My boyfriend of ten years, Ethan Carter, was perfect. He was handsome, brilliant, and successful. His only flaw? He loved tearing me down. If I got an A- instead of an A+, he’d tell me I “wasn’t trying hard enough.” When I finally made my first dollar writing online, he told me my stories were “utter trash.” Later, at the bridal boutique, when Ethan stared at me and sneered that my body wasn’t good enough to look like a real bride… I finally snapped. For the first time in a decade, I screamed at him: “If you think I’m so terrible, why the hell are you marrying me?” At the bridal boutique, when I stepped out of the fitting room, even the strangers nearby gasped. The stylist smiled warmly. “Miss Miller, you’re so tall and elegant. This dress looks absolutely stunning on you.” “Go show your fiancé. He’s going to fall in love with you all over again.” I smiled back nervously. “Maybe. He’s… a bit of a perfectionist.” After ten years with Ethan, I knew his standards. He had never complimented me. Not once. But today, looking at myself in the mirror, with my defined waist and glowing skin perfectly framing the delicate lace of the gown, I couldn’t help but hope. Surely, Ethan would like this. Right? Would he finally call me beautiful? Would his jaw drop like the other grooms in the shop? My heart pounded with nervous anticipation as I walked over and gently tugged on Ethan’s sleeve. But a second later, my hope was brutally crushed.

Ethan turned around. He looked me up and down with cold, calculating eyes. The first words out of his mouth were: “Maya, you’re still too fat.” My smile froze. The stylist beside us went completely stiff. “Your face looks bloated, your arms look thick, and your shoulders look way too broad. It’s totally unflattering.” Ethan sighed, sounding deeply disappointed. “Maya, you don’t look like a bride at all in that.” His voice wasn’t incredibly loud, but it was clear enough for everyone in the boutique to hear. Dozens of eyes locked onto me—some pitying, some mocking, some just watching the drama unfold. In that moment, I didn’t feel like a human being. I felt like a piece of cheap merchandise Ethan was inspecting and rejecting. Tears welled up in my eyes, choking the breath right out of my throat. To fit into this dress, I had done exactly what he wanted. I ran every single day. For three months, I starved myself, living on tiny portions, losing twenty pounds just so I could look perfect on our wedding day. Why was he still doing this to me? Maybe it was the months of hunger, or maybe it was the agonizing weight of shattered expectations. Whatever it was, the girl who had endured his insults for ten years was gone. I ripped the veil off my head. For the first time in my life, I screamed at him. “Ethan! If you think I’m so terrible, then don’t marry me!” “You’re right, I don’t look like a bride. So we’re not doing this. The wedding is off!” While Ethan stared at me in absolute shock, I took a deep breath, finally saying the words that had haunted my mind for years: “Ethan, we’re over. I’m leaving you.”

By the time my best friend, Chloe, came to pick me up, I still couldn’t stop crying. The moment I posted on my Snapchat that the wedding was canceled, my phone blew up. Most of the messages were variations of: “Maya, are you crazy? What did Ethan do?” “He’s such a great guy. If you let him go, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” Even my mom took his side. “I talked to Ethan. It was just a stupid dress, Maya. You’re overreacting. Don’t throw away a good man over nothing.” Meanwhile, Ethan sent me a text with just three words: *Stop being dramatic.* Staring at my phone, a profound sense of helplessness washed over me. No one understood. To the rest of the world, Ethan was the perfect catch. He was drop-dead gorgeous, highly successful, made bank, and had been loyal to me for ten years. His only “quirk” was that he liked to “motivate” me by pointing out my flaws. We were childhood sweethearts. We grew up on the same block. He had always been the golden boy—the straight-A student, the star athlete, the one who excelled at everything while I struggled to keep up. But life has a way of balancing things out. In exchange for his genius, he had a miserable home life. His mother passed away when he was young, and his father was a workaholic who barely noticed him unless Ethan brought home a trophy or an Ivy League acceptance. Because of that, Ethan grew up fast. While other kids were playing tag in the yard, Ethan was winning state math championships. That cold, lonely upbringing turned him into a reserved, distant man. But with me, he showed his sharp, critical tongue. If I got a B instead of an A, he would tap my head and tell me I “wasn’t smart enough.” He’d point at my wrong answers and demand to know how I could make “such stupid mistakes.” If I got third place in a writing competition, he’d roll his eyes, completely disappointed, and call me a “slacker.” Growing up, my mom’s favorite phrase was, “Look at Ethan. He’s so brilliant, always top of his class, winning every award. Why can’t you be more like him?” I spent my entire youth living in Ethan’s shadow. I hated how he made me feel worthless, and I hated how my mom constantly compared us. But when our teenage hormones kicked in, our friends called us “enemies to lovers.” They told me that the way Ethan treated me was just his way of showing he cared. Even when Ethan asked me out, he said: “Maya, if I didn’t love you, do you really think I’d care enough to push you this hard?” That was the first time he had ever spoken to me so softly. His eyes were warm, filled with a rare, gentle smile. With everyone around us cheering, I ignored the quiet warning bells ringing in my heart. I foolishly said yes. And that foolishness lasted ten years.

Chloe was my best friend from college, and she was the only one who supported my decision to walk away. Back in college, Ethan once asked me to meet him at the library to study. Waking up at 7 AM on a Saturday wasn’t easy. Even though I practically sprinted across campus, I was two minutes late. Ethan sat there, arms crossed, his face dark with annoyance. “Maya, why do you have zero sense of time?” “If you’re like this at a job, are you going to keep clients waiting too? What if a million-dollar contract is on the line?” I automatically started to apologize, but Chloe, who was just returning from a morning run, pulled me behind her. “Waking up early on a Saturday just to study with you is torture enough. Maya is amazing for even showing up,” Chloe snapped. “And she was literally two minutes late. Do you really need to make a federal case out of it?” From that day on, Ethan and Chloe hated each other. But Chloe loved to praise me. If I got a B+, she cheered. If I passed my finals, she threw a mini-celebration. Even if I just managed to drag myself to an 8 AM lecture, she’d tell me I was doing great. She’d say, “Don’t listen to Ethan. Our Maya is the absolute best!” That kind of validation was something I had never experienced in my twenty-something years of life. Naturally, I loved spending time with her. But Ethan despised her. “She only praises you to make you complacent. She’s keeping you blind to your own flaws.” “Constructive criticism is the only way to grow. Pointing out your weaknesses is how I show I actually care about your future.” Whenever Chloe’s name came up, Ethan’s jaw would clench, and his lips would press into a thin, tight line. I knew that look. It meant he was angry, and whenever he got angry, I was the one who got lectured. I wanted to defend Chloe. I wanted to tell him she wasn’t like that. But a familiar, paralyzing fear would creep over me, keeping me rooted to the spot. I was terrified. I was terrified of his anger, terrified of his disappointment. When Chloe heard about it later, she just sighed. “Maya, when someone spends years chipping away at your self-esteem, it’s incredibly hard to break free.” “Take your time.” So today, when I finally told her I had dumped him, Chloe was ecstatic. She hugged me tightly and whispered, “Congratulations, babe. You’re finally free.”

Chloe took me to her apartment and let me move into her spare bedroom. When she showed me the room, her eyes were shining. “Maya, look! I decorated it just for you!” I stared at the pastel pink walls, the cute Disney desk, and the plush doll resting on the bed. For a moment, I was completely dazed. Since moving in with Ethan, how long had it been since I’d owned anything like this? Ethan was a strict minimalist. Our apartment was a sterile void of black, white, and gray. Whenever I brought home anything pink or cute, he would sneer, calling my taste “utterly tacky and childish.” The memory hit me, and tears began to stream down my face again. I hugged Chloe, sobbing into her shoulder. If Ethan was a ten-year nightmare I couldn’t wake up from… Then Chloe was the universe’s way of healing me.

A few days later, I went back to the apartment to pack my things. I didn’t expect Ethan to be there, but when I opened the door, he was sitting on the couch. He lazily looked up at me. “Are you done throwing your tantrum? Are you ready to come home?” I forced myself to keep my voice steady. “I’m not throwing a tantrum, Ethan. I meant what I said. We are over.” “I’m only here to pack my things.” To my surprise, Ethan didn’t yell. He just sat there, legs crossed, hands folded, watching me with a smug, knowing smirk. I swallowed the knot in my throat and started packing. Truthfully, I didn’t have much. Most of the things in the apartment were bought by Ethan after we moved in together. When we first started living together, he saw my colorful coffee mugs and patterned towels and frowned. “Maya, your things look so cheap. They’re an eyesore.” The next day, he threw them all in the trash and replaced them with gray ones. When I tried to confront him, he just shrugged. “Your things were embarrassing. They didn’t fit the aesthetic, so I upgraded them.” That was the first time I actually wanted to break up. I couldn’t understand why a simple personal preference had to be treated like a crime. But my mom talked me out of it. “He bought you nicer things, Maya. Let it go. You guys have been together for so long, don’t throw it away over some mugs.” So, I compromised. Only years later did I realize: it wasn’t a small thing. Nothing that makes you feel small is ever a small thing.

The only part of that apartment I actually loved was my writing corner. A simple desk, a lamp, and my laptop. That was where I had written countless stories. I had loved writing since I was a kid, but Ethan always scolded me for “wasting my time on useless fantasies,” so I had put my dream on hold. In college, with more free time, I started writing online again. Ethan was my very first reader. I had eagerly shown him my draft, hoping for a shred of encouragement. But after skimming it, he cold-boiled me with a glare. “This is absolute garbage, Maya. It makes no sense.” “You have zero talent for writing. Give it up.” But for once in my life, I loved something too much to listen to him. I kept writing. And to my surprise, my stories started getting popular. When I received my first payment from the platform, I proudly showed him my dashboard. “Look! I made three hundred dollars from my writing!” I wanted to prove to him that people liked my work. That they were willing to pay for it. I wanted to prove that I wasn’t as useless as he said. But how did Ethan react? He glanced at the screen for a split second, then looked up with utter disdain. “Useless trash.” He looked down at me like I was a charity case. “There are a lot of gullible people on the internet who probably felt sorry for a newbie. You actually think this means you’re a good writer?” “Don’t flatter yourself.” Every single word was a dagger, popping the tiny bubble of hope in my chest and leaving a bleeding, aching wound. After that day, no matter how much money I made from my books, I never mentioned my writing to Ethan again. Now, standing in my old writing corner, I took a deep breath and prepared to pack my laptop. But when I touched the trackpad, the screen lit up. My heart stopped. The folder containing my latest manuscript was gone. It was a 100,000-word draft. Every single sentence had been carefully crafted, representing months of sleepless nights and absolute devotion. I frantically checked the recycle bin. I searched the temporary Word files. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. There was only one person who could have done this. “I deleted it,” Ethan’s voice echoed from the doorway. He was leaning against the frame, looking at me with dark, unreadable eyes. “I realized this useless trash was giving you delusions of grandeur.” “Did you honestly think you could support yourself and leave me with some silly internet stories?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449619”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Everyone was waiting for Tristan to propose to me—his deaf first love—with that rare pink diamond. He had rehearsed the proposal hundreds of times. The entire world was convinced we would end up together. But a sudden earthquake hit, and I vanished, losing all contact. By the time I crawled my way back to survive, he had completely forgotten about me. For his stepmother’s daughter, he smashed the cake I spent all day baking. For her, he went crazy and cried. “Listen, Sera. I don’t care how much I loved you before. Right now, Melanie is my only girlfriend.” Heartbroken and exhausted, I decided to let go. Yet, when I finally walked away, the cold, ruthless man knelt on the wet sand, grabbing my hand, begging. “Don’t leave me, Sera. Without you, I’ll die.” My eyes held nothing but icy indifference. I let out a cold laugh. “The moment you chose to abandon me, Tristan, you were already dead in my heart.” On Tristan’s birthday, he invited his friends to a private VIP club at the mountain peak. By the time I arrived, there were no seats left. One of his friends led me over to him. “Hey Tristan, where should Sera sit?” Tristan glanced at me as I stood outside his luxury car. He spoke carelessly. “Let the deaf girl squeeze in with you guys. I have to go pick up Melanie.” “But man, we’re all driving convertibles and we’ve all got girls. She can’t sit on our laps.” Tristan scoffed, irritation in his voice. “Then let her sit on your laps!” Without another glance at me, he slammed the gas pedal of his silver Bugatti, leaving me in a cloud of dust. Recalling the lip-reading of that conversation, my lips curved into a bitter smile. They didn’t know I could read lips perfectly. I didn’t know how long it took before I finally pushed the doors open to enter the club. The first thing I saw was Tristan gently wiping tears from Melanie’s face. “Don’t cry, Melanie. No one is going to drive you away from me. You’re the one who saved my life.” “I won’t believe a word they say.” When Tristan spotted me, his eyes instantly narrowed into a harsh glare. He had clearly had too much to drink, his face flushed red with alcohol. I quietly retreated to a corner, pulling out a hangover cure from my bag, waiting. Because of my hearing loss, the world was blissfully quiet. The old Tristan used to hate places like this. He used to love curling up in a quiet corner with me, reading books, avoiding the loud crowds. Someone nudged me forward. “Sera,” Tristan called out. I held out my hand to give him the medicine, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me close. “Where is your hearing aid?” His hand brushed against the device hanging behind my ear. Understanding his silent demand, I quickly put it on. The very next second, Tristan grabbed the back of my neck and slammed my face straight into the customized birthday cake on the table. The waiter gasped. The entire room fell dead silent. The cake was beautiful. I had spent a whole day learning from a pastry chef just to make it for him. “Aside from playing the victim and clinging to me like a pathetic beggar, what else can you do? Did you think making this stupid cake would make me love you again?” “Keep dreaming.” The greasy frosting made it hard to breathe. After a sharp, painful buzz in my ears, the whispers and mocking laughter of the crowd flooded in. Melanie had started crying earlier because someone whispered she had stolen her sister’s man. But it was the truth. She had taken advantage of Tristan’s amnesia to steal my place. My heart went cold. “I was the one who saved you, Tristan! Not her!” On the day of the earthquake, despite being severely injured and facing constant aftershocks, I dug through the ruins with my bare hands for a day and a night to pull him out. I stayed by his side without food or water until I passed out. While I was unconscious, Vivian’s daughter discovered Tristan had amnesia. She forged evidence to make herself the hero, and everyone in her family helped her spin the lie. “Is it fun to lie like this? Tristan, you were abroad when it happened. How could you have saved me?” “They fabricated everything to trick you. You can look up the records, Tristan! Don’t believe her!” Tristan sneered. “You are completely insane.” He turned his back on me. “Even if I am being tricked, I’m happy to be.” I used to organize Tristan’s birthdays every year. Tears pricked my eyes as I remembered the year we first met. We were ten. He was an rebellious, unacknowledged illegitimate son. He was only dragged out of the slums because the primary heir of his family had died in an accident. In that dangerous, hostile high-society circle, he was sensitive and cold to everyone. Except me. He was only gentle with me. The year we officially started dating, he held a slightly ugly, homemade cake with trembling hands, his eyes red. He said, “Sera, let’s spend every single birthday together from now on, okay?” I smiled and asked, “What did you wish for?” “To stay by Sera’s side forever. Until the end of time.” My thoughts snapped back to reality. Melanie looked terrified. “Tristan, don’t be like this. Sera is only making up these lies because she can’t let you go.” The smugness in Melanie’s eyes was barely hidden. She looked at my ruined, pathetic state, unable to suppress her joy. “Sera, I know you lost your hearing because you saved me when we were younger. But my family gave you a massive financial settlement for that. Let me make this clear: I will never marry you.” Wiping the frosting from my face, I let out a hollow laugh. Seeing my miserable state, he scoffed. “Clean yourself up and get out.” In the restroom, I used wet wipes to frantically clean the cream off my clothes. It wouldn’t come out. This dress was a gift from Tristan. After I accepted his confession, he had wrapped me in his arms, clumsy but incredibly gentle. “White suits my Sera best.” I used to protect this dress with everything I had. But now, the person who ruined it was Tristan himself. Melanie walked in to wash her hands, her face smug with provocation. “How does it feel to have your face smashed into your own cake?” “Save your breath, Sera. If he wanted to remember you, he would have by now. I’m the one who saved him during the earthquake. His life belongs to me.” I lowered my gaze. “I guess if you tell a lie enough times, you actually start believing it.” I had saved Tristan’s life more times than I could count. When he was depressed and starving himself, when he tried to end his life with a shard of glass, when his family’s enemies targeted him and tried to drown him in the river… I was the one who pulled him through the darkest times of his life. Melanie shook the water off her hands. “He will never remember you. Stop wasting your energy. No one cares about you anyway—not Dad, and definitely not Tristan.” “Just admit it, Sera. You’re just a pathetic, unlovable loser.” My father, Arthur, knew exactly how deeply Tristan and I had loved each other. Yet, in the face of this lie, he chose to side with Melanie. “Your sister said she’d kill herself if she couldn’t be with Tristan! She’s young and foolish, but are you senseless too?” To the public, he was always the righteous, fair businessman. I never expected him to say something so heartless to me. “How do you expect me to be sensible? I’ve given up everything she wanted. Am I supposed to hand over the man I love to her too?” In the middle of the night, Tristan suddenly decided to take everyone to a nearby private island for an overnight trip. They grilled, watched the stars, and admired the bioluminescent bay, leaving me completely ignored in the corner. A woman walked over to me, her tone demanding. “Sera, Tristan said he lost his watch. He wants you to go find it.” “His watch?” “Yeah. It probably fell in the woods over there.” She looked me up and down with deep disdain. “He also said, if you can’t find it, you don’t ever have to show your face in front of him again.” I looked at the pitch-black, silent woods. “Okay.” But by the time I found the watch and walked back, everyone was gone. Only a small blanket was left behind, weighted down by a note with Tristan’s handwriting. [Sera, stay on this island and think about what you did.] When I was finally brought back to the city, I ran a high fever for three straight days. My assistant, Hazel, fed me medicine with a long face, her eyes wide as she frantically signed to me. “It’s not worth it! You almost died for him so many times, and your health is completely ruined. Even if he lost his memory, he has no right to treat you like this!” “Why do you insist on staying by his side? I don’t get it.” I reached out and touched her ear, feeling the edge of her hearing aid. “I don’t get it either. But he will remember. He has to.” I drifted into a hazy sleep until a phone call woke me up. “Sera.” The line was silent for two seconds. “Starlight Hotel, Room 1309. Bring my watch over. And buy some cold medicine on your way.” He was sick? It was pouring rain outside. After waiting fifteen minutes without any Uber picking up my request, I grabbed an umbrella and ran out. Half an hour later, dripping wet, I knocked on Tristan’s hotel door. He opened the door wearing a bathrobe, leaning against the frame while smoking. His collar was open, revealing red scratch marks on his chest. Tristan looked down at me coldly, then turned to the person behind him with a smirk. “See, Melanie? I told you she’d run over even in a storm. You lost the bet.” Looking at Tristan, every cell in my body went numb with cold. “Here is your medicine and your watch. I’m not feeling well, so I’m leaving.” Melanie called out to me. “We’re sisters, after all. I’m so sorry we made you run errands in this weather. Come in and dry off.” There wasn’t a shred of apology in her voice. Tristan frowned at my dripping wet figure. “If she tells you to come in, come in.” “Wait a second. Why are you bringing your bag inside? If anything goes missing, Tristan and I won’t be able to explain it.” What could I possibly steal? I let out a mocking laugh. But when I finished drying off and walked out of the bathroom, I saw Tristan playing with the voice recorder from my bag. “Sera, I didn’t realize you were this sick. You actually sneakily recorded my voice?” He pressed play. “Sera, goodnight.” “I love you.” “I’ll always miss you.” The audio cut off. Tristan gripped the recorder tightly. “Did you seriously think you could wake up my memory with these fake, edited clips?”

“They aren’t fake,” I explained quietly. Tristan had recorded those secretly. He had to fly abroad for a week for a major bidding project, but that day happened to be our 100-day anniversary. Back then, I was studying for my master’s degree and often stayed up late organizing notes. He had secretly used my recorder to leave those three sentences. During the year he was missing, there were so many nights I couldn’t get through. I survived by listening to that recording on loop. Tristan turned to me. “Listen. I don’t care how much I loved you before. Right now, Melanie is my only girlfriend.” Right in front of my face, he deleted the files, completely wiping the memory card. That was the last recording of his voice I had. The rest had already been destroyed by Melanie. I wasn’t willing to accept this. I couldn’t accept that the boy who once looked at me with nothing but absolute devotion had completely forgotten and discarded me. I couldn’t accept standing by and doing nothing while he loved someone else. Everyone told me to let it go. But… “Tristan, did you really forget everything? Did you forget when we were ten, I had a high fever and you carried me on your back for a mile just to hail a cab to the hospital?” “Did you forget how we skipped classes to climb walls just to see a concert? Did you forget how you kept practicing your speech to propose to me…” Melanie’s expression grew increasingly panicked. She clutched Tristan’s arm, looking at his tense face. “Tristan… if you remember, will you stop wanting me?” Tristan’s face suddenly went cold. “Enough! I don’t want to remember any of it!” The next second, a painful yank pulled at my ear. My hearing aid was ripped away and clamped in Tristan’s hand. My eyes widened in panic. “What are you doing? Tristan, give it back!” Tristan walked to the window and threw it out. “I don’t want to hear another word from you.” I scrambled to the window, leaning out so far to catch it that I almost fell. Tristan reacted instantly, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back, yelling in anger, “Sera! Are you insane?! Do you want to die?!” Melanie was visibly startled by my reaction. “Maybe I am insane,” I whispered. Tristan froze. “You can hear me?” Suppressing the bitter ache in my chest, I spoke coldly, “I can read lips. Everything you say, I know.” I pushed him away and ran downstairs to find the hearing aid. This hearing aid was a gift from Tristan. He once said, “Sera, let me be your ears.” He also said, “Once all the family drama is over, we’ll get married.” I held the shattered pieces of the hearing aid in my palm and sobbed uncontrollably in the rain. I went to the hospital alone to get fitted for a new hearing aid. I sat quietly in the corner of the hallway, watching people pass by. In the past, whenever I came to the hospital, Tristan was always by my side. He would handle all the paperwork, treating me like a fragile princess. I unlocked my phone and saw Melanie’s Instagram post. [So happy @Tristan] I hesitated for a second before clicking on the video. On the screen, Tristan was wearing a tailored suit, kneeling on a red carpet, holding a diamond ring as he proposed to Melanie. “Melanie, from the moment you saved my life, I knew I belonged to you. I will use all my love to make you happy. Will you marry me?” Melanie covered her mouth in tears of joy. “Yes! I do!” As she nodded, Tristan let out two tears, pulled her up, and kissed her. The heartwarming scene did nothing to warm my frozen heart. My vision went black, and I collapsed in the hospital hallway. The only person who rushed over to take care of me was Hazel. Hazel signed to me with teary eyes, “Rest up. I put your phone on silent. Just sleep. Everything will be better tomorrow.” I drifted into a restless sleep until a loud bang woke me up. Hazel was violently pushed to the floor by Tristan. He stormed toward my bed. Before I could react, his hands wrapped tightly around my throat. His fingers turned white from the sheer force, his veins bulging. It felt like he wanted to crush my neck. As suffocation took over my brain, Hazel scrambled up, using her small body to frantically pull Tristan away. She was mute, unable to scream. She could only watch in terror as my pale face turned purple. “Tell me! Where did you hide Melanie?! She’s your sister!” Desperate, Hazel grabbed a vase from the nightstand and smashed it over Tristan’s head. A drop of blood fell onto my cheek. Tristan snapped out of his frantic state, his grip on my throat loosening, though his red handprints remained bruised on my skin. Tristan clutched his bleeding forehead, looking tortured. “Sera… Melanie is missing. I’ve searched the entire city and I can’t find her.” He pulled out Melanie’s phone. “The last text she sent was to you.” [Sera, Tristan proposed to me. I thought about it all night, and I feel so guilty. I’m giving him back to you. You must take good care of him like we agreed. I won’t ever show my face to you guys again.] “What agreement? What did you agree with her?” Due to the lack of oxygen, my vision was blurry. “I don’t know where she is.” His hands tightened again. “Stop lying! Who else would want her gone besides you?” “So… that’s the kind of cheap, malicious person I am to you.” Seeing the last spark of light fade from my eyes, Tristan froze for a split second. “I’ll say it one last time. I didn’t kidnap anyone.” Tristan was on the verge of losing his mind. Outside, the storm raged on. In the quiet hospital room, a sharp ringtone broke the silence. “Tristan! We found Melanie’s location using her GPS. She’s at the edge of the cliff! Hurry, she’s going to jump!” Tristan glared at me, then dragged me out of the hospital bed. “You’re coming with me to explain everything.” Hazel tried to block him, typing frantically on her phone, but Tristan completely ignored her. He brutally ripped the IV needle out of the back of my hand, making me gasp in pain. I was thrown into his car. Before I could even buckle my seatbelt, he slammed on the gas. He drove like a maniac through the storm, nearly hitting several cars. With a loud screech, the car skidded on the wet road and crashed into a tree. Terrified, I reached out to check on Tristan’s condition. But he ignored me, restarted the engine with bloodshot eyes, and fought the steering wheel. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen him look this desperate. But this time, it wasn’t for me. “Melanie, you have to be okay…” The scent of blood filled the car. Five minutes later, we finally arrived at the edge of the cliff along the highway. The rain poured down, soaking Melanie’s dress in mud. “Melanie! Don’t do anything stupid! I swear I only love you!” Tristan screamed. She sobbed loudly. “Don’t come near me! I can’t live with this guilt and my love for you. Please forgive me for being selfish!” Tristan shoved me toward her. “Sera! Tell her! Tell her you’ll announce to the media that we broke up mutually!” Our love story had been highly publicized by the media, and our engagement was public knowledge. I turned to look at him, but his eyes were completely fixed on Melanie. He roared at me, entirely blind to the last shred of hope dying in my eyes. “Say it!”

I slowly slid the engagement ring off my finger and threw it off the cliff. “I will make it clear to the media.” He had placed that ring on my finger himself, telling me I could never take it off until our wedding day. “Melanie, did you hear that? She said it herself!” Tristan yelled. It felt like my heart had been tossed into boiling oil, then instantly frozen in ice. Melanie’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly. But suddenly, the wet mud beneath her feet gave way, and she slipped over the edge. She screamed, grabbing a loose pine branch. Tristan rushed forward to catch her, but his right shoulder had been dislocated during our car crash earlier. “Tristan, don’t let go! I don’t want to die! Pull me up!” Melanie clung to his injured arm. Tristan’s face contorted in agony, but he squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Hold on!” The rain made everything slippery, and their grip was sliding. I ran forward and grabbed Melanie’s other arm. “Hold on! We’ll pull you up!” With a hard tug, we managed to pull her back onto safe ground. But just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a violent force slammed into my chest, shoving me backward. With a sharp gasp, I lost my balance and tumbled off the cliff. At the brink of death, my hands instinctively clawed at the wet rocks. Three of my fingernails ripped completely off, exposing raw flesh and mud. The agonizing pain snapped me into absolute clarity. Tristan hadn’t expected me to fall. “Sera! Hold on! I’m coming down to get you!” He held onto a thin tree trunk, reaching his hand down to me. Melanie stood frozen above. “Tristan, don’t go down! What if you fall too? Let’s just call the rescue team!” “Sera, don’t blame me… I didn’t mean to push you.” She stood there watching us, the rain washing over our faces. Tristan’s head throbbed with a sharp pain. “Sera… grab my hand!” I looked at Tristan’s pale face. Slowly, my bloody fingers slipped from his grip. I didn’t have the strength to hold on anymore. “Tristan, this time, I’m letting go.” Hearing my words, a look of sheer terror flashed in his eyes. Maybe he finally remembered. He remembered a girl who had once held onto his hand over a suspension bridge, holding on even when her lips were bitten raw and her hands were covered in blood. That day, Tristan had looked at my bleeding hands and screamed, “Sera, let go! If you don’t, you’ll fall with me!” “I won’t!” That day, his family’s enemies had staged a car crash to eliminate him. We had crawled out of the wreckage, nearly falling hundreds of feet into the river below. “I don’t have any warmth or energy left to wait for you to remember anymore.” Even if he got his memory back, he was no longer the Tristan who loved me. “Sera! Hold on to me!” “Tristan,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “I really don’t want you anymore.” My body felt like it was on fire, scratched and pierced by branches as I fell. When I finally opened my eyes again, the world was silent and dark. I couldn’t hear… and I couldn’t see. Until someone gently placed a brand new hearing aid behind my ear and pulled me into a warm embrace. The man’s hot chest pressed against my back. He leaned close to my neck, his breath warm. “Sera, you lost the bet.” “Now, will you finally look at me?” He intertwined his fingers with mine, his cool lips gently pressing against my scarred, battered fingers. A shiver ran down my spine. “Do you want me to destroy them for you?” Julian’s voice was dark, devoid of any warmth, yet laced with a dangerous, possessive affection. “I’ll be your loyal dog, Sera. Only yours.” Fortunately, my blindness was temporary. By the time I filed a lawsuit against Melanie for attempted murder, Arthur arrived at the hospital with Vivian and Melanie in tow. But they weren’t here to check on my health. The moment Arthur walked in, he slapped me across the face. “Sera! How dare you sue your own sister? Are you trying to make our family the laughingstock of the city?” I had long stopped expecting any warmth from him. “Really? Since when does a sister push her own sister off a cliff?” I threw my phone onto the bed, playing the video. In the recording, Melanie hadn’t slipped and accidentally pushed me. She had clearly waited for the perfect moment to shove me down. I had to thank Tristan’s dashcam for recording everything so clearly. It was just a pity that my vision hadn’t fully recovered yet, so I couldn’t see their terrified, pale faces. Melanie’s smug face contorted with fear. “How… how is this possible? I thought I deleted…” Arthur turned to Melanie in disbelief. “What is the meaning of this?!” He quickly slipped back into his role of the stern, righteous father. Melanie, realizing the deleted video had somehow ended up in my hands, lost her mind. She grabbed my phone and smashed it on the floor, screaming hysterically, “This video is fake! Sera, you’re framing me just because you want to ruin my life!” Even now, she was still acting. I truly admired her acting skills. “Whether the video is fake or not, the police forensics team will decide. And by the way, that wasn’t the only copy.” “Melanie, I’m giving you one chance to apologize. Once you miss it, you’re done.” Vivian knew her daughter well. Realizing Melanie was guilty, she panicked. She raised her hand and slapped Melanie hard. “Kneel down and apologize to your sister!” Melanie clutched her bruised cheek, stomping her foot as she fled the room. “Sera, don’t even dream of getting an apology from me!” By the time Vivian ran out to chase her, Melanie had already vanished. Vivian turned back to me with a tight, fake smile. “Sera, your sister is just immature. I’ve already punished her for you.” A light slap on the cheek counted as punishment? “Oh, is that a punishment? I thought you would punish her the way you used to punish me, Vivian.” When I was six, I tried to save a stray cat Melanie was torturing. In the process, I accidentally stepped on a few of Vivian’s precious roses. When she found out, she whipped my legs with a thick steel ruler until they were black and blue, leaving me unable to stand. Then, she locked me in a dark, cramped closet for two days without food. No matter how much I screamed and cried, she never softened. If a maid hadn’t remembered to let me out, I would have died in there. And now, a single slap was supposed to make us even? How cheap did she think my life was? “Look at me now. I’m half dead. Do you really think a slap is enough?” Vivian’s face darkened, but she couldn’t snap back. “Then what do you want?” I tilted my head and smiled. “Well, I haven’t decided yet. Actually… I don’t really want to forgive her. How about you kneel down in her place, and maybe I’ll think about it?” As we stood in a tense standoff, Tristan suddenly pushed the door open and walked in. “Sera, don’t push people too far!”

I laughed out loud, my voice dripping with mockery. “I haven’t even done anything yet, and you already think I’m pushing them too far, Tristan? If that’s the case, tell Melanie to come here herself and beg for my mercy.” “We’re sisters, after all. Right?” I whispered the last word, my casual attitude making Tristan’s blood boil. “I was the one who made you go to the cliff, so I’ll take responsibility for your injuries. But you fell because you lost your footing, you can’t blame Melanie. Besides, you’re alive and well now.” What a twisted logic. “Who told you I fell because I lost my footing? And who told you I am ‘alive and well’?” “Look at my eyes. The doctor said they were almost blinded by the branches.” Right in front of him, I unpeeled the thick bandages wrapped around my hands. Instantly, the horrific wounds were exposed. My finger bones were severely bruised, and the raw flesh, though scabbed over, looked terrifying. When I pulled back the hospital gown, my skin was covered in deep purple bruises, with a long, jagged scar stretching from my arm all the way to my collarbone. Even Arthur frowned at the sight. No woman would willingly ruin her own body like this. And everyone knew my profession. I was a pianist. My hands were my life. “You…” Tristan stammered, his voice caught in his throat. “I didn’t know you were hurt this badly… I thought…” I ignored the guilt in his eyes. “Didn’t you say I’m alive and well, so I shouldn’t complain? Now you see exactly how ‘well’ I am.” “If I hadn’t been lucky, you would be looking at a corpse right now. What right do you have to ask me to let it go, Tristan?” I looked up, my voice dead cold. “Even if a wound heals, does it mean it was never cut open?” “I’m tired. If you aren’t here to sincerely apologize, get out.” Tristan stood frozen, staring at me. Finally, he dragged a chair over to my bedside. “I misunderstood you, and I caused your injuries. To make it up to you, I will personally take care of you until you recover.” Tristan didn’t look much better himself. His arm was in a cast, his head wrapped in gauze, and his face was extremely pale. He tried to play the emotional card. “You said I used to love you a lot. What was I like back then?” My lips trembled under the bandages, my eyes turning wet. “He would believe me unconditionally.” Tristan didn’t stay long. A frantic phone call came in from Melanie. “Tristan! I’m standing downstairs, and several police officers just arrived to arrest me!” “I’m so scared… where are you?” Tristan hung up the phone with one hand. “Sera, I have to handle something. Wait for me to come back.” As his footsteps faded down the hall, I clutched the blanket and let out a cold, mocking laugh. He promised to take care of me, yet without a second thought, he abandoned me again to run to Melanie. “Sera, please forgive your sister,” Arthur sighed deeply. “Sure,” I smiled brightly. “Really?” Vivian asked with hope in her eyes. “Tell her to throw herself off that same cliff. If she breaks an arm and gets her face ruined, I’ll drop the charges immediately.” Vivian bit her lip, and with a loud thud, she fell to her knees before me. It was a heavy, painful drop. “You said you’d forgive her if I knelt. I beg you, Sera. She’s still young, she can’t have a criminal record.” My face remained expressionless. “I said I’d think about it, Vivian. You actually knelt?” Melanie, having evaded the police, ran back into the room. The moment she saw Vivian kneeling before me, her eyes turned red and she burst into tears. “Mom! Don’t kneel to her!” The police officers quickly caught up. Vivian held onto Melanie’s hand, begging the officers, “Please, officer! My daughter is a good girl! She didn’t do anything!” Once the chaotic noise finally faded down the hallway, I leaned back against my pillow, exhausted. Suddenly, someone pulled back my blanket and slid in beside me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, sharing his warmth with me. “Sera, choose me. I will never betray you.” My heart felt incredibly complicated. “Julian, I don’t love you.” “It doesn’t matter,” he whispered, twirling a strand of my hair around his fingers. “I can wait until you completely clear him out of your heart.” I had saved Julian under a bridge during my freshman year of college. Unlike Tristan, Julian was the legitimate heir of the powerful Julian family. But the fight for succession in his family was brutal. Our relationship was strange—he was always quiet, cold, and eccentric. Later, on the day of my engagement to Tristan, he left the country. When I heard his name again, he had become a powerful figure no one dared to cross. I never knew he held such deep, dark feelings for me. He gently traced the soft palm of my hand. “I’ll make them beg on their knees for your forgiveness.” “I’ve already set everything up. Just wait for him to come crawling back.” The Melanie family was already in chaos because of Melanie’s arrest. Normally, they could have resolved this with some money, but because of pressure from the Julian family, every door was slammed in their face. I ignored all the calls from Arthur and Vivian. Once my vision fully returned, I went to the hospital to schedule my cochlear implant surgery. Just as I reached the clinic door, Tristan called. Hearing Tristan’s voice, Julian’s grip on my waist tightened. He leaned against my shoulder, his breathing turning heavy and dark. “Sera, can you please let your sister go?” I shrugged, looking at Julian with a smile. Half of his face was shadowed in the dim light of the hallway, looking dangerously beautiful. Even if I wanted to let her go, Julian wouldn’t allow it. I stared at my scarred hand, my tone dripping with mockery. “I already told you. Unless she throws herself off that cliff and rips off three of her own fingernails, I won’t drop the charges.” “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” “Wait,” Tristan inhaled sharply. “Sera, can you return the 5% of company shares I gave you?” Return them? Why on earth would I? I directly sent him a video clip. “You forgot, didn’t you?” In the video, a younger Tristan smiled brightly at the camera. “Today, I am voluntarily transferring 5% of my company shares to my beloved Sera. I will never take them back.” In the video, my past self gasped. “How can you do that?” “Sera, you saved my life so many times. Without you, I wouldn’t have anything I have today. If I ever betray you in the future, I hope I die a horrible death.” I had jumped into his arms in the video. “Don’t make such horrible vows!” “Then you can rest easy, because I will never make a mistake. I will only ever believe in my Sera.” The chat window went silent, showing [Typing…]. Tristan called back. “I’ll buy the shares back from you. Name your price.” Name my price? Could he ever afford the price of my youth, my energy, and the agonizing pain in my body and soul? “Thirty billion dollars, Tristan. Are you buying?” “Sera, you are completely out of your mind!” The doctor inside called my name. Julian stood close, his large hands cupping my face. He pressed a soft kiss against my eyelashes. “Sweetheart, pay attention to me,” his deep, magnetic voice whispered in my ear, warm and seductive. “Do you want me to get you a pillow? It’ll make the seat more comfortable.” I blinked, slightly dazed. Since when was he this polite? His voice was clearly heard by Tristan over the line. “Sera! What are you doing? Why is there a man with you?!” Asking me this now? Isn’t it a bit too late? “Tristan, what I do with other men is none of your business. Don’t you think your question is incredibly pathetic and inappropriate?” I hung up immediately. Julian leaned down, pressing his lips against my collarbone. “Sera, I’m jealous.” I gently patted his head. “Julian, I’m never looking back.” Tristan’s family company was in complete chaos. A mysterious force was aggressively buying up board seats, aiming to overthrow Tristan as the majority shareholder. Coincidentally, my 5% shares were the key to tipping the scale. Tristan’s father, Charles, who had already retired, had to step in to protect the company. Over the phone, he tried to play nice. “Sera, I’ve always approved of you and Tristan. In my heart, you are the only daughter-in-law of our family.” “Really? But he’s the one who wanted to call off the engagement in front of the media.” Charles let out a dry laugh. “He’s just acting out. Once you two are married, he will realize who is truly good to him.” In the dimly lit room, Julian was gently applying ointment to my scars, his hand resting on my waist, tightening slightly. He stared at me, a dark fire dancing in his eyes, laced with testing and laziness. “Tell him… as long as Tristan marries you, you will hand over the 5% shares as a wedding gift.”

Julian narrowed his eyes, gently pinching my chin. Seeing how easily the situation had turned, Charles’s voice filled with joy over the phone. “Deal.” He didn’t care who Tristan married; he only cared about his own profits. As expected, Tristan called me shortly after. His voice was hoarse and dripping with pain. “Sera! I will never marry you! Don’t even dream of it!” “I’m impressed you still have the energy to scream at me.” Tristan had grown up being beaten by his father, only rebelling once he became an adult. In the past, I used to hate Charles’s harsh parenting. Whenever Tristan was beaten and locked up, I would sneak in to bring him medicine. “The more you don’t want to do something, the more I’ll make you do it,” I laughed softly. “I’ll be waiting for you to beg me to marry you.” Because of Tristan’s constant delays, his family’s company began to fracture from within. I spent my days peacefully in my new apartment, watering flowers and reading books. Meanwhile, Tristan was running around frantically, trying to make up for the financial damage my 5% shares could cause. Julian stayed by my side, making every day peaceful and sweet. He personally dried my wet hair, lifting me up to sit on the counter. “Sera, it’s time for him to come beg.” Under pressure from his father, Tristan finally agreed to marry me. Charles arranged a private meeting for us. Tristan glared at me, his eyes filled with a rage that wanted to tear me to pieces. I took a sip of my tea. “Mr. Charles, Tristan doesn’t seem very willing. Let’s just forget it. I don’t like forcing people.” Charles immediately stood up. “To marry a girl as beautiful and talented as you is his blessing! How could he be unwilling?” Charles left the room to let us talk privately, giving Tristan a warning look before he closed the door. “Tell me, what do you actually want?” Tristan smashed his teacup onto the table, his eyes burning with hatred. “Didn’t you say you loved me? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lied to you… and pushed you to this point.” Irritated by my words, Tristan stood up to leave. “Go ahead. The moment you walk out that door, I’ll dump my shares into the open market.” Tristan slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Before he could throw another tantrum, I spoke quietly, “Call Melanie. Tell her the good news about our wedding.” Tristan’s throat bobbed. He suppressed his rage, looking conflicted and miserable. “You need to think this through.” When Melanie, who was still in the detention center, heard the news, she screamed and almost passed out. I took the phone from Tristan’s hand, listening to her hysterical cries with a cold smile. “Melanie, this is how it feels to have what belongs to you stolen. Do you like it?” On the day we went to try on wedding dresses, Tristan handed me a share transfer agreement. “Sign this now, and we’ll get married.” His tone was incredibly cold, making me burst out laughing. “You seem to have forgotten, Tristan. I’m the one holding all the cards here.” Tristan frowned. “Then what do you want?” I looked at the faint, pale ring mark on my finger, tilting my head. “Go find the engagement ring you made me throw off the cliff.” “The moment you bring it back is the moment I sign this contract.” I walked into the dressing room alone. I saw Julian standing inside, his long eyelashes casting a shadow over his dark, silent eyes. I pulled the curtain shut. Julian stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist from behind. “The wedding dress is beautiful. I wish you’d only wear it for me.” Looking at my reflection in the mirror, the scars on my shoulders were hard to hide. Julian suddenly leaned down and pressed a deep kiss against my scar. I gasped, quickly covering my mouth with my hand. At that moment, the sound of Tristan’s leather shoes echoed outside the dressing room. “Sera, I’ll go find the ring. You better keep your word.” Seeing my tense expression, Julian smirked. He pressed closer to my lower back, his breath warm against my ear. “Sera, do you like this?” Overwhelmed by the sensation, I couldn’t find the strength to answer Tristan. I bit my lip and glared at Julian. Hearing no response, Tristan reached out to pull back the curtain. “Are you in there?” I couldn’t take it anymore. I leaned forward and bit Julian’s hand. “Stop it!” Julian let out a low chuckle, his handsome face filled with dark amusement. “I’m changing… Tristan, I want you to personally find that ring and bring it back to me.” I followed Tristan to the highway cliff. I watched him use climbing gear to go down the cliff again and again, searching through the mud and rocks only to return empty-handed. Eventually, I got bored and left him there. Later, the hospital contacted me saying Tristan had lost his footing, tumbled down the cliff, and stayed trapped there all night. Fortunately, he was rescued. I walked into his hospital room at a leisurely pace. He was covered in bruises, his leg wrapped in a thick cast. “Did you find it?” Tristan coughed violently. “No. I couldn’t find it.” I curled my lips into a sweet, innocent smile. “Of course you couldn’t. I had my people retrieve it days ago.” “Sera! You played me!” He tried to sit up in anger, but I pressed him back down by his injured shoulder. “Tristan, remember this feeling. This is what it feels like to be played. Does it feel good?” His eyes were filled with a chaotic mix of emotions as he stared at me. He seemed to remember that rainy day on the cliff. After a long silence, his lips parted. “I’m sorry…” I had waited so long for this apology. But now, it felt incredibly cheap. “Throwing something away is so easy, Tristan. But trying to find it again? It’s harder than climbing to heaven.” I loosened my grip on the lawsuit, allowing Melanie to be released on bail. If she stayed locked up, the game wouldn’t be fun anymore. The moment Melanie was released, she threw a massive tantrum. She tried to go to Tristan’s house multiple times, but Charles blocked her every single time. She was furious but had no way to vent. The current situation was too tense, and her family didn’t dare let her make a scene that would attract the media. In desperation, Melanie staged a suicide attempt by pretending to take an overdose. Of course, it was just a show. Unfortunately for her, it barely made a splash. When I heard the news, I walked into her hospital room. The moment she saw me, she grabbed a flower vase and threw it straight at my head. Arthur stood by her side, his face cold and disappointed. Looking at the chaotic state of the family, his patience had worn thin. “Sera, look at what you’ve done to this family! Do you even respect me as your father?!” Since he asked, I decided to be completely honest. “Do you even deserve to be called my father? From the moment you helped Melanie steal everything I worked for, crushing my dreams into the dirt, you should have known our relationship was dead.” I had recently discovered through a private investigator that Melanie was only a year younger than me. That meant while my mother was dying of cancer in her hospital bed, Arthur was already sleeping with Vivian. When I was five, they moved into our house, taking over my mother’s room and belongings. Because Melanie was jealous of my talent in dancing when we were children, she staged a “car accident” that crushed my bones, ensuring I could never dance again. She had spent her entire life trying to eliminate me. “I only called you ‘Dad’ out of respect for giving me life. But do you deserve it? This cold, rotten family makes me sick.” Arthur’s blood pressure spiked, and he clutched the hospital bed, gasping for air. “I’ve already sent the legal severance agreement to the house. You better sign it.” I looked at him coldly. “Otherwise, if any ‘accidents’ happen to you, I will fight with everything I have to take every single penny of your inheritance and spend it all.” “You better stay alive, because I have a massive gift waiting for you all.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449618”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

During our mandatory weekend corporate retreat, I took leave to be by my wife’s side for her emergency surgery. When I got back, Marcus fined me seven thousand dollars in front of the entire office. “Company policy states that team synergy comes before everything else!” Marcus barked. “Ethan, as a senior designer, you set a terrible example by skipping a company event. Your penalty is doubled!” The very next day, I saw his young secretary, Tiffany, carrying a brand-new Chanel bag worth exactly seven thousand dollars. So that’s how he wanted to play? Fine. I’m done being his doormat! The news of me getting fined seven thousand dollars for skipping the retreat spread through the office like wildfire. In the breakroom, my long-time rival, Carter, looked at me and shook his head. “Man, you should have just sucked it up and apologized. You’ve got to request time off way in advance.” “I submitted the paperwork a week ago. He sat on it and refused to approve it on purpose,” I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee. Carter leaned in, his eyes widening. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, but Marcus’s connection just got back from overseas. Supposedly some hotshot Ivy League grad. He wants to bring him in to burnish his own resume.” The puzzle pieces instantly clicked. The whole “making an example out of me” speech was pure garbage. Marcus just wanted an excuse to kick me down so he could promote his own guy. Fine. I’d gladly clear the path for them. The moment I got back to my desk, Tiffany tapped on my computer monitor. “Ethan, pack up your office. You’re moving out to the common area.” I glanced at the open cubicles outside. Our design department was structured with open cubicles, but as the lead designer, I had a private office to meet with clients. Moving me out was a blatant demotion. “Tiffany, you can’t just tell me to pack up. I need an official notice.” “An official notice? Sure, let me spell it out for you. You’ve been stripped of your lead title. You’re just a regular designer now. Got it?” Just then, Marcus walked out of his office. Seeing me still sitting there, he frowned. “What’s taking so long, Ethan? Why aren’t you moving?” “Tiffany says I’ve been demoted. Just because I missed a retreat?” “Exactly. I’ve already reported this to the Chairman. You refused to participate in team building and openly defied company policy. You’re lucky you aren’t fired. You’re on probation now. If you don’t like it, feel free to file a complaint with HR!” I chuckled. “Alright. But I want the company to issue an official written notice. Otherwise, I’m not moving a single box.” Marcus pointed a finger at me. “You asked for it! Tiffany, draft the notice right now! Some people just don’t know when to be grateful. Let’s show him how things work around here!” Within two minutes, Tiffany pinged the entire company WhatsApp group with the official PDF of my demotion. I saved the document to my personal drive, packed my things, and walked out to the cubicles. Right after that, Tiffany added a new user to our group chat. “Everyone, please welcome Tristan, our new Design Lead! He’s a prestigious Ivy League grad and will be leading the design department starting today!” Everyone in the office stared at me in shock. I didn’t say a word. I just sat at my new cubicle, pulled out my phone, and started playing games. A few suck-ups in the chat sent welcoming emojis, but the atmosphere in the office was dead silent. Everyone knew what was really happening—I had been robbed. My former team members came over to vent for me. “Ethan, this is messed up. They can’t just throw you out like this. It’s dirty.” “Yeah, we just submitted the new blueprints yesterday. If the client asks about the changes, what are we supposed to say?” I shrugged. “Management made the call. We just do what we’re told.” My calm reaction left them utterly confused. But I wasn’t about to waste my breath. It was obvious they wanted to use my hard work to feed this new guy’s ego. Too bad they were in such a rush. Half an hour later, Tristan walked out of his office, clearly looking to establish dominance over me. “We have thirty designers in this department. Some people have been slacking off and collecting free paychecks. That ends today,” he announced loudly. “Starting now, everyone must submit one complete design concept per day. If you can’t finish, you stay late. If you can’t handle the pressure, the door is right there.” He then pointed a finger directly at me. “You. Ethan, right? I heard about you before I got here. I don’t care how many successful projects you had in the past. Under my watch, you follow the rules. Understood?” He looked down at me, his face dripping with arrogance. I nodded and gave him a dry smile. “Understood.”

Seeing how compliant I was, Tristan smirked. He went on to add two more rules: strict clock-in times and detailed client feedback logs. The office instantly erupted into quiet groans. Sometimes we had to meet clients across town, and some weren’t even in the same state. It was impossible to clock in physically at the office every morning. This new system was going to ruin everyone’s schedule. But as soon as the complaints started, Marcus shut them down. “No rules, no order! Did you all forget about the seven-thousand-dollar fine we just handed out? Let me tell you, I brought Tristan in to fix your lazy, undisciplined habits!” The room went dead silent. I kept my mouth shut. If they wanted me to clock in, I’d clock in. If they wanted daily sketches, I’d sketch. I was in no rush. In five days, they would regret this. Tristan officially took over my office that afternoon, acting like he owned the place. I wasn’t bothered at all. I spent ten minutes using an AI generator to produce a basic design sketch, submitted it before 5:00 PM, shut down my computer, and clocked out. Carter saw me leaving and teased, “Not staying to save the company today?” “Hey, we have to follow the new rules, right? Strict work hours,” I waved at him and walked out. Carter was the second-best designer in the department. He had been trying to take my job for years, but now that I was demoted, he didn’t get the promotion either. Instead, some random guy had parachuted in over both of us and brought a bunch of annoying micro-management rules with him. Seeing me leave, Carter rolled his eyes, shut down his laptop, and left too. Getting off work exactly on time was a luxury I hadn’t experienced in years. Normally, I would be revising blueprints or negotiating with clients until midnight, only to find out they liked the very first draft best. This level of freedom was actually nice. On my way home, I picked up some groceries and made a warm pot of soup for Chloe. She was surprised to see me home so early. When she found out I had been demoted, she looked incredibly guilty. “Is this because of my surgery?” “It has nothing to do with you, honey. Honestly, the company needed a wake-up call anyway. Who says only Gen Z can quiet quit? I can do it too.” Chloe finally smiled, her worries washing away. Since I actually had a free evening, I set up the projector and we watched a movie together. I posted a picture of our cozy setup on my Instagram. Carter commented almost instantly: Look at you, living the dream! I replied with a smiley face. But when I checked the company WhatsApp group, it was a war zone. Marcus was throwing passive-aggressive shade in the group chat. “Some people only care about enjoying life. Have you finished your deliverables? Are you making enough money to afford being this lazy?” Seeing him target me so obviously, I laughed out loud. I tagged him directly in the group chat. “Marcus, let’s keep business separate from personal life. I value my health. I enjoy my free time, but I also haven’t missed a single deadline.” Then, I uploaded my entire quarterly performance report and client feedback logs directly into the chat. The Chairman and senior executives were in this group, so I had absolutely nothing to fear. Sure enough, a second later, Marcus slid into my DMs, frantically demanding I delete the message. I ignored him and put my phone on Do Not Disturb. The next morning, the moment I walked into the office, I was summoned to Marcus’s office. Marcus stared at me, his eyes dark. “I’m not going to waste my breath, Ethan. Hand over your current client files to Tristan today. Also, pay your fine.” “The transition is fine. But I don’t have seven thousand dollars in cash. Just deduct it from my salary. My wife’s surgery was expensive. I’m broke.” Marcus sneered. “Don’t play games with me.” “I’m not playing games, boss. I requested leave a week ago, and I told you three months ago that my wife was having surgery and money would be tight. That’s why I took on those high-budget clients, which you approved. I’m broke. If you want seven grand, take it out of my commission. My bonus and commissions for this month should be around that much anyway.”

Hearing this, Marcus’s brows furrowed tightly. I raised an eyebrow at him. “Seriously, I don’t have the cash. Do what you have to do.” I turned and walked out. Livid, his face turned purple, and he chased after me into the main floor. “Ethan, don’t think you’re untouchable just because you’ve been here a long time!” The entire department stopped and stared. I turned around calmly. “I don’t think that at all, Marcus. I follow the rules. Just deduct it.” Marcus thought I was bluffing. He immediately instructed payroll to alter my pay stub. Aside from my base salary, my entire seven thousand dollars in commission was wiped out! I remained completely unbothered. I kept showing up on time, leaving exactly at five, and submitting basic sketches. They couldn’t find a single real reason to write me up. Until Mr. Harrison from Apex Group showed up. I had handled all the preliminary drafts for Apex, but since all my files had been forced over to Tristan, he was now the primary contact. Apex Group was our biggest client. We had worked with them for three years without a single hiccup. This new project alone was worth over ten million dollars in design fees. Marcus and Tristan were sweating bullets, waiting by the entrance early in the morning. When I strolled in right on the dot, Marcus glared at me. I ignored him and slipped into the breakroom to eat my breakfast. Mr. Harrison arrived shortly after, surrounded by his entourage, and was escorted straight into the main conference room. A few minutes later, Tiffany marched over to my cubicle. “Ethan, take these physical blueprints and deliver them to the Westside development site.” The Westside site was on the complete opposite side of the city. With morning traffic, a round trip would easily take four hours. “Tiffany, isn’t there a digital version?” “The client requested physical copies. Go now, don’t drag your feet!” Fine. I’ll go. I took the prints and left. The moment I arrived at the Westside site, my phone rang. It was Marcus. “Ethan, where the hell are you?! Get back to the office right now!” “Marcus, Tiffany sent me to deliver blueprints to the Westside site. I just got here. What’s wrong?” “Send me the design concept and the core structural files for the Apex project!” I laughed. “Everything was in the transition files I handed over to Tristan. Anyway, I have to go meet the site manager. Bye!” I hung up immediately. A second later, Tristan called. “Ethan, let me remind you, those files belong to the company! You can’t steal them! If this deal falls through, you will be held financially liable!” I didn’t even bother replying. I blocked his number. Carter texted me a few minutes later, giving me the live updates. Apparently, Mr. Harrison had realized the moment he sat down that his lead contact had been replaced. He asked a few technical questions, and Tristan had stumbled through them like an idiot, unable to answer a single one. Mr. Harrison’s face had gone completely cold. Finally, he asked about the smart-home patent involved in the design. Was it secured? Marcus and Tristan looked at each other, completely clueless. Now, Mr. Harrison was demanding to see the patent certification, and since they had no idea where it was, they were panicking. Bro, you set a trap for them, didn’t you? Carter texted. Damn, you played them beautifully! No wonder you’ve been so relaxed. You were waiting for this! Without that patent certification, the entire design was useless. The sketches were basically expensive trash, and the ten-million-dollar deal would vanish. The higher-ups would definitely skin Marcus and Tristan alive. Hearing Carter’s amused voice over the phone when I called him back, I just chuckled. Suddenly, I heard Tristan’s panicked voice in the background of Carter’s phone. “Is that Ethan?! Give me the phone!” “Ethan! Get your ass back here right now! What is going on with the patent?!” “Sorry, Tristan. I can’t help you. I’m no longer the lead on this project. You’re the genius Ivy League grad, figure it out.” “Ethan! I know you’re pissed, okay? Just come back. We can negotiate!” Marcus’s voice cut in, desperate. “Just come back and help us get through this meeting first!” I flatly refused. “How could I? This is Tristan’s big debut with our most important client. I wouldn’t want to steal his spotlight.” Tristan roared through the receiver, “Ethan, don’t get cocky! I don’t need you to close this damn deal!” I smiled coldly. “Let me tell you something. In less than three hours, you’ll be on your knees begging me to come back. Don’t believe me? Let’s watch.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449617”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Julian was a famous “doting dad” on Instagram. To document our daughter’s growth, he set up a shared family iCloud album. “Babe, upload your photos directly here. Whether I’m working late or on a business trip, I want to see our little princess as soon as possible.” I believed him. Every day, I diligently uploaded photos, basking in the happiness of his likes and comments. Until one day, my phone memory ran out. I logged onto my laptop to clean up the iCloud space and accidentally clicked on a hidden, locked folder. A system prompt popped up: “Do you want to merge ‘My Only Love’ album data?” I clicked confirm. Instantly, thousands of photos flooded my screen. In the photos, Julian was holding another woman, with a boy who looked slightly older than my daughter standing next to them. Under every single picture, Julian had left a journal-like caption: “May 20, 2025. Spending Valentine’s with my real love. Had to find time to appease the maid at home. Exhausting.” “Oct 1, 2025. My son’s drawing is amazing! Way better than that useless brat at home who does nothing but cry.” It turned out his fatherly love was a mountain indeed. But it was crushing me and my daughter to death.

Looking at the dense rows of photos on the laptop screen, my blood ran cold. The woman in the photos was Sienna Ward. She was a charity case—a low-income college student I had personally sponsored through my family’s foundation years ago. And the boy Julian was holding high in the air had his exact facial features. They looked like they were cast from the same mold. Thousands of photos documented the boy’s life from birth to five years old. Just an hour ago, Julian had been holding our feverish daughter, crying and saying he wished he could take her pain away. Yet, he had just updated a status in this hidden album: “The useless brat is sick again. So annoying. Crying in the middle of the night keeping me awake. My son is strong, just like me.” Click. The sound of keys turning came from the front door. Julian was back. Panicked, I closed the tab and pulled the power cord of my laptop. “Babe? Why are the lights off?” Julian’s voice came from the living room, sounding as gentle as ever. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stand up. “I’m… putting Lily to sleep.” Julian pushed the bedroom door open, holding a cheap pink plush toy. “Look what Daddy got for his little princess! I saw it on the street and thought it was so cute.” He smiled and walked over, reaching out to feel Lily’s forehead. Instinctively, I stepped in front of him, blocking his hand. His hand hung in mid-air. He looked at me, surprised. “What’s wrong, Chloe? Still worried about her fever?” I stared at his face. This was the face I had loved for seven years. The man I thought was the most honest, hardworking husband in the world. Now, he just looked disgusting. “No. I’m just worried your hands are cold. I don’t want to shock her awake.” I looked away, not wanting him to see the burning hatred in my eyes. Julian didn’t care. He tossed the cheap toy onto the nightstand. “Good. You scared me. I was so worried at the office today that I couldn’t even focus on work.” As he spoke, he pulled out his phone. From the corner of my eye, I saw him quickly switch accounts on Snapchat, his fingers flying across the screen. No doubt he was texting her. “Babe, you’ve had a long day. Go take a shower. I’ll watch the baby.” He gently guided me toward the bathroom, his voice dripping with affection. The moment the bathroom door closed, I heard him whisper outside. “Hey, buddy, not asleep yet? Do you miss Daddy?” It was completely different from the dismissive tone he used when calling our daughter “little princess.” I turned on the faucet and let the cold water splash over my face. The woman in the mirror had a pale face and red eyes. This was me. Chloe Miller. For him, I had given up a high-paying corporate job to become a housewife, turning myself into a tired, neglected woman. And in his private notes, I was just a “maid” and a “stupid spendthrift.” Since you love acting so much, Julian… I’ll play along. My phone buzzed. It was a Snapchat from Julian: “Babe, why is the shared album lagging? Did you touch something?” Even through the screen, I could feel his panic. “No, I just cleared my cache. Why?”

“Oh, nothing. Just a system glitch. Scared me for a second.” He was testing me. If I rushed out to confront him now, he would just claim it was a misunderstanding or a glitch. He might even turn it around and accuse me of not trusting him. I had no concrete proof yet. Those photos were still in his cloud. He could wipe them clean in a second. I had to endure. When I walked out of the bathroom, Julian was sitting by the bed, tucking Lily in. His phone was placed face down on the nightstand. “Done? Come, lie down.” He patted the spot next to him, wearing his signature “perfect husband” smile. Suppressing my urge to vomit, I lay down, turning my back to him. “Honey, I want to get a new phone. This one is getting really laggy.” I brought it up casually. Julian stiffened for a second, then wrapped his arms around my waist. “Sure, let’s get one tomorrow. But… the company’s cash flow is a bit tight lately. Can we get a cheaper model?” If this were before, I would have felt bad for his startup struggles and said, “Never mind, I don’t need one.” But now, it was just pathetic. In that hidden album, Sienna was wearing a Cartier bracelet worth $7,000. He bought it for her last month—right after he told me his company was struggling and asked me to sell the gold bullion my parents gave me as a wedding gift. “Sure, whatever you say.” The next morning, Julian prepared breakfast. He took out his phone, snapping photos of the table from a dozen different angles. “A beautiful day starts with making breakfast for the two women I love most,” he captioned it and posted it on Instagram. Within minutes, the comments blew up. “Julian is literally the perfect husband!” “Chloe is so lucky. I’m so jealous!” “Men who care about family like this are rare nowadays. Treasure him, girl!” I looked at the comments, feeling sick. While Julian was showering, I picked up his phone. The password was changed. It used to be my birthday, but now it showed an error. With trembling hands, I typed in the boy’s birthday—the date from the hidden photo captions. “0520.” Unlocked. His wallpaper was still a family photo of the three of us, but his pinned contact on Snapchat was saved as “Client – Mr. Johnson.” I opened the chat. The messages were vile. “Client – Mr. Johnson” (Sienna): “Babe, our son wants that limited-edition Lego set. It’s $300. Just buy that useless girl a cheap toy. Don’t waste money.” Julian replied instantly: “Don’t worry, that brat doesn’t know the difference. Her future fund is for our son anyway. I won’t waste a penny on her.” “Client – Mr. Johnson”: “You’re the best, babe. Love you!” Followed by an intimate photo of Sienna. Tears hot with anger fell onto the screen. That is my daughter. His own flesh and blood. In his eyes, she was just a cash cow to fund his illegitimate son’s life? I took out my phone and photographed every single chat log. My hands shook so hard I almost dropped the phone. The shower stopped. I quickly put his phone back, wiped my tears, and slipped into the kitchen. Julian walked out, drying his hair, humming a tune. “Babe, I have a three-day business trip to Orlando next week for a big project.” He hugged me from behind. “Thanks for taking care of everything while I’m gone.” Orlando. Disney World is in Orlando. In the hidden album, Sienna had posted a wish list last night: “I want to take my son to Disney World to see the fireworks.” I turned around, straightened his collar, and gave him a gentle smile. “Sure, honey. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of home.” Since you want to go so badly, Julian, I’ll prepare a grand gift for you. A gift that will send your whole family straight to hell.

The day Julian returned from his “trip” was Lily’s sixth birthday. He suggested a massive party in our family group chat on WhatsApp, inviting all our relatives and friends. “Our little princess’s birthday must be grand!” he sent a voice note, sounding incredibly generous. His mother, Eleanor, spammed thumbs-up emojis. “My son is so responsible and caring!” I stared at the screen coldly. Just five minutes prior, I had overheard his phone call with Eleanor on the balcony. “Mom, invite as many people as possible, especially the wealthy relatives. We can collect cash gifts and checks to cover my son’s private school tuition.” “A birthday party for a girl doesn’t cost much anyway. We’ll save the rest for my boy.” Eleanor had giggled, praising him for being smart. To them, my daughter’s birthday was just a fundraising scam. The party was held in the grand ballroom of a luxury downtown hotel. Julian even hired a local media crew to film it, claiming he wanted to “document beautiful memories.” In reality, he wanted to boost his “perfect family man” brand to attract investors for his company. The venue was packed. Sienna walked right up to me, bold as brass. “Hi, Chloe. I’ve always heard how supportive you are. Nice to finally meet you.” She scanned me up and down, her eyes full of provocation. On her wrist, the $7,000 Cartier bracelet gleamed under the chandeliers. Bought with my wedding gold. I looked at her like she was a clown. “Nice to meet you, Vice President Ward. That’s a beautiful bracelet. It looks awfully familiar.” Sienna’s smile stiffened, and she instinctively hid her wrist behind her back. Julian quickly intervened. “Alright, we’re all family here. Let’s go inside and sit down.” He seated Sienna at the VIP table, right next to me. The banquet began. Julian stood on stage, giving a tearful speech thanking me. “I want to thank my wife, Chloe. She gave me a warm home and our beautiful daughter.” He sounded so sincere that the crowd erupted into applause. But I saw his eyes constantly darting toward Sienna. They were exchanging flirtatious glances right in front of me. “Now, let’s take a look at a video of our little princess growing up.” The giant screen lit up. Warm music played. Lily rolling over for the first time, taking her first steps, calling him “Daddy”… It was incredibly touching. Many relatives were wiping tears. But near the end of the video, the screen flickered. Suddenly, a photo flashed onto the screen. It stayed for just one second. In the photo, a boy was sitting on Julian’s shoulders, holding the exact same plush toy Julian had bought for Lily. The background? Disney World in Orlando. The crowd gasped. “Whose kid is that? He looks exactly like Julian.” “Wasn’t that photo taken a few days ago? I thought Julian was on a business trip?” Julian’s face drained of color. He almost dropped the microphone. He looked frantically at the control booth, screaming, “What’s going on?! Turn it off! Turn it off now!” The screen went black. But the terror on his face was exposed for everyone to see. I sneered inwardly. Don’t panic, Julian. This is just the appetizer. Julian wiped his sweat, trying to laugh it off. “Ah… that was an editing mistake. That’s a relative’s kid. Don’t misunderstand, everyone!” The guests exchanged looks. No one said anything, but suspicion was already brewing. This birthday party was destined to be the start of his nightmare.

After the guests left, Julian couldn’t wait to grab all the gift envelopes and checks, stuffing them into a black briefcase. “Babe, the company is facing a cash crunch. I’ll take this money to keep things running.” He hid the bag behind his back, terrified I would snatch it. Tens of thousands of dollars. That was our daughter’s birthday money, and he was stealing it for his bastard’s tuition. I watched his desperate face and smiled inwardly. “Why don’t we refinance the house?” I threw out the bait. “Interest rates for business loans are low right now. You can use that money for cash flow, and once you make a profit, you can buy me a new purse.” Julian’s eyes lit up. Our house was worth over $1.5 million, co-owned by both of us. “Babe, you’re a genius! Let’s do it!” The next morning, I handed him a stack of documents. “This is the bank agreement. Just sign here.” I flipped to the signature page. Without reading a word, Julian scribbled his name. His mind was entirely on using the cash to fund Sienna’s demands. He didn’t notice that hidden beneath the loan papers were a Deed of Gift and a Waiver of Property Rights. He was signing over his entire share of the house to our daughter. Once signed, he had absolutely no claim to this property. After signing, Julian happily left with a credit card I gave him. The card only had a $5,000 limit. Just enough for him to buy Sienna a bag or pay a small deposit. As for the rest of the money? He would never see a dime of it. That night, Sienna bragged on Instagram, showing off a contract for a luxury condo in a premium school zone. Caption: “Only the best for my baby boy. Daddy is the best!” I looked into it. The down payment was made with funds Julian had embezzled from his own company. Just then, Lily started crying from her bedroom. I rushed in. Her face was flushed red, and her body was convulsing. She was having a febrile seizure. Panicking, I scooped her up and ran outside. It was pouring rain, and I couldn’t hail an Uber. With shaking hands, I called Julian. “The user you are trying to reach is busy…” Once, twice, ten times… Always busy. Rain mixed with tears on my face. Lily’s convulsions got worse, her lips turning blue. Finally, the call went through. I heard loud music, laughter, and a boy screaming excitedly: “Daddy, lift me higher! I want to ride the horse!” I screamed into the phone, “Julian! Lily is having a seizure! Get back here and drive us to the hospital now!” The other end went quiet for a second. Then Julian’s annoyed voice barked back: “It’s just a fever! Give her some Tylenol! Stop overreacting! I’m closing a multi-million dollar deal right now. Don’t bother me!” Beep— The line went dead. At that moment, I heard my heart shatter. Lily stopped moving in my arms, her little hand falling limp. I knelt in the pouring rain, sobbing in despair. Julian. Since you don’t care if she lives or dies… Don’t blame me for dragging you to hell. Holding Lily, I ran into the middle of the road to block a car. A black SUV slammed its brakes in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing a stern, cold face. “Get in.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449616”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Ethan and I grew up together. When I was grounded as a kid, he would sneak out to stay with me. When I was sick, he would drive across town just to get me my favorite strawberry cake. When I was bullied, he fought them until he bled, then looked at me with a bruised face and smiled. “Don’t worry, Chloe. I’ve got you.” Everyone said he loved me. I believed them too. Until my twentieth birthday. Tipsy and brave, I finally gathered the courage to kiss him. But Ethan took a step back, his handsome brow furrowing. He took Naomi’s hand, who was standing right next to him, and said: “Chloe, I have only ever seen you as a sister.” Our friends went dead silent, staring at us. After that, I stopped crossing the line. I stayed in my place as his “sister.” I watched him and Naomi go everywhere together. I even smiled and gave him advice, teaching him how to make it up to Naomi when they fought. But one night, Ethan got wasted. With bloodshot eyes, he grabbed my wrist. “Are you really that okay with this? Can’t you at least show some jealousy?” I just smiled. But I didn’t want to cross that line anymore.

At the company’s anniversary gala, Ethan walked up to me with a champagne glass. His voice was as gentle as ever. “Chloe, I will drive you home after this.” I shook my head, my eyes drifting to Naomi, who was laughing and chatting with some investors nearby. “No need. Stay with Naomi. She is wearing high heels tonight; it is not convenient for her to be alone.” Ethan’s brow furrowed slightly. “When did you start being so polite with me?” I smiled but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t politeness. It was the boundary a “sister” should keep. During the highlight of the gala, the host decided to play a game to hype up the crowd. “Mr. Carter, what would you say is the luckiest moment of your life?” The spotlight hit Ethan. He let out a soft smile, his gaze sweeping past the crowd to land on Naomi. “The luckiest moment… was meeting my sunshine when I thought my entire world had gone dark.” The crowd cheered and swooned. Naomi blushed and lowered her head. And I, sitting in a dark corner, downed my glass of red wine. Only I knew that during those “dark days” he talked about, I was the one who pulled all-nighters for three months straight to rewrite our business proposals. I was the one who poured all of my parents’ inheritance into his company to save him from bankruptcy. But now that he was in the clear, Naomi was his sunshine. And I was nothing. Some drunk colleague boldly teased him. “Hey Ethan, what about Chloe then? You two grew up together. That is a real-life childhood sweetheart romance!” “Yeah! If it weren’t for Chloe back then, Carter Tech wouldn’t even exist today!” The atmosphere instantly turned awkward. The smile on Ethan’s face faded. Just as he was about to speak, I stood up first. I raised my glass toward them and smiled. “Guys, stop joking around. Ethan and I are like family. As his sister, I only want him to be happy.” “Come on, let’s toast to Ethan and Naomi!” I threw my head back and drank the wine, swallowing all my bitterness and pain along with it. After the gala, I took the initiative to leave early. Ethan and Naomi caught up to me from behind. “Chloe.” Ethan called out, but before he could say more, Naomi’s phone rang. She answered it, and her face instantly turned pale. “Ethan… my mom. She has been rushed to the ER!” Ethan’s expression changed. He immediately held her up. “Don’t panic. I will drive you there right now.” He turned to look at me, hesitating. Even though this had happened countless times, seeing him hesitate still made my heart ache. I took a deep breath and pointed to the headlights of an approaching car. “My Uber is here. You guys should go. Her mom is more important.” Ethan looked relieved. He got into the car with Naomi. The window rolled down. He leaned out, his brow furrowed as he said, “The final pitch for the Starlight Initiative is tomorrow. Don’t wander off. Wait for me to come back.”

I laughed at myself. Ethan wouldn’t come back. And I wouldn’t be stupid enough to wait. I pulled my coat tighter and walked down the street alone. If every heartbreak is a slow death, then my heart had already died twice because of Ethan. The first time was on my twentieth birthday, when he announced to everyone that Naomi was his girlfriend. I deleted every cozy post about him on my Snapchat, and threw away every gift he had ever given me. But twenty years of connection are carved deep into your bones. Even now, the model spaceship he built for me sits on my bookshelf. He once told me he would take me to see the universe. A custom gown he stayed up all night to buy for me still hangs in my closet. And the Starlight Initiative on my laptop was a dream we had brainstormed since college. It was the career we swore to build together for the rest of our lives. He once said, “Chloe, my parents passed away early. I have no family left. I want you to fill the rest of my life.” But later, he said, “Naomi is the only one I owe in this world. Chloe, don’t cross the line. You are just my sister.” My twentieth birthday was my first attempt to set myself free. And this time, it was time for a final goodbye. As long as tomorrow’s Starlight pitch went smoothly and we secured the funding, I could disappear from his life forever. But the next day, when I stood in the conference room, Ethan was missing. His phone went unanswered. I called him again and again, moving from anxiety to complete numbness. Finally, on the dozens of attempts, the call connected. “Ethan, where are—” “Oh, Chloe,” Naomi’s sleepy voice came through the speaker. “Ethan stayed up with me all night. He is too exhausted and is still asleep. Is there something you need?” My mind went blank. Through the speaker, I heard Ethan’s muffled, groggy voice. “Who is it? Is that Chloe?” “No, babe. Just a telemarketer…” For the next two hours, I felt like a lone soldier, facing the investors’ sharp questions and doubts all by myself. But Starlight was a dream created by both of us. Without his technical presentation, my explanations sounded hollow and powerless. In the end, the investors politely declined. I packed up all the project files alone and left the office. For a whole week, I locked myself in my room. I frantically called every investor we knew. But the response was always the same. “Miss Miller, we are sorry, but we cannot trust a project where the core team shows such a massive lack of commitment.” Until an investor I was close with finally spilled the truth. “Chloe, stop wasting your breath. Naomi Vance personally explained everything to us. She said you and Ethan have irreconcilable personal conflicts, which led to this disaster. She said for the sake of the project, she will be taking over.”

When the call ended, my body went cold. I walked to the mirror and looked at my pale, exhausted reflection. Suddenly, it all felt so pointless. On the eighth day, Ethan finally showed up. “I am sorry, Chloe. I—” Before he could finish, I used all my strength to slap him across the face. “You bastard, Ethan!” His face turned to the side from the impact. But he didn’t get annoyed like he usually did. He just took it in silence. Once I stopped breathing heavily, he explained in a low voice. “Naomi’s mother was in critical condition. I couldn’t just stand by.” “We can always find another opportunity for the project. But a life can’t be replaced.” My hands shook with rage. I pointed at his face, but not a single word could come out. He apparently thought this explanation wasn’t enough. He grabbed my wrists, forcing me to look into his eyes, and said syllable by syllable: “You grew up in a happy, loving family, Chloe. You can’t understand the terror of losing your only family.” I stared at him in utter disbelief. He knew. He knew damn well that my parents died in a plane crash during my senior year of college. That was the deepest wound in my heart. He had held me back then, promising he would be my family and stay with me forever. At this moment, the last shred of warmth in my heart evaporated. I suddenly laughed. I slowly pulled my hands out of his grip and looked at him calmly. “Yeah, you are right. I don’t understand.” “Ethan, so in your heart, even my parents’ tragic deaths can’t compare to a single whine from Naomi.” The color drained from his face instantly. His lips trembled, as if he wanted to explain. But I didn’t want to hear it. Like a madwoman, I grabbed everything within reach and hurled it at him, screaming at him to get the hell out. He just watched me quietly. Once I collapsed to the floor out of exhaustion, he walked over, looked down at me, and sighed. “Chloe, look at yourself. You are only acting this spoiled because you know how much I pamper you.” “I will find new investors for the Starlight Initiative. But since you are emotionally unstable right now, Naomi will take your place.” After he left, I curled up in the mess of my room and sobbed until I lost my voice. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Naomi. “Chloe, I heard your project fell through. What a pity. But don’t worry, Ethan and I will bring this project back to life!” “It is all Ethan’s fault. I told him my mom was fine, but he insisted on abandoning your precious pitch just to stay with me.” “But then again, you have been clinging to him for so many years. You brought this on yourself.” I stared at the screen, my mind completely numb. After a long silence, I dialed a number I hadn’t called in a very long time. “The offer you made… I accept.” Suddenly, another notification popped up on WhatsApp. “Chloe, you need to get to the office right now. Something happened!” I grabbed my phone and rushed to the company. I pushed open the conference room door without hesitation. Everyone’s eyes immediately locked onto me.

“Chloe, about the Starlight pitch…” I interrupted the board member directly. “It was my mistake that caused us to lose the investment.” Ethan snapped his head up to look at me. “I am deeply sorry for causing such severe consequences. Therefore, starting today, the Starlight Initiative is entirely Ethan’s. I am resigning from the company and stepping down from the board.” My words caught everyone off guard. The shareholders looked at each other, stuttering, “Well… it doesn’t have to go that far…” I just smiled. “I take full responsibility. I failed to get the funding, and I accept the consequences.” Ethan shot up from his chair, calling out instinctively, “Chloe…” I barely glanced at him. “Ethan, I am tired. I am done playing your games.” The news of my departure spread like wildfire through the industry. After that day, Naomi was promoted to a shareholder and took over the Starlight Initiative, basking in glory. My bio on the company website was taken down and replaced by her photo and resume. The comment section was filled with flattery and congratulations, as if I had never existed. Ethan and Naomi attended various industry galas and forums together. Someone posted their photo in our Snapchat group chat with the caption: “High school sweethearts, meeting at the peak of success.” It got dozens of likes. As for me, many in the industry started kicking me while I was down. “Ethan was just too nice, spoiling her for so many years. Now that he has stopped, she has gone into hiding!” “Pfft, everyone knows the Starlight Initiative was Chloe’s masterpiece. Now Ethan put Naomi’s name on it.” Through it all, I never showed my face. Until the day of the Starlight launch event. I took a cab to the venue, found a staff uniform backstage, and changed into it. Once I was sure I wouldn’t be recognized, I slipped into the main hall. At that moment, Naomi was on stage as the lead project manager, giving her speech. She was dressed in a high-end white designer suit, her makeup flawless. “…To achieve today’s success, I want to thank my team, and most importantly, Ethan. It was his unconditional trust and support that gave me the courage to make this dream a reality!” Thunderous applause erupted. Countless spotlights focused on her. The host smiled and took over the mic. “Thank you, Ms. Vance, for that wonderful speech! Next, with our warmest applause, let us welcome the legend of our tech industry, Mr. Ethan Carter, to reveal the official launch name of the product!” Ethan walked onto the stage, his gaze warmly landing on Naomi as he took the mic. “Ms. Vance is the most talented and resilient woman I have ever met. This project is like our child, representing the sweat and blood of both of us.” “She deserves this glory entirely!” The applause grew even louder. Then, Ethan and Naomi stood side by side, preparing to press the launch button together. The double doors of the hall pushed open. I looked at the man walking in, stood up, and shouted: “Wait a minute!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449615”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I was born with the ability to detect lies. My stepsister, Chloe, looked down on her blind date because she thought he dressed like a hobo. She forced me to go in her place just to reject him. “I thought my blind date was going to be some rich heir driving a Ferrari, but he’s just a broke loser,” she sneered. “If he clings to me, my life will be ruined. Go reject him for me. Just tell him you’re the one he’s supposed to meet.” I should have said no. But I desperately needed an opportunity to escape the house that had kept me trapped for over twenty years. Yet, the moment the man across from me spoke his very first sentence, I knew he was lying. He said his monthly salary was only five thousand dollars. 【Lie.】 He said his family background was totally ordinary. 【Lie.】 Well, since he wanted to play a part, I wasn’t going to let his performance go to waste. Looking at the glowing golden wealth line rising rapidly behind his head, my eyes welled up with emotion. I eagerly grabbed his hand. “Who cares if you only make five grand a month? Honest work is the most honorable! I don’t care that you’re poor. Let’s get married !” — ###

“Amber… do you really not mind that I’m broke?” Christian Vance’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he asked tentatively. “Of course I don’t mind!” I sat up straight, riding the wave. “I can tell you’re an honest, down-to-earth guy, Christian. You’re definitely not the lazy type. Being broke now doesn’t mean you’ll be broke forever.” I looked at him with a beaming smile. Well, not exactly at him. To be precise, I was staring at the golden wealth line rising behind him. That glittering golden curve was shooting straight up, climbing faster and faster by the second. So this was what a truly wealthy person looked like? Even when he was doing absolutely nothing, his wealth was practically multiplying on its own. If I could stick with him, I wouldn’t just escape my toxic family—my future would be completely set. While I was lost in my fantasy, Christian continued to test me. “You’re really sweet, Amber… But let me lay the ugly truth out first. I’m just a regular blue-collar worker. I barely make five thousand a month. No house, no car.” *[Lie.]* “And I have an ailing father to support. Life with me will be very hard.” *[Lie.]* *[All lies.]* Red warning signs flashed wildly in my mind. Five thousand a month? I glanced at the blazing golden line behind him and almost snorted. No house, no car? Fine, whatever you say. Since he wanted to play the part, I had to be his perfect co-star. I reached out and firmly grasped his hand on the table, looking into his eyes with absolute sincerity. “I really don’t care about the money. As long as we work hard, our lives will get better and better!” Christian stiffened at my sudden touch. He probably hadn’t expected this kind of reaction. He lowered his head, pretending to look even more self-conscious. “Seeing me dressed so cheaply, riding a ragged Lime bike just to meet you… you really don’t look down on me?” Christian was wearing dirty canvas shoes, and his clothes were indeed very worn and cheap. But the golden wealth line behind him was about to break through the ceiling. I squeezed my thighs to keep from laughing out loud. Forcing myself to look solemn, I replied, “I’m wearing old clothes passed down from my stepsister anyway. It seems we both know how to save money. No wonder we get along so well.” Chloe had previously tried to act poor on her blind dates to gain sympathy from rich guys so they would spend money on her. But she never expected this. Christian had beaten her to the punch, pretending to be broke to test his date. Seeing that I was indeed dressed in faded clothes and looked thin and pale, Christian’s suspicion seemed to fade a little. But his test wasn’t over yet. “Since you think so highly of me, Amber, we can’t just sit here drinking cheap coffee. Let me buy you lunch.” “We can talk about our future wedding, too.” When he pulled out his phone to pay the bill, he made sure I saw the badly cracked screen of his old phone. I didn’t say a word. Instead, I pulled out my own shattered phone and bought him a bottle of cold water. “It’s hot today. Have some water. We have to start saving money from now on.” I wanted to see just how far Christian was going to take this act. He led me down the street and stopped in front of a cheap, low-end buffet. — ###

Seeing me freeze at the entrance, Christian had an “I knew it” look on his face. Still, he rubbed his hands together, pretending to be embarrassed. “I’m just a warehouse mover. I don’t make much. After rent, there’s barely anything left.” “Amber, I’m so sorry to bring you to a place like this. Honestly, I usually can’t even afford a buffet.” *[Lie.]* The red warnings in my head flashed so bright my eyes practically ached. I snapped back to reality, my stomach rumbling loudly. “You have no idea. Ever since my dad brought my stepmother and stepsister into our house, I’ve barely had enough to eat.” “I have to work part-time to pay for my own tuition. When I’m hungry, I just buy expired clearance food from the grocery store.” “Don’t worry. This buffet is a feast to me.” I spoke the absolute truth, without a shred of shame. In fact, I couldn’t wait. I marched right in and grabbed a tray. If this were Chloe, she would have thrown the tray at Christian’s face and told him to go to hell. But my eyes were practically glowing as I piled food onto my plate. “Fried chicken, yes please…” “Mashed potatoes, definitely…” “Roast beef, oh my god, yes…” Christian followed behind me. Seeing my plate piled high like a mountain and watching me eat with pure, unadulterated joy, he was utterly stunned. “I can tell you’re actually starving. You weren’t lying.” I was eating so happily that I barely heard him. Compared to my black-hole stomach, Christian clearly wasn’t used to this kind of food. He barely touched his plate. I ended up finishing all of his leftovers, too. After cleaning every plate, I patted my full stomach and thanked him repeatedly. “Thank you so much. This is the most satisfying meal I’ve had in months.” “Don’t worry. When I make it big, I’ll treat you to the finest dinner.” Christian’s eyes flickered, and a faint, genuine smile appeared at the corner of his lips. When he offered to take me home, I waved my hands in refusal. “I’m not going back there. I’ve already rented a small basement room. I plan to stay there while I look for a job.” Before our date, Chloe had bragged to the matchmaker about being a pampered little princess. She despised this date, hated his cheap clothes, and refused to even show her face. So now, when Christian tried to dig deeper into my situation, I could tell him the truth with zero guilt. “My mom passed away when I was young. Not long after, my dad married Tiffany and brought Chloe into the family.” “Since then, I became Chloe’s favorite punching bag. She had so many ways to torment me. My dad knew, but he just didn’t care.” “But hey, they gave me a roof over my head, so I guess I should still be grateful.” Christian’s fists clenched as he listened. “And you just took it? You let your stepmother and stepsister bully you like that?” I nodded, pulling up my sleeves. I showed Christian the old scars on my arms. Some were burn marks from Chloe’s curling iron, others were deep scratches from her nails. “I couldn’t help it when I was a kid.” “When I got older and wanted to move out, they took my passport, birth certificate, and Social Security card so I couldn’t leave.” I looked up and smiled at him. “But it’s fine now.” “I’ve finally graduated from college. I can survive on my own.” “Once I save enough money, I’ll pay them back for the food and cut ties with them completely.” “Amber… to be honest, when I first met you today, I thought you were just playing victim to scam me.” Christian was now entirely convinced I was telling the truth. He fell silent for a few seconds, his eyes deep and intense. “If you could make one wish right now, what would it be?” — ###

I sneakily glanced at the golden wealth line rising behind him. He was still pretending to be broke. Asking him to give me millions was unrealistic. But asking him to use his connections to get me a job? That wasn’t too greedy, right? I sighed, pretending to be stressed. “Just being able to eat three meals a day would be great! I hope to find a job as soon as possible, save some money, and move out of that basement.” Christian raised an eyebrow mysteriously. “Maybe your wish will come true sooner than you think.” *[True.]* My heart swelled with anticipation. Although I still didn’t know the exact details of Christian’s background, I knew he was powerful. After thanking him sincerely for the lunch, I splurged to buy him a cheap ice cream for dessert. He finally walked me to the subway station, looking reluctant to say goodbye. To my absolute shock, right after Christian left, I received a phone call from the HR department of a major listed corporation I had interviewed with earlier. “Is this Miss Amber Miller? Congratulations, you’ve passed the interview. Is it convenient for you to come in tomorrow to complete the onboarding process?” I held my phone, freezing for several seconds. I didn’t know the exact connection between this company and Christian. But I was absolutely certain this stroke of luck wasn’t from heaven—it was from Christian. The next day, I smoothly completed my onboarding. The entire process was easier than I could have ever imagined. Excited, I messaged Christian on Snapchat: *You are literally my lucky charm! I actually got the job!* *This luck is all thanks to you. I have to treat you to dinner to thank you!* Christian readily agreed. He still showed up in that same cheap, worn-out outfit, even adding a lame excuse: “I haven’t bought new clothes in forever. I only have this one set to wear for dates. Please don’t write me off.” While he said this, the warning *[Lie]* was screaming in my head. But I didn’t call him out. I just smiled. “Once I get my first paycheck, I’ll buy you some brand new clothes!” Christian looked genuinely surprised. “You can barely feed yourself, and you want to buy me clothes?” “Well, you treated me to a buffet and listened to me complain. You’re good to me, so I should be good to you.” The warmth and emotion on Christian’s face this time had absolutely no hint of acting. From that day on, I threw myself into my new job, working hard for my future. Christian and I met up almost every day, and we grew closer and closer. Even though we still mostly met at cheap diners, Christian seemed more and more relaxed. He didn’t try to test or probe me anymore. On payday, I kept my promise and took Christian to buy a new shirt and jeans. Holding the clothes I bought him, Christian looked at me with a deep, emotional gaze. “Amber, don’t worry. Your good luck has only just begun.” He told me he had to be busy for a few days. Once he was done, he would give me a massive surprise. I wasn’t sure what he meant, and I didn’t dare to fantasize too much. In fact, I thought it was better if Christian just kept pretending to be broke. When he was pretending, we could interact like equals. What if one day he stopped acting? What if he turned back into a high-and-mighty billionaire? I wouldn’t even know how to face him. For the next few days, I really couldn’t reach him. He would occasionally send me a Snapchat message, telling me to be patient. But before I could wait for Christian, the person I least wanted to see showed up. Chloe had somehow found out my office address. “Amber, how far have you gotten with that blind date of mine? Call him out right now. I need to take a good look at him.” “I went to a luxury hotel with my friends today, and I saw him from a distance. He was surrounded by a crowd of people, and everyone was calling him Mr. Vance!” With a furious expression, Chloe shoved her phone screen right into my face. — ###

The man in the photo was indeed Christian. It turned out he was the sole heir to the legendary Vance family of New York! He was wearing a bespoke, luxury designer suit, sporting a multi-million-dollar watch, and surrounded by a flock of bodyguards. Thinking about how this untouchable billionaire heir had actually worn rags just to eat a cheap buffet with me, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Christian really went all out to test his blind date. Terrified that Chloe would find Christian and expose the fact that I had impersonated her, I racked my brain to keep her calm. “You’re overthinking things, Chloe. That guy took me to a dirt-cheap buffet for our first date.” “Every time we meet, he wears the same trashy clothes.” “Even his phone has a shattered screen.” “With how broke he looks, how could he possibly be the heir to the Vance family?” Seeing Chloe look at me with deep suspicion, I quickly pulled up my Snapchat history and showed her the photos of the cheap buffets and the receipts. Chloe scrolled through my phone for a long time. Then she looked at my worn-out clothes, and her suspicion finally faded. “True. If he were actually rich, there’s no way he wouldn’t spend money on you. Why would he make you suffer with him?” “Besides, a man of his status would have extremely high standards. He’d never look at a charity case like you.” Before she left, Chloe didn’t miss the chance to insult me. “Amber, you were born to be at the bottom. You deserve to be with a broke loser like him.” “Just don’t tell anyone you’re a Miller when you’re out. We can’t afford to lose face because of you.” Looking at Chloe’s smug, arrogant face, I swallowed my anger. But a tiny spark of hope flared up in my heart. What if… What if one day Christian proudly chose me in front of everyone as the Vance heir, completely slapping Chloe in the face? What would her expression look like then? But after only a few seconds of fantasizing, I shook my head to clear those thoughts. Christian had already gotten me this amazing job. I had already used up all my luck. How could I dare to expect a miracle like that? After stabilizing my emotions, I kept my head down and worked peacefully for another three days. That afternoon, my supervisor called me to join a major project launch meeting. They said a powerful executive from the partner company was coming, and all the new hires had to be there to show respect. Clutching my files, I walked into the conference hall, only to freeze instantly. The figure standing on the stage looked so much like the man who had eaten cheap buffet food with me—and yet so different. In the next second, the host spoke respectfully into the microphone: “Now, please join me in welcoming our CEO, Mr. Christian Vance.” My brain went entirely blank. I stood there, frozen like a statue. As soon as the meeting ended, I tried to slip away. But Christian had already cut through the crowd, walking toward me with a gaze full of gentleness. “Amber, why are you staring? Did you forget me after just a few days?” All the surrounding employees began to whisper, speculating about my relationship with Christian. My heart was pounding like crazy. Was this real? Had the miracle actually happened? Just as I was hesitating to respond, a sharp, screeching voice suddenly pierced the air from behind me. “Mr. Vance! You’ve been tricked by Amber! The person you were supposed to meet that day was me!!” My breath hitched. I turned around stiffly. Chloe was storming through the crowd, marching straight up to Christian. “I, Chloe Miller, am your actual blind date!” Seeing Christian’s face instantly turn cold, I felt like I had been plunged into an ice bath. It was over… I had finally waited for Christian to reveal his identity to me. But if he found out that all our sweet memories were built on a foundation of lies and deception… Forget about being with him. I would probably lose my job and my livelihood instantly. I desperately wanted to open my mouth and explain. But terror gripped my throat, and I couldn’t squeeze out a single word. The mocking whispers and contemptuous glares from the crowd made me want to shrink into the floor. “Look, this is the message the matchmaker sent me! Here is the date, time, and location of our meeting!” “I have so much proof that Amber lied to you! You can’t let this fraud get away with it!” Under Chloe’s hysterical shrieks, Christian calmly took her phone and glanced at it. The next second, he frowned, turned his gaze to me, and spoke in a chilling voice…

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449614”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

At the class reunion, someone asked the former top student: “Claire, we’re all in our thirties now, and everyone who should be married is married, so why are you still single?” Claire Summers smiled faintly. “I’m still waiting for the person I gave my love letter to when I was eighteen to write me back.” As she spoke, she looked toward Ethan Carter, who was sitting beside me, and her eyes slowly turned red. Ethan froze and murmured, “I never received it…” The truth from back then slowly began to unravel. It turned out Claire’s letter had been delivered to the wrong place. It was that tiny mistake that kept them from being together. The room instantly erupted with teasing. “You and him were seriously the couple I shipped the hardest back then! I was so upset when Lily cut in later.” “Lily totally took advantage of the situation, and you clearly knew Ethan first.” “A love letter just happened to be put in the wrong place? Don’t you think… someone switched it on purpose?” Everyone in the room turned to look at me. Amid the noise, I gently touched the man beside me and asked in a low voice, “Honey, they’re saying I got between you two back then, so what do you think?”

Ethan did not answer me and instead stared at Claire. His eyes were also a little red. The classmates were the ones who lost their composure first, crying out one after another, “Lily, you and Ethan are married?!” Claire also jerked her head up and fixed her gaze on Ethan, disbelief flashing through her eyes. A few classmates laughed awkwardly again. “Why didn’t you tell any of us? We’ve been classmates for so many years, and you two really kept us in the dark!” “Yeah, unless… Ethan didn’t actually want to.” “When Claire went abroad back then, he was heartbroken for a long time, and I heard he almost tried to kill himself.” “Then wasn’t it only natural for Ethan to choose Lily?” “Why are you speaking up for Lily? Everyone knows Claire’s family was too poor back then, and Lily basically took advantage of her when she was down…” … I ignored all those comments and only looked at Ethan, wondering when he would explain things for me. He was the one who pursued me back then, and after we dated for two years, we had been married for three. It was not like every first love who returned from overseas could pick up where things left off. Besides, Ethan and I could be considered childhood sweethearts too, and I was the one who asked him to come with me to this reunion today, or Claire would not even have had the chance to see Ethan. But Ethan, who sat beside me, remained silent, and I turned my face to look at him. Too many emotions churned in his eyes: surprise, heartache, and regret that had been buried for years but had never faded. Yet he still did not explain. The atmosphere gradually cooled. I pressed my lips together and put down my utensils too. Could it be… that he really still could not let go? I had almost forgotten. Back in college, Ethan liked Claire so much that almost the entire school knew. She always wore washed-out shirts, and her lunch was always just a single slice of bread. Ethan found all kinds of ways to bring her meals, books, and contest prize money, and he even secretly stuffed his own allowance into her desk. But Claire never appreciated it. She returned the lunch box to him untouched and looked at him coldly. “Keep your pity to yourself.” “You’re no different from them.” But Ethan still refused to give up. It was not until the end of freshman year that Claire was finally moved, and they slowly became friends. After that, during sophomore year, Claire suddenly disappeared. She left without saying goodbye and gave no explanation, leaving only one note. “I’m starting to hate you, so please forget me.” Ethan chased her all the way to the airport, only to see the plane streak across the sky. He broke down crying on the spot, and when he went home, he fell into depression. It was true that I took advantage of him at his lowest point, pushed open the door he had shut himself behind, and pulled him back from the edge of the rooftop. “If she doesn’t want you, I do, so what do you like about her? Her stubbornness? I can change myself to match.” From that day on, I lived as another Claire Summers. I learned the way Claire spoke, grew my hair long like hers, and even wore the white dresses she liked. And my family’s business barely survived with the Carter family’s support. When the Carter family arranged a marriage alliance later, I had originally planned to step aside tactfully, but he grabbed me and held me tightly. That night, he cried and begged me to love him a little and not abandon him too. “I don’t want to be abandoned again, so please marry me.”

I sighed and touched his face. “Ethan, we can still be friends.” “But I love you.” “What about Claire?” He tightened the arm around my waist even more and kissed me. “I hate her, and from now on, I only want Lily.” After that night passed, the Carter family accepted me as their daughter-in-law. People in our circle all said behind my back that I was shameless and manipulative, that the Bennett family had nearly gone bankrupt, and that I had forced myself on Ethan to revive Bennett Group. They were all waiting. They were waiting for me to get divorced and become a joke. But over the past five years, Ethan and I had only grown better and more loving. Until I saw the way he looked at Claire at this moment. My heart suddenly tightened with pain. “How ridiculous, I, Ethan Carter, never pick up trash.” Ethan’s words instantly froze the smile on Claire’s face. Ethan’s words made the private room fall completely silent. He took my hand and laced his fingers with mine. “Let me introduce her.” “This is my wife, Lily Bennett.” “If anyone uses those old stories to disgust her again, don’t blame me for turning on you.” “I married Lily because I love her, and who hasn’t met one or two toxic women when they were young? Don’t open your mouths and throw dirt on my wife for no reason.” His tone shifted, carrying blatant mockery. “As for Ms. Summers, did going abroad leave you with nothing but this? So what if you started a company? Do you even have assets over ten million? Do you even have ten employees under you?” Claire could no longer smile at all. But Ethan took my hand and softened his voice. “Honey, I told you I didn’t want to come, so what was the point of seeing these people?” “You’re not wrong,” I answered softly. “Whoever you scold deserves it.” The entire room fell into silence, and the class reunion was basically over. The classmates who had been gossiping earlier came over to apologize before leaving and wished us happiness. Claire sat in her seat with her head lowered and did not move. But when Ethan stepped out of the private room, he still turned his head back once. Regret and sorrow made that woman look much more haggard in just a few hours. I clearly felt Ethan’s hand tighten around my waist. Then he turned his gaze forward, acted as if nothing had happened, and got into the car with me with a smile. But after we got home, I still felt a little uneasy when I thought about what had happened. I put down my bag, and my voice was hoarse. “Ethan, if you want to get back together with Claire, we can get di—” Before I could finish, he suddenly pushed me down onto the sofa, gripped the side of my neck, and leaned in. His fingers sealed my lips, then moved down along my collarbone, and paired with his cold, restrained face, my breath immediately caught. “What nonsense are you talking about…” He moved close to me, his breath warm. “Can I carry you back to the bedroom? I want you.” After he said that, he kissed me. We tangled all the way to the bedroom. For one moment, I almost forgot all the unpleasantness, and just as the corners of my lips lifted into a smile, Ethan’s phone suddenly rang. I answered it instinctively. Soft breathing came from the other end of the line, and Claire’s voice carried drunkenness and broken sobs. “Ethan… couldn’t you have waited for me a little longer? It’s only been five years…” “You called me toxic, but you don’t know at all… the only person I’ve ever loved is you.” I was silent for a moment before speaking. “Claire, it’s three in the morning.” “My husband just fell asleep from exhaustion, so do you need me to wake him up?” The other side went instantly quiet, then the call was abruptly hung up. My expression turned serious for once, and I frowned tightly as I looked at the sleeping Ethan beside me. His lashes trembled lightly, and his lips pressed into a straight line, as if he was having a nightmare. I lay down, curled into his arms, stopped thinking about it, and closed my eyes wearily. But after sleeping for less than two hours, I woke up. I instinctively reached for the person beside me, only to find the bed empty.

Where had Ethan gone in the middle of the night? For some reason, panic rose in my chest. At that moment, I faintly heard voices outside, and because I was worried a burglar had broken in, I rushed to the door without even putting on shoes and opened a crack. The moment I saw the scene in the living room, I could not describe how I felt. I only felt that the summer air conditioning and the floor under my bare feet were like falling into an ice cellar. Claire sat on the sofa with messy hair and red eyes, as if she had been crying for a long time. Ethan stood in front of her, his expression terrifyingly cold. “Are you done?” he said in a very low voice. “If you’re done, go home.” “I’m sorry, Ethan, I regret it, so can’t you give me one chance?” Ethan coldly pulled his sleeve back and was using Claire’s phone to call someone. “Hurry up and come get your fiancée, and don’t let her come to someone else’s front door drunk in the middle of the night!” Not long after, hurried footsteps came. I opened the door crack a little wider and realized I actually knew this man. It was Sebastian Ford, who also lived in this villa district. He was the only son of the biggest tourist resort developer in New York, and his family background was even more prominent than the Carters’. Looking at his anxious, red-rimmed eyes, I could not help sighing inwardly. How much good karma had Claire built up in her past life? She had been a little poor in her teens, but in college, Ethan paved the way for her and nearly lived and died for her. Now, after going abroad and polishing her résumé a little, she directly made this heir of the Ford family worry over her. People really were different from one another, and I did not go out to create a famous old-love-new-love disaster scene before quietly closing the door. But then a message from my best friend suddenly popped up on my phone. [That bitch Claire got drunk at a bar tonight and cried into the camera while confessing her love to Ethan, and the video has already been posted online!] [I’ve never seen such a disgusting woman, and now that she’s almost thirty and her career isn’t going well, she probably regretted everything after seeing you and Ethan being happy together!] I cut off her outrage and sent her the living room scene I had just filmed. [Claire seems to have a boyfriend, and it’s Sebastian Ford.] [Holy shit! Does that bitch have some kind of poison on her that lowers men’s IQ? Is Sebastian Ford blind or what?] After hearing the sounds outside gradually disappear, I quietly returned to bed. However, early the next morning, I was woken by the sound of arguing outside. I opened the door half-asleep and saw Ethan’s parents sitting on the sofa with ashen faces. They must have seen today’s trending topic. “Get Claire Summers out of New York right now!” Ethan’s father said sternly. “What the hell was that video of her crying in a bar last night? The shareholders are all asking about this!” “She was the one who abandoned you and went abroad back then, Ethan, so don’t be foolish, and now she’s actually using such low tactics to ruin your marriage with Lily!” “If you don’t clean this up properly, don’t blame Carter Group’s official channels for blacklisting her!” After dropping those words, Ethan’s father left. Ethan clenched his fists and turned around with red eyes, only to suddenly see me. “Honey?” A trace of panic flashed through his eyes. “The trending topic has nothing to do with me, and Claire is already engaged to Sebastian Ford, so I don’t know why she keeps pestering me like this.” “I’ll handle this properly.” Ethan had already been gradually taking over Carter Group, and after this incident, he seemed to have truly gone head-to-head with the Ford family. He personally dragged me into several couple endorsements for the company, improved the corporate image, and secretly stole the Ford family’s business to pressure Sebastian into sending Claire away. Until one month later. That day, a group of us had just finished gathering at a private club, and when Ethan and I opened the door of the private room, Claire suddenly stumbled out from the end of the hallway. She wore a white dress, her clothes were disheveled, and there were scratches and blood marks on her face.

“Ethan, save me! Please save me…” This scene felt so familiar. It made me feel as if I had returned to five years ago, and I had to admit that Claire in college was like a wild crabapple blooming in barren soil, stubborn and proud. That was why Ethan had fallen for her. She gritted her teeth and used all her strength to grab Ethan’s sleeve, but after seeing me, her entire body stiffened before she hurriedly lowered her head, let go, and stepped back. “Ms. Bennett, I didn’t mean to, and I’ll leave New York right away and never again…” A tear fell from the corner of her eye, and she clenched her fists and closed her eyes. “I’ll never appear in front of Ethan again.” Then she turned and limped toward the door. Looking at her back, as if she were the only person left alone in the world, I was stunned. Mainly, I never expected that Claire would one day become scheming enough to stage a scene like this and frame me. Her acting was so convincing that it was as if I had really sent people to teach her a lesson and warn her to stay away from my husband. On the surface, she was asking Ethan for help, but in reality, she was shaping me into a sinister, vicious woman. But she was now Sebastian Ford’s fiancée, and the Bennett family could not afford to offend the Ford family at all. I forced out a mocking smile and turned to observe Ethan’s reaction. His face was expressionless, making it impossible for me to see what he was thinking. “I heard Carter Group blacklisted her, and her company is about to go bankrupt, so she’s been begging people everywhere lately.” Ethan took my hand and smiled coldly. “What does that have to do with me?” After we got in the car, I tested him again. “Then Ethan, about what just happened… do you also think I did it?” But he held me in his arms. “I believe it wasn’t you.” I nodded. After all, the Ford family was someone neither Carter Group nor Bennett Group could afford to offend, and I was not that stupid. And Ethan had witnessed me barely making it step by step from the edge of bankruptcy to where I was today, so he should understand better than I did how much I cherished the present. However, the next day, four hundred million dollars was suddenly transferred out of my account! Bennett Group was about to go public, and that four hundred million almost determined whether Bennett Group lived or died! I called Ethan, but no one answered, so in my panic, I drove straight to his company to find him. When I pushed open the office door, I saw Claire sitting there with tears streaming down her face, and the wounds on her face had just been bandaged. Ethan sat beside her and lifted his head to meet my gaze. “Four hundred million dollars was suddenly transferred out of my account, and was it you…” Although I already had a guess in my heart, I wanted to hear Ethan admit it himself. “I took it.” “Why?” Coldness seeped through Ethan’s eyes. “Claire’s company owed four hundred million, so I helped her pay it back.” Even Claire raised her head in shock, pulled out her phone, and immediately checked her company’s repayment records. The assistants beside them exchanged looks. I looked at Ethan in confusion. But I saw him tighten his grip on Claire’s hand beside him and protect her behind him like a guardian. “Lily Bennett, this is what you owe her!” After saying that, he threw a stack of documents hard onto the coffee table, and photos scattered across the floor with a rustle. The first photo showed Claire at the club, being pinned to the floor with someone’s foot on her face, her white dress covered in filthy cigarette ash, her clothes disheveled, and her eyes unfocused. The second photo showed her being yanked by her long hair, her chin forced open, as if she was being fed some kind of drug. The third photo showed extreme terror all over her face, and her neckline had been roughly torn open, exposing her collarbone and the edge of her underwear. Among the opened documents were two fingerprinted confessions, where two thugs admitted in black and white that they had been instructed by me to “teach Claire Summers a little lesson…” He actually believed such a cheap frame-up.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449613”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

On the day of freshman registration at Columbia University, Julian dragged me to the campus gates. He slapped his official enrollment envelope into my hands. “You’ve been ignoring me the whole summer. I’m giving you a way out of the doghouse now. Go sign me in!” I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “What kind of delusional dream are you living in, Julian? You got into a local community college. How do you have the nerve to show up at Columbia?” Julian froze. Under the mocking stares of the surrounding students, he ripped open the dusty envelope. He broke down on the spot. “Why?! Why didn’t you log in and change it back for me?!” I rolled my eyes. “Didn’t you tell me to mind my own business?” When I first found out that Julian’s college acceptance had been declined and swapped for a low-tier community college, my heart nearly stopped. I touched my legs, then my head. Whole. Unharmed. I almost cried right then and there. I had been reborn. I was back on the exact day Julian’s enrollment was messed with. In my past life, the class beauty, Serena Vance, had secretly logged into his portal and messed up his future. When I found out, I tried my best to stop her and called her out for being incredibly irresponsible. Serena felt humiliated. She ran out of the building crying, took a wrong step on the stairs, fell, and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. She couldn’t handle the tragedy and eventually took her own life. Julian blamed the entire thing on me, saying I was a meddling busybody. The day before we were supposed to head off to college, he lured me to the rooftop of our building and pushed me off. This time, I chose to play dumb. As I walked into the computer lab, Serena jumped, quickly shutting the laptop screen. She looked at me guiltily. “Elena, how long have you been standing there? What did you see?” “I saw you changing Julian’s portal options.” Hearing this, a cold sneer crossed her face. “Don’t even think about snitching! I’m going to the same college as him, no matter what.” “Whatever. None of my business.” Just then, Julian walked in. Seeing Serena and me together, his guard immediately went up. “Elena, aren’t you sick of this? Stop following me around like a lost puppy!” I bent down, packed my textbooks from my desk, and finally spoke. “Do you own this school? If you can be here, so can I.” He stunned. He didn’t expect this attitude from me. In the past, I would always speak softly to him, or follow him around trying to make peace. Whenever I saw him hanging out with Serena, I would desperately try to advise him to focus on his studies. But now? Why should I care? I zipped up my backpack and turned to leave. Serena quickly called out, “Wait!” “I just played around with Julian’s enrollment portal. Why don’t you take a look and give us some advice?” She proudly turned the screen around. Julian glanced at it, then smirked at me. “Yeah, speak up. Weren’t you always the smart one?” I shrugged. “I’m not really interested.” He grabbed my arm. “What do you mean? Didn’t you say we were going to Columbia together? How can you have zero reaction to this?” “I respect people’s personal choices. Do whatever you want.” I shook him off and walked away. Behind me, Julian kicked a desk in sheer frustration. I didn’t even look back. I hadn’t gone far when our group Snapchat blew up. “Group Chat:” “Maya:” “Julian, Serena just declined your Columbia offer on your portal and registered you for a community college! Are you seriously letting her ruin your life?” “Chloe:” “Your SAT scores were literally perfect for Columbia!” “Julian:” “What’s the big deal? Elena will log in and fix it for me before the deadline anyway.” “Maya:” “I just heard you guys arguing. Aren’t you afraid she’ll actually leave you to rot? You need to take your own life seriously!” “Julian:” “She’s basically my second mom. She would never actually let anything happen to me.” “Julian:” “We’re just having a little fight. Once I buy her some food, she’ll come crawling back.” I sneered and typed: “Do your own chores. I’m not your mother.” Julian must have been furious. The next second, I was kicked out of the group chat. This was his favorite little power play. Every time we argued, he would kick me out, wait for me to beg for forgiveness, and then drag me back in. This time, I didn’t give him the chance. I blocked him instantly, left all mutual chats, and only kept my close friends on Snapchat. High school was over. It was time to cut the dead weight. In this life, I would not interfere in anyone else’s destiny. I would only focus on myself. Julian, I really can’t wait to see your face when you get your final registration papers.

When I got home, I packed every single gift Julian had given me over the years into a trash bag and threw it right into the dumpster. Even with a decade of friendship, he was the one who pushed me off a building in my past life. No matter how nostalgic I felt, some things could never be forgiven. As I was throwing out the trash, I ran into Julian’s mom, Brenda. She waved at me from a distance. “Elena! Have you seen Julian? The boy isn’t picking up my FaceTimes or replying to my texts!” “No idea, Mrs. Thorne.” “Could you call one of his friends and ask for me?” I held up my empty hands. “Sorry, Mrs. Thorne, I didn’t bring my phone down.” “Maybe you can check with his other friends. See you around.” Without waiting for her to reply, I excused myself and walked away. In my past life, after I died, my parents were devastated. They found out Julian had been on the roof with me. But Brenda, fully knowing her son was responsible, destroyed the building’s security footage and even bribed a doctor to get Julian a fake psychiatric diagnosis to keep him out of prison. She used to be nice to me, but when it came to her precious son, everyone else was disposable. Since she was willing to commit perjury back then, I had no desire to interact with her now. Back in my room, I got a text from Maya: “Elena, let’s get food! A new K-BBQ spot just opened downtown! It’s so cheap!” I replied immediately: “I’m down! Ask Chloe too, let’s go!” When we arrived at the restaurant, Maya nudged me. “Look over there. Isn’t that Julian? I heard he’s been bragging to everyone that he’s going to Columbia.” “It’s hilarious. Serena is telling everyone she’s going with him. With her GPA, she couldn’t even get into a clown school, let alone an Ivy League,” Chloe scoffed, making a face that made us burst into laughter. Just then, Julian walked over. Seeing me, he scoffed. “Elena, you really are like a rash. You just won’t go away.” “I thought you said you didn’t care anymore. Why did you follow me here?” Maya and Chloe looked worried, but I kept my voice flat. “Do you own this restaurant? The owner is open for business. Are we not allowed to eat?” “Move. You’re blocking the line.” I pushed past him to check in our reservation. His face turned bright red with anger. Maya gave me a thumbs-up. “Hell yeah, Elena! Love the backbone!” “Yeah, I’m completely done with him.” Following close behind us, Julian gritted his teeth. “Fine, Elena. You better keep this same energy!” I ignored him. We sat down, and Julian and Serena took a table right across from us. It felt entirely intentional. They started feeding each other food, trying to make me jealous. It was honestly nauseating. I kept my eyes on the grill and focused on my brisket. Halfway through the meal, I went to the restroom. On my way back, a strong grip pulled me into a side hallway. It was Julian. I frowned, but he shoved his phone into my face. “Why did you block me on Snapchat?” “Because I felt like it. Julian, we are not friends anymore. You hate it when I meddle, and I don’t like chasing after you.” “Besides, you have a girlfriend now. We need to keep our distance.” “Add me back. How else are we going to coordinate when we move to Columbia?” He reached out to grab my phone, but I snatched it back. “Get this straight, Julian. High school is over. We have nothing to do with each other. Who I keep on my friend list is my choice.” Julian opened his mouth in shock. Before he could speak, I cut him off. “Also, have some manners when you talk to me next time. I don’t owe you anything. At least show some basic respect.” I rolled my eyes and walked away. Julian was fuming. Just as he was about to chase after me, Serena appeared.

To spite me, he suddenly grabbed Serena by the back of her head and kissed her deeply. I felt a brief pang in my chest, but it was quickly replaced by a wave of relief. I smiled faintly and walked right past them. Let people destroy their own lives. I was not going to play the fool anymore. After that day, Julian never contacted me again, and I certainly didn’t look for him. Even my mom noticed. “Elena, Julian hasn’t swung by the house in days. Did something happen?” “Mom, high school is over. Plus, he has a girlfriend now. He should be spending time with her.” My mom was shocked. “A girlfriend? But what about you two…” “We’re just neighbors, Mom.” My dad smiled from the kitchen. “She’s right. Just neighbors. Whether he comes over or not has nothing to do with us. Now that exams are over, let’s go on a trip!” I bounced on my feet. “Dad, I want to go to Disney World!” “You got it. I’ll take some PTO, and we’ll have a family vacation!” My mom happily agreed. We spent the night looking up travel guides, completely ignoring my vibrating phone. Once our itinerary was set, I checked my texts. Maya had sent me a screenshot. “Is Julian actually insane? He posted this on his private story and made sure I saw it.” I looked at the image. It was a screenshot of his finalized college enrollment page. It clearly showed the local community college. I laughed. He was trying to bait me into saving him. Too bad he was blocked. “Elena, what is this? Isn’t he going to Columbia?” “Serena changed his portal.” “Is he out of his mind?!” Maya was horrified. “He’s throwing away his entire future for a girl?” “Well, not my problem.” Maya thought he was a lunatic and blocked him too. The next day, my family packed our bags and flew to Orlando. I posted tons of photos on Instagram—Disney World, delicious dinners, and sunny beaches. Sure, Orlando was a total money vacuum, but I had the best time. That night at the hotel, my phone rang from an unknown number. I picked up, and Julian’s voice came through. “I heard you’re on vacation. Where are you going next?” “I’m going to visit the Columbia campus early. I want to get used to the area.” He let out a smug laugh. “Elena, stop being stubborn. Add me back on Snapchat. When you get back, I have a gift for you. What I promised you before… it still stands.” “Julian, everyone has to face the consequences of their own choices.” Before he could respond, Serena’s voice echoed in the background of the call: “Babe, can you bring me a towel?” He hastily hung up. I looked at the pending friend request on Snapchat and hit decline. It was 11:50 PM. Julian, you have exactly ten minutes left before the college portal locks forever. I hope you can take responsibility for your own life. I don’t owe you anything. Suddenly, Serena’s Snapchat request popped up. “Elena, accept my request.” I ignored it, but she kept spamming. “Julian and I are staying at a hotel tonight. No matter what history you two had, he’s mine now.” “He’s not going to Columbia with you. He’s staying with me for the rest of his life!” I chuckled and blocked her too. You two deserve each other. I have my own path to walk. The clock ticked down. 11:58… 11:59… At exactly midnight, the deadline passed. I took a deep breath and let it out. Julian, our lives will never cross again.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449612”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

The day after we got legally married at the courthouse, I was waiting at the airport for my new husband, Ethan, holding two plane tickets. He finally showed up, but his childhood best friend, Serena, was trailing right behind him. “Babe, Serena just went through a really bad breakup. I brought her along so she could clear her head,” Ethan explained, his voice tentative and cautious. Serena was wearing the exact same beach dress as me. She flashed me an apologetic, sweet smile. “Chloe, sweetie, I hope I’m not intruding. I just wanted to bask in your newlywed happiness.” I looked down at the third ticket in Ethan’s hand, which was sandwiched right next to mine. Seat 16B. My seat was 16A, and Ethan’s was 16C. He had deliberately placed Serena right between us. Standing there, a sudden surge of pure fury rushed from the soles of my feet straight to my head. I dragged Ethan to the side, keeping my voice low and dangerous. “Send her home, or I’m leaving.” Ethan looked utterly put out, sighing helplessly. “Babe, can you please not be so unreasonable?” “Serena told me she’s terrified of being alone right now. She just wanted some company and a little distraction.” “Besides, we’ve known each other since we were kids. It’s just a vacation. It’s no big deal…” I cut him off. “If you don’t make her leave, we’re getting a divorce.”

Ethan reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped aside, dodging him. “Can you stop throwing a tantrum over such a tiny thing?” His tone softened, turning into a coaxing, placating murmur. I said nothing, only staring at him with cold, dead eyes. Unable to hold my gaze, he let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. I’ll tell her. I’ll ask her to leave.” He raised both hands in a mock surrender. “Happy wife, happy life. Is that what you want?” With that, he turned around and walked over to Serena, whispering something to her. Serena’s shoulders slumped instantly. She looked up, her eyes turning red in a split second. “Ethan… does Chloe hate me?” “Did I do something wrong? I’m just so heartbroken, and I wanted to be around some happy energy.” As she spoke, she threw a pitiful, aggrieved glance in my direction, then turned back to Ethan, clutching his arm tightly. “Ethan, I know Chloe is misunderstanding us.” “But you already explained it to her. Does she still not trust you?” That face again. Those exact, manipulative, innocent words. My brain buzzed with anger. Two months ago, Serena showed up at our brand-new apartment dragging two massive suitcases. She had made that exact same face. That day, Ethan held me close while looking at her with pure pity. “Babe, Serena just got dumped, and her landlord kicked her out. She’s all alone in this city, and it’s so heartbreaking.” “Let’s just let her stay with us for a bit. As soon as she finds a job and a place, she’ll move out.” And what happened? Once she moved in, she never mentioned leaving again. Then, two weeks before we got married, at our pre-wedding party. In front of everyone, she looked at Ethan with teary eyes. “I’m so jealous of Chloe. She gets to marry such an amazing guy.” “My ex didn’t treat me even half as well as you do.” Our friends started hyping them up, telling her to take a sip from Ethan’s drink. Ethan hesitated. But Serena immediately wrapped her arm around his. “Come on, Ethan. Consider it an early toast to your marriage.” He half-resisted but ended up drinking it anyway. Later, when we took group photos, she literally shoved me out of the way, pressing her face almost flat against Ethan’s cheek. That night, I had the biggest fight of our relationship with him. “Ethan, do you even know what boundaries are?” “Babe, you’re overthinking. We were just messing around. We’ve always been like this since childhood.” I was shaking with rage. We didn’t speak for a whole week. I had already packed my bags, fully prepared to end the relationship. The night before we went to the courthouse, he held me tight, crying and apologizing. “Babe, I was wrong. I promise I’ll keep my distance from her from now on.” “I swear, this was the absolute last time.” Looking at his bloodshot eyes, I believed him. But now, standing in the airport lobby, his promise felt like a sickening joke. The look in his eyes as he stared at Serena was pure, aching concern. And that concern wasn’t for me. He walked back to me, his face written with exhaustion. “Babe, look at how hard Serena is crying. How about…” I didn’t let him finish. I spun on my heel and walked toward the exit. “Then I’m leaving. Enjoy your honeymoon.”

Panicking, Ethan ran after me and grabbed my arm, canceling Serena’s ticket right then and there. He held up his phone, showing me the cancellation confirmation while begging for forgiveness. Serena stood not far away, watching us with tear-rimmed eyes. I stared at Ethan, warning him coldly that this was his absolute last chance. With that, I shook off his grip and marched straight through airport security. Once on the plane, I put on my sleep mask, wanting to block everything out. Before long, I heard the faint, rapid tapping of a phone keyboard beside me. I pulled off my mask and glanced over. He was typing furiously in a Snapchat chat window with a contact named “Little Raindrop.” [Don’t cry. It’s all my fault.] A cold chill washed over my entire body. Sensing my gaze, he hurriedly tried to hide his phone. “Who are you texting?” I asked coldly. “Nobody, just a client.” He didn’t dare look me in the eye. I let out a harsh laugh. “A client named ‘Little Raindrop’?” His face went entirely pale. “Babe, don’t misunderstand. I’m just worried she might do something stupid to herself.” “And if she does, are you going to die with her?” My voice was loud enough that the people in the row ahead of us turned around to look. “Keep your voice down,” he muttered, his face tightening with embarrassment and growing impatience. “We finally made it to our honeymoon. Can you please stop bringing her up?” “Am I the one bringing her up, or are you the one who can’t let her go?” I retorted. He frowned deeply. “We’re just friends. We grew up together. Why can’t you just trust me?” “Can you just be a little more understanding?” There it was again. That phrase. I closed my eyes, refusing to waste another single word on him. When the plane landed, the hotel shuttle was already waiting. He tried to hold my hand, but I snatched it away. The car door slid open. I was about to step inside when I froze solid. Serena was sitting inside the car, beaming at me. Next to her sat Ethan’s two childhood buddies, Zach and Tyler. “Chloe! What a coincidence!” I whipped my head around, glaring death at Ethan. His expression was incredibly guilty. Serena hopped out of the car, immediately locking her arm through Ethan’s, and stuck her tongue out at me triumphantly. “Chloe, Ethan actually texted me privately to come. He said the more, the merrier, and that you’d definitely love it.” “You’re so petty, but Ethan still cares about me.” “Serena, shut up,” Ethan stammered, completely flustered. Inside the car, his friend Zach chimed in loudly. “Ethan, why are you acting? You’re the one who Venmoed us the money for the plane tickets!” Looking at Ethan’s pale, frozen face, I suddenly smiled. The little drama at the airport… what a flawless performance. Once we got to the hotel room, he followed me inside, still spinning his pathetic lies. “They insisted on tagging along! Zach borrowed the money from me. I had no idea Serena was coming too!” I watched him perform in silence. “Are you done?” He blinked, startled. “If you’re done, get the hell out.” I pointed straight at the door. Using every ounce of my strength, I shoved him out of the room. I slammed the door and locked it. I slid down against the door, burying my face in my hands as the tears finally spilled over. Outside, I could hear Serena and the guys telling him to let it go, mixed with Ethan’s non-stop knocking. I ignored all of it. Two hours later. I changed my clothes, planning to head out for some fresh air. The moment I opened the door… I saw Ethan standing right outside. And Serena, wearing a skimpy bikini that barely covered anything, was rubbing herself against him. “Ethan, let’s go for a night swim! Just like we used to do back in college.” She shot a provocative glance at me, her eyes filled with challenge. Ethan looked torn, his eyes darting around. “But Chloe…” “Chloe is so open-minded, she definitely won’t mind. Right, Chloe?” she chirped innocently. I walked right up to them, staring Ethan down. “Are you going?” “Babe, I just want to help her unwind a bit,” he stammered, still trying to justify it. “If you take one single step out of this room, we are completely over.” Ethan immediately shoved Serena away and blurted out, “I’m not going.” Serena stumbled back from the force of the shove. She stared at him in utter disbelief, her eyes welling up with tears instantly. Giving me a deeply aggrieved look, she turned and ran off.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief. “Babe, see? I made her leave. Can you stop being mad now?” There wasn’t a shred of actual remorse in his voice. I didn’t even have the energy to fight him. I brushed past his hand and went back into the room. I climbed into bed and pulled the duvet over my head. He thought I had fallen asleep. After some time, the buzzing of a phone woke me up. It was Ethan’s phone, sitting right on the nightstand. The screen lit up with a notification from “Little Raindrop.” [Ethan, did your wife make things difficult for you again?] I picked up his phone. There was no passcode. Wow, he really trusted me, didn’t he? I opened Snapchat and scrolled up. The screen was filled with messages between him and Serena from while I was supposedly asleep. Serena: [I’m so sorry, Ethan. I caused another fight between you and Chloe.] Ethan: [Don’t overthink it. That’s just how she is. She’s dramatic, petty, and narrow-minded. Just ignore her.] Dramatic, petty, and narrow-minded. So that was what I was to him. Serena: [It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have insisted on coming.] Ethan: [It’s not your fault. I’m the one who wanted you here.] Ethan: [You’re still the best. Not like some people who only know how to ruin the mood.] It felt like an icy hand was squeezing my heart, making it impossible to breathe. They even started reminiscing about their college trips together. [Those were the days. Just the two of us.] It turned out I was the third wheel all along. With a cold face, I grabbed my own phone. I took clear photos of every single line of their chat history. Then, I placed his phone back exactly where it was. A short while later, Ethan walked back into the room. He forced a smile. “Babe, you’re awake?” I flinched away from his hand. That hand had probably just been stroking Serena’s hair moments ago. I asked, “Where are you going?” “Zach and the guys invited me to the hotel bar. They said they wanted to apologize to me.” His eyes darted away guiltily. I locked my gaze onto his. “Ethan, we are on our honeymoon.” He glared back at me, losing his patience. “Honeymoon, honeymoon! Can you give me a break?” “What’s wrong with hanging out with friends? Do we have to be glued to each other’s faces 24/7?” With that, he slammed the door and stormed out. I waited two minutes, then quietly followed him. At the hotel’s outdoor lounge bar, I spotted them immediately. They were playing Truth or Dare. The bottle spun and pointed directly at Serena. Zach cheered, telling her to pick Dare. “I dare you to unbuckle Ethan’s belt!” Serena giggled coyly. “You guys are so bad!” Yet, she was already kneeling right in front of Ethan. Ethan casually wrapped his hand around her waist. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, she reached out, parted his unbuttoned shirt, and let her fingers slide provocatively across his abs. Then, her hand slid lower, unbuckling his belt. Ethan stared down at her the entire time, a self-satisfied, indulgent smirk on his face. I waited until she was completely finished before walking straight over to their booth and sitting down. The smirk on Ethan’s face froze. He instinctively let go of Serena, scrambling to put some distance between them. He clearly hadn’t expected me to follow him. The atmosphere turned painfully awkward for a few seconds before Zach laughed it off. “Hey, Chloe’s here! Come join the game!” I didn’t say a word. I just picked up a glass of alcohol in front of me. Someone nervously spun the bottle again to keep the game going, asking Serena: “Who’s your favorite person here?” She shot a shy, longing glance at Ethan. “My favorite is definitely Ethan.” With that, she buried her face right into Ethan’s chest. Ethan looked at her with pure adoration, reaching out to gently ruffle her hair. The table erupted in cheers and catcalls. Then someone else asked, “And who do you dislike the most?” Serena put on an innocent face, her voice dripping with mock sadness as her eyes locked directly onto me. “Oh, I don’t dislike anyone! I’m just a little scared of people who are miserable and want to make everyone else miserable too.” The people at the table laughed along. Just then, the bottle spun and landed on Ethan. “Ethan! Dare! Kiss Serena!” Serena protested weakly, “But his wife is watching…” Yet she pressed her body even closer to Ethan, tilting her face up, her eyes full of anticipation. Everyone’s eyes locked onto him. Ethan picked up his glass and took a sip. He didn’t move. His buddy Zach stepped in to smooth things over. “Okay, let’s change it. Truth instead.” He stared at Ethan, drawing out his words. “Ethan, if you weren’t married, would you have married Serena?”

Ethan’s throat bobbed. He quickly downed a massive gulp of his drink. “Zach, you’re drunk. What kind of BS question is that?” He tried to brush it off. But the chanting around the table only grew louder. Ethan’s expression grew more and more strained. He didn’t look at me. Not once. “Alright, guys, stop it,” he muttered. Serena, however, wasn’t letting it go. She giggled and wrapped her arm tightly around Ethan’s. “Don’t be mad, Ethan. Zach’s just curious.” She turned her gaze to me. “Chloe, don’t blame them, okay? We’ve known Ethan since we were kids. We joke around like this all the time.” “Unlike you. I bet you’ve never even stepped foot in a cool bar like this before, right?” As soon as she said that, the entire booth burst into laughter. Ethan said absolutely nothing. He just picked up his glass and took another drink. Tyler stood up, swaying slightly with a full pint of beer in his hand. “Hey, Chloe, let me buy you a drink. Don’t be mad, alright?” As he spoke, his foot “slipped.” The entire glass of ice-cold beer poured directly over my head. My white dress was instantly soaked through, clinging to my skin. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Chloe! It was a total accident!” He apologized with his mouth, but his eyes were gleaming with cruel amusement. Ethan frowned slightly. “Tyler, what the hell?” His tone was completely flat, lacking any actual reprimand. My stomach churned with disgust. I couldn’t stand looking at them for another second. “Have fun. I’m going back.” I spun around to leave. As I passed Serena, a foot slyly shot out. I tripped and pitched forward, my knees slamming hard against the wooden deck. The pain was so sharp that my vision went black for a second. “Oh my gosh, Chloe!” Serena shrieked dramatically. Ethan frowned. “Why can’t you watch where you’re going?” He bent down, attempting to help me up. “Don’t touch me.” I slapped his hand away, pushing myself up off the ground. Zach, the loyal lapdog, jumped in to smooth things over again. “Since Chloe had a little fall, let’s play a game to make it up to her!” The empty bottle spun rapidly on the table. Finally, it stopped, pointing directly at me. Serena clapped her hands in delight. “Chloe! How about you crawl around the table on all fours like a little dog and bark twice? We’ll call it even, okay?” Everyone at the table stared at me like they were watching a circus act. I looked at Ethan. His eyes darted away. His face was filled with anxiety—not for me, but because he was terrified I would make a scene and embarrass him. “Babe,” he coaxed gently. “It’s just a game. Don’t take it so seriously.” “Just do it so we can move on.” They wanted me to crawl on the floor like an animal to entertain this trash? I picked up a full glass of wine from the table and downed it. “I don’t crawl.” Serena’s smile faded. She pouted, tugging at Ethan’s arm. “Ethan, look at her. She’s such a buzzkill.” Then, her eyes flicked toward the small stage in the center of the bar. “Well, how about Chloe goes up on stage and dances for us instead? That counts too.” “With a body like yours, Chloe, I bet it’ll be a real show.” On stage, several scantily clad women were dancing provocatively. I heard her whisper to Zach in a voice she clearly intended for me to hear. “Look at her acting all high and mighty with that resting bitch face.” “Today, I’m going to make sure she knows exactly who belongs by Ethan’s side.” Zach chuckled. “Good one. Let’s see her act classy now.” So that was the plan. I slowly turned my head and looked at Ethan. He was whispering something back to Serena, a soft, indulgent smile on his face. He didn’t even notice me looking. To him, I was probably just some uptight, annoying chore. I reached down, picked up a glass overflowing with red wine, and started walking toward the stage. Thinking I had surrendered, Serena let out a triumphant smirk. “Glad you came to your senses, Chloe! Go ahead, we’re all waiting!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “449611”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I made my mate Alpha, beside him as Luna. And in secret, I went back to being the witch no one knows about. Today, Tyson walks into my ritual room with a woman on his arm. “Make her look like my Luna.” The blade in my hand goes cold against my palm. Thank the Goddess for the hooded cloak and the spell masking my scent. He doesn’t recognize me. His own Luna. His fated mate. I keep my voice low, distorted by magic. “Do you understand what this spell does, Alpha Tyson?” “Luna’s bones will crack and reshape. Her face will tear apart from the inside. She’ll lose her scent — every wolf in your pack will walk past her like she’s nothing. She’ll go blind. It’s worse than death.” Tyson looks at me. His eyes are cold. Flat. Like I’m talking about a stranger. “I don’t care. Just do it.” He won’t give up my father’s warriors. But he can’t stand his mistress living in the shadows either. So his plan is to paste my face onto a rogue and let her play Luna? Fine. Seven years of loyalty. Gone. I don’t owe him a damn thing. The only version of me walking back to him will be a widow. And every wolf in Ashgrove will answer to me. “Deal,” I say, turning the blade between my fingers. “But we do this my way. Both women stay here during the process. No interruptions. No one comes in.” Tyson nods. “Alpha.” Nola presses into his chest, fingers curling around his sleeve, lips parted like she wants to say something but won’t. The coldness melts off his face. Just like that. He cups her jaw and murmurs: “Briar’s father commands the most warriors in the region. His wolves only answer to Voss blood. I can’t break ties with her openly.” “And your past… it can’t come to light. This is the safest way.” “Bear with it. After this, you’ll be my Luna. My everything.” Nola’s face lights up. Hope. Hunger. Then she squeezes out a pout of concern. “But what happens to Briar after? She’ll be… ruined. Where will she go?” I’m curious too. What exactly does he plan to do with the real me? Behind the hooded cloak, I watch him. But Tyson doesn’t answer. He turns at the door. “Don’t try anything. And don’t damage her before delivery — I need her untouched.” Then he pulls Nola out with him. I call after him. “Alpha Tyson. When you bring Luna tomorrow, not a scratch on her. No bruises, no cuts. Her skin and hair — untouched. Or the spell won’t hold.” He doesn’t turn around. “Tomorrow.” The chamber door shuts. I pull back the hood. Peel off the cloak. From the witch no one’s ever seen, I become Briar Voss again. Thank the Goddess I listened to my father. He told me never to reveal my witch bloodline to anyone — especially not my mate. He told me to keep my Gamma close and my secrets closer. I tap the edge of the ritual table twice. Fenn steps out of the shadows — my Gamma. She’s been with me since before the mating ceremony. Ironveil-born. Loyal only to me. “Find out everything about that rogue,” I tell her. “I want to know exactly how ‘unspeakable’ her past is.” “And tomorrow — you take my place here. Wear the cloak, use the voice-masking spell. Let him think you’re the witch. When he brings ‘his Luna,’ take her in. I’ll handle the rest.” Fenn nods once and disappears. I pull my cloak back on and slip out the hidden path toward the pack house. The night air hits my skin. Somewhere in the distance, wolves are howling on a pack run. Seven years ago, Tyson swore under this same moon that he’d never betray me. I believed him. Now I’m going to make sure the only Alpha this pack ever answers to again is my five-year-old son, Callum.

Back in the Alpha’s wing of the pack house, I set out a tray of moonberry cakes. I made them by hand. His favorite flavor. The wolfsbane variant I folded into the batter is something no healer in any pack would recognize — because I invented it. It won’t kill him. It won’t even make him sick. It’ll just make sure Callum is the last pup he ever sires. I’m arranging the tray when Tyson walks in. “Briar.” His voice is soft. Warm. “Still up? It’s late.” He’s carrying a cup. The steam curls up between us. “The healer made this for you. It’ll help with your sleep — you’ve been looking tired lately.” His eyes are gentle. That look on his face — tender, concerned, like I’m something precious. Same look he gave me seven years ago when he got on one knee at the borderlands under a full moon and swore he’d never let me down. I believed him then. I let him bring the cup to my lips. Wolfsbane. Diluted. I can taste it under the herbs — faint, but there. Enough to suppress my wolf, cut off my mindlink, make me too weak to shift or fight. He’s drugging me. To make tomorrow easier. I drink every drop. Then I smile up at him. “Tyson. You’re always so good to me.” Something flickers behind his eyes — guilt, maybe — and vanishes. I pick up the tray of cakes and hold it out, eyes bright. “You’ve been running this pack day and night since your father got too weak. You barely eat. I made these for you — new recipe. Try one?” He takes one. Bites. Chews. “These are good.” He takes another. Then a third. I watch him swallow and feel nothing. Seven years ago, the Blood Plague swept through the borderlands. Wolves were dropping dead by the dozens. Tyson was stationed there — and he caught it. I didn’t sleep for five days. I used every scrap of healer knowledge I had, every spell my mother’s bloodline gave me, and I brewed a cure no one thought was possible. Then I ran. Three days straight in wolf form, carrying the cure in my jaws, until I reached him. He was half-dead when I got there. Skin grey. Eyes empty. I brought him back. After that, his father — the old Alpha — finally looked at him. Finally saw a son worth naming heir. At our mating ceremony, the old Alpha stood before the whole pack and passed the title to Tyson. And Tyson — he held my face in his hands that night, eyes red, voice cracking. “Briar, being your mate is the greatest thing that ever happened to me.” “If it wasn’t for you, I’d have burned with the rest of them. You gave me the cure, you gave me the title, you gave me everything.” “I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure every she-wolf in this world envies you.” Now he doesn’t even remember I know medicine. He’s feeding me wolfsbane with a lover’s smile, planning to send me off to be destroyed tomorrow. “Tyson.” I set the cup down, empty. He looks at me. “These cakes,” I say. “You really like them?” “Love them.” He pops the last crumb into his mouth. I tuck myself against his chest, letting the wolfsbane drag my limbs heavy. He carries me to bed. He doesn’t know that after tonight, Callum will be the only pup he ever sires.

The wolfsbane hits hard. My whole body goes slack. My wolf — silent. The mindlink — dead. I can’t shift. Can’t even lift my arms. Tyson lays me on the bed and stands over me, back turned. “Briar. Don’t blame me for this.” “Your father’s warriors only answer to Voss blood. I can’t touch them, and I can’t afford to turn against you openly.” “Everyone whispers behind my back — that I’m only Alpha because of you. Because of your father’s wolves. Because you handed me the cure and I took the credit.” “So I brought Nola back. She’ll wear your face. Take your place. Your father will never know.” “But I won’t abandon you. Even without your face, even without your scent — I’ll keep you hidden. Take care of you. You’ll be safe.” He says “safe” with his back to me. Says it again, quieter. Like he’s convincing himself. I force out a laugh. Thin. Ragged. “Tyson. I’ve been your Luna for seven years. I built alliances for you wolf by wolf. My father gave you his warriors — and you want to take them from Voss blood?” “You’re putting a rogue in my place. The real goal isn’t just replacing me. It’s swallowing my family whole.” His fists clench. He doesn’t turn around. “A blood family whose warriors outnumber mine three to one. No Alpha can stomach that forever.” He walks out. Wolfsbane burns in my throat. Then — footsteps. Heels clicking on stone. Nola sweeps in wearing one of my dresses. “Oh, Briar.” She crouches beside the bed. “Your Gamma’s not here. Your warriors are posted outside the territory on patrol — Tyson sent them out this morning. No one’s coming for you.” “Originally he wanted you gone for good. I’m the one who convinced him to let you live.” “So you should thank me, really. Even as a ruined wolf, at least you’ll be breathing.” She leans closer, breath hot on my ear. “And once I have my own pups with him? Your little Callum is dead weight.” “How does that feel? Helpless yet?” Her pretty face twists into something ugly. I keep my eyes closed. I don’t waste my breath on her. But her idea about Callum? That seals it. Tomorrow, in my ritual room, I’ll make sure she begs for a death I’ll never give. “Mama!” A small voice. Outside the door. My five-year-old. Callum. “Papa said you’re sick. I came to take care of you!” Nola straightens up fast. She leans over me. “Keep playing dead. I’ll deal with your pup.” My eyes snap open. I try to scream— “Callum — go back! Mama’s fine—” It comes out barely a whisper. The wolfsbane has taken everything. Nola strides out. Her voice goes sharp. Loud. Dripping with authority she doesn’t have. “The Alpha heir? Your father said you’re not allowed near your mother. And you disobey? Ungrateful little—” “You think you can give me orders? Lock him in the storage room. No lights.” Callum is afraid of the dark. He’s been afraid since he was three. Panic claws up my throat. I throw everything I have into sitting up— My body slides off the bed and hits the floor. Outside, my son’s voice rings out. Small. But every word lands like iron. “Moon Goddess teaches us — a pup honors his mother above all.” “You’re no one. A stranger in my mother’s home. You don’t give orders here. You don’t raise your voice in my mother’s room.” “I’m going to find Grandfather. And when I do, you’ll answer for this.” I hear his feet — running. A smile cracks across my face. My pup. Nola’s voice shakes with rage. “Go. Tell the Alpha. Now!” She storms back in. Looks down at me on the floor. “Oh, Briar. On the floor like a rogue. How sad.” “You want the truth? That pup won’t reach the old wolf. Tyson’s already replaced every wolf around the old Alpha with his own. No one’s letting that pup through.” I know. I know all of it. Let Tyson take everything. Let him think he’s the winner. He doesn’t see what’s behind him. Once he’s gone, Callum is the only heir. A five-year-old heir needs his mother. And this mother has an entire army of Ironveil warriors one howl away. Let them have tonight. After tomorrow, the only one playing games will be me.

Watch👉 https://cps-front.novelix.live/app-api/ext/new/20260729tEMQZrZQ5W 🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “Novelix” app 🔍 search for “ni802653”, and watch the full series ✨! #Novelix