I’m a world-class cardiac surgeon. To help me save patients more efficiently, the U.S. government gave me a special vehicle with the license plate “1111.” This car is exclusively for my use. Whenever this special vehicle hits the road, the traffic system clears the path and creates corridors for me, providing full escort with green lights all the way to ensure smooth passage. After receiving the car, I kept it at my fiancé Jayden Thomas’s house, letting him maintain the vehicle for me. Until one day, I received an urgent mission to perform a heart transplant on a leader who held critical state secrets. I immediately rushed to the Thomas mansion to get the car. As I was preparing to leave, a strange woman yanked open the car door and slid into the back seat. She said rudely, “Drive me to the mall for a manicure first, then go pick up the ice cream Jayden ordered for me. If that ice cream melts even a little, I’ll kill you.” Thinking she had mistaken me for someone else, I said gently, “This is my car. I have an emergency and need to get to the airport. Please get out of the car immediately.” She cursed, “Bullshit! How dare a driver pretend to be the owner? Open your eyes and look at the license plate!” At that moment, the nearby maid Alice Reed looked at me sideways and said, “You’re in the wrong here. Everyone in the city knows Mr. Thomas loves taking Miss Cox out for rides in this car. Nobody dares to mess with them.” I was stunned. Jayden actually dared to use this special vehicle to take her out for fun? This was extremely serious. ***** Using this special vehicle without my permission was equivalent to misappropriating U.S. government property. This offense alone carried a minimum sentence of three years in prison. Not to mention that Jayden was secretly using my car to take another woman for joyrides behind my back. This would add another charge to his existing offense. If the Thomas family knew how to read the situation and had Jayden properly apologize to me, considering he was my fiancé, I might still plead with the government for leniency. But… I looked at the woman arrogantly occupying the back seat. This “Miss Cox” who came out of nowhere had committed too serious an offense to be salvaged. She refused to get out, and I had no mood to continue arguing with her. I simply looked away, started the car immediately, and prepared to head to the airport. Saving lives was the priority. As for this mess, I’d have Jayden come explain everything to me personally after I completed my mission. After starting the car, I gripped the steering wheel, ready to leave. “Are you insane?” the woman screamed. She lunged forward from the back seat, frantically grabbing at my steering wheel. “How dare you drive without my permission?” The car instantly lost control, heading straight for the wall. Just as the car was about to hit the wall, I regained control of the steering wheel. I slammed on the brakes while jerking the wheel hard. The car swerved, crashed into a flower bed, and stalled. Still shaken from the scare, I blurted out, “Are you crazy?” “You’re the one messing with my car.” She rolled her eyes and said, “If you ever do something like this again, I’ll chop off your hands. Bitch!” I didn’t want to deal with her and immediately got out to check the dented hood. Fortunately, the car’s driving functions were all normal. Just as I was about to get back in, the Thomas family bodyguards rushed over and pushed me away. Under the woman’s smug gaze, the bodyguards took over the driver’s seat. “After offending Miss Cox, you still dare to run?” one bodyguard snarled viciously. “Watch out or we’ll skin you alive today!” I hadn’t expected the Thomas family bodyguards to be so obedient to her like dogs. I looked at Alice, who was coldly watching the drama unfold, and asked, “Who is she?” “You don’t know Miss Cox?” Alice looked at me like I was a joke. “She’s Mr. Thomas’s most beloved intern assistant, Layla Cox.” I laughed bitterly. She was just an intern assistant, yet she dared to flaunt her power and bully others here. I felt the Thomas family’s management was terrible. “I’ll ask Jayden myself.” I pulled out my phone helplessly. Layla immediately tensed up, staring at me intently. Since Layla was spoiled by Jayden, I wanted to see how he’d handle this. The phone rang for a long time before being answered. “Jayden, you’ve already committed a crime against public safety by using my car for joyrides without permission,” I said directly. “Now, have your intern assistant and bodyguards get out of my car immediately so they don’t interfere with my mission. After this is over, I might still put in a good word for you so you won’t have to go to prison.” There was a long silence on the other end. He chuckled coldly and said, “Josephine, what right do you have to make me wrong Layla for your sake? You want to compete with her for the car? Are you worthy?” Josephine Brown is my name. I was instantly stunned. Originally, the Thomas family had begged me to marry Jayden to repay me for saving their lives. They said Jayden was handsome with a great physique and would wholeheartedly take care of me. At the time, I was focused entirely on my work. After seeing Jayden’s photos, I was satisfied and immediately agreed to the engagement. I never expected he would side with Layla. Didn’t he know that if he couldn’t marry me, the Thomas family would go bankrupt? It was only because of me that the government was willing to give the Thomas family so many premium contracts.

Jayden was being completely unreasonable. “You’d better think about the consequences,” I warned him, suppressing my anger. “If you delay me, Sir Thomas’s heart transplant surgery will be too late.” Tonight, I had already scheduled to perform heart transplant surgery on Jayden’s grandfather, William Thomas. But if I couldn’t successfully save the leader and get back in time, William would just have to wait in the ICU. Every minute he waited meant more danger. “Enough!” Jayden cut me off harshly. “Don’t think I don’t know you’ve been lying all along!” “I’ve done my research. The first heart surgery you did on my grandfather was just a minor procedure that any doctor could perform.” He sneered. “You lied to my grandfather, claiming only you could make the surgery successful, just so you could use this opportunity to become part of the Thomas family, didn’t you?” “Well, you succeeded.” Jayden continued through gritted teeth. “I won’t break off our engagement, but I’ll never let you touch my grandfather again.” My heart lurched. My instincts as a doctor made me try to stop him. “No. This heart transplant surgery really can only be done by me…” “You’re still pretending.” Jayden’s tone was casual, completely unconcerned. “Layla has already brought in a heart specialist from abroad. I’ve moved up the surgery time. You don’t need to worry about it anymore, Dr. Brown.” The surgery time had been moved up, and no one had bothered to notify me, the lead surgeon. If I didn’t have this mission to save the leader, I could rush back to the hospital immediately to stop them. But right now, I was on duty and couldn’t go back. “If something goes wrong with the surgery, can you take responsibility?” I asked angrily. In this world, there were countless people begging me to perform surgery on them. William was lucky to have gotten this precious surgical opportunity by chance. Otherwise, with his status, he wouldn’t even qualify to meet me. Since Jayden insisted on not letting me save William, I didn’t want to deal with it anymore. The person on the other end of the phone paused. Jayden probably hadn’t expected me to agree so readily. “Nothing could possibly go wrong,” he said angrily. “If something does go wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.” With that, he hung up. Seeing that Jayden wouldn’t help me, Alice, who had been waiting to watch me make a fool of myself, couldn’t help but mock me. “Now you regret it, don’t you?” She rolled her eyes. “Ms. Cox isn’t just an intern assistant. She’s only been at the company for a month, but Mr. Thomas has already brought her home and dotes on her day and night. Mr. Thomas even ordered everyone to call her Mrs. Thomas. None of us dare to mess with her. Who do you think you are?” I thought I’d misheard. Before I even became part of the Thomas family, they already had a “Mrs. Thomas”? “Don’t you all know that Mr. Thomas has a fiancée?” I couldn’t help asking. “Ha!” Alice said sarcastically. “Mr. Thomas has already said that once that stupid woman marries him, he’ll kick her out. He only wants Ms. Cox to be Mrs. Thomas.” Layla breathed a sigh of relief, looked at me smugly, and deliberately flashed the diamond ring on her ring finger to show off. I was so angry I laughed. The Thomas family was completely dishonest. If I had known Jayden was this kind of person, I never would have agreed to marry him. I glanced at the time and saw there were thirty minutes left before the plane took off. If I didn’t leave now, I really would be too late. “I’m warning you one last time,” I said seriously. “You can’t handle the consequences of delaying my work. If you come to your senses now and give me the car, I can still put in a good word for you, forgive your mistake, and not punish you.” Layla’s eyes widened. “A driver’s Christmas bonus couldn’t even buy one of my shoes,” she mocked. “Even if I beat you to death, I can afford to pay for your worthless life.” I didn’t have time to argue with her. Seeing her hogging the car, I decided to go outside and hail a taxi. I could coordinate everything else on the way and try to get to the airport within thirty minutes. Just as I was about to reach the door, a tremendous force suddenly kicked me in the stomach, and my phone instantly flew out of my hand. I was completely unprepared and got kicked to the ground. The organs in my stomach felt like they were being crushed. A metallic taste surged up my throat, and then I coughed up a mouthful of blood. Layla sauntered over and pressed her high heel against my face. She said, “How dare you try to leave without apologizing to me?”

The excruciating pain left me unable to move. Layla aimed the sharp tip of her stiletto heel directly at my eye. One forceful stomp and my eyeball would burst instantly. Jayden’s bodyguards gripped baseball bats, surrounding her while glaring at me menacingly. There was no way I could take on this many people. “I’m sorry, Miss Cox.” To save my life, I struggled to apologize. “I really do have patients who need treatment. Please let me go.” A flicker of surprise crossed Layla’s eyes. She let out a cold laugh, then suddenly bent down and grabbed my hair, slamming my head against the ground with force. Layla said arrogantly, “You’re about to die and you still dare lie to me? “Is pretending to be a doctor fun? Even if you weren’t just a rideshare driver, even if you really were a doctor, I could easily kill you.” I struggled desperately, trying to protect my head with my hands. But Layla stomped down hard on my fingers. I screamed in agony, only able to tremble while repeatedly whispering “I’m sorry.” As a doctor, my hands were my most precious asset. If my hands were injured, I might never be able to perform delicate surgeries again. “Scared now?” Layla taunted. “Too late.” She pointed at my car and said, “You wanted to drive, didn’t you? I’ve thought of a more interesting game.” Layla signaled to the bodyguards, who immediately rushed forward and tied me to the rear of the car. I realized her intention, and my entire body began trembling violently. “I’ll die.” The fear of death made my breathing rapid. “You can’t do this.” Slap! A loud smack landed across my face. Then a stack of crisp hundred-dollar bills was thrown at me. “That’s twenty thousand dollars to buy your worthless life,” one bodyguard mocked. “Miss Cox once killed someone driving this car without a license and only paid ten thousand in compensation. You should feel satisfied.” The car engine started. I lay on the scorching asphalt, instantly dragged forward by the moving vehicle. Layla, behind the wheel, deliberately accelerated and took sharp turns. Only when she saw me thrown into a rose bush full of thorns did she laugh with satisfaction. My exposed skin was slashed with bloody cuts from the rose thorns. I was only wearing thin casual clothes. If this continued, I would surely die. Suddenly, the car stopped. Layla opened the driver’s door and jumped out. “I thought you’d be so scared you’d wet yourself,” she said, deliberately putting on a delicate act. “I’ve used this method to teach five people a lesson. You’re the most boring one.” I couldn’t argue with her. The bodyguards had already sealed my mouth completely with duct tape. Layla was satisfied with this. She jumped back into the car and started the engine again. She deliberately drove onto a dirt road. Fine grains of sand tore through my skin, burrowing deep into my flesh. My elbows and ankles had already been ground down to expose white bone. The excruciating pain began to blur my consciousness. I even hoped my heart would just stop beating so I could die immediately and suffer less. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, Layla suddenly slammed on the brakes.   “Jayden!” Layla ran excitedly toward the car. I struggled to lift my head, wanting to demand an explanation from my fiancé Jayden. But the person who got out of Jayden’s car wasn’t him—it was his secretary, Miles Cooper. Layla immediately put on a wronged expression. She said, “Someone really upset me today, and I couldn’t even get my nails done. Is he just sending you to brush me off? I don’t care—he has to come comfort me himself.” “Mr. Thomas is accompanying Sir Thomas through surgery and can’t leave,” Miles explained. “So what? The doctor I hired is a foreign expert—there’s no way the surgery could go wrong.” Layla pouted, saying dissatisfiedly, “He just won’t come be with me.” Miles frowned deeply. The moment our eyes met, his whole body shook—he clearly recognized me. He quickly walked to my side. Seeing me covered in blood and wounds all over my body, his eyes filled with shock. Miles said, “Mr. Thomas instructed me to take her to the hospital immediately.” He reached out to untie the ropes binding me. Barely clinging to life, I found this situation utterly ironic. William’s heart surgery must have gone wrong, and now they wanted to find me for help again. That surgery was extremely dangerous—no one but me could successfully complete it. “Her?” Layla looked at me in disbelief, her eyes full of jealousy. She said, “No wonder you dared break into the Thomas family villa. So you used being a designated driver as an excuse to provoke me! Tell me! How dare you seduce Jayden behind my back? You shameless woman!” Layla yanked away Miles’s hands as he was untying the ropes. She sneered, “You think you can take my place? “I’ve seen plenty of women like you! Jayden just plays around with you people. Once he’s had his fun, he always hands you over to me to deal with. “Even if I torture you to death, he’ll only praise me for doing well.” Consumed by jealousy, Layla ran back to the driver’s seat like a madwoman. The car roared to life. She floored the gas pedal, and the speed instantly shot up. Miles, who had tried to save me, was left far behind. In an instant, I felt the skin on my back being torn away along with my clothes by the asphalt. My wrists were also scraped raw, the wounds so deep you could see bone. “Ah!” Suddenly, Layla let out a scream. With a “bang,” the car stopped. Miles had rammed his car into hers to force her to stop. “Have you caused enough trouble?” Miles’s chest heaved, clearly furious. “Mr. Thomas said to take her away.” “Doesn’t he love me anymore?” Layla started crying, saying, “He’d rather be seduced by this low-class woman than come comfort me.” While she was crying and making a scene, I seized the opportunity and used my last breath to break free from the severed ropes. I lunged toward Miles and grabbed his phone. My hands were already mangled beyond recognition—I could never hold a scalpel again. There was no way I could complete the medical mission. Losing too much blood, I forced myself to stay conscious. Enduring excruciating pain, I used my hands with exposed finger bones to send a text to my superior in Washington: [I am incompetent and have failed the organization’s trust. I can only atone in the next life.]

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My brother Gideon Edwards was killed in a car accident on his way to the mall to buy me, Natalia Edwards, the birthday gift I’d been longing for. His car plunged into the river, and his body was never found. Ever since then, every Christmas on my birthday, my parents would force me to kneel at Gideon’s grave and beg for forgiveness. Until my eighteenth birthday, when I was being stalked by a creep on my way home from work. In panic, I called my parents for help. My mother Maeve Edwards was furious on the other end of the line: “Stop making excuses to avoid it! You just don’t want to repent to Gideon! After all these years, how wonderful it would be if Gideon were still alive. Why wasn’t it you who died instead, you burden!” With that, she hung up without hesitation. In the end, I was brutally murdered, my body carelessly dumped in the city’s landfill. The police officer assigned to the case was my father Ezra Edwards, but even when faced with my mutilated remains, he couldn’t recognize me. Later, Gideon returned with his wife Phoebe Michell, whom he’d eloped with eight years ago. When they learned of my death, they all went insane. ***** On Wednesday, the city’s garbage was transported by trucks to the suburban landfill for disposal. This was how old lady Camille Watkins made her living. On lucky days, she could find plenty of cardboard boxes and bottles to exchange for money. But today, she hadn’t found many bottles. Instead, she discovered a black garbage bag filled with meat. Camille looked at the meat in the bag with delight, leaning in to smell it. No foul odor. The pork was clean and tender, with perfect marbling of fat and lean. Without thinking twice, she grabbed the bag and hurried home. Her family was so poor that she hadn’t eaten meat in nearly half a year. Camille lit the stove and boiled water, putting all the meat in the pot to blanch. She said excitedly, “I’m so lucky today.” Soon, an enticing aroma of meat filled the entire room. But just as she was ladling the meat from the pot, she noticed something oddly shaped in the basin. Camille’s eyesight wasn’t good. Squinting, she picked it up with a fork to examine it. The moment she saw what it was, she collapsed to the floor in shock. “Ahhhh!” A piercing scream tore through the sky. She scrambled and crawled out of her house. What lay steaming on the ground was a cooked human hand. That’s when I saw Ezra. On the third day after my death, I finally saw him again. I just never expected we’d reunite this way. He bent down to pick up the cooked remains, his expression grave. Ezra was a veteran police officer who had solved countless cases and upheld justice. But even so, faced with such a scene, he couldn’t help but change color. He gritted his teeth and cursed angrily: “What a monster! We’ll give this case everything we’ve got. We must get justice for the victim!” Hearing those resolute words, I felt momentarily dazed. I wondered: “If Dad knew this corpse belonged to the daughter he’d hated for ten years, would he still be so determined?” Soon, the coroner took my remains back to the police station. Unfortunately, the body parts had been cooked, making it impossible to extract viable DNA. The only things they could determine were that the corpse belonged to a teenage girl, and there was a scar on the palm of one of the hands. The forensics team identified that the scar had existed for many years, approximately ten years. Hearing this, Ezra’s colleague instinctively looked at him, frowning: “Ezra, I remember Natalia has a similar scar on her palm, and she just turned eighteen this year…” Ezra’s face instantly changed. “Impossible!” he blurted out. “How could that jinx be dead?” Hearing those words, my chest suddenly ached, and even my soul trembled. Memories kept alternating between ten years ago and yesterday. I seemed to hear that demon’s whisper in my ears again: “Your father killed my brother, so I wanted him to taste what it’s like to lose a daughter. Too bad, after I caught you, I realized your father doesn’t love you at all.” I shook my head desperately. No, my father does love me. It’s because I did something wrong that they hate me. It’s my fault. Before I turned ten, I had a happy family with a loving brother and devoted parents. They cherished me like a princess, holding me in the palm of their hands. But everything changed on my tenth birthday. Gideon was killed in a car accident on his way to buy me that birthday gift I’d been longing for. His car plunged into the river, and his body was never found. From that day on, my parents’ attitude toward me completely changed.

Every Christmas birthday, Mom and Dad would take me to Gideon’s grave. “Kneel down! Confess to your brother!” I knelt on the hard ground, kowtowing over and over until my forehead bled. Maeve stood beside me crying, cursing nonstop: “You’re the jinx who killed my son. Why don’t you just die!” This scene continued for ten whole years. My knees became disabled from excessive kneeling, and I could never dance again. On ordinary days, the atmosphere at home was suffocatingly oppressive. During meals, Mom and Dad would place Gideon’s portrait next to me, then put all the food in front of it. If I so much as glanced at that food, Ezra would slam his fork on the table and glare at me: “How dare you even think about eating? This is all for your brother. You don’t deserve it!” Maeve would chime in: “Exactly. You living is just a waste of food. You might as well die.” Maeve had actually tried to make that happen. She firmly believed I had killed Gideon, even fantasizing that if I died, Gideon would come back to life. So she deliberately locked me in my room without giving me even a drop of water. I starved for three whole days, dizzy and weak, pleading with them, only to receive cold stares and merciless mockery. “I think you’re just pretending. Some people can go five days without food. You’ve only been three days – how can you not endure it?” Finally, I was so hungry I couldn’t stand it anymore and actually bit my own hand. Ezra was startled when he saw my bloody, mangled arm and finally let me out. That day, the way Mom and Dad looked at me changed. “You really are a jinx. Not only did you kill your brother, you won’t even spare yourself!” I wanted to explain that I was just too hungry. But they wouldn’t listen at all. They called my teacher directly, saying I had always had self-harm tendencies and was mentally unhealthy, asking the teacher to keep an eye on me. Just as they wished, news that I was “mentally ill” spread quickly. My classmates began bullying me relentlessly. When I walked by, they would deliberately stick out their feet to trip me, watching me fall pathetically to the ground as they burst into laughter. At the time, I didn’t know all of this was deliberately spread by Mom and Dad. I foolishly ran to them crying about being bullied. Their reaction was unusually cold. “Look at you, embarrassing us outside, and you still have the nerve to come back?” Ezra’s scolding never stopped. “How did I give birth to such a useless thing? You killed your brother – you should go to hell!” Maeve wasn’t to be outdone. I lived through such painful days for ten whole years. The scar on my palm was left from that time. The first year after Gideon died, Maeve suffered from hysteria because she missed him so much. She even chased me with a knife, saying she wanted my life for his. I was lucky – my palm was sliced through, but I didn’t die after all. Just then, Ezra’s phone rang. It was Maeve calling. Maeve asked: “Are you coming home for dinner today?” Ezra said: “No, there’s a case here. A teenage girl was murdered. Sigh, what a shame – a perfectly good girl chopped into pieces.” Hearing this, Maeve sighed and comforted him: “It’s okay, don’t worry too much. You’ll definitely catch the killer.” Thinking of something, she suddenly spoke with an angry tone: “By the way, Natalia ran out to play and still hasn’t come back.” Hearing this, my soul seemed to tremble. I thought: “So Mom still remembers me?”

Three days ago, while dusting Gideon’s portrait, I accidentally knocked over the frame. Maeve rushed over and slapped me across the face, then began punching and kicking me. I couldn’t take it anymore and broke down crying. “Mom! Why are you treating me like this? I’m heartbroken about Gideon’s death too, but I’m also your daughter. Can’t you be a little kinder to me?” But I’ll never forget the expression on Maeve’s face that day. She looked at me as if I were something utterly repulsive to her. She said, “Do you deserve it? “What murderer has the right to ask for forgiveness? “You think you’re having a hard time? Have you ever thought about Gideon, who you killed with your own hands? “If I could, I wish I’d only ever had Gideon as my son!” I staggered backward and fled through the door. I knew my parents hated me. I just never expected that in their hearts, I truly had no place at all. I felt utterly devastated. But now, Maeve had actually brought me up. Had she sensed something? Did she still care about me after all? However, when Maeve asked her question, Ezra just sneered coldly: “If she’s got any backbone, she’ll never come back. Better if she dies out there.” I smiled bitterly, thinking to myself: “There I go again, reading too much into things. Of course—I killed Gideon. How could I expect them to love me like before? But Dad, Mom, I really am already dead out there.” Due to the brutal and shocking nature of the case, police launched a massive search, hoping to find my other missing body parts. Soon, they discovered bags filled with body parts scattered throughout various corners of the city. Unfortunately, the remaining pieces had already decomposed into rotting flesh, providing no useful clues. Ezra rubbed his head and said, “For a body to be chopped up this badly, could the killer have had a grudge against the victim? Could this be a revenge killing?” Typically, killers dismember bodies to make disposal easier. But to this extent was completely unnecessary. I stared at those chunks of rotting flesh, and my soul suddenly felt excruciating pain. When he cut my body apart piece by piece, I was still alive. In the end, I bled out completely—I died from the sheer agony. But my father had answered my call for help. That night, when I noticed someone following me, I dialed his number. He picked up, but all that came out was scolding: “Natalia, haven’t you lied enough? How many more lies are you going to make up to get our attention?” His voice was frighteningly cold: “If you want to die, just hurry up and do it. Stop bothering me!” So later, I really did die. That evening, when Ezra came home, Maeve had already prepared dinner—a table full of seafood, with crabs and shrimp. She peeled two shrimp for Ezra, then placed two more on Gideon’s plate. While wiping the sauce from her hands, she complained: “Natalia’s really gotten bold—she won’t even answer when I call her. She used to complain that we didn’t love her, and now that I’ve bought such expensive seafood, she’s off somewhere and won’t come home!” Watching Maeve’s disgusted expression, I felt somewhat sad. How long would it take her to remember that it was Gideon who loved seafood, not me? Once, Maeve had peeled shrimp for me, and I said I didn’t want to eat it. She pointed at my nose and cursed me out. I ended up eating it anyway, and had such a severe allergic reaction I could barely breathe. She said dismissively: “You’re just having an allergic reaction. You won’t die. Gideon came to me in a dream last night saying he wanted the latest gaming console. Let’s hurry to the mall before it closes.” I thought at the time: “No! Dad, Mom, don’t leave me behind! I don’t want to die—save me!” The living room door slammed shut with a bang, and I was completely abandoned. I thought desperately: “Fine, maybe if I die, it won’t hurt so much anymore.” I curled up in the corner.   I didn’t die that day. At the critical moment, I jumped out the window and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. The doctor said it was fortunate I was brought in time—a few minutes later, and I probably wouldn’t have made it. A woman sitting beside her daughter’s bed was peeling an orange while saying to me, “Thank goodness you’re okay. Otherwise, your parents would be so worried.” I watched enviously as she fed the orange segments to her daughter, piece by piece. Reflected in the glass window was my lonely figure. I comforted myself, mimicking Christian’s way of announcing to everyone, laughing loudly as I said, “Yes, my mom and dad love me very, very much.” Just then, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open. Ezra and Maeve rushed toward me. My heart filled with grievance. Fighting through the pain, I struggled to sit up, tears falling to the floor one by one. “Dad, Mom…” I thought to myself: “I was so scared, really scared of dying like that. Could you hold me? Just once, just once would be enough.” But Maeve suddenly grabbed my collar, yanked me from the hospital bed, and threw me to the floor. The IV needle was torn out, blood spraying everywhere. She cursed, “You little bitch! Stop playing the victim! You deliberately ate something you’re allergic to, then jumped off a building to make a scene for everyone to see. Are you trying to make the whole world think your dad and I mistreat you, to ruin our reputation? Why didn’t you just jump to your death!” I curled up, covering my head as my body was kicked and beaten repeatedly. I never meant to harm them. I just didn’t want to die. I had gambled on the height of the third floor and won, but I lost the bet on their hatred for me. I saw Ezra’s reflection in the glass, leaning against the wall, coldly watching as Maeve clawed at me with her nails. I also saw the woman in the next bed holding her frightened daughter, gently comforting her. The onlookers at the door looked at me with contempt and disdain, as if Christian were saying what a vicious child I was. The fantasy of “Mom and Dad love me” that I had barely mustered the courage to build was completely shattered in front of everyone. I had lied to them. My parents didn’t love me—they loved me least of all. After that, they cut off my living expenses, and I could only apply to live at school. Every day I ate free vegetable soup and slept in a sixteen-person dormitory on a thin mattress. My room and board depended entirely on the scholarships I desperately fought for each semester. As I progressed through middle school and high school, the boarding fees kept increasing. I could only study day and night, just to score a few more points and keep my scholarship to survive. I always believed that if I became excellent enough, someday Ezra and Maeve would love me again. But when I came home with nearly perfect test scores and relatives praised me, Maeve coldly retorted with a sneer, “She’s dumb as rocks. How could she possibly score that well?” Then a sharp slap landed on my face. “Tell me, did you cheat on the test?” My face burned with pain, but my heart hurt even more. I wanted to disappear immediately. Later, when the teacher called to confirm my grades, Maeve just glanced at the torn test paper in the trash and said with disgust, “You only scored that much—what’s there to brag about? Your brother always got perfect scores at Christmas, unlike you with no promise. How embarrassing!” Along with the test paper, my heart was also torn to pieces. Ezra and Maeve liked children like Gideon, so I tried desperately to erase myself and become like Gideon. I studied even harder. Through the changing seasons, the harsh study environment continued to torment me. After graduating high school, I finally had a chance to prove I was an excellent child like Gideon. I thought: “Dad, Mom, you’ll start loving me now, won’t you?” But I died the night before the results were announced. Even in death, I never became the child loved by my parents, like Gideon. I watched as Ezra and Maeve filled Gideon’s bowl with food. This scene had repeated day after day for eight years. Wasn’t it Gideon, who died because of me, who had turned Ezra and Maeve into what they are now? I thought perhaps I deserved to die too. A knock came at the door, and a familiar voice called out: “Dad, Mom, open up! I brought my wife home!” I saw the usually cautious Ezra jump up in panic, knocking over a plate. The usually quick-moving Maeve collapsed in her chair, tears streaming uncontrollably as she asked Ezra over and over: “Is it him? Is it him?” Ezra walked to the door almost helplessly, gripping the handle for a long time before finally turning it. The door slowly opened, revealing the tall man outside. I saw him—my older brother Gideon, whom I had killed eight years ago.

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I brought in three hundred million dollars in revenue for the company, yet my husband Max’s private financial advisor, hired for a million, slammed a stack of invoices onto my desk. Her voice dripped with the haughty tone of a madam of the house as she interrogated me: “The gifts for clients, Wish has them for half the price. Why did you buy them for double?” “Were you eating abalone and lobster with clients? Why did one meal cost a thousand dollars?” “This business trip? You filed twenty thousand dollars in expenses. That’s way above the average employee.” Every single word was a blatant accusation that I was taking kickbacks. I argued back, defending myself fiercely. But she wouldn’t give up, going so far as to publicly demand I strip naked for an inspection. I actually laughed, a cold, bitter sound. I immediately called Max to confront him. He, however, snapped impatiently, “What are you getting all worked up about?! She’s a senior financial advisor, everything she does is for the company. Just listen to her! Don’t think securing one big deal makes you indispensable!” “Learn from her, how she manages finances so carefully. You just throw money around! That’s *my* money you’re spending! If you keep being so wasteful, we’re done!” Then he hung up on me. I knew then, this man was no longer worth my efforts. I simply smiled, a quiet, almost serene smile. “Since you’re so capable, then you handle everything from now on. I’m out.” Seven days later, the company’s major clients all ended up vomiting and having diarrhea at the annual gala. Every single one was rushed to the hospital with severe food poisoning. The entire financial district was in shock. 1、 Cassie’s accusations against me were so loud, the whole office could hear her. Everyone shot me sneering glances. Cassie smugly lifted her chin at me. “Manager Hayes, Max has already spoken. Please cooperate with my work.” “If you haven’t taken any kickbacks, why not just let me inspect you in front of everyone? What’s the big deal?” “Why are you refusing to cooperate? Isn’t that just proof you’re hiding something?” My colleagues chimed in, one after another: “Yeah, Manager Hayes, if you’ve got nothing to hide, just cooperate with Cassie and let her check, right?” “It’s just taking off your clothes, right? Nobody here is dying to see *your* body, okay?” “Besides, you’re a company manager, shouldn’t you lead by example? If even you refuse to be inspected, then everyone below you will follow suit. The company will be hollowed out by parasites!” I was so infuriated by these people, I actually laughed. I remembered how Max used to ignore everything about the company. It was *me* who led them from the ground up, bringing them to where we were now. Who here hadn’t been promoted by me? But now, they were just bandwagon jumpers, subtly calling me a parasite! If I actually let Cassie force me to strip naked in front of everyone for her inspection, how would our partners look at me? I crossed my arms, a cold smirk on my face. “What gives you the right to make me stand here and strip for *your* inspection?” Cassie was stunned into silence by my retort, then her face flushed with fury as she was about to snap back at me. But then she saw someone standing behind me, and her expression instantly melted into one of extreme victimhood. “Manager Hayes is right, after all, I’m just a lowly financial advisor. How can I compare to you?” “If I can’t help Max with the company’s financial matters, then what’s the point of me being here?” “I shouldn’t let Max down. I’ll just resign and leave.” As she spoke, she reached for the resignation letter to sign her name. I’d sensed something was off the moment Cassie’s face changed. And sure enough, just as she picked up the pen, a large hand stopped her. “Enough. I hired you as my private financial advisor because I valued your financial acumen.” “You’re in charge of all the company’s finances. Let’s see who dares to question that!” I hadn’t expected Max to ditch his client dinner and rush back to the company, just to support Cassie. He spoke softly, coaxing Cassie until she finally broke into a tearful smile, whimpering, “But Manager Hayes is still Max’s wife…” Max reached out and wiped away a tear from her eye. “Business is business, no personal feelings. What if she is my legal wife?” “If she won’t cooperate with your work, then it’s her fault.” As he finished speaking, Max, who had just rushed back, finally deigned to glance at me. He frowned, his voice icy. “Seraphina Hayes, she just wants to verify the invoices to see if you’re taking kickbacks. Why aren’t you cooperating?” 2、 Listening to Max’s indifferent and distant tone, a pang of pain shot through my heart. It used to be his calm, professional demeanor – keeping business and personal matters separate – that I found most appealing. Outside the home, I was his subordinate; inside, I was his wife. But seeing Max openly side with Cassie, disregarding right and wrong in front of everyone, made me realize that even *that* cool, detached man was capable of showering someone with his complete favoritism. It just wasn’t me. I managed a bitter laugh. “Cassie rejected all my submitted invoices, accusing me of taking kickbacks, and demanded I strip naked for her inspection in front of everyone. She’s a senior financial advisor; she knows such a procedure is completely improper. She’s targeting me! Can’t you see that?” Max’s brows furrowed even deeper after hearing my words. He asked, dismissively, “That’s it?” I was stunned. “What do you mean, ‘that’s it’?” Max wearily rubbed his temples, looking utterly exasperated. “You called me just to complain about something so trivial?” “Cassie is a top financial advisor whom I hired at a high salary. Everything she does is to make the company better.” “As a company manager, you should lead by example and actively cooperate with her work!” Finally, he let out a heavy sigh, looking at me with profound disappointment. “Seraphina Hayes, weren’t you always the most level-headed one? When it comes to company assets, I treat everyone equally. Stop throwing a tantrum!” Max’s words were like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head in the dead of winter. I felt instantly plunged into an ice cave, my heart chilling to the core. Something that could ruin my reputation, something that might make me unable to hold my head up for the rest of my life, was, in Max’s mouth, just me being childish and petty? I had fought for him, for this company, for a full seven years. I signed countless deals. I personally built a nameless startup into one of the top companies in the region. At my busiest, I practically lived at the office for a month straight, drinking so much at client dinners that I developed stomach ulcers. To understand clients’ preferences and give them gifts they’d truly like, I even worked part-time at bars and as a caddy at golf courses. Everyone laughed, saying I cared more about money than my own life. But now, with Cassie falsely accusing me of taking kickbacks, Max wouldn’t even say he believed me. Suddenly, I felt ridiculous. I had wasted seven years of my life for nothing. A man like this simply wasn’t worth any more of my effort. With the rose-tinted glasses off, even Max’s face seemed repulsive to me now. I shrugged, making a show of backing down. “You slander me, I won’t accept it.” “Whoever questions me, let them provide the evidence.” Hearing that, Cassie’s face grew even more aggrieved. “You won’t take off your clothes, so how can we know if you’re hiding company property? Otherwise, how do you explain your expenses being higher than everyone else’s?” “You’re just making excuses to avoid cooperating, if you look down on me, just say so! If Max didn’t insist I manage the company and be his financial overseer, I wouldn’t be this stressed!” Seeing Cassie’s distress, Max immediately delivered his cold judgment: “Cassie’s words are my words.” “All of Seraphina Hayes’ duties are suspended until her name is cleared.” I spread my hands, looking resigned. “Fine, whatever you say. Then I quit.” Max reached out to take my hand, but I avoided his touch. He only thought it was a small tantrum after my supposed ‘backing down,’ and paid it no mind. Instead, he looked somewhat pleased. “It’s good that you’re so understanding. With you as an example, the whole company won’t develop bad habits in the future!” Max thought I had seen sense. He had no idea I was planning to let go. Both him and the company — I wanted neither of them anymore. 3、 News of my suspension spread quickly. Max immediately put Cassie in my position. On the very day of the announcement, he publicly endorsed her in front of all the employees. “From now on, Cassie will be the company’s second-in-command, Vice President Pierce.” “Before, Manager Hayes used to spend millions on the annual gala. Now it’s up to Cassie. She’s a senior financial advisor, excellent at being thrifty. You all follow her lead!” When I first joined Max’s startup, I started from the bottom. Serving coffee, fetching takeout, cleaning. Max saw my hard work, but he never once said a word in my defense. I dedicated years to the company, only to end up as a manager. Meanwhile, Cassie, having done nothing, went from a senior financial advisor hired at a million-dollar annual salary to Vice President. Max even personally backed her up, worried that someone might not be convinced. The more I thought about it, the more I felt those seven years of my life had been utterly wasted. But it was good that I had already decided to move on. Without hesitation, I accepted the partnership offer from Julian Vance, Max’s long-time rival. That same afternoon, I brought a pile of documents that needed Max’s signature to the company. Even though it was publicly announced that I was just taking a temporary break. Everyone seemed to assume I wouldn’t be coming back. My office had already been taken over by Cassie. The minimalist decor had been completely ripped out, replaced with Cassie’s favorite sky-blue. Even the photos of me and my partners on the wall were gone, replaced by intimate photos of her and Max, faces pressed together. Cassie looked at me, her face barely concealing her triumph. “Manager Hayes, what are you doing here?” “The investigation isn’t over yet, you’ll probably have to ‘rest’ for a while longer.” “I’ve taken over your previous work. Don’t worry, I’ll do an even better job than you.” I couldn’t be bothered to engage her and went straight to Max. The documents I brought were for him to approve before being handed over to Cassie. Max was about to review them carefully when he received an internal call from Cassie. “Max, I think I’m feeling a little dizzy.” “After you’re done with Manager Hayes, could you take me to the hospital?” Immediately, Max didn’t even bother to flip through the rest of the documents. He quickly signed his name at the bottom. He rushed to leave, but then turned and saw me still standing in his office with the documents, quietly watching him go. For some reason, Max felt a flicker of unease. He softened his voice, trying to reassure me. “Once this period is over, I’ll bring you back.” “Cassie is just temporarily covering your duties. You’ll still be the company manager then.” I smiled, saying nothing in response. Max, however, assumed I had agreed. He left without looking back. He didn’t see me pull out the one document I actually needed from that pile. It was boldly titled – “Resignation Letter.” 4、 Cassie, with her new position, immediately started making drastic changes. Not only did she cancel all employee benefits, but she also demanded that all future expenses had to be approved by her. Nutritious eighty-eight dollar meals were replaced by eight-dollar greasy takeout boxes. The usual endless afternoon tea and snacks were completely cut. She claimed to be saving on water bills, requiring each person to only use the company restroom once a day. The toilet paper usage couldn’t exceed two finger-widths. Then she declared she was saving electricity, and even during the hottest summer days, she demanded the air conditioning not be on for more than fifteen minutes a day. Everyone was utterly miserable, but Cassie wasn’t done yet. She even asked Max to cut everyone’s salaries in half. Max listened to her every whim. He had always felt that the salaries I had set were too high, and every payday, he’d felt a pang of pain. Now, with Cassie coming in and saving him so much money, he was overjoyed. He immediately bought her a million-dollar jewelry set. Cassie became even more brazen. She began preparing for the company’s annual gala, three days away. The gala was supposed to be a golden opportunity to showcase the company’s financial strength, lavish benefits on partners, and foster future collaborations. But Cassie merely glanced at the gift list I had originally prepared, then tore it to shreds. She scoffed, “It’s just a small annual gala, why make such a fuss and waste so much money?” “With Manager Hayes’ spending habits, no wonder the company wasn’t making money!” “Listen to me! Forget Australian and Boston lobsters! Swap them all for dead shrimp from the market, ten dollars for three pounds! And marinate them raw, nobody will taste the difference!” “And that ’82 Lafite? Change it to regular wine, the kind they sell at my local grocery store!” “Designer watches, necklaces — return all the genuine ones we bought before and just find a knock-off on Wish, right?” Everyone was shocked by Cassie’s outrageous directives. Someone even tried to dissuade her. “Vice President Pierce, is this really a good idea?” But Cassie’s eyes flared. “Are *you* Vice President or am *I* Vice President? Didn’t you hear what Max said?” “He said everything is to follow *my* plan! If you want to work, then work. If not, get out!” “There are plenty of people lining up for this offer!” When Chloe, my former assistant, secretly told me all the things Cassie was doing, I laughed uncontrollably, practically counting down the minutes until the annual gala! I couldn’t wait to see her publicly embarrass Max! 5、 On the day of the annual gala, though I wasn’t there in person, Cassie specifically sent me messages to gloat. 【Manager Hayes, looks like the company doesn’t really need you after all.】

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My older brother, Julian, desperate for the family inheritance, framed me for plagiarizing his jewelry design. I was expelled from school, disowned by my parents, and left to fend for myself on the streets. After graduation, Julian smoothly secured the inheritance. He then broke up with Caleb Sterling, the head of the powerful Sterling family, and moved abroad. “My younger brother likes you, and as an older brother, I shouldn’t take what my younger brother wants, so… I’m giving you back to him.” Julian used me as his excuse for the breakup. He even told Caleb that I had always been in love with him. Caleb hated me. He forced me to marry him, treating me like a stand-in, a plaything, unleashing all his rage on me. Under his prolonged torment, my scent gland was severely damaged, but he didn’t care. My parents acted as if I didn’t exist. Not until I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Then, they begged me not to forget them. In the two years I was married to Caleb, I managed my heats solely with suppressants. But his ruts? He always sought me out to vent his frustrations. Julian wanted to break up with Caleb but didn’t want to offend the Sterling family. So he used me as a shield. He said, “My younger brother likes you, and as an older brother, I shouldn’t take what my younger brother wants, so… I’m giving you back to him.” That’s why Caleb believed I had meticulously planned their breakup. He forced me to marry him, tormenting me day and night. This torment happened countless times, yet I could never get used to it. I cried, tears blurring my vision, begging him to be gentler. But he sneered, humiliating me viciously, “Does it hurt? When you plagiarized Julian’s jewelry design, when you made Julian break up with me, did you ever imagine this day would come? And you still have the nerve to cry? That’s f***ing disgusting!” “I didn’t! It hurts so much…” I shook my head. I didn’t plagiarize Julian Blackwood’s jewelry design; it was *my* own design. I didn’t force him to break up with you either! None of this was my doing! I had explained it countless times, but Caleb Sterling never believed me… During my junior year of college, the school held a jewelry design competition. My parents declared that whoever, my brother or I, won the competition would inherit the family estate. To outsiders, it seemed like fair competition, but only I knew that my parents favored my brother. Since I was a child, barely forming my first memories, Mom always said I was just an accident, that she only ever planned to have Julian. If it weren’t for that accident, I would never have been born into this world. They favored Julian in everything, never considering my feelings. If Julian got even a minor scratch, they’d panic and rush him to the hospital. But if I scraped my knee and cried in pain, they’d just casually tell me, “Don’t be such a baby.” At Julian’s birthday parties, the outpouring of well wishes and the room full of gifts were things I could only dream of. … Bathed in their love and attention, Julian excelled academically and grew more outgoing. Meanwhile, due to my parents’ utter neglect, I gradually became silent and insecure, turning into what teachers and my parents called a troublemaker. Later, after Julian displayed an extraordinary talent for playing the piano, he forever became my parents’ pride and joy. In college, Caleb Sterling, the Alpha I’d loved for eight years, confessed his feelings to my brother. It seemed everything I cherished always ended up belonging to Julian. I only felt a pang of wistful admiration, never jealousy.

The day of the jewelry design competition, I didn’t even want to participate. But Julian approached me, urging me to join, saying it would be a fair competition. I gave in to his wishes and participated in the competition that would decide my future. But an accident happened. During the jewelry design presentation, my work and Julian’s were identical, even the name was the same: “Deep Sea Pearl.” I never expected Julian had already stolen my design sketches, just waiting for this moment. He threw the sketches into public view, accusing me of plagiarizing his work. My heart plummeted into an icy abyss. Countless mocking stares fell upon me. I was utterly humiliated in front of all the teachers, students, and my parents, losing the competition amidst their laughter. On the distant podium, Julian looked down at me, his lips forming a clear, silent word: “You lost.” Yes, I lost, losing everything. I wanted to run, but before I could even take a step, a bucket of icy water came splashing down from above. It was Julian’s friends. “A plagiarizing scum like him thinks he can compete? Noah Blackwood, don’t you have any shame?” Laughter erupted from the third-floor balcony. I looked up at their hypocritical smiles, feeling utterly sickened. Julian Blackwood would betray and frame his own brother just to get the family inheritance. This was the “brother” I’d called mine for twenty years. How utterly pathetic… I let out a cold, hollow laugh, my body trembling with sorrow.

After the competition, I stumbled home, utterly humiliated, only to be met with a barrage of curses from my parents. “Our Blackwood family has been in the jewelry business for generations, and we value integrity above all else!” “You actually plagiarized in the competition, and it was your own brother’s design! Aren’t you utterly mortified?!” Integrity? Who was really lacking integrity? I thought with a bitter laugh. “Mom, it wasn’t me…” I tried desperately to explain. “Julian copied *my* design, it was *him*! Not me!” “You still dare to argue! Julian has always been sensible, pure-hearted, how could he possibly do such a thing?” Dad, who had been silent, grabbed the ashtray from the table and hurled it at me. I dodged it, narrowly. I watched them comfort Julian, and suddenly I didn’t want to explain anymore. It was pointless; they wouldn’t believe me anyway. They only believed Julian. “We truly regret ever having you as a son!” Mom shrieked, pointing towards the front door. “Get out! Get out of here right now!” I said nothing more, turning to leave this suffocating place without hesitation, desperate to escape. As I stepped out the front door, I heard Julian fake-cry, “Mom, Dad, please don’t send Noah away. Maybe he was just confused for a moment…” “What nonsense are you talking about? He should have left ages ago,” Mom’s voice softened instantly. “My darling won the competition, what do you want to eat tonight? Mom will cook it for you.” Watching the ‘happy family’ of three, my heart began to ache. That didn’t belong to me. It never had. The school expelled me. My life, just like that, was ruined. A sharp sting. Caleb Sterling released me after he was done venting. The room was a disaster zone. I curled up on the bed, trembling uncontrollably. “Disgusting,” he sneered, looking at me with cold disdain. “Your scent is getting more and more repulsive!” My face was pale with pain. I just lay there, silently crying. He let go of me, dressed, and left. My scent gland was severely damaged. The doctor had warned me last month that if I kept using suppressants without an Alpha’s pheromones, I would completely lose all sense of pheromones. The final outcome would be a surgical removal of my scent gland, leaving me permanently disabled. I begged Caleb for just a little of his pheromones, even a tiny bit, but he said it was what I deserved. He also said he wouldn’t mark an Omega he didn’t love. I didn’t know how much longer my scent gland could hold out…

I showered and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. How did I end up in the Sterling family? After I was kicked out of my home and expelled from school, with no diploma, the only job I could find was working as a dishwasher at a diner. Being an Omega, and having a delicate appearance, I was constantly harassed. The head chef was a sleazy Alpha who always tried to grope me when no one was around. I chose to endure it, swallowing all my grievances, because I needed money, I needed to survive, and I needed to keep my newly opened jewelry design studio afloat. But one day, the chef got drunk and cornered me in the kitchen. He reached out and tore at my clothes. I fought back with all my might but was brutally slapped. My ears rang. The next day, the owner heard about my fight with the chef. He sided with the chef, gave me a month’s pay, and fired me. I used the money to see a doctor about my ear. The doctor told me my left ear was completely deaf. I didn’t care. As long as the other ear could hear, it was fine. The doctor also told me I had early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s quite rare for someone your age, but with consistent treatment, we might be able to slow its progression.” “Long-term psychological stress… can damage the hippocampus… increasing the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s…” The doctor’s words echoed in my mind. I looked at the treatment sheet with words like “cognitive impairment” and “memory loss,” then tore the paper to shreds and threw it in the trash. Maybe forgetting everyone would be a blessing. Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much. When I left the hospital, I ran into Caleb Sterling. Julian Blackwood had smoothly secured the inheritance after graduation, broke up with Caleb, and moved abroad. Julian wanted to get rid of Caleb but didn’t want to offend the Sterling family. So he used me as an excuse, making himself look completely innocent. He even told Caleb that I had always been in love with him. “You said you loved me, didn’t you?” He grabbed my chin, his fingers digging in. “Then I’ll grant your wish.” I was forcibly married into the Sterling family. Every night, he would degrade me, over and over again. I don’t know how I endured those nights. I struggled, I tried to escape, but all it ever earned me was even harsher torment. To make things easier on myself, I had to obey him. I shifted my gaze from the ceiling, turned off the bedside lamp, and lay on my side, forcing myself to stop thinking about it all… In our two years of marriage, Caleb Sterling never knew my left ear was deaf, and I never intended to tell him. Telling him would probably just lead to another round of mockery…

Caleb Sterling didn’t hire a housekeeper for me, so I had to buy groceries and cook every day. The next day, on my way home from the studio with groceries, a necklace in a display window caught my eye. The plaque below it read: “Deep Sea Pearl,” Designer: Julian Blackwood. My breath hitched. That was *my* “Deep Sea Pearl” design from college. My fingers trembled as I pressed them against the glass. “Well, well, if it isn’t the Blackwood family’s outcast son?” “Hit rock bottom, have you? Looking at Julian’s designs, are we?” I turned around to see a few of Julian Blackwood’s Alpha friends walking towards me. They blocked my path. “Get lost,” I said, my gaze icy. “A plagiarizing scum still acting tough?” The moment he spoke, the group, without another word, grabbed me and started dragging me towards the restroom. I struggled with all my might, but an Omega’s strength is no match for an Alpha’s, especially when it’s several Alphas. In the chaos, my gaze fell upon a black Maybach parked by the roadside. The window was half-down, and Caleb Sterling was sitting inside, watching everything with a cold, expressionless face. I looked to him for help, but he simply rolled up the window. Of course. He didn’t love me. Why would he save me? They dragged me into the restroom, and the door slammed shut. They stripped me naked. They recorded me from every humiliating angle. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they had their fill and left. I cleaned myself up in the restroom before coming out. The Maybach was gone. I returned home. Laughter drifted from the living room. Caleb Sterling was having a party with friends. He truly didn’t care that I had been abused. I didn’t dare look up at Caleb Sterling. I just wanted to escape to my room as quickly as possible. Just as I was about to go upstairs, I heard a pained yet familiar sound from behind me. I turned to look. An Alpha was holding up his phone, and the flashing images on the screen made me tremble.

The video on the screen was of me, stripped naked… And sitting on the sofa right now were the same Alphas who had humiliated me in the restroom just two hours ago. It hit me then: Julian Blackwood’s friends were naturally Caleb Sterling’s friends too. They were all in on it together… “Haha, look at this angle!” Zack, the red-haired Alpha, laughed, his finger swiping across the screen. “Young Master Blackwood’s face is even more ‘expressive’ than during his heats!” “Mr. Sterling really got himself a *prize*!” “Pretty, isn’t it?” Only when the video finished playing did Caleb Sterling look up at me. “Noah Blackwood, you brought this all upon yourself.” I stood there, speechless, because I had no idea what to say. “What’s wrong, cat got your tongue?” Caleb Sterling’s gaze was like ice. I didn’t answer him, instead biting my lower lip until I tasted blood. My nose started to sting. No, I couldn’t cry. Definitely not in front of these people. But the traitorous tears still fell. Caleb Sterling walked closer, reaching out to touch my face. “Crying?” He wiped away my tears with his thumb. “Get lost!” I slapped his hand away and stumbled, almost falling, as I ran up the stairs. Caleb Sterling’s enraged shouts echoed behind me, but I didn’t care to hear it. Sometimes I wished I were deaf in both ears. If I were completely deaf, I wouldn’t have to listen to their insults anymore. I burst into the bedroom, locked the door, and slid down onto the floor. Another sharp sting flared from the scent gland on my neck, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Noah Blackwood, you’re so pathetic. No one loves you… I sobbed uncontrollably. Caleb Sterling, the Alpha I had loved for eight years, maybe I truly loved the wrong Alpha. The one he loved had always been Julian Blackwood. He could humiliate me over and over again for Julian. Completely disregarding my feelings… Everyone loved Julian Blackwood, and in their eyes, I was nothing more than an insignificant insect. When will this miserable life finally end…

After my scent gland re-examination at the hospital, I circled the villa complex again and again. I couldn’t find the Sterling family villa… I realized my memory was truly fading, bit by bit. I ran the route through my mind countless times, but I couldn’t remember how to get there. I could only keep running forward, unable to stop myself. At a turn, I was surrounded by a group of Alphas. I never imagined Caleb Sterling would post my video in the Alpha Hunting Club’s SnapChat group. How could he be so utterly heartless? A cocktail of Alpha pheromones assaulted me, and my scent gland couldn’t bear the intensity. I struggled to reach for my medicine, but an Alpha snatched it away. “Scent gland repair medicine? Guess Mr. Sterling’s Omega is a defective model after all.” My face was pale. I reached out, trying to grab it back. The Alpha sneered, then casually tossed the medicine bottle to his companion behind him. “Scent gland damaged? Need a few Alphas to help you out?” He finished, then reached out and ripped off the cotton gauze from the back of my neck, exposing my swollen, red scent gland. “No! Let go!” I struggled, desperate. Just as he was about to bite down on my scent gland, Caleb Sterling walked right into view. The Alpha froze. Caleb Sterling’s gaze coldly swept over my disheveled self. “Beg me. Just ask, and I’ll save you, and I’ll pull the video.” I bit down on my teeth, glaring at him, saying nothing. I looked at his face, feeling it was both familiar and strange. For a moment, I couldn’t remember who he was. Could I trust him? Could I ask him for help? “Unwilling?” Caleb Sterling chuckled softly. “Then stay here. Who knows, maybe more Alphas will come to enjoy watching you lose control.” A shiver ran through me. I desperately wanted to go to him. He was *my* Alpha, but he didn’t love me. He loved my brother. And for his sake, he tormented me every single day. He loved, absolutely *loved*, seeing me grovel and beg. I knew I had no other choice now. “Please…” I grabbed his coat sleeve, pleading, “Please, take me away.”

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On Valentine’s Day, my best friend Cassidy and I decided to do something absurd: rummage through public bins by the waterfront. I didn’t expect to find anything, but then, my fingers closed around a platinum diamond ring. Staring at the ring, an exact replica of the one on my own left ring finger, I immediately FaceTimed my husband, Benjamin. “Where’s your ring? Let me see it.” Ben’s expression faltered for a second, then he raised his left hand, a helpless smile playing on his lips. “Alice, this is our wedding ring. Do you honestly think I’d lose it? See? It’s right here, safe and sound on my finger.” I smiled and ended the call, then glanced at the inside of the ring I held. Our initials, along with our wedding date, were still clearly engraved there. Clutching the ring tightly, I drove straight to Ben’s office. … The university where Ben worked was a top-tier institution. His private office was right next to his lab. I’d visited him there a few times before. But this time, he wasn’t there. Inside, a young woman with a ponytail was sitting at his desk. Seraphina Hayes, one of Ben’s students. She looked startled when she saw me, but the next second, a sweet, gentle smile replaced her surprise. “Dr. Sterling, are you looking for Professor Carter? He’s already gone home.” I looked around the room, getting straight to the point. “If he’s not here, how did you get in?” Seraphina remained calm, explaining frankly, “Professor Carter allowed it.” “Our team has been rushing a research project in the lab lately. He said anyone who didn’t have time to go home could come here to rest. It just so happens that I’m the only one here today.” What a perfectly convenient “coincidence.” Her seemingly innocent composure only made me feel like the paranoid one for even asking. It wasn’t that I was overly suspicious; it was that I knew Ben too well. He never allowed anyone to step foot into his private space. When he wasn’t there, even I wasn’t allowed in that office. Now, someone had become an exception. Seeing me standing still, Seraphina reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Dr. Sterling, why don’t you give Professor Carter a call and see where he is?” The ring on her left ring finger caught my eye. A few small white diamonds framed a brilliant blue diamond, making it sparkle with a unique light. Back when I was trying to convince Ben to wear a wedding ring, I chose the most basic, simple design. But I still wanted the ring to have a special touch, so I specifically replaced one of the white diamonds with a blue one. Blue was Ben’s lucky color. This ring was my custom design. I held my hand up to her, “What a coincidence, our rings are identical.” Her hand flinched, and she subconsciously used her other hand to cover the ring. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Did you get yours custom-made too?” Her face went pale. She lowered her gaze, biting her lip, and didn’t utter a sound. Her reaction told me everything I needed to know. Any more talk would be a waste of time. I turned and walked out. Back in my car, I took a deep breath to calm myself before calling Cassidy. She answered immediately, asking, “So, what happened? Did he lose his ring and not dare to tell you, then order a new custom one?” I thought I was calm enough, but my voice still trembled uncontrollably. “Cassidy, I need your help. Look into Benjamin’s student, Seraphina Hayes, and Benjamin’s movements for the past three months.” As the best investigative journalist in the business, she understood immediately what was happening. “That scumbag! Alice, wait for my call. I’ll expose him down to his very core.” On the drive home, I imagined a thousand different scenarios of what might happen next. What I didn’t expect was to find Ben waiting for me with a table full of food. He was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron. When he saw me, he smiled gently. “Honey, you’re home? Go wash up, dinner’s ready.” In seven years of marriage, Ben had only cooked for me once, during our honeymoon phase. Before, seeing this table laden with all my favorite dishes might have touched me. But now, my stomach churned, and I just felt sick. He didn’t notice my icy expression. With his back to me, he spoke casually, “Did you come to the office looking for me earlier? Why didn’t you call? You wouldn’t have wasted a trip.” A cold, sarcastic smile touched my lips. They’d obviously coordinated their stories. Suppressing the nausea, I sat at the table and asked him, my voice flat, “What made you decide to cook tonight?” “It’s Valentine’s Day. I wanted to celebrate with my wife. No need for complicated reasons. Everywhere else would be crowded, so I thought we could have a quiet night in.” No sooner had he finished speaking than his phone, lying on the table, lit up silently. A message with a peach emoji avatar. I subtly tapped to open the photo. It was Seraphina, in Ben’s office, wearing a bunny girl lingerie set, posing suggestively. The next message immediately followed: “Your little peach is ready and waiting for you, hubby.” My fingers tightened around my phone. I looked at the contact listed simply as “Collaborator” and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Ben finally finished, and going through the motions, he poured me some red wine. “Happy Valentine’s Day, honey!” His eyes kept glancing at his phone. Finally, he couldn’t resist picking it up to check. I expressionlessly picked at the food in front of me, looking at the ring on his hand, feeling only mockery. Suddenly, he abruptly stood up, saying to me in a rushed, anxious voice, “Honey, something came up at the lab. I might have to go check it out.” “You go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for me.” Before I could react, he leaned down, kissed my cheek, and hurried out. I scoffed at his retreating back. To sneak off for his little ‘rendezvous,’ he’d become a professional actor. I was just pulling out a disinfecting wipe to vigorously scrub my face when Cassidy’s message came through. “Those rotten cheaters! Alice, get ready to file for divorce. I’ll dig up more evidence for you. We’re going to completely ruin those two bastards.” She sent me their travel records for the past three months, hotel booking confirmations, and all of Seraphina’s social media accounts. Seraphina’s Twitter account had only been created three months ago, named “Mr. C’s Little Peach.” The first photo and text post, dated June 14th, was a set of exquisite wedding photos. The caption read, “To forever with Mr. C.” Among the few comments, someone asked why the groom’s face was blurred. She coyly replied that her husband preferred to keep a low profile and didn’t like being in the spotlight. Even with his face blurred, I recognized Ben’s physique at a glance. So, the wedding photos I’d always asked him to retake with me? He’d already taken them — with someone else. Swallowing the nausea rising in my throat, I clicked open each post, one by one. The subsequent posts documented their honeymoon trip. The time was mid-June, and the location was Tahiti, a place I had already meticulously planned to visit with Ben. They checked off every single spot I had planned to visit, and tried surfing, windsurfing, and snorkeling – all the activities I had intended for us. In the photos, Seraphina was wearing a bikini, smiling brightly. “Thank you, Mr. C, for fully planning this honeymoon trip for me. Your little peach is so happy.” At that time, Ben had told me he was attending a seminar with a collaborator. I let out a cold laugh. So *this* was the kind of collaborator he meant. I was stunned by their shamelessness. Just then, Seraphina posted an update in real-time. The photo showed two hands, adorned with diamond rings, intertwined. “Getting our custom wedding rings today, on Valentine’s Day. So, Mr. C, I guess we truly are destined.” Even though I had mentally prepared myself, each post was like a sharp knife, slicing open my heart and leaving it bleeding. Immediately, someone commented below the post: “OMG, so cute! Manifesting this for myself one day!”

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On my fifth wedding anniversary, the gift I received was a phone call from a law firm. “Hello, is this Mrs. Vance? This is Sterling Legal. We have a client filing a complaint, alleging your husband, Aaron Vance, is involved in the unlawful detention of a young woman. We need you to come in and help us clarify the situation.” My heart sank, my fingers instantly turning to ice. I had a dreadful suspicion of what this was about, but I still grabbed my scarf and hurried out the door. The law office was brightly lit, and my eyes immediately found the young woman surrounded by people. The girl pouted, her face a mask of indignation. “What’s wrong with you all? Why haven’t you sued him and had him arrested yet? He held me captive in the presidential suite of a hotel for seven days and seven nights! I couldn’t even get out of bed! What else would you call that besides unlawful detention?” The girl’s voice was sugary sweet, laced with a clear, coquettish whine and… a distinct hint of bragging. The senior lawyers nearby exchanged weary glances, a collective ‘Here we go again’ etched on their faces. A new intern lawyer, clearly taking her seriously, looked indignant. “This, this is simply outrageous! Team Leader, shouldn’t we file a lawsuit immediately?” An older lawyer quickly pulled him aside, lowering his voice. “What are you talking about?! That’s Aaron Vance! Aaron Vance, one of the wealthiest men in the city!” “So what if he’s rich? Does that mean he’s above the law?” The intern lawyer stubbornly retorted. “Above the law, my foot!” The old lawyer practically wanted to clap a hand over his mouth. “It’s just Mr. Vance and Seraphina’s little game! Their playful charade, understand? This Seraphina, she’s here every other week. Last time, she claimed Mr. Vance bought her so many diamond necklaces worth millions she couldn’t wear them all, and it kept her awake at night with stress. The time before that, she said he booked out an entire rose garden just for her, which gave her a terrible pollen allergy… This isn’t a complaint; it’s just her twisted way of flaunting their relationship!” The intern lawyer stared, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, taking a long moment to find his voice. “But, but Mr. Vance isn’t single, is he? I just notified his wife…” At his words, the other lawyers’ faces instantly morphed into an indescribably complex expression. The old lawyer was about to speak when a sudden, palpable shift in the atmosphere rippled through the room, followed by a low murmur of commotion near the entrance. Everyone looked over— Aaron Vance had arrived. Bodyguards in dark suits cleared the path, and he walked in the center, clad in a perfectly tailored designer suit that accentuated his tall, imposing figure. His eyes were cold and sharp, and he exuded a powerful aura that warned everyone to keep their distance. But the moment he saw the girl who’d filed the complaint, his gaze softened instantly. He walked over in a few swift steps, then shockingly, knelt directly in front of Seraphina, looking up at her with a low, doting voice. “My queen, what are you causing trouble about now?” Seeing him, Seraphina’s eyes reddened. She pounded her small fists on his shoulder, wailing and accusing, “You know perfectly well what I’m causing trouble about! You… you wanted me for a whole seven days! I kept saying no, no, but you wouldn’t let me go… *sobs*…” The surrounding lawyers awkwardly averted their gazes. Aaron sighed, a sound of indulgent resignation. He reached out, gently wiping away Seraphina’s tears with his thumb. “My fault, my queen. I just… I like you too much to control myself. But Seraphina, you weren’t exactly complaining, were you?” Seraphina’s face instantly flushed crimson, a mix of embarrassment and indignant fury. “You… you can’t say that!” “Alright, alright, I won’t say it.” Aaron chuckled, coaxing her. As if by magic, he produced a velvet box from behind his back. “Look, do you like it?” Seraphina opened the box, her eyes instantly lighting up. It was the ‘Tears of the Deep Sea’ blue diamond necklace, the one I had longed for, frighteningly expensive. She gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. “Oh my god! How did you know I wanted this?” “Is there anything about you I don’t know?” Aaron said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to remember her every preference. A flash of triumph flickered in Seraphina’s eyes, but she quickly remembered she was supposed to be “angry.” She snorted and turned her head. “Don’t think that just because of this, I’ll forgive you!” Aaron, ever so patient, asked, “Then what will it take for my little queen to stop being angry? Or… should I really go to jail for a few days?” With that, he actually stood up, making as if to walk towards the lawyers. Seraphina immediately panicked, throwing her arms around his waist. “No! You’re not going!” I buried my face in his chest, my voice muffled and tearful. “How can you be so good to me… I was going to have you arrested, and you’re still spoiling me like this… *sniffles*…” Aaron gently stroked my hair, his voice unbelievably tender. “Because I like you, my little queen.” Seraphina broke into a smile through her tears, looking up to kiss his chin. “I won’t make trouble anymore. Let’s go home.” “Good, let’s go home.” He took my hand and turned. It was in that very moment of turning that his gaze swept across the corner of the room, then suddenly froze. I stood there, my face ashen. Aaron’s eyes subtly darkened, a flicker of an emotion I couldn’t quite decipher, but it quickly settled back into calm. “Why are you here?” Seraphina interjected quickly, “I asked the lawyers to call me. You’re not mad at me, are you?” Aaron glanced at me, then said blandly, “No.” The old lawyer beside him patted the intern’s shoulder, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, but perfectly audible to everyone. “See? So what if she’s his wife? Everyone knows Mrs. Vance is nothing more than a trophy wife.” The words “trophy wife” felt like two poisoned daggers, savagely plunging into my heart, then cruelly twisting. Yes, for five years, I had been nothing but a prop, a pathetic bystander witnessing how deeply he loved another. But who remembered that five years ago, Aaron Vance had also held me in the palm of his hand? Back then, I was Chloe Vance’s best friend, Aaron’s sister. I practically lived at the Vance estate. Aaron Vance was the undisputed top tier of high society—brilliant, aloof, and impossibly elegant. He kept everyone at arm’s length. At first, I was terrified of him, always feeling like a scared rabbit whenever I saw him. But then I discovered that ice-cold CEO seemed to treat me differently, as if I held some special key to his guarded world. He would remember my favorite desserts and have the house staff prepare them in advance; when I accidentally shattered his antique vase, his first reaction was to check if my hand was cut; when I had a fever, he canceled important meetings and stayed by my side all night. I, in my foolishness, told Chloe, “Your brother isn’t so scary after all.” Chloe laughed at me. “You idiot, my brother likes you! He doesn’t even bother to look at anyone else.” I was shocked and flustered, but soon after, Aaron began a passionate yet gentle pursuit of me. A man like him, once he put his heart into it, was almost impossible for any woman to resist, especially since I had already fallen for him without realizing it. For three years, he spoiled me rotten. The whole world knew that Aaron Vance, the golden boy of the Vance family, had a darling, and that darling was me. It was only natural that we married. At our wedding, he held my hand and swore to Father Michael, “I will love only her for the rest of my life.” I thought we would be happy forever. Until shortly after our wedding, Chloe and I went out, and we encountered a few drunken thugs. Chloe shoved me behind her, her voice urgent, “Aria, run! Go get help! I’ll hold them off!” I refused, but Chloe pushed me hard. I ran desperately, thinking I needed to find someone to come back and save her quickly. But the more I ran, the tighter my chest felt. A sudden, metallic taste flooded my mouth. Without warning, I coughed up a mouthful of blood, then my vision blurred to black. I knew nothing else. I woke up in a hospital, receiving two pieces of devastating news: First, the doctor told me I had cancer. Second, the police informed me that Chloe had been… assaulted and murdered by those thugs. Her body was found the next morning, in a horrific state. My world instantly crumbled. And Aaron Vance’s world crumbled too. He had lost his beloved sister. After immense grief came endless rage and hatred. His eyes red, he demanded, his voice trembling and desperate, “Why? Why did you leave her and run first? Why didn’t you go find help after you ran? Do you know how horribly Chloe died?! Aria, tell me why!” I looked at his tormented face, my heart twisting in agony. I wanted to explain, to say I had collapsed from vomiting blood, that it wasn’t intentional. But what good would an explanation do? Chloe wouldn’t come back. If he knew his beloved wife was also dying, losing two loved ones in one night, would he completely fall apart? So, I chose silence, swallowing all explanations and grievances. And my silence, in Aaron’s eyes, became an admission, a cold-blooded act, proof of my cowardly escape. He plummeted from heaven to hell, all his love instantly transforming into bone-deep hatred. To torment me, he stopped coming home, treating me with icy disdain. Finally, he even brought Seraphina Hayes into our lives, a college student who bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to me. He showered Seraphina with all the affection, tenderness, and indulgence he had once given me, but tenfold. I knew he was doing it on purpose. He wanted me to witness, day after day, how he transferred every ounce of his love, without reservation, to another woman who was merely a poor imitation of me. He wanted me to suffer an agonizing torment, like a slow death by a thousand cuts. I was indeed in excruciating pain. But he didn’t know these days were almost over for me. Not long ago, I went for a follow-up check-up alone. The doctor looked at the report and said gravely, “The tumor has spread comprehensively… Ms. Miller, you have, at most, two weeks left.” Soon, I would leave him completely, to join Chloe. *** I walked out of the law office in a daze. Just then, a familiar black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Seraphina’s pretty face and Aaron’s stern profile. “Ms. Miller, it’s quite remote here, you won’t find a taxi. Get in, we’ll give you a ride home.” Seraphina’s tone was warm, but a subtle hint of triumph gleamed in her eyes. I shook my head, refusing. “No, thank you…” “I told you to get in, so get in.” Aaron’s icy voice cut me off. “Are you deaf? Did you not hear me?” His cutting words were like an ice pick piercing my heart. I clenched my fingers, but in the end, I silently pulled open the car door and got into the back seat. Seraphina volunteered, “Aaron, I just got my driver’s license. Let me drive for a bit, please? Pretty please?” Aaron raised an eyebrow, his voice indulgent. “Alright, but be careful.” He personally fastened her seatbelt, then sat in the front passenger seat. The car started, Seraphina driving a little awkwardly. Aaron showed no impatience at all, patiently guiding her the entire time, his gaze so tender it could drown a person. “Oh, this brake feels a bit stiff…” Seraphina complained coyly. “Really? Let me see.” Aaron even leaned over to check, his profile almost brushing Seraphina’s leg. Sitting in the back seat, I watched the dazzling scene unfold before me, my heart felt like it was tightly gripped by an invisible hand, hurting so much I couldn’t breathe. Once, all his tenderness and attention had been exclusively mine. Just then, a stray cat suddenly darted out in front of the car! “Ah!” Seraphina screamed in fright. In her panic, she mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, flooring it! The car, like a runaway train, suddenly accelerated, violently crashing through the guardrail by the roadside and plunging directly towards the river below! The sensation of falling overwhelmed me! “Seraphina!” In that split second, I clearly saw Aaron’s first reaction: he lunged towards the driver’s seat, shielding Seraphina with his entire body! He didn’t even… turn to look at me once. Icy river water rushed into the car from all sides, a suffocating embrace that swallowed me whole. My heart, in that moment, hurt to its extreme, and grew utterly cold. Before, whenever danger struck, he would always rush to me first. But now… Before darkness swallowed my consciousness, the last thing I saw was his back, tightly clutching Seraphina, as they struggled to surface. When I regained consciousness, it was to the pungent smell of disinfectant in a hospital. I heard Aaron’s voice, thick with suppressed anger, from outside the room. He seemed to be questioning Dr. Miller. “I just fell into the water! Why has she been unconscious for so long without waking up? Do you even know how to treat patients?!” Dr. Miller cautiously replied, “Mr. Vance, please calm down. Ms. Miller’s unconsciousness isn’t solely due to drowning… According to the comprehensive report we just received… she has late-stage malignant…” Mid-sentence, a nurse rushed over. “Mr. Vance, Seraphina is awake and has been asking for you.” Aaron was about to speak, but the next second, his eyes met mine on the hospital bed. The concern that had briefly flickered on his face due to my prolonged unconsciousness instantly froze, vanishing without a trace. He grunted, not even sparing me another glance, turning resolutely and striding towards the other end of the corridor. I watched his determined back, my heart felt like a piece had been carved out, and icy winds howled through the emptiness. It was better that he didn’t know about my impending death. With the hatred he held for me now, even if he knew I was dying, he would probably only scoff and call it karma. The day I was discharged, the sun was blindingly bright. Aaron, of course, didn’t come to pick me up. He was with a startled Seraphina, vacationing at a private island resort. Returning to the cold, empty mansion that was supposed to be “home,” I silently began to prepare for my passing. I first went to a vintage photo studio. “Miss, are you… sure you want to take a portrait for your funeral?” The old photographer pushed his spectacles up, confirming three times, his eyes full of disbelief and regret. I nodded calmly, forcing a faint smile. “Yes, I’m sure.” The lens captured my pale, yet still delicate face. But the eyes that once sparkled with starlight now held only the dead ashes of despair. Next, I went to choose an urn. There was a dazzling array of urns, made of various materials, all quite expensive. I finally chose the simplest, most unadorned white ceramic jar. Its smooth, cool touch felt just like my heart at that moment. Finally, I went to Evergreen Cemetery. I wanted to be buried next to Chloe. We used to joke that when we grew old, we’d live in a nursing home together, dance in the park, and even after death, we’d be neighbors, still playing mahjong underground. I found Chloe Vance’s tombstone. The girl in the photo smiled like a blossoming flower, forever frozen in her prime. I slowly knelt, my fingertips gently wiping away the dust from the photo, a lump forming in my throat.

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“are you certain you wish to inherit your father’s badge number and follow in his footsteps as an undercover officer?” Beneath the solemn national emblem, I nodded firmly. “I am.” Becoming an undercover officer meant, first and foremost, erasing every trace of my former life. My name would vanish from this world entirely. So, the agency would arrange my fake death, after which I would live again as someone else. Back from the precinct, I hadn’t even reached my bedroom door when I heard a woman’s soft voice from inside. My expression numb, I stared at the wide-open door, mentally counting how many women Julian Thorne had brought home this time. Three years of marriage, and every single day he brought home a woman who looked just like me. He’d leave the door wide open, making love without a shred of discretion, right in front of my face. All to get back at me for abandoning him years ago. But this time, when the woman inside spoke, I froze. Lost in thought, the two inside had already finished. Julian, wrapped in a bath towel, walked out. He looked at me, his eyes cold. “Perfect timing. We’re out of protection. Go out and buy a few boxes.” With that, he pulled a thick wad of cash from a nearby drawer and tossed it directly at my face. “Consider the rest your payment, your little bonus. Isn’t money all you crave?” My face stung from the impact of the cash. I didn’t bother picking up the bills scattered on the floor. Instead, I looked at him, my eyes red-rimmed. “You’ve slept with so many women over the years, Julian, why couldn’t you even spare Cassie Bell?” Even in revenge, there’s a line you don’t cross. He knew Cassie was my best friend. Julian’s narrow eyes gleamed with a cold light. He sneered, “Did you spare me, all those years ago?” A sharp pang went through my heart. Those memories came crashing back, a tidal wave of pain and regret. Julian and I fell in love when we were young. She was the campus queen, he was the golden boy – the school’s most famous IT couple. They had promised to marry once they were old enough, but at the peak of our love, I suddenly broke up with him and left the country with a rich kid, Bryce Miller. The day I broke up with him, he chased after my car, his eyes red and swollen. He, such a proud man, begged me over and over not to leave him, swore he’d make something of himself one day. He pleaded with me not to rush, to wait for him, pleaded with me not to fall for anyone else. But I was so cold, refusing to say even a single word to him. I even watched him get into a car accident while chasing my car, and I never looked back. The accident was severe. He ruptured a kidney and needed a transplant to survive. He lay on the operating table, covered in blood, yet he insisted on climbing up to call me. But the calls he made, desperately, were all hung up. Love, when deepest, turns into the most profound hatred. From that day on, Julian hated me with every fiber of his being. It took him four years to reach the pinnacle of the business world, becoming a formidable billionaire. And the first thing he did after achieving success was to leverage his immense power to force me into marriage. Then, he brought one woman after another home, solely to humiliate me. But only I knew that our separation back then wasn’t because I stopped loving him, nor because I was a gold-digger. It was out of sheer necessity. My father was an undercover police officer. His mission failed, his identity exposed to the drug lord. After killing my father, the criminal organization began retaliating against his family. Upon receiving the news, we fled our home. To avoid implicating Julian, I had no choice but to break up with him. Midway, I learned about his car accident. I risked my life, rushed to the hospital, and donated my kidney to him. I couldn’t even wait for him to wake up before hurrying home. But I never imagined that all four of our elderly relatives, along with my mother and sister, would be brutally murdered by the drug traffickers. Only I, by some twisted stroke of luck, escaped with my life. Thinking of my family’s horrific deaths, my eyes involuntarily turned bloodshot. Seeing the redness in my eyes, Julian spoke, his voice ice-cold, though a hint of expectation flickered within his gaze. “What, are you going to say you had a reason back then?” Snapping out of my thoughts, I simply shook my head firmly. “No reason. You weren’t wrong. I was just a greedy, status-obsessed woman.” I couldn’t tell him the truth back then, and I certainly couldn’t now. I carried the weight of my family’s brutal murders, and there was no future for Julian and me in this lifetime. These past years felt like borrowed time. Now, I was determined to inherit my father’s badge number. This mission was a one-way ticket, a life-or-death gamble. I would likely be reuniting with my family very soon. Seeing my resolve, Julian’s face darkened further. He stared at me, his voice laced with anger. “If you have nothing to say, then get out and buy those condoms.” I said nothing, picked up the money from the floor, and walked out. After buying the items, I placed the bag by the door and then returned to my own room, locking the door behind me. That night, the sounds from the next room never ceased. As if to deliberately spite me, Julian, while in bed, tenderly whispered sweet nothings to Cassie. “Baby, you smell so good. I love you so much.” “Promise you’ll always love me, always stay with me, okay?” These were the same endearments he used to whisper to me when we were together. Back then, we didn’t have much. We lived in a tiny apartment, barely twenty square feet, but our love was boundless. I had fantasized countless times about growing old with Julian, having a son and a daughter, and living happily ever after. But those memories were nothing more than a beautiful illusion, forever beyond my grasp. I cried all night, waking up to a pillow soaked with tears. I told myself this was the last time I would cry for him. When I went downstairs, they were both awake. All the other women he’d brought home before never stayed the night. Cassie was the first, and only, to eat breakfast here. The house staff seemed busier than usual. I soon learned it was Cassie’s birthday today, and Julian was throwing a grand birthday party for her at the house. When the party began, the room filled with familiar faces from their circle. They all warmly greeted Cassie as if *she* were the lady of the house. Julian certainly gave her his full attention, holding her hand as they accepted toasts from everyone. After Cassie blew out the candles and made her wish, he spared no expense, gifting her a diamond necklace valued at millions. Lost in the moment, they shared a deep, passionate kiss for all to see. Thunderous applause erupted, and the pity in everyone’s eyes was impossible to ignore. “To be a wife treated like this, it’s truly pathetic.” “Everyone knows she’s the laughingstock of the entire social circle. If I were her, I’d just crawl into a hole and disappear.” “But she acts like nothing’s wrong, completely unfazed.” I managed a bitter, strained smile. I had suffered too much pain already; this level of torment was nothing. Midway through the party, Cassie found me in a secluded spot. “It’s been a day. Aren’t you going to ask me why?” I shook my head faintly. “There’s no need to know.” Cassie was my best friend, so I knew what had happened all those years ago. Over the years, I’d witnessed my own agony. Countless times, I’d found myself weeping, red-eyed, over the intimate photos Julian sent. My heart would ache so much that I’d almost call him, desperate to tell him the truth. But it was *I* who stopped myself, knowing that nothing I did could change our ultimate fate. Now, Cassie looked at me, her eyes red-rimmed, concealing a myriad of emotions I couldn’t decipher. “Sera, you know I hate it when you act like nothing bothers you. You don’t know anything, so you wouldn’t know that I’ve secretly loved Julian for many years.” “But his heart was only ever for you. I know you’ve been heartbroken for him all these years, but do you know what kind of life *he* lived after you left?” “He drank himself to oblivion every day because of you, drinking until he coughed up blood. He’d stay alone in your old rented apartment, sometimes all night. The photos you left him stayed in his wallet for years. Once, he was mugged, and he’d rather take multiple stab wounds than let them steal that wallet, just to protect the only memory you left him. He even married you after he became successful, bringing all those women home, only hoping you’d soften, hoping you’d just say you still loved him. If you had, he would have dropped everything and reconciled with you instantly.” “Sera, he’s such a proud man, yet he humbled himself to that extent for you. He hated you, but he loved you more.” She paused, then continued, “And you know what? I hate you too. I hate that even after everything you did to him, he still couldn’t let you go.” “Actually, Julian never intended to keep me. All the women he brought back over the years looked like you, but I don’t look like you at all. Yet, I’ll be the woman who stays by his side the longest.” “Do you know why? Because I lied to him. I told him that the kidney he received back then, *I* was the one who donated it.” I listened silently, not saying a word. Seeing my continued silence, Cassie’s breathing grew ragged. After a long moment, she spoke again. “Sera, you haven’t given me a birthday present this year, but there’s only one thing I want. I want you to give Julian to me.” I remained silent for a long time. Just as Cassie thought I wouldn’t answer, I finally spoke. “Okay.” Cassie smiled, tears in her eyes. “If you’re going to give him up, then do it completely. Make sure there’s absolutely nothing left of you in his heart.” The words hung in the air. I let go of the banister, closed my eyes, and fell backward, plunging into the dark abyss. The loud crash startled everyone. Julian’s face turned as dark as thunder when he saw Cassie lying on the floor, covered in blood. “Sera! You’re trying to die!” He scooped Cassie into his arms and rushed out the door.

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It was the third year of my marriage to Julian Blackwood when my marriage certificate, a faded old paper, accidentally got drenched in coffee. I barely noticed it until I went to the County Clerk’s office to get a new copy. The clerk behind the computer typed for a few seconds, then looked up at me, a strange expression on her face. “Ma’am, your marital status shows as single.” I froze, thinking I’d misheard. “That’s impossible. My husband and I got married right here three years ago.” She checked again, her expression turning even stranger. “The system confirms you’re unmarried. But Mr. Julian Blackwood… he’s marked as married.” I blinked. “His spouse is listed as another lady, Seraphina Hayes. Do you know who I am?” My mind went blank, a deafening ringing in my ears. Everyone knew I was his first love, his “dream girl,” the one he’d protected so fiercely since childhood. And Seraphina Hayes? She was just a stand-in, a replacement he found when I was abroad, because he supposedly missed me so much. … I clutched the coffee-stained, fake marriage certificate, my mind a hazy mess as I got into my car. My phone suddenly buzzed twice. A message from Julian popped up. “Babe, I blew off a multi-billion dollar deal and bought your favorite roses and strawberry cupcakes. Just wanted to come home early to you. I miss you so much. Do you miss me?” I stared at the message, then suddenly burst out laughing. Laughter turned to tears, streaming down my face. For three years, he’d asked me that every day, showering me with affection. But all this time… he’d secretly been legally married to someone else. I remembered when we were kids. Julian once climbed a ten-foot tree to get my kite down, fell, broke his right arm, but still smiled, handing me the kite. “Don’t cry, baby. It doesn’t hurt.” I remembered my fifteenth birthday. He stood outside my house all night in the pouring rain, just so he could be the first to wish me “Happy Birthday” when I woke up. I remembered my eighteenth birthday. He booked an entire amusement park, and under a sky full of fireworks, he knelt on one knee and asked, “Aubrey, when I turn twenty-two, will you marry me?” I remembered when I left for college abroad. He pinned me against the airport wall, his eyes red, voice trembling. “Two years. I’m only giving you two years. The moment it’s up, I’m coming to drag you back.” Those two years overseas, he’d video call me almost every day. Once, I was swamped with a paper and didn’t answer for three days. When I finally called back, I found out he’d drunk himself into the hospital. His eyes were bloodshot on the screen. “Babe, I can’t live without you.” I’d always soothe him. “I’ll be back soon, just wait a little longer.” The day I returned home, I didn’t tell Julian, wanting to surprise him. But when I pushed open the door to a private club suite, I saw him passionately kissing a girl. Her profile was a striking resemblance to mine. My bag **clattered** to the floor. I turned and walked out. Julian chased after me like a madman. I wouldn’t answer his calls, so he kept sending SnapChat messages. I wouldn’t see him, so he stood outside my house in the rain, explaining over and over. “It’s not what you think!” “You wouldn’t let me visit you all these years, I missed you too much, that’s why I found a stand-in…” “I swear, it was just hugging and kissing. Nothing else!” “Aubrey, I messed up, but I really loved you to the point of madness…” Finally, after he stood in the rain for three days and nights, collapsed with high fever and pneumonia, and refused to leave the hospital, my heart softened, and I forgave him. After that, he was as good to me as he’d always been. Until after we got married, when I found out his new assistant was Seraphina Hayes. The “stand-in” he said he’d sent away. He explained again, “Her parents weren’t well and had trouble adjusting to life away from the city. They cried and begged her to come back.” “I had no idea it was her when I interviewed for the assistant role.” “She’s good at her job, went through all the selections. I can’t just fire her.” So I tolerated it again. And I kept tolerating it, until I became the biggest joke of all. By the time my car pulled into the gated community, my tears had dried. I took a deep breath, about to push the door open, when I heard Julian and his friend talking in the living room. “I just went to the hospital. Seraphina’s fine, just a scratch. You can relax here with me.” Julian leaned back on the sofa, two buttons of his black shirt undone, his long legs crossed. He frowned and extinguished the cigarette in his friend’s hand. His voice was low and cold. “How many times have I told you? No smoking in my house. Aubrey hates the smell of smoke.” “Alright, alright, you big softie,” his friend teased, laughing. “But I really don’t get it. You clearly love Aubrey so much, why did you have to marry Seraphina back then? Honestly, wasn’t she more than just a stand-in?” The air was silent for a few seconds. Then, Julian’s low voice drifted through— “What if she was?” “I used to think she was just a stand-in, that I wouldn’t need her once Aubrey came back.” “But after I sent her away, I dreamt of her almost every night.” “Eventually, I couldn’t stand not having her around, so I brought her back as my assistant.” “I can’t live without Aubrey, but Seraphina… I can’t let her go either.” “Aubrey gets my open affection, Seraphina can only be in the shadows. What’s wrong with giving her a name, a status, as compensation?” His friend sighed. “Aren’t you afraid Aubrey finds out? Knowing her, if she ever did, she wouldn’t look back even if you died in front of her.” Julian paused, his throat bobbing. “Then she’ll never know.” I stood outside the door, my blood turning to ice. I thought I’d collapse in tears, but not a single one would fall. This was what true agony felt like. My heart felt like a piece had been brutally carved out, yet it still had to beat.

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I was twenty when I married Asher Blackwood, a man who was almost like a brother to my father, despite their age difference. He was eight years my senior, a notorious, ice-cold magnate in our circles. Ruthless in business, famously aloof with women, yet with me, he was impossibly gentle. He’d give orders to deliver multi-million-dollar jewels to me the very next day, just because I’d casually mentioned, “That necklace is pretty.” He’d drop multi-million-dollar deals to personally brew me ginger tea when my period cramps had me curled up in bed, patiently spoon-feeding it to me until it was all gone. In moments of passion, he’d grip my waist, his voice husky as he called me ‘baby,’ whispering how ‘good’ I was, how I drove him wild. Even all his social media handles were ‘For Elise.’ I always thought it was in memory of that day we first met, when I played that very piece on the piano. Until the day I found an old photo album in his study. The album was filled with pictures of the same girl, who looked seven parts like me, smiling by a piano. On the back of the photos, it read— “For Elise, my dearest Seraphina.” … After discovering the truth, I did only two things. First, I underwent an abortion for the five-month-old baby I carried. A five-month-old baby, who had already begun to kick inside me. On the operating table, I clenched my jaw, fighting back the tears, but when the nurse asked, “Would you like to see the baby?” I collapsed, shaking my head violently. Second, I drafted a divorce agreement. Then, I called Asher Blackwood. Before, he would answer my calls instantly, his voice soft as he asked, “What’s wrong, baby?” But this time, I had to call twenty-three times before he finally picked up. A cacophony of voices erupted from the other end, followed by his friends’ teasing: “How potent is a first love, really? The moment Seraphina came back, Asher just dumped his five-month pregnant wife at home.” “Well, what do you expect? She’s just a stand-in! You should’ve seen how much Asher loved Seraphina back then. He almost drank himself to death after they broke up and never forgot her. He just sweet-talked a young woman into being a replacement.” “And the girl was still clueless, clinging to Asher constantly. Last time I saw him kissing her, her clinginess was so intense it was almost sickeningly sweet. If I had a sweet, gentle woman like that at home, I’d have forgotten Seraphina long ago.” “Ugh, who knew Asher, cold as he seems, is actually a hopeless romantic? He only ever loved Seraphina. Look, Seraphina just casually complained her feet hurt in heels, and he’s already carrying her to buy flats…” I clutched my phone, tears silently streaming down my face. Then, the other end of the line suddenly fell silent. “Who picked up my call?” Asher Blackwood’s voice cut through the air. “Huh? No idea, probably pressed by accident…” Footsteps echoed from the other end, and soon the background noise returned to quiet. When he spoke again, Asher Blackwood’s dangerously gentle voice, the one I had drowned in, flowed through the receiver: “What’s wrong, baby? Can’t sleep because of the thunder?” “Daddy has a business dinner, I’ll be back later to tuck you and baby in, okay?” I took a deep breath: “I’m calling to ask you to sign the div—” Before I could finish, a woman’s voice chimed in: “Asher, my feet hurt…” He paused, then quickly said to me, “Be a good girl, go to sleep. Daddy will be back to be with you later.” Then, the call disconnected. I laughed, wiping away all my tears, and looked up at the table. Two “gifts” lay there, both for Asher Blackwood. A divorce agreement, and a gift box containing the baby they’d induced. Those who break honest hearts deserve to feel every shard of pain. I might be young, but I wouldn’t stand for such deceit. I would never keep someone who betrayed me. I love with my whole heart, and I can walk away when it’s broken. I don’t know how long I sat there, but I finally stood up, placing the gift box with the baby inside the refrigerator. Just then, sounds echoed from the villa’s main entrance. “Baby, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Asher Blackwood walked in, taking off his suit jacket, his tie loosely around his neck. “Looking for something in the fridge? Hungry?” I didn’t answer, just watched him silently. He seemed unaccustomed to my coldness. He pulled out an exquisite bento box from behind him, his eyes softening. “I scoured the entire city for these. Haven’t you been craving them lately?” He carefully arranged the pastries, one by one. They were all my favorites during my morning sickness these past few months. Before, I would have thrown myself into his arms and kissed him. But now, I only felt a bitter irony. “Why are you standing there silently? Is the baby bothering you again?” As he spoke, his hand reached for my stomach. I blocked his hand, offering him a document: “Sign it.” He froze, about to open it, when his phone suddenly rang. I saw the caller ID: Seraphina. He answered. After a few words from the other end, his expression subtly changed. He hung up the phone without another glance at me, quickly signing the document. Then, he grabbed his car keys, ready to leave. “Baby, I have an urgent matter to handle. Get some sleep.” At the door, he added gently, “From now on, just buy whatever you want directly. No need to ask me to sign. We’re husband and wife; what’s mine is yours.” I clutched the signed divorce agreement, a faint, bitter smile touching my lips. “Asher Blackwood, we won’t be husband and wife for much longer.” That night, I had a very long dream. In it, I was seeing Asher Blackwood for the first time. I was eighteen that year, accompanying my father to the Blackwood family’s gala. He stood by the piano in a crisp black suit, long fingers holding a champagne flute, his features etched like a painting. It was love at first sight. Later, I boldly stole a kiss. He paused, then chuckled softly. “Little girl, that’s not how you kiss.” Then he cupped the back of my head, showing me what a real kiss felt like. That kiss was so long, so utterly consuming, that I couldn’t breathe. Even now, remembering it felt like a fleeting, beautiful dream. When I woke up, my pillow was soaked. Daylight had broken. After a long while, I picked up my phone and called my dad. “Dad, I’m divorced,” my voice was hoarse. “Once I get the divorce certificate, I’ll come abroad to be with you and Mom.” “Did Asher Blackwood bully you?” My dad’s voice immediately rose. “No,” I gazed out at the brightening sky. “I just don’t love him anymore.” In truth, Asher Blackwood never loved me. And I, I wouldn’t love him anymore either. I didn’t voice that thought, feeling like I’d swallowed a piece of shattered glass, letting it carve through my heart until it bled. After hanging up, a friend request popped up on SnapChat. On a whim, I accepted. The person immediately sent a video. In the clip, Asher Blackwood was dozing on a sofa, his brows furrowed, murmuring a name: “Seraphina…” Following the video, a long message arrived: “I’m Seraphina, Asher’s first love. I can’t believe that after all these years, even after he got married, he still hasn’t forgotten me. When I came back today, I noticed he still has my nickname tattooed on his inner wrist. All our old photos, his diaries, they’re perfectly preserved. See, he’s still calling my name in his sleep, probably dreaming of our past. After all, those were his unforgettable first love memories.” I stared at the long message, my heart aching to the point of numbness. I only replied with one sentence: “What do you want?” It took a long time for her to reply: “Nothing. Just want to take back what’s mine. He’s about to wake up. Don’t you believe me? If I just say I had a nightmare, he’ll stay with me for the next five days and won’t contact you once?” I didn’t reply again. Ten minutes later, Asher Blackwood’s message came through: “Baby, I have an urgent project that requires a five-day business trip. My assistant will stay with you; call him if you need anything. Take good care of yourself and the baby.” I stared at the screen and suddenly laughed. I laughed and laughed until tears splashed onto my phone screen. For the next five days, Asher Blackwood was indeed out of contact. But Seraphina’s messages kept coming. Asher Blackwood walking with her on the beach, taking her to watch the sunset from a mountaintop, driving her around the countryside… Seraphina messaged: “These are all places we used to visit when we were dating.” I read every single message, and then I suddenly remembered Asher Blackwood had taken me to those same places. Back then, I thought he was being romantic. Now I understood he was just revisiting old haunts, seeing another woman through my reflection. On the evening of the fifth day, I started packing. The jewelry Asher Blackwood had given me, the bags, the clothes… Everything connected to him was packed into cardboard boxes and tossed into the storage room. When Asher Blackwood finally rushed home, dusty and tired, he saw a wardrobe half empty. He visibly froze. “Baby, what are you doing?” I didn’t even look up. “Nothing. Just throwing away some useless things.” Asher Blackwood didn’t think much of it, just smiled and handed me a gift—a limited-edition illustrated book set. Last month, I’d casually mentioned wanting to collect them; I hadn’t expected him to remember. “Baby,” he naturally pulled me into his arms, his large hand stroking my belly. “Are your morning sickness symptoms still severe? Tomorrow’s your prenatal check-up, I’ll go with you.” “No need,” I pulled away from his embrace. “No need, ever again.” Asher Blackwood finally sensed something was wrong. “What do you mean, no need? Are you feeling unwell lately?” A maid interjected, “Madam hasn’t had much appetite these past few days, she’s barely eaten anything.” Asher Blackwood immediately loosened his tie. “I’ll go buy groceries and cook for you. All your favorites. Come on, sweetie, you have to eat a little.” As he turned, he didn’t forget to instruct, “Make sure to take good care of my wife. Don’t let anything happen to her.” The maids whispered enviously, “Sir is so good to Madam…” “You should find a husband who’s older and knows how to dote on you…” I listened quietly, a flicker of self-mockery in my eyes. I once believed I had found the best love in the world. But now I understood it was nothing more than a meticulously crafted stand-in game. No sooner had Asher Blackwood left than the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find a woman standing there, holding an exquisite pastry box. “Hello, I’m Seraphina, the Seraphina who sent you messages.” Seraphina smiled, a gentle yet challenging glint in her eyes. “Asher has been taking such good care of me lately, so I made some pastries to thank him. A guest at your door, surely you wouldn’t turn me away?” Before I could answer, she walked in uninvited and began to tour the house. Passing through the garden, Seraphina stopped. “These roses are all my favorite varieties. I can’t believe Asher is still growing them.” My fingertips trembled. I remembered Asher Blackwood personally tending to these flowers every morning, never letting anyone else touch them. I had once thought it was his charming eccentricity. By the pond, several turtles basked lazily in the sun. “Oh, they’re still alive!” Seraphina exclaimed, surprised. “I raised these when I was little. I left them when I went abroad and thought they’d be long dead by now.” I remembered Asher Blackwood’s unwavering routine of feeding those turtles like clockwork, and my chest tightened. In the living room, Seraphina’s gaze swept over the dolls in the display cabinet. “These are all my favorite collectibles.” Then she looked around. “The furniture style is also my preferred Scandinavian minimalist.” I followed behind her, each step feeling like I was walking on razor blades. This house, where I had lived for two years, suddenly felt utterly foreign. In the bedroom, Seraphina ran her hand over the suits and ties in the closet. “These were all gifts from me. He’s kept them so perfectly.” I remembered ironing these clothes with my own hands every day, and my throat felt like it was blocked. It turned out he never let me touch them, not because he was a neat freak, but because they were all Seraphina’s memories. Finally, Seraphina stopped in front of our wedding photos. “What a coincidence,” she said, tilting her head with a smile. “Asher and I used to talk about taking three themed sets: desert, ocean, forest. I can’t believe you chose those three too.” My face instantly went pale. During our wedding shoot, Asher Blackwood had insisted on these three themes. I had thought it was because he loved the romance of nature. “What are you doing here?” Asher Blackwood’s voice suddenly came from the doorway. He strode in quickly, his expression displeased. Seraphina immediately put on a sweet smile. “I made some pastries and came to bring you some. Your lovely wife so enthusiastically invited me in as a guest and even said she’d keep me for dinner.” Asher Blackwood’s brow relaxed slightly. He turned to me. “This is Seraphina, my childhood neighbor, we grew up like siblings. I was abroad before, and she just returned recently, so you haven’t met her.” I watched him silently. Childhood neighbor? Like siblings? He had kept their relationship so well hidden. And Seraphina played along. “Yes, Asher always looked after me since we were little. When I was a picky eater, he specifically learned to cook for me. His legendary beef wellington, the exquisite seafood risotto, the perfectly roasted lamb… all my absolute favorites.” My fingers dug into my palms. These were all the dishes Asher Blackwood cooked most often. I had naively believed it was because I liked them. I couldn’t force a smile, so I excused myself, claiming to feel unwell, and went upstairs. But soon after, Seraphina knocked, holding a bowl of medicine. “Asher brewed this prenatal tonic and asked me to bring it up,” she said with an innocent smile. “Drink it while it’s warm.” I took the bowl. The herbal smell was pungent. “Oh, by the way…” Seraphina suddenly asked, “Are your baby’s names also, by chance, Jashua for a boy and Nia for a girl? Those are the names Asher and I had decided on before.” My hand trembled, nearly spilling the bowl. Those were the exact names Asher Blackwood had chosen when I first got pregnant. So, even our child was to be a remembrance for Seraphina? My heart suddenly gave a violent wrench. Before I could even react— “Oops!” Seraphina suddenly “accidentally” knocked over the bowl. The scalding liquid splashed onto my arm, instantly turning it red and blistering. I gasped in pain, ignoring Seraphina’s apologies, my face pale as I prepared to go downstairs for ointment. But as I passed the staircase, I was suddenly shoved hard from behind. “Ah!” I tumbled down the stairs, landing heavily on the first-floor landing. Blood spread from beneath me, staining the beige carpet. The next second, Seraphina tumbled down after me. In the kitchen, Asher Blackwood was just about to open the refrigerator. Hearing the noise, he immediately rushed out. Seeing the scene, his pupils instantly constricted. “Seraphina!” He flew to catch the stumbling Seraphina, anxiously checking her ankle. “Are you okay?” “I… I’m fine,” Seraphina said weakly. “Quick, check on Willow…” Asher Blackwood finally looked at me, lying in a pool of blood, but Seraphina suddenly “fainted” in his arms. “Seraphina!” His usually steady voice was laced with frantic urgency. He scooped Seraphina up, striding quickly out, not even sparing me another glance. I watched their retreating figures, my consciousness gradually blurring. In the last moment before darkness consumed me, I thought I saw the refrigerator door slightly ajar, revealing a corner of the “gift” box inside… When I woke again, the harsh white light made me squint uncomfortably. A doctor was examining me. Asher Blackwood stood beside her, his expression grim. “How’s the baby?” he asked the doctor. The doctor looked up, surprised. “Baby? Ms. Hayes’s baby wasn’t… wasn’t it aborted already?” I quickly knocked over the water glass on the bedside table. The sound of shattering glass instantly drew Asher Blackwood’s attention. He ignored the doctor, hurrying to my bedside, his brows etched with worry and tenderness. “Baby, you’re awake? Are you hurting anywhere?” I gently shook my head, my gaze flicking over his shoulder to see the doctor’s hesitant expression. Asher Blackwood finally relaxed, then turned to the doctor. “Doctor, what did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly.” He felt as though he had missed something important. The doctor was about to speak, but I gave a barely perceptible shake of my head. The doctor understood, sighing and simply saying, “The patient needs more rest,” before leaving the VIP room. Suddenly, only Asher Blackwood and I remained in the VIP room. Asher Blackwood’s eyes were full of heartache. He reached out to touch my face, but I turned my head away. He seemed to understand, immediately coaxing and apologizing. “I’m so sorry, Willow. It’s my fault. I didn’t realize you also fell down the stairs. I thought…” “Thank goodness you and the baby are both okay. Otherwise, I would never forgive myself.” “I promise this will never happen again. Please don’t be mad at me, okay, hmm?” I looked into his eyes, and they held what appeared to be genuine remorse. In that moment, I found it incredibly ironic. Every word he spoke was so sweet, but which of them was true, and which a lie? “I’m tired.” I pulled my hand away, closing my eyes, unwilling to play this tiresome game with him. During my hospitalization, Asher Blackwood stayed by my side constantly. He personally炖汤 (stewed soup) for me, spoon-feeding me every mouthful; he accompanied me to every check-up, noting every one of the doctor’s instructions; if I stirred slightly in the night, he would immediately wake to ask what I needed. Even the nurses said they’d never seen such a caring husband. But I remained silent, often staring out the window in a daze. Asher Blackwood thought it was prenatal hormone changes causing my low mood and became even more meticulous in his care. On the day I was discharged, Asher Blackwood had prepared a grand surprise. He took me to the most exclusive restaurant, booking out an entire floor just so I could dine in peace. After dinner, he accompanied me to every luxury store. Anything I glanced at for too long, he immediately bought. As night fell, brilliant fireworks suddenly erupted over the river, forming the words “I LOVE YOU.” “Do you like it?” Asher Blackwood wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my head. “I prepared this especially for you.” Gazing at the fireworks painting the sky, I was momentarily transported back to how things used to be. Back then, Asher Blackwood would also go to such lengths to make me happy, making me feel like the most fortunate person in the world. But as my hand unconsciously brushed my flat stomach, all illusions shattered instantly. “What’s wrong?” Asher Blackwood sensed my stiffness and turned me to face him. “You’ve been unhappy lately, and I’m worried.” He cupped my face, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. “Should we get a therapist to see you? Prenatal depression is common; you don’t have to carry this alone. You can tell me anything on your mind.” I looked into his sincere eyes and suddenly asked, “If I’m willing to be completely honest with you, can you be one hundred percent honest with me?” Asher Blackwood paused, then chuckled. “Of course, baby. We’re husband and wife; honesty is natural between us.” I took a deep breath. “Then tell me, I heard you had a first love you really adored, and you never really got over her for many years after you broke up.” I stared directly into his eyes: “Have you let her go now?” Asher Blackwood’s expression instantly froze. His fingers tightened, knuckles turning white, but in an instant, he recovered, offering me a gentle smile. “I let her go ages ago. We cut off contact after the breakup, and we won’t be seeing each other again.” A bitter taste filled my mouth. He lied so skillfully, without even a flicker in his expression. He reached out to touch my face, and I instinctively turned my head away. The gesture made his brows furrow slightly. This wasn’t the first time I’d refused his touch. “Who told you all this?” His tone suddenly grew serious. “Is this why you’ve been unhappy lately?” I was about to speak when his phone’s piercing ringtone suddenly sounded. Asher Blackwood glanced at the caller ID, paused for a few seconds, then still chose to answer. As soon as he picked up, Seraphina’s tearful voice came through the receiver: “Asher! There are some thugs following me, I’m so scared…” Asher Blackwood’s face drastically changed. “Send me your location.” He grabbed his jacket, ready to leave, without even a glance at me. “Baby, something important at work came up. You can take a taxi home later.” I didn’t go home. On a whim, I hailed a taxi and followed him. In a dimly lit alley, I saw Asher Blackwood shielding Seraphina behind him, facing four or five thugs armed with sticks alone. He was like a changed man, striking fiercely, every punch landing hard, completely unlike his usual composed and restrained demeanor. One thug, bleeding from his head, suddenly pulled out a knife and lunged at Seraphina— “Seraphina!” Asher Blackwood lunged forward without hesitation, using his body to shield Seraphina. The blade plunged into his chest, blood instantly staining his white shirt. “Asher!” Seraphina clung to him as he fell, crying hysterically. “Don’t be scared…” he whispered weakly but gently in Seraphina’s arms. “I promised… I’d protect you forever… I meant it…” I stood at the alley entrance, my heart feeling as if a piece had been brutally carved out. Outside the operating room, Seraphina was crying her eyes out, a picture of absolute devastation. “He used to be like this… he almost died racing for me once… when I got into a car accident, he gave me so much blood he passed out…” I leaned against the wall, listening silently. So, a man as calm and steady as Asher Blackwood could also go mad for love, to the point of risking his life. It just was never for me. “The knife was just a millimeter away from his heart,” the nurse said, pushing open the door. “Is Ms. Seraphina here? We need a family member to sign for the surgery.” Seraphina shook her head, crying. “I’m not family… his wife is over there.” The nurse looked at me in surprise. “But the patient kept calling ‘Seraphina.’ And when he dictated his will just now, he said all his assets should go to Ms. Seraphina…” The nurse realized her slip and stopped awkwardly. I smiled. Under the nurse’s pitying gaze, I signed the papers and turned to leave.

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My husband’s kept woman was in a car accident and desperately needed a liver transplant. The only match? My own mother. The day Declan Hayes forced my mother onto the operating table, I knelt, sobbing uncontrollably, my forehead bleeding from hitting the ground, begging him. But he had me locked away in solitary confinement. Three days later, the surgery was a success. Declan stood before me, impeccably dressed in a suit, his eyes as cold as if I were a stranger. “The surgery went well. I’ve arranged for someone to look after your mother.” “I’ll be at the hospital with Serena these next few days. I won’t be coming home.” I gazed at the man who once would have gone through hell and high water for me, all my tears dried up. Before he turned away, I finally managed to ask, my voice raspy, “Declan, you used to love me so much. Why did you suddenly stop?” He paused, his back still to me. “We’re just in a marriage of convenience. When did I ever love you?” The moment the door clicked shut, I slid down the wall to the floor, my tears gushing uncontrollably. Never loved me? How could he have never loved me? In my previous life, he had loved me to death. That’s right, I’d been reborn. In my last life, the Davies and Hayes families had an arranged marriage, and I married Declan Hayes. Back then, he adored me, indulging my every whim. If I wanted the stars, he wouldn’t just offer the moon. If I casually mentioned I liked a million-dollar piece of jewelry, it would appear on my vanity the very next day. When I was sick, he’d stay awake all night, sitting by my bedside… But I detested him. Because the man I loved was my childhood sweetheart, Julian Vance. Forced by my parents to marry Declan, I resisted the marriage to an extreme. I refused to share a bed with him, wouldn’t accompany him to banquets, and even frequented clubs, seeking out male models, deliberately trying to embarrass him. Finally, manipulated by Julian, I eloped with him. But I never expected… Julian didn’t love me at all. His elaborate efforts to win my heart were only because the Vance family had a long-standing feud with the Hayes family. He’d long seen that Declan secretly loved me and concocted a plan to control Declan using me. He kidnapped me, threatening Declan with my life. “Declan Hayes, send me one of your fingers every day, or I’ll kill her.” Declan said nothing, but every day he cut off a finger and sent it to Julian. On the tenth day, when the last bloody finger, still bearing his wedding ring, arrived, I broke. Unwilling to let Declan continue his foolish sacrifice, I took my own life, biting through my tongue. After I died, my soul floated in the air. I watched as Declan, usually so dignified and composed, went mad upon seeing my lifeless body. He rushed to avenge me, personally breaking every single one of Julian Vance’s bones. Listening to Julian’s screams, Declan’s eyes held only a dead emptiness. Finally, he abandoned his billions in fortune, abandoned the entire Hayes Corporation, and perished in a blaze, clutching my corpse. Amidst the raging flames, he reverently and passionately kissed my lips, whispering, “Clara, if there’s a next life… would you just love me once?” As the fire consumed him, I floated in the air, crying my heart out. In that moment, I finally glimpsed the full depth of his devotion. I opened my eyes again and found myself reborn, in the first year of my marriage to Declan. I was overjoyed, tears streaming down my face. This time, I swore I would truly love Declan. So, I deleted all of Julian Vance’s contact information, made breakfast for Declan every day, waited up for him until late at night, my entire world revolving around him. But he had changed. He was no longer gentle with me, no longer came home every day. He was distant and cold, and he even had a kept woman on the side. Now, he was even forcibly putting my mother on the operating table to save that woman’s life. After Declan left, I slumped onto the cold floor, my tears completely spent. Fine! If he no longer loved me in this life, then I would let go and set him free completely. I stumbled to my feet, dragging my exhausted body to the hospital. When I pushed open the door, my mother was still in a deep sleep, her face terrifyingly pale. Her breathing beneath the oxygen mask was faint but even. I stood by the bed, looking at her frail body, wrapped in a patient gown, my throat feeling as if something was lodged there. “Clara.” I spun around abruptly, seeing my father, Mr. Davies, standing at the doorway, looking disheveled. His suit jacket was crumpled, his tie askew, clearly having rushed back from abroad. “Dad…” My voice choked. My knees buckled, and I sank to the floor. “I’m so sorry… it’s all because of me…” Mr. Davies rushed over, pulling me up immediately. “Nonsense! The floor’s so cold, why are you kneeling?!” His hands were rough and warm, but trembling slightly. “It’s not your fault. How could this be your fault?” I lowered my head, tears splashing onto the floor. Mr. Davies sighed, gently patting my back. “Declan was the one who actively proposed, saying he’d secretly loved you for years…” His voice was filled with confusion. “How did things suddenly turn out like this?” Yes, everyone knew he loved me. But in this life, why had he suddenly changed? “Dad,” I took a deep breath. “I’ve made up my mind. I want a divorce from Declan.” “Our family business is gradually shifting abroad anyway. If that’s the case… let’s all leave this place.” Mr. Davies fell silent. His gaze shifted between me and my mother on the hospital bed. After a long moment, he finally spoke. “Do you truly no longer love him?” My nails dug deep into my palms, blood seeping from between my fingers, yet I felt no pain. “The way he treated Mom…” My voice was as light as a falling leaf, trembling and breaking in the air. “How can I… continue to love him?” Mr. Davies was silent for another moment, then let out a heavy sigh, as if making a difficult decision. “If that’s what you want, we’ll leave.” He patted my shoulder. “Go and handle the paperwork. I’ll take care of things here.” My eyes red, I nodded and turned to leave the hospital room. The immigration procedures went smoothly. As I walked out the main doors, the sunlight stung my eyes. I stood by the roadside, a sense of unreality washing over me. It was finally coming to an end. Just then, I heard the screech of tires. “Look out—!” Before I could even turn around, a massive impact sent me flying. I woke up to a sharp, searing pain. The moment I opened my eyes, Declan’s stern face was inches from mine. He looked down at me, his disgust unconcealed. “Clara, are you doing this on purpose?” “You saw Serena get into a car accident, and now you’re copying her?” He sneered, his voice as if it were laced with ice. “Let me tell you, we’re just in a marriage of convenience. We have no feelings for each other. No matter how much you try to imitate her, it’s futile. I don’t have time to look after you.” I opened my mouth, about to explain, when the hospital room door suddenly burst open. “Mr. Hayes, the porridge you requested.” His assistant respectfully handed him a takeout container. Declan took it casually, lifted the lid, and his brow instantly furrowed. “Why is it seafood porridge?” His voice carried obvious displeasure. “I’m allergic to seafood. Go buy another one.” That sentence was like a thunderbolt, striking me right in the brain. Seafood allergy… In my previous life, it was in their second year of marriage that I accidentally ate seafood and almost went into shock, and that was how he found out. But now… They had only been married for one year. I recalled his strange behavior recently— His sudden aloofness, his inexplicable favoritism towards Serena, and that cold statement, “When did I ever love you?”… A preposterous thought suddenly surged, and I trembled all over. “Declan Hayes…” My voice was barely a whisper. “Are you… also reborn?” Declan frowned. “Reborn? What are you talking about?” I stared into his eyes. “Then how do you know I’m allergic to seafood?” “Your parents came to see me a while ago,” he said, his expression completely normal, not even a flutter of his eyelashes. “They asked me to treat you better. They also gave me a notebook with your preferences and dietary restrictions. I glanced through it before I threw it out.” His explanation was watertight, and it stung my heart. Was I overthinking it? The nurse suddenly pushed the door open. “Mr. Hayes, Miss Serena is awake and looking for you.” Hearing this, Declan left without a backward glance, not even sparing me a look.

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