I had just returned to the teacher’s dormitory when a group of people blocked me at the door. It was Rachel Morgan, the mother of one of my students, Vivian Morgan. The moment she saw me, she lunged forward, screaming at the top of her lungs. “It’s him! This scumbag assaulted my daughter! She just started freshman year. What’s going to happen to her now?” I was stunned! “What? That’s absolutely impossible!” The hallway filled with people. Some were filming videos, others were whispering among themselves, and some colleagues lowered their heads and slipped into their rooms. “What are you talking about? I’ve never done anything like that!” A young man burst out from the crowd. He threw a punch aimed right at my face. “What kind of teacher are you? You ruined my sister’s innocence.” Rachel slapped a piece of paper right onto my face. “Stop pretending! My daughter said it herself.” Principal Hayes pushed through the crowd and pulled me aside. “Just apologize. Compensate them one million dollars. Don’t let this blow up.”

“Principal, what exactly am I apologizing for?” Principal Hayes’s expression darkened, and he lowered his voice. “Shane, now’s not the time to be stubborn. The parents are emotional. Show them the right attitude first.” “Attitude?” I looked at him. “You want me to show an attitude for something I didn’t do?” Rachel rushed over shrieking. “You’re still pretending! My daughter was almost driven to suicide by you, and you still dare say you didn’t do it?” Ethan Morgan clenched his fists, veins bulging on his neck. “Shane Lawson, if you don’t kneel and apologize today, I’ll kill you!” “Kneel?” I looked toward Vivian Morgan standing behind the crowd. She kept her head down, her school uniform sleeves crumpled from gripping them. I was Vivian Morgan’s class advisor. The first time I entered the classroom, all the other students looked up to listen. Only she didn’t dare make eye contact with me. At the start of the school year, she could only score in the thirties on math tests. When others laughed at her, she would bury her head in her books. After I took over the class, I discovered she would secretly copy her mistakes three times. I had tutored her, explained functions to her. And when classmates mocked her, I once said: “Poor grades aren’t a crime. Giving up is.” As a teacher, I didn’t want any student to fall behind. Rachel was crying and wailing, sitting right on the floor and slapping her thighs. “My daughter is only a freshman! How will she live from now on? How will she get married?” “Shane! We’re the county’s top high school here!” “If this blows up, it’ll seriously damage the school’s reputation!” “Just admit to this first, then we’ll discuss it properly with the parents.” Principal Derek Hayes put his arm around my shoulder, trying to persuade me in a low voice. I shook off Derek Hayes’s hand. “Principal, I never did anything like this!” Derek Hayes’s expression turned grave. “Shane! I know you feel wronged.” “But think about it. You’re just an intern teacher with no permanent position, no connections.” “If this blows up, you won’t even be able to keep your teaching certificate.” “Just appease them for now!” Appease? By admitting guilt? I took a step forward. “Vivian Morgan, look at me.” Rachel immediately blocked her. “You still want to threaten my daughter?” “Everyone saw it! He’s still trying to intimidate the child in public!” Vivian’s shoulders trembled. Ethan immediately shouted. “You dare question her? Look how scared you’ve made her!” Derek Hayes quickly spoke up. “Mr. Lawson, don’t agitate the student.” “Vivian, don’t be afraid. The principal is here. No one can hurt you.” “Let me ask you, did Mr. Lawson often tutor you alone?” Vivian nodded. “Did he sometimes tutor you until very late?” Vivian nodded again. “During tutoring, was it just the two of you in the classroom?” I immediately said: “The door was always open, and there are cameras in the classroom.” “Vivian Morgan, when I tutored you, did I ever close the door when we were alone?” “Did I ever touch you? Did I ever say anything inappropriate?” Tears fell from her eyes, but she still didn’t speak. Derek Hayes sighed, as if deeply pained. “Shane, what’s the point of pressuring a child like this?”

Rachel cried even louder. “Everyone hear that!” “Private tutoring!” “Staying late!” “This inhuman monster!” I stared at Derek Hayes. My heart went cold. Derek Hayes asked again: “Did he buy you bubble tea and bread?” Vivian said quietly: “Yes.” I was almost laughing from anger. “evening study session runs until 9:30. She’s not the only one with low blood sugar. I bought bread for the entire group.” Derek Hayes ignored me and continued questioning. “Did he ever write on your test paper, ‘Don’t be afraid, I’m here’?” Vivian closed her eyes and nodded even more slightly. In that moment, I finally understood. Someone was taking all normal teacher-student care, breaking it into pieces, and assembling it into a knife to stab me with. Rachel rushed over, her fingernails nearly poking my eyes. “You still trying to make excuses? Why would a male teacher treat my daughter so well?” “Because I’m a teacher.” “Bullshit!” She turned around and cried while slapping her thighs. “Everyone look! He still says he’s a teacher. He’s just a scumbag in human skin.” “He targeted my daughter because she’s timid!” “She didn’t dare speak up, so you bullied her!” Derek Hayes spoke again: “Mr. Lawson did that kind of thing to you, didn’t he?” Vivian Morgan lifted her head slightly to look at me. Then she glanced at Rachel. Rachel pinched her arm hard. “Say it! What are you afraid of! I will stand up for you!” Vivian picked at her clothes without speaking. Rachel pressed down on her head. She stiffly nodded. Ethan rushed forward and threw a punch at my face. I dodged to the side. His fist hit the doorframe. “Fuck, you dare dodge?” I stepped back half a step. “Accusing me without evidence! If you attack again, I’ll fight back.” Ethan roared: “You ruined Vivian’s innocence. Even if I beat you to death, it wouldn’t be enough!” Derek Hayes stepped between us. “Everyone calm down!” “Mr. Lawson, your attitude right now is critical.” “Apologize immediately.” “Pay the compensation first and stabilize the situation.” “One million dollars. Transfer it today.” Rachel climbed up from the floor. “One million? You trying to send away beggars?” “My life is so miserable. I raised a daughter, her grades just started improving, and a teacher preyed on her.” “My daughter’s innocence is ruined! Her whole life is over!” Ethan sneered coldly. “My sister still has to get married, go to college, and be a person. Your school thinks one million can shut us up?” “Three million! Not a penny less!” Derek Hayes patted my shoulder and said: “One million is indeed too little, but three million is too high. How about this—I’ll make the call. Two hundred fifty thousand.” “No way. Three million is already cheap for that bastard. My sister was a virgin.” Ethan pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and threw it at my feet. “Three million is for emotional damages. You admit to hurting my sister and can’t go back on it!” “When Vivian graduates from college, you must pay us another five hundred thousand and marry her. Otherwise, you’ll pay a penalty of two million in damages.” I thought I’d misheard. “What did you say?” “You ruined my sister. You have to take responsibility to the end!” Rachel took over. “Our Vivian—if you hadn’t defiled her, she could have married a rich man in the future and earned way more than five hundred thousand. Now you’ve ruined her. You have to compensate!” I looked at that guarantee letter. “Where’s the evidence?” Rachel froze for a moment. “What?” “You say I committed a crime. You want money, a guarantee letter, a marriage promise. Where’s the evidence?”

Rachel pulled a piece of paper from her bag and slapped it onto my face. “This is the hospital’s examination report! It’s written in black and white that my daughter is no longer a virgin! You still want to deny it?” I looked down at the report. The seal of City General Hospital, the red stamp neatly pressed. The name on the report was Vivian Morgan, dated three days ago. The conclusion section had several glaring words. But what did this prove? “This only proves she had sexual activity. It doesn’t prove it was me.” Principal Derek Hayes cleared his throat lightly and stepped in front of me. “Shane, the examination report is right here. You’re Vivian’s class advisor. When something happened to the child, you’re the most suspicious.” After speaking, he gave Rachel a subtle glance. Rachel picked up the cue. “Fine.” “The principal has spoken. We’ll show some respect.” “Two hundred fifty thousand. We need an answer today! If not, tomorrow I’m going to the Board of Education, TV station, and court. I’ll sue you to death!” Rachel wiped her tears. “Once the money arrives, we won’t make a scene.” “We’ll all be family from now on.” I almost laughed out loud. “Family?” Rachel glared at me. “You ruined her. You have to support her for life.” Derek Hayes leaned close to my ear. “Shane, things have come to this point. It’s out of your hands.” “Just pay to settle this!” I stared into his eyes. “Principal Hayes, you’re twisting the truth! You’re planning to force this onto me!” Ethan lost patience. “What the fuck are we wasting words for? This kind of person just needs a beating!” He suddenly kicked toward my abdomen. I stepped to the left, grabbed his ankle with my right hand, and twisted and pushed in one motion. Ethan lost his balance completely and fell hard onto the concrete hallway floor. He gritted his teeth and got up, rushing forward to throw a punch again. In my four years of college, I trained with a coach from the sports academy for three years in boxing. I even won second place in a boxing competition. Against this punk, I could win with my eyes closed. I dodged his straight punch, deflected his forearm with my left hand. My right fist landed precisely under his ribs. Ethan bent over and stepped back three paces, unable to catch his breath. Before his second punch could come out, I’d already gripped his wrist. I twisted it backward, pinning him against the wall. “Don’t move. Move again and your wrist breaks.” Ethan refused to submit and struggled hard. I suddenly released my hand and pushed with the momentum. He stumbled forward, lost his balance. His face hit the ground first, knocking out his front teeth. Blood began seeping out densely across his face. Rachel hugged Ethan’s head, kicking her feet against the concrete floor, wailing. “He’s hitting people! He’s hitting people!” “Everyone saw it! First he raped my daughter, now he’s beaten my son! God! Is there no justice? Is there no law?” “He’s trying to silence us! Murder to silence witnesses! Everyone saw it! Everyone saw it!” Vivian Morgan walked out from the corner. She picked up the bloody tooth from the floor. Then turned to look at me. Her eyes were full of anger. “You really are a scumbag.”

I had tutored her for three months. Every night from seven to ten, rain or shine. Questions she couldn’t solve, I explained one by one. Concepts she didn’t understand, I explained in five different ways. The day she scored 89, I was happier than she was. Now, she was calling me a scumbag. “Shane, now you have another charge—assaulting a student’s family member.” Derek Hayes shook his head, his face full of regret. “Tell me, how do we resolve this?” At the end of the hallway, someone was holding up their phone. Comments were scrolling frantically. “I’m warning you one last time.” Derek Hayes’s tone became completely cold and hard. “If you won’t take a friendly offer, you’ll have to face the consequences. Your intern evaluation, teaching certificate, even your future employment records—you won’t be able to keep any of them.” “You’re just an intern fighting against the entire school? You think you can win?” He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a minimum. “I heard your aunt is quite wealthy. Hurry up and raise the money!” “Two hundred fifty thousand to buy your lifetime reputation. You’re getting off cheap.” The person livestreaming with their phone—the viewer count on their screen had already shot up to 23,000. The comments went crazy. “Predator teacher!” “This kind of person should be sentenced!” “How did the school let this kind of person become a teacher?” “Beat him!” Everyone was cursing me. Someone in the crowd shouted: “No smoke without fire.” “Why didn’t they go after other teachers, but specifically you!” “You definitely did it and won’t admit it!” I turned to look. It was my colleague, Marcus. Just last week he’d borrowed my lesson plans. Meeting my gaze, Marcus showed no guilt whatsoever. “Mr. Lawson, I’m not targeting you. I’m just calling it as I see it!” “Everyone, am I right!” The crowd echoed in agreement! Not a single person asked—where’s the evidence? Rachel had somehow gotten up from the floor. Her hair was disheveled, the tear tracks still visible on her face. “I’m telling you, Shane Lawson.” “As long as you sign today and transfer the money, this matter is settled.” She looked smugly at Derek Hayes. “We’re not unreasonable people, right Principal Hayes?” Derek Hayes nodded repeatedly. “Right, right. Mrs. Morgan’s family is very reasonable. Shane, as long as you settle this two hundred fifty thousand and sign the guarantee letter, Mrs. Morgan will treat you like her own son-in-law going forward. Let’s keep it in the family.” Rachel nodded cooperatively. “That’s right. Once the money arrives and you sign, we’ll treat you as one of our own. We’ll let bygones be bygones. From now on, my daughter is yours.” Ethan chimed in too. “Right, brother-in-law. Just pay up. Transfer the two hundred fifty thousand now, sign the guarantee now. I’ll go to the hospital to fix my teeth myself.” Vivian looked at me shyly, her face red. “Principal Hayes, you’re saying as long as I apologize and pay the money, this will all be over, right?” Derek Hayes nodded, his expression relaxing a bit, thinking I was softening. “Then I’d like to confirm once more.” “If I sign this guarantee letter and pay this two hundred fifty thousand, can you guarantee the Morgan family won’t pursue this further, and the school won’t keep any records?” Derek Hayes and Rachel exchanged glances. “Of course. You can rest assured. I’ll make the call.” Derek Hayes said, his voice more certain than before. I watched this farce coldly. They were extorting me. I pulled out my phone from my pocket. Derek Hayes, Rachel, Ethan, and Vivian all looked over. Their eyes full of hope, greed, and the satisfaction of a scheme about to succeed. “Hello, Sean!”

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As the only female doctor in the urology department, my surgical skills were so exceptional that every time appointment slots opened up, they’d be snatched clean by patients in seconds. But today, I’d been sitting in my office for a full hour without a single patient showing up. When I asked the young nurse what was going on, she looked me up and down with a scornful expression: “A woman deliberately staying in the men’s clinic—do you think I don’t know what you’re really up to?” The appointment system opened right on time. Three seconds later, all slots showed “Fully Booked.” This was my normal. As the only female doctor in the urology department, not only was my scalpel steady, but my precision reached millimeter-level accuracy. Patients seeking my care had to fight to snag appointment slots down to the very second. Yet today, I’d been sitting in my examination room for a full hour without anyone showing up. The wall clock ticked away steadily. I glanced at my computer screen—the queue list was completely empty. Maintaining my composure, I stood up to pour myself some tea. Just as I took a sip, someone knocked on the examination room door. John, a familiar patient, poked his head in, his face full of confusion. “Dr. Christie, aren’t you off work today?” I looked up at him. “What makes you say that?” “I camped out on the app last night to book an appointment, but the system didn’t even show your name. I thought you’d gone on vacation or something.” John waved his phone at me. Sure enough, the screen showed my name grayed out, unavailable for booking. I set down my teacup, already understanding what had happened. The hospital’s appointment system was managed entirely by the nursing station. Doctors only had scheduling privileges—we had no authority to change appointment availability status. I walked out of the examination room and headed straight to the nursing station. The new intern nurse, Fiona, was sitting with her legs crossed, scrolling through videos on her phone. When she saw me approach, she didn’t even bother to look up. “Nurse Fiona, why were all of today’s appointment slots closed?” I got straight to the point. Hearing my voice, Fiona tossed her phone onto the desk with a cold laugh. “They’re closed because they’re closed. If no one books, the system automatically shows it as closed.” “What, is Dr. Christie here to inspect my work?” “The system doesn’t automatically close slots that are fully booked,” I said calmly. “You’re new, so if you’re unfamiliar with the procedures, I can teach you. But the appointment slots need to be restored immediately.” Fiona acted as if she’d heard the world’s funniest joke. She suddenly stood up, leaning forward, her knuckles rapping against the desk one tap at a time. “Christie, who are you trying to fool?” “This is the urology department—a men’s clinic. Any man would blush just hearing about this place.” “And you, a woman, you force your way in here, dealing with all that disgusting stuff every day—aren’t you ashamed?” “I don’t think you’re here to treat patients at all!” “As a fellow woman, I can see right through what you’re really thinking.” I understood completely. This kind of malice born from gender discrimination— I’d seen it too many times. Arguing would only waste time. I pulled out my phone and, right in front of her, dialed the director’s internal line. “Dr. Christie?” “What can I do for you?” “Director, the urology nurse Fiona has closed all of my appointment slots today without authorization, and her attitude has been extremely poor.” The line went silent for half a second, then came the sharp sound of a chair scraping back. “What? Dr. Christie, don’t worry, I’m coming right over!” Fiona rolled her eyes and sneered. “What, calling for backup? Are you three years old?” I ignored her, hung up, and stood quietly against the wall. Less than five minutes later, urgent footsteps echoed through the hallway. The director arrived with beads of sweat on his forehead, practically running. When he saw me, he didn’t even pause to catch his breath. He rushed straight to the nursing station and bellowed: “Fiona! Who gave you the authority to touch Dr. Christie’s appointment slots!” Fiona hadn’t expected the director to actually come in person. Her face instantly went pale, but she still stubbornly held her ground. “Director, a woman bossing everyone around in the men’s clinic goes against protocol. I was just protecting the hospital’s reputation…” “Shut up!” The director was furious, pointing right at her nose. “Do you have any idea how much medical revenue Dr. Christie brings to this hospital with a single surgery?” “You’re here pushing gender discrimination? Are you here to work or to play boss!” Then he turned to the head nurse standing nearby and roared, “Right now! Immediately!” “Restore all of Dr. Christie’s appointment slots. If there’s still a system malfunction within ten minutes, you’re all fired!” Fiona was completely stunned by this display. She clutched the folder in her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the pressure.

The next day, the examination room was as crowded as usual. I kept my head down, writing up medical records. Sitting across from me was a young man looking thoroughly embarrassed. He was a programmer who, due to prolonged sitting and irregular sleep schedules, had developed some unspeakable problems. “Dr. Christie, this condition… it can really be cured, right?” His voice was extremely low, as if afraid someone outside the door might hear. I didn’t look up, typing several lines of medical orders into the computer, my tone calm: “As long as you follow my treatment plan, all your indicators will return to normal within a month.” “Don’t worry. This is very common in clinical practice.” Just then, the examination room door was violently shoved open. Bang! Fiona strode in. “Door shut so tight—what kind of shady business are you doing in here?” She looked at the man sitting across from me and said sarcastically: “Dr. Christie, already scouting for targets?” “I think you’ve been working in urology so long you’ve developed some weird fantasies about yourself, haven’t you?” The programmer was so startled his face went pale. He nearly jumped out of his chair. I set down my pen and stared coldly at Fiona. “Get out. I’m seeing a patient. Don’t interfere.” But Fiona not only didn’t leave—she doubled down, walking right up to the desk and pointing at the patient’s nose. “Don’t let her fool you! Women like her specifically target young, good-looking guys like you.” “She pretends to treat patients, but we all know what she’s really after!” The programmer’s face turned bright red. He grabbed his medical records and tried to bolt. I reached out and pressed my hand against the edge of the desk, signaling him not to panic, then turned to Fiona. “Are you here to cause trouble or to work?” “Cause trouble? I’m exposing your true colors!” She sneered. “Everyone, come take a look at our so-called urology expert.” “Doors closed in the examination room—who knows what kind of inappropriate dealings are going on in here!” Her voice was extremely loud, drawing more and more curious onlookers from the hallway. Just then, my phone lit up on the desk with a crisp series of notification sounds. The messages were from a pinned group chat. “Dr. Christie, the prescription you gave me last time worked wonders. When are you free? I’ve prepared a gift for you.” “Dr. Christie, can you squeeze me in for an appointment? I’ll pay whatever you ask.” “Are you busy? When can you come over to the house? Mr. John’s chronic condition was cured thanks to you.” Fiona had sharp eyes. Before I could even grab my phone, she lunged forward and snatched it away. “Let me see exactly which men you’ve been fooling around with behind the scenes!” She shouted while eagerly unlocking the screen. The moment she looked, the light in her eyes changed completely. Because aside from me, everyone in the group chat was a top-tier figure from various industries. Not only did they praise my miraculous medical skills in the group every day, but they also frequently sent me private requests and invitations. Fiona held the phone high, showing the screen to the crowd gathered at the examination room door, her voice trembling with excitement: “Everyone, look clearly! This is her true face!” “What expert, what medical skills—it’s all gained by seducing men!” “Look, all these men are lining up waiting to date her. This is solid evidence!”

Instantly, the crowd erupted in discussion. I could feel various gazes sweeping over me—curious, contemptuous, eager to watch the drama unfold. But I simply stood there, watching Fiona coldly, watching her perform with such effort. Just then, a series of urgent footsteps approached. “What’s going on here? Making such a racket first thing in the morning—what kind of behavior is this!” The department head had arrived. He’d been passing by when he heard the commotion and came over with a furrowed brow. Fiona acted as if she’d found her savior. She immediately dropped her aggressive posture and rushed to the department head, her eyes brimming with tears as she pointed at me. “Chief! Your timing couldn’t be better! You must seek justice for the hospital, for us honest, hardworking nurses!” Fiona choked up as she handed the phone to the department head. “Look at this! Christie… she’s just too much!” “As a doctor, she’s carrying on with these shameful activities in the examination room, having inappropriate relationships with so many patients’ families!” The department head took the phone and glanced at the group chat messages on the screen. When he looked at me again, his eyes clearly showed disgust. “Christie! This is absolutely outrageous! As a doctor, where is your medical ethics?” “Where is your professional integrity? What is all this? You’ve completely disgraced the hospital!” I didn’t defend myself. I didn’t even blink. Seeing my attitude, Fiona became even more emboldened. “Chief, she was also reported by patients before, which is why I closed her appointment slots.” “Now she’s gotten even worse, acting like she’s so capable!” She embellished the story, bringing up the incident when I’d contacted the director, conveniently leaving out that she’d been the one who tampered with the system first. “People like this should be fired immediately, or else our hospital’s reputation will be ruined by her!” The department head’s face turned iron-gray. He glanced at the crowd of onlookers, then at my expressionless face, and finally slammed his hand on the desk. “Suspension! Christie, you’re suspended for one week effective immediately. Go home and write a thorough self-criticism and reflect deeply!” “After one week, we’ll hold a hospital meeting to discuss this further and make a final decision!” “Until then, you are not to set foot in the examination room!” The declaration caused an uproar. Everyone expected me to resist fiercely, or at least defend myself. After all, while I didn’t talk much at the hospital normally, I was always decisive in my actions, and my skills were universally recognized as top-tier. This kind of punishment was undoubtedly a deep humiliation for me. However, I simply walked straight to the desk and picked up my phone. Then, in front of everyone, I pressed the option to “Dissolve Group Chat.” Finally, I said coldly: “I apologize.” Apologize? To whom? For what? I didn’t give anyone time to react. I simply dropped those words lightly and left the hospital.

A week passed quickly. I’d just stepped through the hospital entrance with my resignation letter when Fiona raised her voice: “Oh, Dr. Christie actually knows to come back?” “I thought you’d just packed up and run off! How about it—did you write your self-criticism with tears streaming down your face?” “Did you deeply reflect on all those shameful activities of yours?” As she spoke, she deliberately covered her mouth and made exaggerated expressions at several nearby nurses watching the drama. I acted as if I hadn’t heard anything and walked straight to Human Resources. When my colleague received my resignation letter, a flash of surprise crossed their eyes. But they didn’t say much, just silently began processing the paperwork. Fiona was clearly infuriated by my indifference. She followed behind me relentlessly, her mouth running nonstop: “Acting so high and mighty? You think resigning will clear your name?” “A shameless woman like you should have been kicked out long ago! Save our hospital’s reputation from being tainted!” I never gave her a single extra glance from start to finish. After submitting my resignation, I began packing my personal belongings—a thermos, a few professional books, and my well-worn stethoscope. There wasn’t much. I finished packing quickly. Picking up my bag, I turned and walked out of the examination room without looking back. Fiona continued her sarcastic taunts behind me. I paid no attention, walking all the way to the hospital entrance. The sunlight was just right, warmly falling on me as if washing away all the gloom. However, just as I was about to step through the gate, a piercing screech of brakes suddenly rang out. Followed by a second, a third… Within seconds, ten identical top-tier luxury cars pulled up in perfect formation right at the hospital entrance. The spectacle immediately stopped every passerby in their tracks. The car doors opened almost simultaneously. Ten pot-bellied executives in suits practically ran out of their vehicles. Their gazes cut straight through the crowd, locking onto me as I was about to leave. “Dr. Christie!” “Dr. Christie, you’re finally here!” “Dr. Christie, why did you dissolve the group chat? Did something happen? We’ve all been waiting for you!” They surrounded me in a chorus of urgent voices. The entire hospital entrance fell dead silent. Every gaze, filled with disbelief, landed on me. I slowly turned around and smiled at Fiona, who still stood frozen in place, her face deathly pale.

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My housekeeper Martha has an intellectual disability. Out of sympathy, I took her in. Right before my wedding, I was about to invite my friend Tessa to try on her bridesmaid dress. Martha suddenly stopped me: “Miss Claire, don’t let Miss Tessa be your bridesmaid. Mr. Lucas will hit her!” I smiled, thinking she was talking nonsense again. Because my fiancé Lucas Hunt got along well with all my friends. Seeing I didn’t believe her, Martha grabbed my arm and continued: “It’s true! I saw it with my own eyes. That day Mr. Lucas pulled down Miss Tessa’s pants, pressed her against the bathroom wall, and spanked her bottom!” I froze. Martha might be simple-minded, but she never lied. Just then, Lucas’s call came through at the perfect time: “Babe, I have to go to Europe on a business trip tomorrow. There’s a really important project. Can we postpone the wedding a bit?” I let out a cold laugh and replied, “Fine!” After hanging up, I thought of the bet I made with my dad. If this wedding got postponed again, I would go back and accept the blind dates he arranged. So I obediently replied, “Okay, I have other plans next week anyway.” Martha tilted her head, watching me, still muttering: “Miss Claire, don’t be angry. Mr. Lucas isn’t hitting Miss Tessa for the first time. Before, he told me not to tell you. But yesterday I heard Miss Tessa screaming so loudly in the room… I was worried…” I glanced at her and interrupted, “That’s enough, Martha. I understand. Thank you!” After Martha left, my chest tightened with a stabbing pain. I couldn’t breathe. Just as I finished speaking, my phone rang again. It was my dad calling. “Claire, have you thought about it?” My dad’s voice was emotionless. “Dad, I agree. I’ll come back.” Dad fell silent on the other end for a few seconds. He seemed surprised I would give up on Lucas Hunt. After hanging up, I walked into the bedroom and took out the marriage certificate from the drawer. But suddenly I noticed the stamp on the marriage certificate was misspelled. I carefully compared my marriage certificate with the one on the city hall website. My tears finally fell. Even my marriage certificate was fake. Soon the doorbell rang. I wiped my tears and went to open the door. Tessa stood at the door, holding the little cakes I loved: “Claire, I’m here to try on the bridesmaid dress.” I let her in. I suddenly remembered the scene from two years ago when she came to stay with me. I enthusiastically helped her arrange work and housing. Lucas Hunt had always been thoughtful and considerate toward my friends. Gradually, Lucas Hunt even drove her to work. From that time on, the passenger seat was no longer my place. It became the exclusive seat for Tessa, who supposedly got carsick. But I never imagined they had already gotten together long ago. “Claire, what are you spacing out for?” Tessa waved her hand in front of me. “Nothing. The dress is in the closet. Go try it on.” She smiled and went in. I inadvertently caught sight of the Tiffany key necklace on her neck. That was the birthday gift Lucas Hunt gave her a few days ago. I’d known Lucas Hunt for five years. Apart from giving me money, his gifts were always just a hug or a kiss. Then he’d say affectionately, “You’re my wife. What’s mine is yours.” I used to be satisfied with that romance. But everything changed after Tessa came. He would give her limited edition necklaces and cream puffs from West Street. Tessa’s voice came from the closet: “Claire, come help me look.” I walked over and watched her turn in front of the mirror. “Beautiful,” I said. She sighed, “But it’s such a shame. I can’t be your bridesmaid next week!” A chill ran through me. I asked, “Why not?” She lowered her head, her ears flushing red: “I have other important life arrangements…” Seeming unwilling to talk more about it, she changed the subject: “By the way, Claire, have you tried on your wedding dress yet?” I shook my head. I had fought so hard for this wedding. Lucas Hunt was always too busy. The wedding kept getting delayed until it couldn’t be delayed anymore. Even that custom wedding dress—I could only pick it up from the shop tonight. Tessa continued talking to herself: “You don’t know, last time when I went to try on wedding dresses, the owner said that custom piece was particularly suited for me. Lucas also said it looked good…” I looked at her without saying anything. A while ago, Tessa suddenly said she was getting engaged. I asked her who her fiancé was, but she refused to tell me, saying she’d give me a surprise later. She dragged Lucas Hunt along to try on wedding dresses, smiling as if it were the most natural thing: “Claire, let me borrow your man for a bit. I need to pick out a groom’s suit for my groom. Lucas’s physique is just perfect…” Before I could agree, Lucas Hunt readily agreed without hesitation. They were gone the whole afternoon. When they came back, Lucas Hunt said Tessa’s wedding dress was beautiful. Now that I think about it, he thought Tessa in a wedding dress was beautiful. But I had never even worn a wedding dress. Every time I mentioned having a wedding, Lucas Hunt was always too busy… He’d been busy for three years. We’d set dates and postponed, postponed and set dates again. Over and over, I couldn’t even remember how many times it had been. “Claire, are you okay?” Tessa tilted her head to look at me. “I’m fine.” The door lock clicked. Lucas Hunt was back, coincidentally holding two cups of coffee. As if he already knew there would be two women drinking coffee at home today. Seeing Tessa in the bridesmaid dress standing in the living room, he raised his eyebrows: “Well, whose bride is this?”

Tessa shot him a coquettish look: “Don’t say that. I’m just trying it on…” Lucas Hunt laughed and handed her the coffee: “Less sugar, more milk, hot.” Then he glanced at me: “Yours is on the table.” This order of priority seemed to have always existed. It was just particularly glaring today… Tessa suddenly called out to him, “Oh no, the zipper on the back of this dress isn’t done up properly. Help me out.” I turned to look. It had clearly been zipped up before, but now it had slipped down, exposing her fair skin. Just as I was about to help her, Lucas Hunt had already stepped forward. He pinched the zipper and pulled it up. The practiced motion stung my eyes. He turned to look at me: “Where’s Martha?” I snapped back to reality, forcing my tears back: “She had to go back to her hometown. I let her leave two days early.” Lucas Hunt reached out and pinched my cheek, “Martha’s so lucky to have met such a kind mistress like you.” After speaking, he lowered his head to kiss me. A loud crash came from behind us. Tessa had knocked over the coffee cup and burned her hand, letting out a shriek. Lucas Hunt immediately let go of me and strode over: “How can you be so careless? Did you get burned? I’ll get the medicine.” He rummaged through the medicine box muttering complaints, then crouched in front of Tessa to apply ointment. He kept saying, “So clumsy. How old are you anyway?” I picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip. Bitter. So bitter. I put down the coffee and walked into the bedroom to start packing. Lucas Hunt appeared at the door: “What are you doing?” “Packing. Going home.” He frowned, “They want you back?” I didn’t look up: “Yeah.” “Claire,” he walked in, “I’ve told you so many times. Parents who don’t bless us aren’t worth keeping. Why do you have to go back and suffer?” My hands paused while folding clothes. He really had said it many times. From the first time my parents objected, he’d told me to cut ties with my family, saying parents like that weren’t worth it. But I didn’t listen. I kept trying to make my parents acknowledge that I’d married well. I’d been looking forward to next week’s wedding for three years. They say a wedding is a ceremony every girl wants. But for me, it was more about showing my parents that Lucas Hunt was worth it! I wanted to tell them he still remembered the promise he made me when he was at his lowest. That he was willing to give me a grand wedding to announce it to the world… But in the end, it was all just my self-deception. If he really loved me, how could he bear to make me cut ties with my parents? “We’re not having the reception either,” I zipped up my suitcase, “and you won’t be there anyway. What am I staying here for?” He was speechless. “I just said we’d postpone it, not cancel it,” his tone softened, “something urgent came up at the company. I had no choice. About your parents—once I’m done with this, I’ll go talk to them myself.” Tessa also came over carrying the bridesmaid dress: “Claire, don’t blame Lucas. You just stay home drinking coffee and watering plants every day. How would you know how busy he’s been at the company lately?” “As his secretary, I know exactly what he’s doing. He’s been working around the clock for weeks!” I paused: “Secretary? Aren’t you in the operations division?” Something suddenly flashed through my mind—employee gossip I’d overheard when I went to find Lucas Hunt at the company a few days ago: “Mr. Hunt’s secretary follows him around all day. They close the office door for an hour or two, and when they come out, her hair is all messy.” I’d laughed it off at the time. I thought Lucas Hunt’s secretary was still old Robert. He was used to him and wouldn’t replace him easily. Turns out… this secretary wasn’t that secretary! Tessa froze for a moment, quickly glancing at Lucas Hunt, then explained with a smile: “The operations division hasn’t been busy lately, so I volunteered to help Lucas share the load. He was too tired. I couldn’t just watch.” “Claire, I’m doing this because I feel bad for your husband. If you can’t help him, I will!”

It wasn’t that I couldn’t help—Lucas Hunt wouldn’t let me go to the company. He said I married him to enjoy life. That was all I needed to do. But he didn’t tell me that to enjoy this bit of comfort, I’d have to lose my marriage, my friends, my parents, and my dignity… Just as Lucas Hunt was about to chime in, we heard the door from the living room. Martha was back. “Mr. Hunt, Miss Claire!” “Didn’t you have the day off?” Lucas Hunt asked. Martha scratched her head: “I got halfway there and remembered I forgot the motion sickness medicine Miss Claire bought for me.” She looked at Tessa with her crooked smile, then at Lucas Hunt, and suddenly laughed twice: “Mr. Hunt, please don’t hit Miss Tessa anymore!” Tessa’s expression changed: “Martha, what nonsense are you talking about?” Martha tilted her head, looking confused: “I’m not talking nonsense.” The living room fell silent. Lucas Hunt was the first to react, frowning and scolding: “Martha, if your head’s not clear, go rest. Stop spouting nonsense.” Then he turned to me with a helpless tone, “You know her condition. You’d actually believe her crazy talk?” Tessa’s eyes also reddened, looking aggrieved: “Claire, just fire this Martha. She’s always talking nonsense.” She tugged at my sleeve. I lowered my eyes, then let out a laugh: “I know. Martha’s mind isn’t clear. I won’t take what she says seriously.” Lucas Hunt let out a breath of relief and walked over to squeeze my shoulder. “Alright, I’m going to the study to work.” Tessa, probably to “avoid suspicion,” didn’t eagerly follow him like usual. Instead, she pulled me to sit down. “Claire, I’d love to keep you company during the break, but remember when I tried on the wedding dress? Actually, I’m getting married next week too! It works out perfectly that your wedding got postponed.” I sneered inwardly. I could guess who the groom was, but I was too lazy to ask. She rambled on for a bit, then suddenly looked pleading: “There’s a very important document that needs to be signed for. Help me receive it before you go home, okay? You don’t have a job anyway. You can go back anytime. No rush for a day or two.” I hesitated for two seconds, then nodded: “Okay.” She happily hugged me: “I knew you were the best! I’ll leave first then.” The house fell quiet. My heart also completely quieted down. Early the next morning, I didn’t get up to see Lucas Hunt off. He sat by the bed, running his fingers through my hair and instructing: “Babe, when I get back, I promise I’ll give you a grand wedding that will make your parents happy too!” In the past, my heart would have been sweet for days. But now, every word felt like he was reading a script. Reading it to someone he had no intention of keeping promises to. Seeing I wasn’t responding, thinking I was still unhappy about postponing the wedding, he left on his own. The moment he left, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out. I ran into Martha at the door. I looked at her and smiled: “Martha, would you be willing to come back to my hometown with me? You could work there from now on.” Her eyes lit up: “That would be great! I know Miss Tessa is pregnant with a baby~ Mr. Hunt said when the baby’s born, he’ll give it to Miss Claire to raise. I don’t want to take care of someone else’s child!” I froze, instinctively touching my own belly. Married for three years, he had always refused to give me a child. A while ago I said I was bored at home. He suddenly said, “How about we adopt one?” “Childbirth is too painful for women. I can’t bear to see you suffer like that.” I’d actually believed his “concern” at the time. I was too foolish.

When I got home, Father was reading the newspaper in the living room. He looked up and saw me, frowning: “You really came back? Not having the wedding anymore?” “Not anymore.” I handed my suitcase to the servant. Father put down the newspaper and beckoned me to sit. “Why didn’t that girl Tessa come back with you? Hasn’t she been living at your place?” “She had something to do.” Father snorted: “What could she possibly have to do? She just likes clinging to you. Two years ago I arranged a good job for her, but she insisted on going to find you.” I didn’t respond. Perhaps she wasn’t going to find me at all, but to find Lucas Hunt. She was a scholarship student my father sponsored. Later, my father even brought her mother to work as a cook. During those years when I was fighting with my family over Lucas Hunt, she always supported me. And all along, she was working her way into Lucas Hunt’s heart… Father continued asking: “Did you handle the divorce paperwork? Back then you insisted I give him the cooperation rights for that project. If you two divorce now, I won’t be giving it to him anymore!” My eyes suddenly stung. I didn’t dare tell Dad that my marriage certificate was fake. I didn’t even need a divorce. I nodded: “Yeah, divorced!” Father nodded. There was heartache in his eyes, but he didn’t ask more. The next day, Dad arranged for my blind date to come over. His name was Xavier Moore. His family was as wealthy as mine. He was very handsome but rather quiet. We sat face to face for three minutes, and the wedding was settled. Yet Lucas Hunt and I had been together for three years, and he still hadn’t given me a wedding. How ironic… The wedding was held at a resort hotel owned by the Moore family. Although it was rushed, it was extremely luxurious. After the ceremony, we went straight to get our marriage certificate that afternoon. This marriage certificate was real. On our wedding night, I was nervous when my phone rang. It was a video call from Tessa. I hesitated for a few seconds, then answered. She was wearing a slip dress, smiling sweetly: “Claire, did you sign for that document for me?” There was a probing tone in her voice. I smiled, “Already signed for it. Don’t worry.” Her eyes brightened: “Good. Once my wedding’s over, I’ll come back to keep you company right away!” As she spoke, she deliberately turned her phone around. The screen swept across the hotel room. The bed was messy, her face flushed, unable to hide her smile: “Tonight, my husband and I did it three times. I told him to stop but he wouldn’t. My back hurts so much now!” A man’s voice came through the phone: “Only three times and you can’t take it? We used to be able to do it seven times in one night.” Tessa’s smile couldn’t be suppressed. She said coquettishly: “I know, you’re so annoying.” I held the phone without saying anything. Then Tessa spoke to me through the phone again: “Claire, guess who my groom is?” “No need to guess,” I said. “Congratulations on your marriage. I need to go to bed with my groom too.” The other end paused, as if not processing what I’d said. At that moment, Xavier came out of the bathroom, walked to the bedside, and suddenly reached out to embrace my waist, his lips brushing against my earlobe. Caught off guard, I let out a soft moan. Tessa was still in a daze when the man beside her suddenly sounded alert: “Who are you talking to? What groom?”

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He was famous for his strict adherence to propriety, taking the initiative to marry me and take responsibility after our wild night. But he didn’t love me. After we got married, no matter how hard I tried, he kept me at arm’s length. He was as cold and detached as a monk. Until a woman appeared who perfectly matched his criteria for a partner. He lost his mind over her, unable to sleep at night. So, it wasn’t that he didn’t have desires and emotions. He just didn’t have them for me. 01 At 1:00 AM, Carter finally came home. He seemed surprised that I wasn’t asleep yet. “I told you, you don’t have to wait up for me.” “But I want to wait,” I said, smiling and leaning against him. “It’s only natural for a wife to wait for her husband to come home.” He paused in taking off his watch: “Suit yourself.” Only a small lamp was on in the living room. In the dim light, the man’s features were so perfect he didn’t seem human. Every time I looked closely at him, I felt a deep sense of awe. “I missed you so much today—” My words were cut off. Carter frowned at me: “What are you wearing?” I said: “New lingerie, do you like it?” “Don’t do this kind of thing again.” He turned and walked towards the guest bedroom. “Carter,” I stopped him. “Today is my birthday, can’t you just spend some time with me?” He stopped in his tracks: “Happy birthday. I’m pretty tired today, we’ll talk about it later.” He went into the room and locked the door behind him. Leaving me alone in the living room, wearing semi-transparent lingerie, feeling like an absolute fool. We’ve been married for half a year, and Carter has always kept me at a distance. No matter how much I flirted with him, he remained unmoved. Like a monk devoid of human desires. The media always said Carter was different from those playboy trust-fund kids. The Vance family had strict rules, raising him to be the most proper gentleman in Manhattan’s elite circle. But I had seen his other side. His wild, unhinged side. Seeing it once made me crave it again. However, Carter’s actions told me that night was just an accident. My phone vibrated. My best friend, Lily, sent a message: “Have you seen the trending topics… if you haven’t, promise me you won’t get mad.” What happened? I opened Twitter, and a glaring headline caught my eye. #CarterVanceLateNightRendezvousWithBeauty# Oh, I knew this beauty. Carter’s new secretary. 02 The comment section was full of people watching the drama unfold. [Congrats to CEO Vance for finding true love!] [Bring the marriage registry here! Hurry up and divorce that manipulative Audrey Miller!!] [Audrey Miller even posted a PDA tweet today. Talk about a slap in the face.] [Is there anyone who doesn’t know Audrey Miller orchestrated a one-night stand to force him into marriage…] So, Carter was with his new secretary tonight. I had seen that girl before. Twenty-two years old, just graduated from college. Very young, very pretty, and full of energy. Most importantly, she perfectly matched Carter’s criteria for a partner. They met at a campus recruitment event. Carter went to give a speech personally, and the girl was bold enough to be the first to raise her hand to ask a question. After the meeting, Carter specifically pulled out her resume and studied it for a long time. Unexpectedly, this girl was appointed directly as his executive secretary. You have to understand, Carter’s secretarial team wielded immense power. The company’s HR department had no say; only he could personally appoint them. Following the information provided by netizens, I found the girl’s account. An hour ago, she posted a tweet. [Can’t handle my liquor. Thanks to my kind boss for driving me home, hehe.] In the photo, she was sitting in the passenger seat, showing Carter’s hands gripping the steering wheel. 03 Early the next morning. Carter walked out of his room and saw me. “You have a shoot today?” “No.” “Then why are you up so early?” “What were you doing last night?” “Team building with the executive office.” “Was it a team building for a group, or a team building for two?” “What do you mean?” I pulled up the trending topic. Carter glanced at it, downplaying it: “The media is taking things out of context. There were six people at dinner yesterday.” “Is that so? Should I believe you?” “Audrey, stop being unreasonable. You know better than anyone what the media is like.” He wasn’t wrong. After all, in the current entertainment industry, no female star gets hated on more than me. The media deserves a lot of the credit for that. But these are two different things. I cut straight to the chase: “Do you like her? That secretary fresh out of college.” “I don’t.” Faced with my blunt question, Carter remained calm and heavy. “And I don’t appreciate your wild guesses. If you have too much free time, I’ll have the management department schedule more shoots for you.” He spoke as if addressing a subordinate. Not his wife. I said: “I remember your criteria for a partner. Under 5’7″, long straight dark hair, a clean aura, energetic and smiley. She fits them all.” And I didn’t fit a single one. I was known for being cold and glamorous. Carter was getting annoyed: “Are you done? If you’re done, I’m going to the office.” “Fine, go. Today I will tell the media that Chloe is a homewrecker interfering in someone else’s marriage—” Carter stopped abruptly. When he looked back at me, there was actual anger in his eyes. “Chloe is only twenty-two. She’s just a kid. Do you want to destroy her life with rumors?” God knows how long it had been since I saw Carter angry. Raging for a beauty, only that beauty wasn’t me. I said: “Carter, do you remember how old I am?” “Yesterday, I just turned twenty-five.” “I’m only three years older than her.” “When I was getting torn apart by the public, did you ever feel sorry for me?” 04 My feelings for Carter began when I was eighteen. I grew up in a single-parent household. During my senior year of high school, my mom got seriously ill. I didn’t go to college. After graduation, I worked at a bar to scrape together money for her treatment. I worked a legitimate job, not selling anything inappropriate. But because of my standout looks, I occasionally faced verbal harassment from male customers. The manager said the customer is always right, and if I didn’t want to get fired, I just had to endure it. One day, I encountered a particularly difficult customer. “How old are you, little girl? Oh, eighteen. So young. Are you a waitress here? Do you offer any other services besides serving drinks?” A group of men started laughing sleazily. “You don’t? Stop pretending. Your uncle here isn’t just rich, he’s also very capable. Come with me tonight, and I promise you’ll experience pure bliss.” It was disgusting. He was about to continue harassing me when suddenly, a glass of liquor fell from the sky, soaking him from head to toe. “Who the f—” Seeing who it was, the male customer froze. “Mr., Mr. Vance, what is the meaning of this?” “Apologize to her.” 05 That was the first time I heard Carter’s voice. It was clear and cool, like pearls breaking off a string and clinking onto a porcelain plate. He was there to discuss a business deal. I figured if it weren’t for work, he wouldn’t have set foot in this place. Because he completely didn’t fit in here. Carter didn’t have the slightest smell of smoke or alcohol on him. He was as aloof as a god. After the man slinked away, Carter said to me: “People like that aren’t fit to do business with me.” “Thank you, sir.” “You don’t need to endure it. Next time, remember to fight back and protect yourself.” “I’ll lose my job.” He looked down at me: “Are you very short on money?” “Yeah, my mom is sick and needs medical bills paid.” “What about school?” I shook my head: “I don’t have the money for tuition.” “I understand.” Surprisingly, Carter didn’t show any pity. That was good. I didn’t like people pitying me. He left me a phone number. “This is my subordinate’s contact information. You can reach out to him. Our company has a charity project helping impoverished students. As long as your situation is verified, you can apply for a grant.” He paused, then said one last thing. “If you have the opportunity, you must study.” Later, I really did get the grant. After paying for my mom’s treatment, there was still some left over. I took a gap year, studied hard, and successfully got into college. It was only then that I learned he was the famous Carter Vance. The Vance family was a titan in the entertainment industry, terrifyingly wealthy. And Carter was the sole heir. In my sophomore year, I met him for the second time. I gathered my courage and walked up to Carter: “Mr. Vance, thank you.” He was confused: “You are?” He didn’t remember. The lighting was dim that night, and he barely looked at me. Helping me was just a casual gesture for him. But that was okay. I would work hard, and sooner or later, I would stand beside him. A year later, I became a signed artist at Carter’s company. I was finally able to confidently extend my hand to him: “Hello, Mr. Vance.” He would never know how many years I worked hard for this day. I didn’t dare to hope for the future; I was already content. But half a year ago, an accident completely changed our relationship. —Carter and I had a wild one-night stand. 06 I only remember the gist of what happened that night. The company hosted a gala, and many VIPs attended. I drank too much, and so did Carter. My guest room was 606. I was sure the room I entered was 606. But Carter was lying inside. I don’t even remember how we started kissing. I was intoxicated, and so was he. There were many rumors about Carter in the outside world. He kept his distance from women and strictly adhered to propriety. Some said his sexual orientation was a mystery. Others said he had a hidden illness. But that night, I experienced firsthand that it was all fake! When Carter lost control, it was fatal. … Early the next morning, someone rang the doorbell. My legs were weak as I went to open it. Because of the hangover, my mind was still foggy, and I thought it was housekeeping. In reality, it was full of reporters. Countless camera lenses were aimed at me. While I was standing there in shock, Carter also walked over. “Who is it?” He didn’t even have time to put on his shirt properly before he was caught on camera. 07 The scandal between Carter and me caused an uproar. The Vance family was strict and wouldn’t allow such an absurd thing to happen. Carter found me and proposed marriage. Of course, I agreed without hesitation. Happiness came too suddenly, going straight to my head. It caused me to ignore the scrutiny and coldness in his eyes at that moment. He asked me: “Wasn’t the room number 909?” I said: “No, it was 606. You read it wrong.” He was silent for a moment, then spat out four words: “As you wish.” It wasn’t until after we got married that I understood the deep meaning of those four words. It turned out that after that night, Carter went to the hospital for a check-up. They found traces of drugs in his system. The kind of illicit drug that makes you lose your reason and be controlled by lust. Though illegal, this drug wasn’t uncommon. Who drugged him? At the same time, that morning, I opened the door for the reporters. Who called the reporters? How did they conveniently gather right outside this room? Everything seemed planned. I was the prime suspect. Carter hadn’t originally intended to resolve this with marriage. But ruining the family’s reputation caused their stock to plummet, and the family elders were furious. He had no choice but to take responsibility. I had defended myself. “It wasn’t me”—I said those words countless times. But everything was just too coincidental. Carter said it was hard for him to believe me. During these six months of marriage, we slept in separate rooms. Even if he accidentally touched my hand, he would pull away as if he’d been electrocuted. I didn’t give up. I believed that one day, he would discard the misunderstandings and barriers. But it seemed I wouldn’t live to see that day. Because of Chloe’s appearance. 08 I had seen Carter reading her resume word by word. As if trying to study her past between the lines. He was so gentle, but not towards me. After fighting with Carter, I packed my things and left the house. We gave each other the silent treatment for days, and he never reached out. A week later, I went to record a talk show. Carter came too, bringing his new secretary. Having not seen him for days, when he saw me, he just gave a distant nod from afar. No intimacy whatsoever. Chloe followed beside him, curious about everything, constantly asking him questions. I remembered that Carter hated stupid people at work. But right now, facing Chloe, he was very patient, answering every single question. After a while, he came over to me. “Audrey,” he said. “I gave you the status you wanted. Don’t drag innocent people into this.” “We haven’t seen each other for a week, and this is what you want to say?” “Just a reminder.” I laughed: “Mr. Vance, do you still think I drugged you and called the reporters?” “What else?” I didn’t say anything more. There was no need. Disappointment flooded my heart and brain, sobering me up. Carter was truly good to his little secretary. Her probation period wasn’t even over, yet he let her appear on the show in his place. She was talkative and full of energy. Until the host asked about me. “Chloe, you just joined the company recently and you’re already on a show with the boss’s wife. Are you nervous?” Chloe glanced at me and said: “What’s there to be afraid of? I know there are some bad rumors out there, saying Audrey used to be a bar girl, and that she’s very manipulative and stuff. But I want to say, Audrey is a very good person. You shouldn’t be prejudiced against her!” The whole studio was dumbfounded. She just publicly listed all my scandals! Even the host, who had seen all sorts of situations, was stunned into silence. The host had to change the subject. “Ahem, next, let’s ask Audrey. Do you have any important plans coming up? Give the fans watching a little hint.” “I actually do.” I smiled calmly— “I’m, get-ting, a, di-vorce.” Every word was clear and resounding. Carter, who was off-stage, snapped his head up. His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. 09 The studio was quieter than it had ever been. The host looked like she wanted to die. Probably in her entire career, she had never felt this awkward. “Why, why, why did you make this decision…” “You should ask Miss Chloe.” I tossed the ball to Chloe. The little girl was caught completely off guard. Did she think she was the only one who could play passive-aggressive? Sorry, I prefer the direct approach. “You’ve all seen the news lately, right? My husband has been acting ambiguously with his subordinate. If I don’t divorce a husband like that, am I supposed to keep him around for the holidays?” Facing the camera, I smiled. “I don’t like fighting with other people over a man. I have a lot of things to do. I have to shoot movies and record shows. Without love, I can still live a wonderful life.” “As for men, if they don’t behave, just get a new one.” As soon as I finished speaking, Carter seemed to finally snap out of it and forcefully interrupted the show. He pulled me backstage. “Audrey, what nonsense are you spouting?” “I’m not spouting nonsense.” I peeled his fingers off me one by one. It was so laughable. The man who usually dodged my touch was now refusing to let go. “Carter, listen closely.” “Starting today, I, Audrey Miller, am officially asking you for a divorce.” It was as if all the blood had been drained from Carter’s body, his face turning pale. “You’re fighting with me, right? You think if you bring up divorce, I’ll coax you.” He nodded to himself: “Okay, I’ll coax you. Giving you the cold shoulder these past few days was my fault. I apologize. I’ll have PR handle everything that just happened on the show. The company executives won’t say a word of blame. If you don’t like Chloe, I’ll transfer her out of the executive office—” “Not necessary.” I interrupted. “Wake up. I’m not throwing a tantrum.” I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket. It was a prepared divorce agreement. “Take a look. If you don’t have any objections, sign it now.” 10 The show was live. Even though it was halted midway, the things I said were broadcasted accurately. I instantly went viral on Twitter. The comment section was surprisingly supportive. [I’m siding with Audrey on this one. That Chloe girl was talking way too passive-aggressively, it was disgusting.] [I wanted to say this a few days ago: regardless of how Audrey got her position, she is the legitimate wife now, bound by law. A bunch of people praising the mistress as ‘true love’—what kind of messed-up morals is that?] [Support wifey getting a divorce. If you don’t leave, I’ll fight you.] [Off-topic, but Audrey’s face is truly stunning. I was mesmerized by her beauty watching the live stream today… is Carter blind?] People were also discussing what kind of person Chloe really was. Because the day after the scandal broke, Carter, while fighting with me, swiftly issued a clarification statement. The executives who attended the dinner that night also posted photos. The scandal collapsed on its own. But my interview seemed to confirm their ambiguity again. Could a man as proper and rigid as Carter really cheat? Suspicions were running high. Soon, the company’s disciplinary actions were announced. Because of her inappropriate language, Chloe received a severe warning and was transferred. Everyone said this was Carter trying to win me back. But was it really? I knew Carter’s temper too well. If any other employee had made such a mistake, it wouldn’t just be a transfer; they would usually be fired directly. Chloe merely being “transferred” meant he was still protecting her. 11 Looking back at the day of the recording, I brought out the divorce agreement. But Carter refused to sign. I couldn’t guess what he was thinking either. I decided to send a text to rush him. “Mr. Vance, after you fill out the divorce agreement, please send it to me so we can pick a day to get the divorce certificate.” Carter called me directly. “Rey-Rey, haven’t you caused enough of a scene?” Rey-Rey is my nickname. When I was little and couldn’t articulate well, I always mispronounced my name “Audrey” as “Rey-Rey,” so my mom gave me this nickname. Carter had always known this name. But this was the first time he called me that. “I am very firm on the divorce. Please hurry up, Mr. Vance, don’t delay me from finding my next partner.” “Next partner?” Carter practically laughed out of anger. “I’ve given you the status and resources you dreamed of. Who else do you want to find? Rey-Rey, you are my first, and you will be my last. I’ve never coaxed a girl before, but I can promise you, as long as you want it, the position of Mrs. Vance is always yours. No one can take it away!” I said: “But what I dreamed of was never those things.” Carter seemed stunned. “You still don’t know what it is I truly wanted… but it doesn’t matter, I don’t want it anymore.” With that, I hung up. My best friend, Lily, was also an employee at the company. She told me that Carter had been in a very dark mood these past few days and kept zoning out during meetings. Lily said: “Everyone is saying privately that you can’t bear to leave Mr. Vance and that you’ll be back sooner or later. It seems… Mr. Vance believes it too.” No wonder. Ever since I mentioned divorce, Carter had been initiating contact with me every day. But for the past three days, he had reverted to his cold and aloof self. So he was waiting for me to bow my head. Then I’ll give him what he wants. On Friday, I took the initiative to go to the company. When Carter saw me, his eyes lit up: “Rey-Rey, have you thought it through?” “I have.” I slapped a stack of documents on his desk. “Not only do I want a divorce, but I also want to terminate my contract.” 12 I signed a five-year contract with the company. This year was exactly the fifth year. I chose not to renew. Carter was in disbelief. He asked through gritted teeth: “Are you sure about this?” “Yes.” “Found a new agency?” I didn’t know which agency he was talking about. But I still said “Yes.” My attitude infuriated him. He hesitated no longer, took a pen, and signed both contracts. However, he pressed so hard he almost tore through the paper. With the signed divorce agreement, the rest of the process was very simple. The day I got the divorce certificate, I felt incredibly light. This one-sided crush that had lasted for seven years was finally over. As I was admiring the certificate, I heard Carter say: “Remember, today is the day you gave up everything from the Vance family.” “Oh, don’t worry, I won’t regret it.” “I hope so.” His tone was extremely cold, but when he looked up, I noticed. His eyes were red. 13 Whether his eyes were red or not, what did it matter to me? I threw myself into my new life without stopping. Of course, to say I wasn’t sad at all would be a lie. After all, I had loved him so much and tried so hard to get close to him. But clarity only takes an instant. My sadness was only for feeling that my efforts were not worth it. The Vance family had funded my education, and I figured working for them all these years was enough to repay them. A few days later, Lily told me she had also resigned. “Rey-Rey, if you go, I go. Men are unreliable, your sister will stay with you!” I was so moved I almost cried. Lily had been working behind the scenes for years and was very capable. We planned to start our own personal studio. Preparing the studio would take some time. Before that, I was going to record a reality show first. It was a heartwarming variety show. The guests had to bring a few old items and reminisce about the past. After much deliberation, I decided to bring my old backpack. It was the backpack I used during my gap year studying for the college entrance exams. It held a lot of memories. On the day of filming, Carter showed up. It wasn’t that surprising. I had accepted this gig while I was still with my previous company, and besides me, newcomers trained by the company were also on the show. Carter had a habit of being hands-on and came to check in with the production team. He stood behind the camera crew, his eyes fixed on me. I just pretended I didn’t see him. Halfway through the shoot, it was my turn to present. I opened my backpack and took out the items one by one. “This is a gel pen. During my gap year, I did so many practice tests I had to change pens every two or three days. “Oh, and this. The SAT prep book. Everyone’s done this, right? I call it a nightmare. “This is a notebook for mistakes. I have so many more like this. “And this—” I suddenly stopped. The last item was a yellowed diary. It used to be my most loyal listener. During the hardest and most exhausting times of studying, writing in my diary was my only way to relieve stress. My prolonged silence piqued the curiosity of the guest next to me. “Is there a secret in this notebook? You have to follow the rules of the game, no hiding.” She took my notebook and flipped it open. [September 2016. The teacher said the intensity of the gap year classes is very high, and many students can’t handle it. But I must persevere, because I have to go see Carter Vance.] She froze too. The whole studio went quiet.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “439066”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

To bathe my pet, I was influenced into buying a “Couples’ Bathroom Suction Cup Wristband.” But the package left at my door was mistakenly taken by my crush, the dentist next door. While walking the dog, I discussed the “wonders” of the wristband with an innocent college boy. When I got back, my neighbor backed me into a corner. “Who did you use it with? “If it could be just anyone, then why didn’t you choose me?” 01 My name is Penny Parker. Ever since I was a kid, my feet would glue themselves to the floor at the sight of good food. After I started working, my food expenses went through the roof, taking up a ridiculous chunk of my paycheck. To fund my eating habits, I racked my brain for ways to make extra cash and finally chose the path that suited me best—becoming a Mukbang streamer. My career was just starting; I only had a meager dozen or so followers. On my stream, I was complaining about how my Corgi, Waffles, never behaved during bath time. A fan mysteriously sent me a link, promising it worked like a charm. I obediently bought it. The next day, the delivery guy called to say it was delivered, but I didn’t see a ghost of a package. “I left it at your front door as you requested.” In the photo the delivery guy sent, the brown cardboard box was sitting quietly right in the middle between my door and my neighbor’s. “I went to the building manager to check the security footage. The neighbor thought it was his package and took it inside!!!” During my stream, looking dead inside, I reported this colossal mix-up to my fans. “I don’t know if the box has the product name written on it. “If he saw it, my lifelong reputation is ruined, hahahaha.” The live chat comments flew by, full of mockery and zero comfort. “I’ve had a crush on him for so long. If he gets the wrong idea, I seriously won’t have the courage to explain myself ahhhh.” Just picturing that scene was more than I could handle. When people feel awkward, they try to look busy, so I stuffed another fried chicken drumstick into my mouth. It was a little bland, but that was okay. Paired with my tears, it was just salty enough. [Don’t you bring him food all the time? Since he just took the package in not long ago, he probably hasn’t opened it yet. Go drop off some food and get it back on the way.] [Girl, she’s right! The longer you drag it out, the higher the risk he sees it. Just rip the band-aid off!] [I’m so anxious, I really want to know what happens next. Streamer, hurry up and go. Come back and restart the stream afterward; I’m pulling an all-nighter right here waiting for you.] Thinking it over, I really didn’t have a better solution. I had no choice but to hastily end the stream, pack up the table full of food, and knock on my handsome neighbor’s door. 02 My neighbor’s name was Arthur Hayes, a dentist at a top-tier hospital in our district. My crush on him originated from a brutally intense cavity filling. I had bad eating habits. Whenever I ate something delicious, I’d subconsciously bite down hard. One careless chomp on a bone fragment chipped my tooth. It hurt so much I couldn’t sleep all night, my cheek swelling up like a small hill. At the crack of dawn, I scrambled to the nearest hospital and registered. Clutching my swollen cheek, I opened the door to the clinic. One look up completely overturned my perception of the medical profession. He looked very unprofessional, because he was simply way too handsome. Fair skin, perfectly proportioned features, soft hair falling smoothly to his brow bone. He wore gold-rimmed glasses resting on a high-bridged nose, and his lips were full and an alluring shade. “Please, have a seat.” His clear, soothing voice pulled my thoughts back. I sat in the dental chair in front of him, obediently opening my mouth, leaving myself at his mercy. He briefly asked about my symptoms, then pinched my chin and meticulously examined me for a long time with his cold tools. I only understood “needs a filling,” “requires a root canal,” and “might need to come in a few more times.” Then, in a daze, I found myself lying back on the cold dental chair. “Pinch me if it hurts.” He placed my hand on his leg. “Tilt your head up. “Relax. “Open wide, don’t bite down…” His deep, gentle voice worked better than hypnosis. It was like I was under a spell, acting completely obedient. Whatever he said, I did. That was until an indescribable, aching, numbing pain spread through my mouth. I couldn’t help but pinch his thigh muscle hard. The texture was firm and elastic. A series of inappropriate images began popping into my head. Like that thirsty TikTok video of the muscle guy I scrolled past before bed last night. Tears spilling out from the pain flowed down my mouth and were sucked away clean by his suction tube. “Bear with it for a second. “A little pressure and pain at first is normal, it’ll be over soon.” The cold instruments brought a weird sensation, and the fear of the unknown tortured me. Only by staring at his eyes and brows could I alleviate a fraction of my anxiety. Luckily, he worked fast. After it was over, I sat dumbly on the edge of the chair. Arthur went over post-care instructions while scheduling my next root canal appointment. When I left, he said. “…Pinch a little lighter next time.” I was speechless. The second time I came, I recorded an audio clip on my phone. “Dr. Hayes, it hurts!” Every time it hurt, I just pressed play on the recording. My voice echoed in the small clinic room. “Dr. Hayes, it hurts! “Dr. Hayes… “Dr. Hayes, it hurts so much!” The young nurse beside us was bursting with joy, laughing so hard she bent over and couldn’t stand straight for a while. Arthur’s face turned red all the way to the tips of his ears. He kept saying, “Okay, I’ll be gentler. Hang in there, it’ll be over soon.” But his hand movements didn’t pause for a single second because of my audio clip. It wasn’t until I looked at him with teary eyes that he let me rest for a few minutes. Then it was a new round of torture. After the filling was done this time, we had no reason to meet and chat anymore. Even though I missed him, the painful memories of that dental chair were truly terrifying, always managing to nip my burgeoning crush in the bud. However, our next meeting didn’t take long. The flu hit hard, and the apartment complex organized a pop-up vaccination drive in the lobby. Arthur was the doctor assigned to our building. I came down late and was at the very end of the line. It wasn’t until I got my shot and he took off his protective gear that I recognized him. “What a coincidence, Dr. Hayes!” “I’ve been dealing with you for days, and you’re just now recognizing me?” “Huh? You recognized me the past two days?” “I recognized your teeth.” I laughed awkwardly. Chalk it up to him being unromantic, and me being overly sentimental. We chatted as we walked, only realizing we were walking the same path when we reached our front doors. “You live here too? “Looks like we’re neighbors.” Being close to the water gets you the moonlight first. Wasn’t this a godsend? I, Penny Parker, am indeed destined to feast on the best! Since then, I would find excuses to bother Dr. Hayes, making him cute bento boxes, asking him out to try new restaurants or watch movies. The fact that he never refused made me feel pretty good about myself. I had even thought of our future kids’ names. Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. I believed our relationship was just one step away from the goal line. Now that this incident happened, if I didn’t handle it well, wouldn’t all this time spent chasing him be for nothing? 03 I knocked lightly three times. Not long after, the door opened. “Hehe, I’m here to use you as my taste tester again.” Arthur stepped aside, gesturing for me to come in. Just as I was about to take off my shoes and walk in barefoot, a pair of fuzzy slippers was handed to me. “I bought you these fluffy bunny slippers. They just arrived today.” The two little ears on the bunny’s head bobbed with his movement. A squeal of delight was right on the tip of my tongue, but to maintain my ladylike image, I swallowed it back down. “I saw these scrolling online just a couple days ago! They’re so cute!” Delighted, I slipped on the slippers and arranged the food on the dining table. Not forgetting why I was here, I kept my hands moving while secretly scanning every corner of the living room from the corner of my eye. By the shoe cabinet in the entryway, my delivery box lay quietly. It didn’t look like it had been opened. My heart settled halfway back into my chest. “I tried to replicate KFC’s crispy fried chicken at home today. I feel like it’s a bit bland, can you taste it?” I held out a drumstick to Arthur. I thought he would reach out and take it, but to my surprise, he just leaned in and took a bite right out of my hand. “It’s delicious.” I felt the temperature of my face rising steadily. Was this the beauty of flirting? I sat down, feigning calmness, and pulled out my homemade floral gin. It was October, the autumn breeze was crisp, and the scent of flowers filled the air. It was a great time for infused liquor. I figured knocking back a couple of drinks might make it easier to speak naturally, so I brought it without overthinking. Arthur brought out two glasses and poured a little for each of us. Worried it wouldn’t be enough liquid courage for me to perform, I topped them off with a bit more. “I didn’t realize you were such a good drinker?” He teased me, watching my actions. I just giggled. I was here to handle serious business, after all. After dinner, I sat on the sofa watching TV, preparing to get down to business once Arthur finished cleaning up the dishes. I was still brewing my words and hadn’t opened my mouth yet when he interrupted my casting. “That movie you missed in theaters is available streaming now. I rented it. Do you want to watch it together?” My mouth was faster than my brain. Before my brain could process it, my mouth had already said yes for me. The lights were dimmed, and coupled with the alcohol, sleepiness soon enveloped me. In a daze, I blindly grabbed something to hug and slept soundly. When I woke up, the movie was over. I was leaning against Arthur’s chest, my hands wrapped around his arm, and I had even left a suspicious drool stain on his shirt. Guiltily, I pursed my lips, but I felt a stinging, burning sensation on them. Seeing this, he leaned in for a closer look. “It might be an allergic reaction. Do you know what you’re allergic to?” Maybe because we hadn’t spoken for a long time during the movie, his voice sounded a bit hoarse. Seeing me shake my head, he continued. “Come to the hospital tomorrow for an allergy test. I’ll book the appointment for you.” Before leaving, as I was changing my shoes in the entryway, I pretended to casually notice my package. “Oh, this looks like my package. The delivery guy must have dropped it off at the wrong door.” He glanced at the box and handed it to me. The lighting was dim, so I couldn’t clearly see his expression. My probing had failed. “Is it? I just brought it in and didn’t look closely. You should take it back.” I thought to myself, Thank god I got here fast. He hadn’t opened it or seen it, so my image was safe. After bidding each other goodnight, I happily carried the box back to my place. I didn’t forget the girls waiting for me online, so I updated them on the progress. “Retrieved safely! I’ll dish the details on tomorrow’s stream! I just fell asleep at his place.” This was the first time I’d stayed at his place this long. My whole body was marinated in the nice woody scent of his apartment. As soon as I got back, Waffles circled me, sniffing for ages. When I showered and threw my clothes in the hamper, I was almost reluctant to wash them. How is my behavior any different from a total creep? Penny Parker, you are such a pervert. 04 Actually, the stinging on my lips was gone after my shower that night. I figured the allergen was probably inside Arthur’s house. However, since he had already booked the appointment, I woke up bright and early to get the allergy test done. As soon as I got the report, Arthur strolled up beside me out of nowhere. “Let me see.” I handed it to him. “Dust mites and cat dander.” “I fed some stray cats on my way home from work yesterday. I probably got cat hair on me.” The symptoms did appear right after leaning on him, and it wasn’t too severe. “Probably.” “Mhm. Next time you come over, I’ll change clothes and shower first.” “It’s fine, it’s fine, I’m not that fragile. It’s probably just because we were leaning so close yesterday.” Arthur gave me a meaningful look. “Last night, when you were rubbing my abs and sleep-talking, you said they felt good, that you loved touching them, and wanted to touch them more.” My eyes widened to the size of saucers. My little brain desperately scrambled for memories of last night—error 404, scene not found. How could a person make such a massive blunder after just a little alcohol??? My mind went completely blank, and I couldn’t utter a single syllable. “Allergies can be mild or severe; in the worst-case scenario, you could suffocate. “As a doctor, I obviously have to prevent my patient from collapsing in front of me.” The heart of a girl with a crush on her doctor simply shattered into pieces. The temperature of my face skyrocketed. If it were winter right now, I’d be blowing white steam out of my nostrils like a dragon. “I have to get to work. I’m leaving.” I muttered under my breath and hurriedly fled the scene, not even taking my allergy report. Sitting in the car, I couldn’t stop replaying Arthur’s words. I said I wanted to touch him, and he just let me? Did he think I was a creep, or was he indulging my handsy behavior? If I hit him up in the future, will he treat me like a pervert? If I read this completely wrong, does that mean I can never hang out with Dr. Hayes again? The more I thought about it, the worse my mood got, and I didn’t dare initiate conversation with him anymore. When I started my stream that night, my head was still full of this mess, so I talked a lot less. [Is Penny in a bad mood?] [You still haven’t told us about last night.] Seeing the chat mention yesterday, I couldn’t help but sigh again. “Ugh, don’t even bring it up. I made an even bigger mess yesterday.” I stopped eating and recounted the whole series of events from last night. The chat had people comforting me and people laughing at my obliviousness. But one particular comment buried in there was exceptionally explosive. [What a shame it was just an allergy! I totally thought he stole a kiss and kissed your lips swollen!] [Let them speak!] [User ‘BigSocks’, you have no filter.] What kind of wild, scandalous statement is that! If Dr. Hayes would actually do that, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams. “I’ve been flirting with him for so long and haven’t even gotten to hold his hand. How could he possibly steal a kiss!” The chat erupted into a sea of [Hahahaha]. [But he ate the chicken straight from your hand! He must have feelings for you to do that.] [Were his words this morning a polite way of telling you to keep your hands to yourself?] [Sister, you’ve definitely never dated. He’s obviously playing hard to get!] [+1.] [I think so too.] Seeing the chat debating so passionately, I felt a whirlwind of mixed emotions. They could guess whatever they wanted, but if I guessed wrong, I might just repeat past mistakes. Back in college, I pursued a guy too aggressively and mistook his polite rejection for shyness. Full of confidence, I went to confess my feelings. When he rejected me, he frowned, looking at me like I was a pesky mosquito. “Sorry, I think you’re just horny, you don’t actually like me.” After that, we completely cut ties. Thinking that if I said the wrong thing, my relationship with Dr. Hayes would reset to zero, my heart ached sourly, and my food lost its flavor. And if I ever needed to see a dentist again, I’d have to detour to a farther hospital. I don’t want that!!! “Sigh, I should just lay low and behave myself for a while.” 05 The wristband the fan recommended was actually pretty great. Once I secured Waffles, he couldn’t break free, and I finally didn’t have to play parkour with him in the shower stall. That evening, I took Waffles out for a walk. We bumped into a downstairs neighbor who also had a Corgi. The two of us strolled along the path by the community park. Waffles and the other Corgi, Marshmallow, ran in circles wagging their tails, having the time of their lives. Heh, little simp. Just like me. Marshmallow’s owner was a college boy. I rarely saw him walking the dog before because he was a busy high school senior; usually, his mom brought the dog out. Back in high school, he had a buzzcut and wore a uniform every day, looking like an average teenager. Now that he was in college, his hair was longer. Wearing a hoodie, calling me “Penny” with a sweet mouth, he gave off total “puppy dog” vibes. “I rarely saw you walking Marshmallow before.” “Yeah, I didn’t have much time in high school. Now that I have more free time in college, my mom stopped walking her for me.” “Oh, I see. Do you take Marshmallow to a groomer, or do you wash her at home?” “Washing her at home is more convenient, but it’s a huge hassle.” Hearing this, I couldn’t wait to recommend my new bath-time miracle tool to him. But since this thing’s original purpose wasn’t pet grooming and it looked a bit kinky, I had to lean in close and whisper to him. “Someone recently recommended something to me, and it works so well. “Go search these keywords: Couples, Bathroom, Wrist Cuffs.” Seeing me say this, Toby looked at me weirdly. I quickly pulled out a picture and explained how to use it, preventing him from thinking I was some older woman with bizarre fetishes. “Look, you strap them up like this, and no matter how much they struggle, they can’t get loose.” “Is it really that good?” “Yeah! It’s comfortable for them, and comfortable for you.” “But I’ve never tried it. Will it overstimulate her?” “No way! I’ve already used it!” Right as we were discussing it, I caught a glimpse of Arthur walking by. I was just about to say hi, but I saw his face was dark. The air pressure around him was freezing, giving off a total “stay away from me” vibe. The way he looked reminded me of that guy I confessed to before; he was just as ruthlessly cold after rejecting me. I swallowed my greeting, lowered my head to pretend I didn’t see him, and moved a few steps closer to Toby. After Arthur walked past, I felt distracted. The topic we were happily chatting about suddenly lost its appeal. Toby also noticed something was off. “Penny, you look a bit tired. You want to head back and rest?” “Yeah, I’m just not really feeling it right now.” I sighed deeply, tugged at Waffles’ leash, and said goodbye to Toby. Waffles looked reluctantly at Marshmallow. His two hind paws dug firmly into the ground, completely refusing to leave. The leash around his neck squished his face flab into a ball, but he still wouldn’t budge. “Waffles! Time to go home!” Seeing his pathetic, simp-like expression made me mad. Toby, on the other hand, was laughing beside us. “He probably hasn’t played enough yet. Looks like Marshmallow wants to keep playing too. “Leave him with me. You head back and take a shower first, and once they’ve played enough, I’ll bring Waffles back to your place.” Although I felt a bit bad, since he put it that way, I couldn’t refuse. I had to temporarily entrust Waffles to him and head home first. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I saw someone standing in the hallway. It was Arthur. He turned to look at me, his face wearing an icy expression I had never seen before. Pierced by his unfriendly gaze, I felt a sting of hurt. I stood rooted to the spot, momentarily unsure if I should step forward. He turned and advanced on me step by step. In the empty hallway, only the sound of his footsteps echoed, hammering against my heart beat by beat. I had a vague, bad premonition. Perhaps our relationship was about to end right here. My body subconsciously backed up until my back hit the wall with nowhere else to retreat. “Why are you hiding?” I kept my head down, not daring to look at him, but he suddenly took off his glasses. “Close your eyes.” Because I had always followed his instructions during my dental visits, when his familiar voice rang out, my body reacted before my brain. The instant I closed my eyes, his hand threaded through my hair, landing on the back of my neck and pressing me towards him. The momentum made me tilt my head up, and his scorching kiss crashed down. It burned so hot that my eyes flew open, and I froze in shock. His dark eyes carried suppressed anger, his gaze locking tightly onto me, his handsome brows furrowed into a knot. “Do you like it like this? “I saw the package.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I thought you were going to use it with me. “Who did you use it with? “What am I, then? “If it could be just anyone, then why didn’t you choose me?” His tone carried restrained fury. With every accusation, his eyes grew a shade redder. Seeing him like this, I didn’t even know where to start explaining. “I…” The moment I made a sound, he cut me off. “Sorry. I lost my composure.” He let go and looked like he was about to turn and leave. I quickly grabbed his hand. “It’s not what you think…” Before I could spit out more than a few words, my stomach let out a noise louder than my speaking voice. Grrrrmble— In the empty hallway, it sounded exceptionally clear. My silence was deafening. “…Have you eaten? Come over to my place for dinner, and I’ll explain everything while we eat.” He didn’t say a word. He looked like he was in a terrible mood, but he still let me pull him into my apartment. Since I was streaming today, I had cooked rice in advance and prepped food in the fridge, planning to heat it up and eat after walking the dog. I posted an absence notice to my fans on my phone, then heated the food while carefully weighing how to explain things. Arthur sat silently on the couch, the back of his head facing me so I couldn’t see his expression. I analyzed the current situation. He seemed to think I liked aggressive romance, that I had used the wristbands with someone else, and that I was playing with his feelings? So, does that mean I can interpret this as him liking me too? At the dinner table, he ate very little. He didn’t look like he had an appetite, more like he was just going through the motions to keep me company. “Um… that package is indeed mine, but I didn’t use it for those things… “I have a dog named Waffles. He’s misbehaves during baths, so I used them to tie him up while washing him… don’t get the wrong idea.” He put down his chopsticks and looked at me. “Do you see a single shadow of a dog in this house?” I went silent. I had thought of everything except that he wouldn’t believe me. But with Waffles not home, my explanation did sound pretty unbelievable. I had Waffles’ dog bed in my bedroom. If I showed it to him, he should believe me, right? “Penny, do you like me?” I didn’t expect him to ask that. I nodded hastily. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had made some sort of resolution. “Then that’s all that matters. I don’t care about the rest. “If you like it rough, I can do it. Just don’t go to anyone else.” 06 “So that’s what happened. It was too much drama. I still haven’t recovered.” After Arthur left, I broadcasted my mind-blowing day on my stream. The chat comments flew faster and faster, and the viewer count skyrocketed. [Ahhhh so sweet!!!] [He’s so smooth!] [He’s down bad!] [Manifesting a handsome, obsessed boyfriend.] I couldn’t help but giggle like an idiot. Who would’ve thought? I assumed I was going to be blocked and treated as a pervert, but the tables turned, and I went from a one-sided simp to mutual love. [Maybe you just shouldn’t explain. I feel like you’re pretty into it.] [She still has to explain! Otherwise, what if he constantly thinks Penny has unhealthy relationships with other guys?] I thought they had a point. Even though this dynamic was admittedly intoxicating, I couldn’t seriously let him keep misunderstanding me. “When Waffles gets back, I’m definitely clearing things up. It’s just that it was so shocking earlier; I’ve never seen anything like that, so I froze in fear, hehe.” After chatting with them for a bit more, Toby knocked on the door to return the dog, so I took the opportunity to end the stream. After wiping Waffles’ paws clean, I took him and knocked on Arthur’s door. Opening the door, Arthur only had a towel wrapped loosely around his waist. His hair hadn’t been blow-dried yet, and water droplets rolled off the tips, sliding all the way down his collarbone and leaving a trail across his pecs and abs. I stared, completely mesmerized. “Come in.” My body reacted faster than my brain again. By the time I came to my senses, the door behind me had already closed. Waffles wriggled free from my arms and ran off into his apartment on his stubby little legs. “Waffles!” I warned him to behave, but Waffles just turned to look at me with a clueless expression. Helpless, I had to turn my gaze back to Arthur. “Now you believe me, right?” “Mhm.” His tone was affirmative, but he didn’t seem to care much whether it was true or not anymore. Looking entirely like, “Whatever, I’ve already made peace with it,” he reached down and scooped up Waffles. Maybe it was because he had smelled Arthur’s scent on me before. Waffles just lowered his head, took a sniff, and dropped his guard. He wiggled his big butt and nestled into a comfortable position in his arms. Haha, the feeling I hadn’t even experienced yet, he got to try it first. Maybe my gaze was too searing; Arthur looked up at me. “Want to touch?” I nodded my head vigorously like a rattle drum. “Touch if you want to. I showered, so you won’t get an allergic reaction.” I remembered what he said at the hospital before. So it really was playing hard to get. Then I won’t hold back. Without hesitation, I shooed Waffles away and threw my arms around his lean waist. I buried my face in his chest; it was cool and felt incredibly comfortable. I hugged him again and again, loving it to pieces. “Arthur, do you like me?” I mumbled. “What else would it be?” He kept a straight face, but his body was honest. His two arms locked me in tight, leaving no room for my hands to cause mischief. “Did you come over to try the wristbands?” I was speechless. “They really are for Waffles!” He clearly didn’t take my words to heart. With a flex of his arms, he hoisted me up just like I hold Waffles and dumped me onto the couch. “We didn’t finish the movie last time. You watch it first; I’m going to change clothes.” Actually, I wasn’t particularly interested in that movie. I just wanted an excuse to ask Arthur out. Unfortunately, my company had a big project right then, and I worked overtime for half a month straight, so we didn’t get to go to the theater. I didn’t expect him to keep remembering it. I sat cross-legged holding the remote, browsing the list for a movie to watch. Arthur sat down beside me, and the couch dipped slightly. Losing my balance, I tipped right over toward him. He stretched out his long arm and very naturally looped me into his embrace. “Throwing yourself at me?” My ears burned bright red from his hot breath. My hand jerked, and I didn’t even know what movie I clicked into. Until Arthur’s voice, speaking through gritted teeth, echoed. “Penny! Parker! What do you mean by making me watch this?” I looked closely. The title “Challengers” was incredibly prominent on the screen. The background image was a promotional poster of two guys and one girl hugging intimately. “No! My hand just slipped, I don’t know how I clicked it!” “Is that so? You sure have a lot of ‘coincidences’ surrounding you.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “439065”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The valedictorian of our high school, who was now at MIT, suddenly added me on Snapchat. I stared at the screen for a solid ten minutes before replying: “Can you CashApp me 50 bucks?” The next second, he unfriended me. Sigh… I knew it was a scammer. Our class president had always been an aloof, untouchable ice king. He hadn’t spoken a single word to me in high school. Why would he randomly add me? Later, at a high school reunion, he had his arm around a gorgeous girl, smiling and telling us they were getting engaged by the end of the year. Damn it… Did this mean I had to write a $500 check for his wedding gift? I was so panicked I sneaked out halfway through the dinner. But he cornered me right outside my apartment building: “Hazel Hayes, how long are you going to hide from me?” 1 If I had known I was going to run into Carter Pierce today, I absolutely would not have stormed into the high school bare-faced and reeking of Korean BBQ. The most embarrassing thing isn’t running into your ex. It’s running into your ex when he looks even cleaner, sharper, and more handsome than before, while you—are wearing zero makeup. “You’re Holden’s guardian?” Carter’s voice was cool and crisp. “I’m his homeroom teacher, Mr. Pierce.” “…” Even though we had been broken up for years, surely he hadn’t completely forgotten what I looked like, right? Carter and I got together during our senior year of high school. He was the genius valedictorian; I was a struggling slacker. That year, he practically dragged my GPA up by brute force, and we ended up getting into two different universities in the same city. But our schools were on opposite ends of town. It took three subway transfers and three hours round-trip just to see each other. Plus, after college started, he was always busy doing research with professors and entering academic competitions. The time we spent together dwindled to almost nothing. We were at that impulsive, stubborn age. The word “breakup” slipped out easily, and just like that, it was over. For the next few years, even though we lived in the same city, we never saw each other again. I never imagined our reunion would look like this. My little brother had been caught dating in school. As his guardian, I was naturally a foot shorter in front of his teacher. I immediately put on my most polite, respectful attitude: “Hello, Mr. Pierce. I’m Holden’s older sister, Hazel.” Growing up, with my rebellious streak, I was no stranger to the principal’s office, but this was the first time I felt this awkward. Thinking about it, my urge to murder my brother grew stronger. If it weren’t for him, would I be suffering like this?! My parents were out of state on a business trip; otherwise, I wouldn’t be the one here losing face! The other student’s parents were here too. It was one against two. I apologized profusely, and thankfully, they were pretty understanding. Carter handed over the two kids’ report cards. “They are seniors now. Graduation is only a few months away, and their mental state is crucial. I’ve spoken to them both, and they’ve promised to focus on their studies and not let this affect their grades. I asked you all here today hoping that as parents and guardians, you can cooperate and guide them properly.” Holding the report card, I muttered under my breath: “…I was wondering why that kid has been chugging energy drinks and doing practice tests until 2 AM lately… He really takes after me back in the day…” Carter paused, finally lifting his eyes to look at me. “Is dating in high school a family tradition for the Hayes family?” ??? Why did that sound so incredibly passive-aggressive? Meeting his dark, cool gaze, my brain short-circuited, and I fired back out of pure reflex: “Not at all. It’s clearly the result of your excellent teaching, Mr. Pierce.” Dead silence. The air in the office seemed to freeze solid. The other parents and the few other teachers present stared at me, jaw-dropped, as if I had grown a second head. And then I finally realized what I had just said. Ahhhhhh! “M-Mr. Pierce, I didn’t mean it like that, please don’t misunderstand!” Just then, the other student’s parent got a phone call and excused themselves. Now, it was just me and Carter left. The awkwardness was suffocating. I decided it was time to make my escape. Carter stood up to walk me to the door. Every step was pure torture. Stepping out into the hallway, just as I thought I was finally free, Carter suddenly spoke, his tone flat. “I didn’t teach him how to make the first move.” Me, who had aggressively pursued Carter back in high school: “…” Back then, Carter was the guy every girl secretly had a crush on. I was different. I pursued him openly. The whole world knew how much I liked him, and the whole world knew how impossible he was to get. So when we finally got together, jaws dropped across the entire campus. Looking at him now, he looked exactly like he did the first time I confessed my feelings to him—completely unfazed and indifferent. A wave of inexplicable irritation flared up in my chest. My brain went hot, and I blurted out: “Mr. Pierce, let’s get one thing straight. Yes, I was the one who chased you back then. But I was also the one who dumped you.” 02 The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted it. He wasn’t my boyfriend anymore; he was my brother’s homeroom teacher! I must have a death wish to say something so rebellious! Thankfully, my useless little brother finally appeared, saving me from the fiery pits of hell. “Hazel?” Turns out the kid had been waiting out in the hall the whole time. I quickly said, “Mr. Pierce, no need to see me out. I’m just going to have a quick word with Holden and head out. My friend is waiting for me at the gate.” With that, not even daring to look at his face, I grabbed Holden and dragged him around the corner. He looked at me weirdly. “Hazel, why are you so nervous?” I reacted like a cat getting its tail stepped on. “Who’s nervous?!” Holden rolled his eyes. “I’ve known you for seventeen years. You think I don’t know when you’re freaking out?” He glanced back over his shoulder. “Mr. Pierce isn’t that scary, is he?” “…” “Holden, you’re the one who got caught dating! Instead of feeling guilty and repenting, you’re here talking back to me?” Holden crossed his arms. “But you dated in high school too! I don’t see you feeling guilty or repenting.” Thank you. I am having a literal heart attack. I kept my face deadpan. “And that’s why karma has finally caught up with me. Your homeroom teacher is the guy I dated in high school.” Holden: ??? His face morphed from absolute shock to a mask of pure agony. “I’m dead! You had your fun, and now you don’t care if I live or die!” “…” He hadn’t been this terrified when he actually got caught dating! Besides, how was I supposed to know Carter would end up being his teacher?! … Walking out of the school gates, I slid right into a car parked by the curb. My best friend, Chloe, glanced at me. “Ooh, got lectured by the teacher?” We both had the day off, so we had grabbed Korean BBQ together. Afterward, she had driven me straight to the school. I slumped into the passenger seat, completely devoid of the will to live. “No. But it was ten thousand times worse. His teacher is Carter Pierce.” Chloe let out an “Oh,” and three seconds later, let out a piercing scream. “HOLY SHIT!?” I covered my ears, but she yanked my hands away. “Carter? Carter Pierce?! The guy you dated in high school?!” I gave a weak groan of confirmation. Chloe covered her mouth. “It’s over. Holden is so screwed. His sister dumped his homeroom teacher. How is he going to survive the rest of the year?” Me: “…Does literally no one think about how miserable I am?” “You aren’t miserable!” Chloe rolled her eyes at me. “You bagged the untouchable golden boy, and then you dumped him. Who could possibly be cooler than you?” “…” Fine. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, Carter’s face, his build… he really did live up to the hype. “It was years ago. Let’s not talk about it.” Seeing how genuinely deflated I was, Chloe suppressed her urge to gossip and changed the subject. “Right, Jake and Sarah are getting married this Saturday. Are you going?” They were both our high school classmates. More importantly, Jake was pretty good friends with Carter, so he’d probably be invited too. “Do you want me to tell them you can’t make it?” My mind inexplicably flashed to Carter’s cold, calm, and completely unfazed expression from earlier. A sudden, stubborn surge of energy hit my chest. “We’re all adults. What’s the point of dwelling on the past? Besides, he’s my brother’s teacher now. I can’t hide from him forever, can I?” “I’m going!” 03 On Saturday, I put on a nice dress, did my makeup, and headed to the hotel where the reception was held. The bride and groom were standing at the entrance greeting guests. I handed over my envelope with the wedding check and smiled. “Congratulations, you guys!” Sarah looked behind me and said, pleasantly surprised, “Hazel! You and Carter came together?” ??? I whipped around, only to realize Carter was just a few steps behind me, walking in my direction. He was wearing a crisp white dress shirt and black slacks. Clean, simple, tall, and elegant. Some people just effortlessly become the center of attention wherever they go. Carter was one of those people. He seemed to have heard her. He looked up, his dark eyes and dark hair exuding an icy, untouchable aura. We made eye contact for a split second before I immediately turned back around, laughing awkwardly. “No, we didn’t.” Sarah looked a bit confused and was about to ask more, but Jake gently pulled her arm and walked forward with a huge smile to greet Carter. “Carter! Man, so glad you made it!” I practically sprinted inside and quickly spotted Chloe waving at me from a table. “Hazel! Over here!” I rushed over, thinking I was finally safe, only to feel my blood run cold when I saw the placard on the table: High School Classmates. I looked around the table. Sure enough, all familiar faces. Me: “…” And then, Carter walked over. There were only two empty seats left at the table. One was to my left, and the other was directly across from me. “Carter! Over here!” A guy at the table who used to be close with him stood up and waved. They had probably already heard what happened at the entrance. Anyone with functioning eyes could tell we were broken up. Hearing his footsteps approach, I stared intently at the porcelain teacup in front of me, inexplicably growing tense. Then, he walked past the empty seat on my left—and sat down directly across from me. The table went silent for a second. Thankfully, the guy who had called him over was great at breaking the ice, and the conversation quickly picked up again. “I heard you’re teaching at Westbridge Prep now? That’s an elite magnet school. Super hard to get into!” “Well, he was our valedictorian for a reason! Smart guys are smart wherever they go, haha!” “Man, I never would have guessed Jake and Sarah would be the first couple from our class to actually get married. I always thought it would be Cart—” The guy talking realized his mistake and immediately clamped his mouth shut. Several pairs of eyes kept darting back and forth between me and Carter. Back then, our relationship was a massive deal. The whole school knew. No one expected it to end the way it did. I instinctively looked up at him. The man across from me had his eyes lowered, calmly pouring himself some tea. The line from his brow to the bridge of his nose was flawless. He looked completely unaffected by the awkward conversation around him. I felt a bit suffocated and made an excuse to go to the restroom. Chloe texted me: Be honest. A man of that caliber, and you dumped him. Don’t you regret it? Why don’t you try to win him back? Outside my bathroom stall, I heard hushed voices. “I still can’t believe Carter and Hazel broke up. Think about how hard she chased him back then!” “So what? A guy like Carter can have anyone he wants. They were never in the same league anyway.” “Exactly. And I honestly don’t think Carter even liked her that much. He probably just agreed because she wouldn’t leave him alone, and then dumped her when he got tired of it.” It just goes to show, adults really love bringing up high school drama. Even though I was the one who dumped Carter, they weren’t entirely wrong about the rest. I typed out a reply to Chloe, ready to talk a big game. Get it straight. I’m the one who didn’t want him. If anyone is doing the chasing, it has to be him chasing me. Chloe: 6. (Slang for “smooth”) Chloe: Big dreams. Very moving. Keep daydreaming. Me: “…” 04 I waited patiently until the gossiping girls finally left the bathroom before slowly making my way out. When I got back to the table, a few people had had some drinks and were getting chatty. I sat down, ready to focus on the food, when Chloe pinched me under the table. “Why did you block me?!” I shot her a look: Take a wild guess. “Hey, Hazel!” Someone called my name. I looked up. It was Ashley Miller, one of the three girls who had been gossiping about me in the bathroom. We had some bad blood in high school. If it weren’t for this wedding, we’d never be sitting at the same table. —She used to have a massive crush on Carter. When she found out we were dating, she sabotaged me a few times behind my back. She smiled and asked, “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but are you single right now?” The table went quiet. Why ask the question and pretend to be polite about it? Isn’t that a bit redundant? She added, “I have a few single guy friends. I was thinking of setting you up.” I smiled. “Thanks, but no thanks. My standards are pretty high.” The table went even quieter. Her fake smile almost cracked, but with Carter sitting right there as living proof, she couldn’t even argue. She paused for a few seconds, her eyes darting around. “Fair enough. But does that mean you haven’t dated anyone at all since then?” What did that mean? That I couldn’t find anyone better than Carter? Or, as she said in the bathroom, that only a guy completely out of his league like Carter was blind enough to date me? “I’ve dated a bit. Two or three guys,” I said. One was a senior in college I impulsively agreed to date right after breaking up with Carter. On the third day, he tried to hold my hand, and it completely grossed me out, so I dumped him. Another was a blind date my aunt set up after graduation. This one didn’t even last three days. On our second dinner, he kept lecturing me about how I should quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom after we got married. I blocked his number right at the table. From a certain angle, saying “two or three” wasn’t a lie. The reactions around the table in that moment were priceless. I broke the silence, laughing lightly. “Hey, you have to try a few options before you figure out who’s the best fit, right?” Hearing this, Carter raised his eyes and looked at me quietly. I was so sick of this weird, tense atmosphere, so I decided to go on the offensive. “Mr. Pierce, wouldn’t you agree?” Ashley looked like she was about to explode. “…Why are you calling him Mr. Pierce?” “Oh, forgot to mention. Mr. Pierce is my little brother’s homeroom teacher now. We just saw each other a few days ago.” Listen to that! That is how a mature ex acts! Making peace with the youth of the past! That is— “I wouldn’t know.” Carter set his teacup down. His long, elegant fingers looked like carved marble. His voice was cold and clear. “I’ve only ever dated one person.” 05 “…” The air froze. For a split second, I felt like Carter was intentionally throwing me under the bus, making me look like a heartless player in front of everyone. But at the same time, my heart uncontrollably started beating faster. How many years had we been broken up? With his looks and status, he could have had a new girlfriend every week if he wanted. But he actually said… he had only ever dated one person. Before my mind could spiral further, the bride and groom came over to our table for the toast, and the topic was thankfully dropped. As the reception wound down and people started filtering out, I saw Ashley sidle up to Carter, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Carter, my nephew is taking the high school entrance exams soon, and he really wants to get into Westbridge Prep. Do you think we could exchange numbers so I can ask you for advice if we need it?” It was a far cry from how she was trashing me in the bathroom earlier. Did she really think people couldn’t see right through her transparent motives? I sped up my pace. I didn’t want to hear his answer. But his cold, clear voice carried over perfectly. “I teach seniors right now. I don’t handle freshmen admissions. If you have questions, you can call the school’s admissions office.” Ashley looked incredibly embarrassed and gave an awkward nod. “Oh… oh, okay.” … “I gotta say, the valedictorian is still just as popular as ever. But his ability to shoot people down has definitely leveled up.” Chloe clicked her tongue. “You walked away so fast, you didn’t see how ugly Ashley’s face got!” I was looking for my car while casually replying, “That’s normal. If he didn’t know how to shoot people down, his contact list would have maxed out years ago.” Back in the day, just to get his screen name, I left an iced latte on his desk every single day for a week! My allowance was tight back then, so I literally starved myself for that week to afford it. I really don’t know where I found the audacity and sheer willpower to pursue him so relentlessly. “True. Didn’t you hear him say it himself? He’s only dated one person all these years.” Chloe said this, then gave me a big thumbs up, looking thoroughly impressed. “Hazel, you are a legend, seriously! I thought you were just talking big when you said you’d make him chase you, but now I think it’s actually possible!” “Here’s the car.” I hit the unlock button on my keys, saying casually as I walked, “I’m not that easy to catch. He’d have to—” I suddenly felt like something was wrong. I stopped, slowly turning my head to look at the car parked right next to mine. The window was rolled halfway down, revealing a clean, incredibly handsome profile. He seemed to have just finished a phone call. Hearing my voice, he turned his head to look. Carter. “…” I died on the spot. He raised an eyebrow, his tone completely flat. “I have to chase you?” “…” I came back to life just to die again. “No, no! I really didn’t mean it like that, don’t misunderstand! I meant… I’m actually really easy to catch—wait, no! I mean, chasing me isn’t that hard—wait, that’s wrong too!” Met with his unwavering, unbothered gaze, I desperately wanted to claw a hole in the pavement and bury myself. Thankfully, Chloe walked over. She hadn’t heard the whole exchange, but seeing Carter there, she was equally stunned. I frantically signaled her with my eyes: Get me out of here! Take me away! Chloe’s gaze darted between me and Carter. A lightbulb seemed to go off in her head, and she quickly said: “Oh! I just remembered I have an emergency at work! I gotta run! Hazel, your car is broken, right? Why don’t you have Carter give you a ride home?” ??? !!! Chloe Bennett! You are dead to me! 06 Unfortunately, Chloe completely failed to grasp the SOS signals I was sending. She dropped that bomb and sprinted away like her life depended on it. I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and reached for my car door handle. Carter asked flatly, “I thought your car was broken?” Me: “…” Biting the bullet, I pretended to inspect the steering wheel. “It looks like it miraculously fixed itself.” Carter: “Are you sure?” Of course I’m sure! I literally just took it in for an oil change a few days ago! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had Chloe drive me to the school that day! “Yep, it drives,” I said, buckling my seatbelt, fully preparing to execute a flawless vanishing act. And then— Carter got out of his car, stood outside my door, and knocked on the window with his knuckles. “Then do me a favor and give me a ride. My car broke down.” … I felt like he was messing with me. I was about to refuse when he delivered the final blow: “The insurance guy just got here for the tow.” “…” So his car actually broke down. Was he calling the insurance company earlier? Refusing him now felt a little awkward, but given our history, interacting this much felt even more awkward. While Carter was finishing up with the tow truck driver, he got another phone call. He frowned. “Got it. We’ll be right there.” When he got into my car, I opened my mouth, fully intending to suggest he call an Uber or ask someone else, when he said: “It’s a thirty-minute drive to City Hospital from here. We might need to hurry.” ??? I looked at him in total confusion. “City Hospital? Why are we going there?” Carter looked at me. “Holden got severe stomach pains during class. The school nurse suspects it’s acute appendicitis. He’s already been sent to City Hospital.” My heart plummeted. … By the time we rushed into the hospital, Holden was already in surgery. The middle-aged man who brought him in was the school nurse, and the younger woman next to him seemed to be a teacher. Seeing me and Carter arrive together, they both looked a little confused. The female teacher looked me up and down, then asked softly: “Mr. Pierce, this is…” “This is Holden’s older sister,” Carter said briefly, offering no explanation as to why we arrived together. “How is he?” She explained: “Holden got severe stomach cramps during math class. Dr. Wang said it looked urgent, so we rushed him right over. He’s been in surgery for a while now; he should be out soon.” Carter nodded. Probably noticing how tense I was, he looked down at me and said, “Take a seat and rest for a bit.” I shook my head, refusing to move. “I’m going to wait right here.” Carter paused, his voice softening a fraction, bringing a strange sense of comfort. “Don’t worry. Appendicitis is a minor surgery. He’ll be fine.” Hearing this, the other two looked surprised. The female teacher’s gaze lingered on me for an extra few seconds. I couldn’t care less about them. My mind was entirely focused on Holden in the operating room. My heart felt like it was being roasted over an open fire. Probably because I was in such a panic, I had started sweating despite how cold it was outside. Now that I was standing still, the drafty hospital corridor breeze hit me, and I couldn’t help but shiver. Just then, a weight settled on my shoulders. A familiar scent, mixed with the faint smell of alcohol from the wedding, enveloped me in warmth. 07 Carter hadn’t drank, and neither had I. But the jacket, carrying that faint scent of wine from the reception, felt burning hot. Like a single spark landing on dry grass, igniting a massive wildfire. I turned my head and met Carter’s gaze. He said, “Your parents are both out of state. If you get sick too, there will be no one left to take care of him.” I snapped back to reality and whispered, “Thank you.” … An hour later, Holden’s surgery was successfully completed, and he was moved to a recovery room. I handled the admission paperwork and called my parents, reassuring them that it wasn’t a major issue and he just needed a few days of rest. After settling everything, I returned to the room and saw Carter standing by the bed, talking to Holden. “Just focus on resting for now. Don’t worry about classes; I’ll send you the notes and practice tests.” Every minute of senior year is precious. Watching this scene, I felt a sudden sense of déjà vu. He looked exactly like he did when he used to supervise my studying. But there was a difference. With Holden, he was clearly much gentler and more forgiving. Back then, when my brain hurt from studying and I just wanted to go play, I had to beg and plead for ages before he’d even hold my hand. Ten practice tests for one hand-holding session. I swear, he was ruthless. Thinking about it made me feel a little resentful all over again. Carter finished speaking and stood up. “Get some rest.” He tactfully left the room so we could have a moment. But my little brother is incredibly untactful. The second Carter left, Holden glared at me and started his interrogation. “Spit it out. Why did you and my homeroom teacher show up together?” Me: ??? I kept my face blank. “Holden, did you forget that I’m your actual, biological sister?” Even though he just had surgery and looked a little pale, his combat power was undiminished. “I didn’t forget. And I definitely didn’t forget that you dated him and then dumped him.” “…” He lost his appendix, but he still has the energy to run his mouth. Clearly, he’s fine. “Holden, you better show your dear sister some respect, or your recovery time in this bed is going to be very miserable.” I said, getting up to leave. “Wait! Hazel!” Holden called out. I looked back. “What?” Holden coughed awkwardly, flashing a sycophantic smile. “Sis, could you do me a favor?” “What?” “When you go to school to pack up my books, could you tell Lily I’m fine and I’ll be back soon?” Lily was the girl he liked. I had seen her picture in his backpack. I was utterly speechless. “Why are you so high maintenance?” Holden was unapologetic. “I just don’t want her to worry about me!” I paused. “Fine. Got it.” “Thanks, Sis!” Holden said, then added with a look of concern, “But Sis, you and Mr. Pierce… you guys are totally over, right?” I gave him a death glare. Holden went quiet for a second. “I mean, a lot of girls like him. Even at our school, there are quite a few… But if you want to get back together with him, that’s fine. You just have to promise me one thing: no breaking up before I graduate!” I said calmly, “Holden, you should be grateful you went into surgery today. Losing your appendix is the only thing keeping you alive right now.” … Today had truly been a rollercoaster. I walked out of the room, intending to get some fresh air before this colorful life gave me high blood pressure. I walked to the stairwell. It was dimly lit. I let out a long breath and rubbed my tired eyes. Then, I heard footsteps. I realized Carter was actually still here. He was smoking. The glowing cherry of the cigarette flickered in the dark. He leaned against the wall, radiating a quiet isolation. Noticing my presence, he looked over and put out the cigarette. —No one knew that Carter, the ultimate golden boy and model student in high school, smoked. I caught him smoking on the roof once. But he maintained that same cold, indifferent expression, as if he didn’t care at all if I reported him. I asked him: Is smoking fun? He didn’t answer and just walked away. After we got together, I brought it up again and was super curious to try it. He refused to let me, but after that, he never smoked again. I didn’t expect him to pick it back up. But I guess it makes sense, we’ve been broken up for so long. I was about to ask him when would be a good time to go to the school and pack up Holden’s things, when he suddenly stepped toward me. “Hazel.” He said my name softly. It was the first time since we reunited that he hadn’t used my full, formal name. “Why are you crying?”

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My husband was cheating on me with the housewife downstairs. Her husband and I used to hide in the stairwell smoking. We wouldn’t dare go back inside until they were finished having their fun. Later, they grew increasingly brazen. The housewife’s husband said to me, “I’m going in to catch them in the act. What about you?” I took a bite of my hot dog, completely unfazed. “You catch yours, I’ll catch mine!” 01 I gently pulled the front door shut and let out a heavy breath. I miscalculated. I should have called ahead. If I hadn’t been so quick-witted, that scene would have been incredibly awkward. Let’s just wait for them. You have to pamper your own husband, right? I pushed open the heavy fire door, planning to head up to the half-landing between the 18th and 19th floors for some air. But just a few steps up, I saw the guy from the 18th floor standing there, smoking a cigarette. “Well, you locked out too?” He gave me a flat, sidelong glance. “Said she was making dessert for me. The kitchen is dead cold, and the egg tarts are still in the delivery box. I don’t know what to do either!” We were in the same boat. I bummed a lighter off him, and we started making small talk just to kill time. We covered local news, national politics, and were just about to dive into the complexities of the global economy. Finally, sounds of movement and sticky-sweet voices drifted up from below. The man checked his watch. “Half an hour. Your husband has decent stamina.” “Men like to hold it in. Honestly, the average is ten minutes.” “Ha, I feel personally attacked!” 02 When I got back home and was changing my shoes, Ethan walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron. He took my coat and bag. “Hungry? The soup is ready, I just need to stir-fry a couple of quick sides.” I could already smell the aroma of chicken and mushroom soup. But given what I’d just witnessed downstairs, I had reasonable grounds to suspect I’d been eating pre-packaged meals this whole time. Still, I put on a blissful smile. “Honey, you work so hard!” Ethan looked at me with profound tenderness. “You’re the one working hard out there! “Go have some tea, I brewed some fruit tea. Dinner in ten minutes.” Holding my glass, I scanned the apartment. The fuzzy throw pillows on the sofa were a bit rumpled. The trash can in the living room had a fresh liner. The bedroom window was wide open, letting in a strong scent of gardenias. The bathroom had clearly just been used; there were still wet spots on the floor. Overall, no glaring oversights. I nodded in satisfaction. “Honey, dinner’s ready.” “Coming!” I poured the fruit tea down the drain, put down the glass, and headed to the dining room. At the table, we ate in comfortable silence. Suddenly, Ethan mentioned that the keys on his laptop were sticking, and brought up a new smartwatch that was just released. I always catch on quickly. I immediately pulled out my phone and transferred ten thousand dollars to his account. Ethan’s attitude became visibly more attentive. He was serving me food and scooping my soup. Before clearing the table, he even cut up a plate of fruit for me. While I was looking at the message Liam, the guy from downstairs, had just sent me. [Transferred money to your husband?] [How much did your wife get?] [Eight thousand eight hundred!] [Tsk, a twelve-hundred-dollar difference. The middleman really takes a cut.] When we went to sleep that night, Ethan and I lay in the same bed, but it felt like the Grand Canyon was between us. At 1:00 AM, my phone rang. I jolted awake and quickly answered it. “Hello, Mr. Davis?” “Yes, yes, of course. The quote I gave you is the absolute lowest I can go.” “Yes, absolutely. I understand, things are tough for everyone right now.” “How about this? Let me buy you lunch next time, and we can discuss the details.” “Alright, have a good night.” Hanging up, I heard the rustle of the person next to me turning over. “Honey? Did I wake you? I’m sorry!” “It’s fine, I wasn’t asleep anyway. You should go to sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow!” Aww, my husband is so understanding. I hit the pillow and fell asleep instantly. At 2:40 AM, the phone rang again. I didn’t even open my eyes. I mumbled a few words and hung up. The person next to me was tossing and turning again. I smacked my lips and fell back into a deep sleep. At 4:00 AM, the familiar ringtone blared once more. The person next to me shot up from the bed and walked out of the room. I reached out, silenced the alarm, pulled the covers over my head, and went back to sleep! I woke up early, stretched, and greeted another beautiful day. I ran into Liam in the elevator. I nodded at him and yawned. “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?” “I slept fine. I just set three alarms before bed.” “Tsk, mutually assured destruction?” I squinted comfortably. “I sleep like a rock; I pass out the second my head hits the pillow. He’s different. He’s a light sleeper. He didn’t sleep a wink last night!” “Can’t he just nap during the day?” “Well, that depends on your wife! By the way, how was your night?” Liam frowned so hard you could crush a walnut between his brows. “She was needy. Kept me up half the night. Your husband isn’t cutting it; he clearly didn’t satisfy her!” “No way!” I rubbed my chin. “I’ve bought him so many expensive supplements!” Liam pursed his lips. “I think I need to go on a business trip.” “Seconded!” 03 Before my “business trip,” I tossed an old phone with three preset alarms into the safe, and changed the safe’s passcode. That afternoon, I sent Ethan a text from an unknown number. [Honey, I lost my phone. I can’t get a new SIM card while I’m abroad. I’ll contact you when I get back to the States.] Of course, I didn’t actually leave the country. I just booked a room at a nearby hotel. I ate well and drank well every day. And I cackled with glee while watching the live feed of Ethan standing in front of the safe, smoking cigarette after cigarette in the middle of the night. On the fourth day of my trip, the old phone in the safe finally died. Liam and I met up for some BBQ nearby. He said: “I’m going in to catch them in the act tonight. What about you?” I chewed on my brisket. “You catch yours, I’ll catch mine!” The scene played out like this: Liam and I stormed in, kicking open the bedroom door with lightning speed. Ethan was on top of Liam’s wife. She was screaming “Ah! Ah!” and scratching Ethan’s back. I couldn’t help but blink. Is it really that good? Must be faking it! It never felt like that when I was with him. While I was still swallowing my shock, Liam had already gotten into character. His face was pale, his body trembling. “How… how could you do this to me!” The two on the bed were terrified, fighting over the blanket to cover themselves. Ethan was no match for Liam’s wife, so he panicked and started hastily throwing on his clothes. Liam shot me a look: Act! I quickly found my motivation and screamed at the top of my lungs: “Ethan, you bastard!” And then? Should we fight? Probably! Liam and I exchanged a glance. He charged at Ethan; I lunged at his wife. I ripped off the blanket, grabbed her by the hair, and slapped her hard a few times. She screamed for help. But the only person who could save her was currently being pinned to the floor and pulverized by her husband. The screams, the begging, the cursing—it was music to my ears. After letting it all out, Liam and I stood in the stairwell having a post-fight cigarette. Half an hour later, he went downstairs, and I went upstairs. 04 Ethan was sitting on the sofa, bruised and battered. The apartment had been cleaned up. But this time, he clearly hadn’t used the gardenia room spray. The air smelled disgusting. No acting required this time; it was all genuine emotion. “Ethan, I want a divorce!” He snapped his head up. His eyes held vulnerability, guilt, and pleading. Ethan was a good-looking guy. In college, he was both a top student and the quintessential frat boy heartthrob. People always said about him: “He’s the most handsome guy among programmers, and the best programmer among handsome guys.” They said I only wanted him for his looks. Well, yeah… why wouldn’t I? But looking at the swollen pig-face in front of me now, I couldn’t feel a single ripple of attraction. He dropped to his knees with a loud thump. “Honey, I’m sorry. I lost my mind. Please give me another chance. Let’s not get divorced, okay?” Okay my ass! “Ethan, I bust my ass working out there just to support this family, to give you a better life, and this is how you repay me?” “I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done it. I swear, there will absolutely never be a next time. Honey, please, give me one more chance.” “How long have you two been together?” “Just this once! Really, just this once. She came over to borrow some soy sauce. I was an idiot, I couldn’t control myself when she seduced me!” Ha, if I hadn’t installed hidden cameras in the apartment, I might have actually believed him. Borrowing soy sauce? What a creative excuse. “Ethan, you’ve broken my heart. I’m divorcing you!” “Honey, honey, I know I was wrong. Just give me one more chance. Just this once.” He shuffled forward on his knees and hugged my legs. I kicked him away in disgust, stormed into the guest bedroom, and locked the door with a loud bang. Ethan was still outside, begging. I yelled: “Shut up! I don’t want to hear you speak. Leave me alone so I can calm down.” “Okay, okay, I won’t say a word. As long as we don’t divorce, whatever you want is fine!” I dropped the crying act, curled my lip, and texted Liam: [How are things on your end?] [She won’t agree to a divorce. You?] [Same!] But this was all within my expectations. If they agreed to a divorce that easily, it would be too boring. What’s the next step? When the heavens are about to place a great responsibility on a person, they first test their resolve. Let’s start with a course of the silent treatment. 05 I stopped speaking to Ethan. I didn’t even look at him. If he made me a sandwich, I threw it directly into the trash. I ignored his calls and deleted his texts without reading them. I came home late every night, smelling of alcohol. I refused to sleep in the same bed with him. Ethan was visibly deteriorating. He suffered from insomnia night after night and started taking Paxil again. Finally, his emotional tension reached its breaking point. On the eighth day, he blocked my path: “We need to talk.” I sidestepped his hand, flicked some imaginary dust off my shoulder, and said coldly: “Six PM. I’ll be back.” “Okay, I’ll be waiting!” I arrived home at 6:30 PM. Ethan was pacing anxiously. “You’re back! Are you hungry? Do you want to eat first? I made your favorites!” I slammed my handbag down on the table. “Cut the crap. Talk. What do you want to talk about?” Ethan clenched his fists. “I’m exhausted too. I’m at home every day, cleaning the house, waiting for you to come back, cooking for you. I feel less and less joy. I don’t even feel like myself anymore.” I knew exactly what he was going to say. He was going to talk about his hardships, my neglect of the family, and my lack of care for him. These were the exact same things he had complained about to Liam’s wife. And conveniently, Liam’s wife had the same complaints about Liam. So they hit it off instantly and found a shared connection. I watched Ethan wallow in self-pity. To be honest, I felt absolutely nothing. “This is the life you begged for. You were the one who said work was too stressful and you wanted to take some time off. I agreed without a second thought. From then on, your expenses, the mortgage, the car loan—it all fell on my shoulders. And this is how you repay me?” “You only see your own hardships, but what about me? Audrey, have you ever considered my feelings? Have you ever thought about making time for me? I’m a man. I need a gentle, caring wife like Chloe, not a boss who only knows how to boss me around!” Chloe? It took me a second to process. Oh, right! Liam’s wife! Pfft, he almost broke my character. I quickly delivered the most important line of the day: “Ethan, admit it. You’re just a selfish, cowardly, incompetent freeloader who thinks too highly of himself. You’re a shameless scumbag. You’re like a rat in a gutter; just looking at you makes me sick.” “Shut up!” “Why should I shut up? Am I not telling the truth?” I took a step forward, putting myself right in his striking distance. With the physical proximity and the verbal insults, he finally snapped and shoved me hard. “I said shut up!” “Ah!” A sharp pain shot through me. Fuck, I twisted my ankle. I fell to the floor. The next second, bright red blood seeped out from under me. My expression twisted in shock. I looked up blankly, my hand clutching my stomach. “My baby!” 06 Ethan’s advancing footsteps came to a dead halt. “What baby?” Ever since he hooked up with the housewife downstairs, we hadn’t been intimate in over half a year. Men are truly bizarre creatures. He can cheat with complete justification and shamelessly beg for forgiveness. But if a woman does the same thing, he acts as if he’s suffered the ultimate humiliation. “Who is it? Is it that guy who drove you home last time? Or the one who answered the phone when you were on your business trip? Audrey, how could you do this to me?” The corner of my mouth curled up. Using my most sarcastic, biting tone, I hissed through gritted teeth: “What? You became a dirty man-whore, and I’m supposed to stay pure and chaste for you? “Do you think too highly of yourself, or do you look down on me too much? “I got bored of your three-minute stamina a long time ago. “Now is perfect. We can just call it quits. “But don’t even think about taking a single cent of my money!” Under my relentless provocations, Ethan’s breathing grew heavier and heavier. His eyes were bloodshot, his body tense and trembling. “Shut up, shut up! Shut your mouth!” “Ha!” I scoffed. “What if I don’t? What are you gonna do, strangle me?” That one sentence seemed to snap something in Ethan. The moment the words left my mouth, he lunged at me, pinning me to the floor and wrapping his hands tightly around my throat. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Figures burst into the room. Ethan was tackled off me. The pressure on my neck vanished, and I gasped greedily for air. “Could you have waited any longer? Were you trying to collect my corpse?” Liam helped me up. “Fuck, you didn’t tell me you were taking it this far! Why is there blood? Are you pregnant?” “Fake blood.” “Alright then!” The people pinning Ethan down were all familiar faces—neighbors from the floors above and below. They looked suspicious, but their faces also betrayed undeniable curiosity. I yelled right on cue: “It’s bad enough you cheated, but now you want to silence me?! I’m calling the cops! I’m having you arrested!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “439063”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Working overtime on Thanksgiving weekend meant triple pay. I volunteered for it. But that didn’t stop me from cursing my boss, Ethan Vance. In front of the breakfast diner, I touched up my lipstick using the reflection of the tinted window on a parked Rolls-Royce. While I was at it, I muttered a curse: “I hope the boss marries a woman with acne and has a son without an a—hole.” Assuming the car was empty, I blew a kiss at the window. I checked my makeup and was about to leave. Suddenly, the window rolled down smoothly, revealing a cold, arrogant, and incredibly handsome face. A face I had seen on the giant screens during company-wide meetings. First glance: Looks a bit like… Second glance: Wait, is that… Third glance: …Fuck. Isn’t that my boss, Ethan Vance? He was wearing a bespoke suit. His long, elegant fingers rested lightly on a stack of pristine documents. In the dim interior of the car, his features looked sharp and enigmatic. His deep eyes stared at me with a half-smile. Then, a voice straight out of a nightmare spoke: “Which department are you in?” My brain went into overdrive. Did I say his name just now? No, right? I didn’t, right? Maybe I did… Damn my big mouth… I instinctively played dumb: “C-Company? I don’t work for your boss…” Then, the driver in the front seat snorted and let out a laugh: “Miss, I can see your employee ID badge around your neck.” The gloating expression on his face was too obvious. I accepted my fate with an awkward laugh: “What a coincidence, Mr. Vance! I was just brainstorming how to maximize profits for the company, and look! Here you are! Working on a holiday weekend, such dedication! I must learn from your example.” In the front seat, the driver’s look turned from amusement to disdain, clearly mocking how fast I folded. All I wanted to do was flee the scene of the crime. Before I could hail a cab, Ethan Vance spoke up: “It’s not a coincidence.” His thin lips barely moved, his eyes narrowing slightly: “I’ve been sitting here, face-to-face, listening to you for a solid ten minutes…” He dragged out his words, looking at me dangerously: “So, do you have some grievances with the company?” I shrank my neck, wishing I could pull it into my collarbone, and denied it rapidly: “No…” After three seconds of silence, he asked again: “Then do you have grievances… with me?” My scalp tingled: “How could that be! I am completely satisfied with you!” And then, the entire car fell dead silent. 02 Ten minutes later, I was sitting in the boss’s Rolls-Royce, feeling like a criminal being personally escorted to the guillotine by the king. The car smelled faintly of sandalwood. The only sound was the rustle of paper as Ethan flipped through his documents. My whole body felt stiff. I sneakily pulled out my phone and tearfully texted my online crush: “Waaaah, Sweetie, I was just caught badmouthing my evil boss right to his face! I don’t think I’ll live to see the moon tonight. If only everyone was as nice as you…” “Sweetie” was a finance guru I met online. When I first started interning at the company during my senior year, he taught me a lot. He seemed to know everything and could easily solve any problem I ran into. As we chatted more, we started pseudo-dating online. But we hadn’t met in person yet. I told my best friend about it. She looked at me cautiously and told me her last online crush turned out to be a 5-foot-2 guy who weighed 250 pounds. She was harassed for three months and had to fly back from Europe just to shake him off. So, when Sweetie asked to meet up over the Thanksgiving weekend, I refused. My excuse was that my boss was making me work overtime. But I didn’t expect the company to actually issue an overtime notice later. I sent Sweetie a barrage of messages complaining about it. Before I got a reply, Ethan’s phone vibrated twice. I subconsciously turned slightly and saw him frown as he glanced at my phone. Then, his clear eyes moved from my phone to my face, lingering so long that I started blushing. After a long while, he turned his head, rested his index finger against his jaw, and let out a low chuckle. His voice was deep and magnetic, like aged wine, intoxicating. My heart skipped a beat: “M-Mr. Vance? Is there something you need?” He spoke slowly: “Come to my office this afternoon.” I’m dead. Me: “Yes, Mr. Vance.” 03 It wasn’t until noon that Sweetie replied: “Sorry, I was working and didn’t see this. Baby, it’s a minor thing. Your boss probably won’t hold it against you.” I immediately replied: “No, no, no. A 30-year-old unmarried man like our boss is a pressure cooker of emotions. I’m probably going to be his punching bag…” I regretted it instantly: “Why do I have such a big mouth.” Thinking about how no unauthorized women had ever entered Ethan’s office, I felt even more terrified. Just as I was hesitating outside his door, the elevator dinged, and out stepped a gorgeous, long-legged woman. Chloe Sterling, the daughter of a real estate mogul. When I first started working here, I saw her chasing Ethan, but she hadn’t even managed to touch his hand. My eyes lit up. I opened the office door right in front of her. Sure enough, she charged in her heels, shoved me aside, and cried: “Ethan! I came to see you…” At his desk, Ethan looked up slightly: “You…” Before he could finish, I bowed deeply: “Mr. Vance, I saw nothing!” With that, I closed the door, pretending to leave them alone, and happily went back to my desk to eat a pumpkin pie. Unexpectedly, a little while later, Miss Sterling ran out crying, her makeup ruined. She pulled me into the hallway: “Tell me, has he been seeing another woman lately?” I thought for a few seconds and spoke up for my boss: “Lately, besides Mr. Vance’s mother, no one else has visited.” She stomped her foot: “I don’t believe it! You’re his employee, of course you’re covering for him!” Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly looked at me meaningfully: “Why did you open his office door earlier?” My heart dropped. Crap, does she suspect me? I coughed twice: “Even though she hasn’t been to the office, he might be keeping her somewhere else.” Miss Sterling slapped her thigh: “Whoever is trying to steal my man, I’ll tear her apart!” Before leaving, she pointedly warned me: “And you better watch it! Why are you wearing makeup to work? You look ugly.” After she left, a coworker came over looking annoyed: “Ignore her. Didn’t you see how Mr. Vance ignored her? She thinks she’s so special.” 04 Maybe because I brought up Ethan Vance too much lately, Sweetie misunderstood. He suddenly asked: “Do you like that kind of man?” I didn’t want him to overthink: “Absolutely not! I hate that kind of man the most!” He went quiet. His hot-and-cold attitude made me panic. Did I offend him? Did I say something wrong? No… Over the weekend, I went out for dinner with my best friend. She brought her new boyfriend. They were so lovey-dovey and sweet, basically feeding each other mouth-to-mouth. I sat across from them, feeling like a giant third wheel. That night, lying in bed, I tossed and turned, opening our chat window again and again. Accidentally, I hit the video call button. My heart pounded, I was so nervous, but I hesitated and didn’t hang up. After a while, the video switched to a voice call. I heard the faint sound of running water. My heart was in my throat. I tentatively asked, “Hello?” No one spoke. Then a message popped up: “I’m in the shower.” Why wasn’t he talking? I felt a wave of disappointment. Was my best friend right? Is he a 40-year-old creepy dude? Or maybe… is there something wrong with him? 05 Because of the Sweetie situation, I was distracted all day. I accidentally walked into the men’s restroom at work. Several guys stared at me in horror. I backed out, face burning red, before I could even process what I saw. That afternoon, many coworkers started a group chat to discuss the “female pervert peeping in the men’s room.” I tried to explain, but it was useless. The group admin was a guy named Mark, who had been pursuing me recently. He seized the opportunity to spread rumors: “Oh, it’s Audrey Miller. That makes sense. She did this to me before. Don’t be fooled by her looks; she has a lot of weird fetishes. She’s super creepy. Probably had a bad upbringing. I heard she did something similar in college and got disciplined.” In the parking garage, I found Mark and told him to stop spreading rumors. His eyes lingered on my chest: “Are you really playing dumb, or are you just acting?” He reached out to grab me. Realizing something was wrong, I kicked him hard. I spun around and crashed into a stranger’s chest. Ethan grabbed my wrist, his eyes cold as ice. Mark’s fiery glare instantly turned fearful: “M-Mr. Vance…” Ethan sneered: “Too much free time?” Mark shifted his gaze: “She’s a pervert. I was teaching her a lesson.” Ethan’s eyes grew even colder: “Since you love teaching lessons so much, it seems you’d be better suited for a trip to the police station.” The next day, Mark was nowhere to be seen at the company. Word was he resigned. Those rumors also died down. I repented for ever cursing my boss. Waaaah, he’s such a good guy. 06 My best friend heard about what happened at work and bought some gifts, telling me to give them to Ethan as a thank you. I thought about it for a long time and messaged Sweetie to ask his opinion. He replied: “You probably should.” Should I? Doesn’t he worry about another man stealing me away? Despite feeling a bit frustrated, I carried the gifts to Ethan’s apartment. He lived in a luxury high-rise in the city center, and it took a lot of effort just to get past security. Unexpectedly, as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, a person wearing a black hat and mask followed me out. It felt like this guy had been tailing me the whole way… I was instantly terrified. I ran forward and frantically knocked on Ethan’s door. He opened it wearing a gray casual hoodie, his handsome face looking much softer. Before he could speak, I lunged forward and threw myself into his arms: “Hubby! I missed you so much~” I was so tense I didn’t even notice how stiff the person I was hugging had become. His eyes flickered, and he raised an eyebrow: “What did you call me?” But my attention was entirely on the suspicious figure behind me. Through the reflection in the window, I saw the person crouching around the corner, peeking this way. It wasn’t until Ethan’s searing body heat radiated from his chest that I suddenly snapped back to reality. Once the door was safely closed, I was ready to grovel and explain. But then I saw two pairs of bright eyes staring right at me in the living room. A white-haired elderly woman and a girl around 20 years old. The shock made me drop the bags I was holding. The girl walked over with a teasing smile: “Brother, why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend?” She gave me a playful grin: “You’re so pretty! I’m Mia Vance, Ethan’s sister.” I stiffly turned my head. Ethan was wearing a look that clearly said, “I’m enjoying this.” As if saying: “You made this mess, you fix it.” He pulled a pair of slippers from the closet, eyes smiling: “You sure you got the right door?” Under these circumstances, I didn’t dare change my shoes… I stood awkwardly by the door: “You guys misunderstood, I’m here to…” Before I could finish, Mia cut me off: “She’s struggling, and you’re not even considerate enough to help her change her shoes?” Ethan leaned against the wall: “Want me to help you change?” I was dumbfounded: “Huh?” “I’m asking you,” he chuckled softly, his thin lips forming the words, “Honey…” My face turned beet red: “No, no, I just came to drop this off and I’m leaving.” Mia was helping me pick up the dropped bags and suddenly froze. She shoved an item into her pocket, then shyly shoved it into Ethan’s chest: “Ahem, ahem. Looks like I’ll be holding a nephew soon.” At the same time, my phone buzzed with a few new messages. It was from my best friend: “Audrey! You haven’t given the gifts away yet, right?! Check if there’s a box in there with men’s underwear. It should be at the bottom, please look for it! …” Ethan also saw the item in the bag. He looked at me teasingly: “You bought this, hmm?” “…” Humiliating. I wanted to disappear. 07 Sitting in the living room was Ethan’s grandmother. She was getting older, and her memory was a bit fuzzy. She held my hand, stared at me for a long time, and suddenly asked: “Where’s my great-granddaughter? Didn’t bring her?” I was completely lost. I just came to drop off a gift, how do I suddenly have a kid? His grandmother was clearly confused, mistaking me for someone else. With no other choice, I had to play along and chat with them for half an hour. But the grandmother was too talkative. She even spilled the tea about how Ethan wore dresses when he was little. I wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, suppressing it until I started coughing. Finally, Ethan finished his work and walked over with a dark expression: “Grandma, you should rest.” He helped her towards the bedroom, shooting me a warning glance. I pointed to my lips, promising not to tell a soul. As soon as I turned away, I pulled out my phone to chat with Sweetie: “Help, our boss is a 30-year-old grown man, but he used to wear dresses when he was little! Who knew there was a girly heart hiding beneath that tough exterior… Hahahahaha, I’m dying… …” I added one last reminder: “Don’t tell anyone.” After hitting send, I felt great. I was about to leave when Mia said security was investigating a suspicious person in the complex and told me to wait two hours before leaving. Thinking of the man who followed me, a chill ran down my spine. So I followed her to a guest room to rest. The room was large and tidy, simple but exuding a quiet luxury. So this is how comfortable the boss’s guest room is… I envy the rich. Two minutes later, standing in the bathroom, I realized something was wrong. Men’s face wash, a razor… Does another man live here besides Ethan? Turns out, no. Because he pushed the door open and walked in. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, then his teasing gaze fell on the razor in my hand: “You like this one?” That tone made me suspect that if I said yes, my year-end bonus would be a box of razors. I quickly explained: “Wrong room! Sorry, Mr. Vance, I’m leaving right now!” I was panicked and in a hurry, and my foot slipped at the worst possible moment. I was about to do a spectacular faceplant, but Ethan seemed to take two steps forward, And I ended up clinging onto him. My face hit his chest, my hand grabbed his belt, And my lipstick left a perfect print right on his crisp white shirt. Looking at the placement, my face flushed with heat: “I-I didn’t mean to…” He held my shoulders, his palms burning hot. “I know,” his voice was low and magnetic, yet somewhat strained, “but could you please let go of my belt first…” I jumped up, covered my face, and ran out, Smacking into the doorframe on my way. Behind me, Ethan’s voice sounded helpless: “Slow down…” 08 For the next few days, I kept seeing a familiar Rolls-Royce parked outside the breakfast diner near my apartment. It stood out like a sore thumb among the scooters; I couldn’t ignore it if I tried. I had to bite the bullet, go up to say hi, And then “coincidentally” ride to work together. Later, I intentionally woke up twenty minutes early and switched diners, but still couldn’t escape it. I started to suspect this car was operating just for me. But his place and mine aren’t even in the same direction… I had a bold thought… “What are you thinking about?” Ethan’s clear voice came from beside me. “You,” I blurted out. Realizing what I just said, I stuttered: “No, Mr. Vance, do you need help with something?” Because there was a third person in the car, I was too embarrassed to be direct. Ethan seemed to notice my discomfort and ordered the driver to pull over: “You step out for a minute.” Me: “Okay.” I grabbed my bag, ready to get out. He pulled me back, chuckling in exasperation: “I told him to get out. Why are you running?” Now, it was just the two of us in the car. The atmosphere grew strangely intimate. I hugged my bag and huddled in the corner: “Mr. Vance, riding in your car so often isn’t good for your reputation.” He turned to look at me, leaning in closer: “You giving me all that underwear was good for my reputation?” He added: “The size was wrong, too.” Good lord, could we not bring that up? Did he misunderstand because I gave him the wrong gift? My heart pounded as I explained: “Actually, I didn’t buy that for you… Mr. Vance, I know you’re a good person, but I already have someone I like.” I wanted to describe my online crush, Sweetie, but that sounded too fake. So I pulled out a photo of me and my cousin and lied: “I’m afraid he’ll misunderstand, so it’s not appropriate for me to get too close to other guys.” Silence filled the car for a moment. I didn’t dare look at him. I opened the door and ran. I don’t know why, but after clearing things up, I felt a fleeting sense of disappointment. I messaged Sweetie: “Can we meet?” He said: “Yes.” So we agreed to meet at a coffee shop downtown in a week. 09 Chloe Sterling heard some gossip from somewhere and started keeping an even closer eye on me: “Why did you get out of his car? Why did he look at you? You smell a bit like him…” It was too annoying, so I just went to the bathroom. Strangely, she didn’t follow me. Later, when I returned, my phone on the desk seemed to have been moved. Since it wasn’t stolen, I didn’t care much. Only two days left until I meet Sweetie. I was feeling nervous. Is he older or younger than me? I don’t care if he’s average-looking, as long as he’s a decent guy. Thursday afternoon, company meeting. A new assistant forgot to distribute some files, so I hurried over to deliver them. Ethan sat immaculately at the head of the table. Under the glow of the projector and everyone’s gaze, he looked calm and unshakeable. As I walked in, our eyes met for a split second before I quickly looked away. Listening to his tone during the meeting, I felt a strange sense of familiarity. 10 Friday night, having dinner with my best friend. I mentioned meeting Sweetie. She warned me to be careful; people online wear masks, and you never know what they’re like in reality. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I got. I excused myself to the restroom. Turning a corner, I accidentally bumped into a guy in his forties. He looked at me, sweating slightly: “Careful, little lady.” I hastily apologized while helping him pick up his dropped phone. But I accidentally saw his WhatsApp screen. There was a contact right there—it was my name and my profile picture. Everyone I’ve added on WhatsApp, I know in real life. Except for Sweetie, who I’ve never met. I was completely dumbfounded. The guy rubbed his belly, his voice overly gentle: “Hey gorgeous, are you okay?” I have a problem. A huge problem. I felt like my heart was bleeding. This is impossible. Sweetie clearly told me he was 6’2″. I tried to keep my composure: “Um, you… you sure have a lot of friends on there.” He laughed loudly, a smile with a hidden meaning: “Just a bunch of twenty-something girls clinging to me. One today, another tomorrow. I can’t possibly keep up with all of them.” My smile froze. He said: “Don’t doubt it. As long as I flash a Rolex and casually toss a borrowed BMW key on the table, they all tell me how amazing I am… Look at this girl, username ‘Too Free’. Hasn’t even met me yet, and she’s already completely obsessed with me.” I clenched my fists. His phone rang, and he answered it: “Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want this kid? How did I trick you? You were the one begging to be with me. Jumping off a building? Suit yourself! …” 11 In my mind, Sweetie was a rather aloof person. At least, that’s how he was when we chatted. He was actually very busy, often replying after work, but he always explained every question clearly. Thinking about it now, was this the so-called “playing hard to get”? Thinking about that creepy guy… Reality really hit me over the head with a baseball bat… I hugged my best friend and sobbed, while sending Sweetie five hundred bucks: “Thank you for helping me before. I have a boyfriend now, and I’m afraid he’ll misunderstand. I’m deleting you, sorry.” The screen showed: Typing… I remembered the creepy guy’s greasy, narcissistic look. I didn’t even want to read his message. I just blocked him. 12 Then, I dragged my best friend to a bar downstairs. When I was feeling dizzy from the alcohol, I vaguely saw a tall, upright man walking through the entrance. Even though I was in pain, I could recognize that it was my boss and provider, Ethan Vance… With teary eyes, I tried to explain: “M-Mr. Vance, I asked for time off…” His breathing was heavy, as if suppressing his emotions: “Why are you drinking?” My best friend was worried and wouldn’t let him near me, but after they walked aside and talked for a bit, she opened the door and left. Finally, it was just the two of us in the small booth. With a raspy voice, I spouted nonsense: “I’m happy! Let’s toast!” He frowned, snatching my drink away. The splashing liquid dampened his black shirt. He rolled up his sleeves and sat next to me, looking somewhat defeated: “I’m very sad.” I paused: “What’s wrong?” He laughed self-deprecatingly and said: “I got dumped.” Dumped? I got dumped too… I poured him a full glass: “Come on, drink!” My hand slipped, and the liquor spilled all over my neck. He glanced at it: “How do you expect me to drink that?” He took a tissue and wiped the liquor off me. A perfectly flawless face was swaying right in front of my eyes. Being so close, I noticed his eyelashes were very long, and his eyes were actually brown. Very pretty. I suddenly grabbed his sleeve: “Hey, why don’t we just get together?” Ethan’s aura darkened. He shook off my hand: “Do you know what you’re saying?” I lost control: “My online crush turned out to be a scumbag. Isn’t that infuriating?” His eyes deepened, looking like he wanted to say something. When I’m drunk, I get very talkative. Through my tears, I cursed Sweetie out, And told him all about that creepy guy. Half an hour later, Ethan’s sleeve was soaked With my tears. He propped my forehead up with one finger. His eyes were confused, yet carrying a trace of imperceptible relief: “I have no idea how you misunderstood all that. But the person chatting with you all these days… was me.” I waved my hand: “Don’t comfort me. I’ve already accepted reality.” He laughed so hard his body shook. He repeated all the complaints I had made about him, Then opened the account I had just blocked right in front of me: “See clearly now?” I nodded dumbly, Thinking this dream felt a bit too real. My online crush transformed from a 40-year-old creep into my handsome boss. I leaned in and kissed his lips. Soft, with a sweet taste of alcohol. Definitely dreaming. Otherwise, why wasn’t he moving?

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I committed suicide. On Christmas Eve, a time meant for family reunions. But I never expected that my ex-husband, who had never cared about me while I was alive, would go completely insane after my death, ruthlessly seeking revenge against everyone who had ever mistreated me. He even tried to take his own life to join me. Yet, when I was alive, he clearly didn’t love me at all. 01 Right now, in my newly minted ghost form, I stood next to my own corpse. The Reaper stood in front of me, flipping through a thick, leather-bound Ledger of Souls. “What is your name?” “Audrey,” I replied, eager for him to take my soul away so I could be reincarnated into a decent family for my next life. But the Reaper’s gaze lingered on the ledger for a long time. Finally, he looked up at me. “Your time isn’t up yet, and you have a baby in your belly. Why did you kill yourself?” I glanced down at my pale, lifeless body soaking in the bathtub. “I didn’t want to live anymore, so I ended it.” The Reaper looked so angry his jaw actually twitched. He tapped the ledger in his hand. “Do you realize that committing suicide before your time is up is like calling 911 for a fake emergency? It’s highly unethical! Furthermore, the child inside you was meant to have a brand-new life, and now, because of you, they will never be born!” God as my witness, when I took my own life, I had absolutely no idea I was pregnant. But hearing his lecture, I frowned. “Why are there so many rules for dying?” The Reaper softened his tone. “Life still has many beautiful things waiting for you to experience. Be a good girl, listen to me, and get back into your body.” I thought of my bloodsucking, cruel parents. I thought of my entitled sister and my spoiled brother. And I thought of my ex-husband’s perpetually cold, indifferent face. My resolve was absolute. “There is absolutely nothing beautiful in my life. Just drag me away. I’d rather be a dog or a cat in my next life.” No matter how the Reaper tried to persuade me, I refused to return to my body. Finally, he sighed. “Processing reincarnation paperwork for someone whose time isn’t up is incredibly difficult. How about this: I’ll give you thirty days. You can stay in the human world as a ghost. If, by the end of the month, you still haven’t found a single reason to live, I’ll process your paperwork.” I thought about it and agreed. It wasn’t every day you got to be a ghost. Roaming the earth with zero responsibilities sounded pretty good. 02 On my first day as a ghost, I sat on the windowsill and watched the city lights glow through the night. The phone I had left by the bathtub was filled with mass-sent holiday texts. Out of the hundreds of contacts in my phone, not a single person genuinely reached out to me on Christmas Eve. Just as the holiday specials on TV were coming to an end, my phone finally buzzed. I floated over to look. It was my awful ex-husband. He sent a photo. It was a cardboard box stuffed with a few of my old clothes and half-used makeup products. The text read: “Your trash. You have one day to get it out of here. Don’t dirty my house.” My ex-husband was Grayson Lockwood. True to his reputation, he was a cold, ruthless, and calculating CEO. He inherited the family business at a young age, and within a few short years, he multiplied their revenue exponentially. The business world hailed him as a prodigy. His looks were even more undeniable. When he first took over the company, skeptics mocked him, saying he should just use his face to make a living in Hollywood. But even perfect people have flaws. His flaw was that he didn’t love me. He had a high school sweetheart, his “white moonlight,” while I was merely a childhood promise made by his mother. My family used to be wealthy, but unfortunately, we went bankrupt during my senior year of high school. I had an entitled older sister, a spoiled younger brother, and parents who heavily favored their son. When we went bankrupt, my sister, who was studying abroad in Paris, felt no impact whatsoever. Meanwhile, my parents constantly lectured me: “Business is bad right now, Audrey. You need to be understanding.” I busted my back earning scholarships and working part-time jobs while juggling my studies, terrified of being a burden. Yet, in the blink of an eye, my parents sent my useless younger brother to an expensive prep school overseas, spending fifty thousand dollars a year without batting an eye. While I was working at a local fast-food joint making fifteen bucks an hour, my brother was partying on yachts. While I was sweating in a heavy mascot costume passing out flyers in the summer heat, my sister was skiing in the Swiss Alps. It seemed that the only person affected by our family’s bankruptcy was me. During my senior year of college, my parents clung to Grayson as their lifeline. When Grayson’s mother was pregnant with him, she was in a severe car accident. My parents found her and rushed her to the hospital, saving both her and the unborn Grayson. Seeing that my mother was also pregnant at the time, and noting my parents’ good looks, she promised an arranged marriage between their future children. We all thought it was just a joke, but during my senior year, Grayson’s mother became terminally ill. On her deathbed, she remembered the promise she made in her youth. So, she came looking for our family. 03 For my bankrupt family, this was like winning the lottery. Logically, the promise was meant for my older sister. But at the time, my sister was happily dating a rich guy in Paris. Grayson had just taken over his company, and rumors said he was just a pretty face with no real skill. My sister adamantly refused to marry him. And so, I, the designated scapegoat, was shoved onto the altar. I got my marriage certificate before I even got my college diploma. When I applied for graduation, the marriage certificate actually counted as two extracurricular credits. I smiled bitterly. I guess that was a silver lining. Grayson didn’t like me. I knew that from the very beginning. The day we got our marriage license, Grayson’s mother held my hand as we waited outside City Hall for half an hour. When he finally arrived, he merely glanced at me, then turned to his mother. “Something came up at work. I’m late.” After that, he didn’t look at me once. So, I always knew. He didn’t love me. 04 I sat on the balcony, letting the cold winter wind blow through me, watching the warm lights of the city. The deep sense of loss that followed my suicide slowly washed over me. I thought about playing a depressing Spotify playlist to set the mood, but unfortunately, I couldn’t physically touch my phone anymore. Just as I was contemplating where to float off to next, the phone in my bathroom started ringing incessantly. I drifted over. It was Grayson. We had just finalized our divorce papers the day before yesterday. He had told me there were still some asset distributions to sort out, so I shouldn’t block his number yet. I knew his personality. He was decisive and ruthless. I figured he just wanted to sever all ties as quickly as possible so we’d never have to speak again. But why was he calling me so many times right now? I didn’t understand. He called my number, then called me on FaceTime, over and over again. The ringing was getting on my nerves. I debated whether I could somehow knock the phone into the bathtub. But as a newly minted ghost, I was too weak to interact with physical objects. So I just stared as the phone rang endlessly. Over half an hour later, the phone finally fell silent. 05 The texts from my parents arrived early the next morning. My mom wrote: “It’s not that we’re being cruel by not letting you come home for the holidays. If you just go beg Grayson to remarry you, we’ll let you come home to celebrate.” When I first brought up divorcing Grayson, my parents were the loudest opponents. Because as long as I was married to him—even if he didn’t love me—he would offer our family financial support just for the sake of the marriage certificate. Lockwood Enterprises was a massive empire. With a wave of his hand, he could resurrect our family’s failing business. If I divorced him, we would lose our golden goose. During our mandatory separation period before the divorce finalized, my parents stormed into my apartment countless times to talk me out of it. When I refused to budge, my dad slapped me across the face, calling me an ungrateful brat, screaming that a divorced woman would never be able to marry again. But the day before yesterday, I stubbornly went to City Hall with Grayson and finalized the divorce. Just like when we got married five years ago, Grayson made me wait alone at City Hall for hours before finally showing up. He signed the papers without a word, got back into his obscenely expensive sports car, and sped off without a trace of emotion. The tires hit a puddle, splashing dirty water all over me. I pressed my lips together, forcing back the tears threatening to spill. I thought, since it was almost Christmas, I’d buy some groceries and gifts and go home after getting the divorce certificate. But I was locked out. My parents kicked me out. The look my mother gave me was pure vitriol. “You have the nerve to come back? You know our business is only surviving because of the Lockwoods. You divorcing him—are you trying to kill me?!” I looked down at the groceries scattered across the porch. Years of accumulated grief and exhaustion crashed over me. With tears streaming down my face, I looked at my biological parents. “What about me? Have I not done enough?” I ignored their curses, turned around, and walked away. At that exact moment, I made the decision to end my life. I suddenly wanted to know: if they found out I was dead, would they regret everything they had done to me? 06 Christmas Day. Every household was bursting with joy. My apartment was also quite “festive.” I sat on the bathroom counter, staring at myself soaking in the bathtub. The entire bathroom was tinted a stark, deep red. Aside from being a bit horrifying, the color was undeniably festive. Around 8 AM, the neighborhood started waking up. The neighbor next door was baking cookies; I could hear the clattering of baking sheets. The family downstairs seemed to be roasting a Christmas ham. The savory smell wafted up through the vents. I rubbed my belly, suddenly remembering that I hadn’t eaten a single thing for two whole days before I died. I had chugged a bottle of red wine and just lay down in the tub. Smelling the food now, I regretted not having a full meal before killing myself. Dying on Christmas was bad enough, but becoming a starving ghost was just insulting. As I debated whether to float next door to watch them bake or go downstairs to check on the ham, there was a knock at my front door. Who would visit me today? I mentally scanned my social circle. After college, I became a full-time housewife. I lost touch with all my old friends, and I never fit in with the wealthy socialite wives. I practically had no friends at all. Was it an Amazon delivery? While racking my brain trying to remember if I had any pending orders, I floated to the door. I looked through the peephole, and when I saw who was outside, I froze. Why was Grayson Lockwood standing at my door? 07 Through the peephole, I saw Grayson’s handsome face twisted with intense impatience. He pounded on the door aggressively, then repeatedly jammed his finger into the doorbell. “Audrey, don’t think throwing a tantrum is going to get my attention. That trick won’t work on me.” Grayson’s voice carried clearly through the heavy door. I was terrified of his negative moods. No matter how happy I felt moments prior, the second he appeared and frowned, I felt like the sky was falling. Before I married him, my parents had drilled it into my head: Never make Grayson mad. Our family’s survival depended entirely on whether Grayson was willing to throw us a lifeline for the sake of our marriage. The night before the wedding, my mother packed my bags and warned me: “Once you move in, you need to learn how to please Grayson and his family. Your sister and brother still need money for school. You have to think about them.” I stared down at my bridal shoes, pressed my lips together, and stayed silent. If it weren’t for the wedding, I would have been at work that day, earning my eighty-dollar shift pay. Because of that conditioning, throughout our marriage, no matter what happened, if I sensed Grayson was upset, I would immediately apologize. Eventually, I couldn’t even tell who was right or wrong anymore. Brainwashed by my parents, I believed that if Grayson was angry, it meant I was at fault. So even now, as a ghost, seeing Grayson standing outside my door looking so pissed off, my first instinct was that I had done something wrong and needed to apologize to him. But the current me couldn’t respond to his anger anymore. Failing to get a response, Grayson grew even more furious. He called me several more times. My phone, sitting in the bathroom, rang out with my usual ringtone. This apartment was a pre-wedding gift from Grayson’s mother. She was a good person. She told me: “Even though I’m the one asking you to marry my son, I worry you might suffer in this marriage. I want to give you a safe haven.” It was a modest two-bedroom apartment. The phone was in the master bathroom, but I could clearly hear it ringing from the front door. Grayson heard it too. He slammed his palm against the door. “Fine, Audrey. Keep hiding. I hope you hide for the rest of your life. Don’t ever let me see your face again. I left your things at the door. Don’t ever come back to my house looking for them.” He hung up, kicked something on the ground, and stormed off. I hid behind the door, not daring to breathe. People say humans are afraid of ghosts, but here I was, a literal ghost, terrified of the man standing outside. I really was pathetic. 08 I peeked out the window, watching Grayson’s car drive away, before I dared to float out the door. He had brought over the few clothes and cosmetics I had forgotten to pack when I moved out. There wasn’t much; it all fit into one cardboard box. Grayson hadn’t even bothered to fold them. He just shoved everything haphazardly into the box. I crouched down and looked at it. Having my “trash” dumped at my front door for all the neighbors to see felt a little humiliating. I tried to reach out and lift the box, but my hands phased right through the cardboard. Grayson, you absolute bastard! I made a vow right then and there: I was going to stand by his bed tonight and haunt the living daylights out of him. 09 Twenty-four hours after my death, I stood by Grayson’s bed. I had bumped into the ghost of a woman who had jumped off a building in my complex. She told me that, as a brand-new ghost, I didn’t have the power to knock over water glasses or make noises to scare people like the older ghosts did. My only option was to wait until he fell asleep, when his life force was weakest, and haunt his dreams. At 1:00 AM, I hovered over his bed, but it was empty. Grayson was still working in his home office. I let out a yawn, quietly reflecting: If you want to wear the crown, you have to bear the weight. Being a CEO clearly wasn’t a job just anyone could handle. I stretched and floated into the home office. To my surprise, he wasn’t working. He was sitting at his desk, deep in thought. Grayson’s personality was cold and detached, and his house’s color scheme reflected that—stark blacks, whites, and grays. The office was no exception. He only had a small desk lamp turned on. Half of his sculpted face was hidden in the shadows, the other half illuminated by the cold light, making him look even more unreadable. His eyes were lowered. The computer screen was bright. From his expression, he exuded a heavy, palpable melancholy. I floated behind him and accidentally glanced at his screen. He wasn’t working at all. It was his iMessage chat with Serena. Serena had texted: “I’m flying back to the States on the 8th.” Grayson replied briefly: “What time is your flight? I’ll come pick you up.” Serena gave him her flight number and arrival time. Grayson said: “Okay.” Grayson had always been like this. Whatever Serena asked of him, he would do everything in his power to fulfill it. I stood behind him, reading this brief exchange. The suffocating feeling of my heart being squeezed tight was still there, though it was significantly less painful than the very first time I learned of Serena’s existence. 10 Serena was Grayson’s first love, the “white moonlight” he tragically missed out on. I found this out six months into our marriage. During the second semester of my senior year, I married Grayson. Even though I had latched onto the Lockwood empire, the blatant favoritism I suffered growing up taught me that true security only comes from building your own path. So, I declined his mother’s offer to stay home as a full-time socialite wife and instead took an internship at a corporate firm. The internship was brutal. I had a brown-nosing manager, and one of the other interns in my group was a wealthy heir. I ended up doing the work of two people, while the rich kid took the majority of the credit. Grayson was incredible—brilliant and devastatingly handsome. I had never dated anyone before. Being married to him and sharing a bed with him, it was inevitable that I would fall for him. Because of that, the exhaustion and injustice of my internship would instantly vanish the moment I saw his face. Back then, I thought: I have such an amazing husband, what do I have to be sad about? One night, I worked late and came home exhausted. Grayson was already in the shower. He traveled for business constantly and rarely came home. Even when he did, he was polite but distant. Still, his being home made me happy. I sat nervously on the edge of the bed, waiting for him to finish showering. While I waited, his phone, tossed carelessly on the duvet, started ringing. The shower was still running. I walked to the bathroom door and called out to tell him his phone was ringing, but he didn’t answer. I picked it up and saw it was an international number. Grayson’s business was global, and he had introduced me to several of his foreign partners at galas. I assumed it was a business associate. As his legal wife, I felt I had the right to answer the phone for him. But when I answered, a young woman’s drunk, coquettish voice came through the speaker. I froze, confused, and asked, “Excuse me, who is this?” The girl on the other end reacted even more strongly than I did: “Who are you? Why do you have Grayson’s phone?” She called him Grayson. In the six months we had been married, I didn’t even dare to call him by his first name during our most intimate moments, yet she said it so naturally. I composed myself and replied, “Hello, I am Grayson’s wife. May I ask what this is regarding?” The girl sounded like she had just heard something impossible. Just as I was about to speak again, the shower turned off. Grayson stormed out wearing only a towel and snatched the phone from my hand. I will never forget the ice in his eyes. He looked at me like I was a complete stranger. “Why did you touch my phone?” 11 A woman’s intuition told me immediately that the girl’s relationship with him was far from ordinary. That night, Grayson didn’t sleep at home. He didn’t offer a single word of explanation. He just took the call, grabbed his keys, and drove off. Later, I learned from Grayson’s mother that the girl’s name was Serena. She was his childhood sweetheart, his untouchable white moonlight. Serena was a perfect, wealthy heiress, beautiful and brilliant. She was the one unforgettable ray of light in Grayson’s dark, struggling teenage years. But because Grayson was struggling to prove himself at the time, they tragically missed their chance. After Serena went abroad for college, Grayson slowly learned the ropes of the business world from his father, eventually becoming the prodigy he was today. Serena had cycled through several boyfriends, but Grayson had always remained single. People in their social circle whispered that even if Grayson was married, if Serena made one phone call, he would abandon his bride at the altar to run to her. Unfortunately, I was the sacrificial bride in their epic, romantic love story—the collateral damage used to prove the depth of the male lead’s devotion. 12 Because I answered Serena’s phone call, Grayson was furious. His punishment for me was to personally head overseas to expand a new market. For nearly an entire year, he never came back to see me. Grayson was a golden god among men. Even though it was an arranged marriage, I still inevitably fell deeply in love with him. But that year of absolute silence made me realize there was an uncrossable chasm between us. The chasm was built on family background, life experience, and worldview… but the biggest factor of all was Serena. Knowing full well he was intentionally distancing himself from me because of her, my bloodsucking parents still used our family’s failing business as an excuse to relentlessly pressure me into asking him for money. My mother said, “I know you’re Mrs. Lockwood now. If you just have a baby, your position will be secure. But that’s still his family. You only have true leverage if your own family is strong. If you guys ever fight, you need a place to come back to.” During our time apart, I sent Grayson countless texts—sharing trivial details of my day, asking about his well-being. If he was in a good mood, he might reply with a brief, one-sentence answer. But mostly, my messages vanished into the void. Forced by my parents’ demands, I finally had to swallow my pride and call him. Terrified of interrupting his sleep, I calculated the time difference perfectly to call during his lunch break, which meant it was the middle of the night for me. But when I carefully made my request, Grayson merely scoffed on the other end of the line. His tone was dripping with mockery: “Audrey, are you willing to stay married to anyone, as long as they pay you?” His words plunged me into a freezing abyss. 13 I watched Grayson sitting in his office, brooding over Serena’s text messages. I felt a complicated mix of emotions, but my resolve to haunt him only grew stronger. I floated up to his ear, puffed out my cheeks, and blew a gust of cold air right at him. I saw a ghost do this to a poor scholar in a classic horror movie once. Turns out, the method was highly effective. The usually stoic Grayson whipped his head around, coming face-to-face with me blowing air at him. My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a sudden, inexplicable guilt. Grayson scanned the room. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he reached out and closed the chat window on his laptop. He leaned back heavily in his chair, pinched the bridge of his nose, and let out a long, exhausted sigh. I didn’t get it. His white moonlight was coming back, why was he acting so depressed? Did he think that after five years of marriage with me, he was somehow “tainted” and unworthy of Serena? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I clenched my fist and slammed it against the bookshelf behind him. It was just an instinctual reaction born of anger, but I didn’t expect it to actually knock a book off the shelf. It was a thick, heavy hardcover. The loud thud it made when it hit the floor startled both of us. I was shocked because: I could actually touch physical objects?! Grayson was shocked because: Why did a book just fall off the shelf? Is this place haunted? We both looked down at the floor simultaneously. Photographs that had been tucked inside the book scattered across the rug. I looked closely and realized they were photos of me, mixed with a couple of awkward pictures of Grayson and me together. I remembered then—before his mother died, she forced us to take a trip to the beach. Under her strict supervision, Grayson reluctantly posed for a few pictures with me. His mother had the photos printed and gave us each a set. Her intention was for Grayson to frame them and put them on his desk at work. I had framed my set and placed them in the most prominent spot in my apartment. But I never imagined Grayson would hide his set this deeply. “You bastard. Does looking at these pictures disgust you that much?” As Grayson bent down to pick up the photos, I couldn’t hold back. I swiped my hand again. This time, I knocked his water glass off the desk, sending it shattering onto the floor. Leaving a bewildered Grayson behind, I floated out the window and headed back to my own apartment. Hmph. If you think my photos are bad luck, I’ll show you something truly horrific. 14 I had insomnia. Ghosts don’t die from pulling all-nighters, so I just laid on the sofa, letting the negative emotions wash over me. Turns out, even becoming a ghost doesn’t save you from late-night existential dread. Thirty-five hours after my death, my older sister texted me. I was so bored, floating around the apartment trying to figure out what to do, when my phone in the bathroom chimed. I darted over, wondering who was looking for me. But as soon as I entered the bathroom, my own “corpse” scared the living daylights out of me. Soaking bloodless in a tub of crimson water—even I found it incredibly eerie and terrifying. “Eww.” I suddenly regretted choosing this method. On the phone screen was a text from my sister. She wrote: “Grayson came by the house early this morning with Christmas gifts. He asked if you had come home. Audrey, I’m your sister, I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Remarrying Grayson is the best thing for you and for our family. Stop being so stubborn.” Five minutes later, she sent another: “Do you know who Grayson is? The fact that he brought gifts to check on us after the divorce shows he still cares. Audrey, when you’re given an out, take it immediately.” My sister was three years older than me. When we were kids, I completely idolized her. I thought she was amazing, smart, and whenever there was a school play or talent show, she was always the shining star. When I was little, I just thought she was exceptional. As I got older, I started to realize the truth: why did my parents enroll her in expensive piano and dance classes, while I was only allowed to take the cheapest art club after school? And when the family business started going under, the first thing they cut was my cheap art club. My parents’ blatant favoritism chipped away at my idolization of her. And my sister seemed to revel in their favoritism, treating me like her personal servant as a matter of right. In high school, she made me deliver a love letter to the school’s bad boy. I got cornered in an alley by a group of mean girls who liked him. She happened to walk past, glanced at me getting pushed around, and just kept walking. When I came home bruised and scraped, she told me to lie to our parents and ordered me not to tell them she had written the letter. We ended up at the same university, but by the time I was a freshman, she was already studying abroad in Paris. She was an outstanding alumna, invited back to speak at the university’s anniversary gala. Across the crowded auditorium, she made eye contact with me but pretended not to know me. When I went home, she looked at me with disgust and said, “Audrey, can you please try to dress better? If people find out my sister looks this pathetic, I’ll die of embarrassment.” I smiled bitterly on the inside. Why did I look so pathetic? Didn’t she know exactly why? My suicide… she definitely played a part in it.

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Six months ago, my mother knelt on the floor, begging me to donate a kidney to my stepsister. Six months later, the night before my wedding, she knelt again, begging me to give up my fiancé to the stepdaughter she cherished so much. My own biological brother slapped me across the face: “Aubrey, how can you be so selfish? She’s dying, don’t you know that?” It’s okay. In two more months, I’ll be dead too, and everyone will finally be satisfied. 01 The night before I was supposed to walk down the aisle, my mother knelt on the floor and begged me, “Brie, postpone the wedding. Just let Liam go keep Chloe company for a bit, okay? Chloe has severe depression. When she found out you two were getting married, she got even sicker… Please, Mom is begging you.” I didn’t answer. Immediately after, my brother viciously slapped my face. He was fuming, the veins on his neck bulging from anger. I looked at them and smiled, “Is it true that whatever Chloe wants, you’ll make me sacrifice? My kidney, and now even my future husband, right?” Tears welled up in my mother’s eyes. “Chloe is still so young… she can’t live without Liam. Mom promises you, once Chloe gets better, I’ll have Liam come back and marry you, okay?” My brother gripped my wrist tightly. “Aubrey, stop being unreasonable. We’re a family. Isn’t it a good thing that Chloe stays alive?” Liam knocked and entered the room. His expression was unreadable, and he was still wearing the tuxedo he was supposed to get married in tomorrow. I could see the hesitation hidden in his eyes, but in the end, he just patted my head. “Aubrey, wait for me to come back.” The three of them rushed out in a panic. Leaving me completely alone, like a bewildered clown. The wedding dress I was supposed to wear tomorrow was still laid out on the bed. I stared at the medical report in my jewelry box, the one I had just picked up yesterday. I thought to myself, It’s fine. I’m dying soon anyway. Once I’m dead, everyone will be happy. Along with the kidney I donated six months ago, and my future husband, everything will belong to her. 02 My mother had already notified all our friends and relatives not to come tomorrow. The wedding was canceled. And Liam had notified his side of the family that the wedding was postponed. As the bride, I had absolutely no say in the matter. Just like six months ago, when Chloe needed dialysis and a kidney transplant due to uremia, the whole family was asked to get tested for a match. I had always been the most invisible presence in this house. But on the day the results came out, for the first time ever, my mother, my stepfather David, and my brother didn’t stay at the hospital with Chloe. Instead, they cooked a lavish dinner for me at home. I had never been treated like this in my entire life, and I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the attention. But not a single person remembered that I was allergic to shellfish. My mother spoke ingratiatingly, “Brie, the results are back… You’re a match with your sister. You can save her…” I stared at the seafood on the table and suddenly looked up at the three people in front of me. “Do you guys even remember that I’m allergic to shellfish?” My brother slammed his chopsticks onto my plate, his face full of suppressed anger. “Aubrey, our sister is dying, and you’re making a fuss about a seafood allergy right now?” My mother burst into tears. “Brie, you have to save her. Don’t forget, your stepfather David paid for your tuition and living expenses from childhood to college. You should know how to repay a debt.” It was pouring rain outside that day. My mother knelt down and begged me, my brother glared at me with hostility, and David looked at me with pleading eyes. I smiled. “Mom, if I donate this kidney, can you promise never to ask me to give up my things for her again?” My mother hesitated for a moment, but then nodded vigorously like a woodpecker. “Mom promises you.” I agreed. The three of them finally let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the heavy rain outside, my mother rushed to leave. “Chloe is terrified of thunder. She’ll be scared without me. I’m going to the hospital to stay with her.” Left alone in the house, staring at a table full of seafood, I suddenly remembered when my dad was still alive. My mom loved me, my brother adored me, and the whole family carefully protected me. When did everything start to change? It seems like it was twenty years ago, when my dad passed away from an illness, and my mom took me and my brother and remarried David. David was kind and amiable, and his daughter Chloe was lively, clever, and loved by everyone. In contrast, after my father’s death and the sudden drop in our quality of life, I became quiet and withdrawn. I wasn’t the kind of child adults found endearing. Sometimes, watching my brother, my mother, David, and Chloe, they looked like a real family of four. I felt like the odd one out. Whatever I liked, if Chloe liked it too, my mother would give it to her. Even my brother, as the days went by, grew to favor the stepsister who shared no blood with him. She would affectionately lean on his shoulder and eagerly hop onto the back of his bike after school, completely ignoring me, standing anxiously behind them. Back then, Chloe told me, “Aubrey, your mom and brother are mine now. You’re so unnecessary.” While I stood there in a daze, my eyes turning red, she ran up to my mother, hugged her, acted spoiled, and then turned around to stick her tongue out at me. 03 Remembering this, I lay down on my wedding dress on the bed. My body suddenly ached violently—a pain that drilled deep into my bones, making large tears stream uncontrollably from my eyes. I curled up on the wedding dress I had spent so long picking out, crying like an abandoned puppy. The next day, I packed my things and went back to the small apartment Liam and I shared. I texted Liam: “Liam, I think we need to talk.” Soon, a message from Liam came through. It was a selfie of him and Chloe. He was smiling, looking just like the young, carefree college boy he used to be. His brow was relaxed, his expression at ease. I knew Chloe had sent it. I called my mother. She answered, but just brushed me off in a hushed voice, “Liam is here with Chloe. She’s much more stable now. Okay, I have to go, I need to bring Chloe her soup.” I threw my phone aside and looked at the whimpering puppy nearby. He jumped onto my lap, sniffed me, and rested his head on my legs. I don’t know if dogs can smell sickness, but he seemed a bit downcast. I patted his head. “Buddy, Mom has to go take care of something. I’ll be back to get you.” I drove to the hospital. David and my mother were sitting nearby with loving expressions, peeling an apple for Chloe, while my brother and Liam were right beside her, helping her rank up in a video game. Fighting through the physical discomfort, I twisted the doorknob and walked in. Chloe’s face immediately darkened. She grabbed Liam’s arm, her eyes welling up with tears as she feigned being wronged. “Aubrey, can you let me have Liam? Just for a little bit?” Liam quickly stood up and gently brushed her hand away. “Brie, I was actually planning to head home soon.” David looked a bit embarrassed, but he still put on a placating smile. “Brie, Chloe hasn’t fully recovered yet. Once she’s better, the whole family will attend your wedding.” At this, Chloe seemed to suffer a severe shock. She clutched her head and started screaming violently. My brother hugged her, patiently coaxing, “Don’t be scared, Chloe, don’t be scared. Your brother is here. I’m right here.” My mother shoved me towards the door. “Why are you here? Don’t you know seeing you triggers her?” I stared straight into my mother’s eyes. “Mom, do you even remember that I’m your biological daughter?” A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes, but then she coldly pushed me away. “Aubrey, stop being immature. Don’t forget, David paid for your college and your master’s degree. You need to be grateful.” Desperately, I grabbed my mother’s hand. “Mom, I can give all the money back to David. Can you just…” She slammed the door shut without another glance. I numbly finished my sentence to the closed door: “Can you just… not treat me like this?” Liam eventually pushed the door open and stepped out. Guilt hid in his eyes. “Brie, there’s nothing going on between Chloe and me. Her depression is really severe.” I looked at the man I had loved for seven years, ever since our freshman year of college, and finally let out a long sigh. “Liam, the summer of our first year of grad school, when Chloe insisted on coming to our city for an internship… when I checked the pet camera at home, I saw everything you two did every single day.” He turned pale, his fingers gripping my sleeve tightly. “Brie, we didn’t do anything.” I nodded. “You’re right, you didn’t do anything. You played video games together, binge-watched shows together, walked my dog together. Even when she badmouthed me, or when she secretly kissed you while you were asleep on the couch, you didn’t push her away.” “Brie, we’re getting married.” “Liam, we’re not getting married anymore. I wanted to play dumb, but it seems playing dumb can’t cover up certain facts. Chloe is indeed more likable than I am; everyone loves her. I can’t pretend anymore. Just like all those times she sent you cute selfies—even though you never replied, you fell for her, didn’t you?” As I turned to leave, Liam suddenly hugged me from behind. “Brie, I’ll go home with you. We’ve been together for seven years. Seven years…” Right then, Chloe’s face appeared in the window, and she violently slammed her head against the wall. A loud thud echoed. Her forehead started bleeding, and she glared at me with a ferocious expression. “Aubrey, why do you have to fight me for everything?” Liam hesitated. He let go of my hand, his gaze darting away, and reached for the doorknob to go back inside. I knew, in that moment, our seven-year relationship was over. My mother and brother’s scolding reached my ears again—the filthiest, most vulgar curses they reserved for me, the outsider, the intruder, when they were at their most furious. My brother forcefully pinned me against the wall, glaring at me fiercely. “Aubrey, can’t you just act your age? Are you a fucking idiot? Do you have to turn the whole family upside down?” I looked at my brother and my mother and said, “Don’t worry. Liam belongs to your Chloe now.” 04 Liam didn’t chase after me. I drove home in a daze. I packed all my belongings, took my dog, and left the apartment we had shared for seven years. It’s laughable. Even after seven years together, all my belongings in that place fit into just a few large boxes. I was going to find Sarah. She was my best friend, who, out of disgust for city life, had run off to the open plains of Wyoming to live freely for years. When I called her, she was out tending to her sheep. “Sarah, I’m driving out to stay with you. I’ve always said I wanted to see the plains.” “What’s wrong, Aubrey?” “Nothing, Sarah. I’m already on the road.” I drove non-stop. When Sarah picked me up at the rest stop, she gave me a massive hug first. “Aubrey, why are you so thin? You’re just skin and bones.” I told her honestly, “Sarah, I think I’m going to die.” Sarah’s eyes widened. “Don’t joke around like that. It’s bad luck.” I hugged her tightly. “Bone cancer. Late stage. Not much time left.” Sarah tried to shove me back into the car like a madwoman. “I’m driving you to the fucking hospital right now.” I shook my head. “Sarah, I’m tired. I want to see the plains, see your sheep. I can’t handle the treatments anymore. I want to leave beautifully, without regrets.” I left my car at the rest stop and got into Sarah’s pickup truck. I rested in the backseat, holding Buddy. Liam’s call came through. I popped out my SIM card and threw it out the window. Sarah asked, “Does Liam know?” “He doesn’t deserve to know.” “What about your mom and brother?” “Maybe a long time ago, they stopped being my mom and brother and just became someone else’s.” We pulled up to her cabin just as dawn was breaking. The sun was slowly rising in the distance, casting a faint glow that pierced the darkness. It was Buddy’s first time seeing such vast, open land. He ran and jumped like crazy, tongue hanging out, radiating pure joy. I thought, If I die, it’ll be good for Buddy to stay here. He can run free and worry-free. Sarah lit a cigarette. The smoke rings scattered in the wind, and her eyes looked a bit red. Finally, she stubbed out the cigarette and stomped on it hard a few times. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Aubrey, are you an idiot?” I didn’t know what to say, but she pulled me into the cabin and then turned her back to me, her voice choking up. “Aubrey, that bastard Liam promised me he’d take good care of you. Is this how he takes care of you?” I gently tugged her sleeve. “Sarah, let’s not talk about him, okay?” 05 When I lay in bed with Sarah, she held my hand tightly the whole time. Her hands had gotten a bit rough, but the way she rubbed my palm gave me the most reassuring feeling. I leaned on her shoulder. “Sarah, am I weak for choosing to hide? I just don’t want to see them anymore.” “No, Aubrey. You can never wake someone who’s pretending to be asleep, and fighting won’t change your mom and brother’s favoritism. Running away is better.” Pain wracked my body again. I turned pale and took some painkillers out of my bag. Buddy lay nearby, whimpering softly. When Sarah fed me the pills, her hands were shaking. I forced a smile. “Sarah, I need your help with one more thing. “Sarah, my mom always said I spent a lot of David’s money on tuition and living expenses growing up. I’ve saved up quite a bit over the years. This $50,000, can you transfer it to their account for me? “Sarah, you’re my best friend, and I feel so guilty burdening you right before I die. There’s $15,000 left on that card. Just consider it my final gift to you, okay?” Sarah looked at me and let out a heavy sigh. “Aubrey, you should use this money to get treatment.” I shook my head. “Sarah, I don’t have time.” She didn’t say anything else, just turned her back to me and kept wiping her tears. I hugged her from behind. “Sarah, I’m so sorry. I know this is hard on you. If you feel it’s bad luck having me here, I can go die somewhere far away by myself.” “Aubrey, you asshole. I have money too. I have flocks of sheep and cattle. I can pay for your medical bills. Let’s get you treated, okay?” I rubbed her hair, my eyes red. “Sarah, do you know that just standing up straight is agony for me right now? I want to die beautifully. I don’t want chemo, I don’t want to lose my hair, and I definitely don’t want to die in the same city as them.” 06 Sarah stopped forcing me to see a doctor. That day, she sat out on the plains holding my medical report for a long time. Even from inside the cabin, I could hear her crying uncontrollably. She transferred the money from the card to David’s account for me. My mother rarely called Sarah, but she did this time. “Is Aubrey still throwing a tantrum? She went to stay with you, right? Well, that’s a relief. Tell her we got the money. It’s perfect timing, we can use it for Chloe’s medical bills.” Sarah couldn’t hold back her sarcasm. “Ma’am, if Aubrey was dying, would you stay by her side like you stay with Chloe?” My mother’s voice grew sharp and intense. “Sarah, tell Aubrey to stop being so petty and holding grudges against Chloe.” Sarah shot back, “Ma’am, isn’t one of Aubrey’s kidneys enough to repay you for raising her?” My mother paused, didn’t reply, and hung up the phone. I knew. I knew her too well. Only when she was dealing with Chloe was she a true, loving mother. Towards me, besides pressuring me to grow up faster and not be petty with my sister, she had nothing else to say. Even when I got into a top-tier university, she just glanced at the acceptance letter indifferently and said nothing. All because Chloe’s grades weren’t even good enough for a community college. She was afraid I would trigger Chloe. It’s fine. I’m used to it. Sarah drove me around the plains in her pickup truck. The grass was lush. When we parked, we sat in the back of the truck, watching Buddy run wild. I leaned against Sarah. “Sarah, when I die, scatter my ashes here. The grass here will definitely grow even thicker next year.” Sarah didn’t answer. She took a piece of candy from her pocket and put it in my mouth. “Come on, let’s not talk about that, okay?” But Sarah still cried. “I asked a doctor. If the patient’s will to live isn’t strong, the disease progresses very fast… You donated a kidney just six months ago… You only got sick a few months ago, didn’t you?” I patted her back. “Sarah, I really have no strength left.” Sarah hugged me tightly, and I suddenly remembered many things from childhood. “Sarah, do you remember? When my dad died, kids used to bully me and call me fatherless. You were the only one who stood up for me and protected me.” Sarah just choked back tears and didn’t speak. Her tears fell on my forehead, but I kept talking: “You protected me before, and I have a gift for you before I die. “Sarah, I put your name down as the beneficiary of my critical illness insurance. You have to live a good life.” Sarah broke down. “Aubrey, you’ve even planned things for after your death?” I wiped her tears. “Silly, don’t you love these plains the most? Whenever you come here, you’ll definitely be able to see me, and my puppy. Buddy is a very, very good dog, he’s just a picky eater. He doesn’t like dry kibble, only the dog food I make him. I’ll teach you how to make it over the next few days. I feel safe leaving Buddy with you, and he’ll be happy here.” I looked at Buddy panting and smiling at me in the distance. It’s nice. Just stay here from now on, good boy. Sarah hugged me tightly, pleading earnestly, “Aubrey, please don’t do this. Don’t do this. Let’s go get treatment. I don’t want your money. I’ll take you to get treated, okay? What’s the point of having that money if you’re not here? I can’t take care of your dog by myself if you’re gone.” 07 Why waste money on someone who’s already dying? I looked at Sarah and said seriously, “Sarah, I don’t want to waste any more time. Can you just let me have some dignity in my final days?” My nose started bleeding. She panicked, trying to stop the bleeding, then suddenly stood up. “Why isn’t it the bad people who die?!” She drove us back to the cabin. The moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and the lambs were settling down to sleep. I turned on my phone. I saw text messages from Liam. He knew my backup number. Those texts were manic—one moment saying we should break up, the next begging me not to leave. I didn’t even have to think; I knew those were Chloe’s doing. Then, a familiar number popped up on the screen. I answered it anyway. It was my brother. His tone was awkward, but he still spoke. “Aubrey, Chloe really likes Liam. Could you…” I didn’t even wait for him to finish before agreeing immediately. “I agree, brother. I haven’t bothered Liam. If Chloe has what it takes, Liam is hers.” My brother’s voice carried a hint of impatience. “What do you mean by that?” The pain in my body left me weak. I laughed softly. “Brother, do you remember when dad was still around? You used to carry me on your back and run everywhere. Brother, I gave all the money back to David. Can he give my mom and brother back to me?” My brother’s voice suddenly filled with alarm. “Brie, what’s wrong? Where are you?” I suddenly felt a sense of release. I whispered, “I gave my money, my kidney, and my boyfriend to the family. We should be even now, right? Mom won’t call me ungrateful anymore, will she? Brother, will you still be angry that I don’t care enough about my sister? Everything is hers now.” “Aubrey, where are you?” “If I had a choice, I wouldn’t have wanted to be Aubrey at all.” I hung up the phone. The physical pain hit me again. I watched Sarah feeding Buddy not far away. No, I couldn’t let her worry anymore. I forced myself to stand up and walked toward them, step by step. But I still passed out. 08 When I woke up, my vision had already started to blur. I knew my cancer had spread throughout my body. I even felt a cold dampness beneath me. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I had lost control of my bladder. The cancer spreading, the lack of strength, the blindness, the incontinence—all of it stripped away any remaining dignity I had. When Sarah came in to change my clothes and the sheets, she didn’t say a word. In less than a month, she had become gaunt and haggard from taking care of me. Expressionless, she led my brother into the cabin. My brother’s eyes were red, and he even had a black eye—clearly Sarah had hit him to vent her anger. I was stunned for a moment. “I really don’t have anything else to give Chloe. Can you please stop pushing me? Can’t I even die in peace?” The man, nearly 6’3″, suddenly knelt on the floor and cried like a child. He wiped his nose and tears, shuffling closer to the bed on his knees. “Brie, let me take you home, okay? We’ll go home and get treatment. I promise I won’t go spend time with anyone else. You’re my biological sister, how could I…” I pushed him away. “Please, stay away from me.” He reached out to touch me, but I subtly dodged him. He looked stunned, his eyes red as he asked, “It hurts a lot, doesn’t it? Is it really painful? Brie, come home with me.” I suddenly broke down. The facade I had maintained all these days morphed into a ferocious expression. Like a madwoman, I cursed at him, “I’m dying! What are you pretending to be the good guy for now? If you really think of me as your sister, then don’t ever let me see you again.” Sarah took him outside, and I finally regained some peace. Sarah wiped her eyes. “He found us himself. I chased him away. Don’t be angry.” I didn’t know what Sarah said to him, but he never appeared in front of me again. The pain returned day after day, to the point where even painkillers were useless. I gritted my teeth and endured the agony, only daring to whimper softly when Sarah left the cabin. Buddy no longer loved running outside; he clung to me more and guarded me constantly. Enduring the pain and the unbearable soreness in every joint, I got up and played frisbee with him one last time. I threw the frisbee high and far, but Buddy didn’t budge. He just lay beside me, hugging my calf. I rubbed his head. “Do you want to make mom happy? Go on, fetch it. Good boy.” Only then did Buddy run off into the distance, but he kept looking back with every step, terrified I would disappear. Let it be like this, Buddy. You have to learn not to look back. I lied to Sarah, telling her the painkillers were working and that I could slowly stand and walk. She finally cheered up. She truly believed my condition might be improving. My brother didn’t visit me again, but I could still see lots of snacks and nutritional supplements left outside the cabin, along with a set of Barbie dolls I had dreamed of having as a child. I remember back then, David only bought one set of four dolls. Two for me, two for Chloe. But Chloe wanted all four. Without a word, my mother put all the dolls in Chloe’s room. She even scolded me in front of David: “Do you know how hard David works to pay for your schooling? And you still want to play with dolls? When you grow up and make your own money, buy your own. Don’t fight with Chloe.” Sarah hesitated. “Maybe he really regrets it. Should we…” I shook my head. “Sarah, even if he genuinely wants to treat me well now, it’s too late. I don’t need it at all anymore. Besides, I don’t want him living in the shadow of guilt. Let him go. Tell him not to come back, just pretend I’m living well somewhere far away.” Sarah sighed and said nothing more.

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