In the highest echelons of New York’s elite, he was known as the untouchable young master. After a single night of absurd mistakes, he, a man famous for his strict adherence to propriety, took the initiative to propose marriage and take responsibility. But he didn’t love me. After we 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 all his criteria for a partner. He became completely captivated by her, losing sleep over her. It turned out he wasn’t devoid of human desires and emotions after all. He just didn’t have them for me. 1 At 1:00 AM, Julian Sterling came home. He seemed surprised that I was still awake. “I told you, you don’t need to wait up for me.” “But I want to,” I smiled and leaned against him. “It’s only natural for a wife to wait for her husband to come home.” He paused in the middle of taking off his watch. “Suit yourself.” The living room was lit by only a single small lamp. In the dim light, the man’s features were so perfect he hardly looked human. Every time I looked at him closely, my heart swelled with a heavy sigh. “I missed you a lot today—” My words were cut off. Julian frowned and looked at me. “What are you wearing?” I said, “It’s a new nightgown. Do you like it?” “Don’t do this kind of thing again.” He turned and walked toward the guest bedroom. “Julian,” I called out to stop him. “Today is my birthday. Can’t you just spend some time with me?” He paused. “Happy birthday. I’m pretty tired today. We’ll talk later.” He walked into the room and locked the door behind him. Leaving me standing alone in the living room in a semi-transparent nightgown, feeling like an absolute fool. We had been married for six months, and Julian had consistently kept me at arm’s length. No matter how I tried to seduce him, he remained entirely unmoved. Like a monk devoid of all worldly desires. The media always said Julian Sterling was different from the other playboy heirs. The Sterling family was notoriously strict, raising the most principled and proper young master in New York high society. But I had seen his other side. The crazy, unhinged side. Having seen it once, I was desperate to see it again. But Julian’s actions told me that that night was nothing more than an accident. My phone buzzed. It was a message from my best friend, Chloe. “Have you seen Twitter?… If you haven’t, promise me you won’t get mad.” What happened? I logged onto Twitter, and a glaring headline immediately caught my eye. #JulianSterlingLateNightRendezvousWithBeauty Oh, I knew this beauty. She was Julian’s new secretary. 2 The comment section was a flood of people enjoying the drama. [Congratulations to Mr. Sterling on finding true love!] [Bring the divorce papers! Hurry up and divorce that manipulative bitch Scarlett Hayes!!] [Scarlett Hayes even posted a PDA tweet today. Bet her face stings now.] [Is there anyone left who doesn’t know how Scarlett Hayes set up a one-night stand to force a marriage?…] So, Julian was with his new secretary tonight. I had seen that girl before. Twenty-two years old, fresh out of college. Very young, very pretty, and full of vibrant energy. Most importantly, she perfectly matched Julian’s criteria for a partner. They met at a college recruiting event. Julian had gone to give a speech personally, and that girl, full of nerve, was the first to raise her hand to ask a question. After the event, Julian specifically pulled her resume and stared at it for a long time. To everyone’s surprise, this girl went straight into the position of Executive Secretary. It’s worth noting that Julian’s secretarial team wielded immense power. Even the HR department had no authority over them; only he could appoint them personally. Following the clues provided by netizens, I found the girl’s social media account. An hour ago, she posted an update. [Can’t hold my liquor well, thanks to my kind boss for driving me home, hehe.] In the photo, she was sitting in the passenger seat, capturing Julian’s hand resting on the steering wheel. 3 Early the next morning. As soon as Julian walked out of his room, he saw me. “Do you have a shoot today?” “No.” “Then why are you up so early?” “What were you doing last night?” “The executive office had a team-building dinner.” “A team-building dinner for a group of people, or a team-building dinner for two?” “What do you mean?” I pulled up the trending topic and threw my phone at him. Julian glanced at it and said dismissively, “The media takes things out of context. There were six people at that dinner.” “Is that so? Should I believe you?” “Scarlett, don’t be unreasonable. You know better than anyone how the media twists things.” He was right. After all, looking across the entire entertainment industry right now, there probably wasn’t an actress more hated than me. The media played a huge role in that. But those were two entirely different things. I cut straight to the point: “Do you like her? That secretary fresh out of college.” “No.” Faced with my direct question, Julian remained as calm and composed as ever. “Furthermore, I also don’t appreciate your wild accusations. If you have too much free time, I’ll have your agency book you more jobs.” He spoke as if addressing a subordinate. Not a wife. I said, “I remember your ideal type. Under 5’7″, long straight black hair, a clean aura, energetic and smiley. She fits every single one.” And I fit none of them. I was known for being cold, glamorous, and sharp. Julian 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 Lily Carter is a homewrecker who sleeps with married men—” Julian stopped dead in his tracks. When he looked back at me, there was actual anger in his eyes. “Lily Carter is only twenty-two. She’s just a kid. Are you really trying to ruin her life with rumors?” God knows how long it had been since I last saw Julian angry. The wrath of a king for a beauty—it’s just a shame the beauty wasn’t me. I said, “Julian, do you even remember how old I am? “Yesterday, I just turned twenty-five. “I am only three years older than her. “When I was being dragged through the mud by the entire internet, did your heart ever ache for me?” 4 My feelings for Julian started when I was eighteen. I grew up in a single-parent household. During my senior year of high school, my mom fell severely ill. I didn’t go to college. After graduation, I went to work at a high-end club to raise money for her medical bills. I worked a legitimate job—strictly serving drinks, nothing else. But because of my looks, I occasionally faced verbal harassment from male customers. The manager always said the customer is god. If I didn’t want to get fired, I just had to endure it. One day, I ran into a particularly difficult customer. “How old are you, little girl? Oh, eighteen? So young. You’re a waitress here? Aside from serving drinks, do you offer any other services?” A group of men burst into sleazy laughter. “You don’t? Stop pretending. Your uncle here isn’t just rich, I’m very capable too. Come home with me tonight and you’ll see. I guarantee I’ll make you feel so good you’ll be screaming.” It was disgusting. He wanted to continue harassing me, but before he could finish his sentence, a glass of liquor suddenly rained down from above, soaking him completely. “Who the fuck—” Seeing the man who threw it, the customer froze. “Mr… Mr. Sterling, what is the meaning of this?” “Apologize to her.” 5 That was the first time I heard Julian’s voice. Cool and crisp, like pearls snapping off a string and falling onto a porcelain plate. He was there to negotiate a business deal. I figured if it weren’t for work, he would never set foot in a place like this. Because he was completely incongruous with his surroundings. Julian carried no scent of smoke or alcohol on him. He was as cold and untouchable as a deity. After the man slinked away in shame, Julian told me, “People like that aren’t fit to do business with me.” “Thank you, sir.” “You don’t have to endure it either. Next time, remember to fight back and protect yourself.” “I’ll lose my job.” He looked down at me. “Are you in desperate need of money?” “Yes. My mom is sick and needs money for medical bills.” “What about school?” I shook my head. “Where would I get the money to study?” “Understood.” Unexpectedly, Julian didn’t show a trace of pity. That was good. I didn’t like people pitying me. He handed me a business card with a number on it. “This is my subordinate’s contact info. You can reach out to him. Our company has a charity program to help impoverished students. As long as your situation is verified, you can apply for a grant.” He paused, then said his final sentence. “If you have the chance, you must study.” Later, I really did receive the grant. After paying for my mom’s medical bills, there was a little left over. I repeated my senior year and successfully got into a good university. It was only then that I learned he was the famous Julian Sterling. The Sterling family was a behemoth in the entertainment industry, frighteningly wealthy. And Julian was the sole heir. During my sophomore year of college, I met him for the second time. I mustered up my courage and walked up to him. “Mr. Sterling, thank you.” He looked confused. “And you are?” He didn’t remember me. The lighting that night had been dim, and he hadn’t really looked at me closely anyway. Helping me was just a casual effort on his part. But it didn’t matter. I would work hard. Sooner or later, I would stand right beside him. A year later, I became a signed actress under Julian’s agency. I was finally able to confidently extend my hand to him. “Mr. Sterling, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He would never know how many years I worked just for that one day. I didn’t harbor any extravagant hopes for the future; just this was enough to satisfy me. But six months ago, an accident happened that completely altered our relationship. —Julian and I had a wildly absurd one-night stand. 6 Regarding that night, I only remember the hazy outlines. The agency was hosting a gala, and many VIP guests attended. I drank too much, and so did Julian. My hotel room was 606. I am certain the room I walked into was 606. But Julian was lying inside. I can’t even remember how we started kissing. I was completely intoxicated, and so was he. There were many rumors about Julian in the outside world. He kept women at a distance, was strictly disciplined, and some even speculated about his sexual orientation. Others said he had some sort of hidden condition. But that night, I experienced firsthand that it was all fake! When Julian lost control, it was fatal. … Early the next morning, someone rang the doorbell. My legs were still 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 a swarm of reporters. Countless cameras were pointed right at me. While I stood there in shock, Julian walked over too. “Who is it?” He entered the frame before he even had time to fully put on his shirt. 7 The scandal between Julian and me exploded. The Sterling family was incredibly strict and would never allow something this scandalous to happen. Julian found me and proposed marriage. I, of course, agreed immediately. The happiness came so suddenly it completely clouded my judgment. It made me ignore the scrutinizing and cold detachment in his eyes at that moment. He asked me, “Wasn’t the room number 909?” I said, “No, it was 606. You misread it.” He remained silent for a moment, then spat out three words: “As you wish.” It wasn’t until after we were married that I understood the deep meaning behind those three words. It turned out that after that night, Julian went to the hospital for a checkup. They found traces of drugs in his system. The kind of illicit drug that makes a person lose their reason and become controlled by desire. While illegal, it wasn’t exactly rare in certain circles. Who drugged him? At the same time, that morning, I had opened the door for the reporters. Who called the reporters? How did they manage to gather right outside that specific door so perfectly? Everything seemed flawlessly orchestrated. And I was the prime suspect. Julian originally never intended to solve this with marriage. But ruining the family’s reputation and causing the stock to plummet made the elders in his family furious. He had no choice but to take responsibility for the incident. I tried to defend myself. I said “It wasn’t me” countless times. But the coincidences were too perfect. Julian said it was very hard for him to believe me. During these six months of marriage, we slept in separate rooms. If he accidentally brushed my hand, he would pull away as if he’d been electrocuted. I didn’t give up. I believed that one day, he would let go of his misunderstandings and the walls between us. But it seems I won’t be able to wait for that day. Because of Lily Carter’s appearance. 8 I had seen Julian scrutinizing her resume word by word. As if he was trying to catch up on her past between the lines. He was so gentle, but not toward me. After fighting with Julian, 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 film a talk show. Julian came too, bringing his new secretary. We hadn’t seen each other in days, and when he saw me, he only offered a distant nod from afar. Completely aloof. Lily stayed close to his side, curious about everything, constantly asking him questions. I remembered Julian hated stupid people at work. But right now, facing Lily, he was incredibly patient, answering every single question. After a while, he walked over to me. “Scarlett,” he said. “I gave you the status you wanted. Don’t drag innocent people into this.” “We haven’t seen each other in a week, and this is what you want to say?” “Just a reminder.” I smiled. “So even now, Mr. Sterling, you still think I drugged you and called the reporters?” “Otherwise what?” I didn’t say anything else, nor did I need to. Disappointment flooded my heart and brain, snapping me completely awake. Julian treated his little secretary wonderfully. Even though she hadn’t passed her probation period yet, he let her take his place to show her face on the program. She was very talkative, bursting with energy. Until the host asked her about me. “Lily, you’ve only been at the company for a short while, and now you’re on a show with the boss’s wife. Are you nervous?” Lily glanced at me and said, “What’s there to be nervous about? I know there are some nasty rumors out there, saying Scarlett used to work as a hostess at a club, and that she’s super manipulative and stuff. But I want to say, Scarlett is actually a very nice person, you shouldn’t be prejudiced against her!” The entire studio went dead silent. She basically just broadcasted all my darkest rumors on live television! Even the seasoned host was struck speechless by the sheer awkwardness of the moment. The host had no choice but to awkwardly change the subject. “Ahem, moving on, let’s ask Scarlett. Do you have any major plans coming up? Give your fans watching at home a little teaser.” “I actually do.” I smiled calmly— “I. Am. Getting. A. Divorce.” I enunciated every word clearly, loud and clear. Off-stage, Julian’s head snapped up violently. His eyes were wide with shock and utter disbelief. 9 Inside the studio, it was quieter than it had ever been. The host looked like she wanted to die. This was probably the most excruciating moment of her entire professional career. “Why… why would you make such a decision…” “You should ask Miss Carter that.” I tossed the ball back to Lily. The young girl was caught completely off guard. Did she think she was the only one who knew how to play passive-aggressive mind games? Sorry, but I prefer the direct approach. “I’m sure everyone has seen the recent news. My husband is acting ambiguously with his subordinate. Let me ask you, why would I keep a husband like that around for the holidays?” I faced the camera, a smile curling my lips. “I don’t like fighting other women over men. I have a lot of things to do, I have movies to film, shows to record. Even without love, I can still live a brilliant life. “As for men, if they don’t behave, just swap them out.” The moment the words left my mouth, Julian seemed to finally snap out of it and forcefully demanded the cameras stop rolling. He dragged me backstage. “Scarlett, what nonsense are you spouting?” “I’m not spouting nonsense.” I pried his fingers open, one by one. It was hilarious. The man who usually dodged my touch was now refusing to let go. “Julian, listen carefully. “Starting today, I, Scarlett Hayes, am officially asking you for a divorce.” It was as if all the blood had been drained from Julian’s body. He turned deathly pale. “You’re just picking a fight with me, right? You think if you bring up divorce, I’ll have to grovel.” He nodded to himself. “Fine, I’ll grovel. I ignored you for a few days, I was wrong, and I apologize. As for everything that happened on the show just now, I’ll have PR handle it. I won’t let higher-ups say a single harsh word to you. If you don’t like Lily, I’ll transfer her out of the executive office—” “That’s not necessary.” I cut him off. “Wake up. I’m not throwing a tantrum.” I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket. It was a fully prepared divorce agreement. “Take a look. If you don’t have any objections, sign it right now.” 10 The show was broadcast live. Even though it was cut off midway, everything I said was broadcasted loud and clear. I instantly became the number one trending topic. Surprisingly, the comment section was very supportive. [I’m totally on Scarlett’s side for this. That Lily whatever-her-name-is, the way she speaks is so passive-aggressive and manipulative. Disgusting.] [I’ve been wanting to say this for days. Regardless of how Scarlett got her position, she is the legal, rightful wife right now. Those people praising the mistress as ‘true love’—what kind of garbage morals do you have?] [Supporting the wifey getting a divorce! Throw the whole man away.] [Off-topic, but Scarlett’s face card is insane. Watching the live stream today, I was stunned by her beauty… Is Julian blind?] There were also people discussing exactly what Lily’s deal was. Because the day after the scandal broke, Julian, while fighting with me, swiftly issued a clarifying statement. The executives who attended the dinner that night also posted group photos. The rumors were immediately dispelled. But my interview seemed to re-confirm their ambiguous relationship. Would someone as strictly disciplined and rigid as Julian really cheat? Speculation ran wild on the internet. Soon, the company’s disciplinary actions were announced. Because of her inappropriate remarks, Lily Carter was severely reprimanded and transferred to another department. Everyone said this was Julian’s way of trying to win me back. But was it really? I understood Julian’s temper too well. If any other employee had made a mistake like that, they wouldn’t just be transferred; they would be fired immediately. Lily was merely “transferred.” It proved he was still protecting her. 11 Thinking back to the day of the recording, when I pulled out the divorce papers. Julian refused to sign. I couldn’t guess what he was thinking either. I decided to send a text to rush him. “Mr. Sterling, once you’ve filled out the divorce agreement, please send it to me so we can pick a date to finalize the paperwork.” Julian called me directly. “Letty, haven’t you caused enough of a scene?” Letty was my childhood nickname. When I was little and my speech was still clumsy, I used to mispronounce “Scarlett” as “Scary-Letty”, so my mom gave me the nickname Letty. Julian had always known this nickname. But this was the first time he ever used it. “I am very firm on the divorce. Please hurry up, Mr. Sterling. Don’t delay me from finding my next partner.” “Next partner?” Julian practically laughed in anger. “The status and resources you dreamed of, I gave them all to you. Who else are you looking for? Letty, you are my first, and you will be my last. I’ve never been good at sweet-talking girls, but I can guarantee that as long as you want it, the position of Mrs. Sterling is yours forever. No one can take it away!” I said, “But what I dreamed of was never those things.” Julian seemed to freeze. “Even now, you still don’t know what I truly wanted… But it doesn’t matter. I don’t want it anymore.” With that, I hung up. My best friend, Chloe, also worked at the agency. She told me Julian had been radiating a very dark aura the past few days and was constantly spacing out during meetings. Chloe said, “Everyone is whispering privately, saying you can’t bear to leave Mr. Sterling and that you’ll come crawling back sooner or later. It seems… Mr. Sterling believes it too.” No wonder. Since I asked for a divorce, Julian had been contacting me proactively every day. But for the last three days, he had gone back to being aloof and cold. So he was waiting for me to yield and beg. Then I’d just have to give him exactly what he wanted. That Friday, I voluntarily showed up at the company. When Julian saw me, his eyes lit up. “Letty, have you thought it through?” “I have.” I slammed a stack of documents onto his desk. “I don’t just want a divorce. I also want to terminate my contract.” 12 I had signed a five-year contract with the agency. This year marked exactly the fifth year. I chose not to renew. Julian looked at me in disbelief. He asked through gritted teeth, “Are you sure about this?” “Yes.” “Have you already found a new agency?” I didn’t know which new agency he was talking about. But I still replied with a “Yes.” My attitude infuriated him. He hesitated no longer, picking up his pen and signing both documents. Except, he pressed so hard he nearly tore through the paper. With the divorce agreement signed, the rest of the process was very simple. The day I got my divorce certificate, I felt incredibly relieved. This one-sided love I had clung to for seven years was finally over. I was admiring the red booklet when I heard Julian say: “Remember, today is the day you gave up everything the Sterling family has to offer.” “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t regret it.” “I hope so.” His tone was as cold as ice, but when he looked up, I noticed. The rims of his eyes were red. 13 Whether his eyes were red or not had nothing to do with me anymore. I threw myself into my new life without stopping to breathe. Of course, saying I wasn’t sad at all would be a lie. After all, I had liked him so much, tried so hard to get close to him. But waking up only takes a single moment. My sadness was only because I felt I hadn’t valued my own worth. The Sterling family had sponsored me once, but considering the money I made for them over the years, I had more than repaid that debt. A few days later, Chloe told me she had quit too. “Letty, if you’re leaving, I’m leaving. Men are unreliable. Your best friend is here for you!” I was so touched I almost cried. Chloe had worked behind the scenes for years and was highly capable. We decided to set up our own independent studio. Setting up a studio takes time. In the meantime, I participated in a variety show recording. It was a nostalgic, sentimental talk show. The guests had to bring a few old items and reminisce about the past. After agonizing over it, I decided to bring my old backpack. It was the backpack I carried during the year I repeated my senior year. It held a lot of memories. On the day of filming, Julian showed up. It wasn’t that surprising. I had accepted this job while still under my old agency, and besides me, a rookie groomed by his company was also on the show. Julian liked to oversee things personally and had come to smooth things over with the production crew. He stood behind the camera crew, his eyes fixed on me. I just acted like I didn’t see him. Halfway through filming, it was my turn to present. I opened my backpack and pulled things out one by one. “This is a gel pen. You know how senior year is—doing endless practice tests, I’d go through a pen every two or three days. “Oh, and this. The Princeton Review SAT prep book. I’m sure everyone has done these? I call it a nightmare. “This is my mistake notebook. I have piles of notebooks just like this.” “And this—” I suddenly stopped. The last item was a yellowed, slightly worn diary. It used to be my most loyal listener. During the hardest and most exhausting times of senior year, writing in my diary was my only way to de-stress. My long silence sparked the curiosity of the guest sitting next to me. “Are there secrets in this thick notebook? You have to play by the rules, no hiding things!” She took my diary and flipped it open. [September 2016. The teacher said the intensity of the repeat class is very high, and many students can’t handle it. But I have to endure it, because I need to go see Julian Sterling.] She froze. The entire studio fell silent. 14 [November 2016. The monthly exams are over. My grades were bad. I feel terrible. But Julian said I absolutely must study. Let me go do a few more practice problems.] [December 2016. Saw an article about Julian. I cut it out. He’s so amazing, I need to work even harder.] [February 2017. In New York for my acting audition. It snowed. I sat downstairs at Julian’s company for a while, then got up and went to the exam. After I got up, the snow covered the bench where I sat, as if I had never been there at all.] [June 2017. Tomorrow is the SATs. Julian, wait for me!] [June 2017. I got accepted!!! I’m so happy! I left a comment under Julian’s post, but he probably doesn’t read his comments.] [August 2017. Let me dream a little. If, I’m just saying if, I can actually be with Julian in the future, I will definitely tell him every single day right in his ear that I like him!] … The paper was mottled, every stroke and line revealing the most sincere secrets of a young girl’s heart. All the guests looked at me. I explained briefly about my one-sided encounter with Julian when I was eighteen. Then I smiled and said, “Having a crush on someone when you’re young is just like that, you know.” A female guest sighed. “Then after you married Mr. Sterling, did you really tell him how you felt every single day?” “I really did. “I told him every single day that I liked him, it’s just—” It’s just that he thought my confession was just fake affection aimed at securing my status. It’s just that, after hearing it, he would reply coldly: “Are you trying to convince yourself of that lie too?” I lowered my eyes. All the past events, everything we went through, had finally dissolved into relief. I opened my lips and smiled softly: “It’s just that, he never believed it.” Behind the stage lights. Julian stared at me in absolute disbelief.

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On the day of our family gathering, the naive, innocent-looking female protagonist arrived at the Sterling estate, clutching a DNA paternity test. She declared she was the true heiress and demanded I be thrown out. But what she didn’t know was that a powerful, old-money family never casually abandons the heir they’ve spent years grooming for an outsider who just showed up out of nowhere. 1. When Serena showed up at the door with the DNA report, the Sterlings were having their monthly family gathering. Tearfully, she accused me of being a cuckoo in the nest, claiming she was the real daughter of the Sterling family and I was just an imposter who had stolen her place. Everyone was silent. The atmosphere was nothing like the warm, tearful reunion she had clearly imagined. “This is the proof. I really am the Sterling family’s daughter,” Serena said, a hint of panic creeping into her voice. She placed the DNA report on the coffee table, but no one reached for it. Grandpa, the highly respected patriarch of the family, didn’t say a word. Naturally, none of the other Sterlings spoke up either. Finally, just as she was about to crack under the oppressive silence, Grandpa deigned to glance at the document on the table and nodded slightly. Only then did the others begin to speak. “Serena, is it? It’s good you’re back.” Serena’s feigned expression of being moved froze on her face. This development was completely different from what she had anticipated. No one asked about the hardships she had suffered while living outside the family. There was no comfort, not even any extra pleasantries. And certainly no mention of disposing of me, the imposter heiress. 2. “Grandpa, she’s the one who stole my identity and caused me to live out there, suffering all those hardships!” Serena stood up abruptly, pointing at me with a hateful glare. That was the confidence being a biological Sterling gave her. Grandpa didn’t respond; he didn’t even bother to lift his eyes. The rest of the Sterling family certainly wasn’t going to chime in and agree. Serena hadn’t seemed to realize how isolated she was. Even her biological parents just looked at her with detached indifference, showing neither joy nor sorrow. “Take Miss Serena away,” my older brother suddenly spoke up beside me. He clearly had no interest in watching this boring farce play out. Soon, someone stepped forward to escort her out. “Why! She’s the one who should be leaving this place!” Hearing no response, Serena was incredulous. It was only then she realized that not a single person was speaking up for her. Her gaze swept around the room. Everyone was calm and composed, exuding an aristocratic grace completely different from hers, even me—the fake heiress. She wanted to say more, but a light, chilling glance from me silenced her. A girl raised in wealth and privilege is fundamentally different from her. Moreover, for this scene today, she had deliberately made herself look particularly disheveled. Her intention was to make her blood relatives pity her, but standing here now, she just looked incredibly out of place. I watched the rapidly changing expressions on her face, guessing her inner thoughts. Suddenly, I felt a nudge on my arm. It was Lucas, the one who had just ordered Serena to be taken away. 3. I turned to look at him. “She’s an idiot. Don’t let it bother you.” His expression was cold, as if he weren’t talking about his own biological sister. “Of course not.” I had enough confidence to say those words. The Sterling family wouldn’t abandon me—the heir they had spent years grooming—for a biological daughter who appeared halfway through. “Maya, come with me.” Grandpa stood up from the sofa, pushing away the person trying to help him, and turned to look at me. “Yes, Grandpa,” I nodded, stepping forward to assist him. That night, the lights in the study stayed on for a long time. Everyone knew that the family’s hierarchy wouldn’t be undergoing any major changes. Serena’s appearance didn’t cause much of a ripple. Although the Sterlings acknowledged her identity, it had no impact on me whatsoever. I remained the most highly regarded heir of the Sterling family, the golden child. However, she did have some tricks up her sleeve. The Sterlings are generally very emotionally detached, valuing profit and usefulness above all else. Emotions are just a leisure activity to them. Yet, since her return, she frequently managed to bring a smile to Mrs. Sterling’s face. Acting sweet and spoiled in front of family members—she was certainly much better at making people like her than I was. It seemed that after the initial conflict on her first day back, she behaved very properly. Because of her docility, the Sterling family treated her much more kindly. Until one early morning, a commotion in the stairwell woke everyone up. The girl in the white dress lay on the broken pieces of a vase at the bottom of the stairs, looking in pain, blood seeping from beneath her. I stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at her expressionlessly… 4. “Mom, it hurts so much.” She didn’t immediately try to frame me. Instead, she looked at the people rushing out at the noise, teary-eyed and pitiful. Only then did everyone snap back to reality and hurriedly call for a doctor. “A setup?” Lucas stood beside me, yawning, and asked with a raised eyebrow. The scene just now would seem suspicious to anyone. I pressed my lips together, watching Serena lying there covered in injuries, and shook my head. At least she hadn’t directly framed me or condemned me. She just “accidentally” fell down the stairs as I walked past. There are security cameras here; she wouldn’t be stupid enough to say I pushed her. “What’s going on? How is it this serious?” Mrs. Sterling, Eleanor, rushed to her side, frowning. She didn’t know where to start—there were broken vase pieces everywhere, some embedded in Serena’s skin, and blood was staining the carpet. Serena’s face was growing paler by the second. Eleanor didn’t know where she was hurt or how serious it was, so she didn’t dare move her before the doctor arrived. But Serena didn’t care. Now was the best time to elicit sympathy. She struggled to lift her hand to grasp Eleanor’s hem. Eleanor frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly. “Mom…” “Don’t speak. The doctor will be here in a minute,” Eleanor stopped her, forcing Serena to swallow her unspoken words. “Should we go take a look?” Lucas, who had been watching, suggested. I nodded. “Don’t come over!” “Don’t come over.” Two simultaneous voices rang out. One from Serena, the other from Eleanor. Serena’s tone was agitated, clearly showing her extreme wariness of me. My footsteps halted. Lucas, however, walked over fearlessly. “Tsk, I’m over here now. What’s the problem?” He bent down slightly, his mocking gaze meeting Serena’s eyes. Finally, just as Serena was about to break, the ambulance arrived. 5. “Be careful of the glass shards. Wait for the housekeeper to clean it up before you come down.” Before Eleanor left, she suddenly turned and added this. It felt like an explanation for why she had stopped me earlier. I was a little stunned, unsure of how to react. Despite being mother and daughter for so many years, there hadn’t really been much warmth between us. I was raised by Grandpa, personally trained as his heir. The Sterlings were always emotionally distant; we only gathered for routine family dinners or major decisions. I rarely spent time with them, and there was no deep emotional bond. Our interactions were mostly just polite formalities. “What’s wrong? Are you dumbfounded?” Lucas bumped my shoulder, leaning over. “You’re very loud,” I said, looking up at him, my tone extremely serious. The smile froze on Lucas’s face, and he coughed awkwardly. He composed himself, then suddenly patted my shoulder, acting very mature: “Maya, this family is going to have to rely on you from now on.” I shot him a slightly disgusted look but didn’t contradict him. 6. After Serena got hurt, Eleanor stayed at the hospital to take care of her. It was only then that the rest of the Sterling family began to feel the reality of the situation. The Sterling family had an extra biological daughter, and she clearly wasn’t here with good intentions. The accidental injury, although inconclusive, raised a question: regardless of whether I hurt Serena out of jealousy, or she framed me out of resentment, it was clear we couldn’t get along. How would the Sterling family balance the relationship between the adopted daughter and the biological daughter? Although my position seemed unchanged for now, when it came to bloodlines versus capability, who could truly guess the intentions of those in power? For a time, there was a lot of hidden tension. Some were waiting for an opportunity, anticipating a major conflict. 7. “What are you doing here?” Serena sat up in her hospital bed, scoffing dismissively as she saw me walk in alone. I pulled up a chair and sat down, completely unfazed by her cold reception. “You must be feeling pretty proud of yourself, stealing everything that was mine, and still having the nerve to show your face here,” she said, her eyes filled with malice. “I didn’t steal anything from anyone. At least what I have now, I’ve earned,” I said, meeting her gaze. She was incredibly dismissive. “Earned? The identity of a Sterling daughter? The position of the heir? Maya, have you no shame?! Those things belong to me! You have no Sterling blood in you, how can you claim you earned them?!” She grabbed an apple from the bedside table and threw it at me. I dodged it, stood up, and looked at her for a long time. “You will always owe me! I will never let you have it easy, Maya!” Her face was contorted with intense bitterness. 8. The atmosphere was tense. Suddenly, there was a noise at the door; someone had arrived. Serena’s demeanor changed instantly. Her aggrieved, cautious voice filled the room: “Sister, I just wanted an apple. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you to help me.” Eleanor pushed the door open just then. She glanced at Serena, who was biting her lip with tears in her eyes, then at the apple on the floor, and finally turned her gaze to me. “Your grandfather is looking for you. You should go back,” Eleanor said calmly, acting as if she hadn’t heard Serena. “Okay,” I nodded, turning to leave. Serena tightened her grip on the blanket, struggling to maintain her composure. “What else would you like to eat?” Before I left, I heard Eleanor’s soft, gentle inquiry. 9. In the Sterling estate’s garden, Serena was happily swinging on the swing set. Ever since she was discharged from the hospital, she had undergone a massive shift, at least in front of others, hiding her hostility toward me. I watched her through the window, an aura of freedom about her, and felt a pang of inexplicable envy. “Maya, it’s your turn.” With the click of a piece on the board, Grandpa’s deep voice sounded from across the table. I looked at the chessboard before me; my hand holding the white piece hovered, unable to make a move. There was nowhere to place it. It was a dead end. “Grandpa, I’ve lost,” I said, my voice hoarse. Under his gaze, all my emotions were laid bare. “Maya, you are different from the others. You should have known that from the day I took you in.” My mind wasn’t in the game, and he lost interest in starting another round. “…” I remained silent, offering no response. “The heir I choose will only ever be you. You carry the honor of the entire Sterling family.” He delivered this statement casually, settling the uncertain future. “But I don’t have Sterling blood, as you well know.” I looked up, confusion and bewilderment in my expression. Although I always answered confidently when facing others’ doubts, that deep-seated insecurity had always been suppressed at the very bottom of my heart. “I used to think bloodlines were the most important thing too. But Maya, I found out I was wrong.” He was looking right at me, yet his gaze felt distant, as if he were recalling something through me. The conversation ended there. Grandpa had long since left, but I sat there for a long time. At the time, I didn’t understand why he said that. 10. Actually, I had known for a long time that I wasn’t a Sterling. Or rather, Grandpa knew before I did. He told me himself when I was still too young to understand. He even took me to meet my biological parents and the little girl who was swapped with me—Serena. Unlike a typical baby swap scenario, my biological parents were also from a wealthy, established family, and they doted on Serena. To me, the biological daughter who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, they seemed a bit awkward. Aside from the biological connection, we were practically strangers. Love is built through time spent together. They favored the girl they had watched grow up, the one they saw every day. I didn’t know what kind of deal Grandpa made with them. My identity and Serena’s weren’t swapped back. But this secret was only known to Grandpa and me. No one else in the Sterling family knew. Back then, Grandpa frequently took me to visit the other family in secret. When I was young, Serena and I knew each other. Whenever I was with her, Grandpa would always watch us with a complex, hard-to-read expression. Until one time, I overheard him murmuring “Unfit for great things” while looking at Serena in the distance. I think I knew why Grandpa chose me. It was because I was smarter and more valuable, capable of becoming the qualified assistant he was grooming. I stayed smart because my biological parents didn’t choose me, and I couldn’t afford to lose Grandpa too. Later, Grandpa fell seriously ill. We didn’t go to that other family’s house for a long time. The next time I heard about them was from the rest of the Sterling family. 11. “The other company collapsed. Fate is truly unpredictable.” At a family gathering, they were discussing the fate of that other family. The parents had died in a sudden accident, and the opportunistic predators swarmed in. The empire crumbled overnight. I stood up abruptly from my seat, startling them. However, meeting Grandpa’s authoritative gaze, I swallowed the words I was about to say. I went to their funeral. They were my biological parents, yet I attended as a guest to pay my respects. “Grandpa, I don’t have a mom and dad anymore,” I said, staring blankly at the black-and-white photos, using a title I hadn’t been permitted to use. “You still have Grandpa.” He patted my head, his expression more affectionate than usual. I looked at him numbly, feeling an emptiness inside. Serena disappeared after the funeral. Grandpa changed his mind and didn’t bring her back to the Sterling family. He never brought up this biological granddaughter who was wandering the world again. Until many years later, a strange girl showed up at our door with a DNA report. This time, she seemed to have a completely different personality. 12. “Sister, look at the swing I just built!” I had just walked downstairs when Serena ran over, her face brimming with joy. Before she could take my arm, Lucas suddenly appeared. He blocked her path and sneered, “Do you have a split personality?” The sarcasm was ruthless. “No, I don’t. I just want to play with my sister.” Serena paled slightly. She was a little afraid of Lucas. “Our family doesn’t buy that act, understand? “If you have a problem with Maya, be upfront about it. Put it out in the open, and I can respect that. Stop playing these little games in the dark, pretending to be loving sisters. You’re not that close.” Lucas didn’t necessarily hate Serena; it was just his personality. He had always despised people who were devious and manipulative. The Sterling family had already acknowledged Serena’s bloodline. If she had maintained her firm stance from when she first returned and openly opposed me, he wouldn’t have taken sides later on. But she was always so fickle—one minute full of suspicion and deep resentment, the next, incredibly docile and sisterly. “I didn’t…” Her eyes suddenly turned red, and tears fell like pearls off a broken string. “You!” Seeing her cry on command, Lucas was about to say more but I tugged his arm to stop him. “What’s going on with you two?” It was Eleanor’s voice. 13. It turned out a maid had noticed the tension. Fearing she wouldn’t be able to explain if the young master and misses got into a fight, she had called Eleanor over. “N-nothing,” Serena said, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Her eyes were slightly red, and she offered a faint smile. She looked so carefully fragile it made your heart ache. “Lucas, behave yourself,” Eleanor said, rubbing her temples. They were all her children, whether biological or adopted. She didn’t demand they get along perfectly. But she also didn’t want to see a minor spat every three days and a major blowout every five. “I am behaving. Mom, don’t be biased. If she doesn’t get in my face, I won’t go looking for trouble with her,” Lucas said dismissively. “Alright, that’s enough. If you don’t get along, try to avoid each other. Serena, pack your things this afternoon; we’re leaving.” Eleanor came up with the best solution. They didn’t always live at the main estate; it was only because of the recent succession of events that they had stayed longer than usual. “Mom, do you not want me anymore? I’ll be good. I’m sorry, Sister. I won’t bother you anymore.” Serena misinterpreted her meaning, thinking this was an eviction. A flash of irritation crossed her eyes, but her face looked incredibly pitiful, terrified of being abandoned by her family. 14. “That’s not what I meant. We don’t usually live at the main estate. If you want to stay here, Maya can come back with us.” Eleanor frowned, observing her reaction. In the end, Serena left with Eleanor. Grandpa clearly didn’t value this granddaughter, and her staying wouldn’t change much. On the other hand, the rest of the Sterling family’s stance wasn’t as firm. Shortly after Serena went back with Eleanor, the news that the Sterling heir was an imposter, a cuckoo in the nest, began to circulate among the elite circles. Those who believed it hid in the shadows, waiting to see me fail, while those who didn’t treated it as a joke. At Grandpa’s birthday banquet, guests gathered in droves. The usually haughty heiresses gathered together to gossip about the true and fake heiress drama. “What? Is it true? Maya is just a stray bird?” “She’s always so arrogant. Turns out she’s a fake. That’s hilarious.” “You couldn’t tell before. She hid it well. Her methods must be ruthless. My parents were always praising her, and now her true colors are about to be exposed.” “I heard the real heiress suffered a lot wandering out there, but the Sterlings are refusing to acknowledge her to protect Maya.” “No way! Who would choose an outsider over their own blood to hand the family business to? Is old man Sterling losing his mind?” “You have to admit, Maya is capable. Even if you’re not biologically related, your parents would probably be willing to leave the business to you.” … That last sentence cut through the malicious speculations. A capable adopted daughter is far more reliable than a useless trust-fund baby. Moreover, this adopted daughter had been raised by his side since childhood. Aside from blood, there was no difference between her and a biological child. 15. The crowd’s expressions stiffened upon hearing this. Indeed, even for an only child, if they had no capability, parents wouldn’t hand over their hard-earned empire for them to ruin. “Julian, you’re engaged to the Sterling family’s biological daughter. It doesn’t look good for you to be defending Maya like this,” someone sneered at him, clearly displeased. “Mind your own business.” Julian gently swirled the red wine in his glass, his demeanor lazy, barely sparing them a glance. I leaned against the railing, watching the scene unfold. Whether it was slander, mockery, or defense, none of it stirred any emotion in me. “So here you are,” a familiar voice chimed in. Serena was dressed like a princess today, beautiful and innocent. Her dress had been custom-made by Eleanor herself. So, standing before me, she once again possessed the superiority of being the favored one. “That’s the heir of the Vance family, right? Do you like him? But I heard… he’s supposed to be my fiancé.” She glanced in Julian’s direction. She spoke with feigned distress. “Serena, you don’t need to come here and provoke me. What’s yours is yours; I can’t take it. What’s mine is mine, and the same applies to you.” I was long accustomed to her sudden shifts in demeanor. “Tsk, I hope you still have this much confidence when everyone abandons you.” She scoffed and turned away. When I looked back, I caught Julian’s eye from afar. He gave a slight smirk and raised his glass to me. I calmly looked away.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “436704”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

On the day the college acceptance letters arrived, my mom made three phone calls in a row. The first was to my grandmother: “Did the Carter family tombstone explode yet? …Ah, it didn’t? Then it must be emitting holy light! Go check it out right now!” The second was to my dad: “My daughter got into Columbia University! Near perfect SATs! Did your son even graduate? Oh, I almost forgot, your son couldn’t even get into a decent high school, he’s graduating from some trade school this year, right? Found a job yet? Ahahahaha.” The third was to the town mayor, asking him to hang 100 banners across Main Street and broadcast the news over the town’s radio system for three days and three nights. She also told him we were coming back to our hometown in a few days to throw a massive block party for everyone. Right now, I’m watching the town dogs feast on the leftovers from the party. I take a photo, post it on Facebook, and tag my half-brother. “Who says girls are worse than boys?” 1 My dad and mom came from the same small, rural town in the Midwest. They didn’t have much education. First, they worked on an assembly line in a factory for two years—he was screwing in bolts, she was welding parts. Later, they started working on construction sites, installing aluminum windows. They had to find their own clients. Whether it was the scorching heat of July or the freezing cold of January, my mom and dad were always out on construction sites. It was exhausting. But those were the years they loved each other the most. They had goals. They had a shared future. They agreed that once they opened their own shop, they would start a family. A few years later, they saved up some money, opened a shop in a booming commercial district, and finally owned something of their own. My mom didn’t care about skincare. She thought carrying an umbrella was a hassle, and she was too frugal to buy sunscreen. You know how it is. UV rays severely damage the skin. When other people look 19 at 24, my mom looked 30 at 24. When her skin looked 31 at the age of 24, she had me. The whole family was thrilled. My grandpa and grandma even came up with over 100 names for my parents to choose from. Unfortunately, they were all boys’ names. My dad’s favorite name was Hunter. Hunter Carter. He said he didn’t have an education, so he wanted a son who would be an educated man. Nine months later, my mom gave birth to me. My grandpa and grandma’s faces fell lower than a mule’s. They stayed at the hospital for less than half a day before leaving. Before they left, they even took the roast chicken they had brought as a gift. My dad sighed heavily and stood on the hospital balcony, chain-smoking. When my mom told me this part of the story, she choked up several times. She said she suggested giving me the name Hunter anyway, that a girl could use that name too. My dad refused. 2 When did my mom realize my dad had a problem? Maybe it was when he started coming home very late, or not coming home at all. Maybe it was when he brought his buddies over, and every single one of them brought a mistress, but none of them brought their wives. Maybe it was when the wives of other construction bosses hinted, “That group of guys, not a single one is decent.” In my memory, from a very young age, my mom was always depressed. She was a shrewd businesswoman, knowing exactly what to say to different people, always keeping clients happy. But when it came to her marriage, she was insecure yet fierce. The only times she and my dad could have a normal conversation were when they were doing the books and making money. At all other times, they couldn’t stand the sight of each other. My dad complained that my mom wasn’t feminine enough, her voice was too loud, she wasn’t gentle, she liked making her own decisions, and she had an “old” face. My mom called my dad a cheating bastard who messed around outside and would eventually get what was coming to him. The conflict finally erupted when I was 5. One night, I suddenly ran a high fever, burning up until I started convulsing. My dad wasn’t home, and he had taken the car. My mom called him, wanting him to come back and take me to the hospital, but he didn’t pick up. Back then, Uber didn’t exist. To get around at night, you had to rely on cabs. But the area we lived in was an undeveloped suburb; it was desolate at night, and you couldn’t flag down a cab to save your life. Eventually, my mom had to call her friend. The friend and her husband drove over and took me to the ER. My mom didn’t give up. She stayed by my hospital bed, calling my dad off and on all night. It was as if my dad was dead. Every call disappeared into the void. The next morning, my mom finally gave up. She put her phone down, grabbed her purse, and went to buy breakfast. Coincidentally, as soon as she left, her phone rang. The caller ID showed my dad. I answered the phone. Before I could even say “Dad,” a female voice on the other end unleashed a torrent of rage: “Over a hundred calls in one night!” “Mary, will you die without a man?! What the hell are you calling for?” “Your husband didn’t even answer your calls, don’t you get the message? Let go already, honey. Forcing it won’t make you happy!” I frowned, considering my words: “Ma’am, I’m sick.” The other side froze for a second, then continued the barrage: “Oh, it’s the money-losing mistake! Where’s your mom? Did she jump off a building because your dad didn’t answer her calls?” “Let me tell you something! Your dad stopped loving your mom a long time ago, and he doesn’t love you either!” “Right now, he only loves me and your little brother. All the money, the houses, the cars in your family—they all belong to me and your brother now.” I was young, I didn’t fully understand, and I spoke with the unfiltered innocence of a child. “So, Ma’am, are you a robber?” “Only robbers steal other people’s things, and robbers get beaten up by superheroes!” She sneered: “Where in the world are there superheroes?” I cried: “But there are police officers! You’re a bad lady, the police will lock you up!” … Later, my mom came back. Seeing me sulking, and noticing the call log showing my dad’s number had called back, she asked me several times what happened. I burst out crying. “There’s a bad lady who said Daddy doesn’t love us anymore!” “She said Daddy only loves her and my little brother, and she said everything in our family belongs to her!” I cried so hard I couldn’t catch my breath. My mom hugged me, patting my back, and stayed silent for a long time. “Mommy is going to divorce Daddy. Sweetie, will you stay with Mommy?” “Yes.” 3 During the few days I was in the hospital, my dad didn’t come to see me once. My mom called him often. Although she deliberately avoided me, when she couldn’t suppress her temper, phrases like “bastard,” “I’m taking two-thirds of the assets or I’ll drag this out until you die,” and “you’re worse than a dog, go to hell” still reached my ears. I secretly cried. How could a child my age understand a mother’s pain? I was terrified of not having a father anymore. This was the first time I experienced loss, but I didn’t tell my mom, and I certainly didn’t cry in front of her. I vaguely knew what divorce meant, knew that between my dad and mom, I could only choose one, and knew that my mom loved me more. I don’t know what my mom and dad discussed, but she was always fuming. Seven days later. My mom discharged me from the hospital. She marched out proudly, like a warrior… but we could never return to our old home. My grandma was standing on the balcony. Seeing us walking up to the building, she threw open the window. “Sarah, come here quick!” My mom froze and looked up. A few seconds later, a familiar woman appeared in our line of sight. It was my mom’s cousin! She smirked triumphantly at my mom, then joined my grandma to haul two unzipped duffel bags and throw them down. Toothbrushes, slippers, clothes, bras, sanitary pads… Clattering and fluttering down, scattering everywhere. I saw my mom’s jaw clench tight, her face flushed with embarrassment. A moment later— Her anger overpowered her embarrassment. She put her hands on her hips and screamed up at the balcony: “Sarah, are you even human? Are all the men in the world dead? You actually stole your own cousin’s husband!” “Robert and I haven’t even signed the divorce papers yet! And you just couldn’t wait! Shameless! Spit!” “When I go back, I’m telling your mother! I’m telling the whole town! You homewrecker!”… Sarah and my grandma tag-teamed their response: “Ugly bitch, look at your face! Robert says he wants to puke just looking at you!” “You useless cow who can’t even produce a son! Get the hell out! If it weren’t for Sarah, our Carter family bloodline would have ended with a jinx like you!” “Someone like you still has the nerve to talk about going back to the town?! Go back and ask around, if you can’t have a son, shouldn’t you be dumped?!”… Amidst the screaming match, a little boy about my age ran out of the living room. Holding a toy submachine gun, he stood on a small stool and fired a barrage of pellets right at us. Back then, the bullets in toy guns weren’t water beads; they were hard plastic BBs that hurt like hell when they hit you. My arms and neck were hit several times. My mom shielded me and we ducked under a low tree. “Where are they? Where did they go?” “Over there!” “I see them! Old hag! Money-losing mistake! I’m gonna shoot you dead!”… With the leaves buffering the impact, the bullets didn’t hurt as much. The leaves rustled and fell. My mom ground her teeth in rage. “You little bastard, if you’ve got the guts, get a real gun and shoot us!” The toy gun could only hold so many bullets. When the magazine was empty, it had to be reloaded. My mom took advantage of the reloading time upstairs, grabbed a rock from the ground, and charged upstairs like a hurricane. I copied her, picking up a rock and following right on her heels. 4 The front door was a heavy security door. Made of steel. That bastard of a dad had actually changed the locks. My mom couldn’t open the door with her key. She dropped the rock, hitched up her skirt, and delivered a vicious kick right at the lock. The steel door let out a deafening “CLANG.” Then came the second kick, the third… The clanging echoed endlessly, feeling like an earthquake. My grandma and Sarah were cursing from inside; my mom was kicking from outside. Neighbors upstairs and downstairs kept opening their doors, asking loudly, “What’s going on? What’s going on? Are you going to let people live in peace?” “Nobody’s living in peace today! The older cousin stole the younger cousin’s husband and brought him right into the house! They even changed the locks! Have they no shame?” “That is shameless,” someone upstairs agreed. Eventually, the local police arrived. My mom tearfully complained to the officers. After calming her down and ensuring she was stable, the police knocked on the door. My mom was fierce. The moment the door cracked open, she bolted inside, grabbed a stool, and smashed it right at Sarah. “BANG!” The plastic stool shattered, and a jagged gash appeared on Sarah’s arm. Blood dripped down onto the floor. Everyone froze. A second later, Sarah bent down, snatched up a heavy glass ashtray, and charged at my mom, screaming “Go to hell!” My mom swung the stool again. The police officers quickly split up—half restraining my mom, half holding back Sarah. I took advantage of the chaos, grabbed the rock I had picked up, and charged at the little boy. That little brat had just shot me, and it still hurt! I was covered in welts! Desperate to protect her grandson, my grandma shoved the boy aside, snatched his toy gun, grabbed me with one hand, and swung the heavy plastic gun down hard on my arm with the other. “Smack! Smack! Smack!” The violent impact on my arm knocked the magazine loose, sending BBs scattering all over the floor. My arm felt like it was broken. My grandma struck me three times in the exact same spot. It hurt so much I could only inhale, forgetting how to exhale. My face spasmed, and it took a long time before I could finally cry out. I don’t know where my mom found the strength, but she broke free from the cops, shoved my grandma aside, rushed over, grabbed me, and carefully checked my arm. “Sweetie, are you okay? Can you move it? How about this? How about this?” “It hurts…” I burst out crying, “Mommy, it hurts so much!” The police told my mom to stop moving my arm. Without professional training, she might make the injury worse. Getting to the hospital immediately was the priority. My mom’s eyes were like daggers, violently glaring at my grandma. “Martha! She’s your own granddaughter! If there’s any permanent damage, I’ll kill you!” My grandma had never seen my mom like this. She involuntarily shivered, then stiffened her neck: “She deserved it! She started it! She was trying to hit my precious baby!” “A grandson is a precious baby, and a daughter is just weeds?! Martha, you’re a woman yourself, why don’t you go jump off a bridge?! You better pray she’s okay, otherwise…” Before my mom could finish her threat, the police urged, “Enough talking. Get to the hospital first. We’ll give you a ride!” 5 In just one day, I had left the hospital only to return to it. My bone wasn’t completely broken, but it was fractured. The doctor put a cast on my arm and told me to rest. My dad still hadn’t shown up. My mom was furious, crying and cursing over the phone. I kept hearing the word “animal.” My mom couldn’t understand how a man could be so ruthless. His own biological daughter had suffered such a severe injury, and he completely ignored it, refusing to even come take a look. “Mommy, our clothes and shoes are still downstairs at the apartment. Should we go get them?” “Yes,” my mom said. “If we don’t, people will scavenge them or throw them away as trash.” As she spoke, her eyes reddened. A mix of stubbornness and grievance wove into suppressed anger. “We’re poor now. We don’t have extra money to buy everything new. You stay here in the hospital and be good. I’ll get our things and come right back.” I nodded, telling her not to worry. My mom was gone for a long time that day. Or maybe it just felt like a long time because I was alone in the hospital. I was terrified… Terrified she would go looking for my grandma for revenge, terrified she couldn’t fight them all off alone, terrified she’d be at a disadvantage, terrified she’d get hurt. I was also terrified she didn’t want me anymore… If I hadn’t tried to hit that little boy, my arm wouldn’t have been fractured, we wouldn’t have had to spend money. I was afraid she’d think I was a burden and just leave me in the hospital alone. The massive anxiety made my whole body tense up. Like a frightened quail, my eyes stayed glued to the hospital room door. If only I were a boy. Then my grandparents wouldn’t despise me, my dad wouldn’t find another woman to have kids with, my mom wouldn’t be abandoned… We’d be like the happy families on TV. Thankfully, my mom finally returned, carrying two large duffel bags. The bags were filthy, and the things inside were dirty too. My mom said we lost some things, but it didn’t matter. Being able to salvage most of it was lucky enough. I noticed my mom’s eyes were much redder than when she left. I guessed she had cried outside. “Mommy, I’ll be good.” I said it out of nowhere, but my mom understood. She walked over to the bed and hugged me. “Things will get better.” “We won’t live like stray dogs forever!” From that day on, my mom changed. She stopped calling my dad, stopped screaming hysterically. She took a pen and paper and calmly calculated all of our family’s assets. She started smoking. In the dark, I often saw her standing on the hospital balcony, her hair blowing in the night breeze, the ember of her cigarette glowing and fading between her fingers. Her loneliness was just like the cigarette in her hand. 6 In those days, in the eyes of rural country folk, divorce was a disgraceful thing. “Don’t wash your dirty linen in public.” If someone had to divorce, the best option was to do it quietly. The couple would quietly sign the papers, and no one besides their parents would know. My mom insisted on suing for a contested divorce. She demanded that the husband leave with nothing, and she gets full custody of the daughter. My dad completely lost his mind. Previously, he wouldn’t call for weeks; now, he called several times a day. He played the good cop, talking about the bond they shared over the years, telling my mom not to go too far, that everything was negotiable. He even said he wanted to come see us and asked where my mom was staying. My grandma played the bad cop. She called my mom a shameless bitch, saying she couldn’t give birth to a son, couldn’t keep her man, and was useless! She asked if my mom was trying to take my dad’s money to find another man. She said all the money in the family was earned by my dad, implying my mom would do anything for cash… My mom unleashed her fury: “Son, son, all you care about is a son! Are you running a royal dynasty?” “Your ancestors worked the dirt for generations, your family is dirt poor, and you still want multiple wives and a male heir! Let me tell you, the 1800s are over!” “The government has been saying for decades that boys and girls are equal. Are you deaf? Monogamy is written into the law! Are you trying to break the law?” “Every cent Robert Carter owns is marital property! Every cent he spent on Sarah is also marital property!” “Robert is the at-fault party in this marriage, and he deserves to be punished! The money, the house, they’re all mine! If you dare harass me again, don’t blame me for going after every single dime he spent on Sarah!” My mom used to act very submissive in the Carter family. Though she had stood up for herself once, it always seemed forced. This time was different. With the law backing her up, my mom spoke on the phone with incredible confidence. I was young and barely understood, but I thought my mom was shining brightly. My grandma was probably terrified by my mom. She stopped calling and instead reached out to my great-uncle and great-aunt. Sarah’s parents. They kept emphasizing that we were all relatives, telling my mom not to be so ruthless! They said my maternal grandparents still lived in the same town, and everyone saw everyone else eventually, their words carrying a veiled threat. My mom sat on a folding stool on the balcony, took a drag from her cigarette, and slowly exhaled the smoke: “Sure. Have Sarah write a 10,000-word apology detailing exactly how she seduced her cousin’s husband, how she got pregnant with a married man’s child, and how she used her status as a mistress to kick the legal wife out of her own home…” “When she’s done, show it to me. If I’m satisfied, have her go to the town’s radio station and read it ten times a day for a whole month. If she does that, I won’t go after the money Robert spent on her!” My great-uncle and his wife had no idea that “reclaiming marital assets” was a legal possibility. On the other end of the line, they screamed in panic: “What?!” “You want the money Robert already spent? You love money so much, why don’t you just go rob a bank?” “Sarah is the hero who gave the Carter family an heir! All the Carter family’s money belongs to her! We earn our living with honest work, why should we do whatever you say?” “You can’t even keep your own man, and you have the nerve to fight for the assets? How did our family produce such a disgrace like you?” My mom laughed coldly: “Exactly. How did our family produce disgraces like you? You act like thieves and homewreckers, and you’re proud of it!” “Let me tell you, I won’t give up a single cent that belongs to me! Your daughter and grandson can prepare to sleep under a bridge!” 7 To win this lawsuit, my mom hired a lawyer and prepared meticulously. This included recording their phone calls over the past few weeks, gathering evidence of my dad’s long-term infidelity, and documenting my grandma assaulting me and kicking us out of the house… On my dad’s side, whether it was overconfidence or just no lawyer wanting to take their case, they represented themselves the entire time. Their core argument was singular: Everyone in the country town does this. Assets should go to the son. Continuing the family line is more important than anything else. They caused a huge scene in the courtroom. One minute they were calling my mom a jinx, saying she didn’t dress up or look pretty, ruining my dad’s luck, so she deserved to be thrown out. The next minute, they called me a money-losing mistake, demanding to know why I should get any of the money my dad earned. My dad was legally the at-fault party to begin with, their arguments were completely absurd, and on top of that, the judge that day was female, and the court clerk was also female. The outcome of the lawsuit was obvious. Whether it was the business, the real estate, or the savings, it was all awarded to my mom. My grandma refused to accept it. She threw herself onto the floor, kicked her legs out, and rolled around like a dying bug. “This is an outrage! The judge was bribed! Where can an old woman like me find justice?” “My son worked hard his whole life, and now he doesn’t get a single penny. Aren’t you trying to kill us?” “Waaah, if you don’t change the verdict, I’ll never get up! I’m going to stay right here!”… The judge stopped, gave her a long look, and walked right out. A few moments later, the bailiffs “escorted” my grandma out. She howled the whole way, vowing to protest outside the courthouse every single day. My mom and her lawyer were talking nearby, looking at my grandma like she was an absolute idiot. “You jinx! Don’t think just because you won the lawsuit that the house is yours! If you want that house, you’ll have to step over my dead body!” My mom smiled and said she wouldn’t dare. My grandma felt triumphant again and threw another tantrum right outside the courthouse doors. After the bailiffs gave her another stern lecture on the law, she stopped causing a scene, dragged my dad over, puffed out her cheeks, and sat right in the middle of the main entrance in silent protest. “What do you plan to do?” the lawyer asked my mom. “Help her out, of course,” my mom said, still smiling, her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t read. “The old lady has it tough.”

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I was the eldest child in my family, but the third born. The first two were girls. Because they were the “wrong” gender, my parents got rid of them before they were even born. The shady clinic doctor swore up and down that I was a boy. Unfortunately for them, when I came crying into the world, I was still a girl. 1 I was a girl. My parents were bitterly disappointed. But they didn’t give up. Hiding like fugitives from the authorities, when I was five years old, my mother finally gave birth to my little brother. Because they had exceeded the legal child limit, my father lost his job. The authorities came and emptied our house of anything valuable to pay the fines. My mother lay on a makeshift bed of two wooden doors pushed together, looking at my baby brother in his swaddling clothes and laughing. “At least I don’t have to get pregnant ever again.” My grandmother held my brother, beaming from ear to ear. “Another son! Now when our little Precious grows up, he’ll have brothers to back him up.” “Precious” was the name they picked out while I was still in the womb. Now, they finally got to use it. Overjoyed at finally having a grandson, my grandmother carried him all around the village to show him off. After showing him off, she dumped him back with my mother. She had bullied my parents into having a son, but she refused to help raise him. With my father out of work, money was incredibly tight. During my mother’s postpartum recovery, my father snuck into my grandmother’s chicken coop to steal two eggs for her to eat. My grandmother chased him around the yard, screaming at him all day. “You think she’s some delicate princess?! When I had you, I was back in the fields working three days later! I lived on watery porridge every day, and I turned out just fine…” My father sheepishly put the eggs back. My mother cried as she nursed my brother. I walked over to wipe her tears, but she just stared at me blankly and muttered, “If only you had been a boy. I wouldn’t have had to suffer through this.” The next day, I went to the barber shop at the edge of the village and had my long hair shaved into a buzz cut. I ran home happily and told my mother, “Look, I’m a boy now.” My mother and grandmother took turns screaming at me. “Your hair was so long! I could have sold it for twenty bucks! Are you stupid?!” “Even if you shave your head bald, you’ll never be a boy.” After cursing me out, my grandmother stormed off to the barber shop to demand the hair I had cut off. After a loud argument with the barber, half the village knew what happened. The kids my age mocked me: “Not a boy, not a girl. Maya Miller is a little freak.” After the New Year, my brother turned six months old. My parents decided to move to California for work, leaving me behind with my grandmother. Right before they left, my mother held my hand, looking guilty. “I can’t let your dad go out there alone, I’d worry. And your brother is too young; I don’t trust your grandmother to take care of him.” “You be a good girl at home. When I come back, I’ll buy you candy.” 2 I cried and begged her to let me come, promising I would never eat candy again if she just didn’t leave me alone with my cruel, vicious grandmother. She grew impatient, frowning deeply as she shook off my hand. “Why are you being so disobedient!” “There’s no time, I have to go.” I ran after the old, beat-up Greyhound bus for as long as I could. In the thick cloud of dust kicked up by the tires, I lost sight of my parents. There were a lot of “left-behind” kids in our village whose parents worked out of state. But I was probably the most miserable one. I took over all the household chores. Cooking, washing clothes, feeding the pigs and chickens, cutting grass for fodder… I even had to wash my grandmother’s underwear. I walked on eggshells, terrified of provoking her. But if she lost at bingo with the neighbor ladies, she’d still take it out on me. She poured scalding hot water from the kettle over my head. She stripped me naked, shoved me out into the yard, and beat me viciously with a bamboo broom. On freezing winter days, she made me wash her feet with ice-cold water scooped straight from the outdoor rain barrel. … After she finished torturing me, she’d go back out to play bingo. I slept alone in that massive, drafty brick house. The night wind howled through the trees on the hill behind us, sounding like a low moan. I wrapped myself tightly in two heavy quilts. Curled up into a tiny ball. Fighting against the pain, the loneliness, and the fear. At first, my mother would call the neighbor’s landline every Saturday night around 7:00 PM. I would finish my dinner by 5:00 and go wait at Mrs. Davis’s house. I could never get out more than a few words before I started crying, asking when she was coming back. She always said, “Be sweet and work hard. Don’t make your grandmother angry.” Maybe she found me annoying. Gradually, the calls went from once a week to once every two weeks. When the weather turned cold, it became once a month. But she still promised that she’d come back for Christmas and buy me new clothes. She also promised to bring me the best candy from California. I counted the days and nights until Christmas Eve arrived. My mother finally called. My heart was bursting with hope. “Uncle Tommy and Uncle Dave already came back! When are you coming home, Mom?” “Maya, tickets were too expensive and sold out too fast. We couldn’t get any. We’ll come see you after the holidays.” The freezing winter wind outside seemed to travel through the phone line, drilling straight into my ear and freezing my heart. I couldn’t control myself anymore. I yelled, “You promised! You said you would…” My mother offered some half-hearted comfort. In the background, my brother started crying and fussing, slurring, “Milk, want milk…” I heard my mother’s voice instantly soften. “Be a good boy, sweetie, don’t cry. Mommy will buy it for you in a second.” I called out, “Mom…” She was already impatient. “If we can’t get tickets, we can’t go back! Your dad and I have no choice! Do you think we want to spend Christmas away from home? “Can’t you just grow up and be a little understanding! “Alright, your brother is hungry. I have to hang up.” Mom, I actually wanted to say: It’s okay if you don’t buy candy or clothes. You and Dad work so hard. But. You didn’t care at all. After Christmas, when tickets were easy to get, they still didn’t come back. Since the holidays were over, coming back probably seemed pointless to them. I wasn’t a priority they kept in their hearts. My grandmother lost money at bingo every day during the holidays and cursed me for being a jinx. She hit me hard over the head with an iron spatula. The lump on my head took over ten days to go down. The swallows returned in the spring and built a nest under my window. While cutting grass for the pigs, I found an abandoned black puppy. I fed him scraps and leftovers, and he slept faithfully by my bed every night. In the mornings, he would wag his tail and walk me to the school bus stop. After school, he’d be waiting for me exactly on time at the edge of the village. My life was full of sadness and misery, but there were also these small, fragmented moments of warmth and discovery. But. I no longer looked forward to sharing them with my mother. Two more years passed. They finally managed to get tickets home. Everyone in the village asked me. “Your mom, dad, and little brother are coming back! You must be so happy, right?” 3 No. Perhaps my hopes and joy had been ground down to dust a long time ago. A few days before Christmas, my parents arrived lugging huge bags and suitcases. She bought me a bag of candy. I had just opened it and taken one piece when my brother ran over and tried to snatch the bag. I gripped it tightly and refused to let go. My mother said, “You’re the older sister. Let your brother have it.” “He won’t even eat yours; he’s sick of candy anyway.” Sure enough, after he snatched it, he ate one piece and threw the rest on the floor. The reward I had waited years for was just garbage to my brother; something he wouldn’t even look twice at. I also saw a photo album in my mother’s suitcase. I thought it was a book she had bought for me. When I opened the cover, inside was a photo of my parents and my brother, smiling happily and leaning against each other. Oh. It was a family portrait. A family portrait without me. My mother bought me a red winter coat and couldn’t wait for me to try it on. It was huge. The hem went down to my ankles, and the sleeves hung past my hands like a costume. My mother looked a little embarrassed. “Mary’s daughter is eight too, and it fits her perfectly. Why haven’t you grown at all?” My grandmother happily tried on her own new clothes and shot me a dirty look. “It’s good to buy kids’ clothes big. They can wear them for a few more years.” On New Year’s Eve, wearing my new coat with the sleeves rolled all the way up my arms, I tripped over the raised threshold. I busted my lip open, bleeding everywhere. My grandmother immediately started screaming: “Are you blind?! Tripping and bleeding on New Year’s Eve is terrible luck! Are you hoping I die early?!” My brother jumped up and down, laughing hysterically. “You’re so stupid…” He stepped over the threshold, squatted in front of me, pointed at the blood on my face, and kept laughing. “Stupid, stupid…” My mother looked at him affectionately. “No one even taught you that. Where did you learn to curse at people?” My dog, Shadow, had been sleeping quietly in the corner. Suddenly, he charged out, baring his teeth and barking furiously at my brother. My brother was terrified. He jerked backward, hitting the back of his head hard on the wooden threshold. He started bawling, snot and tears running down his face. My parents panicked, rushing over to comfort him, calling him their precious baby. My brother pointed at Shadow, crying hysterically. “Kill it! Kill it!” Terrified, I quickly locked Shadow in the woodshed. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong and kept barking confusedly. A few days later, several uncles and cousins came over to drink with my dad. Shadow smelled strangers and started barking again. My brother got scared and hid in my mother’s arms, crying. My dad pointed at the woodshed and laughed. “That dog is too annoying. Let’s catch it and make dog stew today!” 4 The men laughed and started walking toward the woodshed. The blood rushed straight to my head. Where the cowardly me found the courage, I don’t know, but I flew out of the house and pressed my back tightly against the woodshed door. “Dad, please don’t kill Shadow.” “Please don’t kill him!” Shadow sensed my panic and barked louder: “Woof! Woof! Woof!” My dad got impatient. “Move out of the way. Stop being annoying.” “Dog stew is the best thing to eat in the winter. I’ll save you a leg later!” He reached out to shove me aside. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably as I screamed at my dad: “For the last few years, you bought my brother milk, candy, and clothes, and took him to take family portraits. “But you left me alone at home. Shadow is the only one who kept me company.” I grabbed an axe resting nearby and shoved it into my dad’s hands. “You might as well kill me too! You and Mom don’t want me anyway!” The uncles looked awkward. “Forget it, forget it…” My dad’s face turned beet red. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Who doesn’t want you?” “If it weren’t for you and your brother, do you think your mother and I would willingly go so far away to work?!” Hearing the commotion, my mother came over to break it up. My grandmother spat out sunflower seed shells. “This daughter of yours has a terrible temper. If I hadn’t beaten it out of her normally, she’d think she owns the place…” She rambled on and on. My dad looked at me with pure disgust. My mother also muttered, “It’s just a dog. It scares your brother every day. Why are you defending it so hard…” The winter wind cut to the bone. No one supported me. No one cared about me. I pressed my back tightly against the woodshed door. I felt a furry paw reaching through the crack in the wood, pawing at my palm. It was Shadow. Through the old wooden door, he let out a low whimper. I held his paw, feeling like I was holding the only warmth left in the world. Shadow survived for the time being. But in my parents’ eyes, I became the disobedient child. My mother scolded me. “Is a dog’s life really more important than your brother’s? How can you be so cold-blooded?” My dad was disgusted. “No one to discipline you every day, you’ve gone wild.” … But why did I have no one to discipline me? I thought Shadow was safe. But a month later, on the day of the Lantern Festival, I went to the village square to watch the parade. When I came back, I saw the local dog catcher dragging Shadow away on a three-wheeled cart. His legs and paws were bound, and he howled in despair. I chased the cart for as long as I could. But eventually, his cries were drowned out by the deafening sound of drums and firecrackers. I went home crying, screaming, and demanding answers. My dad said lightly, “It’s just a dog. Next time we’ll get you a more obedient one!” My grandmother rolled her eyes. “Should have killed it a long time ago. It was so annoying. Good thing we still got twenty bucks for it. At least we didn’t lose money.” It was in that exact moment. I finally woke up. They didn’t love me. No matter how docile and obedient I was, no matter how well I did. They would never love me the way they loved my brother. So… Why was I still hoping? Why was I still trying to please them? The next day, my parents took my brother back to California. They wanted him to attend an expensive private preschool there. Before they left, my mother gave me money for school fees and living expenses. She counted out fifty dollars, thought for a second, then pulled a ten-dollar bill back and handed me the rest. “Your dad and I work hard for this money. You need to be careful how you spend it…” As soon as they left, my grandmother showed her true colors. Over the slightest disagreement, she grabbed the fire tongs to hit me. 5 This time, I didn’t just stand there and take it. I fought back, wrestling her to the ground. I grabbed the fire tongs and, imitating what I’d seen on TV, pressed them hard against her neck. I glared at her fiercely: “I will never let you bully me again. “I’m going to keep growing, and you’re only going to get older. “If you hit me once, I’ll hit you three times. If you strip my clothes off, I’ll tear yours off too! “When you’re old and bedridden, I’ll feed you shit and piss!” … The old hag was terrified. She let out a wail and started crying. She went around the entire village broadcasting my evil deeds. The older women and grandmothers lectured me from their high horses: “She’s your grandmother. Being this disrespectful will bring down the wrath of God.” I remained expressionless. “Well, I haven’t been struck by lightning yet. Doesn’t that mean God thinks I’m right?” They were speechless. That summer, there was a huge celebration in the village. Mr. Smith’s daughter, Dawn, got into a very prestigious university. She had a younger brother, and her father favored him, refusing to pay for her education. She had fought tooth and nail just to be allowed to go to high school. The day her acceptance letter arrived, Mr. Smith paraded around the village showing it off. Us kids went to see the commotion too. I touched the gold-foiled envelope. The university buildings printed on it looked ancient and grand, making my heart yearn for it. I asked foolishly, “If you go to college, does that mean you’ll make lots and lots of money?” Dawn patted my head. “Not necessarily, but if you go to college, you won’t have to be like a lot of girls in the village, getting married and having kids super early.” She crouched down and looked gently into my eyes. “Maya, you’re only in fourth grade. If you start working hard now, it’s not too late.” She planted a seed of hope in my heart. I stopped zoning out in class and started listening attentively. After school, I stopped running around playing and started reading properly. The old hag laughed at me. “With your pig brain, you think reading is gonna make you bloom into a flower? Once you finish middle school, hurry up and go find a job in a factory. “Getting married early and collecting a dowry is the only proper path. A girl reading too many books is just a waste of money for her future in-laws!” … I snapped back at her. “The more books I read and words I know, the better I’ll be able to personally carve your name onto your tombstone when you die.” The old hag almost had a heart attack. Back then, for kids in the village, studying mostly relied on natural talent. Not many worked as hard on their own initiative as I did. Most just drifted along, graduating in a daze. When I took the middle school entrance exam, I ranked first in my class. By that time, the population was already migrating toward bigger cities. The middle school in our township had been merged with the one in the larger town. Because it was far, boarding was mandatory. While other kids cried about it, I couldn’t have been happier. The old hag cursed and swore, saying I shouldn’t go at all, that I should just go work and earn money now. 6 She got chewed out by the town mayor. “The state requires nine years of compulsory education. If you stop her from going to school, you could go to jail. Do you want to go to jail?” The old hag instantly caved. My parents didn’t care about my grades; they barely ever asked. But they specifically paid to get my brother into a good elementary school in California. They had to pull strings and pay bribes to get him in. “Precious is so smart, we have to nurture his potential!” I entered middle school with excellent grades, thinking I could really show what I was capable of. But the midterm exams in seventh grade dealt me a heavy blow. I only ranked fifteenth in my class, and over a hundredth in the grade. It was from that moment on. I realized that studying really did involve a degree of natural talent. My desk-mate slept through class every day and played basketball after school. But no matter what math problem he looked at, he only needed to see it once to grasp the underlying concept. I needed to recite an ancient poem fifty or a hundred times to memorize it, while he could basically repeat it after reading it three times. For a kid with no money, focusing on studying was exceptionally difficult. My mother gave me very little for living expenses. She was even more unwilling to spend money on study guides or prep books. I could only save money by cutting back on my meals. I bought fifty-cent packets of pickled vegetables and three one-dollar steamed buns from the cafeteria. A dollar fifty was enough to survive a whole day. Sometimes at night, I was so hungry I just guzzled tap water. Water was free. I bought a pair of fake designer shoes at the flea market for ten dollars and wore them every single day. When the soles cracked, I bought superglue to stick them back together. I glued them repeatedly until one day, during gym class, the entire sole completely fell off. My toes and the holes in my socks were exposed to the air. I finally had to throw those shoes away. I was already going through puberty. But my mother refused to buy me a bra. “Little girls wearing grown-up clothes, looking like sluts.” So I could only sew and re-sew cheap, two-for-five-dollar camisoles, making them tight enough to bind my chest so nothing would bounce when I moved. Compared to the embarrassment in my daily life, the struggle with my studies made me even more desperate. Maybe I just wasn’t born to be a scholar. I just couldn’t grasp concepts quickly like other people. I couldn’t memorize a text after reading it seven or eight times. Even though I never slacked off for a second, my grades were stagnant. I frequently dreamed I was in an exam hall. Unable to solve the problems. And then I would wake up, drenched in sweat. By the time I reached eighth grade, some classmates were already coming back to the village pregnant. The outside world was too big, and the temptations too many. They had never been deeply loved by their parents, so when they suddenly stepped out into society, they were easily seduced by a few sweet words from boys. They had kids and got married in a haze. Living out their lives in a daze. I was so terrified. So afraid that I would turn out like that too. I went to my homeroom teacher, Mr. Harrison. I shamefully admitted my struggles, unable to lift my head. But he didn’t scold me. He just asked, “Do you have any extra money for living expenses?” I waved my hands frantically. “I still have twenty dollars. It’s enough for next month.” Mr. Harrison’s hand paused, his gaze turning serious. “You only spent twenty dollars last month? Less than a dollar a day?” “So you’ve never eaten meat? Never been full? Never had a snack? Never bought any clothes or shoes?” “It… it doesn’t matter. I’ve lived like this for three years.” “Of course it matters!” Mr. Harrison’s voice rose. “You’re growing. Studying burns a massive amount of calories. If you don’t have enough nutrition, your brain can’t keep up. “Saving this tiny bit of money now is destroying your future. “Starting next month, you must have meat for at least one meal a day. You have to eat an egg and drink a glass of milk every day. “And you need to buy the clothes you need to buy.” He gently patted my back, lowering his voice: “Like bras. If you don’t take care of it now, you won’t be able to fix it later in life. “Don’t feel guilty about spending money now. Because this is an investment in your future. “You deserve it, and you should spend it.” After winter break, I went back to school. I went to buy milk. After comparing prices, I ended up buying powdered milk. It was cheaper than cartons. Every morning, I ate a meat bun and a hard-boiled egg. Sometimes I had soy milk. For lunch and dinner, I had one meat dish and one vegetable dish. Before bed, I drank a glass of milk. Every weekend, I went to the bakery to buy the leftover crusts—they were very cheap—so I could fill my stomach if I got hungry between meals. My body was no longer in a constant state of starvation like before. About half a month later, I felt my mental energy was much better. I was originally one of the shortest kids in the class. Barely five feet tall. But during that time, I felt like bamboo, shooting up section by section. My pants were visibly getting shorter. Perhaps because my nutrition was keeping up, my mind was also clearer than before. Wearing clothes that fit properly, I no longer had to hunch over and slouch like I used to. I gathered my courage and started asking teachers and classmates how to solve problems. I tried my hardest to find patterns between different types of questions. I stopped sacrificing sleep to study. I told myself not to be anxious. You can’t become a genius overnight. By the final exams of my sophomore year, I ranked six hundredth in the grade. There were over eight hundred students in our grade. Even though it was still a below-average score, at least it wasn’t at the very bottom. I was pretty happy. But when my brother found out, he scoffed. “Six hundredth? That’s garbage! “Is your brain full of shit?” My parents also frowned. “You’re really not cut out for studying. Maybe you should just quit.”

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After my husband’s first love returned, I saw his answer to a question on Reddit: “What is it like to marry someone you don’t love?” He wrote that he didn’t love his wife. Even though she gave him her whole heart and took perfect care of their home, his mind was still constantly on his ex-girlfriend. He knew it wasn’t right, but he couldn’t help it. Someone in the comments asked: “You didn’t even use a throwaway account. Aren’t you afraid your wife will see this and divorce you?” He replied: “No, she can’t live without me.” What he didn’t expect was that the very next day, I left the divorce papers on his nightstand and quietly walked out of his life. 1 After Sarah Davis came back, I discovered Liam’s answer on Reddit. What is it like to marry someone you don’t love? He didn’t use a throwaway account, and his profile picture was still a photo of Sarah’s back. “I guess it feels like life is just a pool of stagnant water.” “I don’t love my wife. After my first love and I broke up, my family pressured me to get married quickly. I was heartbroken then, and I felt like as long as it wasn’t her, marrying anyone else would be exactly the same.” “It just so happened that my wife had always liked me. We’d known each other for a long time, we knew each other’s backgrounds well, so I proposed to her.” “I still remember how she cried tears of joy that day, constantly asking me if she was dreaming. Honestly, I felt pretty guilty. All these years, she’s been completely devoted to me, taking perfect care of everything at home, big or small.” My fingers trembled slightly as I continued to scroll down. He wrote: “But I don’t love her. All these years, I’ve always had my first love in my heart.” “I know it makes me a jerk, and I’ve tried to love her, but I really just can’t.” Someone commented below: “You didn’t even use a throwaway. Aren’t you afraid your wife will see this and divorce you?” His tone was as confident as ever: “She won’t. She can’t live without me.” It felt like a thorn that had been buried in my heart for years. Its sharp edges had been worn smooth by my own flesh and blood, so it didn’t pierce me with that sharp, stabbing pain like it used to. But there was still a constant, dull ache that I couldn’t ignore. I let out a bitter laugh. Look how well he knows me. Even at this point, he knew I couldn’t live without him. 2 That night, Liam acted exactly the same as always. We were like a couple strictly adhering to the formalities of marriage. He praised the dinner I made with the enthusiasm of completing a routine task, then got into bed, turned his back to me, and started looking at his phone. A king-size bed isn’t that big, but with our backs to each other, it felt like there was a vast, uncrossable chasm between us. I suddenly remembered the day he proposed to me. He thought I was crying tears of joy, but he didn’t know that at that moment, my heart was filled with nothing but sorrow. He and Sarah Davis were together for a full seven years, from seventeen to twenty-four. They shared the best years of their lives, watching each other grow from awkward teenagers into adults. After graduating from college, Sarah wanted to pursue a master’s degree abroad and got an offer from her dream university in London. But Liam’s father was severely ill at the time, and he was required to take over the family business and stay in the US. Long-distance relationships rarely have good endings. They tried to make it work at first, but the distance and time difference bred countless problems, leaving them with less and less time to communicate. Coupled with the fact that Liam had just taken over the company and was working himself to the bone every day, Sarah, alone in a foreign country, realized that whenever she needed him, he was never there. The arguments grew more frequent. Finally, during a fight a year later, the conflict completely exploded, and Sarah impulsively broke up with him. Things could have been salvaged then. But both of them were used to being the best in their circles, proud and stubborn, and neither was willing to bow their head. Liam’s father had just passed away, and he was consumed by grief, unable to deal with the breakup properly. In the end, they drifted further and further apart. But I knew he never let go of Sarah in his heart. Actually, when he proposed to me, I knew he didn’t love me. He was just overwhelmed and confused, wanting to find someone to get the whole marriage thing over with. I happened to be the best candidate on paper, so he carelessly chose me. I understood all of this. But the saddest part was that even knowing all this, when he casually presented a ring his secretary had bought to propose, I still couldn’t resist saying yes. I cried so much that day I couldn’t even wipe the tears away fast enough. He thought I was crying from happiness, but in reality, I was just heartbroken. Heartbroken because I knew he didn’t love me. But I could only love him. 3 I don’t know if it was intentional or a coincidence, but right after Sarah returned, the class president organized a college reunion. After three years, Sarah was even more beautiful than before. Wearing a Morandi-colored long dress, her long hair cascading down like seaweed, she looked effortless and elegant. But from the moment he walked through the door, Liam didn’t spare her a single glance. Instead, he attentively sat next to me and served me food. At home, he had never peeled a shrimp for me, but now he thoughtfully placed a peeled shrimp in my bowl, smiling gently: “Eat some more.” Across the table, Sarah paused, the smile slowly fading from her face. I suddenly found it all a bit ridiculous. In this play that seemed to feature three people, they were the lead actors pouring their hearts into the performance, while I was just the ugly clown, unqualified to even be on stage, watching coldly from the sidelines. After a few rounds of drinks, a balding male classmate who had had a bit too much laughed drunkenly at Sarah: “Sarah, how come you’re even prettier than before? Do you have a boyfriend now? If not, would you consider me?” In my peripheral vision, I saw Liam stiffen. Sarah smiled: “I don’t, but I don’t think we’re a good match.” “Why aren’t we a good match?” The balding guy, feeling humiliated by the rejection, started spouting nonsense. “Are you still thinking about Liam, planning to save yourself for him?” “He’s already married! Let me tell you, it’s not easy for a woman to find a guy after twenty-five. Do you still think you’re some fairy princess?” Sarah’s smile faltered: “You’ve had too much to drink.” Another female classmate, who clearly loved drama, pulled out her phone: “Who knows, maybe the feeling is mutual. When I was scrolling through Reddit the other day, I saw Liam answered a question about what it’s like to marry someone you don’t love.” “Sarah, the photo he used is of you and Liam, right? You still have that photo on your Instagram!” Hearing there was drama, all the classmates pulled out their phones. “Where is it?” Even Sarah, when she saw the answer, looked at Liam with a complex expression, her eyes welling up slightly. Liam stared back at her. My whole body went cold, and I started trembling almost uncontrollably. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, they all knew that the woman my husband loved was actually someone else. In that instant, I felt as if I had been stripped naked and paraded through the streets. I desperately wanted to stand up and run away! After a long time, Liam finally spoke. His voice sounded normal, but if you listened closely, you could detect a slight tremor: “I was just writing nonsense. My wife and I are doing great. Let’s eat.” The classmates nodded and put their phones away, but for the rest of the meal, I could feel countless eyes resting on me. The only things directed at me were pity and mockery. That was probably the most difficult meal I’ve ever eaten in my life. As the gathering was winding down, Liam threw out a quick “I’m going to the restroom” and stood up to leave. Not long after, Sarah also went out. Quite a few people looked at me, intentionally or not. I didn’t know what I was feeling anymore. I could only pretend nothing had happened and mechanically continue to eat with my head down. After the dinner, all the classmates left. I waited for a long time, but Liam didn’t return, so I got up to leave. But as I walked through the hallway, I suddenly heard Sarah’s tearful voice. I looked over from the shadows. I saw Sarah hugging Liam from behind, crying: “But you clearly still have me in your heart!” Liam frowned: “You’re overthinking it. I’m already married.” Sarah, in tears, said: “Then why don’t you dare look back at me?” “What did your answer say? Liam, you clearly don’t love her!” She sobbed softly: “I know it’s not right, but we were together first.” “If it weren’t for her, maybe we would have made up a long time ago… Liam, I came back just for you. I was immature before, let’s start over, okay?” Liam’s body was rigid, his expression obscured by the shadows. After a long time, he turned around inch by inch and pulled Sarah into a tight embrace. The two of them kissed almost frantically in the deserted hallway, as if trying to release all the suppressed emotions of the past few years! And I just watched silently from the side, letting the blade tear my heart to shreds. I don’t know why, but even though they were the ones being intimate, I was the one who fled in a panic. When I finally ran under a dim streetlamp and touched my face, I realized that at some point, my face had become covered in a damp, icy wetness. 4 That night, Liam came home very late. He seemed to want to explain something to me. He opened his mouth, then closed it, not knowing what to say. I smiled like I usually did: “Get some rest first, we can talk later.” He relaxed his furrowed brow, as if relieved of a heavy burden. When I grabbed a blanket and headed to the guest bedroom, he only paused for a moment and didn’t try to stop me. Late at night, I opened Reddit. There were a lot more comments under Liam’s answer, probably all from the classmates who were at the dinner tonight. And his reply remained that same sentence: “She won’t. She can’t live without me.” The night sky outside the window cast shifting shadows through the fog, and the sheer curtains billowed in the wind. I sat up and pulled a divorce agreement from the drawer. Over the years, even though Liam didn’t love me, he could still be considered a good husband. He handed over all his salary and dividends to me. Actually, over the past year, he had started to change slowly. He would kiss me before leaving the house, and he would nuzzle against me during intimate moments before bed, softly calling my nickname. When I couldn’t sleep because of cramps, he would rub his hands together to warm them and then massage my stomach. There were several times I woke up in the middle of the night and found him nodding off from exhaustion, but his hands never stopped moving. At those times, I thought he was going to fall in love with me. But when Sarah came back, I realized that it was all just an illusion. I divided the money I had saved over the years into two equal halves, signed the divorce agreement, quietly placed it on the coffee table, and then, dragging my suitcase, I gently closed the door and left. Then, I left a reply under Liam’s answer: “No, she will leave too.” 5 Liam didn’t call me until the afternoon of the next day. He had probably been busy tangled up with Sarah and only just saw the divorce agreement I left behind. “What is the meaning of this?” Liam demanded, suppressing his anger. “Mia, are you asking me for a divorce?” I stayed silent for a moment, then said softly, “Yes. Sign the agreement, and let me know when you have time so we can go finalize the paperwork.” “Don’t worry, I didn’t take any more than what’s mine. The house and the car are yours, but—” I didn’t get to finish before Liam angrily cut me off: “That’s enough! Is it really necessary to go this far just because of what happened last night?” His voice carried a hint of mockery: “Aren’t you just mad that I wrote that answer? Yes, I wrote it, and it was wrong of me, but haven’t I told you that I hate being threatened? If you think this will—” “I know,” I interrupted him, not waiting for him to finish. “That’s why I’m serious.” “Liam,” I fought back the stinging sensation in my nose, “I saw you two in the hallway last night.” Liam choked, completely speechless. He grew anxious and tried to explain: “No, it’s not like that, listen to me—” My voice broke: “Liam, what exactly was going through your mind when you wrote that answer? When you were trampling on my feelings, were you standing on the sidelines watching me like a joke, thinking I was an absolute idiot?” “Is loving you really that worthless in your eyes?” For once, Liam actually panicked. He stammered out a few sentences: “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just drunk that day and wrote some nonsense. Mia, please don’t overthink this!” Overthink? I pulled a bitter smile. He had already spelled it out so clearly, what room was there left for me to “overthink”? I tilted my head up to stop the tears from falling. “Liam, let’s get a divorce!” … During that phone call, Liam stubbornly refused to divorce me. He just told me to think about it some more. I didn’t care. If it came down to it, I would just file a lawsuit. The worst-case scenario was living apart for the required time before the court would grant it. It just meant enduring a bit longer. I could tolerate him not loving me, but I couldn’t tolerate him trampling on my feelings so callously. Perhaps it was a case of “when it rains, it pours.” A few days later, while I was leaving work, a sudden torrential downpour started. Visibility was terrible, the car in front of me suddenly braked, and the Uber I was in rear-ended it hard. My lower abdomen slammed violently into the metal corner of the laptop I was holding, and my forehead hit the window. The pain was so intense my vision went black, and my ears instantly started ringing! After being rushed to the hospital and examined, the doctor frowned slightly: “Why weren’t you more careful when you’re pregnant? You already had signs of a threatened miscarriage, and you almost lost the baby!” I was stunned. A baby? Seeing my reaction, the doctor looked puzzled: “Don’t tell me you didn’t know you were pregnant?” I nodded, dazedly touching my lower abdomen. It was flat, with no sign of movement. I couldn’t imagine that a tiny life, connected to me by blood, was already growing in there. My mind was a tangled mess, and I bit my lip. What a… twisted fate. In all the years I was with Liam, I had wanted a child so badly. Back then, I always felt a child could tie his heart to me. Because I pestered him about it constantly, he even scolded me: “Do you have no shame at all?!” Even so, I never managed to get pregnant. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. Now that we were getting a divorce, it had shown up at the most inopportune time. The wound on my head was throbbing, and I felt a bit nauseous. The doctor checked again and said, “We can’t rule out a concussion. You need to be admitted for observation. By the way, in your condition, you still need someone to look after you. Have your family member go pay the bill when they arrive.” I pursed my lips. After some thought, I sent a text to Liam. When he didn’t reply, I called him. It was pretty embarrassing. I had just boldly declared I wanted a divorce, and now I was calling him right away. But I had moved far away to marry him. I didn’t have any relatives or close friends in this city. He was the only one I could call. The phone rang for a long time before it connected. I could hear faint music and voices in the background. I fought through the headache and said hoarsely: “Liam, can you come be with me? I’m at the hospital. I was in a car accident.” Liam mocked me coldly: “Mia, can’t you make up a decent excuse?” “I didn’t—” He cut me off: “Weren’t you acting all tough yesterday, screaming about getting a divorce? What, regretting it already?” I heard Sarah’s voice from his end: “Liam, come here!” Before hanging up, Liam left me with a sneer: “Mia, I really look down on you.” Then came the cold, electronic dial tone. I stared blankly at my phone, feeling like my heart had stopped beating. The headache and stomach pain slowly faded away. The only thing I could feel was the delayed, dull ache in my heart. The doctor continued: “You’ll need a progesterone shot soon. The pregnancy wasn’t very stable to begin with, and if this continues, it’ll be hard to keep the baby. You—” I looked up and said numbly, “There’s no need. This baby… I don’t want it.” “You want to abort it?” After a moment’s pause, I nodded. The tip of my tongue felt bitter and numb, but I still managed to force the words out: “Yes, I want to abort this baby.” 6 Because my condition wasn’t good on the first day, the doctor scheduled the procedure for the next day. Before the surgery, I opened my phone and saw a post Sarah had made on Instagram. In the revolving restaurant at the top of the TV tower, she was making a wish in front of a cake. Liam was looking at her tenderly from the side, his face full of smiles. The caption read: “May you be by my side every year from now on.” A sharp cramp shot through my lower abdomen, and the pain quickly spread through my entire body. I couldn’t help but curl up slightly, gripping the railing of the hospital bed. No wonder he refused to come see me. It turned out he was busy celebrating Sarah’s birthday. The birthday of the woman he loved was, of course, far more important than his unloved wife. The doctor walked over: “You still need to sign the consent form. Is your family member not here yet?” My eyes felt dry. They stung terribly, but I couldn’t shed a single tear. I suppose I had already cried all my tears. I opened my mouth: “I don’t have any family.” “Doctor, I’ll sign it myself.” … An abortion isn’t considered major surgery. Under anesthesia, I didn’t feel a thing. Even after getting off the operating table, I didn’t feel much discomfort. I just felt incredibly empty, as if a part of my body had vanished. Between the car accident and the miscarriage, I took half a month off work to recover at home. Once I was feeling a bit better, I went downstairs to buy some food I liked and cooked for myself at home to pass the time. I had to find things to do, otherwise the emptiness would swallow me whole. I went to a supermarket I used to frequent, but while I was picking out beef, I heard a grating voice from behind me: “Isn’t that Mia? You’re actually grocery shopping?” I turned around. Sarah was holding onto Liam’s arm, smirking and asking a question she already knew the answer to. “Why are you alone?” I didn’t want to say a single word to her. I turned and prepared to leave. But my wrist was grabbed tightly. Liam looked at the bandage on my leg, his brow furrowed deeply: “You’re injured?” I mocked him: “It’s only been a few days and you already forgot? Mr. Sterling, you’re quite young to be suffering from dementia, aren’t you?” “That day—” Liam seemed momentarily stunned, “I thought you were lying to me.” I laughed: “Mr. Sterling was too busy celebrating someone else’s birthday, of course you didn’t have time to come over. But since we’re getting a divorce anyway, you’re free to be with whoever you want. It’s none of my business.” Liam’s brow tightened, and he looked at me in astonishment. I had never spoken to him like this before. However, perhaps feeling guilty, he patiently tried to explain: “No, that day—” I watched him grab my hand, and violently shook him off! “Get lost!” I said coldly. “Liam, just hearing you speak makes me sick!” I didn’t want to look at his face anymore, which only caused me pain, and I turned to leave. Liam stared at me in shock from behind, the words he was about to say ultimately left unspoken. When I got home that evening, I received a WeChat message from Liam. He hadn’t messaged me in a very long time. Scrolling up, the chat history was almost entirely messages I had sent. “Are you coming home for dinner tonight? I made your favorite sweet and sour pork~” “I saw a really pretty stray cat on the street today, its eyes look a bit like yours, hahahaha [Image].” … The very last message was the one I sent from the hospital that day: “I was in a car accident, can you come be with me?” He never replied. Leaving me alone, foolishly performing a one-woman show. Today, he had broken his usual pattern and messaged me. Liam explained: “Sarah said she didn’t have anyone to celebrate her birthday with since she just got back to the country, so she asked me to go. There’s nothing going on between us, don’t misunderstand.” I don’t know what got into him, but for the first time, he actually yielded to me. “It was my fault I didn’t go to the hospital to be with you that day. It won’t happen again.” I suddenly found it utterly laughable. Being with Liam, it seemed everything I did was wrong. I wasn’t the right person, the timing was wrong, everything was wrong. When I desperately wanted a baby, I couldn’t get pregnant. But when we were about to divorce, it arrived, and the only option was to abort it. I waited so long for his explanation, and when it never came, I no longer needed it. Yet now, he was throwing himself at me. How absurd. It seems we were never meant to be. Before, I forced it, and now I was finally tasting the bitter fruit of my own stubbornness.

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After I was brought back to the Sterling family, the fake heiress, Serena, constantly set traps for me. She had a sharp tongue and master-level manipulation skills. I couldn’t out-argue her, and I was literally driven to an early grave by pure, unadulterated stress. After being reborn, I decided to play dumb. Literally. No matter what she said, I just responded with “Ah-bah-ah-bah.” I never expected that, from then on, she would become the target of everyone’s condemnation. Everyone thought she was malicious for bullying a mute. From then on, Serena was forced onto the moral low ground; whatever she did, she faced intense moral backlash. I honestly almost died laughing, ah-bah-ah-bah. 1 The fake heiress framed me, and I argued with her. She threw out lines like, “Everyone, please don’t blame Sister, she didn’t mean to push me,” and “Sister already has Mom and Dad’s love, I just wanted to be close to her.” With just a few words, she successfully pinned a baseless accusation on me. Before I could even get a word in, my mother, whose bias was already off the charts, shoved me, crying that she didn’t have such a malicious daughter. I was stunned by the shove, missed a step, and tumbled down the stairs. The back of my head hit the edge of a step, and I died on the spot. I was so pissed. I was already annoyed, and then I just instantly died. Right before I died, I tried to recall the last words my family said to me. It was my mom, holding the fake heiress, pointing at my nose and scolding: “Say something! Did you hurt Serena or not? Explain yourself! Are you mute?!” …Wait, mute! If I could live this life again, I would definitely choose to be a mute. 2 When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the eve of being recognized by the Sterling family. I was about to start my senior year of high school. To save up for next year’s college tuition, I was scrubbing dishes in the back kitchen of a diner. And Serena already knew of my existence. Just today, she purposely sent a few thugs to cause trouble at the diner and “greet” me along the way. So, inexplicably, I had water thrown all over me by a few blonde-haired punks who barged into the kitchen, and my head was shoved into a sink and held there for a good while. The me from my past life had nothing, just a belly full of fire. I finally broke free, grabbed two meat cleavers, and chased the thugs all the way into the front dining area. And bumped right into the Sterling parents, who had come to recognize me. So, their very first impression of me was a crazy woman with disheveled hair, messy clothes, running around with meat cleavers. At the time, I didn’t know they were my biological parents. Seeing them blocking my way, I yelled gruffly: “Move!” That single shout scared Mrs. Sterling so much she fainted on the spot. After returning to the Sterling family, she favored the soft-spoken, gentle, and polite fake daughter to an extreme degree. From then on, whenever Serena and I had a conflict, she assumed I was just going crazy for no reason. And her precious Serena was suffering all the injustice. This time, since I’ve been reborn, I must turn the tables. 3 Hearing the growing commotion from the front dining area, I quickly locked the door to the back kitchen. Then, I grabbed a large bottle of dish soap and poured three thick layers of it back and forth on the tiled floor near the door, and sprinkled some water on top. After that, I hid behind the door. Just in time, the sound of the thugs looking for trouble was getting closer. Their target was me, and they wanted to come in and mess with me, but found the kitchen door wouldn’t open. Furious, they kicked and cursed outside. The head chef, who had already shrunk under a table, gave me a thumbs up. However, before he could utter his words of praise, he saw me put my hand on the door lock and gently slide it open. The door opened. The three thugs outside had been kicking the door. One couldn’t stop his momentum and the three of them slid right in, crashing heavily onto the floor. I took the opportunity to grab a large aluminum washing basin nearby, slammed it over their heads, and started banging on it wildly with a large ladle. After a few deafening bangs, I lifted the basin. The three punks were already rolling their eyes and foaming at the mouth. I looked at the scene with deep satisfaction, turned around, and said to the head chef: “Ah, youth. So energetic, yet they fall asleep so fast.” 4 The head chef’s mouth twitched, clearly wanting to force a smile at me, but failed. The thugs who were acting as lookouts outside realized something was wrong. They rushed into the kitchen, saw the three on the floor, and immediately flared up. They grabbed their clubs and came at me to teach me a lesson. I guessed it was about time, so I suddenly picked up a basin of water nearby. The thugs thought I was going to throw it at them and all took a step back. I gritted my teeth and poured it all over myself. Then, I pulled at my hair and gave myself two hard slaps across the face. Red, swollen handprints instantly appeared on my pale cheeks. The thugs were bewildered by my actions. The next second, my face contorted, I dropped to the floor, and began a dark, rapid crawl. I rushed right up to the thug in the front, stuck out my finger, and aimed straight for his belly button. “Oh my god, help!” That thug completely broke down, threw his club, and ran out. The other thugs followed him, running away. I chased after them, tongue lolling out, on all fours. They were too busy running for their lives to notice that as soon as I reached the front dining area, I returned to normal. My hair was wet and plastered softly against my face. My small face was bruised, my eyes were red and teary, and I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering slightly. This was the image I presented when I bumped into the Sterling parents, who had come to recognize me. I jogged with my head down, soft whimpers escaping my throat. When the Sterlings stopped me, before they could even ask a single question, I rolled my eyes back and fainted directly. 5 When I woke up, I was in the hospital. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Mrs. Sterling sitting by my bed. She was holding my hand, her eyes still red, as if she had just been crying. She said, “Maya, you’ve suffered so much. From now on, you are our daughter, and you’ll never have to go to a dangerous place like that again.” I looked up, met her eager gaze, opened my mouth, and seemed to want to say something. But after a long while, all that came out were a few unintelligible “Ah”s. Mrs. Sterling’s eyes instantly filled with panic, and she hurriedly called the doctor to examine me. Of course, the doctor couldn’t find anything wrong, because I was faking it. In the end, he could only say that experiencing severe trauma might have caused a functional speech impairment. With a period of good rest, and avoiding further stimulation, I should recover. Hearing this, Mrs. Sterling was filled with heartache again. She hugged me and cried bitterly, filled with remorse: “If only I had found you sooner! It’s all our fault!” Mr. Sterling, standing beside her, also quietly wiped his eyes, his heartache clearly genuine. In a place they couldn’t see, I curled the corners of my lips. It turns out, sometimes, not speaking is truly more effective than speaking. You just need to play the role of a silent victim, and leave the rest to others’ imaginations. I was looking forward to seeing Serena again in this life. I wondered if she could still easily stir up resentment against me with just a few words, leaving me defenseless. 6 On the day I returned to the Sterling family, Serena had prepared everything at home early on. She wore a princess dress, and any random accessory on her cost more than my entire expenses over the past seventeen years. As soon as she saw me, she enthusiastically came up to me, opening her arms to give me a hug. But I stepped back two paces to avoid it. Serena’s hands paused mid-air, and her delicate little face instantly filled with sadness and hurt. But looking closely, there was deep surprise hidden in her eyes. Right, encountering an opponent like me who aggressively handed her experience points right off the bat, how could she not be happy? Especially when, after stepping back, I lowered my head and started playing with my phone. Serena’s “hurt” intensified. She looked up at the Sterling parents with red eyes, her voice already choked with emotion as she spoke. “Does Maya not like me? She won’t even talk to me. If she feels I’ve taken her place at home, I can leave you, Mom and Dad. It’s okay with me.” After she finished, she sniffled, turning her head away in a show of forced strength. But because of this, she didn’t see Mr. Sterling’s suddenly darkened face. Just then, the phone screen I handed to the Sterling parents showed a typed message: I haven’t recovered from my fever yet, I’m afraid of passing it to Serena. Besides, her clothes are so expensive, and she’s so pretty, I’m afraid I’ll get her dirty… That’s right, since my reunion with the Sterling parents until now, too much had happened. They were in such a hurry to bring me back for the official recognition that they hadn’t even had time to get me clean clothes. I was wearing a hospital gown underneath, and on top was still that dirty jacket covered in grease stains from my time washing dishes in the back kitchen. And right now, me, who had become mute because the Sterling parents arrived too late, was standing next to the glamorous Serena. Serena could feel hurt because she suspected I didn’t accept her, while I didn’t even dare to get close because I was afraid of getting someone else’s expensive clothes dirty. Mrs. Sterling couldn’t hold it in any longer, burying her face in her hands and sobbing out loud. 7 The Sterling parents’ guilt was triggered once again. My goal was achieved, and I turned around to grab Serena. Although Serena found Mrs. Sterling’s reaction today strange—why was she crying there instead of getting angry at me?—she didn’t have time to think much. I had already reached out to grab her. In my anxiousness, accidentally leaving a red mark on her wrist with my grip was totally reasonable, right? Serena let out a gasp and finally started crying: “Maya, I know you hate me, I know you hate me for taking your place. I’ll leave right now, don’t blame Mom and Dad…” She performed her own monologue, catching a glimpse of Mr. Sterling’s increasingly dark face in her peripheral vision. The excitement in her eyes was almost impossible to hide. “Enough!” Mr. Sterling finally couldn’t help but yell, walking briskly toward us. Based on my understanding of Serena, at this moment, she must be excitedly counting down the seconds, waiting for Mr. Sterling to scold me. However, the next second, Mr. Sterling reached out and pulled Serena away. He yelled at her with displeasure: “She can’t speak, she’s so anxious, and you’re just standing there misunderstanding her on purpose!” Serena was stunned. And I cooperatively made up some sign language gestures, hiding behind Mr. Sterling and going “ah-bah-ah-bah” at Serena. In a place only she could see, I flashed her a smug smile. What are you going to do now, Serena? The parents who raised you for seventeen years seem to no longer unconditionally take your side. 8 In this life, Serena’s first encounter with me ended in her utter defeat. That evening, when I was returning to my room, Serena suddenly twisted my arm. She whispered in my ear: “Maya, you’re just a country bumpkin from the slums, and a mute. What gives you the right to stay in the Sterling family? If I were you, I would have slunk away a long time ago.” I rolled my eyes at her, mimicking her tone: “Ah-bah-bah-ah-bah-ah-bah (If I were you, I would have slunk away a long time ago).” And so, Serena experienced the very first instance of being sarcastically mocked by a mute. She clenched and unclenched her fists by her side, but ultimately, considering the loss she suffered at my hands during the day, she did nothing. The next day, my brother, Lucas Sterling, who had been studying abroad, suddenly returned. He was the only person in the Sterling family who was close to me in my past life. Thinking of him, I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. The moment Lucas walked through the door, a black bear lunged at him. “Holy crap, what is that?!” Lucas was so scared he dropped his suitcase and started sprinting around the living room. I crawled on my hands and knees, chasing him fiercely. I didn’t stop until I pinned Lucas to the floor. He locked eyes with me and blurted out: “Holy shit! Maya Sterling!” In that instant, I was certain. Lucas had also been reborn. Lucas asked why I was mute. I dropped my smile, lowered my head, and thought about how to explain it to him. His fists immediately clenched tight, and he said, “Did that scheming bitch Serena do this? Just wait, I’m going to teach her a lesson!” Lucas had disliked Serena for a long time. Ever since they were kids, because Lucas was older, he was always told to accommodate his sister. When Serena wanted to play princess, Lucas had to be her prince. But Lucas only wanted to be a superhero. If he refused, Serena would cry, and Lucas would get beaten. The more Serena cried, the more stubborn Lucas got while being beaten. Eventually, Lucas hated even hearing Serena’s name. From that time on, he suspected Serena wasn’t a biological Sterling child. As he put it: “The Sterling family’s genes can’t produce someone with so many scheming tricks.” When I was framed by Serena in my past life, only Lucas stood up for me. However, the Sterling parents knew that Lucas had disliked Serena since childhood, so they didn’t care about his accusations and felt even more sorry for Serena’s position in the family. In my past life, both Lucas and I had a problem with expressing ourselves well, and together, we couldn’t out-manipulate a Serena. Luckily, the situation is different now. Neither I nor Lucas is the same person we used to be. Lucas told me that he had been putting himself through “argument training,” and now he’s Lucas version 2.0. 9 At dinner that night, Serena routinely tried to squeeze in next to Mrs. Sterling, bumping me out of the way, and shooting me a smug look. Before she could even say anything, Lucas slammed his chopsticks down: “Grabbing seats, grabbing positions, grabbing parents. Do you have any manners at all?” “Lucas, how can you talk to Serena like that? We’re having a nice family dinner, why are you losing your temper at your sister?” Mrs. Sterling was a little unhappy hearing this. Lucas pouted, pulled me from across the table, and pressed me against his chest: “My poor sister, you’ve already been harmed so much you can’t even speak, and now someone’s stealing your seat at dinner. I saw it all, you wanted to sit next to Mom so badly your eyes got red.” Serena also felt wronged: “But Brother, I’ve always sat next to Mom.” “Brother, brother, who’s your brother? I’m not playing ‘brother’ to some ill-mannered girl with no blood relation,” Lucas said, pinching my arm hard. I immediately buried my face in his chest and started wailing “Ah-woo-woo-woo-woo.” Mrs. Sterling hadn’t reacted at first, but seeing this, she quickly patted the empty seat on her other side and gently called me over to sit. I was just about to get up when Lucas yanked me back: “We’re not taking this disrespect, little sis. Listen to me, we’re not taking it. You’re already a lost little puppy in the rain, you’re option E, you’re the fifth row, the sixth person, you’re the spare button on a suit. We’re not going to be someone’s Plan B.” These words made Mrs. Sterling feel even more guilty, and Serena felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Seeing the situation turning in our favor, Lucas wanted to press his advantage. Mr. Sterling slammed his hand on the table at the right moment: “Enough! Let’s just eat!” Although we were eating, Lucas and I were determined to make things uncomfortable for everyone. It was a very tense meal. Whenever Serena tried to suck up to Mr. or Mrs. Sterling by putting food on their plates, Lucas would shove food into my bowl. At the same time, he would sigh heavily: “My poor sister, you suffered so much for someone else before. Now that you’re finally home, eat something good.” Halfway through the meal, Serena’s face was green. Finally, she put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked timidly at Lucas, and asked: “Brother, are you targeting me because of Maya?” After saying that, she lowered her head, her emotions perfectly primed. The sound of sobbing had already begun. But it wasn’t her crying; it was me. Under everyone’s surprised gazes, I wiped my tears while typing: Every extra bite of food I ate in the past, my foster father would beat me. It turns out, having real family feels so good. “Oh, my god! My sister, a true heiress of the Sterling family, didn’t even get to eat good food in the past. You even got beaten up. Look, the daughter of the person who beat you is being raised plump and fair in our house, while you don’t even have an ounce of fat on you!” Lucas hugged me and started wailing again. Serena’s cries caught in her throat, unable to come out. But Mrs. Sterling’s tears started falling again. Seeing that the meal was about to be ruined, Mr. Sterling finally stepped in to smooth things over. The palms and the backs of his hands were both flesh, so he directed his ire at Lucas: “You’re talking too much today. How were you taught before? No talking while eating or sleeping.” “So what if I talk more?!” The reborn Lucas was no longer meek. He stiffened his neck and spoke up to Mr. Sterling, “Maya can’t speak anymore, are we supposed to let her continue suffering in silence? Is it a problem if I express her thoughts for her?” Mr. Sterling was stunned by his words, and only then did he belatedly observe my face. He didn’t seem quite used to the fact that I was mute, always assuming my silence meant default obedience. “Maya, these past few days at home, have your mother and I made you feel wronged?” For the first time, he asked such a question. In my past life, Lucas and I, with our two mouths, couldn’t compete with Serena crying and playing the victim. In this life, with me playing mute, they are actually willing to respect my opinions. I found the scene so absurd I couldn’t help but want to grin, but Lucas whacked me on the head with his chopsticks. I quickly went back to keeping my head down and crying “Woo-woo-woo.” After a long while, Mr. Sterling sighed. I knew he was wavering. 10 Mr. Sterling was different from Mrs. Sterling. In his heart, blood ties were always more important. In my past life, his attitude towards me was ultimately better than towards Serena. It’s just that Serena was, after all, raised and spoiled by him. He couldn’t make decisions easily on some matters, but now Serena’s existence made me—someone who was already owed a debt—feel wronged. In his heart, Mr. Sterling would reconsider whether Serena should stay or go. Serena naturally knew this too, and she couldn’t sit still anymore. Early the next morning, she knocked on my door carrying a pile of designer clothes and bags. She said to me: “Sister, I’m returning everything that took your place. Please don’t take away the love Mom and Dad have for me, okay?” Seeing I didn’t react, Serena got a bit anxious. She took a step closer, lowered her voice, and whispered in my ear: “Maya Sterling, don’t think that just because Lucas is helping you, you’re safe. I can still make it impossible for you to stay in this house.” After saying that, she looked me up and down with a sidelong glance: “Looking so slutty, I wonder if you were ever slept with by that foster father of yours… Ah!” That scream was because she realized my hand was violently digging into her belly button. I’m a mute now; I can’t argue with her verbally. I can only use psychotic behavior to stop her psychotic words. Serena couldn’t handle this kind of crazy. She raised her hand to slap me, but I caught her hand and danced a little circle dance with her. The next second, I grinned and gave her a “hehe” smile. Talk trash, and you’re going to suffer. I messed up my hair, rolled my eyes back, stepped back, jumped up, did a dark crawl on the floor, screamed, shrieked like a monkey, drank some crazy monkey juice, and pounced on her on all fours, violently pulling her hair. I used to fight with my foster father all the time, so I’m pretty muscular. With just a light tug at Serena’s bangs, I ripped out a chunk of hair, exposing a thumb-sized patch of scalp. Tears of pain instantly sprang from Serena’s eyes. She stared at me, still acting like a monkey, with sheer terror. She didn’t even care about framing me; she turned and ran out of the room. When she reached the top of the stairs, I made a flying leap onto her back. Hearing the commotion, Serena turned around and instinctively pushed me. I tumbled down the stairs. And was caught perfectly by Lucas, who was pulling our parents along. I took the opportunity to bury my face in his chest, whimpering a couple of times, and when I looked up, I was once again the picture of weakness, helplessness, and pitifulness. “Serena!” Lucas roared at her, shielding me in his arms. “You are too vicious! Maya has already let you have everything, why won’t you let her go!” Serena stood frozen in place. These were the lines she had originally prepared for herself, but now it was Lucas questioning her. “No… it’s not like that…” Serena stared blankly, trying to defend herself. When her eyes met mine, she became agitated. “It’s her, as soon as I went in, she went crazy on me. Maya is a psycho! She…” “Serena, apologize to your sister!” This time, it wasn’t just Lucas who was angry. Mr. Sterling’s furious roar brought Serena’s almost collapsed sanity back to reality. She really is something, calling someone else’s biological daughter a psycho in their own house. She’s so bold, doesn’t she value her life? Serena trembled violently, and after meeting the disappointed gazes of the Sterling parents, her face turned ashen. That day, Serena didn’t leave the house. She knelt at the top of the stairs all day. In my past life, the person kneeling there was me, who hadn’t been able to hold back from slapping her after being provoked. Late that night, after finishing my homework, I went to the kitchen to heat some milk. Passing by the Sterling parents’ bedroom, I heard them discussing inside. “Serena is not our biological child after all. We provided for her all these years, yet she harbors such hostility towards Maya. It’s really not fair to Maya if this continues.” That was Mr. Sterling’s voice. “Let’s wait a bit longer. She just can’t accept it right now. It’s not her fault she was switched at birth. We watched this child grow up, and my heart aches at the thought of sending her away.” Mrs. Sterling’s voice was a bit choked. I turned around, took my milk, and went straight back to my room. When passing Serena, who was already dozing off by the stairs, I couldn’t resist giving her a swift kick to wake her up. When Serena opened her sleepy eyes and started looking for who kicked her, I was already lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling exasperated, and began to roll my eyes. I rolled one, then another, then another… I rolled them all night long! 11 The next morning, my eyelids were twitching when I looked at anyone. Lucas saw this, his heart ached endlessly, and he grabbed me to start crying: “Oh god, my poor sister, you must have felt so wronged yesterday to cry all night long! Look, your eyelids are twitching from crying. Oh my lord! Who will help this helpless ‘all right’! It’s okay, Mom and Dad won’t avenge you, but your brother’s chest is always here for you.” The Sterling parents’ scalps went numb from his crying, and they quickly finished their breakfast and fled out the door. As soon as they left, Lucas let go. He scarfed down his breakfast in a few bites, scratched the back of my hand, gave me a look, and I understood, sneaking back into the room with him. Lucas asked me what my plans were for the future. I thought about it seriously and told him: “For my 80th birthday, I’m planning to go big, hire fifty male models to do a striptease.” “Who asked you about that far in the future… wait a minute, Maya Sterling, you can speak!” Lucas suddenly got excited. I just remembered I played mute during the day and forgot to tell Lucas. I didn’t expect Lucas to give me a thumbs up the next moment: “Good job, you’re smart now. You’ve grown a brain, even acting in front of your own brother.” After saying that, he placed both hands on my shoulders and said solemnly: “Listen, we have to get Serena out of here, otherwise you’ll be dead.” After that, he sighed deeply, “It’s not easy to get this chance, Maya, don’t get harmed by others again in this life…” In that moment, I saw tears faintly glisten in his eyes. When I took my last breath in my past life, Lucas was still studying abroad. He didn’t make it back in time to see me one last time. I don’t know what happened to him after that. I only know that regardless of the past life or this one, he is the only person in the Sterling family who accepts me without any conditions. I am willing to trust him unconditionally. Even if I go crazy, I’ll take him with me. 12 Lucas said he came back specifically for me this time. For this, he took a half-year leave of absence from his school abroad, determined to guard me at home. When Mr. Sterling found out, he almost beat him to death with the family disciplinary cane. I told Lucas to go back. I am capable of protecting myself now, and his future shouldn’t be delayed because of me. But Lucas said my ability to protect myself is one thing, and his duty as an older brother to protect his younger sister is another. He asked me: “Maya, do you believe in karma?” I was stunned by this question, and before I could answer, he had already changed the subject. “You definitely don’t know this,” Lucas said, rubbing my head vigorously, “The first time I saw you, I knew you were my real sister. I decided to protect you right then and there. The blood connection is just that magical.” At that moment, I had the urge to cry. I thought fate still favored me; despite the hardships, God gave me such a wonderful brother. With Lucas at home, it was really hard for Serena to act like a monster. She couldn’t out-cry Lucas, and she couldn’t play the victim better than me. If she wanted to frame me, Lucas installed twelve cameras outside my door, making it absolutely foolproof. So she could only wait, just like in my past life, for the opportunity that would push me completely into hell. 13 The day before my senior year of high school started, the Sterling parents held a recognition banquet for me. Almost all the wealthy families in South City were invited to the banquet. This meant that Serena’s wealthy second-generation friends would also be there. They grew up together and later attended the same high school. The Sterling parents’ original intention was to let me use this opportunity to familiarize myself with my new classmates. Once I officially transferred to South City No. 1 High School, I could be looked after by them. But these second-generation rich kids, under the guise of building a relationship with me, took me aside and mocked me. Later, I was pushed into the swimming pool by them. My white dress was soaked. When I went upstairs to change clothes, I was dragged into a room and recorded by the second-generation kids ambushing there under Serena’s leadership. Afterward, I reported it to the police, but it was suppressed by the power of these second-generation kids’ parents. The Sterling family’s business was affected by this, and the Sterling parents became increasingly displeased with me. This life’s recognition banquet went on as scheduled. When Serena brought her group of spoiled friends in, I still couldn’t help but hold my breath. Lucas walked over at that moment, put his arm around my shoulder, brought me in front of them, and introduced me. “Lucas, what brings you back?” The leading boy with blond hair greeted casually upon seeing Lucas. His name was Tyler, the sports committee member of Serena’s class. Tyler styled himself as an envoy of justice. Whenever Serena went to complain about me to him, he couldn’t wait to stand up for her. In my past life, he was the one who blackmailed me with the video. After I transferred to South City No. 1 High School, he bullied me time and time again. Verbal isolation, malicious pranks, punches, and kicks. The more fiercely I resisted, the worse they bullied me. It continued until the end, when I secretly brought a knife to school and held it against Tyler’s neck, intending to die with him. They finally stopped. But by that time, my academic record had already been almost completely ruined. Serena ultimately got into a top domestic university and became the pride of the Sterling family. While I could only repeat the year, despised by my parents and teachers. The most ridiculous part was that Tyler later achieved success in his career and actually wrote me an apology letter. He said he was young and ignorant, impulsive, and did things to hurt me, hoping for my forgiveness. I read that letter over and over again. I didn’t see the sincere repentance of an abuser towards a victim. I only felt the urgency of a successful person wanting to erase the only stain on his life. 14 Lucas brought us to the outdoor pool and left. As soon as he was gone, these second-generation kids completely let loose. Tyler stared at me intensely and whistled: “I heard you used to wash dishes for people in the Xin’an district. If us bros forget our wallets when we go out in the future, can we just leave you to wash dishes to pay off the debt?” As his words fell, the group of second-generation kids immediately burst into laughter. They wanted to say more, but under their gaze, I slowly walked up to Tyler. I took off my chunky heels in front of them, the excitement making me unable to hold back from rolling my eyes, my nostrils flaring. I counted down in my head: Three, two, one… Uh-ah… Let the crazy begin! The noise from the main venue isolated the screams from the pool area. By the time Lucas arrived, pulling Serena along, I was straddling Tyler, raising my shoe heel, and fiercely knocking on his head. The other rich second-generation kids were scattered, soaking in the pool. When they saw Lucas, it was like seeing a savior, immediately starting to cry for their parents, their eyes filled with tears of fright. “Serena!” Tyler roared, lying on the floor, “You didn’t say your sister was a monster!” Lucas made too much noise. Before the adults arrived, I threw away the shoe in my hand, whimpered a couple of times, and hid behind Lucas, sobbing. When the rich second-generation kids climbing out of the pool saw my pitiful, weak, and helpless appearance, they couldn’t help but twitch their mouths violently. “Lucas, what are you doing? Let go of your sister quickly!” Mrs. Sterling rushed over from the side, anxiously slapping Lucas’s hand holding Serena. “Let her go?” Lucas surveyed the crowd, speaking coldly, “You want me to let go of this imposter who stole the nest, so she can continue harming my sister?” Upon hearing this, Serena’s face suddenly went pale. Whispering voices erupted in the surrounding crowd. The Sterling family had always claimed to the outside world that Serena and I were twins, but I was accidentally lost when I was young. Serena probably never expected that her fake heiress identity would be exposed in such a way. “What are you talking about?” Mrs. Sterling was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but still worried about Serena, asking Lucas to let go first. Amidst their pulling and tugging, Mr. Sterling walked straight towards Lucas from the crowd, raised his palm without a word. Seeing that this slap was about to fall on Lucas’s face. The next moment, I stood out from behind Lucas, opening my arms to block in front of him. “Maya, move aside.” Mr. Sterling ordered me in a low voice. “Listen to his explanation.” I mouthed to Mr. Sterling, confronting him silently. In the end, it was still Mr. Sterling who compromised. He took a step back, let someone guide the onlookers back to the main venue, before asking somewhat tiredly: “Tell me, what happened.”

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The day I gave birth to my daughter, my Alpha husband Gareth slapped me across the face with a DNA test report showing no blood relation: “Clara, I’ve been so good to you. How could you cheat on me? Let’s get divorced! Break the mate bond! You take this bastard child and leave with nothing. I never want to see either of you again!” I held Mary sleeping in her swaddle and nodded calmly. Just last night, outside the delivery room, I heard with my own ears as Gareth’s adoptive sister Ella took his hand and whined: “Gareth, my dying wish is to spend one year alone with you, to relive the love you gave me as a child. Just let Clara take the baby and leave for a year, okay?” Gareth’s face filled with affection. “Silly girl, you just focus on your heart surgery. For the next year, I’ll only be with you.” I lay on the operating table, tears silently sliding down my temples. He didn’t know that my first love, Alpha Phineas, who had quietly loved me for many years, would come for me tomorrow. Not just one year—for the rest of my life, I would never come back.

Ella had a twisted possessiveness over Gareth. At this moment, Ella was pointing at my daughter, covering her mouth in mock horror: “Gareth, no wonder I found this kid off-putting. Turns out she’s a bastard.” She called out loudly and dramatically, her sharp nails poking an impression into my daughter’s skin. “So ugly, all wrinkled like a little old man. They say daughters look like their fathers. Clara, you really aren’t picky—you’ll take anything.” Gareth’s expression was distant and cold. “Clara, since this isn’t my child, she doesn’t deserve to stay in this private room. Take the baby and leave immediately.” I looked up at Ella’s smug face. She wore haute couture Chanel, and the diamond on her high heels could pay for a hundred private rooms. Then I thought of myself—coming out of the delivery room alone with my daughter, not even a nurse to help. I smiled bitterly. So Mary and I together weren’t worth as much as one of Ella’s whims. Suddenly, Ella stumbled, her whole body falling onto me. The moment she fell, she deliberately pressed hard on the surgical incision on my stomach with her hand. Unfortunately, Gareth was in a blind spot and couldn’t see. He frantically pulled Ella up, asking with concern: “What happened? Are you hurt?” He didn’t notice at all that I was covered in sweat on the hospital bed, my face twisted in pain. Ella’s action had torn open the fine stitches on my stomach, and the wound started bleeding again. I held Mary and struggled to move my legs. With the slightest movement, hot fluid gushed from the wound, staining the bed red. Ella screamed, “Ah—how disgusting! All that filthy blood flowing out, so ugly and smelly. I’m going to have nightmares tonight!” She shrieked and burrowed into Gareth’s arms. Gareth yanked the blanket off with one hand. Cold air rushed into the bed, exposing my body wearing only a postpartum pad. On my stomach was an eight-centimeter incision, blood trickling out continuously, dripping onto the floor. Through the open hospital room door, people came and went. I was so mortified I wanted to disappear, like being stripped naked and thrown into the street. “Cover me up.” My voice trembled with shame. Gareth looked somewhat uncomfortable. He turned to block the view from outside and reached to pull the blanket back. “Enough. Going out looking like this, people will think we did something to you.” He glanced at the bodyguard. “Go get a wheelchair and take her to a regular room.” Ella immediately objected. “Gareth, this is the shameless woman who cuckolded you. You should make her walk out like this, so everyone in the hospital can see what a homewrecker looks like and what price cheating comes with.” “But…” “Gareth! At a time like this, are you still going to protect this woman and her bastard?” Ella’s eyes instantly reddened, her questioning voice sharp and shrill. Seeing her like this, Gareth sighed, his eyes full of indulgent helplessness. “Fine, fine, fine. You’re the most important person to me. Whatever you say goes.” Ella hummed with satisfaction. She swaggered ahead of me, clapping her hands and loudly broadcasting my “affair.” “Everyone come look! This shameless woman had an affair and tried to make my brother raise another man’s child! What a shameless slut. Everyone better keep your eyes open and watch out so she doesn’t seduce your mates!” The stares from people around felt like the sharpest knives, stabbing from all directions. Someone flew into a rage, grabbed their thermos of food, and threw it all over me. The hot porridge was scalding, instantly raising blisters on my exposed skin. Gareth didn’t even look at me. He stayed by Ella’s side, silently kicking away the pebbles under her feet, doing everything to clear obstacles for her. Watching this scene, my heart felt like it was being pressed by water-soaked cotton—suffocating and unbearable. Gritting my teeth, I made it to the regular room, my legs already weak as noodles. Lying powerless on the hospital bed, I curled up with Mary. Mary, you don’t have a father anymore. But it’s okay. After tonight, we mother and daughter will finally have a fresh start.

That night, Mary suddenly burst into wailing cries, her whole body burning hot. I struggled to get up and carried Mary to the door, but was stopped by the bodyguards. “Luna Clara, I’m sorry. Without orders from Alpha Gareth and Miss Ella, you cannot leave this room.” I held Mary tightly and shouted at the bodyguard, “Move! My daughter has a high fever! She needs medical attention immediately!” The bodyguard blocked me expressionlessly. “I’m sorry. Alpha Gareth said until you repay the wedding gifts worth $880,000, you are not allowed to leave this room.” My whole body went cold. Something in my mind exploded in an instant. Wedding gifts worth $880,000? Before marrying Gareth, I was just an ordinary werewolf. Only because Gareth and I were fated mates could I date him, marry him, and become Luna of the Redmoon pack. Everyone said I was incredibly lucky to marry Gareth, that I’d enjoy endless wealth and luxury for life. But no one knew. Because of one sentence from Ella: “Gareth, if Clara really loves you, she won’t spend a penny of your money. Otherwise, what makes her different from those women who only want you for your money?” From our wedding until now, my food, clothing, and expenses were never part of Gareth’s daily spending. The haute couture dresses and expensive jewelry I wore to banquets were all bought with money I earned myself. Even when I rode in luxury cars with Gareth and Ella, Ella would ask me for gas money after the banquet ended. In just three years of marriage, I had already exhausted all the savings from the first half of my working life. I didn’t even have $100 in my account. Where could I get $880,000 to give Gareth? Mary cried herself hoarse from the fever, feeling so miserable. Looking at the bodyguard pleadingly, my tone was as humble as dirt. “I’ll find a way to pay the money back.” “Please make an exception this once. She’s a premature baby. Not being kept in an incubator is already dangerous. If the fever continues, she’ll die…” Three days ago, Ella’s heart condition flared up. The doctor scheduled surgery for three months later, which coincided with my due date. Ella cried until she sobbed: “Gareth, if my surgery happens when Clara gives birth, you’ll definitely abandon me to take care of Clara, right?” Gareth tried to comfort her. But Ella cried even harder. “Gareth! You’ve changed! After marrying Clara, you don’t love me anymore. Your whole heart is with her. If that’s how it is, I might as well die! I’ll go to hell to find my dead father and tell him you bullied me!” She set a fire in the house, and I was forcibly given labor-inducing medication. Gareth wiped the tears from my eyes. “Clara, she’s my only adoptive sister. She’s young and gets jealous easily. I need to put her mind at ease. You understand, right?” “After the baby is born, I promise I’ll make it up to you both.” “Don’t worry. I’ve got everything under control.” But what I got instead was a forged DNA report and a poorly acted melodrama staged for Mary and me. The two bodyguards looked reluctant, but still firmly blocked the door. “We’re sorry, Luna Clara. Alpha Gareth gave strict orders before he left. You must repay the money before you can leave.” In just a few minutes, Mary in my arms became burning hot like a furnace, her cries growing weaker. Just as I was about to put a knife to my throat to threaten the bodyguards to let me pass, Gareth came over with a furrowed brow. His expression was extremely dark. “Clara, this is a hospital, not a marketplace. All this shouting and yelling—did you learn your manners from dogs? You even disturbed Ella’s finger bandaging.” I followed his gaze and saw the Hello Kitty bandaid on Ella’s fingertip, and the twenty-some doctors following behind her. My heart felt like it had been stabbed with a knife. No wonder I’d been calling for so long without seeing a single doctor. Gareth had summoned them all to treat a finger injury. I swallowed the bitterness, stepped forward with Mary, and choked out, “Mary has a fever. Get a doctor quickly.” Gareth’s brow furrowed even tighter, his feet about to move. Suddenly Ella clutched her heart and called out softly in pain, “Gareth, I hurt so much. Am I going to die…” Gareth’s attention immediately focused on Ella. He scooped her up in his arms and shouted at the group of doctors, “Prepare for surgery immediately!” I reached out to grab Gareth, looking at him urgently. “Our daughter…” Ella wrapped her arms around Gareth’s neck, burying her head in the crook of his neck. “Gareth, I’m so scared. This is heart surgery. I won’t die from the pain, will I?” “Please have all the doctors operate on me, okay? More doctors means more security. My biggest regret in this life is not being able to repay you properly. I don’t want to die like this.” Her tone was sweet and clingy. Gareth was coaxed dizzy, his heart soft as cotton. “Alright. I’ll not only have all the hospital doctors on standby, the elite medical team I prepared for you will all arrive within ten minutes. I won’t let anything happen to you.” “What about our daughter?”

My knuckles holding Mary turned white, and I bit my lip until it bled. If all the doctors were on standby, who would save Mary? Gareth glanced at the child in my arms, looking impatient. He turned to the doctors. “Which of you is a pediatrician? Stay and take a look.” “Gareth, hospitals charge fees for consultations. Clara still owes us $880,000—where would she get money?” Ella nestled in the man’s arms and shot me a malicious smile. “But considering our three years together, I can lower myself to help her.” “My surgery involves the heart, so she’ll have to join me.” Ella signaled the bodyguard to kick over the medical waste bin. Needles scattered across the floor, glinting coldly. She looked down at me condescendingly and lifted her chin. “Find them all. I’ll cover this consultation fee for you.” Gareth glanced down at me and instructed his assistant, “Do as Ella says.” He carried Ella urgently to the operating room without looking back once. I knelt on the ground, using my hands to brush and feel along bit by bit. Soon, all ten fingers were covered with needle holes. Bloody and raw, not a patch of healthy flesh. Later, hearing Mary’s even weaker cries, I had no choice but to use my tongue to lick them up. Half an hour later, I held a pile of needles and looked at the doctor. As I spoke, blood continuously poured from my mouth. “They’re all here. Please save my Mary…” After speaking, I couldn’t hold on any longer and completely passed out. When I woke again, my nose was filled with the smell of disinfectant. I instinctively reached out but didn’t touch the expected warmth. “Mary…” I stumbled out of the room and saw Mary’s figure in the doctor’s office. The female doctor who treated her last night was holding her and gently rocking her, feeding her formula. Her expression was full of sympathy. “What a tragedy. She’s clearly the Alpha’s daughter, but because of the adoptive sister’s jealousy, she can’t even drink breast milk. So pitiful.” Her colleague lowered her voice. “Exactly. And the DNA report was forged under Alpha Gareth’s personal supervision. He said after a year he’d pin it on the hospital, saying we mixed up the reports, and he could definitely trick this mother and daughter back. Spending millions to make the whole hospital put on an act—Alpha Gareth really knows how to play games.” “That’s not even the half of it. Even though Ella is the adoptive sister, anyone can see she has feelings for her brother. Last night when I was making rounds, I saw with my own eyes Ella kissing Alpha Gareth on the mouth while he was asleep. Five minutes later Gareth woke up and didn’t say a word.” The two exchanged an ambiguous look and pursed their lips knowingly. I leaned against the wall, my eyes aching painfully. Ella was the daughter of a Beta under the previous Alpha of the Redmoon pack. Her father died saving Gareth’s father during a Rogue attack, after which she was adopted by Gareth’s family. The two became siblings in name. So my jealousy became destructive to their sibling bond, appearing as unreasonable tantrums in others’ eyes. Whenever Gareth said, “If it were as sordid as you think, I would have already made her my mate. Would it be your turn?” I was left speechless. That’s right. He was the noble Alpha Gareth of the Redmoon pack. Of course he couldn’t compare to an ordinary werewolf like me. But then why did he send me tens of thousands of roses, patiently accompany me through the darkness of losing my family, teach a lesson to my boss who made lewd remarks… Even when a car accident came, he shielded me with his body and ended up in the hospital himself. I still remember at our wedding, he swore to the heavens: “Clara, I will love and cherish you forever in this life and never let you down.” But in the end, sincerity changes in a heartbeat, and “forever” is just a word to set the mood. Looking up again, Gareth was somehow standing in front of me. Meeting my bloodshot eyes, he showed unprecedented concern. “You just gave birth. Why aren’t you resting in bed?” A whiff of Ella’s usual perfume drifted over, making me dizzy and nauseous. Avoiding his touch, I took several steps back. “Didn’t you want to break the mate bond? Let’s do it now.” Gareth froze for a few seconds, his expression darkening, a cold smile forming at the corner of his mouth. “Clara, stop being dramatic. You’re penniless. If you leave me, you’ll be sleeping on the streets with your child tonight.” I looked up to meet his gaze and spoke coldly. “The child isn’t yours anyway. Why do you care?” This taunt made Gareth furious with embarrassment. Taking the divorce agreement his assistant handed him, his signature went through the paper. After I also signed my name, we immediately broke the mate bond. Right after the bond was broken, Gareth ignored my body suffering from the mate bond severing and pointed at the hospital exit, veins bulging. “Ungrateful. Get out of my hospital right now!” I forced myself to stand, held Mary, and walked out. Seeing the familiar dark car across the street, I knew—that was the car my first love Phineas sent to pick me up. I couldn’t help but quicken my pace. But before I could take a few steps, two bodyguards suddenly appeared and forcibly dragged me back.

“Did you see the trending topics? Former Luna Clara was forced to divorce, all because of that adoptive daughter.” “She’s absolutely terrible. If it were me, I’d expose her online too.” All along the way, people in the hospital were discussing the same thing. This clearly had Ella’s fingerprints all over it. I didn’t understand why she’d put herself in the eye of the storm. Not until Gareth slapped me without asking any questions. “Clara, I never imagined you could be so vicious. No wonder you were so eager to break the mate bond with me earlier. You’d already calculated to go after Ella, hadn’t you? Using post-birth mate bond severing to gain sympathy, you even manipulated me into it. You’re too malicious.” “The media will be here soon. You must apologize to Ella publicly. Do you know how terrible the online comments are? Ella is still so young. If I hadn’t arrived in time, you would have driven her to suicide!” On the hospital bed, Ella sat perfectly fine. Completely intact, whole and healthy, looking quite rosy. A person pretending to sleep won’t wake no matter how you call. Besides, someone was waiting for me. “No need to go to so much trouble.” I handed Mary to the nurse who had followed and took out my phone to start a live stream. I bowed to Ella. “Miss Ella, I’m sorry. Regarding the false statements online, I sincerely apologize to you. You’re not a manipulative bad sister. I’m the vicious one. I was irrationally jealous of you and your brother’s relationship, deliberately broke the mate bond with your brother, posted online to gain sympathy, and even bought trolls to attack you.” Then I bowed to her again. “Miss Ella, you and Gareth have always been completely innocent, just a normal sibling relationship. I was the jealous one who used disgraceful methods to frame you. Please forgive me.” Every word I spoke was clear and forceful. With each sentence, Gareth and Ella’s faces turned a shade paler. Ella because I had permanently nailed them to the pillar of sibling shame. Gareth looked at me with complex eyes, a trace of imperceptible panic flashing through his heart. Ella glared at me hatefully. Suddenly, she grabbed her hair, her voice trembling like a sieve. “I’m not a bad woman, I’m not a bad woman. It was Clara who cheated, she cuckolded my brother. She doesn’t cherish my brother, so I will. If that’s called sordid and shameless, then just let me die…” Her sudden agitation broke through the brief panic Gareth had finally felt. Gareth pulled her into his arms. “Ella, we’re not blood siblings. Even if you really like me, you’ve done nothing wrong.” As his words fell, the livestream instantly exploded with countless rose emojis. The whole screen filled with congratulations. It stabbed my eyes painfully. A large group of reporters pushed through the door, shoving cameras in my face and snapping wildly. “Clara, does this mean you’re actually the homewrecker?” “Clara, you were just an ordinary werewolf back then. To marry Alpha Gareth, you must have used quite a few underhanded tactics, right? Can you tell us about them?” Flashbulbs jumped crazily across my face. They wanted to brand words like “mistress,” “lowly,” “slut”… all those humiliating labels, red-hot onto my face. In the shoving, I saw the evil smile on Ella’s face. She lifted her head slightly, and a reporter received the signal. He suddenly turned the camera and photographed Mary wildly in the nurse’s arms. “Is this the bastard child? Looking like such a freak—Clara really isn’t picky.” “Like mother, like daughter. You can tell at a glance she’ll be morally corrupt. Take lots of photos, we’ll use them for cutaways later. We’ll call it ‘The Homewrecker’s Heir.’ That’ll definitely make headlines.” Fury burning inside me, I slapped the reporter who said this across the face. I didn’t use much force, but he suddenly fell to the ground, motionless. “Oh no, Jack has a heart condition. He can’t be touched.” “Ah! He’s not breathing. You murderer!” A reporter pointed at me, looking at me like they wanted to eat me alive. “Don’t touch her. If there are any problems, contact my lawyer.” Just as Gareth finished speaking, Ella clutched her heart again, looking uncomfortable. “Gareth, I got too emotional just now. My heart hurts a bit again…” I held Mary and looked helplessly at Gareth. Gareth looked deeply at us, bent down to pick up Ella, and said to me, “Wait for me.” Then his figure disappeared down the corridor. And I was surrounded by angry reporters and put in cold handcuffs. … Three months later, in court. The judge announced: “Clara is sentenced to five years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and must pay $3 million in compensation.”

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When I was about to marry my fiancé Gareth, I found out I wasn’t the biological daughter of the Windrune Pack Alpha. It turned out that Fiona and I had been switched at birth, and I had unknowingly taken over Fiona’s life all this time. Fiona appeared at my wedding, and my family, who had once doted on me, all embraced her with tears in their eyes. Gareth was equally shocked. In the end, the wedding was canceled. Gareth said he would make it up to me with a perfect wedding. But I waited and waited, and what I finally got was the news of Gareth and Fiona’s engagement. The day Gareth severed our mate bond, my parents and brother looked at me with cold indifference and said, “This is what Fiona deserves. You’re nothing but a thief.” I was heartbroken. On the day of their engagement, I had thought about rushing in with explosives and taking them all down with me. But just as that insane thought took hold, my phone kept ringing. I answered. It was the hospital. “Miss Una, you’re pregnant…” I stood there, frozen. Half an hour later, joyful music echoed from the ceremony hall. I went to the airport. From then on, as everyone wished, I disappeared from Windrune Pack. I went to Stonehowl Pack, thousands of miles away. I barely survived and gave birth to my daughter, my own flesh and blood. And I never contacted those people again. Until four years later, one by one, they appeared before me again.

Four years later, I saw Airs again at the preschool entrance. I had just picked up Amy when a mother of another young wolf suddenly came over. “Rhea, look at that person across the street. Doesn’t he look like that singer, that celebrity… what’s his name…” I followed her gesture and saw him. “Airs!” The mother slapped her forehead. “Right, Airs!” I looked away. “Don’t know him.” She seemed surprised. “You don’t listen to music? It’s Airs! The most popular original singer these past few years! Won so many awards!” “Oh my, honestly, his face looks kind of like yours. You’re both gorgeous…” I smiled and shook my head, taking Amy’s hand and continuing forward. “Una.” But from behind me came his voice. I ignored it and kept walking. “Una!” Amy looked up. “Mommy, is that man calling you? Why is he calling you Una?” I shook my head with a smile. “He’s got the wrong person.” But when we reached the parking lot and I was about to open the car door, someone suddenly grabbed my arm. I turned around. It was Airs, out of breath. “Una, you’re… actually still alive?!” His words were as sharp and bitter as ever. Perhaps from running too fast, his eyes had a faint tinge of red. I dropped Amy off at a neighbor’s house. When I came back downstairs, Airs stood there with his hands in his pockets. “How are you living in this dump? Where’s your place? I’ll come up and take a look.” I shook my head. “There’s no need for that.” Four years ago, he had said with his own mouth that his only sister was Fiona. He had also said with his own mouth that calling each other siblings made him sick. When my adoptive brother Slater threw me out of their house and Gareth rejected me, when I had nowhere to turn, I had thought about finding this biological brother. On a snowy day, I stood outside his company building all night, nearly freezing to death. But in the end, all I got was his statement that his greatest wish was to never have had me as a sister. “If you had never been born, Fiona wouldn’t have been switched, and she wouldn’t have suffered so much.” “Sister? How ridiculous. Slater doesn’t want you anymore, so now you’re trying to scam me with blood relations?” “I would never acknowledge someone like you as my sister.” That’s when I realized that no matter how good I was to him, he hated me because of Fiona. At this moment, he still looked at me with scrutinizing eyes, frowning. “That child, is it Gareth’s? Did you run away to give birth to his child?” Gareth. I hadn’t heard that name in so long. He was the Alpha heir of Diremaw Pack. I was his fated mate. We had loved each other so much back then. He said he would love me forever, until Fiona appeared. Later, he asked me to reject the bond. Maybe it was my good physical condition, maybe Amy was lucky, but the rejection didn’t make me miscarry. Snapping out of my memories, I was silent for a moment. “That’s my child. Mine alone.” He smirked. “Una, this kid is his spitting image. Do you think I’m blind?” “You don’t actually think that by secretly having his child, you can win back his heart, do you? You’re such a hopeless romantic…” “How pathetic, how foolish…” “I said, this is my child. Mine alone.” I interrupted him. “I never thought about going back to Windrune Pack, and I never thought about using a child to compete with your sister for Gareth. You can rest assured, and you don’t need to be so aggressive.” “Like you said back then, aside from blood relation, we’re strangers. I’m not interested in your life now, so please don’t tell me what to do.” He froze. “If you don’t have anything else, please leave.” I turned around. “Wait.” He suddenly grabbed me. He opened his mouth, then closed it. “You, you…” I frowned. “What?” “Why… why did you leave back then…” I looked at him quietly. “You’re a pampered young lady who can’t do anything. People just said a few things to you. You were pregnant and you just disappeared.” “If I hadn’t run into you, how long were you planning to live like this? And these four years…” He paused. “How… how did you survive?”

I looked at his eyes, which were turning red again. Probably from anger. He must be very surprised I was still alive. And me being alive was a threat to Fiona’s happy life. How did I survive? Someone traded their life for mine. But I didn’t need to tell him that. The old Una never did housework, like a flower in a greenhouse. But the current Rhea had long stopped crying to others for support. Seeing me silent, he grew anxious. “What’s with you being so tight-lipped now? Did that massive earthquake in Stonehowl Pack a few years ago scramble your brain?” “Running to such a remote corner. You deserved to get caught in an earthquake.” At that moment, a neighbor walked by and greeted me. “Rhea, haven’t cooked yet?” I smiled. “I’m about to.” Airs froze. “You should go now,” I said. But he held onto me tightly. “Why did you change your name? Rhea?! Is that your new name? Why change it? No wonder I couldn’t find you!” “Whatever I change my name to is none of your business.” I brushed off his hand, enunciating each word. “What I’m called, how I’m doing, Airs, none of it concerns you.” Airs was a celebrity. He couldn’t possibly make a scene with me in public. I went upstairs, picked up Amy, and through the hallway window, saw him still standing downstairs in a daze. He had never cared about me before. His confusion now was probably just because he wasn’t used to my cold attitude toward him. After all, four years ago, when I learned of his musical dreams despite his poverty, I had exhausted almost all my connections just to find him a chance to perform on stage. Even his current agency was the best one I had found for him. He was my biological brother. He had suffered a lot. I wanted him to do well. But that sincerity was ultimately twisted into me scheming to use him to isolate Fiona and make her miserable. “Mommy, is that man your family?” I was slightly taken aback, then smiled and touched Amy’s head. “No, why would you think that?” “Just guessing. You look alike.” Family. Slater’s face suddenly appeared in my mind. I used to think that whether or not we were blood-related, Slater would always be my brother. But four years ago, holding Fiona who had fallen down the stairs, he looked at me with fury. “Una, you’ve truly disappointed me.” “From today on, I don’t have you as a sister anymore.” “My only sister is Fiona.” I cried and clutched at his pant leg, saying I wasn’t the one who pushed Fiona, begging him not to abandon me. But he kicked me away and still walked off carrying Fiona without looking back. I shook my head. “That person isn’t Mommy’s family.” She looked a bit disappointed. “I thought besides Uncle, Mommy had other relatives.” I smiled and tapped her nose. “Having you and Uncle is enough for me.” “But Uncle isn’t here anymore…” She pouted. “I miss him so much.” I understood her feelings. But mere disappointment was better than gaining something only to lose it, depending on someone only to be torn away. That kind of heart-wrenching pain. I had experienced it, so I didn’t want my daughter to go through it again. But I never expected it. The next day, I would see Slater.

Amy developed a fever in the middle of the night. I took her to the hospital. The viral infection was quite severe and required hospitalization for IV treatment. I didn’t sleep all night. The next morning, her fever finally broke, but she was listless. I carried her on my back to go home and stopped by a store to buy some food. After paying, the groceries were taken by a hand with distinct knuckles. I froze, looked up, and saw Slater’s face. Lack of sleep left my brain blank. After blankly calling out “Slater,” I realized he had long since forbidden me from calling him that. He had said he was the noble Alpha heir. How could a thief like me address him by name? Windrune Pack was not someone I could afford to offend. After all, back then, to punish me for “bullying” Fiona, Slater needed only one sentence to get many wolves to bully me. “Mr. Slater.” I quickly corrected myself. I was thinking about why he suddenly appeared in Stonehowl Pack, naturally not noticing his face darken in an instant. “Let me carry it for you,” he said softly. “No need.” I hastily reached for the bag in his hands. My posture was unstable, and Amy on my back whimpered. “Don’t push yourself, Una.” He grabbed my arm, stopping me from taking back the bag. “I’ll take you and the child home.” Slater hadn’t spoken to me in such a gentle tone in a long time. My adoptive parents were too busy with work. The old me was practically raised single-handedly by Slater. When he treated me like a real sister, Slater truly spoiled me. Someone once asked him if indulging me like that meant he wasn’t afraid I’d cause trouble. He just half-closed his eyes. “What if she causes trouble? If she wants to cause trouble, let her. No matter how big, I’ll cover for her.” But then Fiona appeared. At first, he still told me I would always be his sister. But facing Fiona’s provocations again and again, he always asked me to be patient. “She’s suffered a lot, Una. Give in to her.” He said we had to compensate her. I didn’t want to make things difficult for him. He had been my brother for over twenty years. I wanted him to be happy. So I gave in, endured it, again and again. Until he unconditionally believed Fiona’s frame-up of me, I finally understood that while I saw him as my brother, he had long stopped seeing me as his sister. And when he withdrew all his kindness toward me, when I fell into the mud and became the target of everyone’s scorn, I realized how foolish I had been to depend on him. The ride was silent. I hadn’t been in a luxury car like a Maybach in so long that I felt a bit uncomfortable. I just hugged Amy and shrank to one side, thinking about why Slater appeared here. Did Airs tell him? Was he afraid I would hurt Fiona, so he rushed over overnight to confirm? What would he do to me? Would he punish me for secretly giving birth to Gareth’s child? I didn’t know, couldn’t figure it out. I just felt my head hurt. I held Amy tighter, not noticing at all the deep longing in his eyes as he looked at me. “Una…” I looked up. There were many more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. “Four years ago, we all thought you were…” “Thought I was dead, I know.” I continued. “Actually, you can just pretend I’m dead. I gave up the idea of competing with Fiona long ago. Everything belonged to her anyway. Returning things to their rightful owner isn’t bad. You don’t need to be nervous or defensive, and you don’t need to come confirm. I just want to live peacefully with my daughter now.” “Oh, my daughter will only stay with me. She’ll never look for Gareth. I can swear on my life that I will never use my daughter to sabotage Fiona and Gareth’s relationship. Don’t worry.” I looked at him and repeated. “You really can rest assured.” He froze. “I didn’t…” “Then are you afraid I’ll use my identity as the Windrune Pack Alpha’s adoptive daughter to do something bad? Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t. I changed my name long ago…” “Una!” He suddenly interrupted me. His eyes reddened. “I… I want to take you back home…”

I didn’t understand what Slater was thinking. I was no longer a wolf of Windrune Pack. He had announced it himself four years ago. And what would I go back for? To continue being Fiona’s punching bag? I also didn’t understand why someone of his status insisted on following me back to that 50-square-meter one-bedroom apartment. I put Amy on the bedroom bed, walked to the cabinet, and pulled out an instant coffee packet. But then I thought better of it. He probably wouldn’t drink such cheap stuff. After thinking it over, I just gave him a bottle of mineral water. His gaze fell on my right hand, and a bitterness I couldn’t understand appeared on his face. “Your fingers… are they better?” I looked down. Three fingers on my right hand couldn’t move. This stemmed from when Fiona returned to Windrune Pack. Once, we visited a witch’s shop together. She curiously touched one of the potions, and the bottle fell over. The liquid inside spilled right onto my hand and leg. My fingers and right leg felt excruciating pain. It hurt so much I was covered in sweat. Before the accident, I was a young wolf trainer, responsible for cub training. This was the only thing where I was better than Fiona. I wasn’t as good at studying or as capable as her. Only in training skills could I hold my own. When Fiona first returned to Windrune Pack, whenever I did training demonstrations, she would look regretful. “If I hadn’t been switched, if I could have received training from childhood, I’d be a top young wolf trainer now too.” But that potion was toxic. Three of my fingers couldn’t move anymore, and my right leg was no longer agile. I could no longer perform complex training demonstrations. I couldn’t accept it at first and went through a long period of wanting to die. I always felt she did it on purpose, so I couldn’t help but hate her for taking away my only glory. Until she suddenly attempted suicide. After she was rescued, I went from victim to perpetrator overnight. I still remember that day. After Slater came back from visiting Fiona at the hospital, he pinched his forehead and said to me, “It’s just that you can’t continue being a young wolf trainer. It’s just three fingers and one leg. Did you really have to drive her to that? Even if you’re a useless waste, even if you’re not my real sister, didn’t I tell you I’d take care of you for life? Did you really have to do this?” Airs said coldly, “If there hadn’t been a switch, Fiona would have been the young wolf trainer. You just returned what you stole. How dare you make a fuss?” They all told me that my fingers and right leg couldn’t be healed, and making a scene was pointless. But later, I overheard the doctor talking to Slater. “I told you at the time that if Miss Una went abroad for rehabilitation promptly, her fingers and right leg could definitely recover over ninety percent. But you never took her? Now it’s very difficult to recover.” Slater replied indifferently, “It’s fine if Una stops being a young wolf trainer. Fiona wanted to be one since she was young. Seeing Una can’t do it anymore will help balance her feelings.” “I’ll support Una even if she’s useless. Whether she can train or not doesn’t matter.” So my dreams, my future, were just bargaining chips in his mind to balance Fiona’s feelings. When did I start fearing him? Probably from that moment. “I heard you’re working as a young wolf trainer at an organization.” He suddenly said. I froze, eyes widening as I looked at him. “I’m just teaching basic cub training. This kind of training is simple, so I can do it without my fingers. My right leg not being as fast doesn’t matter.” “I have no intention of returning to advanced training arenas. I would never affect Fiona’s mood because of me. I just need this job to support my child. And the doctor said my fingers are permanently damaged. I can never do complex training well in this lifetime. Even so, you won’t allow it?” He froze. “Una, I didn’t…” But whatever he said, I couldn’t listen anymore. The fear of having my life destroyed once before swept over me again. I couldn’t lose this hard-won job because Fiona was unhappy. So I desperately showed him my immobile fingers. “Really! I can’t do it, I really can’t! I returned everything Windrune Pack gave me!” “If you don’t believe me, you can come and try bending them. They won’t move!” “I was your sister for many years after all. Can’t you just leave me a way to survive?” But he stood up in panic, quickly stepping forward to support my trembling shoulders. “Una, don’t be afraid! Don’t be afraid!” “I’ll protect you this time! Trust your brother!” But how could I not be afraid? The life I finally managed to restart. The life Sage traded his own life to give me and Amy. “No!” I pushed him hard. But the more I struggled, the tighter he held me. After staying up all night, I ultimately couldn’t match his strength. And during our struggle, my vision suddenly went black, and I fainted.

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“Riley, I formally reject you.” He held another woman in his arms and threw the diamond ring I’d given him onto the coffee table. After being publicly rejected and slapped by my Alpha Mate, I turned around and sold myself to the rumored impotent tyrant Alpha as a breeder. But when he publicly declared, “She is my Fated Mate, my future Luna”, my ex-Mate went crazy and crashed into my Luna inauguration ceremony, screaming with bloodshot eyes. “Riley! Have you lost your mind? You married him just to get revenge on me?!” And that tyrant everyone mocked whispered in my ear with a low laugh: “Rumors say I’m impotent?… I thought you would have known better by now.” Riley POV Three hours ago, I received a mind-link from Ryker. Tomorrow was the Black Shadow Pack’s Luna inauguration ceremony, and this was the first time he’d actively contacted me after three months of cold war between us. His voice was as cold and noble as always, carrying the undeniable authority of an Alpha: “Riley, come to the Pack house. I have something to tell you.” Then he cut off the connection. He didn’t give me any room to question, taking everything for granted as always, like he was ordering some lowly subordinate in his pack. I’ll admit, in that instant, my heart—that pool of stagnant water that had long since fallen silent—stirred with ripples I couldn’t control. After all, I’d been chasing him for seven whole years. I even stood in front of the mirror, carefully covering the faint dark circles under my eyes with the most expensive concealer, sprayed on the woody perfume he liked best, and changed into that white dress he’d once complimented. Even though I was the most unwelcome illegitimate daughter in the pack, even though my mother was just a lowly Omega, ever since the Mating Ball on my eighteenth birthday when the Moon Goddess designated us as Mates, I’d been full of hope about becoming his Luna. Even though I knew what lay ahead might be another carefully planned humiliation. The car smoothly stopped at the Pack house entrance. The guard saw me and a flash of complexity crossed his eyes. He seemed to want to say something but stopped himself. My heart sank, but I still smiled and nodded at him before walking straight in. In the entrance hall, the air was thick with the sweet scent of an unfamiliar she-wolf. A pair of strange pink high heels lay askew on the floor, with Ryker’s jacket scattered nearby. I stood still. I didn’t cry or make a scene. I didn’t even change my expression. I just walked up to the second floor, step by step. I was intimately familiar with every corner of this main residence. I could find my way to his study with my eyes closed. The study door was ajar. Suggestive sounds came from inside, along with a girl’s cloying complaints. “Ryker, you’re so bad… you wrinkled all my clothes…” I pushed the door open expressionlessly. In the study, Ryker was holding a young girl in his arms. The girl’s face was buried in his broad chest, revealing only a fair, slender neck. Three buttons of his shirt were undone. His usually meticulous hair was somewhat disheveled. A smile I’d never seen before played at the corners of his mouth—one tinged with desire and indulgence. Hearing the noise, he looked up. When he saw me, that smile instantly cooled, turning into impatience and disgust. “Riley, who told you not to knock?” The girl in his arms looked up like a startled deer, timidly raising her head. It was a pure, innocent face with big, round eyes that now held pools of moisture as she looked at me pitifully. I recognized her. Cassandra, the casual fling Omega Ryker had recently brought back to the territory from outside. “Ryker, she is…” Cassandra’s voice was as soft as cotton candy, with just the right touch of fear. Ryker ignored her. He just methodically straightened his clothes, then cast his gaze toward me. His eyes held their usual contempt for my illegitimate status. “Since you’ve already seen it, I won’t hide it from you.” He took a velvet box from the drawer and tossed it onto the coffee table in front of me. “This—I’m returning it to you.” I looked down. Inside the box lay a diamond ring, quietly resting. It was the one I’d prepared with such joy for tomorrow’s Luna inauguration ceremony. Ryker’s indifferent voice sounded above my head: “I want Cassandra to be my Luna. Riley, I, Ryker, Alpha of Black Shadow Pack, formally reject you.” No guilt. No hesitation whatsoever. A piercing pain surged through my chest. I didn’t look at the diamond ring. My gaze fell on my left wrist instead. There was a silver bracelet—the token he’d given me at my eighteenth birthday Mating Ball when he learned I was his Mate. He’d said this bracelet was to be worn for life, just as he would stay with me for life. For seven years, I’d never taken it off. It had long since become one with my flesh and blood, even more familiar than my own skin. I raised my eyes and looked at him calmly. My composure seemed to surprise him. He frowned slightly, then as if remembering something, his tone took on its habitual arrogance and mockery: “What, not going to make a scene? I thought you’d cling desperately like before. Riley, these tricks get boring when you play them too often.” I didn’t speak. I just extended my left hand and began struggling to remove the bracelet. The bracelet had been worn too long. The clasp was difficult to work with, stuck at the bone joint. My skin quickly turned red from the friction, burning painfully. The more anxious I got, the harder it was to remove. Cassandra covered her mouth on the side, pretending to be shocked: “Riley, don’t do this. That’s not what Ryker meant. You’re hurting yourself—he’ll feel bad.” The words sounded like acting, but also like provocation. Ryker’s eyes indeed turned cold. He walked over and grabbed my wrist. His Alpha strength made it impossible for me to move. “Riley, what game are you playing now? Playing hard to get?” I gasped from the pain but laughed. “Ryker,” I called his name clearly, “you’re the one who said you were rejecting me. This bracelet is yours. Isn’t it only right that I return it to you now?” He stared at me intently, as if trying to find even the slightest trace of pretense on my face. But he was wrong. On my face, besides the tears from the pain, there was nothing else. So this is what it feels like when your heart dies—you can’t hear any sound. He finally let go of my hand, his eyes dark and unreadable. I used every ounce of strength I had, enduring the excruciating pain, and finally tore that thin silver bracelet from my wrist. An angry red mark branded itself on my skin, shocking to behold. I gently placed the bracelet on the coffee table, side by side with the diamond ring. “I, Riley of Black Wood Pack, accept your rejection.” I took a deep breath and looked at them. “I wish you and Cassandra a happy marriage and eternal happiness.” With that, I turned and walked out of the study without a trace of reluctance. Driving away from the Pack, I finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears broke through like a dam. Wave after wave of pain made me clutch at my chest uncontrollably.

Riley POV By the time I returned to the Pack, it was already eleven at night. The living room of the main residence was brightly lit. My father—the Alpha of this pack—and that Luna who saw me as a thorn in her side were sitting upright on the sofa, clearly waiting for me. As soon as I entered, the Luna immediately spoke with sarcastic undertones: “Oh, you still know to come back? I thought you’d be clinging to Ryker’s bed tonight, forgetting how lowly your bloodline is.” I was too tired to even lift my eyelids. I ignored her and walked straight toward the stairs. “Stop right there!” My father’s stern shout rang out as he violently threw a tablet at my feet. “Look at this yourself!” On the screen was an official announcement just released by Black Shadow Pack, proclaiming the joyous news that Alpha Ryker and Cassandra would be engaged, and that she would assume the position of Luna. The accompanying photo showed Ryker and Cassandra in an intimate pose. He had his arm around her waist, smiling happily. How efficient, Ryker. Less than three hours after rejecting me, you couldn’t wait to announce it to the entire werewolf society, as if afraid you couldn’t shake me off fast enough and I’d taint you further. “Riley! What exactly did you do? Why would Ryker suddenly reject you?” My father’s face was iron with rage. He never cared about how much I’d been wronged—only whether his ladder to a more powerful pack had been broken. I was too exhausted to say even one word. I just wanted to go back to my room and sleep. Seeing my silence, the Luna mocked from the side: “Alpha, why are you even asking her? What good could come from that lowly Omega mother of hers? She can’t even hold onto a man’s heart. What a waste of the Mate bond. She’s utterly useless!” Looking at these two people with their hideous faces, I suddenly found it all very laughable. “I accepted the rejection,” I said flatly. My father looked like he’d heard the biggest joke: “You? What right do you have? Riley, let me tell you, that sickly slave mother of yours is still in the pack’s backyard living off my charity! If you can’t handle Ryker, tomorrow I’ll have someone throw her out of the territory and leave her to fend for herself!” This trick again. Threatening me with the mother I cared about most. For the past seven years, this was why I’d lived like a dog under the Luna’s bullying and Ryker’s arrogance, compromising again and again. But now, things were different. I raised my head and met my father’s Alpha gaze with calm eyes: “So what? What do you want to do?” My reaction stunned them both. They were used to my submissiveness and hadn’t expected such a calm response. The Luna’s eyes rolled, and she immediately put on a falsely kind smile: “Riley, don’t blame your father. He’s just thinking of the Pack. Since the Ryker path won’t work, we can’t let you waste away like this. Have you heard of Blood Moon Pack? Their Alpha is looking for a breeder…” Blood Moon Pack, the most powerful pack in North America. Blood Moon Pack’s Alpha, Logan. That rumored brutal male lead with terrifying power and a cruel, bloodthirsty nature. Rumor had it he had severe sexual dysfunction. To cure his condition and produce an heir, he went through women constantly. But those women either died from torture or were thrown out before they could even last three months. So this “great opportunity” had fallen to me—a pack illegitimate daughter abandoned by her Mate, with lowly blood. It sounded like I was getting the better deal, climbing up to the strongest Alpha. In reality, they wanted to sell me and squeeze out every last bit of value I had. “If you agree to be Logan’s breeder, Blood Moon Pack is willing to invest three hundred million in our pack.” The Luna’s voice was full of temptation. “And your father guarantees he’ll bring your mother to the main residence and give her the best medical care and protection.” Three hundred million. My Omega mother who’d suffered her whole life. My life. In my father’s eyes, this was my entire worth. Looking at his greedy face, my heart turned ice cold. From one fire pit to another. But at least Blood Moon Pack was far away—far enough that I’d never have to see Ryker again, never have to live in the shadow of the past seven years. At least this time, I was choosing for myself. Trading my body and dignity for my mother’s survival and my own freedom to leave this place. This deal was worth it. Looking at my high-and-mighty Alpha father, I clearly spoke three words: “I agree.” 3 Riley POV Three days after agreeing to go to Blood Moon Pack as a breeder, I arranged to meet my best friend Olivia at a small tavern on the edge of the territory. It was a goodbye, and also a chance to change my mood. Olivia was the only friend in the entire Pack who genuinely cared about me. As soon as she sat down, she grabbed my hands, her eyes red: “Riley, I heard everything. That bastard Ryker—how dare he treat you like this? You’re the Mate designated by the Moon Goddess herself! And that bitch Cassandra!” I smiled and handed her a tissue: “Why are you crying? I’m not the one who should be crying. I asked you out today to tell you I’m leaving the Pack.” Olivia’s crying stopped abruptly. “Leaving? Where to? Did Ryker change his mind? No, wait—if he came back, I’d be the first to bite off his throat!” “It’s not him.” I stirred the lemon water in my glass, my tone as calm as if I were talking about someone else’s business. “I’m going to Blood Moon Pack.” Olivia gasped, her face instantly becoming even paler than mine: “Blood Moon? Alpha Logan! That rumored impotent, violent, cruel tyrant?” I nodded: “Yes, him.” “Riley, have you lost your mind?!” She jumped up, drawing sideways glances from other werewolves in the tavern. “You just escaped the tiger’s mouth and you’re jumping into the wolf’s den! Did your Alpha threaten you? Don’t do anything foolish—worst case, we can escape to the rogue territories together!” I pulled her back down to sit. A warm current flowed through my heart. I knew she truly cared about me. “Olivia,” I looked into her eyes seriously, “this is my own choice. You know my situation in the pack. If I don’t leave, my mother will suffer because of me. Going to Blood Moon Pack, far away from here—at least I’ll be free. And… as long as I agree, they’ll provide my mother with the best medical care and protection.” Olivia fell silent. After a long while, she sighed: “You’re always like this, shouldering everything for your mother. But what about you? Riley, have you ever thought about yourself?” About myself? I hadn’t asked myself that question in a very long time. For the past seven years, my life seemed to exist only for Ryker. In the end, I’d almost forgotten what Riley herself was really like. We were chatting when a familiar figure appeared beside our table. It was Cassandra. She wore the latest Chanel haute couture suit, carried a limited edition Hermès bag—completely different from her pitiful appearance in front of Ryker. Ryker wasn’t with her. “Riley, what a coincidence.” She spoke with a smile, but her eyes were like poisoned needles stabbing straight at me. Olivia was about to explode, but I held her back. I shook my head at Olivia, then raised my head to look at Cassandra, pulling at the corner of my mouth: “Not a coincidence. I specifically picked this remote tavern to avoid people like you.” Cassandra’s face stiffened for a moment, then her smile returned: “You’re so funny. Oh, by the way, tomorrow night is my Luna inauguration ceremony. You must come. After all, without your blessing as the ‘ex-Mate,’ it feels like something’s missing.” As she spoke, she deliberately swept back her hair, revealing the dazzling diamond necklace around her neck. I recognized that necklace. Ryker had bought it at an underground auction. It was his twenty-fifth birthday gift to me. Though my heart was already numb, I could still feel that dull ache. “Cassandra,” I leaned back lazily in my chair and looked at her, “does it feel good to use someone else’s discarded old things?” “You!” Cassandra’s facade finally showed cracks. “What are you talking about! Ryker gave this to me! He said he’s never given such an expensive gift to anyone else!” “Really?” I laughed lightly. “Then do you know what he said when he gave it to me? He said it represented the eternal bond between Mates. But looking at it now, Ryker’s idea of forever has a pretty short shelf life.” Cassandra’s face turned completely white. In her embarrassment and anger, she spoke without choosing her words: “What are you so smug about! Riley, you’re nothing but trash Ryker abandoned! You think I don’t know? Your mother is just a lowly slave Omega, and you’re an illegitimate daughter who can’t even show her face in public! What gives you the right to compare yourself to me?” She lowered her voice but struck at my deepest pain. All the blood in my body rushed to my head in that instant. She continued, her voice full of malicious satisfaction: “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Ryker also said that with your lowly bloodline, you’re not even worthy of bearing his heir!” “Slap—!” A crisp slap echoed throughout the tavern. I stood there, my palm burning. Cassandra covered her face, looking at me in disbelief, her eyes instantly filling with tears. “You… you dare hit me?” I could endure her flaunting Ryker’s favoritism. I could endure her taking my Luna position. But I absolutely could not tolerate her using my mother to humiliate me! 4 Riley POV The commotion in the tavern drew onlookers and also brought Ryker. He arrived so quickly. His powerful Alpha aura instantly blanketed the entire space. He immediately pulled the tearful Cassandra protectively behind him. The look he gave me held a coldness and disgust I’d never seen before. “Riley, what’s gotten into you?” Cassandra hid in his arms, pointing at me and complaining pitifully: “Ryker, I just wanted to invite Riley to our ceremony, and she hit me…” Ryker’s face darkened further. He looked at me, his pupils slightly contracting with an irresistible oppressive force. “Apologize to her.” He commanded. Looking at him, I suddenly felt the man before me was terrifyingly unfamiliar. Seven years, and he’d never once asked why. No matter who I had a conflict with, no matter what the cause or process was, he would always make me back down, make me apologize. Because in his world, I, Riley, an illegitimate daughter with humble status, was meant to be someone who would always obey, always be understanding, always never cause him trouble. “I’ll say it again. Apologize to her.” Seeing no reaction from me, Ryker’s voice took on a warning tone. Olivia stood beside me, trembling with anger despite the high-ranking werewolf’s pressure, unable to help speaking up for me: “Ryker, are you blind? She was the one who used Riley’s mother and background to humiliate her first! She’s the one who should apologize!” Ryker’s gaze swept over Olivia, coldly saying: “You don’t get a say in this.” Then his eyes returned to me, containing only impatience and disappointment. “Riley, don’t make me wear out what little goodwill I have left for you.” What little goodwill remained? So after seven years of pursuit, this was all that was left on his end? I laughed, but tears fell traitorously. I looked at Cassandra protected in his arms, looked at his high-and-mighty expression, and asked him word by word: “What if I say no today?” His brows furrowed tightly. He seemed not to have expected such resistance from me. “Riley, don’t force my hand.” Force his hand? What had I forced him to do? Did I force him to betray his Mate vow? Did I force him to publicly reject me? Did I force him to trample my dignity underfoot? “Slap!” Another crisp slap. Only this time, it landed on my face. The entire tavern fell instantly silent. My cheek burned painfully. I even tasted blood at the corner of my mouth. My ears rang, and I couldn’t even hear clearly the gasps and murmurs of the werewolves around us. I only saw Ryker with his hand raised, a flash of shock on his face, as if he too hadn’t expected himself to actually strike. And behind him, Cassandra’s lips curved into a triumphant smile. This slap—more than being coldly rejected in the study, more than seeing the necklace he gave me on someone else’s neck—made me truly clear-headed. I raised my hand to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth, then looked at him with complete calm: “Fine. I’ll apologize.” Ryker seemed to relax, thinking I’d finally yielded under his pressure. I turned to Cassandra, looked at her face, and slowly spoke: “I’m sorry.” Then, under everyone’s shocked gazes, I looked directly at Ryker and continued: “Ryker, I apologize for having loved you these past seven years.” “I apologize for giving up myself and losing my dignity for you.” “I apologize for being blind.” Ryker’s face instantly turned extremely ugly. His Alpha pride couldn’t tolerate this kind of public severance. “Riley! You…” “Ryker,” I interrupted him, using all my strength to pull out a smile uglier than crying, “you were the one who rejected me first.” “I promise I’ll never appear before you again.” “Never again, just as you wished.” After saying this, I picked up my bag and, supported by Olivia’s worried hands, walked out of the tavern without looking back. Behind me came Ryker’s roar, suppressed with fury. But I didn’t care anymore. 5 Riley POV The day after agreeing to go to Blood Moon Pack as a breeder, I started packing my luggage. Calling it luggage was generous. There wasn’t much that truly belonged to me in Black Wood Pack anyway, and I had no desire to take any of it. As for the things Ryker had given me—even looking at them was painful. I pulled out the dresses and perfumes I’d bought to cater to his preferences, one by one from the closet, and piled them in the center of the room. Finally, I took a heavy red velvet treasure box from the safe under my bed. This was something Ryker had given me after my eighteenth birthday Mating Ball. Over these seven years, it had filled with jewelry he’d given me for various anniversaries and birthdays. There were the diamond stud earrings he gave me after his first victory leading the pack in territorial war. The antique brooch from our first date. And the sapphire ring he’d promised to his future Luna… Each piece I’d once treasured, believing it was eternal proof of the bond between Mates. But now, they were just a pile of cold stones. I closed the lid and placed it in the cardboard box prepared for returns. I didn’t want to owe him anything anymore, not even a trace of his scent. I called Ryker’s Beta—Zane—gave him the address, and told him to come get the things. Zane’s voice carried the same superiority as Ryker’s, along with contempt for my illegitimate status: “Riley, Alpha Ryker is very busy these days preparing for Miss Cassandra’s Luna inauguration ceremony. I’m afraid he doesn’t have time to deal with your insignificant matters.” “Is that so?” I controlled my emotions. “The box contains everything he gave me before. I don’t need them anymore.” Zane’s tone became impatient, even carrying a hint of mockery: “Riley, I know you’re upset about being rejected by the Alpha, but Alpha Ryker already has a Luna candidate now. Why continue to pester him by returning things? It’s better for everyone’s dignity, right?” He thought I was playing tricks and clinging desperately? I took a deep breath and said in as calm a voice as possible: “Zane, you come get them before five o’clock this afternoon. Otherwise, I’ll throw them all away. The consequences are on you.” Silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, then he reluctantly agreed: “Fine.” That afternoon, Zane did come. He didn’t even enter, just stood in the entrance hall directing several low-ranking werewolves to move things. “Miss Riley,” he said while watching people move things, speaking meaningfully, “The Alpha and Miss Cassandra are a match made in heaven. Everyone in Black Wood Pack knows this. You’re only making yourself more embarrassed.” I didn’t explain or refute. Arguing with a Beta who would only ever obey an arrogant Alpha was meaningless. I just looked at him and said flatly: “Check the items carefully and take them back to him. From now on, we’re even.” With that, I closed the door without hesitation. 6 Riley POV Three days later, Blood Moon Pack’s car stopped at my door. I carried a small suitcase and, under the complex gazes of my father and the Luna, got in the car heading for North America’s most powerful pack territory. After several hours’ drive, the car entered Blood Moon Pack’s core area. Even the air here was filled with the solemnity and authority of a top-tier pack. A burly man came forward. He was the Beta here, named Elias. “Miss Riley? I’m Alpha Logan’s Beta. Welcome to Blood Moon Pack. The Alpha is at the main residence. Please follow me.” “Hello, thank you.” I smiled in response, trying to suppress the unease in my heart. Following Elias into the castle-like main residence, as soon as I stepped into the hall, a strong smell of blood hit me in the face. I stopped abruptly. I saw two guards dragging a disheveled woman outside. The woman was covered in blood, already unconscious, leaving a shocking trail of blood across the gorgeous marble floor. A chill ran through me instantly. The rumors said Blood Moon Pack’s Alpha Logan was violent and cruel, and none of the endless stream of women around him could last three months… So all those rumors were true! “Dispose of her.” A low, cold voice carrying absolute Alpha authority came from deep within the hall. I raised my head, and my gaze collided with a pair of eyes deep as a frozen pool. That was Logan. He was taller and more imposing than I’d imagined, his entire body radiating a suffocating, icy aura.He wasn’t wearing a jacket. His black shirt hung open, revealing his toned, muscular chest and faintly visible scars. Thick arms wrapped in bandages, blood seeping through faintly—he was injured. “Make sure the next woman the Council of Elders sends isn’t a cunning, scheming whore like this one.” Logan cast a cold glance at the woman on the floor, his tone devoid of any warmth. “Yes, Alpha.” Elias muttered something about “those old bastards in the Council getting more and more shameless,” while crouching down to pry a small vial from the tightly clenched hand of the woman being dragged out. Poison? I stood frozen in place, my brain racing. This woman hadn’t come to serve—she’d come to assassinate or poison him? Facing this scene, I stood rigidly in the center of the hall, gripping my suitcase handle so tightly my knuckles turned white, unsure what to do. Elias pocketed the vial, then seemed to remember my existence. He quickly reported to Logan: “Alpha, this is the one sent from Black Wood Pack… Riley.” Logan’s gaze finally fell on me. In that instant, I felt like prey that had been locked onto. He took long strides toward me, each step carrying intense pressure. The overwhelming Alpha scent mixed with a faint trace of blood enveloped me completely. He stopped in front of me, looking down at me from above. I was so nervous my breathing stopped. He suddenly raised his uninjured hand. Rough fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to raise my head and look directly into his eyes. His gaze was extremely aggressive, filled with scrutiny and icy wariness. I was forced to look up at him like this, my heart pounding like a drum. A few seconds later, he released his grip, as if he’d lost interest in me, and turned around coldly. “I’m not in the mood right now.” With his back to me, he ordered Elias coldly, “Take her downstairs.” 7 Ryker POV My bachelor party was set at the top club within Black Shadow Pack territory. Several close high-ranking werewolves and Alphas from neighboring packs gathered together. The atmosphere was lively and extravagant. But tonight I was distracted. I leaned back on the leather sofa, holding a cigar. Through the smoke, my gaze slowly went blank. “Ryker, what are you thinking about? Tomorrow’s Cassandra’s Luna inauguration ceremony—why do you still look so unhappy?” My friend Zack came over, handing me a glass of strong whiskey. I didn’t take the drink. I just irritably tugged at my tie: “It’s nothing.” Zack glanced at Cassandra in the distance, surrounded by flattery, and curled his lip: “Still thinking about Riley? I’m telling you, Ryker, since you’ve already rejected her, stop thinking about it. She’s just an illegitimate daughter born to a slave Omega, lowly blood—how could she ever match you? Look at Cassandra, she’s so perfect for you.” Riley again. My expression darkened: “Riley and I have already severed the Mate bond. Don’t mention her again.” “Really?” Zack laughed mockingly. “Who believes that? You two grew up together. When hasn’t she been the first to back down? I bet within three days, she’ll use her old tricks again, crying and running back to beg you. Didn’t she slap someone at the tavern in public? That was just her playing hard to get, same old trick.” The wolves around us echoed in agreement: “Exactly. Riley loves you to her bones. She could even bear to give up the Luna position—how could she let go just like that?” “She’s just jealous. She-wolves, you know, throw little tantrums. Just release a bit of your Alpha pheromones and she’ll be fine.” “Ryker, I bet Riley will definitely crash tomorrow’s Luna inauguration!” I raised my glass and took a drink. I was irritated not for any other reason, but because Riley had been too quiet these past few days. Since that unpleasant parting at the tavern, she’d truly disappeared. No frantic calls through Mind-link, no pitifully waiting for me on paths I had to take. Even a trace of her scent had completely vanished from the territory. This was completely different from what I’d expected. According to the usual script, she should be trying everything possible to contact me right now, humbly begging for my forgiveness, even if just to let her stay in the pack as an ordinary servant. But she hadn’t. This complete loss of control made me extremely irritable. I took out my phone and instinctively opened Riley’s chat, only to find it empty. “Damn it!” I cursed under my breath and threw my phone on the table. Seeing me like this, Zack’s eyes rolled and he came up with an idea: “Ryker, if you’re really worried, just have your Beta make a call to test her, right? Say you’re drunk and need her to come take care of you. If she comes, it means she still has feelings for you. If she doesn’t come…” “She wouldn’t dare not come.” I snorted coldly, completely certain. I beckoned to my Beta Zane in the distance. “Go call Riley.” I leaned back on the sofa with an Alpha’s superiority, ordering lightly, “Tell her I’ve had too much to drink. She has thirty minutes to get here.” This was my usual tactic. No matter how late, no matter what she was doing, with just one word from me, Riley would immediately and obediently rush over. Because I was her Mate. Because she loved me so much. “Tell her,” I paused, adding, “whether I let Cassandra be Luna tomorrow depends on whether she comes tonight.” This was an ultimatum, and also my generous charity. Zane acknowledged the order and walked aside to make the call. A few minutes later, Zane returned with a strange, even somewhat terrified expression on his face. “Alpha…” He bent down and reported in a low voice, “Riley’s phone… was answered.” My eyebrow arched slightly, a cold smile of expectation forming at the corner of my mouth. As expected, Riley still couldn’t resist. “What did she say? Is she crying and begging me? Where is she now?” Zane stammered, breaking out in cold sweat: “Riley didn’t cry. She said… she told you to fuck off.” My smile instantly froze on my face.

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The whole Moonclaw Pack knew that Alpha Alex had many lovers. But after I appeared, all those women disappeared. The day I was kidnapped, he stormed into the kidnappers’ hideout alone and rescued me. I thought he truly loved me. Until Chloe appeared by Alex’s side. The first day she appeared, they slept together. The seventh day she appeared, he brought her back to what used to be our home. On the twentieth day of her appearance, he decided to hold a Marking ceremony with her. He urged me not to overthink it—he wouldn’t really Mark Chloe. But he didn’t know I had already decided to marry his uncle. Lily POV Today was the once-a-decade Hunting Festival, and also Alex’s first Hunting Festival since becoming Alpha. Alex’s uncle Sebastian wasn’t comfortable leaving things entirely to him, so he asked me to co-host the ceremony with Alex. He said that as the alpha’s fiancée and future Luna of the pack, it was only natural for me to take on these responsibilities. But on the opening day of the Hunting Festival, the bonfire blazed in the center of the square, all Pack members had gathered, yet Alex was nowhere to be seen. The warriors and I split up to search for him. Finally, near an abandoned cabin piled with debris, I heard unusual sounds coming from inside. My breath hitched. I gently pushed open the half-closed wooden door. Alex was on top of Chloe, and their moans pierced my ears one after another. All the blood in my body instantly rushed to my head. Then I threw the lit torch in my hand toward the two people in the room. “Ah—!” I watched as Alex whipped around and used his entire back to shield Chloe, blocking most of the flames. In that instant, my heart felt like someone had seized it viciously. He would actually protect her like this. “Chloe, are you okay?” He quickly patted out the sparks that had splashed onto the hem of her dress, his tone so gentle it almost made me sick. “Alex… I’m so scared…” Chloe trembled as she grabbed his arm—the one licked by flames, instantly reddened but rapidly healing—and sobbed softly. I laughed coldly. “Stop the act. Get out.” Chloe’s face turned deathly pale as she shrank back. But Alex took a step over the burning debris flowing on the ground, blocking her from view. He looked down at me from above, his voice cold as ice. “Apologize.” The Alex I’d known for seven years had never shown me such a cruel expression before. I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white. “In your dreams.” I ground out each word through gritted teeth, then turned and rushed out of the cabin toward the center of the camp. Behind me, the fire in the cabin began to grow, and people shouted as they ran to get water to put it out. The drumbeats continued, but the atmosphere had changed. I forced myself through a brief opening ceremony, but I didn’t rush into the forest with the others. Instead, I returned to the unusually large conference room built beside the square. I sat on the carpet, no longer able to pretend nothing had happened. Tears fell. I never imagined he could be so anxious over someone else too. He betrayed me. On such an important day as the Hunting Festival. When everyone in the Pack was present. And he still wanted me to apologize. I knew he’d been getting close to that woman lately. But she was just an Omega working as a server in a restaurant. I thought he was just playing around. But I was dead wrong. He actually did this with her at the camp during the Hunting Festival… I collapsed onto the floor, tears dropping one by one into the soft carpet. I don’t know how much time passed before the door burst open and someone pulled me up and dragged me outside. I looked up. It was Alex’s cold face. He had changed out of his burned clothes, but he still carried the smell of smoke and fire. “What are you doing?” I asked hoarsely. He didn’t answer. He just grabbed my arm and dragged me to the still-burning bonfire. He picked up the iron fire poker used to stir the coals and smashed it down hard on my arm. “Ugh!” The searing pain made me double over instantly, gasping. “The fire burned her earlier,” his voice was terrifyingly calm. “Such a sudden shock and even a minor injury are serious for a fragile Omega like her. And you—you did it on purpose.” The pain made my vision go black, but I still laughed, my laughter hoarse. “So what? You’re shattering my arm to compensate her now?” He was silent for a long time, then sighed. “Lily, why do you have to target her? I promise you, after the Hunting Festival ends, our Marking ceremony will proceed as planned. But today, you must make amends to her.” “You want me to apologize? I… Bah!” I forced the broken words through my clenched teeth. His expression darkened completely. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look up at him. “Think about your Pack. Think about your mother who’s struggling to hold everything together. Now answer me—are you going to apologize or not?” I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. Tears instantly blurred my vision. “You know what I care about most, and you’re actually using them to threaten me?” Yes, my pack wasn’t doing well right now. My father had been framed and thrown in prison. My mother had suffered the blow and had no choice but to shoulder everything alone, barely holding on amid internal and external difficulties. A pack that had lost its powerful Alpha could hardly resist the erosion of ambitious wolves. Even though I tried hard to maintain everything and wanted to become the new leader, I couldn’t do it. That’s why I was here. Alex was the Alpha of the most powerful Moonclaw Pack in the world. My pack needed Moonclaw Pack’s protection. Fortunately, Alex loved me. At least, that’s what I used to think. A flash of complicated emotion crossed his eyes. His tone softened but remained cold. “Lily, Chloe is different from you. She’s a poor Omega who’s been looked down on since childhood. You have everything she doesn’t. Why do you need to make things difficult for her?” “So,” my voice trembled, waves of sharp pain coming from my arm, “I have to give up my own man to her too?” He paused and avoided my gaze. “No matter what I do this month, you’re still my mate. The Luna position will always be yours.” I closed my eyes. Desolation filled them. The sharp pain in my arm and the icy cold in my chest intertwined. “Fine. I’ll apologize.” His large hand gripped the back of my neck with such force I could barely breathe. He didn’t let go until I squeezed out “I’m sorry” through my teeth to Chloe. Only then did he release me with satisfaction. Watching the relieved smile at the corner of his mouth, my heart felt like it had been torn to shreds—a hundred times more painful than my injured arm. If he were my enemy, I would bite through his throat. But he wasn’t. He was my lover. I even had to rely on him to protect my pack. I thought this terrible farce had finally ended. I didn’t expect that the next day, during a break in the Hunting Festival activities, his men would escort me to the medical center. He didn’t even glance at me. He just said to the doctor in the white coat, “Go in.” Before I fully understood what was about to happen, I heard him outside the door, in a tone as casual as discussing the weather, say to the doctor: “Chloe’s body is very unwell after inhaling smoke. She needs your blood as a ‘catalyst’ for the antidote. Lily, this is the price you must pay.” The sharp pain of a thick needle piercing the vein in my arm hit me. I struggled in terror, but was held down firmly. The weakness and icy sensation of blood being rapidly drained from my body spread quickly. Before I could resist or cry out, my consciousness rapidly sank into endless darkness. When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital room in the medical center, my whole body cold and weak. Alex’s beta Evan quickly came forward to help me sit up. “Lily, you’re awake? Thank god. I’ll go get the doctor.” Beta Evan hurried off to find someone, but he forgot his phone on a nearby folding chair. The screen was lit, and it just happened to show a conversation between Alex and some of his close friends in a group chat. “Alex, what’s going on with you and Chloe? Are you really not going to keep Lily? Your Marking ceremony with her is coming up soon after the Hunting Festival.” “I didn’t say I wouldn’t keep her. But Chloe is a type I’ve never seen before. She’s really sweet, really innocent. I soften up the moment I see her.” “Then what about Lily? She can’t tolerate a grain of sand in her eyes.” “Don’t worry. Her Pack is crumbling right now. She needs my protection. She won’t leave me.” I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles white with force. The cold metal edges dug painfully into my palm. In that moment, the last trace of hope and doubt lingering in my heart was completely shattered. So in his eyes, I was nothing more than someone begging for his protection—someone who could be discarded and used at will. I pulled at the corner of my mouth, wanting to laugh, but my throat felt bitter. Then I took out my own phone and calmly dialed Sebastian Sterling’s private number. The former alpha of Moonclaw Pack had been seriously injured by an assassination attempt. He had no biological children, so he had no choice but to declare his nephew Alex as the new alpha. Even though Alex had never received any proper training. I was sure Sebastian already knew about what happened at the Hunting Festival. “Mr. Sterling,” I tried to make my voice sound weak, attempting to gain his sympathy. “This is Lily Evans. You already know what Alex did.” The person on the other end lazily hummed, his deep voice making my whole body tingle like electricity: “So what do you want to do? Cancel the alliance marriage?” “No, not that.” I suppressed the strange feeling in my heart and quickly answered. “If possible, I hope you can help me switch to a different marriage partner… I don’t want to die at Alex’s hands. He hasn’t learned to respect his partner at all.” There was a long silence on the other end of the line, so long I thought the connection had been cut. Then Sebastian’s cold voice came through, slightly hoarse: “Alright. This is indeed his fault. I’ve been busy with Pack affairs and neglected his education. He hasn’t learned how to properly treat his partner. Fine, Lily. I’ll allow you to choose a different marriage partner.” This response pleased me. At least Sebastian wasn’t as impossible to communicate with as Alex. But I don’t know why—listening to him speak, I found myself asking without hesitation: “Can I choose you?” A wolf’s low growl came from the other end. After a while, Sebastian finally answered: “You should think this through carefully. Don’t make hasty decisions.” The call was cut off. The busy tone rang in my ear. Though he had politely refused me, I felt like I had found the right path forward.

Lily POV I knew that my Evans Pack was now in grave danger. If I lost Moonclaw Pack’s protection, those enemies and rogues who were eyeing us hungrily would be the first to rush in and tear us apart. But besides Alex, could I find a more suitable mate? Sebastian… If Sebastian would agree… I lay in the hospital room, my heart an even deeper hollow of ice. The weakness from blood loss still lingered. Just then, Evan came in with a nurse to check on my condition. No matter how strong a werewolf’s healing ability was, being forcibly drained of large amounts of blood still required time to recover. Without proper rest, recovery would be even slower. The nurse recorded data while chatting casually with Evan. “Hey, that Omega next door is really lucky. She just inhaled a bit of smoke, and Alpha Alex had all the traveling doctors come consult on her case.” “Yeah, making such a big deal out of it. Said he was worried about toxins.” I leaned against the bed, listening to those light, casual remarks, and actually laughed. So Alex knew she wasn’t poisoned at all. He just wanted to punish me and make his lover happy. I couldn’t help but think of a year ago, when Alex and I were still deeply in love. I had gotten a minor injury during a joint hunt. Back then, Alex had done the same thing. He brought in all the doctors in the pack for me, his expression tense, as if I’d suffered some life-threatening injury. At the time, I thought it was funny and sweet. But now, he gave that same anxiety to another woman. After the nurse left, beta Evan seemed to want to say something. I raised my hand to stop him. “Don’t bother. You can go. I’ll rest for a bit.” He hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said softly, “Then get plenty of rest.” After I was alone in the room, I supported myself on the edge of the bed and slowly got up. The weakness from blood loss remained. My steps felt light and unsteady. I had just reached the door, wanting some fresh air, when I heard Evan’s voice outside: “Alpha Alex, shouldn’t you go check on Lily? She’s all alone, it’s kind of pitiful…” “What’s pitiful about her?” Alex’s voice was impatient, as if he was hurrying past. “Chloe is the victim. She’s the perpetrator. What she’s going through now is what she deserves.” I froze in place, my chest tightening. The next second, I closed the door and returned to the room. I didn’t want to hear another word from him. I suddenly remembered the night I fell in love with Alex. Back then, I went to a high-end nightclub to meet with a strange Alpha, trying to find support for my Pack. That guy shamelessly slipped his hand under my skirt. I angrily threw my drink in his face. Just as the bastard grabbed my hair and was about to hit me, Alex appeared. Without a word, he pinned the man to the ground, his fists smashing down again and again, so brutal it frightened me. It also made my heart race. From that day on, I accepted Alex’s help and secured a protection agreement from the Moonclaw Pack he represented. And I also secretly decided in my heart that I was willing to give everything for this man. I knew he liked “innocent” women. So I changed my clothing style, my makeup, my way of speaking. I became what everyone called “the epitome of gentleness.” I became what he liked. Only when I saw Chloe did I finally understand. He didn’t like me. What he liked was the kind of “fragility” that aroused his pity. No matter how much I imitated it, it was still just an act. But her—she was naturally that way. Thinking of this, I laughed. Laughed at myself for knowing it was a trap but still throwing myself into it. If that was the case, letting go was fine too. At least this time, I was the one who said goodbye first.

Lily POV After lying in the medical center for a few days, the Hunting Festival was nearing its end. On the final night, following tradition, the camp held a grand outdoor victory feast. Although no one explicitly invited me, I changed into simple clothes and went out anyway. I needed to show my face. I couldn’t let Pack members think I had completely disappeared. That would make me lose my value to the pack. The feast was brightly lit, the aroma of roasted meat and laughter echoing throughout the camp. I held a wooden cup of light wine, avoiding the center of the crowd, standing alone in the shadows. I watched as Alex was surrounded by people, Chloe following close beside him, smiling sweetly. His face bore a smile in the firelight, a relaxed expression I hadn’t seen in a long time. Only that smile wasn’t for me. I took a sip of wine. It was unbearably bitter. I walked to a corner of the crowd, wanting some air. After a while, Alex came by, his arm around a scantily dressed female guest, kissing her deeply as they walked. His hand had already slipped under the hem of her leather skirt. The female guest let out muffled moans. The flickering firelight barely illuminated their entangled silhouettes, and also lit up Alex’s slightly turned face. Our eyes met for a brief moment in the dim light. His movements didn’t pause for even a second. His gaze swept over me coldly, as if I were just an irrelevant bystander, then he kissed even more deeply. I stood frozen in place, my fingertips cold. The Hunting Festival wasn’t even completely over, the victory feast was still going on, and he couldn’t wait to be here with another woman… How ridiculous. I turned around unhurriedly and walked back to the noisy center of the feast. The place in my chest that once held my heart now only felt numb. I walked to the long table with roasted meat and picked up a plate. At least I needed to eat something. Just then, a drunk warrior staggered over, his hand reeking of alcohol trying to rest on my waist. “Lily, if Alex doesn’t want you, how about you have a drink with me…” I frowned in disgust and warned coldly, “Get your paws off me.” “Oh, feisty!” He laughed lewdly and tried to move closer. I grabbed the meat-cutting knife from the long table and slapped it hard against his approaching face! “Smack!” A dull thud rang out. He screamed in pain and staggered backward, falling to the ground. I looked down at him, baring my fangs, my tone cold as ice. “That’s a warning. Touch me again and I’ll bite through your throat.” The patrolling warriors came and dragged him away. I put down the hunting knife and picked up my wine glass again. The people around me looked at me with a mix of surprise and fear. Cup after cup of wine went down. My consciousness began to blur. Near the end of the victory feast, I saw Alex’s Beta Evan walking toward me, handing me a document envelope. “Miss Lily, this is from Alpha Alex. Some cooperation projects with Evans Pack after the Hunting Festival. He said… consider it compensation.” Compensation? I laughed softly, more bitterly than the wine. At least tonight, I got something tangible. Even if it was bought with dignity and blood. I put down my wine glass and walked alone toward my car outside the camp. I thought I needed to cool down by myself. The night wind hit me and the alcohol surged. I had just reached my car and pulled open the door when I felt a sharp pain at the back of my neck and everything went black— I lost consciousness completely.

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