When the gunshot rang out, I finally realized that the man I deeply loved was the male lead in a trashy romance novel. The male lead is destined to love the heroine. So, where does that leave me, the faceless ex-wife? So this time, I’ll be the one to ask for a divorce. Any reason will do. He doesn’t care anyway. Let’s go with… I fell for a younger man. But the man just smiled arrogantly: “Go cut ties with him. I can forgive you once.” 1 Chloe was filming an underwater scene today. Her ink-black hair swirled in the water, and her delicate face looked even more translucent and pale from being submerged repeatedly. So this is the woman Adrian loved to the point of madness? It’s not surprising. She is truly beautiful. Mark, Adrian’s assistant, walked over. “Mrs. Vance, should I arrange for you two to have lunch?” I shook my head. “Don’t reveal my presence.” “Yes,” Mark said. “She thinks she was selected purely based on her audition. Mrs. Vance, how should I arrange her schedule next?” “Adrian recently invested in a film project. Take her there.” Mark was clearly taken aback. “Mrs. Vance, you might not know this. Ms. Chloe has only been filming for a week, and already four actors on set are fighting to confess their feelings to her. People are literally fighting over who gets to buy her breakfast. Are you… really comfortable putting her next to Mr. Vance?” Mark looked genuinely confused. After all, when Adrian had merely selected an unmarried female secretary in the past, I had thrown a massive fit in his office. Doing something like this now seemed completely out of character for a jealous woman like me. I said calmly, “Isn’t it normal for the heroine to be loved?” Mark looked blank, as if he wanted to ask more. I lowered my voice, reached out, and patted his shoulder. “This is a matter of life and death. I’m entrusting it to you. Please make sure Adrian sees her soon.” 2 After I said goodbye, Mark still stood there, motionless. I sighed inwardly. Mark was afraid of offending Adrian by acting on his own. In my previous life, Adrian fell in love with Chloe at first sight at a charity gala. He pursued her aggressively, but she rejected him repeatedly. It was Mark who eventually played matchmaker, bringing them together. I understood why Adrian would fall for Chloe, but what I didn’t understand was—Mark was supposed to be my person. Why did he side with Adrian when our marriage fell apart? Lost in thought, I drove to the house Adrian and I shared. The white detached villa faced south, filled with light. In front of the house, a large field of pink and white roses bloomed. Adrian had planted them himself before we got married. I had always thought they were a symbol of our love and cherished them more than anyone. Now, after staring at them for a moment, I instructed the gardener: “Dig up all these flowers.” When I walked inside, Adrian was sitting on the living room sofa. Even though I had mentally prepared myself, seeing Adrian again still made me dizzy. In my memory, the last time we met was at his wedding to Chloe. Even though it was a second marriage, the ceremony was magnificent, dazzling, and extravagant. Watching from the audience, the darkness in my heart grew uncontrollably. Before I knew it, I had grabbed a steak knife from the table and rushed toward them as they embraced happily. The moment the bodyguard’s bullet hit me and my consciousness faded, I realized— This world was a melodramatic romance novel about a wealthy CEO’s obsessive love. My husband, Adrian Vance, was the male lead. And I was just Adrian’s faceless ex-wife, a nameless supporting character. My only role was to haunt the main couple, creating misunderstandings and conflicts. A literal cannon fodder. After mocking my past life’s definition, I prepared to go back to my room. As I tried to pass by, Adrian turned around. He seemed to have just showered, his body still damp. Water droplets slid down his neck, over his chest muscles, down his lean waist, and disappeared into the shadows of his bathrobe. I tried to walk past without looking up, but I tripped. Just as I was about to fall, a faint scent of men’s cologne wafted over. Adrian’s strong arm steadied me. He looked down lazily, his tone indifferent: “Throwing yourself into my arms the moment you get home?” 3 I pushed Adrian away hard and stood up straight. He scoffed, picked up a wet wipe from the coffee table, and slowly cleaned his hands. “Mark already called me.” My heart skipped a beat. I didn’t expect Mark to confer with Adrian so quickly. It seemed… their relationship ran deeper than I thought. “Mrs. Vance,” Adrian stared at me, his dark eyes devoid of warmth, his tone mocking, “Go ahead. How are you planning to pick a fight with me this time?” “Just recommending a newcomer with potential,” I pulled my coat tighter. “Don’t overthink it.” Adrian said sarcastically, “Then I should thank you for your generosity.” I looked at him. “Ms. Chloe is beautiful. She evokes pity.” “So what?” He was dismissive. “Are there few vases in this industry?” I fell silent. I hadn’t expected that delivering the heroine to Adrian myself would trigger his rebellious streak. But once he sees her, he’ll eat his words. Adrian clearly lost patience, looking down at me condescendingly. “Stop doing unnecessary things. I promised Mother that the position of Mrs. Vance would always be yours. As for anything else, stop daydreaming.” … I listened to these words numbly. Adrian was as harsh as ever. In the past, I would have eagerly expressed my loyalty and love, hoping to move this arrogant man. But now, I just lowered my eyes and nodded in agreement. “I understand. You didn’t marry me willingly; you were forced by your family. If you fall in love with someone else, I won’t pester you anymore.” Adrian remained expressionless. “Nice words. Can you actually do it?” He didn’t believe me at all. I suppressed my displeasure and was about to retort when Adrian extended his hand. A silver key lay quietly in his palm. 4 I had studied painting since I was a child. The attic on the top floor of our new house was my private studio. In many lonely nights, I would sit in the studio, sketching Adrian’s features stroke by stroke. I never showed them to anyone, and the studio door was usually locked. I didn’t know Adrian had been inside. Heat rushed to my face, and I snatched the key back. “Who let you in?” Adrian countered, “Did you get my permission to draw me? I walked in and saw my face everywhere. It was disgusting!” I clenched the key, my heart turning cold. “Enough, Adrian. I was confused before, but now I see clearly.” I took a document out of my bag and handed it to him. “What is this?” “Something you’ve always wanted,” I said. A divorce agreement. This was the first gift I decided to give him—and myself—after waking up.

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I don’t know when it happened, but a weird group chat suddenly appeared on my phone. I think it popped up right after I moved into my new apartment complex a few weeks ago. The people in this group love role-playing as animals. They chat enthusiastically every single day. Watching them talk was entertaining, but I felt like an outsider, so I just lurked. Until one day, I found a rat in my apartment. Desperate, I asked the group, “Does anyone in the complex offer pest control services?” Someone replied instantly: [Two cans of tuna. Honest work, no haggling.] 1 Ever since I moved, this group chat has been sitting on my phone. The group name is “Oakwood Apartments Community Chat.” It sounded normal enough, so I assumed the property management added me and ignored it. Until one day, I accidentally glanced at the chat history. EvilFleece: [Damn it! Mom caught me stealing snacks and spanked my butt. I’m gonna chew up her slippers tonight.] BritishGent: [Pathetic! Letting the poop-scooper walk all over you.] [Image: I am the Emperor] GoldenChonk: [Question: Does anyone else feel like the water is spicy today?] BritishGent: [Idiot! The water dispenser is probably leaking electricity. Kick it over already.] SweetCheese: [Mom wants to clip my nails. Police! Someone call the paw-lice!] I read through the chat with relish, figuring it was just some imaginative kids in the building role-playing as animals. Honestly, their cute conversations were kind of healing. Suddenly, a new message popped up. LittleHusky: [I think a stranger came into my house.] [Sticker: Peeking from the shadows] His avatar was a small Husky puppy. Based on his previous messages, he seemed like a four or five-year-old kid. My heart tightened. Just as I was about to ask if he was home alone, the other group members started roasting his intelligence. Group: [Are you sure it’s a stranger?] Group: [Last time you said that, it was just your dad in a new jacket.] SweetCheese: [Paw-lice! I’ll call the paw-lice for you!] I hesitated, finger hovering over the property manager’s contact. The next second, LittleHusky replied: [Hehe, false alarm. It was just Dad wearing a mask. As a reward, I’m gonna pee in his room tonight.] Crisis averted. I chuckled, but a strange feeling lingered in the back of my mind. Something felt… off. 2 One evening, I came back late from a job interview. I flipped the light switch, and a dark shadow darted across the living room floor. My heart skipped a beat. I crouched down to check under the coffee table. Suddenly, a huge rat charged straight for my feet. I screamed and jumped onto the coffee table. Terrified, I typed a plea into the group chat: [There’s a rat in my apartment! Is there any reliable pest control nearby that can come immediately? Urgent!] Group: [Meow? A rat? What’s a rat?] Group: [A rat is a fast little toy that squeaks when you squeeze it. Dad won’t let me play with them.] Group: [Are you new? Never seen you before. Why is your avatar a human? What species is your household?] Wait, avatars can’t be humans? And what did they mean by “species”? I didn’t have time to think. The squeaking of the rat made my skin crawl. I opened an app to find a professional service, but suddenly, someone tagged me in the group. AAA Pest Control Orange Bro: [Two cans of tuna. No bargaining. Immediate service.] [I’m at your door. Open up, meow.] That fast? I opened the door. The hallway was empty. Just as I was about to close it, a meow caught my attention. An orange tabby cat was sitting politely at my doorstep, paws neatly together. Our eyes met, and an impossible thought crossed my mind. “Are you… AAA Pest Control Orange Bro?” The tabby meowed twice. My phone buzzed. Orange Bro: [It is cat.] Orange Bro: [Two cans. Start work immediately.] I laughed, reaching out to pet his head. He dodged. Orange Bro: [Meow meow meow. That’s extra. Pets cost half a sausage.] 3 I didn’t have pets, so naturally, I didn’t have cat food. I negotiated with Orange Bro to pay him with four sausages instead. He licked his paw and agreed. But he demanded installment payments. Deal. Master Orange was agile, tracking the rat from the living room to the kitchen. Aside from accidentally knocking over my water glass, the operation was a success. Orange Bro, considerate of my fear, left the dead rat outside the door. Orange Bro: [Human, cat accidentally broke your cup. Cat can take one less sausage.] I shook my head and typed: [A deal is a deal. Four sausages. But can I get a free pet?] Orange Bro let out a soft meow. He lowered his head and rubbed it against my palm. Before leaving, he told me I could summon him in the group anytime. Once the apartment was quiet, reality set in. It felt like a dream. The animals in the Oakwood Apartments Community Chat… were real. Those avatars were literally them. 4 No matter how magical last night was, when the sun rose, I still had to face reality: job hunting in a strange city. I lived on the 12th floor. When the elevator stopped at the 10th, a guy walked in with a Husky. The dog looked familiar. I stared at it. It sensed my gaze and stared back. The guy noticed our staring contest. “You two… know each other?” I waved my hands frantically. How could I explain that I suspected this was the Husky from the group chat? I couldn’t exactly ask, “Did he pee in your room yesterday?” Suddenly, my phone pinged. MyDadCallsMeSmarty: [Saw a sister in the elevator. Looks familiar. She smells nice. Want pets.] EvilFleece: [Stupid dog!] BritishGent: [Idiot!] I tentatively reached out a hand. The Husky immediately leaned in for a rub. The guy looked at me like, See? You definitely know each other. While petting the dog, I asked gently, “What’s your name?” “Ethan,” the guy replied. I squatted down and squeezed the dog’s paw. “Hi there, Ethan.” The guy: “…” “I’m Ethan!” I looked up, mortified. “Sorry, sorry! My brain isn’t working.” Ethan blushed slightly. “It’s okay. His name is… Ball.” Smarty: [Smarty! Sister, my name is Smarty! Stupid Dad got my name wrong again! Fight me!] Smarty immediately stood on his hind legs and started boxing Ethan in the elevator. Ethan cursed, “Stupid dog!” while trying to block the paws. I stood there laughing and trying to mediate.

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I was willing to do anything for my fiancé, simply because he had that face. Finally, our wedding was approaching. One day, I was on his computer looking for the wedding planning document. Instead, I stumbled upon a spreadsheet detailing information about all his ex-girlfriends. In the row dedicated to me, it read: [Obedient, suitable for marriage.] And in the row for his first love, it read: [You are a bird, destined to fly proudly into the distance.] Ethan had once said he wouldn’t marry his first love because, in his mind, a wife should manage the household and serve the family. He couldn’t bear to let her do that. Knowing this, I felt as calm as a deep, still lake. The next day, I went back to the TV station alone. Ethan didn’t know that I also had a document. It was an application for reassignment to Africa as a war correspondent. Because the love of my life was there, in that faraway land. I was going to find him. 1 I handed the transfer application to the station director. “I want to be stationed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) permanently.” “What? You want to go back to being a war correspondent?!” “Jo…” The director was speechless for a moment. “Everyone saw how suitable you were for the job three years ago, but you’re about to get married! You’re technically on pre-wedding leave right now! Will your husband agree to you going to such a dangerous place?” I paused for a second. “I’m not getting married.” “What??” Under the director’s shocked gaze, I said firmly, “Yeah, the wedding is off.” Yesterday, Ethan went to buy wedding favors and asked me to send him the shopping list from his computer. I opened the file named [Marriage Plan]. But inside, I found a record of his dating history. Six girls, each with detailed notes on their height, appearance, and more. My entry was on the first page. [Name: Josephine ‘Jo’ Miller. Family Background: Orphan, simple social circle. Personality: Good wife and mother type, obedient, lacks ambition. Notes: Good at housework, capable of breeding offspring.] At the end, he had highlighted a few words in yellow. [Suitable for marriage.] My heart plummeted. After a few seconds, I scrolled down. The other girls had similar evaluations. [Extravagant, not considered.] [Lazy lifestyle, not considered.] [Has a younger brother, not considered.] But the last entry in the table was empty except for a name and a photo. Only the notes section had a line: [You are a bird, destined to fly proudly into the distance.] Her name was Vivian. 2 I remembered that when finalizing the guest list, Ethan hesitated over this name. He added it, then deleted it, several times. I asked him why, and he said she was traveling the world and might not come back just for the wedding. So… she was his first love! Ethan’s WeChat was still logged in on the computer. I searched for Vivian. Their chat history was wiped clean. But her latest Moment read: [Damn it! The man I love is getting married. I’m going to shoot out his wedding car’s tires and hijack the groom!] Ethan replied below: [Hijacking is useless, I won’t marry you.] [Boohoo, fine! You found true love this time, huh?] […What are you talking about?] [Hmph! Whatever! Marrying into your traditional family means serving your whole clan. I don’t want that! My journey is the stars and the sea!] [Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m marrying the person they want me to marry. I couldn’t bear to make you do those things.] 3 Couldn’t bear it? It was rare to hear such words from Ethan. Ethan and I met through a matchmaker. He was young and successful, the youngest associate chief physician at a top hospital, and handsome to boot. But because he had traditional, difficult parents, he hadn’t married. They were controlling and demanded a docile, obedient daughter-in-law who was “useful” and could serve others. The first time I went home with Ethan, his mother brought out a basin of water and asked me to wash her feet. I was willing to endure it. Because the first time I saw Ethan… I thought, for that face, I would do anything. We dated for two years. His parents were very satisfied with me. And he gradually got used to a forever clean and tidy home, hot meals always ready, and perfectly ironed clothes… But his attitude was always lukewarm. Until his birthday this year, I wanted to bake him a cake. The oven exploded while preheating. When he rushed to the hospital and saw my arm full of glass shards, he lost his composure for the first time, holding my face with trembling hands. “You don’t have to do these things for me… you don’t have to…” But even then, he never said he “couldn’t bear it.” Later, he proposed. I thought he wanted to be with me out of some genuine affection. I didn’t expect he was just fulfilling his parents’ wishes. Vivian was the one he cherished enough to let go. The moment I saw their conversation, I knew this relationship should end. He was putting on a show for his parents, and I was putting on a show for myself. But no matter how good the acting, it was just an act. 4 Back home from the TV station, I dug out several camera bags from the depths of the bookcase. Those were my buried memories. The texture of the camera bodies felt unfamiliar, and the batteries were long dead. While waiting for the chargers to work, I inserted the memory card into the computer and opened those long-sealed photos. The first one was a black woman waiting for cholera medication on a street corner. The second was a five-year-old child soldier, shorter than his gun. The third was refugees in North Kivu living in tattered tents. … The smell of gunpowder and dust transcended time. My heart felt gripped by claws. I leaned back in my chair, calming my racing heart, and smiled self-deprecatingly. I wonder if Ethan saw these, would he still write [Obedient] in my notes column? Just then, my phone vibrated twice. It was a message from him. He sent a location for a restaurant. I suddenly remembered he had invited the bridesmaids and groomsmen for a small gathering tonight. I didn’t have much family, so they were all Ethan’s friends. But I knew this was just an excuse for a dinner. Because today, Vivian was back in the country.

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I was five months pregnant when Derek’s “one that got away” showed up at our house to provoke me—and started a fire. This time, I didn’t call Derek. Instead, I grabbed a wet towel, covered my nose and mouth, and silently waited for rescue. In my past life, I had called him the second the fire started, begging him to take me to the ER. The baby was saved, but Elise died in the fire that day. He told me he didn’t blame me. He told me to rest and focus on the birth. He even took leave from the fire department to care for me. But on the day I gave birth, he took a knife and slit my newborn’s throat right in front of me. Then, he burned me and the baby alive. In my final moments, through the roaring flames, I saw his face—twisted, hateful, demonic. “If you hadn’t set that fire, Elise wouldn’t be dead! Did you think playing the victim would fool me? Keep dreaming! You’re going to pay for her life with yours!” “You like fire so much? Then I’ll let you experience exactly what Elise felt!” When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the inferno. 1 Thick, black smoke poured into my nostrils, choking me into a violent coughing fit. The searing pain in my throat snapped me out of the memories of my past life. I grabbed my phone immediately. But this time, I didn’t dial my husband, the esteemed Fire Captain. I dialed 911. When the trucks arrived, I spotted Derek’s familiar silhouette through the haze. I watched him carry Elise out of the burning house. Only then did I dare to cry out for help to the other firefighters. But they thought I was faking it. They looked at me with cold indifference, lecturing me for being dramatic. A heavy wall decoration crashed down, slamming directly onto my pregnant belly. I vomited a mouthful of blood instantly, but they acted like they didn’t see it. Gritting my teeth against the agony, I used every ounce of strength to crawl out of the fire. Outside, all the cooling equipment and oxygen masks were being used on Elise. Derek didn’t even spare me a glance. He was too busy cursing me, saying I brought this on myself. Cold sweat drenched my body. Blood filled my mouth. I could feel the life inside me slipping away, fading fast. In my last life, we both called him. He chose to save me first because of the baby. When he tried to go back for her, the structure had collapsed. Elise was gone, burned to ash. He played the grieving friend perfectly. He told me not to blame myself. But the day our son was born, he dragged me and the baby to Elise’s grave. He cut my son’s throat. Blood splattered across his face, making his eyes look even more demonic. “Natalie, do you know what it feels like to burn to death? I’m going to make you pay back the pain Elise felt, ten times over!” I died in agony. Now, reborn, I just wanted to escape. But he wouldn’t let me go. He wouldn’t even spare a single oxygen mask. Through my peripheral vision, I saw blood pooling beneath me. My voice was a raspy croak as I begged. “Save the baby… please…” The firefighter nearest to me finally glanced down. His eyes held nothing but contempt and mockery. He nudged me with his boot. “Give it a rest, Natalie. Everyone at the station knows you’re jealous of Elise. I can’t believe you’d start a fire while pregnant just to get attention. Cap’s already saving her. No one’s buying your act.” “Honestly, I gotta hand it to you. You’re committed to the bit. Too bad the Captain only has eyes for Elise. You better pray she’s okay, or he’s gonna divorce you on the spot.” I knew Derek didn’t love me. But I didn’t realize his entire crew saw me as a monster. Violent contractions tore through my abdomen, silencing my voice. My skin felt like it was peeling off in the heat. The crew was busy battling the blaze. No one checked on me. As my consciousness faded, I heard a gasp. “Whoa! Why is there so much blood? Crap, is she actually hurt?” “What could happen? She just wants the Captain to come over. She’s been making a scene for twenty minutes. Fine, go get him.” But I didn’t get Derek’s concern. I got his rage. A gloved hand slapped me hard across the face. Twice. “Natalie! Wake up! Stop pretending! I’m here, are you happy?” “Did you lose your mind? You set a fire and burned yourself just to frame her? You really shot yourself in the foot this time.” Even now, he thought I was the arsonist. He thought I was acting out of jealousy. I wanted to explain, but my throat was parched, my voice gone. My stomach was screaming in pain. I reached out, grabbing his sleeve, desperate for him to understand I needed a hospital. He hesitated for two seconds. Then, he pressed his hand down hard on my belly. “Nice acting. If Elise hadn’t told me you started the fire and hid, I might have actually believed you.” He turned and walked away without looking back. A second later, a rookie firefighter screamed. “Captain! Blood! She’s bleeding out!” “Is she having a miscarriage?!” “Leave her,” Derek’s voice drifted back, cold as ice. “Elise said it’s probably chicken blood. She’s five months along; babies don’t drop that easily. Let her act.” The pain spiked, and then the world went black. 2 In the darkness, I dreamt of when I first met Derek. He was giving a safety seminar at my university. Cool, professional, incredibly capable. He captured half the girls’ hearts in the auditorium. Mine included. I fell in love at first sight and started looking for ways to get close to him. I was just an intern lecturer then. He didn’t even notice me. I worked harder, trying to be someone worthy of him. When I got a permanent position, I invited him to dinner as a thank you. I noticed his gaze soften. I seized the chance. I pursued him relentlessly. Flowers, basketball tickets, homemade lunches, coffee runs. Finally, I got what I wanted. He agreed to be my boyfriend. I thought it was the start of my happily ever after. I didn’t know it was the prologue to a horror story. After we started dating, he grew colder. Every date was canceled—work, emergencies, training. I never doubted him. Not until our wedding day. An anonymous email from overseas shattered my world. It was a diary from Elise. She chronicled their ten-year romance in excruciating detail. Every moment I spent waiting for him, he was spending with her. I was pathetic. I didn’t even have the courage to confront him. I was terrified he would leave. In my past life, when Elise died, his calm demeanor made me think I had “won.” He bought out entire baby stores for our child. The sudden influx of “love” blinded me. I stopped thinking. It wasn’t until he murdered our son that I understood. He wasn’t loving me. He was fattening up the sacrifice. His only love, from beginning to end, was Elise. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. Derek wasn’t there. A stranger was sitting by the window. “You’re awake? I’m your downstairs neighbor. I went up to check the fire and saw you lying there alone, so I brought you in. Are you okay?” I tried to move my limbs. My hands went to my stomach instinctively. It was flat. Empty. “I’m so sorry,” the neighbor said gently. “The doctors… they couldn’t save the baby.” I forced a bitter smile. “It’s not your fault. I know.” “Thank you for saving me.” A stranger could see I was dying, but my husband of five years couldn’t be bothered to look. The neighbor looked angry. “What is wrong with those firefighters? Leaving a person lying there like that? If I hadn’t gone up, you’d be dead! Where is your family? Where is the husband?” “Do you have his number? I’ll call him. You shouldn’t be alone.” “I already filed a complaint against that fire station. Those people are a cancer to society!” I nodded weakly. My voice was a whisper. “The father is dead.” The neighbor looked horrified, then sympathetic. He offered to stay until I was discharged, but I refused. I transferred him the money for the hospital bills and sent him home. He left, but the storm online was just beginning. “Fire Captain’s Wife Injured in Blaze” was trending. The neighbor had posted a photo of me lying unconscious in the dirt while the firefighters ignored me. The internet was furious. People were questioning if the fire department only cared about putting out fires and not saving people. They were calling them the “Fire Extinguisher Team” instead of a Rescue Squad. I scrolled through the comments, feeling a grim satisfaction. But this wasn’t enough punishment for Derek. I opened my messages to send him a divorce request. But Elise beat me to it. She sent a photo. She was in the same hospital, one floor down. In the picture, Derek was feeding her porridge, blowing on the spoon carefully so she wouldn’t get burned. I had seen photos like this a thousand times. They couldn’t hurt me anymore. I closed the chat and called Derek. It took five tries before he answered. His voice dripped with impatience. “You have the nerve to call? What? Want to ask if Elise is dead yet? Sorry to disappoint you, I saved her! She’s alive and well, right here in the hospital!” “Natalie, I didn’t think you were this vicious. Do you know what you did? That’s attempted murder! Are you insane?” “I’m giving you one hour. Get your ass down to her room and apologize! Or we’re getting a divorce!” Before I could speak, Elise’s voice came through the phone, weak and sobbing. “Derek, don’t blame Natalie. It’s my fault. If she says I set the fire, just agree with her. Don’t argue. Pregnant women shouldn’t get upset.” Derek sighed, his voice softening. “You’re too kind, Elise. That’s why she walks all over you. We knew each other first. Who does she think she is?” “Don’t worry. I’m going to teach her a lesson she won’t forget.” While they played out their soap opera, I spoke calmly. “Okay. Let’s divorce. I agree. I’ll send the agreement over. Sign it.” Derek paused, clearly stunned that I beat him to the punch. Before he could explode, I hung up. I didn’t block him immediately. The barrage of texts came flooding in. “Where are you? Are you crazy? I let it slide because you’re pregnant, and now you’re pushing it?” “You think because you’re carrying my kid I won’t leave you? Watch me. You’ll be kneeling begging me to sign the birth certificate!” “And the news online—take it down immediately! Don’t make me expose your true face to the public!” I deleted the texts and blocked the number. Even after living through a literal murder, the betrayal still stung. Just for a second. Nurses came in to change my dressings. They didn’t notice I was awake and chatted freely. “That guy downstairs is so handsome. I’ve never seen a couple so perfect. I heard they’re childhood sweethearts.” “You’re behind on the news. Mr. Du rented out a whole station in the cafeteria just so he could cook fresh porridge for his wife every day.” “I tried to change her IV earlier and he wouldn’t let me touch her. Said he had to do it himself. True love is real, guys.” I stared at the needle mark on my hand. My skin was peeling from the burns. It itched and burned. When they left, I gasped for air, trying to fill my empty lungs. That night, the doctor told me my uterus had been severely damaged by the impact. I would likely never conceive again. My first reaction was relief. Good. No child would ever have to suffer being mine and his. Once the room was empty, I checked social media. The backlash against the fire department had forced Derek’s superiors to issue a statement. But their statement claimed the fire was a domestic dispute caused by me. They claimed I set the fire out of jealousy and staged the injury scene. They painted Derek as a hero who was being slandered by a crazy wife. In the video, the Chief asked netizens to move on. But every word pinned the blame on me. To add credibility, Derek registered a verified account and posted our marriage certificate. That was the nail in my coffin. The tide turned instantly. The insults shifted from the fire department to me. My accounts were flooded with hate speech and eventually banned. My explanation posts were drowned out by the mob. In the hospital, even the nurses started looking at me with hostility. If not for professional ethics, they probably would have thrown me out. I received threatening packages daily. Dead rats, razor blades. I never defended myself again. On the day I was discharged, I sent Derek a text using a new number. “Meet me at City Hall tomorrow. Let’s finalize it.” He called back instantly. “Finally coming out of your hole? I warned you. You refused to take down the posts, so don’t blame me for being heartless.” “If Elise hadn’t begged me to spare you, you’d be in jail right now! Fine, let’s divorce. When that kid grows up without a father, don’t come crying to me! You made him a bastard!” He hung up before I could speak. I opened the cloud app on my phone and downloaded the security footage from our living room on the day of the fire. The footage clearly showed Elise pouring the gasoline. 3 The next morning, I went straight to City Hall. But Derek didn’t show up. Elise did. “I told you, you can’t beat me. Your husband is just my dog,” she sneered. She looked at my stomach and feigned shock. “Oh my god, the bastard is gone? What a shame. Killed by his dad in the last life, killed by his dad in this life. Having you as a mom is a death sentence.” She remembered. She was reborn too. I didn’t think. I slapped her across the face. I was weak from the miscarriage, so it wasn’t hard, but she threw herself to the ground like she’d been shot. “Elise!” Derek sprinted from the parking lot, slamming into me with his shoulder. I tumbled down the concrete steps, scraping my face raw on the pavement. Derek cradled Elise, then whipped his head around to look at my stomach. Seeing it flat, his face went ghost white. “Where’s the baby?” I climbed up, my movements stiff and painful. I covered my stomach with my bag and looked at him with pure disdain. “The baby? Since when does the great Captain Du care about a ‘bastard’?” “Don’t worry. Your fake concern isn’t needed. The baby is gone. Died the day of the fire.” “Oh, and congratulations. The lovers are finally reunited. I hope you enjoy your time together before one of you ends up in prison.” Derek’s face twisted in rage. “Natalie, do you have to be so toxic? I’m a firefighter. Saving lives is my job. You set the fire! I didn’t press charges, I saved Elise for you, and you blame me?” “Are you wearing a girdle? Is that it?” “I’m telling you, I am that child’s father! You can’t change that! If you’re hiding the baby, I will sue you for custody!” I almost laughed. Five years of marriage, and this is what he thought of me. He helped Elise up and started walking toward me, reaching for my shirt. Elise let out a perfectly timed yelp of pain. Derek spun around. “Are you okay? Where does it hurt? We need to go to the hospital.” “I’m fine,” she sobbed. “Don’t be mad at Natalie. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gone to your house. I knew she hated me. It’s all my fault.” Derek’s eyes turned red with pity. The display was nauseating. “Are you done?” I interrupted coldly. “If you’re done, let’s go inside and sign the papers.” “I’m making room for you two. You should be thanking me.” Derek snapped. “Natalie! Do you have a heart of stone? Look at what you did to her!” “Apologize to her! Now!” I looked at Elise’s smug face peeking over his shoulder. “You’re the blind one,” I said. “You pushed me down the stairs just now. Did you apologize? What right do you have to call yourself a father? You ignored me in the fire.” “You spent five months of my pregnancy playing house with another woman.” He bristled. “That’s because you set the fire! You tried to burn Elise to death!” “I thought a week of silence might make you reflect on your actions, but clearly, you’re beyond saving!” “You are selfish and vicious. You don’t deserve to be a mother!” “If the child is born, I’m taking him. If you treat Elise well, maybe I’ll let you visit. Otherwise, you’ll never see him again!” He was shouting so loud that passersby were stopping. Some recognized him as the “hero captain” from social media. Elise made sure to identify me. “Sister, I know you hate me, but think of the baby. You set the fire while pregnant… I can forgive you, but please stop being so angry.” The crowd turned on me instantly. “That’s the toxic woman from the news? The one who framed her husband?” “She treats human life like a joke. Verbal abuse is too good for her.” “Poor kid. Having a mom like that… better off not being born.” Derek stood tall, righteous, refusing to defend me. “Did you hear me? Apologize to Elise!” “Sure,” I said. “When she kneels at my child’s grave and apologizes to him first.” “Unreasonable! Hopeless!” “I was blind to marry you! Fine! Divorce! Right now!” Elise smiled. I brushed the dirt off my clothes. Smile while you can. You’ll be crying in prison soon enough. During the process, the clerk recognized us. She looked at Derek with sympathy, as if divorcing me was his liberation. I let them take photos. I let them post them online. When we walked out, Derek didn’t look at me. He put his arm around Elise and drove off. He didn’t even ask about the baby again. He didn’t ask, so I didn’t explain. I rented a small apartment since my house was a ruin. Then I went straight to the police station. On the way, Elise texted me. A photo of them at a real estate office, buying a new house. “You couldn’t beat me in the last life, and you can’t beat me in this one. Accept your fate. Your bastard was never meant to be born.” I saved the text. Along with the surveillance video of her starting the fire. I handed everything to the police. At first, the officers were cold, recognizing me from the internet. But after watching the video, their faces turned to shock and pity. “You had this evidence… why didn’t you turn it in earlier?” I shook my head. “It wasn’t time. If I released this earlier, he wouldn’t have divorced me.” I wanted her to fly as high as possible before I cut the string. The police told me to go home and wait. They would investigate immediately. 4 I had been a housewife for years. I had no income. I needed a job to sue Elise. I sent out resumes. But the cyberbullying was effective. No one would interview me. HR departments saw my name and deleted the application. I called them. They hung up. My number was blacklisted in my industry. I didn’t get angry. I knew the tide would turn. I lowered my sights. I went to the mall and applied for retail jobs. Finally, a jewelry store hired me. Meanwhile, the photo from City Hall went viral. Everyone celebrated the “hero” dumping the “psycho.” Strangers posted photos of Derek and Elise on dates. The comments were full of blessings. Someone even leaked that Derek said they were getting married soon. The city’s biggest hotel announced they were hosting Derek’s wedding banquet. He had claimed Elise was “just a sister.” Clean and innocent. Now, days after our divorce, he was marrying her. The love I once had was long gone. But this… this gave me a stage. I imagined the police arresting the bride and groom at the altar. It would be quite a show. A day later, I was working at the jewelry counter. They walked in. Elise didn’t look surprised to see me. She had probably tracked me down. “Honey, does this look good on me?” “Everything looks good on you, Elise. If you like it, we buy it. I make money to spend it on you.” I was wearing a mask to hide my scars, but Derek recognized me instantly. I turned to leave, but Elise called out. “Salesgirl? Get me this ring.” The other staff members were busy. I was the only one free. I cursed internally and took the ring out. Derek saw my flat stomach. His brow furrowed. “Natalie, why are you wearing a girdle? Don’t you know it’s bad for the baby?” I placed the ring on the counter and didn’t look at him. “Sir, I don’t know you. Stop harassing me or I’ll call the police.” He grabbed my wrist, trying to lift my shirt. I dodged. He was furious. “Do you know what you’re doing? You’re five months pregnant! Who told you to work?” “Are you sick? Who said I’m pregnant?” “Buying or not? If not, leave.” He ignored me and grabbed my collar. “Natalie, even if we’re divorced, I’m the father! I have rights!” Customers were staring. He yanked my shirt up regardless. Seeing my flat, scarred belly, no girdle in sight, Derek froze. “Where’s the baby?” “I’m asking you one last time! Where is the baby?” He roared, shaking me. Even Elise trying to pull him back didn’t work. I pried his fingers off one by one. “I told you. The baby is gone. Died the day of the fire.” “When you were saving Elise, your child died! Died!” He looked like he’d been struck by lightning. “Impossible… You were fine. You set the fire yourself. How could you burn your own child to death?” “You’re joking, right? Say it! Say it’s a joke!” Elise hid her smirk and held his arm. She looked at me with fake concern. “Sister, the child isn’t just yours. How could you abort it without telling Derek?” “That’s so cruel. I told you I didn’t blame you for the fire. Why take it out on the baby?” “It’s a human life! Not a toy for your tantrums!” Derek snapped. He lunged and choked me. “You aborted him behind my back?” I couldn’t breathe. My coworkers finally rushed over and pulled him off. I coughed violently, clutching my stomach. But I felt a thrill of revenge. “Aborted? Derek, remember this. You killed that child in the fire!” “You trust that woman? Keep trusting her. My dead son is watching you from heaven. Watching his father marry his murderer!” Derek was stunned into silence. Elise stepped forward, whispering so only I could hear. “You took everything from me. You deserved it. That bastard child deserved to die.” I gathered all my strength and slapped her. My nails cut her cheek. Blood welled up. She instantly wailed like a victim. Derek snapped out of his trance and charged at me. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head onto the glass counter. “You bitch! You psycho! How dare you kill my child?” “I’ll make you pay with your life!” The glass cracked. Shards dug into my forehead. I felt no pain. Just numbness. Humans are strange. In the last life, he killed our child for her. In this life, he wanted to kill me to avenge the child. Truly, you only want what you can’t have. Security arrived and dragged him off. They left. And I lost my job. The manager fired me for fighting with customers. I didn’t argue. I went to the hospital. I called the police on the way. The evidence was solid. We confirmed the arrest time. The wedding day. While getting stitched up, the doctor saw my medical history of the recent miscarriage. He sighed. “Young people need to take care of themselves. You keep this up, your body will collapse.” I smiled bitterly. Once the garbage is in prison, I’ll have time to heal. While paying the bill, Derek texted me from Elise’s phone. Hundreds of messages. Asking why I aborted the baby. Asking how I could be so selfish. He still believed I did it myself. And that his precious Elise was innocent. I didn’t reply. I went back to the mall and got the security footage of him assaulting me. I sent it to the police.

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Just before Christmas, my boyfriend of seven years suddenly told me he bought a Mercedes. I was stunned. We didn’t have much money. We had been scrimping and saving for years to afford a wedding. And he spent it all in one go? Later, I thought maybe he did it to save face when driving me back to my hometown for the holidays, so I reluctantly accepted it. But just as I was about to put my luggage in the trunk, he looked at me blankly and said, “You should take the train. I have to pretend to be Julie’s boyfriend again this year. Taking you along would be inconvenient.” The next day, he posted on social media: “Finally got the Mercedes my future mother-in-law dreamed of. Just don’t know when I can officially marry you into the family.” He got 99+ likes and blessings. Meanwhile, because I couldn’t get a train ticket, I had to take an illegal cab and got into a serious accident on the highway. 1 I lay in the hospital for three days. The first thing I did when I woke up was call my boss. “Boss, does that offer to transfer me to the branch office still stand?” “Of course, as long as you’re willing to go.” My chest ached. But I chose to leave without hesitation. After hanging up, I realized Seth had called me twenty-nine times. A sneer curled my lips. It must have been hard for him. It’s the holidays; everyone is busy. He had to accompany his fake mother-in-law, and his crush of over a decade. Yet he still remembered to call me. Just as the thought crossed my mind, Seth’s thirtieth call came through. As soon as I answered, he started yelling. “Sue, what kind of game are you playing not answering the phone? Do you know that three days ago, some scammer claiming to be a cop called me saying you were in a car accident and told me to go to the City Hospital?” “If I weren’t smart, I would have been tricked.” “Tell me, did you hire someone to trick me just to ruin my gig as Julie’s fake boyfriend? You’re too much.” Thanks to his reminder, I realized I had been in a coma for three days. The aftereffects of the accident hit me then. My head throbbed. I replied casually, “Oh, okay, I got it. If that’s all, I’m hanging up.” I hung up. But a second later, Seth called again. “Sue, why did you hang up on me? Are you trying to be unreasonable again?” “Do you have to ruin everyone’s holiday?” Listening to his accusations, my grip on the phone tightened. I couldn’t hold back. “Seth, I was in a car accident. My head hurts like hell right now, and I really don’t want to argue with you. If you want to vent, wait until I’m discharged.” There was a suffocating silence on the other end. Maybe Seth never thought the accident was real. After all, in the seven years we dated, he pretended to be Julie’s boyfriend every Christmas. Because of my jealousy, I argued and fought with him countless times. He was used to thinking I was just causing drama during the holidays. So if I didn’t answer the phone, I must be giving him the silent treatment. If the police called, it must be a scam I orchestrated. While I was lost in thought, Seth’s voice finally sounded. “Give me the hospital address. I’m coming over now.” He hung up hurriedly. Tears welled up in my eyes. Seth, Julie, and I grew up in the same neighborhood complex. We were childhood friends. During the years Seth chased after Julie, I chased after Seth. Until seven years ago, after being rejected by Julie for the hundredth time, a disappointed Seth came to me. “Sue, I can date you, but I have one condition. As long as Julie needs me to pretend to be her boyfriend, I won’t marry you.” I agreed. I thought as long as I could warm his heart, he would be mine sooner or later. But in the seven years we dated, I tried everything to move him. Yet Seth never once offered to take me home. In the eyes of everyone in our complex, he and Julie were the couple. And I, his girlfriend of seven years, was at best a childhood friend. Even when I threatened him with the baby in my belly. The next day, Seth handed me an abortion consent form. “Sue, go to the hospital and get rid of it. My parents think my girlfriend is Julie. I can’t marry you right now.” He was terrifyingly affectionate. And I was in agonizing pain. I actually didn’t understand why I loved Seth so much. Maybe because when I was little and my stepmother beat me, only he took me into his home, applied medicine to my wounds, and gave me food. But until this life-threatening accident. I suddenly realized. Love that you have to beg for isn’t love; it’s just a scumbag. 2 Seth said he was coming. But he didn’t arrive until 8 PM the next day. Seeing his dusty, weary appearance, I almost felt sorry for him. After all, from the phone call yesterday until now, he had been busy. Busy helping Julie choose a wedding ring. Busy helping Julie’s mom buy groceries for the New Year. Busy playing mahjong with Julie’s relatives. Julie’s social media feed was flooded with pictures of Seth pleasing her family. As soon as he entered the ward, Seth loosened his tie, threw it on the extra bed, and said, “Why are you so stupid? Taking an illegal cab.” “Making me drive back and forth during the holidays.” He walked to my bedside and opened a bottle of water for himself. I listened to him gulping down the water, looking at my reflection in the glass window under the fluorescent light. Was I not miserable enough? So Seth didn’t even ask how I was. But I was pretty miserable. Half my face was swollen like a pig’s head, and my forehead was wrapped in gauze. The only explanation was that Seth found my accident annoying. Annoying enough that he, my boyfriend of seven years, had to drive 30 miles at night to see me. While I was lost in thought, Seth finished his water, turned around, and tossed a ring in front of me. “Here, didn’t you want a customized ring three years ago? Consider this my apology for causing your accident.” I instantly saw the capital letters engraved on the ring—”JY.” My name is Sue. But I knew the letters stood for “Julie Young.” This ring was identical to the one Julie posted on her social media, where she and Seth were cheek to cheek. Maybe the pain in my chest was too intense. I held the ring and said, “Seth, you can’t just give rings randomly unless you’re getting married.” Seth was slightly stunned. The next second, his face turned cold. “Dropping hints again? Sue, how desperate are you to get married? I told you long ago, as long as Julie needs me to play her boyfriend, I won’t marry.” “Enough. I know you’re in a bad mood because of the accident, but that’s no reason to threaten me with marriage.” My heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. Just as I was about to say, “Fine, let’s break up then.” Seth’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and answered anxiously. “Hello, Julie? What, your mom wants me to come back and play mahjong with Aunt May? Okay, wait for me, I’m coming home right now.” After hanging up, Seth picked up the water bottle he just drank from and said urgently, “I asked the doctor just now. Your accident didn’t hit any vital organs. It looks serious, but your life isn’t in danger.” “I found you a caregiver. You stay in the hospital peacefully. I’ll come pick you up when you’re discharged in three days.” With that, he turned to leave. Before stepping out, he didn’t forget to turn back and instruct me: “Rest well since you’re injured. Don’t cause drama. Tossing and turning during the holidays isn’t good.” 3 During my three days in the hospital, Seth never came back. He only sent me a WeChat message every midnight asking if my wound still hurt. I didn’t reply to any of them. Before, I clung to him because I craved the only warmth I had ever known growing up. I pestered him, held on tight. But now, I almost lost my life. What use was that tiny bit of warmth? Until the day I was discharged, Seth finally drove his new Mercedes to pick me up. Seeing me standing there without getting in. Seth looked impatient. “What are you standing there for? Get in.” “I have to go back and accompany Julie to her aunt’s house for New Year’s greetings.” His matter-of-fact tone reminded me of when he was choosing the car model. He would ask me every day with his phone. “Sue, what do you think of this model? Is this color good? Driving this Mercedes back to the complex should give us a lot of face, right?” I thought he had made up his mind to tell his parents about our relationship. Until the day we went to the dealership to place the order, I hugged him excitedly. “Seth, take me for a spin later, okay?” Seth looked at me coldly. “Sue, stop messing around. I bought this car so Julie would have face when we go back to our hometown for the New Year.” “Julie hasn’t even sat in it yet. How could I let you sit first?” With that, he left me at the dealership and drove off alone. Before, no matter how wronged I felt, I would endure it. But after a brush with death. I suddenly felt that this Mercedes was a bit dirty. I subconsciously turned to look at Seth. “This Mercedes cost 400,000. 100,000 of that was mine. Think about when you can pay me back.” I thought it through. Since Seth felt this car was bought for Julie. Then asking for my 100,000 back wasn’t too much. Seth was surprised. “Sue, you’re asking me to pay you back 100,000?” His questioning tone made my chest ache. But I had endured pain worse than this. So I immediately pulled out the list on my phone. “Although the 400,000 for the car was on my card, I’ve calculated every transfer you made to me in these seven years. It adds up to exactly 300,000. So it’s only right you pay me back 100,000.” Seth didn’t expect me to present him with a ledger. His face turned ashen. “Sue, I think the accident knocked your brain loose.” “You’re calculating money with me? We’ve been together for seven years.” With that, he got into the driver’s seat and drove his new Mercedes away. Watching his car leave, bitterness welled up in my heart. Maybe only at times like this would Seth remember I was his girlfriend of seven years! After all, in these seven years, every Christmas, he would spend half a year’s salary buying gifts for Julie and groceries for her family. Playing the part of Julie’s boyfriend to the fullest. But when we returned to the city where we worked, even if I bought slightly more expensive skincare products. He would nag for half a day. Saying I spent money recklessly and didn’t consider our future marriage at all. 4 I took a taxi back to the complex. As soon as I entered the yard, the uncles and aunties basking in the sun asked enthusiastically, “Sue, heard you got into a car accident on your way home. Are you okay?” I smiled and curled my lips. “I’m fine. I’ve been discharged.” Just as I finished speaking, one aunt leaned in and asked, “Sue, you, Seth, and Julie all work in the same city.” “Do you know when Julie and Seth are getting married? Honestly, those two have been dating for so many years and still haven’t married. Their parents are worried sick.” My chest filled with bitterness. Yes, everyone in the complex thought Seth and Julie were a couple. Because Julie’s parents pushed for marriage very hard. Julie didn’t want to get married, so she asked Seth to be her fake boyfriend. He played the role for ten years, longer than the time Seth and I had been dating. I suppressed the bitterness and smiled, “Should be soon. After all, they bought wedding rings this year.” With that, I turned and went up the dilapidated stairs. Just as I reached the third floor, I heard a coquettish voice coming from a half-open door. “Seth, you’re too much. You even won against my mom. Don’t forget she’s your future mother-in-law.” My heart tightened instantly. Especially seeing Julie leaning her whole body on Seth behind the mahjong table through the crack in the door. A stinging pain spread in my chest. And at the same table, besides Julie’s parents, were Seth’s parents. Hearing Julie’s complaint, Seth’s mom laughed immediately, “Julie, you’re our future daughter-in-law. What, you only help your own mom and not your future mother-in-law?” Seth’s mom’s teasing made the whole table burst into laughter. Listening to the laughter inside, needle-like pain pierced my heart. I didn’t understand why I was the one who had to hide in the dark. Pale-faced, I suddenly pulled the door open and walked in. “Heard the noise from far away, just wanted to come see.” Seeing me enter, Seth’s face darkened instantly. Julie also trembled, but in a moment she composed herself and walked towards me with a bright smile. “Oh, Sue, you’re discharged. I heard you got into a car accident on your way back.” “When did you leave the city? You should have told me earlier. I would have asked Seth to pick you up.” “Then you wouldn’t have had to take an illegal cab and get into an accident.” I clenched my palms tightly. Julie knew about my relationship with Seth long ago. But she still recklessly accepted Seth’s gifts. Let Seth play her boyfriend. I suppressed the anger in my chest and said, “I wouldn’t have had to take an illegal cab, but wasn’t my boyfriend borrowed by you to play your New Year boyfriend to deal with your parents?” Dead silence in the air. The sound of mahjong tiles inside stopped instantly. Seth suppressed his anger and walked towards me. “Sue, come with me for a moment. Let’s talk.” Saying that, he dragged my hand and went up to his house on the 4th floor. As soon as we entered, Seth looked at me furiously. “Sue, you won’t stop even after a car accident. How long are you going to cause trouble?” “Do you know doing this will bring bad luck to Julie? You know her mom is pushing for marriage.” I met Seth’s gaze and sneered, “So, just because I have no dad to love me, no mom to care for me, and no one to push for marriage, you treat me like a stinking rat that can’t see the light, refusing to tell your parents that I am your girlfriend of seven years.” Veins popped on Seth’s forehead. “Sue, why can’t you stop even after an accident?” “I don’t want to argue with you. Your dad and stepmom probably went back to her parents’ house, so no one is home. Don’t stay here. Go back to the city.” “Lest you make unreasonable trouble again.” I wanted to leave anyway. After all, every year I was willing to come home was for Seth. This place wasn’t my home. Suppressing the pain in my heart. “Don’t worry, I’ll take a bus and leave this afternoon.” Hearing me say this, a trace of surprise flashed across Seth’s face. You know, in previous years, I argued with Seth countless times because he was too close to Julie. Every time we argued until we were red in the face, Seth would yell at me to go back to the city early. But I never agreed to leave early once. I don’t know if Seth noticed something wrong with me, but he walked over and hugged me. “Be good. I know you’re mad at me for not driving you back and causing your accident. I apologize, okay?” But in a moment, he was startled by the sound of the door opening. He pushed me away in panic and said to his mother who entered, “Mom, why did you come up? I was explaining the misunderstanding to Sue.” “She must have thought I liked her because I helped her a few times in the city, and deliberately wanted to ruin my relationship with Julie.” Seth’s mom’s face was exceptionally gloomy. “Since it’s a misunderstanding, go down quickly. Julie is being scolded by her mom right now.” My heart ached like death. Even my back, which hit the corner of the table when Seth pushed me, throbbed with pain. But Seth didn’t look at me once. He left me and hurried out the door. As soon as Seth left, his mom looked at me coldly. “Sue, I watched you grow up. I thought you were just introverted, but I didn’t expect you to be so shameless, acting like a mistress just like your mom, ruining Seth and Julie’s relationship.” “Look at yourself. With your family background, do you think just because you seduced Seth, I would let you into my house?” Tears instantly slid down my cheeks. I didn’t expect that after dating Seth openly for seven years, I would end up with the title of a mistress. I sneered and met Seth’s mom’s gaze. “Auntie, have you ever thought that I am Seth’s girlfriend, and have been dating him for seven years?” “But don’t worry, after today, I won’t be anymore.” With that, ignoring the shock on her face, I turned and left Seth’s house. When I returned to my house, I started packing. I turned and left the complex where I grew up. Maybe after leaving this time, I really won’t come back. Left behind with me was Seth, who gave me the only warmth I knew.

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Recently, I heard that my nemesis of an ex-boyfriend found himself a new guy. Though his boyfriends always look somewhat like me, this one is apparently the spitting image. I didn’t care. After all, a good ex should be as good as dead. That is, until Sebastian brought the guy to a gathering and, with deliberate provocation, sat him right next to me. When I finally saw his face, I froze. Instead of a distant greeting, what slipped out was: “How did you get so thin?” Sebastian watched with amusement, sneering, “Since when do you care about others, Lucas? Save the fake concern.” I ignored him, my eyes fixed on the fragile figure beside me. Sensing his stiff posture and seeing his evasive gaze, I felt an odd sense of relief. The little ingrate. He still remembers me. 1 When Sebastian pushed the door open and walked in with someone trailing behind him, everyone had already arrived. Whispers rippled through the room as eyes landed on the guy my friends had dubbed “my double.” Sebastian didn’t bother giving me a friendly look. He was clearly here to pick a fight. His cold, dark eyes locked onto me, his tone icy and mocking: “What, no welcome?” I met his gaze but said nothing. It was Max, our mutual friend, who smoothed things over. “Sebastian, man, what are you talking about? Come on, sit over here.” Max stood up and patted my shoulder, whispering an apology. “Sorry, man. He insisted on coming. I couldn’t shake him, so I gave him the address.” I shook my head. It was fine. Sebastian had always been arrogant. Our breakup was ugly. Knowing him, he wouldn’t just let things go. I glanced at the guy Sebastian brought. Black hair, pale skin, wearing a mask that hid most of his face. But his eyes were stunning—even with the mask, they were hard to ignore. I didn’t think he looked like me, but those eyes felt strangely familiar. Like I had seen them crying before. It was weird. I told myself I was overthinking it. Another thing—he looked unhealthily thin. Like he was sick. Combined with his pale skin, he looked frail and listless. 2 Sebastian took a seat, bringing the guy with him. It felt deliberate. There were plenty of seats, but he sat the guy right next to me. The boy was obedient, nodding and doing whatever Sebastian said. Sitting this close, I could catch a faint scent of medicine mixed with cedar. The latter was Sebastian’s scent. It was his signature cologne. The smell reminded me: this was Sebastian’s person. I shouldn’t be curious. Even if I lacked class, I wasn’t about to steal his boyfriend. After sitting down, Sebastian acted uncharacteristically gentlemanly. He refused the drinks our friends poured, ordering a juice for the boy instead. He leaned in close, asking if he felt uncomfortable anywhere. He acted like he cherished him deeply. But everyone in the room exchanged glances, knowing better. Someone with a temper like Sebastian’s couldn’t keep up an act for more than two days. Still, everyone played along. I found the whole charade laughable. Until Sebastian called the boy “Ah-Yan.” Suddenly, I couldn’t laugh anymore. 3 Hearing that incredibly familiar name, I froze. The glass in my hand almost slipped. I set it down, forcing myself to stay calm. It had been a long time since I heard that name. While I was dazed, Sebastian reached over and pulled down the boy’s mask. Instinctively, I looked. The face under the mask was indeed flawless, just as I had guessed. I stared at him, lost in thought for a moment. Not because he was beautiful, but because that face was too familiar. I raised him myself. How could I not know him? 4 Ah-Yan’s full name is Julian. He was the son of my father’s friend. When he was ten, his parents died in a car accident. He became an orphan. His relatives fought ugly battles over the insurance money, but no one actually cared about Julian. They left him alone in his house, ignoring him even when he was sick. Eventually, my father, David, heard about it and brought him home. But David wasn’t a good father. He didn’t even take care of me, let alone Julian. In David’s mind, children grew up on their own, needing no care or concern. When Julian first arrived, he was a cold kid, distant from everyone. I was in high school then, busy all the time. Our schedules never aligned. Sometimes I stayed at an apartment near my school and didn’t come home. Even when we were under the same roof, we rarely saw each other. We didn’t even eat at the same time. I barely felt his presence in the house. He was practically invisible. Until one weekend, I came home late and found Julian sitting outside my door. I bent down and tapped his shoulder to wake him. It turned out he had a nightmare. The kid looked up at me with red, teary eyes and tentatively asked, “Lucas, can you hug me?” I hesitated for two seconds, then hugged him. Then I pulled him up from the floor. That one moment somehow convinced him I was a good person. Julian started clinging to me. One day, I came home early and saw him waiting at the dining table. The housekeeper told me he waited for me almost every day. But since I rarely came home, he almost never saw me. I felt a strange guilt. I decided to take him to live with me at my apartment. Suddenly having another person around was weird at first. But Julian was sensible. He cooked and cleaned without being asked. Over time, I got used to it. The only issue was his sleepwalking. He often ended up in my room. At first, I found it annoying. But seeing him crying in his sleep made it hard to be harsh. My leniency became his habit. Whenever he had a nightmare, he came to find me. Sometimes, even without a nightmare, he’d come. Julian was good-looking and incredibly obedient. Calling me “Lucas” all day, I couldn’t get angry at him. Especially compared to my friends’ bratty little brothers, Julian was an angel. I treated him well, putting real effort into raising him like a son. Even the housekeeper said I spoiled him rotten. I even hand-washed his school uniform. He was good, and I was willing to spoil him. But he shouldn’t have developed feelings for me.

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One of the must-do things when you transmigrate into a story: activate the system and flirt with the villain! Easy, right? I specifically picked the most brutal one. After a relentless campaign of seduction, what happened to that villain? He drapes coats over my shoulders, peels my oranges, and is too scared to even catch a chicken. Mission accomplished! But then, the system pops up again: [My dear Host! Why haven’t you started seducing the villain yet??] Huh? I did! Are you not satisfied with our little kitten? The system seemed to glitch for a few seconds: [That’s the male lead! The villain is his soft-spoken, gentle older brother.] Crap. I seduced the wrong guy. I quickly faked my death, switched accounts, and married his brother. On my wedding night, a servant came screaming: “Help!! Someone’s killing their way in!!” 1 I leaned against Damien, watching him peel a tangerine for me. “Remember to take off the white stringy bits.” Damien chuckled softly. His slender fingers held a clean tangerine segment to my lips. I deliberately bit his finger. He didn’t get mad. He peeled another segment and fed it to me. Only this time… He pushed it in a little further and didn’t pull back. I glared at him, whimpering, unable to speak, my cheeks burning hot. Damien was doing this on purpose. He asked, “Want more?” I wanted the tangerine! Just then. A crackling sound of electric current rang in my brain. The system, which had been missing for ages, appeared, screaming excitedly: [Host! Who is this wild man? Why haven’t you started seducing the villain yet? I’ve been criticized by the Mission Administration Bureau!] I gestured toward Damien with my eyes: “The villain? I’m done. He now asks ants if it hurts before stepping on them. Dear System, you’re finally online. When do I get my manor, my ten billion dollars, and my spaceship?” The system was silent for 1.5 seconds. Then it broke down: [I just checked the mission guide. This wild man is the male lead! You seduced the wrong person! The villain is his gentle-spoken older brother, waaaah!] I broke down too. Waaaah! 2 Six months ago. The system brought me to this world to seduce the villain. It only managed to tell me the villain was a prince before getting kicked offline. Relying on my stereotypical knowledge of villains, I scanned the princes. And I chose Damien. Because he was the fiercest, the most irritable, and the most handsome. He always said things like, “Believe it or not, I’ll chop your head off.” A guy like that. How could he not be the villain! So, I put my heart and soul into it, watching the moon with him every night. Wobbly moons, double moons… I finally turned him into this peaceful, domestic creature. I am truly the chosen one of seduction. And now you tell me I got the wrong guy? The villain is Damien’s brother, Julian, the one who always smiles and speaks as gently as a spring breeze? That’s like telling an ox it plowed the wrong field! “Damn system, I hate you!” System: [Host, I’ve applied for a ‘fake death’ opportunity for you. You can switch identities and re-seduce the real villain. You’ll still get the rewards after success.] “Good system. I’ve thought about it, we can still be friends.” “By the way, how do I die?” The system cleared its throat: [Choked to death on a tangerine.] 3 I heard Damien went crazy. One second I was giggling, the next I was authentically choking to death on a tangerine right in front of him. I’d go crazy too. He carried my body everywhere, seeking doctors. The most respected doctor in the Imperial Hospital said I was dead and couldn’t be saved. Damien drew his sword, held it to the doctor’s neck, and roared, “Say that again, and believe it or not, this prince will chop your head off!” When the system relayed this to me. It sounded unsure: [Host, didn’t you say Damien asks ants if it hurts before stepping on them…?] “Oh, the limited-time skin expired.” I sat in front of the bronze mirror, calmly applying eyebrow pencil and lipstick. Sticking all sorts of gold hairpins into my head. Once they’re on my head, they’re mine~ At dawn, I’m going to marry Damien’s brother under this brand-new identity and become Damien’s sister-in-law! But this face… “Dog system, dare you be any lazier? How is this different from my previous face?” System: [There’s a difference, Host. Look closely, there’s a mole under the eye now. Time was tight, couldn’t customize a new face. I’ll give you a hundred free customization cards after this mission!] Thanks, but I’m full. “Good system, don’t you think Damien is perfect villain material? Why don’t you just make him the villain? I’ll seduce him this way and that way again, easy peasy!” The system refused decisively: [No, the male lead belongs to the female lead.] Oh, why do I feel a little disappointed? “Really can’t? Then what were those beautiful times I spent seducing him? Seaweed?” System: [Consider it karma.] 4 Julian is the Third Prince of the current dynasty. Even though he’s not favored. Even though he’s marrying the illegitimate daughter of a Duke. Every living prince and princess showed up. Damien came too. He just looked unwell, pale-faced, eyes dull. Like a crazy concubine just released from the cold palace. Wearing a red veil, supported by two maids, I walked through the hall draped in red silk. Maybe it was my imagination. When I passed Damien, I felt a strong murderous aura and shivered involuntarily. Later, when Julian held my hand for the ceremony. The feeling intensified. Like ten thousand needles stabbing my back. I panicked: “System, Damien won’t recognize me, right…” System: [Guaranteed not to! Don’t worry, Host. Two hours ago, I fixed a series of bugs caused by your mistaken seduction~] Are you shading me? To verify its words. The system deliberately blew a gust of wind, lifting a corner of my veil. Damien remained expressionless. But the surrounding NPCs started reciting their lines: “How can there be such a beauty in the world!” “Oh my god! I saw a fairy!” So, amidst a sea of starry-eyed gazes. I gracefully moonwalked out of the scene.

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One week before our wedding, my fiancée, Chloe, told me she had to marry her first love before she could marry me. Her reasoning? His mother had passed away, and her dying wish was to see them wed. “Ray’s mother always wanted him to settle down. I’m just fulfilling an old woman’s last request. Don’t overthink it,” she said, her voice calm, as if discussing the weather. “But Chloe,” I countered, “the company is launching the ‘True Love’ jewelry collection on the day of our wedding. It’s the event of the decade.” She looked at me with impatience. “It’s just a few billion dollars. Can money compare to Ray’s filial piety? If you care so much about that money, go find someone else to marry.” Her cold words were the final straw. I understood everything clearly now. I turned around and dialed my sister-in-law. “Hey, sis. Help me find a new bride.” When I got back to the family estate, my sister-in-law, Sarah, looked at me like I had grown a second head. “You’re calling off the wedding?” “No,” I said, a bitter smile forming on my lips. “She’s marrying someone else.” I had fought tooth and nail within my family to be with Chloe. I battled my parents’ disapproval and strategically planned the launch of the ‘True Love’ collection to coincide with our wedding day to prove my devotion. Now, it was all for nothing. Sarah was silent for a long time. “Well… the only option left is Stella. Her family is pushing her to marry, and she’s been looking for a partner recently.” I frowned. Stella Vance. My sworn enemy since kindergarten. On the day of my engagement to Chloe, she had cursed my marriage, predicting it would end in flames. I didn’t expect her to be a prophet. Time was tight. I sighed. “Fine. It’s her. Ask her if she’s interested. If not, I’ll figure something else out.” Sarah didn’t hesitate. “No need to ask. She’ll agree.” “What?” Before I could question her further, a crowd surrounded my car. “You must be Chloe’s fiancé! So handsome!” “You’re here to pick her up, right? She’ll be down in a minute. You two are so sweet.” I gripped the steering wheel, looking down to hide the mockery in my eyes. Chloe had introduced me to her colleagues early on. To everyone else, we were the model couple. No one could have guessed she was about to marry another man. After saying goodbye to her colleagues, Chloe got into the car and handed me a model airplane. “Ray asked me to give this to you. You embarrassed him at the funeral yesterday, so you should apologize to him when you get a chance.” The model was a cheap plastic miniature, obviously a free gift with purchase. I had seen it in her online shopping cart a few days ago. “I don’t want it,” I said flatly. Chloe frowned. “What are you throwing a tantrum for now? You stormed into the funeral claiming I wasn’t his fiancée and humiliated him. He didn’t even hold a grudge and got you a gift, and this is how you react?” The woman who used to protect me was gone. Now, she cherished someone else. Chloe rolled down the window, annoyed. After a long silence, seeing I wasn’t going to comfort her, she sighed. “Fine. Today is the dress fitting. I won’t hold it against you.” It was the first time all year she had softened her tone. At the bridal shop, the manager greeted us enthusiastically. “Miss Lawson, the one hundred and twenty custom gowns Mr. Sterling ordered are ready for you.” But Chloe wasn’t looking at the dresses. She was staring at her phone, anxiety etched on her face. Noticing my gaze, she quickly put the phone away, a hint of apology in her eyes. “Liam, something came up with Ray. I have to go. Pick a dress for me, okay? I trust your taste.” Without waiting for an answer, she flagged down a taxi and left me standing there alone. The manager approached cautiously. “Mr. Sterling… will you be selecting the dress yourself?” I looked away from the door and nodded. Of course, I would select a dress. Just not for Chloe. The bride had changed. I went home, expecting Chloe to stay out all night. Surprisingly, she returned before dinner. She strode over to me, holding a takeout container. “I drove across town to get this for you. Harry’s Dumplings, your favorite.” I opened the box. Shrimp dumplings. There were three missing. One had a bite taken out of it. Half an hour ago, I had seen Ray’s Instagram story. The photo was of the exact same dumplings. Caption: “Wifey bought me late-night snacks. Love you, baby!” I put down my chopsticks, my appetite gone. “I don’t want it. Throw it away.” Chloe glared at me, displeasure radiating off her, but she held back. She sat down next to me, sighing. “You don’t know how pitiful Ray was today. My parents went to his place demanding a dowry. He cried.” “Ray just got back to the country; he doesn’t have any money. I’m thinking of using my dowry to cover for him.” She shook my arm, her voice taking on a wheedling tone. I looked at her, a scoff escaping my lips. “So, I have to pay the dowry for your husband?” In the past, I cared about Chloe. Whatever she asked for, I gave. Whatever she needed, I did. But she had personally woken me up from that dream. Since Ray returned, everything she did revolved around him. She had forgotten that I was the one supposed to spend the rest of my life with her. My response infuriated her. “What do you mean? You won’t do it? You better realize, Ray is my best friend. You need to make him happy, or I won’t marry you!” With that, she slammed the door and left. Feeling suffocated, I went downstairs for a run in the park. One lap in, my phone rang. It was Stella. Thinking of Stella’s perpetual poker face, I hesitated for two seconds before answering. “Once you’re on my ship, you’re mine. Try to jump, and I’ll break your legs!” Stella started with a threat. Classic. I stayed silent. She continued. “Send me your ID. We’re getting the license.” “I’m afraid you’ll back out.” Stella, you’re weird. I imagined ten thousand scenarios where she used this marriage to torture me. Finally, I squeezed out a sentence: “See you at the wedding, Miss Vance.” As soon as I hung up, Chloe appeared behind me like a ghost. “You’re inviting Stella to our wedding? I forbid it!” She stared at me as if facing a mortal enemy. “Liam, haven’t I told you not to associate with Stella? Her intentions aren’t pure. If you invite her, don’t blame me for causing a scene!” I hadn’t even said a word, and she was already threatening me. Chloe had always disliked Stella. It was an inexplicable hostility. When we first started dating, she threw a fit because Stella and I bantered on WeChat. I eventually cut ties with Stella to appease her. And now she says… Stella’s intentions aren’t pure? I was about to ask what she meant when Ray suddenly leaned his head onto Chloe’s shoulder. “Chloe, you’re hurting me…” Only then did I notice their fingers were intertwined. Chloe coughed awkwardly but didn’t let go of his hand. Ray looked at Chloe with tender eyes, then turned to me with a feigned helpless apology. “Liam, I’m sorry. Chloe and I are just rehearsing the wedding flow. Please don’t mind.” “I won’t tell anyone you hired thugs to beat me up or that you vandalized my mother’s grave. But please, don’t hurt Chloe. True love is fragile.” I didn’t want to watch his green tea performance. I turned to leave. “Since you’re so eager, I’ll have someone beat you up tonight and dig up your mom’s grave for real.” Slap! Chloe hit me hard across the face. “Liam, how can you be so vicious?!” Her face was dark with rage, her chest heaving. Me? Vicious? She believed a stranger’s slander instantly, yet five years of our relationship couldn’t buy me an ounce of trust. A sudden fire ignited in my chest. I wanted to scream at her, but Ray stepped in front of her. “Liam, please. Once the wedding is over, I’ll return Chloe to you.” “Just show some mercy. Don’t hurt the people around me, and don’t hurt Chloe.” He looked like he was about to kneel. Chloe hurriedly grabbed his waist to stop him, glaring at me with hatred. “Liam Sterling, stop playing your rich boy bully games!” “You know I hate that. If you still want to marry me, stop this nonsense!” She warned me not to appear in front of them again before the wedding. Surprisingly, the next day, Chloe contacted me first. She opened with a barrage of curses. “Liam, you actually dug up Mrs. Ray’s grave? I didn’t know you were this kind of person!” Confused, I called my assistant to investigate. What he found was shocking. Ray’s mother… wasn’t dead. No wonder Ray was insane enough to dig up his own mother’s grave to frame me. Her death was a scam. I sent Chloe a text: “Ray’s mother isn’t dead. The truth is in the email I just sent you.” Whether she read it or not was none of my business. The flight was booked for three days later. Stella booked it herself. When Chloe came back, she saw me packing. Half my clothes were in the trash; the rest were packed for shipping to the South City. “Why are you packing?” she asked, suspicious. “Moving,” I replied curtly. She paused, not catching the subtext. “Right. Sterling HQ is in South City. We’re moving there after the wedding. It makes sense to pack early.” Then, she fixed me with a fierce glare. “Apologize for the grave incident ASAP. Don’t make this hard for me. Do it on the wedding day. Agreed?” She tossed her phone aside and started rummaging for her ID. Today was the day she was registering her marriage to Ray. She didn’t come back that night. I checked my phone. A message from Ray popped up. It was a photo in dim lighting. Chloe, wearing a maid outfit, looking at the camera. I closed my eyes, my heart stinging. I suppressed the emotion and turned off the screen. Late at night, my phone buzzed every hour. Each vibration was another provocative video from Ray of him and Chloe. Until the next morning, when Stella sent me a message. “Mr. Sterling, the flowers are blooming. You may return slowly.” Attached was a photo of two red marriage certificates. And a pot of vibrant red peonies. I didn’t expect her to still be keeping the flower I casually gave her years ago. A strange feeling rose in my chest. I replied with one word: “Okay.” I put down the phone and organized my work files. I didn’t know when Chloe had returned. She was packing a suitcase. “I’m going to stay with Ray for a few days. He can’t handle the wedding prep alone. Remember to show up on time for the wedding. Don’t be late.” She rambled on with explanations, basically saying she was just “helping out” and warning me not to cause trouble. “Yeah, I won’t go,” I said, looking down. After last night, the last shred of my affection for her had vanished. Chloe looked at my calm demeanor, and a nameless panic washed over her. She hesitated. But remembering Ray’s clingy pleading, she relaxed her grip on her phone. Liam loved her so much. What could go wrong? Relieved, she stopped pestering me and left my sight. I watched her leave and made a call. That evening, a helicopter landed on the plaza. A man approached. “Mr. Sterling, your helicopter has arrived. We will have you in South City in thirty minutes.” I nodded and handed him a document envelope. “Deliver this to the wedding venue tomorrow. It’s my wedding gift to the bride and groom.” The next day, I sent Chloe a text right on time: “Happy Wedding!” At the venue, Chloe was looking around anxiously, asking her secretary, “Why hasn’t Liam arrived? He promised to apologize to Ray’s mother publicly today.” The secretary was scrolling through the news, frowning. “I don’t think he’s coming. He’s… busy getting married.”

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Everyone in our social circle knew Adrian loved me more than life itself. But behind my back, he was keeping an eighteen-year-old girl on the side. He claimed she was just like me when I was younger, and that he was merely trying to extend the essence of his true love. He even issued a strict order: no one was to let this reach me. Until the day I found out I was pregnant. I rushed to his office to share the news, only to find a girl who looked about 70% like me sitting on his lap, feeding him wine from her own mouth. She asked Adrian, “Am I just her replacement?” He pulled her closer and sneered, “She isn’t even worthy of being compared to you.” That same day, I scheduled an abortion and called my aunt overseas. “Aunt May, I’ve decided. I’m moving to New Zealand.” 1 Aunt May paused on the other end of the line, then her voice brightened with joy. “Orange, you’ve finally made up your mind! I’ll have your uncle start the paperwork immediately. It should take about ten days. Wait for my news!” I hung up and drove straight home. When I arrived, Adrian was already sitting in the living room. There was a rare look of nervousness in his eyes. “You’re back late. Where did you go?” I held up the pharmacy bag, my voice flat. “Nowhere special. My stomach was acting up, so I went to the doctor. He prescribed some herbal supplements.” My health has always been fragile, and getting pregnant was difficult. After the abortion, the doctor insisted I take these supplements to help my body recover. Seeing my calm expression, Adrian finally got to the point. “Did you have business at the office today? Why did you leave as soon as you arrived?” I guessed his subordinates had reported seeing me at his office door. But he wasn’t sure if I had seen that scene. In reality, their intimacy only lasted a few seconds. The little assistant fed him a sip of wine and then hopped off his lap. “I was just passing by. I saw you were busy with your assistant, so I left.” I saw him visibly relax. My heart ached. We had been married for seven years. Everyone called us the perfect couple. I thought we would love each other for a lifetime. I never expected his heart to change so quickly. “She was just reporting on work! You know how it is, she’s young and doesn’t understand boundaries, so she stood a little too close.” Adrian walked over and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, his tone gentle. “Babe, we haven’t been back to our university in ages. I’m free tomorrow, why don’t we go for a visit? Relive some old memories!” Mentioning our alma mater seemed to relax him, lifting his mood. We were high school sweethearts who made it to the altar. Every anniversary, we would visit our old school. But this year, Adrian said he was too busy with work, so we didn’t go. Now I realized, he was busy keeping his eighteen-year-old assistant company. I sighed and shook my head, rejecting him. “Maybe later. The doctor prescribed ten days of herbal medicine. I have to brew and drink it every day.” He hummed an acknowledgement, then began stroking my long hair. I turned slightly, subtly dodging his touch. His hand paused. “Orange, you seem unhappy. Is it because you saw Lexie standing too close to me today?” “Lexie is just a kid, she didn’t mean anything by it. You wouldn’t hold a grudge against an eighteen-year-old girl, would you?” My heart seized painfully. Once upon a time, I was an eighteen-year-old girl too. When I looked up again, my gaze was calm. “No, I’m not holding a grudge.” His expression softened immediately. “That’s right! There’s a jewelry auction next week. Whatever you want, I’ll win it for you.” Just an hour ago, I had seen Lexie’s latest Instagram post: “Uncle says he’s taking me to an auction next week to broaden my horizons! He even promised to win the grand finale piece for me! I love my Uncle so much~” It was accompanied by a photo of their hands making a heart shape. In the photo, the wedding ring on Adrian’s finger was blindingly conspicuous. I glanced at him indifferently. “No need. Win it for someone else.” Adrian’s gaze darkened. Just as he was about to speak, his phone pinged. It was a message from Lexie. Just a photo of a bed covered in various “toys.” He glanced down, and I saw his Adam’s apple bob. “Orange, there’s a new deal I need to negotiate. I have to go on a business trip for a few days.” With that, he hurried away, unable to hide the excitement in the corners of his eyes. I remembered countless nights before this when he used “urgent business” as an excuse to leave, which eventually turned into frequent “business trips.” Just then, a message from Aunt May popped up. I clicked it open. “Orange, your uncle has submitted your immigration application. See you next week!” 2 Adrian didn’t return until a week later. I thought he would go straight to the office, but he rushed home during the morning rush hour. Lexie had been updating her social media frequently these past few days. In her latest photo, she wore a sheer white nightgown, looking both innocent and seductive. Caption: “Uncle praised my new battle gear. He even said he wants to tear it off himself!” I laughed humorlessly and left a comment: “It’s his favorite style.” The post was deleted almost immediately. As soon as Adrian walked in the door, he started his interrogation. “Jane, I already explained everything to you last time! Lexie is just an eighteen-year-old girl. Why do you keep targeting her?” I froze, realizing he was referring to the deleted post. Seeing my expression, Adrian’s anger flared. “She just posted about feeling lucky to have a good boss, and you insulted her with such nasty words?” “Jane, you’re thirty years old. Aren’t you embarrassed bullying a little girl?” I pressed my lips together and didn’t explain. I let Lexie slander me to him. In three days, I would leave this place. I didn’t care about his attitude anymore. seeing I didn’t argue like I used to, Adrian felt a pang of guilt. He softened his tone. “Orange, you used to be so reasonable. Why have you become so difficult lately? Is it because you haven’t been feeling well?” He placed a food container on the table and personally served me a bowl of hot porridge. “I had the chef at the old mansion make this stomach-soothing porridge specifically for you. Since your stomach has been bothering you, I told them to make it fresh every day. I’ll go back and get more for you tomorrow morning.” He scooped up a spoonful and held it to my lips. “Every time you’re in pain, I wish I could take it for you.” I frowned, keeping my mouth shut. Adrian’s patience wore thin. “Jane, are you done? You’re not eighteen anymore. Do you still expect me to coddle you like I used to?” “Lexie is the granddaughter of old Mr. Lin, a family friend who entrusted her to me before he died. Isn’t it normal for me to take care of her? Can’t you be more understanding?” I smirked. Entrusted? Taking care of? Nice. He took care of her all the way to bed. Adrian always said he loved how sensible and obedient I was. I always put his feelings first. Even if I was wronged or unhappy, as long as he coaxed me, I would accept his goodwill immediately. No drama, no fuss. Like now, he had already lowered his head to make peace. He expected me to take the out he offered. Fine. I was leaving for my aunt’s soon. I didn’t want to raise his suspicions. “The porridge is a bit hot. Put it down, I’ll drink it later.” Perhaps because my attitude was still cold, Adrian softened his voice further. “Orange is so sensible. I knew you were the most understanding!” A moment later, a phone call summoned Adrian to the office. 3 I didn’t need to guess who called. Before leaving, Adrian kissed my forehead. “Be good, work emergency. Tonight at the auction, I’ll win you a piece of jewelry.” After he left, I laughed out loud. There was no denying we once loved each other. He truly loved me, but later he gave that love to Lexie. A change of heart is a change of heart. Yet he used such a clumsy excuse, saying Lexie was just like I used to be. I looked around the home we had shared for seven years, my heart aching. The living room wall was covered in photos of us—from our first date to our wedding, to every anniversary. We took a commemorative photo every year, except this one. When fate ends, it’s time to scatter. I sighed silently, cut myself out of all the photos, and packed my things. I threw away my half of every couple’s item in the house. The divorce agreement I had commissioned from a lawyer was signed. I placed it in a box on the nightstand, along with the abortion receipt. I also scheduled emails containing screenshots of Lexie’s posts and messages to be sent to his inbox. Just as I was about to sit down, Lexie messaged me. It was the time and address of the auction. And a sentence: “Dare to come, Auntie? Uncle says tonight he’s lighting a lantern for love!” That night, I appeared at the auction on time. I hadn’t planned to go. My flight to New Zealand was later that night. I was leaving soon; why bother with a little girl’s provocation? But Lexie sent me the auction catalog, wanting to show off the grand finale—a world-class yellow diamond necklace she was determined to get. However, my eyes were drawn to a brooch by a new designer. It was understated and elegant, matching Aunt May’s style perfectly. I wanted to buy Aunt May a gift, and this was it. Aunt May was my closest relative. She took care of me when my parents died. When she moved to New Zealand, she wanted to take me, but I was madly in love with Adrian and refused to go. Unexpectedly, true love is fickle. In just seven years, Adrian fell for someone else. When I arrived, the front seats were mostly full. I sat in the back row, planning to bid and leave. Sitting in the center of the hall were Adrian and Lexie, leaning close and laughing. Lexie glanced back occasionally. When she saw me, the corners of her mouth lifted noticeably. She looked like a proud little peacock. The grand finale items are always last. The brooch I wanted, being from a lesser-known designer, came up early. I won it easily at a low price. As I got up to leave, Lexie called out to me maliciously from the front row. “Hey… Auntie! Leaving after winning just a trinket? The real treasures are coming up! Especially the finale piece. Isn’t it a pity not to see it?” Lexie’s crisp voice drew many eyes toward me. She smiled triumphantly. I smiled too. Eighteen is the age to be loud, dazzling, and fearless. No wonder Adrian liked her. Seeing such a vibrant, beautiful girl, even I felt a sense of appreciation. Adrian patted her head indulgently, signaling her to be quiet. Then he glanced back casually, curious who had caught his beloved’s attention. When he saw it was me, his expression shifted rapidly. It was the first time I saw guilt and anger appear on a person’s face simultaneously. There were many familiar faces at the auction, people from Adrian’s circle. Lexie’s shout made it impossible for Adrian to pretend he didn’t see me. Under everyone’s gaze, he awkwardly had someone guide me to the seat next to him. Adrian signaled Lexie with his eyes to move to an empty seat in the back. She stood up indignantly, her eyes reddening instantly. “I don’t want to! Didn’t we agree that tonight…” “Go to the back! Lexie, don’t make me say it twice!” Lexie pressed her lips together tightly, trying hard not to cry. I lightly touched Adrian’s arm. “Forget it, don’t make her sad. I already got what I wanted, there’s no need for me to stay.” Adrian’s face was grim, his tone unhappy. “You are my wife. She’s just an assistant occupying your seat. What does she have to be upset about?” Perhaps the word “assistant” pierced the young girl’s pride. She burst into tears and stormed to the back row. Adrian held my hand, insisting I stay. He wouldn’t let me leave now. I had to sit next to him. Without turning around, I could feel the murderous glare burning into my back. It wasn’t until the finale, when Adrian successfully won the yellow diamond necklace, that Lexie smiled again. After the auction, she looked at Adrian expectantly. But Adrian didn’t even look at her. He clasped the necklace around my neck. I tried to refuse, but he held my hand down. “Orange, you deserve the best!” Lexie turned and ran away in anger. Adrian’s peripheral vision followed her. His furrowed brow and clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil. I smiled, took off the necklace, and handed it back to him. “Something this valuable should be kept in the bank vault.” Adrian paused, his brow relaxing. He gripped the necklace tightly, but before he could speak, I interjected. “But thank you for the gift. I actually prepared a surprise for you too. It’s on the nightstand in the bedroom.” He hugged me, stroking my back. “Orange is the best. I can’t wait to see what the surprise is!” As he hugged me, his right foot unconsciously pointed toward the exit. The urgency in his eyes was overflowing. I knew he was desperate to go comfort Lexie. I smiled silently. “If you have work, go ahead and get busy!” Adrian gave me a grateful look, then grabbed the jewelry box and walked away quickly. I got into the ride-share I had booked, speeding toward the airport. Outside the window, Adrian’s black Maybach flashed by. I looked back. Adrian, goodbye. Goodbye forever. 4 Driving toward Lexie’s apartment, Adrian felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart. A vague unease settled over him. He felt like he was losing something important. He recalled Jane’s expression just now. Something about it felt off. Even when he arrived at Lexie’s, the unease lingered. Lexie was still sulking, throwing a tantrum. Normally, Adrian found this lively and cute. He was drawn to her youthful vitality. Lexie made him feel like a young man again. But right now, he was inexplicably irritable. He didn’t coax her like usual. He just handed her the box. Lexie’s eyes lit up when she saw the box. “I knew Uncle was the best to me! I’ll put it on and show you!” For the first time, Adrian thought the girl in front of him seemed materialistic. Even though he had willingly spent money on her before, including this luxury apartment. But her reaction to the necklace rubbed him the wrong way. Lexie was only eighteen; she couldn’t hide her true emotions well. She only got this excited over expensive gifts. She faked joy for the smaller ones. But Jane was different. Jane liked his expensive gifts too, but she loved the thoughtful little trinkets more. Adrian suddenly felt that Lexie didn’t love him as much as she claimed. Lexie ran to the bedroom with the box, acting mysterious. “Uncle, wait a sec. I’m going to put on my new battle gear to match!” Adrian’s irritation peaked. He wanted to leave immediately and find Jane. He turned to go, but Lexie came out quickly. His breath hitched, and he stopped. Lexie had changed into a purple silk dress. Thin but not cheap, it clung to her figure as she walked, revealing glimpses of skin. Combined with her youthful face, it was a mix of innocence and seduction. Adrian felt the blood rush to his head. It was just a tasteful nightgown, but on an eighteen-year-old girl, the contrast was striking. Every nerve in his body fired. He lost control, carrying her to the bed. He clasped the yellow diamond necklace around her pale neck, and in the next second, Jane was completely forgotten. Two hours later, Adrian got out of bed, unsatisfied but resolute. He dressed to leave, but Lexie grabbed his wrist. “Uncle, you promised to stay with me tonight! You’re a grown man, you can’t break your word.” Adrian insisted on leaving. He didn’t know why, but he desperately wanted to go home. He remembered Jane saying she had a surprise for him after the auction. He was anxious to see what it was. Lexie clung to him, refusing to let go. He got angry, snapping at her for the first time. “Lexie, can you stop being so willful and immature?” Lexie threw a tantrum, flinging his hand away. “Now you think I’m willful? You said an eighteen-year-old should act eighteen, that being willful is cute!” Adrian felt a pang of regret. He had indeed been attracted to her petulant nature. He was supposed to look after her for an old friend, and he had taken care of her all the way to this point. Jane’s eighteen-year-old face flashed in his mind. She was willful too, but never like this with him. Jane gave him emotional stability. In this moment, he truly felt how much she loved him. Thinking of this, Adrian left without looking back. He wanted to go home to Jane, to apologize. He had neglected her recently. He promised to spend more time with her. As for Lexie, he would send her abroad to study. A few years of discipline, and she would become as sensible as Jane. Adrian thought, if she stopped being so reckless, he wouldn’t mind keeping her around. If she wanted to marry someone else, he would give her a large sum of money to ensure she lived comfortably. Lost in thought, Adrian arrived home. He opened the door eagerly, calling Jane’s name. “Orange, I’m home.” But no one answered. Confused, Adrian walked into the living room. Where could she be at this hour? When he saw the photo on the wall cut in half, his mind went blank, and a sense of dread washed over him.

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After being reborn, I gave up on the fiancé I had loved deeply since childhood. Instead, I married his sworn enemy. In my previous life, on the day I was to marry Tyler, his “white moonlight”—the girl he never got over—threatened to jump off a building in despair. Because of this, he hated me to the bone. He locked me in our home and humiliated me in every way possible. It wasn’t until I accidentally drowned, my soul adrift and helpless, that I learned the truth: it was all a manipulative game played by his “true love.” Meanwhile, his rival, the stoic heir to a business empire, turned gray overnight after my death. Reborn, I decided to let them have each other and run towards my own happiness. But the man who always claimed he never loved me went mad when he saw me marry someone else, kneeling and begging me to come back. 1 Julian Sterling, the heir to the Sterling empire, is a man of action. When he heard I was willing to marry him, he was stunned for exactly three seconds before finalizing everything within half an hour. When he handed me the marriage certificate, his expression was calm, but the tips of his ears were burning red. “I’ll handle the wedding preparations. Don’t worry about a thing. Just wait for me to come get you.” After saying this, he practically fled the scene, using work as an excuse, terrified I might change my mind. I smiled, taking the certificate home, ready to share the news with my family. But the moment I stepped through the door, a bucket of cold water splashed over me. Tyler’s friends threw cake all over my face. My carefully done makeup and hair were ruined, turning me into a drowned rat. I stood there, frozen, while the group roared with laughter. Some even pulled out their phones to record my humiliation. “Today is your engagement party with Ty! We’re just helping you celebrate!” “Everyone in our circle knows you threw away your dignity to marry Tyler. Can’t take a little joke? You better get used to it; there’s plenty more where that came from.” I shivered in the cold wind, soaked to the bone. Tyler looked at me with a smug smirk. “Elena, don’t be a buzzkill.” “Just because our families pressured me into this doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. Being Mrs. Vance isn’t going to be easy!” Even though I was reborn, seeing the man I had loved for nearly twenty years still made my heart ache involuntarily. Tyler and I grew up together. For years, I loved him desperately. Ten years of companionship, giving everything I had. And in return, all I got was his cold ridicule. If that’s the case, there’s no need to waste my life on someone who doesn’t love me. I wiped the cream from my face and spoke calmly. “I don’t plan on being Mrs. Vance.” Tyler froze. His friends laughed even harder. “Ty, you’re lucky! She’s playing hard to get before she’s even in the door. This little wife of yours is something else! You’re in for a ride.” “What are you scared of? Everyone knows Elena is just a dog following Tyler around. Since when does a dog have a say in its master’s affairs?” Hearing this, the disdain in Tyler’s eyes deepened. “Stop playing games. No matter what you do, I won’t love you. You can keep my body, but you’ll never have my heart.” “After we marry, I’m moving Bella in. You can delude yourself into thinking you’re Mrs. Vance, but remember, in that house, you’re less than a maid!” “Also, I’ve had my lawyers draft a prenup. Even if you scheme your way into this marriage, you won’t get a cent of my money!” Hearing Tyler’s words, I was stunned. In my previous life, after Bella jumped, he blamed me for her death and tortured me. But before she died, he had always treated me decently. When we were kids and my parents were busy with work, he would keep me company through the long nights, telling stories to help me sleep. When I was bullied at school, he stood up for me, taking me on motorcycle rides to cheer me up. Twenty years of friendship. Even if he never loved me romantically, he always treated me like a little sister. Looking at his abnormal attitude now, I couldn’t help but wonder. Is there something I don’t know about? Seeing my silence, Tyler thought I was heartbroken. He seemed to feel he had gone a bit too far and cleared his throat. “Fine. Bella has suffered more than you. You need to make concessions to balance things out for her.” “As long as you behave and don’t make trouble for Bella, I won’t mistreat you publicly!” Just as he finished speaking, Bella started sobbing. “Tyler, are you going soft on Elena? If it weren’t for her jealousy and meddling, we love each other so much, why would we be forced apart?” “Forget it. I know Miss Elena has always looked down on someone of my status. I just didn’t expect you to dislike me too, Tyler. I won’t be an eyesore anymore. I… I’ll just go die!” Seeing Bella run off, Tyler’s face filled with panic. He shoved me aside and chased after her frantically. My back slammed into the door handle, pain bringing tears to my eyes. The others, having seen enough of the show, left me there amidst the mess. I watched their retreating figures and laughed bitterly. In my past life, shortly after our wedding, the Vance family business faced a crisis. None of their so-called friends lifted a finger to help. To win back Tyler’s heart, I secretly used my entire dowry to fill the financial hole. Billions in assets, yet it didn’t buy a shred of his softness. In this life, without my help, I wonder if his precious Bella can turn the tide for him. 2 I took a shower and changed into clean clothes. When I came out, I saw Tyler cuddling Bella on the sofa. He was comforting her softly, his eyes filled with a gentleness I had never seen directed at me. Seeing me, his face instantly cooled. “Today’s events were all your fault. Apologize to Bella immediately.” “Also, clean this place up. And clear out your room for Bella. It’s dark out; it’s not safe for a girl to go home alone.” In the half-hour I was showering, they couldn’t even restrain themselves. Tyler’s shirt had several lipstick stains. Bella’s lipstick was smeared, her dress rumpled. I had no interest in their sordid affair and simply reminded them: “This is my house.” After the engagement was settled, both families prepared a house for us. Tyler hated noise, so our gatherings were usually held at my place. I used to willingly act like their maid because I loved Tyler. Now, I would never demean myself like that again. Tyler thought I was just being jealous and throwing a tantrum like before. He dismissed it, “Hmph, if it weren’t for Bella, do you think I’d want to stay here? If you still want to marry me, do as I say.” “Even though you’ll be my wife in name, Bella is the true mistress of the Vance household! You have no right to put on airs in front of her.” Bella lowered her head and smiled, leaning provocatively into Tyler’s embrace. I didn’t want to argue with them, nor did I want to stay in this messy house a second longer. I grabbed my bag and prepared to leave. Seeing me leave, Tyler stood up and blocked my path. “Where are you going this late?” “Home!” Tyler’s gaze lingered on my face for a few seconds. “Going home to tattle? What a princess. Don’t think I’ll be scared of you just because of that…” I didn’t want to hear his hurtful words and pushed him aside. He looked incredulous, stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand, his attitude softening slightly. “Alright, stop making a scene.” “You’ve been spoiled and willful since you were a kid, never giving anyone peace… If you really want to go back, I’ll drive you.” He took my bag and reached for his car keys. Bella looked up, gazing at him with wide, teary eyes. “Tyler, are you going to leave me here alone?” “I’m scared being here by myself. What if Elena gets jealous and hires someone to hurt me again?” Tyler’s hand froze in mid-air. Then, his face darkened instantly. “Elena, I really underestimated you. I didn’t know you were this manipulative.” “Acting all high and mighty just to get me out of here so you can hurt Bella!” He threw the bag back at me with a look of disgust. The platinum buckle slammed into my forehead, and a trickle of blood ran down. My head spun, and I almost lost my balance. As I was about to fall, Tyler caught me. A flicker of guilt and an emotion I couldn’t read flashed in his eyes. However, before I could speak, Bella hugged him from behind. The buttons on her chest were undone, revealing quite a bit of skin. “Tyler, don’t go…” Tyler’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He let go of my hand. I looked at the two of them, ready to pounce on each other, and felt a wave of nausea. I picked up my bag and left without looking back. Just as I got into the car, a message from Bella popped up impatiently. 3 A one-minute video. For 59 seconds, they were glued together. “Elena, so what if you’re a rich miss? You lost to me in your last life, and you’re destined to lose to me in this one too!” Looking at her message and recalling Tyler’s strange behavior today, I finally realized: Bella was reborn too. I don’t know what happened after I died in my previous life to make her change her “hard-to-get” strategy and become so aggressive. I couldn’t be bothered to think about it. I blocked Bella immediately. In this new life, I just want to live well for myself. When I got home, I told my parents I wanted to break off the engagement with Tyler. They were shocked. Their eyes fell on the wound on my forehead. Dad’s eyes turned red with pain. “The Vance family has taken so many resources from us because of you all these years, and yet they bully my precious daughter like this! Since he doesn’t cherish you, we don’t need to humble ourselves! Wait here, Daddy will get justice for you!” I quickly stopped my dad from storming out. My own tears fell uncontrollably. In my past life, my parents worried themselves sick over me. When they learned of my suffering in the Vance household, they spent their entire fortune trying to save me. But Tyler declared that even if both families were destroyed, he wouldn’t let me go. After my parents died, he hung Bella’s photo above our bed. Whenever he missed his “white moonlight,” he would choke me, forcing my head up roughly. “You forced Bella to die for the title of Mrs. Vance. Now I’ll make you wear that title and live in agony for the rest of your life to atone for her!” He shattered my dignity and my love for him, bit by bit. In the end, death was my only escape. Thinking of my parents’ heart-wrenching cries after my death, my heart still ached in this new life. Suppressing the immense sorrow, I pulled out the marriage certificate with Julian. “Mom, Dad, I’ve been unfilial. I’ll handle the Vance family myself. I won’t let you worry about me ever again.” They were shocked at first, then overjoyed as they started preparing for the wedding. Partly because they were afraid I’d change my mind, and partly because Julian was simply exceptional. A prestigious family like the Sterlings was far superior to both the Yan and Vance families. Proud as Tyler was, he couldn’t stand the fact that Julian was superior to him in every way, nor could he accept that the Vance family relied on the Sterlings to survive. He had always seen Julian as his mortal enemy. Back in my own home, I slept soundly for the first time in a long while. I woke up early the next morning, planning to pack my things and sell the apartment. But after trying the passcode several times, the door wouldn’t open. Sensing something was wrong, I used the backup key to open it. The apartment was a mess. Used condoms were scattered in the living room. Faint moans were coming from my bedroom. Walking closer, I saw Bella wearing my pajamas, entangled with Tyler. “Sister Elena…” Seeing me, Bella pushed Tyler away, feigning fear. Tyler was flustered for a second, but after composing himself, he immediately shielded Bella behind him. Ignoring the hickeys covering Bella’s body, I looked around. Even though I was mentally prepared, I was still shocked by the sight. My personal belongings were piled up in a chaotic heap. My haute couture gowns were shredded, my Hermès bags covered in graffiti. Even the “lovers’ lock” my grandmother had prayed for on her deathbed for Tyler and me was crushed underfoot. “Tyler said you upset me yesterday, so you needed to be taught a lesson.” “How about this: kneel and apologize to me, and I’ll ask him not to cancel your wedding!” I couldn’t hear anything she was saying. I carefully picked up the broken lock. My mind flashed back to my grandmother on her deathbed, holding mine and Tyler’s hands, refusing to close her eyes until the very end. “I saw the wedding design drafts in the safe. They’re not bad. Bella’s birthday is coming up, so refine the plans and throw her a birthday party first.” “As for our wedding… we’ll talk about it when you learn to behave.” In the past, a single word from Tyler would have made me trample my own dignity to please him. But after experiencing everything in my previous life, I would never wrong myself for him again. I tucked the broken lock into my pocket. Then I picked up the scattered wedding design drafts one by one. “No need. With or without you, my wedding will go on as planned.” The person I loved was trash. But my love wasn’t. I had been preparing these designs since I was eighteen, pouring all my love and effort into them. I wouldn’t allow anyone to defile them. Tyler looked displeased and tried to snatch the drafts from my hand. But when he saw my tear-streaked face, he froze. 4 These tears were different from my usual tantrums. They were the weeping of a heart that had completely given up, ashes after the fire. Tyler didn’t dare meet my gaze. Guiltily looking away, he pulled out a card and placed it in my hand. “Stop crying. It’s just a few clothes; go buy new ones.” “Bella didn’t mean it. You don’t lack these things anyway, can’t you just let her be?” Hearing this, Bella happily kissed Tyler on the cheek. I threw the card back in his face and turned to leave. Tyler was surprised to see my expression return to calm. “Elena, you’re not angry or jealous?” I didn’t answer. I messaged Julian to come pick up the wedding designs. Just after the message went out, Bella suddenly screamed. “Tyler! Why is our video all over the internet… Elena, why did you do this? Are you only happy if you drive me to death?” She cried and threatened to jump off the balcony. Tyler hurriedly stopped her. Seeing the viral video online, his face went pale. “Great, Elena. You are even more vicious than I imagined!” “You really will do anything to marry me. This time, I won’t let you off!” He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. The sharp pain brought a ringing to my ears. Before I could react, he grabbed my neck and dragged me toward the bed. “You like recording videos and posting them online, right? Fine! I’ll satisfy you. Let you be the star for once!” Tyler tore at my clothes violently. Bella, taking the cue, turned on her phone camera. The fear of two lifetimes crashed into my mind. As my jacket was ripped off, I trembled, screaming in near collapse. “Tyler Vance! I didn’t do anything! You can’t do this to me!” Tyler was just like in his past life. He didn’t believe a word I said, ignoring my pain and pleas. He only used violence to vent his dissatisfaction. Fear and anger made me lose my reason. I bit my lip and fumbled for the scissors on the nightstand. Just as I was preparing to take Tyler down with me, the door was kicked open with a bang.

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