In my previous life, my sister Scarlett chose to bind with the Beauty System, while I chose the Fertility System. With the system’s gift, Scarlett leveraged her beauty into a marriage with Julian, the elite businessman she had long coveted. But less than a month into their marriage, Julian tragically died in a plane crash during an overseas business trip. Scarlett became a stunning widow, with nothing but her beauty left. Eventually, she was abducted and brutally murdered by a depraved vagrant. Meanwhile, my innate fertility caught the attention of Xander, a powerful magnate. I bore him four sets of twins in three years, securing my status as a woman of immense wealth and influence. Consumed by bitter jealousy for the system she had forsaken, Scarlett’s vengeful spirit haunted me, finally pushing me into a pool to drown. The next time I opened my eyes, we were back to the day we chose which system to bind with. This time, Scarlett unhesitatingly chose the Fertility System. Then, turning to me with a cruel smile, she said,”Violet, you can have this Beauty System!” In that moment, I knew she had been reborn too. …

I smiled. Scarlett believed that with this fertile physique, she could secure her position as a revered socialite. But she had no idea how much effort I poured into that family over the years. On the day of the exclusive gala where Xander would choose his fiancée, Scarlett dressed to impress. In the last life, Scarlett, being infatuated with Julian, feigned illness and didn’t show up when Xander hosted his banquet. This time, she wore exquisite makeup and a sexy gown. Scarlett threw her old clothes at me and ordered me to change. She even confiscated all my makeup, forbidding me from wearing any. Yet even completely barefaced, I was still noticeably prettier than her. My mother looked at me with extreme distaste. “Look at what you’re wearing! You’re an embarrassment to our family!” Father was also displeased. “Violet, with that attitude, maybe you shouldn’t even participate. Don’t make our family a laughingstock in front of tonight’s guests.” I didn’t speak. Xander’s assistant, however, spoke up. “Since you’re already here, just sit down and watch.” Scarlett shot me a disdainful glance, brimming with confidence. Mother, pulling Xander’s assistant aside, strongly advocated for Scarlett. “Our Scarlett is kind, graceful, and carries herself with such poise. She’s the perfect candidate for Xander’s fiancée.” Xander’s assistant sat on the couch, sizing up both Scarlett and me. Just as his hand was about to point at me, Scarlett couldn’t sit still any longer. She looked up and declared loudly, “I have a unique physique, incredibly fertile. I can solve the succession problem for Xander’s family!” Xander’s assistant’s eyes lit up. He told Scarlett, “Follow me to meet Mr. Kincaid.” My parents tearfully embraced Scarlett, overjoyed. “That’s wonderful, Scarlett! Your mother knew you’d be chosen!” Scarlett grinned from ear to ear, still not forgetting to sneer at me. “Violet, sorry, but I’m off to meet Mr. Kincaid.” Mother also looked at me with disdain. “You embarrassment! Get back to your room now. Don’t stand there bothering us!” It was the same in the last life. Mother despised me, but Scarlett feigned illness and refused to show up, so they were forced to put me forward just to fill a spot. Who would have thought I’d actually be chosen? This life, with Scarlett present, they naturally looked down on me even more, despite me being prettier than her. As I was about to leave, Xander’s assistant called out to me again. “Wait, what’s your name?” My mother quickly answered. “She’s my second daughter, Violet. She’s reclusive and unlikable.” To my surprise, Xander’s assistant walked up to me and said with a smile. “Miss Violet, I think you have a certain grace about you. Would you come with me to meet Mr. Kincaid?”

As soon as we arrived at Xander’s estate, Scarlett, thanks to her Fertility System, was summoned by Xander that very night. The next day, she was moved into a separate villa next to the main estate, treated almost like the lady of the house. Such immense favor quickly spread to every corner of Xander’s estate, reaching even the guest house where I resided. In this life, without the Fertility System, I hadn’t been summoned by Xander. I was just a regular “backup option,” sharing an apartment with a few other girls who had also been sent here. The sun was nice, so I was basking outside when I happened to run into Scarlett. She was accompanied by seven or eight maids and two personal assistants, an impressive entourage that almost crowded my small courtyard. Scarlett approached me, dramatically covering her nose and mouth, her face a mask of disgust. “Honestly, Violet, are you still wearing those old clothes?” With that, she motioned to a maid next to her, who threw an old suitcase at my feet. “Don’t say I never help you. Xander gave me all these. There’s just too much for me to use, so I’m giving them to you.” I looked down. They were all used, old handbags and jewelry. Some of the leather goods were even moldy, covered in mildew. I chuckled. “Scarlett, Xander gave you these kinds of things?” Scarlett just walked up and slapped me. “I’m trying to be kind, and you’re completely ungrateful!” My face instantly turned red and swollen. Scarlett finally smiled, satisfied. “Violet, don’t think that just because you have a pretty face, you can turn your life around. With me here, you’ll never get close to Xander, not in this lifetime.” I watched her with a blank expression, then glanced at her entourage behind her. She was just as arrogant, overbearing, and self-absorbed as she was in the last life. “Scarlett, maybe you should worry about yourself.” Scarlett swept a contemptuous gaze over me. “You’re just jealous, that’s what it is! I’m already pregnant, and my child will be the heir. What can you possibly compare with?” I watched her, blinded by Xander’s favor, and remained silent. Seeing that I said nothing, like punching a pillow, Scarlett couldn’t be bothered to waste her breath on me and left. In my previous life, just like Scarlett, thanks to the Fertility System’s boost, I conceived twins the very first night I was with Xander. But that twin pregnancy almost killed me. I watched Scarlett’s retreating back and sneered. She had no idea the enemies lurking in the shadows were already targeting her. … Soon, news of Scarlett’s pregnancy spread. Xander had been with so many girlfriends over the years, yet none had conceived. Scarlett got pregnant as soon as she arrived, and the private medical team confirmed it was another set of twin boys. But I knew her triumph wouldn’t last long. A few days later, I received notice that Xander intended to give me to his business partner, Julian, a man notorious for his ruthless tactics. I knew this had to be Scarlett’s doing. She didn’t want me to see Xander. Sending me away would not only remove me from Xander’s estate but also marry me off to that unfortunate Julian. It was a clever move on her part, but by now, I doubted she even cared about me. At the same time, word spread that Scarlett was showing signs of a miscarriage. Xander was furious, firing several top-tier private doctors. Suddenly, my meeting with Julian was postponed. In the last life, when my twins were seven months along, my pregnancy became unstable. It was only thanks to the obstetrician’s proprietary remedy that the pregnancy was saved. After giving birth to two sons, I officially became Xander’s wife. But this life, Scarlett, enraged by the pain, constantly berated the doctors in front of Xander. Some were even dragged out by bodyguards before they could properly examine her. Soon, the entire medical team was terrified; no one wanted to be responsible for her. Scarlett eventually miscarried, barely clinging to life. I knew this day would come for her. Given her personality, it was only a matter of time before someone targeted her. I didn’t pity her. I just thought she got what she deserved. “Bad news! Bad news! Miss Violet, there are a lot of bodyguards outside, saying they’re here to arrest you!” The maid ran in, shouting. I never thought Scarlett would tell Xander I poisoned her, causing her to lose her baby. Soon, bodyguards apprehended me. Xander, without even investigating the truth, intended to kill me. “Violet, in this life, you still couldn’t escape death. Go on and rest easy; I’ll enjoy the rest of your good fortune for you.” In the room where I was temporarily confined, I slowly calmed down. I couldn’t let Scarlett kill me again. And it was high time my Beauty System proved its worth.

I pleaded with the head bodyguard to take me to Xander. With my naturally captivating eyes, I smiled at him ingratiatingly. He was captivated by my exquisite beauty, and as if under a spell, he agreed. I secretly went to the living room of Scarlett’s recuperation villa. When Scarlett saw me, she was first surprised, then enraged. “What are you doing here! Are you here to gloat? You evil woman, you’re the one who killed my baby! How are you still walking around free?” Xander patiently stroked her back, trying to calm her down, not even glancing at me. I looked at Xander, my husband from my last life. He was just as authoritative and handsome as before. If it weren’t for his absolute need for an heir, he would undoubtedly be a wonderful partner. Unfortunately, marriages in high society were always complicated. Scarlett, seeing me staring intently at Xander, fainted from anger. “Doctor! Call the doctor quickly!” The villa was thrown into complete chaos. The doctors nervously checked her, terrified one wrong move would cost them their job. Xander carefully covered Scarlett with a blanket, then finally noticed me. “You’re Scarlett’s sister? Look up.” I obeyed, slowly raising my head. My hair, disheveled in the chaos, fell around my face, my eyes brimming with tears. My tear-filled, pitiful demeanor, combined with the power of the Beauty System, made Xander freeze the moment he saw my face. His eyes were filled with absolute awe. I subtly pinched myself, and tears streamed down my face like a broken string of pearls. “Mr. Kincaid, I didn’t harm Scarlett…” Scarlett’s personal maid interrupted me. “It was you! Miss Scarlett is your sister, yet you poisoned her out of jealousy!” I sneered inwardly, but my tears continued to flow uncontrollably. My captivating eyes, with my crying, added a touch of vulnerability. “Yes, I didn’t want to marry Mr. Julian, because my heart has always longed for you. Though it pains me that you would give me to another, I would never, ever poison Scarlett because of it.” Through my blurry tears, I caught Xander’s gaze, and his eyes softened, filling with a tenderness I hadn’t seen before. Scarlett woke up. Seeing Xander mesmerized by me, she gritted her teeth, pulled Xander away from me, and sobbed uncontrollably into his arms. “Xander, my poor babies…” Her accusations were aimed directly at me, but Xander, however, looked at me with a rare flicker of hesitation. I seized the opportunity. “I know who harmed Scarlett’s babies!” At my words, every eye in the room turned to me. “Who harmed them?” Xander asked. I pointed to a delicate bracelet on Scarlett’s wrist and said, “It’s the incense embedded in this bracelet. It contains a scent that could cause a miscarriage.” Scarlett’s eyes widened in shock. She tore off the bracelet and threw it at my feet. “Still saying it wasn’t you? If it wasn’t you, how would you know so much?” “And you,” she snapped, slapping her personal maid. Her voice was harsh. “You traitor! You colluded with outsiders to give me this bracelet and harm me, didn’t you?” The maid who had just spoken up for her had, in an instant, personally sealed her own doom. I sneered. Scarlett was just like this in the last life. Naturally arrogant and overbearing, treating her staff like mere tools, even dismissing her loyal servants. In the end, no one stood up for her, and no one truly cared for her. In this life, she still hadn’t learned, continuing to act recklessly. After the maid was dragged away, Scarlett still wanted the bodyguards to take me too, but Xander stopped them. “First, let’s hear what she has to say.” Scarlett could only bite her lip, glaring at me. I took a deep breath and began my explanation. “This bracelet was a gift from Willow. All the other ladies received one. However, Scarlett’s bracelet contained a special scent that could cause a miscarriage, which led to her miscarriage.” In my previous life, I almost miscarried because of this very bracelet. At the time, I thought since Willow had given identical bracelets to everyone, there shouldn’t be a problem. But later, I realized my bracelet’s scent was particularly strong. The doctor had said that excessive inhalation of this specially formulated scent could cause severe harm to a pregnant woman. “That conniving Willow!” Seeing her plot against me had failed, Scarlett cried out again, demanding Xander punish Willow. After Xander left, Scarlett looked at me coldly. “You knew I would miscarry, and you deliberately didn’t tell me?” I scoffed softly. “I warned you long ago, but you just wouldn’t listen. Scarlett, I told you not to get too smug too soon. Do you really think having the Fertility System means you can survive in this ruthless high society? This time, it was just your babies. Next time, it might be you.” Scarlett’s face turned ashen, her voice hoarse. “Violet, how dare you curse me! I swear, I’ll drag you down with my unborn child!” Even like that, she still didn’t forget to threaten me. “I have the Fertility System, I can always have more children. Using these babies to get rid of that malicious Willow? Their deaths weren’t for nothing. Next time, it’ll be your turn.” I frowned. “Scarlett, doing too many evil deeds will catch up to you. Don’t forget, I have a system too.”

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In my past life, I sacrificed everything for my brother, remaining unmarried to care for him. This time, we’ve both been reborn. His first act upon rebirth was to get rid of me, making way for the fated child swap – the fake heiress. He threw me, still a newborn in swaddling clothes, onto the street. “Don’t blame me for being cruel. You’re the one who caused Serena’s death.” **01** The day I was born, the South was caught in a dreary, rainy season. Julian Blake, the eldest son of the prominent Blake family, took three days off from school. He rushed back to his family estate from his boarding school, still in his crisp uniform. No one knew. That young student, posture ramrod straight, gaze steady. His soul carried the memories of two lifetimes. He had just been reborn, returning with a lifetime of overwhelming regret from his past. He didn’t spare a glance for me, his biological sister. Instead, he secretly paid off the attending nurse, ensuring the child who was meant to be swapped in his past life was legitimately presented to our parents. I was carried out of the hospital by him. Stuffed into a crude cardboard box. He took a bus with me to the city outskirts. And that other baby, crying louder than me in her swaddling clothes. She would claim the Blake family’s bloodline, and in the future, become “Little Sister Serena,” cherished by everyone. Julian’s biggest regret from his previous life. Decades had eroded his life away, causing him to miss the girl who became a flight medic for him. While I, his actual sister, only returned home at eighteen. I never married, willingly studying rehabilitation medicine for him. I pulled him, paralyzed, from his wheelchair. Yet, his heart longed only for the fake heiress I had given up. The Blake family, from a prominent southern state like Texas, was celebrated for their distinguished military service in the past. They were a family honored by the nation, with their heroism featured repeatedly in military publications. This life, he wanted to rewrite everything. No matter the cost. I lay in my swaddling clothes, quietly opening my eyes. This life, I had been reborn too. **02** In my past life, the fake heiress and I were swapped at the hospital. She became the Blake family’s cherished daughter. As for me, I was sent to a working-class family. At three years old, a car accident left me completely alone. I was sent to an orphanage. From then on, I lived in constant anxiety and fear for over a decade. The fake heiress, however, grew up pampered and privileged in the Blake mansion, enjoying every luxury. She became Serena Blake. She was the jewel in the Blake family’s eyes, and the only sister in my brother’s. She went to prestigious schools, learned to dance and play the piano. She studied abroad, earning everyone’s affection. I, on the other hand, was only brought back to the Blake family at eighteen. That year, I wore worn-out canvas shoes and a faded, plain dress from the orphanage. I carried a broken leather suitcase as I stepped through the Blake family estate’s grand gates. I saw my brother standing in the courtyard. His figure tall and straight, clad in his military uniform, silhouetted against the sunlight. But he frowned as he looked at me: “You’re Paisley? Why do you seem so unsophisticated?” My brother was an elite pilot, groomed for leadership by the nation. Serena became an excellent flight medic. In photographs, they stood shoulder to shoulder, their smiles radiant. Until that year, when I visited him at the military base. His plane crashed, and both my brother and Serena were pinned under the aircraft’s wing, waiting for rescue. The doctor anxiously told me: “I’m sorry, we can only save one first.” I hesitated for a second, then said: “Save my brother.” Everyone blamed me, accusing me of causing the fake heiress’s death. But I didn’t regret it. I began to self-study rehabilitation medicine, nursing him day and night. It took me ten years to get my brother out of his wheelchair and help him regain his dignity. I never married, caring for my brother until his twilight years. On his deathbed, his pale hand covered my fingertips. His voice was weak, but every word pierced my heart. “Paisley… I’d rather you saved Serena back then.” I froze on the spot. Like a ton of bricks had slammed into me. So, even until the very end. He never once offered me a single word of thanks. **03** He carried the box for a long way. From the hospital, he took a bus through the old city district. He walked to the most desolate part of town, on the outskirts of East Avenue. Finally, he crouched down at the mouth of an overgrown, dilapidated alleyway. He gazed at me in the box, his face slightly pale, his lips tightly pressed. “Paisley.” He spoke in a low voice, his hand trembling. “Don’t blame me” “Serena, she died so tragically. In our past life, she died because of you… I don’t blame you, but she… she really deserved to live a carefree life.” He placed me in the shadows of the alley mouth. With his small hand, he carefully covered my swaddling clothes. “Someone will surely pass by here. You’ll just be an ordinary person in this life.” He stood up, his eyes a little red, but he stubbornly turned his face away: “Paisley, I only ask that you never reappear in this life.” He left. Without looking back. My consciousness, reborn, had long been awake. But I was powerless to speak. I lay in the shadows. Watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance, my heart was only cold.

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I have a scar on my face, so I found a boyfriend in a game. He said he was short and couldn’t find a date in real life. I said I was ugly, so we were perfect for each other. When I went to meet my online crush in person, I never expected to see the department’s heartthrob at our agreed-upon meeting spot. I touched the scar on my face, nervously dialing my online boyfriend’s FaceTime number. Then, I watched the heartthrob pull out his phone and tap “answer.” “Hello?” A clear voice came through the phone. “…Are you here?” I asked softly. “Yep, already by the lake.” He straightened up, tucked his book away, and scanned the main road, clearly looking for me. Something unexpected came up today, so I rushed back to my dorm to change and grab a book. By then, it was almost our meeting time, so I took a shortcut. That’s how I ended up seeing Landon Reed, the department’s heartthrob, at our meeting spot. Landon was by the lake, leaning against a sycamore tree, reading. Sunlight dappled through the leaves, making him look relaxed and gentle. A faint smile played on his lips. He wore a black jacket and held a book. Those were our agreed-upon identifiers. And there was no one else by the lake. I didn’t dare approach, hiding behind a tree. Nervously, I dialed my online boyfriend’s FaceTime number. Then… “Are you here yet?” the voice on the other end asked again. I ducked further behind the tree and whispered, “Something… something came up. I’ll be a little late.” The voice on the other end had a soft chuckle in it. “No worries, take your time.” My online boyfriend never rushed me, just like always. I hung up, still reeling. Wait, didn’t my online boyfriend say he was short? He had to be at least 6’1″ or taller. How was that short at all!? And you can’t find a date in real life? Didn’t you reject a long line of girls confessing to you back in freshman year? I tapped open my online boyfriend’s SnapChat profile, but there was no information there. I stared blankly at my phone, then back at the guy by the lake, utterly baffled. Seriously, how did my perfectly normal boyfriend turn into the department heartthrob? I was still hesitating whether to go out and introduce myself when a girl walked up to Landon. I recognized her as Audrey Davies, the campus beauty. Audrey was two years ahead of us and, like us, was in the Computer Science department. She’d just returned from an exchange program abroad and already had her master’s program guaranteed. Tall and slender, with fair skin and waist-length hair gently swaying in the breeze, she looked soft and elegant. Audrey walked up to Landon and started chatting. She talked and laughed, and Landon occasionally nodded. Landon had his back to me, so I couldn’t see his expression. A knot tightened in my chest. Handsome guys are meant for beautiful girls. That’s what a perfect first meeting in real life should look like, right? I touched the scar on my face, covered by makeup, then glanced at my white jacket and the book in my hand. I forced a wry smile, then quietly slipped away. On my way back to the dorm, I saw a poster for a game-themed collaboration at the bubble tea shop. Thoughts rushed through my mind. Originally, after our meeting, we were going to go for bubble tea. Because that’s where we met and started our online romance: in that game. I didn’t look at the poster again. I turned and left.

When I got back to my dorm, my roommate, Chloe Miller, was just about to leave. She saw my face and scoffed, “Scarlett, you can put on all the makeup you want, but you can’t hide that scar. It’s so uneven. You might as well just show it off.” When we first started college, Chloe had acted shocked when she saw my scar, asking about its cause and even offering comfort. At the time, I thought she was a good person. I even thanked her, explaining that I’d gotten used to the scar over the years, that makeup covered a lot of it, and that I didn’t care. I usually went out with makeup on. While it couldn’t completely hide the scar, you wouldn’t notice it unless you looked closely. But later, she brought it up repeatedly and inappropriately, especially in front of newly met guys. “She was slashed by some thugs when she was a kid. Scarlett is so pitiful,” Chloe would say, looking at me with pity. The result was that everyone in the department knew about my scar. I told her I didn’t like it, but after she apologized, she’d bring it up again eventually. “Oops, I didn’t mean to,” she’d say, grasping my hand. I got annoyed and started avoiding spending time with her. One time, I was just about to enter the dorm when I heard her whispering to our other roommates. “That scar on Scarlett’s face, it’s so terrifying. When school started, it scared me so much I couldn’t sleep at night.” I pushed the door open. “If you can’t sleep, why don’t you apply to switch dorms?” From then on, our relationship plummeted to an all-time low. We barely spoke in the dorm, except when she occasionally sniped at me about my scar. I never told her about my online romance. “None of your business. Mind your own,” I usually wouldn’t respond to her, but today I was in a bad mood, so I snapped back. Chloe raised an eyebrow, seeing me retort. “Oh, can’t take a few words? You used to say you didn’t care.” I looked at Chloe, who was wearing a full face of makeup, and said coolly, “You like my scar so much, why don’t you get a couple for yourself?” Chloe stopped talking, glared at me, and left the dorm. I walked into the bathroom to remove my makeup. After washing my face, I looked up at myself in the mirror. Two deep scars etched my face: one stretched from below my right eye across my entire cheek, and another on my forehead, extending from the right side of my forehead to my temple. The scars were from when I was in second grade, cut by a bad guy. On my way home from school, I saw a kid, about my age, being pushed into an alley by some older guys. They were shaking him down for money, then they threw him to the ground and started kicking and punching him. Probably influenced by the martial arts dramas often on TV back then, I rushed in to stop them. During the scuffle, I felt a sharp pain in my face, and then my face went numb. The bad guys all ran off, leaving blood all over the ground. The kid was terrified, frozen solid. Eventually, I was taken to the hospital. My mom cried and yelled at me for being nosy, while my dad chain-smoked. The bad guys were caught and sent to juvenile detention. But from then on, I was disfigured.

I looked at the scars on my face, a wave of bitterness washing over me. Did I ever regret it? Probably. I’d thought a million times, if I hadn’t rushed in that day, I wouldn’t have been disfigured. …But there were no ‘ifs’. I had to accept it. I could only pour my heart into my studies, working harder than others to get better grades. As if that would make people notice my face less. But it didn’t really help. There was a guy in our Computer Science department whose grades were on par with mine, and we were neck and neck in competitions. He was good-looking and several girls liked him. I knew this guy, Jaxson Blackwood, because of our competition training. During freshman year, I went to Professor Evans’ office to pick up a competition registration form. Passing by the lab, I overheard people discussing me. “You know, Scarlett’s scores are super close to yours. She even suggested to the professor that she should be teamed up with you for this competition. Do you think she likes you?” “Oh, please, no way. That’s terrifying. I’d be too scared to even participate then,” the speaker said with an exaggerated tone. “Yeah, it’s kinda creepy, LOL. I bet no one would dare date her.” I looked into the lab. There were two guys: one was Jaxson, the guy whose grades were similar to mine, and the other I didn’t recognize. Their laughter was sickening. I had only suggested it to the professor based on our chances of winning a prize in the competition; how the professor arranged it was out of my control. And, no one would dare date me? After returning to my dorm, I changed my status in the game I frequently played: “Looking for a partner.” A friend, someone I’d added from the school forum but had never actually spoken to, responded. I said I was ugly. Did he mind? He said he was short and couldn’t find a date in real life. We instantly clicked, and that’s how our online romance began. We had great chemistry, probably because we were both self-conscious about our appearances. We never sent photos or video called. We hadn’t even brought up meeting offline. I only knew he was also at A University; I knew nothing else about him. I didn’t dwell on it; I didn’t have many expectations anyway. But in terms of the dating experience, this boyfriend was absolutely perfect. He completely accommodated me in the game, always checked in on me, and provided plenty of emotional support. For my birthday, he even sent me a gift. I was curious: “How did you know my birthday?” His reply was quick: “Scarlett0123. I guessed the last four digits of your ID might be your birthday, right?” It was indeed my birthday, but those four digits, 0123, were too simple; most people wouldn’t guess them. I felt a little touched. For the first time, I felt curious about him too. I asked him for some information, planning to send him a gift in return. He only said he wanted to meet me in a few days and we could talk about him then. Meet in person? I felt a hint of anticipation. I didn’t really care about his appearance; I just liked an interesting, compatible soul. Even if he was 5’3″, it wouldn’t matter. But then— I snapped back to reality, looking at myself in the mirror, touching the scar on my face. Why was it the department heartthrob? I admit, I care about my appearance. I chickened out.

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Liam Davies, Ashley Wilson, and I grew up together, a close trio. Liam and Ashley had always been at odds, arguing the moment they saw each other. Then Liam became my fiancé, and Ashley became my best friend. A week before Liam and my wedding, I scrolled past a post online. The bride’s back in the photo, and that wedding dress, looked eerily familiar. The caption read: 【I had this dress before her, and I had him first. After all these years, I finally won against her, just once.】 【Ms. Miller, I’m so sorry. The wedding dress won’t be ready until tomorrow; some details still need adjustment.】 Reading the message from the studio, I clicked on that picture from the post again. I zoomed in. The diamond arrangement on the skirt was my design. An hour earlier, Liam had messaged me: 【Chloe, sorry, something came up. I can’t go with you to pick up the dress today.】 Ashley: 【So sorry, Chloe, I have a last-minute appointment today. Can’t help you with the fitting.】 Why was everyone apologizing to me first thing in the morning? I shook my head, trying to dismiss those far-fetched suspicions. Under the post, a comment was pinned: 【Even if it’s just her back, you can tell they’re a perfect match, right?! Childhood sweethearts, girls, if you both love him, you should fight for him!】 I replied beneath it: 【Why would you need to fight for it if you both love each other? Just curious, dying for the full story.】 That evening, Liam and Ashley showed up together. Bickering as usual. “What kind of fiancé are you? You said you’d go with Chloe to pick up the dress. What could be more important than that?” “What about you? You said you’d help her with the fitting, but you disappeared too!” I watched these two people I’d grown up with, one my fiancé, the other my best friend. That post… maybe it was just a coincidence. “Alright, you two. You fight every time you meet. Haven’t you gotten tired of it after all these years?” I feigned a headache. They exchanged a glance, a slight smile playing on their lips. My heart felt a chill right to my core. “The studio said it’ll be ready tomorrow, so it’s fine today.” “Still, we broke our promise. Let’s go out for dinner. To make it up to you, dinner’s on me.” Ashley suggested. “On you? Don’t always try to steal my thunder.” “If anyone’s apologizing, it should be me first.” Liam rolled his eyes at her. He got a playful tap on the shoulder, or rather, a lingering touch on his neck. I saw him freeze. A blush spread across Ashley’s face. “Ashley, what’s wrong? Why is your face so red? Are you not feeling well?” I asked, concerned. “Oh, it’s nothing, nothing. Let’s go.” At the restaurant, Liam and I sat on one side, Ashley sat opposite me. After she came back from the restroom, she naturally sat across from Liam. His hand froze as he reached for my plate, and under the table, Liam’s leg brushed against hers, a subtle, shared signal. Ashley’s expression was delighted. She had a bit too much to drink and insisted on sleeping over at my place. When we arrived, Liam looked at a slurring Ashley, his brows furrowed. “Chloe, maybe I should just take her home. Look at the state she’s in, she’ll just disrupt your sleep.” I nodded. “Drive carefully then.” After washing up, my comment had a reply. 【The three of us grew up together, but I spent more time with him. We were always like a bickering couple. But she liked him too, and he, out of a life-saving debt, promised himself to her. I could only silently bless their union. He couldn’t bear to see me hurt, so he brought her custom-designed wedding dress for me to wear first, giving me an unconventional wedding, just for the two of us. I’m already so content. Tonight is even our wedding night.】 Attached was a picture showing four legs poking out from under the duvet. The nail polish on the feet was a style I’d picked out for her.

The comment section was absolutely wild, shipping them hard, even giving her all sorts of advice. 【Don’t let love slip away like this! Happiness must be fought for. Forget being engaged, even if they were married, they can still divorce!】 【A life-saving debt shouldn’t be confused with love, be brave and make the male lead realize what he’s missing.】 【How about we live stream you stopping the wedding? ~】 【+1!】 Reply: 【Oh no! She’s my best friend too. I can’t betray her for a guy. Honestly, she’s more important to me than he is! As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters~】 【I feel so bad for her, it’s true, the quiet ones never get what they want. Those who understand are crying】 … I remembered playing house in the local park when we were kids. Liam said he wanted me to be his bride. Ashley immediately burst into tears. “No, no! I want to be your bride!” Liam said: “Then both of you can be my brides.” This earned a chuckle from the adults watching. I tried to FaceTime Liam, but he quickly hung up. An hour later, he messaged me: 【Chloe, she’s drunk and disorderly, threw up everywhere. I just finished cleaning up after her.】 Soon, that post was updated again. Sharing a wave of wedding night sweetness. 【After tonight, I have no regrets. I’ll stand on the same stage as you, as a bridesmaid. Wishing you, wishing them, eternal happiness!】 Those words and photos made me dry heave instantly, but the comment section was a different scene entirely. 【Ugh, imagining this, it’s so heartbreaking. Watching your loved one marry your best friend up close, and still having to smile and wish them well.】 【I think the guy should be braver, break off the engagement with the other woman, and marry the blogger.】 【It’s also possible that the other woman isn’t someone to mess with; maybe the blogger and the guy are afraid to take the risk.】 【I hate people who force things like this. You can’t force love. And the blogger puts her first, but she only thinks of herself.】 They jumped to conclusions, and the discussion intensified, painting me as some evil antagonist. Why? Ashley’s father had once been caught up in a huge scandal, and my dad pulled every string, gathered evidence from all sides to clear his name. That period was the darkest phase of her life. I took her into my home, we ate and slept together, I comforted and reassured her. I told her every update my father had immediately. Liam even complained that I’d been neglecting him for Ashley for a long time. “Can you get your priorities straight? Look at the situation right now.” After sending Liam away, she hugged me, crying hysterically: “Chloe… how can you be so good? Without you, I don’t know what I would do. If Liam ever dares to treat you badly, I’ll be the first to go after him.” Twenty years of friendship, and she had two faces. Saying blessings and support to my face, but behind my back, she was a total snake. I felt a chill right to my core. The next day, I went to pick up my wedding dress. “Why are there two diamonds missing here?” The staff exchanged uneasy glances. One of them, a timid young woman, finally spoke up, her voice barely a whisper: “Mr. Davies said this design was better.” I immediately called Liam and asked him to come over. He looked at the wedding dress, a flicker of panic in his eyes. “Chloe, why did you come to pick it up yourself?” “There are two diamonds missing here. They said it was your idea?” My tone was flat. “Ah, yes. I thought it would be simpler, less cluttered.” “Then why didn’t you tell me?” “It was Ash—” Liam caught himself, stopping just in time.

“Chloe, are you mad?” I shook my head. “I just think it’s bad luck, like it’s damaged.” “No, it’s not!” His voice was a bit loud, then softened. “Chloe, don’t overthink it. The wedding is almost here. We’ll be officially together soon. Aren’t you happy?” I stroked the wedding dress, not answering him. No matter how much effort I’d put into it, something that had been “used” by someone else, I couldn’t want it anymore. With the wedding drawing near, Ashley’s account updates became more frequent. A countdown series to the wedding. Countdown: Day Five. 【Today he made me my favorite sandwich. She’s never even had it. If I can’t be the only one, then I’ll be the first.】 The picture showed Liam, apron on, busy in the kitchen. I once asked him to cook for me, and he repeatedly refused: “Your princess palate is too refined for my cooking.” Countdown: Day Four. 【He gave her the title, but he gave me that special diamond ring, the one people buy when they swear their one true love. Find me in the next life with this keepsake.】 The picture showed Liam kissing the diamond ring on her ring finger. Even with the blur, the tenderness in that moment was undeniable. 【I can’t take this anymore, can you two just be together? Let’s get a petition going, thousands of us, telling her to let you two be together!】 【Let’s make it happen!】 【Count me in.】 Reply: 【She loves him a lot too. I can’t bear to hurt her, or our years of friendship.】 【But she hurt you, girl! Her silence as the one who benefits is just as bad, no excuses!】 【Exactly! If it comes down to it, let’s all chip in and make her disappear! Ahhh, don’t call me evil, I just can’t stand seeing such a wonderful girl denied her happiness.】(Author liked this comment) 【Seconded.】 Reading these comments, I felt like I’d fallen into an ice pit. If they truly loved each other, they could have just told me. Though it would hurt, I knew what was more important. I could have stepped aside gracefully. But they chose such a low and malicious way to stab me in the back. After I calmed down, I saved all the content. Scrolling further back, it turned out Liam had already been with Ashley three years ago when she was traveling the world. Her photos often showed a blurry half-shoulder, and the reflection of a man in her sunglasses. There were also videos that looked like they were shot from a boyfriend’s perspective. Back then, she’d said love wasn’t important in her world; she valued freedom more. She claimed those people were just fellow travelers she met along the way. At the same time, Liam was on assignment at the European branch of his company. I was completely blind. Three years, and I had no idea. If the algorithm hadn’t led me to her burner account… Countdown: Day Three. I reconfirmed the schedule and details with the wedding planner. Liam glanced at his phone, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “Chloe, I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here alone.” “I’m heading back to the office to deal with something.” Before I could reply, he walked out with a light step. “Liam!” He turned back, looking puzzled. “There are only three days left. There are some details you need to know; I can’t manage them alone.” He smiled, giving me a thumbs-up. “You can do it. Just update me later.” Liam might have forgotten. When his family, once prominent in public service, had shifted to entrepreneurship, they were targeted by an old rival. Realizing the danger, he dragged me, running frantically through the endless night. In my panic, I instinctively looked back and saw someone pull out a gun. In a split second, I lunged, shielding his back. Fortunately, the shooter wasn’t very good, and the bullet only hit my shoulder blade. But that bone-deep pain, I’d never forget, not as long as I lived.

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After I left the country, every woman Liam Shaw dated was just like me. When my name came up, his friends would always say, “She’s Liam’s unforgettable first love. If Audrey ever returns, none of these other women would stand a chance.” That was until Liam started seeing a rising young actress who who didn’t resemble me at all. Yet, she was the first girlfriend he ever publicly acknowledged. That year, I rushed back home. Everyone waited, expecting to see the ‘first love’ regret everything, hoping for the whole ‘prodigal son returns’ drama. Even Liam subtly probed me, “Audrey, you’ve come back at the wrong time.” But they didn’t know. I wasn’t here to win Liam back. I was here to get married. The moment I stepped out of the airport, I spotted Liam in the crowd. He wore a trench coat, his face looking much more mature than when I’d left years ago. But the expression on his face was too complicated. “They said you were coming back. I thought it was just a rumor.” I came to a stop, my grip tightening on my suitcase. “I’m back to take care of some things,” I replied evenly. Liam took the suitcase from me. “Mr. Miller asked me to pick you up. Don’t get the wrong idea.” I nodded and followed him to the underground parking garage. On the way, I checked my phone. Our group chat, silent for ages, had absolutely blown up. “Liam actually went to pick up Audrey? Is this for real? Audrey’s back in town?” “What about Liam’s current girlfriend, that actress Chloe? Will he dump her?” “Duh! And why do you think Audrey suddenly came back? She’s definitely here to snatch him back!” “Chloe? Please. She’s probably just a fleeting thrill for Liam. Now that Audrey’s back, Chloe would be lucky to even get a glance from him, mark my words.” “I’ve met Chloe. Don’t underestimate her. Anyone who could snag Liam was a force to be reckoned with.” Liam also noticed his phone vibrating non-stop. He quickly checked his messages and said to me, “Audrey, you’ve really picked the wrong time to come back. “I already have a girlfriend.” My hand, halfway to the passenger door, froze mid-air. Instead, I opened the back door. “Congratulations.” The single word slipped from my lips. Liam slammed the car door shut with a noticeable force. Only then did I realize that after all these years, he’d picked up smoking. The Liam I once knew was a model of self-control -he never drank, never smoked, and kept a clear distance from the party scene. But in the years I’d been abroad, I’d heard of at least a dozen different flings he’d had. Liam’s phone rang, and a sickly sweet voice came through. “Liam, I’m so exhausted at the set, can you please come pick me up?” “Send me the address.” “Love you!” Liam hung up, smiling as he looked at me. “You don’t mind if I make a detour to pick up my girlfriend, do you?” “Of course not.” I should have never gotten in his car.

Liam parked near the film set. In the bustling crowd, I spotted Chloe instantly. She stood out too much. Even bundled up, she was immediately recognizable. Fans were taking pictures, and Chloe pulled down her mask a bit, smiling brightly. “Thanks, guys! My boyfriend isn’t famous, so can you please not take pictures of him?” The fans cheered, “We heard your boyfriend is Liam from the Shaw family, is that true?” Chloe didn’t deny it, just held up an index finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet. Once she was in the car, she took off her sunglasses and gave Liam a quick kiss on the cheek. “Liam, have you been waiting long?” Her eyes darted to me. “And you are?” I offered a polite smile. “Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Audrey, a friend of Liam’s.” Chloe’s smile deepened. “Audrey? I’ve heard a lot about you.” Liam naturally buckled her seatbelt. “Sit tight, I’m about to drive.” Chloe pouted playfully. “Oh, me, always so forgetful! You always have to do it for me.” I turned my gaze to the window, avoiding their display of affection. The car hadn’t been driving long before Chloe started chatting with me. “Audrey, did you ever date anyone while you were abroad all these years?” I answered frankly, “I did.” “I knew it! Audrey, you’re as beautiful as a celebrity, you must have had plenty of admirers, right? “Like Liam, he pursued me. All his friends say I’m different to him, I’m his one true love. “But I just don’t understand, do they mean Liam has a first love or something? I heard you and Liam grew up together. You must know who his first love is, right? Tell me.” She looked at me, her gaze more scrutinizing than curious. Liam frowned. “I don’t have a ‘first love,’ they’re just messing around.” Chloe pouted and started playing on her phone, clearly displeased. The rest of the ride was silent. When Liam dropped me off at home, he didn’t even get out of the car. He rolled down the window and casually said, “My girlfriend’s mad, I need to make it up to her. I won’t come in. Say hi to your parents for me.” I was about to leave when Chloe suddenly called out, “Audrey, let’s connect on SnapChat.” I offered my Snapcode, but she shook her head. “You scan mine. That way you won’t block me.”

My friends threw me a welcome-home party. No one expected Liam to bring Chloe along. Chloe had thoughtfully prepared gifts for everyone. Especially for me. “I heard Liam considers you like family. When Liam and I get married, Audrey, you have to be my bridesmaid.” A few friends’ faces changed. One turned to Liam. “Liam, aren’t you going to say anything?” Liam chuckled. “You want me to be in the doghouse?” Chloe covered her mouth, blushing shyly. She suggested we play Truth or Dare. The bottle spun and landed on me. Everyone was eager, but Chloe stopped them. “Let my boyfriend ask first!” Liam took a sip of his drink, then looked at me. “Did you date anyone abroad?” I nodded. “Yes.” A collective gasp went through the room. Jason, one of Liam’s good friends, teased me, “Come on, Audrey, you know you don’t mean that.” He reached for my glass. “I’ll take this one for you.” The next round, it was Liam’s turn to spin the bottle, and it landed on me again. He asked, “What’s his name?” I replied, “I’d rather not say.” Chloe laughed loudly. “Hah, Audrey, good thing you’re not an actress, otherwise, your acting would be terrible. Men might not notice, but as women, I can tell you’re lying in an instant!” Liam’s usual flings would never dare to speak like that. But sitting beside him now was Chloe. His only acknowledged girlfriend. Liam’s silence indicated his indulgence. I pulled back my hair and smiled. “I’m no actress. I don’t know how to play coy or put on a show like Ms. Chloe.” Chloe’s smile froze. I always prided myself on having a good temper, but I also had a sharp tongue. Liam, it seemed, hadn’t had time to tell Chloe that. However, she had remarkably thick skin. In a flash, she was smiling and pouring me a drink. “A bet’s a bet. If you can’t answer, you drink. Go on.” “Fine.” I generously drained the glass. The bottle in Liam’s hand seemed to have a mind of its own; the next round, it landed on me again. He asked without hesitation, “Why did you come back this time?”

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No one knew that Julian Reed, the aloof and privileged heir, was in truth consumed by insatiable desire, yet crippled by severe germaphobia. But the Reed family’s reputation, their inheritance, couldn’t have the slightest blemish. To keep this secret buried, Julian adopted me from a remote orphanage. He groomed me to be his most exquisite kept woman. To the public, I was his adoptive sister. But when night fell, he’d consume me completely, his touch a desperate entanglement. Ten years passed. He told me countless times that I could only be his, that I had to love him. I did. I thought he felt the same. Until Sloane Hastings appeared, shattering every single one of my illusions. She could lie beside Julian without the meticulous, dozens-of-times full-body disinfection I endured. She could openly accept Julian’s marriage proposal and declarations of love. That’s when I finally understood. I was never his only one. Not before, and certainly not now. I turned, pulled out my phone, and dialed that unfamiliar number. “Vincent, I want to marry you!”

After I was rudely thrown out of the room, Julian carelessly tossed my clothes after me. Then, as if shooing a stray dog, he threw a stack of cash at me. “Don’t come back tonight! Go find a hotel to crash in!” “Sloane doesn’t like outsiders in the house!” He didn’t even bother to close the door properly before quickly tearing off his own clothes, pinning the dirty girl to the bed. Their intimate moans filled the air. My eyes burned with tears, my heart felt like it was stuffed with damp cotton, suffocating me. He had once told me he had severe germaphobia, that he would never casually touch other women! But his primal urges were so intense, he’d unravel without a female presence. That’s why, when I was eight, he chose me and kept me by his side. On my eighteenth birthday, he ‘unwrapped’ me like a cherished gift, claiming what he considered his. My innocence. It was the first time a man had ever made me a promise, and it came from Julian Reed. He’d said I was his only woman, that perhaps in this lifetime, he would only ever have me. Our connection, he’d claimed, was unparalleled. But now, he called me an outsider. He took another girl, right in front of me. And that girl didn’t need to douse herself in antiseptic like I did every single time. Even covered in grime, she was still pressed onto the white sheets by Julian, taken by him without hesitation. He would lower his head, exploring every part of her, without a hint of disgust. My limbs felt like lead, utterly paralyzed. I couldn’t move. I stood there, stiff as a board, outside their door, listening to the muffled sounds of their passion rise and fall throughout the entire night. It wasn’t until the dark sky began to lighten that the sounds from the room finally quieted. I moved my numb, stiff body, clutching my crumpled clothes to my chest, and fled the scene in a daze. After I changed, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find Julian, already in a black suit, hair meticulously combed, his expression as unreadable as ever. He looked at me with no trace of guilt, as if nothing had happened. “Harper, where’s that Chanel set I bought you last time?” I bit my lip, tears stinging my eyes, defying me by falling. “Julian, aren’t you going to explain? Why did you bring another woman home? That bed… isn’t it just for me?” Julian’s brow furrowed slightly, his gaze a storm of emotions – disgust, impatience, and a barely contained fury. “Harper, you’ve overstepped! Yes, you bear the Reed name, but don’t forget, I gave it to you. Know your place!” With that, he ignored my hurt, reaching out his hand directly. “Give me the dress!” Trembling, I took the pink Chanel set from the closet. I’d pestered him to buy it for me when I accompanied him to a fashion show once. He had gently agreed, buying the most expensive set there. “Want more? I can buy you anything you like.” I’d clung to him, blushing, and whispered in his ear, “I like you. Can I buy you?” He’d chuckled softly, “If you like me, just take me. I’m only yours!” But now, before I’d even had a chance to wear it, he was taking it to give to someone else. Muffled footsteps sounded from outside the door. Julian took the clothes, opened the door, and saw Sloane Hastings standing barefoot outside my room. “Why are you out here? You’ll catch a cold. Go back inside!” His voice was so gentle, a tenderness I’d only ever heard in bed. Once out of bed, I felt humble and distant in front of him, as if the man who’d consumed me night after night wasn’t him. But now, he could casually offer that same tenderness to this Sloane Hastings. Who was she? What did she truly mean to him? Sloane’s cheeks were flushed, and pink marks dotted her skin where her towel didn’t quite cover. She clung to Julian’s arm, whining coyly, feigning an innocent pout. “Are you mad? You’re not trying to take advantage, are you, Julian? No, no!” Julian chuckled, playfully pinching her nose. “You’re overthinking it, love. You know about my… condition. I had to keep someone around to manage it, but with you, Sloane, I won’t need anyone else.” Boom! My heart exploded, a pounding rhythm echoing through my very soul. I never imagined he would so easily reveal the secret of his “condition” – his primal urges and agoraphobia – a secret he’d guarded for years. This meant Sloane was more than just a passing fling. He was serious! And I was merely a replaceable tool! Julian walked away, holding the woman close, their laughter drifting from the other room once more. As their door slammed shut with a thud. I finally snapped awake. He didn’t need me. So why was I tying my entire worth to this one man? Julian Reed, from now on, you won’t be my only one either. You’ll be my stepping stone. I’ll use everything you taught me to climb to the position I truly desire! I wiped away my tears, rubbed my numb face, and pulled out my phone to dial a number. “Vincent, you once said whoever could break through your… detachment… would become the Reed family matriarch. I want to try!”

The voice on the other end paused for a moment, then came the man’s deep, slightly angry tone. “Don’t be ridiculous, Harper. You’re Julian’s adoptive sister, and I’m your uncle!” I bit my lip, my voice firm. “I’m not kidding! Uncle… no, Vincent, I’m only his adoptive sister, but in the future, I don’t have to be.” Vincent on the phone seemed to hesitate. In the Reed family, the only unmarried men, besides Julian, were Vincent. As an orphan, if I wanted to solidify my place in the Reed family, and gain a share in their business, this was my only path. Marrying Vincent, becoming his wife, would unconditionally grant me ten percent of the Reed family’s shares. And an even more generous dowry. Vincent suffered from a hidden ailment; unlike Julian, he was extremely detached from women. He had tried various medications, but women simply didn’t interest him. But the Reed family had more than one male heir. The vast Reed empire would inevitably fall to the one who could secure an heir. Succession and power hinge on heirs, especially male ones. “If, after one year, I can’t bear a Reed heir, I’ll leave the family!” “But if I succeed, I want an additional five percent of the Reed family shares that the matriarch controls. And I want to study finance and work at Reed Corp. Those are my terms.” Vincent suddenly let out a burst of laughter. Just as I thought he wouldn’t agree, he finally spoke. “Alright! Come over tonight, I’ll pick you up!” I nodded. “Okay, I’ll wait for you!” After hanging up, I realized my palms were sweating. Julian had appeared behind me at some point, his voice displeased. “Who are you waiting for?” I spun around, seeing him holding Sloane Hastings’ hand, now dressed in a white suit that matched her dress. I pretended not to care, offering a faint smile. “It’s none of your business, Julian…” It had been a long time since I called him Julian. His face darkened. He was about to say something when Sloane, by his side, cut him off. “Julian, didn’t you have something to clear up with Harper?” Julian’s tone suddenly softened as he handed me a bank card. “I’ll transfer you ten thousand a month from now on. Starting today, don’t ever appear in front of me again.” I forced a bitter smile. Even though I’d prepared myself to leave, the thought of severing fifteen years of attachment still brought tears to my eyes. Just as they were about to fall, I hastily wiped them away, took the bank card, and squeezed out a smile. “Okay, Julian! Thank you for these fifteen years of looking after me!” I left everything Julian had given me behind, taking only my personal documents. I stood outside the door with my half-empty suitcase. Sloane suddenly walked over, extending her hand. “That bracelet on your wrist, that’s from the Reed family, isn’t it? Give it to me!” I instinctively shielded it. “This isn’t from him. This is my mother’s heirloom…” “Harper Reed, you’re just a cheap bed-warmer! Low-class trash! How dare you dream of the Reed family? Who gave you that right? Give it to me!” I clenched my fingers tightly, glaring at her. “This bracelet was my mother’s! And you have no right to insult me!” Sloane scoffed dismissively. Without Julian present, she was cruel and malicious. I couldn’t understand why Julian would like such a two-faced woman! She leaned in close again, whispering her boast. “What else would you be but low-class trash? Julian told me everything. He has that ‘condition,’ that’s why he kept you around.” “I should thank you for being his personal plaything all these years, satisfying his needs!” “But a cockroach like you, crawling out of a gutter, will never have any ties to the Reed family! I, Sloane Hastings, am the one meant to stand beside him! Don’t dream of what isn’t yours! Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make you regret it!” With that, she suddenly grabbed my bracelet, twisting hard. The loose bracelet snapped, falling to the ground and breaking into three pieces. Smack! I slapped Sloane hard across the face. She clutched her cheek, tears streaming down, looking utterly pitiful. Julian heard the sound and immediately rushed out, then, without a word, he brutally returned the slap to me. My ears rang, and I fell to the ground, the bracelet fragments digging deep into my palm. Julian’s face was grim. He then savagely stomped on the back of my hand. “Harper Reed! Apologize!”

Excruciating pain spread from my palm, making my whole body tremble uncontrollably. But I stubbornly refused to open my mouth. In his eyes, however, this was an act of defiance, a challenge. “No apology? Then don’t ever call me brother again! You won’t get a single penny more!” With that, he yanked the red cord from his neck and tossed it into the trash can. That red cord was one I had personally braided, holding the handmade plain silver ring I’d given him. Red cord broken, fate severed. I laughed bitterly, tears now unrestrained. “Fine! Julian Reed, I swear, from this moment on, we have absolutely nothing to do with each other!” Julian’s body stiffened, then he put his arm around Sloane and walked away. With my swollen hand, I painstakingly picked up the fragments of the bracelet from the ground. A car pulled up behind me. Vincent got out, helped me into the car. He saw my injury, applied antiseptic, and bandaged it, but didn’t ask a single question. My phone rang. It was Julian. I hung up directly. The screen lit up. He’d sent a message. “Come home tomorrow. We need to sign a relationship termination agreement!” “From now on, you are no longer part of my Reed family!” With trembling fingers, I painstakingly typed out a single word. “Okay!” Just as I was about to turn off my phone, I saw a several-second video Sloane had sent me. All my clothes and jewelry in my room had been thrown into the trash, replaced by things Julian had given her. The photo of Julian and me on the bedside table had been cut up, my image shredded from it. And Julian sat beside her, his face full of adoration, tacitly approving her every action. “Sloane, there are some private photos of us in the closet. You can get rid of those too.” Then he took a thick stack of photos from a box in the closet and handed them to Sloane. I turned off my phone, wearily closing my eyes. Unbeknownst to me, I had fallen asleep. When I woke, the car was already parked in Vincent’s villa garage. He sat beside me, focused and serious, working. His suit jacket was draped over me. “Uncle Vincent…” “Call me Vincent!” “Vincent, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long.” Vincent wasn’t angry. He got out of the car, opened my door for me, and took my hand, resting it on his shoulder. He picked me up and carried me into the villa. “You’ll live here from now on. Also, I’ve enrolled you in a finance program. You can start classes whenever you’re ready.” I quickly pushed aside all my gloomy emotions. I always knew what I wanted. I didn’t want to go back to the cramped, dark room of the orphanage, nor did I want to beg on my knees for a mouthful of food. All I wanted was money and power. That night, I used every trick Julian had taught me. Vincent and I didn’t close our eyes the entire night. It wasn’t until my alarm rang that I jolted awake from my dream. I’d promised to go with Julian to finalize the relationship termination agreement today. “Do you want me to take you?” Vincent’s arm was wrapped around me, his hoarse, deep voice lingering in my ear. I shook my head. “No, I want to end this myself.” “Alright. If anything happens, call me!”

Arriving at Julian Reed’s villa, I entered the usual password, but it showed as incorrect. I forced a bitter smile. I’d forgotten there was no longer a place for me here. Just as I was about to knock, someone suddenly clamped a hand over my mouth and nose, shoving me into a car. Sloane Hastings’ sneering voice came from above me. “Harper Reed, you’re truly shameless! You’ve been kicked out, and you still dare to come here to tempt Julian?” “You’re so desperate for a man, well, I’ll satisfy you!” My eyes widened in terror. The car sped off towards a remote location. And the hands covering my mouth suddenly groped my chest. Rip! The thin fabric tore instantly. “This chick’s hot! Ms. Hastings, you weren’t lying, right? We can do whatever we want?” Sloane lit a cigarette, watching me playfully. “Just don’t kill her. Leave her a breath.” I desperately spat out the rag stuffed in my mouth, screaming in horror. “Sloane Hastings! Aren’t you afraid Julian will find out about this?!” She just laughed carelessly. “So what if he knows? He won’t blame me.” “Julian and I are getting married soon. In his eyes, your existence is just a stain. If I help him clean up this stain, he’ll even be grateful!” With that, her eyes suddenly hardened, and I saw pure jealousy. “Today I’m warning you, every place Julian touched on you, I’ll have another man defile! That way, in his eyes, you’ll be completely dirty!” “Have a wonderful day!” Sloane pulled out her phone and aimed it at me. I felt an increasing heat spread through my body. “Sloane You drugged me!” Sloane laughed maniacally. A man’s rough palm squeezed the tender flesh of my inner thigh. All I felt was hatred and shame. Then I bit down hard, tearing the man’s palm, threw open the car door, and jumped out. Thud! I was hit by a car that had sped up behind me, sending me flying. After a heavy landing, I saw that the car that hit me was Julian’s. He got out in a panic, distraught at the sight of me lying in a pool of blood. “Harper…” But before he could reach me, another voice cut him off. “Julian… help me…” “Sloane!” He quickly ran towards Sloane Hastings. I reached out to him, crying out in despair, but he didn’t spare me a single glance. Sloane clutched her chest, sobbing uncontrollably. “Julian, Harper… she… she got men to humiliate me… I argued with her, and she accidentally fell out of the car…” “Don’t be scared, I’m here! I’m here for you!” Julian’s eyes burned with intense hatred. “Harper Reed! You utterly disgust me!” I tried to argue. “I didn’t…” “Still trying to deny it! Harper, you stay here and reflect! When you realize your mistake, then I’ll come save you!” And just like that, Julian carried Sloane away. Leaving me, with broken legs and bleeding profusely, behind. After they left, I trembling took out my phone and sent Vincent a location. Vincent arrived quickly, his entire body shaking with tension. I almost hallucinated, feeling a bone-chilling coldness emanating from the usually gentle Vincent. After being admitted to the hospital, Vincent canceled all his work to take care of me for a month, until I was discharged. At the same time, news spread through the Reed family. Julian Reed and Sloane Hastings were getting married. Vincent covered my legs with a blanket, his eyes full of smiles as he said to me. “Harper, it’s time to make our relationship public.” “Today?” “Today!” A black Maybach pulled up outside Julian Reed’s wedding venue. It was a traditional Western wedding. As the officiant loudly announced. “Mr. Vincent and his fiancée, Ms. Harper Reed, have arrived to extend their congratulations!” All eyes turned to us. And I clearly saw Julian, the boutonnière he held in his hand falling to the ground the moment he saw me. His body trembled, his face pale.

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The sixth day after my daughter Lily was born, I developed a fever. But my husband, Derek, had gone to buy diapers, and my mother-in-law, Brenda, was out getting groceries. Neither was back yet. I waited, enduring, drifting in and out of consciousness until Lily’s cries jolted me awake. Only then did I realize I’d either been asleep or had passed out. I quickly tried calling Derek. His phone was off. I called Brenda. Her phone was off too. I had married thousands of miles away from my family, and I had no relatives or friends here. My only option was to call an ambulance. As my fever began to subside, I picked up my phone and saw a message from Derek: “Mom works her fingers to the bone for us, and you still managed to upset her. She’s too fragile for this, so I’m taking her away to clear her head. You really need to think about your behavior.” I stared at the message for a long, long time, until a nurse exclaimed in surprise: “Where’s her family? The IV is backing up with blood, and no one noticed?” I wiped the dampness from my face and said blandly, “My apologies. I’m a single mother. My husband’s family? They’re as good as dead to me.”

The nurse looked at the reddened IV tube, then gave me a sympathetic glance. “Oh, single moms have it rough. By the way, your daughter needs to stay in the NICU for observation.” My heart lurched. “What’s wrong with her? It’s not pneumonia or a cough, is it?” Lily had also developed a fever, and we’d both been rushed to the hospital together. The nurse, while adjusting my IV, comforted me. “Pediatrics said no, it’s probably just a chill.” I breathed a slight sigh of relief. The nurse then asked, “If your husband’s family isn’t around, can your parents come to help out? With both you and your little one hospitalized, it’s inconvenient without family nearby.” Actually, I had thought about calling Mom and Dad when I woke up, but they lived too far away. From the West Coast to the East Coast—it spanned almost the entire country. Even if they rushed, the fastest they could get here would be tomorrow. In that moment, I truly understood what it meant to marry so far away: no family support! Seeing my silence, the nurse didn’t press further. She’d seen this situation countless times in the hospital; there was nothing for her not to understand. As she left, she turned back to remind me, “Even if you’re raising the baby alone, you need to take better care of yourself. Look at your milk ducts, they’re so clogged you waited until they got inflamed. We’ll start with anti-inflammatory and milk-clearing treatments for the next couple of days. If that doesn’t work, you might need surgery to drain them.” I sighed, clutching my chest, which throbbed with needle-like pain. My milk ducts clogged the day after Lily was born. My chest felt hard as a rock, and the pain was unbearable. I told Brenda I needed a bland diet, but yesterday she still cooked a greasy pot of pig trotters soup for me, saying it would help with milk production. I told her I couldn’t drink it, and she immediately started tearing up, complaining to Derek that I was throwing a fit. Derek’s face darkened instantly. He scolded me, saying it was “just clogged milk ducts,” how could I refuse the soup Mom had slaved over? He didn’t even notice I already had a low-grade fever. I was too weak from the pain to argue with him, so I turned away and ignored him. He stood behind me, huffing, “I’m not one of those ungrateful sons who forgets his mother the moment he gets married. You’re a college graduate, and your parents are educated people. Surely you know what it means to respect your elders and be grateful, right?” I had intended to just put up with it, but then he dragged my parents into it, and I was so angry, tears welled up. “Derek, grateful? My milk ducts have been blocked for three days, and your mom still insists I drink that pig trotters soup. If I don’t, she cries and complains to you. What exactly am I supposed to be grateful for?” “If you think my mom isn’t good enough, then you take care of yourself! My mom isn’t a maid to serve a princess!” That really pushed me over the edge. “Derek, my incision hasn’t even healed properly. Are you even listening to yourself? Fine, I guess I’m not destined for the Miller family’s care, I accept that. Have your mom give me the $2,500 for a confinement nurse, and I’ll hire one myself.” “Crazy! Unbelievable!” Derek spun around and stormed out. I had hit a nerve. When I was pregnant, I wanted to hire a confinement nurse. Brenda didn’t want to come take care of me during my postpartum confinement, saying Leo was at a critical time for his exams and couldn’t do without her cooking and care. My mom was a homeroom teacher for a graduating class and couldn’t take such a long leave. She was also afraid I’d suffer, so she offered to pay for me to stay at a luxury postpartum care center. Derek said the money for the center would be better used to upgrade our car, since with a baby, we’d need a bigger one. I suggested we just hire a confinement nurse then. A colleague recommended Aunt Carol, a great confinement nurse she had used. The price was agreed: $2,000 for forty-two days. Brenda heard about it and insisted on coming. She said she’d given birth to two children and knew best how to take care of a baby. Besides, she argued, no outsider would care as much as the baby’s own grandmother. Why pay an outsider when family could earn that money? I disagreed at first. Brenda’s sole focus was always on Leo. Derek tried hard to please her, but Brenda didn’t even seem to like him much. In my eyes, if it weren’t for stringing along Derek just to get money to support Leo, she wouldn’t even bother to humor him. If she didn’t even like her own son, would she like me and the baby? But Derek kept pleading with me: “Chloe, Mom rarely comes to our place. She genuinely wants to take care of you and our baby. Just do it for me, please.” Seeing his hopeful face, I couldn’t bear to refuse and agreed. I never imagined I was setting myself up for such a huge disaster. When I was discharged and returned home, I found that Derek had given the master bedroom to Brenda. Lily and I were relegated to the smaller second bedroom. The tiny room, with a bassinet crammed in, left me barely any space to move. That would have been somewhat bearable. But the second bedroom had no private bathroom, so every time I had to bathe Lily, I had to use the main bathroom. Brenda wouldn’t even properly dry Lily’s hair or body. She’d just haphazardly wrap her in a bath towel and hand her to me to get dressed. I reminded her that the baby could easily catch a cold that way. She immediately complained to Derek, accusing me of nitpicking. Before she came, Derek and I had a pretty good relationship. We never had a serious argument or raised our voices at each other. I remembered when I first came out of the delivery room, he had red-rimmed eyes and gently touched my IV-drip hand, saying, “You worked so hard, my love.” He even held Lily, smiling foolishly and saying how lucky he was to have such a cute daughter. I thought I was so happy then. But after Brenda arrived, within just a few days, Derek was like a different person. “She’s my mom, what do you expect me to do?” “She’s my mom, can’t you just put up with it?” “She’s my mom, can you please stop making a scene?” We argued almost daily. I was utterly fed up. But looking at Lily’s adorable little face, I told myself to just let it go. Brenda would leave once my postpartum confinement was over anyway. As for Derek, my feelings for him had faded. I’d just consider him a roommate to raise our daughter. Endure it! Endure it! I wanted to endure, but Brenda didn’t. The moment Derek left, Brenda walked right in. She went to the window without a word and, *bang*, flung it open. A late autumn chill immediately poured into the room.

I panicked. Lily had just had a bath; her body was still damp, making her highly susceptible to catching a cold. With the wind blowing, she coughed several times. I yelled, “What are you doing opening the window? Close it now!” Brenda pursed her lips and said, smiling sweetly, “Didn’t you say you wanted to follow scientific recovery methods? I specifically learned that bedrooms need ventilation!” I was fuming. “Ventilation means opening the window just a crack during the warm daytime hours. Who opens a window wide open in the dead of a cold night for ventilation?” She was clearly doing it on purpose to provoke me. As soon as I said that, she lowered her head, eyes red-rimmed, and walked out, as if I had subjected her to immense injustice. I quickly braved the cold wind and closed the window. The moment I got back into bed, Derek burst in. “Chloe Miller, can you please stop being so dramatic? I stewed pig trotters soup for your milk supply, and you said it was old-fashioned and unscientific.” “My mom, at her age, specifically went to learn scientific methods for pregnant women, and she ventilated your room, yet you yell at her.” “Can’t you show some manners and be more sensible?” “My mom is fifty years old! She’s trying to help you, and she’s doing it wrong?” Looking at his angry, dark-red face, I suddenly felt like I was looking at a complete stranger. My body felt colder than when the wind had swept through earlier. I tightened my shawl and said coldly, “Derek, don’t let your mom trouble herself with me anymore. Tell her to leave tomorrow.” He clenched his jaw. “Fine! You said it, don’t you dare regret it!” With that, he slammed the door and left. Lily was startled by the door slamming and burst into tears. I could hear Derek comforting Brenda in the living room. No one came to check on Lily. I endured the pain from my C-section incision, picked up Lily, and gently soothed her. Her small head brushed against my chest, and I felt a jolt, a sharp pain radiating up and down my body. I shivered uncontrollably. For the first time, I felt like I’d be better off a widow. Tears silently streamed down my face. In five days of recovery, I shed more tears than I had in my entire twenty-five years combined. Partly due to unstable hormones, but mostly because my heart had died. All night long, not a single person came in to care for Lily. I stayed awake the entire night, completely drained of energy. Early this morning, Lily started crying again. Derek said he was going to buy diapers, and Brenda said she was getting groceries. They both left. My head was spinning, and I didn’t have the energy to argue. I just told myself the argument from yesterday was over. It would just be like this, I had to get through this recovery period, right? I never imagined they were using an excuse to leave, afraid I would stop them. And I certainly never expected them to board a plane for a vacation to clear their heads. No wonder I couldn’t reach them on their phones; they were on a flight. This made me laugh, a bitter, hollow laugh. Did such a man deserve to be a husband, a father? How foolish was I to still treat him like a human being? I tossed my phone aside, pondering what to do next. I couldn’t come up with anything. So I simply cleared my mind and stared at the stark white ceiling. After a long moment, I told myself: Chloe Miller, this cannot go on. Perhaps because half a day had passed, and I hadn’t replied to a single message, Derek felt a bit frustrated and sent two more. “Chloe Miller, I just want you to experience how hard it is to take care of a child, and how much my mom sacrifices. Don’t be ungrateful, not knowing how good you have it.” “Mom is very upset, I’ll go comfort her again. You caused this mess, and I have to clean it up. Why can’t you be more like Vanessa… Never mind, we’re about to board a boat for a sea excursion. You video call Mom tonight and apologize to her.” I barely heard what he said after that. But he mentioned “Vanessa” and paused, and I heard that clearly. Hah! He was still thinking about her. I used to wonder why the less his mom liked him, the harder he tried to please her; and why, even after Vanessa dumped him, he still couldn’t forget her. I thought it was because he lacked love as a child. Now I understood. Wasn’t that just pathetic?

My right hand, pressing the cotton ball, was aching, so I unconsciously shook it a little. The blood at the needle site, which hadn’t clotted, suddenly gushed out. I quickly called for the nurse. The nurse, who happened to be at the doorway, hurried back to help me replace the cotton ball. “Press harder! You bled so much, you need to press longer!” Her voice was a little stern. I weakly nodded. “Okay!” Seeing my poor condition, the nurse softened her tone. “You still have two more bags of IV fluids later, and you don’t seem to have much energy. Maybe hire a caregiver? Not noticing blood returning in the IV can be very dangerous.” “Then please help me find a good caregiver,” I said. In the past, because I wanted a bigger house and a nicer car, I scrimped and saved, not even buying myself a bubble tea. And now, those two were flying to the beach, staying in a five-star hotel, and enjoying a seafood feast. My frugality was an absolute joke. I needed to be good to myself. The next IV bag was scheduled for half an hour later. I endured the pain all over my body and went to the NICU to see Lily. When I arrived, the ward nurse said Lily had just gotten over her fever and was asleep. Because I had a high fever, the doctor wouldn’t let me get close to Lily. I could only watch from a distance. I saw other babies being looked after by entire families, while Lily lay alone in her small crib. Her little face was flushed, and she was breathing with tiny, labored gasps through her small open mouth. She must have sweated from the fever earlier; her short, soft hair was matted to her scalp. My heart ached with a mix of sorrow and pain. I could endure any hardship for myself, but I couldn’t bear to see my daughter suffer. Reluctantly, I still called Derek. He didn’t answer. I called several times, and he hung up each time. I sent a message, telling him Lily was hospitalized and needed someone to stay with her. He sent a voice message much later, his voice full of anger. “Chloe Miller, can you stop being so dramatic? The moment I leave, you have to invent a lie about our daughter being hospitalized?” “I’m just accompanying Mom to clear her head. Can’t you just be calm for a few days?” I looked at his message, and my heart felt like it had swallowed a block of ice. It slowly melted, chilling my entire body bit by bit, to the bone. How foolish was I to still treat him like a human being? All those tangled thoughts suddenly became crystal clear. If Derek truly loved me, he wouldn’t have insisted Brenda come stay with us in the first place. Every time there was a conflict with Brenda, he wouldn’t have simply told me to endure it. He disregarded my feelings for only one reason: he didn’t love me at all. I earned enough money to live a perfectly comfortable life on my own, so why was I staying in a strange city, enduring hardship and being disrespected? Why should I expect others to suddenly show me kindness? There was no reason, absolutely no reason at all! It took me barely a second to make my decision: leave this city, leave that rotten excuse for a human being!

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My wife posted a picture on Ins of an ultrasound and her baby bump. The comments section exploded, tagging me with congratulations. Calmly, I replied: “Not my baby. We’re done.” Moments later, my wife’s furious call came through. “Are you sick?! He’s dying, what’s wrong with me giving him a child? Can’t you be more generous?” I was “generous” enough to fulfill my wife and her first love’s wish, leaving the divorce papers. But then, she regretted it. Briar Thorne had always hated children. She’d say pregnancy and childbirth would ruin her career, and a crying baby would drive her insane. I’d tried to discuss it with her, but she’d instantly explode the moment I brought it up: “Are you trying to kill me?! Do you have any idea about amniotic fluid embolism?!” Her stance on the matter was rock-solid. Two years ago, she demanded I get a vasectomy. She didn’t even enjoy intimacy with me, and we always used contraception anyway. But I thought, what if she wanted a child later? Briar’s face instantly darkened. A pillow slammed into me, and she hissed, “You won’t get a vasectomy, huh? Fine, divorce!” I didn’t want to argue, so I just went along with it. Recently, I’d seen her researching pregnancy tips and buying supplements she used to despise. I thought she’d finally come around, and happily booked a vasectomy reversal surgery. But now, it seems she *can* accept having a baby—just not *my* baby!

Briar came home at eight tonight. Usually, she worked late into the night, and lately, she’d been using “busy with work” as an excuse to not come home at all. I bet she wasn’t busy with work; she was busy trying to conceive with Julian Vance! Briar hugged me from behind. It was the first time she’d initiated affection in ages. Her arms wrapped around my waist, her voice dripping with flattery: “Honey, there’s truly nothing going on between Julian and me. This is just about helping him have a child. You know he’s in the late stages of ALS. I promise, as soon as I’ve seen him through the last chapter of his life, I’ll cut him out of my life for good!” I brushed her hands away, turning to face her, my voice cold and laced with sarcasm: “And then what? So you expect me to be a cuckold, raising your kid with him?” My attitude instantly ignited her displeasure: “I’ve explained everything, what more do you want? Can’t you be a man instead of acting like a lunatic? You’re such a disappointment!” “Didn’t you say you loved me? If you love me, why can’t you accept even this? Besides, you can’t have kids anyway, wouldn’t it be better to just treat our baby as your own?” She rattled on, as if I were the villain tearing them apart. I forced myself to suppress my anger: “I had a vasectomy, but it can be reversed! I’m not infertile!” “And why did I get one in the first place? Because you were frail, and I was worried about an accidental pregnancy causing you suffering!” Briar, enraged and humiliated, slammed the door shut and stormed out. Briar was gone early in the morning. I printed the divorce papers and went to her company, but couldn’t find her. Her assistant said she hadn’t been to work for days. So, she wasn’t out early and back late for work, but to care for Julian. I went to the hospital for my shift as usual. Before heading home, I walked past the OB/GYN department and saw Briar and Julian in the hallway. She was clutching Julian’s arm, her perfectly sculpted brows furrowed. “Are you stalking me?” I looked at Julian beside her. His gaze didn’t waver, meeting mine with a defiant challenge. He even feigned intimacy, playfully rubbing Briar’s earlobe. “Baby, don’t think that about Noah. Why would he stalk us? There’s nothing going on between us. Noah will understand.” I scoffed. Huh, I’d been married to Briar for years, yet she didn’t even know where I worked. “Oh yeah, you two are so innocent. So innocent you ended up in the OB/GYN department.” Seeing me expose their affair, Briar furiously shoved me. “If you weren’t stalking us, why are you here? Are you really so intolerant?!” I’d been so busy all day I hadn’t even had a drop of water, and I’d just finished a four-hour surgery. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, I was unprepared for her push and my body slammed against the corner of a counter behind me. Briar looked momentarily guilty. Julian immediately came over, feigning concern to help me, chiding Briar, but a triumphant smirk played on his lips. I pushed him away in disgust. Unexpectedly, he collapsed directly to the floor. Briar rushed to cradle Julian, looking at me with loathing: “Don’t you know he’s in the late stages of his illness?! If anything happens to Julian, I swear I’ll never forgive you!” I watched helplessly as my wife left with another man.

After work, I returned home, opened my phone, and saw Julian Vance’s Ins post: “So incredibly happy to have such a wonderful woman by my side.” The picture showed Briar holding Julian’s hand. Beneath it were replies from Briar’s friends: “Isn’t this our Briar’s hand? 😉” “Lovers always find their way back to each other, congrats!” “Moved by such unwavering, beautiful love. Blessings!” The next second, I saw Briar’s reply: “Stop stirring things up, Julian is sick, I’m just taking care of him. Do you want to see your brother-in-law and me get divorced?” At her words, Briar’s friends all implicitly responded with an ambiguous “Got it.” Only Chelsea Reed said: “Pfft, who cares about him. You’re already pregnant with your true love’s baby anyway, just get divorced already.” Chelsea was Briar’s best friend. She’d always thought I wasn’t good enough for Briar, that I wasn’t as considerate or sensible as Julian. I opened Ins and posted the signed divorce papers. They were barely up before I got a flood of likes and comments. But not a single one from Briar’s friends. They had tacitly chosen to pretend not to see it. Maybe by now, they were already celebrating Briar’s newfound freedom. I looked around the house. When we first got married, I excitedly discussed with Briar how to decorate our new home. Back then, Briar impatiently waved it off, leaving everything to me. Every single item in this house was meticulously chosen by me. I packed my belongings, tossing all the matching couple items into the trash. Just as I stepped out, I ran into Briar, who was returning. She stomped towards me in high heels, her face seething. “What are you doing? It’s just helping him have a baby, is that really worth a divorce?!” When I loved her, I thought she was adorable no matter what. But now, looking at her face, I realized she was just an ordinary person, even somewhat disgusting. I ignored her, pulling my luggage towards my car. But she ran over and grabbed me. “Are you done yet? Aren’t you just trying to force me? He’s sick, how can you be so vicious?!” How could she say such shameless things so casually? I couldn’t hold back anymore and pushed her away, mindful that she was pregnant, so I held back some strength. It wasn’t that I still had feelings for her; I just wanted her to be tied down with Julian Vance and divorce me quickly. ““Yes, I’m that vicious. So hurry up and sign the papers.” Behind me, Briar’s angry shouts echoed: “Fine, you leave, and don’t you dare regret it!”

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My $5 million wedding, meticulously planned by me, was given to my fiancé Liam’s secretary Chloe’s two puppies. The reception photos I Photoshopped overnight were crossed out and replaced with dog posters. Even the pink roses I had airlifted from France were covered in dog pee, the venue a chaotic mess. All because Chloe said her pet dogs were terminally ill, and she wanted to give them a perfect wedding. Liam even deliberately allowed Chloe to rip off my wedding dress and put it on the dogs. All the guests sneered with contempt. “Stella deserves it. Liam used to spoil her rotten, but she didn’t know what was good for her and pulled out his mother’s oxygen tube.” “That kind of vicious woman deserves to go to hell and be dismembered. She deserves to die!” Crying, I signed to Liam: “I don’t want to marry you anymore. Please let me go, Liam.” Right in front of me, Liam slipped the ring onto Chloe’s finger, then cruelly poured red wine over my head. “I felt the same pain when my mom died. No matter how much you hated her, you shouldn’t have killed her.” “Stella, you’ll never be free in this lifetime.” That night, he emerged from Chloe’s room, covered in suggestive scratches, and pressed a cigarette butt into my palm. “Stella, if you can endure the hundredth wedding, will I forgive you?” I nodded foolishly. His friends, however, burst out laughing. “Where does Stella get the confidence? She killed Liam’s mother and still dreams of making up with him!” I quietly walked out the door. The snow was falling heavily. I clutched the ALS diagnosis report in my hand. What you don’t know, Liam, is that we won’t have a next time.

I went to my mother’s hospital bed and held her hand. “Mom, after your surgery, will you take me to buy a plot at the cemetery? When I die, I’ll be waiting for you to bring me flowers.” My mom’s eyes were red from crying. “My poor child, why do you have to suffer from this disease? Liam used to love you so much, why is he torturing you like this now?” She knew our past better than anyone, and she’d seen how Liam would do anything for me. When others mocked me for being mute, Liam would be the first to beat them black and blue. When I was falsely accused of plagiarism, he rushed to school to defend me, even before his own surgery was finished… I shook my head. “Mom, it’s my bad luck. I accept it.” Ever since Liam’s mother died. Liam hated me to his core. Everyone in New York mocked me as a murderer, trampling me into the dirt. “Stella, aren’t you shameless? Liam was so good to you, yet you still pulled out his mom’s oxygen tube? Do you know Liam didn’t even get to see his mother one last time?” Yes, he was so good to me, how could I kill his mother? No one knew. The day Liam’s mother passed away, she pulled out her own oxygen tube. I cried and rushed to her, but she said: “Child, I don’t want to be a burden to Liam anymore. Just let me go peacefully.” The moment I walked out of the hospital room, I received the news from the doctor that I didn’t have long to live. It hit me like a lightning bolt. Before I could even tell Liam, he came to me with his mother’s suicide note, demanding to know why I had pulled out her oxygen tube. “Stella, my biggest regret in this life was protecting you, falling in love with you.” No matter how I explained, he simply refused to believe I hadn’t killed his mother. For the first wedding, he openly invited young models to a party and made Chloe whip me 99 times, the girl who used to bully me. Watching my heartbroken expression, he laughed with perverse satisfaction. “Can a vicious woman like you even cry?” At the seventy-eighth wedding, he publicly mocked me for being mute. “An unpresentable nobody. I must have been blind to fall for her.” Yet, it was he who, when I was insulted for being mute, bravely shielded me. “What’s wrong with being mute? From now on, I’ll be your voice. I’ll speak for you.” The ninety-eighth wedding was canceled. Liam, drunk, held me and said: “Stella, we’ve tormented each other enough. How about I marry you just this once? I don’t hate you anymore.” I naively believed Liam had finally trusted me, but when he sobered up, he personally shattered my hope. He made me the whole damn city’s laughingstock for the ninety-ninth time. “Stella, you killed my mom. I’ll never marry you, not in this life, not in the next.” “Stop dreaming.” As the red wine poured over my head. I remembered when I was eighteen, Liam promised me under a wisteria waterfall, “Stella, one day I, Liam, will give you a grand wedding. I’ll make you the most beautiful bride!” The boy who once trusted and protected me unconditionally was gone. He didn’t know I was already running out of time. I willingly gave up treatment. Once my mother’s surgery was successful, I would end my own life.

But unexpectedly, the day before my mom’s surgery, something went wrong. News came from the hospital, “Liam, the most powerful man in New York, just had his girlfriend confirmed with leukemia. He took away the bone marrow donor.” I ran to the hospital like a madwoman, groveling before Liam, my mouth uselessly trying to form words. My trembling hands signed, “Liam, please, I beg you, let my mom go. You’ve humiliated me ninety-nine times at our weddings, isn’t that enough?” His eyes were sinister. “No! Of course not, you killed my mom. Now you want to sacrifice my girlfriend’s safety to save your mom?” “This is just my revenge on you. Your mom deserves this; who told her to raise such a heartless, ungrateful daughter?” Crying, I signed: “I didn’t!” Liam’s eyes were red as he roared: “Haven’t you told that lie enough for one lifetime? What makes you think I’ll believe you? Could my mom’s handwritten suicide note possibly be fake?” I sobbed, shaking my head. I didn’t know why Aunt Eleanor would leave such a note. All I knew was that the boy who once kissed my forehead and said, “Stella, no matter what happens, I’ll always stand by you,” had condemned me based on a piece of paper whose authenticity he never questioned. Chloe’s eyes flickered. “Exactly! How could Liam possibly misjudge his mom’s handwriting?” Liam’s gaze at me grew even more hateful. “In school, you slandered Chloe, saying she bullied you. Now, slap yourself eighty-eight times. If it’s not loud enough, then your mom’s life…” I stared at him in disbelief. The facts he saw with his own eyes, how had they become slander? Chloe was my nightmare back in school. She put nails in my shoes, cornered me in the bathroom with a group of girls to cut my hair, calling me a “dead mute.” For my sake, Liam had kicked her out of New York. But now, Liam spent every day being intimate with her in our marital bed. He even threatened me with my mother: “Unwilling? Fine, then your mom’s illness…” I bit my lip in humiliation, slapping myself again and again until blood appeared by my ears. I signed: “Is that enough?” A flicker of indiscernible pain crossed Liam’s eyes, then he sneered. “How could that be enough?” “Is your mom’s life so worthless in your eyes?” A crushing wave of pain and sorrow washed over me. My eyes red, I typed: “What do you want?” “How about you bark like a dog for me? Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot you’re mute. Never mind then.” Liam pulled Chloe into his arms. “You’re right, she’s a cripple after all.” Chloe leaned shyly into his embrace. “You’re so mean! How can you humiliate Stella like that?” “But, if Stella is willing to crawl around the hospital like a dog, maybe I can consider saving her mom first. What do you think, Liam?” Liam dotingly ruffled her nose. “You’re my girlfriend, of course I’ll listen to you.” My blood ran cold. His doting look was so reminiscent of seven years ago. If anyone dared to call me mute, or a cripple, Liam would beat them across New York until they never dared to insult me again. Then he’d ruffle my nose: “You’re my girlfriend, no one gets to bully my precious Stella.” But the person he was protecting had changed. I choked back the tears, telling myself I was going to die anyway. “Okay.” Liam hadn’t expected me to actually crawl like a dog, bowing my head as I went. But after I finished, Chloe went back on her word, still insisting the donor go to her. My eyes red from crying, I signed, asking her why. She said: “Because you can’t speak, you can’t bark to please me, can you?”

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My Dead Best Friend Suddenly Talked to Me in a Dream “Clara! Gold is going to crash next week! Whatever you do, don’t buy it!” My best friend and I had grown up together, and I trusted her completely. So, when everyone else was buying gold, I stubbornly held my parents back, forbidding them from investing. But the next week, gold prices soared. Everyone who bought it made a huge fortune. Dad’s chemotherapy money for his cancer instantly vanished. Mom cried day and night because of it, and in a daze, she got into a car accident. As I scrambled to borrow money for my parents’ medical bills, my best friend contacted me again in a dream. “Clara, I was wrong last time. Trust me again! You absolutely have to buy stocks in that pistol-shooting game! It’s about to skyrocket!” I believed her again, maxing out my loans to buy a million dollars worth of stock. But the moment I bought in, the stock plummeted to rock bottom. I was totally wiped out, yet my best friend contacted me a third time in a dream. “Clara! Go save your dad! He doesn’t want to be a burden, he’s about to jump off the building with your mom!” I rushed to the hospital where my parents were, and sure enough, Dad was preparing to jump. I fought with all my might to pull him back. Just as I sighed in relief and left, Mom suddenly woke up and stabbed Dad to death with a knife. I sobbed, asking Mom why. She only said one thing: “Clara, this is all because of you! You should just die!” Then she stabbed herself and stopped breathing. Overnight, I was saddled with massive debt and even lost my home. In despair, I drank poison and committed suicide. But even as I died, I couldn’t understand why my best friend, who had always treated me like family, would cause my death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day my best friend told me not to buy gold.

“Clara! Gold is going to crash next week! Whatever you do, don’t buy it!” I shot up from bed, cold sweat soaking my pajamas. The horrors of my previous life replayed in my mind like a movie. Dad’s blood, Mom’s hatred, the abusive calls from loan sharks—every scene pierced my heart. This time, I would never let any of it happen again! A commotion suddenly broke out outside my bedroom. I hurriedly opened the door and saw several men in bank uniforms. “Robert, your company’s assets aren’t enough to cover the debt. We’re repossessing this house now!” “You have one hour to move out!” Dad’s face went ghost-white in an instant, his voice filled with pleading. “Please, sirs, can you give us a few more days? My daughter is still in school.” “If you take the house now, my child won’t even have a place to live!” The man sneered. “So many people go bankrupt every year. Should we give everyone a few extra days?!” “Don’t drag this out! Move out today!” Mom choked back tears, unable to speak. I walked over, put an arm around her shoulder, and asked softly, “Mom, Dad, where will we live now?” Dad forced a smile, about to speak, when he suddenly clutched his mouth and coughed violently. Beads of blood seeped through his fingers and splattered onto the floor. My heart tightened. In my previous life, Dad was diagnosed with cancer around this time! “Dad, you’re spitting blood! We need to go to the hospital right now!” But he violently shook off my hand, his eyes filled with despair. “Clara, I’ve already been to the hospital. It’s stage two liver cancer… The doctor said I need a ten-thousand-dollar down payment to be admitted.” Mom wiped away her tears, adding, “We originally planned to sell the house to raise money, but now the house is gone too. Don’t worry about these things. Focus on your studies, your mom and I will figure something out.” I cut her off, clenching my jaw. “Mom, Dad, find a hotel to stay in for now. I’ll come find you later. I have a way to get the money!” My parents stared at me, full of surprise and doubt, but finally nodded. I ran back to my room, my hands trembling as I called my classmate. Her dad was a bank president, so she’d definitely know any insider information. “Jessica, please, can you ask your dad if gold prices are going to rise soon? I really need money urgently, otherwise, I’d never bother you.” About ten minutes later, Jessica called back, her voice barely a whisper. “My dad says international gold prices are going to surge soon, but don’t you dare tell anyone else!” My hand gripping the phone tightened abruptly, a flicker of joy in my eyes. “I know, thank you, Jessica. I won’t say anything!” I hung up and immediately called Dad, my voice trembling. “Dad! Do you still have a few thousand dollars? Go buy gold with it right away!” “My friend’s parents are bankers, and they say gold will skyrocket tomorrow!” “If we put all our money into gold, we’ll have enough for your treatment!” Dad’s voice on the other end was shaking with excitement. “Clara, is that really true? But what if we lose it all…?” I said firmly. “Dad, there’s no ‘what if’! This information is absolutely solid!” My parents immediately went out and converted all their money into gold. That night, our family huddled together on the small bed in the hotel, our hands tightly clasped. But I dreamt of Stella again. Her face was grave, filled with worry. “Clara, I told you not to buy gold! The price will crash tomorrow, why won’t you ever listen to me!” I was about to snap back at her when I suddenly woke up. It was daylight, the bed beside me was empty, and even the small bag of gold I’d put on the table was gone.

I rushed out in a panic, only to see Dad return from outside, his face ashen, holding a thin stack of cash. I ran up and grabbed his arm, my voice trembling. “Dad, where’s the gold? Did the price go up?” Dad’s eyes were frighteningly red, his lips trembling, unable to speak. Mom followed behind him, her voice hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing. “Clara, this morning the gold price plummeted to rock bottom. We lost everything!” “How is that possible?!” I couldn’t believe it and pulled out my phone. As soon as I unlocked it, news headlines about “Gold Prices Plunge, Investors Wiped Out” flooded the screen. Even the financial news channel was showing the real-time gold price crash curve. My legs went weak, and I nearly collapsed to the floor. Mom quickly held me, her voice attempting forced comfort. “It’s okay, Clara. You meant well for the family. We don’t blame you…” But I still couldn’t believe it. In my previous life, gold prices had skyrocketed! Before I could even process what happened, Mom frantically went out to borrow money, but she got into a car accident on the way and fell into a coma. Dad and I rushed to the hospital. Looking at the impossibly long ICU bill, Dad’s hands trembled. “Clara, your mom’s rescue is urgent. My illness… I’ll just put it off for now.” I cried out in desperation, “No, Dad, you can’t! You need treatment, and Mom needs to be saved too!” “I’ll find a way to get the money!” That night, I sat on a chair in the hospital corridor all night. My mind raced with how to raise money. In a semi-conscious state in the middle of the night, Stella appeared in my dream again. “My dear Clara, did something happen at home?” “Go buy stocks in that pistol-shooting game immediately. This stock is going to rise! Buy it today, sell it tomorrow, and you’ll have enough money to save them!” Stella disappeared after speaking, but I woke up with a cold expression. In my previous life, I’d never played that game and simply believed whatever Stella said. But now, I needed to ask someone! I thought of my cousin, Mikey. He always loved spending time at gaming lounges playing games. Asking him would be a sure bet! Arriving at my cousin’s house, I quickly knocked on the door. Aunt Sarah, rubbing her eyes, opened the door. Her face darkened when she saw me. “Clara, what are you doing knocking so early in the morning!” “I know your family went bankrupt. Are you here to borrow money from us now? I’m telling you, you won’t get a single cent!” She started to close the door, but I quickly jammed my hand in the way, my voice pleading. “Aunt Sarah, I’m not here to borrow money. I just need to ask Mikey something. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done.” Aunt Sarah frowned, looked at me for a moment, then reluctantly let me in. “Fine! Ask your question and leave, alright!” I thanked her profusely and went into Mikey’s room. Mikey was wearing headphones, playing a game, his dark circles under his eyes, like a raccoon’s. “Clara, what are you doing here so early? I haven’t finished this round yet.” “Mikey, stop playing. I need to ask you something!” I grabbed his headphones. “Tell me about that pistol-shooting game. Did anything happen with it recently? You play it all the time, you must know the inside scoop!” At the mention of the game, Mikey instantly perked up, sitting up straight to discuss it with me. “Clara, you’ve definitely asked the right person!” “The game changed its mechanics a while ago. All those top-tier items players spent tens of thousands on before? Now you can buy them for fifty bucks!” “A lot of people sank hundreds of thousands into it, and now it’s all worthless. Yesterday, someone at the gaming lounge was crying and talking about doing something drastic!” My heart sank. I asked again, “So, do you think their stock could possibly rise?” Mikey looked at me like I’d said something ridiculous, his eyes wide. “My dear Clara, have you lost your mind? The company is in such a state, it’d be a miracle if their stock didn’t get delisted, let alone rise?” “If you want to play the market, why not buy stocks in their rival company? A lot of players have been switching to their game recently, so their stock is bound to go up!” After he finished speaking, the weight in my heart finally lifted. Sure enough, Stella in my previous life had deliberately tricked me. She wanted to push me to my death! I smiled at Mikey. “Thanks, Mikey. My love for you wasn’t wasted!” Leaving my cousin’s house, I didn’t hesitate. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number for a high-interest loan company. I borrowed fifteen thousand dollars, then used Dad’s trading account to buy all the shares in the rival company. Everything Stella said was wrong, so if I did the opposite, it had to work!

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