On my birthday, I married Damien Thorne, a billionaire thirteen years my senior. “Why did you marry me?” I once asked. His eyes would soften as he pulled me close, like I was something fragile and rare. “Because you’re Eleanor.” My heart would begin to lift, but his next words froze my blood. “Because you’re the daughter of the woman who abandoned me ten years ago. Your mother owes me a debt. And you will repay it.” That sentence became a chain, locking me inside his marriage. On our anniversary, he made me watch him making out with other women. When I was hospitalized, weak and fevered, he rolled dice to decide how many spoonfuls of food I was allowed each day. Finally, broken in body and spirit, I slid into a bathtub and opened my wrists. As the world dimmed, I pushed out one last, ragged breath of a question. “My mother died twelve years ago. So who was it you really loved ten years ago?” Damien’s answer never reached me. I died before the words could take shape. But when I opened my eyes, I was ten years in the past. The moment I woke, I saw Damien, young and desperate, being beaten by a pack of men over unpaid wages. Without thinking, I lunged to shield him and took the blow meant for his chest. The impact stole my breath; blood rose in my throat and spilled from my lips. His eyes widened in shock. He carried me straight to a hospital. “My name is Damien Thorne. What’s yours?” I did not dare give my real name. He chuckled. “Feisty little thing, aren’t you?” The casual nickname stung, sharp as a needle. Instantly, I remembered his future secretary, Chloe, in his bed. I snapped, a desperate lie ripping from my throat. “I’m not little! I’m older than you!” But I had nothing. No ID, no proof. I could not find Vicky, my future adoptive mother. I could not even call the police. When he realized I had nowhere to go, he took me to his apartment. The 25-year-old Damien, his eyes held none of the ruthless glint I knew from the future, only endless, pure tenderness. “You can stay. It’s old, but it’s safe here.” He turned his face, a slight flush rising. “Don’t worry about me. I have other places to stay.” He was lying. I’d secretly followed him. A man over six feet tall, curled up in a cramped storage room where he couldn’t even stretch his legs. Damien didn’t push me to find a job, never once questioned my past. He’d grown up in an orphanage, under the cold, disdainful gaze of others, becoming a solitary, guarded soul. Before 25, he’d always licked his wounds in silence, alone, until I burst into his world. For the first time, he tasted protection, a sensation utterly new. My constant presence and reliance, my refusal to leave the house, made him feel desperately needed. He thought this was love. He gave me everything he had. He worked two grueling jobs to support me, accumulating more and more injuries, his frame growing alarmingly thin. He broke a bone doing manual labor, skipped the hospital to save money, yet still managed to bring home flowers every single day. The kinder he was to me, the deeper the thorn in my heart dug in, a constant, agonizing reminder. I couldn’t stop thinking about how cruelly he would treat me in the future. The future’s chilling cruelty and the present’s overwhelming tenderness tore at my very soul, leaving me breathless, suffocating. Days bled into weeks, and I still didn’t know who he truly loved. Until that day, when he found me, his face alight with excitement. “I know your name!” My heart lurched. “My colleague saw your picture and said you were his old neighbor, the older girl who moved away years ago. He said you’d blossomed, almost didn’t recognize you.” Someone here knew me? He ruffled my hair. “So you really are older than me, huh? Sarah?” Sarah. That was my mother’s name. My name was Eleanor. In that shattering instant, everything clicked into place. I hadn’t just gone back in time; I had become history. I was living out the past. The person he fell in love with, the one he thought was my mother, was actually me-the time-traveling me. So all the torment I endured, all the pain… what was it for? This cruel, twisted joke of fate made bile rise in my throat, a wave of sickening disgust. Hot, heavy tears streamed down, each one a hammer blow against my chest. I fell ill for days, and he nursed me tirelessly, never leaving my side. In a haze of fever, I felt him slip a ring into my hand. “I saved for three years to get this.” “Sarah, when you got better, will you marry me?” Yes. But I couldn’t wait. An invisible force seized me and dragged me back through time. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the night I tried to kill myself. This time, Damien wasn’t beside me. Blood choked my throat, burning as I gasped. I thrashed, desperate to claw my way out of the tub, but the door was locked, bolted from the outside. Sounds came from beyond the door. A sliver of hope ignited in me, then died as I heard Damien and a woman, their muffled moans and gasps echoing through the thin walls. I was plunged back into that icy despair. I remembered. Last time, when I learned I was just a stand-in for my mother, every tender memory, every ounce of sweetness, turned to dust in my hands. After the ninety-ninth time I found him with someone else, I demanded a divorce. He locked me up instead. Broken, I chose to end it all. But now, knowing the truth, the bitterness wasn’t cold ash-it was a raw, living wound, screaming to be spoken. I couldn’t die. I had to tell him the truth. I screamed his name, the sound tearing my throat, as the darkness began to pull me under… The door finally opened. When I woke in the hospital, my eyes immediately found Damien. I tried my best to ignore the fresh hickeys on his neck, desperate to speak. But he grabbed me, his hand closing around my throat. “You want to die? I told you, Eleanor. Until you repay what your mother stole from me, I’ll make sure you crave death but can never reach it.” “If you want to hate, hate her-your mother, who stole my heart and my money, then just vanished.” The stark disgust in his eyes made my own burn, blurring with unshed tears. He scoffed, a chilling sound. “What are you playing at? Don’t think for a second that your resemblance to her will soften me.” I tried to speak, but no sound came out. He sneered. “Who told you to try and take your own life? Enjoy being speechless now, do you?” I’d choked on my own blood during the suicide attempt, screamed until my throat was raw and useless. He leaned closer, his voice a cruel whisper. “I knew you were throwing a little tantrum in the bathroom earlier. Too bad she was so… insistent. I couldn’t resist. We went for another round.” I bit down hard on my lip, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. The memory of 25-year-old Damien’s tenderness still lingered in my mind. The harsh reality slapped me across the face, a brutal awakening. Stubbornly, I reached for my phone, desperate to type out the truth, but Damien, impatient, just turned his back and walked away. “Don’t bother me with these dramatics again, Eleanor. Do it too often, and I’ll get bored.”

After I was discharged, I found Damien had blocked me everywhere, every single way I could reach him. When I went to find him, Damien was playfully feeding a cherry from his lips to Chloe’s. He said impatiently, “Last time, you kept blowing up my phone with texts while I was on a date. It was annoying, so I just blocked you.” I plastered on a weak smile, trying to convince myself. He was like this because I’d left without a word. I believed that if I just told him the truth, the man who once had eyes only for me would return. But watching him and Chloe, their intimacy like a cruel dance, my chest felt like a gaping wound, cold air rushing in, freezing me from the inside out. Only in dreams could I find the phantom warmth that lingered from the past. As the sounds of their pleasure seeped through the walls from next door, I dreamed of my first encounter with the 35-year-old Damien. My friend and I were hiking when a sudden hailstorm hit. She complained I was too slow and just abandoned me. I walked, crying, until I encountered Damien, who was also hiking. His eyes locked on mine, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. Then he chuckled, amused by my pathetic, tear-streaked face. He gave me all his supplies, every last bit, leaving himself vulnerable. He suffered severe frostbite, leaving him with permanent damage. Before we married, he was everything gentle and attentive. I just had to wish for something, and he’d make it happen. Even when work was hectic, he’d make time to celebrate every holiday with me. He said, “Eleanor, I’m thirteen years older than you. I’ll wait for you to come around at your own pace.” He said, “Eleanor, I know you lost your parents. From now on, I’m your family. You’ll never be alone; you’ll have everything with me.” My parents died in a car crash when I was ten. I was adopted by Vicky. When I was in college, Vicky and her family moved abroad, leaving me alone. Having never been in love before, his sincerity shattered my defenses. Feeling utterly unworthy of him, I could only express my love in my own clumsy ways. I wrote him letters, folded paper cranes, even bought him a tie with two months of summer job earnings. I poured my entire being into him, gave him everything I had. He’d rent out all the major billboards across the city to wish me a happy birthday. He’d even jet off to the Southern Hemisphere to buy a limited-edition collectible, all because I’d casually mentioned liking it. Even though our age difference drew whispers and gossip, when we were together, when I was truly in love, I felt like the happiest woman alive. But after we were married, that beautiful dream… it shattered into a million painful pieces. On my birthday, simply because Chloe was in a bad mood, he left me stranded on the highway. I walked ten kilometers in a torrential downpour, then came home with a raging fever that lasted three days. While I was suffering from a bleeding ulcer with no money for treatment, he bought Chloe an $880,000 designer bag and tossed me a scratch-off lottery ticket. “Whatever you scratch, that’s what you get. If it’s not enough, figure it out yourself.” Dreaming this, my tears streamed down. In the fuzzy space between sleep and waking, I felt arms wrap around me. I looked up, my gaze locking with Damien’s bloodshot, raw eyes. His voice was thick with unshed tears, a guttural choke. “Eleanor,” he choked out, “I searched for her for ten agonizing years. How could she be so heartless? She left no trace, no clue. She even hid the fact that she was married when we were together.” “So, all these years… did she ever mention me? Did she ever once say she was sorry?” His cold tears trickled onto my neck, chilling me. But it was a burn, a shiver that ran through me. I couldn’t hold back anymore. A torrent of tears burst forth. The raw bitterness that had festered within me for days seemed to wash away with each sob, each tear. I wrapped my arms around his waist, clinging to that long-lost warmth, desperate for it. The next second, his breath, laced with hatred, ghosted across my ear. “You hate her too, don’t you?” “Hate her for abandoning you, hate her for tearing your family apart.” When I froze, unable to respond, he let out a bitter laugh. “Forget it. Asking you is useless.” His voice sharpened, cutting through the air. “Because you’re just as pathetic as your mother! I’ve treated you like this, and you still won’t leave.” He spat, “No one in this world loves you. Not your mother, not me. You’re nothing but your father’s mistake.” His kiss was brutal, crushing. I gasped, a sharp stab of pain. He sneered. “Didn’t you used to beg me to touch you? What are you pretending now?” My stomach churned, a knot of revulsion tightening in my throat. My nails dug deep into my palms, leaving crescent marks. All the pain, the suffocating suppression, the unspeakable emotions… they wrapped around me, a thick, impenetrable cocoon. Leaving me utterly drained, even of the strength to cry out. The next day, when I saw him again, I averted my gaze. But then he pulled out a letter, holding it carefully, and gently, unbelievably, wrapped his arms around me. I shivered, staring at him in disbelief. After losing my voice, I’d tried desperately to write down the details of what had happened ten years ago, hoping to tell him the truth. But he’d been too busy sleeping with other women, never even glancing at what I’d written. But now, his tears, hot and heavy, landed on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. All of it… it’s all my fault.”

Today was my birthday, and our wedding anniversary. He said he’d make it up to me, that he had a surprise planned. I pushed open the private room door at the karaoke bar, and the lights flickered on. Balloons, streamers, and a magnificent three-tier cake burst into view. His gaze was earnest, unwavering. “Eleanor, I truly, truly know I was wrong.” “Please, just let me make it up to you. Please?” “I’m a bastard, I know. You can hit me, scream at me, curse me to hell-just don’t ignore me, Eleanor. I can’t bear it.” His words, laced with what sounded like genuine remorse, seemed to temporarily soothe the raw sting of yesterday’s pain. As I leaned in to blow out the candles, the lights abruptly flickered off. His lips claimed mine, a rough kiss, and his hand roamed possessively along my waist. But when he tried to go further, I frowned, a gut instinct screaming, and pushed him away. He wiped his mouth, a smirk playing on his lips, a hint of frustration in his eyes. “It’s fine, that’s enough for now.” Chloe pushed the door open and sauntered in, settling herself immediately onto his lap. And then I saw the photos she held in her hand, neatly arranged. The tender affection on his face vanished like smoke, replaced by a cruel, mocking smirk. “Eleanor, I call you pathetic, and you truly are. A single cake is all it takes to buy your forgiveness?” “You truly didn’t inherit an ounce of Sarah’s cunning.” “If you had half of her ruthless decisiveness when she abandoned me back then, you wouldn’t have been played for such a fool.” He held up the letter, the one I’d poured my heart into. “This kind of pathetic love letter… did you honestly think I’d even bother to open it?” “Sarah would never have stooped to such childish displays. If you were even a fraction like her, perhaps I wouldn’t have to be so cruel.” He waved the photos menacingly. “You haven’t graduated college yet, have you? Imagine if these photos found their way to your university…” “Tell me, if your precious mother saw how I treated you, would she be so enraged she’d claw her way out of her grave just to strike me down?” As he spoke, his eyes welled up, his voice cracking with a raw, ugly sob. “Then let her come back to life! What good is she doing, dead, leaving me to suffer alone!” In his twisted, broken mind, it seemed that the more cruelly he tortured me, the more he could soothe that raw, consuming hatred he couldn’t place. And then, in front of my very eyes, he started making out with Chloe, right there on the couch. I stood frozen, a statue carved from ice, watching in numb horror. It wasn’t until Damien’s final thrust-and the moment Chloe let go, letting the photographs of me, disheveled and exposed, flutter to the floor-that the scream finally ripped its way out of my throat. A raw, electric shriek of pure revulsion. Disgusting. Filthy. After the scream, I stumbled to the nearest trash can, convulsing with violent dry heaves. Tears streamed down, mixing with my humiliation, and I wretched everything, my soul included, into the filth. I wanted to purge every last vestige of feeling I ever had for him, to cleanse myself completely. My calves trembled uncontrollably, my stomach twisting with agonizing cramps. Under Damien’s stunned gaze, a defiant spark ignited within me for the very first time. I slapped him. Hard. The sharp crack of my hand against his cheek seemed to echo in the room, shattering every last illusion, every fragile bond we had. I turned and walked away, not looking back. But before I could even make it out the door, his men blocked my path. His eyes blazed with a terrifying fury as he glared at me. “This woman is insane. Get her to a mental institution. Make sure she never sees the light of day again.”

I was forcibly dragged and shoved into the waiting car, destined for the psychiatric hospital. My phone was confiscated. Vicky’s name flashed frantically on the screen, but I couldn’t answer. Gritting my teeth, I lunged, slamming my body into the driver’s seat. The world spun, a violent kaleidoscope of metal and glass. I could almost taste death. He rushed to the hospital, only to see my bloodied, battered form being wheeled into the operating room. The letter I had once poured my heart into, the one he’d sneered at, was clutched in his shaking hand, almost crumpled beyond recognition. He turned, and saw a familiar face. Damien let out a cold, hollow laugh. “What are you doing here? This is between me and your sister. It’s about a debt Sarah owes me.” Vicky’s face was a mask of icy fury. “I’m here to see Sarah.” Damien went utterly still. “What the hell are you talking about? Sarah died in a car crash twelve years ago.” Vicky raised a shaking hand, her finger aimed like a blade at the ominous red light above the operating room doors. Her voice sliced through the silence, cold and absolute. “The woman fighting for her life in there…is your Sarah.”

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On our wedding day, desperate to pay for my mom’s emergency surgery, I made a demand to my fiancé: “Give me $500,000, or this wedding is off!” Caleb froze for a moment, but then quickly wired the $500,000 to me. That same night, drunk, he pinned me beneath him: ” gold-digger!” After we were married, he constantly cheated, cycling through countless lovers. When I tearfully confronted him, he just said: “What makes you any different from those bitches? Oh, I forgot, you’re more expensive! It cost me $500,000 just to get you into bed!” Later, when I proposed divorce, he sneered: “Name your price. How much do you want this time?” “Fifty thousand dollars?” “A hundred thousand?” “Or maybe one hundred fifty thousand?” His indifferent sneer echoed in my ears. I hadn’t even said anything. A young woman’s voice came through the phone: “Caleb, you casually donated five thousand dollars to a beggar on the street yesterday. Why are you so stingy with your own wife?” Caleb said with contempt, “Because some people only deserve that much.” Ever since I asked him for $500,000 on our wedding day. The love in Caleb’s eyes for me had vanished completely. I knew I was in the wrong and wanted to make things right. But. I cooked for him myself. His face was full of mockery: “How much do you want? Name your fee before I even take a bite. Let’s see if I can afford it.” Even during sex at night, he’d casually say, “How much for tonight? Give me a number.” Countless times, I tried to explain that I needed the money before our wedding because my mom had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage on our wedding day and needed emergency surgery. But he wouldn’t believe me. “You’d lie about your mom’s life for money. Skylar, I never knew you could be so twisted.” I endured a sharp stomach pain and said calmly: “I don’t want your money. I just want a divorce.” He didn’t know I was suffering from a gastroenteritis flare-up today, and I didn’t even have $200 for medical fees. Caleb still didn’t believe a word I said. A fresh wave of biting contempt washed over me. “Skylar, if you want to prove you’re not a gold-digger, pay me back the $500,000.” With that, he hung up the phone. His words kept swirling in my mind. Everyone thought I’d become a wealthy socialite after marrying him. But no one knew Caleb hadn’t given me a single dime since our wedding day. My old company couldn’t keep me because of my status as ‘Mrs. Hayes.’ After being let go, I tried interviewing elsewhere, but was subtly turned down for the same reason. In these three years. Every cent I used was money I’d saved from my previous job. And it had all gone to my mom’s medical bills and living expenses. Now I didn’t even have a hundred dollars on me. Where was I supposed to get $500,000 to pay Caleb back? I stood frozen in place, the medical bill clutched in my icy hands.

Caleb and I were a real-life fairytale. He was from the prominent Hayes family, the sole heir to their empire. My background was ordinary. And I had a chronically ill mother who needed constant care. Not long after Caleb and I started dating, I confided in him about my family situation. I thought he’d be like everyone else, backing away once he heard about my bedridden mom. But he didn’t. He just held my hand, his eyes filled with tenderness, and whispered, his voice trembling: “You must have been so tired all these years, right? I’ll be by your side from now on.” He told me: “Skylar, no matter where you go or what you do, don’t forget I’m always behind you.” Back then, many people said that meeting Caleb was the greatest fortune of my life. I thought so too. No one imagined then that a wedding I’d looked forward to with all my heart would not only brand me with an unshakeable ‘gold-digger’ label, but also shatter all his love for me. To this day, I still remember. After I got the money, I rushed to pay for my mom’s surgery. But my mom’s doctor, no longer looking urgent, told me gravely: “Ms. Miller, your mother is perfectly fine. Everything you just witnessed was a test from Mrs. Hayes. She wanted to see if you were truly worthy of being Mrs. Hayes.” “She asked me to tell you that she’s not entirely satisfied with your performance. If you want to secure your place as Mrs. Hayes, you have more work to do.” “Also, Mrs. Hayes will arrange a better medical team for your mother, but on one condition: she expects your absolute silence on this matter.” Because of Mrs. Hayes’s subtle and not-so-subtle threats, I couldn’t risk my mom’s life. No matter how much Caleb misunderstood me, I never told him the truth about what happened. But when I found out he was cheating, and there was a new, bright, beautiful girl by his side, I still went crazy and fought with him. I clutched his clothes, sobbing uncontrollably. Again and again, I humbly begged him: “Caleb, please, I’m begging you, stop treating me like this!” Facing my plea, his cold face showed not a flicker of emotion. He harshly pried my hands away, and said, word by word: “Skylar, the day you demanded money at our wedding, trampling on my family’s reputation, you died in my heart.” “Now, you’re just a woman I bought with money. What right do you have to make demands of me?” After that. He became even more brazen. The women by his side changed constantly. The sleeping pills in my nightstand. Bottle after bottle, they emptied during my sleepless nights. Now, I had no money for refills. I could only turn and head home. But when I reached the front door of the villa, I found it tightly shut, with no lights inside. I clutched my still aching stomach and struggled to press the doorbell. “Maria, are you there? Could you please open the door for me?” I gritted my teeth, shouting inside. The next moment. The butler’s cold, impersonal voice came through the intercom: “Mr. Hayes just set a curfew. No one is allowed in or out after 10 PM. That includes you, Mrs. Hayes.” “It’s 10:01 PM now, past curfew. Mrs. Hayes, please don’t make things difficult for us.”

I felt the meager seven dollars left in my pocket. A wave of sorrow washed over me. I slowly sat down on the steps of the main entrance, clutching my stomach. I hugged myself tightly, trying to find some warmth. Just then. I suddenly remembered my junior year of college. I missed my dorm’s curfew trying to rush back from my off-campus part-time job. Just when I felt helpless and didn’t know what to do, Caleb appeared before me like an angel, seemingly out of nowhere. He brought me back to this very mansion and gently told me: “Skylar, these doors are always open for you. This is your home, your place.” And now. I looked at the place that was once called home. But it felt incredibly strange. I sat outside the villa all night. When Maria, the housekeeper, woke up and opened the door, my limbs were already stiff and numb. “Mrs. Hayes, why didn’t you find somewhere to stay? Come in quickly before you catch a cold.” She anxiously took my hand. When she touched my icy palm, her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes held a hint of pity and sympathy. She didn’t say anything more. She hurried to the kitchen to make me ginger tea. In these three years. When I was despised and insulted by others, only Maria steadfastly believed in me. She told me: “You’re not a materialistic person. You must have had an unavoidable reason for what you did, I believe you.” Back then, the time we spent together was only a few visits before my wedding. But even she chose to believe me. While Caleb, who constantly proclaimed his love for me, still refused to believe me. It was truly laughable. I had Maria’s ginger tea and breakfast. Then I went to my room to wash up. Just as I was about to rest, I heard a woman’s clear, pleasant voice outside, sweetly flirting. “It’s all your fault, you wouldn’t stop last night, kept bothering me. My back is so sore now. My fault? Should I rub it for you?” Caleb’s familiar, deep voice drifted through the bedroom door. His slightly hoarse tone carried a distinct note of joyful laughter. Hearing his laughter, my mind felt a bit hazy. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him smile. Suddenly, I spotted the divorce papers I’d prepared on the nightstand. I sat up, grabbed them, and walked out the door. Only to run straight into Caleb and his new fling, Brittany, passionately kissing in the hallway. His hand was already on her thigh. I moved my dry lips and whispered: “Sorry to interrupt you for a few minutes.” Caleb’s gaze, which had just been filled with tenderness, instantly turned piercingly cold when it landed on me. Brittany stood beside him, her back arrogantly straight, revealing the pale skin of her neck covered in suggestive red marks. “Mrs. Hayes, you’re actually home? I thought you missed curfew last night and had to find somewhere else to stay.” I didn’t pay attention to her provocation and cold mockery. I walked toward Caleb. “Here are the divorce papers I prepared. I’ll pay back the money I owe you, every last cent.” “You don’t even have a job. How do you plan to pay it back?” Caleb’s lips curled into a faint smile, but no genuine amusement reached his eyes. He knew. He knew I hadn’t had a job or income for three years. I suppressed the turmoil inside me. “How I pay it back is my business. You don’t need to worry about it.” Before Caleb could say anything, Brittany snatched the papers from my hand and scanned them. Then she burst into laughter. “Oh my God, Mrs. Hayes, there are so many typos! Where did you find such an unprofessional lawyer?”

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After coming to college, I realized I was the only virgin in my class. I grew up in a conservative Christian family. Before I left home, my mother warned me: “A woman’s first time must be with her husband on their wedding night.” So, even though the girls around me mocked me, and even though I craved freedom, I couldn’t break free from those chains. That is, until Adam stormed into my life like a wild beast. He’s my neighbor—eight-pack abs, tousled curly hair. Damn it… and he’s packing 8.5 inches! It had only been two months since I left home for college, but it felt like a lifetime of changes had hit me all at once. All my new friends had boyfriends. They loved sharing their sex stories. One of them smirked, “He teases with his fingers, circling slow, barely brushing your clit until you’re trembling and gasping for more. Then he pins your wrists above your head, pushes in deep and hard, each thrust hitting just right…” “God, the way he claims you with that huge, powerful cock… “The climax hits like a wave breaking over you, pulling you under in the most beautiful way.” The room filled with their soft laughs and knowing smiles. I sat curled in the armchair, knees hugged to my chest, listening without a word. Heat pooled low in my belly, a secret ache that throbbed with every detail they shared. I bit my lip hard. I’d never been touched like that. Never felt a guy’s weight pressing me down, never known the slide of bare skin or that breathless surrender. I was still a virgin, untouched, unsure— but my body betrayed me, craving hands that weren’t there, lips I’d never tasted. The thought scared me and thrilled me in equal measure. I wanted it. I wanted to feel that unraveling, to be wanted that fiercely. Then one night at a party, everything shifted. I’d been hovering on the edges, unsure how to fit in, when I met Brad. He was gorgeous, charming, and this was his house. We talked for a while. Then he offered to give me a tour. The look in his eyes told me the tour wasn’t the point. My heart raced. Part of me wanted to stay safe in the crowd. But I pushed that voice down. This was the first step toward what I secretly craved. “Sure,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. He took my hand the second we left the main room and led me upstairs. His touch sent sparks across my skin. My whole body hummed with anticipation. No tour. He brought me straight to his bedroom. The door clicked shut. Before I could catch my breath, his mouth was on mine—hot, hungry, certain. My eyes widened, but then I melted into it. God, it felt so good. He guided me to the bed. I lay back. He followed, covering me with his warmth. His kisses deepened. His hand slipped under my top, palm flat against my bare stomach. Everything was happening fast. Too fast. My pulse thundered. Then his hand slid higher, cupping my breast through my bra. Pleasure shot through me, sharp and dizzying. Panic followed right after. I sat up quickly. “What’s wrong?” he asked, voice gentle. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “It’s just… moving a little fast for me. Can we slow down?” “Of course,” he said, and I felt a rush of gratitude. He kissed me again, softer this time. But soon his body pressed closer, his thigh sliding between mine. I felt his hard, insistent thing pushing against me. Heat flooded me. Desire and fear twisted tight in my chest. I froze again.

This time, he wasn’t as patient. The mood shattered. I could feel it slip away like smoke. Disappointment stung, but something else woke up inside me, something hungry. That night, alone in the dark, I kept replaying it. What if I’d swallowed the fear and just let go? I pictured him slowly peeling my clothes away. I’d be shy no matter how hard I tried to hide it. I imagined his eyes drinking me in, my body trembling under his gaze, desperate for that look that says I’m beautiful, I’m wanted. Then he’d strip off his own shirt. God, I wanted to see him bare. When we kissed, I’d felt the hard lines of his chest under my palms. I wondered how perfect he’d look completely naked—every muscle, every inch of skin. I imagined his mouth trailing down my body, hot and slow, kissing every sensitive place until I felt like I was blooming open, coming alive under his lips. I thought about his tongue on me, lower, softer, teasing the most secret parts until I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to taste him too. Wanted to wrap my hand around him, feel how thick and warm he’d be, how he’d pulse against my palm. I wondered how it would feel when he finally pushed inside, slow at first, then deep, filling me completely. That night, frustration burned through me. I slid my hand between my thighs for the first time ever. They always said it was wrong. Dirty. Forbidden. But the second my fingers brushed over that slick heat, I understood why people break rules. It felt incredible. The naughtiness only made it hotter. I bit my lip to keep the moans inside as I circled, then slipped a finger in. So good, but I knew it would be a thousand times better when it wasn’t just me. That was the night everything changed. The night I discovered pleasure I’d only dreamed about. After that, I got bolder. Guys started noticing. I kissed a few, let hands wander, waited for the spark that felt right. None of them quite did. So two months in, I was still a virgin. But I wasn’t scared anymore. I was ready. I just needed the right moment. When it came, it was going to be electric. One Saturday the weather turned gorgeous, with warm sun, blue sky. I felt alive. There was a party that night. I kept whispering to myself: Maybe tonight. Maybe this is the night. Even if it wasn’t, I’d still have fun. I wandered the city, loving how every street could surprise me. I crossed the park and ended up in a new neighborhood—artsy, alive. Murals splashed across brick walls. Cute little boutiques I couldn’t afford. I told myself to keep walking. Then I turned a corner and stopped dead. A mural—half-finished, vibrant, wild. And the artist was still up there on the scaffold. I couldn’t look away. The way he moved, confident, focused, brush in hand—it was mesmerizing. Then—clatter. A paintbrush slipped from his fingers. I flinched. It missed me, hit the ground, and a few drops of blue splashed onto my calf. He glanced down. Our eyes locked. “Oh shit,” he called. “I’m so sorry! Did I get you?” “No, you missed me,” I laughed, heart tripping. “Just a little splash on my leg.” “Hang on, I’m coming down.” He moved fast, sure-footed on the ladder. When he hit the pavement, I finally saw him properly. Tall. Athletic. Deep tan that screamed time in the sun. Sandy-blonde hair brushing his ears, a few silver threads catching the light. Dark green eyes that pinned me in place. Damn. “Hi,” he said, gaze sliding over me. I felt my cheeks heat. “I’m really sorry. I’m George.” “Ella.” “Ella.” He smiled slow and warm. “Let’s see the damage.” It took me a second. Then I turned, showing him the streak of blue on my leg. He made a low sound. “What a shame, ruining legs like that. You can’t walk around covered in paint. Come on—let me clean you up.” “Oh, you don’t have to—” “It’s no trouble. This is my house.” He nodded toward the door behind the mural. I blinked. “Really?” “Really. I don’t usually paint other people’s walls.” His grin was teasing. I smiled back. “Okay. Why not?” He led me inside. The place was pure artist—every surface covered in beautiful chaos. Canvases stacked against walls, shelves crammed with odd treasures, sunlight pouring through big windows. I could’ve spent hours just staring. And the whole time, I felt his eyes on me. Warm. Curious. Wanting.

“Come on,” George said. “Let’s go through to the kitchen.” I followed him and sat on the chair he pulled out for me. “This is a nice place,” I said, glancing around the big, bright kitchen. “Must be pretty expensive.” “It is,” he admitted. “But I don’t live here alone. I have a housemate. He’s out right now, but he’ll be back later.” “Ah, got it.” He grabbed a wet rag from beside the sink and ran it under the tap. I started to reach for it, thinking I’d clean my leg myself, but then he dropped to his knees in front of me. I looked down at him, my pulse already quickening. He wrapped his fingers around my ankle. The touch felt electric, intimate in a way I hadn’t expected. No one had ever held me there before. Did he know that? Of course not. But he did it so easily, like it was the most natural thing in the world. He smiled up at me. Then the cool cloth touched my skin, and I shivered. His pressure was gentle, careful. Having him on his knees like this, tending to me, felt dangerously close. I couldn’t look away. “There you go,” he murmured. “All done.” He stayed down there. Our eyes locked. The air between us thickened, charged. He took my ankle again and lifted my leg just a little. “All clean now,” he whispered. Then he leaned in and brushed his lips against the spot he’d just wiped. My heart stumbled. I stared at him, breathless. He wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t rushing. He seemed to know exactly how to touch me, how to make me want more without saying a word. Another kiss, higher, at my knee. My dress had slipped, baring more skin. Then one soft press of his mouth to the outside of my thigh. A voice in my head whispered I should stop him. I told it to shut up. He let go of my ankle and stood. For a second I thought the moment had slipped away. Disappointment hit me hard. But then he took both my hands and pulled me up. “What do you say?” he asked, voice low. I couldn’t speak. I just looked at him, waiting. He cupped my chin, tilting my face to his. My heart pounded. He leaned down slowly. His lips brushed mine, teasing, finding the perfect fit. Then his tongue slipped past my parted lips, meeting mine in a slow, hungry dance. One hand stayed on my face, thumb stroking my cheek. The other settled at my waist, pulling me closer. I reached up. My fingers grazed the stubble on his jaw. My other hand pressed against his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath his shirt. The kiss deepened, heat building like a slow fire. His hand on my waist guided me back until the edge of the table pressed into me. No escape. I didn’t want one. I pushed into him. Our bodies fit together perfectly—his strength against my softness. He felt solid, powerful. Every shift of his muscles sent sparks through me. Then he eased back, just enough to look at me. He took my hands again, squeezed them, and smiled. I smiled back, suddenly shy. I glanced away, then back, biting my lip. This was different. No alarms going off in my head. No urge to pull away. All those old fears were gone. I felt free. Alive. A little scared—and that only made it better. We both wanted this. I was ready to fall into whatever came next.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “336917”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn #擦边Steamy

I’d activated a Sickness Transmigration System. I woke up in the body of Kai Stone, the biological son of the affluent Stone family, who’d only been found and brought home half a year ago. Everyone adored Brandon, the adopted son of the family. My three sisters were terrified I’d try to take what they believed belonged to Brandon, so they constantly threw sarcastic jabs my way. My biological parents were scared my presence would upset Brandon, so they bent over backward, desperately trying to make it up to him. But they never once considered my feelings. Then, I was dying. Later, they found the diary I’d hidden beneath my pillow. They shattered. 0I’d activated a Sickness Transmigration System. On my very first day here, I was drenched in hot soup. The freshly made, steaming soup ran down my cheeks, over my neck, the vegetables rolling off my shirt and onto the floor. It burned. I stared at the girl in front of me, my face devoid of emotion. My dark eyes held not a single flicker. Everyone else was startled by her outburst too. Eleanor gasped, “Chloe, what are you doing?!” Chloe’s face showed a hint of regret, but the words that burst out were full of blame. “Well, he’s always got that lifeless expression! Brandon tried to talk to him, didn’t he hear?” Brandon, hearing this, looked guilt-ridden. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was because of me that…” He looked at me with an apologetic expression. “Chloe didn’t mean it. Kai, can I apologize to you for her?” Chloe immediately bristled. “Who does he think he is? He doesn’t deserve an apology from you! Brandon, why are you even bothering with him?” I let out a faint, cynical smile. I wondered what the original occupant of this body was to them, really. I watched Brandon, surrounded by my three sisters, impeccably dressed in a pristine white shirt, his hair perfectly styled. Meanwhile, I was stained yellow with hot soup, the greasy smell clinging to me, even without looking down. I ignored Brandon. I picked up the last carrot piece that had landed on my lap, swallowed it with the soup clinging to my lips. It didn’t taste like anything I’d ever eaten before. I stood up to leave. “I’m full. I’ll head back to my room now. Thank you.” Turning, I met Maria, the housekeeper’s, worried gaze and offered her a small smile. The dining table fell into a tense silence. Richard and Eleanor’s expressions were strained. Isabelle, the eldest sister, finally spoke, her voice low. “Chloe, you really went too far this time. Kai didn’t do anything.” In my original world, I was already dead. Late-stage stomach cancer, I died at eighteen. I was tortured to death by the pain. Completely alone. Aside from that carrot, I hadn’t eaten anything solid for almost three months. Perhaps the System pitied my wretchedness, so it brought me to this world. This body also has stomach cancer. But it hasn’t reached the terminal stage yet. The System told me the original boy had taken sleeping pills and ended his life today. Frequent abdominal pain coupled with coughing up blood had alerted him that something was terribly wrong with his body. But he was scared to speak up, afraid of bothering the Stone family, of making the relatives who already disliked him hate him even more, so he chose to simply leave this world. He was such a fool. The Stone family was ridiculously wealthy; with proper treatment, he could’ve had a chance. This family is truly ironic. My own flesh and blood, home for half a year, and they hadn’t even noticed I was sick. Perhaps he was luckier than me. At sixteen, he was brought back home by his biological parents. Perhaps he was even unluckier than me. He left before ever experiencing a single ounce of unconditional love. The System fell silent. “My arrival seems to have worsened the body’s symptoms?” Feeling the metallic taste of blood in my throat, I asked the System. The System replied, “Yes. Just like your original body, you might… by 18.” “But if you cooperate with treatment…” I cut in, my voice flat. “No treatment.” It doesn’t matter. I’m going to die anyway. Besides, I don’t want to live. 0

In the middle of the night, the abdominal pain became unbearable, and I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It felt like I was back in my previous life. Curled up, eyes wide open, waiting for dawn, night after night. There was nothing in my room. Parched, I stumbled downstairs in the dark, desperate for water. Only to find Jocelyn, my second sister, in the living room. Jocelyn was a professional e-sports player, so it wasn’t unusual for her to be awake at two or three in the morning. Clearly, Jocelyn noticed me too. She glared at me, her expression grim. Jocelyn was the most quiet and reserved person in the Stone family. The original Kai had been home for half a year and never once seen her look at him kindly. I ignored her. It was probably just my presence that annoyed her. I hunched over and made my way to the kitchen. Unbeknownst to me, Jocelyn was startled by my appearance. Under the dim night light of the living room, she clearly saw me, drenched in sweat from the pain, my lips deathly pale. Except for the abnormal redness of my scalded cheek, the rest of my face was frighteningly white. But I was already accustomed to the unnatural paleness caused by constant pain, so I didn’t pay it any mind. I leaned on the sink, trying to rest, but the next second, a metallic taste flooded my mouth, and I vomited blood. “Ugh.” I choked back tears from the sheer misery. Movement came from the kitchen doorway. Jocelyn had followed me in. I quickly turned on the faucet to rinse the blood from the sink, then cupped my hands under the tap and drank a few gulps of cold water. Then Jocelyn’s deep voice cut through the silence: “If you’re going to drink water, drink warm water. Cold water can upset your stomach.” I mumbled a soft “mm-hmm,” keeping my head down, trying to get past her. The original Kai had barely exchanged a few words with Jocelyn, and I had no desire to get entangled with this family either. But then Jocelyn grabbed my wrist. I turned my head to look at her, my voice hoarse. “Jocelyn, is there something wrong?” Up close, Jocelyn could see the burns on my face even more clearly. She frowned, silent for a moment. “Why haven’t you treated that burn on your face?” I watched her, detecting what seemed like impatience on her face. I figured she just thought it was some pathetic ploy for attention. I pulled my wrist free, nodded vaguely. “Yeah, I’m heading back now.” Too close for comfort, Jocelyn flipped on the light, then frowned and stepped closer to the sink. Though the bloodstains had been diluted, she still keenly spotted the faint reddish streaks that the water hadn’t completely washed away… The next morning, as I went downstairs, I bumped into Chloe right at the bottom of the staircase. She was the one who held the most animosity towards the original Kai. She and Brandon were similar in age and shared the deepest bond. Perhaps she was just too young, only understanding that the brother she’d doted on and protected since childhood had suddenly been replaced. That this ‘new’ person, who had just been found, was here to steal everything from Brandon. She took all her resentment out on her biological brother. She resented him for disrupting their original life, unaware that the original Kai was the most innocent one of all. Chloe glanced at the obvious scald on my face, her eyes darting away. She deliberately didn’t speak to me, waiting for me to greet her first. But I didn’t even spare her a glance, simply walked around her and left. Richard said, his face cold, “You’re old enough to treat a minor burn yourself, aren’t you? What kind of image does this present when you go out?” Richard was a traditional patriarch, more concerned with business interests than family bonds. He was probably just worried that I’d embarrass him if I went out looking like this. After all, the original Kai had only been home for half a year, had average grades, and offered no ‘utility’ to the family. Eleanor wore a disapproving expression too. I scoffed inwardly. If it had been Brandon, he’d probably have been rushed to the hospital the moment it happened. Yet last night, not a single person bothered to ask if I was burned. Or if I was still hungry after eating so little. Their favoritism truly knew no bounds. “There’s no first-aid kit in my room.” Now it was the Stone family’s turn to fall silent. Of course, the master bedrooms in the Stone family mansion were fully equipped with everything. But after bringing the original Kai home, they’d put their biological son in a guest room. Guest rooms naturally had very few amenities. The original Kai even had to use a shared bathroom. Not one person had ever suggested moving him to a proper room. Eleanor looked at her son’s flushed face, so similar to her own, and a flicker of panic crossed her heart. If it were Brandon, even a tiny injury would have the whole family doting on him. But when it came to me, I suffered in silence. I was just not as ‘lovable’ as Brandon. Chloe stubbornly said, “If you don’t say anything, how are we supposed to know it’s serious?” A throbbing pain started in my upper abdomen, and I involuntarily hunched over. A metallic taste of blood flooded my throat again. I tugged on my backpack strap, my voice hoarse. “I’m going to school now.” Chloe frowned. It felt like a trick of her mind, but Kai’s posture seemed…off… 0

After the original Kai was found, he transferred to Chloe and Brandon’s school. But Brandon didn’t want the original Kai to share a ride with him, terrified that someone would discover he wasn’t a biological Stone. The original Kai always went to school alone. Over the past six months, thanks to Brandon’s subtle hints, he’d endured no small amount of bullying. But that poor kid endured it all in silence. He probably knew that even if he spoke up, no one would care. And his family would never believe Brandon had incited it. The moment I pulled my textbook from my desk, I saw a fake cockroach taped to the cover. The group waiting to see me squirm were already secretly covering their smirking mouths. If it were the original Kai, he would have definitely suffered in silence. But for me, dealing with these kinds of issues was routine. I just wanted to quietly wait for death here, but if they insisted on provoking me, I wasn’t some pushover they could walk all over. I snatched up the textbook with the cockroach and walked towards the girl who was closest and enjoying the show. I slammed the textbook against her face. Before she could even shriek, I dumped out all the books from her desk and found an identical textbook. The original Kai’s image in class had always been quiet and unassuming, never speaking up. Today, with my flushed face, I drew the silent attention of many classmates. Now, with my usual lack of presence, I was causing such a commotion. The classroom instantly fell silent. The girl recovered from her shock and lunged at me like a madwoman. I grabbed her hair, my voice ice-cold. “What happened before, I’ll let it go. But don’t you dare mess with me again.” With that, I shoved her away and returned to my seat, slumping over my desk. Not only was my stomach burning, but I also felt a faint nausea, like I was about to throw up. My forehead remained furrowed in pain, unable to relax. This isn’t right. It shouldn’t have progressed this quickly. This was already the advanced stage. The next moment, a warm hand firmly grasped my arm. Harper was suddenly by my desk, her brow furrowed, her voice low but laced with an undeniable authority. “Get up. I’ll help you to the infirmary.” I tried to pull away, but realized I didn’t even have the strength to stand. My body uncontrollably slumped against her. “Don’t try to be tough,” she whispered, her breath warm against my ear. Just as we stumbled out of the classroom, Chloe rushed forward, blocking our path, her face twisted in fury. She saw me, tightly supported by Harper, almost leaning on her, and her face grew even colder. Her words were like daggers. “Kai Stone, what are you doing? Class is about to start, and you’re out here messing around with a girl!” “See? No class, no class at all. You’ll never be anything like Brandon.” My heart suddenly twisted in a sharp pain. Emotions that weren’t mine flooded my chest, dense and overwhelming. The pain intensified. A metallic taste filled my mouth. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I quickly bowed my head. Harper felt my sudden intensified trembling and the increased weight against her. She lifted her head, her gaze sharp as daggers, piercing Chloe. Her voice was ice-cold: “Are your eyes just for show? Can’t you see he can barely stand? Get out of the way!” She didn’t bother with Chloe anymore, moving one slow step at a time towards the infirmary. Each step was accompanied by a suppressed groan in my throat and the excruciating, tearing pain in my stomach. She turned her head slightly, quickly glancing at my paper-white, sweat-drenched face. A rare tension laced her voice: “Hang in there. We’re almost there.” Just as we reached the infirmary door, I finally couldn’t hold it in. I shoved her away violently and lunged for a corner trash can. “Ugh—” I hadn’t eaten anything all morning, so all that came out was acidic fluid mixed with blood from my stomach. Some of it splashed onto Harper’s clean shoes. I clung to the edge of the trash can, so weak I almost collapsed, but I watched Harper step forward without hesitation, firmly supporting my arm again, as if the stark filth didn’t exist. She didn’t say a word. Instead, with her free hand, she very naturally, with just her fingertips, gently wiped away the lingering traces of blood and water from my mouth. The movement was so quick it almost felt like an illusion, yet the touch was searingly clear. The school nurse rushed over, hearing the commotion. Harper quickly and concisely explained, “He suddenly has severe abdominal pain, can’t stand, just threw up, and there’s blood.” She helped me onto the infirmary bed, watched me lie down, then took half a step back. Through my blurry vision, I saw her silhouette standing by the bed, slightly out of breath. 0

The school nurse put ointment on my face and hooked me up to an IV drip of glucose. “Young man, why are you throwing up blood? Do you have any medical history?” The school nurse advised me to get a thorough check-up at the hospital, just to be safe. I thanked him, explaining it was just because I hadn’t eaten breakfast. I didn’t need a check-up; I already knew this body’s condition. In my mind, I asked the System why this was happening. The System’s mechanical voice quietly responded. “Because the original host’s consciousness is fading faster.” Meaning he wants to leave this world quickly, right? The System was silent. I gave a knowing, bitter smile. The original host was adopted by his grandmother. When his grandmother found him as an infant, he was stiff with cold in the ice and snow, his tiny body purple. She thought he was already frozen to death, but then saw a tiny finger twitch. When he was five, his grandmother passed away. The original host was sent to an orphanage by the neighbors. Later, he was taken in by the Stone family, but he never received proper care. So now, the original host wanted to go find his grandmother, the only one who ever loved him… Perhaps it was the pain, or perhaps it was for the original host. My eyes grew moist, and I stared blankly at the ceiling. In that moment, I wanted to hold him tightly, the him deep within this soul. I realized Harper was still there and hastily wiped my eyes. I pressed my lips together. “Thank you for bringing me here.” In my last life, facing so much malice, I always fought alone. Now, faced with Harper, who had helped me, I felt a little lost. And I’d just thrown up on her… Harper raised an eyebrow. “Well, as repayment, how about you bring me breakfast from now on?” I hesitated. I didn’t want to get too involved with anyone. Harper looked at my faded canvas shoes, then quickly added. “What? Your gratitude isn’t just empty words, is it?” I sighed, having no choice but to nod in agreement. After school, I planned to go to the hospital. My body’s condition would only worsen. I needed to get some painkillers. The original host had a card, given to him by Isabelle as compensation when he first came home. If regular painkillers worked, I wouldn’t even bother going to the hospital. Gastroenterology department at the hospital. Dr. Alex Liu was young. Perhaps seeing me as a younger brother, he gently asked what was bothering me. In that instant, I actually felt like crying. Such genuine concern—I’d never known it in either of my lives. I managed a weak smile. “Could you please prescribe some morphine?” The doctor froze, unable to believe his ears. The young man in front of him was barely of school age, yet he was asking for morphine. I continued, “If not, OxyContin, Fentanyl—anything strong will do.” Dr. Alex Liu choked, his face etched with reproach. “What kind of illness do you have, young man? Have you been examined? You can’t just take random medication.” “Stomach cancer, advanced stage,” I answered, my tone light, but serious. His expression instantly froze, and he even seemed a little agitated. “How is that possible? You’re so young! Which hospital? Which quack doctor diagnosed you?! Do you want me to report them?” The doctor’s expression was so amusing, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “I’ve already been diagnosed. It’s just been getting more painful lately. Could you please prescribe some painkillers?” Dr. Alex Liu looked at the young man’s genuine expression, his heart sinking. “Do your family know?” “You’re so young, why aren’t you fighting for treatment?” I sighed. This was one of the reasons I didn’t want to come to the hospital. I resorted to playing the victim card. “My family knows. It’s just… we don’t have the money. And I have several older sisters, so… no treatment.” Dr. Alex Liu looked as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he remained silent. I left the hospital with my medication. Unaware that Harper had followed me the whole way. 0

Harper hid behind the door, a chill running through her body. After school, Harper watched Kai stumble out of the school gates, worried he might collapse halfway. After all, they’d been sharing homework for half a year. On a strange impulse, she followed him. Before she knew it, she’d followed him to the hospital. She was actually about to leave, but a powerful wave of emotion stopped her. Only to hear that Kai had stomach cancer. No wonder… he was coughing up blood. Harper felt a pang of guilt, even wanting to slap herself. She’d bullied him for half a year. She was a terrible person! Beyond that, there was a dense, overwhelming ache in her heart… When I got home, I planned to pack a few simple outfits and move into the school dorms. But I found my things had already been moved. Maria said, “Kai, Eleanor has moved you to a different room.” “It’s on the same floor as Brandon, the one on the far east side. She said it was so you and Brandon could build a stronger bond.” Maria looked at me with pity. The Stone family’s favoritism truly knew no bounds. Brandon had practically the entire third floor to himself, yet they’d given me just one room, the farthest east one. Hah. I found it laughable, for the original host. Was this arrangement meant to warn me that my status in this family would never measure up to Brandon’s? But it didn’t matter anymore. Anyway, I was moving into the dorms. At most, I’d only be in this world for another six months. The daily, unrelenting pain reminded me. The original host’s desire to escape this family, to escape this world, was overwhelmingly powerful. At the dinner table, I informed Richard and Eleanor that I intended to live in the dorms. The family, who had just been chatting and laughing, instantly fell silent. Eleanor frowned. “Why on earth would you want to live in the dorms? Don’t you like the room I arranged for you today?” She then had a sudden realization, assuming Kai had complained to Maria, and said impatiently: “Don’t be so envious. Brandon has lived in his room for sixteen years.” “You’ve only been here a short while, don’t compare yourself to Brandon about everything. If you really want, we can get a decorator to renovate your room in a bit.” Richard’s face was even more sour. “Why can’t you be half as considerate as Brandon? What will people say if they find out that my prestigious Stone family sends its son to live in the dorms? It would make us a laughingstock!” Chloe, remembering the girl who had helped him today, suddenly felt annoyed and spoke without thinking. “Could it be so you can sneak off and date some girl?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “336916”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn #擦边Steamy

The Blood Moon descended, and the world transformed. My friend and I became extremely rare pure blooded human survivors. After being captured by the vampires, I was chosen by Queen Inferna and became her closest blood slave. As her territory expanded, Queen Inferna dominated the region, and I became the most protected human in this apocalyptic world. Meanwhile, my friend Julian followed Queen Aquila, who controlled the power of tides. Soon after, her territory was conquered and absorbed by other vampire princes. He became a prisoner again, passed between multiple vampire clans and tortured endlessly, until I finally rescued him. But instead of being grateful, he went mad with jealousy and pushed me off a high-rise building. I dragged him down with me as we fell to our deaths, only to be reborn on the day the vampires divided their spoils of war. Julian rushed toward that tall queen with flame insignias carved into her face. Seeing that familiar malice in his eyes, I smiled. Finally, I could leave that cage. And there’s actually an idiot fighting to jump right in!

The low growl of a vampire servant rang in my ears. I jolted awake and realized I’d been reborn, back to the day we were captured by the vampires. At this moment, Julian was running right past me, heading straight for that towering female prince covered in burning flame totems. “Choose me, Queen Inferna! I’m willing to become your companion!” I could barely believe my ears—he actually dared to say that out loud! The height difference between them was so obvious. In my previous life, he trembled with fear when he saw this queen who was nearly twice his height. When Queen Inferna’s gaze swept over, he didn’t hesitate to push me forward. Now he’s not afraid of dying in her bedchamber? He actually dares to offer himself! Meeting that undisguised malice in his eyes, I instantly understood—he’d been reborn too. In the past, shortly after Julian followed Queen Aquila, her clan was absorbed by other princes. He was passed around between several vampire groups, treated as a plaything and blood source, suffering endless humiliation before I finally rescued him. I never expected that his heart had already been consumed by jealousy. He took advantage of my carelessness and pushed me off a building. Reborn, he wanted to seize the advantage. He thought that by securing Queen Inferna’s favor first, he could become the most respected human in the apocalypse. I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Did he really think the position of “Father of the Blood Heirs” was so easy to endure? Queen Inferna seemed quite interested in his initiative. She lifted him with one hand and placed him on her broad shoulder. “Then I’ll take you.” Julian used to study dance. His frame was slender and his appearance was indeed outstanding. I just didn’t know if that build could withstand the queen’s domineering infernal flames and harsh demands. Delight flashed in his eyes, and he looked at me with triumph. His lips moved silently, forming words: “This should have been mine all along. Now it’s back where it belongs.” Setting aside where his confidence came from, I had no intention of competing with him. He only saw my later life—the surface glory, the protection I received—but he had no idea what I paid for it. I smiled at him slightly. Since he was so desperate to jump into the fire pit, I’d let him have this “honor.” We used to be best friends. After the apocalypse hit, he had limited combat ability and largely relied on my protection to survive until now. I never called him out on it, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know about his little schemes. Secretly cutting my food rations, always making me take the front line when we were attacked, claiming “you learned combat, you can protect yourself better.” In this world where I’d lost all my family, he was my only connection to the past. That’s why I tolerated him again and again. Under my protection, he enjoyed the benefits while secretly scheming with jealousy. Now he wanted to steal my chance of survival and make me step into the hell he already knew. He even eagerly gestured to Queen Aquila. “Your Majesty, that person over there is my good friend, Mason! He’s physically strong, absolutely suitable to provide blood for you!” His eyes were full of impatience, desperate for me to experience all the suffering he’d endured.

From the moment he pushed me off that building, whatever friendship we had was completely destroyed. I rolled my eyes. Before Queen Aquila could speak, I quickly pointed at her second-in-command. “Can I choose to follow this vice-commander?” Queen Aquila was straightforward, with limbs as thick as rocks. Her appearance was honestly not pleasant to look at. But she valued loyalty and rules within her clan above all. She wouldn’t steal a “contractor” that her subordinates had already claimed. She just asked in a rough, curious voice, “Oh? Why choose her instead of me?” I put on a fearful expression and answered in a low voice, “Because… the vice-commander’s build is… closer to mine.” At these words, Queen Aquila burst into loud laughter. “Hahaha! You’re afraid my size is too big for you to handle? Fine, then you can go with Shadow!” Queen Aquila’s vice-commander “Shadow” was a wandering powerhouse recently recruited. She’d made great contributions clearing out enemy clans. Her build hadn’t swelled excessively like some vampires. She was just taller than average women, around six-foot-three. Her appearance was closer to human too, except for those mysterious purple-gold patterns on her face. Not too frightening. After vampire transformation, the more human-like the appearance, the more rationality and wisdom retained, and usually the stronger they were. I’d researched these elite clan members in my previous life. Her power was no less than any prince. If she hadn’t been ambushed and injured before, hunted by other clans, she would definitely have had the chance to dominate a territory in the future. I was done living like a rat, at others’ mercy. Depending on others was unreliable, whether they were human or monster. This time, I would carve out my own path of survival. Those vampires who retained some rationality understood and let out low chuckles. Vice-Commander Shadow’s expression clearly darkened. After all, being evaluated for “size compatibility” to your face probably wasn’t a pleasant experience. She was quite rough with me, throwing me over her shoulder like a sack. Her sharp nails scratched through the skin on my thigh. Smelling the blood, she actually lowered her head and licked away the oozing drops. The touch was ice-cold. I forced down my disgust and made myself stay calm. I’d experienced worse. This was nothing. Julian looked at me with contempt and mockery, as if looking at a dead man. In his eyes, the vice-commander I chose was even worse than the Queen Aquila he’d originally chosen. Either way, I couldn’t escape becoming a plaything again, passed between vampires, ending up as miserable as his previous life. Too bad I wasn’t as stupid as him. In his limited brain, besides clinging to others, what brilliant ideas could he come up with? This city originally had four vampire princes. After today’s battle, only three remained. The territories were redistributed. The remaining survivors were also divided into three groups. Males became “blood bags” or food, while human females became playthings and breeding tools. Vice-Commander Shadow was clearly very dissatisfied with me for that remark about her “size.” I didn’t know how she would “deal with” me. Their base was in a luxury hotel in the original city center. I was thrown onto a soft bed. That woman—no, female vampire—with dark purple patterns on her face pressed down on me viciously. “Compatible?” Her voice carried icy mockery. “Then let’s test it properly and see if we’re really compatible.”

Sure, she was compatible—just slightly shorter than those two queens. She had every muscle line she needed, and at nearly six-foot-three, she had overwhelming presence for someone just over five-foot-seven like me. I really don’t get it. Already turned into a vampire, and still so sensitive about pride. I was rolling my eyes internally, but I could only try to please her verbally. After all, avoiding immediate trouble was the first rule of survival. “No, that’s not what I meant! I just… I’m afraid of pain, really no other meaning!” Hearing this again, she almost ground her teeth to dust, looking like she wanted to tear me apart. And she really did bite down on my neck and shoulder. That moment I almost suffocated. Because I knew the process of being marked as a blood slave for the first time was extremely painful. I hadn’t expected her to be so casual about it. Just when I thought I was about to become a mindless lower-class blood servant, she suddenly released her bite. There were only shallow teeth marks on my shoulder, no broken skin. She almost growled my name through clenched teeth. “Mason, even in the apocalypse, your mouth is still so infuriating!” Huh? I’d never told her my name. Even though I used to be a human survivor squad leader, I shouldn’t be famous enough for all vampires to know me. Meeting those cold eyes with a familiar feeling, a face that was both austere and refined gradually overlapped with the vice-commander before me… Wait… I jolted up and practically threw my arms around her, my voice carrying exaggerated emotion. “Luna? Is that you? I never thought I’d meet you here! This is great—you’ll protect me, right?” I heard her mocking snort by my ear. “Mason, that’s not what you said before.” Ugh… yeah, that was a bit fake. Before her transformation, she was a senior in the Finance department named Luna. She was also the city’s freestyle fighting champion. Back then, I bragged to people that someone like Luna—that skinny type—I could knock her down with one punch. I mocked her, saying she looked weak, that I wouldn’t want her even if she threw herself at me. It was just sour grapes—because I’d confessed to her once and got rejected cleanly and decisively. That scene was humiliating. Right now, I wanted to find a hole to crawl into. I thought I’d calculated everything, but I ended up choosing my nemesis. We were already at odds when we were human. Now that she’d become a vampire and I’d fallen into her hands, could I expect anything good? But… I never had the chance before. Now “sleeping with her” wouldn’t be a loss, right? That’s what I was secretly thinking. But in reality, she clearly hated me. She looked at my “ready to die” expression with mockery, then unceremoniously pulled me off the bed and tossed me onto the carpet. “I need someone to handle chores. Hope you know your place, or you can go be a public blood—” “—bag instead. Trust me, you don’t want that.” She looked down at me coldly, arms crossed. I quickly got up and knelt, trying to salvage the situation. “No, no! I’ll behave! Luna—uh, Commander Shadow, I was young and stupid back then. Please forgive me!” “You’re still young and stupid now.” She walked to the window, gazing at the blood-red sky. “But you’re right about one thing. Compared to those queens, I’m your best bet for survival.” Her tone softened slightly. Maybe the old Luna was still in there somewhere. “In three days, the clans will hold a gathering. Queen Aquila wants to show off her new territory. You’ll serve drinks.” She glanced back at me. “Try not to embarrass me.” “I won’t! I promise!” She waved dismissively. “There’s a servant’s room next door. Get out.” As I scrambled to leave, her voice stopped me. “Mason.” “Yes?” “That friend of yours, Julian.” Her eyes glinted with something unreadable. “He won’t last a month with Queen Inferna. She goes through companions like tissues.” A chill ran down my spine, but not from fear—from satisfaction. “That’s his choice,” I said quietly. Luna’s lips curved into the faintest smile. “Smart answer. Now get out.”

The next three days passed in a blur of menial tasks. I cleaned, organized supplies, and learned the hierarchy of Queen Aquila’s clan. Luna—Shadow, as everyone called her here—was respected but also feared. She’d killed the previous vice-commander in single combat to earn her position. The other blood servants whispered that she was “different.” More controlled. More dangerous. I kept my head down and worked. But I also watched. Learned. On the third evening, Luna summoned me to help her prepare for the gathering. “You’ll stay close to me tonight,” she said, adjusting an elaborate dark coat. “Other clans will be there. Some will try to test boundaries.” “Test boundaries how?” She gave me a sharp look. “By seeing if they can steal or harm another clan’s humans. It’s a power play.” My stomach dropped. “And if they succeed?” “Then the human’s master looks weak.” She stepped closer, and I smelled something like smoke and frost. “I don’t look weak, Mason. Understand?” I nodded quickly. “Good.” She handed me a server’s uniform—surprisingly well-fitted. “Stay within arm’s reach at all times. Don’t speak unless spoken to. And if anyone but me or Queen Aquila tries to touch you…” “Run?” “Scream.” Her smile was cold. “I’ll handle the rest.” The gathering was held in what used to be the city’s grand opera house. Now it was a monument to vampire excess—dripping with salvaged luxury and the scent of blood. Queen Aquila sat on a raised platform, looking pleased with herself. Queen Inferna occupied the opposite side, her flames casting dancing shadows. And there, standing behind Inferna, was Julian. He looked… terrible. Pale beyond natural, with dark circles under his eyes. His dancer’s grace was gone, replaced by a trembling rigidity. When our eyes met, the hatred in his gaze was volcanic. I kept my expression neutral and followed Luna through the crowd. “So this is your new pet, Shadow?” A male vampire with silver markings sneered. “Looks fragile.” “Looks are deceiving,” Luna replied smoothly, not breaking stride. I poured drinks, served blood-soaked delicacies, and tried not to think about what they were made of. Then Julian appeared beside me when Luna was momentarily distracted. “Enjoying yourself?” he hissed. “You think you’re so clever, picking her?” “I think I’m alive,” I whispered back. “How’s Queen Inferna treating you?” His face twisted. “Better than you’ll ever have it. Just wait. Soon—” “Julian.” Queen Inferna’s voice boomed across the hall. “Come here.” He flinched but obeyed, and I watched him stumble toward her. Luna reappeared at my side. “What did he say?” “Nothing important. Just jealous ranting.” She studied me for a moment. “You’re different from before. Calmer.” “Dying and coming back changes a person.” Her eyes widened slightly—understanding flickering there. “You too?” she breathed. I nodded minutely. “Then you know,” she continued quietly, “that this gathering is where—” A scream cut through the room. Julian had collapsed. Queen Inferna stood over him, looking annoyed. “Weak,” she pronounced. “I’ll need a replacement soon.” Her burning gaze swept the room and landed on me. “Shadow,” Queen Inferna called out. “Lend me your human. I want to see if he’s truly as strong as Julian claimed.” The room went silent. Luna’s hand moved to my shoulder—protective or possessive, I couldn’t tell. “With respect, Queen Inferna,” Luna said carefully, “he’s mine. And I don’t lend my possessions.” The temperature rose. Flames licked at Inferna’s frame. “Are you refusing me, vice-commander?” This was it. The test Luna warned me about. Queen Aquila watched with interest but didn’t intervene. This was about clan dynamics, not her. Luna’s grip on my shoulder tightened. “I’m stating a boundary, Your Majesty. Just as you would if I asked to borrow Julian.” The standoff stretched. Every vampire in the room held their breath. Then Queen Inferna laughed—a sound like crackling fire. “You’ve got spine, Shadow. I respect that.” She turned away dismissively. “Keep your human. He wouldn’t last anyway if he’s friends with this disappointment.” She kicked Julian, who whimpered. Relief flooded through me, but I kept still. As the gathering continued, Luna leaned down and whispered, “We need to talk. Privately. About what we both know.” I nodded. Because if she was also reborn, everything changed. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. This was about revenge. About rewriting fate. And maybe—just maybe—about settling that old rejection in a very different way. “—bag instead. Trust me, you don’t want that.” Not much harm done, but extremely insulting. Fortunately, my self-esteem had been worn down by the apocalypse long ago. If I had to be a servant, so be it. However, before the end of the world, there were rumors at school that she seemed to have a soft spot for Julian. Later, after Queen Aquila died and her clan was absorbed, I heard that this vice-commander had the ability to escape alone, but got seriously injured trying to save Julian, and eventually fell. I didn’t understand before, but now that I knew this vice-commander was Luna, everything seemed to make sense. Previously Julian followed Queen Aquila—she had no chance. Now Julian followed Queen Inferna—she had even less chance. I thought her taste was really questionable, actually falling for a schemer like Julian. However, this might give me a reason to convince her to work together. But Luna was extremely harsh with me now, her disgust evident as she treated me like a complete servant. I didn’t dare get too friendly yet. 4 After Julian and I were chosen, there was one more male survivor left. Queen Aquila traded other spoils to get him. His name was Derek, and like me, he’d learned combat. We were roommates in college. Without him in the survivor group, I probably would’ve been killed by that burden Julian long ago. Actually, I had a selfish reason for choosing Vice-Commander Shadow. Given Queen Aquila’s current strength over the other prince, if I followed the vice-commander, Queen Aquila would definitely want another human male. That way Derek and I could both stay in this clan and look out for each other. In my previous life, he was assigned to the third faction and tortured to death within days, even becoming food after death. Whether for cooperation or old friendship, I wanted to save him once. As for Julian, let him enjoy himself for now. Once he got to Queen Inferna’s territory, he’d have a hard time. That queen was half a head taller than Queen Aquila, all powerful muscle. Sure, she looked strong, but that massive size difference could kill him. Certain experiences would probably be more painful than so-called “childbirth.” And Queen Inferna retained very little humanity, with a brutal personality. How well could she treat him? I didn’t choose the third prince because that was “Venomfang,” who absorbed Queen Aquila’s forces in my previous life. He awakened the ability to release paralyzing toxins, specialized in ambushes, sinister and ruthless. His strength wasn’t actually top-tier, and he was later absorbed by other clans too. Beyond this city, surrounding forces were deeply entrenched. Well, mainly that guy’s appearance was truly unbearable—a body of ominous dark green, like moving toxic moss, triangular head, small eyes, more beast than rational being. In my previous life, Derek didn’t last more than a few days under him, and Julian also suffered terribly when he fell into his hands later. When we left, Prince Venomfang didn’t say much, just swept his cold gaze over us with a sinister smile at the corner of his mouth. He had no objections to the distribution of the few human males because he’d already planned to absorb other forces and take all the spoils for himself. In my previous life, he succeeded, ambushing Queen Aquila’s territory while Queen Inferna was out expanding. But this time, with me here, his plan would probably fail. Though Queen Aquila was rough, she wasn’t extremely evil, and her mind was relatively simple. She desired to breed powerful offspring and needed quality blood sources, but in my previous life, her blood extraction from Julian was relatively controlled, not to the point of endangering his life. So as long as Derek didn’t resist violently or anger her, he should be safe for now. In this year-plus of apocalypse, we’d long abandoned meaningless dignity. Survival was what mattered most. On Derek’s side, he seemed to have lucked out and escaped disaster because of his poor condition. After transformation, Queen Aquila actually retained a trace of bizarre “gentlemanly” behavior. I quietly told Derek that Vice-Commander Shadow was Luna. His expression immediately became quite spectacular. He knew about the old grudge between Luna and me—I’d cursed her plenty in the dorm back then. We used to be senior and junior, but now it was the apocalypse. Even blood brothers might turn on each other, let alone mere acquaintances. In the end times, humanity had grown thin. Then, in a speculative tone, I revealed that Prince Venomfang would likely ambush soon. When that happened, we might find a chance to escape. Derek worried we couldn’t get away and hoped I could find a way to communicate with Luna. So that night, I crept to Luna’s bedside. Before I could speak, she pinned me to the bed like picking up a chicken. After transforming into a vampire, she seemed to have become an agility-type warrior, moving fast as a ghost. I had no power to resist before her. “What?” Her cold breath brushed my ear, playful. “Want to verify if we’re ‘compatible’?”

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In a Miami yacht marina, Alex appeared before me. “Olivia!” He pushed through the crowd, rushing towards me. “I finally found you.” I took off my sunglasses, eyeing the tanned man for a good two seconds. “Do we know each other?” He offered an apologetic smile. “Come on, stop pouting. My journey’s over, and I’m back to make you my wife.” Only then did I recognize him—my ex-fiancé. The man who’d abandoned me at our wedding two years ago to travel the world with his adopted sister. “Alex,” I said, smiling, as I traced the wedding band on my ring finger. “Didn’t anyone tell you? I’m already married… to your uncle.” Miami, South Beach Yacht Club. I had just finished my speech for the Ocean Conservation Foundation’s auction and was walking along the pier towards my waiting car. “Olivia!” A figure quickly approached from the side, blocking my path. The man wore a wrinkled linen shirt, his skin deeply tanned. Beside him, Luna, equally sun-kissed, stood watching. “Two years,” Alex’s voice was a little hoarse, his eyes strikingly bright. “You haven’t changed a bit.” I studied the dark-skinned man for two seconds, then politely stepped back half a pace. “Alex? My apologies, you’ve changed quite a bit.” Luna immediately scoffed, crossing her arms. “Don’t pretend! Everyone in Miami knows you’re here today. Didn’t you just find out Alex’s boat was docking and ‘happened’ to show up?” She eyed my custom white suit up and down. “Still so arrogant. What else do you have besides that pretty face and the Rockefeller name?” Alex lightly touched her arm. “Luna.” His tone was one of helpless indulgence. He turned to me, his gaze softening. “Don’t mind her. She’s been through a lot on the sea these past two years, and it’s made her a bit rough around the edges.” “You know, her father died saving my life years ago, and on his deathbed, he entrusted her to my care. She said she wanted to fulfill her father’s dying wish—to sail around the world. I couldn’t refuse.” He extended a hand, as if to touch my face. “Now I’m back. It’s time to make good on our engagement.” I subtly tilted my head, avoiding his hand. Then I raised my left hand, letting the afternoon sun pierce through the ring on my finger—a perfectly cut ten-carat pear-shaped diamond, refracting a cold gleam in the daylight. “Mr. Winston, I think you’re mistaken. I’m here today for a charity auction. I knew nothing of your itinerary. And our engagement was voided two years ago. I’m already married.” Alex’s expression froze for a moment. Then, he burst out laughing, shaking his head as if he’d heard a childish joke. “Olivia, stop messing around.” “The union between the Winstons and Rockefellers was front-page news two years ago. You were left at the altar, everyone saw it.” He took a step closer, lowering his voice, laced with pity. “I know it was a huge blow for you, but no respectable family would take you in after that, not unless it was me.” He actually thought I was just waiting for his charity. No wonder he dared to abandon me for two years. His arrogance was truly laughable.

Back then, Alex was very resistant to our arranged marriage for business, but after meeting me, he pursued me fiercely for six months. I only agreed to the union because I found his looks and character acceptable. But I never expected him to have Luna, his adopted sister, whom he adored beyond measure. On our wedding day, everyone in New York’s high society was there. Just as we were about to exchange vows, Alex received a call from Luna. “Take me on a round-the-world trip! I’m waiting for you at the airport, and if you don’t come, I’ll jump!” He spared me only a fleeting, apologetic glance, then let go of my hand and walked out on everyone. I received two texts, then couldn’t reach him again. 【Her father saved my life. I can’t let anything happen to her.】 【When I get back, we’ll go to Tahiti for our honeymoon. I love you.】 Grandpa Winston was absolutely livid. He promised me, “Olivia, the Winston family has wronged you. Name your compensation, anything you want.” I set down my untouched champagne, my gaze falling on the man silently seated in the corner— Sebastian Winston, Alex’s uncle, the actual controller of the Winston Group. “If I must be compensated,” I heard my calm voice say, “then give him to me.” “The wedding is already set, the guests are still here. Just a change of groom.” The Miami sun hurt my eyes, Alex’s tall figure blocking my path. “Olivia?” His voice pulled me back to reality. “Grandpa’s hosting a dinner at the estate tonight, a welcome home for Luna and me,” he said. “You should come. We need to talk properly.” Luna added, her tone dripping with condescension. “Even though you behaved disgracefully before, Alex is giving you a chance. Don’t be ungrateful.” I almost laughed out loud. My phone vibrated then, a message from my husband. 【Auction go well? Just finished my meeting, heading to the airport now. Should be home before dinner. Miss you.】 It included a picture of the sky outside his car window. I replied: 【Very well. Had a small unexpected interruption, I’ll tell you tonight. Waiting for you to come home.】 I added a kissing emoji. I looked up. Alex was staring at my phone screen, a sarcastic smirk playing on his lips. “Still playing games? Olivia, when did you learn such childish tricks?” He pointed at my neck. “If you really married someone else, why are you still wearing the ‘Heart of the Ocean,’ the necklace Grandpa passed down to the Winston matriarch?” That antique blue diamond necklace was indeed given to me by Grandpa himself at my wedding to Sebastian. “This necklace—” “It’s the ‘Heart of the Ocean’!” Luna gasped, her eyes fixed on the diamond, swirling with jealousy and desire. “Alex, you said, Grandpa said that necklace was meant for the future lady of the Winston house!” She grabbed Alex’s arm, her voice turning tearful. “I’ve loved it since I was fifteen! But Grandpa never let me touch it! And now he’s given it to her because she’s a Rockefeller, and I’m just the housekeeper’s daughter, right?” Alex’s expression immediately softened, and he put his arm around her shoulder. “Luna, don’t say that.” He looked at me, his tone becoming difficult. “Olivia, you know Luna has insecurities. This necklace has special meaning to her. Could you please take it off for now? I promise to get you something even more expensive later.” I watched their touching display of ‘brotherly’ affection, my patience finally running thin. “First, Luna Miller, you’re twenty-five, six months older than me. Stop acting like a naive little girl.” “Secondly, this necklace is now the property of Mrs. Sebastian Winston. It has nothing to do with either of you.” “Finally—” I pressed my car key fob, and an Aston Martin Valkyrie flashed its lights in the distance. “I’ll be at the dinner, as a member of the Winston family.” I walked towards the sports car, hearing Luna raise her voice behind me. “She’s driving an Aston Martin Valkyrie! One of only 150 worldwide! Alex, she must have rented it just to spite you!” Alex’s sigh drifted on the breeze. “She’s just trying to get my attention this way. Forget it, we’ll talk tonight.” I slid into the driver’s seat, the engine giving a low growl. In the rearview mirror, I saw them standing there. Alex was looking down, gently comforting a sobbing Luna, his movements tender and practiced. How truly touching. Too bad tonight’s “family dinner” wouldn’t exactly follow their script.

That evening, at the Winston Estate. I deliberately arrived half an hour late. At the entrance to the estate, Alex and Luna were kneeling on the steps. Howard, the old butler, quietly told me: “Grandpa was furious when he heard his second grandson, Alex, brought Luna back, and he ordered them not to enter the house.” Grandpa Winston, the patriarch of the family, held absolute authority within the Winston clan. Alex saw me step out of the sports car and immediately stood up. “Olivia! You’re here to plead with Grandpa for me, aren’t you?” He grabbed my wrist. “I know you’re still mad, but just help me out this once. You’re the only one Grandpa listens to.” I pulled my hand back. “Alex, please show some self-respect.” Luna, still kneeling on the ground, looked up, her eyes red and swollen. “Olivia! Did you say something to Grandpa? Alex is his favorite grandson! You must have stirred things up!” She suddenly lunged at me, trying to grab me. I stepped aside. She stumbled a few steps, deliberately falling to the ground, scraping her knee slightly, and immediately burst into tears. Alex instantly knelt, carefully examining her injury, pulling her into his arms and softly comforting her. “Does it hurt? Don’t be scared, it’s okay.” That scene, how similar it was to our wedding two years ago. After consoling Luna, he turned to me, his face showing disappointment. “Olivia, you’ve changed. Luna was just scared, why can’t you be a little more understanding with her?” “If you marry me, you have to accept her as part of our family.” Luna nestled into his arms, saying timidly, “Alex, I think I twisted my ankle. It hurts so much.” “I’ll take you to the hospital.” “No need.” Luna looked at me, a flicker of cunning in her eyes. “If Olivia is truly sorry and willing to give me that sports car, I’ll forgive her.” The Aston Martin Valkyrie, worth three million dollars. Alex nodded, stating to me as if it were obvious. “Since you caused her injury, just give her the car as compensation. I’ll take you to buy a new one tomorrow.” I quietly watched them for a few seconds. Then I smiled. “Alex,” I said, enunciating each word. “You disgust me.” “Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to decide for me?” “Tell me to give you my sports car? Not a chance.” I turned, heading directly for the estate gates. “Stop right there!” Alex roared from behind me. “Olivia! If you don’t apologize to Luna today, don’t expect me to marry you!” The instant his words fell— “Bang!” The heavy oak doors of the estate burst open from within. A dark blur flew out, striking Alex precisely on the back of his head. Grandpa’s powerful roar echoed from inside the doors, reverberating through the entire front courtyard: “Idiot! Who are you going to marry? That’s your aunt!”

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My only daughter trashed my office, all for some gold-digging opportunist. I refused to make him Vice President of the company, and she absolutely lost it. “Mom,” she wailed, tears streaming down her face, “you can’t just hog the company forever! You’re getting old. Isn’t this supposed to be Liam’s to manage eventually?” Furious, I immediately fired Liam Miller. I laid out all the evidence showing he was completely untrustworthy, not someone she could ever build a future with. I thought she’d come to her senses, but instead, she slammed a formal declaration disowning me onto my desk. “You’ve been single for twenty years, Mom. All you see is money. Do you even know what love is? I’m marrying Liam, no matter what. If you don’t approve, then fine, go spend the rest of your life alone with your precious company.” Watching her storm out and slam the door, I picked up my phone and called my nephew. “Ryan,” I said, my voice steady, “come home. It’s time to take over the company. Your cousin doesn’t want it anymore.”

After hanging up, I immediately instructed HR to draft his appointment notice. At the same time, I contacted a friend, set up an irrevocable trust for my assets, and cut off all of Scarlett’s credit cards and financial support. I’ve been in the business world for twenty years, Eleanor Vance. I’ve navigated the choppiest waters; nothing fazes me. Liam wouldn’t seriously think he could control me just by using my daughter, would he? Whispers spread through the company. No one understood why I was bringing in a fresh-faced kid to be the new CEO. But I knew exactly what I was doing. It was about pushing him into a corner. Otherwise, my daughter would fall into a true abyss, drained dry, bone and blood, by a leech like Liam. Sure enough, Liam got the message. He arranged to meet me in a private lounge at a high-end club. When I arrived, Liam was already seated, impeccably dressed in a suit, a fancy gift box on the table in front of him. I had to admit, Liam had good looks, alright. With those charming, almost too-sincere eyes that could make any girl swoon, he was a real heartbreaker. He saw me, politely stood up, poured me tea, and pulled out my chair. “Ms. Vance, I think you might have misunderstood me,” he began, his smile perfectly composed, his manner respectful. “I’d like to speak with you as a respectful junior.” “The Sterling Group reported me for demanding exorbitant kickbacks,” he explained, holding my gaze. “That’s only because I’m strict about quality. I found a box of slightly damaged goods, and they tried to pass it off. I refused.” He pulled out a quality inspection report and placed it in front of me. “And about me taking an intern to a hotel room? She had too much to drink at a client dinner that night. I had no choice but to take her to a hotel.” He then showed me their SnapChat messages from the next day. It was just the intern thanking him, no hint of anything inappropriate. He sighed, looking at me with feigned helplessness. “Ms. Vance, I know I come from a humble background, and I might not be good enough for Scarlett. But Scarlett and I are genuinely in love. She cried all night yesterday, and it broke my heart.” He stood up, bowed deeply, his face radiating an air of righteous sincerity. “Ms. Vance, you came from humble beginnings too, didn’t you? Just give me a chance, and I promise I won’t let you down.” I stared coldly at Liam, cutting straight to the chase. “Liam, what if I don’t give you that chance?” His expression faltered for a second, then a wider, almost cruel smile flashed across his face. “Ms. Vance, why make things so drastic? If you support me, I’ll treat you like my own mother. Wouldn’t that be better than those arrogant trust-fund kids?” “Eleanor,” he continued, leaning forward, “Scarlett and I have already been intimate. With a little more effort, I’m sure we’ll have a grandchild for you very soon. Do you really want Scarlett to be shamed and ridiculed by high society, a woman without proper standing?” My heart clenched painfully. Scarlett had grown up in a mansion, her bedroom carpeted in wool, drinking imported milk. She attended the top international private schools, surrounded by children of the wealthy elite. My little princess, whom I had nurtured so carefully, I truly didn’t want to see her dragged into the mud. But Liam was wrong. I didn’t get to where I am today by letting personal feelings cloud my judgment. I slowly pulled out the trust agreement and slid it across the table. The moment his eyes landed on the ‘beneficiary’ clause, his face drained of all color. He snatched the document, his expression contorted with rage. “Why?! Ryan Vance is an outsider, a distant relative! Is he closer to you than I am, your daughter’s partner?” I just gave him a cold, small smile. “Liam, your grand ambitions have come to nothing.” Liam slowly released the document, a chilling, cruel smile spreading across his face. “Eleanor, since you clearly don’t care about Scarlett, then I guess I have no choice. I’ll just have to drag her down to the bottom with me.”

The moment I stepped out of the club, my daughter’s call came through. “Mom, Liam has already humbled himself, practically begged you and explained everything! Do you really have to tear us apart?” “I don’t care what tricks you’re pulling, I’m marrying him, and that’s final!” Her sharp accusations and furious shouts rang in my ear. All about how good Liam was to her – he’d stayed up all night comforting her through her period cramps, he’d wake up at 6:30 AM to make her favorite seafood stew, making her feel the warmth of a true home. While I, the “robot,” only offered cold, hard cash. Finally, she pleaded with me to just let her have her true love. Hearing her tearful accusations, my heart ached with a sharp, wrenching pain. My whole body trembled. For a man, she’d forgotten every parent-teacher conference I’d attended despite my packed schedule, forgotten how I’d abandoned lucrative deals just to be with her on her eighteenth birthday trip. The privileged life I’d worked so hard to give her, in her eyes, had become a cold, sterile cage. But she hadn’t seen the greed in Liam’s eyes the first time he entered our home, staring at the antique artwork. The expensive liquor cabinet wasn’t something he admired; it sparked pure jealousy and resentment. And that snide remark he’d blurted out, “Eleanor, maybe a woman like you shouldn’t drink so much.” It sounded like concern, but his tone dripped with unspoken disapproval, as if I were squandering his money. I knew I was wrong. I’d raised her in a bubble, leaving her utterly clueless about the depravity of human nature. I’d fostered a naive, innocent, and spoiled personality. That’s why a few cheap compliments and a pitiful ‘woe-is-me’ act about his unrecognized talents were all it took to completely win her over. By then, my mind was made up. I simply spoke calmly, “Scarlett, I’ve already informed your cousin to come back and take over the company. If you break up with Liam now, you’ll still be the heir. But if you persist in this folly, I will formally hand the company over to him.” “My business, which I built from the ground up over twenty years, isn’t a charity project, and I’m certainly not going to hand it over to an ungrateful parasite.” My daughter was furious. “Mom, let’s be real. You just look down on Liam because he’s not rich. You’re a snob, and you just want to use me for some arranged marriage to boost your business and make even more money!” “Liam said those videos were all staged by you, hired people to set him up! How could you be so evil?!” “Don’t worry,” she continued, her voice trembling with anger, “I’ll make sure you see that Liam can succeed even without you. You’ll realize how despicable you are for trying to destroy true love!” Then she slammed the phone down. My heart seized, and I almost couldn’t catch my breath. Once I recovered, I started calling a few old friends, moving ahead with my original plan. Liam was smarter than I’d given him credit for; he understood the importance of leverage. He sold Scarlett’s Cartier bracelet, her ruby necklace, and some designer bags. He cleared his payday loans, cashed out a couple hundred thousand dollars, and then decisively rented a small office building and registered his own company. I heard the grand opening was quite a spectacle. He held a grand bouquet of a thousand roses, knelt before Scarlett for the cameras and social media influencers, and proposed. “Scarlett, you are the most understanding woman I’ve ever known, the woman willing to build an empire with me from nothing. I, Liam, swear that from this day forward, you are my life. I will live every day for you.” Supposedly, Scarlett was so moved she burst into tears, clinging to him and sobbing, vowing never to leave his side. I stood calmly by the wide floor-to-ceiling windows on the twenty-fourth floor, listening to my secretary report on Liam’s latest moves.

With money in hand, he rented a lavish penthouse apartment and even moved his mother and younger brother from his old town, claiming they were there to ‘help’ Scarlett with the house. Yeah, right. He then started parading Scarlett around to visit family friends and business acquaintances, hoping she’d bat her eyelashes and beg for contracts. My old friend, Mr. Sterling, even sent me a video. “Mr. Sterling, you’ve known me my whole life, you have to help us this time! Liam and I aren’t asking for much, just a third of the contracts you usually give my mother’s company.” “Mr. Sterling, honestly, my mom’s just been single for too long. She can’t stand to see me happy, and she’s intentionally trying to sabotage Liam. Trust me, if you partner with us, Liam will cut you a much better deal than she ever would.” Beside her, Liam, in his slick gold-rimmed glasses, sat there, looking utterly confident, like he’d already won. “Mr. Sterling,” he chimed in, “we’re all smart people here. You give me a leg up now, and when I become the CEO of Vance Corp, you’ll be my most valued client.” Mr. Sterling just smiled, saying he’d “consider it,” then had his secretary escort the persistent Scarlett out. But Scarlett clung to the door frame, still pleading with Mr. Sterling, promising that once they weathered this storm, she’d give him five percent of Vance Corp in company shares. Watching the video, seeing her red-rimmed eyes stubbornly offering Mr. Sterling ten percent of the company, my heart burned with fury, but I felt no pity. I had already spoken to Mr. Sterling, along with all my other trusted clients. No one would be doing business with that opportunist. He truly thought he could use my name to make a fortune? Dream on. Besides, Vance Corp was already entirely in the trust, and Ryan Vance was the designated beneficiary. My secretary continued to track their situation, and I listened silently to her report. A month passed with no contracts, and the harsh realities of life quickly caught up to them. Rent and utilities were due, and the two employees they’d hired needed to be paid. Liam’s mother, believing her son had become a big-shot CEO, went on a spending spree. She bought five gold bangles, rings for all ten fingers, and a mountain of “health” and beauty products. All told, it was easily over forty thousand dollars. You might ask where she got so much money. Well, Liam, eager to show off, had linked his PayPal to his mother’s, telling her to buy whatever she liked. He had no idea his penny-pinching mother, who used to haggle over pennies, would suddenly be dropping tens of thousands without batting an eye. When Liam and Scarlett went to the supermarket to buy groceries, the card was declined – insufficient funds. A frantic call revealed they were overdrawn by six thousand dollars. When Scarlett and Liam rushed home, they found Caleb, Liam’s younger brother, with his bleached blonde hair and lazy grin, glued to his phone, racking up charges on a game. Scarlett lunged forward, snatching the phone and smashing it on the floor. “Do you have any idea that’s our startup money, yours and Liam’s?! Who gave you permission to blow it on games?!” Seeing his broken phone, Caleb shoved Scarlett hard in the chest. “You bitch, it’s my brother’s money! What’s it to you?! Who the hell do you think you are?!” He raised his hand and slapped Scarlett across the face. Mrs. Miller quickly pulled back her youngest son, who was about to strike again, and then said in a mocking tone, “Well, well, I guess you just can’t marry a rich girl! No respect for elders, just smashing things before you’re even officially family. Do I, your future mother-in-law, even exist to you?” Scarlett, I was told, froze on the spot, clutching her stinging face. Growing up, no one had ever laid a hand on her, especially not a man. Scarlett was about to explode, but Liam grabbed her, pulled her into his arms, and dragged her into their room. From behind them, Mrs. Miller’s voice dripped with disdain. “Liam, you need to teach her a lesson today, or she’ll walk all over us! A woman with no manners like that, how can she be worthy of you?” For the first time, the couple had a screaming match about money inside their room. Liam ranted about the hardships his mother and brother faced, subtly blaming Scarlett for embarrassing them in public. Scarlett, however, was dumbfounded, staring at the man she had so wholeheartedly trusted. She’d been hit, and he hadn’t defended her. Instead, he was accusing her of only caring about money, telling her to prioritize family above all else. A few hundred thousand dollars used to be mere pocket money to Scarlett. Now, that money wasn’t just cash; it was the foundation proving she wasn’t wrong, the starting point of her ‘true love.’ But Liam kept going on and on about his mother and brother’s struggles. In that moment, something inside Scarlett began to crumble. Finally, Liam went to boil an egg for her swelling face, then softened his tone and coaxed her. “Scarlett, you’re from a noble family, you know? My mom and brother, they feel inferior. They’re afraid you look down on them.” “You smashed Caleb’s phone today. How can they possibly stay here now without losing face? If word gets back home, they’ll say I married a shrew!” “From now on, take out your anger on me. Hit me, yell at me, whatever you want, but you have to give them some respect.” He even raised his hand and lightly slapped his own face, starting to play the victim. “It’s all my fault for being useless, for not making more money and putting my wife in such a tough spot.” “I swear, from now on, all my money goes to you, my dear. You’ll be in charge of everything.” Eventually, under Liam’s sweet talk, Scarlett’s anger subsided. The next day, she, the new “head of the household,” actually sold the diamond necklace I’d flown to the US to bid on for her eighteenth birthday, just to fund Liam’s business. Liam perked up, sensing an opportunity. I knew it was time to bait the hook and reel him in.

At my signal, Mr. Sterling deliberately introduced Liam to a company. It was an old, established company, quite prominent in the city. But only I knew that an ethics committee had already begun investigating their criminal activities. They were set to implode within three months, tops. The company was desperate for cash and was actively seeking clients at inflated prices. After Mr. Sterling’s introduction, both sides immediately clicked. Liam wanted to use this opportunity to make his first big fortune. The other company wanted to take the money and run. With the promise of huge profits and the company’s long-standing reputation, Liam immediately transferred the eight hundred thousand dollars from the necklace sale into their account as a supply fund. He signed a long-term cooperation agreement. He had no idea this was his greed digging his own path to hell. Liam started frequenting fancy hotels, inviting former classmates and colleagues to lavish dinners, urging them to join his new company, already strutting around like a successful entrepreneur. Liam’s mother even called back home, boasting about how amazing her son was, signing multi-million dollar contracts with nearly a million in profit. Liam’s uncle immediately arrived with his son and daughter. His second aunt arrived with her daughter and son-in-law. Mrs. Miller instantly declared Liam’s uncle’s son the Vice President, and his second aunt’s daughter the Assistant Manager. The second aunt was furious. “Why is my daughter only assistant manager?! Liam and I are true siblings! How can outsiders interfere in our family company?” Her brother, Uncle Ben, slammed his hand on the table, bringing up past favors. In their heated argument, both families started throwing punches. Mrs. Miller couldn’t break them up and had to call Liam. When Liam rushed home, he found utter chaos. The TV was smashed on the floor, cups and vases shattered everywhere, and the marble coffee table lay broken in two. Even worse, his second aunt’s son-in-law had a bleeding head wound, and his uncle’s son couldn’t move due to a back injury. Liam looked at the crying, wailing mess of people and had no choice but to call an ambulance first. Scarlett, meanwhile, was wide-eyed, staring at the older relatives still shouting obscenities, until she heard Mrs. Miller declare that everyone would take turns being Vice President for six months. Only then did the two groups quiet down. The second aunt immediately demanded an annual salary of fifty thousand dollars, stating that no money should go to “outsiders.” Liam actually agreed without hesitation. In that moment, a sudden wave of dread washed over Scarlett. At the hospital, when the doctor asked for the admission fee, Uncle Frank and Aunt Carol immediately turned their eyes to Liam. Seeing this, Mrs. Miller quickly stepped forward. “Liam, your sister and brother are technically employees of your company now, right? So you should cover their medical bills.” Scarlett finally couldn’t hold back. “Carol, the company has a proper hiring process! They have no education, no experience! How can they be senior executives?” “And as for the medical bills, we can’t pay them. They got into a private brawl themselves! What does that have to do with Liam and me?” Mrs. Miller immediately lunged, slapping Scarlett across the face. “What gives you, a woman, the right to speak on men’s affairs?! My son’s money goes to whoever he wants! It’s not for some abandoned girl kicked out of her own home to decide!” Liam, too, roughly grabbed Scarlett, his tone harsh. “Scarlett, those are my family! How dare you speak to them like that?!” “It’s just a little medical fee! Once the shipment arrives, we’ll have millions in profit! Don’t be like your mother, caring only about money and having no warmth!” He glanced at the simple jade bangle on Scarlett’s wrist and said impatiently, “Scarlett, I’ve been entertaining a lot of clients lately, and I’m a bit tight on cash. Sell that bangle to cover the medical bills, and when I make money, I’ll buy you an even more expensive one.” Scarlett looked at Liam’s entitled expression, and for the first time, her eyes turned cold. “Liam, this bangle was my grandmother’s. I will not sell it to support a bunch of leeches.” Liam’s family instantly erupted, showering Scarlett with insults. “You little whore! Who are you calling a leech?! You shameless runaway, back in the day, they’d drown you for less!” They grabbed Scarlett’s clothes, pushing and shoving her. “If it weren’t for your mother owning a company, my family wouldn’t even want a shameless tramp like you! Now Liam’s a big boss, how can a stupid girl like you be worthy of him?!” Scarlett’s face was scratched, her hair ripped, and Mrs. Miller even slapped her several times. “My son even looking at you is your good fortune! And you dare to look down on our family?!” Scarlett cried out, calling for Liam. He just stood there coldly, watching. After a long moment, he finally walked forward, grabbed her arm, and tried to pry off the bangle. “Scarlett, it’s just a cheap bangle. Why make such a scene? You brought this on yourself!” Scarlett struggled desperately, then SMACK! Liam’s palm landed squarely on her face. Scarlett froze, tears streaming down her face like a broken dam. In that moment, her world collapsed into ruins. She wasn’t crying over the slap itself, but over her shattered faith in love and her trampled dignity. Liam didn’t coddle her with tenderness as he usually would. Instead, his face was cold as he forcefully ripped off the bangle. I stepped out from around the corner, my gaze chillingly sharp. “Liam, put the bangle down. I’ve already called the police.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “336913”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn #擦边Steamy

I was born with a cognitive disability. The day my sister Audrey came to pick me up from school, a man dragged her into an alley. She was assaulted, and killed. I was the only witness. My parents seized my shoulders, their faces twisted with fury and grief. “Tell us! You saw his face. Speak!” I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. They threw me out that night. Unable to care for myself, I became a ghost on the streets. I begged. I scavenged. I slept under bridges. Until the day a man in a black suit found me. He said he was Audrey’s fiancé. He knelt, met my hollow eyes, and spoke gently. “I know a place where we can make you see that day again. But it will cost you your life.” My grimy hands fisted in my stained shirt. I nodded, hard. “I’ll go.” What did I have to fear from death? All I feared was forgetting the killer’s face. Under the stark glare of the live broadcast lights, I stood before the Memory Tribunal. The audience sat watching, the cameras like dark, hollow eyes. They said this trial would be streamed to the world. Julian, who called himself Audrey’s fiancé, stood at my side, his expression unreadable. “You can still walk away.” I shook my head. At that moment, a wave of commotion broke through the entrance. I looked up and saw my parents rushing in. The moment Mom saw me, tears streamed down her face, yet her words cut sharp. “You heartless monster. Audrey was so good to you. She bought you candy, picked you up from school. She died horribly. You saw the killer. Why did you stay silent?” My father stood furious, his voice ragged. “We raised you, even with your condition, and never resented you. Is this how you repay your Audrey?” A murmur rose from the audience. The cameras turned toward them. Mom sobbed, barely able to stand. “You were always jealous of Audrey. Jealous she was smart and beautiful, that everyone loved her. But she never looked down on you, her disabled sister. She did not even have to pick you up that day. She pitied you. She was afraid you would be bullied.” Mom’s voice grew shrill. “She died because of you! Don’t you understand?!” I stared blankly at their hysterical faces, my eyes burning. So they really did hate me that much. So, in everyone’s eyes, I was the one who killed Audrey. Julian’s hand came to rest on my shoulder, his voice low. “Audrey would never blame you.” turned to him, my own voice barely a whisper. “If I go through the Memory Tribunal, the person who hurt Audrey will be caught, right?” Julian was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. It’s a global broadcast. The whole world will see what happened that day.” “Then let’s begin.” Julian looked at me. “But it will be painful.” He pointed to the center of the stand, where a long silver needle stood upright. “That needle will pierce the crown of your head, enter your cerebral cortex, and read your memories.” “The deeper the memory, the deeper it will go.” I paused for two seconds. My gaze drifted to my parents, still weeping and cursing in the audience. Then I offered a faint smile. “I’m not afraid of pain.” Julian’s brows furrowed. “As long as Audrey’s killer is caught,” I said softly, “as long as my parents can forgive me… any pain is worth it.” Julian was silent for a long while. Finally, he glanced at the doctor in the white coat nearby and gave a single nod. “Begin.” The doctor stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over me, then turning to Julian. “Once the Memory Tribunal begins, it cannot be stopped. The neural extraction is irreversible. When the procedure ends, the patient will be brain-dead. The damage is too severe” He paused. “Should we inform the family of these risks before we proceed” I spoke immediately. “No!” My voice was quiet, but steady. Absolute. Everyone looked at me. I met Julian’s gaze, my eyes resolute. “Please don’t tell them yet… okay?” In the audience, my mother was still crying. My father glared at the stage, his face grim. Julian’s throat moved as he swallowed. “Alright.” Then two nurses walked over, helping me lie down on the cold metal table. My body was secured with restraints-my wrists, ankles, waist… Finally, a metal ring clamped onto my forehead. A nurse approached with a syringe and injected a cold liquid into my vein. The world began to blur. Above my head, the long silver needle descended slowly, its tip aligned with the precise center of my forehead. Then, my mother’s horrified cry cut through the room. “Stop, stop it!”

My eyes snapped open. A thin, desperate hope flickered in my chest. Was Mom…finally worried about me? But then, Mom’s cold voice came again. “Doctor, please make sure we see what happened that day. Her body doesn’t matter.” Dad chimed in from beside her. “Money is no object. Charge us whatever it takes. Just make sure we catch the monster who killed Audrey!” My heart tightened, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. After hearing their words, Julian’s gaze darkened, a trace of unbearable sorrow flashing in his eyes. The Memory Tribunal continued. The silver needle pierced my forehead, entering my skull. The excruciating pain made my entire body tremble, and I bit down hard on my teeth. I could feel warm blood oozing out, flowing into my ears, soaking my hair. Then the first memory appeared on the large screen. The screen was intensely shaky, like a vision seen through tears. A hazy sky, Audrey’s funeral portrait placed in the center of the wake. I knelt on the ground, the wake filled with people, everyone dressed in black. Mom collapsed onto Audrey’s coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. Dad stood beside her, his eyes red and swollen, his whole body trembling. Suddenly, Mom turned and threw herself in front of me, clutching my shoulders tightly. “Skylar, tell me, what happened that day? You saw it, didn’t you? Who killed Audrey?” Her nails dug deep into my skin, her voice a high, sharp blade. “Speak! Say it!” I looked up, tears streaming unbroken. “I’m sorry, I really can’t remember.” Mom’s voice suddenly rose. “How can you not remember?! Audrey died right in front of you!” She suddenly grabbed my hair, forcing my head down to the ground. Thud. My forehead hit the tile floor hard. “Kneel for Audrey! Beg for her forgiveness!” Another slam. “After all we’ve done for you, how could you do this to Audrey?!” Thud. A vivid red bloodstain was left on the tile. “How could you forget? How could you!” The me on the screen, my forehead a bloody mess, my eyes wide open, pupils reflecting Audrey’s funeral portrait. Blood flowed down from my temple, mixing with tears, dripping onto the ground. I didn’t struggle, I just let Mom press my head, hitting it against the ground again and again. Everyone in the wake watched; no one stepped forward to stop her. I knelt at Audrey’s wake for a day and a night. After Audrey was buried, Mom threw a large bundle at my feet. “Skylar,” she pointed to the door, “Get out!” “Don’t come back until you remember what happened that day. If you can’t remember, never come home again.” I froze, staring blankly at the bundle on the ground, then looked up at Mom. “Mom.” “Don’t call me Mom!” she shrieked. “I don’t have a daughter like you!” Dad walked over, silently grabbed my arm, and dragged me out. I panicked. I burst into tears and clung to Mom’s leg. “Mom, I’m sorry… I’ll remember… Please don’t make me leave… Mom, I’m scared.” Dad pried my fingers away, one by one. His grip was iron. My bones ached. The door swung open. I was shoved outside. The bundle landed at my feet. The heavy door slammed shut in front of me. I knelt on the ground, pounding hard on the door. “Mom… Dad…” “I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…” There was no response from inside. After a very long time, I cried myself out, then picked up the bundle from the ground. Dragging my still-bleeding forehead, I walked down the stairs, step by step. As I exited the building, I looked back at the fourth-floor window. The curtains were drawn tight. The screen dimmed. The entire hall fell silent. Suddenly, Dad’s enraged voice boomed. “What is this?! This isn’t what we want to see!!” Mom also shrieked. “We want to know the truth about Audrey’s death!! What happened in that alley that day?!” “Keep going! Keep watching!” A murmur of whispers rose from the audience. Julian looked at the screen, then at me on the stand, pale and blood-stained, his lips moving. The doctor sighed, his voice amplified by the microphone, echoing through the room. “First-layer memory extraction complete. As the memories deepen, the patient’s pain will continuously increase. The nervous system, under extreme suffering, may cause extraction to be interrupted or…” His words were cut short by Dad. “Continue. Whatever the cost, as long as the killer is caught.” Mom covered her face, crying. “We just want to know the truth!”

The doctor looked to Julian. Julian stayed silent, his knuckles white. “…Proceed.” The doctor’s hands moved over the console. The silver needle drove deeper. I screamed. It felt like a red-hot iron rod was churning inside my brain. My whole body began to convulse violently. Sweat instantly drenched my thin clothes, veins bulging on my forehead. The screen lit up again. This time, the screen showed me cornered by a group of boys. “Look, it’s Skylar, the idiot!” “Still playing in the dirt, dummy?” They picked up pebbles and trash and started throwing them at me. I looked up, staring blankly at them. “Look at her, she doesn’t even cry. Total moron.” “Should we bury her in the sandbox?” “Yeah!” Amid their taunts and laughter, a dirty hand shot out, grabbed my arm, and yanked me hard. I lost my balance and tumbled into the sandbox. “Bury her!” “Yeah! Bury the idiot!” Amid the excited shouts, several hands pushed me down and held me there. Heavy sand began to fall on my head and body, handful by handful. It was so heavy, pressing down on me, making it hard to breathe. The sand covered my waist, then piled up to my chest. I was going to be buried. I couldn’t move, couldn’t cry out. Just as the sand reached my shoulders, a sharp, clear voice cut through the air. “What are you doing?! Let her go!” It was Audrey! She stood at the edge of the sandpit, her high ponytail bright under the sun, hands on her hips. She seemed to glow. “You’re bullying Skylar?” Her voice was pure fire. “Leave her alone, or I’m calling the police!” The boys froze, then released their grip on me. “Audrey, she is just an idiot.” “What did you say?” Audrey took a step forward, eyes wide and blazing. “Skylar is not an idiot! She just… thinks a little slower.” “She’s kinder than all of you!” Cowed by her fierceness, the boys mumbled and scattered. Audrey ran over, dug away the sand, and pulled me out. Her eyes were full of worry. “Skylar, are you okay? Are you hurt?” I shook my head, but tears fell anyway. “Don’t cry.” Audrey hugged me close, gently patting my back. “Don’t be scared, Skylar,I’m here.” “If anyone bullies you again, just tell me.” “I’ll protect you, okay?” The me on the screen buried my head in Audrey’s embrace, sobbing softly. Audrey smelled of sweet-scented soap. Her hands were so warm. In the audience, Mom had collapsed onto her chair, sobbing. “Audrey… my Audrey was so kind since she was little…” “She was good to everyone… especially to this poor, disabled sister…” Dad’s eyes were also red, his voice choked. “Audrey was always so sensible, always knew how to take care of her sister…” Julian watched the screen in silence, his eyes fixed, filled with a deep longing for his beloved. The next second, Mom suddenly turned, glaring at me on the stage, her voice hoarse. “Skylar! Look! Look how good your sister was to you!” “How could you… how could you forget how she died?!” Dad also pointed at me, heartbroken. “Skylar, what happened that day? Your sister was so good to you, why won’t you just say it?!” “Did you really see something… but chose not to tell us?” I lay on the tribunal stand, listening to their accusations. Tears streamed down my temples. I wanted to tell them too. Mom and Dad. I really wanted to know what happened that day. I also wanted to know who killed Audrey. But I… really couldn’t remember. Deep inside my brain, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly erupted. The silver needle suddenly began emitting an electric current. I arched my back violently, and a mouthful of blood spewed from my throat.

“Blood pressure plummeting! Neural shock too severe!” The doctor’s startled cry was drowned out by my parents’ even shriller screams. “Forget all that! The scene! We need to see the alley scene! Continue! Keep going!” Julian lunged forward, slamming his fist onto the edge of the control panel. “I want the truth too, but can’t you see she’s dying?!” “I don’t care!” Mom cried. “This is what she owes Audrey! This is the only reason she’s still breathing!” A crimson haze swam before my eyes, yet through the agony, my hearing grew unnaturally sharp. Inside my skull, the silver needle churned violently once more. A fresh wave of pain tore through me. The screen flickered violently, then shone with blinding white light. This time, the scene showed me after my parents had kicked me out. I was cornered by a few thuggish youths in a dilapidated construction site. There were broken bricks on the ground, and the air was thick with dust. “Hey dummy, heard your folks don’t want you back?” The leader, a bleach-blond guy, took a drag of his cigarette and jabbed my shoulder with a stick. “So, if we mess with you, ain’t nobody gonna care, right?” I pressed myself into the damp wall, trembling, my fingers curled tight around a sharp shard of broken stone. “a real stare on you, huh?” Another guy stepped in and slapped me across the face. The stinging pain was intense. But clearer than the pain were my parents’ whispers, echoing repeatedly in my ears- “She needs to suffer a bit, then she’ll be scared, then she’ll try harder to remember…” “Audrey can’t die in vain… This is to force her…” Those fragments flashed back constantly. Mom’s back, secretly slipping money to the hoodlums in the alley; Dad, whispering into the phone, “Scare her good, make her suffer a bit.” So all those people who’d been stealing my food, beating me down, even trying to strip my clothes off… they were all arranged by Mom and Dad. My heart shattered into a million pieces at that moment. I suddenly let out a scream, clutching the broken stone, and threw myself at them, heedless of the consequences. They seemed surprised by my resistance, quickly pinned me to the ground, grabbed stones, and started smashing them against my head. The screen shook violently, mixed with crude curses and the sound of blows. It wasn’t until I was covered in blood, lying motionless on the ground, that the thugs cursed and walked away. My vision slowly blurred. A pair of leather shoes stopped in my line of sight. It was Julian. He looked at me, his expression complex and unreadable. “Skylar, do you want revenge for your sister?” I opened my mouth, and bloody foam welled up. “I know a way to get the memory from your brain… what you saw that day.” He paused. “But the process is very painful. And, you…” Julian hadn’t finished speaking when the screen abruptly changed. Finally, it was the scene from that alley. I was carrying my schoolbag, and Audrey stood across the street, waving at me with a smile. She was wearing a new dress today; she looked beautiful. My eyes lit up, and I wanted to run over. Just as I stepped onto the sidewalk and was about to reach Audrey’s side- A tall figure, ghost-like, wearing a black mask and a baseball cap, shot out from the side alley. He clamped a hand over Audrey’s mouth and dragged her, violently, into the shadows of the nearby alley. Audrey’s scream was smothered. Her eyes stretched wide with terror, legs kicking wildly. I froze, horrified. Then I lunged forward on instinct, reaching for Audrey’s hand. Without even looking back, the attacker swung his leg and kicked me hard in the stomach. Thud. I was thrown backward, my head cracking against the pavement. A wave of searing pain and dizziness swallowed me whole. Warm liquid began to spread from the back of my skull. My vision swayed, blurred. No sound rose from my throat. But I forced my eyes wide, straining to see into the alley’s shadows. In the gloom, Audrey was pinned hard to the ground. She thrashed wildly, her hands clawing at empty air. Enraged by her struggle, the attacker raised his arm. In that split second, Audrey snatched upward. The black mask tore away in her grasp. The faint light from the alley’s mouth fell directly onto the face now laid bare.

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I married Jacob Thorne, a man who recoiled from human touch. For three years, he never once touched me. Then I saw him in a live stream, holding Celeste Monroe, the acclaimed pianist who was his first love. He was stroking her hair. So it was not an illness. He was simply allergic to me. When the earthquake hit, he shielded Celeste and rushed for the door, leaving me behind. My right hand was fractured. He said coldly, “Her hands are for playing piano. Yours? Just tie it to a piece of wood.” I wiped my tears and pulled out the art box I hadn’t opened in years. This time, I was done with him. Later, I, a left handed artist, took the art world by storm. A loving new partner stood by my side. And the man who once said my touch made him sick knelt in the rainy night, covered in blood, trembling as he asked, “Anya, now am I worthy of touching you?” Anya POV Jacob and I had been married for three years, but I’d never once touched him. Everyone in New York knew of Jacob’s condition: a severe psychological aversion to touch. The slightest physical contact could send him into a state of violent revulsion. For three years, we slept in separate rooms, ate at separate tables, and even passed documents through a cloth. At two in the morning, I stared at the replay on my phone, a cold dread settling in my bones. There, on screen, was my husband, Jacob, holding a woman in a white gown in a tight embrace. She was weeping, her face buried against him, while his hand moved in slow, gentle circles over her back, stroking her long hair. That woman was Celeste. Jacob’s childhood sweetheart. The pianist who had just claimed an international prize. Jacob’s grandma Emma had chosen me as his wife, simply because at a Thorne family banquet, I was the only woman he had stared at for more than five seconds. The Thorne family had covered all expenses for my seriously ill mother until her passing. On our wedding day, Emma had held my hand, tears in her eyes. “Anya, I know what I’m asking of you is difficult. Jacob’s condition…no doctor has been able to reach him. As his wife, you must have patience. Stay with him, and I believe he can heal.” I believed her. Because I, too, had fallen for Jacob the moment I saw him. I accepted the marriage. And in my quiet hope to “cure” him, I put away every sharp, artistic part of myself. Before marriage, I was a well-known painter. But Jacob couldn’t stand the smell of paint, I sealed away my brushes. I studied psychological counseling, learned non-contact companionship, but Jacob remained as distant as ever for three years. Yet now, in the video, Jacob looked completely at ease in that embrace, his eyes even filled with deep affection. So, there was no condition. No psychological aversion. He just didn’t want to touch me. My fingers shook as I scrolled to the comments. “Oh my god, isn’t Mr. Thorne unable to touch people?” “That’s Celeste. His first love. She’s always been the exception!” “This is the famous ‘I’m allergic to the whole world, except you’!” I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh, tears streaming down my face. My three years of careful devotion had been a complete and utter joke. Two hours ago, I’d asked him when he’d be home, and he’d only replied with a cold “overtime.” His “overtime” was spent accompanying Celeste to her award ceremony. Since he wasn’t sick, and since his white moonlight was back, it was my turn to exit the stage. I wiped my tears and pulled out the art box I hadn’t touched in three years from under the bed. I was going to get a divorce. The next afternoon, I went to the downtown art center to pick up a stored painting. “Mr. Thorne, this is the exhibition hall reserved for you.” The curator’s eager voice reached me. I turned, holding the canvas, and saw Jacob and Celeste walking in. Celeste intimately linked arms with Jacob. Our eyes met. Jacob’s gentle expression instantly froze, and he instinctively pulled his arm away, looking at me. “What are you doing here?” Celeste seemed to just notice me, covering her mouth in feigned surprise. Then she flashed an innocent smile and re-linked arms with Jacob. “Jacob, this must be your wife, right? What a coincidence.” She glanced at the painting in my hands. “This painting… did your wife paint it? It looks pretty mediocre, actually.” Jacob didn’t even look at the painting, only stared coldly at me. “This isn’t where you belong.” I took a deep breath, just about to speak- Boom! The floor violently shook! “Earthquake! Run!” The exhibition hall instantly descended into chaos. The art center’s glass dome and heavy chandeliers swayed precariously in the tremor. I was jostled by the crowd, the sharp edge of the painting frame in my arms slammed hard against my ribs. “Jacob!” Celeste shrieked. I looked up to see Jacob sweep Celeste into his arms without a moment’s hesitation, shielding her with his body as he bolted for the emergency exit. Above me, the great crystal chandelier began its deadly plunge. “Jacob.” I instinctively called out. Jacob’s stride hitched for less than a second. Then he tightened his hold on Celeste and vanished through the exit, never looking back. Crash. The massive impact and flying glass shards instantly engulfed me. Excruciating pain shot through me as I fell into a pool of blood, my right wrist pinned beneath a heavy piece of metal. The scene was pure chaos. Not far away, Celeste lay on a stretcher, with only slightly disheveled hair. “Ambulance! Treat Celeste first!” Jacob blocked the paramedics rushing towards me. “Celeste’s hands are for playing the piano; there can’t be any mistakes with them!” A nurse, unable to bear it, pointed at me and said, “Sir, that lady is bleeding a lot, and her right hand might be broken…” “Treat Celeste first!” Jacob pushed the nurse away, glancing at me in the corner. “As for her hand…” “Just splint it with a piece of wood. It can wait until she gets to the hospital.” The crash of the chandelier didn’t hurt half as much as his words did. So, in Jacob’s world, Celeste’s hands were priceless. And mine were disposable. The piercing pain made me extremely clear-headed. With my left hand, I pulled out my phone and slowly typed a line. “Jacob, let’s get a divorce.” I hit sent.

Anya POV The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was sharp and cold. I struggled to open my eyes, only to find my right hand useless. My entire right arm was encased in a thick cast. “Awake?” Jacob closed the document he was reading and stood up, walking closer. “The doctor said your right hand has a comminuted fracture and torn tendons.” His tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather. “The surgery was successful, but you… probably won’t be able to hold a paintbrush steadily again.” My heart gave a violent lurch. Jacob took an exquisite rectangular brocade box from the table behind him and casually placed it on my bedside table. “Open it and see.” I didn’t move, just watched him silently. Jacob seemed a little impatient, so he reached out and opened the box himself. Inside was a scroll, which, when unrolled, revealed an oil painting. “This is an authentic work by that deceased master you’ve always admired.” “This painting is for you, as compensation for this accident.” I stared at the priceless painting, unable to speak. “Don’t you like it?” Jacob’s tone deepened. “Anya, don’t be too greedy. We treated Celeste first because she has a crucial competition in Vienna next week. She’s a pianist. Her hands absolutely cannot be compromised. As for you…” “You just paint at home for leisure; it doesn’t affect your life. The Thorne family has more than enough to support you. You should know what’s more important.” What’s more important. I closed my eyes. “Jacob,” “Did you see my message?” “Don’t ever mention divorce again.” He frowned. “Celeste was startled and is emotionally unstable, so I’ll be very busy these next few days. Just focus on recovering quietly; the nurse will take care of you.” “I’m not throwing a tantrum.” I stared intently at him. “I’m serious. I’ve had enough of this life. I’m not being Mrs. Thorne anymore; we’re gettin’-” A frantic knock interrupted me. Liam Davies, his assistant, rushed in, looking flustered. “Mr. Thorne! Miss Monroe is causing a scene in her room! She says her hand is numb and she can’t play the piano, she’s throwing things and won’t let the doctors near her… She’ll only see you!” Jacob’s expression changed instantly, and he turned to leave. “Jacob!” He paused, but didn’t turn back. “Celeste is in critical condition; try to be reasonable!” His figure disappeared through the door. The hospital room was dead silent. After a long while, a nurse pushed a cart in, giving me a sympathetic glance, and whispered to her colleague. “Some people just have it so easy compared to others.” “What happened?” “Just to appease Miss Monroe, Mr. Thorne just covered all the expenses for her next thirty global tours! We’re talking hundreds of millions!” “Oh my god, he spoils her that much?” “He sure does. Just a minor scratch, a few tears, and she walked away with hundreds of millions.” Their voices faded as the cart moved away. I turned my head and looked at the brocade box. That oil painting was worth about two million. Two million, compared to hundreds of millions. That was my worth in Jacob’s heart. That was his “compensation.” For Celeste, it was a priceless treasure, worth a fortune. For me, just a casual dismissal. I painstakingly lifted my left hand, grabbed the brocade box, and flicked my wrist. With a muffled thud, the painting was thrown heavily into the trash can in the corner. This time, I truly wanted nothing. Neither the painting, nor the man.

Anya POV I contacted a lawyer, leaned against the headboard, and laboriously signed the documents with my left hand. Mr. Jenkins, the lawyer, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “Are you certain you wish to proceed with the divorce? You do not wish to discuss the prenuptial settlement with Mr. Thorne first?” “No, I don’t.” I put down the pen. “I just want to divorce Jacob, as soon as possible.” “Understood.” Mr. Jenkins collected the documents. “Since you’re waiving asset division, as long as Mr. Thorne doesn’t object, the process will be very quick. An electronic summons will soon be sent to Mr. Thorne’s phone. If he doesn’t respond within the specified time, the court will consider him absent, and we will proceed directly to litigation.” I took a deep breath and nodded. A week later, I insisted on being discharged. I took a taxi back to the villa where I had lived for three years. I was only back to retrieve my IDs and the few personal belongings my mother had left me. However, the villa entrance was a mess. Renovation trucks were parked haphazardly in front, and the drilling noise was deafening. I rushed into the living room. Dust flew everywhere; the minimalist decor was utterly unrecognizable, having been torn apart. In the center of the living room, my things were piled into a small mountain. Limited-edition decor shattered, art books torn and covered in footprints, privately collected oil paintings slashed through the canvas, piled like trash. “Who’s this?” Celeste’s voice drifted down from the second floor. She was wearing a silk robe, holding a glass of red wine, looking down from above. I looked at her. “Who gave you permission to touch my things!” Celeste slowly walked down the stairs, nudging a slashed oil painting with her toe. “Jacob said this decor was too depressing, and I don’t like it. Besides-” She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “He said all your things reeked of cheapness and paint. That he’s been wanting to clear them out forever. I just got back to the country and had nowhere to stay, so he told me to come take out the trash.” “Clear out trash?” I stared at my mother’s painting, Autumn Day, trampled on the floor, and felt something inside me begin to fracture. “That’s right.” Celeste chuckled. “These paintings are just an eyesore. Jacob said since your hand is ruined, they’re pointless now anyway. Better to make room for my piano. After all-” “-a crippled hand is just a decoration.” I couldn’t take it anymore. “Celeste, you make me sick!” I raised my left hand and slapped her with all my might! The sharp sound of the slap echoed. Celeste stumbled backward, red wine spilling all over her, leaving a vivid red handprint on her face. “You dare hit me?” “If you like picking up other people’s trash, then I’ll grant your wish!” “Anya Reed! What are you doing!” Jacob’s furious shout came from the doorway. He roughly pushed me aside, shielding the trembling Celeste behind him. I stumbled backward, my back slamming hard against the corner of a cluttered table. Sharp pain shot through my lower back, and my fractured right arm throbbed agonizingly, making my face go stark white. Jacob didn’t even glance at me. “Jacob… I’m so scared…” Celeste cried, her face drenched in tears. “I just wanted to help her tidy her things, I didn’t expect her to suddenly… Maybe she’s upset because of her hand injury, I don’t blame her…” “Anya, Celeste was trying to be kind, and you actually laid hands on her?” Jacob glared at me. “Where are your manners?” I steadied myself against the table, pointing at the mess on the floor. “Kindness? She destroyed all my paintings, and you call that kindness?!” “Changing the villa’s decor was my idea.” Jacob interrupted me. “That’s no excuse for hitting someone. Apologize!” “Or what?” I looked up at him. “I won’t apologize,” I said, enunciating each word. “Jacob, since you haven’t checked your phone, I’ll tell you face-to-face.” I pulled out a copy of the divorce papers from my bag and flung them hard at his face. The papers scattered between him and Celeste. “You can have the house. I don’t care for it.”

Anya POV Jacob didn’t even stoop. He simply raised his foot and stepped on the divorce papers. “Anya. So you’ve learned to hit people. And you’ve also learned to play the victim.” He scoffed. I opened my mouth to speak when the housekeeper emerged from a corner of the wreckage, holding a dark red wooden box-my mother’s last belongings. “Open it,” Jacob said, his tone utterly flat. “And throw everything inside away.” “No!” I tried to rush over, but he grabbed my right hand and roughly shoved me back. The intense pain in my right arm made my vision blur. Jacob pointed to ten moving boxes that had just been unloaded outside the door. “Since you have the energy to hit people and refuse to apologize, you have the energy to work. Go move all of Celeste’s luggage to the master bedroom on the second floor. If you miss one box, I’ll burn one of your mother’s manuscripts.” I looked up at him in disbelief. “Don’t you know my hand is broken… How do you expect me to move them?” “Can’t your left hand still slap people?” Jacob said coldly. “Use your left hand to move them.” I looked at my mother’s belongings and finally nodded. “Fine. I’ll move them.” From the first floor to the second, twenty-four steps. I dragged the first heavy box with my left hand, bracing it with my body, stumbling upward step by step. With each step, a searing pain shot through my right arm. Sweat drenched my back, dripping onto the marble floor. Five feet away on the sofa, Jacob and Celeste sat comfortably. A tea table held red tea and pastries. “Jacob…” Celeste frowned, glancing at the stairs. “Maybe let it go? She is injured, after all. It wouldn’t look good for the Thorne family. Just let the workers move them.” Jacob didn’t move. “Since she won’t apologize, she can move the luggage as atonement. Don’t mind her.” “But that box contains my couture gowns and crystal heels,” Celeste said, raising her voice sweetly, clearly for me to hear. “Be extra careful, okay? Those shoes were specially ordered by Jacob from Italy. I’d be very upset if they got damaged.” My footsteps faltered. I, too, once had a pair of crystal heels Jacob had given me-he’d casually thrown them at me on our wedding day, telling me to “just make do.” Turns out they were just Celeste’s unwanted defective items. Fourth box, fifth box… My left hand became numb, my legs felt like lead. Until the bandage was soiled and stained with blood. By the eighth box, I was exhausted, and the box slammed heavily against the edge of a step. “Oh!” Celeste shrieked dramatically from downstairs. “My piano scores! Were you doing that on purpose?” Jacob’s face darkened, and his teacup clattered heavily on the table. “Anya! Do you still want your mother’s manuscripts or not?” I frantically clutched the box. “I didn’t… It wasn’t on purpose…” Finally, all ten boxes were moved into the master bedroom. I collapsed, utterly exhausted, in the second-floor hallway, gasping for breath. I propped myself against the wall and slowly moved downstairs, stopping in front of Jacob. “They’re all moved,” I said, extending my trembling left hand. “Give me the manuscripts.” Jacob pointed upstairs. “They’re in your bedroom. Get some rest. And don’t ever cross Celeste again.” I didn’t speak. Didn’t even look at him again. Silently turned and went upstairs.

Anya POV The next morning, I woke up to excruciating pain. My right arm was violently grabbed, and I was roughly pulled up. My vision blurred from the pain, and then I was shoved hard against the headboard. “Anya, you truly never cease to amaze me.” Jacob’s face was grim, and behind him stood Celeste, eyes red-rimmed and looking utterly wronged. “What’s with this tantrum so early in the morning…” I didn’t understand. “Hand over the item.” “What item?” “Don’t play dumb!” Jacob suddenly raised his voice. “Celeste’s blue diamond necklace, did you take it?” I found it absurd. “When have I ever taken her things?” “Jacob…” Celeste tugged at his sleeve, her voice tearful. “Maybe she just borrowed it to wear for a couple of days… It was grandma’s keepsake for me. As long as she returns it, I won’t pursue the matter…” Her words confirmed my “guilt” of stealing out of jealousy. “I didn’t steal it! I don’t care for her things!” “Yesterday during the move, you were the only one who touched that box!” Jacob’s eyes were sharp. Turns out that black jewelry box I’d personally carried was a setup. “The box was sealed; I didn’t even open it! You can check the surveillance cameras!” “The surveillance system was down yesterday due to a power outage during renovations.” Jacob looked at me coldly. “Did you plan this all along?” “I didn’t take it.” I closed my eyes. “Believe it or not.” “Fine.” Jacob forced a laugh, clapping his hands. Two bodyguards immediately entered. “Since you won’t hand it over, I’ll find it myself.” Jacob ordered. “Search. Turn the place upside down until you find it.” “Jacob! How dare you! This is my privacy!” “Because I’m your husband, and because you’re a suspect.” He waved his hand coldly. “Go.” One bodyguard pinned me to the bed. I struggled desperately but was easily restrained. “Let go of me! Jacob, you bastard!” The other bodyguard searched through everything. My purse was emptied, my phone, wallet, even personal hygiene items scattered across the floor. Next, the bodyguard picked up the red wooden box from the bedside. “Don’t touch that!” I shrieked hysterically. “That’s from my mom! There’s only paintings inside! Jacob, I beg you!” A flicker of hesitation crossed Jacob’s eyes, but Celeste’s sobbing interrupted him. “Jacob… that was grandma’s memento for me…” “Open it.” With a “click,” the wooden box was pried open by force. The bodyguard turned the box upside down, violently emptying its contents onto the floor. Clatter. A few old paintbrushes, yellowed manuscript notebooks, fragments of unfinished paintings tumbled out. Several fragile thin papers shattered the moment they hit the floor. I stopped struggling. I stared blankly as my mother’s last traces in this world were being trampled and searched through. “Mr. Thorne, nothing,” the bodyguard reported. The room was dead silent. “Anya, where did you hide it?” His expression was grim. I didn’t answer. I slowly crawled off the bed, knelt on the floor, and began picking up the shattered manuscripts, piece by piece.

Anya POV I knelt on the floor. “Jacob, if you’re calling me a thief, let the police decide. That necklace is worth a fortune. If I stole it, that’s years in prison. But if I didn’t…” I looked at the shredded manuscripts scattered around me. “Then I’m want justice.” “Hello, 911? I’d like to report a break-in. A violent search. Destruction of property. And…a false accusation.” Half an hour later, the police arrived. Jacob stood by the window, his face ashen, while Celeste hid behind him, looking flustered. “Did you call this in?” The older officer looked at the mess on the floor, his brows tightly knit. I knelt on the ground, pointing at the two of them. “They falsely accused me of stealing a necklace worth millions, forcibly searched my belongings, destroyed my mother’s relics.” “Millions?” The officer’s expression turned serious. “Has the necklace been found?” “No.” “I request a search of the accuser, Celeste’s, personal belongings as well. After all, she’s not exactly a stranger to deception.” “What nonsense are you talking about!” Celeste clutched Jacob’s arm tightly. “Jacob, look at her.” The female officer, in a no-nonsense manner, held out her hand. “Miss Monroe, please cooperate.” Jacob frowned, stepping in front. “Celeste is the victim, and she’s a renowned pianist; she couldn’t possibly do something like this.” “Everyone is equal before the law. If you don’t cooperate, we have the right to take you to the station for questioning.” Jacob paused, then stepped aside, quietly reassuring Celeste. “It’s fine, just let them take a look.” Celeste’s face went pale, and she reluctantly handed over her purse. The female officer, wearing gloves, took out the contents one by one. Makeup, perfume, wallet… Finally, her finger explored a hidden zippered compartment at the bottom of the bag. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on her hand. The next second, the female officer pulled her hand out. That dazzling deep blue glow was strikingly bright under the fluorescent lights. It was the missing blue diamond necklace. Celeste’s face instantly drained of all color, and tears gushed from her eyes. “How could it be here? I clearly remember putting it in the box!” She frantically grabbed Jacob’s arm, her face streaming with tears. “Jacob, I honestly don’t know… Did I just put it in there too hastily yesterday and forget? I’ve been disoriented since the earthquake; I often can’t remember things… I truly didn’t mean to, I thought it was stolen…” “It’s okay, it’s good that it’s found.” He pulled Celeste into his arms, gently patting her back. “Don’t cry, no one blames you.” No one blames her? I sat amidst the chaos, listening to his forgiveness, feeling as if my blood had frozen in my veins. The police officer watched the scene with a speechless expression. “Since it was a misunderstanding, and the necklace has been found, then the matter of property damage…” “We’ll settle out of court,” Jacob immediately interrupted, handing over his business card. “I’m Jacob from Thorne Enterprises; we’ll handle this internally.” The police looked at me. “Ma’am, what’s your opinion?” I hadn’t even spoken yet when Jacob’s warning and intimidating gaze swept over me. What could I, in my current state, do to fight Thorne Enterprises? “Settle out of court.” I squeezed out those two words through gritted teeth. After the police left, the hospital room door closed again. Celeste was still sobbing her apologies. “I’m sorry, I really forgot… I made you suffer, I didn’t mean to…” “Get out.” I said, looking down. “What did you say?” Jacob frowned. “I said, get out!” I suddenly looked up, grabbing a pillow and flinging it hard. “Take your dirty things and get out! Now! Immediately!” He opened his mouth. “Anya, Celeste didn’t mean to…” “Just calm down. I’ll compensate you for the damaged items at full value.” With that, he escorted Celeste and strode out. That evening, I sat alone in the emptied room, piecing my mother’s manuscripts back together, fragment by careful fragment. My phone buzzed. A bank transfer notification. Your account has been credited: $5,000,000.00 USD. Memo: Restoration fee. Jacob’s text followed seconds later. “Compensation. Five million should cover the best restorers. Celeste was just frightened. She didn’t mean to set you up. Let it go. Don’t make this bigger than it is.” Five million. So that was the price. For my mother’s life’s work, my dignity, and whatever was left of my innocence. And this wasn’t even an apology. It was a transaction. A payment to cover Celeste’s lie. A fee for my silence. A laugh tore out of me. Hot, heavy tears hit the phone screen. Jacob. I don’t love you anymore.

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I have a sex addiction. Every night, I hear my cousin Lily and her boyfriend Marcus having sex. It’s making my addiction worse. Gradually, I started fantasizing about Marcus touching me. Until one time when I went back to Lily’s hometown with her, the train was shaking violently. Marcus accidentally ended up on top of me. …… On New Year’s Eve, Lily invited me to go back to her hometown with her. When we got to the station, I found out her boyfriend was coming along too to meet her parents. My mouth fell open slightly. Her boyfriend was six foot three, and his muscular physique was hard to miss. When he saw me, he looked me up and down too. The gray shorts he wore showed an obvious change in certain areas. He greeted me, but his eyes were glued to my cleavage. I’ve always developed early, and today I was wearing a V-neck shirt. The line on my chest was like a bottomless valley. I was also wearing a short skirt. One slight bend and you could see everything underneath. He stood behind me, and I could feel his burning gaze. It hit me later—with his height, he probably saw everything. I instinctively tugged at my shirt and skirt, my face burning red. He casually looked away and offered to go buy some snacks for the trip. Watching him walk away. I couldn’t help teasing Lily. “I heard personal trainers are amazing in bed. Is that true?” Lily smiled mysteriously, her face flushed. “Of course it’s true. Every time he leaves me with sore legs and an aching back. He’s as thick as my arm down there…” I gasped. Oh my God! That must feel incredible, right? If I could experience it just once… I couldn’t help looking in her boyfriend’s direction. When he walked, you could see it swinging in his pants. They say a guy’s thing can expand three times its size. I secretly measured it with my hand and instantly felt weak in the knees. That big… What would it feel like if it went inside? Lily had told me before that her boyfriend had a huge appetite—at least six or seven times a day. No wonder Lily always looked so glowing whenever I saw her. She was clearly being well taken care of. While I was lost in thought, Lily leaned over and winked at me. “You’re still a virgin, right? Want to try it?” My breathing quickened. I bit my lip, feeling guilty. “Lily! Stop teasing me!” When I looked up, I caught Marcus’s eyes flashing with interest when he heard Lily say I was a virgin. Finally, we got on the train. Lily had bought tickets for a sleeper car. There were only the three of us in this compartment, with a curtain at the entrance for privacy. She and Marcus were lying on the bunk across from me. Lily was on her phone, leaning against him while his hands roamed freely over her chest. Watching made my face flush and my heart race. I could only awkwardly scroll through my phone. But my eyes kept drifting back to them. Lily was wearing a tight purple dress today that showed off her perfect figure. Ten minutes passed, and I’d already seen Marcus slip his hand between Lily’s legs several times. When his fingers came out, they were wet and sticky. Lily’s face was flushed as she whispered coyly, “Claire’s still here~” It was evening now, and most people on the train were asleep. The conductor had dimmed the lights to their lowest setting, and Lily actually straddled Marcus’s waist and started making out with him. I licked my lips, my imagination running wild. Before I knew it, I’d fallen asleep.

I don’t know how long I slept before Lily’s voice woke me. I opened my eyes. For some reason, the lights in the car were back on. Lily winked at me playfully. “Claire, are you hungry? Could you go to the dining car and get three meals for us?” Seeing the tent pitched high between his legs, I understood why. I quickly answered, “Sure.” The moment I left the compartment, I heard Lily’s moans from behind me. To give them privacy, I deliberately stayed in the dining car to finish eating before heading back. But when I pulled back the curtain, I saw Lily still riding on top of Marcus. They were too absorbed to notice me outside the compartment. I quietly stepped back, but I couldn’t help peeking from outside the car. Watching that shameful scene, my mouth fell open. They could even do it in that position… I felt my body go weak as I leaned against the wall, rubbing my thighs together to their rhythm. After about fifteen minutes, I heard the sounds inside finally stop. The moment I walked in, my foot slipped and all the meal boxes in my hands spilled onto my bunk. A strong, powerful arm caught me. I looked up and saw his sausage and meatballs swinging right in front of my face. My face turned bright red. Lily rushed over to comfort me. “It’s okay, you can sleep with us. We’re almost there anyway.” “What?” My heart jumped, but thinking of that huge sausage, I felt oddly excited. Lily leaned close to me. Her body smelled faintly of sex. “Marcus and I have a double bunk. It’s big enough for three people.” Looking at my bunk covered in greasy food, I bit my lip. “Okay then.” I originally wanted to sleep on the outside next to Lily, but she said she and Marcus both got hot easily and wanted me to sleep in the middle. I had no choice but to agree. Marcus was tall with well-developed muscles. After the three of us lay down, I realized how cramped the middle position was. I was lying with my back to Marcus. His chest muscles kept rubbing against my back as the train swayed. This contact made my inexperienced body gradually heat up. I’d been so busy with work these years. I’d never had a boyfriend. This was my first time being this close to a guy. Lily must have been tired from earlier, because she fell asleep shortly after lying down. Marcus was still on his phone though. I’d hoped to chat with Lily. Now I was just stuck in the middle, unable to move. My body started heating up for some reason. My face was burning red. The train suddenly lurched, forcing me to roll over and face Marcus. But he was so tall that my head only reached his massive chest. The next second, something hard and burning pressed against my lower abdomen. Could this be…

I couldn’t help swallowing, suppressing my excitement as I tried to shift positions. But then I heard a deep groan from above me. That sound full of masculine hormones made my ears turn bright red instantly. “Sorry…” I coughed softly and glanced back at Lily. She was sound asleep. When I looked up, Marcus’s face was flushed. He shook his head. “It’s fine. The train’s just shaking too much. I’ll move further in.” He shifted his body, his rod intentionally or unintentionally rubbing against my inner thigh. My mouth went dry as I rolled over. I felt heat flowing beneath me. That size—I didn’t even dare imagine it. I couldn’t help squeezing my thighs together. It felt slightly better. Just as I’d put some distance between myself and Marcus, the train entered a tunnel and shook violently. I was rocking back and forth, my body sliding uncontrollably toward him. Before long, I felt my entire butt land in his lap. I instinctively twisted my hips. Oh my God! I was wearing a short skirt, and now it had ridden up almost to my waist. His hand was somehow on my waist, his breathing heavy, like he was holding something back. Another jolt, and I couldn’t control myself as I bounced against him, letting out a suggestive moan. Luckily the train whistle blew right then, or else… My face red, I instinctively looked back at Marcus. He was licking his lips, his eyes dark with desire. My voice was awkward. “This train sure shakes a lot…” I nervously scooted toward Lily, pretending not to notice that Marcus’s big friend was now pressed against my lower back. My whole body was soaked through. A faint smell of sweat filled my nostrils, adding to the tension. I bit my lip. To ease the awkwardness, I could only pretend to close my eyes and sleep. Even though my eyes were closed, my insides were burning with heat. I couldn’t stop my mind from replaying those shameful images. What Lily said was actually true. Marcus really was as thick as an arm down there. The train stopped at several more stations. The adjacent cars had emptied out. Only the three of us were left. Lily got up for a drink of water, then fell back asleep. I was just wondering if I should go sleep in the next car when the train started moving again. With all the swaying, I couldn’t get up from the bunk. I had no choice but to press my lips together and keep lying between them. Now Marcus and I were facing each other. In the dim light, I could clearly see the flush on his face. He was absorbed in his phone. I glanced casually at the window reflection and saw that he was watching that kind of content on his phone! I instantly felt ashamed and embarrassed. I quickly rolled over to look away. But my body was inexplicably burning up. To avoid awkwardness, I just pretended to sleep. But soon the train started shaking again. I gripped the handrail above my head tightly, but my heart was pounding faster and faster. Just then, a violent jolt threw my entire body on top of Marcus. He let out a deep groan, his voice hoarse. My chest was pressed tightly against his. In my panic, my hand grabbed onto a certain area. To avoid the awkwardness of opening my eyes, I just kept them closed and pretended to be asleep. Behind me, Lily’s breathing was steady. She didn’t seem disturbed. I stayed in that position, pressed against Marcus. But what I didn’t expect was that his hand suddenly moved toward my chest.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “336910”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #重生Reborn #擦边Steamy