My sister and I were both gifted a “Family Selection System.” She chose the billionaire parents, the star quarterback boyfriend, and the Prom Queen best friend. I chose the teacher parents, the quiet genius boyfriend, and the outcast bookworm best friend. My sister laughed at me. She called my choices boring and useless. What she didn’t understand was simple: Money and looks can never measure a person’s true worth. 1 My sister, Chloe, and I stared at the glowing blue screen floating in front of us. Our palms were sweating. We had died saving someone. Now, we were reborn in an orphanage, gifted with a “System.” The System told us we had three chances to choose our family members. Parents. Best Friend. And Boyfriend. Right now, we were choosing our parents. Profiles flashed before our eyes: Politicians, Janitors, Oscar Winners, Olympians, Teachers, Billionaires… When the “Billionaire Parents” profile appeared, Chloe’s breathing hitched. She pointed a shaking finger at the screen, her voice shrill with desperation. “I pick them! The billionaires!” The System turned its interface toward me. Chloe glared at me, her eyes full of warning. Parents could be shared. I could pick the billionaires too. But that would mean splitting the inheritance. And the attention. I scanned the screen. My gaze drifted past the glitz and glamour until it landed on a quiet couple. “Award-Winning Educators.” Their profile described them as gentle, intellectual, and deeply committed to education. They weren’t rich. But they were rich in knowledge. Growing up in that house meant receiving the best education money couldn’t buy. I made my choice. “I choose the Teacher Parents.” Chloe let out a breath she’d been holding. Then, she laughed. “Lily, are you stupid? Why pick those poor teachers? At least pick someone with money.” I looked down, staying silent. In our past life, I learned the hard way that money can be lost. But skills? Knowledge? Those stay with you forever. Wealthy parents are nice. But capability is better. The selection ended. Soon, the orphanage director ran over, breathless. “Girls! Two families are here to adopt you both! At the same time!” Chloe’s eyes lit up. She rushed out to meet her billionaire parents. But she found only a sleek Rolls Royce waiting. An assistant stepped out, adjusting his tie. “Mr. and Mrs. Sterling are busy. This car is your welcome gift.” Chloe stared at the car greedily, her excitement undimmed. My new parents stood nearby. Mom held a bag of new clothes. Dad carefully balanced a homemade cake. I walked over and smiled. “Hi Mom, Hi Dad. I’m Lily.” They hugged me tightly. They smelled of chalk dust and old books. Chloe watched us from the leather seat of the Rolls Royce, sneering. “Poor people’s happiness is so cheap.” I recalled the fine print in the System’s profiles. The “points” for each set of parents were equal. If they excelled in one area, they lacked in another. My parents had love and education, but no money. Chloe’s parents had infinite money. But they were also sadists. Violent, cruel, and fond of taking their stress out on their children. Chloe’s life wasn’t going to be the fairy tale she imagined. As the car drove away, Chloe flashed me a victorious smile. I smiled back. I wondered if she’d still be smiling after her first “lesson” from the Sterlings. 2 At home, my parents immediately drafted a study plan for me. They worried I might hate the rigorous schedule. But I devoured knowledge like a starving man at a banquet. “Our daughter is a treasure,” they’d whisper proudly. They didn’t know how desperate I was. In my last life, our parents favored Chloe. They sent her to college while I worked menial jobs to support the family. I suffered because I was ignorant. This time, I just wanted to learn. I graduated middle school as valedictorian. I could have gone to any local high school. But I set my sights higher. Apex Academy. It was a boarding school that recruited the nation’s elite. Getting into Apex was like having one foot in the Ivy League. The entrance exam was brutal. Thousands applied. Only hundreds remained for the final round. And there, I saw Chloe. She looked haggard. Her eyes were bloodshot. When her sleeves rode up, I saw bruises—new ones layered over old ones. She looked miserable. When she saw me, her face darkened. “Lily? You’re applying to Apex? Keep dreaming. You won’t even pass the first round.” Just then, an admissions officer walked over to me, beaming. “Lily, I’ve reviewed your scores. You’re in. Honors Class 1.” Chloe’s fake smile vanished. The officer turned to her, frowning. “Chloe Sterling? You failed the first round. Please leave the premises.” Chloe snapped. She started screaming at her assistant. “I want in! I want Class 1!” The Sterlings donated ten new buildings to the school. Chloe got her spot in Class 1. Waving her acceptance letter, she gloated. “See, Lily? Ten years of studying isn’t worth ten minutes of my dad’s money.” “Hard work can’t beat heritage. Too bad you picked the poor parents.” Her initial misery vanished, replaced by the arrogance of a rich girl. She thought she’d won. But I looked at the fresh bruises on her arm. The Sterlings spent a fortune to get her in. They would extract the “cost” of that donation from her skin later. 3 As I predicted, Chloe didn’t show up for the first month. Rumors swirled that screams were often heard coming from the Sterling mansion. I ignored them and focused on my studies. Apex was filled with geniuses. I was top of my city, but here, I was average. I worked twice as hard to keep up. One day, while heading to the bathroom, I heard noises. “Think you’re smart because you’re number one?” “Drink the toilet water!” “Look at her hands, all cracked. Can’t even afford lotion. You deserve this.” I peeked inside. The bully was Jessica, the “Class Queen.” The victim was the class genius, Nova. Nova had a burn scar on her face. She was a loner. But her brain was incredible. She didn’t study; she just knew. Seeing blood on Nova’s lip, I felt a surge of anger. My parents taught me to cherish talent. I stormed in, pushing Jessica away. “Stop! Bullying is prohibited.” Jessica sneered. “My dad is a Senator. Interfere, and I’ll ruin you too.” Nova pushed me away. “Leave. I don’t need help.” I grabbed her hand. “Don’t worry. I got this.” I turned to Jessica. “I know your dad is a Senator. But if you touch me, his career is over.” Jessica frowned. “Why?” “My parents are National Merit Educators. They’ve taught half the people in the Department of Education.” I stepped closer. “You touch me, it becomes a national scandal.” Politicians fear bad press more than anything. Jessica weighed the risks. She dropped the mop and left. I helped Nova up. “You can tell the teachers next time.” Nova shook her head silently and walked away. On the floor where she had been sitting, I found a bottle. It was full of sleeping pills. 4 I started watching Nova. The pills weren’t for sleep. They were for suicide. Her backstory was a tragedy. Her parents were cops who died in the line of duty. They left her a massive trust fund. Her aunt and uncle took her in. They spent the money on their gambling addict son, then moved to a new city to hide. Now, they abused her. They stole her wages from part-time jobs. And worse? They were planning to marry her off to her cousin to keep her “in the family.” “We’ll break your hands so you can’t take the SATs,” her aunt had threatened. I was thinking about this when a notebook landed on my desk. “I summarized the key points for the next exam,” Nova said, her voice cool. Sunlight hit the scar on her face. I grabbed her thin wrist. “Come to my house this weekend.” She refused. I didn’t give up. I pestered her to study with me. I brought her lunch. I partnered with her in gym. She didn’t say much, but she tutored me relentlessly. My grades skyrocketed. Two months later, Chloe returned to school. She immediately became Jessica’s new target. Without Nova to bully, Jessica turned on the “buy-in” student. Chloe tried to tell her parents, but they ignored her. They enjoyed her suffering. Teachers wouldn’t touch a feud between a Senator’s daughter and a Billionaire’s daughter. Chloe tried to redirect Jessica to me. “Bully Lily! She’s poor!” I laughed. “My parents will protect me. Your parents just want to see you bleed.” Chloe’s face twisted. She realized she had chosen wrong. “System!” she screamed internally. “I want to choose my Best Friend! I choose Jessica!” She glared at me, triumphant. “Lily, you’re dead. Jessica is my bestie now.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389790”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I was Lucas Sterling’s secretary for seven years. And his secret lover for nine. Until one morning, when I was twenty-nine, I woke up in his bed. He casually ordered: “Keep your schedule clear in April. I’m getting married.” I froze. My eyes instantly stung with tears. He laughed, a dry, amused sound. “You didn’t think I was marrying you, did you?” I asked him, “Then… what am I?” He pulled me into his arms, soothing me like a child. “You know what the Sterling family is like. If you married in, you’d just suffer.” “It’s freer for you to be kept on the side. It protects you.” “Babe, it’s just a business merger. It won’t affect us.” “You’re still the one I love most.” In that moment, I suddenly stopped loving him. 1 At 7:00 AM sharp, the alarm went off. I kept my eyes closed and pushed against the warm chest behind me. “Wake up, Lucas…” The arm around my waist tightened, pulling me back into his embrace. The heat of his body pressed insistently against mine. My body still ached from last night’s frenzy. I rasped, “We’re going to be late…” “I don’t care…” He lowered his head, kissing my neck, his voice husky with sleep. “I’ll be quick…” We were always compatible in bed. His stamina was terrifying. An hour later. My legs were trembling as I tied his tie. He reached out, smoothing my messy hair, his tone lazy and satisfied. “Still mad?” I glared at him, a flush still lingering on my cheeks. “My perfect attendance record is ruined, Mr. Sterling.” His fingers traced the red marks on my collarbone, his voice teasing. “I’ll pay you double. Okay?” I slapped his hand away. “We are seriously late!” He was over thirty; where did he get this energy? I straightened my expression and recited his schedule for the day. “Signing ceremony at ten. Lunch with CEO Lee at noon. Executive meeting at two. Construction partnership talk with Mr. Chen at four. Industry gala dinner at six-thirty.” “Mm.” He nodded, fastening his watch. He was back to his usual cold, ascetic self. He glanced at his wrist. “Oh, right.” As if remembering something trivial, he ordered: “Keep your schedule clear in April. I’m getting married.” My hand jerked violently. The half-formed Windsor knot unraveled instantly. I didn’t react for a second. He just said… married… Was he… proposing? My eyes went red, tears welling up uncontrollably. After nearly a decade of running this marathon of love, this day had finally come. “Wait?” His voice drifted down from above, sounding awkward. He looked at me, frowned, and then chuckled. “You didn’t think I was marrying you, did you?” It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. I froze. The messy sheets, the lingering scent of sex—it all suddenly felt blindingly offensive. He paused, then explained: “It’s Paige.” Paige Rockefeller. The eldest daughter of the Rockefeller family. A spoiled heiress, raised in luxury, a perfect match for his status. Silence stretched for a long time. I stared at him blankly, my lips trembling as I finally managed to speak. “Then… what about me?” He turned his head slightly, avoiding my gaze. “You know the Old Man’s health isn’t great. And my cousin Liam is making moves. The company needs to go public.” “Merging with the Rockefellers is the best strategic choice.” He paused, then looked back at me, his eyes softening with reassurance. “Nina, I’m doing this for our future too.” Our future. How nice that sounded. “By the way, Paige has a bit of a temper. Just yield to her a bit in the future. Don’t take it personally.” He patted my head. “Of course, I won’t let you suffer, either.” I looked out the window. The festive New Year decorations mixed with the sunlight, piercing my eyes until they burned. I looked straight at him, my heart clenching so tight I couldn’t breathe. “So, you never thought about marrying me, did you?” A flash of impatience crossed his face. “Nina, is that piece of paper really that important to you?” “You know what my family is like. If you married in, they’d eat you alive.” “Keeping you on the side gives you freedom. It’s for your protection.” I smiled bitterly. So this was his “thoughtfulness.” His parents had always looked down on me, the scholarship girl from a small town. No matter how successful I became, in their eyes, I was just a gold digger climbing the ladder. I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face. “Lucas, what am I to you after all these years?” “Your mistress? Or a pet canary in a gilded cage?” He sighed helplessly, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. “What are you thinking? Have you ever seen anyone keep a mistress for ten years?” He reached out and pulled me into his arms. “Babe, it’s just a business marriage. I promise I won’t touch her.” “You’re still the one I love most.” “All these years, my heart has been yours. Have I ever strayed?” “Look at the people in our circle—who else is as loyal as I am?” He wasn’t wrong. People in his circle enjoyed top-tier resources. Open marriages, a revolving door of mistresses—it was the norm. But Lucas was different. Everyone knew the CEO was bewitched by his little secretary, cherishing her for nine years. 2 I first met Lucas when I was a senior in high school. He had just taken over the family business and came to our school for a charity event. I was the student representative presenting flowers to him. Suddenly, my father stormed onto the campus. He grabbed me and demanded I drop out. The crops were ready for harvest; I was needed at home. After the harvest, once I turned eighteen, he planned to marry me off for a dowry. At the age when self-esteem is most fragile, I was slapped twice in front of the entire school. Just as despair was suffocating me, a cold, clear voice descended like salvation. “How much? I’ll pay it.” I looked up, dazed. Lucas was in his early twenties then, sharp-featured and possessing a calmness far beyond his years. The dowry was $8,000. He paid $16,000 to buy out my relationship with my father. Like a god descending, he pulled me out of the mud. I didn’t know then that $16,000 wouldn’t even buy a single screw in the watch he wore on his wrist. His casual act of kindness changed a rural girl’s entire life. Since then, his assistant wired money to my account every year for tuition. And I never saw him again. In the long years that followed, I silently sketched his image in my heart. Until I was 20. I had saved enough money to pay him back. I didn’t have his contact info, so I sat in the lobby of Sterling Corp, hoping for luck. It was the dead of winter. After waiting three hours, I finally saw his car slowly approach. “Mr. Sterling!” I stood up and ran forward. He glanced sideways at me and frowned. The next second, the window rolled up, cutting him off from me. He didn’t remember me. In my panic, I rushed forward, and my fingers got caught in the closing window. Pain shot through my hand. “Mr. Sterling, I’m Nina Song. You sponsored me three years ago.” The window rolled down slowly. He turned, his gaze landing on me. I handed him the envelope full of cash, my fingers trembling from the pain. “I don’t need your sponsorship anymore. This is the money I owe you.” “I’ll pay back the $16,000 from back then slowly.” I bowed to him. “Thank you for your kindness. You saved me. Good things will happen to you.” “Oh, it’s you.” He looked me over, his eyes stopping on my red, swollen fingers. “Get in. Let’s go to the hospital.” “No need, Mr. Sterling, I… I’m fine.” I clenched my fingers in embarrassment and stepped back instinctively. Back then, my nose was red from the cold, my clothes cost less than twenty bucks total. I radiated awkwardness and poverty. I clashed violently with the luxury of his car. Eventually, his driver got out and opened the door for me. I sat stiffly in the seat. It was warm inside, a different world from the freezing cold outside. I looked at my pilling sweater and worn boots, shrinking into myself. The warm air blew on my face, mixing with shame until I blushed to my ears. He broke the silence. “You saved this much in two years of college?” I nodded, face burning as I explained. “Yes, I get scholarships every year. And this year I went south to buy clothes wholesale to sell at the campus night market. I made a bit of profit.” He raised an eyebrow, a flash of appreciation in his eyes. “You have a good head for business, kid.” He paused, then asked: “Interested in interning at Sterling Corp this winter break?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I nodded frantically. “Really? I’d love to! Thank you, Mr. Sterling!” Sterling Corp was a titan in the industry, a dream destination for top graduates. 3 That winter, I became a lowly intern in the Secretary’s Office. I fetched coffee and ran errands for Lucas. He was surrounded by elites. Compared to them, I was an ugly duckling who had wandered into a flock of swans. Lucas had incredibly high standards. By day, I ran until my feet blistered, daring not to slack off for a second. By night, after colleagues left, I stayed to learn. One evening, I was still at my computer long after everyone had gone. Outside, the city lights had come on without me noticing. “Why haven’t you clocked out?” A deep voice sounded behind me. I spun around in panic. He stood tall, the city skyline glittering behind him like a halo. “What are you reading?” He leaned in slightly, his eyes scanning the terms on my screen: “Private Equity,” “Options,” “Leverage Effect.” I explained nervously: “I heard you talking to clients today and didn’t understand a lot of it, so I wanted to teach myself…” He nodded slightly, a faint smile touching his lips. “It’s good to be studious.” He turned and pulled a few books from his shelf. “Read these instead.” Then he tapped my desk. “It’s late. Go home. I don’t have a hobby of exploiting employees.” We went downstairs together, only to run into a male classmate who had been pursuing me. I had rejected him clearly many times, but he was relentless. He had even tracked me to my workplace. “Nina! I waited so long for you. Dinner?” I was mortified. After getting rid of him, I apologized to Lucas repeatedly. “Mr. Sterling, he won’t come back. I promise it won’t affect my work.” I was terrified of leaving a bad impression. He raised an eyebrow, curious. “Suitor?” “Sort of…” I muttered awkwardly. He tilted his head slightly, looking at me. “Do you know the best way to reject someone?” I looked at him blankly and shook my head. The corners of his mouth curved up in a half-smile. “Tell them you have a boyfriend.” “But I don’t…” I replied instinctively. “What kind of boyfriend do you like?” he asked. “I don’t know…” My fingers twisted together nervously. He lowered his head, looking straight into my eyes. “Is someone a few years older okay?” I avoided his gaze in a panic. His eyes burned into me as he asked: “Is someone like me okay?” Handsome, rich, successful. For a naive girl just stepping into the world, every trait was a critical hit. And maybe, I had already fallen the moment I looked up at him at eighteen. I didn’t understand why he would be interested in someone as broke and boring as me. Maybe it was a whim, a taste of something fresh. I never expected that I would walk by his side from age 20 through nearly a decade of my youth. Only to end up loving in vain. Perhaps I should have foreseen this the moment I walked toward him. 4 “Miss Song, I hope you understand your position.” That was something he said to me once during a fight. At work, we were boss and subordinate. If I made a mistake and he scolded me until I cried, I had to take it. After work, he would hold me and say, “You can’t talk back to your boss, but you can talk back to your boyfriend.” That was the “position” he spoke of. Back then, I craved his warmth, drowning in this contradictory, complex relationship. Now, his fiancée said the exact same words to me. “Miss Song, I hope you understand your position.” When Paige appeared at the company, she caused quite a stir. Previously, to avoid gossip, Lucas never officially acknowledged our relationship. But the subconscious gestures, the looks exchanged—everyone knew. Ironically, I was the last person to know Lucas was getting married. “I thought Nina would finally get her happy ending. Turns out the boss marries whoever he wants.” “Nine years with the same woman? Even if she’s a goddess, he’s probably bored.” “No comparison. Nina’s pretty, but standing next to her, the class difference is obvious.” “Yeah, she’s old money. That Birkin she’s holding? Only five in the world.” VP Lee, who had always hated me, whispered loudly with some employees. The volume was perfectly calibrated for me to hear. Paige sat on the sofa in the CEO’s office, exquisite from head to toe. A Chanel suit that would look matronly on anyone else looked tailored and chic on her. She oozed old money. She looked me up and down, then let out a light laugh. “I’ve known Lucas for years. He’s like this. He’ll eat the same dish forever.” “It doesn’t mean the dish is good. He’s just used to it and too lazy to switch.” She tilted her chin up, looking down at me. “Speaking of which, eating too much fast food is bad for your health.” “Don’t you agree, Miss Song?” I stood there, nails digging into my palms, lips trembling, unable to say a word. “Lucas has only had you these past years. His private life is clean enough. If you know your place, I won’t give you trouble.” “But—” She paused, her gaze locking onto my face, shaking her head with a frown. “You’re almost thirty, right? I’ve never seen a mistress this old.” “How many more years do you think you have with Lucas? When your youth fades, will he still be interested?” “The world isn’t short of young faces. What makes you think you can keep him as a mistress for life?” She narrowed her eyes, enjoying my humiliation. “Secretary by day, mistress by night. You really are a multi-tasker, Miss Song.” I fought back the stinging in my nose, my voice shaking. “Miss Rockefeller, Lucas and I… it’s not the kind of relationship you described.” For nine years, aside from work, he hadn’t hidden our relationship. He took me to meet his friends. They called me “sister-in-law.” We lived together, like a normal couple building a life. Paige scoffed. “Miss Song, you’ve lived the good life for so long you’ve forgotten where you came from.” “A charity case who climbed into her sponsor’s bed using her looks. A social climber.” “We all know how much effort that took.” “You followed a man for nine years. Did he ever promise you anything?” She stepped closer, the mockery in her eyes intensifying. “You think because you went to a few parties and got called ‘sister-in-law,’ you’re actually Mrs. Sterling?” “Wake up. The Sterlings won’t let a village girl in the front door.” “He’s marrying me because we match. It’s a union of family interests. What do you have?” “Men aren’t stupid. Would he throw away his empire for you?” She stared at my red-rimmed eyes with disgust. “Don’t go crying to Lucas. Sterling Corp needs the Rockefellers right now. It’s his honor that I chose him.” “Men are all the same. I picked Lucas because he’s handsome and cleaner than the rest.” She paused, issuing a cold warning. “I don’t care about the past. From now on, whenever you’re in front of me, tuck your tail between your legs.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389789”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The night before my grandmother’s heart surgery, I dragged my adoptive father into his study to go over a new medical breakthrough I’d been researching. I did this because, in my past life, when Grandmother’s heart failed, the “real” heiress—my sister, returned to the family—demanded to take over as lead surgeon. She wanted to perform the heart transplant herself. Knowing she had only completed three years of nursing school before dropping out, I refused. She took my refusal as an insult. To prove herself, she impersonated me, scrubbed in, and performed the surgery. The next day, Grandmother died on the table from massive rejection and ruptured vessels. Afterward, she threw herself into our father’s arms, sobbing: “Dad, I never thought Emily would be so jealous of me taking her spot as lead surgeon! She broke hospital protocol and operated on Grandma in the middle of the night just to beat me to it!” Before I could explain, my adoptive mother jumped in, pointing a shaking finger at me. “Emily Thorne, you are a murderer! Just because Grandma trusted Bella more, you sabotaged the surgery and killed her!” My father, blinded by rage and grief, pushed me off the 36th-floor balcony. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the day the “real” heiress demanded to operate on Grandmother. 1 “Emily, Grandma’s surgery is critical. Just let me do it.” “Your skills are average at best. If something happens to Grandma on the table, can you take responsibility?” Bella clutched Grandma’s arm, looking at me with pure triumph in her eyes. Hearing that familiar, sickly-sweet voice, I realized I had been reborn. I was back to the day before the surgery. The memory of falling from the skyscraper made me shudder. “No. Absolutely not.” Before I could finish, a porcelain teacup smashed against my forehead. “Do you have a say in this?” My adoptive mother, Mrs. Thorne, sat elegantly on the sofa, not even bothering to look at me. “Bella is the true daughter of the Thorne family. She’s devoted to her grandmother. What’s wrong with her wanting to perform the surgery?” “Don’t think just because you’ve been squatting in Bella’s spot for years that you’re actually a Thorne.” Grandma, sitting beside them, was trembling with anger. “Bella has been separated from us since she was a child, yet she still became a fine doctor. Much better than you.” “My own granddaughter wants to save me. What right do you, an outsider, have to speak?” Bella pouted, tears welling up in her eyes. “Emily, everyone knows you only became Chief Resident because of Dad’s donations to the hospital. You don’t have real talent.” “Grandma is sick. I found a new experimental protocol that can save her. Emily, don’t let your jealousy delay Grandma’s treatment.” I looked at the three of them—three generations of women united against me. I had planned to stop Bella from operating. But seeing their faces, I realized they wouldn’t believe a word I said. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. 2 In my past life, Bella had just been found and brought back to the family. When she heard Grandma needed surgery, she volunteered immediately. I had secretly investigated her. She attended nursing school for three years but barely passed due to truancy and fighting. For the sake of the Thorne family reputation—and Grandma’s life—I refused her without hesitation. Bella thought I was gatekeeping the inheritance. She accused me of trying to cut her out. After a huge fight, she took Grandma to the hospital herself. I assumed they would listen to the doctors. I didn’t tell Dad. The next morning, I arrived at the hospital for my shift. At the operating room doors, Dad slapped me across the face. “You ungrateful wretch! Your grandmother is dead! Are you happy now?” Before I could process the shock, Bella threw herself into Dad’s arms. “Dad, I can’t believe Emily was so afraid I’d take her job! She sneaked in last night and operated on Grandma against protocol!” “The surgery failed, and she didn’t even tell us! Grandma didn’t even get to say goodbye!” I couldn’t believe it. Grandma was gone. Grandma never liked me because I was a girl. She made me kneel in the ancestral hall for hours. When Bella returned, Grandma hated me even more. If it weren’t for the fact that Grandma raised Dad single-handedly through poverty, and the surgery was high-risk, I wouldn’t have even taken the case. But Grandma died before the scheduled time. I had been asleep in my apartment all night. I wasn’t even at the hospital. Before I could defend myself, Mom started screaming. “Emily Thorne! Just because your grandmother was strict with you, you murdered her?” “You’re an animal! Is this how you repay us for raising you?” Dad’s eyes bulged with rage. He lunged at me, his hands closing around my throat. I couldn’t breathe. The world went black. The next thing I knew, I was falling. Pushed from the balcony of the hospital’s VIP suite on the 36th floor. After I died, I learned the truth. Bella was terrified my surgery would succeed, cementing my place in the family. She convinced Mom and Grandma to let her operate early. When she botched it, she framed me. Dad, unable to handle the grief, killed me. He went to prison. Bella and Mom inherited everything. And the reason Bella was so desperate? She wasn’t the real heiress either. She feared exposure. So she engineered a tragedy to remove both me and the old woman who might figure it out. Not a single good person in this family. This time, I will make them pay in blood. 3 I took a deep breath, channeling my professional ethics for one last attempt. “Bella has zero surgical experience. She’s lying.” “Grandma, with the proper procedure, you could live another three years.” Grandma sneered. “With your half-assed skills? I’d rather die than let you cut me open. Just you wait.” With that, the three of them left for the hospital. It was getting late. They were afraid Dad would come home and stop them, so they were going to do the surgery tonight. Watching their retreating figures, a cold plan formed in my mind. If Bella wants to impersonate me, fine. I’ll stay with Dad all night. Let’s see how Bella explains her way out of that. I turned and went upstairs, grabbing a stack of medical files, and headed to Dad’s study. Dad and Grandma were close. The night before her surgery, he wouldn’t be sleeping. Seeing me, his face darkened. “Why aren’t you asleep? Tomorrow is the surgery. If you mess up because you’re tired, I’ll kill you.” I flinched, acting scared, and held out the file. “Dad, the hospital just sent over Grandma’s latest labs. I thought you should see them.” Dad’s expression softened slightly. “Dad, the reports are excellent. Grandma is strong. After the surgery, she could be home in a week.” “We can all take care of her together. She’ll be so happy.” Dad couldn’t hide his relief. Tears welled up in his eyes. He grabbed my shoulders. “Good. That’s good. Your grandma suffered so much raising me. If you cure her, you’re the hero of this family.” He pulled me into the study. “Tell me everything. Go through the data with me.” I hid a smile. Exactly. The happier he is now, the more devastating the crash will be tomorrow. Nothing fuels rage like hope destroyed. Bella, you wanted to play doctor? I hope you’re ready for the malpractice suit. Dad kept me there for hours. He asked about every number, every potential complication. He held my hand, his voice thick with emotion. “Emily, you’re a good daughter. If this surgery goes well, I won’t mistreat you.” “You and Bella will be equal. I’ll give you half the company shares.” I shook my head shyly. “Dad, saving Grandma is reward enough.” “Besides, Bella just came back. She needs to feel secure. She’s your real daughter.” Dad looked thoughtful but didn’t argue. “Time to go,” I said, checking the clock. “We should head to the hospital. I need to prep.” Dad nodded eagerly and called the driver. We arrived at the hospital. I changed into my scrubs. As I walked toward the VIP ward, a figure lunged at me. “You bitch! You killed Grandma!” 4 It was a busy morning at the hospital. Patients and staff gathered around the noise. Bella saw the crowd and her eyes lit up with malicious glee. She pointed a shaking finger at me, tears streaming down her face. “Emily! I knew you were jealous that Mom and Dad found me, their real daughter! But to take it out on Grandma?” “Grandma trusted you! Just because I suggested a better surgical plan, you got scared I’d overshadow you! You operated on her in secret and killed her!” Bella wailed, her performance Oscar-worthy. The crowd began to whisper. “She looks like a doctor… she killed her own grandmother?” “Rich family drama. Who knows the truth?” Just then, Dad pushed through the crowd. “What is going on here?” Bella threw herself into his arms. “Dad! Emily killed Grandma! She was afraid I’d take her position as Chief Resident, so she broke protocol and operated last night!” “It failed! She didn’t tell anyone! Grandma died alone! She wanted to see you, Dad!” “Grandma was crying for you at the end! Emily is a monster!” Dad froze. His face went gray. He started shaking. “Impossible. Mom was fine yesterday. She was stable.” “Bella, stop talking nonsense! Don’t curse your grandmother!” At that moment, Mom wheeled a gurney out of the operating room. “Husband! Come look! Mom… she died so painfully.” “Bella told me everything. She found a new cure, but Emily was jealous. She operated early to sabotage Bella.” “If she hadn’t touched Mom, Bella could have saved her! Mom died of massive hemorrhaging!” Mom pulled back the white sheet. Grandma’s face was grey and stiff. Dad’s eyes turned red. He stumbled forward, hands trembling as he pulled the sheet further down. “Mom? Mom, wake up. I brought Emily. She said you’d live to be a hundred.” Then he saw it. The chest cavity was a mess of blood and sutures. Amateur work. Dad’s fists clenched until the knuckles cracked. Bella, seeing her chance, added fuel to the fire. “Dad, it was Emily! I told her about my plan, and she screamed at me.” “She was terrified I’d cure Grandma. She sneaked in here last night.” “Grandma died because her veins burst. That doesn’t happen in a normal surgery! Emily did it on purpose!” Bella looked at me, a smirk playing on her lips. She thought I was dead. The next second, Dad’s hands were around her throat.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389788”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My little sister was bullied until she slit her wrists. My parents aged ten years overnight. The three little monsters smirked and said: “We’re minors. The law can’t touch us. What can you do?” I smiled back. “I can make you wish you were never born.” 01 I was in class when my mom called. She didn’t speak for a long time, just choked sobs coming through the line. My heart started pounding for no reason. Finally, she gathered enough strength to cry out: “Jake, something happened to Lily!” I left immediately. Didn’t even pack. Just called an Uber straight to the station. “Mom, I’m coming home right now. Don’t panic. Tell me what happened.” My mom was hyperventilating, repeating the same phrase over and over: “Your sister was beaten…” I called Lily. No answer. Called Dad. No answer. My hands were shaking so bad I could barely hold my phone. I searched her school and her name on Twitter. A video with tens of thousands of views popped up. I clicked it. A thin girl was curled up on the ground, protecting her head. Three girls surrounded her, taking turns stomping on her face. After thirty seconds, one girl said, “Let’s cut this bitch’s hair off. See if she still acts cute then.” She squatted down, grinning, grabbed a handful of the girl’s hair, and snip, snip. The girl on the ground curled tighter, trying to hide her face in her stomach. The three attackers got more excited. “Still fucking hiding?!” They worked like a team. One sat on the girl, pinning her arms with her knees, prying her hands away from her face. One took photos. One slapped her. Smack! Smack! Smack! That’s when I finally saw the face of the girl with the messy, chopped hair. It was my sister. The slapper got tired and signaled the photographer. I heard an excited voice from behind the camera: “My turn! My turn!” She pulled out a marker and drew a turtle on my sister’s swollen, red face. My sister couldn’t break free. She let out a scream of pure despair. “Why are you like this?” one of the monsters said. “You ruined her pretty face. How’s she gonna go be a slut now?” She pulled Lily up, dusting off her clothes. Like she was actually going to let her go. Lily clutched the hem of her shirt, standing there, frozen and confused. The next second, the girl kicked her hard in the back. Lily slammed face-first into the ground. Blood pooled instantly. Then, they rushed her, grabbing her school uniform and ripping it hard. Riiip— The comments section exploded. But soon, the video disappeared. “This video has been removed.” The tweet vanished too. “You okay, man?” the driver asked, looking in the rearview mirror. “You look sick.” The taxi entered a tunnel. The window reflected my bloodshot eyes and the veins popping on my forehead. 02 Neighbors were crowded around our front door. I squeezed through. Mom and Dad were on one side of the sofa. A cop sat in the middle. On the other side sat a guy in a suit and three middle-aged men. Probably the principal and their parents. The three little monsters were in the corner. Two had their heads down. The one in the middle sat on a fruit crate, playing with her nails, looking bored. When she saw me, she nudged her friends, pointed at me, whispered something, and they all giggled. “I’m gonna fucking kill you!” I grabbed a kettle and charged. But I was tackled immediately. One of the parents even snatched the kettle from me. “Let go! Or I’ll kill you too!!” The monster in the middle hid behind her dad, grinning at me. The cop patted my back. “Son, calm down. We’re discussing a solution here. Don’t make things worse.” I shook off the parent’s hand. “Okay. What’s the solution?” The air got heavy. They looked at each other, exchanging glances. Clearly, they were plotting some bullshit. The principal pulled me aside, arm around my shoulder. “You’re Lily’s…?” “Brother.” “Right. Look, the school takes this very seriously. We’ve severely criticized Brittany and the others. They promised not to do it again. Since it’s their first offense, we hope you…” “What do you mean?” I shook him off. “You want us to just let it go?” His mask slipped a little. “Listen, young man. We suppressed the news. You know, if that video gets out, it’s bad for Lily. She’s a girl, after all…” “So what?” I laughed, furious. “Should we kneel and thank you? Did you suppress it for Lily, or for these little shits?” “You need to look at the big picture.” “I can’t! I only see my sister getting bullied!” One of the parents scoffed. “Didn’t you think about why, out of the whole school, your sister got beat up? Maybe she did something shameful. It takes two to tango, you know?” I punched him in the face. Blood bloomed instantly. “Fuck! You dare hit me?!” “I’ll fucking kill you!” I was seeing red, ready to beat him to a pulp, when the cop bear-hugged me. “Calm down! If you hurt him, you’ll have to pay medical bills.” Mom pulled me back too. Seeing her tear-streaked face, I softened. “Officer, if we press charges, how many years will they get?” The cop sighed. “I understand your anger. But strictly speaking, they’d get a few days in juvie max, maybe a fine. They’re minors.” A few days? A fine? My brain buzzed. I turned and saw the monsters smirking. Hearing about juvie and criminal records, the parents signaled their kids. The three girls ran over and bowed. Brittany grabbed my hand. “Sorry! We know we were wrong. We won’t do it again!” I felt something hard in my palm. I looked down. She’d slipped me a bloody hair clip. The one I gave Lily. It had clumps of hair stuck to it. Ripped from Lily’s scalp. “Fuck!” I raised my hand to slap her, but her dad shielded her instantly. “I’m sorry, big brother!” She cried, tears streaming down her face. “Hit me! If it makes you feel better, hit me!” She was crying, but her hand was hidden, flipping me off. “I’m gonna kill you!” “Calm down!” The cop stepped in again. He turned to them. “The family is too emotional. We’ll talk later. You leave first!” 03 The house was quiet. It was past 10 PM, and Lily still wouldn’t come out. We stood guard outside her door. “Mom, Dad, go to sleep. I’ll watch her,” I said. “How can I sleep when she’s like this?” Dad said. Mom rubbed his back, leaning on his shoulder. Her tears had dried up, leaving her eyes red and swollen. “Those people might come back tomorrow. You need rest to deal with them.” “Yeah,” Mom said. “Listen to Jake. Lily will be fine with him.” Dad sighed heavily and shuffled away. He hurt his back years ago working construction. Rainy days were hell for him. Now he was old, relying on pain patches. Watching his hunched back, my nose stung. Once the lights were out, I knocked on Lily’s door. Two long, two short. Our secret code. I used to sneak her out for late-night snacks like this. But this time, no happy response. “Lily,” I whispered. “I’m coming in, okay?” I had a key. Silence. I felt a pit in my stomach. I unlocked the door. The smell of blood hit me like a wall. Red soaked the sheets. Lily lay there, half her body in a pool of blood. Her wrists were slashed open. “Lily!” I scooped her up and ran. “Mom! Dad! Lily slit her wrists!” 04 Hospital. 1 AM. I sat on the cold bench, staring at the ER doors. Every time a nurse came out, my heart stopped. I’m twelve years older than Lily. Mom had her when I was in sixth grade. My uncle joked that once she was born, my parents wouldn’t want me anymore. So I hated her at first. Until one day after school, I saw Mom holding a pink, tiny thing. She was sucking her thumb, smelling like milk. Mom looked at her with pure love. I felt jealous. Then, Lily woke up. Her big eyes stared at me, and she giggled. Mom was surprised. “She was crying all day, but she smiled at you. She loves her big brother.” I decided she wasn’t so bad. By the time she was three or four, she was my shadow. When I did homework, she’d stand by the desk, chin resting on the wood. Mom would ask, “Jake, want fruit?” I’d shake my head. Lily would echo, “Brother says no.” “Want milk?” I’d nod. Lily would run over, “Brother says yes!” Mom laughed. “She’s your little shadow.” She’d carefully place the milk on my desk and ask, “Brother, what’s a shadow?” “Someone who follows someone else.” She beamed. “Then I’m brother’s shadow!” When I got older, I wanted to drop out and work to pay her tuition. Dad caught me skipping school and beat me. Lily blocked the belt. “Don’t hit brother!” Dad threw the belt and cried. That was the first time I saw him cry. He said he was useless for not giving us a better life. Later, Lily told me, “Brother, study hard so you can get a good job and marry a good wife…” She forgot the rest and asked Mom, “What comes next?” So I promised her I’d never skip class again. I’d study hard and get into a good college. Lily held out her pinky. “Pinky promise. A hundred years, no changing.” That was our contract. Since we were kids, a pinky promise was sacred. Even if the sky fell. Then I went to college. Lily went to middle school. She talked less the last few times I visited. I thought it was just puberty. I should have known. Why didn’t I know?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389787”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

“Mom, take me to the hospital, I’m sick!” My son, Leo, threw himself at my feet, his little fists hammering my thigh. “My stomach hurts, my head hurts, everything hurts!” Seeing my young son standing there, tangible and alive, I finally believed it. I was reborn. The rage from my past life hadn’t dissipated. The thought of the son I raised with such care faking an illness to help Bella scam me out of money—money she used to study abroad while I rotted—made me sick. He had even called her “Mom” with such affection. I had been a good mother. In my last life, when he cried about pain, I swallowed my pride and begged the base driver to rush us to the hospital. While I was terrified for his health, he and his father were plotting how to deceive me. Right, my husband, the decorated officer, Ethan Stone. Father and son, cut from the same cloth. Neither could take their eyes off Bella. Since fate has given me a second chance, I will never let them hurt me again. 1 My son’s fists rained down on me. “Bad mommy! I want to go to the hospital!” “Okay,” I replied indifferently. I turned around, walked into the bedroom, and lay down. Leo was stunned. He gritted his teeth, threw himself on the floor, and started wailing. But I remained unmoved. “You’re a bad woman!” He screamed and ran out the door, straight to the group of neighborhood women gossiping in the courtyard. “Mommy won’t take me to the hospital…” He looked at me with tearful eyes, but there was a cunning glint in them. “I hurt all over. It feels so bad.” The women’s faces instantly darkened. “Mrs. Stone, are you human?” They were indignant. “The child is sick and you won’t take him to the doctor? What kind of mother are you?!” seeing me walk out, Leo scrambled over. “Mommy, I won’t be naughty anymore,” he acted pitifully. “Please take me to the hospital.” “Sure.” I smiled faintly, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him into the abandoned chicken coop next to the house. “MOM!” Leo was stunned, crying in terror inside the coop. The onlookers were even more shocked. “Leo’s mom, what are you doing?” I clapped my hands clean. “This is an old remedy from my hometown. If a kid is acting up and feeling ‘unwell,’ living in a chicken coop for two days cures everything. No need for a hospital.” The women stared, wide-eyed. “How is that possible?” “Sarah! Have you lost your mind?!” A furious roar came from behind me. I shuddered. “It’s not enough that you’re ignorant? Do you want to kill our son with your stupidity?” My husband, Ethan, looked like he wanted to strangle me. “I never should have brought you from the village to the base!” “Calm down, don’t blame Sarah.” Bella, dressed in a fashionable Western dress, gently smoothed Ethan’s furrowed brow. “She’s from the countryside, she doesn’t know any better. It’s not her fault, as long as she learns.” She leaned affectionately on Ethan’s shoulder, looking down at me with condescension. No one thought their intimacy was inappropriate. As if Bella was the real mistress of this house. Him and her. One stole my future, the other left me disabled for life. I’ll settle this debt slowly. Ethan tore open the coop and dragged Leo out. “I’m taking him to the hospital now,” he said coldly. “If anything is wrong with him, it’s on you.” We arrived at the county hospital in ten minutes. Bella handed me a report that read “Confirmed: Leukemia.” “I never thought Leo would have such bad luck.” Her eyes were red. “Leukemia is aggressive. The doctor says we need at least ten thousand dollars for treatment.” Bella looked up, her eyes probing cautiously. “Sarah, you’re his biological mother. You’ll definitely raise the money, right?” It was the same in my last life. Bella handed me the diagnosis. I was stunned by the word “Leukemia.” I didn’t have time to doubt it. I ran myself ragged raising money. In the 80s, jobs were scarce. I worked without sleep. When that wasn’t enough, I knelt and begged door to door, enduring humiliation. But I never imagined. Every cent I scraped together went into Bella’s pocket, funding her lavish life abroad. In this life, she won’t suck my blood again! “What are you standing there for?” Ethan glared at me. “Our son is sick! Go get the money!” “Oh, right,” he added. “You can give your study abroad slot to Bella. Stay home and take care of Leo.” Giving away my future to another woman. He didn’t hesitate. “This hospital is unreliable.” I hugged Leo tight. “Let’s go to another one. Just to be safe.” Their faces froze. Bella tried to stop me. “Let’s not waste time, just do it here—” “I’m his mother. I decide.” I dragged Leo to the new hospital across town. Three hours later, I had the physical exam report. “Look. The other hospital misdiagnosed him.” I smiled. “All indicators are normal. No leukemia.” Seeing the report, Bella looked like she’d swallowed a fly. Leo, who had been whining about pain, went silent. “I suspect he’s just bored at home.” I beamed. “The sports academy is recruiting. Let’s send him there to toughen up. Support the national fitness initiative.” The sports academy was a boarding school. Home visits every two weeks. Conditions were harsh. Since this kid didn’t want a good home and wanted to be an ingrate, I’d send him to enjoy some collective discipline. “I don’t want to go—” Leo panicked. “Mommy Bella save me! I don’t want to go to the sports academy!” Bella’s face turned pale. “Leo, you misspoke. I’m not your mommy, I’m your auntie.” Her eyes darted around. “Don’t say that again.” “But Daddy said…” “Shut up!” Bella fled. Ethan glared at me viciously before chasing after her. My smile turned cold. No wonder Leo accepted Bella so easily. Ethan had been teaching him to call her “Mom” behind my back. I left Leo in the pediatric ward and went to pay the bill. I accidentally saw Bella crying in a corner. “Will I never get to go abroad?” Her eyes were swollen. “But it’s my dream. My grandmother always told me stories about studying overseas. I want it so much.” “Why can’t Sarah just play dumb and help me with the money and the slot? I’d be grateful…” Ethan held her, eyes full of heartache. “I’ll figure out the money and the slot. Don’t worry.” Bella smiled through her tears and kissed Ethan on the cheek. I had no interest in watching further. I paid the bill and left with Leo. I sent Leo to the sports academy. No matter how much he cried and kicked, I didn’t soften. Without a child to care for, I had ample time to study English and prepare for my departure. After a few peaceful days, Ethan suddenly came home. Since Bella arrived at the base, he spent eight out of ten nights at her singles’ dorm. He rarely came home. In my past life, I fought about it. But his excuse—”I’m just used to looking out for Comrade Bella”—shut me down. I ignored Ethan and continued reading. Suddenly, his warm body pressed against mine, smelling of laundry soap. His hands gripped my shoulders. “It’s late. Let’s sleep.” As if that wasn’t enough, he scooped me up in his strong arms. “It’s been a while since we were intimate.” He looked at me with deep eyes. “Let’s try tonight.” Ethan blatantly placed the contraceptives he got from the clinic in front of me. To be fair, his daily training made his body hard as iron. His stamina was incredible. Any woman would fall for him. In my past life, I would have shyly agreed, secretly anticipating it. But now, I only felt repulsion. “No need.” I lowered my eyes. “If you have needs, go find Bella.” “Don’t talk nonsense!” Ethan frowned. “She and I are innocent. Intimacy is only for you.” I laughed bitterly, shook him off, went into the guest room, and locked the door. Ethan was gone the next morning. I went out as usual to process my paperwork. “Leo’s mom!” The clinic auntie stopped me, looking curious. “Your husband treats you so well. He went specifically to buy pills for… you know. Everyone envies your luck.” I looked at her blankly. “What are you waiting for? Go see!” She dragged me to the clinic. I was about to leave when I heard Ethan’s hushed voice. “As long as the pills work. If she gets pregnant, she can’t go abroad with a belly.” “But you already have Leo. Policy doesn’t allow a second child.” “I never intended for her to give birth.” Ethan’s words chilled me to the bone. So the sudden intimacy was a trap. To get me pregnant so the study abroad office would reject me. As for the child, it wouldn’t even survive. The baby and I were just stepping stones for Bella. I retched. Right. In my last life, he disfigured and disabled me. In this life, merely getting me pregnant and forcing an abortion was him being “merciful.” I held back my tears and ran to the Commander’s office. “Commander, I want to file for divorce!” “Why so sudden?” The Commander was surprised. “If it’s about Bella, Ethan already spoke to me. He’s just looking out for a teammate. Don’t overthink it.” I shook my head. “It’s not about him. I plan to dedicate myself to the development of the Northwest frontier immediately after I return from my studies.” Building the Northwest meant spending years, maybe decades, in secret facilities. It often meant sacrificing family. “Sacrificing the small family for the greater good.” The Commander sighed. “I admire your dedication. But does Ethan agree?” “I don’t need his opinion. I insist on divorce.” The Commander looked at me deeply. “Alright. The organization can approve a special divorce without Ethan’s consent. Comrade Sarah, you may dedicate your life to your cause.” Leaving the office, I received more good news. The study abroad office moved the training schedule up. The departure date, originally next month, was now tomorrow. I rushed home to pack. “You’re really leaving—” Seeing me packing, Ethan’s face turned livid. He pulled a packet of pills from his pocket. “I bought these for you. Take them.” He probably didn’t expect the date to change either. Tonight was his last chance to trap me. I didn’t even look. I threw the pills in the trash. “Are you determined to go?” he asked. “Yes.” “Enough!” Ethan glared at me. “Bella is clearly more suited for this opportunity. Why do you insist on hoarding it?!” “Or are you just jealous of her education and want to bully her?” I laughed in anger. “I earned this spot with my exam scores. I didn’t steal it. Why should I give it to her?” “But you shouldn’t—” Ethan stopped, unable to find a rebuttal. He didn’t speak to me again until the next day. I happily dragged my luggage to wait for the bus. It was rare for someone from the base to go abroad. Neighbors gathered to watch. Just as the bus arrived and I was about to board, Ethan appeared and grabbed me. “Don’t go. Mom and Dad are critically ill.” His attitude was cold. “You need to go back to the village and care for them immediately.” Bella walked over with an identical suitcase, smiling. “Ethan is right. Filial piety comes first. Sarah, you should go back.” “As for studying abroad, I’ll go in your place.” I was stunned. Watching Bella move to take my place, I tried to rush forward, but the neighbors blocked me. “Sarah, there will be other chances to study. But if your in-laws die because of you, can you live with that?” “We thought you were a good wife. Turns out you’re selfish. Ethan was blind to marry you.” Ethan watched with satisfaction as I was besieged. He snatched my bag, took out my admission documents, and handed them to Bella. “Give it back!” I screamed desperately. But no matter how I struggled, the crowd held me tight.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389786”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My childhood best friend thought I was too “good.” So he fell for the scholarship girl who acted even more innocent than me. To spite him, I tried to go bad. I got mixed up with thugs, ran out of options, and begged him to save me. He ignored me. He covered the scholarship girl’s eyes with his hand and whispered gently, “Don’t look. It’ll scare you.” I was left in that dark alley, tortured until I died. When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day he rejected me. 01 While cutting the cake, my friends egged me on to confess. I gathered my courage and said, “Liam, my birthday wish is you.” Liam’s hand, holding a cigarette, trembled slightly. He smirked. A bad boy grin. “Sorry,” he drawled. “You’re too good for me.” “Not my type.” In my last life, that sentence drove me crazy. Remembering how I died, a chill ran down my spine. I wanted to grab the knife and stab him right there. “Summer, are you okay?” “Liam, seriously? Can’t you say something nice on her birthday?” Liam kept that nonchalant, slacker attitude. He blew a smoke ring. “Can’t lie, babe. Not my style.” His lazy voice was usually charming. Now, it just made me sick. In front of everyone, I dropped the smile and made a new wish. “Liam, I wish that in this life and the next, we never cross paths again.” I blew out the candles. They tried to stop me, but I was too fast. Liam’s smile froze on his face. “Summer, are you serious?” “I’ll give you another chance. Make a new wish, and I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” No need. I ignored him. I picked up the knife to cut the cake. Liam lunged at me, grabbing the blade with his right hand. “Summer, I’m talking to you.” The blade cut his finger. Blood dripped onto the icing. Someone screamed: “Blood! Liam, you’re bleeding!” I knew what was happening. He was having an episode. Liam had severe mental health issues. In my last life, I was the only one who could calm him down. Oh. To be precise. Before the scholarship girl showed up, I was the only one. Because of that, I always thought I was special to him. Until I heard him comforting her with that same lazy tone. “She’s different from you.” “She’s just a placebo. You’re my only cure.” “Without you, I’d die.” I let go of the knife handle. “If you like it that much, keep it.” I turned to leave, but Liam threw the knife aside and grabbed me. His bloody fingers stained my white shirt. “Summer, who are you throwing a tantrum for?” Blood terrified me. I couldn’t help it. Memories of my past life flooded back—dizziness, nausea. I couldn’t take it. I fainted. When I woke up, Liam was by my bed. “Awake?” “You made me mad, yet I had to carry you back. Summer, how are you gonna make it up to me?” Liam was a player. He loved saying ambiguous things like that. Giving me hope I shouldn’t have. But I wasn’t the old me. I knew the truth. When facing the person he truly loved, Liam couldn’t say a single smooth line. Even his confession had been shaky. I sighed. “I’m tired.” “Liam, let’s not see each other anymore.” 02 The next day, I went to school alone. Liam didn’t wait for me. I knew it was my punishment. He was waiting for me to apologize. But I ignored him all day. In the afternoon, I was napping in homeroom when someone shook me awake. “Summer! Wake up! Liam’s fighting at the basketball court!” I was groggy. My deskmate dragged me to the court. “Hurry up! Liam’s gone crazy. Only you can stop him.” No. She was wrong. I didn’t need to go. His female lead had already appeared. I guessed right. When we arrived, Liam had stopped fighting. He was sitting on the sidelines, sweating bullets. Sitting next to him was a girl. Low ponytail, quiet face. She held his hand, her voice choked with tears. “Liam, you’re hurt.” Liam hated physical contact with strangers. He started to pull his hand away. But then his eyes met mine. He paused, gaze darkening, and let Maya hold his hand. The senior he beat up was limping away, supported by friends. “Wait,” Liam called out. He pointed at Maya. “Apologize.” The senior’s face was a mess of bruises. A friend tried to intervene. “Liam, let him go to the hospital first.” Liam refused. His voice was heavy. “I said, apologize to her.” Maya grabbed Liam’s hand and shook her head. “It’s okay, Liam. I’m fine.” The senior, beaten to a pulp, had to bow and apologize. Someone asked why he got beat up. My deskmate whispered, “He called her a charity case. Liam heard it.” “Deserved it! Watch your mouth!” “Liam is so hot! Hero saving the beauty!” “Is this a teen drama or what?” Only I knew the truth wasn’t like that. In my last life, Liam bullied that senior until he transferred schools. Before he left, he found me. He told me to be careful of Maya. He wouldn’t say more. Probably scared of Liam. The senior needed a hospital. The ambulance would take too long. I ran over. “Take my car.” The senior froze. “Thanks, but no need.” Liam rushed over and grabbed my arm. “Summer, are you trying to piss me off?” I looked at Maya behind him, eyes red and teary. “Mind your own business.” “If you leave now, don’t come looking for me later.” I didn’t look back. I helped the senior and his friends leave. Bang! Liam punched the basketball hoop post. Tsk. Doesn’t that hurt? 03 Liam and I barely interacted lately. I heard he stopped fighting for Maya. He even turned over a new leaf and started studying. When his boys called him to the arcade, Maya would whisper, “You haven’t memorized your vocab words.” Liam would sigh loudly and sit back down. “Mom’s strict. Can’t go.” Stories like this circulated daily. Whenever I walked by, people would stop whispering and look busy. “She’s so pitiful.” “Yeah, chased Liam for so long, only to get beaten by the scholarship girl.” Pitiful? I didn’t think so. My visa was approved. Once I passed the TOEFL, I was going abroad. To study Journalism, my dream major. My beautiful new life was starting. One day after school, Liam’s mom stopped me. “Summer, Liam forgot his meds again. Can you bring them to him?” I wanted to refuse. But seeing the bruises on his mom’s wrist, I sighed. “Okay.” I texted Liam: “Where are you?” He replied a long time later with a location. A pool hall. In my last life, I spent way too much time there. I went downstairs. The smell of smoke made me nauseous. I spotted Liam immediately. He was at the center table, gambling. A thick stack of cash sat on the rail. I walked over and tossed the pill bottle at him. “Your mom sent these.” Seeing me, Liam frowned. “Who asked you to come?” I ignored him. Dropped the meds and turned to leave. Someone blocked my path. “Liam, your girl?” Liam smirked, taking a cigarette from a friend and tucking it behind his ear. “Think that’s possible?” Just then, Maya walked in with her backpack. She started coughing immediately. Liam stood up, blocking the smoke from her. “Put them out.” The guy blocking me grinned, showing yellow teeth. “Looks like the real sister-in-law is here.” Maya blushed crimson. “Liam, don’t talk nonsense. The teacher said we can’t…” “I know.” Liam tapped her nose. “Be good. Call me ‘Oppa’ and I’ll let you go.” Maya squeaked and pointed at the cigarette behind his ear. “Liam, you promised to quit.” I felt Liam’s gaze on me. I remembered asking him to quit once. I’ve had asthma since I was a kid. I can’t handle smoke. Back then, he didn’t even pretend to care. He blew smoke in my face and said, “Can’t do it.” I smirked coldly. Tried to walk around the crowd. Blocked again. “Don’t leave, little sister.” “Liam, hurry up. Two on two. My girlfriend is here, who’s gonna play on your side?” 04 I walked away. Maya grabbed my sleeve. “I… I don’t know how to play pool.” I frowned. “And?” “I…” I glared at her, and Maya’s eyes reddened. Liam rushed over, shielding her, demanding, “Can’t you speak nicely?” “Psycho.” I tried to leave. He blocked me. Fed up, I goaded him. “What, Liam? Playing hard to get? Want me to be your girlfriend?” “In. Your. Dreams.” “Then get out of my way.” I left. No one stopped me this time. I heard Maya panicking behind me. “What do I do, Liam? I can’t play.” Liam comforted her patiently. “Dummy, I’m here. We won’t lose.” I didn’t care about their game. But at dinner, my mom kept sighing. “Saw poor Linda again today. Bruises everywhere. Old Xu is too much…” “By the way, Summer, haven’t seen Liam for dinner lately. Did you guys fight?” “No.” “Good. Invite him over…” I looked up, interrupting her. “We’re not friends anymore.” “Huh? Why?” I took a bite of fish. “No reason. Just hate blind people.” My mom asked cautiously, “Did Liam get a girlfriend?” I put a piece of fish in her bowl. “Yeah. It’s like a Wattpad novel. Super sweet.” They were acting out a romance, but they insisted on dragging me in as the extra. Early morning at school, I heard Maya crying. “What do I do, Liam? It was in my bag this morning, now it’s gone!” My deskmate whispered, “The class funds Maya was holding disappeared. Everyone’s looking for it.” I said casually, “Check the cameras.” Maya snapped. She walked right up to me. “Summer, my family is poor, but I’m not poor enough to steal class funds.” I didn’t say she stole it. Why so defensive? Liam walked over, commanding coldly. “Apologize to her.” I put my bag on my desk and sat down. He threw my bag on the floor. Then he flipped my desk. Liam was having an episode. “Apologize. Did you hear me?” The class went silent. No one dared to interfere. I bent down to pick up my desk. Liam grabbed my neck. His eyes were red. “A-pol-o-gize.” I couldn’t breathe. Tears welled up. A red mark formed on my neck. Maya tried to stop him. “Liam! Liam!” He listened to no one. Staring at me with red eyes. He didn’t know who I was anymore. Finally, teachers rushed in and pulled us apart. Maya hugged the raging Liam. “It’s okay, it’s okay, Liam. I don’t care about others, as long as you believe me.” He buried his face in her neck, but his eyes were locked on me. The teachers took me to the nurse. His gaze was dark. Watching me leave.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389785”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My brother, Chase, is a top-tier idol. My childhood best friend, Julian, is an Oscar-winning actor. And me? I’m Mia. A D-list actress who spends her free time writing spicy, R-rated fanfiction about the two of them. One night, I forgot to switch accounts before posting a new chapter. The next morning, the three of us were trending worldwide. Julian stormed into my apartment. His eyes were red. He looked like he wanted to devour me. “Mia, you owe me my innocence.” “How… how am I supposed to pay that back?” “Go public with me.” 1 Since high school, I’ve suspected there was something going on between my brother and Julian. At first, I thought they were just bros. But Julian was always at our house. His excuse? Tutoring me. Chase sat on my left. Julian sat on my right. They guarded me like prison wardens while I did homework. If they argued and gave each other the silent treatment, I was the messenger. Basically, if Chase was there, Julian was within three feet. Over time, I started feeling like a third wheel. A very bright, very awkward third wheel. Once, I saw Julian unlock his phone. The passcode was 032699. March 26, 1999. My brother’s birthday. From that moment on, I knew their “friendship” wasn’t as pure as it looked. Later, they both entered the entertainment industry. They interacted constantly on Twitter. They even went on an escape room variety show together. Chase is terrified of the dark. Yet he signed up for a show designed to traumatize him, just to hang out with Julian. When the episode aired, the whole world saw Chase dive into Julian’s arms, screaming. “Julian! A ghost!” Chase’s voice trembled. “Chase! Watch where you put your hands!” Julian shoved him away, muttering about not getting paid enough for this. After that show, their ship exploded. Thousands of fans joined the “JuChase” subreddit. I love writing stories in my spare time. With all this material right in front of me, I couldn’t resist. I pulled an all-nighter and dropped a 10,000-word fanfic into the subreddit. It blew up. Readers flooded my comments begging for updates. I couldn’t stop. I went wild. The smut got so intense that posts would get flagged and deleted within seconds. Chase, ever the internet addict, scrolled through his phone at home. He was gnashing his teeth. “Who wrote this?!” “Who wrote this trash?!” “I’m gonna sue! Rumors about my sexuality are one thing, but why am I always the bottom?!” Chase’s face was beet red. Julian sat beside him, patiently calming him down. Watching them squeezed together on the sofa, I ran back to my room. And furiously typed another 20,000 words. 2 Honestly, I only joined the entertainment industry to ship them up close. Chase and Julian were booked solid. I coasted on their coattails, enjoying the unemployed life. By the time the escape room show reached episode five, I was bored out of my mind. Julian had been distancing himself from Chase lately. My source material was drying up. I had writer’s block. The subreddit mods were DMing me for updates. Desperate, I begged Chase to get me a guest spot on the show. During filming, other guests were analyzing clues. I was glued to Chase and Julian like a shadow. This close, I had to get something good. I was so focused on my ship that I didn’t notice the female ghost creeping up behind me. She tapped my shoulder. “AAAAAAAAH!!!!!” I looked up, saw a terrifyingly pale face, and bolted. I was screaming. I have a loud voice. The ghost froze for a second, then covered her ears and fled the room. When I came back to my senses, I realized something. I was clinging to Julian like a koala. To break the awkwardness, I tried to make conversation. “Heh, you work out, huh? Nice pecs…” I poked his chest. Solid. “Enough! Mia, get down!” Chase stomped over, furious. He peeled me off Julian. See?! I knew it! Chase has feelings for Julian! He’s jealous! In the dim light, I saw Julian’s earlobes turn red. The atmosphere suddenly felt charged. “Bro, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have…” Shouldn’t have coveted your man. Before I could finish, Chase cut me off. “You’re a girl! If you’re gonna hug someone, hug your brother! Why are you hugging him?!” He punched Julian in the arm. “And you! Why are you hugging my sister! Did I say you could?” I’d never seen Chase this mad. I grabbed him to calm him down. Was it my imagination? Or did the corner of Julian’s mouth twitch up? Am I just a pawn in their flirting game? 3 Back home, inspiration struck. I wrote thousands of words. During a break, I checked Twitter. #MiaJulianSoSweet was trending at #1. I clicked it. It was full of people shipping me and Julian. [The chemistry! Mia didn’t leave Julian’s side the whole episode!] I was gathering material! [Chase acts like a mother hen protecting her chick!] He was jealous! [Did you notice? Julian kept looking at Mia!] He was… wait? Was he looking at me? [I used to ship Chase and Julian, but Mia and Julian are the real deal!] Traitor! [Apparently, they’re childhood friends! Friends to lovers trope!] Your bar is low. I scrolled and roasted comments in my head. There were too many. Worried Chase would see this and get hurt, I crept to his room. Sure enough, he was scrolling through the hashtag. Face dark and gloomy. I patted his back and handed him tissues. “Bro, cry if you need to. You should talk to Julian.” Chase frowned and sighed deeply. “Mia, what do you think of Julian?” “He’s great. Handsome, gentle, cooks well. Guys like that are rare, don’t let him go.” Chase’s face got darker with every compliment. He called his agent, Sarah. “Sarah, get this trending topic taken down!” “Money is no object! Remove it! Now!” I backed away, scared by his ferocity. Was a hug worth this much jealousy? Sarah called back. “Chase, it’s not that I’m slow. Someone paid big money to keep that hashtag at the top. I can’t take it down!” Chase pushed me out of his room. And slammed the door. I pressed my ear against it. I heard him yelling at Julian on the phone. “Julian! You animal! Doing something so shameless! We are done!” I skipped back to my room. Picked up my phone. And posted the latest chapter—[Domineering Actor x Puppy Dog Idol]. Then I turned off my phone. And slept like a baby. 4 I woke up at 10 AM. I opened my bedroom door and froze. Chase. Julian. And Julian’s sister, Chloe. They were sitting on my living room sofa like a tribunal. I rubbed my messy hair and forced a smile. “Morning… what’s the occasion?” Chase jumped up like a spring. “Mia! Look what you did!” “I am a six-foot-tall man! How… how did you write me like that?!” I glanced at the phone he shoved in my face. My sleepiness vanished. My name, Chase’s, and Julian’s were dominating the top ten trending topics. Each followed by a dark red [EXPLODED] tag. #ChaseJulianIsReal #FanficAuthorExposedAsMia #MiaForgotToSwitchAccounts #JulianClarifiesHeIsStraight … I clicked in. The internet was having a field day. [I’ve been reading this fic for days. Never guessed it was Mia. She’s Chase’s sister. Is this… a documentary?!] [No way! My oppa isn’t gay! I don’t believe it!] [What is this cursed throuple? I need to know Mia’s mental state right now!] [Oh my god, the tea is piping hot!] Someone even dug up Chase’s college photos and analyzed his socks. My vision went dark. I rushed to find my phone. When I turned it on, notifications exploded like fireworks. I remembered. Last night, after promoting the show on my main account, I forgot to switch to my alt before posting the fic. I checked the subreddit. Gone. Nuked. But screenshots of my fic were everywhere. Compiled into PDFs and circulating freely. My mind went blank. How do I fix this? Suddenly, Chloe walked up behind me. She sneakily showed me her phone screen. Her ID: [HorseWrangler]. ??? The mod who kept nagging me for updates was Chloe?! My childhood bestie! Julian’s sister! Of course! We share a brain cell! I hugged her like a fish finding water in the desert. We wept together.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389784”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I’m a total sister-con. My sister didn’t want to get married in an arranged business merger. So, for the sake of her happiness, I gritted my teeth. I slept with her fiancé. I planned to get pregnant and then show up at his door to force the issue. But then I heard that the fiancé, Julian Blackwood, had already proposed canceling the engagement ages ago. My world collapsed. Terrified he’d find out I was secretly carrying his child, I fled the country overnight. Before I left, I couldn’t swallow my anger. So I sent him a vicious text: [You were terrible in bed. I’ve never been with a man worse than you!] Three days later. I was video chatting with my sister, dutifully reporting my life abroad. Suddenly, a hand gripped my wrist. A man’s warm breath brushed against my neck. He chuckled darkly. “Running away, Summer?” “Why don’t you stay and teach me how to be better?” 1 Little sisters are born to serve their big sisters. My mission in life is to make my sister happy. She is my sky. My earth. The most important person in my universe! Since our parents died when I was ten, she fought off the wolves circling our inheritance. She raised me single-handedly. I knew then that I would dedicate my life to her. If she’s happy, I’m happy. If she’s sad, I’m devastated. Her worries are my worries. And recently, she’s been worried about one thing. An arranged marriage. 2 We have a grandfather who never cared about us. Strict, stubborn, and old-fashioned. He had three sons. My dad was the middle child. The middle child is always ignored. To make it worse, Dad only had two daughters. Grandpa didn’t just ignore us; he actively disliked us. His famous line was: “Can’t even produce a son to carry the name. Useless even in death.” Too bad his “grandsons” turned out to be total failures. In my generation, only my sister, Chloe, shone. She clawed her way to the top. She secured our share of the family business. When the family empire was on the brink of collapse, she was the one who saved it. But the old man was still stuck in his ways. Recently, he dug up some ancient marriage pact from god knows where. The parties involved: Chloe and Julian Blackwood. Julian Blackwood. Ruthless. Cruel. A tyrant in a suit. Rumor has it he once bullied someone into jumping off a building. And he’s cold. No interest in women, or men for that matter. Another rumor says he once threw a pair of twins who tried to seduce him into a freezing river. When I heard this, I panicked. I rushed to find Chloe. She was home today. White shirt, midi skirt, grey cardigan, gold-rimmed glasses. Gentle and intellectual. She sat in the garden, frowning at her laptop. I tiptoed over. She saw me and signaled for quiet—she was in a meeting. I nodded obediently. My sister is so beautiful. I can’t let her fall into the clutches of a monster! What do I do? How do I save her? My mind wandered, cooking up crazy schemes. Chloe brought me back to reality. She ruffled my hair. “Summer, why are you home? Did you skip class again?” Me: !! “No! Classes ended early!” I showed her my schedule. “See? Done for the day!” She nodded. “Good girl.” Hehe. Praise from Chloe. I floated on cloud nine until I remembered why I was here. I put on my serious face. “Sis, I heard the old man wants you to marry Julian Blackwood!” She raised an eyebrow. “Who told you?” I showed her the text from my annoying cousin. [Summer, don’t get cocky. Once your sister is married off, the family business is mine again.] Chloe took my phone. She read my vicious replies to him with amusement. She blocked and deleted him, then tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Summer is getting better at cursing.” My ears burned. Crap, my “good girl” image is ruined. “No, I didn’t mean it…” My voice faded. I quickly changed the subject. “Sis, is it true? Do you really have to marry him?” She patted my head. “Adult business. Don’t worry about it.” “I’m twenty! Not a kid!” I shook her arm. “Tell me!” Clearly, this was bothering her too. She rubbed her temples. “Maybe. I asked to cancel it, waiting for the Blackwoods to respond.” “Our family was messy years ago. Right now… we can’t afford to offend them.” I was shocked. If he refuses, she has to marry him? She comforted me. “If it happens, it happens. Marriage won’t change that I’m your sister.” Damn it. She doesn’t want to! No one forces my sister to do anything she doesn’t want to! 3 I pulled down the hem of my little black dress. I hadn’t worn something this short in ages. November nights are cold. I shivered in the hotel hallway, staring at the key card in my hand. It cost me a fortune. This was Julian Blackwood’s room. There was a gala downstairs. When it ended, he’d come back here. Remembering the rumors, I was terrified. Would he throw me into the river too? Probably not, right? I’m his fiancée’s sister. He has to give me some face. Maybe just kick me out. I swiped the card. Success or failure, I had to try. Chloe is more important than my fear. For the last two days, I kept asking her if she liked him. She finally sighed, “Summer, I don’t like him. I have no choice.” Seeing me sad, she took me to the beach to watch the sunset. The sun dipped into the sea like a salted egg yolk. She looked at me, not the sun. “Summer, you can marry who you love. No one will force you.” Sob. My sister is the best. 4 Thinking of her gave me strength. I gritted my teeth and pressed the card to the lock. Beep— I pushed. Didn’t open. Huh? I swiped again. Beep beep— Push. Still locked. I got angry. Swiped, pushed, swiped, pushed. On the nineteenth try, the card was snatched from my hand. A faint scent of vetiver drifted into my nose. A hand with distinct knuckles held my bootleg key card. He waved it in front of my face. “What are you doing at my door?” Caught in the act! AAAH! I buried my head like an ostrich. “No… nothing.” “Really?” The man leaned down. The vetiver scent was stronger now. “I recall this being my room.” “Summer, I’ve been waiting for you.” Huh? Huh? Wait. That voice. Why is it so familiar? I looked up. Saw the face. Froze. “Why are YOU here?” Julian smiled. “Who were you expecting?” “My sister’s fian…” My rusty brain gears finally turned. Why is HE my sister’s fiancé?! He tucked my hair behind my ear. “You haven’t told me why you’re at my door.” I blushed furiously. “Are you crazy? You gave me this idea! I’m actually mad now!” He took out his real key card and opened the door. Standing in the doorway, he ruffled my hair. “It’s cold out here. Does the little angry bun want to come inside and be angry?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389783”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Ethan Carter got drunk one night and got a girl pregnant. By the time I found out, she was already six months along. He said we could keep the baby and go back to the way things were. I shook my head and asked him one question, refusing to let it go: “Ethan, between me and this child, who do you choose?” That day, he was silent for a long time. He couldn’t give me an answer. But after I disappeared, he regretted it. 1 After five years of marriage, I never thought it would end like this. At the hospital entrance, Ethan carefully supported a young, beautiful girl as she walked down the stairs. I stood not far away, locking eyes with him just as his face was filled with tenderness. His gaze dodged mine instantly, stiffly avoiding eye contact. The pregnant girl beside him looked at me too, her eyes immediately welling up with tears. Ethan helped her into the car, gave her some instructions, and then walked toward me. His steps were calm and collected, the panic from our initial eye contact completely gone. He took my hands, which were ice cold, and warmed them in his palms. “Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling sick?” He spoke words of concern, reaching out to touch my forehead. I dodged his hand. “Who is she?” Ethan didn’t answer my question. Instead, he pulled me into his arms to comfort me. “Someone unimportant. I’ll explain when we get home, okay?” His gentle tone broke me, and tears finally fell. I looked up stubbornly, demanding an answer. If he told me the truth, I would believe him. Ethan sighed softly and wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes. “The child is mine.” The tears dried on my face. I forgot how to breathe. I bit my lip until it bled, breaking free from his embrace and backing away step by step. Only then did Ethan show a hint of anger. He pulled me close again, looking at me with heartache. “Sarah, you can blame me, but don’t torture yourself.” I didn’t understand why he would show me this side of him—this loving side—after doing something so unforgivable. In our silent standoff, the girl got out of the car. “Go back inside!” Ethan’s voice was cold, devoid of warmth. The girl looked at him timidly but didn’t leave. Her eyes grew determined. “Miss Miller, Mr. Carter and I aren’t what you think. This child was an accident.” She smiled bitterly. “If I could, I wouldn’t want him either.” My vision blurred. I couldn’t see the expression on Ethan’s face clearly. But I knew him. I could feel that his coldness toward her had already melted away. “Enough! Stop talking!” Jealousy and resentment flooded my heart. I screamed, collapsing under the weight of it all. The girl stumbled, startled, almost falling. Ethan rushed to catch her, holding her securely in his arms. I stared blankly at the scene. A thought flashed through my mind. I lunged at them. Just as I was about to touch her swollen belly, a powerful force shoved me away. I sat on the ground, looking at my scraped palms, and let out a tragic laugh. Ethan looked at his outstretched hand in disbelief, frozen. That day, Ethan left the six-months-pregnant girl behind and took me home. But I knew there was no future for us anymore. 2 Back home, Ethan gave me an explanation. I sat on the bed, unmoving, for a long time. He stood on the balcony of our bedroom, smoking cigarettes all night. I knew he was hurting himself to make me feel sorry for him. He always knew my weaknesses. As dawn broke, Ethan turned and came inside, standing beside me. “Hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll cook.” I called out to him, my voice hoarse. “Ethan, let’s talk.” Ethan paused, not turning around for a long time. He knew my personality. He knew I cared about this. I cared deeply. Even if he was drunk that night, even if the contact was unintentional. I couldn’t forgive him. So, Ethan had hidden it. But no one expected that a stranger, someone he met only once, would get pregnant. And due to her health condition, she couldn’t abort the baby. That led us to today. Ethan left. He didn’t dare face what I was about to say. I knew he loved me. If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have been together for so many years. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have spoiled me until I was soft and prone to tears. For the next week, Ethan didn’t come home. But he asked the housekeeper about me every day, down to the smallest detail. The housekeeper tried to persuade me: “Madam, you and Mr. Carter are the most loving couple I’ve ever seen. Just talk it out. “Mr. Carter… he’s lost so much weight recently.” She had been with us for years. She had never seen us fight. Even Ethan’s mother, who had disapproved of me in the early years, eventually accepted me because we were so happy. My phone rang. It was Ethan’s friend. “Sarah, Ethan’s drunk. Can you come pick him up?” “Leave him be!” After hanging up, the heavy feeling in my chest only grew. I kept picturing Ethan’s retreating back, looking more hunched than usual. I couldn’t bring myself to leave him there alone. After struggling with myself, I grabbed the car keys. And walked out the door. 3 The door to the private room was ajar. I stood outside without entering. Ethan was indeed drunk, sprawled ungracefully on the sofa. Standing in front of him was the pregnant girl. Ethan’s friend looked embarrassed. “Miss Su, Sarah wouldn’t come, and Ethan refused to leave. I had to call you.” The girl smiled gently and helped lift one of Ethan’s arms. He pushed her away abruptly. Gasps filled the room, snapping Ethan out of his drunken stupor. He looked at the woman in front of him and gave a smile uglier than crying. “Chloe Su, it’s all because of you. Sarah doesn’t want me anymore…” Ethan repeated the sentence over and over, searching for more alcohol. No one could stop him. He grabbed a bottle and chugged it like his life depended on it. Suddenly, Chloe grabbed the bottle from his hand and smashed it on the floor. The room went silent. Even Ethan, who had been making a drunken scene, stared at her blankly. “Ethan Carter, your shouting will scare our baby. “Get up. I’m tired. Take me home.” Ethan Carter, who commanded respect in this city, had never been ordered around like this by anyone but me. Everyone thought he would explode. No one dared to breathe. But in that oppressive atmosphere, Ethan said nothing. He stood up slowly, grabbed his coat, and silently followed Chloe. They left together. I hid in the corner, watching the man and woman walk away. And I laughed. But the laughter was bitter. I followed their taxi to a high-end apartment complex. I watched Ethan get out and walk upstairs with the girl. A light turned on in a window high above. I sat in my car watching all night. Ethan never came out. At 7 AM, he walked back in carrying breakfast. I looked at his familiar back. And quietly drove away. 4 I called Ethan home, but I didn’t bring up divorce. I looked at the man who had visibly lost weight and quickly looked away. “I didn’t pick you up last night. Where did you stay?” Ethan’s fingers trembled slightly. After a moment, he said: “I stayed at the office.” I couldn’t describe the feeling in my heart. Not exactly sadness. Just disappointment. When did Ethan learn to lie to me? The person who promised to be honest with me forever had changed. I didn’t expose him because it didn’t matter anymore. “How far along is she?” Ethan paused for a few seconds, as if afraid to hurt me. “Almost seven months.” Then, he knelt on one knee before me, burying his head in my lap. His tears soaked my skirt. “Sarah, I was wrong. Don’t leave me.” In my memory, Ethan had never cried. Now, he was crying hard. Seeing him cry made my heart ache. But I knew I couldn’t be soft-hearted now. “Arrange a meeting for me with that girl.” We met at Chloe Su’s apartment. Ethan waited outside. Chloe gently stroked her belly, her eyes full of anticipation for the child. “That night, the lights were off. I was truly terrified. “But the next morning, when I saw Mr. Carter lying next to me, I felt a moment of relief.” Chloe smiled as she spoke. She looked up at me, still gentle and beautiful. “Miss Miller, now that Mr. Carter and I are about to have a child, why don’t you just let us be together?” With Ethan gone, the girl in front of me seemed like a different person. Actually, I wasn’t surprised. The night I went to find Ethan, Chloe had glanced behind the door at me. I knew she had seen me that day. She stood up slowly and opened the door to a closed room. Inside was a cozy nursery. “Mr. Carter picked everything in here himself. He decorated the room. “He’s not without expectations for this child.” I wanted to maintain my last shred of composure in front of Chloe, who was flaunting Ethan’s fatherly love. But she provoked me. So, Ethan had expectations for this child too. He wasn’t indifferent. My strength drained away. I leaned on the dining table for support, knocking over a glass of water. The crisp shattering sound hit my heart, cracking it open. Hearing the noise, Ethan rushed in to find me swaying and Chloe lying on the floor crying in pain. That day, I will never forget that Ethan’s first choice was no longer me. Chloe smiled triumphantly at me, thinking she had won. As he brushed past me, Ethan hesitated for only a second. Then he walked past me, picked up Chloe, and rushed to the hospital.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389782”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After five years of marriage and two children, my body was a roadmap of stretch marks and the soft, loose skin that now draped my midsection. Predictably, my CEO husband, Blake Harrington, had found himself a young secretary—barely out of college—and was now flaunting her on his arm, in the open, for anyone to see. Consumed by a grief so sharp it felt like physical pain, I fled to my wealthy mother’s office to cry. She sat behind her massive mahogany desk, lit a cigarette, and watched me with unconcealed disdain. “He keeps a mistress, why don’t you keep a boy?” I sputtered, “Mom? Are you telling me to cheat?” She shook her head. “No, Anna. I’m teaching you to love yourself.” 1 I was driving the boys to school when I found out Blake was cheating. Amid the cacophony of the morning traffic and the usual sibling squabble in the back seat, my own pulse was a frantic, off-key drumbeat. I managed to hit the power button on my phone, killing the screen and hiding the image of Blake and Kira Bell—his new secretary—locked in a desperate, office-supply-closet kiss. My hands trembled on the steering wheel. Landon, my older son, demanded, “Mom, please hurry. I’m going to be late.” He was the spitting image of Blake: polite, reserved, and strangely self-sufficient. I used to be proud of his composure, convinced I had raised a remarkably mature child. Now, looking at his cool, indifferent hazel eyes, I felt a sudden, chilling fear. “Honey,” I asked, the words catching in my throat. “If your father and I were to separate, who would you choose?” Landon Harrington glanced at me, his expression flat, and said nothing. When we reached the school curb, he gathered his backpack. He looked at me with the calculation of a much older man. “Mom, you don’t have a job, and you haven’t spoken to Grandma Sterling in years. If you separate, I’ll have to choose Dad.” My younger son, Carter, who usually followed Landon’s lead on everything, piped up instantly. “I want Dad too. I’ll choose Dad!” I felt as if I’d plummeted through thin ice into a freezing lake. After dropping Carter off at his pre-school, I drove to the nearest empty park and finally allowed myself to open the image again. The sender was an anonymous account, but the message was a deluge. Mrs. Harrington, you’re too sweet and devoted. I didn’t want you to be blindsided. Kira, she explained, had started as a client assistant. Blake, upon meeting the “cute and hyper-competent” girl, immediately promoted her to his executive assistant. Stop being a naive housewife, Anna. You need to start thinking about yourself. If you don’t fight back, she’s going to take your life. Blake is flying out this week, and he specifically requested her. He had someone book a king-sized suite and a bouquet of a hundred roses. A king-sized suite. A hundred roses. The symbols of romance Blake had only offered me during our brief, feverish courtship were now being packaged for another woman. My palm felt icy cold. I clenched and unclenched my fist, leaving half-moon indentations in my skin. I knew I wasn’t a master strategist. I certainly wasn’t the cunning type. After exhausting all my useless internal debates, I reached for my phone and called my mother’s private line. 2 Dana, my mother’s secretary, escorted me into Vicky Sterling’s presence half an hour later. Five years had passed, and my mother was more formidable, more stunning than ever. The sharpness in her dark eyes felt like a physical assault. My legs went soft, and my first instinct was to bolt. “Scared, Anna? Still so gutless.” She saw right through me. That was always the way it was. Even at my lowest, my mother’s first instinct was to wound. My eyes immediately began to sting, and my throat tightened. “Yes, I’m useless,” I whispered, the bitterness overwhelming me. “That’s why my life is a mess. That’s why I’m here.” He promised to love me forever. It had only been five years. Vicky ignored the plea for comfort and twisted the knife. “What can you do besides throw temper tantrums at my feet? You couldn’t even keep a mediocre man interested. Are you satisfied with your failure?” Her words broke the dam. The tears I’d been holding back all morning streamed down my face. “I am useless! I’m a mess! I don’t know what to do when my husband cheats!” I wailed, collapsing onto the leather sofa, grabbing fistfuls of tissues. “Go ahead, call me a loser! I don’t even want to live anymore!” Vicky looked past me to Dana. “Record that, Dana. This pathetic display is perfect for the internet.” My sobbing stopped instantly. I stared at her, horrified. “Mom! How can you—I’m your daughter!” Vicky walked over and sharply poked me in the forehead. “How did I give birth to such a pathetic coward?” She was a force of nature. When she found out my father had cheated right after I was born, she divorced him without a word. She took his small appliance company and built it into a multinational high-end electronics firm. Once, when a foreign vendor tried to fleece her, she swept the entire negotiation table clean. “Do you think we Americans are easy to cheat? If you try to back out of this contract, I’ll make sure you never see home again. We’ll both go down.” My fierce, lioness of a mother had somehow produced me—a classic example of a doormat. Other than decent grades, I had none of her fire. I was a hopeless romantic, a love drunk who had married Blake simply because I was obsessed with his handsome face, despite my mother’s warnings that he was untrustworthy. Vicky stared at me for a long time, and a sliver of softening appeared in her expression. She sighed. “He keeps a mistress, why don’t you keep a boy? We certainly have the funds.” “I have a dozen students I sponsor for college. Pick one.” I was dumbfounded. “Mom! Are you telling me to cheat?” She shook her head again. “No, Anna. I’m teaching you self-respect.” I was still reeling. I didn’t see the connection, but I knew my mother’s logic was absolute. “Relationships are currency, Anna. They’re built on mutual transaction,” she stated, leaning back. “When you married him, you were fresh, beautiful, and compliant. He was happy to spend his time and attention on you.” “Five years later, the novelty is gone. You stay home all day, looking like a tired house-sitter. To Blake, you have no business value, and you certainly have no emotional value. What, exactly, does he need you for?” I mumbled, “But I gave him two children…” “Any fertile woman can do that. And you are not a broodmare.” Vicky lit another cigarette, a slight, knowing smile playing on her lips. “Anna, your grandparents raised you. I was working. I know they instilled a lot of outdated values in you. Things like ‘be loyal’ and ‘be conscientious.’ Those values aren’t inherently wrong.” “But if you apply them to someone who doesn’t deserve them, you’re a fool. You’re easy prey.” “I don’t think Blake is wrong for cheating, frankly. If I were in his shoes, I’d probably do the same. It costs him nothing. He’s secure in the knowledge that you’ll just quietly suffer.” Her words sliced straight to my core. I wiped my eyes. “So what do I do?” “Go find a fun, young guy to play with.” 3 I had never contemplated anything so scandalous in my entire life. I just stared at her blankly. “…A what?” “You’re going to get yourself looking drop-dead gorgeous. Stop revolving your life around a husband and two kids who barely notice you. Cultivate your own interests, your own life, and find a handsome boy to keep you entertained.” Vicky sat at her desk, tapping a manicured finger on the polished surface. “Anna Pierce. You can be a queen or a caretaker. You choose.” “You only get one chance. Mess this up, and I won’t help you again. We won’t speak again.” She meant it. When I insisted on marrying Blake, she hadn’t taken my calls for five years. She’d even moved abroad and had my younger half-sister—twenty-five years my junior—essentially saying she’d wasted time on her “first draft” child and needed to start over. Her force of will was terrifying. If I hadn’t been absolutely desperate, I never would have groveled to her. “Mom,” I said weakly. “Can I just think about it?” She pointed to the door. “Twenty-four hours. After that, the offer is off the table. Now get out. I have a board meeting.” She dismissed me like a nuisance. On the drive home, my mind raced. She’d once told me she hated Blake because he was the youngest child in his family. Men like that, she said, were spoiled, entitled, and lacking empathy. He’d been cheating since junior high, a fact I’d willfully ignored because of his striking face. My mother, I had to admit, had foresight. When I stepped into the house, I realized the atmosphere was strangely domestic. Blake was home, and he’d brought company. Kira Bell, an undeniably beautiful girl in a white summer dress, was curled up on my pristine, designer sofa. My two sons were flanking her, watching her play a mobile game, while Blake sat nearby, reviewing a document. From my angle, they looked like the perfect family portrait. But I knew the truth: my family of four hadn’t sat down for a meal together in months. Blake was always in his study, and the boys avoided me, claiming I was too strict and complicated. Now, Landon, usually aloof, was excitedly gripping Kira’s arm. “Ms. Bell, you’re amazing! You actually beat the final boss! My mom can’t even play.” Kira smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Well, I was the core player on my college’s esports team.” Blake smoothly handed her a glass of milk. “Here, Kira. Drink this first, or you’ll get a stomach ache.” “Anna will be back soon to make her famous shrimp scampi. I’m sure you’ll love it.” They spoke about me so casually, as if I were not the mistress of the house, but the hired help. I glanced at the reflection in the hall mirror—the ghost staring back at me with sallow skin and exhausted eyes. I instinctively dropped the grocery bag in my hands and bolted. 4 I drove back to the city, arriving at Vicky’s corporate tower less than twenty minutes later. I didn’t knock. I rushed in, slid across the marble floor, and knelt before her. “Mom,” I choked out, my voice loud and desperate. “Help me. I don’t want to be a tired house-sitter anymore. I’ll listen to every word you say.” Vicky put down her chopsticks and walked over. She didn’t hesitate. She delivered a sharp, stinging slap across my face. The force made my ears ring, and my cheek instantly felt hot. But the fog of misery in my mind seemed to be violently shaking apart. Vicky’s voice was ice. “Does that hurt, Anna Pierce?” “Y-yes,” I stammered. “Good. You remember that. I hit you because you wasted five years. You made a terrible choice, and now you expect me to clean up the mess. You take your punishment, and you stand straight.” She turned and went back to hug my little sister. I wiped my face, stood up, and walked out. When I got back to Blake’s house, the Harringtons hadn’t even noticed my brief return and disappearance. Carter, seeing the plastic bag on the floor, whined, “Mom, I’m hungry. I want your Coca-Cola chicken wings, and Landon wants shrimp scampi. Dad needs his special yam and pork rib soup for his stomach.” Not a single dish was simple. Blake and the boys had notoriously finicky digestive systems, hereditary to the Harrington family. They were allergic to tomatoes, eggs, and certain spices. Anything too rich gave them severe cramps. Before our marriage, we had a professional chef. But my mother-in-law insisted I was home all day, so I needed to learn to “care for my family.” I had studied, taken classes, and learned to cook perfectly balanced, delicious meals to cater to their delicate systems. I had become the perfect Harrington caretaker, and in doing so, had become a complete drudge. A cold realization washed over me: Blake’s company was worth hundreds of millions. The dividends from my mother’swedding gift alone netted me a six-figure income monthly. Why had I tormented myself like this? I tossed the bags onto the kitchen counter and looked at them. “I’m too tired to cook today. Order takeout.” “Tomorrow, I’m hiring a private chef. From now on, you can tell the chef exactly what you want.” I started to walk away, but Blake blocked my path. “Anna, what is this attitude? We have a guest! You can’t let her eat takeout!” “A guest?” I slowly turned back to Kira. “She’s your company secretary. Why do I, the lady of the house, need to personally cater to her?” Kira’s eyes instantly welled up. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Harrington. I’ve caused trouble.” She picked up her bag, looking suitably distressed. “I’ll leave right now. Please don’t fight with Mr. Harrington on my account.” Landon was the first to rush to her defense. “Mom, how can you be so rude? Kira is my friend!” Carter, the little echo, added, “Yeah, Mom, you cook every day anyway. What’s the big deal about making food for Ms. Bell? Isn’t that what Dad married you for?” Their righteous indignation made me feel like a complete joke. The slap from that afternoon still stung. My husband, who I’d given my youth to, and my sons, who I’d risked my life to bring into the world, were all siding with a stranger. I couldn’t help but laugh, a cold, dry sound. Anna Pierce, you are a spectacular failure. Blake, mistaking my reaction for a childish tantrum, gave a dismissive sigh. “Fine, if you won’t cook, then don’t. Come on, Kira, I’ll take you out.” The boys clamored to go with them. As they left, Landon deliberately took Kira’s hand, looking back at me as if to prove a point. He hated physical affection, yet he was practically clinging to her. It was clear he adored her. I reached up, touching my chest, expecting the familiar ache of heartbreak. But the space was hollow, filled only with an infinite cold. My heart was too frozen to break. 5 I took a long shower and went to bed. The next morning, no one came to wake me up or ask me to drive them to school. I slept until eleven. After a long, indulgent bath, I checked my phone. Dana had scheduled an entire week of appointments: a new salon, wardrobe shopping, spa treatments, and over a dozen aesthetic consultations. As I got into the car, Dana looked at me, a polite embarrassment on her face. “Is something wrong?” I asked. She gave a strained smile. “No, Mrs. Harrington. I just assumed when I saw your casual attire the other day, you were running errands. I didn’t realize that your entire closet was…” She didn’t have to finish the sentence. My wardrobe was 90% T-shirts and ill-fitting, baggy jeans. A wave of self-pity washed over me. “I know. I’ve been an embarrassment to my mother.” Dana chose her words carefully. “I think Ms. Sterling is simply protective of you. She just doesn’t know how to show it.” “I understand,” I sighed. I truly was dense. It took me twenty-seven years and a monumental betrayal to understand the simple truth: If you don’t value yourself, no one else will. I followed Dana’s instructions, first to a high-end salon, where my messy, utilitarian bob was transformed into cascading, coppery waves. Then, we bought dozens of outfits—silks, leathers, form-fitting dresses, and designer heels. The final stop was a specialized medical aesthetic center for a consultation on postpartum restorative treatments. Emerging from the doctor’s office, my face was hot. “Dana,” I whispered. “Is this really all necessary?” Dana was utterly professional. “Mrs. Harrington, this is not just a health issue. It is a matter of physical and psychological well-being. It is, in fact, the most important thing you can do for yourself right now.” She was right. I’d been embarrassed by pelvic floor issues for years. Since Carter’s birth, a simple sneeze sometimes meant an immediate wardrobe change. During the few intimate moments Blake and I shared, he found me frustratingly unsatisfying. Eventually, he stopped touching me altogether. When I tried to initiate intimacy, he’d often find an excuse to sleep in his study. Dana was absolutely right. This was not a luxury. It was a foundational repair.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389781”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel