I am the top OB-GYN resident at St. Mary’s Hospital. My boyfriend’s mother was in pain, so I personally removed an IUD that had been tormenting her for thirty years. Their repayment? They broke into my condo, trashed the place, and caused a riot at the hospital. They claimed that after removing the device, I implanted a listening bug in her uterus. No matter how I tried to explain the medicine, she wouldn’t listen. She even started livestreaming her delusions to report me: [I’m reporting Chloe Carter! This psycho put a listening device inside me!] Facing their insanity and threats, I could only look at the sky in disbelief: What kind of doctor plants a bug in a patient’s uterus? The paranoia was off the charts. 1 When my boyfriend, Brad Sterling, burst into my apartment at 1 AM dragging his mother, Brenda, behind him, I was completely disoriented. I was yanked out of bed and onto the floor before Brad’s foot connected with my ribs. “Chloe! Are you trying to kill my mother?!” The sharp pain in my abdomen woke me up instantly. Woken up in the dead of night and assaulted for no reason—even with my usually calm temperament, I was furious. “Brad! What the hell is wrong with you?” Brad shoved his mother toward me, his finger jabbing aggressively almost into my eye. “You have the nerve to ask what’s wrong?” “I trusted you enough to bring my mom to you, and this is how you treat her?” “You know exactly what you put inside her uterus!” I froze, unable to believe my ears. Put what inside her uterus? “What are you talking about? There has to be a misunderstanding…” Despite my anger, patient health came first. I immediately tapped into my professional training, reviewing the procedure in my mind. Just a month ago, Brad brought Brenda to the hospital to see me. I removed a very old, embedded IUD from Brenda’s uterus and sent them home. That was it. I never imagined Brad would suspect I planted a foreign object inside his own mother. Relying on my professional ethics, I tried to patiently explain. “I only removed the IUD, Mrs. Sterling. There were no additional procedures…” The next second, my face stung. Brenda slapped me hard. “Still lying? Don’t think I don’t know your game!” “You just want to listen in on our secrets so you can control my son’s life!” “Let me tell you, you sick freak, keep dreaming!” “As long as I’m alive, you’ll never succeed!” I was completely stunned by the slap. I had never been hit in my adult life, let alone by my boyfriend’s mother. Seeing my shock, Brenda sneered. “Still playing dumb? Let’s see how long you can keep this act up!” She began tearing through my apartment, smashing things while screaming maniacally, “Let’s see you eavesdrop on this… let’s see if you dare!” I snapped out of it and yelled for them to stop, but Brad grabbed me, pinning my arms. I was forced to watch helplessly as Brenda destroyed the home I had carefully curated. Expensive ceramics, framed photos, electronics… Brenda smashed everything in sight. When I saw her heading toward the curio cabinet in the center of the living room, I couldn’t contain my rage any longer. “Don’t you dare touch that!” I bit down hard on Brad’s arm holding me. I tasted blood, and Brad yelled in pain, flinging me onto the floor. My back slammed into the corner of a table, sending blinding pain through my body. Ignoring the pain, I scrambled up and rushed toward the cabinet. Inside that cabinet was everything left of my late parents. 2 Seeing my desperation, Brenda’s expression turned vicious. “So worried? I guess this cabinet is important to you, huh?” As she spoke, she opened the glass door and grabbed a trophy, winding up to throw it. “No! Stop!” That trophy was from my parents’ first national medical competition win. It was the witness to the start of their love story. They cherished it their entire lives. I sucked in a cold breath, forcing myself to calm down. “Brenda, please. We can talk about this like adults…” “Talk? Did you think about talking when you planted a bug in me?” Brenda showed no intention of resolving anything. Her face was dark and cruel. “Unless… you get down on your knees and beg. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens.” Before I could react, she loosened her grip on the trophy. “Don’t!” I lunged forward, fighting the pain in my back, but the glass award hit the hardwood floor, shattering into pieces. I watched as Brenda casually picked up a framed photo, looking at me threateningly. Brad just stood there, watching his mother humiliate me. “Chloe, this really is your fault. It’s normal for Mom to be upset…” “Baby, just get on your knees and apologize to Mom, take the device out, and we can put this behind us…” I almost laughed out loud at Brad’s shamelessness. “Why should I apologize for something I didn’t do!” The next second, my head snapped to the side from another slap. Brad’s face twisted into a snarl. “Didn’t you hear me tell you to kneel!” Brenda threw the framed photo at me. The sharp corner of the frame sliced my forehead, and blood immediately started trickling down my face. I couldn’t worry about the wound. Seeing my parents’ legacy about to be destroyed, and after a fierce internal struggle, I closed my eyes and dropped heavily to my knees. “Brenda, I’m sorry.” “It’s all my fault. I’m begging you, please stop smashing things…” “But I really didn’t do those things… I really didn’t!” I swallowed the humiliation, thinking this would satisfy them enough to spare my parents’ belongings. I underestimated Brenda. Seeing me on my knees gave her a look of pure sadistic pleasure. Then, she grabbed a heavy vase nearby and hurled it at the cabinet. The glass doors shattered, and my parents’ awards crashed onto the floor. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “No!” “You said if I begged, you’d leave their things alone!” Brad and Brenda looked down at me with smug satisfaction. “I said I wanted you to kneel and apologize…” Brenda sneered. “But I never said I’d spare your parents’ junk.” Watching her venomous smile, a sharp pain pierced my heart, and tears burst forth. “You… you monster!” “Me? Look at yourself. This is the price for plotting against us!” I ignored their gloating. Without a word, I crouched down. Piece by piece, I solemnly picked up the fragments from the floor. The sharp glass sliced my palms, turning them bloody. I didn’t feel it. Tears mixed with blood, making the cuts sting even more. But I clutched the shards tightly, almost masochistically. As if by holding them tight enough, the items could be restored, and my parents wouldn’t be gone. Ignoring the psychotic mother and son, I gathered everything together and held it reverently in my arms. When I looked up again, my eyes were ice cold. I called 911. 3 Brad, watching coldly from the side, noticed my action immediately. He snatched the phone from my hand and ended the call. “Trying to call the cops? In your dreams!” With a ferocious look, he shoved me back onto the floor. The glass shards embedded deeper into my palms, adding injury to injury. Brad loomed over me. “If you don’t take that thing out today, don’t blame me for forgetting our three years together!” “Hey! Chloe, are you listening to me!” Brad tried to grab me again, but I dodged his outstretched hand, looking at him with utter indifference. “I told you, I didn’t put anything inside your mother. If you don’t believe me, go to a hospital and get a scan. Stop acting crazy in my home.” Even a saint has limits, and I am a living, breathing human being. They had insulted my character, my professional ethics, and destroyed my parents’ memorial. No matter how good my temper was, I was done enduring it. I kicked them out on the spot. “Now, get the hell out of my house!” Brad wanted to keep yelling, but Brenda, a flicker of calculation in her eyes, stopped him. “Son, forget it. I don’t want to affect your relationship because of me…” “Chloe probably put that thing in me because she loves you too much… surely not because she suspected you’d cheat…” “Sigh, I’m old and useless. It doesn’t matter if my body gets violated…” Hearing Brenda’s passive-aggressive incendiary remarks, Brad exploded exactly as planned. “Suspecting me of cheating? Does she have no trust in me at all? We’re done!” “And Mom! Why are you still defending her?” I was too tired to watch their bizarre mother-son performance. I walked to the door and threw it open. “Say whatever you have to say outside. Don’t loiter in my home.” Brad choked on my words, threw out one last threat, and stormed off angrily. I ignored him, focusing entirely on salvaging my parents’ belongings. I knew my relationship with Brad was over. Based solely on his mother’s delusion, he pinned a non-existent crime on me and even destroyed my mother’s legacy. I decided the next time I saw Brad, I would officially break up with him. I just didn’t expect the next time would be so soon. They weren’t done yet. They came to my hospital to cause a scene. 4 I was consulting with a patient when Brad and Brenda aggressively barged into my exam room. Brenda was holding a handmade banner, sitting on the floor throwing a tantrum. The banner was full of slander against me. They ignored everything else, grabbing random patients and shouting. “Everyone, stay away from this quack! She’s a fraud!” “My mom came to her to have an IUD removed, and she turned around and put a listening device in her uterus!” “You dare let her treat you? Do you have a death wish?!” My blood pressure skyrocketed at their antics. Patients and their families inside and outside the clinic looked at them with “Are you insane?” expressions. After all, nobody believes you can just “put a listening device in a uterus.” But Brad and Brenda were committed to the bit. They ripped the network cable out of my computer, deleting all the diagnosis and treatment notes I had just typed. Then, they grabbed a heavy pen holder from the desk and threw it hard at me. It struck my ribs with a dull thud. Flushed with anger at her baseless, blatant lies, ignoring the pain in my side, I stood up abruptly. “What listening device?!” “Brad, haven’t you made enough of a scene? Stop spitting blood!” Hearing this, Brenda escalated, grabbing a nearby person and crying. “Oh my god, the doctor is angry and wants to hit me!” “I was fine before I came here, but ever since her treatment, there are noises inside me every day. She definitely planted a bug!” “My son said she was the best doctor, but she put a bug in my uterus! She must suspect my son is going to cheat on her!” The next second, Brad opened a large thermos he was carrying and splashed red paint all over me. My white coat was instantly ruined, my eyes plastered shut and stinging. The scene was chaos. Brenda tried to rush up and hit me again. Before I could dodge, Brenda was suddenly shoved and stumbled. It was my long-time patient. She didn’t believe a word of Brenda’s story and, seeing me humiliated, stood up for me. She looked at Brad and Brenda with disgust. “A listening device in a uterus? Can’t you at least draft a believable lie?” “Leaving aside if it’s even medically possible, what use would it be to Dr. Carter?” She grabbed my paint-splattered hand and comforted me softly. “Don’t be scared, Dr. Carter!” “I’ve seen plenty of people like them! I’ll call security right now…” Seeing everyone pointing fingers at them and no one taking their side, Brad and Brenda left in a huff. I let out a breath of relief and went to change my clothes amidst looks of sympathy. But the moment I stepped out, the Hospital Chief of Staff, Dr. Albright, appeared at the door. She looked self-righteous, staring at me. “Dr. Carter, two patients have filed complaints that you placed a listening device in one of them…” “Dr. Albright, I didn’t. You know me…” She cut off my explanation. “Enough! Patients are rioting. Can you reflect on yourself for a moment? Why are they targeting you and no one else?!” “I don’t have time to waste here. Come to my office immediately!” With no other choice, I followed the Chief to her office. 5 As soon as we entered, Brenda lunged at me, punching and kicking. My glasses were knocked off my face. While dodging her blows, I bent down to pick them up. A polished leather shoe stepped firmly onto my frames. Brad crushed my glasses beneath his foot. He looked down at me arrogantly, demanding I kneel and apologize to Brenda. “Chloe, I’m trying to keep the peace because of our three years together, but you’re being ungrateful…” “I advise you, while I still have patience, hurry up and kneel to apologize to my mom. Don’t refuse the face I’m giving you!” Dr. Albright also turned on me, threatening to fire me for lacking medical ethics. “Mr. Sterling, rest assured, I have already cancelled Chloe’s nomination for the Harper Fellowship. If she doesn’t handle this well, I will remove her as Chief Resident!” “Dr. Albright! You can’t!” The Chief, usually cordial, suddenly revealed her snobbish side, glaring at me with contempt and humiliation. “I always knew Dr. Carter was manipulative. Who knows if she even got the Chief Resident position legitimately!” “Otherwise, how could a woman become Chief so young?” My eyes turned red with rage at her shameless words. More than a decade of grueling medical training was wiped away in a sentence, reducing me to an opportunistic schemer? Looking at the people in front of me, they all felt like strangers. “Brad, can you please just get your mother a scan before you keep causing trouble?” He looked dead certain, then looked at me with disappointment. “We already got checked. We didn’t bring out the results because we didn’t want to cement your guilt, but you’re ungrateful…” “Since that’s the case, don’t blame us!” With that, Brad started a livestream on his phone. Behind him, Brenda’s face stiffened slightly; clearly, she hadn’t expected Brad to blow this up online. As a minor internet influencer, people flooded into Brad’s stream immediately. [I’m 실명 reporting Chloe Carter, this psycho! She put a listening device in my mom’s uterus!] [An OB-GYN planted a bug inside a patient and won’t admit it!] [Even if she’s my girlfriend, I can’t watch her keep doing wrong!] The chat was instantly enraged, raining curses down on me. [WTF? Planting a bug in a living person’s uterus? This doctor is insane!] [Support for you, bro. Feel bad for your mom. Call the cops and lock her up!] Seeing so much support, Brad gave me another arrogant, charitable look at the camera. “Chloe, I’m livestreaming now. It’s not too late to take out the device and apologize…” “I know since I’m so amazing, being with me makes you anxious, but you can’t harm my mom like this…” I just looked calmly at him and the rigid-faced Brenda, gesturing for him to produce the examination report. Our hospital’s reports have unique coding; it’s impossible to fake one out of thin air. The next second, I was stunned. Brad pulled out a redacted examination report and showed it to the camera. “This is my mom’s report. Viewers, please help get justice for me and my mom!” The report in Brad’s hand indicated: Foreign object present in the uterus. “How is that possible!” 6 I looked up in disbelief. But when I caught Brenda’s expression—a mix of guilt and smugness—I realized she must have tampered with something. In an instant, the online abuse, the real-life spitting, and the verbal attacks felt like a mountain crushing me. [Quack! I can’t believe I booked an expert appointment with her! She’s black-hearted!] [She actually planted a foreign object… who would dare see her now!] Dr. Albright looked utterly disappointed and fired me on the spot. “Dr. Carter, this hospital doesn’t need a doctor with no ethics like you!” “You can get out now.” “Not only that, I will ensure you are blacklisted from the entire industry, to do right by the patients!” Brenda gloated from the side, sneering maliciously. “Wouldn’t it have been better to just kneel and beg earlier? Now look at you, you have nothing.” Brad also lamented to the livestream with feigned heartbreak: “I never expected my girlfriend to be this kind of person…” “I harmed my own mother…” I clutched the report tightly, trying to find any inconsistency. Dr. Albright called hospital security to throw me out immediately. My former colleagues looked on with unbearable pity as they pulled me toward the exit. Was my reputation really going to be destroyed today? Even though I did nothing wrong… Just as I felt total despair, the ultrasound image attached to the report started looking familiar. Suddenly, a lightbulb went on. I struggled violently free from the guards, rushed in front of Dr. Albright, and shouted: “This report is fake! It’s fake!” Everyone looked skeptical, thinking I was just a desperate dog barking at a wall. I pointed directly at Brenda’s lie: “This report isn’t hers!” “This belongs to another patient of mine from a month ago!” I remembered it clearly because patients with legitimate uterine foreign objects were rare, so the case stuck in my memory. I never imagined Brenda would steal someone else’s report to frame me! The crowd burst into an uproar. Ignoring everyone, I made a snap decision and dragged Brenda back into the examination room. This time, the new scan showed: [Cystic echo. Absolutely no foreign objects like a listening device.] Seeing this result, Brad looked at Brenda in shock. “Mom, didn’t you say that report just now was yours? You swore the doctor said there was a bug inside you…” “Now the result is different, how do I explain this to my fans!?” Facing her son’s questioning, a flash of guilt and panic crossed Brenda’s eyes, quickly replaced by malice. She sat down on the floor and started wailing loud enough to wake the dead. “Oh my god! The hospital is definitely faking it! The hospital is faking reports to protect their doctor!” “Causing my son to doubt me… you black-hearted hospital, you’re trying to kill me!” She threw a tantrum regardless of the setting, attracting patients from the hallway, many of whom started filming us with their phones.

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My sister-in-law and I got pregnant around the same time. While her pregnancy was perfectly normal, I was diagnosed with severe malnutrition due to extreme morning sickness. I asked my mom to come stay with me and help out for just one month. She refused repeatedly, even having the nerve to lecture me: “Do you have any common sense? Why would I abandon the grandchild who is going to carry our family’s last name, just to take care of a kid who won’t? People would laugh at me.” Later, when I no longer needed her and used my own money to hire a professional maternity nurse, she threw a massive fit. 1. By my eighth week of pregnancy, my morning sickness was so severe that I dropped ten pounds in a single week. Remembering that my mom had taken care of pregnant relatives before, including some with similar symptoms, I called her, hoping she could stay with me for a month. But when I explained what I needed, she sounded put out. “I don’t have the time! Brittany is pregnant too, I can’t just leave her.” Brittany was my younger brother’s wife. She was currently four months along. Ever since Brittany got pregnant, my mom went to her house every single day to cook organic bone broths, make pregnancy smoothies, and wait on her hand and foot. Brittany was in great shape. She had almost no negative symptoms, her ultrasounds were perfect, and she was still going to the office every day. “Well, could you just come during the day then? You don’t have to stay long, even just around lunchtime would help.” We all lived in the same city, just a fifteen-minute drive apart. “I told you, I don’t have time. I have to go to Brittany’s house to deep clean during the day,” she said, her tone laced with impatience. I looked at my pale, haggard reflection in the mirror and felt a surge of grievance. “Mom, I’m your daughter too. Why can’t you care about me the way you care about Brittany?” Silence hung on the other end of the line. Then, I heard her take a deep breath. When she spoke, her voice was sharp and entirely foreign: “Can you stop being such a brat? Do I have to spell it out for you? Brittany is carrying a Miller. She’s having the baby that will carry on our family name! Your kid is going to be a Davis. Why would I abandon my true legacy to take care of someone else’s? People in our circle would think I’m crazy.” When I didn’t say anything, she added, “Go call your mother-in-law. It’s her job to take care of you anyway. That’s how it works.” If her first words made my heart run cold, her last sentence plunged me into an icy abyss. My grip on my phone tightened. I let out a dark, mocking laugh. “Mom… Ethan is from a blended family. His mother passed away when he was young. Did you… forget?” Of course she forgot. Why would she remember? Back when she was rushing to marry me off, constantly setting me up on blind dates, she only cared that Ethan had a “clean background and a lucrative career in tech.” All she cared about was the massive wedding check she knew his family would write—money she could guilt me into handing over. As for anything else about him, she didn’t care enough to remember. Sure enough, the atmosphere turned awkward, but my mom quickly recovered. “Well, then use your own money to hire a nanny! You and Ethan make six figures, you can easily afford it.” With that, she hung up. I closed my eyes, the room spinning around me. 2. That night, after another violent bout of nausea, I lay awake in bed. Scrolling through Facebook, I saw a post my sister-in-law had made earlier that evening. It was a photo collage of a beautifully set dining table. Roasted chicken, organic salmon, creamy mashed potatoes… all my mom’s signature dishes. The center photo was a selfie of Brittany, my mom, and my brother Kevin. Their heads were pressed together, beaming brightly. Her caption read: [Pregnancy cravings have been tough, but my amazing mother-in-law cooked up a storm for me! So incredibly blessed to have the best MIL in the world!] I stared at the group photo, my stomach churning again. That radiant smile on my mom’s face in the picture… it was a smile she rarely ever showed me. Suddenly, a notification popped down from the top of my screen. Brittany had tagged me in our family group chat: “Hey Sarah, Mom said your morning sickness is acting up? Don’t stress too much! I DM’d you a YouTube video from a top OBGYN, you should watch it. Let’s try not to make Mom run back and forth between us, she’s exhausted enough taking care of me. Just try to be understanding, okay?” Between the lines, her smugness was palpable. I clicked the video she sent. It was just some generic doctor listing basic pregnancy advice. I closed it after five seconds. My brother Kevin chimed in: “Yeah sis, you’ve always been tough, stop whining. Brittany is further along than you, she needs the help more.” When I didn’t reply, my mom sent a message: “Oh, your sister has always been the sensible one. She knows how to look out for her brother’s family.” Sensible… That word was like a needle, piercing the deepest, most vulnerable part of my heart. 3. Kevin and I are three years apart. When I was five, our parents divorced. My dad wanted custody of Kevin, but my mom fought tooth and nail for both of us, just to spite him. She even changed both our last names to her maiden name, Miller. I remember her telling me back then: “It’s just us now. You’re the older sister, so you need to be sensible and help Mommy take care of your little brother.” The winter I was eight, Kevin ran a high fever. My mom carried him on her back through the snow for two miles to get to the ER, staying awake the entire night to watch over him. A few days later, I caught the same fever. She just tossed me a Tylenol and told me to go to sleep. When she saw the hurt in my eyes, she hugged me and sighed, “Your brother is just so difficult. If only he could be as good and quiet as you, Mommy would be so happy.” Hearing that always made me feel like I was winning a prize. When I was seventeen, a girl in my class had to drop out because her parents wouldn’t pay for her college. I cried and asked my mom if that would happen to me. She patted my head and said, “Silly girl. As long as you have the grades, Mommy will always find a way to pay for your school.” That moment of warmth melted away all the years of unfairness. I truly believed my mom loved me. But a few years later, that belief was shattered. I had come home for winter break. The front door was slightly ajar. Just as I was about to push it open, I heard my mom talking on the phone inside: “You don’t get it. The more degrees a girl has, the richer the guy she can land. Plus, if she becomes successful, it’ll take the financial pressure off my precious Kevin in the future.” Letting me get an education wasn’t out of love; it was an investment in my “market value.” The ultimate beneficiary was always going to be my brother. Years later, I started my own interior design firm, and my career took off. Whenever she had the chance, my mom would remind me of how she put me through school. She’d talk about working two jobs and avoiding the doctor when she was sick just to pay my tuition. I knew she wanted gratitude. She wanted a return on her investment. So, when she asked me to cover Kevin’s college tuition, I agreed. When she pressured me to take the generous wedding check my in-laws gave me and use it as a down payment for Kevin’s house, I agreed. When she told me to cover Kevin’s monthly mortgage payments, I agreed. Because I couldn’t deny that she had played a part in my success today. But today… her words on the phone, and the little performance they were putting on in the group chat… The crumbling wall around my heart finally collapsed entirely. Suddenly, everything I had done for them felt so incredibly pointless. With ice-cold fingers, I slowly typed my reply: “No need to come over, Mom. I’ve already hired a private maternity nurse.” The group chat went dead silent for a moment. Then, my mom sent a thumbs-up emoji. Brittany followed up with: “That’s the spirit! Family is all about mutual understanding.” 4. I didn’t bother replying. Just as I exited the app, Ethan called. Ethan was out of state on a consulting trip this week. A few days ago, when I started feeling sick, he suggested hiring a live-in nurse. But I had thought of my mom’s experience and, not wanting a stranger in the house, I suggested having my mom come over instead. Before he left, Ethan had even cleaned out the guest room and left a debit card with $15,000 on it, meant as a generous allowance for my mom and me for the month. I thought it was too much and tried to give it back, knowing I had my own savings. But he insisted, saying it was his way of compensating for not being able to take care of me himself. If my mom had known about that card, she probably wouldn’t have rejected me so quickly. On the phone, Ethan first checked on how I was feeling, then asked if my mom had arrived. I gave him a brief rundown of what happened. Perhaps hearing the exhaustion in my voice, he tried to comfort me. “Brittany is pregnant too, so maybe Mom just really can’t handle both. It’s understandable.” I let out a dry laugh. “No, it’s not the same. Even if Brittany wasn’t pregnant, she still wouldn’t have come.” Ethan went silent for a few seconds before saying softly, “I’ll try to wrap this project up early. Once it’s done, I’m going to ask for a transfer to a non-travel team.” I smiled. “It’s fine. I’ve decided to hire a full-time professional.” “That’s a great idea. Pick someone you feel comfortable with. A colleague of mine actually recommended a high-end agency recently, they’re supposed to be top-tier. I’ll text you their info.” Soon enough, a contact card popped up on my screen. I added the agent. After a brief chat, they sent over their pricing tiers. Their caregivers were rated by stars. I immediately looked at the five-star column. Because I needed full-time, live-in care specialized for high-risk pregnancies, the price was steep. Ethan asked how much it would be. “About four thousand a month.” “Okay, just use the card I left on the counter.” “No,” I replied firmly. “That card is going to be our baby fund from now on. I’m officially done paying Kevin’s mortgage, and I’m cutting my mom’s monthly allowance in half. The money I save from that will easily cover the nurse.” Ethan paused. “But Kevin’s job barely pays three grand a month, and his mortgage is two thousand. If you cut them off, they’re definitely going to come after you.” “Not my problem. I never had any legal or moral obligation to pay for his house in the first place.” Ethan chuckled softly. “Hearing you make this decision actually makes me really happy. Don’t be afraid, Sarah. I will always have your back.” Warmth flooded my chest. Ethan came from a similar background. After his mother passed away, his father quickly remarried and had a new son. The existence of his half-brother turned Ethan into an outcast in his own home. After a few explosive arguments, he simply stopped going back. Maybe it was our shared trauma, or just how perfectly our values aligned, but we fell for each other hard. We got married just a year after meeting. At first, I worried we were rushing, but our life together only got sweeter. He respected my choices and gently helped me untangle the knots my mother had tied in my head. He was right. He was my absolute rock. 5. Once Maria, the maternity nurse, moved in, my life finally had order. Maria was in her early fifties, efficient, and an incredible cook. Every day, she whipped up different nutrient-dense meals tailored to my cravings. She went on walks with me, kept me company, and told me hilarious stories to keep my spirits up. Under her care, my morning sickness faded, and the color returned to my cheeks. During our nightly video calls, Ethan always remarked on how much better I looked. One afternoon, just as Maria brought me a bowl of fresh fruit, my phone rang. It was my brother. “What the hell is going on? I just got an alert that my auto-pay bounced for insufficient funds. Did you forget to transfer the mortgage money?” he demanded, his voice dripping with annoyance. I put down my fork and wiped my mouth. “Oh, forgot to tell you. You’re paying your own mortgage from now on. Mom told me to hire my own help, so I need to keep that money for my nurse.” He froze for a second, then exploded. “Are you fucking kidding me? Those are two completely different things! If you don’t give me the money, how am I supposed to pay?” I walked over to the window, looking out at the clear blue sky. “The house is in your name. The loan is your problem. It has nothing to do with me.” Furious, he yelled, “Sarah, listen to me, don’t push your luck! You’re my older sister, it’s your job to help me with this! You are sending me that money today, or I’m coming over to your house to get it!” I laughed lightly. “You can certainly try. Good luck getting past the security gate at my complex.” I heard the sound of something smashing on the other end, followed by a string of vile, furious curses. I didn’t bother listening. I just hung up. A few minutes later, my mom called. After I declined it three times in a row, she stopped trying. I thought she might show up at my door to scream at me, but instead, a few minutes later, she posted a message in the massive extended family group chat. “Sarah, your sister-in-law is further along in her pregnancy, so I really couldn’t come help you. If you’re mad at me, take it out on me. Please don’t punish your poor brother.” As soon as she dropped that ambiguous, victim-playing message, the relatives swarmed. Uncle Bob: “Linda, what happened?” My Mom: “Sigh… Sarah is throwing a tantrum because I couldn’t be her nurse. She stopped the auto-pay for Kevin’s house. His mortgage is due tomorrow and the poor boy is panicking.” To them, my mom was a tragic, saintly single mother who had raised two kids on her own. Naturally, they all immediately pointed their guns at me. Uncle Bob: “Sarah, I’m going to be straight with you. You’re a married woman now, you shouldn’t be bothering your mother. Your mom’s priority has to be Kevin’s family. Kevin’s kid is a Miller. Why are you acting so spoiled?” Aunt Karen (Bob’s wife): “Exactly! You don’t abandon your own blood to go help a daughter who married out of the family. Your mom did nothing wrong. Stop holding a grudge.” Uncle Bob: “Your mother paid for your college, she fed and clothed you. She’s done more than enough. You wouldn’t have your fancy business without her. Learn some gratitude! Kevin is just starting his life, his job is stressful. If you don’t help him, who will? Stop being so incredibly selfish.” Aunt Karen: “Linda, you spoiled that girl. Now you see what happens. You raised an ingrate.” Looking at this barrage of unhinged entitlement, the familiar nausea twisted in my stomach. I was just aggressively typing out a rebuttal when a breath of fresh air appeared in the chat. It was my cousin, Jessica.

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I cheated on my first sugar daddy, Carter Sterling, and accidentally got pregnant with my second sugar daddy’s child. Just as I was stressing over how to handle the fallout, I discovered Carter had been harboring a secret, forbidden obsession with his own stepsister. Without missing a beat, I decided to play matchmaker and find him a stand-in. I finally tracked down a gorgeous college girl who looked about 70% like Carter’s stepsister. She signed a rock-solid contract with me: as long as she successfully took my place in his bed, she’d split her monthly allowance with me 50/50. Right on cue, Carter fell for her and kicked my “high-maintenance” self to the curb. Looking at the cold, hard numbers multiplying in my bank account every month, I couldn’t help but laugh. If I can’t have a man’s heart, I’ll sure as hell take his money! By the third time I called Carter back from work for some completely trivial, made-up reason, he finally lost his temper. “Serena! Can you stop being such a drama queen?” he snapped, loosening his designer tie. “Do you literally have nothing else to do all day? How are you this bored?” I covered my face, feigning heartbreak. “Carter, you’ve changed. You never used to be like this.” It was true. Back in the day, no matter what ridiculous whim I had, Carter would patiently indulge me. He truly raised me like a spoiled, delicate canary in a gilded cage. Carter looked entirely fed up. “Serena, I’m warning you, dial it back. Don’t push your luck. Remember your place and don’t take a mile when I give you an inch.” He was genuinely angry. Normally, this would be my cue to back down, stroke his ego, and coax him out of his bad mood. But today, I was aiming for a breakup. “Carter Sterling! You don’t love me anymore! I want to break up!” Carter’s tone turned explosive. “Fine! We’re done!” He pointed a harsh finger at me. “Serena, did you seriously think we were in a real relationship? You’re just a plaything. Stop flattering yourself.” His words were incredibly harsh, and because I’ve always been overly emotional, actual tears started rolling down my cheeks. “Pack your bags tomorrow and get out,” he ordered coldly. I choked back a sob. “What about my severance package?” I subconsciously covered my flat stomach. Raising a kid in this economy is expensive. I needed to fleece this billionaire for every penny I could get before I left. Surely Carter wouldn’t be stingy now, right? But he had become stingy. He tossed a premium black card onto the table. “There’s five million in there. Take the money and get the hell out.” Only five million? It used to be at least eight. The moment Carter left, I went into hyper-drive. I packed my bags and immediately called liquidators to sell off all the expensive furniture in the mansion. If it was a gift from Carter—right down to the absurdly expensive memory-foam mattress—I took it or sold it. My bank account ballooned instantly. Just then, my phone rang. It was Daisy. “Hey, did you and Mr. Sterling break up yet?” “Done and done. Just happened.” Daisy let out a massive sigh of relief, her tone light and bouncy. “Don’t worry about a thing! From now on, even if Carter only gives me a single dollar, I’ll make sure fifty cents goes straight to you.” “Good girl,” I replied, feeling like a proud manager. “Remember, memorize all of Carter’s likes and dislikes. More importantly, study his stepsister’s personal style and nail that aesthetic.” “I absolutely will.” Daisy was a hustler. As long as she could live a life of luxury, she was willing to do whatever it took. After hanging up, I single-handedly cleared out the entire walk-in closet until my lower back felt like it was going to snap. Daisy was the new “canary” I had personally scouted for Carter. A month ago, I found out I was pregnant, and the baby definitely wasn’t Carter’s. Around the same time, I accidentally discovered that the person Carter was truly obsessed with was his stepsister, with whom he supposedly had a terrible relationship. His love for her was deeply repressed and intensely hidden. To protect the baby in my belly, I took a massive gamble and personally found Carter a replacement. I scoured the city until I found Daisy, a girl who bore a striking resemblance to his stepsister. Exactly as planned, Carter took an immediate interest in Daisy, and I finally had my out. My belongings filled four massive moving trucks. Looking at all my hard-earned assets, I was so excited I was wiping away tears of joy. The estate butler approached me, looking conflicted. “Miss Serena, why don’t you just apologize to Mr. Sterling? Deep down, he still cares for you.” No thank you. Carter had been cheap with me lately. Even if I pinned my pregnancy on him, the payout wouldn’t be anything astronomical. And even if I didn’t plant Daisy in his life, he would have inevitably grown tired of me anyway. It was better to control the variables myself—plus, this way, I earned a double income. The butler sighed heavily. A second later, his eyes widened. Carter had just walked through the front door, with Daisy clinging to his arm like a shy little bird. Daisy looked at me with feigned unfamiliarity. The butler cleared his throat awkwardly. “Sir, Miss Serena is moving out.” Carter’s tone was icy. “Serena, once we break up, there’s no turning back. Don’t be so stubborn.” Daisy tensed up beside him, terrified that I might actually back out of the deal. I forced my eyes to turn red. “Carter, you moved on a long time ago, didn’t you? Is this woman your new toy?” Carter let out a cynical chuckle. “You were never irreplaceable.” He turned to the staff. “Butler, from this moment on, Daisy lives here. No one is to mention Serena’s name again.” I clenched my fists and covered my face, purely because it was the only way to hide my massive grin. Yes! Finally! Acting utterly devastated, I climbed into the passenger seat of the moving truck, keeping my face buried in my hands. Down below, Carter watched the truck with a complex expression, a fleeting flash of heartache in his eyes. I had never ridden in such a cheap vehicle before. For the past year, I had been chauffeured in luxury SUVs, my feet barely ever touching the pavement. Carter stepped up to the window. “A fired arrow doesn’t turn back. Take care of yourself.” I nodded enthusiastically, silently praying we would never cross paths again. He slipped another bank card through the window. “This is the last time I’m giving you money. Look after yourself.” I genuinely didn’t expect a parting bonus. I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt—just yesterday I was complaining about the five million, so I spitefully sold all his furniture. The mansion behind him was currently an empty shell. The butler probably thought I did it out of petty heartbreak to spite Carter, assuming I didn’t actually need the cash. As the truck driver pulled away, I let out a massive breath of relief. Before I even arrived at my new penthouse, I received a wire transfer notification from Daisy. $500,000. [Message from Daisy: Girl, how did you make Mr. Sterling love you so much? My monthly shopping allowance is a million dollars! I’ve never seen this much money in my entire life. I want to be this rich forever!] I replied with strict managerial advice. [Message to Daisy: Play your part. Do a good job imitating his sister, but NEVER let him realize you are intentionally copying her, or he will flip out.] Daisy was wonderfully obedient. She saved the message and treated it like gospel. Once I got home, I popped a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne and watched the movers organize my treasures. The next morning, I woke up wrapped in Harrison Vance’s arms. Before I was even fully conscious, my face was buried comfortably against his firm chest. “Baby, you finally moved in,” Harrison murmured, kissing the top of my head. “I know, honey. I was just so busy before, but now I get to be with you every single day.” I tilted my head up and kissed his cheek. Harrison was my second sugar daddy, and the biological father of the child currently growing in my womb. A while back, maybe due to the economy, Carter had started cutting back on his lavish spending. Terrified of being left penniless if he dumped me, I decided to establish a backup plan. That’s when I met Harrison. Harrison made us breakfast. While I ate, I checked my phone and collected my daily dividends. Carter was already spoiling Daisy. And Daisy was honest to a fault—the second the funds hit her account, she didn’t rush out to buy designer bags; she wired me my 50% cut. “Baby, who are you texting?” Harrison asked, leaning over. “Just a friend,” I brushed it off casually. Harrison reached out and pinched my cheek playfully. “You seem to have put on a little weight lately. You look cute and soft.” “What’s wrong with a little weight? You always used to tell me I was too skinny.” I hadn’t told Harrison about the pregnancy yet. I was terrified he might drag me to a clinic to take care of “the problem.” I wasn’t about to gamble on the conscience of a billionaire. I planned to wait until I was further along, when the dust had settled, to drop the baby bomb. With this kid, my financial security for the rest of my life was guaranteed. Harrison kissed my nose. “I love you no matter what you look like.” After breakfast, Harrison headed to his corporate office. Barely a minute later, Daisy called me, her voice buzzing with excitement. “Girl! Last night I slept with Carter, and right in my ear, he moaned his stepsister’s name!” “Thank God I pretended to pass out from pleasure, otherwise I wouldn’t have known how to react.” I chuckled. “Next time, just pretend you didn’t hear him, or innocently ask who that is.” Carter would just make up some excuse anyway. He and his stepsister could never actually be together—society, ethics, and their family name strictly forbade it. “Rich people are so messed up,” Daisy gossiped happily. “By the way, he was super pissed when he walked into the empty mansion yesterday. He cursed you out a few times.” “What did he say?” I perked up. How rude of him. Couldn’t we just have an amicable split? Daisy recited his insults verbatim. “He called you a high-maintenance, gold-digging nightmare who was nothing but trouble.” Hearing that, I actually relaxed. That wasn’t really an insult; that was just an accurate description of my brand. When Carter and I first met, he loved my brainless, incredibly straightforward, money-loving personality. He said he could read my mind perfectly, which made him feel safe. Men change so fast. What they love one second, they despise the next. I accepted it easily. Just like when I noticed his spending habits shrinking, I immediately pivoted to a new benefactor. “Don’t worry,” Daisy promised. “I’ll be your perfect inside woman. I’m going to squeeze every dime out of him.” “Don’t be too greedy right out of the gate,” I cautioned. “If he offers, take it, but don’t constantly nag him for things. It looks cheap. The best time to negotiate is when you’re in bed. Strike while the iron is hot.” Daisy absorbed the wisdom, then started showering me with compliments. “You are amazing. No wonder Carter is still so hung up on you.” She went on to praise my face, my body, everything. “Seriously! You’re like an angel. A woman as gorgeous as you… even I’m half in love with you.” “Alright, alright, dial it back,” I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Get back to work.” After hanging up, I sneaked off to a private VIP clinic for an OBGYN checkup. If I could, I’d get an ultrasound every single day just to be safe. Just as I walked out with my sonogram printout, I froze. Carter Sterling was walking right toward me. “Serena? What are you doing here?” His eyes automatically flicked downward toward the medical papers in my hand. I immediately shoved them behind my back. “None of your business. We have nothing to do with each other anymore.” Carter smirked. “Serena, don’t tell me you’re still throwing a tantrum. I spoiled you too much over the years, it made you arrogant.” He leaned in slightly. “I slept with Daisy last night.” He stared at my face, clearly hoping to see a flash of jealousy or regret. He was sorely disappointed. I was completely fine with it. Even before we broke up, knowing he was with another woman wouldn’t have devastated me. My only fear was getting dumped before I secured the bag. “That’s great for you. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness,” I said brightly. I clutched my medical records tight and tried to sidestep him, but his hand shot out, wrapping like a vice around my wrist. “What is going on with you? Why are you suddenly at a hospital?” I found his line of questioning bizarre. Why did he care? “Just a routine physical,” I brushed him off. I wrenched my arm free and practically sprinted away. The heavy gaze boring into my back was so intense I didn’t dare turn around. I couldn’t let him find out about the baby, or I was dead meat. Getting pregnant after a breakup is one thing; getting pregnant before the breakup means you gave the billionaire a green hat. No man with an ego that big could handle being cheated on. Back in the hospital lobby, Carter’s face darkened. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Serena looked different—she had lost weight in her limbs but seemed protective of her core. He pulled out his phone and made a call. “Look into Serena Blake. Find out exactly why she was at the clinic today and send me her medical records. Now.” When I walked into Harrison’s penthouse, my blood ran cold. There was a strange woman sitting on the velvet sofa. I immediately went on high alert, my face shifting into a polite but guarded mask. “Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” The woman looked me up and down with intense scrutiny. “So you’re the little pet my brother is keeping?” Ah. Harrison’s sister. I let out a mental sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t some random mistress coming to mark her territory, I was fine. Even if Harrison wanted to cheat, he needed to wait until this baby was born and my check was cashed. “Hi there, I’m Serena Blake,” I said warmly. Maya Vance sneered. “Don’t act so familiar. A woman like you has no right to cross the threshold of the Vance family.” I smiled placidly. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it. Your brother is just having some fun with me. It’s just a fling.” Maya looked deeply uncomfortable with my response. She had come prepared for a screaming match, ready to put an arrogant gold-digger in her place. “Good. Glad you know your place!” she said, raising her voice to overcompensate. I just kept smiling. In my line of work, you have to have thick skin. If you have a fragile ego, you won’t survive the sugar bowl. You can’t demand both their money and their respect. A few minutes later, Harrison walked in. Seeing Maya, his brows slammed together. “What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you never to come to this apartment uninvited?” Maya bristled. “Harrison! Are you just afraid I’ll interrupt your little secret hideaway?” “Glad you understand.” Harrison glanced at me, then immediately started shoving his sister toward the door. “Get out. Do you have nothing better to do with your life?” Maya dug her heels into the floor, grabbing the doorframe. “I’m not leaving! You can’t make me!” I sighed softly. “Harrison, just let her stay. It wouldn’t kill her to stay for dinner.” Harrison relented. Maya scrambled back inside, shooting me a look that said, ‘Smart move, peasant.’ To maintain my persona as the understanding, domestic girlfriend, I volunteered to cook dinner. Harrison was incredibly touched. He kissed my temple. “You’re so sweet. I’ll buy you a present tomorrow.” While I was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, I completely forgot I had left my phone on the living room coffee table. It started to ring. Without thinking twice, Maya picked it up and answered. “Hello? Who is this?” The voice on the other end was cold. “Put Serena on the phone.” Maya frowned. “What do you want? Who are you to her?” Carter’s voice dripped with complex emotion. “I’m her husband. And she’s pregnant with my child.” Maya’s hand violently jerked. In her shock, she accidentally hit “Hang Up” and then, in a blind panic, blocked the number. On the other end of the city, Carter stared at his phone screen. When he realized he was blocked, he let out a sound of pure, unadulterated rage. Back in the penthouse, Harrison walked downstairs and saw his sister looking like she had seen a ghost. “What’s wrong with you?” Maya swallowed hard. “Nothing! Literally nothing!” Harrison frowned. “Look, I know you don’t like Serena, but do not play nasty tricks on her. She’s completely alone in this world. She’s had a hard life.” Yeah, a really hard life. Maya took deep, ragged breaths, her mind spiraling. Serena has a husband?! And a baby?! Is my billionaire brother the other man?! Is Serena a con artist?! Maya genuinely hoped Serena was just a scammer, because the alternative—that the great Harrison Vance was a homewrecker—was too humiliating to bear. Especially since she had just tried to pull rank and intimidate Serena five minutes ago. Soon, I brought the food out to the dining room. Harrison took the plates from me. As I sat down, I noticed Maya staring at me with wide, horrified eyes. “Is something wrong, Miss Vance?” I asked politely, deciding to drop the “sister” act since she hated it. No need to make enemies. Maya glanced at Harrison, shook her head frantically, and stayed dead silent. “If you’re going to eat, eat. If not, leave,” Harrison snapped. Maya practically choked on her anger. She was trying to protect him! She turned her grief into gluttony and inhaled everything on her plate. Not because it was delicious, but because she was stress-eating. After dinner, Harrison nudged his sister with his foot. “Go wash the dishes. Then leave.” Maya glared daggers at him, absolutely furious, but had no choice but to obey. I thought Maya was acting incredibly weird, but it didn’t really matter. She wasn’t the one paying my bills. While Harrison went to his home office to catch up on emails, I sat on the couch with a magazine. Suddenly, Maya slid next to me. “Serena… have you ever been married?” My internal alarms blared. “No. I’ve never been married. Harrison is the only man in my life.” Maya let out a massive sigh of relief, but suspicion still lingered. She grabbed my phone from the table and tossed it into my lap. I looked at the screen. A blocked call from a very familiar number. And a 30-second call duration before the block. “That guy said he was your husband,” Maya whispered fiercely. I kept my face perfectly neutral. “He’s not my husband. He’s my crazy ex. I’m single and I’ve never been married. Harrison knows everything about my past.” Lie. Harrison knew nothing, because he was just my rebound ATM. But Maya bought it completely. She knew her brother wouldn’t stoop to being a mistress. But wait— What about the baby? Before Maya could ask the golden question, Harrison yelled down from upstairs: “Maya! If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling Mom and telling her you skipped three of your college seminars this week!” Maya ground her teeth. Forget it! I’m not helping him anymore! If he ends up wearing a green hat, she decided, she would just point and laugh. She grabbed her purse and stormed out. Once she was gone, I unlocked my phone. Carter had called me five times before Maya blocked him. A heavy knot formed in my stomach. Why was he calling me? It definitely wasn’t to get back together. I opened my chat with Daisy. [Me: Daisy, is Carter with you?] [Daisy: No, why? What’s up?] I sighed. Whatever. I’ll deal with it later. “Serena! Come upstairs, why are you still down there?” Harrison called out. I adjusted my facial expression into a look of pure, adoring devotion and practically skipped up the stairs, throwing myself into his arms. “Honey, you look so handsome when you work. I’m so obsessed with you.” Harrison crashed his lips onto mine, his large hands slipping under the hem of my shirt. The implication was obvious. I quickly pushed against his chest. “Honey, not tonight.” Harrison paused, looking confused. “Why not?” “I’m just a little tired today. Let me give you a massage instead.” Harrison gently rubbed my hands. “Cooking tired you out. I’ll hire a private chef tomorrow.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Dodged another bullet. The next morning, I was rudely awakened by my phone ringing. I was annoyed. Doesn’t anyone know pregnant women need their beauty sleep? “Daisy, what is it?” Daisy’s voice was tight and panicked. “Girl… are you pregnant?” My eyes snapped open. I was wide awake. How did she know? “Girl, is the baby Carter’s? Am I getting fired already? I haven’t even enjoyed the rich life for a full month yet! Do you have any other billionaires you can introduce me to?” Daisy babbled, completely terrified of losing her luxury lifestyle. “The baby isn’t Carter’s. Who told you about this?” Daisy let out a massive gasp of relief. “Oh thank God. The butler told me.” My heart sank. Carter knew. Good news: he thinks the baby is his, which means my actual secret is still relatively safe. I remembered running into him at the VIP clinic. I mentally cursed out the hospital staff. HIPAA violation, much?! Besides, we were broken up! Why was he illegally digging into my medical history? “Daisy, listen to me. Do NOT tell Carter the baby isn’t his.” “Understood!” Daisy promised enthusiastically. “Wishing you a happy, beautiful new life, boss!” She really was the perfect employee. After we hung up, Daisy wired me another $500,000. Her 50% cut. I transferred it straight into a high-yield trust fund for my unborn baby. College tuition? Secured.

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When Liam Sterling and I were in our honeymoon phase, we could go through thirty condoms in a single day. After we were both completely exhausted, he would always pull me tightly into his arms and ask if I would ever leave him. But later, it was also him who forced me to be his new lover’s nude body double when I was driven into a corner, desperately trying to raise money for my mother’s medical bills. Mimicking the adult film actresses, I swallowed my pride and filmed three humiliating scenes. Just when I thought my mother was finally saved, he casually remarked: “I’ll wire the five million in six months.” I whipped around in panic. “Didn’t we agree you’d pay me as soon as we wrapped?” Without the money, the hospital would pull the plug tomorrow. Liam carelessly tossed the script onto the table. “My liquid capital went into Mia’s new female-led blockbuster. It’s her first time carrying a major studio film; we have to make sure the production value is top-tier.” He thought I would throw a tantrum and beg like I used to. But this time, I was truly exhausted. …… “You’re going out like that?” Liam raised an eyebrow, looking at the sheer, skimpy costume I was wearing, then glanced toward the door. I knew he was reminding me that the entire film crew was right outside. But I had just been gawked at while filming even more degrading scenes in front of the cameras. What was left out there that I couldn’t face? I numbly walked toward the exit, but Liam grabbed my wrist. “Have you no shame?” I turned to look at him calmly and asked, “Have you ever left me with any?” He fell silent. We both knew the truth. From the time he picked me up from the local drama school when I was nineteen, he put me on a pedestal. He helped me win an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a SAG Award, making me the brightest star in Hollywood. He used to say he loved my pride, loved the confident way I stood at the pinnacle of the industry. But the moment my family went bankrupt, he was the first to turn his back on me. And it was all because the newly rising starlet, Mia Vance, whispered: “Liam, the way Chloe looks at me… it scares me.” With that, he personally broke my wings, dragged me down from the clouds, and stomped me into the dirt. Seven years of love couldn’t compete with a few tears from a newcomer. He had initiated a breakup seven times, and every single time, it was because Mia needed a better role or a brand deal. Even now, knowing perfectly well that my mother was lying in the ICU racking up astronomical daily fees, he simply didn’t care. My eyes suddenly stung. I asked him, “How much money did you put into her movie?” He answered nonchalantly, “Fifty million.” Fifty million dollars. It felt like a giant hand was squeezing my heart, the pain making it hard to breathe. All I needed was five million. Just a fraction of that fifty million would have been enough to save my mother’s life. I had been with him for seven years, and I wasn’t even worth the production budget of Mia’s movie. I didn’t argue further and pushed open the soundstage doors. A few PAs and crew members were laughing outside. When they saw me, they abruptly went dead silent. They looked at me awkwardly. I don’t know who let out the first dry chuckle. “Chloe, all done shooting?” They exchanged knowing glances and started to snicker under their breath. I ignored them and pushed past the heavy velvet curtains. I immediately ran into a group of overweight, sleazy studio investors. They stared at me, and someone let out a low whistle. “Well, if it isn’t our Best Actress. You guys finish your business in there?” The group erupted into boisterous laughter. Liam threw a heavy glass ashtray out from inside the studio. It smashed onto the floor right at their feet. Shards of glass exploded outward. I didn’t dodge. A piece sliced into my calf. Blood trickled down my pale skin, but I felt nothing. Liam stared intently at my bleeding leg, his brows knitting together. After a long pause, in front of everyone, he tossed his tailored suit jacket over my shoulders. “I said six months. It’s not like I’m not paying you. Who are you putting on this stubborn act for, huh?” He didn’t button it. He just draped it over me casually, putting on a show for the outsiders. I took a long, deep look at the man I had loved for seven years. I always thought that if I was just a little more obedient, a little more humble… He would remember how good I used to be. People always say that when you love someone, you feel their pain. But in his eyes, there was only the cold indifference of someone looking at a toy. The moment I stepped out of the studio lot, all the strength drained from my body, and my legs trembled uncontrollably. As tears fell without my permission, I heard their lively conversation resume behind the heavy doors. Someone asked Liam: “The Adams family was definitely set up this time. Liam, are you really not going to help her?” Liam’s indifferent voice drifted out: “I was the one who set the trap. Mia said Chloe humiliated her in public when she first debuted. She’s been holding onto that grievance for years. I had to help her vent.” “Aren’t you afraid she really won’t come back this time? She’s an Oscar winner, after all. She’s got pride in her bones.” Hearing this, Liam actually laughed out loud. “Stop joking. I’ve known her for eight years, and she’s been with me for seven. Every single time I call, she comes running.” “If she could actually leave me, I’d respect her a lot more.” I leaned against the brick wall, biting down on the back of my hand so hard I drew blood, just to keep myself from making a sound. My family’s bankruptcy, my Hollywood blacklist… it was all Liam’s doing. Simply because Mia Vance felt wronged a few years ago. My wet clothes clung to my open wounds, tearing at my flesh with every movement. Thinking of my mother hooked up to all those tubes, thinking of the doctor saying they would turn off the life support if I didn’t pay the bill… I slapped myself across the face, hard. “You idiot. It’s because you fell in love with him that you and your mother are in this dead end.” I never imagined my romance would end like this. Sterling Media controlled the entertainment industry with an iron fist. A single word from Liam Sterling could dictate the life or death of any artist’s career. If he was determined to get revenge for Mia, no one in the entire industry would dare help me. I stood on an overpass, on the verge of a breakdown, watching the endless stream of headlights below. I almost wanted to jump. But I didn’t dare. If I died, what would happen to my mom? “Right. Mia Vance.” I suddenly remembered her. At an awards ceremony years ago, I had just won Best Actress. She was an obscure newcomer. Backstage, an intoxicated investor grabbed her hand and refused to let go. I happened to walk by and helped her out of the situation. At the time, I was giving Liam the cold shoulder because of rumors between him and another actress. He didn’t indulge my temper. Instead, he chuckled mockingly: “So only our Best Actress gets to play the hero? That newcomer—Sterling Media is buying out her contract.” I never expected that to be the beginning of our twisted three-way entanglement. I don’t know when Liam actually set his sights on Mia. He gave her top-tier resources, hired the best acting coaches in the world for her, and put her on the hottest talk shows. To ensure she wouldn’t be bullied by industry veterans, he flat-out bought a global ambassadorship for a luxury fashion house and handed it to her. Whenever Mia suffered the slightest grievance, I didn’t even need to ask to find out. Because Liam would preemptively break up with me, then take my movie roles and brand deals to apologize to her. He used to say, “Mia is pure. She can’t handle the dirty side of this industry.” She couldn’t suffer grievances, so I had to suffer instead. I rushed to the private club in Beverly Hills where they were throwing Mia a wrap party. But the security guards blocked me at the door. “Sorry, Miss Adams. Mr. Sterling gave strict orders. No one is allowed to interrupt Miss Vance’s celebration.” This was the club Liam and I used to frequent all the time. Now that I was blacklisted, no one gave me the time of day. The cold night wind pierced my body, tearing my wounds open again. The pain made my lips tremble. “Let her in.” I looked up. Liam was standing by the entrance, looking down at me. A flash of pity crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by coldness. “Who are you putting on this pathetic act for? Don’t you know you get a high fever when you stand in the rain?” It was true. I had a weak immune system; the rain always made me sick. During the peak of our relationship, he would frantically wrap me in his trench coat whenever it drizzled, terrified I’d catch a cold. I lowered my head. “I want to talk to Miss Vance.” Liam frowned, a sneer tugging at his lips. “You really haven’t changed at all, Chloe.” He was afraid I would cause trouble for Mia. After all, I had a track record. When I first found out Mia was calling Liam in the middle of the night, claiming she was “afraid of the dark” and couldn’t sleep… I stormed directly onto her movie set and threw her phone into a prop fountain in front of everyone. While the entire crew was watching Mia make a fool of herself, Liam marched over and slapped me across the face. The entire crew gasped in shock. I stubbornly held my ground, declaring my territory: “You are my boyfriend! Not some stray dog that anyone can call in the middle of the night!” Liam just glared at me coldly, shielding the weeping Mia behind him in front of everyone. “Look at yourself right now. What’s the difference between you and a lunatic?!” He left me standing there, being pointed and whispered at by the crowd. Because of that incident, Mia was handed the lead role in an international director’s film—a role I had spent six months negotiating. And I was locked in the basement of his mansion to “reflect” on my actions. Mia cried for a few days, so I was locked up for a few days. Without a drop of water or a bite of food. Liam coaxed her for a full week before she agreed to go home. Worried that the public backlash would affect her, he outright bought a boutique production company and gifted it to her. I shook my head, forcing out a smile that looked worse than crying. “I just want to explain to her that we’re already broken up.” The utter disbelief on his face still managed to make my heart ache. I admit, I still loved him. Knowing he was the heir to the Sterling empire, a man with immense pride, I had never once defied him. I was always terrified that a single expression or word might hurt his ego. But I never imagined he would be this ruthless to me. To actually bankrupt my family and destroy my career just to help Mia blow off some steam. It wasn’t that I didn’t love him anymore. It was that I didn’t dare to. Once the grievance took root in my heart, it grew wildly like vines. Tears fell before I could stop them. Liam frowned. “If you have something to say, say it. Why are you crying…” Just as he raised his hand, a figure ran out from inside the club. Mia was wearing a haute couture gown. Her flawless makeup and the diamonds dripping from her neck exuded pure wealth. She looked nothing like the timid newcomer she used to be. Compared to me, she looked like the true Queen, held tenderly in Liam’s palm. “Why did you come out here?” Liam took off his jacket and affectionately draped it over her bare shoulders, his voice incredibly soft. She looked up, the corners of her eyes turning slightly red, which immediately threw Liam into a panic. He leaned down, coaxing her gently. “What’s wrong? Who upset our Mia?” Mia finally broke into a smile, playfully punching Liam’s chest before whispering: “I heard Chloe was here, so I came out to see.” “Well, you’ve seen her now. Are you satisfied?” He asked Mia, but his eyes were fixed on me. I guessed she probably was satisfied. The Oscar-winning actress who had rescued her at that awards ceremony was now standing before her in torn clothes, her wet hair plastered to her face. I looked as pathetic as a person could possibly look. How could she not be satisfied? I wanted to scream, to demand answers, but I didn’t dare. If I angered Mia, my mother wouldn’t even survive the night on the ventilator. I forced myself to paste on a fawning, desperate smile. “Mia. Long time no see.” She was much more casual than I was. “Chloe, you really didn’t have to come in person. I’ve already forgiven you.” I looked up at her. Forgiven me? Forgiven me for throwing away the phone she used to seduce someone else’s boyfriend? Or forgiven me for being an obstacle in her Hollywood career? For a moment, I couldn’t process it. I just stared at her blankly. But Liam suddenly flared up. “Mia is being incredibly generous. Shouldn’t you say thank you?” Heartbreak was an understatement. I fought back my tears. Those two words rolled around my mouth over and over. I bit my tongue so hard the taste of blood flooded my mouth before I stuttered them out. “Th-thank you…” Liam pulled his gaze away from me, pulled out a black Centurion card, and handed it to Mia. “There’s five million in here. You decide if you want to give it to her.” My eyes lit up instantly. As long as I got that money, my mom could be saved. I looked at Mia with desperate hope, only to see her slowly close her fingers around the card. Mia pouted playfully. “Chloe made me a laughingstock in front of the whole crew back then, and almost caused a huge misunderstanding between you and me, Liam. I don’t want to just give it to her.” Liam chuckled fondly and tapped her nose. “Whatever you want.” Panic seized me entirely. My mother was waiting for this money to save her life. I had drained all my savings trying to fill the black hole of my family’s debts. I was penniless, constantly hounded by paparazzi and debt collectors. My mother had a weak heart, and the shock of it all had put her in the ICU. My last hope was right in front of me. I begged: “Mia, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You can punish me however you want, just please, help me.” Mia pretended to think about it, tapping her chin with her finger before suddenly acting cute: “How about this? Sister Chloe, if you do that dance you did on set for me right here, I’ll give you the card. Okay?” She smiled sweetly, but her words were more venomous than a viper. “You know, the one where you crawl on the floor like a dog. A lot of people said you performed it brilliantly.” Liam remained silent. He stood behind Mia with his hands in his pockets, tacitly endorsing her cruelty. “Not willing, huh…” She sighed in fake disappointment and moved to put the card into her designer purse. I panicked completely. “I’ll do it!” At that, her smile bloomed brightly. Her eyes curved into crescents as she lifted her chin, waiting for me to move. I glanced at the stone-faced Liam, then slowly bent my body. It was just a physical movement, but I felt like my soul was being executed a thousand times over. Thud. My knees and palms hit the cold, wet pavement. I collapsed onto all fours, my fingernails digging ruthlessly into my palms as my hands shook. “Woof… woof…” I barked like a dog, crawling on the ground in front of them. The humiliation made my vision go black. Mia laughed with total satisfaction, stomping her feet in delight. “Oh my gosh, Chloe! I was just joking! You actually did it!” I didn’t move. I stayed kneeling on the pavement before them. “Well…” Mia sighed melodramatically, then tossed the black card onto the ground in front of me. I reached out and picked it up. Tears splattered one by one onto the gold-embossed plastic. I could save my mom. Liam Sterling, I would never dare to love you again. I stood up and muttered a quiet: “Thank you.” Liam’s face looked like a thunderstorm. He shoved Mia’s arm away and stormed back into the club. “Liam…” She called out, but he didn’t look back. Frustrated, Mia glared at me. “Are you still here? Get lost!” I turned and left the club. Behind me, as Mia fumed, her socialite friend who had just returned from Europe walked out and exclaimed: “Mia, you really are Liam Sterling’s girlfriend! His family is basically Hollywood royalty!” Mia’s annoyance vanished in an instant. She lifted her chin smugly. “I told you, but you didn’t believe me.” Her friend squealed excitedly, but then looked confused. “But that Chloe girl earlier… she clearly had a deep history with Liam. You just gave her five million dollars for nothing? You let her off way too easy.” Mia’s eyes darkened, and a cruel smile curled her lips. “Who said I gave it to her for nothing? I’ve already had someone anonymously leak the video to TMZ and the blogs.” “What video?” Mia laughed. “Oh, nothing. Just a little clip of the great Oscar-winner Chloe Adams… crawling and barking like a dog outside a club.” I left Beverly Hills and rushed to the hospital as fast as I could. Once my mom had the surgery, I would go with her to a new city and start over. As for Liam Sterling, we were done. Forever. The hospital wasn’t far. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, feeling a peace in my heart I hadn’t felt in months. Mom, I’m going to pay for the surgery right now. I’m taking you away from here. The ICU was on the seventh floor. I could see the lights were still on, shadows moving quickly around the nurse’s station. I waved the card in my hand. “Doctor! I’m here to pay the bill!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. I wanted to shout the good news to the whole world. But when the elevator doors opened, I walked into pure chaos. Several doctors and nurses were pushing a hospital bed toward the resuscitation room at full sprint. “The patient went into cardiac arrest after seeing a highly triggering news broadcast!” I didn’t quite understand. I just rushed straight to the billing window and slapped the black card on the counter. “Payment. Hurry. For Evelyn Adams in the ICU.” The billing clerk looked at me, then looked at the rushing hospital bed, her eyes filled with absolute pity. She didn’t take my card. I froze. The person lying on that rushing bed… was my mother. Pure terror seized me. My heart skipped a beat! “Mom!” So this is how death arrives. Silently. I chased after the bed but was locked out by the heavy doors of the resuscitation room. Sirens wailed in the streets below, approaching, then fading away. The hospital corridor suddenly became loud. “Look at the news! Best Actress Chloe Adams crawling like a dog in public!” “Oh my god, what happened to her?” People around me started pulling out their phones. I couldn’t move my legs. Every drop of blood drained from my body. I went insane, pounding my fists against the doors of the resuscitation room. But all I could see through the glass window was the straight line on the monitor. “Mom! Mom!” My entire world went black. I couldn’t understand. I had the money. Why was my mother gone? That flat, unwavering line lay quietly on the screen. “Mom!” I sobbed until I felt like my soul was tearing apart. “Why didn’t you wait for me?! I got the money! I got it!” I plastered the black card against the glass door, babbling incoherently. “Look, Mom, look! I got the money! You’re going to be saved!” I cried. I screamed. But that line never peaked again. I shattered completely. I couldn’t understand why, when hope was right in front of us, this had to happen. “You toxic curse!” My Aunt Sarah burst out of the crowd. Her fists rained down on me, beating me with every ounce of strength she had. “Look at what you’ve done!” “Why would you do this?! Your mother would rather die than see you humiliate yourself like this!” Sobbing uncontrollably, Aunt Sarah threw her phone at my chest. The video was still looping on the screen. It was me, crawling on the ground outside the club, barking like a dog. Then, Mia’s voice rang out: “Sister Chloe performed brilliantly.” Followed by my own voice. I said: “Thank you…” The video played on an endless loop. Right outside my mother’s resuscitation room. Unable to take it for another second, I smashed my fist into the phone. Again and again. My agonizing screams echoed down the hall. The screen shattered into pieces, but the audio still glitched and stuttered out of the speakers. I smashed it like a madwoman. My hands bled profusely. The blood mixed with the dirt on the hospital floor. I don’t know how long I smashed it, but the phone finally went silent. Trembling, I looked up at Aunt Sarah. “It’s okay. It’s gone. It’s gone. It won’t play anymore.” But the only response I got was the heavy doors of the resuscitation room opening. The doctor walked out, looking exhausted, and pulled down his surgical mask. “I’m sorry. We did everything we could.” In a single night, I truly understood what it meant to lose everything. I kneeled on the floor, my eyes completely empty. The doctor asked me to sign the death certificate over and over. The morgue called repeatedly to ask about the timeline for handling the body. I kneeled on the floor, praying to the heavens: “If there are gods in this world, please, save my mother. Let all the karma fall on me.” I don’t know how Liam heard the news, but he rushed over. He was always so aristocratic, every step he took radiating the composure of an apex predator. But now, ignoring the stares of everyone around him, he was running frantically down the hall. “Chloe.” “Chloe, I just found out…” He tried to hug me, his eyes filled with shock and panic. “Don’t be afraid, Chloe. You still have me.” I stared at him blankly. For the sake of love, exactly what price had I paid? I used the wall to pull myself to my feet. He quickly reached out to steady me. “Liam.” “I’m here.” Liam spoke rapidly, “I’m right here, Chloe.” I looked at him. His face was the face I loved most in the world, yet I felt like I was staring at a living, breathing demon. My lips trembled as I whispered my plea: “Kill me.” He looked as if he had heard the most horrifying thing in the world, shaking his head. “Chloe, don’t scare me.” Liam pulled me tightly against his chest. I could clearly feel him trembling. Why was he shaking? Wasn’t this his masterpiece? The morgue doors opened, and a nurse walked out. I held my breath, terrified to see that cold, lifeless face. Liam stepped in front of me, blocking my view. “Chloe, don’t look. I’ll handle everything.” I lost all my strength. I collapsed onto the floor. And wailed into the sterile air. Liam crouched down in front of me with great difficulty, stroking my hair as he promised: “Don’t worry, Chloe. I’ll give your mother the grandest funeral possible.” It took a long time before my mind came back to me. I looked up at him and asked: “Are you satisfied?” He looked stunned. “What?” I asked, “Are you satisfied now, Liam?” Liam desperately grabbed my hands to defend himself. “Chloe, I didn’t know this would happen. I just wanted to teach you a lesson! On the very last day, I swear I was going to pay the hospital bill for you.” I let out a bleak, hollow laugh. I reached into my bag and pulled out the knife I had prepared for myself. Without a shred of hesitation. I plunged it brutally into Liam’s chest. Warm, sticky liquid coated my hand. Liam looked down at the wound, then spoke gently: “Chloe, if you’re still angry, you can stab me again.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391181”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

As I was adjusting the flow rate on a patient’s IV drip again, I noticed she was scrolling through TikTok. The video playing on her screen showed the very IV bag currently hanging above her. The caption read: “The nurse is all dolled up. She probably has a hot date tonight.” “So I purposely turned the IV drip down to the slowest setting. Slow and steady. I’m in no rush.” “Hahaha, looks like she won’t be making that date after all.” 1 While I was hooking up her IV, the patient suddenly asked: “Hey sweetie, how old are you?” I glanced at her. She looked to be in her late thirties or early forties, with a deep tan and high cheekbones. She was wearing a red dress with lace trimming that had frayed beyond recognition. I smiled politely. “Twenty-three.” “So young,” she said, looking me up and down. “Got a boyfriend?” Working in a hospital, I deal with a lot of patients every day. Many of the older ones love to chat to pass the time. I was used to it, so I replied: “Not yet.” The patient stared at me for a moment before suddenly giggling. “Well, look at you, wearing a full face of makeup to work. You’re pretty good at it, too. All dressed up—got a hot date later?” I wear makeup to work because it makes me look and feel more awake and professional. I like how it looks. But for some reason, the tone of this patient’s voice rubbed me the wrong way. It felt subtle, but off. “No.” I didn’t want to explain further and focused on inserting the needle carefully. “You’re in for pneumonia, right? You have three bags total. When this one is empty, hit the call button and I’ll come swap it out.” I specifically warned her: “Do not mess with the flow rate dial. If you see a little blood backing up into the tube, that’s normal, don’t panic. If anything hurts, use the call button.” “Oh, okay, okay, got it. Go ahead and get back to work.” She kept that smiling face, making me wonder if I had just imagined the uncomfortable vibe she gave off. The night shift was brutal, so I quickly forgot about the exchange and went to change IV bags for other patients. After finishing my rounds, I finally had a second to breathe. I found a chair at the nurse’s station and massaged my legs, which ached from standing so long. Thinking about having tomorrow off, I couldn’t help but smile. Just as I was wondering if I should text a friend to hang out, my call bell rang. It was the woman in the red dress. “What’s wrong?” I asked, walking over. “I don’t feel good. Ugh, I feel sick.” Startled, I immediately checked her chart and the IV bag. “Are you absolutely sure you’re not allergic to penicillin?” She nodded. “I’m not allergic. I’ve had it before.” The medication was correct, and there were no allergies. Concerned, I asked: “Where exactly does it hurt? Can you describe how you feel sick?” “I just don’t feel good,” she frowned. “I don’t know how to explain it. Oh, wait, I think I’m fine now. It stopped.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Just as I turned to leave, I noticed the drip chamber. It took forever for a single drop of medication to fall. The flow rate had been dialed down to the absolute minimum. I frowned. “Did you touch the dial?” “Yeah, why? It was going too fast, it made me feel sick.” I looked down at the patient, exasperated. “There are strict protocols for IV flow rates. You cannot adjust it yourself. If you feel uncomfortable, you need to tell me.” I reached out and adjusted the dial back to the standard rate. Remembering she said she felt sick, I tweaked it to be slightly slower than standard. “I’ve slowed it down for you,” I warned her again. “Do not touch the dial. If you need something, ring the bell.” “Okay, okay. Sorry for being a bother, my bad.” 2 Her attitude seemed fine, but she was incredibly needy. Every time I sat down to catch my breath, her call bell would ring. “Hey sweetie, do you guys have any portable chargers? My phone is dead.” “No, the hospital doesn’t provide portable chargers, but there’s an outlet over there,” I offered helpfully. “If your phone is dead, I can plug it in for you.” “Nah, never mind. Thanks anyway.” Not long after, the bell rang again! I dragged myself up and walked over. “What’s wrong?” “Sweetie, this IV fluid is so cold. It’s making my whole arm freeze. It’s really uncomfortable.” I thought for a second. “I can get you a warm compress to put over your arm.” “Forget it, it’s fine. Sorry to bother you again.” “It’s no problem,” I waved it off. But the second I sat back down, she rang the bell again! Resigned to my fate, I went over. “Ma’am, what’s wrong now?” The woman had a huge grin on her face. She pointed toward the nurse’s station. “Sweetie, are you sure you don’t have a date later? I saw you smiling over there a minute ago.” I had been running around all night, and the only reason I smiled was because I remembered I had tomorrow off! Irritation flared in my chest, but I kept my voice professional. “I don’t have a date. Please only use the call button if you need medical assistance.” “Okay, okay, sorry. I was just curious.” The woman’s smile didn’t waver. “I was just thinking, a pretty girl like you, how could you not have a boyfriend?” “You must have guys lining up, right? Look at your skin, so pale, big eyes, and your makeup looks so good.” She scrutinized my face. “Your makeup is really detailed. That must take an hour or two, right? What time do you have to wake up in the morning?” I was completely annoyed. But looking at her, sitting in the hospital alone late at night with no one to keep her company… it was kind of sad. Maybe she was just lonely and wanted someone to talk to. “It doesn’t take that long. Just five or ten minutes.” I was about to politely tell her to stop ringing the bell for no reason, when I realized an hour had passed. Her first bag should have been empty by now. I looked up. The IV bag was still more than half full. It was barely dripping. She had turned the dial down again! This time, I was genuinely angry. “Didn’t I tell you not to touch the flow rate? You have three bags. At this speed, you’ll be here all night and still won’t finish. “I already slowed it down for you earlier. Stop touching it!” As I spoke, I reached up to fix the dial. My intention was to prevent her from being stuck here forever. The hospital chairs are cold and uncomfortable. It’s better to finish the treatment and go home to sleep. But to my disbelief, the woman kept that same giggly smirk. “Oh my, am I going too slow? Is it going to make you late for your date? I’m so sorry!” I was furious. I didn’t want to say another word to her. I fixed the dial and stormed back to my desk. Thankfully, she didn’t ring the bell again after that. I let out a sigh of relief, did a round of the room, and went to the back room to prep medications. Just as I finished, the Charge Nurse came in for her rounds. She walked through the IV room. “Any issues tonight?” “No,” I shook my head. “Everyone is hooked up, and I’ve double-checked all the meds. Everything is fine.” “Good.” The Charge Nurse checked my charts. “Out of all the new hires, you’re the most detail-oriented. Good job.” She turned to leave, but the call bell rang again! I looked toward the sound, and my vision practically went dark. It was the woman in the red dress again! This time, the other patients were getting annoyed. A guy trying to sleep in the chair next to her ripped his jacket off his head and snapped: “Are you ever going to stop?! How many times have you hit that bell tonight? If you need something, say it all at once! Are you trying to keep everyone awake?!” The woman shrank back a little and mumbled, “I feel sick. Am I not allowed to say I feel sick?” The Charge Nurse walked over. “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?” She checked the IV bag. “The medication is fine—wait, why is the flow rate so slow?” “It was going too fast, it made me sick.” The woman shot me a look. “That nurse keeps turning it up. I must be making her late for her date.” “Hehehe,” she snickered. “Young people have such active nightlife, right? A pretty girl like her must have lots of guys after her. I understand she wants to get to her dates. I guess I’ll just have to deal with it going fast so I don’t keep her here.” I was so angry I saw stars. I raised my voice: “I did not turn it up! I set it to the standard rate! And I even slowed it down slightly for you earlier. If you feel sick, tell me. I do not have a date. Stop making things up!” The guy next to her chimed in: “The nurse has been over here like five times already. You said you felt sick, she slowed it down. What the hell is your problem? Why do you keep messing with her?” “Who am I messing with?!” the woman played the victim. “I feel sick, am I not allowed to complain?! “You’re only taking her side because she’s young and pretty! You trying to hit on her or something?!” The guy rolled his eyes. “You’re psychotic.” The Charge Nurse spoke sternly: “This flow rate is way too slow. You still have two bags left. If you keep it like this, you won’t finish by morning. Don’t you want to go home?” “Exactly what is hurting? Do you want me to swap out the medication?” “No, no, it’s fine,” the woman waved her hands frantically. “Maybe she just didn’t put the needle in right. I asked her, she’s only 23. She’s right out of nursing school, right?” “She’s an intern, right? Oh, you know, these young college girls don’t have any experience. It’s normal to mess up an IV. It’s fine, I’m not picky. I totally understand.” I know for a fact my IV placement was perfect! It’s a basic IV line! I practiced constantly, not to mention the hundreds of patients I’ve treated here. I have never blown a vein! I suppressed my rage. “You say the needle isn’t in right. What exactly is wrong with it?” “Oh, how should I know? I’m not a professional. It just hurts. Look, there’s blood backing up.” She pointed to the back of her hand. The IV tubing was completely clear. There wasn’t a single drop of blood. “Where?” I asked flatly. “There was some a second ago. Maybe it went away.” The woman shrank back. “Don’t get mad, sweetie. I won’t say anything next time. I just don’t know medical stuff, so I get scared. I didn’t mean anything by it.” The Charge Nurse inspected her hand closely: “The IV is perfectly placed. There’s no blood backing up. And even if there was, a little backflow is completely normal. Don’t worry about it.” “Oh,” the woman chuckled awkwardly. “I guess I saw it wrong. I feel much better now. You can adjust the dial. Everything’s fine.” The Charge Nurse adjusted the flow rate. “Our nurses are very responsible. Their shifts end at a specific time; they do not leave early. You don’t have to worry about that. If you have a real problem, tell a nurse immediately.” “Hehehe.” The woman offered a fake laugh. …… When her first bag finally emptied, I went over with a blank expression to hang the second one. The woman’s cheeks bunched up in a huge, fake smile. “Sorry about that, sweetie. It’s my first time coming to the hospital alone, I was just a little scared. Don’t take it personally.” I took a deep breath. “If you have an issue, let me know, and I will check it. I am not leaving early for a date. Even when my shift ends, another nurse will take over. There are staff here 24/7. You do not need to worry about any of that.” “Okay, okay, okay. You go back to work. So sorry! I’m totally fine now.” This kind of stuff happens all the time in hospitals. I couldn’t stay mad forever, so I quickly moved on to prep meds for the next patient. When I finally finished and walked back past the woman, her back was to me, and she was on her phone. I caught a glimpse of her screen out of the corner of my eye and froze. She was posting a TikTok. The video was a close-up of the IV bag I had just hung. The caption read: “The nurse is all dolled up. She probably has a hot date tonight. So I purposely turned the IV drip down to the slowest setting. Slow and steady. I’m in no rush. Hahaha, looks like she won’t be making that date after all.” I looked up at her IV. My ears started ringing. She had dialed the flow rate down to zero again! 3 In my time working here, I’ve seen plenty of weirdos. But I have never met someone this infuriating. Pure malicious stupidity. I didn’t want to fight with her. Arguing was pointless and could get me reported. The woman shifted, noticing me standing there. She panicked, quickly locking her phone screen and giving me a tight smile. I walked past her with a completely blank face. I had tried to keep the flow rate steady so she wouldn’t have to suffer in an uncomfortable chair all night. I never imagined there were people in the world capable of holding such bizarre, unprovoked hostility toward a total stranger. People with no real power, and apparently no intelligence, who go out of their way to make life difficult for others just because they can. She probably didn’t realize we work in shifts. I was handing over my section to my coworker in exactly thirty minutes. If her time was that worthless, she could sit here and rot all night for all I cared. …… Thirty minutes later, my coworker arrived to take over. “Crazy night, huh? Go home and get some rest. If you leave now, you can still catch a late dinner.” She smiled at me. “It’s Valentine’s Day. No big plans?” It was Valentine’s Day? I checked my phone. It really was. I had been so busy working I completely forgot about the holiday. But right now, the word “date” was giving me PTSD. I waved my hands frantically. “No, no, no. I’m out of here. Have a good shift!” The female patient watched me pack up my bag, and her expression instantly changed! “You…” she stuttered. “You’re leaving?! I’m not done yet.” “Yep. What’s wrong?” I asked, flashing a bright, customer-service smile. “We work in shifts. Didn’t you know?” “I feel sick!” she blurted out. “I don’t feel good. You have to check my IV. I think something is wrong with it. Ugh.” She squeezed her eyes shut, pretending to be in pain. I kept smiling. “I’m so sorry, my shift is over. But my coworker is right here.” “If you need anything, tell her. She’s taking the first half of the night, and another nurse will relieve her later. There’s no rush.” “Slow. And. Steady.” The woman’s face contorted into something incredibly ugly. She forced out a twisted smile. “Oh, is that so? “Wow, your job is so easy! You only work for a few hours a day?” “It’s not bad,” I beamed. “So please, please don’t worry about keeping me late. “Even if you sit here for the rest of the week, it won’t delay my schedule by a single second. Don’t worry about me. When I clock out, my time is my own. You couldn’t delay me if you tried.” The woman’s face turned black as thunder. Her hands clenched into fists on her lap. The guy sitting next to her burst out laughing. He didn’t even try to hide it as he said loudly: “What an idiot.” I couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. I turned and walked past her. Through the glass doors of the lobby, I could see her staring daggers into my back. Her face was ashen, her expression pure poison. 4 I had barely reached the parking garage when I got a text from another coworker. It was a TikTok link. “I just saw this on my local FYP. Is this you?!” I clicked on the link and nearly died of pure rage! The woman had posted another video, and this time, my face was clearly visible! The caption: “Being a nurse must be so nice. You just put on a ton of makeup, don’t do any real work, clock out after a few hours, and go out on dates.” “Some people are just born lucky. Wish that was me.” I had let the first video slide because it only showed the IV bag. But this one had my face front and center! She had zoomed right in on me! Worse, the video had somehow hit the local “For You” page, and the comments were flooding in. “The nurse is gorgeous! Drop her IG!” The woman replied: “She’s already taken. I’m just trying to get my IV, but she turned it up to the max because she was mad I was making her late for her hookup. Guess I’ll just chug the medicine next time.” She added a giggling emoji. Some people in the comments defended me. “Nursing is a brutal job. They work insane hours and constantly do night shifts.” She replied instantly: “So brutal! Look how perfect her makeup is. Wonder what time she woke up to do that? And she still has energy for a date tonight. So busy! Haha.” The person fired back: “If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it?” “They only hire young, pretty girls. Nobody wants an old hag like me. Don’t know why hospitals need beauty queens anyway. Just makes the male patients stare. Sigh.” Someone else chimed in: “You should report her to the hospital!” She replied with a toothy grin emoji: “Nah, she’s definitely a nepo baby. Reporting her wouldn’t do anything.” Then, she sneakily replied to her own comment with a zoomed-in screenshot of my face. My hospital ID badge, showing my full name and employee number, was clearly visible. How could someone be this vile?! I saw red. I stomped all the way back up to the infusion room. The woman was furiously typing on her phone. When she saw me march in, the fake smile immediately plastered itself back onto her face. “Sweetie! Why are you back? Did you forget something?” My hands were clenched into fists. “What gives you the right to film me?! Do you have any idea you’re violating my right to privacy?! “And I never sped up your IV! I wasn’t rushing to leave for a date! What gives you the right to spread lies about me online?!” The woman played dumb. “I didn’t post anything! You must have the wrong person.” I shoved my phone screen right into her face. “This isn’t you?! I can see your other videos right here!” Her profile was filled with videos of her wearing cheap, revealing clothes, trying to look seductive in front of what looked like a rundown trailer. Or heavily filtered lip-syncing videos. But it was undeniably her. Seeing that I had hard proof, she shrank back slightly and gave a nervous laugh. “I was just playing around! It’s just a joke! Why are you taking it so seriously? “I just thought you were pretty, so I couldn’t help but take a video! It’s not a big deal!” She even reached out and tugged on my scrubs. “Come on, look how pretty you look. Who would believe you aren’t going on a date? Your boyfriend is a lucky guy, bagging a girl like you.” She turned to the guy next to her. “Right?” The guy ignored her completely. The woman looked awkward and shut her mouth. I slapped her hand away from my scrubs and enunciated every word: “I will say this one last time. I followed every single standard medical protocol while treating you. If you think I did something wrong, you can file a formal complaint with the hospital. But you cannot slander me on the internet.” She seemed surprised that I wasn’t backing down. She quickly pulled out her phone, that sickening smile still glued to her face. “Okay, okay, don’t get mad! I was just joking! If you don’t like it, I’ll delete it!” She said that, but she made no move to actually delete the video. “Fine. You won’t delete it?” I had lost all patience. “Then I’m calling the police. Filming and posting someone without their consent is a violation of privacy. I’m done talking to you. You can talk to the cops.” “It’s not that serious,” she waved me off dismissively. “Stop trying to scare me.” A younger girl sitting across the room spoke up: “She’s not scaring you. Fabricating facts to damage someone’s reputation and spreading them online… if a post gets over 5,000 views or 500 shares, it officially qualifies as criminal defamation.” She pointed at the woman’s phone. “You could be looking at up to three years in prison. And if you get a felony record, good luck to your kids or grandkids ever trying to get a government job or security clearance.” I looked at the girl gratefully. The woman blustered, trying to look tough. “Don’t try to scare me! How do I know you’re not just making that up to trick me?! I just posted a video, how is that going to send me to jail?!” But her face betrayed her panic. The girl smirked and pulled up a picture of her Bar Association card on her phone. “Ma’am, if you’re uneducated, try reading a book. Why would I trick you? What do you even have that I would want?” She looked at me. “Hey, if you decide to sue her, call me. I’ll give you a 20% discount on my hourly rate.” The mention of a lawsuit terrified the woman. Her fake smile melted into something greasy, desperate, and absolutely repulsive. She mumbled: “I was just making a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously? Young people these days are so sensitive. You can’t even say anything anymore.” Seeing my expression remain completely stony, she forced the smile wider. “Don’t be mad, sweetie! Don’t take it personally! “Is it really worth calling the cops and lawyers over something so small? I’m just an uneducated woman from a trailer park, I don’t know any better! I just filmed you because you’re so pretty!” “I swear I didn’t mean any harm! Ask anyone back home, everyone knows I’m a good person! If you don’t like it, I’ll just delete it!” With that, she finally opened TikTok and deleted the video right in front of me. “Are we good now?” She put on a wildly exaggerated expression of victimhood. “I’m just a hick from a small town. I don’t have a fancy education like you guys. I know you all look down on me and think I’m annoying.” An older woman sitting nearby rolled her eyes dramatically. “Stop giving small-town people a bad name. Being from a small town doesn’t give you an excuse to act like a complete psychopath.” The woman glared viciously at the older lady, but the older lady wasn’t having it. She stood up and pointed a finger right in her face. “What are you looking at? You wanna keep staring at me?” The woman quickly looked down at her lap, too scared to say a word. I gave her a cold warning: “I am going to monitor your account and every other platform. If I catch you posting my face or spreading rumors about me again, we will handle this at the police station.” The woman ground her teeth but didn’t dare talk back. I didn’t want to waste another second on her and turned to leave. I could still hear her muttering behind me: “Looking like that, how could she not be going on a date. Liar…”

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Ethan Vance threw the checkbook at my face, demanding I kneel and apologize to Mia Harper for the ninth time. “A hundred grand per bow.” Calculating the remaining balance for my mother’s medical bills in my head, I kept my face completely blank and slammed my forehead against the floor ten times. The moment my fingers closed around the check, the System’s voice pinged in my ear. “Congratulations, Host. You have accumulated the required funds. Would you like to initiate extraction from this world?” Feeling a wave of absolute liberation, I slumped onto the floor. Seeing me on the ground, Ethan sneered and tossed a sheer black lace dress at me. “Not enough?” “Then dance for us, darling. A striptease. Fifty grand a minute.” The moment he finished speaking, Mia, leaning against his shoulder, let out a tearful giggle. The circle of trust-fund brats around them started jeering and throwing cash at me. “Look at her, Manhattan’s biggest gold digger, Chloe Adams, selling her dignity again! Since Ethan’s paying out, I’ll book the first ten minutes!” Watching the green bills flutter down around me, I let out a bleak laugh and took a step back. Then, right before Ethan’s suddenly panicked eyes, I turned and threw myself off the yacht, plunging straight into the icy waters of the Hudson River. This time, the gold digger Chloe doesn’t want your money anymore. 1 When I opened my eyes, Ethan immediately leaned over, closely inspecting me. “You’re awake? Does anything hurt? Should I call the doctor?” At the same time, the System’s voice grumbled in my ear. “Host, you are way too impulsive!” “I just asked if you wanted to initiate extraction, I didn’t say we could leave immediately! Detaching your consciousness from this body takes seven days.” Fine. Seven days it is. Just enough time to say goodbye to the people in this world who actually matter. Ethan reached out and grabbed my hand. A second later, I yanked it away. Dead silence filled the hospital room. “Jumping into the river just like that? Your stunts are getting dramatic,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “I won’t hold it against you this time. Take the card.” “Mia was terrified by your little stunt last night. She’s in the hospital too. I need to go stay with her.” A sleek, black Centurion card gleamed against the stark white hospital sheets. I offered a weak, exhausted smile. Of course. Even when I nearly died right in front of him, he still thought this was all just a negotiation tactic for more money. When I first arrived in this world on a mission, my goal was to earn three million dollars to pay for my mother’s life-saving surgery back in my original reality. I actually hit that goal right before I married Ethan. I told the System to pay the hospital and planned to stay here, living out the rest of my life quietly by Ethan’s side. But on our wedding night, the System apologetically informed me that the exchange rate between the two dimensions had plummeted to ten-to-one. I needed to raise thirty million, or my mother would die immediately. The very next morning, Ethan saw paparazzi photos of me hawking my own jewelry on the news. His face turned to ice. “Ethan, I can explain…” “Save it. Since I married you, whatever kind of person you are, I’ll accept it.” He said it so casually, acting like he didn’t care at all. I foolishly let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t until he started bringing women home that I understood what his “acceptance” actually looked like. From the guest bedroom, the sounds of a couple going at it echoed down the hall. “Ethan, you’re so bad… aren’t you afraid your wife will get mad?” Ethan’s voice was utterly dismissive. “Mad? She’s exactly the same kind of woman you are. What right does she have to be mad?” “Actually, she’s much worse than you. After all, she scammed her way into the title of Mrs. Vance.” I spent that entire night leaning against the wall in the hallway, crying until I had no tears left. From that day on, the name Chloe Vance became infamous in New York’s elite circles. The rumor was that every time Ethan brought a woman home, he paid his wife a million dollars. If I laid out the condoms for them, that was a five-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus. If I personally held an umbrella and walked his mistresses to their Ubers in the rain, another three hundred thousand. Every single time, I shamelessly took the money. And every single time, Ethan’s disgust for me deepened. But I still held onto a tiny shred of hope. I thought, if he just knew the truth, maybe he’d believe me. Until Mia Harper showed up. She was an Ivy League graduate, a self-proclaimed idealist. The young girl despised the way Ethan threw money at his problems, and mocked me for being a useless, parasitic gold digger. Yesterday on the yacht, after she “accidentally” stepped on and tore my couture gown, she pulled a thick stack of ten-dollar bills out of her beat-up tote bag and told me to count it. When I refused to count her petty cash, she clenched her fists, her eyes welling up with stubborn tears. “Mrs. Vance, what is this supposed to mean? Are you looking down on me?” “I’m not like you. I might not have money, but at least I have a spine.” Ethan looked at her with pure, undisguised admiration. To coax a smile out of her, he physically forced me to my knees on the yacht’s deck and ordered me to bow. “Chloe, don’t you love money more than anything?” “Keep bowing until Mia laughs. If she’s happy, I don’t care how much it costs.” My gaze drifted back to the black card on the bed. My face was completely devoid of emotion as I tossed it back at his chest. “Keep it.” 2 Ethan’s face darkened instantly. “Only women who are actually loved by their husbands get to throw tantrums.” “Do you really think you have the right to give me attitude?” I gripped the blanket tightly, forcing out a smile that felt worse than sobbing. He always knew exactly where to twist the knife. He was right. I had no right. But what use does a dying person have for money? The hospital TV suddenly flashed to last night’s local news. “Billionaire’s Wife Takes a Midnight Swim: Highly Educated Mistress Plays the Ultimate Power Move.” Ethan’s brow furrowed, and he whipped out his phone. I, however, found the tabloids’ dramatic headlines genuinely amusing. I let out a bitter chuckle looking at the paparazzi shot of me plunging into the water. Seeing my reaction, Ethan raised an eyebrow. “I should have known. Just another one of your tricks.” “You put on this whole ‘jumping into the river’ spectacle just so you could tip off the press and slander Mia, didn’t you?” “Chloe, risking your own life just to secure a slightly bigger payout… you really are the lowest of the low.” He spun on his heel and stormed out of the hospital room. But I realized something surprising. My heart didn’t ache the way it usually did. For my last seven days, I refused to waste any more tears on this drama. I texted Maya, asking her to meet me at the little coffee shop where Ethan and I had our very first date. I figured, since everything started here, it was only fitting that everything ended here too. Maya grabbed my hands across the table, her eyes red. “Chloe, how did you get this thin after only six months of marriage? Look, let’s just go back to the West Coast. Leave the Vance family and all this toxic garbage behind.” I shook my head and laid everything out for her—the System, the money, the imminent departure. She sat in stunned silence for several minutes, but ultimately, she chose to believe me. But a second later, Maya’s eyes flared with pure, unadulterated rage. I followed her gaze. Right across the street, a trendy new artisan coffee shop was having its grand opening. The owner was Mia Harper. Ethan was standing right beside her, looking at her with an incredibly soft, indulgent expression. I should have been used to it. Last week it was a boutique clothing store. The week before that, a luxury pet spa. Whatever the girl wanted, Ethan personally bankrolled it. But why did they have to open this one right across the street from here… “That little homewrecker goes around telling everyone you’re a gold digger, while she’s literally having her life funded by your husband?! Oh, hell no. I’m going over there!” I scrambled to catch up with Maya. But I was too late. Ethan saw her coming and shoved her backward hard. “Chloe! Put your rabid dog on a leash!” Hearing that, my grip on Maya’s hand tightened. Before I could even process what I was doing, I slapped Ethan Vance hard across the face. The world went dead silent. The only thing I felt was the stinging heat in my palm. “You’re a parasite living off Ethan’s money! What gives you the right to hit people?!” Mia pointed her finger right in my face, screaming. Her shrieking drew a massive crowd of onlookers. Ethan radiated dark, violent fury. Maya immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me. “Do you have any idea your wife suffers from severe anxiety and depression?! And it’s all thanks to you and your little side piece! You practically drowned her yesterday, and now you want to hit her?!” I tugged at Maya’s sleeve, just wanting to escape. As I turned, a strong hand clamped down on my arm. “Chloe… is what she said true?” Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice sounding strangely tight. Mia suddenly let out a bubbly laugh, stepping around Maya as if they were old friends. “Wow, what a coincidence, Chloe! I’m getting my master’s in psychology. Why don’t I give you a free evaluation?” Maya shoved her shoulder. “Who knows what kind of garbage you’d make up? Back off.” Ethan’s gaze shifted to Mia, his tone instantly turning protective and fond. “Mia is a graduate student at Columbia. She earned her place through hard work and intellect. You can trust her professional opinion.” It was laughable. Why on earth would I trust his mistress? Mia tilted her head, putting on a perfectly rehearsed look of concern. “The thing is, the most obvious symptom of clinical depression is a total loss of the will to live.” “But Chloe’s survival instincts are incredibly strong. Especially her instinct to acquire wealth. That totally contradicts the diagnosis…” Ethan raised an eyebrow and let out a scoff. “Hah. She could lose everything in the world as long as she doesn’t lose a dollar. Depression? Hilarious.” “Chloe, you’re pretty clever, getting your friend to put on this little theatrical performance. I almost fell for it.” “Playing the tragic, misunderstood victim in the hospital, and now this? Tsk. You’re really working overtime to keep my attention.” My expression remained completely flat. Maya looked like she was going to pass out from pure rage. Ethan pulled Mia into his side, looking us up and down with mocking pity. “You and your friend should take some notes from Mia. Have your own ambitions and careers. Stop spending every waking hour scheming for a payout. Women need to value their self-respect.” He guided the girl into his waiting Maybach and sped off. Maya stood on the sidewalk, screaming curses into the exhaust fumes. I sighed. “Come on, let it go. I’m leaving anyway. What’s the point of arguing with them?” Maya burst into tears and threw her arms around me. “I swear to God, Chloe, after you leave, that bastard is going to regret this for the rest of his life!” 3 I had no idea if Ethan would regret it. I only knew that he didn’t come home that night either. To bury the negative press surrounding Mia’s little club incident, he organized a massive, high-profile charity street race, donating all the proceeds in Mia’s name. But for some reason, while he was behind the wheel, my completely unbothered, indifferent face kept flashing in his mind. Chloe has been acting so strange these past few days… In that split second of distraction, his sports car slammed into a concrete barrier. He survived without major injuries, but photos of him instinctively shielding Mia during the crash went viral on Twitter and Instagram. The next morning, he wired me three million dollars. We had an established rule: every time he was caught by the paparazzi with another woman, I got a three-million-dollar “inconvenience fee.” I used to desperately need that money, and he seemed to enjoy the transactional humiliation of our arrangement. I closed out of the news app, my thoughts drifting back to a long time ago. This was only the second time Ethan had ever street raced. The first time was for me. Back then, a rival syndicate of the Vance family had kidnapped me and dragged me up to a cabin in the Catskills. The Vance family had already arranged for professional fixers to deliver the ransom, but Ethan refused to wait. He insisted on going himself. The kidnappers had barricaded the mountain roads. Their real target was always Ethan. That night, he drove like a madman, ramming his car through the barricades. By the time we made it back to the Vance estate, he was battered and bleeding, looking like he’d been through a warzone. But I, sitting in the passenger seat, didn’t have a single scratch on me. I sat by his bedside, taking care of him for seven days and seven nights. When Ethan finally woke up, the very first thing he did was look for me. He pulled me tightly into his arms, his voice hoarse. “Thank God my Chloe is safe. If they had touched you, I would have killed every last one of them.” “If anything ever happened to you, I promise I wouldn’t survive it.” My heart had trembled, melting into absolute devotion. It was in that moment I decided I was going to stay by his side for the rest of my life. Now, years later, I stared at the three-million-dollar wire transfer notification on my phone… and hit “Decline.” A second later, my phone started buzzing violently. I just powered it off and went to sleep. Five days left. The second thing I needed to do was say goodbye to Lily. She was the very first girl I sponsored when I moved to New York. Last month, she finally got her acceptance letter to NYU. The moment I walked through the doors of the youth center, I ran right into Ethan. He was holding Mia’s hand, presenting an oversized novelty check from the street race to this exact facility. Wow. What a coincidence. A gentle breeze ruffled Mia’s hair. She looked like an angel as she offered words of encouragement to the kids. “I’m here to help you today, but what I really hope is that you learn from my example. You have to rely on yourself to find your value in this world.” The kids gathered around her, cheering and clapping. Ethan watched her, his eyes overflowing with adoration. But my eyes were fixed on what she was holding in her hand—the black Centurion card Ethan had tried to give me two days ago. Lily’s eyes were red. “Chloe, why are you suddenly leaving?” “Back before you even married into the Vance family, you worked three jobs just to pay for my schooling. I haven’t even had a chance to pay you back yet…” I reached out to ruffle Lily’s hair, but before I could comfort her, a voice cut in. “Ethan, look! Isn’t that your gold-digger wife? Ugh, she’s stalking us again!” Ethan scowled and marched over to me, grabbing my arm and dragging me into a corner. He lowered his voice, his tone sharp. “Go home. Are you seriously throwing a jealous fit here?!” “Today is a big day for Mia. Do not cause a scene!” Lily was startled but quickly ran over to defend me. “Chloe is my sponsor! Excuse me, sir, but you need to show some respect!” Ethan froze. “Since when have you been sponsoring kids? Why didn’t I know about this?” I answered flatly, “I started before we were married. I don’t need to report every detail of my life to you.” Ethan’s face turned a darker shade of anger. “You’re certainly generous when it comes to strangers.” After a long pause, a look of realization dawned on his face, and he eyed me with suspicion. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been greedy. You want the glamorous title of a billionaire’s wife, but you also want the saintly philanthropist image to go with it.” “Did you bribe my secretary for my itinerary today, or did you just guess I’d be here from the news? Chloe, your little schemes are endless.” Mia marched over, puffing out her cheeks in self-righteous anger. “Exactly, Mrs. Vance! True charity shouldn’t be done for fame!” “Running all the way over here just to show off to Ethan… you’re only making him look down on you even more!” They were living in their own delusional reality. I had completely lost the desire to explain myself. “Sure. Whatever you guys say.” I checked my phone. It was getting late. Ethan grabbed Mia’s hand and roughly shoved past me. “Let’s see how long she can keep this act up.” Watching them walk away, Lily looked incredibly confused. “Chloe, is that really your husband? Why would he say those things? Doesn’t he know you’re leaving?” My expression was calm. “Lily, as you grow up, I hope you develop the ability to see through the surface of things. Don’t be fooled by appearances, and always protect your own heart.” … Ethan didn’t come home for the next three days. My departure date was rapidly approaching. During those days, the only contact I had with him were the wire transfer notifications. As usual, I rejected every single one. In the early hours of my second-to-last day, my bedroom door was violently shoved open. A man reeking of scotch pinned me to the mattress and crushed his mouth against mine. Smack! “Ethan Vance, what the hell is wrong with you?!” 4 He forcefully gripped my jaw, his eyes terrifyingly bloodshot. “You won’t take my money, and now you won’t even let me kiss you, huh?” “Chloe, aren’t you obsessed with money? What kind of game are you playing now? Or did you find yourself a new sugar daddy?” I shoved him away with all my strength, pulling a pillow against my chest to protect myself. “Why do you suddenly care what I do?” “You have your pure, morally superior little mistress. If you’re horny, go find her. Don’t come in here looking for a fight.” Those words seemed to snap Ethan back to reality. He stopped struggling and stared intensely at my face, as if trying to decipher some hidden meaning. But the cold, detached look in my eyes only seemed to agitate him further. Something had fundamentally shifted. I fully expected him to storm out and head to Mia’s apartment. But the next morning, I found him asleep on the living room sofa. He looked strangely peaceful. My phone rang, breaking the silence. I looked away and walked back to my room to answer it. “What’s wrong, Maya?” “Chloe, I’m moving back to LA. That little bitch Mia used Ethan’s name to threaten my boss. I got fired…” A heavy weight crashed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. No matter how much I endured, my toxic marriage was still dragging my friends down with me. Maya tried her best to keep her voice light. “It’s fine, honestly! I was thinking about moving back anyway. With you leaving, there’s no point in me staying in this city…” After hanging up, I frantically opened my jewelry box and started emptying it. Thank God. I still had a few pieces of solid gold jewelry I hadn’t pawned yet. Gold prices were high right now; the cash from these would be enough to cover Maya’s living expenses for a few years. I found a pawn shop in Brooklyn, far away from the Upper East Side. But the second I walked through the door, I knew I had walked into a trap. Mia’s voice drifted from behind me. “Ethan, you’re just too naive. You actually believed this woman suddenly stopped caring about money.” “See? A dog always goes back to its vomit. She’s here pawning the jewelry you bought her.” Her eyes gleamed like a hawk locked onto its prey. I slowly clenched my fists, my entire body shaking. This young girl, who constantly preached about her “moral purity,” had gotten Maya fired, stalked me to a pawn shop, and orchestrated this entire confrontation! I tried, weakly, to explain. “Ethan didn’t buy these. I saved up for them myself. And if you hadn’t ruined my friend’s life, I wouldn’t have to pawn them…” Crash! The jewelry box was violently smacked out of my hands by an ice-cold Ethan. The gold chains and rings scattered across the dirty tile floor with a loud clatter. Swallowing every ounce of my pride, I dropped to my knees and desperately started gathering them up. I couldn’t lose a single piece. Every ring was Maya’s rent money. I already owed my friend too much. I couldn’t let her suffer anymore. Ethan planted his expensive leather shoe down on one of the gold rings, staring down at me with absolute disgust. “Chloe, you are truly repulsive.” “When you stopped taking my wire transfers, I actually thought you had changed. Playing hard to get to my face, while sneaking around pawning my gifts behind my back. If Mia hadn’t warned me, I might have actually felt sorry for you.” I didn’t even look up. I just carefully handed the gold I had gathered to the pawnshop owner. “It’s all 24-karat. Can you weigh it? I only want cash.” “Anyone who buys her gold is declaring war on the Vance family!” The owner’s hand froze awkwardly in mid-air. I looked up at Ethan in absolute disbelief. “Don’t cross the line! I bought these with my own money!” Ethan leaned down, gripping my chin, his eyes completely devoid of warmth. “Chloe, do people like you even have ‘personal property’? What do you have that wasn’t paid for by me?” I let out a harsh, bitter laugh. Tears spilled over my lashes, completely out of my control. “If you don’t trust me, why are we still doing this dance? We can just get a divorce.” Divorce meant nothing to me now. But maybe I just wanted to hear his answer. Just how deeply did he hate me? Ethan’s pupils contracted sharply, and his grip on my jaw loosened. Mia panicked. “Ethan, are you actually going to believe a woman who has done nothing but lie to you?” “If you believe her, then I’ll leave! Let’s just pretend I framed her today!” Ethan grabbed the girl’s arm as she turned to run, pulling her close and resting his nose against her temple. He coaxed her gently. “Don’t be silly. How could a sweet, innocent girl like you ever frame anyone?” When he looked back at me, his eyes had turned back to ice. “Notify every jeweler and pawn shop in the tri-state area. No one is to do business with Chloe Adams.” After they left, I clutched the jewelry to my chest and walked for a very, very long time. I walked until my legs were completely numb, finally arriving outside Maya’s apartment building. I handed her the gold and told her she’d have to find a way to pawn it herself. Maya accepted it through her tears. The final, heaviest stone in my heart was finally lifted. Tonight, after midnight, I would finally be free.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391179”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Carter Hayes pursued me for seven years. On his 99th proposal, he sank to the bottom of the tank at the city aquarium, dancing with a beluga whale in front of hundreds of cheering tourists. Deeply moved, I smiled and nodded yes. That very afternoon, he told me he was taking me to meet his parents. Instead, he drove me to a cemetery. In front of their headstones, I was pinned to the ground by countless hands, completely paralyzed. The next day, flyers plastered with naked photos of me covered the city streets. My phone blew up with thousands of vile, harassing calls. Driven to despair, I tracked Carter down. My voice choked with tears. “Why are you doing this to me?” Carter leaned in, his voice a soft, terrifying whisper against my ear. “Did you notice the date of death on my parents’ headstones?” “It’s the exact same day your father committed that hit-and-run.” He bound my hands and feet and threw me into an enclosed whale tank. “You love being with the whales so much, right? Enjoy.” Thank God the beluga I had trained slammed her body against the gate until she bled, alerting the staff who pulled me out. But I had been underwater too long. The oxygen deprivation caused severe brain damage, requiring extensive physical therapy just to function again. Months later, after discovering the horrific truth behind the accident, Carter held my trembling hand, his own hands shaking violently. “Chloe, please… will you give me one more chance?” 1 I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve faced this foam therapy ball. The moment my fingertips brushed the surface, a sharp spike of pain shot up my nerves, hammering right into my temples. “Try to grip it. That’s it, slowly apply pressure.” The physical therapist gently guided my fingers. I gritted my teeth. It was the simplest movement in the world, yet it required every ounce of energy in my body. Finally, my fingertips barely curled around the edge of the ball. Before I could even exhale, a wave of intense vertigo hit me. The ball slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a smack, rolling far away. I slumped back into the therapy chair, letting out a heavy, defeated breath. But the moment my muscles relaxed, I froze. Through the glass window of the door, I saw a familiar pair of eyes. Those eyes radiated a cold, malicious indifference—an expression I had never seen on him before the cemetery. But this… this was the real Carter Hayes. Seeing someone enter, the therapist took a step back. “Mr. Hayes. Unfortunately, we aren’t seeing much progress in today’s session.” Carter picked up the ball from the floor, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. “You can leave us. It seems she’s just not being obedient.” Seeing the look on his face, goosebumps erupted across my arms. I looked at the therapist, my eyes begging him to stay. But he was paid to do a job. He let out a quiet sigh and walked out of the room. “Chloe, why are you always so stubborn? Let me help you with your therapy.” “Here, grab the ball.” I tried to clench my fist, but I had absolutely no strength left. My hand didn’t move an inch. “Get out!” Carter looked at me, his eyes narrowing in displeasure. “Why are you being so uncooperative?” “Chloe, remember: if I can throw you into a whale tank, I can throw your hit-and-run murderer of a father in there right next to you!” My head snapped up. “Carter, don’t you dare touch my dad!” Carter’s eyes turned into dangerous slits. He lifted the ball again, dangling it right in front of my face. “Then shouldn’t you be a good girl and do your therapy?” “Fine.” I clenched my jaw and painstakingly raised my hand toward the ball. Just as my fingertips were about to brush the foam, Carter chucked the ball all the way across the room. He tilted his head, his gaze lazy and sadistic. “Chloe, go fetch the ball. Good girl.” My face burned hot red as a wave of utter humiliation crashed over me. But remembering his threat against my father, I slowly, agonizingly started to wheel my chair forward. Carter smiled with dark satisfaction. “Such a good dog.” I fought back my tears. Just a little further. Almost there. If I just get the ball, it’ll be fine. Struggling to control my damaged motor skills, I kept one hand on the wheelchair rim and reached out with the other to grab the ball from the floor. Suddenly, the wheelchair was violently yanked backward. I pitched forward, crashing clumsily onto the hard linoleum. My face slammed into the therapy ball, sending it bouncing away again. Carter let go of the wheelchair handles, his voice dripping with ice. “Chloe, you really need to be more careful.” “Look. The ball got away again.” I stared up at Carter, feeling like I was truly seeing him for the first time. Perhaps my glare triggered something in him. He stepped forward and planted his expensive leather shoe directly onto the back of my hand. “Chloe, I said… go fetch the ball.” The crushing pain radiating from my hand made me curl up instinctively. Carter looked down like he had just made a fascinating scientific discovery. “Well look at that, Chloe! Your body still reacts to pain!” With that, he ground his heel down harder. The skin on the back of my hand tore under the sole of his shoe, and I couldn’t stop myself from screaming. Carter’s face went deadpan. “Chloe, moaning like that… maybe I should just pimp you out. You’d make a fortune on the streets.” My mind violently snapped back to six months ago. The memory of the vile, filthy things the men he hired had said to me flooded my nervous system. I clutched my ears, breaking down completely. “Please… please stop, please don’t say that.” Carter scoffed, looking at me with pure contempt. “You’re only getting exactly what you deserve. If you want someone to blame, blame your father for killing my parents!” “And because he did that, I am going to inflict every ounce of that pain onto his precious daughter.” 2 I lay paralyzed on the floor, muttering uncontrollably. “That’s not what happened… it’s not…” “My dad didn’t… he didn’t hit them and run. He was framed!” Just then, Carter’s cell phone rang. “Mia,” he answered. The way his lips formed her name sent my heart plummeting straight into the abyss. “Mhm, I love you too. I’ll be home a little late.” Watching him hang up the phone with such a tender expression, memories of our past surged up, bringing a dull, throbbing ache to my chest. “Carter, please just let me go.” He suddenly grabbed my jaw, his fingers digging into my cheeks. “Let you go? Do you think becoming a pathetic cripple cancels out the fact that your father murdered my family?” “Keep dreaming!” He leaned in to kiss me. I quickly jerked my head away. “You have a new girlfriend. How can you do this to her?” He stroked my long hair, almost like he was petting a stray dog. “She doesn’t know you exist. And don’t you dare try to get her attention.” “Get better. Then, you can receive your next punishment.” When the therapist returned and saw me lying on the floor, he hurriedly rushed over to help me back into my wheelchair. Once I was settled, he spoke quietly. “Chloe, your father called. He said Pearl isn’t doing well.” “He asked if you wanted to go back and see her.” My heart dropped. Pearl was the beluga whale I had trained for years. She was the one who had bashed herself against the steel grate until she bled, alerting the staff to save me from the tank. Three years ago, Pearl had started showing signs of severe depression. She was deeply attached to me, but I could never go back to her. I couldn’t even reach out a hand to pet her without exhausting myself. After a long silence, I couldn’t ignore the knot of anxiety in my stomach. “I… I want to go see her.” “I’ll have to ask Mr. Hayes for permission,” the therapist replied. I let out a cold laugh. Why do I have to ask Carter for permission just to leave the building? During the darkest moments of my life, it was Pearl and my father who kept me alive. Back then, I had just been pulled off life support. I had to relearn how to blink. I thought my life was completely, utterly over. I lay in my hospital bed, refusing to eat or drink. It was my dad who snuck me out, dodging the nurses, and wheeled me into the aquarium after hours. Pearl swam frantically to the edge of the pool, pushing her large, bulbous head against my legs through the glass. After a while, she seemed to realize I couldn’t move. A thick, heavy tear rolled out of her massive eye. She just stayed there with me. Because she was partially out of the water for too long, her skin started to dry out and crack. The caretakers gently pushed her back into the water, but she violently thrashed her way back up to the ledge, refusing to move, just staying right by my side. After the third time they pushed her back in and she stubbornly forced herself back onto the concrete, I finally broke down and cried. “Pearl, don’t worry. I promise I’ll stay alive.” Only then did she seem to relax, sliding back into the deep water. Just like she used to do a hundred times before, she flipped her tail at me, splashing water against the glass. That was the day Carter tracked me down and dragged me away again. This time, he hid me somewhere much more secure. “You are serving a sentence for your father!” “Why do you always try to escape me?” I tried to explain, over and over again, but he never believed a word. Seeing Pearl again. Her emaciated frame made me almost afraid to recognize her. I sat hidden in the crowd, watching her perform her routine, over and over, looking utterly exhausted. It felt like someone was slicing my heart open with a scalpel. “Chloe, I didn’t think you’d actually have the guts to show up here.” The familiar voice sneered from beside me. I started trembling uncontrollably. Carter stood there with his arms crossed, looking down at me like a god judging a mortal. Beside him stood a stunningly beautiful woman. “Chloe, I can’t believe you dared to come back to the city.” “What, looking to get back into your old line of work?” “How much do you charge for a night now? I could have a few of my buddies throw some business your way.” The sheer contempt in her voice triggered a violent flashback. When Carter had his men strip my clothes off, they had used that exact same tone. “Look at yourself, Chloe. This is exactly what a murderer looks like.” “All the pretty packaging in the world can’t hide how rotten you and your father are on the inside.” “If my parents could see the daughter of their killer looking this pathetic, they’d be thrilled.” Time and time again, Carter’s words pierced straight through my heart. I didn’t answer. I just stared anxiously at Pearl in the water. Carter sneered. “Chloe, don’t tell me you’re still trying to save this stupid fish?” “You couldn’t even do it when you had a functioning body. Do you think you can do it now as a cripple?” I clenched my jaw, fighting to control my emotions. Since the severe brain trauma, extreme emotional distress could trigger seizures. “I’m going inside.” I don’t know how much time passed before the crowd erupted into cheers. A mermaid performer was being proposed to. The bright red letters on the waterproof sign were impossible to miss. [CARTER, I LOVE YOU.] Carter used his arms to form a massive heart back at her. “That’s my girlfriend, Mia.” The same woman who had just mocked me to my face. They were together. “Look how beautifully she swims. Just like a real mermaid, right?” “Oh, I almost forgot. You used to be the best trainer they had.” 3 Carter’s words hammered heavily against my chest. The heartache was so intense I briefly dissociated. Time seemed to rewind. I remembered when Carter secretly spent three months learning to free-dive, and I had no idea. A coworker eventually told me. They said he was terrified of the water and wouldn’t even get in the pool at first. Once, he even passed out from sheer panic after diving in. But he gritted his teeth and kept practicing, insisting he had to give me the perfect underwater proposal. When my coworker told me the story, her eyes were practically glowing with envy. Who could have ever imagined that the man who looked at me like I hung the moon and the man who shoved me into the abyss were the exact same person? Looking at the scene playing out before me, a storm raged in my eyes, but in the end, I just offered a quiet: “That’s nice.” “I’ve seen enough. I want to go back.” I turned to maneuver my wheelchair away, but Carter indignantly blocked my path. “Chloe, how the hell are you so at peace with yourself?!” “You deserve to be spat on by thousands! You deserve to be cursed by millions!” His eyes were bloodshot, looking like a rabid animal. Suddenly, he laughed—a wild, unhinged cackle. “Chloe, you really care about this whale, don’t you?” “Then I’m going to make you watch her die in absolute despair!” My heart seized. I panicked. “Carter, what are you doing?!” Carter looked down at me with his usual arrogant superiority. “Oh, now you’re panicking, Chloe? Where did all that calm indifference go?” “Can’t bear it? If you get down on your knees, I’ll let her go.” After a beat, he scoffed again. “Oh, I forgot. Your broken body can’t even kneel anymore.” “Chloe, what makes you think a cripple can save her?” He tapped a few buttons on his phone. The massive jumbotron above the performance pool suddenly switched from the live feed to a video of countless wild belugas swimming and leaping freely in the open ocean. Pearl was captivated by the screen. She stopped her performance entirely. I could see the raw, desperate longing for freedom in her eyes. But then, the video abruptly cut. Footage of hundreds of whales being electrocuted, hunted, and violently hauled onto slaughter ships flooded the massive screen. I screamed in absolute terror! “No! Stop!” “Carter, I’m begging you, turn it off!” As a professional trainer, I knew exactly what this would do. A highly intelligent creature trapped in a tiny, claustrophobic glass box cannot handle that kind of psychological shock and overstimulation. On the stage, Pearl began to thrash and emit agonizing, high-pitched shrieks. I stared at Carter, pleading with everything I had. But he just stared back at me with dead eyes, completely expressionless. It was as if he was punishing me for my earlier indifference. Sitting trapped in my wheelchair, there was absolutely nothing I could do. I could only cover my eyes in sheer despair. I couldn’t bear to look at Pearl. My fingertips were trembling violently. Finally, breaking down completely in the midst of the silent tremors, I screamed at Carter: “When are you going to stop this insane revenge crusade?! My father NEVER committed a hit-and-run!” “You have been completely, fundamentally wrong this entire time!” Carter froze for a split second, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. “Chloe, you are just as disgusting as your father.” “To protect a stupid fish, you’d actually spew a lie like that?” “Your whole family is nothing but shameless liars! Murderers!” His eyes were blood-red, looking like a man refusing to hear an unacceptable truth. But… I was telling the absolute truth. He just couldn’t handle it. He refused to believe it. I slumped back into my wheelchair, the world spinning sickeningly around me. That night, I received a call from the aquarium director. “Chloe… Pearl… she killed herself.” 4 The phone slipped from my hand. Thinking of Pearl’s emaciated body, tears fell silently down my face. Maybe it’s better this way. She’s finally free. Pearl, in your next life, I hope you get to swim in the endless ocean. Never cross paths with me again, and never, ever cross paths with another human. That night, consumed by severe depression, I sat by the open window, letting the freezing wind whip against my face for a long time. Just then, the door opened. I turned around in terror, only to lock eyes with my father. He had disguised himself in a lab coat to sneak into the private care facility. “Chloe, Dad’s here.” He looked at my skeletal frame, holding my face in his hands, his voice breaking. “Dad’s taking you home.” I sobbed and nodded. We dodged the security cameras and managed to slip into his truck undetected. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I never thought that animal Carter would hide you away again!” I stayed hidden in our old family home for a long time. The walls were covered in photos of me and Pearl during our training days. After Pearl died, I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep. If I hadn’t shown up, if I hadn’t gone back… Pearl wouldn’t have been triggered by the video Carter orchestrated. Carter’s revenge had worked perfectly. I lay awake night after night, drowning in guilt and self-hatred. My father just watched me, sighing heavily. There was no longer a Pearl to pull me out of the abyss of despair. In my childhood bedroom, there were still so many things tied to Carter. The small white-noise machine on my nightstand—he had scoured the entire city to find it. Just because I casually mentioned, “I always sleep so well when it rains.” The projector in the living room—he installed it himself. Just because a movie I wanted to see was pulled from theaters. When he finished setting it up, his smile was so bright. “See? Now my Chloe never has to worry about missing a movie again!” The drawers full of hand cream—he hoarded them for me whenever he traveled for work, just because I loved this specific brand. Piece by piece, these memories had turned into toxic thorns buried in my heart. Even breathing hurt. Until I received a text message. The sender was Mia. Pearl’s new trainer. The text was a photograph. I immediately recognized it as Pearl’s feeding bucket. The fresh fish had been replaced with a sludgy, rotting meat paste. Two lines of text accompanied the photo. [Your whale was pretty tough, surviving on garbage like this for three years before finally dying.] [She screamed at your picture every single day. Too bad she never got to see you before she went.] The blood in my veins turned to ice. A freezing chill seeped into my bones. My heart felt like it was going to explode with pure, unadulterated rage. How dare they! How could they treat my Pearl like that! Physical pain ripped through my chest. Unable to withstand the violent surge of emotion, my vision went completely black. In my coma, I thought I saw Pearl. She was swimming aimlessly in the tiny, cramped tank. Then she breached the surface, wailing mournfully at the photo of us taped to the concrete wall. When I opened my eyes, I was back in a hospital bed. In just one day, my father seemed to have aged a decade. Seeing me wake up, the man who had always been a pillar of strength burst into tears. “Baby, please… can you please stop torturing yourself like this?” Looking at my father’s graying hair, my nose stung. “Dad, I’m so sorry.” My father held me, his tears soaking my hospital gown. “Oh, sweetie… it’s all my fault. I failed to protect you.” How could it possibly be his fault? Just like Pearl, he had never done anything wrong. “Dad. I want to call the police.” My father gently patted my back. “Okay. Dad will make the call.” At the precinct, I handed my phone with the text message to the detective. “Officer, please, you have to investigate this thoroughly.” The young detective sitting across from me nodded solemnly. My eyes flicked to his nametag: Liam Sterling. What a nice name. Mia was quickly summoned to the precinct. When she saw me, her eyes went wide. “Chloe, how dare you call the cops?” “Don’t forget, your father is a hit-and-run murderer!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “391178”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I am the top cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Luke’s Medical Center. But after I single-handedly secured tens of millions in sponsorships, my husband, Ethan, suddenly went back on his word. He gave the Vice-Chair position he had promised me to Mia. He even swapped me out as the attending physician for several VIPs I had just dragged back from death’s door, handing them over to her. His excuse was that I needed to rest my body to prepare for IVF. But behind my back, he joked with his friends. “That old man Bennett is still lying in a coma! Chloe has no backing anymore… If it weren’t for her family doing mine a favor, and my old man forcing me to marry her on his deathbed, the Clarke family’s daughter-in-law would only be Mia!” “Divorce? Impossible. We have an understanding… If she throws a tantrum, I’ll just pacify her with some of Mia’s old jewelry! Isn’t that what we’ve always done?” I laughed. At the board meeting the next day, I slammed my leave slip right in front of Mia. “The two months of PTO I’ve saved up? I’m starting it today.” —— 1 “Leave?” The woman chased me into my office in her stilettos, running so fast her makeup was smudging. “I don’t approve!” I didn’t even bother looking up, continuing to pack up the patient files I needed to hand over. “The former Chairman of St. Luke’s said that I can bypass anyone for time off… This slip is just a notification, not a request.” “Don’t you dare!” Mia slammed her hand on the leave slip on my desk. “If you dare to take leave, I’ll fire you.” She regretted the words the second they left her mouth. As the ace of St. Luke’s cardiothoracic surgery department, the hospital would grind to a halt without me. Let alone the Wall Street billionaires who only invested here because they trusted my surgical skills. “Fine by me…” I smiled, raising my eyes. “I’ll just treat it as an extended vacation! I’ll leave all these complex, life-or-death cases in your capable hands, Vice-Chair Scott.” I shoved a heavy box full of medical records into Mia’s arms. As I turned to leave, she violently grabbed my arm. “You are not allowed to leave!” She was anxious and furious, her manicured nails digging painfully into my skin. “Old Mr. Clarke is dead. Ethan gave me control of the board. I am the one calling the shots at St. Luke’s now!” Before she could finish her sentence, I slapped her hard across her left cheek. The blinds in my office were wide open. The passing doctors and nurses saw everything clearly. An angry, flushed red crept from Mia’s neck all the way to her eyes. I should have delivered this slap six months ago, the day I found out about her and Ethan. But back then, my dad had just been diagnosed with a brain tumor and was at the most critical stage of his treatment. He had held my hand, begging me to live a good life with Ethan. He said that way, he could die in peace. Ethan had apologized and sworn, like every other cheating man, that he would cut her off completely. More importantly, he had made me a promise. Only by becoming the Vice-Chair of St. Luke’s could I fulfill my father’s lifelong dream: rolling out AI-driven emergency medical robots in public spaces nationwide. Ultimately, Ethan needed my surgical skills, and I needed his administrative power. The familiar sound of leather dress shoes approached faster than expected. “Why did you hit her?!” Along with the roar came a tearing pain in my right wrist. Ethan pulled Mia into his arms with one hand, glaring at me furiously. “You know exactly what your father promised me.” Three years ago, St. Luke’s was hit by an unprecedented nursing strike. Staff resigned in droves, and hospital operations completely paralyzed. I wished I could clone myself a dozen times over, sprinting from the ER to the maternity ward, eventually collapsing from severe myocarditis. I nearly died. Ethan’s father—the former Chairman of St. Luke’s—bowed deeply to me in front of a room full of patients. “This is a debt that I, and St. Luke’s, owe you! From this day forward, ask for whatever you want!” I struggled to free my wrist, but his grip was iron. “Since Ms. Scott is the Vice-Chair now, she inherits the debt St. Luke’s owes me.” “Forget about slapping her…” I raised an eyebrow coldly. “Even you, the Chairman—I could slap you right now if I wanted to!” “Chloe!” The veins on the man’s temples throbbed. “Don’t push it!” Agonizing pain shot from my wrist straight to my chest. I forced out a cold sneer. “If you squeeze any harder, you’re going to have to find a new chief surgeon for St. Luke’s.” The threat worked. I massaged my aching wrist and let my gaze sweep over Mia. I smirked and turned to walk away. Just as I reached the elevators, the woman shouted down the hall. “Chloe Bennett, you’re nothing but a barren hen!” “A woman who can’t produce a Clarke family heir will never secure a place in this house!” 2 My footsteps abruptly halted. I glanced back. Ethan’s face was completely emotionless. He just crossed his arms, looking like he was enjoying the show. Without hesitation, I walked right back and stopped in front of Mia. The woman, who was half a head taller than me, stared down at me with smug provocation. She was young, pretty, and a decent doctor. Most importantly, her womb worked. Six months ago, she had given birth to Ethan’s baby boy. “Has Ms. Scott ever wondered why, six months later, you still haven’t been allowed to step foot inside the Clarke family estate?” I tapped a finger against her flat stomach, smiling sweetly. “Want me to ask him for you? Ask if he’ll ever let you and your bastard cross the threshold?” Mia’s face instantly drained of color. Ethan’s chest heaved slightly, his brows furrowed as he glared at me. I stepped up to him and placed my hand over his heart. Leaning in close, the familiar yet foreign warmth made me space out for a fraction of a second. Thankfully, it was only a second before I snapped back to reality. “You were the one who wronged me first, Ethan.” “So keep your dog on a leash, or I have plenty of ways to make your Wall Street backers pull their funding.” I took the crumpled leave slip from Mia and tucked it neatly into the breast pocket of his tailored suit. “When I come back in two months, you’d better pray no major medical emergencies happen while I’m gone.” When I looked up, Ethan’s face was black as thunder. I bent down, unbuckled my designer heels, and dangled them in front of his face. “I don’t like second-hand goods. You can have them back.” —— I didn’t feel the sharp, stinging pain in the soles of my feet until the Uber was miles away. I lifted my feet; they were bleeding heavily. The driver looked back in the rearview mirror, concerned. “Ma’am, should I take you back to the ER to get that treated?” “No, keep driving to LAX.” There was only one direct flight to Paris a day, and I wasn’t going to miss it. I expertly dug out the first-aid kit from my bag, but an ultrasound photo slipped out of my wallet. As I bent down to pick it up, scalding tears splashed onto the back of my hand. I hated crying. Crying was the most useless thing a person could do. Over the years, I had only cried twice: the night my dad fell into a coma, and the day I learned my eight-month-old fetus had died in my womb. It was at the absolute peak of the COVID pandemic. Every hospital in Los Angeles was overflowing. Medical staff were getting infected and dropping like flies. I was already on maternity leave, but Ethan literally begged me to come back and take the helm. I worked back-to-back shifts for over two weeks, eventually caught the virus, and was forced to terminate the pregnancy. When I heard the news, I locked myself in a hospital bathroom and wailed until I lost my voice. I had known Ethan for twenty years. My dad was once St. Luke’s top cardiothoracic surgeon, a brother-in-arms to Ethan’s father. I had buried all my teenage, girlish love for him beneath the guise of a strategic business marriage. He knew full well that losing that baby was my deepest trauma. Yet he personally handed the knife to Mia. —— When I landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport, I turned my phone back on to a flood of missed calls and texts. Even my work inbox was maxed out. Buried in a pile of frantic emails from St. Luke’s was an invitation from a man I hadn’t seen in years. I opened it, read it, and replied with three words. We’ll see. During my twelve-hour flight, Ethan had been looking for me like a madman. Just as I predicted, the VIP ward had gone up in flames. First, a New York Senator’s cardiovascular stent reclogged; he needed the old one removed and a new one installed. Then, a Silicon Valley tech CEO’s aortic aneurysm suddenly expanded, risking an imminent rupture. Unfortunately, both of these powerful men were in terrible overall health. No one else dared to take on the surgical risks. In other words, I was the only person alive who could save St. Luke’s from a massive PR disaster. Mia, the newly minted Vice-Chair, simply didn’t have the risk tolerance or skill to handle it. Ethan was only willing to swallow his pride and beg me because he was trying to protect her. I turned my phone off. I sat on a bench in a Parisian park, sipping a coffee as I watched a breathtaking sunset. Ethan and I had our wedding at a cathedral here in Paris. Every white dove in the square had witnessed our half-fake, half-real happiness. And my genuine heart, which had loved him for ten years, hidden behind corporate interests. But ironically, it was also here in this city that he bought a luxury villa for Mia to safely carry out her pregnancy. My phone rang abruptly. It was the old friend who had sent the email. “I’m back stateside.” “Have you thought about coming to my hospital? Whatever St. Luke’s can’t give you, I can.” “No,” I smiled softly. “I’m still wearing the title of the Clarke family’s wife. It wouldn’t be right.” After hanging up, I checked my watch. It was time for my daily video call with the private nurse taking care of my dad. But the panicked face on the screen told me something was terribly wrong. “Dr. Bennett, your father is gone… Someone came to the facility an hour ago and took him.” Without a second thought, I dialed Ethan’s number. “You took my dad, didn’t you?” He paused, but didn’t even try to hide it. “I miss you. Let’s meet.” 3 The meeting place was set in Paris, in the exact private suite of the hotel where we held our wedding reception. Outside the window was a sea of roses; inside, the atmosphere was freezing. “Why did you take my dad?” “Take? That’s an ugly word,” the man said, picking up his espresso and leaning back lazily. “I just felt bad that my father-in-law has been bedridden for so long. I wanted to take him out to sea to relax.” “Out to sea?” My heart dropped. The sudden click-clack of high heels was especially grating. Mia walked in wearing the exact same haute couture gown I had worn on my wedding day, resting her head lightly against Ethan’s shoulder. “Yes, out to sea…” She picked up Ethan’s phone from the table, unlocked it easily, and handed it to me. “Ethan specifically picked out his most luxurious yacht.” The video feed on the screen was violently rocking back and forth. On the yacht’s deck, lying on a starkly out-of-place hospital bed, was my father, in his vegetative state. Because of the crashing waves, his ventilator and heart monitor were violently shaking. I stared at the fluctuating vitals on the screen, my eyes turning red. “My dad is a critical patient! How could you take him out into the wind and freezing spray?” Ethan smirked. “I am the Chief of Neurosurgery. I know my father-in-law’s condition better than anyone.” “The sea breeze will stimulate his cerebral cortex. If I say he’s fine, he’s fine!” “Ethan!” I slammed my hands on the table and stood up, losing control of my emotions in a rare break of composure. My mother had died of an illness when I was very young. After my miscarriage, my father was my only living blood relative. “If anything happens to my dad on your boat, it’s involuntary manslaughter!” “Oh, now you’re panicking?” Mia stood up and slapped me hard across the face with a cold scoff. The ring on her finger cut my lip, drawing blood. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of panic in Ethan’s eyes. But he quickly regained his cold composure. “Based on the timeline, the yacht is already in international waters… If something happens in international waters, US federal law can’t touch me.” The video only showed the vast, endless ocean. He wasn’t lying. Even if he ordered his men to throw my dad overboard right now, it would be incredibly hard to convict him. Watching my dad’s precarious ventilator, my nails dug so hard into my palms they drew blood. “What exactly do you want?!” “Cancel your leave and fly back immediately to do the surgeries.” Ethan reached out and looped his arm around Mia’s neck, absently playing with her earring. “From now on, you cannot take leave without Mia’s approval, and you are never to mention the debt the Clarke family owes you again.” He slapped a legal agreement onto the table. If I signed it, it meant I would be trampled under Mia’s feet for the rest of my life. “And if I refuse?” Ethan tapped his phone. “The breeze on the deck isn’t strong enough. Let my father-in-law experience something a bit more thrilling.” Before I could process what was happening, two men in black suits appeared on the video feed. They tied my father’s hands with rope and hoisted him up, suspending him over the yacht’s railing. The massive waves crashing against the hull instantly soaked him to the bone. Though his oxygen mask was still strapped to his face, it looked like it could be ripped off by the wind at any second. “If you keep stalling, I’ll have them turn off the oxygen…” Before Ethan could finish his sentence, a dark red stain blossomed across his shoulder blade. I gripped my dessert fork and violently drove it another half-inch deep into his flesh. “If my dad dies, I’m taking you to hell with him!” The man’s dark eyes were suddenly filled with monstrous hatred. Mia shrieked and ordered his guards to pull me off him. The moment the fork was ripped from my hand, I was slammed face-first into the table. Mia grabbed a knife, looking like she was about to gouge my eye out. “Enough.” Ethan ripped his shirt open; the puncture wound was gruesome. “The pillar of St. Luke’s cardiothoracic department can’t be blind. We still need her reputation to secure funding.” He bit down on a piece of gauze, his eyes freezing cold. “Make a call to my father-in-law’s old friend.” I froze instantly. “The family of the cartel boss he refused to operate on eight years ago… they just got deported back to the States.” “No!” When I realized what he meant, a guttural, desperate scream tore from my throat. “That’s no different than sending my dad to his death!” “Ethan!” I tasted iron in the back of my throat, my eyes bloodshot. “If you hate me this much, why don’t you just divorce me?!” “Divorce?” Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he grabbed my jaw tightly. “In your dreams! So you can divorce me and take half my assets, including my shares in St. Luke’s?” “Don’t think I don’t know your dad’s lifelong dream was to push his AI emergency tech nationwide! Isn’t that the whole calculated reason you married me?” The metallic scent of blood flooded my nose, and my heart stopped. He had calculated every single possible motive, except the one that mattered: love. The boy who once praised my steady hands, who told me I was better suited for a scalpel than a paintbrush. The Ethan who smiled and said he hoped we could fight side-by-side in the OR at St. Luke’s. He never knew I was terrified of blood. He never knew the sheer willpower it took for me to drop out of art school and throw myself into the medical field. The “genius surgeon” everyone praised? I was just a clumsy bird who forced down her nausea and practiced suturing through the night until my fingers bled. Something shattered completely in my mind. Looking at the massive breach-of-contract penalty in the agreement, Ethan had hit my only weakness. “I’ll sign.” 4 My dad was safely brought back. I immediately transferred him to Mt. Sinai Hospital and gave strict orders that absolutely no one but me was allowed within fifty feet of his room. After performing back-to-back grueling surgeries on the Senator and the Tech CEO, I was so exhausted I could barely stand. Yet Mia still ordered me down to the ER to take in new trauma patients. Walking past the VIP ward, I heard the Senator heavily praising Mia, the “newly appointed Vice-Chair,” for her bold leadership. She deflected the praise with fake humility, casually dropping hints about her “special relationship” with Ethan. I didn’t have time for gossip. The ER had just been flooded with victims from a massive wreck. A Greyhound bus had collided head-on with a semi-truck. The truck driver died on impact. The bus was carrying a senior citizen tour group. The ER was instantly at maximum capacity. I did a pericardiocentesis for a collapsed lung, then grabbed the defibrillator to literally drag a man back from the grim reaper. I survived the entire day on a single black coffee. I was starving, dizzy, and seeing spots. I had barely sat down when an emergency call came from the Obstetrics ward. “Eight months pregnant. Shattered ribs punctured the heart. Massive blood loss causing fetal hypoxia.” “We need an emergency open-chest surgery immediately.” It was a race against the clock, yet staring at the pregnant woman’s swollen belly, I couldn’t move. Cold sweat opened like floodgates, soaking through my scrubs. Why did it have to be eight months pregnant? “I don’t feel well.” “The surgery is straightforward, have another cardiothoracic attending do it!” The charge nurse stammered, “Today is Thanksgiving. Vice-Chair Scott gave most of the senior attendings the day off… The closest surgeon is Dr. Miller, and even with sirens, he’s thirty minutes out…” Thirty minutes. Both the mother and the baby would die. I suddenly remembered my previous panic attacks in the OR. The only way I had forced myself through them was by having Ethan stay on the line and talk me through it. “Quick, dial Dr. Clarke.” “Ethan.” I panted heavily. “The ER just brought up a pregnant woman with massive blood loss. I’m having a…” But the sound of a baby crying on the other end froze me in place. “Ethan, did you hear that? Did he just say Dada?” Mia’s voice was vibrating with excitement. “Our Tommy is talking at only six months! He definitely inherited your genius genes!” The man shushed her affectionately. “Chloe, what were you saying about a pregnant woman?” “Nothing… Happy Thanksgiving to your family.” I hung up the phone. The world went dead silent in my ears. I picked up the scalpel again. “Let’s begin.” When the OR doors finally opened two hours later, my legs completely gave out, and I slid down the wall to the floor. The surgery was a success. Mother and baby were safe. I let out a massive sigh of relief. Stumbling against the wall, I headed toward the vending machines to buy a stale sandwich so I wouldn’t pass out. As I passed the breakroom near the maternity ward, I heard two nurses whispering. “Swapping Dr. Bennett’s fertility injections for birth control shots all these years… isn’t that just pure evil?” “What are we supposed to do? Orders from the top. Her husband is the one who doesn’t want her getting pregnant. It’s marital drama, let’s just keep our mouths shut!” My brain violently buzzed. Every ounce of pain, suffering, and humiliation I had endured… it was all orchestrated by Ethan. The bone-deep exhaustion of working non-stop hit me all at once, and my vision went black. I collapsed—straight into a man’s warm embrace. “Is your previous offer still on the table?” “As a condition of the exchange, I’ll go negotiate the transfer paperwork with those VIPs.”

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After dying of exhaustion from endless overtime, I was reborn. And I woke up with an unexpected superpower: a one-way sensory link with my terrible boss. It was 1:00 AM, and the paperwork on my desk was piled high as a mountain. Meanwhile, from the boss’s office, I could hear the muffled giggles of him and my coworker, Chloe. It was exactly like my past life. During the day, my boss squeezed every ounce of productivity out of me. At night, I was stuck working overtime to finish the tasks Chloe shoved onto my plate. For three years after I was hired, I worked like a literal pack mule, 24/7. Until one night, during a grueling overtime shift that stretched until 3:00 AM. My heart seized, I started foaming at the mouth, and I died right there at my cubicle. Thinking back on it now, my blood boils. Why did I have to carry the weight of the world while they lived their best lives?! Given this second chance, I’m going to be the light of justice and teach these two a lesson they’ll never forget! Just as I was getting pumped up, vulgar sounds drifted from the office. A wicked smile curled my lips. I stood up, aimed my crotch squarely at the corner of my desk, and slammed into it as hard as I could. …… 1 At the exact same moment. A scream like a slaughtered pig erupted from the boss’s office. My boss, Mr. Henderson, burst out the door with his pants hanging around his knees, clutching his crotch as he scrambled away in a panicked sprint. “Mr. Henderson! Mr. Henderson, what’s wrong?!” “We were just getting started! Come back!” Chloe ran out of the office, stomping her feet in frustration as she watched him disappear down the hall. I had seen enough of the show and was getting ready to slip away. But Chloe, having nowhere else to vent her frustration, grabbed my arm. “Who said you could leave?! It’s only 1 AM, and you’re trying to clock out?” “Have you finished my work yet?!” I yanked my arm out of her grip and gave her a side-eye. “If you’re so worried about it, you can do it yourself.” She let out a contemptuous laugh and looked me up and down. “The company doesn’t pay you to do nothing. This is your job!” “Besides, you should feel honored to help me. It shows I value your abilities!” With that, she shoved past me and strutted away. The next day, Mr. Henderson didn’t show up at the office. But the rumors were flying among the staff. People were saying he and Chloe went too hard and he threw his back out—or worse, that he might be permanently out of commission. But Chloe didn’t miss a beat; she was quickly back to throwing her weight around. “Get back to work, everyone!” “Gossiping like a bunch of housewives! Keep it up, and I’ll have Mr. Henderson dock your pay!” As she spoke, she marched over to my cubicle and tapped the stack of files on my desk. “You better do a good job on the work I gave you. If you try to slack off, I’ll make you regret it.” The day after that, Mr. Henderson showed up looking slightly green to attend an important client pitch meeting. Chloe was brimming with confidence. She assumed I had done the work for her, just like always. However, when she booted up the computer and saw a completely blank PowerPoint presentation, she froze. She stammered for a few minutes, unable to string a single coherent sentence together. “Mr. Henderson, what is wrong with your employee? If you’re not prepared, don’t waste my time!” The client slammed his hand on the table, clearly annoyed. Chloe scurried over to Mr. Henderson and immediately started blaming me, claiming I sabotaged her on purpose. The useless idiot of a boss didn’t even try to salvage the pitch; he just immediately took her side and threw me under the bus. “Samantha! What the hell is wrong with you?! I told you to… AHH!” I bit down hard on my tongue. Mr. Henderson shrieked in pain. The client, startled by the outburst, grew even more irritated. “If your company isn’t serious about this partnership, we’re done here!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. “Mr. Henderson, look at her! She ruined the project and humiliated me,” Chloe whined, putting on a sickly-sweet, victimized act. Ignoring his bleeding tongue, Mr. Henderson pointed a finger right at my face. “You useless piece of—” I pinched my thigh with everything I had. His face contorted. “—piece of trash, you always—” I pinched harder. “If you can’t do the job, get the hell out of my—” I grabbed the inside of both my thighs with both hands and twisted as hard as I could. “Ooh! Yow!” Unable to take it anymore, Mr. Henderson rubbed his thighs frantically and bolted from the room. Not satisfied, Chloe raised her hand and slapped me across the face. From down the hall, Mr. Henderson let out another wail of pain. Chloe panicked and rushed out after him, making sure to shove me hard on her way. I lost my balance and tripped over my own feet, falling to the floor. Simultaneously, a horrifying scream echoed from the company stairwell. Mr. Henderson had tumbled down the stairs. He emerged with a bloody face and was immediately rushed back to the hospital. I picked myself up in the conference room, dusted off my pants, and laughed until my sides hurt. That night, an anonymous post appeared on the company’s internal forum. It claimed I was protected by divine spirits. Anyone who bullied me caused the boss to suffer terrible luck. 2 A few days later, Mr. Henderson returned to the office covered in bruises and called me into his office. “Samantha! Did you post this nonsense?!” “You better keep your head down and focus on your work. Cut out this voodoo crap before I—” “Oh, Mr. Henderson, who made you so angry?” Chloe sashayed into the room, her hips swaying exaggeratedly. She leaned down, whispered something in his ear, and a sleazy smile spread across his bruised face. “Sam, about that project falling through… you share some of the blame.” “Normally, I’d fire you on the spot. But I’m a forgiving boss.” “I’m going to give you one last chance.” “Our janitor called in sick today. To make up for your mistake, you’re going to clean the bathrooms for the day.” I agreed without a second thought and practically skipped out of his office. Even though I was mentally prepared, when I opened the bathroom door, the smell almost made me gag. I held back my nausea. While I mopped the floor, I plotted how I was going to use this opportunity to teach those two a lesson. Of course, Chloe had to pick that exact moment to waltz in and harass me. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. A college grad scrubbing toilets. How pathetic.” “Cross me again, and next time I’ll make you drink from the bowl!” Chloe jabbed a finger with bright red nail polish into my forehead, leaving little crescent-shaped marks. I glared at her heavily made-up face. I wanted nothing more than to shove the dirty mop straight down her throat. But I knew she was only acting tough because she had the boss backing her up. If I wanted to put her in her place, I had to deal with the root of the problem. “I have two expense reports due today. Make sure you get them done after you’re finished playing janitor.” “I’m cooking a romantic dinner for Mr. Henderson tonight. This is my big chance to finally lock him down!” With that, she turned on her heel and sashayed away. An idea sparked in my mind. I packed up my cleaning supplies and quietly pocketed a bottle of industrial toilet bowl cleaner. At 7 PM, Chloe video-called me. On the screen, I could see a table set with steaks and romantic candlelight. “Sam, you’re just destined to be a workhorse for the rest of your life.” “If tonight goes well, my status is going to completely change. If I were you, I’d just quit now.” In my past life, I could never figure out why she targeted me so relentlessly. In this life, I still couldn’t figure it out. A few seconds later, Mr. Henderson appeared in the frame. He sat down at the table with a lecherous grin, giving Chloe’s backside a squeeze with his stubby fingers. Just as he was about to put a piece of steak into his mouth… Without a second of hesitation, I cracked open the toilet bowl cleaner and took a massive swig. Gulping down half the bottle, I felt a little bloated, but nothing else. Mr. Henderson, however, was not so lucky. On the video call, his face drastically changed color. He violently hurled the steak back onto his plate. “Chloe! If you don’t know how to cook, why the hell did you say you could?!” “Do you have any idea how expensive this steak was?! It tastes like literal chemicals!” “You think you can marry me with skills like this?! Do I look like a… URGH!” The next second, he projectile-vomited all over Chloe. Then he started foaming at the mouth and collapsed face-first onto the table. Seeing Chloe covered head-to-toe in vomit, I nearly snorted with laughter. Mr. Henderson didn’t come to the office for several days after that. Chloe also called out sick for two days. When she finally returned, her face was swollen like a balloon. During lunch, my work bestie, Lily, excitedly spilled the tea. “Everyone’s saying the boss got food poisoning from Chloe’s cooking!” “When his mom found out, she went straight to Chloe’s apartment and slapped her like twenty times!” “Honestly, I’m starting to think that post on the forum was real.” “They made you clean the toilets, and immediately got hit with massive karma!” I just kept chewing my chicken cutlet, smiling silently. A week later, Mr. Henderson was discharged from the hospital. I thought he might finally lay low for a bit. But when he came back, he brought a literal priest with him. 3 The priest was draped in all sorts of random, clinking talismans. He walked a couple of laps around the office floor. Then, stroking his fake beard, he declared that the company was cursed by an evil spirit. “Foul demon! How dare you wreak havoc in the mortal realm!” He shouted while pulling a thick stack of obviously mass-printed yellow paper talismans from his sleeve. He started slapping them everywhere. “Priest! Priest! Samantha is the weirdest one! Every time I get near her, something awful happens!” “Put extra talismans on her desk!” The priest didn’t hesitate. He licked his thumb, grabbed a talisman, and slapped it right onto my forehead. Then he lit a bundle of incense and started waving the smoke in circles around me. Despite the thick smoke, I didn’t react at all. But the choking, burning sensation transferred perfectly to Mr. Henderson. He started coughing violently, hacking like he was trying to cough up a lung. The priest’s face dropped. He immediately scrambled over to the boss. “Aha! The demon possesses you, you scoundrel!” With that, he repeated the process, slapping a talisman directly onto Mr. Henderson’s forehead. I reacted quickly. While no one was watching me, I grabbed a lighter from my desk and sparked it near my own forehead. “WAAAHHH! HOT! HOT! HOT! I’M BURNING!” Mr. Henderson screamed in agony. The talisman fluttered to the floor, and a massive, angry blister bubbled up on his forehead. “Demon! Face my blade!” The priest drew a wooden sword and swung it with all his might, chasing the boss around the office, hacking and slashing. Mr. Henderson scurried around like a rat, screaming for his life. Chloe saw this as her chance to prove her loyalty and threw herself in front of Mr. Henderson to protect him. But the priest was too deep into his roleplaying, and he started wailing on her, too. “You foolish woman, step aside! Humans and demons cannot coexist! This will only end in tragedy!” With that, he smacked her right across the face with the wooden sword. Chloe clutched her face, wailing. The entire office was plunged into absolute, chaotic hilarity. My coworkers, who had long suffered under the tyranny of this awful couple, were absolutely loving it. Everyone secretly pulled out their phones to record the disaster, stifling their laughter. Lily leaned over to me while filming the carnage. “Sam, be honest with me. Do you actually have powers? Did you put a hex on them?” “I’d be careful if I were you. What if he fires you over this?!” I feigned shock and covered her mouth. “Don’t talk nonsense.” “What powers? The only thing I know about is labor laws, not black magic!” The mayhem lasted a solid thirty minutes before security finally ambled in and dragged the priest away. Mr. Henderson’s shirt was shredded by the wooden sword, his beer belly completely exposed. His face was swollen and battered. Chloe didn’t fare much better. Her previous bruises hadn’t fully healed, and now she had fresh, angry red welts across her cheeks. “Maybe it really is karma. Everyone knows Mr. Henderson brought that guy here just to mess with Samantha!” “Seriously! I think there’s definitely something supernatural going on with her!” The whispers of the staff made Mr. Henderson so angry he stormed out of the office. Chloe was left standing there, puffing up with anger like an angry toad. “Samantha! Whatever trick you’re playing, you’re going to pay for it!” “You better start figuring out how you’re going to carry on your ‘demon romance’ with Mr. Henderson!” She stomped her foot furiously, grabbed a massive stack of folders from her desk, and shoved them into my chest. “Don’t get cocky!” “We have a major client dinner tomorrow. If you mess this up, I promise I’ll make you regret it!” That night, I intentionally stayed awake all night. At 3 AM, I did five hundred burpees and ran up and down the stairs of my apartment building twenty times. 4 The next morning, I bumped into Mr. Henderson by the elevator. He looked like a walking corpse—pale, stumbling, completely drained of life. I knew my midnight workout hadn’t been in vain. Once I got to my desk, I played the part of the obedient employee and handed over the completed presentation to Chloe. But to my surprise, Mr. Henderson actually told me I had to attend the client dinner that afternoon. Just as I was wondering if this was some sort of trap, Chloe started complaining. “Shut up! Who knows what kind of sabotage she’ll pull if we leave her alone at the office?!” “Keeping her where I can see her makes me feel safer.” Confirming they weren’t plotting anything insidious, I secretly cheered. Bringing me along just made it easier for me to torture him. At the dinner, Chloe hadn’t bothered to prepare at all. So even though the presentation I wrote was crystal clear, she stumbled through it, stuttering and making constant mistakes. Seeing the client growing visibly annoyed, Mr. Henderson quickly tried to change the subject. I used the awkward pause to slip away to the restroom. Surprisingly, Chloe followed me. “Did you make that presentation overly complicated on purpose?!” As she yelled, she raised her hand to slap me. I didn’t dodge. In fact, I leaned into it slightly. When her hand connected, I threw myself onto the floor, bending my wrist at an impossible, painful angle. “You’re just incredibly stupid! How is that my fault?!” “A single-celled organism has a higher IQ than you! What do you actually do besides wiggle your ass in front of the boss?!” “You’ve been wiggling for years and you’re still not his wife! Seems to me like you’re a failure at everything!” I provoked her relentlessly. Exactly as I planned, she turned beet red with fury. She straddled me on the floor and started raining slaps down on my face. The harder she slapped me, the more excited I got. I grabbed her collar and slammed my forehead directly into her nose. “Ahhh! You bitch! I paid twenty grand for this nose job! How dare you headbutt me?!” Chloe lost her mind, viciously yanking my hair. Just as our brawl peaked, another coworker came rushing into the restroom. “Why are you two fighting?! Stop it! Something’s wrong with Mr. Henderson—he looks like he’s possessed!” I kicked Chloe off me and sprinted happily back to the private dining room. Mr. Henderson’s horrific state made me want to slap my knee and cackle. His face was swollen tight and shiny, making him look like a bloated pufferfish. His toupee had come loose and was dangling precariously off the back of his head, swaying with every movement. The client’s face was dark as thunder, and he stormed out in disgust. At that moment, Chloe limped into the room, looking like a disaster. Ignoring the ruined deal, she started sobbing about how I had assaulted her. Seeing me standing there looking perfectly fine, Mr. Henderson’s rage boiled over. “I knew you ruined the project on purpose! What the hell did you do to me?!” “How is this my fault?! I went to the bathroom to pee! How could that hurt you?!” “Samantha! I am your boss! How dare you speak to me like that!” “You might be my boss, but you’re barely human!” “You expect one person to do the work of eight, but you haven’t given us a raise in years!” “You’re a cheapskate even when it comes to holiday bonuses!” “The Thanksgiving turkeys were spoiled! The Christmas gifts were expired! The one time you gave us gift cards, they required a $500 minimum purchase to save ten bucks!” “You skim off our hard-earned money just to spoil your little mistress!” I screamed out every ounce of resentment I had built up, feeling incredibly refreshed. Mr. Henderson trembled with pure rage, but his swollen face couldn’t even form a coherent expression. “Fine! Fine! Samantha, you’re fired!” He roared at the top of his lungs. I took the opportunity to spit right in his face, grabbed my purse, and walked out without looking back… A week later, however, Mr. Henderson showed up at my front door, pounding frantically. “Please! I’m begging you! Come back to work!”

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My husband insisted I take my car to a specific luxury auto shop for maintenance every week. Since then, my car started having frequent malfunctions. Once, it almost caused a fatal crash. When my husband found out, he just coldly replied, “You didn’t die, did you? Is there a need to make such a big deal out of it?” Until yesterday, when I asked him to pick up the car for me. He got into an accident on the way back. When I rushed to the hospital, a young girl with red, swollen eyes screamed at me: “What gave you the right to make Ethan pick up your car? If you weren’t so lazy, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt!” “Do you have any idea he fractured his leg and broke his ribs?” Her tone was incredibly self-righteous, like she was scolding a servant who had done wrong. It wasn’t just me; all the friends and family who came to visit Ethan Vance were stunned. Ethan gave her a doting look, then turned to coax me: “She’s just a young girl fiercely defending a client. She speaks her mind, don’t take it personally.” It was only then that I realized: Ethan had bought that auto shop and given it to her. Chapter 1 I stared calmly at the crying, tear-stained girl until she exhausted herself and stopped. “Are you done? My turn.” “How many times has your dealership made this kind of amateur mistake? If you don’t give me a reasonable explanation, you can explain it to the NYPD and the Vance family’s legal team.” The girl’s face went pale. She looked helplessly at the man on the hospital bed. Ethan’s expression shifted. “Victoria, it was my own driving error. It has nothing to do with her. I’ve already handled the accident.” “Your driving error?” I raised an eyebrow, looking straight at him. “How is it?” Ethan coughed. “I’m fine. Besides a fractured tibia and a mild concussion, there’s no need to…” I cut him off. “I was asking about the car.” Stung by my coldness, the girl’s voice pitched up again. “Ethan is hospitalized, and you only care about a car?! Do you have a conscience?!” “You must be Lily Dawson, right?” I crossed my arms slowly, looking at her without a trace of emotion. “First, that car is worth eighteen million dollars. It’s a global limited edition.” “Second, Ethan is my legally wedded husband. Is there a problem with him picking up my car?” “And finally…” I paused, my gaze dropping to her hand tightly gripping Ethan’s hospital gown. “You are just a college student Ethan sponsored. In what capacity are you standing here interrogating me?” Lily flushed bright red. She instinctively let go but still tried to defend herself. “I… I just feel bad for Ethan!” “You could have easily picked up the car yourself, but you forced him to make the trip. Now that he’s in an accident, you don’t even have a single word of concern…” I glanced at a text message my assistant just sent me and let out a cold laugh. “You should probably save that pity for yourself.” “The damage assessment is out. The estimated repair cost is upwards of three million dollars. Will that be cash or card?” Lily’s knees gave out, and she swayed, glaring at me with a mix of defiance and grief. “Th-Three million? That’s extortion!” She then looked pitifully at Ethan. “Ethan…” Ethan propped himself up. The movement pulled at his injuries, and he rubbed his temples in pain. “Victoria, she just graduated. She’s still a kid. Where would she get three million? Stop scaring her.” “It was my mistake anyway. I’ll pay you for the repairs.” Lily’s eyes lit up instantly, a smug curve appearing at the corner of her mouth. I looked at him, mocking, “You really are a knight in shining armor. Wasn’t buying her a luxury dealership enough?” Ethan clearly didn’t expect me to know about that. His expression froze. Lily lost her previous bravado. Biting her lip, she explained, “Victoria, if you’re angry, take it out on me. Don’t blame Ethan. He only helped me out of pity.” Ethan sighed and waved Lily off. “This has nothing to do with you. Go home for now.” Lily kept her head down, looking back at Ethan every three steps as she walked to the door. Just before leaving, she quickly rushed back. She pressed a beautifully decorated glass jar into Ethan’s palm. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening and pitiful, radiating a sticky, undeniable affection. Anyone with eyes could tell they were sleeping together. Lily pursed her lips and reluctantly left. As she passed me, she whispered an explanation: “Victoria, it was my oversight. I let Ethan drive the car away before the inspection was fully complete, and that’s why the accident happened.” “Please don’t misunderstand. That jar is full of origami lucky stars I folded myself, praying for his leg to heal quickly.” The inspection wasn’t complete? But the shop had literally called to tell me the car was ready for pickup. That time my brakes failed… was that an “incomplete inspection” too? Chapter 2 “Victoria, I’ve been meaning to find a time to tell you about the dealership.” Ethan’s voice pulled me back to reality. It was just the two of us in the room now. He put on a smile, carefully set the glass jar aside, and reached out for my hand. “She just graduated, and it was her birthday. It was just a gift. Don’t tell me my CEO wife is actually jealous?” He said it so casually, as if he had just given away a cheap stuffed animal. I stepped sideways, avoiding his touch. “Is this your type now?” A sudden silence fell over the room. Ethan’s face changed slightly, and he rubbed his brow. “I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d overthink it.” “Lily and I are completely innocent. We…” “I don’t care.” I cut him off dismissively. “I didn’t catch you in bed, true. But I, Victoria Vance, do not tolerate sand in my eyes. Ethan, you better drop whatever inappropriate thoughts you’re entertaining, or I will tear this marriage apart.” Ethan looked up, staring at me in disbelief. “You don’t trust me?” I looked down at him, my eyes completely dead. My silence was the most direct answer. He wanted to say more, but his phone on the bedside table rang right on cue. The name “Lily” flashing on the screen was glaringly obvious. Ethan hesitated before answering. Lily’s soft, fragile voice immediately floated out: “Ethan, is Victoria giving you a hard time? Even if she’s angry, please don’t fight with her, okay?” “I ordered some bone broth from that Michelin restaurant you like. I was afraid Victoria might misunderstand, so I didn’t bring it up myself.” In just two sentences, she managed to act like the sweet victim while sneakily reminding me of her intimacy with my husband. I stood frozen. Ethan caught a glimpse of my face and quickly hung up. I sneered internally, too exhausted to keep playing these fake games with him, and turned to walk out of the ward. “Victoria!” Ethan called out frantically. “Are you really mad?” “I promise I’ll stay far away from her from now on. I’ll never contact her again. Just please don’t be so cold to me.” “My leg hurts…” I turned my head slightly, my voice dropping below freezing. “If it hurts, call a doctor. I have a company to run. Get some rest.” Stepping out of the hospital, the cold New York wind hit my face, slightly suppressing the violent rage building in my chest. I pulled out my phone and called my assistant. “Do a deep background check on Lily Dawson. I suspect my last brake failure is connected to her.” The last time I got my car serviced there, the brakes failed on the highway. I had to crash into a median just to avoid a fatal pileup. That night, on Ethan’s orders, the regional manager of a high-end jewelry brand personally brought dozens of priceless pieces to our penthouse for me to choose from. “Mr. Vance treats you so well. Having a husband this devoted is truly enviable.” I glanced over the diamonds, feeling nothing but irony. “Didn’t you know? The night a man cheats, he’ll tell his wife ‘I love you’ a hundred times just to alleviate his own guilt.” Ethan thought I was just throwing a tantrum. He thought I was like those upper-east-side socialite wives who cry and scream when they catch their husbands cheating, only to be bought off with a Birkin bag and some diamonds. But he forgot. I am Victoria Vance. The sole heir to the Vance corporate empire. I took over the family business at eighteen and carved out a bloody path on Wall Street by twenty-two. I married him at twenty-five in a strategic business alliance—not because I couldn’t live without him, but out of respect for our fathers’ friendship. And because he promised me a lifetime of absolute loyalty. The hilarious part? It only took five short years for him to completely throw those vows out the window. Chapter 3 The next day, I received a friend request from Lily on WhatsApp. The note read: “Victoria, I want to explain what happened with your car’s maintenance.” I was incredibly busy that day. After back-to-back meetings, I had to fly to Chicago in the evening for my uncle’s birthday banquet. It wasn’t until I got off the plane that I accepted her request. Lily immediately sent a voice memo. The gist of it was that the mechanic who serviced my car was a temp who had abandoned his post, and they couldn’t reach him. I didn’t reply. As I backed out of the chat, my finger slipped and opened her social media feed. Her latest post was from half an hour ago. The photo showed Ethan sitting on the sofa in our Hampton villa, drinking soup. In the background, I could clearly see the oil painting I bought at auction for a fortune, and the custom-made Italian rug. What burned my eyes most was that Lily was wearing my favorite silk pajamas and slippers. She was leaning intimately against him, smiling brightly, holding up a peace sign for the selfie. The caption: “Finally get to take care of you while you’re sick! Even though I’ve been misunderstood, the truth will speak for itself. Made you this bone broth from scratch. Hope you get better soon! ❤️” I took a screenshot and sent it to Ethan: “Staying in my house, wearing my clothes, getting cozy with my husband. Is this your definition of ‘completely innocent’?!” Ethan replied instantly: “Victoria, Lily spilled some soup on her clothes while cooking, so she just borrowed yours temporarily. She’s just trying to be kind, don’t overthink it.” I sneered and typed back: “Kind?” “More like the soup is an excuse to sneak into my house and steal my husband. Wearing my clothes to play the good little wife. What? Does she think playing cuckoo bird will make her the lady of the house?” “Can you stop being so bitter?” Ethan’s tone shifted. “You’re never around. She went out of her way to take care of me. Can’t you be a little more tolerant?” “Victoria, you never used to be like this. When did you become so overbearing and heartless?” Staring at the screen, I laughed out of pure anger. Overbearing? Heartless? When the Sterling Group’s supply chain snapped, I was the one who ruthlessly led my team through a month of sleepless nights to secure the critical funding he needed. When his father was dying, I—the “heartless” one—dropped a billion-dollar M&A deal to sleep on a cot in his hospital room for two weeks. He used to say my decisiveness and ruthlessness in the boardroom were the things he admired most about me. Now that he has a sweet, gentle little angel by his side, I’m suddenly too overbearing and bitter? Because my aunt insisted I stay a bit longer, I didn’t catch a flight back until the morning of the third day. The smart lock hadn’t been replaced, but my fingerprint had been deleted. I stood at the door and rang the bell. The person who opened it was Lily. This time, she was wearing Ethan’s button-down shirt. The hem barely covered her thighs, and her hair was wet, like she had just stepped out of the shower. “Victoria?” She sounded shocked. “Why are you back? Ethan is still sleeping…” I cut her off. “I can’t return to my own house?” “Move!” “I didn’t mean it like that.” She stubbornly blocked the doorway. “But Ethan is resting, and you look like you’re in a bad mood. I’m afraid you’ll disturb him…” I didn’t have the patience for her garbage. I shoved her hard out of the way. “Get out of my way!” The commotion woke Ethan. He came out of the master bedroom on crutches. Seeing the explosive tension, he frowned. “What’s going on here?” Chapter 4 Before Lily even opened her mouth, the tears started flowing. “Ethan, I’m sorry. You were so tired last night, I just wanted to let you sleep a little longer. I didn’t mean to offend Victoria.” She sobbed, her shoulders hitching, looking like a brutally bullied little bunny. Yet the tips of her ears were conspicuously flushed red. Ethan turned his head and coughed twice before speaking: “Victoria, you’re really misunderstanding Lily. Apologize to her.” I ignored him and sat down on the sofa. I looked up and noticed that the framed photo of Ethan and me on the display shelf was gone. In its place was the glass jar filled with Lily’s origami lucky stars. Lingerie that definitely didn’t belong to me was scattered across the coffee table. “No wonder you tried to block the door. You two have been busy, haven’t you, Ethan?” Lily scrambled crying to pick up the underwear. “These are mine. I… I washed them, I was just letting them dry here…” “Drying them in the living room?” I scoffed. “Can Ethan even satisfy you with a broken leg?” Lily’s face burned crimson. She stammered: “Victoria, you… you really misunderstood. Ethan and I haven’t done anything.” “Enough!” Ethan glared at me impatiently. “Victoria, do you have to use such filthy language to humiliate her?” “She’s just an innocent young girl. She’s not like you, with a head full of endless calculations!” I raised my eyes to him. “What exactly am I calculating?” “You’re calculating how to embarrass her, how to ruin her reputation, how to make me your obedient dog, revolving around you and only you forever!” Ethan grew more agitated as he spoke. “Yes, I let her stay here! But absolutely nothing happened between us!” “She took care of me, and I’m grateful to her. It’s that simple! Why do you always have to assume the absolute worst of people?” “I don’t care how dirty your heart is.” I pulled a document from my bag. “What I do care about is the fact that six months ago, you used corporate funds and resources to open a luxury car dealership for her. A twenty-million-dollar investment labeled as a ‘charitable grant.’” “Ethan, did the board of directors approve that? How does ’embezzling corporate funds to keep a mistress’ sound as a headline?” Ethan’s face turned ashen. “You investigated me?! She is not my mistress!” “Then what is she?” I stood up and walked over to Lily. “Ms. Dawson, why don’t you tell us? What are you?” Lily bit her lip. “I… I just admire Ethan. I’m so grateful for everything he’s done for me, so I came to take care of him for a few days…” “Admire him enough to wear my clothes and sleep in my bed?” I pointed at the master bedroom door, which was left slightly ajar. “Ethan, I saw you both come out of the master bedroom with my own eyes. How do you explain that?” Ethan gritted his teeth. “Believe what you want. Lily slept on the floor to keep an eye on me. We didn’t do anything!” “I really don’t care if you slept together or not.” I put away the financial document and dropped a divorce agreement onto the coffee table. My tone left absolutely no room for negotiation. “Ethan, revoke her ownership of that dealership, sign this divorce agreement like a good boy, and we’ll split the assets according to our prenup. We can end this with some dignity.” “Otherwise, I will sue you for embezzlement and marital infidelity, and I’ll report you to the board. Do you want to bet whether those old foxes will use this excuse to kick you out of your own company?”

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