I’d just wrapped up the biggest tech summit globally when the mentor I saw as a mother called. She’d arranged a marriage for me, to Seraphina Hayes, the daughter of her close friend. Seraphina was a true business titan in Veridia City. I’d licensed several of my patents to her company, and they were currently the core technology for their new products. I worked late, clearing my lab tasks, then changed into a carefully chosen suit and headed to the engagement ceremony. But Seraphina Hayes’ male assistant, Brandon Lee, blocked me right at the auditorium entrance. He was dressed in a impeccably tailored designer suit, every hair in place, looking more like the groom than I did. “If you know what’s good for you, scram. An orphan with no background, honestly, do you even think you’re worthy of our CEO Hayes?” I shot back, “Does Seraphina know you’re taking such liberties?” Brandon Lee sneered, a dismissive chuckle escaping him. “A kept man, only clinging to success through his mentor’s name. How could you possibly understand my place in CEO Hayes’ heart?” As he spoke, a trace of obsession and smugness flickered in his eyes. I gave him a quick once-over, then called Seraphina. “If your hospitality means blocking your fiancé at the door, then perhaps my patents should only be a contract for you to glimpse, before I sell them to your rival company?”

I was an orphan. My education, my entry into the country’s top research lab—it was all thanks to my mentor’s cultivation. She’d shown me so much love, like a real mother. That’s why, when she picked my fiancée, I was willing to be patient. If Seraphina Hayes could handle this properly, give me a decent explanation, I was ready to give her another chance. “Julian Sterling? What is it?” The other end of the line was noisy, sounds of guests talking around her. She first responded to someone beside her, then coolly brought the phone to her ear, as if she hadn’t heard me at all. “Come get me into the venue, your assistant…” Before I could finish, she let out an irritated “Tsk,” cutting me off impatiently. “Do you have some kind of prince complex? Can’t walk on your own two feet?” “I’m busy greeting guests. Where would I find the time to come get you? Get in here yourself.” A dial tone buzzed in my ear. Brandon Lee covered his mouth, a muffled snicker escaping him, his eyes openly mocking. “I’m just following CEO Hayes’ orders. If you want to go in, just go in. I definitely won’t stop you then.” I could calmly handle the most complex experiments. But dealing with such an unreasonable person, I felt a sharp pain in my temples. “Mr. Lee, do you think your assistant position is really that secure? Troubling the CEO’s fiancé at the entrance of the ballroom—is that part of your career plan?” “What a pity. Compared to a professional elite like me, the CEO despises useless freeloaders like you even more.” I raised my eyes and stared coldly. “Professional elite? One who harbors inappropriate intentions toward his female boss?” “Does Seraphina Hayes know her assistant is like a lapdog, wagging his tail and begging for scraps every day?” Brandon Lee’s face contorted with rage. He raised his hand, lashing out at me. I stepped back quickly, dodging his blow. “You got triggered, so you resort to violence? Is that how you handle failed business negotiations, too, by slapping people? Truly an elite, indeed.” “You! Hold him down!” His mind laid bare, Brandon Lee’s sharp voice cracked. He gasped, glaring at me, his finger trembling as he pointed. The few security guards watching the drama nearby heard him and started walking towards me. “Mr. Lee is being an idiot, but are you all too? Do you realize you’re about to assault Seraphina Hayes’ fiancé?” I tried to appeal to their reason. The guards exchanged glances. The lead guard spoke with a seemingly apologetic tone, but his eyes held clear mockery. “Mr. Sterling, we’re just following orders. Please bear with us.” “Mr. Lee is the CEO’s golden boy. You’re just a tool for an alliance with no background. If your dead parents suddenly came back to life with some immense power, then we’d definitely apologize to you.” I was wearing a perfectly fitted suit and expensive dress shoes for the engagement ceremony. After dodging a couple of times, two guards quickly grabbed my arms, half-forcing me forward, pressing me in front of Brandon Lee. He glowered at my face, then suddenly pulled his lips back into a smile. He raised his hand, his designer watch glinting coldly, ready to slap me. I shut my eyes tight. “Stop!” A cool voice, laced with fury, cut through the air. Brandon Lee’s hand froze mid-air. **[CUT-OFF POINT]**

Seraphina Hayes walked towards me. Tall and striking, her beauty was even more captivating in person than in pictures. She scanned me with disdain, her gaze sweeping over my face, pausing for a moment. “It’s our engagement party today. What disgraceful scene are you making here?” I wrenched free from the guards, straightened up, and adjusted my suit collar, letting out a cold laugh. “Can’t you see what’s happening?” “Seraphina, I’d like to ask you, is allowing your security to assault me at the auditorium entrance your idea of hospitality?” “Do you know your assistant just—” Before I could finish, Seraphina cut me off with a frown. “Enough! You’re late for the engagement ceremony and instead of coming in, you’re causing trouble at the entrance? My security is supposed to restrain you, or should they just let you run inside and disturb the guests?” “My time is precious, and you’ve just wasted it. You, an orphan, are worthless and foolish. I honestly don’t know why my mother insisted I get engaged to you.” Guests who’d followed out to watch the drama vaguely looked my way, whispering among themselves. Their condescending stares made me feel like a clown. I, too, felt my time had been wasted. I’d spent so much time preparing, even specifically taking a day off. With that time, I could have updated the data for my new experiment. “Funny you say that. I feel my time has been wasted too.” “Since neither of us can stand the other, why don’t we just call off the engagement?” Seraphina Hayes froze, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you threatening me?” “Causing trouble in front of me isn’t enough, now you’re trying to use canceling the engagement to blackmail me? Do you really think that will make me bend to your will?” I looked at Seraphina’s expression, suddenly at a loss for words. It felt like I was talking to a brick wall. Beside her, Brandon Lee stood respectfully, yet his tone was laced with a hint of intimacy and grievance. “CEO Hayes, he’s causing such a scene at the engagement ceremony. What will happen after you get married? He’ll turn everything upside down!” “And he saw I was your capable assistant, thought I was stealing his thunder, and got so mad he tried to hit me. If those guards hadn’t protected me, he surely would have succeeded.” Seraphina Hayes looked at me in disbelief. “Brandon has been my assistant for two years. Do you know how much he’s handled for me? Do you think he’s some useless freeloader who got his position through connections, like you? What do you have to be jealous of?” I curved my lips, but there was no hint of a smile in my eyes. “While I’m curious why you think I’m useless, do you really believe your assistant’s words?” “It was your assistant—” Seraphina Hayes cut me off again. “If I don’t believe my assistant, should I believe a lunatic like you?” Brandon Lee raised his hand to cover his rising smirk. He blinked, and tears welled up in his eyes. “CEO Hayes, my heart aches for you.” “You’re practically royalty in Veridia City, your word is law, yet you’re still bound by your mother and forced into an alliance with a lunatic.” Seraphina Hayes had only taken over Hayes Corporation two years ago, and Madam Hayes still heavily interfered in the company’s affairs. She had accumulated a lot of anger from her mother’s meddling. Brandon Lee’s words made the atmosphere around her instantly heavy. “Julian Sterling, you’d better apologize to me properly and offer compensation. Otherwise, even my mother can’t save you.”

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I was cleaning the house on the second day after my husband left for a business trip when I casually said to our smart speaker, “Alexa, play some music.” Instead, an unfamiliar sultry female voice came through the speaker. “Sure thing, my little moonbeam. Also, a reminder for James – don’t forget Aria’s birthday surprise tonight~” I froze, the music suddenly grating to my ears. My husband’s name is James. Who was Aria? I immediately called James: “Did you mess with our smart speaker at home?” There was a pause on the other end before he laughed it off, “Oh, a friend came over to visit the other day. Maybe they connected their account. Why?” I laughed and said it was nothing. After hanging up, I pulled up the speaker’s login history and took a cab straight to the company address associated with that unfamiliar account. The taxi stopped in front of the “Starlight Design” building. I looked up. The glass curtain wall glared dazzlingly in the sunlight, much like the company’s aggressive momentum in the industry over the past two years. Our main competitor at “Dreamscape Design”. The receptionist was very professional, not giving me the cold shoulder despite me being from a rival company. She simply made an internal call in a businesslike manner. A few minutes later, a girl in a white dress walked out quickly. She had waist-length hair and a bare face, looking clean and innocent. Aria. When she saw me, there was a clear moment of panic in her eyes, like a startled deer, but she quickly composed herself and squeezed out a shy smile. “Hello, may I ask who you are?” “About the smart speaker,” I got straight to the point, looking at her calmly, “The login records show it was your account.” “Oh, that speaker!” She had a sudden realization, then scratched her head embarrassedly, “That belongs to my roommate. She used my phone to log in a few days ago, said her membership had expired and wanted to use mine for a bit. Did it cause you any trouble? I’m so sorry!” Her words were watertight, both distancing herself and appearing innocent and naive. If I didn’t know James’s personality, I might have believed her. That man, arrogant and sensitive, how could he let an unrelated intern use a personal account to log into a device at home? My gaze slowly moved from her face full of innocence to her slender wrist. There was a silver bracelet. Two irregular circular links interlocked, with a small letter “J” engraved on one of the links. That was the gift I had personally designed and had a craftsman friend make for James on our wedding anniversary last year. J for James. The only one of its kind in the world. Aria noticed my gaze and instinctively tried to hide her hand behind her back. But I smiled, stepping forward with an almost gentle tone: “That’s a unique bracelet. Did your boyfriend give it to you? He has great taste.” Her face went white in an instant, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word. That was enough. I didn’t look at her again and turned to leave. Getting into the return taxi, I immediately called my best friend Emma, the best divorce lawyer in the industry. As soon as the call connected, her loud voice came through: “Well, well, if it isn’t the great designer Olivia! Did the sun rise from the west today? You actually remembered me?” “I need a favor,” I said, watching the streetscape rapidly receding outside the window, my voice unnaturally calm. “Look into someone for me. An intern at Starlight Design named Aria. Also, dig up all of James’s financial transactions and hotel records for the past six months. Don’t miss a single one.” Emma went quiet for two seconds, dropping her joking tone: “…Are we raiding the house?” “Worse than that.” After hanging up, the car fell into dead silence. It wasn’t long before James’s call came through. I looked at the word “Husband” on the screen, finding it incredibly ironic. I took a deep breath before answering. “Olivia, what’s wrong?” His customarily gentle and refined voice came through the receiver, with just the right amount of concern, “I heard from Emma that you asked her to look into something. Are you having trouble at work?” Look, he even planted a spy so quickly. I pushed down the surging emotions and said in the most normal tone: “No, I just suddenly miss you very much.” On the other end of the phone, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then chuckled softly. “Silly girl, I miss you too. Once I finish this project, I’ll fly back to be with you right away, my little moonbeam.” The words “little moonbeam” clearly pierced my ears. My grip on the phone suddenly tightened. So, I wasn’t the only moonbeam. Or perhaps, I never was.

Emma’s efficiency was astonishing. In just half an hour, my phone vibrated. A link, with a comment: “The year’s best white lotus actress in her prime, the evidence chain is so complete I almost feel bad charging you full price. Enjoy.” I clicked on it. It was Aria’s social media account, set to public. The latest post was a close-up of her wrist, wearing that all-too-familiar J bracelet, with the caption: “The moon races towards you, Mr. C.” My “little moonbeam” nickname, my J bracelet, had now become another woman’s trophies. I scrolled down expressionlessly. One photo’s background was our study at home. Aria was smiling innocently with her face cupped in her hands, behind her was my rare architectural atlas I had bought from Italy. “Absorbing knowledge in Mr. C’s study, I feel like I’m becoming smarter too!” In another photo, she was holding a pen, writing and drawing on a blueprint. That was the 30th birthday gift I gave James, a limited edition collaboration. “The pen Mr. C gave me works so well, he said my hands deserve the best pen.” There was another one at our favorite private kitchen, with dishes I loved to order. “Secret base with Mr. C, he says I’m the only harbor where he can completely relax.” Every photo, every word, was like a precise scalpel, cutting into my softest memories one by one. Until I scrolled to a post from three days ago. In the photo, Aria was holding a printed design draft, smiling triumphantly. The caption read: “Mr. C stayed up all night helping me revise this. He said I’m the most talented designer he’s ever seen, and I’ll definitely win the ‘Skyline Center’ project. Fighting!” “Skyline Center”. That was the project our “Dreamscape” had poured all our hearts into, preparing for a full six months. It was the most important milestone in my career. I suddenly stood up from the sofa, grabbed my car keys, and rushed out the door. The company was empty late at night. I unlocked it with my fingerprint and went straight to James’s office. His computer was still on the screensaver, our wedding photo where he was smiling tenderly and affectionately. I felt a wave of nausea. I hit the keyboard, the screen lit up, and a password input box popped up. I tried my birthday, error. Tried our wedding anniversary, still error. I laughed coldly and entered Aria’s birthday. “Welcome.” The desktop was clean and tidy. I immediately spotted that encrypted folder. I clicked on it, inside was the final proposal for “Skyline Center”, every detail crystallizing months of hard work from me and the team. And next to it, there lay another folder, named with just one letter – A. I opened it. The proposal inside was almost identical to ours, with only minor adjustments to a few key load-bearing structures and design highlights, avoiding core patents while retaining the essence of the plan. The name signed on the proposal: Aria. He not only cheated but was about to steal my life’s work, our company’s future, to pave a golden path for his mistress. A violent churning in my stomach, I gripped the cold desk tightly to keep from collapsing. So, jealousy and betrayal could truly distort a man to this extent.

At the “Skyline Center” project bidding conference, the venue was buzzing with noise. I sat in an inconspicuous corner, watching Starlight Design’s representative walk onto the stage. It was Aria. Today she wore a well-tailored business suit, her long hair tied up, face delicately made up, shedding her previous innocent look for a more professional elite aura. She took a deep breath and began to explain the design concept. “My design inspiration comes from the ‘Eye of the City’. We hope it’s not just a cold building, but a living entity that breathes with this city, witnessing its development…” These words, every single one, were what I had said to James countless times during late nights, drinking coffee with bloodshot eyes. I once thought it was the most tacit soul resonance between husband and wife. Now I know it was just my one-person show, and he was the most patient thief. More ironically, James was sitting in the VIP guest seat of the judges’ panel. Suit and tie, hair neatly combed, exactly the elite image I was most familiar with. He listened with extreme attention, nodding from time to time, his eyes looking at Aria with a light I had never seen before – a kind of regarding the other as a treasure, eager to show off to the whole world. He completely ignored me sitting in the corner of the audience, as if I were just an insignificant background. My phone vibrated in my palm. It was a message from Emma. “Need me to bring a brick and crash the scene?” Looking at the screen, the corners of my tightly pressed lips actually curved slightly. I replied with two words: “Stand by.” On stage, Aria’s speech reached its climax, the PPT showing the final effect drawing, exactly the one stolen from my computer. A low murmur of amazement rippled through the audience. The speech ended to thunderous applause. The host walked on stage: “Thank you for Ms. Aria’s brilliant presentation. Now let’s invite our special guest judge, a very senior figure in our industry, Mr. James from Dreamscape Design, to give a few comments on this proposal.” The microphone was passed to James. He cleared his throat, his gaze falling tenderly on Aria, and began to speak. “To be honest, I’m very impressed.” “Ms. Aria’s design perfectly balances artistic aesthetics and practical functionality, especially the minor adjustments to several key load-bearing structures, very bold, very inspired.” He used the word “inspired”. The word he used to describe Aria, to hurt me. He paused, his gaze sweeping across the audience. “I believe this work is undoubtedly today’s best.” Applause erupted again, even more enthusiastic than before. At that moment, my world went silent except for the dull thudding of my heart in my chest. The host smiled and took over: “Thank you for Mr. Chen’s high praise! It seems our ‘Starlight Design’ is determined to win this time! So, does anyone in the audience or any of the judges have questions for Ms. Aria?” The venue fell silent. After this “authority” James had stamped his approval, there seemed to be nothing left to ask. Aria bowed on stage, her face unable to hide her pride and joy. I put away my phone and stood up during the pause before people were about to applaud again. The movement wasn’t big, but it instantly attracted everyone’s attention. The host was stunned for a moment: “This lady, may I ask who you are?” James’s smile froze.

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I noticed something strange about my husband sleeping next to me. He was like a dead fish, unresponsive to my intimate advances. I thought it was because we’d been married for a while, and he had lost his passion and excitement for me. That was until I overheard my husband talking to his friend: “My wife sleeps like a log every night. You could put a corpse next to her, and she wouldn’t even notice!” So, did my husband find a corpse to act as his body double? 0 I jolted awake from my sleep, faintly hearing slight noises coming from the living room. It sounded like someone moaning and panting. In the pitch darkness, I couldn’t help but feel creeped out. I instinctively reached out to nudge my husband beside me. “Jack, I think there’s someone outside…” I pushed him a few times, but he didn’t respond, seemingly fast asleep. He must have been exhausted from the day, I thought. In the end, I decided not to wake him up. I slowly got up, grabbing a vase from the nightstand for self-defense. Could it be a burglar? I tiptoed out of the bedroom, opening the door quietly. The living room was pitch black, and I couldn’t see anything. After some consideration, I mustered up the courage to feel my way to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Feeling a bit braver, I found the light switch by the door and turned on all the lights. The living room was suddenly bright. I looked around but didn’t find anything unusual. I checked the other bedrooms too, but there were no signs of intrusion, and none of our valuables were missing. I stood in the living room, bewildered. Had I imagined it all? The next morning, I woke up and went to the living room. Jack was already sitting at the dining table, smiling at me. “Morning, babe! Come have some breakfast!” My husband, Jack, was quite the catch – tall, handsome, and charming. We had a whirlwind romance, getting married after knowing each other for just a month. Despite the rushed nature of our relationship, our marriage had been good. He supported me as I built my career from nothing to becoming the CEO of a company. I became the envy of all the women in our social circle. After my business success, Jack quit his job and became a stay-at-home husband. The only regret was that after six years of marriage, we still didn’t have a child to show for our love. We thought there might be something wrong with our bodies, but medical check-ups showed we were both healthy. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be yet! I sat down after washing up and took a bite of the warm sandwich. Remembering last night’s incident, I couldn’t help but ask him about it. Jack rolled his eyes and said irritably, “Babe, were you dreaming?” I wanted to say more, but he had already stood up and said, “Alright, honey, you need to get to work. Hurry up and eat! I’m going back for a nap. For some reason, I’ve been feeling really tired lately.” Jack stretched and walked past me to the bedroom. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I felt like there was a faint, strange smell coming from him. I didn’t think much of it. After a quick breakfast, I headed to the office. The next night, I don’t know how long I had been asleep when I was once again startled awake. The panting outside was even louder this time. I got up to check, but again, nothing was missing. My scalp tingled with fear. If it wasn’t a burglar, could our house be haunted? I’m a skeptic, but at that moment, the only explanation I could think of, besides a ghost, was… well, I couldn’t think of anything else. But for the next two weeks, everything seemed to return to normal. The eerie sounds never came back. I thought the incident was over, but little did I know, it was just the beginning. One night, I had a vivid dream. In it, Jack and I were passionately making love. But just as things were getting intense, I suddenly woke up. The lingering desire from the dream left my body feeling like it was on fire. I couldn’t help but snuggle closer to Jack’s body, softly calling out to him. “Honey, are you asleep?” Just like before, I called out several times, but Jack didn’t respond. It felt like lying next to a corpse. 0

But I was already consumed by an endless desire, and I wasn’t about to let him off the hook. I went from softly calling his name to shaking him vigorously. “Jack, wake up.” Just as my mind was starting to form some unpleasant theories, Jack finally showed a bit of response. He mumbled sleepily, “Go to sleep.” Of course, I wasn’t having it. I pressed myself against him again, whispering in his ear, “Babe, it’s been so long since we’ve been intimate. How about we go wild tonight?” As I spoke, my hands started to wander. He didn’t refuse me, so I became bolder in my actions. However, I vaguely felt that the skin I was touching was cold, unlike Jack’s usual warm, soft skin. Moreover, the scent on his body seemed different from before, which gave me a strange sense of novelty. But just as my hand was about to reach its peak, he suddenly grabbed my wrist. “No… not now. I need to take a shower first.” Before I could react, he had already scrambled out of bed, wrapped himself in the blanket, and stumbled out of the room in the dark. His series of actions left me bewildered. But since he said he wanted to shower, I could only wait silently, hoping he would be quick. However, after waiting in the room for a long time, I was starting to doze off. So I got up, intending to go and hurry him along. Suddenly, I heard voices talking in the living room. To my surprise, besides Jack, there was another man in the living room. It was Jack’s friend, Brian. I had met him a few times before. Brian was just as attractive as Jack, if not more so. Today, he was wearing only a thin T-shirt on his upper body, which perfectly outlined his impressive physique. He was the type of handsome guy that made people fantasize after just one glance. For some reason, Brian’s face looked troubled, as if he was hiding fear. “When did you get here?” I asked. Jack immediately put his arm around Brian’s shoulders and said to me, “He just arrived. Honey, there’s been some noise in Brian’s neighborhood lately, keeping him up at night. He came over to stay with us for the night.” I nodded upon hearing this. I was about to turn and go back to the bedroom when I suddenly noticed something odd. “Hey, Jack, weren’t you taking a shower? Why are you still wearing pants?” Jack had said he was going to shower, but now he was wearing dress pants instead of pajamas or a bathrobe. He even had dress shoes on his feet. Jack replied irritably when he heard my question, “Well, Brian called me just now and asked me to go pick him up. I couldn’t exactly go down in just a towel, could I?” I didn’t think much of it and turned to go back to the bedroom. The heated feeling from earlier had dissipated, and it was getting late. I had a team meeting at the office tomorrow morning, so in the end, I fell asleep without continuing what we had started with Jack. However, little did I know that Brian’s appearance at our house tonight was not as simple as Jack had made it out to be. 0

A week later, I had finished my work at the office and had nothing else to do, so I fell asleep in my office. I slept deeply, as I had been under a lot of stress lately. By nighttime, since I had rested for a long time during the day, I wasn’t sleeping as heavily. I woke up groggily and found that Jack wasn’t in bed. I initially thought he was in the bathroom and didn’t think much of it, preparing to go back to sleep. But suddenly, I heard whispering voices from outside the door. Could it be Jack on the phone with someone? A feeling of unease suddenly welled up in my heart. It was so late, Jack wasn’t in the room, and he was secretly making a call in the living room. Had our marriage hit a rough patch? I hurried to the door, pressing myself against it as if I wanted to meld into it. Jack’s voice came from outside. “Brian, please help me out here. Hasn’t your company not paid salaries for a few months now? If you help me, I’ll add another thousand, no, two thousand. How about that?” So he was talking to Brian! The heart that had risen to my throat relaxed a bit. But suddenly, Brian’s voice rang out. It wasn’t the sound of a phone call; he was in the living room with my husband. “No, no, I can’t agree to this, even if I’m short on money. We almost got caught by your wife last time…” I was stunned. What had they almost been caught doing? Jack continued, “Don’t worry, that was an accident. I promise it won’t happen again like last time.” “Look, if you agree to help me, I’ll not only give you an extra two thousand, but I’ll also have my wife arrange a position for you at her company. The salary will definitely be higher than at your previous company.” Brian seemed to fall silent. I listened, completely confused. What extra money? What did Jack want Brian to agree to? And how was I involved in this? What on earth was going on? After a long while, under Jack’s urging, Brian seemed to waver, but he said, “Sigh, I really don’t understand why you’re doing this. It’s clear that your wife loves you very much. Why don’t you two just have a baby? Maybe that will change your mind.” My heart, which had just settled down, rose up again. Although Jack’s voice wasn’t loud, I could still hear a hint of indifference in his words. “I don’t want to have children. I still want to play around for a few more years.” “I can’t live without those young, fresh bodies out there!” Hearing this, I almost collapsed to the ground. So the so-called stay-at-home husband was actually going out to party and fool around behind my back every day. What he said about not being able to live without it was just an excuse. Disbelief, pain, and anger instantly rushed to my head. I wanted to burst out and slap him hard, demanding to know why he would do this. But just then, he spoke again, pleading with Brian. “Come on, Brian. My wife has been under a lot of stress lately. She’s been sleeping like a log every night. You could put a corpse next to her, and she wouldn’t even notice!” A flash of lightning struck in my mind, and I came up with an unbelievable guess. 0

Could it be that Jack always sneaks out at night to fool around with other women, but he’s worried that I might wake up in the middle of the night and find him gone? So he asked his friend Brian to lie next to me as his substitute. After all, they have similar builds. This way, even if I wake up in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t be able to see clearly who’s lying next to me in the dark, and naturally, I wouldn’t disturb my “sleeping husband.” That means the two times I heard the door opening before weren’t burglars, but my husband letting Brian lie next to me while he sneaked out to fool around. Thinking about this, everything suddenly made sense. Why I suddenly found the voice of the “husband” next to me strange, why he would become stiff as if touched by a stranger when I touched his body – because it wasn’t my husband Jack at all, but Brian. I finally understood why he always smelled of alcohol early in the morning, and why he was wearing formal clothes that night when I saw him with Brian. Brian must have realized they couldn’t keep up the charade and ran to the bathroom to call Jack, telling him to come back quickly. That’s why Brian couldn’t look me in the eye that day, always avoiding my gaze. Realizing this, I collapsed onto the bed. I laughed bitterly at myself. I couldn’t believe such an obvious trick had gone unnoticed by me. If I hadn’t woken up suddenly tonight and heard their conversation, I probably would have continued being the fool. I suddenly got up, about to yank open the bedroom door, but in the end, I calmed down. Even if I rushed out now and tore Jack to pieces, it wouldn’t change anything. Once someone’s heart has changed, it’s like spilled water that can’t be gathered back. I wanted to see what else he would do to keep me in the dark. Thinking this, I slowly went back to bed and lay down, no longer paying attention to the voices outside. It was already midnight. I just lay there silently on the bed. About half an hour passed, and the room fell into complete silence. Then, once again, there was a faint sound of a door closing outside. Compared to the previous two times, this door-closing sound was obviously much quieter. If I had been asleep, I definitely wouldn’t have heard it. It was this sound of the door closing that completely broke my heart. Perhaps our marriage had been a mistake from the very beginning. Another half hour passed, and the lock on the bedroom door started to turn. The sound was still very small, hardly making any noise at all, pulling me back from my complicated thoughts. It seemed Brian had come in. In the darkness, I squinted my eyes. I couldn’t see very clearly, only able to make out a figure entering the room, carefully closing the door, and then tiptoeing to my bedside. It was undoubtedly Brian. His every movement was like walking on a tightrope, extremely careful, as if worried I might suddenly wake up. After reaching the bedside, he paused for a long time. Finally, he gently pulled back the covers and slowly lay down. To be honest, my feelings right now were extremely complicated. There was the grief and anger from my husband’s betrayal, but also, strangely, excitement and nervousness from him personally sending his friend to my bed. After Brian lay down beside me, even his breathing was barely audible. I knew he must be very nervous too. I laughed at myself again. My husband, in order to go out and fool around at night, actually sent his handsome friend to my bed. This is something even movies wouldn’t dare to portray, yet it was happening to me. I thought to myself: “Oh, Jack. I don’t think I’ve ever wronged you in any way. Since we got married, I’ve tried my best to satisfy all your wants. And this is how it ends up. I’m so angry!” Thinking about everything that had happened, my anger level skyrocketed. Suddenly, an extremely bold idea surged into my mind. Alright, Jack. You forced me into this. Since you sent Brian to my bed to impersonate you, there’s nothing wrong with me being intimate with my “husband,” right? I’ll just pretend that the person lying next to me now is Jack. I want to see how you’ll deal with this aftermath.

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When my husband Carlos Reeds insisted on taking away our disabled daughter Emilia Reeds, I, Violet Lewis, realized he had been reborn too. In my previous life, I caught Carlos having an affair with Vanessa Hanson. I tearfully asked for a divorce, but he showed no intention of trying to save our marriage. Carlos favored sons over daughters. After the divorce, he took away our 8-year-old son Myles Reeds but left 5-year-old Emilia, who was disabled, with me. Eighteen years passed, and under my devoted care, Emilia was accepted into New York University. After graduation, she was even recruited by the government as an outstanding talent. During her spare time, she unexpectedly met Noah Stewart, a military commander. Noah didn’t mind her disability and fell in love with her at first sight, vowing to marry no one but her. Eventually, Emilia married Noah, and I was able to enjoy my golden years in comfort and security. Meanwhile, Carlos married Vanessa right after our divorce. But Vanessa despised Myles because he was my child. After becoming pregnant with Carlos’s baby, she would beat and scold him constantly. She had originally planned to kick Myles out once her child was born, but on the day of delivery, Myles locked the door from the inside, causing Vanessa to hemorrhage and die. Having lost both his wife and unborn child, Carlos ran into me on the street by chance. Consumed by jealousy, he pulled out a fruit knife and stabbed me to death, screaming, “Why do you get to live so well while I end up like this!” When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Carlos and I divorced. “I’ve been done with you for a long time. You, a country girl, should consider it a blessing from your past life that you got to marry me and serve me for a few years. But I’m being generous—I won’t fight you for Myles. Emilia is coming back to Boston with me. Give me five hundred dollars for her support. If you weren’t so useless, she wouldn’t have been born disabled.” Looking at this arrogant, rambling man before me, I felt momentarily dazed. How could Carlos look so young? Shouldn’t he be that middle-aged man tortured beyond recognition by life? “Violet, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and get the divorce papers done. Don’t delay my precious daughter’s schooling.” I jerked my head up, staring at him in disbelief. Precious daughter? Divorce? Had Carlos and I both been reborn? In my previous life, when we divorced, he was utterly disgusted by Emilia, saying a disabled child didn’t deserve to be his daughter. Then he left without looking back, taking the struggling Myles and Vanessa with him. He never imagined that Emilia, whom he despised, would be admitted to a prestigious university under my care and marry into a military family, achieving upward social mobility. In contrast, Carlos not only lost Vanessa and his unborn child but was also dragged into legal trouble by Myles, whom he had placed such high hopes on, ending up alone and miserable. Thinking of this, my heart ached unbearably. My once most well-behaved son had been tortured into that state by these two demons, Carlos and Vanessa. “I want both Myles and Emilia. I will never let them follow a cheating father.” Hearing this, Carlos’s expression changed. He glanced at Vanessa, who looked pitiful beside him, then shouted at me harshly, “Violet, show some respect! Vanessa and I grew up together and have always loved each other. You’re the one who came between us.” I laughed coldly, “Oh really? Now that you can go back to Boston, you’re getting bold with your words? Who was it that came from a poor family, acting pitiful in front of my parents every day, even saying he’d be willing to marry into our family?” Carlos’s face flushed red. Just as he was about to retort, a childish voice interrupted, “Don’t talk about my daddy like that!” I followed the voice and saw Emilia glaring at me angrily, as if I were her mortal enemy. Then she turned to Carlos with an obedient expression, “Daddy, I want to go with you. I love you the most.” Carlos immediately straightened up and said smugly, “Did you hear that? Emilia chose me. I really don’t know how you’ve been mothering her—even your own daughter can’t stand you.” Yes, how had I been mothering her? In my previous life, I gave everything I had, only to end up with an ungrateful daughter. If that’s the case, then in this life, I’ll grant her wish and let her go with her beloved father to live her so-called “good life.” “Mom, I want you. I only recognize you as my mother in this lifetime. Besides you, I don’t want anyone else.” A warm little hand tightly grasped my trembling hand. I looked down at Myles’s innocent, pure little face, and tears I could no longer control began to fall. I don’t want Emilia anymore. In this life, I only want Myles to live healthily and happily. I raised my head and looked at the three people beaming with happiness, “Carlos, you’re really shameless. Don’t forget, you and Vanessa committed adultery during our marriage. If I report you two, you’ll both be scorned by everyone, and you might not even qualify to return to Boston.” Carlos and Vanessa’s faces instantly turned pale. After a long while, Carlos stammered, “We were husband and wife after all. Do you really have to be so ruthless? Fine, I won’t ask for child support. Just give me Emilia.” I scoffed and replied coldly, “You don’t want child support? Well, I do!” I stretched out my hand and waved it in front of him, “Five hundred dollars. Not a cent less.”

“Impossible. Myles isn’t worth that much money. If you really need the cash, I might as well take him with me too.” Carlos spoke while looking at Myles with obvious disgust. Hearing this, I could no longer contain my rage and slapped him hard across the face. His cheek immediately swelled up and turned red. Emilia shouted at me: “Bad woman! You hit my daddy! I hate you!” Before Carlos could react, Emilia had already stumbled down from her wheelchair and looked up at Carlos with an innocent expression: “Daddy, let me blow on it for you. It won’t hurt anymore…” Watching this touching father-daughter scene unfold before me, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes: “I’m not negotiating with you—I’m warning you. Besides, Myles is my precious boy, and I will never hand him over to you! If you don’t give me the money, I’ll tell everyone about your affair right now and let them judge who’s right.” With that, I made as if to leave. Vanessa immediately panicked: “Carlos, just agree to her terms, or we’ll both be ruined.” As expected, as long as Carlos and Vanessa didn’t want their reputations destroyed, they would scrape together the money for me. So the divorce and child support matters were settled smoothly. Looking at the thin divorce certificate in my hands, I let out a long sigh of relief. Carlos said: “Women are so short-sighted. You really think having five hundred dollars will change your life? You have no idea what you’re giving up.” As Carlos spoke, he scooped up Emilia, his face full of barely concealed smugness: “Emilia is a little genius. She’ll get into New York University someday and marry someone important so I can live the good life. As for you, raising such an ungrateful son—be careful you don’t live long enough to spend that money.” He finished with a sinister laugh, as if he could already foresee our fate. Emilia said: “I’ll study hard and give you a good life. I love you the most.” Watching Emilia tug at Carlos’s sleeve with that fawning expression, I smiled slightly. A cowardly, incompetent man who only wanted to steal the fruits of my previous life’s labor, and a calculating demon who could even betray her own birth mother—I was equally eager to see how they would end up. But before that, I just wanted to give Myles a good life and make up for everything I owed him in my previous life. Thinking of my last life, when I visited him in prison and saw Myles’s tear-stained face as he cried and asked why I didn’t want him, telling me how Vanessa had abused him, my heart clenched involuntarily. From now on, he would be my son alone, and in this life he only needed to grow up safe and happy. With this thought, I gently stroked Myles’s head: “Baby, from now on it’s just the two of us. It might be hard, but I promise I’ll take good care of you…” Before I could finish, Myles threw himself into my arms: “I’ll take good care of you too. As long as I can be with you, I’m not afraid of hardship.” Perhaps because I had memories from my previous life, the days I thought would be difficult gradually became fulfilling and meaningful. Slowly, we moved to Concord, and within six years, my business grew bigger and bigger, eventually expanding to Boston. I also changed Myles’s name to Jeremy Lewis. I had originally thought that Boston was so big, and six years had passed—surely I wouldn’t run into Carlos again so soon. But perhaps it really was a destined karmic connection, because I encountered the three of them dining at the restaurant I owned.

Emilia wore a fashionable princess dress, her face beaming with sweet smiles as she acted coquettishly toward Carlos. Meanwhile, Vanessa had completely lost that superior city-dweller attitude from her previous life. She looked utterly haggard, wearing clothes that were neither new nor old, appearing even worse off than rural women. Carlos kept scolding her: “What are you dawdling for? Didn’t you hear Emilia say she’s thirsty? Hurry up and bring her some water!” After the reprimand, he immediately turned to Emilia with a loving smile. The emotional shift was so abrupt that his expression looked twisted: “Sweetheart, your test scores this time are fine, right?” I watched Emilia with some surprise, never expecting that after being reborn, she would be even more outstanding by Carlos’s side than in her previous life. Emilia paused for a moment, then answered confidently: “Of course, Dad. When have I ever dropped out of the top three since I was little? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get into the best university and give you the best life.” Carlos was extremely satisfied after hearing this. He crossed his legs smugly, his face full of pride: “Good, this month’s salary was well spent. You better remember my kindness in the future.” Emilia made another heartfelt promise, and for a moment, it was a picture of paternal love and filial devotion, warm and touching. Meanwhile, Vanessa just sat there with a dark expression, silently eating with her head down. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened during these years. In her previous life, she had been so arrogant and willful, even tormenting Myles to the point of madness, ultimately choosing to perish together with him. Yet in this life, she was allowing Emilia to boss her around. Before I could think further, a surprised voice interrupted my thoughts: “Violet? You’re really something, running off to Boston to work as a waitress. How shameless. Thank goodness our precious daughter didn’t follow you, or just thinking about it would break my heart.” I looked up to see Carlos staring at me with disgust, while Emilia’s eyes were full of disdain: “I only have a dad. I don’t have any mom.” Carlos not only didn’t criticize her but became even more smug: “That’s right, Emilia is going to marry someone important in the future. How can she have a mom who works as a restaurant waitress? Emilia, you must never acknowledge her!” After saying this, he even let out a few mocking laughs and shouted loudly: “Waitress, check please!” Watching his pretentious act, I took a deep breath and forced a fake smile: “Please pay at the cashier. Have a good day.” Seeing me bow my head, Carlos became even more pleased with himself, swaggering toward the cashier. Vanessa kept her head down, pushing Emilia’s wheelchair from behind. As they passed by me, Emilia raised her hand to cover her nose and mouth, as if I were some kind of infectious disease, her face full of disgust. However, before I could even leave the dining hall, I heard an angry roar: “What kind of restaurant is this? Three people eating and you charge a hundred dollars? Are you people crazy with poverty? Let me tell you, I’m a local, not like those outsiders. You better wise up!” Suddenly, everyone’s attention turned to the cashier. The young cashier looked aggrieved but still tried to calm Carlos down: “Sir, everything here is clearly priced. You can take a careful look – the amount is definitely correct.” She handed him a receipt, but Carlos didn’t even look at it. He swatted her hand away, his words full of threats: “I knew it. Any place that would hire that woman can’t be any good. Call your boss out here. I’m from the Tax Bureau, and I need to have a good talk with him about how to run a business.” Seeing his behavior, I walked over: “Carlos, what are you making a scene about here?” Carlos pushed me away: “Get lost. I’m talking here – when is it your turn to butt in? When your boss gets here, you’ll be the first one I have fired.” Then he started shouting again: “Where’s your boss? Where is he? If he doesn’t come out, I’ll have this place shut down tomorrow!” Carlos became more and more pleased with himself, as if he could already see the boss bowing and begging for mercy. During these years, he had used his position at the Tax Bureau to get plenty of free meals. Today was no exception. A hundred dollars for one meal? He wasn’t crazy. Spending that much money to celebrate Emilia’s good test scores was completely unreasonable. The only reason he agreed to Emilia’s request was for her future gratitude. Another reason was that he had already found out the restaurant owner was from out of town, with no connections or backing – these types of people were most afraid of trouble. Today, he would teach the owner a lesson, and naturally get plenty of benefits in the future. With this thought, Carlos became even more brazen. He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed decorative items from the cashier counter, smashing them on the floor: “If your boss doesn’t come out, don’t blame me for not showing mercy! Tomorrow I’ll have people shut this place down!” “Carlos, what are you showing off for here?” An angry shout came from behind Carlos. He instinctively turned around to see his supervisor Abel Moore glaring at him furiously, and immediately panicked. After a long moment, he snapped back to reality and hurried forward with a smile: “Mr. Moore, what brings you here too? This restaurant has irregular pricing, and I was just about to handle them! We can’t have this kind of bad restaurant in our city. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely take care of this matter.” After Carlos finished his fawning speech, Abel, who was usually gentle, not only didn’t respond to his flattery but pushed him away. He said to me: “Ms. Lewis, I’m truly sorry. I’ll definitely deal with Carlos properly when we get back. Please continue operating with confidence – this kind of thing will never happen again.” “Ms. Lewis? Mr. Moore, you’ve got it wrong. She’s just a lowly waitress who can’t even…” Carlos sneered as he interrupted. However, seeing Abel’s expression growing darker and darker, he suddenly froze in place, unable to say another word.

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My name is Emily Howell. My boyfriend Ivan Fuller’s friend Anna Lakin has bonded with some kind of transfer system where everything she eats gets transferred to my stomach. She started a livestream account and ate non-stop for twelve hours straight, making tons of money. Meanwhile, I ended up hospitalized with acute pancreatitis. When I tried to explain this to Ivan, he looked at me like I was an idiot. “Where in the world would something so bizarre exist? If food could transfer like that, no one would ever starve to death. I think you’re just jealous that she’s making money from streaming.” After that, every time Anna went live, I’d end up hospitalized with pancreatitis, sometimes even fighting for my life. I went to the hospital for tests, but the doctors couldn’t find any cause and nearly treated me like a psychiatric patient. Later, Anna decided to compete with another streamer and wolfed down over twenty hot dogs in one go. I suffered a ruptured spleen and died from internal bleeding. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to Anna’s first livestream. This time, I ordered twenty takeout meals in advance. This time, I’m eating first! Watching Anna finish an entire fried chicken on my phone screen, I felt full in my stomach. But in reality, I hadn’t eaten anything all day. It seems I was right. Even though I’ve been reborn, the situation hasn’t changed. Everything Anna eats still goes straight into my stomach. Just as I was panicking, Anna brought out a huge plate of spaghetti with a large bottle of Coke on the side. “That chicken was just an appetizer. Now for the main course,” she said sweetly to the screen. A voice off-screen kept exclaiming, “Oh my God, Anna, you’re amazing! You can eat even more than me!” Seeing Anna about to start eating, I immediately grabbed my car keys and rushed out the door. I absolutely cannot let her continue eating, or I’ll be facing death again. On the way, I ordered another twenty takeout meals. This time, I’m going to figure out exactly what kind of trick she’s playing. The car quickly stopped downstairs from Ivan’s place, and the takeout arrived almost simultaneously. I grabbed the takeout bags and rushed upstairs, knocking on Ivan’s door. When he saw me, his expression showed some impatience. “What are you doing here? Coming to cause trouble again? Anna’s livestreaming right now, so don’t make a scene. “Just leave. She’s having a great time eating. If you scare away all the viewers from her stream, I’ll never forgive you.” In my previous life, Anna moved into Ivan’s place after graduating from college, claiming it was “temporary” until she found a job and could afford her own place. I thought it was inappropriate, but Ivan argued back: “We grew up together. If we liked each other, we would’ve gotten together long ago. Would it be your turn?” Later, Anna decided to livestream eating online, and to support her, I followed her account too. That’s when the strange things started happening. Every time she went live, my stomach felt like it was being stuffed full, as if it might burst open. Eventually, I ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis. This condition is caused by eating too much, and in severe cases, it can even cause immediate death. I told Ivan about this, but he didn’t believe me at all and said I was just jealous of Anna. Since he was now responsible for managing the account with Anna, he wouldn’t let me get close under any circumstances, afraid I’d interfere with their money-making. Meanwhile, I was suffering at home, getting taken away by ambulances multiple times. The doctors even advised me not to risk my life over food. Later, Anna competed with a big streamer in a hot dog eating contest to see who could eat more. I suffered a ruptured spleen and died from massive internal bleeding. After I died, I saw Anna beat that big streamer and win the title of competitive eating champion. She and Ivan embraced happily together. Even in death, I couldn’t understand why this was happening. So this time, even if we go down together, I won’t let her succeed.

I burst straight into the livestream room, interrupting Anna’s meal, and held up the twenty takeout orders I’d brought with me. “Anna, you can’t keep eating like this. Too much food is bad for your health. Let me help you eat instead—you should go rest for a bit,” I said. Anna looked up, completely bewildered. “Emily, I’m livestreaming right now. Stop messing around, okay?” I squeezed into the camera frame, making sure my face was fully visible. I’d put on makeup before coming here, and since I was naturally thinner than Anna, I looked much better on camera overall. She was just a small-time streamer with hardly any fans in her chat. After seeing me, the comments started flooding in, saying they wanted to watch me eat instead. Anna couldn’t make a scene on camera, so she had no choice but to get up and give me her spot. I first pulled out a fruit box that was mostly filled with mangoes. Anna was allergic to mangoes and couldn’t eat them at all. I’d bought the mangoes to test whether this transfer system worked both ways. If I ate something she couldn’t have, would she react? After finishing the box of mangoes, the comments were all praising how well I ate, saying it was satisfying to watch, and some viewers even sent me several expensive gifts. I smiled sweetly at Anna. “Looks like everyone prefers watching me eat. But don’t worry—I just had a sudden urge to try this today. All these gifts are yours; I don’t want a penny.” Anna was clearly unhappy about having her spotlight stolen. Meanwhile, I kept staring at her face, watching for any signs of an allergic reaction. But aside from her anger, she showed no reaction whatsoever. Maybe one box of mangoes wasn’t enough. I pulled out a mango smoothie and a mango cake. Anna tried to stop me. “Emily, my streaming career is just getting started. If you want to livestream, use your own account. What’s the point of hijacking mine? Just step aside and let me eat. If that doesn’t work, we can both eat together and see who can eat more.” As she spoke, she reached for the spaghetti to continue stuffing it in her mouth. I snatched it away and held it up to the camera. “I’m doing this for your own good. This spaghetti has so many chili peppers—it’s bad for your stomach. And you’re washing it down with ice-cold Coke. You’ll get stomach problems eating like this. If you really want to eat something, have something lighter.” I found a box of bland food from the takeout orders and handed it to Anna. The viewers, seeing how considerate I was, praised me for being beautiful and kind-hearted. They sent me more gifts and told Anna to rest, saying they all wanted to watch me instead. Anna wanted to ask Ivan for help, but he was currently staring at the gift revenue on the backend, grinning from ear to ear. As long as money was coming in, it didn’t matter who was streaming—especially since I was earning more than Anna. Fighting through the discomfort in my stomach, I finished all the mango products, but Anna still showed no reaction. In the past, just one bite of mango would make her break out in hives immediately, and her face would swell up badly. Damn it. This transfer was one-way only. Everything she ate would transfer to me, but what I ate wouldn’t affect her at all. My stomach felt stretched to its limit, and I couldn’t eat another bite. I waved my phone at the camera. “It’s getting really late now, everyone. You should all go to bed. Staying up late is bad for your health. See you next time!” With that, I ended the livestream. As soon as I got back to my car, I grabbed a plastic bag and threw up violently, vomiting everything I’d just eaten.

By the time I drove home, it was already late at night, but I couldn’t fall asleep at all. If I couldn’t figure out what was happening within a day, my life could be in danger at any moment. Just as I was tossing and turning in bed, a wave of intense nausea suddenly hit my stomach. I dry-heaved desperately, but nothing came up. The feeling was as awful as when my parents forced me to eat the fatty meat I hated most as a child. I rushed to the fridge and grabbed an ice cream bar, trying to ease the discomfort. But after eating the ice cream, things didn’t get better. That’s when I suddenly remembered something and immediately opened my phone. Sure enough, Anna was livestreaming again. She said, “I’m going to eat some fatty meat for everyone. Hope you all send some gifts to encourage me!” She held a piece of greasy fat in her hand, eating it with obvious relish. Even through the screen, I felt sick to my stomach. I angrily typed a comment: [Stop eating! That’s disgusting!] After seeing my comment, Anna flashed a smug smile: “Who are you? Why should I listen to you? Show me what you’ve got then.” The nauseous feeling grew stronger, so I reluctantly sent her several expensive gifts, hoping she would stop. However, after accepting the gifts, not only did she not stop, but she brought out a large bowl of mayonnaise. She said, “Since you don’t like me eating fatty meat, I’ll have something sweet instead.” She spooned it into her mouth one after another. The greasy sauce was no different from the fatty meat. I felt like throwing up just watching. I kept sending messages: [What did you do to me? Why are you the one eating, but I’m the one suffering?] [Stop eating, don’t eat anything else!] Seeing me desperately typing comments in pain, Anna laughed even more wildly. My stomach suddenly cramped with severe pain. I used almost the last of my strength to call for an ambulance. Fortunately, the ambulance arrived in time and saved my life. Just like in my previous life, I developed acute pancreatitis from overeating. The doctor looked at my medical records with surprise: “You’re so thin, yet you managed to eat this much?” I didn’t respond, just asked the doctor to process my discharge. Then I immediately rushed to Anna’s house. As soon as the door opened, I pressed a kitchen knife against her throat. Anna stammered incoherently: “Emily, what are you doing? Calm down!” I had no patience for her nonsense and stared at her coldly: “Don’t play dumb with me. You’re the one eating, but I’m the one suffering, right?” Anna put on an innocent face: “What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean.” I gripped the knife tighter, my voice low and menacing: “Stop acting. Talk!” Anna’s face went pale with fear: “Calm down, I’ll tell you.” The next second, she suddenly screamed: “Ivan, help me!” Ivan caught me off guard and attacked from behind, kicking me down and snatching the knife from my hand. He roared: “Are you insane?” He immediately started a livestream and placed thirty hamburgers on the table. He said, “You claim that when Anna eats, you’re the one who suffers? Perfect. Let the viewers witness whether what you’re saying is true.” The viewers in the livestream had no idea what was happening and kept asking questions. Ivan explained: “My girlfriend says that whatever Anna eats transfers to her stomach. Today, everyone can be witnesses. If she keeps making trouble, we’re breaking up!” Anna picked up a hamburger and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation. The feeling of fullness and pain hit me instantly. My stomach was already overwhelmed, and the severe pain made me barely able to stand. I collapsed on the floor and started convulsing. [No way, why do I feel like this woman is acting? People like her just need a beating.] Someone in the livestream left a comment to remind Ivan. He looked at me coldly: “If you keep pretending, don’t blame me for what happens next.” I clenched my fists and struggled to stand up against the wall, forcing a smile as I said, “I’m not faking it. It’s just menstrual cramps. Are menstrual cramps not allowed either?” Ivan was livestreaming at that moment, so I couldn’t do anything except leave this mess behind. But he wouldn’t let me go and made Anna finish eating all the remaining burgers. He said, “Don’t cause any more trouble from now on. Consider this a lesson.” After returning to the hospital, the doctor helplessly questioned why I had gone out to eat again, suspecting I had binge eating disorder and even suggesting I see a therapist. I let out a bitter laugh. The truth was, I’d barely eaten anything these past few days, yet my stomach always felt full. This time the doctor wouldn’t discharge me, insisting I stay in the hospital for treatment. I followed the doctor’s advice and stayed put in the hospital. However, within a few days, I felt Anna binge eating again. I opened the livestream and found Ivan taking Anna to an Italian restaurant out of town, where they had ordered practically everything on the menu. At the same time, I received a message from Anna: [Emily, Ivan took me out of town this time. There’s so much delicious food here, I don’t want to waste any of it. I’m going to eat it all.] I was furious, wishing I could fly there immediately and tear Anna to pieces. Just then, I suddenly noticed the medication the doctor had prescribed for me. In that moment, everything clicked. I finally understood what was really going on. The instant the truth dawned on me, I was so excited I jumped right out of the hospital bed. Over the next few days, Anna frequently livestreamed visits to different restaurants, attracting quite a bit of attention online. She could eat an incredible amount without ever purging, yet still maintained her figure perfectly. Other competitive eating bloggers were skeptical and challenged her to contests. She accepted their invitations and decided to compete against a blogger with millions of followers in a few days. In my previous life, it was right after this competition that I died alone at home. This time, I lay comfortably in my hospital bed, peacefully recovering and waiting to be discharged. The day of the competition arrived quickly, and over ten thousand viewers flooded into the livestream. Anna sat in front of more than twenty hot dogs. As she prepared to start eating, her expression looked uncomfortable, and she instinctively put down the hot dog. Seeing that her opponent had already started eating, Ivan panicked: “Anna, hurry up and eat! Your opponent’s already started.” Anna nodded, forcing herself through the discomfort, and was about to pick up the hot dog again when she doubled over, clutching her stomach. Just as Ivan was about to ask what was wrong, she let out a loud fart right in front of over ten thousand viewers. The next second, a foul stench filled the air, and she collapsed unconscious on the spot. Watching this scene unfold, I couldn’t stop grinning. Soon, Ivan’s call came through: “What the hell did you do?” I smiled slightly: “Take a guess.”

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The hospital’s new intern, Anna Ramos, claimed to be a medical prodigy who could perform any examination without anesthesia, ensuring patients felt no pain. But in reality, she was transferring all the pain patients should have experienced directly to me. After Anna’s medical skills gained fame, massive crowds of patients flooded the hospital, with surgical slots becoming so coveted they had to be auctioned off. Meanwhile, I was in agony from her repeated surgeries, unable to work properly. Patient complaints poured in, and I was eventually fired from the hospital. Worse still, I discovered that the post-treatment side effects were gradually manifesting in my body. My hair began falling out, my body wasted away to skin and bones, and every step felt like walking on razor blades. I confronted Anna at the hospital, but everyone believed I’d gone crazy from jealousy. Seeing my frantic, out-of-control state, Anna calmly put on her gloves. She said, “Layla, stop making a scene here. I’m about to perform brain tissue removal surgery on Samuel Hill’s daughter, Hannah Hill. I don’t have time for your nonsense.” My name is Layla Morris. As it turned out, Anna had been in the operating room for barely five minutes when I suddenly suffered a brain hemorrhage and died on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Anna’s medical skills first gained recognition. This time, I used all my savings to bid on Anna’s treatment slot and told her, “Anna, I’d like to try your painless surgery too.” ***** Anna looked me up and down with disdain. She said, “Layla, what kind of joke is this?” Anna’s gaze sent chills down my spine, but I forced myself to stay calm and meet her eyes. I said, “I have stomach problems too. I want to try your so-called ‘painless endoscopy.’ Is that not allowed?” On Anna’s first day at the hospital, she claimed she could perform painless examinations and surgeries. That very day, she performed a bone marrow biopsy on a patient right there on the spot. However, Anna used no anesthesia whatsoever, and her technique was completely wrong. I watched with growing anxiety, but surprisingly, the patient showed no signs of pain. The examination was completed quickly. Then my right leg bone suddenly began aching. I collapsed instantly, completely unable to move. All my scheduled surgeries that day were taken over by Anna. From that day forward, Anna’s medical reputation soared. She was promoted from intern to attending physician at breakneck speed. But that day, I was in excruciating pain in my hospital bed. First my leg hurt, then my heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles, and finally I developed a perforated stomach with bleeding. I had always been one of the hospital’s core physicians. When Director Thomas Kelly heard about my condition, he immediately came to examine me personally. However, the test results showed nothing wrong with my body. Thomas’s expression instantly turned cold. He said, “Layla, I know the hospital has been assigning you more work lately because we value you. But now you’re faking illness and blaming an intern? You’ve really disappointed me.” I tried to explain, but my throat was in severe pain. I glanced at the surgery schedule and noticed that at this exact time, Anna was examining a patient with laryngitis. What are the odds of such a coincidence? It was hard not to connect “my sore throat” with “Anna examining a laryngitis patient.” But in my previous life, no matter how I explained, neither colleagues nor patients believed me. Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in my eyes. This time, I couldn’t alert Anna prematurely. I had to uncover the truth and avoid repeating the death and suffering of my previous life. Sure enough, just as I expected, Anna refused to perform the endoscopy on me. She sneered, “Layla, whether you want an examination or you’re trying to steal my techniques, we both know the truth. If you keep pestering me like this, I’ll waste time here with you. When that happens, all the delays for other patients will be on your head.” Hearing her words, the other patients who had also bid for treatment slots immediately expressed their displeasure. A female patient said, “You’re a doctor too. When you examine us, you always say to just bear with it if it hurts. Why can’t you endure it when it’s your turn?” A male patient said, “You make decent money, don’t you? You can get a capsule endoscopy. Why do you have to waste our time?” Suddenly, a middle-aged woman rushed forward and slapped me across the face. She said, “My son has had chest pain all afternoon. If something happens to him, I’ll make you pay with your life.” With this woman taking the lead, other patients swarmed me, hitting and kicking. Taking advantage of this chaos, Anna had already taken the first patient into the operating room. Soon after, my chest began experiencing severe pain, as if it were being stabbed repeatedly with forceps. I collapsed instantly, my head hitting a chair uncontrollably, immediately drawing blood. Seeing this scene, the patients who had just attacked me quickly scattered. A male patient said, “This doctor is actually creating injuries to frame us. She has no medical ethics!” A female patient said, “We only hit you a few times, we didn’t punch your chest. Don’t blame everything on us.” Just as I was about to pass out from the pain, a little boy’s voice rang in my ears. He said, “Mom, Dr. Ramos is amazing! I didn’t feel anything during the treatment. I’m not in pain anymore.”

Hearing the little boy’s words, everyone immediately gathered around Anna, leaving me standing alone. As patient after patient entered the operating room, every part of my body began to ache. Finally, I collapsed completely. When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed. My best friend Chloe Cook sat beside me, looking at me with concern. Without thinking about anything else, I quickly asked Chloe to get her phone. Since Chloe was also one of the patients who had entered Anna’s treatment room. I had anticipated that Anna wouldn’t let me personally observe her treatment process, so I had Chloe bring a hidden camera beforehand. The surveillance footage on the phone shocked me. Chloe didn’t have any serious condition—she had just sprained her ankle a few days ago. But Anna didn’t even do a bone examination or take X-rays. She went straight to giving Chloe acupuncture treatment. She quickly grabbed a suture needle and started poking it into Chloe’s foot, which completely stunned me. Suture needles aren’t meant for acupuncture at all, and her technique was completely haphazard. I struggled to sit up but found that my right ankle had no strength left. The slightest movement sent blood rushing to my head, and my entire leg went numb. I grabbed Chloe’s hand and asked, “How did you feel during the acupuncture? Does your foot still hurt now?” Chloe sighed and said, “I was just about to tell you about this. Such thick needles piercing into my flesh, yet I couldn’t feel any pain in my foot—no discomfort whatsoever. “I could see she didn’t even hit the spots where I was actually hurting, but strangely enough, my foot is completely fine now.” Lying in bed, feeling terrible all over, I could barely muster the energy to organize the information I had gathered. Anna seemed able to transfer patients’ pain and surgical complications onto me. And the injuries I sustained couldn’t be detected by any medical equipment. I was the “transfer target” for pain, which is why Anna couldn’t examine or operate on me—that’s why she kept refusing me. My mind was in chaos. How could such bizarre things exist in this world? Suddenly, I thought of a crucial point and immediately went to find Thomas to submit my resignation. Looking at the resignation letter on his desk, Thomas tapped the table lightly with his finger, remaining silent for a long time. After a while, he looked at me with furrowed brows, his eyes full of disappointment. He said, “Is this because I said you were faking illness that day? Or is it like Anna said—her rapid promotion threatens your position, so you’re using resignation to threaten me?” After saying this, Thomas stamped the resignation letter without hesitation and told me to leave. Meanwhile, the hospital’s social media account published an article congratulating Anna on becoming associate director. The post was flooded with comments from patients praising Anna while putting me down. Someone even posted the video of me falling on social media. The caption read: [How can there be such a doctor in this world? She’ll stop at nothing to steal patients and delays others’ treatment!] Instantly, everyone was attacking me. They said I had no medical ethics, that I was incompetent and only knew how to be jealous of others. Even worse, people found my phone number and home address, sending me razor blades and funeral photos. I had no choice but to temporarily move in with Chloe. At this point, I couldn’t care about my reputation anymore. Looking at the surgery schedule Chloe had brought me, I was so nervous that my palms were sweating. Anna was scheduled to perform gastric suture surgery on a patient tomorrow. Now that I had resigned and was no longer at the hospital. I wanted to see if she could still transfer the pain to me.

The next day, Chloe turned on the camera right on schedule. I sat on the bed, waiting for the 10 AM alarm to go off. When the alarm rang, I found that I felt no pain whatsoever. Tears instantly welled up in my eyes. I thought I had finally discovered the key condition for the pain transfer—I had to stay in the hospital. But just five minutes later, I suddenly began convulsing. My stomach felt like it was being roasted over hot coals, burning with searing pain. Cold sweat the size of soybeans broke out on my forehead, and the pain was so intense I didn’t even have the strength to cry out. Before long, blood surged into my throat, and I couldn’t help but vomit it out. Chloe placed her phone on a stand and immediately came over to support me. She also shoved painkillers into my mouth. But the painkillers had no effect whatsoever. It wasn’t until 30 minutes later that the pain in my body finally began to subside slightly. However, I could no longer eat anything. The constant nausea and acid reflux made me feel absolutely miserable. Just then, my phone received a local news notification. I clicked to check it, and the headline read: [Patient Can Eat Same Day as Gastric Suture Surgery! Medical Genius Arrives to Benefit the Masses!] In the news, the middle-aged man who had just undergone gastric suture surgery showed no signs of distress and looked completely energetic. He even drank two bottles of hard liquor in front of the reporters. Finally, he laughed with a flushed face and said: “Dr. Ramos is truly a miracle doctor. When she sutured me, she didn’t use any anesthesia at all, yet I felt nothing. “Other hospitals told me to rest my stomach, but Dr. Ramos said even if my stomach was ruined, she could heal it, and it would be just as painless. “Now that’s a good doctor!” After reading the news, a chill crept up my spine. Despair enveloped my entire being. I thought: “Why? I’m no longer in the hospital, so why can Anna still transfer the pain to me?” Since my body was completely immobilized, I had Chloe help me give the surveillance footage to reporter Olivia Allen. Through a video call, Olivia looked at my pale complexion. She frowned and asked: “You’re saying you suspect Anna is using some special method to transfer patients’ pain to you, then building her image as a ‘medical genius’?” Olivia was a reporter I had carefully selected. A few years ago, to investigate a child trafficking case, she had infiltrated a criminal gang’s hideout for several years. To uncover the truth and uphold justice, she had even deliberately gotten herself admitted to a psychiatric hospital. After repeatedly watching the video of my episodes, Olivia finally nodded. She said: “I can’t tolerate anything that harms others’ interests, but that doesn’t mean I’m automatically on your side right now. “I can help you search for the truth, but I also have the right to suspect this might be a trap you’ve set.” As long as she was willing to help me, I was already satisfied. Because in half a month, it would be the day Anna performed brain tissue removal surgery on Hannah. If we hadn’t found the truth by then, I would just die again like in my previous life. Large tears slid down my face, and fear made me tremble uncontrollably. Seeing me in this state, a flash of sympathy crossed Olivia’s eyes. But she said nothing and hung up the video call directly. Soon it was the day before Hannah’s brain tissue removal surgery. Through her undercover investigation over the past few days, Olivia had come to completely believe me. She found an informant to go to the hospital and pay a high price for one of Anna’s surgery slots. Then she stayed at Chloe’s house to watch me. Sure enough, as soon as the informant’s surgery began, I felt excruciating pain. The informant’s surgery was suturing a laceration, and needle marks appeared out of nowhere on my arm. But even knowing all this, we still couldn’t find the key condition for Anna’s pain transfer, unable to break the current situation. Hearing me pessimistically ask Chloe to help me buy a burial plot tomorrow, Olivia suddenly became resolute. The next day, Olivia carried a camera to the hospital for a live broadcast. She said to Anna: “Dr. Ramos, good medical skills should benefit everyone. If you monopolize this technique, how many people will lose their chance for treatment?” Actually, other doctors and patients in the hospital had long been dissatisfied with Anna. Patients all wanted Anna to perform their surgeries, so now even specialists had no patients. But Anna’s surgery slots had to be auctioned off, only wealthy people could get them. Everyone complained privately, but no one had dared to speak up. Now that Olivia had taken the lead, others began protesting as well. A female doctor said: “Exactly! This is a public hospital, meant to help ordinary people. How can you be so selfish?” A male patient asked: “The billionaire’s daughter’s life matters, but doesn’t my grandfather’s life matter too? What do you mean by this?” Anna was surrounded by everyone and couldn’t refuse, glaring at Olivia with venomous eyes. But with so many people around and Samuel watching from the side, she couldn’t show her displeasure. She could only smile reluctantly and say: “This technique was taught to me by my mentor. I don’t know how to teach it to others either.” “Then we can record your surgery process and let other doctors learn on their own.” Olivia smiled as she interrupted her. At that moment, everyone was staring at Anna. Even Samuel said: “Right, Dr. Ramos. It’s better to let such good techniques benefit everyone.” Anna gritted her teeth and nodded. When Olivia said she wanted to record an instructional video, she actually started a live broadcast directly after placing the camera in the operating room. Thomas and Samuel watched as Anna in the video didn’t even sterilize her scalpel, and couldn’t help but widen their eyes. Next, Anna’s actions shocked everyone even more. She actually cut directly into Hannah’s head. I also began experiencing head pain so severe it felt like it would explode, staring intently at Anna’s hand movements in the video. Just as Anna picked up the excision knife, I finally discovered that overlooked detail. I knew how she was transferring the pain.

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On the day I moved into the dorms, my roommate Harper White gave me a crystal bracelet as a gift. But I immediately put that bracelet on her mother Grace White’s wrist instead. In my previous life, Harper wanted to become the campus social queen and was determined to date 100 boyfriends during college. But no matter how chaotic her private life was, she never got pregnant. Meanwhile, I, who remained single the whole time, kept getting pregnant over and over again, only to miscarry repeatedly. I was mocked by the entire school – students and faculty alike – who said I was promiscuous, shameless, and that my private life was a mess because I couldn’t say no to any man. It wasn’t until my 66th miscarriage that I died on the operating table from massive bleeding. Only after death did I learn that the crystal bracelet Harper had given me had bound us to a “uterus exchange system.” When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on move-in day. Harper smiled as she pressed an exquisite crystal bracelet into my hand, saying enthusiastically, “We’re going to be roommates from now on. I’m giving you this crystal bracelet as a gift – wearing it will bring you good luck.” Looking at the familiar crystal bracelet before me, I realized I had been reborn. I said to Harper, “Thank you for the thought, but this crystal bracelet looks expensive. We just met, and it’s not appropriate for you to give such an expensive gift. I can’t accept it.” With that, I pushed the crystal bracelet back toward her. Harper and Grace were dressed very plainly and didn’t look wealthy. Plus, there were four people in the dorm room, but Harper was only giving me a gift – something was obviously wrong. Just then, Carter Green pressed down on my hand and said, “Since Harper is giving it to you, just accept it. You’re going to be living together for four years – don’t you have any manners?” Harper chimed in, “Yeah, if you don’t accept it, you’re not giving me any respect.” I smiled. Carter was a friend I’d grown up with, and I had applied to this school because of him. But what I hadn’t expected was that before school even started, he was already together with Harper in the freshman group chat, and he specifically told me to keep my distance from him. I grabbed Carter’s hand and said, “I think this bracelet would look good on you too. Why don’t you wear it?” Carter was so scared he immediately shook off my hand and backed away several steps. “Harper gave this to you – how can you put it on me? That would be wasting her thoughtfulness!” Sure enough, Carter knew about the bracelet’s special effects. I then put the bracelet away and stopped talking. While Harper and Carter had their backs turned, I suddenly put the bracelet on Grace’s wrist. Seeing the crystal bracelet emit a strange glow, I knew the “uterus exchange system” had successfully bound. Grace touched the bracelet and smiled with satisfaction, saying, “You’re very sensible. My daughter insisted on giving you such an expensive bracelet, but I couldn’t bear to part with it.” Then she said to me, “You’re so young yet you dress so flashily – I suppose you’re planning to seduce men? Don’t lead my daughter astray in the future. I’ll just take this bracelet back, and don’t tell Harper about it so she won’t throw a tantrum with me.” I smiled and said, “Grace, don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell her.” In my previous life, after I put on this crystal bracelet, I was forced to bind with Harper’s “uterus exchange system.” She was determined to become the school’s social queen and date a full 100 boyfriends. Harper often didn’t return to the dorm at night, going on dates with different boyfriends to various places. But no matter how chaotic Harper’s private life was, she never got pregnant. Instead, I, who remained single, kept getting mysteriously pregnant and then miscarrying. Before long, news of my frequent pregnancies and miscarriages spread throughout the entire school. Almost everyone who saw me would call me “shameless.” Even my classmates openly mocked me, calling me “a woman who can’t say no to any man.” No matter how I tried to explain, no one believed me. Even the doctors at the hospital would shake their heads when they saw me. One said, “Young girls these days don’t take care of their bodies at all. You don’t even use protection. Are you treating your body like a joke?” Finally, during my 66th miscarriage, I hemorrhaged and died on the operating table. This time, I won’t let Harper’s scheme succeed. Let Grace bear the consequences of her daughter’s mistakes.

After completing the enrollment procedures, Harper volunteered to treat our entire dorm to dinner. At the dinner table, Harper lifted her head and proudly announced, “My goal is to become the most famous socialite on campus and date 100 boyfriends. Someone as charming as me should fully showcase my appeal throughout the university.” My two other roommates and I all frowned. My roommate Luna Edwards, who had a very straightforward personality, asked, “What? That doesn’t seem right. You’re treating relationships like a game. And Carter is your boyfriend—doesn’t he mind you saying this right in front of him?” Before Harper could respond, Carter quickly defended her: “What do you know? This is called being open and free! I love Harper’s carefree personality—it’s absolutely captivating. Besides, I’m Harper’s steady boyfriend; everyone else is just passing through. As long as Harper has me in her heart, what’s there for me to mind?” After saying this, they held hands, gazed into each other’s eyes, and smiled sweetly. My two other roommates and I exchanged glances and smiled too. However, we found these two people ridiculous. I shook my head. Carter had been smart and kind in high school—how had he become like this? I really didn’t know why I had ever liked him. Afterward, Harper excitedly continued discussing her “master plan.” She said, “Our school has 8 departments, so I can date 10 guys from each department, then allocate some spots to people from off-campus. If I could get involved with a few professors, that would be even better. How’s that? My distribution is pretty fair, right? This way everyone gets a chance to be with me.” I knew there was no point in trying to talk her out of it, so I just kept nodding and praised her decision as “brilliant.” Luna couldn’t help but remind her: “If you’re going to date so many guys, you need to take proper precautions. If you accidentally get pregnant, that would be trouble, and abortion would be even more harmful to your body.” Harper said dismissively, “I never use protection—skin-to-skin contact feels the best. Don’t worry, I won’t get pregnant.” I pretended to be shocked and asked, “Why not? Do you have some kind of condition that prevents pregnancy?” Harper glared at me and said, “Don’t talk nonsense! As long as I don’t want to get pregnant, I won’t. If I want to get pregnant, I naturally will. Because I have a secret weapon.” As she spoke, her eyes glanced toward my wrist. Seeing the “crystal bracelet” on my wrist, she revealed a smug smile. However, what Harper didn’t know was that the bracelet on my wrist was a similar-looking one I’d bought at the school gate. The real bracelet she had originally given me was now on Grace’s wrist. That night, Harper didn’t return to the dorm, and neither did Carter. The three of us remaining in the room had an unspoken understanding not to cover for her. When the teacher came for room checks, we didn’t help conceal her absence either. At midnight, Harper posted a message in the freshman group chat: [The beds at the hotel near school are too hard—made my back and legs all sore.] She also sent a photo of herself in a bathrobe, half-reclining on the bed with one shoulder exposed. Seeing this message, many guys started replying to her. [Are you posting photos like this at night because you don’t want us to sleep?] [Are you really sore just because the bed is hard?] Once she’d gotten enough of a reaction, Harper sent another message: [Anyone who wants to date me can DM me directly.]

Harper got a warning from the school for not returning to the dorm at night. But Carter blamed me for not covering for Harper. He said to me: “You’re roommates. What’s wrong with helping her out? You’re not jealous because I chose her over you, are you? “Take a look at yourself in the mirror. What do you have that’s better than Harper? What right do you have to be upset?” I ignored Carter, rolled my eyes, and went back to the dorm. Just one week into school, Harper had already gone through three boyfriends. Every day when I came back from the library, I’d see her kissing different guys downstairs at the dorm building. Our classmates noticed this too. Some privately called her “shameless,” while others praised her as “cool.” A well-meaning girl in our class kindly reminded Harper: “This could make you sick easily. Girls need to take care of their bodies.” Harper replied carelessly: “My body’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” After hearing that, everyone kept quiet. She really wouldn’t get sick. In my past life, all those gynecological diseases she got were transferred to me instead. I was constantly running to the hospital for treatment. In this life, I wonder if her dear mother Grace can handle those diseases. Over the next two weeks, Harper changed boyfriends every three days. She rarely spent nights in the dorm. Until one afternoon, Harper suddenly called me: “Charlotte, my mom’s sick. Can you come to the hospital?” Charlotte Kim is my name. I figured this couldn’t be an ordinary illness, so I had to go see. When I arrived at the hospital, both Harper and Carter looked extremely nervous. The first thing they did when they saw me was check if the crystal bracelet was still on my wrist. Only after seeing it securely on my hand did they breathe a sigh of relief. I pretended not to notice their strange behavior and asked: “What’s wrong with Grace?” Harper sighed: “The doctor says my mom is two weeks pregnant, and she also has serious gynecological problems. The doctor said it’s caused by too frequent sexual activity and poor hygiene. “When my dad heard about this, he yelled at my mom and stormed off angrily. Whether this baby can be saved still needs more tests.” I glanced at Grace on the hospital bed. She was happily stroking her belly, delighted about this new life. Harper seemed to suddenly think of something and nervously grabbed my arm. She asked: “Charlotte, have you been feeling unwell lately?” I nodded: “Actually, yes. I feel like I’ve gained quite a bit of weight recently, and my period has been delayed for a long time. “Since I’m at the hospital anyway, I’ll get some medicine later.” After hearing my words, Harper’s shoulders visibly relaxed. I secretly smiled to myself. I had indeed gained weight recently, but that was because the small restaurants around campus were too delicious. My period wasn’t delayed either—it was just that after spending so much time with Luna, my cycle gradually shifted from the end of the month to the middle. In the end, Grace couldn’t keep the baby. She was already of advanced maternal age, making pregnancy very risky. The doctor advised her to pay attention to hygiene and take protective measures, or it could lead to more serious consequences. But clearly, neither Harper nor Grace took the doctor’s words to heart. Harper maintained her routine of switching boyfriends every three days. Since she rarely returned to the dorm, we barely crossed paths. Three months later, Harper sent a message in our group chat: [Is it really possible for someone to be pregnant with two babies at the same time – one three months old and one one month old?] Less than a minute after sending it, Harper deleted the message. Everyone who saw it thought Harper was joking and didn’t take it seriously. But I knew it was real. Because both babies in Grace’s belly had been transferred from Harper’s. I knew the show was about to begin. The next day, Harper called me furiously, demanding I come to the hospital. Before I even pushed open the hospital room door, I could hear heated arguing inside. A rough male voice filled with rage: “I’ve been away on business trips for months. Whose bastards are those two in your belly? You’re pregnant with two kids at once – how could you do this to me?” This man was Harper’s father, Jayden White. Grace defended herself through tears: “I didn’t! I don’t know why this happened! These past few months, I haven’t even touched another man’s hand. I really didn’t cheat!” When she saw me enter, Harper pulled me aside and demanded: “Charlotte, tell me honestly – have you experienced anything unusual with your body these past few months?” I acted surprised: “How did you know I wasn’t feeling well? I came to the hospital secretly. Don’t ask me anymore – I really can’t talk about such private matters.” After hearing my words, much of the suspicion in Harper’s eyes faded, and she lowered her head in thought. Just then, the doctor’s frustrated and helpless voice came from the room: “I already warned you last time to take proper precautions. Having an abortion would cause severe damage to her body. Moreover, the patient’s health is already poor – there’s a real risk of losing both mother and babies!” Upon hearing this, Harper’s legs went weak and she nearly collapsed. I quickly steadied her: “Don’t worry too much. Maybe the doctor made a mistake. If Grace didn’t have relations with anyone else, how could she be pregnant? It doesn’t make scientific sense. Why don’t you try another hospital for a second opinion?” Harper nodded, as if trying to convince herself: “Right! The doctor must have misdiagnosed! We need to change hospitals! We absolutely must change hospitals!” She then looked at me and asked: “By the way, you’re still wearing that crystal bracelet I gave you, right? That was my gift to you – you can’t take it off. I spent a lot of money on that bracelet, so you better appreciate it.” I smiled: “Harper, you’re so thoughtful. We barely know each other, yet you gave me such an expensive crystal bracelet. I heard crystals have special powers – people who don’t know better might think you’re trying to harm me.” Harper’s expression instantly froze, and she quickly said: “How could that be? This bracelet brings you peace and protection.” I raised my right hand, showing the fake bracelet on my wrist: “But why didn’t you tell me earlier that this bracelet shouldn’t be worn by others? That day, Grace said the bracelet was too valuable, so she took it back. Now, that bracelet should still be on her wrist. I was afraid you’d be upset, so I bought a fake one.” Harper trembled with rage and stormed into the hospital room. She yanked off Grace’s blanket and saw that Grace was indeed wearing the real crystal bracelet. Harper’s hands shook uncontrollably. Ignoring everyone’s stares, she ripped the crystal bracelet off Grace’s wrist. Then she turned and shouted at me: “This is the crystal bracelet I gave you. Why did you let my mom wear it? Why?” I acted confused: “Does this bracelet have some special function? Grace said it was too valuable and insisted on taking it back. She also said she was afraid you’d throw a tantrum, so she told me not to tell you.” Harper froze, realizing her reaction was too extreme, then smiled awkwardly. She said: “That’s not what I meant. I just think this bracelet suits you perfectly. From now on, wear it properly. No matter who asks for it, don’t give it to anyone else, okay?” With that, Harper grabbed my hand and put the real bracelet back on my wrist. The crystal bracelet flashed with an almost invisible light. I was stunned. This bracelet actually had a secondary binding function!

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Five Christmases after my death, my doctor husband Nathan Morgan once again wanted me to take responsibility for his first love Maria Price’s medical malpractice. He stormed into my old apartment with a forged agreement, only to find a room full of dust. In his panic, Nathan grabbed Adam Davis, the convenience store owner downstairs, demanding to know where I was. But Adam told him, “Caroline? She died five Christmases ago.” Caroline Walker was my name. After a pause, Adam added, “I heard it was because the family from that medical dispute wouldn’t let it go. They cornered her in the alley at midnight and stabbed her over a dozen times.” Nathan didn’t believe it, convinced that Adam must have been paid by me to lie for me. He let out a cold laugh. He said, “I only suspended her for two Christmases. And she’s still throwing a tantrum? “Please tell her that if she doesn’t show up within three days, I’ll stop paying for her sister Liliana Walker’s cancer treatment.” With that, Nathan cursed under his breath and stormed out. Watching Nathan’s retreating figure, Adam shook his head and sighed. He said, “Liliana? Liliana died long ago because she couldn’t afford treatment.” ***** In the hallway, the security door rattled as keys turned in the lock. My soul floated near the ceiling, watching Nathan burst into my old apartment clutching the forged agreement. He covered his nose, waving away the dust in the air, his shoes making urgent sounds against the floor. Nathan shouted, “Caroline, get out here! Maria’s about to lose her medical license, and you’re still hiding?” I laughed bitterly behind him. After that medical dispute five Christmases ago, I had cut all contact with Nathan. I never expected that this time he was looking for me to take responsibility for Maria’s new medical malpractice. I had to admire how deep his feelings for Maria truly were. Nathan circled the room twice, his gaze sweeping over the dust-covered sofa and spider-webbed windowsill. He said, “What’s with this act of suddenly disappearing? Where could someone who got fired from the hospital possibly hide? “Maria just texted that the police have started investigating. You want her to go to prison, don’t you? “I’m giving you ten seconds. Get out here now.” Looking at his impatient face, I thought to myself that after five Christmases, he still had that attitude of expecting everything to go his way. But no matter how many “ten seconds” he gave me, I would never obediently appear before him like I used to. Because I was already dead. Nathan shouted again, “Caroline, did you hear me? I’m just asking you to help out. Why do you keep making excuses?” He suddenly turned and kicked the bedroom door, the door panel making a dull thud. But the bedroom remained empty. Nathan clicked his tongue impatiently and searched the place again, still finding no one. Only then did he finally realize that there really was nobody there. He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The convenience store door was yanked open as Nathan grabbed Adam, who was ringing up a customer. He asked, “Have you seen Caroline? She’s the woman who lives on the third floor.” Adam paused, wiping the dust off his hands. He said, “Caroline? She died five Christmases ago.” I saw Nathan’s movements freeze for a moment. Then he laughed coldly and said, “Who are you trying to fool? How could someone like her possibly die?” “I’m not lying to you.” Adam pointed toward the alley entrance. “Five Christmases ago, she was cornered in that alley by the family from a medical dispute and stabbed over a dozen times. She died on the way to the hospital. What’s your relationship to her?” Adam’s answer was so matter-of-fact that a flash of surprise crossed Nathan’s eyes. He frowned, and his expression actually showed a hint of pain that I couldn’t understand. But soon, his attention was drawn to a message on his phone. The message was from Maria: [Forget it, Nathan. Caroline must still resent me and will find excuses to refuse. Don’t trouble yourself for me anymore. I can go to prison. Without me, you need to take care of yourself.] This message convinced Nathan that “my death” was just an excuse for me to refuse to help them. His fingers trembled as he replied. [What right does she have to refuse? Back then, I gave her such a large sum of money. Now, when I need her, she has to show up. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely drag her back to take the blame for you. I absolutely won’t let anything happen to you.] The message sent successfully. Nathan glared at Adam and said, “Stop acting with me. She’s definitely hiding somewhere. Did she pay you off?” Adam sighed and said, “How could anyone joke about something like this? At the time, the news reported on it.” Nathan unconsciously raised his voice, saying, “Can news reports be trusted?” Taking a step forward, his eyes were full of threats. He said, “Please tell her that if she doesn’t show up within three days, I’ll stop paying for her sister Liliana’s cancer treatment.” Adam opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but Nathan cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand. Nathan said, “Don’t give me any nonsense. She either gets out here, or she can wait to collect Liliana’s body.” With that, Nathan turned and left. The convenience store door slammed shut with a bang. Adam watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and sighed into the empty air. He said, “Liliana? Liliana died long ago because she couldn’t afford treatment.” I floated nearby, looking at the water bottle that had been kicked aside on the floor, my soul feeling as if it had been soaked through by that icy liquid. Back then, that money never reached my hands. While Liliana lay in her hospital bed waiting for money to save her life, Maria was using that money to buy imported medical equipment. And while I was stabbed and left bleeding in the alley, Nathan was accompanying Maria to a medical conference. Now, he was actually using a dead person’s name to threaten another person who had long since left this world.

My soul seemed trapped beside Nathan, forced to follow him home. The moment Nathan pushed open the door, Maria rushed forward, her face full of anticipation. “Nathan, how did it go? Did you find Caroline?” Nathan shook his head, looking dazed. “No. And they said Caroline is already dead.” “Dead?” Maria’s eyes widened as she staggered back half a step, instinctively grabbing Nathan’s arm. “How is that possible? Is she deliberately hiding from us, making up lies to fool you?” Nathan frowned without saying a word. Seeing this, Maria quickly forced a bitter smile. “That must be it! Caroline definitely still holds a grudge about what happened five years ago, so she doesn’t want to help me and made up this lie. Nathan, maybe we should just forget it? Let’s not make things difficult for her anymore. I can turn myself in.” Nathan remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded. “You’re right. She must be hiding somewhere. But this matter can’t end like this. Even if I have to dig up the entire ground, I’ll find her and help clear your name.” Maria’s eyes reddened with emotion, her voice choking up: “Nathan, you’re so good to me…” Just then, Nathan suddenly interrupted her, his tone hesitant. “But since Caroline can come up with this kind of excuse, it seems she’s really furious. Maria, this is the last time. After she takes the fall for you and gets out of prison, we should go our separate ways.” Standing nearby, I was so shocked I almost forgot I was dead. Nathan actually brought up separating from Maria on his own? I still remembered that Christmas when he and I had a huge fight over Maria. We’d been married less than a year when Maria returned to the country and specifically transferred to our hospital. From then on, the two of them carried on their ambiguous relationship right under my nose. The moment I questioned it, Nathan would scold me for being narrow-minded and baselessly suspicious of them. But now, he was actually suggesting ending this relationship himself? Nathan didn’t notice the stiff expression on Maria’s face. Turning away, his voice softened slightly. “I need to return to my family eventually. Last time, I did give her money. But these past few years, I’ve really been unfair to her. Thinking about it, I actually feel quite guilty.” Hearing this, Maria looked at him in disbelief. “Nathan, you don’t want me anymore?” Nathan’s eyes darted away as he frowned deeply: “I don’t know. It’s just that ever since leaving Caroline’s house, I’ve been feeling really anxious, like something terrible is about to happen.” After a pause, his tone became resolute. “But regarding this matter, I’ll definitely help you. I won’t let you go to prison. I’m going to find her right now. Wait for me.” With that, Nathan turned and left, his retreating figure showing determination and decisiveness. Maria stood there motionless. But when she looked at Nathan’s departing figure, all traces of her pitiful act vanished. I saw clearly that Maria’s gaze was like a poisoned blade—vicious and venomous. The name she ground out through clenched teeth was actually mine.

Nathan was desperate to find me, so the first place he thought of was Liliana’s. I followed his car straight to Central Hospital. I knew this route particularly well. I used to make this daily commute between the hospital and home. All these years, I’d never changed. I watched Nathan floor the gas pedal. He’d been frowning deeply ever since getting in the car. I didn’t need to think twice to know he was worrying about Maria again. Nathan didn’t even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before rushing into the inpatient ward and grabbing a nurse at the station. He said, “Can you look up Liliana’s room number for me?” The nurse was startled for a moment, then responded, “Of course.” She then looked down and began searching through the admission records. Just then, a cold laugh came from nearby. Someone said, “Well, if it isn’t Dr. Morgan? What brings you to slum it in our little corner?” Nathan turned to look, and his expression immediately darkened. The speaker was Waylon Robinson, an attending physician who used to work in the same department as him. From what I knew, their conflict went way back. But later, for some reason, after I took responsibility for Maria’s medical malpractice, Waylon also resigned and left the hospital. Now, with enemies meeting face to face, both were particularly furious. Nathan looked Waylon up and down, then said, “Where I go is none of your business.” Waylon crossed his arms and laughed mockingly. He said, “You’re right, it’s none of my business. I’m just curious how you can be so cold-blooded. When they were critically ill, you didn’t come. Now that they’re both gone, you finally think to look for them?” Nathan furrowed his brow and asked, “Critically ill? What do you mean critically ill?” He looked completely confused, as if he had no idea what Waylon was talking about. But I knew Waylon was referring to what happened to Liliana and me. When I was stabbed multiple times in that alley, I was already barely hanging on in the ambulance. The medical staff called Nathan, wanting him as my family member to see me one last time. But he was with Maria at the time, didn’t want to be disturbed during their romantic time together, so he hung up without even answering. When the medical staff tried calling him again later, he even blocked their number. Liliana’s situation was the same. When she couldn’t afford treatment and the hospital issued a critical condition notice, everyone tried to contact Nathan, but he was off traveling with Maria. As a result, when Liliana died, there wasn’t a single person by her side. She left this world completely alone. Seeing Nathan’s confused expression, Waylon stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly letting out a scornful laugh. He said, “You’re quite the actor. Whatever. I really don’t know what’s so special about you that she was willing to sacrifice so much for you.” Waylon didn’t say anything more and headed back to his office. Nathan stood there, his fingers slowly and unconsciously clenching into fists. This was a nervous habit he had when he was scared. But what was he afraid of? Just then, the nurse’s voice brought him back to reality: “Dr. Morgan?” The nurse hesitated for a moment, then continued, “The patient you’re looking for, Liliana, passed away three years ago.” Upon hearing this, Nathan’s eyes widened, and his entire body froze like he’d been nailed to the spot.

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Asher needed a corneal transplant after a terrible accident that damaged his eyes. I worked around the clock, doing makeup for the deceased, just to scrape enough money together for the surgery. But then, the donor resources were snatched away, just like that. Seeing Asher utterly broken and losing all hope, I suddenly made a decision. I gave him my cornea. Yet, the moment he regained his sight, he went straight to Celeste, his ex-girlfriend who’d dumped him years ago. It wasn’t long before I learned that his injury itself had been because of her. I pulled out my phone and called my dad, someone I hadn’t spoken to in years. “Dad, I lost! I want to come home.” I listened, disbelief creeping into my mind, to Asher’s voice from the hospital bed next to mine. He was on the phone. “Celeste, my surgery was a success! I can see again! I’m coming to you right now!” It was the fifth day after his operation, the day Asher was supposed to get his stitches out. I thought the first thing he’d do when he woke up was look for me. I didn’t want him to wait, so I specifically asked the nurse to put me in the same room as him. Only a thin curtain separated our beds. A long moment passed before I finally reacted, my hand fumbling helplessly on the bed. “Asher? Asher?~ Ah!” My hand missed, and I crashed hard onto the floor. The sharp pain brought tears to my eyes. “Ms. Sterling, how did you fall… and Mr. Asher, where is he?” The nurse on rounds rushed in and helped me up. I thanked her, offering a bitter smile and shaking my head. I knew exactly where Asher had gone. He’d gone to find his ex. Asher and I started dating just before we graduated college. It’s been five years now. A few months ago, he was in a car accident and injured his eyes. After I finally managed to raise the money for his surgery, the doctor told me that the cornea allocated for Asher had been taken by someone else. I couldn’t bring myself to tell Asher. I knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it. So, I decided to donate my own cornea to him. He still doesn’t know. Before we started dating, Asher was the campus heartthrob, naturally adored by many girls. When I first knew him, he had a girlfriend named Celeste. She was the campus queen of our department, and they were the most famous couple on campus. But a month before Asher and I got together, she went abroad for advanced studies, unilaterally breaking up with him. The day Asher was drowning his sorrows at a bar, I confessed my feelings to him. I never expected him to say yes. I just felt that if I didn’t say it before graduation, it would be a lifelong regret. He just stared at me, dazed, for a few minutes before leaning in and kissing me. Things just happened between us that night. The next day, he suggested we start dating. I was overjoyed, so much so that I didn’t notice the faint indifference in his eyes. I don’t know when they reconnected. Out of trust, I never checked Asher’s phone. The nurse helped me find my phone and placed it in my hand. I hesitated for a moment but decided to call Asher anyway. “Alexa, call Asher.” “Hello, Chloe?” “Asher, where are you?” His voice on the other end was hesitant, and then I caught the faint whisper of a woman’s voice. “Asher, it’s a left turn here.” “Chloe, I’ve had my stitches out, the surgery was successful. I’ll be home soon, don’t worry.” Before I could say anything, he hung up… I gripped the phone tightly, my vision dark, feeling large tears splattering onto the back of my hand. Moments later, I picked up my cane, and the nurse helped me out of the hospital. I could feel her pitying gaze, piercing me like needles.

During my days in the hospital, I’d learned how to use a cane, though I wasn’t very skilled yet. Finally, I made it home and let out a sigh of relief, sitting on the couch and carefully pulling up my pant leg. I’d fallen twice on the way back. The first fall was pretty hard; I touched the injured spot with my hand, and it felt sticky and warm. It must have been bleeding. This was actually a relatively few falls. On the first day after surgery, I fell a full ten times. Finally, the nurse couldn’t stand it anymore and helped me, slowly teaching me how to use the cane, which made things a bit better. Asher didn’t come home until evening. I had lied to him about having urgent cases at the crematorium as an excuse not to be at the hospital during his surgery days. “Chloe, your eyes?” When he saw me, he instantly understood how the cornea for his eyes had been sourced. His voice was filled with disbelief. “Are you crazy? The resource was taken, but I could have waited. You—” “It’s fine, I can wait for another cornea, too.” That’s what I said, but who knew how long that wait would be? I reached out, my hand finding his. “It’s just that you’ll have to work a bit harder these days. I probably can’t go to work for a while.” Asher pulled me into a tight hug. “Don’t be silly. It’s my job to take care of you.” I knew I was avoiding the issue. I didn’t ask him why he only got home in the evening when his stitches were removed in the morning, nor did I ask about the woman’s voice on the phone. Asher wasn’t from this city; he came from a small town. His family wasn’t well-off, and he studied computer science. After graduation, he struggled for a long time to find his current job. During that anxious period, I swore I’d take care of him, no matter what, thumping my chest like a defiant child. I didn’t pursue a job related to my major, because back then, we were so broke we could barely afford rent. I heard that working as a mortuary cosmetologist paid well and quickly, so I didn’t hesitate. I found a master at a crematorium and started learning. Since I was a girl and already knew how to do makeup, I picked it up fast. In the beginning, seeing the deceased kept me awake all night. But Asher was endlessly patient, holding me, gently soothing me from dusk till dawn. So, when I decided to give my cornea to Asher, I had no regrets. I believed he wouldn’t let me down. That night, Asher held me, comforting me to sleep as he always did. If my eyes hadn’t started aching in the middle of the night, waking me up, I wouldn’t have realized he’d left my side. I felt the bedding next to me; it was still warm, meaning he hadn’t been gone long. “Alexa, what time is it?” “Master, it’s 2:25 AM.” I slowly sat up, wrapping my arms around my knees, a knot of unease tightening in my stomach. Where had Asher gone? And when did he leave?

I sat there, waiting, for what felt like an eternity. Then I heard the door open, followed by his familiar footsteps. “Chloe, why are you up?” “Asher, where did you go?” “Oh, I was afraid you might be hungry, so I went out and bought you your favorite wontons. Here, let me feed you.” I numbly chewed the wontons in my mouth, the acidity at the back of my nose slowly building. The wontons had seaweed in them. But Asher knew I hated seaweed in my wontons; he never added it before… This meant these wontons weren’t bought for me at all… And that faint, unfamiliar perfume scent clinging to him… Everything pointed to him having left me alone in the middle of the night to meet someone else. Tears fell without my permission, and I choked, coughing violently. “What’s wrong?” I wiped the wetness from my eyes, forcing a laugh. “Nothing, these wontons are just too delicious.” “Silly, if you like them so much, I’ll buy them for you every day from now on.” That night, even with Asher holding me, I didn’t sleep again. The darkness before my eyes didn’t scare me, but that lingering scent on him that wasn’t mine kept me awake… The next morning, before Asher left for work, he was still fussing, worried about leaving me alone at home. “Chloe, remember to call me immediately if anything happens, and I’ll rush right back.” “Alright, I know!” As the door closed, the entire space became eerily quiet. I wondered if I should get a dog. It could keep me company and be a guide dog. After making up my mind, I contacted a local professional agency. They said they could bring a dog over tomorrow. The silence was unsettling. I turned on the TV, just for some background noise. I lay on the sofa and drifted off to sleep, waking up to find traces of dried tears on my face. When Asher and I first started dating, I told my parents. In my memory, they had always been very open-minded, but that time, Mom and Dad were surprisingly against it. We had the biggest fight of our lives. My dad, for the first time, said harsh words to me. “If you insist on being with him, then don’t ever call us your parents again.” “Fine, then I won’t.” From then on, my parents cut off my bank card and stopped contacting me. I couldn’t understand why they were so opposed. In my eyes, Asher was so wonderful. The years that followed proved my judgment wasn’t wrong. He was very good to me. When Asher came home that night, I told him about the dog. He paused for a moment but didn’t say anything. The next morning, the agency delivered a Golden Retriever. Its name was Buddy. After I gave it a few simple commands, Buddy performed them perfectly, so I kept him. Buddy was very well-behaved. With him, things became much easier for me, and I could go to many places by myself. That day, I heard the rain outside was heavy. I suddenly remembered Asher hadn’t taken an umbrella when he left that morning. After a moment’s hesitation, I took Buddy and an umbrella and left the house.

I finally made it to Asher’s company building just before he got off work. I pulled out my phone from my pocket, ready to call him, when I suddenly heard two people standing next to me speak up. “Did you see? Asher, the one with the eye injury, is back at work again.” “I know, right? Didn’t he come back a few days ago? Lucky guy, and quite the ladies’ man too…” “How so?” “That gorgeous woman sitting over there, see her? This is her third visit. They always look so close…” My hand tightened on Buddy’s leash. I spoke softly, “Excuse me, how many Ashers work at your company?” “Just one.” I bit hard on my lip. I couldn’t see if the woman waiting for Asher was his former campus queen ex-girlfriend. Just as I dialed Asher’s number, I heard the voice from that phone call a few days ago, not far away. Maybe it was because I couldn’t see, but I was especially sensitive to sounds now. “Asher, over here!” The call connected. I heard Asher’s low, familiar voice. “Chloe, I’m working late. I might be home a bit late. Order some takeout for yourself, okay? Bye.” “But…” My words were cut off as he hung up. I stood there for a long time, until my legs felt stiff. Buddy sensed my distress and whined, circling my feet, nudging my leg. I knelt down and stroked his head. “Buddy, let’s go home.” Back home, I changed my wet clothes, then fumbled around to dry Buddy’s fur. By ten o’clock that night, Asher still hadn’t returned. Instead, I received a call from an unfamiliar number. “Ms. Sterling, I’m Celeste. You probably know who I am. Thank you for taking care of Asher all these years.” “I know you gave your cornea to Asher, but you can’t use that to tie him down, can you? That’s just emotional blackmail. All you’re doing is making him miserable.” “I advise you to have some self-awareness. Asher has always loved me. Even his eye injury this time was to protect me. And he’s with me right now…” The phone slipped from my grasp, hitting my foot. I couldn’t hear anything else, collapsing weakly to the floor… Was this the real reason Asher had never told me about his injury? In that instant, it felt like someone had choked me, I couldn’t make a sound, my mind completely blank… Buddy anxiously circled my feet, licking my face, trying to comfort me. I hugged Buddy and burst into uncontrollable sobs. When Asher came home, I heard the rustle of him taking off his clothes. A moment later, he slowly put his arms around me from behind. “Asher, will you marry me?” I felt his body stiffen for a second, and his hands slowly loosen from my waist. “Chloe, why aren’t you asleep yet?” “Will you marry me?” I gripped his hand, my empty eyes looking at him. “Why are you asking this all of a sudden…?” A moment later, I let go of his hand, closing my unfocused eyes. The moment he hesitated, I already knew his answer. I forced a smile. “It’s nothing. Go to sleep.” That night, Asher and I slept back-to-back for the first time… I thought perhaps it was time for me to leave… to save myself some dignity, instead of waiting to be forced out. But I never imagined that the day I truly left, I would lose Buddy forever. A few days later, the door opened. Asher was home from work, but he wasn’t alone. “Chloe, I have to go out of town for a few days. I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone, so I asked a friend to help take care of you.” “Hi, Chloe, I’m Celeste. You can call me Cel. Asher talks about you so much…”

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I became mute saving Chloe, my childhood sweetheart. When I discovered I could speak again, a surge of pure joy hit me. I suppressed my excitement, planning to surprise her on our wedding day. But on the eve of our wedding, she was going wild with some college guy in our marital home. Through the crack in the door, I saw her, flushed and breathless, sprawled across his toned abs. When she spoke of me, her voice dripped with utter contempt. “He’s just a mute. All he does is gesture with his hands all day. What right does he have to marry me?” She promised him, “I’m only doing this to keep up appearances for our families. You’re the one I love. I’d never leave you.” Yet later, at the wedding, Chloe frantically demanded they find me, insisting she had to marry me. But this time, I was truly going to leave her. I slammed the door shut, blocking out the sickening sight of their passionate encounter. After realizing I could speak, I’d practiced for days. I wanted to recite my wedding vows, to give Chloe the surprise of a lifetime. Now, it seemed I was the real clown. Chloe had said she wanted the most unique wedding in the world, so I’d worked day and night at the venue, overseeing every single detail, leaving nothing to chance. Returning to the chaotic wedding hall, I smashed everything I’d personally prepared. Then I went home and collapsed into a deep sleep. I woke up rested, my phone buzzing with a flood of messages and missed calls from Chloe. [Liam, the hotel told me you trashed the wedding venue. What the hell are you doing?!] [Why aren’t you answering my calls? What kind of tantrum are you throwing?!] [Do you even want to get married or not? If not, then forget it!] … [Liam, are you still mad at me? I really didn’t mean to stand you up…] Perhaps this was Chloe’s true face. First, she’d hit you hard, leaving you reeling, then when she felt like it, she’d offer a sweet little treat to lull you back. Keeping you firmly in the palm of her hand. Yesterday, she’d asked me to dinner, but I waited until the restaurant closed, and she never showed. No calls, no texts. Worried something had happened, I searched everywhere she might be. I never expected to find her in our marital home, listening to that wild, intimate act. She was used to having me wrapped around her little finger, always doing her bidding. But I got tired too. I glanced at the messages but didn’t reply. The front door burst open, and Chloe rushed in, her heels clicking urgently. Seeing me, she glared. “You were home! Why didn’t you reply to my messages? You made me look like an idiot, sending so many!” Watching her face flush with anger, I almost laughed. Was she finally experiencing the frustration of sending a pile of messages with no reply? I’d lived through that for eight years. Lived through her disappearing. I signed coldly, [I was asleep. Didn’t hear anything.] Chloe stepped forward, swatting my hands away, her anger flaring. “I told you to stop with the gesturing! I can’t understand you!” In the eight years I’d been mute, my parents and friends had learned to understand at least some simple sign language. But Chloe, the one I saved, never bothered. Whenever I tried to communicate with her through signs, she’d get annoyed and give me dirty looks. To this day, she couldn’t even understand the simplest sign for “thank you.” I wasn’t in the mood to sign, nor did I want to tell her I could speak again. Chloe slammed her bag onto the table and crossed her arms. “We’re getting married in a week. Why did you ruin the wedding venue?” Simple. I just didn’t want to marry her anymore. I was tired. Exhausted. Fed up. I typed a message on my phone, [Just wasn’t happy with how I decorated it.] Seeing my reply, Chloe’s tense expression softened. She linked her arm through mine, leaning gently on my shoulder. “You must be tired. Let’s just hand the wedding over to a planning company.” Her phone suddenly rang. She instantly pulled away from me, discreetly taking the call in another room. Through the thin door, her words were crystal clear. “I know you miss me, baby. I’ll still stay with you tonight.” “Him? Just thinking about sleeping with him after we get married makes me sick. He can’t even say a word. How could he compare to you?” “That dish you liked last time? I’ll get him to make it for you again.” The call ended with Chloe blowing a kiss into the air. She walked out of the room. I couldn’t help but recall Chloe’s behavior these past few days. She’d been coming home late for ages, and I’d only hear her heavy footsteps and the loud slam of the door late at night after I’d fallen asleep. I was mute, but I wasn’t deaf. Each time I was woken up, I found it hard to fall back asleep. I’d asked Chloe what kept her so busy, coming home so late every day. She’d always answer impatiently, “Work, obviously! Meeting clients, writing proposals, what else?” When I’d make her a hangover soup, she’d grumble behind my back. “He can’t even hold down a job himself, but he’s all up in my business.” Most of the time, I pretended not to hear. Turns out, her recent strange behavior was because she had another man, someone she was deeply invested in. Leaving me to be with someone else. “Make some food, I need to take it with me.” Then she added, “That same dish you brought to the office last time. Make it extra spicy.” So, the nourishing, carefully prepared meals I made for her had all gone into another man’s mouth. She had a sensitive stomach, and even though I used to love spicy food, I’d willingly switched to a bland diet for her. Now, she was catering to someone else’s taste, using *my* cooking to please *him*. It was laughable. I didn’t cook for Chloe. Instead, I went back to my parents’ house.

“Mom, Dad, I don’t want to marry Chloe anymore.” When they heard me speak, their eyes instantly welled up. My mother hugged me, sobbing, asking again and again if I’d truly recovered completely. My parents had never wanted me to follow Chloe around, let alone marry her, so they readily agreed to my request. Though I’d practiced for a long time, my voice was still hoarse and strained. My parents immediately contacted doctors abroad. I nodded. “Once I’ve handled everything here, I’ll go abroad for treatment in a week.” Back then, to save her, the enraged kidnappers had nearly choked me to death in a dilapidated warehouse. When I woke up, I couldn’t make a sound. Chloe was sobbing beside me, tears streaming down onto the hospital bed, soaking the sheets. After years of fruitless treatment, Chloe became disheartened. Unwilling to see her stressed and exhausted from all the traveling, I simply gave up. Chloe had said, “Liam, don’t be afraid. I won’t ever look down on you.” When I got home, Chloe was nowhere to be found. It seemed she’d wasted no time leaving the moment I did. My friend, Dylan, sent me a message with a video attached. [Liam, is this Chloe?] [Why is she hugging and kissing some guy at a bar? Aren’t you two getting married soon?] [That guy looks familiar. I think he’s Tyler, the new intern at the company.] In the dazzling, hazy lights of the bar, it was the same young college guy from last night. Chloe was grinding against him on the dance floor, passionately kissing him. Her slender arms were wrapped around his shoulders, intimately draped around his neck. Before, she wouldn’t even deign to give me a kiss. At our engagement party, I only had the right to kiss the back of her hand. She told me she liked to take things slow, that we should wait until after the wedding to kiss. But they’d only known each other a short time, and they were already hugging, kissing, and sleeping together. I was such a complete and utter fool. Chloe never liked me, not for a single moment. Back in school, she was the adored princess, completely oblivious to my feelings for her. It was only after I got hurt saving her that she even gave me a glance. Just as she’d said, she was willing to marry me only to keep up appearances. She just didn’t want to be known for being ungrateful. I contacted Dylan, setting up a meeting with the stock transfer agreement. He looked at me, bewildered. “Liam, isn’t this what you were planning to give Chloe as a wedding gift?” The three of us had started the company. Dylan and I each owned 33% of the shares, while Chloe held 34%. I’d always intended to transfer my 33% of the shares to Chloe for free when we got married, as a token of my sincerity. But now, I didn’t need to. After a moment of thought, I spoke, “She doesn’t need it anymore. I’ll transfer these shares to you at the lowest price. From now on, you’ll have veto power and won’t be controlled by her.” Dylan stared at my moving mouth, frozen in shock. It took him a long moment to process it. His voice was choked with emotion, tears of joy welling up. “Y-you’re… you’re better? Liam, you can speak!” I nodded, signing my name on the stock transfer agreement. Dylan was my best friend. I felt completely at ease leaving the company in his hands. Before, because I loved Chloe, I always overlooked her unreasonable business decisions and ignored Dylan’s concerns and complaints. Never again. The company would definitely thrive under Dylan’s leadership.

The next day, Chloe came home and angrily threw her expensive bag at my face. “Why did you fire Tyler?” My cheek stung, but I didn’t move as I rubbed it. Yesterday, I’d told Dylan to fire that college guy. He certainly worked fast. Chloe panicked. “He’s just an intern, he doesn’t earn much. How’s he going to survive if you fire him?” Every word, every phrase, she made no effort to hide her obvious favoritism and affection for Tyler. [Do you care about him that much?] Seeing my words, Chloe paused for a moment before speaking again, “No, I just… I just pity him. His family is struggling.” I said nothing more. Seeing my grim expression, Chloe patiently tried to appease me. “There are only a few days left until the wedding. Can we please not fight? You always listen to me, don’t you?” Fight? I hadn’t even said a harsh word. This wasn’t a fight, it was her unilateral outburst. I did listen to her. I listened until I ended up wearing a cuckold’s crown. [I checked his resume. His major doesn’t match, he’s not suitable for our company.] Chloe completely snapped, her sharp voice echoing through the room. “I have 34% of the company’s shares! I have absolute authority! What right do *you*, a mute, have to judge him?!” *You, a mute.* Her words brutally pierced my heart. Did I *want* to be mute? Did I *choose* to be mute? For all these years, I’d endured countless slights and disdain, yet I always acted as if I didn’t notice. Chloe’s words had always been this sharp and venomous. Why was it only now that I truly saw her? She called HR, demanding they keep Tyler’s job, but was regretfully informed that it was ordered by President Dylan. I took out the stock transfer agreement I’d signed with Dylan and showed it to her. One look, and she understood everything. “Why did you transfer the shares to him?! I’ve been talking about the shares for so long, and you never agreed to give them to me!” Her voice was tinged with tears. I just watched her, unmoved. [Chloe, if you despise me for being mute, we don’t have to get married. I’m not forcing you.] Chloe saw the words I’d typed, snatched the phone, and threw it to the floor. “How am I supposed to explain it if we don’t get married?! Liam, you don’t really love me!” I loved her, but did she love me? She was so utterly disregardful of my feelings and dignity, brazenly saying “explain” to humiliate me. Chloe was still crying when she received a call from Tyler. Over the phone, I heard Tyler’s pitiful voice, “Sister, my stomach hurts so much.” Tyler sounded like he’d been drinking with clients at a bar and was forced to down several bottles. Chloe’s heart ached for him. She completely ignored me, panicked, and rushed out the door. It made me feel even more like a clown. I used to always put Chloe first, everything revolved around her. In school, when she was bullied, I stepped in for her and ended up with a broken shin. But the very next day, she was laughing and talking with the boy who had bullied her. I tried to warn her to stay away from bad guys like him. She stubbornly refused, blaming me for messing up the face of the guy she had a crush on during the fight. I’ll never forget Chloe’s cold face, her watery eyes glaring at me, calling me a busybody. Thinking about my past foolish self, I just felt utterly ridiculous. How could I have endured so much, clinging to her despite her endless humiliations? Had I lost my damn mind back then? Shaking off those memories, I calmly entrusted the expensive wedding house to a real estate agent to sell at a low price. I never wanted to step foot in that house again. It was supposed to be my dream wedding home, chosen in the best location, with every detail of the renovation personally supervised. Every piece of furniture, every pot and pan, even every flower was something I’d carefully picked out and brought in myself. But now, it no longer mattered. I wanted to sell it, and along with it, cast out all the dirty memories it held from my life. Three days before the wedding, Chloe came to see me. “I won’t argue with you about the shares. You can ask Dylan to give them back after we get married.” Before I could say anything, she linked her arm through mine intimately, blinking her eyes. “The wedding venue is all set up! Want to go see it?” I was curious to see how the wedding venue I’d trashed could be restored so quickly. Stepping into the familiar wedding hall again, everything felt… unfamiliar. Chloe, however, seemed very pleased. She’d brought a man with her. “Liam, Tyler personally decorated our wedding venue. Look at his hands!” I lowered my gaze, seeing his bloodied fingers. “He got his hands completely pricked by thorns, all for this flower sea.” Tyler ruffled his hair, smiling brightly, like a dog trying to please. “As long as Sister Chloe and Brother Liam are happy, I don’t care what happens to me.” Chloe looked at Tyler’s hands, her heart aching, and couldn’t help but gently take them. I thought of my own hands. During the wedding preparations, Chloe had never once visited, so she naturally hadn’t seen my battered hands, scarred from wood splinters, pricked by thorns, healing and then getting injured again, a mess. Yet, when I’d taken Chloe’s hand, she’d recoiled in disgust. She’d scornfully looked at my scarred hands, complaining they felt rough against her delicate skin. Tyler was young, sunny, and knew how to charm. Seeing Chloe’s sympathy, he pouted and whined, sweetly calling her “Sister.” Chloe told me to rest while she went to discuss the wedding flow with the planner. She probably figured, since I was mute anyway, there was no need for me to go. Watching Tyler and Chloe walk into the same hotel floor, one after the other, I let out a cold laugh. In the hallway, urgent gasps echoed. Before they even entered the room, their lips were already passionately entangled. Chloe was pinned against the wall by Tyler, her eyes hazy from his kisses. I heard Tyler say, “Sister, it really breaks my heart that you’re marrying him.” “Decorating your wedding venue nearly killed me, Sister. Do you want to kill me?” Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and chuckled, “I’ll only kill you in bed.” They entered the room, and intimate sounds poured out. Going downstairs, I called the police and reported prostitution at the hotel. The police arrived. Chloe claimed they were boyfriend and girlfriend. After some proof, the police left. Seeing Chloe’s flushed face, I walked over. She panicked. “Liam… how did you get up here?”

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