The summer after high school graduation, my niece’s diary, “The Pain of Living Under Someone Else’s Roof,” went viral. She came to stay with me for her senior year. Thinking she might feel out of place, I occasionally asked her to help with small chores. When acceptance letters arrived, both she and my daughter got into Stanford. TV stations were practically tripping over each other to interview me, asking for my secrets to raising two geniuses. Just as I was happily sharing my parenting tips, my niece pulled out a diary. The title? The Pain of Living Under Someone Else’s Roof. My niece became an internet sensation overnight. I, on the other hand, got doxxed and flamed by an angry mob. “Auntie, my parents sent you money every month for my living expenses. Why did I have to live like a mouse in your house, tiptoeing around? You deserve everything that’s happening to you.” In the end, thanks to my niece “accidentally” revealing my location, I was pushed into a river by “justice-seeking” netizens and drowned. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day my husband’s brother dropped my niece off. Heh. “The pain of living under someone else’s roof”? In this life, you’re going to learn what that phrase really means. 1 “Sis, sorry for the trouble. Since Lily is in the same grade as your Mia, taking care of one isn’t much different from taking care of two. I’ll Venmo you the living expenses every month. Thanks for looking out for her!” Looking at the WeChat message from my brother-in-law and the notification of a $100 transfer, I finally confirmed I was reborn. I couldn’t help but laugh at that $100. They really knew how to count pennies. My daughter, Mia, was starting her senior year. As a freelance writer with a flexible schedule, I rented an apartment near the school to support her. When my brother-in-law and his wife found out, they used the excuse of “working out of town” to dump their daughter, Lily, on me. They promised $100 a month for her living expenses. I knew $100 wouldn’t even cover her food, let alone the endless expenses of a teenage girl. But I watched this kid grow up. How could I say no? So, Lily moved in. Worried she might feel like an outsider, I told her that her parents sent money every month. I didn’t tell her the amount, just told her to treat this place like her own home. Whatever Mia got, Lily got too. From pens and notebooks to allowance and tutoring classes. I never shortchanged her just because she wasn’t mine. At first, when she offered to do chores, I refused. Later, thinking she might want to feel useful, I let her do small, quick tasks. In the end, both girls got into Stanford. I was proud, thinking my efforts paid off. Turns out, I was a clown the whole time. I raised an ingrate. Thinking about how I was cyberbullied to death in my last life, my heart hardened. This time, no more Mr. Nice Guy. 2 “Auntie, what did my dad say?” Lily craned her neck, trying to peek at my phone screen. In my last life, I hid the screen to protect her feelings. I didn’t want her to know her parents dumped her on me for a hundred bucks. She took that as me hiding how much money I was “pocketing” from her parents. After the fallout, Mia told me Lily used to call her parents crying about how hard her life was. Her parents would curse me out over the phone, claiming they sent plenty of money and I was just mean. But they never told her the “plenty” was actually $100. They’d tell her to suck it up, that living in someone else’s house was just like that, and it would all be over after graduation. Remembering this, I shoved the phone right in her face. “Here. Your parents want you to live here, but they only sent $100. That doesn’t even cover rent.” Yep, $100 wouldn’t cover her share of the rent. This was a prime school district. Rent was easily $3,000 a month. Her share should have been at least $1,000. She lived rent-free for three years without knowing it, and zero gratitude to show for it. I sighed dramatically. “Rent here is crazy expensive, like three grand a month. I don’t know what your parents are thinking. A hundred bucks won’t even feed you.” Being a teenager, she blushed hard. “Auntie, I… I don’t eat much.” Mia tugged at my sleeve, signaling I might be too harsh. I patted Mia’s hand and turned back to Lily. “Look, I’m your aunt. I won’t charge you rent. You eat what we eat. But don’t expect anything extra.” “I understand, Auntie.” Seeing her head hang low, I almost felt bad. But that “pitiful” act fooled me in my last life. Grades don’t equal character. Getting into a top university doesn’t change a rotten core. 3 School started, and soon came the first instance of me being a doormat in my past life. I still can’t fathom how parents can just… not pay tuition. Did they really expect someone else to raise their kid entirely? Last time, I paid Mia’s tuition online. I had no idea Lily’s wasn’t paid. Not until her homeroom teacher called me to the school. My brother-in-law had put my contact info down as the parent. I rushed over and saw Lily standing in the office, head down, looking like a criminal. My heart broke for her. It was her parents’ fault, but she was the one suffering. I paid her tuition immediately and sent her back to class. “Auntie, why didn’t Mia’s teacher call you?” Lily asked later. Looking at her sad face, I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Because I paid Mia’s tuition ages ago. Your parents just don’t care.” Not wanting her to hate her parents, I swallowed my anger and lied. “My bad, Lily. I paid Mia’s early, but your dad only sent the money yesterday. With the start of school chaos, I totally forgot.” And what did she write in her diary? My parents sent the money ages ago, but Auntie refused to pay my tuition. She waited until the teacher humiliated me in front of the whole class before reluctantly paying. This small incident became a scar that lasted all senior year. This time, when the phone rang, I let it go to voicemail once. Then it rang again. I picked up. “Hello, is this Lily’s parent?” “What’s wrong?” “We need you to come to the school regarding a small issue.” “Understood.” I knew I had to go, but I wasn’t rushing. I took my time getting ready. Then I stopped by a bakery to buy Mia’s favorite strawberry shortcake and grabbed myself a boba tea. Senior year is stressful; sweets help. In my last life, supporting two kids meant cutting corners. I rarely bought treats. But this time? I’m not spending a dime on Lily. No need to scrimp on my own kid. 4 I strolled into the teacher’s office an hour and a half later. Lily and the teacher both looked up. I placed my shopping bags on a side table and walked over. “Sorry I’m late. What’s the issue?” The teacher was clearly annoyed, despite trying to be polite. “Lily’s guardian, school has officially started, but we haven’t received her tuition. Did you forget because of work?” “Huh?” I covered my mouth in mock surprise. My gasp drew the attention of other teachers in the office. “Lily hasn’t paid tuition?” “That’s correct. This isn’t good for the school or the student.” “Oh wow, teacher, I had no idea. Her parents dropped her off at my door and dipped to another city. They gave me $100 for living expenses and that’s it. I didn’t know about the tuition. By the way, I’m not her parent, I’m her aunt. My daughter Mia is in Class 1.” This school tracked students by grades. Mia, being top 10 in the city, was naturally in Class 1. Lily was decent, in Class 5, but not top tier. In my last life, I busted my hump to get her grades up, even making Mia tutor her. She eventually made it to Class 1. Hearing I was just an aunt and my kid was in the honors class, the teacher’s tone softened instantly. “I see. Her contact info listed you, so naturally, we called.” “Okay, teacher. I’ll call her parents right now.” I pulled out my phone. Lily tugged my sleeve. “Auntie, didn’t my parents send you the money?” “What are you talking about, child? You saw the chat yesterday. They sent $100. That won’t even buy groceries, let alone tuition.” The stares from the teachers and passing students were burning holes in her. Lily turned bright red. “Can’t you just pay it for me? My parents will pay you back.” “Lily, are you crazy? Tuition is $2,000 for the year. I just paid Mia’s, plus rent and utilities. Rent alone is $6,000 a year here. I’m tapped out. I literally only have the $100 your parents sent. Should I give that to the teacher?” The teacher realized what was happening. She adjusted her glasses. “Maybe you should call her parents.” “On it.” I shook off Lily’s hand, dialed my brother-in-law, and put it on speaker. “Hey, Sis.” “Bro, did you guys forget to pay Lily’s tuition?” “Huh? Sis, isn’t Lily living with you now?” I wanted to reach through the phone and slap him. “Yeah, she’s living here. You dropped her off without a word. I didn’t ask for rent or utilities, but you sent $100 for a month. What is she supposed to eat? Air? And now you forgot tuition? I’m in the teacher’s office. Explain yourself.” He didn’t expect me to air his dirty laundry in public. “Uh, hello teacher. We’re out of town for work. We left everything to her aunt…” I cut him off. “Bro, even though she’s not mine, I care about her. But I just dropped five grand on Mia’s tuition and rent. I’m broke. If you guys don’t have it, maybe ask other relatives?” The teacher chimed in, serious. “Sir, per school policy, if tuition isn’t paid, Lily will have to study at home until it is.” “Fine, fine! I’ll send it to her aunt right now. Teacher, put Lily on.” Lily took the phone with shaking hands. “Dad…” “You useless girl! Always costing me money! You better get into a good college or you’re dead to me!” He hung up. Once the transfer hit, I paid the teacher immediately.

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I was the designated “simp” for Finn Sterling, the school’s golden bad boy. Everyone thought I loved him more than life itself. He skipped class to fight? I copied his notes. He flirted with other girls? I covered for him. I spent three years acting like a total doormat, dragging his sorry ass across the finish line to get him into an Ivy League university. But right before freshman orientation, he dumped me. He looked down at me with that arrogant smirk, “Gwen, I know you’ve been obsessed with me for years. But your brain is just… textbooks. Compared to Hannah, you’re too stiff. Too boring. We’re done. I’m going to be with Hannah.” The crowd held its breath, waiting for my breakdown. I glanced at my bank app. The pending balance of $5 million had just cleared. I smiled sincerely. “Okay. Congratulations.” Nobody knew that my unconditional devotion was purely because his mother paid me an obscene amount of money. Now that the check had cleared, it was time for me to vanish. 1 “The School King just dumped her, and she said congratulations?” “She hung up in less than a minute. She’s definitely losing it. Probably having a mental breakdown right now.” “I don’t know, man. She looked calm. Like she’s been waiting for this.” Someone glanced nervously at Finn. He had his arm around his new girl, but his handsome face was dark, clearly annoyed that I hadn’t begged. The gossip quickly shifted. “No way. Gwen has been obsessed with Finn for years. She’s probably just holding it in. Give it three days, she’ll be crawling back begging him not to leave her.” Finn’s expression softened slightly at that. “If she comes back and begs, I might consider forgiving her. Depends on her attitude.” I didn’t hear any of this. I was already dragging my suitcase to the airport. If I had heard them, I would have laughed. If my parents hadn’t been convinced that “school is useless for girls” and tried to sell me off for a dowry while I was still a teenager… If my alcoholic father hadn’t torn up my acceptance letter and beaten me half to death… If Mrs. Sterling hadn’t found me at my lowest point and offered me a deal—cover my high school tuition and give me $5 million if I got her son into Harvard… I never would have chased after a bully like Finn Sterling. I never would have been his on-call servant. Three years. I used every trick in the book to turn that rebellious slacker into a straight-A student. Now the job was done. I had the money. I was escaping hell. Why would I be sad about him switching girlfriends? I just wanted to survive. Love had nothing to do with it. I didn’t go to the local college I was accepted to. My parents would have hunted me down for the dowry money. To leave, I had to leave completely. Over the summer, I aced the TOEFL and got my French to a B2 level. I was enrolled in a design school in Paris. As I boarded the flight, a text from Finn popped up. “Why are all my calls blocked? Gwen, haven’t you thrown enough of a tantrum? Even if I’m with Hannah, we can still be friends. Stop acting out. Unblock me.” 2 Even in a text, he was condescending. He was so sure I was playing hard to get. He thought I’d come wagging my tail like always. I popped the SIM card out of my phone, snapped it in half, and tossed it into the airport trash can. Along with that card, I threw away the humility, the schemes, and the unbearable past. The plane took off, leaving everything behind. Later, my best friend told me Finn went crazy on my social media. Comments like: “Are you done yet?” “It’s just a breakup, why are you so dramatic?” “Add me back now!” She said, “At first, Finn was sure you were bluffing. When you didn’t show up, he got violent. Mentioning your name made him snap.” It sounded like a story about a stranger. I used Mrs. Sterling’s millions to restart my life in Paris. Top design school. New language. Heavy workload. It was hard, but there was no Finn to please, no suffocating parents to escape. Just sketchpads, fabric, and a future that belonged to me. Years flew by. With talent and sweat, my jewelry designs started making waves at Fashion Week. I won a few international awards. I became the new Chief Designer for Lumina, a rising luxury brand, and was sent back to the States to open up the market. First day back. I was grabbing lunch downstairs at the new HQ when a hesitant voice called out behind me. “Gwen? Is that you?” I turned. It was Ashley, a girl who sat in front of me in high school. Her eyes went wide, scanning me from head to toe. “OMG! It is you! You’ve changed so much!” Gone was the timid, people-pleasing girl in thrift store clothes. Time and money had given me a quiet confidence. “Long time no see.” “This is crazy!” Ashley was hyped. “There’s a class reunion tonight at the Sky Lounge upstairs. Everyone is coming, even Finn! You have to come! No one will recognize you!” Finn Sterling? That name felt like a relic from a past life. I wanted to say no, but then I thought—why hide? I had nothing to be ashamed of. “Sure.” I spent the day handling the handover for the new office. By the time I remembered the reunion, it was late. I didn’t bother changing and went upstairs in my casual clothes. I pushed open the heavy doors, and the noise hit me. 3 My eyes swept the room and landed instantly on the man holding court at the main table. Finn Sterling. He looked older, his features sharper. Wearing a bespoke suit, looking lazy and expensive. He was still the center of the universe. Next to him was a young, flashy girl. Not Hannah. The bad boy had updated his accessories again. A drunk guy spotted me first. “Holy sh*t! Look! Finn! Your simp is back!” The room exploded. Everyone turned to stare. Shock. Amusement. Schaudenfreude. Finn looked up. When he saw me standing there, his pupils dilated. His relaxed smirk froze. It was replaced by shock, and something complicated I couldn’t read. The girl next to him sensed the shift immediately. She tightened her grip on his arm, glaring at me with hostility. “Gwen?” I ignored the whispers. I walked over to the empty seat next to Ashley and poured myself a glass of water. “Gwen, wow, you’re alive,” Tiffany, the class mean girl, spoke up first. Her voice dripped with fake sweetness. “I heard you didn’t go to college? Makes sense, your family couldn’t afford it anyway.” “Where have you been working? People said you married some old guy for money. But looking at your outfit… pretty casual, huh?” She emphasized “old guy,” and a few girls giggled. “I was abroad for a few years. Just got back,” I said calmly. “Oh, abroad!” Chad, the class clown, jumped in with exaggerated sympathy. “It’s tough for returnees these days. Unless you were doing… illegal work over there? Do you have a job now? Need a hookup?” “My uncle’s company needs a clerk. Low requirements, just need to know how to type. The pay sucks, but it’s legit work. Better than whatever you were doing…” 4 He trailed off, implying something dirty. “Yeah, exactly,” Tiffany chimed in. “Foreign guys just like to play around with Asian girls, you know? Gwen, we’re old friends. If you’re struggling, just ask.” “You don’t have a degree, and you look kind of… plain. Interviews might be tough. I can lend you some cash to buy a suit? It’s a shame, you were top of the class once.” Finn remained silent. But his hand gripped his glass tight, his eyes dark, fixed on me. His new girlfriend, Lola, couldn’t take it anymore. She sneered, leaning forward with a look of supreme condescension. “So you’re Gwen? I’ve heard about you.” “I heard you were a total stalker. Chasing my Finn like a desperate puppy.” “Doing his homework, taking notes, covering for him?” “Thanks for your hard work,” she paused, letting the class snicker. “But at least you knew your place. You knew you weren’t in his league and ran away. But it looks like you haven’t done well for yourself?” “Finn is taking over the Sterling Group now. And me? I just took over my family’s fashion brand. I’m busy negotiating a collab with a top international design house. If you’re broke, we can throw you a bone.” I sipped my water. “No thanks.” Lola rolled her eyes. “You probably don’t even know my level. Ever heard of Lumina? It’s the hottest new French jewelry brand.” “Their Chief Designer is a genius in Paris. Very mysterious. I pulled so many strings to get a meeting. If she agrees to a collab… I’ll be famous.” “Once that happens, I can feed you with the crumbs from my table.” The classmates oohed and aahed. “I know Lumina! Their taste is insane!” “That designer is legendary. Lola, you have connections!” “Finn is so lucky to have a power couple partner!” Lola lifted her chin, soaking it in. “What’s the designer’s name?” someone asked. “Her English name is Eileen Gu, but she’s Chinese,” Lola bragged, pretending to know details. “Young, talented, highly respected in France.” “It’s hard for a small brand like ours to get her, but I’m confident.” She leaned onto Finn. “Right, babe?” Finn grunted.

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My parents are in a business marriage. Zero love, all assets. My mom makes out with her boy toys right in front of my dad. My dad openly photoshops his “one that got away” into our family portraits and uses it as his lock screen. They didn’t divorce because they wanted to give me a “complete home.” But recently, the wind changed. Dad’s “one that got away” came back from overseas. Mom’s “dead” first love turned out to be alive. They started talking divorce. But they both decided to fight to the death for custody of me. In court, my mom pulled out a knife, threatening to remove her own uterus right there on the stand. My dad pulled out a pair of scissors, threatening to castrate himself. Their love for me is truly… moving. 1 When my Grandma caught us, I was reading a graphic novel on the couch, and my Mom was playing tonsil hockey with her new boy toy. Grandma was so mad she immediately called my Dad to come over. Mom didn’t care at all. She continued flirting with the fresh meat. I call the new guy Uncle Kyle. When I got tired of reading, Uncle Kyle read to me. Grandma was standing there, cursing my Mom out. She called her shameless, asked her what the Sterling family ever did to her. 2 Mom wasn’t backing down. She put her hands on her hips, ready to scream back. Grandma cut her off: “Save it for when my son gets here. You two are divorcing today!” Mom rolled her eyes. “Good luck getting your son to divorce me.” My parents are a corporate merger. When they got married, both families were at the top of the food chain. But soon after, my Grandpa’s business went belly up. There were a million reasons why. Mom has wanted to divorce Dad forever. They both love other people. Dad loves a poor college student he considers his “White Moonlight”—the pure, unattainable love. He photoshops her into photos of him and me. Originally, he just Photoshopped her over Mom in photos of the three of us. But I threw a fit. I didn’t allow a photo without my Mom. So now, he Photoshops her standing next to us. 3 Mom loves a poor college guy too. They were first loves. But that guy joined the military, went on a spec-ops mission, and “died.” So Mom only dates college boys now. I know she’s mourning her first love. My parents are very sentimental people. Dad arrived quickly. He rushed over, picked me up, kissed my cheeks, and called me his precious “Muffin.” I was happy too. I hugged him and asked for a piggyback ride. Grandma immediately started in: “Richard, your wife isn’t even hiding her cheating anymore! You have to divorce her! If you don’t have shame, I do!” Dad looked furious: “Victoria, are you crazy? Cuckolding me in broad daylight!” Mom rolled her eyes again. “He’s our daughter’s manny.” Dad’s attitude flipped instantly. He nodded at Uncle Kyle. “Thanks for your hard work. Take good care of Muffin. I’ll give you a raise.” Grandma almost had a stroke. “Richard Sterling! I want you to divorce her!” Dad looked pained. “Mom, if I divorce her, she’ll steal my daughter!” Mom scoffed. “She’s my daughter. Why would I give her to you?” “She’s mine too!” “Bullsh*t! She came out of my body!” “Don’t give me that biology crap. Since she was born, I’m the one who raised her! I changed the diapers! Now that she can run and talk, you want to claim the credit? And look how you raise her—hiring playmates? Is that how a mother acts?” Mom fired back: “Ha! You’re so great, you raise her then! If you actually spent time with her, would I need to hire a manny? You’re all talk.” 4 I looked at Dad, then at Mom. I was about to tell them to stop fighting. But their phones rang at the exact same time. I saw the Caller ID on Dad’s phone: Vivian. “Richard, I’m back in the states. Can you pick me up at JFK?” Vivian. Dad’s White Moonlight. His eternal heartache. Dad lost his voice. On the other side, Mom suddenly choked up: “Cole… you’re not dead?!” Cole. My Mom’s first love. Every Memorial Day, Mom makes me yell “Daddy” at his tombstone. Mom’s logic was that Uncle Cole died childless, so he had no one to burn offerings for him. I had to pretend to be his kid so he’d have spending money in the afterlife. 5 The silence was deafening. My parents looked at each other, then tactically looked away. I said, “Mom, Dad, I’m hungry.” Grandma was livid. She cursed Dad, saying she should have given birth to a BBQ pork bun instead of him. Grandma swore they had to divorce. They took me to dinner first. Uncle Kyle took care of me on the side. He breathed quietly, smiled apologetically at Dad, bowed to Mom, and catered to my every need. At the table, I was the only one eating. My parents were on their phones—sighing, looking sad, then looking conflicted. I knew they were reminiscing about their lost loves. I felt a little bad for them. 6 After eating, the food coma hit, and I fell asleep. I felt Dad pick me up, and I slept soundly in his arms. I woke up in the afternoon. I yawned, climbed out of bed, drank a big glass of water, and went downstairs. Downstairs, my parents were negotiating the divorce. Dad said, “Vivian is back. I have to give her a home.” Mom didn’t mock him this time. She looked sorrowful. “Cole isn’t dead. He was deep undercover all these years. He survived because of his love for me. I can’t let him down.” They spoke in unison: “The daughter…” Then silence. Dad spoke first: “I’ll give you half my personal assets. You keep all the joint marital assets. You leave Muffin with me. You’re young, you can have another one.” Mom said: “I’ll leave with nothing. I’ll pay you $30k a month in alimony. Give me Muffin.” Both of them sneered at the same time: “Keep dreaming! Scumbag!” 7 The vibe in the house shifted. Before, they wanted a divorce. Mom would kiss a boy toy, Dad would scream divorce. Dad would cry over his photoshop collection, apologize to “Vivian,” and Mom would scream divorce. But they always stopped when it came to custody. They knew the other person was trash. No compromise possible. Now, they were raising the stakes, desperate to divorce and keep me.

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Chapter 1 At the wedding rehearsal, Preston’s adopted sister suddenly started dry heaving. Panic stricken, he scooped her up and rushed her to the ER. Thirty minutes later, my phone rang. “She’s pregnant.” I was about to say congratulations, but his voice was terrifyingly calm. “It’s mine… She went through a bad breakup that night. She was soaked from the rain, shivering. I just held her to keep her warm, I didn’t think…” “We have to keep this from Mom and Dad. I’m taking her to my place to look after her. We’ll figure it out after the baby is born.” “We need to postpone the wedding for a year. You handle the guests. Explain it to them. Apologize.” My throat felt tight, like someone had their hands around it. I couldn’t squeeze out a single word. He continued, oblivious. “Oh, and you need to quit your job immediately. Bella needs care. We can’t have any accidents over the next few months.” I suddenly laughed. “Sure. Okay.” He hung up, satisfied. But he didn’t know about the bet I made with that guy. If I wasn’t married by thirty, I’d marry him. And today just happened to be my thirtieth birthday. … Maybe my calmness was too weird, because three seconds after hanging up, Preston called back. “Harper, I’m sorry. I know I messed up. But trust me, I only see Bella as a sister. The baby really was an accident.” I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “Right. Deep sibling love. So deep you kept each other warm right into bed. Touching.” The line went silent for a moment, followed by his frustrated sigh. “I get that you’re mad. You can yell at me, hit me, whatever. But Bella is still in grad school. If people find out she’s an unwed mother and can’t name the father…” “She’s an orphan. Even though my parents adopted her and treat her like blood, the Huntington family won’t accept a scandal like this. They’ll kick her out.” “So, I was hoping… you could claim the baby is yours. Since you’ll be quitting to stay home anyway, no one will suspect it isn’t yours.” I tilted my head back, forcing the tears back into my eyes, my voice raspy. “Preston, let’s not get married.” “Not get married?” He was silent for a few seconds, then exploded. “Harper, are you serious right now? You’re the one who’s been nagging me about a wedding after dating for five years!” “The entire social circle knows you’re Preston Huntington’s fiancée. Do you think marriage is a game? Harper, when did you become so immature?” I could imagine his brows furrowing. Sure enough, the threat came next. “Miss High-and-Mighty, I’m asking you one last time! Are you seriously saying you don’t want to get married?!” My fingers gripped the phone so hard my knuckles turned white. I gave a bitter smile. “Yeah. I don’t want you anymore, Preston.” He scoffed coldly. “I’m not in the mood for your drama. Suit yourself!” He slammed the phone down. I stood in the center of the banquet hall. Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, I ripped the veil off my head, turned around, and ran out. Preston’s parents quickly blocked my path. His father, Mr. Huntington, struck first. “Harper, have you lost your mind? Just because Preston took his sister to the hospital, you’re ruining this wedding? You want hundreds of guests to laugh at the Huntington family?” His mother sneered, chiming in. “I said from the start they weren’t a match. The Huntingtons are a family of old money and intellect. The Vances are just nouveau riche upstarts. No class.” “But Preston insisted, so I couldn’t stop it. Look, now we’re a laughingstock!” Mr. Huntington scoffed. “Good! Better not to marry. Save us from her temper offending people later and ruining our reputation.” Preston was the one who cheated, yet these two were blaming me. I clenched the veil, my fingertips trembling. “Preston canceled the wedding. As for the specific reason… you two should ask him. I’m too embarrassed to say it.” Hearing it was Preston’s idea, they suddenly felt justified. “Even if Preston canceled it, you’re the bride—you just run off without a word? Shouldn’t you apologize to everyone publicly?” “How did your parents raise you? You don’t even understand basic etiquette. How can you be a Huntington daughter-in-law?” I took a deep breath. “I won’t be marrying into the Huntington family. If you two will excuse me, move.” “You!” Their faces changed color. They clearly didn’t expect the usually docile me to be so tough. I didn’t bother with them anymore, sidestepping them and heading straight for the dressing room. Mrs. Huntington screamed behind me, “You uneducated trash!” Inside the dressing room, someone was already waiting. He was wearing a fitted tracksuit that highlighted his broad shoulders and long legs. The sunlight hit him from the side, outlining a sharp profile. Only the dark circles under his eyes betrayed him; he probably hadn’t slept well. Seeing me enter, he uncrossed his arms and stood up straight, that familiar, punchable smirk on his lips. I looked away. “I thought someone swore they’d never attend my wedding?” He suddenly leaned in close, his warm breath tickling my ear. The moment our eyes met, I suddenly saw the stubborn teenage boy from ten years ago. “Harper, a bet is a bet.” I pursed my lips and didn’t make a sound. He instantly got anxious. “You forgot?!” “I don’t care. We’re getting married in three days. If you don’t show up…” He paused, like he was throwing caution to the wind. “I’ll come to the Vance house and be a live-in husband!” After saying that, as if afraid I’d reject him, he quickly bolted out the door. I suddenly laughed out loud. This idiot. Of course I remember the bet. Our families are old friends. We grew up together. We were too close to be lovers. Ten years ago, he confessed to me. I said let’s just be friends. He looked heartbroken and insisted on making a bet. I didn’t expect that, in the end, I’d actually lose. Chapter 2 I had just changed out of my wedding dress when Preston sent me a photo. All my belongings were piled up like trash at the gate of his villa. The red heirloom quilt my mom hand-stitched for the wedding was the most glaring thing there. It was stuffed haphazardly into a clear plastic trash bag, the bright red satin stinging my eyes in the sunlight. [Text: Come get this junk immediately!] [Text: If you don’t want it, I’ll have the maid toss it.] I stared at the screen, my fingertips going cold. He knew exactly how to manipulate me. I could leave everything else, but I had to get that quilt back. [Text: Fine. I’m coming.] My mom spent three months on that quilt. She’s a woman who never touches a needle, yet her fingers were pricked full of bloody holes. The night before the wedding, she smiled and shoved the quilt into my arms. “Baby, be happy forever.” But when I arrived, the gate was empty. It had only been thirty minutes. I told him I was coming, yet he was in such a rush to kick me to the curb? Rage flared up. I pushed open the villa gate and stormed in. The moment I opened the front door, I froze like I’d been dunked in ice water. Bella was sitting on the edge of the dining table. Preston’s hands were on her waist, his face pressed against her small baby bump, his expression blindingly tender. “Preston,” Bella gasped softly. “The baby kicked me.” Preston immediately pressed closer, the corners of his mouth lifting in a way I’d never seen before. “So naughty, just like you were as a kid.” When he looked up, his gaze was soft enough to melt stone. “If only the baby has your eyes, too.” Bella pursed her lips and smiled. Preston practicedly kissed her lips, his tone suddenly turning guilty. “Are you really sure about leaving after the baby is born? Actually… you could stay. I can take care of you and the baby. The kid is so small, how can they grow up without their biological mother?” Bella put a finger to his lips and shook her head. “Preston, if I don’t go, what about Harper?” Hearing my name, Preston visibly paused, then his face darkened. “Her? She’s just talking about breaking up to throw a tantrum. Once the baby is born, she’ll be begging to come back and help raise it. She’s a merchant’s daughter; she only cares about profit. What does she know about dignity?” “Did you forget how desperate she was to be my girlfriend back then? That pathetic look on her face… thinking about it now makes me sick.” My tears rolled down silently. So, the courage I mustered to confess back then had disgusted him for all these years. The Huntingtons are a famous family of artists and scholars. Preston is the youngest acclaimed fine artist in the city. Five years ago, he brought his portfolio to my dad, looking for an investment for his gallery. My dad couldn’t stop praising him and introduced us. I fell in love at first sight. I shamelessly pestered him to teach me art history. He used to point at me and scold, “Stupid. Zero talent!” I’d grin and say, “Then be my boyfriend. We complement each other.” He glanced at Bella, who was studying with her head down nearby, then suddenly grabbed my hand and let out a self-mocking laugh. “Fine.” I jumped up and hugged him, completely missing Bella running out of the room or how stiff his arm went. Now I understand. His heart always belonged to Bella. No wonder he refused to teach me later, refused to let me even enter his study. My chest felt sour. I wanted to turn and leave, but I remembered Mom’s quilt. I couldn’t leave it. “Harper!” Preston suddenly turned his head, a mocking smirk on his lips. “Why are you sneaking around at the door? I threw your stuff out. Regretting it now?” I dug my nails into my palms. “Where is my quilt? Give it back.” He paused, his face getting colder. “A raggedy old blanket? Like I’d want it?” “My mom sewed that by hand.” My voice started to shake. “Give it back, and I’ll leave immediately.” Seeing I was about to cry, he frowned. “You’re crying? Are you psycho? Is it that serious?” “Yes, it is!” I screamed, the tears finally crashing down. Chapter 3 Preston tugged at his collar irritably, looking like he wanted to say something but held back. Beside him, Bella suddenly acted like she remembered something and spoke up urgently: “Harper, don’t yell at Preston. I told the maid to bring your stuff into the guest room.” As she spoke, she gently stroked her belly, tears instantly welling up. “Harper, can you please not move out? If it’s because of this baby… I-I can get an abortion. His existence was a mistake anyway. None of you welcome him…” Before she could finish, she was sobbing uncontrollably. “I won’t allow it!” Preston’s voice nearly cracked. Trembling, he pulled Bella tightly into his arms, then turned to glare viciously at me. “She can leave if she wants, but don’t you dare touch my child! Right now, you and the baby are my everything!” “Harper, if this is why you came here, get the hell out!” I let out a cold laugh and walked straight to the guest room. The wedding quilt was thrown carelessly on the floor. It was covered in stains and vomit. The dragon and phoenix embroidery was filthy. I pointed a shaking finger at the quilt. “Bella, explain this!” She shrank back timidly. “I didn’t mean to. I just got sudden morning sickness…” She bent down as if to pick it up. “Harper, don’t be mad. I’ll wash it for you.” But as soon as she leaned over, she cried out in pain. “Ah! My stomach hurts.” Preston charged over and shoved me hard. I fell backward. The back of my head slammed into the bedpost. Pain exploded. Warm liquid trickled down my forehead. I bit my lip to keep quiet, just smiling up at Preston, wanting to see if he had a heart at all. He was holding Bella, his eyes filled with extreme disgust. “How much is it? I’ll pay! I’m begging you, stop causing a scene. Do you get off on torturing me and Bella over some worthless junk?” It felt like someone punched a hole in my chest. Even though he was always cold to me, he had never looked at me with such hatred. He must truly despise me now. Suddenly, it all felt pointless. Why stay here and be hated? I gave up. The quilt was dirty. I didn’t want it anymore. This dirty man, I didn’t want him either. I propped myself up. “Preston, I don’t need your money.” As I turned to leave, he suddenly grabbed me, a hint of helplessness in his expression. “You’re in a bad mood today. Go back to the Vance house and cool off. I’ll pick you up in three days.” I shook off his hand and walked out quickly. This home we built for years… in the end, I was just a passerby. … The Vance Residence. I had already explained the wedding fiasco to my parents. Seeing me return, Mom let out a long sigh of relief. “Honey, honestly, thank God! What if you found out after you were married?” “The Huntingtons always looked down on us for being merchants, yet that ‘scholarly’ family raised such shameless trash!” Dad sighed softly. “Don’t talk about it. She’s hurting. I already told my assistant to pull all investments from the Huntington Gallery. From now on, the Vances have nothing to do with them!” I was hesitating on whether to mention Liam, when Mom suddenly spoke up. “By the way, Liam came by today. He even brought the dowry.” She pulled a velvet box from the coffee table drawer. “That boy moves fast.” Inside the box was a pair of heirloom jade bracelets. That’s when I truly realized: the wedding in three days? Liam was serious. Chapter 4 Night fell. Bella sent me a text. [Bella: Harper, come back.] [Bella: I’ll move out right now. I won’t keep the baby.] [Bella: You and Preston have five years of history. Don’t ruin it because of me. I’ll feel guilty for the rest of my life.] I stared at the screen and sneered. If she wanted to cause drama, she could go to her brother. Why bother me? I replied with two words: [Suit yourself.] Then, I blocked her. After that, I leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, zoning out, feeling a lingering sense of loss. My phone vibrated. A video call request from Liam popped up. “Harper,” he said, his eyes sparkling on the screen. “Give me a finger heart.” I paused. “Why all of a sudden…” A finger heart? So cheesy. “I don’t care,” he leaned into the camera like a brat. “Right now.” Amused by his childish expression, I helplessly made a quick heart with my fingers, getting goosebumps myself. He immediately clutched his chest, eyes closed in an exaggerated expression of ecstasy. When he opened his eyes, he winked his right eye at me. My heart skipped a beat. “Look outside. My return gift.” He chuckled, and the video cut off. The night sky outside suddenly lit up. Hundreds of drones formed a shimmering heart, then transformed into words: [Happy Birthday, Harper.] Tears instantly blurred my vision. The drama today made me forget my own birthday. But he remembered. Even if it was a bit cheesy, I felt his sincerity, and I loved it. As for Preston? Every year for my birthday, he just wrote “Happy Birthday” in calligraphy on a piece of paper. He didn’t even sign my name. “My calligraphy has collection value,” he always explained. “If I write your name on it, no one will want to buy it later.” This year, he simply said, “Too busy planning the wedding. No time to write.” But the so-called wedding planning? I tried on dresses at twenty shops alone. I compared quotes from thirty hotels alone. I stayed up all night hand-writing over three hundred invitations alone. The only thing he participated in was when I tried on the main gown. He managed to spare five minutes, checking his watch the entire time. It turns out his lack of love was always traceable. My heart tightened painfully. I tilted my head back and blinked rapidly. I had cried too much today. At least on my birthday, I wanted to keep a shred of dignity. While I was sleeping, my phone buzzed. I groggily answered. Preston’s voice roared through the speaker. “Harper! Get to the hospital right now! Something happened to Bella!” I woke up instantly. Was her text serious? Without even changing, wearing pajamas and slippers, I rushed out. When I got to the ward, I saw Bella leaning against the headboard, perfectly fine. Preston was gently peeling an apple for her. They looked like a peaceful painting. Meanwhile, I had one foot slipping out of my shoe, looking like a clown. Seeing me, Preston suddenly exploded. He dragged me to the bedside. “Kneel and apologize to Bella!” I looked up in shock. Before I could react, he kicked the back of my knee hard. My knees slammed onto the floor. The piercing pain paralyzed me for a moment. “Preston! Are you crazy?” I glared at him. His eyes were churning with terrifying rage. “Bella slit her wrist! It was almost two lives lost! Don’t call me crazy—I want to kill you right now!” Bella started sobbing on cue. “Preston, I texted Harper to apologize, but she blocked me. She must hate me to death. She doesn’t want to see me again. What’s the point of living…” I despised her, but I didn’t want blood on my hands. I looked at her closely. There was a half-centimeter cut on her wrist. It had iodine on it and was already scabbing over. This was slitting her wrist? A wave of sorrow washed over me. I twitched my lips. “Preston, if I came tomorrow, would her wound have healed already?” He blew up instantly. “Harper! How can you be so vicious? If I hadn’t found her in time… do you know what happens when a pregnant woman loses too much blood?” This must be what they call ‘concern breeds chaos.’ A tiny scratch made him lose his mind, yet he was blind to the blood drying on my forehead from earlier. He must really love Bella. My heart felt like it was weighed down by stones, sinking straight to the bottom. I frowned and said nothing. This seemed to completely enrage him. He threw the fruit knife at me, snarling. “Since you think it’s no big deal, cut yourself with the same wound. Taste the pain yourself. This is what you owe Bella!” I looked at him in disbelief. This was the man I had loved wholeheartedly for five years. In this instant, my heart turned to ice. Just one cut, right? I’ll pay her back. Lowering my eyes to hide the tears, I picked up the knife and lightly sliced my wrist. Bella screamed. I struggled to stand up and held my hand in front of Preston’s face. “Is that enough?” Blood dripped down steadily. His eyelashes trembled rapidly. He glanced at it with disgust. Then he turned to comfort the frightened Bella, muttering a curse under his breath. “Who told you to cut so deep? You’re hopelessly stupid.” I smiled silently and stumbled to the door. He suddenly threw out a sentence: “Harper, reflect on your actions at home! I’ll pick you up in three days.” I laughed until tears fell. Preston, we will never meet again.

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Six years. That’s how long I’d been with Sean. So when I felt the velvet box of an engagement ring in his trench coat pocket, I thought, finally. On my birthday, I was full of anticipation. I checked my socials, expecting a sweet post. Instead, I saw a photo on his best friend’s Instagram story. It was Sean. He was walking into L’Amour, the most exclusive French restaurant in the city, with another girl on his arm. I grabbed an Uber and raced there. I stood in the entryway and watched through the glass. I watched him drop to one knee. I watched him propose to her. The entire restaurant erupted in cheers, chanting for them to kiss. After saving up disappointment for so long, I didn’t scream. I didn’t storm in and make a scene. I just quietly pulled out my phone and dialed my dad. “Dad,” I said, my voice steady. “I accept the merger marriage with the Sterling family. Let’s start planning the wedding.” 1 Dad paused for a second, then his voice practically vibrated with joy. “My sweet girl, you finally came to your senses! Marriage is about matching backgrounds, sweetheart. Tasting the simple life is fine for a while, but you can’t eat plain oatmeal forever. You deserve the feast.” “Mmhmm,” I hummed, standing alone in the lobby of the restaurant. Inside, Sean was embracing the girl amidst the applause. I felt like a wooden puppet, stiff and lifeless. Dad heard the noise in the background. “When are you coming home? You need to meet the Sterling heir. Their side has been pushing for an engagement for ages.” “In three days,” I said, watching Sean’s hands shake as he slid the ring onto her finger. “Let me wrap things up here. Then I’m coming home.” I hung up. Maybe I looked too out of place, standing there like a ghost while everyone celebrated. Sean stood up, turned, and saw me. We locked eyes across the room. He looked surprised. He frowned, just for a second, then turned back to the girl and led her to their table. Roses, vintage champagne, a live pianist playing a love song, candlelight… In six years, he had never taken me anywhere like this. I turned and walked away. I knew the guys cheering him on. They were his “boys.” The photo I saw was on his frat brother’s story. They all knew me. They knew I was his girlfriend. But clearly, they all knew about her, too. As I left, I heard them whistling. “Finally! A match made in heaven. True love wins in the end!” I smiled bitterly. To his friends, I was the placeholder. She was the main character. A sour taste filled my mouth. Earlier today, discovering that ring felt like sugar. Now, it felt like swallowing glass. I took a cab back to our apartment. There was a delivery box on the doorstep. A birthday cake. The note on top was in Sean’s handwriting: Happy Birthday to my baby. Wishing you the best. The delivery guy smiled at me, looking envious. “Miss, your boyfriend must really love you. That’s the most expensive cake on our menu. He even hand-wrote the card!” I pushed the door open and dumped the cake on the table. So, he remembered it was my birthday. He just chose to spend it proposing to someone else. I collapsed onto the sofa, staring at the empty room. My eyes started to burn. This apartment was full of us. But my boyfriend bought a ring and gave it to another woman. Looking at that cake now just made me nauseous. I sat there until the room went dark. Then, the door clicked open. 2 Sean walked in, looking windblown but triumphant. He was holding a bouquet. He walked over to me, zero guilt on his face. “Sarah, I brought you Lisianthus. Your favorite.” Lisianthus. It symbolizes unchanging, loyal love. Held in his hands right now, it looked like a punchline. I took the flowers. He thought I was fine, so he started his explanation. “Wendy… she has bone cancer. Her dying wish is to marry me. We grew up together, Sarah. She’s my childhood friend. I couldn’t let her die with regrets, so I’m getting engaged to her in three days.” He looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes. “You’ve always been so understanding. You get it, right?” It wasn’t an explanation. It was a notification. Engaged in three days? That worked out perfectly. I was leaving in three days anyway. I nodded quietly. In the past, Sean hated my “princess tantrums.” He said I was needy, always asking if he loved me. Over the years, I learned to be quiet. I learned to endure. Now, I wasn’t screaming. I wasn’t asking if he still loved me. He looked a little surprised by my calm. “I have to move out tomorrow to live with Wendy,” he added, pushing his luck. “You might have to be on your own for a few months. She’s sick, Sarah. She needs me more than you do right now.” I smiled and set the flowers down. Seeing that I wasn’t fighting back, he leaned in to kiss my cheek. I dodged him, smooth and subtle. There was a bright red lipstick stain on his collar. The sickly-sweet smell of another woman’s perfume assaulted my nose. I almost gagged. Rejected, Sean got annoyed. He didn’t say anything else, just grabbed a bag and left the apartment again. The second the door closed, I threw the flowers and the cake into the trash. Then, I started packing. I didn’t want the flowers. I didn’t want Sean. And I didn’t want anything to do with this apartment anymore. 3 The next day at work, I sat at my desk and printed my resignation letter. We met in college. When he got a job at this tech company, I followed him. I turned down my parents’ connections to start as an entry-level clerk, just to be with him. I used to hint at marriage. Sean always said he was too busy, that he needed to “make something of himself” before he could face my parents. “Career first, family later,” was his motto. I never told him about my family’s wealth because I didn’t want to pressure him. I just quietly managed my parents’ expectations. Now he was the VP. When I found the ring, I thought he was finally ready. Turns out, I was just delusional. Lisa, a coworker, walked by and saw my screen. “Sarah? You’re up for the Director promotion. Why are you quitting?” I smiled. “I’m getting married soon. I might switch industries.” Lisa beamed. “Oh my god, congrats! Love is in the air around here. Did you see VP Sean’s post? He’s getting engaged too!” “They look so good together. I heard they’re childhood sweethearts. Literal soulmates.” My smile faltered. I checked my phone. Sean had blocked me on all his personal socials. His main account was private. His work account? We only had professional exchanges there. Just then, Sean walked into the open-plan office. Wendy was with him. They were standing close. Wendy’s cheeks were rosy, her smile bright. She didn’t look like a dying cancer patient to me. Sean clapped his hands. “Everyone, listen up. This is our new Technical Director. Let’s make her feel welcome.” Lisa’s jaw dropped. She looked from me to Wendy. That was my promotion. Lisa awkwardly bowed. “Welcome, Director Wendy.” I stayed silent, gripping my resignation letter. Sean glared at me. “Sarah, everyone else greeted the new Director. What’s your problem?” Wendy chuckled softly and extended a hand toward me. “We’ll be working together closely. Please take care of me.” I reached out, but Sean snatched her hand back before we touched. “She’s a Director, babe. You don’t need to lower yourself for some entry-level employees. Come on, I’ll show you your office.” They walked off. I was left standing there with my hand extended, looking like a total clown. 4 Lisa pulled me down into my chair, whispering furiously. “Sarah, did you see that? That’s the fiancée!” “That diamond necklace she’s wearing? Sean gave it to her yesterday. It’s worth like a hundred grand!” “But seriously… parachuting her in? You’ve been busting your ass for five years. Everyone knows that Director spot was yours. That is so messed up.” I nodded absently. I was quitting anyway. Wendy taking my job just made it easier to see exactly where I stood in Sean’s life. Nowhere. I grabbed my resignation and a box of personal files and knocked on Sean’s office door. “Enter,” he said coldly. I put everything on his desk, including the handover files. He flipped through them, his face getting darker by the second. Finally, he looked up with a sneer. “Sarah, I thought you grew up yesterday. I guess I was wrong. You’re throwing a tantrum again?” He grabbed the stack of files and threw them at me. Papers flew everywhere. I dodged the heavy binder. Then, silently, I bent down and picked them up, one by one. “Just because she took the promotion?” he scoffed. “Wendy has the same degree as me. I trust her skills. What right do you have to be mad?” I stacked the papers neatly on his desk. “I’m not mad,” I said calmly. “I’m just resigning.” So, he trusts her skills because they have the same major? I majored in Jewelry Design. I got a double degree in Computer Science for him. I spent years burning the midnight oil to keep up with him. And to him, my effort was worthless. Sean looked down his nose at me. “You know you’re mediocre, right? I put you on Wendy’s team so you could learn from her. You should be grateful.” I laughed. “My time is expensive, Sean. I’m done learning things I hate.” “Fine!” he shouted, standing up. He looked like he wanted to hit me. “Get out! Good luck finding another company that will hire you!” I turned and walked out. Six years wasted on a dog. I wasn’t going to orbit him anymore, and I certainly wasn’t going to orbit Wendy. 5 At lunch, I was packing my cubicle. There was a little asteroid figurine on my desk. Sean gave it to me when we graduated. He told me I was his “whole universe.” I smirked. I almost left it, but decided to toss it in the box. As I was heading for the elevator, Wendy rushed out of her office, looking frantic. “Excuse me, everyone! My necklace… I think I lost it. Can everyone please stay put for a quick search?” The office started buzzing. “That huge diamond one?” “She’s being polite saying ‘lost.’ Someone probably stole it.” “Omg, do we have a thief? My snacks have been disappearing lately…” Sean was right by Wendy’s side. He ordered security to block the doors. They started searching everyone. When they got to me, I put my box down. Sean saw the asteroid figurine right on top. He paused for a second, then signaled the guard to dump the entire box out. Crash. My stuff scattered across the floor. The figurine shattered into a million pieces. Just like us. Security kicked through my things. Suddenly, Wendy gasped. “My necklace!” It was tangled in my charging cables. The whole office went silent, then the whispers started. “Oh my god, Sarah stole it?” “I knew she was jealous about the promotion, but this is low.” “She’s a thief? Thank god she quit. That’s scary.” My blood ran cold. I hadn’t touched her necklace. Someone must have planted it while I was in Sean’s office resigning. Sean picked up the necklace, his face thunderous. He looked at me with pure disgust. “Sarah…” He stepped on the shards of the figurine he once gave me, grinding them into dust. I looked up, and slap. He hit me across the face. Hard. “Apologize to Wendy! Why did you steal her gift?” My heart shattered completely. Being misunderstood by colleagues was one thing. But the man I loved for six years? He didn’t even ask. He just hit me. He held the necklace worth six figures in his hand, while crushing the cheap sentimental gift under his shoe. Tears welled up. “I didn’t…” He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward Wendy like I was trash. “Apologize! Explain yourself!” Wendy smirked for a split second before putting on a worried frown. She tried to help me up. I slapped her hand away and stood up on my own. Through my tears, I stood tall. “I didn’t take it. Check the cameras. I want the footage.” I looked Wendy dead in the eye. “And frankly, I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a diamond that cheap.”

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We were filming a variety show, and the challenge was to write a “Three-Line Last Will and Testament.” I wrote: [Finally. I kicked the bucket. LOL.] Then it was the Movie King’s turn. He thought for a moment, then penned: [Chloe. I’m in Hell. And I miss you.] I froze. Because I am Chloe. The internet exploded. That night, the hashtag #LiamConfessesViaDeathNote nuked the trending topics on Twitter. Netizens commented: [He’s real for that. I’m sobbing. Loving her even from the afterlife? Is this romance or a horror movie?] 1 I am the entertainment industry’s most notorious “Solo Queen.” Single since birth. Never dated. Not once. Once, the paparazzi camped out for twenty-four hours straight, hoping for dirt. All they got was footage of me solo-polishing off an entire extra-large pizza. My agent, Max, sighed deeply. “Trying to get you a ship for clout is harder than climbing Everest. You don’t even have male mosquitoes buzzing around you.” So, he signed me up for a dating reality show—Love on the Line. The stakes were high. The guests were all A-listers, including the current box-office god, Liam. Before filming, Max grabbed my shoulders: “If you really hate men, go flirt with a pretty girl, I don’t care! Just get some screen time!” 2 I went in, shaking in my boots. For the first episode, the producers came up with a “unique” icebreaker. [Dear Guests: Assume you are about to die. Please write a three-line Last Will.] Guest #1, the Pop Princess, sighed and wrote: [Earth sucks. 1 Star. Never visiting again.] Guest #2 was the new Top Idol guy. He laughed at the Princess’s answer, said “Same,” and wrote: [Natural causes. Burn some cash for me. And for the love of god, wipe my browser history.] Guest #4, the Serious Actress: [Scan the QR code on my grave for my nudes. Oops, you’re late. File expired.] Guest #5, the R&B Singer: [This user is too lazy to write a will. He left nothing but these three lines.] Then, it was my turn. My honest thought was: [I’m dead. Please burn money, a mansion, and a hot guy for me in the afterlife.] But then I remembered the cameras were rolling. I should keep a shred of dignity. So I twirled my pen and wrote my masterpiece, showing the whiteboard to the camera: [Finally. I kicked the bucket. LOL.] The Pop Princess looked at my board and leaned in. “It’s supposed to be three lines. You only used one line for the content.” I nodded sagely. “Listen, this is a will. I’ve followed rules my whole life. If I’m dying, I’m done with formatting guidelines.” “My death, my rules!” The Princess looked speechless but impressed. “Valid point.” 3 The other guests finished their wills. [Alive, I beat 100% of dead people. Dead, I beat 100% of living people. I’m the G.O.A.T.] [One last time: Pineapple does not belong on pizza.] [Dad, send money. I’m broke in Hell too.] [Sleep is just a free trial of death. This time I’m buying the full version.] [Mom, don’t cook for me anymore.] [I have 3 million dollars hidden. I won’t tell you where. Good luck, kids.] [No alcohol at the funeral. And don’t visit on weekends, I’m off the clock.] [Type 1 in the chat on my grave, and I’ll haunt someone you hate.] [Preselling my next life. Certified authentic. No refunds.] Finally, it was Liam’s turn. He was the biggest star among us. The Movie King. A lot of industry insiders and netizens were confused. Why would someone with Liam’s status join a trashy dating show? He hadn’t spoken much all recording. If prompted, he’d give a short answer. He was like a high-functioning robot programmed only to execute basic commands. Zero variety show sense. Now, everyone’s eyes were glued to him. The Top Idol sitting next to me was practically drooling on Liam’s pen tip. Seeing him hesitate, he whispered, “Bro, hurry up. Time to leave your legacy.” Liam paused. For some reason, he glanced at me. Then he lowered his eyes and slowly wrote a few words. I was curious, too. I pretended to be nonchalant, but I was practically straining my eyes out of their sockets. But when he turned the board to the camera, I wanted to gouge my own eyes out. He wrote: [Chloe. I’m in Hell. And I miss you.] Everyone on set looked like they’d been struck by lightning. Their heads snapped toward me in perfect unison. I panicked and let out the driest laugh of my life. “Hahahaha…” Talk about bad luck. It’s like tripping over a stone and falling into a sewer. Because I am Chloe. 4 God help me. Sometimes, being alone on a variety show is a helpless experience. If the police handled awkwardness, I would have had Liam arrested immediately for disturbing the peace. Even though everyone here was a seasoned veteran of the entertainment deep fryer, Liam’s single sentence fried our brains. Even the host needed a minute to reboot. This definitely wasn’t in the script. Liam, however, remained as calm as a chrysanthemum. He slowly capped his marker, looked up with faux confusion, and chuckled softly. “What’s wrong? Why is everyone frozen?” “Is there a problem with my will?” The Pop Princess looked at me, then at him, and spoke first. “Yeah, big problem.” “This is a dating show, but aren’t you moving a little fast? Confessing in the first episode? My mother is shook.” The Top Idol nodded vigorously. “Yeah, bro, WTF? And confessing in a will? What kind of vibe is this? ‘Till death do us part’ taken literally?” The Serious Actress narrowed her eyes. “Bold move, bro. Dropping a nuke right at the start. That’s why you’re top tier.” Looking around, the only person with a rosy complexion was the Producer. His eyes were glowing with a frantic, eerie light. “Holy sh*t. We got our viral moment.” 5 For the next few days after filming, I avoided Liam like the plague. Even after we exchanged WeChat contacts, I sent a polite greeting and then never looked at his messages again. I just felt the guy wasn’t right in the head. A few days later, the first episode of Love on the Line aired. Liam’s three-line will containing my full government name caused a tsunami online. #LiamDeathNoteConfession stayed at #1 on the trending list for 24 hours straight. The heat refused to die down. The forums were more active than when that one idol got arrested. Netizens: [LMAO I can’t breathe. ‘I’m in Hell and I miss you.’ What in the gothic romance is this?] [He’s real for that. I’m crying. Imagine Chloe seeing that. Is she touched or terrified?] [If there wasn’t a three-line limit, I swear he would have added ‘The wind of my longing blows all the way to the Underworld.’] [Suggestion for Liam: Put a QR code on your tombstone. If she says yes, it links to your chat history. If she says no, it links to your heartbreak playlist. Ruthless! Hahahaha!] Me: “…” Sorry, this corpse is feeling a bit unwell. Signing off to go jump off a building to calm down.

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After Gavin York went bankrupt, I got downgraded from a high-flying sugar baby to a broke girlfriend on a $500 monthly allowance. The girls in the group chat told me to bail and find a new whale. I didn’t listen. No matter how hard it got, I stuck by him. Ride or die, baby. Eventually, Gavin staged a legendary comeback. His net worth didn’t just recover; it tripled. On the day I was packing up to leave, the tall, imposing man sat in my tiny apartment, looking surprisingly cheerful. “Our contract might be up, June, but I’m granting you one wish. Anything you want, I’ll make it happen.” I was shocked and thrilled. “Okay, I want a 3,000-square-foot penthouse in downtown Manhattan.” “And?” “That’s it.” Gavin’s smile vanished. He hid the velvet ring box behind his back, his face darkening by the second. “…That’s it?” 1 “W-well, what else should there be?” I felt a chill. Gavin looked pissed. I shrank back into the sofa, putting some distance between us. “Um… maybe you could prepay fifty years of HOA fees?” Gavin took a deep breath, his thick brows knitting together in a scowl. “June Carter, are you trying to insult me?” Fair point. He was loaded now. Asking for a mere luxury condo was probably like asking for pocket change. It was insulting to his net worth. I decided to be honest. “Sorry, look, I don’t plan on getting married. Ever. So, it’s just going to be me and maybe a dog in the future. That much space is plenty.” Gavin choked. The hand he’d been hiding behind his back suddenly jammed into his pocket, leaving his Patek Philippe watch exposed and gleaming. His voice dropped to sub-zero temperatures. “Coincidence. I don’t plan on getting married either.” “I agree to your terms. The contract is terminated. I’ll wire an extra 2.5 million to your account as a severance package. Thanks for your… service.” So generous! I beamed, completely missing the sarcasm in his first sentence. “Thanks, Gavin! You’re the best!” He pressed his lips into a thin line, not saying a word. When he stormed out, he slammed the door so hard the trash can in the hallway rattled. 2 I happily shared the news in the group chat. I didn’t have many real friends. The “girls” were just the plus-ones of Gavin’s elite circle. [Richie’s Brat: June, are you dumb? That was your chance to lock down the wife title! You fumbled the bag hard.] [Fake Heiress: Next time you want to brag about fumbling a billionaire, keep it to yourself. You’re stressing me out.] [Crypto Queen: Wait, so you secured the bag with zero side effects? Teach me.] Only [Leo’s Mom (Sugar Daddy Edition)] was reading between the lines: [The Vance family has been trying to merge with Gavin’s empire for ages. I heard they had dinner last week. An engagement is probably imminent.] [Also, Gavin is ruthless. He drove his own brother to bankruptcy. June wouldn’t dare ask for too much. She’d end up in jail.] Me: [Exactly! He looked so scary when he left! T_T] They all knew Gavin York was impossible to handle. Handsome, rich, but with a temper from hell and more rules than the military. And his stamina… let’s just say he used to leave me walking funny for days. It was grueling. But back then, I was a professional sugar baby. I endured it for the money. Then came the news of his bankruptcy. “June, you should go. I’m broke,” he’d said, standing in the rain in a wrinkled suit, looking like a kicked puppy abandoned by the world. I really did want to leave. But my brain did a quick ROI calculation. A guy like Gavin doesn’t stay down. If I helped him when he was at rock bottom, he’d owe me for life when he bounced back. Plus, with his brain, he’d be rich again in no time. It was a better bet than going back to waiting tables. So, I pulled my foot back from the door. I tested the waters. “…Actually, I sold some of the Hermès bags you gave me and bought a small studio apartment.” “Gavin, do you want to come home with me?” He nodded slowly. So, I dragged him back to my 600-square-foot shoe box. We made three new rules, appended to our old contract: While broke, Gavin doesn’t eat for free. Manual labor covers rent. No temper tantrums. My house, my rules. If he pissed me off, he slept in the bathtub. That first night, Gavin devoured a bowl of mac and cheese like it was Michelin-star dining. He even licked the spoon. Then, miracle of miracles, he did the dishes. Quiet as a mouse. In the middle of the night, however, he pressed me into the flimsy mattress until the springs screamed for mercy. I protested this abuse of power. “Easy! If the bed breaks, we can’t afford a new one!” I tried to kick him, but he caught my ankle. He kissed his way up my leg, his breath hot, his voice trembling with a vulnerability I’d never heard before. “June… thank you for still loving me.” “I swear, I won’t let you live this life for long.” My dream had always been simple: a place of my own, hot food, and safety. I didn’t think this life was hard. But Gavin seemed to misunderstand. Whatever. At least he looked motivated again. The fire was back in his eyes. 3 Gavin kicked the trash can on his way out and dented it. I carried the sad, crumpled metal downstairs. There was an old man on the first floor with mild dementia who collected scraps. He eyed the trash can like it was gold. Feeling generous, I gave it to him. Just then, my phone buzzed. Notification from the bank. Gavin had wired me money. But his hand must have slipped, because instead of 2.5 million, he sent $5,200,000. I froze. I remembered reading legal advice online: large, unexplained transfers could be recalled or used to sue for extortion. I kept what was promised and immediately wired back the extra $2,700,000. He didn’t accept the transfer. I texted him: [Gavin, you sent too much. I sent the difference back.] [Message Not Delivered. You have been blocked by this user.] I stared at the red exclamation mark. The petty man blocked me. Fine. He got moody like this sometimes. I decided to leave him alone. Several days passed. Gavin didn’t show up. I enjoyed the peace. I deep-cleaned the apartment. I scrolled through Zillow looking at interior designs for my future penthouse. But a week went by, and still nothing. Phone went to voicemail. WeChat still blocked. This was out of character. He usually paid his debts immediately. Where was my penthouse? I started to panic. I called his secretary’s line. “I’m sorry, Mr. York has a private schedule today. May I ask who is calling?” I stammered, realizing I didn’t have a title anymore. Gavin wasn’t the broke guy on my couch anymore. He had a new team. They didn’t know me. And our contract was over. I wasn’t a sugar baby with VIP privileges anymore. “Nobody. Just… an old friend.” I hung up, feeling awkward as hell. 4 For the sake of my penthouse, I decided to stalk him. I waited outside his corporate HQ for hours until a sleek black Maybach pulled up. The door opened. I saw Gavin’s sharp profile. Then, a woman in a stunning white Chanel suit stepped out. “Gavin, I’m very satisfied with you.” Her voice was crisp and commanding. “You meet all my standards—looks, pedigree, assets. I don’t mind building feelings after the wedding.” Damn. Direct. That had to be Veronica Vance. The heiress. “I’m leaving now. Give me an answer in three days.” Gavin’s back was to me, so I couldn’t see his face. This was huge tea. I had to tell the group chat. I ducked behind a pillar, dimmed my screen, and started typing. June: [@everyone Emergency! Veronica Vance just proposed to Gavin York!] [Image attached: Blurry photo from behind a bush] The chat exploded. [Crypto Queen: Be honest, June. In three years, did you never catch feelings for him?] [Fake Heiress: Doesn’t it hurt to hear that?] My thumb hovered over the screen. I didn’t know how to answer. Suddenly, a deep voice rumbled directly above my head reading my group chat name. “The Diamond Cage Homeowners Association?” Gavin was standing right behind me. I panicked and locked my phone. He had one hand in his pocket, the other loosening his tie. He smelled of expensive scotch and agitation. His eyes were red-rimmed. “June, when did you pick up stalking as a hobby?” My heart hammered against my ribs. I took a step back. “I came to find you.” Gavin’s eyes lit up instantly. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “To find me?” “Yeah. You left this at my place.” I held out a cheap plastic lighter. “You forgot it. I brought it back.” Gavin let out a short, bitter laugh. “You really are… efficient. Is my stuff that repulsive to you?” “It’s just clutter. The apartment feels bigger without it.” Gavin’s breathing hitched. He turned away, taking a moment to compose himself. When he looked back, his face was a mask of indifference. “You heard what Veronica said?” I nodded. His gaze burned into me. “Any thoughts?” I buried my chin in my scarf and fiddled with my fingers. “Yes.” “Well?” He leaned in, hope flickering in his eyes. The wind rustled the decorative trees, sounding like whispers. I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “I wish you happiness, a hundred years of marriage, and lots of babies.” “Also… that 3,000-square-foot penthouse you promised? When do I get the deed?”

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I was the rainmaker. The golden goose. The guy bringing in millions in revenue every single month. But because I didn’t kiss the ring—or more accurately, because I didn’t spam the company group chat calling her “gorgeous”—she fired me without blinking. She replaced me with her clueless cousin. Fast forward a month: the company’s sales flatlined. Zero. Zilch. That’s when she showed up at my door, sobbing. “Please, Liam, you have to come back. My boyfriend says if you don’t return, he’s dumping me.” 1 The boss, David, was away on a business trip for a month. He left his shiny new girlfriend in charge as the “interim manager.” I never expected her power trip to start with me. It was 10:00 AM when I strolled into the office with my iced coffee. My coworker, shivering with anxiety, pointed toward the main office. “Tiffany is here. She wants to see you. Now.” Tiffany. David’s new flavor of the month. She was arrogant, loud, and impossible to please. If she didn’t like you, she’d make your life hell. She once bullied a female intern into quitting just because the girl spent “too much time” reporting to David. Tiffany spread rumors that the girl was sleeping her way to the top. David usually turned a blind eye because Tiffany was sweet to him, but now she had the reins. I walked in. Before I could even say “Good morning,” a heavy binder came flying at my head. Smack. It clipped my forehead, leaving a stinging scratch. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” Tiffany shrieked from behind the executive desk. “Office hours start at 8:00 AM. It’s 10:00! Who do you think you are?” I wiped my forehead, staring at her contorted, heavily made-up face. Everyone knew the unwritten rule: The top sales dogs come in at 10. When David’s company was on the brink of bankruptcy years ago, I came onboard. In my first month, I closed five million in sales and pulled the company back from the ledge. Since then, David treated me like royalty. I had flexible hours. Tiffany slammed her hand on the desk. “Look at your punch card! You’ve been late every day this month. You clearly don’t respect company policy.” “According to the handbook, three consecutive tardies means termination.” “So get out. You’re fired!” I looked at her in disbelief. “You’re firing me? Did you run this by David?” I brought in 80% of the company’s profit. Tiffany scoffed, looking at me like I was something she scraped off her shoe. “You’re just a salesman. A glorified peddler. Why wouldn’t I fire you?” “This is my boyfriend’s company. I’m the future owner. I can fire whoever the hell I want.” I sat down on the leather sofa, crossing my legs. “I suggest you call David first.” She rolled her eyes. “Who do you think you are?” She dialed David immediately on speaker. David sounded exhausted. “What is it, babe?” Her voice instantly changed from a screech to a sickeningly sweet purr. “Baby, I miss you~” David sighed. “Just tell me what’s wrong.” She smirked at me triumphantly. “There’s a salesman who refuses to follow the rules. He’s always late. I want him gone.” “Do whatever you want,” David muttered, clearly half-asleep. “I need to rest.” Click. Tiffany looked at me, gloating. “Heard that? I fire who I want. Now get the hell out!” 2 I let out a cold laugh. “Are you sure about this?” “When David comes back and realizes you fired me, he’s not going to be happy.” I was giving her a genuine warning. Headhunters had been blowing up my phone for years with offers double my salary, but I stayed out of loyalty to David. If I left, I’d be fine. Tiffany? Not so much. Tiffany glared at me, her face twisting with malice. “You really think you’re special? You’re an employee. I am his future wife. The lady of the house. You think he’s going to choose you over me?” I shook my head. Fine. If that’s how you want to play it. I walked out of the office. The bullpen was silent. Everyone had heard the screaming. “Liam, what happened?” a coworker whispered. I started packing my personal items into a box. “What happened? I got fired.” They gasped. “Fired? Is she insane? Everyone knows you’re the rainmaker. Isn’t she afraid David will dump her?” I chuckled. “Not my problem anymore. It’s her decision; she can deal with the fallout.” “Honestly, I’ve been grinding for years. I have enough saved to retire if I want. I could use a vacation.” “But why?” asked Jerry, a junior rep. “Did you offend her?” I thought about it. “Probably because I defended Jenny when Tiffany slut-shamed her.” Or maybe because yesterday, Tiffany posted a heavily filtered thirst trap in the company Slack channel, and everyone spammed “You’re a goddess!” except me. I left her on read. That was probably the nail in the coffin. “I should call David,” Jerry said, reaching for his phone. “Don’t,” I stopped him. “Even if I come back, it won’t be while she’s here. I can’t deal with her toxicity.” I took my box and went to Finance to settle my final paycheck. I’d only worked ten days this month, but my commissions alone were over a hundred grand. I told the payroll girl I was fired and to wire the money. Suddenly, Tiffany stormed into the finance office. “Liam! I told you to get out! What are you doing here?” I glanced at her. She looked so smug, banking on her boyfriend’s success. It was disgusting. When I ignored her, she grabbed my arm. “Are you deaf? Why are you touching company documents? Get out before I call the cops!” I shook her hand off. Hard. “Let go.” “I’m getting my paycheck. I’m not even asking for a severance package, which is generous of me.” Tiffany glared at the payroll girl. “How much is he owed?” The girl stuttered, “One hundred thousand and five thousand dollars.” Tiffany’s jaw dropped. “How much?” After the girl repeated it, Tiffany pointed a manicured finger at me. “He violated company policy. He was late. Deduct it all.” I laughed. “The penalty for being late is $200. Did you fail math in elementary school?” Tiffany puffed up her chest. “I made a new rule. Three strikes and you forfeit your entire salary. Now get out!” 3 “Who gave you the authority to make up labor laws?” Tiffany crossed her arms. “I own a piece of this future. My word is law.” I didn’t have the energy to argue with stupid. “Fine. See you in court.” I walked out, box in hand. I drove home, unpacked, and checked my phone. I hadn’t left the company group chat yet. Tiffany had posted a new announcement: From now on, everyone must reply to my messages on Slack and WhatsApp within 5 minutes. Anyone who ignores me will end up like Liam. So that was the reason. David really had the worst taste in women. The chat filled with “Yes, ma’am!” and “Understood!” messages. I rolled my eyes and hit “Leave Group.” Peace at last. But Tiffany wasn’t letting me take my hard-earned money. So, I decided to teach her a lesson. All the VIP clients were saved in my personal phone. I had cultivated these relationships for years. I sent out a mass broadcast message. To my valued clients: Effective immediately, I have resigned from [Company Name]. I will no longer be handling your accounts there. Most of these people only bought from the company because they trusted me. Within two minutes, my phone blew up. Clients were asking where I was going, promising to move their contracts to my new firm. I replied to everyone honestly: I haven’t landed anywhere yet. Taking a break. But I will let you know as soon as I’m back in the game. I spent the entire day replying to messages until I fell asleep. The next morning, Jerry texted me: Bro, it’s chaos. A ton of vendors called to cancel contracts. They said they won’t renew without you. Did you do this? I smirked. I didn’t do anything. I just told them the truth—I don’t work there anymore. Jerry: You’re a legend. Tiffany screamed at three sales reps this morning, asking why they couldn’t retain the clients. People are writing resignation letters right now. Good. Let’s see how she handles the fire. I was preparing to contact a lawyer for my unpaid wages when Tiffany called me herself. I picked up. “Hello?” “Liam, you piece of trash!” she screamed into the receiver. “Where are the client contacts? The files are empty! Those are company property! Send me the numbers right now or I’ll sue you!” I laughed. She was panicking. “You are disgusting! Give me the list! Or I’ll ruin you!” 4 “Those clients? I found them. I wined and dined them. I closed them. They only answer to me. Why should I give them to you?” Tiffany sounded like she was hyperventilating. “The company paid you! That’s your job! You ungrateful dog! My husband paid you millions and you stab us in the back?” “You want the numbers? Fine. I’ll give them to you. Let’s see if you can actually close a deal.” I hung up and emailed the spreadsheet to Jerry to print out for her. A phone number is useless if you don’t have the skill. The next day, Jerry sent me a video. It was taken secretly from his desk. Tiffany was on the phone with a major client. “Did Liam tell you to say that? How much is he paying you to lie to me?” she shrieked. “If you don’t buy from us, get lost! Good luck finding another supplier!” She slammed the phone down, smashing the screen. “I don’t believe this company will die without that traitor!” she yelled at the silent office. “Everyone, get out there! I want five new clients from each of you by the end of the day!” “Five? Today?” Jerry muttered in the video. “We sell heavy industrial machinery. Getting one lead a month is hard.” Tiffany’s eyes bulged. “What? You want to mutiny?” Old Man Zheng, a sales veteran, stood up. “Maybe we should wait for David to come back. You don’t understand the sales cycle…” “You’re incompetent!” Tiffany cut him off. “The company doesn’t need dead weight. If you can’t do it, get out!” Zheng’s face turned red. He took off his badge and threw it on the desk. “I can’t do it. Find someone who can.” He walked out. Then another rep stood up. Then Jerry. “We quit.” “Fine! Go! All of you!” Tiffany screamed. “You think the world stops spinning without you? You’re all useless!” The video ended. Jerry texted: Boss is going to come back to a graveyard. That afternoon, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find Zheng, Jerry, and the entire sales team standing in my hallway. 5 I ushered them in and poured tea. “What are you guys doing here?” Zheng looked at me, looking tired. “I led them here. Tiffany went too far. She actually blacklisted us within the industry group chat, saying we were fired for cause. Now nobody will interview us.” I slammed my cup down. “That woman is toxic.” “We have mortgages, Liam. Kids. If we can’t work…” Zheng hesitated. “We want to follow you. If you start something, we’re in.” “Yeah, Liam,” Jerry added. “We only trust you. David is a good guy, but his taste in women destroyed the company.” I looked at their desperate faces. I felt a fire light up in my chest. “Okay. I’ll handle it.” “From today on, we work for ourselves. We start our own agency. When Tiffany runs that place into the ground, we’ll be the ones standing.” They cheered. I immediately organized them. The veterans went to find suppliers. I contacted my client list. We offered the same product, but cheaper, because we had lower overhead. The suppliers knew me. They knew I moved volume. They signed with us immediately. Within a week, we had poached almost every major contract. The commissions we were making were insane compared to our old salaries. More ex-colleagues heard about our success and quit to join us. Jerry gave me the latest intel: “After the sales team left, Tiffany hired her cousin, her uncle, and her aunt to fill the seats. They just sit in the office acting like royalty, ordering the admin staff around.” “They haven’t closed a single deal since you left.” I laughed. “David is going to have a stroke.” “David video calls her every day,” Jerry said. “And she lies to his face. Says everything is booming.” “I heard her talking to her uncle before I left,” another guy chimed in. “She asked if they were going too far. Her uncle said, ‘If he gets mad, accuse him of assault. You think we gave him our innocent niece for free?’”

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At the party, I dragged my drunk best friend back to her hotel room. But my childhood sweetheart—the man I’d loved my entire life—grabbed me, mistaking me for her. It was a messy, chaotic night. Everyone said I did it on purpose. They said I was a homewrecker trying to drive a wedge between him and his “true love.” Even after we were forced to marry, nothing I did could melt his heart of ice. I thought I could endure it. Until I overheard him on the phone, his voice dripping with malice. “I’ll drag Luna along for the rest of her miserable life if it means getting revenge for Chloe. Who else would want her anyway?” “She wants a baby? I’ll make sure she never gets one. I’d rather die.” A piercing car horn cut his tirade short. He turned, saw me standing on the corner, and panic flooded his face. He started running toward me. But it was too late. The impact was brutal. I was sent flying into the air. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at that party. Back to the night it all went wrong. And this time? I decided to let him and my “best friend” have their happily ever after. 1 Only Chloe knew I was in love with Asher. When I saw Asher stumbling drunk in the hallway, eyes glazed over, pinning me against the wall, I didn’t lean in. My eyes went cold. I grabbed his arm and dragged him straight to Chloe’s room. I pounded on the door. When Chloe opened it, I shoved Asher right into her arms. “He needs you. Now.” Chloe looked stunned for a split second. Then, as she wrapped her arms around him, her face twisted into a sneer. “Finally got some self-awareness, Luna?” “Took you long enough. Asher has always wanted me. Why do you keep humiliating yourself?” “He rejected you so hard last time, and you’re still acting like a simp? Do you have no dignity?” My fingernails dug into my palms. Even a lifetime later, her words still stung. In my past life, Chloe had played the “bestie” card, dragging me on this beach trip only to treat me like a glorified maid while she flirted with the guy I loved. That night, in my first life, Asher was too drunk to know who was who. I took him to his room, and things happened. We got engaged out of obligation, but on our wedding day, Chloe killed herself in our bridal suite. That guilt destroyed my marriage before it began. But this time? I wasn’t playing. “You’re right,” I said, my voice flat. “He’s always wanted you. I’m done chasing.” I turned on my heel and walked out of the hotel. Tears streamed down my face the second I hit the fresh air. I cried for the wasted years, for the pain of two lifetimes. Then, I pulled out my phone and dialed my aunt. “Aunt Sarah? I’ll take the offer. I’m moving to Canada.” “And that arranged marriage you mentioned? I’ll do it.” Aunt Sarah sounded thrilled. “Oh, thank God, Luna! You finally came to your senses. I’ll make the arrangements…” She paused. “Does Asher know?” “No.” “Good,” she sighed. “Honey, I know you grew up with the guy, but he’s not your guardian. You’re an adult. You can’t keep orbiting him, especially when his heart is taken. I’ve been so worried about you staying there…” I let out a bitter laugh. “I know, Auntie. That’s why I’m never going to love him again.” 2 I didn’t go back to the hotel that night. I stayed at a cheap motel nearby, catching a fever from the drafty window. When I returned the next morning, groggy and burning up, I walked straight into the news of their engagement. Asher was lounging on the sofa in a wrinkled silk robe, his neck covered in hickeys. Chloe was wrapped in a towel, looking like the cat who ate the canary. They were feeding each other breakfast, putting on a show. “Oh, look who’s back,” Chloe chirped. “Asher cooked breakfast. It’s delicious. But I guess you’re sick of his cooking by now, right Luna?” My heart gave a painful throb. Sick of it? Asher had never cooked for me. Not once. Well, except for that one time when we were kids and I was sick, crying for my mom’s soup. He made a bowl of undercooked rice sludge with sugar instead of salt. I cherished the memory of that terrible porridge for years. But for Chloe? He took culinary classes. He made gourmet meals. Asher wiped a crumb from Chloe’s lip, his expression cold as he looked at me. “Chloe likes the villa on the South Side. We’re going to renovate it for the wedding. As for you…” I looked down. I knew what was coming. That villa had been my home for ten years. Now, I was being evicted. “I’ll move out ASAP,” I said, my voice raspy. “Brother.” Asher froze. His pupils dilated. I hadn’t called him “Brother” since I confessed my love at eighteen. He used to scream at me to stop having “disgusting thoughts” about him. “What did you call me?” he stammered. Chloe cut in, draping herself over him. “I mean, we’re getting married. She’s practically family.” She smirked at me. “So, what are you going to call me?” Asher didn’t answer. He was staring at me, looking conflicted. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Sister-in-law.” Chloe’s smug smile faltered. I walked past them to my room and collapsed on the bed, the fever taking over. Later, Asher blocked my doorway. “I don’t care what game you’re playing,” he snarled. “I’m marrying Chloe. Don’t try to sabotage this.” “If you do, I won’t let you off easy.” Not let me off easy? What else could he do? In my past life, Chloe spilled hot soup on me, and he made me kneel in the rain to apologize. She pushed me down the stairs, and he locked me in the basement until I admitted I fell. My love for him was a poison I drank willingly. Not anymore. “Understood,” I whispered. Asher seemed thrown off by my lack of fight. “Look, we have a few days left of vacation. You can come with us tomorrow…” “No thanks,” I cut him off. “You guys enjoy your honeymoon preview. I have stuff to handle back home. I’m leaving.” I packed my bag and left. 3 They turned the rest of the trip into a pre-wedding honeymoon. Chloe made sure I knew every detail. She bombarded my phone with photos. Picture: Asher cutting steak for her. “He’s so attentive. I must have saved a country in my past life to deserve him.” Picture: Asher washing her feet. “Your dream guy is serving me like a queen. Did he ever do this for you?” Chloe knew exactly where to stick the knife. But she didn’t know he used to be good to me, too. Before she came along. If I had a nightmare, he’d fly back from business trips. If I got bullied, he’d show up at school, pale-faced from his heart condition, to defend me. That all ended the day I told him I loved him. I scrolled through his Instagram. It was a shrine to Chloe. In every photo, he looked like a boy in love. I stared at the screen until my tears blurred his face. Then, my phone buzzed. Asher. “What are you doing?” his voice was icy. I looked around my room at the Fu mansion. He had given me a mountain of gifts over the years, but I was taking almost nothing. I looked at the shelf of photo albums. I used to document his life because he was vain about getting old. He used to love it. After my confession, he burned half of them in a drunken rage, calling my obsession “sick.” I left them there. Under the bed was a box of a thousand letters I never sent. He told me once, “If you ever can’t find me, write it down.” He never knew they existed. I left those, too. I took one suitcase of clothes and a photo of my late parents. “Nothing,” I said into the phone. “What do you want?” “Can you stop harassing Chloe?” he shouted. “How many times do I have to tell you I love her? Give it up!” I stayed silent. The accusation was baseless, as usual. “You leave early to play the victim, then you blow up her phone asking for photos? Are you psycho?” Chloe sent them to me. To gloat. He knew that. Or maybe he didn’t care. “I didn’t ask for them,” I said tiredly. “Stop lying! Just stop!” he yelled. “I’m sick of you. When will you get it through your head? Your obsession is disgusting.” Tears rolled down my cheeks, but my voice was steady. “It won’t happen again.” “Good,” he huffed. “I was going to send you to the branch office for an internship, but I don’t want you messing up my wedding. I’m sending you out of state.” “No need,” I said. “I found a job. It’s far away. I won’t be living at the house anymore.” Silence on the other end. “When did you find a job? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you let me arrange it?” He was doing it again. Pushing me away, then panicking when I actually left. “I’m an adult,” I said. “I can take care of myself. Brother.” I emphasized the last word. He hung up on me. Minutes later, a text popped up. Tonight. Engagement party on the yacht. You have to come. Chloe insists she wants her ‘best friend’ there to witness her happiness. 4 The yacht party was extravagant. Millions of dollars in fireworks, the elite of the city, champagne flowing like water. In my last life, our wedding was a shotgun affair he tried to keep secret. He wouldn’t even take wedding photos. For Chloe? He bought the world. “Luna! Over here!” Chloe shoved a camera into my hands. “Asher is going to propose officially. Record it for us.” As she handed me the camera, she flashed her wrist. My eyes burned. She was wearing the prayer beads. 108 wooden beads. I had climbed a mountain, kneeling at every step, to pray for them when Asher was in critical condition with his heart. My blood was still stained into the wood grain. “Asher gave them to me,” she giggled. “I tripped the other day, and he said these would keep me safe. He’s so superstitious.” She smirked. “He said you ruined your knees begging for these? That’s crazy.” I still had chronic pain in my legs when it rained. He knew that. After the proposal photos, Chloe grabbed the camera back and “accidentally” bumped into me. The beads flew off her wrist and into the dark ocean. “Oh no!” Chloe wailed. “Luna! I know you didn’t want me to have them, but did you have to throw them away? They represent Asher’s safety!” She looked at Asher with big, teary eyes. “Does this mean… something bad will happen?” “Don’t talk like that,” Asher snapped. He turned his glare on me. “You break it, you buy it. Or in this case, you retrieve it. I taught you that, didn’t I?” Just like when Chloe broke her own project and blamed me, and he gave her my award-winning design as compensation. Just like when she threw away her cheap jade pendant and he forced me to give her my mother’s heirloom. I looked at the dark water. Then I looked at him. “Fine. As you wish.” I jumped. The water was freezing. It felt like a thousand needles stabbing my skin. I dove down, again and again, lungs burning, until I found the beads snagged on a ladder rung below the surface. When they hauled me up, shivering and blue, Asher just scowled. “Still trying to play the hero? You think this makes me pity you?” I handed the beads to Chloe. “Sorry.” Chloe snatched them. “Thanks, Luna. Oh, by the way, Asher said since you’re moving out, I can use your room for my collectibles?” My room. The one she had already forced me out of three times, pushing me from the master suite to the guest room to the attic and finally the storage closet. “Sure,” I said through chattering teeth. “It was just a closet anyway.” “And those clay dolls under your pillow? Can I have them for inspiration?” My head snapped up. Those dolls. Asher made them for me years ago. He said they were us, together forever. They were the only thing that kept me sane. Asher looked at me, his expression unreadable. I smiled, a broken, hollow thing. “Take them. They’re in his room now anyway.” “Take whatever you want,” I said softly. “I’m leaving everything behind. Including the person who used to mean the most to me.” Asher’s face darkened. “I’m leaving now. Congrats.” I turned to walk away. Suddenly, the giant LED screen on the deck flickered to life. A video started playing. It was the night at the hotel. But the video was edited. It didn’t show me handing Asher to Chloe. It only showed Asher drunk and stumbling, and me wrapping my arms around his neck to support him, looking intimate. Gasps rippled through the crowd. “Luna!” Asher roared, his face draining of color. “You… you actually filmed it?” “It’s a misunderstanding!” he frantically told Chloe. Chloe looked at him with sad, betrayed eyes. “I trust you, honey. But… who else would release this but her?” Asher marched over and slapped me across the face. Crack. “You disgust me! You released a sex tape to ruin my engagement?” I tasted blood. The crowd was jeering. “Ungrateful wolf,” someone muttered. “She wants to force him to marry her.” “I didn’t do it!” I screamed. Slap. He hit me again. “Liar! Only you and I were there!” I looked at Chloe. She was the only other person who knew. “Asher,” Chloe sobbed. “She hates us. She wants to ruin the family reputation because she can’t have you.” “Luna,” Asher said, his voice dropping to a terrifying whisper. “I gave you a chance. You blew it.” He signaled his bodyguards. “Bring the whip.” They beat me in front of everyone. When I was barely conscious, they tied a rope around my waist and threw me back into the ocean. “Maybe the sharks will teach you a lesson,” Asher spat. The scent of my blood drew them in. I thrashed in the water, feeling the rough skin of sharks bumping against me. I felt teeth graze my leg. I screamed until my throat tore. Asher stood on the deck, arm around Chloe, watching me drown. When they finally pulled me up, I was bleeding from multiple bites. As the police arrived—called by Asher to arrest me for defamation and blackmail—he announced to the crowd: “Let me be clear. I have no relationship with Luna anymore. Chloe is the only woman I will ever love.” I was dragged away in handcuffs, listening to the applause.

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I saw my boyfriend kissing another girl from a distance. I ran home, crying my eyes out, and texted him that we were breaking up. He called me immediately, scoffing. “If you have the guts, say that to my face.” 1 “Let’s break up, Caleb.” I sniffled. After typing those few words, I wiped a tear off my phone screen. The moment I hit send, I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I curled up into a ball, hugging my knees, and sobbed. I saw him kissing another girl outside his dorm today, but I didn’t have the courage to confront him. I was scared Caleb would get mad. He’s 6’2″. He could probably toss me like a frisbee if he wanted to. Okay, he’s never hit me, but haven’t you seen those Lifetime movies? Why do I always attract the scum of the earth? Thinking about it just made me cry harder. Suddenly, my phone rang. I wiped my eyes and checked. Caleb didn’t text back. He called. I cleared my throat before answering. “What do you mean?” His voice was emotionless. I tried to sound tough, channeling my inner righteous fury. “You cheated. We’re done.” “I did what?” He sounded genuinely confused. That gave me a little confidence. “I saw everything. Outside your dorm. You kissed someone else.” “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” “You’re denying it?” My anger spiked. “We’re over, you jerk!” Caleb let out a cold laugh. It sent a chill down my spine. “If you have the guts, come say that to my face.” 2 Before I could react, he hung up. Even though his tone was flat, I could hear the icy edge to it. Sure enough, less than half an hour later, my apartment door beeped and opened. It was Caleb. Right. He knows my keypad code. He stared at me expressionlessly, walking over slowly. I instinctively shrank back, hugging a throw pillow in the corner of the sofa. “What… what are you doing here?” My voice sounded so weak. “I’m here to hear why I’m getting dumped.” He sat down on the sofa opposite me, looking relaxed but intense. I buried the lower half of my face in the pillow and mumbled, “I already told you.” Caleb looked at me for two seconds. “When did you see me kissing someone?” I was forced to recall the scene from this afternoon, feeling my heart sink again. “Around 4 PM.” He scoffed and tossed his phone onto the coffee table. It was playing a video of a bunch of guys playing basketball. The timestamp was clearly visible. “At 4 PM, I was on the court. Are you hallucinating, Joy?” I pressed my lips together and described exactly what I saw this afternoon. I only saw the guy from the back, but the build and height were identical. He was even wearing the exact same jacket. “That was my roommate, Zach. He borrowed my jacket for a date today.” As I listened to Caleb’s calm explanation, the storm clouds in my head instantly cleared. But I was still stubborn. I muttered, “Well, the back view was super similar. You can’t blame me for mistaking him.” Caleb didn’t say anything. He stood up and walked over to me, looming over the sofa. A shiver ran down my spine. I looked up at him with wide eyes. “What are you doing?” The next second, he scooped me up and stood me on the sofa cushions. My arms instinctively wrapped around his neck. “He’s half a head shorter than me. You couldn’t tell?” “Is he?” I looked down at Caleb, tilting my head. “You asking for a spanking?” He smirked. I blurted out, “Domestic violence?” He gave a lazy hum of agreement. Then, he swatted my lower back—right above my butt—firmly but not painfully. My face instantly burned. I glared at him. Pervert!! He seemed to be in a much better mood. He spun around and sat on the sofa with me still in his arms. He positioned me so I was straddling his lap, facing him. “Still breaking up?” He looked at me, amused. I felt awkward, so I buried my face in the crook of his neck and stayed silent. A low, magnetic chuckle vibrated against my ear. Then, he lightly bit my earlobe. “You only act this dramatic with me.” 3 Mark is back in the country. By the time I found out, he was already standing in front of me. “Joy, long time no see.” The guy in front of me still looked clean-cut and sunny. Who would have guessed I broke up with Mark because he cheated on me with a freshman? I caught them red-handed in a hotel room. He had the girl wrapped in the duvet while he sat on the edge of the bed, lighting a cigarette. He looked me dead in the eye, zero guilt. “What did you expect, Joy?” “You wouldn’t let me touch you. A guy has needs.” After we broke up, he openly dated the girl. He’s a senior now. Whenever he didn’t have classes, he’d take his new girlfriend traveling around the world. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him in six months. “Do you need something?” Hearing him call my name so casually sparked a wave of repulsion in my gut. “Are you free for lunch? Let’s grab a bite.” I took a step back and shook my head. “No.” “Are you still mad at me, Joy?” His eyes dimmed. “I know I messed up back then, but I’ve always only liked you.” Excuse me???? I was struggling to maintain my politeness. Mark continued, “So, Joy, can you forgive me?” He moved to hug me. Before I could dodge, a familiar voice rang out from behind me. “Buddy, I think you’re confessing to the wrong person.” Caleb strolled over, glancing at Mark’s outstretched hand. “Watch the hands.” Mark awkwardly pulled back, sounding annoyed. “Who are you?” I finally found my opening. I looked at Mark. “My boyfriend.” Mark gritted his teeth. After a moment, he sneered. “Joy, it hasn’t been that long. You’re already with someone else?” “Lonely much?” 4 Instantly, I felt a dark aura radiate from Caleb. I grabbed his hand, afraid he might throw a punch. I remembered when some rich, brainless trust-fund kid provoked Caleb, the “Prince.” Caleb drove his supercar straight at the guy. He slammed the brakes less than two feet away. The guy fell to his knees in terror and literally wet his pants. “It’s okay, Caleb.” I shook his arm, looking up at him. Caleb glanced at me and decided not to engage. I stood in front of Caleb and looked calmly at Mark. “I’m really curious, Mark,” I said, articulating every word. “When you were acting like a dog in heat, screaming about your ‘physiological needs,’ did this double standard cross your mind?” Mark’s face flushed red with anger. He took a step forward. Caleb immediately pulled me behind him, looking down at Mark. “I’m only going to say this once.” “Don’t try to mess with Joy again.” Mark knew he was in the wrong. Finally, he huffed and walked away. 5 “Scared I’d hurt him?” Caleb pinned me against a tree, his dark eyes fixed on me. “Still care about him, huh? Just because he was your first love?” I felt helpless. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “What does he have that’s worth caring about? He’s not as tall as you, not as handsome as you, and definitely not as rich as you.” The boy who was radiating hostility a second ago was instantly pacified. He raised an eyebrow. “Pretty shallow, Joy.” I admitted it openly. Caleb spoke slowly, deliberately. “Later, I’ll let you experience something deeper.” “What?” I paused, looking at him in confusion. His breath tickled my ear as he laughed. “Once we get married, I’ll show you what you’ve been missing. Then you’ll know.” I realized what he meant and pinched his arm, glaring at him. Bastard, get your mind out of the gutter! I tried to kick him and break free. But he pinned me against the tree effortlessly. Caleb cupped my face with one hand, leaned down, and kissed me. I clenched my teeth, refusing to open up on purpose. He wasn’t in a rush. After teasing my lips for a bit, the hand on the back of my neck moved to my earlobe and gave it a pinch. I shuddered, my jaw relaxing instinctively. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Just when I thought I was going to suffocate, he pulled back slightly, unhurriedly. He pecked the corner of my mouth. “We’ve been together for a while. How have you not learned to breathe yet?” I wanted to ask myself the same thing. Why do I still blush every time Caleb kisses me?

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