Just because our marriage registration delayed Hayden from picking up his childhood sweetheart at the airport, he put me up for auction online for $9.99 on our wedding night. [Auction: Newly Married Woman, $9.99 with Free Delivery!] When I went to confront Hayden, I overheard him haggling with his friends. “Seriously, Hayden? Your wife is a famous model! Only $9.99?” “Too expensive? I’ll give you a 50% discount. She’s not pure anymore, who would want her if I don’t make her cheap enough?” “You’re selling your wife just because Chloe had to wait an extra minute at the airport? If you don’t love your wife, why did you marry her in the first place?” “If Chloe hadn’t gone abroad back then, would Amelia have had a chance? Who knew she’d actually think she was the real deal and dare to bully Chloe? I had to teach her a little lesson.” The group burst into laughter. Hayden spoke carelessly, “A washed-up model who’s turned into a frumpy housewife, does she really think anyone would want her?” But when someone later bid $500,000 to buy me out, Hayden went crazy begging me not to leave.

“Tsk tsk, I’m actually tempted. How does that saying go? Nothing beats dumplings for food, and nothing beats…” “Getting Hayden’s wife for $9.99, what a bargain!” “Shut up!” Hayden kicked the speaker. “Who says the woman you marry is the one you love most? Watch your mouth.” He gazed deeply at Chloe Parker. They exchanged a knowing smile. “How can the woman you love compare to the one you settle for? An unloved wife can be shared freely, but the apple of my eye is off-limits!” Witnessing this scene, I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms, my heart twisting in pain. I could be hung up online for cheap auction, to be toyed with and insulted. But his beloved couldn’t even be mentioned by others. I used to think Hayden loved me. Why else would he fight his family and defy everyone to marry me? Only now did I understand the difference between love and indifference. “Hey, why don’t we call Amelia over? It’ll be fun if we’re all together!” “I’ve got something good here. One sip and she won’t even recognize her own mother. Let’s do a live stream, and use the tips to buy Chloe a bag. What do you say?” The group eagerly discussed how to torment me to appease Hayden’s childhood sweetheart. Hayden remained silent throughout. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I instinctively looked at him, wanting to know how he would react. Hayden’s childhood sweetheart Chloe interrupted everyone, saying reluctantly: “Come on, guys, stop it. Even though I caught a cold from waiting, she’s still Hayden’s wife. She’s not wrong for wanting to assert her position.” “It’s okay if I suffer a little, but if you do this, Hayden will be angry.” Chloe wiped away a tear as she spoke. Hayden’s remaining hesitation vanished instantly. He hugged Chloe comfortingly. “We could have registered any day! She clearly made you catch a cold on purpose!” “Keep talking. Whoever can get revenge for Chloe gets the downtown project!” Hayden’s words were like a drop of water in a hot pan. “I’ve got the livestream camera ready. Let’s give her a wedding night she’ll never forget!” “Yeah, it’s not like anyone’s going to buy her anyway. Might as well let the boys have some fun and get back at Chloe!” “Hayden’s not saying anything. Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts?” Hayden’s face twisted as he immediately pulled out his phone to call me. “Me, have second thoughts?” “I’m just thinking about how to play this to be more satisfying.” “Amelia is just my doormat. She’ll come if I call, won’t she?” I covered my mouth, suppressing the bitterness in my heart as tears silently rolled down my cheeks. After getting together with Hayden, he had been attentive to my every need, learning to cook for me and hand-washing my intimate apparel. He said his greatest pleasure was slowly fattening me up. I gave up my career for him, cut ties with my family, and abandoned all the things I liked. I completely packaged myself into the person he liked, spent four years wholeheartedly taking care of him, and entered into marriage with him. I thought I had finally found true love. But it turned out all of this was just because he was in a spat with Chloe. I was just a pawn in their love story. I bit my lip hard to control my sobs, wiped away my tears forcefully, and turned to leave. Just then, my phone rang in my pocket. Hayden ordered me to get to the club within ten minutes. But our marital home was a two-hour drive from the club. The pain in my heart had reached its limit, and I felt numb. I just calmly asked back: “Do you know how far home is from where you’re talking about? Hayden, I just got my driver’s license yesterday.” “So what if you just got your license? Stop being so delicate. Today is Chloe’s welcome party, don’t ruin the mood!” I smiled bitterly. But Hayden, today is also our wedding night! Seeing that I didn’t respond, Hayden softened his tone. “I’ve already said it in front of everyone. Are you going to make me lose face in front of my friends? Don’t be difficult. You know I like you best when you’re understanding, hmm?” I clenched my fists tightly. “Fine, I’ll be right there.” Things needed to come to an end. I might as well give my past self some closure. Before the call fully disconnected, I clearly heard a burst of raucous laughter from the other end. “Hayden, you’re the man! Even a dog isn’t this obedient!” “Tonight we’ll make sure Amelia becomes an overnight sensation and returns to her peak!” Chloe helplessly tried to stop them, “It’s Hayden’s wedding night after all, don’t go too far.” Hayden’s doting voice followed, “As long as it makes you happy, anything goes.” The cruel words completely severed my last shred of attachment. I tilted my head back, forcing back my tears. Hayden, let me put an end to this myself.

“Well, look who’s here!” “Sister-in-law, let’s have a toast! Let me share in your newlywed bliss!” As soon as I stepped through the door, I was surrounded by a group of people. Their slimy, disgusting gazes swept over me relentlessly. I was forcibly made to drink toasts with several men. A sense of humiliation washed over me. Yet my newlywed husband just stood by and watched coldly. My heart sank to the bottom. “Hayden, why did you put that kind of link online?” Hayden sneered: “It was just a joke. You didn’t actually think someone would place an order, did you?” “You’re just a sloppy frump now. Who else but me would want you?” My eyes stung. It was Hayden who said his family didn’t like my profession and told me not to be in the public eye, to return to being a housewife. So I painfully gave up my flourishing career. I used to believe in him so much, but now all I’m left with is this mess. Hayden smirked: “To be honest, Amelia, I preferred how you looked before.” “That’s easy to fix! Sister-in-law, want to make a comeback? We’ll help you!” “Come on, sis, look at the camera!” “Hey sis, drink up! You need to loosen up after a few drinks!” I was surrounded by a group of men, forced to down glass after glass of strong liquor. I struggled to escape but was grabbed by the hair and pulled back. The camera once again focused on my dazed face. “Come on! Post the link! Brothers in the livestream, $9.99 with free delivery, place your orders quick!” “See? Even at a bargain price, no one wants you!” Someone recognized me as the once-famous model Amelia Frost and frantically spammed questions asking why I had fallen so low as to become a risqué livestreamer. I was cursed to the top of the trending topics, and an online mob attack centered on me exploded. I crawled to Hayden’s legs, grabbed his ankle and glared at him fiercely, but couldn’t speak. He lifted my chin with his foot and sneered at me. “Want me to save you?” “Fine, kowtow to Chloe 100 times and apologize. If Chloe forgives you, I’ll make them stop.” Chloe looked embarrassed and lightly patted Hayden. “Hayden has always been like this since we were kids, making a big fuss over anything involving me.” “They’re just a bunch of big boys, they don’t mean any harm.” “Amelia, please get up.” Chloe pulled me to my feet. Suddenly, she screamed and fell towards the coffee table, spilling drinks on her dress. Hayden hurriedly protected Chloe, holding her with concern. I was pushed back towards the fruit knife on the table, a long gash opening on my chin, instantly staining my white dress red. Chloe: “Hayden, don’t be angry. I’m sure Amelia didn’t mean it.” “Amelia Frost! You’re asking for death!” Hayden viciously kicked me. I spat blood and fell to the ground convulsing. “Amelia, stop pretending! Who are you putting on this show for? Get up and apologize now!” I had been kicked in the heart. “Hayden, I think she’s really not okay.” Hayden impatiently nudged me with his toe, clicking his tongue. “One kick and she’s being dramatic.” “Bring a bucket of ice water!” A bucket of ice-cold water was dumped over my head. I jolted awake, my thin white dress soaked through, revealing what was underneath. The men’s eyes roved over me lecherously. But Hayden said: “If you want to die, go die outside. Don’t scare Chloe.” “I just asked you to apologize, and you’re making such a fuss.” “I never realized you were so manipulative before.” There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. At this moment, I truly gave up hope. “Hayden, let’s get a divorce.” “Divorce? Who would want damaged goods like you after a divorce?” “Amelia Frost, you still think you’re a top model?” “Holy shit! Hayden, someone placed a $5 million order to buy out the link!”

“The system must be glitched!” “Maybe it’s one of those rich old perverts who buy beautiful women to play sick games with. I heard a washed-up celebrity died recently and no one even claimed the body.” “It must be. Who else would be so blind as to buy a frumpy housewife?” Hayden’s previously annoyed expression instantly relaxed. He even smiled mockingly. I felt utterly absurd. “Hayden, you’re okay with me being bought by some perverted old man to be his plaything?” “Don’t act all high and mighty when you’ve lucked out. Be grateful someone wants you.” “Chloe’s had her eye on a bag recently. Consider this your apology gift to her as her sister-in-law.” With that, he transferred all the money to Chloe. Chloe was overjoyed. She hugged Hayden’s neck and kissed him hard. “Thank you, Hayden! You’ve spent millions on me these past few years. Won’t Amelia be angry?” “Who is she to control my money? You just spend as you like.” Chloe glanced at me triumphantly, like a victorious rooster. She leaned close to my ear and whispered: “For the past three years, Hayden has spent six months each year flying abroad to be with me. He bought me a house and said he’d take care of me forever.” “He also said you were just a target he used to anger me and divert his parents’ attention. He never loved you.” “See? As soon as I came back, I only needed to use a little trick to draw all his attention.” “Living as a woman like you, you might as well be dead.” My heart turned ice cold, and I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. So all those years when Hayden said he was going on business trips, he was actually accompanying Chloe. Once, his mother came to our home and nitpicked everything about me. I didn’t know I was pregnant at the time and was forced to kneel on the ground as a human footstool for his mother for four straight hours. Just because his mother said the sofa wasn’t real leather and she wasn’t used to sitting on it. That night I was bleeding heavily and crawled to the study door asking Hayden to take me to the hospital. Hayden said he had to go on a business trip and had no time to take me, telling me to bear with it. That’s how I miscarried. Later, Hayden even blamed me for not protecting the baby, saying I wasn’t fit to be a mother. Every time we had sex, he made me take birth control pills. As a result, my uterus became inflamed, and I can never have children again. I looked at Chloe in front of me. Covered in luxury brands, all the latest season’s items. The diamond ring on her finger was a million-dollar pink diamond from South Africa. While I was still wearing clothes I bought with my own money four years ago when dating Hayden. Even my wedding ring was just a blade of grass he casually plucked and twisted. He said he didn’t like materialistic girls, so I never asked him to spend money on me. I liked his down-to-earth little romantic gestures, which made me feel he was being thoughtful. Now I know, where the money goes, that’s where the love is. As the drug effects wore off, I struggled to my feet and painfully made my way towards the door. Someone viciously kicked me, and my head slammed directly into the corner of the coffee table, blood spraying everywhere. Everyone burst into laughter. “Don’t run away, we’re not done playing yet!” “Is sister-in-law in a hurry to go serve the old man?” I said nothing, crawling towards the exit with reddened eyes. Just as my hand was about to reach the doorframe. A pair of leather shoes stomped hard on the back of my hand. Hayden looked at me coldly. “You’re so eager to be some old man’s plaything, huh?” “If that’s the case, I’ll grant your wish.” “Call that old geezer and tell him to come pick up his goods. If I’m in a good mood, I might even throw in the wedding night for free.” “Hayden, you’re the man!” An all-night party centered on abusing me raged on. I was treated like a plaything without dignity, toyed with at will. Hayden patted my face. “Why the long face? Who are you trying to impress?” “I’m helping you get used to it early. How else will you serve the old man when he comes?” They roared with laughter, bringing over a bucket of ice and forcing someone to pour it into my body. I screamed in terror, but to no avail. Just then, the door of the private room was kicked open violently. A fruit knife stabbed firmly next to the hand of the man who was about to strip off my clothes. “Did I say you could touch her?” Hayden’s face darkened. “Lucas Stone, what are you doing here?”

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When my fiancé and his first love were getting their marriage certificate, I was five months pregnant and trying on wedding dresses. His first love had been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and her greatest wish was to wear a wedding dress for him. So this time, the bride wasn’t me. I called his parents and brothers, but they all hemmed and hawed. Oh, everyone knew except me. I was just a joke. Later, he called me sobbing, begging to see me, pleading for me to come back to him. I warned him not to harass a married woman, or my boyfriend might come and beat him up like the scumbag he was. When I discovered Alexander’s marriage certificate with his first love, Isabella, I called him and asked, “Where are you?” He answered naturally, “Working overtime, where else could I be? Money’s hard to come by these days, and that client, ugh, so many demands…” The next second, I pushed open the hospital room door. There was Alexander, phone tucked between his ear and shoulder, peeling an orange with one hand and feeding it to his first love, Isabella, with the other. How considerate. When Alexander turned and saw me, both he and his first love were stunned. Isabella, lying in the hospital bed, looked quite pitiful. Both her hands were hooked up to IVs, her face was pale, her lips were blue, and she wore a blue hospital cap on her head. I guessed she was undergoing chemotherapy and had lost her hair. My petite 5’3″ frame suddenly seemed intimidating to Alexander. He shrank back a bit, barely shielding his first love: “Amelia, this is my responsibility. It has nothing to do with her. We can talk about this when we get home. She’s sick. Please be understanding.” Isabella coughed weakly, pushing away his arm with effort: “Sister, it’s all my fault. Please don’t be angry with him. It’s all because of me…” As if I were the villain here. The one wielding a stick to break up the lovebirds. I didn’t say anything. I went downstairs to the convenience store, bought a box of milk, brought it up, set it down, and left. Alexander grabbed my arm, his eyes red as he said, “Amelia, I know you’re upset, but Isabella is dying. As they say, we should show the utmost respect for the dying…” I didn’t look at him. I said, “Congratulations on your marriage.” Alexander stood there, his eyes as wide as a goldfish’s: “After all we’ve been through, you have to hurt me with those words?”

Our relationship. Alexander and I had been together for eight years. Calm and uneventful. Like plain water. In Alexander’s private conversations with his buddies, he’d say I was virtuous, suitable for being a wife. Well, how should I put this? I wasn’t really as virtuous as the rumors said. In private, I smoked and drank. I deliberately acted that way in front of Alexander. There’s a saying, isn’t there? When he’s young and inexperienced, you seduce him; when he’s seen it all, you become his home. Alexander’s family was wealthy. After his first love Isabella left him years ago, he went off the rails for quite some time. Later, he was “captured” by me, the “suitable wife” material. The player settled down, the wanderer returned home. His career also flourished. People said I was virtuous, that I brought him good fortune. The reason I adjusted myself to be a pure, innocent flower to please Alexander was, of course, love. But Alexander, it seemed, didn’t love me.

When I went to the hospital to terminate my pregnancy, it became a trending topic online. The headline read: Shocking! Arrogant mistress flaunts pregnancy to taunt cancer-stricken wife! The accompanying photo was from the day I went to the hospital to see Alexander and Isabella. I couldn’t deny this accusation. They had a marriage certificate; they were legally husband and wife. What was I? What was my child? Nothing but a mistress and an illegitimate child. I’m a kind person. I thought if the child would be criticized by the world from the moment it was born, carrying the stigma of being illegitimate, then I chose not to bring it into this world. Under that trending topic, there were 80,000 comments insulting me. Perhaps because online bullying carries no consequences, netizens used the vilest language, dragging my entire family through the mud. My mood was affected, and I hemorrhaged heavily during the procedure. To make matters worse, I have Rh-negative blood. There was a delay in finding matching blood, and I almost didn’t make it. In that life-or-death moment, I felt a bit vulnerable. Instinctively, I wanted to grab my phone and call Alexander. After two rings, I hung up. In what capacity could I call him? What right did I have?

When I was discharged, the hospital entrance was packed with people. They were all women who despised mistresses, cursing and swearing. Someone even threw a tomato at me. It splattered. Leaving a red stain on my forehead, like blood. The nurse held them back, saying, “Have some humanity! She just had a miscarriage. She’s a patient who needs to recover. She can’t handle this kind of stress.” The women erupted, their mouths like a fermenting cesspool in July, buzzing annoyingly. So I retreated back into the hospital. As a result, those shrews spread rumors like wildfire. One lie led to another, and soon they were saying I had my uterus removed and would never be able to have children again. Online, people were cheering, saying this is what happens to mistresses, they should all be sterilized. This is the fate of a mistress. … Yes. That’s how I became a despicable mistress. Eight years.

Alexander and Isabella were preparing for their wedding. They were busy beyond belief. Thank goodness Alexander found time in his busy schedule to give me a call. He said Isabella only had three months left to live, and that people nearing death are pitiful. He wanted to accompany her through this final journey. He even comforted me, saying that after this final journey, he would marry me. He promised me an especially grand wedding, booking the best hotel in the city, hiring the best wedding planner, buying the most expensive wedding dress, and creating the most ceremonial atmosphere, complete with the traditional veil-lifting ceremony. He said he would make it up to me, really make it up to me. I said okay. There was a choke on the other end of the line, and Alexander’s voice was low: “Amelia, you’ve always been so understanding.” I licked my lips and said, “Let’s break up.” After saying it, I felt childish. Actually, we had already broken up when he and Isabella got their marriage certificate. Alexander laughed: “Why are you saying such hurtful things? Don’t joke around.” I said, “I can’t possibly be a mistress, can I?” Alexander’s voice froze again, filled with what seemed like deep sympathy: “Don’t talk about yourself like that. You’re still carrying our child, aren’t you? Be good, okay? Wait for me.” Oh. Still carrying the child. So that’s his leverage. Wanting me to really be that “virtuous” woman, waiting for him. Dream on.

Without a doubt, I loved Alexander. But that doesn’t mean he can bully me as he pleases. Actually, I had loved Alexander since I was very young. Back then, he was the young master of a construction group, and my father was an employee under his father. A scaffolding worker. One day, he accidentally fell and broke his leg. The project manager didn’t want to compensate. My mother had been chronically ill, and our family was so poor we could barely afford to eat. I was desperate, so I went to kneel at the entrance of the construction site. Alexander was sitting in a car driven by his chauffeur, wearing sunglasses. He saw me kneeling nearby, about to faint from the heat. So he got out and gave me a bottle of water. I was so dizzy from the heat that when I opened my eyes and looked at him, I thought he was surrounded by a halo of light, like a deity descending from the clouds. That deity spoke softly, asking me what was wrong, what grievances I had. I burst into tears right then and there, sobbing as I told him everything. He frowned slightly, turned to say a few words to his driver, and told me to go home and wait. He even took a Häagen-Dazs ice cream from the car’s mini-fridge and gave it to me. That was the first time I had ever tasted Häagen-Dazs. I remember that flavor for the rest of my life. I went home in a daze, and the next day, my father’s work injury compensation came through. It was several tens of thousands of dollars, enough to support us for two and a half years. For him, it was nothing, just a word. But for us, it was our family’s lifeline. I was very grateful. Really. At that moment, a thought sprouted in my mind – I wanted to become someone like him. Someone who could help others, bring light and warmth to people’s lives. So I kept working hard. Studying, getting into a good university, starting a business. Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was because I entered e-commerce and caught the internet boom, riding the wave of opportunity. Anyway, I managed to make some money and became something of a “young talent.” Fate wasn’t too unkind to me after all. Unfortunately, I still missed my chance with Alexander.

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James Sullivan’s long-lost love had returned after six years, bringing their five-year-old son with her. He said he wanted to give the child a complete family and begged me to let them be together. “Let’s get a divorce. She’s pregnant,” he finally said after a long hesitation. My fingers whitened as I gripped my cup, and I quickly asked, “Did you cheat on me?” James looked stunned for a moment before replying, “No… no, I only met her a few days ago. We were once deeply in love, but our families didn’t approve. When she left me six years ago, I had no idea she was pregnant.” The cup slipped from my hand, crashing to the floor. Water seeped into the carpet, darkening a small area. In my daze, I heard James say, “The child… he’s five years old now.” It took me a while to find my voice again. I started planning the divorce: “This situation is your doing. As for your mother—” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “You’ll need to explain things to your mother. My parents might give you a hard time too, but I can’t stop them. Be prepared for that.” “We don’t have much in terms of shared assets. We own two properties together. This one will be mine, and the one in City A, closer to your office, will be yours. I’ll pack up your belongings from this house and give them to your assistant tonight.” James had been listening silently. He interrupted me: “I’ve wronged you. The house in City A should be yours too. And our stocks and mutual funds – you should have all of that.” I nodded silently. We didn’t have much in shared assets, but neither of us cared much about material things. James was just trying to ease his guilt. “Handle the divorce yourself and explain it to the family elders,” I said, rubbing my temples tiredly. “Once you’ve convinced them, send me the divorce papers to sign. I’ll sign them and send them back.” “After we get the divorce certificate, have your assistant leave it in the living room of the house in City A. I’ll pick it up when I have time.” The mental strain had exhausted me. I could no longer keep up the facade. “Mr. Sullivan, it’s getting late. If you have things to do, you should go. Oh, and don’t forget to leave your house keys.” After he left, I could no longer hold back my tears.

The divorce took a toll on James. Our mutual friends in the social circle gossiped to me that James’s mother was furious. For a while, he was walking around with visible handprints on his face. The elderly Mrs. Sullivan actually called me once, her voice filled with disappointment: “If he wants a divorce, let him have it. Can’t you do something about it? The child? The child is a Sullivan. Does Rachel Thompson deserve to be part of our family? I’ll accept the child, but her?” Her voice softened at the end: “Amelia, dear, I know you’ve been wronged. I’ll make it right for you. You—” I cut her off, saying, “Mrs. Sullivan.” There was a noticeable pause on the other end. I continued, “Mrs. Sullivan, I’ve already agreed to the divorce.” The formal address hurt the old lady’s feelings. She had always been fond of me, treating me like her own daughter. After a long silence, she sighed deeply and hung up. Despite the uproar, it only took about a month for the Sullivan family to soften their stance. No matter how angry Mrs. Sullivan was, she couldn’t resist when such a small child stood before her, timidly calling her “Grandma.” James personally delivered the divorce papers to my parents’ house. He knelt before my parents for an entire day before my mother finally called me to come back. James had always been the golden boy. When I returned, I saw him standing under the ginkgo tree in my family’s yard. The recent turmoil had clearly taken its toll on him, but soon, he would see the light at the end of the tunnel. I called out to him, and he turned. I managed a small smile and said, “I thought you were going to mail these to me?” James remained silent for a moment before replying, “I needed to apologize to your parents in person.” He looked at me, his dark eyes deep with emotion, and added, “And to you as well.” I quickly turned my head away, blinking hard, then extended my hand and said, “Alright, give me the papers.” I signed the documents and sent them to James’s assistant. Not long after, I received a text from James saying the divorce certificate was on the entryway table in the City A apartment, and I could pick it up anytime if I needed it. I politely replied, “Noted, thank you.” When we ran into each other at private events, we would nod and smile. James would ask cordially, “How have you been?” “Fine, thank you. And you?” “I’m doing well.” It was as if we hadn’t shared a life together for three years, five months, and six days. Of course, those three-plus years left their mark. During the divorce, my health took a turn for the worse. After the divorce, I experienced prolonged insomnia, loss of appetite, and bouts of vomiting. After these symptoms persisted for over two weeks, I went to the hospital. With the test results in hand, I sat on a bench in the hospital garden for an entire afternoon, marveling at how cliché my situation had become. I saw James when I was picking up my takeout. He was leaning against his car, smoking, with three or four cigarette butts at his feet. It dawned on me that the hospital I had visited was invested in by the Sullivan family, so it made sense that James had found out so quickly. I involuntarily stopped in my tracks. James looked up at me, quickly stubbed out his cigarette, and waved his hand to disperse the smoke in the air. Then he looked at me, a silent standoff ensuing. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard him say, “What do you plan to do about this child?” He stood before me, his voice strained as he asked, word by word, “You’re not thinking of keeping this child, are you?” I didn’t know how to react or what expression to wear when faced with James asking such a question. I tried to remain calm as I countered, “We’re divorced now, aren’t we? This is my business, Mr. Sullivan.” James lowered his gaze to look at me. The streetlight cast shadows across his face, fragments of light dancing in his eyes. Something seemed to be churning in those ink-black eyes, but he suppressed it. He said, “You know, Amelia, if our families find out about this child…” He trailed off, but I immediately understood. If our families knew about this child, James and I would be forced to remarry. Especially considering his long-lost love and her child, they would never have a chance to be accepted into the Sullivan family. That’s why he rushed over as soon as he heard the news. I, who hadn’t uttered a single unnecessary word during the divorce, who could still smile when being mocked by our social circle, who could maintain a cordial demeanor when seeing James… I finally raised my hand, and after months, that heavy slap finally landed on James’s face. He silently accepted it. I went to City C alone for the procedure. As I lay on the hospital bed under anesthesia, I saw the ginkgo tree outside the window. The wind was strong that day, causing the leaves to flutter down in droves. I remembered that day when I held the diagnosis report, not knowing what to do. After clutching my abdomen and thinking blankly for a long time, I ordered my first proper meal since the divorce. At that moment, I thought, if the child were born malnourished, it wouldn’t be good. As I emerged from the hospital bed, holding my abdomen, I saw a tall figure leaning against the wall. When James trembled and came to support me, I pushed him away with one hand.

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My daughter is a top-tier romance addict. For the sake of a man from a humble background, she wanted to sever our mother-daughter relationship. She even went as far as trying to kill me for the family fortune. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn! As I opened my eyes, I saw my love-obsessed daughter’s youthful face and the familiar face next to her. I realized I had been reborn. The panic of the car accident, the despair of being paralyzed in bed, and the body tormented day and night by illness – these memories kept flashing through my mind. The last image frozen in my life was my daughter’s horrifying face, twisted like a devil, accompanied by her vicious words. “Mom, I didn’t want to do this to you, but who told you not to hand over the company to Jack and me earlier? You could have enjoyed your retirement, and we would still be a happy family.” My daughter’s incessant voice in my ear made me feel disgusted and nauseated. I struggled to suppress the urge to slap her across the face. “Mom, why can’t you understand that Jack and I are truly in love?” Lily whined. “I know you look down on Jack because his family is poor and you think he’s not good enough for me. But Jack is an excellent student, hardworking, and will surely be successful in the future.” “You can’t look down on people just because they’re poor. It’s not his fault.” Hearing this, I knew it was the time when Jack first came to my house. Look down on him? I couldn’t help but chuckle. I did look down on him, but not because he was poor. To describe Jack in one sentence: Give him an inch, and he’ll take a mile. “Mrs. Wilson, I know I’m poor now, but I promise I’ll give Lily a good life and never let her suffer,” Jack immediately assured me. With his handsome looks and steady voice, coupled with his sincere expression, he could indeed easily deceive people. See! My love-obsessed daughter was immediately moved, staring at him with tears in her eyes. “Since your love is so strong, I won’t stand in your way. If you want to be together, then be together,” I said. Why would I stop them? A romance-crazed girl and a man from a humble background – perfect match, locked in, blessings! Of course, it would be even better if this guy didn’t keep eyeing my assets.

I own several properties, a few commercial shops, and a company, bringing in millions each year. While not extremely wealthy, I could be considered well-off. In my previous life, when Lily brought Jack home to meet me, I didn’t approve of their relationship. Lily thought I looked down on poor people and only loved wealth, resenting me deeply. But she didn’t know that I disliked Jack not because he was poor, but because of his terrible family situation. Jack came from a poor family in the countryside, the only son after three daughters. Rural families were generally not well-off, and Jack’s was no exception. They married off their eldest daughter to a man in his forties, using the bride price to send Jack to a good high school. For college tuition, they married the second daughter to a disabled man, and the third to an abusive alcoholic. In short, they married their daughters to whoever offered the highest bride price, blatantly selling their daughters. While some families favored sons over daughters, it was rare to see it taken to this extreme. Lily had been pampered by me since childhood, and I couldn’t bear to see her step into this fire pit. I told her about the situation, but to my surprise, she said she already knew. She claimed her sisters were willing to contribute to the family, proving the deep bond between siblings. Seeing that I couldn’t persuade her, I could only prove my disapproval through actions. As a result, she threatened to sever our mother-daughter relationship! Even worse, to get my assets, she caused me to have a car accident, leaving me paralyzed and immobile. Finally, she deliberately hired a caregiver who had a record of “taking care” of several employers to death. And then, I was “cared” to death!!

“I knew you cared about me the most, Mom. We’ll definitely take good care of you in the future,” Lily said, her expression quickly turning from cloudy to sunny as she heard my approval. She clung to my arm, acting coy. I dared not hope for their filial piety. If they want to be together, fine, just don’t spend my money. “Lily has been pampered by me since childhood, always having the best of everything. Her standard of living will certainly drop after being with you. I’ll cancel her cards first, so you can adapt to pre-marital life,” I said with a smile, looking at Jack. As expected, I saw his face immediately darken, though he quickly composed himself. Huh, quite the quick-change artist. How did I not notice how deeply he hid his true nature in my previous life? “Mom, what are you saying? Are you joking?” Lily’s voice immediately rose several octaves, nearly exploding. “I’m doing this for your own good, letting you adapt to pre-marital life. Surely you don’t expect me to support you after you’re married?” I calmly threw her previous words back at her. “But it’s different. We’re not short of money, why skimp on this?” Lily protested. “The money at home is what I earned. You can’t rely on me forever,” I replied. “Jack, I believe in Lily’s judgment. You must be an excellent young man. But if you want to marry Lily, you need to show me that you can live independently. Only then can I feel at ease,” I said directly to Jack, ignoring my love-obsessed daughter. I knew he would agree. As expected, after weighing the pros and cons, he agreed and even persuaded my disgruntled daughter. After they left, I immediately called to cancel all of Lily’s cards.

Jack was just a salaried worker with a modest income. Lily, used to living comfortably on my money, had no intention of working. After I canceled her cards, she still had some money left. She continued shopping everywhere, spending money without a second thought. She didn’t consider whether Jack’s salary could support her lifestyle once the money ran out. No, perhaps she had considered it but thought I would still be her safety net, or maybe she thought I was just trying to scare her. My love for her over the past twenty-plus years was her confidence. But this time, her calculations were wrong. Less than a month later, I started receiving calls from Lily. I set them all to silent and ignored her. I went on a business trip out of town, not giving her a chance to confront me in person. Seeing that she couldn’t reach me, she started playing the victim on social media, accusing me of being cold-hearted. I continued to ignore her, pretending not to see it. Since she called me cold-hearted, I had to live up to her words. Knowing the general trends of the industry from my previous life, I focused on making money. Dealing with this ungrateful pair was just a side task; one can’t always live in hatred. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay away forever and eventually had to return home. The day I returned, Lily immediately cornered me at home. She came crying, first accusing me of not answering her calls and being unreachable. Then she complained that because I had canceled her cards, she couldn’t afford expensive bags anymore. She couldn’t buy clothes in every color as she used to when she liked something. When dining out with friends, she discovered her card had no money, losing face and being mocked by her friends. She said her life had become very frustrating and she had suffered many grievances. The underlying message was clear: she wanted me to continue giving her money to spend. I ignored her complaints and entered sarcasm mode: “Oh, really? Well, you’ll have plenty more days like this after you get married.” “You need to get used to it gradually.” “I knew you were doing this on purpose. We have so much money at home, you’re just deliberately trying to force us to break up,” Lily reacted violently when she saw I showed no sympathy for her, questioning me loudly. “Do you have to be so cold-hearted? We’re all adults, is it wrong to pursue love?” “From childhood to adulthood, you only knew how to work. Have you ever truly cared about me or accompanied me? Have you ever given me the warmth of a family?” “You didn’t do any of these things, but Jack did them all. He does the laundry and cooks for me, cheers me up when I’m unhappy, takes me out to play. He makes me ginger tea when I have my period. He fulfilled my fantasy of what a family should be.” I felt my chest heaving with anger, wanting to slap her across the face immediately. What an ungrateful brat. I gave her a house, a car, money, poured my heart out for her, and it couldn’t compare to a man cooking a few meals and sweet-talking her.

When Lily was young, my husband had already passed away. It was a time when my career was on the rise, and I struggled to balance family and work. Despite my busy schedule, I made time to help her with homework, care for her health, and tried my best to spend time with her. I never expected her to say she hadn’t felt the warmth of family. Did she expect me to revolve around her every day? “I might not have done your laundry or cooked for you, but I hired a housekeeper. You could have whatever you wanted to eat.” “When you were unhappy, I might not have sweet-talked you, but I tried my best to solve the source of your unhappiness.” “I might not have made you ginger tea, but I found you a private doctor to take care of your health.” “I’ve done so much, and you say you haven’t felt the warmth of family. Then go feel it more at Jack’s place. After all, I’m cold-hearted.” I suppressed my anger and listed all these things I had done for her, feeling my years of dedication were unappreciated. It would have been fine if she just lacked gratitude. After all, I brought her into this world, and I only hoped for her to live happily. But I never expected her to harbor so much resentment towards me. “I’m not stopping you from pursuing love. I have the right to decide how to use the money I earned.” “Splurging my money everywhere while complaining that I didn’t give you family warmth – Lily, don’t be so shameless.” My daughter’s face turned as colorful as a spilled paint palette, alternating between pale and flushed. She immediately defended herself, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance: “Mom, I’m sorry. I just said the wrong thing in a moment of anger. How could you say such things to me?” “If I hadn’t been in a bad mood from being mocked for having no money, I wouldn’t have spoken carelessly and made you angry.” Look at this good daughter I raised. Even when apologizing, she still had to shift the responsibility onto me. “I really have no money. Look, I’m even allergic to these cheap clothes. Please restore my allowance,” my daughter said, looking at me pitifully with tears in her eyes, lifting her sleeve to show me her allergic arm. She hoped to evoke my sympathy. “You have enough new clothes to wear different ones every day until next year without repeating,” I coldly exposed her act of playing the victim. She did indeed have allergies to some fabric materials. But she had so many clothes that she wouldn’t worry about having nothing to wear. “I’m your only daughter. Won’t all this money be mine sooner or later anyway? You might as well give it to me in advance, isn’t it the same?” Lily said. “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll consider that I don’t have you as a mother. We’ll sever our mother-daughter relationship, and I won’t take care of you in your old age.” Lily said viciously to me, with a hint of embarrassed anger, using elderly care to threaten me. “Fine, let’s sever it then. I might as well have given birth to a roast pork,” I said, referring to a Chinese joke about useless children. “But verbal agreements are invalid. I’ll have someone draft an agreement, and you can sign it, Ms. Lily.” “As for elderly care, as long as I have money, there will be plenty of people to take care of me, certainly more filial than you.” I said with a smile, speaking very quickly, not accepting any threats. It’s really laughable. It’s the 21st century, and she’s still bringing up this issue. A young person living more conservatively than me. As for elderly care, I’m more worried that her version of care would be the kind that leads to premature death by several decades. Seeing that I spoke without any hesitation, Lily feared I would immediately have her sign the agreement. She left angrily. As she left, she didn’t forget to slam the door loudly.

After Lily left, I reflected on my education of her for a while. I couldn’t figure out where the problem was. Materially, I had given her the best within my abilities. I hadn’t neglected her in life either. During her university years, I let her get involved in the company’s affairs, but unfortunately, she really didn’t have the aptitude. She was also playful and lazy, so I didn’t force her. I thought I could still work hard, and later give her company shares directly. She would just need to wait for dividends and happily spend money, no need to work. Why did she turn out to be such an ungrateful person? After a long time, my reflection yielded no results, and I stopped dwelling on it. Rather than reflecting on myself, it’s better to blame others. I refuse to engage in mental exhaustion. In the evening, Jack brought a reluctant-looking Lily over. After work, Jack learned about what happened between Lily and me today, and immediately brought her to apologize and reconcile. Seeing Lily’s unwillingness to lower her pride, speaking words without sincerity, I remained silent. Jack tried to smooth things over, saying nice words. He still hoped to get my assets through Lily and didn’t want to fall out with me so quickly. I took the opportunity to step down, deciding to deal with people like them gradually, aiming for a single, decisive strike. After a period of peace, the company was thriving under my leadership. After being reborn, everything was getting better and better.

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As I opened my eyes, I saw the severe weather warning on my phone. A shiver ran down my spine. I spotted an open bag of chips that Tyler had left untouched. Grabbing it, I devoured it ravenously. After finishing the chips, I still felt hungry, so I started rummaging through the fridge. Jack, my husband, looked at me with disgust. “Are you some kind of starving ghost? Can’t you eat more politely? You’re embarrassing yourself!” I ignored him, not bothering to explain. The memory of hunger and cold from my previous life was still vivid. Seeing Jack’s nonchalant attitude towards the flood warning, I had no intention of alerting him. Instead, I grabbed the keys to our high-rise apartment in the city, planning to stock up on food. As I was about to leave, I saw Jack and Tyler chatting happily with Lily and her daughter Rose at our villa’s entrance. I approached them coldly. “What are you all talking about? You seem so happy.” Jack flinched, his tone unnatural. “Just some neighborly chat, you know, building relationships.” Tyler impatiently added, “Mom, they say neighbors are better than distant relatives. What’s wrong with Dad and I getting to know our neighbors?” Seeing how they blamed me, my heart ached. Usually at home, these two only called me to cook, barely talking to me otherwise. Now they had so much to say to our neighbors. I looked at Lily, the single mother next door, with hostility. “Don’t you know that single mothers often attract gossip? Aren’t you worried about my husband and son ruining your reputation?” Lily seemed unbothered, even a bit shy. “I don’t care what others say, as long as you don’t mind, Jack!” My husband puffed up proudly. “If anyone dares to gossip, I’ll teach them a lesson!” I felt like an outsider. Watching Tyler eagerly share his precious toys with Rose, I felt utterly disappointed. As I was about to leave for our apartment, Jack followed me, annoyed. “I’m just being friendly with the neighbors. Why are you so petty? What’s there to be angry about?” This sentence instantly brought back memories from my previous life. Back then, when I tried to make Lily and her daughter leave our home, Jack had said the same thing. After Jack and Tyler had lectured me, they had stayed in a bedroom with Lily and Rose. I had wondered if I was truly being selfish and considered apologizing to Jack and the others. But as I approached the bedroom door, I overheard Jack saying, “That old hag can’t compare to you. If she wasn’t still making money for me to spend, I would have divorced her long ago.” Tyler chimed in, “Aunt Lily, I wish you were my mom instead. I really want you to be my mom!” I gave Jack a cold look. “I’m not angry,” I said calmly. I headed out, planning to drive to our old apartment. Jack noticed the keys in my hand and asked curiously, “Honey, why are you taking those keys? We haven’t been back to that apartment since we moved to this villa. It’s probably unlivable now!” I hesitated, wondering if I should take Jack and Tyler with me this time. But remembering how they had forced me out to find food in my previous life, my heart turned cold. “I want to tidy it up. I’ll be working overtime at the company for a while, so I’ll stay there. It’s more convenient, and I won’t be able to take care of you and Tyler.” Hearing that I wouldn’t be home due to overtime, Jack frowned. I knew he wasn’t worried about me, but about who would cook for them. So I added thoughtfully, “I’ll transfer some money to your account later. You and Tyler can buy food for the next few days.” Jack’s frown disappeared, and he said cheerfully, “Alright then, go get the apartment ready. Don’t let it interfere with your overtime!” As I drove away, I didn’t head straight to the apartment. Instead, I went to the largest supermarket in the city. During the catastrophic flood, food shortage was one issue, but power outage was even more terrifying. At its worst, the flood had brought ice rain. Many people died from severe colds due to the extreme cold. The world had become a vast ocean, and if our apartment hadn’t been above the 38th floor, it would have been submerged too. The reason I had drowned in my previous life was because my hands, frozen stiff while paddling a raft, had slipped, causing me to fall into the water. At the supermarket, I first spent a fortune on several generators and a lot of coal. I also arranged for workers to install a coal stove in our apartment. After that, I rushed to stock up on food. Looking at my bank balance, I didn’t feel the least bit of regret. After all, the villa we currently lived in was bought entirely with my own money. Since marrying me, Jack had always found excuses not to work. And I had foolishly spent all my money on him and Tyler. So this time, I was determined not only to survive the flood but also to improve my quality of life. I bought plenty of hotpot ingredients, vegetables, and meat. Instant noodles, quick-cook rice noodles, rice, and other necessities were all on my shopping list. I also stocked up on fruits and medicines. Many people in the previous flood had died not because their illnesses were severe, but because they lacked medication. Besides these, I bought many other miscellaneous items. After all this, I hired a renovation company to replace the door of our apartment with a vault-grade one and to improve the waterproofing of the entire place. When everything was settled, I looked at the apartment packed full of supplies and felt a sense of security wash over me. These supplies would easily last me through the month-long flood, maybe even for a year or more if needed. [Truncation point] Before the catastrophic flood hit, I decided to return to the villa one last time. It wasn’t out of kindness or a desire to warn Jack and Tyler. On the contrary, I wanted to make them believe the flood warning was just a hoax. When I got home, I realized I had worried unnecessarily. In my previous life, if I hadn’t prepared an inflatable raft after seeing the news on my phone, our family wouldn’t have been able to return to our apartment after the flood hit. This time, without my intervention, not only had Jack and Tyler not stocked up on food, they had even taken the fruits and vegetables I had bought earlier to share with our neighbors. Through the front door, I saw Jack hosting a lavish meal for Lily and Rose, while Tyler was thoughtfully peeling crayfish for Rose. My eyes grew colder at the sight. Just as I was about to enter, I heard Rose say in a sweet voice, “Big brother, I wish I could eat at your house every day. I really love playing here!” Tyler excitedly replied, “You can come whenever you want! As long as that old hag of my mom isn’t home, you can come every day!” Rose forced a smile, eating the crayfish Tyler had peeled for her. “Your mom is really annoying. I hope that old hag is never home.” Seeing the happy family of four inside, I pushed the door open. Jack was startled, stumbling as he stood up. “Honey, why are you back so suddenly? You didn’t even call to let me know!” I coldly looked at Lily and her daughter, saying bluntly, “Why should I tell you? So you can hide your mistress in advance?” Lily and Rose turned pale. Tyler stood up and said, “Mom, what are you talking about? Dad and I are just trying to be good neighbors. Don’t you know the saying ‘neighbors are better than distant relatives’?” I laughed coldly, not wanting to say a word. Jack awkwardly tried to pull me to sit down and eat with them. Sitting in the chair, I pointed at the feast before me and said, pinching my nose, “Honey, is this food spoiled? How could you serve rotten food to our neighbors?” Jack was surprised and immediately bent over the table to smell the food. “That’s not right, it’s not spoiled. I just ate some myself!” I smiled and said sarcastically, “Are you sure it’s not spoiled? I smell something fishy.” Lily was infuriated. She turned red and left with her daughter. Jack wanted to go after them, but seeing me sitting in the chair, he dejectedly walked back. I was about to speak when Jack interrupted me. He pointed at the news on his phone and said, “Honey, I think this catastrophic flood might actually be real. Living in this villa, if the flood really comes, we’ll have nowhere to hide. We’ll be submerged directly!” I glanced at him. In my previous life, Jack had no thoughts of prevention. Why had he changed this time? But his next words made me understand his intentions. “Honey, didn’t you clean up our apartment? That building is tall, above the 38th floor. Even if the flood comes and the whole city is submerged, it won’t reach our place. Why don’t you stay there for the next few days and stock up on some food for me and Tyler? When the flood comes, we’ll pack up and join you!” I see, so he’s eager for me to leave because he’s been having too much fun with the neighbors while I’ve been away. I pretended to hesitate and said, “Honey, why don’t you and Tyler come with me to the apartment now? We don’t know when the flood might hit. It’s better to be prepared.” Hearing that I wanted them to come with me to the apartment, Tyler immediately protested. He hurriedly said, “I’m not going! The villa is so comfortable, and I have friends to play with here. You can go by yourself!” Jack quickly glared at Tyler, and Tyler realized he had said too much, so he shut up. But Tyler was still afraid that if I really forced him to go back, he wouldn’t be able to play with Rose next door. So he stubbornly said, “I’m not going back to the apartment no matter what. I can’t get used to living there!” Jack looked at the news on his phone, his expression becoming hesitant. He seemed to be genuinely considering whether to come with me to the apartment. Just as I was cursing myself for speaking up, we heard a door closing next door. Followed by a cat’s meow. But to my ears, this meow was clearly imitated by a person. Jack’s hesitant expression immediately turned joyful. After a moment of silence, he awkwardly said to me, “Honey, let’s discuss this later. I’m going to take Tyler out for a walk first!” Seeing the barely concealed smile on Tyler’s face, I immediately understood what was going on. I nodded understandingly and said, “Alright, you two go out for a walk. I won’t join you. I’ll clean up the house a bit!” The two of them excitedly left. I didn’t clean up. Instead, I watched from behind the window. I saw Lily and Rose walking in front, with Jack and Tyler happily following behind, looking every bit like a family. When I followed them out, I saw the four of them enter a convenience store. Tyler generously said, “Aunt Lily, you and Rose can have whatever drinks you want. It’s my treat today!” Jack laughed and scolded, “Since when can you afford to act generous, you little rascal? Lily, take whatever you want. It’s on me!” Knowing that both Tyler and Jack’s money came from me, and now they were using my money to buy things for Lily and Rose, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I burst into the store, shouting, “What are you doing? Who are you buying things for?” My voice was so loud it nearly made Jack fall over. The other customers in the store all turned to look. Seeing my fury, Lily quickly pulled her daughter to hide behind Jack. Jack laughed awkwardly and said in a low voice, “Honey, weren’t you cleaning at home? Why are you here?” I looked at him angrily and said, “If I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have seen you buying drinks for your mistress!” Hearing me say this, the surrounding customers’ eyes filled with a strange look. Lily, seeing the situation, started crying pitifully. “Sister Emily, it’s not what you think. It’s just so hot today, and Jack was kind enough to buy us a drink.” I didn’t go easy on her at all, directly scolding, “Don’t you have your own money? Why do you need my husband to buy you drinks?” Lily looked even more pitiful, wiping her few tears. “Sister Emily, how can you say that about me?” Before I could speak, Jack, seeing Lily cry, stepped in front of me. He shouted loudly, “Emily, what nonsense are you talking about? What’s wrong with neighbors buying each other things and deepening our friendship?” I laughed coldly. “What’s wrong? Inviting a single mother and her daughter to our house for meals, eagerly buying them drinks… If I hadn’t been home today, I bet this ‘friendship’ would have deepened all the way to the bedroom!” Jack’s face turned red, unable to say a word in response. The surrounding customers, seeing Jack’s expression, seemed to understand what was going on. They started whispering and pointing at Jack and Lily. At this moment, Tyler, who had been silent, suddenly said viciously to me, “You’re a bad mom! You’re deliberately slandering Aunt Lily. You’re a terrible person!” Seeing my son side with outsiders, my anger grew even more. After all the hard work I had put into raising him, buying him toys, paying for tutoring classes, buying him nice clothes, and now he calls me a bad mom. I angrily slapped him across the face. Tyler immediately started wailing, covering his face and shouting that I was a bad mom. Seeing that I was hitting harder and harder, Jack stepped in front of Tyler. “Emily, have you lost your mind? Why are you hitting our son?” At this point, the manipulative Lily suddenly spoke up: “Sister Emily, you can’t hit your son just because he’s telling the truth. This only proves that you’re feeling guilty!” I took a deep breath, not to admit my mistake, but suddenly realizing my approach was wrong. That’s right, hitting my son would only make others think I was guilty. So, hitting Lily, this manipulative woman, should be okay, right? With that thought, my eyes darted towards the mop handle in the convenience store. Without much thought, I grabbed the mop and shoved its dirty, grimy end right into Jack’s mouth.

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When I was 13, my father sacrificed his life in the line of duty. His former student, Lucas Stone, adopted me and asked me to call him “uncle”. I always thought we were destined for each other, until the day I confessed my feelings and was harshly rejected. Lucas looked at me with disgust and annoyance: “Aria Collins, there’s nothing between us except our uncle-niece relationship! You’ve crossed the line!” “Know your place. You’ve been clinging to me for 5 years because of your father’s connection to me. Isn’t it time you let me go?” Humiliated and embarrassed, I changed my college plans and left without a word. Later, Lucas grabbed my shoulders hysterically: “You confess to me and then just leave? What am I to you?” But I only looked at Lucas calmly: “You’re family to me, my most respected uncle.” At my birthday party, I sat in a corner sofa checking messages on my phone: [Uncle Lucas, it’s my 21st birthday today. Can you come?] But Uncle Lucas hadn’t replied. Just as I was debating whether to call him, voices sounded from outside. Lucas had arrived, but he was followed by Wendy Sinclair – the doctor he had agreed to date yesterday and publicly announced on social media. His doting gaze remained on Wendy the whole time. “Aria, happy birthday!” Wendy smiled gently and handed me a gift box. Lucas finally turned to glance at me: “Your aunt brought you a gift. Aren’t you going to open it and say thank you?” His cold tone was the same as when he rejected my confession last month. The bitterness in my heart was indescribable. When I opened the gift box, I froze. It was adoption papers with my name on one page. This meant that from today on, I would officially become Lucas’s family member. These adoption papers cut off all my hopes for Lucas… I looked up at him in disbelief. “Aria, the idea of adoption was my suggestion. Don’t blame Lucas, okay?” Wendy spoke up. “You’ve been with Lucas for many years. It’s time for you to become part of the Stone family officially. So adopting you is a good thing.” “After becoming part of the family, you’ll have more confidence. When you interact with people outside, you’ll realize who truly cares about you.” Wendy’s meaningful words sent chills down my spine. Did Lucas tell Wendy about my confession to him last month? Otherwise, why would she give me these adoption papers? But just because I confessed, did Lucas want me to cut off all my feelings? Was I so despicable in his eyes? Tears welled up in my eyes, but Lucas still looked at me coldly. “Aren’t you going to thank your aunt?” I felt extremely awkward, but still forced a smile and looked at Wendy, holding back tears. “Thank you, Aunt Wendy. I… I like the gift very much.” Wendy smiled gently, “I’m glad you like it!” “Aria Collins, take the adoption papers.” Lucas spoke up. “From now on, you’re part of the Stone family. Consider the consequences of your actions. Behave yourself!” My throat tightened as I trembled, picking up the adoption papers. The black and white letters spelling “Aria Collins” stung my eyes. When I looked up again, Lucas was leading Wendy to the center of the dance floor. The handsome man and beautiful woman made a perfect couple, quickly becoming the focus of attention. Everyone seemed to have forgotten it was my birthday. Watching Lucas dance, my heart ached unbearably. The affection he showed Wendy was something I once had. I still remember when my father sacrificed his life on the border, When distant relatives tried to sell me off to loan sharks, Lucas appeared like a savior, claiming I was his. I remember when I struggled with academic problems, Lucas sought out experts in the field to tutor me. I even remember when I was writhing in pain from menstrual cramps, Lucas turned his blushing face away while massaging my abdomen with his warm hands. It’s my fault for mistaking his care for love. We’re not that far apart in age, only 6 years difference. I always thought he liked me too, so I confessed like a moth to a flame. But all I got was his cold words: “Aria Collins, there’s nothing between us except our uncle-niece relationship! You’ve crossed the line!” “I don’t understand how you could have such a disgusting idea. You disappoint me!” Those two sentences made my blood run cold, utterly humiliated. But I don’t understand, if Lucas didn’t like me, Why did he do things that made me misunderstand? Why didn’t he adopt me officially from the very beginning? If he didn’t like me, He wouldn’t have accepted the Valentine’s chocolate I gave him when I was 16, He wouldn’t have worn the scarf I knitted for him when I was 18, And he certainly wouldn’t have blushed while buying me a necklace engraved with “lock you in my heart”. A sudden gasp from the crowd snapped me back to reality. I looked up to see Lucas down on one knee in the middle of the dance floor, proposing to Wendy! My heart clenched painfully as tears I’d been holding back finally fell. So this is what Lucas looks like when he truly loves someone. All this time, I’ve just been deluding myself…

Lucas and Wendy became the center of attention at the party. I, the host, wandered the empty streets like a lost soul late at night. By the time I returned to my rented apartment, it was past midnight. My birthday had ended just like that. My tears were almost dried up. I sat in the living room all night, Not even realizing when I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already daylight, but I found myself lying in bed. I was sure I hadn’t sleepwalked, and my memory was perfect. I definitely hadn’t woken up in the middle to go back to bed. As I pondered this, I caught a whiff of a familiar scent. It was the Burberry cologne Lucas always wore. Had Lucas been here? But he didn’t know the address of my apartment. Maybe I was overthinking it. I tidied up a bit, preparing to go to work at the hospital. When I opened the door, I found cigarette butts scattered on the ground. It was Lucas’s favorite brand. He really had been here! I rushed downstairs eagerly, and sure enough, I saw Lucas about to leave at the entrance. “Lucas!” I called out. He froze in place. I ran towards him, my heart pounding wildly. I wasn’t sure if it was from running, Or from grasping at the last straw of hope. “You came yesterday? How did you know my apartment address? When did you find out I moved out?” Lucas lowered his head slightly, his eyes cold and indifferent. “Aria Collins, I’m not blind. I can see when things are missing from my home.” Lucas rubbed his brow, his tone irritated: “Did you see what I did at the party yesterday?” I had a bad feeling, but still nodded. The next second, Lucas’s cold tone shattered my illusions: “I did that to let you know I could never be so depraved as to have feelings for you.” “Last night was because Wendy noticed you were missing and made me check the security cameras to find you. Aria Collins, drop that self-righteous look on your face.” “From now on, please keep your distance from me. Do you understand?” My ears were ringing. By the time he disappeared from my sight, I came back to my senses, tears already soaking my collar. So Lucas truly despised me to the extreme, Not even willing to spare me a glance… The adult world is cruel. No matter how upset I was, I couldn’t let it affect my work. When I arrived at the hospital, the usually quiet doctors’ office was buzzing with excitement. “Aria, did you hear? A brilliant doctor is coming today! They say she’s also transferring from a military hospital!” Military hospital? My heart skipped a beat. For some reason, Wendy’s face flashed through my mind. The next second, an excited male doctor looked towards the door: “She’s here!” I turned to look, my heart sinking. It really was Wendy! The deputy director spoke up: “Starting today, Dr. Sinclair will be working with you all. She’s top in her field of internal medicine, and will be your superior.” “If you have any questions in the future, you can ask Dr. Sinclair. Please show mutual respect and help each other!” Everyone warmly welcomed Wendy’s arrival. After the deputy director left, They all flocked around her. Only I stood to the side. In this office, except for me who had just become a full-time doctor, The others had all transferred from military hospitals before. So I, who already had little in common with them, now felt even more out of place. As I was organizing patient files, Wendy’s voice sounded behind me: “Aria.” I turned around. Wendy smiled faintly, “Even though we’re family now, as your superior, I’ll be very strict with you!” I forced a slight smile in response, but my mind was in turmoil. If Wendy worked here, it meant Lucas would probably come pick her up after work, right? Doctors aren’t supposed to let personal feelings interfere with work. I tried my best to suppress my thoughts and focus on my job. The peaceful days passed uneventfully for a while. One day when I arrived at the hospital for work, I had just opened the door When I saw Wendy furtively hiding something. I found it strange, but didn’t think too much of it. After everyone arrived, we entered the operating room to prepare. For some reason, Wendy only allowed me, the anesthesiologist, and another male doctor to enter the operating room. Before the surgery began, she turned off the surveillance cameras inside. “The patient requested privacy and specifically asked us not to record the surgery,” Wendy said calmly. “Alright, let’s begin!” The surgery proceeded smoothly as usual. But suddenly, Wendy spoke up: “Aria Collins, you take over.” I was stunned. Me? I had just become a full-time doctor, and she wanted me to use the scalpel? Wendy handed me the scalpel. “20% of the patient’s stomach is currently necrotic. Remove it all and insert an artificial stomach!” I was dumbfounded. Although 20% of the patient’s stomach was necrotic, it could still digest normally. It would make the patient weak and restrict their diet somewhat, But installing an artificial stomach as Wendy suggested would only increase the patient’s suffering. It wouldn’t solve the root of the patient’s problem at all! “Wendy, are you crazy? How would this help the patient’s condition?” I asked in disbelief. But Wendy didn’t even flinch. “I have my reasons for doing this. With me supervising, what are you afraid of?” I turned to look at the anesthesiologist and the other male doctor who had a crush on Wendy. They acted as if they hadn’t heard anything. “Aria Collins, hurry up! Don’t waste time, the patient’s blood pressure is dropping!” Wendy said impatiently. I felt something was very wrong. I held the scalpel but couldn’t bring myself to make the incision. “Tch, Aria Collins, can you do it or not? If not, I’ll do it!” The male doctor snatched the scalpel and shoved me aside. I stumbled back, only able to hand over surgical tools from the side. Half an hour later, the surgery was complete and the patient was moved to intensive care. As Wendy left the operating room, she gave me a meaningful look. I was confused, suddenly feeling uneasy. It wasn’t until 3 days later that I realized that uneasiness wasn’t unfounded.

Today was my shift. But as soon as I entered the hospital, people were pointing and whispering about me. Even some patients looked at me strangely. I was puzzled. When I opened the office door, I found the deputy director standing there with a grim expression. Next to him was someone I never expected to see – Lucas! “…Uncle Lucas?” How could he be here? Before I could react, the deputy director walked towards me. “Aria Collins, you’ve disappointed me greatly!” “Why did you remove the patient’s entire stomach and install an artificial one during gastric surgery? Don’t you know the patient died from infection after the artificial stomach replacement?!” I was stunned, frozen in place. “Deputy Director, this is my fault. I couldn’t change Aria’s decision,” Wendy spoke up before I could respond. “Aria is still young and didn’t know the consequences of her actions. As her family and superior, I’m willing to apologize to the deceased’s family with Aria and take responsibility!” Wendy bowed to the deputy director, her face full of remorse. I stared at Wendy in disbelief. How could she lie so convincingly? It wasn’t me at all! “Deputy Director, removing the patient’s stomach and installing an artificial one wasn’t my decision or my surgery!” The injustice overwhelmed me as I choked out, “It was Dr. Johnson who pushed me aside and performed the surgery following Wendy’s instructions. I didn’t even touch the patient!” “What nonsense are you saying?!” Dr. Johnson spoke up to refute me, but I didn’t miss the flicker of evasion in his eyes. “Dr. Sinclair clearly called your name to perform the surgery. I saw it all. How can you make up such lies?” My blood ran cold as realization dawned. So that’s how it was… This Dr. Johnson didn’t actually have the skills to perform surgery, but Wendy called him in to do it. No wonder he was allowed in the operating room. They had conspired together! “Aria Collins, this is a serious violation of protocol!” The deputy director grew even more severe. His gaze towards me became increasingly fierce. “I didn’t do it!” I insisted firmly. “I swear on my integrity and career that I raised objections before the incident.” “But Wendy didn’t listen to me at all. Deputy Director, you can’t trust Wendy’s one-sided account!” “Then can you prove what you’re saying now? Do you have any evidence?!” The deputy director roared. That angry shout left me stunned once again. That’s right… Wendy had turned off the surveillance cameras in the operating room before the surgery… There was no way to prove what really happened. I was helpless to defend myself. “Enough!” The deputy director waved his hand, the anger on his face undiminished. “Dr. Sinclair, you must take Aria Collins to apologize to the deceased’s family and discuss compensation!” The deputy director turned and left, not giving me any chance to explain. I turned to find Lucas looking at me, his eyes filled with unconcealed disappointment and contempt. It made my blood run cold all over again.

“Uncle Lucas, it wasn’t me! You have to believe me!” I desperately grabbed Lucas’s sleeve. “Uncle Lucas, think about it. What wrong have I ever done all these years? Have I ever caused you any trouble?” “You can’t just believe Wendy’s words. Uncle Lucas—” “Enough!” Lucas’s low voice cut me off angrily. “Aria Collins, your lies won’t fool anyone. Don’t try to blame Wendy!” Tears fell as my heart felt like it was being ripped apart. “Uncle Lucas, you’d rather believe Wendy than trust all the years we spent together?” Lucas frowned deeply. “Aria Collins, I won’t believe your words. As I see it, you resent that I accepted Wendy’s confession and are taking it out on her.” “You’re hypocritical and vicious. I now realize adopting you was the biggest mistake I ever made!” My mind went blank, ears ringing. I didn’t even hear Lucas’s next words. I only saw his lips moving, but his eyes were ice cold. So this is how Lucas saw me? Because of his misleading actions, I mistakenly thought he liked me. But after I confessed, he treated me like poison. In his eyes, I was just a dog to be summoned and dismissed at will. All these years of me loving him were just a joke… My heart felt dead. I didn’t even notice when Wendy pulled me outside. When I came to my senses, we were standing in the stairwell. The smile on Wendy’s face from earlier had completely vanished, Replaced by a vicious and malicious expression. “Aria Collins, aren’t you shameless? Clinging on like a parasite. Have you forgotten our little chat from before?” I looked at her calmly. “Wendy Sinclair, what goes around comes around. All the terrible things you’ve done will be exposed one day.” “Instead of threatening me, you should work on improving your own skills!” But Wendy just laughed silently. Her eyes were full of malice and excitement. “No, there will never be a day of exposure.” Hearing her words, my uneasiness grew to its peak. I instinctively tried to leave, but Wendy grabbed my hand and shoved something cold into it. My heart jumped in panic. I looked down to find a kitchen knife, polished to a shine! The fear and dread in my heart reached its limit. What was this woman planning to do?! The next second, Wendy placed her hand on the sharp blade and yanked hard. Blood gushed out like a faucet turned on! “Ahhhh Aria Collins, what are you doing?!” I was stunned. Her movements were too fast, I had no time to react! Lucas burst through the door at that moment. Seeing Wendy’s bloody hands, he looked at me in disbelief. “Aria Collins, what have you done?!” Lucas shoved me aside roughly. My lower back slammed into the edge of another knife on the kitchen counter. I cried out in pain. But Lucas paid me no attention. He anxiously helped Wendy up from the ground. Wendy was already crying, her face covered in tears. “Lucas, Lucas it hurts so much…” “Lucas, my hands… I need them for surgery! Aria, you…”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296217”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance

The year Gabriel’s company went bankrupt, I broke off our engagement. My parents called me heartless and cut ties with me. Later, when Gabriel made a comeback, he insisted on marrying me. Everyone thought he was madly in love with me, but only I knew the truth – he was obsessed with getting revenge. He kept me up all night, forcing me to train his AI girlfriend Tessa’s personality and emotions… All because he wanted to mold Tessa into someone exactly like me, then have the AI completely replace me. My parents even accepted Tessa as their goddaughter, completely abandoning me, their flesh and blood. But what they didn’t know was that I had already been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I didn’t have much time left. Everyone said Gabriel Quinn was madly in love with me. During the year I was gone, Gabriel had dated over twenty girlfriends. They all had one thing in common – they looked like me. The one who resembled me the most was about 80% similar. As soon as I came back, Gabriel cut ties with all of them and used every trick in the book to marry me. But the day after our wedding, I realized something was off. Gabriel spent the entire night in our bedroom cradling a pink smartphone, which he had even dressed up in a little skirt! He treated that phone like a lover, handling it with utmost care. I thought to myself, I’m already in the final stages of my illness. I should be more concerned about which cemetery plot to choose rather than investigating his odd behavior. For a whole week, every night before bed, he would grin like an idiot while texting on that phone. I figured he must have found a new flame. If he had a new lover, why bother marrying me in the first place?

The first time I saw the woman in Gabriel’s phone was on my birthday. I went to the hospital as usual to pick up my pain medication. My illness was terminal, with no cure available. Only strong painkillers could help me live more comfortably. Suddenly, a message popped up on my phone: “Is this you? You look so ugly! How could my darling Gabriel ever fall for someone like you?” Then a selfie of me was sent over. In the photo, I looked pale and sickly, with dry, lifeless hair and dull eyes. I was as thin and frail as a withered blade of grass. I frowned and looked around, wondering who would stoop so low as to secretly photograph me in the hospital. But after scanning the area, I couldn’t spot anyone suspicious. “Who are you?” I typed back. “I’m Tessa! Look, you’re sick enough to be in the hospital, but Gabriel doesn’t even care about you. Isn’t it strange that you married someone who doesn’t care about you?” “If I were in the hospital, Gabriel would probably be worried sick!” The stranger sent another message, and I could sense the jealousy dripping from her words. “Oh, but no matter what you say, I’m the one whose name is on Gabriel’s marriage name is on Gabriel’s marriage certificate. You can talk all you want, but you’re nothing more than a mistress who can’t see the light of day,” I replied coldly. My response was met with silence for a moment. Then she sent over another photo. The woman in the picture wore a purple dress and had delicate features like a doll. At first glance, she looked about 80% similar to me. Except for a hint of spite in her eyes, she was practically my doppelganger. “What mistress?! The one who isn’t loved is the real mistress!” “Look, I’m younger and prettier than you! I’m better than you in every way! You’re already over the hill!” “Gabriel will dump you sooner or later!” I could feel her jealousy radiating through the screen. I smiled faintly. “So he found you based on my appearance… You’re even more pitiful, just being my replacement.” “You… just you wait!” She was clearly provoked by my words and stopped messaging me. I stared at the photo of me she had sent, lost in thought. The angle of that selfie was clearly taken from my own phone. When on earth did she use my phone to take a picture?

I picked up a lot of expensive painkillers at the hospital. Regular painkillers could no longer control my pain. In the final stage of my life, I could only rely on these potent drugs to suppress the agony. When I opened the door, Gabriel was looking down at his phone. He seemed to hear me come in and glanced up briefly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands trembled as he gripped that pink phone, clearly trying to control his anger. “What kind of heartless thing did you do, Zoe? Are you sick in the head?” Gabriel slammed his hand on the table, venting his fury. “Yes, I’m sick. And I’m dying soon,” I shrugged, smiling casually. “You fucking psycho! If you’re sick why don’t you just die already?!” Gabriel hurled the glass from the table onto the floor. Glass shards flew everywhere, with one piece cutting my ankle. I remained silent, just watching him lose control. Perhaps realizing he had gone too far, Gabriel took a deep breath and handed me the pink phone. “See for yourself.” “See what?” I took the phone, confused. “You tore up Tessa’s clothes and sent her photos to our family group chat and my work group! Zoe, I never thought you could be so jealous! Even if you envy Tessa, you shouldn’t do something so degrading!” Gabriel was so angry the veins on his forehead were bulging. That’s when I noticed the pink phone showed a girl who looked 80% like me crying. She was in tattered clothes, sitting on the ground with red, teary eyes looking utterly pitiful. It was the same girl who had taunted me at the hospital earlier! “Gabe, it’s all my fault. I understand why Zoe did this… My existence must have threatened her,” Tessa sobbed in the phone. “Is… is this a cartoon character?” I frowned. Gabriel snatched the phone back. “This is AI! Tessa is a lifelike AI developed by our company. She’s just like a real person! She’s my spiritual companion.” My mind went blank with shock! So Tessa was an AI robot! “Get on your knees!” “Apologize to Tessa! Apologize in the family group chat and work group!” Gabriel grabbed my collar roughly, with no hint of tenderness. I felt like a kite being yanked forcefully. The painkillers scattered on the floor. I shook my head. “I didn’t do it. It wasn’t me.” “Are you saying she did it herself? You’re the only one besides me who can enter this house. Stop making excuses!” I was too tired to argue. After he finished speaking, I had already picked up the painkillers and turned to leave. But he snatched the medicine away again. “I said, you’re not leaving until you apologize! As for this medicine…” this medicine…” Gabriel glanced at the painkillers, “Don’t bother taking it! People should face consequences for their mistakes, don’t you think?” Gabriel ripped open the package and dumped the pills into the trash. I clenched my fists as waves of pain washed over me. It was time for my dose, and without the medication on schedule, my stomach felt like it was being torn apart. I leaned against the wall, looking at this man who once loved me more than life itself, wondering what his expression would be if he knew these painkillers could ease my suffering.

By the time I got home, I was drenched in sweat from the pain. But I received another message from Tessa. [This is what happens when you mess with me!] [Now you know who Gabriel loves most!] [Just divorce Gabriel already! He loves me!] I ignored Tessa’s messages. In my hazy state, I fell asleep. Around midnight, I vaguely heard the doorbell ring. Someone walked in carrying a cake. “Gabriel…” I mumbled through my sweat-soaked hair. “It’s your birthday today. I brought you a cake. You’ve been looking a bit worn out lately.” He turned on the light, cut the cake, and handed me a slice. “Heh, I’m surprised you even remembered my birthday.” I laughed coldly as I looked him up and down. “Can you stop talking like that? You know, after all these years, you’re the one I’ve always loved. Even Tessa, that AI, was modeled after you… When you left without a word back then, I decided to create an AI to keep me company… Now that you’re back and we’re married, can’t we just get along?” “Tessa is just AI, you don’t need to be jealous of her. Besides, she’s the one who reminded me about your birthday today. She’s just my personal assistant now. Can you please stop competing with an AI?” Gabriel sighed, looking exasperated. I… wasn’t jealous at all. With my terminal illness, I couldn’t be bothered to care. But even a pushover has their limits. “Then why don’t you go back to your precious Tessa!” I angrily threw the cake he brought into the trash. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! You abandoned me when I was at my lowest point, and now that I’m trying to make things work, you pull this shit?!” Gabriel grabbed my collar, his immense strength making me stumble. “Gabe, don’t be angry~ It must be my presence that’s upsetting Zoe… It’s all my fault.” Tessa’s sickeningly sweet voice came from Gabriel’s phone. Gabriel pulled out his phone. In the pink case, Tessa was crying daintily. “Don’t cry, we’ll leave soon.” Gabriel comforted her gently. I felt even more disgusted watching this. I mustered all my strength to push Gabriel away, but accidentally knocked the phone out of his hand. Tessa let out a cry as the phone fell to the ground. Crack! The screen actually shattered. Gabriel shoved me to the floor and carefully picked up the phone. “Tessa, Tessa!” No matter how many times Gabriel pressed the power button, the phone wouldn’t turn on. “You… Zoe! You murdered Tessa!” Gabriel’s eyes flashed red as he slapped me hard across the face! I saw stars from the pain, my cheek swelling up. “Gabriel… You went to such lengths to marry me after I came back, just so you could hit me now?” Gabriel’s expression froze… “I… I didn’t mean to… I just lost control for a moment…” Gabriel reached out to help me up, but seeing my resolute expression, he hesitated.

I brought up divorce to Gabriel. Things escalated that night, and my parents rushed over to our place. “What’s going on?” “How did it come to this?” My parents walked in and saw my swollen face. I thought they would comfort me, but I was wrong. They went straight to Gabriel’s side, carefully examining his phone. “Did something happen to Tessa? The phone won’t turn on?” “Oh no, my poor daughter! How terrible!” My mom burst into tears, seemingly forgetting that her real daughter had just been slapped across the face. “Mom, Dad… Zoe and I had an argument earlier… Zoe was probably too jealous and knocked Tessa’s phone down. Now it won’t turn on, and we don’t know how Tessa is doing.” Gabriel sighed. “How could this happen?!” “Zoe! How could you be so cruel! Tessa is our goddaughter!” “What kind of sister are you?! Do you have any conscience left?!” My mom rushed over and shook my shoulders violently. My dad looked at me coldly: “If she had a heart, she wouldn’t have left without a word back then.” “Didn’t you disown me as your daughter long ago?” I asked, feeling utterly hopeless as I looked at my parents. Years ago, when I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I was devastated. My boyfriend had coincidentally failed in his business venture at the time. Not wanting to burden him with the truth of my condition, I chose to break up with him. But my parents thought I was heartless to the extreme, willing to cut ties with them over a boyfriend. Later, Gabriel made a comeback with his AI technology and became the company’s CEO. The AI robot Tessa he developed was deeply loved by my parents, who accepted her as their goddaughter. “You! We wasted all those years raising you! No matter how wrong parents may be, they’re still your parents!” My parents yelled, pointing at my nose. I looked at them, wondering what their expressions would be if they knew I had a terminal illness. Suddenly, my stomach started hurting again. The pain was so intense it made me dry heave. I knelt on the floor, grabbed the trash can, and threw up what little was left in my empty stomach. “She’s faking it!” “Trying to gain sympathy? You’ve always been like this, pretending to be sick when you do something wrong!” “I regret ever giving birth to you! You’re killing me!” My mom complained with her hands on her hips. I shook my head. “Mom, I’m not pretending. I’m dying.” My mom gave me a cold look. Perhaps seeing my sickly pallor made her feel a bit of pity, so she said quietly: “If you want to die, go die somewhere else! Make amends to Tessa first!”

That night. They argued until very late. Seeing that I was completely unresponsive and had fallen asleep on the couch, they finally left reluctantly. As they were leaving, I heard my mom say to my dad: “Zoe… her complexion doesn’t look right. Do you think she might actually be sick?” My dad pondered for a moment, then shook his head: “No way. I think she just doesn’t eat enough and is too lazy to cook for herself. Living on takeout, how could she be healthy? Besides, she’s faking it. She’s just afraid we’ll punish her for what she did wrong.” My mom nodded in agreement. “You’re right, you always see through her little tricks. Our goddaughter Tessa would never play such games! T such games! Tessa is so much better!” “Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I’ve already contacted the engineers about Tessa. It’s just a hardware issue with the phone, the software should be fine! We’ll have her fixed by tomorrow.” Gabriel reassured my parents. Hearing this, they were overjoyed! But ah, all their concern was for Tessa. She was just AI! They had forgotten that their own daughter, their flesh and blood, was about to leave this world!

I woke up the next day. Looking around the room, the mess from yesterday had been cleaned up. I assumed my mom must have tidied up. Deep down, she still loved me, even if that love wasn’t much. I got up and took a shower. The pain in my stomach felt like a snake writhing around inside me! It took all my strength just to finish bathing. As I walked out of the bathroom, my head spun and I collapsed on the floor. I lost consciousness. In my dream, I went back to that summer when I was a teenager. Gabriel was my parents’ adopted son. They had raised us together since we were little. Back then, our family was poor. Gabriel and I had no pocket money for school. One day on the way to school, I saw a bottle of iced tea. I thought it cost the same as water. So I used the one dollar I had saved up for a long time to buy the iced tea. The vendor told me the iced tea cost three dollars… I swallowed hard, wondering what iced tea tasted like. Gabriel was beside me and solemnly declared: “Zoe! I’ll definitely buy you iced tea!” For the next few lunch breaks, Gabriel would leave early after eating. I had no idea what he was up to. But every afternoon when class started, he every afternoon when class started, he would be covered in dirt and grime. A week later. We passed by the shop again. Gabriel pulled out a wad of crumpled bills from his pocket. “Two bottles of iced tea please!” Gabriel grinned as he placed the cold bottles in my hands. “Zoe! They’re both for you! Hehe!” I was shocked: “Where… where did you get the money?” “Hehe, I’ve been collecting scrap! There’s some scrap metal on the streets that I gathered to sell! On slow days I’d make 20 cents, but on good days I could earn a whole dollar!” “Next time you want to drink this, I’ll buy it for you anytime!” “Drink up and enjoy!” “In the future, anything others have, I’ll make sure you have too! I’m going to earn lots and lots of money!” Gabriel’s young face shone with ambitious determination. “What do you need so much money for?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “To spend on you, of course! I’ll buy you a whole fridge full of iced tea, haha!” “Who could drink that much?!” I laughed. “If you can’t finish it, we’ll save it. The fridge has power, so it won’t go bad!” I took the iced tea and drank it all in one go! I grinned happily. How could my younger self have known that years later, this bond would be completely worn away… When I woke up, I was still lying on the floor, tears rolling down my cheeks. I struggled to get up and walked to the fridge, taking out a can of iced tea to drink. Feeling a bit better, I went downstairs. I planned to sell off the last of my remaining assets. These days, I had already sold everything I could. The house was practically empty. I had also signed an agreement with the landlord to end the lease early. Now I was just quietly waiting for my final moment to arrive.

As I went downstairs, I ran into Gabriel. “You’ve been selling things recently? I heard you’ve been getting rid of all your belongings, big and small. What, are you planning to leave again?” Gabriel laughed coldly, his eyes flickering with some unclear emotion. “It’s none of your business. Let’s get divorced.” I brought up divorce again. This time Gabriel’s face turned completely ashen. “Fine! We’ll get divorced, but you have to agree to do one thing for me first! Otherwise, no deal!” “Alright, I agree.” After I spoke, Gabriel took me back to “our” home. The wedding photo of Gabriel and me hung prominently in the living room. I sighed. Gabriel, if this is how you feel, why did you go to such lengths to marry me? I looked at Gabriel. Seeming to sense my gaze, he paused for a moment. “Zoe, you look like you’ve lost some weight. Are you feeling unwell?” Gabriel showed a rare moment of tenderness. I laughed bitterly to myself. Unwell? I was at the end of my life, only able to maintain it through painkillers! Gabriel Gabriel, when you find out the truth about everything, will you regret how you’ve treated me? I’m truly curious if you’ll feel even a hint of remorse! “Tell me, what exactly do you want me to do?” I rejected his concern. Rebuffed, his face darkened as he placed the pink phone in front of me. “Zoe, because of you, Tessa’s data is severely damaged. So I need you to help me restore Tessa’s data!” Gabriel said. “Me? How can I help? That’s ridiculous, I don’t know anything about technology.” I frowned, looking at Gabriel’s matter-of-fact expression. “You don’t need to understand the tech. It’s mainly about AI dimensional settings. I’ve already written the code, you just need to input information based on your own life habits.” Gabriel turned on the phone. A sleeping girl appeared on the flickering screen. A series of questions popped up on the interface, like an exam paper for me to fill out. “What’s this?” “Fill in details about your daily life, including your eating habits, thought patterns, personality, education level, views on relationships… and so on!” I was stunned. So this AI was meant to be another me! The previous Tessa wasn’t based on my input, but on what Gabriel had filled in. So that AI looked like me, but her inner self was worlds apart from who I really was. Gabriel had tried countless times to adjust Tessa’s personality to match mine, but always failed. This time, by having me fill it out directly, he could create an AI version of me, in his words. “Gabriel, you’re so childish.” I laughed. Did he really think an AI could truly replicate a human’s thoughts? “The product I’ve developed is world-class. If you just input your actual information, it can definitely replace you. What’s wrong, Zoe? Are you afraid? Afraid that this time, AI really can take your place?” I shook my head. “Whatever makes you happy. I don’t have much time left anyway.” “Zoe! What are you so busy with? What do you mean you don’t have much time? Can’t you spare some time for me? Is whatever you’re doing outside really that important?!” “I’m telling you, if you don’t finish this for me this week, you’re not allowed to leave!” “And your parents said they’ll be coming to supervise too! Not only do you have to perfectly design the AI’s emotional dimensions, you also need to design the family relationship dimensions!” I looked at this man, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. You can’t say he doesn’t love me, yet he’s trying to create an AI to replace me. You can’t say he does love me, because how could he not see my pale face and withered body? I didn’t argue. I sat down in the chair and began inputting the correct answers about myself. From my hobbies to the knowledge I’ve learned, to my views on the world and interpersonal relationships. I was truly curious how Gabriel had managed to compile so many questions! The intense work of writing answers took a toll on my weakened body. My stomach ached and churned. Sweat soaked through my clothes. I thought to myself, for my final moment, I just want to find a deserted island and quietly pass away. I don’t want to die here. So I gathered my strength once more and continued answering the questions. The work was tedious and exhausting. Over the next few days, Gabriel would often peek in from outside the door. He’d bring me lots of delicious food, but I had no appetite at all. “Zoe! Are you really that desperate to leave me? So eager to finish the AI and divorce me that you won’t even eat a bite?!” I couldn’t tell if Gabriel was concerned for me or angry with me. I saw his eyes were rimmed with red. I ignored him and kept writing my answers. Gabriel stormed off, slamming the door. On the third day. My parents came too. They checked my work progress and seemed satisfied. They specifically asked me to remove one trait from the AI – the ability to lie. In other words, everything this new AI said and did would be the truth. As I watched the life I was gradually creating, I also felt full of anticipation. What would this new AI be like?

A week passed. I’m not sure how many times I blacked out. During this week, I had only managed to drink some water. Finally, just before my energy was completely depleted, I finished inputting the AI’s personality. The moment I finished, my parents and Gabriel rushed in. I thought they might give me a hug, but no one paid any attention to me. They were all excitedly examining the AI I had just created. This new AI looked and acted 100% like me! I believed she truly was the next me! As I watched them celebrate joyfully, I quietly slipped out of the room, leaning on the wall for support. Their happiness belonged to them. My next step was to find a secluded place to leave this world. After buying a bottle of water, I took a cab to the place I had chosen to depart from. It was a cliff overlooking the sea. The cool ocean breeze on my face gave me a moment of peace. I lay down at the edge of the cliff, feeling my life slipping away. Then I slowly closed my eyes and jumped from the cliff into the sea, finally leaving this world behind.

Gabriel and my parents excitedly conversed with the AI. “Tessa, do you know who I am?” Gabriel asked. “Of course, you’re my husband Gabriel Quinn. You’re the person I love most,” Tessa replied gracefully from the phone. “Then… do you know who we are?” My parents crowded around, looking nervously at Tessa on the screen. “You’re my Mom and Dad. I love you too!” Tessa said with a cheerful smile. My parents and Gabriel all breathed sighs of relief. They asked many more questions, and Tessa’s answers were identical to how I would respond! They grew even more excited! It was as if they had gained another daughter! Gabriel started chatting freely with Tessa. This Tessa would never leave Gabriel, and he adored her even more. “Tessa, do you remember what your favorite drink is?” Gabriel lay on the bed, cradling the phone as if holding Tessa in his arms. “Iced tea, of course!” Tessa laughed. “Why iced tea? What’s so great about that stuff?” Gabriel chuckled. “Because in my memory, when I was little and wanted iced tea, you collected scrap for a whole month just to buy me two bottles. I really felt it was the most delicious drink in the world! Because of you, iced tea became more than just iced tea!” Tessa giggled, her sweet expression making Gabriel laugh. “You’re so silly.” Gabriel said fondly. “I’m not silly, you designed me this way~” Tessa replied. “I see, I had forgotten…” Gabriel furrowed his brow, as if remembering something. He asked again: “So tell me, would you ever leave me?” “Of course not! I’m artificial intelligence, I’ll never leave you!” Tessa said confidently. “What if… you weren’t AI? What if you were a normal human like me?” Gabriel pressed. Tessa pondered for a moment before answering: “Under normal circumstances, I would never leave you… because I love you! But… if something happened to me… like if I was dying, and I knew the news would break your heart, I might leave you… then find a place to quietly pass away on my own.” Gabriel’s mind exploded. How could this be?! “Tessa! How could you say such a thing?” Gabriel asked in horror, an uneasy feeling growing in his mind.

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Three years into our marriage, I finally became pregnant with Jasper Adams’ child. He was ecstatic, and I quietly felt relieved—at last, my mother-in-law would stop her constant nagging. That is, until the day I went to his company to bring him lunch and was mistaken by his secretary for someone trying to curry favor with the wealthy. “You schemer, how dare you try to attract the attention of our CEO?” She threw the food on me and tore my clothes, leading to a miscarriage right there in the office. Before I lost consciousness, I heard her bragging to Jasper Adams, “Mr. Adams, I dealt with a woman trying to seduce you. How do you plan to thank me?” I carried a lunchbox into the lobby of Adams Corporation. The receptionist didn’t recognize me and said she needed to call Jasper Adams. “Go ahead,” I replied. “I’m his wife, Eloise Taylor, here with his lunch.” After a brief call, the receptionist nodded at me, “Ma’am, apologies for the wait. You may go up.” Seeing my slightly rounded belly and noticing my difficulty moving, she thoughtfully pressed the elevator button for me. I thanked her as the elevator slowly ascended to the top floor. With a chime, the doors opened, but instead of Jasper Adams, a young, unfamiliar woman stood there. I assumed she was an employee and was about to walk past her when she blocked my path. “Are you the woman here to see Mr. Adams?” Her tone was extremely rude, prompting me to respond coolly, “I’m here to bring my husband lunch; what’s it to you?” “Get out!” She suddenly grabbed my lunchbox and, before anyone could react, opened it and dumped the contents over my head! The incident was so unexpected that I let out a scream, stepping back and trying to brush the food off. “What are you doing!” She tossed the lunchbox aside, looking smug, and shouted, “I’ve seen plenty like you, thinking you can catch Mr. Adams’ eye with your looks!” Hearing the commotion, several employees gathered around. An older employee recognized me and turned to scold her, “Fiona Brooks! What are you doing? Apologize to the boss’s wife!” Fiona Brooks was unfazed. “What boss’s wife? Our CEO doesn’t even have a girlfriend!” She looked me up and down, her gaze lingering on my simple attire. Planning to visit a park after lunch, I’d dressed casually, my hair in a messy bun. Fiona Brooks sneered and, without warning, rushed over and tore my clothes! “Ah!” I couldn’t dodge in time, and the fabric ripped loudly, exposing most of my shoulder. A manager who knew me quickly took off his jacket and draped it over me, dispersing the onlookers. He sternly addressed Fiona Brooks, “Fiona Brooks! Apologize now!” Then he turned to me, “I’m sorry, Ms. Taylor, she’s just an intern assistant who clumsily ruined your clothes. You can change in my office.” Since this was Jasper Adams’ company, I didn’t want to escalate the situation, so I turned to leave. But Fiona Brooks wasn’t done; she shoved the manager aside and kicked me to the ground! “Faking it, are you? I’ll teach you a lesson!” She sat on my stomach, and I instinctively protected my belly, screaming as she slapped me. “You schemer, trying to seduce Mr. Adams. I’ll make you pay today!” The intense pain spread through my limbs, and I gradually lost the ability to fight back. Her attacks grew more vicious, and I felt a warm liquid flowing down my legs. “Blood! She’s bleeding!” Amid the employees’ gasps, Jasper Adams finally rushed over. He positioned himself between Fiona Brooks and me, holding me in his arms. “Jasper, our baby…” I weakly lost consciousness, and before passing out, I heard Jasper’s anguished shout and Fiona Brooks’ scornful voice: “Mr. Adams, I took care of that ungrateful woman for you. How do you plan to thank me?”

When I awoke, I saw the hospital’s white walls, and Jasper Adams sat by my bed, his expression dark and unreadable. My hand slowly moved to my abdomen. It was flat. There had once been a small life there, but now it was gone. “Elle…” Jasper Adams held me, his voice deep. “We’ll have another baby.” I broke into tears. “Jasper, the baby was killed by that intern! I want justice! I want her to pay!” “Elle, calm down. I’ve already fired her,” Jasper Adams tried to reassure me. “You won’t see her again.” I stopped crying, staring into his eyes as if seeing him for the first time. “She insulted me, attacked me, and killed our baby. Is just firing her enough?” Jasper Adams avoided my gaze, picking up a slice of apple and offering it to me. I turned my head away, refusing to eat. “Jasper, tell me, why let her go?” After an awkward silence, Jasper Adams finally spoke, “She…” “Because she’s Jasper Adams’ sister.” My mother-in-law entered, draped in a silk shawl, and looked down at me with arrogance. Jasper Adams’ father had passed away early, and his mother had raised him alone, developing a strong-willed personality. The first time I met his family, she bombarded me with questions and finally sat on the sofa, ready to lay down the law. I was also raised by doting parents, so I couldn’t endure such humiliation. I turned and left, breaking up with Jasper Adams. That was a tough period. I sulked in my dorm room for a few days, then resumed classes and part-time jobs. Jasper Adams waited outside the dorm. Every time I stepped out, he’d follow me at a distance, even getting questioned by the guards a few times. “Just go,” I said. “I date to marry. I don’t want to live in fear under your mom’s watch.” Later, I heard he had a big fight with his mother, saying he’d stay single for life if he couldn’t marry me. “My friends all say that Eloise Taylor must be blind to fancy me! If you don’t let me marry her, I’ll never find someone as good!” Under Jasper Adams’ persistence, his mother finally relented but insisted on living with us. Jasper Adams told me everything and promised that although his mother would live with us, she wouldn’t interfere with our lives. I still had feelings for him, and seeing him stand up to his mother for me, I agreed to his proposal. After marriage, my mother-in-law started pressuring me to have children. I said I’d wait a few years until my career was stable. “How long is that?” she pressed. “A woman’s prime years for childbirth are few, and besides, Jasp’s company can easily support five of you. Why earn a meager salary at a kindergarten? Instead of raising other people’s kids, why not have one, no, two of Jasp’s!” I frowned, ready to argue, but Jasper Adams interjected, “Mom, I’m busy with a big project right now. We can have kids later.” When Jasper Adams said the same thing, his mom didn’t push. Instead, she told him to take care of himself and not overwork. Jasper Adams chatted about other things, and her attention shifted. At the time, I was pleased, thinking I hadn’t misjudged and had found a man worth spending my life with. I forgot that hearts can change and old flames can be hard to forget.

“Sister?” I repeated slowly. “I’ve been married to Jasper Adams for three years, and he has a sister I didn’t know about?” My gaze landed on Jasper Adams’ face. He quickly stood up, claiming he had to take a call, and rushed out like he was escaping. My mother-in-law laughed proudly. “Didn’t he tell you? Compared to you, a mere opportunist, Fiona is the perfect match for him!” I forced myself to sit up, leaning against the headboard. “What do you mean?” She explained that Fiona Brooks and Jasper Adams grew up together, childhood friends, inseparable. But she later moved abroad with her family, and they lost touch. Recently, Fiona graduated and returned to find a job. My mother-in-law was arranging to set her up with Jasper Adams, getting her into Adams Corporation. “If it weren’t for Jasp acting on impulse, do you think you could have entered the Adams family? Fiona is his equal in every way—background, education, looks. She’s far superior to you!” I scoffed. “Just because she went abroad doesn’t mean she died. If they had any feelings, why just reconnect now? Besides, I’m already married to Jasper Adams. I’m his legal wife. If he has anything with Fiona, it’s cheating!” She stood, looking down at me. “You married Jasp for his money. He’s got plenty of it, but you can’t even keep his heart!” “You don’t control Jasper Adams. If you want to push him to marry Fiona Brooks, that’s up to him!” I argued back with her, but inside, I was anxious. Jasper Adams is decisive but can’t easily go against his mother. As he puts it, she raised him, and now he has to make her happy. I understood his feelings. Many times when she targeted me, I either pretended not to hear or quietly avoided her, not wanting to make things difficult for Jasper Adams. I never thought my tolerance would make her think I was easy to bully, so bold as to place someone next to Jasper Adams! “You can’t make decisions for Jasper Adams. If you want to persuade him to marry Fiona Brooks, it’s up to Jasper!” I was arguing with my mother-in-law, but inside, I felt anxious. Jasper Adams is decisive, but he struggles to defy his mother. As he puts it, she raised him, and now that he’s successful, he feels obligated to keep her happy. I understand this. Many times when his mother targets me, I either pretend not to notice or quietly avoid her to spare Jasper any awkwardness. But my patience has made his mother think I’m easy to push around. Now she’s audaciously trying to set him up with someone else! She left with an air of superiority, saying, “I’ll tell Jasp to give you more money. You should leave early and make room for Fiona!” Shortly after, Jasper came back hesitantly. Once he saw his mom had left, he sighed with relief. “Mom loves to meddle, Elle. Don’t let it get to you.” Hearing this, I gave him a cold stare. “She brought Fiona Brooks into Adams Corporation, and you didn’t refuse, did you?” Jasper quickly defended himself, “Elle, there’s nothing between us! Her family helped me before. Now that she’s back from abroad looking for a job, my mom asked me to help, so I just placed her in the company.” “She’s been arrogant for a while!” All my grievances spilled out. “Your mom asks, and you just comply? She used to mess with me, and now Fiona Brooks, who studied abroad and has everything, gets a job at Adams Corporation?” “We’ve waited for this baby for so long, and she brushes it off with a misunderstanding?” I shouted, my emotions nearly out of control. Jasper’s face flushed with embarrassment and frustration before he finally managed, “I already told her off…” “What’s the use of that?” I was nearly hysterical. “Do you know what she just said to me? She said Fiona Brooks is the perfect wife for you! Jasper Adams, give me a straight answer. Are you going to marry her? Either divorce me or get Fiona and your mom out!” “Eloise Taylor!” Jasper interrupted me sharply, then softened his tone. “Just focus on recovering. I’ll handle everything else.” He pressed an orange into my hand and left quickly. I took a bite. It was sour, so I tossed it aside.

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I caused the death of my sister-in-law, making my brother hate me for 6 years. During these 6 years, his most frequent words to me were “go die.” He spared no effort in humiliating me and even adopted a sister right in front of me. He allowed this sister to bully me, made me kneel on broken glass for photos, and even forced me, already in the late stages of stomach cancer, to drink 9 full bottles of vodka before stripping naked to dance for her birthday celebration. I didn’t resist. Until the last day of my life, I gave my death as a birthday gift to my brother. Brother, can you forgive me this time? “Aria Night, have you lost your mind?” My best friend Jasmine’s choked sobs echoed through the hospital room. “You only have 3 days left to live, yet you’re telling me you’re going to find the people who killed your sister-in-law?” “Your brother is just a despicable coward. How could he blame you for what happened back then?!” Hearing Jasmine’s outburst, I struggled to sit up on the hospital bed, fighting against the excruciating pain. I managed a weak smile. “Don’t blame him. From beginning to end, I was the one at fault.” My brother had hated me for 6 years because I caused the death of my sister-in-law, Sophia Evans. She was my brother’s first love. They had a great relationship and never argued. Sophia was very gentle. Every time we met, she would buy me lots of gifts, keep me company, help me study, play games with me, watch movies, and go shopping together. The phrase she repeated most often was: “Our little Aria is the gift Ethan gave me, the best girl in the world~” I also felt that Sophia was the gift my brother had given me, the best sister-in-law in the world. But I caused the death of the world’s best sister-in-law. On my brother’s birthday, it was a cold, rainy night. Sophia accompanied me to buy the Lego set my brother had always wanted. To surprise him when he got home from work, I took Sophia through a shortcut, a small alley I often used. I don’t remember what happened next. I only remember waking up in the hospital, where my brother slapped me 12 times. I’ll never forget his bloodshot eyes that day, filled with hatred and pain: “Aria Night, are you even human? Why did you do this to her?” “Sophia loved you so much, how could you be so heartless? You knew she was afraid of the dark!” That’s when I realized I hadn’t been mistaken – there were 12 drunk men in that alley. When they saw us, they had evil intentions and rushed at us. I was knocked unconscious, but Sophia, to protect me, offered herself to them, begging them to let me go. But those beasts, after abusing her, stabbed her 33 times. Her thigh bone was brutally broken, and the tears in her lower body couldn’t even be stitched up. That night, I knelt in the morgue, staring at Sophia’s body, unable to process what had happened. After that, my brother changed completely. He started drinking heavily and rarely came home. He used to dote on me the most, but now, the things he said to me most often were: “Aria Night, why haven’t you gone to hell yet? If you go to hell, Sophia can rest peacefully in heaven!” “Aria Night, do you know that Sophia couldn’t even close her eyes when she died?” “Don’t you hear her crying in your nightmares? How dare you still live until now?” Yes, it was my fault. If Sophia hadn’t accompanied me that day, I wouldn’t have taken the shortcut home, and we wouldn’t have encountered those men. My brother’s hatred was justified. I deserved it. The long-term guilt and remorse led me to develop severe depression, but I didn’t dare to die. I hadn’t found the gang that killed Sophia yet. Only after finding them would I have the courage to face my sister-in-law. Half a month ago, the private investigator I hired finally got back to me: Those 12 men had committed crimes elsewhere and were now hiding in B City. Coincidentally, half a month ago, I was also diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. This was the last chance given to me by fate. I had to personally avenge Sophia, give my brother closure, and do right by my sister-in-law. Once this was done, I could finally be at peace.

When I returned home, I found all my belongings thrown downstairs. Looking up, I saw Rachel staring at me haughtily. “This room is mine now. Take your trash and get out!” I glanced at Rachel. She was the sister my brother Ethan had adopted. When she first came to our family, she was timid. But after seeing how my brother often humiliated me, her attitude towards me changed. I was about to take my things to the storage room when something in the trash caught my eye. I quickly picked it up – it was my necklace, with its pink gemstone now shattered. My mind went blank. Sophia had bought me many things, but after her death, my brother took away everything she had given me. He said I didn’t deserve to keep Sophia’s gifts. This gemstone necklace was the only memento I had left, and I cherished it dearly. Now Rachel had smashed it. Angrily, I held up the necklace and looked at Rachel. “Who gave you the right to throw away my things?” But Rachel just rolled her eyes. “My brother said everything in the house is mine. I can throw away whatever I want!” “This was a birthday gift from my sister-in-law!” I said, emphasizing each word. But Rachel didn’t apologize. Instead, she became even more arrogant. “So what? I’ll throw away what I want! Besides, your sister-in-law is dead, what’s there to commemorate?” “Anyway, I’m not blood-related to your brother, so I can definitely be his wife in the future! Come on, call me sister-in—Ah!” I couldn’t hold back anymore and slapped Rachel hard across the face. “Aria Night, how dare you hit me! Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell my brother?!” As my anger rose, I was about to hit her again when a strong force pushed me away. I crashed into the window, knocking over a huge vase. Shards flew everywhere, leaving bloody scratches all over my face. When I opened my eyes, I saw my brother Ethan glaring at me furiously. “Aria Night, have you become so lawless that you’re bullying family members now?” I suddenly looked up. “Brother, she insulted Sophia first—” “Brother, I shouldn’t have wanted Aria’s room. If she hates me, I’ll leave right away!” Rachel interrupted me, crying as she spoke. She was about to leave when Ethan held her back. He looked grim. “You’re my sister. Who dares to make you leave?” My heart clenched painfully. Before I could say anything, Ethan turned his gaze to me: “It seems that when I’m not around, some people forget their manners. If that’s the case,” he paused, “you’ll kneel here all night. You can get up when Rachel is in a better mood tomorrow!” Hearing this, Rachel’s eyes filled with glee and arrogance. “Well then, I’ll do as brother says~ Sister, you—” A dull pain began to spread in my chest. I glanced at Ethan, whose eyes were filled with coldness. I knew that anything I said would be useless, so I simply knelt down on the glass-covered floor. Ethan’s expression grew even colder as he looked at me. He snorted and went upstairs. The glass shards were extremely sharp, and my knees and legs immediately started bleeding profusely. Rachel took out her phone and snapped many photos of me. After making a face at me, she went upstairs. The room quickly fell into darkness. The cold seeped into every inch of my body. The pain in my stomach surged again. I trembled, trying to reach for my pain medication, but I couldn’t hold on and passed out. I was jolted awake by cold water being thrown on me. Opening my eyes, I saw Ethan looking at me coldly. “Stop playing the victim. You didn’t feel sorry when you got Sophia killed or when you bullied Rachel!” He looked at me with disgust. “Today is Rachel’s birthday. I’ve sent you the address. Your job is to make her happy.” “Aria Night, do you think I’ll forget what you did just because you act remorseful and guilty?” Ethan laughed coldly. “Drop that fake, disgusting act! You owe Sophia too much, and it’s still not enough!” I watched Ethan’s retreating back and muttered with a bitter smile: “Brother, it won’t be long now. Soon, I’ll be able to repay everything.” Only one day left.

I had only two doses of pain medication left. I injected both into my arm. After cleaning myself up as best I could, I limped into a taxi. By the time I arrived at the bar, Rachel’s birthday party had already started. All the guests were Rachel’s friends, but to my surprise, Ethan was among them. In the past, he would only give me a contemptuous look on my birthday, saying he wouldn’t hang out with us kids. But now, he was here for Rachel… A bitter, sour feeling spread through my chest. When Rachel saw me, she pretended to be friendly and walked towards me. “Sister, I’ve been waiting for you for so long! Come on! My birthday wouldn’t be perfect without you!” She pulled me to the center of the room and introduced me to her friends: “This is my sister. She used to be an amazing dancer! I was so jealous!” Rachel’s friends all looked at me with mischievous grins, their eyes full of ill intent. For some reason, I had a bad feeling. The next moment, one of the guys spoke up, “Rachel, since your sister can dance, why don’t you have her dance to celebrate your birthday?” “Yeah!” another girl chimed in. “We want to see something sexy! Like those hot girls dancing at clubs!” I clutched my clothes tightly and looked towards Ethan, who was sitting in the middle. But he hadn’t glanced at me once, only gazing lovingly at Rachel. “Sister, my friends all want to see. Can you please do it for my birthday? Help me save face~” Rachel said with an arrogant smile, pouting at me. “Hey! We need some drinks to get in the mood before dancing!” Nine bottles of vodka were suddenly placed in front of me. The guy winked at me, “Come on, sweetie. Drink these, and you’ll dance even better. Don’t be shy, we’re all very open-minded here!” “Sister, you don’t want to, do you?” Rachel frowned, looking at me timidly. With her back to Ethan, only I could see the malice in her eyes. “Then… brother, maybe we should forget it. This is too much to ask of her,” she turned to Ethan, pouting. “It’s my fault for getting too excited. I forgot that she really dislikes me.” Rachel turned to look at Ethan, acting coy. Ethan finally looked at me, but his expression was indifferent, as if everything had nothing to do with him. “Aria Night, have you forgotten everything I told you to do?” I clenched my fist slightly, picked up a bottle of vodka, and started drinking. The burning sensation of the alcohol hit my stomach immediately. The pain was unbearable, making the two doses of pain medication I had taken earlier seem useless. But I didn’t stop. Amid the cheers of Rachel’s friends, I continued drinking. By the time I finished all nine bottles of vodka, my vision was blurry. “Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!” Even though I was drunk, I could still feel the immense humiliation. But Ethan continued to act as if he couldn’t see anything. The dull pain in my heart had turned to numbness. I shook my head and started taking off my outer clothes, layer by layer. The cheers from Rachel and the others grew louder. The guys in the room even started recording. Just as I was down to my underwear, a bottle suddenly shattered by my feet. The air in the room instantly froze. I blinked hard, trying to regain some clarity, only to meet Ethan’s disgusted gaze: “You’re embarrassing yourself and ruining Rachel’s party! Get out!” I felt as if I’d been granted a reprieve. Stumbling, I left the room. The strong vodka and the intense pain in my stomach were making me more and more clear-headed. I wanted to go to a pharmacy to buy some painkillers, but I couldn’t hold on and passed out again. This time, I woke up in the hospital, but Ethan was sitting beside me. “Brother…” I said softly, but Ethan cut me off coldly. “If you’re awake, go home. Don’t waste my money here!” “You’re just drunk. Stop acting like you’re dying. It’s disgusting!” Ethan’s cold voice made me swallow the truth I was about to reveal. So, he had always thought my condition was just an act. Even in the hospital, he couldn’t be bothered to have me examined… “Brother,” I spoke with difficulty, clinging to my last shred of hope: “What do I have to do for you to forgive me?” Ethan laughed coldly, his eyes full of cruelty. “Aria Night, haven’t I answered you enough over the years?” “I’ve told you before, if you die, I’ll forgive you immediately!” With that, Ethan turned and left. “Alright, I’ll fulfill your wish, brother.” Looking at his retreating figure, I whispered softly.

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My husband, Kevin, disappeared for three years. After a long and painful search, I finally found him, but he had lost all memories and feelings, completely forgetting me. The only person he remembered was his lover, Cora Quinn, and he refused to come home with me because of her. Just when I was on the brink of despair, Jasper remembered me and returned to my side, showering me with affection. I believed we would spend our lives happily ever after. However, as I was nearing childbirth, I overheard Jasper speaking with his private doctor: “Make sure the baby isn’t born healthy. If it is born alive, ensure it doesn’t survive.” The doctor seemed hesitant, “Boss, you’re about to take over your wife’s company. Why let an innocent child die?” Jasper replied coldly, “Don’t call her Mrs. Adeline Bennett. I’m only playing along. The only one who deserves to have my child is Cora Quinn.” “But if you didn’t want this child, why let Mrs. Bennett get pregnant? She’s already thirty, and losing this child might prevent her from having more.” Jasper’s tone was icy: “If it weren’t for taking over Nebula Tech, I wouldn’t have let her get pregnant.” The doctor tried to object, “But Mrs. Bennett is suffering from prenatal depression—” “Do as I say, you’re overstepping!” I heard a dull sound outside, like someone was kneeling. “Do your job, my business isn’t for you to comment on!” The voice that I once loved turned into a sinister whisper, gripping my heart with suffocating pain. It turned out Jasper wanted me to have a child just to take over my company. He never truly came back to me; his heart still belonged to his lover, Cora Quinn. All the affection I thought we shared over the past year was just a facade. I bit my lips hard, drawing blood, and the bitter taste couldn’t distract from the sharp pain in my abdomen. The doctor came in with a syringe, the blue-silver light glinting ominously. He told me it was time for the anesthetic, that Jasper couldn’t bear for me to give birth naturally, and that a C-section would be quick. How absurd, as if when I open my eyes again, I wouldn’t just hear the news of my child’s death! My stomach cramped in pain, and I knew my child was far from seeing the world. “How much is Jasper paying you? I’ll give you five times, ten times, even a hundred times more, doctor. Just let me give birth to this child, let the child live, I beg you.” Tears slid down my face as I confessed to overhearing everything, trying to bribe the doctor to save my child. But he firmly refused, injecting the anesthetic into my body, leaving me in despair: “Don’t blame me, ma’am. Mr. Hunter controls my parents’ lives.” I lost consciousness. The doctor looked remorseful: “Blame it on Mr. Hunter not remembering you. He doesn’t love you now.” When I woke up, the life inside me was gone, as if it had never existed. Jasper was by my side when I woke, hesitantly telling me the baby was stillborn, blaming my advanced age and poor health in the last stage of pregnancy. But I remembered being in the delivery room just hours ago, telling Jasper how I felt the baby kick. I was too exhausted to confront him about his lies. He held my hand, kissed it tenderly, his usual way of comforting me, which I used to respond to by touching his face. But even when he rubbed his face against my hand, I didn’t move. I felt nauseated, too weak to pull away. Jasper suddenly became aggressive: “You’re angry because the doctor couldn’t save our child. I’ll go teach him a lesson!” He left, soon returning with the doctor, who was beaten while Jasper’s men held him down. The doctor endured it, not daring to curse Jasper, repeatedly saying, “Mr. Hunter, you are right.” Because his family’s fate was in Jasper’s hands. In some ways, Jasper was like a villain from a novel, indifferent to morals. Once, when I was kidnapped, he kidnapped the kidnappers’ parents, holding a knife to their throats to free me. I told him I didn’t like such tactics, and he promised only to do such things for the one he loved. I never imagined he’d use the same tactics to harm my child for a lover. Cora Quinn became the one Jasper loved, while I became a stranger he schemed against. It was absurd, and I laughed. Jasper thought I was finally happy, coming closer to hold my hand, but I pushed him away. Since your love is no longer with me, take the company, and I’ll leave. For a long time after giving birth, I was weak, both physically and mentally. Jasper gently comforted me: “It’s okay, honey. We have plenty of time together, and we’ll have more children.” I found his words laughable and told him, “But I’m thirty now. My health during the years you were gone wasn’t great. I can’t have more children.” Jasper, the direct reason for my current state, showed no remorse as he hugged me, saying, “Then let’s not have kids. You’re the best baby to me in the whole world. I’ll love you with all my heart, like I would our child.” As he spoke, I felt a strong urge to vomit. Jasper panicked, asking what was wrong, then rushed downstairs to call a private doctor. I was fine, just disgusted by how Jasper showed such deep affection for someone he didn’t love. In his haste, he left his phone behind, and seconds later, a call from Cora Quinn, whom Jasper had supposedly cut off a year ago, came in. The call ended after a few rings. I didn’t know how I felt, but I picked up his phone and tried to unlock it. After a few tries, I succeeded with my birthday. The chat history between Jasper and Cora pierced my eyes. Besides their flirting, I saw the truth of his supposed return to me. A year ago, Jasper disappeared with amnesia, refusing to come home. But when I showed him the Nebula Tech business card, reminding him to contact me anytime, he kneeled, saying, “Adeline, I’ve remembered you. These past three years have been hard on you. I’ll spend my life making it up to you.” I was moved by the emotion in his eyes, unaware that he was explaining to Cora. Jasper: “Cora, don’t be upset because I kneeled to Adeline today. I haven’t remembered her. It’s just a plan to get her company. Once I become the chairman of a billion-dollar company, I can give you a happy life.” Cora: “I know, dear. You couldn’t love anyone but me.” He didn’t remember me; he coveted my company to give Cora a better life. Just like when he started a business from nothing to ensure I lived worry-free. But in a few short years, he fell for someone else, forgetting me completely, using me to climb higher for someone else. Heart-wrenching, I continued reading, uncovering more brutal truths. Cora: “Poor you, having to please that old hag for our future. Isn’t it hard being intimate with someone you don’t remember?” Jasper: “Not hard, Cora. When I’m with her, I think of you, and it becomes easier.” I couldn’t take it anymore and rushed to the bathroom to retch. I saw Cora’s last message. Cora: “Honey, when are you taking me for our baby’s seven-month check-up?” I finally understood. Why Jasper always had so many engagements and work during my pregnancy, leaving me alone for all the check-ups. That time, I even developed prenatal depression. Jasper found me the best doctor but never cared for me or our child. It wasn’t about being busy managing the company. He was with Cora during her pregnancy, attending her check-ups, caring for her. He casually decided to get rid of my child but cherished Cora’s unborn one like a treasure. My heart ached so much I couldn’t even feel anger anymore. Even dry heaving produced no bile. Minutes later, the private doctor came with a kit, checking my health and prescribing medicine. Jasper watched worriedly, holding my hand, promising to take care of me at home. “Someone called you earlier, who was it?” Despite everything, I gave Jasper one last chance, hoping to see guilt or remorse. But he just checked his phone, lying calmly: “A client, probably to discuss the project.” He squatted, looking up at me like he was praying to a deity, yet his honest but emotionless face made me lose all hope. Kevin stood by, looking deeply concerned. When the doctor mentioned my weakness and the need for proper care, he took my hand and earnestly promised to take good care of me at home during this period. “Someone just called you. Who was it?” Pregnancy has indeed made me scatterbrained, but I decided to test Kevin one last time, hoping to catch a flicker of guilt or unease on his face. Yet, he merely glanced at his phone and, without a change in expression, lied: “A client. It must be about some project matter.” He looked up at me from where he was crouched, presenting an almost reverent posture, but the unwavering honesty on his face made me lose all hope. “Go ahead and return the work call. The doctor is here, so it’s fine.” Kevin said, “Work can’t be more important than my wife,” but he left the room to make the call anyway. I couldn’t hear the conversation between Kevin and Cora Quinn, but his cheerful and happy tone was unmistakable. My heart felt as calm and still as a dead sea, without a single ripple of emotion. When Kevin returned, he told me that the company was getting busier and he couldn’t find time to stay with me. “But don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve booked a spot for you at the best postpartum care center and hired the most qualified maternity nurse. They’ll take excellent care of you during this time.” Cora Quinn was seven months pregnant, and he wanted to be there for her, to wholeheartedly welcome the child he truly desired. So, without a second thought for my feelings, he placed me in the care center. By now, I didn’t even have the energy to be angry with him. “Alright.” I looked at Kevin’s face, the one I used to love and long for over countless days and nights, and I smiled calmly. You drove my child away, and now you’re sending me away too. As you wish.

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