I sat in the plush leather chair of Sean’s law office, my body still aching from the miscarriage three days ago. The cramping hadn’t stopped completely. Neither had the bleeding. The doctor had advised bed rest, but Sean’s lawyer had made it clear—today was non-negotiable. “Mrs. Harrington, please sign here… and here.” The lawyer’s voice was clinically detached as he slid the divorce papers across the polished mahogany table. His finger tapped impatiently at each yellow tab. I couldn’t look at Sean. In the ten years we’d been married, I’d memorized every expression that crossed his face. Today, I couldn’t bear to see which one he wore—contempt, perhaps, or worse, nothing at all. Instead, my gaze drifted to Natalie Benson, perched beside him like a bird of prey. Her red-lacquered nails rested possessively on his forearm, her diamond bracelet catching the light. My bracelet. The one Sean had given me on our fifth anniversary. “June.” Sean’s voice finally broke the silence. Cold. Distant. A stranger’s voice. “The sooner you sign, the sooner we can all move on.” The lawyer cleared his throat. “I should remind you, Mrs. Harrington, that should you choose not to sign today, Mr. Harrington is prepared to contest any custody arrangements for future children and—” “Future children?” The words escaped me before I could stop them. My hand instinctively went to my abdomen, still tender from the loss. “I just lost our baby.” Natalie’s lips curled into a smile that never reached her eyes. “Well, that simplifies things, doesn’t it?” Sean didn’t even flinch at her cruelty. He just stared at his watch, as if my grief were an inconvenience, a meeting running overtime. “Sign the papers, June,” he said flatly. “Or you’ll leave with nothing.” My hands trembled as I picked up the pen. Each signature felt like another piece of myself being carved away. With the final stroke, ten years of marriage—of loving Sean, of building a life with him, of sacrificing everything I’d ever wanted—was reduced to a stack of legal documents. The drive back to our apartment—no, Sean’s apartment now—was a blur of rain-slicked streets and blurry traffic lights. My chest felt hollow, as if something vital had been scooped out. When I reached the door, my key still worked. Small mercies. But inside, everything had changed. The closet in our bedroom stood open, emptied of my clothes. The bookshelves had been purged of my novels and textbooks. Even the photographs had been removed from their frames, leaving ghostly rectangles on the walls where our memories had once hung. In the living room, cardboard boxes were stacked neatly, labeled in a handwriting I didn’t recognize. “June’s Things.” “Kitchen—June’s.” “Miscellaneous.” A note sat on the kitchen counter, Sean’s precise handwriting unmistakable: *June, The movers will collect these boxes tomorrow. You have until noon to vacate the premises. Your access to our joint accounts has been temporarily suspended pending the finalization of our divorce. —Sean* No goodbye. No acknowledgment of our decade together. Just logistics. A soft knock at the door startled me. When I opened it, Mrs. Chen from across the hall stood there, her kind face creased with concern. “I saw the movers earlier,” she said softly. “They left these by the door.” She held out a pair of worn ballet flats—my favorite shoes for padding around the apartment on Sunday mornings. That night, I sat on the bathroom floor, the cool tiles pressing against my legs. The bottle of sleeping pills Sean had gotten prescribed for his insomnia sat in my palm. How many would it take? Would it hurt? “June?” The voice was so achingly familiar that for a moment, I thought I’d imagined it. But when I looked up, he was there in the doorway—Sean. Not the Sean who had sat across from me in that sterile law office, but Sean as he had been when we first met. Eighteen years old, with warm eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled. Hair slightly too long, falling across his forehead in that way that had made my heart stumble the first time I saw him. “Sean?” My voice cracked. He knelt beside me, and when his hand touched mine, it was warm but somehow not quite solid—like touching sunlight through a window. “What are you doing?” he asked gently, his eyes fixed on the pill bottle in my hand. Morning came with cruel persistence. I hadn’t slept—not really. The pills remained uncapped beside me, a temptation I’d resisted only because of him. Because of young Sean, whose impossible presence had somehow anchored me through the darkest hours. I dragged myself to the bus stop, my belongings stuffed into a single suitcase. Mrs. Chen had offered her couch, but pride—the last thing I owned that Sean couldn’t take—made me refuse. The bus lurched forward, and I clutched my phone, scrolling through credit card applications. Each rejection notification felt like another door slamming shut. *Insufficient credit history. Application denied. Unable to verify income.* ‘They’re making a mistake,’ came a soft voice beside me. I looked up to find young Sean sitting there, his eyes warm with concern. In the harsh morning light, he seemed more substantial than he had in the bathroom darkness, yet still somehow ethereal—like a photograph coming to life. ‘What are you?’ I whispered, earning a concerned glance from an elderly woman across the aisle. He smiled that crooked smile I’d fallen for a lifetime ago. ‘I’m here because you need me to be.’ His hand covered mine as another rejection flashed across my screen. Though I couldn’t truly feel his touch, something warm spread through my fingers. I bit my lip hard, fighting back tears that threatened to humiliate me further in this bus full of strangers. ‘You’ll figure this out,’ he said quietly. ‘You always do.’ The bus jolted to a stop, and when I looked again, the seat beside me was empty. — ‘You came!’ Sarah Evans exclaimed, her surprise poorly concealed as she air-kissed my cheeks at the law firm’s holiday party entrance. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d… well, you know.’ I smoothed down the borrowed dress—a castoff from Mrs. Chen’s daughter. Too tight across the chest, too loose at the waist, but it was black and unremarkable. Perfect for disappearing. ‘I appreciate the invitation,’ I lied, scanning the room for Sean. This was madness, coming here. But I needed to speak with him about the accounts. About the future. About anything that might give me closure. The party hummed with expensive conversation and tinkling crystal. I sipped champagne that tasted like ashes, nodding at former friends who suddenly found the appetizer table fascinating when they spotted me. David Miller, the managing partner, tapped his glass for attention. ‘If I could have everyone’s moment, please! We have something special to celebrate tonight.’ The crowd parted, and there they were—Sean and Natalie, her arm possessively wound through his. She wore red, vibrant as a fresh wound against the sea of conservative black and navy suits. ‘To new beginnings,’ David continued, raising his glass. ‘And to the future Mr. and Mrs. Harrington!’ The room erupted in applause. My champagne glass froze halfway to my lips. ‘And because a picture is worth a thousand words,’ Natalie’s voice cut through the congratulations, ‘we’ve prepared a little slideshow of our journey.’ The lights dimmed. The projector flickered to life on the wall behind them. And there I was—pale, hollow-eyed, curled in a hospital bed. The date stamp showed three days ago. My miscarriage. My private agony, projected six feet tall for everyone to see. ‘Oops,’ Natalie giggled, feigning embarrassment as gasps rippled through the crowd. ‘Wrong folder!’ The room spun. Faces blurred into masks of horror and morbid fascination. I stumbled backward, knocking into a waiter, sending a tray of glasses crashing to the floor. The shattering sound broke whatever spell had frozen me in place. I fled. — ‘Sean!’ I called out, my voice echoing in the parking garage beneath his firm the next morning. He was walking toward his car, briefcase in hand. He turned slowly, his face a perfect mask of indifference. ‘June. You shouldn’t be here.’ ‘The accounts,’ I said, my breath forming small clouds in the December air. ‘They’re empty. All of them.’ ‘Yes.’ No explanation. No apology. ‘How am I supposed to—’ ‘You should check your credit report,’ he interrupted coolly. ‘The mortgage, the car loans, your student debt—they’re all in your name now.’ The ground seemed to tilt beneath me. ‘You can’t do that.’ ‘It’s already done.’ He checked his watch. ‘Anything else?’ A sleek black limousine pulled up behind him, its tinted window rolling down to reveal Natalie’s smirking face. ‘Sean,’ I whispered, searching for any flicker of the man I’d married. ‘Why?’ He turned away without answering, sliding into the limo beside her. As they pulled away, I caught a final glimpse of Natalie’s triumphant smile through the darkened glass. Standing alone in the cold garage, I realized with sudden clarity that the man I’d loved was truly gone. And in his place was someone I no longer recognized—someone capable of destroying me without a second thought. I stared at the ceiling of Chris’s spare bedroom, watching the shadows from passing cars slide across the cracked plaster. The mattress smelled faintly of mothballs and something else—a lingering scent of my brother’s military life, perhaps. After the parking garage confrontation with Sean, I’d had nowhere else to go. My credit cards were maxed out, my accounts emptied, and my name was now attached to debts I hadn’t even known existed. “You can stay as long as you need,” Chris had said when I showed up at his door, suitcase in hand, eyes swollen from crying. His apartment was small—a one-bedroom converted to two by adding a wall that didn’t quite reach the ceiling—but it was clean and warm. Military precision evident in the perfectly made bed, the precisely aligned shoes by the door. I rolled onto my side, wincing at the hollow ache that still lingered in my abdomen. The physical reminder of everything I’d lost. “Hey, you up?” Chris’s voice came softly through the thin door. When I didn’t answer, he pushed it open anyway, his wheelchair barely fitting through the narrow frame. “Brought you something.” He wheeled over to the bed and handed me a battered leather journal. The cover was worn smooth at the corners, the pages yellowed with age. “What’s this?” I asked, running my fingers over the soft leather. “My therapist gave it to me when I came back from Afghanistan. Said writing down the next steps, no matter how small, helped make the impossible seem possible.” His eyes, so like mine, held no pity—just quiet understanding. “Thought you might need it more than I do now.” I clutched the journal to my chest, tears threatening again. “I don’t know what the next steps even are, Chris.” He gestured to the wall behind me, where his service medals hung in a simple frame. “When they first put me in this chair, I couldn’t see past the next hour, let alone the next day. But you keep going. One step, then another.” He reached out and squeezed my hand. “You’ll rebuild, June. And I’ll help you.” — The nonprofit where I’d worked before my marriage to Sean was housed in a converted Victorian in Capitol Hill. I’d spent three happy years there before leaving to support Sean’s career move to New York. Now, back in Seattle with nothing but desperation, I hoped they might remember me fondly. “June Parker!” Maria Sanchez exclaimed when I walked into her office. “Or is it Harrington now?” “Parker,” I said firmly. “It’s Parker again.” Maria’s warm brown eyes softened with understanding. She’d been my supervisor years ago, and time had added silver to her dark hair but hadn’t diminished her kind smile. “Well, Ms. Parker, your timing is impeccable. We just got funding for a new community outreach position. The pay isn’t spectacular, but—” “I’ll take it,” I interrupted, then flushed. “I mean, I’d like to apply. If that’s possible.” She laughed. “Let’s start with an interview, at least. How’s tomorrow?” I left feeling lighter than I had in weeks. The next day, I wore my only remaining professional outfit—a navy skirt suit I’d managed to grab before the movers came—and answered Maria’s questions with growing confidence. By the end, her smile told me everything I needed to know. “We’ll be in touch very soon,” she promised, walking me to the door. Three days later, a terse email arrived: *Dear Ms. Parker,* *Thank you for your interest in our Community Outreach Coordinator position. After careful consideration, we have decided to pursue other candidates whose qualifications better align with our current needs.* *We wish you the best in your future endeavors.* I stared at my phone in disbelief. The interview had gone perfectly. Maria had all but offered me the job on the spot. Before I could stop myself, I was dialing her number. “June,” Maria answered, her voice tight. “I was hoping you’d call.” “What happened?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady. A long pause. Then: “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but… Natalie Benson called our executive director yesterday. Sean’s firm is our biggest donor, and she made it clear that if we hired you, they would withdraw their support.” The phone nearly slipped from my suddenly numb fingers. “She did what?” “I’m so sorry, June. We can’t lose that funding—we’d have to close our doors.” After we hung up, I sat on Chris’s fire escape, watching the sun sink behind the Seattle skyline. The metal was cold through my thin pants, but I barely noticed. First my marriage, then my home, my financial security, and now even the chance to work—all systematically stripped away. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I turned to find young Sean sitting beside me, his legs dangling over the edge of the fire escape. In the fading light, he looked almost solid. “Do you remember our first date?” he asked, his eyes reflecting the deepening twilight. “The coffee shop near campus,” I whispered. “You spilled your latte all over my economics textbook.” He smiled, and suddenly I wasn’t on the fire escape anymore but sitting in that crowded university café, watching eighteen-year-old Sean frantically blot at my ruined book with napkins, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I’ll buy you a new one,” he was promising, his eyes—so warm then, so full of life—meeting mine across the table. The memory shifted, and we were dancing in the spring rain on the empty quad, my sundress plastered to my skin, his laughter echoing across the deserted campus. Then we were lying on a blanket in the darkness outside Madison, watching the Perseid meteor shower streak across the summer sky. “Someday,” he whispered, taking my hand, “I’m going to give you the world, June Parker.” The memories faded, leaving me alone on the cold fire escape, tears streaming down my face. The contrast between those cherished moments and my current reality was almost too painful to bear. “Why are you showing me this?” I asked the empty air where young Sean had been. But there was no answer, only the distant sound of traffic and the hollow ache of everything I’d lost.

He Left Me To Die, Then Begged For My Love I nourished a beast-hybrid bodyguard with my very lifeblood. For six years, I cherished him, poured out my entire heart, only to receive a single cold declaration in return: “Don’t ever think you can tame me.” During the Great Beast Uprising, he shielded another girl, letting me be trampled underfoot. He was *my* bodyguard, for crying out loud. Yet he always, *always* abandoned me. He even coiled his scorpion tail tightly around my throat, forcing me to use my precious blood to revive that girl. He didn’t know that every drop of blood I shed meant a piece of my life force withered away. He didn’t know this was my final breath, my last remaining lifespan. “Aurora, I swear I’ll make it up to you, I’ll be everything you want. Please, save her.” The arrogant beast-hybrid, who had always scorned submission, finally knelt before me, acknowledging me as his master. My fingers were fading, turning translucent against the light. “But… there was no ‘us’ anymore. No future.”

Ryder’s scorpion tail thrashed wildly, his eyes glazed over, consumed by pure bestial rage. He was in a frenzy. “Ivy…” Even then, with me bleeding out, he still whispered *her* name. I let him bite into my arm. Only when my blood flowed down his throat did he slowly calm. “Thank you…” I didn’t whine or complain about the pain like I usually would. Instead, I pushed him away, wiping the remaining blood onto a withered plant. The dry, shriveled leaves instantly burst back to life. Another chunk of my life force had drained away. “I’m moving near the lab. You’re my bodyguard; you have to come with me.” Ryder flinched. “But…” “I feed you my blood every month, Ryder. It’s not so you can run off to deal with Ivy’s wild episodes.” His chest was covered in love bites and hickeys. I forced my gaze away, my eyes burning with unshed tears. The accusation was on the tip of my tongue. But it twisted, becoming a threat instead. “Don’t forget your duty. If anything happens to me, the Federation won’t let any of you off the hook.” The world had ended. The ecosystem was shattered, and food plants were on the brink of extinction. I was the Federation’s only botanist. “Understood.” Ryder lowered his gaze. “I’ll go out first, then.” As he reached the door, I called out to him. “Ryder, what do you think we are to each other?” He stopped. His broad shoulders shrugged. His tanned muscles tensed, and on his waist, the indelible mark of a ‘discarded genetic experiment’ was still visible. If I hadn’t risked half my life to save him back then, he’d be long dead. “Employer and bodyguard. You give me blood; I protect you.” It was the answer I expected. No matter how much I gave, his heart wouldn’t hold even an ounce of space for me. Why force it? He wasn’t Julian. He wouldn’t cherish me, not truly. No matter how much he looked like him, he wasn’t him. Tears blurred my vision. I tried to wipe them away, but my fingertips were already fading, turning translucent. “I might not be able to pay your salary anymore.” **I’m fast disappearing.** Ryder didn’t take it seriously. “Then I’ll just find another employer.” He took long strides and left, leaving the door ajar and me, quietly sobbing. I always joked with him. But this time, it was real.

I’d just woken up, and Ryder was already standing by the front door, ready to go. “Your clothes are all here. The files are organized too.” His brow was slightly furrowed, and his strong, bony fingers pushed back a stray lock of hair as he meticulously checked the luggage. “The calming incense got a bit damp, so I didn’t bring it. I’ll buy you a new one later.” “I packed your plushie in a separate bag…” “Throw it away.” I said flatly. That plushie, Ryder had given it to me. It was meant for Ivy. She refused it, and then he just passed it on to me. The pathetic thing was, I’d treasured it. Ryder paused, looking stunned. “Why? Didn’t you like it? Just keep it…” This was the first time he hadn’t obeyed my order. “Ryder!” The girl skipped into the small yard, light on her feet, and threw herself into Ryder’s arms. “Thank you so much for yesterday! I came to thank you in person.” Ryder stiffened, his hands hovering awkwardly, unsure where to place them. His ears, unseen by her, burned bright red. His scorpion tail was held high, as if afraid to accidentally hurt her. I glanced at the back of my hand. Last night, his venomous stinger had grazed me, leaving my hand red and swollen, almost breaking the skin. Perhaps I was just used to it, but I barely felt any pain. “Oh! Is this that plushie I didn’t want?” Ivy picked up the beautifully wrapped plushie, examining it. “How did it get here? Did you give it to Aurora?” Ryder glanced at me. He hesitated. “Uh… no.” I turned my face away, my hand hanging by my side unconsciously clenching. He said, “I just forgot to throw it out when I was home. It’s trash, really.” His scorpion tail flicked. The plushie was sent flying into the overflowing trash bin. Its soft, plush face, still plastered with a cheerful smile, rolled into the depths, becoming soaked and soiled. “I knew it! Why would you give my unwanted junk to Aurora?” Ryder’s eyes flickered to my pale face, a tremor running through his pupils before he quickly looked away. I couldn’t tell if it was guilt, or a flicker of pain. He was afraid Ivy would misunderstand. So he chose to hurt me. And, of course, what comparison was there between us? Even gifts, I only got what she didn’t want. I unclenched my hand. My palms were marred with crescent-shaped indentations from my fingernails. “Throw away all my luggage. I’ll buy new things.” “I don’t want any of it anymore.” I looked at Ryder. “And that includes you, Ryder. I don’t want you anymore.”

I applied to the Federation for a new bodyguard. “Are you sure?” The Commander chuckled. “Ryder is the one you risked half your life to save, Miss Aurora. It took half your blood, you know.” “And where you knelt and begged before the Elders, green grass has sprouted. I bet that beast-hybrid doesn’t know that, does he?” “That failed genetic experiment, he wasn’t worth risking your life for.” “Oh, I forgot. He looks just like your childhood sweetheart, Julian. No wonder…” I was determined. I would replace Ryder and never be entangled with him again. The next day. My new bodyguard from the Federation arrived. It was a tiger beast-hybrid, even taller and more imposing than Ryder. His long, snow-white tail curled around my luggage. “Greetings, Miss Aurora.” I cleared out the room I’d prepared for Ryder and let the tiger beast-hybrid move in. I was explaining his duties when the doorbell rang. I didn’t open it. Ryder waited for a while, assuming no one was home, and tried the passkey himself. “Password incorrect.” He thought he’d misheard. He tried again. “Password incorrect.” He began to pound on the door. I was tired of it. I told the tiger beast-hybrid to get rid of him. A thunderous crash shook the entire house. I rushed out to find Ryder and the tiger beast-hybrid locked in a furious brawl, tearing down the very front door in their struggle. “Stop it!” Ryder looked up, his jealousy so thick it felt like it could drip from his eyes. His scorpion tail plunged forcefully into the tiger beast-hybrid’s side. I heard a strangled gasp, and the tiger beast-hybrid crumpled, his skin visibly turning purplish-blue. “Are you insane?!” I slapped Ryder across the face. His head snapped to the side, a few drops of blood flying. Only then did I notice the bloody gouge on the back of his head where the tiger beast-hybrid had clawed him. “Who is he?” Ryder glared, his eyes fixed on the other man. “My new bodyguard.” I helped the tiger beast-hybrid up, swiftly cut my arm, and pressed it to his lips, letting him drink. Ryder’s eyes went crimson. “I’m your bodyguard.” His defiance deflated. He stood there, utterly lost, especially when I offered no response. Even his scorpion tail drooped. “I’m your bodyguard…” “You can’t protect me,” I said coldly. “Get out.” He stood rooted to the spot. Perhaps realizing how terrible he’d been before, his lips trembled, unable to form a single word of protest. “I can…” “I promise I’ll protect you properly from now on, I’ll protect you with my life…” The glass reflected Ryder’s face, his jaw tight, his gaze locked onto me. He didn’t even blink, despite the blood streaming into his eyes. “Give me another chance.” The tiger beast-hybrid stirred. He pushed past me and bolted for the door, terrified of another sting. “Aurora, no one’s better suited for this job than me,” Ryder took a step forward. “I *can* protect you.” I was silent for a long moment. I looked at him. “You said you’d protect me with your life.” Ryder nodded frantically, like a bobblehead. “I promise.” I could feel my life force slipping away. I was inexplicably exhausted, sleeping longer and longer hours. Even the plants in the lab weren’t responding to my touch as they used to. “I’m tired. I’m going home.”

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I was bound to a system. It told me I was the female lead in a sweet romance novel, and my childhood friend was the male lead. But the story had gone off track. The system demanded I win over the male lead, achieve a sweet ending, and save the world. Yet, after three years of trying to pursue him, Jaxon detested me. The moment he saw me, his face was filled with impatience. He even frequently hurled insults my way. Finally, after I approached him proactively one more time, he said: “You act like such a simp, constantly clinging to me. It’s genuinely sickening. I like Luna. Can’t you just like someone else?” “Host, detecting you have one opportunity to change your target. Would you like to switch?” “Switch! Switch immediately! Switch right now! I should have switched ages ago!” I instantly replied to the system. Whatever the reason for changing targets, I was immensely grateful. “Host, please wait. Retrieving data…” I waited intently for the system’s reply. Completely ignoring the dog-like human beside me. Jaxon was handsome, with a wild aura. His big, bright eyes were so clear and soulful, he could make a brick wall seem romantic. But at this moment, his slightly reddened thin lips curled in scorn, spitting out cruel words without mercy. “You always act like some kind of stalker, following me around and obsessing over me. It’s disgusting. Do less of that from now on.” “Ah, yes, yes, yes.” The disgust in Jaxon’s eyes deepened. He turned his head away, as if I were something dirty, beneath his notice. I secretly rubbed my hands together, buzzing with anticipation, waiting for the system to churn out a new target for me. Jaxon and I were childhood friends. We’d known each other since we were five, and it had been sixteen years. When I first learned Jaxon was my target, I was secretly happy for a long time. At five, Jaxon protected me from other kids bullying me. He didn’t say a word and took on three of them, then got a good beating. Even though he lost badly, I was completely unharmed. At eight, I fell out of a tree in the wilderness and hurt my leg. Jaxon cried the entire way as he practically dragged me home. Though I ended up more injured from the dragging, he didn’t abandon me when I was scared. At fourteen, my first period started, and I was so mortified I couldn’t even bring myself to go to the restroom during class. It was him who took off his jacket to cover me and, blushing, went to the supermarket to buy me pads. … Before I turned eighteen, I was the only girl in Jaxon’s circle. Back then, he genuinely treated me so, so well. I liked him. I thought he liked me too, at least a little bit. I imagined if Jaxon was the target, we’d quickly achieve our happy ending. Never thought… Three years. A full three years. His favorability for me just kept plummeting, and honestly, mine for him did too. It must be in the negatives by now. I sincerely prayed in my heart. “Oh, all-powerful deities, Buddha, Saints above, please, please, grant me a normal, handsome guy, at least 6 feet tall, with a killer physique for a target!” “I’d willingly trade thirty years of Jaxon’s life for it!” Jaxon said impatiently, “I’m never going to be with you in this lifetime. Now get lost.” I didn’t even clearly hear what Jaxon said, just casually brushing him off, “Mm, okay, okay.” I focused on my silent prayer, this one just my safety net. “God, please grant me a normal target. I, your humble servant, would trade thirty years of Jaxon being forced to eat kale for it. Amen.” Jaxon looked at me for a moment, slightly surprised, then disdainfully turned away again. Jaxon’s friend, Leo, came to find him: “Jax, Luna, the campus queen, is waiting for us in the VIP booth. Let’s go!” “Alright.” Leo: “Jax, I just heard Elara say she’s not going to bother you anymore. You really don’t care?” Jaxon scoffed, “Do you believe that? It’s just a new trick to get my attention.” “You watch, in a few days, when that doesn’t work, she’ll be sticking to me like glue again.” “She loves me too much to let go.” Leo: “That’s our Jaxon, always knows how to handle his women.” “Enough. Why are we talking about her? It’s disgusting.”

Standing in place, I stared at the system panel. “Host, your new target is Caleb.” Caleb was the school’s academic genius, smart and from a good family. He and Jaxon were hailed as the school’s male idols. He was the secret crush of countless girls at school, but because he was so outstanding, few dared to confess. Most importantly, Caleb was over 6 feet tall, handsome, I hadn’t seen his physique but it must be good, and he had no rumored relationships, completely single. I laughed out loud in delight, deciding I’d visit a temple and light some incense when I got a chance. I had to properly thank all the deities. I started gathering information on Caleb’s whereabouts, planning to orchestrate a casual encounter. I heard Caleb was at the library. I found a pretty floral dress, put on light makeup, and tied my hair into pigtails. Going for a pure and innocent vibe. I grabbed a book I’d borrowed before, planning to use returning it as an excuse to make an impression on Caleb. But just as I was about to head out. I got a call from Jaxon. He immediately started giving haughty orders: “Luna wants desserts from the Sweet Haven. Go buy a few, and pair them with some boba tea. Deliver them within half an hour.” I wasn’t angry at all. Honestly, if I truly let myself get angry with Jaxon, I’d probably explode and become a walking drama bomb. “Jaxon, find someone else or go buy them yourself. I’m busy, I don’t have time for you.” Jaxon completely ignored me, finished his spiel, and hung up: “Hurry up, I’ll only wait half an hour. Even when you’re playing hard to get, know your limits.” Psychopath, narcissist, self-absorbed jerk. Ugh, such a turn-off!!! I cursed him under my breath and blocked his number. Not having to deal with Jaxon the Maniac, watching him throw a fit, was simply wonderful. Finally, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting stress-related illnesses anymore. At the library, I pretended to stand there returning a book, but my eyes were scanning nonstop, trying to pinpoint Caleb’s location. Soon, I found him. It wasn’t that my eyesight was exceptional; it was that Caleb practically glowed, and his handsomeness was on a whole other level compared to everyone else. I secretly made a decision to work on my complexion when I got back. Otherwise, standing next to him, I’d just be the background, like a firefly next to a street lamp. Alright, next up, the approach. The most inconspicuous yet noticeable accidental encounter in a library is probably standing on opposite sides of the same bookshelf as Caleb, pulling out a book, and then our eyes meeting. When our eyes met, I should subtly smile. It was both sweet and romantic, and easy to execute. Ugh, darn it, that trick wouldn’t work. The school bookshelves were double-layered; you’d have to pull out two books to make eye contact. The chances of Caleb and I simultaneously pulling out opposing books and achieving that “across the bookshelf eye contact” feat were too low. And if I pulled a book after he did, just to meet his eyes, it would be too obvious. Gotta think of something else. Got it! The bookshelves are so tall; it’s perfectly normal for me not to reach a book. Caleb is such a tall, strong guy; he’d probably be happy to help a delicate girl like me grab a book, right? As long as he helps, we’d have a connection, an excuse to talk to him, ask for his help, invite him to dinner. One thing leading to another, we’d get to know each other, and feelings would develop. Hey, if it works, it works. Once I had a plan, I immediately put it into action. I walked to a bookshelf not far from Caleb, randomly picked a book, and began to stand on my tiptoes, reaching for it, putting on a full show of being able to touch it but not quite grab it. But after reaching for a while, no one came to help. I subtly turned my head, using my peripheral vision to see what Caleb was doing. Only to find that spot empty. I stepped back from the bookshelf and saw Caleb already seated in the reading area. I inwardly grumbled that he was so oblivious. I went to the fiction section and picked out a romance novel that suited my taste.

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After I started dating Leo, my Good Luck System suddenly vanished. Meanwhile, his childhood friend, Brittany, rocketed from dead last in her class to number one. She even won a ten-million-dollar lottery, earning everyone’s envy. But my life became a nightmare. I was constantly drained and plagued by bad luck. That’s when it hit me: Leo had transferred my Good Luck System to his childhood friend. I confronted them, but Leo just shrugged. “Chloe, you had such an amazing system and weren’t using it properly. I transferred it to Brittany so it could be put to good use!” Brittany was even more arrogant. “Wondering why you’ve been so unlucky lately? Because I also have a Bad Luck System.” “If you don’t want to die, I suggest you shut up.” I just smiled. They didn’t believe me, but my Good Luck System had a specific rule. Abusing it would lead to a backlash. Plus, the Good Luck System had chosen me as its true owner. What was mine would always be mine. I was just waiting for the day they’d regret everything!

Even after I stopped arguing, Brittany wouldn’t let me leave. She declared she was going to teach me a lesson and ordered Leo to do it for her. “Leo, it’s our first day together. Why don’t you personally give her a little lesson?” Leo hesitated for a second, then nodded. In less than a moment, my insides screamed with pain. Leo completely dropped his simp act. His voice was condescending. “Chloe, how does it feel to be in excruciating pain?” “They say cancer pain is the absolute worst kind. My grandpa had it. Now, you’re experiencing it for him, so I guess I can feel like I’m doing something good for my family.” I grabbed Leo’s sleeve, my hatred boiling. I wanted to tear him apart. He let me pull him closer, taking a perverse pleasure in my agony. “You honestly thought I pursued you because I liked you? I just wanted to confirm if that Good Luck System was really yours.” “Chloe, I never liked you. I hated that aloof attitude of yours.” The torment left me speechless. I watched Brittany lean against Leo’s shoulder, her voice soft. “Leo, you don’t blame me for making you use your last transfer ability, do you?” Leo ran a hand through Brittany’s hair, a doting smile on his face. “Of course not. I know what you’re thinking. This way, no one can ever take your Good Luck System away.” “This ability only had two uses anyway, and both were well spent.” Brittany’s smile grew wider. She confidently promised Leo, “Leo, don’t worry. I’ll share my good luck with you.” As she promised, Brittany didn’t forget to trash-talk me. “I would never be as selfish as Chloe!” “She actually said abusing the Good Luck System would cause a backlash! She must think we’re idiots!” They gazed at each other, lovingly, right in front of me. Just then, a classmate ran over to say the awards ceremony was starting and told Brittany and me to head over. Brittany vanished in an instant. This was a national math competition. The department faculty had been counting on me, really grooming me to win. But on the day of the competition, I tripped over absolutely nothing and missed the whole thing. Brittany came back with the trophy. The department threw an awards ceremony, and Brittany became the faculty’s new darling. I walked with heavy steps, my forehead beaded with sweat from the pain. Brittany rushed over to support me, exclaiming, “Oh my god, Chloe, are you sick? Do you need a doctor?” The department head immediately looked at me with concern. After all, I was still one of their star students. Seeing me like this, they immediately called the school nurse and took me to the infirmary. Brittany smirked, telling the department head, “Chloe, the award ceremony is starting and you’re sick? What a coincidence. The doctor will know if you’re really ill when they get here.” In that instant, I understood Brittany’s game. This transferred pain wouldn’t show up in any medical tests. The department head would just think I was faking illness to skip the ceremony. Suddenly, the Good Luck System’s voice echoed in my mind. “Host, Brittany is trying to harm you again!”

My eyes lit up. The pain in my body significantly lessened with the Good Luck System’s words. “You… you mean you’re coming back?” I was so excited I stammered. The system’s voice was low, “Not yet, Host, but soon. Brittany just needs to abuse me one more time before I can return.” “But she’s been using me too much these past few days, so the backlash is coming for her soon!” “Oh, and guess what? Brittany’s Bad Luck System has already been subdued by me! It can’t come out and help Brittany cause any more trouble.” My heart swelled with joy, and a smile unconsciously curved on my lips, even as the pain washed over me again. I cried out a few times, but before I could ask if it could ease my suffering, the school nurse arrived. Brittany dragged Dr. Alex over to me. “Dr. Alex, can you tell if Chloe is genuinely sick?” Dr. Alex’s voice was cool and steady. “She’s not sick.” Brittany got the answer she wanted and raised her voice. “Aha, Chloe! You’re faking it! Just because I won, you’re intentionally trying to skip the award ceremony, aren’t you?” The department head looked at me strangely. Dr. Alex scoffed. “Brittany, didn’t you hear my tone just now? How would I know what illness she has without examining her?” “Why are you so eager to say Chloe is faking it?” Brittany was stumped. The department faculty realized their mistake and quickly told Dr. Alex to take me for an examination. The dean cleared his throat. “Well, then, let’s postpone the awards ceremony for another day.” Brittany stood there, dumbfounded. Dr. Alex took me to the examination room. I was about to thank him for what happened earlier when he pulled out a bottle from a cabinet, poured out a pill, and quickly popped it into my mouth before I could react. It melted instantly on my tongue. I didn’t even have a chance to spit it out. Before I could question him, the pain in my body vanished. I stared at Dr. Alex, wide-eyed with surprise. “I’m all better!” He gave a slight smile. “No need to thank me. I have a Special Healing System.” Our eyes met. I understood what Dr. Alex meant and muttered to myself, *So many people are binding systems these days.* But I really was lucky. *I wonder if Brittany will be furious when she finds out!* As I thought that, a gust of wind swept by. The bottle of medicine Dr. Alex had placed on the table was snatched by Brittany, who then swallowed its entire contents. Right after that, Leo rushed in, breathless. “Dr. Alex, please check Brittany! She’s not feeling well!” Entering the room, Leo also saw Brittany, who had just downed the whole bottle of pills. He frowned, a hint of accusation in his voice. “Brittany, why are you taking random medicine?” Brittany was drenched in cold sweat. She pointed at Dr. Alex. “He cured Chloe!” Leo didn’t stop her, but his gaze at me was filled with resentment. Ten minutes later, Brittany’s furious roar echoed through the room. “Chloe, you poisoned me!”

Brittany’s loud shout drew the department faculty, who hurried to the scene. Brittany was already slumped on the floor, her face contorted in pain. I looked at Dr. Alex, who shrugged and said four words: “I can’t help her.” I almost burst out laughing. I knew Brittany was suffering from the backlash. Leo knelt beside her, gazing at her with loving eyes. “Is the medicine not working?” Brittany was sweating profusely, shaking her head frantically. She turned to the faculty. “Teachers, please control Chloe! She’s going to kill me!” The teachers didn’t question me. Instead, they asked Dr. Alex to examine Brittany. After a thorough check, Dr. Alex presented the results to everyone. The conclusion was that Brittany was perfectly healthy. Brittany became even more convinced I had harmed her. “It was Chloe! Chloe tricked me into taking this medicine!” “Chloe, you must be in unbearable pain too right now, you’re just faking it to trick me into taking the medicine!” I sneered. “Brittany, words mean nothing. I could say you’re slandering me!” “There’s surveillance in this room. It’ll be clear who’s lying and who has ill intentions.” The department faculty nodded and had the surveillance footage pulled up. After watching it, Dr. Alex spoke. “Chloe had a headache, and this is headache medicine. Who knew Brittany would snatch it and take it all herself?” Brittany’s face turned beet red as she tried to argue, “You’re lying! You clearly said you had a Special Healing System, and besides, Chloe’s ‘illness’ wasn’t a headache at all!” Brittany was spiraling out of control. The faculty members were normal people; they had no idea what a “system” was. After Brittany’s prolonged tantrum, even the most patient department faculty couldn’t help but get angry. “Brittany, while the department is pleased you won an award, that’s no excuse for you to target Chloe like this!” “The award ceremony doesn’t need to be postponed. It’s canceled altogether.” The faculty didn’t linger. Only Chloe, Dr. Alex, Brittany, and Leo remained in the room. Hatred flickered in Brittany’s eyes. She once again demanded to know what I had “poisoned” her with. I stated the truth again. “I told you, it’s the backlash from abusing the system, isn’t it?” Brittany still didn’t believe me. Her eyes narrowed. “Chloe, you’re a classic case of not seeing the coffin until you’re in it!” “Since we were classmates, I’ll let you choose how you die.” “Do you want to be crushed by something falling from a height, run over by a car, or stabbed by thugs?” I smiled faintly. “Sorry, I choose none of the above.” Brittany still didn’t realize her Bad Luck System was gone. “You don’t get a choice!” “If you don’t choose, I will. Let’s go with getting run over. That’ll be a beautiful sight.” “People like you don’t deserve to live!” I was about to tell Brittany to stop dreaming when a voice cut in. “Yeah!” A crowd of classmates suddenly poured into the room. They surrounded Brittany, united in their resentment towards me. “Brittany, we just heard what happened. We totally believe Chloe hurt you.” “Yeah, Chloe’s so selfish. She’s nothing like you, Brittany, so kind and beautiful.” … I looked at each person speaking: Ashley, my desk-mate, and Jessica, my childhood friend. They used to be my best friends. After Brittany won the lottery and handed them a few crumbs, they all turned on me and sided with Brittany, isolating me instead. Yet, I had never treated them badly before. I never even used the Good Luck System to win a lottery myself. I only used it a handful of times, always to help others. Brittany, her face pale from the backlash, lifted her chin, basking in their compliments. Leo lifted his eyelids slightly and addressed the students surrounding Brittany. “Since you all think Chloe is so despicable, why don’t you beat her up and let Brittany vent her anger?” Ashley and the others hesitated. Brittany’s face darkened. “You won’t even help me with something this small? Are you not truly my friends? You can forget about getting any more favors from me in the future!” Ashley and the others began to step closer to me. Beyond disheartened, I spoke calmly. “If Brittany is so great, why doesn’t she share her good luck with all of you?” Ashley and the others froze. When Brittany won the lottery with the Good Luck System, she gave Ashley and the others benefits every day.

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After the car crash, I lost my memory. Four powerful, elite men, each claiming to be the love of my life, were practically tearing each other apart, throwing fortunes at me. Julian Sterling, the billionaire CEO, emptied luxury boutiques. Liam Knight, my boy-next-door childhood friend, bought my favorite art gallery. Caleb Thorne, the A-list celebrity, booked Times Square for my birthday. And Dr. Elias Thorne, my attending physician, became my most comforting, unwavering support. They spoiled me rotten, like a princess everyone envied. Julian Sterling, his eyes blazing with possessiveness, clutched me close, his voice husky: “Anya, forget them. You can only be mine.” They didn’t know. The car crash was my design. The amnesia was an act. I just wanted to see how these four culprits, who had shattered my family and destroyed my life in the past, would tear each other apart and drown in the carefully constructed pond I’d built for them. The sterile, suffocating scent of disinfectant clung to everything, inescapable, in the pure white hospital room. I opened my eyes. Four handsome faces, each harboring their own secrets, swam into view. “Anya, you’re awake?” Dr. Elias Thorne, my attending physician, was the first to speak. He wore a crisp white coat, his eyes, framed by delicate gold-rimmed glasses, held a perfectly calibrated concern – just enough to appear caring, but not too much. He reached out to check my forehead, but another large, well-defined hand intercepted him mid-air. “Dr. Thorne, please mind your boundaries.” Julian Sterling’s voice was like ice. He exuded an almost palpable sense of intimidation, an aura that screamed ‘stay away,’ yet his gaze toward me held a burning, possessive intensity. “Anya, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?” Before I could answer, a clear, boyish voice cut in. “Mr. Sterling, Anya just woke up. Don’t scare her.” Liam Knight held a thermos, his eyes gentle. He was my boy-next-door, my childhood friend. “Anya, I made you your favorite homemade broth.” “Everyone, move!” A man, practically swallowed by a baseball cap and dark sunglasses, pushed his way in, tearing off his disguise to reveal a face so stunning it felt unreal. It was Caleb Thorne, the superstar. He cupped my face, his charming eyes full of heartache: “My little queen, you’re finally awake. You scared me to death.” Four men, four different poses, yet all looked at me with the same possessive gaze, as if I were their property. I blinked blankly, perfectly portraying vulnerability and helplessness, my voice light and soft: “Who… are you all? And… who am I?” “Amnesia?” Four voices spoke in unison, their shock barely concealed. Dr. Elias Thorne was the first to react. He immediately regained his professional composure as a doctor and began to examine me. Julian Sterling’s face was a thundercloud, dark enough to drip. He swatted Caleb Thorne away as he leaned in, staring intently at me: “Anya Sterling, don’t play games.” I flinched, a whimper escaping my lips as tears immediately welled up. “Julian Sterling!” Liam Knight instantly stepped in front of me, glaring at him. “Can’t you see Anya’s scared? How can you still push her when she’s like this?” Caleb Thorne exploded too: “Hey, Sterling! Try yelling at her one more time? I’ll have my fans crash your company’s website so hard, it’ll never recover!” The air in the room crackled with tension. I hid behind Liam, peeking through the gap in his shoulder, my eyes cold as I watched the farce unfold. How pathetic. In my previous life, it was these four men. Julian Sterling launched a hostile takeover, bankrupting my family’s company. My father’s hair turned stark white overnight from the stress. Liam Knight, for his family’s gain, stole our company’s most vital trade secrets, delivering a fatal blow to my father. Caleb Thorne used his public influence, fabricating baseless scandals that dragged my mother’s reputation through the mud. She eventually succumbed to depression and passed away. And Dr. Elias Thorne, my father’s most trusted physician, forged a health report, concealing the heart problems my father developed from prolonged overwork, ultimately leading to his sudden collapse and death in his office. My family was shattered, utterly destroyed. I went from being a golden girl, destined for greatness, to nothing more than dust on the street, eventually run over by a runaway truck. Given a second chance at life, how could I ever forget? I remember everything, every single detail. This crash, this amnesia – they were just the first act, the grand opening of the revenge I’d orchestrated just for them. Dr. Elias Thorne’s final diagnosis was that I had suffered hippocampal damage due to severe head trauma, resulting in memory confusion and loss. “Simply put, she doesn’t remember anyone,” he said calmly, pushing up his glasses. Julian Sterling’s brow furrowed deeply, forming a sharp ‘V’ shape, clearly not believing it. Liam Knight breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes overflowing with tenderness. Caleb Thorne, however, rushed to my bedside, grabbing my hand: “It’s okay if you don’t remember! Baby, from today, I’ll chase you all over again!” Like a startled deer, I nervously pulled my hand away, whispering, “I… I want to be alone for a bit.” It was my subtle way of telling them to leave. Caleb Thorne tried to say more, but Liam pulled him away. Julian Sterling remained rooted to the spot, his deep dark eyes fixed on me, as if I were a valuable, yet enigmatic, artifact. After a long moment, he simply said, “Get some rest,” and turned to leave. Finally, the hospital room fell silent. The vulnerability and confusion instantly drained from my face, replaced by a chilling, dead silence. I pulled back the covers and walked to the window. Below, beside four luxury cars, the four men were locked in a standoff. I couldn’t make out their expressions, but I could easily imagine their ugly faces, battling each other over me. Oh, how truly perfect. In the last life, you all ganged up to push me into the abyss. In this life, you’ll tear each other apart, for me. My hospital room became a silent battlefield during my stay. One day, Julian Sterling would send every single haute couture piece from the current season. The next, Caleb Thorne would hire out an entire Michelin-starred chef team, just to make me a special, comforting meal. Liam Knight took the sentimental approach, bringing old childhood photos and trinkets every day, trying to jog my memory. Dr. Elias Thorne, meanwhile, used his position, claiming “the patient needs quiet rest” as an excuse to block the other three from my room, monopolizing his time with me. “Anya, they’re too loud. It’ll affect your recovery,” he said, skillfully peeling an apple, his voice sickeningly sweet, almost too gentle to be real. “With me here, no one can hurt you.” I took the apple, giving him a sweet, dependent smile: “Dr. Thorne, thank you. I only feel safe when I’m with you.” The smile in his eyes deepened. Safe? How could I forget? In my last life, my father, too, trustingly put his health in your hands, only for you to personally bring about his death. Dr. Thorne, don’t rush. Your comeuppance will be delivered, little by little, by my own hands. Just then, the hospital room door burst open with a bang. Julian Sterling stormed in, radiating a frosty aura. Behind him, two bodyguards directly restrained Dr. Elias Thorne, who had tried to block them. “Since when did my woman become your responsibility?” Julian Sterling walked up to me and scooped me up without a word. I gasped, instinctively wrapping my arms around his neck. “Julian Sterling! Put her down!” Dr. Elias Thorne, Liam Knight, and Caleb Thorne, who had rushed over, roared in unison. Julian Sterling sneered, holding me like a conquering king, surveying his vanquished rivals with disdain. “From today on, Anya Sterling will be staying at my private hospital.” Julian Sterling’s private hospital felt more like a luxurious cage. A top medical team was on call 24 hours a day, nurses were always available, and everything in the room was decorated in my favorite style. He placed me on the soft, luxurious bed, looking down at me, his voice brooking no argument: “From now on, you’ll live here. You’re not allowed to see anyone without my permission.” He wanted to isolate me completely, to claim me as his own. I bit my lip, my eyes reddening, looking on the verge of tears: “Who… who are you? Why are you holding me captive?” “I’m your man.” He pinched my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Anya Sterling, you’d better remember quickly. My patience has limits.” His gaze was too aggressive. I fearfully turned my face away. He, however, thought I was scared of him. A flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes, and he softened his tone: “I just… care about you too much.” A cold sneer formed in my heart. Care? In my last life, he also used this same unyielding posture to swallow my family’s company. He had said, “The Davies Corporation, I’ll take it. And you, I’ll take you too.” So domineering, so cruel. I lowered my eyes, my long lashes concealing the hatred within. When I looked up again, my eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “My head hurts…” I clutched my head, weakly collapsing into his arms. Julian Sterling panicked, as expected, and immediately called for a doctor. Seizing the moment he turned, I swiftly sent a message to Liam Knight using the tiny phone hidden in my nail. Just one word. “Save me.” Liam Knight arrived faster than I expected. He wasn’t alone. He brought my “parents” with him. Of course, they were actors I’d hired. When the hospital room door was pushed open, Julian Sterling was spoon-feeding me soup. “Mr. Sterling, we appreciate you looking after our Anya, but now, we’re taking her home,” my “father” said sternly, his tone neither obsequious nor arrogant. My “mother” directly rushed to my bedside, taking my hand and crying as if her heart would break: “My precious darling, you’ve suffered so much!” Julian Sterling’s face immediately darkened. I seized the opportunity to show affection and dependence on my “parents,” hiding in my “mother’s” embrace, looking timidly at Julian Sterling, as if he were a kidnapper. “Mr. Sterling, Anya’s current condition requires the company of her family.” Liam Knight stood behind my “parents,” smiling gently, yet with a hint of challenge. It was a checkmate move. No matter how domineering Julian Sterling was, he couldn’t forcibly keep me in front of my “elders.” He stared intently at me, like a provoked lion. I met his gaze, my eyes pure and innocent, but inside, my heart was roaring with triumphant laughter. Julian Sterling, do you think you can win by locking me up? In this game, I set the rules. I was “successfully” taken back home. A villa I had rented under a fake identity. After sending Liam and my “parents” away, I immediately opened the surveillance monitors in the room. On the screen, Caleb Thorne was throwing a tantrum in his apartment, smashing an expensive vase. “Useless! All of you, useless! You couldn’t even keep track of one person!” His agent trembled beside him. On another screen, Dr. Elias Thorne sat in his office, repeatedly reviewing my medical records, his eyes dark and unreadable. As for Julian Sterling, he didn’t return to his company. Instead, he drove to a cemetery in the suburbs. My parents’ graves. He stood before their headstones for a very long time, rain soaking his hair and shoulders, yet he remained motionless. I turned off the monitors, the smile on my lips growing colder. Only now you come to play the hypocrite? Isn’t it a bit too late? Julian Sterling, everything you inflicted upon my parents, I will make you pay back tenfold. My phone vibrated. It was a message from Liam Knight. “Anya, are you asleep? Don’t be afraid. I’m here for you now.” I replied with “Good night,” then blocked him. The fish were on the hook. Next, I’d let them tear each other apart. The next day, an entertainment headline exploded across the internet. #A-Lister Caleb Thorne Suspected New Relationship, Female Identity Unknown# The accompanying picture showed a “cozy” photo of Caleb and me in the hospital corridor. The angle was tricky, making it look like he was passionately embracing me. I had deliberately leaked this photo to a rival media outlet through a private detective. Caleb Thorne’s fans immediately went wild, unleashing a torrent of curses and insults directed at the blurry female figure in the photo. “Who’s this bitch? How dare she seduce my bias!” “Oppa, clarify this now! You would never fall for someone like this!” Caleb Thorne’s call came through immediately, his voice anxious: “Anya, don’t look at the news, it’s all fake. I’ll have my PR team handle it right away!” I said, my voice choked with tears: “Caleb, I’m so scared… they’re all cursing at me…” “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll figure something out.” After hanging up, the curve of my lips grew wider and wider. Caleb Thorne, you care most about your career and your fans. Now, I’ll make you destroy it yourself. Caleb Thorne’s so-called solution was to hold a live stream. In the live stream, he looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot. He admitted the person in the photo was me, but claimed we were just “friends.” “She just went through a car crash and is very weak. Please don’t bother her anymore.” He bowed ninety degrees to the camera. His fans were heartbroken and expressed their understanding, then began attacking the media outlet that leaked the photo and the “mastermind” behind it. The blame was cleverly directed towards Julian Sterling. Because the photo’s background was Julian Sterling’s private hospital. “It must be that Sterling guy’s doing! He wants to drive our bias away!” “Sterling Corp is blacklisted for life! Boycott all Sterling products!” Julian Sterling’s PR team was in a frenzy, and his company’s stock price plummeted. When he called me, his voice was laced with suppressed fury: “That photo… was it your doing?” I burst into tears, feigning distress: “I don’t know… I don’t know anything… Mr. Sterling, please let me go, okay? I just want a peaceful life…” The more heartbroken I cried, the more agitated he became. “Alright, stop crying,” he said stiffly, trying to soothe me, then hung up. I knew he was already suspecting Caleb Thorne. Excellent. The first seed of distrust had been sown. The situation escalated even more intensely than I had anticipated. Caleb Thorne’s fans were incredibly aggressive. They not only cyberbullied Julian Sterling but also doxxed Liam Knight and Dr. Elias Thorne, labeling them as “entangled male sidekicks.” A story of love and hate among four people was spun into countless versions online. I, the “amnesiac protagonist,” became an object of universal sympathy. Liam Knight was the first to lose his composure. He directly issued a statement on his family’s corporate social media, clarifying his relationship with me and warning netizens to stop spreading rumors, or face legal action. This statement, undoubtedly, only added fuel to the fire. “Oh, the main character is finally making an appearance? Is he declaring war on Mr. Sterling and Caleb Thorne?” “Knight Industries? Never heard of such a small company. Daring to chase clout?” Liam Knight’s mask of gentle composure cracked for the first time. He found me, his eyes bloodshot: “Anya, come with me. I’ll take you away from here, to a place where no one knows us.” I looked at him and gently shook my head: “Liam, I’m not going anywhere.” I paused, then asked with an innocent tone: “Do you… also think I’m a lot of trouble?” He immediately panicked: “No! That’s not what I meant! Anya, I just…” “I just want to protect you,” he finally said. I smiled. Protect me? In my last life, you used those very words to deceive my father’s trust, then stabbed our family in the back with the cruellest blow. Liam Knight, your devotion is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever witnessed. At the center of this fiasco, Dr. Elias Thorne was, ironically, the one who held his composure best. He didn’t issue any statements, nor did he come looking for me. He simply sent a message promptly every day, reminding me to take my medication and rest, as if the turmoil outside had nothing to do with him. But I knew he cared more than anyone. I deliberately didn’t reply to his messages. On the third day, he finally couldn’t resist and appeared at my doorstep. He looked a bit haggard, and his white coat was slightly disheveled. “Anya, why didn’t you reply to my messages?” He grabbed my wrist, his grip a little too tight. I winced in pain: “Dr. Thorne? You’re hurting me.” He seemed to snap out of it, as if jolted awake, quickly letting go. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes: “I’m sorry, I… I was just so worried about you.” “Are you okay? Don’t believe what they’re saying online.” He explained anxiously, “Liam and I… we’re innocent.” I looked at him and suddenly smiled, a radiant, innocent smile: “Dr. Thorne, I believe you.” I tiptoed, leaning close to his ear, and whispered in a voice only we could hear: “I believe you, just like my dad believed you.” His body instantly stiffened. Dr. Elias Thorne’s face went deathly pale in an instant. He stared at me, his eyes filled with shock, fear, and a hint of disbelieving scrutiny. I maintained my innocent smile, as if what I’d just said was merely an accidental remark. “Dr. Thorne, what’s wrong? You look so pale,” I asked with concern. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. He stumbled away, looking utterly broken and defeated. I closed the door, the smile on my face freezing inch by inch. Dr. Elias Thorne, are you scared now? Don’t rush, this is just the beginning. I will make you crumble, little by little, in endless suspicion and fear. That night, Julian Sterling invited me to dinner. The venue was a private club with excellent discretion. He pulled out my chair, personally served me food, and adopted a very humble posture. “Anya, I was out of line before. I was too eager,” he said, pouring me a glass of juice, his tone softer than ever before. “I’ll clean up the mess online. They won’t bother you anymore.” I lowered my head, stirring the juice in my glass, saying nothing. “I know you don’t remember,” he paused, his voice a little hoarse. “But we used to be… good.” I looked up, meeting his deep eyes, and asked softly, “What was our relationship… before?” He was silent for a long time before he finally said, “I was your… greatest love.” I almost burst out laughing. Greatest love? Julian Sterling, your audacity knows no bounds, it’s truly astounding. “Is that so?” I tilted my head, feigning curiosity. “Then what about Liam? And Caleb? And Dr. Thorne… they all said they were the love of my life.” Julian Sterling’s face darkened: “They’re all lying to you.” “And you?” I pressed, “Are you telling the truth?” He was stumped, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his handsome face. I pressed my advantage, using an innocent cruelty to tear open his feigned devotion. “Mr. Sterling, you all say you love me, but your ‘love’ makes me so uncomfortable.” “Caleb’s fans curse at me, Liam tries to force me to leave, you lock me up, and Dr. Thorne is acting weird.” I put down my glass, stood up, and looked at him earnestly. “If this is love, then I’d rather not have it.” With that, I turned and walked away, without a hint of hesitation. Leaving Julian Sterling sitting alone at the empty dinner table, his face impossibly grim. I knew my words, like a sharp thorn, had dug deep into his heart. He would start to reflect, to scrutinize the other three. And once the gears of suspicion started grinding, there was no turning back. When I got home, Liam Knight was waiting at the door. He saw me step out of Julian Sterling’s car, and the tenderness in his eyes instantly faded, leaving only disappointment and hurt. “Anya, you still went to see him,” he said softly, his voice trembling slightly. I didn’t explain, just said tiredly, “Liam, I’m exhausted.” He stopped me, asking stubbornly, “Why? You know what kind of person he is!” “What kind of person is he?” I countered. “And what kind of person are you?” Liam Knight froze. I looked at him, saying each word clearly: “You all say you love me, but everything you do hurts me.” “I can’t tell who’s good and who’s bad.” “Liam, tell me, who should I trust?” I tossed the ball back to him. He looked at my clear, bewildered eyes, and all color drained from his face. Yes, what right did he have to criticize Julian Sterling? At the vultures’ feast, carving up the Davies family’s legacy, Liam Knight had also been a guest at the table. He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, turning away dejectedly. Watching his forlorn back, I felt no joy, only an icy coldness that permeated my bones. It wasn’t enough. Far from enough. The next few days passed quietly. The four men seemed to have reached some unspoken agreement; none of them came to bother me again. But I knew that beneath the calm surface, strong undercurrents surged. Julian Sterling began secretly investigating Knight Industries’ financial situation. Caleb Thorne used his connections to gather evidence of Julian Sterling’s tax evasion.

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I transmigrated into the villainess of a dark romance novel, only to find myself giving birth to the ruthless CEO’s triplet daughters. To win a smile from Veronica, the woman he adored, he packed me and our three wailing baby girls into an underground fighting arena. On the live stream, he wrapped an arm around Veronica, his voice chilling: “You and these worthless liabilities – whoever survives till the end, I’ll allow them to come back.” Veronica giggled, her laughter sickeningly sweet: “Oh, Dominic, you’re so naughty! Hurry, let everyone see the thrill of a mother and daughters tearing each other apart!” I closed my eyes in despair, clutching my three starving daughters. *Ding! Congratulations, Host! The ‘Husband’s Hellfire Redemption’ System has activated.* I curled my lips, revealing a chilling, white smile to the camera. “Dominic, darling, are you ready to lose everything and crawl on your knees to beg me?” *Ding! Newbie Gift Pack issued: Pain Empathy (100%). All physical and psychological pain you endure will be transmitted to the ‘target’ — the male lead of this dark romance — with zero delay and zero loss.* Our clothes were ripped off, leaving me and my three daughters wrapped only in a greasy, tattered tarp, then we were thrown into the arena like trash. My three daughters were burning with fever, their small bodies terrifyingly hot, whimpering like kittens in my arms. Barefoot, I stepped onto the slick, greasy ground. A bone-chilling cold shot straight up my spine. Almost at the exact same moment. “Ah!” Dominic Hayes’ caviar dropped to the floor. He clutched his mouth, a powerful wave of nausea surging up his throat, as if he’d just swallowed a mouthful of rotten swill. “Dominic, darling, what’s wrong?” Veronica Lane leaned into him, wiping the corner of his mouth with a concerned handkerchief. “Nothing.” Dominic frowned. “Maybe the seafood wasn’t fresh. There’s suddenly a taste of rust and sour slop in my mouth.” He picked up a glass of ’82 Lafite from a nearby table, elegantly rinsed his mouth, then spat onto the expensive Persian rug beside him. “Baby, don’t mind me. Try this – air-freighted bluefin tuna.” He spoke in the gentlest tone, with the most caring words. I watched coldly from the giant screen on the ceiling. “System, the game has begun.” Dominic was about to feed Veronica a piece of tuna when his heart violently spasmed, as if an invisible hand had brutally squeezed it. It was an extreme, gut-wrenching sense of abandonment. He didn’t know it was precisely how I felt at that moment. *Clang!* At the other end of the iron cage, a small door opened, and a guard threw in a metal bucket. Inside were foul, maggot-ridden scraps, emitting a nauseatingly sour stench. “Eat it, bitch. Mr. Hayes said if you want to live, you have to eat like a dog.” The guard’s mockery echoed through the arena via the live broadcast. My eldest daughter, Lily, was delirious with fever, her lips cracked, unconsciously whimpering: “Mommy… water…” I stared at the bucket of maggots, my stomach churning. But I knelt anyway, using my hands to carefully push aside the squirming maggots in that slimy filth, trying to find a drop of clean water underneath. The moment my fingertips touched the cold, slimy maggots— “Ugh!” Dominic could no longer hold it in. Right in front of Veronica, he vomited the top-tier meal he’d just eaten all over the floor. The head-spinning, nauseating sensation that came from my fingertips was 100% synchronized to his nerve endings. Veronica recoiled in disgust, pinching her nose. “Dominic, you’re so disgusting! What’s wrong with you?” “I… I’m fine…” Dominic hadn’t finished speaking when a rustling sound came from the shadows of the iron cage. The first “appetizer” arrived—a pack of starving, rotting rats. Their eyes gleamed red in the dim light, and they charged at us without hesitation. I instinctively clutched my three daughters tightly, forming a wall of flesh with my back and legs. “Ah—!” A rat sank its teeth viciously into my calf. Sharp teeth pierced through flesh, sending excruciating pain through me! “Argh!!!” At the same instant, Dominic clutched his calf, letting out a horrific scream in front of everyone, rolling off the sofa. The wealthy socialites present were stunned. Veronica was startled too, but mostly she felt mortified. “Dominic! What’s wrong with you? It’s just a leg cramp, isn’t it? Everyone’s watching!” “It’s not a cramp! It’s… it’s like a dog bite! It hurts! It hurts so much!” He couldn’t comprehend why his perfectly intact skin, beneath his thousand-dollar custom suit pants, was experiencing the agonizing sensation of being torn open alive. I endured the pain, listening to his screams from the big screen, and I smiled. Dominic, this is just the appetizer. The large cage door opened again, and a hungry, drooling wolf stalked in. The wolf’s target was clear: my wailing daughters in my arms. It lunged suddenly! I didn’t have time to think, instinctively blocking it with my left arm. *Splatt!* The wolf’s fangs sank deep into my arm, tearing a gash so deep the bone was visible. Blood instantly stained the dirty tarp. “Aaahhhhhh—!!!” A bomb seemed to detonate in Dominic’s mind. The agonizing pain of his arm being brutally ripped open made him instantly crush the wine glass in his hand. Glass shards dug deep into his palm, bleeding profusely. But he found that the pain in his hand was less than a thousandth of the excruciating pain originating from me in his mind.

Amidst the agonizing struggle with the wolf, the cold system prompt sounded again. *Ding! Host’s will to survive is strong, unlocking new skill: Memory Whiplash. You can select one of your most painful memories and 100% synchronize it to the empathy target, causing a mental shock.* I spoke without hesitation: “Select the memory of the triplet’s difficult birth!” Memories surged like a tide, overwhelming Dominic’s mind through the system. *Memory Scene One: The Delivery Room* I was drenched in sweat from the pain, gripping the bedsheets, pleading with the doctor: “Please, a C-section! I can’t take it anymore!” The doctor’s face was expressionless: “We need a family member’s signature.” The call went to Dominic. In the background, Veronica’s娇滴滴 voice: “Dominic, the doctor says my ankle is only a slight sprain, but I’m so scared! Stay with me, don’t leave.” Then came Dominic’s impatient roar: “Natural birth! Make her endure it! What woman doesn’t go through pain during childbirth? Stop being so dramatic!” *Memory Scene Two: Outside the Operating Room* I was hemorrhaging, my life hanging by a thread. The doctor rushed out and asked him: “Mr. Hayes, the mother’s condition is critical. Who do we prioritize, the mother or the baby?” He was gently applying a cold compress to Veronica’s ankle, not even looking up. “Save the baby. She won’t die. It’s just giving birth. Doesn’t every woman give birth?” *Memory Scene Three: The Hospital Room* I was weak postpartum, suffering from incontinence. The nurse’s aide, bribed by Veronica, deliberately left me on a bed soiled with filth for several hours. She even loudly mocked me in front of everyone else in the room. “Look at you, Mrs. Hayes, what a mess you’ve made! You’re humiliating Mr. Hayes!” The excruciating twelve-level labor pain, the bone-chilling abandonment, the boundless humiliation of being shamed, combined with the fear of being torn by the wolf—four layers of pain piled up, like a towering mountain, crushing Dominic’s soul. “Ugh… ah…” His eyes rolled back, foam escaped his lips, and he collapsed onto the floor, convulsing violently. “Dominic! Dominic, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!” Veronica shrieked, but her first reaction wasn’t to call a doctor. Instead, she quietly pulled out her phone, aimed it at Dominic’s grotesque face, and started recording. “Darling, look, he seems to be dying.” She cried hypocritically while rapidly texting her backup lover. In the arena, the wolf seemed to pause for a thousandth of a second due to Dominic’s violent reaction as the empathy target. Now was my chance! I seized the opportunity, picking up a sharp metal shard someone had dropped on the ground with my uninjured right hand. I used all my strength and slashed at the wolf’s throat! Warm wolf blood splattered across my face. The wolf crashed to the ground. *Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have achieved a counter-kill. Reward: Newbie Gift Pack – Potent Hemostatic Spray x1, Compressed Biscuits x3.* I didn’t stop my bleeding first. The wound on my arm was still gushing blood, but I merely knelt on the ground, my trembling hands carefully breaking the three precious compressed biscuits into small pieces, feeding them bit by bit to my terrified daughters. “Don’t be scared, babies. Mommy’s here.” This maternal love, born in the depths of despair, was clearly transmitted through empathy to the convulsing Dominic. This feeling wasn’t pain, yet it tormented him more than any pain. Because in his memories, he had just personally ordered the扼杀 of the very source of this warmth.

The wolf was dealt with, but the danger wasn’t over. The metal net above the arena opened, and dense swarms of venomous snakes rained down. “Oh my God! Snakes!” “They’re done for, aren’t they? With three liabilities.” “Mr. Hayes sure knows how to entertain! I’m getting excited! Yay! I bet 10 million that woman will throw her kids away first!” On the big screen, the excited chatter of the wealthy elite was relentless. I immediately shielded my daughters in a corner, forming a barrier with my body. Mixed among the snakes were several massive, slimy carrion-eating monitor lizards. Their target wasn’t us, but the still-warm wolf carcass nearby. The giant lizards opened their gaping jaws, tearing and swallowing the rotting flesh, nauseating fluids splattering everywhere. This primal, barbaric scene intensified one of my daughter’s fevers, causing her to hallucinate. She mistook a slowly slithering snake for my hand and actually laughed, reaching out to grab it. “Baby, don’t move!” I was terrified, clutching my daughter’s crying, struggling body with my uninjured hand. This tearing sensation, where I had to hurt her to protect her, felt like a knife twisting in my heart. *Ding! Host’s clever survival tactics have been recognized, rewarding new permission: Public Opinion Control (Basic). You can edit videos under 30 seconds and anonymously upload them to any online platform.* My chance had arrived. I deliberately allowed a colorful, non-venomous snake to bite my ankle. The illusion of being “poisoned” and the sharp pain were immediately synchronized to Dominic. “Help… I’ve been poisoned… there are snakes…” In Dominic Hayes’s corporate office, he writhed on the floor in agony, disrupting everyone trying to help him. At the same time, I activated [Public Opinion Control]. I didn’t spread videos of my own suffering; that would only satisfy the spectators’ morbid curiosity. I carefully edited a 30-second video: The background was the hellish scene of snakes encircling us and giant lizards devouring a corpse. The foreground was me, enduring the agonizing pain in my ankle, gently wiping away my daughter’s tears with the blood-stained hem of my clothing. I made no sound, only silently mouthed to them: “Mommy’s here.” The video ended with my feverish, hallucinating daughter placing her small hand on my face, innocently asking: “Mommy, are we playing a game?” I titled the video: *Mother of the Year: Hell-Level Parenting in Action.* Then, I anonymously uploaded it everywhere online. In less than ten minutes, the video exploded. #HellLevelParenting gained viral traction, rocketing to the top of the trending topics on Ins. “Holy crap! Is this a movie? It looks so real!” “That’s not special effects! Look at the mother’s arm wound, it’s real! And those snakes and monitor lizards!” “Investigate! Find out! Where is this? This is murder!” “That mother’s eyes… I’m crying. For her children, she truly fears nothing.” Soon, resourceful netizens, through a fleeting logo in the live stream background, identified the owner of this underground fighting arena—Dominic Hayes, CEO of Hayes Group, a man known nationwide for his “loving husband and devoted family man” public persona. Public opinion utterly erupted. “What ‘loving husband’ persona? His wife and kids are being fed to snakes in a fighting pit! That bastard!” “Boycott Hayes Group! This scum’s company must go bankrupt!” Hayes Group’s PR department’s phones were ringing off the hook, and their stock began a precipitous freefall. Dominic received countless calls from shareholders and partners demanding answers. But his mind was filled with the slimy sensation of snakes and the innocent cries of his daughters, making him roar incoherently: “Get away! Don’t touch me! There are snakes!” On the cold floor of the arena, I watched the Hayes Group’s market value evaporate on the system panel, and for the first time, a chilling smile touched my lips. Dominic, it seems that only by hurting myself, did I truly, for the first time, hurt you.

Under public pressure, the bloody live stream was forcibly paused. My daughters and I were dragged out of the arena and locked in a damp isolation room. My daughters’ fevers worsened, and they began to babble deliriously. Just as I was about to despair, the door quietly opened. A doctor in a white coat, carrying a medical kit, walked in. “Miss Reid, I was sent by Mr. Hayes.” He injected my daughter with a fever reducer, speaking in a low voice. “Mr. Hayes saw the online backlash and regretted it. He sent me to get you out.” He slipped a keycard into my hand. “This path leads to the parking lot outside. Hurry, before you’re discovered.” I looked into his sincere eyes, half-believing, half-doubting. Dominic Hayes having a change of heart? Pigs would fly first. But looking at my dying daughters in my arms, I had no choice. This glimmer of hope, this chance at escape, was also synchronized to Dominic through the system. His tortured nerves received a brief respite, and he even had a fleeting illusion that “maybe things could still turn around.” I held my three daughters, following the doctor’s directions, moving with difficulty through the labyrinthine underground passages. Finally, at midnight, I saw the door marked “Exit.” Freedom was just ahead. I used my last ounce of strength, swiped the keycard, and pushed open the heavy metal door. Beyond the door was not the free parking lot. But blinding spotlights, countless high-definition cameras aimed at me, and… Dominic Hayes and Veronica Lane, standing in the center of the arena, applauding. My heart instantly plummeted into a bottomless abyss. Dominic put his arm around Veronica, a devilish grin on his face. He spoke into the microphone, his tone like an art connoisseur: “Having fun, my dear wife?” “To provide our esteemed guests with an even more thrilling spectacle, I meticulously prepared this survival reality show just for you. It’s a custom-made, paid-access experience, you know.” As Dominic’s words fell. The iron door behind me slammed shut. At the other end of the arena, a massive iron cage was hoisted, and a狂暴 black bear, injected with an overdose of stimulants, was unleashed with a roar. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its size was three times that of the previous wolf. The power imbalance was absolute. I looked at Dominic’s sneering face, Veronica’s triumphant smile, and the charging black bear. My physical and mental defenses completely collapsed at that moment. Tears of blood streamed down my face. Only one thought remained: if hell had an end, it would be here. But the boundless despair of my towering hatred simultaneously exploded in Dominic’s mind. “Ah—!” Dominic clutched his head, emitting an inhuman scream. Fine trickles of blood oozed from his eyes and mouth, his face a mask of utter agony. And at the very edge of that despair, I finally heard a familiar electronic prompt.

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My roommate and her boyfriend had a major breakup, but I was the one who got kidnapped. In my previous life, Chloe told me her boyfriend, Ryan, was probably cheating and asked me to test his loyalty. I never imagined Ryan wasn’t cheating at all. Instead, he was obsessively in love with her. After Chloe broke up with him, he kidnapped me and forced an entire bottle of bleach down my throat, leading to my agonizing death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day Chloe pulled the same old trick. Knowing the truth this time, I dialed 911: “Hello, Officer, I suspect someone just drugged me…” “Cassie, what are you spacing out for? Are you even listening to me?” Chloe’s sweet, yet oddly demanding voice, drifted into my ear through the phone. Familiar memories flooded back, and I felt a jolt, instinctively touching my throat. No burning sting. No numb sensation of chemical corrosion. I had been reborn?! In my last life, it was exactly today. Chloe had pleaded and pestered me on the phone, begging me to help her test if her boyfriend, Ryan, was really cheating. “Cassie, we’re best friends, you know? Only you can help me with this.” She sighed dramatically on the other end, her voice filled with such grievance, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. “I just have this gut feeling. Could you just go feel him out for me? Just chat with him a bit, see how he acts around other girls.” “You know Ryan. He seems aloof, but he totally falls for your straightforward type. If you test him, he won’t be on guard.” “If he really has changed, I can at least get over him, right? Please, help me out?” Back then, I had just graduated. I was naive and easily swayed. I couldn’t resist her repeated pleas and agreed. I never imagined my roommate, with whom I lived day in and day out, harbored such a venomous heart. In my past life, I followed Chloe’s script. At a party she’d conveniently arranged, I casually brought up relationship topics. I even said a few ambiguous things as she instructed. Ryan, already upset by Chloe’s recent coldness, blew up on the spot after my interference. Soon after, Chloe broke up with him. But then Chloe, sobbing dramatically with tears streaming down her face, told Ryan that I had been interested in him all along and deliberately stirred up trouble between them. “I knew she liked you for ages. Her eyes always looked at you weirdly. I thought she’d give up eventually, but I never expected…” “Cassie’s my best friend, I don’t want to hurt her, Ryan, let’s just break up!” All the words I had said, following her instructions, became “proof” of me “seducing” Ryan. Looking back now, Chloe wasn’t trying to test Ryan at all. She clearly wanted to break up but didn’t want to be blamed for cheating, so she staged this whole act. Ryan, with his extreme personality, was blinded by rage. He kidnapped me. “I wondered why she suddenly dumped me! So it was you messing things up behind her back!” I desperately explained that it was all Chloe’s setup, but he didn’t believe me. During our struggle, he pulled out a bottle of bleach from somewhere and forced it into my mouth. “She thought you were her best friend, but you secretly tried to steal her boyfriend!” “Chloe loves me so much, why would she break up with me?! It’s all because of you! Even now, Chloe refuses to get back with me.” “Since you like me so much, then just die!” I writhed on the floor in agony. Before losing consciousness, I only saw Ryan’s twisted, desperate face. By the time the police arrived, I was already dead, from acute chemical poisoning. Ryan was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. His entire life was utterly ruined. His decent, hardworking parents turned white-haired overnight, nearly fainting from grief in the courtroom. And Chloe? At my funeral, she wept profusely, playing the part of a poor soul who had lost her dearest friend, but her eyes were full of triumph. “Cassie, don’t blame me. Blame yourself for being too trusting. I just said a few ambiguous words, and you actually believed them.” “I didn’t want to hurt you, and I wanted to break up with Ryan peacefully. But that lunatic Ryan would just smash things and get violent every time I mentioned breaking up.” “Besides, it was that lunatic Ryan who did it himself. It has nothing to do with me.” It turned out she had calculated everything from the start. She wanted to get rid of Ryan but was afraid of his extreme personality and what he might do, so she designed this whole thing to implicate me. She even posted tributes to me on social media, subtly implying that I had a crush on Ryan and was accidentally harmed when my advances were rejected. She cleaned her hands completely, winning widespread sympathy. My parents, having to bury their own child, had all the life drained from them overnight. They eventually withered away from grief and sorrow. Perhaps Heaven itself couldn’t stand such injustice, and miraculously gave me a chance to come back. This time, I would make Chloe pay back every single debt, down to the last penny!

“Cassie? Are you listening or not? Just help me this once, please? I’ll treat you to dinner tonight!” Chloe’s voice on the other end of the phone continued to nag. I took a deep breath, suppressing the rising hatred. “Okay.” Chloe’s voice instantly brightened, full of undisguised eagerness. “I knew you were the best! You wouldn’t just stand by and let me be fooled.” I clutched my phone. “Well, he is your boyfriend. You need to know the truth. Tell me, what should I do?” “Just find a chance to ask Ryan out for dinner.” Chloe lowered her voice, a calculated excitement in her tone. “Just say… say that I’ve been complaining to you lately about him not being attentive enough, and you’re sticking up for me, wanting to talk some sense into him.” “Then you can subtly ask if he has something on his mind, or… if he’s met any girls who caught his eye.” She paused, then added, “Remember, don’t be too direct. Act like it’s just casual conversation.” “If he avoids eye contact or speaks vaguely, then something’s definitely wrong! Make sure to tell me right away so I can make my plans.” I intentionally dragged out my words, pretending to hesitate. “Is that really okay? What if he finds out you put me up to it? Won’t he get mad?” Chloe scoffed, her voice confident. “Don’t worry, he trusts you so much, why would he suspect anything?” “Besides, even if he found out, he’d only blame me for being nosy. At most, we’d have an argument, which would be a perfect chance to see his true colors.” I “reluctantly” agreed. After hanging up, the smile on my face instantly vanished. Chloe wasn’t looking for the truth at all. She clearly wanted to use me to plant a seed of doubt in Ryan’s mind, paving the way for her future “victim” persona. In my past life, she taught me the exact same way, step by step, leading me into the trap she had dug. But this time, the hunter and the hunted were about to swap places. After hanging up, I immediately opened Amazon and ordered a tiny voice recorder and a few miniature pinhole cameras. Then I contacted a realtor, giving “roommate’s incompatible schedule” as my reason for urgently seeking a new apartment. I didn’t want to spend another day in that place. Soon, I arranged to meet Ryan, following Chloe’s “script.” The location was a nice Western restaurant. I specifically booked a private room, making it easy to set up the equipment. Arriving half an hour early, I skillfully hid the cameras in a potted plant in the corner of the room and behind a framed painting. I also placed the voice recorder in the side pocket of my canvas bag, ensuring it could clearly pick up sound. As expected, after only a few minutes of chatting, Chloe “surprisingly” appeared with a few mutual friends. “Oh, Cassie, what a coincidence!” She beamed, intimately linking her arm through mine, her eyes quickly scanning the private room as if checking for something. “My friends and I were just shopping, and we happened to pass by here. We just came to say hello, hope we’re not interrupting?” I scoffed inwardly but kept my face neutral. “Of course not, the more the merrier.” Ryan was clearly a bit surprised but still stood up and greeted them with a smile. He had indeed been troubled lately by Chloe’s hot-and-cold attitude, and a hint of subtle fatigue was etched on his brows. During the meal, Chloe acted incredibly dependent on Ryan, showing him much care and concern, as if their relationship was perfect. But I noticed that when she lowered her head to play on her phone, her sweet smile would vanish instantly. Her eyes even held a hint of subtle distortion and annoyance. Mid-meal, the private room door opened. A waiter entered, pushing a beautiful cake, singing “Happy Birthday.” Ryan stood up, holding a bouquet of Chloe’s favorite white roses. He awkwardly scratched his head. “Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I meant to surprise you tonight, but I didn’t expect everyone to be here.” Everyone immediately started cheering and clapping, exclaiming, “How romantic!” and “Ryan’s so thoughtful!” Chloe’s smile froze for a second. Then it became exaggerated, and with reddened eyes, she threw herself into Ryan’s arms. “You scared me! I thought you forgot!” But I was sitting diagonally across from her and saw it clearly. When her face was buried in Ryan’s chest, her lips were turned downwards, and her eyes were filled with a grim, hateful look. I picked up my water glass, hiding the coldness in my eyes. While everyone’s attention was on them, I casually leaned towards Ryan and said: “Ryan, you’re so good to Chloe.” “Honestly, girls love these kinds of surprises, especially when you feel she’s been a little distant lately. Maybe a surprise like this can cheer her up.” Ryan paused, then thoughtfully glanced at Chloe. “You’re right. Maybe I’ve been neglecting her too much lately.”

After the dinner, back at our shared apartment. Chloe immediately dropped her facade. She closed the door, then turned around and questioned me, “Cassie, what did you say to Ryan? He was looking at me weirdly today.” I feigned a troubled expression and pulled out my pre-prepared explanation. “I didn’t say anything… just chatted about how you two have been lately.” “He said he felt you hadn’t been very happy recently and asked me if you had something on your mind.” I deliberately showed a confused expression. “Speaking of which, Ryan is quite considerate towards you, sending flowers and preparing a cake. How come you don’t seem very happy? Did you misunderstand something?” Chloe’s face instantly became unnatural, her eyes darting away. She probably hadn’t expected me to not only fail to sow discord as she’d planned but also to mention her “having something on her mind” to Ryan. This uncertainty made her a bit flustered. “No… nothing,” She forced a smile, her tone a little stiff. “Maybe I was overthinking it… Anyway, it’s getting late. I’m going back to my room.” Watching her flee, I knew she wouldn’t dare make any rash moves for now. In the following days, Chloe’s attitude towards me became noticeably colder. She no longer clung to me like before, but her eyes held a new wariness and scrutiny. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, dealing with her while speeding up my apartment search. Soon, I found a satisfactory apartment from the listings my realtor sent me. While Chloe was at work, I arranged for a moving company, ready to pack up and leave. Just as I was directing the movers to secure the boxes, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway. Chloe stepped out of the elevator and froze instantly at the sight of my packed luggage at the door. “Cassie? What are you doing?” She rushed over and grabbed my arm, her panic barely concealed. “Why are you suddenly moving? Did I do something to upset you?” I gently pulled my arm free and took a step back. “You’re overthinking it. It’s just that this place is too far from my office, and the commute isn’t convenient.” I frowned. “By the way, why are you back? Isn’t it your work hours?” “I left some files at home, so I came back for them.” As she spoke, she tried to get closer to me again. “Are you still mad at me? Just because I asked you to help me test Ryan?” “My tone was bad last time, I apologize. Please don’t be like this.” Her fake concern, in my past life, would have gone unnoticed. I might even have softened. But now, I just felt disgusted. I ignored her, stepped aside for the movers, and followed them out. At my new place, I pulled out my phone and opened the live feed from the camera app. Sure enough, a leopard can’t change its spots. Just like in my past life, Chloe was on the phone with Ryan, feigning tears.

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After the global collapse, my daughter Daisy’s radiation immunity became our family’s lifeline, finding us food and clean water. But my sister-in-law, Cassandra, pointed at Daisy, accusing her of stealing her son Leo’s abilities. The next day, my six-year-old Daisy was thrown by my husband, Julian, into an abandoned pipe crawling with mutated rats. I knelt outside the iron bars, my head slamming against the concrete, begging them to pull Daisy out. Julian impatiently kicked me away: “She can’t be poisoned to death anyway. What’s wrong with a few rat bites?” “We’re family. Just letting Cassandra blow off some steam.” I watched, horrified, as my daughter screamed and ran inside the pipe, her clothes torn, her tiny body covered in bloody gashes. Cassandra, bored, pulled Julian away to distribute food. Daisy’s cries grew weaker and weaker, until all that was left was the excited gnawing of mutated rats. When Julian finally returned, all that was left of Daisy was half a tiny leg, dragging from the pipe opening. He kicked away a rat still tearing at her, then sneered at me: “Still wailing? I only put common rats in there. They can’t kill a person.” “Who knew she was so stupid she wouldn’t even realize that?”

I knelt on the cold concrete ground, my forehead already raw and bloody. “Please… please, just pull her up… she’s just a child!” My throat was raw from screaming, my fingers scraping against the gaps in the iron bars, nails tearing and bending backwards, but I felt no pain. From deep within the pipe came rustling sounds, mixed with Daisy’s heart-wrenching screams. “Mommy… Mommy, help me! It hurts so bad… they’re biting me… Mommy…” That sound was like a dull blade, slowly, agonizingly carving into my heart. I frantically shook the fence, only to be met with Julian’s impatient kick. “So noisy!” He kicked me to the ground, looking down at me. “Willow, can’t you be sensible? She’s just a girl, is it really worth this?” I crawled over and hugged his leg. “Julian, that’s your daughter, your own daughter.” “Tsk.” He shook me off, turning to look at Cassandra, who was clinging to him. “Cassandra’s right. That girl is just overdramatic.” “So what if she’s radiation immune? If our Leo went out to find supplies, he’d be a hundred times better than her.” Cassandra chuckled, covering her mouth. Her fingers, adorned with vibrant red nail polish, traced circles on Julian’s chest. “Julian, I knew you were the most reasonable one. Kids, they need a little lesson to learn their place.” “Mommy… Mommy…” Daisy’s voice grew weaker and weaker, replaced by the excited squeaking and tearing sounds of the mutated rats. I trembled, lunging at the fence again, but Cassandra grabbed a handful of my hair. “Willow, don’t push your luck.” She leaned close to my ear, a smile twisting her lips. “Your daughter stole my son’s abilities. This is her deserved karma.” “What abilities? There are no abilities!” I shrieked hysterically. “Daisy is just… just physically unique…” “Enough!” Julian cut me off impatiently. “Cassandra, let’s go distribute the supplies. Don’t waste time here.” Cassandra immediately beamed. “Okay, I’m starving anyway.” Before she left, she deliberately kicked the fence. “Little bastard, enjoy yourself.” They walked away, embracing, as my daughter’s increasingly faint cries for help echoed in my ears. I fumbled for a piece of shattered rock on the ground and furiously smashed it against the fence lock. The sound echoed in the empty sewer, but it didn’t budge the sturdy iron lock in the slightest. “Daisy… Daisy, hold on… Mommy’s here…” My voice was choked, fragmented. The response from the pipe had dwindled to faint sobs, then the chilling sound of gnawing. I don’t know how long passed, my hands were already raw and bloody. All I could hear was the rustling feeding sounds of the mutated rats. When Julian and Cassandra returned, well-fed and satisfied, my tears had run dry. Julian carelessly kicked away a fat rat that crawled out of the pipe opening, then shone his flashlight inside. “Tsk, already given up?” He frowned, his eyes full of impatience. “I put common rats in there. They can’t kill a person.” I stared blankly at the pipe opening. Only half of a tiny leg remained, wearing the little bunny socks I had sewn for Daisy myself. Julian followed my gaze, then suddenly laughed. “Huh? That stupid girl, did she just scare herself to death? I told you she always lied and played victim since she was little, didn’t I?” In that moment, a surge of murderous intent ripped through me.

I curled up on the damp, cold concrete floor, my arms tightly wrapped around Daisy’s tiny, incomplete leg. The small limb was already ice-cold, the sock stained with dark red blood. From the next room, the rhythmic creaking of a bed frame and Cassandra’s exaggerated moans slithered into my ears like venomous snakes. “Ah… Julian… you’re so much better than that old hag…” I bit down hard on my lower lip, the taste of rust spreading in my mouth. The small sock in my arms suddenly slipped, revealing a stark white bone. That was the only part of Daisy that was still somewhat intact. My stomach clenched violently, bile and acid surging up my throat, but I swallowed it back down. Memories from three years ago suddenly flashed through my mind. Back then, the apocalypse hadn’t arrived. Julian knelt under a cherry tree outside the company building, holding a diamond ring, looking so sincere. His voice trembled slightly in the spring breeze. “Willow, I will protect you and our future child with my life.” At that time, the sincerity in his eyes made me cry like an idiot. The scene shifted to the day Daisy was born. In the delivery room, Julian held our swaddled daughter, his fingers gently caressing her tender, pink face, his eyes soft as a spring puddle. “Our princess is so beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed my sweaty forehead. “Thank you for giving me a complete home.” Seeing the joy in his eyes made all the pain feel worthwhile. When the first pollution alarm sounded, he drove through the night from the east side of the city to the west to pick up Daisy and me. In the rearview mirror, his gaze was as firm as iron: “Don’t be scared, I’m here.” Outside the car window, crowds scattered in panic, but his arms were my safest harbor. The fragments of memory suddenly sharpened. When did he change? Was it the day Cassandra arrived with her five-year-old son Leo, seeking refuge with us? Or when supplies became increasingly scarce? I watched his eyes grow colder, watched his growing disdain for our daughter, and his overwhelming care for Cassandra… A dull thud from the next room – bodies hitting the wall – followed by Julian’s sated sigh. My hands trembling, I unbuttoned my collar, carefully tucking Daisy’s small sock and that piece of bone into my pocket, close to my skin. The fabric immediately soaked with blood, burning against my heart. “Mommy, don’t be scared… Daisy will protect you…” Before my last outing, Daisy wiped away my tears with her tiny hands. She always said she was a little superhero, meant to protect her timid mommy. She didn’t know that Mommy was the one who should have protected her. Moonlight slanted in through the vent. I looked down at my blood-stained hands. I stood up mechanically, my legs long since numb. I stumbled before I could steady myself. The blast door opening required triple authentication, but I had long memorized Julian’s fingerprint sequence. When the third green light glowed, I opened the blast door. In the early morning, the howl of mutated wolves ripped through the night sky as I stood on the lookout tower. The sound was unlike a normal wolf’s howl; it made my scalp crawl. Soon, a dozen pairs of eerie green eyes gleamed in the darkness. Julian burst out, shirtless, Cassandra following, disheveled, one high heel missing. Their panicked flight towards the SUV made me laugh out loud. “Willow, are you insane?” Julian looked up, saw me standing on the lookout tower, and his face instantly turned ashen. In the moonlight, I could clearly see the un-faded lipstick mark on his neck, vivid red like blood. I didn’t answer, just watched silently as the first mutated wolf pounced on Cassandra. The beast was the size of a small calf, its fur patchy and falling out, revealing rotting muscle underneath. It bit into Cassandra’s meticulously styled long hair, dragging her to the ground. Her scream cut short as the second wolf clamped its jaws around her throat. Julian hesitated for a second. Just one second, then he plunged into the driver’s seat without looking back. The roar of the engine mingled with Cassandra’s dying screams. The SUV rammed through two mutated wolves blocking its way and sped off, leaving a trail of dust. More mutated creatures poured in through the open blast door. I knew this was just the beginning. Julian, you can escape for a while, but you can’t escape forever. From today on, I am no longer the weak Willow. I will live, live longer than anyone else, until I see Julian descend into hell with my own eyes.

I wandered through the ruins for three days. Daisy’s little finger, tucked against my heart, had taken on my body temperature. Sometimes I even imagined I felt it tremble faintly. On the evening of the fourth day, I was surrounded by a pack of wolves. They emerged from beneath a collapsed overpass—twelve of them, maybe more. These mutated wolves were the size of adult Tibetan mastiffs, their exposed skin covered in festering sores. Their fangs were grotesquely elongated, dripping corrosive saliva. The alpha wolf at the front had a rotting empty socket where its right eye should be, its remaining left eye fixed intently on me. I stood my ground. I didn’t run. Death was no longer terrifying to me; it would be a release. The pack slowly closed in, their foul breath hot on my face. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to descend. However, nothing happened. I opened my eyes and found the alpha wolf sniffing my clothing, perplexed. Its rotting snout brushed against my exposed arm, but it didn’t bite. The other wolves also appeared unusually agitated, circling me but not daring to approach. “What the hell…?” A rough male voice came from above the ruins. I looked up and saw six fully armed people standing on the edge of the broken overpass. The man in the lead wore a gas mask, but I could feel his sharp gaze fixed on me. He made a gesture, and the others immediately fanned out, moving as swiftly as a pack of leopards. Gunshots rang out, but not aimed at me. Precise shots took down three wolves closest to me. The pack stirred, but instead of attacking me, they bared their teeth at the source of the gunfire. “Ma’am, slowly move to your right.” The leading man shouted at me, his voice muffled through the gas mask. “There’s a recess there, you can temporarily hide.” I didn’t move. Why hide? Wouldn’t it be better for the wolves to tear me apart? The man cursed, then leaped down from the broken bridge. He landed with a forward roll to absorb the impact, his movements clean and precise. As he got to his feet, he had already drawn a military knife. A flash of silver, and a wolf that lunged at him had its throat slit with deadly accuracy. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” He grabbed my wrist, pulling me behind him. He dealt with the wolves that rushed him one by one. After the last wolf fell, the man finally took off his gas mask. He had a sharply defined face, a scar above his left eyebrow, adding a touch of ferocity to his otherwise handsome features. He panted, but his eyes never left my face. “Are you hurt?” I shook my head, realizing my wrist was still in his grasp. His palm was wide and rough, surprisingly warm. “Why didn’t those wolves attack you?” He asked the crucial question. I didn’t know how to answer. In fact, I wanted to know the answer too. Was it because of Daisy? She could move freely in the radiation zones, and now part of her flesh and blood was integrated with mine… “Never mind. Let’s get out of here first.” Ryder released my wrist and spoke into his communicator. “Found a survivor, female, showing unusual circumstances. Requesting return to base.” “I’m not going to any base.” I took a step back. Ryder raised an eyebrow. “Then where do you plan to go? Continue wandering in the ruins?” “Next time, it might not be a wolf pack. It could be something far worse.” “That’s none of your business.” He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Interesting. Fine, go wherever you want.” He turned and waved to his team. “Pack up, we’re heading southeast as planned.” Southeast. My heart pounded. That was the direction Julian had fled. “Wait.” I heard myself say, “Are you… are you searching for survivors?” Ryder turned back, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through my thoughts. “Not entirely.” “We’re tracking a group of scavengers. They’ve looted several shelters.” He paused. “Heard the leader is a man with a missing left arm, with a crazy woman.” “Something about… Julian?” My nails dug deeply into my palms. Julian lost his left arm? When did that happen? “If you change your mind, follow along.” Ryder had already turned to walk away. “But fair warning, if you’re with us, you’re a team member. You follow orders.” I looked at his back, then touched Daisy’s little finger near my heart. I said, “I’m in.” My Daisy died. Why should Julian get to live unharmed?

As we approached the shelter, a familiar cough echoed from a corner. My blood instantly froze. It was Julian. He was curled up in a pile of moldy blankets, his left sleeve empty and dangling, his face ashen like a corpse. Cassandra was squatting beside him, wiping sweat from his forehead with a dirty rag. Her son, Leo, was nowhere to be seen. The moment Julian looked up and saw me, his murky eyes suddenly lit up. “Willow?” He struggled to stand, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable. “You’re alive.” Cassandra whipped her head around, her meticulously drawn eyebrows raised high. “Well, well, still clinging to life, are we?” She sneered. “What, here to beg Julian for food?” My nails dug deeply into my palms. Ryder, sensing my unease, stepped half a pace to shield me. He asked quietly, “You know them?” “My husband.” I heard myself say. “My former husband.” Julian’s expression rapidly shifted from surprise to anger. “Willow, you have the nerve to come back?” He swayed as he stood. “If you hadn’t opened the blast door, how would I have…” He lifted his empty left sleeve, his voice choked. “How would Leo have…” So the child died. A twisted sense of satisfaction welled up in my heart, but it was immediately swallowed by a greater emptiness. A child’s death shouldn’t make me happy, even if it was Cassandra’s son. “Enough.” Ryder’s voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly silenced the entire shelter. He turned to the shelter’s manager. “This is Willow, a new member of our team.” “She has a unique constitution; she can move freely in heavily radiated zones without getting infected.” A collective gasp swept through the room. Julian and Cassandra’s expressions were priceless. First shock, then greed, then deep, profound fear. “Impossible!” Cassandra shrieked. “She’s just a regular housewife!” Ryder scoffed and pulled a radiation detector from his backpack. He gestured for me to extend my hand, then placed the detector against my skin. The instrument remained silent. But when he moved it towards himself, a piercing alarm immediately blared. “This…” Julian’s eyes widened, shimmering with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. “Willow, what’s going on?” I didn’t answer. Ryder clapped his hands. “From today on, Ms. Willow will be in charge of our supply exchange with the East District shelter.” “Anyone who disrespects her will be considered an enemy of the entire shelter.” Julian’s expression changed again and again, finally settling into a sickeningly fawning look. “My wife… I mean, ex-wife, she’s always been excellent.” He tried to approach me, but Ryder’s gaze pinned him to the spot. “Willow, we need to talk…” That night, I lay in the private cubicle assigned to our team, listening to the continuous coughing and groaning outside. A shadow appeared under the door crack. Then came a familiar, careful knocking. “Willow? It’s me.” Julian’s voice was barely a whisper. “Please, just five minutes.” I scoffed silently, but opened the door anyway. He slinked in like a stray dog, smelling of stale sweat and unwashed clothes. In the dim light, I saw the bloodshot in his eyes and his deeply sunken cheeks. “I know you hate me.” He dropped to his knees as soon as he spoke, his empty sleeve dangling limply. “But I truly regret it, Willow.” “That day, I was misled by Cassandra, I…” “Daisy was only six.” I said softly, my fingers unconsciously caressing the cloth pouch on my chest. “She was still calling for Mommy when she died.” Julian’s tears immediately flowed, whether real or fake. “I have nightmares every night…” He choked. “That pipe… I only found out later that a few mutated rats had gotten in…” Lies. All lies. I distinctly remembered him saying they were just common rats, saying Daisy was too stupid and scared herself to death. But now, looking at him sobbing, I suddenly understood what I needed to do. “Julian…” I reached out and gently stroked his dirty hair, my voice intentionally soft. “I… I also made mistakes…” He clung to my leg like a drowning man grasping a lifeline. “Can we start over? Just like before…” “Give me some time.” I said gently. “Right now, I have to follow the team, but… maybe after the mission is over…” Julian looked up, the hope in his eyes nauseating. “I’ll wait for you.” He said eagerly. “I’ll cut ties with that crazy woman, I swear.” Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, and Julian flinched. Ryder’s voice came from outside: “Willow? Everything alright in there?” Julian frantically let go of me. I quickly adjusted my expression and opened the door. Ryder stood at the doorway, his gaze like a knife, sweeping over Julian kneeling on the ground. “Am I interrupting your reunion?” His tone was chillingly calm. Julian scrambled up awkwardly, lowering his head, and slinked away. In the early hours of the morning, an alarm ripped through the shelter’s tranquility. “Mutated plant invasion! Everyone evacuate to the central hall immediately!”

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As a Serpentine Enchantress, my unique essence, when offered from the depths of my being, possessed the power to heal even terminal illnesses. After I cured Sterling of his cancer, I found another woman in our home. My six-year-old son grabbed a small knife and tried to hack at my serpentine tail. Both his and his father’s faces were twisted with disgust. “You killed Iris! You won’t get to kill Brittany too!” “I’ve already made it official with her. Now get out!” Leo rushed forward, clinging to Brittany’s leg, and spat at me. “I don’t want you, this ugly snake, as my mom! Aunt Brittany is my mom!” I massaged my chest, aching from having given my lifeblood, and my voice was raw with bitterness. “Then let’s get a divorce.” Sterling scoffed. “Our marriage license was fake. What’s there to divorce? Just get lost.” My son threw the toys I bought him directly at me. “Don’t come ruin our home with our new mommy! You’re not welcome here!” The front door slammed shut. I pulled out my phone. “Mr. Harrison, you heard it too. I really should go now.” A weary sigh echoed from the other end of the line. “Ah, Sterling has truly wronged you. Your debt has been repaid. Go, child, go…” **1.** The Serpentine Oracle stared at me, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. “Are you certain of your choice?” Outside the operating room, the red light pulsed, a blinding beacon. Sterling’s vital signs were fading, moment by moment. Cancer cells, like greedy vines, had coiled around him, leaving him with barely a breath. “Are you willing to sacrifice your very essence to unleash the primal power of your serpentine lineage, forever cursed to be half-human, half-spirit, enduring the eternal torment of the backlash?” The Serpentine Oracle’s voice carried a cold, tempting allure. “But your lifeblood… it can save him.” I gazed at Sterling’s pale face through the glass window. Six years ago, the memory of him kneeling in the rain, begging me to save him, suddenly flooded my mind. Back then, he wasn’t the high-and-mighty CEO Sterling he was today. He was just a man pushed to the brink by a terminal illness, clutching my hand, his voice choked. “Willow, if I live, I’ll protect you my whole life.” “I’m willing. Just as long as he lives.” I bit my fingertip and stained the ancient pact. A searing, bone-shattering pain instantly ripped through my entire body. The agony was so intense I couldn’t maintain my human form. My smooth calves merged and elongated, transforming into a long tail covered in shimmering silver scales. In a daze, I felt a warm liquid seeping from my neck. It was my serpentine essence, flowing down my collarbone. The Serpentine Oracle’s final gaze held a touch of pity. “Remember, each act of genuine affection will embed your scales deeper into your flesh; any wound inflicted by him will amplify the agony.” I dragged my serpentine tail, unable to retract it due to the extreme use of my power, and pushed open the front door. The pair of red high heels by the entrance were like a poisonous needle, plunging directly into my heart. “You hideous monster! Get out of our house!” My six-year-old son, Leo, wielding a small knife, lunged at me, his face contorted with hatred. “You killed Aunt Iris, and now you want to kill my Mommy Brittany too? Over my dead body!” I never imagined my own flesh and blood would attack me. I was too slow to dodge, frozen in place, until a sharp pain from my tail jolted me back to awareness. “Oh, Leo, be careful! Don’t let this thing that’s neither human nor beast hurt you.” Brittany pretended to reach out, seemingly to pull Leo away, but her fingers subtly pressed the small knife another half-inch deeper into my scales. I had spent the entire night healing Sterling, exhausting most of my essence. This scene before me now made me feel utterly desolate. The herbal soup I’d woken up at five in the morning to brew was still on the coffee table. It was a special concoction, made with my lifeblood and a rare serpentine extract, meant to nourish Sterling. Its fragrant aroma still lingered in the air. “Who told you to come back! You murderer, how dare you show your face and dirty Brittany’s eyes.” Sterling tenderly pulled Brittany into his arms. The blood-red gem around her neck seemed to pulse like an unstemmed gush of lifeblood. Sterling had bought it at an auction last year, claiming it was for his “most precious person.” Brittany feigned weakness, shrinking into Sterling’s embrace, her dress seemingly accidentally sweeping across the coffee table, deliberately knocking over the herbal pot. “Oh, my dress! My dear Cole specifically custom-made this for me. Sister, if you want it, I can let you have it.” Amidst the shattering sound of the pot, I heard the faint crack of my own scales. My lifeblood being so carelessly wasted felt like a blunt knife twisting repeatedly in my chest. Sterling’s gaze pierced me like an ice pick. “You trashy, low-class creature. Always resorting to dirty tricks. Get down on your knees and clean this up for Brittany.” Leo kicked me hard, spitting at me repeatedly. “Big bad monster! Big bad monster! Get on your knees and apologize to Mommy Brittany!” I instinctively curled my tail. The section of my tailbone, covered in fine silver scales, had just endured the backlash of the lifeblood sacrifice. It was now bruised purple, and large pieces of shattered scales, mixed with blood droplets, flew off. The Serpentine Oracle’s warning echoed in my ears again. The pain crawled up my spine, spreading through every limb. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. This was the child I had risked my life to give birth to after ten months of pregnancy! This was the husband I had saved by draining my lifeblood, enduring constant backlash, day and night! I humiliated myself, crawling towards Brittany, wanting to demand why she was destroying everything I had! She shrieked as if she’d been electrocuted. “Ah! Her scales scratched my leg!” Leo was distraught. “You actually hurt my mommy! You monster!” He lunged like a furious little beast, hacking at my serpentine tail with the knife, blow after blow. The sharp blade pierced through the scales, digging into my flesh. The pain made my vision swim. But Leo clapped his hands and laughed. “Tear open your snake skin! Let’s see how you can hurt anyone now!” I slumped powerlessly to the floor, the intense pain making it impossible to straighten up. I stared directly into Sterling’s eyes, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. “Sterling, let’s get a divorce.” Sterling scoffed. “Our marriage license was fake. What’s there to divorce? Just get as far away as possible.” With that, he deliberately tossed a tattered little red booklet onto my wound. Fake marriage license? I froze. Six years ago, on that rainy night, he knelt before me, begging me to save him, saying that if he lived, he would be my true husband. I believed him, sacrificing half of my serpentine life, draining all my power! I fed him the powerful essence from my true form, watching him transform from a skeletal figure to a radiant, healthy man. But my cherished marriage license, like Sterling’s deceitful heart, had been fake from the very beginning. Another scale on my serpentine tail cracked, and I groaned in pain. The Serpentine Oracle was right after all. This bond, bought with my very life, was destined to be a pain that would pierce me to the bone, right from its root. **2.** The stench of blood mingled with the sharp scent of disinfectant, churning in my nostrils. The wound on my serpentine tail was still gushing blood. Every movement felt like countless needles piercing my marrow. The Serpentine Oracle’s warning of “double backlash” was now burrowing into my bones along the cracks in my scales. Brittany smugly stroked Sterling’s chest, her fingertips tracing his collar. That spot, where I used to playfully straighten his tie, was now Brittany’s territory, a symbol of her claim. Brittany chuckled, a sickly sweet sound laced with malice. “Sterling, look at her tail. So many scales have fallen off. It’s disgusting.” Sterling cast a dismissive glance at me, his eyes regarding me like a dirty rag. “You’re frail, don’t look at such vile things.” He raised a hand and beckoned the butler. “Drag her out and dump her in the old family mausoleum.” “No!” I snapped my head up, my tail twitching with urgency. “Sterling, have you forgotten? Six years ago, you were lying in that hospital bed, cancer cells spread throughout your body, and it was I…” “Shut up!” He cut me off sharply, his leather shoe grinding forcefully on my bloody, mangled tail. “If you hadn’t缠 wrapped me with your dark magic, why would I ever get involved with a monster like you?” “Iris was killed by your dark magic back then, and now Brittany is pregnant with my child. Are you trying to pull the same trick again?” Iris? My heart felt like it had been hit by a massive stone. That gentle, kind woman who used to secretly bring me healing salves… she had an accidental fall from a building. How had it become my fault? “Daddy, hurry and kick her out! I don’t want to see her for another second!” Leo ran over, brandishing the knife. Drops of blood from the blade fell on my hand, burning like fire. He suddenly remembered something, then rushed into the bedroom, emerging with a metal box. He slammed it hard into my face. The box burst open, spilling its contents onto the floor—my collection of shed serpentine scales from the past six years. Each piece had been meticulously cleaned and strung together with gold thread into protective charms. When he was little, he always wore them around his neck, saying, “Mommy’s scales protect me.” “These disgusting things! I’ve wanted to throw them away for ages!” Leo stomped on the specimens, as if crushing a pile of garbage. “Mommy Brittany said wearing them would turn me into a monster!” I looked at the crushed scales and suddenly laughed, though tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. So, six years of mother-son affection, in his eyes, was nothing more than the “mark of a disgusting monster.” Brittany suddenly let out a dramatic gasp, clutching her lower abdomen and frowning. “Sterling, my stomach hurts a little…” Sterling’s face immediately darkened. He yanked me up, his grip so fierce it felt like he would crush my bones. “You jinx! If anything happens to Brittany or the baby, I’ll skin you alive!” He flung me towards the door. My tail slammed against the doorframe with a sickening crack, as if my tailbone had fractured. The excruciating pain made my vision blacken. In a haze, I saw a red booklet, sealed away, on the hallway cabinet. It was a marriage certificate. In the photo, Sterling had his arm around Brittany, smiling so tenderly—a smile I had never seen directed at me. “See?” His voice was laced with ice. “*This* is legitimate. The one in your hand was just a trick to get you to use your powers to save me.” I used the wall to prop myself up. The blood from my tail left dark red streaks on the floor, like a desperate, bleeding serpent. “Sterling,” I rasped, each word tearing at my chest. “When I saved you, I expended ninety percent of my power, almost struck down by heavenly lightning. You promised you’d protect Leo and me for life.” “Witchcraft!” His eyes burned with malice. “Take your tail and get out of my sight!” Leo suddenly picked up a piece of broken glass from the floor and fiercely stabbed my uninjured tail tip. “Get out! Don’t you dare hurt my Mommy Brittany!” Amidst the shattering of scales, I finally, utterly, woke up. The Serpentine Oracle’s pact burned in my veins. So, for six years, what I’d given half my life for was nothing but a cruel deception. The child I’d fought to bring into this world had become the sharpest knife plunged into my heart. I dragged my broken tail towards the door. As I passed the red high heels, I glanced at them again—the heels were caked with dirt, as if they’d just come from a cemetery. The door slammed shut behind me, shaking my tailbone with another jolt of pain. I slumped against the wall, pulling out my phone. Blood from my fingers smeared the screen, and it took several tries to dial the correct number. “Mr. Harrison,” I whispered, staring at the closed door, hearing Brittany’s sweet-talk and Leo’s laughter inside. A metallic taste flooded my throat. “You heard it too. I really should go now.” A weary sigh echoed from the other end of the line. “Alas, Sterling has truly wronged you. Your debt has been repaid. Go, child, go…” I hung up, looking at my phone’s screensaver—a photo of Leo at three, fast asleep on my serpentine tail, his face flushed, clutching one of my silver scales. I wiped away my tears and tossed the phone into the trash. **3.** Just as I stepped out of the apartment building, the intense pain in my tailbone worsened dramatically. The Serpentine Oracle’s curse, branded beneath my scales, flared with heat. This was the backlash from excessive use of my essence. I stumbled, leaning against the wall, my vision swimming. I had to get to a hospital, even if just to deal with the bleeding wound. I flagged down a taxi and managed to gasp out the name of the nearest hospital before the pain stole my words. The driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror, hesitating, likely shocked by my blood-streaked serpentine tail. At the hospital, the emergency room buzzed with chaotic activity. I had just reached the triage desk when I heard a familiar voice. “Doctor! Quickly, my wife! She’s having severe abdominal pain!” It was Sterling. He was carefully supporting Brittany, his tension something I’d never seen, not even when I almost perished saving his life. Brittany leaned into his embrace, her face ashen, weakly whimpering, “Sterling, I’m so scared… will the baby be okay?” Doctors and nurses immediately crowded around them, asking questions in a flurry. “Quick, stretcher! Prepare for examination!” I bit back the agonizing pain and nausea, managing to say to a nurse, “Help me… I’m in so much pain…” The nurse looked at my bloody, mangled serpentine tail, then at Brittany, surrounded by the crowd, and her expression turned difficult. “Miss, it’s not that we don’t want to help you, but all the doctors have been called by Mr. Sterling to treat his wife.” “I can’t wait. I just need one doctor to help me,” I ground out, the pain in my tailbone almost making me black out. Just then, Sterling saw me. His eyes hardened, and he roared at the doctors, “Don’t mind this monster! Save my wife first! If anyone dares to treat her, they won’t work in this hospital again!” The doctors exchanged uneasy glances, but in the end, no one dared to approach me. I leaned against the wall in despair, feeling my life force draining away little by little. The Serpentine Oracle had said that when my serpentine essence was fully depleted, that would be the moment my soul scattered into nothingness. “You persistent, wicked creature, still trying to cause trouble!” Leo suddenly rushed out from the crowd, holding an iron rod, and fiercely swung it at my serpentine tail. “Leo!” I stared at him in disbelief. This child, whom I had carried for ten months, this child, for whom I had used my scales to ward off disaster, was repeatedly attacking me with such cruelty. The moment the iron rod struck the wound, the backlash of the curse erupted with a roar. I felt like I was thrown into a vat of boiling oil, screaming in agony. My vision went black, and I almost collapsed. “You deserve it! Who told you to bully Mommy Brittany!” Leo saw my wretched state and, not feeling satisfied, raised the rod to strike again. Just as I was sinking into despair, a hand firmly gripped Leo’s wrist. “How can such a young child be so vicious?” I looked up and saw a man in a white coat, his demeanor gentle, yet his eyes held a sharp, all-knowing insight. His name tag read “Dr. Julian, Head of Surgery.” His gaze fell on the wound at the tip of my tail, and he frowned slightly, seeming to recognize the faint golden covenant patterns glowing beneath the scales. “Who are you? How dare you interfere with the Sterling family’s business?” Sterling demanded, furious. Dr. Julian ignored him. He gently helped me up, his fingertips inadvertently brushing over the curse mark on my tail, and murmured, “I know this kind of pain. Just bear with it.” His voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring strength. Dr. Julian ignored him and gently helped me up. “Miss, are you alright? I’ll arrange surgery for you immediately.” “No!” Sterling blocked him. “A monster, she’s dead anyway, why waste time?” Dr. Julian frowned. “In a hospital, there are only patients, no monsters. Mr. Sterling, please step aside.” He helped me, firmly bypassing Sterling. “Besides, you seem to forget, if it weren’t for this young lady six years ago, you wouldn’t be alive today.” I looked at Dr. Julian and gave a mocking smile. In my most desperate moment, my so-called family had all abandoned me, even adding insult to injury. Only a stranger, who seemed to know about the Serpentine Oracle’s curse, had resolutely extended a helping hand. “Thank you,” I said weakly. Dr. Julian simply nodded, speaking gently. “Don’t worry, I’m the best surgeon. Not only can I treat your wound, but I also know how to temporarily suppress the backlash of this pact.” He paused, then added, “My ancestors had a pact with the Serpentine Oracle, a vow to protect her descendants.” I smiled faintly. Behind me, Sterling’s enraged shouts and Brittany’s feigned dissuasion echoed, but I no longer cared. Inside the consultation room, Dr. Julian closed the door and began to meticulously treat my wound. “Hold still, it might hurt a little. But you’re safe with me. Even if I have to snatch you from the jaws of death, I promise I’ll save you.” I nodded, watching his focused profile, a warmth spreading through my heart. Perhaps, my life still had a chance. Just as I began to relax, Brittany’s piercing scream cut through the closed door. “Help! My baby! Blood, there’s blood everywhere, Sterling…” Sterling kicked the door with furious force, pounding it like a drum. “Willow! Get out here! If Brittany loses the baby, I’ll make sure you pay with your life!” **4.** My tail tip suddenly twitched. Dr. Julian’s hand on the back of my neck tightened. “Don’t move, the bone fragments will embed deeper.” His fingertips, stained with my blood, dripped red, like scattered plum blossoms, into the tray. “The serpentine curse is dangerous. We need to debride the wound immediately.” “Debride?” I gave a self-deprecating laugh, the movement tugging at my wound with excruciating pain. “He probably won’t even let me leave this room alive.” The backlash from my once beloved was more than I could endure in my current state. No sooner had I spoken than the consultation room door was violently thrown open. Sterling stormed in, clutching the hospital director’s collar. The director’s white coat was creased, still stained with Brittany’s ‘blood’—a color so vividly bright, it looked like freshly opened antiseptic. “Dr. Julian, please be accommodating,” the director said, rubbing his hands obsequiously. “Mr. Sterling is offering an additional one million. Could you… perhaps ask this lady to leave?” “One million?” Dr. Julian set down his probe, the clinking of instruments as cold as ice. “Is that enough to compensate her for six years of lifeblood, or to settle the Serpentine Oracle’s pact?” He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Sterling. “Six years ago, when you were in the ICU, you knelt and begged her to shed her blood to save your life.” Leo also squeezed through the door, clutching the treatment cart, and picked up a pair of surgical scissors, gesturing with them. “Monster, watch me cut off your serpentine tail! Mommy Brittany says if it’s cut off, she won’t hurt anymore!” “Leo!” I cried out in alarm, the pain in my tailbone suddenly turning numb. “See? Even our child knows who the real threat is.” Sterling’s eyes were poisoned with venom. “Willow, crawl out yourself, and I’ll leave you with a whole body.” “Sterling, are you truly unwilling to open your eyes and see?” I stared intently at the wall behind him, where Brittany was feigning weakness, leaning against it. “The ‘blood’ on her dress… isn’t that the antiseptic from the nurses’ station down the hall?” Brittany’s face instantly paled, but Sterling backhanded me. “Shut up! Still trying to sow discord.” My cheek burned, and the taste of blood filled my throat. I licked my lips and suddenly laughed. “Sterling, you’ll spend your entire life living in her lies.” Dr. Julian, quick as lightning, snatched Leo’s wrist. The tip of the scissors was barely an inch from my scales. Leo thrashed wildly in his arms, spitting on the doctor’s face. “She killed Aunt Iris! She’s a wicked, bad woman!” “Iris?” I stiffened. So this was the poison Brittany had been feeding Leo. Brittany suddenly covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. “Leo, stop talking. She won’t admit it.” Sterling’s face turned iron-gray instantly. He grabbed my throat with both hands, his grip tightening. “I was going to spare your life, but it seems I was too soft-hearted.” Dr. Julian tried to intervene, but Leo bit his arm, holding on tightly. Just as the feeling of suffocation surged, a stern male voice echoed down the hallway. “You savage, let go!” Sterling’s hands, clutching my throat, froze abruptly. His strength drained away, bit by bit. He turned back in shock, and when he saw Mr. Harrison leaning on his cane, his Adam’s apple bobbed, unable to speak a word.

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It’s been three years since my family got trapped in this horror game, and I fell in love with an NPC. I died for him ninety-eight times. When bloodthirsty ants gnawed off my limbs, I desperately wished he’d just turn and look at me. When a monster swallowed me whole, I still wondered if he’d shed a single tear. After my ninety-ninth revival, he finally agreed to be with me. I thought it was salvation. Until my mother got caught by a monster. “Julian! Hit the switch, now!” I screamed until my throat bled. Activating that switch would set fire to those monsters and save her. But he spun around, pressing his hand firmly on the lever. “Seraphina is afraid of fire! No one touches it!” Mom’s screams cut off abruptly. Seraphina saw me sobbing uncontrollably. She hid behind Julian, peering out shyly. “Julian, Cassidy is crying. She said this world is just a game, and even if Aunt Eleanor dies, she’ll just revive.” But he had no idea. Here, if my mom died, she was truly gone. She’d never come back. I watched him protect another woman as they walked away. The boy who used to need me to hold his hand just to step outside was now a stranger to me, like he’d swapped bodies with someone else. Later, when monsters besieged our community, Julian, naturally, ordered me to lead them away. I turned around without hesitation and walked into the stronghold I’d built for myself. “Who do you think you are, to demand my life again?”

I froze, listening to the monsters’ guttural swallowing, my blood feeling like it had turned to ice in my veins. Julian still habitually gripped my wrist, his palm’s warmth once the only light in these three years of endless darkness. But now, that light felt poisoned, burning me with searing pain. “Get away from me! Don’t touch me!” I violently yanked my hand free from his grasp, shoved Seraphina aside, and rushed to my mother’s mangled remains. I hadn’t used much force, but Seraphina still stumbled back a good distance, falling into a reeking ditch full of rotting corpses. “Cassidy, what gives you the right to hurt her?!” Julian kicked me hard in the stomach. A gush of blood instantly spilled from my mouth. He’d forgotten. After my seventy-seventh revival, when I’d saved him, my ribs had been completely shattered. I’d spent ages recovering, and it still hurt with the slightest touch. He’d promised me that as long as he was there, he’d never let me get hurt again. Yet this time, he was the one who personally broke them. I watched him—a man who prided himself on being a clean freak—unhesitatingly rush into that stinking ditch and carry the other woman out in a princess carry. “Julian, it’s all my fault. If I weren’t so scared, Cassidy wouldn’t have lost her mom. She can hit me, she can yell at me, but why did she have to stain my favorite dress? You bought this for me…” She cried, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly heartbroken. Every tear was a heavy hammer striking Julian’s heart, making him ache with sympathy. So, in front of everyone in the organization, he coldly ordered me: “Take off your clothes and give them to Seraphina. Now, immediately!” My eyes blazed red as I looked up at him in disbelief. My mother had been indirectly killed because of them, and not a single apology. Now he was ordering me to strip in front of dozens of people in the organization, for another woman?! Seeing my refusal, Julian actually ordered his guys to hold me down and told his underlings to start tearing off my clothes. “Julian, are you insane?! I’m your girlfriend!” My voice was a raw, trembling mess with fear, my gaze sweeping past the crowd. I saw him reach up and gently ruffle Seraphina’s hair, his movements so tender they could melt steel. Yet these same hands, just three months ago, had trembled as they wiped away my tears. “Cassidy, when the blood ants gnawed at your skin, it must have hurt terribly, right?” For my seventy-seventh revival, he’d been ensnared by monstrous vines. I’d desperately cut open my own artery, bleeding as I rushed to sever the vines. I’d ended up with my own ribs crushed by them. On the day of my ninety-ninth revival, he’d knelt before me, kissing the back of my hand for the first time, his voice hoarse as he said: “Cassidy, from now on, I’ll protect you.” I believed him. But I never would have imagined that his idea of protecting me was to stand by and watch my mom get torn apart by monsters, just to comfort a woman afraid of fire! I crawled forward, grabbing his arm fiercely. “Julian, open your eyes and look! Seraphina’s clothes are only slightly dirty! What’s most important right now is to gather my mother’s remains and let her rest in peace, not for you to flirt with another woman here! How could you do this to me?! How could you do this to my mother?!”

During our first year in this world, my family members died one after another at the hands of monsters. Only my mother and I were left, along with Julian, whom I had saved. My mother treated him like her own son. She saved her share of the food she found, unwilling to eat it herself, giving it all to him. She even collapsed from starvation because of it. Now, he was willing to watch her die for another woman! “Cassidy, can you stop being so dramatic?” He clicked his tongue in annoyance, looking at me like I was some hysterical lunatic. “Can’t your mom just revive? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Seraphina cares about her appearance and can’t stand having a stain on her clothes. Besides, even if your mom really died, you still need to take off your clothes and give them to Seraphina, right now!” As his words fell, he seemed to fear my resistance. He grabbed a long spike and nailed my limbs to a wooden board. The moment the spike pierced my flesh, my agonizing scream echoed through the sky. But this bloody scene still couldn’t stir a shred of softness in Julian. Seeing my pain, he, fearing it might scare Seraphina, turned and covered her eyes. “Cassidy, you dirtied Seraphina’s clothes and wouldn’t take them off for her. You deserved this!” Julian’s voice was as cold as ice. He didn’t notice the undeniable triumph in Seraphina’s eyes as she nestled in his arms. They stepped closer, their actions becoming increasingly unrestrained as they tore my clothes into shreds. Leaving large patches of my skin exposed. Most of them were survivors who had received my help in the past. Now, they all leered with crude amusement, even sneering and making vulgar jokes about me: “Wow, I never would have thought our capable Sister Cassidy had such smooth, fair skin underneath. You must’ve gotten a lot of ‘nourishment’ from Julian, huh?” “What are you talking about? Do you really think Julian alone could ‘satisfy’ a slut like that?!” “This is a good chance then. Julian alone probably can’t keep you happy, right? How about us guys give you a proper ‘service’ tonight!” Seeing this, Julian stepped forward and stopped them. My eyes instantly lit up. Just as I thought that after dying for him ninety-nine times, he might still have a little love for me… His next words plunged me back into the abyss. “Be careful not to hurt her, or I swear I’ll make you pay!” I suddenly burst out laughing. I laughed at myself, at how after my ninety-ninth revival, I actually believed this NPC could have real feelings. The bronze key in my pocket pressed against my chest. That was the pass to the stronghold, earned with sixty-six of my lives. The stronghold’s leader was Rhys, the strongest survivor in this game. His stronghold was impregnable, but not just anyone could enter. To secure a spot for Julian, I agreed to their demands and risked my life to scavenge supplies from the monsters’ main lair. I died sixty-six times there before they finally agreed to let Julian and me live inside. I had planned to tell him on his birthday, “Julian, we have a home now.” But then he used sharp steel cables to tightly bind me, just to save another woman. “Cassidy, you’ve already died so many times, what’s one more? But Seraphina is different, she’ll be scared to tears!” With that, he violently threw me towards the monsters. I watched in horror as the monsters closed in. The memory of my past agonizing deaths made me instinctively struggle violently. But the more I struggled, the deeper the sharp spikes dug into me. As the monsters came closer, I screamed desperately towards Julian: “Julian, I’m scared too! Please, come save me! I’m your girlfriend, you can’t just abandon me!”

Hearing my plea, Seraphina turned and snuggled deeper into Julian’s embrace. She whimpered sweetly, “Julian, those monsters sound so scary! Let’s go inside, quickly.” So I watched, my heart breaking, as the man I had protected with my life didn’t even glance at me again, turning to leave with the other woman. I reached out and grabbed his sleeve, but he violently shook me off. “What are you so afraid of? You’ll just revive after you die anyway. Didn’t you say yourself that this world is just a game to you?” But I hurt too. Every death, the pain that overwhelmed me, was real. “Julian, maybe… maybe we should just let it go. I’ll be fine. After all, Cassidy is your girlfriend…” Seraphina gently tugged his sleeve, feigning innocence as she deliberately exposed the bleeding claw marks on her arm. Seeing this, Julian’s eyes immediately darkened. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. “Cassidy, how could you be so cruel and lay your hands on Seraphina!” The force of the blow made my ears ring, and blood instantly seeped from the corner of my mouth. Even so, he wasn’t satisfied. He directly grabbed a sharp, barbed wire and tied my hands with it, his voice chilling. “She’s all yours. Play with her however you like, just don’t kill her. After all, I still need her as a meat shield to get Seraphina her favorite strawberry cake.” As his words fell, my eyes instantly filled with terror. Looking at the dozens of men surrounding me, I couldn’t imagine if I’d survive the night. I desperately crawled forward, blood foam dripping from my mouth. Pleading with him to spare me: “Julian, do you remember when you died for the seventy-third time? I dug out my heart and used it as bait for you!” His face flickered. “When you were possessed by a vengeful spirit for the eighty-fourth time, I bit off my tongue and used my lifeblood to exorcise it for you! You said, ‘Cassidy, from now on, I’ll protect you.’ How can you go back on your word?! I don’t need your protection anymore, I don’t want you. I’m willing to let you and Seraphina be together, but I beg you, please let them leave me alone, okay? I’m begging you, otherwise, this time, I’ll truly die!” Julian disgustedly furrowed his brows, then stomped his foot on my hand, which was pressed against the ground, completely disregarding my heart-wrenching screams. “Cassidy, how long are you going to keep bringing up all that old stuff about your sacrifices? One tear from Seraphina is worth more than you dying a hundred times over!” Seraphina timely sniffled and tugged his sleeve. “Julian, don’t argue with Cassidy. She’s just sad because her mother died. But Cassidy, people need to learn to be generous. Everyone here has been holding it in for so long, and it’s not like you’ll actually die, so what’s wrong with entertaining them a little?” My pupils constricted. Generous? If she was so generous, why didn’t she strip naked and lie in those men’s arms to entertain them?! Julian heard her words and looked at Seraphina with an appreciative gaze. He then kicked me towards the group of men. “Seraphina’s right. It’s not like you’ll actually die, so why not sacrifice yourself and let everyone vent their frustrations on you. Everyone will remember your kindness.” He bent down and gently stroked my cheek, “Don’t worry, Cass, even if you’re ‘dirty,’ I won’t abandon you.” I laughed, shaking uncontrollably, and spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm directly onto his face. “Disgusting!” “Julian, I should have seen it sooner! You’re nothing but a hypocritical scumbag! I actually fell foolishly in love with you, and even indirectly caused my mother’s death!” Hearing my words, Julian showed no trace of guilt. His face darkened as he warned me, “This is all your fault! If you dare hurt Seraphina, I’ll make you pay a thousand times over!” “Anyway, your mother will revive, and as for you, even if you’re played to death by them, I won’t find you dirty.” Those men’s filthy hands were already on my waist, brazenly biting at various parts of my body. Humiliating tears streamed down my cheeks. The more I struggled, the harsher their actions became. I still didn’t give up, crying out for Julian to pull me away. But I saw him offer no resistance, letting the other woman stand on tiptoes and kiss him. Suddenly, I didn’t want to resist anymore. My gaze met Julian’s eyes precisely. “Julian, you’ll regret this!”

In ten minutes, the monsters would besiege the stronghold. If they hadn’t found shelter by then, they’d all be dead. But Julian seemed to hear the biggest joke in the world. He bent down and pinched my chin. He forced me to look into the mirror, to see how these men were humiliating me. To see how many more men were standing by, eager to get their turn! “Regret? When they have you crying and begging for mercy later, remember how ridiculous that sounds today!” Seraphina leaned into his arms, timidly adding, “Cassidy, don’t be so stubborn. Just cooperate, and everyone will have an easier time!” I closed my eyes in despair, my fingers subtly gripping the bronze key at my chest. Just as another man reached out to tear open my collar, an earth-shattering roar suddenly came from the distance. The sky instantly rolled with black mist, thick enough to blot out the sun. Monsters surged forward like a tide. “It’s a horde! The ultimate boss is leading a horde!” The crowd instantly erupted into chaos. Cries, gunshots, and monster roars became a tangled mess. Julian’s face instantly paled. He instinctively shielded Seraphina behind him, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic crowd before finally fixating on me. “Cassidy! Quick, cut off your arm and use your blood to lure them to the east gate! You can’t die, can you? Go now!” I coldly pushed myself up from the ground. Seeing me not move, Julian tried to rush at me, but a sudden pouncing monster forced him to retreat. He stamped his foot impatiently. “Cassidy, are you crazy? If you don’t go, we’ll all die!” I pulled out the last long spike piercing my ankle and stepped barefoot into the pooling blood. Step by step, I walked towards the stronghold. “Cassidy, are you kidding me? That’s Commander Rhys’s stronghold, not just anyone can get in! If you go now and lure those monsters away, I promise you, after you revive, we’ll get married, okay?!” He screamed my name like a madman, his voice filled with panic for the first time. I stopped but didn’t turn back. I just held up the bronze key in my hand. I lowered my head and chuckled softly: “Married? Julian, do you even deserve it?” Blood dripped from my fingertips onto the ground, reflecting his terrified face. “This is the pass I earned with sixty-six of my lives. I even secured a spot for you, but unfortunately, that disappeared the moment you stood by and watched my mother die for another woman!” “You and your precious sweetheart can stay here and be torn to shreds by monsters. I’m not saving you!” Julian stared at the bronze key in my hand in disbelief, watching me walk into the stronghold behind me. The moment the main gate was about to close, Julian finally panicked.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297254”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance