I have mild face blindness. But my fiancé, Ethan, always treated my condition as a game for his own amusement. Time after time, he would team up with his best friend Logan and my best friend Amelia, eager to “test” me in crowded places. If I guessed wrong once, he would make me pay for dinner. If I guessed wrong twice, Ethan would look at me coldly and ask, “We have been together for five years, and you can’t even recognize me? Do you even love me?” On the day we were supposed to take our engagement photos, they played the “Find the Groom” game again. Over a dozen men stood in a row, all wearing the exact same black suit. Everyone was waiting to watch me make a fool of myself. Finally, my best friend Amelia took my hand. “Stop looking, Chloe. Ethan didn’t even show up.” The crowd burst into laughter. On the table lay a sticky note left by Ethan. “Since you can’t even recognize your own fiancé, figure out how to get to the rehearsal dinner tonight by yourself.” After reading it, I called the event planner on the spot. “Cancel the dinner tonight.” It didn’t matter that I couldn’t recognize his face anymore. This time, I finally saw him for who he really was.

After canceling the engagement dinner, I sent the cancellation confirmation back to the coordinator. The coordinator asked, “Ms. Vance, the venue is already set up. If you cancel now, there’s a thirty percent cancellation fee. Are you sure?” “I’m sure. Refund the remaining amount to my account.” “Does Mr. Miller know?” “There’s no need to notify him.” I hung up, called an Uber, and went back to my condo. The moment I unlocked the door, Logan’s voice drifted over from the living room. “Ethan, I lost the bet. She’s actually back in less than two hours.” Ethan let out a low chuckle. “I told you, she can’t handle the venue coordinators on her own. She can’t even recognize people. How is she going to plan a dinner? She was bound to come crawling back to beg me.” The three of them were sitting in the living room, eating pizza and fried chicken. Ethan’s suit jacket was tossed carelessly on the floor. Amelia was wearing the exact designer dress I had ordered for the dinner. I had ordered that dress weeks ago. The tailor had altered it three times to fit me. Logan pushed his phone toward Ethan. “A bet’s a bet. I’ll cover your bachelor trip. Pick any luxury hotel you want.” Amelia stood up, trying to grab my hand. “Chloe, you’re finally back. Ethan just wanted to teach you a lesson. Don’t let a silly game ruin the dinner.” I stepped back, avoiding her touch. “The dinner is canceled.” Ethan paused, dropping his fork onto the paper plate. “What did you say?” “I just called the coordinator. The rehearsal dinner is off.” “Who gave you permission to cancel it?” “I signed the contract, and I paid the deposit.” Ethan walked over to me, reaching out to grab my phone. “Chloe, stop throwing a tantrum. I made you go to the venue alone to teach you how to be independent. If you can’t even handle a little thing like this, how are we supposed to get married?” I slipped my phone back into my purse. “My fiancé wasn’t even there. Why would I hold a dinner by myself?” “I was just going to be a little late. If you had found the venue yourself, I would have showed up.” “Your note said to ‘figure it out myself’.” “It was just a joke. Can’t you take a joke?” I looked at the dress on Amelia. “Take it off.” Amelia clutched the skirt. “What?” “That’s my dress.” “I was just trying it on. Since the dinner is canceled anyway, it’s just going to waste in the closet.” “It was tailored to my exact measurements. Isn’t it a bit tight for you?” Ethan grabbed Amelia’s arm, pulling her back. “Don’t take it off. Keep it on. She’s being ungrateful. You don’t need to baby her.” I swallowed the rising nausea in my throat. “So my rehearsal dress is just a community prop? She can wear it whenever she wants?” “She’s your best friend, Chloe, not a stranger.” “Then what about my fiancé? Can she borrow him too?” Ethan’s face darkened instantly. “Don’t talk so dirty. Amelia and I are completely innocent. You’re just paranoid, always twisting everything into something sick.” “Chloe, apologize to Amelia right now. Do that, and I’ll pretend this dinner drama never happened. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to Tiffany’s to pick out our wedding bands.” Ethan reached out to pat my face, but I took a step back. His hand froze in mid-air, his voice turning colder. “Your face blindness is just a bad habit because everyone coddles you. If you don’t cure it now, what are you going to do when we have kids? Pick up the wrong child from daycare? We are doing this for your own good.” Logan handed Amelia another slice of pizza. “Just ignore her. Once she gets hungry, she’ll come out of her room to eat.” Ethan pointed toward the kitchen. “Go get a plate. The cancellation fee for the dinner is coming out of your personal account. Tomorrow, reschedule with the planner.” Without a word, I walked straight into my bedroom. I locked the door, pulled out my suitcase, and packed my deed of ownership and ID. Soon, laughter echoed from the living room again. Logan asked, “Are we still going on the trip?” Ethan replied, “Of course. She’s throwing such a fit today anyway. Let her stay home and reflect on her behavior.” I dialed my real estate broker’s number. “Hi, I want to sell my condo. I need a quick cash buyer.” The broker asked, “Is anyone living there right now?” “Starting tomorrow, you can bring buyers in for showings anytime.”

The broker verified my property info. “Ms. Vance, you are the sole owner on the deed, but there’s still a mortgage balance. A quick cash sale means we have to list it below market value. Are you okay with that?” “Yes. Try to lock in a buyer within three days.” “That’s very fast. The price might drop significantly.” “As long as the paperwork is legal, you can negotiate the price.” After sending over the documents, I logged into my company’s portal. There was an open position in our Austin branch. They needed someone to lead a new project independently. It was over six hundred miles away. The application deadline was midnight tonight. I submitted my relocation request and set my start date for three days from now. I shut down my laptop and packed my legal documents, work computer, and a few clothes. The next morning, I walked out of the bedroom wheeling my suitcase. Ethan blocked my way. “Who are you trying to threaten with that suitcase? Going to run to your parents again?” “I’m going to the office.” “With a giant suitcase?” “It has project files in it.” My phone buzzed. It was a text from the broker. A cash buyer was coming to inspect the condo in thirty minutes. I had already sent the broker a temporary smart-lock code. I needed to get Ethan out of here. “Let’s go.” Ethan smirked. “See? Was it really that hard to just behave? You had to make a scene all night.” When we arrived at the jewelry store, I realized Logan and Amelia were already waiting there. Amelia ran up to me. “Chloe, please don’t misunderstand. Ethan said more opinions would help, so I came along.” Ethan handed my suitcase to the store clerk for safekeeping. “Amelia has better taste than you anyway. We have to wear these wedding bands for the rest of our lives. What’s wrong with letting her help us choose?” The sales associate laid out several sets of rings. “You two can try them on for sizing first.” Just as I reached out my hand, Amelia pointed to a diamond necklace in the display case. “Ethan, isn’t this gorgeous?” Amelia put the necklace on and turned to me. “Chloe, what do you think?” “If you like it, buy it,” I said flatly. “Wait, so you’re going to give the apology gift meant for your fiancée to Amelia?” Amelia immediately started taking off the necklace. “I don’t want it anymore. Please don’t fight because of me.” Logan pressed his hand over the jewelry box. “Ethan bought it for you, so take it. Chloe ruined her own rehearsal dinner. How does she have the nerve to complain about a necklace?” Ethan pulled out his Amex card. “Wrap it up.” “What about our rings?” I asked. “With your current attitude, do you think you deserve a ring?” He swiped his card and handed the shopping bag to Amelia. “When you learn how to respect people, then we’ll buy the rings.” “What do I need to do to prove myself?” I asked. Amelia looked out the window of the mall. “The game yesterday wasn’t finished. There are plenty of people here. Let’s do a re-test. If you can find Ethan in the crowd, I’ll give the necklace back to you.” Ethan agreed immediately. “Deal. If she gets it wrong again, I’m never holding a wedding.” Amelia already had her phone up, camera pointing at me. “Chloe, I’m recording this for proof.”

I didn’t move. Amelia zoomed in on my face. “Don’t be nervous. Ethan is just somewhere in this mall. You’ve been together for five years. You can definitely find him.” “I’m not playing.” Ethan took off his coat and tossed it to Logan. “She’s just scared of losing. We are doing this today, or she’ll never fix her attitude.” A few salespeople outside the luxury menswear store across the hall were wearing identical black suits. Ethan put on a black face mask, took off his watch, and let Logan lead him over to join them. Before walking away, he said to me, “We’ll just be three storefronts down. If you ever actually looked at me, you wouldn’t get this wrong.” Amelia started the Snapchat recording. “Chloe, go ahead.” “I told you, I’m not playing.” She blocked my path. “You can’t just run away every time things get hard. We are doing this because we want you to be normal.” “I have mild face blindness. I am normal.” “I didn’t mean it like that. But you can’t even recognize your own fiancé. It hurts Ethan’s feelings too.” “His feelings are hurt, so he wants you to record me making mistakes?” Amelia lowered her phone slightly. “I just wanted to keep it as a memory. Once you’re cured in the future, you’ll look back at these videos and think it was funny.” “Delete all the old videos.” “They’re already in our Snapchat group. How am I supposed to delete them?” “You posted them without my permission.” “We are all friends, Chloe. It’s just a joke. Why do you always have to take everything so seriously?” My stomach began to ache from stress, and cold sweat broke out on my forehead. The sales associate brought over a cup of warm water. “Please sit down, ma’am.” Amelia raised her phone again. “Chloe, stop pretending to be sick. Ethan is still waiting. It’s only three stores away. Just walk over and take a look.” The sales associate stepped in front of her camera. “This lady clearly said she doesn’t want to do it. Why are you still filming?” “We are her friends. She has face blindness, and we are helping her.” “Knowing she has face blindness and forcing her to identify someone is what you call helping?” Amelia’s smile faded. “This is our private business. Stay out of it.” Amelia clutched her jewelry bag. “You don’t know the whole story. Chloe agreed to the test herself. We didn’t force her.” I looked at her. “When did I ever agree?” Ethan and Logan walked back over. Ethan’s first words were, “Why didn’t you come find me?” “I didn’t want to.” “I stood there for fifteen minutes, and you didn’t even take one step?” Logan pointed at the sales associate. “Were you the one stirring up drama just now? Since when do you get a say in this?” The associate replied, “She’s already feeling unwell, and you guys are forcing her to play games. If something happens to her, are you going to take responsibility?” Ethan glanced at me. “She’s just playing the victim. She always looks like this whenever she gets it wrong.” “I am not playing.” “Then prove it to me. Go do it now.” “No.” He raised his voice, commanding me. “Apologize to Amelia, then go find me. If you can’t recognize me today, you’re walking home.” My phone buzzed in my hand. It was a text from my broker: “The buyer accepted your price and just wired the earnest money. I’ve sent the digital contract to your email. Please sign.” I opened the document, scrolled to the last page, and signed my name.

As soon as the electronic contract was submitted, the broker called. “Ms. Vance, the buyer wants a fast closing and hopes to get the keys as soon as possible. The remaining mortgage will be cleared through the escrow account. You can authorize us to handle the title transfer.” “That works.” “What about the furniture?” “Leave it all for the buyer.” “There are other people’s belongings in the condo. Are you sure you don’t need to notify them?” “The contract specifies the move-out deadline. Just follow the legal contract.” I hung up and pulled my suitcase from the counter. Ethan blocked me again. “Where are you going now?” “I have things to do.” “Finish the test first.” “No.” “Then don’t even think about getting the rings. And don’t bother showing up to the party tonight.” I walked around them and left the store. Ethan didn’t chase after me. I heard him call out from behind: “Let her go. She can’t even navigate. She’ll be calling me to beg for a ride in ten minutes.” Once I got into the Uber, I received a message from my company’s HR. “Chloe, your relocation request has been approved. The Austin branch needs you to start ASAP. What is the earliest you can get here?” “I can report tomorrow.” “The project is urgent, so the company will cover your flight ticket for today.” I found a flight leaving in two hours and booked it immediately. Ethan called, but I declined it. The group chat started blowing up. Ethan posted: “Don’t wait for her. We’re going to The Gatsby Lounge tonight. Let her reflect on her behavior outside. She can come back when she learns how to apologize.” Logan: “I already booked the hotel. Let’s fly to Cabo next week. We’ll treat it as an early honeymoon.” Ethan: “She ruined the rehearsal dinner, so she doesn’t deserve to go. Just the three of us will go.” After arriving at the airport, the wedding coordinator contacted me again. “Ms. Vance, Mr. Miller just called about the rehearsal dinner. He refuses to cancel and wants to reinstate the booking.” “I signed the contract. He has no right to reinstate it.” “He also said you’ll have to cover the cancellation fee yourself.” “Deduct it from my deposit.” “The remaining balance will be refunded to your account within seven business days.” “Thank you.” I checked my bags. The group chat was still active. I clicked “Leave Group Chat.” Ethan’s call came through again. This time, I picked up. “Chloe, where the hell are you?” “Is there a problem?” “Get to The Gatsby Lounge right now. Amelia is willing to forgive you. Just apologize to her face, and we’ll put this behind us.” “I’m not coming.” “Don’t be so ungrateful. That condo is our home. If you don’t show up tonight, don’t even think about sleeping here.” “Okay.” Ethan paused. “What do you mean, ‘okay’?” “Exactly what I said.” “Are you hiding somewhere crying again? I’m telling you, this isn’t going to work on me. If you’re so brave, don’t ever come back.” “I won’t.” I hung up, blocked Ethan, Logan, and Amelia’s numbers, and added them to my blacklist. The boarding announcement rang out, and I turned off my phone. Right before takeoff, the broker sent one last text. “Ms. Vance, the buyer will inspect the property and change the smart-lock codes tomorrow morning. Is that fine?” I typed two words. “That’s fine.”

When the plane landed, the first things I received were the address of my corporate housing and my check-in schedule. Immediately after, a text from an unknown number arrived with a picture. In the photo, Ethan, Logan, and Amelia were sitting on a sunny beach in Cabo. Amelia was wearing that diamond necklace. Ethan was holding a coconut drink for her, and Logan was taking pictures of her. Underneath the photo was a text: “Since you ruined the rehearsal dinner, we had to move our trip forward. Amelia was hurt, so I brought her out to clear her head. When you learn how to recognize people, then we can talk about getting married.” I blocked the number and contacted the colleague who was picking me up. Her name was Harper Stone. She was holding a sign with my name near the baggage claim. When I walked over, she spoke first. “Chloe Vance?” “Yes.” “I’m Harper. I coordinate the project files and client relations. You don’t have to stress about memorizing my face. I always wear a blue lanyard, and I have a silver watch on my right wrist.” I froze for a second. She took my suitcase from my hand. “Your HR file mentioned you have mild face blindness. If you ever can’t find me, look for those two things, or just call my cell.” Those words were so simple, yet they made the tight knot in my chest suddenly loosen. Ethan used to tell me: “If you just pay attention, you can remember.” But no one had ever told me that recognizing someone didn’t have to depend entirely on their face. At the apartment, I only unpacked my documents, laptop, and two changes of clothes. I left the rest in the suitcase because I had to report to the project team early the next morning. After a quick shower, I opened my laptop and listed my tasks for the next three days. First: Confirm the title transfer of the condo. Second: Deactivate my old phone number. Third: Back up every single candid video Ethan, Logan, and Amelia had ever taken of me. I used to be too terrified to watch those videos. Every time I clicked them, the sound of their mocking laughter would fill the room. But now, I knew that I wasn’t the one who should feel embarrassed. I gathered all the links, screenshots, and chat histories into a secure folder and named it: “Evidence.” Only then did I shut my laptop and go to bed. Before sleeping, the broker sent a final update. “Ms. Vance, the buyer has completed the walkthrough and changed the lock codes. We’ve notified Mr. Miller to retrieve his items. If he doesn’t pick them up on time, they will be moved to the building’s storage room.” I replied: “Proceed according to the contract.” The next morning, I arrived at the office twenty minutes early. In the breakroom, a woman in a beige blazer was standing by the water dispenser. Her hairstyle looked very similar to Harper’s. I walked up to her. “Chris, which floor is the project room on?” The woman turned around. “I’m not Chris.” I glanced at her ID badge, unable to read the name immediately. “I am so sorry. I got the wrong person.” “I’m Victoria Sterling, the Marketing Director. Are you Chloe Vance, the transfer from headquarters?” “Yes, that’s me.” Victoria checked her watch. “The project kickoff is in ten minutes. Getting names wrong is fine, just don’t be late.” After she left, Harper walked in and handed me a sheet of paper. On it were the names, roles, and habits of every member of our team. “Zach talks fast and always holds a black mug. Jenna wears a pink lanyard. Arthur always knocks twice on the table before entering a room.” “You wrote all of this down?” “Projects succeed through execution, not guessing games.” During the meeting, Harper didn’t force me to identify anyone on the spot. She simply had everyone introduce their roles. I noted down their voices and physical habits in my notebook. No one laughed. No one made jokes. When it was my turn, I only said two things. “I am responsible for the delivery of this project. I have mild face blindness. If I call you by the wrong name, please correct me directly. I will use your voice, role, and written records to confirm.” No one in the conference room joked about it. Victoria only asked, “How will you handle client meetings?” “I will prepare client lists in advance, ask them to introduce themselves, and place name cards at key seating positions.” “Perfect. Prepare it that way.” During lunch, just as I opened the client brief, my phone rang. It was the cash buyer of my old condo. “Ms. Vance, there are three people standing outside my door. The leader is claiming he’s your fiancé.” Through the receiver, Ethan’s shouting voice drifted over. “Chloe, I know you’re listening. What is this all about? Why did you change the locks?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “451308”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

My older sister, Kate, vanished into thin air late at night just to buy me a birthday cake. Ever since, on my birthday, my dad would lock me in the dark basement, forcing me to gorge on cake until I threw up. And then make me keep eating. All because they were convinced I was the one who killed Kate. Until my eighteenth birthday, when a psycho stalked me. With shaking hands, I texted them on SnapChat, begging for help. Dad’s voice was dripping with venom and sarcasm when he answered: “Today is your day of atonement. Get your ass back here right now!” “A young girl using such a cheap lie to get attention. Remember, Kate’s body was never found because of you!” The call went dead. A second later, a heavy iron pipe slammed into the back of my skull. Within less than an hour, I was tortured to death, my body mutilated beyond recognition before being dumped into the local reservoir. And when my detective dad arrived at the crime scene, he didn’t even recognize my corpse. Later, Kate returned home, very much alive and heavily pregnant. When they finally realized that the rotting, mutilated corpse was actually me, they completely broke down.

By the time James rushed to the body dump site in his yellow raincoat, the forensics team had already laid me on the wet ground. The winter rain was pouring down, accompanied by a freezing wind. Deputies and K9 units were combing through every inch of the area, searching for any trace of the killer. The medical examiner walked over to James, his face pale with rage. “The victim has over a hundred wounds, mostly blanched from the water. But it’s clear she was a young woman, and she was brutally tortured before she died.” James followed his gaze. A flicker of disgust and pity crossed his face. “Bastard… absolute animal! If I catch the sick freak who did this, I’m going to make him pay!” For the first time in ten years, I felt a spark of my father’s pity. Even if it was as a cold, dead body. The coroner nodded grimly, promising to do everything to find the killer. My body was carefully transported to the morgue. James stayed for the autopsy, watching as they cleaned the mud off my face. The bloated, naked body of a young girl lay on the cold steel table. She was completely unrecognizable, her ears sliced off, and her fingernails ripped out. Even the veteran medical examiner had to choke back a gag, muttering, “This killer is a psychopath. He wanted to erase her identity completely.” James rubbed his tired face, reviewing the details. “The skin on her face was extensively mutilated, making visual ID impossible. Judging by dental wear, she’s between sixteen and twenty.” “Her ears were cut off, likely to hide a birthmark or surgical scars that could identify her.” “The killer was incredibly cautious—even her fingernails are gone.” “There’s no DNA on the body. The reservoir probably wasn’t the primary crime scene. We need more clues.” The coroner sighed and patted James’s shoulder. “We’ll run DNA to identify her as soon as possible.” “She looks about the same age as your daughter. It’s a tragedy.” Then, remembering something, the coroner looked apologetic. “James, I know you’ve been working overtime for a month straight.” “Today is Kylie’s birthday. You finally got a night off to spend with your family, and we had to drag you out here. I’m sorry.” At the mention of my name, James’s face hardened with instant disgust. “She doesn’t deserve a birthday.” “If I could trade her life for Kate’s, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” Silence fell over the room. No one dared to breathe. Those words cut deeper and left me more hopeless than the cold blade the killer used to carve up my face. I used to think that ten years of emotional abuse, silent treatment, and constant degradation would slowly chip away at James’s hatred. But I was foolishly dreaming. The coroner pursed his lips. “James, it’s been ten years. Kylie was only eight back then. She didn’t know any better. How can you still blame her?” “She’s your only child now!” James’s eyes burned red with fury. “How can I not blame her?! If she hadn’t thrown a tantrum for that damn cake, would Kate have ever gone out that night?!” I had heard that accusation a thousand times over the past decade. It was carved into my very soul. But every time he brought it up, James was still as hysterical and broken as the first day. At night, I still had nightmares of James dragging me by my hair to Kate’s empty-casket memorial headstone. He would smash my head against the stone until I bled, forcing me to scream that I was sorry, that I shouldn’t have asked for that cake. Sometimes I wished I had died on my eighth birthday instead. Then, I wouldn’t have had to carry the weight of a murderer on my shoulders, growing up alone in this twisted, broken home. The coroner took a deep breath. “James, I get your anger. But if something actually happens to Kylie, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.” I hovered near James, hoping, begging for just one soft word. “Regret? Bullshit. The day she dies, I’m opening a bottle of champagne.” The tiny spark of hope in my chest died completely. James, I am dead. Once you find out, will you finally stop hating me? Just then, an officer walked in with an evidence bag containing a blood-soaked scarf. The faded fabric was embroidered with tiny yellow stars, now drenched in dark, crusty blood. James barely glanced at it before waving his assistant over. “It’s just a generic item with no unique identifiers. Send it to the lab to see if the blood matches the victim.” My eyes widened, and my heart shattered into a million pieces. He forgot. He completely forgot that this was the gift he gave me on my first day of elementary school. Back then, James was so busy with work that his marriage with Sarah fell apart. Sarah found a new lover and abandoned both Kate and me to James. Because I had been deprived of oxygen in the womb during a difficult birth, I developed much slower than other kids. In elementary school, I still drooled when I got nervous, and the other kids made fun of me. Growing up without a mother made me terribly insecure. I was terrified of going to school alone. Since James had no money to spare for my therapy while raising two kids, he hand-sewed this scarf for me, stitching a bunch of little stars onto the fabric. Back then, James would kiss my cheek and whisper softly: “Kylie, this is your special handkerchief. Just use it to wipe your mouth whenever you feel nervous.” “It’s okay. If anyone laughs at you, tell me.” “This has my scent on it. Whenever you’re scared of being alone, just smell it. Think of it as me being right next to you.” “I’m a cop, Kylie. I will protect you forever.” Now, the man who gave me that warm promise had completely forgotten it, calling it a “generic item.” Oh, James… you just missed your only chance to recognize your own daughter.

Once the paperwork was done, James finally checked his phone. He saw my SnapChat texts begging for help. His investigator instincts kicked in, and he dialed Sarah. For a second, I thought they had finally realized something was wrong. But the moment James spoke, my hopes crashed. “Did Kylie call you crying again?” “She went as far as sending me fake texts claiming some freak was stalking her on her way home. Is she really trying to copy what happened to Kate?!” I didn’t lie, James! I was in real danger! The body you just pitied on the autopsy table… that’s me! Please, believe me just once! His brow was furrowed in deep annoyance. I hoped Sarah would show some concern. After all, ever since Kate disappeared ten years ago, I had never dared to reach out to them. But Sarah’s voice over the speaker was cold and dismissive. “She’s been a pathological liar since she was a toddler, don’t you know that?” “Remember when she faked stomach aches just to skip preschool? I gave you custody. She’s your kid, don’t bring her drama to me.” “Last time she showed up at my house with some cheap Mother’s Day gift, it made things so awkward. My husband was right next to me!” Because of the difficult labor, Sarah had resented me from the moment I was born. After Kate’s disappearance, that resentment became fully justified in her eyes. I listened to them take turns listing all my flaws, until James cursed, “She was born to be a curse on this family!” In the end, neither of them wondered if leaving me out in the dark would lead to any danger. I curled up in the corner of the room, my soul aching with a hollow pain. My death didn’t matter to anyone. “I need to file a report!” A familiar voice echoed from the lobby. “My friend Kylie has been missing since last night! Something terrible must have happened to her!” In front of the front desk, my only friend, Chloe, was frantically explaining the situation to the officer. She said I had stopped replying to her Snapchats and missed our plans to hang out. Looking at how panicked she was, my heart squeezed with painful gratitude. How I wished I could tell her not to cry, but I could only stand beside her as a ghost, weeping silently. Thank you for caring about me, Chloe. When the officer asked if she had contacted the family, James walked into the lobby, looking down at Chloe with cold eyes. “No need to waste your time. I’m Kylie’s father.” “She isn’t missing. She committed a family offense and is currently grounded in the basement.” “And I don’t appreciate her running around with delinquent kids like you.” He dragged out the word ‘delinquent’. I watched Chloe’s face turn pale, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her worn-out jacket. But Chloe wasn’t a delinquent. When James forgot to give me lunch money, she would steal bread from her own kitchen to feed me. When she found out I was using toilet paper because I couldn’t afford pads, she used her babysitting money to buy them for me. Others looked down on her because she was poor, but she was my savior. Since James was the Homicide Captain, no officer dared to question his words. My disappearance was swept under the rug simply because a parent claimed I was “grounded.” I watched Chloe leave, feeling utterly helpless. I wanted to follow her. But my soul was tethered to James, dragged along as he drove home. A thin layer of dust covered the dining table. The decorative flowers had long withered. James brought in takeout boxes and lined them up. A year after Kate vanished, on this very day, I had mistakenly thought these lavish takeout meals were for my birthday. While James was in the restroom, I couldn’t resist sneaking a bite of my favorite seafood pasta. But James caught me. He marched over, his face twisted in rage, and choked me against the wall. “Why are you so greedy?! Is this for you? A leech like you doesn’t deserve this!” My face turned purple as I gasped for air. “I’m sorry… I thought it was for my birthday. I’ll spit it out… I’ll spit it out right now…” A sharp piece of seafood shell got stuck in my throat. I swallowed hard, tears streaming down my face. When I was on the verge of passing out, James finally let go, pointing at me and snarling, “You like eating so much? I’ll make sure you eat till you die!” Under his murderous gaze, I was forced to stuff three eight-inch cream cakes down my throat until I vomited all over the floor.

I lay shivering on the floor, weak and exhausted. James grabbed my hair, dragging me to the bathroom. “Kylie, you listen to me. It’s because of your greedy stomach, because you demanded that stupid birthday cake, that Kate is gone!” “Don’t play victim with me. Grab the mop and clean this up!” James, I wasn’t playing victim. I was hurting. My throat, my stomach, my entire heart… everything was in agonizing pain. I wiped my tears and dragged the mop across the floor. I forced myself to keep moving, watching James place the delicious food in Kate’s untouched room, whispering to her empty bed: “Kate, Kylie is such a disappointment. I should have never spoiled her. I used to yell at you for eating junk food, but look, I bought all your favorites today. If you want anything else, just tell me in my dreams. I miss you so much.” I couldn’t bear to hear any more. I shrank back into the bathroom, trying to suppress my sobs. The laughter of other families downstairs drifted through the window. I pressed my face against the small window glass, trying to hear it clearly, pretending I was the girl in those stories, enjoying the perfect family warmth. But I was the curse who killed Kate. No miracles would ever happen to me. But James, tell me what I have to do for you to forgive me. I promise I’ll be good… The next morning, I woke up with a burning fever. At nine years old, I had no money and didn’t know how to go to the hospital. Terrified, I took some cash from James’s nightstand and stumbled to the nearest pharmacy. The pharmacist took one look at my flushed face and burning forehead and immediately carried me to the community clinic for an IV drip. They asked for my father’s number. As the needle pierced my skin, I foolishly thought, This time, James won’t say I’m faking it, right? Sure enough, James rushed in, clutching his briefcase. Hope flared in my chest. I called out sweetly, “Dad!” I secretly thought, If he just pat my head, or gently blow on the needle mark, I would forgive him for everything. But what James gave me was a harsh slap across the face. “You thief! You actually stole my money! You got scared of being caught, so you faked an illness, didn’t you?” “I’m a police officer, and I raised a thief!” The IV needle was ripped out of my vein. I curled up, crying hysterically, begging him to believe me. Hearing that James was a cop, the nurses and onlookers stopped defending me. Their sympathetic looks turned into disgust and disapproval. Parents nearby whispered to their kids, telling them never to end up like me. I didn’t steal that money to be bad. I wasn’t a thief. I was just a sick child who wanted to live. But until the day I died, I never became a child worthy of love. I watched James fill Kate’s empty bowl with food, and silently pack her closet with the latest fashion trends. This haunting routine had repeated every single day for ten years. I was lost in these painful memories when a knock on the front door snapped me back. A voice from the past echoed through the hallway. “James! Open up! I’m back, and I brought your grandbaby!” I watched James, always so stoic and calm, trip over his own dining chair as he scrambled to his feet. He stumbled to the door, his hand trembling on the doorknob for a long time before finally twisting it open. The door swung wide, revealing the woman standing outside. It was Kate—the sister I supposedly “killed” ten years ago.

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My parents raised me with extreme “tough love” since I was a kid. They always said that only in desperate situations can one learn to survive, and only through adversity can one make a comeback. So, in the freezing winters, I scavenged for recyclable cans to pay my rent, getting severe frostbite on my hands. In the summers, I walked miles to save a few dollars on bus fare, ending up with heatstroke. During school, I skipped meals to save money and ruined my stomach. But later, I saw my parents celebrating the birthday of the poor kid who bullied me at school. They held it at a five-star luxury hotel, gifting him a million-dollar luxury watch and a limited-edition supercar. My mother had a look of proud adoration on her face as she spoiled him: “Robert is the most brilliant boy in the world, unlike my own son, who is just fat and stupid.” “Robert, I wish you were my real son!” And on that very same day, which was also my birthday, my parents arrived home late. They brought me cold, ruined leftovers from the banquet and handed me a handwritten card as my birthday present.

Inside the magnificent five-star hotel. Robert, the guy who had been bullying me at school, spitting on me, and dumping trash over my head, was now surrounded by a crowd like a prince. He had a look of pure bliss on his face. “Thank you, Mom and Dad, for planning this amazing birthday party for me. I’m so lucky to have you guys.” Beside him, a woman dressed in a gorgeous designer gown looked at him with adoring eyes. “Robert, having you in our lives is our real blessing.” “You have no idea how fat and stupid my own son is. His grades are always at the bottom of the class.” “I’m too embarrassed to even admit he’s mine. Honestly, I wish you were my biological son.” Next to her, a dignified man in a custom three-piece suit patted Robert on the shoulder, his face full of pride. “Robert is indeed the best! He’s smart, and he looks so handsome.” “Study hard, Robert. Once you graduate, I’ll hand the management of my company over to you.” This wealthy, elite couple was none other than my biological parents. But just this morning, my parents had looked sallow and tired, wearing worn-out clothes from Goodwill. They had looked at me with helpless expressions, saying the family couldn’t afford the $500 fee for my SAT prep class, telling me to figure it out myself. Yet in the blink of an eye, they were gifting a million-dollar watch and a limited-edition sports car to the “underprivileged” student they sponsored. Meanwhile, their own flesh and blood was nothing but an embarrassment in their eyes. Staring at the Snapchat story on my phone screen, I felt a freezing chill run through my body. My chest tightened until it was hard to breathe. Earlier, when Mr. Davis mentioned that Robert was being sponsored by some wealthy philanthropists, I had been so envious. I thought about how struggling our family was. If only I could get sponsored too, it would take the burden off my parents, and I would finally have a quiet place to study. But I never imagined that the wealthy benefactors sponsoring my bully were my own biological parents… Tears streamed down my face. I suddenly remembered that today was my birthday, too. In the morning, my parents told me they had to work overtime tonight and would be home very late. I never expected their “overtime” was celebrating Robert’s birthday, while I, their real son, was completely forgotten. I dragged my exhausted body to the sofa and waited. It wasn’t until the clock ticked past 2:00 AM that my parents finally unlocked the front door. Their glamorous party outfits were gone. They had changed back into their faded, tattered clothes, and their faces wore the familiar masks of exhaustion. But the strong smell of expensive champagne on their breath was impossible to hide. Seeing me sitting on the sofa, my mother immediately put on a guilt-ridden face. “Ethan, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to miss your birthday.” “My boss kept me late for overtime. But look… I brought you something incredibly delicious!” She spoke like she was presenting a treasure, pulling two plastic takeout boxes from her bag. Inside was a smashed slice of gourmet cake and some cold seafood. I recognized them instantly. They were the leftovers from Robert’s birthday banquet. I suddenly remembered all those times Robert boasted on Snapchat about eating at high-end steakhouses, and how my parents would always happen to bring home “gourmet treats” for me later that night. It turned out that the “luxury meals” I cherished were just the scraps left behind by my bully. My throat tightened, and my eyes stung. I choked out, “No thanks, I’m not hungry.” My mother frowned in confusion. “Ethan, this is high-end food you’ve never even tasted before! Are you sure you don’t want any?” I couldn’t blame her for being confused. In the past, if I saw food like this, my eyes would have lit up, and I would have eagerly shared it with them. But now, I just shook my head. My mother’s face immediately fell into an expression of deep hurt. “Ethan, are you still blaming us for missing your birthday?” “We work ourselves to the bone every single day just to give you a better life!” She sounded so earnest, but it only made me want to laugh. To give me a better life? They clearly already had a luxurious life, but it wasn’t for me. It was for Robert. While their biological son couldn’t even afford a high school prep course. Seeing me smile, my parents assumed I had listened to their lecture and accepted their apology. They both let out a sigh of relief. Then, they mysteriously pulled a small gift box from their bag. “Happy birthday, sweetheart. You’re another year older.” My mom opened the box. Inside was a long, handwritten card. My dad cleared his throat and began to read aloud with dramatic emotion. “To Ethan: Remember what we always teach you. A man must be self-reliant. Only in desperate situations can you learn to survive, and only through adversity can you make your comeback…” Listening to his voice, and comparing it to how they treated Robert, I felt nothing but mockery. As they read the card, the pain in my chest became unbearable, and tears flowed freely down my cheeks. My parents took my tears as a sign of being deeply moved and wrapped me in a tight embrace.

That night, I cried for a very long time. Eventually, in my hazy state of mind, I tried to convince myself. My parents might treat Robert better than me, and they might have denied me material comforts, but I was still their biological son. They had to love me. Why else would they go through the trouble of hiding their wealth and putting on a show in front of me? In my heart, I decided to give them three chances. If they showed me even a sliver of genuine love, I would forgive their favoritism. The next morning, I gathered my courage and spoke to them during breakfast. “Mom, Dad, Mr. Davis said the SAT prep course starts next week. Everyone has to pay $500.” I had actually brought this up multiple times before. Because the fee was unpaid, Mr. Davis had been giving me the cold shoulder at school. But every time, my parents brushed me off with excuses, telling me to find a way myself. Sure enough, hearing this, my dad’s face sank into the same helpless, miserable expression from a few days ago. My mother sighed, looking incredibly troubled. “Ethan, we just don’t have that kind of money.” “Look at how bad the economy is right now. It’s hard enough just putting food on the table. Where would we find spare cash for some prep course?” “Exactly,” my dad chimed in. “Ethan, you’re practically an adult now. You need to understand how hard we have it. You’ll have to figure out this money on your own.” In the past, whenever I asked for money, I would feel overwhelmed with guilt, believing I was placing an unbearable burden on our struggling family. So, I would take on part-time washing jobs and collect cans to scrape together whatever I could. But now, looking at their fake, pathetic faces, I felt a wave of pure disgust. They didn’t hesitate for a second to buy Robert a luxury watch and a supercar, but they wouldn’t spare a single dime for my education. I couldn’t help but raise my voice. “I’m a high school student! I don’t even get an allowance! How am I supposed to ‘figure it out’?” They both froze, clearly shocked that their usually quiet, obedient son was suddenly snapping at them. My dad was the first to recover. “Ethan! How dare you speak to us like that? Is this how we raised you? Have you forgotten everything we taught you about self-reliance?” No, I hadn’t forgotten. They had been teaching me “self-reliance” since I could walk. When I was barely two years old, my dad wanted to make sure I learned to walk properly, so he left me at the bottom of our apartment stairs and made me climb up to the tenth floor by myself. I had cried and stumbled all the way up, my knees bleeding by the time I reached the door. When I was in middle school, they told me I couldn’t live and eat for free, forcing me to pay them $20 a week for “room and board.” To get that money, I scavenged for recyclable cans in freezing winters, getting severe frostbite on my hands that still scarred over every year. There were countless other instances. Before, I truly believed they did it to build my character. Now, it just felt like a sick joke. Robert didn’t have to lift a finger, yet he received all their love and a lavish lifestyle. No matter how hard I tried, I could never be good enough for them. Thinking of this, tears of sheer frustration welled up in my eyes. Why? I was their real child! Seeing my expression, my mother quickly changed her tone. “Ethan, we can give you the money. But you have to sign a promissory note.” A promissory note. An I.O.U. That was indeed something my parents would do. Since I wasn’t Robert, I didn’t deserve their unconditional support. But in the end, I agreed. I wanted to do well in the final stretch before the exams. I wanted to do it for my own future, and maybe, just maybe, to make them look at me with respect.

After bringing the money to school, I was cornered again in the alley behind the school by Robert and his gang. They shoved me around, pulled my hair, and spat on me. They grabbed my newly paid prep books and ripped them to shreds, scattering the pages in the dirt. Then, the sky opened up, and a heavy downpour began. Only then did they decide to leave me alone. “Hey, fat boy, I’ll let you off easy today. See you tomorrow,” Robert sneered. On his wrist was the million-dollar watch my parents bought him, and he wore designer sneakers worth thousands. He gave my head a cruel kick, then turned and walked away with a smug laugh. This time, I didn’t try to hide my bruises or clean myself up before going home to keep my parents from worrying. Instead, shivering in the cold rain, I curled up against the brick wall and called them, sobbing. “Mom, Dad… I got jumped at school. They beat me up really badly, and it hurts.” “It’s pouring rain, and I’m freezing and soaked. Can you please come pick me up?” “I’m in the alley behind the school gates.” My mother’s voice over the line sounded deeply annoyed. “Ethan, what kind of joke is this? Why would anyone just jump you for no reason?” “Did you provoke someone?” My dad’s voice echoed in the background. “Exactly. Why would they target you and not anyone else?” “How did we raise you? Don’t go looking for trouble. Do you think our family can afford to pay for any trouble you cause?” Listening to their barrage of accusations, my heart froze over completely. But I still tried to explain. “I didn’t provoke anyone. It was Robe—” My dad cut me off before I could finish the name. “Enough. We are very busy right now. Deal with it yourself.” “We can’t get involved in school drama. You’re a big boy now, Ethan. I’m sure you can handle it.” With that, he hung up. I was left alone in the alley, waiting. Eventually, I dragged myself and my ruined backpack out into the street. Just then, a sleek luxury SUV drove past. Through the rain-streaked window, I saw my parents sitting inside with Robert. They were laughing, looking incredibly happy and warm—a picture of family bliss I had never been allowed to share. By the time I stumbled back to our cramped apartment, it was late, and my parents weren’t home yet. Every bone in my body ached, and my head felt like it was on fire. I collapsed onto the living room sofa and fell into a feverish sleep. When I opened my eyes again, my vision was blurry, and my parents were standing over me, looking frantic. “Ethan! Oh my god, you have a terrible fever! Are you okay? Do you want some water?” My dad looked guilt-ridden. “It’s our fault, Ethan. We were so caught up in work that we couldn’t get to you in time, and you had to walk home in the rain. Don’t worry, I’m taking you to the ER right now.” He bent down to help me up when his phone suddenly rang. My dad glanced at the screen, immediately covered the microphone with his hand, and stepped aside, whispering, “Robert, what’s wrong?” A moment later, his voice spiked with panic. “What? The power went out at the villa? And you tripped and hurt your leg?” Realizing he had yelled, he quickly looked back at me. Seeing me flushed with fever and barely conscious, he let out a subtle sigh of relief. Then, he spoke into the phone, “Robert, don’t worry, buddy. We’re on our way right now.” After hanging up, he and my mom whispered frantically for a few seconds. Then, he came over and shook my shoulder. “Ethan, listen to me. Mom and Dad suddenly have an emergency at work. There’s fever medicine in the cabinet. Take some and get some sleep.” “If you don’t feel better tomorrow, we’ll take you to the clinic, okay?” my dad said, looking incredibly apologetic. They thought I was too delirious with fever to hear them, but I had heard every single word. My dad was worried about Robert. My mom was even more anxious. And so, I was left behind. After all, to them, a simple fever wouldn’t kill me.

Before they left, I mustered all my strength and grabbed my mother’s sleeve, trying to hold onto her one last time. But my mother’s mind was already at Robert’s villa. She hurriedly told me to rest, pulled her sleeve out of my grip, and ran out the door without looking back. The last spark of hope in my chest died. I felt a cold, dead weight settle in my heart. I didn’t see them again until two days later. They offered me a barrage of guilty apologies, but I only gave them flat, emotionless responses. The warmth and eagerness I used to have were completely gone. In the weeks that followed, I threw myself into preparing for the SATs. I stopped asking where they were going, and I stopped seeking their affection. My parents seemed deeply uncomfortable with my sudden distance. They assumed I was just throwing a tantrum over the fever incident, so they tried to buy my affection with cheap gifts and sweet words. One month before the exams, I was studying in the classroom during free period when Robert and a group of guys suddenly kicked the door open. One of his lackeys marched over and kicked my desk over, shouting at the top of his lungs. “You dirty thief! How dare you steal Robert’s watch? Do you have any idea that watch is worth a hundred grand?” The entire classroom turned to look at me. I was stunned and immediately defended myself. “I didn’t steal anything! I’ve been in this classroom the entire day!” Robert sneered. “Oh yeah? Let’s search your bag and find out.” Before I could stop him, a tall guy grabbed my backpack, unzipped it, and dumped everything onto the floor. To my horror, amid the scattered notebooks and prep sheets, a gleaming gold watch rolled out onto the linoleum floor. I froze, my mind going completely blank. How could Robert’s watch be in my bag? I went out of my way to avoid him every single day! And today, I had been studying at my desk the entire morning, except for a quick five-minute bathroom break… Wait. The bathroom break… I looked up at Robert. Sure enough, he was looking back at me with a victorious, mocking smirk. The whispers in the classroom started instantly. “Oh my god, is Ethan really that desperate? Stealing a watch at school?” “I bet he’s the one who stole my fifty bucks last month too!” Listening to the accusations piling up on me, a wave of hot fury rushed to my head. Robert had stolen my parents. He had stolen the life that should have been mine. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? Did he really have to destroy me completely to be satisfied? Looking at his smug face, I lost control. I lunged forward and slammed my fist right into his jaw, screaming, “I didn’t steal your damn watch! Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you just leave me alone?!” Robert fell to the floor, but instead of getting angry, he laughed. He leaned close to my ear and whispered: “Why? Because I can’t stand the sight of you. Did you really think your parents loved you?” “Did you actually believe that ‘tough love’ crap was to make you better?” Before I knew about Robert’s existence, I really had believed that. But now… “Let me tell you the truth. They treat you like garbage because you’re fat, ugly, and dumb. Having a son like you is their biggest embarrassment.” “Want to see who they’ll choose between you and me?” Ten minutes later, both Robert and I were sitting in the principal’s office. When the principal called my parents and told them I had stolen a watch and assaulted a student, they coldly told the school to “discipline me as they saw fit” and hung up. But a minute later, when Robert’s homeroom teacher called them, stating that Robert had been injured in an altercation, my parents’ voices erupted with panic and fury. They said they would be there in five minutes. Even though I knew they wouldn’t side with me, a tiny, foolish part of my heart still hoped. Maybe, just this once, they would believe me… but I was destined to be disappointed. The moment my parents burst into the office and saw both of us, their faces paled. Without a single glance at me, they rushed straight to Robert’s side. After listening to the principal’s explanation of the “theft,” my parents turned to me, their faces cold as ice, and demanded I apologize to Robert. I clenched my fists. “I didn’t steal anything. I will not apologize.” But nobody believed me.

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At the family dinner, Chloe suddenly looked at me and asked: “Natasha, do you still hate Cameron for making you take the rap for Louise and go to prison?” I smiled and shook my head. “Not at all. After all, if that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met my current fiancé.” As I spoke, I casually adjusted my collar, letting the sapphire necklace around my neck catch the light. Then, I pulled out a stack of gold-embossed engagement invitations and handed them to everyone at the table. “My engagement party is next month. I hope you all can make it.” The moment those words left my mouth, the main table went dead silent. Everyone’s eyes instantly locked onto the man who had just crushed his wine glass with his bare hand. His eyes were bloodshot, looking as if he wanted to tear me apart. But I was actually surprised to see him lose his mind like this. “Natasha, what did you just say? Say that again!” The sharp sound of shattering glass echoed through the silent banquet hall. Cameron violently pushed his chair back. Ignoring the glass shards dug deep into his palm, he marched toward me. Blood dripped down his fingers, leaving dark red stains on the expensive carpet. He stared at the invitation in my hand, his eyes filled with terrifying veins, his chest heaving violently. The relatives exchanged uneasy glances, not daring to make a sound. I sat perfectly still, finding his loss of control utterly pathetic. Three years ago, when he forced me into prison, he was cold and calculated. “Is your hearing going bad with age, Cameron?” I slid the last invitation across the table, right in front of him. “I said, I’m getting engaged.” Cameron snatched up the invitation, his eyes locking onto the two names printed side by side. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, his knuckles turning white from his grip. “Kennedy Monroe?” he sneered through clenched teeth. “Natasha, you really are desperate. You’d use any cheap trick just to get back at me.” “Hiring some random guy to play your fiancé and daring to use the Monroe family name? Do you have a death wish?” I picked up my teacup, took a calm sip, and spoke in a flat voice. “Whether it’s an act or not, you can come and see for yourself next month.” Cameron slammed the invitation onto the table and leaned in close, looming over me. The familiar scent of cedar cologne on him only made me feel sick now. “Natasha, stop throwing tantrums. There’s a limit to my patience.” “You’ve been out of prison for two weeks. Haven’t I been accommodating enough?” “I bought you a house, a car. And you still choose to embarrass yourself in front of my entire family?” His tone carried a sickening, patronizing pity, as if I were just a pet throwing a childish fit. I raised my eyes to meet his angry glare. “Cameron, do you honestly think that because I spent three years in prison for Louise, I’m chained to you like a dog for the rest of my life?” At the mention of “Louise,” Cameron’s face darkened instantly. Before he could speak, a delicate, fragile voice echoed from the entrance of the hall. “Natasha, please stop using this to hurt Cameron.” Louise walked in, wearing a pure white haute couture dress. She looked like a spotless white lotus. She naturally wrapped her arm around Cameron’s, pulling out a handkerchief to gently wipe the blood from his hand. “Cameron is only doing what’s best for you. You just got out of prison. With a criminal record, what decent man would ever marry you?” She turned to look at me, a flash of smugness in her eyes. “That necklace… it’s a cheap knockoff, isn’t it?” “If you’re really that broke, or just want to show off, you could have asked us. There’s no need to buy fake jewelry.” The relatives immediately began whispering, their eyes filled with disdain. “Exactly. Who would want a woman who’s been to prison?” “Showing off a fake necklace… how embarrassing.” I stared at Louise’s hypocritical act, feeling a wave of disgust. Three years ago, she was the one who committed the hit-and-run. Yet now, she stood here, glamorous and shining, mocking the scapegoat who took her place. Cameron held Louise’s hand and looked down at me coldly. “Take that necklace off. Stop embarrassing yourself.” I gently touched the sapphire necklace. Kennedy had put it around my neck himself last night. “Make sure to bring your precious Louise with you, Cameron. Don’t be late for the wedding toast.”

“Do you really think buying a fake necklace will get my attention?” Cameron let out a cold laugh, his voice filled with arrogance. “Natasha, I’m giving you one last chance. Leave with me now, and I’ll pretend none of this happened.” Looking at his self-righteous face, I found the whole situation hilarious. I ignored him, grabbed my bag, and walked toward the exit, ignoring the whispers of the crowd. Behind me, Cameron’s voice boomed, thick with suppressed rage. “Natasha! If you walk out that door today, don’t you dare come crawling back to me on your knees!” I didn’t stop. Without looking back, I pushed open the heavy doors. The cool night wind swept over me, washing away the suffocating air of the banquet hall. While waiting for my ride, my mind drifted back to that rainy night three years ago. That night, Cameron had banged on my apartment door, dripping wet. He fell to his knees, his eyes red and his voice trembling. “Natasha, Louise hit someone with her car. The victim is in critical condition.” “She has severe clinical depression. If she goes to prison, she won’t survive.” “Please help her. Just this once.” I was too shocked to speak, staring at the man I had loved for five years. “Cameron, you want me to take the fall for her?” He grabbed my hand tightly, like a drowning man clutching a straw. “The security cameras were down, and only the two of you were in the car area. As long as you confess you were driving…” “I promise, I’ll hire the best lawyers to get you out in six months.” “Once you’re out, we’ll get married. You’ll be Mrs. Franklin.” I was so foolish back then. For his empty promise and his desperate tears, I nodded. But instead of six months, I got three years of living in hell. Inside, I didn’t just lose my freedom. I lost the one thing I cherished most. A black Maybach pulled up silently in front of me, cutting my memories short. The window rolled down, revealing Cameron’s gloomy face. “Get in,” he commanded. I took a step back, keeping my distance. “Is there something you need, Mr. Franklin?” Cameron frowned, clearly annoyed by my coldness. “Haven’t you had enough? Must you make a scene on the street?” “I’ve arranged a condo for you downtown. Report to the logistics department at Franklin Enterprises tomorrow.” “Louise is kind-hearted. She felt bad for you, so she begged me to find you a decent job.” Hearing that, I wanted to laugh out loud. Working as a cleaning lady at Franklin Enterprises, and I was supposed to thank Louise for it? “No, thank you. I have no interest in your charity, Mr. Franklin.” I turned to leave, but Cameron slammed his car door open, lunging forward to grab my right wrist. An agonizing pain shot from my wrist straight to my chest. My face went pale. I gasped and violently wrenched my hand back. “Let go of me!” Cameron froze, taken aback by my extreme reaction. His frown deepened. “What are you screaming for? I can’t even touch you now?” He had no idea. In that prison, someone had stomped on my right hand, crushing my fingers. I could never play the piano again. Clutching my trembling right hand, I glared at him. “Cameron, my patience has its limits. Get lost.”

“Natasha, don’t push your luck!” Cameron’s face turned completely cold, his eyes dark and menacing. “Look at yourself. Who do you think you are?” “An ex-con with a criminal record. Who else would want you besides me?” “Do you really think a man like Kennedy Monroe would marry you? You’re just a plaything to him.” I looked at his raging face, feeling absolutely nothing. “That is none of your business, Mr. Franklin.” I hailed a passing taxi and slid into the backseat. As the car sped away, I saw Cameron standing under the streetlights in the rearview mirror, his face twisted in anger. The next morning, I went to an interview for an administrative manager position at a multinational firm. The pay and benefits were excellent, and I had aced the written tests and the initial interview. The HR Director, Sarah, was highly impressed and was about to hand me the offer letter. Just then, her office phone rang. She picked it up, listened for a few seconds, and her expression slowly changed. After hanging up, she looked at me with a mixture of pity and regret. “Miss Sinclair, I am terribly sorry. We just received a directive from upper management… We cannot hire you.” My heart sank, but I kept my composure. “May I know why?” Sarah sighed and lowered her voice. “Your background check… Someone powerful called in. They mentioned your criminal record.” “And… they said you crossed someone you shouldn’t have.” I understood immediately. In this city, the only people who had the power and malice to do this were Cameron and Louise. I thanked her politely, took my resume, and walked out of the building. As soon as I reached the lobby, I saw Louise. She was wearing sunglasses and designer heels, flanked by a group of bodyguards. Seeing me, she stopped, took off her sunglasses, and smirked. “Oh, look who it is. Natasha. Looking for a job?” She scanned my faded white shirt with pure contempt. “How did it go? Rejected again?” I stared at her coldly, saying nothing. Louise took two steps closer and whispered in my ear. “Natasha, did you really think you could start over?” “As long as I am in high society, you will never find a decent job in this city.” She chuckled softly, her voice dripping with venom. “I am grateful you went to prison for me. Truly.” “That’s why I asked Cameron to give you some money. Why don’t you take it and crawl back to your hometown? Why stay here and eyesore me?” Looking at her hideous face, I realized Cameron had been completely blind for three years. “Louise, do you really think that with Cameron protecting you, you own this world?” Louise raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. “Well, crushing you is easier than stepping on an ant.” “Cameron loves me. You were nothing but a convenient shield.” She reached out to pat my cheek, but I slapped her hand away. “Don’t touch me. You’re filthy.” Louise’s face stiffened, but she quickly recovered her arrogant posture. “Enjoy being stubborn while you can, Natasha. Let’s see how long you last.” She put her sunglasses back on and walked away with her entourage. I stood in place, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number I knew by heart. The moment the call connected, I spoke softly. “Are you really sure you can play Mrs. Franklin forever, Louise?”

“Whether I play Mrs. Franklin or not is none of an ex-con’s business.” On the other end of the line, Louise sneered and hung up. In the afternoon, I received a frantic call from the nursing home where my mother was staying. The head nurse sounded extremely anxious. “Miss Sinclair, your mother’s account is overdrawn.” “And the administration just received an order. Your mother must vacate her private ICU suite tomorrow morning.” I took a deep breath, forcing down the burning rage in my chest. “I understand. I’m on my way.” The nursing home was owned by Franklin Enterprises. Back then, to make sure I took the fall quietly, Cameron had promised to provide my mother with the best medical care. Now, he was using my mother’s life to threaten me. When I arrived at the nursing home, Cameron was sitting on a bench outside my mother’s ward. He sat with his legs crossed, playing with a custom lighter, his expression completely detached. He didn’t even look up when I walked over. “Changed your mind?” I stood before him, looking down at his face. “Cameron, leave my family out of this. Don’t you think this is incredibly low?” He snapped the lighter shut, stood up, and stepped into my space, using his height to intimidate me. “Low? Natasha, I’m only taking back what I paid for.” “Since you refuse to be obedient, you have to face the consequences.” Just then, Louise walked down the corridor. She affectionately wrapped her arm around Cameron’s, her eyes landing on the sapphire necklace around my neck. Her eyes lit up instantly. “Oh Cameron, that necklace is so beautiful. I love it.” She pouted like a spoiled child, tugging at his arm. Cameron glanced at me, his tone casual, as if discussing a piece of garbage. “It’s just a knockoff anyway. Since Louise likes it, give it to her. I’ll transfer a hundred thousand dollars to your account.” I instinctively covered the necklace and took a step back. “It’s mine. It’s not for sale.” Louise pouted, acting hurt. “Natasha, don’t be so stingy.” “I’ll give you two hundred thousand. That’s enough to pay for your mother’s medical bills for months.” Seeing me refuse, Cameron’s face darkened instantly. “Natasha, don’t make me repeat myself.” “Your mother’s ICU room, her imported medication… everything depends on my mood.” “Take the necklace off and give it to Louise.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a deadly threat. Staring at the two of them, I felt my blood run cold. I clenched my teeth, my trembling hands slowly reaching behind my neck to unclasp the necklace. A triumphant gleam flashed in Louise’s eyes, and she reached out to grab it. But the moment her fingertips touched the chain, she gasped and let go. The priceless sapphire necklace fell onto the hard marble floor. It didn’t shatter, but it made a heavy, dull sound. Louise covered her mouth, putting on an innocent act. “Oops, my hand slipped.” She looked down at the necklace, her eyes filled with malicious joy. “Since it’s on the floor, I might as well step on it. You won’t mind, will you, Natasha?” With that, she raised her sharp stiletto heel, aiming straight for the sapphire. “Don’t you dare!” I screamed. Just as her heel was about to crush it, a cold, commanding voice echoed from the end of the hallway. “Step on it? Go ahead and try.”

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It was the third month after Leo and I got our marriage license at City Hall. He was working late more and more often. I didn’t think much of it. Until that day, when I decided to surprise him by bringing lunch to his office. The receptionist smiled at me. “Mr. Osman is in the conference room, Liz. You can wait here.” The conference room door was slightly ajar. There was no meeting inside. Only Leo and a woman sitting opposite each other. She was crying. The way he handed her a tissue—gentle, slow—was exactly the way he used to comfort me. I stood at the door, holding the Tupperware of lunch I had made him. He looked up and saw me. Panic flashed in his eyes for a split second before he quickly stood up. “Liz, she’s a new hire. She’s going through some family trouble—” I forced a smile and set the Tupperware on the table. “It’s fine.” Then I looked at the girl and said softly, “You should use these tissues instead. The ones in his pocket are mint-scented. I put them there this morning. You might not like the smell.” With that, I turned around and walked away. As the elevator doors closed, I heard him calling my name from down the hall. I didn’t look back. I just reached down, slipped the ring off my left ring finger, and left it on the ledge of the fire hose cabinet next to the elevator buttons.

“Sir, could you pull over here, please?” The Uber driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror but didn’t ask any questions. The car stopped. I pushed the door open, crouched by the roadside flowerbed, and dry-heaved. Nothing came out. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and lunch was left on that conference room table. My phone buzzed for the nineteenth time. Leo’s name kept lighting up the screen like a broken bulb that wouldn’t go out. I declined the call, stood up, and told the driver to keep going. When I got home and opened the door, the scent of the oxtail soup I had simmered last night hit me. Inside the fridge, seven meal-prep containers were stacked neatly, labeled Monday through Sunday with the dish names and microwave times. I took them out, one by one, popped the lids, and dumped them into the trash. The soup splashed onto the back of my hand, burning hot. I didn’t even wipe it off. My phone rang again. A FaceTime call this time. I turned it off. On the entryway console table lay Leo’s spare key. I picked it up, clenching it in my fist until the cold metal dug painfully into my palm. Then I sat on the couch, staring at the living room ceiling, from four in the afternoon until the sky turned pitch black. The sound of the lock turning. Leo was home. “Liz?” he called out as he kicked off his shoes at the entrance. I didn’t answer. He walked into the living room, saw me sitting in the dark, and flipped the light switch. “Why are you sitting in the dark? Is your phone dead? I called you over twenty times.” “Yeah.” He sat down across from me. He was still wearing his light blue dress shirt, the top button undone. I smelled it. It wasn’t mint. It was jasmine. Faint, lingering on his right cuff. It must have rubbed off when that girl got too close to him. “Liz, let me explain.” His tone was identical to the one he used in the conference room this afternoon. Even the pauses were the same. “Her name is Sammy. She just graduated this year, and her family situation is a mess. Her parents are getting a divorce.” “She doesn’t have any friends here. As her department head, I—” “When did you start caring so much about her?” He paused. “Since she started last month.” “Last month,” I repeated. “And your overtime started getting worse last month, too.” “That was because of the end-of-quarter rush—” “Leo Osman.” When I used his full name, he shut his mouth. “The way you hand over a tissue. You pinch the edge with your thumb and index finger, then gently slide it over.” “When you were pursuing me, the first time I cried in the movie theater, you did that exact same thing.” The calm expression on his face cracked. “You told me that was a gesture reserved only for me.” He opened his mouth, but no words came out. I stood up and placed his spare key on the coffee table. “I locked the bedroom door. You’re sleeping in the guest room tonight.” “Liz—” “Goodnight.” I walked into the bedroom and locked the door behind me. I slid down against the door, sitting on the cold floor. It was quiet outside for a long time. Then his voice came through the door, muffled and heavy. “You’re overreacting.” I didn’t reply. He spoke again. “We are strictly colleagues. If you’re going to make a scene out of nothing, we can’t even talk.” I looked up at the ceiling. Then I spoke, my voice barely a whisper. “The way you handed her that tissue was exactly how you used to do it for me.” “Goodnight, Leo.”

“Did you sleep at all last night? Your dark circles are terrible.” Harper pushed a cup of coffee toward me, staring at my face. “I’m fine. Just some insomnia lately.” She didn’t pry. Instead, she started complaining about how her husband stuffed too many clothes into the washing machine yesterday, causing the door to pop open and blast soapy water all over her face. I listened and managed a small laugh. My phone buzzed inside my bag. I didn’t check it. Harper stopped mid-sentence. “Aren’t you going to check that? What if it’s Leo?” “He’s at work. He doesn’t call at this hour.” “Oh,” she said, continuing her story. As I took a sip of my coffee, I glanced down at my screen. It wasn’t Leo. It was a text from an unknown number: Liz, I am so sorry about yesterday. I really don’t want to come between you and Mr. Osman. — Sammy How did she get my number? The question bounced around my head twice before the obvious answer hit me. Either Leo gave it to her, or she took it from his phone. Either way, it meant they were much closer than he was letting on. I deleted the text. After parting ways with Harper, I went back to my office. At three in the afternoon, Leo sent a WhatsApp message: I’m coming home early tonight. I’ll make dinner. I replied with a simple, Okay. When I got home, there were four dishes on the table and a bouquet of pink carnations sitting in a vase in the entryway. Leo popped his head out of the kitchen, wearing an apron. “Try the grilled salmon. You said you wanted it last week.” I sat down and took a bite. It tasted good. He watched me eat from across the table, his eyes filled with a cautious anxiety. “Liz, about yesterday… I had a bad attitude. I shouldn’t have said you were making a scene.” “Okay.” “In the future, if something’s bothering you, just tell me. Don’t turn off your phone. I worry when I can’t reach you.” “Sure.” He let out a sigh of relief. It was a fleeting expression, but I caught it. He wasn’t relieved because he had made things right with me. He was relieved because he thought this chapter was closed. After dinner, he went to do the dishes. I sat on the couch and picked up his car keys. I didn’t have a specific plan; it was just an instinctive reaction. But then I remembered something. Last weekend, he said he took the car to the car wash. When he came back, the passenger seat’s position had changed. I’m 5’7″. The seat was adjusted for someone around 5’3″. I hadn’t thought much of it then. Now, I did. I put the keys back. Leo walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands, and saw me spacing out. “What are you thinking about?” “When you got the car washed last week, did the detailers adjust the passenger seat?” His hands paused mid-wipe. “Probably. They have to clean the interior, so they move things around.” “Oh.” I nodded and dropped the subject. He walked over, sat next to me, and put his arm around my shoulder. I didn’t pull away, but I didn’t lean into him either. His hand on my shoulder felt incredibly light. In the past, when he held me, he would pull me tightly into his chest. Now, this touch felt like he was merely trying to pacify a difficult client. Later that night, he went to take a shower first. I picked up his phone from the couch. It wasn’t locked. He had never set a passcode on his phone, from the day we started dating until now. I used to think it was a sign of trust. Now, I wasn’t so sure. The first pinned chat on his WhatsApp was me, the second was his mom, and the third was a work group. I scrolled through his chats. There was no thread with Sammy. He had deleted it. The sound of the shower stopped. I put the phone back exactly where it was. He stepped out, his hair still wet, and glanced at me. “Aren’t you going to shower?” “Going now.” I stood up. As I passed him, the scent of the sandalwood body wash I bought him washed over me. Squeaky clean. No traces of anything else. But I knew that deleted chats, just like washed-off jasmine perfume, didn’t mean they never existed. He just didn’t want me to see them.

“Mrs. Osman, we haven’t seen you in a while!” The supermarket cashier greeted me warmly. She knew me because during our first month of marriage, I came here almost every day to buy groceries. But then I stopped coming. Leo said he had too many business dinners and came home too late, so I shouldn’t waste time cooking. I smiled and pushed my cart forward. My phone rang. It was Harper. “Liz, is that colleague of your husband’s named Sammy?” My hand on the shopping cart froze. “How do you know?” “My husband’s Instagram. He and Leo have a mutual friend.” “A photo was posted yesterday from some business gala. Leo was standing next to this young girl, and she was holding his suit jacket.” “The caption said: Mr. Osman is so thoughtful. Sammy caught a cold, so he lent her his jacket.” I stood in front of the frozen food aisle, the cold air blasting onto my face. “Screenshot it and send it to me.” Three seconds later, the picture popped up. In the photo, Leo was in his white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms. The girl next to him was clutching his dark gray suit jacket. Her head was tilted slightly, a shy smile on her face. She was very young, with a round face and bangs. She looked barely twenty-two. The way she held his jacket made it look like the most precious thing in the world. Harper waited a few seconds. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” “Liz, let me tell you, this whole thing—” “I know.” I hung up and saved the screenshot to my hidden album. Then I sent Leo a text: It’s getting cold tonight. Did you bring your jacket? He replied instantly: Yeah, I have it. Bundle up yourself. I didn’t reply. He said he had it, but his jacket was in someone else’s hands. He came home around nine-thirty, carrying a bakery box. “I passed by that bakery you like. I remember you saying their cheesecake is great.” I opened the box and cut a slice for him. “How was the business gala today?” His fork paused halfway to his mouth. “What gala?” “Your colleague posted on Instagram.” Silence fell over the room. He set his fork down and looked at me. “Are you keeping tabs on me now?” When he said that, his eyes turned cold. It wasn’t guilt. It was annoyance. “I’m not. Harper saw it,” I said, my voice incredibly flat. “Did you lend your jacket out? You told me you had it with you when it got cold.” “It’s just a jacket, Liz. She was sick. You don’t need to go this far—” “Go this far to do what?” He didn’t answer. I looked down and took a bite of the cheesecake. It was sweet, too sweet. It actually made me feel a bit sick. “Leo, when did you start thinking that me asking a simple question is ‘going too far’?” He rubbed his temples. “Liz, I don’t want to fight.” “Neither do I.” I put the cake down. “So just answer me one question—the day you got your car washed last week, who sat in the passenger seat?” His face stiffened. It was only for a second, then he recovered his composure. “Nobody. I told you, the detailers—” “I adjusted my seat back to my height. Before I left the house today, I checked it again. It was lowered. You didn’t get your car washed today.” The living room fell into a dead silence for five full seconds. Leo stood up abruptly, tossing his fork onto the plate with a loud clatter. “What are you trying to do, Liz? Watching every little detail like a hawk. Is this fun for you?” “No, it’s not.” I stood up too and closed the bakery box. “It’s not fun at all.” His lips trembled, but he said nothing. He turned and walked into the guest room, slamming the door. The sound wasn’t deafening, but it was clear. I stood alone in the living room, looking down at the cake box. Cheesecake. The bakery I told him I liked had relocated two weeks ago. This cake wasn’t from there. He had either forgotten, or he never bothered to care in the first place.

“Are you home? I came by to see you.” Eleanor, Leo’s mom, stood at the door carrying a bag of fruit and some steaks. I let her in and poured her a cup of tea. She sat on the couch and looked around, her eyes lingering on the coat rack. “Why are Leo’s coats hanging outside the guest room? Are you two… having a fight?” “No. He’s been working a lot of overtime lately and didn’t want to wake me up when he gets back late, so he’s sleeping there.” She nodded, but her expression didn’t soften completely. “Liz, you two have been married for three months now. When are you going to start a family? You should have babies while you’re still young.” My hand holding the teacup remained perfectly still. “We’re in no rush, Eleanor. We want to wait a bit.” “Wait for what? Leo is already thirty. His father always wanted to see a grandchild before he passed…” Her voice was gentle but carried that nagging, persistent pressure. I kept a polite smile on my face, like a mask. As Eleanor was putting on her shoes at the door to leave, her gaze swept over the shoe rack. She paused. “Liz, are these white sneakers yours?” I looked over. On the bottom shelf was a pair of small, white sneakers. Size 6. I wear a size 8.

“No, they’re not mine.” The moment the words left my mouth, I froze. Eleanor gave an awkward laugh. “Oh, maybe a friend left them here.” “Maybe.” I saw her out, then crouched in front of the shoe rack. The soles of the shoes were very clean, barely worn. On the inner label, there was a small set of initials written in black Sharpie: S.O. Sammy. She had been in this house. While I was away. I took a picture of the shoes and saved it. Then I put them back exactly where they were, not moving them even a millimeter. That evening, Leo came home while I was cooking. He changed his shoes and walked into the kitchen, standing behind me. “My mom came by today?” “Yeah. She brought some steaks.” “What did she say?” “She asked when we’re having kids.” He was quiet for a couple of seconds before sitting down at the dining table. As I brought the food out, I casually remarked, “There’s a pair of white sneakers on the bottom shelf of the shoe rack. Size 6. They aren’t mine.” “Check if one of your female colleagues left them behind.” He was pouring water. His hand shook, spilling some onto the counter. “Oh… we had a team dinner here last time. Someone probably forgot them.” “You had a team dinner at our place?” “Just once. You were working late that night.” I didn’t recall ever working so late that I didn’t come home. My job never required overtime, and Leo knew that. But I didn’t call him out. I sat down and took a bite of my food, chewing slowly. He sat opposite me, not touching his plate. “Liz.” “Yeah?” “Lately… have you been looking for reasons to find fault with me?” I looked up at him. “I’m not looking for them, Leo. They are just showing up on their own.” His throat bobbed. “I’ll throw those shoes away tomorrow.” “No need,” I said, looking back down at my food. “Like I said, they aren’t mine. They have nothing to do with me.” After dinner, he retreated to the guest room again. I waited until the door closed, then opened my phone. I opened my hidden folder: the photo from the conference room door, the passenger seat, the Instagram screenshot Harper sent me, the text message from Sammy, and the photo of the size 6 sneakers. One by one, sorted by date, saved in an encrypted album. Then, I dialed a number. “Hello, is this Attorney Vance? I’d like to schedule a consultation regarding filing for divorce.”

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On our daughter’s fifth birthday party, Julian Vance lost three consecutive rounds of Truth or Dare. His first love, Hailey Bennett, smiled and proposed the penalty: “Since you lost, I dare you to call the hospital and cancel Lily’s kidney transplant tomorrow.” The cheerful chatter in the room died instantly. Julian frowned, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face. “Hailey, my daughter has been on the transplant waiting list for three years!” Hailey’s eyes immediately welled with tears. “Back then, I lost my womb to drag you out of that car wreck. You promised me you’d take me to see the snowy peaks of Aspen tomorrow.” I genuinely believed Julian would never gamble with his own daughter’s life. But that night, he personally handed me a glass of milk spiked with sleeping pills. When I finally opened my eyes, it was already noon the next day. Seeing dozens of missed calls from the hospital, my hands shook as I dialed back. The nurse’s voice came through, filled with heavy hesitation. “Mrs. Vance, the surgery… Mr. Vance cancelled Lily’s transplant last night.”

I held the phone, my ears ringing with a deafening buzz. The nurse spoke urgently. “The cold ischemia time for a donor kidney is extremely limited. We couldn’t reach you, and Mr. Vance, as her legal guardian, formally cancelled the procedure.” “At four in the morning, the transplant network reassigned the kidney to another pediatric patient.” A freezing cold swept through my entire body. “Who got it?” The nurse fell silent for a moment. “Another child. The transplant has already been completed.” That kidney saved another life. I couldn’t bring myself to blame that child. But my Lily had been undergoing dialysis three times a week just to survive until this day. The dialysis port on her little arm had swollen into a bruised, purple bump. She couldn’t touch it during baths, and she had to sleep in one stiff position every night. Last night, before blowing out her candles, she had whispered in my ear: “Mommy, after I get my new kidney, can I finally go to preschool like the other kids?” I had nodded, and she had jumped around me, squealing with pure joy. The nurse’s panicked voice pulled me back. “Mrs. Vance, Lily started running a high fever and vomiting early this morning. Her dialysis catheter is severely clogged, and she’s currently in the ICU being resuscitated.” The phone slipped from my palm, clattering to the floor. I rushed out of the bedroom, barefoot. On the nightstand sat the half-empty glass of milk from last night. At the bottom lay a layer of undissolved white powder. My stomach churned violently. I had trusted Julian. I thought he would never play with our daughter’s life. But he had drugged me so we would miss the kidney we had waited three years for. The driver drove like a maniac. I dialed Julian’s number over and over, but it went straight to voicemail. Just as the car pulled into the hospital parking lot, a picture message popped up on my phone. It was a shot of the Aspen mountains, bathed in the golden morning light. Hailey was wearing a white puffer jacket, leaning her head on Julian’s shoulder. [Hailey’s emotionally unstable right now. I’ll come back as soon as I show her the snow.] [The surgery is just postponed. She’ll be fine.] My fingers shook so hard I could barely hold the screen. [The kidney is gone. They gave it to someone else.] Minutes passed. He didn’t reply. Outside the ICU, I grabbed a passing nurse’s arm. “Where is Lily?” The nurse’s eyes were red. “The catheter infection triggered acute peritonitis. She just went into septic shock.” Through the glass window of the ICU door, I saw my little girl lying in the center of the sterile bed. She was swallowed by tubes and wires. The cardboard birthday crown she wore yesterday was now stuffed inside a plastic bag, crushed beneath her tiny backpack. Lily was born with renal hypoplasia and had been on dialysis since she was two. To wait for a matching kidney, she had endured hundreds of needle pokes and swallowed countless pills. Every time the pain became too much, she would wrap her tiny arms around my neck and ask: “Mommy, when I get my new kidney, will I be able to run around like the other kids?” I always told her, *Yes, baby, very soon. Mommy and Daddy will wait with you.* But the kidney had come. And her own father had personally sent it away. The ICU door swung open, and the doctor pulled down his mask. “We’ve stabilized her for now, but we must clear the infection and establish a new dialysis access immediately.” “Her heart function is already failing. If we delay any longer, she’ll go into full cardiac arrest.” I grabbed his sleeve. “Can we find another donor?” The doctor shook his head gently. “A kidney with such a perfect match for Lily is a miracle. It took us three years to find one.” “When the next one will appear… no one can guarantee.” When the bed was rolled out, Lily slowly opened her eyes. “Mommy.” I squeezed her cold, tiny hand. “Mommy’s here, baby.” She strained her neck, trying to look behind me. “Where’s Daddy?” A lump formed in my throat, choking me. Lily waited for a few seconds, the tiny spark of hope in her eyes slowly dimming to gray. “Did Daddy go to see the snow with Auntie Hailey?” I pressed her hand against my cheek, unable to utter a single word.

Lily was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. After I had waited outside for three agonizing hours, Julian finally called. “How is she?” I stared at the blinking red light above the ICU door. “Septic shock. Heart failure. The kidney has already been transplanted into another child.” Silence stretched on the other end for two long seconds. “Why didn’t the transplant center wait for me to get back?” Julian’s voice carried a hint of annoyance. I let out a cold, hollow laugh. “A donor organ isn’t a VIP booth at your restaurant, Julian. It doesn’t wait around just because you’re rich and powerful.” His voice darkened. “Clara, I know you’re angry, but I only postponed it by one day.” “Hailey has waited years to see this snow.” “Once the winter season passes, she would have to wait another whole year.” I dug my nails into my palms until they bled. “Lily waited three years for that kidney! How many more years do you think she has left?” The line went quiet. Then, Hailey’s soft, whimpering voice drifted through the receiver. “Julian… did I make things difficult for you?” Julian immediately softened his voice to soothe her. “No, babe. Don’t overthink it.” When he spoke to me again, his tone was laced with impatience. “I’ll have my assistants search for another donor. I’ll buy one if I have to.” “With modern medicine, there’s no way that was the only kidney in the world.” I closed my eyes. Eight years ago, Julian was in a horrific car accident that caused bilateral renal failure. Back then, he was the one waiting desperately for a kidney. I was the one who lay on the operating table and gave him my left kidney. Before the surgery, he had held my hand, weeping like a child. “Clara, I swear I will never fail you for the rest of my life.” But now, when it was Lily’s turn, he casually told me we could just “find another one.” As if human organs were commodities on Amazon that he could purchase whenever he pleased. Suddenly, the monitors in the ICU blared in alarm. Several doctors rushed past me into her room. I scrambled to my feet. Julian’s voice was still buzzing in my ear. “When Hailey dragged me out of that burning car, a piece of rebar pierced her abdomen. She can never have children because of me.” “I promised to take her to the mountains. I couldn’t break another promise to her.” I stared at my daughter through the glass as doctors crowded around her bed. “You didn’t want to break your promise to Hailey, so you chose to break your promise to Lily?” “Julian, she is your daughter!” He took a deep, irritated breath. “She’s your daughter too, Clara. You’re there to watch her, aren’t you? What’s the big deal?” My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest by bare hands. I hung up. Ten minutes later, the doctor came out with grim news. Lily had developed acute left heart failure. They needed to start emergency bedside dialysis. But her blood vessels were too weak and scarred. The doctor tried three times to insert the line, failing each time. During the fourth attempt, Lily, though semi-conscious, began to shiver violently from the pain. Through the glass, I watched the thick needle pierce her fragile little neck over and over. She didn’t even have the strength to cry out loud. By evening, the hospital called an emergency consultation. The head of the transplant department pulled up the donor registry. “There are currently no matching donors on the active list for Lily.” “We’ve contacted out-of-state databases, but pediatric kidneys are incredibly rare, and the transport risk is too high.” I stared at the glowing screen. “What about family matches?” The doctor paused. “Direct relatives can be tested.” “However, the patient’s father is currently living with a transplanted kidney himself. He cannot donate.” “As for your records…” He looked up, his expression extremely grim. “Mrs. Vance, your tissue match with Lily is actually a perfect 10 out of 10.” My heart leaped. The lead surgeon quickly interjected. “But you donated your left kidney eight years ago.” “If we take your remaining kidney, you will not survive.” I turned my head and looked at my daughter sleeping behind the glass. “I’ll do it.” The conference room fell dead silent. No one spoke. Every doctor in the room avoided my gaze. In that silence, I finally understood. They had already silently concluded that Lily would not survive long enough to find another kidney.

In the middle of the night, Lily woke up briefly. I put on a sterile gown and went in to see her. An oxygen mask covered half her little face. Every rise and fall of her chest looked like an exhausting battle. Seeing me walk in, she tried her best to curl her eyes into a smile. “Mommy… I didn’t cry today.” The tears I had been holding back nearly spilled over. “My Lily is the bravest girl in the world.” She lifted her bruised, tiny hand. “When they poked me with the needles, I counted to a hundred.” “Daddy told me before… if I count to a hundred, he’ll be here.” I tucked the blanket around her shoulders. “Yes, baby. Daddy will be here very soon.” Lily blinked slowly, her voice barely a whisper. “Mommy… is the new kidney gone?” A five-year-old child had already guessed the truth from the pitying, evasive glances of the doctors and nurses. I held her hand tightly. “Mommy will find a way. I promise.” Lily shook her head slightly. “Grandma said everyone has an angel’s calendar, and maybe my time is just five years.” The words hit my chest like a sledgehammer. I leaned down and wrapped my arms around her. “No, that’s not true. Mommy won’t allow it.” She gasped softly against my shoulder. “I’m not scared of dying, Mommy… but please don’t cry.” “After I die, you can just have another healthy baby, okay?” My tears soaked into her pillow. Because of the complications from my kidney donation eight years ago, I had long lost the ability to carry another child. But Lily didn’t know that. She genuinely thought that if she died, another baby could take her place and keep me company. Leaving the ICU, I went straight to the office of Dr. Jonathan Sterling. He was the surgeon who had performed the transplant eight years ago, putting my left kidney into Julian’s body. I slammed the compatibility report onto his desk. “I want to give my right kidney to Lily.” Dr. Sterling’s face turned pale. “Clara, you will not survive the surgery!” I stared at him calmly. “How long does Lily have?” Dr. Sterling choked on his words and looked away. “At the rate her heart is failing… less than forty-eight hours.” “And when is the next matching kidney coming?” I asked. He fell silent. I pushed the consent form toward him. “Then use mine.” Dr. Sterling grabbed the paper and ripped it to shreds. “I am a doctor, Clara, not an executioner!” “I’ve regretted performing that surgery on you eight years ago every single day of my life.” “You had massive internal bleeding and went into cardiac arrest twice. And what did Julian do? The moment he woke up, he was comforting Hailey in his ward!” “And now you want to throw your life away for his mistake?” I knelt down, picking up the torn pieces of paper one by one. “Julian isn’t worth it. But Lily is.” Dr. Sterling’s eyes turned red. “If you die, what happens to her?” I let out a soft, gentle smile. “She will live. As long as she’s alive, she has a future.” Dr. Sterling’s hands trembled violently. “Even if the surgery succeeds, you could die on the table from blood loss, heart failure, or post-op infection.” “If Lily finds out the truth later, she will live with that guilt for the rest of her life.” My voice cracked. “Then don’t let her know.” “Tell her… Mommy had to go to a very beautiful, far-away place.” The office fell into a long, suffocating silence. Dr. Sterling slowly turned his back to me, his shoulders slumping in defeat. At two in the morning, he handed me a new set of surgical consent forms. I signed my name clearly on the dotted line. After signing the last page, I took out my phone and recorded a video for Lily. When the camera turned on, I forced the brightest, most cheerful smile I could muster. “Hi, Lily. When you watch this video, Mommy might not be by your side anymore.” “It’s not because Mommy doesn’t want you. It’s because Mommy loves you so, so much.” “When you came out of my belly, Mommy gave you your first life.” “This time, Mommy is just giving you your second one.” Near the end, the tears finally broke through. “Make sure to eat your meals, and study hard at school.” “If people love you, that’s wonderful. But if no one does, don’t be afraid.” “Mommy wants you to grow up and learn to love yourself first.” Just as the video saved, my phone buzzed with a Snapchat video from Julian. In the background, Hailey’s giggles echoed. “Lily, look! Daddy recorded the snow for you.” “When Daddy gets back, I’ll throw you another big birthday party.” I didn’t reply.

The next morning, Lily’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Her blood pressure plummeted, and her cardiac output dropped to less than half of normal. As the nurses wheeled her toward the operating room, she regained a brief moment of consciousness. She reached out from under the sterile sheet and grabbed my sleeve. “Are you having surgery too, Mommy?” I was already in my surgical scrubs, my hair tucked completely inside the cap. “Mommy’s going to take a nap with you, baby.” Lily’s lips were completely white. “When I wake up, can I have ice cream?” I stroked her cold cheek. “Only once a week.” She giggled softly. “Then… when will Daddy be back?” My hand froze. The intercom in the hallway began to blare, urging family members to clear the sterile corridor. I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Lily, close your eyes and count.” “When you reach a hundred, the gift Mommy promised you will arrive.” She obediently closed her eyes. “One, two, three…” Our surgical gurneys were pushed into separate operating rooms. Before the heavy doors swung shut, I could still hear her faint, fragile voice counting. “Seventeen, eighteen…” The anesthesiologist placed the mask over my face. Dr. Sterling stood under the bright surgical lights, his eyes bloodshot. “It’s not too late to back out, Clara.” I stared up at the blinding white lights. “Yesterday, Lily asked me if her life was only meant to be five years long.” “Dr. Sterling… I don’t want her story to end at five.” The warm anesthetic began to flow into my veins. Forty minutes into the surgery, I suffered a massive hemorrhage. My blood pressure crashed from 90 to 50. The monitors shrieked in a frenzy of alarms. “The right kidney has been successfully harvested! Flush it with preservation solution immediately!” “Donor’s blood pressure is still dropping! Her coagulation has collapsed! We can’t stop the bleeding!” Dr. Sterling’s hands were covered in bright red blood. “Push more blood! Get the bypass machine ready!” A nurse cried out, her eyes streaming with tears. “Lily’s vascular anastomosis is complete! The donor kidney is being perfused!” Blood kept pooling in my abdominal cavity. Dr. Sterling injected epinephrine directly. Once. Twice. Three times. The waves on the EKG monitor grew flatter and flatter. Dr. Sterling’s voice cracked, sounding raw and desperate. “Clara, don’t sleep! Lily made it! She’s going to live! Do you hear me?!” My fingers twitched slightly. Then, the EKG line went completely flat. At that exact moment, Julian arrived at the hospital. Hailey had suffered a sudden panic attack on the mountain, claiming that the white snow reminded her of the car crash years ago. He had spent hours consoling her until his assistant forwarded an emergency notification from the Vance Group’s private hospital. The patient’s name on the emergency surgery list was Lily Vance. A sudden, chilling panic seized him. He abandoned Hailey on the spot and caught the fastest flight back. Julian sprinted into the transplant center. The moment he stepped off the elevator, he heard the faint, weak cry of a child coming from the pediatric recovery ward. The sound was tiny, but it instantly made his tense shoulders relax. He grabbed a passing nurse. “My daughter… was the surgery a success?” The nurse’s face was white as a sheet. “The transplanted kidney has successfully restored blood flow.” Julian let out a massive sigh of relief. “Where is Clara? She must have been terrified.” The nurse’s tears spilled over her cheeks. Suddenly, the heavy doors of the operating room were kicked open. Dr. Sterling, his surgical gown soaked in dark blood, marched out and slammed his fist directly into Julian’s face. “Clara is dead! She gave her remaining kidney to Lily!”

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【Chapter 1】 To save my bipolar sister, my parents personally sent me to prison. Five years later, my sentence was finally over. On the day of my release, they didn’t come to welcome me home. Instead, they were accompanying my sister as she registered for her new job as a correctional officer at the very same prison. When they saw me, my parents froze in awkward silence. After a long pause, Eleanor spoke first, her voice trembling. “Luna… back then, making you take the fall for Chloe was our only choice.” “We never expected you to legally cut ties with us on the spot. You didn’t even call us once from inside…” I avoided her reaching hand, packed my last shirt into my bag, and turned to leave. As I brushed past them, Arthur grabbed my sleeve, his eyes red with anger. “Luna! It’s been five years! Are you seriously going to hold onto the past forever? Is this how you treat your parents and your sister?” “Come home with us so we can talk. You have nowhere else to go anyway…” Talk? What was there to talk about? I was no longer that little girl who begged for her parents’ love. Besides… I looked at the car parked not far away and pulled my arm back with force. “I do have a place to go. My family is already here to pick me up.” … Seeing me dodge his touch, Arthur’s temper flared instantly. “Luna Vance! Did prison rot your brain? You don’t even recognize your own parents?!” “Five years, and you’re still this stubborn. You’re not even half as lovable as Chloe!” His voice was so loud that several guards looked over, making the air freeze with awkwardness. Eleanor quickly patted his arm, whispering to him to calm down. “Keep it down, Arthur. Don’t ruin Chloe’s first day.” Then she turned to me, forcing a weak, apologetic smile. “Luna, you know how your father is. Don’t take it to heart.” “You haven’t contacted us all these years. Did you really think we wanted you in prison?” “Silly girl, you’re our daughter too. If you hadn’t refused to take our calls back then, we would have hired the best lawyers to keep you out.” Her eyes welled with tears, looking exactly like a heartbroken, helpless mother. But she seemed to have forgotten one thing. I had done nothing wrong. The crime was entirely forced on me just to protect Chloe. I took a step back, my voice dead calm. “Save it. Since the day you made me take the blame for Chloe, we stopped being a family.” My words made Arthur’s face darken instantly. “Look at her! Look at her attitude! How did we raise such an ungrateful brat!” He raised his hand to slap me, but the sudden ringing of his phone cut him off. He answered it quickly. Chloe’s lazy voice echoed from the speaker. “Dad, I’m done with the paperwork. Drive the car to the West Gate to pick me up. The main gate is too far, and I’m too lazy to walk.” “Sure, sweetheart. We’re on our way.” Eleanor quickly chimed in, trying to break the tension. “See, Luna? Chloe is still as lazy as ever…” “Why don’t you come with us to pick up your sister? She got the job today. She’s thrilled.” “We’re family, Luna. There’s no grudge that can’t be settled. Come home with us…” “Enough!” I didn’t want to watch their family drama anymore. I turned to walk away. But Eleanor grabbed my arm. She pulled too hard. I was so thin and frail that I lost my balance and slammed onto the concrete ground. Eleanor stared at me for a long time, her lips trembling, but she couldn’t say a word. Even Arthur was stunned when he saw how skeletal I looked. “Did you refuse to eat in prison? Why are you so skin and bones…” Refusing to eat? What a joke. In their eyes, Chloe, with her manic episodes, was a delicate porcelain doll they had to protect. But me? The healthy daughter was supposed to be made of steel. So, every time Chloe messed up, I was the one who took the blame and the punishment. When Chloe put bugs in the principal’s coffee, they were terrified she would have a breakdown if punished. So, I took the fall and was publicly suspended. When Chloe’s bullying almost cost a girl her life, I confessed to being the mastermind. From that day on, I didn’t have a single friend left at school. Until that final time, when Chloe committed the ultimate crime… That was the first time I refused to take the fall. In return, my father gave me a brutal slap. That slap ruptured my right eardrum. To this day, I can’t hear a single thing on that side. Five years had passed. Chloe had smoothly graduated and got her job. She had a bright future ahead of her. How wonderful. I looked at them coldly and asked: “Go back with you? And then what? Are you really going to claim me as your daughter?” “If people find out that Chloe’s sister is a convicted felon, your precious daughter’s career will be ruined instantly, won’t it?” Their faces turned pale as sheet. The phone rang again. Chloe’s voice on the other end was getting extremely impatient. Ultimately, after a brief struggle on their faces, they turned and got into their car. 【Chapter 2】 After picking her up, the familiar black SUV drove past the main gate again. As the car rolled by, bursts of happy laughter floated out of the half-open window. The guard who knew me well couldn’t help but sigh. “Your new colleague’s family seems so close.” “Her parents came by last week, buying us lunch and sending gifts, just asking us to look out for her.” “By the way, I saw you talking to them earlier. Do you know them?” I couldn’t help but smile faintly. “I do.” “I used to be their daughter, too.” The guard’s eyes widened in shock. He probably couldn’t comprehend how two children from the same family could end up so differently—one a felon, the other a correctional officer. A long, long time ago, I was also the darling of that family. The first thing Arthur did after work every day was to drive all the way across town to wait in line at my favorite bakery. He would tuck the warm cake inside his coat, terrified it would get cold on his way home. Every night, Eleanor would sit by my bed, softly reading me bedtime stories until I drifted off to sleep. If you scrolled through Eleanor’s phone gallery back then, it was filled with pictures of me—laughing, crying, playing. The three of us always squeezed tight in photos, with me in the middle, as they whispered: “Luna will always be our favorite little girl!” Even after Chloe was born, they didn’t love me any less. But Chloe was a troublemaker from day one. She was either hitting other kids or getting hit by them. My parents were always busy cleaning up her messes, but they were also terrified I would feel left out. To keep things “fair,” every time they neglected me because of Chloe, they bought me an expensive gift. Until Chloe turned seven, when she jumped off the school’s second-floor balcony without any warning. That was the first day my parents forgot to pick her up from school because they were attending my parent-teacher conference. With red eyes, Eleanor had hugged me and said: “Chloe is sick, Luna. We have to spend more time watching her from now on.” “Otherwise, she’s going to hurt herself.” “You’re the older sister. Can you understand mommy and daddy?” Arthur also spoke with a raspy voice: “Luna, you’re the older sister. You need to help us look after Chloe.” Wanting to ease their burden, I nodded without a second thought. “I will definitely take good care of her!” I was too young then. I didn’t know what bipolar disorder meant, and I didn’t understand the heavy weight of the words “taking care of her.” I had no idea that those simple words would completely ruin my life. 【Chapter 3】 In the beginning, “taking care of her” just meant giving up my toys to Chloe when she threw tantrums, and then apologizing to others on her behalf. But gradually, she learned to weaponize her illness. Whenever she wanted something, she would throw things, hit people, or even threaten to jump off buildings. And my job went from apologizing for her to taking the blame for her actions. Compared to her life, my sacrifices became taken for granted. My parents’ eyes barely lingered on me anymore; they poured every ounce of their energy into Chloe. It happened on my nineteenth birthday. I had bought a small cake with the money I earned from my college part-time job, and I had carefully prepared gifts for them. I lit the candles, waiting for them to come home. The candles burned down to the bottom. Midnight came and went. My phone remained silent. I couldn’t stay awake and fell asleep on the couch. I was startled awake by the sound of the front door slamming open. I forced a smile and stood up, trying to present my gifts. But before I could even speak, Arthur, looking extremely frustrated, snapped at me: “What time do you think it is?! Your sister is in deep trouble, and you’re here enjoying cake?!” With a swing of his arm, he knocked my cake onto the floor. Looking at the ruined cake, Eleanor suddenly broke down in tears. “What are we going to do? Chloe is sick. She’ll commit suicide if she’s taken away! She’s still so young…” Suddenly, Eleanor locked her eyes on me. “Luna, I beg you. Please help your sister one last time.” “What happened?” I felt a chill run down my spine, my voice trembling. “Take the blame for her…” Eleanor looked behind Arthur. Chloe peeked out from behind their backs, crying hysterically, her body shaking like a leaf. My head buzzed. I stared at them blankly. “What… what did she do?” “Her… her professor gave her a bad grade, so Chloe pushed her down the stairs,” Eleanor’s voice shook violently. “And?” Arthur closed his eyes, his throat tightening. “The professor was eight months pregnant… neither survived.” My mind went completely blank. I stumbled back, barely finding my voice. “So… how do you want me to help?” Eleanor grabbed my arms with a death grip. “Luna, take the fall for her, please!” “We asked around. At worst, you’ll go to a youth detention center for a few years. But Chloe is too sick. She will die in there!” “Her life has just begun!” “We’ll handle your college withdrawal later. Don’t worry, we will spend every penny we have to hire the best lawyers to get you out early.” I stared at her in utter disbelief, my legs turning to jelly. “What about me? I worked so hard to get into my dream university! You’re just going to ruin my life?!” “How can you say that?” Eleanor looked deeply hurt. “Your sister is sick! You’re the older sister, it’s your job to protect her! College doesn’t matter. We will support you for the rest of your life!” “Once this blows over, it won’t affect your future at all!” I stared at her, my eyes burning with tears, and screamed at the top of my lungs, “No! I won’t do it!” Chloe immediately wailed. Arthur lunged forward and slapped me across the face. The force of the blow knocked me straight to the floor. My right ear felt hot and wet. I touched it, and my hand came back covered in blood. Seeing my resistance, Chloe’s eyes darted around, and she ran toward the balcony, screaming: “Even Luna hates me! I don’t want to live anymore! My life is over anyway!” Terrified that she was having an episode, my parents rushed to grab her, sobbing and pleading: “Don’t worry, Chloe! We won’t let anything happen to you! We’ll fix this!” I watched them desperately comforting Chloe. I murmured: “Is suicide a golden ticket in this house? What if I kill myself too? What would you do?” In response, a glass cup flew through the air, followed by Arthur’s furious roar: “Your sister is sick! How dare you compare yourself to her?!” “She got sick because we spent too much time on you when you were kids and ignored her!” The glass shattered against my head. Water mixed with blood dripped down my face. The last bit of hope I had for them died right there. They locked me inside my bedroom and took my phone. Through the door, I could hear them whispering sweet comfort to Chloe. My head throbbed with excruciating pain, and my face was smeared with blood from my head and my ear. I banged on the door, crying for help, but my voice was quickly drowned out by Chloe’s dramatic sobbing. I could only watch the light under the door frame turn off. Everything fell into complete silence, and I drifted into darkness.

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Every time I had sex with Ethan Carter, I noticed he had changed the sheets. Once, I finally pressed him and asked why. Ethan hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell me the truth: “Because every time I have sex with you, your best friend Chloe Reed gets jealous, and she insists on sleeping with me first.” “After meeting her, I finally understood that women really are made of water.” “I can’t exactly let you lie on soaked sheets while we have sex, can I?” I froze, staring at him in disbelief. “What did you say?” He put out his cigarette, half-smiling. “Sophie, your mom was tortured to death in bed by your dad, not by me. So every time you lie there like a dead fish, it really kills the mood. That’s your trauma, and I shouldn’t have to pay for it, understand?” “You should thank Chloe. She’s helping you keep this relationship alive.” The moment he finished speaking, the door was shoved open. Chloe rushed in with red eyes and slapped Ethan across the face. “You bastard! Didn’t you say you’d keep it a secret? Apologize to Sophie!” I looked at them, but all that was left in my throat was bitterness. So all these years, in Ethan’s eyes, I had only been a burdensome buzzkill. This bed was not big enough for three people, and I would never squeeze myself into it again.

I got up, put on my clothes, and walked toward the door. Ethan called after me, “Where are you going?” I did not answer and lowered my head to put on my shoes. Under Chloe’s threatening stare, he finally apologized, though his tone was reluctant. “What I said just now… I guess I went too far.” But I did not stop and walked straight to the door. This time, Ethan completely lost his patience. “Are you done or not? Where can you even go in the middle of the night? Just because of that mess with your mom, the whole world has to tiptoe around you, is that it?” Before I could answer, Chloe ran over and grabbed me, her grip so tight it hurt. Her eyes were red, and tears had already fallen. “Sophie… I’ll give you an explanation. Don’t be impulsive. Don’t do anything stupid.” I lowered my head and looked at her hand, then smiled faintly. Then I pulled my hand out of her palm. “Chloe, the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life was letting you move into this apartment.” My voice was as calm as stagnant water. “Ever since we were kids, I gave you whatever you liked. You said you liked my dress, so I bought you the same one. You said you wanted to get into the same college as me, so I risked getting disciplined to pass you answers. Now, if you like my boyfriend and this bed, I can give them to you too.” Chloe’s tears fell, and she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. I looked at her calmly. “Are you satisfied now? If you are, stop clinging to me. I have nothing left to give you.” After saying that, I opened the door and walked out. The early autumn wind poured into the hallway, and I shivered, but I did not stop. The streetlight shone above me, dragging a short shadow across the ground. I lowered my head and looked at my slippers, where the pink bunny ears were already dirty at the tips. Through my blurry tears, the memories I had tried so hard to hold back surged up on their own. When we first got together, Ethan treated me very well. He knew that after my mom died beside me, I was afraid to sleep alone and did not dare turn off the lights. So he specially bought an apartment in the same complex where Chloe rented. Back then, Ethan said, “Chloe lives nearby, so when I’m on business trips, she can come over and keep you company.” Later, Chloe kept saying she was worried about me being alone, and her occasional overnight stays turned into frequent sleepovers. In the end, she simply ended her lease and moved into the apartment Ethan and I shared. After Ethan found out, he said, “It’s good that you two are together. Saves everyone from running back and forth.” From beginning to end, I never felt anything was wrong. Until the matching couple mugs in the living room somehow became a set of three. The toothbrush holder also gained another spot. The pajamas, slippers, and even the new bedsheet I changed later were all the same style as Chloe’s. She always smiled and tugged at my arm, her voice sweet and sticky. “Sophie, let’s buy them together. Best friends should have matching bestie sets!” Even our mutual friends joked, “Sophie Bennett, you’re so lucky. You got a boyfriend and a girlfriend as a bonus.” I did not understand it back then and wholeheartedly thought I had won both love and friendship. Only now did I realize that even they had been more clear-headed than me. They had realized earlier than I had that there had always been a third person in this relationship. I wiped away my tears, took off those slippers, and threw them into the trash can beside me. Standing barefoot in place, the chill spread from the soles of my feet through my entire body. I took my phone out of my pocket, found a number, and called it. “Aunt Clara, I’ve made up my mind. I’m willing to go abroad with you.”

Aunt Clara’s voice came through the receiver, carrying a cautious joy. “Sophie, have you really made up your mind?” “Before your mom passed away, you were the person she worried about most. What happened back then left such a deep shadow on you, and I was always afraid you’d trap yourself in it. Now that you’ve figured it out, I really…” She paused before steadying her voice. “I’ll book your flight. Is tomorrow afternoon okay?” I blinked my dry, aching eyes. “Yes. I’ll go back and pack some things. I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow afternoon.” After hanging up, I found a nearby hotel and stayed there. The bed was clean, untouched, and held no one’s scent. That night, I slept with an unexpected peace. I slept until the next afternoon before going home. When I opened the door, the living room was empty, Ethan was not there, and Chloe was not there either. I went straight to the master bedroom, ready to pack my luggage. The moment I pushed open the door, I froze in place. Even though I had prepared myself, the scene before me still stabbed hard into my heart. The bedsheet was wrinkled into a heap at the foot of the bed, and the pillow was crooked to one side. A pink lace bra hung over the edge of the bed. It was the style Chloe often wore. On the bedsheet lay a pair of pink panties, with dark and light stains crossing over each other. Every trace announced how intense their battle had been after I left. I took one numb step forward. At a glance, I saw “50 min” written in black marker on the strap of that bra. At that moment, my heart died completely. Because that bra belonged to Chloe. Those glaring numbers dragged me back three years in an instant, to the day Chloe moved into our home. That night, she and I lay on the bed and talked about the secrets girls share. She said she had just gotten a boyfriend, but because his job and status were special, they could not go public and rarely met. But I noticed that there were often numbers on Chloe’s bra straps. Sometimes it was 35, sometimes it was 48, and the highest one said 72. I could not hold back my curiosity and asked her what it meant. At the time, she lay beside me and smiled as she said, “I count how many minutes my boyfriend can last in bed each time. It’s our little code.” Back then, I had even laughed and teased her, happy that she had found a good man. So, from that moment on. That man had been Ethan. But when she showed off to me back then, what was she feeling? Was she watching a joke, playing with me, or pitying me? As if possessed, I turned around and walked into Chloe’s room next door. I opened the closet and immediately saw an entire wall of neatly hung bras. The straps were covered densely with numbers. Some were circled with hearts, and some had been traced over twice in red pen. It looked like a calendar written for one person alone. At that moment, I wanted to cry, but not a single tear came out. My eyes burned and swelled as if they were about to burst. My phone rang, and I answered with red eyes. An urgent voice sounded from the other end: “Are you Chloe Reed’s family member? Her condition is critical right now, and she needs surgery immediately. You are listed as her emergency contact, so please come as soon as possible to sign the consent form!”

I struggled for a long time, but I still took a cab to the address the doctor gave me. After all, it was a living human life, and I could not just stand by and watch someone die… When I hurried to the hospital, I saw a familiar person. It was Ethan, leaning against the wall with anxiety all over his face. When he heard footsteps, Ethan looked up at me. Before I could ask anything, the doctor walked out of the operating room. The moment the doctor saw Ethan, he could not suppress his anger: “You young people are far too reckless! You still have to know your limits during sex. Your girlfriend has a ruptured corpus luteum this time, and fortunately, it was caught early. If it had been any later, she could have had massive internal bleeding, and then it would have been life-threatening!” I stood frozen in place, as if someone had slapped me hard across the face. A ruptured corpus luteum… So I had rushed here in a panic only to be humiliated all over again. Only then did the doctor notice me, and his tone softened a little. “You must be Miss Reed’s family member, right? Her boyfriend arrived in time, and the form has already been signed.” The hallway lights were very white, and they fell coldly on my face. Ethan looked at me, and a hint of nervousness appeared in his eyes. He thought I would go crazy, cry, and make a scene. But I only smiled. “That’s good.” Watching the doctor return to the operating room, I turned around and prepared to leave. But Ethan stood up from the bench. “Don’t go yet. Chloe wants to say a few words to you.” I did not look back. “Say what? Tell me in person what positions you used last night and how long you did it?” Ethan’s voice sank behind me. “Sophie Bennett! Have you made enough of a scene? Chloe never wanted to fight you for anything. These years, she was the one who was wronged. You don’t appreciate what she gave up, and you still want to humiliate her like this?” I could not help clenching my palm. My nails dug into my flesh, leaving only numbness. I closed my eyes and tried to keep walking forward. But Ethan suddenly grabbed my wrist from behind. I tried to break free, but I could not shake him off. After we were locked in a stalemate for a moment, Chloe was wheeled by a nurse from the operating room into the ward. I was also dragged inside by Ethan by force. Chloe leaned against the hospital bed, her face so pale it was almost transparent, and an IV tube was still inserted into her wrist. But when she saw me, she still struggled to lift herself a little. “Sophie, you came…” I did not speak and only looked at her coldly. Chloe’s eyes reddened again, and she gave Ethan a look. Ethan frowned, but he still walked out reluctantly. Only then did Chloe struggle to sit up, pull a piece of paper from under her pillow, and hand it to me. It was a record of an abortion procedure, dated three years ago. She looked into my eyes, her voice trembling. “Sophie, whether you believe me or not, I never thought about ruining you and Ethan.” “Three years ago, I was pregnant with his child. But I didn’t keep it. I had an abortion. And because of that abortion, I might never be able to get pregnant again.” “I admit I wavered back then, but in the end, I still chose the abortion. Because I didn’t want to lose you. Compared to you, an unborn child meant nothing.” As she spoke, Chloe took a breath, as if using up the last of her strength. “Today, I want to selfishly beg you just once. For the sake of the price I paid for my mistake, forgive me. Last night was my last indulgence. Ethan has already promised me that he’ll never do anything to betray you again. I’ll move out. As long as you’re willing, we can still be best friends. And Ethan will still be your boyfriend.”

A huge wave of absurdity rushed into my heart. When a person is in pain to the extreme, they can actually find it laughable. I curled my lips in mockery. “So now you want me to thank you for aborting my boyfriend’s child?” Chloe’s lips moved, and she tried to grab my wrist. I suddenly noticed a silver ring on her ring finger. The silver was unusual, carrying a gray-white matte sheen. My entire body stiffened at once. I knew that ring! After my mom died, I mixed a small pinch of her ashes into molten silver and made that ring myself. On the first night I gave myself to Ethan, I personally put it on his finger. Back then, Ethan promised gently, “Sophie, I’ll always wear it, and when we get married, I’ll move it onto your hand so your mom can watch you find your home.” But now, it was on Chloe’s hand… My whole body began to tremble. “Where did you get this ring?” Chloe’s eyes dodged mine, but she could not say a word. At that moment, I completely lost my mind! Like a madwoman, I lunged at her to snatch the ring from her hand. Chloe was knocked over by me, and a sharp scream rang out. Ethan hurriedly pushed the door open and came in, immediately seeing Chloe collapsed crookedly at the edge of the bed while the needle had already been pulled out of the back of her hand. He rushed over to support her, and when he turned to look at me, his gaze was like frost. “Sophie Bennett, are you insane?” I did not look at him and only crouched on the floor, clutching the ring, my whole body trembling. “You can humiliate me, but you can’t humiliate my mom!” But Ethan stood up and looked down at me. The next second, he reached out and knocked the ring from my palm. The silver band rolled across the floor tiles with a crisp sound. “Sophie Bennett! I’ve had enough! Your mom was tortured to death back then because she was shameless! Your mom died and your dad went crazy, and yes, you’re pitiful, but that doesn’t mean the whole world has to revolve around you. I don’t, and Chloe doesn’t either! Now apologize to Chloe.” I endured the dull pain in my heart, my eyes flashing with determination. “Impossible.” Hearing that, Ethan sneered and took out his phone to make a call. A few minutes later, an orderly pushed a small high-temperature sterilizing furnace into the room. My eyelid twitched, and a bad feeling surged in my heart. Ethan bent down, picked up the ring from the floor, and walked to the furnace opening. “You don’t have to apologize, but I hope you can bear the consequences.” I instantly realized what he was going to do and rushed forward in panic. But it was already too late, because the orderly pinned me down, leaving me unable to move. The furnace door opened, and Ethan placed the ring inside before closing the door. “No! No! Ethan, I was wrong!” But at that moment, no matter how I cried and screamed, it was useless. Through the glass window, I saw the ring begin to melt, then slide down, and finally disappear without a trace. Only after I had cried until my voice was hoarse did the orderly finally let go. I knelt on the floor with my face pressed against the cold tiles, my face smeared with snot and tears. Ethan had already left with Chloe in his arms and did not look at me again. I did not know how long passed before I finally stood up numbly. Holding the wall, I walked out of the hospital step by step. With every step, the dull pain in my heart slowly grew lighter. I did not go home, because in that home, nothing belonged to me. I casually hailed a cab, and it was headed for the airport. The moment the street scene outside the window rushed backward, my tears finally ran dry. Ethan, from now on, mountains and rivers will separate us, and we will never meet again.

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My best friend, Vivian Shaw, had been single for twenty-five years and had never even been in love when the hospital issued a critical illness notice for her. As she lay dying, she spoke her only last wish: “The biggest regret of my life is that I’ve never had one wild, unforgettable romance.” “Sophie, in the last few days of my life, can I borrow your boyfriend for a while?” “Let me fall in love once, so I won’t die with any regrets.” Before I could answer, my boyfriend, Lucas Hale, stepped forward anxiously: “I’m willing!” “Vivian, you’re going to be okay, and I’ll help you find the best doctors in the world!” Considering that this was Vivian Shaw’s only last wish, I had no choice but to agree. But I never expected that this illness of hers would last three years. She could not be cured, and she would not die. At first, Lucas still felt a little guilty toward me, but in the end, he became more and more impatient. It seemed that Vivian Shaw had no intention of returning what she had borrowed from me. Perfect, because I did not want to take back trash either.

On our fifth anniversary, Lucas left me alone at the restaurant. I texted him and asked why he had not come. The next second, his call came in: “Are you insane?” “I told you I had to go with Vivian for her follow-up today, so why are you texting me?” “What if she sees it and starts overthinking?” “Pack up the food and bring it back, then apologize to Vivian, because only when she feels better can her condition recover faster.” The call was cut off, and as I looked at the pouring rain outside the window, I suddenly laughed. For the tenth time, the server walked to my table and tapped on it: “Miss, may we serve the food now?” “The customers waiting behind you have been waiting for a long time.” I lowered my head: “No need, just pack it up.” “My friend had something come up and isn’t coming.” The server froze for a moment, glanced at the candles and roses that had been set on the table in advance, and did not ask anything else. I gripped my phone tightly, picked up the bag, and walked into the rain. The icy rainwater poured down my neck, so cold it cut to the bone. When I reached the door of my home, muffled sobs came from inside. I pushed the door open, and Lucas was kneeling on one knee on the carpet. Vivian Shaw was curled up on the couch, one hand clutching her chest, crying so hard her whole body shook. “It’s all my fault.” “If I hadn’t suddenly felt unwell, you wouldn’t have missed your anniversary.” “If I had known this would happen, I would rather have died in the hospital three years ago than be disliked by Sophie now…” “Don’t say nonsense.” Lucas immediately panicked: “Your illness isn’t something you chose, so what does it have to do with you?” “It’s Sophie who is too petty and refuses to let go of some tiny little thing, so don’t take it to heart.” As soon as he finished speaking, he heard movement in the entryway and turned his head. The moment he saw me, the tenderness on his face vanished, replaced by a face full of coldness. “Why are you still standing there?” “Come over and apologize!” “Do I have to invite you?” “If I hadn’t been home tonight, Vivian would have had no one by her side when her attack happened just now!” “She treated you like her best friend, but look at you, getting mad at me over some stupid anniversary.” “What the hell were you thinking?” I did not speak and bent down to put the takeout boxes on the table. Rainwater dripped from the ends of my hair onto the floor. “You promised this date half a month ago, and I waited at the restaurant for three hours, so am I not even allowed to text and ask?” Lucas’s face instantly darkened.

He walked over, grabbed my wrist, and roughly dragged me in front of the couch. “So what if you waited three hours?” “When Vivian gets better, we’ll have plenty of time to celebrate anniversaries, so do you really need to make a big deal out of this?” “Hurry up and apologize to Vivian.” “Don’t… don’t do this…” Vivian Shaw reached out and weakly tugged on Lucas’s sleeve. “It’s my fault, so don’t blame Sophie, and she doesn’t need to apologize to me…” “I delayed you two, so I’m the one who should apologize…” “You’re just too kind!” Lucas turned around, held her shoulders, and his voice was full of heartache: “She almost made you have another attack, and you’re still speaking up for her?” “You were nearly killed by your own best friend, so how do you not have any temper at all?” I stood where I was. I watched the man I had loved for five years kneel half down in front of another woman. My heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by a hand, hurting so much that I could not breathe. I was just about to speak. Vivian Shaw suddenly let out a muffled groan and clutched her chest. “Vivian!” Lucas’s expression changed abruptly, and without thinking, he picked her up in his arms. He turned and walked toward the bedroom, and when he passed me, he threw out only one sentence: “Look at what you’ve done!” Bang. The bedroom door was slammed shut. I stood outside the door and raised my hand to knock. There was no response. Lucas had always kept the key to the guest room at home. Wind poured in from the balcony, and I shivered from the cold. I walked to the couch and sat down. The couch still held the scent of Vivian Shaw’s perfume, so sweet it turned bitter. Voices occasionally came from the bedroom. I hugged my knees and curled up on the couch, sitting there with my eyes open until dawn. At eight in the morning, someone knocked on the door. I dragged my numb legs over and opened it. Vivian’s parents stood outside, both their faces full of worry. When Vivian’s mother saw it was me, her face immediately fell. “Sophie Reed, where is Vivian?” “How is she?” Vivian’s father frowned tightly, and the first thing he said was an accusation: “You’re supposed to be Vivian’s best friend, so how could you do something like this?” “If Lucas hadn’t called us, we would still be kept in the dark!” “Vivian’s heart has always been weak, and three years ago she almost didn’t make it, so why can’t you just give in to her?” “Why do you have to fight with her?” My hand gripped the doorframe, and I did not even have the strength to explain. Back then, it was clearly Vivian Shaw who cried and begged me, saying she wanted to borrow my boyfriend to fulfill her last wish. I nodded and agreed, giving up my own lover. So how did everything become my fault in the end? “Move!” Vivian’s father impatiently pushed me aside. I lost my balance, and my back hit the wall, the bones aching sharply. They passed me and rushed straight into the bedroom. “My baby girl, are you okay?” “You scared me to death…” “Dad, Mom, why are you here?” “I’m fine, so don’t blame Sophie, because she didn’t mean it…” “Silly girl, you’re still speaking up for her!” Lucas’s voice was mixed in with theirs, gently comforting the two elders and telling a joke now and then to make them happy. The four of them talked and laughed, so harmonious that they looked like a real family. And I stood in my own wedding home, yet I looked like an unnecessary outsider. Before long, Lucas came out of the bedroom. When he saw that I was still standing there, he frowned. “Why are you standing around like an idiot?” “Go pour a few cups of warm water and bring them in, because it wasn’t easy for Vivian’s parents to make the trip here.” His tone was matter-of-fact, as if he were ordering around the housekeeper. I did not argue and turned into the kitchen. I carried in one cup after another and refilled the water three times. Every time I went in, they were talking about Vivian Shaw’s condition, and no one looked at me once.

After refilling the water for the last time, I turned to leave. Lucas casually took a key from his pocket and threw it by my feet. “Go back to your room and stay there for now, and stop wandering around here so you don’t upset her parents.” As he spoke, he was busy peeling grapes for Vivian Shaw and did not even raise his head. I lowered my head to look at the key on the floor, bent down, and picked it up. I said nothing and turned to walk out. At noon, Vivian’s parents left. Lucas reminded them to be careful on the road while repeatedly promising that he would take good care of Vivian Shaw. In the end, he even went downstairs personally to see them off. The front door closed, and the sound of footsteps faded away. The master bedroom door did not open, and Vivian Shaw did not come out. I pushed open the door and took one last look at the guest room where I had lived for three years. How ridiculous. The wedding home I once decorated with my own hands now only allowed me to occupy one pathetic corner. The sour ache in my chest surged upward uncontrollably. I opened my suitcase and began stuffing clothes inside. Halfway through packing, a muffled thud suddenly came from the living room. My heart lurched, and I immediately dropped the clothes and ran out. In the living room, Vivian Shaw had collapsed on the carpet in front of the couch. Her hand clutched her chest, and she gasped for breath in huge gulps. The TV on the wall was on. On the screen was an intense motorcycle racing game. The roar of engines was deafening. My heart tightened, and I turned to go to the bedroom to get her medicine. Just then, Lucas returned home after seeing off Vivian’s parents and saw Vivian Shaw on the floor at a glance. His expression changed abruptly, and he rushed over in a few steps, pushing me away without thinking. “Sophie Reed, are you insane?” “You know perfectly well that Vivian has a bad heart and can’t handle stimulation, yet you still played this for her to watch?” “Are you trying to kill her?” I was shoved into the corner of the coffee table, and a dull pain shot through my lower back. I endured the pain and explained: “This game was the anniversary gift I bought for you, and it had been kept in the cabinet the whole time, so I didn’t show it to her…” “You’re still making excuses!” Lucas cut me off sharply: “If you didn’t play it, then did Vivian play it herself?” “She can barely walk, so how would she dig through your things?” “Can you have some sense of responsibility?” “Is it that hard to admit it when you’ve done something wrong?” “Why are you just standing there?” “Go get the medicine!” His yelling made my eardrums hurt. I bit my lip, stumbled into the bedroom, and found the medicine bottle on the nightstand. After taking the medicine, Vivian Shaw’s breathing slowly steadied. She leaned in Lucas’s arms, tears in her eyes, her voice weak: “Lucas, don’t blame Sophie.” “It’s all my fault.” “I just wanted to come out and pour a glass of water, and I accidentally saw it…” “It’s not her fault…” “You’re still speaking up for her!” Lucas was so heartbroken that he held her even tighter. When he turned to look at me, the disgust in his eyes was almost overflowing. “Back then, I wanted to keep two bodyguards at home to take care of Vivian, but you said having outsiders in the house would destroy our privacy and refused no matter what, and now look.” “I stepped out just long enough to see someone off, and something happened to her!” “I think you had bad intentions from the start.” “You’ve been wishing Vivian would die, and all of this was clearly planned by you long ago!” I looked at him and suddenly found it very funny. Three years. I had stepped back again and again and given in again and again. I thought there was still some place for me in his heart, and that guilt had simply blinded him. But it turned out that in his eyes, I had long since become a lunatic scheming to kill my best friend. I looked at him and said, word by word: “Lucas Hale, let’s break up.” He looked as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world and laughed from sheer anger.

He gently carried Vivian Shaw onto the couch. Then he stood up and walked toward me, his eyes dark and vicious: “What, did I hit a nerve?” “You want to break up and walk away?” “It won’t be that easy.” “I’ve put up with you more than once or twice, and every time you target Vivian, so today I have to teach you a lesson and make you remember it.” I instinctively stepped back. “What are you going to do?” He did not answer, took out his phone, and made a call, his tone icy: “Send two people up and get the rooftop safety rope ready.” After hanging up, he looked down at me from above and said coldly: “Don’t you like watching Vivian struggle on the edge of life and death?” “Then you can taste it yourself.” In less than two minutes, two bodyguards walked in. “Mr. Hale.” Lucas’s tone was calm, as if he were talking about something unimportant: “Take her upstairs, tie her to the edge of the rooftop, and hang her there for a full day and night.” “I want her to experience what it feels like to struggle on the edge of life and death.” “No!” “Lucas, you can’t do this!” My face instantly turned pale, and I desperately backed away. I had been afraid of heights since I was a child, and he knew that better than anyone. In the past, whenever we climbed stairs together, he would carry me once we got past the third floor because he was afraid I would get scared. But now, he wanted to punish me like this for another woman. Lucas raised an eyebrow and signaled for the bodyguards to act: “Why can’t I?” “You should taste the suffering Vivian endured too.” The two bodyguards stepped forward and grabbed my arms from both sides. I struggled desperately: “Lucas, I’m afraid of heights!” “Have you forgotten?” “Please let me go!” He turned his face away and did not look at me again. “This is what you deserve.” I was dragged toward the rooftop. My nails dug into my palms until they broke the skin, but I still could not break free. The wind on the rooftop was strong, slicing across my face like blades. A rope was tied around my waist, and my entire body was suspended in the air at the edge of the rooftop. Below my feet was a six-story drop. With one glance down, the world spun around me. Fear drowned me like a tide. I screamed, cried, and begged Lucas to let me down. But there was no response. Only the howling wind filled my ears. I did not know how long had passed. My throat went hoarse from screaming, and my tears ran dry. The sun rose and set again. For a day and a night, I did not drink a single drop of water. My whole body went limp like a puddle of mud. When my mind blurred, the rope began to pull upward. I crashed heavily onto the ground. My vision went black, and I completely lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed. There was a needle in the back of my hand, and I was on an IV drip. The hospital room was empty, without a single person inside. I moved my fingers, and my whole body hurt as if it were about to fall apart. Creak. The hospital room door was pushed open. Vivian Shaw walked in. Her makeup was flawless, and she did not look sick at all, while a mocking smile hung at the corner of her mouth. “You’re awake?” “Sophie Reed, I really do admire you.” “For three years, you watched your own boyfriend stay with me every day and act affectionate with me, yet you actually endured it until now.” “Your skin is much thicker than I thought.” My eyes flew wide open: “You…” “What about me?” Lucas was not there, so she simply dropped the act and reached up to smooth her hair. “Haven’t you been suspicious all along?” “Now I’ll be merciful and tell you that my critical illness was indeed fake.” “Three years ago, I knew Lucas was softhearted, and as long as I pretended I was about to die and then brought up a last wish, he would definitely agree.” “Look, over these three years, he has spent far more time with me than with you, so what use is it for you to cling to the title of official girlfriend?” “His heart stopped being with you long ago.”

My whole body went cold, as if I had fallen into an ice cellar. She straightened up, looked at my pale face, and the smile on her lips grew even wider. “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something.” “Do you know why your parents haven’t come to see you even after you’ve been hospitalized for so long?” My heart suddenly clenched. “They heard that you bullied me and rushed over to apologize on your behalf, but they got into a car accident on the way.” Vivian Shaw spoke lightly as she fiddled with her long manicured nails: “They’re lying in the ward upstairs right now, and the hospital issued a critical illness notice long ago.” “Lucas originally contacted foreign experts to come over for surgery, but, well…” She paused, her smile smug. “As long as I say one word, he won’t sign.” “Sophie Reed, do you think you’ll become an orphan?” “You’re lying!” I abruptly sat up, tugging the needle in the back of my hand, and blood instantly gushed out. “My parents treated you like their own daughter, so how could you do this to them?” Vivian Shaw gave a mocking laugh: “It’s exactly because they treated me pretty well that I didn’t have someone kill them on the spot and left them with their worthless lives.” With a boom, my mind went completely blank. So the car accident had also been arranged by her. This best friend whom I had treated with all my heart for more than ten years. Not only had she stolen my boyfriend, but she also wanted to kill my parents. Rage instantly shot to my head. I threw off the blanket and lunged at her like a madwoman. I pinned her to the floor, straddled her, raised my hand, and slapped her across the face. “Vivian Shaw, you psycho!” “How did my parents ever wrong you?” “Why would you hurt them like this?” The needle rolled far away. Blood from the back of my hand flowed down my fingertips, but I could no longer feel the pain. Bang! Just then, the hospital room door was kicked open. Lucas stood in the doorway, and when he saw the scene in front of him, his eyes turned scarlet with anger. He rushed over and kicked me in the shoulder. I flew two meters away, my back hitting the foot of the bed, and the pain made me suck in a cold breath. “Sophie Reed, are you insane?” He held Vivian Shaw protectively in his arms and checked whether she was hurt. When he saw the slap marks on Vivian Shaw’s face, his chest heaved violently with anger. “Vivian came to see you out of kindness, and you still dared to hit her!” “Looking at it now, your parents’ car accident was karma!” “They raised such a vicious daughter, so they deserved to get hit by a car!” “I was originally going to save their lives, and the doctors from overseas are already on the plane, but now, it looks like there’s no need!” After saying that, he took out his phone and called his assistant. “Have the private jet turn back, and cancel the surgery!” “No!” “Lucas, don’t!” My face instantly went deathly pale, and I scrambled over on my hands and knees to grab his pant leg. “I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have hit her, so please have the doctors come back.” “I’m begging you…” “Too late.” He slapped me across the face with the back of his hand. The blow turned my head to the side, and blood seeped from the corner of my mouth. With all the strength in my body, I shouted the truth: “Lucas, her illness is fake!” “She arranged the car accident too!” “She told me herself just now!” I thought he would be shocked and regretful after knowing the truth. But after he heard it, he became even angrier. “You still want to frame Vivian even now?” He reached out and grabbed my neck, tightening his grip little by little. “I think you really are beyond saving!” “Vivian is kind and speaks up for you again and again, but you keep throwing dirt on her again and again.” “What the hell is your heart made of?” I struggled to breathe, and my vision went black in waves.

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An avalanche hit the snowy peaks. My foster sister, Clara, had intentionally pushed me, breaking my leg. But my parents abandoned me—shivering with a fever and unable to walk—just to rush Clara to the hospital for a few minor scratches. Limping and desperate, I begged them to take me with them. But my mom coldly slapped my hand away. “Clara is bleeding so much, and you’re still trying to compete with her for attention?” she snapped. “How did I raise such a wicked daughter? Stay here and think about what you’ve done!” They walked away with Clara, never once looking back. Dragging my broken left leg, I tried my best to crawl after them, only to collapse helplessly onto the freezing snow. A few days later, when Clara was discharged from the hospital, they finally remembered me, their biological daughter. Little did they know, I had already been buried deep beneath the avalanche. I was dead. The mountain had collapsed, and I couldn’t escape in time. But after my death, I found my soul floating right next to my dad. He was waiting anxiously in the hospital ward, looking at Clara, who was lying in bed. His face was filled with pity. “Clara, the doctor said it’s a good thing we brought you in early. You’re going to be fine.” “Just rest now. We’ll go home once you’re fully recovered.” Then, he looked out the window at the distant, snow-capped mountains. Anger flared in his eyes. “If it weren’t for Chloe insisting on going to that mountain, you wouldn’t have been hurt so badly!” “When she gets back, I’m going to make her get down on her knees and beg for your forgiveness!” My mom was hovering over Clara, checking the medical monitors every second, terrified that something might go wrong. Her eyes were red from crying. “That miserable brat,” she cursed. “She knew Clara was fragile, yet she still dragged us to that mountain. I actually thought she was finally starting to care about Clara. It was a setup all along!” Watching this, my spectral heart shattered into pieces. Mom, that’s not true. Clara was the one who planned this trip. You both agreed to it! I had been sickly since I was a kid. I never wanted to climb mountains. But Clara said she wanted a family photo in the snow, so you forced me to come, calling me dramatic when I hesitated. Clara was the daughter of my dad’s late military buddy. Her father had died saving my dad’s life. Out of guilt and pity, my dad treated her better than his own daughter. I had to give up everything for her. Anything my parents bought for me would end up in her hands. If I complained even a little, they would yell at me for being selfish. Over time, I became a desperate people-pleaser. I obeyed Clara’s every whim, hoping my parents would love me just a little bit more. This trip was supposed to be different. Clara had intentionally stepped on and shattered the antique gold locket my late grandmother left me. It was the only thing I had left of her. I was so devastated that my parents finally agreed to take me to the beach—a trip they had promised me a thousand times but never delivered. But then Clara suddenly said she wanted to see the snow instead. So, they changed the destination instantly. They forced me to come along just because of one word from her. And now, somehow, it was all my fault. Up on that freezing mountain, I had begged them to take me back. But they only saw the tiny scratch on Clara’s leg and screamed at me. “Chloe, Clara is bleeding! How can you still try to steal the spotlight?” Clara had pretended to cry, whimpering, “It doesn’t hurt, Dad. Chloe didn’t mean to push me.” Looking at Clara’s “bleeding” scratch, my parents went wild with rage. “Chloe, you did this on purpose, didn’t you?” “How did we give birth to such a malicious monster?” With that, they carried Clara and hurried down the mountain. I begged them to take me, but they accused me of faking my injuries to ruin Clara’s recovery. They left me there to “reflect on my actions” and walk down by myself. After they left, I dragged my broken leg, shivering with a raging fever, and crawled through the freezing snow. Just when I was almost at the exit, the mountain roared. An avalanche triggered. I remember the sheer despair. The heavy snow crushed my bones, and the sub-zero temperatures sucked the remaining warmth from my body. As my vision blurred, I looked in the direction my parents had gone. If they knew I died here, would they be even a little sad? Would they finally give me a fraction of the love they gave to Clara?

Back in the hospital, I watched my parents cater to Clara’s every whim. My mom personally cooked gourmet meals for her every day. My dad bought her an expensive, limited-edition designer bag as compensation for her “trauma.” During those days, they completely forgot about me. Their entire universe revolved around Clara. It was painfully pathetic to watch. Only on the day Clara was discharged did they finally remember my existence. “Where is Chloe? Why isn’t that brat here yet?” my dad grumbled, his face darkening. “She knows she messed up, so she’s hiding from us, isn’t she?” My mom sighed, speaking in a tone of supreme indulgence. “We’ve ignored her for days. She must have learned her lesson by now. Call her and tell her to come home.” My dad pulled out his phone and dialed my number. But to their surprise, the call didn’t go through. Usually, I answered their calls within three seconds. But now, after dialing multiple times, there was only a cold, automated voice. My parents frowned. A faint flicker of unease crossed their faces. Clara, walking beside them, suddenly lowered her head and put on a sorrowful act. “Mom, Dad… is Chloe still mad at me? Does she hate me for taking your love away?” My dad’s expression instantly hardened. He shoved his phone into his pocket and sneered. “That ungrateful brat! She actually turned off her phone on purpose!” My mom gnashed her teeth in anger. “She’s throwing a tantrum because we left her on the mountain. What a childish, petty drama queen!” My dad’s eyes flared with rage. “Miserable girl! She’s doing this to make us worry so we’ll go begging for her return!” “Almost fell for her little game!” My mom snorted. “Her manipulation tactics are getting ridiculous.” She took Clara’s hand and walked toward the reception desk, her voice cold. “Let’s go. Don’t worry about her. We’ll do the discharge paperwork for Clara first.” “She likes keeping her phone off? Let’s see how long she can go without crawled back to us.” I glared at Clara. Even now, she was actively poisoning their minds against me. But then again, my parents always chose to believe her. They always chose her. I clutched my spectral chest, feeling a phantom pain so sharp I had to crouch on the floor. As they were finalizing the paperwork, my boyfriend, Ethan, rushed into the lobby. He ran up to my parents, panting and terrified. “Mr. and Mrs. Vance! Something’s wrong with Chloe!”

My parents froze for a second. Ethan continued frantically, “It’s been days! I haven’t been able to reach her at all!” Looking at Ethan’s pale, worried face, my dead heart ached with a different kind of pain. There was no signal on that mountain. Before I died, I couldn’t even send a single text to the boy I loved. The brief worry on my parents’ faces instantly vanished, replaced by sheer annoyance. My mom said dismissively, “That girl committed a crime and is hiding to get sympathy. She’s too ashamed to face us. Ethan, don’t waste your energy on her.” Ethan shook his head quickly. “No, you don’t understand! She promised to go to the movies with me yesterday. She never breaks her promises. But there’s been absolutely nothing…” My dad cut him off sharply. “Enough! She loves playing these pathetic mind games.” “Who knows where she’s hiding right now because of her guilty conscience? She wants us to go looking for her.” Clara chimed in, looking incredibly fragile. “I know Chloe hates me. If she comes back, I’m willing to apologize to her.” Hearing Clara’s voice, my anger boiled over. I rushed to her face and screamed, “For years, my parents gave you everything, and I did everything to please you! Why do you want me dead so badly?” But no one could see or hear me. My dad patted Clara’s shoulder gently. “Don’t blame yourself, Clara. It’s not your fault. Chloe has a twisted character! If she wants to hide, let her. Even if she dies out there, I won’t shed a single tear.” My mom added, “Exactly! When she finally crawls back, she will get down on her knees and apologize to Clara!” Ethan stared at my parents in absolute disbelief. Were these words actually coming from her biological parents? His eyes welled with tears, and his voice shook with pure fury. “Do you even know Chloe at all?! She is nothing like what you’re describing!” “She is kind, honest, and loving! How can you talk about your own daughter like that? Are you even human?!” Hearing Ethan shout in my defense, my eyes watered. I didn’t expect that in this vast world, the only person who truly knew me and stood up for me was my boyfriend. But my dad remained arrogant, letting out a cold laugh. “I know her well enough! She is selfish and jealous. If it weren’t for her, Clara wouldn’t have been hurt!” My mom agreed. “Ethan, you’ve been fooled by her sweet act. She’s a master manipulator. Let’s see how long she can keep up this little disappearing act!” I stood there, feeling the coldness of death seep deeper into my soul. So, this was what I was to my parents. A monster. It felt as if a dull blade was slowly carving away my flesh, piece by piece. Ethan’s anger peaked. He pointed a shaking finger at my mom. “You’re going to kill her! I’m calling the police!” My dad laughed mockingly. “Call them! I’d love to see the police throw that brat in jail for intentionally hurting Clara!” Clara’s face suddenly turned pale. She grabbed my dad’s sleeve, her voice trembling. “Dad… maybe I remembered it wrong. I think I just slipped. Chloe didn’t push me.” Then, she looked at Ethan with a pitiful expression. “Ethan, Chloe is probably just throwing a tantrum. Please don’t call the cops. We shouldn’t waste police resources.” But Ethan didn’t buy her act. He glared at her, his eyes cold as ice. “Why don’t you want me to call the police, Clara? What are you hiding?”

A flash of panic crossed Clara’s face. But when she saw my dad’s face, which was still twisted in anger at me, her confidence returned. She tugged at his sleeve again, looking like an angel. “I just don’t want Chloe to get arrested. Even if she made a mistake, as her sister, I can just forgive her.” My dad’s temper flared instantly. “What is that brat still playing at? Does she hate apologizing to Clara that much?” “She thinks she can escape accountability by turning off her phone and hiding? Not a chance!” My mom was equally furious. “She’s doing this on purpose because she hates seeing us treat Clara well. She’s using this ‘missing’ act to ruin our day!” Listening to their venomous words, Ethan felt a loud buzzing in his ears. He pointed at my parents, his voice cracking with emotion. “Are you really her parents? How can you not care about your own flesh and blood?” “It’s been days! I haven’t heard from her in days! Do you even care if she’s alive?” Tears finally streamed down Ethan’s face. My dad sneered. “We raised her, didn’t we? Who does she think she is, throwing a fit like this?” “Eleanor, call her again. Tell her if she isn’t home in an hour, she is locked out forever!” My mom furiously dialed my number again. Still, nothing. “That little brat actually dares to ignore my calls!” Just as they were about to launch into another round of curses, my dad’s phone rang. Thinking it was me, he snatched it and prepared to yell. But the voice on the other end was cold, official, and utterly detached. “Hello, is this Robert Vance? This is the Rocky Mountain Police Department. We recovered a body from the avalanche zone four days ago. We need you to come down to the county morgue to identify the remains.” My dad froze, his voice suddenly hollow. “What did you say?” The officer repeated the statement. My dad stood paralyzed, and his phone slipped from his hand, shattering on the tiled floor.

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