A two-week trip to the Caribbean had been just what I needed, the endless blue of the sea and sky slowly mending the fractures in my soul. Then the text message came, shattering the peace. It was from her. Her tone was a familiar blend of urgency and unquestionable entitlement. “My mom needs surgery. You’ve got savings, right? Get over here and pay for it.” Her words were a needle, instantly puncturing the fragile calm I’d carefully rebuilt. I stared out at the turquoise water, my fingers slowly tapping out a reply. “For something like that, you should probably ask your new husband.” My mind drifted back two weeks, to the moment I’d found the marriage certificate in her purse. The document felt like a brand against my skin. The man in the photo beside her was grinning, a dazzling, triumphant smile. And I, her boyfriend of five years, suddenly felt like a complete and utter fool. I didn’t shed a tear. I didn’t scream or demand an explanation. I just quietly zipped her purse shut, pretending I’d seen nothing. The next day, without a second thought, I booked a flight to the Caribbean, turned off my phone, and vanished from her world. 1 After sending the text, I immediately dragged Ava’s number into my block list. The screen went blessedly silent. I placed my phone face down on the arm of the deck chair, severing all ties to that other world. The salty air, thick with the unique humidity of the tropics, washed over my face. In the distance, the azure sea churned with white-capped waves, stretching to the horizon. But my world had been cleaved in two by that small, official document. The phone vibrated against the armrest, a persistent buzz against my fingertips. I didn’t need to look. I knew it was her. When her calls wouldn’t go through, she resorted to a barrage of texts. The first was a question. “Nathan, what the hell? Did you block me?” The second was pure rage. “Don’t you forget how my mom treated you! She’s lying in a hospital bed while you’re off living it up. Do you have a conscience?” The third was softer, tinged with a flicker of panic. “Nate, please, stop messing around. My mom really needs this money. I’m begging you.” I picked up the phone. The screen’s glare stung my eyes as I read the messages, and five years of memories flooded back, threatening to drown me. I remembered when we first graduated, crammed into a tiny studio apartment in the worst part of town. I’d used my first paycheck to buy her a suit for an interview. She’d hugged me so tight, her eyes shining like stars, and promised that one day she’d get me the house of my dreams. We did eventually move into a new place—a three-bedroom condo in a great neighborhood. The down payment was $200,000. I put in my entire life savings, $150,000 earned over three years of grinding. Her family scraped together the other $50,000. Both our names were on the deed. This is our home, she’d said. But that home was now the marital home she shared with another man. I remembered paying for her sister’s college tuition and living expenses. Her dad would always praise me on the phone, saying their family was blessed to have a son-in-law like me. Now, those words felt like a series of sharp slaps across my face. I wasn’t their son-in-law. I was a tool, a workhorse dutifully pumping money into their family. A convenient partner. A fool who was bankrolling their family’s financial security. A gaping hole opened in my chest, and a cold wind howled through it. I took a deep breath and called my best friend, Zack. He picked up on the first ring. “Nate, my man! The financial wizard finally decides to rejoin the living! I was starting to think some island beauty had kidnapped you.” My voice was calm, so calm it felt alien. “Zack… Ava got married.” The other end of the line went dead silent. For a full thirty seconds, there was nothing. Then Zack’s roar nearly shattered my eardrum. “She what? Who the hell did that snake marry? What about you? What the hell happened?” “The groom wasn’t me.” I gave him the short version, from finding the certificate to her text demanding surgery money. Zack exploded, a torrent of curses that would make a sailor blush. “That monster! That goddamn leech! She sucks you dry for five years, and now she wants you to pay her mom’s medical bills? The absolute nerve!” “Nathan, I’m serious, you get on the next flight back here. I’ll get some guys, and we’ll go down to that hospital and unplug her mom’s damn oxygen!” His fiery rant actually helped. The suffocating weight on my chest seemed to lift a little. “Easy, man,” I said, my own voice steady. “I’m not going to let this go.” “So what’s the plan? Don’t you dare go soft on me. Any kindness to a person like that is just cruelty to yourself.” I watched the setting sun paint the sea gold, and my gaze turned to ice. “Don’t worry. I’m not a fool.” “Five years isn’t something you can just erase with a few words.” After hanging up, I went back to my hotel room and took out my laptop. I opened an encrypted Excel file. The title read: “Shared Living Expenses.” It was a professional habit, a meticulous record of every major expenditure. Every single dollar I had spent on Ava and her family over five years was logged here, clear as day. The mortgage payments, of which I paid two-thirds. Her sister’s tuition, $15,000 a year. The $20,000 I gave them to renovate their parents’ house. Gifts and cash for holidays and birthdays, totaling over $30,000 in five years. And then there were the countless daily expenses, a dense, endless list that filled the entire screen. I calmly typed a final line at the bottom of the spreadsheet. “Grand Total: $285,750.00.” The number burned my eyes, sharp and painful. So that was what my love was worth. No. It was worthless. I closed the laptop and walked out onto the balcony. The sea breeze whipped through my hair. It was time. Time for a final, ruthless accounting of a love that was now dead. Ava’s text-bombing stopped after I blocked her. I figured she assumed I was just throwing a tantrum and that, once I cooled down, I’d come crawling back like always, ready to clean up her mess. She was so used to me giving, she saw it not as a gift, but as her due. She had miscalculated badly. The next morning, just after a refreshing dive, a call came through from an unknown number. The area code was from my city. I answered but said nothing. A familiar, sharp voice, laced with a pathetic whimper, came through the line. “Nate, son, it’s me.” It was Ava’s father. His voice sounded weary and wronged, as if he were the most injured party in the world. “What’s wrong with you, boy? We couldn’t reach you. Didn’t you know Ava’s mother is sick? How can you be so heartless?” He launched straight into accusations, not even bothering to ask why I hadn’t answered. He’d already found me guilty. I could picture him perfectly, putting on his best “I’m so disappointed in you” face, ready to pass moral judgment. I’d heard it a thousand times over the last five years. “Nate, Ava has a demanding job, you need to be more supportive.” “Nate, the family is counting on you.” “Nate, our Ava is so lucky to have found you.” It all sounded like a sick joke now. I didn’t get angry. I just held the phone, listening to his award-worthy performance. “Did you and Ava have a fight? There’s nothing a young couple can’t talk through. What’s this nonsense about running away from home? Do you have any idea how worried she is?” “Her mother is lying in a hospital waiting for money for an operation, and you’re off on vacation.” “You get yourself back here right now and pay that bill. Whatever the problem is, I’ll sort it out for you.” Every word was a poison-tipped dart, aimed at a place in my heart that used to be soft. Now, it was plated in steel. I waited until he had vented, until he had run out of steam, before I spoke. My voice was soft, but every word was crystal clear. “Sir, are you aware that Ava is married?” His tirade stopped cold, as if he’d been choked. I could hear his sharp intake of breath, followed by a dead, ringing silence. I didn’t give him time to recover. I continued, my pace steady and deliberate. “And her husband isn’t me.” That sentence was a bomb, and it detonated on the other end of the line. After a long moment, her father found his voice. It was dry and shrill. “What… What nonsense are you spouting? Which little tramp has been whispering lies in your ear?” He didn’t believe it. Or rather, he refused to. His first instinct wasn’t to question his daughter, but to attack me, the messenger. Pathetic. “You can ask your perfect daughter if I’m lying.” “I saw the marriage certificate with my own eyes. The guy in the photo is a lot better looking than me, too.” “Right now, your concern shouldn’t be whether an outsider like me is coming back to pay her bills.” “It should be whether your brand-new son-in-law is willing to foot the bill for his new family.” I finished and, without giving him another chance to speak, hung up. The dark screen reflected my emotionless face. I could only imagine his shock and rage. He would call Ava immediately. A storm was about to break within their family. And all I had to do was sit here, enjoy the sea breeze, and watch the show. Ava, this is just the beginning. You owe me. And I’m going to collect every single cent, with interest. My dignity and my money. I’m taking it all back. A friend request from a “Marcus Thorne” popped up on my social media the next afternoon. The profile picture was a guy in a flashy suit at what looked like a black-tie gala. I accepted. A message came through instantly. “Nathan? My name is Marcus Thorne.” Polite. Formal. As if we were strangers. I didn’t reply, just watched the screen. My silence didn’t seem to bother him. A second message appeared. “I know it’s presumptuous of me to contact you, but I wanted to apologize for the situation with Ava.” Apologize? That was a new one. Did he think stealing someone’s fiancée could be smoothed over with a two-word apology? “Ava told me everything. She said she tried to break up with you for a while, but you wouldn’t accept it. I understand. Five years is a long time, and it’s natural to have trouble letting go.” His wording was clever. In just a few sentences, he’d painted a picture where he was blameless. Ava had tried to end it. I was the clingy ex. And he, Marcus Thorne, was the innocent party caught in the middle. What a piece of work. I still didn’t reply, just tapped my finger on the back of my phone, enjoying his sad little one-man show. When I remained silent, Marcus finally got to the point. His tone shifted from fake sympathy to smug superiority. “To be honest, my parents weren’t thrilled about me and Ava at first. You know, our family’s situation… They felt she wasn’t from the right background.” “But Ava really loves me. She stood up to all that pressure for my sake. She told me she’s never loved anyone the way she loves me.” “She even gave me her debit card to manage for her. And the renovations on our new condo? All done exactly to my taste.” He sent a picture. It was the “home” we had planned together. The sofa I had picked out, the design blueprints I’d stayed up all night drawing, the decor I had slowly accumulated. Now, in the center of the living room in the photo, hung a massive wedding portrait of him and Ava. She was nestled in his arms, her smile radiant and sickeningly sweet. It was a declaration of ownership. A brutal, slow-twisting knife for the ex-boyfriend. An invisible hand squeezed my heart, a suffocating ache. But I showed nothing. I just looked at the photo and saved it to my phone. Marcus’s performance wasn’t over. “Nathan, I know you’re a smart guy. Ava chose me. She chose the future my family can give her. Let the past be the past.” “Dragging this out will only make things more awkward for everyone, especially you.” There it was. The final blow. Everything before this was just a warm-up. He was telling me to back off gracefully. “Oh, by the way, I heard Ava’s mom is sick? Ava’s been really worried about it.” “If you’re willing to give her the money you two saved together to help with the medical bills, I’ll consider it your severance package.” “After all, you were with her for five years. We can’t let you walk away with nothing, can we?” Severance package? Using my money as my own severance package? I actually laughed out loud. Was this guy for real? Was he that naive, or just that stupid? He must have thought I was the same pushover who did whatever Ava wanted. That he could buy me off with a pittance of my own money. I didn’t read any further. I took a long screenshot of the entire chat history. Then, I sent him my first and last reply. “Screenshotted.” After sending that one word, I blocked and deleted him. I had no interest in a war of words. It was pointless. The best way to deal with a smug idiot like him was to let him fall headfirst into the pit he’d dug for himself. And these screenshots were the first shovel of dirt I was going to throw on his grave.

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I once believed the five years Victor gave me were a testament to true love. He laid the best of the world at my feet. It wasn’t until I was holding the positive pregnancy test, bursting with joy and ready to surprise him, that I stumbled upon the truth. Everything he had done, every grand gesture, was a calculated move to help his sister steal the man I truly loved. When I confronted him, Victor offered me two choices, as if tossing scraps to a beggar: take ten million dollars and disappear forever, or pretend nothing had happened and continue to bask in the warmth of his “love.” Everyone thought I would choose the latter. After all, I had loved him so deeply. But without a moment’s hesitation, I chose the money. That’s when Victor truly panicked. He grabbed my hand, his voice cracking as he pleaded, “Zoe, why can’t you just love me one more time?” I pulled my hand away and told him, my voice calm and steady, “Victor, I don’t want you anymore. This time, I’m choosing to love myself.” 1 For thirty consecutive days, Victor had sent me extravagant, one-of-a-kind gifts. Today, he burst through the door covered in blood, cradling a single, delicate flower in his hands. I recognized it. It was the same type of flower that had been the only splash of color in our bleak world that winter we lived under a bridge. “Zoe, the flower, it bloomed again! I brought it back for you!” His face was alight with a desperate hope, as if this single blossom could erase all the darkness between us. I watched him, my expression a mask of ice. The light in his eyes slowly died. Without a word, he forced a smile, found a vase, and placed the flower on the windowsill where I often sat. I wanted to tell him that his smile was more painful to look at than any tears. Two of his bodyguards rushed in after him, their faces etched with anxiety. “Mr. Augustine, you’re injured! You need to go to the hospital, now!” A drop of blood trickled from his forehead and landed on a pristine white petal. “Zoe, I’ll wipe it off,” he said, his voice frantic. His hands were smeared with blood. I remembered that winter, how he had tried to pick one of those flowers for me then, too. He’d scratched his hands and twisted his ankle in the process. I had thought those were scars of our love. Now I knew they were just part of the act, another scene in the play designed to win my devotion. My gaze was cold. The crimson on the white petal was jarring. “Don’t bother,” I said. “Once it’s stained, it’s stained.” I turned to my housekeeper. “Mrs. Gable, throw it out.” Victor’s hand froze mid-air. His face went white as he watched Mrs. Gable take the vase and toss the flower out the window. He wanted to stop her, but he was powerless. He turned back to me, that painful smile returning. “Zoe, I’ll… I’ll come back tomorrow?” It was a placating question, an attempt to pretend this horror wasn’t happening, just as he had always done after hurting me. The once-dashing tycoon, now covered in mud and blood, looked pathetic. I sighed, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “Victor, don’t come back. I never want to see you again.” He stumbled, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body. But his guards caught him, and he managed to straighten up, that awful smile still plastered on his face. “You must be tired, Zoe. Get some rest.” Then, as if fearing another rejection, he practically fled. Mrs. Gable looked from his retreating back to me, then went outside and retrieved the flower, placing it back on the windowsill. “I don’t know what happened between you two,” she said, her tone reproachful, “but I can see that Mr. Augustine is truly sorry. He really loves you. Can’t you find it in your heart to forgive him?” I looked at her, my smile full of a weary sadness. “But, Mrs. Gable,” I whispered, “I don’t have the chance to forgive him anymore.” That very morning, I had lost my sense of taste completely. 2 Five years ago, two men stood before me, and I chose Victor. We were together for five years. At our lowest, we lived under a bridge, scavenged for food, and slept under the open sky. I was with him through poverty and despair, all the way to his triumphant return, when he reclaimed his family’s empire. For those five years, he would have given me the stars from the sky and the moon from the water. He made his devotion to me a public spectacle, a love so grand it overshadowed even the affection he had for his precious sister, Amelia. I believed it was real. Until… The day I found out I was pregnant. I rushed to find him, the test results clutched in my hand, ready to share the joyful surprise. But I found him with Amelia wrapped in his arms. “Victor,” she was saying, “Noah finally proposed! Thank you. If you hadn’t sacrificed yourself to win over Zoe, I might have waited forever for this day!” Victor stroked her hair, his smile gentle. “As long as you’re happy, my sacrifice was worth it.” A lightning bolt struck, and all the strength drained out of me. The pregnancy test slipped from my fingers, but I felt nothing. [Host, you have failed.] Years ago, I had gone against the System’s warnings and changed my mission target to him. The System had been clear: [He is not your destined one. Failure to complete the mission will result in your annihilation.] I had traversed many worlds, completed many missions. This was the first time I had ever let personal feelings interfere. “I want to make a choice for myself, just once,” I had told the System. I lost. I accept that. But… I laid a hand on my flat stomach. A new life was growing there, a life I had yearned for. “Can’t you…” [No! You know the rules!] I laughed, covering my eyes as hot tears streamed through my fingers. 3 In the private room, everyone was celebrating Amelia’s engagement and Victor’s “liberation.” “Vic, once Amelia marries into the Sterling family, Zoe will be useless. What are you going to do with her?” “Hey, how about you give her to me? I’m not ambitious. I just want a taste of the woman who could captivate Noah Sterling and keep you entertained for five years…” “Get lost!” Laughter filled the room. My tears had run dry. I looked at the people inside and pushed the door open. The room fell silent. When they saw it was me, strange, knowing smiles spread across their faces. I’d seen those smiles before, but only now did I understand their true meaning. It was the look of the wealthy elite observing a plaything they had tired of. Victor’s hand, holding a glass of wine, paused. He looked at me, his eyes devoid of emotion. “You heard?” “Yes.” “How much?” “Everything.” A brief, tense silence. Everyone looked at Victor, waiting to see how he would dispose of his “plaything.” He set his glass down, his voice cold and unfamiliar. “Two choices. One, take ten million dollars and disappear. Never show your face in front of Noah Sterling again. We go our separate ways.” “Or two…” He paused, walking over to me. He gently stroked my hair, the coldness in his eyes replaced by a deep, seductive affection. “You can choose to stay with me. We’ll pretend this never happened. I’ll continue to be good to you.” The same old tenderness, as if nothing had changed. Amelia couldn’t help but let out a sneer. “Zoe, you really are pathetic.” Everyone, including Victor, probably thought I would choose the second option. After all, I had loved him so much. I had stayed with him when he had nothing, living under a bridge for six months, surviving on instant noodles for three, ruining my health to the point that getting pregnant was a miracle. I looked at the man I had loved with all my heart for five years and managed a faint smile. I took a step back, out of the warmth of his hand, away from the embrace I had once craved. “I choose option one.” 4 The answer stunned everyone. Victor’s face changed, his hand freezing in mid-air before slowly clenching into a fist. By the time he tucked it into his pocket, his expression was once again cool and detached. I suppose it didn’t really matter to him. One plaything gone, another could be found. He was a prince, after all, his pride untouchable. “Since it’s your choice, I respect it.” I walked out of that room like a zombie. … Back at the villa, I began to put my affairs in order. That evening, Victor arrived with his friends to move his things out. “This villa was bought for you,” he said, his voice flat. “It’s yours.” I didn’t look up, just grunted in acknowledgment. He stood there for a long moment, waiting for a reaction. When he got none, he stormed upstairs, the sounds of him packing echoing through the house like angry thunder. I ignored it. I was busy writing, trying to jot everything down before my memory failed me completely. Mrs. Gable had taken care of this house for years. She was getting older and had arthritis. I would leave most of the cash to her, hoping she could live out her remaining years in comfort. My neighbor, a woman starting her own business, needed designer clothes and bags to make a good impression. She had borrowed from me before, always returning them with a small gift, her face flushed with a mixture of gratitude and embarrassment. I understood her struggle. I had been there, too. Victor had bought me countless designer items over the years, most of which I’d never even used. They would all go to her. The jewelry, I decided, would be donated to charity. I doubted Victor would object. My biggest worry was Pip. He was a stray dog we’d adopted during our time under the bridge. A scruffy mutt of indeterminate heritage, with a perpetually messy coat, a bad temper, and a comical underbite. If I was gone, what would happen to him? Who would tolerate his moods, who would love him despite his scruffy appearance? Pip and Victor had been close. I considered leaving him with Victor, but Amelia despised him. She only liked purebred show dogs and would openly kick Pip away if he got too close, even in front of me. If I were gone, all it would take was a word from her, and Victor would probably abandon him. Pip was old. How long would he survive on the streets? I stroked the fur of the dog curled at my feet. “Maybe you should come with me, Pip? At least you wouldn’t have to suffer anymore…” For a moment, I understood the mothers in the news who took their own lives and their children’s with them. I quickly pushed the horrifying thought away. I would ask my friends at the dog park. Surely one of them would take him. Lastly, I signed an organ donation form. In the end, I would leave nothing of myself behind in this world.

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1 That evening, a message popped up from the kid my mother was sponsoring. He sent a sheepish text explaining that he’d changed our Wi-Fi password when he came over to drop something off for Evelyn. He said he was just bored. He followed it up with a string of letters: CluelessOldFossil. I remembered how the Wi-Fi had suddenly cut out earlier that day, flashing a “wrong password” error. I’d asked Evelyn about it, but she just said it was probably a glitch. She was buried in her work, so I let it go. I didn’t reply to his text. That night, I had dinner with Evelyn, just like always. The next day, I changed the password again. At the morning meeting, I made a point of looking right at the kid. “By the way, the new Wi-Fi password is ‘HomeWrecker.’ Make sure you type it in right next time.” … Evelyn held it together for the entire day. The moment we got home, she exploded. “What the hell was that at the meeting this morning? Now everyone at the office thinks something is going on between me and Liam. Are you happy now?” “So you admit he was in our house while I was gone,” I said, my eyes fixed on the financial news flickering across the TV. I didn’t have to look at her to picture the storm brewing on her face. A second later, she stormed over and snapped the TV off. “Don’t forget, you’re the one who got him the job. He’s an employee, and he was here to deliver work files. What’s the big deal?” she shot back. “And what about that time on the bus? You humiliated him in public. Did you even once think about how that made me feel?” That time. I’d seen it with my own eyes: the cool, ever-composed Evelyn, squeezing onto a crowded city bus right alongside Liam. The old me would never have been able to imagine such a scene. For our anniversary last year, I’d planned a sunset bike ride. It was supposed to be romantic. Instead, she trailed me in her sports car, practically idling, watching me pedal by myself like an idiot. Finally, she’d just rolled down the window and said, “God, could you be any more cliché?” The memory soured in my mouth, and I fought to keep the rage out of my voice. “How long has it been going on between you two?” Silence stretched between us. She tilted her head back and let out a long, weary sigh. “I told you, it’s just work. Do you have to turn everything into a fight?” She paused, a cruel smirk twisting her lips. “You’re becoming more and more like your father. Always looking for trouble where there isn’t any.” My blood ran cold. Eight years ago, my mother began sponsoring Liam and his mom. My father became convinced they were having an affair. The suspicion drove him mad. He slit his wrists in the bathtub. The water turned a deep, sickening crimson, spilling over the edge to lick at my feet. It felt scalding, and my whole body shook. Evelyn rushed over when she got the call. She wrestled the blade from my hand as I tried to follow him, her arm taking the cut meant for me. She just held me, repeating over and over, “It’s okay, it’s okay…” It’s the nightmare that has haunted me my entire life. And now, she was using it to shut me up. By the time I surfaced from the memory, Evelyn was already in the bathroom. Her phone, left on the table, was open to Liam’s social media feed. She’d just liked his latest post. [Did a good deed with the boss today! She was so scared of needles she buried her face in my chest! Guess I’m the only one who’s seen her this vulnerable] The screen was a blur of flower and heart emojis, each one a weight crushing the air from my lungs. Evelyn has a severe phobia of blood. I know this better than anyone. When I was in that car accident, bleeding out, she was a perfect match. But she just stood there, watching me writhe in agony, sweat pouring down my face. She wouldn’t give a single drop. By the time the hospital found a compatible donor, I was already in the ICU. The doctor told me a few more minutes and I would have been gone. The comments section was a party. [Dude, details on the “buried her face” part?] [Her own husband almost died and she wouldn’t give him a drop of blood. How’d you manage this?] [Liam, you’re a legend!] Liam’s replies were flirty and vague, but I couldn’t really see them through the haze in my eyes. The only thing in focus was Evelyn’s thumbs-up. Her “like.” I tilted my head back, wiped the moisture from my eyes, and dialed my lawyer. “I need you to draw up divorce papers.” At 3 a.m., Evelyn shook me awake. “I just learned how to make dumplings. Get up and have some.” She dragged me into the kitchen. Flour dusted every surface, and bits of filling were scattered like confetti. It was my father’s recipe, the one he always used to recite from memory. She’d never stepped foot in the kitchen before. She used to complain about the smell of cooking oil on my clothes. Now, here she was, her face smudged with flour, her hands clumsily but intently folding the dough. The old me would have snapped a nine-photo collage for social media: [My wife made me dumplings by hand. I’m the luckiest man alive.] But now, I just fought back a yawn. “Have you ever cooked for him?” Her hands stilled. She shot me a look that screamed, Here we go again. “I made you food. I said nice things. What more do you want from me?” The next second, the bag of flour hit the floor with a soft thud. The dam inside me broke. “You let him come and go from our house as he pleases, you go with him to donate blood, everyone in the company is whispering about you two—” “Enough!” Her voice shot up, sharp and cracking. “You are my husband, Ryan, not some low-life picking fights in an alley. Look at yourself! Look at how crazy you’ve become!” She wasn’t done. “Liam comes from nothing, but he works hard and everyone at the company loves him. But you? The employees can’t stand you. Maybe you should take a look in the mirror and ask yourself why!” As she spoke, she was already typing on her phone. A notification popped up in the company-wide group chat. An official announcement firing me from my position. It took me five years to climb from an entry-level position to director. It took her one second to erase it all. “There. Are you satisfied?” she spat, yanking off her apron. “Now you won’t have to see any of this so-called ‘gossip’ from your employees anymore!” She stormed out of the house, leaving her phone on the counter. Some dark impulse made me pick it up. I opened her chat with Liam. Liam: [Did the trick I taught you work? Even the most stubborn old fossil can be tamed, right? ;)] Evelyn: [Haha, not so sure it’ll work on Ryan.] So, the dumplings were his idea. And she agreed with him. I was the stubborn, old fossil. Evelyn didn’t come home that night. Instead, she appeared in a live photo on Liam’s social media feed. Two shadowy figures, tangled together in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of her CEO office. The sound of a kiss, just for a second, was a knife twisting in my ear. The comments flooded in. [Is the boss getting a new husband?] [Finally! Maybe we can get rid of that old fossil for good. Things will be so much better at work!] She had to have known he was filming. She had to. She wanted me to see it. She wanted me to know that without the title of ‘Evelyn’s husband,’ I was nothing. No one would respect me. I had no right to question her. I would end up just like my father. My hand trembled as I liked the post. I went back to our bedroom, opened a suitcase, and started packing. The framed photo of us on the nightstand went straight into the trash. I was done. I was done with all of it. I sat awake until the early hours of the morning, when the email from my lawyer finally arrived. The divorce papers. I opened the file, signed my name without a moment’s hesitation, and asked him to have a physical copy delivered. I don’t know how long she’d been standing there, but suddenly Evelyn was behind me, a confused frown on her face. “Who’s getting a divorce?” “A friend,” I said, my voice flat, my expression unmoving. The tension instantly drained from her shoulders. She let out a knowing little laugh. “I figured,” she said. “Your father is dead. Your mother is drowning in debt from a lifetime of charity, needing her son’s wife just to pay her hospital bills. What right could you possibly have to ask for a divorce? I was worried for nothing.” Every word was a razor blade slicing me open. I said nothing. Her tone softened slightly. “As long as you play the part of my husband and stop with these baseless suspicions, I can give you anything you want.” She turned to leave, tossing one last comment over her shoulder. “The company’s promotion ceremony is tomorrow. It wouldn’t look right if you didn’t go.” For a split second, my heart fluttered. A foolish, desperate part of me fantasized that she was going to acknowledge my five years of hard work. I stayed up all night preparing a speech. I tried on the custom-tailored suit she had bought for me. The next day, the banquet hall was buzzing, glasses clinking. I stepped inside, and the condescending stares that met me wiped the practiced smile right off my face. Up on the brightly lit stage, Evelyn personally announced Liam as the new director. My replacement. “Oh, good, you’re here,” she said, her eyes finding me in the crowd. Her tone was casual, breezy. “If Liam has any questions moving forward, you can help him out. You’ll have plenty of free time at home, might as well do something useful.” A wave of snickers rippled through the room. The whispers found their way to my ears. “Looks like we were right. There’s no place for him at the company anymore.” “Not just the company. I bet there won’t be a place for him in the family for much longer either.” “He used to be Mr. Walker, Director Walker, throwing his weight around. Now look at him. He’s nothing! Ha!” … Evelyn heard them. She had to have heard them. She didn’t say a word to defend me. She stepped down from the stage and leaned in close, her voice a low murmur. “This promotion was Liam’s birthday wish. I had to make it happen.” “Besides,” she added, “you won’t have to work so hard anymore. Isn’t it better to just stay home?” She asked it so matter-of-factly, so certain I would just nod and agree. “But I…” But I poured my soul into this for five years to get to this point. She didn’t have the patience to hear me finish. She was already turning away, taking Liam by the arm to introduce him to industry executives, to all the important players. Just like she used to do with me. But that was then. She handed my project proposals to Liam, coaching him line by line on how to handle the executives’ toughest questions. The whole thing was a grotesque farce. I couldn’t stand it for another second. As I turned to leave, Liam’s voice stopped me. “Ryan,” he said, grabbing my arm, his grip deliberately tight. “You’re not mad at me for taking your job, are you? Please don’t hate me.” The innocent, grateful boy my mother had sponsored was gone. In his place was this… thing, his eyes glinting with provocation. I looked down, a bitter laugh escaping my lips, then met his gaze. “My mother sponsored you, paid for your college, supported you and your mom. It wasn’t so you could steal my wife.” The smile on Liam’s face froze for an instant, then returned, wider and uglier. “Well, may the best man win.” With that, he let out a sharp cry and stumbled backward, collapsing right into Evelyn’s arms. “Evelyn,” he whimpered, “seeing Ryan… it’s bringing back all the nightmares from college.” His voice broke. “His mother… she took advantage of me! She used the sponsorship as an excuse to…” The room erupted. Every head turned, every pair of eyes stared at me, filled with shock and disgust. My nerves screamed. My voice rose an octave. “What are you talking about? My mom would never do something like that!” Liam just clung to Evelyn, trembling like a frightened child. “I was always too scared to say anything,” he sobbed. “But now that Ryan’s not at the company anymore… I finally feel safe enough to tell the truth…” Evelyn’s head snapped up. Her eyes were chips of ice. I stared at her, my brow furrowed in disbelief. “You believe him?” Her gaze was venomous. “Your mother,” she said, each word a hammer blow, “knows exactly what she did.” And just like that, it was fact. In the eyes of everyone there, my mother was a predator. And I was her son. “Using charity as a cover for that? What kind of monster does that?” “And him? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” “No wonder he was always going after Liam. He was afraid the truth would come out!” “To think someone like that was working right beside us. It’s terrifying.” The faces around me twisted into ugly masks. The accusations rained down. I shook my head, helpless. “No, you’re wrong. My mom would never…” I lunged for Liam, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “Tell them! Tell them the truth! My mom gave up everything for you! She went without new clothes, she worked while she was sick, just so you could go to college!” A hand shoved me back. It was Evelyn, her face a cold, hard mask of fury. “How dare you threaten him to change his story?” she snarled. “Liam is a good, honest person. Why would he ever lie about something that shames him like this? I think you’re just angry you got caught!” Right there, in front of everyone, she pulled out her phone and called the hospital. “Stop all payments for my husband’s mother’s care, effective immediately. A person like that doesn’t deserve to live.” My world collapsed. Wine glasses and pieces of cake flew through the air, pelting me. The words “predator’s son” echoed from all sides. “His mother doesn’t deserve to live, and neither does he!” “Just go die already!” Fists and palms rained down on my face. They spat on me. Someone slashed my cheek with a broken piece of a glass. Through the chaos, Evelyn started to move toward me, but Liam let out a sudden cry of pain. “My head… it hurts so much! I think… I think I see him coming for me…” Without a second thought, Evelyn had someone hoist Liam up and rush him to the hospital. The shouts and curses around me faded into a dull roar. All I could see was my mother’s face, her expression of anguish when she heard the lie. Amid the kicks and punches, I fumbled for my phone, desperately dialing the hospital. The voice on the other end was calm, clinical. “Mr. Walker, I’m very sorry for your loss. Your mother received several abusive phone calls a short while ago. Her heart gave out. She passed away moments ago.” The fight drained out of me. I went limp, letting the blows fall where they may. The voice on the phone said to “take care,” but I couldn’t shed a single tear. I don’t know how much time passed. The crowd eventually dispersed. My phone rang. It was Evelyn. “I’ve sent some money to your mother’s account. She won’t die just yet. As for the truth, we’ll let the police handle it.” Her voice was tired. “I think you’ve caused enough trouble. Stay home and think about what you’ve done. I won’t be back for three days.” “Okay,” I whispered into the phone. After hanging up, I deleted her number. I deleted everything. I went home, picked up my packed suitcase, and placed the signed divorce papers on the coffee table. I said goodbye to the home I had lived in for nearly ten years. One last stop. I picked up my mother’s ashes from the hospital and boarded a flight that night. Evelyn, this is goodbye. For good. Three days later, Evelyn came home carrying groceries and a bouquet of fresh flowers. The moment she pushed open the door, she froze.

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I’m eight months pregnant as I push open the bedroom door. My husband Francis is rolling around on our marital bed with another woman. The floor is littered with torn clothes and used condoms. I rush forward like a madwoman, trying to pull them apart. Francis backhands me with a slap, sending me sprawling. He slowly puts on his bathrobe and looks down at me condescendingly. “Chloe, you’re just a stand-in I bought with money. You really think you’re Mrs. Carter? I’ll fuck whoever I want. Make another scene and get the hell out.” The woman on the bed walks over with a coquettish laugh and kicks me in the stomach. “Mr. Carter says the bastard in your belly doesn’t deserve the Carter name.” The pain makes cold sweat pour down my face. I tumble down the stairs and stop breathing in a pool of blood. When I open my eyes again, I’m back at the moment before pushing open the master bedroom door. Hearing the moans coming from inside, I don’t open the door. I turn and go downstairs, call a welder, and have the master bedroom door welded shut. Then I dial the police station. “I’m reporting illegal prostitution at my house. The scene is extremely perverted.”

The moans and sounds of bodies colliding continue endlessly inside the door. I stand in the hallway, my stomach churning. The excruciating pain from my previous life seems to linger in my abdomen. I touch my protruding belly and take a deep breath before turning downstairs. Half an hour later, two welders carrying equipment stand outside the master bedroom door. “You really want it welded shut?” The welder looks at this expensive solid wood double door with some hesitation. I hand over two stacks of cash. “Weld even the door cracks shut. Add two layers of steel bars.” “You got it!” The welding machine emits a piercing roar. Dazzling sparks scatter through the hallway. The pungent smell of burning instantly fills the air. Inside the room, they finally sense something’s wrong. “What’s going on out there?!” Francis’s irritated voice comes through the door. Then comes the sound of the handle being violently twisted. “Chloe! Are you out there making trouble?” “Open this door!” I pull over a chair and sit steadily outside the door. I watch as the welder finishes welding the last steel bar to the door frame. “Francis, don’t you like playing in there?” “Today I’ll let you play to your heart’s content.” My tone is calm, without a hint of emotion. The door shakes violently from being kicked. “Have you lost your mind! You dare lock me in?” “When I get out, I’ll kill you!” The woman next to him also starts screaming. “Mr. Carter, I’m so scared. Is this woman mentally ill?” I let out a cold laugh and take out my phone. “Officer, yes, the address is Villa A in the Seaside Villa District.” “Come quickly. They’re organizing illegal prostitution inside.” Ten minutes later, five fully equipped police officers rush up to the second floor. “Who called the police?” The lead officer looks at the welded door and freezes. “Officer, I made the report.” “This house is my marital home under my name.” “My husband is illegally soliciting prostitutes inside.” The police exchange glances. “Listen up, people inside! This is the police! Open the door immediately!” Inside the room goes instantly quiet. A few seconds later, Francis’s exasperated voice comes through. “Chloe, you dare call the police? Are you tired of living!” The police look at the steel bars on the door and directly call in the fire department. Hydraulic cutters sever the freshly welded steel bars, and the door is forced open. A foul, fishy smell hits them in the face. Francis is naked, clutching a towel in front of him. The woman is even more terrified, curled up in the sheets trembling. “Don’t move! Put on your clothes and stand against the wall!” The police raise their body cameras. Francis’s face turns ashen as he points at my nose and curses. “Chloe, you’ve got nerve! You dare bring people to arrest me?” “What the hell are you! How dare you meddle in my business?” I walk forward and slap him across the face. The crisp sound of the slap echoes through the room. Francis’s head snaps to the side, half his face instantly swelling and turning red. “You dare hit me?” His eyes widen as he raises his hand to strike back. Two officers immediately step forward and pin him to the ground. “Stay still! You dare assault someone in front of police?” Francis is pressed firmly to the ground, his face against a condom on the floor. He gags in disgust. The woman wraps herself in the sheets, crying pitifully. “Officer, I’m his girlfriend. We’re in a normal relationship.” I throw a stack of photos in her face. “Normal relationship? Lester, last month you were detained for illegal prostitution and drug dealing at a nightclub. Should I pull up the records?” Lester’s face turns deathly pale, unable to say a word. The police pick up the photos from the ground, take one look, and pull out handcuffs. “Take them away! Back to the station for investigation!” Francis is handcuffed and struggles desperately. “Chloe! You wait!” “You’re just a cheap stand-in I bought for Austin!” “When I get out, I’ll make sure you leave with nothing! I’ll make the bastard in your belly die without a trace!” I look at his wretched state and smile slightly. “Sure, I’ll wait.” “Enjoy your time, Mr. Carter.”

At the city police station, I sit in the mediation room drinking warm water. The door is suddenly pushed open. Francis’s mother, Aurora, storms in on high heels with an imposing air. Her well-maintained face is full of fury. Seeing me, she pulls out a check from her bag and throws it in my face. “Chloe, haven’t you caused enough trouble?” “One million. Go tell the police right now it was a misunderstanding.” “Francis is the heir to Carter Group. He can’t have a criminal record!” The check floats lightly to the ground. I don’t even glance at it. “Aurora, soliciting prostitutes is illegal.” “The police caught him in the act. How do you expect me to change my statement?” Aurora crosses her arms, her eyes full of contempt. “Stop acting high and mighty. If you didn’t look somewhat like Austin, would Francis have married you?” “You’re just a poor girl from an orphanage. Being able to marry Francis is incredible luck.” “What’s wrong with men having a few lovers? Don’t you have any tolerance?” I stand up and look directly into her eyes. “He brought a call girl to my marital bed and had sex with her in front of my eight-month pregnant belly. This is your Carter family upbringing?” Aurora chokes on her words and becomes furious with embarrassment. “Don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!” “I’ve investigated you. That grandmother of yours with kidney failure is still lying in the hospital, right?” “Believe it or not, with one word from me, I can have the hospital stop her medication and throw her out on the street to die?” I look at her condescending face and suddenly laugh. I take out my phone and open a video. In the video, my grandmother is lying in a VIP room at a top private hospital with a dedicated caregiver. “I’m very sorry, Aurora.” “Just an hour ago, I transferred my grandmother to another hospital.” “That hospital is foreign-controlled. Your Carter family’s reach doesn’t extend that far.” Aurora’s face stiffens. “Where did you get the money?” I put away my phone. “That’s none of your concern.” “I’m officially notifying you now that I want a divorce from Francis.” “Have him prepare the property division agreement.” Aurora acts like she’s heard the biggest joke and bursts out laughing. “Divorce? Divide property?” “Chloe, are you still asleep?” “Francis did a prenuptial property notarization. Even if you divorce, you’ll leave with nothing!” “The child in your belly won’t be recognized by the Carter family either!” I nod. “Perfect if you don’t recognize it. I also find your Carter family genes dirty. As for property, I’ll see you in court.” I walk past her and head straight out. Passing the detention room, I see Francis behind the iron bars. He’s wearing a prison uniform, his hair disheveled, no longer showing any trace of the dignity of a wealthy young master. Seeing me, he rushes to the iron railing with a twisted expression. “Chloe! Get my mom to bail me out!” “The food in here isn’t fit for humans!” “If you just get me out, I’ll forgive your unreasonable behavior!” Unreasonable behavior? I stop and look at him coldly. “Francis, soliciting prostitutes carries a detention of ten to fifteen days.” “Enjoy your stay.” “Oh, and remember to exercise more so Lester on the outside won’t think you’re weak.” Francis curses furiously. “Bitch! You dare curse me!” “When Austin comes back, I’m divorcing you immediately!” “You won’t get a single penny!” I ignore his ranting and leave the police station. The sunlight outside is somewhat blinding. I touch the child in my belly. Baby, Mommy will take you away from this cesspool.

Back at the so-called marital villa. The air still seems to carry that disgusting smell. I immediately call a moving company. “Send ten trucks. Bring large garbage bags.” Two hours later, dozens of workers flood into the villa. “Boss, what should we move?” I point at everything in the master bedroom. “The bed, mattress, carpet, men’s clothes in the closet—throw it all away.” “Also all of Francis’s personal items in the study. Don’t leave a single thing.” The workers move efficiently. The custom-made bed worth a million is dismantled into eight pieces. Francis’s expensive custom suits and limited edition sneakers are all stuffed into black garbage bags. They fill five large trucks. “Boss, where should we take these things?” I give the foreman an address. “The scrap recycling station in the west part of the city.” “Tell the manager these things are free. He can dispose of them however he wants.” Looking at the empty room, I feel extremely satisfied. Next, I contact a real estate agent. “This villa—list it at twenty percent below market value for urgent sale.” “Full payment required. The faster, the better.” Although Francis bought this house, he added my name after we registered our marriage. According to the law, I have half the disposal rights. After handling all this, I move into the large flat I bought long ago. I purchased this with my premarital savings and money I earned over the past two years. Francis always thought I was just a housewife depending on him. He had no idea I’m a top-tier financial analyst. Over these three years, using an anonymous identity in the stock market, I earned more money than Carter Group’s annual net profit. Three days later, the agent calls. The house sold. Twenty million in full payment, already transferred to my overseas account. Just then, the doorbell rings. I glance at the monitor. It’s Lester. She’s wearing a revealing camisole dress and sunglasses, standing arrogantly outside the door. I open the door. Lester pushes her way in and looks around. “Well, Chloe, your new place is nice.” “How much hush money did you take from Mr. Carter to afford this kind of house?” I look at her coldly. “What are you doing here?” Lester takes off her sunglasses and smugly touches her flat stomach. “I’m here to inform you that I’m pregnant.” “With Mr. Carter’s child.” “Aurora already promised me that if I give birth to a boy, she’ll give me fifty million.” “The money-losing girl in your big belly—the Carter family doesn’t care about it at all.” I look at her smug face and find it hilarious. “Is that so? Then you should go to the Carter family for money. Why are you looking for me?” Lester leans close to me and lowers her voice. “Mr. Carter says your pregnant body is out of shape, like a sow.” “He gets disgusted just looking at you.” “Be smart and get lost. Give up the position of Mrs. Carter.” Without hesitation, I slap her across the face. “Smack!” Lester screams and covers her face. “You dare hit me? I’m carrying the Carter family’s child!” I backhand another slap. “I’m hitting you, you shameless bitch.” “You think Francis is something good?” “He can even call his own flesh and blood a bastard. You think he’ll care about that piece of meat in your belly?” Lester becomes frantic and lunges at me with bared teeth and claws. “I’ll fight you!” I sidestep and stick out my foot to trip her. She falls heavily to the ground, groaning in pain. I walk over and step on her back. “By the way, let me remind you.” “Francis has severe oligospermia. I only succeeded with this pregnancy after three IVF attempts.” “Whose bastard is really in your belly—you know in your heart.” Lester’s face changes drastically, her eyes shifting evasively. I take out my phone and play the recording I just made. “I’m here to inform you that I’m pregnant… with Mr. Carter’s child…” Lester panics. “You recorded that? Delete it now!” I kick her away. “Delete it? This is evidence you delivered to my doorstep.” Right in front of her, I send the recording to the Carter family group chat and the Carter Group executive group chat. “Get out.” Lester scrambles away on all fours.

When his detention period ends, Francis is released. He immediately rushes back to the villa, only to find the gate locked. Through the windows, he sees the place is completely empty—even the floors have been pried up. He frantically calls me. “Chloe! What did you do to the house? Where are my things?” I sit on the sofa in my large flat, drinking bird’s nest soup. “Garbage naturally goes to the dump.” “I’ve already sold the house. The money is in my account.” The sound of things being smashed comes from the other end of the phone. “You dare sell my house? That’s robbery!” “Give me the money back immediately! Otherwise I’ll call the police and have you arrested!” I laugh lightly. “Go ahead and report it.” “I have half ownership of the house. My sale was legal.” “You’d better worry about your company’s stock price first.” I hang up. Carter Group’s stock price has hit the daily limit down for three consecutive days due to news about Francis’s prostitution and drug use. Market capitalization has evaporated by nearly ten billion. Half an hour later, Francis finds my large flat and kicks the door. “Chloe! Open up!” I open the door. He charges in like an enraged lion. “What the hell do you want?” “Playing hard to get has limits!” “You think making a big scene will make me look at you more?” I throw the divorce agreement I prepared earlier in his face. “Sign it.” Francis sees the words clearly, his face turning ashen. He tears up the agreement. Paper scraps scatter everywhere. “Divorce? Dream on!” “You haven’t finished your duties as a stand-in. What right do you have to ask for divorce?” “You think after leaving me, you can still live this kind of luxurious life?” Just then, his phone rings. The screen flashes with “Austin.” Francis’s expression instantly becomes incredibly tender. He answers the phone, his voice so gentle it could drip water. “Austin, you’ve landed?” “Okay, I’ll send a car to pick you up right away.” “Don’t be afraid. With me here, no one can bully you.” After hanging up, Francis looks at me, his eyes cold again. “Did you hear? Austin is back.” “Your job as a stand-in is over.” “After the child is born, hand it directly to Austin to raise.” “She’s in poor health and can’t bear children. Consider this child your compensation to her.” I look at his matter-of-fact expression and feel utterly disgusted. “My child—why should I give it to her?” Francis snorts coldly. “Why? Because you’re a waste living off the Carter family!” “You’re just a breeding tool.” “Being able to raise a child for Austin is your honor.” I point at the door. “Get out.” Francis straightens his suit and arrogantly raises his chin. “You’d better behave.” “There’s a charity gala tomorrow night. You must attend with me.” “To prove to the public that rumors of our marital discord are false.” “Otherwise, I have a hundred ways to make your life worse than death.” I watch his departing back. A charity gala? Fine. I’ll prepare a gift you’ll never forget.

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I’ve been married to Alpha Connor for five years, yet he’s never marked me. For five years, he’s had an endless parade of mistresses. When he caught us in bed together yet again, Connor finally showed some reaction. Only this time, it was me lying naked in bed. Soon enough, he regained his composure and even thoughtfully tore open a condom for me. “I told you from the start we’d each do our own thing after marriage. Glad you finally listened.” Then he smiled as he tore open the condom and handed it to the man on top of me: “Be careful not to get her pregnant.” As he left, he even patiently reminded me: “I’ll be right next door. Have fun, and if you need any pointers on technique, feel free to ask anytime.” Watching his carefree retreating figure, I lowered my head. This five-year marriage needed to end. “Luna Clara, should we continue?” The man on the bed looked at me, his eyes seemingly filled with pity. I awkwardly got out of bed and stiffly pulled on my clothes, my heart sour and bitter. I took out a stack of cash and handed it to him. “I don’t want a fourth person knowing about tonight.” When I came out of the room, Connor was waiting in the hallway with his arm around his mistress Yvette, looking at me with a mocking smile. “I thought you’d finally grown a spine, but turns out this is all you’ve got?” I froze and looked up at him. Connor laughed. “Clara, since we agreed not to interfere with each other, even if you actually had sex with someone else, I would never make a scene and cause a commotion like you do. Don’t worry, I’m very generous.” These words made my breath catch. Yes. He was indeed generous. In a situation like earlier, even if it was just an act, no wolf would say something so casually like Connor just did. It was simply because he didn’t care. He didn’t care about me, so nothing I did would stir any waves in his heart. Between us, I was always the one who couldn’t be generous enough. That’s why five years ago, when I first discovered him having sex with someone else, I showed a completely different reaction than his current one. I smashed everything I could, cried hysterically, acted like a madwoman. But Connor showed no excess emotion from beginning to end. He just quietly watched me and sighed: “Clara, if it weren’t for your father being the Alpha of Ironpaw pack, we never would have gotten married.” “We’re just a political alliance between Dubois pack and Ironpaw pack. Why make such a spectacle of yourself?” I felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on me instantly. My heart went completely cold. Connor would never understand how I felt at that moment, just like he didn’t know I’d had a crush on him since childhood. Because I liked him, even when I met my fated mate at eighteen, I told him I had feelings for someone else and broke the mate bond. He would never know that when I learned he was my arranged marriage partner, my heart soared like it was flying on clouds. Because he said we were just a political alliance, I, his wife in name only, no longer had the right to even question his later scandals. After bringing a mistress home to have sex one time, Connor told me: “I’m not marking you because I don’t want to be bound by the mate bond. That’s also why I broke up with my fated mate. I still want to have sex with many women. Of course, you can also find other men to sleep with. We’re just a political alliance. We can each do our own thing.” Facing one instance after another of catching him in bed with others, I gradually evolved from hysteria to calm, and finally to numb. Like now, though I was still sad, I could finally calmly accept the fact that our marriage was coming to an end. I looked at Connor, gathered my composure, and mimicked his manner, curving my lips into a smile. “Sorry for the poor performance.” Connor froze, looking somewhat confused, unable to read me for the first time. But Yvette, standing beside him, laughed out loud and said coquettishly, “Connor, how can you say that to Luna Clara?” “She went through all that trouble to strip naked and throw herself into another man’s arms just to get your attention, to make you jealous! How can she save face after what you just said?” She pushed Connor toward me and poked his chest. “You should comfort her! Look, Luna Clara is about to cry.” Hearing this, Connor glanced at me and smiled carelessly. “It’s just a political alliance. I have no obligation to comfort anyone.” “Deal with your own emotions. If you don’t want to embarrass yourself again, don’t do such laughable stupid things in the future.” He pulled Yvette’s slender waist back into his embrace. “I promised to spend tonight with you. How could I break my word?” After speaking, he didn’t bother looking at me again and turned to enter the room. The moment the door closed, Yvette glanced back at me, her eyes filled with undisguised triumph and provocation. Soon, intimate sounds began. It seemed like they wouldn’t stop until her voice was hoarse. They knew I hadn’t left, and I knew they were doing it on purpose. I don’t know how long I stood outside the door until both legs went completely numb before I stumbled home and called my lawyer. “Draft a divorce agreement for me. Get it to me as soon as possible.” Since Connor kept saying it was a political alliance, it shouldn’t matter if I changed alliance partners. After all, which Alpha I married for political reasons was all the same, wasn’t it?

This time Connor disappeared longer than ever before. He was nowhere to be seen for nearly half a month, but Yvette’s social media updates appeared on time every night. Auctions, banquets, various elite social gatherings—even the private island where I had my honeymoon was now graced with her presence. Yvette truly deserved to be Connor’s longest-standing mistress. She always knew exactly how to hurt me. Rather than showing off, this was more like provocation. But unfortunately, she would be disappointed this time. Since I had already decided to let go completely, I wouldn’t waste emotions on Connor anymore. Just as I closed my phone to rest, a message from Yvette popped up. “I’ve prepared a gift for you. Hope you like it.” It was followed by a trending topic link. The moment I clicked it, I felt like someone had stepped on my face. [Dubois Pack’s Luna Clara Cheats During Marriage, Secret Late-Night Meeting with Lover!] Under the explosive headline were dozens of intimate photos from that night, showing my grief-stricken face and red-rimmed eyes. But my restraint and sadness were completely twisted in the netizens’ mouths into filthy, unspeakable words. The comment section was flooded with unbearable insults directed at me. I scrolled through them one by one, shaking with anger. I was clearly the victim in this marriage, yet the real betrayer remained unscathed while I became the slut condemned by everyone. I finally calmed down and tried to get the trending topic removed, but they told me someone had paid a premium to keep this news on the front page for a full day and night. After hanging up, I felt like I’d fallen into an ice cellar. Yvette didn’t have that kind of power. The person backing her up, wanting to destroy my reputation, was Connor. I racked my brains but couldn’t understand why he hated me so much. Five years of marriage, even if it was hollow, the feelings I had for him weren’t fake. My care and concern for him weren’t fake. Even if Connor had no feelings for me, there was no need to disgust me like this. Fortunately, I soon learned his answer. At the evening banquet the next afternoon, Connor and I attended together. Because I hadn’t slept all night, I had a minor incident driving there and arrived a bit late. The banquet hall was very noisy, but I still spotted Connor immediately. He was surrounded by a group of wolves, with a woman leaning against him like she had no bones. Who else but Yvette? I was about to walk over when I heard his conversation with friends. “Connor, I saw the trending topic! I never thought you’d be the one getting cheated on. Clara’s really something!” “That’s what you get for stealing women from me. How’s that karma treating you?” Someone teased: “Come on! You always brag about your experience. Can’t you even see this? Those photos on the trending topic clearly show nothing real happened! Clara was obviously just putting on a show to win him back!” “But Connor, don’t you think you went too far this time? Keeping it at the top of trending and letting people criticize and insult Clara—she’s still a woman. How can she show her face in public after this?” Hearing this, Connor leisurely picked up his wine glass, a mocking smile curving his lips. “How else will she learn her lesson? I want her to never dare find a lover again, even if it’s just an act.” The person said in surprise: “You can have endless mistresses yourself, so why restrict Clara from finding lovers! Don’t tell me that ‘each do our own thing, don’t interfere with each other’ line you always spout only applies to others and not yourself?” Connor frowned and said nothing. “You’re pretty slick. You don’t fulfill your duties as a husband but demand she fulfill her duties as a wife. And because of your ‘don’t interfere with each other’ line, she doesn’t even have the right to be jealous or angry!” “As your buddy, I really envy you. Unlike me—my wife caused a scene at my company last month. I lost all face!” “Hey, how about this—when I get back, I’ll make the same agreement with my wife. Just like you, we’ll each do our own thing and not interfere. What do you think?” This time Connor laughed outright. “Don’t. You absolutely shouldn’t say that. If you do, just wait for your wife to break the mate bond and divorce you.” “My situation is different from yours. After all, Clara likes me.” His tone seemed both proud and teasing, but all the blood in my body instantly turned cold. So he knew I liked him.

Because I liked him, he could trample me without restraint, stepping on my dignity and letting his mistresses trample on it freely. All these years of suffering were simply because he knew I liked him. How ridiculous. Their conversation continued. “My God! Connor, you’re such a bastard!” “But since Clara is devoted to you and you have no intention of divorcing her, why did you arrange for her to lose your baby when she was pregnant?” Hearing this, I instantly froze in place. He was right. I had once been pregnant with Connor’s child. But at three months, there was an accident. On my way home, I was suddenly attacked by a group of Rogues. I was injured. When I barely escaped and got to the hospital, the baby couldn’t be saved. Not only that, but the doctor announced on the spot that my body was damaged and I likely wouldn’t be able to get pregnant again. What a coincidence—the wolf doctor who performed my abortion was Yvette. When I came out of the operating room, Connor showed me something like heartache for the first time. He walked over and hugged me, his tone rarely gentle. “It’s okay. If the baby’s gone, it’s gone. As long as you’re fine.” I naively thought I had touched his heart back then. Now it seemed there was another story behind it. Connor’s friend continued talking: “The doctor said Clara’s situation was indeed dangerous, but with proper care, the baby might have been saved. But you went ahead and secretly sent her into the operating room without telling her, and the abortion left her with health problems.” “I really don’t know what you were thinking. Connor, can you tell me?” Hearing this, Connor’s expression became complicated. Whether annoyed or something else, he lit a cigarette, squinted as he took a drag, and said irritably: “What else could it be? At the time, I hadn’t had enough fun yet. I didn’t want to be a father so early!” “Besides, Clara getting pregnant with my child was just trying to use it to control me. Our packs are just a political alliance. If a child affected the core interests of our Dubois pack, wouldn’t that be counterproductive?” “Damaging her body wasn’t my intention. I’ll compensate her later. And don’t mention this again. If she finds out, she’ll probably make a fuss again.” Hearing this, I couldn’t control my trembling. Overwhelming and desperate emotions nearly swallowed me whole. When I came to my senses, I had already walked in front of Connor. With my appearance, the scene became so quiet only breathing could be heard. In this situation, even Connor couldn’t stay calm. A flash of panic crossed his eyes. He glanced at me somewhat guiltily and coughed lightly. “Since you’re here, come sit.” I didn’t move or speak. The atmosphere became extremely awkward. Seeing me like this, Connor felt embarrassed and frowned. I knew this was a sign he was about to get angry. I used to fear his anger most, but now I just silently took out the divorce agreement I had prepared and placed it in front of him. “Connor, I don’t know when you’ll have had enough fun, but I don’t want to play along anymore. Sign this divorce agreement. After this, you can play however you want. I won’t interfere anymore, and I’ll never try to use a child to affect your Dubois pack’s core interests.” “Let’s end things here.”

Connor stared at the document in front of him, his expression extremely ugly. After a long while, he looked at me with a cold laugh. “Threatening me?” I smiled bitterly. “If that’s what you think, then sure.” He looked at me, dangerously narrowing his eyes, his tone somewhere between threatening and pressuring. “I’ll ask you one last time. You really want to divorce me?” I nodded without hesitation. Seeing this, the watching friends exchanged glances and couldn’t help but try to persuade me, but my attitude showed no sign of yielding. Connor had never lost face like this before. He immediately signed his name on the divorce agreement like it was spite, looked at me coldly, and said through gritted teeth: “Clara, you’ve got guts. Don’t come crying back to me!” I ignored him, took the agreement, and turned to leave. Not long after I walked out, their conversation reached my ears again. This time Connor’s friends were betting on how long it would take before I came back to him and begged. Everyone chimed in, getting more excited. Finally, Connor concluded: “Stop guessing. Three days at most. She’ll definitely come crying back begging me not to divorce.” Hearing this, I curved my lips in mockery. I was afraid he would be disappointed this time. Not only would I not go to him with my head down, I would make him lose all face! I tolerated him before only because I liked him, but now, there was no need to endure anymore. So after getting home, I immediately contacted the media, extracted surveillance footage of Connor messing around with numerous mistresses from our home security system, and posted it online. The most explosive footage was undoubtedly him and Yvette. I copied his approach exactly, letting this news hang on trending for a full day and night. Public opinion completely reversed. This time, they became the targets of everyone’s condemnation. During this time, Connor kept calling, but I hung up every single time without exception. See? The knife only hurts when it cuts your own flesh. They should also experience what it feels like to be condemned by everyone. But what I didn’t expect was that a few days later, the hospital called. “This is bad, Luna Clara. Your mother’s condition suddenly relapsed. She needs surgery immediately!” My mother had been poisoned by wolfsbane years ago. Though the poison was later cured, it left her body damaged. She’d been bedridden for years. Three months ago she had just finished surgery and her health had slightly improved. I never expected something to happen at this critical moment. Even more unfortunately, my father wasn’t around. He had recently gone abroad to handle business matters and couldn’t return anytime soon. When I rushed to the hospital, the doctor explained the situation to me. “Luna Clara, the lesion has begun to spread. This surgery requires extreme precision, but your mother’s previous attending physician went abroad to study half a month ago. It seems only his student, Dr. Yvette, can try. The situation is urgent. You need to decide quickly.” Hearing this, I felt like I’d been hit with a club. But right now, compared to my mother’s life, what was my dignity worth? Before I could find her, Yvette came to find me first. Connor stood beside her. When they saw me, neither looked pleased. After I explained the situation. Yvette said: “Clara, the stunt you pulled online almost cost me my job. Now you want me to help you. Shouldn’t you apologize first?” I said, “What do you want me to do?” Yvette glanced at me and said with undisguised malice: “Unless you kneel down and beg me now, I might consider it.” Hearing this, my eyes widened and I instinctively looked at Connor standing beside her. But Connor said: “When you’re asking someone for help, you should have the right attitude. Whether to save your mother or not is up to you.” With these words, the hope in my heart completely shattered. For my mother’s sake, I could only throw my dignity on the ground for others to trample. The moment my knees hit the ground, I heard Yvette’s undisguised mocking laughter. A moment later, my mother was sent into the operating room. After an agonizing wait, the light finally went out. Yvette walked out with two nurses. I rushed forward to ask about the situation, but she shook her head and said: “I did my best, but your mother’s fate was sealed. There was nothing I could do.” A nearby nurse whispered: “That’s not true. If you hadn’t… if you hadn’t been distracted during the surgery, the patient wouldn’t have…” She couldn’t continue. Hearing this, my mind went completely blank. When I came to my senses, my hand had already landed heavily across Yvette’s face. “You did it on purpose! Yvette! You did it on purpose, didn’t you!” Seeing me like this, a flash of heartache crossed Connor’s eyes. He reached out his hand toward me, about to say something, but when Yvette started crying, he changed his tune. “Clara, no surgery is one hundred percent successful. Yvette is a doctor. Why make her sound so terrible?” “Your mother had been ill for a long time. This might be a relief for her. You should thank Yvette, not be so aggressive like this.” In this moment, my heart completely died. Over the next half month, I handled my mother’s funeral and completely bid farewell to this disgusting place. The moment I boarded the plane. An explosive news story appeared on the homepage. [Alliance Between Ironpaw Pack and Dubois Pack Terminated, May Form Alliance with Ashclaw Pack Instead!] At the same time, Connor was awakened from his sleep by an urgent phone call!

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The entire Moonclaw Pack knew that Alex loved me. When I was twenty years old, I was captured by vicious rogues. Alex ventured alone into the terrifying forbidden forest to rescue me. I thought I’d never meet anyone who loved me more than he did, not even a so-called fated mate. So we got together. In his younger days, he was wild and had many lovers. I knew this. During our first few years together, women constantly tried to seduce him. But those women would vanish the next day, as if they’d evaporated from existence. I thought I was the only one in his heart. But I was wrong. Before our Mark ceremony, Chloe appeared at Alex’s side. On her first day, Alex participated in a death match at the underground fight ring, all because Chloe wanted the necklace offered as a prize. On her seventh day, they slept together. On her twentieth day, he brought her back to what was supposed to be our home. So I decided to cancel my union with Alex and marry his brother instead—the former Alpha of Moonclaw Pack.

Lily POV This morning, Alex told me he was hosting a barbecue party with his friends. So today I left work early to help Alex entertain his friends. But when I reached the garden, I only saw a barbecue grill with no one around. Looking a bit further, I saw Alex pressed on top of a woman, their moans piercing my ears with each gust of evening breeze. My breath hitched. I strode over quickly. Then I violently flipped over the entire barbecue grill. “Ahhh—!” The searing coals scattered across the cobblestone ground with shrill screams. I watched as Alex whipped around, using his entire back to shield the woman, blocking most of the flying sparks. In that instant, my heart felt like someone had viciously squeezed it. He would actually protect her like this. “Chloe, are you okay?” His tone was so gentle it nearly made me sick. The woman called Chloe trembled as she grabbed his reddened, burned arm, sobbing softly. “I’m fine. But you… does it hurt?” I laughed coldly. “Stop acting. Get out.” Chloe’s face went pale as she shrank back. But Alex stepped in front of her, looking 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 cold expression before. I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white. “In your dreams.” I ground out the words through gritted teeth, then turned and walked toward the house. The moment the door closed behind me, I could no longer pretend to be unaffected. Tears fell. I never imagined he could be so gentle with someone else. He betrayed me, yet demanded an apology from me. And I had to witness it today, in our home. I knew he’d been getting close to that woman recently. But she was just an Omega working as a waitress. I thought he was just fooling around. But I was dead wrong. He brought her home, right in front of me. He probably didn’t expect I’d accidentally discover them. Of course he didn’t expect it. He’d hidden it so well. Maybe his refusal to Mark me was precisely for this reason. He didn’t want to remain faithful to our relationship. I collapsed onto the bed that once belonged to both of us, tears dropping onto the pillow. I don’t know how much time passed before I was violently pulled from the bed and thrown onto the floor. Looking up, I saw Alex’s cold face. His shirt still bore traces of coal burns on the back, though the wounds had already healed. “What are you doing?” I asked hoarsely. He didn’t answer, just grabbed my shoulder. “The coals burned her just now. With such a serious wound, an Omega like her can’t guarantee it’ll heal on its own.” I froze, then laughed. The sound was particularly jarring in the quiet room. “So what? Are you going to burn me back now?” He was silent for a long time before sighing. “Lily, why do you have to target her? I promise you, in a month I’ll still become your mate. But for what happened today, you must make amends to her.” “Alex—” Before I could finish, I felt a sharp, searing pain in my shoulder! He actually burned me with a piece of coal he’d gotten from somewhere, its heat still lingering! I gasped for breath, the pain making my vision go black. I nearly laughed up blood. “You want me to apologize? Screw you!” His expression turned completely grim. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Think about your Pack. Think about your broken father. Now answer me—will you apologize or not?” I felt thunderstruck, tears instantly blurring 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. After my mother died, my father was devastated and never recovered. He no longer dealt with pack matters, and no longer had the ability to, because his wolf suffered every moment from the pain of losing his mate. A pack without an Alpha could hardly resist erosion by those with ambition. Even though I tried hard to maintain everything, to become the new leader, I couldn’t do it. That’s why I was here. Alex was the Alpha of the world’s most powerful Moonclaw Pack. My pack needed Moonclaw Pack’s protection. Fortunately, Alex loved me. At least that’s what I used to believe. A complex emotion flashed through his eyes. His tone softened, though it remained cold. “Lily, Chloe is different from you. She’s a poor Omega who’s been looked down on since childhood. You have things she never had. Why must you argue with her?” “So,” my voice trembled, “I should give her my man too?” He paused, avoiding my gaze. “No matter what I do this month, you’ll still be my mate. The Luna position will always be yours.” I closed my eyes, feeling dead inside. The burning pain in my shoulder intertwined with the coldness in my heart. “Fine. I’ll apologize.” He dragged me downstairs to the living room. Chloe was already waiting there, wearing my silk robe that she’d found somewhere. I lunged forward, trying to tear the robe off her. “That’s mine!” But Alex blocked me, his tone impatient. “It’s just a piece of clothing. I’ll buy you a new one. Hurry up and apologize!” His large hand gripped the back of my neck with force that nearly suffocated me. Only when I squeezed out “I’m sorry” through gritted teeth to Chloe did he finally release me with satisfaction. Watching the relieved smile at the corner of his mouth, my heart felt torn to shreds—a hundred times more painful than the burn on my shoulder. If he were my enemy, I would have bitten through his throat. But he wasn’t. He was my lover. And I still needed to rely on him to protect my pack. I thought this terrible farce had finally ended. But the next day, his people escorted me to the Pack medical center. He didn’t even look at me, just said to the doctor: “Take her in.” The cold operating table, the blinding surgical lights, the doctor expressionlessly preparing instruments, the needle gleaming with cold light. Before I fully understood what was happening, I heard him outside the door, speaking in the casual tone one might use to discuss the weather— “Chloe is very upset about the scar on her shoulder. Use your skin for her regeneration treatment.” The anesthetic needle pierced my skin with a sharp pain. I struggled in horror, but was held down firmly. Before I could resist or cry out, my consciousness rapidly sank into endless darkness. When I woke up, the white ceiling made me dizzy. Alex’s beta Evan quickly came forward to help me up. “Lily, you’re awake? Thank god. I’ll get the doctor.” Beta Evan hurried off to find someone, leaving his phone on a nearby stool. The screen was lit, and a conversation in the chat group between Alex and several of his close friends popped up. “Alex, what’s going on with you and Chloe? Are you really not going to be with Lily anymore? Your Mark ceremony is in a month.” “I didn’t say I wouldn’t. But this is the first time I’ve met someone like Chloe. She’s really sweet, really innocent. I feel soft every time I see her.” “Then what about Lily? She can’t tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes.” “Don’t worry. Her Pack is falling apart right now and needs my protection. She won’t leave me.” I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. The cold metal edges dug painfully into my palm. In that moment, the last trace of hope and doubt lingering in my heart was finally shattered by these naked words. 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 the number of Alex’s mother. “Eleanor,” my voice sounded unnaturally calm, “I don’t want to marry Alex anymore.” Eleanor on the other end anxiously inquired. I answered softly, each word clear and terrifying. “No, I’m not refusing the union with Moonclaw Pack.” “I just… want to change the person.” “I want to become mates with Alex’s brother—Sebastian Sterling.”

Lily POV I knew that my Evans Pack was currently in a precarious position. If I lost Moonclaw Pack’s protection, those loan shark rogues would be the first to rush in and kill us all. But Eleanor didn’t only have Alex as a son. As long as I married into Moonclaw Pack, no matter who the partner was, Evans Pack could get a chance to breathe. Moreover, Alex’s brother Sebastian was the previous Alpha. However, during a hunt, he was ambushed and poisoned with something even witches were helpless against. His wolf was sealed, and he became extremely weak. On the other end of the phone, Eleanor’s voice carried surprise and hesitation. “Lily, you… have you thought this through? I know what Alex has done recently has hurt you, but the poison in Sebastian… if he Marks you, you might be affected by the poison too.” I closed my eyes, my voice calm. “Lady Eleanor, you know me. I’ve never been a magnanimous person. Since Alex likes that woman so much, I might as well fulfill their wishes.” I thought for a moment and added, “Besides, you should know my bloodline is pure enough. Maybe the final result will be that Sebastian’s poison gets cured.” I couldn’t guarantee this plan would be completely successful. But what if? My mother once said she had Lycan blood, though I didn’t know if it was true or not. My father used to be a powerful Alpha. My wolf was strong enough too. Marking a sufficiently powerful mate could always bring benefits. I believed Eleanor wanted Sebastian to recover more than anyone, not just because Sebastian was her son. But also because Alex wasn’t a responsible, qualified Alpha—he only knew how to sleep with women. Eleanor on the other end hesitated before finally agreeing. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t try to persuade you otherwise.” After hanging up, I stared at the white hospital ceiling, feeling hollow inside. Just then, Evan came in with two nurses to change my dressing. No matter how strong a werewolf’s healing ability was, having a piece of skin removed still required time to recover. If treatment was neglected and infection occurred, healing would be even slower. The two nurses chatted while working. “Hey, that Omega in the next room is so lucky. It’s just a tiny wound from the skin graft, but Alpha Alex had all the doctors from the medical center go see her.” “Yeah, making such a big fuss. Said he was worried about her wound getting infected.” I sat on the bed, listening to those casual remarks, and actually laughed. So Alex knew wound infections were dangerous. He just didn’t care about me. I couldn’t help but think of a year ago, when Alex and I were still deeply in love. I got a minor injury during a hunt. At that time, Alex did the same thing. He brought in all the doctors from the medical center, looking tense, as if I had suffered some life-threatening injury. I found it both funny and sweet then. But now, he gave the same tenderness to another woman. Back then I thought it was ridiculous but also touching. Now he was giving that same gentleness to another woman. After the nurses left, beta Evan seemed like he wanted to say something. I raised my hand to stop him. “Don’t bother. You can go. My injury isn’t serious. I don’t need care.” He hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying softly, “Then get some rest.” After I was alone in the hospital room, I braced myself against the bed and slowly stood up. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet, making my steps unsteady. I had just reached the bathroom door when I heard Evan’s voice in the hallway: “Alpha Alex, shouldn’t you go see Lily? She’s all alone, it’s kind of pitiful…” “What’s pitiful about her?” Alex’s voice was very impatient. “Chloe is the victim. She’s the perpetrator. What’s happening to her now is what she deserves.” I froze in place, my chest feeling tight. The next second, I pushed open the bathroom door and locked it behind me. I didn’t want to hear another word from him. I suddenly remembered the night I fell in love with Alex. I had gone to an upscale nightclub to meet a strange Alpha, hoping to find aid for my Pack. That bastard actually had the audacity to slip his hand under my skirt. I angrily threw my drink in his face. Just as the guy grabbed my hair and was about to hit me, Alex appeared. Without a word, he pressed the man to the ground, his fists pounding down again and again, so viciously it frightened me, but also made my heart race. From that day on, I accepted Alex’s help and obtained the promise of protection from Moonclaw Pack that he represented. And I secretly decided in my heart that I was willing to give everything for this man. I knew he liked “pure” women. So I changed my style of dress, my makeup, my way of speaking. I became the “model of gentleness” in everyone’s eyes, became what he liked. Only when I saw Chloe did I finally understand. He didn’t like me. What he liked was that “fragility” that could stir his compassion. No matter how much I imitated it, I was only pretending. But her—she was naturally like that. Thinking of this, I laughed. Laughed at myself for diving headfirst into a trap I knew was there. Since it was like this, letting go was fine too. At least this time, I was the one who said goodbye first.

Lily POV On the seventh day at the medical center, he finally called. “How long are you going to keep this up? It was just one treatment. Are you planning to stay at the medical center forever? Chloe’s already gone home. When are you planning to come back?” I leaned against the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling and laughing coldly. “Home? Alex, that’s not my home anymore.” The other end went quiet for a moment. His tone seemed to soften slightly. “Lily, stop making a scene, okay? That’s your home, and our future home.” I had no interest in listening to his high-sounding lies and simply hung up the phone. But the next second, the screen lit up again. “Lily, you hung up on me?!” The anger in his voice nearly burst through the receiver. “Is there anything else? I need to sleep.” I was too lazy to deal with him. “If you dare hang up, I’ll withdraw all aid promises.” He said this through gritted teeth. The smile on my face instantly vanished. “Alex,” I said coldly, “you’re threatening me with this again? Are you addicted to it?” Silence for a few seconds. “It’s because you won’t talk to me properly.” I took a deep breath, suppressing my rising anger. “What do you want?” “There’s a charity gala the day after tomorrow. I’ll send you an invitation.” He said, “You must come. Consider it… my compensation to you.” The word “compensation” coming from his mouth was ironic. But I knew now wasn’t the time to tear off the facade. My Pack was teetering on the edge. Once he reneged on his aid promise, everything would be over. At least for now, Alex was still the Alpha. But I swore, after Sebastian and I held the Mark ceremony, he wouldn’t be anymore! So I answered, “I understand. Can I hang up now?” He wanted to say something else, but Chloe’s soft voice came through the phone. He quickly hung up. I watched the screen go dark, a hint of self-mockery on my lips, then turned off my phone. Two days later, Alex had someone deliver a gown to the medical center. The moment I opened the box, I froze. It was a white gauze dress—gentle, pure, respectable. Exactly the “look” Alex liked. I picked up scissors and cut it to shreds without hesitation, throwing the pieces in the trash. Then I made a call and had someone send over a red strapless gown. Confident, bold, sexy—that was me. After applying heavy makeup, I smiled at myself in the mirror. During those years with Alex, my clothes were always muted colors, my makeup so light it was nearly transparent. But I never liked muted colors, and I never liked pretending to be docile. Since I’d already decided to leave him, I didn’t need to pretend anymore. The charity gala venue was brilliantly lit. The moment I entered, I felt countless gazes focus on me. That kind of attention gave me a long-lost sense of satisfaction. After all, no one had seen me look like this. “Isn’t that Lily? Why is she dressed like that?” I heard someone’s surprised voice. The moment Alex turned around, I saw him visibly freeze. I smirked, raised my champagne glass, and toasted him from afar. His face darkened a few shades. Someone nearby teased, “Did you two break up? Does that mean I can pursue her now?” Alex laughed coldly. “She and I haven’t broken up. She’s probably jealous that I’ve been too close to Chloe lately, so she’s dressed like this to win me back.” Win him back? I laughed softly, the sound more bitter than wine. He continued socializing with others while I held my glass, drinking one after another. Until someone approached me, a hand reeking of alcohol trying to rest on my shoulder. I frowned in disgust and warned coldly, “Back off.” But the man grinned lewdly and still tried to touch me. I grabbed a wine bottle from the table and smashed it hard against his shoulder. The sound of shattering glass was deafening. He screamed and fell to the ground. I looked down at him, bared my fangs, my tone as cold as ice. “That’s a warning. Touch me again and I’ll bite through your throat!” The security warriors came and dragged him away. I picked up another glass of wine and continued mingling. Glass after glass went down, and my consciousness began to blur. I staggered toward the restroom, but just as I entered, I heard ambiguous panting sounds. That sound—I recognized it immediately. Alex. I froze in place, my fingertips going cold. For my “compensation,” he specifically called me here, yet turned around to embrace another woman. How absurd. I calmly washed my hands. The face in the mirror with red lips and heavy makeup looked cold and unfamiliar. The place in my chest that once held feelings now felt only numb. As the charity gala was ending, I finally understood his real purpose in calling me here. A thick stack of cooperation agreements sat on the table—all projects I wanted. At least tonight, I got what I wanted. “Wait for me at the parking garage,” I told the driver. I walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement level. The elevator doors opened. I had just stepped out when everything went black— I lost consciousness completely.

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In the third year of my marriage to Adrian, I accidentally saw him having sex with my adopted sister on the home security footage. Their voices came through the monitor loud and clear: “When are you finally going to divorce that woman? I’m tired of sneaking around.” Adrian stroked her hair, his eyes carrying a coldness and calculation I had never seen before: “Soon. Her sense of smell is already deteriorating. Once she can’t smell a thing, can’t write new formulas, and has no value left to exploit, I’ll divorce her.” So the bowl of nutrient solution he personally handed me every night never held affection—it held chronic poison. I let out a cold laugh and immediately activated “Project Abyss”—a top-secret program that would make my social identity completely dead. Seven days left, and I would disappear forever. But before I disappeared, I was going to take back everything they owed me. Sophia POV “Sophia, your application for the Abyss Project has been approved. It’s a completely isolated twenty-year undersea research project. Once you enter, you’ll be declared legally dead to the outside world. All contact will be cut. You have fifteen days to back out.” The director’s voice was mechanical and cold. My fingers gripping the phone went white, but my voice stayed calm. “I won’t back out. I’ll report on time in fifteen days.” I hung up, set the phone face-down on the table, and looked up at myself in the mirror. Pale face. Eyes heavy with exhaustion. I was an internationally renowned perfumer. And the wife of billionaire Adrian Blackwell, CEO of Blackwell Corporation. We’d been married for three years. In everyone’s eyes, I was the luckiest woman alive. Adrian showered me with affection. No matter how busy, he always came home for dinner. He treated me like I was made of glass. Click. The villa’s front door opened. Adrian walked in wearing a custom-tailored suit, carrying my favorite mousse cake from that boutique downtown, bringing in a wave of cold air. When he saw me standing in the living room, his sharp features instantly softened. He strode forward and pulled me into his embrace. “Sophia, why are you standing here dressed so lightly? You’ll catch cold.” His voice was low and tender, filled with concern. I didn’t return his embrace as usual, but stood stiffly, letting him hold me. Adrian noticed nothing wrong. He pulled me onto the sofa and opened the cake box like it was a gift. “Try it. I had Mary make you some herbal tonic. You’ve been having insomnia. Drink this and sleep well.” Mary, our maid, brought over a steaming bowl and set it on the table. The tonic was dark and smelled faintly of herbs. I stared at that bowl of tonic, my stomach suddenly churning. I shoved Adrian away and rushed to the bathroom, dry heaving. Adrian hurried after me, patting my back while asking anxiously. “What’s wrong? Is your stomach bothering you? I’ll call the doctor right away!” “No need.” I turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on my face, using the sound to hide the tremor in my voice. “Probably just something I ate.” I raised my head, looking through the mirror at the man standing behind me. The concern in his eyes seemed so genuine. So genuine that if I hadn’t received that medical report today, I would have been kept in the dark forever. This afternoon, I’d gone to the hospital for a comprehensive toxicology screening. The report showed that a rare chronic neurotoxin had been accumulating in my body for an extended period. This toxin was colorless and odorless, slowly destroying one’s olfactory nerves, eventually leading to complete loss of smell and even mental breakdown. And the source of this toxin was precisely the “herbal tonic” that Adrian insisted I drink every single day without fail. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Adrian took a towel and gently wiped the water from my face. “You look terrible. I’ll take you to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow.” “Okay.” I lowered my eyes, hiding the despair and coldness in them. Back in the living room, Adrian picked up the now-lukewarm bowl of tonic and held it to my lips, his eyes tender enough to drown in. “Be good, drink your tonic. You’ll feel better after drinking it.” I looked at his long fingers, my heart twisting like a knife. I’d loved Adrian for ten years, been married to him for three. I thought I was his salvation, never imagining I was just meat on his chopping block. I took the bowl, tilted my head back, and in front of him, drained that bowl of poisoned tonic in one gulp. The poison slid down my throat, burning my internal organs. Adrian smiled with satisfaction, bowing his head to plant a light kiss on my forehead. “Good girl. Get some rest early. I need to handle some documents in the study.” Watching his retreating figure as he went upstairs, I bit my lip hard until I tasted blood. Fifteen days. Adrian, in fifteen days, I’ll return this life to you, along with all your false affections.

Sophia POV Late at night, the villa was silent. After Adrian fell asleep, I quietly got up and went to the study. I installed a micro camera in the most concealed corner of the bookshelf, the lens pointed directly at Adrian’s desk. After finishing, I returned to the bedroom and lay down beside Adrian. The man habitually pulled me into his arms, chin resting on the top of my head, breathing evenly. I kept my eyes open until dawn. The next day, after Adrian left for the company, I claimed I wasn’t feeling well and stayed home. I opened my laptop and connected to the study’s surveillance feed. At ten in the morning, the study door opened. The person who entered wasn’t Mary the maid, but Vivian. Vivian was the adopted daughter of the Sterling family, and nominally my sister. She wore a flamboyant red dress and high heels, walking straight to Adrian’s desk and opening his computer with practiced ease. Before long, the door opened again. Adrian had returned. In the surveillance footage, Adrian showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he locked the door behind him. Vivian draped herself over him like a boneless cat, hooking her arms around his neck and pouting. “Adrian, didn’t you say you had a morning meeting? How’d you get back so fast?” Adrian naturally wrapped his arm around her waist, lowering his head to kiss her lips, his voice husky. “I missed you, so I came back.” The two kissed shamelessly in the room, the image so piercing I could barely breathe. I stared at the screen, nails digging deep into my palms. When the kiss ended, Vivian leaned against Adrian, playing with his tie, her tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. “When are you finally going to divorce that woman? I’m tired of sneaking around.” Adrian gently stroked her hair, his eyes holding a coldness and calculation I’d never seen before. “Soon. Her sense of smell is already deteriorating. Once she completely loses it and can’t create new formulas, I’ll have her committed to a psychiatric hospital. Then everything from Sterling Enterprises, plus all those top-secret core formula patents in her hands, will be yours.” Vivian’s eyes lit up. “Really? What about that ‘First Snow’ formula she’s been developing…” “Already copied to your flash drive.” Adrian pulled out a silver flash drive from his drawer and handed it to Vivian. “Next week’s International Perfume Competition. This will be your entry. I’ll pave the way for everything, make you a legitimate master perfumer.” Vivian excitedly took the flash drive, standing on tiptoe to kiss Adrian’s cheek. “Adrian, you’re so good to me! But… what if Sophia finds out?” “Finds out?” Adrian laughed coldly, his tone contemptuous. “She’s like an idiot now, completely obedient to me. So what if she finds out? She’s been drinking that tonic for so long, her nerves are already damaged. Who’s going to believe what a crazy person says?” In front of the screen, my whole body turned ice cold, as if I’d fallen into a frozen lake. So that was it. All his tenderness and consideration over these three years. It was all for Vivian. He not only wanted to destroy my career, but also my body, and even drive me insane! The love I took such pride in was nothing but a premeditated slaughter. I shut down the laptop. I didn’t cry or make a scene. My tears had already dried up last night. I pulled out my phone, looking at the countdown on the calendar. Fourteen days left. I stood up, walked to my vanity, and removed the expensive jewelry Adrian had given me piece by piece, throwing them in the trash. Since he wanted my formulas, wanted my life, then before I left, I’d play a good game with them.

Sophia POV Three days later, the Sterling family manor hosted a banquet. I walked into the hall in a black dress, my expression cold. The hall was filled with laughter and conversation. My biological parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, were gathered around Vivian, their faces full of affection. “Vivian is really making something of herself. She’ll definitely win first place at this International Perfume Competition!” Mrs. Sterling held Vivian’s hand, smiling from ear to ear. Vivian lowered her head with false modesty. “I just got lucky. Don’t praise me. Sophia is the real genius perfumer. My entry ‘First Snow’ was actually inspired by her previous work.” “What kind of genius is she!” Mr. Sterling snorted coldly, glancing at me with disgust as I entered. “Always with that sour face, like someone owes her millions. Nothing like you, considerate and sensible. If she had even half your talent, I’d thank the heavens!” I stood there, listening to my biological father’s degradation, feeling nothing inside. It had always been like this. Ever since Vivian was adopted, I became the Sterling family’s unwanted child. No matter how hard I worked, how excellent I became, in their eyes I could never match a single word of Vivian’s sweet talk. Adrian came downstairs, naturally walking to my side, putting his arm around my shoulders, smoothing things over. “Mr. Sterling, Sophia hasn’t been feeling well lately. Please don’t scold her.” He turned to look at me, his eyes so tender they seemed ready to drip water. “Sophia, why so late? Your hands are freezing.” I calmly avoided his touch, walked to the sofa and sat down, looking directly at Vivian. “You said your competition entry is called ‘First Snow’?” I caught a flash of guilt in Vivian’s eyes, but backed by Adrian’s support, she forced herself to remain calm. “Yes, Sophia. Why?” “Nothing.” I coldly curved my lips. “Just thought the name sounded familiar. If I remember correctly, this is a top-secret formula I started conceptualizing six months ago and locked in my laboratory safe.” The moment I spoke, the hall fell silent. Vivian’s face paled, her eyes instantly reddening as she looked at Adrian with grievance. “Adrian, Sophia… how can she slander me like this? This is clearly a formula I stayed up several nights to create!” Mrs. Sterling immediately stepped protectively in front of Vivian, pointing at me and cursing. “Sophia, have you no shame! You can’t write anything yourself because your inspiration’s dried up, so you’re jealous of Vivian? On what basis are you claiming Vivian’s hard work as yours!” “Whether it’s mine or not, checking the lab surveillance and computer records will tell us.” My tone was calm but each word hit hard. Adrian frowned slightly, stepping forward to stand between Vivian and me. He pulled out a stack of printed documents from his pocket and handed them to Mr. Sterling. “Mr. Sterling, these are Vivian’s creative drafts and timestamped records. Three months ago, Vivian had already completed the initial draft of ‘First Snow.’ And the records in Sophia’s lab were only created yesterday.” Adrian looked at me with pained, disappointed eyes. “I know you’ve been stressed lately, Sophia. But you can’t steal Vivian’s work just because you can’t come up with your own formulas. And then blame her for it.” I looked at the forged evidence in his hands and laughed. A cold, mocking laugh. He didn’t just steal my formula. He altered the timestamps and made me look like the thief. Slap! A resounding slap struck hard across my face. Mr. Sterling trembled with rage, pointing at me and roaring. “You shameless thing! Apologize to Vivian right now!” The blow made my head turn to the side, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of my mouth. I didn’t cover my face or defend myself. I just looked at this group of people with the gaze one reserves for the dead. “Fine, I’ll apologize.” I wiped the blood from my mouth, my voice cold as ice. “Vivian, I hope you win worldwide fame with my formula.” With that, I turned and strode out of Sterling Manor. I didn’t look back, but I knew that to them, the words of someone they considered mentally unstable and crazy wouldn’t matter at all.

Sophia POV My sense of smell was fading at a terrifying rate. A nose that could once easily distinguish the subtle differences between thousands of fragrances could now only detect the faintest bitter note even from the most potent rose essence. I knew the toxin had invaded my central nervous system. That evening, Adrian walked into the bedroom carrying a bowl of steaming soup. “Sophia, get up and have some soup.” He sat on the edge of the bed, helping me sit up, his movements gentle as if handling a fragile treasure. I leaned against the headboard, staring at the bowl of soup with vacant eyes. No scent. I couldn’t smell anything anymore. Adrian scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it, and held it to my lips. I didn’t open my mouth, just quietly looked at him. “Adrian, what exactly have you been making me drink every day?” Adrian’s hand paused slightly, then he smiled without changing expression. “Nutritious soup, of course. You’ve gotten too thin. The doctor said you need more nutrition.” “Is that so?” I suddenly reached out and knocked the soup bowl from his hand. The scalding liquid splashed onto Adrian’s hand, instantly turning it red. He shot to his feet, his expression darkening. “Sophia Sterling, what the hell is wrong with you!” “What’s wrong with me?” I laughed coldly, my eyes sharp as knives. “Adrian, do you dare drink this soup yourself? Do you dare tell me why my sense of smell is disappearing day by day!” Adrian’s pupils contracted sharply. He stared at me, seemingly assessing how much I actually knew. After a moment, he suddenly smiled. That smile tore away his mask of pretense, revealing cruel fangs beneath. “Since you already know, there’s no need for me to keep pretending.” Adrian methodically pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the soup from his hand. “That’s right, I’ve been poisoning you. Who told you to occupy the position of my wife while hoarding Sterling Enterprises’ core formula patents and refusing to hand them over?” He leaned forward, gripping my chin with force that nearly crushed my bones. “Sophia, you’re too smart and too proud. Only by destroying your pride will you obediently listen.” I was forced to raise my head, looking at this face I’d once loved to my bones, feeling nothing but revulsion. “Don’t even think about getting the rest of my formulas.” I said through gritted teeth. “Oh really?” Adrian snorted coldly and flung me aside. He turned and walked to the door, coldly instructing the guards outside. “Sophia is having a schizophrenic episode with severe self-harm tendencies. From today on, she cannot leave this room without my permission. Seal all the windows. Except for meal delivery, no one is allowed to visit.” The door slammed shut heavily, the sound of the lock clicking echoing especially harsh in the empty room. I was completely imprisoned. There wasn’t a trace of light in the room. All communication devices had been confiscated. I was like a trapped beast in a dark cage, unable to make any contact with the outside world. But I didn’t break down. I felt my way to the bed in the darkness, reaching under a loose floorboard to retrieve a palm-sized backup phone. This was the escape route I’d hidden long ago. I turned it on. The screen’s faint light illuminated my pale face. I skillfully dialed a complex encrypted number. “Abyss Project Headquarters. Ms. Sterling, how may we assist you?” My voice was terrifyingly calm. “My situation has changed. I’m requesting early evacuation.” “Received. Evacuation protocol initiated. Countdown: seven days. You must maintain stable vital signs and await extraction.” I hung up and hid the phone again. Seven days. Adrian, Vivian. What you owe me, I’ll collect every single debt over these seven days.

Sophia POV On the third day of my confinement, an uninvited guest came to the villa. Vivian wore a haute couture suit and arrogant high heels, walking into my room flanked by guards. The room was dark and damp. I was curled up on the corner sofa, hair disheveled, face pale as paper. Seeing my wretched state, Vivian let out a triumphant laugh. “Well, well, if it isn’t our high-and-mighty genius perfumer Sophia. How come you’re hiding here like a stray dog now?” I didn’t even lift my eyelids, treating her like thin air. This disregard completely enraged Vivian. She grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. “Don’t act so high and mighty! You think you’re still the Sterling heiress? Let me tell you something. Adrian already transferred every share of Sterling Enterprises to my name. You’re nothing now!” My scalp screamed, but I just stared at her. “Sleep well at night, knowing you took what’s not yours?” “Not mine?” Vivian cackled. “Sophia Sterling, don’t you get it yet? Adrian was never after you. He came for your family’s formula patents. He’s never loved you. The only woman he’s ever loved is me.” She let go, wiped her hands, and walked to the cabinet. Inside sat my mother’s only set of vintage perfumes. The last things she left before she died. “These broken bottles you worship like treasures? Just garbage.” I saw a flash of malice in Vivian’s eyes. She suddenly swept her hand across the display, sending all the perfume bottles crashing to the floor. Expensive glass shattered everywhere, rich fragrance instantly filling the entire room. This was my mother’s life’s work, my last connection to her in this world. “Vivian!” My eyes blazed with fury as I lunged forward, trying to stop her. But Vivian was prepared. Not only didn’t she dodge, she rushed toward me. Blood immediately gushed out. “Help! Sophia’s trying to kill me!” Vivian collapsed on the floor, screaming shrilly. The door was kicked open violently. Adrian burst in. Seeing Vivian lying in a pool of blood, his eyes filled with rage. He strode forward and kicked me flying. I slammed hard into the wall. It felt like all my internal organs had shifted. My throat sweetened as I coughed up blood. “Adrian, it hurts so much… Sophia’s gone crazy, she tried to kill me…” Vivian hid in Adrian’s arms, crying pitifully. Adrian tenderly lifted Vivian, then turned to look at me like I was already dead. “Sophia Sterling, you’re evil to the core! Vivian came to check on you out of kindness, and you tried to kill her!” I leaned against the wall, looking at this vicious pair, and suddenly burst into laughter. I laughed until tears came, laughed until my heart was torn apart. “Adrian, are you blind? She clearly cut herself!” “Enough!” Adrian roared, cutting me off. “You lunatic, nothing but lies! Since you love hurting people so much, those hands are useless anyway!” He set Vivian down, walked toward me step by step, and without mercy raised his leather shoe, stomping hard on my right hand. The hand I used for perfume creation. Crack. The sound of breaking bones rang clearly through the room. The pain shot from my fingers to my heart. My whole body convulsed, but I bit my lip hard and didn’t let out a single scream. I stared at Adrian, carving his twisted face deep into my bones. Adrian, that stomp severed the last thread of feeling between us.

Sophia POV With a shattered right hand, I received no medical treatment. Instead, Adrian had me transferred overnight to a secretive private psychiatric hospital. “Mr. Blackwell instructed that Ms. Sterling suffers from severe mania and persecution delusions, requiring mandatory treatment measures.” In the cold hospital room, a white-coated doctor emotionlessly read Adrian’s orders. I was roughly strapped to a frigid treatment bed, my limbs secured tightly with reinforced leather restraints. My right hand was swollen like a purple-red loaf of bread, every breath accompanied by excruciating pain. “What are you planning to do?” I looked at them coldly, my voice hoarse but eerily calm. The doctor didn’t answer, just waved his hand. Two nurses approached and attached cold electrode pads to my temples. “Begin electroshock therapy. Set voltage to maximum.” As the switch was flipped, a powerful current instantly surged through my brain. Indescribable agony blanked my mind completely, my body convulsing violently beyond my control. The restraints cut into my flesh, drawing blood. I bit my lip hard until my mouth filled with the thick taste of blood, but I never begged for mercy. Once, twice, three times… I don’t know how long it lasted before the electroshock finally stopped. I lay there like a dying fish, gasping for air, my body soaked in cold sweat, lacking even the strength to move a finger. “Ms. Sterling, Mr. Blackwell said that as long as you sign this equity transfer agreement and core formula authorization, you can suffer less.” The doctor held out a document before my eyes. I weakly opened my eyes, looking at that document, a mocking smile curving my lips. So this was his ultimate goal. Drain every last drop of use from me, then let me die like a madwoman in this sunless place. “I’ll… sign.” I forced out those words with difficulty. Surprise flashed in the doctor’s eyes, seemingly not expecting me to surrender so quickly. He unfastened my right hand restraint and shoved a pen into my hand. Enduring the agony of shattered bones, I used that nearly useless right hand to sign my name crookedly on the document. The moment I finished signing, it felt like all my strength had been drained. I collapsed limply on the bed. The doctor left with satisfaction, document in hand. The hospital room returned to deathly silence. I closed my eyes, silently calculating the time in my mind. Three days until the final deadline for the “Abyss Project” evacuation. Adrian, you think you’ve won? What you took is just garbage I don’t want. And I’ll let you taste what it’s like to fall from heaven to hell at your moment of greatest triumph. Over the next two days, I became abnormally quiet. I no longer resisted, no longer spoke. Like a true puppet with its soul extracted, I let the doctors and nurses do as they pleased. My compliance gradually made the psychiatric hospital guards lower their vigilance. Deep in the night, I used an extremely small blade hidden under my tongue to slowly cut through the leather restraints on my wrists. This was my last chance. I couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Sophia POV Evacuation countdown. Final day. Adrian came to the psychiatric hospital. A rare visit. He wore a perfectly tailored silver-gray suit. His hair was immaculate. He looked like a victor. Like a man who had already won everything. Tomorrow was Vivian’s global launch for her perfume brand, “First Snow.” And the celebration banquet for Blackwell Corporation’s complete takeover of the Sterling family assets. The hospital room door opened. Adrian looked down at me sitting in a wheelchair. I wore an oversized hospital gown, thin as a skeleton. My once vibrant face was now pale as paper, eyes vacant and dull, right hand hanging limply at my side like a lifeless rag doll. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but he quickly suppressed any extraneous emotion. “Sophia.” He walked over, crouched down, and tried to take my hand. I didn’t dodge, just looked at him woodenly, as if looking at a stranger. “Tomorrow is Vivian’s launch event. Once everything settles, I’ll bring you home.” Adrian’s voice was soft, carrying a false tenderness. “I’ll find you the best doctors, heal your hand, cure your illness. We’ll start over, okay?” Start over? I laughed coldly inside. Grind me into the mud, drain my blood, then condescend to say “start over”? I slowly raised my head, pretending those dead eyes suddenly held a flicker of light. I looked at Adrian, the corners of my mouth curving into an extremely faint smile. “Okay.” My voice was hoarse like sandpaper scraping. “I’ll wait for you… to take me home.” That word, that smile. It seemed to instantly relax Adrian’s tense nerves. He thought I’d finally accepted my fate, finally been completely tamed by him. “Good girl.” He satisfactorily reached out to stroke my hair. “After tomorrow, you’ll still be the distinguished CEO’s wife.” Adrian stood and turned to leave. He walked so decisively, steps light, never looking back once, eager to embrace his bright future. The moment the hospital room door closed again. Click. That soft sound seemed to sever the last thread of pretense. The wooden submission on my face vanished instantly, replaced by bone-chilling coldness and determination. I stood up, flexing my stiff joints. My bones made faint cracking sounds. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night. At 2 a.m., the psychiatric hospital corridor was silent except for occasional patient murmurs and the footsteps of nurses on duty. I moved like a ghost along the walls, precisely avoiding every surveillance camera blind spot, slipping silently into the medication room at the end of the corridor. I mixed several highly volatile and flammable chemical agents in specific proportions, my movements without a moment’s hesitation. I built a simple delayed bomb and snuck into the records room. I wedged it into the back of the ventilation shaft, where years of dry paper records had piled up. Once lit, the fire would race through the ducts. It would erase every trace of me and throw the place into chaos. When I was done, I followed the same path back to my room. I took off my wedding ring and placed it on the bedside table next to the suicide note I’d written long ago. Both neatly laid out. The note contained only one sentence. “Adrian, I’m giving your life back to you. May you two torment each other forever. May you never find peace.” I read the words, and the corner of my mouth twitched. At 3 a.m.,  the night was pitch black. A low, deep rumble approached from the distance, breaking the dead silence. The sound of helicopter rotors. The Abyss Project extraction team had arrived.

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After our first time together, Ethan gently wiped the sweat from my forehead. He spoke softly, “Baby, let’s give our school’s Stanford acceptance to Sienna.” I looked at him in disbelief. “What did you say?” “Sienna was having sex with me when I got carried away and agreed. I just said yes in the heat of the moment.” My blood ran cold. “What if I don’t agree?” He chuckled and gently took my hand, then opened a video on his phone. The video showed us in our intimate moments just now. “Baby, you sound so sweet in my arms. I don’t really want to share that with anyone else.” ” Apply to other Ivy League schools next year. I’m sure you’ll get into one again. I promise, we’ll get married after you graduate from college.” I held back my tears. Ethan didn’t know that my mom had already arranged for me to go to Oxford University. I would never believe in his promised future again. “Baby, you know I hate threatening people. Especially you.” He brushed away the damp hair stuck to my forehead with sweat, kissing me tenderly over and over. But his words cut like sharp knives. “You have to understand my position though. Sienna stripped naked and climbed into my bed. I couldn’t just take advantage for free.” “And it’s because you were too afraid of pain. I couldn’t bear to hurt you, so I practiced enough on her first before using my best technique on you.” I stared at him in disbelief. My chest felt like it had been sliced open by a blade, grinding out unbearable pain. “Why? If you really loved me, why would you betray me?” My voice was terribly hoarse. Ethan acted as if nothing was wrong, gently caressing my bloodless cheek. “No reason. Sienna has a nice body and she’s clean. When meat is delivered to your door, why wouldn’t you eat it?” After saying that, he smiled suggestively. “You seemed to enjoy the technique I practiced pretty well just now, didn’t you?” I instantly felt like I’d swallowed a fly, desperately suppressing the nausea churning in my stomach. Seeing my face turn frighteningly pale, Ethan frowned and pulled me close with pity. “Little fool, don’t overthink it. Sienna is just a tool I use to satisfy my physical needs. She can’t compare to you at all.” “Besides, she’s your best friend. You know her inside and out. While I wait for you this year at Cambridge, sleeping with her means I won’t have to find dirty women outside. Doesn’t that put your mind at ease?” “Sienna is very kind. She doesn’t ask for status. She just hopes that after we get married, she can still hook up with me once or twice occasionally.” My whole body felt electrified, frozen stiff. I understood every word, but strung together, they made my entire body turn ice cold. One was my childhood sweetheart of ten years who kept saying he couldn’t live without me. The other was my friend whom I’d supported for three years, who said she’d spend her life repaying my kindness and whom I’d treated like a sister. I never would have thought that just an hour ago, I was full of hope for the future, blessed with both love and friendship. In a flash, I’d been betrayed by the two most important people in my life and left with nothing. I kept taking deep breaths to suppress the nausea and bitter pain that threatened to explode in my chest. “Ethan, I can give you up to Sienna, but I won’t give up my Cambridge acceptance.” As soon as I finished speaking, Ethan couldn’t help but laugh. “Stop playing around.” “You swore at eight years old that you’d marry no one but me. You’ve been following me around all these years like a puppy. Everyone knows you love me like life itself.” “Without me, could you even survive?” I felt like a fish thrown onto shore, suffocating and gasping for air. The year I turned eight, my parents divorced, and I was left with my frequently traveling father. The nanny taking care of me embezzled all the living expenses my dad left behind and tried to sell me to human traffickers. It was Ethan who was dragged for over a hundred meters by a black car, risking his life to save me. Though barely alive, before losing consciousness, he still remembered to cover my trembling, terrified eyes. “Luna, don’t look. I won’t die. I still have to protect you for the rest of your life.” That beam of light I’d taken as my salvation had become the sword piercing through my chest ten years later. Seeing my silence, Ethan pulled a document from the nightstand drawer. He shoved a pen into my hand, smiling as he hugged me from behind. “The waiver form for the acceptance. Be good and sign it.” The obscene sounds from my phone kept looping. Ethan watched with great interest. “Baby, you have such a nice body and sweet voice.” My whole body trembled. I bit my lip until it bled, unable to tell if it was from anger or hate. After a long while, I finally swallowed the tears bitter as salt and spoke hoarsely, “I’ll sign if you delete the video.” “Of course. Whatever baby doesn’t like, your husband promises to delete completely.” A phone ringtone sounded. The screen showed a contact saved as “My Little Sweetheart.” Ethan didn’t answer. He put on his pants, grabbed the signed document, and before leaving, kissed my forehead. “That’s my good girl.” Watching his retreating figure, I sat in a daze for a long time. Only after my tears flowed until I felt numb did I dial a familiar number. “Mom, I’ll listen to you. I’m coming to you.”

That evening, Ethan came to pick me up for a celebration party. A party celebrating Sienna stealing my Stanford acceptance. Just as I was about to open the passenger door, the car window rolled down first. Revealing Sienna’s carefully made-up face. She smiled sweetly. “Luna, Ethan says the passenger seat is only for the most important person. You don’t mind, do you?” I had gone with Ethan to pick out this car together. As a gift for both of us going to Cambridge. When we first bought it, he decorated all the interior to match my preferences. He put a label on the passenger seat that said “Wife’s Seat Only,” vowing he’d never let any other woman sit in the position that belonged exclusively to me. Now, the plush toy charm I loved had been removed and thrown at Sienna’s feet, its white fur bearing a clear footprint. Sitting on the seat labeled “Wife’s Seat Only” was the person Ethan called his most important. And Ethan acted like nothing was wrong, smiling as he pinched Sienna’s cheek. “Stop slandering my girlfriend. My Luna wouldn’t mind such a small thing.” I said nothing as he pushed me into the back seat. Throughout the ride, the two of them flirted shamelessly as if no one else existed. Sienna practically had half her body draped over Ethan. Seeing my pale face, she turned around with a giggle. “Luna, Ethan told me everything. Since you know now, I don’t have to work so hard to hide it from you anymore.” She deliberately loosened her collar, revealing the dense marks on her collarbone. The look she gave me was full of undisguised provocation and triumph. “You don’t know how wild Ethan is in bed. He made me cry until my voice went hoarse and still didn’t stop. Is he that rough with you too?” I looked at her, my eyelid twitching uncontrollably. It was like I was meeting this woman who used to follow me around for the first time. When we first met, she was timid. Because of me, she would work up the courage to warn Ethan not to bully me, and especially not to wrong me. But in just three years, she’d become the person who bullied me most, who wronged me most. She could even treat her shamelessness as casual conversation like it was nothing. A flash of discomfort crossed Ethan’s face. He scolded her quietly. “Sienna, stop it.” Sienna rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with talking about it? Luna’s not an outsider.” She smiled as if it was perfectly natural. “I’ve already planned it out. After you two get married, I get you on weekdays, and you’re hers on weekends. How’s that?” When you’re speechless to the extreme, you actually want to laugh. Perhaps I’d already witnessed her shamelessness enough. At this moment, I didn’t even feel the slightest twinge of pain. My head felt wooden, my heart hollow and cold as if it had been carved out. It wasn’t until the car stopped and Ethan took my ice-cold hand that I realized my whole body had been tense to the breaking point. He rubbed my fingertips with heartache written all over his face. “Luna, don’t listen to Sienna’s nonsense. The person I love most will always be you.” I pulled my hand away and laughed mockingly. When we entered the private room, several of Ethan’s friends were already there. Watching how familiar they all were with each other, I suddenly realized that everyone knew Ethan and Sienna had been entangled for a long time. Only I had been like a fool, lost in their calls of “Luna.” After several rounds of drinks, Sienna collapsed into Ethan’s arms, crying that she’d finally made something of herself. I couldn’t stand listening anymore. I got up to leave, but she turned red-eyed. “Luna, why won’t you congratulate me? I worked so hard to get into Cambridge. Why do you still look down on me?” Got in? Even if I gave up my acceptance, Sienna’s grades weren’t good enough for the spot to go to her. The words ” special connections” might as well have been written on her face, yet she had the nerve to say she got in. I was angry enough to laugh, but before I could say anything, Ethan’s cold voice rang out. “Luna, today is Sienna’s big day. Don’t ruin the mood.”

I looked at Ethan’s darkened expression, thinking of the plane ticket information my mom had just sent me. I took a deep breath and sat back down. Sienna smugly curved her lips and gave someone a look. Immediately, someone suggested playing Truth or Dare. I was about to refuse when people had already started drawing cards. The first person chosen for Truth was Ethan. Amid the teasing, everyone laughed with knowing looks. “Ethan, tell us about your best experience?” Ethan crossed his legs and leaned back. His fingers were still drawing circles in my palm, but his hazy gaze fell on Sienna. With a half-smile, he said, “My place, bathroom, great water pressure.” As soon as he finished speaking, the cheering in the room nearly lifted the roof. Sienna blushed and raised her fist to lightly punch his chest twice. “You’re terrible.” Ethan grabbed her hand and used the momentum to pull her onto his lap. Their eyes met, and Sienna wrapped her arms around his neck. Amid everyone’s cheering, the two began kissing passionately as if no one else existed. I sat less than six feet away. The air conditioning in the room was warm, but I only felt the temperature in my blood dropping bit by bit. I don’t know how long passed before Sienna finally emerged from Ethan’s embrace, gasping for breath. The smile on her face carried thick malice. “Luna, I kissed your boyfriend. You’re not angry, are you?” Ethan indulgently picked up where she left off. “Enjoy being smug now. After I graduate and get married, my body and soul will belong only to Luna.” Hearing his condescending tone, cold laughter rose in my heart. Ethan had never asked me. He was even smugly confident that I had already digested their limitless disgustingness on my own. Obediently waiting until after college graduation, standing in place waiting for him to finish playing around before coming to marry me. But he didn’t know that I would never want someone who’d been dirtied. A flash of vicious resentment and unwillingness crossed Sienna’s eyes. Soon, she pouted and pointed at the crescent moon necklace around my neck, acting coy. “Since we’re going to separate eventually, can I have this necklace you gave Luna as a keepsake?” I instinctively covered my neck. Looking at Ethan. He knew this necklace was our token of love, that he’d personally apprenticed himself to craft it for me bit by bit. When he put it on me, the affection reflected in his eyes was vivid. “Luna, you’re the one I’ve marked as mine. As long as the moon doesn’t fall, my love for you will never change.” The moon won’t fall, but true hearts had already changed. “Luna, give it to Sienna.” As soon as he finished, he seemed to realize he’d gone too far and added, “We still have a long future ahead. It’s just one necklace. Your husband will buy you several more later.” It was the expected outcome, but my heart still couldn’t help but be wrung with pain. I lowered my eyes, forcing back the moisture in them, took off the necklace and placed it on the table. “You all have fun. I’m leaving first.” Ethan stared at my retreating back. His chest suddenly surged with an unsettling anxiety. As if once I walked out that door, we would head toward an irreversible ending. He instinctively stood up to chase after me, but Sienna suddenly grabbed his arm and pressed against him, whispering suggestively, “Ethan, today is my celebration party. I’ve prepared a second round for tonight. Black lace, your favorite.” Ethan’s gaze fell on her slightly open collar. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He struggled for a moment, but his steps ultimately retreated. It would be fine. After being together for so many years, he was my entire support and faith. I loved him so much, how could I bear to truly leave him? As if convincing himself, Ethan pulled Sienna close and sat back down with a clear conscience. No one saw the crescent moon necklace being casually tossed by Sienna into the trash can.

Early the next morning, I was still asleep when my door was suddenly slammed open with a crash. Before I could recover from being startled awake, a rough force violently dragged me off the bed. The moment I looked up, I met Ethan’s face burning with barely suppressed fury. “I already said things with Sienna were just for fun. Why did you still do this?” “Are you satisfied now that you’ve driven her to death?” I stared wide-eyed in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about. Then my phone was violently hurled at me. On the lit screen were Sienna’s indecent photos. Though the important areas were censored, her body’s contours were fully visible. Her address and phone number were even posted below. The title was crude and vicious: “Ungrateful scholarship student climbs into sponsor’s boyfriend’s bed, free slut, first come first served.” The comment section had already exploded with tens of thousands of floors of abuse. “Poor mountains and bad water breed loose women. Poverty doesn’t limit imagination, and it certainly doesn’t limit spread legs.” “This shameless trash plays around so much, any man can probably have her.” “Ungrateful wolf who bites the hand that feeds her should be eliminated from humanity. Living is just wasting air.” “Already on my way. Any brothers want to form a group?” “…” Ethan’s face was livid. “You drove Sienna to slit her wrists. She almost didn’t make it.” “I’ve already contacted the media. You’re going to the hospital to apologize on your knees and publicly clarify that you maliciously photoshopped these images out of jealousy.” I looked at him like he was a stranger. “I didn’t do it. I’m not going!” Sienna suddenly ran in wearing a pitiful hospital gown, crying until she could barely breathe. “Ethan, forget it. Don’t make things difficult for Luna because of me. It’s my fault for shamelessly falling in love with you. I don’t blame Luna for hating me. I only blame myself for not being able to control my feelings for you.” Ethan looked at her swaying, fragile figure and pulled her into his arms, his heart nearly breaking with pain. “You’re not the one who did wrong. Why should you blame yourself!” He looked up at me, the tenderness in his eyes completely replaced by ice. “Luna, I’m giving you one last chance. Post a statement now. Publicly clarify and apologize to Sienna online.” Sienna suddenly broke free from his embrace and quickly grabbed my hand, hitting herself in the face with it. “Luna, I just got accepted to Cambridge. I don’t want my future ruined. Just hit me. I’m begging you. If you’re angry, hit me. You can even beat me to death if you want. Just please let me leave with my reputation intact.” She used great force, pulling me stumbling toward the sharp corner of the coffee table. The pain made my vision go black. But she suddenly let out a shrill scream and fell backward. “Ah, Luna, don’t kick me…” Ethan quickly helped her up, his eyes practically shooting fire. “Luna Williams, have you lost your mind? You dare hit someone right in front of me? Is there anything you wouldn’t do?” He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone from his pocket, quickly tapping it several times. When the familiar obscene sounds started playing, my whole body froze, plunging into an icy abyss. “You promised me that if I signed the waiver, you’d delete the video. You lied to me?” I yelled with red eyes, every inch of my heart feeling crushed by heavy machinery. Ethan showed no guilt, his gaze ice-cold to the point of cruelty. “I gave you a chance. An eye for an eye. It’s fair.” His finger hovered over the send button, about to press down. “No!” I squeezed my eyes shut, humiliated tears hitting the floor. “I’ll apologize. I’ll clarify.” I opened my social media account and admitted to crimes I never committed, saying I was jealous of Sienna and maliciously photoshopped images to slander her, and publicly apologized to her. In less than two minutes, public opinion across the internet reversed. The dirty water redirected, flooding toward me. Ethan smiled with satisfaction. “I’ll let it go this time. Consider it a lesson. You’re going to marry me eventually. I don’t want my future wife to be a vicious woman.” After finishing his speech, looking at me sitting motionless on the floor with unfocused eyes, his heart suddenly tightened, as if something was about to slip through his fingers. He said somewhat guiltily, “I’ll delete the video now.” Just as he was about to do it, Sienna beside him turned pale and collapsed into his arms. “Ethan, I’m dizzy, I feel terrible…” He had to pick her up. Before leaving, he threw out, “Reflect on yourself properly. I’ll take Sienna to the hospital first and come check on you later.” The door opened and closed, falling into dead silence. Ten minutes later, my phone suddenly lit up. On the other end, Ethan had just sent Sienna to the hospital. After a thorough examination confirming she was fine, he finally pulled out his phone to call me. But as soon as he unlocked the screen, he was struck as if by lightning. Popping up across every platform online was the uncensored high-definition video from his phone.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “392098”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

The night before the marking ceremony, I found another woman’s underwear in my home. To find out who this woman was, I went to check the security footage at home. But I accidentally overheard my fiancé Isaac say: “I have no intention of marking her. I’m just doing this to piss Floyd off.” “On the day of the ceremony, I’ll announce that the game is over.” Floyd was the fated mate who rejected me, and also Alpha Isaac’s sworn enemy. I immediately bought a plane ticket out of the country. Four years later, Isaac found me and begged me to go back with him. I just laughed and replied: “I stopped loving you a long time ago.” He didn’t know that I was now a werewolf’s mate. Caroline POV Ten minutes ago, I found women’s underwear on my living room couch. Isaac’s scent completely masked that woman’s scent though. To find out who this woman was, I went to check the estate’s security footage. I quickly found the video. It was Bethany, that woman Isaac said was his sister! I angrily wanted to rush out and rip that woman’s throat apart, but suddenly heard a mocking laugh coming from the video. “Isaac, you and I are having sex in your home. If Caroline finds out, won’t she be angry?” My hand on the mouse froze. I thought I would hear Isaac defend me. “Angry?” Isaac’s voice was cold, accompanied by the hoarseness after passion. “Right now her head is full of how to be the most beautiful bride. She doesn’t have time to be angry.” My smile froze on my face. The conversation in the car continued, each word cutting like a knife. “To piss Floyd off, spending so much on this ceremony—is it worth it? What if Caroline actually clings to you? Are you really going to become mates with her? But you haven’t marked her in four years, so you probably don’t plan to, right?” On the screen, Isaac exhaled a smoke ring, blurring his handsome profile. But it didn’t blur the coldness in his eyes. “This small price to see Alpha Floyd’s shitty expression of displeasure? That’s a good deal.” He chuckled lightly, as if discussing some worthless object. “On the day of the ceremony, I’ll announce in front of everyone that the game is over. Alpha Floyd’s face will definitely be spectacular. After all, no matter what, she’s still his fated mate. And he hasn’t found a second one yet.” Bethany laughed wickedly, then turned over to straddle Isaac. “What about Caroline after that? She was abandoned by her fated mate, and then publicly rejected by you. Won’t she go insane and die?” Isaac flicked his ash, casual and indifferent: “Adult games. She’s the stupid one. Who else can she blame?” The video stopped abruptly. The study fell deathly silent. I sat frozen in my chair, my blood turning to ice. So these four years of devotion were just an elaborate, calculated lie. All because his sworn enemy, Alpha Floyd, was my fated mate. Though he rejected me, until he marked someone else or I was marked by someone else, we would be bound together by this cursed fate. I could feel his pain. Likewise, if I suffered, Floyd would suffer unbearably too. But Isaac knew full well that publicly rejecting me at the marking ceremony would turn the moonlight that symbolized blessings into a curse. It would cause my wolf to go insane, and I might even die on the spot. My stomach churned violently. I rushed to the bathroom and dry heaved over the toilet, but nothing came up. Tears splashed onto the floor. I wiped them away viciously. Caroline, don’t cry. This scum isn’t worth it. My wolf, already quite weak since Floyd’s rejection, reminded me calmly. I splashed cold water on my face, looking at my pale reflection in the mirror. Since you want to play games, I’ll give you what you want. I returned to the computer, hands still shaking, but my eyes had gone cold. I clipped the segment of Isaac and his lover Bethany having sex and backed it up to the cloud. Just then, my phone lit up. A message from Isaac popped up: “Date tonight? Remember to wear that black lingerie. It looks beautiful on you.” I looked at that familiar profile picture, at his familiar flirtatious words. My fingertips went white from the pressure. Finally, I replied: “Okay.” I put down my phone and walked into the closet. I found that set of black lace lingerie. He’d had it custom-made last week by a private designer in Paris, then flown back on a private jet. He said only my curves could carry such pure yet dangerous black. He said he enjoyed the feeling of having sex with me, yet he always held back from marking me. The memory flashed back instantly to that rainy night four years ago. Floyd suddenly rejected me, which broke my heart, but I loved him, so I wanted to win his heart back. But when I went to give him his birthday gift, I happened to see him kissing a woman I didn’t know. I wanted to confront him, but he threw my birthday gift into the trash and mocked me in front of everyone: “Caroline, can’t you understand what I’m saying? Just looking at you makes me sick.” The whole room laughed. I was as humiliated as a clown. It was Isaac who stepped out from the corner, draped his coat over me, and shielded me from those humiliating stares. He also soothed the pain that my wolf and I endured. “Come with me,” he said. “I’ll take you home.” That night, I thought he was my salvation. Now I know it was all fake.

Caroline POV At seven in the evening, Isaac came to pick me up right on time. He wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath. On the collar was a red lipstick mark. The lipstick color was exactly the same as the one I’d found in the car. If this were before, I would have angrily confronted him. But now, I pretended not to see it and didn’t ask a single question. As soon as I got in the car, he leaned over and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Good evening, darling. You don’t look well.” He held my hand, his brow furrowed slightly, his eyes full of concern. “What happened?” If I hadn’t heard that recording. I would definitely think I was the happiest woman in the world right now. I withdrew my hand, pretending to smooth my dress: “Maybe just a bit tired.” Isaac didn’t suspect anything. He smiled and started the car: “Then let’s go. I’ll take you somewhere to relax tonight.” The location was the observation deck bar at the highest point in the city. You could overlook the entire city’s night view. The waiter arranged a quiet corner for us. When the appetizers were served, I spoke as if casually: “Isaac.” “Hmm?” He naturally pushed a specially made non-alcoholic cocktail in front of me, the movement smooth and practiced. “I ran into Bethany today.” I stared into his eyes, not missing a single flicker of expression on his face. “She asked me if I was nervous. She said you prepared a gift for me at the ceremony venue.” Isaac’s hand reaching for his glass paused. Just for a second, too fast to catch. Then he looked up, his smile flawless: “I wanted to surprise you. Didn’t expect you’d find out early.” “By the way…” I gripped the cold glass, my fingertips pressing hard. “Floyd came back to the country recently. Will you…” “Caroline.” Isaac put down his glass and placed his hand over mine. His palm was warm, but his tone carried an indisputable firmness. “Why bring him up? I’ve told you, I love you. He abandoned you—that’s his fault, not yours.” He looked at me, his gaze so affectionate it could drown someone: “I would never do something like that.” “Okay, let’s drop it.” I lowered my head and took a sip of the sweet and sour liquid in my glass. It was clearly a carefully crafted flavor, but sliding down my throat, it left only bitterness. “Oh, right.” Isaac seemed to remember something. He took out an exquisite velvet box and pushed it in front of me. “Almost forgot. This is a gift for you.” I opened it. It was a string of lustrous white pearls, each one gleaming with warm light, worth a fortune. “Do you like it?” He looked at me expectantly. I looked at that serene pearl luster and suddenly remembered an Instagram story Bethany posted last month. In the photo, she was holding an antique jewelry catalog, her fingertip pointing at an illustration of a pearl necklace. The caption read: [I love this kind of classic, understated luster. Too bad Isaac says pearls are too dignified and don’t suit my style.] I suddenly felt it was ironic. He doted on Bethany so much, yet said she wasn’t suited for such dignified jewelry. Instead, he gave this necklace to me? “I love it.” I closed the lid and curved my lips at him. “It must have been expensive?” “Spending money on you is worth any price.” Isaac ruffled my hair, his eyes full of affection. I excused myself to the restroom to touch up my makeup. Standing at the sink, I looked at the woman with perfect makeup in the mirror and pulled a smile uglier than crying. Since you want to play the devoted lover. Then I’ll help you along. I took out my phone and called my father’s beta, Harlan. He picked up quickly. “Ms. Caroline, have you reconsidered the Alpha’s proposal?” I looked at myself in the mirror, my voice terrifyingly calm: “I won’t become alpha. I’ve said this before—my brother is more suited for that role. But I need you to do something for me.” Over the years, I’d rarely leveraged my alpha father’s power. After all, my brother was deeply insecure about his position as heir. He always felt that I, his sister who’d been more battle-hungry than him since childhood, would take his place. Too bad I never had such intentions. But to avoid unnecessary conflicts, I tried not to do things that could be misunderstood. Another factor was that neither Floyd’s Frostveil Pack nor Isaac’s Ironridge Pack were ones we could afford to provoke. Even if I asked for help, my father wouldn’t be able to rescue me. Only now, I wasn’t asking them to rescue me. “What do you need me to do?” “Tell my family they don’t need to come for my marking ceremony. Also, book me a plane ticket for the day of the ceremony. I’ll go back and explain to them in person.” If I bought the ticket myself, it would be discovered quickly. So I had to ask Harlan for this favor. After hanging up, I reapplied my lipstick, looking at that crimson color. My heart hardened bit by bit. Isaac. I’ll remember this last date well. When I returned to my seat, Isaac was replying to a message. Seeing me, he quickly turned off his screen and stood up with a smile: “Let’s go home.” I took his arm, feeling his muscles stiffen for a moment. “Okay, home.”

Caroline POV Five days before the marking ceremony, Bethany came again. Under the pretense of helping with preparations, she brazenly moved into the room next to Gerald’s. She was the daughter of the previous beta. Though she only inherited her mother’s Omega bloodline, she’d grown up with Isaac. She was also widely recognized in the pack as Isaac’s true love. If Isaac’s elders hadn’t strongly opposed him bonding with an Omega, the Luna position would have been hers long ago. “Caroline, this evening gown is so beautiful.” Bethany stood in front of the fitting mirror, wearing my burgundy evening gown. The waist had been altered extremely tight, outlining her graceful figure. It also exposed the kiss marks on her neck. She spun in a circle and sat in Isaac’s lap: “Isaac, don’t I look better in this dress than Caroline?” Isaac pushed her away somewhat awkwardly: “Stop it. Take it off. That’s for Caroline.” His tone was reproachful, but there was no trace of anger in it. Bethany pouted and reluctantly went to the dressing room: “Stingy. I’m just trying it on.” I sat to the side, holding my tea, watching quietly. Before, I would get angry and argue with Isaac. Then Isaac would helplessly coax me, saying I was petty, saying Bethany was just like a sister to him. Looking back now, I really was quite the joke back then. “Caroline, don’t take it personally. I’ve spoiled Bethany.” Isaac put down his magazine and reached for my hand. “If you don’t like it, I’ll ask her to move out.” “It’s fine.” I avoided his hand and poured him a cup of tea. “More people make it livelier. We have plenty of rooms anyway.” Isaac froze. He clearly didn’t expect me to be so generous. Before, whenever Bethany appeared, all my defenses would go up. “You’re not angry?” He looked at me tentatively. “Why would I be angry?” I smiled back. “She’s a friend and will be a regular guest. Besides, it’s just clothes. If she likes wearing them, let her.” After all, I wasn’t planning to wear that dress anyway. A flash of surprise crossed Isaac’s eyes, which then turned to relief. “Caroline, you’ve really changed. You’ve become more mature.” Mature? You people forced me to mature. Just then, a crisp sound came from the dressing room. Followed by Bethany’s cry: “Oh no!” Isaac’s expression changed. He threw down his magazine and rushed over at hunting speed. At the dressing room entrance, Bethany sat on the floor with shattered glass from a picture frame scattered at her feet. It was a custom crystal frame holding our anniversary photo from last year. Isaac had personally selected that photo and spent a fortune to have a master craftsman make the frame by hand, saying he wanted to “put it in the most prominent place in the house, symbolizing our diamond-like eternal love.” And now, that photo was being trampled under Isaac’s feet. “Isaac, I didn’t mean to…” Bethany’s eyes reddened, looking pitiful. “I tripped just now and tried to grab the frame, but…” Isaac didn’t even glance at those shattered pieces that carried “eternal love.” He squatted down directly and grabbed Bethany’s hand to check: “Did you cut your hand? How could you be so careless?” “It hurts…” Bethany whimpered sweetly. I stood a few meters away, watching this painfully obvious scene. That frame, which Isaac had once treasured, saying it symbolized diamond-like eternal love. Now the photo was torn, the frame shattered on the floor, and he didn’t even lift an eyelid. “Caroline!” Isaac turned his head, his tone urgent. “Get the first aid kit. Bethany cut her hand.” I looked at him without moving. “What’s wrong?” He frowned, seeming dissatisfied with my slow reaction. “Nothing.” I turned toward the cabinet, my voice calm. “If it’s broken, it’s broken. The frame was old anyway, and the photo was outdated.” Isaac’s body stiffened. He seemed to hear something in my words, yet seemed to hear nothing at all. He just focused entirely on Bethany’s wound that hadn’t even drawn blood. As if he’d forgotten that although Bethany was just a delicate Omega, she wasn’t that fragile. I brought back the first aid kit and set it on the table. “You two take your time. I’m tired. I’ll go upstairs to rest.” As I turned to go upstairs, I heard Bethany whisper: “Isaac, is Caroline angry?” Isaac’s voice sounded irritated: “Don’t worry about her. I’ve never seen her be so hard-hearted before.” My steps didn’t pause. When I reached the second-floor landing, I took out my phone and sent Harlan a message: [Add one pet transport ticket. I’m taking my dog Buddy with me.]

Caroline POV Three days before the marking ceremony, the jewelry company delivered the rings. I was about to go to the study to show Isaac. Just as I reached the door, I heard voices inside—Bethany’s distinctive tone with a touch of coquettishness. “…Really for me?” Her voice came through the crack in the door, painfully clear. My steps halted. I stopped in the shadows outside the door. I was still holding the velvet box with the ring I’d just signed for. “What else?” Isaac’s voice responded with that familiar, carelessly lazy laugh. “I already told you it was made for you all along.” “But…” Bethany’s voice lowered, but couldn’t hide her excitement. “What about Caroline… Isn’t she supposed to use this tomorrow…” “Her?” Isaac chuckled lightly, the laugh dripping with undisguised contempt. “Does it matter what she uses tomorrow? She’s just a prop. This ring’s size and style were designed for your preferences from the beginning.” A brief silence. I could imagine Bethany trying on the ring. “Look,” her voice came again, full of smugness. “It fits perfectly. Isaac, you even remember my ring size…” “What about you don’t I remember clearly?” His voice softened with a warmth he’d never given me. “Alright, take it off. Tomorrow… there’ll be an even better show to watch.” “You’re so bad…” The rest became muffled, perhaps a kiss, perhaps something else. But I didn’t need to hear anymore. I stood outside the door, the exquisite box in my hand suddenly so heavy my arm ached. Made for you all along. Just seven words, sharper and more complete than any elaborate conspiracy. I didn’t push open that door. I quietly walked back to the bedroom. I went to my vanity and placed that unopened ring box squarely in the center of the surface. Then I sat down and looked at myself in the mirror. My face was a bit pale, but my eyes were dry, calm as a frozen lake. So when your heart dies completely, even anger and sorrow freeze along with it. That’s fine. It saves energy. I took out my phone and sent Harlan a brief message: [Final confirmation on the flight and pet transport.] Almost immediately, he replied: [Everything ready. You can leave anytime.] I put down my phone. My gaze fell on the calendar on the nightstand. Under today’s date was a small circle drawn in red pen. Next to it were three smaller circles, one overlapping another, like a countdown. Three more days.

Caroline POV Next, I began sorting through my belongings. The house was filled with gifts Isaac had given me over these four years. Hermès bags, Cartier sets, limited edition heels. Once, these were all proof of his love. I divided them into two piles. One pile consisted of brand-new luxury items with price tags still attached, showing no signs of use. I contacted a reseller. The other pile held cheap accessories he’d casually said “suit you,” souvenirs from trips, and custom items printed with ridiculous love phrases. I packed them into a cardboard box and carried them to the back patio. Then I lit a fire. Flames leapt up, devouring those crude materials and false vows, making soft crackling sounds, illuminating my expressionless face. The heat waves distorted the air, as if burning a cheap and ridiculous past. When Isaac came home, he happened to run into workers carrying boxes of items for resale. The house was half empty, appearing somewhat cold. “What’s going on?” He frowned, looking at the nearly empty closet. “I want to redecorate.” I walked over and helped him loosen his tie. “Clear out the past and replace everything new after the wedding. I want every corner of our home to be a fresh start.” Isaac froze. Then amusement appeared in his eyes. He probably thought I was desperately in love with him, wanting to completely leave the past behind and wholeheartedly become his mate. “Good.” He gripped my hand, his teeth nipping my fingertip. “Whatever you want. As long as you’re happy.” “Oh, right.” I pointed to the dog bed in the corner. “I sent Buddy to a pet hotel for boarding. The house is too chaotic these days. I was worried about disturbing him.” “Whatever you think is best.” He didn’t suspect a thing, even seemed moved. “Caroline, you’re so thoughtful about this home.” After he went into the bathroom to shower, my phone vibrated with a bank notification. The amount was substantial—the price of those brand-new luxury items. I deleted the message and looked out at the deep night. From the direction of the back patio came only the faint smell of cold ashes. Isaac might have smelled it, but he didn’t care. I copied the video from my cloud storage. Then I considered whether to buy some disinfectant to remove all traces of my scent. Just then, the sound of running water stopped. Isaac came out wrapped in a towel, gently embracing my waist from behind. His arms tensed slightly, then turned me around to face him. He kissed me, his voice a bit hoarse: “The marking ceremony is the day after tomorrow. Are you nervous?” His palm cradled the back of my neck, a gesture full of possessiveness. I closed my eyes, didn’t resist, even obediently tilted my head back—just like countless times over the past four years. “Not nervous.” I said. “I’m looking forward to it.” I was looking forward to seeing how shocked you’d be when you saw the gift I prepared for you.

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My sister Olivia owed three million dollars and then died in an accident. At the funeral, my parents cried and said to me, “Even though Olivia is dead, the debt still needs to be repaid! Jenna, please help her pay it back! Otherwise, she won’t be able to enter heaven!” Just because of those words, I gave them all my savings. Starting the next day, I worked three jobs every day to earn money and repay the debt. Even after my second pregnancy ended in miscarriage, I kept working. Later, because I was working overtime, I didn’t pick up my daughter from school, and she was killed by kidnappers. My husband River collapsed from a heart attack when he learned the news. Before he died, he refused to see me even once. “After all these years, my daughter and I together still couldn’t compare to Olivia! Jenna White, if there’s a next life, I’d rather never have met you!” The night my daughter was buried, I finished repaying all the debts and jumped from a high-rise building in guilt. Before dying, I saw Olivia, radiant and glamorous, leaning into her creditor Marcus Wilson’s arms. “Useless. It took her ten years to repay three million. We had to wait all this time before we could finally be together as husband and wife.” Marcus comforted her, “Forget it, at least she earned us three million. Without this money, how could we live so well?” “Now that her whole family’s dead—such bad luck! Let’s go, let’s go. Tomorrow we’ll take this money to the Maldives!” I died with my eyes wide open. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of Olivia’s burial…

“Olivia, how could you leave us so early? You’ve ripped out your parents’ hearts!” “Leaving behind such a huge debt—how are your mother and I supposed to repay it!” Familiar shrill cries pierced my ears. Before I could process what was happening, I saw Marcus Wilson swagger into the living room and slap a debt notice onto the table. “Don’t rush to cry just yet.” He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and grinned. “Your daughter owed me three million before she died. Now she’s dead—what about the debt?” He was tall and burly, full of thug energy, with seven or eight muscle-bound men behind him. The entire room full of relatives fell instantly silent with fear. I shuddered and realized I had been reborn. Reborn on the very day of Olivia’s burial! My mother Karen’s face was streaked with tears, her graying hair disheveled on her shoulders. She looked at the account statement and cried so hard she nearly fainted. “I know about this money. Olivia mentioned it—she wanted to buy us retirement insurance, but didn’t have enough money, so she borrowed it. Who knew she’d end up owing this much…” My father George wrapped his arm around her shoulder. As soon as he opened his mouth, tears flowed down the deep furrows at the corners of his eyes. “Olivia was such a good girl since childhood. At ten years old, she cooked for her mother and me. Who would have thought she’d suddenly be gone…” He looked at the IOU, and his gaze gradually became resolute. “No matter what, the White family doesn’t wrong others or betray our conscience. Just because she’s dead doesn’t mean the debt can rot away!” “We’ll repay this debt!” He turned his head, his aged eyes finding me precisely in the crowd. “Jenna, from now on we’ll repay this three million together and overcome this hardship, okay?” “If we can’t repay it, your sister won’t be able to reincarnate even in the afterlife!” With that, the old couple held each other and wept. Relatives surrounded them, all with reddened eyes.

“Don’t worry, with Jenna helping you, this money can definitely be repaid.” “Stop crying. You still have another daughter, don’t you? You can’t collapse now.” “Exactly. Olivia would be so sad seeing this from beyond!” But I noticed that Marcus Wilson’s gaze had been fixed on the coffin the whole time. I squatted down pretending to tie my shoelace and moved closer to observe, following his line of sight. The mahogany coffin had several air holes drilled in the side, through which I could vaguely see fabric moving inside. Just as I thought! Olivia wasn’t dead at all. From the very beginning, this funeral was a setup orchestrated by her and Marcus! I stood up. River was watching me from not far away. After glancing at me once, he immediately turned and left. In my previous life, moved by Karen and George’s tears, I had impulsively agreed to take on this debt. For ten years I didn’t buy a single new piece of clothing, and in the end, my whole family died tragically. In this life, I announced loudly, enunciating each word: “My sister incurred this debt herself. Why should I be the one to repay it?” The moment those words fell, Karen and George’s crying stopped abruptly. Everyone stared at me in shock. Karen rose from George’s embrace and pointed at me, cursing viciously. “You bitch! Your sister died protecting you! How dare you say such things!” George’s eyes were bloodshot. “That’s your sister! Her body isn’t even cold yet, and you’re already rushing to distance yourself?” They glanced imperceptibly at Marcus Wilson. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes as he slammed his palm on the table like a fan. “Debts must be repaid—it’s only natural!” “If you don’t pay, I’ll pry open the coffin and whip the corpse!” With that, he grinned menacingly and moved toward the coffin, making as if to push it. “Don’t you dare!” George lunged forward like a madman to block him, refusing to let Marcus Wilson get close. Karen pounded and hit me, crying so hard she could barely breathe. “You’re inhuman! Your sister loved you so much. For this little bit of money, you’d let her remain restless even in death?” “From childhood, we loved you most. We made sure you went to college, put the house in your name—and in the end we raised a heartless ingrate!” The relatives couldn’t stand it anymore. “Jenna, your parents spent so much money on you. Just help them out if you can.” “She’s already gone. What’s the use of clutching all that money?” “Your sister treated you so well, even going out of her way to drive you to work every day. Don’t be so mercenary!” They had no idea of the truth. Olivia drove me to work because the car was originally mine. She said she’d be my driver, but once she got the car, she never returned it. She even made me pay for gas cards. The idea that they supported my education was even more laughable. The truth was Olivia took the entrance exam twice and still only scored two hundred points, while I got into a prestigious university. Karen and George usually boasted about their eldest daughter’s good grades, but when the scores came out, they were dumbfounded. They could only announce publicly that the family could only support one child and that Olivia had voluntarily given up her opportunity for higher education. They even gave her all the money collected at my college celebration party and made me work summer jobs myself. “Your sister doesn’t have much education. It’s not easy for her working outside. You’re going to fight with her over this little bit of money?” “We’ve always been fair. We supported you to get a higher education, so naturally we need to give your sister more money.” As for the house in my name, it was actually bought for Olivia, and it used up my first-time homebuyer status… They claimed to treat us equally, but everything clearly favored Olivia! Otherwise, Olivia wouldn’t have been audacious enough to fake her death to scam money! I blurted out: “That car was originally mine. She never even—” Before I could finish, Karen slapped me across the face. Then crying, she pulled out her phone and transferred seventy thousand dollars to Marcus Wilson on the spot! “This seventy thousand is for you first! The White family never defaults on debts. No matter what, our backbone won’t bend!” “If Jenna White won’t acknowledge it, we will!” At the same moment, my phone dinged, showing a balance of zero. My brain exploded with a buzz. I suddenly remembered that a few days ago Karen said she didn’t have money for online shopping and insisted on linking my card. That seventy thousand was clearly all the savings in my account! “That’s my money!” I screamed and lunged forward to stop them. But George flung me back, and my forehead smashed against the vermillion coffin with a bang. “You’re money-obsessed! That was transferred from your mother’s phone! It’s money we’re paying back for your sister!” “You’ve been calculating since childhood. Now even your mother’s and my money you assume is yours?” “Wolf-hearted and dog-lunged! You caused us to lose our jobs back then, and now you’ve killed Olivia! I’d rather not have a daughter like you!” My forehead hurt so much my brain went blank. But I heard barely audible soft laughter coming from inside the coffin. Olivia was laughing too—from childhood to now, this family had never welcomed me! With reddened eyes, I raised my head, wanting nothing more than to expose Olivia’s fake death on the spot. But my gaze suddenly fixed on George’s wrist. There was a bracelet there, with jade-green beads carved with Olivia’s initials. Exactly the same as the one on Marcus Wilson’s wrist. In my previous life, Marcus had admitted personally that he’d given one to his father-in-law! Boom— Like thunder splitting through dense fog, everything suddenly made sense. Karen and George had known the truth from the very beginning. They deliberately put on an act, trying to squeeze every last drop of blood from me!

Thinking of my daughter who died miserably in that alley in my previous life, and River who was enraged to the point of coughing up blood. And Olivia and Marcus Wilson’s triumphant faces before my death. A surge of rage rushed straight to my temples, my throat making cracking sounds. When hatred reached its peak, my rationality became unprecedentedly calm. Karen, George, and Olivia were hypocritical and ruthless, wanting my money while maintaining their good reputation. Exposing them directly would be too easy. I wanted them to lose everything and be utterly disgraced! Trembling, I forcibly suppressed the surging emotions and made a phone call. I looked up at the coffin and suddenly asked softly: “How exactly did my sister die? Which hospital? Do you have a death certificate?” “What do you mean?” George immediately questioned, a flash of wariness in his eyes. “Wasn’t it because you were lazy and late, and your sister was driving you when she had the car accident?” “Before she died, your sister threw herself over you to protect you! She was protecting you until her last breath!” “Is that so?” I looked at them. “But I suddenly fell into a deep sleep that day. When I woke up, I just saw you all crying. I didn’t even see her one last time. Isn’t that strange?” The relatives in the room froze, only now realizing. “Right, I didn’t see her either.” “They brought her back from the hospital and put her straight into the coffin.” “Wasn’t it a bit too rushed?” Marcus Wilson’s eyes flashed with malice as he stared at me intently. George raised his voice. “That’s because your sister’s body was completely shattered. I was afraid of scaring everyone!” “She’s right there in the coffin—how could this be fake?!” The relatives agreed one after another. “True, who would joke about a dead person?” “I helped close the coffin lid. There was definitely someone inside.” I laughed coldly. I remember reading that if you don’t place a token in the deceased’s hand, their spirit can’t cross over！ “So now—I’m going to put something in Olivia’s mouth!” With that, I immediately turned around and reached to open the coffin! “Don’t!” Karen screamed, her eyes nearly splitting. George grabbed me just in time and swung his hand, slapping me hard across the face. “Don’t you dare open it!” The corner of my mouth stung with pain. The relatives were also shocked by George’s outburst. George immediately found an excuse. “Don’t delay your sister’s burial!” The next instant, several thugs pushed and shoved, forcing River, who had just left, back into the mourning hall. In his arms, Emily was wearing a princess dress and crying hysterically. “Don’t touch me! Mommy—Mommy save me!” “What are you doing! Let go of Emily!” River held the child tightly, refusing to let go. But Marcus Wilson waved his hand, and his subordinates gripped his shoulders hard, pressing him down so he couldn’t move. They forcibly snatched Emily away and gripped her neck tightly. “Let go of my daughter! What are you going to do to her—again!” River’s eyes were nearly splitting, his gums almost bleeding from biting down. Again? What “again”? My brain felt like it was exploding. Trembling, I met River’s bloodshot eyes. That complex, furious expression was exactly the same as in my previous life! He had also come back! After our daughter’s tragic death, just like me, he was reborn to this moment! So just now, his first reaction was to leave to protect Emily, but he was still blocked. “So what? Sign the contract!” Marcus Wilson swaggered forward and threw a debt contract directly at me. “If you owe money and don’t pay, I’m justified in doing anything!” “Jenna White! Are you really not going to care about your own daughter? Sign it now!” George shouted at me with reddened eyes. Karen clutched her chest and rushed forward crying, pounding on a thug’s chest, only to be flung aside. She sprawled on the ground, slapping the floor and wailing. “My poor Emily, Grandma is useless, Grandma can’t save you!!” Then she desperately pulled at my pant leg. “That’s your biological daughter! What are you hesitating for? If anything happens to Emily, I’ll never forgive you!” Several relatives nearby also cried and urged, “Jenna! Stop worrying about the money!” “If something happens to the child, you’ll regret it forever!” “This is a matter of life and death! Those loan sharks will do anything!” I looked at that familiar debt notice, my pupils contracting sharply, my jaw chattering. Marcus Wilson grinned wickedly. He pulled out a knife from his chest and turned to press it directly against Emily. “Mommy—!” The blade pressed inward, and a line of blood instantly appeared. Images of Emily’s death in my previous life flashed uncontrollably through my mind. “Are you signing or not!” Marcus Wilson pushed the knife in another fraction. “Jenna White!” Karen’s voice cracked! George rushed over and slammed me to my knees with a bang. He snatched the debt notice and forced my fingers down onto it. “I’m fucking telling you to sign—sign it!” Just then, River suddenly erupted. His wrist dislocated as he escaped from between the two thugs and snatched Emily into his arms. “You fucking dare to snatch—” Marcus Wilson’s expression changed dramatically as he raised the knife. “Bang”—the living room door was kicked open. Several police officers surveyed the scene, their voices cold and stern. “Hands up! Everyone freeze!” The entire room fell into instant silence. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I rushed to the door and grabbed the quick-dry cement I had prepared earlier. “What are you doing!” George’s eyes nearly popped out. I desperately poured all the cement onto the coffin with a splash, laughing through tears, shouting at the top of my lungs. “I’m giving my sister her final send-off! Seal the coffin for burial!”

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