Aria Collins had a secret that everyone knew – she was in love with her adoptive uncle, Ethan Foster. At eight years old, when she was nearly strangled to death by bullies at school, it was Ethan who saved her and insisted on severely punishing the wealthy troublemakers. At twelve, when she got her first period, Ethan mistakenly thought she was sick or injured. He frantically abandoned a multi-million dollar business deal to rush back and take her to the hospital, where they both awkwardly received an impromptu sex ed lesson from the doctor. At fifteen, Aria ran away from home and accepted a classmate’s confession when Ethan didn’t make it back in time for her birthday party. Ethan found her at a hotel and flew into a rage, smashing expensive decor in a frenzy. On her eighteenth birthday, Aria confessed her feelings to Ethan. He responded by darkly remaining silent. The next day, he called a press conference and publicly broadcast a video of her confession on a big screen, condemning her for disregarding moral ethics and family values. After Aria was viciously attacked on social media for three days straight, Ethan coldly sent her to a behavioral reform school. After enduring a year of hellish conditions that made her wish she was dead, Aria had barely been released when Ethan demanded she donate a kidney to his fiancée. The same Aria who had once thrown the entire Foster family into chaos over Ethan’s scandalous affairs now quietly nodded in agreement. She thought to herself, “Now we’re even.”
“I’ll do it,” Aria said softly. A glimmer of satisfaction flashed in Ethan’s eyes as he nodded approvingly. “It seems this past year has indeed taught you to be more sensible. Very well, it’s decided then.” Beside him, Sophia smiled. “Thank you, Aria.” Aria stared intently at the woman in front of her. It was because of Sophia’s instigation that she had struggled through a year of hell. And now she was expected to donate a kidney to her? She gritted her teeth, barely able to speak after a long moment. “However, I have two conditions.” Ethan’s expression immediately darkened. He instinctively moved to shield Sophia behind him. “If you have any grievances, take them out on me. Don’t hurt Sophia. And if you’re thinking I’ll marry you, forget it!” Aria let out a bitter laugh, cutting him off. “My first condition is that I want to change rooms, to the guest room on the second floor. As for the second condition…I’ll tell you in three days.” In three days was the dance competition preliminary round. The winner would get a scholarship, and Ethan was one of the judges. Ethan looked suspicious, but since Sophia’s condition was urgent, he ultimately agreed. Aria signed the donation agreement. Ethan quickly made arrangements for the surgery. But just as everything was ready, the doctor came running over with the test results. “Mr. Foster, Miss Collins has too many wounds on her body. She’s weak and severely malnourished. None of her health indicators meet the standards for surgery.” Ethan frowned, only now noticing how battered Aria’s body was. After looking her up and down, he said coldly: “I understand. You may go.” After the doctor left, he deigned to give Aria a glance. “Aria Collins, put your silly tricks away. Get your body healthy. You must have the surgery in seven days!” Aria watched Ethan walk away with his arm around Sophia. Her heart clenched painfully. He actually thought her inability to have surgery was some kind of ploy. But weren’t all these injuries inflicted because of him? The year in reform school, they made her sleep next to the toilet, eat food mixed with excrement. When they were in a bad mood, they would beat and verbally abuse her at will. Slamming her head against the wall was a common occurrence. There was hardly an uninjured spot left on her body. As soon as she got out of reform school, she was roughly shoved into a car by a group of bodyguards and taken to the hospital. Not only did she learn Ethan had a fiancée, but she was also told to donate a kidney to Sophia. In the end, it was all her fault. Aria thought that perhaps she really had been wrong. She shouldn’t have fallen in love with Ethan Foster. She took off the filthy, stinking reform uniform covered in blood stains, and changed into the clean clothes the nurse gave her. Under the scorching sun, she walked for a full three hours before reaching home. When she opened the door, she was greeted by endless coldness. The Foster family’s servants and security guards had all been replaced with new ones. Seeing her arrive, they were all startled. Then they immediately picked up weapons and aimed them at her. “Where did this beggar come from? This is the Foster residence. Go beg somewhere else.” Aria was being pushed out the door when Ethan happened to hear the commotion and poked his head out from upstairs. The head of security respectfully explained: “Young Master, it’s our fault for being careless and disturbing you and Miss Evans. We’ll get rid of this beggar right away.” With that, he shoved Aria hard. Caught off guard, Aria’s foot slipped and she tumbled down the stairs. Ethan acted as if he hadn’t seen anything, his face showing irritation at being disturbed. “Let her in. She’s a girl I adopted years ago. She’ll be living here from now on.” Ethan arranged everything for her from his lofty position, but his gaze never once landed on her. Aria silently got up from the ground and followed the servant to the guest room across the hall. This room was the farthest from Ethan’s, which was why she had asked to be moved here. After showering, Aria made a phone call. “Teacher, I agree to go abroad as a dance exchange student.”
“Aria, are you sure you want to go? Although it’s officially an exchange program for dance students, it’s actually a three-year closed training known as the ‘dance world’s reform school’! Every year people drop out because they can’t handle it.” “Once I submit your name to the school, it can’t be withdrawn. Think it over carefully.” Faced with her teacher’s questioning, Aria still nodded firmly. “Teacher, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll go.” As long as she could get away from Ethan Foster, she would go through fire and water. How could it be worse than a year in prison? The teacher sighed lightly. “Alright then, you’ll leave in seven days.” Seven days? Aria was taken aback. “By the way, does your uncle know about this? He used to handle all your affairs with me. Is he going abroad with you this time?” She didn’t know how to respond to that. After a long silence, she finally replied in a low voice. “He can’t go.” Just as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open. Aria quickly hung up the phone and met Ethan’s gaze. He came in carrying a glass of warm milk and dinner, which he set down on the coffee table. “I can’t go? Go where?” Aria flipped her phone face down, startled as she stood up. But when she saw the food, she reflexively rushed over and knelt down, pouring the milk into the bowl and then dumping it all into her pocket. Then she kowtowed to Ethan three times, saying over and over: “Please don’t hit me, I haven’t eaten in a week.” Ethan was shocked by this scene, disgust evident in his voice. “Aria Collins! What are you doing now!” “If it wasn’t to get your body healthy so you can donate a kidney to Sophia as soon as possible, I absolutely wouldn’t have let you out in your current state!” “Do you want to go back in there?” Ethan stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The anger surging through him nearly broke through his self-control. Actually, the first moment he saw Aria today, his heart ached terribly. The little girl he once cherished and protected had been tortured to skin and bones, completely losing her former adorable appearance. But he couldn’t allow that kind of immoral relationship to happen, so he hardened his heart to teach her a lesson. He thought that after he married Sophia and everything was settled, she would still be his most precious girl. After Ethan left, Aria gradually came back to her senses. This wasn’t the reform school. She was back home. Aria went through her nightly routine mechanically. From time to time, the sound of a woman’s gasps and moans could be heard from the room across the hall. Without thinking, she knew how intense it must be in there. Perhaps they were deliberately letting her hear. The woman’s voice became increasingly clear. But Aria hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in so long that she fell into a deep slumber within minutes. The next morning when she woke up, she smelled the aroma of delicious food wafting up from downstairs. She had just sat down at the dining table when Sophia smiled and poured a glass of wine. Then under Aria’s gaze, she downed it in one gulp. Sophia’s body immediately began turning red at an alarming rate, breaking out in hives all over. Aria looked at her with concern. “Don’t you know you’re allergic to alcohol? I’ll go call the family doctor.” Sophia gave her an inscrutable smile, then suddenly cried out. “Ethan, help!” Ethan rushed over. Sophia’s tears immediately began falling. “Aria, I don’t know why you forced me to drink. I clearly said I’m allergic to alcohol and can’t have even a drop.” Aria opened her mouth to explain, but was angrily cut off by Ethan. “I warned you last night to keep your dirty thoughts to yourself! If anything happens to Sophia, I absolutely won’t let you off!” “Keep an eye on her until I get back!” Ethan anxiously picked Sophia up and rushed out the door. Everything happened so fast that Aria had no time to react. It wasn’t until she met Sophia’s provocative gaze that she realized she had fallen into Sophia’s trap. Sophia was certain Ethan wouldn’t listen to any of her explanations right now, and she was right. Aria’s eyes darkened, a hint of self-mockery in them. Just how confident and fearless must Sophia be to drink that glass of wine without hesitation? In the year she spent in reform school, Ethan had completely become another woman’s man. Aria no longer harbored any lingering attachment. She got up and went upstairs to pack her bags.
It took Aria all afternoon to move everything related to Ethan to the empty lot outside the villa. On top was a storybook, the first gift Ethan ever gave her. When she first came to the Foster home, she had nightmares every night. It was Ethan who cradled this storybook, reading stories to lull her to sleep. She could recite every story in it by heart. Next to it was the little bicycle Ethan gave her as an apology after making her angry. Ethan thought the bicycle took up too much space and suggested throwing it away, but she insisted on keeping it in her room. Ethan had joked, “I’ll probably have to buy another villa soon, just to store all these gifts.” Aria’s eyes reddened as she thought about it. The bicycle held too many of their memories. Ethan teaching her to ride, her never fearing falls because his hands were always there to catch her. When she was finally able to ride on the road, Ethan would drive his car slowly right next to the bike lane to protect her. At her feet was a ceramic mug Ethan had made himself, next to a portrait she had drawn of him, and beside that an unsent love letter. Eleven years of companionship had occupied most of her life. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t attached, but Aria knew that clinging on would only hurt herself in the end. She and Ethan could never be together. Thinking of this, she wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes and tossed a lit match onto the pile. The flames grew higher and higher, the past turning to ash and scattering in the wind. Ethan, who had just returned with some soup for Sophia, happened to witness this scene. The fire blazed higher than Aria herself, as if it would consume her whole. Seeing this, Ethan rushed over and pulled Aria into his arms. “Aria Collins! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” Falling into that familiar broad chest, Aria was jolted out of her reverie. The next second, Ethan roughly pushed her away, his face cold. “You really are good at manipulation. I can’t believe I fell for your tricks again! If you continue to be so stubborn, I’ll send you right back where you came from!” As Ethan turned to leave, Aria saw his eyes were as cold as ice. Back in the villa, Aria went upstairs to practice dancing. Tomorrow was the dance competition preliminary round. To get the scholarship, she had to win first place. Ignoring the pain from her wounds, she danced gracefully in the studio. Time passed, night fell. Finishing practice, Aria collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Her body ached all over, but she felt every second was full of hope. “I’ll take you there tomorrow.” It wasn’t until Ethan spoke that she realized someone was standing in the doorway. “I agreed to your request, but if your body can’t handle it, I’ll call it off immediately.” Aria’s eyes dimmed slightly as she nodded. Then she put the painkiller syringe she had prepared into her bag. She didn’t realize this small action would end up helping her in a big way. The next day at the competition venue, Ethan was present as a judge. Before the competition, he stood in the center of the crowd with his arm around Sophia, basking in everyone’s flattery. “My goodness! What a perfect match! Miss Evans was a dance prodigy in her youth, winning countless awards. She’s sure to take first place this time!” “Is she also competing for the exchange student spot? If so, she could just bat her eyelashes at Mr. Foster and go as a regular student. That way she wouldn’t have to suffer through being an exchange student!” “Miss Evans is too upright for such underhanded methods. If she wanted to study abroad, top schools would be fighting over her.” Sophia smiled charmingly in Ethan’s arms. Aria silently watched all of this. She had to admit, Sophia was naturally talented at dance. It was after watching one of Sophia’s classical dance performances that Ethan had first taken notice of her. The two grew closer and eventually became a couple. Ethan thought Aria’s insistence on learning dance was an attempt to emulate Sophia and win his heart. On her 18th birthday, Aria happened to choose the same classical dance piece Sophia had performed when Ethan first saw her. So Ethan flew into a rage and sent her to reform school. How laughable that such a vicious woman had made Ethan believe he’d found true love. Ten minutes before the competition, Aria secretly hid in a corner and gave herself a shot of painkillers. Then she returned to the dressing room and put on her dance costume. When it was her turn to go on stage, the medication had taken effect and she felt no pain, allowing her to give a stable performance. As the dance ended, Aria bowed and prepared to leave the stage. But a searing pain suddenly shot through her foot. The next second, she gasped and collapsed to the ground. Looking down, she saw her dance shoe had been dyed red with blood. She took it off to find a needle sticking out of the sole of her foot!
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