I came home early from a business trip, only to find a purple nightgown on my bed. Slinky. Sexy. Definitely not mine. I demanded my husband give me an explanation. Jake exploded, slapping me hard across the face. “You’re questioning me? I’ll kill you, you bitch!” His parents, Robert and Judy, glared at me with disgust. “How did Jake ever marry a woman like you? Get out of our house, now!” Stunned, my cheek burning, I stumbled away and called my parents, sobbing. “Jake cheated! I found a purple nightgown. I’m going to find its owner and take Jake for everything !” The line went quiet. Then, my always-doting father’s voice came through, icy and final.”Don’t you dare dig into this. Forget the purple nightgown, or you’re no longer part of this family.” I was heartbroken and utterly bewildered. Why did the mere mention of a purple nightgown turn everyone I knew into a stranger? Just who the hell was Jake’s mistress? A sharp, stinging heat bloomed across my cheek. Then, a wave of pure rage. Clutching my cheek, my voice trembled with white-hot fury. “You cheat. You lie. And now you raise your hand to me?” Jake’s face was cold. “You’re accusing me? Where’s your proof?” I snatched the sexy purple nightgown from the the sheets and flung it at him. “That’s my proof! I hate purple! I have never, ever worn anything like that in my life!” Jake merely glanced at it, and his expression instantly turned furious. “You bitch! You shouldn’t have touched that!” His body coiled, and he lunged. The noise finally crashed through the door. Robert and Judy burst in, their faces going slack with horror at the scene. Robert lunged forward, hauling Jake back by the shoulders. Judy threw herself between us, her body a shield in front of mine. “Jake, what are you doing?!” Judy’s voice was filled with absolute fury. I’d been married to Jake for three years, and they had always treated me like their own daughter. The tears I’d been choking on poured out in ragged sobs. Judy hugged me, constantly reassuring me. “Maya, don’t worry. We’ll make sure you get justice.” Robert also angrily declared, “You have one chance, Jake. Explain yourself. Or I will deal with you myself!” Jake looked at me with pure disgust. “This is all her fault.” I wiped my tears, my gaze locking onto Jake’s with pure hate. “You’re the one who cheated! And when I caught you, you hit me!” I picked up the purple nightgown and showed it to them. “This is the proof. That mistress left her clothes on our bed.If my flight hadn’t been moved up, I’d still be living in his lie.” Their eyes fell on the purple nightgown. And something in the air shattered. Judy violently shoved me to the floor. Her gentle demeanor vanished, and she pointed at me, screaming. “We must have been blind to let a scourge like you into our family!” Robert also loomed over me, his expression cold and utterly disgusted. “Jake, divorce Maya right now and get her out of here!” I was completely dumbfounded. Jake was the one who cheated, so how dare they treat me like this? It was clear their act as loving in-laws was just that-an act. Now their true colors were showing. My hands trembled with anger. “Fine, divorce then! I’ll make sure that scum, Jake, leaves with absolutely nothing!” Jake’s expression was dismissive. “We’ll see who leaves with nothing.” His parents also looked at me like I was a clown. Embarrassed, I clenched my fists. My phone suddenly rang. It was a FaceTime call from my mom. My parents, David and Brenda, were known everywhere as incredibly doting parents. They had loved me fiercely since I was little. If they knew Jake cheated and hit me, they’d be furious enough to come over and tear him apart. “Maya, are you and Jake coming over this weekend? Mom will make your favorite steak.” My eyes welled up, and tears began to fall again. “Mom, I’m divorcing Jake!” The next second, my dad snatched the phone, his voice anxious and furious. “Did Jake hurt you? Don’t cry, Maya! Dad will make things right!” I choked back tears. “Jake cheated and hit me, Dad, Mom. I have to divorce him.” A sudden silence fell on the other end of the video call. My dad’s expression instantly turned cold and distant. “No, you can’t divorce Jake!”

My breath hitched in my throat. “Jake cheated! I found a purple nightgown on his bed-” My mom quickly cut me off before I could finish. “Maybe that nightgown is yours, and you just forgot. You’ve always been so forgetful, buying clothes and never wearing them.” “Alright, Maya, let’s not talk about this anymore. Jake is so good to you, he couldn’t possibly cheat. Stop making a fuss.” Across from me, Jake and his parents looked at me with increasingly mocking eyes. I desperately tried to explain, “But you know I hate purple! That nightgown absolutely cannot be mine-” “Enough!” My mom, usually so gentle and who had never said a harsh word to me, suddenly erupted. “Have I not been clear enough?” Her eyes were sharp, brittle with disappointment. “ Stop talking about that nightgown!” I fell silent, the words dying in my throat.A sickening cocktail of panic, helplessness, and betrayal churned inside me. I could only watch as my dad forced a fawning smile, speaking in a somewhat servile tone to Jake and his parents. “Please, forgive Maya’s nonsense. Young couples… they fight. It’s their business. We shouldn’t meddle.” Robert and Judy scoffed imperiously. “‘Their business’? Our son was gracious enough to marry her. And this is her repayment? Threatening to take him for everything? The only problem here is your daughter’s shameless greed.” My dad repeatedly apologized. “We’re really sorry about that. Maya, apologize to your in-laws and Jake right now.” I snapped my head up, staring at them in disbelief. “You want me to apologize? Why should I apologize?!” Jake was clearly the one who cheated. It was bad enough that Robert and Judy were biased towards Jake, but why were my incredibly loving parents not standing up for me? Why were they forcing me to apologize to Jake’s family? They were the ones in the wrong! I was furious and heartbroken, my rage almost burning away my reason. On the other end of the phone, my mom’s face suddenly darkened. “Maya, be sensible. We are doing this for your own good. You’re just being paranoid and misunderstanding Jake. Apologize now.” I felt as if someone had choked me, my heart sinking straight to the bottom. I struggled to utter a few words. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Both my mom and dad looked deeply disappointed, as if I had done something utterly outrageous. “We’ll come by this weekend to apologize properly. Maya is still young and impulsive. We ask for your understanding.” The video call ended, but I couldn’t snap out of it for a long time. Jake and his parents seemed to want nothing to do with me, slamming doors as they left. Judy even gave me a warning as she walked out. “Throw that nightgown away! If it’s still there when I get back, this divorce is happening, even if your parents beg us on their knees!” My chest felt tight with indignation and anger, so I called my best friend, Chloe. When she heard I was upset, she took time off work without a second thought to be with me. After I told her everything, Chloe was fuming. “Why aren’t your parents letting you divorce him? That scum, Jake, should absolutely be stripped of everything! Maya, I support you. You *have* to divorce him!” “By the way, how did you find out Jake was cheating?” I frowned, about to mention the purple nightgown, when my in-laws’ and parents’ strange reactions suddenly flashed through my mind. The words died in my throat. “Come on, tell me! Are you going to keep secrets from me too?” Meeting Chloe’s expectant gaze, I drew a shaky breath and began. “Because I found a purple nightgown on my bed.” Instantly, all the color drained from Chloe’s face.

Her eyes flickered, and her earlier righteous anger vanished without a trace. “Purple?” She forced an awkward laugh. “Could you be mistaken? Jake is a good husband; how could he possibly cheat? Hahaha, you must be joking with me, right?” I grabbed her shoulders, both angry and frustrated. “I’m not joking! Jake really cheated, how could I lie to you about something like this?” “Why won’t any of you believe me? I have to find out who Jake’s mistress is, and I *will* divorce him!” Chloe fell silent. After a long moment, she lowered her head and began to persuade me, her voice low. “Let it go, Maya. This nightgown might just be a misunderstanding. Live happily with Jake, and don’t investigate whose purple nightgown it is anymore.” I stared at her, stunned. Chloe was someone with zero tolerance for emotional betrayal. Just a month ago, her childhood sweetheart of ten years, Daniel, had flirted online with an influencer, and she broke up with him without a word when she found out. No matter how much Daniel knelt, apologized, and swore never to do it again, she refused to turn back. At the time, I even tried to reason with her. “It was just online flirting, Daniel didn’t actually cheat. You’ve been together for ten years and even discussed marriage. Are you really not going to give Daniel a single chance?” Chloe, though sad, had shaken her head firmly. “Emotional cheating is as disgusting as physical cheating, Maya. Don’t believe those tears and apologies from cheaters, it’s all an act.” But in just one short month, she was now urging me to pretend I didn’t know Jake had physically cheated and to continue living happily with him. I took a deep breath. “Why? Why does everyone’s attitude change so drastically when they hear about the purple nightgown? Do you know who Jake’s mistress is?” Chloe’s eyes darted around, looking even more guilty. “How would I know? But Maya, trust me, your parents and I are doing this for your own good. Can you please just drop this?” A hint of pleading even entered Chloe’s eyes. I brushed her hand away directly. “I misjudged you. Just leave.” Chloe looked like she wanted to say more, but eventually left, looking worried. I picked up the unfamiliar purple nightgown again, staring at it for a long time. My inner doubts grew stronger, gradually overwhelming my burgeoning anger. Whose purple nightgown was this? Why was everyone so tight-lipped about it? I made a firm decision in my heart: I had to personally find the owner of this purple nightgown. Then, I didn’t believe my parents would continue to oppose my divorce from Jake. While everyone was out, I immediately contacted someone to secretly install cameras in the house. And, using the excuse of a cold shoulder, I checked into a hotel, giving Jake space for his affair. That night, I lay in the hotel bed, opening the surveillance video on my phone. A woman in a sexy purple nightgown was intimately with Jake on my marital bed. My eyes instantly widened.

I tried my best to see the woman’s face, but Jake kept blocking her. I could only see that hateful shade of purple. But that was enough. With this surveillance video, Jake’s infidelity was undeniable. This weekend, I would throw this video in Jake’s and his parents’ faces. My anticipated weekend quickly arrived. Jake and my in-laws still glared at me. The three of them even put on an arrogant front when my parents arrived, sitting haughtily on the sofa, waiting for my parents’ “apology.” My parents came bearing expensive gifts. Though clearly embarrassed by the blatant humiliation, they forced smiles. “Everything before was Maya being foolish. We apologize on her behalf.” Seeing my parents’ humble demeanor, my eyes instantly welled up, and I pulled them both up. “I’m not wrong! Why should we apologize? Jake is the one at fault, they should be the ones apologizing to us!” As I spoke, I pulled out my phone and started playing the surveillance footage. “I have surveillance video here. Now can you believe that Jake cheated with the woman in the purple nightgown?” The video began to play, and suggestive moans echoed through the living room. Everyone in the room’s face changed drastically. I smirked at Jake, about to speak, when a sharp pain shot through my wrist. My phone was snatched and slammed to the ground. The screen instantly went black, and the moans stopped abruptly. Before I could even react, my dad suddenly raised his hand and slapped me hard. “Filming such a video, have you no shame?!” He stormed into the bedroom like a raging bull and smashed the camera I had installed to pieces. “Dad, why?” I clutched my cheek, filled with disbelief. My mom gripped my shoulders tightly, her eyes filled with disappointment and agonizing struggle. “Why didn’t you listen? Why did you insist on investigating that purple nightgown? Now look, our entire family will become a laughingstock because of you!” “You are not to investigate this any further! If you don’t repent, your dad and I will disown you!” In that moment, they both stood on the same side as Jake and his parents. The air solidified, and I felt like I was suffocating. My head throbbed with a thousand tiny needles. I bent down, picked up my phone from the floor, and stumbled out of that suffocating cage. After getting my phone restored, I discovered the truth. They’d installed not just one camera in the bedroom, but several. The harder they tried to stop me, the more I was determined to dig up the truth! I tapped open the surveillance video and immediately saw the woman in the purple nightgown on my bed. From that angle, her face remained unseen. I frantically fast forwarded, freezing the video the second her face came into view. I jammed pause and pinched to zoom. The woman’s face filled the screen. My pupils dilated violently the moment I recognized her. The woman in the purple nightgown.. was…

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When I was five, I begged my sister to fly a kite. The wind took it from me. Then, the string cut her throat. At the funeral, my parents’ grief turned on me. “I just wanted to play with her,” I sobbed, struggling to explain. “I didn’t know it would happen.” From that day on, my parents despised me. Years later, when my school announced a kite festival, my mother snapped. “You killer! My daughter is dead because of your kites! You love them so much? Fine. Fly one. Fly it until you break!” She drove me twenty miles into the empty, wind-whipped fields outside the city and thrust the kite into my hands. But she forgot. The forecast had issued a severe storm warning for today. Mom’s car disappeared from my sight. I stood alone, the kite in my hands, and began to run. The wind wasn’t strong enough. It would catch the kite, only to let it fall, sending it crashing to the ground again and again. On the seventh try, it finally caught a steady current and lurched into the sky. II anchored the spool under a heavy stone, then sat on the hard ground, drew my knees to my chest, and looked up. The kite danced on the wind. “Fly high,” I whispered, my voice lost in the gathering gale. “If you see Lily… tell her I miss her.” After Lily’s death, the word “kite” became a taboo in our house. A mere shadow of one on TV was enough. My mother would seize up, then explode, shoving me toward the door. “Out! Go fly your kite, you family-wrecker!” In her eyes, I wasn’t her daughter. I was the sin. Lily’s killer. The wind’s howl deepened into a roar. The sky cracked open, releasing a barrage of fat, icy raindrops. The kite string sang a high, desperate note as it strained. The stone anchoring the spool tumbled away. “No!” I dove for it, a raw instinct to obey overriding all sense. If I lost the kite, Mom would be even angrier with me! Just as my fingertips were about to touch it, a searing, blinding pain exploded. “Ah!” Seconds later, warm, sticky liquid gushed out, quickly coating half my face. The world in my left eye turned blood-red and blurry. Clutching my eye, I trembled with pain, my voice torn to shreds by the wind and rain. “It hurts… Help me…” I stumbled through the mud, blind and disoriented. Rain mixed with blood flowed into my mouth, tasting salty and metallic. My hands clawed. At nothing. There was nothing to hold. Then my back connected with something unyielding with a sickening crunch. The world jolted to a halt. Then, a sharp, piercing pain, so intense it swallowed all the agony I’d felt before, erupted through me. I don’t know how much time passed, but I found myself floating, light as a feather, out of that broken, lifeless body. I looked down at the body on the ground. My body. So, I was dead. The downpour continued, washing over my small body and the bloodstains on the rock. It’s good to be dead. I won’t have to walk home, tired and slow, anymore. As soon as I floated home, I saw Mom and Dad eating dinner. First, I heard Mom’s shrill voice. “Pick her up? Let her die! Doesn’t she love flying kites in this kind of weather?” Dad hesitated. “But the rain is too heavy.” “Heavy?” Mom slammed her forks down. “If she hadn’t insisted on taking Lily to fly a kite, my Lily wouldn’t be dead! She’s a murderer! Why couldn’t it have been her who died instead?” I wanted to tell Mom that I didn’t know the wind would get so strong. If I had known, I would never have dragged Lily there… But Mom couldn’t hear me. Her gaze flickered to my school uniform, which had fallen from the couch to the floor. Her pupils constricted, as if she’d seen something filthy. She rushed over, grabbed the uniform, and furiously threw it to the ground, stomping on it like a madwoman. “You curse! Why didn’t you die instead?!” Dad quickly went to pull her back. “Alright, alright, don’t get yourself sick over her. She’s not worth it.” “The weather forecast said a storm today. You stay home, I’ll go pick her up.” Mom gasped, her chest heaving violently. She looked at the uniform on the floor, her eyes filled with chilling hatred. “Go get her? Absolutely not! I forbid it! She managed to crawl back once, didn’t she? Let her find her own way this time!” “If she dies out there… it’s justice. A life for a life. Let it be her atonement.” Dad’s gaze shifted from Mom to the window. A slow, defeated nod was his only answer. “Okay, I won’t go.” Curled in my corner, I heard them. And a new kind of pain bloomed in whatever was left of me-a pain sharper than the kite string, deeper than the steel bar. Mom. You got your wish. I really did die out there. Is the debt paid now? Is Lily avenged?

The next morning, after breakfast, Mom picked up a velvet cloth and began wiping Lily’s photo frame. The yard, a wreck after the storm, she swept with a cold glance. “So many leaves blown off. Let’s go clean up for Lily, she loved things spotless.” Dad chewed his breakfast, mumbling vaguely. “Okay.” I floated after them to the cemetery outside the city. This was the first time I was “allowed” to see Lily, and only as a ghost. Before, Mom would always yell at me. “You grim reaper, you don’t deserve to be near Lily!” In the photo, Lily smiled sweetly, looking well-behaved and lovely. Mom always said that when Lily was my age, she was so well-behaved she never caused a moment of worry. I gently pressed against the cold photograph. “Lily, Chloe is dead too. Now… I can be with you forever.” Mom’s face pressed against the cold tombstone steps. She seemed to use all her strength, crying out loud. “Lily, my precious daughter, Mom misses you so much!” “It’s all Mom’s fault for not protecting you, letting that evil spirit harm you!” “If only that troublemaker had died instead!” Dad stood beside her, silently looking at Lily’s photo, his eyes slightly red. He rarely showed emotion, but I knew he missed Lily too. I floated to Mom’s side, watching her shoulders tremble violently. My heart ached as if a large hand was squeezing it tight. I reached out my transparent hand, wanting to wipe away her tears, but I couldn’t touch her. Mom, please don’t cry. Chloe knows she made a mistake. I’ll never fly a kite again. Look, I’m very good now. I’ll never… make you angry again. Back home, Mom sat on the couch, hugging Lily’s photo frame, her beautiful eyes red and swollen. Dad poured her a cup of hot water. He looked at my still-empty room, his brows slightly furrowed. “The rain was so heavy last night. I wonder where she’s hiding.” Mom excitedly interrupted him, clutching the photo frame even tighter. “Why worry about her? She’s just hiding on purpose to make us worry!” “She’s always known how to play the victim since she was little. She’s not even worth a single strand of Lily’s hair!” Dad opened his mouth but finally stayed silent. Maybe he was just a little worried about me. When Lily first passed away, Mom would have an emotional breakdown whenever she saw me, demanding that I pay for Lily’s life. Back then, Dad would still shield me, gently and rationally telling Mom. “Chloe is just a child, she didn’t know this would happen.” As Mom’s depression worsened and her outbursts became more frequent, Dad gradually stopped defending me or speaking up for me. Sometimes he would even join Mom in blaming me. But I knew it wasn’t Mom and Dad’s fault, because I also felt it was all my fault. Another day passed. Mom was wiping Lily’s photo frame when she suddenly scoffed. “Chloe is really determined to go against us.” Dad agreed without hesitation. “Yeah, she’s getting more and more disobedient. She’ll come back after missing a couple of meals.” They were convinced that I was being willful and throwing a tantrum. But how I wished I could tell them. I wasn’t willful, and I wasn’t throwing a tantrum. I just couldn’t come back. My body was still on that cold hillside, with that hard rock, slowly decaying, turning into trash.

Evening fell. I still wasn’t home. My parents sat in the living room. They were braced for a dirty, trembling figure begging at the door. But she never showed up. Dad went to the balcony to call a friend from the village. I drifted behind him, a silent ghost. His friend’s voice came through, earnest and clear. He’d asked around, but no one had seen any child enter the village in the last two days.. When he hung up and walked back inside, Mom hadn’t moved from the couch. Her face was the colour of ash. “Well?” Dad lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled gray smoke rings. “No one’s seen her.” Mom crossed her arms, fuming. “Good for Chloe! She’s got nerve now! Does she want to drive us all crazy before she’s satisfied?!” Dad let out an almost imperceptible sigh and flicked his cigarette ash. “It’s probably like last time, she’s afraid you’ll scold her, so she’s hiding at a friend’s house.” Last time, Mom also abandoned me in the suburbs to fly a kite. Coincidentally, my friend’s dad brought her to fish. On their way back, they gave me a ride home. Because it was so late, I stayed at my friend’s house overnight. The next day, when I came home, I was met with Mom’s fierce wrath. “Now you’ve started staying out all night? So shameless at such a young age!” She made me kneel all night until Dad returned from his business trip. My knees were so swollen I couldn’t stand. Mom’s voice suddenly rose, sharp and grating, after hearing Dad’s words. “Afraid I’ll scold her? Was I wrong to scold her?! She deserves it!” “If it weren’t for her, Lily wouldn’t be dead? How else would our family have ended up like this?!” Dad remained silent, just holding Mom’s hand, caressing it to comfort her. I floated in the air, softly saying. “Mom, I’m sorry.” “Chloe wants to come home too. Will you come look for me at the hillside where I flew the kite, please?” “Bring Chloe home.” But they couldn’t hear me. Mom finally gritted her teeth and made her decision. “Since she’s so rebellious, let’s just ignore her!” “I’d like to see how long this brat can fight against us!” Dad nodded softly. Once again, they reached a consensus to ignore me. Another two days passed. Spring break had ended, and I still hadn’t returned. The house was eerily quiet. Mom never mentioned me. Dad looked at the newspaper but hadn’t turned a page in a long time. Just then, Dad’s phone rang. It was Ms. Davies, my teacher. He put the phone on speaker and set it on the table. “Mr. Miller, Chloe wasn’t in school today. Is everything all right?” Dad opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Mom snatched the phone, her tone flat. “Chloe decided to play hooky. Thank you for your concern.” Ms. Davies was silent for a moment, then instinctively defended me. “Chloe has always been a model student, she’s never-” Ms. Davies. ” Mom’s voice cut across hers, sharp with the venom of long-held grievance. “You’ve been taken in. Chloe is a manipulator.” “She’s never given me a moment of peace since she was little. She’s spoiled and selfish. And she killed my Lily!” “My sweet, perfect Lily is dead because of her.” Ms. Davies sighed. “I heard about what happened with Lily. It was just an accident.” “She was the one who pulled Chloe to fly the kite. No one can predict the weather, so it really wasn’t Chloe’s fault.” Hearing Ms. Davies’ words, I was stunned. So it was Lily who had asked me to go. My blurry memories suddenly became clear. Back then, school had assigned us a kite-making project. Lily burst into my room, her face alight, clutching the butterfly kite she’d painted herself. Mom stood in the doorway, watching us with a soft smile. Later on the hill, Mom got a call, and after reminding Lily to look after me, she left. So, when the storm came, Lily held me tightly in her arms. But the kite string wrapped around her own neck… My mother’s voice, raw and vicious, shattered the memory.Her face was twisted with rage. “Chloe is my daughter. You think you know her? My Lily was an angel. Only Chloe would be so reckless!” “So reckless that she’s been gone for seven days!” Ms. Davies was astonished. “Victoria, your daughter hasn’t been home for seven days, and you’re not worried?” Mom snorted. “What’s there to worry about? She just doesn’t want to come back to school. It’d be best if she died out there!” On the other end of the phone, Ms. Davies was silent for a moment, then her voice, barely containing her anger, said. “Your child hasn’t been home for seven days, and you haven’t even looked for her? What kind of parents are you?” “If Chloe isn’t back in school tomorrow, I will report it to the school and call the police.” With that, she hung up. Mom and Dad stared at each other, disbelieving. “She’s just a pathetic teacher! Who does she think she’s scaring?” Dad thought for a moment, then still pulled the grumbling Mom and drove to the suburbs. The setting sun cast its last golden rays on that familiar hillside. And my body was still there, waiting.

Dad walked up the hillside, calling my name loudly. “Chloe!” “Stop hiding! Come home with Mom and Dad! We won’t be angry with you!” Mom also yelled. “Chloe! Enough of your games! Get out here this instant!” “If you don’t show yourself, I swear I will cut you out of this family for good!” Their shouts echoed hollowly in the valley, but there was no response. Mom, Dad…I’m right here. I can’t come out. Please don’t cast me out… Dad looked down and saw the kite spool lying on the ground again. He frowned, a vague sense of annoyance making him kick it away, muttering. “Always playing around! Never gives us a moment’s peace!” Mom wasn’t feeling well, so Dad let her rest where she was and went to search the hillside himself. He suddenly stopped, sniffing hard. A faint, indescribable smell of decay, carried by the wind, wafted intermittently up from below the hillside. He instinctively pinched his nose, a look of disgust on his face, and mumbled. “These villagers have no manners, throwing whatever dead things down the slope. It stinks!” He was hesitating whether to brave the stench and search down the slope. Just then, Mom screamed from behind him. Dad looked back, anxiously asking. “Victoria, what’s wrong?” Mom’s voice came from up the slope, laced with her usual impatience. “Did you find her? Where is she hiding and playing dead? I got bitten by ants!” “Does she really expect us to get on our knees and beg her before she’ll come back?!” Dad looked at the steep slope, smelled the unpleasant odor, and finally backed down. He turned to Mom, his face a mask of guilt. “No, I’ve looked everywhere. She’s probably not here.” “She might really have gone to a friend’s or relative’s house. Let’s go back and call around.” He turned, quickly pulled Mom to the car, and they left. Another day passed. I had been dead for over a week. The house was eerily quiet, the air seemingly frozen. Dad didn’t go to work. He sat on the couch, staring out the window, unconsciously fiddling with the remote control. Ms. Davies sent my parents the class yearbook she had made. Mom picked up her phone, opened the yearbook, and aimlessly scrolled through it. Finally, her finger stopped on a photo. It was a picture she had casually taken of me that day she left me in the suburbs. In the photo, I was holding the kite, a hopeful, pleading smile on my face. After a moment of silence, she slammed the phone onto the table. “How can this brat be so cruel?!” “She’s the one who killed my Lily, and now she’s throwing a tantrum and disappearing?” “Does she want to push me to jump off a building before she’s satisfied?!” Dad tried to say something, but his phone rang at that exact moment. He picked it up, annoyed, but then saw an unfamiliar local number and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. Dad turned to Mon. “Maybe it’s Chloe, calling from another phone!” Mom snorted. “Well, answer it! I want to hear how Chloe begs for forgiveness!” His hand trembled as he fumbled for the answer button. The voice that came through was calm, measured, professional. “Hello, is this David Miller, Chloe’s father?” “Yes, speaking.” Dad quickly replied. “Sir, this is the police. We’ve recovered the body of a young girl in the southern outskirts, near Everbrook Village.” “Based on our preliminary examination and identification, we have confirmed the deceased is your daughter, Chloe Miller.”

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I deliberately smashed the mall’s glass entrance and surrendered myself to the police. My husband, Ryan, rushed over, furious, demanding, “It was something we could have settled with money, so why on earth did you turn yourself in?” Because in my previous life, after his ex-girlfriend, Chloe, failed her business venture, she came crawling back to him. Chloe drove, staged a car accident, killed someone, and framed me for it—all to seize our millions. Later, the victim’s family and reporters furiously descended on me, absolutely convinced I was the culprit. I tried desperately to prove my innocence, but every video evidence they found showed my face. Ryan, my husband, was the first to insist I’d done it out of spite, an act of revenge against society. I was stabbed to death on the spot by the victim’s family. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day Chloe staged the accident. “Maya, why send yourself to jail for something we could just pay our way out of? Are you out of your mind?” My husband, Ryan, rushed over, his voice sharp with anger as he yelled at me. I simply raised my hands. The officer beside me already clicked the handcuffs onto my wrists. “Ryan, when you do something wrong, you have to own it. I made a mistake, and I scared people.” “I think it’s important for me to go to the station and seriously reflect on what I’ve done.” Ryan immediately pulled out a thick wad of cash. “We have money, plenty of it! Don’t arrest my wife!” The officer shot Ryan an annoyed look. “Sir, a mistake needs to be addressed!” “Take her in!” Ryan trembled with rage. No matter how much he pleaded, I insisted I needed to reflect. Thanks to my cooperative attitude, I was sentenced to just a week at the police station for reflection. Even though for those seven days, my freedom was restricted to the station, I felt an unprecedented sense of peace. This time, I couldn’t possibly get tangled in those same old troubles, right? In my previous life, my husband had an ex-girlfriend, Chloe. After she arrived in the city, it was like she’d completely stolen Ryan’s heart. He barely spent a night at home. “If you go looking for Chloe again, we’re getting a divorce!” After a massive fight, Ryan stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t come back all night. I knew he had gone to see his ex, Chloe, again. The next day, Chloe, my husband’s ex-girlfriend, caused a hit-and-run, resulting in a death. The circumstances were horrific. She had struck and killed a pregnant woman, eight months along! I urged Chloe to surrender quickly and offer generous compensation, to meet any demands the victim’s family might have. But Chloe just sneered, “Who said I hit her? Didn’t you hit her?” I wanted to prove my innocence, but whether it was the dashcam footage or street surveillance, it was my face. I had no defense. Ryan even claimed I’d had a vengeful breakdown due to our rocky marriage and lashed out at society. Reporters, swarming the scene, twisted the narrative, painting me as a ruthless killer. I tried desperately to explain, but when the victim’s family found me, they rushed forward and stabbed me. I collapsed in a pool of blood, utterly bewildered. Why was Chloe’s deed being pinned on me? Confused but determined not to repeat my past life’s tragic end, I deliberately got myself locked up at the police station.

A week later, I was released from the station. I stepped out into the bright morning sun, taking a deep, cleansing breath. This time, I’d spent the entire week locked up. There was no way the events of my past life could have happened, right? But just as I walked out, someone grabbed my arm, their eyes bloodshot, and started screaming. “This monster! She deliberately ran over my pregnant daughter!” A swarm of reporters was already waiting outside the station. They shoved microphones into my face, one after another. “Maya, you murderer! Are you here at the station to turn yourself in?” The photographers accompanying them aimed their cameras at me, the flashing lights making it hard to keep my eyes open. Passersby, drawn by the commotion, stopped. When they recognized me, they started pointing and whispering. “Look, isn’t that Maya, the woman who ran over a pregnant woman and then fled?” “She’s a menace to society! Two lives lost! She should be put down!” I looked at the aggressive crowd, my brow furrowed. What was going on? I’d been inside the station for the past seven days! “You’re wrong! How could I possibly drive a car and hit a pregnant woman?” The victim’s relative, still gripping my arm, became even more agitated. If I hadn’t been stronger, his fist would have landed on my face. One reporter shoved his phone right in front of me. I stared at the video on the screen, my eyes wide with horror. The dashcam footage showed me behind the wheel, a twisted smile plastered on my face, aiming straight for the pregnant woman on the sidewalk, and slamming the accelerator. It was my face in the video, laughing hysterically as I hit the pregnant woman! A sickeningly cheerful voice, unmistakably mine, echoed, “Oops, my bad!” “Who told you to be so unlucky?” Then, my husband, Ryan, appeared. He yanked me out of the driver’s seat. “Maya, what in God’s name are you doing? How could you do something so stupid and hateful?” In the video, I violently pushed Ryan away, then drove off, and the dashcam footage ended there. My face turned ashen. This was exactly how it happened in my previous life! But I’d spent seven days locked up in the police station. How could this still be happening? “Still trying to explain? Isn’t this explanation enough?!” The victim’s relative, his veins throbbing on his forehead, was regaining strength. My arm began to tremble. The eyes of the surrounding onlookers burned with fury. “It’s confirmed! It’s this monster! There’s no mistake!” “Hitting an eight-month pregnant woman with a car? Is she even human?” “I saw it! She hit her once, then drove over her multiple times!” “Oh my God, that poor woman might have survived even after a miscarriage, but this monster ran her over so many times she died on the spot! She deserves to die!” Sweat beaded on my forehead. I rushed to explain, “I’ve been in the police station for seven days! How could I have done something like this?” The victim’s relative lunged, almost head-butting me. “The person in this video is you! If it’s not you, then who is it?” My forehead ached. I quickly continued, “Chloe did it! She’s my husband’s ex-girlfriend! She’s the one who killed the pregnant woman…” “Maya, that’s enough! Do you think hiding in the police station makes you innocent?” My husband, Ryan, had reached me and was shouting fiercely. My eyes widened, and a sudden sharp pain shot through my waist! It was Chloe, Ryan’s ex-girlfriend, who had just kicked me. “Maya, how long are you going to keep denying it?”

“It wasn’t me! Why should I confess?” I yelled, gritting my teeth against the pain. Ryan, my own husband, slapped me across the face. “Maya, what has gotten into you?” “When you do something wrong, you admit it! Do you think you’re still some childish brat?” I suppressed my rage and continued to explain, “I told you it wasn’t me! You’re trying so hard to frame me, you two must have something to hide, don’t you?” Chloe feigned another kick, aiming viciously at my waist. “Maya, with all the evidence against you, you’re still trying to argue!” “People like you don’t deserve the protection of the law. You should be executed on the spot!” The other reporters immediately turned most of their cameras towards Chloe. Chloe’s words clearly resonated with them. Someone like me, who would seek revenge on society and kill a pregnant woman, shouldn’t be subject to legal proceedings; I should be executed immediately! The crowd around us grew increasingly incensed. “I say we execute this menace right here, right now!” “If she’s just sentenced, it’ll probably be life in prison! That’s two lives! How can she get off so lightly?” Just then, another man with bloodshot eyes approached from a distance, clutching a small knife. The surrounding citizens and reporters flinched when they saw the knife, quickly backing away from the man. “Maya, you deserve to die! Give me back my wife! Give me back my child!” With that, he raised the knife, aiming for my chest. This man was David, the pregnant woman’s husband. His long-awaited baby was about to be born, and now both his child and his beloved wife were dead because of me. He had only one thought: a life for a life. He absolutely would not let me live. I was pinned to the spot, cold sweat beading on my temples. Reborn, was I still unable to change my tragic fate? I strained with all my might, almost giving up. Just then, a police baton whipped out swiftly, and a young officer knocked the knife from David’s hand. “What do you think you’re doing? Back away!” My husband, Ryan, and his ex, Chloe, both took a step back. But the victim’s family members instantly lunged and tackled me to the ground. “Officer, help me!” Ryan sighed dramatically. “Maya, the police are here now. Just confess.” Chloe shouted from behind, “The police are here to arrest you! Are you still going to deny it?” The officer frowned. “What’s going on, Maya? You just got out a little while ago. Are you causing trouble again?” “It’s her! She’s the murderer who hit and killed my wife yesterday! Two lives gone! Please, give me justice!” At that moment, David, the pregnant woman’s husband, suddenly screamed hysterically. “That’s right! She’s monstrous! We demand she be shot!” Others chimed in, but the police looked confused. “Yesterday? Maya has been in our station for the past seven days, hasn’t she?” “What? How could she be at the station?!” Chloe sensed something was wrong. She quickly ducked into the crowd, her voice shrill. “Officer, are you trying to protect this murderer?” Ryan also reacted. “Exactly! I’m her husband, and I can testify that Maya did this!” With everyone chiming in, all the cameras and microphones were shoved in front of the officer who had just intervened. The duty officer, seeing the commotion, couldn’t help but frown and take a step back. My husband, Ryan, continued to shriek, “Officer, you haven’t been bribed by Maya, have you?” “Maya always throws her money around to get what she wants! Are you going to ignore the law’s justice too?!” His outburst further inflamed the crowd’s emotions. The two victim’s family members pressed down on me even harder, as if they wanted to tear me limb from limb. The officer’s face darkened. “Don’t talk nonsense! We uphold the law fairly! If you don’t believe me, you can check the station’s records!” He moved to have someone retrieve the records. Seeing the crowd’s agitation waver, Ryan and Chloe exchanged a glance. Ryan suddenly shouted, “We have more evidence!” My heart sank. Ryan glared at me viciously. “Maya, do you think bribing the police means we’re helpless against you? Take a good look. Who is this?” Ryan stepped aside, and an old man, trembling, walked out from behind him. He came before me and, with a look of righteous indignation, pointed at me. “It was her! She was the monstrous one who killed them!” My gaze sharpened. I stared at the man in disbelief! “Dad?”

I stared at my father in utter disbelief, my whole body trembling slightly, my breathing growing shallow. How could this be? Why would my dad point the finger at me? Did he really see it? But I’d been at the police station, doing nothing! No, absolutely not! What in the world was going on?! At that moment, the crowd erupted again. “Is that Maya’s father?” “Even her own father is pointing her out! It must be her! You monster, what else do you have to say for yourself?” Many passersby also joined the furious chorus. “Maya, stop pretending! You’re cold-hearted, manipulative, and fake! How long are you going to keep up this act?” Ryan yelled. I shouted back, fighting for breath, “It wasn’t me! Why should I confess to something I didn’t do?” A thought suddenly struck me. “Right! I’ve been at the police station these past few days! I demand they check the surveillance footage to prove my innocence!” I looked at the officer behind me; he seemed stunned. It was true I’d been locked up for days, but these people were so absolutely convinced it was me. Not only did they have video evidence, but now my own father was testifying against me. Seeing the crowd swell, the officer quickly made a call. “I’ve sent a colleague to retrieve the video! Everyone, calm down!” The officer pacified the crowd, and soon a duty officer brought up the surveillance footage from the duty room. If the previous video could be faked, the police station’s cameras could not. I glanced at Ryan and Chloe. I’d intentionally kept myself locked up for days, waiting for this very moment. I wanted to see what other excuses they could possibly have. At this, a flicker of guilt crossed Ryan’s eyes. Chloe, who had been loudly screaming just moments ago, also frowned deeply. The duty officer inserted the video and began to fast-forward. In the video, I was indeed calmly sitting in the police station. “Ryan, what do you have to say now?!” I demanded loudly. Ryan couldn’t retort. However, Chloe, staring at the video, suddenly yelled, “Wait a minute!” She pointed at a specific segment of the video. “Look! Isn’t that Maya walking out of the police station?” The blurry video only showed a figure in a yellow coat passing by. I had been wearing that same coat when I entered the station. I froze! Seeing this, Ryan’s expression turned triumphant, and he quickly spoke up. “Maya, you dare to say that’s not you?! Ah, you! You bribed the police, didn’t you?! You snuck out, committed the crime, and then came back!” At his words, the crowd immediately started questioning the duty officer. “What’s going on? You said you weren’t protecting Maya! Then who is that person?” The duty officer also looked stunned. They all remembered me wearing a yellow trench coat when I came in. I had specifically chosen that coat to make myself memorable. I stared at the video footage, my scalp prickling, a wave of icy dread washing over me from my feet to the top of my head. “That’s definitely not me! I’ve been inside the police station for the entire seven days!” Ryan, my husband, secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to fan the flames. “Maya, you’re a menace to society! You shouldn’t even exist! You committed such a heinous crime, and you’re still so arrogant.” Chloe, my husband’s ex-girlfriend, continued to shriek. Spurred on by the commotion, one of the victim’s family members quietly picked up the knife that had fallen to the ground. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on me. The moment the officers showed any slack, he would charge forward and stab me to death. “Oh my god, it really is this damn monster! What’s this villain even arguing about?” “Maya must have bribed an officer, who quietly let her out for half a day, and then she returned to the station.” The two victim’s family members were thoroughly enraged. “You monster! Give me back my wife’s life!” They pushed past the officers protecting me, rushing forward, intent on making me pay for blood with blood. My heart pounded in panic. There was nowhere to hide! Just then, a voice finally rang out from behind me. “Everyone stop! I can prove Maya is innocent!” Hearing those words, I finally let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. I knew it. The person I was waiting for had arrived!

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I’ve always had a terrible sense of direction, constantly getting lost since I was little. The worst time was when I was eight; I almost got kidnapped by traffickers. So, Leo, my brother, gave me a GPS watch and taught me how to use it again and again. “Just follow the GPS, and you’ll find your way home, got it?” I nodded hard, and from then on, the watch never left my wrist. But soon after, Mom’s biological daughter was found, and my family changed completely towards me. Even if I didn’t come home for a whole night, they wouldn’t worry anymore. It was New Year’s again, and Leo, completely out of character, took me on a trip. He spent over ten days playing with me. The last stop was a remote village. He asked for my watch and tinkered with it for ages. The next day, I couldn’t reach him at all. Looking at the strange location on my watch, I suddenly understood everything. When I was leaving, a villager wondered, “You’re leaving too? Where are you going?” I just smiled at him. “Home.”

I died on New Year’s Day. My soul floated out of my body and drifted back home. Finally, I understood why Leo had suddenly wanted to take me on that trip. It turned out the “real” daughter, Chloe, wanted to celebrate New Year’s without me. The dinner table was filled with laughter and warmth; Chloe was the happiest. “With her gone, the food tastes so much better!” Mom and Dad looked embarrassed, and Leo frowned slightly. “Why don’t you like Stella? She never bothered you, and she’s always been so considerate.” Chloe’s eyes flashed with annoyance, and she raised an eyebrow, retorting: “Why do I need a reason? Do I have to be bullied to dislike someone?” Leo fell silent. Ever since Chloe was found, she’d been diagnosed with depression. At home, she was the princess, her word was law. The slightest inconvenience, and she’d threaten to kill herself. No one dared cross her. When I was alive, I even walked around her. “What, you all miss her, huh?” Seeing no one speak, Chloe threw down her forks. “I just don’t get it. I’m your real daughter! What’s so great about that fake anyway?” The atmosphere at home instantly grew heavy. Mom quickly grabbed Chloe’s hand, gently soothing her: “Chloe, don’t be upset. We don’t like her. It’s just… we’re a little unaccustomed.” “If you even mention her again, I’m running away!” Chloe’s face completely darkened. She yanked her hand away from Mom. “If you miss her so much, then just bring her back!” “We’re not…” “I just wanted to celebrate New Year’s without her! What’s so wrong with that?!” Mom’s comforting words were cut short as Chloe’s emotions flared. “I’m the victim here! She grew up in this family, enjoying everything that should have been mine. I just hate her!” “I’m begging you, just leave her alone! I’m seriously going to break!” Saying this, she covered her face, tears instantly flowing. Mom and Dad’s faces went pale with worry, trying desperately to comfort her. Only Leo frowned. “For you, I changed Stella’s GPS watch location.” “If she gets lost and something happens, we’re all responsible.” Mom shot Leo an angry glare, signaling him to stop talking. Chloe took her hands from her face, her chin jutted out, demanding: “What could possibly happen to a grown person? Is she going to die or something?” Her emotions were clearly spiraling out of control. Leo stared at her, his face grim, for a long moment, then finally sighed. “Let’s just leave it for now. After New Year’s, I’ll go pick her up myself.” Chloe immediately broke into a satisfied smile. And I, floating in the air, let out a bitter laugh. Chloe’s words were prophetic. I really was dead.

Leo forgot that I was twenty-two now, not an eight-year-old child anymore. I could read electronic devices, use navigation. So even without the watch, my soul could find its way home accurately. The reason I didn’t come back, why I stupidly followed the modified location, was because I understood: I was superfluous in this family. Leo was a terrible actor. When I got lost as a child and was finally found, he would scold me with a stern face, but his voice was full of worry and concern. It was the same now. Two days ago, I asked him what was so fun about the small mountain village, and why we weren’t going home since New Year’s was approaching. He smiled at me, but his eyes were full of guilt. “No rush to go home. I finally have time to spend with you, let’s enjoy a few more days.” I sensed something was off then, but I didn’t say anything. Until he asked for my watch, saying he wanted to take a picture so he could buy one for Chloe too. I took off the watch and handed it to him. His fingers trembled as he tinkered with it. Even after he put the watch back on my wrist, his grim expression didn’t improve one bit. I smiled and asked, “Leo, this watch is so old-school. You should just get Chloe a new one, or she’ll be upset.” Leo couldn’t even look me in the eye. “It’s fine, we’ll just get this one.” I became even more certain he was hiding something. That night, I took off the watch and inspected it carefully. Sure enough, I found the location had been changed. Though on the surface, the address still looked like our home in the city, if you clicked on it and did a quick hack, you’d find the GPS was set to a forest outside Oakwood Village. Leo probably just picked a random spot, not realizing it was a forest. My heart plummeted to hell in that instant. But I didn’t go to him, and I didn’t ask. Because I knew he was in a difficult position too. Chloe always found me unbearable, and with her ‘depression,’ she’d threaten to kill herself at the drop of a hat. He’d been torn between me and his biological sister for nearly ten years; it hadn’t been easy for him either. The next morning, Leo didn’t come to knock on my door as usual. I knew he had probably gone home. So I went out too, following the location on my watch. On the way, a villager recognized me: “Aren’t you from the city, here on vacation? Your brother left early this morning. Are you leaving too? Where are you headed?” I swallowed the bitter pill in my heart, forcing a smile. “Home.” The villager frowned. “The road to town isn’t this way. Don’t go any further, there are wolves, snakes, and traps in that forest.” I smiled and said, “It’s okay, I’ll be careful.” Even if it was hell, if Leo wanted me to go, I would. The villager gave up and went home. I had planned to leave the watch at the designated spot so Leo wouldn’t worry, and then leave the forest to find somewhere else to live. Who knew I hadn’t walked more than a few steps before I fell into a trap. There was no cell signal, and I couldn’t call for help. I fell into despair, completely helpless. Even worse, there was a poisonous snake in the pit. That night, I was bitten and died. … “Stella’s watch signal is gone!” Leo’s frantic voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He was staring at his phone, face grim, then he got up to get dressed. “Stella won’t be in trouble, will she? No, I have to go find her!”

“Maybe she just turned off the watch herself, why are you so anxious?” Chloe grabbed Leo, “You can’t leave! It’s New Year’s, and you promised to spend it with me!” Leo helplessly patted her head. “Chloe, behave. I’ll just go check on her. If she’s not in any danger, I’ll be right back.” “I’ll send someone to look.” Chloe insisted, “You have to stay home with me today!” Leo furrowed his brow, about to say something else. Chloe suddenly grabbed a fruit knife from the table and held it to her throat. “If you dare walk out that door today, I swear I’ll kill myself right here!” Mom and Dad screamed, and Leo gasped in horror, quickly raising his hands to placate her. “Okay, okay, I won’t go! Just put the knife down!” A flicker of triumph crossed Chloe’s eyes. She tossed the knife aside. “It’s just finding someone, right? It doesn’t have to be you. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” Leo bent down, shaken, picked up the knife, and returned it to the kitchen. “Don’t grab knives like that all the time. What if you get hurt?” Watching his worried expression, a dull ache spread through my chest. When I was little, if I didn’t come home for more than two hours, he would panic. Back then, he was the same way, scolding me verbally, but his face was full of worry. “Do you know how long I looked for you? Who told you to run off? What if something happened?” But ever since Chloe came back, I became invisible. Even if I deliberately didn’t come home for a whole night, no one cared. When I was a teenager, I couldn’t understand and once asked Leo, my eyes red, why he didn’t look for me. He shook his head, amused. “Stella, didn’t you have your GPS watch?” “I told you, that was the way home. You could find your way back yourself.” Years later, that sentence still echoed in my mind. What I couldn’t understand before, I understood perfectly now. The way home? From the moment Chloe returned, I had no home anymore. The next day at noon, Chloe showed Leo a video. The video showed my back, happily picking mushrooms. Chloe’s assistant asked, “Stella, do you want to come home?” I didn’t even turn around, impatiently saying, “Tell Mom and Dad I’m doing great here, and I’m never coming back.” The assistant asked again, “Where’s your watch?” My tone was flat, “It’s off.” The video was clearly doctored, but Leo didn’t notice. He didn’t care what I said; instead, he sighed in relief, smiling. “It’s good that Stella’s okay. Looks like she’s quite used to living there.” “I’ll go pick her up after New Year’s.” Chloe was furious. “Didn’t you hear her say she doesn’t want to come back?” Leo didn’t care. “It’s just a phase. Nowhere’s better than home. She’ll get tired of it after New Year’s.” Saying this, he didn’t forget to add, “Tell your assistant to leave Stella some extra cash, so she doesn’t run out.” He said this and then left for work, completely missing the fierce jealousy in Chloe’s eyes. The door clicked shut, and Chloe immediately called her assistant. “Bury Stella’s body somewhere, anywhere. Even dead, she’s still got Leo wrapped around her finger. What a bitch!” The assistant, who had never done anything like this, his voice trembling, “What if they find out…?” “What are you scared of? You didn’t kill her. Burying her is practically doing a good deed!” Saying this, she remembered something else, and a strange, chilling smile played on her lips. “Oh, and get her phone back for me.” “Leo will definitely text her. If no one replies, he’ll get suspicious.”

Just like that, after New Year’s, Chloe didn’t act up for several days. Mom and Dad were happy. When they occasionally talked about me, the topic was often: “If we’d known Chloe would be normal once Stella left, we should have sent her away sooner.” In the whole family, only Leo still thought of me. He often sent me messages on SnapChat, asking if I’d eaten, slept, or if I was having a good time. But “I” replied very coolly, usually no more than three words. Leo thought I was just having too much fun and didn’t think much of it. Until the week before New Year’s Eve, Chloe threw out all my belongings and turned my room into a dog’s room. Leo came home from work and saw workers dismantling my bed and nailing dog toys to the walls. His face instantly darkened, his voice icy. “Who told you to do this?!” The workers jumped in fright. Chloe spoke from behind him. “I did. Stella isn’t coming back anyway, so there’s no point in keeping this room.” When Leo turned around, his eyes flashed with strong displeasure. “I said I was going to pick Stella up after New Year’s. How could you just take matters into your own hands and turn her room into a…” “Took matters into my own hands?” Chloe’s voice rose several octaves. “What? Isn’t this my house? Just because I’m redecorating, I’m ‘taking matters into my own hands’?” Leo was barely restraining his fury. “At least tell me! There are no empty rooms left. Where do you expect Stella to stay?” “Stella, Stella! Is Stella the only one you care about?!” Chloe’s chest heaved with rage, her emotions instantly collapsing. “I’m your real sister! Do I even exist to you?!” “What’s all this commotion?” Mom and Dad, hearing the commotion, rushed out. Seeing the tension between Chloe and Leo, they started sweating with anxiety. Chloe grabbed her hair, screaming wildly. “I told you I don’t like her! Why do you keep bringing her up in front of me?!” “Do you want to drive me to my death to be happy? Huh? You’d be thrilled if I died right now, wouldn’t you?!” Mom’s face went white with fear. She quickly grabbed Chloe’s hand and snapped at Leo. “What did you say now?!” Leo was exhausted and helpless, his voice hoarse. “She turned Stella’s room into a dog’s room, and I just said…” “Can’t you just make things easy for me?!” Before Leo could finish, Mom roared. “Stella has sent you so many messages saying she’s not coming back, can’t you understand?! For a room, you’re upsetting Chloe like this. What kind of brother are you?!” Leo froze, slowly pressed his lips together, and remained silent. And Chloe, as if she’d caught a trigger word, shook off Mom’s hand and lunged towards the wall. “I don’t want to live! Let me die! He’ll be happy if I die, won’t he?!” Mom was thrown to the ground. Luckily, Dad reacted quickly and grabbed Chloe. The house was in chaos. The workers didn’t know whether to continue or stop, standing awkwardly with their tools. Chloe was crying hysterically, constantly shouting that she wanted to die, to be free. Mom suddenly stood up from the floor, rushed to Leo, and slapped him twice! Leo’s head snapped to the side, his fair face rapidly swelling and turning red. I gasped, covering my mouth, unable to believe Mom, who was always so gentle, now glared at him with red eyes and screamed: “I’m warning you, Leo! If you dare mention Stella in this house again, I’ll disown you!” “We weren’t bad to Stella all these years. She said she wasn’t coming home, we didn’t abandon her!” “If anything happens to Chloe because of you and Stella, I’ll haunt both of you even after I’m dead!” Those words were too harsh. Leo’s eyelashes trembled slightly, his eyes slowly turning red. His jawline tightened, and after a long moment, he spoke with a hint of sarcasm. “Fine, I’ll never mention Stella’s name in this house again.” Saying this, he turned and walked into his bedroom, slamming his door shut. Dad and Mom were busy comforting Chloe, completely missing that Leo’s mood was off too. I floated into his bedroom, just in time to see him pull out his phone and text me. “Stella, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.” His eyes were bloodshot, as if about to bleed. Growing up, I’d never seen him look so utterly broken. But the reply was ruthless: [No need. I’m not coming back. I have a new brother now.] Leo’s pupils constricted, and he completely panicked. [What about the watch I gave you? You promised you’d always wear it!] If the watch was on, he could find me by its location. But my reply made him clutch his phone in an instant. [Threw it away. What’s the point of keeping something useless?]

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “312154”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn #魔幻Magic #狼人Werewolf

I let my boyfriend drain my blood to save his dream girl. For seven years, I completed every humiliating request he made, and he still treated me like I was nothing. But I wasn’t here for love. I was here to save my dying husband in another world. Now that I’ve finished the final task, they’re about to learn the price of taking me for granted. When my wealthy boyfriend wanted to drain my blood to save his dream girl’s life, everyone thought I would break up with him. Instead, I voluntarily inserted the needle into my vein and agreed to the full blood transfusion surgery. Those who had been waiting to see me humiliated now looked at me with shock and confusion in their eyes. But after just a brief moment of silence, a burst of laughter erupted in the room. “Evelyn, you’re such a loyal dog! Seven years, and you’re still so obedient to our Adrian.” “Adrian, how do you train her? Teach me too, I want to keep one for fun!” “Nonsense, she’s just a poor girl, what else does she have besides her looks? If she doesn’t lower herself and cling to him, how else could she get close to a rich young master like Adrian?” Suddenly, countless sharp and sarcastic words stabbed at me like blades without mercy. But I endured it all with a blank expression. After all, I had been in this world for exactly seven years and had long since grown accustomed to these rumors and gossip. These people were all Adrian’s fair-weather friends. To please Adrian, they never missed an opportunity to humiliate me over the past seven years, highlighting their pathetic sense of existence. But I didn’t care. My purpose for coming to this world had always been only one thing. That was to cure my husband’s cancer. Back then, he inhaled a large amount of toxic smoke while rescuing me from a fire. In less than a year, his condition deteriorated from diagnosis to late-stage lung cancer. In my despair, it was the system that appeared and told me. As long as I willingly went to another world and fulfilled a thousand of Adrian’s requests, the system could cure my husband’s lung cancer, and I could return to the real world. Seven years had passed, and this was Adrian’s last request. Let alone taking my blood, even if he wanted my life, so what? After all, once the task was completed, this body would disappear anyway. Thinking of this, I looked up at Adrian, expecting him to eagerly take me to the hospital as usual. After all, in his eyes, I had been worth less than a strand of his dream girl Camilla’s hair for all these years. Previously, when Camilla failed to get a job, he demanded that I give up the interview opportunity I had worked hard to get, insisting I give up my spot for her. When Camilla fell ill with a fever, he ordered me to go out and buy medicine at three in the morning during a typhoon. When Camilla got drunk and had a car accident, he didn’t hesitate to cross the line and make me take the blame for Camilla. Each time, I completed his requests without complaint, but in return, I only received his increasingly cold gaze. But this time, Adrian’s pupils trembled slightly, his eyes filled with hesitation. “Evelyn, I’m asking you one last time…” “Are you serious?” Among the crowd, Camilla noticed this and a flash of displeasure crossed her eyes. But she quickly put on a sympathetic expression, pretending to walk forward and hold my hand, her tone full of guilt. “Sister Evelyn, my leukemia has worsened. The doctor said I need a full blood transfusion to survive.” “Now in the whole city, you’re the only one with the matching rare blood type.” “If you really replace all my blood alone, you might be drained dry, and you might even die…” Camilla said halfway through but suddenly raised her head, looking as if she was about to cry. “Ah, it’s bad enough that I’m suffering alone, how could I drag you into this…” As I watched her poor performance, I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. Seven years, and she’s still the same. Playing the victim, seeking sympathy, pushing all responsibility onto others. But anyway, my task was about to be completed, so it didn’t matter what she did. Thinking of this, I just smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, Miss Camilla. I’m volunteering.” “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, and moreover…” “I’ve said it countless times over these seven years, I’ll fulfill whatever Adrian asks.” “This 600cc is enough for you to get through this period, so please accept it with peace of mind.” With that, I handed the blood bag to Adrian with blood on the corner of my mouth. After all, I would soon be able to see my husband again, just thinking about it made me happy. And curing Camilla’s illness meant they could be together properly, it was a win-win situation, no one lost out. But Adrian, who had been so arrogant moments ago, was now stunned for some reason. He stared at me for a long time, as if seeing me for the first time. After a while, he finally took the blood bag, though his voice was suddenly a bit hoarse for some reason. “The surgery is tentatively scheduled for next week…” “Take this money, don’t collapse by then and prevent Camilla from having the surgery.” I looked at the check Adrian handed me, somewhat surprised. In seven years, this was the first time Adrian had offered to compensate me. However, I was about to return to my own world, so this money was completely useless to me. I shook my head, refusing his kindness. “I’m simply fulfilling your wish, I don’t need money.” “Being able to help you is enough for me.” Hearing this, Adrian looked at me in surprise, his eyes full of confusion. I didn’t bother to explain anything, just smiled at him and turned to leave. But perhaps because I had just donated 600cc of blood, I felt a bit dizzy. After walking a few steps, my high-heeled boots slipped on the smooth ice, and my already thin down jacket was torn by pebbles, letting the cold wind constantly blow in. “Pfft—” Seeing my sprained ankle, a burst of laughter immediately erupted around me. “It was just 600cc, look how weak she is, she can’t even walk. It’s hilarious!” “Alright, stop pretending to be fragile in front of our Adrian. You’re just a poor girl who throws herself at him, do you really think you can climb the social ladder with such childish tricks?” “That’s right, she’s just an outsider. Why should Adrian care about her? Adrian, let’s go, I’ve called quite a few beauties for the next party, they’re all waiting to meet you!” Among the crowd, Camilla also secretly gave me a challenging smile, then hooked her arm through Adrian’s and sat in his passenger seat. I didn’t say anything, just silently gritted my teeth and slowly stood up, leaning against the wall. Such humiliation had become commonplace for me over the past seven years. Just as I thought Adrian would leave with Camilla without looking back as he had done before, he suddenly stopped and walked over to me. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke in a low voice. “Never mind, get in the car.” “I’ll have the driver take you back.”

When I heard Adrian tell me to get in the car, I was stunned. In seven years, this was the first time. Before, he was always very harsh with me, looking as if he despised me to the bone. Not only did he never let me touch his car, but he also said that a woman of my class getting into his car would be an embarrassment to him. I remember once when I accidentally steadied myself by touching his car door, he immediately pushed me down, and the next day he even sold the new car he had bought less than three months ago. But now, he was actively telling me to get in the car. For a moment, I really couldn’t react. The people around us were also stunned, including Camilla. Everyone’s eyes were focused on Adrian, their gazes full of surprise. It wasn’t until this moment that Adrian seemed to belatedly realize his own slip, a flash of panic unlike his usual self crossing his eyes, but he quickly returned to his usual indifferent demeanor. “She’s the only one in the city with the rare blood type. I just thought that if it gets dark and the roads are slippery, it would be a waste of all that rare blood if she froze to death outside.” “For Camilla’s safety, I have to ensure this blood bag doesn’t have any accidents.” This reason, I had already guessed in my heart earlier. Hearing him say this, I didn’t feel much turmoil in my heart. After all, Adrian being madly in love with Camilla was something everyone knew. Once when Camilla made a mistake at work and was just scolded by her supervisor, Adrian directly brought down that company. He even used his family connections to blacklist that supervisor, completely ruining his career. Now, for Camilla’s safety, he reluctantly let me get in the car once, which was normal. However, I get carsick anyway, so I still declined his kindness. “No need, I’ll just walk back.” Adrian’s face immediately turned cold. “Suit yourself.” With that, he got in the car and left without looking back. Immediately, a burst of mocking laughter erupted around me. “Adrian just took pity on you for a moment, and you’re getting cocky? Did you really think anyone could get in Adrian’s car?” “With such poor judgment, no wonder Adrian hasn’t even bothered to look at you properly in seven years.” Camilla even gave me a smug smile from the car. But I just wrapped my coat tighter and turned to walk towards my home in this world. The night sky in this world was different from my hometown’s. Looking at the unfamiliar starry sky, I couldn’t help but think of my husband. Although the system had temporarily saved his life. But after not seeing each other for seven years, he must be very worried about me now. But fortunately, all this was about to end. Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but smile slightly. But just then, someone suddenly pushed me hard from behind. Caught off guard, I fell directly into the cold lake water. I had just donated 600cc of blood and was already weak, now I felt like my whole body was turning into an ice cube, unable to move. Struggling in the freezing cold water, I saw Camilla standing on the shore, looking at me with a cold smile. “Well, well, if it isn’t our little wife Evelyn? Still alive, are you?” She walked to my hospital bed, looking down at me with contempt in her voice. “I’m surprised you actually signed the surgery consent form. I thought you’d refuse to save my life for the sake of your pathetic self-respect.” “Looks like you do have some self-awareness after all.” “You know that the only use for your worthless life is to save mine.” She paused, her tone becoming even more cutting. “But don’t even think about marrying Adrian.” “Forget about me not agreeing, Adrian’s family would never allow it.” “How could they possibly let someone like you, with such an unclear background, marry into their wealthy family?” With that, Camilla took a bank card out of her pocket and threw it onto my hospital bed. “Take this money after the surgery and get as far away as possible.” “If you ever show up in front of Adrian and me again, you’ll face the consequences.” But I looked at the bank card and just shook my head. I was about to leave this world anyway, what use did I have for money? “I don’t need your money.” Camilla’s face immediately darkened. “You’re asking for trouble!” “Since you care so much about your image in Adrian’s eyes, I’ll make sure you give up completely.” The next moment, she grabbed the bowl of hot medicine Adrian had left on the table and suddenly splashed it on her own face. Then, she covered her face and started screaming loudly, pretending to be in pain. “Ah! It’s so hot!” She moaned in pain while secretly glancing at me from the corner of her eye, her lips curling into a sinister cold smile, but her voice still pretending to be sincere: “Miss Evelyn, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t realize the medicine was so hot.” “But if doing this makes you feel better, I won’t tell Adrian you splashed me.” I saw through Camilla’s poor acting at a glance. It was the same old trick. She had used this method to frame me more than once or twice. Every time, Adrian would punish me without considering the consequences. Sure enough, the next moment Adrian pushed open the door and walked in. He saw this scene, and his face immediately turned ugly. He then quickly walked up to me and raised his hand, about to hit me. But the next moment, his hand suddenly stopped in mid-air, followed by a sigh. “Evelyn, don’t let this happen again.”

Seeing that Adrian didn’t actually hit me, not only was I surprised, but Camilla also looked at Adrian as if she had seen a ghost, her face full of astonishment. “Adrian, she splashed me, why aren’t you doing anything about it?” “Don’t tell me… you’ve actually fallen for this bootlicker?” Adrian sighed helplessly, then held Camilla’s hand tightly. “Camilla, you can act up however you want usually, it doesn’t matter.” “But Evelyn’s safety is very important right now. Without her, your life might not be saved.” “Let’s focus on the big picture, okay?” Hearing this, I was suddenly shocked. So, for these seven years, Adrian had always known that Camilla was doing it on purpose. He just loved her too much, so he knew but didn’t say anything. For a moment, Camilla knew she was in the wrong, her face alternating between shades of green and white. “Evelyn, don’t get cocky. Don’t forget what I said earlier, Adrian will absolutely never marry you!” She glared at me fiercely before storming out, slamming the door behind her. Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Adrian took the initiative to offer to take me back. I nodded, after all, my body was still quite weak. On the way, we passed by a shopping mall. In the window display, a pair of platinum rings shimmered under the lights. The style was exactly the same as the one my husband gave me when he proposed. I couldn’t help but stop, my gaze fixed on that ring. “You like it?” Adrian followed my gaze, his tone indifferent. “Let me make this clear in advance. Although I agreed to marry you, it’s only for Camilla’s surgery.” “Don’t even think about wedding rings and such.” “I only have Camilla in my heart. You’re just a wife in name, don’t fantasize about anything.” But I just smiled faintly. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.” “As long as I can help you fulfill your wish, I’m satisfied.” Hearing this, the smile on Adrian’s face suddenly froze. For the rest of the journey, he didn’t say another word. Until a car at the intersection couldn’t brake in time and suddenly lost control, rushing towards us. Adrian was still looking down, seemingly lost in thought, completely unaware of the approaching danger. My heart suddenly tightened. If he died, what about my task? What about my husband’s illness? Almost instinctively, I suddenly pushed Adrian away. “Evelyn! Are you crazy?” Adrian stumbled from my push, frowning as he looked at me. But the next second, he saw me being hit by the car and lying on the ground covered in blood. His pupils suddenly contracted, his face filled with disbelief. “Evelyn!” He stumbled towards me, his voice trembling. “Why… why did you still save me?” I was in so much pain I could barely speak, but I still managed to force out a smile. “I just… didn’t want to see you die…” Hearing this, the usually cold and arrogant Adrian’s eyes reddened. “Fool, you really are a fool.” “How can there be someone like you in this world?” I looked at him, but just managed a weak smile. He had grown up in a world of intrigue and deception among the wealthy elite, how could he have ever seen pure kindness? In the end, he was also a pitiful person. Just as Adrian was about to call an ambulance, his phone suddenly rang. It was Adrian’s secretary. “Young Master Adrian, it’s terrible! Miss Camilla’s condition has suddenly worsened, she might not make it!” “We need to operate immediately! Please bring Evelyn over for the blood transfusion right away!” Adrian was stunned, looking at me, then at his phone. “But… Evelyn is injured too, she needs treatment now…” On the other end of the phone, the secretary was shocked: “Young Master Adrian, what are you saying?” “Who is Evelyn compared to Miss Camilla’s life?” I looked at Adrian, somewhat surprised. In seven years, this was the first time he had hesitated between me and Camilla. Probably because I had just saved him, and he felt guilty. But I didn’t care. I was happy to have the surgery early and complete the task. I struggled to get up from the ground, a wave of intense pain spreading through my body. “Let’s go.” “Let’s go perform the surgery for Camilla now.” Adrian’s eyes immediately widened. “But… but you’re injured now! If you have surgery recklessly, you could die!” I waved my hand dismissively. “It doesn’t matter.” “Saving someone is the most important thing, isn’t it?” Adrian stared at me blankly, his eyes complex. He probably never imagined that in this situation, I would still be thinking about saving Camilla. He was silent for a moment, and finally said nothing, turning to walk towards the car. On the way, neither of us spoke. It wasn’t until just before entering the operating room that Adrian spoke again. “Evelyn…” “Why… why are you doing this?” But I just smiled. “Of course it’s because you’re very important to me.” Adrian was immediately stunned, a barely noticeable flicker of emotion passing through his eyes. I turned and walked into the operating room. Just before the door closed, Adrian suddenly said softly. “Evelyn.” “You’re not allowed to die…” His voice was very quiet. Although I heard it, I didn’t respond. After all, once this surgery was completed, I would leave this world. Such a promise meant nothing to me. In the operating room, under the cold light. I lay on the operating table, watching my blood slowly flow into Camilla’s body. Camilla’s face gradually regained its rosy color, and her breathing became steady. The doctors all breathed a sigh of relief. I also breathed a sigh of relief, forcing out a weak smile. It’s over. These seven years of strategy were finally over. “Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the task. Your husband’s cancer has been successfully cured, and you will return to the real world soon.” … Meanwhile. Upon learning that the surgery went smoothly, Adrian took a deep breath and walked into my hospital room with an exquisite ring box, clearing his throat: “You worked hard today.” “I don’t like owing people favors. You’ve been eyeing that ring, right? I saw it wasn’t expensive so I bought it on a whim. Try it on.” But there was no response from me on the hospital bed. Adrian called out in confusion. “Evelyn?” “Did you hear what I said…”

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My husband gave another woman my birthday gift. Rachel Quinn posted the robot he and my son built for her, smiling like it belonged to her life. When I liked the post, he exploded, accusing me of starting drama. That was the moment the truth slammed into me: he defended her more fiercely than he ever defended me. Now the betrayal is undeniable—and so is the ending of our marriage. On my birthday, my husband’s childhood friend, Rachel Quinn, posted pictures on social media of the brand-new robot my husband and son had built for her. I casually gave it a thumbs-up. Not long after, my husband called to scold me: “We gave you one too, didn’t we? And Max even made you a cake himself. What else could you possibly want?” But Rachel’s robot was obviously the latest model. Even the cake my son made for her was bigger than mine. When my husband and son got home, the clock had just struck midnight. The untouched cake still sat on the table. The card read: “Happy Birthday, Mom!” “Why didn’t you eat the cake? Were you waiting for us to come home and celebrate?” My husband forced a smile as he and Max lit the candles and sang me a birthday song. But instead of feeling touched, I felt suffocated. I waved them off. “I’m not hungry. You two eat.” My husband’s expression immediately darkened. “I know you’re upset about Rachel. But can’t you understand her situation? She doesn’t have any family here. She had a tough day at work today, so Max and I just went to cheer her up. That’s all. Stop overthinking it.” Max chimed in, “Yeah, Mom. Rachel’s all alone. Can’t you be a little more understanding?” Looking at the father and son tag-teaming me, my heart felt colder than an ice cavern. It was my birthday, yet they left me to comfort someone else. Every time I got angry about how they prioritized Rachel over me, they’d trot out this same excuse. It always made me feel like I was the unreasonable one, like I was the villain. And every time, I’d end up crying alone late at night. But the next day, all it took was a kind word, or a small gift, and I’d forgive them. I’d go right back to being the mom and wife they took for granted. This time, though, I was tired of playing along. “You’re right,” I said calmly. “You should go spend time with her. I’ll celebrate with my friends instead.” I grabbed my purse and headed for the door. The two of them were stunned, frozen in place, clearly not expecting this response. When my husband finally realized I was serious, he quickly rushed over to grab my arm. “You’re forty years old. Can you stop acting like a child? I’m busy with work, and Max is swamped with school. We still made time to celebrate with you, but it’s never enough, is it? We’re exhausted, you know?” Exhausted? I stared at them coldly. They weren’t too tired to build Rachel a cutting-edge robot. They weren’t too tired to bake her a cake the size of a serving platter. But for me? They handed me an outdated model and a cake made from scraps, and that was somehow too much effort. “You’re overthinking it,” I said, voice icy. “I’m not upset. I just want to spend my birthday with my friends for a change. I haven’t done that in years.” “Mom! Enough with the drama!” Max suddenly snapped, slamming his hand down on the table. The cake tipped over, and the candles nearly set the tablecloth on fire. Lately, Max had been under a lot of pressure at school, and his temper was always on edge. Every time he lashed out, I’d patiently comfort him, no matter how much it hurt. But this time, I stayed silent. Seeing my lack of reaction, his anger flared even more. He started punching the furniture, kicking over chairs. “What do you want from us? Why can’t you just leave me and Dad alone? You’ve been emotionally manipulating us for years. Is it not enough? Do you want to drive us insane before you’re satisfied?” Watching him scream and destroy the living room, I felt nothing but a deep, hollow sadness. All these years, I’d poured my heart into this family. And now, on my fortieth birthday, just because I wanted a little bit of extra attention, I was branded a control freak. What a failure I’d become. I laughed bitterly, tears stinging my eyes, as my husband rushed to comfort Max. He turned to me with a grim look, his voice cold. “Look at what you’ve done to him. Do you even deserve to be a mother? If you’re so unhappy, why don’t we just get a divorce?” Every time I argued with him, he’d throw that line at me. And every time, I’d back down out of fear. But this time, I didn’t care anymore. “Fine,” I said. Their shocked faces were the last thing I saw before walking out the door.

Even though it was late, my friends agreed to meet me. We gathered at a food truck, drinking beer and eating greasy snacks. They teased me for disappearing after getting married, saying I’d practically forgotten they existed. The alcohol dulled my brain, and for a moment, it felt like we were back in college, laughing in our dorm room. Looking back, I’d sacrificed so much for my husband and son. And for what? After saying goodbye to my friends, I checked my phone. There were dozens of missed calls and messages, most from my husband. I was about to ignore them when one from Rachel caught my eye: “I’m so sorry, Lauren. There’s nothing going on between me and Tom, I swear. I just had a bad day and needed someone to talk to. I completely forgot it was your birthday. Please forgive me!” The alcohol churned in my stomach. I leaned against a streetlamp and vomited until my throat burned. Finally, I replied: “Don’t worry about it. I don’t care.” She started typing a response, but I didn’t bother waiting for it. When I got home, the house was a disaster zone—worse than when I’d left. I ignored it and headed for the bathroom to wash up. My husband emerged from the bedroom, his face scrunched in irritation. “You’re finally back? And drunk, no less. Clean this place up before you go to bed.” “Whoever made the mess can clean it up.” I flopped onto the couch, exhausted. Something hard jabbed into my hip. It was my husband’s phone, unlocked. On the screen was a chat with Rachel. “Tom, I shouldn’t have made Lauren upset. It’s my fault. Let’s not meet up so often anymore.” “Don’t blame yourself. She’s just petty and jealous. It’s just a birthday—it’s not like we can’t celebrate later. She’s so dramatic, acting like a spoiled brat.” “Don’t say that. She has every right to be upset. You should go make up with her.” “Thanks, Rachel. If only Lauren were half as understanding as you.” My husband snatched the phone from my hand, his face red with anger. “Why do you always have to invade my privacy? There’s nothing going on with us!” “Whatever,” I said, too tired to fight. “I’m going to sleep.” He was taken aback by my indifference but quickly recovered. “Oh, by the way,” he said, as if trying to change the subject. “I’ll show you how to use that robot we got you. It’ll make things easier for you.” I opened my eyes and looked at him coldly. “Tom, did you forget? I helped design that model.” He froze, glancing at the robot. Then he let out a sheepish laugh. “Oh, right. Well, never mind then.” Before we got married, we’d both worked as engineers at the same tech company. But after Max was born, I quit my job to stay home and raise him. Now, all I felt was regret for everything I’d given up. The room was silent, except for the faint hum of the robot vacuuming the floor. “I’m sleeping on the couch tonight,” I said. “You can go to bed.” “Fine,” he muttered. “Oh, and I’m working late tomorrow. Don’t wait up.” “Got it.” And with that, I closed my eyes.

My husband lingered in the hallway for a moment before retreating to the bedroom. I hadn’t been asleep long when I felt someone shaking me awake. Groggily, I opened my eyes to find Max standing over me, already dressed in his school uniform, looking thoroughly annoyed. “Why didn’t you wake me up? I’m going to be late! And where’s breakfast? You didn’t make anything?” Every morning, without fail, I’d sacrifice my own rest to wake him up on time and prepare a full, warm breakfast. The price of this routine was dark circles under my eyes and skin that had lost its luster. At forty, I looked closer to fifty. But not today. “You can set your own alarm from now on. As for breakfast, grab something on the way. Got money? I’ll send you some if you don’t.” Max stared at me, stunned, as if he couldn’t believe this was coming from me—the mom who used to do everything for him without complaint. “I don’t need your money,” he muttered, his voice heavy with disdain. Then, under his breath, he added, “Rachel would never be this lazy…” Though he mumbled it quietly, I heard every word. But strangely, it didn’t hurt. Max stormed out, slamming the door so hard the shoe rack rattled, and a small object tumbled to the floor. Curious, I walked over and picked it up. It was a toy car—one I’d modified years ago. With the push of a button, it could transform into a robot and even play theme songs from cartoons. When Max was little, he was often sick. Those days, he rarely smiled—until I showed him this car. The way his face lit up, the pure joy in his laughter, had inspired me to submit a proposal at work: a line of toys designed to bring emotional comfort to children. But Tom, my husband, had dismissed the idea outright. He argued that robots should be practical, useful tools—not frivolous “toys” that just transformed and played music. In the end, the proposal was shelved, and Max grew up, leaving behind the little car he once adored. I stared at the toy for a long moment before pressing its button. It still worked. An idea struck me, so I grabbed the car and went to find my neighbor’s child, Danny. Danny was just five, a lonely boy whose parents had divorced and left him in the care of his grandmother. He spent most of his days playing alone in the dirt outside our building. When I handed him the toy, his eyes lit up, and he clutched it tightly, turning it over and over in his small hands. “Wow!” he exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face as he began playing with it. Seeing his joy, I couldn’t help but think of Max as a little boy—and of the proposal I’d given up on all those years ago. Before I realized it, I had my phone in hand and was dialing my old manager’s number. Halfway through the call, I panicked and almost hung up, but it was too late. “Lauren? Wow, it’s been forever! What’s up?” “Oh, um…” I hesitated, nervously rubbing my nose. “I was just wondering… Are you hiring?” It felt absurd. After nearly a decade as a stay-at-home mom, I was trying to reenter a high-tech industry that had undoubtedly moved on without me. But to my surprise, my former manager sounded thrilled. “Are you serious? We’d love to have you back! Honestly, someone with your skills is exactly what my new company needs. That said… you’ve been out of the game for a while. You’d have to start from the ground up.” “I don’t mind!” I said quickly. “I’ll prove myself.” After hanging up, I was so excited I nearly jumped for joy. I ended up spending the rest of the day playing with Danny and his new toy. “You’re the best, Miss Lauren,” Danny said, looking up at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “I wish you were my mom.” I froze, unsure how to respond. All I could do was gently pat his head. Chaos Unfolds Just then, I heard the front door slam open. A man staggered in, reeking of alcohol, his face twisted with anger. “Who the hell are you? Where’s my mom?” he demanded, his voice slurred. Before I could respond, Danny’s grandmother hurried out of the kitchen, panic etched on her face. “What are you doing here?” she shouted, her voice trembling. “I’m not giving you another penny!” “You’re my mother! Your money is my money!” he snapped. “And if you don’t hand it over, I swear I’ll—” His eyes darted to Danny. “I’ll take that little brat with me. Maybe sell him off somewhere!” He pulled out a knife, waving it wildly as he stumbled toward Danny. Time seemed to slow as I threw myself between them, shielding Danny with my body. The blade sliced into me, and pain exploded in my side. Warm blood seeped through my clothes, pooling on the floor beneath me. Danny’s terrified cries echoed in my ears as everything around me faded to black.

The man was subdued by the neighbors and handed over to the police. Meanwhile, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. The knife had cut deep into my shoulder, leaving a gaping wound. The pain was excruciating, and cold sweat soaked my back. Everything had happened so fast that I was still trembling, my body locked in fear. At that moment, I desperately needed comfort—just a little would have been enough. So, I called my husband. “Tom, I’m at the hospital. You need to come right away.” “What’s going on? I’m working overtime right now.” His tone carried an edge of impatience, and the noise in the background didn’t sound like an office; it sounded more like a busy restaurant. “I was attacked. Someone stabbed me. There’s blood everywhere, and it hurts so much. Please, just come.” The moment I heard my own voice, my tears spilled over, cascading down my cheeks and carrying with them all the fear and frustration I’d been holding inside. But his next words threw me into a bottomless abyss. “Lauren, can you stop joking around? You’re at home all day—who would just show up and stab you? You’re forty years old. Can you stop being so childish?” “I’m not joking!” I shouted, my voice cracking with desperation. “I’m in the hospital right now. This is real!” But to him, my panic only sounded like another one of my so-called “tantrums.” “Look, I get it. You’re still mad about your birthday and how we didn’t celebrate with you. But making up a story like this is too much. I’m tired, Lauren. If you keep this up, I don’t think our marriage is going to last.” “Fine,” I whispered, my voice hollow. “Forget it. Pretend I didn’t call. You can go back to work.” And with that, he hung up. I stood there, frozen in place, before shakily dialing my son’s number. “Max, sweetie, it’s Mom. I’m in the hospital. Can you—” Before I could finish, he cut me off, his voice dripping with irritation. “Dad told me you made up some crazy story about getting stabbed. I didn’t believe him, but wow, you really went there. Mom, can you just stop? Please? Just leave us alone!” “What? Wait. You’re with Dad? Isn’t he supposed to be working overtime?” But before I could get an answer, Max hung up. At that moment, I felt like a lone leaf adrift in a vast, merciless ocean. Then, a thought struck me. My hands trembled as I opened Rachel’s social media profile. Sure enough, there it was—a new video. She was all dolled up, pouting playfully at the camera. Behind her was the unmistakable decor of an upscale restaurant. The caption read: “Grateful to have you by my side in this unfamiliar city.” I recognized the restaurant immediately. It was where Tom and I had gone on our first date. I’d wanted to revisit it several times after we got married, but Tom always said it was too expensive. The video only showed Rachel, but I caught a fleeting sound in the background—a voice I knew better than my own. “Mom,” it said. Tears blurred my vision as I set my phone down. There was no mistaking it. That voice belonged to Max. The tears came harder now, falling in heavy drops onto my lap. The husband I had stood by through thick and thin. The son I had raised with endless love and sacrifice. Both of them had turned away from me, only to offer their care and attention to someone else. I wanted to convince myself it didn’t matter, but the ache in my chest was unbearable. Even breathing felt like a monumental effort. “Lauren? Isn’t Tom and Max coming to see you?” Danny’s small, hesitant voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. He had been sitting quietly by my bedside, worry etched across his tiny face. “No,” I said softly. “But it’s okay. Will you stay with me for a while?” He nodded quickly, his little head bobbing like a woodpecker. “Of course! I’ll stay as long as you need me. But…” His voice faltered, and he looked down. “Aren’t you mad? You know, because… it was my dad who hurt you.” Seeing his guilt-stricken expression, my heart ached. I reached out and gently ruffled his hair. “No, Danny. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. Neither did I.” I pulled him into a hug, both of us clinging to each other in search of comfort. For years, I had poured my entire heart and soul into loving my husband and son. That love had become the foundation of my world. But now, I realized that love couldn’t sustain me anymore. It was time to let go. There were other people—other things—more deserving of my time and affection. Starting today, I would rebuild my life, one piece at a time.

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For seven years, Adrian Foster and I lived in a marriage without touch. He would lean close, speak softly, brush past me as if something pulled him in, only to withdraw the second I tried to reach back. But when he publicly shamed me to defend another woman, the tension between us finally snapped. Those lingering glances no longer mattered. I’m done waiting for warmth from a man who only offers cold. This time, I walk away. To outsiders, marrying into the Foster family was like winning the lottery. As one of the most prestigious old-money families in the city, they usually opted for business alliances in marriage. And I was just an orphan living on others’ charity. I was only six when my parents died. More than grief, I felt terror about the future. My uncles fought bitterly over the inheritance, and none of them wanted to take care of me, claiming I brought bad luck. They decided to send me to an orphanage. I didn’t want to go to the orphanage. I’d heard stories about how terrible those places were. So I found my mom’s old phone and tried calling my uncle – it was my first time contacting my mother’s side of the family. Mom had been from a wealthy family too, but she’d cut ties with them to marry my father. When Uncle Jack heard my plea, he hung up without a word. I told myself he was just hurt by my mother’s actions and it was natural for him not to want anything to do with me. But I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. The next day, I woke up early, packed my little backpack, and prepared to run away. I’d rather go hungry and sleep under a bridge than end up in that orphanage. But just as I slipped out of my room, I bumped into a man. I recognized him as my uncle immediately – he looked so much like my mom. Uncle Jack patted my head and asked if I’d had breakfast. When I said no, he picked me up and took me to his home. My grandparents had already passed away. Aunt Lisa frowned when she saw how skinny I was. “I have to take care of Noah and Emma. I don’t have time for her. You brought this trouble home, you deal with it,” she told Uncle Jack. “Don’t worry, she’s a good kid. Just give her food, and she’ll take care of everything else,” he replied. To prove Uncle Jack right, I learned to feed myself, dress myself, go to school, and sleep on my own. I even helped look after my cousins. Emma was only two months younger than me, a proud little princess. She never called me ‘sister’, instead treating me like a servant. But I didn’t mind. We all have our own destinies, and she had reasons to be proud. As for me, I was just grateful to grow up safe and healthy. After high school graduation, Uncle Jack wanted to send Emma and me to study in England together. But Adrian’s appearance disrupted all those plans.

He came with Mrs. Foster to propose marriage. Apparently, our grandfathers had once jokingly arranged a marriage between their children over drinks. No one expected Mrs. Foster to take it seriously. The atmosphere was awkward. Adrian, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly stood up and walked towards the backyard. Aunt Lisa quickly told me to follow him and take care of him. At first, I didn’t know he had autism. I just thought this young heir was being rude. It was late spring, and the roses in the garden were in full bloom. Adrian took out a sketchpad from his backpack as if by magic and started drawing intently. Not wanting to disturb him, I stood behind him, watching silently. Without exaggeration, Adrian was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. He had perfect bone structure and skin as fair as jade. His deep, soul-stirring eyes exuded an air of nobility. Just as I was secretly marveling at the lottery of birth, things took a sudden turn. Adrian seemed dissatisfied with his drawing and crumpled the paper in frustration. I wanted to comfort him, but he suddenly reached out and gripped a thorny rose stem tightly. Blood immediately started flowing, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain. Instead, he tilted his head, looking thoughtful. “Let go! Quick, let go!” I panicked like an ant on a hot pan. Young Mr. Foster was an important guest, and I didn’t know what trouble it would cause Uncle Jack if he got hurt under my watch. I called out loudly, but he had no reaction. Left with no choice, I reached out to pull his arm. The moment I touched his sleeve, he suddenly became enraged and pushed me to the ground. I was terrified. His expression was so frightening that I thought he might hit me. But he didn’t. He just turned back to continue drawing. Mrs. Foster heard the commotion and hurried over. She seemed used to such incidents and quickly left with her son. After they left, Emma burst into tears. “I don’t want to get married! I want to go to England! If you force me, I’ll kill myself!” Uncle Jack was heartbroken but also helpless. Most of the family’s business relied on the Fosters. Offending Mrs. Foster would have unthinkable consequences. Aunt Lisa comforted her daughter while secretly glancing at me. “The Thompsons don’t just have one daughter. Why do you keep focusing on Emma?” Emma nodded vigorously. “That’s right, let Aria marry him. You’ve raised her for so many years, it can’t be for nothing.” “What are you saying? Adrian is autistic. How could I push Aria into such a difficult situation?” Uncle Jack protested. “So you’d rather push your own daughter into the fire…” Aunt Lisa retorted.

Uncle Jack and Aunt Lisa argued all night. I hid in my room, listening silently, and made my decision. The next day, I told Uncle Jack that I was willing to marry into the Foster family in Emma’s place. “Emma is right. You and Aunt Lisa have been so good to me. It’s time for me to repay your kindness,” I said. Uncle Jack’s eyes turned red as he held my hand, wanting to say something. But in the end, he couldn’t get the words out. Because of Adrian’s condition, the wedding was very simple. I thought his willingness to marry meant he was prepared to live with me. But I was wrong. On our wedding night, as soon as I stepped into our room, his face darkened. “Get out!” “This is my room too,” I said. “You’re not allowed to sleep here.” I tried to reason with him, to explain the meaning of marriage. But he wouldn’t listen. Instead, he tore up all the red ‘double happiness’ decorations in the room. Helpless, I turned to leave. Mrs. Foster saw this and sighed, calling me to her study. She told me that Adrian wasn’t a bad person by nature, just socially withdrawn and unwilling to interact with others. Since I had married him, it was my responsibility to take care of him. She believed that if I tried hard enough, I could eventually open Adrian’s heart and make him accept me. I decided to give it a try. Taking care of someone with autism is both mentally and physically exhausting. Every day, I personally prepared his meals, reminded him to take his medicine, and took him for medical check-ups. To understand him better, I bought all the books I could find about autism and studied them late into the night. My efforts gradually paid off. Adrian slowly got used to my presence and no longer rejected me as he had at first. I was allowed to ride in the same car with him or sit at the same table for meals. Knowing I liked fruit, he would personally prepare beautiful fruit platters for me. When I caught a cold due to my weak immune system, he would force me to drink ginger tea. Time passed, and we both got used to this life. The only one unsatisfied was Mrs. Foster. She talked to me every other day, always with the same purpose: urging me to have a child. Forced into a corner, I had to tell her the truth. Adrian hadn’t shown any interest in physical intimacy and wouldn’t even allow me to sleep in the same bed. Mrs. Foster was anxious and angry. She took Adrian for a medical examination. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with his physical functions; he just couldn’t overcome his psychological barriers and accept such an intimate relationship. “When it comes down to it, it’s your problem,” Mrs. Foster told me. “Can’t you find a way to make him fall in love with you?” I was at a loss. I didn’t even know what love was myself, let alone Adrian.

In our seventh year of marriage, Mrs. Foster gave me an ultimatum. “The Foster family has only had one child for three generations. We can’t let the line end here. If you can have a child, do it. If you can’t, I’ll find someone else who can. But then I won’t have time to care about the Thompson family’s business!” Faced with such a blatant threat, I had no choice but to give in. That night, I found a romantic movie and invited Adrian to watch it with me. He agreed but left halfway through, saying it was boring. After my shower, I changed into the lingerie Mrs. Foster had specially made for me and nervously knocked on Adrian’s door. “I’m going to sleep,” he said. “We can talk tomorrow.” Adrian blocked the door, not letting me in. “I’ve painted a new picture of birds. I was hoping you could take a look,” I said. That’s right, to please Adrian, I had even taken up painting classes. Adrian finally agreed to let me in, but his expression remained cold and he wouldn’t look at me. “Where’s the painting?” he asked. “Don’t rush. The paper is quite large, we need to spread it out on the bed.” I tried my best to overcome my embarrassment and acted seductively, like in the movies. The nearly see-through nightgown left little to the imagination. But Adrian still had no reaction. His gaze was focused entirely on the non-existent painting. “Stop painting,” he said suddenly. “What?” “I said, stop painting from now on. Your brushwork is weak, you have no talent. Even a three-year-old could paint better than you.” I blushed, feeling extremely embarrassed. “If I’m not good, you could teach me. I’d be the most obedient student,” I said, reaching out to touch him. He pushed me away roughly. At that moment, the strap of my nightgown snapped. I stood there naked in front of Adrian, like a peeled egg. “Get out! Get out of here!” he shouted. “You filthy woman! Disgusting woman!” “Painting is the most sacred thing. How dare you desecrate it!” I had never seen Adrian so angry before. His bloodshot eyes stared at me as if I had committed some unforgivable sin. In the past, I would have run out immediately, terrified. But not today. Trembling, I wrapped myself in a blanket. “Adrian, we need to have a child. Otherwise, I won’t be able to stay here anymore.” “Who wants you to stay here?” he spat. “Look in the mirror. See how disgusting you are!” “I hate you. It would be best if you never appeared in front of me again!” “Do you really mean that?” I asked. Even though I knew he was ill, these words still hurt me deeply. After seven years of companionship, even a pet cat or dog would have developed some affection. Adrian nodded firmly, ignoring the tears in my eyes as he roughly pushed me out of the room.

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The moment the mistress appeared on my husband’s screen, the world treated me like the problem. She mocked me. Strangers harassed me. My husband defended her at every turn. So I stopped trying to save the marriage they had already burned down. I cleared my name, exposed their tactics, and dismantled every lie they used against me. They thought I would collapse under pressure. Instead, I rose—and now they’re the ones scrambling to survive the fallout. During the company’s video conference, a different girl’s face appeared on Byron Adams’ screen. The girl, seemingly innocent, was playing with his computer, completely oblivious to the fact that the camera was on. It wasn’t until Byron returned from the bathroom that she said in a sweet tone, “I didn’t know you were in a meeting. You promised to spend three days with me, but now you’ve been in meetings for days. How annoying.” The colleagues who had been speaking earlier fell silent. Everyone waited to see how I would react. After all, they had witnessed more than a few of our arguments in the office before. But this time, I didn’t make a scene. Instead, I coldly told the colleague, “Please continue, don’t mind the irrelevant things.” I watched as the room became quiet, and my eyes focused on Byron’s screen where the girl was still playfully cuddling him. I ignored it and asked the colleague to continue. If this had happened at another time, I would have probably snapped and confronted Byron, but today, I was calm. After all, Byron never let me, his wife, touch his computer. The way the girl was interacting with it seemed so familiar, and their closeness was undeniable. I had never seen him like this before. Every time I tried to be affectionate with him, he would coldly push me away, saying, “Lydia, don’t you have your own things to do? We’re adults. Just don’t do this.” Even when I wanted to use his computer, he would immediately take it away, saying he didn’t like anyone touching it. As the meeting continued, my mind kept returning to these thoughts until Byron called me and asked, “Did you see what happened just now?” I replied, my tone calm, “See what? I don’t have time to pay attention to things that aren’t work-related.” I could almost hear him sigh with relief on the other end of the line. Then, I added, “Did you do anything?” He quickly explained himself, and after listening, I nodded and hung up the phone. For the first time, I didn’t argue with him.

He probably didn’t expect me to hang up, so he sent a follow-up message explaining again. I ignored it, replying with a simple “OK”. His dissatisfaction with my indifferent attitude was clear. [Byron, I don’t want to argue with you.] I replied and then turned on the “Do Not Disturb” mode for his chat. Just then, a friend request notification popped up. It was from a girl with a little bunny profile photo. I accepted her application. She didn’t say anything after adding me. When I clicked on her recent photo, I understood everything. It was a fresh selfie of the same girl who had appeared on Byron’s screen earlier. She was holding his computer, and it captioned: [Oops, I disturbed baby during his meeting, but he didn’t get mad at me.] Her post and friend request were clearly intended to provoke me, but I didn’t delete her. Instead, I let it linger, observing in silence. The post that caught my attention the most was one from my birthday. Byron, who was supposed to be on a business trip, was in a photo with her. They were seated at the center of the table, and the girl was wearing a crown, looking incredibly happy. Byron’s friend commented under the photo: [You two look so happy. Byron has abandoned me.] Byron replied: [Shut up, man.] I could feel the joy in his words through the screen. I suddenly remembered how, on my birthday, I had waited at home for him to return, only for him to ignore my many calls. When he finally picked up, his voice was impatient, and he only told me to sleep early. My call must have interrupted his good mood. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at myself.

I scrolled through more of the girl’s posts but found them uninteresting. After washing up, I went to bed, intending to sleep. But Byron returned just as I was about to drift off. I heard his footsteps upstairs and pretended to close my eyes. Then I heard him undressing. After a while, I felt the bed dip as he sat down and pulled me into his arms. His body carried the scent of the cologne I bought him, mingled with a faint fragrance of gardenias. It wasn’t my scent. I couldn’t help but think, was she also wrapped in his arms like this? Was she leaving her scent on him too? The thought made me feel nauseous. Without making a sound, I pulled away from his embrace and resisted his intimacy for the first time. In the past, I would have snuggled closer to him the moment he lay down. I would have buried my head in his arms, greedily inhaling his scent. But now, I couldn’t stand it. He stiffened behind me, seemingly confused, and tried to pull me closer again. “Don’t hold me. It’s uncomfortable,” I said, my eyes still closed. He sat up, suddenly irritated. “What’s wrong with you? Did you hear something? Or is there something I’ve done wrong to upset you?” I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. What could I ask him? Who was that girl? Did he love me? Right now, those questions didn’t matter anymore. “I’ve worked all day and stayed up late to revise the proposal. I’m really tired,” I replied, my voice devoid of emotion. “Please, stop making this a big deal. I just want to rest.” He exploded. “You’re insane! I just wanted to hug you, and now I’m wrong?” With that, he slammed the door and stormed off, leaving me with his cold back. In the past, I would have chased after him, clinging to his hand, begging him not to be angry. But now, I just silently pulled the blanket back over myself and tried to sleep. My rest was more important than anything else. The wall between us felt thicker now, and neither of us reached out to the other. We stayed like that in a strange silence. For the next week, Byron didn’t come home for dinner or send me any messages. When he saw me at work, he only gave me a brief, indifferent glance. Colleagues whispered about whether we had fought, or if it was because of the events that day. But the girl kept posting frequently on her social media. I thought the cold war would continue indefinitely, until one evening, I received a message from home about a family dinner. I realized I had to reach out to Byron, but my message was met with complete silence. Reluctantly, I went to the house he had lived in before we got married. It was where he always went after our arguments, and this time was no different.

I stood at the door, listening to the laughter coming from inside the villa, and couldn’t help but frown. The familiar, coquettish voice sounded exactly like the one I had heard coming from Byron’s computer that day. With a scowl on my face, I pushed the villa’s door open. Suddenly, something white and fluffy pounced at me, knocking me to the ground. My back scraped against some small stones, and I winced in pain. I looked up to see a dog. Completely unsure of how to react, I froze. “Where did this dog come from? Get it off me!” I shouted. I had been terrified of dogs since childhood after being chased by a neighbor’s large dog. Now, with a big dog pinning me down, I couldn’t stop shaking. Just then, the dog was pulled off me. Byron’s hand reached out in front of me, his face filled with confusion. I ignored him, got up, and moved away to put some distance between myself and the dog. I took a good look at the dog. Its fur was well-groomed, and it even had a cute little butterfly ornament on its ear. When it saw me standing, it tried to pounce again. I instinctively stepped back a couple of steps. “Why are you here?” Byron said softly and squatted down to pet the dog. “Didn’t you see…?” “Byron, what happened? Where’s Peach?” A high-pitched, girlish voice called out, and the figure of the girl I had seen in the photos appeared before me. Seeing her face in person made my heart ache with bitterness, especially the way Byron looked at her—his gaze was full of warmth. He quickly stepped in front of the girl, blocking her from my view, and his soft expression disappeared immediately. “What’s wrong, Byron? Why are you standing in front of me? Did Peach have an accident?” The girl slipped from behind him, and as soon as she saw me, her smile faltered. She froze when she saw me standing there. As she came closer, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to her vibrant energy. “Who is she?” the girl asked, her voice filled with confusion as she looked up at Byron. But when her gaze shifted to me, there was an unmistakable hint of challenge in her eyes. She knew who I was, and after adding me on social media, she probably knew about me long before this. “She is…” “I’m his wife, legally his wife.” I interrupted Byron’s attempt to explain and smiled at the girl in front of me. As I expected, her expression faltered for a moment before she tried to regain her composure. Her little act only made me laugh. She took a few steps back, looking uncomfortable, and struggled to pull the large dog back inside. “Well, since your wife is here, you two can have a talk. I’ll go give Peach some water.” Her fake, sad demeanor made even me feel a little sorry for her. But Byron, of course, was completely captivated by her. After she left, Byron glared at me with clear frustration. “What are you even doing here?” he asked, his voice cold. “Your family invited us for dinner, and you didn’t respond to any of my messages, so I came.” I answered calmly, indifferent to his anger, as though I didn’t even feel it. My response shut him down, leaving him speechless. I ignored him completely and walked confidently inside the house. I sat down on the sofa and looked at Byron as he followed me in. “You have 20 minutes to get ready. We need to leave on time,” I said, my tone firm. As soon as I finished speaking, the same large dog that had tackled me earlier charged toward me, as if triggered by something. It viciously bit at my clothes. “Get off me!” I shouted, grabbing my handbag and swinging it at the dog. It hit the dog on the head, leaving a small cut. I called out for Byron, but by the time I was knocked down, he was already over by the girl, shielding her in his arms. Seeing that, my heart sank completely.

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My pregnant wife posted photos with her ex and implied her child was not mine. She spent my money, trashed my name online, and expected me to keep supporting her lies. Her family pushed harder, demanding I pay for everything while she vacationed with another man. I finally stopped protecting her reputation and ended the marriage, cut off every benefit, and exposed the truth she tried to bury. For the first time, I get to walk away while she’s the one begging. My pregnant wife ignored my protests and went on an overseas trip with her high school sweetheart. She posted on Facebook, “Travis, even if we can’t be together as husband and wife, I’ll still give birth to your child.” The picture? The two of them were holding hands and snuggled up together. I commented under the post, “If you’re this in love, isn’t it time to divorce me and be with him instead?” After posting my comment, I didn’t waste any time. I contacted the Postpartum Care Center, where I’d previously booked and canceled the reservation. I also called Summit Ridge Women’s Clinic and canceled the appointments I had set up there. For the countless baby supplies I’d bought in advance, I either returned what I could or gave away the rest. When I was done, I let out a long breath of relief. I called up a few close friends and invited them out for drinks. I needed the distraction. We were laughing and enjoying ourselves when my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen, and my smile disappeared. It was Madeline Harper. The room grew quiet as my friends noticed my shift in mood. One suggested, “Ethan, is that Madeline calling? Maybe you should head home before she gets upset. ” “Yeah, we can call it a night here,” chimed another. They meant well. Since marrying Madeline, I haven’t spent much time with my friends. Whenever I did, Madeline would call them my “useless drinking buddies” and blame them for anything that went wrong. Everyone knew how overbearing she could be. But I hit the decline button right before them and forced a smile onto my face. “Forget about her. Let’s keep going.” “Ethan, maybe you should—” Dex started, concern in his voice. I cut him off, “I know you’re all looking out for me, but I’ll tell you this now: once Madeline returns, I’m divorcing her. She’s not going to be your sister-in-law anymore.” The group fell silent, exchanging uneasy glances but not saying another word. My phone buzzed again. After hesitating, I answered this time. Madeline’s sharp voice came through on the other end of the line, furious. “Ethan Vaughn! Who do you think you are ignoring my calls? If this happens again, you’ll sleep on the couch for a month!” I stayed silent as she launched into another tirade. “Tell me this, Ethan,” she demanded. “Why did you cancel the Postpartum Care Center? If they hadn’t called me, I’d still be in the dark! Are you even planning to be this baby’s father? If you’re not, don’t worry—plenty of men love to step up. The line of guys wanting to date me back in the day could’ve stretched to France!” When Madeline first got pregnant, I’d treated her like a queen. Whatever she asked for, I made it happen. I booked the best Postpartum Care Center in Napa Valley for $10,000 a month without a second thought. I loved her. I wanted her to feel cherished. But she used my devotion as a license to trample all over me. “Hey, are you listening?” Her shrill voice pulled me from my thoughts. “Yeah, I’m listening. What’s the problem?” I asked calmly. “The problem is, you’re going to fix this,” she snapped. “Rebook the Care Center. And send me another $10,000. Travis and I want to stay here for a couple more days.” Her words made me laugh out loud. “Madeline, have you lost your damn mind?” Chapter

The moment those words left my mouth, Madeline’s fury erupted. “Ethan Vaughn, what did you just say? Repeat it, I dare you! Do you want me to divorce you?” This wasn’t the first time she’d used divorce as a threat. It was her go-to move, no matter how small the argument. In the past, I always caved. I’d apologize, take the blame, and do whatever it took to smooth things. I thought that if I compromised enough, we’d eventually find happiness. But things never worked out that way. I took a deep breath, lifted my drink, and said calmly, “Alright. Let’s get divorced.” Then I hung up and turned off my phone. My friends stared at me, stunned. “Why are you all frozen? Let’s toast—to my freedom!” That broke the tension. Laughter filled the room as they raised their glasses with me. The drinks flowed, and I felt truly happy for the first time in years. Back at home, I collapsed into bed, the buzz of alcohol and freedom making me smile. For years, my life revolved around Madeline’s demands. She controlled everything, and I let her. I gave up smoking and drinking for her. I handed over my entire paycheck every month. I cooked, cleaned, and ran our household so she could play “princess.” But somewhere along the way, she forgot she wasn’t royalty. When I woke up the following day, loud banging echoed through the apartment. At first, I thought someone was renovating. But as the sound continued, I realized someone was at my door. I didn’t need to guess who. I took my time, pouring a glass of water as the voices outside grew louder. “Ethan Vaughn, open this door right now!” Dolly Carter’s sharp tone cut through the noise. “How dare you cancel the Postpartum Care Center and the hospital appointments? Are you even human?” Her voice grated on my nerves, but I was used to it. Whenever Madeline and I had even the slightest fight, her parents would rush over to scold me. When I finally opened the door, I was greeted by their furious faces. Without waiting for an invitation, they pushed past me into the apartment. “You better fix this immediately!” Dolly demanded. “Madeline’s coming home tonight, and everything needs to be in place.” “Is she bringing Travis Reese back with her?” I asked coolly. “What are you implying? Madeline’s coming back alone. Stop spreading nonsense!” Dolly shot back defensively. “Oh, and I heard you got a $15,000 bonus at work,” Walt added. “When’s Madeline getting that?” I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. It was going to be a long day. Chapter

I chuckled to myself. My father-in-law, Walt Carter, sure had his ear to the ground—he even knew about the bonus I’d received from my latest project. “So, when are you giving that money to my daughter?” Dolly, my mother-in-law, chimed in, her tone dripping with entitlement. “You must have misunderstood,” I replied flatly. “I’m filing for divorce from Madeline.” “Divorce?!” Dolly’s face twisted in shock. “Your darling daughter announced on Facebook that the baby she’s carrying belongs to her high school sweetheart, Travis. Whoever the father is, let him handle the hospital bills and the Postpartum Care Center,” I said, my tone cold. “You’re talking nonsense! That baby is yours!” Walt snapped, his voice rising in anger. Dolly, of course, doubled down. “Even if the baby isn’t yours, so what? You’re the one who married Madeline. If you truly love her, you should accept everything about her!” “And besides,” she added, crossing her arms, “that baby will take your last name anyway. So what exactly is your problem?” Listening to their absurd arguments, I realized trying to reason with them wastes time. I grabbed my car keys and left the house, ignoring their shouts as they trailed behind me. When they caught up in the driveway, I sighed and told them what they wanted to hear: “I’m going to sort out the Postpartum Care Center now.” That finally got them to back off. “You’d better,” Dolly said smugly. “After all, Madeline’s been carrying this baby for nine months. You can’t drop the ball now.” I didn’t bother responding and drove off. Once I was clear of the house, I called my former college classmate, Autumn Quinn, who now lived in Asheville, North Carolina. When she picked up, her voice lit up with excitement. “Ethan! You finally agreed! We’ve been waiting for the perfect leader for this project, and you’re it. The salary and benefits package we can offer you is top-notch!” Autumn had been trying to recruit me for months, but I’d always turned her down. I’d stayed because I thought Madeline and I were happy—and because she was pregnant. But now, I had no reason to stay. “Count me in,” I said decisively. She paused, catching something in my tone. “Ethan, is everything okay? Do you need help with something?” I chuckled softly. “No, nothing like that.” She didn’t push, but her excitement returned as she promised to arrange an interview. “Let me know if you need anything else,” she added warmly. “Thanks, Autumn.” We met in college when I was a junior and she was a freshman. We belonged to the same college society, and over time, we became good friends. After I got married, though, we drifted apart. With the interview set up, I turned my attention to the next step: consulting a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement. It was evening by the time everything was arranged, and I was ready to grab dinner when my phone rang again. It was Madeline. “Where the hell have you been?!” she demanded. “I’ve called you a dozen times, and you didn’t answer. I had to take a cab home, Ethan—a cab! Do you know how mad that makes me?” Chapter

Madeline’s voice dripped with anger as if taking a cab home was the most significant hardship she’d ever faced. Looking back, I realized I’d spoiled her too much. She wasn’t born into wealth or privilege, but I treated her like a princess, and over time, she began to believe she was one. “Sorry,” I said calmly. “I was busy and forgot.” “Busy? What’s your excuse? You don’t care about me at all! Get your ass home and apologize right now!” “Oh, and don’t forget to transfer the $10,000. My mom said you already withdrew it,” she added. I murmured an acknowledgment and hung up without another word. When I got home, Madeline was sitting on the couch, her pregnant belly prominent. But she wasn’t alone. Sitting next to her was Travis Reese, her high school sweetheart. Across the room, Dolly and Walt sat like they owned the place. “Ah, everyone’s here,” I said, stepping inside. All eyes turned to me, but Madeline was the first to speak. “If Travis hadn’t been kind enough to bring me home, I don’t know what would’ve happened,” she said, her voice laced with accusation. “Do you even care about the baby I’m carrying?” “Travis brought the baby’s father home. Isn’t that what he’s supposed to do?” I replied evenly, looking directly at Travis. His eyes widened in shock. “What are you talking about? What do you mean ‘the baby’s father’?” I handed him a stack of invoices. “Postpartum Care Center: $10,000. Summit Ridge Women’s Clinic VIP delivery package: $8,000. Baby supplies: $5,000. Total: $23,000. You’ll need to make those payments at the hospital soon.” Everyone froze, the weight of my words sinking in. “What’s that supposed to mean, Ethan?” Madeline finally asked, her voice rising. “It means I’m divorcing you. And whoever got you pregnant can handle the rest,” I said, pulling out the divorce papers I’d prepared. “Divorce?!” Madeline’s eyes blazed. “You think you can just leave me like this? If anyone’s divorcing anyone, it’s me! Travis’s better than you’ll ever be, Ethan. Once we’re done, I’ll marry him.” She smiled sweetly at Travis, oblivious to the horrified expression on his face. “Madeline, are you out of your mind?!” Travis blurted out, taking a step back. “Travis, don’t be shy,” she said, still grinning. “We’ve been waiting for this. Now’s our chance to finally be together.” Even Dolly jumped in. “Travis, you’re getting a wonderful girl here. My Madeline is one of a kind!” “And the baby will have your name, of course,” Walt added. But Travis’s expression darkened. “Madeline,” he said firmly, “we were just having fun. I’m not marrying you.” Madeline’s jaw dropped. “What? You’re joking, right?” He shook his head, stepping further away. “You thought I was serious? Madeline, you’re married! And honestly, who knows who else you’ve been with?” The color drained from her face, and her parents stared in stunned silence. I watched the scene unfold, saying nothing, a cold smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

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On my eighteenth birthday, I was kicked out of the Davies mansion. The true heiress, Tiffany, smugly watched me, her arm linked with the parents who once showered me with affection. Mrs. Davies scoffed, “Stella, the DNA results are in. You’re Maria, the nanny’s, daughter. Tiffany’s back now, so get lost. You make me sick.” I stood at the villa gates, soaked to the bone. Tiffany ripped off my jacket, a cruel smile playing on her lips as her fingernail dragged across my cheek. “Fake is fake, always will be. I’d rather shred this jacket and use it as bedding for a stray dog than let you wear it.” Right after I was thrown out, Maria, the nanny, casually took off her apron, got into a luxury car, and drove up to me. “Sweetie, don’t you dare be sad! The business empire I built? It’s all yours now!” The surrounding guests burst into laughter, but I turned my head to a corner. There, crouched low, was a middle-aged woman in a filthy apron, her hair matted with grease. That was my biological mother, Maria, the Davies’ lowest-ranking housekeeper. She’d worked for the Davies family for twenty years, notorious for her greed, crude manners, and constant scheming. At this very moment, she was clinging desperately to Mr. Davies’ leg, weeping hysterically, snot and tears streaming down her face. “Sir! Ma’am! You can kick this good-for-nothing out, but why fire me too?!” “I haven’t even gotten this month’s pay! And what about the five bucks overtime from last month, for washing her undies?!” “You can’t be this heartless! Twenty years, even if I didn’t contribute, I put in the hard work!” Mr. Davies shoved her away with a disgusted kick. “Get lost! Take your bastard with you! Or I’ll unleash the dogs!” Maria was sent sprawling, tumbling twice on the ground like a greasy bowling ball. Watching this, my heart felt utterly dead. This was my biological mother. During my twenty years as Miss Davies, she never once gave me a kind look. Whenever no one was watching, she’d viciously pinch my arm. She chopped off my beloved long hair and forced me into boyish shorts. I wanted to learn piano, but she’d secretly scatter thumbtacks on the keys, forcing me instead into grueling financial calculations. I dreamt of dancing, but she’d beat my legs with a feather duster, pushing me to learn combat from a retired security guard. I always thought she was jealous of my good fortune, trying to ruin me. Now that I was tossed out, all she cared about was a few measly bucks of overtime pay. A tidal wave of shame washed over me. I walked over and forcefully pulled Maria up from her pathetic display on the ground. “Stop begging! Can’t you leave me some dignity?!” Maria wiped the snot from her face, then slapped me across the cheek. “Dignity?! What good is dignity?! Can it buy food?! That’s three hundred bucks! Enough for how many loaves of bread?!” I covered my face, tears mingling with the rain streaming down. Tiffany stood on the steps, a triumphant smirk plastered across her face. “Oh, what a show! Like dogs fighting over scraps, tearing each other to pieces.” “Maria, take your useless daughter and get out! Don’t you dare dirty our property!” The security guards roughly shoved us, tossing us out of the ornate iron gates like garbage. The heavy gate slammed shut. It sealed off the glittering party lights, and with it, twenty years of my life. I collapsed into the muddy puddle by the roadside, sobbing uncontrollably. I hated the Davies family’s cold cruelty, but I hated Maria’s humiliation even more. My future felt pitch black, like my life was utterly over. Maria was still pounding on the iron gate, cursing incessantly. “Mr. Davies, you bastard!” I yelled at her, “Stop cursing! Haven’t you embarrassed us enough?!” Maria stopped. She turned, looking at me. The rain was still falling, but I noticed her eyes had changed. It was a gaze I’d never seen before—deep, icy, and full of mocking amusement. Slowly, deliberately, she straightened her perpetually hunched back. Her meek, submissive demeanor vanished in an instant. She reached out, tore off her filthy apron, and casually tossed it into a nearby trash can. Then, she ran a hand through her rain-matted hair, a scornful smile playing on her lips. “Alright, stop bawling. There’s a three-hundred-billion-dollar empire waiting for you to inherit. What’s there to cry about?”

I froze, even forgetting how to cry. Rainwater dripped from my chin. I wondered if I’d misheard, or if grief had conjured some auditory hallucination. “What did you say?” I asked foolishly. Maria shot a disgusted glance at the brightly lit mansion, then spat. “I said, this wretched Davies place? Too small, too stingy. I was sick of it ages ago.” From the inner pocket of her shabby cotton jacket, she pulled out a sleek walkie-talkie. Her movements were practiced, her tone cold. “Jenkins, bring the cars around.” I hadn’t even registered who Jenkins was. Eight black Maybachs materialized from the rain-swept darkness, gliding silently like specters before us. In the center was an extended Rolls-Royce Phantom, its pure silver Spirit of Ecstasy gleaming with an icy cold light in the rainy night. The car doors opened. A dozen burly men in black suits and white gloves poured out, moving with chilling precision. They lined up in two perfect rows in the mud, bowing at a sharp ninety degrees. Their voices, loud and resonant, sliced through the rainy night. “Miss Stella! Please, enter the vehicle!” The sheer display of power made me stumble back, nearly tripping into a mud puddle. A hand steadied me. It was Maria. Her hand, though rough, was now firm and full of an undeniable power. The brawling shrew who’d thrown herself on the ground for three hundred bucks? Gone. In her place stood a queen, her aura so commanding it was impossible to meet her gaze. An elderly, silver-haired butler approached, holding a black umbrella, respectfully offering Maria a trench coat. Maria slipped on the trench coat, her presence absolutely dominating the scene. She looked at me, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, and flashed a brilliant white smile. “Sweetie, let me properly reintroduce myself.” “I am Maria, founder of Stellar Capital, and, as the rumors go… the richest person in the world.” My mind exploded with a deafening roar. Stellar Capital? The enigmatic conglomerate that controlled half the world’s shipping and wielded unparalleled power in global finance? I stammered, “You… you were a nanny, right? Just now, you were begging for five bucks overtime…” Maria rolled her eyes, pulling me into the Rolls-Royce. Inside, it was warm as spring, the leather seats exuding a subtle, luxurious scent. The butler offered warm towels and ginger tea. Maria crossed her legs, took a wine glass, and swirled the ruby liquid within. “That was my persona, got it?” “If I didn’t play the part perfectly, how could I have infiltrated the Davies family’s den of vipers for two decades?” “As for those five bucks…” She let out a cold laugh, taking a sip of wine. “Mr. Davies owes me that. Forget five bucks; even a single cent, he’d have to cough up.” I held the ginger tea, feeling like I was dreaming. “Mom… what exactly is going on?” Maria glanced at me, her gaze finally softening slightly. From her limited-edition Hermes bag, she pulled out a black card and tossed it into my lap. “There’s twenty billion in here. Consider it pocket money from your mom. Go buy yourself something nice, calm your nerves.” Twenty billion? Pocket money? The three-hundred-dollar pay stub was still swirling in my mind. “The Davies kicking you out? That’s the biggest mistake they’ll ever make.” “They thought you were some unwanted bastard.” “Little did they know, their precious Tiffany? She’s not even fit to tie your shoes.” Maria reached out, gently touching the scratches Tiffany had left on my face. A flash of pure murder flickered in her eyes. “Does it hurt?” I instinctively nodded, then shook my head. “Mom, why were you a nanny at the Davies’? And why… why were you so incredibly mean to me?” This was the knot in my heart, the biggest question. If she was so rich, why did she let me suffer for twenty years? Why cut my hair? Why force me to learn things I hated? Maria sighed, looking out at the rainy night. “Sweetie, I was saving your life.” “Mr. Davies is a monster. He’s the one who killed your father, Arthur, all those years ago.” “If I hadn’t played the fool, if I hadn’t forged you into an unbreakable warrior, we’d both be dead in that basement right now.” “As for everything I forced you to learn…” She turned, her gaze burning into mine. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll realize every single thing I pushed you to learn? They were all weapons, sharpened just for you to take over this empire.”

The motorcade swept into Stellar Tower’s private underground vault. A private elevator whisked us straight to the top-floor penthouse, overlooking the city lights. I stood at the huge picture window. Beneath my feet lay a Persian rug, and in my hand, I still clutched that twenty-billion-dollar black card. The reality of it all was utterly dizzying. Maria had already changed into a sleek, casual outfit. She tossed a file onto my lap. “This is Stellar Group’s share transfer agreement. Just sign it, and tomorrow, you’re the Chairwoman.” I was so startled my hand shook. “Mom, I don’t know how to run a company! I’m only a sophomore!” Maria lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag. “Who said you couldn’t?” “Third grade, all those ‘boring numbers’ I made you memorize? They were actually real stock market charts from back then.” “In middle school, I sent you to the farmer’s market to haggle prices for me. That was teaching you business negotiation and psychological warfare.” “And all those complex accounts I made you balance in high school? That was the group’s foundational financial logic.” “As for the combat skills that retired security guard taught you…” She blew a smoke ring, her eyes sharp as blades. “The business world is a battlefield. Sometimes, fists speak louder than words.” I froze. My memories flashed back in a frantic rush. As a child, I cried, wanting to play the piano, but she’d cut me off with a slap: “What are you doing playing a tune?! Focus on these ledgers! No food until you get them right!” I felt wronged, I hated her. I thought it was abuse. Turns out, she was leveling me up. “And Tiffany, from the Davies family? What did she learn? Flower arranging, tea ceremonies, etiquette, piano.” Maria scoffed dismissively, “That’s how you raise a golden cage canary, meant to be married off for a good price.” “But I raised you to be an eagle, soaring through the heavens. I raised you to devour.” I looked at my hands. My fingers had thin calluses, souvenirs from combat training. In my mind, those financial models that once tortured me were now crystal clear. A strange sensation washed over me. Was I… actually a maxed-out character? “Tomorrow, Mr. Davies will come begging Stellar Group for financing.” Maria stamped out her cigarette and stood up. “The Davies’ funds have dried up. Tiffany, the fake heiress, only came back to bring in capital herself.” “Too bad her connections didn’t care for a family on the brink of bankruptcy. Stellar Group is their only lifeline.” Maria walked over to me and adjusted my collar. “Sweetie, tomorrow you’ll be sitting in the Chairwoman’s seat.” “Let them see who the ‘bastard’ they threw out really is.” That night, I didn’t sleep a wink. Not from excitement, but from the boiling revenge coursing through my veins. I remembered Tiffany’s sneering face as she ripped my clothes. I remembered Mr. Davies’ disgusted kick. I remembered how, for twenty years, I’d acted like a foolish people-pleaser, begging for a shred of affection that never truly existed. Since you showed no mercy, don’t expect any from me. The next morning. I donned the bespoke suit Maria had prepared for me. Its sharp cut exuded an intimidating aura. Looking at myself in the mirror, the timid, uncertain Stella was gone. In her place stood the new helmswoman of Stellar Group. Maria didn’t come to the office with me; she said she had ‘private matters to attend to,’ but I knew she was gathering evidence from all those years ago. I arrived at the company in the Rolls-Royce. Two rows of executives were already waiting. “Good morning, Stella!” Their voices boomed. I took a deep breath, strode on my heels, and entered through the revolving doors. The receptionist stared for a moment, then immediately lowered her gaze. “Stella, Mr. Davies and Miss Tiffany from Davies Group have been waiting in the conference room for an hour.” A cold smirk played on my lips. “Let them wait. Turn the AC down ten degrees. And no one gives them a drop of water without my permission.” The receptionist’s eyes widened, and she immediately responded, “Yes, ma’am!”

In the conference room. Mr. Davies paced nervously, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. Tiffany, meanwhile, impatiently touched up her makeup, grumbling incessantly. “Dad, the boss of Stellar Group has way too much nerve, doesn’t she? Making us wait this long!” “This miserable conference room is freezing! They won’t even offer water? What kind of service is that?!” Mrs. Davies was fanning herself beside them. “Exactly! Tiffany is a delicate flower; what if she catches a cold?” “Once we get the financing, we’ll teach this arrogant company a lesson it won’t forget!” From behind the one-way glass, I coldly observed the grotesque display of this pathetic trio. Yesterday, they’d been so high and mighty, kicking me out. Today, they were here, practically wagging their tails like stray dogs, begging for scraps. “Mr. Davies, long time no see.” I pushed the door open and strode in. My secretary swiftly pulled out the chair at the head of the table. I settled into the chair calmly, my fingers interlocked on the tabletop. The conference room instantly fell silent; you could have heard a pin drop. Mr. Davies’ eyes bulged, almost popping out of his skull. Mrs. Davies’ fan clattered to the floor. Tiffany, as if seeing a ghost, shrieked, pointing at me: “Stella?! What are YOU doing here?!” “Are you here to clean toilets?! Security! How did you let this trash in?!” She lunged at me, trying to grab me. “Get out! What makes you think you belong here?! This is a multi-billion-dollar business meeting! If you dirty the carpet, can you even pay for it?!” I remained still, merely tilting my head slightly. The bodyguard beside me simply raised a hand, seizing Tiffany’s wrist and twisting it hard. “AHH—!” Tiffany shrieked, stumbled back, and landed in an undignified heap on the floor. “Tiffany!” Mrs. Davies shrieked, rushing to her side. Mr. Davies’ face turned ashen, and he roared, pointing at me: “Stella! You ungrateful wretch! Did you follow us here?! Get out, now! Don’t you dare humiliate us any further!” I leaned back in my chair, a faint smirk playing on my lips. “Humiliate you?” “Mr. Davies, I think you’ve got two things wrong.” “First, this is Stellar Group, and I am the Chairwoman.” “Second, you’re the one begging me, not the other way around.” Mr. Davies stared, his face a mask of utter disbelief. “You’re… the Chairwoman? What kind of sick joke is this?! Your mother was a toilet-scrubbing nanny!” “Whose ID did you steal? Or did some old sugar daddy pay for you to be here?” Tiffany scrambled up from the floor, her face twisted with fury: “She definitely did! Dad, she must have sold herself to get here, just to cause trouble! There’s nothing a lowlife like her wouldn’t do!” I didn’t speak, merely gestured to my secretary. My secretary slammed a document onto the table in front of Mr. Davies. “Open your pathetic eyes and see for yourself.” Mr. Davies’ trembling hand picked up the document, his fingers fumbling as he turned to the first page. Shareholder Structure. Largest Shareholder: Stella. Holding: 100%. In that instant, Mr. Davies’ face went utterly ashen, like death itself. His body went limp, and he collapsed back into the chair. “This… this can’t be… Maria… Maria, she…” “My mother’s name is Maria, and she was the previous helmswoman of Stellar Group.” I stood up, bracing my hands on the table, looking down at Mr. Davies. “Mr. Davies, that precious Davies Group you’re so proud of? In my mother’s eyes, it’s less than nothing.” “For twenty years, my mother slaved away in your house, not because she was pathetic.” “It was because she was watching you, slowly but surely, dig your own graves.” “Now, I’m giving you two choices.” “First, get on your knees, kowtow to my mother three times, and cough up that five bucks of overtime pay you swallowed yesterday, with interest.” “Second, Davies Group goes into bankruptcy liquidation, and you three can go sleep under a bridge, covered in newspapers.”

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