I had been secretly in love with Anderson for five years when he finally saved up enough money to propose ending our arrangement. “Let’s end this. I don’t want to live like this anymore. Besides, I’ve found someone I like.” His spine was ramrod straight, his eyes filled with determination as he looked at me. In my past life, I was stung by his coldness. In a fit of rage, I tore up his money. I trampled him underfoot and toyed with him even more recklessly. So much so that later, after lying low for years, the first thing he did after achieving success was to destroy my family’s business. He kept me captive in a basement, torturing me in every way imaginable. In the end, unable to bear it any longer, I fled in panic when he came to bring me food. I ran headlong into traffic and died right in front of him. So in this second life, I smoothly took his money. Lifting my chin, I said, “Have a good trip. I won’t see you out.” Anderson froze, his eyes full of wariness. As if to say, “What are you up to now?” I simply pulled out his suitcase. Almost urgently, I stuffed his clothes inside. A flash of embarrassment crossed his face as he snatched the coat from my hands. Coldly, he said, “I’ll do it myself.” I let go, crossing my arms and letting him handle it. Anderson had been a famous genius in New York since childhood. Handsome and from a well-off family, the girls who wrote him love letters could fill the busiest street in town. And I was one of the most unremarkable among them. Anderson had never paid me any attention. So when his family fell on hard times and he went from a wealthy young master to an impoverished student, I instinctively rushed to “lend a helping hand.” After all, no one could resist the chance to possess a star. “Babe, are you bored with him already?” My friend suddenly linked arms with me affectionately, excitement flashing in her eyes. “If you’re done playing, can you give him to me?” Instantly, the room fell deathly silent. Anderson’s body tensed, his handsome profile cold as a sculpture. I was silent for two seconds, then shrugged. “If he’s willing, sure.” This was what he had said to me in my past life. After keeping me locked up for nearly a year, he once whispered drunkenly while choking my neck: “Why won’t you speak? I’m bored with you anyway. How about I give you to someone else?” I trembled all over, kneeling and begging him through my tears. “Please, don’t give me to someone else. I’ll do whatever you say.” He was very satisfied then, pulling me into his arms with a low laugh. But a few days later one evening, a man broke in. His naked gaze fixed on me in my thin clothing. In the end, I resisted with all my might. I held on until Anderson burst in. That day, the man was dragged out covered in blood. But I hated Anderson desperately, slapping him repeatedly like a madwoman. He didn’t fight back, just silently scrubbed me until I was nearly raw. Only when I begged hoarsely for mercy did he let me go. Pulling my thoughts back, Anderson suddenly turned around, his ears and neck flushing red. As if both ashamed and hurt. Without finishing his packing, he grabbed his nearly empty suitcase and stormed out. In the night, a female voice spoke eagerly at the door. “Anderson, I’m here to pick you up.” Milia stood waiting at the door in a faded dress, her eyes bright. She was Anderson’s current neighbor, sometimes helping to look after Anderson’s mentally unstable mother. In my past life, after Anderson rose to power, she naturally became Mrs. Anderson. When I was running a food stall, she would constantly bring friends to harass me. In the moonlight, Anderson’s retreating figure was resolute. But as he got in the car, he suddenly paused, turning back with turbulent darkness in his eyes. “Linda, every second with you makes me utterly disgusted.” With that, he drove off without waiting for my response. I leaned against the doorframe, my indifferent face showing weary fatigue. The word “disgusted” – he had said it many times before. When we went out together. When he was forced to get a tattoo of my name. Even when we were in bed. No matter how closely our bodies pressed together, we were like two coiled snakes that never trusted each other.
After sending Anderson away, I returned to my carefree life. I attended classes as usual during the day, and in my free time played sports and drank coffee with friends. But one day after a shopping trip to Paris, I suddenly realized the birthday necklace my mom gave me was missing. After thinking hard, I guessed it most likely fell into Anderson’s suitcase that day. After much hesitation, I still made the trip to his place. Because the location was remote and narrow, I had to park my car at the entrance and walk into the alley. When Milia saw me, she immediately rushed over, blocking my way with a wary expression. “What are you doing here! You’re not welcome here, leave now!” She pushed me forcefully. As we struggled, an O-shaped chain with blue crystals at her neckline flashed by. That was my missing necklace. My mind buzzed as I reached out to grab it. Suddenly, Anderson’s mother ran out. Milia excitedly said to her: “This is the bad woman who bullies Anderson!” Anderson’s mother was already mentally unstable. Incited by her words, she immediately started hitting me frantically. “Bad woman, you’re the one who made Anderson stop talking! Made him cry! I’ll beat you to death!” She had tremendous strength. My face instantly turned red. But as I struggled to grab her hand, we both fell to the ground. “Mom!” Standing at the alley entrance, Anderson’s eyes widened as he ran over with long strides. Anderson’s mother instantly became like a wronged child, throwing herself into his arms. Milia cried, her expression frightened: “Linda came here for no reason to cause trouble for us, and even hit your mother.” The fall had caused my ankle to swell up badly, now throbbing like needles. But hearing her complete lies, I grabbed her collar and pulled out the necklace. Suppressing my anger, I said: “This is mine! You’re a thief, and I didn’t hit anyone!” Milia’s face flushed red as she bit her lip pitifully: “I found this. If you had just said so, I would have returned it. Why did you have to hit people?” “I didn’t hit—” “Enough!” Anderson coldly interrupted me, scooping up his mother. Looking down at me: “Linda, stop making excuses.” With that, as if even looking at me was disgusting, he turned and left. Milia smugly lifted her chin at me, following Anderson inside. A heavy door slam was like a slap across my face. I pretended not to care, but my eyes still burned. After sniffling, I slowly got up and shuffled out, supporting myself against the wall. The sky darkened. This area was a mixed bag, and passing men looked at me with ill intent. Finally, seeing I was helpless, a man reeking of alcohol approached me. “Hey beautiful chic, need some help?” His large hand reached toward my face. I backed away, my fingers trembling as I reached for my phone. But just as I was about to call the police, The man suddenly screamed and fell to the ground. I looked up sharply to see Anderson, who had just thrown a punch. Full of hostility, he approached me. I nervously swallowed. “What are you going to—ah!” Before I could finish, my body was lifted into the air. He silently carried me on his back, walking out quickly and steadily. My body stiffened, my eyes suddenly wet, my mind uncontrollably flashing to scenes from before. A year ago, after fighting with him, I fell and got injured while hiking in the mountains. I held tightly to Anderson’s back and gave in: “Please don’t leave me behind. I won’t fight with you anymore.” “There are bugs and mosquitoes and snakes here! I’m so scared…” Perhaps my submissive appearance was too funny. Laughter kept escaping from his throat, his body trembling slightly with it. He carried me on his back for an hour on that path. When we got down, he was soaked through. But he never put me down for a single second. Anderson walked very fast. When we got to the car, he roughly shoved me inside. His tone seemed angry yet lecturing. “Are you out of your mind? Wearing a dress and running to a place like this! Do you know what kind of people are here? I—” He rambled on for a while before realizing he’d said too much. Abruptly stopping, he irritably ran his hand through his hair. As he turned away, his eyes darkened: “Linda, don’t come here again.” “This isn’t a place for you.” The last sentence was both light and heavy, quickly merging with the night. I didn’t want to listen anymore, pathetically starting the car in a hurry, afraid that if I stayed any longer, I’d expose my reddened eyes. After returning, I came down with a high fever. Mom kept me at the family home, and I lay sick for three whole days.
By the fourth morning, I couldn’t take it anymore, so I made dinner plans with a friend. William drove over in a flashy sports car and took me to our usual restaurant. “Linda, you’re really not cool. Why is it so hard to get you out?” William pulled out my chair while teasing me. I rolled my eyes at him and leisurely ordered. “Pan-seared sole, French terrine…” As my words fell, a familiar voice responded. “Right away, please wait.” I froze, looking up to see Anderson’s cold face. As if he didn’t recognize me, he served dutifully and professionally. My fingers twitched involuntarily, vaguely recalling scenes from my past life when I fought with him because I couldn’t bear him working part-time. “I’m giving you money, why do you still need to work? Just focus on school, and spend the rest of your time with me!” But he just looked coldly at me losing it, then stubbornly said: “Linda, I’m not your pet canary.” I was hurt by his expression and spoke without thinking: “Haven’t you spent my money? Even the clothes on your back are what I bought you!” Without a word, Anderson started stripping off his clothes in the street. “I’ll give it all back to you. What else do you want? Tell me!” Scared, I threw myself at him, immediately compromising and soothing him. “Never mind, calm down.” In the three years we were together, although he seemed controlled by me on the surface, he was always the one with the upper hand emotionally. A snap of fingers suddenly sounded in front of my eyes. William’s handsome face, full of spirit, enlarged before me. His tone melancholic: “He’s already gone, what are you daydreaming about?” My face suddenly flushed as I pushed my hand against his face. William yelped and fell back with the force. “Babe, give up. Your parents will never approve.” Thinking of something, he leaned forward slightly, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness. “If you really want to get married, what do you think of me?” My movement of drinking paused, my eyes shifting slightly. As my gaze fell on William’s striking features, my heart suddenly pounded. Even though I’d seen this face for over twenty years, it was undeniably handsome. But… “Your order.” A cold, mechanical male voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts. Exposed to Anderson’s gaze, I awkwardly raised my glass to drink. William didn’t care, raising an eyebrow casually. Fortunately, Anderson left after serving the dishes. But William wasn’t going to let me off, continuing his earlier proposal. “Our families are well-matched in status, we have an emotional foundation, and as for looks, well, you’re getting the better deal…” I burst out laughing at his joke. The server bringing soup seemed startled and spilled it all over my hand. “Ah!” William’s expression changed instantly. He pushed that person away and checked my hand. Milia fell to the ground, her crying immediately drawing a crowd, including Anderson. My hand started blistering. The restaurant manager immediately took me to run it under cold water. William couldn’t swallow this insult, pointing at the still-crying Milia: “Not even an apology. Fire this server.” Anderson’s face turned iron-gray as he stood in front of her. Looking at me, he said word by word: “I’m sorry. I’ll apologize for her, is that enough?” His impatient tone made it seem like I was the instigator. William sneered, openly sizing him up for a few seconds. “Doesn’t she have a mouth?” The atmosphere became tense instantly. Though William usually joked around with me, he’d been pampered since childhood and couldn’t tolerate being challenged. I took a deep breath and blocked William. “Go buy some medicine for me. I can handle this myself.” He glanced at me, reluctantly pulling at the corner of his mouth, but still dutifully headed out. After William left, I calmly said to Milia: “You should apologize to me.” Milia’s eyes were very red, her voice weak: “I didn’t mean to, it’s because you laughed so loud—” I interrupted her: “Whether it was intentional or not, you burned me. You should apologize, shouldn’t you?” Milia cried again. The manager was also getting impatient. “If you don’t apologize, don’t bother coming in tomorrow!” Milia’s face went pale. She looked at me tremblingly, like a little white flower swaying in the wind. Anderson couldn’t watch anymore and grabbed my wrist. His voice low: “Enough, Linda!” “She’s from a poor family. She relies on this salary to make ends meet. Why are you being so aggressive?” So asking for an apology had become me being aggressive. Anderson was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. Lifting his eyelids to look at me. “It’s all because of me that you’re making trouble for Milia, isn’t it?” I shook my head: “You’re overthinking it.” Anderson suddenly stepped closer, his eyes shooting cold light. “Still denying it? Going to my house, coming to my workplace – don’t you know what you’re up to!” “You just want to force me back, don’t you? Linda, you—” “You’re really overthinking it.” I decisively cut him off. Dying miserably in the street in my past life was warning enough. I wasn’t shameless enough to insist on him. Seeing Anderson’s obvious disbelief, A flash of William’s proposal crossed my mind. So I looked at him calmly and said: “Anderson, you can rest assured, because I’m getting engaged.”
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