number. Every single one.”
The clerk stared. “That’s…a significant number. Are you sure you want all of them?”
I nodded, my gaze firm.
Derek, who had followed on my heels, came up and clapped a hand on my shoulder.
“I had my eye on the nines today too, honey. Let me have one.”
“No.”
I didn’t even hesitate. There was no chance I was giving him a shot at that five million. My family’s lives depended on it.
Derek’s smile stiffened on his face.
Scarlett stepped in to smooth things over, pulling out five dollars.
“Derek, I think the eights look lucky today too.”
“Fine.”
They exchanged a sweet glance, which sent shivers down my spine.
“Derek, well? Did you win?”
Derek sighed, rubbing his forehead, and shook his head.
In my previous life, when they came out for their anniversary, Scarlett suggested buying a lottery ticket for fun.
But to their surprise, that ticket hit the $5 million jackpot. Derek immediately saw Scarlett as his lucky charm and brought her right to my doorstep to gloat.
Well. Now the winning ticket was safely in my hands. How this game would be played was entirely my decision.
The next day, I took the ticket and claimed the prize. After taxes, I walked away with a cool $4 million.
Worried Derek might snoop through my accounts, I immediately transferred the entire amount to my father’s bank account.
In my previous life, because I made good money as an influencer, I’d give Derek $7,500 every month.
It was for his expenses, framed as compensation for taking care of me since he didn’t work.
Ever since we started dating and then got married, Derek had never held a job.
He’d rub my shoulders, coaxing me.
“My colleagues always isolated me. I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“Ava, you work outside, and I’ll be your supportive partner at home.”
“I love cooking, cleaning, and giving you massages. It makes me so happy.”
At the time, I was completely swept away by his sweet talk and kept supporting him.
And he, in turn, shamelessly used my money to keep his mistress!
The thought made me tremble with rage.
When I got home, I saw Derek and Scarlett sitting on opposite ends of the sofa.
Scarlett’s hair was a little disheveled, and her lipstick was smudged.
Both their clothes had wrinkles.
It was clear how intense things had been on the sofa before I came home.
“Ava, weren’t you supposed to be filming a commercial?” Scarlett adjusted her collar.
“Yeah, why are you back so soon? Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve picked you up,” Derek said, his eyes darting away.
I found the panicked looks on their faces incredibly amusing.
“Oh, they canceled it last minute.”
I took a couple of steps then suddenly turned back. “What were you two doing just now? You’re both out of breath.”
The two on the sofa froze. A long silence hung in the air before
Derek spoke.
“We were… just exercising. That’s why we’re tired.”
I gave a nod of feigned understanding and retreated to my room.
In minutes, I’d created a new TikTok account. My first post went live.
“GUESS WHAT?! I just won $5 MILLION from that lottery giveaway!”
I made sure to tag my main account.
At lunch, Derek’s face was stormy.
“Did you see,” he demanded, his voice tight, “that post from one of your followers? The one about winning five million from your giveaway?”
I lowered my head to sip my soup, giving a slight nod.
My calmness seemed to infuriate him most.
He slammed his bowl to the floor, sending shards flying.
“I saw that ticket! The one I wanted! If you’d just given it to me, that five million would be mine! That money should be mine!”
Watching his outburst, I felt nothing but absurdity.
“I bought it first. Why would I give it to you?”
“We…we’re married, Ava.”
Now he remembers we’re married? Where was that thought when he killed my father? When he destroyed my life?
“I don’t care! The winner was supposed to be me. Go get that ticket back.”
He screamed hysterically, as if he’d lost his mind.
I ignored him and went back to my room.
Derek made a call from the living room. No doubt, it was Scarlett on the other end.
He’d taken a hit here and needed to go back to his comfort zone.
I wanted to push him to his limits.
After all, even a cornered dog will bite.
It wasn’t surprising he was desperate, because right about now…
Scarlett had just found out she was pregnant.
It was the same timing as in my previous life, only I had found out later.
Derek desperately wanted to divorce me now.
If he didn’t, his and Scarlett’s child would be born a bastard,
and they’d constantly face the risk of me finding out and kicking them out.
But he had no job and no money. His only income was the money I gave him.
That’s why he was so furious when he saw the follower win $5 million.
Because in his eyes, that lottery ticket rightfully belonged to him.
He was the one who asked me for it first. I just didn’t give it to him.
It wasn’t just $5 million; it was his leverage to divorce me.
While Derek was out, I installed hidden cameras in discreet corners of the house.
Then, I picked up my phone and made a call.
“Yes, I’ve decided to participate in your reality show.”
I slept for a whole afternoon in my room.
When I woke up, Derek was back, and Scarlett was there too.
The shattered bowl from lunch had been cleaned up, and Scarlett was cooking dinner in the kitchen.
Seeing me come out, Scarlett rushed over and grabbed my hand.
“Ava, Derek didn’t mean it this afternoon. He told me he was just really upset.”
“Ava, don’t hold it against him.”
I pulled my hand away and sat down at the dining table, resting my chin on my hand.
I smiled. “I’m not holding it against him. Winning or not winning is just a matter of luck.”
“You should blame Derek for his bad luck.”
He certainly had bad luck.
After all, I was reborn on the day he went to buy that lottery ticket.
Thinking this, I tried hard to suppress the corners of my mouth from turning up.
To be fair, Derek was an excellent cook. Had he been honest, I wouldn’t have minded increasing his monthly allowance.
But he wasn’t content with honesty. He needed a mistress too.
“Darling, could you lend me $150,000? I’m looking to invest in stocks.”
Me: “Didn’t you just lose $75,000 in the market last month?”
“I’m not even asking about that $75,000, but this $150,000 is absolutely out of the question.”
Derek: “But-”
Scarlett’s sudden retching cut him off.
I set down my fork, feigning surprise. “Scarlett, are you… pregnant?”
“No, no, it’s nothing. Just an upset stomach lately. I’ll be fine after resting for a couple of days.”
The moment Scarlett finished speaking, a glass of water appeared before her.
Derek had already risen to fetch it from the kitchen the instant she started retching.
What a considerate Prince Charming.
“Scarlett, since you’re unwell, I’ll attend tomorrow’s event alone. You should stay at my place and let Derek look after you.”
“Ava, are you sure you can manage by yourself?”
I nodded calmly.
“Derek, you must take very good care of Scarlett while I’m away on business.”
Oh, he needed to take excellent care of her indeed.
Because after today, the two of them would be utterly, completely ruined.
The next day, they saw me off at the airport.
The moment they returned home, they were all over each other.
The high-definition cameras captured everything. You could even hear the wet smack of their kisses with perfect clarity.
They had grown careless this time, never even bothering to ask what kind of show I was participating in.
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Everyone at school knew I was head-over-heels for Hugh Davies.
I’d bring him breakfast, tutor him, and even when he’d trip playing basketball, I’d practically be on my knees to help him tie his laces.
Until that day on the rooftop, when I overheard him say:
“Chloe? She’s like glue, I can’t shake her off. After the SATs, I’ll tell her I’m applying to A University, and she’ll totally follow me blindly. Then, Serena and I can just go to C University.”
His friend asked, “Why don’t you just dump her already?”
He sighed, “Can’t do that. I’m afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Later, I did go to A University, but he came crying to me, saying:
“But you always used to cling to me…”
I was on my way to bring Hugh breakfast, but now I was frozen stiff at the staircase.
Lately, Hugh had been pushing me hard to tutor him, claiming he wanted to apply to A University. Turns out, it was all just a lie to get rid of me.
One of his friends asked, curious:
“What if Chloe doesn’t apply to A University?”
Hugh scoffed:
“If I say I’m going to A University, she’ll definitely go. She’s more clingy than my dog.”
The whole group laughed.
Someone winked at Hugh:
“Honestly, only you could put up with a girl like that.”
Hugh shrugged, “She’s practically throwing herself at me, why would I say no to free attention?”
Another friend asked, intrigued:
“So, when are you finally going to tell Serena how you feel?”
A subtle smile touched Hugh’s lips:
“She said she’d go out with me if I got into C University.”
I don’t know how long I stood there.
My ears were ringing so loud, and my chest felt so tight, it was like my heart was being squeezed.
On the way back to class, Hugh’s words kept replaying in my head.
It reminded me of something that happened when I was ten.
A girl in our class told me:
“Hugh secretly told me to tell you he’ll be waiting for you in our usual spot after school. He has something important to tell you!”
I went, full of hope.
I waited there like an idiot for what felt like forever.
Hugh never showed up, and the sky turned dark, then it started to rain.
I was cold and scared of the dark, eventually just crying all the way home.
Later, that same classmate made fun of me in class:
“See? She’s so easy to fool!”
That day, Hugh exploded at her for the first time.
He promised me, looking me right in the eye:
“I’ll never lie to you, Chloe!”
But now?
Thinking back, Hugh really changed a lot.
When he was little, he was so lively and bright, like a little sun.
Then his parents started fighting constantly, and eventually, they divorced.
After that, he became more and more rebellious, and he stopped wanting to go home.
I always felt like he was just too cold, that he’d just built a wall around himself like a porcupine.
And my home had so much warmth, I thought I could share some with him.
He used to be the one protecting me when we were kids. Now, it was my turn to be like a little firefly, illuminating his way.
So, after that.
He skipped class, I’d take notes for him.
He got hurt playing basketball, I’d help him tie his laces.
He’d glare at me, tell me to mind my own business, even throw my notes back at me.
But the next day, those notes would always be tucked deep inside his backpack.
And he’d always eat every bite of the breakfast I brought him.
After a while, people started joking around in front of him, saying I was his crazy admirer.
That time, Hugh punched the guy right in front of the whole class.
I thought I was the most important person to Hugh, but then Serena showed up.
And everything changed.
Serena transferred to our school in junior year. She was really pretty.
One time after school, a few bullies cornered her in an alley.
Hugh got into a fight with them to protect her.
From then on, they became really close friends.
He never walked me home anymore. I knew he was walking Serena home instead.
But every time I asked, he’d just say:
“You don’t understand, her family life is really complicated. She’s pretty helpless, I just want to help her out.”
Hugh, who was usually so aloof.
Would give her his jacket when it was cold.
Would specifically buy her favorite ice cream outside of school.
He even wanted to go to the same university as her, afraid she’d get picked on.
But that was *our* agreement.
On the day we graduated middle school.
I looked at the shining stars in the sky and asked Hugh, who was beside me:
“Have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?”
Hugh shook his head, a hint of resignation on his face:
“Do I even need to think? My dad only has me as a son. I’ll definitely study something related to his business and manage the company after graduation.”
I paused, then spoke:
“So, after high school, we’ll go our separate ways?”
Hugh gazed into the distance, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes:
“Probably.”
A cool evening breeze blew past. Hearing his words, I felt a strange sadness.
Hugh looked at me, suddenly flustered.
“Hey, don’t cry! Are you really that sad to leave me?”
He said, haphazardly wiping away my tears.
“Which university do you want to go to? I’ll apply with you.”
My eyes suddenly lit up.
“Really? Then I want to go to A University.”
“Tsk, you change your mood so fast.”
Hugh ruffled my hair, smiling lazily,
“A University, huh? Looks like I’ll have to study hard then.”
“You cry so easily. What if you go somewhere so far away by yourself and someone bullies you into crying again?”
Maybe it was just a joke to comfort me back then, but I never forgot it.
In high school, his grades never improved, and I was secretly anxious, but he didn’t react at all.
It wasn’t until the end of junior year that he anxiously pulled me aside, asking me to tutor him.
I thought he remembered our old promise.
Now I realize, I was just fooling myself.
Hugh told me to go home without him again after school today.
I was used to it, so I just left him to it.
That evening, Hugh came to my house for tutoring, carrying a strawberry-flavored ice cream.
Honestly, I hated strawberry flavor.
But somewhere along the line, Hugh started bringing that flavor every time.
Only now did I realize—it was Serena’s favorite.
I said coldly, “You should go home. Don’t come to me for tutoring anymore.”
It was the first time I’d ever refused him.
Hugh raised an eyebrow slightly, asking, “Are you mad because I didn’t walk home with you this afternoon?”
He ruffled my hair, “I know you’re clingy, but you have to let me have my own things going on too.”
I shook my head, “SATs are coming up, and I have a lot to study too. You can get a tutor, or maybe, ask Serena to help you.”
Hugh quickly shot down that idea.
“No. Her parents have really high expectations for her, she needs to get first place, she doesn’t have time to tutor me. You’re a better fit to tutor me.”
I suddenly found myself speechless.
My nose stung, and my eyes felt hot.
Right.
One was a resilient good student in a tough situation.
The other was just a cling-on who followed him around all day.
Hugh didn’t want to hold Serena back; she needed to fight for her future.
And I, with my comfortable background and happy family, was naturally expected to make concessions, always revolving around him.
Seeing my silence, his tone softened, a hint of pleading in his voice:
“Didn’t you always want us to go to the same university? Then you’re responsible for me.”
He still remembered our promise.
I looked at his familiar face, suddenly feeling like I was staring at a stranger.
I forced back my tears, staring into his eyes as I asked, word by word:
“Are you really planning to go to the same university as me?”
Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Then, he smiled awkwardly, changing the subject:
“Alright, don’t be dramatic.”
“I’ll walk home with you tomorrow…”
Before he could finish, I slammed the door shut, leaning against it weakly.
My tears finally broke free, falling in heavy drops.
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My best friend Brooke once lost a tooth defending me.
My boyfriend Luke won me over with 200 love letters and a sky full of fireworks.
Then, on my 25th birthday, I caught him pressing Brooke against his car, kissing her until her lips were swollen.
“What about Lena?” Brooke asked, her voice trembling.
“I don’t want to hurt her,” Luke groaned, “But I can’t stop wanting you. Tell me what to do.”
Then the car began to rock.
I tucked my cancer diagnosis deeper into my pocket and smiled bitterly.
Easy enough.
That night, I booked my assisted suicide.
Snowflakes lashed against my face, sharp and biting. It was the first heavy snowfall of the year.
I stood behind a wall, watching them kiss in the secluded corner.
The hand Luke had wrapped around Brooke’s neck still bore the couple’s watch he shared with me.
And Brooke was nestled in the very scarf I had knitted for her with my own hands.
After a moment of passionate kissing, they climbed into the car.
I saw the vehicle begin to rock, moans faintly carrying through the frozen air.
My hands and feet had gone numb with cold after waiting half an hour in the relentless snow.
Only when they opened the car door and stepped out did I pretend to have just arrived, raising a hand in greeting.
“You both got here so early?”
“You’re the guest of honor today! How could you be late?” Brooke unwound her scarf, the one I’d knitted, and wrapped it around my neck. Her eyes were full of concern. “You’re freezing. Why didn’t you call me to pick you up?”
That’s when I noticed my eyelashes were completely frosted over.
I remembered how Luke used to bundle me in his coat when it snowed, terrified I’d catch a chill.
But now, he only hesitated for a second before finally reaching out to gently brush the snow from my shoulder.
The moment his hand brushed my shoulder, Brooke’s expression tightened. She quietly averted her gaze.
Luke immediately stepped back, putting a respectful distance between us.
I shook my head, pretending not to notice, and forced a cheerful grin.
“Oh, come on, I’m not that delicate. Let’s get this party started!”
After all, this was my last birthday.
Brooke exclaimed. “Guess what I got you!”
Luke snorted playfully. “My gift is definitely better!”
They fell into their familiar bickering, the easy back-and-forth lightening the mood.
When Luke and I first started dating, Brooke couldn’t stand him.
Now, it sounded like playful banter.
I wanted to pretend I couldn’t see, that if I didn’t turn my head, I wouldn’t cry.
But the streetlights cruelly stretched their shadows long.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luke secretly reach for Brooke’s hand.
Their fingers intertwined tightly.
A perfect match.
“Come on, get inside, it’s cold out here.”
I quickly opened the door for them.
“Don’t rush us, we’re coming!”
Brooke laughed, quickening her pace in high heels to catch up. As she entered, she stumbled slightly.
The cake she was carrying crashed to the floor.
I rushed forward to help steady her.
“Watch out!” Luke beat me to it, grabbing her waist to steady her.
He anxiously crouched down to check her ankle. “How is it? Can you still walk?”
My outstretched hand hung in mid-air, and Brooke’s smile froze on her face.
The air fell into an awkward silence.
Luke’s movements faltered as his eyes met mine.
“Lena, don’t be mad. Brooke’s always been clumsy, she didn’t mean to drop the cake. I’ll go buy another one right away.”
I watched him protect Brooke. Just like Brooke had always protected me, standing in front of me since we were kids.
Brooke and I grew up together in an orphanage. She was hot-headed, and I was timid; she always protected me.
Now, I just awkwardly shoved my hand back into my pocket, fingers caressing that terminal illness notice, and looked away, smiling.
“I’m not a three-year-old, there’s nothing to be mad about. It’s just a cake.”
“Luke, can you clean that up? I’ll go check the medicine cabinet for band-aids.”
Luke lowered his head apologetically.
“I’ll order a new cake right now.”
I waved my hand dismissively, helped Brooke sit on the sofa, and found some ointment to gently apply.
Brooke said, “Lena, you’re too kind.”
I smiled and said, “You are too, Brooke.”
Brooke lowered her head and stayed silent.
After I put a band-aid on her, Luke had already finished cleaning up and called us over to eat the newly ordered cake.
Luke lit the candles. In the flickering candlelight, I saw a photo displayed on the corner of the table.
Luke and I, in our high school uniforms, holding hands tightly.
Brooke, in a red spaghetti-strap dress, hugged my other arm, glaring resentfully at him.
Back then, they couldn’t stand each other.
Brooke would fiercely tell Luke, “Hey! You’re her first boyfriend. If you ever hurt her, you’re dead!”
Luke would retort, “No way! I think *you’re* the one who looks like you’d hurt Lena!”
At that time, Brooke’s eyes dimmed.
I quickly told Luke to stop.
When I was fifteen, the orphanage closed down. Brooke dropped out of school and worked to put me through high school.
She dressed in sexy clothes, became an influencer, and each time I tried to help her shoulder the burden, she’d send me back to school with a lecture.
“Lena, you’re smart, and you’re still young. You have to study hard and go to college! I don’t have that chance anymore, you need to cherish this opportunity to learn, understand?”
But she was only three years older than me.
Memories flooded my mind.
I closed my eyes and made a sincere wish.
I wished for my best friend and the boy I loved most to be happy forever.
Even long after I was gone.
After I made my wish, Brooke eagerly volunteered to cut the cake, then mischievously dabbed frosting on my nose.
“Happy birthday, Lena, another year older.”
I forced a smile, but then I saw Luke’s burning gaze fixed on her.
It was tender and lingering.
The bitterness in my heart flared up again.
Brooke, completely oblivious, casually pulled out a small gift box. “See? Do you like it?”
Luke finally snapped back to reality, playfully elbowed her aside, and, holding something mysterious in his palm, leaned in.
“Guess what I got you?”
“You little brat, stop trying to steal my thunder, don’t you dare compete with me!” Brooke puffed out her cheeks, exasperated.
“You two rivals, stop bickering and just leave me alone.” Neither of them would back down, so I helplessly rubbed my forehead, forced to open both their gifts at once.
The moment I opened them, we all froze.
They both picked rings from the same series.
The styles were incredibly similar. Luke’s had a mountain pattern, while Brooke’s had waves.
They weren’t just similar; they fit perfectly together, like a pair.
Brooke looked a little lost, but I laughed, snatched the two rings, and quickly slid one onto each of my hands.
“No wonder we’re such good friends, we’re so in sync! I was debating which design to get, but now I don’t have to.”
I pulled out my phone and snapped a dozen photos.
But everyone just grew more awkward.
Brooke forced a smile.
“He definitely copied me. But since you like it, I won’t bother arguing.”
My heart ached faintly. Then, I forced myself to be cheerful and suggested we drink to celebrate.
But Brooke, who usually had the best alcohol tolerance, was the first to get completely wasted, sprawling like a rag doll.
She kept mumbling, “Lena… we’ll always be best friends…”
Luke stood up, expertly picked up her jacket, and helped her stand, saying, “Lena, I’m taking Brooke home first. If you’re tired, just go to sleep, don’t wait up for me.”
I quietly nodded.
From the balcony, I watched them lean on each other as they disappeared into the distance.
I took a deep breath, then scooped a spoonful of cake for myself. The cream tasted sickly sweet and bitter.
I reluctantly put down my fork and went back to my bedroom, planning to sort through my belongings.
But by chance, I discovered the love letters Luke had written to me when he was eighteen.
Two hundred letters, their pages filled with his tight, meticulous script.
“Lena, I noticed you long before you ever noticed me. You never looked up. I was always so curious-what did you think about when you were so quiet?”
“Silly girl, I didn’t save you. You were the one who gave me a chance to prove my love.”
“Lena, we’re going to grow old together.”
As I read, my nose grew slightly sore, and the corners of my mouth unconsciously turned up, but then I abruptly stopped as I turned a page.
The back of the love letters had new writing.
“Strange, before I always thought of Brooke as my rival, and only gave her a friendly face for Lena’s sake. But now I realize, she seems really special.”
“I ran into Brooke today. It’s the middle of winter, and her face was bright red from the cold. I felt a little pang of sympathy.”
“No, I have to control my feelings.”
“My hand accidentally met Brooke’s during our walk. She jumped back like she’d been shocked, her face turning red. Does she feel it too?”
“Lena was surprisingly clingy today, but Brooke was clearly disappointed. I don’t want to run from my feelings anymore. I need to be clear with her.”
Fragmented handwriting.
It formed a reverse love letter.
Though the handwriting was new, the feelings were just as genuine and passionate. I saw that it seemed to have started about a year ago, and the entries on the back were even starting to exceed those on the front.
His heart, it turned out, had shifted long ago.
The most recent date was just yesterday:
“I’m sorry, Lena.”
“But it’s time to end things. I’ve already failed you; I can’t fail Brooke too.”
A torrent of tears finally burst forth.
I struggled to breathe, coughing heavily twice, and hot blood splattered onto my palm.
I fumbled for a tissue.
Luke chose that moment to return. He habitually pulled open the door and peeked in.
“Lena, are you asleep?”
I stumbled, rushing to block the door tightly. “I feel a little dizzy, I’ve already lain down.”
My shirt was still stained with blood.
The love letters on the floor were scattered.
Luke knocked on the door twice more, asking if I needed medicine, but I brushed him off with an excuse.
I couldn’t face him.
I didn’t know if he was more worried about me being sick, or if he hoped to break up with me soon so he could openly pursue the girl he loved.
After a long time, silence finally fell outside.
Luke was probably asleep.
I put the room back in order, packed a few small bags, and checked myself into the city hospital alone.
The doctor frowned, trying to persuade me.
“Are you really not planning on chemotherapy? Even though it’s stage four lung cancer, aggressive treatment could still buy you some more time.”
“You’re still… very young.”
I smiled and shook my head.
“No, I’ll only be staying a few days.”
Originally, I planned to leave all my savings. Enough for Brooke to get a proper streaming studio, and some seed money for Luke’s startup.
With the rest of the money, I booked my assisted suicide procedure abroad.
Seven more days, and I’d be free.
Ultimately, I was still a coward.
The next day, Luke called. I picked a random excuse and hung up.
For seven days straight, he called countless times. Each time, I found various reasons to refuse, until eventually, I couldn’t even bear to hear his voice.
I still remembered the burning love in that eighteen-year-old boy beneath the fireworks.
So I couldn’t accept his change of heart.
I wanted to beg him not to be so cruel. Just a few more days, and I wouldn’t bother them anymore.
It felt like as long as he didn’t break up with me, I would die still believing I was loved.
But the night before my assisted suicide, as I was counting my documents, Luke’s anxious call came through, his voice a panicked shout.
“Lena! Brooke’s live stream just cut out, and her phone’s going straight to voicemail. Something’s wrong. I’m on my way, but the meetup spot is too far. I might not get there in time. You have to go check on her, now!”
My eyes widened. I didn’t have time to question why he was so worried about Brooke’s live stream. I quickly said,
“Don’t worry! I’m on my way!”
I ripped out my IV, forgot to grab a jacket, and got into the car, speeding through the night towards the place Brooke usually streamed from.
I couldn’t remember how many red lights I ran.
But when I finally arrived.
Brooke’s clothes were torn to shreds, and a unconscious thug lay nearby.
Luke had already arrived, clearly having fought someone; his face was bruised and swollen. He was holding the trembling Brooke, comforting her over and over again.
My knees buckled, and I stumbled over, trembling, trying to reach for her hand. “I’m too late, I’m so sorry.”
“Get lost! Why are you still pretending to care!”
Luke’s eyes were bloodshot. He fiercely slapped my hand away, in a protective stance. “You were so close, why didn’t you rush over to save her? If you had gotten here sooner, Brooke wouldn’t have…”
“You’ve always enjoyed her sacrifices, why couldn’t you sacrifice for her just once? How could you be so selfish?!”
“Enough!” Brooke’s voice was hoarse, and she forced a smile at me. “That animal didn’t actually violate me, I’m fine.”
My throat tightened, and my nose felt terribly blocked.
But he was still frantic. “Brooke! Stop pushing me away!”
Hearing this, Brooke’s body trembled, and she lowered her head.
She finally accepted the jacket Luke draped over her.
Luke took a deep breath, then continued to scold me: “How can you say something like this is fine? This is a lifelong trauma! Lena, what have you been doing these past few days?”
I didn’t know how to answer him.
I stared at the bruised needle marks on the back of my hand. I was only wearing a thin undershirt, and I couldn’t help but shiver from the cold.
Guilt mingled with a deep sense of injustice.
Besides “I’m sorry,” no other words would come.
“Lena, you wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for Brooke. Now that she’s in trouble, this is how you repay her? You’re utterly lazy. You’ve disappointed me beyond words.”
Luke held her close, his expression icy as he turned to me, his gaze like that of a stranger facing an enemy.
“We need some time apart. You need to think carefully about everything that’s happened recently.”
I gasped in shock, wanting to explain, but then I violently vomited a pool of blood. The snow immediately stained a stark red.
Before I could even cover it, I saw Luke. He was already helping Brooke into the passenger seat. He pressed the gas pedal, and he never looked back.
I lowered my gaze to the blood on the ground.
I was such a mess, always ruining everything.
I wiped my mouth bitterly and went to the airport alone.
I remembered the wish I made on my fifteenth birthday:
“I wish my best friend would always be by my side, and the person I love most would always be across from me, forever and ever.”
What a pity. It never came true.
I sent one last text:
“I wish you both a happy life together.”
Then, I turned off my phone.
Goodbye, Luke. Goodbye, Brooke.
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