I estimated my SAT score to be 1400, while Chloe, a fellow scholarship student, estimated hers at 1500. My boyfriend broke up with me on the spot, and I was promptly kicked out of the class group chat. Facing everyone’s mockery, my expression didn’t change a bit. Because in my past life, Chloe asked me for my estimated score, and I truthfully answered 1550+. I also revealed my true identity to her: I had been switched at birth with the richest girl in our class. She excitedly toasted me with a glass of wine. But when I woke up the next day, I found myself with Chloe’s face. News of the heiress of the Lin Group reuniting with her family popped up on my phone, and I watched helplessly as my own face appeared on the screen. I tried to leave, but the door was locked. Eventually, I was murdered, my body dumped in a stinking ditch on the outskirts of the city. In the end, it was the “fake heiress,” the spoiled and willful girl I had resented for so long, who sensed something was wrong and sought justice for me. Opening my eyes again, I was back at the graduation party right after the college entrance exams. 1 “Susan, tell us your score! Let us be amazed by our top student.” Chloe ran up to me, eyes shining, drawing the attention of our classmates. Someone sighed, “Susan really is a winner in life. Always top of the class, and dating the school hottie.” “Soon we won’t even be in the same world. Susan will be fighting off offers from Harvard and Stanford.” My boyfriend, Justin, couldn’t hide the smile on his face. He sat beside me, looking at me tenderly. Everyone seemed happy for me, especially Chloe, whose eyes were practically glued to me. We were similar in build, the two poorest scholarship students in our grade. I once considered her my sister, telling her everything without reservation. But I never expected that this so-called best friend was ready to swap faces and replace me tonight. “Susan, don’t hide it! Show us your estimated score. I’m ready to toast to your success.” Chloe couldn’t hold back any longer. She pried open my hand and grabbed the test paper I was holding down. But the next second, her expression froze. The multiple-choice questions were mostly wrong, and many of the long-answer questions were crossed out. Next to the science section, the score was a glaring 600 out of 1600. Chloe stumbled back two steps, looking at me in shock. “Did you fall asleep during the exam? How did you do so badly?” I lowered my eyes, pinching my thigh hard to force out tears. “I didn’t want to either, but I had gastroenteritis during the exams. I left half the math section blank…” “I just hope I can get into a community college. I estimate I’ll get around 900.” As soon as I finished speaking, Justin stood up abruptly, his face pale. “Susan, I think we should take a break.” “You know your family situation. Your dad is an alcoholic, your mom is bedridden. If you failed the SATs, what makes you worthy of me?!” He grabbed the paper from the table and smashed it onto my head, moving away from me as if I were something dirty. The sharp paper scratched my face. All I could see were looks of disdain from my classmates. “900? We’re both scholarship students, but Chloe estimated 1500!” “I thought I could rely on you in the future. Didn’t expect you to be such a failure. Just wait to rot in poverty with your loser parents!” The class president even kicked me out of the group chat right in front of me, claiming my existence lowered the class’s standard. I looked at these people calmly, my expression unwavering. I was just wondering: Chloe, where did you get the dark magic to swap faces? 2 “Susan, 900? Are you kidding me?” Chloe narrowed her eyes, her tone heavy. “You know the state scholarship alone is worth tens of thousands. With that money, your mom’s illness could be treated.” I showed a painful expression, scratching my hair hard. “I want that too! Maybe the answer key is wrong? Why did I do so poorly?” The class president and others sneered. “It shows God has eyes. We were tired of you showing off your grades. You were so smug every time the teacher praised you, right?” “Susan, why are you still standing there? Get out! You don’t think you’re still qualified to be at our party, do you?” Just as everyone was piling on the insults, a cold voice rang out from the door. “Wow, there really are people who look down on others like dogs.” The famous spoiled little princess, dressed in a black dress, strode in. Perhaps by coincidence, she stood in front of me. “I’m paying for this party. If I say Susan stays, she stays.” The girl lifted her beautiful chin slightly. I used to hate her arrogance, but right now, I wanted to hug her. In my past life, she was the only one who realized something was wrong and tried to gather evidence of my murder, only to be discovered by Chloe. Such a clean-freak girl ended up dying in the most humiliating way in a dark alley. Seeing Lily stand up for me, everyone fell silent and scattered. Only Chloe walked over, handing a glass of wine to Lily. “Lily, thank you for inviting us tonight. Graduation is coming up, I want to toast you.” I was shocked to realize this was the exact glass of wine I drank in my past life. Could the face-swapping be related to this wine, and Chloe had changed her target? Seeing Lily about to drink, I didn’t have time to think. I pretended to twist my ankle and bumped into Lily. The cold wine soaked the girl’s dress instantly. Her eyes widened, hand still holding the glass. “Susan, what are you doing?!” Justin rushed over and pushed me away. He took out a handkerchief, looking at Lily with concern. “Lily, are you okay? God, such a beautiful dress ruined. Susan is always so clumsy. You’re too kind, standing up for her just now.” “…Although Susan and I broke up, I still apologize for her.” Lily remained silent, her lips tight, as if thinking. I apologized repeatedly, glancing up at Chloe as if by accident. Sure enough, a flash of panic crossed her eyes. 3 “Don’t touch me with your dirty hands, get lost!” Lily’s temper exploded. She slapped Justin’s hand away and stormed off. I became the target again and had to leave voluntarily. After returning home, I received a message from Justin. [Susan, don’t take the grades too hard.] I raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t blocked me? What did he mean? The next second: [Tonight’s dinner cost $25 per person. Since we broke up, you shouldn’t take advantage of me, right?] I was speechless. I Venmoed him the money and blocked him immediately. That night, I locked my door tight, afraid to sleep. Terrified that if I closed my eyes, I would return to the nightmare of my past life. Fortunately, when dawn broke, I rushed to the mirror. My face was still mine. I almost cried with relief. I immediately took the evidence my adoptive parents gave me to find Lily and talk face-to-face. In the coffee shop, the girl looked at me thoughtfully and accepted the reality calmly. She murmured: “No wonder that dream felt so real. So you really are my parents’ biological daughter. Then, everything that happened later must be true too.” At this moment, I realized Lily, who also died tragically, had been reborn too. “Lily, I’m in the same situation. What you dreamed actually happened in the past life.” “Last night in the past life, Chloe swapped faces with me. She took my identity, went to the Lin family, and committed many atrocities.” I held her hand, looking at her seriously. “I hope we can form an alliance to face this together. Trust me, I genuinely want to cooperate with you.” Feeling the warmth in my palm, Lily held my hand back. “Susan, I’m sorry for occupying your place for so many years. From today on, I’ll cooperate with whatever you say.” “That damn Chloe, I really want to find someone to just end her!” 4 To avoid alerting the enemy, Lily and I agreed to pretend we knew nothing and investigate Chloe’s face-swapping technique first. When I returned home for dinner, my adoptive mother told me Chloe had visited. Specifically asking about my estimated score. My chopsticks shook. “Susan, it’s okay. You don’t have to hide your exam failure from us. We know.” My adoptive mother’s eyes reddened. “It’s all my fault for being selfish back then, switching you and Lily. When you return to the Lin family, you’ll have a great life.” My adoptive father, who loved to drink, also said seriously: “I can see that classmate of yours is full of schemes and doesn’t genuinely wish you well. Stay away from her.” “I’ve seen plenty of people like her. Don’t tell her about reuniting with your family; she’ll definitely try to ruin it.” I gratefully agreed. For this meal, my adoptive mother made my favorite braised ribs, lamb stew with eggplant, and a fragrant bone broth. To be fair, although my adoptive mother switched me back then, they really gave me the best they could over the years. I want to return to my original life path, but it’s hard for me to hold a grudge against them. After dinner, I went back to my room and checked my phone. My social media feed was flooded. Justin and Chloe had gone public. Justin even posted a long text subtly hinting that he was with me out of pity because I pestered him. Claiming he never really liked me. Now he found his true love and hoped to walk together with her. I knew Justin was realistic and selfish, but I didn’t expect him to stoop this low. I couldn’t help but comment: [? Didn’t we just break up yesterday?] Justin’s friends immediately jumped in to attack: [Come on, Susan, you still have the nerve to pester Justin? With your 900 SAT score, I feel embarrassed for you.] [Chloe and Justin both estimated 1500+. In the future, you’ll be screwing bolts in a factory while they work in offices. You’re not in the same world.] Justin liked this comment and replied to me: [Susan, we are already on parallel lines. I’ve done my best regarding the past. Please don’t disturb my happiness anymore.] Before we got together, his grades were terrible. I’ve been dragging him to study all these years. Even right before the SATs, I sacrificed my own review time to help him organize notes. I didn’t expect to get this result in the end.

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On New Year’s Eve, Dad brought home a bottle of expensive whiskey. Grandma, afraid it would expire, insisted on putting it in the refrigerator. Unexpectedly, my little brother mistook it for soda and was about to drink it. I stopped him just in time. After I explained the dangers of drinking chilled hard liquor, my brother pointed at Grandma and cursed her out. Afterward, Grandma held a grudge against me, thinking I was meddling and causing a rift between her and her precious grandson. When I had been studying for the civil service exam for three years, Grandma put sleeping pills in my milk. She secretly sent me to a tattoo parlor. She gloated: “I want to see how you can take the civil service exam with tattoos!” With tattoos, my three years of hard work went down the drain. Unable to bear the blow, I jumped from a high building. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that New Year’s Eve. Drink! Drink it all! 1 “You money-losing brat, get out of the way!” Grandma slammed her cane heavily onto me. The pain cleared my thoughts. I blinked and quickly stepped aside. Seeing me so compliant, Grandma’s anger subsided significantly. She was clutching something bulging in her arms. She walked towards the refrigerator in the kitchen. I turned my head and glanced at my parents in the living room. I had no urge to warn them. Grandma opened the fridge, unwrapped the box in her arms. Revealing a distinctive bottle. She squeezed it into the crowded fridge. After placing it, Grandma smiled with satisfaction. At that moment, my six-year-old brother, Liam, woke up. He ran barefoot towards me. “Sis, give me a piggyback ride!” He skillfully jumped on my back, pulling my hair. “Get down quickly, I want a piggyback ride!” My parents acted as if they didn’t see anything, making no move to stop him. Instead, Grandma, seeing me motionless, raised her cane again. “Didn’t you hear my precious grandson? Give him a ride!” My gaze fixed on the refrigerator, then quietly moved away. “Okay, piggyback ride.” After all, my brother’s status at home was like a prince. No one dared to disobey him. If he was unhappy, he could tear the roof off, literally. 2 In my past life, Grandma was afraid the expensive whiskey would expire. She secretly put it in the refrigerator. Liam got tired of playing and went to the fridge for a drink. I watched him pick and choose in the fridge. He chose the chilled whiskey. Even though I disliked this brother who was arrogant and domineering at such a young age. But blood is thicker than water, so I grabbed the bottle away. “This is liquor, kids can’t drink it, especially chilled liquor.” I explained the dangers to Liam. Grandma claimed she meant well. But Liam pointed at her nose and cursed: “You old hag, are you trying to kill me on purpose?” Even my parents became dissatisfied with Grandma. “Mom, you’re really getting old and confused!” I thought this was just a small episode, but who knew Grandma would hold a grudge against me. She felt I did it on purpose to sow discord. Knowing she put the liquor in, but not reminding her to take it out. Waiting for Liam to drink it before exposing her. Just to alienate her from Liam. During the time I prepared for the civil service exam for three years. Grandma put sleeping pills in my milk. She drugged me and sent me to a tattoo parlor. “I want to see how you can take the exam with tattoos, hmph!” When I woke up and saw the tattoos all over my body, I almost fainted. I questioned Grandma furiously, but she didn’t care at all. “A money-losing girl like you wants a government job? That spot is for my grandson in the future, you don’t deserve it!” Grandma was ignorant; she thought a family could only have one spot. But her ignorance ruined me! After learning what Grandma did, my parents just remained silent. Finally, they advised me. “Forget it, it’s done, you can’t make your grandma pay with her life!” I did everything I could just to escape this family. I prepared for this exam for three full years. I completely broke down. Unable to bear the blow, I jumped from the rooftop. However, after death, my soul didn’t dissipate immediately. Instead, I saw a harmonious scene at home. My parents were praising Grandma for doing well. “Since the girl can’t take the exam anymore, she can peacefully marry and earn a dowry for our family!” Liam lay in Grandma’s arms, clapping his hands: “Grandma is awesome! Only I am the hope of this family!” I didn’t understand. If so, why did they give birth to me? Why let me go to college? Why agree to let me take the exam? And why watch Grandma ruin me? Before my soul dissipated, I heard the answer. “Hmph! Letting her go to college was just to get a better price when she marries. She even wanted a government job!” “It’s good she’s dead, there’s a big compensation payout. This is much more profitable than marrying her off!” I thought I was dead. Who knew, I opened my eyes and returned to New Year’s Eve. It seems even God couldn’t stand it. Gave me a chance to start over. 3 Liam pulled my hair. He found a small leather whip from somewhere. And whipped me again and again. Grandma clapped and shouted happily: “My grandson looks like a king, he will achieve great things in the future!” Liam beamed with joy. Don’t be fooled by his age; he knows a lot. My eyes grew cold, and as I lowered my head, a sneer appeared. “Liam, don’t go through the fridge, there’s stuff kids can’t drink in there.” My voice was very low, only Liam could hear. Liam’s reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window paused, his eyes darting around. He quickly climbed off me. “Playing with you is boring.” I got up quickly and deliberately flattered him: “Liam is a little adult now, of course you should play games for adults!” After speaking, I turned and left, leaving Liam standing there. Seeming to be thinking about something. I went into the kitchen and proactively took over the New Year’s Eve dinner for the family. By the way, I placed the whiskey in the most conspicuous spot in the fridge. I made all the dishes heavy in flavor. Heavy oil and salt. One bite would require three or four glasses of water. During the meal, I poured a glass of red wine for Dad. Dad was reluctant to drink the whiskey. Said he wanted to save it for when Liam gets into college. “Dad, you worked hard this year, I toast to you.” Seeing me like this, Grandma couldn’t help but mock: “Damn girl, always pretending.” Dad shook his head at Grandma and drank the wine I toasted with a smile. At this moment, I was still the sensible and filial daughter in their hearts. My parents didn’t intend to turn against me yet. Seeing this, Liam also held an empty glass, clamoring to drink. Dad quickly stopped him: “You’re still young, kids can’t drink!” Just as Liam was about to throw a tantrum, Grandma hugged him. “Oh, Grandma’s good grandson, knowing to drink at such a young age, you’ll be amazing when you grow up!” I smiled without speaking. Soon, chatter started at the table. No one noticed Liam had slipped away. 4 Dad drank until his face was red, constantly bragging about his youthful feats. “When I was young, who didn’t suck up to me? I just looked down on their hypocrisy, otherwise I’d be a big boss now!” I echoed: “Dad is still amazing now, and our Liam will definitely be a dragon among men in the future!” These stories were repeated almost every year at the dinner table. Dad did have some skills when he was young. He was a famous carpenter around here; everyone wanted him to make furniture for their weddings. But he was self-righteous and never listened to customers’ opinions. He only cared about his own preferences, and over time, people stopped asking him to make furniture. The current apartment was allocated from the village demolition. Without the demolition compensation, our family would have starved. Dad bragged about those tiny achievements every year without shame. Halfway through, Liam pulled Dad’s arm: “Dad, I’m thirsty, I want a drink!” Dad was still immersed in his world, and Grandma had happily drunk a few glasses too. “Go get it from the fridge yourself!” Liam’s eyes darted around, and he moved a small stool into the kitchen. I couldn’t help curling my lips, pretending to be drunk and lying on the table. After a while, a loud noise came from the kitchen. I peeked through a slit, seeing Grandma’s face change suddenly, jumping up from her chair. My parents sobered up a bit too. “Is Liam in the kitchen?” “Liam?” “Liam!” My parents shouted a few times, no response. They quickly pulled chairs and rushed into the kitchen. I boldly opened my eyes; the kitchen faced the balcony. Through the reflection, I could see what was happening inside. Liam burped drunkenly with a red face and patted his stomach. “I drank alcohol, I’m an adult too!” And the noise just now. Was the sound of the bottle hitting the floor. Dad went up and shook it, finding the bottle empty. Obviously, Liam drank it all.

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When my biological parents found me, I was setting up my fortune-telling stall on the street side. “Don’t marry within three years, or you’ll ruin your luck,” I told a customer. They didn’t seem to expect this to be my profession. They just stood there in a row, silent, until my brother, Julian, scoffed. I glanced at him and said, “No charge if it’s not accurate. Want a reading, sir?” My mother’s tears fell instantly. “Child, I’m your mother. Come home with us.” I looked at them, and four words floated into my mind: “Dark aura, impending doom.” 1 I packed up my folding table, compass, pen, and yellow paper, stuffing them into the small cart beside me. “I need to go home and pack my things. It’s messy inside, so wait out here.” Mom insisted on following me, so the rest had to tag along. The four of them followed me into the dirty alley. Rats scurried past occasionally, and I heard retching sounds from behind. “Can people actually live here?” I stopped and turned back. “Sure. I’ve lived here for over ten years.” Julian’s face changed colors. I ignored him and kept walking until I reached a small red door. I pushed it open. The furnishings were simple: a stove, a table, and an old electric fan. I opened the door to the side room and started packing my clothes from the wardrobe. Julian covered his nose. “Why bring these rags? We’ll buy you new ones at home.” Before I could speak, a crowd of neighbors burst into the room, surrounding the Sterling family. “You must be Mia’s family. You have to treat her well; she’s suffered a lot.” “You look rich. Why did it take you so long to find Mia?” “Heard you have an adopted daughter at home. Wonder how she’ll treat Mia?” I had no parents; these neighbors and my Master raised me. They were happy I was leaving but also reluctant to see me go. Auntie May started stuffing things into my arms. “These are clothes we bought for you. Don’t wear the old ones; you need new clothes for your new home.” Soon, my arms were full of bags. The corner of a bag accidentally brushed Mom. She flinched as if repulsed, then, seeing my gaze, awkwardly tried to help me carry them. I said no need, and she didn’t insist. The others probably thought the bags were dirty and made no move to help. My neighbors helped me move the luggage to the car. I hugged my small yellow bag and sat in the back seat. Julian frowned. “You’re not bringing these unlucky things home, are you? There’s no space for this junk.” Mom slapped him hard. “Is that how you talk to your sister?” I looked up at them. “Then I won’t go back.” I reached for the door handle. Julian froze, seemingly surprised, and opened his mouth but said nothing. It was my older brother, Lucas, who spoke. “Julian, apologize.” Julian reluctantly muttered, “Sorry.” In the car, Mom started asking how I had been living, saying I had suffered all these years. The term “biological parents” was foreign to me. I didn’t even have adoptive parents. When traffickers almost broke my arm, it was Master who rammed into them and snatched me back. I answered whatever Mom asked, but the atmosphere was weird. I looked at Chloe, who was sobbing non-stop. “Is this person also a Sterling child?” Seeing my gaze, Julian said angrily, “You just came back and you want to kick Chloe out! Even if you’re back, we won’t send Chloe away!” Lucas explained, “Chloe has lived with us for so long; we have feelings for her. We’ll treat you as family too, but please don’t target Chloe.” Chloe’s eyes were red. “Sorry, sister. I didn’t know about any of this. If you don’t want to see me, I can move out.” My gaze swept across their faces. “I didn’t say anything, did I? I just asked if she was a Sterling child.” They realized they had overreacted. Mom hurriedly smoothed things over. “Chloe is the child who was switched with you back then. Mia, you’re the older sister now, and Chloe is your younger sister.” I lacked the water element in my horoscope, so Master named me Mia (meaning “ocean” or “water”). I nodded and said nothing more. Chloe’s sobbing annoyed me, so I closed my eyes to rest. After a bumpy ride, we arrived at the Sterling mansion. When we got out, no one helped me with my luggage. The four of them walked into the house before realizing they had left me behind. Mom ran back out. Our eyes met. I ignored her and walked straight in. Seeing me walk in alone, their faces didn’t look good. Julian, who had been wiping Chloe’s tears, crumpled the tissue in his hand. Lucas scolded the maids. “Miss just came back, why didn’t anyone help her with her luggage?” I watched him shift the blame. “No need. I can carry it myself.” Mom looked even more guilty. “Mia, your room isn’t ready yet. You’ll have to stay on the first floor for now.” I nodded and asked, “Do the three of them live on the second floor?” Julian scoffed. “Just got back and already eyeing the second floor.” Chloe hurriedly pulled him. “Sister, Julian is immature. He just grew up with me and feels close. If you want, I can give you my room on the second floor.” I shook my head. “No need. I don’t want to live where you’ve lived. It affects my luck.” I ignored their reactions and went to my room. At dinner, the maid called me out. They were already seated, leaving a spot next to Chloe for me. Chloe called me “Sister” sweetly. I looked at her. Her mother was the one who switched us. If not for Master, I would have died long ago. With these feelings, I couldn’t smile at her. Chloe looked awkwardly at her bowl, her eyes reddening. Lucas looked at me. “Mia, Chloe is calling you.” I didn’t stop eating. The spoon in my left hand fell into the bowl. “I heard her. Just didn’t want to answer.” Hearing the clatter, Lucas frowned. “Where are your manners? Is this how your Master and those people taught you?” They can say whatever about me, but not about Auntie May and the others. “Who are ‘those people’? You make me eat at the same table as a thief and ask about my manners?” Hearing this, Chloe’s tears fell into her rice. Julian couldn’t stand seeing her cry. “What’s with your attitude! Chloe knew you were coming back and bought you lots of gifts!” “Gifts?” I put down my chopsticks. “You weren’t the one switched. You weren’t the one thrown in a trash can. You don’t know how cold it is to wear a thin shirt in winter. While I was wandering the streets, people tried to break my arm to make me a disabled beggar.” I rolled up my sleeve, revealing several obvious scars on my arm, some deeply indented. It was clear the spoon fell because of my arm injury. Lucas’s face changed, but he swallowed his apology. Mom was shocked; she didn’t expect my life to have been so hard. Dad couldn’t hide his grief. “Mia, let Lucas take you for a checkup tomorrow.” I shook my head. “No need. Master took me to see a doctor. This arm can move, but can’t do much else. So sorry, brother. When I was little, I only cared about eating and surviving. No one taught me manners, only how to live. I don’t deserve to sit at the same table with you. I’m full, you guys continue.” Lucas stood up. “It was my fault for misunderstanding you. Sorry.” I turned back. “What if I said, this house can only have one of us?” Julian clearly wanted to argue but shut up remembering the scars on my arm. Mom became mute. Dad said seriously, “We raised her for over ten years. If we send her away just because we found our biological daughter, what will outsiders think of the Sterling family? Mia, I hope you can get along with Chloe.” I looked at the family one last time. “What if you had to choose?” No one answered. I left feeling bored. The next day, I woke up hungry. I hadn’t even had a full meal on my first day here. I put on the new clothes Auntie May bought me: bright green with a cat print. When I went out, the family was up. Julian’s shocked gaze hadn’t left my clothes since I emerged. He stifled a laugh. “What are you wearing?” I tugged at my clothes. “New, no patches, unworn. What’s wrong?” Julian stopped laughing, thinking of my past, and awkwardly picked up his phone. Lucas handed me a glass of milk. I sipped it slowly. Mom called me to eat. I looked and shook my head. “I’m allergic to eggs.” Mom looked awkwardly at the egg noodles on the table and hurriedly asked the maid to cook a new bowl. After eating the noodles, my hunger subsided. After breakfast, Mom gave me ten thousand dollars to buy clothes. Perhaps because of earlier, Julian volunteered to take me. Chloe froze. “Julian, aren’t you going with me to pick up the jewelry I ordered today?” Julian said “Ah,” looked between us, and walked to my side. “Sorry, Chloe. Mia has no friends here. Ask your bestie to go with you.” Julian went to get the car, leaving Chloe and me at the door. 2 She had a manicure, nails sparkling in the light. “Sister, want to get one too?” Then she looked at my hands with disdain. “Forget it. Some people aren’t born to eat rich people’s food. Right, sister?” I just looked at her without answering. Creeped out by my stare, she muttered “bad luck” and left in the driver’s car. Julian drove over. Seeing me still standing there, he unexpectedly got out and opened the door for me. I sat in and raised my right hand. “I still have one usable hand.” He scratched his head. “Who cares. I was afraid you’d scratch my car.” The mall was huge. I had never seen such a big place. I stared at the entrance a bit too long, and Julian pushed me impatiently. “Stop looking, let’s go.” Halfway through, he left, leaving me alone in a store. I picked a few cheap clothes, paid, and went next door to buy some plus-size clothes for Auntie May and the others. Thinking about it, I used the remaining money to buy a gift for everyone in the Sterling family. I waited at the mall entrance until 2 PM, but Julian didn’t return. I bought a three-dollar bun from a nearby convenience store to fill my stomach. At 5 PM, a call finally came through. It was a strange number, but I picked up. It was Mom. “Mia, Chloe hurt her leg and is in the hospital. Take a taxi back yourself.” I said “Okay” and hung up. I didn’t have enough money for a taxi to the Sterling mansion, so I asked the driver to stop and walked back. Hungry and thirsty, I arrived home. Everyone was there, even Dad who was usually busy working. Seeing me, Chloe smiled apologetically. “Sorry, sister. Julian couldn’t pick you up because of me. I told Mom and Dad not to come, but they insisted. Luckily it’s just a sprain, or they would have worried.” I looked at her foot wrapped in thin gauze. Chloe popped a grape into her mouth. “Tired from walking all day, sister? Sit down and have some grapes.” The maid took my bags and exclaimed, “These must be gifts for the Master and Madam! Oh, and for the young masters and miss.” They seemed surprised. Mom came over, took the bags, and took things out one by one. Chloe looked sullen but forced a smile. “Probably nothing for me. It’s okay, it’s expected that sister doesn’t like me.” Mom took everything out. Five items, exactly. Chloe’s smile froze. Mom seemed to realize something. She laid out everything I bought: cheap clothes, plus-size ones definitely not for me, plus the gifts. Mom paused and asked, “Mia, how did you get back?” As if to confirm her guess, the maid pointed at my foot. “Miss’s foot is bleeding!” I looked back. The skin on my heel was rubbed raw, staining the white sock blood red. Julian jumped up to get the first aid kit. Lucas helped me sit on the sofa and carefully took off my shoe. But the sock was stuck to my flesh. I ignored him and tore the sock off my skin. Lucas frowned; Mom gasped and covered her mouth. Blood dripped down, forming a small pool on the floor. Chloe’s face changed colors. The maid hurriedly brought a towel for my foot. Julian carefully dabbed iodine on the wound. I snatched it and poured it directly on the wound, wrapping it haphazardly with gauze because my left hand was clumsy. Mom couldn’t watch. “Get a doctor for Mia quickly.” Lucas grabbed my hand. “Stop wrapping, wait for the doctor.” I finished wrapping, ignored everyone, said “No need, I’m tired,” and went back to my room. 3 I was woken by knocking. Faintly, I heard, “Did she faint? Kick the door down!” It was Mom’s voice. I limped over to open the door. Mom stood outside, followed by a doctor in a white coat. “Mia, come eat. Let the doctor look at your foot.” The atmosphere in the living room was serious. The argument hadn’t ended when I arrived. Chloe’s eyes were red. It turned out Dad had scolded her. Julian, unusually, didn’t defend his sister. Seeing me, he stood up hurriedly, at a loss for words. “Are you okay?” I didn’t answer and let the doctor bandage my foot. After dinner, Julian followed me around. If I wanted to watch TV but couldn’t work the remote, he helped me. If I moved, he put fruit in my hand. After I ate the fourth orange, another peeled one was extended to me. I glanced at Julian. “Eat it yourself.” Julian awkwardly retracted his hand. “Um…” “I…” Our voices overlapped. I looked at him. “You first.” Julian put the orange in my hand anyway and said, “Sorry about today. I didn’t mean to leave you at the mall. I went to the pharmacy, but Chloe called saying she was hurt and wouldn’t say how bad. At the hospital, I found out it was just a sprain, but she insisted I stay. I couldn’t leave her alone.” Thinking of leaving me at the mall, he blushed and said, “Sorry.” He seemed to be waiting for my reaction. “I won’t forgive you.” His head lowered further. “But I don’t blame you either. You asked Mom to call me, right?” He nodded hesitantly. He was the only one in the family who had asked for my number. A few days later, my foot healed. Mom transferred money to me again, saying she’d accompany me shopping. I shook my head. “Let Julian go with me.” Julian jumped up from the sofa. “I’ll go with sister!” Ignoring Chloe’s green face, he ran to the garage. Lucas said, “I’ll go too. He’s young and unreliable.” Chloe cried out, “Who will go with me for my checkup today? My foot still hurts.” Mom noticed her other daughter. “Chloe, Mom will go with you.” Chloe stomped her foot angrily. “I don’t want to! I want brothers to go with me!” She realized Mom’s face had darkened. Lucas didn’t look happy either. “Your foot looks fine. No need for a checkup. If you must go, let the driver take you.” Chloe cried, but no one comforted her this time. I refused Mom and Lucas, only taking Julian. In the car, Julian hummed happily. at a red light, he pulled something from his pocket. “Here, sister. Scar removal cream. I got it from the hospital specially. It’s a private formula from an expert, very expensive!” I didn’t expect this. Struggling internally, I asked, “Do you have money?” Julian nodded. “Yeah. If you need money, ask Mom and Dad. I don’t have much. Why, trouble?” I shook my head. “No. How much do you have? Can you give me twenty thousand?” Julian paused, then took out his phone to transfer money without hesitation. I stopped him, rubbing the text on the cream tube. “Julian, when did you get your driver’s license?” Surprised by the topic change, he answered obediently, “This March.” I nodded and asked, “Are you going hiking with friends this Saturday?” He was shocked. “How did you know? I haven’t told the family.” I looked at him. “Don’t go.” Julian said “Ah” and asked, “Why? We already planned it.” I said again, “I also know it’s four of you. Don’t go.” Julian was even more surprised but, seeing my serious expression, reluctantly agreed. “Okay.” I nodded. “You can transfer the money now.” He transferred it reluctantly this time. He only cheered up when I bought him a bracelet. 4 Back home, he happily helped me organize my purchases. Chloe walked over with a plate of cut apples. “Julian, tired? Have some fruit.” Julian ate a piece and stabbed one for me. “Thanks, Chloe.” Chloe stood there. I saw a band-aid on her left index finger and understood immediately. But Julian didn’t notice. She put down the plate and glared at me. I ignored her and ate the apple. Chloe noticed the cheap bracelet on Julian’s wrist. “Where did you get that cheap thing? Aren’t you afraid of getting dirty?” The bracelet was indeed cheap, but it had a good meaning: safety and protection. I didn’t tell Julian the price, and he didn’t ask, putting it on next to his expensive watch without disdain. Chloe grabbed his hand. “Careful, it might scratch the watch I gave you.” She tried to take it off. Julian pulled away. “Mia bought this for me. It’s definitely not cheap.” Chloe looked at me provocatively. “Is it?” I smiled frankly. “It wasn’t expensive. A few hundred bucks.” Chloe looked at the bracelet with disdain and reached for it again. Julian protected it. “I’ll wear it even if it’s cheap. Don’t worry, Chloe. Mia wouldn’t harm me.” Chloe looked at me angrily, as if complaining I stole her brother. But he was my brother to begin with. At dinner, Chloe brought up Julian’s hiking trip. “Julian, can I come? One more person won’t matter.” I knew Chloe wanted to butt in because she saw Julian and me getting close. Mom put a piece of braised pork in my bowl. “Take Mia too.” Chloe frowned but quickly recovered. “But the car only seats five. No room for Mia.” I shook my head. “No need. I’m not going. Julian isn’t going either.” Julian nodded. “Right, I have something else to do Saturday. Not going hiking. Chloe, if you want to go, I’ll tell them.” Chloe said “Ah” and looked at me, forcing a smile. “Why not? Didn’t you plan it last week?” Julian said carelessly, “Just don’t want to.” Chloe sensed my involvement and sneered. “Did Mia use her fortune-telling stuff to predict some bad omen for you?” Dad frowned, speaking up at the dinner table for the first time. “Is that true, Mia?” I nodded. Their expressions grew serious. Mom was unusually stern. “Mia, don’t mention these things at home. We don’t believe in this. Julian, go if you want to. Don’t believe in bad omens.” Julian looked at me worriedly. “Okay. But you wronged Mia. She didn’t calculate those things.” I interrupted Julian. “I did. If Julian goes out this Saturday, there will be a bloody disaster.” Dad slammed his chopsticks on the table. “Mention this again and get out!” Dad was breathing heavily with anger. Lucas patted his back. Mom started crying. Julian put down his bowl and wiped Mom’s tears. Chloe leaned close to Mom, but her eyes were on me, full of triumphant malice. In this atmosphere, I spoke calmly. “Is it because of the little sister who died at five?” Silence fell. Dad’s face turned iron blue, and he threw a plate at me. “Since you know, why give Julian readings? People like you killed Lily!” Mom sobbed continuously. “Mia, throw those things away, okay?” Lucas signaled me to go throw the stuff away immediately. I didn’t move. Chloe said angrily, “You know how much these things hurt the family, yet you still play tricks and fool Julian!” Julian raised his hand tentatively. “Um, I didn’t tell Mia about this.” They didn’t say it, naturally assuming Julian told me.

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My roommate, Scarlet, claimed her skin was so delicate she could only wear silk. On the day of our physical fitness test, she “accidentally” spilled coffee into her closet. Scarlet cried frantically, “Waaah~ It’s all my fault for being so clumsy and ruining all my clothes! Do I really have to wear this silk nightgown to the fitness test? But I’m so embarrassed~” Unable to bear seeing Scarlet so anxious, I lent her the expensive silk sportswear I had just bought. Scarlet completed the test smoothly. Unexpectedly, a girl from the class next door went viral for wearing a nightgown to the test. Not only was she dubbed “The Most Beautiful College Student” online, but she also won the favor of the rich campus heartthrob. Scarlet was consumed by jealousy: “It’s all your fault, you bitch, for meddling! Otherwise, all of this would have been mine!” She heated a curling iron until it was scalding hot and branded every inch of my skin. I was tortured to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the fitness test. 1 I woke up screaming in agony, my body drenched in cold sweat. My fingers instinctively touched my arm. It should have been covered in hideous burn scars, but right now, it was as smooth as ever. “Sarah, you’re awake?” A sickeningly sweet voice came from the opposite bunk. Scarlet was applying makeup in front of the mirror, a steaming cup of coffee on her desk. “What’s wrong? You look terrible.” Scarlet turned around, tilting her head to look at me, her big eyes blinking, looking utterly harmless. “Nothing, just a bad dream.” I forced myself to calm down and started getting dressed and making my bed. Scarlet continued to hum and apply makeup, occasionally stealing glances at me through the mirror. I knew what she was waiting for. She was waiting for that carefully designed “accident.” Sure enough, as I prepared to go wash up, an exaggerated scream came from behind me. “Ah!” Scarlet “slipped” and knocked over her coffee cup. The dark brown liquid splashed precisely into her open closet. She frantically grabbed tissues to wipe it, only smearing the coffee stains even more. In my past life, I would have already rushed over to help her save her clothes. Now, I just watched her performance coldly. “Waaah~ It’s all my fault for being so clumsy! I ruined all my clothes!” Scarlet’s tears came instantly: “What should I do? Do I really have to wear this silk nightgown to the fitness test? But I’m so embarrassed~” The exact same lines as before, even the tone was identical. She tugged at the creamy white silk nightgown she was wearing. The neckline was just low enough to be both innocent and seductive. My other two roommates, Maya and Chloe, busied themselves with their own things. They had no intention of responding. Living together for six months, they had long seen through Scarlet’s “pick-me” nature. Only I, with my incredible denseness, had foolishly treated Scarlet as a best friend. Seeing I didn’t respond immediately, Scarlet cried even harder: “Sarah, why aren’t you saying anything? Boohoo… It’s all because my skin is too sensitive and I can only wear silk. Even if you lent me clothes, I couldn’t wear them. But if I wear a nightgown to the test, those gross guys will definitely stare at me. It’s so annoying!” 2 I looked at her hypocritical face, my stomach churning. Scarlet had put on a full face of makeup today, curled her hair, and even had an exquisite French manicure. Does this look like someone panicked over ruining their clothes? It was clearly a carefully planned performance. But in my past life, I was deceived by her pitiful act. I unhesitatingly took out the expensive designer silk sportswear I had just spent over three thousand dollars on and lent it to her. At the time, Scarlet’s expression stiffened, and she hesitated to take it. I naively thought she was still upset about her ruined clothes. I not only held her hand and comforted her for a long time but also offered to pay for dry cleaning all her stained clothes. Looking back now, Scarlet looked upset because I ruined her plan. After completing the fitness test in my sportswear, she turned around and bragged everywhere that she bought it herself. When she returned the clothes to me, there were several unremovable oil stains on them. On that same day, I went to the dry cleaners to pick up her clothes. Only to learn from the clerk that Scarlet’s clothes weren’t real silk at all, but cheap imitation silk. In other words, her so-called “delicate skin” was just a persona she created. But to protect her privacy, I didn’t say anything and pretended not to know. Ironically, a girl from the class next door happened to wear a nightgown to the test that day and accidentally went viral. Not only did she become an overnight sensation as “The Most Beautiful College Student,” but she also attracted the attention of the rich campus heartthrob. When Scarlet found out, she went mad with jealousy and vented all her anger on me. “It’s all your fault, you bitch, for meddling! Otherwise, all of this would have been mine!” She took advantage of the holidays when the other two roommates went home early, tied me to the bed in the middle of the night. She heated a curling iron until it was scalding hot and branded every inch of my skin, torturing me all night long. I screamed in agony, but she laughed maniacally. “Keep that bitch mouth shut in your next life! Now die!!” In the end, I was tortured to death in excruciating pain. Afterward, Scarlet staged the scene as an accidental fire. She not only got away scot-free but also received consolation money from the school. And I ended up with no remains. Hatred surged within me. I bit my lower lip hard until I tasted blood before letting go. In this life, I won’t help again. I will make her eat her own evil fruit and be doomed forever! 3 I feigned concern and asked, “So what do you plan to do?” Scarlet bit her lower lip, her eyes flickering: “Actually… wearing a nightgown isn’t impossible, it’s just a bit embarrassing… But for the test, I guess I have to endure it.” Hearing her pretentious answer, I almost laughed out loud. She bought this nightgown just last week; it’s hard not to suspect it was specially prepared for the fitness test. “Scarlet, actually, I think wearing a nightgown to the test is fine.” Scarlet was visibly stunned: “W-what?” I pretended to be sincere: “Look, your nightgown is silk, comfortable and breathable, perfect for exercise. And…” I paused and lowered my voice: “I heard Liam, the senior, will be supervising the test today!” At the mention of Liam’s name, Scarlet’s eyes visibly lit up. Liam was not only the president of the Student Union Sports Department and the recognized campus heartthrob, but his family was also a famous real estate developer in the city. Countless girls in school had a crush on him, and Scarlet was naturally no exception. “But… wouldn’t that be too flashy?” Scarlet was still pretending to hesitate. Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I continued to fan the flames: “How could it be? You’re so pretty, others will only envy you. Maybe Senior Liam will even notice you.” Scarlet pretended to lower her head shyly: “Oh, don’t say that~ Then I’ll go change my shoes, these slippers don’t match.” From the corner of my eye, I saw her change into a pair of delicate small heels. She casually picked up her perfume and sprayed it on herself a few times. Before leaving, Scarlet stood in front of the full-length mirror, carefully adjusting the neckline and hem of her nightgown. A triumphant smile hung on her lips, completely devoid of the panic and helplessness from earlier. “I’m leaving now~” Scarlet blew us a kiss and walked out, swaying her hips. As soon as she left, Maya immediately leaned over: “Sarah, why did you encourage her to wear that out today? That’s not like you.” I smiled faintly: “Do you think her spilling coffee today was a real accident?” Maya’s eyes widened: “You mean…?” I nodded and whispered, “She did it on purpose. Why should I spoil her fun?” Before leaving the dorm, I sent a message to the class gossip, Laura. “Big news at the fitness test field. Girl wearing a silk nightgown. Come quick.” Laura was a campus influencer with tens of thousands of followers and loved filming sensational videos. Didn’t Scarlet want to be famous? This time, I’ll grant her wish. 4 On the track field, Scarlet’s appearance indeed caused a sensation. She wore that silk nightgown, the hem fluttering as she walked, revealing her fair thighs. She pretended to be shy, lowering her head, but deliberately slowed her pace to ensure everyone noticed her. Boys glanced sideways frequently, while girls whispered. “Holy crap, is she here for a fitness test or a fashion show?” “Which class is she from? Wearing a nightgown to a fitness test, isn’t that too slutty?” “Those legs, damn!” Hearing the discussions, Scarlet pretended to be flustered on the surface, but her eyes scanned the crowd triumphantly. She enjoyed the attention, unaware that fate had begun to deviate from her envisioned track. Because I saw Laura already holding up her phone to record. The PE teacher was also attracted by the commotion and walked over with a dark face: “Student Scarlet! What are you wearing?” Scarlet put on an innocent look: “Teacher, I accidentally dirty my sportswear, so I can only wear this.” “Nonsense!” The teacher scolded sternly: “How can you test dressed like this? Go back and change!” “Teacher~” Scarlet started to act coquettish, her usual trick: “Just let it slide this once, I promise it won’t affect the test.” But the PE teacher was a serious middle-aged woman who despised this frivolous behavior: “Either go back and change, or be marked as absent!” Quite a few students had gathered to watch the drama, and some started snickering. Scarlet’s face turned red and white; clearly, she didn’t expect this situation. Just then, the crowd suddenly stirred. Liam walked over with a few Sports Department members. Scarlet’s eyes lit up. She immediately adjusted her posture, pulling down the nightgown strap slightly to reveal more skin. “Senior.” She called out delicately, her voice sweet enough to drip honey. Liam frowned and looked at her: “Student, please observe the fitness test discipline.” “I just…” Scarlet wanted to defend herself, but a loud voice interrupted her.

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1 The first person I saw from my old life after leaving Northwood was Rosalind. It was a heavy snow day. She walked into my little bakeshop, her belly slightly rounded with pregnancy, and ordered a slice of matcha mousse. The reunion was so sudden it stunned us both into silence. We stared at each other for a long moment before finally managing a greeting. She asked me why I’d gotten into baking. I told her it was something I loved. She took the neatly packaged cake box from my hands but didn’t leave, her figure hesitating by the door. The snow fell in a quiet, thick blanket outside. I thought she was just watching it, but then her voice came, low and uncertain. “Greig… do you still… hate me?” I looked up and offered her a perfectly measured, noncommittal smile. Hate her? Of course, I had. But it had been five years. Hate is a fire that, if left unattended for long enough, eventually burns down to embers. It fades. Like an old photograph, the person in it fading along with the memory. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say more, but just then, another customer walked in. Seeing this, Rosalind swallowed her words and stepped quietly to the side. The man was a regular. He picked out several pastries. “Boss, you’ve got a real talent! This stuff is as good as any of those fancy downtown bakeries, maybe even better!” “You’re too kind,” I replied calmly, my hands moving deftly to box up his order. The customer glanced around my small shop, a puzzled look on his face. “With skills like these, why not open a bigger place? It’s a shame to be tucked away in a little corner like this.” I just smiled without answering. He was sensible enough not to press the issue. He paid and left with his treats. Rosalind remained in the corner the whole time, her gaze fixed on me, looking like she was about to speak several times but never finding the chance. The shop was surprisingly busy, with customers coming and going in a steady stream. She said nothing, and I acted as if she wasn’t there, focusing all my attention on my work. Finally, the voice of her assistant drifted in from outside, cautious and respectful. “Ms. Vance, your husband is on the phone. He’s asking if you’ve gotten the cake. He’s worried about the slick roads…” “I know,” Rosalind said, her brow furrowing slightly as she glanced outside. The window of a luxury sedan parked at the curb was rolled down, and I could just make out the silhouette of a man peering anxiously toward the shop. Before she left, she looked at me one last time. “If… if you ever need any help, you can come find me.” She left me with those words and then turned, walking quickly out into the snow. I treated it as the empty pleasantry it was and paid it no mind. Through the glass, I watched as a man rushed to her side, carefully steadying her. He gently pulled her coat tighter against the cold before guiding her into the car. I pulled my gaze away and went back to arranging a fresh batch of pastries on the cooling rack. The next day, I was awake before dawn. It was the anniversary of my father’s death. I made a special trip to the market and bought a selection of his favorite things. They weren’t traditional offerings, but my father had never cared for tradition. A memorial, I figured, should be for the one who has passed. It should be what he would have wanted. At the cemetery, I knelt on the cold stone before his grave and laid out the pastries one by one. Then, just as I always did, I began to speak to the headstone in a low murmur. I told him business at the shop was good, that the new Black Forest cake was a big hit with the neighbors. I told him Mrs. Gable’s little grandson had come in for cream puffs the other day and was the cutest kid I’d ever seen. I told him that even though the winter was cold, the heating in my apartment was excellent, and the nights weren’t hard to get through. My voice trailed off. The mountain wind rustled through my hair. I reached out and gently traced the chiseled letters of his name on the stone, almost able to see his kind, loving eyes looking back at me. “Dad,” I whispered, a faint smile touching my lips. “See? I’m listening to you. I’m trying my best to live a good life.” “I’m doing well now. I really am…” Today, I am just Greig Cole, the owner of a small bakeshop on a quiet street in the south end of the city. My life is simple, grounded. I am no longer the husband Rosalind Vance, the formidable CEO of Vance Corp, had discarded with a single divorce decree. I am no longer the paranoid, jealous man who drowned his sorrows in alcohol for her sake. And I am certainly no longer the criminal convicted of arson and assault, the one and only stain on the otherwise perfect narrative of her legendary rise in the business world. Rosalind and I, you could say we came up together, a young couple forged in hardship. When we first met, she was only fifteen, an insignificant, illegitimate daughter of the Vance family. Her entire existence was to serve as a shield for her celebrated older sister, to absorb every hidden threat and open attack. As a result, she was always covered in a tapestry of new bruises over old scars, never whole for a single day. My father, seeing her plight, took pity on her and often helped her out in secret. “I will never forget your kindness, sir. I, Rosalind Vance, will repay this debt one day,” she’d promised him. And she was a woman who knew how to repay a debt. She was true to her word. In three years, she led a team that tore through the corporate world, acquiring competitors and tripling Vance Corp’s market value. The board officially named her CEO, cementing her power. In an instant, she was one of the most powerful figures in the city, an unstoppable force. The same business titans who had once looked down on her now scrambled to curry her favor, but she kept them all at a polite distance. Only with my father was she different. Her respect for him was genuine and deep. Even after he retired and left Northwood, that respect never wavered. “If you hadn’t been there for me when I had nothing, I would have been finished,” she’d told him. “I never would have achieved any of this.” “From now on, I will consider you my own father.” “I will honor you, and I will take good care of Greig.” We saw each other often during that time, and our relationship bloomed naturally. After we were married, a few of the old guard on her company’s board, resentful of a CEO with her background, constantly tried to undermine her. For five years, I stood by her side. I lost count of the sleepless nights we spent together, deflecting corporate sabotage and dealing with threats from rivals in the dead of night. From boardroom backstabbing to market warfare, we navigated the most dangerous parts of her journey together, until no one in the company dared to challenge her again. But the higher she climbed, the more admirers swarmed around her. Though I trusted her, I couldn’t help the anxiety that gnawed at me. She noticed my unease. One night, she took my hand and held it tight. “Don’t overthink things, Greig,” she said softly. “No one can compare to you.” “You were with me through the worst of it. You walked through fire with me. That’s something no one can ever replace.” To set my mind at ease, she spent nearly all her time outside of work with me. She knew I loved the pastries from an old bakery on the south side, and no matter how late she worked, she would always go and buy some for me. If I so much as nicked my finger while cooking, she would frown for hours, carefully disinfecting and bandaging it as if it were a life-threatening wound. Before long, all of Northwood knew: Rosalind Vance, the iron-fisted CEO, doted on her husband, valuing my life more than her own. I believed that what we had, forged in shared struggle since we were young, was unbreakable. I never imagined that all that supposed devotion was just a calculated move in a much larger game. The day I found out was just like today, a world blanketed in snow. Watching the blizzard intensify outside my window, I remembered she’d left wearing only a thin blazer. Worried, I grabbed her heavy coat and went out to find her. And then I saw it. A scene that will be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. Rosalind, in a hotel suite with another man, their clothes in disarray. In that instant, I was frozen solid, unable to move, unable to speak. Helplessness, confusion, betrayal… the emotions washed over me like ice water. Rosalind, however, was unnaturally calm. “I’d planned to tell you in a few days,” she said coolly. “But since you’re here, this works too.” “I’m going to marry William.” She said it so matter-of-factly, as if she were deciding what to have for breakfast. I should have just agreed. In our world, affairs were common. Even my own father had a few romantic dalliances in his youth. For someone of Rosalind’s stature, it was only a matter of time. I forced down the rage, trying to stay rational. “You can have a lover,” I said, my voice tight. “But we are not getting a divorce.” I thought, after nearly a decade of weathering storms together, she would at least consider my feelings. She refused. “The divorce is non-negotiable. I have to give William a proper title.” Her tone was absolute. At that moment, my rage finally boiled over. I lunged at her like a madman, beating my fists against her, my voice raw as I screamed. I asked her where this left my pride, asked if our ten years together meant less than some man who’d appeared out of nowhere. Rosalind just stood there, letting me vent my fury. It wasn’t until I spat out insults, calling them a cheating whore and a bastard, that her expression finally changed. “That’s enough. William isn’t just ‘some man.’ He is the only man I have ever wanted to marry.” “The only one you’ve wanted to marry? Then what was I?” Her gaze fell on my pale, stricken face, her voice still eerily calm. “Greig, you were the most strategic choice.” “Back then, my world was full of dangers. I couldn’t bear to let William face that, so I needed a husband to act as a frontman. The love I showed you all these years… it was just part of the performance, a way to make the decoy more convincing.” Her words were a knife, gutting the foundation of my entire life. All our shared struggles, just an elaborate deception. All her tender affection, just an act for an unseen audience. The beautiful marriage I thought we had was, from the very beginning, nothing but a shield for another man. While I was still reeling from the truth, Rosalind was already shielding William, guiding him out of the room. She was a woman of her word. When she said she would marry William, she began preparations immediately, and on a grand scale. She paraded him at every important event in Northwood, introducing him to everyone. She promoted him with a fervor that was even more extravagant and shameless than the way she had once doted on me. They were the picture of devotion in public—the star-crossed lovers reunited, the power couple finally getting their storybook ending. And me? Were all my years of dedication, all my love, to be so easily erased? Was I supposed to hide in the shadows and watch them live out their fairytale? I wouldn’t have it. If I was going to suffer, they were going to suffer with me. So, on the night of the grand business gala where Rosalind was set to officially introduce William, I showed up. In front of a room packed with the city’s elite, I tore down the facade, exposing their sordid affair for all to see. Amid the wreckage of the banquet, Rosalind pulled me aside, her eyes filled with exhaustion and impatience. “Do you have to make a scene like this? Drag everyone through the mud?” “Yes,” I said, looking her straight in the eye, refusing to back down. “If I can’t be happy, neither can you.” But that wasn’t enough. I called in every favor my father had left in the business world. We filed a joint complaint, exposing every shady deal and unethical practice Rosalind had used on her way to the top. I was going to drag her down from her throne and turn her back into that powerless, illegitimate girl she once was. Reality, however, delivered a swift and brutal blow. She was a corporate titan. The complaints vanished as if dropped into the ocean. Instead, we, the accusers, were branded as conspirators trying to defame a pillar of the business community. The others got scared and threw all the blame onto me. I was arrested. The day I was taken into custody, Rosalind came to see me. The holding cell was dim. She stood on the other side of the bars, impeccably dressed, her voice calm but cold as ice. “You can’t win, Greig. I’m not the same person I was back then.” She paused, a flicker of something like pity in her eyes. “If you apologize and promise to leave William alone, you can remain my husband. Everything can go back to how it was. For the sake of our past, I won’t treat you poorly.” I just laughed in her face. I was young then, my pride more valuable than my life. I pointed at her and cursed her, telling her I’d rather die than bow to her. Maybe my words cut her, or maybe she just wanted to teach me a lesson. The days I spent in that cell were worse than anything I could have imagined. The damp, foul-smelling air, the cold iron of the cuffs, the stale, hard food… it all worked to grind down my will. Just as I was about to break, she suddenly had me bailed out. It seemed like nothing had changed, but the way people looked at me was different. Only later did I find out why. When my father heard what had happened, he had rushed back to Northwood overnight. He had knelt for hours outside the Vance Corp headquarters, begging to see her, begging for mercy on my behalf. When he was repeatedly denied, he smashed his head against the stone steps of her headquarters—a final, desperate act, buying public attention with his life, and in doing so, buying my freedom. The news shattered me. It hollowed me out completely. I stopped fighting. I stopped caring about Rosalind and William. I just curled up in my room, a soulless puppet consumed by the overwhelming grief and guilt of knowing my reckless pride had killed my father. Meanwhile, the Vance household was alive with celebration, decorated lavishly for Rosalind’s upcoming wedding to William. Only my wing of the house was as silent and dead as a tomb. I drifted in a haze of sleep for days. When I finally woke, there were people in my room. They said I was sick and needed to rest. I didn’t react. Perhaps out of guilt, Rosalind herself looked after me for a few days. But that small flicker of warmth quickly died out, and she returned to William’s side. On their wedding day, the house was filled with music and laughter. I had no interest in watching. But William came to my room. Maybe he wanted to taunt me, to twist the knife. He told me the real truth about my father’s death. “Your old man didn’t have to die, you know,” he said with a smirk. “But I thought you needed to be taught a lesson, so I had Rosalind make sure your father couldn’t get a meeting with any of the board members. He had no other choice, you see. He had to use his own life just to get their attention.” He got the reaction he wanted. His words were the final straw that snapped what little sanity I had left. In a daze, I lit the curtains on fire. The flames exploded, devouring everything in sight. William screamed and tried to run, but I grabbed him, holding on with all my strength. A single, crazed thought took over: We’ll all die together. The moment Rosalind burst into the inferno, the thick smoke blurred my vision. I couldn’t see her expression, only that she grabbed the screaming William without a moment’s hesitation and turned to flee. Just then, a burning ceiling beam crashed down, landing squarely on my leg. A wave of excruciating pain washed over me. As the world spun and my consciousness faded, the last ember of my will to live finally went out. But I didn’t die. The fire was contained. I was pulled from the wreckage. Everyone said I had lost my mind. But I knew better. I wasn’t insane. I just proved it by stabbing Rosalind with a dinner knife the next time she came to see me. My father had paid with his life, after all. A little pain was the least she deserved. They said it was aggravated assault. My charges were upgraded. I was sent back to the detention center. This time, I was facing a formal trial and sentencing. For intentional injury, I was sentenced to three years in prison. Shortly after, the divorce papers arrived. Rosalind finally got what she wanted. She was free of me, free to be with her precious William. In prison, my mind often drifted. I spent my days in a numb fog. Then, an old colleague of my father’s visited, bringing a letter he had left for me. The letter contained only a few words: “Greig, no matter what, you have to live.” Seeing my father’s familiar handwriting, it was as if a tiny spark ignited in my dead heart. For the sake of his last wish, I started eating again. I started sleeping. I started living. Thanks to a policy of sentence reduction for good behavior, I was released early. With the small amount of money I had, I moved to my father’s hometown and opened a small bakeshop. Life was humble, but I remembered my father’s words and I forced myself to keep going. To live long enough to find a way to avenge him. To live to see the day that Rosalind and William, the people who killed him, were sent to hell. My thoughts pulled back from the heavy memories. The mountain wind felt cool against my skin. I gave the headstone one last smile and said softly, “I’m going now, Dad. I’ll be back to see you soon.” Picking up my empty basket, I turned and started limping my way back down the mountain path. But after only a few steps, a strange feeling washed over me, a premonition that made me turn back. There, standing under an old tree at the entrance to the cemetery, was Rosalind. She had been watching me. I had no idea for how long. “Greig!” Seeing that I’d spotted her, she started walking quickly toward me.

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The love of her life killed himself. All because she married me. For the thirty years of our marriage, our most common wish for each other was to die a miserable death. Right before I died, we had just had a massive fight. As she stormed out, she slipped something into my tea. The moment the poison hit, I knew who had done it. I forced myself to stay alive until she came home, and then I plunged a knife into her stomach, making sure she would join me in hell. But as I lay dying, I heard her stop one of her men from finishing me off. With her last breath, she gasped: “The antidote I found… give it to him…” “After I’m gone… you must… keep investigating… who’s been poisoning him all this time…” “And… when he wakes up, don’t tell that madman… it was me who found the cure for him…” A single tear escaped my closed eye. Only in my final moment did I realize how catastrophically wrong we had both been. When I was reborn, I immediately changed my university application and chose a school on the other side of the world. Let the vast oceans separate us. Let her years be lived without me, so she could finally be with the man she truly loved. … When I opened my eyes again, I was leaning against something soft, and a spoonful of hot ginger tea was being offered to my lips. I snapped my head around and met Victoria’s bloodshot eyes. For a heartbeat, we both froze. This was the morning after I’d spent an entire night standing in a storm, trying to force her to marry me. Victoria clearly hadn’t slept a wink. Dark circles bruised the skin under her impeccably cared-for eyes. “Drink it yourself.” Seeing I was awake, the flicker of worry in her eyes vanished, replaced by the familiar, combative tension of our last life. She pushed me away. “Victoria…” I managed, my voice a raw croak. “What?” “Let me hold you… just for a second…” She stood up to leave. But in the next instant, I had my arms wrapped around her from behind. I could feel her entire back go rigid. “Adrian…” she warned, her hands gripping mine, trying to pry them off. “You can’t force a flower to bloom.” “I know.” I pressed myself against her, soaking in her warmth for what I knew would be the last time. “I get it now.” “You get it now…” She let out a weary, humorless laugh. “Isn’t that what you always say?” She wrenched my hands apart, shoved me back onto the bed, and walked out without a backward glance. The way she slammed the door behind her was an eerie echo of our last moments together in our previous life. I looked down at my palms. Her warmth still lingered there. But she didn’t know. This time, I really, truly understood. I was the boy who grew up with her, the son of the man who had saved her family. But I was not, and would never be, her husband. I closed my eyes. I understand now. I’m letting you go. My phone vibrated. It was one of my assistants. “Sir, we’ve scouted the coastal villa. You’ve always wanted to have your wedding there, right? Should we change the venue?” “Go ask Mr. Leo Vance. He loves the ocean too. If he agrees, then change it.” “Sir?” my assistant asked, thinking he’d misheard. “But… you’re the groom.” “Not anymore.” I hung up and dialed my PhD advisor. “Are you sure about this? The wedding’s off? You’re coming abroad with me for the project?” he asked, wanting to confirm one last time. I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “I’m sure. I won’t back out.” My advisor let out a sigh of relief and quickly signed the necessary papers, as if afraid I’d change my mind. “Even though you’re about to graduate, they’ve been trying to get me to keep you on. A lot of people applied for this project, but no one can replace you, Adrian.” “You finally seeing sense is a good thing. Marriage can wait. A few years won’t make a difference.” A pang of guilt hit me. The project had specifically requested me from the start. But I had been so obsessed with Victoria that I’d stubbornly refused my advisor’s invitation. He had been forced to look for other candidates, but no one met the qualifications, and the entire project had been delayed. I was in his office finishing the last of the paperwork when I heard a plaintive voice from outside the door. “I worked so hard for this, but then Adrian suddenly decided he wanted the spot. My entire month of effort… it’s all wasted…” It was Leo. My hand tightened on the doorknob. Victoria’s one true love. The man who had stood between us for thirty bitter years. I opened the door, and a familiar scene played out before me. Victoria stood there, looking down at me with a coldness I had never seen from her before. “Adrian, give the spot back.” Looking at her expression, and at Leo standing behind her with a tear-streaked, pitiful face, I shook my head. “Impossible.” “Adrian…” An expression of pure disbelief crossed her face. “I’ve already bent to your will and agreed to marry you. You think I don’t know you’ve already booked the wedding venue? You have no intention of going! You’re just doing this to torment Leo!” Leo stepped forward, his eyes red. “Adrian, I really did work so hard for this. Once I’m gone, I won’t be able to bother you two anymore. You’ll have your peace…” “You know damn well how hard you actually worked,” I said flatly. “You wouldn’t have gotten this project anyway.” Leo froze, his eyes growing even redder. Before applying, his original plan was to have Victoria go with him, so I couldn’t stop them. But after I’d repeatedly harmed myself to manipulate her, Victoria, burdened by the debt her family owed mine, had finally caved and agreed to marry me. In a fit of pique, Leo had decided to go alone. But his preparations over the past few months had been driven more by anger than by actual effort. In our last life, he had failed to get the position. But Victoria didn’t know that. Her brow furrowed. “You never even gave him a chance. How can you be so sure he would fail?” I held up the signed document. “Because Professor Miles has already signed off on me.” “Adrian…” Victoria’s fists clenched, her eyes filled with an unprecedented level of disappointment. “I always thought you were just spoiled and willful, but I never imagined you could be so cruel. You don’t need this opportunity, but Leo has sacrificed so much to get here! I can’t believe you’d waste a spot from Professor Miles just to spite him!” Her breathing grew ragged as her anger mounted. She stared at me, her voice like ice. “Listen to me. You may have blackmailed me into this marriage, but because of this, I will never, ever see you as my husband.” “I know.” I nodded calmly. I had already lived through that reality. Victoria turned away, taking Leo’s arm and comforting him in a soft voice. “It’s okay. I’ll fund you myself. We’ll find other opportunities. Don’t be sad.” That gentle tone… I had dreamed of hearing it directed at me countless times in my past life. But I never got it then, and I wouldn’t get it now. I really have to go, Victoria. I assumed Victoria wouldn’t want to see me again before the wedding. But when I returned to the penthouse I’d arranged for us, I opened the door to find her standing there. Our eyes met. Before I could speak, she brushed past me and strode out. I still wasn’t fully recovered. On the kitchen counter sat a bowl of ginger tea, still perfectly warm. A wave of complicated emotions washed over me. I remembered, in our last life, how she had always taken care of me even while she despised me. All because she had promised my parents before they died that she would look after me. So, no matter how terribly we fought, when I was hospitalized, she had donated blood for me without a second thought. Even if we had just sworn to never see each other again, the moment a car was about to hit me, she would instinctively throw herself forward to push me out of the way. She was just repaying a debt with her life. And I… I had always demanded her heart as well. As I drank what was likely the last bowl of ginger tea she would ever make for me, a memory surfaced. I glanced at the date. My heart clenched. I slammed the bowl down, scrambling for my shoes as I dialed my assistant. “Get to the alley off 13th and 6th, now!” It was pouring rain outside, but I didn’t even have time to grab an umbrella. I just ran. Guided by memory, I found the alley where Leo had been beaten in our past life. Just as I remembered, a dozen large men were surrounding a boy. “Just because your parents are dead doesn’t mean their debts are! We’ve given you enough time. No money? Then we’ll take an arm!” “Stop!” I smashed a beer bottle over the leader’s head, grabbed Leo’s hand, and pulled. “Run!” “Ah!” The rain-slicked pavement sent Leo sprawling to the ground. I yanked on his arm, but he was dead weight. The thugs were already closing in. I had no choice. I shoved him behind me. “Go! I’ll hold them off!” “I… I…” Leo was terrified, huddled on the ground and shaking. “Run!” I yelled, doing my best to fend them off. Ten years of martial arts training was no match for a dozen grown men. “I can’t hold them for long! Go get the police!” “I… I’m so scared… I can’t move…” Leo’s voice was trembling uncontrollably. I gritted my teeth and kicked one of the men away, buying myself a precious second. I turned back to haul Leo to his feet, but he let out a sharp cry and shoved me—hard. A blade pierced through my body. My breath hitched. “Shit… there’s blood!” The leader hadn’t expected me to stumble into the knife. He clearly hadn’t intended to kill anyone, and his hand on the hilt was unsteady. My eyes were wide, fixed on Leo. He was staring at me, head in his hands, trembling. “I-I’m sorry… I was just so scared…” Clenching my jaw, I ripped the knife out of my own body and lunged at the thugs, swinging it wildly. They were already spooked by the blood. Seeing me go berserk was the last straw. The group scattered and fled. I staggered, barely staying on my feet. Rain blurred my vision. Through the haze, I heard footsteps approaching quickly. I reached out instinctively for support, but a powerful force shoved me, and my back slammed against the brick wall. Victoria was holding a shivering Leo, her jaw tight as she glared at me. “I already agreed to marry you! Why do you still have to hunt him down like an animal?!”

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The world’s richest man commissioned a ten-billion-dollar ring, custom-made to my exact size, and declared he would marry whoever it fit. In my first life, the fake heiress secretly had the ring resized and married him. The magnate lashed her face raw and screamed, “It’s not her!” In my second life, my adopted sister lost sixty pounds to fit into the ring. The magnate shoved her from a balcony and snarled, “It’s not her either!” In my third life, my stepmother, in a grim act of determination, shaved the flesh from her own finger to force it on. The magnate just laughed coldly and drowned her in the bathtub. In my fourth life, they ran out of ideas. Terrified, they pushed me forward. I slipped the ring on. It was a perfect fit. The whole family breathed a sigh of relief. But the moment the magnate saw me, he drew a knife and gutted me, his voice a roar of despair: “How are you still not her? Where is she!” In this, my final life, the magnate’s secretary delivered the ring. This time, all four of us said it didn’t fit. But the secretary gave us a strange look. “Mr. Sterling was very clear. The owner of this ring is among you.” … The four of us stared at the diamond, the size of a pigeon’s egg, completely baffled. Every eligible woman in the family had already tried marrying him. Who on earth did this man actually want? My stepmother, Meredith, repeatedly questioned the secretary. “Are you certain there hasn’t been a mistake? I don’t believe anyone in the Ashwood family is Mr. Sterling’s beloved.” Otherwise, we wouldn’t have nearly completed a collection of family corpses over four attempts. But the secretary’s brow furrowed in annoyance. His voice was stern and serious. “At Mr. Sterling’s gala, the four of you occupied a table alone. He glanced your way and told me explicitly that the ring’s owner was among the four ladies of the Ashwood family. There is absolutely no mistake.” He held out the velvet box, his posture oozing arrogance. “Shall we try it on, one by one?” Seraphina, the fake heiress who cared most about her appearance, shrank back. “I’m… allergic to diamonds. I’ll die on the spot.” Lily, my adopted sister who would do anything for money, waved her hands frantically. “I’m so fat, I’d break the ring!” Meredith, who had been looking for a way out of her widowhood for years, forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace. “My heart belongs to my late husband. Mr. Sterling couldn’t possibly be in love with me.” Finally, all eyes fell on me. The secretary’s face crinkled into a wide grin. “Miss Elara Ashwood, wasn’t it you who shared a fateful glance with Mr. Sterling? Love at first sight, I believe?” “This ring must be meant for you.” Love at first sight? My heart was barely beating at all. In my last life, when I heard those words, I had been moved to tears. After all, Alistair Sterling and I had been in a secret relationship. He’d even had the ring made using my measurements. So when I finally escaped the clutches of the other three and married him, I thought my suffering was over. I waited for him in our marriage bed, trembling with a mix of excitement and shy anticipation. But the moment he saw my face clearly, his expression contorted with rage. He grabbed a fruit knife and stabbed me until I was nothing but holes. His eyes, reflecting my own terrified face, burned with an inferno of fury. “How dare you take her place? You are not her!” I bled out in agony, and even after I woke up in this new life, I couldn’t understand it. If the woman Alistair was searching for wasn’t me, then who could it possibly be? Lost in thought, I stood frozen, not taking the ring from the secretary’s hand. He smiled condescendingly. “Marrying into the Sterling family is a great deal of pressure. I suppose you need some time to prepare yourselves mentally. Very well. Mr. Sterling will come in person tomorrow. That gives you one night to think it over. I’ll leave the ring here for now.” He left the box on the table and departed in a diamond-studded, stretch Maybach. But as we stared at the blindingly brilliant diamond, none of us dared to touch it. We were all too afraid to die. For the first time in years, the three women who had made my life a living hell were on my side. We held an emergency meeting in the living room. They took turns trying to slip the ring on, but in the end, they confirmed it again: my finger was the only one that came close. Meredith looked at me suspiciously. “Are you sure he killed you on your wedding night too?” I rolled my eyes. “My body was delivered back to this house looking like a sieve. You all saw it, didn’t you?” Lily nodded vigorously. “It was brutal. There wasn’t an inch of skin left untouched.” Even Seraphina sighed. “I spent ten years fighting with Elara, but when I saw that… even I felt sorry for her.” We looked at each other and let out a collective, hopeless sigh. Meredith broke down. “If we can’t produce the right woman tomorrow, is he going to kill us all?” The other two looked just as grim. Suddenly, I had an idea. “There might be a way. The gala… there must be security footage, right? If the person he’s looking for isn’t one of us, maybe we can find his real beloved on the tape.” Driven by the need to save our own skins, we sprang into action, immediately hailing a cab to the hotel where the gala was held. Lily, a master of playing the victim, used her crocodile tears to gain us access to the security room. The footage began. As the gala opened, the Ashwood family, having lost its patriarch, was relegated to a lowly table in the corner. Meredith frowned. “That’s definitely us, tucked away in the back.” And because the four of us radiated a force field of animosity, no one else dared to sit with us. Not even our distant relatives. Seraphina was puzzled. “And it’s only the four of us.” Then, Alistair Sterling made his grand entrance, striding down the red carpet. But as he passed our table, he stopped. He turned with unnerving precision, his gaze landing directly on us. A shockingly tender smile spread across his face as he leaned over and said something to his secretary. Watching that smile now, we felt nothing but a cold, creeping dread. “It seems,” I said, my voice hollow, “that his beloved really is one of us.” Four pairs of eyes met, and in each, I saw the same stark terror. If we didn’t all share the memories of our past four lives, this would be an unsolvable mystery. Lily shivered. “If it’s really one of us… then why would he kill us in such horrible ways?” I took a deep breath. A single, desperate plan began to form in my mind. I looked at them with newfound resolve. “I think I need to go to the Sterling mansion. Wait for my signal.” Under their gazes of awe and gratitude, I set off. They had no idea that I was the most bewildered of all. Because, up until this very moment, Alistair Sterling and I were still in a secret relationship. And he was the one who had pursued me. Using the private entrance we always used for our clandestine meetings, I easily slipped into Alistair’s private study. He started when he saw me, then his expression smoothed over. “You’re here. Why didn’t you call first?” The gentle man before me flickered, overlapping with the image of the madman who had butchered me in my last life. I suppressed a tremor of fear and stepped forward. “The woman you intend to marry… is it me?” Alistair paused, a strange, unnatural flicker in his eyes. “We’ve been together for so long. Don’t you know my heart by now? I sent the ring to the Ashwood family to ask for my beloved’s hand. Of course, it was for you.” He smiled, pulling me onto his lap in an intimate gesture. But I detected a critical omission in his words. He said he was marrying his beloved, but he never explicitly said his beloved was me. I dug my nails into my palm and forced a smile. “So, who is she, then? Your beloved?” He fell silent, his eyes raking over me. “You should know. Why are you asking me this?” I thought he would continue to be evasive, but then he added, “Of course, it’s you, Elara. As long as you want it to be you, it will be you. Marry me tomorrow, and I promise I’ll treat you well.” I stared into his eyes, seeing nothing but deep affection. Ever since our affair began, he had been incredibly good to me. I wasn’t the brightest, I was constantly bullied by Meredith and the others, and I had no shares in the family company. But Alistair had supported me in secret, giving me gifts that the Ashwood family could only dream of. A man born with a silver spoon, he would personally tie my shoelaces and cook for me. I had once been so sure that I was the one he wanted to marry. But I had also seen him transform into a deranged monster, screaming as he plunged a knife into my heart. “You’re not her! Why do you get to marry me in her place?” “A hollow title is all you have! Do you really think you’re worthy of me?” “You were just a toy to pass the time! How dare you dream of replacing her!” I snapped back to reality as he took my hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. I had to fight the urge to snatch it away. But that one gesture sparked a thought—an insane, yet terrifyingly logical theory. I looked at him, my eyes wide with disbelief. “Your beloved is…” He cut me off, placing a finger over my lips. His eyes flashed with a dangerous glint. “You’re asking a few too many questions tonight, aren’t you?” The warmth returned to his expression just as quickly. “Tomorrow is our big day. You should go home and get some rest.” A fine, chilling fear prickled my skin. I nodded quickly and left. When I got back to the Ashwood house, the other three were still awake, pacing anxiously. They swarmed me the moment I walked in. “What happened? Do you know who his beloved is?” I said nothing, just shaking my head. Their faces fell, filled with a mixture of frustration and despair. Lily started to cry. “I don’t want to die! Maybe we should just run away!” Meredith snapped at her. “Run where? Alistair Sterling is the most powerful man in the country. He’d find us no matter how far we went.” Seraphina’s jaw was set. “There are only four hours until dawn. Running would at least buy us a few more days. It’s better than dying tomorrow.” But I cut in, my voice firm. “We can’t run.” “Someone has to marry him.” “And it’s going to be me.” Seraphina stared at me in disbelief. “I know I despise you, Elara, but have you forgotten how horribly you died last time?” Meredith frowned. “If you’re still this blinded by love, I’m starting to think I was too easy on you all these years.” The billion-dollar ring still sat on the table, its massive diamond glittering under the light. If Seraphina wore it, her face would be beaten to a pulp and she’d be left to die of infection in a cellar. If Lily wore it, she’d be pushed from a balcony, her body shattering on impact, left to die in agony. If Meredith wore it, she’d be drowned in a tub, her body bloating before being unceremoniously dumped back on our doorstep. And if I wore it, my death would be the most painful of all. To punish his impudent mistress, Alistair had stabbed me twenty times, each wound carefully placed to avoid a quick death. I had bled out slowly, feeling the life drain from my body, a terrifying, drawn-out execution that had left even my worst enemies shaken. The perfectly cut diamond sparkled, a beautiful guillotine waiting for one of us. I walked over and slid the ring onto my finger without hesitation. “Of course I know the risks. But this is the only way for all of us to survive.” Lily stared at me, her eyes wide. “What do you know?” Telling them the truth would certainly increase our chances of success. But if my theory was correct, the truth was too bizarre, too horrifying. I couldn’t drag them all into it. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you yet.” Seraphina’s expression was grave. “What do you need us to do?” I lowered my eyes. “I need you to attend the wedding tomorrow and act as if you know nothing.” Meredith’s brow furrowed deeply. “He’s going to stab you to death after the ceremony, and you want us to pretend everything is normal?!” The three of them looked at me, their faces etched with genuine concern. For the first time, we were truly on the same side. I thought about all the petty things they had done to me over the years—small schemes to get more money or make my life difficult, but never anything that threatened my life. And yet the man I loved and trusted had tortured me to death on our wedding night. I took a deep breath and decided to tell them a part of the truth. “When I went to see Alistair tonight, he grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it. That’s when I realized who his beloved is.” “She is one of the four of us. Someone we would never, ever suspect. She is…” I looked each of them in the eye, delivering the answer they had been waiting for. Lowering my gaze to hide the guilt and sorrow, I pointed to myself. “Alistair Sterling’s beloved… is me.” The other three were aghast, shaking their heads in disbelief. Lily grabbed my arm. “That’s impossible! If you were really the one he wanted to marry, why would he kill you so brutally?” Seraphina’s eyes were red. “I saw your body with my own eyes. It was you. It makes no sense for him to marry you just to murder you in such a cruel way!” Meredith couldn’t wrap her head around it. “The Ashwood and Sterling families have been business partners for generations. There’s no feud between us. He has no reason to torture the woman he loves like this.” “Believe me or not,” I said, “it’s me. That’s all I can tell you.” Though they didn’t believe me, there was nothing they could do. The next morning, Alistair arrived with his secretary. I went to greet him, wearing the ring, and studied his face carefully. He smiled warmly, his eyes filled with adoration as he looked at me. For a moment, even Meredith, Seraphina, and Lily started to believe my story. If only they hadn’t seen my mangled corpse in a past life. The wedding proceeded as planned. At Alistair’s supposed request, we both walked down the aisle wearing veils. In front of all the guests, he recited his vows with heartfelt sincerity and placed the wedding band on my finger. When we lifted our veils, he looked at me with an expression of profound love, as if he had finally found the person he’d been searching for his entire life. “This ring belongs to you,” he said gently. “It suits you perfectly.” The massive diamond was a perfect fit, clearly made just for me. I looked at his familiar face, and a memory flashed through my mind: him, holding my face with such tenderness as he drafted the papers to transfer company shares to my name. He had hated seeing me bullied at home and wanted to give me the power to stand up for myself. When I was sick, he would drop everything to take care of me. The time I spent with him had been the happiest of my life. I smiled at him. “I love you.” The room erupted in applause, the guests moved by his devotion and my love. There wasn’t a single crack in Alistair’s facade. During the reception, I changed into a traditional gown and went with him to greet my family’s table. Seraphina leaned in close, her face a mask of confusion. “Is my memory failing me? Does he actually love you?” Lily looked just as baffled. “You weren’t lying to us, were you?” After all, in our previous lives, there had been no wedding ceremony, just a quick, perfunctory process before I was sent to the bridal suite. But this time, there was a grand wedding, and Alistair was looking at me with eyes reserved only for a beloved. I forced a smile and said nothing. If only I had been lying. But the fact that he had brutally murdered me in my last life was an unchangeable truth. I tilted my head back, drank my wine, and waited for the night to fall. Even the grandest reception must end. When the last guest had departed, I went to the bridal suite to await my husband. On the table sat a sharp fruit knife next to a peeled apple. I knew hiding it would be useless. In my last life, the knife he’d used had been hidden under the mattress. He had likely stashed weapons all over the room, all for the purpose of killing me. As the night deepened, the servants of the Sterling estate discreetly withdrew, leaving the two of us alone. I glanced at the clock. He would be here any second. The door opened, and Alistair walked in. The moment he saw me, his brow furrowed, his face twisting into a mask of madness. “You are not her! How dare you marry me in her place!” He snatched the fruit knife from the table. “I’ll kill you!”

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1 The day I left the country, the Maybach belonging to the scion of Port Sterling’s military elite floored the accelerator, but it still wasn’t fast enough to catch my flight. He sent me a frantic barrage of messages: “Can you stop this tantrum? So what if Brielle stole a little of your life force?” “Fine, it’s all my fault, okay?” “They said you left the country. Is it true?” “I was wrong. Please don’t do this to me. Answer the phone. I’m going to lose my mind.” Listening to the utter desperation in Ashton Cole’s voice, I felt nothing but a bitter irony. I blocked his number, then swapped my SIM card for a new one. Finally, there was peace. Three years later, I returned to Port Sterling for my cousin’s wedding. At the airport, I ran into an old friend. “Nina,” she said, “it’s been three years. You can’t still be angry, can you?” “Are you back to get back together with General Cole? He never married that other woman. He’s been waiting for you all this time.” Her words barely caused a ripple in the calm waters of my heart. … My five years of marriage to Ashton Cole had been five years of inexplicable misfortune. In the fifth year, I was hit by a truck and left paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors said I would never walk again. In everyone’s eyes, I was a walking disaster, a curse. Only Ashton had stood by me, unwavering, for all those years. That was, until I heard a renowned mystic had come to the city. I rushed to see him. After studying my birth chart, his brow furrowed. “Miss Shen, your destiny is exceptionally auspicious. You should be living a life of great wealth and fortune, free of illness and disaster.” His gaze then settled on the jade bracelet on my wrist. His voice was heavy with meaning. “While jade can be nurturing, the one who gave you this harbors ill intentions. I would advise you to wear it as little as possible.” I froze. The bracelet had been a gift from Ashton’s young niece, Brielle. They weren’t blood relatives; her parents had simply done a great service for Ashton’s father, the old General. After their deaths, she had come to live in the Cole family home. A violent tremor ran through me. I desperately wheeled myself out, determined to find Ashton and demand an explanation. But as I neared his office on the base, I overheard him talking to his aide. “General, Mrs. Cole’s body can’t take much more of this. Are you sure you’re going to let Miss Brielle continue on like this?” Ashton waved a dismissive hand. “Brielle saw me wiping Nina’s face yesterday. The girl’s in a temper. Let her have her fun for a little while longer. Besides, my own life force is powerful. Nina is my wife; she’ll be fine. It’s just minor ailments, a few bumps and bruises.” The aide hesitated, but Ashton continued. “The girl’s own chart is weak. Marrying me would have balanced it, but I fell in love with Nina. It’s my fault she was so frail and sickly all those years. I owe her this. As long as Brielle is safe and happy, I’ll give her anything she wants.” Ashton’s words were like an invisible hand, squeezing the air from my lungs. I had always thought I was just cursed with bad luck, that my misfortune had dragged him and Brielle down with me. But it had all been their design. “How could you!” I burst through the door, our eyes locking as tears streamed down my face. Ashton was startled for a moment, then he bent down, his hands resting on my shoulders. “Nina, you shouldn’t eavesdrop.” His voice was gentle, but his grip was painfully tight. “None of that was real. I was just saying that to placate Brielle. You’re not superstitious too, are you?” My body trembled uncontrollably. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I began to struggle. “No… Change it back! I’m going to die, Ashton… Please. Change it back…” His expression remained placid. “Be good now. Behave.” His voice dropped. “People will think the General’s wife is a madwoman.” He stood up. “The mistress is not well. Have the medics come and give her a sedative.” I shook my head wildly, but no matter what I said, Ashton remained unmoved. The medic soon arrived with his kit. Ashton gestured to him, then leaned down, his lips close to my ear. “You’re tired, Nina. Get some rest.” A sharp sting pierced my arm. As the sedative flowed into my veins, my world faded to black. When I opened my eyes again, I was in our familiar bedroom. It was empty. I fumbled for my phone and dialed Ashton’s father. “General,” I said, my voice hoarse but eerily calm. “I’ve made my decision.” “I agree to the divorce. I will leave Port Sterling forever.” The old General’s voice was electric with excitement. “Good! Only when you’re gone will Ashton marry Brielle! This way, the Cole family line won’t end!” “I’ll have the divorce papers sent over for you to sign. We’ll arrange for you to go abroad in a month.” After hanging up, I raised my arm and smashed the jade bracelet against the bedpost. It shattered. In that instant, a wave of clarity and vigor washed over me, a feeling I hadn’t had in years. To avoid suspicion, I found a cheap imitation and put it on. Just as I finished cleaning up the fragments, Ashton came in. “Nina, I’m taking you for your physical therapy.” He was all gentle smiles, as if yesterday had never happened. Ever since the accident, he had been meticulously caring for me, personally overseeing my therapy sessions. But there had never been any improvement. Today, however, after the session, I could feel a distinct tingling in my legs. A flicker of sensation. When we were done, Ashton wheeled me into the garden to get some sun, but he was called away by a phone call. The moment he was gone, Brielle stormed in, her hand wrapped in a bandage. She glared at me, her eyes immediately fixing on my wrist. When she saw the bracelet was still there, she seemed to relax. Then, her teeth clenched. “Uncle Ashton spent so much time with you today. You must be very proud of yourself.” She pulled a thin leather whip from behind her back. “I’m not going to let you have it so easy!” The whip cracked down on me. Pain exploded through my body, and I convulsed. “Brielle, are you insane?!” I tried to wheel myself away, but she gave me no chance. Seeing me in pain only seemed to excite her more. The whip fell again and again as she showered me with curses. I don’t even know when I passed out. She only stopped when her anger was spent. When I regained consciousness, the raw, red welts covering my body made me gasp. Ashton was sitting by my bed, his eyes bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept. He handed me a document. “Sign this. It’s a formal letter of forgiveness. If you don’t, Brielle will be disciplined.” I then learned that someone had seen Brielle whipping me and had reported her. She was currently being held in custody on the base. I laughed coldly. So that was why he hadn’t slept. I glanced at the paper. “Why should I forgive her?” Ashton’s face hardened. “The mistress is injured and cannot sign. Bring me the ink pad!” At his command, several guards stepped forward and held me down. Ashton grabbed my hand, pressed my thumb onto the ink pad, and stamped my print onto the document. As he stormed out with the letter, he shot a look at the guards. Before I could process what was happening, they were on me, holding me down and slapping my face. Hard. One hundred and eight sharp slaps. My cheeks felt like they were about to burst before they finally stopped. “The General said this is a warning,” one of them said coldly. They left me, a broken heap on the hospital bed. I was in the hospital for a week. Ashton never once came to see me, though he sent plenty of concerned texts, blaming his absence on his duties. But Brielle sent me taunting photos every single day: Ashton cooking for her, Ashton washing her feet, Ashton renting out every billboard in Port Sterling for her upcoming birthday. On the day of my discharge, another message from Brielle arrived. [Uncle Ashton is throwing me a birthday party at the main garrison hall. You’ll be there, won’t you, sister Nina?] [I even have a special surprise for you this time!] That afternoon, Ashton himself came to pick me up. In the car, he helped me change into an evening gown and even braided my hair himself. Every touch was gentle, affectionate. Any outsider would have been envious. But compared to what he did for Brielle, it was nothing. We drove straight to the party. As I was getting out of the car, the ring on my finger slipped off, clattering to the ground. The sound was like a blow to my heart. My eyes instantly filled with tears. The next second, Ashton’s military boot crushed it under his heel. “Stop dawdling,” he said impatiently. “Brielle will be getting anxious.” Hot tears spilled down my cheeks. He saw them and a flash of annoyance crossed his face. He let go of me, handing me off to the driver. “Get the mistress inside. I’m going to check on Brielle.” Even though I had no expectations left, my heart still ached with an unbearable pain. As the driver wheeled me into the banquet hall, I saw Ashton and Brielle standing on the stage. Brielle spotted me immediately. “It’s my birthday,” her cold voice rang out. “Why are you late, sister Nina? I think you should be punished. Come and pour me a glass of wine.” Every eye in the room turned to me. Paired with the rumors of my being a curse, their gazes were filled with scorn and contempt. I looked to Ashton for help, but he just gave the driver a subtle nod. The driver let go of the wheelchair. With no support, I pitched forward and fell to the floor in a heap. Utterly humiliated. Brielle’s silvery laugh echoed through the hall. “Oh, sister Nina, what are you doing? There’s no need to bow so deeply.” The room filled with laughter. I struggled to push myself up, my eyes instinctively searching for Ashton. “My wheelchair… help me…” But he was already gone, pulled away by Brielle to open her presents. My strength gave out, and I collapsed again. The man who had saved me countless times had finally abandoned me. The party was a lavish, grand affair. It felt less like a birthday and more like an engagement party. A bitter smile touched my lips, which seemed to enrage Brielle. I had just managed to drag myself to the powder room when she followed me in. A sharp slap landed on my cheek. “What do you have to be so smug about?” she sneered. “I’m telling you, Uncle Ashton will divorce you and marry me sooner or later!” I wiped the blood from my lip, my expression calm. “Then by all means, go and tell him that.” She was speechless for a moment, her face flushing with rage. She grabbed a table lamp and raised it to strike me. But before it could fall, Ashton appeared in the doorway. Brielle’s eyes instantly filled with tears. She dropped the lamp and collapsed to the floor. “Sister Nina, I’m sorry! Please don’t hit me!” she screamed. Then, she threw herself against the corner of a nearby table. “Brielle!” Ashton, as if he were blind, shoved me aside and rushed to her. The force of the push sent me crashing into a glass partition. It shattered, showering me with shards. Blood bloomed all over my body. “Ashton…” My voice echoed in the ruined room, but no one answered. In the end, I crawled to the hospital myself. The nurses at the entrance screamed when they saw me. Ashton didn’t come until the next day. The first words out of his mouth were an accusation. “Did you have to cause a scene at Brielle’s birthday? When are you going to learn to be sensible?” He was right. I wasn’t sensible. Otherwise, I never would have married him. I turned my head away, unwilling to speak to him. Perhaps the sight of me covered in bandages moved him. He sighed and sat beside me. “I was a bit hasty the other day. But you can’t blame Brielle. Don’t take your anger out on her, okay? When you’re discharged, I’ll make it up to you. Just let this go.” “Do I have a choice?” He fell silent, his expression complicated. Finally, I broke the silence. “Just go. I want to rest.” But this time, he didn’t leave. After a long moment, he took my hand. “Nina, there’s something I need to discuss with you…” “Father has always hoped that Brielle and I could have a child…” I was stunned. “You don’t need my permission for that.” As if my refusal would stop him. He misunderstood. “Don’t worry, I won’t touch her. The technology is very advanced now. I want her to carry our child…” The realization hit me. I stared at the stranger in front of me and finally broke. “Never!” I screamed. “I will not have my child grow in another woman’s womb!” Seeing my breakdown, he pulled me into a gentle embrace. “Shh, it’s okay…” As he whispered comforting words, he injected a syringe into my IV line. “It’ll be over soon. It won’t hurt.” But as the drug entered my system, my consciousness didn’t fade. Instead, every nerve in my body lit up, hypersensitive. Every sensation was amplified. The pain on the operating table was excruciating, tearing me apart. Every time I fainted, a nurse would splash a basin of cold water on my face to wake me. “Miss Brielle’s orders,” she said coldly. “You must be awake to feel everything.” Just then, Ashton pushed the door open. “What’s going on?” He checked the IV bag and sighed. “Brielle can be so mischievous, swapping the anesthetic for a drug that amplifies pain.” But he didn’t change it. He just stroked my hair. “Be good. Just endure it a little longer.” The torture lasted for a full hour. By the end, my lips were bitten to shreds, and my eyes were bloodshot, fixed on him with pure hatred. Just then, a nurse came in. “General, Miss Brielle is awake. She’s asking for you.” “Alright, I’m coming.” He didn’t even look at me as he left. In the days that followed, he was always by Brielle’s side. On the first day, as Brielle prepared for the implantation procedure, she was too nervous to sleep. Ashton held her all night. Meanwhile, I packed up every gift he had ever given me over the past four years and donated them all. On the third day, after Brielle’s procedure, Ashton stayed by her bedside day and night. I, on the other hand, took medication to speed my healing. Without the cursed bracelet, my legs were recovering at an astonishing rate. I could already walk. On the fifth day, Brielle’s pregnancy was confirmed. Overjoyed, she posted the test results online. Ashton liked the post. I blocked him, deleted all my social media accounts, and erased every trace of myself from the internet. For the next few days, Ashton remained with Brielle. I checked myself out of the hospital, returned to our villa in the officer’s quarters, and packed my things. He never noticed. On the final day, my divorce certificate arrived. The date on it, I noted with a cold laugh, was our anniversary. How ironic. I placed his copy of the certificate in an envelope on his bedside table. As I was leaving, I ran into him. He looked surprised. “Nina, you’re out of the hospital? Why didn’t you tell me? Perfect timing. Brielle is being discharged too. You can take care of her.” He was carrying bags filled with baby supplies, a joyful, irrepressible smile on his face. He didn’t even notice that I was walking. “Fine,” I said casually. “Go on ahead and get a few more things from the store.” Before he could react, I was in the car I had arranged, and we were gone. Two hours later, I boarded my flight. Just before takeoff, I took the audio recordings, the documents, the photos, and the paternity test, and I posted them all to the military’s internal forum. The suffering I endured, Ashton and Brielle would now experience for themselves. Tenfold, a hundredfold.

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My wife’s lover said my son’s dislike of Western food was a sign of disrespect towards him. That night, my wife tore out our son’s tongue and served it to her lover for dinner. In a blind rage, I severed the tendons in Ross Vance’s arms and legs, making him feel a fraction of my pain. Everyone thought Cassandra would kill me for it. Instead, she had me locked in a psychiatric hospital for two years, then used our son’s ashes to force me to sign the divorce papers. “The Serrano family has no use for a disobedient dog,” she’d said, her voice like ice. “Either die here, or get out.” I disappeared after that. Three years later, I inherited my father’s empire, a sprawling network that straddled the line between the legal and the illicit. I returned to the city by invitation, and there, I saw Ross again. He swaggered up to me and slapped me across the face. “Well, well, if it isn’t my dear brother-in-law. I thought you’d be dead by now.” I just smiled, grabbed his arm, and twisted until the bone snapped. “It seems you’ve forgotten the pain of the past,” I said calmly. “Don’t worry. I’m happy to remind you.” … Ross’s scream was like a chicken being strangled. The crowd of sycophants surrounding him erupted, their voices a cacophony of outrage. “What are you doing?!” “Do you have any idea who you just touched? He’s Cassandra Serrano’s man!” One of them tried to intervene, but I sent him flying with a single kick. Ross’s face was pale, slick with a mixture of sweat and tears, but he still managed to point a trembling finger at me. “Adrian! You’re insane! You wouldn’t dare…” “Wouldn’t I?” I cut him off, releasing my grip and letting him stumble back, cradling his mangled arm. “It’s been three years. Is this all Cassandra has taught you? How to spew garbage?” A hush fell over the room. The name Cassandra Serrano was a switch, flipping off the noise. Ross, as if I’d struck a nerve, shrieked, his voice cracking with tears. “Cassandra will make you pay for this! You’ll see! You’ll see!” I leisurely pulled a disinfecting wipe from my pocket and meticulously cleaned my fingers, as if I’d touched something filthy. “Then let her come. I have a few questions for her myself. Namely, how she managed to turn a vicious, barking mutt into this pathetic creature who can’t even bite anymore.” Gasps rippled through the crowd. Everyone knew Ross Vance was the apple of Cassandra Serrano’s eye. Even when he was just her secret lover, he was untouchable. Now, in the span of three years, under her protection, he had become one of the most feared men in the city. And I had not only broken his arm but had also insulted them both in the same breath. Ross was shaking with rage, tears and sweat streaming down his face. He looked pathetic. “Adrian, you’re nothing but a cast-off, a failed husband! A psycho! How dare you lay a hand on me!” I took a step towards him. He flinched, scrambling backward in terror. “Ross, do I need to remind you what it feels like to have your guts ripped out by wild dogs?” The color drained from his face. He looked at me as if he’d seen a ghost and shrieked, “Stop him! Somebody, stop this madman!” People shifted, but no one moved to help. Just then, the crowd parted. A familiar, cold figure, flanked by bodyguards, strode towards us. Cassandra. Ross looked like he’d seen his savior. He stumbled towards her, his tears flowing freely. “Cassandra! He broke my arm! It hurts so much.” Her gaze landed on me, her brow tightening. She looked down at the whimpering Ross. She reached out, not to comfort him, but to take hold of his dislocated arm. He sucked in a breath. With a sickening crack, she snapped it back into place. Ross screamed and collapsed into her arms. “It’s okay,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion. But her eyes, when they met mine, were murderous. “Adrian.” She said my name, the single word carrying an immense weight. “It’s been three years. Is this your idea of a welcome-home gift?” I looked at her, and the memories flooded back: the sunless days in the asylum, the way she had held our son Xander’s ashes over a trash can, forcing me to sign away my life. I stretched my lips into a smile that held no warmth. “Just an appetizer. If you’d like, I can serve the main course right now.” Ross whimpered beside her. “Cassandra, it hurts… He’s crazy. Kill him!” She patted his back twice, a hollow gesture of comfort, before turning her attention back to me. “It seems your time away hasn’t taught you to be humble, Adrian. It’s only made you more reckless.” I tossed the used wipe into a nearby trash can and met her gaze. “You’re one to talk about reckless. I think the animal who lets her lover murder her own son is the very definition of it.” “You!” A vein throbbed in her temple. Her arm tightened around Ross, making him cry out in pain again. “Adrian, take that back and apologize to Ross. Now.” Her voice was low, a command that expected to be obeyed. “Then, break your own hand, and I might consider letting you crawl out of here with your pathetic life.” I laughed, a real, genuine laugh. “Cassandra, are you still living in a fantasy where you rule the world?” I took a step closer, ignoring the bodyguards who tensed around her. “You want an apology?” I pointed at Ross. “Then have him give Xander his tongue back.” Ross shrank behind her. Cassandra’s face was a thundercloud. “What happened to Xander was his own fault! He shouldn’t have upset Ross!” Her casual dismissal of our son’s death ignited the fire in my eyes. “Because of one baseless accusation, you tore out your own son’s tongue? Cassandra, even a tiger won’t eat its own cub. You’re worse than an animal.” That night, when they brought Xander home, his mouth was a bloody ruin. His small body was curled on the floor like a broken doll. He had choked on his own blood, his wide, terrified eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. And Cassandra had just stood there, looking down at my collapsed form, and said, “He won’t be upsetting Ross anymore.” In that moment, I knew. This would not end until one of us was dead. “Shut up!” she screamed, as if I’d stepped on an open wound. “Adrian, it seems you’ve chosen the hard way.” She raised her hand, signaling her guards. “Hold him down. If he won’t do it himself, you do it for him.” The guards closed in. A triumphant smirk flickered across Ross’s face. I stood my ground, my eyes locked on Cassandra. “Do you really think I’m the same man I was three years ago? The same man who was powerless to protect his own son?” Cassandra lunged, her hands closing around my throat. Her eyes were blood-red, filled with a raw, undisguised killing intent. “Did you really think I wouldn’t dare to touch you?” My vision started to blur, but I managed a smile, forcing the words through my constricted airway. “Do it, Cassandra. Strangle me… just like you watched Xander die…” The mention of our son made her flinch. Her grip loosened for a fraction of a second. It was all I needed. I brought my knee up, hard, into her stomach. She gasped and released me. I staggered back, gasping for air, my throat on fire. Her bodyguards were on me in an instant, twisting my arms behind my back and forcing me to the cold marble floor. Ross peeked out from behind Cassandra, his eyes gleaming with malice. “Cassandra, are you okay? You two, make him kneel!” Cassandra straightened her clothes, her face a mask of cold fury as she looked down at me. “You heard him. Ross doesn’t like it when you speak from a standing position. Kneel. Apologize. And then, you will destroy the hand that touched him. Or,” she paused, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper, “I will mix Xander’s ashes into pig feed.” Xander. My body trembled, pinned to the floor. All I could do was stare up at her, my eyes burning with hatred. The little boy who used to call me “daddy” in his sweet, high-pitched voice was now just a handful of dust. And she was using him to humiliate me. “Cassandra, you don’t deserve to be his mother. You don’t even deserve to be human,” I rasped, my voice thick with blood. She just laughed. “Human or monster, wasn’t it you who chose me?” Yes. It was me who had fallen for the poor student she once was. It was me who had defied my father, given up my inheritance, and married her. It was me who had used all my family’s resources to build her empire. And in return, my son was murdered, and I was thrown away like trash. “It seems you’ve made your choice,” she said, her patience gone. She nodded to the guards. One of them grabbed my right hand. I met her dark, unreadable gaze without flinching. “Do you dare, Cassandra?” I snarled. She seemed to savor my struggle. “Dare? You’re just a stray dog who couldn’t make it on his own and came crawling back. Why wouldn’t I dare? The Serrano family has no need for another dog, especially not a rabid one that bites its owner.” I laughed, a cold, sharp sound. “But you were always my dog, Cassandra. Without me…” She cut me off with another nod to her guards. My right hand was twisted inward. A sharp crack echoed in the silent room. I bit down on a scream, the pain a white-hot explosion in my head. Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Ross let out a small yelp and shrank further behind Cassandra. Her eyes were dark as she motioned for the guards to release me. “Your father is dead, Adrian. You are nothing now. You should learn to be obedient, or I can make the pain much, much worse.” Sweat beaded on my forehead. My face was pale, but my smile was twisted and defiant. “You overestimate yourself, Cassandra. Compared to what you did to Xander… this is nothing.” I stumbled forward, almost colliding with her, and looked up into her suddenly pale face. “Do you remember the night he died? He looked at you, his eyes full of blood and tears. He died not understanding why the mother he loved would do that to him for a stranger.” Her breath hitched. Her fists clenched, the knuckles white. Ross tried to support her, glaring at me. “He was just a bastard. He deserved it.” “Shut up!” Cassandra roared, cutting him off. That night, the villa was brightly lit. Xander had been brought home by her men. Ross had complained to her that our son had disrespected him by refusing to eat the food he had prepared. Cassandra hadn’t even questioned the flimsy excuse. She had her men hold Xander down. And then, to appease her lover, she had torn out our son’s tongue with her own hands. When it was done, she had wiped her hands and looked down at me, saying, “He won’t be upsetting Ross anymore.” In that moment, my world had shattered. Now, she looked as if she’d been pushed to the edge. She shoved me away. I fell, my broken hand taking the brunt of the impact. The pain was so intense I almost blacked out. Ross’s face was a mask of smug satisfaction, but he pretended to be concerned, holding Cassandra back. “Cassandra, don’t lower yourself to his level. He almost killed you once. Let’s just go.” Her chest was heaving. She stared at me, then took a deep breath, forcing herself back into her icy composure. “Adrian, for the sake of the man I once married, I’ll spare your life today. This,” she gestured to my hand, “is your lesson. Remember, here, I am the one in charge. You will get out of this city and never come back.” She turned to leave, her arm around Ross. I watched them go, watched as Ross glanced back, a triumphant smirk on his face. I pushed myself up, leaning against a decorative pillar. “Cassandra.” My voice was quiet, but it stopped her. She didn’t turn around. “Still looking to die?”

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1 It’s been three years since my sister Victoria cut me out of her life, blocked my number, and erased me from her world. Today, she donated a single dollar to my LifeFund page and left this comment: “Lung cancer, huh? Let me know when you actually die. I’ll throw a party.” Three years ago, Leo — the charity case she’s sponsored since high school — accused me of stealing his scholarship. Victoria pulled me out of college instantly. “I will always be your safety net, Caleb, but stealing what isn’t yours has consequences!” We fought until she pointed at the door. “Don’t come back until you’ve learned your lesson. I’ll break that stubborn streak if it’s the last thing I do!” After that, she treated Leo like royalty. Every job I found mysteriously vanished, leaving me to survive on scavenging. I stared at her comment until the words blurred into a cruel line. Then I called the cemetery plot seller. “Save me the cheapest one. I’ll send the deposit tomorrow.” Her dollar was just enough to meet the withdrawal minimum. I was finally going to give her what she wanted. “You’d better move fast, son. These plots are in high demand, you know,” the cemetery owner said, his voice a sigh over the phone. He didn’t need to say it outright; no money, no deal. I couldn’t blame him. I’d visited the cemetery half a dozen times over the last year, but the prices were always too steep. Every penny I had went to medication that barely touched the pain. Each visit was a desperate hope that a cheaper plot had opened up, a bargain bin for the dying. Every time the owner asked which one I wanted, I’d mumble the same excuse, my face burning with shame. “I’ll… I’ll bring my family back to look next time.” But this time, my voice was steady. “Don’t worry. I’m buying it for real this time.” After hanging up, the screen reverted to my LifeFund page. Victoria’s message stood out like a gash amidst the kind wishes from strangers. 【Lung cancer, huh? Let me know when you actually die. I’ll throw a party.】 I read it again and again, a part of my mind refusing to believe those words could come from my own sister. But because of her one-dollar donation, my balance hit the ten-thousand-dollar mark exactly—the minimum for withdrawal. A bitter taste filled my mouth. I was about to hit the button when a new notification popped up. A one-cent donation from Leo, her precious charity case. His message followed: 【Come home, Caleb. Just apologize and Victoria will forgive you. You have to stop faking things like this.】 My hand clenched around the phone, knuckles turning white. But after a long, ragged breath, I said nothing. I just requested the withdrawal. Buddy, the stray cat I’d taken in, sensed my distress and began weaving between my ankles, his purr a low rumble. I knelt and stroked his head, then poured the last of his cheap kibble into his bowl. He limped over, his crooked leg a constant reminder of his past, and started eating, glancing back at me every few bites. His hopeful eyes sent a jolt of pain through me, throwing me back to the night Victoria threw me out. Her voice, dripping with disgust, was a shard of ice in my memory. “If you won’t admit you’re wrong, then get out. I don’t want you anymore!” Three years ago, Leo had made a grand show of giving me his university scholarship. An hour later, he was crying to Victoria, telling her I’d bribed a teacher to steal it from him. He gambled his future on the certainty that she would believe him over me. The one teacher who could have cleared my name had just retired and left for a trip around the world, completely unreachable. Leo’s timing was perfect. He won his bet. Victoria didn’t even let me speak. She just called the school and withdrew my enrollment. I shattered. I screamed. I raged. She slapped me, hard. “Caleb, have I ever denied you anything? Why would you need to steal?” Her voice trembled with fury. “Do you have any idea what this scholarship meant to Leo? It was his only way out of poverty!” She demanded I apologize. I refused, my neck stiff with the indignation of the falsely accused. So she threw me out. I sat on the front steps all night, waiting. I thought she was just angry, that any minute the door would open and she’d call me back inside. But morning came, and she never did. As I finally, hopelessly, turned to leave, I saw a man storm out of the house next door, holding a squirming cat by the scruff of its neck. “Meeeooww!” The cat’s shriek was cut short as he was slammed onto the pavement. The man’s face was a mask of disgust—the exact same look Victoria had given me. “Stupidest cat I’ve ever seen. Climbs a tree and manages to break its own leg.” He kicked at the small, limp form. “Get out of here. I’m done with you!” My breath caught. His words echoed Victoria’s. I rushed forward and scooped up the trembling creature. Its leg wasn’t just broken; it felt like it had been deliberately snapped. I looked up to confront the man, but his door was already closed. In that moment, I understood. It didn’t matter if the cat had done anything wrong. It didn’t matter if I had. When someone wants to throw you away, they don’t need a reason. I kept the cat and named him Buddy. For three years, Victoria made my life a living hell. Every time I found a job, she found a way to get me fired. Eventually, I was left with nothing but scavenging. Buddy’s life downgraded with mine. Our apartments got smaller, his food got cheaper. I posted an adoption ad online. The money from LifeFund was for my grave. My illness was a lost cause anyway; I might as well grant my sister’s wish and die. But Buddy deserved a chance. He would live for me. I never expected the call I got two hours later, from a customer service rep at LifeFund. “Is this Caleb? Your fundraising campaign has been flagged for fraudulent activity. The withdrawal has been suspended.” A roar filled my ears, a white noise that blanked out all thought. “The report was filed by your sister, Victoria.” “Who did you say? Victoria?” “Yes. She provided proof of your relationship and claimed your medical records are fake. The platform is currently investigating. Until we can verify your claim, all donated funds will be frozen.” The world tilted, plunging me into an icy void. “That’s impossible! My records are from a top hospital, they’re real! She… she has a grudge against me. She wants me dead…” “Sir, please calm down,” the rep interrupted, his voice professionally placid. “As I said, we are investigating. If your claim is verified, the funds will be released to you immediately.” I was shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. Arguing with him was useless. I hung up and dialed Victoria. For the first time in three years, it rang. The moment she picked up, I roared into the phone. “Victoria! Why would you tell LifeFund I’m faking it? Do you have any idea…” “Aren’t you?” she cut in, her tone light, almost amused. “Caleb, I know you. You’re too proud to come crawling back, so you pull a stunt like this to make me fold first.” A pause. “Tell you what. Come home, apologize, and we’ll pretend this whole embarrassing episode never happened.” Her words hit me like a physical blow. My heart didn’t just sink; it plummeted into a black abyss. This is what she thought of me? My hand tightened on the phone, but the words wouldn’t come. In the background, I heard Leo’s voice. “Is that Caleb, Vic? Just let him come home. I forgave him for that stuff three years ago.” Victoria’s voice hardened. “I know you’re a good kid, Leo. But Caleb needs to learn his lesson. He’s my brother, and I refuse to let him grow up with a character flaw like that.” She was talking to Leo, but every word was meant for me. A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips. “Victoria, I did nothing wrong back then. He framed me. And I’m not faking anything now. Every document is from the hospital.” My voice dropped, low and final. “I will never apologize. I’d rather die than admit to something I didn’t do.” “You—” I hung up before she could finish. She called back. I ignored it. The emotional storm raging inside me sent daggers of pain through my lungs. Each breath was a fresh torment. A moment later, a text message arrived from her. 【Caleb, I am so disappointed in you.】 That night, sleep was a stranger. It felt like a thousand needles were embedded in my lungs, each inhale and exhale a fresh wave of agony. The prescription painkillers had run out days ago. I just curled up, hugging Buddy, and endured it. When dawn finally broke, my phone rang again. It was LifeFund. “Mr. Caleb, the platform requires you to undergo a new set of medical examinations and submit a report with today’s date.” My voice was a lifeless rasp. “And if I don’t?” “For disputed campaigns, failure to cooperate will result in a full refund of all donations to the original donors.” “Then refund it. Thanks for your trouble.” I ended the call. I didn’t have the money for more tests. If I couldn’t get that ten thousand dollars, so be it. Buddy nudged his head against my chest. I managed a weak smile. “You hungry? I’ll go find some bottles to sell. Get you some food, okay?” He just purred, tilting his head, blissfully unaware. I splashed some water on my face and grabbed my burlap sack. My cheap apartment was on the outskirts of town, where I had to compete with retirees for every scrap of cardboard and plastic. So, I headed downtown, toward the upscale shopping centers. The rich people there drank expensive bottled water, and the cans were worth more. If I was polite and asked to take their trash, they usually just handed me the recyclables. Two hours later, my sack was half full. As I was about to head to the next mall, a sharp voice cut through the air behind me. “Caleb? What are you doing here?” I turned. Victoria stood there, her face a mask of shock. Beside her, Leo was juggling five or six luxury shopping bags. My brow furrowed. I turned to walk away. But Victoria crossed the distance in three long strides and grabbed my wrist. “You’re scavenging for trash?!” Her face darkened, her eyes sweeping over me from head to toe. They lingered on my faded, threadbare jeans, and a flicker of something unreadable crossed her features. Leo sauntered over. “Wow, Caleb. A little on the nose, don’t you think? Scavenging? Did you know we’d be shopping here today? Is this part of the act?” Victoria’s expression grew fouler. She started dragging me away. “You are coming with me.” “Let go of me!” I struggled, but her grip was like iron. She pulled me into a quiet corner and shoved me against the wall. “Look at you! What is wrong with you? All you had to do was say you were sorry, and you choose this?” “What else was I supposed to do?” I shot back, my face a blank mask as I met her furious gaze. “You made sure every job I got disappeared. If I don’t do this, how do I eat?” “You could have come home!” she snapped. “You knew all you had to do was apologize! Was it really that hard?” “You’re just embarrassed, aren’t you?” I said, my voice dripping with scorn. She opened her mouth to retort, but Leo cut in. “Caleb… you kind of smell. Can’t you smell it yourself?” He wrinkled his nose. “You should really pay more attention to your hygiene. You’re still family, after all. Think of Victoria’s reputation.” I turned my gaze on him, meeting his taunting eyes. The needles in my lungs started stabbing again. “You’re the family now, Leo. Not me.” With that, I turned and walked away. Victoria’s voice followed me, low and dangerous. “Caleb, you refuse to admit you’re wrong? Fine. Don’t you dare regret this.” I pretended not to hear, quickening my pace. That day, I couldn’t sell the cans and bottles I’d collected. The owner of the scrapyard just sighed. “Some big shot by the name of Victoria put the word out. Said no one in the entire city is to buy scrap from you. Don’t blame me, kid. We gotta make a living, and we can’t afford to cross someone like her.” I didn’t argue. I just nodded, shouldered the heavy sack, and started the long walk home. That was also the day Buddy left me. A kind girl drove two hours to come and get him, not caring that he had a bad leg. He had a new owner, a new home. It should have been a happy moment. But as I handed Buddy over to her, something inside me broke, and tears started streaming down my face. The girl panicked. “Oh! Are you… are you sad to see him go? I promise, I’ll take such good care of him!” I wanted to tell her it wasn’t that. I was dying. Buddy had to go with someone else to have a chance at a real life. But the words were lodged in my throat. “You look really pale,” she said, her voice filled with concern. “Do you need to see a doctor?” I shook my head. I didn’t need a doctor. The only place I was headed was hell. Grief, bitterness, heartbreak… an unspeakable wave of emotion washed over me. Buddy started meowing from her arms, and the sound made the ache in my chest unbearable. I had to turn my back. “Just go. Please, go quickly.” The girl’s voice was solemn. “I promise. I will take the best care of him.” Then, she and Buddy were gone. I collapsed onto the sofa, feeling as if my soul had been ripped out. A few hours later, my phone rang. It was the girl. Her voice was choked with sobs. “I’m so, so sorry. Buddy ran into the road… he was hit by a car. He’s gone.” The world went silent. My heart stopped beating for a few seconds, leaving me suspended in a terrifying emptiness. “The driver paid me two thousand dollars in damages… I felt I had to tell you. I can transfer the money to you…” When I came back to myself, I was coughing up blood. The call had ended. A two-thousand-dollar transfer notification appeared, followed by a picture. Buddy was a mangled, bloody mess, a broken heap on the asphalt. My vision tunneled. This wasn’t an accident. The force, the damage… he was run over. Deliberately. Ignoring the blood dripping from my chin, I zoomed in on the photo with a trembling hand. The car… That was Leo’s car. I knew it instantly. It was the one Victoria had bought him for his birthday. The girl was sending a flood of apologies, one message after another. I didn’t read a single one. I rose slowly to my feet, my movements stiff and robotic. I walked into the kitchen, my face a blank mask, and took the largest knife from the block. Then, I walked out the door and headed straight for Victoria’s house. I burst in to find her and Leo sitting at the dinner table. Without a word, I raised the knife and lunged at Leo. He screamed and scrambled away. A hand clamped down on my wrist, and Victoria’s face, contorted with rage, was inches from mine. “Are you insane?” I shoved my phone in her face, showing her the picture. My voice was a low growl. “Your precious little brother ran over my cat. He didn’t just hit him, he crushed him. It was deliberate!” “I’m done letting things go,” I snarled. “For this, I can’t forgive him!” Leo stammered, his face pale. “I… I didn’t mean to. I paid for it! I’m sorry, Caleb…” “Is ‘sorry’ going to bring him back?” I shrieked, my voice cracking. “Leo, haven’t you made my life miserable enough for the past three years? Why couldn’t you just leave a poor, defenseless cat alone? Are you even human?” My rage was a raw, physical thing, and all I wanted was to plunge the knife into his heart. Victoria’s brow was a tight knot. “It’s just a cat, Caleb. Do you have to be so dramatic?” Her words were a bucket of ice water. “Leo paid you and he apologized. That’s more than you’ve ever done,” she continued, her voice cold. “It’s been three years, and you still haven’t given us an explanation for what you did!” “I told you I didn’t steal his goddamn scholarship! Are you deaf?” The dam of my composure finally burst, three years of repressed anguish pouring out. “I am your brother! Your flesh and blood! Why won’t you ever believe me?” My voice rose to a hysterical pitch. “What will it take? Do I have to die right here, right now, to make you happy?” Victoria stared at me, her eyes filled not with sympathy, but with profound disappointment. “You’re being completely irrational.” Leo suddenly stepped forward. “Caleb, I’m sorry, I really am. What can I do to make you forgive me…” CRACK. My fist connected with his jaw before he could finish. He stumbled back, stunned. Victoria’s eyes went from disappointed to glacial. “I see three years on your own has taught you nothing.” And then, she swung, repaying the punch on Leo’s behalf. My head snapped to the side, a loud ringing filling my ears. She looked down at her hand, a flicker of regret in her eyes. “You made me do that.” The slap didn’t just sting my cheek; it shattered whatever fragile connection was left between us. Before, I might have hated her. Now, there was nothing. I swallowed the coppery taste of blood rising in my throat. “You can celebrate now,” I said, my voice thick with a chilling calm. I wiped my mouth and turned to leave. “Celebrate what? What are you talking about?” She reached for me again, but this time, I spun around and hurled my phone at her feet. “Stay away from me!” She froze, a look of genuine confusion on her face as she watched me walk away. This time, she didn’t follow. I walked out of her gilded prison, went straight to the nearest overpass, and began to climb. Staring down at the river of headlights below, a strange sense of peace settled over me. I was going to be free.

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