After the divorce, I moved out of the high-security military housing where I was obligated to fulfill my “duties” twice a month. With my settlement money and the billion dollars my dad gave me, I flew straight to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. I also updated my Instagram status: [Divorced. Single. Accepting applications from high-quality men.] The comments section exploded instantly. Elites from every circle, even other military officers, lined up to be my first boyfriend. [Scarlett, look at me! I’m first in line!] [Miss Sterling, give me a chance!] When his friends saw the divorce decree in the photo, they couldn’t hold back. They called my ex-husband, General Wolf, immediately. “You divorced Scarlett Sterling? Are you crazy? I’m next in line!” “She’s that gorgeous and you let her go? Are you blind?” “You know my… ‘credentials.’ Wolf, you’re not human!” Wolf wasn’t surprised. He had heard about my charm from the very first day we met. 1 I was the wildest rose in New York’s elite circle. I had countless admirers, partied until dawn, and lived for spicy wings and tequila. He, on the other hand, grew up in a military family. He clawed his way up to become the youngest Major General in history. Discipline was in his marrow. His schedule was precise as a Swiss watch. His diet was strictly calculated for nutrition. He never crossed a line. Because of his career and his self-imposed celibacy, our marital intimacy was scheduled strictly for the 1st and 15th of every month. I didn’t believe it. After the wedding, I used every trick in the book to make him lose control. I caused trouble. One day I threw a rave at the base entrance. The next day I took an armored vehicle for a joyride. The day after, I “borrowed” his sidearm to scare some trust fund babies who looked at me wrong. I seduced him. I wore the most revealing silk lingerie, wandering around his shooting range. I bit his earlobe while he was in high-level strategy briefings. But no matter how much chaos I caused, his chiseled face remained an unshakeable mask of seriousness. So, on the day of his major field exercise, I blew up eighteen luxury sports cars. Naturally, I was invited to the police station. He halted the exercise, leaving thousands of troops waiting, to come pick me up. His brow furrowed slightly. “It’s handled. Come home.” My eyes, usually full of fire, held a hint of testing. “Wolf, no matter what I do, you always have this face. Can’t you just smile once?” Wolf looked down at me. “You think this is funny?” “So I caused you trouble again. Are you angry? Punish me then?” I deliberately grabbed his hand, guiding it towards my waist, my eyes full of temptation. Wolf’s expression remained steady. “This is a minor issue, not worth punishment. Even if you burned the sky down, I could fix it.” A suffocating frustration built in my chest. “You won’t even ask why I blew up those cars?” “Those rich jerks were drag racing. They saw I was pretty and harassed me. They even touched my face. aren’t you jealous?” Wolf’s gaze lingered on my hand for a split second. His voice was flat. “Next time that happens, call the police directly.” I bit my lip, almost crying from frustration at his stone-cold demeanor. “Wolf, you unromantic old man! Boring! Rigid! To the extreme!” Wolf answered seriously. “My profession requires it. I have to be this way.” I wanted to scream! In the back of the military Humvee on the way home, I straddled his lap right in front of the driver, causing havoc. He was aroused. But just as we were about to take it further, his phone rang. I don’t know what was said on the other end, but his eternal calm shattered instantly. He said, “Scarlett, emergency mission. You go home first.” And he got out of the car. Suspicious, I told the driver to follow him. The car stopped in front of a quiet jazz bar called “Nightfall.” A girl in a simple cotton dress was being harassed by some drunks, her face pale with fear. The next second, I saw something that made my jaw drop. Wolf, the man who always put discipline and reason first, charged forward without hesitation. He started brawling with the drunks. The ferocity in his eyes was a terrifying edge I had never seen before. The girl cried and threw herself at him, pounding her fists on his chest. “Wolf! You didn’t want me anymore! Why do you care now?” Wolf didn’t dodge. He let her vent, then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. I saw her fists land on his shoulder, right on an old injury. He winced, but his arms didn’t loosen even a fraction. He looked down at the girl in his arms. It was a look I had never seen. Pain, guilt, and a complex emotion so thick it could be cut with a knife. I don’t know how long I stood in the cold night wind before I texted the best PI in the city, attaching the photo I just snapped. “Find out who she is to Wolf.” By the time I returned to our soulless house on the base, the PI’s file had arrived. Lily Brooks. A girl Wolf saved during a border mission, three years his junior. She was the one who pursued him, melting the iceberg through sheer persistence. With her, Wolf was finally a living, breathing human. He would drive hundreds of miles during a drill just to buy her favorite cake. For her birthday, he organized a thousand military drones to put on a light show. But when their love was at its peak, the Sterling family—a military dynasty—refused to let Wolf be with a girl of unknown background. They threatened her safety to force him into a political marriage. He compromised. That’s why, on the day of our arranged meeting, he waited patiently for six hours in the tea house. That’s why he said, “My fiancée doesn’t need to be poised. She just needs to be herself.” Turns out, the moment that made my heart flutter was all because he was forced. I felt cold all over, as if I’d been thrown into an ice cellar. I could accept his cold nature. I could slowly warm him with my passion. But I, Scarlett Sterling, the wildest rose in New York, why should I be a stepping stone for him to protect his true love? The next day, I put on my most stunning makeup. Then I drove straight to the Sterling family estate. My father saw me alone, and his face darkened. “Where’s Wolf? Did you act out again and embarrass him?” I forced a cold smile. “Tell the Wolf family to expedite the paperwork. I want a divorce!” 2 The living room went dead silent. “What did you say? A man like Wolf… what could you possibly be dissatisfied with?” “If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll never know your place!” “Drag this ungrateful girl to the ancestral hall! Whip her until she says she won’t divorce!” In the hall, the heavy cane landed on my back and legs with a whistling sound. Burning pain. “Say it! Are you still divorcing?” “Divorce.” My voice trembled with pain, but it was clear. I don’t know how many hits I took. My father was purple with rage. “Give me a reason! Wolf is a Major General at his age. How is he not good enough for you?” I looked up sharply. “Because he loves someone else! Is that enough? I am not a recycling bin for unwanted feelings!” I thought I would see shock or confusion. Instead, after a brief silence, I saw guilt. “You… knew?” In that moment, my heart froze completely. They knew all along that Wolf had a “white moonlight”—a true love. That’s why they married me off, the daughter they stopped caring about years ago! A timid voice came from the stairs. “Mom, Dad, don’t force Scarlett…” “Actually… I’ve always admired Major General Wolf. I support them separating.” My sister, Sophia, looked at me, her eyes hiding a secret ambition. “…Maybe Scarlett just doesn’t have what it takes to keep his heart. If it were me… maybe it would be different.” Finally, my father waved his hand wearily. “Since you insist, we won’t stop you. We’ll go to the Wolf family to discuss the divorce.” I lay in the hospital for days, treating my wounds, drifting in and out of consciousness. On the day I was discharged, I got a call from Wolf. “There’s a gala at the base tonight. You need to attend.” “You must come. I have something to say to you.” I was silent for a few seconds, then laughed coldly. “Fine.” I wanted to see what kind of noble excuses he could come up with. The gala was in the base auditorium. I wore a sapphire blue backless gown. It hugged every curve, completely out of place in the solemn atmosphere, yet blindingly beautiful. I drew every eye the moment I walked in, even the stoic officers. Wolf appeared beside me, a slight frown on his face. “You usually hate these restrictive events, and you hate heels. What’s wrong today?” “I told you, with me, you can be yourself. Even if you wore pajamas and slippers, no one would dare say a word.” That sentence transported me back to the tea house, to the man kneeling to change my shoes… A moment that once made my heart race now felt like pure mockery. I shrugged off the expensive suit jacket he tried to drape over me, letting it fall to the floor. “With a body like mine, why should I hide it in pajamas?” “See the way they’re looking? Major General, your wife is popular.” Wolf just bent down, picked up the jacket, and held it. “You sent your father to discuss the divorce?” “Is this because I left halfway through the car ride for a mission? Is this your way of expressing dissatisfaction?” I laughed out loud. “Dissatisfaction?” “Wolf, do you think the world revolves around you? Can’t I just genuinely want a divorce?” Wolf looked at me calmly. Those deep eyes were sharp as a hawk’s. He spoke flatly, with absolute certainty. “You won’t.” “You like me. You won’t divorce.” So he knew all along. All these years, I was the one chasing, testing boundaries! I was the one spinning uselessly in the territory he defined! He was always the calm commander, watching me crash around. Just as I was about to retort, I noticed Wolf’s gaze lock onto a corner of the room. I followed his line of sight— My heart sank again! It was Lily. She was talking quietly to a gentle-looking officer, a faint smile on her face. The next second, Wolf slammed his glass down. Without a word, he dragged me out to the open-air training grounds behind the hall, pressed me against the pull-up bars, and— Without any foreplay, he pushed inside me! My eyes widened in disbelief. “You bastard! Let go! Someone could come!” Wolf seemed possessed by some emotion, gripping my waist, his movements rare and rough, voice hoarse: “Don’t move. Making up for last time.” It hurt. Tears welled in my eyes. Just then, a searchlight swept across the field. A figure stood not far away— It was Lily! She stared at us, face pale as a ghost, tears streaming down. Then, as if she couldn’t take it, she turned and ran. Wolf didn’t stop moving. He just stared at the direction she ran, his eyes full of conflict, rage, and a pain I couldn’t understand. I understood everything. I shoved him away with all my strength and slapped him across the face! As I fixed my dress and walked out of the training ground, Lily blocked my path. “You’re Wolf’s wife? Let me introduce myself. I’m his first love, Lily Brooks.” I was filled with humiliation and rage. I just wanted her gone. Lily forced a miserable smile. “For our first meeting, I want to give you a gift.” 3 As soon as she finished speaking, Lily grabbed a dummy grenade from the training equipment and smashed it into my head! Thud! Pain exploded through my body, and I blacked out. When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital bed on the base. Two figures stood at the door. “Wolf, I didn’t mean to. I was drunk. Seeing you guys like that… I was so sad, my mind went blank, and…” “Sad? Aren’t you seeing someone they introduced to you?” “That was all for you to see.” Lily sobbed. “I just wanted you to care… You have Miss Sterling. She’s so dazzling, from such a good family… I was afraid you’d forgotten our past…” Wolf was silent for a moment. Then, I heard him sigh, low and almost inaudible. “No matter how dazzling she is… she’s not you.” Right. I was the decoration of his political marriage. Lily was the dream he couldn’t let go of. He pushed open the door, his tone an unquestionable order: “Lily was drunk yesterday. She mistook you for a harasser and accidentally hurt you.” “This ends here.” I sneered. “Ends here? What if I say no? I’ll get an injury assessment. I’ll press charges. Major General, you have power, but the Sterling family isn’t a pushover. Worst case, I blow this up and let public opinion decide!” Wolf frowned. “What do you want?” I pulled out my phone and made a call. Soon, a delivery guy walked in with a case of high-proof Baijiu. I pointed at the alcohol and looked at Lily. “Drink it all.” Lily’s face went white. “I… I can’t drink…” I raised an eyebrow. “Can’t drink? Then why were you drunk and crazy yesterday? Or does your ‘mistaken identity’ problem only happen with certain people?” Lily looked sick. She shakily picked up a bottle. Just as she was about to open it, a long hand pressed down on the bottle. Wolf looked at me expressionlessly. “I’ll drink for her.” “Wolf! No! You have an important mission tomorrow! And your stomach ulcers…” Lily screamed. Wolf just glanced at her. “Be good. Stand aside.” Watching him drink for another woman without hesitation, in that moment, my heart died completely. The next morning, I woke up and grabbed my phone out of habit. A headline jumped out at me: [New Artist Lily Brooks’ Solo Exhibition Opens Today! Deep Emotion, Tribute to Heroes, Highly Acclaimed!] Below were photos of the exhibition and close-ups of “Lily’s” paintings. I sat up abruptly, tearing the wound on my leg. Those paintings… were mine! They were my private works stored in the studio at the base! Themes of frontier landscapes and abstract emotions! I tried to get out of bed in a rage, but Wolf, who had entered unnoticed, held me down. He looked at my furious face, his voice calm but heavy with pressure. “Don’t cause trouble for Lily.” I looked at him in disbelief. “You allowed this?” Wolf didn’t deny it. “Lily prepared for this exhibition for a long time, but her works were lost in a move. The date and guests were set. She admires your style and borrowed them.” “Borrowed?” Blood rushed to my head. “So you let her steal my art? Wolf, that’s my soul on those canvases!” “Watch your language.” Wolf frowned slightly. “It’s just a few paintings. What compensation do you want? I can…” I shook with anger. “Watch my language? I have worse words! I’m going there right now to expose her! Let everyone see what this ‘tribute to heroes’ artist really is!” In the struggle, I lost my balance and fell down the stairs. 4 Wolf rushed down instantly, scooping me up. His voice held a tension he didn’t even notice. “Where did you hit?” A nurse ran over. “General, should we call a specialist?” Wolf checked me. “No, get the base doctor.” While the doctor set my bone, the pain made me gasp. Wolf silently offered his wrist to my mouth. “Bite if it hurts.” Filled with rage and grievance, I bit down hard! Until I tasted iron. Wolf didn’t even frown. He just watched me. The doctor finished and left some ointment. Wolf looked at the bloody teeth marks on his wrist, eyes complex. “Regret it?” I shook my head. “No. Just thinking, they say I’m a rose with thorns. Guess they’re right.” He took a bank card from his uniform pocket. “About the paintings, I know you’re mad. take this as compensation.” I looked at the card, feeling only irony. “You know? The one thing she shouldn’t have touched was my art…” Just then, his orderly rushed in, looking nervous. “Report, General! Online… there’s some bad press. People are saying Miss Brooks’ paintings… are highly similar to Miss Sterling’s previous works! It’s trending. Her reputation is taking a hit!” Wolf took the tablet, scanned it, and his face darkened. He looked up at me sharply. “You did this?” I met his gaze, not backing down. I smiled coldly. “Did you read the analysis? She’s stupid. Tried to copy a tiger and drew a dog.” “My style, color usage, brushstrokes… anyone in the industry knows it’s me.” The orderly whispered, admiringly, “Actually… Miss Sterling’s art has a very unique tension. Hard to imitate…” Wolf glared at him. The orderly shut up and turned to the door. Wolf handed me his phone. “Use your account. Post a statement. Say it’s a misunderstanding, that Lily painted them herself.” I looked at him, incredulous. “Why should I?” The orderly rushed back in. “General, Miss Brooks saw the comments. She’s hysterical and fainted at the exhibition!” Wolf’s face changed. “I’m going to see Lily. Post the statement.” He turned and left without hesitation. My phone rang. It was my father. “The divorce is finalized. The Wolf family was very efficient.” “You’ll regret missing out on Wolf…” I listened expressionlessly, hung up, and blocked every “family member.” I packed a small bag. Then I lit my lighter and dropped it on the dark green carpet. Divorced. This “marriage home” didn’t need to exist. I left the military compound without looking back, hailed a cab, and went straight to the airport. Meanwhile, Wolf was rushing to the exhibition. He got a call from a crying Lily. “Wolf, Scarlett… she posted comparison photos! Everyone is cursing me! What do I do?” Wolf’s voice was steady. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll look. Whatever she posted, I’ll handle it.” He hung up and opened Instagram. He saw my latest post. It wasn’t the clarification he demanded. It was a side-by-side comparison of my originals and Lily’s “works,” with the caption: [@LilyBrooks Tribute to heroes? Learn to respect copyright first!] Wolf expected I wouldn’t comply, but he didn’t expect me to be this ruthless. He rubbed his temples, preparing to order PR to bury the story. A second call came in. His comrade-in-arms. “Wolf! How could you let a stunner like Scarlett go? If you don’t want her, I’m going for it!” Wolf gripped the phone. “What do you mean?” “You don’t know?” His friend was shocked. “Check her feed!” Wolf switched to his feed. The first post was mine. A photo of the open divorce decree. Another of me at the airport terminal, looking free. Caption: [Divorced. Single. Accepting applications from high-quality men.] Elites, comrades, even commanders were lining up in the comments: “Sign me up!” “Scarlett, look here!” “First in line!” “DM sent, please check!”

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On my 28th birthday, my grandma was nagging me about getting engaged again. I took an Uber to my boyfriend’s office. Through the door, I heard him talking to a female colleague. He said I was average-looking, came from a mediocre family, and wasn’t a match for his status. He said his mother had always looked down on me, so he was hesitating about marrying me. We had been together since we were 18. Ten whole years. I never thought he was weighing the pros and cons of loving me. That night, when he came home, for the first time, I didn’t ask him about his day. I just ate in silence, showered, and went to bed. Lying in bed, he asked me, “Natalie, you’re so quiet today. You’re not throwing a tantrum and trying to break up with me, are you?” I asked him, “Do you want to break up?” Liam said, “Yeah.” Then he got up, got dressed, and went to drinks with that female colleague. I didn’t cry. I didn’t feel sad. I just opened my chat app. I scrolled to an old classmate who was desperate to get married and typed: “Want to give us a try?” 1 It was 1 AM when I sent the message, but I didn’t feel rude. I knew how much pressure Jake was under to get married. He was definitely more desperate than I was. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a reply came. “?” “Natalie, are you serious? I thought you had a boyfriend.” Me: “Just broke up. Tired of trial and error with men. If you don’t mind, we can make do.” Jake barely hesitated. A second later, he sent: “OK.” Then came a wall of text explaining his situation. “You know I’m still deployed. I’m stationed out in the Northwest, probably won’t be discharged for another year.” “After that, I don’t know if I’ll be reassigned or have to find a new job. Income is uncertain.” “I have a condo right now, my mom bought it for me, paid in full. You can live there after we marry.” “I have about $50k in savings, plus a severance package when I get out. But I don’t have the knack for making big money like your ex.” Back in the day, Jake sat behind me in class. He had seen everything between me and Liam. Since he didn’t mind, I had nothing else to say. I replied “Mmh,” and we set a time to get the license. He had a week of leave coming up. I still had time to pack and move. After handling the marriage stuff, I opened Instagram. Predictably, Liam’s female colleague, Bella, had posted a story: [Drinking away the sorrows with my childhood bestie brother.] In the photo, Liam and Bella were clinking glasses, heads touching, extremely intimate. Their breaths were mingling, and Liam’s eyes looked hazy. I liked the post. The next second, Liam texted me. [Jealous? Don’t start drama. Bella is just like a little sister to me.] Right. They grew up together. Their relationship was closer than ours. Bella looked like a porcelain doll. Liam liked her, and honestly, even I liked her looks. She studied abroad and only recently came back to work at the family company, reconnecting with Liam. I used to naively treat her like a little sister. It took a long time to realize their circle was exclusive. Before Bella came back, Liam would take me to gatherings. His friends weren’t warm, but they were polite. After Bella returned, she became the only girl in the group. Every time they went out, Liam said I didn’t like crowds and left me behind. I knew the truth. He thought I lacked social grace, wasn’t savvy, and wasn’t as smart as Bella. Liam and I fought about these unspoken comparisons many times. Every time, I was the one who compromised and backed down. So this time, when Liam assumed I was throwing a tantrum, I didn’t argue. I texted back: [Not drama. We broke up. Your business is none of my business.] Then I blocked him. Hours later, Liam stumbled home drunk and collapsed on the sofa. There was a lipstick mark on his neck. The person supporting him was Bella. Bella was a bit tipsy too. She kept apologizing, “Natalie, I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop Liam from drinking. Don’t blame him.” Mmh. I’m not angry. He’s an ex-boyfriend. Nothing to be angry about. I sat Bella down in a chair and poured her a glass of honey water, treating him like a guest. “It’s fine. Doesn’t matter.” She really looked so innocent. Even if she harbored bad intentions, those misty eyes made it hard to stay mad. No wonder Liam liked her. 2 The next morning, Liam woke up with a splitting headache. He instinctively called my name. For a long time, no one answered. Stumbling out, he saw me sitting on the sofa writing on my laptop. His tone hardened. “Natalie, my head hurts.” I didn’t look up. “Mmh.” Liam paused, then said, “My head hurts. Go make me some honey lemon water.” I couldn’t be bothered. My inspiration was flowing, and I didn’t want to break it. “Make it yourself. I’m busy.” I got up and went into the study. Liam stood there, stunned. Making a hangover cure wasn’t hard. Boil water, add honey, add lemon, let it cool, drink. I had done it for him countless times. It wasn’t unique. But now that he didn’t have it, he felt empty. Remembering the breakup last night, anger rose in his chest. He went to the kitchen, got food, ate, then knocked on the study door. “Since we broke up, you should move out. My family bought this house.” He emphasized “My family bought this house.” My fingers froze on the keyboard. It felt like a stab to the heart. Together ten years. Liam knew I was an orphan who craved a family. When we moved in together, he told me that even though his name was on the deed, this was my home too. Now, one day after breaking up, he was kicking me out? I looked up. The man at the door had a stone face and cold eyes. He didn’t look at me like a lover, but with annoyance. I took a deep breath. “Okay. Can I move tomorrow? I haven’t packed.” Liam looked smug. “No. Today. We broke up, there’s no reason to live together.” I looked at him like a stranger. “Okay. Whatever you say.” They say girls without property don’t have a home. Break up, move out. Divorce, move out. Unless your name is on the deed, one word from a man and you’re homeless. I felt that deeply in this moment. After he left for work, I silently packed. Ten years. I really thought I would marry Liam, so I truly treated this place as my home. Plushies, lace curtains, cute kitchenware… packing was endless. It just got messier. My head started to hurt. Maybe just throwing it all away would be faster? Lost in thought, the doorbell rang. It was Liam’s mother. 3 She didn’t know we broke up yet. As soon as she entered, she started criticizing me out of habit. Mrs. Thorne never liked me. Every time we met, she had to act superior. I used to endure it, thinking time would make her accept me. This time, she started scolding immediately. “Natalie, you eat my son’s food, use my son’s money, how can you let the house get this messy?” “I don’t know what Liam sees in you. Average looks, no background, can’t even do housework. Useless.” “I know you had no parents to teach you, but you can’t be this sloppy. Look at this pigsty. How can anyone live here?” “Hurry up and clean this mess, then come home with me. We have guests coming. You need to cook and help out.” She rattled on like a machine gun. I didn’t even get a chance to say we broke up. Finally, when she paused for breath, I said, “I’m not going. I have things to do.” Mrs. Thorne interrupted, “What things? Writing your little stories? Fine, if you come, I’ll give you $1,000 as payment.” The $1,000 stuck my next words in my throat. Whatever. We broke up. Might as well make some money. When I got to the Thorne estate, I realized Mrs. Thorne had ulterior motives. She had invited Bella’s family for dinner and wanted me to serve them as a maid. I should have been hurt. But shrinking into the corner, watching Liam walk in with the three members of the Blackwood family, I weirdly understood what he meant by “not a match.” The elegant Blackwood parents walked in front. Bella and Liam walked side-by-side behind them, looking like a perfect young couple returning home. I had been here many times. As a teenager to stand up to them, in my twenties to make Mrs. Thorne accept me. Serving tea, washing clothes, cooking. I was as virtuous as could be. But the smile Mrs. Thorne gave me was nothing compared to the beam she gave Bella over a simple gift. The ruby necklace on Mrs. Thorne’s neck was a casual gift from the Blackwoods, worth six figures. To people like them, it was nothing. I laughed at myself. How naive I was to believe love conquered all, wasting half my life on Liam. Six more days, and I could jump out of this swamp. Even though it was a marriage of convenience with Jake, I was happy. I was a creature of habit, afraid of change. Unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t leave a bad situation. But now that I was really changing my life, I felt a rush of excitement. When the Blackwoods arrived, I had to leave. Mrs. Thorne venmoed me the money and told me to leave through the back door. In ten years, to prove I wasn’t a gold digger, I never accepted expensive gifts from Liam or took advantage of his family. Suddenly getting paid, I regretted it. If I knew we weren’t getting married, I should have taken more. Wasted the title of girlfriend. As I unlocked a shared e-bike, Liam chased me out. Turns out he knew I was there the whole time. Liam’s face was grim. “Natalie, where are you going?” Me: “Back to move out. Didn’t you tell me to leave? I haven’t finished packing.” Liam let out a breath. He yanked me into his arms. His tone was frustrated. “Why do you have to throw tantrums with me?” He stroked my hair like he had countless times before to soothe me. “You used to be such a good girl. Why is your temper getting worse?” “Just because I refused Grandma’s suggestion to get engaged, you act out? Can’t you be more sensible?” I turned my head, burying my face in his neck. Allowing myself one last intimate contact. “I can, Liam. I can be sensible.” Sensible enough not to put you in a tough spot, sensible enough to let you find your perfect match with Bella. He misunderstood. He thought I was compromising. He let out a long sigh of relief. “Good. My family is hosting the Blackwoods for business today. Don’t mind it.” “There’s nothing between me and Bella. I just see her as a sister. After dinner, I’ll come find you. Wait for me at home.” He kissed my forehead and turned back. I watched his tall back, remembering the boy from ten years ago who walked up to me, nervous and blushing. Voice trembling, confessing, “Class President, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?” Once upon a time, the sea was deep. Only 3,000 days later, this relationship had reached its end. I sighed silently. Maybe love dying young is the norm. 4 Back at the apartment, I threw away what I could and packed the rest. Around 10 PM, Liam came back. The moment he walked in, his smile froze. He sighed deeply. “Natalie, I thought you said no tantrums?” I had waited so long I fell asleep. I rubbed my neck and looked at him. “No tantrums. We broke up. I have no reason to live in your house.” Liam lost his patience, tossing his jacket aside. “Fine. Whatever. But think carefully. If we break up, I won’t ask you back.” Perfect. I put the keys on the shoe cabinet in front of him and prepared to leave. Liam watched for a moment, then chased after me. He blocked my path, annoyed. “What do I have to do to make you listen?” Acting like I was being unreasonable. I laughed out of anger. “Oh, get engaged to me, and I won’t fuss.” Liam gritted his teeth. “Natalie, give me more time to get used to the idea. Right now, I really don’t think you’re a suitable marriage partner.” What is a suitable marriage partner? I couldn’t tell. The first time I heard the term was five years ago. Grandma had heart surgery. Afraid she’d die leaving me alone, she wanted to put marriage on the agenda. Back then, Liam and I were still good. Hearing marriage, he froze, hugged me, and didn’t speak for a long time. Finally, he said, “Nat, let me discuss it with my parents and get back to you, okay?” I nodded, fully believing he would plan our future. But in reality, Liam’s attitude changed after that. He was still gentle, but whenever engagement or marriage came up, he changed the subject. If I pushed, he got angry. “Look, you don’t have a stable job or income. Are we a good match right now? What would my parents think?” “Nat, I’ve been holding back, but you really aren’t suited for marriage. You don’t dress up, you don’t network, and you don’t understand business. You’re no help to the Thorne family.” He belittled me, but when I broke down and tried to leave, he would write long essays to win me back. I always thought the root of his hesitation was Mrs. Thorne. Until Bella returned. Liam’s attitude did a 180. He showed me with actions what a “suitable marriage partner” looked like. No matter how much a man loves you, it doesn’t stop him from weighing the pros and cons and pursuing a better life. I left the apartment I lived in for years. Since Jake wasn’t back yet, I rented a small Airbnb. Counting my savings, I thought about putting a down payment on a place in the South End. Since Jake was rarely home, it didn’t matter where we lived. I opened Zillow and actually found a few good ones. I booked viewings and finished the final draft of my third web novel while staying in the rental.

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During my solo performance at the company’s annual gala, a massive fart sound blasted from the speakers. Immediately, a foul stench filled the hall. My colleagues frowned, pinched their noses, and looked at me with disgust. The new intern, Jenny, screamed dramatically, “Oh my god, Sarah! Are you performing a talent show or releasing poison gas?” Everyone burst into laughter. I glared at her furiously. “Jenny, is this another one of your pranks?” She put on an innocent face. “Why are you blaming me for your own gas?” “I know I like to joke around, but you can’t just use me as a scapegoat, can you?” “Okay, okay, fine, let’s say it’s my fault. My bad for not reminding you to eat fewer sweet potatoes before going on stage.” “Everyone, just pretend I let that one rip, okay?” I was shaking with rage. Ever since Jenny joined the company, she’s been setting me up to embarrass myself. Because I had no proof, I had to swallow my anger every time. But this time, Jenny, you’ve messed with the wrong person. 1. My colleagues immediately started pointing fingers at me. “Sarah, don’t bully the new girl. It was just a fart, no one said anything.” “You’re just a small team leader, not a big shot. Trying to force your subordinate to take the blame?” “It’s not like Jenny made you fart. How can you blame her?” “Honestly, passing gas is natural. We all laughed it off, but you dragging it out just makes it awkward.” Their words piled up, cementing the narrative that I publicly humiliated myself and tried to use my position to force the new girl to cover for me. The hotel staff hosting the gala were covering their mouths, snickering. The smell lingered, and a colleague smirked maliciously. “Sarah, are you still letting out silent ones?” “If you need to go, just go. This hall is small, if you keep releasing, we’re all gonna get poisoned!” “I’m about to throw up my lunch.” “That smell is intense. Did you sh*t your pants?” My face burned red with shame and anger. “Are you guys deaf? That sound clearly came from the speakers!” “I didn’t fart!” Colleagues covered their noses and backed away from me. “It feels like your breath smells like it too.” “Who told you to eat sweet potatoes? No self-control for the sake of your appetite?” I screamed in frustration, “I didn’t eat sweet potatoes! I was so busy with the gala today I didn’t even eat!” “Come on, Jenny saw you. Just admit it.” “Jenny, did you say she ate sweet potatoes?” Jenny put on a troubled expression. “Sarah, I…” “Jenny, don’t be scared. She’s just a team leader, she can’t fire you.” “If she tries to give you a hard time, we’ll all testify for you to the boss!” Jenny looked at me with fake apology. “Sarah, I saw you eat that huge roasted sweet potato. Why won’t you admit it?” “Actually, it’s normal to have gas after eating too many sweet potatoes! At least you know now, just don’t eat them in public next time.” She feigned concern, but I could see the triumphant smirk hiding in the corners of her eyes. I closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down. “Since that’s the case, let’s check the security footage and see where that ‘fart’ really came from.” “Waiter, where is the surveillance room? There should be cameras near the audio equipment, right?” “I suspect my audio file was swapped.” Jenny’s expression tightened. She quickly adjusted her face. “Seriously, Sarah? Why are you taking this so seriously?” “You’re wasting everyone’s time. If we check the footage and find no one swapped your audio, are you going to find another excuse?” “It’s already been ten minutes.” Hearing about wasted time, my colleagues turned on me again. “Sarah, are you crazy? We just want to finish the gala and go home!” “Just because you don’t have a husband or kids doesn’t mean you can hold us up!” “Making a huge scene over a fart!” “Checking surveillance for a fart? If this gets out, our whole company will be a laughingstock!” Jenny put on a martyr’s face. “Alright, Sarah. If you insist it was me, then it was me. Can we stop arguing? There are still other performances.” “Just consider it my fault, okay?” 2. My colleagues looked at her with admiration. “Jenny, you’re such a team player. Unlike some people who only think about themselves.” I was trembling with rage. “Jenny, this isn’t the first time you’ve pulled a prank on me!” Ever since Jenny joined the company, I started making embarrassing mistakes constantly. Once, I walked out of the restroom, and everyone burst out laughing. “Sarah, pads go inside your underwear, why is yours stuck to your butt?” “So gross, are you trying to show off your heavy flow?” Shocked, I reached behind me and felt a bloody pad stuck to my pants. I was instantly nauseous. I wasn’t on my period that day. That pad wasn’t mine. And the trash can in my stall was empty. It couldn’t have stuck to me by accident. In the restroom, I had brushed past Jenny. Did she stick it on me on purpose? But how could anyone be that evil? A few days later, during a presentation, my PowerPoint opened to play Japanese adult videos. The boss’s face turned black on the spot. The decision to promote me to manager was shelved. My USB drive was plugged into the conference room computer ahead of time. Someone had clearly swapped it. The person responsible for setting up the room was Jenny. No one else went in before the meeting. But there were no cameras in the conference room. With no evidence, I could only tentatively ask her if she touched my drive, if she made a mistake. Jenny burst into tears, wailing, “Sarah, I know you’re embarrassed, but you can’t blame me!” “If you didn’t download those dirty movies, you wouldn’t have humiliated yourself.” “It’s your own problem, why blame me…” She cried so hard she almost hyperventilated. Colleagues rushed over. “Sarah, why are you bullying the new girl? Just because you embarrassed yourself doesn’t mean you can lash out.” “You think this girl put porn on your drive? That’s hilarious.” Everyone surrounded Jenny, wiping her tears and comforting her. I clearly saw the corner of her mouth lift in a smile. But without proof, I had to let it go. The next day, I stood up from my desk to get water and felt my shoe sticking to the floor. I could barely lift my leg. Jenny watched me walk and snickered. “Um, look at Sarah’s legs. She looks exhausted.” “Doesn’t it look like… like she got wrecked last night?” Everyone laughed. “Makes sense. With all those videos on her drive, she must be horny.” “Sarah, aren’t you single? Do you have a ‘friend’ for that?” “That friend must be good. Look, she can barely walk. How many rounds?” Jenny batted her ‘innocent’ eyes. “Huh? Sarah doesn’t have a boyfriend?” “Sarah, you have to be careful. Don’t hook up randomly, you’ll get diseases.” “It’s fine if it’s just something treatable, but if you get HIV or something, we’re all in danger.” I looked at her coldly, lifted my foot, and peeled off a strip of super glue tape. So, this tape was what made it hard to walk. My colleagues shut up. Jenny said innocently, “Sarah, everyone’s just joking. Don’t take it seriously.” 3. I spoke coldly. “That’s not a joke. That’s spreading rumors.” A few colleagues looked disdainful. “Just a little teasing, don’t be so dramatic.” “So sensitive. Can’t even take a joke.” I tilted my head and looked at them. “Why are your mouths so dirty? Did you eat too much dick working the red light district last night?” They looked at me in shock. I shrugged. “Sorry, just a joke.” Hearing me bring up these past events, Jenny cried tears of grievance. “Sarah, how can you frame me like this? I admit I speak without thinking sometimes, but I didn’t do those things!” “What proof do you have that I swapped your drive or taped your shoes?” Other colleagues chimed in. “No wonder you can’t make manager. Petty as hell, holding onto grudges forever.” “You’ve been bullying Jenny all along. Don’t try to rewrite history now, we remember!” Jenny choked out, “Forget it. I know Sarah has always looked down on me.” “When I first started and bought everyone bubble tea, she just threw hers away.” “And I bought her the most expensive one.” My colleagues got angrier. “Right! We almost forgot about that!” “Jenny was nice enough to treat everyone, and you had such an attitude!” When Jenny first joined, she brought bubble tea for everyone. I took a sip and smelled something foul. It was nauseating. Afraid of mass food poisoning, I stopped everyone. “This tea tastes wrong, don’t drink it!” I thought the unethical shop used spoiled ingredients. But after tasting theirs, my colleagues looked at me like I was crazy. “What’s wrong with it? It’s delicious.” “Jenny was nice enough to treat us, why are you being a buzzkill?” “Is it because the new girl bought more expensive tea than you did when you got promoted? Jealous?” I forced myself to take another sip, fighting the nausea. “It really tastes wrong. Can’t you taste it?” “Try mine…” Before I could finish, Jenny interrupted with a hurt expression. “Sarah, yours is different. I bought you the most expensive one on the menu.” “I just wanted to show my appreciation. I didn’t know buying a premium brand would upset you.” “Next time I’ll just buy the cheap stuff.” I opened my mouth but said nothing, assuming maybe the expensive ingredients just spoiled faster. Later, I threw the tea away. I didn’t expect this incident to become proof that I “looked down” on Jenny. Jenny looked at me, crying. “Do you know that tea cost $8? I’ve never even bought one for myself…” Everyone rushed to comfort Jenny, just like every time before. “Sarah! Apologize to Jenny!” “Just because we call you ‘Team Leader’ doesn’t mean you’re actually the boss. This is workplace bullying!” Bullying? Who is bullying whom?! “I won’t apologize for something I didn’t do.” I put on my coat and left the gala. The pranks were endless. Jenny, since you have no limits, don’t blame me for playing dirty. After the holiday break, my colleagues gave me the cold shoulder. I ignored them and handed a USB drive to Jenny. “Print this file for me.” She didn’t know my cousin was a top-tier hacker. Over the break, I asked him to make a Trojan horse. The moment that drive plugged into Jenny’s computer, her laptop was mine. 4. After the pad prank, I had glimpsed a chat on Jenny’s screen: “I pranked her again today, so satisfying!” Later, as she targeted me repeatedly, I thought about looking for evidence on her computer. But back then, I felt snooping was wrong. Now, I understood. When dealing with someone with no bottom line, you have to fight back by any means necessary. With control of her computer, the chat logs were laid bare. Every time she pranked me, she bragged about it to her best friend. And in the latest chat, I saw her next plan. “I’m going to cement Sarah’s title as the ‘Fart Queen’, hahaha!” “Let’s see if she has the face to stay in the company after this.” Reading her plan, I smiled. Jenny, let me teach you what it means to walk into a trap. On Wednesday, the CEO, Mr. Zhao, was coming for a regular meeting. Jenny volunteered to set up the conference room alone. In the conference room, we all stood by our seats, waiting for Mr. Zhao to sit. As soon as Mr. Zhao sat, the chair wobbled. Looking down, a screw on one leg was loose. I immediately pulled out Mr. Zhao’s chair and pushed mine behind him. “Mr. Zhao, take my chair.” “No!” Jenny’s voice rang out abruptly. She looked panicked, breathing fast. Mr. Zhao glanced at her. “Why not?” Jenny realized she lost her composure and forced a smile. “I meant, we can just tighten the screw. No need to swap chairs.” I smiled. “It’s fine. I’ve been practicing my balance lately. A wobbly chair is perfect.” “Mr. Zhao, please begin.” Mr. Zhao nodded, and everyone sat down. Jenny sat down slowly, panic written all over her face. I saw sweat on her forehead, her hands trembling. Mr. Zhao settled in and began outlining the new year’s work plan. A few sentences in, a loud fart noise came from under Mr. Zhao. Mr. Zhao paused, adjusted his tone, and continued. A moment later, another fart. Colleagues lowered their heads, exchanging glances, trying not to laugh. Mr. Zhao frowned. Another irregular fart sound rang out. He paused for a few seconds, then ignored the noises and finished his speech in one breath. Everyone was shaking from holding back laughter, except Jenny, who was sweating buckets. After the meeting, Mr. Zhao put down his notes, stood up, and lifted the cushion on his chair. A small black square sat in the middle of the seat. A colleague gasped. “Isn’t that a prank toy? I’ve seen it online. It makes random fart sounds when pressure is applied.” Realization dawned on everyone. So that’s where the noise came from. Mr. Zhao picked it up, looked at it, then looked straight at Jenny, his voice devoid of emotion. “Jenny, explain this.” Jenny stood up in a panic, stammering, “I, I don’t know, I’ve never seen this thing!” “Mr. Zhao, it must be Sarah! She swapped chairs with you!” “Sarah, you embarrassed yourself at the gala, so now you want to drag Mr. Zhao down with you? You’re evil!” Everyone looked at me, ready for a show.

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Title: Married for six years, no longer in love with my older wife. How do I divorce her without hurting her or getting revenge? The word divorce caught my eye. Something compelled me to click. The OP’s avatar was a cartoon Shiba Inu. It looked cute. It even resembled the Shiba I owned. He wrote: “I met my wife when I was a senior in high school. My family was poor, and I was about to drop out to work. She brought me to the city and supported my education. She’s seven years older than me. A very responsible adult. She treated me well—paid for my tuition and living expenses, cared about my studies and health. She even helped me choose my college. But I was too young. I thought that was love. So, sophomore year of college, I confessed my feelings. When she rejected me, I kept trying. Eventually, she agreed.” I scrolled down, my grip on the phone tightening. “I was so proud of myself back then. A kid landing a mature, successful woman. Looking back, it was wrong from the start. Once we were official, she started pouring resources into me. She was already a corporate executive. Almost every opportunity I got in college had her fingerprints on it. I’m grateful for that. My resume looks great because of her. Right after graduation, I joined her company. Then we got married. It’s been six years now.” My palms were sweating, ice-cold. I was certain. The OP was my husband, Liam. Chapter 1 The boy who used to smile and call me “Big Sis,” promising to treat me well forever, was now posting online. Airing our dirty laundry to strangers, looking for a “dignified” way to leave me without facing consequences. I started questioning myself. Was I the problem? Was I too strict? Did I not give him enough security? Six years of marriage, and this is where we ended up? If he wanted to leave, he could have just talked to me. Why post this? In that moment, curiosity outweighed the pain. I desperately needed to know why. Why? Why choose this way? I kept reading. I needed to understand why he wanted out. Chapter 2 The comments were mostly flaming him, but Liam ignored them and kept updating. “As for why I want a divorce… it started three years ago when I went abroad for work. It was a great opportunity, but I couldn’t afford it. I played the good boy, acted pitiful, and she covered all the expenses. While abroad, I met a girl from the same company. She was beautiful, young, and most importantly, we clicked. Our interests aligned perfectly. I felt relaxed with her.” I paused. Years ago, Liam had said the same thing to me. He would buy groceries early on weekends, rush from campus to my place, cook, clean, and wait for me to wake up naturally. Weekends were no longer empty. They were filled with his smiling face. “Wake up, sleepyhead. I made your favorite ribs.” He would hug me during horror movies, burying his face in my chest when he got scared. “Is the ghost gone yet?” When he proposed, he said, “I want to spend my life with you because being with you is when I’m happiest and most relaxed.” Turns out, the person who made him feel relaxed had changed long ago. “But that wasn’t the main thing. Living abroad opened my eyes. The world is huge. I couldn’t divorce her back then because I needed her connections and background.” “After three years, I came back and got promoted quickly. Recently, another girl who just returned from abroad showed interest in me. We’ve been seeing each other. Her family is wealthier than my wife’s. We get along better. And I feel like she loves me more than my wife does.” It clicked. That’s why he’s been working late so often. He was on dates. “Plus, my wife is older than me. Not two or three years, but a full seven years.” “So, I want a divorce.” I smirked bitterly, scrolling past the flood of comments until I landed on the top-voted one. “You’ve known her for ten years. Did you just find out today she’s seven years older than you?” Chapter 3 When I got home from work, Liam was unusually busy in the kitchen. He was humming, seemingly in a good mood, prepping ingredients with practiced ease. Hearing the door, he shouted, “You’re back! Give me a sec, dinner’s almost ready.” I changed my clothes numbly and sat at the table. Three dishes and a soup. He put in effort; they were all my favorites. Uncontrollably, I wondered: Is this guilt? Is he trying to compensate? With this? Is my heart worth a cheap home-cooked meal? I held back the urge to scream. Seeing my silence, worry washed over Liam’s face. He reached out to touch my forehead. “What’s wrong? Feeling sick?” I leaned back, avoiding his touch, and shook my head. “Nothing. Just tired from the new product launch.” Liam’s hand froze in mid-air, awkward. He looked confused for a second, then smiled and withdrew his hand. “Oh, I see. You worked hard. Try the ribs.” “You deserve a reward for working so hard.” He put a piece of rib on my plate. It looked good, smelled good, but a wave of nausea hit me. I frowned, covering my mouth, but the sickness kept rising. “Did you throw up?” I couldn’t hold it back. I ran to the bathroom and vomited. Liam rushed over, patting my back, handing me water. I couldn’t see a trace of fakery in this man. Until his phone rang. “Hello? I’m a bit busy today… Okay, okay, fine. I’ll come over soon, alright? Don’t be mad, princess…” His voice drifted in from the living room. He was so brazen, assuming I wouldn’t know. I dug my nails into my palms, head down, listening to his footsteps return. “Feeling better?” “The product manager just called. There’s an issue with a product, I need to go in for overtime.” “Take your meds, they’re on the table. I’m leaving.” Chapter 4 Finding Liam’s affair partner was easy. Overseas background, recently returned, likely working in the company. When my assistant placed Chloe He’s file on my desk, I wasn’t surprised. It was Director He’s daughter. We’d met. Six months ago, Director He invited Liam and me to play golf. His daughter was there. Back then, Chloe was all over Liam, pestering him to teach her how to play. What did Liam say then? “That girl is so annoying. Total princess syndrome.” Our marriage wasn’t a secret; the upper management knew. Chloe, as Director He’s daughter, definitely knew Liam was married. I didn’t hide my investigation. Soon, my assistant called. “Ms. Chen, the intern from the product department, Chloe He, is here to see you.” Compared to six months ago, Chloe looked even prettier. She walked in, calling out intimately. “Rose! My dad insisted I come learn from you. Please teach me!” She sat on the sofa, a suspicious red mark visible on her neck. Seeing my gaze, Chloe gasped dramatically. “Oops, Rose, don’t look! My boyfriend is so bad.” “He used to eat such bland food. Meeting me made him hungry.” Chloe giggled, covering her mouth, eyes fixed on me. “You don’t mind, do you, Sis?” I finally looked up at her, frowning. “Director He’s daughter? Didn’t he teach you to use titles in the office? Call me Ms. Chen.” Chloe’s smile froze. “And since Director He sent you to learn, please be professional.” “Your outfit—” I smirked. “In the office, maybe wear something more professional.” “Andy, email Ms. He the Employee Handbook and Code of Business Conduct. I want a read receipt before she leaves today.” Chloe left with a face like thunder. I rubbed my temples. They were throbbing. Someone else was going to make trouble tonight.

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My stepmother hated me to the bone. All because when I was a child, I went to a classmate’s house to play and forgot to close the front gate. Her son ran out into the street and was hit by a car. He died instantly. My father, who adored my little brother above all else, was heartbroken. When he learned the “truth,” he looked at me with grief and rage. “Did you do it on purpose? Were you jealous of your brother, so you left the gate open?” I desperately explained that I had closed it. But my father didn’t believe me. He locked me in the basement and raised me like a dog for the rest of my miserable life. Until one day, my father went on a business trip. My stepmother hadn’t fed me for three days. Starving, I crawled upstairs to the kitchen to find scraps. But there was my stepmother, sitting on a strange man’s lap in the kitchen, giggling. “If that little brat hadn’t left the gate open back then, I wouldn’t have to live in fear of my husband finding out we killed his precious son.” I froze. It turned out that years ago, my stepmother’s lover had come over for a tryst. He was the one who forgot to close the gate, letting my brother wander out. Just as I tried to sneak back to the basement, my stepmother spotted me. “What did you hear? No! I can’t let your father find out I killed my own son!” In a panic, she grabbed me and threw me down the stairs. I died on impact. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my brother was hit by a car. I blinked my innocent, doe-like eyes and pointed a chubby finger upstairs, my voice sweet and childish. “Daddy, I closed the gate! It was the uncle in Mommy’s bedroom who didn’t close it!” Chapter 1 “Lily, did you see an uncle leave the gate open with your own eyes?!” My father stood outside the courtyard gate, his eyes bloodshot, staring at me intently. I sneered internally. Look at how much he loves his son. In my last life, I explained over and over that I closed the gate. But he only listened to my stepmother’s pillow talk, convinced I murdered his only son out of jealousy. My mother died giving birth to me. Before her funeral was even over, he brought my pregnant stepmother home. This woman secured her position as the lady of the house with a premature baby boy. Because of the difficult birth, she couldn’t have any more children. So, my brother became my father’s lifeline. After my brother died, he treated me like a dog to appease his impotent rage and guilt towards his wife. I ate dog food, slept in a cage, and learned to bark. This time, I won’t be so stupid. I will use his suspicion as a man, and his love as a father, to trample that adulterous couple into the mud. So, the first thing I did after being reborn was to rush home to catch my stepmother in the act. But I didn’t expect to see my brother standing in the middle of the road as soon as I turned the corner. My father was watching from a distance, eyes wide with horror. To make a good impression, I pulled my brother back. Instead of dying on the spot like in my past life, his legs were crushed. He was crippled, but alive. “Honey!” My stepmother’s shrill scream cut through my thoughts. Snot and tears running down her face, she threw herself at my father, clutching his arm. “Don’t listen to this little wretch! Her mom died early, and she’s hated us ever since! She opened the gate on purpose! She wanted to kill Benny!” Before my father could react, I ran over on my short legs and hugged his thigh. I looked up with a dirty face and the most innocent, pure eyes I could muster. “Daddy, I didn’t!” I wailed, my voice full of childish grievance. “I want Mommy to love me too, but she doesn’t. I thought if I was good to Benny, you guys would like me…” As I spoke, I squeezed out a few big tears and pointed a small finger at my brother, who was wailing in pain on the ground nearby. “I give Benny my milk every day, and I let him play with my favorite teddy bear… Just now, if I hadn’t pulled him back, he would have flown into the sky and never played with me again. Teacher says we should protect the little ones. I did it, Daddy. I’m a good girl. Please believe me.” Because I had been pretending to be good to my brother to please my father, I lied without blinking. I hugged my father’s leg tightly, using all the strength of a child to depend on him, and then dropped my bait. “If you don’t believe me, Daddy, go upstairs and find that uncle! He must still be there!” Chapter 2 Hearing my words, my father’s face turned darker than a thundercloud. He reached down and pinched my cheek. “Daddy believes you.” With that, he turned and charged upstairs. He looked less like he was going to catch a cheater and more like he was going to commit murder. My stepmother’s face went pale. She tried to grab him but missed, stomping her foot and screaming, “Honey! The most important thing right now is getting our son to the hospital!” But for a man like my father, nothing mattered more than his pride. A green hat was heavier than his son’s legs. He stormed upstairs without looking back. Of course, the room was empty. The man had already slipped away. But the lingering scent of unfamiliar men’s cologne was thick in the air, impossible to miss. My stepmother was a pro. Tears flowed instantly as she pulled a beautifully wrapped bottle of men’s cologne from her bag. “Honey, I bought this as a surprise for you…” A ghost wouldn’t believe that excuse. But my father had no proof. The ambulance wailed as it arrived and took my brother away. Before getting in, my father stared at my stepmother, his voice squeezing through gritted teeth. “If I find out my son lost his legs because of some wild man, I’ll kill his entire family!” I was anxious but helpless. I knew my stepmother was cunning and prepared. I couldn’t defeat her immediately. I had to wait for another chance. In the hospital, my brother cried from the pain. I immediately threw myself by the bed, holding his small hand, sobbing. “Don’t cry, Benny. Sissy is here.” My brother was probably in shock, or maybe my fake kindness had worked. He instinctively shrank into my arms. “Sissy saved me.” My father stood by, praising me for being “sensible.” But seeing my brother’s casted legs, he sighed again. “At least he’s alive.” Since there was no evidence of who opened the gate, my father could only stare suspiciously at my stepmother. She played the role of the obedient wife to perfection, insisting the gate was old and the latch was loose. The matter passed, unresolved. Back home, my stepmother treated me incredibly well. She cooked my favorite sweet and sour ribs, bought me new dresses, and tucked me in at night. Her gentleness made it seem like I was her biological daughter. My father saw this, and his suspicion faded. He probably thought that even if there was something, a woman would settle down for the sake of her child and family. But I knew the truth. The nicer she acted, the guiltier she was. She was desperate to wash herself clean and dump the dirty water back on my head. I was waiting, too. Waiting for her to show her fox tail. I guarded against everything, calculated everything, but I still underestimated her viciousness. One weekend, she sent me to my room early to do homework, while she took my sleeping brother in his wheelchair to the second-floor balcony for some sun. I lifted my head from my workbook, a bad feeling growing in my gut. Sure enough. The moment my father opened the front door, a loud crash and my stepmother’s piercing scream echoed from the stairs. “Ah—Lily! How could you push your brother?!” My father froze in the doorway, looking up to see me standing on the second-floor landing, while my brother and his wheelchair lay overturned at the bottom of the stairs. Chapter 3 I clenched my hands. Calm down. I must stay calm. “Daddy, I didn’t push Benny. I was writing homework in my room. Mommy was watching him on the balcony.” My voice trembled just right, sounding like a terrified child. My father held my unconscious brother, his bloodshot eyes fixed on me like a beast about to lose control. My stepmother immediately interjected. “I clearly told Lily to watch Benny upstairs while I went to borrow some green onions from Mrs. Jones next door! Mrs. Jones can testify!” I sneered internally. The golden cicada sheds its shell. She timed it perfectly with my father’s return and went to establish an alibi. Sure enough, Mrs. Jones, who was always close with my stepmother, squeezed out of the gathering crowd. With a righteous face, she chimed in, “It’s true, Dave! Sarah just came to get onions from me. She said she was making your favorite braised fish! I saw her walk in the gate myself!” She pointed a finger at me, shaking her head. “But your daughter… when we came over, we saw her standing on the second floor, looking down coldly. Not a reaction at all! Hey, Lily, how can a child be so cruel? Did you open the gate on purpose last time too?” A stone tossed into a pond creates a thousand ripples. The neighbors started whispering. “Yeah, that kid never looked right.” “So young and so jealous. What will she be like when she grows up?” Seeing this, my stepmother covered her face and sobbed, leaning weakly against my father. “Honey, don’t blame Lily. Maybe the gate was an accident last time, maybe this wasn’t on purpose either…” Her retreat was an advance, cementing my guilt. My father’s eyes went completely cold. He saw it. He saw his wife rush in anxiously from outside, while I stood like a cold spectator on the second floor. Seeing is believing. “Last time, I saw you pull him back, so I believed you.” My father’s voice was terrifyingly raspy. “Now, I see you push him down! What else do you have to say?!” The trust in his eyes collapsed, replaced by a thick loathing. “You don’t even look scared. Lily, was saving him last time just an act?” Tears streamed down my face. I screamed, “It wasn’t me! It was the uncle Mommy brought home! The same uncle from last time! That’s why Mommy had time to go to Mrs. Jones’s house!” “Daddy, don’t you believe me?” I cried and yelled with all my strength, “Call the police! We have to call the police! The officer on TV said if there’s trouble, find the police! Check the wheelchair for fingerprints! It will prove I’m innocent!” Seeing my father’s grip on my stepmother loosen slightly, I knew my words hit home. I choked back sobs, staring straight at my unconscious brother in his arms. “Daddy, if there really is a bad man hiding in our house who wants to hurt Benny, what will happen to Benny next time?” That sentence was a needle, piercing my father’s softest spot. My stepmother’s face turned deathly pale. She bit her lip hard, then, as if making a huge decision, looked up at my father with teary eyes. “That sentence should be mine! Our family of three was happy. If it wasn’t for you, this disaster, we would have peace!” She wept, every word seemingly squeezed from her gut. “Husband, I gave up everything to follow you, I gave you a son. How could I harm my own flesh and blood? I cook for you every day, I keep this house perfect. Have you forgotten all of that?” “I don’t care if you misunderstand me, but I’m afraid for you! I’m afraid you’re being blinded by this ungrateful wolf you raised, and you’ll regret it!” Chapter 4 My stepmother’s speech was full of emotion, the grievance of a wrongly accused wife. My father wavered. He remembered how she had been submissive all these years, managing the house and obeying him. A woman who gave up everything for him and bore his only son—how could she harm her own child? Seeing him soften, my stepmother struck while the iron was hot. She put on a look of utter heartbreak. “Husband, investigate if you want! But if you find nothing like last time, you break my heart and destroy our trust! If that happens, I’m taking my son and leaving. We’re getting a divorce!” The word “divorce” slammed into my father’s heart like two mountains. He believed her. He felt she was truly hurt by my viciousness. Mrs. Jones chimed in again. “Sarah, don’t say such things! We all see how much you do for this family. I say this girl is just jealous of her brother. Rotten to the core!” “Exactly! Comfort your wife, Dave. Good women are hard to find. If she leaves, you’ll regret it!” The neighbors’ chatter was the final straw that broke my father’s reason. He turned around, eyes spitting fire, glaring at me. “You won’t be satisfied until you destroy this house, will you? All that schooling went to the dogs!” Before he finished speaking, he marched to the toolbox in the corner and pulled out a heavy black whip. It was used to train the German Shepherd we used to have. It was covered in tiny barbs, old dried blood giving it a rusty, metallic smell. “Since school can’t teach you, I’ll teach you how to be a human being right here!” Snap! The whip lashed across my back. The neighbors offered fake advice like “don’t go too far,” but I could hear the satisfaction in their voices. “Good! Disobedient kids need a beating!” My stepmother held my brother, a smug smile on her lips, looking at me like a lamb to the slaughter. “Daddy, really, it wasn’t me! Check the fingerprints…” I gritted my teeth as the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. But my father was deaf to it. With a flick of his wrist, the barbs dug into my flesh and ripped out. Tearing pain. I hated them! I shook with hatred! Why? Reborn, planning every step, why can’t I escape this fate! Just as I closed my eyes in despair, thinking I was doomed to repeat the past, my father raised the whip for a second strike, aiming for my face! I was finished. In that split second, my unconscious brother in my stepmother’s arms moved and let out a weak moan. “Don’t… don’t hit Sissy…” Everyone froze. My brother struggled to open his eyes. With all his strength, he spoke in a milky voice: “It was an uncle… an uncle who smelled like perfume pushed me!”

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After my rebirth, when Julian’s little secretary, Chloe, once again “accidentally” spilled red wine on my face while pouring me a drink, giggling like it was a joke. I didn’t slap her like I did in my past life. I didn’t scream for a divorce like a shrew when Julian rushed to defend her. Instead, I smiled calmly at Julian. “She’s really cute. Have fun playing with her.” “Let’s consider our seventh anniversary celebration over early. I’m going home.” With that, I grabbed my bag and walked out of the private room without looking back. I had no choice. After divorcing Julian in my last life, my life was a living hell. He crushed me like a business rival, gripping his assets so tight I couldn’t get a cent. I hired every lawyer in the city, but all I got in the divorce settlement was literally $7.50. Right after the divorce, I was diagnosed with cancer. When the pain became unbearable, I swallowed my pride and knelt before Julian. But he let his secretary slap me three times and didn’t give me a penny. In the end, penniless and broken, I froze to death on the doorstep of the home I had lived in for seven years. So, dignity? Dignity is nothing compared to staying alive. 1 I didn’t expect Julian to chase after me. He grabbed my arm. “Let me explain, Sarah. Chloe is just young and playful. She spilled the wine to lighten the mood, to make you laugh.” “She doesn’t have bad intentions. We grew up together, she’s always been mischievous. She treats you like family, so she sometimes forgets boundaries. Don’t hold a grudge against her.” Julian said these exact words in my past life. Back then, humiliated by the wine dripping down my face and shaking with rage, hearing him defend her so tenderly was the last straw. I slapped him in front of all our friends, screamed “Divorce!”, and ran out. I was so stupid then. I thought threatening divorce would scare him. Instead, I walked for four hours in the freezing winter rain, tears streaming down my face. My heels rubbed my feet raw until they bled. I ended up with a 104-degree fever. While I lay dying in our empty house, Julian didn’t call once. That very night, he took Chloe on an overseas business trip. Photos of him adjusting her spaghetti strap dress and her kissing his cheek even made it onto the company gossip forums. The irony was too much. A cynical smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. The next second, Julian angrily shook off my hand. “How many times do I have to tell you? Chloe is the daughter of my dad’s friend. I’m just looking out for her.” “It’s just a little wine spill. Go home and wash it off. Can you stop being jealous over nothing and imagining things between us?” Seeing the sudden anger on his face, a bitterness rose in my chest. Not for him, but for my past self. In my last life, after the divorce, I got pancreatic cancer—the king of cancers. Every day was either nurses poking me with long needles until I cried, or rolling on the floor clutching my stomach, begging for death to come faster. When I ran out of money, I even stabbed myself with a fruit knife, hoping the pain would distract me enough to sleep. Yet even then, I couldn’t bear to sell our wedding ring for pain meds. When the doctor gave me a month to live, I dragged my skeletal body to find him, hoping to reconcile. After all, when my parents died, he swore he’d be with me forever. I knelt before the security guard at our old home, begging him to call Julian. When Julian picked up, he heard my voice and said calmly: “Sarah, we’re divorced. Divorce means we have nothing to do with each other. Don’t contact me again.” He hung up. I collapsed in the backyard of the villa where we lived for seven years. In the final moments of my life, I saw him holding Chloe in the house I had lovingly decorated, drinking from the wine glasses I bought, having a romantic date. The pain in my chest was suffocating. I didn’t want to remember anymore. I quickly hid my emotions and smiled calmly. “Julian, I’m really not jealous. And I’m really not angry at Chloe.” “I’m just tired and want to go home. You should go back inside.” Surprise flashed across Julian’s face. Before he could react, I turned and walked away down the street without a backward glance. 2 As soon as I got home, I went straight to my room. I called the hospital and booked an appointment with a specialist for a full checkup tomorrow. Whether in the past life or this one, I really want to live. Just as I hung up, Julian suddenly came back. I don’t know why. He loosened his tie impatiently. “What did you mean back there on the street?” “Sarah, can you stop throwing attitude for no reason?” Ever since Chloe became his secretary, Julian had become incredibly harsh towards me. He found fault with everything I did. His attitude change and Chloe’s provocations were why I acted crazy in my last marriage. I endured the suffocating pain in my chest and turned around calmly. “Julian, believe it or not, I’m not angry. I’m not being unreasonable, and I’m not throwing attitude.” “Look, I’ve already washed my face. I’m not mad at you, and I certainly wouldn’t dare be mad at Chloe.” With that, I ignored him, went into the bathroom, and locked the door. When I came out, he was gone. Instead, my phone started buzzing non-stop. It was Chloe’s habit. Whenever she was with Julian, she would spam me with photos of their life together. She treated me like her personal cloud storage. In my last life, this made me cry or scream at Julian constantly. But now, looking at the photos, I didn’t curse her. Instead, I replied earnestly: “Your angle is off. Julian’s side profile is better. Hold the phone higher next time.” “Also, crop the photo tighter. Less background makes you look more intimate.” As soon as I sent it, Chloe replied: “Did you get hacked?” I sent a smiley face. “No. Just letting you know, you can have him.” Then I blocked her. This triangular property relationship works for me. I want the title of Mrs. Thorne and the supplementary credit card. Julian’s body and heart? Chloe can have them. Unlike my past self, I’m not stupid enough to want his love anymore. 3 After dealing with Chloe, I lay in bed and closed my eyes. Even though I was reborn, I didn’t sleep well. Just like when I had cancer, I kept dreaming of our past. When we were kids, Julian was introverted. His mother, a strict teacher, used to beat him. Often at midnight, while I was asleep, he would still be doing homework in his thick glasses. His mom would stand there with a stick, hitting his back for every mistake. I lived across the street. Seeing him beaten made me pity him. So on the way to school, I would sneak candy into his backpack and whisper, “Julian, eat one when your back hurts.” The first time I did it, he turned red and ran away. A hundred meters later, he whispered, “I… I don’t eat candy.” I waved at him. “Julian, you should talk more. Your voice is nice.” After that, it became a habit. The lonely boy started waiting for me in the alley, waiting for his candy. We walked through countless springs, summers, and winters together. When we were 18, Julian became the top student in the county and got into a prestigious university. He awkwardly handed me a slip of paper. “I checked. This college is near mine. Ten minutes walk. Your scores aren’t good enough for a bachelor’s, but you can do an associate’s degree there.” I looked at his nervous face. I didn’t tell him my parents had already decided to pay for a private university so I could get a bachelor’s degree. I secretly changed my application to be near him. My parents gave me a mixed-doubles beating, but I never regretted it. We went to the same city. Away from his mother, Julian blossomed. He got contacts, grew out his buzz cut, and changed his style. He traded plaid shirts for white button-downs and black sneakers for white ones. I didn’t know why he changed until I was screaming at a concert for my favorite idol. Julian grabbed me, eyes red. “I changed into the type you like. Can’t you like me yet?” The word “like” hit me like a hammer. Even at different schools, I heard of the legend of Julian. The tech god. Freshman year, he led the team to win a national competition. Sophomore year, he got offers from big tech giants. There were even forum posts tracking his “glow up.” I thought an ocean separated us, that we’d only ever be friends. But he said he liked me. Thick-skinned as always, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him without hesitation. We started dating. My life became feeding him bubble tea and desserts. I had no career plans, just planning our dates. Julian’s life was on a rocket ship. Graduate school, startup, multiple rounds of funding. By the time he got his PhD, his tech company was top 10 in the industry. My life went the opposite way. I failed the transfer exam to a bachelor’s program. After graduation, I lived off Julian. Then my doting parents died in a car crash rushing to see me when I was hospitalized for pneumonia. Orphaned, I cried over their bodies. Julian knelt beside me, ignoring his mother’s glare, and swore to take care of me forever. We got married. I had multiple miscarriages. Then he met Chloe. He started disliking me for having no depth. I only knew how to ask what to eat. Chloe could talk about art and the future of the internet with him. Tears soaked my pillow. When I opened my eyes, it was dawn. Just like in my last life, I woke up crying. Julian sent a WeChat message. “Visiting my mom at the nursing home this afternoon.” 4 I replied calmly: “Busy today. No time.” Julian called immediately. “What are you busy with?” “Sarah, how many times do I have to say it? There’s nothing between me and Chloe. Why are you clinging to small things?” A sneer formed on my lips. Since his success, Julian spoke in short, concise sentences. This was the first time he rambled defensively. He was trying to convince himself he hadn’t fallen for her, trying to lessen his guilt. My heart ached, but I explained calmly: “Julian, I’m not feeling well. I’m going to the hospital for a checkup. I really can’t go.” “Also, your mom has a heart condition and hates me. Me not going is better for her health. She likes Chloe, says only Chloe is worthy of you. Why don’t you take her?” I genuinely meant it as good advice. But Julian exploded. “Sarah, keep acting out. See where it gets you.” He hung up. I listened to the dial tone, smiling bitterly. This is the difference between love and no love. When he loved me, a slight frown from me would make him panic and ask what he did wrong. Now, even my sincere advice is seen as throwing a tantrum.

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Everyone in New York’s elite circle knew that Julian Ford would lie about anything to protect his “godsister,” Lily. At a family gathering, he publicly tore my ultrasound report to shreds. “I have congenital asthenospermia. If you want to trap me, Sarah, you’ll need a better lie than a pregnancy.” Under the mocking gazes of the crowd, he tenderly wiped a tear from Lily’s eye. In that moment, I realized that for the unloved, even pregnancy is a sin. I touched my slightly swollen belly and turned to jump off the luxury yacht. “Julian, since you can’t have children, consider this one a gift from a ghost.” Five years later, a miniature version of him outbid him for a plot of land he coveted at an auction. Red-eyed, Julian demanded a DNA test. The child just smiled. “Uncle, you’re sick. You couldn’t produce a seed as smart as me.” 1 Silence fell over the auction hall. That childish voice was like a slap across everyone’s face. Below the stage, Julian’s handsome face twisted. The bidding paddle in his hand crunched into a ball of useless plastic. He stared deathly at the child in the front row, who was swinging his short legs. A face identical to his own had become the biggest irony in the room. Julian moved. He strode over the seats, radiating murderous intent. Security didn’t dare stop him; guests didn’t dare breathe. He reached out, fingers hooked like claws, aiming straight for the child’s collar. The boy didn’t dodge. He just looked up, his eyes—so like mine—filled with cold indifference. Just as Julian’s hand was about to touch the child, a black shadow struck from the side. A hand wearing a black tactical glove clamped onto Julian’s wrist. I used my full strength. Veins popped on the back of Julian’s hand, bones cracking audibly. He tried to shake me off in pain, but I didn’t budge. He followed the arm up, his gaze colliding with my icy pupils. Julian’s pupils constricted violently. He stared at my face as if seeing a ghost, squeezing two words through his teeth: “Sarah… Vance?” Instantly, the guests exploded. “Sarah Vance? Julian’s ex-wife who jumped into the ocean five years ago?” “Didn’t they say no body was found? How is she alive?” “I heard she was pregnant with a bastard and jumped out of shame…” The whispers buzzed like flies. I threw his hand off expressionlessly, with enough force to make him stumble back half a step. Bending down, I straightened the child’s bowtie, then stood up. I pulled off the glove, revealing a palm roughened by years of seawater. I looked at Julian coldly. “Mr. Ford, you’re mistaken. I’m this child’s father, not your ex-wife.” Behind Julian, Lily covered her mouth and screamed. “Ghost! Julian, she’s a ghost!” She shrank behind Julian in terror, trembling. Julian instinctively shielded her in his arms, a habit carved into his bones. After comforting Lily, he turned back to me, the shock in his eyes replaced by utter disgust. Even after five years, his gaze could still sting. Julian looked me up and down, his eyes scanning my cargo pants and combat boots before landing on the child. He sneered. “Didn’t die but hid for five years? Couldn’t make it out there? Came back with a bastard to beg for money?” His look was like watching a dog wag its tail. “Sarah, does this outfit even cost fifty bucks? Couldn’t your lover afford to keep you?” A few snickers rippled through the crowd. I ignored him. I took the Rubik’s cube from the child and placed it on the table. Then, I raised my bidding paddle. My voice rang clear through the hall. “Fifty million.” The crowd gasped. That was the land Julian was determined to get. The starting bid was only twenty million. The mockery froze on Julian’s face. The auctioneer slammed the hammer down in excitement. A staff member ran over with the card machine. I rolled up my sleeve, revealing a jagged scar on my wrist. That was the mark left by deep-sea decompression sickness, proof of my five years risking my life. I swiped the card and signed, movements fluid. “Also,” I shoved the Black Card back into my pocket and looked straight at Julian, “Mr. Ford, if you’re not using your eyes, donate them. Get out of my way.” I took the child’s hand and started to walk. Julian’s face was livid. He signaled his bodyguards. The heavy doors slammed shut. A dozen men in black blocked the exit. Julian pushed Lily aside and advanced on me step by step, gritting his teeth. “Trying to leave? Explain yourself. Whose bastard is this?” He pointed at the child, eyes full of violence. “Here to scam me? I don’t mind verifying it right here and making you disappear again.” 2 In the VIP lounge behind the auction hall. A dozen burly men surrounded the child and me tightly. Julian sat on the sofa, legs crossed in arrogance, spinning a pinky ring, eyes dark. “Speak, Sarah.” A file slammed onto the coffee table. It was the private investigator’s report from five years ago. “Which man did you climb on to get here? Or did you sell your body for that fifty million?” Every word was a knife to the heart. Lily held a cup of hot tea, eyes red and pitiful. “Sister, don’t fight with Julian. Just tell us who the father is, and the Ford family will give you some money.” Her gaze swept over Julian’s lower half, voice lowered but loud enough for everyone to hear: “After all, everyone knows about Julian’s diagnosis of asthenospermia.” “Insisting the child is his… isn’t that just rubbing salt in his wound?” That knife twist was vicious. My son suddenly laughed. The laughter was crisp but cold, unlike a child. He unwrapped a piece of gum, chewed twice, and looked at Lily. “Auntie, your perfume is really strong. It smells like the bug spray in my bathroom.” Lily’s face stiffened, tears threatening to fall. Julian stood up abruptly, raising his hand to slap the child! “Uneducated brat! Who are you to talk to her like that?” The slap came with the wind, merciless. I grabbed the phone from the table and smashed it into the back of his hand. Bang! The screen shattered, and Julian’s hand instantly swelled red. He cried out in pain, clutching his hand and retreating, glaring at me. “Sarah! You dare hit me for this bastard?” I pulled the child behind me and looked at him coldly. “Julian, watch your mouth. Don’t you know if this child is a bastard?” Julian laughed in extreme anger, eyes full of madness. “Good! Very good!” He roared at the bodyguards. “Drag this little brat for a DNA test!” “I want the results now! I want all of New York to see whose mongrel you were carrying back then!” He pointed at my nose, voice twisted. “I will prove my innocence! Prove I never touched a slut like you!” To humiliate me, he didn’t hesitate to emphasize his own “impotence” in public. His logic was twisted to the extreme. The bodyguards moved to grab the child. My son didn’t dodge. He plucked a hair from his head and held it out. I stopped the bodyguard, took the hair from the child, and walked up to Julian. I placed the hair on the coffee table, looking at him like he was trash. “Test it.” My voice was terrifyingly calm. “Julian, but you can’t afford the consequences.” Just as Julian was about to explode, Lily suddenly clutched her chest and moaned. “Julian… I don’t feel well. My heart hurts.” Her face went pale instantly, and she slumped. Julian’s anger vanished, replaced by panic. He shoved me aside and rushed to pick up Lily. “Lily! Where’s the medicine? Get the car! Hurry!” He carried Lily toward the door, not even glancing at me as he passed. He only left a cold command: “Watch this crazy woman and that bastard! No one leaves until the results are out!” Half the people rushed out. I stood there, watching his frantic back. It was like this five years ago. Whenever Lily frowned, everything else had to wait. Even if I was bleeding out in the delivery room. I took a crumpled old newspaper clipping from my bag. It was a photo of Julian tearing up my ultrasound report in the hospital. I crumpled it into a ball and threw it in the trash. Then, I dialed an encrypted number. “Hello.” “You can bring that thing up now.” 3 Three days later, at the marina. The sea breeze was biting. Julian’s car was parked by the pier. He stood in the wind, holding the unopened paternity test result. Lily, wrapped in his cashmere coat, huddled beside him, cheeks rosy, looking anything but sick. I walked over holding the child’s hand. Bodyguards blocked our path. Julian waved a manila envelope, eyes cold. “Want this?” He pointed to the deep, dark water below. “Lily accidentally dropped the family heirloom ring. It’s a Ford heirloom, it can’t be lost.” He stared at me, a cruel smile on his lips. “Sarah, I heard you do deep-sea salvage abroad?” “Since you’re so capable, fetch it for Lily.” Naked humiliation. The late autumn seawater was freezing, full of undercurrents. Lily pretended to pull at Julian. “Julian, forget it.” “If the ring is lost, it’s lost. The water is too cold. Sister is weak, don’t make her go.” Her mouth said no, but her eyes were full of provocation and anticipation. Julian said coldly, “That was your engagement ring. It must be found.” “Isn’t she a professional? If she can’t handle this small thing, how can she talk about fifty million?” Ignoring their act, I bent down and handed the child to my assistant. I took off my coat, revealing the black wetsuit underneath. “Conditions.” I checked the oxygen tank and spoke coldly. “I bring it up, the DNA test is destroyed on the spot, and the Ford family and I are done. This child has nothing to do with you.” Julian paused, then sneered. “So eager to destroy it? Guess you know the results are shameful. Fine, I agree.” In his eyes, I was just guilty. I put on my goggles, bit the regulator, and jumped. Splash! I vanished into the gray-black water. The monitor screen on the shore lit up, showing the live feed from my suit camera. My heart rate data was a flat line. Julian stared at the screen, brow furrowed. Water temperature 46°F. My calmness annoyed him. Underwater visibility was poor. Suddenly, a strong current hit me. Someone had tampered with the environment. The air hose jerked violently, cutting off the flow to my regulator. Suffocation hit instantly. I looked up and vaguely saw the operator under the boat shaking the line violently. Lily had bribed someone. She wanted me dead. On the monitor, my heart rate still didn’t spike. I didn’t call for help or struggle. Calmly, I reached behind my back, cut the main air line, and opened the backup micro-tank. This little trick wasn’t enough. Using the current, I flipped out of the turbulent flow and dove straight into the seabed silt. Amidst scrap metal and nets, a faint glint. I reached out, fingers clawing, and grabbed the ring. Movement sharp and vicious. Three minutes later, I broke the surface. I climbed onto the dock, soaked, face pale, but eyes sharp as knives. Julian looked at me and subconsciously took a step back. I strode up to Lily. In front of Julian, I held up the so-called “heirloom” ring. I squeezed. Crunch! The gem-encrusted ring crushed into an oval in my fingers. I tossed it casually. It rolled to the toe of Lily’s couture shoes. “Fake.” I took off the regulator and sneered. “Just like you. Gold-plated copper.” A piece of the plating chipped off, revealing cheap brass underneath. Lily’s face went white instantly. She looked at Julian in panic. Julian stared at the ring on the ground in shock, then at my water-streaked face, forgetting to react. Julian bent down and picked up the deformed ring. The mottled brass rust stung his eyes. Face livid, he snapped his head toward Lily. The question stuck in his throat. The giant LED billboard on the pier suddenly lit up. 4 Someone in the crowd gasped. “That’s…” It wasn’t an ad. It was a live feed from a DNA testing center. On the high platform, my child held a tablet, fingers flying. He had hacked the pier’s system. On screen was the director of the testing center, a mole I planted five years ago. He faced the camera, expression serious, opening a sealed bag. “DNA comparison result: Sample A, Julian Ford, and Sample B, Paternity Index 99.9999%.” The director’s voice boomed through the loudspeakers across the pier. “Conclusion: Biological father-son relationship supported.” Dead silence. Then, the murmurs exploded, louder than the waves. Julian stared deathly at the screen, the copper ring cutting into his palm until it bled. “Impossible!” He roared, eyes red. “I have asthenospermia! I’m infertile! Sarah, you dare fake this!” He was still clinging to that laughable lie. I unzipped my wet suit and walked toward him step by step. I pulled a voice recorder from a waterproof bag and pressed play. After a crackle of static, Lily’s sobbing voice emerged. “Julian, please. If your mom finds out I had a hysterectomy after the abortion, she’ll kick me out. Help me.” “As long as you admit it’s your problem, she won’t blame me.” “You don’t love Sarah anyway. What’s wrong with letting her take the blame?” Every word was a slap across Julian’s face. His face turned gray, his whole body shaking. The surrounding looks turned from awe to contempt. Even his bodyguards looked away. Lily screamed and lunged. “Fake! It’s all AI synthesized!” She tried to grab the recorder. The child on the platform spoke coldly. “Audio analysis chart sent to the media. Real or fake, they’ll know.” He paused, then pressed another key. The screen changed to a foreign birth certificate. “Auntie Lily, you gave birth to a child named David in California five years ago. You said you couldn’t have kids. Whose is this?” Lily trembled and collapsed to the ground. Julian looked at her, his eyes filled only with the hatred of being played. “You lied to me?” His voice shook. “You’ve been lying to me the whole time?” “I destroyed Sarah, destroyed my home for you! And you already had a kid?!” I walked up to him and straightened his wind-blown collar. My cold fingertips touched his skin. He shivered. “Mr. Ford,” I whispered in his ear, voice icy. “Your illness is fake.” “The sister you treasured for five years put a green hat on you overseas long ago.” “Does it fit well?” Julian froze, unable to say a word. On the ground, Lily suddenly let out a piercing scream. She scrambled up, charging like a madwoman toward the child on the platform. “It’s all you! You little bastard!” She pushed the child toward the edge of the high platform. “Careful!” I screamed, heart tearing. The child tipped over, falling toward the black water. Julian moved. He was closest. As he reached out, Lily slipped and fell too. On one side, his son. On the other, Lily. In that split second, Julian made an instinctive choice. He grabbed Lily’s hand.

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Chapter 1 I had sponsored a struggling student for three years, and when she wanted a summer job, I arranged for her to work at my husband’s company. A few months later, she burst into my office with a bulging belly, tearfully accusing me: “I knew it! You never had good intentions when you sponsored me!” “Now I’m pregnant with CEO Smith’s child, and he’s suddenly disappeared. Did you hide him?” Her brother looked even more ferocious, pointing at my nose and yelling: “If it weren’t for your fake kindness, how would my sister have met such a scumbag?” “Getting her pregnant and then trying to run? No way!” “Either pay up or get a divorce and let her be Mrs. Smith. It’s your choice!” The news spread quickly, and the internet was full of curses. Everyone said I was a pimp, using the guise of sponsoring poor students to find mistresses for my husband. But I just laughed. If she could really get pregnant by my husband, I’d have to apply for a patent. … I was grading papers when my office door was slammed open by a menacing man. “Where’s your husband, Cheng? Did you hide him?” “He got my sister pregnant and wants to run? In his dreams!” Fang Ting stood behind him, protecting her belly, her eyes red. Beside her was a girl live-streaming the whole thing. I frowned. “Fang Ting, why are you here?” Fang Ting choked up, “Ms. Cheng, I really have no other way. CEO Smith is missing, I can’t find him…” “And I have a special condition; the doctor says I can’t have an abortion…” I leaned back and looked at her quietly. “So? What do you want by coming here today?” Fang Qiang sneered, “Two options! Either let Smith marry my sister! Or pay up! My sister is a top student at an Ivy League school, and your beast of a husband ruined her!” The girl holding the phone immediately chimed in, “Guys, look at this ‘teacher’! She pretends to help poor students but is actually pimping for her husband! Fang Ting is so pitiful. She worked so hard to get out of the countryside, only to fall into this trap!” The comments were scrolling frantically: “Real or fake? This teacher looks quiet, but she’s worse than a beast!” “Exactly! The girl looks barely eighteen or nineteen. Her life is ruined!” A crowd of curious students gathered at the office door, their whispers growing louder. I stood up, walked to the water cooler, poured a cup, and took a sip. “Are you done?” Fang Qiang raged, “What’s with your attitude! My sister is carrying your husband’s seed!” “Impossible,” I tossed the paper cup into the trash can. “The child in her belly is absolutely not my husband’s.” Fang Ting’s eyes instantly turned red. “Ms. Cheng, I know it’s hard for you to accept, but it’s the truth! That night, CEO Smith got me drunk, and when I woke up… he said he truly liked me…” “Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “CEO Smith told you himself that he liked you?” Fang Ting nodded vigorously and pulled a stack of photos from her bag. “These are the evidence, Ms. Cheng. If I’m lying, may lightning strike me!” I glanced at the photos. The angles were tricky, but I could see Smith’s profile and Fang Ting leaning on him. The hotel surveillance screenshot was clear, dated one night three months ago. “The photos are real,” I said. Fang Qiang immediately gloated, “See! I told you…” “But the child isn’t my husband’s,” I interrupted him. “Fang Ting, if you leave now, I can pretend this never happened. If you keep making a scene, I’ll call the police.” Chapter 2 The girl live-streaming immediately screamed: “We should be the ones calling the police! Ms. Cheng, your husband raped a college student and got her pregnant. You’re an accomplice!” The live stream chat exploded: “Is this teacher crazy? The evidence is solid, and she’s still denying it!” “Where’s the dean? Why isn’t she fired yet?” “Don’t be afraid, Fang Ting. Tens of thousands of us support you!” Several female students watching at the door were already teary-eyed. “Fang Ting is so pitiful! Betrayed by the teacher she trusted most and given to an old man!” “Exactly, someone like her doesn’t deserve to be a teacher!” Fang Ting clutched her belly, crying so hard she could barely stand. I felt a chill in my heart. Three years ago, I traveled to Yufeng Village. I saw Fang Ting’s parents trying to marry her off to a fifty-something bachelor just before her college entrance exams to get a dowry for her brother. She knelt in the mud, hugging me and begging, “Teacher, I want to study. Please help me…” I softened. Not only did I stop the marriage, but I also promised to sponsor her until she graduated college. She worked hard and got into a top university. The day she got her acceptance letter, she called me crying, “Ms. Cheng, I will study hard and repay you in the future.” I was so gratified back then. This summer, she said she wanted to earn her own living expenses. I thought about it and arranged for her to work-study at my husband’s company. I thought I was helping her. Now it seems I was digging my own grave! Seeing my silence, Fang Ting looked up and bit her lip: “Ms. Cheng, I know you and CEO Smith have a good relationship, but my child is innocent…” Fang Qiang immediately interrupted, “Tingting, you’re just too soft-hearted! Even if that scumbag is willing to divorce this old woman and marry you, you still need to ask for a million dollars in emotional damages!” I laughed and raised an eyebrow: “A million dollars? Fang Ting, do you think you’re worth that price?” The students gasped: “Is that something a human would say? Disgusting!” “Yeah! So vicious! I hope her daughter encounters the same thing in the future!” “Someone like her doesn’t deserve children!” Fang Ting’s face turned pale, and she almost fell. The girl live-streaming quickly supported her and cried to the camera, “Everyone saw it! This woman doesn’t treat Tingting like a human being!” Fang Qiang was furious. He grabbed the water cup on the table and was about to throw it. I looked at him coldly. “Try throwing it! Intentional property damage, provoking trouble. That’s enough for you to stay in detention for a few days.” His hand froze in mid-air. “And you,” I glanced at the girl live-streaming, “livestreaming in the office without permission, invading privacy. Believe it or not, I can call security right now and give you a major demerit?” The girl’s face changed. Seeing this, Fang Ting cried even harder, “Ms. Cheng, how could you be like this? I came to you because I had no other choice. If CEO Smith was willing to take responsibility, I wouldn’t bother you…” “Take responsibility?” I stood up. “For what? For something he never did?” I walked up to her and stared into her eyes. “Fang Ting, search your conscience and tell me, is the child in your belly really Smith’s?” Her eyes flickered for a moment, then she said firmly, “Of course it’s his!” “Is that so?” I smiled. “Then tell me, what color underwear was Smith wearing that night?” Chapter 3 The office fell silent instantly. Even the live stream chat paused for a second. Fang Ting froze, her mouth open, unable to make a sound. “What? Can’t remember?” I pressed. “Or did you never see it?” “I was drunk…” she stammered. “Drunk, but you remember he forced you?” I continued. “Drunk, but you’re sure the child is his?” Fang Qiang exploded, “Cheng Yue! Stop changing the subject! The evidence is right here, and you still want to deny it?” “A few blurry photos convict him?” I sneered. “Then can I just take a few photos of you walking with another woman and say you raped her?” “You!” “Also,” I interrupted him, “how did you get the hotel surveillance footage? Would a hotel just give surveillance footage to strangers?” Fang Qiang was speechless. Fang Ting quickly explained, “My roommate used her connections…” “Oh?” I looked at her roommate. “Does your family own the hotel? Or do you know the owner?” The girl hemmed and hawed, “My cousin works there…” “What a coincidence?” I smiled. “Your cousin just happened to work at the hotel where Smith forced Fang Ting? Just happened to get the surveillance? Just happened to be willing to risk breaking the law to give you screenshots?” The sentiment in the live stream began to shift: “That makes sense…” “Yeah, hotel surveillance isn’t something you can just get.” “Right, if it was forced, why didn’t she call the police immediately?” Just then, Fang Ting suddenly clutched her belly and squatted down. “My stomach hurts so much…” “Tingting!” Her roommate exclaimed. “That’s too much! This old woman is definitely doing this on purpose! She’s jealous that you’re having her husband’s child!” Fang Qiang also pointed at my nose and cursed, “Cheng Yue! If anything happens to my sister and the child, I won’t let you off!” I watched their performance coldly. “Do you need me to call 911 for you?” Fang Ting curled up on the floor, tears streaming down her face. “Ms. Cheng, why push me like this? I just want justice…” “Justice?” I sneered, finding it incredibly ironic. “Fang Ting, when you knelt in the mud begging for my sponsorship, you said the same thing. You said you wanted to study, wanted a fair life.” “Now that I’ve given you an education, given you a chance to change your destiny, this is how you repay me?” Her eyes darted away, afraid to look at me. “Cheng! Stop your moral kidnapping!” Fang Qiang roared. “So what if you sponsored her? Does sponsorship mean you can let your husband ruin my sister?” I stood up: “Enough. I’ll say it one last time. First, Smith couldn’t have forced anyone. Second, the child in your belly absolutely cannot be his!” “Third, if you continue to make trouble here, I will call the police immediately. The charge of slander is not light.” The office was dead silent. The live stream chat scrolled frantically: “This teacher is tough! Her logic is clear!” “Yeah, she looks very confident!” “Is there a hidden story? Could it be a badger game?” Just then, Department Head Wang squeezed through the crowd and rushed in. “What’s going on?!” Fang Qiang acted like he found a lifeline. “Director Wang, you’re just in time! This Cheng Yue, her husband raped my sister. She’s four months pregnant now, and they won’t admit it, even accusing my sister of extortion!” Chapter 4 “Director Wang, they’re lying,” I said calmly. “My husband couldn’t have gotten Fang Ting pregnant!” Fang Qiang raged, “Still stubborn even at death’s door! Such a teacher is ruining the school’s reputation! Director Wang, I demand Cheng Yue be fired immediately!” Director Wang looked at me with difficulty. “Ms. Cheng, why don’t you go home and rest for a few days?” I looked at Director Wang. “Even you believe their nonsense?” Director Wang lowered his voice. “It’s become such a mess, the impact is very bad! Ms. Cheng, you have to think about the school!” For the school, I should accept this baseless accusation? “Director Wang, if you punish me under pressure today, I will sue the school for defamation tomorrow. Think clearly!” Director Wang’s face grew even uglier. Just then, Fang Ting suddenly got up from the floor and pulled a paper from her bag. “Ms. Cheng, I knew you wouldn’t believe me easily, so I went for an amniocentesis paternity test last week!” She held the paper up to the camera. “The test results show that the biological father of the child in my belly matches CEO Smith’s DNA by 99.99%.” The office went instantly silent. After a few seconds of pause, the live stream chat exploded. “She asked for the hammer, she got the hammer! How can this old woman deny it now!” “Exactly, it’s in black and white. Can this be fake?” “She won’t cry until she sees the coffin. Still a teacher? Shameless!” Director Wang’s face grew increasingly grim. Fang Qiang gloated, “Ironclad evidence! Cheng, what do you have to say now? Hurry up and pay the emotional damages! Five million, not a penny less!” Fang Ting cried and pulled her brother. “Brother, don’t be like this. Ms. Cheng has been kind to me…” Fang Qiang shook her off. “She was kind to you, so she could let her husband force himself on you? Today, your brother must get justice for you!” The students watching at the door also started shouting: “We demand the school fire Ms. Cheng immediately! Police investigation! Punish this beastly couple severely!” The waves of voices grew higher, and someone even threw leftover milk tea at my head, splashing liquid everywhere. I looked at the test report and suddenly laughed. “This report is fake. Also, a paternity test requires DNA samples from both parties. Where did you get Smith’s DNA?” Fang Ting’s face instantly went white. “I got it from a cup he used…” I asked her, “Smith has a dedicated cup at the company, washed and sterilized immediately after every use. You said you got DNA, which day? Which cup?” Fang Ting was speechless. Fang Qiang immediately interjected, “Who cares how she got it! Anyway, the test report is real! If you don’t believe it, we can go for another test right now!” “Okay,” I said. “Let’s go now. I’ll have Smith come over for on-site sampling!” Fang Ting panicked. “Isn’t CEO Smith missing?” I smiled. “Who said he’s missing?” “I called and texted him these past few days, he didn’t reply…” Fang Ting’s voice grew smaller. “I went to the company to find him, the secretary said he was on a business trip…” “He was indeed on a business trip,” I checked my watch. “But he should be back now.” Fang Qiang’s eyes lit up. “Great! Let him confront my sister face to face! I want to see what this rapist has to say!” The live stream chat buzzed again: “Waiting for the scumbag to show up!” “Does he dare to come to this kind of occasion? Probably ran away!” “Is this Cheng Yue stalling for time?” Director Wang quickly smoothed things over. “Ms. Cheng, if your husband can come, that would be best! Clearing things up face to face is good for everyone!” I took out my phone and dialed a number. “Yue?” Smith’s voice came from the receiver. “I just finished a full body maintenance and was about to contact you. What’s up?” “Come to my school office,” I said. “Bring your full set of ID documents and product manual.” “Manual?” Smith paused. “What happened?” I glanced at Fang Ting, meaningful: “Someone is pregnant with your child. Don’t you want to come take a look?”

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My husband hired a new intern for the purchasing department, and the moment she walked in, she started barking orders at me. “You’ve wasted all the company’s money! Do you even understand ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’?” She pulled up Amazon on her phone, shoving her order history from last month in my face. I stood there, stunned. “Just as I thought, a total dinosaur. You don’t know anything!” “If I were the purchasing manager, this company would have gone public by now!” I took a breath, trying to ignore her ridiculous comments. “Why don’t you shadow Sarah for now and help organize the invoices…” Before I could finish, Lynn slammed her hand on the desk. “I didn’t come here to be a secretary! I came here to save this company!” She rolled her eyes at me. “A boomer like you who doesn’t even get ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ is just waiting to be replaced by me!” I took a deep breath. Fine. If that’s how you want to play it, your daily wages can be ‘Paid Later’ too. 1. I immediately called my husband, Tom, the CEO. Where on earth did he find this chaotic “genius”? The phone rang and rang. No answer. Just then, the office door banged open. Lynn burst in, arms overflowing with snacks, plastic bags crinkling loudly. “Come on, everyone! Dig in!” she shouted with her mouth full of potato chips, tossing bags of snacks onto my colleagues’ desks. “My treat!” “Work sucks, might as well have something sweet, right?” Colleagues swarmed around her, grabbing snacks and praising her. “Lynn, you really know how to liven up the place!” “This girl gets it!” 2. Lynn lifted her chin triumphantly, dusting chip crumbs off her hands. “This is nothing! I got it all using ‘Buy Now, Pay Later.’ Didn’t cost me a cent today!” Just as I was about to step out and reprimand her for causing a disturbance during work hours, my phone buzzed. The screen lit up with a notification from the gourmet grocery store downstairs— [You have activated ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ this morning. Order total $999 pending payment.] The rustling of plastic bags and laughter of my colleagues continued outside. Lynn’s boastful voice grated on my nerves. “Stocking up with this feature is the best deal. The money doesn’t come out until next month anyway!” I stared at the unauthorized transaction on my screen, my grip tightening on the phone. I pushed the door open. The office went silent instantly. Everyone froze. Lynn was tossing the last bag of chips to Sarah. Seeing me, she rolled her eyes publicly. “Oh, now you want snacks?” She sneered, her voice sharp. “Dream on. I’m not giving you any.” She deliberately shook the empty plastic bag at me. “Some dinosaurs don’t even understand ‘Buy Now, Pay Later.’ Do you really deserve to eat the food I bought?” I stared at her smug face and held up my phone, screen facing her. “The $999 pending payment at the grocery store downstairs… did you use my account?” 3. Lynn snatched the phone from my hand. Seeing the screen, her eyes lit up. “Hey, it’s activated!” She bobbed her head smugly. “See? You learned how to use advanced features.” She shoved the phone back into my chest, acting self-righteous. “You should be thanking me for helping you set it up!” A few colleagues couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s so convenient. Money isn’t deducted until next month,” she patted my shoulder patronizingly. “Consider the $999 a tuition fee. Even dinosaurs need to keep up with the times!” The plastic bag rustled as she tore open a pack of cookies, crunching loudly. I snapped. I slapped the cookies out of her hand, sending them crashing to the floor. “What the hell did you do?!” Lynn screamed, grabbing a handful of snacks from the desk and throwing them at my face. “You’re wasting food, you b*tch!” Chip crumbs stuck to my face as she shrieked, “The store downstairs is for employees only! I’m an intern and didn’t have access, so I used your name—” She waved her phone triumphantly, showing the transaction record on my account. “The owner knows you. I told him to send the bill to you. ‘Buy Now, Pay Later.’ You’re paying that tuition fee whether you like it or not!” I grabbed her wrist. “Pay me back right now! I’m cancelling this stupid feature!” Lynn yanked her arm away, her voice rising. “Ungrateful! I teach you a financial hack and this is how you repay me?” 4. Her greasy hand grabbed my collar. “You deserve to be left behind by society! The money isn’t due until next month, why are you rushing to pay?” Seeing a few colleagues snickering, she got bolder. “I’m helping you elevate your spending habits. You should be kneeling to thank me!” I dragged her toward the door. “We’re going to the store. And don’t bother coming in tomorrow!” Before I could finish, SMACK! A crisp slap landed on my face. I stood there, hand on my burning cheek, stunned. She shook me off and shouted at the top of her lungs. “Everyone knows you’re the most useless person in Purchasing! I had to teach you how to use ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’!” Some colleagues were secretly filming with their phones. “What are you staring at?” She stepped forward, spit flying onto my face. “CEO Tom hired me personally. Who are you to fire me?” Lynn lifted her chin arrogantly. “You think you can fire me? Let’s see if Tom listens to you or me!” She shoved me hard, grabbing the pile of snacks from the desk. ” pearls before swine. I wouldn’t even give this to a dog!” I was shaking with rage. I pulled out my phone and dialed Tom again. “Let’s see if I kick you out today!” The phone rang and rang. No answer. My colleagues’ eyes were pinned on me. The busy tone felt like another slap in the face. I dialed again. Still no answer.

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Chapter 1 It was the third year since my brother and I were kidnapped and taken to a hellhole in Southeast Asia. His fate was unknown, while I had been tortured into a living corpse. The rotting flesh on my body reeked permanently. The rusted shackles on my ankles had grown into my skin. To fill my stomach, I had fought stray dogs for scraps. After countless failed attempts to escape or call for help, I finally gave up. Despair consumed me. I just wanted to die. But just as I swallowed a handful of stolen pills, waiting for the darkness to take me, I heard an argument outside my cell. “She’s your own sister! You ruined her future after she got into Stanford just for that charity case you took in. Why do you have to torture her like this?” Suddenly, my missing brother, Liam, kicked the door open and scooped me up. His voice was frantic, yet filled with anger. “She knew I’d always provide for her, that grades didn’t matter. But she just had to show off and score higher than Vanessa, triggering her depression again. I’m just teaching her a lesson. I needed to humble her.” “Vanessa graduates in a month. I was going to take Riley home then anyway. A little suffering builds character. What’s the big deal?” The realization hit me like a physical blow. No wonder… no wonder I risked my life searching the entire compound for him and never found a trace. It turned out that from the very beginning, this was all his doing. A punishment for upsetting his precious foster sister, Vanessa. I coughed up blood and laughed until tears streamed down my face. Liam, the punishment is about to be over. Forever. And I’m never going home with you. … The smell of antiseptic in the hospital room was suffocating. I stared blankly at the ceiling, my stomach churning with nausea from the charcoal they had pumped into me. Liam pushed the door open, holding my medical chart. Watching the person I had spent three years searching for walk toward me so casually… My pupils trembled. A tsunami of emotions crashed over me. I stiffened my neck, refusing to let the tears fall. He stared at me, suppressing his rage. We both knew the score. Neither of us wanted to speak first. Finally, our eyes met. I couldn’t stop my voice from trembling. “Liam…” But my voice only ignited his fury. He slammed the gastric lavage report onto my face. “Riley! Have you made enough of a scene? You knew this was just a punishment, so you swallowed pills to force me to come out? You’d risk your life just to make me feel sorry for you?” “It was just a few years of hardship. I specifically told those people not to permanently damage you. Painting fake wounds on yourself won’t work—it just makes you look pathetic!” I froze in disbelief. The agony stuck in my throat. For three years, I dreamed of finding him. I imagined our reunion a thousand times. I thought I would be excited. I thought I would cry in relief. I never imagined… his first words would be a dismissal of my torture and his habitual distrust. After a few seconds of silence, Vanessa walked into the room. She smiled sweetly and handed me an invitation. “Riley, I’m graduating soon. Come to my party. I don’t blame you for what happened in the past.” I stared at Liam with bloodshot eyes, my hands motionless. Vanessa instantly lowered her head, wiping away a tear. “Liam, it looks like Riley still hates me. Don’t worry about me. Cancel the party. Just take Riley home. I… I’ll leave the family.” Liam’s heart broke instantly. He glared at me, his fists clenching tighter and tighter, until he roared. “Riley! You’re still this stubborn? You still won’t accept Vanessa? You know she has severe depression, yet you still make her cry!” “It seems the punishment wasn’t enough!” Liam immediately ordered his bodyguards to throw me out of the hospital. “Let her suffer on the streets for another month. Maybe then she’ll learn her lesson!” It wasn’t until Liam drove off with Vanessa, the exhaust fumes hitting my face, that I snapped back to reality. I looked blankly at the bustling street. The banners hanging from the lampposts were all celebrating Vanessa’s graduation. The massive screen on the mall across the street was playing a video of Liam’s graduation gift to Vanessa: a chest full of jewelry and two island villas. Passersby were whispering, envious of how much Liam spoiled her. I suddenly laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. Tears flowed uncontrollably. It turned out, during those three years where I lived a life worse than death… During the three years I risked everything to find him… During the three years I prayed for rescue… He was out here, treating Vanessa like a princess. Chapter 2 I wandered the streets aimlessly. My body was covered in hideous scars, and I was wearing a blood-stained t-shirt in the freezing winter wind. Everyone looked at me like I was a monster. But I didn’t care. I just stared at the river in the distance and kept walking. There was a faint sense of relief in my heart. Suddenly, a hand tapped my shoulder. I instinctively dropped to a crouch, covering my head in terror. “Don’t hit me! Please don’t hit me! I’ll be good…” The person frowned, eyes full of confusion. “Riley? Is that really you?” Hearing a familiar voice, I peeked out cautiously. It was Ms. Clarke, my favorite teacher from high school. “What happened to you? Does your brother know? He used to value you more than his own life.” Hearing her words, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. From the day Liam brought Vanessa home, I was no longer the sister he valued more than his life. Back then, Vanessa framed me constantly. Today, I slapped her; tomorrow, I tore her dress; the next day, I orchestrated bullying against her. Every single time, Liam believed her without question and scolded me. When I tried to explain, he would get angry, accusing me of being vicious and a liar. Finally, he slapped me hard across the face. “Riley! I give you this privileged life to give you confidence, not to give you the audacity to bully the weak!” “I’ve spoiled you too much! You need a lesson!” He locked me, knowing I was claustrophobic, in the basement for a week. From then on, I stopped talking to him. For six months, silence. Until I got the highest SAT scores in the state. Liam said he wanted to take me on a graduation trip to make amends. I knew he was trying to coax me. We were siblings, after all. There was no deep hatred. But on the day of the trip, we were bagged and dragged away to that camp abroad. The next day, Liam vanished. I was terrified something had happened to him. I searched the compound even as my flesh was whipped raw. Old scars hadn’t healed before new ones were added. But no matter how much it hurt, I never stopped looking for him. Once, after being branded with a hot iron for running away and nearly fed to the pigs, a kind older woman whispered to me: “Little girl, stop looking. People who disappear here… they’re usually dead.” In that moment, my heart died too. I drowned in guilt. If I hadn’t held a grudge, he wouldn’t have planned this trip to appease me. If it weren’t for me, my brother wouldn’t be dead in this hellhole. I stopped fighting. I numbly accepted the daily beatings. I numbly accepted the scars. I became numb enough to want death. Finally, I found a bottle of sleeping pills. Just as I was about to be free… I heard the truth. A truth more painful than death. Everything I suffered was because I scored higher than Vanessa, triggering her insecurity. It was Liam punishing me because his heart ached for her. As I recounted this to Ms. Clarke, my smile turned grotesque, and the dam holding back my tears broke. Ms. Clarke’s eyes were red. Her lips trembled, trying to speak but failing. Finally, she just hugged me tight. “Tell me what you need. I will do everything in my power to help you.” I shook my head bitterly. “I don’t need anything anymore.” In a way, I was already dead. I didn’t want this empty shell of a body anymore. If Liam hadn’t “saved” me, I would already be free. Chapter 3 No matter how much I refused, Ms. Clarke insisted on buying me a warm coat. She took me for the fullest meal I’d had in three years. Before leaving, she bought me a bag of snacks and told me to call her anytime. Watching her walk away, my heart ached with sourness. Back in school, when Vanessa framed me, my own brother didn’t ask a single question before punishing me. But Ms. Clarke had chosen to believe me. Three years ago, she was the only warmth I had. Unexpectedly, three years later, she still was. A thought sparked in my dead mind. Before I die, I want to repay her. I want to thank her for her help. I decided to buy her a bouquet of flowers. I had no money, and my broken body couldn’t handle labor. So, I walked around collecting plastic bottles and cans to sell. But every time I managed to fill half a bag, someone would snatch it and dump the contents into the river or a dumpster. At first, I chased them, shouted at them, and then resigned myself to starting over. After it happened several times, I finally collected enough cans. I sold them immediately, terrified of another “accident.” Clutching the cash, I bought a single bouquet. Just as I was dialing Ms. Clarke’s number… The flowers were snatched from my hand, thrown to the ground, and crushed under a polished leather shoe. “What are you doing?!” I screamed, lunging forward. The man kicked me aside, sneering. “This is the price of offending Mr. Hart. He paid me a lot of money to watch you. You aren’t allowed to have a single penny.” I froze. I remembered Liam saying he wanted me to suffer a bit more. I still couldn’t believe it. He was my brother! Was he really going to stomp me into the mud for Vanessa? My head buzzed. Without thinking, I grabbed a rental bike and rode straight to the Hart estate. Vanessa’s graduation party was in full swing. It was lively, opulent. I didn’t care about anything. I grabbed a glass of wine and hurled it at Liam. “Was Myanmar not enough?!” My scream silenced the entire party. “Will you only be satisfied when I’m dead?” Liam turned, frowning at me. His tone was cold, casual. “What’s with all this talk of death? I just wanted you to suffer a bit, to smooth out that attitude of yours.” “Enough. Vanessa’s party ends tonight. The punishment ends tomorrow. I’ll bring you home then. I’ll give you whatever you want. Why are you making a fuss over some trash you picked up?” Trash? I looked around the venue. A single bottle of wine here cost thousands. This party cost millions. And all I wanted to live for… was to trade recyclable trash for a bouquet that cost twenty dollars. The things he sneered at were things I had to bleed to obtain. At that moment, Vanessa walked over in a princess gown, glowing. She patted Liam’s back gently, looked me up and down, and sighed. “Riley, everything Liam does is for your own good. Why can’t you understand his good intentions?” Chapter 4 She stepped forward and took my hand, her face a mask of innocence. “Today is my graduation party. Since you’re here, celebrate with me. I won’t hold your past bullying against you.” “For Liam’s sake, I hope we can get along in the future.” Just then, my phone buzzed. It was Ms. Clarke returning my call. I stared at the screen, about to answer. Vanessa suddenly shrieked, slapping the phone out of my hand. “Ah! Riley! Why are you still in contact with Ms. Clarke? Are you two plotting how to hurt me again?” Before I could react, she started bowing to me frantically, acting like a terrified victim. “I’m sorry! Riley, I shouldn’t be in the Hart family. I shouldn’t be an eyesore to you. I understand now… only if I die will you be satisfied!” She turned, wiping fake tears, and ran toward the river opposite the villa. Chaos erupted. Liam’s face went pale with terror. He sprinted after Vanessa without hesitation. Just as Vanessa climbed onto the railing, Liam tackled her, pulling her back to safety. She wept in his arms like a fragile flower. “Liam, why did you save me? Why won’t you let me die? I don’t want to relive that nightmare. Only death will set me free.” Liam’s eyes were red. Along with his heartache for her, there was an intense rage directed at me. He choked back tears, comforting Vanessa. Then he turned, marched over to me, and slapped me across the face with all his strength. “Riley! Wasn’t it enough that you and that teacher bullied Vanessa into depression back in school?” “You just got back, and you’re already trying to kill her! You are incurable!” My head snapped to the side. I clutched my burning cheek, standing there, stunned. Why? Why is it always my fault? I didn’t do anything! I looked up, a trace of stubbornness in my eyes. “I never hurt her. What do I have to do for you to believe—” But when I saw the sheer disappointment in his eyes, it overlapped with every moment from the past. I laughed at myself. The words died in my throat. There is no “why.” If you don’t want something anymore, you treat it like trash. The last thread of familial love in my heart snapped. I stared at him blankly. “Your punishment is almost over. Can you promise me one thing? Send flowers to Ms. Clarke for me.” He scoffed, full of contempt. “Once the punishment is over, as long as you don’t team up with her to bully Vanessa, I’ll give you whatever you want.” You won’t have to worry about your precious sister being bullied anymore. And aside from those flowers, I don’t want anything. “You keep your word.” My heart was completely empty. I lowered my head and turned toward the secluded part of the riverbank. Liam watched my retreating figure—walking like a corpse—and his heart gave a sudden, violent lurch. An unprecedented uneasiness welled up. He was about to chase after me when a soft cough from Vanessa pulled him back. He immediately picked her up and rushed her to the hospital. I waited by the river until late at night. When no one was around, I climbed over the railing. Looking at the dark water, I closed my eyes, finally feeling relief… To soothe Vanessa, Liam stayed with her for a full week. Checking his phone, he realized my birthday was approaching. He decided to bring me home and give me all the birthday presents he missed over the last three years. But just as he was about to dial my number, a news alert popped up on his phone. [Breaking: A decomposed female body was recovered from the Linlang River today. Identity confirmed as the former top scholar who vanished three years ago, Riley Hart!]

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