Julian suffered from emotional detachment. We were together for seven long years, yet he never once believed I truly loved him. Every heartfelt word I poured into those letters was dismissed as nothing but a lie, a cheap charade. Everyone else branded me a gold-digger. And he? He just met their scornful gazes with a cold stare, utterly indifferent. It wasn’t until the sunflowers I’d planted for him in the backyard finally bloomed, and my sacrifices were laid bare for the world to see, that Julian finally believed I loved him. But what he didn’t know was this: I was already dead. I died exactly one year ago today. The mountain crumbled, burying me, but not before I used every last ounce of strength to push him to safety. Yet, Julian walked away without a single glance back, never even mentioning me to anyone. Trapped in that mountain, waiting for a rescue that never came, I slowly, painfully starved to death. He always longed to hear me say ‘I love you.’ He knew I couldn’t speak, but never bothered to learn my sign language. He never knew that every single morning, my first thought, my first silent word, was ‘I love you.’

It was a full year later when my remains were finally discovered. After the accident, the area had been sealed off, no one allowed in or out. Massive boulders blocked the path completely, and I couldn’t find my way out, trapped in a tiny cave. By the time the rescue team arrived, all that was left of me was a skeletal remains. Rats and insects had long since picked my flesh clean, leaving nothing but bone. Even the remnants of my clothes were scattered, dragged yards away. I don’t know why my soul hadn’t dissipated. After a year in that lightless place, I had long since moved from initial despair and terror to a strange calm. I stood in the corner, watching them carefully gather my bones, taking them away for DNA comparison. When I floated out of the cave with the rescue team and the sunlight found me, it felt incredibly unreal, like a daze. On the way down the mountain, one of the female team members, Sarah, was excitedly waving her phone. “Julian is talking about his fiancée again in an interview! He’s so devoted, why would she just disappear like that, so ungrateful for his devotion?” Hearing that name after so long, I instinctively looked up. “Oh, remember when his fiancée planted that field of sunflowers for him? When they bloomed, Julian posted so many updates that day, just showing them off.” “But if they really loved each other, they’ll surely clear up any misunderstandings and get back together, right? Julian’s rich and handsome, after all!” A few of them huddled together, chattering away, their eyes shining as they gushed about Julian’s meteoric rise and impressive success story. Listening to their words, I froze, my mind a chaotic mess. Julian rarely had other people around him. For all those years, the only woman he’d been close to was me. It wasn’t that he was a saint. It was that I was relentlessly, stubbornly, *desperately* clinging to him. The day before we went to the mountains, I’d planted the entire backyard with sunflowers. I’d squatted for so long that when I stood up, my vision blurred, and I fell to the ground. Julian just walked past, utterly indifferent, not even sparing me a glance. He’d always been distant, even after seven years together; most of the time, he still treated me like I was invisible. When I scrambled awkwardly to my feet and chased after Julian, he looked at me with a calm gaze. I frantically tried to explain, signing wildly, but as our eyes met, it was like a sudden, icy splash of reality. Julian didn’t understand sign language, and I couldn’t speak. Our everyday communication was always through written words. “Julian, when the flowers bloom, can we get married?” I carefully typed out the sentence, showing him the screen. Even though everyone else dismissed our relationship, I stubbornly held onto Julian. He didn’t answer for a long time, and my previously tense emotions slowly calmed down. The scrapes on the back of my hand, the cuts on my calf from the sharp spade. His gaze, light and dismissive, swept over my scrapes and the desperate mess I was, before he simply turned and walked away. He never believed I loved him. Over the years, I’d wanted to marry him countless times, but he always refused. I never even got the chance to explain myself, only able to helplessly write ‘I love you’ over and over again. When others mocked and questioned me, Julian never seemed to care, even letting their rumors fester. The phone screen automatically dimmed, but I remained standing there, my expression dazed. If he didn’t believe me, why did he choose me in the first place?

I didn’t know where I should go. When my thoughts returned, my spirit was already floating at the entrance of the villa. Before I even got close, I saw the vast golden flower sea—the entire area filled with sunflowers. On the way here, I’d already heard so much about Julian. Everyone said he’d been searching for me all this time, desperate to salvage our relationship. People dismissed me as ungrateful, calling me cold and heartless. If I truly loved him, why would I disappear for a whole year, not even giving Julian a chance to change? But they didn’t know I’d waited for Julian for seven years, and loved him for seven years. Julian claimed I loved sunflowers, so the media eagerly reported how he’d planted an entire field of them for me. This grand gesture, supposedly proof of his deep affection, actually reeked of insincerity. I didn’t even like sunflowers. That field was just the last gift I’d left behind. They even kept repeating the flower’s meaning: “silent love,” pinning it onto Julian. His public display was so overwhelming that no one bothered to care about the small patch of flowers in the backyard that truly belonged to me. Returning here after a year, I felt utterly lost. My hands passed right through the glass door, the lightness of my body once again reminding me of the grim reality of my death. I saw many framed pictures on the living room wall, displaying the love letters I had written. That was the first time Julian ever questioned my sincerity. He didn’t believe in love, and his friends looked down on me, a mute girl. They would jokingly ask if I was only with Julian for his money, their voices dripping with casual disdain. My face flushed crimson, and I frantically signed my explanations, forgetting that these rich kids couldn’t understand sign language. Julian never said a word, just stood there, watching the whole circus with a cold expression. To prove myself, I wrote countless love letters, articulating my affection word by word. But these letters were eventually thrown to the floor during one of our arguments, dismissed as trash by Julian. He claimed he didn’t believe those hollow words, sneering at my supposed insincerity. I cried, trying to pick up the scattered papers, unable to make a sound. But now, red markings covered those letters. Every one of my sentences had a response—Julian’s belated confession. So, he had always known I was telling the truth. He had always paid attention to everything I did. But Julian always pushed me away, again and again, all for his ridiculous pride. He’d deny me countless times, saying hurtful things, only to beg me to come back later. Because of Julian’s attitude, everyone around him looked down on me too. They all thought I was the one relentlessly clinging to him, but they didn’t know Julian and I were each other’s salvation. I loved the handsome boy from school, and he liked having me by his side. He’d pour out his heart to me, always standing up for me, always swearing he’d never let me suffer. He’d even tried to learn sign language for me once. But as time wore on, he simply… forgot. Those precious memories, along with his willingness to learn, were abandoned somewhere along the way.

The house felt familiar to my body, yet my memories were strangely distant. For the past year, trapped, I’d barely seen the sun, always engulfed in pitch darkness. As I fumbled my way to the study, the first thing I saw was a Julian I didn’t recognize. His desk was piled with books, all of them on sign language instruction. After I died, Julian finally began, belatedly, to learn my language. He started to study the things he had ignored, the things he’d thrown into corners as if they weren’t worth mentioning. Like the paper stars with every word I’d wanted to say to him written inside. Like the clothes I’d sewn for him myself, the clumsy stitches proof of how many times I’d pricked my fingers. It had hurt so much, but I’d been so full of hope that Julian would finally see me differently. Instead, he’d just given it a dismissive glance, tossed it into the closet, and I never saw it again. He never even tried it on. And now, Julian’s long, artistic fingers held a piece of fabric, completely at a loss. The pampered rich boy was finally humbling himself, trying to appease his late lover, a faint hint of guilt flickering in his heart. But Julian only knew the old me. He didn’t know I no longer liked plain white, or that my size had changed. Once, Julian had held me, heartbroken by how thin I was, swearing he’d make me plump and healthy. Later, he was indifferent even when I wasted away to skin and bones. When doctors subtly hinted that my condition was worsening, he just frowned at me. “Did I starve you? Why would you do this to yourself? What’s wrong?” He didn’t care, and he didn’t know. He didn’t know I was being gaslighted by his friends, spending sleepless nights tossing and turning, consumed by self-doubt. He didn’t notice the mistreatment from the household staff, or that the groceries they bought were often insufficient. He only saw the surface: he had given me so much, materially I had nothing to complain about. Julian didn’t care about my feelings. He just thought I was making a big deal out of nothing, complaining about problems that weren’t real. The day we went to the mountains, we were actually trying to salvage our relationship. Julian was coming home less and less, and our silences grew longer and longer. When the accident happened, Julian hadn’t even reacted yet. Because of my natural physical limitations, I’d always been acutely sensitive to my surroundings. But in that final moment, I resolutely pushed Julian out. And he just left, never looking back at me. I hoped he would bring a rescue team to find me. I fantasized about him appearing like a knight in shining armor, saving me from disaster. I don’t know how long I waited, but I remained trapped, despairingly huddled in the cave. The wind howled in my ears, the cave was cold and dark, and I was driven to the brink of madness. I was found a year after I died. Yet Julian sat there, composed, as if nothing had happened, simply *waiting* for me to magically reappear. He never even bothered to search for me. If he had thought of me, even once, during those agonizing days, I wouldn’t have died. I was only twenty-seven. I didn’t even die in the landslide; I starved to death. When I was alive, no one loved me, not even Julian, who constantly doubted me. It took my death for Julian to finally acknowledge me, to mercifully prepare to repay me. I was suddenly curious to see Julian’s reaction when he learned I was truly dead. In media interviews, he repeatedly spoke of his plans to propose to me. That was all I’d ever wanted, something I couldn’t have when I was alive. But now, I’d never get the chance to wear a wedding dress. Julian told everyone he missed me, but now I was right in front of him, and he couldn’t see me. The room was silent. Just then, Julian’s phone, resting beside him, abruptly rang. “Hello, is this Mr. Julian? We’ve found Ms. Harper’s remains. Do you have time to identify them?” I didn’t see Julian’s expression. Because I was too busy admiring the sunflowers in the backyard.

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She was the ultimate ice queen, and because she said she liked clean, pure guys, I actually kept the fact that my family’s racing club was packed with 99 fierce women a secret. For four years, I played the sweet campus charmer, all just to be with her. We promised to get married right after graduation. But then, everything changed when her childhood friend, Caleb, returned home. To take care of him, Seraphina abandoned me again and again, even planning to have a baby with him. “Julian,” she’d pleaded, her voice soft but firm, “Caleb’s family took me in, and he even cut his wrists for me once. His mental state is fragile, and he’s dying from a fatal illness. I can’t just watch him die.” “Only the baby’s umbilical cord blood can save him. I know you’re not a petty man, you’re so generous, you’ll understand, right?” I stared at the tell-tale hickeys on her collarbone, then glanced at the eighteen different sex toys scattered on the floor. “Saving people,” huh? Some rescue, alright. I’m done with this BS. Later, she came crying, begging for my forgiveness. My family’s 99 stunning professionals blocked her at the door. Their leader, Luna, leaned back, a lazy smile playing on her lips. “Lady Seraphina,” she drawled, “this track is private property. No outsiders allowed.”

Today was supposed to be the day of my engagement party with Seraphina. I’d booked her favorite Michelin-starred restaurant. That bottle of ’82 Lafite had been quietly decanting for three hours, just like my own burning heart, slowly chilling, settling into a heavy silence. Finally, she arrived, carrying a dusty weariness and an air of apology. “Julian, I’m so sorry. Something came up at the last minute.” She sat down, skillfully offering her excuses, not even noticing that her white silk blouse, with the second button haphazardly slipped into the third buttonhole, revealed a disheveled hint of what shouldn’t be. Even more damning was the strange, cheap, and sickeningly sweet men’s cologne clinging to her – like a needle, it pricked at my temples, sending jolts of pain through me. Just fresh off another man’s battlefield, you rush to my dinner? Seraphina, you truly are a master of time management. “Seraphina, we…” The words “break up” were on the tip of my tongue, but then her phone abruptly lit up. The name flashing on the screen: Caleb. She answered almost instinctively. The face that had been so dismissive towards me a second ago instantly melted into a tenderness I’d never seen, a sweetness that could drown a man. From the other end of the line, Caleb’s perfectly rehearsed, fragile whimper pierced through the speaker, floating directly into my ear: “Sera… I’m so scared being alone… I feel so cold.” “Are you going to leave me again, like last time? Do you not want me and our baby anymore?” Seraphina shot up from her seat, her voice filled with an unprecedented urgency and tenderness. “Don’t be silly, the doctors told you to rest. I just stepped out for some fresh air; I’ll be right back to you, promise.” She hung up, snatched her trench coat, and was about to leave. I finally spoke, my voice cold as ice: “Seraphina, look up at the calendar on the wall.” Her steps faltered. When she turned back to me, her eyes held nothing but impatience. “Julian, be mature. You know Caleb’s situation. He has a history of self-harm, and he acts out when he gets emotional. Now, he’s pregnant for his treatment, practically gambling with his life.” “That’s a human life! It’s just one dinner, can’t you be understanding?!” She finished, then turned resolutely and walked away. I stared blankly at the cake on the table, inscribed with “Sera & Julian.” The frosting melted under the lights, dripping down like the ridiculous love I’d poured into her for four years, silent, laughable tears. I vaguely remembered our sophomore year. Caleb was still abroad, stubbornly sending her all sorts of luxury items and overly sappy letters. Seraphina hadn’t even looked at them. Right in front of me, she’d tossed everything into the trash. She’d made an international call, her voice laced with ice: “Caleb, I’m warning you, stop bothering me with your dramatic, dying acts. It’s cheap.” After hanging up, she’d turned, cupped my face, and kissed me reverently in the sunlight: “Julian, don’t pay any attention to him. You’re the only one in my heart, always have been. That boy isn’t even fit to tie your shoelaces.” But now, for that man “not fit to tie my shoelaces,” she abandoned me again and again. All because her parents had died young, and Caleb’s family had taken her in. All because two months ago, Caleb’s father had tearfully entrusted his terminally ill son to her. All because he held something critical over her head. She called it repaying a debt, a way to show gratitude. She said it was just borrowing her body to have a child, to use the umbilical cord blood to save a life. “Julian, you have to believe me, my heart is yours. Once he’s repaid his family’s kindness, we’ll get married. I swear.” But does ‘repaying kindness’ mean sleeping with him? I looked at the puddle of melted frosting and suddenly felt that the girl in the white dress, who had pushed me away from a runaway race car in the rain, had died long ago. Died in Caleb’s sickbed and his seductive embrace. I decided to give her one last grand gift, a personal epitaph for this relationship.

I arrived at Seraphina’s penthouse duplex, carrying a Patek Philippe watch box. I’d casually bought this place for her when she complained about living in the dorms. The door opened. Caleb stood leaning against the doorframe, wearing Seraphina’s black silk robe. The robe hung loosely, revealing his pale chest, covered in tell-tale hickeys. He saw me, and his pretty eyes immediately welled up with tears, as if he’d suffered the greatest injustice. “Julian… don’t get the wrong idea. Sera just stayed to keep me company because she was afraid I’d do something reckless.” A rich, top-tier white tea scent mingled with the undeniable scent of… intimacy, assaulting my senses. I smiled, though the mirth never reached my eyes: “Is that right? She was afraid you’d ‘do something reckless,’ so she personally got involved, giving you… palliative care with her body temperature?” “Looks like she’s really dedicated herself to saving your life, must be exhausting.” Caleb’s face instantly went ashen, tears trembling on his lashes. Just then, the master bedroom door slid open with a whoosh. A bath robe hung loosely on Seraphina’s body. There were still hickeys on her neck as she walked out, wiping her wet hair. She froze when she saw me, then her gaze fell on the watch box in my hand, and her eyes instantly lit up. “Julian? What are you doing here?” She strode over, her voice filled with such surprise, such a naturally intimate tone. “And you brought me a gift? I knew you were the most generous, that you loved me the most.” She reached out to take it, completely ignoring the fragile thread that bound us. But then Caleb suddenly clutched his chest, letting out a series of heart-wrenching coughs. He gripped the doorframe, looking at Seraphina with tear-filled eyes: “Sera, am I… am I dying? Will I not see our baby…?” Seraphina’s face instantly changed. She immediately turned and took Caleb’s arm, carefully helping him to the sofa. Then she took his hand and placed it over her own lower abdomen. “Don’t be silly, the baby is already in my belly. Once he’s born, you’ll be saved.” Then she walked back, snatched the watch box from my hand, and thrust it into Caleb’s. “You take this for now. If it’s not enough, I’ll figure something else out.” Her tone was so natural, as if this watch—and even I—were just tools for her to appease another man. I looked at them, my heart chilling inch by inch, leaving only a numb, bitter amusement. Caleb was still putting on his act. He pushed the watch box back, saying with a heartbreaking vulnerability: “No, I can’t take it. This is Julian’s gesture, he loves you so much…” Seraphina frowned, turning back to look at me, her voice carrying a hint of entitled command. “Julian, how about this? You don’t really live in that lakeside villa in the suburbs anyway, why not sell it first to pay for Caleb’s treatment?” “Didn’t you always say what’s yours is mine? Caleb’s dad raised me. Without him, we would never have met. You wouldn’t want to see a parent burying their own child, would you?” “You’re so good, you’ll understand me, right?”

That villa was my eighteenth birthday gift, the last memento my mother left me. I had once smiled and told her that it would be our home once we were married. Now, it was just a chip in her mouth, to be casually sold off to save another man. How dare she? How dare she say such monstrous things just because I loved her? I looked at her utterly entitled face and suddenly smiled. “Alright,” I heard myself say in an unnervingly calm voice. “Seraphina, you and him can stay locked together, and don’t you dare infect anyone else with your toxicity.” “I wish you both a hundred years of happiness. Don’t disappoint each other.” With that, I turned to leave, resolute. But Seraphina panicked. She rushed after me, grabbing my wrist. “Julian, what do you mean?!” “I told you I’m just repaying a debt! As soon as he’s better, I’ll marry you!” I looked at her anxious face, then abruptly shook off her hand, letting out a cold laugh: “Seraphina, there’s no need anymore.” I had given up on her. I didn’t want her. I turned and pressed the elevator button. Seraphina, however, charged over like a maniac, blocking the elevator doors with her body. Her face was filled with anxiety and a hint of thin anger at being defied. “Julian! I can’t believe you’re such an ungenerous man! I always thought you were different from all those ordinary guys out there!” “It’s just selling a house to save a life, why can’t you understand me?” “Four years of our relationship, just over this little thing, you want to break up with me? Have you forgotten how many times I rejected him for you? Can’t you sacrifice for me just this once?!” I watched her hysterics coldly. From inside the apartment, Caleb’s timely groan drifted out. “Sera… my head hurts so much…” A flicker of struggle crossed Seraphina’s face, but she ultimately gritted her teeth, spat out, “Wait for me here,” and rushed back inside. The elevator doors slowly closed. In the final second before the gap shut completely, I clearly saw Caleb leaning on Seraphina’s shoulder, flashing me a victor’s defiant smile. I got into my Bugatti Veyron and calmly dialed my dad. “Dad.” “I’ve made up my mind. I’m coming home.” On the other end of the line, my dad’s booming voice first fell silent, then erupted in wild joy: “Made up your mind?! My love-struck fool has finally seen sense!” “That gold-digging vixen finally disgusted you? I always knew she was trouble! An opportunist who clawed her way up with her looks, thought she was hot stuff, didn’t she? Why should my son suffer such humiliation?!” “Wait! I’m sending someone to pick you up right away! And that villa, I’ll have that place scrubbed clean, sterilized three times over, inside and out. Not a single trace of her will remain!” Listening to my dad’s roar, I leaned against the car window, a wry smile on my face. “Alright.” The car sped to the villa entrance. But as I opened the main gate with my fingerprint, a nauseatingly sweet smell assaulted my senses. The living room was a mess, the carpets and sofas covered in suspicious, wet stains. The cloying, almost fishy smell made my stomach churn. Seeing the used toys on the floor, I couldn’t hold it in anymore and rushed to the doorway, vomiting violently. Just as I was seeing stars, my vision blurring, a sharp blow landed on the back of my neck. The world instantly flipped upside down. In the last moment before consciousness plunged into darkness, I saw Seraphina’s face. When I woke again, I was handcuffed in a basement. Seraphina sat on a chair opposite me, watching me silently, her eyes obsessive and deranged.

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On my eighteenth birthday, a young girl showed up at our door. She tearfully recounted to my brothers how our adoptive mother had switched her with me at the hospital when we were born. She claimed *she* was the Sterling family’s true heiress. I’d intended to step aside graciously, but my obsessive brothers locked me up instead. “You’re not going anywhere without our say-so. You’ll die within these walls before you ever escape us!” A sudden, fierce fire erupted. I couldn’t escape in time and was burned alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was back—one week before the ‘true heiress’ appeared. This time, Chloe still stormed into Sterling Manor, interrupting the birthday song my four brothers were singing. “I’m your real sister!” Huge, glistening tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke. “My adoptive mother deliberately swapped me with her biological daughter at the hospital, just so her daughter could live a life of luxury. If a routine medical check-up hadn’t flagged a discrepancy in blood types, forcing me to finally confess, I would’ve been kept in the dark my entire life.” She sobbed, a pitiful sight, recounting years of neglect and hardship with her adoptive family—starved and freezing. She exposed her slender arms, covered in red, swollen bruises, complaining that her adoptive father would beat her with a belt whenever he drank too much. My brothers remained silent, their gazes fixed on Julian, waiting for him to speak. “First, a DNA test. We’ll discuss everything else after that.” The Sterling empire was vast, and Julian, the eldest, had transformed Sterling Corp into the undisputed titan of the entire Metropolis City in just a few short years. He was, naturally, a ruthless, decisive leader. Mr. Henderson, the butler, nodded, preparing to escort Chloe away. There was no emotional reunion, no warm embrace, just a stunned silence from Chloe. Then, she suddenly pointed at me. “Don’t be fooled, brothers! This woman definitely wants to team up with her biological mother, empty the Sterling accounts, and vanish!” Julian raised an eyebrow, turning to look at me, his voice soft and low. “Blair, your brothers can give you as much money as you want. But if you two really were swapped, do you want to leave, Blair?” He had asked me the same question in my previous life. Back then, I was perhaps blinded by the word ‘freedom’. I hastily agreed that if Chloe was the true heiress, I would leave the Sterling family and make way for her. My ‘generosity’ successfully enraged my brothers. They locked me away. “You’re not going anywhere without our say-so. You’ll die within these walls before you ever escape us!” The confinement room was pitch black, not a single sliver of light. No one was allowed near me except them, and no one was permitted to speak to me. On the day the fire broke out, I cried and screamed for help inside that room. I screamed until my throat was raw and bleeding, clawed at the door until my fingernails ripped off, but no one heard me, and no one saved me. The flames devoured me completely. I really did die in the Sterling house, consumed by the cruel shackles of their twisted affection. Snapping out of my memories, my eyes welled with tears, my face a mask of grievance. “Julian, do you remember the dream I had a week ago? I can’t believe what happened in it is actually coming true. Even though I can’t bear to leave you all, I’ll follow whatever you decide. If you want to send me away…” I broke down, unable to finish the sentence. They remembered that day from a week ago, and my brothers’ expressions softened. They promised me, “Blair, no matter what the results are, your brothers will never send you away.” I nodded, satisfied, wiping away my tears. This time, I would meticulously execute the plan I hadn’t had a chance to start in my previous life.

I was reborn one week before Chloe showed up at Sterling Manor. That morning, I clutched at Julian like a scared little bird, sobbing into his embrace. “I had a terrible nightmare. Someone said I wasn’t your sister, and they wanted to kick me out of the Sterling house. Waaah… I don’t want that! I love my brothers more than anything, I want to be with you forever!” Julian stroked my hair, comforting me, while my other brothers stood behind him, smiling with satisfaction. I knew they reveled in my complete, unquestioning dependence. The kind of helpless dependence they craved. This time, when Chloe again accused me of trying to run away, I subtly brought up that morning’s ‘dream,’ playing the part of the long-suffering, obedient sister to perfection. It worked. I successfully avoided being imprisoned. Sebastian, my second brother, was a doctor, reportedly the youngest Chief Physician Metropolis General Hospital had ever seen. He pulled some strings, and the DNA test results were ready in less than a day. The next evening, he brought Chloe into Sterling Villa and instructed Mr. Henderson, the butler. “From now on, the Second Miss will live here with us. Please prepare her room.” The test results were obvious. Sebastian was busy. He left instructions for Mr. Henderson to take good care of her and returned to the hospital. With my brothers gone, Chloe dropped her innocent facade. She approached me, her face alight with triumph. She whispered a threat, “Blair Sterling, there’s only room for one young lady in this house. Soon, I’ll make sure you’re out.” Mr. Henderson showed her several rooms, all spacious and well-lit. Chloe picked and chose, clearly dissatisfied. “What, are you serious? Am I a charity case? Who wants to live in these cramped, corner rooms?” She pointed to the room in the very middle of the third floor. “That one. That’s mine.” Mr. Henderson looked troubled. “But… that’s Miss Blair’s room…” “It’s alright, Mr. Henderson,” I said, nodding at him. “If she likes it, let her have it. As long as my brothers are here, anywhere feels like home.” Nothing was a secret in this house. I knew this scene would reach my brothers’ ears very quickly, so of course, I had to play the part of the long-suffering, obedient sister to perfection. Besides, that room… it was perfect for my plans. While I was packing my belongings, Chloe came by to assert her dominance again. “Take all your stuff. I don’t want to move in and find the place still full of your trash. Oh, and you don’t even need to unpack. You’ll be packing your bags and disappearing for good soon enough anyway.” I put down the clothes in my hand, sighing softly. She really knew how to get under my skin. I grabbed her wrist, pushing up her sleeve. Chloe cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face, unable to wrench her hand free from my grip. “Does that hurt? What does it feel like to be hit with an iron pipe?” Her face was filled with terror. “How… how do you know?” Chloe used to be a delinquent, smoking, drinking, fighting—she did it all. The day after I was reborn, I rescued Stella, our class monitor, from an alley near school where Chloe was bullying her. The injuries on Chloe’s arm weren’t from her drunken adoptive father at all. They were from the iron pipe I’d picked up and used on her. “You’re the one who was wearing a mask and sticking your nose where it didn’t belong?” I didn’t answer, my finger tracing over her wound. “You know what? My brothers hate liars the most. If they found out…” I smiled faintly. “You’d be in a lot of trouble, wouldn’t you?”

To celebrate Chloe’s return to the Sterling family, the kitchen prepared an exquisite French meal. Despite Sebastian’s request for me to teach her dining etiquette before dinner, she still picked up the main course knife and fork when eating the appetizer. The utensils scraped loudly against the plate, producing a jarring, unpleasant sound. Sebastian frowned, pausing his own movements. He valued etiquette above all else; elegance was his motto. When I was little, I was too weak to hold my utensils steady and occasionally dropped them. He would make me stand in the corner for an hour, holding my knife and fork above my head, no matter how much I cried or begged. Chloe sensed the shift in atmosphere and cautiously put down the utensils, her eyes welling up. “I’m sorry. Life was so hard in that other house. I’ve never eaten such good, refined food before. And Blair taught me too fast; I couldn’t keep up. It’s my fault for being so slow…” My own movements faltered. I quickly apologized. “It’s my mistake. I should have been more patient and thorough in teaching Chloe. I accept my punishment.” I voluntarily stood up and moved to the corner of the dining room, raising my hands above my head, ready for my punishment. I had expected Chloe to be reprimanded too, but to my surprise, Sebastian said, “Considering this is your first offense, I’ll forgive you this time. But it must not happen again.” He picked up his knife and fork again, demonstrating the correct dining etiquette to Chloe, inviting her to learn from him. I lowered my gaze, watching the scene unfold. It made sense; their long-lost sister, found after eighteen years, deserved some leniency for the hardships she’d endured. But it was the first time I realized that a first offense could actually be forgiven. During dinner, Chloe couldn’t help but glance at me several times out of the corner of her eye, eating even more carefully. I knew she couldn’t understand. Everyone called me the Sterling brothers’ favorite, their treasured little sister, admired by countless people. But in reality, I was nothing more than a human puppet they held in their hands, playing with me as they pleased. After dinner, Julian instructed Mr. Henderson, “Starting tomorrow, Chloe’s entire curriculum will follow Blair’s schedule.” Chloe nodded eagerly, sweetly thanking Julian. She had no idea the crisis that awaited her. She was simply thrilled to be treated as my equal, receiving the same elite education. The next morning, Chloe was pulled from bed by a maid before five AM to join me for English morning reading. At six o’clock, during morning exercises, the yoga instructor was forcing her into deep stretches, her screams echoing through the hall the entire time. After breakfast, she endured three consecutive academic classes plus a calligraphy lesson, constantly nodding off and slumping in her seat. There was no nap time at noon; she had to study piano, chess, design, and various other skills. The afternoon consisted of two hours of intense physical training, followed immediately by etiquette lessons. At dinner, I saw her about to beg Julian for mercy, but she swallowed her words under his cold glare. After two more academic classes in the evening, plus time to complete homework, it was already past midnight before she could finally go to bed. When classes finally ended, I heard Chloe mutter a curse under her breath, grumbling, “Turns out being a rich girl isn’t so great after all.” I didn’t know what other rich girls were like. But my past eighteen years had been spent almost exactly like this every day, with never more than five hours of sleep. Every time my brothers randomly checked my homework, it was a nightmare. I could never meet their expectations; endless punishments always awaited me. My brothers always said these high standards were for my own good, to make me an even better person. Whether I became ‘better’ or not, I didn’t know. After all, this was just the person *they* wanted me to be.

Sunday afternoon, I was practicing flower arrangement in the garden. A middle-aged couple poked their heads tentatively out from the villa entrance. Their eyes lit up when they saw me. “Blair! Blair! Daddy and Mommy are here to take you home!” I coldly replied, “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.” Chloe heard the commotion and walked out of the living room, sneering, “People shouldn’t forget their roots, you know. No matter what, you shouldn’t abandon your own parents!” She opened the door, letting my former adoptive parents in. Julian and Ryder happened to come downstairs at that moment. Ryder, my youngest brother, ran the family’s underground dealings and always had a short temper. He glared at the couple. “I haven’t even come to settle scores with you about the swap, and you dare show up on our doorstep?” Brenda, my adoptive mother, quickly started wailing dramatically. “It’s a misunderstanding! We’re victims too! The nurse must have swapped the babies by mistake. We absolutely didn’t do it on purpose!” She looked at me and continued, “Blair is our biological daughter. Since Chloe has returned to the Sterlings, we want to take Blair home.” There was no genuine emotion, no maternal love in her eyes—only a calculating scheme hidden deep within. I wondered how many benefits Chloe had promised her to make her bold enough to come to the Sterling house and demand me. If I could see through such a flimsy trick, how could Julian, a seasoned old fox in the business world, not? He once again tossed the question to me. “Blair, I respect your choice. Do you want to go with them?”

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That summer when I was 18, Ryan took my virginity. I endured the pain, but secretly felt happy all night long, thinking my six years of secret love had finally come to fruition. Until the next day, when I overheard his friends teasing him: “Not bad, you scored with the class beauty.” I felt embarrassed and was about to quietly leave. Then I heard Ryan’s casual reply: “I want to pursue the school beauty, but I’m afraid she’ll think I’m too inexperienced. “So I’m using Mia to practice my skills first.” I didn’t say anything. At the last moment before the deadline, I silently changed my college application from New York to Florida.

Ryan’s words hit me like a bolt from the blue, completely catching me off guard. My mind went blank instantly. On such a hot summer afternoon, I felt chills all over my body. The conversation in the classroom continued. The others seemed stunned for a moment before speaking again. “As expected of Ryan, even the class beauty is just practice for him.” “Doesn’t that make her like, you know, a maid for ‘special services’ in those old wealthy families?” Ryan laughed carelessly: “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s not like she’s losing out.” Someone immediately agreed. “That’s right, the class beauty has gotten a bit thin. Compared to the school beauty, her figure is…” Ryan irritably threw a book at him, interrupting his comment. “It was just a moment of impulse. The mood was right, and she seemed to be struggling to hold back too…” The others exchanged knowing looks and teased him: “Who would’ve thought the class beauty was the sultry type.” “Tsk tsk, it’s our Ryan’s irresistible charm. Might as well eat the meat right in front of you.” “The class beauty has been chasing after Ryan for so many years. I guess she finally got her wish. She probably wanted to jump him long ago.” The laughter in the room grew noticeably louder. I bit my lip hard, my hands clenched into tight fists. It took all my strength to keep steady and not collapse at the classroom door. Footsteps approached from the end of the hallway. I snapped back to my senses and fled the scene in a panic. In my confusion, I hid in a bathroom stall.

Tears of heartbreak and humiliation were already flowing freely. Ryan’s words echoed in my mind over and over, nearly destroying all of my self-esteem. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I never would have believed that he was the same person who had been so passionately intimate with me just last night. So it turns out you can do such intimate things even without love. Even in the most passionate, irrational moments, it’s possible to lie and deceive. What I foolishly thought was the culmination of our relationship was nothing more than a joke to others. The more I cried, the more upset I became. But I didn’t dare make any loud sounds. My body kept shaking uncontrollably. After a long while. My phone buzzed with a message notification. It was from Ryan. [Take a cab home yourself. My class is having a party tonight, so it’s not convenient for me to take you.] I didn’t reply. He added another message. [Remember to buy the morning-after pill yourself. I’m too busy today. Make sure to take it, be good.] I stared at these two messages for a long time, speechless. Last night, from dusk till dawn, Ryan had worn me out over and over again. Before falling asleep exhausted in each other’s arms, he had whispered twice: “I wasn’t fully prepared for our first time. I’ll definitely buy you the pill tomorrow.” He even reminded me that girls need to protect themselves, and that I must take the morning-after pill or it could be very harmful to my body. At the time, I thought he was being so responsible towards me. I thought I had finally found my happiness. But now… In an instant, I sobered up considerably. I pinched my palm hard, forcing myself to stop crying. I wiped away my tears, composed myself, and left the bathroom. Too embarrassed to go to the pharmacy, I just ordered the pill online. After the delivery driver left it at the door, I waited a long time before I dared to sneak out and retrieve it. After swallowing the pill with tears in my eyes, I seemed to lose all my strength. I just sat numbly on the carpet, staring blankly. Ever since Ryan’s family moved in next door, I had followed him around like a little puppy for ten years. I had never imagined what a world without him would be like. I didn’t dare to imagine it. But from now on, I would be alone. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, lights came on one after another, then gradually went out. I don’t know how much time passed before my best friend Lily video called me. “Mia, why didn’t you come to our class party with Ryan tonight? “That Claire from the liberal arts class showed up instead. She’s been clinging to Ryan while you’re not here. The two of them are being so gross.” Lily turned the camera to show me.

In a dark corner of the private room, Ryan and Claire, the school beauty, were sitting very close together. Claire was wearing a crop top and tight jeans tonight, showing off her slim waist and long legs. The two of them were clearly separated from the rest of the group. Even when they talked, it looked like they were whispering sweet nothings to each other. The flirtatious atmosphere was palpable even through the screen. My chest tightened uncontrollably. Ryan had just said this afternoon that he wanted to pursue her. It seems he had already succeeded by evening. Claire drew a “Truth or Dare” card that required her to do push-ups with a guy on top. She had to choose a male participant. Unsurprisingly, Ryan immediately volunteered. Everyone started cheering and teasing them. Claire’s face turned red as she obediently lay down on the sofa. Ryan positioned himself above her and easily did dozens of push-ups. He was very restrained the whole time, carefully avoiding touching Claire’s body. Until the very last one, whether he finally lost his strength or did it on purpose. He couldn’t hold himself up and collapsed directly on top of Claire. The screams around them grew even louder, nearly taking the roof off. Ryan and Claire’s faces turned even redder. Amid the crowd’s frenzied cheering, Ryan simply lowered his head and kissed Claire. The two of them made out passionately, oblivious to everyone else. It went on for a full three minutes before they reluctantly separated. During those endless three minutes, I stared at the screen unblinkingly, so shocked I almost forgot to breathe. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I wanted to cry, but I had cried too much earlier without drinking water, so I had no tears left. “Tsk tsk tsk, Mia did you see that clearly? They were French kissing with tongue and everything. He’s totally into her.” Lily sighed as she turned the camera and left the private room. She found a quiet corner and earnestly advised me: “Mia, don’t blame me. If I didn’t let you see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t give up on him.” My throat was dry and the sounds I made were barely audible. “Mm, I don’t blame you.” I only blame myself for being so stupid for so many years. I thought that since I was always allowed to follow Ryan around, that position by his side would always be mine. “I just can’t stand Ryan. What gives him the right to string you along for years, knowing you like him, pretending to be an innocent boy while watching you fall deeper and deeper. “Now you’ve seen it clearly. I really hope you’ll seriously reconsider. Don’t let him waste another four years of your life in college…” “I won’t, Lily.” I interrupted her, stating calmly. “I won’t give myself another chance. “Lily, I’ve decided. I’m going to college in Florida with you. “But you have to promise to keep it a secret for now.”

After saying that, to prevent myself from hesitating again, I opened my laptop in front of her. Without any hesitation, at the last minute before the deadline, I changed my first choice to that famous university in Florida. Lily was of course overjoyed. She had been begging me to apply to the same school for a long time. But when we first started high school, I had already made a promise with Ryan that we would work hard together and go to his dream school in New York after the SATs. That’s where his favorite aerospace program was. So even though I didn’t particularly like the cold North, and didn’t have much interest in that engineering-focused school, for all three years of high school, I still made it my goal. After being neighbors for so many years, both sets of parents were happy for us to go to the same college. Everyone, including me, thought that Ryan and I would naturally become a couple after we became adults. But now, I couldn’t find any reason to go to New York anymore. Or rather, after today, if I still clung to Ryan like before. I would despise myself. Now I just wanted to hide far away. It didn’t matter where, as long as Ryan wasn’t there. If he was in the North, then I would go South.

Before bed, I filled the entire bathtub, wanting to thoroughly wash myself clean. But when I took off my clothes, the bruises on my skin were still very visible. Memories of last night came flooding back uncontrollably. The scorching heat of the young man’s skin as we embraced tightly, the burning breath in my ear as we made love, the lingering warmth still seemed to surround me. I shook my head vigorously, trying to get rid of these wild thoughts. I found the roughest loofah and scrubbed my skin over and over again, only stopping when my whole body turned red. Clumsily trying to erase this most shameful memory of my life. As a result, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep well all night. Ryan indeed didn’t send any more messages. Breaking the habit we’d had for six years, ever since we got phones, of saying goodnight to each other without fail. This was for the best. It would have happened sooner or later anyway. Might as well start detoxing from tonight. I dozed off fitfully until nearly dawn. The next morning while I was still sound asleep, I suddenly felt someone plant a light kiss on my forehead in my dream.

I woke up with a start. But what I saw when I opened my eyes was a familiar chin and Adam’s apple. The scent enveloping me from above was Ryan’s favorite cedar fragrance, along with a faint, unfamiliar hint of lemon. I had almost forgotten, Ryan still knew the passcode to my front door. Seeing that I was awake, Ryan simply moved lower, chuckling as he tried to kiss my lips. I hurriedly turned my head to avoid it. I pushed him away and retreated to the other side of the bed. Ryan was stunned for a moment, then laughed at me: “Why so shy now? Hmm?” I didn’t say anything, just pulled the covers over my head. Ryan scolded me while trying to pull off my blanket. “Mia, you’ve gotten bold, huh? You didn’t even say goodnight to me last night, and you dared to turn off your phone and go to sleep. “Now you’re hiding from me?” He deftly slipped under my covers. Before I could react, he had wrapped me in his arms. “Be good, how many times have I told you not to skip breakfast. “I went for a 30-minute run specially to get you those crab roe buns you love. I queued for ages. “Do you want to get up and eat now, or do you want to… be eaten first…” His breath was very close to me, and his hands started roaming. Fully awake now, I struggled desperately. But at 5’3″, I was no match for a 6’2″ man. I really couldn’t understand what he was thinking. He already had Claire, why was he still messing with me? After struggling hard for a while, I was panting heavily. I hadn’t broken free, but was held even tighter. “What are you throwing a tantrum about now? “Are you angry? Just because I didn’t take you to the party last night? Such a trivial thing?” I didn’t say anything. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, laughing out loud. “Let me guess, your good friend Lily tattled to you? “It was just a game, is that worth being jealous over? “Why are you still like before, getting all sulky whenever I get a little close to other girls.” I was furious beyond words, with no idea where to even begin. Remembering what I learned during freshman orientation, I suddenly raised my knee and kicked him between the legs, then quickly ran off the bed while he was in pain. “Mia!” Ryan gritted his teeth, his face turning red. I hurriedly threw on a shirt over my pajamas and rushed to the living room. I didn’t want to be in the same room as him, especially not my bedroom. Not long after, Ryan also came out, looking both angry and helpless. After a long while, he seemed to suddenly remember something and casually asked: “By the way, you took the pill yesterday, right?” “Don’t cause any trouble. We can’t explain it to our parents.” Ryan walked to the dining table and picked up a soy milk, handing it to me. “Be good, eat something before you get angry. Your stomach isn’t great to begin with.” I didn’t say anything, nor did I take it. Ryan’s hand holding the soy milk hovered in the air for a long time before he finally lost patience. “What exactly is the matter? “Mia, even if you’re throwing a tantrum, there should be a reason and a limit, right?” I coldly replied: “I’m not worthy.” Ryan got angry too, slamming the soy milk down hard on the coffee table. He used too much force. The plastic cup cracked and all the soy milk instantly spilled onto the carpet. “What do you mean? “Who do you think you are, Mia? “We just slept together once by mutual consent, and now you want to control me? Don’t you know how suffocating that is?” His tone was unprecedentedly fierce. In an instant, tears streamed down my face without any buildup. Yesterday’s humiliation and grievances all came rushing back. Ryan seemed unprepared for my sudden intense crying and was at a loss for what to do. He apologized regretfully: “I’m sorry, I drank too much last night. I spoke impulsively just now.” Ryan crouched down beside me as he spoke, reaching out to wipe away my tears, but I dodged him again. He was stunned, his hand frozen in midair. Just as he was about to continue comforting me, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it once, his expression changing drastically. He immediately got up to leave. “I have an urgent matter to attend to. Calm down by yourself first. “We’re in college now. You can’t always act like a child. Who else could put up with that in the future?”

Less than half an hour after he left, Lily sent me a screenshot. It was Claire’s social media post. [Claire: Just said I was hungry, and a loving breakfast magically appeared! Feels like my crush and I are moving towards each other~] The photo showed packaging identical to the crab roe buns on my dining table. I didn’t reply. I just silently wiped away my tears and crouched down to carefully clean up the soy milk Ryan had spilled. After trying for a long time, I sadly discovered that the stain had seeped deep into the wool carpet and couldn’t be removed no matter what. In a fit of anger, I simply threw out the entire carpet. It was the one Ryan and his parents had carefully chosen and carried back for me after an entire afternoon of shopping during their trip to Nepal anyway. While I was at it, I gathered up all of Ryan’s things left at my place, as well as all the big and small gifts he had ever given me. I even collected all our photos together. It took me all day to pack everything up and throw it away. I guess he wouldn’t want these old things anymore either. After Ryan left that day, there was no news from him for several days in a row. I suppose things were going well with the school beauty. Or maybe he was waiting for me to give in first. In the past, I had always been the one to make up first after every cold war, without exception. But this time I didn’t reach out to him. There was no need to reach out anymore. I blocked his SnapChat and phone number, changed my home’s door passcode, and deleted all my social media accounts. After doing all this, I called my parents who were away on business trips. I told them I wanted to visit my aunt in America during the summer break. My plan was to spend the summer there, then go straight down south with Lily to start college when the break was over. Except for Lily, no one else knew I had applied to a school in Florida. This plan should perfectly avoid any chance of running into Ryan. Mom still teased me on the phone, “Oh my, are you and Ryan going on vacation together?” I made up an excuse to deny it, not wanting to explain too much. I just told her I wanted to spend time with my aunt and grandmother. I begged Dad to buy me a ticket on the soonest flight. I was planning to fly out that very night. As I was leaving, I unfortunately ran into Ryan’s mom at the entrance of our building. She warmly greeted me: “Mia, why are you alone here? Didn’t Ryan come to pick you up? “Didn’t he say he was taking you skiing in New Zealand? Go and have a great time, Auntie fully supports you two.” I was a bit confused. During our intense SAT prep period, I had indeed mentioned to Ryan that I wanted to go skiing in New Zealand to experience winter in the Southern Hemisphere. But given our current situation, how could we possibly go on a trip together? However, I was running out of time, so I just hastily made some vague replies before leaving. But what I didn’t expect was that at the airport, I actually ran into Ryan.

He was with a group of friends. Claire was there too. Ryan was carrying a woman’s handbag in one hand, his other arm around Claire’s waist. They were walking at the back of the group. From time to time Claire would turn her head to say something to him, and Ryan would always cooperate, patiently bending down to listen. Not like with me. Ryan had always been a head taller than me since we were kids, and he kept getting taller. When I was with him, I always had to jump up and down and lift my head to talk to him. It turns out he will lower his head for someone he truly cares about. I took a deep breath. Telling myself I must have some dignity. Whatever he does has nothing to do with me anymore. If I keep overthinking, I’ll slap myself. But there seemed to be only one path to the departure gates. I could only follow far behind them. Finally, we reached a fork in the path. Ryan seemed to be getting a bit distracted. He made several phone calls that didn’t go through, then fiddled with his phone for a while. In the end, he borrowed a friend’s phone and walked to a nearby restroom with a gloomy expression. Not long after, my phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number. “Mia, you’re really angry this time, huh? You won’t reach out to me unless I contact you first? “You even blocked me? “If you have the guts, then just keep not contacting me. Let’s see who will take care of you when you’re all alone in an unfamiliar place in New York.” Ryan’s tone was harsh as he berated me nonstop. I didn’t say anything. There was really no way to respond to that. But Ryan seemed to get even angrier. “I won’t say much more. Hurry up and add me back on SnapChat. “I’m about to go abroad with some friends for a couple days, so I might not be reachable by phone. Don’t worry and cry.” I couldn’t be bothered to say a single word to him. I hung up the phone immediately and turned it off. From a distance, I watched Ryan return to his group with a dark expression. He angrily pulled Claire along, no longer hesitating, and headed straight for the left departure gate. I sighed and turned to walk towards the right.

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The Boy Who Loved Me Most in the World is Dead Ethan was a police officer. He was stabbed seven times while trying to save a girl from domestic violence. Afterwards, the girl tearfully claimed that Ethan had molested her, which is why her boyfriend stabbed him. The culprit was released without charges due to an insanity plea. As I looked at their faces, I suddenly smiled. An insanity plea, huh? What a coincidence. I have one of those too. 0 Ethan was dead. When the nurse told me this news, she watched my face carefully. But I showed no expression, just fiddling with the doll in my hands. “What does that mean?” I asked. She said it meant Ethan would never come visit me again. I paused, then smiled and said, “That’s good.” I had grown tired of Ethan anyway. Tired of how handsome he looked in his police uniform, making me feel even more sickly and ugly in comparison. Tired. Tired of him always cooking delicious meals, making me gain weight. And tired of him always holding his guitar, singing off-key songs to me. It’s better if he never comes again. Someone like me with mental illness shouldn’t be loved by anyone anyway. On the days without Ethan, I ate alone, listened to music alone, took walks alone. But for some reason, my chest always hurt terribly, so much that I couldn’t sleep. So one night I snuck into the director’s office. He was busy kissing a nurse and got startled. But I didn’t care. I pointed at my heart and said, “I feel awful. Fix me quickly.” After hearing my symptoms, the director sighed and said: “I’ll take you to see Ethan one last time.” 0

Ethan lay in a small room at the funeral home. He was the most handsome person I’d ever seen. Back in school he was the campus heartthrob. Girls were always posting his photos on the confession wall. But now he didn’t look so good. His arms and legs were broken, like snapped tree branches. His face His face was covered in bruises, his chest caved in. The staff on duty were whispering next door: “So sad…he wasn’t even on duty. He was just passing by when he saw that rich kid beating his girlfriend.” “Everyone else was too scared to get close. Officer Ethan was the only one who rushed over. And now he’s dead. What a shame.” “I heard he was at the mall to buy an engagement ring…when they took him to the hospital he was barely breathing, kept calling out a name. Rachel or something.” It’s Rachel, I thought to myself. Ethan had helped me choose that name. He said he hoped my future would be full of sunshine, always bright and clear. For some reason, my heart started hurache again. I nudged Ethan. “Hey, I don’t like this name anymore. Help me think of a new one.” He lay there with his eyes closed, not responding. I kissed his lips gently. So cold. No response. So this is what death is like. Suddenly I started screaming hysterically, banging my head against the wall. The staff next door were terrified. They wanted to rush in but were frozen by my heart-wrenching cries. By the time they finally gathered the courage to open the door, I was already gone. 0

Two miles away at a private hospital. I stood in the shadows of the hallway, silently watching the direction of a patient room. The girl staying there was named Olivia. If it weren’t for protecting her, Ethan wouldn’t have been stabbed seven times by that crazed attacker. At this moment, Olivia was crying to a group of reporters. “Lucas didn’t mean to do it, we were just m “That police officer went too far. He pretended to break up the fight, but actually actually took the chance to grope me.” “Lucas told him to stop but he got even worse, so Lucas…I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. Lucas never meant to hurt anyone, he just loves me too much.” … Olivia’s testimony was quickly corroborated by several alleged eyewitnesses: “That cop really did take the chance to grab the girl’s hand and touch her chest.” “We were all stunned. Who would’ve thought a police officer would do something like that?” “The cop definitely threw the first punch. The other guy only pulled out the knife when he got desperate. I saw it clearly, no mistake.” People had been skeptical of the girl’s story at first, but now with witnesses it became much more believable. And conveniently, the security cameras at the scene had malfunctioned that day. Public opinion quickly turned angry: “How is it possible the the cameras just happened to break that day?” “I bet the police are just too ashamed to release the footage.” “You had such a scumbag in your ranks and you’re trying to save face?” … I closed my phone and lay down on the bed. In my mind I saw Ethan on the day he changed his college application to the police academy. In the sunlight, the young man in a white shirt looked at me with a serious expression. “Rachel, justice has always been absent in your life.” “So…I want to try to become that justice for you.” What a fool he was. He had always been trying his hardest to transform me, a lunatic, into a warm and happy normal person. “Looks like it’s a good thing he didn’t succeed,” I said with a smile to Ethan in the photo. I took off my hospital gown and threw it in the trash as I walked out of the room. Outside was an endless sea of darkness. Perfect. They had extinguished the only light in my life. Little did they know, darkness was my home turf. 0

I climbed into the director’s office. He was shamelessly making out with a nurse in the dark. I turned on the lights and stared at them expressionlessly. The The nurse let out a scream. The director frantically covered himself with a blanket. “Y-y-you…are you crazy?” he stammered. I looked at him puzzled. “If I wasn’t crazy, why would I be in a mental hospital?” I sat down in the leather chair in the center of the office and propped my feet up on the desk. “Get me a new identity.” The director flew into a rage. “What do you think you’re doing?! Giving me orders! You want to rebel?!” I reached out and opened the venetian blinds. Outside was a camcorder, its red recording it recorded. It was a gift Ethan had bought me with his first month’s salary as a cop. High definition even in the dark. I had left it outside when I climbed in through the window. “The movies they show in the activity room have been so boring lately,” I said, waving the camcorder. “Should I give everyone this to watch instead?” The fat on the director’s face trembled. “What…what kind of identity do you want?” I thought for a moment, then turned to the nurse. “What was your name again?” There were dozens of nurses here, but I remembered hers as the prettiest. The nurse stammered, “R-Rachel.” “Nice name,” I said. “I’ll take it.” 0

“Rachel, with six years of nursing experience at Southside Psychiatric Center.” With this identity, I stood before Lucas. Thanks to that insanity plea, he had escaped criminal charges. The price was that he needed to stay at a psychiatric facility for a few months to lay low. The moment he saw me, Lucas smiled. “What a pretty new toy. I like it.” Before me, Lucas had already driven away over a dozen caretakers. One of them was found covered in blood and is still in the ICU. So even with sky-high pay, no one dared to come take care of this violent maniac anymore. But I was different. “I’m not here to be your toy,” I said softly. Before I finished speaking, a glass cup flew straight at my head. It shattered, blood immediately flowing downehead. Lucas lounged on the bed, smiling at me. He was waiting for my reaction. The previous caretakers had either screamed, broken down, or gotten angry. But I did none of those things. I just stuck out my tongue and licked the blood that had dripped to my lips. Lucas stopped smiling. His world had always been full of sheep. But now, one wolf had finally encountered another wolf in the wilderness. It must be quite a novel experience for him. I walked towards Lucas step by step, sat down, and stared intently into his eyes. “Do you enjoy seeing others in pain?” I asked softly. This was the psychological mechanism of sadists. Seeing others suffer gave them intense pleasure. “Too bad, I can’t feel pain. Torturing me won’t do any good.” “You can’t feel pain?” Lucas asked in a low voice. “Don’t believe me?” I picked up a glass ashtray and placed it in Lucas’s hand. “If you don’t believe it.” Glass items weren’t allowed in psychiatric facilities. But Lucas, the only son of Starlight Group’s chairman, was naturally above all rules. He held the ashtray in his hand, staring into my eyes, not moving. My gaze was too calm, like a still water surface with no ripples. A person can’t get any sense of accomplishment from repeatedly striking a calm water surface. This made him lose interest. But that’s okay, I can help you find some fun. Looking into Lucas’s eyes, I spoke softly: “Although I can’t feel pain, if you want to see suffering, I still have a way to help you achieve that.” I have very abnormal eyes. Normal people would be scared of them. But lunatics are drawn to them.

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In my previous life, I gave my heart and soul to Noah, the little fox. But he hated me for separating him from the little rabbit, and pushed me off a cliff. Given a second chance, I no longer trust beast-men. I only want to tame them. So when I face Lucas the wolf, I put away all kindness. I only test and punish him repeatedly. Until I tire of this game, but he tries to overstep his bounds and become my bedmate. Hah, it’s not so easy to share my bed. 0 A row of beast-men knelt before me, iron chains around their necks. My sister and I sat on either side. She looked down arrogantly and laughed, “Little sister, you choose first.” I scanned the row of beast-men, my gaze lingering on a pitiful-looking little rabbit. Immediately, an intense, hateful gaze shot towards me. I smirked and moved my gaze away, landing on the owner of that gaze. Then, under his anxious, pleading look, I pointed to the beast-man on the far left. “I’ll take that one.” The little fox visibly relaxed. I lowered my head and smiled faintly. In my previous life, I had chosen that little fox. My sister laughed, “I thought you’d pick the fox.” I shook my head, and my sister ended up choosing the little rabbit. In my previous life, I chose the fox and my sister chose the rabbit, which is why the little fox hated me for separating him from the rabbit. Even though I nursed him back to health, took him traveling all over the country, and treated him extremely well, it still didn’t erase the hatred in his heart. I still remember when I took him mountain climbing, the twisted expression on his face as he pushed me off the cliff. He said: “It’s all your fault. If it wasn’t for you, the eldest miss would have taken me too, and I wouldn’t have been separated from the little rabbit. You really deserve to die.” Hah, given a second chance, I chose to let them be together. 0

After we chose our beast-men, the rest would be sent to the fighting arena. That little fox wasn’t chosen by my sister. He crawled forward desperately, disregarding everything else. “Miss, please, take me with you too, I’m begging you.” Chloe’s eyes flashed with disgust. She covered her nose, frowning as she waved her hand. “Take him away, take him away.” Chloe loved beautiful and cute things, and naturally her beast-men were no exception. The little fox Noah was filthy all over, with wounds on his face. In my previous life, I was soft-hearted and liked foxes, so I took him away. My sister was different – except for those she cared about, she was equally cruel to everyone. Seeing Chloe had no interest in him, Noah turned his gaze to me. “Second Miss, don’t you want me anymore? I’m Noah, I’m your little fox, Second Miss.” Noah’s captivating eyes were pitiful. So he was reborn too. Perfect, I was curious to see what kind of life he’d have without my protection. I turned my head away, stroking the new beast-man at my side. “My beast-man is clearly a wolf, when did he become a fox? A beast-man without self-awareness deserves to be taught a lesson.” As I finished speaking, Noah was roughly dragged out of the room. Only when the door closed did it finally cut off his wailing. Chloe beckoned, and her little rabbit immediately came forward. Just as the rabbit was about to touch her, there was a loud crack as a whip fell on the rabbit’s body. “You filthy thing, how dare you touch me? Who gave you the courage?” The little rabbit immediately shrank back pitifully. Seeing this, the disgust in Chloe’s eyes gradually dissipated. She stood up, tossing the whip to an attendant, then said goodbye to me before striding away. Behind her, that little rabbit followed closely, step by step. 0

I snorted with laughter, then looked back and realized my beast-man’s gaze had been fixed on a certain spot the whole time. I followed his line of sight and sneered. So, I’d chosen an ungrateful wolf. Did he want to be chosen by my sister that badly? I stood up, looking down at him coldly. My voice was icy. “If you don’t want to follow me, you can say so. I’ll have someone send you back. But if you follow me with ulterior motives, I’ll make you suffer.” The beast-man looked up, his gaze piercing as he looked at me. “I’m willing to follow you, with no ulterior motives.” His words were firm, but I didn’t know how much I could trust them. I nodded slightly and said flatly, “Then follow me.” Leaving the main villa, I made my way back to my own territory. As we entered, I handed the beast-man over to the butler. “Teach him the rules, and get him cleaned up.” The butler bowed in acknowledgment. This beast-man was really too dirty, with wounds all over his body and a strong smell of blood. I left the beast-man behind and went upstairs alone. After the lesson from my previous life, I had developed a deep aversion to beast-men from the bottom of my heart. They were disloyal and ruthless, but our clan had rules that every woman must choose a beast-man as a guardian when she came of age. If we didn’t choose, the clan leader would forcibly pair us up. In my previous life, I was probably too indulgent with Noah, which led to him daring to overstep his bounds. This time, I was determined to tame this ungrateful wolf into an obedient cat. 0

An hour later, that wolf was brought before me. His wounds had been bandaged, his body cleaned, and that bloody smell had dissipated. Looking at that cold, aggressive face, a desire to conquer rose in my heart. “What’s your name?” “Lucas.” His voice was low and powerful. Even wrapped in bandages, it couldn’t hide the intimidating aura around him. I looked him over carelessly, only now noticing his pale complexion and deliberately straightened back, though without much strength. “How did you get these injuries?” Lucas pressed his lips tightly together, his voice cold: “In the fighting arena, I was clawed by a tiger a few times.” Dissatisfaction flashed in my eyes. I had been distracted when choosing him, but thought a wolf couldn’t be too bad. I didn’t expect him to be a weak wolf. Suddenly, I had the idea of sending him back to the fighting arena. I sneered, “So weak? How will you protect me in the future?” Lucas’s expression froze, disgust flashing briefly in his eyes. Very good, he really was an ungrateful wolf. I smirked and laughed coldly, my eyes instantly turning cold. “Hmm? Answer me, if you’re so weak, how will you protect me in the future?” Lucas’s gaze was deep, his voice louder. “I fought for five days straight. On the last day, I encountered a tiger at full strength, which is why I was unfortunately injured. But even so, I still won. I don’t think I’m weak, and I’m capable of protecting you well, Second Miss.” He practically spat out the last sentence through gritted teeth. This was still an untamed wolf. 0 Cold sweat broke out on Lucas’s forehead, his lips much paler than before. Clearly, this wolf had his own ideas. He wanted to go to my sister’s side, and he didn’t submit to me. Since that was the case, I’d let my sister be the first to tame him.

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I am Aria, the one with the purest bloodline in the Celestial Clan. Yet on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, the sacred beast I had nourished with my own essence since childhood denounced me as impure and unfit to lead. Desperate to prove myself, I attempted to transform into my true form, only to become an ugly black serpent. Meanwhile, Rose, the servant girl I had taken in as an adopted sister, revealed herself to be able to transform into the majestic form of our clan. The sacred beast bowed at Rose’s feet, sneering at me with disdain. My father, enraged, disowned me on the spot. And Blake, my childhood sweetheart and fiancé, berated me: “How dare a lowly black snake try to impersonate our heiress!” I was scorned by thousands and exiled from the clan. Driven out, I ultimately perished in a horde of wild beasts. After death, I watched as Rose assumed my identity, married my fiancé, and became the revered heiress of the clan. Given a second chance at life, I returned to the day of my coming-of-age ceremony.

“Heiress, hurry up and draw your blood!” The pain of being trampled by countless beasts still made me shudder. But when I opened my eyes, I found myself back in my chambers. The sacred beast’s attendant held out a porcelain bowl containing a dagger, glaring at me impatiently. I felt disoriented. Until Jade, my handmaid, gently reminded me: “My lady, the ceremony begins in two hours.” “The sacred beast needs to partake of your essence before the ritual.” I suddenly snapped back to reality. This was amazing – I had truly returned to the day of the ceremony! “No!” I shouted, snatching the dagger and throwing it to the ground. “What sacred beast?” “It’s nothing but a parasitic bloodsucker!” The attendant flew into a rage. “How dare you! The sacred beast is our clan’s divine protector.” “As the heiress, it’s your duty to nourish it. How can you speak so disrespectfully?” I let out a cold laugh. The sacred beast was a small golden dragon. It had hatched on the day of my birth and was chosen as the clan’s divine guardian. Legend said it could protect our clan’s fortunes. But the beast was weak and could only survive by feeding daily on the heiress’s essence. In my past life, I had cut my wrist every day to feed it. I gave not just my blood, but a portion of the power I had worked so hard to cultivate each day. Yet despite all that, it had betrayed me! I was the heiress with the purest bloodline. My mother was the previous heiress of the Western Seas, my father the king of the Eastern Seas. But on the day of my ceremony, the sacred beast had denounced my bloodline as impure, causing me to fall from grace. Why should I show any courtesy to such an ungrateful creature? “Disrespectful?” I picked up the dagger from the ground and coldly stared at the attendant. “You talentless sycophant, you only have your current status because you serve the sacred beast.” “What right do you have to lecture me?” “Get out!” “If you dare speak to me like that again, I’ll have you executed on the spot!” The attendant fell to his knees, terrified. He wanted to argue but couldn’t get a word out. Just then, a gentle voice drifted in: “The attendant is only doing his duty, sister. Why are you so angry with him?” I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms. A graceful figure appeared before me. It was Rose. The mastermind who had stolen my identity in my past life! At this moment, Rose was smiling sweetly as she helped the attendant up, speaking to him in a soft, soothing voice. Then she looked up at me, her eyes alluring. She spoke in a considerate tone: “Sister, you shouldn’t be so hard on the servants.” “It will only invite gossip if word gets out.” I laughed coldly inside and retorted: “If I really enjoyed bullying servants, I wouldn’t have allowed you to manipulate things behind my back all this time.” Rose’s smile froze. She wasn’t of our clan’s bloodline, and had once been nothing more than a lowly servant girl. Later, she saved my father’s life and was adopted as his daughter. Suddenly elevated in status, she became the clan’s second princess, with a reputation for being kind and magnanimous. Yet she secretly had all the servants who knew of her past killed. Rose’s expression twisted for a moment before quickly returning to normal. She smiled and said: “Sister, you should draw your blood soon. Don’t make things difficult for the attendant.” She held out the dagger to me. I sensed something was off. In my past life, before the ceremony, Rose had been as meek as a mouse, never daring to challenge me. Now she was repeatedly provoking me. And she seemed oddly insistent on me drawing blood for the sacred beast. Could this be related to why I had transformed into an ugly black serpent in my past life? I made a mental note to be cautious. Pretending to be reluctant, I took the dagger and coldly stared at Rose and the attendant. “What? Are you going to watch me draw blood?” Rose and the attendant had no choice but to leave the room. I turned to my handmaid Jade and whispered: “Jade, do exactly as I say.” Half an hour later, a bowl of blood was handed to the sacred beast’s attendant. The blood was golden, infused with my spiritual essence and power. Pressing the wound on my wrist, I snapped impatiently: “Now get out!” The two finally left. As they were leaving, thinking I was out of earshot, Rose muttered: “Enjoy it while you can!” “When you turn into an ugly black snake, heh…” I was shocked. So Rose had been reborn as well. Realizing this, I felt a bitter taste in my mouth. For countless years, I had diligently cultivated my powers, never slacking off or harboring ill intentions. But why? After suffering such an unjust fate and tragic death in my past life, I had finally been given a second chance. Yet my enemy had been reborn as well. Was the heavens truly so unfair?

I had no time to dwell on it. Jade and the other maids helped me get dressed and ready, putting on my ceremonial armor and headdress as I walked step by step towards the sacred altar. My father sat upon his high throne, looking down at everyone. The clan members surrounding the altar cheered for me, their voices mixing with the drumbeats in a deafening roar. I gazed at it all impassively. Though our clan was said to be the mightiest of the six realms, filled with talented individuals and seemingly prosperous, the royal family knew the truth. Among all these powerful clan members, not a single one could transform into our clan’s true form to inherit the throne. Then on the day of my birth, the clan’s seer had a prophecy. I, Aria, was the only descendant in countless years who could manifest our clan’s true form! Only I could lead our clan to glory! But in my past life, I had transformed into an ugly black serpent before everyone’s eyes, shattering all their dreams of a mighty clan. The clan members’ expectations for me had all turned to fury. Even those who had once been close to me couldn’t wait for me to die! “Aria, you look beautiful today.” Blake waved his hand in front of me, smiling. “I think after your ceremony is over, we should announce our engagement.” The people around us exclaimed in admiration: “Blake is the talented prince of the Western Seas, with countless admirers. Yet he fell in love with the heiress at first sight and has remained faithful to her.” “I heard Blake and the heiress grew up together. They’re a match made in heaven.” “When will I find a true love like that?” … I had to force myself not to sneer. I looked up at Blake’s gentle smile, wanting nothing more than to slap it off his face. Once, I too had believed it was true love. Blake and I had grown up together. He went from being like an older brother, to my teacher, and finally my lover when we fell for each other. How could centuries of affection change? But in my past life, when I was denounced by thousands, Blake had been the first to publicly betray me. He had said: “How dare a lowly black snake try to impersonate our heiress!” When I was exiled from the clan, it took less than three days for him to announce his engagement to Rose. All that talk of childhood sweethearts and true love… It was nothing but a product of his ambition and greed. I nodded: “Alright. I hope you won’t regret it.” Blake immediately swore: “How could I ever regret it?” “My love for you is as true as the heavens above!” “If I ever change my heart, may 49 bolts of divine lightning strike me down and obliterate my soul.” My disgust for him grew even stronger. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rose’s face twisted with jealousy. I couldn’t help but laugh coldly inside. I remembered how in my past life, after I died, I had seen Blake’s portrait in Rose’s room. Only then did I realize she had long harbored feelings for my fiancé. The crowd soon fell silent. As the ceremonial music began to play, the atmosphere grew solemn. All eyes were on me. The ceremony was about to begin! My father descended from his throne step by step. In his hands he held the crown that belonged only to our clan’s royal family. His gaze as he looked at me was utterly calm. “Aria, as the heiress, it is your duty to sacrifice everything for the clan’s greater good.” I didn’t react with tears of joy like I had in my past life. I simply lowered my gaze to avoid his eyes. Just then, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out: “Wait!” Everyone looked up. The golden sacred beast was coiled around the ceremonial pillar, its gaze fierce and its scales gleaming. The clan members all knelt down. “We pay our respects to the sacred beast.” The sacred beast looked down at me arrogantly from its high perch: “Aria’s bloodline is impure. She is unfit to lead.” “The crown cannot be given to her!”

The clan members were shocked: “What?!” My father frowned deeply and lowered the crown. Blake looked stunned and hesitant. But Rose couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips. The clan’s seer was the first to object: “Impossible!” “I witnessed the heiress’s birth with my own eyes. Her mother is from the Western Seas royal family and her father is our current king. Her lineage couldn’t be more noble.” “You can’t make such baseless accusations!” The sacred beast snorted coldly: “Seer, you once prophesied that the heiress was the only descendant in centuries who could manifest our clan’s true form.” “If that’s the case, she should be able to prove her innocence by transforming right now.” “Why don’t we have her demonstrate her true form in front of everyone?” “Or is she too afraid to try?” All eyes turned to me. I let out a small sigh: What was meant to happen would happen eventually! My father snorted: “Aria, what do you say?” I didn’t refuse. I slowly raised my hand, golden energy immediately enveloping me. The seer shouted excitedly: “You see? How could there be any mistake?” But in an instant, the energy dissipated. Just like in my past life, I had transformed into an ugly little black snake, surrounded by pitiful wisps of energy as I flopped around on the ground. The seer coughed up a mouthful of blood: “How is this possible?!” The sacred beast looked smug: “Do you believe me now, seer?” Then it shook its head in feigned regret: “As the clan’s divine guardian, I absolutely cannot cover up for an imposter.” “Moreover, only an heiress who can manifest our true form is the hope for our clan’s future.” “Seer, surely you don’t intend to go against the entire clan by insisting on protecting this fake?” Staring at my ugly transformed state, the seer was dumbstruck. For the first time, he began to doubt his own prophecy, muttering: “No, this can’t be right.” Then, as if struck by a thought, he looked up and stared hard at the sacred beast: “As our divine guardian, you need the heiress’s essence to survive. If Aria isn’t the true heiress, how have you managed to live all this time?” The sacred beast sneered: “Of course Aria isn’t the real heiress.” “But I’ve survived to this day because the true heiress is someone else.” It slowly descended from the pillar, its body prostrating at Rose’s feet, its eyes filled with unprecedented tenderness. “She is the true heiress!” As soon as the words left its mouth, Rose’s entire body began to glow with a dazzling light. “Ah!” In an instant, brilliant golden scales covered her entire body. A thunderous roar shook the heavens! An enormous golden dragon coiled in the sky above. Its body was so massive it nearly blotted out the sun. The clan elders were almost moved to tears: “Though I’ve only seen it in ancient texts, there’s no mistaking it!” “This is our clan’s true form!” “To think Rose was our clan’s hope all along!” Rose looked down at me with utter disdain: “Aria, you’re nothing but an ugly black snake, yet you’ve occupied the position of heiress for centuries, enjoying the clan’s reverence for nothing.” “Now, I’ll eliminate you, you mongrel!” She lunged at me ferociously. The clan members scrambled backwards in fear, leaving me alone in an empty circle. Her dragon breath engulfed me. I had nowhere to escape. The black snake’s flesh rapidly dissolved, leaving nothing but bare bones – a pitiful and horrifying sight. The familiar pain washed over me. This pain was even worse than being trampled by beasts. It made me want to end my own life just to escape it. But even in such agony, I simply closed my eyes. Rose gloated: “Have you given up struggling?” I shook my head and spoke softly: “Rose, your methods are still so crude.” “I know exactly what trick you used to turn me into a black snake.” Rose’s triumphant smile froze on her face. “What?” [To be continued…]

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Before marrying Ethan Zhou, a friend asked him who was the woman he had loved most deeply in his life. He lit a cigarette and was silent for a few seconds before replying: “She’s married now. It wouldn’t be good for her if I said her name.” “So… you’ve been with Olivia for so long, but you’ve never had feelings for her?” Ethan gave a casual laugh: “She’s demure, obedient, and from a good family. She’s the most suitable person to be Mrs. Zhou.” The day before the wedding, the demure and obedient bride-to-be woke up in the best man’s bed. Her eyes still hazy with desire, she said: “Lucas, I really like this wedding gift.” Lucas smiled and pulled her into his arms: “If you like it so much, shall we… go another round?” As I entered the elevator, I glanced up at my reflection. My skin was radiant, my features delicate, but my eyes were dark and intense. At first glance, I had an unremarkable appearance. But when I smiled… Dimples would appear at the corners of my mouth, adding a touch of charm. I thought of what my best friend Katie had said: “You’re really glowing these days.” “Don’t you feel like you’re in great spirits lately, getting more and more beautiful?” I couldn’t help but gently touch my face. The wedding was just three weeks away. I was going to marry Ethan Zhou. That undisguised happiness was like bubbles overflowing from a soda bottle. Bursting in tiny explosions, filling my entire heart. I walked out of the elevator with a light step. The door to a private room nearby was half open. The sound of laughter grew louder. I had returned to the city a day early without telling Ethan. I wanted to surprise him. My heels sank into the soft carpet, Muffling my footsteps. No one in the room noticed me outside the door. They were laughing and chatting animatedly. “Oh yeah, Ethan, you still haven’t answered my question from earlier.” “In all these years, how many women have you truly, deeply loved?” “Remember, we agreed to tell the truth. You can’t lie even a little bit.”

I instinctively stopped in my tracks. Even my breathing unconsciously became quieter. Ethan had his back to the door. I could only vaguely see his profile. He lit a cigarette and was silent for a few seconds. Then he slowly spoke: “One.” “How deeply did you love her?” Ethan gave a soft laugh: “Back then I almost cut ties with my parents for her.” “I was even prepared to live a life of poverty with her.” “I lived with her in a tiny rented apartment for three months, eating instant noodles until I wanted to vomit.” “I sold my watch to buy her a birthday gift. She got angry and scolded me, then cried and threw herself at me to kiss me.” His voice got lower and lower: “I watched her lose our child at a small clinic.” “At that time, I really, really wanted to marry her.” “Damn, who was she? To make you love her that much?” But Ethan just shook his head: “She’s married now. It wouldn’t be good for her if I said her name.” After saying that, he picked up his glass and drained it in one gulp. Then he poured himself another full glass. “I saw her once last year. She wasn’t doing well.” “I gave her some money. We stayed in a hotel for three days.” “When we parted, she cried.” Ethan drank another glass of wine and said quietly: “At that time, I almost wanted to break off my engagement with Olivia.”

I leaned against the wall, feeling a chill seep into my body. Last year when he unexpectedly disappeared for three days, I remember it clearly. I was so worried, I barely slept for those three days. But while I was sick with concern for him… He was spending three days and nights in a hotel with his old flame. I nearly retched and vomited. “So… you’ve been with Olivia for so long, you really never had feelings for her?” He leaned back in his chair and gave a casual laugh. “She’s pretty, obedient, and from a good family. But she’s dull and uninteresting. She’s the most suitable person to be Mrs. Zhou.” “True, you really can’t find any faults with Olivia.” “It’s precisely because you can’t find any faults that she’s boring.” “If you dislike her so much, why don’t you just call off the engagement?” Someone suddenly spoke up, their tone mocking. “Lucas?” Ethan sounded a bit surprised. Lucas gave a cold laugh: “After all, it’s her family that’s marrying up to your Zhou family. What are you afraid of?” There was a moment of awkward silence. Someone quickly tried to smooth things over. “The wedding date is already set. There’s no point talking about this now.” “Besides, Olivia is a great girl. Ethan, that’s all in the past now.” “Come on, let’s drink and not bring up old stories.” Ethan frowned: “Did you eat gunpowder or something? Or is your dad pressuring you to get married and you’re taking it out on me?” Lucas put down his glass: “You think I buy into that marriage bullshit?” “Then where’s all this anger coming from?” “How about I find you a girl to help you blow off some steam?”

Lucas also smiled: “Sure, but you’ll have to find one I actually like.” “Tell me, what kind of girl do you want?” Lucas leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed and carefree. “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to find her.” But Ethan seemed to get fired up: “I’ll definitely find her for you today, just tell me.” Lucas slowly raised his eyes to look at Ethan. Unlike Ethan’s refined handsomeness, Lucas exuded a raw, untamed masculinity that was even more intoxicating than the strongest liquor. “As it happens, she’s married too.” Ethan froze for a moment, then cursed under his breath: “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Lucas didn’t say anything, just gave a self-deprecating laugh after a while: “Forget it, let’s drink.” He poured a full glass and downed it in one go. The conversation picked up again, the topic smoothly changed. In the end, I didn’t push open the door to go in. Confrontation, arguments, entanglements. None of it would make any difference. The men would think it was all just pre-wedding jitters, no big deal. The elders would think I was making a fuss over nothing, that nothing was more important than the two families joining in marriage. I stumbled along the carpet. Until I got into the elevator and leaned against the cold wall. But Ethan’s words still echoed in my ears. She’s pretty, obedient, dull, uninteresting. The most suitable person to be Mrs. Zhou. I suddenly laughed silently, looking at myself in the mirror again. My features were still delicate, but my eyes no longer sparkled. No matter how hard I tried, the dimples wouldn’t appear at the corners of my mouth again. This was the bland, plain Olivia Zhang. The demure, obedient Olivia Zhang with no personality or temper. The perfect marriage tool cultivated by the family. A tool whose joys and sorrows no one would care about.

At 5 pm, Ethan drove over to pick me up for dinner. My parents were all smiles, warm and happy. My sisters watched me come downstairs wearing new jewelry, excited and envious. Ethan had sent over this set of jewelry specially this morning. The wedding was in just three weeks. Everything was progressing smoothly according to plan. If I said I wanted to call off the wedding now, Both families would immediately brand me the villain. I looked at Ethan. He was still handsome and charming, elegant and unrivaled. His eyes were full of tenderness as he looked at me. My best friend once told me, “It’s good enough if men are willing to act.” “It’s best if they can keep up the act for a lifetime.” “Because in the end, all love and marriage turn out the same way.” “Olivia.” Ethan held out his hand to me. He was smiling, but deep in his eyes was coldness. “When I first saw this jewelry set, I knew it would suit you perfectly.” He took my hand, his eyes full of admiration. I let him hold me, saying a proper goodbye to my family. He gentlemanly helped me into the car. Then we went to that overpriced restaurant with mediocre food. But halfway through the meal, His phone suddenly vibrated. I watched him pick up his phone, his expression changing slightly. My heart knew exactly what was happening. Seeing through his pathetic act and my own pitiful situation.

I put down my fork and knife and asked softly, “Is something wrong?” “I’m sorry Olivia, it’s something at the company…” He trailed off, looking at me with a somewhat troubled expression. As if waiting for me to say what he wanted to hear. “Then you should go, the company matters are important.” He frowned and glanced at his watch, then said, “It’s not urgent, I should take you home first.” “It’s fine, you go ahead. I was planning to do some shopping with Katie anyway.” Ethan seemed to let out a small sigh of relief. “Alright then. Make sure to let me know when you get home.” As he said this, he stood up, but then leaned down to place a light kiss on my forehead: “I’ll spend the whole weekend with you to make up for it.” I didn’t go shopping. I just wandered aimlessly down the streets alone. As a child, I was the good girl. Growing up, I was the model of a refined young lady. I felt wrapped in layers and layers of thick cocoons. Suffocating, unable to break free no matter how I struggled. A string that had been tightly wound in my heart for over twenty years Was about to snap and choke me. Suddenly I remembered the message Katie had sent me on SnapChat a few days ago. Her young boyfriend had taken her racing on his motorcycle. She said: “Olivia, I’ve been married for three years, but this is the first time I’ve felt so free.” “If men can keep mistresses, why should we stay faithful to a rotten cucumber?” “Olivia, seize the day and live a little.”

I went to that racing club too. As the instructor was getting me ready, Someone suddenly called out my name. “Olivia Zhang?” I turned around in surprise and saw Lucas leaning against his motorcycle. He was taking off his helmet, running his hand through his hair. Revealing sharp, handsome features with an untamed wildness. I politely nodded, about to leave. But Lucas spoke again: “You want to learn?” I hesitated for a moment, then nodded, “Mm.” He glanced at the instructor: “I’ll teach her, you can go.” I was a bit surprised and looked at Lucas. He leaned against his bike, broad-shouldered and long-legged, his figure tall and powerful. That intense, overwhelming masculine energy hit me like a wave. I instinctively averted my gaze. But I couldn’t help biting my lip lightly. For some reason, my heart started racing. “Come on, I’ll take you for a couple laps first.” Lucas handed me a helmet. I was about to refuse. But when his large, strong hand reached out to me, I inexplicably took the helmet. After getting on, I kept the maximum distance from Lucas. He planted his long legs on the ground, fastening his helmet strap, And glanced at me in the rearview mirror: “Want to fly off when we start moving?” “Hold onto my waist.” I bit my lip again, reaching out to lightly grip his racing suit. Lucas laughed but didn’t say anything more. He took it easy for the first lap. On the second lap, he gradually picked up speed. As we went faster, I got scared and pressed myself against his back, tightly hugging his waist. The hard, hot muscles under my arms suddenly tensed. The wind howled past us. Lucas’ slightly hoarse voice was carried to my ears by the wind: “Olivia.” He coughed lightly: “You’re holding on a bit too tight.”

I suddenly realized what he meant. But I was too scared to let go because of the extreme speed. I could only try my best to hold back my chest, wanting to avoid that overly intimate contact. But Lucas suddenly slowed down, stopping at the end of the track. He took off his helmet and lifted me off the bike. It was my first time racing, and my legs felt like jelly when I got off. Lucas reached out and steadied me with his hands on my waist. “Olivia.” The lighting wasn’t very bright. But through the goggles, I could clearly see the smoldering fire in his eyes. It was a look I had never seen on Ethan’s face before. An intense, overwhelming desire to possess. I couldn’t help but take a step back. But the large hands on my waist suddenly tightened. I instinctively stepped forward, stumbling into Lucas’ arms. With a click, he unclasped my helmet. The helmet came off, and the wind instantly blew my hair into disarray. I reflexively tilted my face up, wanting to brush back my hair. But Lucas was faster. His slightly calloused fingers brushed away the messy strands at my temples. Before I could react and pull away, He lowered his head and kissed me directly. He kissed me decisively, forcefully. As if he wouldn’t give me any chance to resist or push him away. My lips parted, his tongue slipping inside. His kissing technique was a bit clumsy, making me hurt a little. I frowned, and his movements slowed down. His large, slightly rough hands cupped my face. His fingertips brushed over my cheeks and ears. Instantly igniting sparks of electricity. He lifted me up again, setting me on the motorcycle. His strong, muscular body pressed against me. Like a volcano about to erupt, suppressing everything. My heart was racing, but I also felt panicked and at a loss. When his kiss fell again, my tears slowly welled up. “Olivia.” Lucas kissed the tears on my face. But his voice was unprecedentedly gentle: “Are you unhappy today?” I held back my tears, turning my face away. But his hand followed, cupping my face and refusing to let go. My eyelashes trembled, tears sliding into his palm. But I stubbornly refused to admit it. “I’m just hungry.” “I had a really bad dinner tonight, didn’t eat enough, feeling awful.” He froze, then looked at me with a smile. He lowered his head again, kissing away the tears on my eyelashes: “Let’s go, I’ll take you to get something good to eat.” “Are we going on this?” “It’s chilly at night, I’ll drive.” Very naturally, he took my hand. I struggled a bit, but couldn’t pull away. So he held on even tighter. Just as we got in the car, Lucas’ phone rang. He glanced at the screen, then at me, and answered. “Ethan, what’s up?”

“Calling you out for drinks.” Ethan’s voice sounded a bit down. Lucas smirked, his voice unable to hide his joy. “I’ve got plans tonight, ask the others.” “What plans could you possibly have? Come on, hurry up.” “Really can’t, I’ve got something.” Lucas said, casually turning on some music. Then he turned to ask me: “What kind of music do you want to listen to?” Before I could speak, Ethan exploded on the other end. “Lucas, who are you talking to?” “Don’t tell me you’ve got a girl with you?” Lucas didn’t confirm or deny it. Ethan was clearly intrigued: “No way, didn’t you say the girl you liked got married?” “You didn’t actually take out someone else’s wife, did you?” Lucas raised an eyebrow and gave a light “Mm.” “Holy shit.” Ethan’s voice went up an octave: “Don’t tell me you’re actually being the other man.” Lucas glanced at me, “If it’s her, I don’t mind being the other man.” “Wait, are you serious? You’re actually on a date with someone’s wife?” “Which poor bastard is getting cuckolded by you!” Lucas chose an upbeat song, then asked lazily: “You really want to know that badly?” “Of course, spill it! What kind of goddess could make the great Lucas Lu willing to be the other man?”

“Can’t say.” Lucas leaned back in his seat, a roguish smile on his lips: “She’s married, it wouldn’t be good for her if I said her name.” Ethan was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, he still sounded half skeptical: “Seriously, are you just messing with me, or is this for real?” “I’ve known you for so long, how come I never heard a peep about this?” “You kept your secrets just as well.” Lucas laughed coldly: “Besides, is it something to be proud of?” “That’s true.” Ethan sounded a bit sheepish. “I’m hanging up, we’ll catch up another time.” “Alright, don’t let me interrupt your romantic night.” After hanging up, he started the car and asked me: “What do you want to eat?” I looked out at the night through the car window, my mind still in a jumble. I had overheard most of their conversation just now. But I didn’t really believe it. Lucas came from a good family and had a proud personality. He was uniquely arrogant and unrestrained in the city. His grandfather had beaten him with a cane more than a few times. If he really liked someone, he wouldn’t just watch her get married. I couldn’t figure out why he would make up such a lie. But, it had nothing to do with me anyway. Between us, this was probably our only brief encounter. “Let’s go to the area near C University. There’s a food street there I loved when I was in school.” “Alright.” As he stepped on the gas, Lucas glanced at me again: “Fasten your seatbelt.” I hurriedly looked down to check. My loose hair fell forward, swaying gently and landing on his arm. I reached up to brush my hair back. But suddenly I noticed a white camellia hair tie in the center console storage. It looked very familiar. Because I had a pair of hair ties just like that. I had lost one of them later. But these hair ties weren’t anything special. They had been trendy online for a while last year. So it was probably just left behind by one of Lucas’ female companions. I slowly straightened up, calmly looking ahead. But I couldn’t help raising my hand to brush my slightly swollen lips with the back of my hand. But his kissing earlier had been so clumsy. I don’t know why such strange thoughts popped into my head. I couldn’t help but shake my head in self-mockery. What did it have to do with me anyway? Tonight was just an indulgent dream I had. “Olivia.” “Hm?” “Don’t you have any questions you want to ask me?”

Lucas glanced at me. Then looked back at the road ahead. My gaze fell on his large hands gripping the steering wheel. His hands were very attractive, with defined knuckles, rough and powerful. Not like the pampered hands of a rich young master at all. I have a bit of a hand fetish. Thinking of how he had held my waist and kissed me earlier, I couldn’t help but wonder if his two hands together could completely encircle my waist. “Don’t you want to ask who that person I mentioned is?” I reflexively asked: “Who is it?” Lucas just smiled: “What do you think?” I sat there stunned for a good while, suddenly hearing a buzzing in my ears. Even the upbeat music faded away. The red light came on, a long 78 seconds. The car stopped. Lucas reached out and gently held my hand. “Olivia, I was originally planning to take this secret to my grave.” “If I hadn’t seen you here tonight.” “Why?” Lucas didn’t answer, just held my hand very tightly. “Why were you unhappy today?” “How do you know I was unhappy?” “You’re not like this when you’re happy.” He turned to look at me: “Olivia, when you came in earlier, you looked like a wandering soul.” “Like a porcelain vase about to fall off a shelf.” “If I hadn’t called out to you, you would have fallen and shattered.” I suddenly felt a lump in my throat, tears rolling down uncontrollably. He let go of my hand and turned my face towards him, wanting to kiss away my tears. But the traffic light turned green, and the cars behind us started honking furiously. An annoyed expression flashed across his face. I couldn’t help but laugh: “You should drive.” But Lucas still found a place to pull over and stop. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to cup my face. “Olivia… don’t cry in front of me.” “I’m not allowed to cry either?” Lucas slowly lowered his head, kissing my wet face. “I can’t stand it.” “Olivia, I can’t stand seeing you cry.” His kisses moved lower, landing on my swollen lips: “I won’t hurt you this time.” “You’ve never kissed before, Lucas?” He didn’t answer, just suddenly deepened the kiss.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297164”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

When my girlfriend was at her lowest, I broke up with her. Years later, after she found success and fame, she used every means possible to marry me. Everyone said I was her one true love, her most treasured husband. But in reality, every night she brought a different man home, shattering my heart and turning me into a laughingstock. I never fought back. I never cried or argued. I simply moved into the study, quietly staying out of her way. She hated that. One night, furious, she kissed me roughly and whispered, “Aren’t you jealous?” What she didn’t know was that I was sick. While she spent each day trying to hurt me, I was silently counting down how many days I had left to live. 1 In the third year of our marriage, my wife, Claire, started keeping a young, handsome college student. His name was Ryan. He was tall, good-looking, and exactly Claire’s type. She kept him around for over six months—longer than any of the others. My friends warned me to be careful. They said Claire seemed genuinely attached to Ryan. The first time I met him was on my birthday. That morning, I’d woken up with a nosebleed that wouldn’t stop. At the hospital, the doctor told me I probably wouldn’t live past spring next year. I nodded calmly and said, “That’s fine.” I wasn’t afraid of dying—I just didn’t want it to hurt. There was an expensive medication that could ease the pain, but I didn’t have enough money to afford it. So, I went to Claire’s office to ask for help. That’s where I ran into Ryan. He had just graduated and was working as Claire’s assistant. Claire was in a meeting, so I sat in the lobby to wait. Ryan kept glancing at me, then leaned over to whisper to his coworkers, “So, that’s the husband? He looks awful—so skinny and sickly, like he’s on his deathbed.” He laughed and added, “People say I look like him, but I don’t see it. I’m way better looking.” I caught my reflection in the glossy glass wall. Messy hair, a puffy coat that made me look even frailer. He wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t much to look at—just a man waiting to die. A coworker nudged him and whispered, “Don’t underestimate him. If he cleaned up, you wouldn’t even compare. And don’t forget, Claire loves him. If you piss him off, she’ll destroy you.”

2 Ryan wasn’t convinced. He rolled his eyes and smirked. He brought me a cup of tea and asked mockingly, “So, Mr. Baker, why is Claire making you wait so long? It’s weird—whenever I stop by, no matter how busy she is, she always makes time for me. She says I’m her priority.” He smiled smugly, and for a moment, I saw a bit of my younger self in him. I thought about it. Claire did treat Ryan differently. She’d had countless lovers over the years, using them as pawns in her game to provoke me. Every night, she brought home someone new, testing my limits. But she never kept them around for long. A day or two, maybe a week. She always got bored quickly. Ryan, though, was different. She spoiled him. She took him out to dinner, shopping, and movies. They acted like an ordinary, happy couple. She gave him money, but she also gave him affection. I looked at him and smiled gently. “If you’re so important to her, why settle for being her dirty little secret?” “You should convince her to divorce me and marry you instead.” Ryan’s expression darkened instantly. He glared at me, his voice shaking with anger. “You’re the one who’s useless here! You’re nothing but a kept man!” “You only got to her first. But now? You’re old, you’re ugly. What could you possibly offer her?” His coworker hurried over, pulling him away, clearly worried I’d be upset. But I wasn’t. I’d promised myself long ago that I wouldn’t get angry because of Claire. I wouldn’t feel sad because of her. And I definitely wouldn’t stoop to competing with her lovers. She wasn’t worth it.

3. Ryan was pulled back by a coworker, but he lost his balance, fell to the ground, and shattered the teacup in his hand. Blood poured from the deep cut on his palm, pooling on the floor. Through the glass of the conference room, Claire saw what had happened. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she threw down her papers, pushed the door open, and hurried over to Ryan. She grabbed his hand with visible distress, frowning as she examined his injury. Her voice was cold as she asked, “Who did this to him?” The coworker who had tried to help Ryan stepped back in fear, their face pale. I let out a dry laugh. “It was me. And honestly, he deserved it.” Ryan gritted his teeth and glared at me, then shouted, “Yeah, I deserved it! I fell for someone I shouldn’t have. I’m the one being called a kept man, a plaything.” “But Claire,” he said, looking into her eyes with a mix of defiance and passion, “as long as you love me, I’ll stay by your side forever. No one can take me away from you.” The words were absurd, but the way he said them—so firm, so sincere—made him seem almost brave. Claire couldn’t help but laugh. She reached out to ruffle his hair and said softly, “Don’t be mad. You’re going to make me worry.” She treated him differently. That much was obvious. I lowered my gaze, no longer interested in the scene. Instead, I calmly said to Claire, “For my birthday this year, I want $50,000.” It was funny, really. We were married, yet we didn’t even have each other’s phone numbers. The only time I reached out to her was when I needed money. Before we got married, we had an agreement: she wanted me, and I wanted her money. Claire had always hated how materialistic I was. But in the past, no matter how much I asked for, she would always give it to me without hesitation. This time, though, she looked at me with a cold smile and said slowly, “You can have the money.” “But, Isaac, first, lower your proud head and apologize to Ryan.” Claire was willing to pay $50,000 to buy back my dignity and give it to Ryan in the form of an apology. It was the first time she had used money to humiliate me for the sake of another man. I clenched my fists and forced a laugh, holding back the sudden wave of pain that surged through my body. I turned and walked away. I didn’t need the money anymore. For the first time, I was curious about Claire. If one day she found out that this money could have given me more time to live… if she knew how much I’d suffered before I died… What kind of expression would she have then?

4. I went home alone, curling up in bed in pain, drenched in a cold sweat. After taking a sleeping pill, I told myself, If I fall asleep, it won’t hurt anymore. Half-asleep, I dreamed of when I was twenty years old. Claire was dirt-poor back then, but she loved me deeply. That year, on my birthday, I walked past a café and saw a couple sitting by the window. The boy was holding a white cake—it looked delicate, delicious, and expensive. I still remember the snow falling heavily that day. I scooped up a mound of snow, turned to Claire, and grinned. “Claire, doesn’t this look like a cake?” She bit her lip, pulled me into her arms, and held me tight. She didn’t let me see the tears welling up in her eyes. Three days later, she showed up outside my dorm with a cake. When I saw the frostbite on her fingers, my eyes turned red with anger. Through gritted teeth, I told her, “Claire, your hands are meant for reading and writing, not for ruining just to make me happy.” I said I didn’t deserve such an expensive cake. She frowned and immediately shot back, “Isaac, you’re the best person in the world. You deserve all the good things it has to offer.” That day, I ate the entire cake through tears. I don’t even remember what it tasted like anymore. I just know that after that, I never had a cake that tasted better. I slept for a long time. Half-conscious, I heard my phone ringing. When I picked it up, Claire’s voice came through. “Isaac,” she said. I smiled faintly, my voice soft as I replied, “Claire, it’s snowing. I want cake.” Before she could respond, I turned over and fell back into a deep sleep.

5. I slept until the middle of the night when hunger woke me up. I went to the kitchen to find something to eat, only to realize Claire had come back. She had bought Ryan a big house. They lived there together. He cooked for her, made her laugh, and waited for her to come home. Claire seemed happy. She hadn’t been back here in a long time. She leaned lazily against the floor-to-ceiling window, her eyes fixed on me. I kept my head down and walked past her, only for her to grab my arm. Frowning, she asked softly, “Why have you lost so much weight?” Her tone was gentle, almost like she still cared about me. For a moment, I froze before yanking my arm away and snapping, “Claire, what’s wrong with you now?” She glanced at her empty hand, her face slowly turning cold. It wasn’t until I reached the dining table and saw a cake covered in candles that I realized the phone call hadn’t been a dream. I’d said I wanted cake, and Claire had bought one. What was this? A peace offering? But I was dying. I didn’t need a cake—or her—anymore. Grabbing the cake, I threw it straight into the trash. Claire frowned, then shoved me against the wall, her voice sharp. “Isaac, are you messing with me?” I smiled, unbothered. “Yeah, Claire, I’m messing with you. So what?” “I said I wanted cake, and you went and bought one. God, you’re just as pathetic as you used to be.” I twisted the knife deliberately, watching her expression grow colder by the second. Her face darkened completely as she grabbed my collar and dragged me into the bedroom. She shoved me down onto the bed, her movements rough and unrestrained. Claire was furious. Her lips crashed onto mine, hard enough to split the corner of my mouth. I shoved her off, my voice icy. “Don’t touch me, Claire. You disgust me.” But she lunged at me again, biting down on my neck. The sharp pain made me suck in a breath. Her voice was low and harsh against my ear. “Isaac, would it kill you to give in to me for once?” “Do you even know how long I’ve waited for you to come to me? How many years I’ve waited for you to just talk to me?” “Do you know how happy I was when you said you wanted cake?” “And then you turn around and treat me like a joke?” She pulled back, her eyes red and brimming with tears, staring at me as if waiting for an answer. My own eyes stung as I glared back at her. The room was dim and suffocating, and neither of us said a word. Claire leaned in closer, her lips just inches from mine when her phone suddenly rang. It was Ryan. She paused, then answered it. I could hear Ryan’s voice, tearful and trembling. “Claire, are you really leaving me for him? You love me. I know you do.” “I’m at a bar right now. I’ve had a lot to drink, and some woman started talking to me…” “I hate her. Please come get me. Take me home, Claire. Please.” Claire said nothing at first. She just stared at me, her lips curling into a cold, mocking smile. Then she spoke, her voice soft but commanding. “Isaac, beg me.” “Beg me to stay, and I won’t leave.” She must have forgotten. A long time ago, I’d already begged her. I’d swallowed my pride and asked, “Claire, can we just sit down and talk calmly?” “Can we stop fighting?” “Can’t we just… be happy together?” “Can you treat me better?” I remember how she had stared at me back then, her gaze cold as ice. And she’d smiled as she said, “Isaac, you don’t deserve it.” Those words had stayed with me ever since, lodged deep in my heart. And now, finally, I could say them back to her. Grabbing her collar, I looked her dead in the eye and said, slowly and deliberately, “Claire, you don’t deserve it.” She froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. Raising the phone to her ear, she said to Ryan, “I’m coming to get you.” Without another glance at me, she stood up, slammed the door, and walked out.

6. The next day, photos of Claire fighting another woman over Ryan spread through our social circles like wildfire. It was the first time one of her affairs had turned into such a public spectacle. Reporters were waiting outside our house. As I walked out, they swarmed me, bombarding me with questions. Claire’s company had grown rapidly over the past few years, and she was a rising name in Westbridge. Not only was she wealthy, but she was also stunningly beautiful, frequently trending online. One young reporter asked, “Mr. Brooks, do you have any comments on what happened between Claire and Ryan?” I didn’t stop walking. Without looking back, I replied, “One’s a cheating wife, and the other’s the kind of man who knowingly gets involved with one. What do you want me to say?” The reporter followed me, persistent. “But I heard that when Claire was at her lowest, you dumped her for money. Then, when she became successful, you guilt-tripped her into marrying you. Now that she’s found true love with Ryan—who’s clearly a better match—you’re clinging to the title of her husband and calling him a homewrecker. Don’t you think you’re the real problem here?” I stopped, turned around, and gave him a cold smile. Grabbing the badge hanging around his neck, I read his name and flipped it over. On the back, there was a student ID from Hillside University. Calmly, I asked, “You’re Ryan’s friend, aren’t you?” “Everyone in these circles knows Claire did whatever it took to marry me. You think I wanted to marry her?” “Or are you here on his behalf, trying to sling mud at me so your buddy can successfully take my place?” The reporter’s face paled. He snatched his badge back and stammered, “I am Ryan’s friend, but I’m a journalist. Everything I say is fair and objective.” “If you really didn’t want to marry her,” he continued, regaining his composure, “then why haven’t you divorced her now that she’s fallen for someone else?” I smirked, about to respond, but then I felt a familiar warmth trickling from my nose. Blood. Someone sneered, “Mr. Brooks keeps saying he doesn’t care, that he was forced into this marriage, but look at him—so stressed out he’s giving himself nosebleeds.” I wiped the blood from my lips with my finger and said evenly, “I’m not stressed. I’m sick. Dying, actually. Nosebleeds are common these days.” The crowd fell silent. The mocking smiles disappeared. Only the young reporter kept talking. “Oh, come on. Quit the act. A nosebleed makes you a dying man now? You’re just trying to play the sympathy card.” “I can’t stand guys like you—always playing the victim, using every dirty trick in the book. You make us all look bad.” With that, he turned and walked away. Something about his retreating figure reminded me of Ryan. Both left the same sour taste in my mouth.

7. The video of me surrounded by reporters quickly made its way onto trending news. Claire responded publicly later that day, saying, “I will never divorce my husband. Please stop bothering him.” That same afternoon, Ryan’s journalist friend was fired. Online, though, the backlash against me only grew. “This guy is disgusting. If he didn’t want to marry her, why did he? No one held a gun to his head.” “And he claims to be her ‘first love’? Please. He’s just a gold digger.” “Claire defends him so much—I’m jealous.” “He dumped her for money back then, and now he’s sticking around for the same reason. All this talk about not wanting the marriage is just him playing the victim.” “Yeah, he’s trying to act noble while still reaping all the benefits. Hypocrite.” Amid the hate, one comment stood out: “Why don’t you all shut your mouths? If you don’t know the truth, stop talking.” People immediately swarmed that account, demanding to know the “truth.” The truth was as cliché as it gets. That year, my mom was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The doctors said it was genetic. Not only was I doomed to eventually face the same fate, but if I ever had kids, they were likely to inherit it, too. The day my mom fell ill, she bled so much from her nose that the floor was covered in red. She lost so much blood that she slipped into a coma for three days. When she woke up, the first thing she said was, “Isaac, you need to break up with Claire.” I stared at her, dumbfounded, and whispered, “Mom, she won’t care about that.” I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or myself. My mom gently held my hand, nodded, and said, “I know. She’s a good girl.” She paused, then smiled faintly. “You two have been together since high school. Every morning, she’d wait for you at the corner with her bike. Did you think I didn’t notice?” “I remember once, she bought you a sandwich for breakfast. It cost all her bucks.” “You were so clueless and greedy. She lied and said she’d already eaten. And you believed her, happily devouring the sandwich while she went hungry.” “She didn’t have much back then. Her parents were divorced, and she was practically an orphan. That twelve bucks might’ve been her entire day’s budget, and she didn’t even hesitate to spend it on you.” “I thought to myself, my son is lucky to have found someone so good.” “She’s smart, kind, and wonderful in every way.” “But because she’s so good, I can’t let her waste her life on you.” That same year, Claire’s grandmother fell ill and was hospitalized. They were incredibly close—her grandmother had raised her. Claire was already overwhelmed trying to pay for the medical bills. My mom said women’s hearts are fragile. If Claire lost her grandmother and me, it would destroy her. I clenched my fists, and after a long silence, I whispered, “Mom… I can’t let her go.” Those words broke me. Tears poured down my face. I can’t let her go.

8. Even ten years later, thinking about it still makes my chest ache. I bought my mom’s favorite persimmons and planned to visit her grave one last time. I was dying. I needed to tell her that I wouldn’t be coming back anymore. Before heading to the cemetery, I decided to stop by Claire’s office to retrieve something. When my mom was alive, she adored Claire. That was back when she was still healthy, and Claire and I were deeply in love. One year, my mom visited a temple and brought back two porcelain dolls for good luck. Inside the boy doll, she tucked my birthdate. Inside the girl doll, she tucked Claire’s. They were supposed to protect us—keep us healthy and ensure that we’d always stay together. My mom asked me to give Claire her doll. But Claire didn’t want the one meant for her. She insisted on taking mine instead. She said the boy doll reminded her of me—awkward and a little goofy, but endearing. She said looking at it felt like looking at me. She liked seeing me. To this day, that doll had sat on Claire’s desk at work. I was worried that after I died, Claire would toss it in the trash like it was nothing. It was something my mom had given me. I needed to take it back and leave it at her grave, so it could stay with her. When I arrived at Claire’s office, she was watching the video of me from that morning—the one where I was bleeding from my nose, casually mentioning that I was dying. When she noticed me, she set her phone aside without saying a word. I glanced at her desk and saw that the spot where the doll used to sit was empty. Frowning, I asked, “Where’s my doll?”

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On the night of my birthday, I waited for Zachary at the restaurant until 10:30 PM. He stood me up again. When I saw Chloe’s post on SnapChat, I was surprised to find that I felt nothing. At that moment, I realized I had finally let go. Zachary had made the reservation for this restaurant in advance. Last month, on Chloe’s birthday, Zachary took her to watch the sunrise by the sea. When I angrily confronted Zachary about it, he accused me of being paranoid, saying it was just a group of friends, not just the two of them. We gave each other the silent treatment for half a month because of that. Yesterday, Zachary sent me a screenshot of the restaurant reservation. I knew this was his way of extending an olive branch. Every time we argued or stopped talking, I was always the one to break the ice, the first to speak to him again. After we made up, he would give me a gift or show some affection, coaxing me a little. I would be over the moon, forgetting all the unpleasantness and fully rekindling my passion for him. This is how we’ve been getting by these past few years. He’d hurt me, then give me a little sweetness, and I’d forget everything. The temperature of our relationship was entirely in his control. I was like a kite in his hands, the string firmly in his grasp. Depending on his mood, he manipulated my emotions. Shame on me for being so weak, always quick to forgive and forget. My love was too humble. But yesterday, when I saw the screenshot of the reservation he sent, I didn’t feel the usual joy. In the past, just the fact that he remembered my birthday would have been enough to make me feel cherished. After all, every year on my birthday, I had to remind him several times a day for days in advance before he would remember to buy me a gift. This year, I had forgotten my own birthday and hadn’t reminded him, yet he remembered on his own. Yesterday at work, when I received his message, I was surprised to realize it was my birthday. I replied, “Okay, see you at the restaurant tomorrow night.” I turned off my phone and continued working, instead of basking in the sweetness of his gesture for hours like I used to. Tonight after work, I received a message from Zachary: “See you at the restaurant later.” After work, I arrived at the restaurant first. The reservation was for 7 PM, and I got there at 6:30. By 8 PM, Zachary still hadn’t shown up. I called him, but there was no answer. I sent messages, but got no reply. At 9:30, the waiter asked if I wanted to order, saying they would be closing at 10:30. I nodded. I slowly ate my steak alone and had some red wine. At 10:30, I walked out of the restaurant. While waiting for a cab by the roadside, I scrolled through SnapChat and saw Chloe’s post. The text read: “You are my sense of security.” The accompanying photo showed Zachary’s profile as he sat on a sofa. The moment I saw the picture, I felt no anger, no hurt, no sadness. My mind was completely calm. Instead, I felt a sense of achievement, as if I had long ago guessed the answer to a riddle. See? I knew it. Every time he stood me up, it was because of Chloe. Strangely, this time, I didn’t feel sad at all.

After getting home, I washed up and went straight to bed. In the middle of the night, while I was sound asleep, I heard the sound of the door opening. I knew it was Zachary coming back. Annoyed at being woken up, I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, not wanting to deal with him. The soft footsteps stopped at the bedside, and there was silence for a long time. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel his intense gaze on me. Is Zachary crazy? Why doesn’t he just wash up and go to sleep instead of staring at me when he gets back? It’s really annoying to disturb someone’s sleep like this. Could it be because I didn’t turn on all the lights in the apartment and sit angrily in the living room waiting for him to come back, then question and argue with him like I used to? He should be happy, shouldn’t he? After all, in the past, whenever I went crazy or even became hysterical, he would just stand by coldly, his eyes full of impatience and disgust. His condescending gaze made me feel like a ridiculous clown. In the past, when I argued with him about his relationship with Chloe, he would at least explain a little, saying they were just friends and had never crossed any lines, that I was overthinking things. Later, he couldn’t even be bothered to explain anymore. He would let me explode with emotion like a volcano, then slowly burn out on my own. Now, I’ve finally come to terms with it and let it go. Thinking back to how I used to be, I really was quite crazy. I must have looked so ugly when I had those emotional breakdowns. No wonder Zachary was disgusted. At this moment, I had no desire to question him at all. I just wanted to sleep. Zachary stared for a while, and seeing no reaction from me, he called out, “Olivia?” I pretended to be in a deep sleep, not moving at all. After a moment, he finally left. I heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. He was washing up. The faint sound actually had a hypnotic effect, and I fell asleep listening to it. I didn’t even know when Zachary came to bed. The next morning, I got up and went straight to work. All day, I was immersed in my work, and time passed quickly. After work, I ate dinner out before going home. As soon as I walked in, Zachary was sitting on the sofa. “Why are you home so early today?” I asked while changing my shoes. “No overtime,” he said. “Oh.” I nodded, hung up my bag, and was about to go to the study. “Olivia.” Zachary called out to me, “I bought your birthday gift a long time ago. Yesterday—” “Thank you!” I took the small, beautifully wrapped box from his hand. Opening it, I saw a pretty bracelet. “It’s beautiful, I like it,” I smiled at him. “I’ll wear it tomorrow.” As I was about to leave, Zachary grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I stood you up,” he explained. “I was almost at the restaurant when I got a call from Chloe. She said her ex-boyfriend was stalking her again, and she was scared. It’s not safe for a girl living alone—” “I believe you,” I interrupted him. “It’s true that we can’t let a girl face danger alone. You’ve mentioned before that her ex-boyfriend has an unstable personality. Alright, I still have some work to finish, so I’m going to do some overtime.” “Olivia!” He still didn’t let go of my arm. “Hmm?” I looked back at him, confused. “I haven’t eaten dinner yet.” “Oh, I’ve already eaten. Why don’t you order some takeout?” Saying this, I pulled my arm free and went straight to the study. Just as I sat down, I heard the front door slam shut. When I came out to look, Zachary was no longer in the apartment. He had given me a gift and taken the initiative to smooth things over, but I didn’t take the bait. He was angry.

Zachary and I started giving each other the silent treatment again. In the past, during these cold wars, I would always be in low spirits, wracking my brain to think of ways to make up with him quickly. But now, after a few days of not speaking, I actually felt a sense of relief. At night, Zachary slept in the guest room, and I had the big bed all to myself. I even slept better than usual. In the morning, I no longer got up early to make breakfast for Zachary. I could sleep an extra half hour every day. At work, Zachary’s face no longer popped into my mind at random moments. I stopped sending him messages frequently, and my work efficiency even improved. Tasks that I used to drag out until the end of the workday were now completed ahead of time. After work, I didn’t bother to go home and cook anymore. To ensure Zachary ate healthily, I had honed my cooking skills and made dinner every day after work. However, he had so many social gatherings that he’d be lucky to eat at home twice a week. Not revolving my life around Zachary anymore, I found myself with a lot of free time. I finished watching a TV series in just three evenings. At the office, I heard a newly hired young girl talking about studying for a qualification related to our work. I felt ashamed. This fresh graduate knew to make use of her time to improve herself, while I, having worked for so many years, was still aimlessly drifting through life, taking each day as it came. I could only blame myself for being too focused on love before. After graduation, my life goal was to marry Zachary. Until now, that wish hasn’t been fulfilled. For the old me, the focus of life was revolving around Zachary. I even thought that if Zachary wanted me to quit my job and be a housewife after marriage, I would agree without hesitation. Marrying Zachary, having children, and taking care of our little family was happiness to me, the life I longed for. Now, having suddenly awakened, I realized how much of a failure I was. In terms of love, I gave endlessly but didn’t receive an equal response. He wasn’t even willing to give me the promise of marriage. In terms of work, I was a mess, making no progress. The newly hired girl’s enthusiasm for self-improvement inspired me. I thought, it’s time to make a change. I humbly asked my colleagues for advice, bought study materials, and started preparing for the certification exam. Every day after work, I would grab a quick dinner outside, then go home and shut myself in the study to learn, studying until bedtime. These past few days, Zachary might still be sulking. He came home very late every day. This was perfect. The house was quiet, making it convenient for me to study.

While scrolling through my phone during lunch break, I was surprised to see that Zachary had updated his SnapChat. It was just a photo, without any caption. The photo showed a dining table with several dishes and two place settings. In the corner of the table, a hand was visible, wearing the watch I had bought. I knew Zachary too well. He deliberately posted this photo of him having dinner with Chloe just to provoke me. But I no longer felt that anger and jealousy. I wouldn’t immediately pick up the phone and angrily question him anymore. I just glanced at it and continued scrolling through other people’s updates. In the evening, I received a call from Zachary. “I’ll pick you up after work,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. My first reaction was to refuse. “No need, I’m working overtime today. I’ll be back late,” I instinctively lied. “Until what time?” he continued to ask. “Um, eight o’clock,” I pressed on with the lie. “Okay, I’ll wait for you downstairs at eight,” he said and hung up. To maintain the lie, I didn’t leave after work. Instead, I took out my exam materials and started studying in the office. At eight o’clock, I packed up my things and went downstairs with my bag. As soon as I walked out the main entrance, I saw the familiar car parked not far away. I walked over and opened the car door to find Chloe sitting in the passenger seat, flashing me a smile. “Olivia, I just had dinner with Zachary, and he’s giving me a ride home on the way,” Chloe said. “Mm-hmm,” I nodded, opened the back door, and got in. Whenever Chloe was in this car, I never sat in the front passenger seat. I had argued about this more than once, but Zachary clearly favored Chloe, and I couldn’t do anything about it. He said Chloe got carsick, so she was just sitting in the front. He asked why I had to be so petty about such a small thing. I said the front passenger seat was reserved for girlfriends, but he just sneered at me for being fussy. I had never won against Chloe on this issue. But every time it happened, I would be upset. However, now, I didn’t have the mind to care about it at all. After a full day of work and two hours of studying, I felt drowsy as soon as I sat in the car. “Zachary, the crayfish we had today was so delicious. Let’s go to that place again next time,” Chloe said excitedly. Zachary: “Mm, if you like it, we’ll go again next time.” “But every time we eat crayfish, I have to trouble you to peel the shells for me. You don’t find it annoying, do you?” Chloe’s tone was playful. “I don’t. I’m used to it.” “Olivia, Zachary is so good at peeling crayfish. I trained him when we were in college,” Chloe suddenly turned to look at me. “How about that? Shouldn’t you thank me?” Thank her? Thank her for what? For training Zachary to peel crayfish? But he had never peeled crayfish for me. I remember watching a TV show once where a female celebrity said she loved eating crayfish, but if no one helped her peel them, she’d rather not eat them because she didn’t want to peel them herself. The first time I went to eat crayfish with Zachary after we got together, I also acted coy, asking him to peel the shells for me. He paused, looked at me with a half-smile, and said, “Don’t you have hands?” The one who loves more is always the humble one. I immediately fell silent. After that, I never mentioned peeling crayfish in front of him again. I looked up at Chloe. The light in the car was dim, but I could still see the smugness and provocation in her eyes. She was always like this, subtly provoking me to get angry, then waiting for Zachary to scold me and protect her. Time and time again, she never tired of it. However, at this moment, I wasn’t stirred by any emotions, nor did I have any interest in confronting her. “Oh, well, thank you then,” I said perfunctorily.

Not achieving her goal, Chloe bit her lip and turned to chat with Zachary again, smiling. Zachary always spoke to her in a gentle tone. Listening to them chatting animatedly, I felt my eyelids getting heavier, and the surrounding sounds gradually faded away. When I woke up, I found the car parked outside our apartment building, with Zachary sitting quietly in the front seat. Chloe was no longer in the passenger seat. “Why didn’t you wake me up when we got home?” I sat up straight and opened the car door. Zachary followed behind me, not saying a word. As we walked out of the elevator and into our apartment, he finally spoke: “Tired?” “Huh?” “Chloe and I were still talking, but you fell asleep in the car.” “Yeah, a bit tired.” I wasn’t interested in chatting with him, just wanting to shower and go to bed quickly. “Today was Henry’s gathering, just the old college dorm mates. He invited Chloe too. You know, they’re all close to her and like to invite her every time we have dinner. Since it was on the way, I gave her a ride back,” he suddenly started explaining. It was quite rare. In the past, when I argued and asked him why he always hung out with Chloe, he never bothered to explain. Now that I wasn’t asking, he took the initiative to explain. “Mm,” I nodded, walking towards the bathroom. “I originally wanted to bring you along, but you said you had to work overtime, so I only came to pick you up after dinner,” he continued to explain. “Okay, I got it. I’m going to take a shower now,” I said, quickly walking away. After showering, I went straight to bed. The next evening after work, I was surprised to see Zachary downstairs again. This time, there was no Chloe in the car. I still sat in the back seat. Zachary turned to look at me, seeming like he wanted to say something but held back. I have to say, sitting in the back gives me a feeling of treating him like a chauffeur, which is quite nice. I shouldn’t have cared about this before. “Mike is moving house today and invited us over for hotpot,” Zachary said as he started the car. Mike was also his college roommate. Coincidentally, all four of Zachary’s college dormmates ended up staying in this city after graduation. They were close and often organized gatherings or dinners. Zachary had pursued Chloe in college, and his roommates all acted as wingmen, offering advice and strategies. Although he didn’t succeed in winning her over, it didn’t stop Chloe from becoming close with all of them. Over the years, Chloe had dated several boyfriends, but she said, “Boyfriends are boyfriends, friends are friends.” She said Zachary would always be her good friend. Recently, Chloe broke up with her previous boyfriend and started hanging out with them frequently again. Every time I saw Zachary taking care of her, my blood pressure would rise. I had argued and made a fuss about it, but it was useless. Eventually, I simply stopped going to their gatherings. Out of sight, out of mind. “You guys go ahead. Just drop me off at home first,” I said. I really had no interest in their dinner gatherings. Zachary: “We’ll come back right after dinner. It won’t be too late. Mike specifically asked me to bring you along, saying he hasn’t seen you in a long time.” “Alright then,” I didn’t insist anymore. We stood at the door of Mike’s new home, and after the doorbell rang, the door opened. Suddenly, someone burst out from inside, jumping onto Zachary’s back like a monkey, arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

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