James’s first love was diagnosed with a terminal illness and didn’t have much time left. Just as we were about to board a plane for a family vacation, James received the news and immediately abandoned his family, leaving them with me while he rushed to be by his ex’s side. Furious, I suggested we break up. He retorted, “She’s dying. Is it too much to ask that I help her complete her bucket list?” Later, after fulfilling his ex’s last wishes, he knocked on my door and asked if I was still angry. The little munchkin behind me mimicked my response in a cute voice: “Go cool off somewhere else!” James had always been attentive to detail, while I tended to be more carefree. During our three-year relationship, he pampered me like a child. He remembered my menstrual cycle, all my food allergies, would warm my cold feet on his thighs when we slept in winter, and in summer, he’d drowsily cover me with a blanket in the middle of the night to prevent me from catching a chill. Our friends, seeing how he’d hold my hand even when crossing the street, urged us to get married and have kids soon, telling us to stop showing off and experience the hardships of married life. James would laugh and pull me close. “Even if we get married and have kids, Sophia won’t suffer one bit. We’ll book the best private hospital and the best postpartum care center.” During a long weekend, James wanted to introduce me to his family and had arranged an international family trip. They say that traveling together before marriage is the best test for a relationship. All flaws are magnified during a trip, and you’ll know if you can make it work after just one try. I was even more nervous about being tested along with his whole family. But James assured me that I didn’t need to worry about anything, just focus on looking beautiful, and he would take care of everything else. Only then did I feel at ease. The night before our departure, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I thought he was worried about overlooking something in the arrangements, so I gently patted him, but he said nothing, just let out a long sigh. At the airport, after meeting up with all his family members, he still seemed distracted, checking his phone every few minutes. James’s sister and brother-in-law had already gone through the boarding gate with their little daughter. I tugged on James’s sleeve, signaling him to show our tickets. Instead, he pulled me aside. “I’m sorry, Sophia. I can’t go. Please take care of my family for me.” Even as his running figure disappeared from view, I couldn’t process what had just happened. For the past three years, no matter when I messaged James, he always replied instantly. But this time, he didn’t answer my calls or respond to my messages. He didn’t even offer a proper explanation. What was going on? I was so angry that tears welled up in my eyes. “Ma’am, the boarding gate is about to close. Please board quickly.” This was James’s parents’ first trip abroad, and his sister had a three-year-old child with her. I couldn’t imagine how panicked this family would be in a foreign country, so I had no choice but to go ahead and board. As I walked across the jet bridge, my phone buzzed. I thought it was James, but when I opened it, I saw it was a message from my best friend, Olivia. “Did you know James’s first love, Nora, is back in the country? I heard she has a terminal illness and came back for treatment.” “Hey, I’m just gossiping with you. James is so good to you, whether she’s back or not shouldn’t affect your relationship.” Reading these lines, I took a deep breath, my hand trembling slightly. Thinking back on James’s recent strange behavior, everything suddenly made sense. My boyfriend, who had always showered me with affection, had abandoned his entire family and left them with me, all for his first love. James, who was usually so meticulous in his interactions with others, had done something so outrageous. I couldn’t help but steady myself against the nearby handrail, suddenly feeling dizzy. Once on the plane, faced with James’s waiting family, I hurriedly made up an excuse, saying James had an urgent matter at work. His mother seemed displeased. “Sophia, dear, why didn’t you try to persuade our James to stay? It’s a holiday, and we finally got to go on a trip together. He works too hard.” “If James isn’t going, what’s the point of us going?” I was taken aback. James probably couldn’t face me, not even offering an explanation, let alone giving me a chance to persuade him. The cabin door had already closed, and nearby passengers, hearing their conversation, began to whisper worriedly, concerned it might delay the takeoff. “When we finally get to go on a trip, we should try to overcome any obstacles and enjoy ourselves as much as possible.” I said this to James’s mother, but I was also saying it to myself.

Back in my seat, I couldn’t help but tear up. All of James’s past kindnesses now seemed distorted, unable to withstand scrutiny. Faced with his entire family, I still had to make excuses for him and comfort them. What sin had I committed to deserve such torment? “Miss, do you know the passenger who was supposed to sit next to you? They checked in but didn’t board. Our plane is about to take off…” A pleasant male voice sounded beside me. I looked up with teary eyes at him, suddenly feeling emotionally overwhelmed. “He… left.” The flight attendant panicked and hurriedly offered me tissues. “Left?” “Yes, he… just left.” My anger, grievance, and heartache completely overflowed at that moment. “I’m… so sorry for your loss. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” The flight attendant looked at me with sympathy and surprise. Only then did I realize how ugly my crying must have been, leading him to misunderstand the situation entirely. The flight attendant was exceptionally attentive to us throughout the flight, giving James’s father an extra meal and even gifting James’s little niece with an airline mascot toy. As we were disembarking, I wanted to thank the flight attendant, but seeing him coldly refuse a female passenger who asked for a photo with him, I just quietly followed the crowd off the plane. I might as well consider James dead. Thinking this way, I actually felt a bit better.

Leading this big family through immigration, with the elderly complaining about the long wait and the little one crying from hunger, was overwhelming. All the things James said I wouldn’t need to worry about now fell on my shoulders, leaving me feeling utterly helpless with nowhere to vent my frustrations. When I received Olivia’s call, my mind was in a fog. “Sophia, why did it take you so long to answer? Is James with you? Have you seen Nora’s Instagram post?” “That person in the photo looks a lot like James!” Urged by Olivia, I hung up and checked Nora’s Instagram post. In the photo, there was a stark white hospital room with flowers and a card on the table. In the blurred background was a figure I knew all too well. Nora’s caption read: “The doctor asked what regrets I had in life. I made a long bucket list. But when I see the moonlight on your brow, with you by my side, what regrets could I possibly have?” In the comments, Nora’s readers expressed concern about her condition. Some began to speculate about Nora’s love life, guessing who the person in the photo might be. I sent Olivia a message. “I’ve seen the photo. It’s probably my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend, James.” We had once promised each other that even if we argued, it wouldn’t last more than a day. We would communicate clearly about any issues and never resort to the silent treatment. But in the days since we left, James hadn’t contacted me at all. James wasn’t answering his parents’ calls either, only sending them brief messages saying he was busy with work and would explain everything when he got back. His uncle and aunt were worried but didn’t want to say much. His sister pulled me aside. “Sophia, tell me the truth. What’s really going on between you and James? Did you two have a fight?” “James went to the hospital to take care of Nora.” “What? They broke up years ago! This is ridiculous!” Right in front of me, his sister dialed James’s number, but after a few rings, the call was disconnected. I gave a bitter smile. Perhaps he was also feeling guilty and couldn’t face his family’s questions. Ever since I started thinking of James as my deceased ex-boyfriend, I felt a touch of pity when looking at his family members. It wasn’t until we returned home and I led the whole family out of the arrivals area with their luggage that I saw James again.

It turns out that when people feel guilty, they can’t look you in the eye. From the moment I first saw James until he sent everyone home, he kept avoiding my gaze. By the time the car stopped in the underground parking of our building, it was already 11 PM. “Give me an explanation, right here. I don’t want to go home to argue, I have work tomorrow.” On the flight back, I had already thought of various reasons for him, but I still wanted to hear it from his own mouth. “Nora is back. She has late-stage cancer, the doctors say she doesn’t have much time left…” “Hmm, and then?” James turned his head to look at me, probably not understanding why my response was so cold. “She has no family or close friends here. I’m the only familiar person she has in the country, so she asked if I could go to the hospital to keep her company. I really couldn’t refuse… You know, I owe her too much.” “I know I didn’t handle this well, and I’m sorry you had to suffer through the trip. But I promise, there’s nothing between us. It’s not what you think.” I opened the car’s dashcam records, only to find that the footage from the past few days had been completely deleted. “I wasn’t thinking anything about you two, but James, what exactly are you feeling guilty about?” “I just didn’t want you to get angry, but I swear, I didn’t do anything inappropriate. You should trust me.” Suddenly, I realized that our past tenderness had blinded me, making me completely unaware of the huge difference between James and me in our views on relationships. He felt that as long as he didn’t do anything substantially out of line, he had nothing to be ashamed of in our relationship. But what I wanted was undivided attention in a relationship. I stared at that face, the face I once adored, now feeling utterly unfamiliar. “James, I’ve been thinking about this the whole way back. Let’s break up.” “Sophia, how can you be so cold? Nora is dying. Is it too much to ask to help her fulfill her last wishes? Do we really have to break up over this?” “If marrying you was her dying wish, would you agree to that too?” James wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out. It seemed James didn’t have a clear line in his mind. He didn’t know what he needed to stand firm on for the sake of our relationship. “Find somewhere else to stay tonight. I’ll move out tomorrow.” I suddenly felt so exhausted, not wanting to argue for even one more minute.

James was a local, always living a comfortable, well-off life. I came here for college and stayed for work, only managing to buy a small apartment after working for a few years. After moving in with James, I had planned to sell my small place so we could buy a bigger apartment together. Fortunately, due to the poor market conditions, the apartment hadn’t sold. Now I still had a place to return to. As I took my clothes out of the boxes and hung them back in the closet one by one, the past few years felt like a dream. Before I could catch my breath, my Instagram blew up with messages from strangers hurling insults at me. It took me a while to piece together what was happening. Nora’s new book had been released, and in it, she had written a heart-wrenching account of her relationship with James. When they first fell in love, their passion was intense and all-consuming. The explicit words in the book left little to the imagination, making readers blush. The book claimed that even after Nora went abroad, their feelings hadn’t faded. Every brief encounter was worth more than countless ordinary moments. And it all came to an abrupt end because of my appearance. In the book, I was portrayed as someone who took advantage of the situation and would stop at nothing. All her deep, enduring love couldn’t compete with my shameless seduction. Although she didn’t use real names in the book and repeatedly emphasized that it was all fiction, her eager fans still managed to find my Instagram account through the deliberate hints scattered throughout the text and began their barrage of insults. What chilled me even more was that her book mentioned several times when she returned to the country to see James, which I calculated had all happened after James and I got together. “When he waited for me, he stood under the kapok tree at the street corner. We embraced in the wind, melting in a moment of passion. In that instant, I still loved him.” “Stir-fried green peppers with pork, spicy pig blood, ginger-spiced chicken feet – we drank two dozen ice-cold beers at a street stall. His lips were swollen from the spice, and I joked that this time it wasn’t my doing.” I believe these were all true. The cities mentioned in the book perfectly matched the places where James had gone on business trips over the past few years. When James pursued me, he and Nora had already been broken up for years. But now, in her book, she deliberately portrayed me as the one who broke them apart. As the situation escalated, various strangers claiming to be former colleagues and classmates I didn’t recognize emerged online. They fabricated one story after another, painting me as someone who bullied classmates, seduced teachers, and flirted with clients, sparking wave after wave of verbal abuse. Some even went as far as collecting this information, along with various vulgar images, compiling it into a 36-page document, and sending it to everyone in my company’s email list, urging my boss to fire me for my moral depravity. I was about to confront James when he called. “Sophia, are you still angry? Why did you move all your things out?” Laughable. Now I wasn’t just angry, I was on the verge of exploding. “Tell Nora to explain what’s going on with her book. I’m being cyberbullied. If she doesn’t clear things up, she can expect to hear from my lawyer.” He paused for three seconds, then spoke slowly. “Calm down, Sophia. You know how that circle works. Sometimes they need to write something sensational to get readers. The book clearly states it’s all fiction. Don’t take it to heart.” “So, you knew what she wrote in the book all along? Did you approve of her smearing me?” “She said her fans all know it’s fiction, and you know she needs a lot of money for her treatment right now. All the money from this book is for saving her life.” “There are many ways to save her life. Dragging my name through the mud isn’t the only option. James, if I don’t see an explanation tomorrow, she can expect to receive a lawyer’s letter.” “Do you really have to make such a big deal out of this? Sophia, you’ve changed.” “Did you go to see her behind my back, James?” “Let me explain…” I hung up the phone and threw it on the couch, not wanting to hear another word of excuses. Three years of relationship crumbled in an instant. I could no longer distinguish what was true or false in our past sweetness. In my world, James was already dead.

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My daughter’s ship suddenly hit a reef and began to sink during her winter school trip. My husband William is the most outstanding lifeguard in the Blue Ocean Rescue Team. But I didn’t inform him about the critical situation. Instead, I drove straight to the rescue team’s headquarters. In my previous life, William and his teammates only flew out to save our daughter after I begged him desperately. But because he was busy rescuing our daughter, he couldn’t make it in time when his ex-girlfriend Lucy’s house caught fire. Lucy died in that accident. Overwhelmed with guilt, William buried himself in work and didn’t come home for a month. Until one weekend, he suddenly returned and suggested taking us on a picnic. Who would have thought he’d drugged our drinks? He took us to Lucy’s grave, poured gasoline on me, and roared with bloodshot eyes. “Lucy died because of you! I must give her an explanation. If you two hadn’t conspired to send me away that day, she wouldn’t have suffered so much before dying!” Then he lit the lighter. When I came to my senses, I found myself back on the day of my daughter’s accident. Only this time, no one was going to stop him from saving his ex-girlfriend. But why did he come back crying and begging for my forgiveness in the end?

“Rachel, even though you’re William’s wife, we don’t have any extra equipment for rescue operations now,” said Kevin, William’s colleague and the Blue Ocean Rescue Team’s duty dispatcher, as he held my sleeve. Due to interference with mobile phone signals at sea, my daughter contacted me through the emergency walkie-talkie I had slipped into her backpack that morning after the ship encountered danger. Unable to locate the exact position, calling the police was useless. After being reborn, I immediately ran five red lights to finally reach the rescue team headquarters. But after explaining the situation, he blocked us outside the door. My daughter kept crying on the other end of the walkie-talkie. At this moment, the children, including my daughter, must be terrified. My father, hearing the crying, was on the verge of a heart attack. He pointed at the helicopter not far away. “How is that possible? There’s still a helicopter right there. Young man, hurry up and go find the children!” Kevin scratched his head and sighed, “Old man, I understand how you feel, but that helicopter can’t be used.” My father became agitated and grabbed Kevin’s hand, “What’s with all these rules? Saving lives is urgent now. My granddaughter is stranded at sea. You have the ability but refuse to save her. Where’s your conscience?” “Why are you yelling at me!” Kevin pushed my father, making him stumble. Then he said coldly, “You think flying a helicopter is as simple as strolling through a market? Besides, there are so many people who need help now. Why should we follow your orders just because you showed up?” After berating my father, Kevin turned to me, “Rachel, I’m giving you face because of William. If this old man keeps making unreasonable demands, don’t blame me for having you thrown out!” Seeing the argument here, a crowd of passersby gathered at the rescue team’s entrance. Hearing his words, they all showed mocking expressions. “These young men are busy day and night, sometimes they can’t even eat before going to save people.” “Not appreciating how hard they work and causing trouble here. Is the rescue team exclusively for your family?” The onlookers pointed and commented on us. My daughter’s crying came through the walkie-talkie again. “Mom, Grandpa, when can you come save me? I’m so scared!” Hearing that childish voice trembling with fear, my heart felt like it was hit by a heavy hammer. But even so, Kevin remained indifferent, looking at us askance and starting to smoke. My father quickly forced a smile and apologized to Kevin, “Kevin, I’m sorry for speaking rudely earlier. Please hurry and start the helicopter to find my granddaughter. She’s in real danger now!” My father had put aside his dignity. A man nearly sixty with graying hair was now begging someone several decades younger than him. But Kevin just glanced at my father, blowing smoke in his face and saying leisurely, “Begging won’t help. There are regulations.” My father was on the verge of collapse, almost fainting on the spot. Luckily, I caught him. I took out some blood pressure medication and helped my father take it. Then I looked up at Kevin. “Kevin, you heard the walkie-talkie earlier. My daughter is in danger. If something happens to the child because of your negligence, can you bear the responsibility?” Perhaps realizing he might be held accountable if something went wrong, Kevin put away his previous arrogant attitude. Just when I thought he was going to arrange a rescue, he suddenly laughed. “Rachel, who are you trying to scare? Even a three-year-old knows there are no reefs near Blue Ocean City’s waters. You should have done better research before lying.” Then he looked at me with contempt and continued, “At first, when William said you would stop at nothing, I thought it was impossible. Now I’ve seen it for myself.” “You’re deliberately obstructing William from rescuing Lucy, wanting to divert the helicopter. To win in a jealous fight, you even use your child to lie. How can your heart be so vicious!” After saying this, Kevin spat at my feet. Having lived through this once before, I naturally knew how urgent my daughter’s situation was. Seeing that he was determined not to save people, I pushed him aside and ran straight to the dispatch room.

William’s Blue Ocean Rescue Team is the city’s most advanced rescue organization, receiving various emergency rescue missions every day. But even with such tight equipment, there was always a fully fueled helicopter parked in the hangar. That was prepared by William for his first love, Lucy. In my previous life, when my daughter encountered danger during the summer camp, I called William, who was a rescue elite. He said he was about to go on an urgent mission, but after my tearful begging, he finally personally led a team to search the sea. And successfully found the wrecked ship. But on his way back with our daughter by helicopter, the fire in Lucy’s apartment got out of control. After calling him multiple times without answer, Lucy jumped from the 27th floor to her death. After Lucy’s death, William locked himself in the hangar and wouldn’t come out. It wasn’t until a month later that he returned home, scruffy and unshaven. He said he had figured things out and wanted to focus on family, spending more time with me and our child. Then he took a long vacation, cleaning the house, doing laundry and cooking every day, helping my father water plants and walk the dog, tutoring our daughter with her homework. At the time, I naively thought he had finally decided to return to family life. But who knew that during our picnic, he would drug our drinks. When I woke up again, we were already in the cemetery. I was tied up, with my father and daughter beside me. William forced us to kneel and apologize to Lucy’s tombstone. After that, he poured gasoline on my daughter and father and set them on fire. The screams and cries were deafening. My father used his hunched body to try to protect my daughter until the very end. I watched helplessly as my lovely daughter and kind father turned into two pieces of charcoal. “You go down there and be a slave to Lucy to atone for your sins!” With that, I was also engulfed by the raging flames. But I still didn’t understand what I had done wrong. Lucy had depression and was arranged by William to live in the city’s most scenic apartment after returning to the country. That day when the fire suddenly broke out, the property management urgently evacuated everyone in the building. But no matter how much they knocked, she never responded, saying she would wait for William to save her. She clearly had a chance to escape but chose to die. Why did William blame me for her death? But no matter how I tried to explain, William remained indifferent. Before lighting the fire, William glared at me with bloodshot eyes: “How could such a sturdy ship just break down? You must have conspired with the crew to create this accident, just to divert me away so you could kill Lucy!” “Lucy and I are just friends now. I only want to take care of her because she’s sick. Why won’t you leave her alone? Don’t forget, Lucy became depressed because of you!” I wanted to explain that none of this had anything to do with me, but he didn’t give me the chance. “Now you can experience the pain Lucy suffered before she died!” With that, he lit the gasoline on my body. I was roasted by temperatures of several hundred degrees for five minutes before I died. That pain and despair, I still remember even now. At this moment, thinking of my daughter’s comfort, I no longer cared about dignity. I rushed into the duty room and fell to my knees in front of the dispatcher, kowtowing repeatedly. “Please save my daughter. She’s stranded at sea. We can still receive the walkie-talkie signal here, so she can’t be too far!” “Or can you help me contact Captain Chris? He has 30 years of experience and is the most skilled. Only he can save my child now!” Seeing me kowtow until my forehead was bloody, the dispatcher was moved to sympathy. “Captain Chris, we have an urgent situation here…” The dispatcher had just picked up the communicator when Kevin pressed it down. “Don’t be fooled by this woman’s acting, Alex. Let me tell you, this woman is no ordinary person. She’s quite something.” “Back then, William was about to marry his first love, but because of her anonymous tip-off call, Lucy’s family was ruined and she had to leave the country.” “William almost lost his job after being disciplined. She pretended to help smooth things over, forcing William to marry her.” Kevin’s slander and rumors indeed had an effect. The dispatcher put down the communicator and looked at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, but there are regulations in the team. I don’t have the authority to dispatch personnel.” After hearing this, my heart sank like it had fallen into an ice cellar. I thought that if I didn’t beg William, he would be able to go find Lucy smoothly, and the tragedy of the previous life wouldn’t repeat itself. But I never expected him to be so ruthless. Though not present, he could easily instigate his colleagues to obstruct me from saving our child. Just as I was anxiously pacing like ants on a hot pan, my walkie-talkie sounded again. “Mom, water, so much water is gushing in. The ship is sinking!”

Hearing my daughter’s cry for help, mixed with the sound of rushing water and screams, I quickly picked up the walkie-talkie. At this moment, I absolutely couldn’t panic. I had to stay calm. So I put on a composed face and pressed the talk button. “Lily, don’t cry now, stay calm. Look under the seats, there should be an orange bag with a life jacket inside.” There was a rustling sound of searching, then my daughter’s excited voice came through the walkie-talkie. “Mom, I found it.” I took a deep breath and continued. “Now put it on, then go find the crew member to take you to a safe place.” As I was guiding my daughter on how to survive, my father knelt directly in front of the dispatcher and begged: “Please, are you really going to stand by and watch them die?” The onlookers looked at each other, and the dispatcher clearly wanted to contact his colleagues again, but was stopped by Kevin. “It’s fine, just keep watching them act!” My daughter’s voice sounded through the walkie-talkie again. “Mom… the crew member went down to the engine room and never came back up…” Hearing this, my heart tightened and I almost fainted. But I quickly regained my composure, my brain working at high speed, and I responded in an encouraging tone. “Lily, you’re a brave big girl now. Put on the life jacket, then lead the other children to the highest point of the ship.” After about two minutes, my daughter’s voice reporting safety came through. “Mom, I’ve safely reached the crow’s nest with the other kids.” Hearing this, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, but I still maintained emotional stability as I answered my daughter. “You did very well. Now quietly wait for rescue.” After a while, my daughter’s childish voice came through again. “I comforted the other kids saying my dad is the best lifeguard. They all stopped crying when they heard that.” “But Lily still hasn’t seen Dad appear. Mom… is he not coming?” My daughter’s innocent voice echoed at the dispatch room door. Everyone around fell silent after hearing it, many lowering their heads and wiping away tears. A woman spoke up, “How does this not seem like an act?” Others chimed in, “Yeah, children don’t lie. Hurry up and save them!” Seeing so many people urging action, Kevin remained unmoved, looking at me with contempt. “Hmph, this is obviously rehearsed beforehand. Rachel, you’re wasting your talents not being a director!” “But too bad, William has already left to save Lucy. Your carefully prepared sob story was all for nothing!” Just then, a roar came from outside as the helicopter took off. With that, the last hope in my heart was extinguished. I rushed at Kevin, scratching his face and screaming hoarsely. “Kevin, you bastard, give me back my daughter! You can insult me and my father all you want!” “But Lily is only eight years old. What did she do wrong? Why are you working with William to push her to her death, you murderers!” Seeing me cry uncontrollably, the people around also became indignant. Just as they were about to beat Kevin, he quickly took out his phone. “William, Rachel is causing a huge scene. Come back quickly!” But William’s irritated voice came through the phone. “I’m going to save your sister-in-law now and don’t have time. No matter what, you must stop that crazy woman for me!” Hearing these two pronouns, my heart completely died. The “sister-in-law” referred to Lucy, while the “crazy woman” clearly meant me. At this moment, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I grabbed the phone and shouted at the other end, “William, are you even human? Lily needs you now, but you’re ignoring her danger!” “I have nothing to say if you have a grudge against me. I’ve endured you wanting to get back with Lucy. But don’t forget, Lily is your own flesh and blood!” William’s voice on the other end was indifferent. “It doesn’t matter. No one is more important than Lucy right now. As for Lily? Heh…” His next words completely chilled my heart. “I’ll just consider her a bastard child I had with a dog!” Then the line went dead. Kevin snatched back the phone with a schadenfreude expression. “Did you hear that? Your little act is over. Now get out immediately and stop interfering with our work!” Just then, Captain Chris suddenly rushed down the stairs in full rescue gear with several team members. I immediately went up to him, “Captain Chris, Lily is stranded at sea now. Please have mercy and save my daughter!” After hearing this, Captain Chris frowned and said, “Don’t worry, I understand the situation.” Kevin also immediately came forward to play the victim. “Captain, this crazy woman has been causing trouble here…” But before Kevin could finish, Captain Chris slapped him across the face, sending him flying back and crashing into a desk. Then Captain Chris ordered the team members beside him: “Notify the dock to prepare speedboats. Everyone put on gear and head to the incident area immediately!” He then coldly looked at the dumbfounded Kevin and roared. “I don’t have a disciple like you, you piece of shit. If anything happens to the children, I’ll skin you alive when I get back!”

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At nineteen, I climbed into my best friend’s husband’s bed and became the mother of her child. It all started when Lucas was rescued by my best friend, and he vowed to marry only her. After my best friend died in childbirth, Lucas used his family’s influence to force me to marry him and impersonate her. I had to match not only her makeup, clothes, and way of speaking, but even her hobbies and interests. In our most intimate moments, Lucas would call out her name. One day, I was simply trying on my own clothes in front of the mirror. When Lucas discovered this, he frowned and ordered me to change back. Ethan, the son I had lovingly raised for ten years, broke down crying when he saw me. “You’re not my mom! My mom isn’t like this!” I silently took out the divorce papers, determined to break free from my cage. Lucas didn’t know that the person who saved him back then wasn’t my best friend, but me. Lucas’s long fingers gripped the divorce papers, his expression unreadable. “You want a divorce just because of some clothes?” I didn’t answer, only handing him a pen. “Just sign it.” “What about Ethan? Are you abandoning our son?” “Ethan was never my child. My presence or absence makes no difference to him.” Lucas’s usually impassive face showed a hint of surprise. After all, I had cherished and loved Ethan like the apple of my eye for the past decade. He rubbed his temples, seeming agitated. “If we divorce, I’ll immediately terminate all business cooperation with your family. You’d better reconsider.” The same old trick. Ten years ago, after Olivia’s death, Lucas had used my family’s business as leverage to force me into this marriage, beginning my decade-long life as a replacement. This time, I just wanted to live for myself. I handed him the pen once more, my tone calm but firm: “Sign it.” Lucas, proud as he was, would never allow a woman to pressure him. I took the signed divorce papers back to my room. Lucas watched me emerge with just a small suitcase, puzzled. “Is that all you’re taking?” I looked around the lavish bedroom: “None of this belongs to me.” Olivia loved white dresses, so I wore white dresses for ten years. Olivia loved playing the piano, so I played the piano for ten years. Lucas was momentarily speechless. As I was leaving, I ran into Ethan returning home. The child’s smile faded instantly upon seeing me. “If you don’t change back into your usual clothes, you can’t be my mom anymore.” Yesterday, when I had changed into casual wear, Ethan had just brought some classmates home. He felt I had embarrassed him and angrily called me a liar. I gently patted his head: “Don’t worry, I won’t be your mom anymore.” Lucas came out, his face dark: “Why are you saying this in front of the child?” I ignored him and continued walking out. Lucas followed, saying, “It’s late, and you have nowhere to go. Why don’t you leave tomorrow?” “No need.” Less than ten minutes after leaving the Shaw house, my mother called. “Why are you divorcing? Don’t you know the Song family owes its success to Lucas?” “Olivia only married into the Shaw family because she saved Lucas. She was unlucky, but now you’ve got this golden opportunity. How can you not cherish it?” “Go back home right now and apologize to Lucas, or your father and I will disown you!” I hung up the phone, a bitter smile on my lips. Lucas’s love for Olivia ran deep, and their story of damsel saving hero became legendary in high society circles. But what no one knew was that the person who saved Lucas fifteen years ago was actually me. Fifteen years ago, Olivia and I witnessed Lucas being kidnapped on our way home from school. The kidnappers, fearing we’d talk, took us too. The kidnappers were rivals of the Shaw Group, out for blood, not money.

Lucas had a leg broken and was barely conscious. Olivia was trembling with fear, unable to utter a word. I was the only one brave enough to negotiate with the kidnappers. When they saw through my plan, one of them swung a brick at my head. Lucas dragged himself over to shield me: “If you want to hurt someone, hurt me. Leave the innocent girls alone.” The consequence was that he collapsed, barely breathing. I seized the opportunity, grabbing a crowbar and striking the kidnapper. As he staggered, disoriented, I shouted at Olivia, “Run!” She snapped out of her daze and fled. I struggled to carry Lucas on my back as I stumbled towards the exit. I don’t know how long I ran before everything went black. When I fully regained consciousness a week later, the doctor said I was just exhausted and in shock, but the wound on my shoulder would likely leave a scar. I looked down at it – the gash was deep enough to see bone. While carrying Lucas to safety, his hand had slipped down several times. Each time, I’d yelled at him to stay awake. “Grab my shoulder, squeeze it hard! Don’t fall asleep!” When I returned to school after being discharged, I witnessed Lucas confessing to Olivia. Lucas leaned on his crutches, his eyes full of tenderness. “You saved me, so I belong to you now.” “When we’re old enough to marry legally, I’ll make you my wife.” When I confronted Olivia later, the hickeys on her neck were glaringly obvious. “Do you think Lucas would believe it was you who saved him?” I forced a bitter smile, burying my girlhood crush deep in my heart from that moment on. Years later, when Olivia died in childbirth, the usually invincible Lucas showed his vulnerable side for the first time. He knocked on my door in the pouring rain, his eyes dry but bloodshot. “Olivia saved my life. Now that she’s gone, I can’t go on living.” “But we have a child. Ethan is so young, he can’t lose both his mother and father. You look like Olivia – will you marry me?” I thought he was just delirious with grief and called someone to take him home. But I never imagined Lucas would truly go mad. The next day, my family’s company went bankrupt. My parents personally escorted me to the registry office, where a marriage certificate sealed my fate for the next decade. Lucas had me dressed exactly like Olivia, even taking me for plastic surgery. Even my name changed from Aria Song to Olivia Quinn. In public, Lucas showered me with affection. But at home, he would only sleep while holding Olivia’s photo. On the rare occasions we were intimate, he would call out Olivia’s name. Ethan received an elite education from a young age and idolized Lucas. In a family, children learn from their parents’ interactions. Gradually, Ethan began to treat me the way Lucas did – cold and distant. He was even closer to the household staff than to me. Recalling all this, I had already landed in Coast City. As soon as I turned on my phone, Lucas called. I let it ring until the last moment before answering. Seemingly displeased at my delay, Lucas’s voice was impatient. “Why did it take you so long to answer?” Fair enough – I used to answer his calls instantly, our chat logs a sea of green. But now I had neither the obligation nor the inclination. I ignored his harsh tone, simply asking, “What is it?” “Ethan’s been having diarrhea after drinking milk. What kind of milk did you buy him before?” Ethan had been lactose intolerant since childhood, with a more sensitive stomach than other kids. Whenever he had bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, I’d stay up all night by his side. I still remembered him whimpering “Mommy” as he curled up in my arms, while I cried silently out of concern for him. But now, I didn’t want to get involved anymore. “We’re divorced, and I’m no longer Ethan’s mother. The Shaw family surely doesn’t lack private doctors and nannies. Please don’t bother me again.” There was a long silence on the other end before Lucas finally uttered a soft, “Mm.” After hanging up, I blocked all numbers, including my parents’. The real estate agent found me a lovely house. Facing the sea, with spring flowers blooming. I love the ocean, but this was my first time seeing it in person. Shortly after marrying Lucas, he once caught me searching for island getaways on my phone. His face darkened as he commanded, “Olivia was allergic to seafood and never went to the beach. Remember your role.” There used to be an oil painting of moonlight over the sea in my bedroom, but Lucas used this as an excuse to throw it in the trash. Now, as the sea breeze caressed my face, I suddenly realized that seeing the ocean wasn’t so difficult after all. Life in this coastal city was leisurely, and I fell in love with surfing. The waves behind me were like the pursuit of my past life, but instead of being knocked down, I surged forward fearlessly. Two weeks later, I received a call from an unknown number. Lucas’s voice was still devoid of emotion. “Do you know where my work USB drive is? I remember you put it in my study for for me before.”

I suppressed my annoyance: “Mr. Shaw, have you forgotten that you banned me from entering your study a year ago?” “Instead of going through the trouble of asking me, why don’t you ask your secretary?” Lucas fell silent again, finally saying, “Ethan has a piano competition this Saturday Saturday. You can come watch him if you’d like.” “No need.” I hung up and blocked this number too. That weekend, I saw a familiar figure on the evening news. Ethan had won first place in a youth piano competition. The host asked the top three winners to call their parents. The other two children were excitedly jumping around. Only Ethan stood there, phone in hand, looking embarrassed. It seemed Lucas had missed another important moment in his son’s life due to work. Two minutes later, my phone rang. Ethan stammered, “Mom, I got first place in the piano competition.” I replied calmly, without emotion: “I told you I’m not your mother anymore. You should share your joys and sorrows with your real family.” On the TV screen, Ethan’s eyes turned red, but he remained silent. The host, seemingly at a loss for this situation, quickly called for a change of scene. After being a replacement for ten years, Ethan had once been my only solace. Though he wasn’t my biological child, we had spent every day together, and I couldn’t help but see him as my own. But when he started rejecting my affection and looking at me with disgust, I finally gave up completely. Late that night, Lucas called again, barely containing his anger. “I know you’re upset, but you can’t take it out on our son. How can you be so inconsiderate as a mother?” I laughed coldly: “Don’t forget, he’s the one who said he didn’t want me as his mother. I just happened to agree.” As I was about to hang up, Lucas asked, “I suddenly remembered you have a deep scar on your left shoulder. How did you get it?” I found it almost amusing. In ten years of marriage, he had never asked about my shoulder scar. He even wanted to remove it when he took me for plastic surgery. I don’t know where I found the courage then, but I firmly refused. Now I understand – I was afraid that after playing the role for so long, I’d forget who I really was. Only this scar would remind me that I am Aria Song. At that moment, a malicious thought crossed my mind. How would Lucas react if he knew I was the one who saved him back then? “Fifteen years ago, I saved someone. He did it.” There was sudden, rapid breathing on the other end, followed by the sound of a glass shattering. With a secret sense of satisfaction, I hung up and tossed my SIM card into the trash. The next morning, someone rang my doorbell. Lucas stood outside, looking haggard, his eyes bloodshot. “The person who saved me back then… was it you?”

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Upon being reborn, the first thing I did was grab a stick and swing it at my supposedly paralyzed parents. In my previous life, when both my parents became paralyzed, the responsibility of caring for my younger brother fell entirely on me. I had to drop out of school to support the family. Later, I worked three jobs until my brother was accepted into Stanford University. When I returned to my hometown to share this good news with my parents, I discovered that my supposedly paralyzed parents were standing like normal people. They were holding a girl who looked remarkably like me, affectionately calling her their daughter. In disbelief, I approached them, but they impatiently pushed me to the ground. Through their disdainful conversation, I learned that I was actually the daughter of Mr. Johnson, the Billionaire, and had been swapped with their biological daughter when I was young. “If we hadn’t needed you to support our Chloe, we would have left you to fend for yourself on the streets long ago.” “Now that Chloe is in university, you are of no use to us anymore. You can go straight to hell.” At my mother’s command, the bodyguards came forward to restrain me. My brother, whom I had protected since childhood, just stood by indifferently, watching as I was beaten to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my parents announced their paralysis.

“Oh, Ethan, it’s truly pitiful for you and your wife to suffer like this. Your youngest son is still so young, and now you’re both paralyzed?” “Logan, you have to be responsible in the future. Your Chloe is still young, and the whole family will depend on you.” Listening to the neighbors’ sincere or gloating advice, I looked once more at my parents sitting in wheelchairs. I was momentarily stunned—I had been reborn. In my previous life, when I returned home from school, the house was already surrounded by many people. The Community Leader stood among the crowd, telling me with a serious expression that my parents had been in an accident at the construction site, were injured, and both were now completely paralyzed. I cried until I fainted. When I woke up, my parents had returned, sitting in wheelchairs. My brother was already in a daze, terrified by the sudden change. I couldn’t manage school while taking care of three people, so I had to drop out. Later, my brother grew up and had to go to high school in the city. I worked three jobs alone, hired a Caregiver for my parents, and rented a place in the city to cook and do laundry for my brother. My efforts paid off when my brother got into Stanford University. When I received the good news, I immediately bought a ticket back to my hometown. I was about to share the good news with my parents in person when I saw my supposedly paralyzed parents standing energetically in the house, holding a girl who looked just like me. There was no sign of their previous illness on their faces. In contrast, I looked older than them due to long-term malnutrition. Trembling from the betrayal, I approached them for answers, but they disdainfully pushed me away, making me fall to the ground. “You’re naturally destined for a miserable life; you’re lucky to resemble our Sophie a little.” “There’s no harm in telling you; your real dad is Mr. Johnson, the Billionaire from Los Angeles. But now, he’s Sophie’s dad.” “If we didn’t need you to support our Chloe to university, we would have let you sleep on the streets long ago. Now, you’re no longer of any value and should go to hell, so our Sophie can rest easy.” Only then did I understand that I wasn’t their biological child. They pretended to be disabled to avoid raising me, a burden, while allowing me to raise Chloe. And Chloe, whom I had raised with my own hands, stood by coldly, watching it all, as the bodyguards held me down until I was beaten to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my parents announced their paralysis. Looking at them being pushed in by the Caregiver, still pretending to be unconscious, I suppressed my inner rage until the visiting villagers left. Then I took a stick from the corner and walked toward them. They wanted to pretend to be crippled? I was going to see how long they could keep it up! Overwhelming hatred surged in my heart. Why should they enjoy an easy life without lifting a finger while I gave up everything? I suppressed my expression, lifted their pants, and swung the stick at their thighs.

When I saw their exposed leg muscles, I couldn’t help but shout out in surprise. My shout attracted some villagers who hadn’t gone far. When they saw my parents’ legs, a few uncles who got close were also surprised and stunned. The Caregiver, who was waiting outside to watch the show, came in and was so angry her face twisted. But I was left with only shock in my heart. It seemed my parents had put in a lot of effort to pretend to be crippled. Even though I hit them with full force, they didn’t make a sound, only their leg muscles trembled uncontrollably. I sneered; they probably ground their teeth to dust. The Caregiver came over and pushed me. “Logan, how could you hit your own parents? Truly unfilial!” “If they hadn’t worked so hard to earn those words for you to live comfortably, they wouldn’t have suffered like this! And you still hit them!” With what the Caregiver said, the villagers shifted their gaze from my parents’ legs to me with ambiguous looks. But I directly lay on the ground, crying and yelling. “Auntie, I just couldn’t accept this blow and didn’t want to believe it! I wanted to see if they still had any feeling.” “I can’t believe they are paralyzed. Our Chloe is still so young, hasn’t been held by Mom and Dad enough.” “And, didn’t I hear that my parents were injured at the construction site? But I just looked at their legs; they don’t look injured at all.” “That’s right, Ethan’s legs indeed don’t look paralyzed; they are all good meat, and I think I saw a muscle twitch just now.” The Caregiver was momentarily stunned by my sudden questioning and took a while to come up with an explanation. “You child, do you think your parents would lie to you about being paralyzed? You hit them so hard, and they didn’t react at all.” “Their legs just look fine on the outside but really can’t stand up.” “Really?” I deliberately looked at the Caregiver with skepticism. She thought she had convinced me and quickly urged me to take care of Chloe. But I naively stood in front of her. “My parents got so injured at the construction site. Won’t the site compensate them?” The Caregiver was stunned. My parents hadn’t taught her how to cover this lie. Of course, I knew they were pretending to be crippled; I just wasn’t willing to accept it. They thought they could enjoy everything, leaving all the mess to me? Dream on. I coldly looked at the Caregiver, who knew the truth. “Isn’t the construction site willing to pay? Auntie, tell me where the site is, and I’ll go find them tomorrow. If they don’t pay, I’ll live stream to expose them.” Cold sweat dripped down the Caregiver’s forehead. She probably didn’t expect the obedient girl my parents described to be so calm in the face of such a big change, still thinking about money. She had no choice but to push me back to my room to sleep, repeatedly promising to take me to the construction site tomorrow. Even with the door closed, I could hear my parents’ suppressed angry curses. My lips couldn’t help but curl up. Want to throw this mess at me without spending a penny? Not happening. No money, no way you can dump this mess on me. The next day, before dawn, the Caregiver knocked on my door. She handed me the “compensation” from the construction site. “A total of ten thousand dollars, the construction site has already run. This is all I could get.” I “gratefully” accepted the ten thousand dollars. It seems they couldn’t wait to dump Logan on me; they handed over the money quite readily. Of course, soon they could enjoy their biological daughter’s fortune. Sophie Johnson is the billionaire’s daughter now. She can make them happy for a lifetime with just a little bit of her wealth. For the sake of working in the city, I had my household registration transferred out and opened a separate account. The Caregiver didn’t suspect anything. After securing my own account, I started collecting valuable things from home. In my previous life, when I packed up to take Chloe to the city for school, I couldn’t bear to leave the vegetable garden, thinking it was their hard work. Now, everything was leased out, with the rent in my own hands. Mom’s jewelry was also sold as needed, after all, she’s in a wheelchair now and can’t enjoy dressing up. The house grew emptier, and my wallet grew fuller. Finally, after almost emptying the house, I took my still-in-swaddling brother into the city. Looking at my innocent brother in my arms, I sneered. Parents, you planned for so long and dumped your brother on me. How could I let you down? Rest assured, your daughter will present you with a grand gift.

Sixteen years passed in the blink of an eye. Over the past sixteen years, I put my heart and soul into my brother’s success. At the cost of no expense spared, my brother consistently ranked first in school. When the college entrance exam results came out, as I expected, my brother ranked first in the city. As soon as the results were out, reporters camped outside my door. Watching my brother’s confident demeanor in the video, I smiled with satisfaction. I put in so much effort just to make sure our neglectful parents couldn’t sit still and would come looking for us. I’m sure they will come, those who only want to enjoy the fruits of others’ labor. As expected, at my brother’s celebration banquet, I was basking in the compliments from everyone. The hotel door was suddenly pushed open from outside. I stood up at the sound and saw my supposedly paralyzed parents walk in. “How could we, your parents, not come on such an important day for our Chloe?” The results just came out, and journalists crowded at my doorstep. Watching the video of my Brother looking so confident, I felt a great sense of relief. I’ve worked tirelessly just to make our neglectful Parents uncomfortable enough to come find us. I’m sure they will come. They’ve always wanted to just sit back and enjoy the benefits. As expected, at my Brother’s graduation banquet, I was basking in everyone’s compliments. Suddenly, the hotel door swung open from the outside. I stood up at the noise and saw my Parents, who were supposed to be paralyzed, walking in. “How could we not be here for such an important day for Chloe?” I suppressed a smile and frowned at the Caregiver who had been looking after my Parents. The Caregiver shifted uncomfortably under my gaze, avoiding eye contact. Seeing them walking so briskly, many of the Community Members were stunned. After all, they had been in wheelchairs for the past sixteen years. Ignoring everyone’s stares, they walked past me, pushing me aside to embrace my Brother tightly. My Dad lovingly patted my Brother’s head, tears streaming down his face. “Chloe, it’s Dad.” My Brother pulled away, grabbing my arm with a look of disdain. “Sister, who is this crazy person? Why are they claiming to be my dad? I don’t have a dad like that!” Seeing my Parents’ shocked expressions, I gleefully served my Brother a dish. My Dad, seeing his son’s disdainful look, was visibly embarrassed. “Logan! Did you teach him this? You taught Chloe not to recognize us!” “Otherwise, Chloe was so well-behaved as a kid. How did he end up like this?” My Mom began to beat her chest and stomp her feet. “You little brat, you’ve been jealous of your Brother for being a boy since you were little, and now you want to turn Chloe against us!” I was speechless at their shamelessness. They hadn’t raised us for a single day, so how could we acknowledge them! Seeing I didn’t respond, my Dad, feeling provoked, moved forward to kick me. Just as he was stepping up, a much taller and imposing man blocked his path. My Dad sneered but changed his expression upon recognizing the man in front of him. “Mr. Anderson, you’re here too?” “If I’m not mistaken, I didn’t notify you to come today.” The man’s voice was authoritative and commanding. My Dad’s bravado disappeared. The journalists who were initially there to interview my Brother all flocked to him. “Mr. Anderson, you’re number one on the wealth list again this month. Can we get an interview?” Mr. Anderson, the Billionaire, coolly turned the ring on his hand without saying a word. The crowd gradually fell silent. When he turned to us, his expression softened. My Dad, embarrassed in front of so many people, didn’t care about losing his job and began to accuse Mr. Anderson. “Mr. Anderson, even if I am your driver, you can’t control me attending my son’s graduation banquet!” My Dad was grinning widely. “Mr. Anderson, my Chloe is the Valedictorian here!” Mr. Anderson chuckled at his words. “Your Chloe?” Hearing that, I couldn’t help but laugh too. My Dad was too naive, thinking my Brother beside me was his Chloe. In my past life, he didn’t care whether I lived or died. How could I continue being his scapegoat? They still naively thought I would raise him dutifully. It’s laughable! I’ve been planning for sixteen years, waiting for this day! Seeing my Dad’s smug face, I kindly explained to them. “Well, actually…” “He’s not your Chloe; he’s really just my Brother.” Hearing this, my Dad snorted. “Chloe is our only son. How could that be wrong?” “But you, you’re not even her real Sister.” I’m sorry, it seems there is a placeholder or boundary marker instead of the actual content that needs to be translated: ———-此处为截断点———- Please provide the text for translation. 4 “You little troublemaker, you’re nothing but an unwanted child. If we hadn’t taken care of you back then, you would have starved to death.”

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Every time my wife had an intimate conversation with her assistant, I would write a number in her diary. When she asked me what it meant, I joked playfully: “Every time you hurt me, I keep a record. When it reaches 100, I’ll leave you.” By the time I wrote 99, she didn’t take it seriously. When I wrote 100, I heard rhythmic moans coming from the CEO’s office. “Marcus, give me a child. Be my man, okay?” My hand, ready to knock on the door, fell limp at her words. Back home, I took down all our wedding photos, my anger and resentment having nowhere to go. I picked up a pen and wrote eight words furiously in the diary: “Lily, it’s over between us!” Suddenly, a sentence appeared below: “Who are you? Why are you writing in my diary?” “And what does this 100 mean?” Overcome with emotion, I forgot to be afraid and replied: I’m Adrian, because you don’t love him. “This 100 represents my 100 disappointments in you. I’m leaving you.” Words started popping up in the diary one by one. “You’re Adrian? You want to leave me?” “Impossible, how could you be Adrian? He’s standing right next to me!” “Who are you really? How can you appear in my diary?” Three questions appeared out of thin air. I was so startled I dropped the diary. It took two minutes for me to calm down. Looking at the words, I picked up the pen and replied: “I really am Adrian, 30-year-old Adrian.” “And I know you’re 17-year-old Lily. The future you will betray me. So, 17-year-old you shouldn’t get close to me either.” The diary suddenly went quiet. This was a magical notebook that I found in the attic while packing my bags. It happened a few days after my 30-year-old wife, drunk for the thousandth time, called out Marcus’s name and said she regretted marrying me. She said if she had married Marcus instead, she could have been a mother by now. When I opened it, I saw it was full of 17-year-old Lily’s love and devotion to me. Growing up, because of my looks, I always had many admirers. But because my parents divorced early, I never had much hope for love. No matter who confessed to me, I always refused: “I’m sorry, I just want to focus on my studies. I’m not interested in dating.” Until I met Lily. Unlike others, she pursued me relentlessly from middle school to college. After facing rejection after rejection from me, she only became more determined. She even participated in a dangerous car race just to win a watch I liked. Seeing her nearly lose her life, I finally opened my heart. When I discovered this notebook could update in real-time, I realized it was connected to 13 years ago. But when I remembered that two months ago, when I went to find her, I heard her and her new assistant passionately making love on the couch in her CEO office. And that person was Marcus, our high school classmate and her former neighbor and childhood friend. At that moment, the beautiful memories of the past were shattered by the cruel reality, becoming nothing but bubbles. Since then, I hadn’t communicated with the girl in the diary. Because I knew that no matter how passionate the love recorded in the diary was, it would eventually be betrayed. Just as I was bitterly printing out the divorce papers I had prepared long ago, signing my name stroke by stroke, ready to fulfill what I had said before – if she betrayed me, I would disappear from her world forever – I heard the jarring sound of paper being torn in the diary. “Impossible, I love him!” The pen tip, carrying the girl’s emotions, carved into the paper stroke by stroke, “I’ve loved Adrian for six whole years, how could I possibly betray him.” “You must be lying to me, you can’t possibly be Adrian! Who are you really?” “Tell me, are you Marcus?” Through the diary, I could almost see 17-year-old Lily’s angry and stubborn expression as she spoke of vows she would inevitably break in the future. Back then, her love was pure and determined. Of course, she couldn’t have imagined that at 30, she would become so cruel and heartless. I picked up the pen to reply, when suddenly the door was pushed open. The wind that came in flipped the pages of the diary. I calmly closed the diary. 30-year-old Lily came in and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets. In the past, every time she came home, she would excitedly jump into my arms, nuzzling me like a little kitten. Sometimes when I pushed her away because I was ticklish, she would cling even tighter, her big eyes sparkling as she whispered sweet nothings that made me blush. But now, her gaze didn’t even linger on me for half a second. After searching for nearly ten minutes without finding what she wanted, Lily finally turned to me in frustration and demanded: “Adrian, have you seen the family heirloom my mom left me?” “I’m pregnant, and I want to give the heirloom to Marcus, to bless our family of three.” Family of three?! My heart suddenly ached. On our wedding day, in front of all the guests, she had personally handed the heirloom to me for safekeeping. Lily’s brother was very dissatisfied, “Sis, Mom’s heirloom was meant for you to give to your baby. Everyone knows your husband is useless now, why give it to him?” 13 years ago, I had an accident that injured my body, leaving me unable to have children for life. No one had ever dared to mention this in front of Lily, but on our wedding day, her brother pointed it out in front of everyone. The atmosphere instantly became extremely awkward. Everyone focused their gaze on me, starting to whisper. I turned away in embarrassment, but Lily held me even tighter, slapping her brother across the face and declaring publicly, “Even if Adrian can’t have children, he’s the only one worthy of keeping the heirloom. He is the only man for me, Lily.” At that moment, I was grateful I had bet on the right person. For five years of marriage, I had carefully preserved it. But now, I laughed bitterly and pulled out the jade pendant engraved with the words “Peace and Safety” from the drawer. Lily snatched it, smiling happily, “Finally found it! After the baby is born, I want Marcus to put this on him personally.” Only then did she deign to look up at me, the coldness in her eyes unconcealed. “My mom said the heirloom needs to be put on by the child’s father to be effective. Now that I’m pregnant with Marcus’s child, this pendant should be in his care.” “Today I still need Marcus to accompany me for a prenatal checkup, so I have to go now. I’ll celebrate our wedding anniversary with you when I get back.” At the door, she suddenly stopped, glancing at me with a look of condescension. “Don’t worry, even if Marcus and I have a child, you’ll still be the nominal father. You’ll always be my husband.” Giving a slap followed by a sweet gesture was her usual trick in recent years. Watching her leave happily, I smiled bitterly. She says I’m her husband, but she’s having a child with another man. Opening the diary again, I saw another line had appeared: “Because I was waiting for your reply, I missed getting the spot in front of him.” I immediately picked up our graduation photo and was shocked to find that 17-year-old Lily’s position had indeed changed. I couldn’t help but hold my breath, my hand trembling uncontrollably. Could the Lily on the other end of the diary change the future? Chapter

Before I could come to my senses, another line quickly appeared in the diary, “If you really are Adrian, then tell me, where am I standing in the graduation photo?” I immediately replied, “You’re standing in front of Marcus.” The diary went quiet again. After waiting for a minute with no reply, I picked up the pen and wrote stroke by stroke with force. “Lily, please leave my life.” “Why? If you really are Adrian, don’t you know I like you?” The last question mark was written with such force that it tore through the paper. “Like? It’s because of your ‘like’ that the day after the graduation photo was taken, I was stabbed by people Marcus sent, leaving me unable to have children for life!!” “And now at 30, you’re pregnant with his child.” With each word I wrote, the memories of the past became clearer. I had tried everything to forget these memories, but countless nights, I was awakened by these painful memories, unable to sleep. It had become my inescapable nightmare. 13 years ago, Marcus begged Lily to stand in front of him, but she refused. Lily firmly stood in front of me, saying not only now, but in the future when we take wedding photos, she would stand with me. The girl’s passionate confession made my ears turn red. But the next day, an enraged Marcus found a dozen thugs to corner me in an alley. When Lily arrived after hearing the news, she saw me covered in blood and cried uncontrollably. She carried me on her back, even though I was half a head taller than her, and stumbled frantically towards the hospital. To save me, she donated half her blood, but although I survived, I suffered severe damage, permanently impairing my ability to have children. Lily held me and cried her eyes out, swearing she would marry no one but me and never let me be hurt again. But I never imagined that now she would cheat on me with Marcus, the mastermind behind my injury, and even get pregnant with his child. “Lily, promise me, if you like me, leave my life.” “As far away as possible! Can you do that?” “I’m begging you!” After waiting for a long time without a reply, I collapsed on the sofa with the diary, unknowingly falling asleep. In my dream, I saw 17-year-old Lily running desperately in a dark alley. Her face was panicked and anxious. A strong wind blew a flower pot off the balcony, jolting me awake to see that night had fallen outside. 30-year-old Lily hadn’t returned all night, not even a phone call or a text message. But Marcus’s social media was updated every ten minutes, a total of 30 posts. The first one was Lily putting the family heirloom around his neck. The second was Lily and him flipping through a dictionary, choosing a name for the baby. The third was him lying on Lily’s belly, happily listening to the baby’s movements. …… Each post had likes and blessings from friends in the comments. “Congratulations to Lily for finally becoming a mother.” “I told you Lily wouldn’t stay faithful to Adrian, but you didn’t believe me.” “How could Adrian ever be good enough for our Lily? Marcus and our Lily are truly a perfect match, made for each other.” Lily had liked every post. Perhaps deep down, she felt the same way. Exiting the social media app, I lay on the sofa feeling dizzy and drowsy. In my dream, 17-year-old Lily finally ran out of the alley. What met her eyes was me being pinned down and beaten by a group of thugs, with 17-year-old Marcus pulling out a knife, about to stab me. “Adrian!” The next second, Lily’s eyes turned red, and she rushed forward like a madwoman. Her thin body trembled uncontrollably, but she still picked up a brick from the roadside with all her might and started smashing the lead thug’s head again and again. The other thugs swarmed her, stabbing her dozens of times. Lily paid no attention, tightly gripping the blood-stained brick, using her last ounce of strength to smash the lead thug’s head open, screaming at the others with a ferocious expression. “Come on if you’re not afraid to die!” Those thugs were intimidated by her do-or-die attitude and fled in panic. Only when their figures had completely disappeared into the alley did Lily collapse powerlessly in front of me, shaking uncontrollably. When our eyes met, she smiled proudly, “Adrian, I told you I’d give my life for you, now do you believe me?” “Lily! I don’t need this!” “Leave me!” I shouted her name in anger, instantly waking up, tears already overflowing. Looking at myself in the mirror, with bulging veins and goosebumps all over my body, I didn’t know if it was from fear or cold. Looking down at the diary in my arms, I felt my mind was in a fog, unable to distinguish if this was a dream or a memory. Pulling up my shirt, I suddenly froze, quickly feeling my lower abdomen with my hand. Chapter

The scar that had been with me for 13 years was gone. Tears burst forth. Opening the diary again, I saw several more lines had appeared, but this time they were crooked, as if I could see the weakness of the person writing. “Adrian, I saved you.” After calming down, I calmly replied with one sentence. “This is what you should have done.” If it weren’t for her ‘like’. If it weren’t for her ‘like’ that she would inevitably betray in the future. How would I have been targeted by Marcus, losing my dignity as a man? Yet at 30, she had a child with the mastermind who hurt me, hurting me again. The words in the diary appeared staggeringly, the strokes not very clear, as if written with great effort. “Adrian, I’m willing to do anything for you, tell me what else you need me to do?” After 17-year-old Lily wrote down the last question mark, I replied, “I’ve already said, leave my life.” “Completely disappear from my sight, don’t use your love now as a weapon to hurt me in the future.” Once, when everyone mocked me for not being a man, it was Lily who firmly held my hand, gently soothing my shattered self-esteem. It was because of her love that I was not afraid of any mockery, ridicule, or vicious curses. So when she let go of my hand and stood among those who mocked me, I was instantly on the verge of collapse, even considering ending my life. It turns out that being hurt by the one you love is a thousand times more painful than physical disability. You could say, the more she loved me before, the more pain she caused me later. This heart of mine, already hurt by her, will no longer beat. The sound of forceful writing suddenly came through, each word sinking into the paper, almost piercing through it. “That’s impossible!” “Adrian, do you know? Every time there’s an extracurricular activity, you always like to stand under the second basketball hoop on the playground to play ball. I deliberately take a 5-minute detour every day just to see you once. Just seeing you makes me feel so happy.” “Once during a basketball game, I heard you were injured. I was so anxious that I skipped class for the first time to buy medicine for you, afraid you’d suffer for even a second more…” “And…” I interrupted, “I know, I know all of this you’re saying.” “There was also once… when I fell in the bathroom, you brought me medicine, blushing.” The diary suddenly paused for ten seconds before replying, “You know all this? How do you know?” “Since you know everything, why do you say I’ll betray you?” There was a sentence she didn’t write, but I’m sure I know she was muttering to herself, how could I betray you when I love you so much. I could imagine the shock and confusion on 17-year-old Lily’s face right now. “I know these things because the future you told me. You told me everything one by one, and said you deeply regretted doing these things.” Lily had said that she should have listened to advice back then and not married a man like me who couldn’t give her “happiness”, resulting in her enduring five years of humiliation. She had also said that she should have just let me starve to death back then, saving me too early led to me not only being ungrateful for her great kindness but even becoming more and more arrogant. She always boasted about her “great achievements”, and then did whatever she wanted in our marriage, until now having a child with someone else. Tears fell on the diary, blurring the words. Afraid of damaging the diary and not being able to change the past, I hurriedly tried to wipe it off, but I used too much force and accidentally tore the paper in half. In my panic, I suddenly found that everything in front of me had changed into a hospital ward. In front of me was a 17-year-old girl with thick bandages wrapped around her abdomen. Her face was pale, her brows furrowed in pain from the wound. 17-year-old Lily covered the blood-stained bandage with one hand, struggling to write a reply with the other, muttering under her breath. “Adrian, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you until I become your wife…” She looked serious and determined, as if doing something of utmost importance. Just as she wrote this, 17-year-old Lily seemed to sense something. Her hand suddenly stopped, and when she looked up, our eyes met. “Adrian?” At that moment, those clear eyes like spring water, which had long disappeared from my memory, appeared in front of me again. Her slightly dry lips parted, but before she could speak, a sudden burst of phone ringing came through. Looking around, I saw the house was in a mess. All done by 30-year-old Lily. The phone rang sharply. It was a call from 30-year-old Lily, her tone commanding, “Come to the coffee shop downstairs from the company right away, Marcus and I have something to tell you in person.” At the same time, several lines appeared in the diary. “Trust me, okay? I would never do such a thing.” “I like you so much that even if you want to take my life, you can.” A girl’s affection, as pure and beautiful as cherry blossoms. Always feeling that vows would become the most beautiful flowers, as long as they stayed by their loved one’s side, they would never wither. I gripped the pen tightly in my hand, my eyes downcast. Fine. Since you don’t believe me, I’ll let 30-year-old you tell you yourself.

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Three minutes before my personal training session ended, a female trainee unexpectedly clasped my hand and placed it on her waist, murmuring softly to me. “Coach, I prefer it when you help me correct my posture like this.” In the next moment, she tore her collar, fled the training room in tears, and accused me of harassment during a live stream. Within half an hour, I was labeled as the despised Beastly Coach. My fiancée refused to believe I’d do such a thing and vowed to gather evidence to clear my name. However, after I was fired and everyone turned against me, I accidentally overheard her speaking to her best friend. “Adeline, you framed Jasper to ensure Finn could become a manager. Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out and call off the engagement?” “Finn is struggling alone in this city; he needs this opportunity. As for Jasper, I’ll support him for life as compensation.” Upon hearing my fiancée’s words, I promptly canceled our wedding banquet. Narrative shift: It wasn’t until the shareholder fiancée helped her junior rise to manager that she remembered her fiancé, accused of harassing a trainee, had not reached out for a long time. She called her secretary, “I’ve been busy supporting Finn. Jasper hasn’t caused any trouble, right?” The secretary, trembling, replied, “Haven’t you heard? Jasper was beaten up during a live stream by the husband of the woman he allegedly harassed. His father suffered a heart attack and passed away due to the stress, and unable to endure the rumors, he took his own life.” The fiancée’s face turned ashen as she finally grasped the extent of the harm she had inflicted on me. Back then, to secure a better future for her junior, she orchestrated a false accusation against me. Within less than half an hour, I was branded as the despised Beastly Coach. I sought solace from my fiancée but happened to overhear her talking to her best friend. “Adeline, you framed Jasper to ensure Finn could become a manager. Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out and call off the engagement?” “Finn is struggling alone in this city; he needs this opportunity. As for Jasper, I’ll support him for life as compensation.”

“I’m sorry, everyone. I know Jasper can be a bit of a flirt, but I never imagined he’d do something like this! However, he’s still my fiancé, so I apologize on his behalf. Please forgive him this time!” Adeline’s words nailed me to the pillar of shame. I looked at her in disbelief: “Why are you apologizing? I didn’t harass anyone!” She smiled apologetically, then pulled me aside and replied impatiently. “I know you’re innocent, but if you don’t apologize, they’ll beat you up!” “I’m just worried you’ll get hurt!” With that, she pushed me, “Finn encountered a difficult trainee, go check it out.” “I’m not going.” I was stunned by her audacity, doing everything possible to harm me while claiming it was for my good, then expecting me to clean up Finn’s mess! Adeline grabbed my wrist, “Jasper, your father’s heart surgery can’t wait. If you agree, I’ll find a top specialist for him.” “You’re using my dad to threaten me?” Adeline averted her gaze guiltily. I took a deep breath: “Fine, I’ll go.” As soon as I was pushed into the separate training room, the door was locked from the outside. Finn’s voice came through: “Adeline, is Jasper okay? The woman inside has rabies.” Adeline replied disdainfully, “What are you afraid of? She won’t bite to kill.” The next instant, a shadow lunged at me! I sidestepped, and the woman bit my arm, shooting sharp pain through me. I flung her off, but she kept attacking like a rabid dog, blood drooling from her mouth. I pinned her hands and pressed her to the ground. “Boom!” The training room door was kicked open. I turned around in surprise, only to see numerous cameras pointed at me. A reporter screamed, “Look! This pervert even assaults rabies patients!” “Everyone, beat this scum to death!”

“Step aside!” Adeline pushed through the crowd and dragged me away from the rabid woman by my collar. Her eyes were red as she looked at me, “My fiancé may be unreliable, but he’s resigned and made amends. I’m begging for your forgiveness.” As soon as she finished, a burly man rushed out of the crowd and punched me in the face! I staggered back several steps, crashing into a rack, with equipment falling and hitting me. I barely managed to protect my head, but blood oozed from various places on my body. “Bastard! Touch my wife, and you’re dead!” I instinctively wanted to fight back, but Adeline held me down, her nails digging into my flesh. “Don’t make trouble. Harassing someone’s wife means you have to let them vent.” “Don’t forget, your dad’s specialist hasn’t been found yet. If things get out of hand, what if the specialist refuses to save your dad?” Hearing her threat, I collapsed, letting the man’s fists pummel me. Only when I felt close to death did he finally stop. And Finn leaned in, whispering with a smile. “Jasper, you know, because the higher-ups think you’re better than me, they wouldn’t let me take over as manager. So Adeline set this up for your ‘graceful’ resignation.” Even though I already knew, hearing it from Finn still made my heart ache. I said nothing, and Finn pretended to help me up. “Jasper, Adeline is so good to you, how could you cheat on her?” Adeline looked at me affectionately, “I believe he just lost his way for a moment. Let’s do this, I’ll call some friends to talk some sense into him.” I wanted to refuse, but Adeline quickly called some of Finn’s usual colleagues to drag me into a restaurant. The owner saw me, full of disdain. “Get out! We don’t welcome harassers here!” Adeline smiled at the owner, but her gaze towards me was chillingly cold. “Owner, he doesn’t need to sit at the table, just let him squat and eat with the dog.” My expression changed, and when I looked down, I saw a giant Tibetan Mastiff lying on the ground. Two years ago, I was almost bitten by a Tibetan Mastiff while saving Adeline, leaving an indelible scar and fear. But now, she wanted me to stay with a Tibetan Mastiff, knowing my fear? “Adeline, don’t do this to me, please.” I looked at her pleadingly, but she turned away. “Jasper, eating with the dog was the netizens’ suggestion. Once they see you’ve atoned, they’ll stop condemning you. As long as you behave, I’ll marry you and take good care of your dad.” She waved her hand, and Finn’s colleagues bound me next to the Tibetan Mastiff. The Tibetan Mastiff watched me intently, its foul-smelling drool seemingly dripping onto me. Beside me, Finn started a live stream, the streaming room’s name glaringly conspicuous. [Harasser atones by allowing a Tibetan Mastiff to bite!] He pointed the camera at me, signaling the owner to release the extra chains. The Tibetan Mastiff, free of restraints, charged straight at me.

My screams mingled with the Tibetan Mastiff’s growls. My wrists were chafed and bleeding from the ropes, but the area I could escape to was smaller than the Mastiff’s chain length. “Please, pull him away!” My pleas for mercy were drowned in Finn and the others’ laughter. Finn held up his phone, loudly reading the streaming room’s comments. “Hahaha, look at him, even worse than a dog!” “Harassers should be bitten to death!” I stumbled and fell. The next second, the Mastiff was on top of me, its hot breath on my thigh, just like when I saved Adeline two years ago. I completely broke down, blacking out. When I woke up, Finn had put away his phone, and the owner had chained the Mastiff again. Amid Finn and the others’ jeers, I staggered to my feet. As I passed Finn, Adeline shoved me. My forehead hit the table corner hard, blood streaming down my face. Finn looked at Adeline with fake gratitude, “Adeline, Jasper won’t hurt me, you don’t need to be so cautious.” Adeline frowned, “You’re the most important, nothing can go wrong.” Even though I’d decided to give up on Adeline, my heart still ached uncontrollably. I stood up to leave, but Adeline forcefully pushed me back onto the table. “Finn wants to have a meal with you. Stay and eat before you go.” Finn, under the guise of apologizing, kept stuffing food into my mouth. The dishes were spicy, greasy, and tasted strange. Almost ten minutes passed, and the bleeding from my forehead hadn’t stopped, my whole body was in pain. After the meal, as Adeline was about to take me away, Finn suddenly fell to the ground. He raised his scraped, slightly bleeding hand, looking pained. “Jasper, I’m sorry. I’ll never compete for Adeline’s attention again. Can you stop tripping me?” Adeline, distressed, helped Finn up and slapped me hard, “Get out of here yourself. I’ll take Finn to the hospital and deal with you later!” She left with Finn, ignoring my bleeding state. I endured the weakness from blood loss and stood up, but the restaurant owner grabbed me. “You can’t leave, harasser! You haven’t compensated for my losses.” I looked at my haggard, weak reflection in the lens, and before I could say anything, my phone suddenly rang. The restaurant owner eyed me suspiciously, then let go, “Take the call first.” I whispered my thanks and answered the phone, hearing an anxious voice on the other end. “Mr. Jasper, your father just had a heart attack and passed away after seeing the live stream about you online. Please, accept our condolences.” She left with Finn, ignoring me even as I was bleeding heavily. Despite feeling weak from the blood loss, I managed to stand up. The Restaurant Owner grabbed my arm. “You can’t leave, Harasser! You haven’t compensated me for my losses.” I caught a glimpse of my weary reflection in the camera. Before I could respond, my phone rang. The Restaurant Owner gave me a suspicious look and released his grip, “Answer your call first.” I thanked him softly and picked up the phone. A frantic voice came through on the other end. “Mr. Walker, your father just saw the Internet live stream about you and suffered a heart attack. He passed away. I’m so sorry for your loss.” My mind went blank from the shock; it was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even cry. “Finish your call and compensate me quickly!” I snapped back to reality. Forcing a smile, I looked at the Restaurant Owner. “The money is at my house. Come with me, and we can live stream the whole thing. I promise I won’t do anything to you.” The Restaurant Owner agreed and took out a first-aid kit to bandage my wounds. I gazed at him, feeling a complex mix of emotions. Once we reached my home, I went straight to my study and wrote a will. I had caused the death of my father, the person most important to me, yet I couldn’t even avenge him. I handed all the cash to the Restaurant Owner. “This is the compensation. My will is in the study.” The live stream continued, filled with comments cursing me. In front of the live stream camera, I climbed onto the balcony of the room I shared with Adeline. Below was a man-made lake. I smiled at the camera. “You only see what you want to see. I didn’t threaten the customer, yet you destroyed my family.” “Today, I die to prove my innocence.” “And all of you are the true culprits.” After speaking, I saw the Restaurant Owner rushing toward me. I gave a bitter smile and then jumped resolutely. At that moment, Adeline was at the hospital with Finn, who only had minor injuries. She was planning to comfort me while Finn applied medicine. But as soon as she picked up her phone, the message on the screen froze her in place. [The male coach accused of harassing a female student committed suicide today, claiming everyone is the murderer.] I’m sorry, but it looks like you’ve provided a template with instructions and placeholders for text. However, there isn’t any specific Chinese text included for translation. Could you please provide the exact text you’d like translated? 4 The screen kept replaying the final scene of my suicide in the Streaming Room, and she began to tremble. Finn came over and saw me in the act of suicide, his expression full of mixed emotions.

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Managing the restaurant for thirty years, I finally had the chance to hand it over to my son and see my grandson start kindergarten. I eagerly asked my husband, “Do you remember the island road trip we talked about thirty years ago?” My husband frowned and shook his head, “Adeline, you’re a grandmother now, and you’re still thinking about having fun. Aren’t you embarrassed?” My son and daughter-in-law also objected, “Mom, how can we run the business without you in the kitchen? Stop dreaming.” But that night, I unexpectedly saw an RV reservation on my husband’s phone. It was booked for five people: my husband, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and his childhood friend Nora. They were leaving the day after tomorrow. I felt a chill run through me. Before they left, my son reminded me, “Mom, the restaurant relies on you. We’ll bring you some local treats when we return.” Watching them leave with laughter, I turned around, sold the house, and bought a second-hand RV for myself. From then on, I set off on my own journey, free to go wherever I wanted. 0

After closing the restaurant, the sunset’s afterglow streamed through the glass windows, casting a warm glow on the tables and chairs. I wiped the last table with a cloth, my movements familiar but numb. Thirty years, every day the same. I heard footsteps at the door as my husband, Asher, walked in. He was looking down at his phone, slightly frowning, as if dealing with something important. “Why are you back so early today?” I asked casually, not pausing my work. “Finn said he’s ready to take over the restaurant. We’re having dinner at home to celebrate,” Asher said without emotion. My heart skipped a beat, feeling both anticipation and something else. At dinner, my son Finn was exceptionally excited, raising his glass. “Dad, Mom, the restaurant is in my hands now! You two can just relax!” I looked at Asher and mustered the courage to speak. “Asher, since Finn’s taking over, what about that island road trip we talked about thirty years ago? Is it still on?” The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Asher’s brows immediately furrowed, his face showing clear displeasure. “Adeline, you’re a grandmother now, why are you still acting like a child, always thinking about playing?” His tone carried the usual disdain and reproach, “The restaurant just got handed over to Finn. Shouldn’t you help him keep an eye on the kitchen? Be sensible.” My daughter-in-law chimed in immediately, “Yeah, Mom, we can’t do without you in the kitchen.” Finn put down his chopsticks, slightly impatient, “Mom, stop meddling.” “What’s so great about a road trip? It’s costly and tiring. Enjoy peace at home and help me with the kitchen, that’s better than anything.” Their words easily shattered my hopes. I lowered my head, looking at the cold rice in my bowl. Thirty years of dedication seemed only to earn the judgment to “be sensible” and “don’t cause trouble.” The promise of a distant journey was nothing more than an untimely joke to them. 0

A crisp doorbell broke the stalemate. Asher immediately stood, a warm smile on his face, quickly greeting the guest. “Nora, what brings you here? Come in, come in!” A well-dressed figure appeared at the door, accompanied by a sweet perfume. Nora, Asher’s childhood friend, always delicate and in need of care. She held a beautifully wrapped gift box, her face showing the perfect amount of surprise. “Asher, I heard Finn is taking over the restaurant, so I came to congratulate him.” Her gaze lightly swept over me, her smile sweet, with a hint of superiority in her eyes. “Adeline, you’re so lucky. Finn is so capable, you can enjoy life at home now.” Asher laughed heartily, “Isn’t that right?” Nora giggled, “Adeline’s cooking is the best. Finn must learn from her.” “Unlike me, clumsy and only busy outside, clueless about kitchen work.” With a few words, she lightly positioned me as just a cook. Finn enthusiastically welcomed, “Aunt Nora, have a seat! Try this fish my mom made; it’s her specialty.” My daughter-in-law also offered tea, “Aunt Nora, have some tea. My mom made it herself.” The whole family surrounded Nora, chatting happily. I stood aside, feeling like an out-of-place servant. Nora suddenly turned to Asher, speaking coquettishly. “Asher, remember to take me on the road trip next week!” “I’ve never been in an RV. I’m so excited just thinking about it!” Asher looked at her indulgently, “Don’t worry, your spot is reserved.” He turned to me, his tone turning stiff. “Adeline, we’re going out next week for about a week.” “The house and restaurant are in your hands, especially the kitchen. Make sure nothing goes wrong.” I was stunned, my heart like being gripped by an invisible hand. The island road trip? They were going to fulfill the promise I’d waited thirty years for, but without me. “What about me?” I blurted out, my voice dry. Asher frowned, “What would you do there? Someone has to watch the house, right?” “Besides, you get carsick so easily, you’d just suffer.” Nora chimed in, “Yes, Adeline, staying home and enjoying yourself is much better. Road trips are exhausting.” My son and daughter-in-law echoed, as if not taking me along was perfectly reasonable. I watched their joyful demeanor, my throat felt stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a word. 0

After dinner, I quietly cleaned up the mess. In the living room, I heard my grandson, Milo, whining with childishness. “Grandma Nora, are we really going on a big RV trip next week? That’s awesome!” Nora’s voice was so gentle it could melt, “Yes, Milo, are you happy?” “Happy! It’s more fun than going to the market with Grandma!” Nora looked up at me as I came out of the kitchen, her smile unchanged. “Adeline, look how much Milo is looking forward to this trip.” “Take care of yourself at home while we’re gone.” Asher sat on the couch, browsing travel guides without lifting his head. “Adeline, pack our luggage these days, especially the documents, don’t lose them.” “Finn and the others are young, inexperienced, help them pack too.” His tone was matter-of-fact, as if I was their free servant. Thirty years of marriage couldn’t compare to Nora’s coquettishness. The promise of an island road trip turned into a joke. In the days that followed, I moved like a lifeless shell, preparing their travel items according to Asher’s instructions. Buying various daily necessities, checking documents, arranging restaurant affairs… I was like a tireless spinning top, never stopping. Watching them excitedly discuss the trip details, my heart twisted like a knife. They were immersed in anticipation for the journey, sharing the surprises Nora brought. Meanwhile, I, the mistress of this restaurant, the mistress of this house, felt like an outsider. In the evening, after seeing off the last table of guests, I began cleaning. Asher leaned against the doorframe, looking at his phone, suddenly spoke. “Adeline, could you make some braised beef tonight?” His tone was casual, as if he was asking for something insignificant. Braised beef at this hour meant I wouldn’t have any rest tonight. But he wouldn’t care. “Make sure it’s ready by morning, Milo…” He quickly corrected himself, “Milo loves your cooking, so he’ll eat well on the road.” I took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in my throat, “Got it.” 0

The day of departure, dawn was just breaking. I showed up in the kitchen as usual. I opened the fridge, taking out the carefully marinated braised beef. The meat was firm, the sauce rich, a recipe I had perfected through countless trials. I packed them neatly into containers, along with some snacks they liked for the road. Oil pastries, mung bean cakes, all handmade by me. Asher put on the freshly ironed shirt, tying his tie in the mirror. “Adeline, the trash downstairs is full, could you take it out?” He asked without looking up. I nodded, picking up the heavy, full trash bag and heading out. Just as I reached the stairs, Asher’s call came through. “Oh, and Nora said she’s driving over to pick us up. Parking is tight around here, could you go down to the alley and hold a spot for her?” With the phone to my ear, the chilly early spring wind made me shiver. “Alright,” I replied dryly. I stood in the cold, windy alley for nearly half an hour, my hands and feet numb. Nora’s car finally arrived with headlights on. She rolled down the window, her makeup flawless, smile bright. “Oh, Adeline, you’ve been amazing! Parking here is a nightmare!” I forced a stiff smile, watching her expertly park in the spot I had saved with effort. “Asher, Finn, Phoebe, are you all ready?” Her voice was clear, filled with laughter. “Grandma Nora!” Milo immediately ran over. Nora bent down, hugging Milo, affectionately nuzzling his cheek. “Sweet Milo, Grandma brought you lots of treats.” Asher immediately approached, his face openly gentle. Finn and Phoebe also gathered around, warmly greeting her. “Aunt Nora, do you need anything else?” I managed a stiff smile as I watched her expertly park the car into the spot I struggled with. “Asher, Finn, Phoebe, are you all ready?” Her voice was clear and cheerful. “Nora!” Milo immediately rushed over to her. Nora bent down, picking up Milo and affectionately rubbing his cheek. “Good boy, Milo. Grandma brought you lots of treats.” Asher immediately approached, his face showing open gentleness. Finn and Phoebe also gathered around, exchanging warm greetings. “Aunt Nora, do you think we need anything else?” “No need, everything’s ready. Let’s go!” The family surrounded Nora, chatting and laughing as they headed out. Asher lingered behind, pausing as he passed by me. He looked me up and down, frowning slightly. “Adeline, look at your clothes, they’re covered in oil stains.” “Always so sloppy, no femininity at all.” He sighed, his tone filled with helplessness and comparison. I was freezing and just wanted to go into the kitchen to warm my hands with a hot drink. Maybe my hands were numb with cold, but I accidentally knocked over the kettle on the stove! Boiling water splashed onto my hand, and an excruciating pain hit me, making me scream. My hand rapidly swelled and reddened, burning with pain. Hearing the noise, Asher walked over with a frown, glancing at my hand. “What happened? So clumsy! Can’t handle such a small thing!” His voice was full of disgust and impatience, with not a hint of concern. “Quick, rinse it with cold water! Don’t waste time, we need to leave!” Finn and his wife stood at the door with Milo, looking impatient. Milo pouted, “Grandma is so clumsy, now we’re going to be late.” No one asked if I was in pain. No one offered to take me to the hospital. Their only concern was that I wouldn’t delay their trip with Nora. Asher waved his hand irritably, “Alright, alright, take care of it yourself, we’re leaving!” With that, he led his son and family out without looking back. They rolled their luggage, chatting and laughing as they left. I looked up, watching the five of them. Asher walked closely with Nora, talking quietly, intimately. Finn and Phoebe were arm in arm, all smiles. Milo hopped along, holding Nora’s hand. The sun shone on them, creating a scene of perfect happiness. Except it didn’t include me. I felt like an old, forgotten object in the corner, watching someone else’s joy. The RV engine started, slowly driving out of view. The dining room returned to silence, only the hum of the exhaust fan remained. The air was filled with the aroma of food mixed with lingering tobacco and Nora’s strong perfume. In that moment, my heart was completely dead. I turned, walked into the kitchen, and took off my apron, folding it neatly. I no longer needed his promises for my island trip. I should take a journey of my own. 0

Sunlight streamed through the restaurant’s glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor. The lingering smell of cooking oil seemed to fade a bit. This place had once been where I poured my sweat and soul. Now, it felt cold and unfamiliar. My phone screen lit up, showing a call from “Finn.” The ringtone kept ringing, over and over. I picked up the phone, looking at the familiar name, and swiped to silence it. The screen went dark, and the world returned to peace. I opened my laptop, starting to search for second-hand RVs. Different brands, various configurations, with prices all over the place. Some RVs looked cozy and comfortable, others rugged and off-road. Imagining myself driving one on endless highways, a long-lost excitement stirred in me. The phone vibrated again, this time it was “Phoebe.” I glanced at it, ignored it, and continued browsing RV forums. I read about road trip tips, modification experiences, and precautions from fellow travelers. A whole new world was slowly opening up to me. The phone rang persistently again. The caller ID showed “Asher.” After a moment’s hesitation, I answered. His slightly impatient voice came through the receiver. “Adeline, where did you go? Why isn’t anyone answering the restaurant phone?” “Did you count the new batch of seafood in the freezer? Where’s the receipt?” He ordered me around as usual, just like countless times over the past thirty years. “Also, Old Wang said the air conditioner in his reserved room is broken, get someone to fix it.” “Did you hear me? I’m talking to you!” I held the phone, slowly exhaling three words. “I’m not there.” I hung up before he could react. Almost immediately, Finn’s call came through again. I answered once more. “Mom! What’s going on? Dad said you’re not at the restaurant? Where did you go?” His voice was anxious, with a hint of blame. “The exhaust fan in the kitchen seems off, you should check it out!” “And the payment for Zhang’s order needs settling, the receipt’s in your drawer, right?” He fired off questions rapidly, laying out what I should do. I’m sorry, but it looks like the text for translation is missing. Please provide the text you’d like me to translate.

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I induced labor early and gave birth to my child, then stuffed pillows under my clothes to pretend I was still pregnant until the day my sister and I were both sent to the delivery room. It was all because in my previous life, when my sister and I married into the wealthy Gray family together, our mother-in-law promised at the wedding that whoever gave birth to an heir would inherit the entire family fortune. But after carrying a child for ten months, I unexpectedly gave birth to a black baby, while my sister delivered a healthy, chubby white boy. My mother-in-law was furious, calling me a shameless whore for cuckolding her son. “Sister, I can’t keep covering up for you anymore about your secret meetings with that black man,” my sister said with tears in her eyes, acting as if I had been forcing her to keep quiet all this time. I struggled desperately to explain, but no one believed me. Even my father spat at me, saying I was born to be a disgrace. When my enraged mother-in-law locked me in the basement, my sister poured gasoline inside while gloating. “Your son will have to call me mom from now on. Everything that was yours is mine now!” When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the time before giving birth.

“Lily, you must be carrying a boy!” “You’ll be their greatest contributor by continuing the family line. Dad’s future depends on you!” My father exclaimed excitedly, holding my sister’s prenatal check-up report. Meanwhile, my sister stared greedily at my belly, a barely noticeable smile on her face. Seeing the scene identical to my previous life, I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. This time, I absolutely won’t let you have your way! I covered my mouth and bent over, dry heaving continuously. My father glanced at me with disgust and said impatiently, “I don’t know how the Gray family’s heir apparent took a liking to you.” “But it doesn’t matter. In the future, he and you won’t even be fit to shine Yvonne’s shoes.” After saying this, he exaggeratedly supported my sister, his face beaming with joy. Watching their retreating figures, I sneered. Sure enough, both father and daughter were despicable creatures. In my previous life, before my grandfather passed away, he struggled to arrange my marriage to Lucas Gray, my childhood sweetheart and the heir to the city’s most powerful family. When my sister heard the news, she threw a tantrum, saying she wanted to marry into a wealthy family too. But she was nothing more than the illegitimate daughter from my father’s affair. She was only able to move into our home because my mother had passed away early and my grandfather had been bedridden for years. My father pestered my grandfather time and time again until finally, to protect me from being bullied, grandfather agreed to let my sister marry into the Gray family as well, though she would wed Zack Gray, the family’s black sheep. The wedding was held in a castle, where our mother-in-law promised that whoever gave birth to an heir would inherit all of the Gray family’s assets. Coincidentally, my sister and I became pregnant on the same day and even gave birth on the same day. But fate played a cruel trick. Under their scheming, I gave birth to a pitch-black child. My father didn’t hesitate to sever ties with me. My mother-in-law also cursed me as a slut. They locked me, weak from just giving birth, in the basement, planning to wait for Lucas to return so he could personally throw me out. That night, my sister came to the basement with a can of gasoline. “Your son will have to call me mom from now on. Everything that was yours is mine now!” It was then that I realized I hadn’t given birth to a black child at all. My baby was healthy and fair-skinned. It was Yvonne who had given birth to the black child. She had always been jealous of me for being smarter and prettier, envious that my grandfather left everything to me, and resentful that I could marry Lucas Gray. She and my gold-digging father had conspired together, bribing all the doctors to give me her child and then accusing me of infidelity. Years later, after Yvonne gave birth to her own child, she orchestrated another “accident,” pushing my son off a luxury yacht, drowning him! She ensured that both my son and I died without intact bodies, while also bearing a lifelong stigma. Now, seeing her, I truly wished I could grind her bones to dust and cut her into a thousand pieces! By the time we reached the hospital entrance, my father was already helping my sister into the luxury car Lucas had bought for me. Looking at the empty driver’s seat, I curled my lips into an innocent smile. “Dad, I think you’re right. It’s of utmost importance for my sister to give the Gray family a child.” I turned to look at my sister’s strange expression. “As it happens, my best friend is returning from abroad today. She’s a professional nutritionist. Why don’t we have her take care of my sister’s prenatal care?” In my previous life, my best friend had always been worried about me, which was why she returned early to be by my side. Unfortunately, I was too stupid back then. I still believed in family bonds and rejected my friend’s good intentions. Hearing this, both my father and sister’s expressions changed. They stiffly refused, “You think marrying into the Gray family means you’ve reached the top? What nutritionist needs your approval? Do you have any sense of respect for your elders? Is this how your grandfather, that supposedly well-respected dean, taught you?” My father became increasingly agitated, his entire face turning red. My sister chimed in, “You’re asking your friend to take care of me? What if something happens to me? Wouldn’t that be convenient for you?” I coldly watched their reactions, understanding most of what was going on. Sure enough, there was still something wrong with my sister’s pregnancy. Seeing that I didn’t respond, my father excitedly got out of the car, grabbed my arm, and raised his hand. “I never thought you’d harbor such intentions!” “I can see now that you and your mother are cut from the same cloth!” Looking at my furious father, I couldn’t help but laugh, both for myself and for my foolish mother. This ungrateful social climber, who would scheme against even his own daughter, was truly eye-opening. But unfortunately for them, they would miscalculate this time. I wasn’t pregnant at all. Even my protruding belly was a fake one I had bought online. In this life, I wouldn’t give birth at the same time as her. How could they swap babies now? My father’s expression became even more unpleasant as I laughed. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out, “Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson!” As he finished speaking, his hand swung down hard. But before it could land on my face, someone kicked him away, sending him stumbling backward with a yelp as he fell to the ground. He was about to lash out when he saw it was Lucas Gray. Immediately, he switched to a fawning demeanor. “Son-in-law, why are you here? Weren’t you busy with the acquisition?” Lucas ignored my father’s attempt at flattery and pulled me into his arms. In my previous life, when I was accused of infidelity, he was the first to stand up and declare his trust in me. He even warned everyone over the phone not to touch a hair on my head. But just as he was rushing back overnight, his car’s brakes failed, and he plunged off a cliff, his body never found. Feeling his warm embrace, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. Thankfully, in this life, everything could still be salvaged. He whispered in my ear, “I’m sorry I’m late.” I shook my head, fighting back tears. “Who were you going to teach a lesson to?” Lucas’s imposing presence was palpable. As the normally stern heir to the city’s most powerful family, no one dared to come within half a step of him except for me. If he hadn’t been so concerned and careless in my previous life, he wouldn’t have fallen for their tricks. His gaze swept over my sister, who had been so arrogant just moments ago. Now she was terrified, her whole body trembling as she looked fearfully at my father. My father’s face flashed with embarrassment. He quickly approached again, bowing and scraping. “It’s nothing, nothing at all. I was just giving Lily a bit of fatherly advice.” Lucas kept his arm around my waist, not even bothering to look up. “You’re Lily’s father, so I I can overlook it.” “But what about Yvonne? Since when does the Gray family allow you to speak to your sister-in-law like that?” She was so frightened her legs gave out, and she burst into tears. Seeing her trembling in fear, I felt a rush of satisfaction. She was finally getting a taste of her own medicine! Lucas’s cold gaze swept across Yvonne’s face as he contemptuously spat out: “Apologize to Lily.” “Yvonne was just thinking of the baby and spoke without thinking. There’s no need for apologies between sisters!” My father swallowed hard and tentatively asked, “Good son-in-law, for my sake, please don’t be hard on Yvonne.” But Lucas had always been a man of his word. How could he allow anyone to bully me without seeking revenge? He pulled me back half a step and gave his bodyguard a cold look. The bodyguard immediately rushed forward, restrained my father to one side, and then slapped Yvonne more than a dozen times across the face. Her mouth bled and her cheeks swelled up. Yvonne’s tears flowed freely, but she didn’t dare resist or even cry out in pain. Lucas smirked at my father, who was now terrified. “You’re Lily’s father, so I’ve still shown you some respect.” “As for you?” He turned his gaze to Yvonne, whose face was now swollen like a pig’s head. “Don’t let me catch you bullying Lily again, or I won’t be so lenient.” Yvonne nodded without the slightest hesitation. Seeing the hatred in her eyes, I couldn’t help but smile slightly. She would never have imagined that I had returned to the past two months ago. And the first thing I did when I opened my eyes was to tell Lucas everything. Chapter 3 Lucas was furious, punching the hood of his luxury car so hard it dented. He even wanted to call a board meeting the next day to kick Zack and our mother-in-law out of the Gray family. Although the Gray family was nominally headed by our mother-in-law, she was only Lucas’s stepmother and couldn’t make any decisions for Gray Corp. The “black baby” incident orchestrated by my father and sister was indeed a good strategy. It could both throw Lucas off balance and allow Zack to take over smoothly. But how innocent were my son and I! He was so young that when he fell into the sea, he was pushed down by the waves without even a chance to struggle. How pitiful that all three of us died unjustly! After Lucas calmed down, he decided to play along with their plan. It would be a shame not to take advantage of such a perfect scheme. So he took me abroad in secret, arranged for a professional medical team, and induced my baby early. When I was lying on the bed writhing in pain after the induction, Lucas was so distressed he almost cried. “Lily, I’ve let you down.” Soon, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Lucas spent a fortune to put him in an incubator. When we returned to the country, I kissed him over and over again, reluctant to part. This was the child I had given birth to, not some illegitimate child. Originally, my sister and I were due on the same day, but now that I had already given birth to a healthy child, there was no chance for them to swap babies. How would my sister face the Gray family’s expectations now? When the time came, it wouldn’t be me who would be driven out of the Gray family! Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps because of the slaps from the bodyguard, my sister suddenly clutched her belly and started wailing. Her water broke, trickling down intermittently. My father hurried to support her, shouting heartrendingly, “Doctor! We need a doctor! My daughter is in labor!” Watching my sister being carried away on a stretcher, I exchanged a glance with Lucas and immediately clutched my own belly. “Oh no, I’m in labor too!” Lucas pretended to panic and carried me in his arms, rushing me to the delivery room as well. Two hours later, my father came to my hospital room carrying a swaddled infant. He rudely ordered me, “You have everything. You should give up the position of the Gray family heir to your sister.” “You owe her this!” I couldn’t help but want to laugh. Back then, it was he who had an affair and fathered an illegitimate daughter, not daring to bring her home, making her suffer. How could this be blamed on me? “What if I refuse?” I asked. My father’s gaze turned vicious as he gritted out a threat, “Then don’t blame me!” “Blame you for what?” My best friend pushed open the door, looking at my father’s stunned figure with a half-smile. “Uncle, you really are a good father, staying by your daughter’s side at a time like this.” After saying this, she quickly ushered in the bejeweled socialites behind her. “See, I told you Mrs. Gray was fine. It’s just childbirth after all.” The wealthy ladies crowded into the room, each offering unique congratulations, their faces full of flattery. One of them reached out to take the baby from my father’s arms. “This must be the second Mrs. Gray’s child, so quiet and well-behaved.” My father sneered and held the baby high. “This is Lily’s child!” The socialite kept smiling. “Miss Chen’s child must be extraordinary.” “After all, Mr. Gray…” As her eyes swept over the child, she suddenly screamed. “What is this!” “Why is it black!” “Miss Chen! Whose child is this?!”

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My husband’s first love got engaged. In an attempt to make her regret her decision, he left me right after our wedding to join a research team in Antarctica. Despite visiting him 66 times, my efforts were in vain. Five years later, I stopped going. At a birthday party, amidst laughter and conversation, he suddenly appeared. Upon seeing my slightly rounded belly, he was visibly upset, “I’ve been at the research institute for five years, and you ignored me all along. Whose child is in your belly?” I replied calmly, “It’s none of your business. According to the law, a couple can divorce after being separated for more than two years.” Upon hearing this, Jackson kicked over the birthday cake in anger, “Avery, I’ve only been away for five years, and you’ve already gotten yourself pregnant.” “Who does the child belong to?” “I’m going to make sure he can’t survive in New York City.” Watching Jackson ruin the carefully prepared birthday party, I got angry too, “Jackson, this isn’t the place for you to act out.” “If you’re not well, go to the hospital.” The mention of “hospital” made Jackson’s emotions flare up. He grabbed my arm and started dragging me outside, “We’re going to the hospital right now.” Jackson was so strong, I couldn’t even struggle. At that moment, Grandma Nora heard the commotion and hurried over with her cane. Seeing Jackson’s rough actions, she was instantly alarmed. “Jackson, let go of Avery!” “Avery is pregnant with…” Jackson’s mood softened a bit when he saw Grandma, but his anger surged again at her words. He interrupted Grandma Nora, “Avery, you’re quite clever, even fooling Grandma.” Then he raised his hand and slapped me hard. Blood trickled from my mouth as my cheek swelled. Grandma Nora was shocked by the scene. She tried to rescue me from Jackson’s grip. But the bodyguard by Jackson’s side kept her away. Jackson instructed the bodyguard to call the private hospital for a procedure. As he arranged things, he dragged me into the car. Grandma Nora reluctantly got into another car with the bodyguard. None of the surrounding friends offered help. Instead, they watched the scene unfold. Jackson’s family was wealthy and influential. They didn’t want to offend him and were happy to give him respect. The car quickly reached the private hospital. The director personally came out to greet Jackson. Ignoring the director’s flattery, Jackson dragged me to the OB-GYN department. “Jackson, let go of me. The child in my belly is…” Before I could finish, we ran into Phoebe, who had just come out of the doctor’s office. She was Jackson’s former sister-in-law and his long-cherished first love. Seeing Jackson, she happily ran over and hugged him. “Jackson, I’m finally pregnant,” she said, looking at Jackson with deep affection. Jackson let go of my hand and carefully hugged Phoebe. “Phoebe, you’re pregnant now. Be careful.” Phoebe playfully smiled and, noticing me, exclaimed in surprise, “Sister-in-law, you’re pregnant too?” Seeing their intimate actions, I instantly understood. Why Jackson left for five years and why Phoebe disappeared too. They had been together all along. Ignoring Phoebe’s provocative gaze, I simply replied, “Jackson, we’re no longer married, and you’re with Phoebe now.” “Let me go immediately, or you won’t be able to handle the consequences.” Grandma Nora was shocked to see Jackson and Phoebe together. But it was more important to stop Jackson from doing something rash. “Jackson, let Avery go home and rest.” Hearing this, Jackson immediately released Phoebe and sternly questioned, “Grandma, Avery cheated on me and is pregnant with someone else’s child. Do you want me to turn a blind eye?” Grandma Nora realized Jackson wasn’t going to let it go easily. She hurriedly said, “Jackson, the child in Avery’s belly isn’t someone else’s. It’s…”

Before Grandma Nora could finish, Phoebe interrupted, “Jackson, Grandma doesn’t look well. Is Avery not taking good care of her?” “Or is Grandma being threatened by Avery?” Hearing this, I found it laughable, “Jackson, you were raised by Grandma, and you disappeared for five years.” “You know better than anyone why Grandma’s not well.” Phoebe smirked and approached me, “You intruded on the relationship between Jackson and me. Don’t you know why Jackson left?” As she spoke, Phoebe pushed me hard. My belly hit a hospital bed in the corridor, and sharp pain shot through me. A warm sensation flowed down my thigh. Grandma Nora looked on in panic, “Doctor, come quickly. Avery’s child can’t be harmed.” The doctor and nurses were about to check when Jackson shouted, “No one is allowed to check. Today, I’m making sure she doesn’t keep the child.” At the director’s signal, the doctor and nurses didn’t dare move. Phoebe mocked, “Sister-in-law, carrying someone else’s child, betraying Jackson.” “How do you have the nerve to seek help from the family hospital’s doctors?” Grandma Nora anxiously searched her bag for her smartphone to call for help. Jackson ordered the bodyguard to take Grandma’s phone away. “Grandma, what kind of manipulation did Avery use on you?” “You’re still trying to help her.” “Grandma, I’m telling you, this child must not remain.” Grandma Nora was shocked, “Jackson, I’m your grandmother. Won’t you even listen to me?” Saying this, Grandma Nora supported me to leave and find another hospital. But the bodyguard restrained her. “Jackson, stop this madness.” I struggled to stand, clutching my belly, breaking out in cold sweat, “The child in my belly isn’t yours to touch. Let me go now, or you can’t handle the consequences.” Jackson stared at me, silent for a moment. Then Phoebe started live streaming with her smartphone. She whispered something in Jackson’s ear. Jackson took the smartphone from Phoebe and aimed it at me, “Avery, if you don’t want a dignified procedure in the hospital, I’ll do it another way.” “Remember the consequences of betraying me.” Jackson ordered the bodyguard to tie me to the hospital bed. I stared in horror at the bodyguard holding a stick. I struggled desperately, trying to break free. I was ready to reveal the true identity of the child’s father. “Jackson, you’re insane. The child I’m carrying is…” Before I could finish, the bodyguard, at Jackson’s signal, struck my belly with a stick. The intense pain turned my words into cries of agony. Blood seeped from the places my wrists and ankles were bound due to my struggles. “This is the price for betraying me and getting pregnant with someone else’s child.” The live stream audience, after hearing the story, joined in. “This woman is obviously trouble.” “Cheaters deserve to die. Don’t let her off easily.” “Teach her a lesson. Let all women see the consequences of infidelity.” Jackson showed me the live stream comments. “Avery, you not only betrayed me, but you also manipulated Grandma into deceiving me.” “Today, I’m going to make sure the child in your belly is dealt with.” Grandma Nora, who was locked in an office when the bodyguard tied me up, was now trying to intervene.

As the second blow was about to land, someone suddenly burst in. He stopped the bodyguard. “Young Master Jackson, Miss Avery isn’t someone you can touch now.” “Stop and apologize to Miss Avery. It might make your life easier later.” Phoebe looked uneasy at the sight of the bodyguard, but she said nothing. Jackson, however, stared at the intruder for a long time before speaking, “I see you’re familiar. You’re my brother’s bodyguard.” With that, Jackson suddenly grabbed the stick from the bodyguard and smashed it over his head. “How dare you meddle with my affairs.” Blood gushed from the bodyguard’s head as he collapsed on the ground. Watching the bodyguard who had been my only hope now lying there, possibly dead, plunged me into despair. “Jackson, please, I’m sorry. Spare the child in my belly.” I was desperate, crying as I spoke. Jackson glanced at the smartphone, then at me, and instructed the bodyguard to release me from the bed. “Now kneel in front of me and tell me what you did wrong.” “If the live stream audience forgives you, then I will too.” Clutching my aching belly, I painfully crawled to Jackson and knelt before him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have betrayed you or gotten pregnant. I’m at fault.” “But the child is innocent. Please, spare him.” Jackson looked at my pitiful state and said nothing. Instead, he connected with a netizen’s microphone. A furious voice came from the other end of the smartphone. “You deserve to be punished. Show no mercy.” “Are you kneeling here to confess your mistakes?” “If the viewers in the live streaming room forgive you, then so will I.” Clutching my agonizing stomach, I painfully crawled to Jackson’s feet and knelt. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been unfaithful, and I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. I’ve made terrible mistakes.” “But the child is innocent. Please, I’m begging you, spare him.” Jackson surveyed my disheveled state in silence. Instead, he randomly connected a viewer’s mic. An outraged voice burst through the smartphone. “You deserve to be punished, you wretched woman. Someone should teach you a lesson.” Phoebe approached Jackson and spoke with deliberate calm, “Jackson, see, your sister-in-law is still unwilling to give up the child and won’t disclose the father’s identity.” “It seems she hasn’t truly realized her mistakes.” Their conversation made my face go pale. But for the sake of my child, I had to fight. I endured the pain and abruptly stood up, racing toward the exit. If I could just make it out of the hospital and call for help, the child might still have a chance. Just as I was about to escape through the hospital doors, Jackson grabbed my hair from behind. He yanked me back with such force, I felt my scalp tearing apart. “You’re still thinking of running away, are you?” “Without a lesson, you won’t learn.” He handed me over to the bodyguards, who restrained me on the operating room bed. “Doctor, perform the procedure and remove the child.” The medical team prepared to administer an anesthetic, but Jackson stopped them. “She’s disgraced herself, and the child is illegitimate. No need for anesthetic.” Under the harsh lights of the operating room, I whispered weakly, “Jackson, you’ll regret this.” I’m sorry, but it looks like the text you’re asking to translate is missing. Could you please provide the specific Chinese text that needs translation? Jackson listened indifferently and remarked,

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Husband was diagnosed with kidney failure at the hospital, and my kidney was a perfect match. A thought occurred to me, and in front of the entire family of in-laws, I lied, saying that I was the one who needed a kidney transplant. Their faces changed dramatically, and they almost immediately jumped up. “A kidney transplant? How much would that cost? Our family doesn’t have money to treat your illness!” “Let your husband donate a kidney to you? No way! He’s the only son of our family, his health must not be compromised!” “If you’re sick, just accept it. Don’t drag our whole family down! Hurry up and get a divorce, don’t hold back my son!” I was utterly heartbroken, leaving behind the medical report with his name on it, which they hadn’t even bothered to open. I signed the divorce papers and left with nothing. My fingertips brushed the paper, with a subtle, almost imperceptible tremble. My gaze was fixed on the creatinine level column. It was frighteningly high. As a seasoned surgeon, I instinctively understood what this number meant. End-stage renal disease! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I rushed to the computer, my fingers turning white from pressure, and quickly retrieved more detailed examination records of Ethan from the hospital’s internal system. Each metric was like a judge’s verdict, coldly pointing to the same diagnosis—chronic kidney failure, end-stage renal disease. Driven by some inexplicable force, I opened the HLA matching records from our annual checkups. The result that popped up on the screen was like a lightning bolt striking me. A perfect match! All it would take is for me to nod, donate a healthy kidney, and he could live. The man who always chose silence and avoidance when I needed him most. A wild and bold idea, like vines breaking through darkness, quickly wrapped around my heart. I picked up the phone and dialed my mother-in-law’s number. “Mom, are you, Dad, and Lydia free this evening?” My voice was calm, without a trace of emotion. “Come to our house.” “I have something very important to announce.”

At 7 p.m., the doorbell rang on time. I adjusted my expression, making myself look haggard and weak. Father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law Lydia stood at the door. Their faces carried the usual critical and scrutinizing look. Ethan followed behind them, seemingly a bit clueless. “Adeline, what’s going on, being all secretive?” my mother-in-law spoke first, with a hint of impatience in her tone. I didn’t answer immediately. I just silently let them into the living room. “Dad, Mom, Lydia, Ethan… ” My voice carried a deliberately suppressed tremble. “I… am sick.” The usual impatience on my mother-in-law’s face froze like a cheap mask. Father-in-law frowned, eyes scrutinizing. Sister-in-law Lydia smirked, as if saying, “What’s she up to now?” Only Ethan. He stared at me nervously, his voice trembling: “Adeline, what’s wrong? Is it serious?” I deliberately avoided his eager gaze. “The doctor said… it’s chronic kidney failure, end-stage renal disease.” Mother-in-law’s eyes widened, her voice instantly rising: “What?! Kidney failure?!” “How could that be?” her voice was sharp with intense skepticism, as if interrogating a criminal, “You seemed perfectly fine. How could you suddenly have such a serious illness?” She paused, her gaze sharper as she looked at me: “Did you know about this long ago? Have you been hiding it from our family?” I lowered my eyelids just in time, hiding the mockery in my eyes, my voice low, with just the right amount of fatigue and vulnerability. “It was discovered during a recent checkup.” “The doctor said the only treatment is a kidney transplant.” “Kidney transplant?!” Her voice rose several more pitches, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “How much would that cost?!” “What about a donor? Who’s going to donate to you?!” Here it comes. My gaze, slowly, like a slow-motion camera, landed on Ethan’s bloodless face. “Ethan and I… went for a matching test.” “The result…” I paused. “Ethan is the only perfect match.” Ethan’s face turned as white as a sheet of paper, and he instinctively stepped back. Mother-in-law’s eyes flickered intensely. “A match… matched?” she muttered, her voice changing pitch. “No way! Absolutely not!” Like a lit firecracker, she suddenly became agitated, sprang up from the sofa, and pointed at me. “Ethan is the only son of the family! The only heir!” “He has to work! He has to support the family! He has to continue our family line!” “How can he donate a kidney?! Huh?!” “Mom!” Ethan finally found his voice, looking at me with a trace of plea and guilt in his eyes, “Adeline, she…” “Shut up!” Mother-in-law glared at him like a protective hen, cutting him off. “You have no say here! What do you understand?!” She turned to me, instantly switching to a concerned demeanor, her eyes reddening on cue. “Adeline, it’s not that mom’s being heartless, it’s just… don’t you know our family’s situation?” “Ethan’s dad is also not in good health, always on medication, basically a medicine jar.” “Everything in and out of the house relies solely on Ethan!” “Where do we have the spare money for you to have a transplant surgery? I heard it costs hundreds of thousands! And it’s not even guaranteed!” She started crying poor, tears came just like that, even raising her hand to pat her thigh, wailing. Lydia chimed in, her tone sharp and cutting like a knife. “Exactly, sister-in-law, it’s not that we don’t want to help you.” “It’s just that there’s absolutely no way.” She paused, her gaze sweeping over me with undisguised disdain. “Besides, your illness… sigh.” “Why wasn’t this found before you got married?” “Did you hide it on purpose?” “Can you still have kids now?” “If my brother donates a kidney, his health fails, then what about the family’s legacy? Who will carry it on?” Father-in-law, who had been silent, now had a face so dark it could drip water. He gave a heavy snort. And said firmly: “If you’re sick, accept it, don’t drag down our whole family!” He paused, each word like an ice spike laced with poison, stabbing into my heart. “Hurry up and get a divorce, don’t hold back my son!” And Ethan? He stood there like a wooden post. Just like numerous times before. When I needed him most. He chose cowardly silence.

Not long after. My phone buzzed. A new SnapChat group chat invitation popped up. The group name was conspicuous: “Johnson Family Internal Communication Group.” Initiated by sister-in-law Lydia. In the group, besides me, were my in-laws, Ethan, Lydia, and several distant relatives of the family. Lydia’s message popped up: “Brother, you must not be foolish! That woman is bad luck, a jinx!” “She can’t even have children, and now she wants to drag you down!” Mother-in-law immediately sent a voice message, the tone sharp and cutting: “Exactly! Our family absolutely cannot spend this money, and she wants you to donate a kidney, what a joke!” “If she really can’t make it, just let her go back to her family! Don’t drag down our family!” A person noted as “Aunt” messaged: “Oh dear, this woman is really unlucky, marrying her in and she gets this illness in a few years, she must be faking it, trying to scam our family’s money?” Another noted “Uncle” chimed in: “Ethan, listen to your mom, quickly cut ties with her, divorce!” “Otherwise, there will be endless trouble in the future!” I looked at those unbearable words without any expression. Saved the chat records as screenshots. The last bit of warmth in my heart. Extinguished completely at that moment. Ethan began avoiding me like the plague. He no longer came home from work with exhaustion but gently embraced me, asking softly if I was tired today. Now, he always came home late. Either reeking of alcohol or simply saying “working overtime at the company,” then throwing himself onto the office sofa overnight. Even when he was rarely home, he stayed locked in the study, that small space. I didn’t hysterically question him. I just watched coldly, with a kind of cruel calmness. That night, I went to the bathroom, the cold floor making my mind especially clear. Passing by the tightly closed study door, I vaguely heard Ethan’s suppressed, altered voice. “Mom, I know… I really know… Please stop pushing me, okay?” His voice carried a fatigue on the verge of collapse. “Adeline, she… her health is already like that, how can I at this time…” “What do you mean I’m foolish?! Should I just watch her… watch her die?!” He seemed to raise his voice a bit, but was quickly drowned in helplessness. “I don’t mean that… but… donating a kidney… Mom, it’s a kidney! I…” Then, from the other end, mother-in-law’s sharp, cutting, highly penetrating voice, even through the thick door, pierced my eardrums like ice spikes, word by word. “Die? What kind of illness does she have? It’s a bottomless pit! It’s an incurable disease! She wasn’t going to live long anyway!” “Even if you donate a kidney to her, can you save her? Don’t be foolish, son!” He seemed to raise his voice a bit, but was soon swallowed by a wave of helplessness. “I don’t mean that… but… kidney donation… Mom, it’s a kidney! I…” Then, from the other end of the phone, my mother-in-law’s sharp and biting voice cut through the thick door, piercing my ears with each word, like a needle. “Die? What kind of illness does she have? It’s a black hole! A terminal illness! She wouldn’t live long anyway!” “Even if you give her a kidney, can you save her? Don’t be foolish, son!” “When the money’s spent and she’s gone, and you collapse too, who will take care of you? Who will look after us in our old age? Who will carry on our Johnson family name?” “Ethan, I’m telling you now! If you dare to think about donating a kidney, I’ll die before you do!” “Now! Immediately! Go ask her for a divorce!” “Tell her you love her, that you’re afraid of dragging her down! That you don’t want to hold her back! Make her go back to Adeline’s family to rest!” “Better a short pain than a long one! Our Johnson family can’t be dragged down by this jinx!” In the study, Ethan’s breathing became heavy. He was locked in a fierce battle with himself, a battle he was destined to lose. For a long time, long enough for the air to feel like it was frozen. “…I understand, Mom.” I turned around without a word, my footsteps as light as a feather, silently returning to the bedroom. Sure enough, what had to happen couldn’t be avoided. That day, Ethan, unusually, didn’t stay out late for socializing and came home early. During dinner, the tension at the dining table was so thick it felt like it could be cut with a knife. He barely touched his food, his gaze unfocused, opening his mouth several times but stopping as if something was holding him back. After dinner, I quietly cleaned the dishes as usual. Then he suddenly called out to me, “Adeline.” I stopped what I was doing, turned around, and looked at him with an extremely calm gaze. “Let’s… get a divorce.” Finally, the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads fell. I looked at his face, filled with struggle and exhaustion, feeling no stir in my heart. It was as if I was merely listening to the end of a story that had nothing to do with me. “Adeline, don’t misunderstand… It’s not because you’re sick that I’m rejecting you…” “On the contrary, it’s because I… I love you too much, I don’t want to drag you down.” Ethan began his clumsy and hollow performance. “Look at me now… The work pressure is so high, I feel worse every day, I’m really afraid… afraid that if I collapse too, who will take care of you then?” “So… while we can… let’s part ways. You go back to Adeline’s family, the environment is better, you can rest and maybe… maybe find better treatment…” His reasons were incoherent, each one as fake as a plastic flower, glaringly false. “Afraid of dragging me down?” I softly repeated, unable to control the faint, icy, and sarcastic smile on my lips, “Ethan, ask your conscience, is this really what you think?” He looked as if he’d been caught off guard, his head snapping up, eyes filled with panic and embarrassment: “Of course! Adeline, you have to believe me! I mean it! I’m really doing this for you!” “Fine.” “I agree to the divorce.” My calm and straightforward response was clearly beyond his expectation. It appears that no text was provided for translation. Could you please supply the Chinese text that needs translating?

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