It wasn’t until the wraith came to claim him, shattering his arm, that my brother finally felt a shred of remorse. He knelt on the floor, weeping and begging for my forgiveness. In my last life, in his desperate haste to share a night of passion with a younger student—a natural-born spiritual beacon—my brother, Hank, had taken the family’s Warding Amber. When the vengeful spirits came for us, I called him for help. My sister-in-law and my little niece were saved. But his precious student, Monica, was consumed by the wraith and died. Hank had calmly collected her hair tie, assuring me everything was fine. Then, on the day my sister-in-law gave birth, he pushed me off a cliff. “If you hadn’t called me back, Monica would still be alive! You owe me a life for a life!” Now, my eyes snapped open again. The lights in the villa flickered and died, and the gurgling, sinister laughter of a wraith echoed through the halls.

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Eighteen years after our divorce, I saw Aiden again at my daughter’s parent-teacher conference. She was a senior in high school. The homeroom teacher asked the two of us to stay behind. She slid a letter across her desk, stopping it in front of him. “Mr. Griffin,” she said, her tone crisp, “this is a love letter your son wrote to Lily. We’re in the final stretch of senior year. A romance now is a serious distraction. I trust you’ll have a firm talk with him when you get home.” Aiden just stood there, his eyes locked on me, completely frozen. He didn’t say a word. The teacher had to clear her throat impatiently before he snapped out of it, stammering apologies. After the meeting, he caught me in the stairwell. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. “Lily… she’s your daughter?” he finally managed. I gave a polite, tight-lipped nod. His brow furrowed in disappointment. “But you said… you told me you’d never remarry after we divorced.” … He was right. On the day we divorced eighteen years ago, I swore I would never marry again, never have another child. And I hadn’t. Lily was adopted. She wasn’t my biological daughter. But I didn’t feel the need to tell him that. “Mr. Griffin, my life is no longer any of your concern.” My voice was sharper now, laced with an impatience I didn’t try to hide. Eighteen years had transformed the dashing boy I once knew into a poised, mature man. But in his eyes, still as handsome as I remembered, a flicker of something I’d never seen before—shame, maybe even regret—crossed his features. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I… I just wanted to ask if you’ve been okay all these years…” “I’ve been fine,” I cut him off. My gaze shifted past him to the classroom door down the hall. A boy was gently pulling a girl aside, whispering something to her. My frown deepened. Ignoring the voice at my ear, I strode toward them. When Lily saw me, she flinched and called out a flustered, “Mom,” tucking her head down like a turtle. The boy, however, was surprisingly composed. He straightened up and bowed slightly. “Hello, ma’am. My name is Leo Griffin.” Leo Griffin. A fine name. The perfect fusion of Aiden Griffin and Isabella, I presumed. I whispered the name to myself, then offered a faint smile. I remembered when I was pregnant. Aiden had been ecstatic. He spent an entire night at his desk, poring over names for the two-month-old life inside me. If it’s a boy, he’d said, we’ll call him Julian. If it’s a girl, Julia. Back then, I’d dreamed that our child, boy or girl, would have his looks and his spirit. And now, looking at his son, I could see the resemblance was uncanny. The boy, Leo, had his father’s easy charm and seemed eager to talk, but I had already taken my daughter’s arm and was steering her into the river of students flowing down the stairs. I could feel a burning gaze on my back, but I never once looked back. On the drive home, Lily was quiet and withdrawn, her eyes fixed on her lap. She knew the teacher had kept me and Leo’s father behind. She could guess why. “It’s not going to work out between you two,” I said, breaking the silence as we waited at a red light. “End it. I don’t want you seeing him anymore.” Lily’s head snapped up, her eyes wide and already shimmering with tears. “Mom, I promise, it won’t affect my grades…” “This isn’t about your grades.” The light turned green. I pressed the accelerator gently, my voice remaining steady and calm. “At your age, a love like this doesn’t last. It never ends well.” “How can you say that?” Her voice cracked, but for the first time ever, she argued back with such force. “Grandma told me the man you married… he was your high school sweetheart. Your first love.” “If you could do it, why can’t I?” I fell silent. The rest of the drive passed in a heavy quiet. I never answered her question. She never asked again. It wasn’t until we were home that Lily found her courage again, ready to plead her case. “Mom, Leo is so good to me, and I really, really like him. Can’t you just stay out of it? I swear I won’t let it affect my schoolwork, and I won’t do anything reckless.” She looked at me, her eyes shining with conviction. “And I know… I know we have a real future together.” Girls blinded by their first love all sound the same. Her desperate need to prove the purity of her feelings reminded me of myself, all those years ago, saying the exact same words to my own mother. That Aiden was good to me. That I loved him more than anything. That we would, without a doubt, have a wonderful future together. That I was willing to bet my entire life on him. But I lost that bet. I lost everything. “Don’t be naive. I was just as idealistic as you are now, and you see where it got me.” “I just don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did.” I sighed, then walked calmly into the kitchen to start dinner. As I rolled up my sleeves, the faint, silvery line of a scar from eighteen years ago appeared on my wrist. Lily’s eyes fixed on it, her expression instantly softening with pain. “Mom… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up the past.” “You’ve never told me about what happened back then,” she said softly. “You never wanted to date anyone else or start a new family. I’m older now. Can you tell me what really happened?” “I want to know.” She’d asked me this so many times over the years. I always brushed it off, saying I’d forgotten, that it was all a distant memory. But as she asked again today, I realized that every detail, every word from eighteen years ago was etched into my mind as if it were yesterday. After a moment’s hesitation, I began to tell her the story I had locked away for nearly two decades. Aiden and I met during our senior year of high school, too. Young love is a wildfire. Back then, Aiden was even more reckless than his son. He was relentless, bringing me breakfast every morning, throwing a punch when anyone dared call me poor, and shamelessly slipping me love letters he’d stayed up all night to write. His craziest stunt was grabbing the microphone from the principal during a school-wide assembly and declaring his love for me in front of everyone. The sun was blinding that day, and he seemed to glow under it. Just like that, Aiden and I were a couple. A week before our final exams, Aiden got into a fight with a boy from another class. It was in a blind spot for the security cameras. When the boy turned his back, Aiden lunged and broke the guy’s leg. When the police came asking questions, I gritted my teeth and confessed. I said I did it. I was detained for ten days, and I missed my college entrance exams. Hearing this, Lily’s face flushed with anger. “So that’s why you only have a high school diploma? You took the fall for him and missed your finals.” “And him? He just went off and took the exams without a second thought?” I shook my head gently. When Aiden first found out I’d confessed for him, he wanted to turn himself in. But his parents threatened to kill themselves, forcing him to stay. He had no choice but to take the exams. The day he visited me in detention, he swore to God that he would get into a great university, make something of himself, and give me a life of happiness. Aiden was a decent student, and with a bit of luck, he did get into a good university. To be closer to him, I gave up on the idea of retaking my exams. I moved to his college town alone, working odd jobs to support us both while he studied. The year he graduated, I got pregnant. A shotgun wedding. In those days, it was practically a scandal, a source of shame. But I ignored my parents’ fury and their pleas, and with a heart full of joy, I married into the Griffin family. There was no dowry, no limo, no ceremony. Not even a proper wedding reception. At this, Lily’s eyes flickered. “Mom, I’ve never heard you talk about having a baby. Was… was the baby given to him after the divorce?” My baby? I instinctively brought a hand to my flat stomach, tracing the space where a life once grew, just as I had done so carefully eighteen years ago. A bitter smile touched my lips. “She’s gone.” “She was gone before she was ever born. When I was seven months pregnant.” She was a girl, just like Lily. If she had lived, she would be in college by now. Lily’s brief shock melted into a deep, aching sympathy. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight. “Mom, don’t be sad. You still have me.” She pulled back slightly. “But she was seven months along. How could you lose her? What happened?” I pulled my sleeve down, covering the ugly scar on my wrist. My voice was flat, devoid of emotion. “It happened the day I found out he was cheating on me. He pushed me.” “I fell and lost her.” “Cheating?” Lily gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “You took the fall for him, missed your finals, gave up your own future… you did all that for him, and he cheated on you? And he killed your baby?” “Who was she? Did you know her? Was she beautiful?” The barrage of questions pulled my mind back into the autumn haze of eighteen years ago. Just like Lily, my first reaction when I suspected Aiden was cheating was disbelief. The woman’s name was Isabella. She was a department head at Aiden’s company. She wasn’t exceptionally beautiful. In fact, she was seven years older than both of us. Lily’s brow furrowed even deeper. “Seven years older? What was he thinking? He had a young, beautiful wife like you and cheated with a woman seven years his senior?” I gave a small, humorless laugh, the knife in my hand never stopping its rhythmic chop against the cutting board. The memory of the moment I saw his betrayal flashed through my mind. The knife slipped. A bright red bead of blood welled up on my finger. Lily rushed to find a bandage for me, her voice thick with concern. “Mom, you’re bleeding. That must hurt.” I smiled to reassure her. “It’s just a scratch. It doesn’t hurt.” Compared to the wounds of eighteen years ago, a cut like this was nothing. Back then, Aiden and I were newlyweds, still in the honeymoon phase. His marketing department had weekly celebrations for successful projects, and he often took me with him. That’s how I met Isabella. Knowing I was pregnant, she went out of her way to sit with me and take care of me. We exchanged numbers and chatted about girl talk. She was as warm and gentle as an older sister. I actually liked her a lot. After every party, I’d tell Aiden how kind and wonderful she was. But every time I mentioned her, he would frown. “What’s so great about her? She’s average-looking, has no figure, and she’s thirty and still not married.” “If it weren’t for her master’s degree and her family connections, she never would’ve made department head so quickly.” “You should stay away from her. She’s not as nice as she seems.” I didn’t argue with him, but I kept talking to Isabella behind his back, sharing little bits of my life with her. But then, he stopped taking me to the parties. ‘Your belly is getting too big, it’s not convenient,’ became his go-to excuse. At first, I didn’t mind. But slowly, I noticed he was coming home later and later. The “overtime” at work became more frequent. Fueled by pregnancy hormones, I became a bundle of anxiety, terrified he was going to leave me. When I told Isabella my fears, she promised me with utter confidence: “Chloe, you just focus on staying healthy for the baby. I’ll keep an eye on him for you at the office. I won’t let any other woman get near him.” “And stop overthinking things. We really are busy at work right now. He’s working late, but so am I. You don’t have to worry about him messing around.” I still trusted Aiden, deep down. Her words put my mind at ease. Until I was seven months pregnant. It was the sixth consecutive night he was “working late,” and I couldn’t stand it anymore. That night, I brought him a thermos of chicken soup I’d made myself and went to his office, my hand supporting my swollen belly. It was almost ten o’clock. The skyscraper was nearly deserted. I explained who I was to the security guard, and he let me up. The office floor was dark and silent. Aiden wasn’t at his desk. But from one of the offices, the door slightly ajar, a sliver of light escaped, and with it, the faint, intertwined sounds of two people panting. The sounds were… familiar. I froze, feeling like I’d been struck by lightning. I took a few steps closer, and through the crack in the door, I saw them. Two faces, lost in a passionate kiss. I rushed in without thinking. In that moment, I had no dignity, no reason. I was a madwoman, screaming at the top of my lungs. I shrieked at Aiden, demanding to know why he would betray me. He didn’t offer a single word of explanation. He just grabbed a jacket, frantically covering Isabella and shielding her behind him. The look he gave me wasn’t guilt. It was cold, furious anger. “What are you doing, making a scene at my office!” “If anyone sees this, how is Isabella supposed to face anyone at work again?” Something inside me snapped. I hurled the heavy thermos at Isabella. But Aiden shoved me aside. I stumbled backward, my body slamming hard against the sharp corner of a desk before I crumpled to the floor. He carefully helped a shaken Isabella out of the room, leaving me there on the cold ground. An agonizing pain seized my abdomen. I was losing strength. I looked down and saw blood seeping through my pants, pooling around me in a grotesque, crimson halo. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was the security guard finding me in a pool of my own blood and calling 911. By the time I reached the hospital, I was hemorrhaging and going into shock. The hospital tried to call Aiden for surgical consent, but his phone was off. In the end, I had to use the last of my strength to sign the consent forms myself before they wheeled me into the operating room. My seven-month-old fetus had suffocated, stillborn. And I had bled so much that my uterus was severely damaged. They had to remove it to save my life. I told the story calmly, but Lily’s eyes were already red. She sniffled, her voice thick. “What happened then?” Then, my mother came to the hospital to take care of me. She kept the hysterectomy a secret and forced Aiden to sign a written promise. He swore he would never see Isabella again. Lily looked at me, her expression tense. “Did he change?” Change? A leopard can’t change its spots. Of course he didn’t. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Lily wiped her eyes and went to open it. “Mom, someone sent you flowers. And a big box of pastries from Marilyn’s Bakery.” She carried the items inside, but as her gaze fell on the card tucked into the bouquet, she froze. “Aiden Griffin?” The card read: Chloe, I thank my lucky stars that we met again after eighteen years. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive the man I was. Aiden In telling my story, I had only referred to him as ‘he.’ Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief, her lips trembling. “Mom… your cheating ex-husband… he’s Leo’s father?” I hadn’t realized she knew Leo’s father’s full name. My fingers curled into a fist. “Yes. He is.” The color drained from Lily’s face. Right in front of me, she took the bouquet and the box of pastries and threw them both into the trash. Then she went to her room and locked the door, skipping dinner entirely. One missed meal won’t hurt her, I thought. She’ll come to her senses. I left her alone. The next morning, Lily emerged from her room with puffy, red-rimmed eyes. It was clear she hadn’t slept.

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1 For three years, my husband and I tried for a baby—not one positive test. Everything changed one afternoon when my best friend, a doctor, saw me take my “folic acid.” She snatched the bottle, crushed a pill, and said grimly: “Maggie, this is birth control.” Lab tests confirmed it—I’d been on birth control for three years, pushed by Chadwick before intimacy every time. I was about to confront him with the report when Mia, an old college friend, posted in a group chat: A positive pregnancy test photo. “Hubby, let’s bet—will it be a little Chadwick or a little Mia? My money’s on Chadwick.” Two minutes later: “OMG wrong chat! Can’t unsend—please pretend you saw nothing.” A cold laugh broke from me. All my remaining restraint vanished. I texted the one I’d never truly forgotten, the ache of my youth: “In one month, I’ll go with you.” … The group chat fell silent. Then, someone broke the ice: Well, congratulations are in order! When did you two get married? You should have said something! We would’ve all come to celebrate. A notification popped up—a digital cash gift, the note reading “For the wedding fund.” One by one, others followed suit. Mia sent a series of shy emojis. Thank you all for the good wishes, but please don’t make a big deal out of it. Just ignore it, really. How could we? Even if we missed the wedding, we can’t forget our friends. Exactly! You and Chadwick finally made it. We have to celebrate that. This was Chadwick’s old college friend group. He’d added me after we got our marriage license. “These are my closest friends,” he’d said. “It’s time you met them.” When they’d asked who I was, Chadwick’s only reply was: A friend. If she’s a friend, introduce her! Set her up with one of the single guys here. Chadwick went silent. So I did too, lurking in the chat for years. Back then, it was Mia who had jumped to my defense: Can you guys not act like you’re dying of thirst every time you see a woman? Find your own dates. Our families, the Fangs and the Guans, were legacy families. They had always pushed for a lavish wedding. But Chadwick always brushed them off. “I’m in a critical growth phase in my career right now,” he would say. “I don’t have time for a simple wedding, let alone a grand one. Let’s talk about it later.” “Later” stretched into five years. I’d long since given up hope for a grand wedding. It didn’t matter anymore. Chadwick’s friends never knew he was married. And they certainly didn’t know he’d married someone other than Mia, the woman who had been his other half, the “golden couple” of their university days. My phone buzzed incessantly, the screen a constant, cruel glow in my hand. I stared at it, my soul feeling detached from my body as tears streamed down my face, one after another. There was no outlet for the searing cocktail of grief and fury brewing inside me. For a fleeting moment, I hoped Chadwick would jump in and deny it all. But as the chat lit up with activity, the man of the hour, the one everyone was tagging, remained silent. Mia gracefully accepted the cash gifts. Thank you, everyone. We’ll consider it a welcome present for the baby. Once the baby is born, we’ll have to get all you guys together for a real celebration. You all have to come! The little one would want to thank you in person~ It was clear. They were keeping the baby. A suffocating weight pressed down on my chest. I threw open the balcony doors, gasping for air, my heart feeling like it was about to seize. The cold wind bit at my skin, slowly bringing me back to my senses. I took screenshots of the entire chat history, then quietly left the group. I was still sitting in a corner of the balcony, lost in a daze, when Chadwick came home—uncharacteristically early. He pulled me up from the floor and shut the window. “It’s the middle of winter. Are you trying to get sick, sitting on the cold ground with the window wide open?” I stared at him. He was fussing over my clothes, his expression one of concern, but he felt like a stranger. Different from before. Was it guilt? Did he actually feel a shred of remorse for what he’d done? A wave of revulsion washed over me. I sidestepped, moving away from his touch. “Don’t touch me.” He froze, then finally met my eyes. His gaze was dismissive, as if I were the one being unreasonable. “This is about the group chat, isn’t it?” he said, his tone light. “Maggie, didn’t we agree before we got married? This was just to make our parents happy.” “They’re satisfied with how things are. I’m satisfied. What more do you want?” My marriage to Chadwick was a transaction, born of necessity, not love. The Guan and Fang families were allies, friends for generations. I had spent my teenage years studying abroad while Chadwick stayed here. We barely knew each other, our connection a pale shadow of our parents’. When I returned, our families orchestrated a campaign to force us together. There were tears, threats, and dramatic pronouncements. “The two of you together is the perfect match.” “We’ve paved this golden road for you, and you refuse to walk it.” “And that boyfriend you’ve been seeing? I will never, ever approve of him. Not unless your father and I are dead.” For a time, their entire existence revolved around us. They confiscated our phones and credit cards, stationed security outside our doors, and did nothing but watch us. I had no choice but to break up with my boyfriend and submit to their will. Right before we signed the papers, Chadwick told me coldly, “We’re soldiers in the same war. Just play the part for them. Don’t take any of it seriously.” I knew he was still in love with Mia. I just never imagined he would be so blatant in his betrayal. Or that he would feed me birth control pills for three years to make sure I never conceived his child. It may have been a sham from the start, but five years is a long time. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t hurt. And it would be a lie to say I wasn’t disgusted. “So,” I asked him, my voice flat, “you want to keep this child?” Even as I asked, I knew the answer. Mia would never have accepted those gifts without Chadwick’s permission. She wasn’t one to set a trap for herself. Chadwick clenched his jaw. “Maggie, I want a child.” I couldn’t stop myself. I slapped him across the face. The absurdity of it all hit me at once. Laughter and tears erupted from me in a hysterical torrent. I stormed into the bedroom. The lab report from the pharmacy was lying on the desk, right next to the diagnostic report from my doctor. I snatched them up and threw them at his face. “Chadwick, read it yourself.” “The ‘folic acid’ you’ve been giving me… it’s birth control, isn’t it?” A flicker of panic crossed his face. He fumbled with the papers, his eyes darting between them. His voice trembled when he spoke. “Maggie…” “You fed me birth control for three years, and now you have the nerve to tell me you want a child?” “If you were so desperate to have a baby with Mia, you could have just told me. I would have helped you hide it from our parents.” “But instead, you disguised poison as medicine and tricked me into taking it.” “I can accept anything, Chadwick. But I cannot accept you hurting me.” Looking back on our five years of marriage, it all felt surreal. Most of the time, we were polite strangers coexisting. But there were moments… moments of intense connection. Sometimes, when he drank, he would melt against me, his voice thick with alcohol, whispering, “Wife… are you happy? I’m so happy.” Then he would pull me into a bone-crushing hug. I’d get up to make him soup to sober him up, but he’d pull me back down. “Nothing sobers me up like having you here,” he’d slur. “Just stay with me.” At first, I wondered if he was mistaking me for someone else. But over time, I grew to accept it, to willingly breathe in the cloying scent of alcohol on his breath. He would surprise me with small romantic gestures. On holidays, he charmed both sets of parents flawlessly. He’d often stand in my family’s living room with an arm around my waist and say, “Don’t worry, Mom, Dad. Maggie is wonderful. Marrying her was the best decision I ever made.” Even though a part of me always knew it was an act, in those moments, I would get the dizzying feeling that fate really had bound us together for life. If not as lovers, then as family. How could he be so cruel? How could he watch me take those pills for three years and say nothing? If Chloe hadn’t noticed, I would still be taking them. The reports trembled in his hands, his gaze distant. The words sounded like they were clawed from his throat. “I was afraid you’d be upset.” “You won’t have to take them anymore.” Two short sentences. No apology. No concern. Just the cowardly evasion of a man caught in the act. I scoffed. Was he afraid I’d be upset, or was he afraid that if he told the truth, he wouldn’t get what he wanted? His selfishness and hypocrisy were suffocating. I felt sick. “You make it sound so simple, Chadwick. Do you have any idea how much I suffered? The sleepless nights I spent, convinced something was wrong with my body?” I gently took the doctor’s report from his hand and pointed to a line on the page. “The doctor said I’ve taken so much birth control that my hormones are a wreck. It’s very likely I’ll be infertile.” “You were so focused on having a child with the woman you love. Did it ever occur to you that I deserved the right to be a mother, too?” “Well, you must be satisfied now. You don’t have to drug me anymore. I can’t get pregnant anyway.” My voice broke, and the tears came faster now, my body shaking with uncontrollable sobs. “But there’s no ‘us’ anymore. Chadwick, I hate you.” After the lab results came back, I had immediately made an appointment to get myself checked out. The truth was stark and unavoidable. I hadn’t escaped the damage. The moment the doctor told me I would have trouble conceiving, a deep, cold hatred for Chadwick took root in my heart. Now, that hatred was in full bloom. I would never forgive him. I went into the bedroom and locked the door. On my laptop, the screen glowed. Another message from Leo. He had been waiting for me, all this time, on the other side of the world. Ever since we were forced apart, he had sent me an email every single week. Today’s had arrived right on schedule. I hastily wiped the tears from my face and forced myself to focus. Attached was a blurry photo of a black hole. Observed another collapsing star today. How have you been, Maggie? I miss you. When I retire, to keep myself from becoming a sad black hole, I swear I’ll come back and spend the rest of my days with you. But that’s so far away. Missing you is breaking my heart. Leo grew up in the States, and his humor had a dry, Western edge to it. Over the past five years, his emails had filled my entire inbox, a mountain of correspondence. The photos he sent, the words of love he wrote—I saved them all in a separate folder, terrified they might one day disappear. But I had never once replied. It had been a one-man show for five long years. Unlike Chadwick, I knew my place. I was a married woman, bound by duty and honor. I always believed that with time, Leo would move on. But he never did. I sat there, scrolling through his old messages, the memories flooding back. For a second, two versions of me were at war inside my head. My phone pinged. A transfer notification from Chadwick. Ten million dollars. The message read: I was wrong. This is for you, as compensation. When I realized that ten million dollars couldn’t even begin to touch the hatred I felt, I knew. For the rest of my life, I had to live for myself. The decision was made. A thrill of excitement shot through me. I opened my email and replied to Leo. It’s not far away. Give me one month. I’ll go with you. After our fight, Chadwick and I had unspokenly started sleeping in separate rooms. I took the master bedroom, he took the guest room. Often, when I got up in the middle of the night, I would see the door to his room open, the bed empty. He was probably spending the night at Mia’s. But it no longer mattered where he spent his nights. I began to pack my things, shipping them out in small batches. Leo would receive them on the other end. One day, Chadwick brought home a gift. It was an ornate, vintage-style tiara I had admired in a shop window for ages. He also opened a bottle of his finest red wine and cooked an entire dinner for me. “Maggie,” he began, “Grandpa’s birthday is in a few days. Can we call a truce until then?” It was about keeping up appearances for the families again. We were well-practiced actors at these grand occasions. “Fine,” I agreed. Ever since my grandfather-in-law turned seventy, his birthday had been a massive affair. We went to one of the city’s most exclusive restaurants, which had been booked out entirely for the event. My family, Chadwick’s family, and a sea of business partners and friends filled the space. Before we went in, Chadwick held out his hand. As usual, I placed mine in his. But this time, he pried my fingers apart and laced his through mine, his grip firm. I tried to pull away, but he only squeezed tighter, the pressure making my knuckles ache. When I finally stopped struggling, he gave me a satisfied smile and led me into the restaurant. Mia was there, of course. She was bustling about, helping the Fang family with arrangements. The smile vanished from Chadwick’s face, replaced by a flicker of anxiety. During dinner, the inevitable topic came up: babies. My mother and my mother-in-law began their tag-team interrogation. “Are you two lying to us? You’ve been married for five years and trying for three. Why is there still no news?” “Maybe you two should get checked out by a doctor.” “Yes, a check-up is a must. I’ll schedule it for them tomorrow. I want to know what’s really going on.” My smile felt frozen on my face. The thought of what Chadwick had done brought a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. I looked down, quickly flicking one away with my pinky finger.

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All because of two thousand dollars in phone credit, sent to my number by mistake. It ended with me cornered in my own home, my head split open, needing eight stitches to close the wound. It all started with a phone call at six in the morning on a Sunday. A woman’s voice on the other end of the line was already barking orders. She’d made a mistake topping up her phone credit. Not only had she typed the wrong last digit, but she’d also keyed in two thousand dollars instead of twenty. Now, she was demanding I transfer the money back to her immediately. As for the two grand in credit—enough to cover my phone bill for the next sixteen years—well, that was just my lucky day, I guess. Are you kidding me? My phone plan is ten dollars a month. I took a deep breath and tried to explain. “You can just call your service provider. They can reverse the transaction for you.” Her response was a direct threat. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re trying to keep my money? You think I can’t find you? I’ll cave your head in, you hear me?” At first, I didn’t believe her. But when I found myself backed against my own front door, with eight stitches crisscrossing my scalp, I believed her then. 1 As a corporate drone trapped in the 9-to-5 grind, sleeping in on a Sunday is my only solace. That Sunday, however, a series of calls at 6 AM shattered that peaceful dream. I irritably swiped to answer, and a torrent of abuse immediately assaulted my ear. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you dead? Took you long enough to pick up!” I pulled the phone away, confused, and looked at the screen. It was an unknown number. “I’m sorry, who is this?” “Never mind who I am. I sent phone credit to the wrong number. I need you to send it back to me, right now. The account number is…” A flicker of annoyance sparked within me. Disturbing someone’s sleep is a cardinal sin. And to do it with such arrogance after making a mistake yourself? She was really stacking her rudeness buffs to the max. Fueled by a week’s worth of early mornings, I asked impatiently, “How much?” “Two thousand dollars.” “How much?” The last remnants of sleep vanished. I was sure I had misheard. “Two thousand! What, are you deaf?” the voice on the other end shrieked. Two thousand dollars? Who in their right mind tops up their phone with that much money? They must be loaded. My first thought was that this had to be a scam. As if reading my mind, the woman on the phone started to explain. “I meant to put in twenty, but I hit the zero key too many times, and before I knew it, I’d entered my PIN. And on top of that, I typed the wrong number. Just send me the money, and you can keep the credit for yourself.” Two grand in phone credit? That was completely useless to me. My plan was a bare-bones, ten-dollar-a-month deal. Two thousand dollars would last me for over sixteen years. I work out to keep from dying of a heart attack at my desk, but I’m not confident I’ll live another sixteen years, let alone need a phone for all of them. Besides, my monthly salary is only three thousand. Who would be stupid enough to dump nearly a full month’s pay into their phone? “That’s way too much,” I said. “I’ll never be able to use that. You should contact your service provider and have them reverse the charge.” “Why should I? It’s my money! Why won’t you give it back to me?” I patiently explained again. “I have no use for that much credit. But you can go to one of their stores with your transaction record, and they’ll cancel it for you.” The woman was relentless. “I don’t know how to do that. The money went to your number, so you have to give it back to me. If you don’t, I’ll call the cops on you. Two thousand dollars is enough to put you in jail for a few years, you know.” I had to laugh. This lady knew a little bit about the law. Very little. “Do what you want,” I said, and hung up. Woken up at the crack of dawn, and then yelled at for no reason. Even a saint would lose their temper, let alone a sleep-deprived wage slave like me. After hanging up, I blocked the number. She made the mistake. Why should I be the one to pay for it? I tossed my phone aside, pulled the covers over my head, and went back to sleep. 2 When I woke up again, six hours had passed. I pulled back the curtains, and the bright noon sun flooded my bedroom. A full night’s sleep and a dose of sunlight-induced serotonin had me feeling refreshed and clear-headed. My stomach rumbled. Time for lunch. A corporate drone with only one day off doesn’t venture outside. I picked up my phone to order some food. My blood ran cold when I saw the screen: ninety-nine-plus missed calls. And with them, an endless stream of profanity-laced texts that would make a sailor blush. Just as I finished placing my order, another unknown number called. Furious, I answered, ready to strike first. “Are you insane? If you made a mistake with your phone credit, call the provider! Why do you keep harassing me?” The person on the other end was even angrier than I was. “Are you f*cking dead? I’ve been calling you all morning and you don’t pick up? You think I won’t use that two grand to buy you a coffin?” This time it was a man’s voice, probably the woman’s husband. My good mood for the day was completely ruined. I’d been living and working on my own for three years since graduation. I always made a point of only sharing good news with my family back home, never the bad, so they wouldn’t worry. With that in mind, I took a deep breath, determined not to cause trouble, and patiently explained the situation one more time. “I have a ten-dollar-a-month plan. That two thousand dollars will take me over sixteen years to use. If you’re in a hurry, you should contact customer service. They can refund the money to your account.” The man didn’t hesitate for a second. “Cut the crap. So what if it takes sixteen years? You can leave it to your grandkids. Customer service will take at least a week to process the refund, and I can’t wait that long. You need to transfer the money to my account right now, or I’ll find someone to cave your head in. You hear me?” Unbelievable. They couldn’t wait seven days, but they expected me to accept a phone credit balance that would outlive my cat. How could they even say that with a straight face? Since six this morning, it had been a nonstop barrage: a mistaken transaction, a rude awakening, verbal abuse, and now a death threat. Did they think they were kings of the world? A volcano of anger erupted inside me. “Can’t wait seven days? Are you in a hurry to get to your own funeral? Why should I have to pay for your mistake? Either you call customer service and get your money back the right way, or I’ll send you ten dollars a month until you die, and then your grandkids can inherit the rest.” I slammed the phone down. To ensure I wouldn’t be disturbed again, I popped the SIM card out of my backup phone and tossed it in a drawer. 3 When my food arrived, I forced myself to put the whole incident out of my mind. I put on my favorite show on my tablet and settled in for a nice, relaxing lunch. After eating, I watched a bit of a new series with my favorite actor, did some laundry, and tidied up the apartment. The day slipped away quietly. I was just about to head to the supermarket to pick up some groceries for a nice home-cooked dinner when my phone rang again. It was my main number this time. I thought it might be my parents or a friend. But when I saw the number on the screen, I froze. It was the police. They told me someone had filed a report, claiming I had defrauded them of two thousand dollars, and that I needed to come down to the precinct immediately. I gritted my teeth, a fresh wave of anger rising in me. Was this ever going to end? I looked up the address the officer gave me. It wasn’t far, about a twenty-minute cab ride. I sighed in frustration. So much for my nice dinner. I might as well get this over with. The constant harassment was ruining my only day off. Half an hour later, I arrived at the precinct. As soon as I gave my name at the front desk, a man and a woman lunged at me, pointing and shouting. “So you’re the deadbeat bitch from the phone?” “Officer, arrest her! She should be executed!” “So young and already a damn criminal. Doing things that’ll make her ancestors turn in their graves.” “Scamming people out of two thousand dollars? Are you that desperate?” An officer quickly stepped in to restrain them. “What do you think you’re doing? This is a police station, not your living room. If you’re so tough, why did you call us in the first place?” The man gritted his teeth, clearly defiant. “Officer, you can’t just let her off the hook because she’s pretty. She’s a con artist.” The officer shot him a glare. “You want to wear this uniform and do my job?” Seeing the officer was serious, the man reluctantly shut his mouth. The officer gestured for me to sit down. “Alright, tell me what happened.” I calmly and objectively recounted the events of the day. The officer looked at the couple, his expression one of sheer disbelief. “This is what you call getting defrauded out of two thousand dollars?” The man’s face flushed with anger. “Of course it is! That two thousand dollars is ill-gotten gains, isn’t it? If she doesn’t give it back, that’s illegal possession of property. In other words, it’s fraud.” The officer frowned. “You’re the ones who made the mistake. What does that have to do with her? Besides, she already told you to contact customer service or go to a store to get the money back. How is that illegal possession?” The woman started arguing illogically. “I did call them! But the customer service agent said because the amount was so large, we had to go to a store in person with our IDs to handle it. And even then, it would take at least a week to get the refund. It took one second for my money to go in, why should it take a week to come out?” “Even if that’s the case, what does it have to do with this young woman?” the officer reasoned. “If you have a problem, take it up with the phone company.” “The credit went to her number! All she has to do is transfer the money to me, and it’s over. Why make it so complicated? It would save everyone a lot of trouble. We’ve been arguing about this all day. I think she just wants to keep the money for herself. So young, and already so rotten.” The officer shook his head, looking exhausted. “It saves you trouble, but it dumps all the risk onto her. You send two thousand dollars of credit to someone on a ten-dollar-a-month plan? If it were me, I’d suspect you were trying to launder money.” The woman shot the officer a dirty look and then plopped down in the chair across from me. “Are you going to transfer the money or not?” she demanded. 4 I couldn’t help it; I rolled my eyes. “Ma’am, have I not been clear enough? I don’t want your money, but I’m not going to be your scapegoat either. If you want your money back, I will cooperate with the phone company through the proper channels. But there is absolutely no way I am paying for your mistake by transferring money directly to your account.” The man’s eyes were dark with malice. He glared at me, his jaw clenched. “Fine. You just wait. I swear you’ll regret every word you said today.” I looked at the officer. “Does that count as a threat?” The officer’s voice was stern. “Rick, what do you think you’re doing? Do you want me to detain you right now?” So the man’s name was Rick. The woman who’d made the mistake was Brenda. Rick sneered. “Forget it. If you cops can’t solve this, we’ll just leave.” The officer’s face was grim, but he said nothing. The woman taunted them as they left. “What, we can’t withdraw our complaint now? Are you going to arrest us for that?” The officer just shook his head wearily. “Well, we won’t trouble you any longer. We’re leaving.” As Brenda reached the door, she muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear, “I always heard the cops these days were useless. I guess it’s true. We shouldn’t have even bothered coming.” Her words left every officer in the room with a thunderous expression. After they left, I said my goodbyes to the police as well. I checked my phone when I got outside. It was already nine o’clock. I took a cab back to my neighborhood and stopped at my favorite noodle shop. On the walk home, I had the unsettling feeling that someone was following me. But when I turned around, the street behind me was empty. I figured the day’s events had just left me on edge. Normally, I would go for a run around my complex in the evenings to clear my head, but after the day I’d had, I just wanted to go home and sleep. I collapsed onto my beanbag chair. Vaguely, I heard the doors of the neighboring apartments opening and closing. A moment later, there was a knock on my door. Thinking it was the building manager making their rounds, I opened it without a second thought. Rick was standing there. He took advantage of my shock, lunging forward and grabbing me by the throat. “You bitch. I finally found you. I’m going to ask you one last time. Are you going to transfer me the money or not?” From six in the morning to nine at night. Fifteen hours. My one day of rest, completely ruined. And the police at the station had made it perfectly clear. How could they be so dense? I shoved him back with all my strength. “Are you insane? You’ll get your two thousand dollars back in a week! Who’s the desperate one here?” Brenda slapped me hard across the face. “Think you’re tough, huh? All you had to do was transfer the money, and this would all be over. But you had to make it difficult. I guess you just like getting hurt.” I staggered back, clutching my cheek, my entire body trembling with rage. Tears welled in my eyes as I choked out, “What right do you have to hit me? You’re the one who made the mistake. I didn’t ask you to send me anything. Why should I have to pay for your stupidity?” Rick sneered. “The credit went to your number. That means you owe me the money. I’m doing you a favor by letting you pay me back.” He pulled out his phone and brought up a payment QR code. “Send me the money now. Otherwise, starting tomorrow, I’m charging interest. A hundred bucks a day. You’re short a single penny, and I’ll break your legs.” “In your dreams,” I sobbed, fumbling for my own phone. “911? I’m being attacked. They’re threatening me. My address is—” Enraged, Rick grabbed a ceramic flowerpot from my neighbor’s doorway and smashed it over my head. The world exploded in a shower of ceramic and dirt. A curtain of crimson fell over my eyes. My neighbor, hearing the commotion, rushed out of his apartment. “What are you doing? Is this a home invasion?” His shout brought other neighbors out into the hall. The men from the other apartments didn’t hesitate; they tackled Rick and pinned him to the ground. “Call 911! Now! Tell them someone is trying to commit murder!”

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I got home late from work, and my wife told me she was in love with someone else. “I just want to divorce him and be with him.” “Even if it means walking away with nothing.” My eyes fell to the divorce papers already laid out on the table. Suddenly, a wave of relief washed over me. “Fine,” I said. “I agree.” It’s human nature to be drawn to the new and tired of the old. I’m no different. 1 Tina stared at me, dumbfounded. “You… you’re just agreeing?” A cold laugh escaped my lips, thick with sarcasm. “What else am I supposed to do?” “Oh, right. I’m supposed to fly into a rage and demand to know who he is, aren’t I?” “I should probably break down, beg you not to leave, plead with you not to do this.” “You’re willing to walk away with nothing just to divorce me, but you also want me to beg you to stay.” “So which is it? Do you want a divorce or not? Is your left brain at war with your right?” Tina was speechless. I ignored her, picking up the papers and scanning them carefully. Satisfied, I reached for my briefcase, which was still on the floor where I’d dropped it when Tina had anxiously pulled me inside. I’d just come home from a long day of overtime to find this waiting for me instead of a hot meal. She hadn’t even asked why I was so late. She’d just launched straight into the divorce. I was done with this cold, empty life. I pulled a fountain pen from my bag and signed my name decisively on both copies. Capping the pen, I stared at its faded, worn barrel. It was a gift for our first anniversary. Tina had used half a month’s salary from her part-time job to buy it for me. After nearly twenty years, it was battered and old. It was time for a new one. I tossed the pen into the trash can. “We can get the paperwork filed tomorrow morning.” Then I walked out of the room without looking back. 2 I went to my son Toby’s room. He was facing away from me, buried under his comforter. I sat down on the edge of his bed. “Don’t pretend to be asleep. I know you saw everything.” After a long moment, he finally turned over and sat up, his eyes red-rimmed. “Dad,” he whispered, “is Mom leaving us?” I sighed inwardly. At nearly forty, I’d seen my share of life and loss, so I could process a separation. But Toby was only twelve. In his world, his parents were his entire sky. When Tina and I separated, no matter who he ended up with, half of that sky was going to collapse. But he was a part of this family. He had a right to know about the changes happening to it. I told him the truth. “Yes. Mom asked for a divorce, and I agreed.” “But that just means we won’t be husband and wife anymore. We will always, always be your mom and dad who love you more than anything.” Toby looked at me, and tears streamed down his face like a broken dam. “Dad… I’m sorry…” He covered his face with his hands, tears seeping through his fingers. I was confused. Shouldn’t I be the one apologizing? I gently pulled his hands away and wiped his tears. “What is it? Why are you sorry?” Toby’s shoulders shook with sobs. “The other day… when Mom picked me up from school, she was with another guy.” “She said he was her assistant, but when she was driving, he kept leaning against her, and his hand… his hand was on her leg.” “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t want to lie to you, I just… I didn’t know how to tell you…” My hands clenched the bedsheet. A cold fury crept through me. How dare she. To flaunt her affair in front of our son. I let out a long, slow breath and pulled him into a hug, my heart aching for him. “Toby, this is not your fault.” “Anyone would be confused in that situation. If I were you, I would have done the exact same thing.” Toby pulled away, his tear-filled eyes looking up at me pitifully. “Dad… do you still want me?” I paused, then gently stroked the back of his head. I smiled. “I think the question is, do you want to stay with me?” Toby sniffled and nodded so hard his head bobbed. I squeezed his cheek gently. “Alright. You have school tomorrow. Time to get some sleep.” He obediently lay down. After I tucked him in and waited for him to drift off, I turned off the light and quietly left the room. 3 The next day, Tina and I went to the courthouse and filed the divorce papers. When we got back, she started packing her things. Neither Toby nor I asked if she needed help. We moved around each other like ghosts. But that evening, as I came home from work, Tina called out to me. “Your father called me today.” My heart leaped into my throat. “He said Sean lost his job and he wanted me to help him out, give him a position at my company.” “It’s not a big deal for me, so I agreed. But I thought I should let you know.” Before she could say another word, I had my phone out, dialing my father’s number on speaker. He picked up almost immediately. “Dad, about Sean’s job—tell him to figure it out himself.” “Tina and I are divorced. Don’t bother her again.” “Divorced? When did this happen? Why?” “Leo, you can’t—” I knew what was coming. He was going to try to talk me out of it. He’d always liked Tina more than he liked me. I cut him off. “Tina is seeing someone else. We’re divorced. It’s over. Do you understand?” There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end. I used it to hang up. When I looked up, Tina’s face was flushed red. She clearly hadn’t expected me to be so blunt with my father. My phone buzzed. It was him again. I declined the call and stood up to leave. If we were going to argue, I didn’t want to do it in front of Tina. But she grabbed my wrist. “Leo, it’s just a job for Sean. It’s a small thing. You don’t have to refuse my help and fight with your dad over it.” My relationship with my father was strained, and I hated arguing with him. But I hated the idea of being indebted to Tina even more. She used to be my wife. We were family. Now, she was just the mother of my child. Nothing more than a stranger. I yanked my arm free. “I’ll handle this myself. Stay out of it.” She blocked my path, her voice laced with confusion and a hint of anger. “You’d rather fight with your father than accept my help? Why?” I sighed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “Do I need to remind you that we’re divorced?” The color drained from Tina’s face. “Yes, we’re divorced,” she stammered. “But we were together for twenty years. If we can’t be husband and wife, can’t we at least be friends?” The idea was so absurd I had to laugh. “Friends with your ex-husband? Have you asked your new boyfriend how he feels about that?” Tina’s pale face seemed to crumble. She just stood there, frozen. 4 The phone was still ringing. I needed to take the call, so I left Tina standing there and stepped out into the stairwell. The moment I answered, my father’s shrill voice nearly pierced my eardrum. “Leo, tell me right now, are you really divorced from Tina?” “Yes. We are.” My father’s voice cracked with desperation. “How could you divorce her? She’s the owner of a huge company! You’re divorced and almost forty, where are you going to find another woman with that kind of success?” “Besides, plenty of women fool around on the side. You just have to suck it up and get over it, right?” “Look at me, that’s what I did. Listen to your old man, don’t get divorced. If you do, you’ll have nothing.” For a moment, I wanted to cry. I could almost see my promiscuous mother standing before me again, looking down with cold indifference at my father as he begged her to stay. I had pleaded with my father to divorce her. But he hadn’t worked since they got married. If he left, he couldn’t even support himself, let alone my brother and me. So he stayed, begging for money like a dog, refusing to divorce her and let some other man benefit. He let himself be ground down by that rotten marriage until the day she died. A sarcastic laugh bubbled up in my throat. “So I should just put up with it for the rest of my life, just like you?” The other end went silent. When he spoke again, his tone was agitated. “What else are you going to do? That’s just how life is. You endure.” “And if you divorce Tina, what’s going to happen to your brother?” There it was. I knew it. It always came back to Sean. Tina, the successful daughter-in-law who made him look good, had helped Sean out of more than a few jams. He wasn’t about to let that go. “Then let Sean go live with Tina,” I snapped. “I’m out of the picture. The position of husband is vacant. He can make a play for it.” “You—” I had no patience for his lecture, and even less for an argument. I cut him off. “I’m not you. I don’t have to endure anything. I can support myself and my son just fine without her.” “I’m telling you about the divorce, not asking for your opinion. And don’t worry, it won’t affect the two hundred dollars a month I send you for your expenses.” “You can spend it however you want. But that’s all you’re getting.” I hung up the phone. I leaned back against the cool wall, tilted my head back, and let out a long breath. But the tears came anyway. I wiped them away before going back inside. That’s just how it is when you’re an adult. Even when you cry, you have to do it in secret. 5 My father called a few more times after that, always bringing up Sean’s need for a job. But Sean was a grown man with two hands and two feet. He wasn’t going to starve. I wasn’t going to help him. Seeing my firm stance, my father finally gave up. Tina moved out. The night she left, I heard Toby crying in his room. I didn’t go in. Kids have their own worlds, their own emotions they need to process in private. The days of the cooling-off period ticked by. Tina and I had no contact. Until one afternoon, after a long meeting, I checked my phone to find dozens of missed calls, all from her. And a text message. [I’m downstairs at your office. Come down when you see this.] For Tina to come all the way to my office, it had to be serious. I hurried downstairs. As I reached the lobby, I saw her pacing anxiously by the entrance. “What’s wrong?” I asked as I approached. She started to speak, but a colleague walking in interrupted her. “Afternoon, Mr. Hayes.” Tina froze, her eyes wide. “You… when did you become a Director?” My voice was flat. “Last year.” “Why didn’t you ever mention it?” I looked down. A few years ago, when I was promoted to manager, I had rushed home, ecstatic to tell her. Her only response was a lukewarm “congratulations.” I remembered when I’d been promoted to assistant team lead, years before that. She had been more excited than I was, insisting we go out to celebrate. Tina, who never spent more than a few dollars on a meal, had splurged on a massive seafood dinner for us that night. When did it all change? When did promotions stop being a cause for celebration? When did our anniversary become nothing more than a perfunctory bouquet of flowers? When did we stop even saying “happy birthday” to each other? We no longer went out for walks or to the movies on weekends. Even sharing a meal became a silent affair. We stopped asking about each other’s work. Besides our son, it felt like there was nothing left for us to talk about. In a reality like that, what difference would it have made if I’d told her? 6 A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I didn’t have the energy to get into it with her. “You were in such a hurry to find me,” I said, changing the subject. “What is it?” Tina hesitated, swallowing hard. After a moment, she finally spoke. “My mom just called. It’s her birthday this weekend. She wants the family to get together for dinner.” I raised an eyebrow. Her mother’s birthday dinner. That’s why she’d rushed all the way down to my office? I didn’t know what game she was playing, and I didn’t care enough to ask. “Fine. I’ll tell Toby. You can pick him up then.” I turned to leave, but she grabbed my arm again. I glanced at her, then down at the hand gripping my wrist. She let go, looking embarrassed. “What I meant was… I want you to come too.” I frowned. “What are you talking about? You haven’t told your mom we’re divorced?” Tina looked uncomfortable. “Well…” “Can we just… not tell her yet?” Her voice was almost a plea. “She has high blood pressure. I’m afraid the shock…” “And you didn’t think of that when you asked for a divorce?” Tina fell silent, looking down in shame. I sighed. When Toby was born, I was working myself to the bone to re-establish my position at the company. Tina was pouring all her energy into her startup. It was her mother who had stepped in to help with the baby, saving us. A few years ago, her health had started to decline, and not wanting to be a burden, she had moved into an assisted living facility. She had always been good to me. I respected her deeply and didn’t want anything to happen to her. “I’ll agree to this, just this once,” I said. “But you need to find the right time to tell her yourself before we finalize the divorce.” Tina let out a huge sigh of relief. “Leo. Thank you.” I just nodded and went back upstairs. That weekend, I took Toby to the retirement home. Tina was already waiting for us at the entrance. We went in together. Her mother was overjoyed to see us. She fussed over Toby, pressing a red envelope into his hands, then took my arm and asked how I’d been. The atmosphere was warm and happy. Until a voice cut through the cheerful chatter. “Happy birthday, Mom!” We all turned. A young man was standing in the doorway. He looked like he’d just graduated college, full of youthful energy. Tina looked horrified. She rushed to the door to block his path. “Evan! What are you doing here?” Toby suddenly tugged on my sleeve. His face was pale. He leaned in and whispered, “Dad… that’s the young guy from Mom’s car. The ‘assistant’…”

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The night before our engagement party, my A-list celebrity boyfriend, Liam Scott, lost a race on a reality TV show. The penalty? He had to play a “couple for a day” with his childhood best friend, Rina. But he took the act a little too far. Right there, on camera, he exchanged rings with her. Liam just laughed it off when he explained it to me later. “It was all for the show, Luna. We grew up together, practically shared a crib. You think I’d ever be serious about her?” But Rina, nestled against his side, flashed the new ring on her finger. “Liam’s first ‘proposal’ was to me, guys. Don’t you think that’s worth a celebration?” The crowd was full of their childhood friends, and they all started cheering. “C’mon, none of us have ever beaten Liam on the track,” one of them yelled. “He obviously threw the race for Rina. Hey, if Rina can beat me, I’ll give her anything she wants!” The energy was electric. I stepped out from the shadows, my helmet tucked under my arm. Every head turned in my direction, and the boisterous atmosphere immediately went cold. I pulled the helmet over my head, my eyes locking on Liam’s disapproving face. “What are you all staring at me for? You wanted a celebration, right? As the fiancée, I thought I’d add to the fun.” 1 I swung my leg over the gleaming new motorcycle. Liam’s brow furrowed. He strode over, his hand clamping down on mine just as I was about to ignite the engine. “Luna, don’t be ridiculous. It’s Rina’s birthday, everyone’s just teasing her. Racing isn’t a game. What if you get hurt?” He softened his voice. “Just be a good girl and cheer for me from the sidelines.” It was always the same story. No matter what they were doing, my role was always the cheerleader. I subtly pulled my hand free from his grasp. Staring into those soulful eyes that could make a puppy fall in love, I contradicted him for the very first time. “I don’t think I’ll be cheering for you today.” I jutted my chin toward Rina. “Your ‘girlfriend’ for the day is over there. Let her do it.” A few snickers rippled through the group. Someone joked that I was jealous, telling Liam he’d better smooth things over. A flash of embarrassment crossed Liam’s face. “I’m just worried about you. You’ve never even touched a bike before. I’m scared you’ll get hurt.” He lowered his voice, leaning in. “We all grew up with Rina. Ask anyone here if they actually see her as a girl.” The glances exchanged around us were suddenly thick with insinuation. This wasn’t the first time. They had all grown up in the same exclusive neighborhood, their families moving in the same elite circles. Whenever the seven of them got together, they created an impenetrable bubble with Rina at its center. Because they didn’t see her as a woman, they’d pass out drunk in the same bed. Because they didn’t see her as a woman, she could call him away from our date nights to help her buy tampons. Because they didn’t see her as a woman, he’d ditch me on our anniversary to go drinking with her when she was in a bad mood. I used to fight him on it, but it always ended the same way. Once, he even snapped at me, “We’ve always been this close. Are you going to accuse the other five guys of sleeping with her too?” After that, I never brought up Rina’s name in an argument again. Until now. Only this time, I wasn’t here to argue. Rina sauntered over, draping an arm casually around Liam’s shoulders. She grinned at me. “He’s right, Luna. This is just how we are. They really don’t see me as a girl. We used to have peeing contests as kids to see who could go the farthest.” She patted Liam’s chest. “You didn’t grow up with a crew like this, so you wouldn’t get it. Just listen to your boyfriend like a good girl. We’ll let you have him back when we’re done playing.” No one seemed to think there was anything wrong with what she said. Liam’s expression was hardening, his disapproval of my ‘childish tantrum’ written all over his face. I fought down the wave of nausea rising in my throat and twisted the throttle. Over the engine’s roar, I met Rina’s gaze and said coldly, “Since it’s a birthday party, wouldn’t adding one more make it even more exciting?” “Let’s stick to your rules,” I continued. “If you beat me, you can have any gift you want.” Seeing me defy him so openly, Liam’s face tightened. The mask was slipping. Another guy from their group nudged his friend, smirking. “Damn, Liam’s losing his touch. Guess he can’t keep his fiancée on a leash.” The warmth vanished completely from Liam’s expression. His eyes on me turned to ice. “Luna Jiang.” He used my full name. “You really want to do this? Fine. But don’t come crying to me to end the game when you lose.” I scoffed. Rina saw my expression and raised an eyebrow. “Well, well. Looks like I have a lot of challengers tonight.” She adopted a regal air. “Alright, here’s how it’ll be. We’ll do it king-of-the-hill style. You have to beat everyone who wants a shot at me. Only then do you earn the right to challenge me.” She pointed a finger at the big guy who had started the heckling. “Mark, I know what you’re capable of. If you go easy on her… I’ll double the prize!” Mark stepped forward, playing the peacemaker. “Hey, Mrs. Scott, look… it’s Rina’s birthday, so she makes the rules. Maybe we should just call it a night? This bike is a beast, hard to handle.” “I’ll cover the double prize myself!” he declared. The crowd erupted. “The prize should come from Liam! What’s your deal, Mark? You got a thing for your friend’s girl?” Mark’s face turned bright red. Liam shot me a sideways glance, then smirked and gave Rina a light pat. “The night’s not over yet. Your future sister-in-law is right here.” Rina just hopped onto the seat behind Liam, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. A chorus of whistles went up. I was used to it. I revved the engine and snapped my visor down. “Enough talk. Let’s ride.” 2 The wind howled past my helmet. Behind me, I could hear a collective gasp of shock. No one had expected me to actually know how to ride, let alone be good at it. I leaned hard into a series of tight curves, steadily pulling away from Mark. Liam shot me a look, his expression filled with something I couldn’t quite read. Surprise? The cheers and shouts didn’t break my focus. On the final turn, I calculated my entry line, planning to accelerate hard on the exit. Just then, a blinding beam of light shot out from the side of the track, aimed directly at me. It was Rina, holding a high-powered flashlight she must have grabbed from somewhere, waving it wildly in my direction. My vision exploded in a wash of white. I cursed under my breath, instinctively slamming the brakes and fighting to keep the bike balanced. But I was going too fast. The front wheel skidded out at the apex of the turn. The bike went into an uncontrolled slide, the shriek of metal on asphalt tearing through the night. I wrestled with the handlebars, using every ounce of my strength to stay upright, but my knee and elbow scraped hard against the pavement, a searing pain shooting through me. Mark’s bike blurred past as he crossed the finish line. I managed to push myself and the bike up, barely standing. The throbbing in my elbow and knee was beginning to spread. I took off my helmet, my gaze fixed coldly on Rina. She tossed the flashlight aside and came jogging over, all feigned concern. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry, are you okay? I was just so excited! You were riding so well, I wanted to cheer you on, I had no idea… that you’d lose control.” Liam rushed to my side, his brow deeply creased. “Serves you right for trying to show off when you don’t have the skills,” he muttered, his voice laced with annoyance. Mark circled back, clearing his throat. “Luna… let’s just say you won that round. Seriously, your technique is way better than mine.” I tried to smile, but the pull on the scrapes on my face made me wince. The peanut gallery started up again. “What’s with you today, Mark? Playing the white knight?” “Yeah, man, bad form. Liam’s about to get married. You can’t be moving in on his girl now.” Mark fell silent, trapped. I waved a dismissive hand. “A loss is a loss. No need for charity.” I turned my attention to Rina, my voice flat. “What do you want?” Her eyes landed on the necklace I was wearing. Liam had fastened it around my neck the day we made our relationship official. It was a unique pendant, a delicate gear with a diamond at its center that spun a full 360 degrees. He’d said it was a symbol of how inseparable we were, our love stronger than steel. I hadn’t taken it off in three years. I reached back, unclasped it, and tossed it straight at her. She caught it deftly, letting it dangle from her fingers. Liam’s face darkened instantly. “Rina, that’s…” She tilted her head, looking at his strained expression. “What’s wrong, Liam? Luna’s willing to part with it. Are you telling me you’re not?” Liam’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He finally looked away. “…If you like it, you can have it.” Rina smiled, a triumphant glint in her eyes. She turned her back to Liam. “Put it on for me.” As Liam fumbled with the clasp around Rina’s neck, the other guys crowded around me, eager for more action. “Wow, Mrs. Scott, you’re full of surprises! I’m next!” “Me too!” But Rina cut them off, her eyes sparkling with a new, malicious idea as she looked at me. “Hold on. Luna’s so good, if we’re going to keep playing, we need to set the stakes first. We wouldn’t want anyone thinking we’re ganging up on you.” Her gaze roamed over me, and then her face lit up. “I remember, your marriage certificate was calligraphed by your grandfather, right? You know how rare his work was. Why don’t we bet that?” The moment she said it, the chatter died. Everyone stared at her, their expressions a mixture of shock and unease. She flashed me a perfectly innocent smile. “Let’s make that the prize, what do you say? If you lose, you just let me… admire it for a bit. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to steal your…” She paused, casting a long, meaningful look at Liam. Liam’s breath hitched. He spoke in a low, placating tone. “Rina, that’s enough.” I had to laugh. Even he knew she was taking it too far. But he always let her. That marriage certificate was my grandfather’s final work, the only thing he left me. On it, he’d written his blessing for Liam and me, wishing us a hundred years of happiness, a life without sorrow. Rina, however, was not intimidated by Liam’s tone. She stuck her chin out. “What are you so nervous about? I can’t even look at it? If you’re going to be this stingy, I might just tell everyone about the time you—” Liam clapped a hand over her mouth, the tips of his ears turning bright red. He turned back to me, his voice coaxing. “Luna, why don’t you just show it to her? Then we can call it a night. No more racing.” Of course. Between them, Rina always won. I watched their intimate little struggle, the throbbing in my knee and elbow a dull, distant ache. My heart felt hollow, empty. I nodded slowly. “Alright.” Liam let out a breath of relief. And then I spoke my next words. “If I lose, the certificate is yours.”

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1 I had a happy childhood, loved and spoiled by my parents. My only problem was my dad. He still treated me like a little girl, with no sense of personal boundaries. I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Dad,” I said one day, “can you please knock before you come in next time?” He agreed, but nothing changed. I told my mom how uncomfortable it made me feel. She just laughed. “Your father adores you, Lily. He’s held you in the palm of his hand since you were a baby. He saw you crawling around naked in your crib. What hasn’t he seen?” A lump formed in my throat. “But I’m not a baby anymore.” When my dad found out I’d complained to Mom, he put on a wounded expression. “My little girl is all grown up. She doesn’t need her old dad anymore. Teenagers are just so sensitive. I’ll just stay away from now on.” My dad was always so good to me. His words made me feel a pang of guilt. Mom said I was being difficult and letting my imagination run wild. It wasn’t until I posted a video online, asking for advice on how to deal with my feelings, that our happy home began to fall apart. … The candlelight from my fifteenth birthday cake flickered across my face as I closed my eyes to make a wish. I hadn’t even lowered my hands when a wet, hot kiss landed on my cheek. “My Lily is another year older!” Dad said, beaming. I went rigid. The damp sensation sent a shiver of revulsion through me. I grabbed a napkin and scrubbed at my cheek, my face contorted in disgust. “Dad! Don’t do that! You got spit all over me!” His smile froze. It was quickly replaced by an exaggerated pout. He clutched his chest, speaking to my mom in a joking tone. “Our daughter’s all grown up, Sarah. She’s too good for her dad now! She used to beg for kisses and hugs, and now I can’t even get a peck on the cheek? My heart is breaking!” Mom shot me a disapproving look. “Is that any way to talk to your father? He spoils you rotten! Look, he just bought you the newest phone for your birthday, and this is how you thank him? Such an ungrateful little thing.” I stared at the expensive phone box on the table, my throat feeling tight. “I just think… I’m older now. There should be boundaries…” “What boundaries? You’ll always be a child in our eyes!” Mom cut me off. She leaned over and planted a loud kiss on my little brother’s chubby cheek. “See, sweetie? Isn’t your sister being silly? Mommy and Daddy love you both so much, we could just kiss you all day!” That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. It was true, my dad had always doted on me, giving me anything I wanted. Very few kids at my school had a phone that expensive. I remembered other girls in my class complaining about their dads being clueless and not paying attention to details, but none of them seemed to have a reaction as strong as mine. Maybe I really am just being too sensitive, I thought. The memory of my dad’s hurt expression made me feel guilty. “Lily? Are you asleep?” The door suddenly swung open, shattering my thoughts. My dad stood in the doorway, his long shadow stretching across my bed. I flinched, pulling the blanket up to my chin, my heart hammering in my chest. “Dad! You didn’t knock again!” He acted as if he hadn’t heard me and walked straight in. “Just checking if your window is closed. The forecast said there’s a big storm tonight. The wind will be strong.” He closed the window and turned to leave. At the door, he looked back and smiled. “Alright, alright. I know you’re a big girl now, you have your rules. I’ll knock next time.” The door clicked shut. The room was dark again, but my heart refused to calm down. That creeping sense of unease was back, wrapping itself around me. The next day, after much hesitation, I went to my mom. “Mom, I talked to Dad last night about knocking before…” She didn’t even look up from feeding my brother applesauce. “He told me. Said you’re getting quite the attitude. Now he needs an official announcement to enter your room.” “It’s not an announcement! It’s just knocking!” I said, my voice rising with frustration. “I’ve told him so many times, but he never knocks. It makes me feel really uncomfortable, like I have no safety.” Her hand finally paused. She looked up at me, her brow furrowed. “What is wrong with you?” “That is your father! He changed your diapers, he gave you baths. What part of you hasn’t he seen? And now you’re talking to me about ‘safety’ from your own dad?” 2 Her tone turned serious. “Your father loves you. He treats you like you’re made of glass. How could you even think such twisted things about him? That thought itself isn’t normal!” “But I…” I wanted to argue, to tell her that the way he looked at me had changed. “No buts!” she cut me off, her voice sharp and final. “You’re a teenager. You’re hormonal, you’re overthinking things! You’ve got too much time on your hands. You should be studying, figuring out how to get your grades up.” “You’re in high school now. Things are much harder. Stop obsessing over this nonsense!” She turned her attention back to my brother, her face instantly softening into a smile. “Is my sweet boy getting impatient? Let’s have some more apple.” Listening to her coo at my brother, the words died in my throat. What if she’s right? What if my thoughts aren’t normal? The lock on the bathroom door had been broken for months. I’d mentioned it countless times. Mom would always say, “I know, I’ll get to it,” and then nothing would happen. Taking a shower became the most stressful part of my day. Dad often needed something from the bathroom while I was in there. “Lily, did I leave my razor in there?” “Your mom needs the laundry basket!” Sometimes, he wouldn’t even wait for a response before the handle started to turn. Today, I discovered the lock on my bedroom door was broken too. I couldn’t lock it from the inside. I went to my mom again. “Mom, my bedroom lock is broken. We need to get it replaced soon.” She was busy changing my brother’s diaper and didn’t look up. “You used to lock your door all the time to play on your phone. Now that you’re in high school, you can’t be doing that. It’s a good thing it’s broken. Makes it easier for me to check on you.” “I wasn’t!” I stomped my foot, furious. “I just want some privacy!” “Alright, alright, nobody’s spying on you,” she said, her voice laced with impatience. “Teenagers are so difficult. Your mind should be on your studies.” “If you get in the top ten on your midterms, I’ll get the lock fixed. I’m doing this for your own good, to help you stay focused.” I didn’t want to believe my dad had bad intentions, but I couldn’t convince myself to ignore how I felt. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t concentrate in class. I needed an answer. I needed someone to tell me if this was normal. And if I was the one in the wrong, I needed to know how to fix my way of thinking. That evening, my dad came into my room again, using the excuse of “checking the air conditioner temperature,” and stayed for a long time. His gaze lingered on my neck and arms. The feelings I’d been suppressing finally reached their breaking point. I secretly turned on my phone’s video recorder. “Dad, why are you always like this? I’ve told you so many times to knock! Why don’t you ever listen?” “And when I’m in the shower, why do you always find an excuse to open the door?” “I’m fifteen years old! I’m not a little kid anymore! You’re scaring me! What do you want?” My dad’s expression shifted from surprise to sullen anger. “What are you talking about? I’m your father!” My mom’s voice drifted in from the living room. “Alright, keep it down, you’ll scare the baby. Honey, just remember to knock, okay?” I posted the video online. I described my dad’s chronic lack of boundaries, my mom’s dismissiveness, and the immense stress and self-doubt it was causing me. [Am I just being too sensitive? How do I fix my mindset? Please, someone tell me.] I was waiting for advice and analysis from strangers when my mom saw the video. She stormed into my room, her face pale with fury, shoving her phone in my face. “Lily! Look what you’ve done! Look what these people are saying!” 3 The screen was a blur of furious comments and shares. “What kind of father is this? He’s clearly a creep!” “Is the mom dead? Her daughter is literally begging for help and she’s just sitting there doing nothing!” “She’s probably one of those mothers who only cares about the son. She doesn’t give a damn about her daughter.” My mom’s eyes were red with rage. She slapped me, hard, across the face. I cupped my cheek, staring at her in disbelief. It was the first time she had ever hit me. My mind went blank. “Mom…” “They’re strangers! What do they know?” she screamed, not giving me a chance to speak. “You’re his daughter! He’s watched you grow up! So what if he looks at you? Is a piece of you going to fall off?” “Are you trying to ruin your father’s reputation? Will that make you happy?” I’d never seen her this angry before. I was terrified. “No, Mom, that’s not it. I was just confused…” Just then, her phone rang. She answered it, exasperated. “Hello, is this Sarah? This is CPS.” “We’ve seen a video concerning your daughter online, and its contents are very troubling.” “We’d like to understand the situation at home to ensure your daughter’s safety and well-being. When would be a good time for us to…” As soon as she hung up, her face was a mask of pure fury. “Are you satisfied now? You wanted your father investigated? You wanted me to be called a bad mother? You wanted to tear this family apart? Is that what you wanted?” “Delete that video! Now!” “Look at the trouble you’ve caused!” I never imagined it would blow up like this. I was scared to death. I deleted the video, tears streaming down my face. “Mom, I didn’t mean to cause trouble.” The video was gone, but her anger still burned. “You spend all day watching toxic videos online, it’s rotting your brain!” “We raised you, we fed you, we sent you to a good school, and you turn on us like an enemy?” “Your father is the one who spoils you the most, and this is how you repay him? By slandering him?” I tried to make her understand. “But what he’s doing is wrong!” She looked down at me, her voice dripping with contempt. “Did he hit you? Did he yell at you? Did we ever deny you food or clothes?” “All he did was not knock. And for that, you wanted to ruin his life?” “Lily, when did your heart become so poisonous?” Every word she said felt logical. I couldn’t argue. But an unspeakable sadness filled my heart. To fix the mess I’d made, my mom took out her phone and filmed a new video. “I want to apologize to everyone for taking up your time,” she said, her voice full of weary regret. “Our daughter has been spending too much time online. She thought it would be fun to make a ‘scripted video’ like the influencers she sees. We never expected it to cause such a misunderstanding. We are so sorry for the trouble.” The camera turned to my dad. He walked over to me and gently clipped a strawberry barrette into my hair. “Silly girl,” he said, his voice dripping with affection. “You can’t pull stunts like this anymore.” I nodded and whispered, “I know.” After the video of our happy, reconciled family was posted, public opinion flipped instantly. 4 “See? You always have to wait for the full story!” “Kids these days will do anything to get famous, even throw their own dad under the bus.” “What a waste of my sympathy! I was so worried about her, turns out she’s just an actress!” The online mockery spilled over into my school life. My classmates looked at me differently. “That’s her. The one who made up a story about her dad to go viral.” “You’d never guess. She’s so quiet in class, but she’s so calculating.” Even my homeroom teacher called me in for a talk. “Lily,” she said, her voice thick with disappointment, “seeking attention through dishonest means will not help you in the long run. You need to focus your energy on the right things.” I had no way to defend myself. Everyone thought I was the problem. But how was I supposed to quiet the unease in my own heart? Everyone who knew my dad said he was a model husband and father, loving and caring, without a single flaw. I was trapped in a prison of self-doubt. I couldn’t focus. I was in a constant daze. On my first high school midterms, my grades plummeted. My mom looked at me, her face a mask of disappointment. “Lily, you were never like this before. What happened to you?” A tremor went through me. Her quiet disappointment was scarier than her yelling. Does this mean she won’t fix my lock? The thought sent a wave of panic through me. That night, as I was struggling with my homework, there was a knock on my door. I was surprised. Dad had actually knocked. He came in, closed the door behind him, and sat on the edge of my bed, ready for a heart-to-heart. “Lily, I saw your report card. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I know you’re hurting.” Being alone with him in a closed room made me nervous. I didn’t say anything. He continued, “Your mother’s attention is all on your brother now. I’ve seen it. She hasn’t really paid attention to you in a long time, has she? I know you feel neglected.” My nose began to sting. His words hit the deepest, most secret wounds in my heart. He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, and dropped a bombshell. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I think you have a right to know. You… you are not my biological daughter.” I snapped my head up, so shocked that I didn’t even notice how close he was to me now. “She was already pregnant with you when she married me.” His voice grew even softer. “I was the one who took you both in, who gave you a home.” “The only one who truly cares about you is me.” “Your mother has given up on you because she depends on me. She knows you’re unhappy, but she pretends not to see. She’s doing it on purpose.” “That’s not true!” I cried, shaking my head. “You don’t believe me?” He chuckled softly and gestured toward my door. “Go on, check. See if the lock is fixed.” I stumbled to the door, my fingers trembling as I reached for the knob. Click. The door could be locked from the inside. But Mom had said she wouldn’t fix it unless I got in the top ten! “Why do you think she fixed it? Why do you think she took your brother out tonight?” “She’s doing me a favor.” He pinned me against the door, his fingers tracing a line down my cheek, his gaze sticky and vile. “I’ve raised you for fifteen years. It’s time I collected some interest. If you’re a good girl, we can continue to be a happy family.” “But if you’re not…” He paused, his lips brushing against my ear. “No one will believe you anyway. You’ll always be my good little girl. There’s no escape.” The shock of my parentage, my mother’s betrayal, my father’s threats—my world shattered into a million pieces. I don’t know how much time passed before I heard a commotion from downstairs. My mom, carrying groceries and pushing a stroller, returned to our apartment complex to find a crowd gathered at the base of our building. “What’s going on?” she asked a neighbor. “Oh, it’s awful! I think someone jumped!” the neighbor said, her face pale. “Oh, Lord. I hope the kids don’t see. Lily needs to study,” my mom muttered, trying to navigate the stroller around the crowd. As she passed a gap in the people, her eyes glanced inward. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks. The bags in her hand crashed to the ground, groceries scattering across the pavement.

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1 On the day of our engagement party, Sebastian shoved me aside. The heirloom ring and the wedding gifts, meant for me, he handed to my father’s illegitimate daughter. My mother’s face went pale. “Sebastian, what is the meaning of this? Do you not even recognize your own fiancée?” But the man who had been tangled in my sheets just last night, my fiancé of six years, now looked at me with an unnerving calm. “I’ve been appointed to a diplomatic post in Paris. A four-year term. Elara… she knows nothing. She’d just be a burden.” “Besides,” he added, “I’ve already put Chloe’s name down as my accompanying partner. Her French is flawless. She can be my assistant.” Ignoring the ballroom full of stunned guests, he took Chloe Blake’s hand and walked away, leaving me to become the laughingstock of Sterling Harbor. Four years later, he returned with a newly pregnant Chloe in tow. But when he saw me sitting beside his mother, his face darkened instantly. “Elara, the Ashworths have done more than enough to support the Blakes these past few years. You’re not my wife, so why are you still clinging to my family like a leech?” “I know I broke my promise back then, but it’s over. Even if you try to suck up to my mother now, I’ll never marry you. Chloe is pregnant!” I froze. So he still didn’t know. In this family, by rank, he now had to call me ‘Aunt’. … “Such disrespect!” Mrs. Ashworth’s smile vanished. She slammed her water glass down on the table with a crack. Her gaze, sharp with disapproval, swept over Chloe. “You come back here without even greeting Elara first, and you bring this… classless woman with you.” “Get her out of my sight. Now!” I lifted my teacup, the rising steam veiling the smile in my eyes. Sebastian’s father had a string of mistresses, which is why his mother despised illegitimate children more than anything. Chloe never stood a chance. Hearing the contempt in Mrs. Ashworth’s voice, Chloe’s face turned ashen. I thought she’d have the sense to retreat. Instead, she placed an ultrasound report on the table and sank to her knees, a picture of fragile vulnerability. “Mrs. Ashworth, I know I’m not worthy of you… but the babies, they’re innocent!” She shot a timid glance my way. “I know my sister was the one engaged to Sebastian, but I’m carrying his children now. The doctor confirmed it… a healthy pair of twins.” “Please, Elara, I’m begging you, have mercy. Give my children a name! I’ll even be your son’s mistress, hidden away from the world!” With that, she covered her face and broke into heart-wrenching sobs, casting a mournful look over her shoulder. Sebastian’s eyes immediately reddened with emotion. He rushed over and pulled Chloe into a fierce embrace. “Don’t say such foolish things. You’re the only woman I love, the one I’m going to marry!” At the mention of twins, Mrs. Ashworth’s eyes lit up. She hesitated, then turned to me for my opinion. “Elara, what do you think?” I took a sip of my tea before answering. “The mother of the Ashworth grandchildren being a mistress… It wouldn’t look right, would it?” My intention was to push them toward marriage. But to Sebastian’s ears, it sounded like I wouldn’t even grant her the position of a mistress. His face contorted with rage. He kicked over a nearby vase, shattering it against the floor, and snarled at me, “Who the hell do you think you are, Elara? This is the Ashworth house. You have no say here!” “It was the same back at the Blake estate! You could never stand Chloe, always giving her hell! Well, she’s my woman now. In my eyes, you’re not worth a single strand of her hair.” My fingers curled into a fist. The day Chloe came to live with us, she stole my father’s affection, moved into my bedroom, and then, claiming a sudden allergy, drowned my dog. When I screamed at her, my father slapped me twice across the face. Between the two of us, who was it that couldn’t stand whom? Snapping back to the present, I looked at the furious man before me and couldn’t help but laugh. “Sebastian, did you leave your brain in Paris along with your diplomatic credentials? When did I ever say I wanted to marry you?” His mother, equally incensed, pointed a trembling finger at him. “Insolent boy! Is that any way to speak to your elders?” 2 “My elders? Mom, I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to Elara!” Before his mother could retort, a nanny’s frantic voice cut through the tension. “Mrs. Ashworth, it’s terrible! The young master… I don’t know what happened, he suddenly can’t breathe!” The anger on Mrs. Ashworth’s face was instantly replaced by sheer panic. If something happened to her brother-in-law’s son in her house, that man would tear their whole world down… “How could you be so careless? Call the family doctor, quickly!” The baby’s face was a horrifying shade of purple, his only sounds strangled whimpers from deep in his throat. “Leo!” My voice cracked with terror as I lunged forward to take him. But before I could reach him, Sebastian had swept the baby into his arms. He chuckled, playfully poking the child’s cheek. “Whose little tyke is this? Cute little thing.” My eyes burned with desperate tears, my voice a raw scream. “Sebastian! Give me back my son!” Mrs. Ashworth shot to her feet, her voice a thunderous command. “You reckless boy, stop it! If anything happens to that child, none of us will be safe!” “Relax, Mom.” Sebastian just smiled, nonchalantly passing the baby to Chloe. “Chloe’s been studying child care for two years in preparation for our baby. She’ll know what’s wrong in a second.” And just as he said, after a single glance, Chloe let out a smug laugh. “Oh, it’s probably just a blocked bladder.” With that, she delivered a hard, forceful slap to the baby’s back. The sickening thud made my heart stop. My legs gave out and I crumpled to the floor. “Leo!” Mrs. Ashworth was trembling, her face drained of all color. Then, the nanny cried out in relief. “He wet himself! The young master really did it!” She quickly took the baby and brought him over for us to see. “Look, his color is returning to normal.” Seeing the purple tinge fade from my son’s face, I finally let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Tears I hadn’t realized I was holding back finally streamed down my face. “Thank God…” “See, Mom? I told you she’d be a wonderful mother!” Sebastian said, lovingly tapping Chloe’s nose. She tilted her chin up, beaming with pride. “But Elara,” she started, her eyes darting around before she feigned a sudden realization, covering her mouth with her hand. “Sebastian, now that I look closer… doesn’t the baby look a little like my sister?” “Could this be her child? But we never heard anything about her getting married…” Sebastian’s pupils contracted. He snatched the baby back, his gaze flickering between the child’s face and mine. His eyes blazed with fury. “Elara, you dare cheat on me?!” Understanding dawned on his face. “No wonder you never contacted me all these years. You were hiding away, having someone else’s child!” “Whose bastard is this? Which animal did you have this mutt with, and how dare you bring him into our home to disgust me!” At his words, every servant in the room went pale, lowering their heads in silence. I rose to my feet, my voice trembling with rage as I held up my left hand, displaying the massive wedding band on my ring finger. “He is my child, you’re right about that. But I’m already married.” “And you know my husband. His name is Julian Ashworth!” 3 “Julian? You mean my uncle? The one who’s practically allergic to women?” Sebastian muttered to himself, then snapped his head up, his eyes locking on mine. A scornful laugh escaped his lips. “Everyone in Sterling Harbor knows my uncle can’t stand women. Forget women, even a female cat can’t get near him!” “Someone once tried to drug him and send a girl to his bed. The next day, their entire family vanished from the city.” “Elara, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” Allergic to women? I resisted the urge to rub my temples. I almost wished it were true. It would save my body from being wrecked every night. My silence was taken as an admission of guilt. Chloe shot me a triumphant look and cooed, “Sebastian, don’t you remember? My sister declared to all of Sterling Harbor that she’d marry no one but you. When you were kidnapped by your rivals, she cried and screamed that she wanted to die with you. How could she possibly marry someone else?” “She probably got lonely these past few years and had an… accident.” “But a child of unknown origin like this… it’s not appropriate for him to stay in the Ashworth home, is it?” The memory hit me as suddenly as the gunshot had that night. Sebastian had nearly died during that kidnapping. The kidnappers demanded his father sign over the Mariner’s Point development, but they didn’t know his father had several other sons. Sebastian’s life was nothing compared to that massive profit. It was me who stole the project contracts from my family’s safe. I went to the kidnappers alone and traded them for Sebastian’s freedom. That night, my father beat me with a cane, ninety-nine lashes. My mouth was filled with blood, but I never made a sound. Only when he asked if I knew my mistake did I answer with unwavering resolve. “If Sebastian dies, I won’t live without him.” They threw me out of the house, bleeding and broken. Sebastian held me, his body wracked with sobs. Without hesitation, he took the cane and gave himself ninety-nine lashes, marking his own body with the same scars as mine. Looking at my swollen eyes, he made a promise. “Elara, you’re the love of my life. These scars are the proof of our love. As soon as I prove myself to my father, I will make you my wife!” I waited and waited. I waited until Sebastian became a diplomat, until he dealt with all the other illegitimate sons in the Ashworth family. But in the end, I never got to see him come for me. It seemed Sebastian remembered, too. His expression softened, but the disgust in his eyes when he looked at my son remained. “Elara, because you saved my life once, I’ll let you stay with the Ashworths.” “Sebastian!” Chloe cried out, her eyes filling with hurt. He immediately pulled her into his arms, comforting her. “Don’t cry, Chloe. I only meant she can stay as a nanny, to take care of you and our babies.” “After all, she’s the woman the Ashworths publicly rejected. No one in Sterling Harbor would dare marry her now. You have a generous heart, my love. Think of it as giving her a place to eat.” Chloe’s tears vanished, replaced by a triumphant smile. “What about the child, Sebastian?” Looking at the baby in his arms, who bore a slight resemblance to me, Sebastian sighed. His warning gaze fell on me. “I abandoned you at our engagement party, and now you’ve cheated on me. Let’s call it even.” “I’m allowing you to stay, but this bastard child has to go. I won’t have him under my roof. From now on, your job is to take care of Chloe and her babies. And don’t you dare try to seduce me again.” 4 I had reached my limit and was about to unleash a torrent of curses. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw my son’s face turning purple again! “Leo!” I whirled around, glaring at the nanny. “What on earth did you feed him?” The nanny’s eyes darted nervously. “Nothing… nothing special. Just some milk.” “Just milk? Then why is his face turning that color?” His symptoms… he had to be choking on something. I grabbed the nanny’s arm, but Chloe stepped in front of me. “Have you no manners, sister? This is an Ashworth family nanny. You’re in no position to yell at her!” “Besides, he’s just some bastard child you had with a stranger. Is he really worth all this drama?” I ignored Chloe’s taunts and rushed forward, snatching my son into my arms. Seeing the deep purple hue on his face and the faintness of his breathing, a wave of unbearable pain washed over me. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Get a doctor! Now!” Footsteps sounded behind me, but Sebastian blocked the way. “Nobody move!” “Elara, do you think this is a public market? You can’t just order my family’s staff around!” I shot him a look of pure hatred. “Sebastian, if anything happens to my son today, I swear I will make you pay!” “What?” His eyes reddened, filled with disbelief. “Elara, you’d talk to me like that? For a bastard you had with some other man?” I ignored his wounded expression, collapsing as I held my son, my tears a wild flood. “Leo… my Leo…” I dug my nails into my palms, my mind racing for a solution. I remembered reading about the Heimlich maneuver online and immediately tried to position my son to perform it. But in the next second, my arms were empty. Sebastian had taken him. Seeing the raw grief on my face, he trembled with rage. “Elara, he’s just a fatherless mutt! Why do you care so much?” “Unless… his father is that old flame of yours!” he roared, a look of sudden, ugly realization on his face. “So that’s it. No wonder you didn’t say a word when I left with Chloe from the engagement party. I thought you had finally grown up, but you had already found my replacement behind my back. You disgust me, Elara!” Hearing this, Chloe gasped dramatically. “Sister, I can’t believe you’re that kind of woman! If father finds out, he’ll throw you out of the family for good!” My son’s chest had almost stopped moving. Forgetting everything else, I dropped to my knees before Sebastian, my voice shattering as I begged, “Sebastian, please, I’m begging you, give me back my son.” “Just give him back to me, and I’ll forget any of this ever happened!” He had never seen me so utterly broken, and all for a child whose father was a mystery. Sebastian stumbled back a step, then his voice rose to a fever pitch. “That’s enough, Elara! I know this is all just a pathetic act to get my mother’s sympathy so you can marry me.” “Fine! I’ll marry you. Are you happy now?” “Sebastian!” Chloe cried out, swaying on her feet as tears streamed down her face. He immediately turned to wipe them away, his voice softening. “It’s just an empty title for her.” “You’ll be the one walking down the aisle with me, the one on the marriage license. My heart, my body… everything is yours.” Chloe’s tears stopped, and she gave me a magnanimous look. “Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I won’t fight my sister for it.” When Sebastian looked back at me, I was already lunging for my son. He lifted the baby high above his head. “First, you tell me who the father is. Then you can have him back.” A wave of terror washed over me, and I screamed, my voice raw and trembling, “Sebastian, put my son down!” Even his mother shot to her feet, her usually composed face slick with sweat and fear. “You crazy boy! Put that child down right now, or I swear I’ll have your father break your legs!” Sebastian just laughed. “Don’t worry, Mom. The Blakes have no real power. They won’t acknowledge a bastard child. And even if something happened, Uncle Julian would clean it up for us.” “Today, even if I dash this baby’s brains out right here, the Blakes won’t dare to say a word!” As if to prove his point, he raised his hand higher. His grip slipped. The baby fell. “NO!” I shrieked, my voice tearing from my throat. I tried to scramble forward to catch him, but Chloe stuck out her foot, tripping me. As my son plunged towards the hard floor, I squeezed my eyes shut in utter despair. But in the next second, a pair of strong hands snatched him from the air. Then, a resounding crack echoed through the room as Sebastian’s father slapped him across the face. “You worthless fool! How dare you touch your uncle’s son!”

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After taking over my father’s company, my best friend Maya insisted we act out her favorite CEO romance fantasy. I rented an entire amusement park for the night, ready to set off fireworks just for her. But as the first rocket was about to launch, a woman clutching a child burst from the bushes. Maya screamed, “Holy crap, is that a ghost from a daytime drama? Babe, save me!” The woman grabbed my leg, tears and snot covering her face. “You promised to come back and marry me when you succeeded! Why have you been gone three years? Who is she? Are you abandoning me and our son?” I froze, one hand touching my short, boyish haircut—cut to avoid an arranged marriage. Her desperation grew. “When we were together, you said I was the most beautiful woman alive! Now that our child is born, you pretend not to know me?” Before I could speak, her toddler wiped snot all over my pants. “Daddy, hold me!” Phones rose from the crowd, cameras flashing. The murmurs turned into loud accusations, branding me a deadbeat dad who abandoned his family. I looked desperately at Maya, but she was crying harder than the stranger. “Babe, say something! Who is she? You owe me an explanation tonight!” 1 Maya stood before me, pounding her fists against my chest in a dramatic display of heartbreak. “Say something! Who is this woman? And who is this ugly little kid?” “So this is what you do! You tell me I’m your first, but behind my back, you’ve got a whole collection of mistresses! How could you do this to me? Today is our five-year anniversary!” Maya was so deep in character that the other woman actually believed her. She wiped away a tear and whimpered. “So… you were already with someone when we met. No wonder you disappeared the morning after we slept together.” “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have fallen for you so easily. I’ve ruined our child’s life!” “I don’t want anything now. I know I can’t compete with this lady. Just… please take care of our son. If you could give me two thousand dollars a month for living expenses, I’d be content.” Two thousand dollars?! I nearly choked on a boba pearl. If I hadn’t just inherited the family business, two grand would be more than enough to buy my silence, not the other way around. Realizing this wasn’t part of the game, Maya dropped the act. “Wait, you’ve misunderstood. She’s not—” The woman cut her off frantically. “Enough! What are you trying to say? That your man isn’t that kind of person? Which scumbag has ‘scumbag’ written on his forehead?” “If he hadn’t forced himself on me, I never would have believed this could happen!” “I’m a woman who has thrown away her pride and dignity! I’m not even asking for the justice I deserve. All I want is for him to provide for his child. Is that too much to ask?” Gossip is a powerful force. The moment she said “forced,” the air went still. I deeply regretted not clearing the park of bystanders as the staff had suggested. I gave Maya a look that screamed, This is all your fault. If you wanted an audience for your CEO fantasy, I could have hired actors. Now we’re the main event! Maya looked so guilty she seemed ready to bury her head in the nearest planter. Before I could speak, a guy covered in tattoos stormed up to me. “It’s bad enough you look like a pretty boy, but you don’t even have the balls to act like a man. You’re a disgrace to men everywhere!” “Don’t you feel any shame when you look in the mirror?” I nodded earnestly. “Not really.” He sputtered, half-choked with rage. I’m a woman. The short hair was just a tactic to avoid being married off by my family. Why should I feel ashamed for disgracing manhood? The guy’s face turned beet red. “Fine, fine! You’re shameless, I can’t argue with you! Let’s call the police and let them sort it out!” 2 As he reached for his phone, the woman, Jenny, lunged forward and grabbed his hand. “No! Calling the police will hurt his career! I don’t want to cause him any more trouble.” She turned to me, her voice breaking. “Please, I’m begging you. Just help me with the baby. I wouldn’t have come to you if I wasn’t completely desperate… My last few bosses haven’t paid me in six months. I can’t even afford formula for little Ben!” Tears streamed down her face, and some of the onlookers were visibly moved. A few started to chime in. “Come on, man, be a decent human being. It’s your son. This poor girl has been through enough. She’s not even asking for damages.” “A son just fell into your lap from the sky! If I were you, I’d be so happy I couldn’t sleep for three days! Stop acting so high and mighty. If you can’t afford to raise a kid, you shouldn’t be taking a girl’s clothes off!” Maya, furious, tried to defend me, but everything she said only made us look worse. Soon, the crowd was calling us a pair of sickos—me, the predator, and her, the accomplice who paid off my victims. My temples throbbed with a building rage. Finally, I spoke, my voice tight. “I am not an irresponsible person,” I began. “But I need to make one thing perfectly clear. I have absolutely, completely, never met you before in my life! I sympathize with what you’ve been through, and it’s outrageous, but is it possible you have the wrong person?” Maya immediately jumped in. “Exactly! You must be mistaken! She’s not that kind of person. Besides, it’s impossible for her to get you pregnant!” A bystander shot back, “And how would you know? Are you a worm in his stomach? Or have you two been partners in crime this whole time, so you know exactly which women your boyfriend has slept with?” “Oh, I get it now,” another woman sneered. “You know all about his cheating. You probably help him find his victims! As a woman, how can you be so vile?” Maya was about to lose it and lunge at the woman, but Jenny’s sharp voice stopped her. “Your name is Corbin Jiang! That’s right, isn’t it?” I froze. She actually knew my name. “The night you took me to that hotel, I was drunk, but I saw your ID for a second. I remember your name! For three years, I haven’t forgotten you for a single day! Corbin Jiang, you ruined my life! Why should you get away with it?” Her hysterical cries ignited the crowd’s fury. “I thought it might be a mistake, but she knows his name! What else is there to say?” “Hey, you slept with her. Just admit it! Don’t be such a coward!” “You’re panicking now, but you were all too eager back at the hotel, weren’t you?” I stared hard at her, noticing the way her eyes darted away from mine. “Since you saw my name, you must be very familiar with it. Write it down. In front of everyone.” A sheen of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. “I already said it, why do I have to write it? You’re the one who won’t admit what you did, and now you’re doubting me?” “I never said I doubted you. I just want to confirm it was you that night. It’s just a name; it won’t take long. Unless… you’re hiding something?” I leaned in closer, lowering my voice. “Or maybe you don’t actually know how to spell my name at all. So who did you really sleep with that night? And whose ID did you see?” 3 Jenny’s face flushed with anger. “Of course, I know! I just… I didn’t bring a pen!” “That’s okay,” I said smoothly, pulling a pen from my jacket pocket. “I have one. And I have my ID, too. Don’t worry, I’m not going to run out on my responsibilities.” She sputtered, trapped. Finally, defeated, she took the pen and a napkin and began to write. She wrote slowly, as if each stroke was a monumental effort. When she was done, I took the paper and looked at it. And I laughed. Corbin Jiang. A man’s name. She had no idea I was a woman. My real name was Corinne. Close, but crucially different. I pulled out my ID, covering everything but my name. “Take a good look.” The name was clearly printed: Corinne Jiang. “Miss Jenny,” I said, my voice cold, “if you’re going to hunt someone down, at least do your homework. Rushing in blindly just gets you played.” The crowd started whispering among themselves, now suspecting that Jenny had indeed made a mistake. Seeing the tide turn against her, Jenny burst into tears. “You’re doing this on purpose! You got me drunk and drugged me that night! Of course, I don’t remember everything perfectly! Even if I forgot exactly how to spell your name, I’ll never forget the Porsche you were driving! You used that car to trick me!” Ah. So that was it. She was after the car. As for my name, she must have overheard Maya calling me and latched onto it. I nodded, stepping closer. “Then please, tell me. How, exactly, did I trick you? Since you hate me so much, you must remember that part vividly, right?” Her face went white. “That was the most painful night of my life. Are you really going to make me recount it in public? I’m already at rock bottom. Are you trying to push me over the edge?” As she spoke, she lowered her head and, hidden from the crowd, gave the child in her arms a sharp pinch. The sleeping toddler instantly erupted into shrieks. The crowd’s attention shifted. Forgetting their anger at me, they rushed to help her soothe the crying child. I turned to leave with Maya, but a hand shot out and clamped down on my wrist. The next thing I knew, I was flying backward, landing hard on the pavement. “Your son is still crying, and you’re trying to run? What kind of man are you?” The tattooed guy stood over me, fuming. To Jenny, he said, “Miss, I’ve got him for you. He’s going to acknowledge this kid today, one way or another. If he won’t, I’ll beat him until he does!” Maya burst into tears, trying to rush to my side, but the crowd blocked her. I slowly pushed myself up, my eyes fixed on Jenny. “So, what do you want?” She put on a pained, pitiful expression. “I just… I can’t raise a child alone. I really don’t have the means…” I cut her off with an impatient wave of my hand. “Get to the point. How much?” “I told you, I’m not that kind of person…” I gave a cold laugh and slipped the bank card I’d just taken out back into my wallet. “Fine. If you came here to give me a child, then consider him received. You can go now.” Jenny’s smile froze, her eyes filled with hurt. “How could you think of me like that? That’s not what I meant. I don’t want your money, but I had to borrow from all my relatives to raise him so far, so—” I took a deep breath. “You want me to pay off your debts?” “Would you?” Her innocent, manipulative expression almost made me puke. “You spelled my name wrong. You know nothing about my car besides the brand. What makes you think a few sob stories are enough to make me pay your debts? Do I look like an idiot? Find the man who actually slept with you. If you slander me again, I’ll see you in court.” 4 I rose shakily to my feet, ready to leave. Jenny panicked, trying to soothe her screaming child while yelling at my back, “Fine, go! If you walk away now, you’ll never see your son again! I’ll jump with him right now! We’ll die right in front of you, so we won’t get in the way of you and your new girlfriend!” Before anyone could react, she broke through the crowd, clutching the child, and sprinted away. Two minutes later, the emergency lights at the very top of the roller coaster switched on. She was sitting up there, the child in her arms, her figure swaying precariously against the night sky. “Corbin Jiang,” her voice, amplified by the park’s speakers, echoed around us, “I don’t blame you for not recognizing me, or for forgetting me. I only blame myself for choosing the wrong man. If we meet in the next life, if I had the same kind of family as that lady by your side… would our story have ended differently?” Her tragic monologue struck a chord with every person there. Maya and I were stunned. We never thought a shakedown artist would take it this far. Someone shoved me hard from behind. “What are you waiting for? Go save them!” a bystander roared. “Just agree to whatever she wants! A life is at stake! If she dies, it’s on you!” “I’ve never seen a more shameless man in my life! Your wife and child are about to commit suicide, and you’re just standing there! Will you be this calm when your own parents die? You’ll get what’s coming to you!” I wanted to scream that he wasn’t my son, that I didn’t care if she jumped. But I knew this wasn’t the time. Someone had started a live stream, and the camera was pointed directly at me. For the sake of views, the streamers were embellishing the story. In their narrative, I was a monster who had abandoned his first family and was now driving them to their deaths for my new girlfriend. Hundreds of thousands of viewers flooded the stream, the comments a torrent of curses. “GIRL, DON’T DO IT! HE’S THE ONE WHO SHOULD DIE!” “IF YOU DIE, YOU’RE JUST GIVING THE SCUMBAG AND HIS MISTRESS WHAT THEY WANT!” “WAKE UP! YOUR SON NEEDS YOU!” “THAT BASTARD BETTER GET STRUCK BY LIGHTNING!” The cameras, the insults, the online vitriol—it was a tidal wave threatening to drown me. Left with no choice, I tried to negotiate. But no matter what I said, Jenny wouldn’t budge from her demand: two million dollars. After a thirty-minute standoff, the police arrived. I finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Officer, I want to report her! She’s falsely accusing me of getting her pregnant and trying to extort me for two million dollars! But I’m not even a—” Before I could say the word “man,” Jenny’s broken sobs rained down from above. “Officer, don’t believe him! I have proof! I had a paternity test done!” The police urged her to come down, promising they would help her. But she refused, instead throwing two sheets of paper down from the coaster. I stared at the fluttering papers, a growing sense of dread coiling in my stomach. “Officer,” I said quietly, “can she even hear me from all the way up there? I wasn’t speaking very loudly. How did she know what I said?” A bystander looked ready to hit me. “Officer, are you hearing this? What kind of monster is he? He didn’t believe the poor girl, so of course, she brought evidence! It’s perfectly normal!” I tried to explain, but no one was listening. An officer picked up the report and slowly opened it. The crowd fell silent, their eyes glued to the paper. At that exact moment, a message from an unknown number popped up on my phone. “After today, you’re finished. Corinne Jiang, consider this my first gift to you.” Suddenly, a sickening thud echoed from the distance. Panic erupted. “Someone jumped! Someone jumped! Somebody help!” “That poor girl… her ghost will haunt this bastard forever!” The officer holding the report froze, shoved it into my hands, and sprinted towards the commotion. “The kid is yours,” he’d said before he ran. “You’ll never be able to explain this now.”

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1 My husband and my best friend were obsessed with their polar plunges. I always told them they were getting too old for that sort of thing, that something bad could happen, but they’d just laugh and say I didn’t get it. Yesterday, I went to the beach to pick them up, just like any other day. But this time, I found them floating naked in the water, their lower bodies still tangled together. Panic and shock washed over me in a tidal wave. I didn’t think to call for help. I didn’t even scream. I just fainted. By the time I woke up, they were both stiff. And that’s when my real trouble began. Just last week, to get back in my good graces, my husband had taken out a billion-dollar life insurance policy. The beneficiary was me. Now, how in the world was I supposed to explain this to the insurance company? … Someone was shaking me awake. My ears were filled with hushed whispers. “They were really in love, huh? Took the medical examiner hours to separate them.” “I know, right? I heard the old couple came here every day for their winter swim. So devoted!” “Less of a swim and more of a… romantic dip, if you ask me.” I shook my head, trying to clear the fog, and slowly sat up. The sight before me snapped me into sharp focus. Two naked bodies lay on the sand, completely exposed. My hand trembled as I tugged on the sleeve of a person standing nearby. “What… what happened to them?” The man sighed, his eyes full of pity. “They’re gone.” Gone? Just yesterday morning, they were so full of life. I remember Chloe showing up at our house, playfully punching Leo on the chest. “What, you’re backing out? A real man never says no!” she’d laughed, her smile radiant. “It’s barely forty degrees out, and you’re already scared?” Then she’d shot me a dirty look. “Or is it Olivia? Getting on in your years and still jealous of us? Is that why you won’t let him come?” “Honestly, Olivia,” she’d continued, her tone patronizing, “you need to loosen the leash a little. Leo and I have been swimming together for ages. If something was going to happen between us, don’t you think it would have by now?” “But fine, if Leo’s too scared, I’ll just go alone.” That was all it took. Right in front of me, Leo ripped off his shirt. “You know I’m not scared of anything,” he’d boomed, laughing. “What does a housewife like Olivia know about our hobbies, anyway? Don’t mind her. Let’s go.” They had tag-teamed me with their words until I finally gave in. And now, they were telling me they were dead? I couldn’t accept it. Tears flooded my eyes, and my body shook with sobs. “Ma’am, you must have been terrified.” A young man in a police uniform approached me, his voice gentle. “I mean, seeing two people… intertwined like that, just floating in the water… anyone would have passed out. We don’t blame you.” “But you were the first witness. We’ll need you to answer a few questions for our investigation when you’re ready.” His words only made me cry harder. Leo was dead. As a woman on her own, I had so much to deal with. Not only did I have to take over his company and inherit his massive fortune, but now I had to figure out how to explain this mess to the insurance company that just issued a billion-dollar policy… I simply didn’t have time for an investigation. The young officer, misinterpreting my distress, shook his head at the two bodies. “All that passion didn’t do them much good in the end.” “Getting on in years, looking for a thrill… all that vigorous activity in the cold water. They must have gotten cramps.” “And because they were… stuck together so tightly, neither of them could make it back to shore.” I froze. Vigorous activity? Stuck together so tightly? The scene from last night flashed back into my mind. They had been pressed together, their lower halves joined in a position that was unmistakably… My heart seized, and I couldn’t breathe. I had been married to Leo for thirty years. I had known Chloe for forty. I couldn’t believe it. The two people I trusted most in the world had been betraying me like this. The evidence was lying right there on the sand. I clutched my chest, feeling the air leave my lungs. But then, a different thought pushed through the pain. They were still my husband and my best friend. One was a powerful CEO, the other a renowned dance instructor. They were proud people who cared about their reputations. As much as I hated them, the dead deserved some dignity. I couldn’t let them be exposed like this. I took a deep breath, scrambled to my feet, and snatched up the matching pair of designer underwear they’d left on the beach. I walked over and draped one over each of their faces. Then I collapsed to the ground and wailed. “Please! Stop taking pictures!” “My husband and my best friend are dead! Please, just leave them alone!” I cried, my voice tearing from my throat. I was torn between rage and a strange kind of pity. Rage at their betrayal. Pity for myself… they were dead, but they’d left me with a mountain of paperwork. The crowd of onlookers grew, and my words sent a shockwave through them. “Wait, they weren’t a couple? She’s his wife? So they were having an affair?” “Oh my god, her husband and her best friend? This is juicier than a soap opera!” “No wonder they came all the way out here… it was a secret rendezvous!” “They probably did this all the time. It was bound to end badly.” “That poor woman… to find them like that and faint from the shock!” Their words felt like a physical weight on my chest, crushing me. The young officer finally understood. His expression softened with even deeper sympathy. “Ma’am, please get up. The ground is cold. By the way… do you two have… any children?” We did. But our son, Dylan, was on his honeymoon with Chloe’s daughter, Sophie. He wouldn’t want to be bothered. Still, with so many concerned eyes on me, I made the call. As expected, Dylan answered with an annoyed sigh. “What do you want now? I told you not to bother me and Sophie.” “Is it that you can’t be happy with Dad, so you don’t want us to be happy either?” I swallowed the pain in my throat and choked out the words. “Dylan… your father is dead.” There was a pause, then a burst of disbelieving laughter. “You’re insane.” “You’ll die before my dad does! Can’t you go one day without wishing he was dead?” I could hear Sophie laughing in the background. “Oh, Dylan, you know how she is. Just hang up.” “Sophie,” I cut in, my voice rising with a fresh wave of sobs, “your mother is dead, too.” The line went silent for a few seconds. Then came her sharp, piercing shriek. “Olivia! Just because my mother is close to your husband, you’re going to curse her like that?” “Their relationship is completely innocent! Why do you have to make things so miserable for everyone?” Ignoring her tirade, I repeated, my voice trembling, “They were having sex in the ocean, got cramps, and couldn’t get out. They drowned. Together.” I said it slowly, word for word, to make sure she understood. But they still didn’t believe me. Dylan’s voice was raw with anger. “Chloe is a lady! She would never do something like that in a place like that!” “Just because you have a dirty mind doesn’t mean everyone else does! I think you’re just jealous of her, and that’s why you’ve never liked Sophie! You’re just trying to ruin our honeymoon!” The young officer couldn’t stand it anymore. He took the phone from my hand. “Sir, this is Officer Miller with the….” He didn’t even get to finish. Dylan cut him off. “Wow, you even hired an actor? Nice try! We’re not falling for it! Spread all the rumors you want! We’ll deal with you when we get back!” The line went dead. When I tried to call back, I’d been blocked. I closed my eyes, all the fight gone out of me. The officer gently helped me into the back of an ambulance. “It’s okay, ma’am. You fainted anyway; you wouldn’t have seen anything useful. I won’t ask any more questions. Just go to the hospital and get some rest. Then you can start making arrangements.” As he spoke, paramedics covered Leo and Chloe with white sheets. Once they were covered, it was as if the naked, tangled scene had never happened. I looked at the two white forms, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Cry? I had no more tears. Laugh? I didn’t dare. But I pulled myself together quickly. I made a call to the company. “It is with great sadness that I must inform you that Mr. Harrison has passed away. I will be in this afternoon to take over his duties… I… I will not let Leo’s legacy fall apart!” Leo had no other family in this world besides me and Dylan. I couldn’t bear the thought of him lying alone in a cold morgue. I arranged for the cremation immediately. Afterward, I went straight to the office. “Mrs. Harrison, you are so strong…” “To lose your husband so tragically and still come back to work for the company…” “She’s the sole heiress of the Rhodes family, you know. Grew up a pampered socialite, and now she has to manage all this herself…” “She’s all alone now that Mr. Harrison is gone…” My voice choked with emotion as I clasped their hands. “Leo is gone, but the company must go on. I will hold it together.” I walked into the president’s office and signed the appointment papers to become the new chairwoman. This company had been a wedding gift from my father to his new son-in-law, Leo. It was only right that I take it back. The next few days were a blur. There were billions in inheritance to process and the billion-dollar insurance policy to claim. The insurance agent was initially suspicious about the timing of the death, but after reviewing the official case file, he just sighed and stamped the paperwork. A week later, Dylan and Sophie returned from their honeymoon. They arrived on the day of Leo’s memorial. I had prepared the offerings that morning and was carrying the urn out of the house. Dylan saw me and frowned. “I heard.” He glanced at the urn in my hands, his tone impatient. “It was just a dog. Do you really have to be so dramatic?” A dog? I remembered then. The circumstances of Leo’s death were so scandalous that I had paid a hefty sum to keep the media quiet. I hadn’t realized their official story was that I was mourning my beloved pet. It seemed a small price to pay for their discretion, so I hadn’t argued. I opened my mouth to explain, but Sophie let out a derisive laugh. “Olivia, you do realize that all of Leo’s money belongs to Dylan and me now, right? So every penny you’re wasting is our money! Did you ask for our permission to spend our money on a funeral for a dog?” She turned to the bodyguards standing by. “What are you waiting for? Get rid of all this junk!” The guards exchanged uneasy glances, unsure what to do. I trembled with rage. “Dylan! Look at this wonderful wife you’ve chosen! She is completely out of line!” Dylan seemed taken aback. He’d rarely seen me lose my temper. After a moment, he shouted back, “Mom! Sophie’s not wrong! She even bought you a gift!” He pulled a seashell out of his pocket. “See? What more could you want in a daughter-in-law?” I glanced at the designer shopping bags Sophie was holding. They were clearly meant for her mother, Chloe. But I was too tired to care. Chloe wouldn’t be receiving any gifts now. I clutched the urn tighter and started to walk past them. “If you have any respect left for your father, you’ll follow me.” I had only taken a few steps when a hand grabbed my hair from behind, yanking me backward. “I go out of my way to buy you a present, and you just ignore me? You care more about a dead dog than me! Don’t you ever expect me to call you ‘Mom’!” Caught off guard, I lost my grip. The urn slipped from my hands and shattered on the ground. The ashes scattered across the stone patio. My eyes turned red. “You! Do you have any idea what that is?” Sophie looked down and poked the pile of ashes with the toe of her shoe. “It’s just dog ashes.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust and ground her heel into them. “What’s the difference between this and trash?” “My mother was right about you,” she sneered. “You’re nothing but a jealous shrew! If my mom had met Leo first, you never would have even been in the picture!” I stared at the gray dust on the ground, a roaring in my ears. But Dylan, instead of reprimanding her, pulled a few bills from his pocket and tossed them onto the ashes. “Mom, stop making a scene. Here, this is enough to buy a few new dogs. Now clean this up before you make a mess of the whole house.” I completely lost it. I grabbed a wooden stake from the corner of the garden and swung it at him with all my might. “You monster! You ungrateful child! Your father is dead, and you desecrate his remains? I’ll kill you!” Dylan dodged the blow, shouting back, “Are you ever going to stop? Stop cursing my dad! He loved Chloe for years! He never should have been soft on you; he should have divorced you ages ago—” He never finished his sentence. A group of people dressed in black walked through the garden gate. They were carrying white funeral wreaths and black banners. In the center, one of them held a large, black-and-white portrait of Leo. The man in charge saw the scene and froze. “Mrs. Harrison… why are Mr. Harrison’s ashes… all over the ground?”

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