The day before the company’s promotion qualification exam, Chloe closed the conference room door with a mysterious air. “I have a way to make sure everyone on our project team passes the exam!” “Personal hygiene products brought into the exam room won’t be inspected if they’re unopened.” “We just need to copy the key points onto tissues we carry in and bring them with us!” Before she finished speaking, the entire project team erupted in excitement. In my previous life, as the deputy team leader, I stopped them from this ridiculous idea in time. “The company notice said that this year they’re adding inspections of opened packages. Any packaged personal items will be opened and checked. You’d better not make trouble for yourselves. This is the promotion exam that affects next year’s job level and salary!” The whole team scoffed at me. “Oh, so righteous, aren’t you? You’re just afraid we’ll all get promoted and take your manager position!” “Chloe truly has our best interests at heart. Stop being such a buzzkill!” With no other choice, I reported this to HR. As a result, they were caught cheating. Everyone just got a verbal warning, but only Chloe was stripped of her position. Holding a grudge, she pushed me down the stairs when I was working overtime. When the police investigated, my colleagues all pleaded for her: “Chloe is such a good person. It must have been Nina who started it!” “She’s always been a snitch. This is what she deserves!” I closed my eyes with endless hatred. When I opened them again, I had returned to the day Chloe taught everyone to cheat. I raised my hand with a smile, my eyes curving into crescents: “That’s a brilliant idea! Count me in first!” —

In my previous life, after I died, Chloe still wasn’t satisfied. She contacted people from the black market to dump my body at my parents’ house. My parents had heart attacks on the spot. Chloe laughed maniacally, stepping on my father’s chest and shouting. “If your daughter hadn’t meddled and ruined me, the department director position would definitely be mine now!” “She deserved to die. The daughter’s debt, the parents pay. Making you pay the price for my future isn’t unreasonable, is it?” Before she finished speaking, two bright red knives were pulled from my parents’ chests. My soul floated in the air, frantically trying to fight them, but powerless. I could only watch helplessly as they committed evil. Suddenly, someone pushed my shoulder hard. “Nina, say something! Are you going to do it or not?” The pain in my shoulder woke me up. Only then did I realize I had been reborn. The whole team surrounded me, mocking. “She really lives up to her reputation as the team’s famous stick-in-the-mud! Just knows how to keep her head down and work! People like you will never get promoted!” “Which is better—her or this trick? She probably can’t even beat a tissue!” Everyone burst out laughing. Someone slapped a tissue covered in key points onto my desk. Chloe sat in the middle of the workstations, looking at me with contempt. “Nina, you’re the deputy team leader with the strongest professional skills. I’ll leave this task to you.” “Prepare several copies, summarize the key points, and distribute them to everyone in the restroom during the exam.” She lowered her voice and leaned close to my ear. “We’re all colleagues. You wouldn’t refuse such a small favor, would you? Besides, you’ll need it yourself, won’t you?” Seeing me hesitate, the other colleagues became impatient. “Asking for your help is showing you respect. If you’re not grateful, fine, but what’s with that attitude? Why are you acting so high and mighty?” “We all have mortgages and families to support. If we fail and get pay cuts, how can we face our families? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?” “And she’s the deputy team leader! Most unreliable when it counts!” “Stop putting on airs!” They were too stupid. The company had already sent out a notice that this year’s promotion exam inspections would be comprehensively upgraded. Any items candidates brought into the exam room, including personal hygiene products, would need to be opened and inspected. To ensure fairness, justice, and transparency in the exam. In my previous life, I felt everyone had worked hard all year and shouldn’t be ruined by this. I tried desperately to dissuade them, even bringing up the department director. I never expected it would end with my entire family’s tragic death. In this life, I picked up the tissue from the desk and looked at it. “You’re right. The promotion exam is so important that we should do well even if it means taking risks.” They didn’t expect me to be so “reasonable.” Chloe showed a suspicious expression. “You’re really going to help us? You won’t secretly snitch, will you?” I immediately turned on location sharing in the WhatsApp work group. With this, everyone could see my movement track. Whether I went to the leadership or not would be crystal clear. “I won’t interfere with you, but I’m not participating.” —

Chloe laughed. “You think that’s enough to make us trust you?” “You can still send messages without leaving.” “As long as you don’t help us, you’re trying to sabotage us.” The others caught on and surrounded me, not letting me leave. Just then, Ethan arrived. He gave me a cold look, instantly standing with Chloe and mocking me sarcastically. “What’s the use of just keeping your head down and working? Chloe does side hustles while working, and every quarterly evaluation she easily ranks above you. Aren’t you embarrassed?” “She’s kindly giving you a hand. Don’t be ungrateful. When you fail again, you’ll hide away crying endlessly. No one will care about you then.” The whole team roared with laughter. “No way, so that’s why she works overtime so desperately! Turns out she’s jealous!” “She’s not helping us because she’s afraid we’ll actually get high scores, right?” My heart ached, and even breathing became difficult. During the first promotion exam after joining the company, the company prepared a fifty-thousand-dollar bonus for first place. At that time, my father’s heart disease required surgery, and our family was scraping together money everywhere. I worked overtime desperately, studied day and night, wanting to use that fifty thousand dollars for my father’s surgery. But in the end, I came in second. First place went to Chloe. At the awards ceremony, she held up the fifty-thousand-dollar bonus sign with a brilliant smile. Only I knew she had cheated. She had gotten the test questions in advance from an insider at the third-party testing agency. When I got home, I cried until my eyes were swollen. Ethan knew about my guilt and frustration. He came to see me with gifts, tenderly handing me tissues. “Grades obtained through cheating won’t last. Nina, don’t blame yourself. I believe in you. You’ll definitely succeed next time.” We grew up together. I thought we had become indispensable to each other’s lives. Until one late night after overtime, I saw him kissing Chloe in the stairwell. I took a deep breath. Gathered my things. Ignored everyone and went home after work. “My uncle is the group’s vice president. If you don’t help us, I’ll make sure you can never stay at this company.” Chloe’s voice came from behind. All the colleagues were shocked. “Wow! Chloe is usually so low-key!” “With that connection, even if our answers are discovered, we won’t be afraid!” “Chloe is still the best! Personally helping us—what is Nina even worth!” “She deserves to be fired! When you deliver food in the future, remember to tell us. I’ll give you extra tips!” Laughter erupted behind me. Chloe’s expression was contemptuous. But I was unusually calm. In my previous life, her uncle was taken away by the company’s compliance department on exam day. Accepting bribes from suppliers, facilitating illegal benefit transfers—he was immediately dismissed and handed over to judicial authorities. Tens of millions of dollars in illegal gains were confiscated. Their entire family lost everything overnight and could only survive by driving for Uber. I wasn’t threatened. My steps didn’t stop. Chloe immediately changed her expression. Before she could speak, Ethan stepped forward first. “Since you’re so antisocial, I’ll have to use special methods.” He took out his phone and dialed a number. “I’ve already had someone pick up your parents. When you can see them depends on your performance.” My heart lurched. All my blood ran cold. “Ethan, are you crazy!” “You dare lay hands on them?” —

My family and Ethan’s family had been neighbors for decades. My parents watched him grow up. Back then, his parents were busy with business and had no time for him. Little Ethan often sat alone on the steps in front of my house. My parents felt sorry for him and opened the door to let him in. From then on, there was always a place for him at our dinner table. But I never expected he could put my parents in danger for Chloe’s sake. He shrugged. “If you just agree obediently, everything will be fine. If something happens to them, you’re the one who caused it.” I looked at him in disbelief, trembling all over. Chloe finally smiled, glancing at me with eyes full of provocation. “Ethan, you’re so good to me.” She threw several boxes of portable tissues into my bag and threatened. “There’s no one at your house. Going back won’t help.” “You have one night. Get all the key points organized. The exam is tomorrow. Don’t delay things.” “It’s all up to you, Miss Perfect.” With that, she invited everyone to go have drinks at a bar. The whole team cheered, deliberately whistling at me. They grabbed my phone and locked me in the conference room. “What are you doing! Let me out!” I desperately pounded on the conference room door. They laughed even louder. Ethan watched coldly the entire time without saying a word, walking away shoulder to shoulder with Chloe. Everyone jeered, looking at me mockingly. “So pathetic haha, she can’t even keep her childhood sweetheart!” “With a Dream Girl like Chloe, who would want someone as ordinary as her!” “After tomorrow’s exam, we’ll be free!” “Let’s go on a team building trip to an island resort!” “Let’s have a party! Let’s go karaoke!” They wildly fantasized about how to arrange their wonderful post-promotion lives after finishing this tough battle of the promotion exam. I looked at the mountains of tissue boxes piled in front of me, my eyes instantly reddening. My parents worked very hard. Everyone said daughters didn’t need to work so hard, but they still said early on that if I got promoted to a higher level, they would take out their savings to buy me an apartment. They were determined to support me in establishing a foothold in the big city. But now, I was locked in here, preparing cheat materials for everyone. The defenses in my heart were collapsing inch by inch. They were still laughing and chatting outside, very lively. But this joyful atmosphere didn’t affect me at all. I looked up at the surveillance camera in the conference room that had just been repaired. I knew that tomorrow, they wouldn’t even be able to enter the exam room. —

On exam day, I was hungry and exhausted, my nose tingling with the urge to cry. With dark circles under my eyes and my bag on my back, I waited for them to come get their things. Thanks to them, I had crammed all the key knowledge points overnight. Now all the exam points were practically carved into my brain, impossible to shake off. “Didn’t sleep well last night? You’re not going to fall asleep in the exam room, are you? How embarrassing!” Chloe deliberately bumped my shoulder with ill intent. Ethan followed right behind, directly grabbing my bag to check if the materials were prepared properly. Two minutes later, he showed a satisfied expression. “Smart of you.” After the cheat materials were distributed, all the colleagues walked into the exam room with their heads held high, certain of victory. “Did you pick out positions yesterday? There are still too few good positions. None that I like.” “Well, I’ve decided to test into Division A. I heard their year-end bonus is a hundred thousand.” “A hundred thousand? I straight up promised my mom yesterday I’d get first place. Already ordered a new car!” “Did you hear? After the exam, Ethan is going to officially announce his relationship with Chloe!” “Wow! Double happiness!” Their laughter buzzed around my ears like flies. So annoying. And my mind at this moment was completely filled with the knowledge I desperately memorized last night. It was time for the inspection. I nervously stepped up, and the proctor dumped everything out of my bag one by one. Even the small tissue packages were opened and inspected one by one. “No problems. Go in.” Hearing this, I felt like I’d received a pardon from death. Chloe and her group behind me also breathed a sigh of relief, queuing up for the proctor to inspect them. “What’s this?” The proctor opened a tissue package, casually picked up one sheet, and asked with a frown. Chloe’s back went cold. “Proctor, this is a personal hygiene product…” “That’s not right, is it?” The proctor unfolded the packaging paper. Neat handwriting densely covered the entire surface

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “401066”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I came home for the holidays, and as I pushed open the door, I was still imagining the surprised expressions on Mom and Dad’s faces when they saw the gifts I brought. But the house was empty, with only the faint sound of snoring coming from my room. I thought my mother was taking an afternoon nap and tiptoed to push open the door, only to find a strange woman lying on my bed. I was so startled I stepped back and bumped into the doorframe. The woman woke up with a start and looked at me impatiently. “Who are you? Why are you barging into someone else’s room?” “This is my room,” I said angrily. She sneered. “You must be Erin, right? Your parents said this room is mine now.” Just then, the door opened and my parents walked in carrying groceries. When they saw me, they showed no surprise. Instead, they said in unison, “Why did you come back?” My mother set down the groceries, walked over to the woman’s side, took her hand, and her first words left me completely frozen in place.

“Erin, have you gotten acquainted with Rosie?” My mother spoke with a gentle expression, her gaze falling on the woman behind me. I was furious. “Acquainted with what? How could you rent out my room without my permission?” What was even more suffocating was that she was even using my sheets and blankets. The thought made me shudder. When I first fell asleep groggily and smelled the perfume scent on the blanket, I thought it was from the laundry detergent, but it turned out to be… But my mother suddenly took my hand and placed it on the woman’s hand, smiling as she spoke. “You two are going to spend your whole lives together anyway, so it’s good for Rosie to get to know you in advance.” I looked at the woman’s scrutinizing gaze and quickly pulled my hand away in alarm, staring at my mother in disbelief. “What are you talking about?! What do you mean spending our whole lives together?” My father, sitting on the side, took a sip of tea and glanced at me. “Is this how you talk to your mother?!” There was even a hint of disappointment in his tone. “If you hadn’t been fooling around out there all this time and refusing to find a partner, would your mother be this anxious?” “Rosie has promised us she’ll treat you well. Just get along with her and don’t make your mother and me worry.” I finally understood. This wasn’t a tenant at all—they had taken it upon themselves to find me a girlfriend! I spoke with some exasperation. “The company is at a critical stage right now. Where do I have time to date?” “Can you stop making decisions for me?!” Since college, I had teamed up with classmates to start a business. Over these years, it had developed rapidly and had already become a leading force in the city. The woman’s scrutinizing gaze swept over me from head to toe as she spoke with understanding. “Mr. Collins, Mrs. Collins, don’t be angry. Erin just needs some time to adjust.” Hearing her form of address made my vision go black, but my parents couldn’t stop smiling. However, when their gaze turned to me, it instantly darkened. “Look how sensible Rosie is?! You should be grateful she’s interested in you!” “And she’s a big boss at Sterling Corporation, a major company in the city! Not like you, making three thousand a month and acting all proud about it!” I suddenly laughed and began examining the woman’s face carefully. How did I not know that the company’s CEO had changed from me to her? She mistook this for a change in my attitude, and her spine straightened noticeably. “Erin, I heard from your mother that you just do odd jobs—lots of work for little money.” “After we get married, you won’t need to work anymore. I’ll transfer money to you on time every month.” I was completely baffled. How could someone shamelessly take credit like this? I didn’t have time to argue with them and spoke calmly. “I don’t care what you’ve agreed to between yourselves. I’m giving you two choices right now.” “First, have this woman get out of my room and I’ll pretend nothing happened. Second, I’ll call the police to have her removed from this room, and I’ll never come back to this house again.” Before I could finish speaking, my father suddenly stood up and slapped me across the face. My cheek instantly burned with pain. “You bastard!” “We found you someone with such good conditions and you dare chase her away?! I’m telling you right now—you’re getting married whether you like it or not!” I stared at my sister’s and brother’s rooms and suddenly spoke. “Fine, then can you explain why you’re only pressuring me to get married quickly?” “Is it because my good-for-nothing brother Brian needs money to get married and buy a house? Or is it because my sister Sophie, who has absolutely no artistic talent, needs more money for her living expenses abroad?” Just that one sentence left my parents speechless, their faces turning the color of liver. “Erin, are you asking for a beating?!” A familiar roar came from outside the door.

Brian kicked the door open wearing thousand-dollar designer shoes and kicked me in the stomach. I didn’t have time to react and fell to the floor. The pain in my abdomen made me instinctively frown. Brian sat down on the sofa with a swagger, looking down at me. “What do you mean freeloading? Don’t you know you were born to be my servant?” “What’s wrong with me spending the money you earn? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?” “Even though you won’t get to use the title ‘brother-in-law,’ Rosie is doing you a favor by being interested in you. Don’t be ungrateful!” I felt nothing inside because I had already become numb over the past dozen years or so. Everything changed completely from the moment Brian was born. At first, my parents were always afraid of neglecting Sophie because of my birth, so they put more attention on her. I understood that. But after Brian was born, the favoritism I expected never came. Instead, both Sophie and Brian received equal love. Only I became the person who shouldn’t exist in this family. They could spend tens of thousands enrolling Sophie in piano lessons she had no talent for, but wouldn’t buy me a pair of fifteen-dollar shoes. They could take Brian to the Maldives on vacation, but made me give up the top high school I got into to attend a suburban school with cheaper tuition. I fought, I made a scene. The result was not getting lunch money for a whole week during my school days. The four of them dined elegantly at five-star restaurants while I split one bun into three meals. After starting college, all the money I earned from part-time jobs was taken to buy game credits for Brian and new dresses for Sophie. So I never mentioned a word about my startup to them. Yet to outsiders, I became the most antisocial, least promising son in their mouths. Seeing how my parents didn’t refute anything Brian said, I knew that keeping it hidden back then was absolutely the right choice. “Great, since you like her so much, why don’t you marry her?” “You really today…” Brian’s veins bulged instantly as he stood up to hit me, but my mother stopped him in time with a look. Rosie looked at me on the floor with disgust that my mother easily caught. She immediately ordered me. “Erin, you’ve really gone too far today. Apologize to Rosie right now.” Rosie glanced at me on the floor and spoke indifferently. “It’s fine, Mrs. Collins. You all explain things to Erin first. I’ll come back another time.” The change in her form of address instantly made my parents’ expressions change. With that, she went straight back to the bedroom to pack her things and left. “Erin! Are you satisfied now?!” My mother was so angry she grabbed the glass beside her and threw it at me. I dodged by tilting my head. “This is a catch you couldn’t find with a lantern, and you had to drive her away to be happy?!” “You’ve gotten bold after mixing around outside for a few years? If you’re so capable, don’t come back to this house! This house was bought by your old man!” My parents sang the same tune, glaring at me furiously. I stared at their rage and realized I could no longer find even a trace of the memories from my childhood. The mother who used to tell me bedtime stories, the father who would run several miles to bring me my favorite cupcakes—they were all gone. Never to be found again. “Fine, I’ll leave right now.” With that, I turned and went back to my bedroom to pack. Looking around, even I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. In this tiny bedroom converted from a storage room, the things that belonged to me could be counted on one hand. The textbooks on the desk were Sophie’s hand-me-downs. The desk lamp was one Brian had thrown to me after buying a new one. Even the few scattered pieces of clothing in the closet were all hand-me-downs from them. My bedroom was dark. It wasn’t spacious and bright like Sophie’s room, which could fit an expensive piano. It wasn’t customized like Brian’s room with floor-to-ceiling windows. The only thing that kept me from seeing cement walls when I turned over in bed was the cheap stickers I had put up for a few dollars during my school days. Erin, oh Erin, how pitiful you are. As I simply gathered some of my few personal belongings, an expensive handbag suddenly appeared before my eyes, and a voice so gentle it could drip water spoke in my ear. “Erin, if anyone bullies you, tell Sophie. Don’t be impulsive.”

Sophie’s pretty little face appeared before me, her eyes full of concern. This was her usual tactic. She never played the villain in front of me, yet time and again left me mired in trouble. In middle school, when local thugs cornered me in an alley demanding protection money, Sophie walked past the alley without batting an eye, completely ignoring me. When I got home, I was beaten severely by my parents. The reason was that Sophie saw me bullying classmates at school instead of studying. That night, she cried and begged me to forgive her. “I’m so sorry. I just saw it wrong that day and shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.” I thought it was really a misunderstanding and didn’t take it to heart. Later in high school, the night before tuition was due, she suddenly proposed wanting to study abroad on an exchange program. My spot at the top city high school paved her way across the ocean. She always cried saying she didn’t know, she never expected it. She always smiled saying, “I’ll protect you.” Later still, my college application was secretly changed from the capital to this city. She hugged me with understanding. “It’s okay. At least this city is close to the port. Sophie will fly back to see you whenever she has time.” So under her protection, I was left battered and bruised. It wasn’t until these past few years that I belatedly realized how foolish I had been. Now, I had no interest in playing along with her act anymore and spoke coldly. “No one’s bullying me. I want to leave on my own.” “Please move aside.” In just an instant, her eyes filled with tears as she spoke pitifully. “Do you hate even Sophie now?” Hearing her crying, the whole family instantly rushed in. Brian frantically began wiping Sophie’s tears. “Erin, are you sick? My sister shows concern for you and that’s wrong?!” “As expected, people like you were never meant to be loved!” “My sister”—those two words instantly separated me from this family. Or rather, I had never been part of it to begin with. “Oh Sophie, don’t cry. My precious daughter, it breaks my heart.” My mother lovingly wiped Sophie’s tears, her movements as gentle as if handling porcelain. My father’s accusations arrived on schedule. “Nothing good happens when you come back!” My face was expressionless. No more tears would flow from my eyes. I spoke coldly. “You’re all right, so please move aside. I need to leave.” Just as I reached the door, my mother’s weary voice came from behind. “Stay one more night. We’re attending someone’s wedding tomorrow.” I didn’t look back. “You can go without me.” My mother’s lips moved slightly as she spoke that person’s name. My shoulders trembled violently. After a long moment, I made my decision. “I’ll stay at a hotel tonight.” Back at the hotel, I called my assistant. “Bring me a formal suit to the York Hotel.” Her life event—I didn’t want to treat it carelessly. Looking at the things I’d brought from home, I added another sentence. “Also, help me investigate something. As soon as possible…” Inside the Grandview Hotel, Sophie held her mother’s hand with a worried expression. “Do you think he’ll come?” “Don’t worry. For that person, there’s no way he won’t come.” Brian also chimed in. “Exactly. He’s obligated to come, Sophie. Stop worrying about him.” Indeed, I arrived at the banquet as expected, though my heart was filled with anxiety. Would she still be willing to see me? Was she doing well? When that familiar face smiled and took my hand, all my nervous emotions finally relaxed. “How have you been lately?” Claire sat in her wheelchair, her warm body temperature transmitting from her palm. “I’m really fine now. You really don’t need to blame yourself for what happened back then.” If my adolescence was dark, then my cousin Claire was undoubtedly a ray of light in my dim times. Back then, everyone said I was no good, said I was antisocial, said I was rigid. Only she would smile and stroke my hair comfortingly. “No, I think Erin is great, really great.” But later, the school equipment room caught fire for no reason. I was trapped inside, and she rushed into the flames to push me out. She herself was pinned down by falling shelves, crushing both her legs. Later, she transferred away from my hometown, and I never saw her again. All these years, I persisted in transferring money to her family every month to make up for my mistake. The day after she transferred, I received a message. “Erin, don’t blame yourself. I don’t hold it against you.” My thoughts returned to the present. She was still as gentle and virtuous as she had been through the years. I couldn’t help but wonder who was lucky enough to marry her. Unexpectedly, her first question left me dumbfounded. “Erin, is the bride treating you well?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “401065”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

After I was assaulted, I reported it to the police immediately. But on the day of the trial, the one defending the accused was my lawyer husband, Ethan Price. As soon as court was in session, he directly played the video of my assault. Then he spoke, calm and measured: “Ms. Hart, on the night of the incident, did you deliberately wear no underwear and put on a deep V-neck red dress with a thigh-high slit to seduce my client?” “Did you knowingly drink ten glasses of hard liquor despite being aware of your low alcohol tolerance?” “Is it true that your inability to conceive due to your chaotic private life has caused you psychological distortion, leading you to try to destroy an innocent 18-year-old college student through false accusations?” Every eye in the courtroom stabbed at me like needles. In the gallery, Ethan’s first love, Lily Smith, cried pitifully, as if she were the victim. “Clara, Jason is my brother! I know you’re jealous of me, but you can’t strip naked to seduce him just to get revenge on me, then accuse him of rape!” Ethan gently pressed her trembling shoulder. I sat in the witness stand, hands and feet ice cold. Seven years ago, when I was sexually harassed, Ethan defended me in court: “Should a woman be assaulted just because she drinks, wears a dress, or is alone?” Back then, he was righteously indignant. But now, every word he spoke was a knife stabbing into me.

The moment the big screen lit up, all the blood in my body went cold. On the screen was a surveillance screenshot from the hotel corridor. In the image, I wore a red dress, exposing large areas of skin. My steps were unsteady, half my body leaning against Jason Smith. Most glaring of all, from this angle, my hand appeared to be actively draped over his shoulder. The gallery erupted in an uproar. Ethan raised his hand, pointing at the screen. “Please observe, ladies and gentlemen. Ms. Hart not only failed to scream for help, her body was even cooperating with my client’s movements.” “This is clearly playing hard to get.” My throat tightened, filled with the taste of blood. “I didn’t! I was drugged. I didn’t even have the strength to speak.” “I said no.” Ethan looked up at me, then quickly averted his gaze. His voice turned cold, as if forcefully suppressing his emotions. “Drugged?” “Ms. Hart, a woman dressed like a prostitute in the middle of the night, drunk out of her mind, voluntarily entering a hotel with a young man.” “What gives you the right to claim you were forced?” A roar exploded in my ears. I felt like I was being stripped naked in public. Ethan’s body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment. His gaze fell on my ashen face. In that instant, I saw his Adam’s apple bob. As if he finally realized what he had just said. But soon, he looked away. He remained the calm, ruthlessly effective defense attorney. I bit my lip hard, my mouth filling with the taste of blood. That red dress was a gift from Lily. She had said, “Clara, you always dress too plainly. Tonight is Ethan’s celebration dinner. You should dazzle him.” I hadn’t wanted to wear it. It was Ethan who personally helped me zip it up. He had laughed softly then. “My wife looks most beautiful in a red dress. Clara, don’t always worry about people looking at you. You’re gorgeous.” But now, he said I dressed like a streetwalker. I looked at him, suddenly finding him utterly foreign. Like someone was forcing the nightmare from seven years ago back onto me. Back then, I was a newcomer in the workplace, nearly sexually assaulted by my boss. When everyone was saying I must have been “seducing my boss to climb the ladder.” It was Ethan who personally told me it wasn’t my fault. The opposing lawyer had pointed at my nose. “Ms. Hart, why didn’t you scream immediately?” “Why didn’t you flee the office at once?” “Were you actually just being coy?” It was him who stood up to shield me. “Objection!” “You cannot deny the harm my client suffered just because she didn’t resist in the way you imagine.” That day, I cried uncontrollably in court. Because finally, someone was telling everyone. I wasn’t at fault. I was just afraid. But today, the perpetrator had become his first love’s younger brother. So Ethan personally forced the words “you deserved it” down on me.

I looked at him, my voice soft. “Ethan, you didn’t used to say things like this.” His fingers holding the documents paused. Just for an instant. The next second, he pulled out a file. *Psychiatric Intervention Records.* My heart plummeted. Those were my psychological treatment records from seven years ago. The wound I least wanted anyone to see. Those nights when I trembled, screamed, bathed repeatedly, scrubbing my skin until it bled. I couldn’t let men near me, couldn’t enter any enclosed space. It was Ethan who took me to see a psychologist. Every time we left the therapy room, he would hold me in his arms, kissing my forehead again and again. “Don’t be afraid, Clara.” “I’ll protect you for the rest of my life.” Back then, I had entrusted him with my most raw, most broken self. But now, he was tearing open my scars and displaying them before everyone. Ethan opened the file, his voice devastatingly calm. “Your Honor, Ms. Hart underwent long-term psychiatric intervention seven years ago.” “This included stress reactions to male contact and severe victim tendencies.” My blood instantly ran cold. “You’re lying…” My voice trembled. “Those are my private records. How could you…” Ethan didn’t look at me. “She repeatedly described in her sessions how she would mistake normal male contact for assault even when there was no actual danger.” “Therefore, we have reason to suspect that on the night of the incident, influenced by alcohol, past trauma, and marital stress, she experienced cognitive distortion.” The gallery exploded. “Cognitive distortion? So she has mental problems?” “Oh my god, she’s had this kind of case before.” “Isn’t this just victim delusion?” My body began to shake. Ethan finally looked up at me. His fingers gripped the case file so tightly his knuckles turned white. But the next second, Lily sobbed softly. He turned back to the judge. “Furthermore, we have evidence that Ms. Hart has had long-standing conflicts with Ms. Lily.” He pulled out another set of materials. “Ms. Lily was repeatedly verbally attacked by Ms. Hart. Ms. Hart believed that Ms. Smith was destroying her marriage.” “Especially after learning of Ms. Smith’s pregnancy, Ms. Hart’s emotional instability became even more severe.” The big screen displayed several screenshots of conversations between Lily and me. Context removed, only my seemingly harsh words remained. [Stay away from Ethan.] [You know he’s married.] [Lily, what exactly do you want?] Ethan read them out coldly. “This is sufficient proof that Ms. Hart harbors intense hostility toward Ms. Lily.” I looked at those screenshots, my whole body going cold. “It wasn’t like that…” “She was the one who sent me photos of her and Ethan watching fireworks together in the middle of the night.” “She told me children can’t grow up without fathers.” “She said Ethan would eventually come back to her.” Lily immediately shook her head, crying. “I never said that! Clara, why are you slandering me like this?” She covered her belly with one hand, tears streaming down her face. “I only told you that children are innocent. I never thought about taking Ethan away!” “Jason and I lost our parents when we were young. He’s my only family.” “Now I’m pregnant and have no other relatives to depend on. I’m just so scared.” Ethan continued his questioning: “Did you publicly insult the child in Ms. Lily’s womb at the hospital prenatal examination area?” I clenched my hands. That time, Lily had told me Ethan was in trouble. When I arrived at the hospital, I discovered Ethan was accompanying her for a prenatal checkup. She leaned on Ethan’s shoulder, gently touching her belly. “Ethan, do you think the baby will look more like you or more like me?” I stood there like a joke. I only asked her, “Lily, is this really necessary?” But now, all of this had become evidence of my jealousy. I looked toward the gallery. My mother sat there. Her face was frighteningly pale, her eyes terribly red. She, such a strong woman, had held me and cried until she couldn’t stand after that case seven years ago. Later, when Ethan appeared, he knelt before my mother and promised. “Ma’am, I will protect Clara. I won’t let anyone hurt her again.” But today, she watched as the man who had promised to protect me personally stripped me bare for everyone to see. My mother suddenly stood up. “Ethan, are you even human?” “Seven years ago, how did you promise me?” “Now you’re using her medical records, using her wounds, using her inability to have children, to exonerate someone else?” “Ethan, how can you do this?” Ethan’s face instantly went white. He stood there, unable to say a word. I looked at my mother’s back, my heart aching in waves.

After the first trial session ended, my mother held me tightly, helping me out of the courthouse. Reporters blocked the entrance, flashbulbs blinding me. Microphones shoved into my face one after another. “Ms. Hart, did you deliberately strip naked to seduce Lily’s brother because you were jealous she’s pregnant with Attorney Price’s child?” “I heard you weren’t even wearing underwear that night. Are you a sex addict? Sexually frustrated?” “Seven years ago you used this kind of thing to create hype. Now you’re trying to blackmail a 20-year-old male college student. Isn’t this false accusation?” “Is this your mother? Does she know how promiscuous you are?” I was jostled and stumbled. Someone took advantage of the chaos to grab my sleeve. The fabric tore, exposing my shoulder and a large portion of my chest. Countless flashbulbs went crazy, accompanied by men’s suggestive laughter and whistles. “Wow, so slutty, no wonder the guy couldn’t help himself!” Nausea churned in my stomach. My mother frantically shielded me, covering my body. “Get away! You bastards! Are you even human?” In the chaos, someone shoved her hard. My mother’s forehead hit the sharp corner of a pillar at the courthouse entrance. Blood pooled on the ground. In the end, only the intervention of court security allowed us to leave. That night, the doorbell rang. Outside stood Ethan and a pregnant Lily. The moment I saw them, my mother’s expression changed. “What are you doing here!” Lily looked at me, tears in her eyes. “Clara, I’m apologizing on my brother’s behalf. But Jason is only 20 years old. He’s never even been in a relationship. He really thought when you dressed like that you were… lonely…” “He said when he touched you, you responded to him. You didn’t resist at all! How can you pull up your pants and call the police, trying to ruin his whole life?” My head exploded. I stared at her. “What did you say? I was drugged, my whole body was in spasms, and you say it was consensual?” Lily, frightened, burrowed into Ethan’s arms. “Ethan, I’m scared… Is Clara’s mania acting up again…” My mother slapped Lily across the face. “Shut your mouth!” Ethan pulled Lily behind him, looking at my mother with a darkened expression. “Lily is pregnant. You shouldn’t have hit her.” Then he looked at me and sighed. “Clara, drop the charges.” Hearing those three words, my heart was still pierced. Though I had guessed it would come to this, hearing it aloud still hurt. “As long as you sign to drop the charges, we won’t pursue charges of false accusation against you.” “If you keep making trouble, it won’t benefit you. You can’t handle it.” I looked at him, suddenly finding this man before me very strange. “Ethan, are you worried I can’t handle it?” “Or are you threatening me that if I don’t drop the charges, you’ll use public opinion to destroy me?” His expression shifted slightly. “That’s not what I meant.” My mother pointed at the door, her voice trembling. “Get out! Both of you, get out of my house!” She clutched her chest, her body swaying. I screamed and caught her. Ethan also instinctively stepped forward, wanting to help. I looked up sharply and pushed him away. “Ethan, don’t touch my mother!” He froze in place. My mother leaned against me, her face deathly pale, forehead covered in cold sweat. I frantically dialed for an ambulance. Ethan stood in the doorway, showing panic for the first time. “Clara, I…” I held my mother, trembling all over. “Take Lily and get out of my house! If anything happens to my mother, I’ll never forgive you!” Ethan’s lips moved. But in the end, he couldn’t say a word. My mother’s hands grew colder and colder. I suddenly realized Ethan hadn’t come to persuade me to drop the charges. He had come to push the last person protecting me to her death too.

The next day, as I stayed with my mother at the hospital, the trending topics exploded. When I opened my phone, my name was everywhere. [Renowned Attorney’s Wife is a Sex-Addicted Lunatic!] [Infertile Woman Jealous of Husband’s Pregnant First Love Seduces and Falsely Accuses 18-Year-Old Boy!] Every word was like a nail, driven into my body one by one. Someone had dug up photos from that night. Red dress. Deep V-neck. High slit. The photos were maliciously enlarged. People circled my chest and legs. Adding filthy captions, turning them into memes. [This slut’s dress is slit up to her crotch. Bet she wasn’t wearing panties underneath.] [Attorney Price looks at this barren whore every day. No wonder he went back to his first love.] [Poor Lily, pregnant and still having to deal with revenge from this crazy bitch.] The torrent of obscene abuse online continued until the day of the second trial. That day, the sky was so overcast it seemed about to collapse. Lily still sat in the front row. Jason sat in the defendant’s seat, looking like an innocent young man awaiting judgment. Ethan stood up, even calmer than the last time, and more ruthless. On the big screen played private footage from my therapy sessions. From three months ago, me leaning in his arms, tearfully dissecting my deepest pain: “Ethan, ever since Lily came back, I feel like I’m going to lose you… I can’t give you children. Will you stop wanting me…?” This moment of complete vulnerability and dependence I had shown him became the iron-clad evidence he used to exonerate a rapist. Ethan held a laser pointer, aiming at the screen showing me in tears. “Your Honor! Ms. Hart suffers from severe jealous delusions and depression!” “Because of her own infertility, she harbors deep resentment toward the pregnant Ms. Lily. On the night of the incident, she deliberately wore a revealing deep V-neck red dress, voluntarily drank ten glasses of hard liquor, and used the effects of alcohol and psychiatric medication to seduce my client’s brother into a room!” “All of this was a carefully planned scheme to get revenge on Ms. Lily!” I sat in the witness stand, my throat full of the taste of blood. They examined my hemline, my womb, my shattered psychiatric records with a magnifying glass. But not one person asked me how much pain, how much despair I felt when I was pinned to the bed and my clothes were torn. Ethan coldly closed the case file. “The defense respectfully requests that the court fully consider the instability and potential subjective malice in Ms. Hart’s testimony, and dismiss all accusations from this woman!” Potential subjective malice. In the gallery, Lily covered her belly and let out a long sigh of relief. A victorious smile curved her lips. I closed my eyes. During the recess before the verdict was announced, I went to the restroom. Just as I reached the corridor corner, Jason came from the other direction. He stopped in front of me, his voice very low. “Clara, your husband is even more impressive than I thought. I slept with you, and not only isn’t he angry, he’s getting me acquitted.” Blood rushed to my head. I raised my hand to hit him, but he immediately stepped back. The next second, Lily appeared. “Jason!” She pulled Jason behind her, looking at me with wariness all over her face. “Clara, are you trying to assault someone at the courthouse?” I bit my lip hard to keep from vomiting. The recess ended. The court was about to announce the verdict. Everyone stood, waiting for the judge’s final decision. Just then, Ethan’s phone on the desk vibrated. It was his most trusted private investigator. He glanced down. [Attorney Price! New surveillance footage has been found! Ms. Hart was absolutely not willing! She was force-fed a strong sedative and dragged in! Ms. Lily was in the room… She personally undressed Ms. Hart!] Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes boring into Lily.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “401064”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

When I started my business, my girlfriend Audrey deliberately leaked trade secrets to my competitor, leaving me bankrupt. The next moment, Audrey became Maurice’s woman—my rival’s woman. Drowning in debt, I stood on a rooftop preparing to end it all when Polka, who had secretly loved me for years, found me and handed over all her family’s savings. “Benjamin, in my eyes, you’ll always be the most outstanding person.” Seven years later, my company made a comeback, and I was about to complete the acquisition of Maurice’s company. But the night before the signing, my warehouse caught fire unexpectedly, reducing all the inventory to ashes. In my hospital room, I overheard a conversation between Polka and my ex-girlfriend Audrey outside the door. “You’re ruthless. You dared to set fire to the warehouse. Weren’t you afraid he’d burn to death inside?” “If he died, he died. I’ve always loved Maurice. If I hadn’t lost that draw to you back then, I wouldn’t have had to stomach that face for seven years.” I looked at my burned hands. What I thought was sharing hardship together turned out to be nothing but wishful thinking on my part. Since you all care so much about Maurice, don’t blame me for what comes next.

I closed my eyes, my heart seized by an invisible hand. Arson. A draw. Those seven years of mutual devotion were nothing but her reluctant choice after losing a bet. “If I hadn’t married him and constantly monitored his movements, you think Maurice could have had it so smooth? I’ve been clearing obstacles for him!” A metallic sweetness surged in my throat. I laughed silently, my burned hands wrapped in gauze, without even the strength to clench a fist. Polka hadn’t noticed I was awake and continued pouring out her disgust and suffering from all these years. “This fire—don’t you understand? I couldn’t let him acquire SUN. That’s Maurice’s everything!” After she finished speaking, there was a long silence from Audrey’s side, only the sound of breathing. “Alright, you should go. And remember, even though I married Benjamin, I’ll never give up Maurice!” After Audrey left, Polka pushed open the door, her face wearing perfectly calculated concern. “Benjamin? Are you awake? How do you feel?” I looked away, avoiding her hand reaching to check my forehead, my voice hoarse. “Strange. Every time Maurice and I reach the final step, something always goes wrong.” “Maybe… it’s just fate. In business, who can say for certain?” Polka’s hand paused mid-air before withdrawing. I pulled my lips into a humorless arc, my gaze turning to the window. “Maybe Maurice has too many devoted followers who can’t stand to see him lose? The fire department is already investigating the warehouse fire.” Polka chose her words carefully, trying to soothe my emotions. I closed my eyes, my heart ice-cold. “Polka, what about you? Don’t you think it’s quite a coincidence?” “I…” Polka choked, her lips moving several times before finally giving up on defending herself, her brow furrowing tightly. “Benjamin, what are you trying to say? Are you suspecting me? I’m your wife!” “I’m just asking casually. Why are you getting so worked up?”

I looked at her calmly, watching how she instantly bristled with hostility. Polka’s expression turned ugly. After a long moment, she forced out a cold snort through clenched teeth. “If you’re incompetent, don’t go around being paranoid!” She grew more agitated as she spoke, her face contorting. That face I’d known for seven years now looked frighteningly unfamiliar. I finally became certain—Polka had never loved me. These seven years were a complete and utter fraud. I remained silent, but Polka was clearly dissatisfied with my silence. She stood up, walked to the bedside, and looked down at me. “Benjamin, I need you to promise me that from now on, you’ll behave yourself and stop chasing unrealistic dreams! As for our marriage, some things are better left unsaid. It’s not good for anyone.” “I should stop dreaming? Why should I?! Once I sign that contract, SUN will be mine! As for our marriage… Polka, do you really think there’s anything left between us?” I clenched my fist, the burned skin sending searing pain through me. “I’m telling you! Destroying Maurice is my entire purpose! If not this time, then next time. If not this seven years, then the next seven years!” “You—” Polka froze, then crossed her arms and let out a low, cold laugh. “Very well. I was going to keep up the act a bit longer. Benjamin, since you still want to win, you never will.” My heart tightened. Her laugh sent chills down my spine. Only then did I notice that this hospital room’s facilities far exceeded those of ordinary hospitals. There were even unidentified oil paintings hanging on the walls. This was an expensive private sanatorium. “What are you planning?!” Before I could finish speaking, Polka knocked on the door three times. A man in a white coat with a sinister demeanor walked in. “Miss Polka, what are your orders?” She took a document the man handed her, glanced at it twice, her gaze falling on my gauze-wrapped hands, her tone calm. “Benjamin, a renowned entrepreneur, suffered nerve damage from the fire, resulting in permanent tremors in both hands. He can no longer perform precision work. The facility has done all it can. Understood?” My blood froze instantly. I stared at her in disbelief. “This… this might present procedural risks.” The man called “Dr. Polo” hesitated, but after Polka mentioned “original shares in Maurice’s biotech company,” the doubt in his eyes vanished. I understood their transaction. A chill rose from the soles of my feet. I used all my strength to grab the glass water pitcher from the table and hurl it toward the window. The next second, Polka had already lunged at me, pinning down my arm. After seven years together, she understood the intent behind my every move. So she also knew exactly how to cripple me from the root. “Benjamin, stop struggling. You can’t escape.” Polka looked at me, a moment of hesitation flashing in her eyes. I roared: “You lunatic! I’m your husband!” I struggled violently, but my weakened post-fire body had no strength. The wounds tore open again in my struggle. Several nurses rushed in, expertly producing restraint straps. “Let me go! This is a crime!” My curses and struggles only resulted in tighter restraints, until cold leather straps bound my wrists and ankles. I gave up resisting, my voice hoarse. “Polka! I was wrong! I surrender! I’ll never appear before you again, okay? Let me go! I promise I’ll disappear completely!” Polka crossed her arms, watching my breakdown for a long time before shaking her head. “Benjamin, I don’t believe you. I know you too well. If you can persist in something for seven years, you won’t let it go now.” At her signal, the man approached me with a syringe. Before consciousness was pulled away, I abandoned all questioning and pleading, staring at her intently. “Polka, I’ve always given you… everything.” In my daze, the resolve on Polka’s face showed a crack, but it quickly returned to cold indifference. “Sorry, Benjamin. This is the last time.”

Before darkness swallowed me, my final thought was that I would never love her again. Seven years of marriage. When I was at my lowest, she had extended her hand to me. But that hand, from the very beginning, was meant to push me into a deeper abyss. When I woke again, the uncontrollable subtle tremor in my right hand became my only sensation. Despair, like icy seawater, instantly submerged me. Polka had actually done it. She had once been my most capable assistant, but now she’d destroyed my hands. Tears fell silently, yet the hatred in my heart burned hot. The aftereffects of the neurotoxin began several hours later—an aching numbness and stabbing pain that seemed to drill out from within my bones, more tormenting than the burns. I was drenched in sweat from the pain, biting my lip hard, staring blankly at the ceiling. At one point, I even considered ending it all. “Well, well, you’re awake?” A familiar voice shattered the deathly silence of the hospital room. I slowly turned my head. Maurice walked in, looking me up and down before shaking his head, his face wearing fake sympathy while his eyes held nothing but a victor’s arrogance. “Benjamin, look at yourself now.” “Seven years, and you couldn’t even keep one woman. Now you’re just a cripple.” “In love, you lost to me. In business, same thing! For the rest of your life, you’ll never beat me.” “What did you say?” I spoke hoarsely. It took a while for my numb brain to process his words. The next moment, fury destroyed my reason. “Get out! Get out! Don’t let me see you again! You bastards! I won’t let you get away with this! Get out! All of you!” My hysteria clearly pleased Maurice. He even laughed out loud. “See, Benjamin? Your wife would do anything for me. Though in your current state, you probably can’t comprehend my happiness anymore.” “Get out!” I used my left hand to pull out the IV needle from the back of my hand, grabbing everything I could reach from the bedside table and hurling it at him. Water cups, fruit plates, books, one after another. But I’d overestimated my broken body. After just a few throws, I’d exhausted all my strength and collapsed on the bed, the excruciating pain in my right hand rendering me speechless. Maurice continued his taunts, but as he spoke, the fury in my heart gradually extinguished, leaving only dead numbness. Yes, I’d already lost completely. What chance did I have to turn things around? “Why aren’t you talking?! Benjamin! Say something! Weren’t you always so arrogant? Didn’t they call you a business genius? Why so quiet now?!” Maurice froze. My sudden calm denied him the sense of superiority he’d expected. Frustrated, he tried to provoke me again. “Why aren’t you talking, you trembling cripple?! Weren’t you just throwing things at me? Now you’re playing dead?” I weakly threw a pillow at him with my left hand, barely managing to force out “Get out!” That feather-light pillow landed at his feet, but Maurice acted as if he’d found the perfect excuse. He suddenly stepped back exaggeratedly, as if struck by tremendous force, looking at me in shock. “Benjamin?! How could you do this! I just came to check on you out of kindness!” Just then, the sound of high heels came from outside. Hearing his shout, the footsteps immediately quickened. Audrey pushed open the door. Seeing the mess on the floor, she immediately glared at me viciously. Polka, who entered a step behind, also froze. “Maurice?! He dared to lay hands on you?!” Watching the two of them fuss over Maurice, I twisted my lips into a hoarse, miserable laugh. “Benjamin! Have you lost your mind?! Get on your knees and apologize to Maurice right now!” Infuriated by my laughter, Polka rushed forward, grabbed my shoulder, and dragged me from the bed, disregarding my injuries. “Kneel down and apologize to Maurice right now!” Audrey helped Maurice up at this point. She walked over and stepped on my still-bleeding left hand, saying simply: “Kneel!” I fell onto the cold floor, the pain in my hand and the nerve pain in my right hand intertwining, the agony turning my vision black. Seeing my silence, Audrey bent down, grabbed my hair, and forced me to look up at them. “Can’t you understand human speech?! Kneel before my man right now!” They humiliated me in the cruelest way possible, until I was covered in cold sweat, lying weakly on the floor, my breathing becoming faint. Only then did this farce end. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but for a brief moment, I seemed to see reluctance and wavering in Polka’s eyes. But it no longer mattered. At this point, whatever I’d done in the past, I’d received my punishment. Right now, I just wanted to leave them, to leave this hell! When I woke again, the hospital room had been cleaned up and my hands had been re-treated. Sunlight through the window warmed my face, but I only felt a sense of disorientation, as if everything before had been nothing but an absurd dream. I thought this was my chance to escape, but Polka soon returned. She carried a bag containing several brand-new devices. “Awake? Try these.”

She placed a set of weighted metal utensils and a grip-assist writing tool on the bedside table. Her expression had softened considerably, her tone carrying a hint of regret. “Look at you. Why suffer like this just to be stubborn?” As she spoke, she picked up the grip tool, trying to fit it on my hand. “If you just behave, I’ll take good care of you from now on.” I jerked my hand back, my stomach churning. Just seeing her filled me with physical disgust. “Get that away!” Polka’s patience seemed exhausted by my rejection. She angrily slammed the items on the table. “Benjamin, I’m kindly finding rehabilitation tools for you. Can you stop being so ungrateful?!” I closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down. When I spoke again, my voice was emotionless. “Polka, let’s make a deal. I’m willing to sign a lifetime non-compete agreement and transfer all remaining assets of my company to you or Maurice. I have only one requirement. Let me go.” I was negotiating my freedom as if it were my final business transaction. Polka seemed stunned by this, apparently not expecting me to propose such a “deal.” After a long moment, she shook her head. “Benjamin, this isn’t just to reassure him. It’s because you owe Maurice.” “I owe him? What do I owe him?!” I asked in confusion. The corner of Polka’s mouth curled into mockery. She said I must have forgotten such important matters. She told me that years ago, my first bucket of gold, the business model that changed my fate, was a proposal Maurice had stayed up countless nights creating. It was I who used improper means to steal it, which led to my later meteoric rise. “So your current state is just things returning to their rightful owner! Stop acting innocent. You almost fooled me again!” I paused slightly, then recalled those events, a trace of desolate smile appearing on my face. I finally understood where their bone-deep hatred came from. In their eyes, I’d been a thief from the very beginning. That business opportunity back then was indeed public information. I was just faster and more daring than him. But explaining now was meaningless. For a crippled man, all merit and fault lost the value of defense. Seeing I no longer argued, Polka let out a cold laugh. “So Benjamin, you have no right to complain! All of this is your karma!” I fell completely silent. Polka also lost interest in conversing with me and turned to leave the room. I stared blankly at her retreating figure. After a long time, I buried my face in my palms without making a sound. My life afterward became daily “rehabilitation” training. Different therapists came every day to guide me on using those assistive tools. To maintain her image as a “devoted wife,” Polka provided me with the very best of everything. I also appeared numb and compliant, just speaking less and less. Over half a month later, they finally relaxed their guard over me. I bribed a young worker from the laundry room with a stock tip guaranteed to rise. At four in the morning, I endured the aching pain in both hands and hid in a huge linen cart, leaving that prison in the bumpy ride. Finally, at the bus stop across the street, I looked back at the lit building, my eyes calm as still water. Since you all want me to disappear, I’ll grant your wish. At that moment, Maurice was at a grand celebration banquet, raising his glass high, announcing to all the guests that he’d completely defeated me. Polka stood beside him, her smile radiant. “For you, I’d do anything.” She gazed at Maurice’s profile, her eyes full of infatuation. “I know. Now we can finally be together.” Maurice responded gently, about to clink glasses with her when a shrill phone ringtone broke the intimate atmosphere. Polka impatiently pulled out her phone. Seeing the caller ID, her brow immediately furrowed. The sanatorium? What could it be? Benjamin? Thinking of him, Polka still pressed the answer button: “Hello?” “Miss Polka, this is terrible! Mr. Benjamin is gone!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “401063”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I was kidnapped at five years old. For the next eleven years, I was beaten and abused in the trafficker’s house. On the day I was rescued at sixteen, the police pushed the trafficker in front of me. “Don’t be afraid, child. He can never hurt you again!” I didn’t look at the trafficker. I slowly turned my head, staring at the kind-looking young auxiliary officer standing beside him. “Hello again… brother.” The officer froze. “Little girl, I think you’ve got the wrong person?” “That day, you were standing right next to the trafficker. You said you’d take me to find my mom.” **01** I was kidnapped at five years old. In that moldy, dark room, I was beaten and abused for eleven long years. At sixteen, I was rescued. The fluorescent lights were harsh and white, making every face in the police station look blurred. A middle-aged officer crouched in front of me, his voice gentle. “Don’t be afraid, child.” He pointed to the man curled up in the corner—the man who had raised me for eleven years and beaten me for eleven years, the human trafficker. “Identify him. He can never hurt you again!” My gaze drifted past the trafficker’s sallow face without stopping. I slowly turned my head. My eyes landed on a young officer. He wore a crisp uniform and had handsome features. He was carefully bringing me a cup of hot milk. His face radiated the kind of warmth that could melt ice and snow. “Hello again… brother,” I said, my voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping against itself. The young officer froze for a moment, then gave me a reassuring smile. “Little girl, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. My name is Ethan Harper. We’re meeting for the first time today.” The entire police station fell deathly silent. The air solidified. Even the distant sound of the printer disappeared. I stared into his eyes, speaking each word deliberately. “I haven’t mistaken you.” “Eleven years ago, at the children’s park on the west side of town, it was you.” “You lifted me down from the slide. The trafficker was standing right next to you.” “You even patted my head and said, ‘Come with me, I’ll take you to find your mom.’” The smile on Ethan’s face froze. The milk cup in his hand crashed to the polished tile floor with a clang. The milky white liquid splashed out like a shattered flower. He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed my wrist, his grip frighteningly strong. “What are you talking about—” He didn’t finish his sentence. His next movement made every officer outside the interrogation room point their guns directly at him. His other hand—the one not gripping me—shot up like lightning. He wasn’t trying to hit me or push me away. He was trying to cover my mouth. It was a pure, instinctive movement to silence me. Just like the trafficker had done countless times over the past eleven years. The cold sound of metal echoed through the room. “Don’t move!” “Ethan! Put your hands up!” An elderly but authoritative voice rang out. It was their captain, Captain Harris. Ethan’s hand froze in midair, just inches from my lips. His pupils constricted violently. Cold sweat slid down his temple, dripping onto the insignia on his police uniform. He looked at me, his eyes no longer kind but filled with the shock and malice of prey that had bitten back. At that tense moment, the interrogation room door was violently pushed open. A middle-aged couple in expensive clothes rushed in, followed by several officers trying to stop them. The woman saw me, tears instantly flooding her eyes as she rushed over to embrace me. “Anna! My Anna! Mom has finally found you!” The man’s eyes were also red. He excitedly grabbed Captain Harris’s hand, speaking incoherently. “Thank you, thank you all! Especially Officer Harper. We heard about it—he was the first one to find the lead and save our daughter!” I was held tightly by Mom. I could smell her expensive perfume. But my gaze pierced through her shoulder, still locked firmly on Ethan. My real parents had arrived. And they were thanking the demon who had personally delivered me to hell eleven years ago. Ethan slowly lowered his hand. Under everyone’s gaze, he raised both hands slowly above his head. The shock on his face had faded, replaced by a deep sense of grievance and sorrow. He looked at my parents, his voice trembling. “Sir, ma’am, I didn’t…” “I don’t know why this child would say such things.” “I really… I was just trying to save her.” My parents froze, looking at him, then at me. Mom released me, cupping my face, her brow furrowed. “Anna, did you… remember wrong?” “Officer Harper is your savior.” I looked at her worried and confused face and shook my head. Memories can blur and get confused. But some things are carved into your bones. Like how eleven years ago that afternoon, when he handed me that candy, his right hand had a shallow, crescent-shaped scar at the base of his thumb. **02** I was taken to a separate rest room. Mom stayed with me. Dad, Captain Harris, and the station leadership were outside dealing with the chaos. The door was closed, but I could hear the muffled sounds of argument outside. Mom kept wiping my face and making me drink water. Her hands were warm, but her eyes were unfamiliar. “Anna, don’t be afraid. It’s all over now.” “You’ll be home soon. Mom and Dad will never let you suffer again.” She chattered on about our future home, my room, the dresses she’d bought for me. I didn’t say a word. After a long time, the door opened. Dad and Captain Harris walked in together. Dad’s expression was grim, his brow furrowed into a deep line. Captain Harris looked serious. He pulled up a chair and sat across from me. “Child, can we talk again?” I nodded. “You said that eleven years ago, at the children’s park, Ethan Harper took you away?” “Yes.” “Are you certain?” “I’m certain.” Captain Harris was silent for a moment, then pulled out a photo from his pocket. It was Ethan’s ID photo—sunny, upright. “He’s twenty-seven years old now. Eleven years ago, he was sixteen, still a high school student.” “According to records, he was an excellent student who even won the city’s Outstanding Student award. Why would he do something like this?” I looked at that photo and shook my head. “I don’t know why he would.” “I only know it was him.” Dad finally couldn’t hold back anymore, his voice filled with suppressed fury. “Anna! How can you be so sure!” “Officer Harper found you to save you! He’s our family’s great benefactor! How can you bite the hand that feeds you?” “Did you stay with that trafficker so long that your mind… that something went wrong?” His words were like a needle, piercing my heart. It didn’t hurt. It was just very cold. I looked at him, this biological father of mine. His eyes held no trust, only suspicion and the irritation of someone eager to distance himself from trouble. “Nothing’s wrong with me,” I said. Captain Harris raised his hand, signaling Dad to stop talking. He continued, “Besides what you’ve told us, is there any other evidence? Or more specific details?” “Yes.” I closed my eyes. That afternoon eleven years ago replayed in my mind like a movie. “He was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt with a black and white Mickey Mouse print on the chest.” “He gave me a candy. It was a White Rabbit candy.” “After he handed me over to that man, the man gave him a roll of money wrapped in newspaper.” “He also said something.” Captain Harris’s eyes immediately sharpened. “What did he say?” “He said, ‘My sister is sick and I need money urgently. Don’t contact me again.’” After I finished speaking, the rest room fell into dead silence. Dad’s expression changed from anger to shock. Captain Harris stared at me for a full half minute, then stood up. “Rest here. We’ll verify this.” He and Dad walked out together. The moment the door closed, I heard Dad’s urgent voice. “Captain Harris, this… you can’t believe what this child says! She must be…” The voice grew more distant. Mom sighed and sat back down beside me. “Anna, Mom knows you’ve been wronged.” “But Officer Harper… he doesn’t seem like a bad person. And all these years he’s been excellent, with a spotless record.” “Could it be that you want to catch the bad guy so badly that you’re projecting your resentment onto him?” I didn’t answer. I just felt very tired. More tired than being beaten and working every day at the trafficker’s house. That night, my parents took me back to the “home” they had prepared for me. A huge, empty mansion. My room was pink, with a soft large bed and piles of beautiful dresses. Like a perfect princess room. But lying in that bed, I couldn’t sleep all night. The next day at noon, the doorbell rang. Mom excitedly ran to answer it. Ethan stood at the door carrying bags of nutritional supplements and fruit. He had changed out of his uniform and wore casual clothes, looking more like the boy next door. His face showed some exhaustion, but his smile remained warm. “Sir, ma’am, I came to see Anna.” My parents warmly welcomed him in, serving tea and fruit, their mouths full of gratitude and apologies. “Officer Harper, we’re so sorry. Our child doesn’t understand…” “Sir, please don’t say that.” Ethan interrupted Dad. “Anna has suffered so much. It’s completely normal for her to have some stress reactions. I don’t blame her at all.” The more magnanimous he appeared, the more guilty my parents felt. They called me out of my room. In the living room, Ethan sat on the sofa with my parents on either side of him. That picture looked like a family. I was the outsider. Ethan saw me and stood up, giving me a warm smile. “Anna, feeling better?” I didn’t respond. Mom pushed me, lowering her voice. “Anna, call him Ethan. Apologize to him.” I stood without moving. The atmosphere in the living room instantly became awkward. Ethan waved his hand at Mom. “Ma’am, it’s fine. Don’t force the child.” He turned to look at me, his gaze “sincere” enough to be chilling. “Anna, I know you hate the trafficker. But you’ve identified the wrong person. The real bad guy will get away with it.” “Think about it carefully again, okay?” I watched his performance and suddenly found it laughable. Dad’s expression had already darkened. “Anna Williams! I’m ordering you—right now, immediately—apologize to Officer Harper!” Anna Williams. That was my name. A name I’d heard for eleven years but found utterly foreign. Just then, Ethan suddenly walked up to me. He bent down, leaned close to my ear, and said something in a voice only the two of us could hear. “Keep making trouble and you’ll never see your real ‘mom’ again.” My body instantly went rigid. The “mom” he mentioned wasn’t referring to the woman in front of me. He meant the woman who had been trafficked to the same house, the only one who had shown me warmth, who they had beaten to death—”Crazy Mom.” This was our darkest secret. And he knew about it. **03** My blood nearly froze in that moment. “Crazy Mom” was a woman the trafficker had bought from elsewhere. Because she kept trying to escape, they beat her until she lost her mind. She was my only comfort in childhood. She would secretly save food for me and would throw herself over me when I was being beaten. Three years ago, she was beaten to death for taking a beating meant for me. No one should know about this except me, the trafficker, and a few of the trafficker’s accomplices who were present at the time. Ethan… How could he know? I jerked my head up, staring at him intently. His face still wore that harmless, warm smile, but deep in his eyes was an icy mockery that saw through everything. He silently mouthed two words to me. “Shut up.” My parents didn’t notice this brief, silent confrontation. They only saw my face turn deathly pale, my body swaying unsteadily. “Anna, what’s wrong?” Mom supported me, looking worried. Ethan straightened up, showing just the right amount of concern. “Is Anna not feeling well? Maybe I should leave so I don’t upset her.” “Officer Harper, please don’t say that!” Dad panicked. He grabbed me and pulled me in front of Ethan. “Apologize! I’m telling you to apologize!” I looked at my father’s angry, unfamiliar face, then at Ethan’s hypocritical mask. A huge wave of desolation and nausea surged through me. I didn’t apologize. I just looked at Ethan, clearly and deliberately speaking each word. “You weren’t alone.” “Eleven years ago, there was someone else with you.” Dad was so angry he raised his hand. “How dare you keep spouting nonsense!” The slap never landed. Ethan reached out and stopped Dad. “Sir, don’t.” He sighed, like a saint who had endured endless grievances yet remained infinitely tolerant. “The child’s emotions are unstable. Let her take her time.” “I believe she’ll eventually remember the truth.” When he said the word “truth,” he emphasized it, his gaze scraping across my face like a knife. He stayed for half an hour before leaving. As soon as he left, Dad’s rage erupted completely. He pointed at my nose and cursed me for being ungrateful, for biting the hand that fed me, for being a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Mom cried and tried to mediate, saying I had just come home and they couldn’t pressure me like this. The entire mansion was filled with arguments, crying, and cursing. I felt like I’d fallen into a more luxurious but colder cage. That night, I locked myself in my room. I took out paper and pen and began to write. I wrote down every detail I could remember about eleven years ago. Ethan’s appearance and his knowledge of “Crazy Mom” confirmed something for me. What happened back then was far more complex than I’d imagined. He wasn’t just a teenager who impulsively committed a crime for money. There were others behind him. Or rather, there was a network. The next day, I found an excuse to go out, shaking off the nanny who tried to follow me. I went to the police station. Captain Harris wasn’t there. I waited at the entrance. He returned in the evening, looking exhausted. Seeing me, he seemed a bit surprised. “Why are you here?” “I came to find you.” We went to a small noodle shop nearby. I handed him what I’d written all night. “This is everything I can remember.” Captain Harris took it and read each page very carefully. The noodle shop was noisy and steaming hot, but I felt cold all over. This was my only bargaining chip. If he didn’t believe me either… Captain Harris finished reading the last page and remained silent for a long time. He looked up at me. “What you said about Ethan Harper’s appearance when he was sixteen—we checked. His high school photos do match your description.” My heart lifted. “But,” his tone shifted, “he has an alibi.” “Eleven years ago, the day you were kidnapped was a Saturday. His school was holding an anniversary celebration that day. He was the host. Hundreds of teachers and students can vouch for him.” My brain buzzed. An alibi? How was that possible? I remembered so clearly! “That’s impossible!” I cried out. “I couldn’t have remembered wrong!” “Child, don’t get worked up.” Captain Harris’s voice was steady. “Memory can deceive you. Especially after experiencing such great trauma, you might mix up different people and events.” “I didn’t mix them up!” I gripped the edge of the table. Captain Harris sighed. “We’ve investigated Ethan Harper’s family background and social connections. Everything’s clean. His father is a university professor, his mother is a doctor. He’s been the model child since childhood. There’s no reason for him to do something like this.” “All the evidence is in his favor.” “And what works against you is that everyone thinks you’ve lost your mind.” His words were cruel but honest. I looked at him and suddenly asked a question. “What about you?” “Captain Harris, do you think I’ve lost my mind too?” Captain Harris looked into my eyes but didn’t answer immediately. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, but didn’t light it. He just held it, slowly rotating it in his fingers. After a long while, he finally spoke. “Your details are too specific.” “So specific… they don’t seem made up.” “Especially what you mentioned about the crescent-shaped scar at the base of his right thumb.” My heart leaped. “We managed to obtain his medical exam report from this year.” Captain Harris looked at me, his gaze profound. “There is indeed a scar at the base of his right thumb.” “Very faint. You wouldn’t notice it without looking carefully.” “The shape is exactly as you described.” A huge surge of wild joy and bitterness instantly overwhelmed me. I bit my lip hard to keep myself from crying. Finally. Finally, someone was willing to believe me, even just a little. “So,” I asked in a trembling voice, “you’ll continue investigating him, right?” Captain Harris put the cigarette back in the pack and shook his head. “No.” My heart instantly sank. “Officially, the investigation into him is closed. From now on, he’ll resume all his duties and his reputation will be restored.” He looked at my shocked and despairing expression, adding deliberately. “But unofficially, I’m forming a special task force.” “Just me and you.” “Without alerting anyone, we’re going to dig out the truth from eleven years ago.” His eyes were like a knife hidden in its sheath—calm and sharp. “Child, do you dare use yourself as bait?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “401062”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

“Ellie, I need you to call me ‘uncle’ today, and have Max call me ‘dad’.” At the parent-teacher conference, Dad said this with one hand on my shoulder and the other holding my classmate Max’s hand. “Why?” I asked. “Max doesn’t have a father.” He spoke quickly. “He’s in a difficult situation. Just help me out today—let him call me dad, and you call me uncle. Understand?” I didn’t say anything. I just watched his lips move. “It’s settled then.” Dad patted my shoulder. Max’s mom walked over, tissue in hand, her eyes red. “Ellie’s such a good girl, aren’t you? Help Max out.” Dad’s hand left my shoulder, his eyes full of urgency. Those three words were like a switch—suddenly my mind flooded with images. The first time was my seventh birthday. I waited with the strawberry cake Mom baked until midnight. Seven candles burned down to black stubs, wax dripping onto the top strawberry, as red as the blood from when I scraped my knee last time. When he came home, he smelled like hospital disinfectant. He said, “Max had a fever. Mrs. Rivera couldn’t handle it alone. You’re a good girl—we’ll celebrate your birthday another time.” I said okay and picked off that wax-covered strawberry and threw it away. It tasted sweet and bitter at the same time. The second time was right after he bought me a pink bicycle. I could barely ride two meters, wobbling all over, and before I could call him to watch, Mrs. Rivera’s call came through. He lifted me off the seat, put me on the curb steps, and pushed the bike to Max who came running over. “You’re older, so be nice to your little brother. He can’t ride yet—I’ll teach him first.” I squatted on the steps counting ants. By the 127th ant, he finally came back. The little bell I’d saved half a month’s allowance to buy was gone from the handlebars. He said, “Max liked it, so I gave it to him. I’ll buy you a new one next time.” The third time was the parent-child craft competition. We spent half a month gluing together a starry castle, and I placed every single sequin on the windows myself. He said he’d turn it in to the teacher for me. Then I saw the castle displayed in first place at the school exhibition hall with Max’s name on it. He crouched down and touched my head. “Max needs this to get his achievement award. You’re a good girl—let him have it. Next time Dad will make you an even bigger one.” Every time it was the same. He said I was a good girl, so I should let Max have what was mine. I looked up at him, then at Max hiding behind him, and nodded. My voice was just loud enough for the three of them to hear: “Okay, Uncle.” Dad visibly relaxed, smiling as he patted my head, then took Max’s hand. “Max, let’s go. Dad will take you inside.” Max jumped high, waving his Ultraman toy. “Dad, hurry! Let’s sit in the front row!” Max’s mom followed them. She glanced back at me with a look that seemed like gratitude, but not quite. Halfway through the conference, it was my turn to go onstage and read my excellent essay. I stood at the podium watching Dad in the first row peeling an orange for Max. I opened my mouth. The essay I’d memorized perfectly—”My Dad is a Superhero Who Lifts Me Above His Head to Watch Fireworks”—not a single word would come out. After standing there for half a minute, I said quietly, “I’m sorry. I forgot to bring my essay.” When I ran off the stage, my knee hit the corner of a table. The pain made me gasp. The parent-teacher conference ended quickly. We walked out of the kindergarten together. Max kept talking—about how the teacher praised him, how he got a gold star, how amazing his dad was. Dad kept smiling. At the intersection, Max’s house was to the left, ours to the right. When we got home, Mom came out of the kitchen wearing her apron. “How was the parent-teacher conference today?” Dad let go of my hand. “It went well. Mrs. Rivera is raising her kid alone—it’s not easy. I helped out today.” Mom looked at Dad for several seconds. After dinner, Dad went to make a phone call. He stood on the balcony, voice low, but I heard him say “it’s okay,” “it’s what I should do,” “raising a child alone isn’t easy.” Mom washed dishes. I helped wipe the table. “Mom,” I said quietly. “Dad wasn’t my dad today.” Mom’s hands stopped. “What?” Mom turned to look at me. “Today at kindergarten, Dad was Max’s dad.” I spoke slowly, each word clear, just like Dad had spoken this morning. “Dad made me call him uncle. He said Max could call him dad, and I had to call him uncle.” Mom’s throat moved, like she was swallowing something. Then she crouched down and hugged me. “Then from now on, Ellie will just call him uncle.”

From that day on, the word “uncle” was carved into my tongue. It came out automatically. The first time was the next evening when the phone rang at home. I ran to answer it. The moment I said “hello,” I heard Dad’s voice through the receiver. “Ellie, Dad bought you—” “Hello, Uncle.” I interrupted him, my voice flat, like reading words from a textbook. The other end went silent for a long time. “Ellie, what happened that day was wrong of Dad,” his voice dropped. “But Max really…” “Uncle, are you looking for Mom?” I asked again, my finger twisting the phone cord. “Mom’s hanging laundry.” This silence lasted even longer. “Yes, I’m looking for your mom,” he finally said. I put the receiver on the coffee table without hanging up and shouted toward the balcony: “Mom, Uncle’s on the phone.” I said “Uncle” extra clearly, enunciating each syllable like the kindergarten teacher taught us phonics. When Mom came over, she glanced at me, picked up the phone, said only two sentences, then hung up. “Your dad says he’ll take you to the aquarium this weekend.” Mom dried her hands and crouched down to look me in the eye. “It’s Uncle,” I corrected. Mom looked at me for a long time, then gently touched my face. “Right. Uncle.” The second time was that weekend when Mom took me to the supermarket to buy yogurt. I was on tiptoe reaching for the peach-flavored yogurt on the top shelf when I heard a familiar voice nearby: “Max, slow down. Don’t fall.” I turned around and saw Dad pushing a shopping cart. Max sat inside holding an Ultraman toy bigger than himself, a lollipop in his mouth. When Dad saw me, his eyes lit up. He let go of the cart handle and walked toward me, reaching out to hug me. “Ellie, you’re shopping too?” I took a step back and hid behind Mom, clutching her clothes and peeking out. My voice was just loud enough for the nearby aunts picking fruit to hear: “Hello, Uncle.” The aunts’ gazes immediately swept to Dad. They whispered to each other. I heard someone say quietly, “Isn’t that the Johnson boy? Why is his own daughter calling him uncle?” Dad’s face turned red instantly. His hand froze in midair, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. Max grabbed the cart railing and shouted at me: “Yeah! This is my dad! You’re right to call him uncle!” Mrs. Rivera quickly came over and pulled Dad away, smiling awkwardly at my mom. “It’s just me and Max. He’s helping us carry things.” Then she pushed the cart away quickly. I saw Dad look back at me several times, his expression terrible. The third time was Monday afternoon after school. I’d just walked out the school gate when I saw Dad waiting for me. When he saw me coming, he rushed over, holding up a beautifully wrapped box—the limited edition Elsa magic wand I’d begged him for months to buy. I used to remind him about it every day, saying I wanted it for the school cosplay competition. “Ellie, look what Dad bought you.” He held the box out to me, his tone a bit pleading. “The one I promised to buy you. Your favorite.” I stared at the box with Elsa’s picture on it for three seconds, then shook my head. “Thank you, Uncle, but Mom already bought me one last week.” Without waiting for him to respond, I ran across the street with my backpack. Mom was waiting for me at the bubble tea shop entrance, holding my favorite pearl milk tea. When I ran over, I glanced back. Dad was still standing there, holding the magic wand, like a forgotten scarecrow. After that, he came to wait at the school gate for several days in a row. Sometimes he brought strawberry cake, sometimes my favorite fried skewers. But each time I only said, “Thank you, Uncle, I don’t want it,” then turned and walked away. Until three days before the sports meet, he didn’t bring any gifts. He just stood at the gate. His back was straight, like a kindergartener about to take a pledge. “Ellie,” he crouched down, his hands pressing on my shoulders with some force. “Next week is the kindergarten sports meet. Dad will definitely be there. This time I’ll only be your dad, only cheer for you. Okay?” His eyes were bright, almost frighteningly bright. “Dad swears.” He held up three fingers like in TV shows. “If I’m lying, I’ll… I’ll turn into a puppy.” I didn’t say anything. I looked at the tiny reflection of myself in his eyes and nodded slightly. He smiled immediately and picked me up, spinning me around. “Then it’s settled!” I nodded. I said quietly in my heart, I’ll trust him one more time. If he really came this time, I’d call him Dad again.

The sun on sports meet day was so bright it hurt to look at. I stood under the sycamore tree by the school gate half an hour early, waiting. “Ellie, the parent-child relay race starts in ten minutes. Is your dad here yet?” The teacher walked over holding a starter pistol. I stood on tiptoe looking toward the intersection, my neck getting sore, and nodded hard. “He’s coming!” But the gate was empty. The warm-up music started playing. All the children and parents held hands in a circle. I stood alone. The teacher came over and took my hand. “Ellie, let’s do this with Ms. Wilson first, okay?” I nodded but kept my eyes on the gate. During the third section of warm-up exercises, I saw Dad. He was running in, carrying a plastic bag, his forehead covered in sweat. I almost jumped and waved at him. But the next second, I saw him run straight to Max. Max was sitting on the ground hugging his knees, crying. Mrs. Rivera was anxiously making a phone call nearby. Dad rushed over and crouched down, carefully examining Max’s knee. I stood on tiptoe and saw a small red mark on Max’s knee—probably just a scraped patch of skin. Dad pulled iodine and a band-aid from the plastic bag, his movements practiced like he’d done this a hundred times. He said something to Mrs. Rivera while treating the wound. Mrs. Rivera covered her mouth, her eyes red again. The teacher urged the parent-child relay participants to gather at the starting line. I stood in place, watching Dad fifty meters away gently blow on Max’s knee, then scoop him up and walk toward the nurse’s office. “Ellie Miller! It’s your turn!” the teacher shouted beside me. I mechanically walked to the starting line. The referee teacher looked beside me. “Where’s your parent?” “He…” I opened my mouth and saw the nurse’s office door close. “Her parent is here.” Mom’s voice came from behind me. I whipped around and saw Mom running over, pulling an uncle I’d never seen before. Mom was out of breath, her hair a bit messy. “I’m sorry, Ellie. Mom’s late.” Mom crouched down and hugged me. Her arms were trembling. The uncle also crouched down, looking me in the eye. “You must be Ellie. I’m Liam. I’m your mom’s friend. I just heard from your mom that you’re in the relay race. I even borrowed matching clothes. Want to bring me along? I’m really fast—I won first place at my company sports meet last time.” The teacher walked over just then, looking at Liam in surprise. “And you are?” I stared at the smile in Uncle Liam’s eyes, then glanced at Dad who had just walked out of the nurse’s office and was looking this way. Suddenly I raised my hand and pointed at Liam, my voice loud enough for the entire field to hear: “This is my dad!” Time seemed to freeze. Dad stood twenty meters away, frozen mid-step.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “401061”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I got pregnant at the same time as a doctor from another department. But right after my NT scan, the head nurse came knocking at my door. “The hospital is short-staffed. Management has a rule that only one woman can be pregnant during the same period.” “The slot goes to Dr. Harris this time. You need to get an abortion right away!” I was stunned. “Dr. Harris and I aren’t even in the same department. Our work doesn’t conflict at all.” “Plus, I’m a nurse and she’s a doctor. We’re not even on the same shift schedule.” But the head nurse just stubbornly tapped on my desk. “This is hospital policy. No one gets special treatment!” “Either you abort the baby, or you transfer to logistics. Your choice.” Transferring to logistics meant no hope for advancement for the rest of my career. I’d be stuck making two thousand dollars in base pay. My fingers clenched tighter and tighter. I’d worked at this hospital for eight years. I was the hardest-working nurse on the front lines, winning excellence awards every single year. And yet I wasn’t even allowed to be pregnant. I took a breath and looked calmly at the head nurse. “I agree to transfer to logistics.” Less than a week after I transferred, the department fell into complete chaos.

The head nurse changed her tone, patting my back with forced friendliness. “Chloe, you know the hospital has always been understaffed.” “You’re a veteran here. You need to set a good example and follow orders.” I stared at the eight certificates of excellence on my desk without saying a word. The first certificate came from spending half a year on the pandemic frontlines. The second came from participating in nearly a thousand surgeries without a single mistake. The eighth came from working night shifts every Christmas for eight consecutive years. I’d already set enough of a good example. I’d already followed enough orders. When I looked up again, my voice was soft. “I’m going to see the director.” The head nurse finally dropped her smile, her face turning ashen. She said, “Go ahead. It won’t make any difference.” I took a breath and knocked on Director David Harris’s door. Dr. Melody Harris was actually inside too. What was a doctor from another department doing in our department director’s office? But I figured out the answer soon enough. Melody placed two boxes of tea on David Harris’s desk and laughed lightly. “Uncle David, this is tea from back home. Give it a try.” “Dad said this is your favorite.” David Harris’s face showed an expression of warmth I’d never seen before. “Your father really knows me. That’s cousins for you.” “Melody, go home and rest now. I’ve already arranged for you to have fewer shifts.” “You need to take it easy in early pregnancy. I’m waiting to give my grand-nephew a red envelope.” Melody turned around and brushed past me. She glanced at my belly like she was looking at a piece of dead meat. “Chloe, what are you doing here?” David Harris resumed his businesslike demeanor. “Director Harris, I think the hospital’s arrangement for me to have an abortion is unreasonable.” “My work doesn’t conflict with Dr. Harris’s. I’m the only one pregnant in our department. The work can easily be covered.” But David Harris just lazily lifted his eyelids. “Chloe, this is the hospital’s decision. There’s nothing I can do.” I clenched my fists. “Then why do I have to abort? Why not Dr. Harris?” At the mention of his niece’s name, David Harris shot up from his seat. “Chloe, what are you trying to say?” “Dr. Harris is a top-tier graduate, a rising star in this hospital. It’s perfectly natural for her to be pregnant!” “Who told you not to get pregnant earlier? You’re so old now and suddenly want a baby. Shameless.” But David Harris knew better than anyone why I hadn’t gotten pregnant earlier. When I was younger, I’d thought about trying for a baby. He said the hospital was short-staffed, that I was the most reliable, that I needed to dedicate myself to the medical cause. I listened. And then what? What did I get in return? I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open a crack. “If you won’t handle this, I’ll go to the hospital director for an explanation.” David Harris said nothing, his expression unnaturally calm. When I knocked on the hospital director’s office door, I understood why he’d been so calm. Because on the director’s desk sat two boxes of fresh tea. Identical to the ones Melody had given David Harris. Before I could even speak, the director pulled up a chair and began earnestly. “Chloe, I know you’re here about the baby, but there’s nothing I can do either.” “The hospital does have a rule—only one internal pregnancy slot per year. After all, we save lives. We can’t afford to be short-staffed.” “Why isn’t Melody the one who has to abort?” I continued. The director frowned, seeming to find me completely unreasonable. “Dr. Harris is a young backbone doctor with high education and high qualifications. How can you, a nurse, compare to her?” “Chloe, you’re a veteran here. Be reasonable. Show some spirit of dedication.” I spoke calmly. “Is it because Melody is David Harris’s niece?” The director immediately flared up. “Chloe, what nonsense are you spouting!” “Our hospital maintains high ethical standards. We don’t have that kind of nepotism! You’d better watch what you say.” “Fine. I understand.” I stood up. “Director, I won’t abort. I agree to transfer to logistics.” The director pushed up his glasses, his expression unreadable. “You’ve thought this through? Is it worth sacrificing your career for a baby?” “If you really want a child that badly, I’ll give you special approval for next year’s slot, okay?” I said nothing and left the office. The director had it wrong. Transferring to logistics wasn’t surrender—it was a declaration of war. Since they all looked down on nurses, I’d guarantee that within a week, the department would fall apart.

The next morning, the official document transferring me to logistics was distributed to all departments. At the morning meeting, the head nurse slammed the desk so hard it shook. “Some people put their own selfish interests ahead of the entire department’s reputation. And look at the result—you all saw it.” “Don’t any of you follow that bad example. Don’t think being a veteran employee gives you special privileges. Everyone is equal in this hospital!” The young nurses didn’t dare make a sound, only casting curious glances at my not-yet-swollen belly. I ignored it all and focused on packing up my things. The eight certificates of excellence I’d once been so proud of went to the very bottom of the box. As I carried my things out, not a single person came to help. Even though I’d covered their night shifts so many times. Even though I’d taught them hand-in-hand how to assist in surgery. Only the head nurse looked up at me. She said, “Chloe, you’ll regret this. But it’ll be too late.” But I wanted to say—I won’t. The ones who’ll regret this will be them. As I placed my box on the cart, Melody came breezing into our department again. It seemed her shifts really had been reduced. Otherwise she wouldn’t be so free. Melody held an armful of candy, distributing it to all the young nurses. “It’s a custom from back home—when you first get pregnant, you give everyone candy to bring good fortune to the baby.” Immediately, everyone in the department chimed in. “Dr. Harris, don’t worry. The baby will definitely be born safe and sound!” “Yeah, you’re so beautiful. The baby will take after you and be gorgeous too.” The head nurse’s voice was the loudest. “If you ask me, babies need to know how to choose the right womb.” “Being born to Dr. Harris means a lifetime of happiness. Being born to someone else? Well, that’s another story!” I gripped the cart handle, my lips pressed tight. I said nothing. Instead, Melody walked over with a smile, stuffing the last few pieces of candy into my hand. “Nurse Chloe, I heard about what happened to you. Have this candy for good luck.” “I wish, I wish you success with your next pregnancy.” “Not next time,” I said calmly, lifting my head. “I’ve already applied to transfer to logistics. I’m keeping this baby.” “Dr. Harris, your uncle helped reduce your shifts. Since you haven’t been at work, you naturally wouldn’t know this news.” Melody froze, her face flushing red then white, apparently not expecting me to mention their relationship so openly. I didn’t look at her again and pulled my cart toward the exit. But I’d barely taken a step when I heard the head nurse’s furious voice. “Chloe! Wait!” “Did you take something you shouldn’t have? Put it down!”

I stopped and looked down at the cart. Three large boxes, all packed with my own things. But before I could speak, in full view of everyone, the head nurse rushed over. “Chloe, open your boxes. I need to inspect them.” I blocked her path. “You don’t have that authority.” Though I was speaking to the head nurse, my eyes were locked on Melody the whole time. Because it was after Melody whispered to the head nurse that she called me out. And I’d packed everything under the head nurse’s nose in the first place. Melody stroked her belly, calmly meeting my gaze. But the head nurse had already pushed me aside and turned the boxes completely upside down. “You can’t take this banner. This represents the department’s honor, not your personal achievement!” I pointed at the words on the banner. “The department’s honor? Head nurse, this has my personal name on it.” “Still not allowed.” The head nurse carelessly tossed the banner aside. “These operation manuals and training notes can’t be taken either. These are our department’s confidential materials!” “The preserved flowers from discharged patients can’t go either. They gave those to you because of the department’s reputation!” Eventually, the head nurse even took the half-used notebook and pen from my hands. “These also belong to our department. Chloe, you can’t be a thief!” I looked at the mess on the floor, having no doubt that after I left, all of this would end up in the trash. The head nurse didn’t want any of it. She just wanted to humiliate me. Finally, the head nurse pulled out those eight certificates of excellence. After thinking for a moment, she shoved them into the paper shredder. “Chloe, you earned these honors by relying on our department. How dare you take them?” I listened to the sound of the shredder working. Crunch, crunch. Ten seconds to destroy eight years of my hard work. But I didn’t argue. I didn’t even move. After all, I didn’t care about these worthless pieces of paper I’d earned through self-sacrifice anymore. “Look more carefully. Make sure you didn’t miss anything.” I even smiled slightly. The head nurse seemed surprised by my reaction and froze for a moment. And at that exact moment, Melody stepped forward. “Head nurse, although I shouldn’t get involved in your department’s affairs, we’re all friends, so I’ll speak up.” “The nurse’s uniform Chloe is wearing still belongs to your department. I wonder if it’ll be useful later?” The moment she said this, the department fell silent. I looked at Melody. Her expression was innocent, but her eyes held malice. The head nurse immediately caught on, pointing at my nose. “Dr. Harris is right. Chloe! Take off that uniform right now! It belongs to the department!” Seeing that I wasn’t moving, the head nurse even tried to grab me. I stepped back twice and slowly removed my nurse’s uniform, draping it over a chair. “Very good. You’ve done very well. I’ll remember this.” With that, I pulled my nearly empty boxes and walked out. The moment I turned the corner, I heard footsteps behind me. “Nurse Chloe, wait.” It was Melody. She caught up in a few steps. The politeness she’d shown in front of everyone had completely vanished. She frowned at me. “Chloe, who told you to go to the director and make trouble? Who told you to blow this up?” “Do you know what people are saying about me now? That I used connections to force you out!” “Oh.” I suddenly laughed. So that’s why Melody targeted me today. “Isn’t that the truth, Dr. Harris?” Melody hadn’t heard the groveling apology she’d imagined. Her face instantly flushed red. “Chloe, I really don’t understand why someone with no connections like you acts so arrogant.” I didn’t answer. I just slowly turned around. Melody thought she’d won this silent war, that she’d secured the right to have a child. The head nurse thought she’d won prestige, that she could trample this veteran employee underfoot. But they were wrong. I didn’t care. I didn’t care about competing with them for status. I was just waiting for the moment when the real show began.

The logistics department mainly handled purchasing and distributing basic office supplies. The staff was small. Besides me, there were just a few interns and old employees waiting for retirement. The person next to me was named Luna, a senior doing her internship. She was naturally friendly, helping me unload my boxes with nimble hands while smacking her lips. “Chloe, is it true you transferred to logistics just to have your baby?” I kept my head down, organizing things, and didn’t respond. Who knew if she was like the nurses in my old department—just waiting to laugh at my misfortune and kick me while I was down. The silence grew, but Luna kept talking to herself. “Man, I think that rule is pretty unfair, don’t you?” “You and Dr. Harris are in different departments with different jobs. Both being pregnant wouldn’t affect anything. I don’t know what the leaders were thinking.” “But logistics has no future. Chloe, what are you going to do after you give birth?” “Luna! Don’t talk so much!” someone nearby warned her. “Remember last time you complained to management about logistics’ low pay and got chewed out for a whole morning?” “If it’s not our business, don’t stick your nose in it. Do you want to keep this job or not?” Luna’s hands didn’t stop, helping me arrange my desk as she muttered under her breath. “I just think it’s unfair. It doesn’t affect the department’s work. What’s wrong with being pregnant…” I finally looked up at her. She had a very likable baby face. “It’s fine. Logistics is pretty good,” I said. For the next three days, I calmly went to and from work, doing my assigned tasks. No more endless overtime. No more dealing with patients. The days seemed tolerable. Occasionally, when people from my old department came to requisition office supplies, they no longer spoke to me with the same courtesy. Instead, they were dismissive. The kind of disdain a proper nurse has for someone who coasts along in logistics waiting to collect a paycheck. “Chloe, it’s such a shame you’ve fallen this far.” I handed her the office supplies with no expression. “I think it’s pretty good.” The young nurse curled her lip. “I think you’re just shackled by that baby. Do you really have to have it? Pregnancy hormones are scary.” But she didn’t understand—this wasn’t about pregnancy hormones. It wasn’t just about this baby. I was seeking fairness. Justice. Real equality. Not a situation where someone could pull strings and cut off all my paths forward. The turning point came on the fourth day. I’d just gotten off work when my phone started vibrating. One SnapChat message. Then a second. A third. A fourth. It vibrated eighteen times total. Eighteen times—the exact number of nurses in our department. Each message represented a problem they couldn’t handle, a difficult situation. Before I could even open the chat, the head nurse called. On the other end, the department was in chaos. “Chloe, reply to everyone’s messages right now! Hurry!” I gripped my phone, my voice soft but firm. “Why should I?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “401060”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Three years into my marriage to Carter Hayes, he had everyone hide the fact that he was keeping a younger, fresher girl on the side. Everyone around us said I was his one true love, his guiding light, his sole weakness. Yet, after a few drinks, he laughed and told his friends, “Audrey Davis? Once I finally married her, I realized she’s nothing to write home about.” The man who swore at seventeen to love me forever… Was currently holding a young girl, coaxing her, “She’s so boring. Of course I love you the most, baby.” The day I left, it was like any other day. No one noticed a thing. The housekeeper smiled and asked if I was going out shopping and for afternoon tea. I smiled back and nodded. “You don’t need to prepare dinner for me tonight.” When a man’s heart strays, you don’t weep. You strike the match, burn the memories, and scatter his ashes to the wind. Carter Hayes didn’t know that the “nothing special” Audrey Davis had a backbone of steel. In her dictionary, the word “forgiveness” never existed. 1 I clutched my wool coat, my other hand holding a pharmacy bag filled with hangover-recovery supplements. The corridor of the private club was endlessly long. The dim lighting caught the edges of oil paintings, casting fractured shadows across the floor. Laughter echoed from the room at the very end of the hall. Carter kept this entire floor booked year-round. No outsiders were allowed within fifty feet, so they hadn’t even bothered to close the door. My heel caught on the thick carpet. As I bent down to steady myself, the pearl necklace around my throat suddenly snapped. Pearls of all sizes scattered across the floor. A sharp, inexplicable pain pierced my chest. Just as I crouched down to gather the beads, I heard Carter’s voice. “Come on, I’m not a player like the rest of you.” “My first love, the love of my life, my everything—it’s only ever been my wife.” He sounded drunk. His voice was thick with liquor, swelling with pride and arrogance. I couldn’t help but press my lips together. Clutching a cool pearl in my palm, my heart smoothed out, feeling oddly comforted. “It’s just a shame.” Carter suddenly sighed. “Once I finally got her, I realized she’s nothing to write home about. Utterly ordinary.” My hand clamped shut. The pearl dug into the soft flesh of my palm. The smile froze on my lips. “Then what about me, Carter?!” A soft, delicate female voice suddenly chimed in. It dripped with a resentful, unwilling whine. “You say your wife is the only love of your life. So what am I to you?” “Just last night, you swore you loved me the most!” The men in the room erupted into laughter. “Silly girl, you actually believe what a man says in bed?” “Besides, it’s a given that a man loves his wife.” “You’re just the side piece—what are you fighting for?” “Carter! Look at them!” The girl’s voice cracked with tears. She sounded so pitiful, it was enough to make anyone’s heart ache. 2 “Alright, that’s enough. Stop messing with her.” “What’s this ‘side piece’ garbage? This is my actual girlfriend. Watch your mouths.” Carter’s voice deepened, carrying a hint of genuine displeasure. “No way, Carter. You’re serious about this one?” Carter gave a soft “Yeah.” Then added, “She’s been with me since she was eighteen. I have to take responsibility.” “You animal. You went after her the second she was legal.” “Aren’t you afraid your wife will find out and raise hell?” Carter laughed. “She relies on me to survive. What’s she going to raise hell with?” “But seriously, keep your mouths shut. I love my wife. I don’t want to make her sad.” “You love your wife, but what about me?” The young girl started whining again. Carter reached out, pulling her into his arms to coax her. “Are you really crying over a joke?” The girl sniffled, acting spoiled. “Carter, tell me I’m the one you love the most… even if you’re lying, I just want to hear it.” “Alright, baby. She’s so boring. Of course I love you the most.” Standing in the shadows outside the door, I suddenly smiled. The man who once swore to love me for a lifetime. Was currently sweet-talking a younger girl. Yet, I didn’t even feel the urge to walk in and confront him. Once unfaithful, forever discarded. I turned around and walked back down that long, suffocating corridor. When he was seventeen, Carter had secretly carved my name into his high school desk. He said Carter Hayes loved Audrey Davis, and he would love her for the rest of his life. But his “lifetime” was nothing more than a fleeting ten years. 3 When Carter came home the next morning, I was already downstairs eating breakfast. He rushed in, clutching a massive bouquet of flowers and a gift box. His face was a portrait of apology and guilt. “I’m so sorry, honey. The business dinner went incredibly late last night. I just couldn’t make it back.” When we got married, he promised that no matter how busy he was, he would never spend the night away from home. But over the past six months, he had been coming home later and later. This time, he hadn’t come back at all. I put down my fork and looked up at him. His suit, shirt, and tie were all freshly changed. He smelled clean, crisp, and minty. It must have been so exhausting for him, being this careful. He set the flowers down and walked over, leaning in to kiss me. “Honey, I swear, this is the first and last time.” I raised a hand to block him. Staring right at him, I asked, word by word: “Did you sleep at the office last night?” Carter didn’t hesitate for a second. “Yes. Look, I even changed into the spare clothes you packed for my office wardrobe.” He gripped my shoulders, looking at me with cautious eyes. “Honey, are you mad at me?” “I’ll stay with you all day today. I won’t go into the office, okay?” I looked at him. I looked at my own reflection in his dark eyes. He didn’t flinch. There wasn’t a trace of guilt on his face. And amazingly, I managed to hide my absolute heartbreak flawlessly. “No.” I pushed his hands away. “Eat your breakfast.” But the moment he sat down, his phone rang. I watched him frown and decline the call. Seconds later, it rang again. He hesitated for a moment, then declined it again. Immediately, a text message popped up. Carter read it, and his brow furrowed deeply. “Audrey, there’s an emergency at the office…” “Go.” “Never mind, I’ll have Marcus handle it. I promised to stay with you all day.” He said the words, but his mind was clearly already out the door. “No, work is more important. You should go.” I looked at him calmly. Even the pain in my chest had gone numb. Carter only struggled for a brief second before standing up. “Then I’ll try to come back early to be with you.” I murmured a soft “Okay,” and watched him rush out to his car. Only after he drove away did I finally reach up and wipe the cold tears from my cheeks. I picked up my phone and called my best friend. “Brie, can you book me in for a full exam at your clinic today?” 4 When the test results came back, I let out a massive sigh of relief. My STD panel was entirely clean. And I wasn’t pregnant. When I married Carter, my health was incredibly fragile. Because of that, we had put off having children. But just to be absolutely safe, I asked for a comprehensive workup. “Doctor, I wanted to ask, how is my body recovering overall?” Once I got the green light that my health had fully stabilized, the heavy fog in my chest finally began to clear. Clutching my medical report, I walked out of the office. Just as I turned the corner into the hallway, I heard Carter’s name. “Carter, if I’m really pregnant, can I please keep it?” I stopped in my tracks and looked at the two figures standing a few yards away. Carter had a cigarette clamped between his fingers. He looked annoyed, his brows locked together. The young girl was bare-faced, her cheeks stained with fresh tears. She was tugging on his sleeve, practically begging. Carter sneered. “My wife hasn’t even had a child yet. You think it’s your turn?” “But this is my first baby. I can’t bear to lose it.” “I promise I’ll be good. I’ll never cause you any trouble.” “And I’ll make sure your wife never finds out about me or the baby.” Carter took the hand holding the cigarette and lightly patted her cheek. “Don’t be naive, baby. There’s no way I’m letting you have this kid.” “Be a good girl. Have the abortion, and I’ll buy you a condo.” “But if you refuse… Chloe, I’m warning you right now.” “There are plenty of pretty, obedient girls at your college. I could sleep with a different one every night if I wanted to. You’re not irreplaceable.” The girl was utterly terrified by his words. Her face went deathly pale beneath her tears. “I’ll be good. Carter, please don’t leave me.” “Good girl. Go get the ultrasound.” “I’ll go get the checkup. It’s just… you said your wife is too sick to have kids.” “If I really am pregnant, think of it as me having the baby for her. She can even raise it! I won’t fight for custody, I swear. Please?” Carter fell silent for a moment. “Just go get the checkup. We’ll talk after.” The girl sobbed as she pushed the clinic door open and went inside. Carter finished his cigarette and stamped it out. As he turned around, I pretended I had just walked down the hall. When he saw me, he froze. But a second later, his face contorted into a mask of frantic worry. “Honey! What are you doing at the hospital?” “Are you sick? Did you get hurt?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “447303”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When he said he wouldn’t come home for the holidays, I packed my bags and returned to my hometown alone. When he helped Eleanor rent the apartment next door, I moved my things out. When he decided to take a permanent position at the local college, I applied to a university out in the Pacific Northwest. In my previous life, when we were old and gray, even our two children urged me to divorce him. All so that, after they passed, those two star-crossed lovers could be buried side by side. 1 Looking at the college acceptance letter in my hand, I nearly shed a tear. No one knew that I had been reborn. At the very last minute, I had changed my college application to the Pacific Northwest Engineering Institute. Even my high school counselor, Mr. Harrison, was perplexed. “I thought your fiancé was staying to teach at the local college? If you go so far away for your degree, will he wait for you?” At the mention of Oliver Smith, the image of his tall, youthful figure flashed through my mind. Honestly, everyone thought I was the lucky one to have Oliver. He was ambitious and handsome. I only had the right to stand beside him because of a childhood promise made by our families when we were kids. I smiled and replied loudly, “Mr. Harrison, free love is the trend now!” “That childhood betrothal our families made is just an outdated tradition, it’s got to go!” Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to be so forward-thinking. Mr. Harrison patted my shoulder, his eyes full of approval. Leaving the school, I followed the flow of the crowd toward home. 2 In my past life, I never even went to college. Because just a few days from now was the date set for my wedding to Oliver. Soon after, I got pregnant, and my education ended there. Shortly after Oliver stayed to teach at the college, he was transferred to a government agency. From then on, we lived entirely different lives. Outside, he climbed the corporate ladder. Wherever he went, Eleanor Davis—the star of the local community theater—followed, transferring her job and bringing her daughter along. And me? I was trapped in my little domestic bubble, taking care of his bedridden parents and raising the kids. I watched my son grow from a babbling toddler who clung to me, to a young man who gradually grew distant, drifting step by step toward Oliver. Later, I didn’t even know my son was marrying Eleanor’s daughter until after the wedding was over. I only saw it in a photo shown to me by an old friend. In the picture, as my son and his new bride made a toast, Oliver and Eleanor stood side by side, smiling at each other with undeniable affection. Later still, my son urged me to get a divorce on more than one occasion. He said, “Mom, Dad has suffered his whole life. If it weren’t for you, he’d have been with my mother-in-law long ago.” “Mom, you two don’t match at all. Why can’t you just let go?” Even my daughter-in-law refused to see me. But what could I do? I was so bitter! I was bitter because when my in-laws were paralyzed and I was serving them day and night, he was out playing house with another woman. I was bitter because when my son had a midnight fever, I was in such a panic that I ran three miles barefoot to get the doctor, while he was taking someone else’s woman to piano lessons and helping another man’s daughter with her homework. I was bitter because I had given up everything for this family, only to reach the end and hear… Him say it. Them say it. Everyone say it. We didn’t match. Everyone blamed me. Why couldn’t I just let go? But I refused. The exhaustion of my youth had carved deep trenches into my face, leaving me looking ancient and withered. Even if it killed me, I was going to drag them down with me. As for whether they got together after I died, I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t have the strength to care. Finally, I died right after my son urged me to divorce him one last time. He had talked for hours, and seeing my stubborn silence, he stormed off in anger. What he didn’t know was that before his slamming door even latched, I had a massive heart attack. I called out to him, but he didn’t even look back. In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of regret. Why did I ever give birth to him… Why did I throw my entire life away for him? But thankfully, I was reborn. I returned to the days right before my wedding to Oliver. There was still time to change everything. 3 When I got home, I hid the acceptance letter and started making dinner. This two-bedroom apartment was subsidized housing provided by Oliver’s university. While waiting for the water to boil, I found the calendar in the living room. I located the date I needed to report to the university next month and drew a big red circle around it with a pen. I stared at that circled number with longing. Soon. Very soon. Soon, I would be completely free. 4 The food was barely on the table when Oliver walked in. Unsurprisingly, Eleanor was right behind him, holding her daughter’s hand. “I’m so sorry to intrude again,” she said softly. Eleanor was pale and pretty, with an oval face. The bright red trench coat she wore gave her an indescribable charm. The little girl, Lily, was used to coming over. Seeing that I had finished cooking, she cheered and expertly went to serve the mashed potatoes and roast beef. A plate for her, a plate for Oliver, a plate for Eleanor. Only… None for me. By the time I walked out of the kitchen, the three of them were sitting around the table, laughing and talking as if they were a happy family. But as soon as they took a bite, all three spat their food out simultaneously. “Mommy, it’s so salty!” I leaned casually against the kitchen doorframe. I watched Oliver quickly pour a glass of water for both mother and daughter. But the water was heavily salted, too. Finally, Eleanor left in tears. Before walking out, she turned to Oliver and said, “She obviously doesn’t welcome me here. I just won’t come around anymore.” Oliver walked them to the door. When he came back, his brows were tightly knit. I ignored him and went straight to the kitchen to cook myself a fresh meal. “Did you do that on purpose?” Oliver seemed genuinely baffled. Then he started his usual defense. “Her husband died in the line of duty, and he asked me to look after them. You’re a great cook, and Lily loves your food.” Seeing my continued silence, Oliver shook his head, seemingly compromising. “Since you don’t like it, I won’t invite them over for dinner anymore.” 5 The next morning, after Oliver left, I pulled out my duffel bag to pack for a trip back to my rural hometown. Although our parents had promised us to each other, our families had officially exchanged heirlooms. If we were really going to break it off, the engagement had to be annulled with the town elders present, to avoid any messy rumors later. While packing, I saw the quilts and crocheted blankets I had secretly made over the past few years. I thought about it, stuffed them all into a heavy canvas bag—along with some hand-stitched shoes I’d made—and hauled it down to the antique consignment shop at the end of the street. Things I had spent years making sold for a mere thirty dollars. It wasn’t much, but food and rent at college would be a massive expense, and I needed every penny I could save. When I got home, I drew a massive X over today’s date on the calendar. Twenty days left. Just twenty more days, and I could leave this place and start my new life. 6 Oliver came back very late. The dinner I had left out was completely untouched. “I ate at the campus cafeteria,” he explained casually. But smelling the faint, white-tea perfume lingering on his jacket, I knew exactly who he had eaten with. He knew bringing them here would irritate me, so he just took them out to eat instead. I silently cleared the table and went to my room. My room was filled with high school textbooks and test papers. Since they wouldn’t all fit, many were stacked in the living room. I started tying the books in my room together with twine. I planned to pack up the ones in the living room tomorrow when Oliver was at work. Since I was leaving, it wasn’t appropriate to leave anything of mine behind. As I was packing, I heard a knock on my door. I knew it was Oliver. He was always polite to me and would never step foot into my room without my permission. “What is it?” I asked, not wanting him to see me packing. There was silence on the other side for a moment before he spoke. “I’m filling out the marriage license application for City Hall. Does the ninth of next month work for you?” The ninth of next month. The exact day of my wedding in my past life. I glanced at my packed duffel bag and said flatly, “Marriage is a big deal. Let me ask my folks back home tomorrow before we decide.” There was a long silence outside before I finally heard his footsteps walk away. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the headboard. Honestly, with his current status, he didn’t need to consult my family for a marriage license. Since my parents passed away when I was young, Oliver’s parents had taken me in because of our families’ promise. In everyone’s eyes, I was already a part of the Smith family. The paperwork was just a formality. Besides, he was handsome, had a great job, and treated me decently enough. Anyone with eyes could see that my heart had belonged to him for years. It was true that I owed the Smith family. But no matter what, I had already paid off that debt with my entire past life. I owed them nothing anymore. In this life, I was going to walk my own path. A path without Oliver Smith.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “447302”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After the local “sweetheart” returned to our rural town, she publicly accused my dad of scamming the townsfolk out of $300,000 in dirty money. She claimed that she had eaten a premium lobster and filet mignon dinner at a high-end city restaurant for a mere $199. So why on earth, she asked, was my dad charging $500 a table to cater country weddings? Hearing the numbers, the locals saw red and demanded my dad refund their money. They cursed him, called him a useless cripple, and sneered that it was no wonder his wife had run out on him. Furious, I packed up immediately, taking my dad back to the city with me, and swore we would never cater another local event. The two-faced girl instantly bragged that she would take over all the town’s catering from now on. Premium lobster for $199 a table, she promised! Shortly after, a lunatic showed up at the front doors of my upscale city restaurant, boasting about a massive business deal. “I’m here to bring your restaurant huge business! To show my sincerity, I’ll book 20 tables of that $199 lobster combo. Since I’m buying in bulk, give me a discount—$150 a table, deal?” 1 My dad catered the weddings for practically the entire county, and Travis Stone’s big day was no exception. At $500 a table, Travis had ordered enough food for twenty tables. On the drive over, I joked, “Dad, you’re getting older. Let’s make this your last gig, and then you can come to the city and be the general manager at my restaurant.” My dad let out a soft huff. “You cook for the money, Chloe. I cook for the heart.” My dad walked with a heavy limp. Years ago, people looked down on him for it, and even my mom ended up leaving him. When I was little, he cooked for the local logging camps. When things got better, he started catering town events. Once I started making good money, I begged him to retire. Rural catering is backbreaking labor with razor-thin margins, but he refused. He just loved it when folks called him Chef Arthur and praised his cooking for being delicious and hearty. We brought the whole family and hired four local kitchen hands. It took half the day just to haul all the equipment to the Stone family’s property. Travis politely handed my dad a cigarette. “Mr. Miller, I owe you everything. If you hadn’t fronted the cost for these twenty tables on credit, I wouldn’t even be getting married today. Don’t worry, as soon as we open the wedding envelopes tonight, I’ll pay off everything I owe you.” My dad waved him off with a smile, telling Travis to go focus on his big day. The banquet was shaping up beautifully. The whole town had shown up; people were playing cards, drinking beer, and laughing. But just before noon, the peace shattered. A shrill female voice pierced the air: “You guys are running a total scam! It’s one thing to rip off strangers, but how can you rob your own neighbors?!” The lively yard instantly fell dead silent. Everyone turned toward the voice. I looked up. It was Brittany Clark, the local girl who had gone off to college. My dad, visibly confused, wiped his hands on his apron. “Brittany? What are you talking about? Who are we robbing?” Travis rushed over, looking panicked. “Brittany, what kind of scene are you causing at my wedding?” Brittany glared at him. “Travis, they’re charging you $500 a table! If that isn’t a scam, what is?” She was seething, looking at us as if my family had committed some unspeakable crime. The locals were utterly bewildered and started whispering among themselves. “But $500 a table is standard around here. We couldn’t afford anything pricier.” “Yeah, when my daughter got married last month, it was $500 a table too.” Travis scratched his head. “Isn’t $500 the normal price? Brittany, if you ruin my wedding day, I swear I’ll make you pay for it.” Brittany frantically waved her hands. “I’m not ruining anything! I’m telling the truth! This family is making filthy, dirty money off you all!” “Just two days ago, I went to a high-end restaurant in the city. We had lobster, filet mignon, the works. Guess how much it cost?” At the mention of lobster and steak, the villagers’ eyes widened. Most of them had never eaten food like that in their lives. A meal like that had to be thousands of dollars, right? Brittany slammed a receipt onto a nearby table, lifting her chin proudly. “It only cost $199!” The crowd gasped. Lobster and steak for $199? Impossible! People shoved each other out of the way to look at the receipt. It really did say $199. I didn’t even need to look at the slip of paper. I already knew what it was, because I owned that restaurant. 2 A few days ago, Brittany had brought her college friends to my restaurant. Her friends were openly mocking her for being a rural hick and a broke farm girl. To embarrass her, they purposefully ordered the most expensive items on the menu. When the bill came, Brittany sneaked away to find a server, practically begging for a discount. She was on the verge of tears, nervously pulling out two crumpled hundred-dollar bills from her cheap purse. I happened to be on the floor and recognized her. Since we were from the same small town, I wanted to save her face. I quietly instructed the manager to comp the rest of the $6,000 bill and ring her up for exactly $199. After paying, she went right back to her friends, bragging about how it was pocket change. They were thoroughly impressed. I never expected that she would return to our hometown just to smash my dad’s livelihood! Brittany dragged a chair to the center of the yard and stood on it, projecting her voice. “A luxury city restaurant charges $199 for lobster! Meanwhile, Arthur charges $500 for cheap chicken and potatoes! Why?!” “Have any of you done the math? If he makes $300 in pure profit per table, ten tables is $3,000!” “They’ve monopolized the catering for the entire county! He probably caters over a thousand tables a year. That’s $300,000! Three hundred thousand dollars! How many years do you farmers have to break your backs in the dirt to see that kind of money?!” “They are rotten, greedy, shameless capitalists! As a college-educated woman from this town, I have to stand up and protect my community’s interests!” For the locals, $300,000 was an astronomical sum. Whether Brittany’s logic made sense or not, a dark, ugly jealousy clouded the villagers’ eyes. The friendly, laughing crowd from moments ago vanished. Now, they stared at me and my dad with naked hatred. My dad was trembling with anger. “You’re speaking nonsense! We’ve never made dirty money! With inflation the way it is, $500 for a massive buffet table is basically at-cost!” I stepped up beside him. “You say we make dirty money? Show us the proof.” I worked in the restaurant industry; I knew better than anyone that $500 a table was an absolute steal. A single table included twelve massive courses—roast beef, fried chicken, glazed ham, whole fish—not to mention we provided the tables, the chairs, the cutlery, the drinks, and the cleanup. Out of that $500, my dad barely netted $50. It was pure sweat equity. My dad had built up decades of respect in this town. Hearing his defense, the crowd’s glaring eyes softened slightly. But Brittany immediately spat back, “As if anyone would admit to making dirty money! Have you all forgotten? I used to work in his kitchen!” 3 She had indeed worked in our kitchen. Brittany’s family was the poorest in town. Her father was a lazy, violent alcoholic, and her mother had abandoned her at birth. Years ago, after a wedding gig, a teenage Brittany had approached my dad in rags, begging for the leftover scraps. When my dad looked into her situation, his heart broke. That year, she was supposed to start high school, but her dad refused to pay for it, planning to sell her off to an older man for a dowry instead. My dad marched over to her house, argued with her father, and negotiated a deal. He paid her father off, allowed Brittany to work as a kitchen prep cook on weekends for a fair wage, and essentially funded her high school education so she wouldn’t be forced into a child marriage. When she got accepted to college, my dad handed her an envelope with $5,000 inside. Every few weeks, he would proudly tell people that helping a smart girl change her destiny was the best thing he ever did. Had my family been wrong to help her all along? I pulled up a chair and sat down. I wanted to see exactly how far she was willing to take this circus. Brittany pointed an accusing finger at us. “I know all their dirty little secrets! I saw Arthur secretly counting fat stacks of hundred-dollar bills in the back room!” My dad’s eyes turned bloodshot. “You liar! The money you saw was cash my daughter gave me!” I nodded firmly. “That’s right. I send my dad money every single month.” Whenever I wired him money, he always withdrew it in cash because it was easier to buy fresh produce and eggs from the local Amish farmers. To think the money I worked so hard to give my father was now being framed as stolen loot. Brittany crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, looking at me with pure disdain. “Chloe, you’re just a woman. How much money can a woman really make out alone in the big city? You’re probably turning tricks in some dirty alleyway.” Hearing that, my dad completely snapped. He grabbed a heavy metal spatula and lunged toward her. “You vile liar! You can insult me all you want, but don’t you dare insult my daughter! I’ll beat you to a pulp!” Brittany immediately shrieked and hid behind Travis, continuing to fan the flames. “Look at him! He’s lashing out because he’s guilty! If she’s not a streetwalker, then the money is definitely stolen from the town!” The villagers, already whipped into a frenzy, began nodding in agreement. “Brittany’s a smart college girl, she wouldn’t lie to us.” “Yeah, Chloe barely ever comes back to town. Have you seen the clothes she wears? Proper women don’t dress like that.” “How could a single girl make so much money? Her dad definitely embezzled our money to fund her luxury city lifestyle.” The whispers grew louder and more disgusting. My dad was shaking violently from the humiliation. Suddenly, an older woman dropped to her knees with a heavy thud. 4 Both my dad and I jumped. My dad rushed forward to help her up. “Mrs. Higgins, what are you doing?” But Mrs. Higgins refused to stand, sobbing into her hands. “Arthur, last year when my son graduated high school, you catered his party. We booked ten tables for $5,000.” My dad nodded. “I remember.” Mrs. Higgins grabbed the fabric of his pants, begging, “Please, give me $3,000 back! I have so many kids to feed, and we’re so broke! You have so much money now, just give me my money back!” I immediately stepped in, peeling her hands off my dad. “Mrs. Higgins, that’s not how business works. Prices are agreed upon beforehand. There’s no such thing as retroactive refunds. Besides, at your son’s party, my dad personally handed your boy a $1,000 graduation gift to help with his college supplies!” Seeing her tears weren’t working, Mrs. Higgins stood up, dusted off her knees, and glared at us viciously. “That’s completely different! I didn’t beg you for a gift! You stole our money, so you have to refund it!” “And besides, we aren’t even related. The only reason your dad gave my boy a thousand dollars was because he felt guilty for ripping us off!” I had dealt with my fair share of difficult customers in the restaurant business, but I had never seen anyone this utterly shameless. I defended my dad loudly. “My dad knew your family was struggling, and he wanted to help your son succeed! How can you be so ungrateful?” Brittany immediately pulled Mrs. Higgins behind her. Meeting my gaze, she declared self-righteously, “Don’t think your petty little handouts excuse the fact that you scammed everyone! You owe this town a refund.” I was so angry I actually laughed. “Brittany, show me actual proof that we scammed anyone. Stop throwing dirty water on my family.” Brittany snatched the restaurant receipt and threw it at my feet. “Proof? This $199 lobster dinner is proof! Your designer clothes and fancy car are proof! Your dad’s guilty conscience and bribe money are proof!” “What else is there to defend? You greedy leeches will get what’s coming to you!” Driven by her passionate speech, the townsfolk exploded. “Yeah! Refund us! We break our backs for our money, and you just steal it!” “Let’s go get Mayor Davis! He’ll make them pay!” 5 They didn’t need to fetch him; Mayor Davis had just arrived. Seeing the Mayor, my dad hurried over and grabbed his hand. “Mayor, you’re an educated man. You’ve been to the city. You know what inflation looks like right now. Please, explain to them how the economy works.” Mayor Davis patted my dad’s hand solemnly. “Don’t worry, Arthur. I always serve this town with fairness and justice.” My dad let out a huge sigh of relief. But looking at the Mayor’s shifting eyes, I had a sinking feeling this wasn’t going to end well. After getting a summary of the situation, Mayor Davis nodded slowly. “Arthur, why don’t you tell everyone exactly how much profit you make off one table?” My dad answered honestly, “Less than fifty dollars.” The moment the words left his mouth, Brittany jumped in. “$50 is a lot! Let’s take Travis’s wedding as an example. Twenty tables means you’re pocketing $1,000 in a single day! If that isn’t robbery, what is?” My dad and I were dumbfounded. Did she think there was a 20-table wedding every single day of the year? Even working all year round, my dad barely cleared $40,000, and it had ruined his joints. My dad opened his mouth to explain, but Mayor Davis cut him off. “Arthur, that does seem a bit predatory. The loggers and farmers out here barely make $150 a day doing hard labor. You’re pulling in a thousand dollars a day. How do you justify that?” Furious, I snapped back, “My dad doesn’t work a gig every day! What about the wear and tear on our equipment? The broken plates? The gas for the delivery trucks? Does that stuff not cost money?” “Tsk, tsk. Look at that,” the Mayor scolded. “The city girl gets aggressive the second she’s questioned. If you ask me, this money is ill-gotten. My official ruling is that you refund the citizens.” At the Mayor’s words, the villagers’ eyes gleamed with pure greed. No one turns down free money. Brittany cheered, “The Mayor is a wise man! The money must be returned!” “Damn right! Thank God we have an educated college girl to keep us from being robbed blind!” “Exactly! They hold a monopoly on the whole county. Who knows how much they’ve stolen from us!” “Hey, I booked you last month! Based on city prices, you owe me $3,000 back!” My dad pointed a trembling finger at the last man who spoke. “You haven’t even paid your catering bill from last month! What gives you the right to demand a refund?!” The man rubbed his nose and sneered. “Well, I owed you $5,000. Now that you’re refunding me $3,000, I only owe you $2,000! You shamelessly try to rob us, you old cripple. It’s no wonder your wife ran away!” I snatched a thick wooden tent pole from the ground and aimed it at him. “Say that one more time, I dare you.” “I’ll say whatever I want, you city tramp! Dressing like a harlot every day, God knows how many men you’ve slept with!” These ungrateful parasites! Most of them couldn’t even afford a deposit before booking an event, so my dad fronted the cash for the ingredients. Some paid him back after opening wedding gifts. Some only paid half. Some never paid at all. And this is how they repay him? A pack of rabid wolves. I gripped the wooden pole, ready to swing, when suddenly someone wrenched it from my hands.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “447301”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel