My mom jumped off a building, and her blood splattered on my face. My stepmom, heavily pregnant, collapsed into the pool of blood, sobbing, “Professor! I wronged you! I’ll return your husband to you! I’ll give him back to you!” With tear-filled eyes, my dad helped her up. “You’re carrying my child. Please, don’t harm yourself!” As I watched them embrace and cry, I suffered a heart attack and fell into my stepbrother’s arms. My stepbrother, unsure how to comfort me, said, “The departed can’t return. You need to accept and find peace.” I pressed my face against my stepbrother’s chest, hiding the hatred etched on my own. Years later, as I looked at my former stepmom’s body, carrying my stepbrother’s child, I repeated the same words to him. “The departed can’t return. Brother, you need to accept and find peace!” 1. Six months after my stepmom moved in, all of my mom’s belongings suddenly vanished. I approached my stepmom, but before I could ask anything, she cried out, “Hazel, stop!” and collapsed, screaming. The door clicked open at that moment. I looked up and met my dad’s shocked eyes. My stepmom lay on the floor, clutching her pregnant belly with one hand and grabbing me with the other, crying desperately. “Hazel, wait until I give birth. You can do whatever you want to me, but please, spare the child inside me! He’s your dear brother! I’m begging you…” Her voice grew weaker, and a chill ran through my heart. “What are you talking about? I didn’t even touch you! It was you who…” “Hazel Bennett!” My dad’s shout interrupted me. He rushed over, picked up my sweating stepmom, and looked at me, gritting his teeth. “Last night, your aunt offered to organize your mom’s belongings so you could keep them safe. I agreed, but now…” He held my stepmom and walked out, instructing the nanny, “Chris! Throw away all of the previous Mrs. Bennett’s belongings! Don’t keep a single thing!” My mind was in turmoil as I lunged forward, pleading, “Dad, don’t! Don’t throw away mom’s things, they’re all I have left!” He turned to look at me. “Just because you have a heart condition, your stepmom has been extremely patient and careful with you, even while pregnant.” “And you?” “It’s because your mom didn’t raise you well that you’re so ungrateful and repay kindness with resentment!” Seeing me clutching my chest, struggling to breathe, he coldly said, “If this happens again, you’ll have to move out!” Dad hurried away, carrying my stepmom. I stood frozen, unable to move. What did I just hear? Dad wants to kick me out? He even said I’m ungrateful and repay kindness with resentment? I shivered with fear, suddenly lifting my head to watch their retreating figures. And as I looked up, I saw my stepmom’s face turn back. She leaned on my dad’s shoulder, moaning in pain, but her face showed a secretive, happy smile, mouthing the words to me: “Poor little wretch.” 2. That night, my stepmom gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the hospital. The next day, I was ordered to apologize to her. When only the two of us were left in the hospital room, she glanced at me and finally revealed a contemptuous and arrogant expression. “Aren’t you going to apologize?” “I didn’t push you! And I won’t apologize for a child who should never have existed!” “How can you call your own brother a child without legitimacy?” She said seriously, “Indeed, this child was conceived before your parents divorced, but now I’m your dad’s legitimate wife! He’s a legitimate son!” I gritted my teeth, “Do you remember my mom was your Professor?” “Of course, because your mom was my mentor, I should take better care of her husband and you!” I almost vomited, but she couldn’t suppress the smile on her face any longer, speaking ambiguously and with delight, “Otherwise, wouldn’t it be pitiful for him to have no woman to hold on long lonely nights?” She glanced at me, feigning surprise, covering her mouth in mock horror, “Oh! Sorry! I forgot you’re still a student. I shouldn’t talk about such inappropriate things…” She looked at me innocently and apologetically, then giggled. My hands and feet went cold. The dirtiest and most venomous insults were stuck in my throat, powerless in front of this devil. Before my stepmom could finish laughing, the door suddenly swung open. A tall boy with a backpack walked in. My stepmom hurriedly hid her expression and turned back with a very gentle smile, calling out to the newcomer, “Asher.” Asher, my stepmom and her ex-husband’s son. It’s said he’s never placed anything but first since birth. He’s only a high school sophomore, yet top 10 universities nationwide are already competing for him, and he’s even made a name for himself through entrepreneurship. When they first moved into my house, I glimpsed the corner of a box. It was filled with competition gold medals. Golden and dazzling, just like Asher is to my stepmom, a shining gold crown. It gives her confidence to be arrogant and radiant anytime, anywhere. —It’s so blinding. It makes one want to… rip it off her head! He put down a thermos, then glanced at me, “Why is she here?” My stepmom sighed, “It’s about that misunderstanding. Though Hazel pushed me, it’s still my fault. Your uncle insists she apologizes, but I said it’s unnecessary…” “Then you should leave. I don’t think my mom needs your apology.” Asher interrupted her. I looked up to meet his cold eyes, biting my lip, turning to the stepmom, “What about my mom’s belongings…” But I stopped, shoulders slumping, and mumbled softly, “Never mind.” 3. That night, after leaving the hospital, I went to the garbage dump in the residential area. After searching for two hours in the piles of garbage, Asher suddenly appeared. He scolded me for not being careful and disregarding my health. After scolding, he stayed to help me search through the trash. I don’t understand why he did this. We worked all night, only finding a broken photo frame. I took it, carefully wiping off the dirt. Inside the frame was a candid shot of my mom. That day she came to pick me up from school. But because of a small argument, I was sulking with her. So when I saw her at the school gate, I didn’t say a word, deliberately walking ahead with some classmates, laughing loudly. Only after parting with them did I casually look back. My mom was there, silent and gloomy, but she never lost sight of me, like a quiet shadow. But I knew she wasn’t my shadow; she was my guardian angel. Even when I was stubborn and often argued with her, she loved me deeply. Why did I always argue with her? Why was I so mean? I was a bad child. And it was for this bad child that she got so worried, easily believed that woman’s threats, and met such a tragic end! “Shouldn’t those things have been thrown away together in a bag? Why did we only find one frame?” What else could it be? Someone guessed I’d come looking, so they instructed the nanny to scatter the items separately. Even after just giving birth, my stepmom had the energy to assign tasks to the nanny. I sneered internally, but outwardly I just said, “If your aunt finds out you helped me search through trash, she won’t be pleased.” “My mom isn’t like that. She has already forgiven you for what happened yesterday, and we all believe you didn’t push her.” I glanced at him. Moonlight shone on the young man’s face. His expression was slightly indifferent, but his eyes held a faint concern. It’s strange how such a venomous stepmother could have such a child. Is he smart? He believes whatever his mom says. Is he dumb? Yet he seems destined for greatness, a super genius. I guess, until the baby grows up, Asher will always be the golden crown on my stepmom’s head, won’t he? He might even shine brighter, making her more audacious. I thought about this and suddenly grabbed Asher’s sleeve. “Brother.” He looked at me in surprise. They had lived in my house for six months, and I had never called him brother. But I kept my head down, looking at the photo of my mom, gently saying, “It doesn’t matter if others believe me or not, as long as you do.” I called him “Brother” again. Asher smiled, patting my head like a real brother, affectionately calling me, “Hazel.” 4. That weekend, the garbage trucks hauled away all the trash, ending our garbage mountain ordeal. During this time, thanks to my stepmom’s “special instructions,” Asher accompanied me almost every night to sneak out in search of those scattered belongings. We searched through the trash in the silent nights, pretending not to know each other during the day. While my stepmom was in the hospital, she often had my dad call me there. She claimed it was to let me see my brother more and bond with him. But whenever we were alone, she’d keep telling me, “The family’s estate will all belong to your brother~” She’d also say, “If you could be a good nanny to my little son and let him ride you like a horse, I’ll let him give you some money as a dowry in the future, how about that?” Seeing her so high and mighty, with a smug and wild expression, I’d always “tremble with rage.” Only after she had her fill of flaunting and bullying would I sling my bag and leave the hospital. She didn’t know that while she was “mentally abusing” me, her most prized son, Asher, waited for me at the hospital entrance. He didn’t seem to like his newborn brother much, spending little time in the hospital room. But he’d wait for me downstairs for a long time. “What’s so fun about the kid? You never want to leave.” He thought I liked that brat. I’d look at him with a smile and nod, saying he’s cute. Every time, Asher would shake his head, unable to understand. Then he’d take me out to eat, visit bookstores, and even go to shops girls like, letting me pick whatever I wanted. He’d tell me not to save his money. “I’ve already made quite a bit, don’t tell my mom.” He looked somewhat proud, and I’d happily swipe his card. He’s so good to me, more and more like a brother who dotes on his sister. [Are kids really that fun? You always seem reluctant to leave.] He assumed I liked that little rascal. I always smiled at him, nodding and saying, “Adorable.” Whenever I did, Asher would shake his head, looking puzzled. Then he’d take me out to eat, visit bookstores, and even go to jewelry stores that girls love. He’d tell me to buy whatever I liked. “Don’t try to save money for me.” He looked a bit smug, and I delightedly used his card. He treated me so well, more and more like a brother who dotes on his sister. This also meant that the leverage I had was increasing. When I spent most of his savings on a luxury watch for myself, he was displeased. “The diamonds are too small. I’ll get you a better one next time.” I touched the watch, blushing and smiling. Because… the moment had arrived! — On the day my stepmom returned arrogantly with the little brat, I “coincidentally” got bullied by some mean girls at the school gate. I twisted my ankle when I fell, was covered in bruises, and couldn’t walk. What to do? Call my brother. Seeing my sorry state made him furious. He asked who did it, but I wouldn’t say. So, he carried me to the hospital. After a series of checks, medication, and ice packs, it was quite late. When we got out of the car at the residential area gate, I wanted to hop back home myself. But Asher scolded me, so I let him carry me. As we got closer to home, I pretended to be “nervous.” “What if my aunt gets upset seeing you carrying me?” “Why would she? What do you think my mom is like?” Asher laughed, “You just don’t know her, that’s why you’re scared. She’s actually very simple and kind.” I felt a bit queasy but held onto his neck tighter, nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. “I trust you, brother.” A few minutes later. In the villa living room. Asher carried me into my stepmom’s sight. The table full of dishes had long gone cold. Stepmom sat in front of the empty table, staring at our close figures in disbelief, her expression almost terrifying. Asher paused, “What’s going on?” “Don’t you know tonight is your brother’s one-month celebration?” Stepmom’s voice was extremely strained, like a string about to snap. “I waited for you for three hours. Why are you back so late?” Asher frowned, “Waiting for me? You should’ve eaten. Hazel sprained her ankle today, so I took her to the hospital for a check-up. Thankfully, there was no fracture… I need to find out who pushed her when I go to school tomorrow…” Adding fuel to the fire. As I almost laughed out loud, stepmom finally slammed the table, nearly shouting, “Today is your brother’s one-month celebration! Your own brother!!!” The baby in the crib was startled and started crying. But Asher frowned, “Mom, what do you mean? Of course, Guoguo is my brother, but Hazel is also my sister. Her injury is obviously more important than some inconsequential one-month celebration.” I laughed heartily inside. Stepmom shook with anger, pointing at him, “Inconsequential? Are you out of your mind? Can’t even tell who’s close or distant…” She glared at me with red eyes, and I quickly hid my hand on Asher’s shoulder in a panic. The light from the watch flickered briefly. Stepmom’s expression froze as she sharply said, “What is that?!” I ‘trembled slightly’ on Asher’s back, not daring to speak. Stepmom stormed over, ignoring Asher’s retreat, aggressively grabbing my hand. The delicately beautiful watch appeared in front of her eyes, but the next second, Asher turned around and dodged. “Mom! What are you doing? I bought the watch for Hazel!” “You bought her a watch? You only gave your brother a silver bracelet worth a few hundred bucks since he was born, but you bought her a watch worth tens of thousands?!” Stepmom’s eyes were red, and she screamed, “Asher, are you crazy?!” Certainly! Here’s the adapted translation: — I curled up on Asher’s back, trembling, but I was smiling inside. Asher was tense and about to speak when footsteps suddenly echoed from upstairs. It was my dad coming down. The conflict abruptly ceased.

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The criminal tortured me to death while my father, a leading detective, and my mother, the chief forensic pathologist, were with my sister Lydia at her competition. A criminal that my dad had once apprehended sought revenge by cutting out my tongue and using my phone to call him. My dad said just one thing before hanging up: “Whatever happens, Lydia’s competition is the priority today!” The criminal laughed bitterly, “Seems like I kidnapped the wrong person. I thought they’d care more about their own flesh and blood!” At the crime scene, my parents were horrified by the gruesome condition of the body, angrily condemning the killer’s brutality. Yet, they didn’t realize that the person who died such a tragic death was their own daughter. …… My body was discovered in an abandoned building. Construction workers, unable to stop vomiting, called the police. My parents rushed from Nora’s celebration to the crime scene. The forensic specialist frowned, signaling them to put on masks. Dad, a top detective, and Mom, the best forensic pathologist in the city, had seen many crime scenes, but even they were shaken when they saw the body. In the sweltering summer heat, the body had swelled like a giant. The face was smashed beyond recognition, making identification impossible. Covered in bruises, the head was barely attached to the neck. The severely decomposed body emitted a nauseating stench. Mom closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and put on gloves to begin the preliminary examination. Her eyes showed a pity that I had never received from her in life. I watched uneasily as she removed the blood-stained ring from my hand. I had made identical rings for my family, but because it didn’t fit Nora, my parents had scolded me. “All you do is cause trouble, deliberately picking on your sister!” “Lydia, even though you are our biological daughter, Nora has been with us for eighteen years. She will always be more important than you!” Even though their angry words still echoed in my ears, I believed my parents still loved me. Surely, they would recognize the gift I gave them! But Mom just unemotionally signaled her assistant to put the ring into an evidence bag. I shouldn’t have expected anything. In my parents’ hearts, I never existed, even though I am their biological daughter. My brother said our parents adopted Nora because they couldn’t find me after I was taken. They still loved me the most. But when I returned home, there was no place for me anymore. I felt like an intruder. After examining the crime scene, Dad sighed and asked Mom, “What’s the situation with this body?” Mom took off her gloves, rubbing her furrowed brow, “The deceased is estimated to be around 20 years old. Preliminary cause of death is a throat cut, after prolonged torture.” “The method is extremely cruel, and the social impact is severe. We need to solve the case quickly before public opinion escalates.” My dad lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag as if he was troubled. Even in death, I seemed to be causing more trouble for my parents. The forensic specialist reminded, “The killer hasn’t been caught. Remind your family to be careful. You have two girls at home; don’t let them go out at night.” Mom said impatiently, “Nora is always obedient, but I can’t control Lydia.” The forensic specialist, an old classmate of my parents, naturally knew our family’s situation. Dad was rubbing his right shoulder. The forensic specialist noticed and asked, “Old Lin, is your shoulder acting up again?” Dad waved it off, “It’s nothing, just using the patch Lydia bought…” Saying this, he froze. The so-called disobedient daughter cared deeply for their health. The forensic specialist patted Dad on the back, “Be kinder to Lydia. After all, she’s your biological daughter.” Dad shook his head, “The other day, Nora’s tennis match was coming up, and she kept asking Lydia to watch. But she didn’t even answer her phone. Nora was so disappointed she only got third place.” “Lydia hasn’t been home for days. Who knows if she’s dead somewhere? It’s not the same raising someone else’s child.” Listening to my parents’ accusations, I felt like I was plunged into an icy cave. Mom and Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to come home. I just can’t anymore. The ungrateful child you speak of died the day you accompanied Nora to her tennis match. My body is right in front of you.

At the case discussion, after hearing Mom’s autopsy report, the officers present had solemn expressions. Because of my horrific death, facial recognition was impossible. The abandoned building where my body was dumped wasn’t the first crime scene, making it much harder to solve. Dad instructed his officers to search for suspicious individuals near the location where my body was found. “Please have the forensic team examine the body again to see if there’s anything new. Send the extracted DNA to the lab as soon as possible,” Dad told Mom before rushing off with his team. My parents seemed to care more for the corpse than for me. Mom once caressed Nora’s hair, saying forensic work gives a voice to the dead, a noble profession. I remember Nora nodding in agreement, only to wipe her hair in disgust when Mom turned away. That time, I slapped Nora, but Dad punished me by shaving my head. Now, Mom gently touched my hair, whispering, “To die so tragically, the family must be heartbroken.” I smirked bitterly. My family would probably be happy about my death. Maybe only my brother would be a little sad. Mom’s gloved hand ran across my back. There were large burn scars from when I was kidnapped. When I was brought home, Mom was both surprised and displeased, “What happened to your back? It’s disgusting. Don’t scare Nora.” Could Mom have recognized me through these scars? I bit my lip nervously, sweating at the temple. But the next second, Mom casually said, “These aren’t from this time.” The assistant suddenly exclaimed, “Sister Zhang, there’s a piece of paper in the victim’s stomach!” Mom’s eyes widened, sighing softly, “It’s been corroded by stomach acid. Let’s see if the forensic department can analyze it later.” Her phone suddenly rang—it was Nora’s favorite song. Mom took off her gloves, hurrying to the hallway, speaking in the gentlest voice, “Sweetheart, what’s up? Mommy’s working.” “Tomorrow? Really?” Mom paused, then promised, “Dad and I will definitely be there to cheer you on. Your brother is away on a business trip and can’t make it.” Nora’s playful voice echoed in my ears, “Love you, Mom! I still hope Lydia can come watch my match. With her encouragement, I’ll definitely win.” “Even if she doesn’t want to come, it’s understandable. After all, I’ve been hogging your and Dad’s love for so many years.” Though she and I never got along, Nora loved to put on a show of sisterly affection in front of our parents. Based on past experience, Mom was probably about to scold me again. Sure enough, Mom’s voice rose, “You’re Dad’s and my darling. Lydia is nothing! Stealing from the family and bullying you behind our backs, she’s not fit to be my daughter.” “Don’t worry, even if she breaks her leg, I’ll make sure she wheels herself to watch your match!” Nora laughed sweetly, “Dad called me today, reminding me to be safe. Mom, if you have time, remind Lydia too.” “Take care of yourself. As long as Lydia doesn’t die in front of me, who cares where she goes to mess around?” Mom always spoke with disdain when mentioning me. Maybe it’s because the daughter they found had been raised poorly, not meeting their standards. After they found me, they never even bothered to change my last name. To them, their only daughter was Nora. While they worried about Nora’s safety, no one remembered I was their biological daughter. If they knew the reason for my death, I wonder how they would react. After all, my death was orchestrated by Nora, and it involved them too.

Gently telling Nora to rest early, Mom received a call from my brother. “Nolan, when will you finish your business trip? Your sister is waiting for you to watch her match!” Mom asked before my brother could speak. The day I was brought back home, my parents were comforting a crying Nora, but only my brother took my hand, telling me not to be afraid. The only warmth I felt at home came from him. My brother was taken aback on the other end of the line, “Is it Lydia’s math competition? Isn’t that next month…” Mom, annoyed, interrupted, “Lydia, Lydia! Nora is the sister you’ve spent years with! I’ve told you countless times, Lydia was raised poorly outside. She’s not fit to be part of our family.” My brother sighed, seemingly unable to understand Mom’s hostility towards me, “Mom, you shouldn’t always believe everything Nora says. Lydia is kind and hardworking. If you paid more attention to her, you would see that.” “I just tried calling Lydia. She didn’t answer, and she hasn’t replied to my messages from days ago. Isn’t she home?” Mom scoffed, coldly saying, “Her legs are her own. Do you expect me to tie her down? I suspect she’s out messing around again. Tomorrow is Nora’s tennis match. If you can’t make it, fine.” Pausing, she added harshly, “Tell Lydia if she doesn’t come to watch Nora’s tennis match tomorrow, she shouldn’t bother coming back. It’s better without her in the house anyway!” Ignoring my brother’s attempts to defend me, she hung up the phone coldly. Dad returned with his team, seeing Mom’s displeased expression, and asked, “Is the body giving you a hard time?” Mom shook her head, complaining, “It’s Lydia again, probably calling Nolan to complain. Now her brother is playing this disappearance game with her.” I paused for a moment, and My mom sharply remarked, “Tell Lydia to stop playing dead or vanishing. If she doesn’t attend Nora’s tennis match tomorrow, she should never come back. Frankly, it’s better without her at home!” Ignoring My brother’s attempts to defend me on the other end of the call, she hung up the phone coldly. Dad returned with his team and noticed My mom’s displeasure. Curious, he asked, “Is the case giving you trouble?” Mom shook her head, complaining, “It’s Lydia again. She’s probably complaining to Nolan, and now Her brother is playing disappearing games with her.” Dad sighed deeply, frustrated. “They know we’re busy with work, yet they pull these unnecessary stunts. So immature! I’ll call her and set things straight!” But no matter how many times he tried, the calls went unanswered. “Rebellious daughter, it’s almost better if she doesn’t come back. All she does is cause trouble!” The forensic specialist, who had been listening, sighed, “Remember when Little Lydia was abducted, and you both took a year off to find her? How did it come to this, where now that she’s back, it’s like she’s an enemy?” I couldn’t help but press my lips together, a bitterness rising within me. Because the one they found and brought back was me, an awkward, timid country girl. When I was found at fifteen, in the grand living room, my Parents were comforting a sobbing Nora patiently. I stood there awkwardly in patched-up clothes, staring down at the rubber shoes with a toe poking out. When Nora saw me, she stopped crying and asked with feigned innocence, “Who’s this little beggar?” My Parents’ faces darkened instantly, but not because of Nora. It was because I wasn’t the Daughter they had imagined. “Officer Lin, Medical Examiner Blake, I’ve checked the records. There have been no reports of missing persons in recent days,” an Officer approached with the report. “A Daughter goes missing and the family doesn’t even notice. Could it be their relationship is bad?” “Are there really Parents like that? Not caring about their kid at all!” Hearing the whispers around me, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sadness. The weight of sorrow enveloped me, making it hard to breathe. My Parents would feel for the deceased’s parents who didn’t report their child missing in time. But they never considered if I was safe during the days I was gone. Back when I was abducted, they even left work to find me. Now they suspect my disappearance is just a stunt to get their attention. Maybe from the start, when I was found, I shouldn’t have returned to the Lin household. This was Nora’s home, not mine. The years my Parents cared about me were long occupied by Nora. The affection and love that should have been mine would never tilt toward me again. My mom handed the acid-corroded paper to the forensic specialist. She rubbed her sore back, sighing as she spoke to Dad, “I hope this paper brings some results. Did you remind Little Nora to lock the doors?” Dad nodded gravely, hesitating before speaking, “Wife, what if something really happened to Lydia? She’s not answering, and Nolan hasn’t responded either. Should I have someone investigate…?” My mom interrupted, annoyed, “Enough! Don’t you know her by now? She’s hiding, waiting for us to find her! It’s not the first time she’s done this.” “She just doesn’t want to go to Nora’s game. By tomorrow, she’ll be calling us in tears to apologize.” The last time I went missing, it was during summer break when Nora locked me in the school bathroom. The school was empty during the holidays; no one could hear my cries for help. I exerted all my strength to climb out, filthy and with a twisted ankle, and walked home. What awaited me was Dad’s large palm and My mom’s scolding. “Nora said she saw you go to a motel with some thug? How did I raise such a shameless thing like you!” I couldn’t defend myself, only watch as Nora secretly smirked in triumph. My brother applied ointment for me, gently advising, “It’s not that Mom and Dad don’t love you; they just don’t know how to relate to you.” But I knew that compared to the smart and clever Nora, I, who wasn’t articulate, would never receive my Parents’ attention. The scales of affection always tip toward the one they love more. Sadly, that person isn’t me. If I were still alive, I would be the one making nourishing soups for them to take to the station when work kept them from coming home. But unfortunately, this time, I can’t appear and apologize as my Parents expect. After all, I’m just a dead person. The forensic results came out quickly; the paper was a receipt. The killer, in contempt, forced the paper into my mouth, making me swallow it: “Bought this for your Parents? They’d probably just throw it in the trash.” Dad, puzzled, asked, “Where is this place?” The forensic specialist hesitated, then said, “I checked. It’s a place that sells charms and blessing bags.” When my Parents and other Officers entered the shop, the shopkeeper jumped in surprise. She took the tattered receipt, looked at the numbers in the upper right corner, and flipped through the orders. “A young girl came to buy it some time ago, said it was for her Parents because their work is dangerous.” “But she never came to pick it up, and there was no answer when we called.” Saying this, the shopkeeper took out two red blessing bags, whispering, “The words ‘peace and joy, long life’ are on them, symbolizing safety and longevity.” Dad took the blessing bags, sighed, and asked, “Do you still have the surveillance footage from then?” The shopkeeper nodded, “The girl was very quiet, took a long time choosing the style for her Parents’ blessing bags. I remember her clearly.” But when the footage played, all the Officers present fell silent. My mom swallowed hard, staring at the screen, “Why does this girl look so much like Lydia?” The shopkeeper heard this and said, “Lydia? That’s the name on the order!” Dad’s expression wasn’t good either, trying to remain calm, “Maybe it’s just someone with the same name. Lydia must be hiding, laughing at us somewhere!” “Shopkeeper, are you in cahoots with Lydia, daring to mess with the police?” The phone suddenly rang, and My mom answered shakily, “Little Lee?” The examination department’s voice was urgent: “Sister Blake, we have the DNA test results of the deceased.” I’m sorry, but it seems there isn’t any specific Chinese text given for translation. Could you please provide the text you’d like translated? 5 My mom seemed to sense something was wrong. She clutched Dad’s arm, her nails pressing into his skin. “The deceased is your daughter, Lydia.”

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Boyfriend said he never traveled as a child. I secretly researched travel guides, hoping to share the experience with him. But I unexpectedly discovered his travel account. It turns out he’s a travel blogger with millions of followers. And he’s a couple’s blogger at that. In every video, he’s closely accompanied by his childhood sweetheart, inseparable. His latest video? They’re getting married in three days. In the video, the girl lifts her skirt and runs hand in hand with the guy at dusk. It’s truly passionate and bold. They end up showing a wedding invitation with blissful faces. The invitation says their wedding is in three days, and they will livestream it, inviting all their fans to witness their beautiful moment. The names on the invitation are Jasper and Adeline. The video ends, and the next one auto-plays. They’re visiting famous landmarks. Their account has over a thousand videos, all capturing their beautiful travels together. I stare at the screen, unable to believe my eyes. The Jasper on the invitation is my boyfriend of five years, and Adeline is his childhood friend. Jasper always told me he didn’t like traveling. He said his poor childhood made travel seem unattainable, like a luxury. So for five years, we never traveled, rarely even went out. Once, I wanted to help him get over it and secretly planned for a long time. When he found out, he got furious: “If you want to play, go to an amusement park yourself. Why force me to travel with you? Don’t you ever think about what I want?” I apologized, holding my torn notes, and swore never to bring it up again. But a week ago, I overheard Jasper talking to a friend on the phone. He said he was going to the seaside and asked for recommendations. My heart raced, thinking it was a surprise for me. I happily cooked a feast, opened wine, and bought gifts, waiting for him to announce the good news. But he didn’t even look at me. Just said, “I’m going on a business trip,” and left with his luggage. Now, in the video, they’re embracing by the sea. I finally understand. It’s not that he doesn’t like traveling; he just doesn’t want to travel with me. I obsessively click through all their videos. Jasper talks about those places so fluently and calmly, detailing the history and culture more thoroughly than my week-long research. He doesn’t seem like someone who has a grudge against traveling. The pain stabs my chest, making it hard to breathe. I scroll through quickly. The earlier videos are crude, their outfits less refined, showing the long time span. The first video was posted five years ago, when we just got together. They both look a bit young and innocent. I even remember the first time I met them. Adeline shyly introduced herself in Jasper’s arms, “Hi, I’m Adeline, and this is Jasper.” Jasper smiled and recited a poem: “Old memories often thought of, finally often seen.” It’s a poem made with their names. But what about me? What am I? With trembling hands, I want to forward the video to Jasper and ask why he did this. But then I hear a click. The door opens, and Jasper is home.

He walks in cheerfully, smiling from ear to ear. As if he just experienced something wonderful. “Sorry, Cora, I have to go on a business trip during the holiday again. Can’t be with you.” “Our boss just loves using me for everything, doesn’t even let me spend time with you.” “Help me pack, we need to leave soon.” I scrutinize his expression. Calm and composed, no hint of guilt for lying to me. He’s even urging me to pack his luggage. “Cora, do you remember where you put the suit you bought me last year? I can’t find it.” “And pick a few ties for me, I’ll need them for work.” A strong wave of nausea surges in me, like a tide ready to swallow me whole. He’s going to wear the clothes I bought, with ties I chose, to marry Adeline. For a moment, I don’t know whether I’m more pitiful or Adeline is. Seeing my cold expression, Jasper thinks I’m upset about him leaving, throwing a little tantrum. He sighs, softening his tone slightly, “Cora, be good. I don’t want to leave, but work is important. I’ll be back soon.” His lame excuse makes me want to laugh. I push him away. Jasper’s job is a cultural relics restorer, often going to remote places for large restoration projects. I used to complain about this and his boss. Now, it seems I misjudged. Seeing me still cold, Jasper loses patience, frowning, “Adeline and I are just friends. Do you have to nitpick over something so small?” “It’s been so long, and you still doubt us?” He didn’t need to remind me. A month ago, Jasper said he was on a work trip restoring ancient buildings. That night, I heard there was a landslide, and everyone was out of contact. I immediately bought the nearest flight, worried sick. When I got there, I found Jasper comforting Adeline, who was nestled in his arms. Her eyes were wet, yet there was a challenging glint in them. That led to our most intense fight in five years. Jasper downplayed it, saying they just ran into each other. His colleagues vouched for him, “We can testify, Jasper was just comforting her. Don’t overthink it.” But secretly, I’ve seen them giving Jasper and Adeline knowing looks, as if guarding a shared secret. Since then, Jasper and I have been in a cold war, still ongoing. Jasper sees me silent, compromising, “Cora, I want to be with you, but my job doesn’t allow it. Work is important, you understand, right?” I grip my phone, itching to open their account and ask if this is his idea of work. But reason suppresses the urge. I will expose them, but not here. I’ll do it at their wedding. I’ll lay bare all their past, in front of everyone important to them. I won’t take this lying down.

After Jasper leaves, I start gathering evidence. I make a PowerPoint from our entire history since Jasper pursued me, saved on a USB. Then I mark all his business trip dates against their video uploads. They completely overlap. In the past five years, about 80% of Jasper’s trips were romantic getaways with Adeline. After finishing, there’s one day left before their wedding. I book a stylist for an at-home trial. We choose a black dress. Its sleek cut is sharp, the skirt flaring slightly, like a rose blooming at night. Bright yet dangerous. During my makeup trial, Jasper video calls, checking in as usual. Seeing my look, he’s a bit surprised, “Didn’t you always like a casual style? Why so sharp today?” I answer calmly, “I’m supporting a friend tomorrow, need something to hold its ground. This outfit is perfect. Do you think I look good?” Jasper smiles genuinely, “You look great, my dear looks good in anything.” I smile back. Hope he can say the same tomorrow. Based on the invitation from the video, I locate their wedding hotel. There’s traffic. By the time I arrive, it’s packed. They’ve put a lot into this wedding, inviting not just family and friends, but loads of fellow bloggers and fans. Cameras are set up everywhere, seems they want to record this beautiful moment forever. I smirk, brushing my hair back, and stride in. This wedding is worth recording. I’ll give them an unforgettable surprise. I pay $250 for a gift, then find an inconspicuous corner to sit. Maybe my makeup is too striking, people keep glancing my way, whispering nonstop. The murmurs grow louder, loud enough for Jasper, busy helping Adeline with her dress, to look my way. The moment our eyes meet, his face turns pale. He drops Adeline and rushes over, panicked, “Cora, why are you here? Let me explain, it’s not what you think.” I don’t answer, instead slowly rising and twirling in my dress, “Jasper, you said you liked this yesterday, still like it today?” He bites his lip, nervous, whispering, “You’re mistaken, Adeline and I are nothing. I’m not marrying her.” “She’s a signed influencer with a short video company, I’m just helping her film, there’s nothing between us.” He hurriedly pulls out his phone to show me. The account’s real name is Adeline’s. It’s not his. But what does that prove? I didn’t respond. Instead, I lifted my dress and slowly twirled around. “Jasper, you said you liked this outfit yesterday. Do you still like it today?” He bit his lip, looking tense, and whispered, “You’ve got it wrong. There’s nothing between Adeline and me. I didn’t marry her.”

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I grew up showered with endless love and affection. My parents, fearing I might be taken advantage of in the future, specially arranged for three young men to be raised alongside me as potential suitors. However, these three treated me coldly, while showing great enthusiasm towards the daughter of our family’s driver. In my naivety, I believed it was because they felt a sense of distance from me due to my status. Until one fateful incident changed everything. Mia Gray and I were kidnapped together. Felix Foster, the leader of my three suitors, prioritized her safety over mine without hesitation. He coldly stated, “You were born into privilege. Someone will surely avenge you anyway. We’re not needed.” Hearing those words cut through my heart like a knife. It was then that I suddenly realized how terribly mistaken I had been all these years. Once I recovered from my injuries, I took the initiative to approach my father about marrying someone else. “Dad, I want to marry Ethan Young. I’m willing to accept the arranged marriage.” “But his face has been severely disfigured. Are you sure you’re not joking?” my father asked, concern evident in his voice.

Hearing my father’s inquiry, I could only offer a faint smile. “I’m not joking,” I replied softly. “I just suddenly realized that he’s the one I truly like.” “He’s also the one I should marry.” Seeing my determination, my father had no choice but to agree. “As long as you’re happy, I’ll support your decision,” he conceded. “I thought you were so dependent on Felix and the others that you’d choose one of them.” As my father mentioned Felix and the others, I felt a dull ache in my heart. Memories of the recent kidnapping flashed through my mind – their cold indifference as they abandoned me, then blaming me for wandering off with Mia. Perhaps I should have realized sooner that Felix and the others had long since shifted their affections towards Mia. From the very moment they arrived, in fact. Thinking about this, I forced myself to nod, fighting back the bitterness I felt. After finalizing the engagement with my father and Ethan’s family, I left the main house and headed to our villa in the countryside. As soon as my car pulled up to the entrance, I could hear deafeningly loud music blaring from inside. I frowned in annoyance. Pushing open the door, I saw that the originally elegant European-style decor had been transformed into a tacky karaoke setup. And at the center of it all, surrounded by Felix and the other two, was Mia Gray. “Miss White, you’re back,” her sickeningly sweet voice rang out, drawing Felix’s attention to me. His eyes were filled with disgust. “You dare to come back,” he sneered. I opened my mouth to speak but before I could say anything, Lucas Reed, standing beside Felix, let out a cold snort. “Of course she dares. She’s the high and mighty heiress after all. How could she possibly compare herself to us?” “Who knows, she’s probably been complaining to Mr. White about how we abandoned her these past few days!” Even William Hayes, who usually kept quiet, nodded in agreement. Seeing the three of them united in mocking me made me frown in anger. “What do you mean?” I demanded. “This is my home. Why wouldn’t I come back?” “Besides, I don’t have time to complain to my father about you.” Of course, I was also worried about upsetting my father and damaging his health. But my explanation only seemed to fuel their suspicions of guilt. “How do we know if you’re telling the truth or not?” Lucas challenged. “Now that you’re back, hurry up and apologize to Mia.” “I didn’t get a chance to deal with you properly that day because there were too many people around! If you hadn’t dragged Mia out with you, how could she have gotten kidnapped?” Lucas was the first to speak up, with the other two nodding in agreement. But it was clearly Mia who had asked me to go out that day. How had it become my fault? I couldn’t help but try to defend myself. “But that day it was clearly Mia who—” Before I could finish speaking, Mia, who had been playing the innocent bystander, suddenly fell to her knees with a loud thud. Tears immediately began streaming down her face. “Miss White! Please don’t blame Felix and the others. They’re only harsh because they were worried about me.” “It was all my fault that day. I’m to blame. I was the one who asked to go out with you, Miss White. It was all me, I’m so sorry…” she wailed. Her act instantly filled the eyes of the three men with sympathy, while their gazes towards me grew even colder. “Aria White, if you have a problem, you can take it out on me. There’s no need to keep targeting Mia behind our backs!” Felix snapped. “I’m ordering you to apologize right now! Otherwise, none of us three will ever marry you!” Felix’s cold ultimatum made my breath catch. Memories of the humiliation they put me through at my coming-of-age ceremony flashed through my mind. At that grand banquet attended by all the most prestigious families, Mia had been in charge of helping me get dressed. But just before the ceremony was about to begin, she came to me crying, saying she had ruined my gown. I lost my temper and yelled at her. She suddenly collapsed to the ground, dramatically tearing at her clothes. “Miss White, I’m so sorry! Please don’t rip my clothes off!” she cried out. At that moment, Felix and the other two walked in. Without even asking what happened, they immediately forced me to apologize. They even found some ragged clothes for me to wear, utterly humiliating me in front of everyone. When my father asked me about it afterwards, I was afraid the three would be punished, so I lied and said I had suddenly wanted to wear those clothes. Looking back now, I realize how utterly foolish I had been! But I wasn’t going to let them push me around anymore. I raised my head and glared fiercely at the three men, loudly refusing, “I won’t apologize!”

“You won’t?” “You don’t have a choice!” “Someone grab the young miss and hold her down!” Felix ordered, calling for the house security when he saw my refusal. I found myself surrounded, and shouted desperately, “Don’t you dare!” But not a single person paid any attention to me. They simply followed Felix’s orders and forcefully held me in place. I had almost forgotten – for the past few years, I had acted so dependent on these three men that everyone had come to believe all of the White family’s assets would one day belong to them. They no longer showed me any respect. My heart turned cold, and I stared at the three of them with increasing hatred. “What’s with that look? Apologize now!” Lucas demanded. “Listen here, Aria White. Don’t think we won’t dare to do anything just because you’re the young miss.” “You’re going to be relying on us three in the future!” Lucas’s contemptuous gaze swept over me as he spoke mockingly. His attitude was utterly disgusting. Who had given them the right to think this way? I couldn’t understand it at all. I tried to struggle free, but the hands holding me down only pressed harder. They forced me to kowtow to Mia, only releasing me after I hit my head on the ground with a loud thud. “This is just a small punishment for now,” Felix warned. “Be a good girl and listen to us from now on. Otherwise, you can forget about marrying any one of us!” With those threatening words, Felix and the others left, surrounding Mia like she was the center of their universe. I caught a clear glimpse of Mia’s smug, taunting expression as they walked away. I clenched my fists in fury. Just then, my phone began to ring. It was Ethan Young calling. I answered, forcing myself to calm down. “What is it?” I asked coolly. “Nothing much. Just reminding my fiancée not to forget about choosing the wedding venue and dress,” his deep voice resonated in my ear, momentarily making me forget my surroundings. By the time I came back to my senses, he had already hung up. This man sure moves fast! Left with no choice, I got up from the floor and quickly tidied myself up before heading out. I went to redesign the wedding venue I had originally prepared for the three of them long ago. But to my surprise, those shameless men actually had the nerve to show up after being notified.

“Aria White, you really have no shame! Are you that desperate to get married? We just taught you a lesson and you’re already here setting up the venue!” Lucas exclaimed, his face filled with disgust. The others wore identical expressions of contempt. I tried to keep my temper in check, wanting to explain, but before I could even open my mouth, Felix ordered the security guards who had followed them to start tearing everything down. “Get rid of all these disgusting flowers!” he commanded. “Replace them all with white roses – Mia’s favorite.” “Aria White, even if you end up marrying one of us, the wedding will be done according to Mia’s preferences. It’s the least you owe her.” As he finished speaking, the flower arch I had just had set up was kicked down with one swift motion. I was still trying to process what was happening, wondering what exactly I supposedly owed Mia. “Felix Foster! My wedding isn’t going to be with any of you three. You have no right to destroy my venue!” I finally managed to protest. “Not with us three? Who are you trying to fool? The whole city knows how desperately in love with us you are!” Lucas sneered. “Of course it’s—” I tried to explain, but was cut off by another loud crash behind me. I turned to see that the security guards had smashed the area where I had planned to display our wedding photos. The others followed suit, destroying everything else in sight. In the blink of an eye, half of the wedding venue had been wrecked. “Stop it! What gives you the right to destroy my wedding venue? Who do you think you are?” I shouted desperately. “Stop this right now!” But my pleas fell on deaf ears. They continued their destruction without slowing down at all, completely ignoring my cries even as my voice grew hoarse. I could only watch helplessly as the venue I had so carefully prepared was reduced to ruins. Meanwhile, the culprits stood before me, nodding in satisfaction. “Much better! Good riddance to all that eyesore,” Felix remarked coldly. “Let’s go, we still need to help Mia make cupcakes!” Lucas said with a grin as he led the group away. Leaving me alone, silently shedding tears amidst the wreckage. It took me a while to compose myself and get up. I didn’t have time to confront them now. The most important thing was to redecorate the wedding venue and choose a dress. Nothing else mattered. As for what they had done, I silently added it to the list of grievances in my heart. Once everything was settled, I would make sure they paid for it all. It took two more days to set up the wedding venue again. My wedding to Ethan Young was drawing near. I couldn’t control the excitement in my heart. For the first time in days, I had a genuine smile on my face as I headed out to try on wedding dresses. But when I arrived, I found Felix, Lucas, William and Mia already there. The four of them were intimately wrapped up in each other, completely ignoring my presence. And Mia was wearing the wedding dress I had carefully selected. Felix, who was standing furthest out, was the first to notice my arrival. With an impatient look, he berated me: “Why are you here? Did someone tip you off again?” “You really can’t live without us, can you? Still claiming you’re not marrying one of us three, yet this is the exact wedding dress we picked out together!” “Mia wanted to take photos with us but didn’t have anything suitable to wear, so we’re letting her borrow yours for now.” “Consider it a chance for you to make amends.” With that, he turned his attention back to Mia, joining Lucas and William in showering her with praise. Every word they spoke was laced with insults aimed at me. “Our Mia looks so beautiful in this. Much better than certain venomous-hearted people!” “It’s such a shame. If we didn’t have to marry her, I’d want the four of us to be together forever.” Lucas couldn’t help sighing, causing Mia’s eyes to well up with tears as she comforted them. “It’s alright, Lucas. No matter who marries the young miss, the four of us will always be family.” I trembled with rage at the scene before me, gritting my teeth as I spoke, “If you all love Mia so much that you’d casually take someone else’s clothes for her, fine!” “I’ll make sure everyone sees just how shameless you are!” With that, I raised my phone, ready to take a photo of them. Seeing this, Felix angrily called for security to drag me away. “She’s gone mad! This crazy woman – get her out of here now!” I was then unceremoniously thrown out, left to helplessly watch as the wedding dress I had so carefully chosen was worn by Mia Gray. And there was nothing I could do about it.

I stood outside the bridal shop for a full hour, watching them take group wedding photos with Mia. They even did an art-themed shoot, splattering paint all over the dress. With each stain, I felt a pang of regret for my past blindness. When they finally finished, they threw the ruined dress at me. “Go pick another one for yourself. Oh, and the wedding photos we’ll be displaying will be of the four of us,” Lucas taunted in my ear. But I couldn’t hear anything. All I could think was: The wedding dress is ruined. I returned home in a daze and collapsed onto my bed, unable to hold back my tears. Knock knock. A sudden knocking at the door startled me. I opened it to find my mother holding a mysterious box. “What’s this?” I asked. “Open it and see,” she replied with a secretive smile. Following her instructions, I opened the box to find a wedding dress inside. And most importantly, it was adorned with pink diamonds – my absolute favorite. I couldn’t help but caress it lovingly. My mother watched me with a pleased expression. “You know, this was sent over by Ethan. He’s really put a lot of thought into it,” she explained. “And guess what? He designed it himself!” Hearing those words made my heart skip a beat. Suddenly, I felt that my decision to marry him was the right choice after all. I tried on the wedding dress and found it fit perfectly. I could almost imagine what it would be like standing next to Ethan. This man… he certainly knows how to impress. I bit back a smile as I sent him a selfie. His reply came quickly. After that, to avoid running into Felix and the others, I didn’t leave the house at all in the days leading up to the wedding. Soon enough, the big day arrived. At 10 AM, the Young family’s motorcade paraded through the entire city announcing the joyous news, with live broadcasts on various big screens. It was clear how much Ethan valued me. Meanwhile, Felix and the others were drinking with Mia at a club, watching the broadcast with cold smirks. “I’d like to see where she finds a groom without us three,” Felix sneered. “Exactly. We need to teach her a lesson. We can always say we had urgent business if Mr. White gets angry. She’ll cover for us anyway,” Lucas added as he clinked glasses with the others. On the big screen, I was already slowly walking up to the wedding altar. I held a bouquet of Ethan’s favorite lavender, my heart fluttering nervously as I waited for his arrival. “Felix, is what you’re doing really okay?” Mia asked, blinking innocently as she held her wine glass. But inwardly, she was secretly delighted. The men, though feeling somewhat uneasy, stubbornly acted as if nothing was wrong. When it was almost time, Felix stood up first, only to find Lucas frozen in place. “What’s wrong, Lucas?” Felix asked. “Felix… it looks like Aria was telling the truth. The groom isn’t one of us…” Lucas stammered. Felix quickly looked up at the big screen. He froze when he saw the figure walking towards me. “Ethan Young!”

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My fiancée had always prided herself on her excellent memory. Yet she forgot to hold out her hand for the diamond ring during the proposal, forgot to bring her ID to get our marriage license, and on our wedding day, she forgot to show up altogether. She was too busy saving her childhood friend’s wedding next door. When my mother saw this, she had a heart attack on the spot. I begged my fiancée to come explain things at my mother’s hospital bed. Instead, she sweetly linked arms with her childhood friend’s mother, calling her “Mom” and claiming I was just a persistent suitor who wouldn’t leave her alone. Later, I handled my mother’s funeral arrangements alone and applied for an overseas work assignment. As I was packing up to leave, my fiancée returned from her honeymoon with her childhood friend, looking blissfully happy. With a smile in her eyes, she said: “Jack, how is your mother doing? Let’s set a new wedding date to make her happy.” She didn’t know that from the moment my mother died, there was no longer any possibility between us.

I was gathering all my winter clothes and neatly folding them into my suitcase. Suddenly, the front door opened and someone crept in quietly. Cold fingers covered my eyes from behind. “Guess who?” she said playfully, lowering her voice like she always did when returning from business trips to surprise me. In the past, I would have laughed and said “Of course it’s my darling” before warming her hands in mine. But now, I no longer felt that sweet affection. I wasn’t in the mood to play along. I simply removed her hands and continued packing without a word. My girlfriend Olivia looked at me in bewilderment. She clenched her fingers, then said in a coy voice: “What’s wrong, handsome? Isn’t a month of the cold shoulder enough? When you suddenly burst into the wedding, it was so awkward for everyone. I had to explain for ages.” I couldn’t help but smirk sardonically. A month ago, I had become the laughingstock of all our friends and family. Because my bride had publicly married someone else. My mother had a heart attack as a result, while Olivia had me thrown out of the venue like a beggar. Even on the day of my mother’s funeral, the villagers were still pointing and whispering mockingly: “That’s him – the one whose wife ran off on their wedding day. And he’s supposed to be so smart! Thirty years old and still can’t find a wife!” “How embarrassing. I heard he angered his mother to death. If I had such a useless son, I’d bash my head against a wall!” The damp, suffocating feeling from my mother’s burial enveloped me again. Coming back to my senses, I spoke flatly: “It’s not the cold shoulder…” I was about to say “Let’s break up” but before I could get the words out, Olivia nodded and drawled: “Oh, I see. You’re not giving me the cold shoulder, you’re picking a fight, right? Come on, didn’t I text you? Ethan’s fiancée ran off, and our families are old friends. Helping out won’t kill me.” She plopped down on the sofa and picked up a grey sweater, folding it as she frowned slightly. Her red lips pouted as she muttered: “This sweater is so ugly. You should just throw it away!” I said nothing, just staring blankly at the sparkling diamond on her ring finger. Only then did I realize what that extra cold sensation on my eyelids had been earlier. Olivia followed my gaze and quickly removed the ring, shoving it in her pocket. She stuck out her tongue with a guilty smile. “We had to make it look convincing for the act. I forgot to take it off. You jealous little thing, don’t tell me you’re upset again?” The truth was, I didn’t feel upset at all. I suddenly remembered. When I had proposed to her, getting down on one knee with a custom diamond ring, she hadn’t held out her hand. She said she didn’t like the constricting feeling of rings and would rather wait to exchange rings at the wedding. But in the end, she had eagerly worn Ethan’s ring first, even reluctant to take it off. Jealous? I would never feel jealous again. This past month, I had masochistically followed the news of Olivia and Ethan’s honeymoon travels around the world. My heart no longer stirred at all. I looked away without responding, just taking back the sweater she was folding. I said flatly: “This is a wool sweater my mom knitted for me.” Olivia’s hands were suddenly empty. She was clearly annoyed but still tried to keep her tone gentle: “By the way, how is your mother doing? After a month of rest, she must be much better now, right?” Her eyes curved into a smile as she continued: “I always thought our wedding venue was too small and shabby anyway. Let’s take this chance to set a new date and have a grand wedding. That would make your mother happy!” I knew Olivia was in a good enough mood today to have given me plenty of chances to make up. If I didn’t take them now, she would surely lose her temper. But she had forgotten. On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, she showed up at the courthouse saying she forgot her ID, then immediately left to help Ethan try on wedding outfits since his fiancée was absent. We never actually got married, so there was no need for any wedding. Coming back to my senses, I could only smile bitterly: “There’s no need.” After being coldly rebuffed multiple times, Olivia’s face suddenly darkened. She was about to speak when her phone rang. Seeing “Ethan” on the screen, her expression softened and she answered sweetly: “I just got home. Why are you calling?” I don’t know what was said on the other end, but she wedged the phone between her ear and shoulder as she picked up a camel-colored wool coat from the rack, laughing: “Ethan, you’re terrible! I’m in the middle of smoothing things over with my boyfriend! This is the last time, okay?” I watched as she expertly slipped the ring back on, checked her makeup and clothes in the full-length mirror, then grabbed her purse to leave. With her hand on the doorknob, she seemed to suddenly remember my existence. She quickly turned back, stood on tiptoe to ruffle my hair, and said in a sticky-sweet voice: “Alright Jack, don’t be mad anymore. I bought you a little gift. I’ll bring it over tonight.” I watched her leave, then went to stand by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Through the glass, I saw a bright yellow sports car parked below, its chassis so low it seemed to hug the ground. Ethan was leaning against the car door, a glowing cigarette between his fingers. Olivia, who was usually a germaphobe, expertly took the cigarette from Ethan’s hand and got into the passenger seat with the cigarette between her lips. I stopped watching and closed the curtains. Turning around, I picked up the overseas assignment application form I had already filled out, sitting on my desk.

Running my fingers along the sharp edges of the application, I left without hesitation and took a taxi to the company. After packing all day, it was already evening. I had submitted my application for an overseas assignment through the system a couple days ago and it had been approved. Now I just needed to submit the paper form for the records. At the company, everyone was whispering and staring as I walked by. “Isn’t that the guy who crashed the CEO’s daughter’s wedding in that viral video? Didn’t he take bereavement leave and disappear for a while? How dare he show his face here again?” “I bet he’s here to quit. He’s been at the company for 10 years and is still just a team leader. I heard he applied for promotion five times and got rejected every time. What a loser.” These harsh comments used to really get me down, but now I felt nothing. After all, I had heard far worse during the time I was arranging my mother’s funeral. I kept my eyes straight ahead and knocked on my boss Tom’s office door. “Come in,” he called. Tom nodded with satisfaction when he saw the form in my hand. “Jack, when you told me a few days ago that you wanted an overseas assignment, I didn’t believe it. You always refused before, saying you didn’t want a long-distance relationship with your girlfriend. But this time you seem quite determined.” “The head office is sending someone to review the overseas assignments tomorrow. Come by the office again tomorrow to show your face, then you can leave.” “You know, we started as interns at the same time. You were always more capable than me and helped me out a lot. I’m glad you’ve finally decided to spread your wings…” I lowered my eyes. It’s true, perhaps it was just bad luck, but all the interns who started with me had become executives while I remained stagnant. Leaving the company, I looked back at the skyscraper where I had worked for the past decade. In those ten years, Olivia’s family company had grown stronger and stronger. Even their branch office buildings now reached into the clouds. But why had my relationship with Olivia crumbled so completely? My meeting with Olivia was the typical story of a poor student and a rich heiress. My father died when I was young, leaving my mother to raise me alone. Back then, I spent every spare minute outside of class working part-time jobs and tutoring to make ends meet. Until one day, when a thug not only refused to pay me for tutoring, but brought his buddies to try and take what little money I had. In my moment of despair, Olivia came to my rescue with her bodyguards. She helped me up off the ground and offered to treat me to a meal. She said her grades were bad and she was afraid of failing, so she wanted me to help her cram for finals. Of course, I knew her grades were actually excellent. This was just her way of helping me out. I was drawn to her kindness and outgoing nature, and we gradually grew closer. The day she confessed her feelings, she held my hand and proudly announced to everyone on campus: “This is my genius boyfriend!” When we graduated, I gave up the opportunity for a fully-funded overseas graduate program. When I started working, I turned down a high-paying executive job offer from a major international company. I only wanted to stay by Olivia’s side, with the simple hope of marrying her, having children, and growing old together. Until a year ago, when Olivia’s childhood friend Ethan returned from abroad. Everything changed after that. For the first time, Olivia abandoned me when I was sick, just to pick up Ethan from the airport. That night she got completely drunk at his welcome party. Lying in Ethan’s arms and refusing to leave with me, she cried: “Ethan, why did you take so long to come back?” From then on, Ethan became a constant source of arguments between us. I wanted her to maintain some boundaries, but she accused me of being too controlling and not letting her have any friends. She even sarcastically pointed out that she had known Ethan since childhood, while I was the newcomer. Then two months ago, the day Ethan sent her a wedding invitation, Olivia suddenly leaned against me and mumbled: “Jack, why don’t we get married too?” This was after rejecting my proposals 99 times. Shaking my head to clear the memories, I found my shadow stretched long and lonely in the setting sun. In this world, I no longer had any family left. After walking a few steps, night had fully fallen. I was about to take out my phone to call a taxi home when I heard a familiar laugh nearby: “Ethan, put me down! If you drop me, you’re dead!” Turning my head, I saw the entrance of a brightly-lit bar. Ethan was spinning in circles while carrying Olivia in his arms. Olivia had her arms tightly wrapped around Ethan’s neck, laughing with pure joy. A crowd of people surrounded them, cheering them on. “Keep going! Three more spins to go! Don’t forget to drink from the same glass when you stop, Ethan!” “Now that’s true love! No wonder our little princess Olivia can’t get over our Prince Ethan!” When Ethan finally set her down, Olivia was a bit dizzy but smoothly took the glass someone handed her. She and Ethan linked arms and drank together like it was the most natural thing in the world. The crowd’s cheers grew even louder as they chanted: “Kiss! Kiss!” Olivia hesitated for a moment, not moving. Ethan smiled and tried to defuse the situation: “Alright, alright. You’ve been teasing us about the honeymoon all day. My wife has been a good sport, playing along since lunchtime. Time for everyone to head home!” But the next second, Olivia grabbed Ethan’s tie and pulled him down for a kiss. Her eyes were open, gaze clear and tender. A moment later, she looked away and slowly released Ethan’s tie. Holding her head, she pretended to be drunk: “I want to go home… my head hurts…” I witnessed every bit of Olivia’s care and cautious love for Ethan. I also watched as she swayed and took out her phone to make a call. Then, my phone started ringing. From just a few meters away. When Olivia heard the ringtone, our eyes met and she instantly straightened up.

The crowd looked at us in confusion, asking Olivia: “Olivia, who’s that?” Olivia’s gaze flickered as she mumbled vaguely: “Our family driver. My mom wants me to go home for dinner with her today.” Ethan’s eyes were full of smug triumph as he said slowly and deliberately: “Oh, it’s the driver. Well, you’d better take good care of your young mistress.” In the past, I definitely would have grabbed Ethan’s collar and started a fight. Now I just found it tedious. Without even a glance at them, I turned and got into the ride share I had called earlier. Back home, my stomach cramped painfully since I hadn’t eaten all afternoon. I made myself a simple bowl of noodles. I had barely taken two bites when I heard the click of high heels outside. The next second, Olivia kicked the door open. Seeing me eating, she flew into a rage and swung her purse at my back: “Jack, how could you just walk away earlier? Do you know how embarrassing that was for me!” To my surprise, Ethan had followed her. He put his arm around Olivia’s shoulders with a concerned look, saying soothingly: “Olivia, you shouldn’t hit Jack. Didn’t we agree to talk things out calmly?” He turned to me with a smile that barely concealed his gloating. “Jack, please don’t be angry. I only followed to make sure you two didn’t fight. But you were wrong to leave Olivia alone on the street like that. She’s a woman after all.” I took another bite of noodles without looking up and replied to Olivia: “Olivia, what are you afraid of with your husband Ethan there?” Olivia’s face darkened, her chest heaving with anger: “What do you mean, my husband? Jack, there’s a limit to how jealous you can be! Those were just some acquaintances from our social circle. Ethan and I were just playing along! You think I like drinking? I only did it for your sake!” I found it absurd. She had clearly been enjoying herself with Ethan, yet now she was acting all wronged. Looking at Olivia, I set down my chopsticks and asked: “For my sake?” Olivia replied as if it were obvious: “Yes, for you! My mom only agreed to make me heir to the company if I went along with the marriage alliance with Ethan’s family! That’s how I can be with you and get you transferred to headquarters as VP. Isn’t it all for you and your career?” Ethan’s brow furrowed imperceptibly, a flash of malice in his eyes, but he played along: “Olivia’s right. You probably don’t know this, but to protect you, she’s been the one rejecting all your promotion applications these years. She’s been looking out for you!” I was stunned. A chill ran through me as I realized. So all the cold treatment I’d received over the years was Olivia’s doing. What about all those late nights I spent working on proposals? The business dinners where I drank until I got ulcers just to land contracts? The holidays I missed, barely ever seeing my mother’s face? What was the point of it all? I asked Olivia: “Is that true?” Olivia didn’t look guilty at all. If anything, she seemed to be seeking praise as she nodded: “Yes, not just to protect you, but to toughen you up. How else could you handle big responsibilities? It’s just a bit of salary anyway. You’re my husband now – you’ll have everything you want in the future.” I found it laughable. Olivia had always insisted on keeping our relationship secret. Even for the wedding, she only let me invite my closest family and friends, not wanting to make a big announcement. No one knew about our relationship. All that talk of protecting me was just empty words. It was all just to satisfy her desire to put me down and keep me wrapped around her finger. Only now did I realize that what I had thought was sweet, genuine love had never been pure. I shook my head, finally speaking the words I had been holding back: “Olivia, let’s break up.” Olivia’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her lips trembled, unable to form a single word. A gleam of joy flashed in Ethan’s eyes as he quickly scolded me: “Jack, you can’t break up with Olivia just because she’s close with me! Olivia really loves you. Even on our honeymoon, her first thought whenever she saw something interesting was to buy it for you!” He just had to bring up the honeymoon to rub salt in the wound. Ethan was truly despicable. With someone backing her up, Olivia snapped out of her shock and grew even angrier. She put her hands on her hips and snorted coldly: “Jack, you’re really pushing it now. Do you think you’ve got me all figured out? Break up? Who are you to break up with me? For the past 10 years, you’ve eaten my food, used my things, worked at the job I got you. What more do you want?” The words flowed smoothly, as if she had rehearsed them. So this was how she really felt, thinking she was the one who had sacrificed the most. In the past, I might have argued with her about who had actually given more to the relationship. But looking at her enraged face now, I suddenly smiled. “Thank you,” I said. Olivia’s anger instantly deflated, replaced by confusion. “Thank me for what?” My lips remained curved in a smile as I calmly replied: “Thank you for letting me know that in your heart, I’m just a useless freeloader.” With that, I took my empty bowl to the kitchen and washed it clean. When I came back out, Olivia was still standing in the same spot, not having moved an inch. Ethan handed her a glass of honey water, saying softly: “Olivia, drink some honey water to sober up. You always liked it before.” For the first time, Olivia absentmindedly set the glass down on the table. Her face flushed as she finally said in a quiet voice: “That’s not what I meant…” I ignored her, turning to pick up my packed suitcase and head out the door. Just as I stepped out, a glass shattered against the doorframe behind me. Sticky honey water splashed all over me. Then another box hit the ground. Two ceramic rings tumbled out.

I looked at the ceramic rings by my feet in confusion. Behind me, Olivia cried out in an aggrieved tone: “I had these rings custom made for us abroad! I was always thinking of you. Jack, why are you being so difficult? Why are you running away from home?” I could only laugh. I don’t know what she was thinking. The inside of the rings were engraved with “O&E” – clearly meant for Olivia and Ethan as a couple. Yet she had the nerve to claim they were made specially for me. I didn’t stop walking, just checked into a hotel for the night. I was leaving this city tomorrow anyway. In the morning, I got ready and went to the office. But as soon as I entered, I heard a chorus of praise. “Wow, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Parker, you two make such a perfect couple! Even wearing matching outfits. I’m swooning!” “Ms. Johnson, Mr. Parker, I’m a huge fan of you two. Could I get a photo please?” Olivia and Ethan were arm-in-arm in the center of the office, basking in everyone’s adoration. My boss Tom was bowing and scraping with a fawning smile. So they were the representatives from headquarters. Seeing me, Tom introduced: “Jack, this is our CEO Ms. Johnson from headquarters, and VP Mr. Parker. They’re here to review the overseas assignments.” Olivia deliberately turned away without looking at me, her previously upturned lips now a flat line as she asked coldly: “Who all is going on overseas assignment this time?” Tom pulled out my file along with two others, smiling: “These three.” Olivia’s expression instantly froze, her eyes filling with inky darkness. Ethan’s eyes flashed with schadenfreude as he quickly jumped in, feigning shock: “How are you running things here? Don’t you know our company strictly forbids married employees with children from taking overseas assignments? Both the applicant and approver will be punished!” Tom looked bewildered as he stammered: “But none of them are married…” Olivia’s delicate brows furrowed as she pointed at me, her red lips curving coldly: “Didn’t this person take marriage leave recently?” Tom answered honestly: “He did request marriage leave at first, but it seems there was a mistake. He changed it to bereavement leave later. His mother passed away.” Hearing this, the color drained from Olivia’s face. Her outstretched finger froze as she stared at me in disbelief. As if suddenly remembering something, her gaze flickered as she asked in a low voice: “Why didn’t you tell me… about your mother’s death…” I found it laughable. My mom had always thought highly of Olivia as a daughter-in-law. She said I was blessed beyond measure to marry Olivia and had been eagerly waiting for the day Olivia would call her “Mom.” But what my mom got instead was Olivia marrying someone else and affectionately calling another woman “Mom.” I replied flatly: “There was no need, Ms. Johnson. Does headquarters really concern itself with the family affairs of ordinary employees?” Olivia seemed to sense things spiraling out of control. She gritted her teeth, anger flaring up: “What do you mean no need? I’m her daughter-in-law after all!” “Whose daughter-in-law are you?” As everyone looked on in shock, the company doors swung open. An older woman walked in, the fine lines around her eyes radiating sharpness. Olivia’s mother, the true power behind Johnson Corp – Mrs. Johnson. Everyone snapped to attention, calling out in unison: “Madam Chairwoman!” Mrs. Johnson nodded slightly. She turned to Ethan with a smile, asking: “Ethan, I sent you two newlyweds to make an appearance at the branch offices. What’s going on here?” Remembering Olivia’s earlier outburst, everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound. Ethan’s face cycled through shades of green and white before he forced a smile: “Olivia’s friend is Jack’s wife. When she heard Jack was being sent overseas, Olivia wanted to speak up for her friend.” Hearing this, Olivia bit her lip and stayed silent, head bowed in conflict. Mrs. Johnson’s eyes flashed dangerously as she demanded: “Who dares to violate company policy? I want to see who’s so bold!” I spoke up calmly: “Madam Chairwoman, there’s been a misunderstanding. I’m not married. My ex-girlfriend and I broke up amicably a while ago.” Mrs. Johnson raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down before turning to Olivia: “I’ve seen Jack’s file. He is indeed single. Olivia, are you mistaken? He’s flying out for his assignment today. Don’t delay him.” Flying out? Olivia’s pupils suddenly constricted. She turned to see my calm expression and her heart skipped a beat. A panicked look flashed across her face as she blurted out: “Mom! It’s not a friend, it’s me! I’m Jack’s wife! How could I be mistaken? We got our marriage license on November 3rd. He must be lying. I was there with him that day!” Everyone in the office swallowed hard, not expecting to witness this kind of family drama. Olivia relaxed a bit, thinking this would be enough to prevent me from leaving. Mrs. Johnson’s brow furrowed even deeper as her gaze moved between Olivia and me. After a moment, she pronounced her judgment: “What nonsense are you spouting? Even if he was your ex-boyfriend, your household registration book has been safely in my possession this whole time. What did you use to get a marriage license?”

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Aria Collins had a secret that everyone knew – she was in love with her adoptive uncle, Ethan Foster. At eight years old, when she was nearly strangled to death by bullies at school, it was Ethan who saved her and insisted on severely punishing the wealthy troublemakers. At twelve, when she got her first period, Ethan mistakenly thought she was sick or injured. He frantically abandoned a multi-million dollar business deal to rush back and take her to the hospital, where they both awkwardly received an impromptu sex ed lesson from the doctor. At fifteen, Aria ran away from home and accepted a classmate’s confession when Ethan didn’t make it back in time for her birthday party. Ethan found her at a hotel and flew into a rage, smashing expensive decor in a frenzy. On her eighteenth birthday, Aria confessed her feelings to Ethan. He responded by darkly remaining silent. The next day, he called a press conference and publicly broadcast a video of her confession on a big screen, condemning her for disregarding moral ethics and family values. After Aria was viciously attacked on social media for three days straight, Ethan coldly sent her to a behavioral reform school. After enduring a year of hellish conditions that made her wish she was dead, Aria had barely been released when Ethan demanded she donate a kidney to his fiancée. The same Aria who had once thrown the entire Foster family into chaos over Ethan’s scandalous affairs now quietly nodded in agreement. She thought to herself, “Now we’re even.”

“I’ll do it,” Aria said softly. A glimmer of satisfaction flashed in Ethan’s eyes as he nodded approvingly. “It seems this past year has indeed taught you to be more sensible. Very well, it’s decided then.” Beside him, Sophia smiled. “Thank you, Aria.” Aria stared intently at the woman in front of her. It was because of Sophia’s instigation that she had struggled through a year of hell. And now she was expected to donate a kidney to her? She gritted her teeth, barely able to speak after a long moment. “However, I have two conditions.” Ethan’s expression immediately darkened. He instinctively moved to shield Sophia behind him. “If you have any grievances, take them out on me. Don’t hurt Sophia. And if you’re thinking I’ll marry you, forget it!” Aria let out a bitter laugh, cutting him off. “My first condition is that I want to change rooms, to the guest room on the second floor. As for the second condition…I’ll tell you in three days.” In three days was the dance competition preliminary round. The winner would get a scholarship, and Ethan was one of the judges. Ethan looked suspicious, but since Sophia’s condition was urgent, he ultimately agreed. Aria signed the donation agreement. Ethan quickly made arrangements for the surgery. But just as everything was ready, the doctor came running over with the test results. “Mr. Foster, Miss Collins has too many wounds on her body. She’s weak and severely malnourished. None of her health indicators meet the standards for surgery.” Ethan frowned, only now noticing how battered Aria’s body was. After looking her up and down, he said coldly: “I understand. You may go.” After the doctor left, he deigned to give Aria a glance. “Aria Collins, put your silly tricks away. Get your body healthy. You must have the surgery in seven days!” Aria watched Ethan walk away with his arm around Sophia. Her heart clenched painfully. He actually thought her inability to have surgery was some kind of ploy. But weren’t all these injuries inflicted because of him? The year in reform school, they made her sleep next to the toilet, eat food mixed with excrement. When they were in a bad mood, they would beat and verbally abuse her at will. Slamming her head against the wall was a common occurrence. There was hardly an uninjured spot left on her body. As soon as she got out of reform school, she was roughly shoved into a car by a group of bodyguards and taken to the hospital. Not only did she learn Ethan had a fiancée, but she was also told to donate a kidney to Sophia. In the end, it was all her fault. Aria thought that perhaps she really had been wrong. She shouldn’t have fallen in love with Ethan Foster. She took off the filthy, stinking reform uniform covered in blood stains, and changed into the clean clothes the nurse gave her. Under the scorching sun, she walked for a full three hours before reaching home. When she opened the door, she was greeted by endless coldness. The Foster family’s servants and security guards had all been replaced with new ones. Seeing her arrive, they were all startled. Then they immediately picked up weapons and aimed them at her. “Where did this beggar come from? This is the Foster residence. Go beg somewhere else.” Aria was being pushed out the door when Ethan happened to hear the commotion and poked his head out from upstairs. The head of security respectfully explained: “Young Master, it’s our fault for being careless and disturbing you and Miss Evans. We’ll get rid of this beggar right away.” With that, he shoved Aria hard. Caught off guard, Aria’s foot slipped and she tumbled down the stairs. Ethan acted as if he hadn’t seen anything, his face showing irritation at being disturbed. “Let her in. She’s a girl I adopted years ago. She’ll be living here from now on.” Ethan arranged everything for her from his lofty position, but his gaze never once landed on her. Aria silently got up from the ground and followed the servant to the guest room across the hall. This room was the farthest from Ethan’s, which was why she had asked to be moved here. After showering, Aria made a phone call. “Teacher, I agree to go abroad as a dance exchange student.”

“Aria, are you sure you want to go? Although it’s officially an exchange program for dance students, it’s actually a three-year closed training known as the ‘dance world’s reform school’! Every year people drop out because they can’t handle it.” “Once I submit your name to the school, it can’t be withdrawn. Think it over carefully.” Faced with her teacher’s questioning, Aria still nodded firmly. “Teacher, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll go.” As long as she could get away from Ethan Foster, she would go through fire and water. How could it be worse than a year in prison? The teacher sighed lightly. “Alright then, you’ll leave in seven days.” Seven days? Aria was taken aback. “By the way, does your uncle know about this? He used to handle all your affairs with me. Is he going abroad with you this time?” She didn’t know how to respond to that. After a long silence, she finally replied in a low voice. “He can’t go.” Just as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open. Aria quickly hung up the phone and met Ethan’s gaze. He came in carrying a glass of warm milk and dinner, which he set down on the coffee table. “I can’t go? Go where?” Aria flipped her phone face down, startled as she stood up. But when she saw the food, she reflexively rushed over and knelt down, pouring the milk into the bowl and then dumping it all into her pocket. Then she kowtowed to Ethan three times, saying over and over: “Please don’t hit me, I haven’t eaten in a week.” Ethan was shocked by this scene, disgust evident in his voice. “Aria Collins! What are you doing now!” “If it wasn’t to get your body healthy so you can donate a kidney to Sophia as soon as possible, I absolutely wouldn’t have let you out in your current state!” “Do you want to go back in there?” Ethan stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The anger surging through him nearly broke through his self-control. Actually, the first moment he saw Aria today, his heart ached terribly. The little girl he once cherished and protected had been tortured to skin and bones, completely losing her former adorable appearance. But he couldn’t allow that kind of immoral relationship to happen, so he hardened his heart to teach her a lesson. He thought that after he married Sophia and everything was settled, she would still be his most precious girl. After Ethan left, Aria gradually came back to her senses. This wasn’t the reform school. She was back home. Aria went through her nightly routine mechanically. From time to time, the sound of a woman’s gasps and moans could be heard from the room across the hall. Without thinking, she knew how intense it must be in there. Perhaps they were deliberately letting her hear. The woman’s voice became increasingly clear. But Aria hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in so long that she fell into a deep slumber within minutes. The next morning when she woke up, she smelled the aroma of delicious food wafting up from downstairs. She had just sat down at the dining table when Sophia smiled and poured a glass of wine. Then under Aria’s gaze, she downed it in one gulp. Sophia’s body immediately began turning red at an alarming rate, breaking out in hives all over. Aria looked at her with concern. “Don’t you know you’re allergic to alcohol? I’ll go call the family doctor.” Sophia gave her an inscrutable smile, then suddenly cried out. “Ethan, help!” Ethan rushed over. Sophia’s tears immediately began falling. “Aria, I don’t know why you forced me to drink. I clearly said I’m allergic to alcohol and can’t have even a drop.” Aria opened her mouth to explain, but was angrily cut off by Ethan. “I warned you last night to keep your dirty thoughts to yourself! If anything happens to Sophia, I absolutely won’t let you off!” “Keep an eye on her until I get back!” Ethan anxiously picked Sophia up and rushed out the door. Everything happened so fast that Aria had no time to react. It wasn’t until she met Sophia’s provocative gaze that she realized she had fallen into Sophia’s trap. Sophia was certain Ethan wouldn’t listen to any of her explanations right now, and she was right. Aria’s eyes darkened, a hint of self-mockery in them. Just how confident and fearless must Sophia be to drink that glass of wine without hesitation? In the year she spent in reform school, Ethan had completely become another woman’s man. Aria no longer harbored any lingering attachment. She got up and went upstairs to pack her bags.

It took Aria all afternoon to move everything related to Ethan to the empty lot outside the villa. On top was a storybook, the first gift Ethan ever gave her. When she first came to the Foster home, she had nightmares every night. It was Ethan who cradled this storybook, reading stories to lull her to sleep. She could recite every story in it by heart. Next to it was the little bicycle Ethan gave her as an apology after making her angry. Ethan thought the bicycle took up too much space and suggested throwing it away, but she insisted on keeping it in her room. Ethan had joked, “I’ll probably have to buy another villa soon, just to store all these gifts.” Aria’s eyes reddened as she thought about it. The bicycle held too many of their memories. Ethan teaching her to ride, her never fearing falls because his hands were always there to catch her. When she was finally able to ride on the road, Ethan would drive his car slowly right next to the bike lane to protect her. At her feet was a ceramic mug Ethan had made himself, next to a portrait she had drawn of him, and beside that an unsent love letter. Eleven years of companionship had occupied most of her life. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t attached, but Aria knew that clinging on would only hurt herself in the end. She and Ethan could never be together. Thinking of this, she wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes and tossed a lit match onto the pile. The flames grew higher and higher, the past turning to ash and scattering in the wind. Ethan, who had just returned with some soup for Sophia, happened to witness this scene. The fire blazed higher than Aria herself, as if it would consume her whole. Seeing this, Ethan rushed over and pulled Aria into his arms. “Aria Collins! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” Falling into that familiar broad chest, Aria was jolted out of her reverie. The next second, Ethan roughly pushed her away, his face cold. “You really are good at manipulation. I can’t believe I fell for your tricks again! If you continue to be so stubborn, I’ll send you right back where you came from!” As Ethan turned to leave, Aria saw his eyes were as cold as ice. Back in the villa, Aria went upstairs to practice dancing. Tomorrow was the dance competition preliminary round. To get the scholarship, she had to win first place. Ignoring the pain from her wounds, she danced gracefully in the studio. Time passed, night fell. Finishing practice, Aria collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Her body ached all over, but she felt every second was full of hope. “I’ll take you there tomorrow.” It wasn’t until Ethan spoke that she realized someone was standing in the doorway. “I agreed to your request, but if your body can’t handle it, I’ll call it off immediately.” Aria’s eyes dimmed slightly as she nodded. Then she put the painkiller syringe she had prepared into her bag. She didn’t realize this small action would end up helping her in a big way. The next day at the competition venue, Ethan was present as a judge. Before the competition, he stood in the center of the crowd with his arm around Sophia, basking in everyone’s flattery. “My goodness! What a perfect match! Miss Evans was a dance prodigy in her youth, winning countless awards. She’s sure to take first place this time!” “Is she also competing for the exchange student spot? If so, she could just bat her eyelashes at Mr. Foster and go as a regular student. That way she wouldn’t have to suffer through being an exchange student!” “Miss Evans is too upright for such underhanded methods. If she wanted to study abroad, top schools would be fighting over her.” Sophia smiled charmingly in Ethan’s arms. Aria silently watched all of this. She had to admit, Sophia was naturally talented at dance. It was after watching one of Sophia’s classical dance performances that Ethan had first taken notice of her. The two grew closer and eventually became a couple. Ethan thought Aria’s insistence on learning dance was an attempt to emulate Sophia and win his heart. On her 18th birthday, Aria happened to choose the same classical dance piece Sophia had performed when Ethan first saw her. So Ethan flew into a rage and sent her to reform school. How laughable that such a vicious woman had made Ethan believe he’d found true love. Ten minutes before the competition, Aria secretly hid in a corner and gave herself a shot of painkillers. Then she returned to the dressing room and put on her dance costume. When it was her turn to go on stage, the medication had taken effect and she felt no pain, allowing her to give a stable performance. As the dance ended, Aria bowed and prepared to leave the stage. But a searing pain suddenly shot through her foot. The next second, she gasped and collapsed to the ground. Looking down, she saw her dance shoe had been dyed red with blood. She took it off to find a needle sticking out of the sole of her foot!

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Wendy Lee, my husband’s first love, staged a scene where she fell down the stairs and miscarried in an attempt to frame me. Just as I was about to explain, Lucas Reed swore he believed me. However, half a month later, I also miscarried. After the surgery, I stumbled to find him for comfort, but accidentally overheard his conversation with his best friend. “Lucas, you’re too cruel. That was your own child you just killed.” “She made Wendy miscarry. That would have been my son. She’s lucky I didn’t kill her!” His friend sounded worried, “What if your wife finds out later? Won’t she sue you?” Lucas sneered: “Does she have any evidence? Just a lowly orphan who thought she could be Mrs. Reed. How dare she push Wendy down the stairs! “This little lesson is just the appetizer. The real show is yet to come. Just wait and see!” I was thunderstruck. After the surgery, I dragged my exhausted body out to find Lucas. The nurse said he was in the chief’s office. Dr. Gregory Chen, the OB/GYN chief, was Lucas’s best friend. I overheard their conversation at the door. So his trust in me was fake. He was convinced that I had pushed Wendy and caused her miscarriage. To avenge Wendy, he had deliberately arranged for me to have a car accident and miscarry. And the baby in Wendy’s womb was actually his child. The marriage I thought was mutual turned out to be a joke on me alone. My heart felt pierced by countless blades, the pain making it hard to breathe. Dr. Chen asked again, “Lucas, if you love Wendy so much, why don’t you two just get married?” Yes, why? I wanted to know too. Mentioning his love, Lucas smiled and said: “I married Natalie because Wendy left. Men have needs, you know. “Now that Wendy’s back, of course I want to marry her. But at first, I thought Wendy was too delicate and didn’t want her to suffer through pregnancy and childbirth. I figured I’d have Natalie help bear a child. “Who knew Wendy wanted to have our baby herself, only to be harmed by Natalie. “If Wendy hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve sent her to meet her maker already.” … For Wendy’s sake, he actually wanted my life. But Wendy’s miscarriage had nothing to do with me. Half a month ago, Wendy had returned from abroad. She moved directly into the home I shared with Lucas. Lucas said Wendy was his childhood sweetheart and asked me to take good care of her. But a woman’s intuition told me Lucas felt differently about her. Though I was unhappy, I didn’t refuse for fear of upsetting Lucas. So I took care of everything personally, attending to her every need. But Wendy constantly mocked and provoked me. “Natalie, do you know whose baby I’m carrying? It’s Lucas’s.” “Every time Lucas went abroad, he was coming to see me. You didn’t know that, did you?” “Don’t you feel pathetic, clinging on like this?” I had heard rumors about Lucas and Wendy before. She was the one that got away, his first love. During Lucas’s most difficult years, she went abroad. I was the one who stayed by his side and helped him through it. So I didn’t believe her attempts to drive a wedge between us. Unable to provoke my anger, she resorted to more dangerous tactics. Half a month ago, she stood at the top of the stairs, grabbed my hand, and made it look like I pushed her. Then she deliberately fell backwards down the stairs. Lucas happened to witness this scene. Just as I was about to explain, he gently comforted me: “I know Natalie is the kindest girl in the world. You definitely didn’t mean to do it.” But then he turned around and arranged for someone to hit me with a car, causing my miscarriage. When I was crying my heart out over losing the baby, he hugged me tightly with red-rimmed eyes: “Childbirth is so dangerous. I just want you safe and sound. “No one is more important than you, Natalie. You are my life.” Because of those words, I felt terribly guilty. At the same time, I was grateful to have found such a good man. But it was all fake. No wonder his friends all looked down on me, repeatedly mocking me behind my back. “If Wendy hadn’t gone abroad, how could she ever have become Mrs. Reed?” “Lucas probably married her just to make Wendy jealous. She’s not even a backup, at best she’s just a tool.” Everyone knew he didn’t love me, but I believed the fake affection he put on. Fighting through the pain, I stumbled out of the hospital on unsteady feet. Numbly pulling out my phone, I dialed a number: “Professor, I accept your invitation.” I was a top graduate from an elite university. To be with Lucas all the time, I had repeatedly turned down my mentor’s invitations. I became a diligent housewife, with everything revolving around my husband. Now cruelly abandoned and trampled on. If this was the price for my poor judgment and being blinded by love, I accepted it. From now on, I would cherish myself and ride freely towards freedom.

I returned home in a daze, collapsing heavily onto the bed. Recalling the past three years, it all seemed like a dream. All that happiness turned out to be fake, all an act by Lucas. Looking back, there were signs. He never remembered our wedding anniversary. Every year on my birthday he gave the same gift. He rarely ate at home. I often waited until late at night, guarding a table full of food. Messages and calls were few and far between. Whenever I happily shared something with him, he either didn’t reply or just said “Mm”, “Oh”, “Okay”. I comforted myself that he was just too busy, explaining away all the cold treatment. But no one is busy 24 hours a day. His attitude was his answer. Yet I drowned myself in his occasional sweet words. Tears flowed freely. It hurt so much. The man I fell for at first sight, whom I loved deeply for years, turned out to be unworthy of that love. Hearing the incoming call, seeing that familiar name, I broke down sobbing. Once, getting his call or message would make me happy for hours. But now, the dream was over. As I dozed off, I was roughly yanked awake. Lucas stood by the bed demanding, “You left without a word and won’t answer your phone. What’s the problem?” I licked my dry lips and managed to say, “Phone died. What is it?” “I know you’re upset. Wendy specially arranged a party to cheer you up.” I waved my hand weakly, “I’m not feeling well. I won’t go.” “Are you embarrassed to face Wendy? She doesn’t blame you. She even wants to comfort you. I believe you didn’t mean it.” Is that so? Their conversation at the hospital echoed in my ears. “Natalie’s baby is already gone. Isn’t that enough? How do you plan to get revenge for Wendy?” “Kill the heart, not the body. Just wait and see.” Seeing I wasn’t moving, Lucas frowned impatiently, “Stop dawdling. Everyone’s waiting.” I felt utterly drained, even speaking was an effort, “Lucas, I really don’t feel well…” “Natalie Sanders, what are you being so delicate about? Don’t waste Wendy’s goodwill.” In the end, he forcibly dragged me away. Arriving at the private room, Wendy and her group of sycophants were watching me with undisguised contempt. There was disdain, scorn, mockery, and mostly indignation. Comfort me? This was clearly a pack of wolves wanting revenge for Wendy, waiting to tear me apart. I felt deep fear, clutching Lucas’s shirt with pleading eyes. “Lucas, my stomach hurts. Can you take me to the hospital?” He smirked coldly, then expressionlessly pulled my hand away. He sprawled on the couch without a word. “Sis-in-law, I know you don’t like me, but as women, I understand the pain of losing a child. “You’re just a housewife without many friends, so I wanted to throw a party to cheer you up. “Don’t refuse anymore.” Her words sounded kind and sincere, but her eyes were full of malice. I instinctively stepped back. These people were vicious. If I didn’t leave, I feared there would be no good outcome. Wendy seemed to see through my intentions. When I turned to escape, she grabbed me back. The door slammed shut and locked.

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I deliberately left the window open, letting the crime boss hear me with someone else all night long. The next morning, he asked me with a gloomy face, “Can I join in?” But I just embraced others, coldly refusing. “Don’t you like your little sister the most?” The man’s eyes turned bloodshot, but he didn’t dare to take a step closer. Only because as his woman, I had helped him expand his business for ten years. In the end, he’d rather marry a college girl than fulfill his promise to marry me. His subordinates couldn’t understand and started protesting on my behalf. “Boss, Aria has helped you build your empire. She’s a valuable asset. Didn’t you used to dote on her? Why are you marrying someone else now?” Ethan stubbed out his cigarette, fiddling with the couple’s ring he shared with Lily. “Aria? A woman with blood on her hands. Every time I think about sleeping with her, it gives me the creeps. How can she compare to my darling?” “But Aria is so clever. What if she finds out and turns against you?” Ethan frowned and sneered, “The whole city is already mine. Without her, I’m not afraid of losing anything.” Little did he know, I had heard everything from outside the door. I threw the medicine I was going to give him in the trash and sent a SnapChat to his arch-enemy Xavier. “Want Ethan’s territory and life? I’ll give them to you!”

As I was preparing to get a speedboat to leave the island, Ethan came to find me. “There’s a big shipment coming to the island the day after tomorrow. Send some men to receive it personally, and clear out your house. I need it!” He commanded sternly, but I just found it laughable. To marry Lily, he really didn’t care about my life. Even if Xavier attacked his base, he still wanted me to risk my life to bring back his little flower. He was truly lovesick. Need the house? Wasn’t it just for Lily to live in? I coldly replied with an “Oh.” Seeing my flat reaction, Ethan frowned in displeasure. “What are you sulking about now? I’m not making our relationship public because the situation is unstable. Xavier is watching closely. I can’t let the men lower their guard just because of you.” “Your most important task now is to help me fend off Xavier’s attacks.” Ethan always tried to manipulate me like this. Before, I thought this was his way of protecting me, so I worked even harder for him, fighting and scheming. But now I just found it absurd. I put the boat rental form in front of him and said flatly, “I’m not sulking. I’m used to it.” Ethan sensed something unusual. Impatience flashed in his eyes, and his signature even tore through the paper. “Aria! What’s with the attitude? I’m just asking for your house. Everything on this island is mine, including your life. Can’t I even use you anymore?” He threw the paper in my face. “From now on, don’t come to me for trivial things like going off the island for supplies. I don’t have time for you…” Knowing he misunderstood, I didn’t explain. I nodded perfunctorily and left, feeling relieved as I looked at the speedboat I was about to get. I had helped Ethan expand his business for ten years. We were childhood sweethearts, brothers who could trust each other with our lives, and even the most intimate lovers. I had always hoped to marry him, and he had hinted that once he had the whole city in his hands, he would give me what I wanted. But now I realized. That was just my own wishful thinking and his lies woven to use my feelings. Now he was going to marry someone else. That night, a team of heavily armed mercenaries escorted Lily onto the island. She was in a white dress, her naive eyes full of smug pride. “Sister has worked hard for Ethan for over ten years, with great merit.” “I’ll definitely get him to promote you, and send you some male models. We can’t let sister’s personal life suffer.” “Unlike Ethan, who can’t wait another moment. He’s marrying me tomorrow, oh my…” I tightened my grip on the gun handle, barely restraining the urge to shoot her. “Let’s go.” I coldly glanced at her and was about to leave. But Lily stopped me, taking out a diary from her bag and saying slyly: “These are the love notes Ethan wrote when he missed me all these years. It’s too heavy to carry, so I’ll trouble sister to throw it away for me.” With that, she swayed her skirt and left. Facing the cold wind blowing against the rocks, I trembled as I opened the diary. April 12, 2024, when I protected him as we broke through an encirclement, he said “Lily, if I can survive this, I’ll marry you.” August 5, 2023, when I heard he was ambushed by Xavier during a business trip. I took two machetes and single-handedly broke into the enemy camp to rescue him. He said: “Baby, you smell so good today.” January 24, 2021, when he was arrested, I decided to take the blame for him, and he said: “If it were you, I would never let you suffer like this.” Every word in the diary stabbed into my heart, as painful as if my heart was being carved out. How many times had I begged Ethan to marry me, and he always kissed my forehead and said: “Aria, wait for me.” “I have too many enemies. I’m always afraid I haven’t cleared the obstacles for you. When I have the whole city under control, I’ll marry you, okay?” But my countless urgings were only met with perfunctory responses. On SnapChat, a reply finally came. The short two words were forceful, leaving me no way to turn back. “Deal!” I still couldn’t help wanting to confirm something, so I asked: “On August 5, 2024, you ambushed Ethan, right?” The reply came instantly, each word dripping with blood: “I’m completely innocent!” “No way? So that’s why you chased me for nine blocks with two machetes? It really wasn’t me!” I laughed bitterly. So in Ethan’s eyes, I was just a clown to be toyed with at will. If so, why should I stay for them to mock?

After arranging the details with Xavier, I walked back, but overheard Ethan talking to his subordinates by the yacht. “Boss, the bride’s wedding dress has arrived. It’s the billion-dollar dress you requested from the royal auction.” “But we’re worried about Aria. If she makes a scene and exposes our location, we might all be caught…” Ethan was unconcerned: “I love Lily and will only marry her as my wife. Tomorrow’s wedding must go smoothly. I won’t allow any accidents.” “Not even Aria. I’ll make sure she stays quiet.” “And keep your men’s mouths shut. If anyone leaks even half a word, I’ll feed them to the sharks!” Although I had decided to leave, hearing the man who once loved me so deeply deceive and belittle me like this still made my heart ache. Back in my room, I packed the luggage I wanted to take. Besides ID documents, looking at the weapons all over the room, I realized Ethan had never really given me anything. He would only throw various weapons at me, telling me to protect him well. I had once asked him for dresses and jewelry, but he said: “Aria, even in a dress and necklace, you don’t look like a woman. Don’t waste them.” But Lily’s luggage had a whole truckload of jewelry and pretty clothes. Why could she wear them but not me? I searched the wardrobe and found a red dress at the bottom. I put it on with high heels and even did my makeup. Just then, Lily barged into my room. “Aria, you’ve read the diary, right? Ethan’s most beloved…” Her words stopped halfway as she saw how alluring and beautiful I looked after dressing up. She was dumbfounded. When she recovered, she frowned and sneered: “I thought you’d at least have some self-respect and leave quietly knowing Ethan doesn’t love you.” “But you’re still trying to seduce him, you shameless vixen! I’ll tear you apart!” She lunged at me to scratch my face, but her skills were so poor that I ended up slapping her instead. “Aria! How dare you hit me, Ethan will make you pay!” Lily screeched angrily. I crossed my arms and watched her jump around. “Thanks for the compliment. I’m definitely prettier than you.” A second after I spoke, she suddenly knelt down and started slapping herself: “Sister, I’m the despicable one, marrying Ethan so thoughtlessly. You can beat me to death as long as you don’t ruin the wedding!” I was confused, when suddenly a kick came flying at me. “Aria! Are you treating my words as wind in your ears? You dare bully Lily!” Ethan’s furious kick would have taken half my life if it had landed. So, what was I to him after all? A hunting dog he raised? A punching bag he could beat and scold at will after using me up? I barely dodged, but twisted my ankle in the high heels. I winced in pain, forcing myself to look at him. Ethan helped Lily up, his cold eyes looking at me. Until he saw my face clearly, his eyes lit up for a moment, but his words were still icy. “Aria, no matter how pretty you dress up, in my eyes you’re not half as good as Lily.” Lily sobbed and grabbed Ethan’s hand: “Ethan, sister forced me to tell her. I couldn’t keep the secret, I’m sorry…” Ethan held her in his arms, full of tenderness: “It’s just a small matter, no one blames you.” I smiled bitterly. He had just threatened his men with their lives to keep the wedding a secret, but when Lily blabbed to me it became a small matter. She really had no restrictions with him, so pampered. So what was I? Just a fool? “So you’re really going to marry her?” I stared hard at Ethan. I cared too much about how he would explain to me. I thought he would at least feel guilty, panic, beg me to let go of the past and give them his blessing. But Ethan just frowned slightly, unconcerned: “Yes, the wedding is tomorrow. I’ll allow you to attend, but don’t cause trouble. Aria, don’t force me to deal with you.” In an instant, my last hope for Ethan was shattered. It wasn’t the right time to marry me, just because it was me. When it came to Lily, all the dangers and threats suddenly weren’t obstacles anymore. He could even brazenly offer to let me attend their wedding. How could someone be so heartless? I held back tears, gritting my teeth: “Get out…” But Lily pushed further: “Ethan, I don’t know many people here. I want sister to be our bridesmaid, but I’m afraid of offending her…” Seeing his beloved girl plead so carefully, Ethan softened and ordered me: “Aria, since you know we’re getting married, being a bridesmaid shouldn’t be a problem, right?” “I don’t want to see you two, get out!” My anger finally exploded. I picked up a stick from the corner and chased them out. “Get out!” With a bang, I slammed the door shut and collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. A tear of despair leaked from the corner of my eye. As I was grieving, my phone suddenly lit up with a message from Xavier.

I opened it irritably, but suddenly blushed when I saw it. “The red dress suits you. You look beautiful.” “Take off those heels and apply some medicine.” I was surprised he knew my ankle was swollen. But medicine? As I was thinking, a drone flew to the window with a box attached. I opened it to find a red dress and some ointment inside. So he had discovered Ethan’s hideout long ago, but just hadn’t made a move. I really found the right ally. I had just applied the medicine according to the instructions and was about to wash up for bed when Ethan came back. He picked me up and gently placed me on the bed, holding some bruise ointment. “Be good, don’t be afraid. I’ll apply the medicine for you.” It seemed to be raining outside. Ethan was soaked, but he still dried his hands carefully before gently applying the medicine. I was very afraid of pain. When I first started fighting alongside Ethan, I would cry uncontrollably even from just a scratch. Every time I was injured, no matter how battered he was, Ethan would always stay by my side, letting me bite his arm to endure the pain. Those years were tough, but I felt secure. But it seemed that one day, he disappeared from my bedside. Later, countless times I was on the verge of death, with scars big and small, and he never spared me a glance. But now I’m not afraid of pain anymore, yet he’s rushing to take care of me. Has his conscience awakened? Ethan’s apologetic voice came: “Aria, you’ve lost weight. I’ve been neglecting you lately, I’m sorry.” “About the marriage, I was afraid you’d overthink it so I didn’t tell you. Lily saved my life and was targeted for assassination because of me. I have to protect her.” “But don’t worry, I won’t touch her. I only love you. Once I deal with Xavier, I’ll definitely divorce her and marry you properly, okay?” He massaged my ankle, while my gaze fixed on the wedding ring on his finger. I looked at Ethan, my eyes full of sorrow, and asked: “Ethan, all these years, have you ever loved me?” He was stunned for a moment, then knelt on one knee and held me in his arms, full of deep affection: “I love you, I only love you, Aria.” Then, he hand-fed me the milk he brought, his eyes full of tenderness: “Here, drink some milk and go to sleep early. You can come to the wedding tomorrow if you want, I won’t stop you.” But I tasted that the milk was laced with sleeping pills. Enough to make me sleep through the whole day tomorrow. My throat felt constricted, almost suffocating me. He was still deceiving me, just so Lily could marry him smoothly tomorrow. So this was how he planned to keep me quiet. I drank all the milk, a tear falling. My heart felt dead. But Ethan smiled, smiled so brightly, gazing at me tenderly as I closed my eyes. But he didn’t know that after years of fighting for him, I had trouble sleeping every night and had built up a tolerance to sleeping pills. After a while, Lily’s coquettish moans sounded in my ear: “Ethan, you were gone so long, I thought you were staying here!” Ethan embraced her passionately: “How could I? She’s just a human shield to take bullets for me. I’m still being watched by Xavier, so I need to keep her close to use her.” “Xavier is wary of her, so he won’t go all out against me.” Lily pouted: “Where are you touching? Naughty~” “Mm, I’m the naughtiest…” Ethan’s voice was low and husky. The sound of clothes rustling grew more intense as they kissed fervently. My heart felt like it had been stabbed, the pain tearing me apart. To Ethan, I had always submitted unconditionally. He had never been so doting and passionate with me. “Aria, can you take the blame for me?” “Aria, I’m in a firefight with Xavier, come help me.” And I would always agree to his requests, even at the cost of my life. Finally, they left, and I couldn’t sleep all night. Early in the morning, I left with my backpack. Half the island was empty, everyone preparing for the wedding. I handed the rental form to the dock guard: “I need a speedboat.” The man looked surprised: “Aria, things are tense out there. What if you get caught?” “Boss told us not to let you leave the island alone. And with you gone, who will manage things here? We’re worried something might happen.” Ethan had once promised me that as soon as he took over the city, he would marry me as Mrs. Qin. To marry him sooner, I led raids at night and handled island affairs during the day, splitting myself in two. But if Ethan truly loved me, how could he let me work so hard and ignore my efforts? He didn’t love me, so everything I did was in vain. “Does the boss know you’re leaving the island?” He was one of the few who knew our true relationship and how much Ethan valued me. Although Ethan never showed any special treatment towards me in front of his men, nor did he ever cross any lines with me. He even beat me half to death in public to establish his authority. But the man still asked repeatedly, because I was leaving on Ethan’s wedding day. He felt uneasy. “He knows. He signed the form himself.” The man hesitated, but under my urging, he still gave me the speedboat. Driving the boat, the salty cold wind blew all the way before I finally felt the reality of leaving. This counts as completely betraying Ethan, right? After all, I’m taking secrets to his archenemy Xavier. I wonder what expression he’ll have when he finds out? I can only think so maliciously. As I passed an area of sea, a huge yacht was stopped, holding a wedding ceremony on deck. A helicopter scattered rose petals from above, covering the nearby sea. The sound system was so loud I could hear it from far away. It was Ethan pouring his heart out to Lily. “Lily, you once said people in our line of work shouldn’t have loved ones. So I hid all my love for you in my heart, afraid you’d become my weakness, afraid you’d get hurt.” “But now, I want to tell you, you are my weakness, and also my armor!” “To be able to marry you, I waited 7 years, planning for so long. Now my wish has finally come true…” Yes, he loves her, so he hid it from everyone, including me. All his love for Lily now makes his promises to me in the past into a joke. I turned my head to look in the distance, glimpsing the silhouettes of a man and woman standing together on the deck, pure and romantic. Ethan’s gaze seemed to meet mine from afar. He froze: “Aria?” My heart clenched painfully. He seemed to be overwhelmed by a strong sense of unease, as if about to lose something most important. Lily held his hand, giggling and comforting him: “Ethan, you must be seeing things. Sister drank the drugged milk you gave her. She’s still sleeping now.” The doubt on Ethan’s face gradually faded, but he silently decided to comfort me well when he got back. Even if it took the rest of his life to make up for it. Little did he know, I was already driving the speedboat further and further away from him. “Mr. Ethan, do you take Miss Lily to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or…” The priest’s solemn vows were suddenly interrupted. “Boss, something’s wrong!” A subordinate came running in panic, shouting: “Boss, Aria… Aria is gone!”

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On the third day after my brother-in-law’s death, I heard a man’s heavy breathing coming from my sister-in-law’s room. I couldn’t resist going to take a look. The door was slightly ajar. Through the gap, I saw a man in my sister-in-law’s bed. The man’s silhouette was eerily similar to my husband’s. My heart suddenly leaped into my throat. Earlier that day, my mother-in-law had suggested that my husband should father a child with my sister-in-law, to take care of her. But my husband had firmly refused. My sister-in-law also disagreed, saying she wanted to remain faithful to my late brother-in-law. How did it turn into this by nightfall? I took a few more steps forward, wanting to get a clearer look at the man’s face. But before I could get closer, the door slammed shut. I looked up to see my mother-in-law’s angry face. She snarled at me, “What are you looking at? Your sister-in-law has suffered enough. Doesn’t she deserve a chance at happiness?” My mother-in-law’s words left me bewildered. I just wanted to see who the man in the bed was. It had nothing to do with whether my sister-in-law deserved happiness or not. I said, “Mom, you’ve misunderstood.” My mother-in-law glared at me and shouted, “Misunderstood? I saw it with my own eyes. What else is there to explain? You’re just jealous of your sister-in-law because she has a man who loves her. You’re uncomfortable with that, aren’t you? Let me tell you, no matter whose child Ruby bears, it will be registered under your late brother-in-law’s name. Don’t think you can hog all the family’s assets for yourself.” My mother-in-law’s attitude towards me was terrible. Earlier in the day, she had wanted my husband to father a child with Ruby. But my husband had refused. So my mother-in-law believed I had whispered in his ear, and she resented me for it. I said, “Mom, I just thought the man in Ruby’s room looked a bit like Lucas. I wanted to get a closer look, that’s all.” As soon as I finished speaking, my mother-in-law became even angrier. She pointed at my nose and yelled, “Mia Collins, do you have any conscience? Lucas has been so good to you, and yet you still suspect him. Are you even human?” Lucas had indeed been very good to me. He was the CEO of a major corporation and was always busy, but he still made time to be with me. He would accompany me to pottery classes, leaving our marks on clay pieces like ordinary couples. He would even attend concerts of obscure singers with me. At one concert, there were barely any people, only about 80 or 90 in the audience. I casually remarked, “It would be nice if there were more people.” Lucas then called in a crowd of thousands, and the quiet concert suddenly became packed. When reporters caught Lucas there and asked why such a wealthy heir would attend the concert of an unknown singer, Lucas kissed my forehead in front of the cameras and said, “Because of my wife. Whatever she likes, I like.” Lucas’s words were reported by all major media outlets, and the unknown singer became an overnight sensation. People believed in Lucas’s taste. If a singer could capture Lucas’s interest, they must be talented. Seeing that I remained silent, my mother-in-law glared at me again and said harshly, “How did Lucas end up marrying an ingrate like you? You don’t know how to appreciate him at all. All you do is suspect him. Now get out of here!” I nodded, “Alright.” I walked towards the door. Because Lucas had refused to father a child with Ruby, he was being punished by kneeling in the courtyard. As long as Lucas was still kneeling in the courtyard, it meant I was just being paranoid. I went to the courtyard, the lights were on, but Lucas wasn’t there. Where had he gone? Just as I was feeling confused, Lucas came running back hurriedly. His clothes were wrinkled, and his face was sweaty. I even caught a whiff of perfume on him. It was Ruby’s perfume.

My heart sank again. A bad feeling crept over me. I was terrified that the man in Ruby’s room might be Lucas. Lucas ran up to me, patted my head, and said breathlessly, “Mia, why did you suddenly come out here? Go back inside, it’s cold out here.” I instinctively looked at Lucas’s knees. They were clean, with no trace of dirt or any signs of kneeling. I clenched my fists tightly and stared at Lucas, asking, “Where did you just go?” Lucas laughed nervously, stumbling over his words, “I… I just went to the bathroom.” Lucas and I had been together for 5 years. I knew his habits well. Whenever he lied, his eyes would look down at his shoes. But why was he lying to me? Could he really be the man in Ruby’s room? No, that’s impossible. Lucas loved me so much. How could 5 years of love change so suddenly? Lucas wasn’t that kind of person. He came from a wealthy family, and there were many beautiful women who wanted to get close to him. But in all our years of marriage, he had never been involved in any scandals. I trusted Lucas. But I was still anxious. I calmly said, “Lucas, you’re lying. You can’t fool me. Where did you really go just now?” Lucas was stunned for a few seconds. His brows furrowed, and his expression turned unpleasant. It seemed I had guessed correctly. He had lied to me. Lucas grabbed my shoulders and said, “Mia, you’re acting strange today. Did you hear or see something?” I removed Lucas’s hands and said angrily, “I’m just asking where you went just now. What does that have to do with whether I heard or saw anything? Why do you seem so guilty? You haven’t done anything to betray me, have you?” Lucas was visibly upset. He said with a hint of anger, “Mia, for your sake, I was punished to kneel in the courtyard and was beaten by my father. Now you’re saying these things to provoke me. Can’t you consider my feelings? Stop being so suspicious. Ruby and I are innocent. I can’t give Ruby a child. At most, I’ll just take good care of her for my brother’s sake.” I laughed coldly to myself. I hadn’t even mentioned Ruby, Lucas had brought her up himself. And his tone of voice betrayed his guilt. I smiled and said, “Lucas, I just asked where you went just now. Why are you telling me all this? Don’t you think you’re protesting too much?” Lucas frowned deeply, growing irritated. “I really went to the bathroom just now. If you don’t believe me, that’s your problem. I still need to continue my punishment. You go back upstairs.” With that, Lucas knelt down on the ground. He looked at me with impatience and anger in his eyes. I was angry too. “Lucas, you still won’t tell the truth. I can smell Ruby’s perfume on you. I smelled it.” I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to shed tears in front of Lucas. Lucas was stunned for a few seconds, a flash of guilt crossing his eyes. “We all live in the same house. We’re bound to run into each other. Of course I might accidentally pick up her scent. Stop being so suspicious.” I smiled bitterly and said, “Then why don’t I smell like her?” Lucas stood up, clearly exasperated. “Mia, can you stop making a fuss? What exactly do you want? Why won’t you believe anything I say? You used to believe everything I said. What’s wrong with you?” I thought I wouldn’t cry, but tears started falling uncontrollably. I choked out, “I just saw a man in Ruby’s room earlier. His back looked a lot like yours. Was that man you?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Lucas hugged me tightly. He whispered in my ear, “It wasn’t me. That was a man Mom found for Ruby. Mia, you have to believe me.” I pushed Lucas away and looked into his eyes, saying, “Don’t lie to me!” Lucas panicked and hurriedly said, “I’m not lying to you. It really was a man Mom found for Ruby. When Ruby gets pregnant and gives birth, they’ll say it’s my brother’s posthumous child. You can’t tell anyone about this.” Seeing that I didn’t respond, Lucas picked me up in his arms. “Mia, it’s too cold outside. Let’s talk inside.” Lucas held me tightly and carried me into the house. He threw me onto the bed and looked into my eyes, saying, “Mia, I swear, I will only love you in this lifetime. I will never betray you. You have to believe me.” Lucas’s words now were exactly the same as what he had said on our wedding day. On our wedding day, I thought his scent was sweet, and I wanted to hold him close and breathe it in. But now, his scent had changed. It had become a smell I didn’t like. After saying this, Lucas tried to kiss me. But my body instinctively resisted. In the past, I would have leaned in, but today I couldn’t do it. I turned my head away. Lucas thought I was still upset and smiled foolishly, saying, “Mia, let me comfort you to sleep. Early to bed, early to rise. You’re getting dark circles under your eyes.” Lucas held me in his arms, trying to comfort me to sleep as he usually did, telling me a bedtime story. But I had no interest in listening to stories. The smell on him was too unpleasant. It made me uncomfortable, even nauseous. I forced myself to accept Lucas, but I couldn’t accept the smell on him. I instinctively turned away, facing away from Lucas. Without Lucas near me, the air felt fresh. It smelled comfortable. Lucas said, “Mia, drink some water before you sleep.” I nodded and drank the water. After drinking, I suddenly felt very tired and sleepy. My eyelids were heavy, and I couldn’t keep them open. I quickly fell asleep. I was awakened by the sound of heavy breathing. I opened my eyes to find myself alone in bed. Lucas was gone. I heard the breathing sounds coming from upstairs again. Upstairs was Ruby’s room. I had a bad feeling. I opened the window and looked out into the courtyard. Lucas wasn’t in the courtyard. Where had he gone so late at night? I carefully went up to the second floor. I stopped outside Ruby’s room. The door was still slightly ajar. Through the gap, I saw Ruby entangled with a man. The man was still facing away from me. Ruby giggled and said, “Brother-in-law, how many sleeping pills did you give her? Will your wife suddenly wake up?” “I gave her three pills. She won’t wake up.” Hearing the man’s voice, my tears instantly fell. This voice was too familiar. It was Lucas. The man who had just been comforting me to sleep was now entangled with another woman. What an ironic scene. I thought I had found true love, a love that would last a lifetime. But in the end, I had misjudged him. My love couldn’t tolerate even a grain of sand. I didn’t want this marriage anymore. I carefully went downstairs, picked up my phone, and dialed my brother’s number. “Brother, I want a divorce.” There was silence on the phone for a few seconds, then my brother laughed and said, “My dear sister, I told you long ago that in our wealthy circles, there are no truly devoted people. A lifelong, monogamous relationship is impossible. Come to France. The estate and handsome men are all ready for you.”

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Shen had his eye on a young girl and asked me to personally handle her graduation party. “Young girls love to look beautiful. You have experience attending many banquets, so help her dress up nicely,” he said. That day, I picked out no less than a hundred dresses for Lily, but she immediately fell in love with the mermaid wedding gown Shen had designed for me years ago. “Let’s go with this one, sis. I want to wear a wedding dress for Mr. Johnson too,” Lily said playfully, looking at me. Out of selfishness, I refused her request. As a result, Lily ran to Shen in tears to complain. I was forced to endure the Johnson family’s harsh punishment, kneeling on a hard wooden floor all night. Later, to make up for his little lover, Shen auctioned off my family heirloom without warning. He sent my grandmother’s jade bracelet, which she had left me before she passed away, to the auction house. He spent a fortune on it for Lily, throwing money around carelessly. That day, all the guests who entered the venue watched with red eyes, knowing it was my most treasured possession. I begged Shen not to give the bracelet away, but he just held Lily and said mockingly: “I told you before, anything Lily wants, you have no right to compete for!” On the day of the graduation party, Lily wore my mermaid wedding dress and the jade bracelet worth over a hundred million dollars, instantly becoming the center of attention. Everyone was guessing if I would sulk alone like I had in the past. But this time, I calmly handed divorce papers to Shen’s assistant. After suing the two for theft, I left for abroad.

When Shen brought his little lover home, I wasn’t surprised. He despised the relationship between our families and hated even more that I had used family connections to secure our marriage. In seven years of marriage, Shen had brought over a hundred lovers home to provoke and humiliate me publicly. This time, the girl he brought back looked younger and more beautiful than ever before, making my heart suddenly tighten. “Lily is graduating from college in a few days and needs to prepare for the party in advance,” Shen said. “Young girls love to look beautiful. You have experience attending many banquets, so help her dress up nicely,” he ordered, raising his handsome eyebrows and holding Lily closer. I couldn’t refuse Shen’s demands, so I could only resign myself to serving each of his lovers well. “I understand,” I nodded numbly, forcing myself to swallow the bitterness in my heart as I went to pick out suitable dresses for Lily. During this time, Shen had to go to the company for something, leaving Lily alone to face me. “Oh my, these dresses are all so outdated. There’s no thought put into them at all. Rachel, you’re not deliberately being careless, are you?” Lily said with a frown, clearly intending to make things difficult for me. I was already used to how hard to please each lover was, so I calmly asked her what she liked. “I heard Mr. Johnson used to give you lots of custom-made dresses. Can I take a look?” she asked, though she didn’t wait for my opinion before heading upstairs. I couldn’t help but frown, the words to stop her caught in my throat. I saw Lily take out the mermaid wedding dress from the glass cabinet and smile smugly at me: “Let’s go with this one, sis. I want to wear a wedding dress for Mr. Johnson too.” “He said before that my looks aren’t inferior to yours. I’m sure I’ll look even better in it!” Lily looked at me with a strange hostility. The moment I saw the mermaid wedding dress, my heart skipped a beat and my hands clenched into fists. This wedding dress was personally customized for me by Shen from abroad. The labor costs alone were over a million dollars, not to mention the tens of thousands of expensive diamonds on it. “No, this one is very important to me. You can choose any of the others,” I said, my gaze heavy. Lily naturally noticed my unusual reaction. But with Shen’s favor backing her, she didn’t take my refusal seriously at all. “Mr. Johnson said that whatever I like, no one can take it from me!” Lily said, picking up the dress to leave without even bothering to give me a glance. As she turned to brush past me, I grabbed the hem of the dress and pulled it back. Lily wasn’t prepared and stumbled, her knee hitting the stair railing hard. “I said, this one is very important to me!” It wasn’t just that Shen had personally selected and designed it. More importantly, my grandmother had watched me wear it as I walked down the aisle before she passed away. Grandma said I looked beautiful in the mermaid wedding dress and hoped I would always be happy. I wouldn’t allow anyone to easily ruin this beautiful wish, no matter how many times Shen humiliated me with his lovers. This was the one thing I absolutely wouldn’t compromise on. Lily glared at me with tears in her eyes, looking like she wanted to tear me to pieces. But in my territory, Lily didn’t dare to cause too much trouble. In the end, she ran out crying. I didn’t expect Lily to be so narrow-minded. That evening, she ran to the company to complain. When Shen came back with a dark face, I was lost in thought looking at my grandmother’s belongings. I was suddenly pulled up and given a hard slap. Just like all the times before when I had angered his lovers, he gave me another warning. “Rachel, don’t you think you’re taking yourself too seriously!” “Haven’t I told you what happens when you upset them?”

My head was spinning. It took a while before I found my voice again: “I told you your lovers can have anything, except things related to my grandmother!” Shen knew my bottom line very well. He also knew I had been holding back my emotions for a long time. But he didn’t care if I was angry or not. He just wanted to make his sweetheart happy. I was dragged by Shen all the way to the study on the third floor. When I saw what was inside the sandalwood and gilt box, my heart sank. “Shen, what are you going to do?!” Shen knew exactly what he was doing as he took out the punishment book inside. The so-called punishment book was a special iron book made by the Johnson family to punish descendants who stepped out of line. The raised characters on it warned family members to obey family rules and restrain themselves. Shen had once endured this family punishment to rebel against our arranged marriage. Kneeling on the densely raised nails of the punishment book was like kneeling on needles, causing pain and fear. But back then, Shen had knelt for a full five hours. It made me want to give up my feelings for him and cancel the marriage. But the elders on both sides wouldn’t agree no matter what, determined to make this family union happen. The hatred in Shen’s eyes as he looked at me that day was intense. I never thought that just for refusing one of Lily’s requests, Shen would subject me to this family punishment. “Only by suffering a little will you learn your lesson completely,” Shen said flatly, throwing the punishment book in front of me and ordering me to kneel on it all night. The housekeeper who had followed us couldn’t bear it and quickly tried to dissuade him: “Mr. Johnson, this punishment book is like torture. Madam is delicate, won’t kneeling all night ruin her knees?” Shen furrowed his handsome brows and sneered: “She should have thought about how I would treat her when she upset Lily.” As soon as he finished speaking, he had the butler press me down to kneel on the punishment book for reflection. Before leaving, Shen made a video call to Lily, their intimate words lingering in my ears: “Does your knee still hurt where you bumped it? Don’t worry, I’ve paid her back for you…” When he turned the camera towards me, a needle-like pain shot through my knees. It was almost deep in the bone, making my scalp go numb. “Mr. Johnson, you’re so good to me. My knee doesn’t hurt anymore. You don’t believe me? Come feel it~” “I’m glad it doesn’t hurt. After all, someone else is hurting for you.” “Oh right, didn’t you say you had your eye on something else?” “It will be in your hands very soon.” Shen played with the beads in his hand, smiling meaningfully. Hearing how much Shen cared for her, Lily was so happy she could barely speak, only able to coquettishly chide him. The two flirted on the voice call in front of me for a while longer before finally closing the door. Watching Shen’s departing figure, I felt inexplicably panicked, a cold sweat breaking out on my back. Two hours later, my knees were bruised and swollen, barely able to move at all. I couldn’t imagine how Shen had endured five hours back then. The housekeeper said Shen had taken over half a month to recover. It turns out not loving someone is so obvious. What a pity I was still naive enough to think I could soften him with love back then. I was wrong about everything. I gradually came to realize this. In the end, I collapsed to the ground with a “thud” that caught the attention of the housekeeper outside the door. Anna looked at my pale face and immediately wanted to call Shen. I didn’t have time to stop her before I heard a moan of pleasure leak through the phone. Followed by an angry rebuke: “Can’t you tell I’m busy?” “Unless she kneels to death, don’t disturb me!” I gave a bitter smile, my trembling body barely able to support itself as I tried to reassure her: “I’m fine, don’t call him…” But the next second, my heavy fall betrayed my true condition.

When I woke up again, thick bandages were wrapped around my knees. Anna beside me looked like she wanted to say something but held back, her eyes red. “If you want to say something, just say it.” What else could I not bear at this point? Seeing my resigned expression, Anna held my hand sympathetically, trying hard to comfort me: “Madam, it was just a small miscarriage. You’ll have another chance in the future!” My heart skipped a beat. I instinctively touched my abdomen. After a long while, I moved my arm away. Tears unconsciously streamed down my face as I calmly instructed: “Don’t tell anyone, especially not Shen.” A few days before the graduation party, Lily finally got her hands on my mermaid wedding dress as she wished. Shen, who usually hated troublesome events, surprisingly attended a private auction that day. By the time I was invited over, the auction was nearly over. Lily was satisfied to receive my grandmother’s jade bracelet that had been passed down for generations, exclaiming: “I’ve only ever seen this on TV before. I never thought I’d be able to own such a top-tier jade bracelet. Thank you, Mr. Johnson!” Shen naturally put his arm around her shoulders, his gaze falling on the host as he smiled lightly: “Using it as your graduation gift is most fitting.” The people around admired Shen’s grand gesture, unable to help but applaud: “It’s rare to see Mr. Johnson splurge like this for his sweetheart. How extravagant!” “This display of affection, I bet someone is going to be insanely jealous!” “Hey, why does this bracelet look so familiar? Isn’t it the heirloom jade bracelet of the Johnson family’s daughter-in-law?” “Mr. Johnson, you didn’t auction off your wife’s belongings, did you?” People spoke teasingly, somewhat wanting to see some drama unfold. Shen didn’t bother to hide anything and admitted it right away. Everyone knew that was my most treasured possession, yet Shen deliberately auctioned it off in front of everyone to please his lover. I stood dazed at the doorway, watching as people continued to flatter Shen, surrounding him at the center. Lily had never seen such a grand gesture before and was instantly elated. Just then, Shen’s heavy gaze turned towards me. I bit my lip hard, my eyes reddening at the scene before me. The noisy, lively voices suddenly stopped. Everyone was looking in my direction. “Shen, why did you auction off the heirloom my grandmother left me?” “Do you hate this arranged marriage so much?” Besides that, I couldn’t think of any other reason why Shen would hate me so much. Hearing mention of old matters, Shen’s expression turned cold as he held Lily even closer. “Rachel, you should have expected this day would come when you married me.” “Just looking at you for a second after we got married made me feel sick!” After seven years, Shen once again spoke his true feelings. I smiled, feeling as if a weight had been lifted. But tears kept coming unbidden, pouring out endlessly. I begged him, almost pleading, to return the bracelet to me. I even offered divorce: “I promise you, I can divorce you and let you never see me again. Please, can you give me back my grandmother’s things?” Shen’s brows furrowed, inexplicably annoyed. The people around once again got their fill of drama, unable to help but comment: “Rachel has loved Mr. Johnson for over ten years. She even chose her university just to follow him. How can she talk about divorce so easily?” “Is this a ploy to get him back? This tactic is too old-fashioned!” “Trust me, she’ll cry and make a fuss at most. By tomorrow she’ll be begging to reconcile again!” People confidently guessed all my thoughts, as if they knew exactly what was in my mind. I couldn’t blame them for thinking this way. After all, every time Shen had a fight with one of his lovers, I was always the one to actively make peace in the end. But this time, I had no other intentions. I just wanted my things back. “Please, Shen.” I was almost about to kneel and beg him to agree, but he handed the choice to Lily instead. “I’ve said before, anything Lily wants, you have no right to compete for!” “Unless you’re willing to lower your head and beg her yourself!” Everyone’s gazes fell on Lily again, waiting for her decision. Lily just glanced at Shen before turning to me and saying: “This is the graduation gift Mr. Johnson gave me. Sis, can’t you let me have it just this once?” Lily seemed to be reminding me of the consequences of not letting her have the wedding dress last time. In an instant, I felt as if I had fallen into an ice pit. The words I wanted to say got stuck in my throat. In the end, I was mercilessly rejected by the two of them and driven out by security.

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