A woman accused me of being a mistress, tore my clothes, pinned me to the ground, and slapped me across the face. In a panic, I grabbed an elegant socialite nearby and pleaded for help: “Call the police! I don’t even know her husband!” But to my shock, the woman slapped me too: “Chloe, you hooked up with your best friend’s boyfriend seven years ago, and now you’re a mistress again? Can’t you ever change your ways?” That’s when I realized the elegant woman was my mother, Victoria, with whom I hadn’t spoken in seven years. Mom continued to scold me: “Apologize now! Swear you’ll never be a mistress again! Then I’ll let you be the Sterling heiress again!” I looked up at her undisguised disgust and disappointment, but I insisted: “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Not seven years ago, and certainly not today. As for being the Sterling heiress, I stopped caring about that a long time ago… My defiance earned me another slap. This one hit harder, far more brutal than the other woman’s. My ears rang, and my mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. Yet, I clearly heard Mom’s voice, laced with ice: “Are you saying it’s glorious to be a mistress by not apologizing? How could I have given birth to such a shameless daughter? “If I’d known I’d run into you today, I wouldn’t have left the house. What bad luck!” My ex-best friend, Seraphina Hayes, who had been watching the drama unfold, promptly came forward, supporting Mom and gently patting her chest to help her calm down: “Foster Mom, maybe Chloe had no choice but to do this scandalous business… Don’t get so worked up, it’s not worth getting sick over!” She then turned to the cheated wife, Brenda, and apologized: “Ma’am, please don’t worry. With my foster mom and me here, she’ll never bother your husband again. Pick any bag you like in this store; I’ll buy it as an apology on her behalf…” I cut her off coldly: “I’m not a mistress, and I don’t need your fake apologies!” Seraphina’s eyes instantly welled up, tears threatening to spill: “Chloe, you don’t still believe that in love, the one who isn’t loved is the real ‘other woman,’ do you? “If I’d known you were so obsessed, I should’ve just let you have Marcus back then, no matter how much it hurt…” She shouldn’t have brought up the past. The moment she did, Mom exploded like dynamite, her voice sharp and piercing: “Are all the men in the world dead? You just have to go after a married man?” In just a few words, the two of them exposed my shameful past to everyone. “So she’s a repeat offender! Seven years ago, she was already a mistress, backstabbing her best friend. How despicable!” “Even her own mother can’t stand it! How does she have the nerve to live to this day?” “If you ask me, everyone should post this repeat offender online! Who knows how many other families she’s broken up!” When they want to blame you, any excuse will do. With my own mother as a witness, the accusation of me being a mistress was sealed. Everyone pulled out their phones, snapping photos of my exposed body and my face. Some people, who had already recorded videos of me being beaten, were preparing to upload the content online. Seraphina suddenly knelt on the ground, crying, begging everyone to stop filming. “Please, give my best friend another chance! My foster mom and I will definitely take her home and educate her properly, ensuring she won’t make the same mistake again! “With the internet as it is, if she’s exposed like this, she’ll be shamed for life…” Brenda immediately flared up again: “If she knew what it meant to be shamed, she wouldn’t have tried to seduce my husband! “You two aren’t in this together, are you? Both of you dressed so provocatively, maybe you all have to sell yourselves to shop here!” Mom and Seraphina were implicated, and their eyes burned with a hatred that wished to tear me to shreds. Finally, Mom couldn’t take it anymore. She turned and handed Brenda a business card and a credit card: “Please delete any photos and videos that show my face or Seraphina’s! “As for her, we’ll see how she behaves later…” Brenda was initially disdainful, but upon seeing “Victoria Sterling, CEO of Sterling Enterprises” emblazoned on the business card, her expression immediately changed. “Oh, it’s the renowned entrepreneur, Ms. Sterling!” “It seems this whole thing might be a misunderstanding, I…” Brenda couldn’t afford to offend Sterling Enterprises, and she couldn’t fathom why Victoria Sterling’s own daughter would become a mistress. Her eyes full of confusion, she tried to help me up. But Mom stopped her.
Brenda was dumbfounded: “Ms. Sterling, wasn’t that whole act just to get me to forgive her? I trust that with your strict discipline, she definitely won’t make the same mistake again…” Mom, however, snorted coldly. Just like seven years ago, she condemned me without hearing my side: “The first time she tried to steal another woman’s man, I kicked her out of the house. I thought that after all these years of hardship, she might realize her mistakes. Unfortunately…” The onlookers and Brenda instantly understood. To curry favor with Mom, Brenda returned the card and even proactively handed her phone to Mom for inspection. “Ms. Sterling, please have a look.” Mom tapped to play the video of me being beaten before Brenda arrived. A flicker of heartache actually welled up in her eyes. I shook my head, quickly shaking off that hallucination. Sure enough, the next second she looked down at me, commanding again: “This is the last time I’m cleaning up your mess. As long as you apologize to this woman and swear you’ll never do this again, these photos and videos won’t ever be leaked online!” Mom’s influence and power could indeed prevent the photos and videos from being published online. But there were countless onlookers, inside and out. How could she silence the wagging tongues of the crowd? From the moment she publicly shamed me, I was a mistress everyone cursed. Even though I knew she wouldn’t believe me, I stubbornly said, word for word: “I am not a mistress, and I will not apologize to anyone!” The next second, she handed the phone back to Brenda: “Since she’s so stubborn, you don’t need to be polite. She’s yours to deal with.” Brenda asked Mom, somewhat uncertainly: “Should I post all the videos?” “Post them! She needs to pay for her actions!” Brenda did as she was told. In just a moment, someone online had already dug up my information. Mom shoved the hateful messages in my face: “Chloe, do you admit your mistake now?” “I didn’t do anything wrong!” Seeing my unwavering denial, Mom trembled with rage, clutching her chest, her face utterly pale. Seraphina skillfully took some medicine from her bag and gave it to her. Then she motioned to the bodyguards nearby: “You two take Foster Mom home first. I’ll stay here and handle Chloe.” Mom left without a backward glance. Seraphina then started a SnapChat group with the onlookers, handing out a generous cash gift to everyone as an apology: “Today’s incident, please forgive us for the spectacle! I beg you all to be kind with your words and please, give my best friend a chance to change!” The crowd took the money, praising Seraphina for her kindness and beauty, and reminding her that even kindness has its limits, especially with someone like me—she should be extra cautious. After the crowd dispersed, I wrapped myself tightly in the jacket Mom had left behind, getting up and stumbling away. Seraphina grabbed me firmly: “Chloe, come home with me. You don’t know how much Foster Mom has worried about you day and night all these years…” I wrenched myself free, scoffing: “Seraphina, no one’s around. You can drop the act now.”
Ten years ago, Seraphina’s mom and my dad both passed away from illness, and we bonded over our shared grief, becoming best friends. My mom, feeling sorry for her, doted on her like her own daughter. The two families grew close, and over time, my mom actually fell in love with Seraphina’s father, Richard Hayes. But Richard couldn’t let go of his deceased wife and always kept my mom at a distance despite her overtures. Unable to get what she wanted, my mom poured more of her energy into Seraphina, almost to the point of granting her every wish. And I, because I tried to tell her that you can’t force love, gradually grew estranged from her. Even Seraphina’s attempts to mediate couldn’t reconcile our mother-daughter relationship. It was during that period that I met my first love, Marcus Reed. Not wanting my mom to know about the relationship, I only confided my secret romance to Seraphina. I treated her as my best sister, sharing the sweetness of falling in love, sharing every little gift Marcus gave me. But I never imagined that while she wished me well to my face, she would turn around and seduce Marcus. On Marcus’s birthday, I secretly prepared a surprise for him. Pushing open his apartment door, I saw two bodies entwined on the sofa. Seraphina frantically pulled her clothes to cover herself, while Marcus, the man who constantly claimed to love me, averted his gaze: “Chloe, let me explain…” I didn’t cry or make a scene; I just quietly questioned Seraphina: “You already have all of my mother’s love, and my friendship. Why do you need to steal my boyfriend too?” She cried, begging for my forgiveness, but then leaned closer and whispered: “Who told your mom to keep chasing my dad?” In that moment, I swore I would get my mom back from her. I ran all the way home, wanting to tell Mom that Seraphina wasn’t a good person, that she was the kind of ‘other woman’ Mom despised. But I never imagined that Seraphina and Marcus would accuse me first. Seraphina sobbed heartbrokenly in my mom’s arms: “Mom, I know Chloe always disliked me getting so much of your attention, but how could she… how could she steal my boyfriend?” I argued reasonably, but my mom didn’t believe me. Only because she was madly in love with Richard Hayes. Seraphina was the most important link in maintaining her relationship with Richard. My words were light as a feather compared to Seraphina’s tears. Without asking any questions, she forced me to apologize to Seraphina. “Chloe, apologize to Seraphina! Swear you’ll never bother Marcus again!” I looked at her protecting Seraphina, at Seraphina’s defiant gaze from behind my mom, and my youthful defiance overpowered all my hurt. “I didn’t do anything wrong! She’s the one who stole my boyfriend!” “Incorrigible! Get out! Don’t come back until you realize your mistake, or don’t ever return to this house!”
I slammed the door and left, relying on odd jobs and student loans to not only complete my studies but also earn an outstanding graduation certificate. At that time, my mom, who had grown closer to Richard Hayes, was in a great mood and proactively welcomed me home. She even held a celebration dinner for me. Marcus was there too, as Seraphina’s fiancé. After years of not seeing me, he surprisingly grew greedy for me again. While I went to the backyard to sober up, he followed me, hugging me from behind: “Chloe, I still can’t forget you. Seraphina doesn’t even compare to you… Let’s get back together…” I was utterly disgusted. I struggled violently and slapped him across the face. The commotion drew everyone’s attention. Marcus immediately changed his demeanor, pointing at the slap mark on his face, feigning deep sorrow: “Ms. Sterling, Chloe tried to seduce me again, and when I refused, she hit me…” I trembled with rage, pointing at Marcus’s nose: “You’re lying! You tried to force yourself on me!” I then looked at Seraphina: “Control your trash!” Seraphina knew Marcus’s true colors, but she still chose to smear my name. Mom was utterly disappointed, and for the first time, she hit me: “Chloe, do you have to steal everything Seraphina likes?” “Get out! I never want to see you again! I don’t have a daughter like you!” In that moment, my heart turned to ash. I didn’t argue another word, turning and leaving. After severing ties, I lived a simple and ordinary life on my own. But fate didn’t easily let me off the hook. A routine physical exam revealed I had hereditary liver cancer. My dad had also died from liver cancer. To raise the exorbitant surgery fees, I worked several jobs after my main shift. I came to this luxury store today because I took a delivery order, to deliver a pre-ordered bag to a client’s loved one. But I never imagined I’d suffer this undeserved misfortune. My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. When I answered, an impatient male voice came through: “Why aren’t you here yet?” “I’ll be right there.” I hung up, and when I looked up, I met Seraphina’s excited gaze. “I knew it! You’ve lived a life of luxury for so long, there’s no way you could survive on your own! So you really did become a shameless mistress, huh?”
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