I was drugged unconscious by my adopted brother, Mason Clarke, and dumped on a deserted island six thousand miles away. When my childhood friend Lily Hayes found me, the fishermen had already tortured me beyond recognition. She fought with everything she had to take me away, but in the end, the fishermen on the island beat her to death with sticks right in front of me, splattering blood all over my face. I fell into complete despair, accepted my fate, stayed on the island, and had a child with a quiet, taciturn fisherman. But I still could not forget her, and I jumped into the sea three times, wanting to leave with her. The third time I was rescued, the fisherman’s wife who saved me pulled off her hood. I looked at that face and instantly felt like I had fallen into an ice cellar. It was Lily Hayes. She burned the hood and smiled as she said to me, “Throwing you onto the deserted island was something Mason and I planned together, because he wanted the top college entrance exam score, and I wanted you.” “The fisherman who had a child with you was me, and the one who got beaten to death was a double I found.” “I faked my death because I wanted you to let go of that hope, but I didn’t expect you to want to die so badly.” “Now that the truth is out, you choose: live properly with me, or keep trying to die?”

The woman in front of me slowly overlapped with the girl in my memories. The innocence had faded from her, and her presence had grown much steadier. I looked at her face, feeling a little dazed. I had been on this island for a full seven years. “So you destroyed me for the son of that mistress.” She frowned and instinctively defended him. “What son of a mistress? Mason suffered so much when he was young.” “What does what his mom did have to do with him?” “Ethan, do you know how long Mason would be hurt every time you said that?” I did not know. All I knew was that Mason had destroyed my family. On the surface, he was my adopted brother. In truth, he was my dad’s illegitimate son. He was even born in the same month as me. He could always act like the victim. He stole money from the house and framed me for it. He made my dad beat me brutally. He bribed someone in the exam hall to frame me for cheating. Afterward, he spread the news. He made everyone in the entire grade call me “Mr. Zero.” He teamed up with several people to block me in the bathroom and throw dirty water on me. They took pictures of me soaked and humiliated, then spread them around the whole school. Only my childhood friend Serena Hayes protected me. I transferred schools in senior year just to get away from him. But now. He had not only stolen my home. He had also teamed up with Serena. Together, they sent me to a deserted island and ruined my entire life. I lifted my eyes and forced back the wetness in them. “Why?” She froze, then gave a soft laugh. “Back then, when you dragged me along to confront your dad’s mistress, I saw him for the first time and fell for him.” “After you left, he came to me, and that young man held back his tears while calling my name, and my heart melted completely.” Her expression was gentle. “Later, before you transferred schools, he played a few tricks on you, and he came to me for help each time.” “I couldn’t bear to see him disappointed, so I didn’t refuse.” It was like being struck by lightning, and my pupils suddenly shrank. So everything that happened. She had a hand in all of it. Serena and I grew up together. She had always indulged me in everything, giving me the stars if I asked for them and never giving me the moon instead. I had never considered anyone else. She was my only choice. When I was eight, tiny little her saved me from human traffickers and took several blows for me. When I was fourteen, she hid it from me and broke the bones of every boy who bullied me, then came home injured and too scared to face anyone. When I was sixteen, she confessed to me for the first time and promised that after graduation, we would get into the same university. But when she was seventeen, she changed her heart as if it was nothing. She became his accomplice. She pushed me into the abyss. I collapsed to the ground, powerless, enduring the heart-wrenching pain. She squatted down, her fingertips brushing the corner of my eye. “You don’t need to worry about anyone if you stay here, because your mom died of illness last year.” “Your dad married Mason’s mom, he has a very high degree now, his parents dote on him, he has me too, and he is living very happily.” I stood up in disbelief. “What did you say? How could my mom be dead? She was so young, how is that possible?!” Her expression did not change, but her voice was a little hoarse. “Your mom was good to me, Ethan, but I had no choice either.” “She died of cancer.” When she saw me standing there blankly, she came over and gently wrapped her arms around my waist. “Ethan, you’re my childhood sweetheart, and there’s a place for you in my heart.” “We have a child now too, so be good, okay?” Her voice carried a hint of coaxing. “If you behave, I’ll come back to see you often.” “Tomorrow is Mason’s and my wedding anniversary, and he has been pestering me for a long time because he wants a romantic trip at sea, just the two of us.” “Everyone on the island works for the Hayes family, and they’ll help me take care of you.” I stood there like a block of wood and gave her no response. My mother’s gentle smile appeared before my eyes. She had been graceful her whole life, and when she found out her husband had cheated. She still did not take it out on Mason. How could she possibly have died of cancer? Did Aunt Alexandra know? Thinking of that woman, I closed my eyes. A gust of wind swept outside the window, and a few withered leaves fell from the tree by the door. I silently clenched my fists. She would never sit by and watch my mother be bullied.

After Serena confessed the truth, she stopped wearing the fisherman’s outfit. She changed into a black trench coat. Serena had been beautiful since she was a child. She had a high nose bridge and features as delicate as a painting. Many boys had wanted her. In the past, every time she received a love letter, she would give me ten gifts. She said, “I will only ever like Ethan in this life, and every time someone shows interest in me, I’ll treat my Ethan ten times better.” The last time, she planted a gardenia tree for me. I stared at it blankly for a while. She straightened her collar and smiled softly at the lit phone screen. On the lock screen was their wedding photo. The man wore a custom suit and a delicate brooch. I remembered what she had once said. If we got together in the future and got married. She would take me around the world to take wedding photos. She would put my bow tie on with her own hands. She would hold my hand and kiss me by the sea. My ears had turned red from imagining it. Back then, I loved watching Titanic. I cried over the beautiful love between the male and female leads. At that time, Serena glanced at it as she passed by and hurriedly wiped away my tears. “Why do boys all like this kind of thing?” “Fine, when you turn eighteen, I’ll give you one exactly like it.” She really had not forgotten that promise. It was just that the person standing beside her was not me. I looked again at the man’s suit. Then I lowered my head and touched the rough burlap on my body. On the island, I only had two burlap shirts with no style to speak of. My life was terrible. My so-called wife only showed a trace of warmth when she pressed against me deep at night and tangled with me. For seven years, whenever she said she was going fishing, she would leave for two or three months. But I did not care. Because I had never treated her as my wife. In my eyes, she was a human trafficker. Until last month, when I finally saw a familiar figure by the sea. But Serena had not come to take me away. She even wanted me to stay here. She wanted to keep me locked up for the rest of my life. Pretending to be a fisherman for seven years must have been hard on her. My heart throbbed with pain again and again, and I could barely breathe. On the other end of the call, a child shouted excitedly. “Mommy! The house you bought me has been decorated by Daddy!” “It’s so pretty! It looks like a castle!” “Daddy said you prepared a dozen houses like this for me, but why are houses counted by the dozen?” The man laughed and pushed the child away, saying, “Go on, go play, your mom and I have something to talk about.” She looked at the phone, a doting smile on her face. “Baby, I’ll be back soon.” “Mm, I know, you even bought the outfit? You miss me that much?” “Then don’t sleep tonight, and begging won’t help.” When she turned back and saw me, she froze for a moment. Soon, she hung up and glanced at the child sleeping on the bed. She came over, touched my head, and softened her voice. “I’m leaving, so take good care of the baby, because he’s only two and can’t be away from his dad.” She held my hand and put a ring on me. “If you want a wedding, we can have one next month.” I silently gathered up the hood that had burned to ash on the ground. My voice held no warmth. “Fine.” My heart slowly went cold too. Voices came from outside the window. “Miss, sir, he…” The other person paused for a few seconds. Serena immediately strode over and asked nervously, “What happened to him? Is he in trouble?!” Before she finished speaking, Mason’s voice came from outside the door, carrying deliberate intimacy. “Serena, I’m here.”

The man wore a white shirt with red flowers, and his features were sharp. He walked to Serena’s side in just a few steps. The moment he stopped, he saw me standing behind her. My expression did not change, and I did not move. The scent of the man’s cologne already hit me head-on. He let go of Serena’s arm. Then he walked toward me step by step. “This man looks so familiar.” He sneered, reached out, grabbed my collar, and leaned closer to look. “So handsome, no wonder she kept you hidden.” The next instant. He punched me hard in the face. “Did you enjoy sleeping with my woman, Ethan?” Serena instinctively frowned and grabbed him from behind. But he shook her off at once. “She disappears for a while every few months, and Ethan, you’re really something.” “You hooked her so well that she can’t bear to leave you.” He looked down at me from above. “Back then, I thought you were living a good life with savages on this deserted island, but I didn’t expect you had stolen my woman.” “If I hadn’t been monitoring her schedule every month, I still wouldn’t know what good thing you’d done.” I raised my head and looked straight at him. “You’ll get what’s coming to you.” He seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and he laughed darkly. “Ethan, you seduced my wife, and I’ll get what’s coming to me?” “When I was sick and in the hospital, she still had to come here to see you from time to time.” “You know I’ve never been a generous person, and the fact that I haven’t thrown you into the sea already means I’m being nice to you.” I laughed mockingly. The next second, I lunged forward and shoved him. “I’m talking about you stealing my life!” “My SATs!” “Are you still pretending you don’t know?!” He lost his footing and staggered backward with a muffled groan. Then he stumbled into Serena’s arms. She reached out to hold Mason and comforted him in a low voice. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt?” She lifted her foot and kicked me hard in the stomach. The veins on her forehead bulged, and her tone was impatient. “Ethan! Can you have some conscience? You’ve lived so well on this island, you weren’t married off to a fisherman, you weren’t beaten, you had food and drink, and you even had a child.” “Why are you being so unreasonable, and how dare you attack him?!” “It looks like I’ve been too good to you!” I clutched my stomach, curled up in pain. She supported Mason and kicked the door open. I lay on the ground, watching the backs of them as they left. I forced down the nausea rising in my chest. I glanced out the window. A group of men in black stood guard at the door and discussed quietly. “So this is the lover Miss has been keeping, and he’s really bold.” “Exactly, he got caught and still dared to attack sir.” “I’ve never seen Miss treat any other man nicely, so what’s special about this one?” “I heard he used to be a top student.” “Can he be a better student than sir? Besides, on this deserted island, what use is being a top student?” “At most, he’s good in bed, so Miss made an exception and kept him.” I did not dare wait for the pain in my body to fade, and I crawled up and grabbed the phone Serena had left behind. I crouched down and dialed with trembling hands. The call connected. I felt as if I had grabbed a lifeline. “Aunt Alexandra, my mom is dead, I’m in this place, save me!” I did not wait for the person on the other end to respond and hung up immediately. In a few quick moves, I controlled the phone and sent my location. Then I deleted every trace. After putting the phone back in its original spot, I sat down against the wall. Although I called her my aunt. I had always hoped. That if only Mom had married her back then. She was a student my mom had sponsored, and she had climbed up from the bottom. She had loved my mom all her life. But she still had not been able to protect her as she wished. A woman’s footsteps sounded outside the door, and my nerves instantly went taut. She had just stepped inside. But the phone I had put back in place suddenly started ringing wildly.

The ringtone was the love song I liked most. I fell into a daze. When we were sixteen, we sat at the same desk. Her phone was hidden in her pocket, and we each wore one earbud. I felt her secretly holding my hand, and my heart raced. But now, I looked around. Seven years in a straw hut on a deserted island had used up my youth. It had also used up my patience. She walked over. I nervously grabbed the hem of my shirt. She did not even look at the phone and hung up directly. “Secretary Carter, clear my entire schedule.” “Unless it’s a life-or-death emergency, do not disturb me.” Someone outside the door immediately answered. She crouched down, her eyes bloodshot. Her fingers slid into my hair, and she yanked my head back. “Slap!” Serena slapped me hard across the face. I felt a burning pain and fell straight to the ground. My ears buzzed, and a coppery sweetness filled my throat. The pain in my body was nothing compared to the humiliation. Her voice was filled with fury. “Do you know what you did?!” I raised my head and met her eyes. “I don’t know!” She kicked the clay jar beside her to pieces. Then she let out a deep breath. “Go kneel and apologize to him right now, and for the sake of what we used to have, I can let you go.” “Otherwise, you can go die with his child!” I struggled and gritted my teeth. “I didn’t use any strength at all!” “Stop blaming everything on me!” She sneered and stood up, then clapped her hands. A group of people immediately came in and surrounded me. She stepped back twice and looked at me coldly. “In the past, I remembered that I liked you, so I couldn’t bear to be ruthless with you.” “Since you refuse to repent, maybe I really should teach you a lesson.” Two or three bodyguards dragged me up and held me firmly in place. They dragged me out the door, and there was no one on the beach under the vicious sunlight. She ordered people to set up a long pole. The secretary beside her handed her a bundle of rope. I realized something and began struggling violently. The pain in my abdomen had not passed yet. A moment later, I had already lost all strength. I lifted my eyes and saw her walk over and wrap her arms around me. After the motion that looked like a hug. Thick rope bound my hands tightly. I could already feel discomfort setting in. I looked up at her. “Serena, from childhood until now, I have never done anything wrong to you.” “I don’t like you anymore, and whatever happens between you and Mason has nothing to do with me.” “But you can’t do this to me.” She gave a cold laugh. “So that means you can do that to him?” “Ethan, why do you always act so superior toward him?” “Back then, he was just a pitiful young man, and now he’s only a husband throwing a little tantrum.” “Where exactly do you think you’re more noble than him?” “Stop acting like you’re so impressive just because you were born to the wife.” “To him, you’re the third party.” After she finished tying me up, she returned to the hut at a leisurely pace. The August sun on the deserted island was blindingly harsh. The clothes I wore left my arms and legs completely exposed. Before long, everything in front of me went black. My head hurt violently, and I started feeling sick. I had severe hypoglycemia. Serena knew that. In the past, she always carried candies of different colors and flavors with her. From time to time, she would pull one out and stuff it into my mouth. Then she would ask with a light laugh whether it was sweet. But now, ten yards away, she was feeding Mason sugar water spoon by spoon. I did not know how long had passed before my skin burned with pain from the sun. My breathing grew weaker and weaker. Before I fainted. I felt a sudden gale. Then I heard Serena’s bodyguards shouting at the sky in panic. “What is that thing?!” Serena’s expression changed, and she strode over in a few big steps. She crouched down and grabbed my chin. “What is Alexandra Stone to you?”

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My parents gave me a bank card and transferred twenty thousand dollars into it every month for living expenses. Everyone envied me for having such a good family. But they never told me the PIN. At school, I could not even afford meals, so I applied for financial aid. My mom stormed into the school and slapped me across the face. “We give you twenty thousand dollars every month and you still aren’t satisfied, so who are you pretending to be poor for, you ungrateful brat?” Later, I starved myself into a perforated stomach ulcer and lay in the operating room waiting for money to save my life. I begged them to tell me the PIN. But my mom sneered over the phone. “We told you the PIN ages ago, and you forgot it yourself, so you want to take the money and fool around outside? No way!” I hung up the phone and finally gave up on them at the edge of life and death. Until three years later, my younger brother offended the untouchable heir of the capital’s elite circle and urgently needed that money to save his life. My mom knelt on the ground, crying as she begged me to withdraw the money from the card. I threw that bank card onto the ground and smiled. “Mom, you forgot that you never told me the PIN, so this money can’t be withdrawn.”

“Ms. Parker, Emma Hale’s financial aid application cannot be approved.” Ryan Brooks, the class monitor, stood at the podium and shouted loudly. The eyes of the entire class instantly landed on me. I clutched the completed application form, my fingers tightening little by little. Ryan pointed at me, his tone full of contempt. “Her parents transfer twenty thousand dollars to her every month for living expenses, and she even posted screenshots on Ins, but now she’s here pretending to be poor to scam financial aid. She’s shameless!” My homeroom teacher, Ms. Parker, frowned as she looked at me. “Emma, what is going on?” I took a deep breath, my voice dry. “Ms. Parker, I really don’t have any money on my card, and I don’t even have money for food today.” As soon as I finished speaking, the classroom door was shoved open. My mom rushed in on high heels. She walked up to me in a few steps and raised her hand. A crisp slap rang out. My head was knocked to the side, and half of my face went numb instantly. “How did I give birth to such an ungrateful brat like you?” My mom pulled a bank card from her bag and slammed it hard against my face. “We transfer twenty thousand dollars to you every month for living expenses, and you still came to school to apply for poverty assistance. Are you deliberately trying to embarrass the Hale family?” The bank card fell to the ground with a sharp sound. The whole class erupted. “Oh my God, twenty thousand dollars a month and she’s still pretending to be poor?” “This girl is way too vain, right? She would even throw away her dignity just to steal a financial aid spot.” “That’s disgusting. If I had parents that good, I’d wake up laughing from my dreams.” As I listened to the whispers around me, a smug sneer flashed across my mom’s face. I stared hard at the bank card on the floor, my eyes stinging. Yes, she did transfer twenty thousand dollars to me every month. But she never once told me the PIN. I bent down, picked up the card, held it in front of her, and said in a trembling voice. “You transfer twenty thousand dollars every month, but did you ever tell me the PIN?” My mom’s expression changed, and her eyes dodged for a moment, but she quickly raised her voice again. “I told you the PIN ages ago, and you were the one with the bad memory who forgot it! Now you’re blaming me instead?” “You told me?” I stared at her and pressed closer step by step. “I tried my birthday, your birthday, and the home landline number, but every single one came up wrong! Do you dare say the PIN again in front of the whole class?” My mom was forced back a step by me, then pointed at my nose in furious embarrassment. “You still dare talk back! The PIN is your brother’s birthday, and I told you so many times!” “Emma, you’re just used to spending money like water, and once you spent it all, you came here to act pitiful. How did I raise such a useless thing like you?” After saying that, she turned to the homeroom teacher and put on a heartbroken expression. “Ms. Parker, this child was spoiled rotten by us, so please don’t approve any aid for her. We can’t afford this shame.” Ms. Parker’s gaze toward me turned completely cold. “Emma, you have truly disappointed me, so take your application form back.” I stood there and watched my mom leave with her head held high, my chest feeling as if someone had clenched it hard. She was lying. I had tried my brother Tyler Hale’s birthday. It was not right at all. This card was just a leash around my neck. In outsiders’ eyes, I was a rich girl with twenty thousand dollars in living expenses every month. But only I knew that I could not touch a single cent of that twenty thousand dollars.

At noon, when I went to the cafeteria to get lunch, I had only three dollars left on my meal card. I bought one plain dinner roll, carried a bowl of free broth, and sat in the corner. Before I had even taken two bites, a bottle of ice water suddenly slammed onto my table. Soup splashed all over me. I looked up and met Tyler Hale’s mocking face. Standing beside him was Chloe Hale, the fake heiress my parents had adopted. Chloe wore designer clothes from head to toe and covered her mouth with a delicate laugh. “Emma, why are you eating something like this? Doesn’t Mom give you twenty thousand dollars every month?” Tyler snorted coldly, snatched my dinner roll, threw it on the ground, and even ground it under his foot twice. “Stop acting pitiful! Mom said you caused trouble at school today, so she told me to come teach you a lesson.” I stared at the crushed dinner roll on the floor, and anger flared inside me. I shot to my feet and stared at him hard. “Tyler, tell me the PIN.” “What PIN?” He froze for a second, then laughed with disdain. “How would I know the PIN? Mom said you’re a wasteful loser who never knows when to stop spending, and the money on the card is being saved for you, so they’ll naturally give it to you when you need it.” “I need it right now!” My voice went hoarse, and I was almost shouting. “I can’t even afford food, and my dorm fees have been overdue for a week, so how am I supposed to live?” Chloe sighed and pretended to look sympathetic. “Emma, don’t pressure Tyler. If you really have no money, I can lend you a hundred dollars.” As she spoke, she pulled a red bill from her bag worth more than twenty thousand dollars and tossed it onto the table as if she were giving charity to a beggar. The students around us began pointing and whispering. “Chloe is way too kind, right? She still treats her ungrateful sister so well.” “Emma really doesn’t know what’s good for her. She has such a great sister and still walks around with that sour face every day.” I stared at that hundred-dollar bill, and my fingers tightened little by little. I did not take the money. I turned around, straightened my back, and walked out of the cafeteria. That afternoon, my advisor called me to the office. “Emma, if you don’t pay your dorm fees, you’ll have to move out of the dorm tonight.” I opened my mouth but could not say a single word. SnapChat wallet, one dollar and fifty cents. PayPal, two dollars and thirty cents. Added together, it was not even enough to rent a bed. I stood in the hallway and called my parents more than a dozen times. No one answered. I opened my mom’s Ins. She had updated it just one minute ago. “A new necklace for Chloe. Girls are meant to be spoiled.” The attached picture was of a diamond necklace worth thirty thousand dollars. I stared at that post, and my eyes began to sting little by little. So it was not that they had no money, nor that they could not bear to spend it. They just could not bear to spend it on me. That night, the dorm supervisor kicked me out of the dorm. It was raining heavily outside. I dragged my suitcase down the empty street. A burst of sharp pain twisted through my stomach. I crouched by the roadside, and cold sweat instantly soaked my back.

The pain in my stomach felt like a knife stirring inside me. I clutched my belly, hurting so badly that even my breathing trembled. My stomach illness had come from years of going hungry. Over the past few years, in order not to bow my head to them, I worked part-time jobs desperately and often ate only one meal a day. I leaned against a bus stop sign and dialed my dad’s number with shaking hands. The phone rang for a long time before it was answered, and the sound of the TV came through. “Dad…” My voice was so weak it was almost inaudible. “My stomach hurts so badly, and I might not make it, so tell me the PIN because I need to go to the hospital…” The other end of the line went quiet for two seconds. Then my dad’s impatient scolding came through. “Emma, are you done or not? You pretended to be poor at school during the day, and now you’re pretending to be sick at night! Will you only be satisfied if you drive us to death?” My throat tightened, and my tears fell instantly. “I’m not pretending to be sick… It really hurts…” “If it hurts, then endure it!” My dad cut me off without mercy. “Your mom said you’re just trying to scam money so you can fool around outside. I’m warning you, don’t even think about touching a single cent on that card!” After saying that, he hung up directly. Listening to the beeping from my phone, I felt a chill rush from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, and all the blood in my body went cold. These were my biological parents. I was in so much pain that I rolled on the ground, and my vision grew more and more blurry. I did not know how long passed before a taxi stopped in front of me. The driver saw something was wrong with me, quickly helped me into the car, and took me to a nearby hospital. In the emergency room, the doctor gave me a preliminary exam, and his face looked very grave. “Acute gastric perforation, so you need surgery immediately. Go pay a five-thousand-dollar deposit first.” Five thousand. I lay on the hospital bed, in so much pain that I could not even straighten my back. I held my phone and searched through every loan app I had. Because I was a student without stable income, every credit limit was zero. I gritted my teeth and dialed the home number again. This time, Chloe answered. “Emma, what is it this late? Mom and Dad are already asleep.” Her voice was sweet and delicate, with an indescribable smugness. I bit my lip hard, and soon tasted blood in my mouth. “Put Tyler on the phone.” There was a rustling sound from the other end, then Tyler’s voice rang out. “It’s the middle of the night, so what are you freaking out about now?” I took a deep breath, my voice hoarse. “Tyler, I’m at the hospital, and I need surgery for an acute gastric perforation. Tell me the PIN, and count it as me borrowing it from you.” Tyler scoffed. “Gastric perforation? Who are you trying to fool? Weren’t you still standing and yelling at me in the cafeteria this afternoon?” “I’m not lying to you!” I panicked all at once, trembling from the pain. “The doctor said they can’t operate if I don’t pay, and I’m really about to die!” The other end of the phone went silent for a moment. Then my mom’s voice came through, thick with impatience. “Give it to her, give it to her! Isn’t she just trying to scam money? Tell her the PIN is Chloe’s birthday!” “Take the money and get lost, and don’t call back to bother us again!” The call was hung up violently. I stared at the dark screen, and tears silently streamed down my face.

A nurse came over with the payment slip and urged me. “Have your family members arrived? Hurry and pay the money because the doctor is waiting to arrange the surgery.” I gritted my teeth and climbed out of the hospital bed. There was an ATM in the corner of the hospital lobby. I clutched my stomach and moved over step by step, and every step felt like stepping on the edge of a knife. I inserted the bank card that received twenty thousand dollars every month into the machine. I entered Chloe’s birthday. A line of cold red text appeared on the screen: “Incorrect PIN. You have two attempts remaining.” My mind buzzed, and it felt as if someone had struck me head-on with a club. Wrong? My mom had clearly said the PIN was Chloe’s birthday. My whole body went cold, and even my teeth were chattering. I tried their wedding anniversary next. “Incorrect PIN. You have one attempt remaining.” I stared at the screen, my breathing rushed. The final attempt. With shaking hands, I entered my own birthday. “Incorrect PIN. Your bank card has been locked.” The machine let out a beeping alarm, and the card was swallowed directly. At that moment, I seemed to hear the sound of my own heart shattering. So from beginning to end, they had been lying to me. They had never planned to let me use a single cent inside. I leaned against the ATM and slowly slid down to sit on the floor. The pain in my stomach came in wave after wave, and I did not even have the strength to cry anymore. Just as I thought I was truly going to die in that cold corner, the phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated. I struggled to take out my phone. It was a bank deposit text. “Your account ending in 7319 received a deposit of USD 3,200,000.00 at 02:14.” I stared at that long string of zeros, and my vision went dark. Right after that, my professor called, his voice filled with wild joy. “Emma! The patent transfer paperwork for our project went through! The other company paid the full amount directly! Three million two hundred thousand! Did you receive it?”

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That afternoon, the company needed us to submit a photo with our emergency contact. I searched through my entire phone before remembering an absurd fact. My boyfriend and I had been together for eight years, yet we did not have a single photo together, because every time I brought up taking one, he said he did not like photos, and I never thought much of it. I called him and asked him to send me a selfie. His voice was flat, like he was brushing me off: “I’m busy right now, I’m in a meeting.” Then he hung up. Before I could figure out how to get a photo of us together, a woman came to me and handed me her phone. “This is my wedding photo from many years ago, but the quality is damaged, so can you see if you can restore it?” When I saw the photo, I froze for a second. The groom’s figure felt so familiar. But the photo was too badly damaged, so I shook my head and said, “It can’t be fixed.” She was so anxious that she started crying and quickly called her husband. My boyfriend’s voice came through the speaker. “It’s okay if it can’t be fixed, baby. Our wedding anniversary is coming up soon anyway, and we’ll take hundreds of photos together then.”

My body trembled slightly from my racing heart, but I forced my face to stay calm and looked at the smiling woman in front of me. “So your wedding anniversary is coming up soon? What perfect timing, our studio has a promotion right now, and we can shoot anytime.” I handed over the promotional brochure. The woman took it curiously and flipped through it, her eyes lighting up: “Oh my God, these are so gorgeous!” She kept talking to the man on the phone, her voice sweet and sticky. “Babe, hurry over, this studio takes such pretty photos, so let’s do the shoot now.” In less than ten minutes, the front door was pushed open. I looked up, and that familiar figure appeared right in front of me. A perfectly tailored suit, noble and sharp features. It was my boyfriend, Julian Hayes. My heart felt like it had been gripped by an invisible hand, and a dull pain spread through my limbs as my breathing froze. Our eyes met, panic flashed through his eyes, and then he became calm, as if I were a stranger. When the woman saw him, she wrapped her arms around his arm affectionately. Julian pulled her into his arms in return and lowered his head to kiss her forehead, the gesture tender and intimate. “Babe, I like several photo sets, so can we shoot all of them today?” The woman acted spoiled, happiness filling her eyes. He rubbed her hair indulgently: “Of course, my little princess can shoot whatever she wants.” Eight years of love shattered in front of me like a ridiculous joke. There was rarely such intimacy between us, and there were mostly arguments. Back then, he lost the pocket watch his mother had left him and panicked so badly that he did not know what to do. I went out to look for it, and it rained heavily that day, so I was soaked from head to toe, my feet rubbed raw with blisters, and I even spent money asking people to help keep an eye out. After I finally found it, all I got was his scolding. “Why were you running around in such heavy rain? If you get sick, we’ll have to spend money again!” Actually, I did not mind, because at least the keepsake had been found. But now, seeing the scene in front of me, some words rose to my lips, only to be swallowed down. The woman turned her head to look at me and sized me up. “Let’s go, do a good job, and don’t waste our time.” I forced the corners of my mouth up and walked into the elevator with them. In the cramped space, the woman was still flipping through the album with great interest. The light above our heads went out with a snap, and the elevator instantly fell into darkness. Before I had time to adjust to the dark, a sudden force shoved me from the side. My body staggered backward, and the back of my head hit the wall hard. Before I could recover from the headache, a piercing pain shot up from the top of my foot. It was the woman’s thin heel grinding into my foot. I bit my lower lip and forced back the cry of pain stuck in my throat. She threw herself into Julian’s arms, her voice trembling: “I’m so scared, it suddenly went dark, and I nearly died of fright.” He soothed her in a low voice: “Don’t be scared, it’ll be fine in a moment.” After only a short while, the lights came back on. The woman frowned, her face full of impatience: “Using such cheap equipment is seriously tacky.” After she said that, Julian took her hand and walked out of the elevator. I had them register first, and I saw the woman’s name clearly, Chloe Bennett. My heart sank, because she was the daughter of the Bennett Group. She was very excited and tried on three or four wedding dresses in a row, standing on tiptoe and spinning in front of her husband. She acted spoiled and said she wanted to buy all the sample photos. Julian’s eyes were full of indulgence and tenderness. “Beautiful, my wife looks beautiful in anything.” “Chloe, if I don’t spend my money on you, who else would I spend it on, so we’ll buy a few more later.” I looked down at the faded hoodie I was wearing. I had once brought up wanting to buy a new dress, and Julian had looked impatient. “If your clothes can still be worn, don’t buy more, and don’t be so vain.”

Soon it was Julian’s turn to try on a suit. Because of my duty as an employee, I could only suppress my emotions and raise my hands to help him put on the jacket. He looked at Chloe not far away and spoke in a voice only the two of us could hear. “Don’t get too close, Chloe will misunderstand.” My hands stopped. Julian took a step back, his tone distant: “I can do it myself.” Chloe stuck close to him and chattered about the poses they would shoot later. The assistant praised them from the side: “You two really are a perfect match, handsome and beautiful, it’s so enviable.” Chloe leaned lazily in the chair, not even bothering to lift her eyes to look at me. “Go pour me a cup of hot water.” I nodded silently and brought the water to her. She took it, her gaze glued to Julian: “Lift the train a little, don’t let it drag on the floor.” I bent down to gather the trailing veil, but found it heavy and impossible to lift. Chloe was stepping on the skirt. I reminded her quietly: “Miss, please lift your foot, I can’t pull it up.” But she completely ignored my words. At that moment, she was busy being lovey-dovey with Julian and did not spare me even the slightest glance. After we were stuck like that for a while, my arm started aching, so I could only tug the dress hard. Chloe, who was completely unprepared, jumped in shock. Julian instinctively pulled her into his arms to protect her. The cup slipped from her hand, and all the hot water spilled over the back of my hand. The burning feeling spread quickly, the pain sharp and scorching, and my hand trembled uncontrollably. I saw Julian’s brows furrow slightly. A trace of hope actually rose in my heart, and I thought he would see what had happened and say even half a word in my defense. But anger covered his features, and he only lifted his eyes to look at me coldly. My nose stung and swelled with bitterness, and I bit my lip to keep my tears from falling. Chloe went to get her makeup done first, leaving only Julian and me in the room. He reached out to pull me over, worry showing on his face. “How’s your hand?” I endured the pain and shook him off. “You lied to me.” He froze when he heard that, and after a pause, he finally spoke. “I’m doing well with Chloe, and when I’m with her, I don’t think about the old days.” I understood what he meant, and tears fell all at once. “What about me?” “You can live a better life.” Julian looked at me. “I’ll give you some money…” I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. He turned his head to the side and pressed his lips together, but he did not dodge. When I saw Chloe, the first thing I noticed was the ring on her hand. Julian had long forgotten what he once said. Five years ago, he and I were still working odd jobs, and when his first paycheck came in, it happened to be his birthday, so we bought a cake. The candlelight made the basement seem a little less dark. He took a velvet box out of his pocket. My heart skipped a beat, and I thought it was a ring. When I opened it, it was a thin silver bracelet with a heart-shaped charm. “I’m sorry, I can’t afford a diamond ring right now.” He looked a little embarrassed. “But wear this for now, and when I find a better job, I’ll trade it for a diamond ring.” I put the bracelet on and said with a smile, “I don’t want a diamond ring, I only want this.” Julian held my hand, his gaze sincere: “Evelyn, wait for me, and I’ll marry you properly one day.” Until today, I finally saw the ring, except it was on someone else’s hand. My chest started twisting in pain again, and I gripped the fabric over my heart as my body swayed. Julian held me up, his voice very low. “Evelyn, I’m sorry.” I pushed him away, took off the bracelet, and threw it on the floor. “Julian Hayes, let’s end this here.” Without waiting for his response, I quickly walked out of the room. I took out a handful of medicine, stuffed it into my mouth, and swallowed dryly. Once everything was ready, I lifted the camera and aimed it at the two people leaning against each other in the lens. Julian’s chin rested lightly on the top of the woman’s head, and Chloe tilted her head up with smiling crescent eyes, kissing the corner of his lips. The assistant beside them could not help teasing them and laughingly praising how blindingly sweet they were. I pressed the shutter mechanically, recording their happiness. It was not that we had never taken a photo together.

That day, I had just finished a night shift, and the boss organized everyone to take a group photo, so the workers all gathered together. When the photo was being taken, my chest suddenly felt tight, and Julian immediately reached out to support me, his body moving with mine just as the shutter was pressed. The developed photo was blurry. My eyes and face were clear, while half of Julian’s body was blurred into a mass, making him look like he had melted into the dim background. I held the photo and my eyes turned red. Julian quickly smoothed out the photo and comforted me in a low voice. “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter if I’m a little blurry, as long as you’re clear.” I stared steadily at the man and woman in the lens. At this moment, Julian was gentle and dazzling, his figure tall and upright, his whole person bright and alive. His wife stood beside him openly and rightfully, warm and confident. I suddenly figured it out, but why should it be like this? Suddenly, a tearing pain surged through my chest, and the familiar suffocating feeling made my vision go dark. The laughter and voices around me became very distant. I forced myself to steady the camera, but my hands kept going weak. “Clang!” The heavy camera slipped straight out of my hands and smashed onto the floor. Through my shaking vision, I saw a flash of panic cross Julian’s face. He stood still and turned to Chloe, saying, “Don’t let her affect your mood, go shoot the next set first.” My coworkers cried out in alarm and crowded around me, and then my vision went black, and I could not feel anything anymore. When I woke up, I was already lying in a hospital bed, my whole body weak. The doctor told me with a grave expression: “Your heart has already gone into severe failure, so we can only arrange surgery as soon as possible, and then there will barely be a chance of survival, but if we delay any longer, the consequences will be unimaginable.” I stared blankly at the ceiling, and before I could respond, the door to the ward was suddenly shoved open. Chloe rushed in, arrogant and domineering, with two bodyguards following behind her. She looked down at me from above: “Do you know he’s a married man, yet you still keep clinging to him?” The bodyguards immediately stepped forward and forced the doctor out of the ward without a word. Chloe held her phone up in front of me, and on the screen were my chat records with Julian, the whole screen filled with messages I had sent while he had not replied even once. She sneered: “You message someone else’s husband every day and harass him, so how can you be so shameless about being the other woman?” My chest felt tight, and a dull twisting pain came from my heart as I defended myself softly. “He and I have nothing to do with each other anymore.” Chloe did not believe me at all and only thought I was pretending to make excuses, her gaze growing even more contemptuous. I had no energy to argue with her about this now and only wanted to live properly. I reached out to get the medicine on the bedside table. But Chloe raised her hand and swept it away, knocking the pill box straight to the floor and scattering pills everywhere. She folded her arms, her tone cold and mean: “Stop lying there pretending to be fragile, get up and exercise more, and then you’ll have the strength to seduce more men.” The pain in my chest surged up, so I could only endure the discomfort, slowly move off the bed, and pick up the scattered pills one by one. Just then, the door to the ward was pushed open, and Julian walked in. Chloe instantly put on an aggrieved expression, her eyes reddening as she spoke softly. “I already told her not to pester you, but she refuses to stop.” Julian glanced over me, and there was not the slightest guilt in his eyes. He only drew his brows together and spoke to Chloe. “I won’t let her have any chance to contact me again, so don’t get angry over someone like this, let’s go.” I leaned against the bed, my body feeling like a piece had been hollowed out. My phone rang, and my boss’s name jumped on the screen. My hands trembled as I answered, and furious scolding came from the other end. “What is wrong with you? You offended a major client, and now they’ve canceled their long-term cooperation with us, causing huge losses, so all the losses will be counted against you!” As I listened to the accusations by my ear, I knew they had done it. After a long time, I answered hoarsely: “I’ll pay.” After hanging up, I transferred to my boss all the savings I had built up over eight years, the money I had planned to use for treatment and a home. Not long after, the doctor walked in, saw me slumped on the floor, and quickly came forward to help me up. “Have you thought clearly about the surgery? The earlier we operate, the higher the chance of success.” I leaned against the headboard and shook my head. “There’s no need to arrange the surgery.” I would get through one day at a time, and that was all.

I had a heart condition, and my parents abandoned me very early, so most of my salary went toward medicine. Later, I met Julian, and he worked desperately to earn money for my treatment. I lay in the hospital bed and looked at his exhausted face, as if all his strength had been drained away. “Julian, let’s break up.” This illness could drag people to death, and if I died, then I died, but he could not go down with me. Anger appeared in his eyes. “Evelyn, how many times have I told you that I’ll find a way to handle the money?” While he was gone, I packed my things and left. I did not expect the hospital to notify Julian as soon as I left. He found me and held me tightly, and my shoulder became wet. I felt numb and could not move. “Julian Hayes, let me go, and let me leave.” He held me even tighter, tears streaming down. “Evelyn, even if it’s for yourself, you have to keep living.” I ignored the doctor’s warnings and left the hospital. As soon as I got into the car, I received several texts. “Evelyn, stop making trouble, Chloe and I are already married, and that’s a fact that can’t be changed.” “As long as you behave and stop appearing in front of Chloe, I can treat you well like before.” “You don’t need to worry about money, because I won’t abandon you.” I sneered and blocked him directly. I planned to go back to the company first and move out all the photos I had taken over the years, because I could find a new job with those works. I walked into the studio and froze on the spot at first glance. Chloe and Julian were standing in front of my workstation. What made me feel even colder was that someone was operating my computer. I rushed forward quickly, my tone panicked: “What are you doing? Don’t touch my things!” Chloe turned her head to look at me and said as if it were only natural. “You’re the photographer, so who knows if you still have our photos saved somewhere? Keeping these things around is trouble for us, and I don’t feel at ease.” “These are my works, and they have nothing to do with you!” I reached out to push away the person in front of me, but the bodyguards stepped forward and blocked me directly. I watched Chloe pull the memory card out of my camera. A smile curved her lips, and her fingers tightened slightly. “Crack.” A crisp breaking sound rang out, and my hope shattered too. That was still not enough, because she raised her hand, picked up the camera that had accompanied me through years of hard work, and smashed it onto the floor without hesitation. The camera body cracked apart, and parts scattered all over the floor. I broke down and turned to look at Julian beside her. From beginning to end, he remained unmoved. “Julian, when I get a little better, I’m going to study photography, because being a photographer is my dream.” He tucked my hand into his pocket and laughed softly. “Okay, we’ll both stay alive, and we’ll have everything in the future.” Back then, I really believed it, believed that my illness could improve and believed that my dream could come true. But now, the thought that kept me wanting to live was gone. My anger completely drowned out my reason, and I picked up a piece from the floor and threw it straight at Chloe. She screamed, staggered backward, and clutched her arm with disbelief all over her face. My wrist was immediately grabbed. Julian stood in front of her, his gaze ice-cold. “Are you insane?” I could not breathe, and my chest felt like something had blocked it completely. “Julian Hayes, you’re not human.” His face went pale. Chloe rubbed her shoulder and gave the bodyguards a look. A bodyguard walked over and slapped me across the face. My head tilted to the side, my ears rang, and blood seeped from the corner of my mouth. She kicked over my box. Photos scattered all over the floor with a rustle, and the floor was covered with the hard work I had saved up over the years. Chloe stepped on them, her heel grinding over those photos. I saw it, the blurry photo of us together was under her foot. The feeling in my chest was not pain, but the feeling of being torn apart from the inside. I covered my mouth and bent over. Blood flowed through the gaps between my fingers, dripping one drop at a time onto the photos on the floor. I could not hold on anymore, and my whole body pitched forward. Julian caught me and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth in a panic, his voice trembling. “Evelyn! What’s wrong with you! Say something!” I looked up at him. My vision was clearly blurred, but I still saw his face, the face I had loved for eight years, now filled with terror. “Julian Hayes, are you satisfied now?” He froze. I tugged at the corner of my mouth, not knowing if it was a smile or something else. “My feelings, my photos, they’re all gone, and I have no future anymore…” His hands were shaking as he gripped my shoulders tightly. I coughed, and another mouthful of blood splashed onto his shirt. “I’m going to die.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “433911”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

The operating table was ice-cold. A bone-deep chill crept up my spine, inch by inch. This was the third time I’d lain here. My husband, Dante Vane, stood on the other side of the sterile room’s glass window. His eyes were flat and indifferent — like he was looking at a pile of garbage. “Clean her up. I don’t want Seraphina getting any bad luck from this.” He dropped those words and turned away, pulling Seraphina Rose gently against his side. She was pregnant with his child. And I — the true heiress of the The Rose family — had been slowly poisoned for three years through the prenatal medication he made me drink every single day. I died on that operating table, torn apart from the inside out. Then I opened my eyes. Salt-laced sea air hit my face. I had gone back. Back to the night of the cruise ship gala. The ocean wind screamed. Beneath it, the low, relentless thrum of the ship’s engines. My eyes snapped open. I gasped, dragging in breath after ragged breath. It felt like my lungs still carried the thick, iron smell of blood from the operating room in my last life. Every bone in my body ached. “Liliana, look at the seagulls over there — aren’t they gorgeous?” A soft, saccharine voice floated into my ear. I turned stiffly. Seraphina Rose’s eyes met mine — eyes that looked innocent but harboring hidden calculations. Her arm was hooked through mine. She was slowly, steadily steering me toward the unguarded maintenance zone at the edge of the deck. No railing. Nothing but open air and the sea below. This spot. Right here, in my last life. She had faked a slip and shoved me with everything she had, sending me plunging into the freezing water. And Dante — heir to the Vane family, who was supposed to be entertaining guests in the top-floor VIP suite — had “just so happened” to appear on the deck. He jumped in without a second thought. But in the pitch-black water that night, fate played a cruel trick. He pulled out the wrong girl. He pulled out me. That night, a storm knocked the cruise ship off course. We spent the night on a deserted island nearby, huddled together just to survive. When we were rescued the next morning, The Vane family pushed Dante into marrying me — damage control for the rumors spreading through their elite social circles. Meanwhile, Seraphina had stood on the deck and sobbed — and Roman Vane, the Vane family’s disgraced illegitimate son, had draped his jacket over her shoulders and walked her away. From that day on, Dante hated me. He was convinced I had staged the whole drowning incident on purpose — all to marry into the Vane family and steal the title of Mrs. Vane right out from under Seraphina. In his eyes, I had taken what belonged to someone else. I was scheming. I was vicious. Three years of marriage. Three years of him punishing me in the most brutal ways he could think of. He tampered with my food. He killed our three children with his own hands. While I screamed on that operating table, he never once turned around. “Liliana, what are you spacing out for? Come a little closer — the view is way better from here.” Seraphina’s impatient voice yanked me back from the dark. A flash of cold, vicious urgency crossed her eyes. The arm hooked through mine suddenly tensed, shoving me toward the edge. The corner of my mouth curved into a slow, icy smile. This life? That perfect match that was supposed to be yours? I’m sending it right back to you. Just as her hands were about to reach my shoulders — My eyes sharpened. I stepped aside — half a step, quick and silent as a ghost. “Ahh — !” Seraphina clearly hadn’t expected me to move. I had always been the one who just took it. She had pushed too hard. Her body lurched, completely off balance. A piercing, broken shriek split the air. She went over the edge of the deck and plummeted straight down, like a kite with its string cut, into the churning sea below. Splash. A massive wall of white water exploded upward. “Help! Help me — glug glug glug —” Seraphina thrashed wildly in the freezing water. Her carefully done makeup washed off in seconds. She flailed her arms above the surface, utterly undone. I stood on the deck and looked down at her desperate struggle. I felt nothing. Actually — no. It felt good. “Seraphina!” A raw, anguished shout erupted from behind me. Dante was in a perfectly tailored couture suit. His eyes were bloodshot red. He charged toward the edge of the deck like a man who’d lost all reason. He didn’t even stop to pull off his jacket. He threw himself over the railing without a second thought. Splash. Another crash of water. I watched the two figures in the sea with cold, dry eyes. Dante fought through the waves to reach Seraphina and locked his arms around her — shielding her completely — as if she were something priceless he had almost lost forever. In his previous life, he had jumped in without hesitation — just like this. What a shame. He saved the wrong person, and blamed the wrong one. This life, I’ll give you both exactly what you want — you tragic, star-crossed lovebirds. “Nice reflexes, Liliana Rose.” A lazy voice — smooth but laced with dangerous amusement — drifted out from the shadows. My whole body went rigid. I spun around, every instinct on high alert. Roman Vane. The Vane’s Family’s darkest secret — the illegitimate son they’d rather pretend didn’t exist, cold-blooded and ruthless to the core. He was leaning against the worn cabin door, a cigarette burning slow between his long fingers. Through the curl of smoke, those dark, unfathomable eyes were watching me with something between a smirk and a threat. He saw everything. He saw me step aside on purpose. He watched Seraphina fall with his own eyes.

The ocean breeze swept away the smoke ring Roman had just exhaled. He pushed himself upright and walked toward me, unhurried, one long stride at a time. His shoes struck the wooden deck with heavy, deliberate thuds — each one landing like a blow against my nerves. “What’s the matter? Aren’t you going to call for help for your dear little sister?” He stopped just half a step away, looking down at me. He smelled faintly of tobacco, and his presence carried a suffocating, oppressive weight. I forced the panic back down and held his gaze without flinching. “You didn’t call for help either, Roman.” Roman let out a low, quiet laugh, his chest barely shifting with it. “I don’t waste my time worrying about whether other people live or die.” He leaned in, bringing his mouth close to my ear, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. “But that little sidestep of yours just now? I found that very interesting. Liliana Rose, you’re a lot smarter than I thought.” His breath grazed the shell of my ear, and a shiver rolled through me. I stepped back sharply, putting distance between us. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Roman. Seraphina slipped on her own. I was terrified.” I put on my best look of shock — shaken, helpless — then turned and ran toward the cabin. “Help! Someone’s overboard! Help!” I screamed as loud as I could, letting just the right amount of panic and urgency into my voice. Within seconds, the cruise ship’s security team and guests came rushing. Spotlights swept the surface of the water, lighting up Dante and Seraphina clinging to each other in the waves. A rescue boat was lowered and pulled them both aboard. Seraphina was soaked through, shaking violently, pressed against Dante’s chest and sobbing. Dante stripped off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her, his face tight with anguish and rage. He looked up. His gaze cut through the crowd like a blade — and stopped dead on me. “Liliana! Why did you push Seraphina?!” He all but snarled the words through gritted teeth. The guests around us sucked in a collective breath, every pair of eyes swinging toward me. My eyes went red on cue. The tears followed without effort. “Dante, you’ve got it wrong. She slipped on her own. I tried to grab her — I just couldn’t hold on.” “You’re lying!” Dante exploded, pointing straight at my face. “Seraphina wouldn’t even step on a bug — why would she wander somewhere that dangerous on her own? It was you. You’re jealous of her, and you tried to kill her!” Inside, I almost laughed. Jealous? I’m the real daughter of this family. Why would I ever be jealous of a fraud who stole what was mine? “Dante, you need proof before you make accusations.” I stood up straight, keeping my voice cool and level. “There are cameras on the deck. Pull the footage — let’s see for yourself whether I pushed her, or she fell on her own.” Dante faltered. He clearly hadn’t expected me to hold my ground like that. Seraphina’s eyes flickered. She grabbed his sleeve and cried harder, looking more fragile and pitiful than ever. “Dante, please don’t blame Liliana. I really did slip on my own… She only just came back to the Rose family, so it’s natural if there’s been some tension between us.” That carefully played retreat — looking like she was defending me while quietly sealing my guilt — worked perfectly. The look Dante turned on me went cold with contempt. “Liliana, you’d better hope Seraphina is okay. Because if she’s not — you’ll be in trouble.” He swept Seraphina up into his arms and walked off toward the medical bay in long, furious strides. The crowd slowly drifted away. I stood there alone, the cold night wind against my skin — and had never felt so light at heart. This lifetime, I have finally escaped that ridiculous start. Dante saved Seraphina, and they consummated bond. Now, the Vane Family can never force me to marry him. I am finally free. Don’t celebrate too soon. Roman appeared behind me without a sound. He flicked his burnt-out cigarette into the sea and looked at me, the corner of his mouth curling into a slow, knowing smile. “The waters of the Vane family run deeper than this ocean. Do you really think you can walk away from this unscathed?” I frowned, staring at him in confusion. But he said nothing more. He turned and disappeared into the darkened corridor.

The next morning. The cruise ship docked. The elders of both the Rose family and the Vane family were already waiting at the pier. Shaken and chilled to the bone, Seraphina was carefully carried off the ship in Dante’s arms and taken straight to the hospital. I followed behind, like a ghost nobody noticed. When my father Edward Rose saw me, his expression darkened like a storm cloud. “You’re a disgrace! We barely brought you back and you’re already causing trouble — you can’t even get along with your own sister!” He raised his hand, and I could see the slap coming straight at my face. I didn’t flinch. I just stared back at him, cold and steady. “Before you hit me, Father, you might want to check the security footage first. Seraphina was the one who tried to push me. It backfired on her.” Edward’s hand froze in mid-air, his face cycling between pale and ash-gray. He knew exactly what Seraphina was capable of — but he didn’t care. All he cared about was the Rose family’s reputation and interests. “Whatever the truth is, people out there are already saying you’re cold-blooded — that you tried to harm your own sister! How is the Rose family supposed to show its face after this?” I let out a cold laugh. “Is the Rose family’s reputation really worth more than my life — your own daughter’s life?” My words left him with nothing to say. He could only yank his sleeve back in frustration and storm off. Right then, a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled slowly up to the pier. The door opened, and Dante’s mother Valerie Vane stepped out — dripping in jewels — leaning on her assistant’s arm. Her sharp eyes swept the crowd, and then landed on me. My heart tightened. In my past life, she was the one who had the final say — the one who forced my marriage to Dante. But this time, it was Seraphina that Dante had saved. Surely she would change her mind now? Valerie walked up to Edward and gave a small nod. “Edward, both girls had quite the scare last night.” Edward quickly flashed a smile. “You’re absolutely right, Valerie. Liliana had no sense. I’m sorry if it caused any embarrassment for Dante.” Valerie raised a hand, cutting him off. “Let’s not dwell on the past. I’m here today to announce the marriage arrangements between our two families.” My heart skipped a beat. The assistant behind Valerie produced two gold-embossed marriage contracts. “The eldest daughter of the Rose family, Liliana — graceful and composed — is a perfect match for Dante Vane, the eldest son of the Vane family. We are pleased to join them in marriage.” “The second daughter of the Rose family, Seraphina — spirited and charming — is well-suited for Roman Vane, the second son of the Vane family. A wedding date will be set in due course.” The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. My mind went completely blank. How could this be? Everything had changed — hadn’t it? It was Seraphina who had clung to Dante in the water last night, the two of them fighting to survive together! So why — why were the marriage arrangements exactly the same as in my past life?! I snapped my head up and locked my eyes on Valerie. “Valerie, there has to be a mistake.” My voice trembled. I forced the words out through gritted teeth. “Last night in the sea, it was Dante who saved Seraphina! Everyone saw them holding each other! How can you still have me marry Dante?” Valerie’s expression turned ice-cold in an instant. She looked down at me, her eyes full of contempt and mockery. “A mistake? Since when does anyone get to question a decision made by the Vane family?” She stepped closer, dropping her voice so only I could hear. “Liliana, do you think a marriage like this is something to play games with? Dante is the heir to the Vane Group. His future wife must be the true heiress of the Rose family — the one who holds full inheritance rights.” “As for Seraphina — she has no blood ties to your family. She’s a fraud. The fact that she even gets to marry Roman, illegitimate as he is, is already a privilege she doesn’t deserve.” “No matter who Dante saved last night — no matter who he loves — the position of the eldest son’s wife in The Vane’s Family belongs to you, and only you!”

Valerie’s words hit me like a dull, rusted blade, cutting clean through every naive fantasy I’d been holding onto. I stood frozen, my whole body going cold. So when it came to money and power, feelings and the truth meant absolutely nothing. I thought that by surviving the fall into the water, I could escape this tragedy. But fate had its chains locked around my throat from the very beginning. Edward noticed me standing there in a daze. He walked over and shoved me — hard. “Go on, thank Valerie! Marrying Dante is the luckiest break you’ll ever get!” I stumbled, barely catching myself before I hit the ground. I looked up at Edward’s fawning face and felt my stomach turn. “I’m not marrying him.” I forced each word out through clenched teeth. Crack! A sharp slap landed hard across my face. Edward pointed at me, shaking with rage. “You ungrateful girl! Who gave you the right to speak? This marriage is happening whether you want it to or not!” Half my face swelled instantly. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth. I didn’t cry. I just coldly wiped the blood from my lips, turned around, and walked away from the dock without looking back. I wandered the streets with no idea where I was going, my mind a mess. Dante’s hatred. Valerie’s schemes. Edward’s cruelty. The despair from my past life came crashing over me like a wave, nearly pulling me under. Without even realizing it, I found myself standing in front of an underground boxing club. Deafening heavy metal music and the raw, animal roars of men spilled out from inside. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. In the dim light, two shirtless men were locked in a brutal fight inside the octagon cage. Blood and sweat blurred together, filling the air with something primal and savage. I spotted Roman Vane right away, sitting below the ring. He had on a black tank top, his muscles lean and coiled with power. He held a bottle of ice water loosely in one hand, watching the fight with a lazy, indifferent look. I walked straight up to him and stepped into his line of sight. Roman looked up. When he saw it was me, one eyebrow lifted. “Liliana Rose. What brings you to a dump like this?” His gaze dropped to my swollen cheek, and something in his eyes darkened. “Got hit, huh? Rough.” I ignored his mockery and dropped into the empty seat beside him. “Roman. I want to make a deal.” I turned and looked him dead in the eyes. Roman let out a quiet laugh and twisted off the bottle cap, taking a long drink. “A deal? You’re about to be Dante’s wife — what kind of deal could you possibly make with me?” “I don’t want to marry Dante. And you don’t want to spend the rest of your life getting stepped on by The Vane’s Family — a bastard son kept hidden in the shadows. Am I wrong?” I lowered my voice. There was an all-or-nothing edge to it. Roman went still. He turned his head and fixed those dark eyes on me like he was trying to see straight through me. “Do you even know what you’re saying?” “I know exactly what I’m saying.” I held his gaze without flinching. “Marry me. Help me destroy the engagement with Dante, and I’ll give you everything — twenty percent of the Rose family shares, unconditionally. All of it behind you.” “I want Dante ruined. I want a complete change of power in the Vane Family.” The noise around us seemed to vanish all at once. Roman stared at me for a full minute. Then without warning, he reached out and grabbed my jaw, yanking me close. “Liliana. Do you know what kind of man I am?” His voice was rough and low — dangerous, laced with warning. “I’m a mad dog that bites. You really think you can use me and still walk away in one piece?” Forced to tilt my face up, I looked into the wild fire burning behind his eyes and let a bitter smile cross my lips. “To deal with someone like Dante, a mad dog is exactly what I need.” “As long as he goes down, I’m not afraid of anything.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “433910”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Everyone thought Susie Summers was a pushover. She’d been married to Henry Ziegler for three years — working for him at the office by day, serving him in bed by night. Even when she caught Henry fooling around with Lena Hampert right there in the office, the coworkers watching were sure she’d sweep it under the rug like always. Three years of being ground down had finally broken something loose in Susie. She was done. But before she could throw the divorce papers in Henry’s face, William, The CEO of the Luis Group, showed up. He dropped to his knees in front of everyone, eyes red, begging Susie to come back. The moment she kicked the door open, Susie saw the most revolting thing she’d ever witnessed in her life. Henry’s tie was crooked. Lena was draped all over him, one strap of her dress hanging halfway off her shoulder. Documents were scattered across the desk, and the air reeked of perfume. Susie’s head started ringing — but her hands moved faster than her brain. Her phone was already out, the record button pressed. “Susie?” Lena reacted first, shrieking and stumbling backward, making a show of pulling up her strap. But her eyes were gleaming with satisfaction. Henry turned around. His expression shifted — then curled into a cold smirk. “What are you doing here?” “Dropping something off.” Susie raised her phone and walked toward them, one slow step at a time. “Figured I’d get you both on camera. So you won’t forget how pathetic you looked.” Her voice was completely calm. Calm enough to surprise even herself. Three years she’d stood up with this man. Today, she didn’t have to anymore. Henry lunged for the phone. Susie stepped back, and with her other hand pulled a folded letter from her bag and snapped it against his chest. “Sign it. And expect divorce papers from my lawyer.” Henry stared down at the letter. Then he let out a short, sharp laugh. “You? Quit? Divorce me? Susie, have you lost your mind? You got this job through my connections. You think you can survive without me?” Lena sauntered over then, dabbing at her eyes, her voice dripping with fake innocence. “Sis, you’ve got it all wrong. Henry and I were just going over some work stuff—” “Shut up.” Susie cut her off, her tone was ice cold. “Call me that one more time and I’ll make you regret it.” Lena’s face went pale. Then the tears started falling, and she spun toward Henry. “She’s being so mean to me…” Henry exploded. He grabbed the resignation letter and tore it apart, throwing the pieces at Susie’s face. “You’ve got some nerve! You’re useless — all you do is cause scenes and embarrass me. If you walk out that door, you leave with absolutely nothing. And don’t think for a second you’ll get anywhere near the kids!” Susie smiled. It was a cold smile. Cold all the way through. For three years she had put up with everything — the cooking, cleaning, raising the kids, pulling late nights, getting belittled and pushed aside — all because Henry introduced her as “my wife.” She had shrunk herself into nothing more than his accessory. But not today. “I’m taking the kids,” Susie said, word by word. “And you’re not getting your hands on everything we have. And what you two just did in here? Everyone’s going to know about it.” “You’re threatening me?” Henry grabbed a mug off the desk and hurled it to the floor. Glass exploded across the tile. “You think I won’t have security drag you out of here right now?” Susie didn’t flinch. She just held her phone up higher. The footage on the screen was crystal clear. Out in the hallway, a crowd had gathered. Coworkers were craning their necks, their faces a mix of amusement and nosiness. Not one of them stepped forward. Susie wasn’t surprised. They’d been waiting for her to fall on her face ever since her first day here. “Susie, just let it go.” Lena’s voice softened into something sweet and poisonous. “Henry has been so good to you. Aren’t you grateful? The only one looking bad right now is you.” Susie turned to look at her, eyes sharp. “Cut the innocent act, Lena. You weren’t worried about looking bad three years ago when you crawled into Henry’s bed, were you?” “That’s a lie!” Lena screamed. “That never happened!” “Didn’t it?” Susie laughed, lifting the phone. “The angle on this is pretty clear. Want me to send it to the whole company and let everyone decide?” Lena went pale as a sheet of paper and threw herself at Henry, sobbing harder than ever. Henry was shaking with rage, opening his mouth to lay into Susie — when a sudden ripple moved through the crowd. “Mr. Luis is here!” Everyone stepped back at once, parting like a wave. Susie looked up. William was walking down the corridor toward them. His suit was immaculate. His expression was dark — the kind of dark that settles in right before a storm. His gaze swept past everyone in the room and landed directly on her. Susie’s heart slammed against her ribs. William—her college crush, the boy who once said, “Susie, wait for me. I’ll come back and marry you”—was now the CEO of the Luis Group. And her direct boss. She never thought their paths would cross again. “What’s going on here?” William stepped into the doorway, his voice was dangerously low. Henry instantly slapped on a smile. “Mr. Luis, it’s nothing—just family stuff, me and my wife—” Susie didn’t let him finish. She held her phone out to William. “Mr. Luis. This is the evidence.” William looked down at the screen. The footage showed Henry and Lena tangled together—too disgusting to describe. His expression darkened with every passing second. His fingers tightened around the phone until his knuckles went white. The office fell into an eerie silence. You could hear everyone breathing. Henry scrambled to explain. “Mr. Luis, don’t listen to her—she just wants to get back at me—” “Shut up.” William raised his head, his voice cold as ice. “Henry. Lena. You’re both fired.” “What?” Henry and Lena stared, the color draining completely from their faces. “Mr. Luis, you can’t do this!” Henry blurted out. “She’s my wife! She’s my wife! Don’t let her fool you!” William didn’t even look at him. His gaze shifted back to Susie. Then, in front of everyone, he dropped to one knee.

The moment William went down on one knee, the entire office seemed to freeze. Everyone went still. The panic on Henry’s face hadn’t even faded before it twisted into a sneer. Lena’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head. The executives crowded at the doorway turned to stone—some of them forgot to breathe. “Mr. Luis, are you insane?” Henry’s voice cracked. “Kneeling for her? She’s nothing! A washed-up, worn-out wife who lived off my charity!” William didn’t acknowledge him. He looked up, his gaze locked on Susie—eyes full of emotions. Guilt. Tenderness. And something deeper, something that looked like obsession. “Don’t go.” His voice was quiet. But every word hit like a hammer. Susie’s eyes went red. She bit down hard on her lip, her hands balling into fists at her sides, fingernails digging into her palms. The pain kept her grounded. “William, get up.” Her voice was shaking. “I’m not getting up.” He didn’t move. His back stayed perfectly straight. “Three years ago, I wasn’t in a position to do this. Today I am. Susie—if you resign, I’ll stay right here on my knee until you change your mind.” Henry shoved forward and jabbed a finger in Susie’s face. “You skank— seducing my boss! I knew something was off with all that overtime you were pulling! Now it makes sense! You’ve been sleeping with Mr. Luis this whole time!” Susie knocked his hand away and pulled out her phone, letting out a cold laugh. “Sleeping with him? Henry, are you blind? You had photos of me and Mr. Luis saved on your own phone. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” Henry went pale. “You kept old photos of me and Mr. Luis for three years,” Susie said, her voice raised higher, “just waiting for a moment like this to use against me? That’s really something, Henry. You get caught cheating, and your first move is to flip it around and say I slept my way to the top?” Lena suddenly threw herself at Susie, grabbing her arm. Tears appeared from nowhere. “Sis, please—don’t do this! Henry just made a mistake, one stupid mistake. Please forgive him! If you won’t, I’ll get down on my knees and beg you!” And then she actually knelt, her knees hitting the floor with a dull thud. Susie looked down at her. Not a single flicker of emotion in her eyes. “Lena, are you done?” Her voice was unnervingly calm. “Being a homewrecker is your hobby now? You’ve been hitting on Henry since sophomore year of college. Did you really think I didn’t know?” Lena’s crying stopped dead. Her pupils shrank. “You…” Her lips trembled. She couldn’t get the words out. “How did I find out?” Susie laughed coldly. “Those explicit messages you sent him—did you think deleting them meant they were gone forever? Those monthly allowance transfers—did you really think switching accounts would make them untraceable?” Lena’s face went white as paper. Henry snapped. He grabbed Susie’s arm and yanked. “Shut your mouth! Say one more word and I’ll make sure you walk out of this marriage with nothing. And don’t even think about seeing our kid.” “Don’t you dare touch my child.” Susie’s voice was slow and deliberate, her eyes cold as a blade. “Henry, I’ve put up with you for three years—all for the sake of our child. Today you threw away the last shred of decency yourself. Don’t blame me for what comes next.” She pulled her hand away and turned to William. “Mr. Luis, get up.” William still didn’t move. “Promise me you won’t quit.” Susie took a deep breath. The tears finally came. She wiped her face, her voice rough and raw. “Fine. I won’t quit. But you have to promise me one thing.” “Name it.” “Give me the worst project in the Luis Group. I want three months to claw back every cent Henry and Lena have swallowed over the years—every last penny.” William paused for a second. Then a slow smile curling on his lips. He stood and extended his hand toward Susie. “Deal.” Susie didn’t shake his hand. She turned and stared at Henry and Lena, forced an unflattering smile. “Henry. Lena. Listen closely.” “From today on, it’s war between us. I won’t stop until it’s over.”

The office was dead silent. Henry’s face had drained to white. Lena’s legs were visibly shaking. Susie’s words had cut into them like a blade driven straight to the bone. “Susie, have you lost your mind?!” Henry forced himself to shout. “I dare you to come after me!” Susie ignored him. She reached into her bag and pulled out the resignation letter. She tore it slowly, one strip at a time. Each tear of paper rang out sharp and clear in the office. When she was done, she tossed the scraps into the air. They fluttered down and landed all over Henry and Lena. “You—” Henry was shaking with rage. “You’re out of your damn mind!” “Out of my mind?” Susie laughed coldly. “I’ve never been clearer, Henry. You embezzled three point four million dollars from the company and laundered it through Lena’s account. Did you really think William didn’t know?” Henry’s pupils shrank. His lips trembled. “That’s a lie…” “And you.” Susie turned to Lena. “You’ve been at the Luis Group for less than two years, and you’ve already been skimming kickbacks behind Henry’s back—colluding with suppliers, falsifying accounts, pocketing the difference. Did you think William didn’t know?” The color drained from Lena’s face. “Susie, don’t you dare make up lies about me!” “Make up lies?” Susie held up her phone and gave it a little wave. “Want me to pull up the bank statements, the wire transfers, and your chat logs with Henry and put them on display for the whole company?” Henry lunged for the phone. William stepped in front of him, his gaze was glacial. “Don’t even think about laying a finger on her.” Henry froze. Lena suddenly burst into tears and dropped to her knees. “Mr. Luis, it’s not like that—Susie set me up! She’s jealous of me—” “Jealous of you?” Susie crouched down and looked Lena straight in the eye. “Jealous of what, exactly? Jealous that you’re better at being a mistress than I ever was? Or jealous that you stabbed your own sister in the back without a trace of shame?” Lena’s skin crawled under that stare. Her sobs died in her throat. “Enough.” William spoke. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a weight that left no room for argument. “Henry. Lena. Get out.” Henry’s head snapped up. “William, you’d really fire me? I’m your brother-in-law—” “Brother-in-law?” William’s eyes went dark. “You think you deserve that title?” Henry’s face turned iron-gray. His knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. “Fine. Fine. You’ll both regret this. And let me tell you something, William—Susie was pregnant with my child once. You think she’s so innocent? She’s nothing but a—” SMACK. A hard slap landed across his face. It was Susie. Her eyes were red, her hand still trembling, but she stood perfectly straight. “Say one more word, Henry, and I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life in prison.” Henry clutched his face, stunned and furious. “You hit me?” “So what if I did?” Susie’s voice was ice. “I’ve put up with you for three years. That ends today. Henry, everything you took from me—I’m going to take it back. Every single piece.” Lena scrambled to her feet, shrieking like she’d snapped. “Susie, who do you think you are?! You’re nothing but a washed-up—” “Shut up.” William Luis’s voice cut through the room. Low. Frigid. Everyone went still. He walked toward Henry and Lena, his gaze was as cold as winter ice. “Henry, you owe the company $3.4 million. Pay it back within three days, or I’ll see you in court. Lena, every kickback you pocketed—I want it all back by tomorrow, or things will get a lot worse for you.” Henry panicked. “William, you can’t—” “I can.” William cut him off. “Effective today, the Luis Group is officially terminating both of you. Security, escort them out.” Two security guards stepped in from the doorway and grabbed Henry and Lena, dragging them toward the exit. Lena shrieked, “Let go of me! Susie, you better watch your back—This isn’t over—” Her voice grew fainter and fainter, until it finally faded at the end of the hallway. The office fell silent. There was only Susie and William left. Susie finally gave out. Her legs buckled, and she dropped into the chair. She raised her hand to cover her face, her shoulders trembling slightly. William stood in front of her. He was quiet for a long moment before speaking, his voice cracked. “Susie, I’m sorry.” “Don’t say sorry.” Susie lowered her hands. Her eyes were red, but she wasn’t crying. “Your kneeling in front of me just now—pretend it never happened.” “I can’t pretend it never happened.” William looked at her, his eyes were full of nothing but pain. “These past three years—I’m the one who wronged you. If I had shown up sooner—” “William.” Susie cut him off, her voice eerily calm. “Everything I went through these past three years has nothing to do with you.” “It has everything to do with me.” William crouched down and took her hand. “I know you hate me. I left without a word—that was on me. But can you give me a chance—” “A chance to do what?” Susie pulled her hand away. “To forgive you? To fall in love with you all over again?” William had no answer. Susie let out a laugh—hollow and sad. “William, do you have any idea what my life looked like these past three years? Henry hitting me, scolding at me every single day. Lena making my life hell. They even threatened my child—” She couldn’t finish the sentence. The tears came before she could stop them. William felt as if something was being carved out of his chest. He reached out to wipe her tears, but Susie turned her head away. “Don’t touch me.” Her voice was raw. “I don’t need your pity.” “It’s not pity.” His voice came out rough. “It’s because I care about you.” Susie looked at him, then suddenly laughed. “You care about me? William, where was that when you walked out without saying a word?” William said nothing. “Forget it.” Susie stood up. “It’s all in the past. All I want now is to focus on work, build the Luis Group into something, and then—” “And then what?” “And then take my child and leave this place.” She turned away. “And never come back.” William suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Don’t go.” Susie looked back. His eyes were rimmed red. “Susie, I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness.” William’s voice dropped to almost nothing. “But these past three years, I never stopped looking for you. When I found out you’d married Henry, I thought you did it to get back at me—” “I didn’t.” More tears fell. “I married Henry because I was pregnant with your child.” William went completely still. “I was pregnant. You were gone. I couldn’t find you.” Susie wiped off the tears. “Henry said he’d marry me. Said he’d take care of the baby. I believed him. And look how that turned out.” William’s hand started to shake. “Where is the child?” His voice trembled. “Where?” “At home.” Susie took a slow, deep breath. “With my parents. Henry never met him.” William’s eyes went red. “Susie, I—” “Don’t.” Susie shook off his hand. “William, I don’t need you to make it up to me. I just need your help—help me grow the Luis Group, make sure Henry and Lena pay for what they did.” “And after that?” “After that, we’re even.” William watched her walk away, a weight sitting heavy in his chest. Then he spoke. “What’s the child’s name?” Susie’s steps faltered. “Susie.” William moved closer. “What’s his name?” Susie didn’t turn around. But her voice softened. “Willson.” “Willson?” “Yeah. Willson.” Susie turned around, her eyes blurred with tears. “He’s the only thing that’s kept me going in this life.” William stood frozen, his Adam’s apple bobbing, eyes turning red. “Susie.” His voice was hoarse. “Wait for me. I’ll build the Luis Group into something bigger and make Henry and Lena pay. And then—” “And then what?” “And then I’ll beg you to give me another chance.” Susie looked at him without a word. She turned and walked toward the door, stopping at the threshold. “William, some mistakes can’t be forgiven just because you are sorry.” The door closed. The office fell silent again, with only William left inside.

The moment the door shut, William slammed his fist down on the desk. Three years. It had taken him three years to piece together everything Susie had been through. The day she married Henry, he was overseas closing an acquisition deal. By the time he flew back, it was already the day after her wedding. He went to wait for her outside her office building — and all he saw was her, walking alone in the rain with a baby bump. He hadn’t dared go up to her. He figured she must hate him. Hate him for vanishing without a word, for never giving her any explanation. So he stayed in the shadows, watching as Henry berated her, as Lena humiliated her, as her coworkers isolated her. It broke his heart. Then, three months ago, he finally dug up the evidence that Henry and Lena had conspired to drain Susie’s family company dry. He caught a flight back that same night, moved as fast as he possibly could to acquire the Luis Group, and took the position of CEO. He thought that would be enough to protect her. But she had quit. William leaned back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling, his eyes stinging. The moment Susie walked out of the office, he’d nearly lost it — nearly rushed over and pulled her into his arms. She was still so thin, still so beautiful. But the light in her eyes had dimmed so much compared to three years ago. He remembered how she used to laugh in college — her eyes curving into little crescents. They’d been in love back then. He’d thought she was it for him. Then his father got gravely ill. The family business was seized by his uncle. He had no choice but to go abroad and take over the mess. He’d sent her a breakup text, not wanting to drag her down with him. He spent years grinding, clawing for power, until he finally took back everything that was his. He’d assumed she would wait for him. Instead, he heard she had gotten married. William closed his eyes, his fingers tracing the surface of his phone screen. On it was a photo he’d secretly taken of her — she was feeding a child, the soft curve of the side of her face was so heartbreakingly gentle. He suddenly stood up, grabbed his jacket, and headed out. Susie had just gotten home. She was sitting on the couch with her son Willson in her arms, staring blankly at nothing. He was only two and a half years old but already knew how to say “Mama.” His eyes looked exactly like William’s. She looked down at him, and tears fell. “Willy, Mommy’s so tired.” He raised his tiny hand and wiped her cheek. “Mommy don’t cry. Willy be good.” Susie pulled him closer. Then the doorbell rang. She wiped her eyes and walked over to answer it. The moment she opened the door, she froze. William was standing there, with a large bag of groceries in his hand, and his suit jacket soaked through with rain. “How did you—” “I looked up your address.” His voice was gentle. “You’re living here?” Susie said nothing. She was renting the top-floor unit in an old building — no elevator, dim hallways, paint peeling off the walls in patches. After the divorce, Henry had transferred the ownership of their house, the car, and every last dollar of their savings to somewhere else. This was all she could afford. William looked into her eyes, his throat felt tight. “Susie. I’m sorry.” “Sorry for what?” “Sorry I didn’t protect you.” He stepped inside, and when he spotted the child sitting on the couch, his footsteps faltered. “Is that… Willson?” Susie shifted her body to block his view. “Leave.” “I’m not leaving.” William set the bag down and crouched, staring at the boy’s face. “He looks just like me. Susie, you can’t lie to me.” Susie bit her lip, her eyes burning red. “William, enough. You walked out on me without a single word, without any explanation. And now you just show up at my door — you think that makes it better?” William stood up, his voice was rough. “My dad was seriously ill back then. I didn’t want you suffering alongside me. I thought—” “You thought I’d wait for you?” Susie let out a cold laugh. “And while I was waiting, Henry and Lena gutted my family’s company. While I was waiting, they told me to get rid of the baby and crushed me under their feet.” William grabbed her hand. “Susie, I know everything. For three years, I’ve been keeping tabs on it all. I know what Henry did to you. I know how Lena treated you.” “Then why didn’t you come back sooner?” “I was afraid.” William dropped to his knees in front of her, his voice breaking. “I was afraid you’d hate me. Afraid you wouldn’t forgive me.” Susie looked at him, tears streaming down her face. “William, I do hate you. I hate you for making me carry all of this alone for three years.” “I know.” William clutched the hem of her skirt. “So give me the chance to make it right. Susie, starting today, I won’t let you carry anything alone ever again.” Susie looked at him in silence. Finally, she picked up the child, turned, and walked inside, leaving only one sentence behind. “William, focus on building the Luis Group first.” The door shut. William knelt outside, listening to the baby’s cries drifting through the door, and Susie’s choked, trembling voice trying to soothe them. He clenched his fists, his eyes burning red. “Just wait, William,” he whispered to himself. “Everything I owe her — I will pay it back.”

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My mother was the proud Luna of the Blood River Pack, but she died as a breeding slave in the mud of the Rogue Territory. From the moment I can remember, all I see is her belly. Swollen, then empty, then swollen again. By the time I am barely tall enough to reach the wash basin, I am already hauling water, feeding pigs, scrubbing blood out of birthing sheets. She dies on the straw mat. And the moment that Rogue bastard realizes he cannot squeeze another coin out of her body, his yellow eyes turn on me. I run. I tear out of that village and onto the main road, and that is where I meet him. The father I have never seen. His scent hits me first. Alpha. Pure-blood. He stares at my face. His pupils shrink to slits. Because I look exactly like her. “I was just coming to find you,” he says, voice smooth as poured whiskey. “My mate Rose and I, we already have our daughter, our little Rosie. One pup is enough for us. But I am the Alpha. I need a son. An heir. And Rose is too delicate to go through another pregnancy. How could I let my Luna suffer like that?” His eyes flick down my body. Bones. Bruises. Dirt. “Your mother was always known for being a good breeder. If she gives Rose a son this time, I will bring you both back to the Pack House. What she did to Rose all those years ago, I will forgive it.” I look past him. At the woman in the carriage window, all soft curls and silk. At the little girl in her lap, plump and pink. A perfect Luna. A perfect pup. I laugh until I cry. “Then come with me,” I whisper. “Alpha.” The carriage smells like roses and old money. Rose, Luna Rose, hands me a stack of rough beggar’s linen and smiles like she is doing me a favor. “The caravan only packed coarse clothing for the help,” she sighs, stroking little Rosie’s curls. “Rosie’s dresses are all imported silk. She does not like anyone else touching them.” I look up. Her eyes glitter. Triumph. Mockery. But I am not angry. I am just stunned. So even the beggars in the Pack House get fabric this thick? No wonder my mother used to whisper about home like it was heaven. Rosie peeks out from her mother’s arms, fat little fingers wrapped around an amber bead. Her nails are trimmed. Pink. Healthy. I look at my own hands. Bones. Calluses. Dirt jammed so deep under my nails it will never wash out. “Hmph.” The Alpha’s voice cuts through the carriage. “You were supposed to grow up like her. Silk and silver, in the Pack House. But your mother was too stubborn to bow her head, and she dragged you into the wild for ten years. Now that you are back, you will treat your little sister with respect.” I lift my eyes. Crack a dry smile. “Sister? Which number sister is she?” His brow snaps together. “What the hell are you talking about? You do not have other sisters.” “Sure I do.” I tug the corner of my mouth higher. “Half the pups in that village are my brothers and sisters. I just need to figure out the birth order.” His face goes white. Then red. “You little liar! Ten years gone and you have turned into your mother. Mouth full of poison!” His eyes drag down my skeletal frame, disgust curling his lip. “You are a daughter of Alpha Sloan. How are you this thin? And what was that rag you came in wearing? Like something dragged out of a swamp.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I send silver to that village every single year. More than enough to keep you both fed and clothed. Where did your mother piss it all away? When I see her, I am going to have words.” I smile bitterly. Silver? That Rogue bastard gambled every coin away. If my mother had not starved herself to keep me alive, the Alpha would not even have these bones to look at. “She is already dead,” I say. Light. Floating. SLAP. My head cracks against the carriage wall. My temple splits. Blood runs hot down my cheek. “You wicked pup! How dare you curse your own mother!” I turn my head slowly. Look him dead in the eye. “She is dead.” “That Rogue thought she was taking too long to whelp. So he used a wooden rolling pin and pressed down on her belly until she burst. Her intestines came out on the floor.” A boot slams into my chest. I fly out of the carriage door.

I hit the dirt and roll. The wheel grinds over my ankle. Bone crunches. My vision blacks at the edges. The carriage stops. The Alpha, my father, what a joke, steps out and looks down at me like I am something his boot scraped up. “You filthy little liar. That Rogue is my sworn brother! He took a blade for me on the battlefield! You and your mother were under his protection. He would never do that to you. If you are going to lie, at least make it believable!” He pauses. His voice softens, but only into something worse. That tired, disappointed tone. “All your mother had to do was come back. Bow her head once. I would have forgiven everything. Ten years she had. She has hands. She has feet. Even if she had to crawl, she should have crawled her way back by now. She is just still angry. Still punishing me.” Thunder cracks overhead. Rain starts hammering down. I lie in the mud, blood and water mixing on my face, and I start to laugh. Legs. Legs. A breeding slave does not need legs. They cut hers off years ago. How exactly was she supposed to crawl across a thousand miles of forest with no hands and no feet? From the time I could remember, that Rogue rented my mother out. One pup, a few sacks of grain. A litter, a handful of coin. She refused. He beat her. She still refused. Then he grabbed me by the throat and held a silver blade to my heart. And my Luna, my proud, beautiful Luna mother, dropped to her knees. Every night I curled up in the goat shed and watched the line of males trail in and out of her door. I heard the sounds she made. The broken, swallowed whimpers a mother makes when she does not want her pup to hear. One night she scratched the Chief’s son too deep. The Rogue had to pay restitution. He came home drunk and furious. He took an axe to her hands. Then her feet. “The Alpha forgot about you two a long time ago,” he laughed. “What do you need limbs for? You can still lie on your back and breed me silver.” That is the night I learned my father was an Alpha. Rain stings my face. I cough up a mouthful of blood and force myself upright on shaking legs. I scream at the carriage. “They say you were my mother’s closest sister! When your father was executed for treason, when your family’s females were sold to the brothels, she pawned her bridal jewelry. She shamed herself in front of every Alpha in the territory to buy you out!” Rose’s knuckles go bone-white around her embroidered handkerchief. CRACK. A whip slashes across my back. The beggar’s linen splits open. Skin opens with it. The Alpha stands over me, chest heaving. The Silver-Weaved Whip glints in his hand. “How DARE you! Rose is your stepmother. Your elder. You are a half-grown pup. You do not get to speak her name!” I lie in the mud, and I laugh at that whip. Because my mother told me the story. She begged a sacred elder for it. Mountain serpent leather. Three years soaked in healing wine. Silver threaded through by hand. A gift for her Alpha mate. May this whip strike down injustice. May it protect the weak. May it protect us, your Luna, your daughter. And now it is tearing the skin off her only pup. My eyes burn. Not tears. Hate. I drag myself upright. Sway. Stare straight at Rose. “My mother loved you like blood. And on the night of her first pregnancy, you climbed into the Alpha’s bed while he was drunk. She walked in on you. She lost the pup right there on the floor. Isn’t that right?” CRACK. CRACK. Two more lashes. “Demon spawn!” The Alpha’s eyes are red. “Your mother was jealous and bitter! She slipped on her own! She blamed Rose to save face!” I look up at his face, the face that gave me my eyes, my temper, my stubborn jaw, and I scream with everything I have left. “You spoiled your mistress and destroyed your mate! You don’t deserve to be called a mate! That’s why you have no son! My mother is DEAD! You will die alone! No heir, no bloodline, no one to mourn you!” “INSOLENT…” “Alpha, please. She is still a pup.” Rose’s voice. Soft. Practiced. Not one ounce of real mercy in it. The Alpha’s hand keeps rising. The whip keeps falling. Blood blooms across the linen. The fabric glues to my skin. Every twitch feels like flesh being peeled off. When he finally stops, panting like a wounded animal, I am barely shaped like a girl anymore. “Do you admit you are wrong?!” I lie in the cold mud. Every cut screams. I do not make a sound. His face twists. He turns to his guards. “Tie this little demon to the back of the carriage. She runs behind us until she begs forgiveness.”

The rain has not stopped. A rough rope cuts into my wrists. The carriage rolls forward and I stumble after it, bare feet slipping in mud. Every jolt yanks the rope. Every yank tears the lash wounds on my back wider. The silver residue from the whip burns under my skin like acid. My wolf is whimpering somewhere deep inside, too weak to even lift her head. My vision blurs. My head feels packed with wet sand. But somehow, through the rain, through the wind, I can still hear them. Laughter. Inside the carriage. Rosie is doing her baby voice. “Daddy, Daddy.” The Alpha chuckles low and indulgent. A perfect little family of three. And in the smeared, half-conscious dark behind my eyes, I see my mother. The way she was at the end. Just a torso on a rotting straw mat. The stumps where her hands used to be, weeping yellow. The stumps where her feet used to be, scarred over ugly and black. At first, she still sang. The old pack lullabies from the Pack House. She told me stories. How she and the Alpha used to sneak out at midnight to run as wolves under the moon. How he would put wildflowers in her hair in the spring meadows. How he swore, with his fangs against her throat, that he would protect his Luna forever. Then she stopped singing. She became something hollow. Something that only spoke when she dreamed. “Believe me. I didn’t push her. I didn’t push her. I didn’t…” I would crouch beside her mat, wipe the tears off her face with my dirty little fingers, and beg her to look at me. Please, Mama. Please just see me. Stop thinking about it. But that one sentence was carved into her bones. She could not let it go. She always told me, When your father learns the truth, he’ll come for us. He’ll protect us. Well, Mama. He came. In a carriage with silver bells. With a new Luna in his lap and a new pup at her breast. And he came to use your womb. My consciousness sinks like a stone in dark water. My knees give. I drop face-first into the mud and let the carriage drag me. Drag me to death. Good. If I die, I get to see her. I will not have to watch this happy little family anymore. I will not have to feel the silver burning under my skin. I will not have to keep being alive in a world that took everything… I wake up to the smell of healing herbs and a soft, sing-song voice in my ear. “Sissy, you’re awake!” A round little face hovers over mine. Pink cheeks. Curls. Wide, wet eyes. Rosie. The Alpha sits a few feet away, holding a steaming mug, watching me. His voice is flat. “Lucky you. If Rosie hadn’t whined that you were turning blue, you’d be a corpse on the road. Thank your sister.” I do not say a word. I just stare at her, cold as winter. Rosie shrinks back, hiding behind his arm. But the Alpha, instead of getting angry, actually smirks. There is something almost like approval in his eyes. “Tough little thing. You took every lash, dragged for miles, and didn’t whimper once. Didn’t beg. You’ve got my blood in you, all right.” Rose curls into his side, fingers tightening on his sleeve. Her smile stays sweet, but her voice slips in like a needle. “The Alpha is right, of course. Such a pity though. She is just a she-wolf. She will never run with the warriors like you did, my love. She will never fight wars or claim territory. In the end, she will just be someone’s mate. Someone’s Luna. Raising pups.” The Alpha’s brow snaps tight. That sentence finds the exact spot Rose was aiming for. “Yeah. Just a daughter.” He looks at me again, but the pride is already gone. Replaced by something colder. “Soon as we get back to the Pack House, I’m hiring the strictest matron in the territory. This one needs to be broken in. She’ll be of mating age in a few seasons. Mouth like a gutter, attitude like a feral. No respectable Alpha’s son will touch her.” Rose nods, all soft agreement, but I see the venom flicker in her eyes. I almost laugh out loud. When did I ever say I was going to the Pack House with them? Just then the carriage lurches to a hard stop. The driver’s voice calls in from outside, careful and low. “Alpha. We’re here. The Rogue village.”

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I have Delayed Pain Syndrome. When people yelled at me, I just said, “Okay.” When they pushed me around, I said, “Okay,” too. When my parents abandoned me, I said okay. Even when my high school classmates cornered me in the restroom, I still said okay. Physical pain didn’t exist in my world. That was my reality, until I met Chloe and Nathan. One was my best friend who always shielded me, and the other was my boyfriend who looked at me as if I were his entire world. Chloe loved to tap my forehead, sighing in frustration. “Sera, if someone stole Nathan from you one day, would you just stand there like an idiot and say ‘okay’?” I would just giggle blankly. “No way. Nathan would never leave me.” But when we returned to campus after winter break, I saw them. They were locked in a passionate embrace outside our apartment building. Chloe slapped him, tears streaming down her face. “Nathan, stop! How can we do this to Sera?” “I’ll get an abortion. We’ll pretend this never happened.” Nathan’s eyes were bloodshot as he pulled her tightly back into his arms. “No, Chloe, don’t! I’ll talk to Sera. I will take responsibility for our baby!” I stood in the freezing wind, watching the two most important people in my life. For the first time, I realized that even with Delayed Pain Syndrome, my heart could still break.

I lowered my head and texted Julian. “I agree to go abroad with you for treatment.” Julian replied almost instantly: “Great. I’ll pick you up in three days.” I wanted to smile, but my tears fell first. They blurred my phone screen. I wiped my eyes quickly. I shoved my phone into my pocket. Taking a deep breath, I forced a blank smile and walked over to them slowly. “Nathan, Chloe.” I greeted them. They jumped apart, startled. Chloe turned pale, and Nathan looked incredibly guilty. But when they saw my face—always a few seconds too slow to react—they both let out a visible sigh of relief. They knew I had Delayed Pain Syndrome. So they were absolutely sure I hadn’t noticed anything. They quickly smoothed their expressions. They pretended they had just run into each other by accident. But the scent of their mingled perfumes didn’t lie. I asked softly, “Why are you guys back on campus so early?” Nathan instinctively stepped forward to hold my hand. That was how we always were. He would always walk to me and take my hand. But after just half a step, he caught Chloe’s sad, tearful eyes. He froze. Then, he stepped back to stand right beside Chloe. I looked at their shoes, perfectly aligned, and a sharp ache bloomed in my chest. Silence stretched between us. To break the awkwardness, Chloe rushed forward. She grabbed the handle of my heavy suitcase. “This is so heavy! Sera, let me carry it for you!” She spoke too loudly, trying too hard. I blinked, holding back my tears. I was afraid that if I closed my eyes, the bright eighteen-year-old Chloe I loved would vanish forever. I met her during my freshman year. Before I met Nathan. On move-in day, everyone else had their parents helping them. I was all alone. I dragged my heavy suitcase up the stairs, step by step. The students behind me grew impatient and started yelling. I was sweating and panicking. Just then, a bright, beautiful girl ran down the stairs. She grabbed my suitcase. “Are you alone? Let me help you!” She carried my stuff all the way to my room. Later, I learned her name was Chloe, and she was my roommate. From that day on, she was my only best friend. Suddenly, a harsh voice broke my memories. “Drop it!” Nathan strode over and slapped Chloe’s hand away from my suitcase. He pulled Chloe behind him. He frowned, glaring at me coldly. “Sera, Chloe… she hasn’t been feeling well lately! How can you let her carry such a heavy bag for you?” I stood there, frozen. I didn’t know how to react. I was always slow. Slow to react, slow to speak, and slow to feel. Nathan knew this better than anyone. In the past, he never blamed me for being slow. He would just smile gently and carry everything for me. But now, his voice was freezing cold. “Chloe is your best friend, not your maid!” “Stop making her do everything for you!” “Sera, you have a medical condition, not a princess complex!” My face lost all its color. My lips trembled, but no sound came out. Chloe’s expression changed too. Her eyes welled with tears as she pushed Nathan away. “Shut up, Nathan! It’s none of your business what I do!” Ignoring Nathan’s worried gaze, she grabbed my hand. “Sera, ignore him. Let’s go to our room.” I let Chloe drag me along like a puppet. Walking up the cold stairs. The slow-moving needle finally pierced my heart. For the first time, I realized that love and warmth could really be transferred to someone else.

That night, the three of us went to a nice French bistro nearby. To break the tension from the afternoon, Nathan ordered the filet mignon, knowing it was my favorite. In the past, he would always cut the best piece of steak for me first. But this time, he placed the prime cut onto Chloe’s plate. “Chloe, you’re too thin. Eat more,” he murmured. His eyes were filled with undeniable worry. Chloe froze. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with guilt and panic. Nathan realized what he had done. His face turned pale, and he quickly cut another piece of steak for me. “Sera, you eat too.” He quickly added, trying to cover up, “Chloe has had a poor appetite lately. I’m just looking out for her.” I looked at the steak on my plate. I nodded slowly. “Okay.” I chewed the meat slowly. It tasted like ash. Suddenly, Chloe covered her mouth. Her face went pale, and she dashed toward the restroom. Nathan bolted upright instantly. He stared anxiously at the restroom door. He wanted to run after her, but he forced himself to stay. He looked back at me, his hands clenched into tight fists. He was fighting his own instincts. I swallowed the bitter food. I looked up and gave him a faint smile. “Nathan, go check on Chloe. She seems really sick.” Hearing my permission, Nathan looked incredibly relieved. “Sera, wait for me here. I’ll be right back.” Without hesitation, he ran toward the restroom. I sat in the noisy restaurant. Watching him knock frantically on the restroom door. I looked down at my phone calendar. Two days left. The next day, Chloe was incredibly sweet to me. She bought my favorite strawberry cupcakes. She held my hand, her eyes red. “Sera, no matter what happens, we’ll be best friends forever, right?” Her eyes were filled with desperate pleading. I looked at her. I remembered her bright smile from our freshman year when she carried my suitcase. I nodded slowly. “Yeah.” Chloe hugged me tight and sobbed. I didn’t hug her back. My hands hung loosely at my sides, slowly clenching into fists.

The day I was scheduled to leave, it was pouring rain. Chloe insisted on taking me to a bakery across town to get some pastries. She said sweet things would make me feel better. Nathan held an umbrella, walking beside us. But the umbrella was tilted heavily over Chloe’s head. My shoulder was completely soaked by the rain. But I didn’t say anything. That was the “benefit” of my Delayed Pain Syndrome. They thought I couldn’t feel the cold. We used to be inseparable, but now we walked in dead silence. Chloe kept her head down, and Nathan’s voice sounded strained. “Sera… there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…” He leaned forward, finally ready to confess the secret he had been hiding for months. But as we reached the intersection. A speeding delivery scooter swerved to avoid a puddle and lost control, rushing straight toward us. It was incredibly fast. I tried to reach out and pull Chloe back, but my slow reflexes caused me to trip and fall toward her instead. Nathan’s face twisted in panic. He shoved me away violently. “Chloe!” His powerful push sent me flying directly into the path of the speeding scooter. The impact was brutal. I was thrown into the air and rolled several times on the rough asphalt. Nathan hugged Chloe tightly, yelling at me in a rage: “Sera! How can you be so cruel? Did you seriously try to push Chloe into the scooter to save yourself?!” But when he saw my blood-covered face, he froze. I lay in a dirty puddle, dark red blood flowing down my forehead, staining the water. Nathan instinctively let go of Chloe and tried to help me up. “Sera, I…” In his arms, Chloe let out a weak whimper. Her eyes fluttered, and she fainted. Nathan stopped moving toward me. “Chloe! Chloe, wake up!” I lay on the ground, watching them. The cold rain hit my wounds. It burned like fire. My Delayed Pain Syndrome had failed me. I felt everything. I struggled to lift my head, looking at Nathan, who was only a few feet away. My lips moved weakly: “Nathan… it hurts…” But the rain was too loud. He didn’t hear me. His mind and eyes were entirely on the unconscious Chloe. Eventually, the wail of sirens pierced the rain. Paramedics rushed out with stretchers. I fought to keep my eyes open. I saw Nathan’s silhouette. But this time, he wasn’t running to save me. He picked Chloe up in his arms. He rushed toward the first ambulance. The medic stopped him. “Sir, the other girl is in critical condition! She’s losing too much blood!” Nathan held Chloe tightly, screaming hysterically: “She just has some scratches!” “Sera can wait! She has Delayed Pain Syndrome! She doesn’t feel pain like we do! She can take the next ambulance!” “But Chloe can’t! She’s pregnant! She can’t stand the sight of blood! She can’t wait!” The young man’s screaming voice pierced through the rain. It tore my heart into pieces.

By the time the second ambulance brought me to the hospital. My body was freezing. My chest felt like it was filled with crushed glass, and every breath brought the taste of blood. Soon, the doctor ran over with my scans, his face pale. “Ruptured spleen! Severe internal bleeding! We need to perform surgery immediately!” “Where are her parents? Call her emergency contact right now! We need a signature, or she won’t make it!” The nurse found my phone. She dialed the number saved under “Emergency Contact.” It rang for a long time before Nathan finally answered. In the background, I could hear Chloe’s soft whimpering. “Hello,” Nathan’s voice sounded exhausted and annoyed. The nurse said urgently, “Are you Seraphina Miller’s family? She has severe internal bleeding and needs emergency surgery right now. Please come to the ER to sign the consent form!” Silence fell over the line. Then, Chloe’s crying got louder. “Nathan, my stomach hurts so much… is our baby going to be okay…” Nathan panicked instantly. He covered the mic and whispered gently, “Don’t worry, Chloe. I’m right here. I’m not leaving you.” Then, he spoke back into the phone. “Nurse, don’t let her fool you.” “She has Delayed Pain Syndrome. She doesn’t even know what pain is.” “She’s just jealous. She probably hurt herself on purpose to get attention and force me to leave Chloe.” The nurse screamed, “Sir! The patient is in critical condition! We need your signature to operate!” Nathan took a deep breath, his voice filled with cold disappointment. “Tell Sera that Chloe is pregnant with my baby.” “Since she can’t feel pain anyway, let her sit in the hallway for a while. Maybe she’ll reflect on the horrible thing she did today!” “Once Chloe is stable, I’ll come by to discharge her.” He hung up the phone. The nurse stood there, shocked. She looked at me on the gurney with deep pity. I stared at the bright ceiling lights. Tears finally rolled down my cheeks. They mixed with the blood on my face, soaking the white pillow. In that very moment. The pain that had been delayed for eighteen years hit me like a massive tsunami. It completely consumed me. The agonizing pain of a ruptured spleen, the sharp stabs of broken bones, the raw sting of torn flesh. Everything exploded inside me all at once. But the pain in my heart was a thousand times worse. I gasped like a dying fish, desperate for air, but only managed to cough up blood. “Patient is crashing! Keep her with us!” The doctors and nurses rushed around me. I bit my lip until it bled. Just as the doctor was about to call the police for emergency authorization to operate. A strong, warm hand took the consent form from the doctor. A calm, deep voice spoke: “I am her legal guardian and fiancé. I will sign.” Hearing that familiar, comforting voice, I finally let the darkness take me. … After Chloe’s checkup showed absolutely nothing was wrong. Nathan finally let out a sigh of relief. He sat down and checked his phone. He realized Sera hadn’t sent him a single text. Remembering how she looked lying in the mud, covered in blood, he felt a sudden pang of guilt. He walked toward her ward. But right outside the door. He paused. He went downstairs to buy the pastries Sera loved. He pushed the door open and said casually: “Sera, look what I bought you—” But the room was completely empty. He froze. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and sent an annoyed voice message: “Sera, stop acting like a child. You’re hurt, why aren’t you resting in bed? Where did you go?” But none of his texts went through. A sudden wave of panic hit him. He grabbed a passing nurse, his voice trembling. “Where is the girl who was brought in from the car crash? The one with blood all over her face?” The nurse recognized his voice as the man who had refused to sign the consent form. Her face turned cold and mocking. “Oh, that lady? Her fiancé took her away right after her surgery.”

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To buy Ethan his dream VIP World Cup tickets, I worked myself to the bone, pulling endless overtime for three months straight to secure my project bonus. But when I finally grabbed those tickets and ran home to surprise him, he was standing in the living room holding a cat. “Ava, you need to pet-sit Cleo for the next few days. Chloe and I are flying out for the World Cup.” I clenched the tickets hidden in my coat pocket. My chest tightened as I stared at him. “Ethan, you already went with her to the last two World Cups. Why her again?” Ethan’s face hardened. “This is Chloe’s birthday wish this year. Come on, Ava, be reasonable. I promise I’ll take you next time.” I didn’t say another word. I turned around, tore the VIP tickets in half, and tossed them right into the trash. He had no idea. There was never going to be a next time. We were supposed to get our marriage license at City Hall right after he got back from the World Cup. But looking at him now, a breakup seemed a hell of a lot better than a future divorce. I didn’t even look up at him. My voice was ice cold. “Did you forget? My birthday wish this year was also to go to the World Cup with you.” “You’re my fiancée, Ava. I’m with you every single day. But Chloe is different—she’s going through a hard time, and I barely get to see her.” His tone grew sharper, annoyed that I was pushing back. My heart felt like a flatline. I looked him dead in the eye. “Out of the three of us, I’m always the outsider, aren’t I?” Ethan’s jaw clenched. “Are you seriously getting jealous again? Stop acting like this!” “Chloe and I grew up together. I’ve told you a thousand times, we are just friends! It’s completely platonic!” “Plus, we are literally getting married next month! Do you really not trust me at all?” “Ava, you are making me so exhausted.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Every single time we argued about Chloe, he put on this exact same “exhausted” show. I kept my face expressionless. “I’m exhausted too.” I added, “If you’re so used to having Chloe by your side, then go with her. I don’t care anymore.” Ethan froze for a second. Seeing that I wasn’t screaming or crying, he assumed I was backing down like I always did. He let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t overthink it, babe. I’ll bring you back a nice souvenir.” The cat in his arms jumped down and ran over to my suitcase. Ethan cleared his throat. “Chloe’s family is out of town, and my parents can’t stand cat hair. She couldn’t find anyone else to watch Cleo last minute. Just watch her for a bit, okay? Thanks, babe.” She gets my man, and I get her cat. Fucking hilarious. Suddenly, Ethan’s phone buzzed. I didn’t need to look to know it was Chloe. Before heading into the study to take the call, he threw a casual order over his shoulder.

“The cat’s been meowing. She’s probably hungry.” “Chloe says Cleo only eats steamed sea bass. Make sure you prep some for her.” After twelve years together, he spoke to me like I was his hired maid. Without waiting for my reply, he walked into the study and shut the door. I ignored the cat, dragged my packed suitcase to the corner, and set it down. My company had given me three days to transition my work before my transfer. In three days, I would be leaving this city. I would also be leaving Ethan, the man I had loved for twelve years. As I walked past the study, I heard Ethan on a FaceTime call with Chloe. Chloe’s high-pitched giggles leaked through the door. Ethan’s voice was filled with smug confidence: “Ava and I have been together for twelve years. She’s not going to make a scene. Just pack your bags and enjoy the game with me.” I froze in the hallway. My blood ran cold. From age eighteen to thirty, my entire youth belonged to him. I was the “perfect, understanding fiancée” his friends always praised. Even when we fought over Chloe, I never let anyone else know. I saved his pride every single time. And that pride became the exact weapon he used to step all over me. A cold smirk crept onto my face. Ethan, I am never playing by your rules again. While packing the rest of my personal things, I realized one of my lavender-infused sleep pillows was missing. I’ve always had terrible anxiety and insomnia due to work stress. My grandmother had traveled all the way to Vermont on a long Greyhound bus just to get me two custom, organic sleep pillows from an old artisan shop. On her way back, she was killed in a tragic car accident. Those pillows were the last, most precious things she ever gave me. Ethan was putting on his coat, getting ready to head out. I stopped him. “Have you seen my other sleep pillow? The lavender one from my grandmother.” Ethan thought for a second. “Check the guest room. Chloe stayed there last week. If it’s not there, it might be at her apartment.” We had lived in this apartment for seven years. At first we rented, then we bought it. I had wanted a cozy one-bedroom, but Ethan insisted on a two-bedroom, claiming “friends might need to crash.” But in seven years, he had never let a single male friend sleep over, even when they were dead drunk. He would always book them a hotel. The guest room was used exclusively by Chloe. And every single time she stayed over, she was “too drunk to drive.” I had told Ethan a million times to call her an Uber or get her a hotel. But he always said, “It’s not safe for a drunk girl to sleep alone in a hotel.” He knew it drove me crazy. He knew I hated it. Yet, he let her sleep under our roof night after night. Usually, he’d just bring her home first and tell me later. Later, because I kept fighting him on it, he even installed a security camera in the living room. His excuse? “See? The camera proves we are clean! We have nothing to hide!” Our apartment didn’t just have a dedicated bedroom for Chloe. Her personal belongings were scattered everywhere—her lipsticks on our counter, her socks in our laundry, her jewelry, and sometimes even her underwear. In the past, I would have thrown a massive fit. But today, I just calmly walked into the guest room. The pillow wasn’t there. Without saying a word, I grabbed my car keys and drove straight to Chloe’s apartment. When Chloe opened the door, she looked shocked. “Ava! What are you doing here? This is literally the first time you’ve ever visited my place!” She smiled, inviting me in. “I’m here for my sleep pillow.” Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second. She turned toward the kitchen. “Let me get you some water.” I knew she was grabbing her phone to text Ethan and play the victim. “Don’t bother. I’m leaving as soon as I get my pillow.” She walked back, rubbing her temples as if she couldn’t remember where it was.

“Why don’t you check the second bedroom on the right? Ethan slept there the other night.” My heart did a painful flip. I had no idea Ethan had been sleeping over at her place. As I walked down her hallway, I noticed her balcony. Hanging on the drying rack, right next to Chloe’s lace underwear, were Ethan’s boxer shorts. Chloe noticed my gaze. She casually shrugged. “Oh, that. Ethan got totally wasted last night. He threw up all over himself and me. I had to wash his clothes.” It sounded like an explanation, but her eyes were dripping with pure provocation. In the past, she wasn’t this obvious. She used to cry and swear that they were “just like siblings.” But lately, she had dropped the act. Now, she was looking at me with a smirk that said, What are you gonna do about it? She was waiting for me to lose my mind, to scream at her, to make a scene so Ethan could come rescue his “sweet, innocent” best friend. But I just nodded calmly. “I see.” I looked away and noticed a bag of Ethan’s favorite coffee beans on her kitchen counter. Just like we had Chloe’s organic protein shakes in our kitchen. I was shockingly calm. Chloe’s smile faded into disappointment. She was annoyed that I wasn’t exploding. I followed her into the bedroom. The moment I stepped in, my eyes landed on the wall above her bed. It was covered in a heart-shaped collage of photos of her and Ethan. Some were casual polaroids, others were professional, high-end studio portraits. Right in the center was a large, framed photo. Chloe was wearing a white satin slip dress with a matching tulle veil, holding Ethan’s hand as they ran through a park. He was in a sleek suit. It wasn’t a wedding photo, but it sure as hell looked like one. Ethan’s smile in every single photo was radiant. He looked happier than he ever did with me. Chloe stood next to me, staring at the wall. “Ethan and I have so many beautiful memories together. Since we were kids.” I felt nothing. When your heart is completely dead, pain ceases to exist. “They are indeed beautiful,” I said quietly. She turned to me, a malicious glint in her eyes. “Ava, do you want to join us next time?” I let out a soft, mocking laugh. She was trying to remind me that no matter how long I was with Ethan, I was just a temporary placeholder in their lifelong romance. I looked her in the eyes. “A game is fun with two people, Chloe. Three just makes it crowded.” I didn’t want to waste another second. “Where is my pillow?” Chloe’s expression soured. She marched over to her closet, pulling things out with dramatic sighing. “Honestly, Ethan is so careless! He always leaves his things in random places. I really need to give him a piece of my mind.” I stood there, watching her little show. She pulled out a pile of Ethan’s clothes from her closet, including his t-shirts and hoodies. “Don’t get get the wrong idea, Ava,” Chloe giggled. “Ethan only crashes here maybe seven nights a month. Guys just need their space sometimes, you know? Especially when you’re traveling for work. He’s just lazy—he likes coming here because I spoil him and do everything for him.” Every single word was a slap in my face.

“I don’t care what you two do,” I said. “Just give me my pillow.” Chloe bit her lip, clearly frustrated by my lack of reaction. She violently whipped open her bedsheets. There, sitting on her bed, was her pink silk bedding. And right next to her pillow was an open box of ultra-thin condoms. She paused, waiting for me to break down. I just checked my watch. “I have a flight to catch. Hurry up.” “Fine. Let’s check the walk-in closet,” she snapped. I followed her. An open suitcase was sitting on the floor. Inside were Chloe’s summer clothes, and resting right on top was a brand-new, unopened box of the exact same ultra-thin condoms. Chloe smirked. “I’m packing for tomorrow. Ethan and I are so excited for the game.” When I didn’t say anything, she added, “The World Cup only happens once every four years, Ava. Everyone wants a seat, but the seats are limited. If you weren’t invited to the game, no matter how hard you squeeze, you’ll never fit in.” My patience finally ran out. My voice went cold as ice. “I am only here for my pillow. As for Ethan? You can keep him. I’m throwing him in the trash.” Chloe gasped, quickly trying to look innocent. “Ava, what are you talking about? Don’t say things like that! I was just talking about soccer!” “My. Pillow,” I demanded, stepping closer. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, right. I remember now. Follow me.” She led me to a third room, which had been converted into a luxury room for her cat, Cleo. The moment I walked in, I saw it. My white-and-mint-green custom sleep pillow was sitting inside the cat litter box, completely soaked in cat urine and covered in feces. The putrid smell hit my nose instantly. My blood boiled. That was my grandmother’s last gift. Chloe put on her best baby voice. “Oh my gosh, Ava, I’m so, so sorry! Cleo is just so playful! It’s just a pillow, though. I’ll buy you a better one on Amazon. Ethan really shouldn’t have left it where the cat could reach it.” SLAP! I swung my hand and slapped Chloe across the face so hard she stumbled backward. “You did that on purpose!” I screamed. “Ava!” A sharp roar came from the doorway. Ethan rushed in, immediately grabbing Chloe and checking the red mark on her cheek. Chloe burst into tears, clinging to his chest. “Ethan, don’t yell at Ava… It’s my fault…” Ethan glared at me, his eyes furious. “It’s just a damn pillow, Ava! Are you insane?!” My eyes were red with rage. I stepped up and slapped Ethan across the face too. “Yes, I am!” Ethan’s face twisted in shock. He stared at me, holding his cheek. “Ava, what the hell is wrong with you?!” “What’s wrong is that I wasted twelve years of my life loving a piece of trash like you! We are done, Ethan!” I turned on my heel and walked out. He screamed after me down the hallway, “Stop throwing a tantrum, Ava!” The next day, after finalizing everything at my office, I dragged my suitcase toward the airport terminal. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Chloe: “I ordered ten new pillows for you on Amazon. They should arrive in a couple of days. Also, Ethan and I are boarding our flight. Cleo is very sensitive, so I made a Google Doc with her feeding schedule and care instructions. Just follow it.” Then came a text from Ethan: “I’ll be back on the 9th. We’ll go straight to City Hall to get our marriage license.”

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On the day the family successor was chosen, I stood there with absolute confidence, holding my straight-A academic transcripts and business certificates. Instead, Grandma Margaret announced that the successor of the Shea Group would be my older sister, Chloe—who knew nothing about business and only knew how to cook. I froze. For seventeen years, I had spent every single day preparing to take over the family legacy. My parents had been brutally strict with me, constantly reminding me that “the heir must learn to carry the weight of the world.” Yet, they were always incredibly gentle with Chloe. Chloe was allowed to go on road trips with her friends, while I had to wake up at 5:00 AM for deportment and etiquette classes. Chloe could eat whatever snacks she wanted, while I was forced on a strict, bland diet to maintain a perfect, camera-ready figure. Chloe was allowed to date, but I wasn’t even allowed to pick up a phone call from a boy. I thought it was all a test. A necessary trial to become the CEO. I believed the throne was mine. I had even comforted Chloe, telling her that I would always take care of her once I ran the company. But then, Grandma Margaret tasted the dish Chloe made, and declared her the sole heir on the spot. Only then did I realize the final test was never about business—it was about cooking a recipe from Grandma’s legendary artisanal book. I didn’t even know the difference between basic spices. My only remaining value to this family was to be married off. I turned to my parents for help. My father merely said that the Vance family’s heir would bring me “happiness.” My mother added that I was “born for high society anyway.” I finally got it. Grandma’s recipe book had been given to Chloe years ago. The torture I endured all these years wasn’t training for leadership. It was preparation to make me the perfect trophy wife. I ripped off the diamond engagement ring and threw it. I’m not accepting this marriage. And I’m never coming back to this house.

“Maya, pick up the ring.” Eleanor’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a suffocating weight. She bent down, picked up the diamond ring sent by the Vance family, and turned it under the light, as if checking a piece of merchandise for scratches. I didn’t move. She sighed, walked over, and forced the ring back into my palm. Her manicured nails dug into my wrist, just hard enough to hurt. “I know you feel hurt.” “But this marriage is something the whole family has carefully planned. The Vance family’s distribution channels complement our supply chain perfectly.” “You marrying him isn’t a sacrifice. It’s a win-win.” When she said “win-win,” her tone was exactly like a CEO signing a contract. I placed the ring back on the coffee table and pushed it away. “I won’t marry him.” Eleanor’s fake smile vanished in less than two seconds. “Do you honestly think you have a choice?” She unzipped her designer handbag and tossed a document in front of me. It was the Shea Group’s new equity structure. Chloe’s name was highlighted under the successor column. My name was at the very bottom, in the appendix under “Strategic Merger Alliance.” “Look closely. Your role in this family has always been decided.” Her voice was patronizingly sweet, like she was talking to a child, as her fingers flipped the pages for me. “Chloe runs the company, you marry into the Vance family. This two-way strategy is the only way the Shea family stays on top.” “If you refuse, your grandma, your father… everyone will be disappointed in you.” Disappointed. That word, coming from her mouth, was more violent than any threat. I started etiquette lessons at five. I learned financial statements at seven. I was shipped off to a strict boarding school at twelve, and by fifteen, I had three business certifications. Every time I was so exhausted that I cried at my desk, Eleanor would only say through the closed door: “The heir of this family cannot disappoint us.” So, I practically killed myself trying to make them proud. “Mom, I’ve been taking exams for seventeen years, and now you’re telling me the test was about cooking?” “How is that fair?” There was not a single shred of guilt on Eleanor’s face. “Who says it’s not fair? Chloe worked hard too. She spent five years studying Grandma’s recipes. That’s a skill.” “Your skills are just different. Socializing, negotiating, networking… those are a hundred times more useful in high society than cooking.” “I’m praising you, Maya. Don’t you see that?” The door pushed open, and Chloe walked in carrying a bowl of creamy mushroom soup. She wore a cozy cream-colored knit dress, her hair casually tied back, looking like she had just stepped out of a high-end cooking show. “Maya, please don’t fight with Mom.” She placed the bowl in front of me, carefully angling the spoon toward my hand. “I didn’t expect Grandma’s decision either. To be honest, I don’t even care about being the CEO.” “If you really hate the marriage that much, I can talk to Grandma. I’ll ask her to reconsider.” Her words were flawless. Beautifully packaged. But on her wrist was Grandma Margaret’s signature emerald bracelet. Grandma had always said that bracelet was reserved for the matriarch of the Shea family. She wasn’t wearing it three days ago. “Chloe, when did you get that bracelet?” Chloe looked down at her wrist, smiling with mock shyness. “Grandma gave it to me this afternoon. She said I should get used to wearing it.” Get used to it. Meaning, while I still believed I was running for the successor spot, she had already begun the transition. Seeing me stare at the bracelet, Eleanor quickly intervened. “Chloe, go back to the kitchen and watch the stove. I need a private word with Maya.” Chloe nodded. Before she left, she gave me a look. It was so gentle that, for a split second, I almost believed she cared about me. But then she said: “Maya, if you ever get bullied after the wedding, just come home. I’ll make sure they treat you right.” It was the ultimate pity of a winner. The moment the door clicked shut, Eleanor’s face darkened completely. “Look at Chloe, she is so mature. And look at you, throwing a tantrum.” “Other girls would kill for this marriage proposal, and you just throw the ring away.” “Maya, you need to think carefully about whether you still want a place in this family.” My fingers gripped the equity document until my knuckles turned white. Seventeen years. I thought they were shaping me to be a leader. Turns out, I was just a highly-polished commodity waiting for the highest bidder. The mushroom soup was still steaming. I took a sip. It was rich, completely masking the earthy taste of the mushrooms. Just like the warmth of this family—it looked cozy on the surface, but it was only there to cover up their real, ugly intentions. “I’ll think about it,” I said quietly. Eleanor’s tense shoulders finally relaxed. “That’s my girl.” She patted my shoulder, like she was putting a decorative vase back into its proper place.

The next morning, Arthur sat at the head of the dining table, his Wall Street Journal spread out in front of him. His coffee was cold, untouched. I sat down in my usual spot. Four chairs. Three people were already eating. My plate was empty. “Dad, I don’t have silverware.” Arthur didn’t even look up. He just flipped the page. “Get her a plate.” Eleanor took a bite of the pan-seared salmon Chloe had made. “Chloe, your cooking is incredible. This tastes exactly like Grandma’s signature recipe.” Chloe smiled, serving her another bowl of vegetable soup. “Eat up, Mom. I’m testing Grandma’s thirty-seventh recipe today, the Apple Tart. I’ll make it for dinner.” The maid finally brought my plate. In front of me was a bowl of plain oatmeal and a single slice of whole-wheat toast. Across from me, they had eggs, bacon, sausage, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. Noticing my gaze, Eleanor offered a lazy explanation. “You’re meeting the Vance family next month. You can’t afford to gain weight. Self-control is everything.” I looked at the dry bread and took a bite. It tasted like cardboard. Arthur suddenly folded his newspaper. He adjusted his posture, looking at me with his signature corporate negotiation face. “Maya, your mother told me about your little reaction last night.” “I get that you’re emotional right now, but let me show you some numbers. You’ll understand.” He slid his phone across the table, showing a graph. “The Vance Group’s revenue is three times ours this year. Their cold-chain logistics cover the entire East Coast—which is exactly where Shea Group has a blind spot.” “If you marry Ethan Vance, their distribution channels become ours. You’d basically be unlocking a massive new market for Chloe to run.” “Maya, I would never hurt you. I’ve met Ethan. He’s handsome, well-educated, and frankly, he’s more than you could ask for.” More than I could ask for. As if I were a discounted item, and Ethan Vance was paying a generous price. “Dad, how many times have you actually met Ethan?” Arthur paused, thinking. “Twice. Once at a charity gala, once at a golf club.” “And twice was enough for you to sell your daughter to him?” The air in the room instantly froze. Eleanor slammed her fork down, glaring at me. “Watch your tone with your father!” Arthur didn’t get angry. Instead, he put on a deeply patient face, like a CEO explaining strategy to a clueless intern. “Maya, marriage isn’t a game. It’s about mergers, acquisitions, and resource matching. Why do you think your mother married me?” He smiled at Eleanor. They exchanged a knowing, calculated look. There was affection in that look, sure, but it was mostly the trust of two business partners. And I was their next transaction. Chloe walked out of the kitchen with the last dish, catching the end of the conversation. “Maya, don’t stress too much,” she said, sitting across from me. Her voice was like sugar. “Dad and Mom are actually doing you a favor. Think about it. Everything you’ve learned since you were a kid—golf, horseback riding, social etiquette—isn’t that the perfect starter pack for a billionaire’s wife?” “You’ll thrive in the Vance family.” “But if you stay at Shea Group… you haven’t even touched Grandma’s recipes. How would you even gain the board’s respect?” Every single word was a reminder: You can’t cook, so you don’t deserve the crown. But nobody ever asked me why I couldn’t cook. From the moment I could remember, Eleanor banned me from the kitchen. The oil ruins your skin. The heat is hard to control. If you get a scar, you’ll lose points in your etiquette presentation. Meanwhile, Chloe was allowed in the kitchen with Grandma since she was five, learning ingredients, sauces, and cooking techniques. I had never even seen the cover of that legendary recipe book. It wasn’t that I refused to learn. They just never let me. “Chloe, can I see that recipe book?” Chloe’s smile stiffened for a fraction of a second. “The book is with Grandma. I only get to read it when she’s teaching me.” Eleanor quickly cut in. “Alright, let’s not talk about work at the table. Maya, go get your hair done this afternoon. The Vances are coming next week, and you need to look flawless.” I looked down at my oatmeal. It was tasteless. But I forced myself to swallow it, bite by bite. Not because I was being obedient. But because I suddenly realized that at this table, I had zero cards left to play. I had to eat what they fed me. I had to marry who they chose. Unless… I flipped the entire board. At 2:00 PM, Eleanor told me to go to the salon. I said okay. But the moment I walked out of the estate, I didn’t go to the salon. I went to the bank. Seventeen years of allowance, academic cash prizes, and competition awards were all stashed in a private account Eleanor knew nothing about. Balance: $83,400. Not a fortune, but enough to get me started. I stood at the ATM, changed my PIN, and then walked into a phone store to buy a burner SIM card. When I got home, Eleanor asked why my hair looked the same. “The salon was overbooked. I rescheduled for tomorrow.” She just hummed and didn’t ask further. At dinner, Chloe served her Apple Tart. Grandma Margaret showered her with praise via FaceTime. Everyone was laughing. No one noticed that throughout the entire dinner, I was counting the things in this house that actually belonged to me. A bowl of oatmeal, some dry toast. That was it.

The Vance family arrived earlier than expected. Eleanor spent three days preping me—fittings, posture checks, and memorizing the Vance family’s profile. Ethan’s father loved rare Earl Grey tea. His mother was severely allergic to shellfish. Ethan himself was an LSE graduate who hated when people brought up his academic pedigree. I memorized every detail like I was preparing for a corporate interview. During my final fitting, Eleanor took me to the most expensive boutique in Manhattan. While the tailor adjusted my dress, Eleanor stood by the mirror, giving orders. “Take the waist in another half-inch. She’s lost weight.” “Keep the neckline conservative. Ethan’s grandmother is old school.” “Use the champagne-gold silk. It looks expensive, but it won’t upstage the bride—even though she’s not the bride yet.” The designer nodded, smiling. I stood in the center of the triple-angle mirror, looking at myself. For seventeen years, they had sculpted me into a perfect outline. Flawless posture, pristine skin, measured steps, and a smile that never showed more than four teeth. Turns out, none of this was for the CEO seat. It was just to make sure I fetched a high price on the marriage market. “Mom, I don’t like this color.” Eleanor didn’t even look back. “Your preferences don’t matter, Maya. What the Vances like matters.” As we left the boutique, my phone buzzed. It was Chloe. “Maya, come home for dinner tonight. I made that black truffle and prosciutto flatbread you loved when we were kids.” “Since when did I like black truffle and prosciutto flatbread?” There was a second of awkward silence on the line. “Oh? Was that not you? I must have mixed you up with someone else.” She didn’t even know what I liked to eat, yet she used this overly sweet tone to pretend she did. I loved spicy food. And my entire life, not a single person in this family remembered. When we got home, the flatbread was indeed on the table. Eleanor pointed at it, looking proud. “Chloe made this specifically for you. Taste it.” I took a bite. It was sweet. I put it down. “I want something spicy.” The entire table went dead silent. Arthur frowned. “Chloe made this out of the goodness of her heart. Why are you being so difficult?” Eleanor sighed. “Maya, can you please just give us one day of peace?” Chloe bit her lower lip, looking incredibly hurt. “Maya, I’m so sorry… I got it wrong again. If you don’t like it, I can make you something else?” When she said that, Arthur and Eleanor immediately looked at her with pure sympathy. As if she was the victim, not me. “No need.” I finished my oatmeal, stood up, and went to my room. Behind me, I could hear Eleanor comforting Chloe. “Don’t worry about her. Just a childish tantrum. She’ll get over it.” “Even Grandma praised your cooking. Don’t let her ruin the mood.” I walked into my room and didn’t bother locking the door. I couldn’t. Eleanor had ordered the lock removed from my door last month, claiming “family members don’t need secrets.” Yet, Chloe’s room had a fingerprint lock. I sat on my bed, put the burner SIM card into an old phone, and texted my uncle, Julian, who lived in France. Julian was Eleanor’s younger brother. He ran a wine export business in Lyon and kept his distance from the family. When he visited us for Christmas years ago, he was the only one who secretly took me out for spicy street food. Eleanor called him “unstable” and told me to stay away from him. But he was my only lifeline left. “Uncle Julian, it’s Maya. If I wanted to leave the country, could you help me?” The message sent. Silence. I didn’t expect much. I turned off the burner phone, took out my main phone, and politely replied to Eleanor’s schedule for tomorrow. “Got it. I’ll be ready by 9:00 AM.” She replied instantly with a heart emoji. On the day of the family meeting, I wore the champagne-gold dress. Standing in the living room, I felt like a freshly painted porcelain doll. Ethan Vance didn’t show up. His father laughed it off, saying he was held up with some urgent business. His mother, however, inspected me thoroughly. She took my hand and smiled. “Beautiful, elegant. You can tell she was raised right.” Eleanor beamed with pride. “Our Maya has been trained since she was a child. Arts, business, etiquette—she is flawless.” Chloe came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of rosewater pannacotta with edible gold foil, serving Mrs. Vance with a sweet smile. “Please try this, Mrs. Vance. I made it myself.” Mrs. Vance took a bite and praised her endlessly. Chloe seized the moment and giggled. “Once Maya marries into your family, I’ll make sure to send some over to you every week.” She positioned herself as the generous benefactor. As if my marriage was her gift to the Vances, and she was the saint who made it all happen. Before leaving, Mr. Vance shook Arthur’s hand. “The alliance is sealed. We will fully support the kids.” I stood at the door, waving them goodbye with a picture-perfect smile. Back in my room, I turned on my burner phone. Julian had replied. “Maya? Why are you suddenly texting me? What’s going on?” I stared at the screen for a long time. I typed and deleted several messages, and finally sent: “Uncle Julian, can you help me get a French student visa? I want to study abroad.” Two minutes later, Julian replied with three words: “Send your documents.” I didn’t cry. I just gripped the phone tightly, went to the bathroom to wash my face, took off the gold dress, and folded it. I hid it at the very bottom of my closet. I would never wear it again.

The visa process was way more complicated than I expected. Degree verification, language tests, financial proofs, housing sponsors—everything required time. Julian helped me go through the list over Snapchat voice calls. “Do you speak French?” “I self-studied in high school. Level B1.” “Good enough for a language prep program. I’ll sponsor your financial proof and arrange your apartment. You just handle your transcripts and degree certificates.” He paused, then asked, “Does Chloe know? Or your mom?” “No. Nobody knows.” “When do you plan to leave?” “As soon as possible.” Julian was silent for a few seconds. “Maya, studying abroad isn’t just running away. Have you thought about how you’ll survive out there?” “I’ve thought it through.” And I had. Fighting them directly was useless. I had thrown the ring, questioned the recipe book, and confronted Arthur. And every time I rebelled, they just tightened their grip. Eleanor took my lock. They cut off my credit cards. Arthur locked my passport in his study’s safe, and only he knew the combination. They used “family love” as a cage and smiles to push me toward the Vances. So, I had to stop fighting openly. I started acting. Eleanor wanted me to take flower-arranging classes? I went. Arthur wanted me to memorize the Vance family tree? I memorized it. Chloe wanted me to taste her new dishes? I smiled and said they were delicious. Every day, I played my part flawlessly, like a well-programmed machine. Only late at night, under the covers, did I open my burner phone to work on my visa. The passport was the hardest part. The safe was in Arthur’s study. It was a six-digit code. I tried his birthday and their anniversary, but neither worked. On the eleventh day, Eleanor took me to a spa. While waiting, she took a call from Arthur. “What? The safe combination? How should I know? You set it. Isn’t it Chloe’s birthday?” She didn’t even try to hide the conversation from me. In her eyes, I had completely surrendered. I was no longer a threat. Chloe’s birthday. June 8th. 0608. No, it had to be six digits. June 8th, 2003. 030608. That night, I waited until the house was dead silent. At 2:40 AM, I slipped barefoot into Arthur’s study. 0-3-0-6-0-8. The safe clicked open. My passport was at the bottom, tucked between property deeds. I pulled it out, closed the safe, and scrambled the lock. The whole thing took less than forty seconds. Back in my room, I slid the passport into the secret lining of my backpack and lay back down. My heart was hammering, but my hands were steady. Three days later, my visa was approved. Julian emailed me the digital copy with a note: I booked your flight. Direct to Lyon next Tuesday. Confirm the time. Next Tuesday. My eighteenth birthday. And the exact day Eleanor planned to host the Vance family for our official engagement party. I texted back on the burner phone: Confirmed. Then, I cleared all chat histories, turned off the phone, and hid it back in my bag. The night before my birthday, Eleanor knocked gently on my door. “Maya, tomorrow is your birthday. I ordered a cake. We’ll have a family dinner, and the Vances are sending flowers.” “Thank you, Mom,” I said with a smile. She blinked, clearly surprised by how cooperative I was. “You’ve been so mature lately. I’m really proud of you.” Proud. She was only proud when I fell in line. Birthday morning. I woke up at 5:00 AM and cleaned my room. On my desk, I left only my etiquette graduation certificate and the engagement ring I had refused to wear. I threw my backpack on, put on a pair of flat sneakers, and took one last look at this room with no lock. I closed the door. When I went downstairs, the house was empty. The cake was in the fridge, decorated with pink frosting that read: Happy 18th Birthday, Maya. I didn’t open it. The moment I stepped out of the mansion with my suitcase, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Chloe. “Happy birthday, Maya! I’m cooking a whole feast for you today, all your favorites.” She still had no idea what I actually liked. I didn’t reply. A cab was waiting at the corner. I gave the driver the airport address. At 9:20 AM, Eleanor sent a voice note. “Maya, why is your door locked? Come out and have some cake. The Vances’ flowers just arrived.” At 10:00 AM, Arthur knocked on my door. “Maya? Open up.” No answer. At 10:30 AM, Chloe came out of the kitchen, tying her apron. “Is Maya still throwing a fit? It’s fine, let’s just eat without her.” Eleanor sighed. “Fine, let her cool down. Chloe, why don’t you blow out the candles for Maya?” By the time they lit the candles, I was already on a flight to Lyon. As the city below shrank into tiny dots through the window, I took out my old SIM card, snapped it in half, and dropped it into the trash bag.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “433323”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

That night, Tristan Sterling shoved me out of his car, my clothes in disarray, my skin covered with fresh love bites. People on the sidewalk raised their phones and whispered, “Isn’t that the Vance heiress? Did Tristan Sterling get tired of her and dump her on the side of the road?” I bit my lip until I tasted blood, hailed a cab, and told the driver to follow his car. I needed to see the woman who could make him abandon me without a second thought. Half an hour later, through the hotel window, I watched him take off his coat and gently wrap it around a woman wearing nothing but pajamas before carefully lifting her into his arms and carrying her inside. At that exact moment, a news alert flashed across my phone: “Sterling Group CEO Tristan Sterling Spotted Picking Up a Mysterious Woman Late at Night—Rumors Swirl That His Former Love Has Returned.” The next second, I dialed my father’s number. “I’m accepting the arranged marriage.” Scarlett’s POV I was known as the most stunning, wild IT-girl in New York’s high society. Tristan Sterling, on the other hand, was the youngest billionaire kingpin in the city. Cold, ruthless, and absolutely lethal. Nobody knew that we, two people who seemingly had nothing to do with each other, would kiss passionately in the dark of night. Nobody knew we made love by the floor-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse. Or that he would grip my waist in the back of his black Maybach until my legs went completely numb. Tristan leaned down, his breath hot against my ear, whispering with a dark chuckle. “The partition is up. The driver can’t hear a thing. What are you so shy about?” “Scarlett, relax. Say my name.” “Tristan…” I called his name, my voice thick with embarrassment. The usually cold, untouchable man smiled with dark satisfaction. His movements grew wilder, and I wrapped my arms around him, my eyes filled with hopeless love. Just as we finished, a sharp notification chimed on his phone. Tristan pulled out his screen. I caught a glimpse of the contact name: “Chloe.” Tristan, I have a fever. I feel so sick… The moment he read that message, the passion in Tristan’s eyes vanished. Instantly. He ordered the driver to pull over, pushed the door open, and practically threw me out before I could even fix my clothes. “An emergency came up at the office. I have to go. Take a cab home.” I knew exactly who Chloe was. She was the woman he actually loved. She had been recovering in a European clinic for years and had just returned. As he went to shut the door, I suddenly grabbed his hand. My eyes, normally so bright, pleaded with him. “Can’t you stay? Just this once?” His eyes darkened. “Scarlett, be good. Don’t throw a tantrum.” He brushed my hand off and slammed the door. The black Maybach sped away into the night. I was left standing on the curb, my clothes disheveled, my pale skin covered in fresh red marks. Several passing men stared at me, their eyes filthy. “Isn’t that Scarlett Vance?” “Wow, the Vance heiress is really wild. Dumped on the side of the road looking like that!” “I wonder how much she charges for a night. With a body like that, it must be insane…” Their sleazy whispers felt like invisible hands, stripping away the last of my dignity. I bit my lip, quickly adjusted my coat, and immediately hailed a cab to follow Tristan. I wanted to see what this Chloe looked like. I wanted to see the woman who could pull him away with a single text right after we made love, leaving me to be laughed at by the whole city. Half an hour later, my cab stopped outside a luxury hotel. Through the window, I watched Chloe run out of the lobby wearing nothing but a thin silk slip. Tristan rushed forward. He took off his heavy wool coat, wrapped her in it, and swept her up into his arms. Sitting in the back of the cab, watching him carry Chloe into the hotel, my mind drifted back to how we first met. It was right after I returned from studying abroad. I had crashed my car, a limited-edition Pagani, directly into Tristan’s. My father was so furious he dragged me to Tristan’s office to beg for forgiveness. Behind his wire-rimmed glasses, Tristan’s eyes were ice-cold. He said, “Paying for the damages is pointless. Neither of our families lacks money. But if you truly want to apologize, Mr. Vance, let Scarlett work as my personal assistant. It’s time she learned some work ethic.” Tristan was famous for being a tyrant. Everyone knew that anyone who survived his training came out disciplined and submissive. My father, desperate to tame my wild streak, agreed instantly. Just like that, he threw me to the wolf. Of course, I didn’t go quietly. I tried every trick in the book to annoy him. On my first day, I spilled hot espresso all over his bespoke Savile Row suit. Tristan barely blinked. “Bespoke Swiss tailoring. Put it on the Vance family tab.” On the second day, I ran his most important merger contract through the paper shredder. With a straight face, Tristan simply drafted a new one right in front of me. The new terms were even harsher than the original. On the third day, I spiked his coffee. I wanted to record him losing control so I could blackmail him into letting me go. I didn’t expect that I would end up being his only cure. I wanted to kill him afterward, but Tristan just pinned me against the glass window of his office, making love to me until I couldn’t breathe. “Scarlett,” he whispered, kissing my earlobe, his voice dark and gravelly. “Stop fighting me. Be a good girl.” That single “Scarlett” made my heart skip a beat. It sent a delicious shiver down my spine. Except for my mother, who had died years ago, no one had spoken to me with such exasperated, protective tenderness in a very long time. After that night, everything changed. Every time I caused trouble, Tristan would carry me into his private lounge. Outside, his staff thought I was getting a lecture. In reality, he locked the door and made love to me until I begged for mercy. Slowly, I realized I was getting addicted. Was it because he was too good in bed? Or was I just desperate for someone to care about me? I didn’t know. All I knew was that I was done for. I had fallen for him. Hard. We kept up this toxic, beautiful arrangement for eight months. I actually thought he liked me. So, three days ago, I decided to take a leap. I wanted to ask him to be my actual boyfriend. I spent the whole day decorating my penthouse. Roses, candles, even a pair of custom-designed rings. But I waited all night. I watched the candles burn down to nothing. He never showed up. At 2:00 AM, my phone buzzed with a breaking news alert on Instagram. Billionaire Tristan Sterling Spotted Welcoming Mystery Woman at JFK Airport Late at Night. In the photo, Tristan was carefully shielding a girl in a white dress, his eyes softer than I had ever seen them. The comments section was blowing up. “Is that Tristan and Chloe? The golden couple from Princeton!” “I went to college with them! Tristan was cold to everyone except Chloe. If she hadn’t gone abroad for medical treatment, they’d probably be married by now!” “Exactly! Chloe is his one true love. He hasn’t touched another woman since she left.”

Scarlett’s POV Reading those comments felt like falling into an arctic lake. If Tristan had always had someone else in his heart, what was I? A convenient warm body? A high-end toy? I didn’t want to believe it. I told myself there had to be an explanation. But now, seeing Tristan carry Chloe into that hotel with my own eyes, I couldn’t play pretend anymore. My eyes stung, and a sharp, physical pain bloomed in my chest. But I didn’t jump out of the cab. I didn’t scream, and I didn’t make a scene. Instead, I pulled out my phone and called my father. “You wanted me to marry that crippled billionaire in San Francisco, right? Fine. I’ll do it.” “Are you serious, Scarlett?” My father’s voice practically squealed with excitement. I felt a wave of disgust. “I have one condition.” “Anything! Just name it!” “I’ll tell you when I get home.” I hung up and took one last look at the hotel entrance. My pride wouldn’t let me crawl to Tristan and beg for answers. I wouldn’t ask him why he slept with me for eight months while loving someone else. Men like him were just like my father. Unfaithful, garbage human beings. I would just treat this past year like a bad fever dream. I gave the driver my father’s address. The moment I walked into the Vance estate, my father rushed over. “You’re really agreeing to the San Francisco marriage? What is your condition? Tell me.” My stepmother, Winona, stood beside him, her eyes gleaming with greed. “My condition is simple,” I said, my voice steady. “I want to legally cut ties with you. I want a total severance of our relationship.” The air in the room froze. My father’s face turned purple. “Are you insane?! Do you hear what you’re saying?” “Perfectly,” I cold-smiled. “You cheated on my mother. You brought this cheap woman into our house and drove my mother to jump off a building. The day she died, I stopped recognizing you as my father anyway.” I stared at his flushed face. “Now, the Sinclair family in San Francisco is offering a ten-billion-dollar merger deal for a bride. You don’t care that the guy is in a wheelchair. You don’t care about my happiness. You’ve been trying to force me into this for two months.” “If I didn’t agree today, you would have drugged me and shipped me there yourself, wouldn’t you?” “You’re a selfish monster. You killed your wife, and now you’re selling your daughter to a disabled man. Why should I keep your last name?” I sneered. “Besides, once I’m gone, you can finally bring your mistress’s daughter into this house. You three can play happy family.” My father trembled with rage. “Fine. We will cut ties. But you are getting on that plane to San Francisco in two weeks. They are coming to collect you.” He paused, then spat, “And as for Winona’s daughter, Chloe, she is already back. I only kept her away to spare your dramatic feelings. Since you are being so cooperative, she is moving in tonight.” I laughed out loud. “Raising another man’s kid while selling your own biological daughter. You really are a special kind of trash.” “Because Chloe is nothing like you! She is sweet, polite, and respectful! All you do is scream and ruin my reputation!” My chest throbbed with pain, but I forced my chin up. “Great! Since she’s so perfect, go ahead and adopt her. From today on, we are strangers.” I turned to walk upstairs. Winona stepped in front of me, pretending to be the victim. “Scarlett, how can you talk to your father like that? The Vance Group is struggling. He’s only doing this marriage alliance to save us. Can’t you show some gratitude?” I stopped. I looked at her, the hatred I had suppressed for years boiling over. “What? Now that I’m leaving, you think you can play the lady of the house and lecture me?” I took a step closer, crowding her. “Listen to me, Winona. Even if my mother and I are gone, it doesn’t change the fact that you are a cheap home-wrecker. Your daughter can inherit this whole house, but she will always be the offspring of a mistress.” Winona’s face went pale. She couldn’t find a single word to say. My father lost his mind. He rushed over and slapped me across the face. The loud slap echoed in the foyer. I had insulted him, and he was just angry. But the moment I insulted Winona, he resorted to violence. This was my father. He would hit his own flesh and blood to protect his mistress. I held my burning left cheek, my eyes dry. I didn’t even feel disappointment anymore. Just absolute, dead silence. I didn’t say another word. I turned and walked up to my room. Once the door was shut, my knees buckled, and I slid down to the floor, burying my face in my knees. I let myself cry. I let all the hurt and betrayal wash over me. When I was done, I wiped my tears, got up, and dragged out my suitcase. I packed only the things that truly belonged to me. Tristan was gone. This house was gone. I was leaving it all behind. As I dragged my suitcase downstairs, I saw maids carrying pink luggage into the house. “Whose stuff is this?” I asked the butler. The butler whispered nervously, “Miss Vance, it’s… Chloe’s…” Before he could finish, a familiar figure appeared at the door. Chloe, wearing her innocent white dress, stood there looking fragile.

Scarlett’s POV My mind went blank. My blood turned to ice. I never expected that Winona’s daughter, the one recovering in Europe all these years, was Chloe. Tristan’s Chloe. The next second, Chloe smiled sweetly and walked toward me, trying to hug me. “Scarlett. I’m Chloe. We’re going to be sisters now.” Before she could touch me, I shoved her away. “Get away from me! We are not family.” Chloe stumbled back, looking deeply hurt. “Scarlett… do you really hate me that much?” “Scarlett! Where are your manners?!” my father bellowed, rushing over. “Chloe was just trying to be nice! Why did you push her?” “I’ve never had manners. You knew that.” “You!” My father shook with rage but couldn’t do anything. He looked at my suitcase. “So, you’re moving out?” “You brought your mistress and her bastard daughter into my mother’s house. Of course I’m leaving. The air in here is making me sick.” My father sneered. “Fine! Chloe actually loves your bedroom anyway. Since you’re leaving, your room belongs to her now.” I didn’t waste another breath. I grabbed my suitcase and walked out the door. Behind me, my father yelled, “Go! But don’t you dare forget what you promised! You are marrying Sinclair in two weeks!” “Don’t worry. I keep my word.” I didn’t look back. I went straight to the penthouse suite of the most expensive hotel in Manhattan and checked in. Over the next few days, I went on a reckless shopping spree. Bespoke diamond necklaces, limited-edition designer bags, luxury cars. I bought everything without looking at the price. I didn’t know if I was venting my pain or trying to drain my father’s bank account. My phone vibrated constantly in my bag. I ignored every call. But when I returned to the hotel lobby carrying a dozen luxury shopping bags, I found my suitcases piled up near the front desk. “What is the meaning of this?” I demanded. The receptionist looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Miss Vance. Your black card was declined. According to hotel policy, we had to check you out.” My phone buzzed. A text from my father popped up: Since you want to cut ties, don’t use my money. I’ve frozen all your accounts. I’m also sending people to confiscate everything you just bought today! I stared at the screen until my eyes burned. I texted back: Go ahead. Freeze my accounts? Take my things? Fine. I would just make sure that when Damian Sinclair’s people came to pick me up, the ten-billion-dollar dowry went directly into my personal account, not the Vance Group’s. My father’s company was drowning. Without that money, he would go bankrupt. I couldn’t wait to see if Winona and Chloe would stay with an old, bankrupt man. My phone buzzed again. This time, it was Tristan. Why aren’t you at the office today? I ignored it, tucking the phone away, and dragged my suitcase down the street. The Sinclair family wasn’t picking me up for another ten days. Where was I supposed to live? How was I supposed to eat? I had zero cash. Eventually, my legs gave out. I dragged myself under a bridge near Central Park, planning to just huddle there for the night. But the moment I sat down, a sketchy-looking man crept closer. “Hey, pretty girl. All alone?” “Get lost!” “Don’t be like that. Let’s have some fun.” His filthy hand reached for my shoulder. I raised my hand to slap him. “Ahhh!” A sickening crack echoed. I didn’t even see him arrive. Tristan was suddenly there, twisting the man’s wrist until the bone snapped. Before I could react, Tristan grabbed my arm and threw me and my suitcase into the back of his Maybach. “Let me go!” “Are you fighting with your father again?” Tristan gripped my wrists, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re homeless, and you didn’t think to call me?” His words made my throat tighten. In the past, whenever I fought with my dad, Tristan would search the whole city, find me, and carry me back to his place. “Did he hurt you?” he would always ask. “Why didn’t you come to me?” Back then, I actually believed he cared. But now… He had a whole woman in his heart, yet he kept me in his bed. He was just as disgusting as my father. And out of all the women in the world, why did it have to be Chloe? Why her? “Let me go!” I screamed, biting his hand hard. He flinched but didn’t let go. He stepped on the gas and drove off.

Scarlett’s POV The black Maybach pulled into Tristan’s private estate. He grabbed my suitcase and opened the front door, his voice calm as if nothing had happened. “Just like before. Stay here until you cool off.” I stood at the threshold, my hands clenched into fists. “I’m only staying for ten days. After that, I’m leaving New York, and I will never bother you again.” Tristan froze. “Never bother me again?” He turned around, his eyes dark and unreadable behind his glasses. “Are you sure you can actually do that?” His words felt like a physical blow to my chest. He knew. He had watched me change from a rebellious girl who hated him to a woman who was helplessly in love with him. He knew how much I loved him. Yet, knowing that, he kept his “one true love” in his heart while watching me drown in his bed. My nails dug into my palms. I looked up, staring straight into his cold eyes. “Did you know Chloe is my stepmother’s daughter?” Tristan slowly loosened his tie. “I found out recently.” I was silent for a long time. The silence was suffocating, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking: “What is she to you?” Tristan took off his tie, his movements relaxed. “She was my classmate. Years ago, she saved my life in a car accident. Her health has been fragile ever since, which is why she was recovering abroad.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly in a quiet warning. “I know you hate your stepmother. But Chloe has nothing to do with that. Don’t take it out on her.” Chloe. How tenderly he said her name. A dull ache spread through my chest. I didn’t say another word. I turned, went upstairs, and locked myself in the guest room. That night, Tristan didn’t push my door open. He didn’t pin me to the mattress. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling with a bitter smile. His true love was back. Of course he had no use for me now. Which was perfect. I couldn’t bear the thought of sleeping with a man who was thinking of another woman anyway. It made me want to throw up. For the next five days, I actively avoided him. I only went downstairs after he left for work, and I went to bed before he came home. We lived under the same roof, but we were like ghosts passing in the dark. But I was never the type to sit quietly. After five days of isolation, I was going stir-crazy. On the sixth afternoon, an acquaintance from our social circle called me. “Scarlett! Where have you been? We’re having a party at the club tonight. You coming?” I was bored out of my mind. “Sure. I’ll be there.” At 8:00 PM, I arrived at the club. I walked down the dimly lit VIP hallway and pushed open the door to the private suite. I froze. My friends weren’t there. Tristan was sitting on the leather sofa, holding a glass of red wine. Beside him sat Chloe. Chloe was leaning in close, whispering something to him with a bright, beautiful smile. Several of Tristan’s wealthy friends were lounging around them. The moment I opened the door, everyone looked at me. One of the guys smirked. “Well, look who it is. The wild Miss Vance.” “Sorry. Wrong room,” I said, turning to leave. “Scarlett!” Chloe called out, rushing over to grab my arm. “Where have you been? Your father is worried sick!” I looked at Tristan. His face was a mask of cold indifference. He hadn’t told Chloe that I was staying at his villa. Of course he hadn’t. If Chloe found out, it would ruin his clean image. He didn’t want his precious angel to know how he had been ravishing me in his bed for the past eight months.

Scarlett’s POV As I stood there lost in my thoughts, Chloe squeezed my hand tightly, acting like a loving sister. “Scarlett, stop fighting with your dad. He hasn’t eaten since you ran away. He’s lost so much weight.” Chloe looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. “Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t sleep around or stay at cheap motels. Come home with me, apologize to him, okay?” Looking at her face, which resembled Winona’s, my stomach turned. I shoved her hand off me. “You’re a nobody who has zero Vance blood. My fights with my father are none of your business. Why are you acting like you own me?” Chloe gasped, her eyes immediately welling up with tears. She looked at Tristan as if she had been physically assaulted. Tristan frowned, set his wine glass down, and walked over. “Chloe is only trying to mend your relationship with your father,” he said, his voice deep and stern. “Even if you don’t appreciate it, you don’t need to attack her.” He paused, his voice leaving no room for argument. “Apologize to Chloe.” He wanted me to apologize to her? My heart twisted. I looked up at him, letting out a mocking laugh. “Who do you think you are, Tristan? Just because you tell me to do something, you think I’m going to obey like a dog?” Tristan’s frown deepened. The annoyance in his eyes was clear. Ever since he took me in to “teach me rules,” I had never dared to openly defy him like this. Chloe quickly grabbed Tristan’s arm, playing the martyr. “It’s fine, Tristan. Scarlett hates me and my mom. It’s natural she’d say mean things. I shouldn’t have interfered. I really have no right.” I sneered. “At least you know your place.” I turned on my heel and walked out. I found the other suite where my actual acquaintances were drinking. “Hey! Scarlett’s here!” someone yelled. “We thought you went off the grid!” I grabbed a shot of tequila and slammed it down, staying silent. But within ten minutes, the heavy oak door was kicked open. Tristan stood at the entrance, radiating pure, suffocating anger. He swept his cold eyes over the room. “Get the hell out. Now.” Seeing his face, my friends didn’t even dare to grab their coats. They scrambled out of the room like rats. The door slammed shut. Tristan loosened his tie as he walked toward me. Sensing danger, I shrank back into the sofa. “What do you think you’re doing?” “Making love to you,” he said flatly. I froze. I couldn’t believe this sophisticated, refined man had just said something so crude. Before I could recover, Tristan was towering over me. I tried to slide away, but he pinned me down into the leather cushions. Using his silk tie, he bound my wrists together in a tight knot and pinned them above my head. “Let me go!” I thrashed wildly. “Tristan, you’re a bastard!” He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Have I spoiled you too much lately? Is that why you think you can disrespect my words?” I knew he was talking about Chloe. “Chloe’s mother is a disgusting whore, and so is she! Why should I apologize to a parasite?” I spat. Tristan’s face turned lethal. “It seems I haven’t disciplined you enough. You still don’t know your place.” He slid his hand up my thigh, lifting my dress. “Let me remind you tonight.” I stared at him in horror. “Stop! Don’t touch me!” Tristan let out a dark chuckle. “It’s not like this is our first time, Scarlett. Why are you playing the virgin?” He leaned down, his warm breath sending chills down my neck. “Have you forgotten how loud you scream my name under me?” My face went completely white. The humiliation was overwhelming. Before, when we made love, I thought he cared about me, so I gave him everything. But now, he was using those intimate moments to degrade me. I glared at him with pure hatred. “Chloe is right next door. If you touch me here, aren’t you afraid she’ll walk in and see?” Tristan’s eyes were pitch-black. “That is none of your concern.” With that, he took me brutally. A tear slipped down my cheek as a sob tore from my throat. “You’re a monster, Tristan! You’re a disgusting piece of trash!” I fought against the restraints, kicking and screaming. “Get off me! Don’t touch me!” But the more I fought, the more ruthless his movements became.

Scarlett’s POV My throat was hoarse from screaming. My face was stained with tears, and my wrists were bruised from the silk tie. Tristan calmly buttoned his shirt and adjusted his cuffs, immediately reverting back to the cold, sophisticated billionaire. It was as if the beast from a minute ago had never existed. Meanwhile, I lay there with my dress torn and my hair wild, looking utterly broken. Tristan looked down at me, his eyes dark. “I prefer you like this, helpless. Not loud and arrogant.” A wave of intense humiliation washed over me. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing. Seeing me like this, his expression softened slightly. “Scarlett, be good.” He leaned down, untying my wrists and kissing the tears from my eyes. “If you just listen to me, I won’t have to be so rough.” I jerked my head away from his lips, letting out a cold laugh. “In your dreams.” I used to listen to him because I thought he cared. I thought we had something real. Now I knew I was just a physical outlet. “Tristan, you are a hypocrite and a coward,” I whispered, my voice cracked. “You love Chloe, yet you keep me in your bed. You’re disgusting. I hate you.” Tristan stiffened, his eyes narrowing. “Disgusting?” Before he could say more, his phone rang. He frowned and answered it. A panicked voice came through the speaker. “Tristan! Where are you? Some drunk guys are harassing Chloe in the VIP lounge! Get over here now!” Tristan’s face fell. He hung up and looked at me. “I’ll finish disciplining you at home.” With that, he turned and ran out, leaving me shivering and ruined on the sofa. Watching him run to her, my heart finally shattered into dust. It was always the same. The second Chloe needed him, I was garbage to be thrown away. I bit my lip, forcing myself to stop crying. Men like him didn’t deserve my tears. I spent a long time cleaning myself up, fixing my dress and hair until I looked presentable before walking out of the suite. At the end of the hallway, a loud commotion was happening. I saw Tristan shielding Chloe behind him. Two drunk men were lying on the floor, groaning in pain. He was beating them mercilessly, his face contorted with a primal rage I had never seen before. Chloe, sensing my presence, turned her head. Our eyes met. A slow, victorious smirk spread across her lips. I ignored her, walking right past them with a blank face. I walked out of the club and stood on the curb, waiting for a cab. The cold night wind blew, chilling me to the bone. I wrapped my arms around myself. “Scarlett.” A soft, weak voice called out behind me. I turned. It was Chloe. She walked over, looking concerned. “Scarlett, you don’t have a car? Let me drive you home.” I looked at the keys in her hand. A brand-new Porsche. My father was indeed generous to his stepdaughter. “No thanks,” I said coldly. “Riding in a mistress’s daughter’s car makes me feel dirty.” Chloe’s sweet facade dropped instantly. “Who are you calling a mistress? Scarlett, say that again!” “Your mother is a home-wrecking whore. If you like hearing it, I can repeat it all night.” As we argued, a pair of blinding headlights suddenly rounded the corner. An out-of-control SUV was speeding directly toward us. In that split second, Tristan rushed out of the club. Without a single hesitation, he threw his arms around Chloe and pulled her out of the way. And I… Crash. The impact threw me onto the hard asphalt. I lay in a pool of my own blood, my vision fading. I could hear distant screams and running footsteps, but I couldn’t tell who they belonged to. As darkness took over, my mind flashed back to last winter. After a massive fight with my father, I had run to my mother’s grave. I sat there in the snow, crying until I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was wrapped in a warm wool coat. Tristan had found me. He held me tightly against his chest, shielding me from the freezing wind. He had looked down at me and said, “Whenever you’re hurt, come to me. Don’t carry it alone.” Those were the sweetest words I had ever heard. I had cried into his chest like a child, believing that after my mother’s death, I finally had someone who loved me. But now… The man who promised to protect me had chosen to save another woman, leaving me to die on the street.

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