I was selling used furniture on a resale platform when a girl messaged me to haggle: “Could you lower the price a bit?” “I haven’t graduated yet. I just had a fight with my roommate and moved out of the dorm. My boyfriend found this place for me.” “He’s really wealthy and says we’ll get married after I graduate, but I don’t want to burden him too much.” “Could you take twenty dollars off? I can pick it up myself!” When I was dating Marcus during college, I was extremely frugal too, so I agreed. That evening, two people showed up at my apartment complex gate. The girl said proudly: “I’m pretty amazing, aren’t I? Got a washing machine that’s almost brand new for less than a hundred bucks!” The man looked at her adoringly: “Yes, my baby is the most amazing. But I’m the CEO of the Murphy Group—you think I can’t afford to take care of you? I make money just to spend it on you. Stop pinching pennies from now on.” The man looked up with a smile. When I saw his face clearly, I froze in place. It was my notoriously frugal boyfriend, Marcus.

The air fell silent. I could clearly see panic and shock written across Marcus’s face. I opened my mouth to speak, but then I saw the warning in Marcus’s eyes. Celeste didn’t notice anything unusual between us. She pouted playfully: “I don’t want to be a parasite! What if you don’t want me anymore someday?” “What are you looking at? Why aren’t you answering me?” Marcus snapped back to attention and ruffled Celeste’s hair: “How could I ever not want you?” Following his gaze, Celeste looked toward the washing machine beside me. “There’s nothing wrong with it, right?” I came back to my senses and introduced it with a forced smile. Marcus suddenly spoke up: “Why are you selling furniture? Short on money?” I froze for a moment. When it comes to money, is there ever enough? Before I could answer, Celeste punched Marcus’s arm. “Don’t say things like that!” “Don’t mind him. My boyfriend’s like this—just because he has money, he doesn’t understand us regular people’s struggles.” She shot Marcus a reproachful glance and rolled up her sleeve, revealing a diamond bracelet. “For my birthday, I wanted a bracelet. I had to save up half a year’s worth of living expenses to afford it. He just went and gave me an entire season’s worth of new collections! I still have unopened packages in my closet!” Last summer, I spotted a dress I liked. After the discount, it was three hundred dollars. Marcus wanted to pay for it, but I stopped him. I smiled as if it didn’t matter: “I can’t wear it to work anyway. It’d be a waste to buy it. Wouldn’t it be better to save that money toward our house fund?” It wasn’t that I didn’t want it—it’s just that two days earlier, Marcus had complained about being docked three hundred dollars for being late to work. “I had a fight with my roommate. I was just going to find some random shared apartment near campus, but he went and bought an entire penthouse and put it in my name! Eighty thousand per square foot! I could work my whole life and only afford the bathroom!” When I was apartment hunting, I argued with the landlord until we were both red in the face over an extra hundred dollars in utilities. When Marcus saw how upset I was, he wanted to break the lease immediately, but I refused no matter what. Only because this apartment was close to Marcus’s company, cutting down his commute time so he could sleep a little longer each day. “And I love going to concerts, so he took me to the front row of the main floor! Oh my, now that I think about it, I really am his parasite!” Celeste complained on the surface, but her tone was full of happiness. And I stood there, my face growing paler and paler. Marcus cleared his throat lightly. Celeste slapped her forehead, looking a bit annoyed: “Don’t take it the wrong way. I wasn’t trying to show off. Let’s add each other on SnapChat! If you have more used furniture to sell, remember to contact me!” Marcus tried to stop her, but Celeste quickly scanned my QR code: “I’m not relying on you for this! I’m going to be self-sufficient!” The black Bentley was parked nearby. Marcus looked helpless: “At least ride in my car, okay? I don’t want to walk down the street like an idiot carrying a washing machine.” When I was apartment hunting, I also bought secondhand furniture from the platform. To save on delivery fees, I refused the moving company and carried the heavy sofa and cabinets up to the fourth floor by myself. But in Marcus’s eyes, I apparently looked like an idiot. Only after they disappeared from my view did I feel like I could breathe again. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Marcus: “It’s cold outside. Go home first. We’ll talk tonight.” I laughed bitterly and touched my rounded belly. Marcus loved children. Just a few days ago, I was planning to surprise him. Now it had turned into a joke. Even though I knew Marcus was with Celeste right now, I impulsively called him. First call: declined. Second call: declined. By the third call, his phone was off. I looked down and realized my palm was bleeding from my nails digging in. The wound was small, but my whole heart felt numb with pain. When I got home, I accepted Celeste’s friend request.

On her Ins, Marcus had taken her to see the Northern Lights, and even rented out an entire private island to celebrate their anniversary. In all these places I could never afford to go, they looked so happy together. My throat felt like it was being strangled. Even breathing became difficult. It wasn’t until late at night that I heard sounds at the door. As soon as Marcus came in, he frowned: “Why is it so cold in here?” Though the apartment complex was in the city center, the building was old and the heating was poor. Other tenants couldn’t stand the cold and moved out. I was the only one who stayed because of six months’ rent reduction. The door was ajar. I didn’t say anything, just exhaled a puff of white breath. Marcus went to the bedroom and brought out a comforter, wrapping it around me without asking. His voice carried anger: “Is this how you take care of yourself when I’m not here? Evelyn, how can I feel at ease?” I shoved him away: “Why are you putting on an act now? Is it fun lying to me?” My pregnant body was clumsy. I stumbled a few steps before steadying myself. In the past, when I lost my temper with Marcus, he would smile helplessly and raise both hands in surrender: “It’s my fault. I made Evelyn unhappy. You can punish me however you want.” Now Marcus’s face was cold: “How long are you going to make a mountain out of a molehill?” He paused: “Celeste is young. She can’t handle a lot of things on her own…” My emotions spiraled out of control: “She’s young, so you play her boyfriend and take care of her? What about me? How pathetic am I that you’d pretend to be poor just to toy with me?” Pain flashed through Marcus’s eyes. He hugged me tightly from behind: “Evelyn, calm down!” I used all my strength but couldn’t break free. “Don’t touch me!” A soft sound—the ajar door was pushed open. Celeste, appearing out of nowhere, looked at us with disbelief written all over her face. “You two…” “Celeste? Why are you here?” As if realizing something, Marcus’s expression turned ice cold, his voice frigid: “Why did you come?” Celeste’s face was covered in tears: “Didn’t you install a tracker on your phone yourself so I could always find you? So what does this mean now? You want me to pretend I don’t see you messing around with this old woman?” She shoved me hard. “I trusted you so much. I never thought you’d be shameless enough to seduce my boyfriend!” I almost fell. Marcus quickly caught me and glared furiously at Celeste. “Stop it!” Celeste broke down even more: “Marcus, you liar! You said you’d marry me!” She turned and ran out crying. Marcus immediately moved to chase her. I grabbed his hand: “I need to tell you something…” But he shook me off violently: “Let go! What if Celeste runs into danger this late at night?” Marcus left without looking back. I was thrown directly to the floor, my belly hitting the table corner hard. Suddenly, a twisting pain shot through my abdomen. I felt wetness below. I reached down—blood! The sharp pain made my head swim. Instinctively, I called Marcus: “Help me… my stomach hurts so much…” The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Marcus’s impatient voice: “You’re at home. What danger could there be? I just got Celeste calmed down. Stop throwing tantrums.”

When I opened my eyes, I was in the hospital. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a truck. I forced myself to sit up: “The baby… how is it?” The nurse looked at me with pity: “If your neighbor hadn’t seen the door open, you’d be dead. Even if you didn’t want the baby, you should’ve come to a proper hospital for the procedure. How could you deliberately ram your belly to cause a miscarriage?” My mind went blank. Marcus had personally killed our child. My phone suddenly vibrated frantically: “Evelyn Hart, you’re actually a homewrecker destroying someone else’s relationship? You’re fired!” “Stealing a college student’s boyfriend—a shameless slut like you should just die!” “If you’re that desperate, go sell yourself. Don’t go around seducing people!” The messages flooded in—from work, from strangers. Celeste had posted online, accusing me of being the other woman! My body was already weak from the miscarriage. Suddenly, a sharp pain swept through my entire body. I clutched my chest, unable to hold back a cry of pain. Just then, Marcus called. My voice trembled: “Marcus, we’ve been together since seven years ago!” My family was poor. During college, I constantly worked part-time jobs. On the day he confessed, Marcus held a bouquet of flowers with complete sincerity: “Evelyn, I may be poor, but I’ll do everything I can to give you a better life. I’ll never let you suffer.” After we got together, even when we could only afford instant noodles, Marcus would give me the only boiled egg. And now, he paused: “Celeste is young and insecure. She just posted to vent. Don’t make such a big deal out of it. You’re not home. Where are you?” All the grievances I’d been holding in came pouring out. I choked up: “I’m at the hospital. Our…” “Evelyn, you’re too old to be pulling the ‘running away from home’ routine like a teenage girl. It’s not cute anymore.” Before I could finish, Marcus cut me off impatiently. His voice was casual: “You’ve always been healthy—you could work three jobs in one day. How could you get sick so easily? Stop pretending. Celeste’s emotions are unstable. Come apologize to her.” I couldn’t believe it: “Celeste twisted the truth and got me cyberbullied, and you want me to apologize?” “You want me to just watch Celeste get bullied into suicide?” Marcus’s voice suddenly rose. When I stayed silent, it dropped again. “Evelyn, your mother’s nursing home fees—I’m the one paying them.” My heart trembled. My mother’s health was poor. She’d been in the ICU three times in one year. Marcus saw how stressed I was and took the initiative to move my mom to a special care ward, covering all the expenses. I’d been desperately saving and earning money, trying to pay Marcus back every cent he’d spent. That way our relationship could be on equal footing. Now he was using my mother to threaten me. An unprecedented exhaustion washed over me. I suddenly felt there was no point in arguing anymore. With tears in my eyes, I nodded and went to the address Marcus gave me in the villa district. The weakness from the miscarriage made my legs unsteady. I was barely forcing myself to move forward when the security guard stopped me. “I’m Marcus’s girlfriend.” He looked me up and down suspiciously. Only after calling Marcus did the guard let me through, his face full of contempt: “Everyone knows Mr. Murphy’s girlfriend is Miss Porter. I’ve lived long enough—these days even mistresses dare to show up openly!” When he saw me, Marcus’s face showed an expected smile: “Be good, and I’ll pay for your mother’s medical expenses.” He brought me in front of a phone set up for recording: “We’re going live in a moment. Tell everyone you’re the mistress and apologize to Celeste.” I jerked my head up and stared at him: “You’re saying I’m the mistress?” Celeste laughed lightly: “Marcus already made our relationship official with me. If you’re not the mistress, then am I?” Marcus didn’t answer my question. Instead, he frowned at me and handed me a piece of paper: “Evelyn, be good. Just read this in a moment. Don’t stress about it. It’ll be over quickly.” The paper was filled with statements about how I was jealous of Celeste, so I deliberately seduced Marcus to destroy their relationship.

As soon as the livestream started, a flood of people poured in. When they saw it was me, the comments exploded. Everyone was calling me a homewrecker. Celeste acted magnanimous: “Everyone, please be kind. She’s here to apologize today.” Under everyone’s gaze, I pulled my lips into a smile: “I’m Evelyn Hart, and I’m here to apologize to everyone today. I should have just let Celeste, the actual homewrecker, steal my boyfriend of seven years and twist the truth to cyberbully me, instead of making a fuss! I apologize for not keeping quiet, for not obediently playing the turtle hiding in its shell!” Marcus quickly shut off the livestream, but it had already hit the trending topics. The hashtag #CelestePorterHomewrecker was number one. Marcus laughed in fury: “Evelyn, you’d better not regret this! Assistant, cancel all the nursing home payments immediately!” My pupils shook violently. Stopping the payments now was sentencing my mother to death! But Marcus grabbed my hand and shoved me into the car without another word. “To the hospital! I’ll let you see with your own eyes how your mother pays for your willfulness!” At the hospital, I cried and begged Marcus to spare my mother. Seeing my tears, a trace of reluctance flashed in Marcus’s eyes. But he still turned his head away: “You’ve hurt Celeste so badly. There must be consequences!” He paused, his voice hard: “Kneel and apologize to Celeste. When she forgives you, I’ll restore the nursing home payments. Otherwise, prepare to collect your mother’s body!” My whole body shook. I bit my lip until it bled. Under Celeste’s mocking gaze, I bent my knees and knelt heavily before her. “I’m sorry. It was my fault.” I kowtowed numbly, like a dog without dignity. Once, then again. My forehead was bloody. Marcus’s expression softened slightly. He stepped out of the room to take a call, leaving only Celeste. Seeing him leave, Celeste’s face instantly turned vicious: “You dare try to steal Marcus from me? You deserve to pay the price!” Before I could react, she rushed to my mother’s bed and directly pulled out the oxygen tube and IV line keeping her alive! “No!” I struggled to rush forward but was pinned to the ground by bodyguards. The monitor sounded an alarm. My mother’s face quickly turned blue-purple. Until the last trace of life faded and her head tilted to the side. My mother was dead. I collapsed on the floor in despair, nearly crying tears of blood. Celeste immediately messed up her own hair and ran outside. She ran right into Marcus, who was coming back. She cried pitifully: “Marcus, I just kindly wanted to help adjust your mother’s blanket, and Evelyn suddenly rushed over and pushed me, saying I’m not worthy to be with you…” Marcus’s face immediately darkened: “Evelyn, is your dignity worth that much? Just to avoid apologizing, you’d ignore even your own mother’s life?” I laughed bitterly: “Life? My mother is dead. Celeste killed her!” Celeste immediately denied it, and Marcus insisted I was lying. He laughed coldly: “You’d even use your own mother’s death to lie. Since you won’t apologize, then don’t regret it!” He left with his arm around Celeste. Half an hour later, the Murphy Group’s official account posted a statement: “Mr. Marcus Murphy’s relationship status was made public long ago. His girlfriend is only Miss Celeste Porter. Miss Evelyn Hart suffered trauma as a student and has an abnormal mental state with cognitive impairment. All her statements are false information.” In the video released with it, a girl stood in an office with an older man’s hand on her waist. My mind went blank. In high school, I was the school’s famous scholarship student. A male teacher decided I had no power or influence and groped me in his office. I didn’t dare speak up because no one would stand up for me. Even into college, I had severe psychological issues and attempted suicide countless times. Marcus saved me. He held me tightly in his arms, comforting me over and over: “Evelyn, don’t let scum ruin your life. It’s not your fault. I will always, always be with you.” This was my darkest past, something I’d only ever told Marcus. But he ripped open my scars and used my blood and tears to whitewash Celeste. So for Celeste’s sake, he could go this far. In complete despair, I smiled bitterly and threw a lit lighter toward the bed curtains. Watching the flames rise before me, I pushed open the window and jumped. Marcus, from now on, we have no future. On the other side, Marcus was shopping with Celeste when he suddenly saw thick smoke rising in the distance! An ominous feeling surged in his heart. He quickly called over a mall employee to ask what was happening. “The hospital’s on fire. I heard someone burned to death—someone in the special care ward!”

New Year’s return home—my electric scooter suddenly exploded. It burned the neighbor’s Maybach and killed a grandmother and her grandson passing by. My entire family drained their savings to pay compensation for me, taking on millions in debt. The victims’ families cursed me for twenty years. I worked eight jobs a day to pay it all back. The night I finally paid off the debt, I died from overwork. Before I closed my eyes, I heard my parents laughing outside the door: “Actually, the Maybach was never burned. That old woman and her grandson faked their deaths. She really believed it and worked herself to death earning money!” “What else could we do? Brandon needs money for his house and car! We’ve raised her all these years—she finally became useful.” So my twenty years were all a joke. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the explosion. This time, I rode the electric scooter away early and sank it into the pond behind the back mountain. Without the scooter, let’s see how you perform your act! But at three in the afternoon, the explosion still happened.

The nuts in my hand scattered across the floor. I stood frozen in place. Impossible. I had clearly sunk the electric scooter in the pond. How could there still be an explosion? I rushed out the door. Thick smoke billowed from the direction of the village entrance, flames shooting into the sky. Neighbors screamed as they ran toward it. I followed, running. My legs went weak, my heart pounded like a drum. The scene was even more horrific than in my previous life. That Maybach was truly burning, crackling and popping with explosive sounds. Beside the car, two charred bodies lay on the ground, faces beyond recognition. “Call the police!” “Whose electric scooter is this? Why is it parked here charging?” “Looks like it belongs to the girl from the Reynolds family. I saw her pushing it this morning!” Everyone turned to stare at me in unison. I opened my mouth but couldn’t make a sound. This was impossible. My electric scooter was in the pond. How could it be here? How could it have exploded? “Rachel! Is this your electric scooter?” The car owner, Mr. Lewis, crawled out of the vehicle, blood covering his face. He screamed at me hysterically: “I’ll kill you! This is my brand new Maybach! Three hundred thousand dollars! You owe me three hundred thousand!” I backed away repeatedly, my mind blank. In my previous life, the explosion was fake. How had it become real in this life? And my electric scooter was clearly at the bottom of the pond. Why would it appear here? “It wasn’t me…” I mumbled, “My electric scooter isn’t here…” “You’re still making excuses!” Mrs.from next door pointed at my nose and cursed, “I saw you with my own eyes this morning pushing your electric scooter out. If it’s not yours, whose is it?” “Exactly! Who else around here has a red electric scooter besides you?” “Murderer! Pay with your life!” The crowd surrounded me, shoving and cursing. The abuse nearly drowned me—worse than in my previous life. But at least in my previous life, I knew it was fake. Now, two lives had truly died right before my eyes. The Maybach was truly burning. “Rachel, what’s going on?” My parents and brother pushed through the crowd. Dad’s face was ashen. Mom sat down hard on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing: “Dear God, what do we do? Our family will be ruined!” My brother Brandon and his girlfriend stood to the side, eyes shifty, not daring to look at me. The exact same scene as my previous life. But this time, the explosion was real. The deaths were real. Did they not know? “Rachel, is it really your electric scooter?” Brandon came over, lowering his voice. “Didn’t you push it to town for repairs this morning? How could it be here?” I stared hard into his eyes, looking for any sign of deception. But I only saw panic.

“This isn’t mine!” I said through clenched teeth. “I sank mine in the pond!” “What?” Brandon’s eyes went wide. “Rachel, what are you talking about? Are you in shock?” “I’m not crazy! At six this morning, I pushed my electric scooter to the pond behind the back mountain. I tied stones to it and sank it! This exploded scooter isn’t mine!” The crowd went quiet for a moment, then erupted in even louder commotion. “This girl’s lost it. What nonsense is she spouting?” “Sinking it in a pond? I think she just wants to shirk responsibility!” “Call the police! Have them arrest her!” Dad rushed up and slapped me across the face. “You bastard! How dare you lie! Those are two human lives!” I clutched my face, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. This slap hurt just as much as in my previous life. But in my previous life, I thought Dad was truly angry and desperate. Later I learned it was just an act, to make the performance more convincing, to make me feel more guilty, more willing to work like a slave. But this time, the explosion was real. If they really had orchestrated all this, then what about those two lives and that burning Maybach? The police arrived quickly and sealed off the scene. I was taken aside for questioning, my whole body numb. “Name?” “Rachel Reynolds.” “Is that electric scooter yours?” “No.” I lifted my head, eyes resolute. “My electric scooter is in the pond. I sank it myself this morning. That exploded scooter looks like mine, but it’s not mine.” The officer frowned. “Miss Reynolds, we have eyewitness testimony that the electric scooter was yours. Also, we found remnants of your license plate at the explosion site.” “Impossible!” I jumped to my feet. “My license plate is A88888. What license plate did you find?” The officer looked down at his notes. “A88888.” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning and sank back into the chair. This was impossible. My electric scooter was in the pond. How could my license plate appear at the explosion site? Could someone have retrieved my electric scooter? But when could that have happened? I sank it at six in the morning. It exploded at three in the afternoon. Who could have retrieved an electric scooter from such a deep pond in such a short time, then pushed it to the village entrance to charge and detonate it? And why would they do that? “I need to check the pond.” I grabbed the officer’s hand. “Come with me to the back mountain pond. My electric scooter is there. If you dredge it, you’ll definitely find it!” The officers exchanged glances. Perhaps seeing how agitated I was, they finally nodded in agreement. The pond at the back mountain was surrounded by villagers watching the commotion. Two officers removed their jackets and jumped into the icy water. I waited anxiously on the shore, hands clenched tight. As long as they retrieved that electric scooter, it would prove my innocence. The exploded one was a fake. Someone deliberately framed me. “Found something!” An officer surfaced, holding up an object. My heart leaped to my throat. It was a red plastic fragment, definitely from an electric scooter. “Is there more down there? Where’s the whole scooter?” I shouted. The officer dove down again. After a few minutes, he resurfaced, shaking his head: “There’s nothing else down there. Just this fragment and some stones.” “Impossible!” I shrieked. “I sank the entire scooter! I tied four big stones to it. How could it be gone?”

“Miss Reynolds, are you certain you actually sank your electric scooter here?” The officer climbed ashore, his expression serious. “There’s no scooter at the bottom—only this fragment. And according to our preliminary investigation, the electric scooter wreckage at the explosion site does match your vehicle information.” “I don’t know how this happened…” I held my head, my mind in complete chaos. I clearly remembered pushing the electric scooter here, tying stones to it, watching it sink. But now the scooter was gone, leaving only a fragment. Had I remembered wrong? Had I never sunk it at all and instead pushed it directly to the village entrance? Impossible. I remembered the cold of the ice, the weight of the stones tied to the seat, the bubbles rising as the scooter entered the water. Those memories were so vivid. How could they be false? “Rachel, stop making excuses.” Mom wailed in the crowd. “A life for a life, debts must be paid—that’s justice. Our family may be poor, but we can’t do such unconscionable things!” “Exactly. The nerve to do it but not admit it—what kind of person is that?” “She always seemed like such an honest girl. Who knew she had such a black heart?” The villagers’ curses pierced me like knives. I looked around. Every face was so strange yet so familiar. In my previous life, they cursed me like this too. For a full twenty years. But before I died in my previous life, I learned the truth—I knew I’d been wronged. In this life, even I was starting to doubt whether I really had sunk the electric scooter in the pond. “I want to see the surveillance footage.” I suddenly said. “There’s a camera at the village entrance, right? Check if I pushed the scooter there!” The officer nodded. “We’ve already pulled the footage, but unfortunately, the camera at the village entrance broke yesterday and hasn’t been fixed yet.” My heart sank. “What about… other cameras nearby?” “We checked. At six this morning, you were indeed seen pushing an electric scooter out of the village, but after that, no cameras captured you.” “What about the road to the pond? Are there any cameras at the back mountain?” The officer shook his head. “The back mountain is wasteland. No cameras.” I felt despair. No surveillance to prove I sank the scooter. No scooter to prove my innocence. Everyone was accusing me. Even I was beginning to waver. Could I really not have sunk it? Could the explosion truly have been caused by my electric scooter? “Rachel, don’t do this.” Brandon came over, looking concerned. “Even if it was an accident, we won’t blame you. We’re family—we’ll bear this together.” He reached out to help me up. Looking at his hypocritical face, I suddenly felt sick. In my previous life, he said the same thing. “We’ll bear this together.” Then I was the only one who bore it. He was the only one who benefited. “Get lost.” I shook off his hand. “I don’t need your fake concern.” Brandon’s expression changed, then quickly returned to that aggrieved look. “Rachel, I know you’re under pressure, but how can you treat me like this…” “Enough!” Dad rushed over and kicked my shoulder. “You make a mistake and still dare lose your temper at your brother! I think you’ve gone mad!” I fell to the ground, my shoulder burning with pain. Mom rushed up too, pinching and hitting me. “You killed two people and now want to drag our whole family down! Why don’t you just die!” I curled up on the ground, letting them beat and curse me.

In my previous life, they pushed all responsibility onto me, portraying themselves as victims. But before I died in my previous life, at least I knew it was an act. In this life, I didn’t know anymore. If they truly didn’t know the truth, if the explosion truly was an accident, then their anger now was real. And I was the culprit who killed two people and destroyed a three-hundred-thousand-dollar luxury car. “Stop hitting her!” An officer pulled my parents away. “The investigation isn’t complete. You can’t take matters into your own hands.” “What’s left to investigate? She did it!” Mom wailed dramatically. “What sins did the Reynolds family commit to give birth to such a curse!” I was brought back to the village and locked in the main hall. Night fell. I curled up in the corner, my mind in turmoil. Those memories from my previous life, those memories of my parents conspiring—were they real or fake? If they were innocent, then what did my twenty years in the previous life even mean? I felt confused. Had I really had a mental breakdown? Were all those memories from my previous life just hallucinations? At midnight, I secretly slipped out through the window, wanting to check the pond again to see if I could find any clues. I didn’t expect to see my parents and brother at the pond. Their voices were very low, but I still caught fragments. “What do we do? The plan changed? Did she really sink the scooter?” “If she really sank it, then whose was the one that exploded?” “Forget it. It already exploded anyway. Let’s proceed with the original plan…” “What about those two lives? They really seem dead, but they’re not the two people we arranged…” “Who did it?” “Don’t know, but it works out. Saves us money on hiring actors.” My whole body went cold, as if plunged into ice. They did have a plan. The explosion, deaths, and debts in my previous life—they orchestrated all of it. It was all real. But in this life, the explosion and deaths became real, beyond their expectations. Yet they still wanted to proceed with the original plan, still wanted me to take the fall, to be their scapegoat! “What about the scooter in the pond?” That was Brandon’s voice. “Why is it gone?” “Don’t know. Is it possible she misremembered and never sank it at all?” “Impossible. I checked the pond this morning. There was a hole in the ice—clear signs of something sinking.” “Then what happened? Did the scooter grow legs and walk away?” “Who cares? Now there’s no proof either way. Whatever she says, no one will believe her. We’ll just insist it was her scooter and make her pay compensation.” “But those are two human lives. Will we really let her go to prison?” “What prison? Just pay compensation. We’ll pretend to help her bear the burden first, make her grateful, then send her out to work and earn money. Same as the plan—make her our cash cow!” I knew it. What I heard before dying in my previous life wasn’t a hallucination! This was indeed their plan! But if all this was real, then where did the electric scooter I sank to the bottom of the pond go? Mom and Dad didn’t know. Brandon didn’t know either. They just wanted to use the same trick again, to continue bleeding me dry. Even if they couldn’t bleed me, they just wanted to pin the blame on me. But only by finding the electric scooter could I clear my name! Just then, I suddenly remembered. When I first bought the electric scooter, because I didn’t have enough money, I chose an installment plan. The seller installed a tracking device in an inconspicuous spot on the scooter.

Mom always told me the outside world was fake and dirty, so she did everything to protect me. She never allowed me to have any private space, do what I wanted, or even meet new people. When I was ten, I secretly went to my desk mate’s birthday party. My mom showed up at the party with a knife and dragged me away. When I was fourteen, I borrowed two pens from a classmate and put them in my backpack. When I got home, I was beaten black and blue. When I was sixteen, a boy from the next class wrote me a love letter. My mom slapped me in front of the entire school. My life consisted of nothing but studying. So I never had a single friend. Until I turned seventeen, when I found a little yellow chick downstairs. For the first time, I gathered the courage to secretly keep this small creature. On my eighteenth birthday, Mom mysteriously told me she had a surprise for me. That evening at the dinner table, I saw a pot of stewed chicken, cooked until the meat fell off the bones. “This is the chicken I found in your room and stewed.” She even excitedly posted it on Ins with the caption: “Discovered the chick my daughter’s been secretly raising for a year, so I stewed it and made her eat it herself.” I kept my head down and said nothing. But Mom, that wasn’t just any ordinary chick. That was my only friend. Now that the chick is dead, I can’t go on living either.

“Actually, I knew you were raising a chicken all along. I just wanted to wait until you fattened it up a bit before killing it.” Mom’s eyes crinkled with satisfaction, her face full of pride. “Don’t think I don’t know everything. I have complete control over every aspect of your life.” I stared hard at the chicken in the pot. I couldn’t count how many days and nights it had kept me company. I found it right after Mom had thrown me out of the house for having a marker in my bag that didn’t belong to me. It sat alone in the grass with one lame leg. I quietly brought it home, nursed it carefully, then secretly hid it away. It seemed almost spiritual—it never made a sound, staying obediently in the little box under my bed, neither crying nor fussing. I’d long since come to think of it as my friend, the first and only friend I’d ever had in my life. But Mom stewed it on my eighteenth birthday. Mom picked up a piece of chicken meat with her fork and brought it to my face. “Eat it. Chicken is so nutritious. I stewed it for two hours.” “You raised it yourself, so it must taste especially good.” A violent wave of nausea churned in my stomach. I rushed to the toilet and knelt there, retching violently. I threw up until only bile came out. Just as I was about to stand up, something heavy crashed down on me. A solid wood stool landed squarely on my leg. “Joy, you dare give me attitude? I haven’t even settled the score with you for secretly keeping that beast!” “Mom…” I spoke through the pain, “It’s not a beast, it’s my friend…” “Friend?!” Mom shot to her feet as if I’d shocked her, grabbing the ruler she always kept on the couch. “You have me as your mother—isn’t that enough? What do you need a friend for?” “You want to run off with your friends like your father did and abandon your mother, don’t you? Now you’re hiding things from me. What’s next? Are you going to start hiding people?” I trembled and backed away, raising my hands to shield myself while shaking my head. “Mom, today is my eighteenth birthday…” “So you’re an adult now? You can do whatever you want? You don’t have to listen to me anymore?” “I’m going to teach you a lesson today!” The ruler rose high and fell hard. I covered my head, not daring to cry or scream. This was a rule Mom had established when I was young: for every tear that fell, she’d add ten more strikes. So I bit my lip hard and didn’t shed a single tear. But I hurt so much. The dining table blurred before my eyes, and the living room lights grew dimmer and dimmer. As Mom kept hitting me, she started crying first. “I risked my life in ten months of pregnancy to give birth to you, and this is how you repay me now that you’re eighteen?” She cried with snot and tears running down her face. I stood up to comfort her, but she shoved me away. “Since you’ve grown wings and want to fly away, get out!” The next second, I was pushed stumbling out the front door. It was a bitter December winter, and I wore only a thin shirt. I shivered with cold, huddling in the stairwell. At least they hadn’t confiscated my phone. I picked it up and dialed the number I knew by heart. The call was answered just before it would have disconnected. “Hello… Dad…” “Joy, I’m very busy right now. Whatever it is, we’ll talk later.” Beep beep beep… The call was cut off cleanly. “Dad, today is my birthday. I miss you.” I murmured to myself. Only the howling wind answered me. My heart sank bit by bit. Until this day, my eighteenth birthday. I was finally forced to admit a painful and desperate truth. My father and mother. Neither of them loved me.

Mom didn’t come to find me. I knew this was another punishment. It wasn’t until midnight that the property management lady found me frozen unconscious on the floor and carried me to her duty room. I’d just taken a sip of hot water when the door was pounded loud enough to shake the building. “Joy, you’ve really got guts now! Running away from home!” Mom burst through the door cursing at me. “You ungrateful brat! I worked so hard to make you soup and I did it wrong?” The property manager quickly tried to stop Mom. “The child was frozen unconscious outside. I brought her here on my own initiative. It’s not the child’s fault.” “You don’t need to speak for her. I know exactly what kind of daughter I have.” “She’s so manipulative, pretending to faint to get your attention. Her tricks are pathetically obvious!” I felt ashamed and humiliated, trying to explain. “Mom, I really did faint.” The next second, a slap came whistling down and crashed into my face. My ears rang. “You dare talk back! You didn’t faint earlier, you didn’t faint later, but the moment someone could see you, you fainted?” The property manager looked flustered and tried to intervene, but Mom ruthlessly pushed her aside. Mom’s endless nagging mixed with the ringing in my ears, piercing sharply into my eardrums. “She’s been bad since she was little. When she was young, she’d run away from home and team up with her desk mate’s family to deceive me.” “In middle school she’d steal things—a pen here, an eraser there. When I caught her, she’d refuse to admit it and claim she’d borrowed them.” “At such a young age, she was already flirting with boys, throwing herself at men everywhere. She had no self-respect from the start.” … That’s not true. Mom, I’m not like that. I never did those things. That’s not what really happened. Ever since Dad and Mom got divorced, I’d been careful every day, always obedient to Mom. But why, no matter what I did. Mom always thought I was a thoroughly bad child. In the end, Mom forcibly dragged me out of the duty room. The property manager looked at me with pity in her eyes. That look ruthlessly shattered my self-respect. When we got home, Mom pointed darkly at the floor. Like I had countless times before, I mechanically knelt down. Mom looked at me with disgust. “You like pretending to faint? Then kneel there today until you really do faint.” “Joy, don’t think that just because you’re an adult I can’t control you anymore.” What hurt more than kneeling on the floor was the cold, disgusted tone in Mom’s voice when she said my name. It seemed like ever since Dad had his affair and they divorced, Mom had changed. I raised my head, my eyes brimming with tears. “Mom, don’t you love me?” “Love?” She acted like she’d heard the biggest joke in the world. “Love is the most fake, most disgusting thing in the world.” “You have half your father’s face. Looking at you makes me sick.” “If you weren’t my biological daughter.” “I’d rather you were dead.”

I knelt on the floor for three days and three nights. When I fainted, I immediately forced myself back up. I knelt until my whole body wouldn’t stop shaking, until my knees were covered in red, green, and purple bruises. Mom allowed me to get up because my teacher was coming for a home visit. This was the most important year of my life. The SAT was coming up. Mom took off her designer clothes and put on old ones from years ago. “Ms. Harper, I’ve raised Joy all by myself through blood, sweat, and tears. I’ve given this child all my money and energy.” “But the child doesn’t know gratitude. A few days ago, after I said a few words to her, she threatened to run away from home. I practically got on my knees begging before she’d come back.” I lay on my bedroom bed. I wanted to get up, but the severe pain in my knees forced me to lie back down. I heard the teacher ask about my whereabouts. “This child has everything done for her at home—never lifts a finger. Every day she goes out to mess around with delinquents from society, lazy and never comes home…” I heard the teacher sigh heavily. Because of Mom, I’d long had a terrible reputation at school. Everyone avoided me like the plague, desperate to keep their distance. Only Ms. Harper was willing to accept me, treat me normally, not exclude me. When I was feeling low, she’d patiently comfort me and tell me I was a good kid. Wave after wave of shame and frustration surged up from the bottom of my heart. The teacher didn’t ask about me again and quietly left. I heard the sound of my heart breaking—quietly yet violently. The last person in the world who liked me didn’t like me anymore. “Go wash the dishes.” Mom pushed open the door and gave me a cold command. I endured the severe pain, practically leaning against the wall with half my body just to make it to the kitchen. In the dead of winter, the hot water pipe had long been frozen. Ice-cold water flowed from the tap. A broken shard on the edge of a bowl accidentally cut my hand. Blood flowed everywhere. I planned to find a bandage after finishing the dishes. But when I turned around, I smelled thick smoke. Thinking there was a fire, I ignored the pain, dropped the bowl, and ran to the living room shouting. “Mom! Mo—” The second half of the sentence stuck hard in my throat when I saw the pile of ashes in front of Mom. My diary, my drawings, and my memories with the chick were all in Mom’s hands, gradually burning to ash. “Those are mine!” For the first time, I lost control and shouted at her. I rushed forward trying to put out the flames, trying to snatch back everything that was mine. But it was too late. Burned clean away. “Ms. Harper said your grades have been slipping lately.” “I only came in second place once…” “Isn’t that because your mind isn’t where it should be? Look at what you’ve been writing and drawing. If you hadn’t been secretly keeping that beast and making your room a mess, would you have only placed second!” “It has nothing to do with the chick!” I trembled, tears streaming down my face in strings. I clutched the remnants of the notebook in my hands, which wouldn’t stop shaking. I didn’t understand why Mom had to be so ruthless. I just wanted a friend, someone who could keep me company. Even if it wasn’t human. The chick couldn’t speak, but it had listened to so much of my pain. I told it about when I was little and Mom and Dad were fighting over their divorce, how Dad found a gentle, caring new girlfriend and turned around and abandoned me. I told it how every day at school people whispered behind my back, how everyone knew my shameful stories and thought I was a weirdo who didn’t fit in. I told it about Mom’s extreme, numbing control over me and her endless beatings. No one was willing to listen to these things. Only that fluffy little head would blink its eyes and look at me obediently. I drew many pictures and wrote many diary entries. These were my spiritual pillars for so long. But now, Mom had destroyed everything. She destroyed me too.

“You don’t need to go to school anymore. Since your mind isn’t where it should be, there’s no point wasting money.” “Starting today, you’ll study at home. I’ll personally watch over you.” Mom stood up, looking down at me from above. I didn’t argue back because I knew it was useless. When I was little, Mom wouldn’t let me go to school, but I’d sneak there anyway. When I got home, I was stripped naked and made to kneel in the bathroom while being beaten until I was covered in purple marks. I nodded somewhat numbly and stood up. From then on, I became more obedient and quieter. I never mentioned the chick again, and neither did Mom. But she controlled and managed me even more than before. She called the school and strongly demanded that I return home to study on my own. She said I was mentally unstable and not suitable to study with everyone else. She started monitoring me twenty-four hours a day. “If you can’t get first place, even living is a waste.” “I’m doing this all for your own good. You’re not taking the college entrance exam for me.” So I studied desperately, wanting to get into a good college far, far away. I started having hope again. In the last month before the SAT, I received an early acceptance letter from New York University. I gripped the thin letter tightly, but the next second Mom snatched it away. She tore it to shreds right in front of me. “You want to go to NYU! You want to run far away and escape my grasp! Joy, you’re dreaming!” I watched the pieces of the acceptance letter fall from the air. I silently picked up the scraps of paper, ignoring the woman’s hysteria behind me. One piece, two pieces, three pieces. So it’s true that when pain reaches its extreme, it becomes silent. This time, I couldn’t cry anymore. My heart was completely empty. I turned and went back to my room, opening a practice test. Like I was completing one final task. Take the SAT. Take it one last time. The last time. That’s what I told myself. On SAT day, I set my own alarm, made my own breakfast, and took a taxi to the test center by myself. Just like all those times I’d gone to class alone before. Completely ordinary. When the SAT results came out, I’d scored first place in the entire city. I stood on the rooftop, scrolling through Dad’s social media. Dad’s new daughter had been born. I smiled a little, liked the post, and commented “Congratulations.” Dad’s number appeared on my phone. This was the first call Dad had initiated since the divorce. I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to answer anymore. I’d already blocked Mom’s number. Her messages came flooding in. I threw my phone ten meters away. Inside was my suicide note. “Mom and Dad, I got first place. Will you like me, even just a little bit?” “But even though I got first place, I still have no friends, no home, no self.” “I don’t want to live anymore.” Turns out dying is easier than living. I just had to fall gently downward. And the world went quiet.

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After my IVF treatment succeeded, I returned home with the child I’d worked so hard to conceive, hoping to surprise Ethan Quinn. A friend kindly warned me that during my years abroad, a sultry secretary named Lily had appeared by Ethan’s side. At first, I didn’t take it seriously. After all, in the past, Ethan would be heartbroken if I so much as frowned. Until I got home and discovered the password to our mansion had been changed. I pounded on the door repeatedly until it finally opened. Lily stood there in my nightgown, leaning seductively against the doorframe and frowning at me. “What homeless person dares to come begging at my house?! Get lost! If you don’t leave now, I’ll let the dogs out!” Looking at her arrogant attitude, I was so angry I laughed instead. “Get Ethan out here! I need to ask him if he doesn’t want his child anymore!” A man who only got his position thanks to my parents’ support—and he dares to cheat? The Tibetan mastiff behind the door barked threateningly at me, emboldened by its owner. Lily rolled her eyes. “You Old woman, who do you think you are? Do you think you can just see Mr. Quinn whenever you want?” She looked me up and down with disdain. “Can’t believe security let someone dressed in cheap market clothes into this neighborhood!” My skin is prone to allergies—ordinary fabrics make me break out in rashes at the slightest touch. That’s why Ethan had specially ordered Italian fabric to make my clothes. I never imagined there’d come a day when I’d be looked down upon for not wearing designer brands. I was almost laughing from anger. After all these years, this was the first time I’d been blocked from seeing Ethan. I pulled out my phone to call him and demand an explanation. But when I raised my hand, I realized with dismay that my phone had died at some point. I simply extended my hand and coldly demanded Lily’s phone. “If you delay his business, you know what the consequences will be!” Lily was startled by my expression. In that moment of hesitation, I grabbed her phone. I dialed the number I knew by heart, ready to confront him, but was interrupted by Ethan’s gentle, low laugh. “Didn’t reply to your message for two minutes and you’re already calling? Miss me that much?” “I’m in a meeting. I’ll come home as soon as it’s over.” I gripped the phone as all my words got stuck in my throat. Such an intimate tone—if I hadn’t been holding Lily’s phone, I would have thought he was talking to me. The next second, Lily triumphantly snatched the phone back and cooed in a sweet voice. “Then hurry back. I want to eat food you cook yourself!” She even put it on speaker. Hearing the flirting on the other end, I barely contained my rage. “Ethan, get back here right now!” Ethan paused, his voice carrying a note of confusion. “Lily, is there someone else with you?” Lily glared at me. “Just some crazy woman. I’ll get rid of her in a minute.” Ethan said casually, “Okay. Don’t make a big scene. The company’s in the middle of bidding—bad publicity wouldn’t help.” Hearing his indifferent tone, I felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me. Just last month, Ethan had specifically flown abroad to see me, and now he couldn’t even recognize my voice! I couldn’t hold back anymore and raised my voice. “Ethan, you don’t want me—fine! But you don’t want your child either?” The air suddenly turned cold as Ethan’s voice came through, laced with icy menace. “Someone’s got guts, trying to pull a scam on me!” “That child definitely isn’t mine. Lily, just deal with her!” Ethan’s tone was ice-cold.

I laughed bitterly at myself. “Since that’s how it is, there’s no need to keep the child in my belly either.” Ethan was utterly unconcerned. “Some bastard from who knows where—better off gone anyway.” My nails dug into my palms. I never imagined Ethan would call his own child a bastard! He probably didn’t know yet that the child in my belly would be his only bloodline in this lifetime! Ethan had oligospermia. In our five years of marriage, we’d never been able to conceive. The Quinn family only had Ethan as their heir. When they learned about his condition, they were frantic. At the Quinn family’s desperate pleading, I went abroad for IVF treatment. After three years of struggling, I’d finally gotten pregnant with this one child. I’d wanted to come home and surprise him, but instead, he’d given me an even bigger surprise! Just as I was about to find a lawyer to draft divorce papers, Lily hung up the phone with a sharp click. Her eyes blazing, she slapped me across the face. “So you really are here to beg! Trying to pin the bastard in your belly on Mr. Quinn!” This was the first time in my entire life anyone had hit me. I trembled with rage and pressed the emergency alarm button next to the mansion. Lily didn’t try to stop me, just watched with a cold smile. “Little bitch, you should ask around about what the Quinn family’s status is in New York!” “Forget slapping you—even if I beat you to death today, no one would dare cause me any trouble!” I looked at her coldly. Though the Quinns were wealthy, my family wasn’t poor either. When I married Ethan, it was practically marrying down! Which of his company’s project bids hadn’t benefited from my family’s support? Even the property manager here had only gotten his position because I’d noticed his diligent service and recommended him for the role. In less than three minutes, property management arrived with their people. I glanced over, frowning. I didn’t see the familiar Manager Harris. Just as I was about to speak, Lily rushed over to the lead security guard with a coquettish air. “It’s this bitch! She’s carrying some bastard child from who knows where and insists it’s Mr. Quinn’s baby. I can’t get rid of her!” Looking at Lily’s disgusting face, I said with revulsion, “Get your manager here. Let him see if I’m Mrs. Quinn or not!” The security guard looked confused. “Our manager is on a business trip. You know him?” Lily spat viciously. “So that’s how you got in—by seducing the property manager! The child in your belly must be that manager’s, right?” Someone muttered, “Doesn’t our manager have a wife?” Lily sneered. “So she’s a mistress! After getting used up, she came here to seduce Mr. Quinn!” I was so angry my teeth clenched. I tried to explain. “I’m not a mistress. Back then, Ethan got on his knees and begged to marry me!” But none of the onlookers listened. They all mocked me instead. “She looks decent enough, but she’s willing to debase herself as a mistress!” “And she’s offended Miss Lily—isn’t that asking for death? Everyone knows Mr. Quinn dotes on Miss Lily the most!” “Miss Lily and Mr. Quinn are even living together now. They should be getting married soon. This mistress probably found out and came here deliberately to cause trouble!” Hearing this, Lily’s face darkened. She grabbed my hair and slapped me several times across the face. “Bitch, I knew you were up to no good!” Her sharp nails scratched my face open. Warm blood flowed into my eyes, turning my vision crimson. Still not satisfied, Lily unhooked the dog leashes and released the Tibetan mastiffs. “You haven’t eaten yet today. How about this woman for your dinner?” The moment they were freed, the drooling mastiffs lunged at me hungrily.

Their foul-smelling maws opened right in front of me. I raised my arms to block them, and sharp teeth pierced straight through my flesh. In the midst of searing pain and terror, my lower abdomen began throbbing with cramping pain. IVF had been difficult enough, and my pregnancy symptoms had been particularly severe. The doctor had warned that if I didn’t take care during pregnancy, I’d most likely lose the baby. In just this short time, I’d already started bleeding. Someone, afraid of serious consequences, quickly urged her, “Don’t let this become a death. Just throw her out.” Lily snorted coldly. Immediately, someone tried to curry favor. “Miss Lily is Mr. Quinn’s precious darling. Last time someone outbid Miss Lily for jewelry at an auction, they were kneeling and apologizing to her the next day!” “Even if something does happen, with Mr. Quinn backing you, what’s there to fear?” That man took the lead, dragging me toward the exit while cursing foully. “Lily’s my cousin, which makes Mr. Quinn my cousin-in-law! Bitches like you who destroy families deserve to be taught a lesson!” Searing pain shot through my scalp. Lily looked at my face, a flash of jealousy in her eyes. “Even his wife couldn’t beat me, and now some mistress thinks she can dream!” I was shocked. “You know he has a wife?” Lily sneered coldly. “Some old, washed-up woman. Ethan got sick of her ages ago! Why else would he send her abroad?” Ethan hadn’t told her that I’d gone abroad for IVF to give him a child. Before I could say anything, Lily’s face twisted with viciousness. “You bitch, trying to use pregnancy to climb the ladder! Let me tell you—you don’t have that fate!” She kicked me in the stomach. The pain in my abdomen made me collapse to my knees immediately. Feeling my child’s life force growing weaker inside me, I panicked. “The child in my belly really is Ethan’s! Get me to a hospital now! If I lose this baby, he won’t let any of you off!” Seeing the blood on the ground, the crowd stirred. The burly man turned and shouted, “This is Quinn family business! Who dares call the police?” He pinned me firmly to the ground, forcing me to lift my head, and said to Lily ingratiatingly, “Hit her however you want. Don’t upset yourself!” Lily rained down a series of slaps on me. My face had gone numb from the pain, swelling beyond recognition. A flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes. She looked at the watching crowd and warned them, “This is what happens to mistresses! If I catch anyone else seducing Mr. Quinn, they’ll die worse than her!” Then she commanded the security guard, “Go strip her clothes off and throw her onto the street outside! She’s shameless enough to be a mistress—why does she need clothes?” I clutched my collar desperately, using my last bit of strength to struggle. “Let go of me! I’m not a mistress!” As they were about to drag me out of the neighborhood, I quickly shouted a number to the watching crowd. “Whoever can call this number for me and tell them what’s happening, I’ll pay them a million dollars!” Someone clicked their tongue. “Is she trying to call for backup?” The spectators laughed mockingly. “Backup? Who would dare come! Is there anyone in New York more powerful than the Quinns?” Lily pinched me hard. “Little bitch, still playing games? Look at those cheap rags you’re wearing—what kind of person could you possibly call?” Ignoring the struggle, I looked at the doubting crowd and raised the stakes. “Whoever makes this call for me, I’ll give ten million!” Before I’d finished speaking, Lily slapped me several times across the face. My head spun, and I spat out a bloody tooth.

“Still acting! You’re not worth a thousand dollars even if we sold you!” “Strip her!” The security guard immediately reached out to tear my clothes. Some people even started livestreaming, declaring they’d show everyone what happens to mistresses! Just as my clothes were about to be torn open, a Maybach stopped at the neighborhood entrance. A refined, detached voice rang out, carrying a hint of helplessness. “Didn’t I say not to make this a big scene?” Ethan stood with one hand on the car door, only slightly frowning, yet everyone around immediately fell silent. Lily nestled against him like a delicate bird, tugging at his sleeve coquettishly. “Ethan, this woman is just too disgusting. She’s ruining your reputation in front of all these people. I only did this for you!” Ethan’s expression softened. He stroked her head indulgently. “You and that temper of yours! Always relying on me to clean up after you, aren’t you?” His indulgent attitude hit me like a sledgehammer. In our social circle, I’d been famous for being willful and spoiled. Back then, Ethan had protected me the same way, cleaning up after me at every turn. He’d once announced in front of everyone, “If anyone bullies you, hit them right back. Let’s see who dares touch you!” All of New York knew that crossing the iron-faced devil Ethan was fine, but crossing Miss Shaw would be the end of you. I never imagined that the tenderness and devotion that had once belonged only to me, Ethan would now lavish on another woman without hesitation. My heart turned to dead ashes. My last thread of attachment to Ethan snapped. Ethan glanced at me, frowning slightly. “This is the crazy woman you mentioned?” With my face beaten nearly beyond recognition and my clothes filthy beyond description, he didn’t recognize me right away. Seeing Ethan look at me a couple more times, Lily quickly recaptured his attention. “That’s the little bitch! I was about to livestream and show everyone what happens to mistresses!” Ethan looked away indifferently and nodded. “Have someone else do it. Don’t dirty your hands.” Lily was triumphant, clinging to him relentlessly. “This bitch was bold enough to claim she’s Mrs. Quinn!” Ethan’s entire aura turned frigid. “Aurora is my wife. Anyone who dares defile her name is asking for death!” Seeing Ethan truly angry, Lily’s face flashed with distortion and resentment. She quickly changed the subject. “I was just speaking casually. Anyway, let’s go home. Didn’t you say you’d cook for me?” She shot a look, and those who’d paused their actions immediately pounced on me, tearing at my clothes. I struggled desperately, my throat producing hoarse cries for help. Ethan wrapped his arm around Lily’s slender waist. As he passed me, he didn’t even glance in my direction. I touched my slightly swollen belly and shed tears of regret. Baby, Mommy is sorry. I chose such a heartless, ungrateful father for you! Perhaps not coming into this world is a blessing for you… Just as my skirt tore with a loud rip, a long convoy pulled up imposingly at the entrance. The crowd exclaimed in surprise. “Who is this? Their entrance is even more impressive than the Quinns!” “That color Rolls-Royce—there’s only one in the country!” Ethan stopped in his tracks too. Seeing who stepped out of the car, his expression changed. He let go of Lily and hurried forward. “Why did you come…” SLAP! A clear handprint immediately appeared on Ethan’s face. The surroundings fell utterly silent.

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The day I found out I was having quadruplets, I was still worrying about how I’d support four kids in the future. Then my husband Lucas sent me a message: “I’ll give you a hundred million dollars. Divorce me.” My hands were shaking with excitement as I trembled typing my reply: “OMG! Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner!” I signed the papers, got the money, and vanished in a flash. Later, the whole city was buzzing about how that ruthless Mr. Ashford had lost his mind, searching everywhere for his ex-wife who’d taken a hundred million and disappeared. The ultrasound probe slid coldly across my lower abdomen as I stared intensely at the screen, my heart pounding with nervousness. The doctor adjusted her glasses, her expression shifting from calm to surprised, then to disbelief. She confirmed it several times before turning to me, her voice carrying a hint of uncertain trembling. “Mrs. Ashford, you… this is…” “Doctor, is there a problem?” My heart leapt to my throat, and my palms instantly broke out in cold sweat. “No, not a problem.” The doctor took a deep breath, as if announcing some major discovery. “From what I can see, you’re having quadruplets. Four gestational sacs, all with heartbeats.” My mind went completely blank. Quad… quadruplets? Was I dreaming? I pinched my thigh hard, and the sharp pain told me this was all real. I felt pretty impressed with myself—I’d gotten pregnant with four at once! But walking out of the hospital, clutching that ultrasound printout, it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. The sun was shining on my face, but I couldn’t feel any warmth. All I felt was complete confusion about the road ahead. I’m Emma, and I’d married into the wealthy Ashford family a year ago. My husband Lucas was the richest man in this city. Our marriage was a complete business arrangement—no love, just mutual benefit. In our year of marriage, I could count on one hand how many times we’d actually seen each other. He was always on business trips, always in meetings, always… not home. In the Ashford household, I was invisible—just a “thing” his mother looked down on. They didn’t even treat me like a person. Now I had four babies in my belly. How was I supposed to raise them? Would the Ashfords even let me have these children? Countless questions swirled in my head, giving me a splitting headache. I was walking down the street in a daze when my phone dinged. It was a message from Lucas. My heart jumped as I swiped open the screen. A few short words, like a cold knife, stabbed straight into my heart. “I’ll give you a hundred million dollars. Divorce me.” I stood frozen, reading it over and over, making sure I wasn’t seeing things. A hundred million dollars. Divorce. The air went dead silent for a few seconds. Then an indescribable joy erupted like a volcano, instantly flooding through my entire body. My hands were shaking so much I had to tap the screen several times before hitting the right spot. Trembling, I typed out my reply, one word at a time. “OMG! Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner!” The reply came almost instantly. Classic Lucas style—short and to the point. “Tomorrow at ten AM, my lawyer will bring the agreement to you.” I stared at my phone screen, grinning like crazy. A hundred million dollars! Forget raising four kids—I could raise forty! I carefully folded that ultrasound printout and tucked it safely into my purse, my steps so light I practically floated. The four little babies in my belly seemed to sense my happiness and gave a little flutter. “Easy there, babies.” I gently rubbed my stomach. “I’m about to take you to live in a big mansion and have the good life!” As for Lucas… Screw Lucas! Screw the wealthy elite! From now on, Emma was a rich woman! Walking back into that place called “home”—the Ashford mansion that never felt warm—for the first time, the air actually seemed fresh to me. Humming a tune, I started packing my things. I didn’t have much—one suitcase held everything. As for all those designer bags and jewelry Lucas had given me, I didn’t touch a single piece. I’d already gotten a hundred million from him—why would I care about these little things?

The next morning, 9:59 AM. The doorbell rang right on time. I opened the door to find Lucas’s lead attorney, Mr. Harrison, standing there with a serious expression. “Mrs. Ashford.” He pushed up his glasses and handed over a document folder. “These are the divorce papers Mr. Ashford asked me to bring you. Please look them over. If there are no issues, you can sign.” “No problem, absolutely no problem.” I grabbed the papers eagerly and flipped straight to the last page without even reading them. Mr. Harrison clearly wasn’t expecting me to be so decisive. He paused, then reminded me, “Ma’am, don’t you want to review the terms? Especially the section about asset division?” “No need.” I picked up a pen and signed my name. “I trust Mr. Ashford’s integrity, and I trust your professionalism.” Mr. Harrison’s expression turned strange, like he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut. I finished signing and handed the papers back to him. “Mr. Harrison, when will the money hit my account?” That was the important part. “…Mr. Ashford said it will arrive within an hour of your signature.” “Great.” I nodded with satisfaction. “Now hurry along—I’ve got a flight to catch.” Behind his glasses, a flash of complete shock crossed his face. He probably expected me to cry, to make a scene, to cling desperately, to scream and demand to know why. Too bad he was wrong. All I wanted was to get my money and start my rich new life. I closed the door, grabbed my suitcase, and left that cage that had trapped me for a year without a single backward glance. Lucas. The Ashfords. I hoped we’d never meet again. An hour later, my phone got a text alert from the bank. Looking at that long string of zeros, I squinted happily. Never before had I understood so clearly that money truly was a wonderful thing. It could soothe any wound and bring unparalleled security. I didn’t go straight to the airport. Instead, I went to the most expensive residential development in the city. “Hello, miss. Do you have an appointment?” The sales agent eyed my suitcase with a barely concealed look of judgment. “No.” I shook my head and said directly, “I want to buy your best penthouse unit. Full payment.” The sales agent’s professional smile froze on her face. I didn’t waste words—just pulled out my phone and showed her my bank balance. The next second, her attitude did a complete one-eighty. Half an hour later, I swiped my card and bought an eighty-million-dollar penthouse suite. Move-in ready. Standing before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the bustling city below, I let out a long breath. Freedom felt so good. I touched my still-flat belly and said softly, “Babies, do you like our new home?” After getting settled in, the first thing I did was call my mom. The phone barely rang once before she picked up. “Emma! You finally remembered to call me? How’s life treating you at the Ashfords’?” Hearing my mom’s caring voice, my eyes instantly welled up. “Mom…” My voice came out choked. “What’s wrong? Who’s bullying you? I’m coming over right now!” “No one, Mom.” I quickly said, “I just missed you.” I took a deep breath, steadied my emotions, then dropped the bombshell. “Mom, I got divorced.” Silence on the other end. A full thirty seconds of silence. I could picture my mom’s shocked expression. “Di… divorced?” Her voice went up an octave. “That bastard… how dare he divorce you? Is there another woman? My daughter isn’t something he can just throw away!” “Mom, I’m the one who wanted it.” I told a small lie, not wanting her to worry too much. “I just felt we weren’t right for each other.” “Well, good then,” my mom immediately changed her tune, her voice full of heartache and anger. “I always told you—that family has no warmth, and that Lucas is like a block of ice. Marrying into that family, of course you’d suffer!” “Where are you now? Come home right away! I’ll send your dad to pick you up!” “Mom, I’m fine. I bought a new place at Central Park Tower.” “Central Park Tower? Those apartments aren’t cheap. Where’d you get that kind of money?” my mom asked suspiciously. “Settlement from Lucas.” “At least he has some conscience.” My mom snorted, then added, “No, I’m still worried about you being alone. I’m coming over tomorrow!” “Okay.” I agreed with a smile. After hanging up, my heart felt warm. This was what it felt like to have family backing you up. No matter what decision I made, they would always be my strongest support. Meanwhile, at that moment, the temperature at the Ashford mansion had dropped to freezing. Mr. Harrison placed the signed divorce papers on Lucas’s desk, his expression complicated. “Mr. Ashford, Mrs. Ashford—no, Ms. Emma—has signed.”

At that time, Lucas was overseas in an important international conference, and his phone was being held by his assistant. That assistant was someone Victoria had planted. Victoria was Lucas’s childhood friend, self-proclaimed as the person who understood him best, and universally acknowledged in high society circles as the “future Mrs. Ashford.” A year ago, when Lucas suddenly announced he was marrying me—a nobody—it shocked everyone. Victoria saw me as a thorn in her side. She believed I had stolen everything that should have been hers. Over the past year, she’d made my life difficult both openly and behind the scenes. Everyone in the Ashford family had been charmed by her and often criticized me at her instigation. This time, while Lucas was abroad, she took his phone and sent me that divorce message on her own initiative. She was certain Lucas was already tired of me, his “trophy wife.” She was equally certain that I would cry and refuse to agree to the divorce just to keep my position as Mrs. Ashford. Then she’d say a few nice words to Lucas, making herself look gracious while making him despise me even more. A perfect plan. Too bad she miscalculated one thing. I, Emma, couldn’t care less about being Mrs. Ashford. The servants at the Ashford mansion nervously reported to Lucas’s mother: “Emma, she… she’s gone.” “Gone?” Mrs. Ashford was in the middle of a face mask. She sat up slowly at the news. “Gone is gone. She wasn’t good enough for my son anyway. Did she take all her things?” The servant said quietly, “She only took one suitcase—the one she brought with her. All the jewelry you and Mr. Ashford gave her, and the card he gave her… she left everything behind.” Mrs. Ashford’s movements stopped abruptly. She ripped off her face mask. “What did you say?” Mrs. Ashford rushed into my room—what she called “the guest room.” In the walk-in closet, all those pieces of jewelry she and Mr. Ashford had given me to keep up the family’s image—pieces I’d never worn once—were neatly arranged in velvet boxes. On the vanity, Lucas’s unlimited black card sat quietly, with a note beside it. “The PIN is your birthday. I never used it.” Mrs. Ashford picked up the card, her face cycling between pale and flushed. She had always assumed I married into the Ashford family for money. She’d guarded against me, watched my every move, terrified I might take even a penny more than I deserved. But now, not only had I left with nothing, I hadn’t even taken the things they’d “graciously bestowed” upon me. They never expected this. “What’s she trying to pull? Who is she putting on a show for?” Mrs. Ashford threw the card on the ground in fury. Lucas’s sister Charlotte ran in, gloating. “Mom, who cares what she’s up to! It’s better that she’s gone, isn’t it? Now Lucas can finally be with Victoria! Victoria just called—she said she’s coming over to have dinner with you tonight!” At the mention of Victoria, Mrs. Ashford’s expression softened. “Victoria is always so thoughtful.” She smoothed her hair and resumed her superior attitude. “Go tell the kitchen to make some of Victoria’s favorite dishes tonight.” Victoria arrived in high spirits. She wore a tailored Chanel suit and sat elegantly beside Mrs. Ashford, listening to her badmouth me, a victorious smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Let’s not speak ill of Emma anymore,” she said with false concern. “She did keep Lucas company for a year. Leaving like this, she must be heartbroken.” “What’s there to be heartbroken about?” Charlotte rolled her eyes dismissively. “My brother gave her a hundred million dollars! She’s probably out shopping right now!” Victoria’s hand paused slightly as she lifted her teacup. A hundred million dollars? The message she’d sent didn’t mention anything about money. Did Lucas add that later? Impossible. Lucas’s phone had been with her people the whole time. Could it have been… Mr. Harrison acting on his own? A flicker of unease passed through Victoria’s mind, but she quickly suppressed it. Whatever happened, Emma was gone. That was enough. “A hundred million to be rid of her—she should count herself lucky,” Mrs. Ashford sneered. “I thought she’d demand more.” Listening to them, Victoria’s unease grew stronger. This was too easy. Emma’s reaction was completely unexpected. A woman everyone believed was a gold digger, faced with divorce, had been so calm, even… carefree? This didn’t make sense. Meanwhile, I was in my new penthouse, enjoying a dinner prepared by a top-tier private chef. After eating my fill, I soaked in a luxurious milk bath. Lying in the enormous bathtub, I rubbed my belly and sighed contentedly.

Three days later. Lucas finished his overseas trip and flew back on his private jet. The moment the plane landed, his assistant returned his phone. “Mr. Ashford, while you were away, Ms. Blake called several times. I returned her calls on your behalf.” Lucas nodded, a hint of exhaustion between his brows. Out of habit, he opened SnapChat to check for any important messages. Then he saw our chat history. The last two messages were especially jarring. “I’ll give you a hundred million dollars. Divorce me.” “OMG! Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner!” Lucas’s pupils contracted sharply. His slender fingers gripped the phone so tightly his knuckles turned white. He realized almost immediately—he hadn’t sent that message. He had never once thought about divorcing me. Even though our beginning wasn’t ideal. But over this past year, this woman named Emma had quietly taken root in his cold, rigid world, like a silent plant. He’d grown used to coming home to that lamp left on for him in the living room. Used to her soft voice calling him “honey.” Used to the meals she cooked. He thought they had plenty of time to slowly transition from a business marriage to becoming a real family. But now she had told him, in the most jubilant tone, that leaving him was “great news.” A panic he’d never felt before seized his heart, making it hard to breathe. “Go… go home!” he rasped to his driver. The car raced through the streets, running several red lights, finally stopping in front of the Ashford mansion half an hour later. Lucas practically leaped out of the car. He burst into the mansion. The living room was empty—that familiar lamp wasn’t on. “Emma?” He called out. No one answered. He rushed upstairs and pushed open the master bedroom door. The room was neat and tidy, but cold and lifeless. He opened the walk-in closet. Her side was completely empty.

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When I was eight months pregnant, someone slipped me an abortion drug. Blood pooled around me. Sebastian drove through countless red lights, tears streaming down his face as he rushed me to the hospital. He found the top obstetrician, desperate to save my life. On the operating table, I woke up early and heard him talking to my brother: “Didn’t we agree it was just an abortion? Why did you remove her uterus too? Sebastian, what gives you the right to take away her ability to be a mother?” Sebastian’s usually gentle voice turned cold as ice: “Letting that child live for eight months was already my greatest mercy. The position of the Quinn family heir can only belong to my child with Mia. This is what she owes Mia, and she has to pay it back.” It turned out my perfect marriage was just my wishful thinking. Sebastian had loved my fake heiress sister all along. Fine then. I’ll make your wishes come true. After a long silence, Sebastian’s cold voice slowly rang out: “Mia’s child can be raised by her. What more could she want?” My brother sighed: “I’m afraid you’ll regret this someday, Sebastian. I can see you actually have feelings for Nora.” “If it weren’t for her, Mia wouldn’t have insisted on breaking off our engagement to go abroad.” Sebastian’s tone was flat. “I owe Mia too much. I can never repay it in this lifetime.” My brother’s voice filled with anger: “Then you should have gone after Mia! Why hurt Nora?” The atmosphere between them froze. I lay on the hospital bed silently crying, not daring to make a sound. “Why isn’t she awake yet?” I felt Sebastian gently brush my forehead. I slowly opened my eyes and met his instantly tender gaze. All this time I’d been deceived by Sebastian’s gentle, affectionate face, thinking he loved me as much as I loved him. I never imagined he would be the real executioner! He was the one who put a powerful abortion drug in my food, deliberately causing me to hemorrhage, then paid top dollar for the chief physician at the Quinn family hospital. What a vicious heart! For his illegitimate child, Sebastian personally killed our baby. At this thought, my whole body trembled. It pulled at my abdominal wound, turning my face white with pain, though it was nothing compared to my heartache.

My emotional turmoil couldn’t escape Sebastian. He held me tightly, his tone gentle and pitying. “Nora, even though we lost our baby, don’t worry. I’ll always be by your side. Believe me, sometimes loss is a kind of gain.” He tenderly kissed my eyelids. “However sad you are, I’m ten thousand times sadder.” I clenched my fists, blinking hard to hide my unstoppable hatred from him. “How sad are you?” Sebastian looked down at me, his eyes swollen like walnuts from crying for so long. “Incomparably sad. The moment the child died, my whole world went dark. Thank God you’re still here, otherwise I really couldn’t go on living.” What an actor. No wonder I never discovered all these years that he’d always loved Mia. When I first got pregnant, Sebastian posted several messages on social media, ecstatic about becoming a father! Later when my appetite was poor during pregnancy, he specifically learned to cook for me, personally preparing every meal. Who could have predicted this was all his long-game setup for that illegitimate child! Sebastian went downstairs to get food from the cafeteria, leaving his backup phone behind. His password wasn’t my birthday. I unlocked it with Mia’s birthday instead, and chat logs hit me like a ton of bricks. “Sebastian, what we’re doing isn’t fair to her.” During my eighth month, Sebastian constantly traveled between home and abroad, barely spending any days with me. I felt sorry for him, so I only shared good news during prenatal checkups and morning sickness, trying not to worry him. Now I learned he spent those days abroad accompanying Mia through her prenatal visits, checkups, and delivery. The endless chat logs showed his every moment with Mia. He never missed a single important pregnancy milestone. Sebastian rubbed pregnancy oil on her, massaged her swollen feet, even personally helped her with intimate needs. Scrolling further up, they’d argued about custody, until Mia finally agreed to let me raise the child while she pursued her career abroad. I closed my eyes. I remembered when our switched identities were revealed, Mia smiled at me with seeming relief: “I never blamed you for taking Mom and Dad. I long for a wider world. Don’t worry, I won’t compete with you for Sebastian either.” She went abroad to become a light chaser. Mom and Dad resented me for her departure. They barely showed up at my wedding. And Sebastian killed my child for Mia’s sake, just to pave the way for her child. I really envied her. Everyone loved her, not me… If that’s how it was, I should leave too. Heart dead as ash, I put down the phone and sent my mentor a message, agreeing to return in a month to accompany him gathering herbs in the mountains. “I don’t trust hospital food, so I cooked something myself. See if you like it?” Sebastian fed me spoonful by spoonful. My tears dropped heavily into the bowl. He gently wiped away my tears, teasing: “Little kitten, crying from gratitude already!” I lowered my eyes without responding. It wasn’t gratitude. It was sorrow. I only received this treatment because Mia repeatedly demanded it. I was just borrowing her light. Seeing me like this, Sebastian hugged me with concern: “Nora, are you thinking about the baby again?” His mention broke me completely. My tears flooded out. Sebastian panicked, then had a flash of inspiration: “I’ve got it! I heard your sister also had a baby abroad. She’s always on the move—why not bring her child back for us to raise as our own? We can tell everyone you gave birth. That way both sets of parents are satisfied, and you won’t face gossip.” I looked up at him in a daze. If I didn’t already know what Sebastian had done behind my back, I might actually believe he was thinking of me. But I’d already decided to leave and let them have what they wanted: “That works. Everyone wins.”

Sebastian looked delighted, hugging me with a vow-like promise: “I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life, Nora. When the child grows up, we’ll travel everywhere. You’ve always wanted to go back and see where you grew up, right?” He rambled on about a beautiful future, not knowing this perfect new life would never begin, because I was leaving. Sebastian was extremely eager. Within two or three days, he brought Mia and the baby back home and threw a celebration. “I figured at least Mom and Dad should know, and you probably miss them too.” Sebastian watched me carefully, afraid I’d be angry. At the Nora villa, Nora’s parents, Susan and David, fussed over little Asher, their faces full of joy. Mia sat beside them, still like a little girl. Susan cooed over the baby while stroking Mia tenderly: “Mia suffered so much abroad. Don’t worry, this child belongs to the Nora!” I felt my eyes stinging but kept smiling as I stepped forward to greet them. Susan and David’s attitude immediately turned ice cold. “Why the gloomy face? Trying to upset us? Look at Mia—she’s so much more considerate than you. I don’t know what you were thinking, eating random things so close to your due date. Now the baby’s gone, and in the end Mia has to clean up your mess. You knew the Quinn family would be here today, yet you wear all this drab gray to spite us? You never bring honor to this family. We shouldn’t have brought you back—it’s kept Mia away all these years, getting bullied abroad.” I knew my parents looked down on me. They thought I couldn’t bring them glory, that I wasn’t worthy of being the Nora heiress. Unfortunately, Mia—the daughter who made them so proud—wasn’t their biological child. Only after Mia went abroad and the Quinn family insisted on me did they reluctantly accept reality, becoming even more dissatisfied with me. At the wedding, David didn’t walk me down the aisle. Susan sat in her seat with a sour expression. Sebastian used to defend me, but now his eyes were glued to Mia, full of tender affection. He’d completely forgotten that my baby died because he slipped abortion drugs into the food, exploiting my trust. Mia walked over holding the baby, smiling sincerely: “Look at little Asher. Isn’t he adorable?” He really was adorable. His eyes looked just like Mia’s, his lips and chin carved from the same mold as Sebastian. My fingertips brushed the child’s cheek, overwhelming hatred rising in my eyes. But why should he live well and enjoy a wealthy, beautiful life when my baby was poisoned to death without ever seeing this world! “Asher?” My mouth tasted bitter as I forced a smile: “It really is a nice name.” Noticing something wrong with the baby, my hand slid toward his neck. Before I could do anything, Mia screamed: “What are you trying to do to my child?” The next second, Sebastian violently shoved me to the ground, roaring at me: “Nora, what are you trying to do to Asher? Just because your own baby died, you want to harm your sister’s child? Are you even human?” I sat sprawled on the floor, my palms scraped raw against the ground, the pain tearing through me. But Sebastian didn’t even glance at me. He and Mia each held the crying child, like a real family of three. Susan and David glared at me angrily, jumping to conclusions without asking questions: “Nora, look at yourself. What about you compares to Mia? You’re so petty and dark-hearted, you won’t even spare such a small child. You’re an animal! What are you still doing on the floor? Get out of here. Don’t ruin our mood. You’ve completely spoiled the day.” The Quinn family elders who’d just arrived asked what happened, their eyes filled with disappointment: “We don’t blame you for accidentally losing the baby. Even though you can’t have children anymore, the Quinn family never planned to divorce you. But why would you go after a tiny infant? Whether you agree or not, Mia’s child must be our family heir. That’s unchangeable fact. Go home and reflect on yourself.” In that moment I wanted to say nothing, but ultimately considering the child’s life was innocent, I said softly: “Babies can choke on jewelry.” Mia opened the baby’s collar and found red marks. Her face immediately filled with shame. Sebastian told me not to take it personally. “Mia was just worried about the baby. She wasn’t targeting you.” Susan said impatiently: “If there was really a problem, why didn’t you say so earlier? Making yourself the victim for what? Your own child died, and Mia kindly lets you raise her baby. You should thank her!” Everyone stood on Mia’s side, condemning me for her sake. My vision blurred with tears. Without a word, I went upstairs and fed the printed divorce papers into the shredder. No more divorce. They didn’t love me or trust me. So forget it. I would completely disappear from their lives. I didn’t want them anymore.

I sat in the guest room for a long time, listening to the laughter and joy downstairs until I fell into a drowsy sleep. When I woke again, the villa was quiet. My stomach hurt terribly. I went downstairs to find food. The servant said disdainfully there was nothing left. If I wanted to eat, I should make it myself. The ingredients were in the basement. But at the basement door, I saw Mia sitting astride Sebastian, her voice coquettish: “Sebastian, what if she finds out? She’ll be so hurt.” “Mmm… it’s so hard, Sebastian…” Sebastian’s lips curved wickedly: “Mia, you clearly love this. Why do you always refuse me? Don’t worry, she won’t know. I also promised not to trap you with marriage, but you have to satisfy me…” Mia wrapped her hands around Sebastian’s head, pushing her hips forward. “Sebastian, just this once. After this I’ll go abroad and never disturb your happiness with her again. We’ll just be childhood friends, nothing more.” Sebastian said nothing more. Obscene sounds drifted to my ears on the wind, making me nauseous and unsteady. I stumbled away from there. Only after escaping that suffocating place did I barely come back to myself, tears falling heavily to the ground. I sat helplessly confused on the curb. The next second, Mia’s soft, anxious voice sounded. “I’m sorry about today.” “Which part? ” I looked into her guilty, evasive eyes. “Just… misunderstanding that you wanted to hurt Asher. I’m a first-time mother, I overreacted about the baby’s safety. I wasn’t targeting you. Also, I promised Sebastian I’d let you raise the baby. I definitely won’t appear in the future to affect your relationship. From now on, Asher is your biological child.” Mia’s eyes reddened as she choked up: “Don’t worry, I’ll go abroad after Asher’s celebration and never come back. I’m leaving Mom, Dad, Asher, and Sebastian in your care.” This appearance of deep affection forced to retreat overlapped with the year she went abroad. My chest ached unbearably. How could she so innocently, so matter-of-factly steal Susan, David, and Sebastian’s love, yet seem so sincere?! I grabbed Mia’s collar. Before I could voice my accusation, someone kicked me hard. The stones on the ground pierced my wound, new injuries on top of old. The pain turned my vision black. Mia cried out. She tried to help me up but was pulled into Sebastian’s arms instead. “Nora, if you have a problem, take it out on me!” Mia explained softly: “Sebastian, it’s not like that. Nora didn’t…” “I saw everything and you’re still covering for her. Since the day she came back, she’s never had good intentions toward you.” Sebastian’s face darkened as he looked at me: “You killed your own baby, yet you dare target Mia. Nora, you really never change!” I never change? I killed my own baby? I tore open my clothing at the uterus, roaring angrily: “I killed my own baby? I ate the food YOU cooked for me, then I hemorrhaged! How did my baby die? Why can I never conceive again?!” Sebastian showed no guilt: “I cook for you and somehow that’s my fault? Who knows what you ate before? Your uterus was removed because your body couldn’t handle it. You have the nerve to question me? You almost became a mother yourself. How can you bear to hurt another mother willing to let you raise her child? Apologize to Mia right now!” Ha ha ha! What righteous indignation! My baby was murdered and I’m supposed to be grateful! “Thank you both.” I suddenly bowed, then turned and walked away. Sebastian’s heart lurched with panic, feeling like he was losing something. But he shook his head. She was just upset. Once Mia left, he’d coax Nora and she’d definitely forgive him. A few days later was my and Mia’s birthday. Sebastian spent lavishly on drones and fireworks for Mia that went on all night, trending topic after trending topic. The Nora also rented out an entire resort hotel for Mia’s grand celebration party. I packed up all my belongings and distributed them to nearby homeless people. The next day, they seemed to finally remember my birthday was yesterday. My brother guiltily expressed a cake to me. Sebastian had his secretary deliver a necklace as a gift. I squatted by the trash can and slowly burned all our wedding photos and marriage certificate, the ashes scattering in the wind. Early on the third day, Sebastian called me: “Nora, I forgive you for what happened before. Today is Asher’s celebration. Dress nicely. I’ll have my secretary pick you up at noon.” I agreed with a smile, as if truly without hard feelings. After hanging up, I changed into the old clothes I’d worn when I was first found, heading straight for the hotel. I never showed up at Asher’s celebration. Sebastian’s expression darkened. Nora was throwing tantrums at a time like this, becoming more and more unreasonable. He forcibly suppressed his growing unease. He coldly ordered people to find me. When Susan and David heard, their faces also darkened: “Outrageous! I’ve been saying we should have let Mia marry into the Quinn family instead.” Elizabeth Quinn, Sebastian’s mother, frowned slightly but said nothing. Just then, someone rushed in panicking: “Something terrible happened, Mr. Quinn! Your wife jumped off the building!!”

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The morning after I was brought back to the White family, Ruth stumbled out of my room with her clothes in disarray. Her hair was a mess, her collar hanging open. In front of the entire family, she broke down crying: “You bastard! I’m pregnant, and you did this to me…” My brother Thomas rushed over. The moment he saw the scene, his eyes turned red, and he pointed at me, roaring: “She’s my wife!” My mom hurried out. Her face went deathly pale when she saw what was happening. She pointed at me, unable to speak for a long moment. My dad stood there trembling, then turned and grabbed a baseball bat from the side. “I’m going to beat you to death today, you bastard!” A crowd of neighbors quickly gathered outside. Once they learned what happened, they all pointed and cursed at me, their voices rising one after another: “Just got brought back and already doing something this disgusting! What a bastard!” I dodged my dad’s swinging bat while cursing back. Wait, I’m a woman. How could I have assaulted Ruth? Before they brought me back, didn’t they even figure out if I was male or female?

Ruth leaned into my brother’s arms, tears streaming down her face: “I felt sorry for Carter, being lost all these years. I wanted to take care of her when she came back. Who knew she would do this to me? I don’t even want to live anymore!” My brother’s arms tightened around her, his eyes fixed on me with deadly fury: “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Carter gives you an explanation today. Family or not, I won’t cover for her!” I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed up to my brother and pointed at my own face: “Are you confused? Look at me! What am I to you?” Ruth saw me approaching and cried even harder, shrinking into my brother’s embrace: “I’m pregnant, how could you…” My brother couldn’t take it anymore and shoved me away. My dad seized the opportunity to step forward and brought the bat down on me without hesitation, his face dark: “You heartless thing! You’re a disgrace! Let’s just pretend the White family never brought you back!” The pain made cold sweat pour down my face. Seeing my dad raise the bat high again, I quickly shouted: “Stop! I’m not even a man—” “You’re not just not a man, you’re not even human!” Ruth interrupted me with a trembling voice. She clutched her stomach and tried to throw herself against the wall, but my brother caught her just in time: “Ruth, don’t do this! Whatever happened, I’m on your side!” My mom couldn’t stand watching anymore. She turned away wiping tears, then walked up to me and pointed: “After what you did, don’t blame us for calling the police and reporting you for assault!” A neighbor immediately pulled out her phone: “Ruth, don’t be scared! I’m calling the police right now! My husband works at the station—I’ll make sure this bastard goes to prison!” Ruth’s face changed. She quickly grabbed my brother’s arm, her tone urgent: “Don’t call the police… Carter is family after all. If this gets to the station, it’ll look terrible. I can handle some suffering—it’s not good for the family if word gets out.” She sounded considerate, but her eyes flickered with uncertainty. A million curses were racing through my mind! I’m 5’10” with short hair and androgynous features. But I’m definitely a woman! Before bringing me back, couldn’t they at least confirm my gender? And this Ruth—I shouldn’t have let her into my room this morning to bring milk. I thought she was just being nice to me on my first day home. I didn’t realize it was all a setup. “You’ve really got it wrong. I couldn’t possibly—” “Enough!” Thomas cut me off sharply. “Stop making excuses! After doing something so vile, the law won’t let you off!” I looked up at the sky, feeling completely wronged. “Are you all done yet?” “You say I assaulted Ruth—where’s the proof? Just because she ran out of my room this morning? I should report her for breaking into my room!” My brother hesitated. Ruth immediately covered her face and sobbed: “Carter, how long are you going to twist the truth? Are you trying to force me to kill myself?” “This morning I came to the living room for water. You said you didn’t know where the towels in your room were and asked me to help you find them. After I went in, you gave me a glass of drugged milk… When I woke up, you were on top of me…”

As she spoke, she made another show of trying to end her life. My brother quickly held her and comforted her. At the same time, the neighbors watching outside erupted: “What terrible luck for the White family! Their child went missing at birth, and when they finally found her, she turned out to be a monster!” “Carter assaulted Thomas’s wife—what a sin!” Ruth leaned in my brother’s arms, sobbing as she threw more dirt on me. I didn’t know why she was framing me, but since she wanted to ruin me, I wouldn’t let her off easy either. I raised my head and stared straight at her: “You say I assaulted you. So tell me—did I wear protection or not?” The crowd instantly went quiet. A flash of panic crossed Ruth’s face, but she quickly cried harder, shaking her head repeatedly: “I don’t know… When I woke up, you were already on top of me. How could I possibly know…” “You don’t know?” I looked at her calmly. “If you don’t know, how can you be sure I assaulted you?” The moment I said that, everyone looked at Ruth. She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. A few seconds later, she released them and put on a desperate expression: “When I woke up, you were on top of me. I was so scared I pushed you away, frantically put on my clothes and ran out. As for whether you used… I was too frightened. I really don’t know.” After speaking, her face grew even paler, looking so fragile a gust of wind could knock her down. My brother held her tighter in distress and roared at me: “Carter! Ruth is pregnant! How could you be so heartless!” I ignored him and continued: “Then let’s go to the room right now and look. It hasn’t been that long—I couldn’t have hidden it well. If there is something, we’ll take it for testing. If not, you can take her to the hospital for fluid analysis.” My mom trembled with rage: “You… you bastard! You’re trying to push Ruth to her death!” A neighbor chimed in: “Making the victim face the scene again—isn’t that traumatizing her a second time? How could he even think of that!” I found it laughable. Who was the one who screamed and brought everyone here in the first place? She already threw away her dignity—why should I save her any face? Just as I was about to drag someone to the room for confrontation, Ruth suddenly pulled open her collar, revealing a large expanse of obvious marks on her neck. “Fine, you want evidence? This is the evidence. These are all from just now. I was thinking about the baby I’m carrying for Thomas and trying to protect your family’s reputation, so I held back and didn’t say anything… I didn’t expect you’d still try to deny it!” After speaking, she turned her head aside. A tear slid down her cheek. That image of bearing humiliation and looking so vulnerable made me, the supposed “assailant,” seem utterly despicable. Everyone present was thoroughly enraged. Their curses instantly drowned me out. My brother was completely disappointed in me: “How could a woman use her own reputation to frame someone? Now the evidence is clear, and Ruth is still pregnant. You should turn yourself in to the police.”

I stared at Ruth in disbelief. My brother’s attitude made it clear the marks weren’t from him, and they certainly weren’t from me. Before I could react, my parents blocked my view. My mom pointed at me, heartbroken: “You’re still staring at Ruth even now? We should never have brought you back! Come with me to the police station right now and turn yourself in! Give Ruth an explanation!” I shook off my mom’s hand, not backing down at all: “Since it’s come to this, let’s investigate to the end. I’m going to find that condom no matter what!” Just as I was about to enter the room, Ruth’s legs suddenly gave out, and she blurted: “Don’t go in there!” Her shout made everyone look at her. Even my brother froze. I pressed forward step by step: “Why? Are you feeling guilty?” “Or maybe…” I looked at the marks on her chest, thoughtful: “This whole thing was staged by you?” The moment those words left my mouth, everyone’s eyes snapped to Ruth, their gazes now questioning. Ruth’s face went ugly. Her body swayed as if about to collapse. Just then, someone screamed: “Blood! She’s bleeding!” Everyone looked quickly. Blood was actually flowing down Ruth’s inner thigh. No one had time to curse at me anymore. They rushed to get her to the hospital. The doctor came out shaking his head: “The baby couldn’t be saved.” My mom fainted on the spot. My dad quickly helped her to another hospital room. My brother heard the news as if struck by lightning. Then with red eyes, he grabbed my throat: “Carter, why? Why would you do this to Ruth?” I knew that even if I said I was a woman now, it wouldn’t matter. Ruth would definitely claim I killed the White family’s first child, and then I’d never be able to clear my name. I struggled free from my brother’s grip. Just as I was figuring out what to say, Ruth’s mother burst into the hospital with a group of reporters. My brother tried to approach, but she ignored him completely and rushed straight to the hospital bed. Ruth woke up then, crying her eyes out. Her mother held her heartbrokenly, then turned to the reporters with righteous fury: “Reporter friends, my daughter was pregnant and was assaulted by Carter. Now the baby is gone! Please report this truthfully—we must get justice for my daughter!” After speaking, she gave the reporters a meaningful look. The reporters immediately swarmed forward, cameras and microphones thrust in my face. Ruth’s eyes were red as she spoke in a trembling voice: “Didn’t you want to find the condom earlier? Now that the reporters are here, you can all go look!” She hadn’t dared let me look before, but now she was taking the initiative. When things are abnormal, there’s definitely something suspicious. And looking at her now, she didn’t seem like someone who just had a miscarriage at all. But it didn’t matter if they really wanted to look. Before leaving, I’d confirmed that Ruth hadn’t left anything in my room. Even if there was something, the DNA couldn’t possibly be mine. Hearing this, my brother immediately led the reporters to my room. On one side was his wife, on the other his blood relative—he wanted to know the truth more than anyone. As it turned out, the group found a recently used condom under my bed.

When my brother found it, the reporters instantly surrounded me: “If the DNA test comes back as yours, you’re guilty of assault! And I heard rapists have the worst time in prison!” The microphones were practically in my face. I looked at the crumpled thing in my brother’s hand and sneered inwardly. Ruth had really prepared everything in advance. “Testing is fine, but I have conditions. There must be third-party witnesses throughout the entire process, and the results must be publicly announced. No behind-the-scenes manipulation.” Ruth’s mother jumped out: “It was found in your room—what’s there to test? You’re just a bastard!” “You can’t say that,” I stared at her. “What if it’s not mine? What if someone deliberately framed me? I can’t take the blame for nothing.” My brother’s face was dark, but he finally nodded: “Fine, we’ll do it your way. I’ll personally go with you to the testing center.” The test took three hours. During that time, the reporters didn’t rest, constantly asking me and my brother questions. Ruth’s mother kept interjecting, painting me as an unforgivable criminal. My brother didn’t acknowledge me the whole time, his face terrifyingly grim. Finally, the test results came out. The doctor displayed the report in front of the camera. It was written clearly in black and white—besides Ruth’s DNA, the rest matched mine completely. The reporters instantly exploded: “The evidence is ironclad! Let’s see how you try to deny it now!” “We’ve been livestreaming this whole time—everyone’s waiting to see what happens to you!” The moment Ruth saw the test report, she visibly relaxed, then threw herself into her mother’s arms, sobbing loudly. My brother stared at me, his eyes wishing he could tear me to pieces. Looking at that string of numbers on the test report, I was confused too. Hurried footsteps came from the doorway. I looked up to see my mom standing there, her face pale. She’d just woken up and heard the news, getting so angry she nearly fainted again. My dad also declared on the spot that he was cutting ties with me. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, my brother personally called the police: “Hello, I want to report a crime. I’m reporting Carter for assault resulting in miscarriage. The evidence is conclusive!” From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Ruth and her mother exchanging a look, calculation flashing quickly in their eyes. I instantly realized. The doctor had already been bought off. Soon, a group of police officers walked in, their sharp gazes sweeping across the room before finally settling on me. They walked straight toward me, showed their badges, and said sternly: “Carter, someone reported you for suspected assault. Please come with us for questioning.” Instantly, everyone’s condemning gazes focused on my face. And at that moment, I finally remembered something. So under everyone’s watchful eyes, I voluntarily held out my hands for the handcuffs: “Officer, I did assault Ruth and caused her miscarriage.”

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I have a sex addiction. When I got married, I found a man who was incredibly compatible with me in bed, thinking we’d have fun experimenting after the wedding. But three months into our marriage, the number of times Crane and I had sex could be counted on one hand, and none of them were satisfying. Because every single time we got halfway through, we’d be interrupted by Crane’s brother’s wife, Sienna. Finally, on the twentieth time we were interrupted mid-sex—this time with her excuse being that the power went out and she was scared of the dark—I couldn’t take it anymore. “Crane, you’re not leaving tonight.” But Crane hastily threw on his clothes and said to me: “Marcus just passed away recently. Sienna is still grieving. I need to help her get through this.” Watching his retreating figure, I stopped trying to hold him back. A few days later, I threw divorce papers at him. “Let’s divorce! If you can’t satisfy me, then don’t stop me from finding other men.” Crane and I had been in a cold war for nearly two months before we finally made up. Desire ignited, and we were halfway through when his phone started ringing. I ignored it completely, wrapping my arms around his waist, pressing myself against him. “Crane…” But no matter how high the passion, it couldn’t drown out that annoying phone call. It kept ringing relentlessly. Crane eventually went limp, pushed me away, and got up to answer it. My heart was still racing, unable to calm down for a long time. I stared at him resentfully, then heard Sienna’s sweet, delicate voice coming through the phone. “Crane, the villa’s power went out. I’m scared of the dark…” Crane didn’t even hesitate before getting up. I wasn’t satisfied and naturally wasn’t about to let this go. I wrapped my arms around him from behind. “Crane, it won’t take more than a few minutes. Are you really still going to leave?” Crane coldly pried my hands away and buttoned up his shirt. “Willow, you know Marcus just passed away not long ago. I can’t just ignore her.” I got angry. “Crane, you’re not the only person in the Crane family. Doesn’t she know she can call someone else when something happens? Except for those few days of my period, she calls you over every single night. Don’t you find that strange?” And why was it always at night? “Shut up!” Crane’s face suddenly darkened. “Stop talking nonsense.” Looking at his face, I felt like I was seeing a stranger for the first time. Perhaps seeing that I was angry, Crane’s expression softened as he tried to comfort me: “Don’t worry, this is the last time. Plus, Mom’s going over too. I’ll just check on things and come right back.” Crane left. After I calmed down, something still felt off. He had the same addiction I did, with especially high needs. During our first month of marriage, we were interrupted every single time. Then we fought and had a cold war for nearly two months. Logically, tonight should have been unstoppable, but when he got that call, he showed not even a hint of reluctance? Could it be that he was getting satisfied somewhere else? This thought made my heart tighten, and I got out of bed. I wanted to see for myself whether she was really scared of the dark or just putting on an act. But before I could leave, Crane sent me a message. “The power suddenly went out in the house and she twisted her ankle. Mom and I are taking her to the hospital. I won’t be coming home tonight.” By the time I got to the hospital, my mother-in-law was nowhere to be seen, but Sienna’s face was buried in Crane’s neck, as if she were crying softly. And Crane’s lips were practically touching her ear as he whispered things I couldn’t hear. This was already the twentieth time since our wedding. Every time it was like this. Our intimacy would be interrupted by a phone call, and Crane would leave without hesitation. And whenever I followed him to the hospital or her house, I would see similar scenes.

There was actually a reason why Crane acted this way. Crane’s brother, Marcus, had drowned six months ago while trying to save him. At that time, Sienna was about to give birth. Right after Marcus was buried, she gave birth to a son. At first, I didn’t think anything of Crane taking care of her. I even thought it was appropriate. It wasn’t until our wedding night that I realized Sienna had unusual feelings for Crane. We had just gone to bed and were getting heated in the bathroom when she came knocking frantically in a sheer nightgown. “Crane, the baby’s sick…” Without a word, Crane got dressed and took her and the child straight to the hospital. Though I complained, at the time I sympathized with her situation and didn’t think much of it. But when I got to the hospital, I saw her hanging on Crane’s body, crying pitifully. “Crane, what do I do? If something happens to the baby, I really won’t be able to face Marcus.” Crane just kept comforting her. “It’s okay, I’m here.” They were too close. A woman’s intuition told me something was going on. Sure enough, over the next month, I discovered that Sienna was invading every corner of my life. During the day when Crane wasn’t home, she never appeared in front of me. But as soon as Crane was home, she’d walk around the house dressed provocatively. She’d even come into my bedroom in the early morning when we were in the middle of things, standing beside us under the pretense of cleaning the room. What’s more, when she pulled open her clothes to breastfeed the baby, she showed no sense of propriety whatsoever. I was bothered and even subtly warned her, but she pretended not to understand. Or she’d stand there with red eyes, looking like she’d been bullied. I was extremely annoyed and told Crane about it, but he always said I was overthinking it. Until that night when Crane wasn’t home and I got up for water in the middle of the night, I heard her in her room pleasuring herself. “Crane… Crane…” I was thunderstruck, instantly feeling utterly disgusted. After confirming her vile intentions, I demanded to leave. But Crane thought I was being unreasonable. “We’re living here perfectly fine. What are you making a fuss about now?” I had no evidence and couldn’t just blurt out something so absurd, so I had to grit my teeth and endure it. But who knew she’d get even more outrageous? She calculated my period timing precisely. Except for those few nights, every other night she found various excuses to call Crane over. “Crane, the bathroom pipe burst.” “Crane, the water heater seems broken.” “Crane, I think I’m sick…” “Crane…” Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and confronted her directly. “Sienna, Crane is my husband, not a plumber or a doctor. If you’re not feeling well or need help, call a professional.” She bit her lip, looking extremely wronged. Crane sternly reprimanded me. “What are you doing? I told you, she just lost her husband. I’m just taking extra care of her. Even if you’re jealous, there should be a limit, shouldn’t there?” “Then I won’t be jealous anymore. You two go play house together.” In my anger, I went back to my parents’ home. This was the second cold war since we’d started dating. The next day, Crane showed up with roses to apologize, kneeling on one knee in front of my parents, vowing to be more mindful of boundaries. But I still wouldn’t forgive him. He came to beg me every day, trying to please my parents. Plus my mother-in-law promised that she’d move into the villa to keep Sienna company and let Crane and me move out to live on our own. I looked at this man I’d loved for seven years. The sincerity in his eyes made my heart soften. Even if she didn’t know proper boundaries, I couldn’t write him off completely with one blow. Besides, we’d walked through college years together. He’d once stood up to drunken thugs harassing me, and once carried me to the hospital in a rainstorm when I had a high fever from my allergy. “This is your last chance.” I warned him as I accepted the roses. “One more time and we’re done.” Though I agreed to go home, I still had lingering doubts, so I wasn’t intimate with him. The next period of time was indeed calm. She seemed to have really restrained herself, maintaining proper distance even during occasional family gatherings. Finally, nearly two months after our cold war, Crane and I resumed our normal married life. But just as I’d returned to normal married life, she started acting up again. Thinking about it carefully, the Crane family was wealthy with plenty of servants and drivers. For such trivial matters, why did Crane have to come personally? I’d tolerated the previous nineteen times, but this time I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Crane.” My voice echoed in the empty corridor. He looked up sharply. Surprised, he instinctively pushed Sienna away some distance. Her face showed disappointment. “Willow? How did you…” “I came to observe and learn.” I didn’t want to beat around the bush with them. Worried they might not understand, I let out a cold laugh. “After all, my husband seems better at taking care of other men’s wives.” Her face instantly went pale, her fingers twisting the bedsheet at the edge of the hospital bed. “Willow, don’t misunderstand, I was just…” “Just what? Just coincidentally, accidentally falling down the stairs at one in the morning?” I walked closer to the bed, looking at her. “What a coincidence—every time we’re intimate, you always have some little accident.” She lowered her head even more, as if about to cry. “That’s enough, stop talking.” Crane abruptly stood up, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out of the hospital room. He demanded, “Are you crazy? Marcus’s only been gone six months!” “Ha… You know she’s Marcus’s wife, so why can’t you be more mindful of boundaries?” “You’re being completely unreasonable. I can guarantee you, there’s nothing between her and me.” He was quite angry, gripping my wrist, forcibly dragging me into the elevator. “Let go of me!” I struggled, my nails scratching across the back of his hand. “You’re hurting me!” The elevator descended to the underground parking garage. Crane silently dragged me toward his black Land Rover. He shoved me inside. The car door slammed shut with a “bang,” leaving only our heavy breathing in the enclosed space. “Willow, let me explain.” He released his grip, his voice suddenly softening. “Sienna really just twisted her ankle. Mom’s too old to support her by herself…” “So you needed to hold her?” I laughed coldly, rubbing my reddened wrist. “You needed to whisper in her ear? You needed to…” “Enough!” He slammed his fist on the steering wheel, the horn blaring sharply. “Can you stop being so vulgar? That’s Sienna! My brother saved my life. What’s wrong with me taking care of his wife?” I stared at his reddening eyes, suddenly finding it ridiculous. “Crane, are you sure you’re just ‘taking care’ of her?” He was about to say something when his phone suddenly rang. The two words “Sienna” on the screen stung my eyes. Crane hesitated for a second, then answered anyway. “Mm… okay… I’ll be right there.” He hung up and looked at me with a complicated expression. “The hospital needs someone to handle the admission paperwork. Mom didn’t bring enough cash.” “So?” I leaned back in the seat, a sarcastic smile on my lips. “You’re leaving me again?” “Just ten minutes.” He reached out to touch my face, but I turned my head away. “Wait in the car for me. I promise I’ll come back as soon as I’m done.” “Just go.” I closed my eyes, heard the car door open and close, then the sound of hurried footsteps gradually fading away. The cold air from the underground garage crept up from the floor. I opened my eyes, my gaze falling on Crane’s backup phone under the passenger seat—the one he usually used for company business. Possessed by some impulse, I bent down and picked it up. The screen lit up, showing a blurry photo on the lock screen—you could vaguely make out two silhouettes. I entered his usual password. The phone unlocked. The moment I saw the contents, my blood ran cold.

The photo album was full of pictures of Sienna. Wearing sexy nightgowns, breastfeeding… There were even several clearly taken in a hotel bathroom. The most recent one was from ten minutes ago—a close-up of her sticking out her tongue and licking her lips on the hospital bed. Caption: [Missing you]. Besides these, the text messages were even more explicit: [Crane, meet me at the usual place tonight.] [She went to her parents’ house today, I sent the baby to my mom’s] [Left my lipstick in your car, don’t let her find it] [Remember that time? I want you to kiss me like that again…] [When are you getting divorced? You promised to give me and the baby a home] My blood flowed backward through my entire body. I bit down hard on the back of my hand to keep from screaming. My stomach churned. My fingers scrolled down uncontrollably. Until I saw a message from three months ago: [Marcus is already dead, what are you still hesitating about? If you hadn’t suggested it that day… your brother wouldn’t have…] “What are you doing?” The car door suddenly yanked open, Crane’s face appearing before me. His gaze fell on the phone in my hand. His expression froze instantly, then went deathly pale.

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In my past life, my mom caused my CEO dad William’s car accident death, made my grandparents go bankrupt and commit suicide, and framed uncle Marcus to be imprisoned. After being reborn, they all teamed up to take revenge on my mom. Dad stared at Mom’s slightly rounded belly with a sinister look in his eyes. “Vivian, you want to use the fake pregnancy trick to manipulate me again? In this life, I will never believe you again!” The next second, he unexpectedly heard my thoughts: [Fake pregnancy? Dad, do you think I don’t exist? I’m here~ Dad, you’re so handsome and look so capable. You’ll definitely protect me and Mom!] Dad froze in shock. Marcus sneered from the side: “Vivian deliberately says she’s pregnant to gain our sympathy, then she’ll start plotting to destroy us. This life, I’ll make her wish she were dead first!” Mom looked at them in confusion while I desperately kicked inside her belly. [Marcus, Vivian isn’t lying. When I come out, you have to give me a hug!] Everyone stared at Mom’s slightly rounded belly and suddenly fell silent. Didn’t Delia say that Vivian was faking the pregnancy? Then who was this little one making a racket in her belly?

Under the hospital’s cold lighting, the entire family’s eyes were glued to Mom’s slightly swollen abdomen. I shyly curled up and rolled half a circle in the warm womb. [So many people are staring at me~ I’m getting embarrassed!] Dad and Marcus’s bodies both trembled imperceptibly at the same time. Grandpa and Grandma also exchanged surprised glances. They all clearly heard this sweet, childish complaint. Delia remained completely oblivious, only puzzled by everyone’s suddenly even more bizarre silence. The dagger in Dad’s hand clattered to the floor. He stared fixedly at Mom’s belly, his expression gradually changing from sinister to uncertain and suspicious. Mom looked up at him and asked in confusion. “What fake pregnancy? William, are you just too excited about becoming a father?” “And Mom, Dad, Marcus, why do you all look so terrible? Aren’t you happy that I’m pregnant?” No one present paid attention to Mom’s confusion. Their eyes were filled only with deep resentment. “Doctor!” Dad suddenly shouted toward the door. “Schedule a prenatal checkup for her immediately. A full examination!” The fake daughter Delia quickly grabbed Dad’s sleeve, her voice tinged with urgency. “William, didn’t you see with your own eyes in the past life that her big belly was stuffed with a pillow? Plus, the private doctor I found earlier clearly said she wasn’t pregnant. Why check again?” Hearing this, my little feet gently kicked against the uterine wall. [Delia is lying again. In the past life, Mom was definitely pregnant with me, but she was pushed down the stairs by bad people and lost me.] [I could only become a little ghost to wipe Mom’s tears.] [I pounded with my little hands until they were sore just to get this chance to be reborn and return to the womb.] Thinking of this, my nose tingled. I couldn’t help but nuzzle the uterine wall gently like a little kitten. [Don’t be afraid, Mom. This time I’ll definitely protect you. I’m looking forward to seeing this world and meeting Mom and Dad.] “Shut up, everyone shut up!” Dad suddenly covered his ears, his pupils constricting violently as he stared at Mom’s belly. “Doctor! Immediately, right now, prenatal examination!” Delia’s eyes flashed with panic. Marcus couldn’t help but furrow his brow. During the examination, when the cold coupling gel touched Mom’s belly, I curiously twisted. [Wow! The cool gel is like jelly~ Is the doctor using the probe to find me? I’m here, I’m here! Let William see me!] Dad unconsciously held his breath, staring intently at the screen. Marcus also unconsciously stepped forward half a step. Grandpa and Grandma clenched their hands even tighter. The ultrasound machine beeped once, and the screen showed a little bean-sized outline actively kicking its legs. “Fourteen weeks pregnant, fetal heartbeat monitoring normal.” The doctor pushed up his glasses. “Vivian is indeed pregnant, and the baby is very healthy and active.”

The color drained completely from Delia’s face. She quickly spoke up: “Impossible! In the past life, you all saw it. She falsely accused me of pushing her down the stairs, and after the ‘miscarriage,’ what fell out was a pillow. William, you saw it with your own eyes too. How could she really be pregnant?” The whole family was stunned, but echoing in their minds was my earlier statement [pushed down the stairs by bad people and lost me]. Especially Dad—hearing my cheerful thoughts and looking at the little bean that definitely existed on the screen, his expression was extremely complex. Seeing everyone’s expressions waver, Delia immediately put on that innocent look and spoke softly and weakly. “Maybe we really did misunderstand Vivian in the past life. She was truly pregnant then but accidentally miscarried, then became mentally unstable and mistook the pillow for a baby.” “I just can’t understand… how could someone with intellectual disabilities who’s also mentally unstable be so calculating and capable of plotting to destroy us?” Hearing this, Marcus immediately sneered coldly, his eyes full of vigilance and hatred. “So what if it’s not fake pregnancy?” “The fact remains that Vivian destroyed our family in the past life!” “And what good child could this vicious woman’s belly produce? Probably just a bastard here to collect debts!” [Marcus is so mean! How can he call me a bastard!] I pouted in grievance and unhappily turned over in Mom’s belly. Marcus choked on this sudden protest and fell silent. Mom seemed to sense something and gently touched her belly. She looked even more confused at her family members. “You’re all so strange. Can pregnancy really involve past and present lives?” No one had any intention of explaining the past life to a simple-minded beauty. Delia’s eyes turned cold, but when she looked at Marcus and the grandparents, her voice was dripping with tea-scented concern. “Marcus, how can you say that about Vivian and the unborn child? Vivian doesn’t know anything now, and her intelligence is low. Maybe in the past life, that viciousness…” “Enough!” Dad suddenly cut her off sharply. He rubbed his temples, his mind full of my statement about “becoming a little ghost to wipe Mom’s tears.” His heart ached inexplicably. “Even if she’s bad, the child is innocent.” Though his tone was still harsh, it clearly lacked the killing intent from before. Grandpa also frowned. Looking at his daughter’s confused, innocent eyes and swollen abdomen, he spoke in a low voice. “Before things are completely clear, everyone should say less.” His gaze swept over Delia with a trace of subtle scrutiny. Grandma looked at the little life on the screen, and her eyes also flashed with an imperceptible softness. Seeing them actually begin to waver, Delia panicked inside, but her face showed even more grievance. “That’s true. Maybe this life our family can have a good ending!” Hearing this, the family members seemed to see all the events of the past life replayed before their eyes again. They didn’t dare lower their guard or let go of the hatred in their hearts. Seeing the desired effect achieved, Delia immediately looked at Mom provocatively. “Vivian, see how much everyone cares about you? You must ‘keep’ the baby safe.” Mom completely missed the malice in her words and responded with a bright, foolish smile, nodding vigorously. “Thank you, Delia. I’ll work hard with the baby!” Delia was choked by her innocent response and almost couldn’t maintain her expression. Returning to the Lester family manor, the atmosphere remained heavy. Though Dad no longer mentioned “torturing Mom,” his eyes remained cold. Grandpa and Grandma were silent. Marcus even moved to the guest house farthest from the main residence, out of sight, out of mind, but his ears seemed to constantly echo with that “Marcus is mean” comment. Weekend family dinner. A critically important bid price document from Grandpa’s study went missing. “Search! Search thoroughly!” Grandpa’s face turned iron-blue with anger. “Only family members knew where this document was kept!” All suspicious eyes immediately focused on Mom. After all, in the past life, the one who leaked company secrets was Mom. Delia supported Grandpa, seemingly worried but actually guiding with every sentence. “Vivian, you were the only one who entered Dad’s study these past few days. I know your memory isn’t good during pregnancy, but the document is very important. Think hard about where you put it?” Mom looked bewildered, trying hard to remember. “I did go into the study to bring Dad some ginseng tea, but I didn’t touch any documents…” [Delia wants to make Mom take the blame again! It was clearly her who sneaked into the study last night, took Grandpa’s documents, and hid them under the carpet.] [I saw everything. You want to frame Mom again, bad person!] I angrily tugged at the umbilical cord in Mom’s belly. William, Marcus, Grandpa, and Grandma’s faces all changed at the same time! Their gazes shot toward the corner of the study carpet! Sure enough, there was a small, barely noticeable bulge there. Noticing his line of sight, Delia’s expression changed drastically. She instinctively moved to block it with her hand. Dad’s face darkened to the point of dripping water, his eyes coldly fixed on her. “Take out the documents you hid under the carpet!” Delia stepped back in fear: “William, I didn’t…” “Take it out.” Dad’s tone brooked no argument. Finally, the missing documents were found under the carpet. Frame-up, ironclad evidence.

Tears immediately welled up in Delia’s eyes. Her shoulders trembled slightly, looking extremely aggrieved. “I was the one who hid them. I’m sorry.” “I was just so scared. I was afraid Vivian would leak such important documents like she did in the past life, causing our family to go bankrupt and starting a tragic life.” “I didn’t know what to do. In a moment of panic… I thought I’d hide them first and secretly put them back after the bid ended. That way it would be foolproof.” This reason was full of holes and even somewhat stupid. However, watching Delia cry so heartbrokenly and mention the misery of the past life, the severity in Grandpa and Grandma’s eyes faded slightly, replaced by complexity and understanding. As if her foolish action was truly out of love and fear for the family. Marcus immediately stepped forward, shielding her. “Delia was also thinking of this family. She just used the wrong method! Compared to someone who deliberately plotted in the past life and destroyed us all, what does this unintentional mistake matter?” I lay in Mom’s belly, my little feet idly paddling through the amniotic fluid. [Marcus, Delia wasn’t unintentional at all. She was deliberately framing Mom.] [If William hadn’t helped Mom this time, Mom would’ve been blamed for leaking secrets again like in the past life. Silly Marcus, I won’t play with you anymore!] Marcus’s body suddenly stiffened. The arm protecting Delia seemed to freeze as well, his mood heavy. Dad’s brow furrowed tightly. Staring at the crying Delia without speaking immediately, the suspicion in his eyes deepened. Over the next few days, similar incidents happened one after another. Whenever anything bad happened in the house, all evidence would point to my mom. Each time, when the whole family looked at the bewildered Mom with their habitual hateful gazes, my clear and urgent thoughts would ring out timely, pointing out key evidence like a little detective. At first, they were still skeptical, but every time they investigated according to the “hints,” they found evidence precisely and without error, proving Mom’s innocence. Again and again. Dad’s gaze toward Mom was no longer the pure hatred from the beginning, but filled with incredulous confusion. Grandpa and Grandma looked at Mom’s consistently clear eyes with a touch of foolishness and innocent expression, then compared it with Delia’s pale excuses every time she was exposed. They fell into prolonged silence. Even the most steadfast Marcus, faced with “coincidence” after “coincidence” and evidence after evidence, gradually couldn’t immediately speak up in Delia’s defense. He only looked at Mom with increasingly complex and scrutinizing eyes. Could it be that the vicious woman Vivian who destroyed them in the past life was actually innocent? After a business dinner ended, Dad and Marcus went to the parking garage to get the car. Mom and Delia followed. Suddenly, a dozen men wielding clubs with malicious expressions surrounded them from the shadows. “William, Marcus, long time no see?” The leader grinned viciously. “Finally caught you alone. This time, if I don’t cripple you, I’ve lived for nothing!” “You even brought two pretty women along. Perfect, we’ll deal with them together!” I jumped anxiously in Mom’s belly. [This didn’t happen in the past life. Why are bad people suddenly coming to bully William and Marcus? You must be careful!]

Hearing my thoughts, Dad and Marcus’s faces both turned stern. They quickly positioned themselves back-to-back in a defensive stance. Dad looked at the sleazy leader, his face darkening. “Watch your mouth. Say one more word and I’ll tear it apart.” Marcus’s face was also extremely grim. “Delia, Vivian, you two leave first.” Delia’s voice trembled. “No, with so many people, how can I leave you behind? We’re family!” Even with her low intelligence, Mom could see the danger. Protecting her belly, she dropped a sentence. “Okay, I’ll go first!” With that, she actually turned around and ran without hesitation! Her speed was so fast she barely seemed like a pregnant woman. Watching her decisive departure, “abandoning” them to save herself, Dad and Marcus couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. The hatred that had recently wavered surged up again. Marcus sneered, his tone full of sarcasm. “Sure enough, when danger comes, she’s not stupid anymore. Her selfish nature is exposed completely! Just like in the past life. We actually believed her time after time. We’ve been fools for two lifetimes.” Dad’s thin lips pressed tightly. Though he didn’t speak, his eyes also grew colder. Seeing Mom run away, Delia’s eyes flashed with surprise and then triumph, before quickly switching to an extremely worried expression. “Marcus, William, even if Vivian doesn’t care about our lives, she’s still pregnant. With so many bad people here, I’m worried. I’ll go check on her!” After speaking, she also quickly ran off, but didn’t chase after Mom’s footsteps. Instead, she hailed a car with a cold smile and drove away. In the parking garage, Dad and Marcus stood back-to-back, surrounded by a dozen thugs wielding iron clubs. Both were injured. Dad’s mouth was cut and bleeding, and Marcus’s white shirt shoulder was seeping blood. The leader’s eyes gleamed viciously as he raised the cold iron club. “Brothers, they’re worn out. Everyone attack together. They’re worth a lot, at least a few million each. If we sell their organs separately, they’re worth even more!” The crowd was about to surge forward again. Dad and Marcus’s faces looked extremely grim. At this moment, my thoughts rang out first from the darkness. [There’s no signal in the parking garage, but Mom already called the police and called Grandpa and Grandma. The police will be here soon. William and Marcus, you must hold on.] [Mom, you must protect yourself too. I’m so scared and worried.] Then came Mom’s scream. She rushed out of the parking garage holding a thick wooden stick, drenched in sweat. “Stop! No one can bully William and Marcus!” Dad’s eyes were full of shock and astonishment. Marcus’s ear was injured and bleeding profusely. He couldn’t hear anything. Seeing Mom run back, his face was full of mockery and hatred. “You didn’t think about sticking together just now, but now you’re running back to fake concern. Vivian, did you come back to watch us get beaten to death? Seeing us about to die again, are you happy?” Mom ignored Marcus’s mockery. Seeing the group swing clubs toward Marcus’s head— “Marcus!” She rushed over like a madwoman and threw herself onto Marcus. The heavy iron club struck her body hard and ruthlessly. Mom screamed and, right in front of Marcus, her whole body went limp and fell to the ground. Bright red blood instantly gushed from between her legs, quickly staining her light-colored dress crimson. Two voices, shocked to the point of distortion, simultaneously tore through the silent night sky. “Vivian?!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “362250”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #玄幻Fantasy #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #狼人Werewolf

Ethan disappeared three years ago. I waited three years. Everyone said I loved him to death. Only I knew he wasn’t dead at all. He was overseas, spending my money on other women. Since he wanted to play dead, sleeping with his best friend seemed fair enough, didn’t it? Adrian Blackwood, the circle’s infamous devil incarnate, waited in his car for me every night after work. He kissed me and asked again when we could go public. Then Ethan came back. With his new girlfriend. At his engagement party, he humiliated me in front of everyone. Made me hand his new lover her ring. I was pushed and shoved by the crowd, helpless. Suddenly, the ballroom doors burst open with a violent kick. Adrian stood in the doorway, his eyes cold as knives. He walked straight to me, took the ring, and tossed it into the trash like it was nothing. Then, in front of everyone, he pulled me into his arms. “I’m her husband. Anyone who touches her answers to me.” The room went dead silent. Ethan’s face turned green. And the hand on my waist began stroking gently through my dress. “Show’s over,” he murmured in my ear with a smile. “Time to go home and work on making a baby.”

Lina’s POV “Are you a dog?” I buttoned my shirt all the way up in the rearview mirror, covering the bite marks on my collarbone. Adrian didn’t respond. He leaned back in his seat, looking thoroughly satisfied as he tapped out a cigarette and lit it. The car still smelled like what we’d just done. Who would’ve thought that the billionaire heir everyone was so afraid of had just spent the last hour ravaging his best friend’s fiancée in this very car? The world thought I had faithfully waited three years for Ethan, devoted and loyal. But I had long known Ethan wasn’t dead. He was just playing dead overseas while hooking up with women. Since he was faking his death, sleeping with his best friend seemed perfectly fair. Adrian exhaled a smoke ring, his voice husky. “Text me when you’re done. I’ll be waiting in the car.” I pushed open the car door and walked quickly toward the café with my project contracts. I had an investor meeting and needed to compose myself so no one would suspect anything. As I climbed the steps, a group emerged from the adjacent building, noisy and boisterous-all those idle rich heirs from the circle. Leading them was none other than Ethan, who had disappeared three years ago. He had his arm around a young woman, listening lazily to someone beside him. His friends saw me and their expressions shifted awkwardly-the guilty look of people caught in wrongdoing. Someone scratched his head. “We run into her already? Who opened their big mouth and told Lina?” Another friend named Lucas explained awkwardly. “Lina, when Ethan fell into the ocean, he had a head injury. He’s been recovering overseas. We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to worry needlessly.” “Now that he’s back, it’s a cause for celebration. Sure, Ethan lost his memory, but at least he’s alive, right?” Ethan stopped, his gaze landing lazily on me. He didn’t release the girl in his arms, just raised an eyebrow and assessed me casually. “So this is the fiancée?” he asked his friends, tone indifferent. “Not bad looking. I guess I can see why you all said she wouldn’t marry anyone but me, chasing after me so desperately.” Then he gestured to the girl in his arms. “Even though I don’t remember you, I’ll honor the engagement.” “This is Chloe. I met her overseas. She’s timid, so don’t bully her.” Chloe nestled against him and called out softly, “Hi, Lina.” I held up my contracts. “Excuse me, I have business. Please let me through.” With that, I checked the time to confirm I wasn’t late and headed toward the café. Behind me, voices rose in disbelief. “Seriously? She’s just leaving?” Ethan’s mocking laugh rang out. “Maybe she can’t believe I’m still alive.” Another friend chimed in with a laugh. “Of course! Everyone knows Lina loves you to death. She probably can’t process the wonderful surprise that you’re alive.” “Once she calms down, she’ll naturally come crying to our Ethan begging to get back together.” Ethan’s lazy voice said, “Get back together? We’ll see if I’m in the mood.” I had no idea what they said after I left. After finishing my business discussion with the investors, I returned to the car. The moment I closed the door, Adrian’s scorching breath pressed down on me. “What took so long?” His tone was displeased, his hand sliding directly under my clothes. Just then, someone knocked on the window. I froze completely. Adrian’s movement paused, his brow furrowing. Through the privacy film, Ethan’s face was pressed right against the window! “Adrian, it really is you! I spotted your car from way over there.” I held my breath in fear, instinctively gripping Adrian’s sleeve. We were inside. He was outside. Only a layer of glass between us. Adrian glanced down at me, then used one hand to press me against him, using his large suit jacket to shield my face. Then he calmly lowered the window halfway. “What is it?” Adrian’s voice was low, laced with the irritation of being interrupted. Ethan didn’t notice me hidden under the jacket. He leaned one hand on the window frame, peering inside. “Lina just played hard to get with me and ran off. I’m worried she might do something stupid. Did you see her come this way?” Adrian’s hand rested on the window frame blocking the view, while his other hand squeezed my waist. “Didn’t see her.” He answered without changing expression. Ethan pursed his lips. “That woman really doesn’t know what’s good for her. I was going to let her catch a ride home with you. Forget it, never mind her.” Then his gaze fell on Adrian’s open collar, revealing a knowing, mischievous smile. “Did I interrupt something good? Got a woman hiding in the car?” I bit my lip, not daring to make a sound. Not because I cared about him, but because my disheveled state wasn’t suitable for being seen. Adrian glanced at Ethan, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. “Mm. A rather disobedient little wildcat throwing a tantrum.” Ethan laughed loudly, patting the roof. “Then I won’t be a third wheel. Bring her out to meet us sometime-I want to see what kind of woman finally got through to you.” Ethan turned and left. The window rose. I went limp in Adrian’s arms. Adrian looked down at me, his fingertip brushing the cold sweat from my forehead, voice low. “What’s wrong? Afraid your ex will discover you lying beneath his best friend?”

Lina’s POV Adrian’s fingertips traced along my waist. I pushed his hand away and straightened my rumpled dress. “The contract is signed. I need to get back to the company.” Adrian reluctantly withdrew his hand, leaning back against the seat, his eyes dark. “Come to my place tonight?” “Can’t.” I refused flatly. “I have a video conference tonight.” Adrian chuckled softly but didn’t push it, having the driver take me back to the company. As soon as I entered the office, the receptionist intern rushed over with a huge bouquet of red roses. “Lina, someone sent you flowers. No card, just said to wish you everything you desire.” The girl looked thoroughly gossipy. “From your boyfriend? That’s so romantic.” I glanced at the gaudy bouquet of red roses, probably ninety-nine of them. No need to guess who sent them. Three years ago, Ethan loved sending these. He always had his lackeys order them, too lazy to even write a card himself. Right after receiving the flowers, I got a text from an unknown number. “Got the flowers? Even though I don’t remember the past, Lucas said you like red roses. I’ve arranged a gathering at the club tonight. Come meet everyone.” I tossed my phone aside and pointed at the bouquet. “Throw it out.” The receptionist froze. “What? But that’s such a waste…” “If you like them, take them for a vase. Just don’t put them in my office-the smell is too strong.” With that, I walked straight into my office and opened my computer to handle emails. At nine that evening, I finished my meeting and rubbed my temples. My phone screen lit up with an incoming call from Adrian. “Come downstairs.” Just two simple words. I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. That familiar car was parked by the roadside, hazard lights flashing. I gathered my things, went downstairs, and got into the passenger seat. Adrian smoothly took my bag and placed it in the back seat. “Didn’t Ethan organize something at the club?” I asked casually. “Why didn’t you go?” Adrian started the car, a mocking smile playing at his lips. “Boring. I’d rather pick you up from work.” As soon as he finished speaking, the car display suddenly lit up showing an incoming call: “Ethan.” Adrian glanced at me, tapped answer on the screen, and put it on speaker. Ethan’s voice came through. “Adrian! Still not here? Been waiting forever!” Adrian steered one-handed, tone flat. “Got held up. I’ll come by later.” “What could be more important than hanging with the guys?” Ethan complained, then changed the subject. “Lina hasn’t shown up either. Can you get in touch with her? That woman is probably at home picking out an outfit, not answering her phone.” Adrian looked over at me, eyes playful. He said into the phone, “You sure she’ll come?” “Definitely.” Ethan sounded confident. “Once she gets that bouquet, she’ll have gotten over being mad. She always fell for this stuff before. I set up this gathering tonight specifically to announce we’re getting back together and give her some official status. That’s a pretty big olive branch, right?” Adrian took advantage of the red light, reached into the glove compartment, and pulled out an exquisite velvet box. He flipped it open with one hand and held it up to me. Inside lay a dazzling diamond necklace. His eyes signaled: Put it on. On the phone, Ethan continued rambling. “I’ll coax her back first, but I’ll still play however I want. As long as she behaves.” Ethan went on. “Actually, Lina’s pretty great. She loves me so much-if I sweet-talk her a bit, she’ll go back to revolving her whole world around me like before.” Ethan on the other end seemed to hear something and asked suspiciously, “Adrian, what’s that sound on your end? It sounds like there’s a woman?” Adrian looked at me and replied casually, “Nothing. Just the GPS voice.” I couldn’t help it-I opened my mouth and lightly bit his finger. Adrian’s eyes darkened. He immediately gripped the back of my head and kissed me. The call ended. The car fell silent. Then Adrian chuckled softly and restarted the engine. “You’re not going? Aren’t you afraid he’ll lose face in that circle?” “Face?” I looked at the night scenery flying past the window, tone flat. “Did he think about my face when he was faking his death and playing around?” Adrian said nothing, pressing hard on the accelerator as the car’s speed suddenly increased. He reached over to hold my hand, his fingertip gently caressing my palm. “True enough.” Then he added, “Someone who dares to sleep with me-you really don’t have anything you wouldn’t dare do.” My heart jumped. I turned to look at him. Adrian kept his eyes on the road, expression calm, as if that statement had just been casual observation.

Lina’s POV The next day at noon, my phone received multiple messages, all from Maya. Maya was my college roommate. Over these three years, we often went shopping and had afternoon tea together. “Where are you? You really didn’t go to Ethan’s thing last night? You’re so good at playing it cool!” “That Chloe spent all last night on Ins posting about the bags Ethan bought her, passive-aggressively saying out with the old, in with the new. I’m about to explode watching it!” “No way, I can’t swallow this! Tonight I’m calling Ethan out, and we’re going to put that girl in her place face to face!” I was in the middle of processing emails and the interruptions were giving me a headache. I replied casually: “Let them be.” Maya’s call immediately came through. “Lina! How can you just let them be?! The more you hide, the more smug that Chloe gets! She’s telling the whole world that you’re too scared of her to show your face!” “I already told everyone you’d definitely come tonight to tear that homewrecker apart. If you don’t show up, people will really think you’re afraid of that mistress!” “Just make an appearance and prove you don’t give a damn about that bastard!” I thought about it. She had a point. If I didn’t go, it would look like I still cared, still hiding from him. “Fine.” I agreed. “What time?” “Eight tonight! VIP room at Azure Bay Club!” … 8 PM, Azure Bay Club. I pushed open the door to the private room. The air inside was thick with smoke. Ethan sat in the center, surrounded by a circle of so-called friends, all watching the drama unfold, over a dozen men and women. The moment I stepped in, Maya sprang up and grabbed my arm, all warmth and enthusiasm. “Lina! You’re here! Come, sit with us, we’re right in the middle of a game!” She pressed me directly into the seat opposite Ethan. A huge spinning wheel sat on the table. “Truth or Dare. Everyone’s already played a round, we’ve just been waiting for you.” Maya poured me a drink and shot me a wink, lowering her voice. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all set up. When it lands on Ethan, I’ll make him choose Dare and have him kiss you right in front of everyone. Let that Chloe see!” My brow furrowed slightly. Playing this kind of game in this setting-besides awkwardness, who would it actually upset? But before I could speak, Ethan had already opened his mouth lazily. “Since you’re here, follow the rules. Losers drink. If you’re too scared to play, get lost.” First round-the wheel stopped right in front of me. Maya immediately shouted, “Oh Lina! You’re so lucky! Truth or dare?” I looked at the eyes around me waiting for a show. “Truth.” Maya immediately threw out her question. “Lina, everyone knows you waited three years for Ethan. During those three years, did you ever have thoughts about any other man?” The whole room went quiet. Everyone stared at me. Ethan’s lighter paused. He looked up at me. His eyes held a casual certainty, as if the answer was already within his expectations. Who else could I possibly be interested in besides him? I picked up the drink in front of me and swirled it gently. Looking at Maya’s gossip-hungry eyes, I smiled. “Of course.” My tone was calm. Almost light. The room erupted.

Lina’s POV Ethan’s expression visibly darkened, a flash of shock and anger crossing his eyes. Maya hadn’t expected me to admit it so readily either. After a stunned moment, she excitedly pressed on. “Is it someone we know? Quick, tell us who!” I set down my glass, my gaze sweeping past Ethan before finally landing on Maya. Then I smiled. “Secret.” Ethan slammed his lighter down on the table. The glass surface let out a sharp crack. “Lina! You’ll make up anything just to piss me off?” His friends chimed in. “Yeah, Lina. Everyone knows you used to have eyes only for Ethan. Saying you’d be interested in other men-who’d believe that?” “Exactly! Who could compare to someone as high-quality as Ethan?” Everyone took turns with their teasing commentary, none of them believing I could be interested in any man besides Ethan. They all thought I was just throwing a tantrum. I silently sneered but offered no explanation. The Truth or Dare continued. The pointer spun and stopped in front of me again. Maya smiled. “Let’s do dare this time.” “Call the first male contact in your recent calls and tell him: I miss you, come pick me up.” People around started egging it on. “Everyone knows Lina’s contacts are just Ethan and delivery guys. This call’s probably going to some food delivery driver, right?” I took out my phone. First in my call history, labeled: Mr. B. As in, Adrian Blackwood. Ethan glanced at the screen and sneered. “Mr. B? Well, well. Lina’s learned to keep a backup, has she?” He jerked his chin. “Call him. Speaker.” I pressed dial and turned on speaker. The phone rang only once before being answered. A low, cool male voice came through. “Hello.” The room quieted slightly. I spoke into the phone, tone flat as I recited the script. “I miss you. Come pick me up.” “Address is Azure Bay.” Two seconds of silence on the other end. Then a short reply. “Okay.” Click. The call ended. The whole room went quiet for a moment, then burst into mocking laughter. “Lina, you found yourself a pretty good actor! Great teamwork!” Ethan laughed even harder, sprawled back on the sofa, dripping with contempt. “Lina, you’re really going out of your way to upset me. Is it fun, hiring some random guy to put on a show?” He tapped his watch. “If nobody shows up, you’re drinking everything on this table.” I ignored their mockery, picked up my bag and stood. “Then let’s go to the entrance and see.” The whole group followed in a mighty procession, waiting to watch me make a fool of myself. Ethan walked in front with his arm around Chloe, a confident smile on his face.

Lina’s POV Outside the club entrance, everyone’s attention was captured by a silver-gray supercar slowly approaching. The windows were tinted dark, impossible to see inside. The car came to a smooth stop at the entrance. The door automatically opened. I turned to look at the slack-jawed crowd, my gaze finally landing on Ethan’s rigid face. “The car’s here.” “Mr. Rivers, enjoy yourself.” With that, I walked straight over, bent down, and slid into the passenger seat. The door closed. The car let out a low rumble and sped away into the distance, leaving a group of people stunned behind us. “Oh my God! Is that a rental car?” “Rental? There are only a few of that model in the whole country! You couldn’t rent one even if you had money!” “Who is that guy? When did Lina get to know someone that powerful?” “The streetlight was too dim. Couldn’t see his face.” Ethan’s expression was dark enough to drip water. He stared at the direction where the taillights had disappeared, crushing the cigarette in his hand to shreds. Lucas beside him quickly tried to smooth things over. “Ethan, don’t take it seriously. She probably rented some old man’s car to save face! Lina really went all out to upset you!” Ethan’s expression relaxed. He threw away the ruined cigarette, lit a new one, and sneered. “To piss me off, she really will try anything.” He turned to look at his assistant. “Release the engagement announcement. Next Friday. Make it a big production.” Chloe looked up in delight. “Really, Ethan?” Ethan exhaled a puff of smoke casually. “Of course it’s real. Make a big splash-best if everyone knows about it.” … The car turned onto a quiet coastal road and came to a smooth stop at a scenic overlook by the roadside. Engine off. Adrian unbuckled his seatbelt, turned toward me, eyes unreadable in the darkness. “Using me?” His voice was low as his finger lifted a strand of my hair, winding it around his fingertip. “Just said you missed me in front of all those people. Pretty bold.” I didn’t dodge, meeting his gaze with a smile. “Didn’t you play along perfectly?” “And I won.” “Won?” Adrian scoffed, suddenly gripping the back of my head and kissing me. “That’s because Ethan’s an idiot.” “Using me as a weapon means you owe me payment.” This kiss was fierce and urgent, carrying punishing force. The temperature in the cramped car cabin rapidly climbed. Just then, the car display lit up. “Ethan.” Adrian’s movement paused. He glanced at the screen but showed no intention of stopping, casually pressing answer and putting it on speaker. Ethan’s voice came through, laced with mockery and disdain. “To piss me off, Lina really went all out-found herself some old man to upset me.” Adrian kept one hand on my waist, voice steady. “Is that so.” I bit my lip, my body tensing from his movements. Ethan sneered. “I knew she was putting on an act. Since she wants to play big, I’ll humor her.” “Next Friday I’m holding an engagement party. Send her the invitation. Her expression is going to be priceless.” Adrian’s fingers moved with deliberate cruelty. I shuddered, nearly crying out, and could only bite down on his shoulder. “Engagement party?” Adrian said flatly into the phone, “You sure about this?” “I’m sure.” Ethan’s tone was confident. “She likes to act all high and mighty, doesn’t she? When she finds out I’m marrying someone else, let’s see how she keeps up the act. I bet before that day even comes, she’ll be crying and begging me to cancel.” He paused, tone casual. “Oh, and you have to come. This is my first big event since coming back. I need you there for peace of mind.” Adrian kissed away the physiological tears at the corner of my eye, voice low. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be there.” “Such a spectacular show-how could I miss it?” “Great, then it’s settled.” Ethan hung up. The car interior fell back into dead silence, only the sound of our tangled breathing. Adrian released me, looking at my reddened eyes, his fingertip gently brushing my lips. “Did you hear?” “He said to make you come crying and begging him to cancel.” I steadied my breathing, a cold glint in my eyes. “Then let’s see who ends up crying.” Adrian laughed. He restarted the car. The engine roar echoed through the night. “Let’s go. Time to go back and finish paying the rest of that compensation you owe me.”

Lina’s POV The engagement party was set for Friday evening at the most luxurious seven-star hotel in the city. For days, the entire social circle had been buzzing about Young Master Rivers throwing money around for his engagement party, sending invitations throughout the entire social scene. Friday afternoon, I was reviewing documents at the company when Maya burst straight into my office. “Lina! How can you just sit there so calmly?!” She snatched the pen from my hand, stamping her feet anxiously. “Tonight’s the engagement party! You’re really not planning to go?” I leaned back in my chair, voice flat. “Go for what? To watch those two swear before God they’ll never part?” “To stop him, of course!” Maya looked completely exasperated. “You’re the fiancée! Who does that Chloe think she is? If you don’t go, you’re basically handing Ethan over to her! That little homewrecker will definitely be laughing at you behind your back!” “Tonight, you dress up gorgeous and just show up. The second you walk in, Ethan will dump her on the spot!” I looked at her anxious face and laughed on the inside. No one wanted me to go more than Maya did. After all, if I didn’t go, Ethan wouldn’t get his revenge, and that Chloe would truly rise to power. “Fine.” I closed my documents and stood. “Since you insist, let’s go take a look.” Maya breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll take you to get styled. Tonight we absolutely must outshine everyone!” At the hotel, Maya led me to a VIP lounge on the second floor. “Touch up your makeup first. I’ll go check things out up front and come right back for you.” I sat in the lounge for a while. Feeling stuffy, I got up to use the restroom. I had just reached the balcony at the end of the hallway when I heard a hushed voice inside. It was Maya. She seemed to be on a phone call, her tone unable to hide her smugness. “Don’t worry, I already brought her here. She’s sitting in the lounge like an idiot waiting.” The person on the other end said something, and Maya scoffed. “Object to the wedding? It’d be great if she actually did! You know Ethan’s temper. If Lina dares make a scene, Ethan will absolutely humiliate her publicly and make sure she can never show her face in this circle again!” Her tone turned vicious. “As for that Chloe, she’s just an idiot.” “Once Lina makes a scene, the engagement party definitely won’t happen. The position of Ethan’s wife, who else but me could take it?” “Okay, I’m not talking anymore. I need to keep an eye on things so nothing goes wrong.” I stood behind the curtain, listening to this calculated scheme, finding it utterly laughable. She wanted to eliminate me, crush Chloe, and reap all the benefits herself in the end. Maya hung up and turned to leave. After her footsteps faded, I unhurriedly emerged from behind the curtain and returned to the lounge. Not long after, Maya came back. Her face flushed with anxious excitement as she grabbed me. “Lina, let’s go! The ceremony’s about to start! That Chloe is up there right now, putting on a show. Let’s go give her a piece of our minds!” I looked at that fake face and smiled. “Sure.” Maya led the way, her steps light, almost hurried. I followed behind her, the corner of my mouth slowly curling up. The show was about to begin.

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