I realized I could hear people’s darkest thoughts the moment I woke up from a dead faint. I’d been working three jobs back-to-back, surviving on caffeine and the desperate need to save my family. I thought my parents and my sister were dying. I thought the crushing weight of their medical bills was my cross to bear. Then I heard my mother, who had been coughing up blood just an hour ago, complaining in her head about how “low-quality” the theatrical blood tasted. She was already mentally spending my next paycheck on a vintage Chanel bag. I heard my father, the man with the “shattered leg,” grumbling that his muscles were cramping from pretending to be a cripple. He was dreaming of the high-end massage parlor he’d visit once I “cleared the family debt.” Even my “frail” younger sister was mentally drafting a breakup text to her “loser” boyfriend, eager to toss him aside so she could hunt for a richer mark. I watched them perform. I listened to their rehearsed whimpers. I didn’t say a word. I simply reached out and took back the envelope of “surgery money” I’d laid on the table. Later, I went to see my sister’s boyfriend to deliver her message. That’s when I heard his voice. He knew she was dumping him. But his inner monologue wasn’t full of heartbreak—it was full of cold, calculating amusement. He was the sole heir to a tech empire, playing a game of “poverty tourism” to test her love. He was waiting for the moment we’d all regret underestimating him. A sharp, jagged idea took root in my mind. I didn’t deliver the breakup speech. Instead, I feigned a dizzy spell, let my knees buckle, and collapsed straight into his arms. 1 The world spun with practiced precision. I calculated the angle perfectly, letting my body go limp as I fell toward Gideon. “Oh…” I let out a soft, breathless gasp, my forehead landing right in the crook of his neck. Instantly, I was wrapped in a scent that didn’t belong in a dive apartment—it wasn’t the smell of cheap soap or hospital antiseptic. It was expensive cedarwood and cold rain. I smirked inwardly, but kept my face a mask of fragile exhaustion. My hands gripped his shoulders for support, shifting just enough to ensure I couldn’t “quite” find my footing. As I moved, I heard a low, rough groan vibrate in his chest. Wait. Something was wrong. He was supposed to be… paralyzed from the waist down, wasn’t he? A man in a wheelchair shouldn’t have a reaction that visceral, that present. Heat crawled up my neck, but before I could pull away, a large, searing palm clamped onto my waist. The grip was terrifyingly strong—nothing like the weak hold of a chronic patient. I looked up, startled, and collided with a pair of dark, bottomless eyes. The gentle concern he usually wore was gone, replaced by a turbulent, predatory current. On the surface, he looked devastated by the news of the “breakup.” But his mind was a different story: [Tsk. This ‘damsel in distress’ routine is almost painful to watch.] [Though… her waist is surprisingly small.] I didn’t have time to process his hypocrisy. In the next heartbeat, Gideon’s mouth was on mine. The night that followed was a blur of reckless, feverish mistakes. When I finally drifted back to consciousness, my body felt like it had been pulverized. Sunlight stabbed through the gaps in the curtains. I bolted upright, realizing the space beside me was cold. The tangled sheets and the mess on the sofa were the only evidence of last night’s madness. The culprit was sitting across the room, perfectly composed in his wheelchair. He was watching me with an unreadable expression. He had slipped back into his “fragile” persona, making the dominant, fierce man from the night before feel like a fever dream. “I’m sorry,” he said first. His voice was gravelly, thick with rehearsed guilt. “I heard that Judy wanted to leave me, and I… I lost control. I couldn’t handle the rejection.” He paused, looking pained. “I did something unforgivable to you. You can hate me, hit me—I’ll accept whatever you decide.” He looked like a man seeking penance. His mind, however, was a cold machinery: [Ugh, what a hassle. It was one night; why does she look like she’s about to burst into tears? Still… she tasted better than I expected.] A surge of white-hot fury crested in my chest. They were all the same. My sister faked illness for bags; this man faked poverty to play God with people’s emotions. They deserved each other. But I forced my features into a mask of devastation. I pulled the duvet up to my chin, my eyes brimming with tears as my voice trembled. “You… how could we do this? How can I ever look my sister in the eye again?” Gideon blinked, seemingly taken aback by my tears. He looked ashamed. In his head, he sneered: [She really is the dumbest of the lot, isn’t she?] [Can’t see her family is playing her for a fool, and now she’s playing the martyr. Pathetic. We spent hours together last night—how has she not realized my legs work perfectly fine?] I clenched my jaw under the covers. Dumb? Maybe I was, once. I’d nearly worked myself into an early grave to buy medicine that was never needed. If I hadn’t developed this “glitch” in my hearing, I’d still be their slave. But now? Now I was going to play the game. If my sister didn’t want this “poor, broken man,” I’d take him. I’d take him and everything he was hiding. I was going to make sure they all learned exactly what happens when you push a “saint” too far. 2 Over the next few days, life settled into a suffocating rhythm. I still got up before dawn. I still brewed herbal teas and made breakfast. But I quietly quit the three soul-crushing side hustles that had been killing me. My parents and Judy seemed to sense my “idleness.” Their performances grew more dramatic to compensate. One evening, while I was peeling an apple for my father, he let out a heavy, theatrical sigh. “I heard from a friend today,” he started, staring wistfully out the window. “There’s a clinic in Switzerland. They’ve had incredible success with cases like ours.” My mother’s eyes lit up on cue before she slumped back, feigning weakness. “Switzerland? George, we can barely afford the electricity bill. Let’s not burden the girl.” “She’s right, Dad,” Judy added, her voice a fragile whisper. “The care is better there, but the cost… it’s impossible.” I watched this perfectly choreographed play, feeling a cold stone where my heart used to be. The old Caitlin would have been scouring the internet for loans within the hour. They knew exactly which buttons to press. I set the knife down and pinched my own arm hard, forcing the blood to rush to my face. I let my voice shake with “determined” devotion. “Dad, Mom… what are you saying?” I stood up, looking at each of them with wide, shimmering eyes. “As long as there’s a chance, I’m not giving up! Money can be replaced. You can’t.” “But honey… the cost…” my mother whimpered. I gritted my teeth, looking like a woman ready to jump off a cliff for her family. “Don’t worry! If I have to sell my soul, or take out a thousand loans, I’ll get you to that clinic! If it means you’ll get better, I’ll do anything!” The room went silent. And then, I heard it. The synchronized, deafening thrum of three hearts leaping with greedy joy. [Got her! The little idiot actually fell for it!] [Loans? Selling her soul? Haha, she’s so easy to manipulate!] [Finally! Europe! Shopping in Zurich, here I come!] Their faces, however, were masks of heartbreaking gratitude. My mother reached out to squeeze my hand. “Oh, sweetheart, we don’t deserve you.” “I’m a failure as a father,” my dad sobbed, wiping dry eyes. “It’s okay,” I whispered, pulling my hand back gently. “I’ll go look into the costs. Just rest.” The moment the door clicked shut behind me, my smile vanished. Sell my soul? No. If you want money so badly, I’ll “help” you get it. Over the next week, under the guise of “processing international medical visas,” I gathered their ID cards, their passports, and even the forged medical records they’d used to trick me. I didn’t go to a bank. I went to the darkest corners of the city—to the predatory, high-interest “private lenders” who don’t ask questions as long as there’s collateral. An hour later, a massive sum of money—with an interest rate designed to swallow a person whole—was deposited into three brand-new accounts I’d opened in their names. I stepped out into the blinding sunlight and dialed my sister. “Judy?” My voice was sweet enough to cause cavities. “Tell Mom and Dad the good news. I got the money. All of it. You’re going to Switzerland.” I listened to their muffled cheers on the other end, my lips curling into a jagged smile. I hope you’re just as happy when you come back and find the mountain of debt waiting for you. 3 As I left the lender’s office, I spotted a familiar figure at an outdoor cafe across the street. Gideon. He was sipping an espresso, looking entirely too relaxed. I wiped the cold calculation from my face and replaced it with frantic worry. I hurried over to him. “Gideon? Where’s your wheelchair? It’s dangerous for you to be out here alone!” He froze, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his eyes before he smoothed it over. [This woman… is she actually serious? Does she still think I’m a cripple?] I pretended not to notice his confusion. He set his cup down, his voice dropping into that husky, vulnerable register. “The chair is being serviced. I just needed some air. I felt… trapped.” His eyes flickered to the thick envelope in my hand. “What are you doing in this neighborhood?” I looked away, biting my lip. He reached for the envelope, and I let him “accidentally” see the loan documents. “I… I was trying to secure some funds,” I whispered, my eyes turning red. “But please, don’t tell Judy. I don’t want her to worry about how I’m paying for her treatment.” Gideon stared at me like I was a specimen in a jar. [Is she a saint or just a moron? She’s taking out shark loans for those three parasites?] We sat in a heavy silence for a moment. Then, I stood up and offered my hand. “It’s going to rain. Let me get you home.” Gideon hesitated. I looked at him with pure, unadulterated “kindness.” “I forgot—your legs. I’ll call an Uber, but let me carry you to the curb so you don’t have to struggle.” [Carry me? Has she lost her mind?] Despite his internal mocking, something in my persistence made him yield. He let me hoist his arm over my shoulder. He was heavy—solid muscle—and I buckled slightly, gritting my teeth as I maneuvered him toward a taxi. By the time we reached his cramped “studio apartment,” the sky had broken. A torrential downpour washed over us. I fumbled with the door, and as we crossed the threshold, I purposely tripped, sending both of us sprawling onto the floor. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” I ignored my own scraped knees and scrambled to my feet, kneeling beside him. I cupped his face with trembling hands, my tears mixing with the rain dripping from my hair. Gideon lay there, soaked through, looking weary and defeated. “It’s fine. I’m just… a burden.” I held his face tighter, my eyes burning with a feigned intensity. “Don’t you ever say that. You are not a burden. You’re going to get better. I’ll make sure of it.” He opened his eyes wide. The mockery was gone, replaced by a dark, complex confusion. [She…] Looking at his lips, so close to mine, I leaned down in the middle of the storm and kissed him. I woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Voices drifted from the balcony. Gideon was on the phone, his tone low and authoritative. “I know. I’ll be back within the week. Prepare the board.” I stayed still, heart hammering, as he ended the call and walked back into the room. He stopped by the bed, his gaze burning into me. His thoughts were crystal clear: [My father is breathing down my neck to take over the company. This ‘undercover’ game is over. Judy was a bore, but this sister… she’s fascinating in her stupidity. Maybe I’ll fake a relapse, see how far her ‘martyr’ complex actually goes.] I kept my eyes shut, my mind racing. The next morning, I showed up at his door with a thermal flask and a bright smile. “Judy and my parents left for Switzerland this morning. They think they found a cure. I’m going to take care of you while she’s gone.” Gideon looked stunned, then masked it with “gratitude.” For the next few days, I was the perfect housewife. I cleaned his dingy apartment, cooked for him, and organized his life. Then, during dinner, Gideon suddenly clutched his nose. Blood dripped onto his plate. “It’s nothing,” he muttered. “Just a bit of stress.” I insisted on taking him to the hospital. The results came back an hour later. Cancer. Stage four. Gideon played the part of the broken man perfectly. He turned his face away, his voice cold. “Go away. Don’t come back. You shouldn’t waste your life on a dead man.” I didn’t argue. I didn’t cry. I simply turned and walked out without a second glance. Behind the closed door, I heard his mental chuckle: [I thought she’d make a scene. At least she knows when to quit.] I paused in the hallway, a slow, cold smile spreading across my face. You think you’re the only one playing a game, Gideon? My move hasn’t even started yet. Two days later, I went to a shady clinic and sold 400ml of my rare blood type. Then, I walked to Gideon’s door, waited for the exact moment I felt the lightheadedness peak, and collapsed. 4 The smell of hospital grade disinfectant greeted me as I drifted back. A doctor’s voice was muffled in the distance: “She’s pregnant. Between the malnutrition and the blood loss, she’s lucky she didn’t lose the baby. She needs absolute rest.” I felt a heavy, burning gaze on me. I waited until the doctor left before opening my eyes. Gideon was sitting by the bed, his expression a chaotic mess of guilt and shock. “How are you feeling?” I didn’t answer. I reached into my pocket with a trembling hand and pulled out a debit card. “This is everything I’ve saved,” I whispered, my voice cracked. “Take it for your treatment. Don’t worry about me. I… I’m going to terminate the pregnancy. I can’t bring a child into this.” Gideon’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “Where did you get this much money? And why would you get rid of the baby?” I let out a hollow, jagged laugh. “Our ‘mistake’ was never supposed to happen. I want this baby more than anything, Gideon, but I’m broke and you’re dying. I won’t bring a child into the world just to watch them suffer like I have.” Gideon stared at his phone. He’d clearly been doing some digging. “You fainted because you sold your blood? You sold your blood to give me this card?” I didn’t say a word. I just forced the card into his hand. He gripped it, his face twisting in a way I’d never seen. He sat in silence for a long time before handing the card back. “I’m going to marry you,” he said. “Keep the baby. I’ll provide for both of you.” “But your illness—” “The hospital made a mistake,” he said quickly, his voice firm. “It’s not cancer. I’m going to be fine.” I pretended to be overwhelmed by the “miracle,” while my heart hammered with triumph. Gideon pulled out his phone and, right then and there, transferred five million dollars into my account. The zeros on the screen were dazzling. “I have money, Caitlin. You never have to worry again.” I forced a look of pure, wide-eyed shock, while internally I was screaming. Five million. Goodbye, poverty. Hello, luxury. I was moved to a VIP suite. I ate food I couldn’t pronounce. Two months later, we had a small, private wedding. But as I smoothed down my silk gown, ready to walk into the reception hall, a familiar screech echoed from the entrance. “Caitlin! You backstabbing bitch! You took out loans in our names!” It was my mother. I turned to see my parents and Judy standing there, looking bedraggled and furious. Judy’s eyes landed on my designer dress and the diamond-encrusted venue. She grabbed my mother’s arm, her voice dripping with sudden, venomous greed. “So, you’re getting married to a rich guy, huh, Sis?” Judy smirked. “How much is the dowry? Because whatever it is, it’s going toward our debt. Consider it his way of proving he’s worthy of our family.” I saw Gideon walking toward us, his tall, imposing figure casting a long shadow. I smiled. “Sure. Your brother-in-law is right there. Why don’t you ask him for the money yourselves?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “425793”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

On Valentine’s night, I treated a patient with a foreign object stuck in her vagina. Seeing her blushing face and anxious expression, I spoke softly to comfort her during the extraction process. But the next second, my movements suddenly froze. Because I saw something too familiar. My husband Ethan Moore’s wedding ring. Looking at the ring engraved with my initials, my eyes flew wide open, and my blood ran cold. Claire’s POV On Valentine’s night, I treated a patient with a foreign object stuck in her vagina. Seeing the young woman’s blushing face and anxious expression, I spoke softly to comfort her during the extraction process. But the next second, my movements suddenly froze. I saw something all too familiar. My husband Ethan Moore’s wedding ring. Looking at the ring engraved with my initials, my eyes flew wide open, and the blood in my veins seemed to freeze. Just then, voices of several of Ethan’s friends drifted in from outside. “Ethan! I just remembered. Your wife works at this hospital too, right? What if she runs into you?” “What are the odds? She’s just a former heiress from a falling family, and she’s been divorced before. She’s lucky Ethan even married her! I bet even if she does find out, she’ll make a fuss at most. Don’t worry about it, Ethan.” At those words, I looked up toward the man. Just an hour ago, he had texted me apologizing for not being able to spend Valentine’s Day with me. Now he stood there with a darkened expression, taking it all in without saying a single word in my defense. A ringing filled my ears, and my heart sank bit by bit along with his silence. They weren’t wrong. I had been married to someone else before. But that was for Ethan’s sake. We had been together for years and should have smoothly entered marriage. But three years ago, his father suddenly passed away. Other members of the Moore family went so far as to harm Ethan in their fight for the inheritance, causing him to fall into a coma from a severe car accident. In that critical moment, the only man with a compatible liver who agreed to donate to him made me a proposal. Marriage. “Just one year. To deal with my family pressuring me to get married. After marriage, we won’t interfere with each other’s lives.” To save Ethan, I agreed. A year later, the marriage was dissolved. When Ethan woke up, I confessed everything to him right away. Back then, he looked at me with reddened eyes and said, “I don’t mind. My Claire suffered because of me. I’ll make it up to you from now on.” And he kept his word. After reclaiming the company, he not only married me in a high-profile ceremony but also spent an enormous sum to give me a lavish wedding that caught the world’s attention. I thought our love had finally reached its happy ending. I never imagined that his claim of “not minding” was a lie. Deep down, he had always cared that I’d been married once before. Suddenly, the examination room door was pushed open. I looked up into that face I’d loved for so many years. Seeing me, Ethan’s anxious expression froze. Then he noticed the ring on the tray beside me, and his gaze shifted away. “So you know everything?” Before I could answer, the curtain behind me was pulled back, instantly drawing Ethan’s attention. He brushed past my shoulder and strode forward, his tone full of concern. “Rachel, are you okay?” The girl named Rachel Connors shook her head shyly. “Ethan, I’m fine. It’s just… down there still hurts a little.” At that, Ethan’s expression grew tense. He turned to look at me suspiciously, his voice ice-cold. “I know you’re angry, but take it out on me. You’re a doctor. You shouldn’t and can’t make things difficult for Rachel.” I froze, barely able to believe what I was hearing. He had not only cheated and betrayed our marriage and our relationship, but now he was also insulting the profession I took such pride in! Ignoring the hurt written all over my face, Ethan offered no explanation or apology. He wrapped his arm around Rachel and strode out. I took leave and returned home, staring at the wedding photos hanging on the wall that once represented happiness. Now they felt piercing. I still remembered how joyful Ethan had looked at our wedding. He had held me tight, his voice choked with emotion. “Claire, marrying you has been my dream since I was sixteen. And now it’s finally come true.” At that memory, tears had already blurred my vision. I wiped them away and let out a bitter laugh. Everything. It could never go back. I sent a photo of our marriage certificate to my lawyer and asked him to prepare divorce papers. The message was sent, and I quickly received a reply. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Moore. I can’t process your divorce. The marriage certificate you have is fake.”

Claire’s POV “What did you say? The marriage certificate is fake? How is that possible?!” I thought it was absurd, but the lawyer’s next message made my face go deathly pale. “Since you were referred by a friend, I’ll tell you this. The Mr. Moore you mentioned is indeed legally married. But the registration date wasn’t two years ago. It was one week ago. And the spouse listed isn’t Claire, it’s someone named Rachel Connors.” Crash! Those two sentences hit me like a sledgehammer. My hand holding the phone began to tremble. For two whole years, my marriage had been nothing but a lie. From the very beginning, Ethan had never truly married me. He had even registered his marriage with another woman just days ago. I didn’t know how much time had passed when the sound of the door lock turning snapped me out of my chaotic thoughts. Ethan was home. Seeing me sitting on the sofa in a daze, he took off his coat, sat down beside me, and spoke. “It’s so late. Why aren’t you asleep yet?” When I didn’t respond, his tone softened. “What, still upset?” “Honey, men like novelty sometimes. You have to allow me to make mistakes.” “Mistakes?” I repeated with bitter self-mockery. “How could you be wrong?” He was with his legal wife. How could that be wrong? Ethan assumed I was just throwing a tantrum. He continued. “Alright, honey. Yes, I really like Rachel right now. But I promise her presence won’t affect your position. After all, you’re my wife. That will never change. I promise.” I looked up at him in disbelief. “Wife.” “My position.” How ironic those words sounded! He’d been lying to me for two whole years. And even now, he was still lying! I shook off Ethan’s hand and went to sleep in the guest bedroom alone. As I lay in bed thinking about where I should go after this relationship ended, the door opened without me noticing. Ethan, breathing heavily, wrapped his arm around my waist. I jumped in fright. “What are you doing?! Don’t touch me!” But no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t escape being pinned to the bed. I was nearly exhausted when I saw something in the trash can by the bed. A used condom! We had never stayed in this guest room. The only possibility was that Ethan had used it with someone else. I felt all the blood in my body rush to my head. Rage gave me the strength to break free from his grip. “Get off me!” Ethan seemed surprised when I pushed him away, as if he hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. His brow furrowed, and a flash of impatience crossed his eyes. “What’s wrong with you now? Stop making a scene.” My eyes turned red, and my voice cracked with emotion. “I’ve been with you since I was seventeen, Ethan. You didn’t just betray me. You brought her into our home. How can you be so disgusting?” Ethan paused, then actually sneered and pointed at himself. “Claire, you’re calling me disgusting?” He looked down at me and spoke words that stabbed into my heart like knives. “You think you’re not disgusting?” “When I was in a coma, you climbed into another man’s bed and stayed there for a year. Claire, what right do you have to call me disgusting?” As he spoke, he pressed my face into the mattress as if venting his anger, so hard that my vision went black. “Don’t move.” His voice was low and hoarse, laced with impatience. The moment he finished speaking, he roughly tore open my nightgown and thrust himself inside me. I had no strength left to struggle. I could only close my eyes and endure this prolonged assault, letting tears slide down from the corners of my eyes. After several muffled grunts from the man, the obscene sounds stopped along with his violent movements. After releasing, Ethan let out a long breath. Looking down at me curled up on the bed, he seemed to soften a bit. “Honey, you were married to another man for a year, so I’m just playing around for a year too. That’s fair, isn’t it? After a year, I’ll come back to the family. We’ll live well together after that.” He pulled out and left to wash up, leaving me lying on the bed with dead eyes, the parts of my body he’d treated roughly aching faintly. But nothing compared to the pain in my chest. I stared toward the doorway and forced my lips into a bitter smile. “But Ethan, there can never be an ‘after’ for us anymore.” I got up and called the hospital director. “The overseas training program. If I agree to participate now, is it too late?” I received an affirmative answer from the other end. “Good. I’ll be ready to leave in one week.”

Claire’s POV This training program would keep me abroad for three full years, so early the next morning, I began preparations for my departure. I first went out to handle my visa, then returned to the hospital to process my transfer paperwork. But as soon as I arrived at the hospital, a colleague called me over, saying a patient had come for a follow-up and specifically requested me. I quickly changed and rushed to the department, only to discover that the patient who’d requested me was Rachel Connors. In the examination room, I forced down the churning emotions inside and tried my best to treat Rachel as just an ordinary patient. But Rachel wasn’t about to let me off that easily. After the examination, she spoke up. “Dr. Anderson, my body… it’s okay, right?” “Nothing serious. Just some swelling. Just avoid sex for the next few days.” Seeing my calm demeanor, a flash of surprise and unwillingness crossed Rachel’s eyes. “How can that work? My husband has a very high sex drive. Last night we even had a video call and…” She trailed off as if embarrassed. “But I was considerate enough to suggest he find another woman.” My hand froze as I removed my gloves. Thinking of what happened last night, disgust and humiliation swept through my entire body. “Dr. Anderson, are you alright? You look so pale.” Rachel’s words seemed concerned, but her eyes couldn’t hide her smugness. “I’m fine. If there’s nothing else, you can leave now.” I gripped the edge of the desk to steady myself as I issued the dismissal, but Rachel acted as if she hadn’t heard. She walked over to me, dropping the innocent and shy act she put on in front of Ethan. Her expression turned provocative as she spoke in a voice only the two of us could hear. “Dr. Anderson, do you know what Ethan says about you when he’s with me? He says every time he thinks about you being married to someone else, he feels disgusted. He also said you’re nothing but trash.” The malice in her words was obvious. My eyes widened and my pupils contracted sharply. Just as Rachel thought she’d achieved her goal and turned to leave, I spoke. “If he finds me so repulsive and likes you so much, why haven’t you made him kick me out? Is it that you don’t want to?” Rachel choked on those words. The smug smile on her lips instantly froze, and her expression turned ugly. “Don’t get too proud! I’ll replace you sooner or later. Just you wait!” I didn’t respond. Rachel slammed the door and stormed out. After finishing the paperwork and handing over my duties, the sky had already darkened. I stood by the hospital window, hesitating for a long time before finally dialing a number I hadn’t contacted in ages. “Claire? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” On the other end, my father’s voice sounded clearly surprised. “Dad, I just wanted to let you know I’m about to move to another city for work. I probably won’t be able to come home for the holidays.” “Why so sudden?” My father’s tone held a note of probing. “Ethan… is he going with you?” Hearing that name, I fell silent for a moment. “No. Just me. We’re… not husband and wife anymore.” We should never have been, actually. Silence stretched on the other end of the line. After a long pause, he simply responded, “Alright.” After hanging up, I stood there for a while. I remembered how my father used to love me when I was little. But after my mother passed away and his company went bankrupt due to poor management, and after he started a new family, we grew more and more distant. That’s why, from my teens onward, I learned to take care of myself. Later, when I met Ethan, I clung to him like a drowning person grasping at driftwood, loving him and giving everything for him. At that thought, I let out a self-mocking smile and got up to gather my things. But when I pushed open the door to my home, I unexpectedly heard Rachel’s voice inside. Ethan didn’t even bother pretending anymore. Seeing me return, he actually smiled and asked. “The girl was curious about where I live, so I’m letting her stay for a few days. You… don’t mind, right?”

Claire’s POV I stood in the entryway, looking at the man I thought I could rely on for a lifetime, and at this “home” I believed would shelter me forever. Suddenly, I laughed. “Of course I don’t mind.” I was leaving soon anyway. After that, whoever he wanted to bring home would have nothing to do with me. Hearing such an answer, Ethan froze, his expression blank for a moment. He probably expected me to fight, to scream, to break down crying. Not to agree so easily. Ignoring his searching gaze, I walked straight toward the bedroom and began packing. When my suitcase was filled, Ethan suddenly walked in. Seeing my luggage, his brow furrowed. “Honey, what are you doing?” “Packing.” I didn’t look back, my tone flat. “Creating space for you two.” Ethan’s expression darkened further. He slammed his hand down on my suitcase. “Can you stop making a scene? Besides staying with me, where else can you even go?” My movements stilled. My voice grew even colder. “That’s none of your business.” Ethan laughed in anger. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he released the suitcase, his tone taking on a confident edge. “Fine. You want to leave, right? Then what about this? Are you going to leave it behind too?” He pulled out a pendant from around his neck. My gaze fell on it, and I froze completely. It was the pendant my mother left me before she died. I’d given it to Ethan the year of his accident. I’d hoped the pendant would accompany him in my place. But now it was being used to threaten me. “Give it back.” Seeing me finally react, Ethan’s lips curved slightly. “I can. But you’re not a child anymore. Running away from home is too immature, don’t you think?” I stood there pressing my lips together, my nails digging deep into my palms. Ethan assumed I’d agreed to stay. His expression softened slightly as he walked out. Over the next few days, I watched with my own eyes how intimate Ethan was with Rachel. The meals he once swore he’d only cook for me in this lifetime were now made daily to make Rachel happy. The sweet words I’d heard in our youth were now spoken word-for-word to another woman. They kissed and embraced right in front of me without restraint. At night, I was forced to listen to the sounds of them having sex. Just one wall away, I buried myself under the covers, but it still couldn’t block out those gasps and moans piercing my eardrums like red-hot needles. Every minute, every second of this life was torture for me. But Ethan wouldn’t let me leave. Even that night, after they finished, he came to my door in his robe, his face full of satisfaction, and knocked. “Rachel wants foie gras. You make it well. Get up and cook it for her.” I was about to refuse when I saw the pendant hanging around his neck. The words stuck in my throat. “Fine.” I got up and went to the kitchen. After preparing the foie gras, I turned to head back upstairs. I hadn’t even fallen asleep when my door was kicked open. Ethan was furious. He grabbed me by the throat and yanked me out of bed. “You put something in the foie gras, didn’t you? Otherwise why would Rachel keep throwing up?!” I instinctively shook my head in denial, which only made him angrier. “Still won’t admit it? If not you, then who?! You’re a doctor, and you’d poison someone out of jealousy. Get up right now. You’re coming with us to the hospital.” His voice roared as he dragged me outside without care. Even when my shin slammed into a cabinet and opened a bloody gash, he didn’t spare me a glance. In the hospital corridor, I sat on a bench in my nightgown, barefoot. The blood from my wound had dried, but still the two of them hadn’t emerged. I could only walk to the hospital room door to hear the results, but instead I saw Ethan, who’d been full of rage just moments ago, now wearing a completely different expression. He held Rachel’s hand, his face showing undisguised joy. “That’s wonderful, Rachel. You’re carrying my child. I promise he’ll be my only heir.” Rachel’s eyes flashed with wild delight, though she tried hard to hide it. “But when Dr. Anderson was pregnant, you arranged for her to have an accident and miscarry. I thought you didn’t like children.” Ethan’s smile remained warm, but his words struck me like icicles, leaving me frozen to the bone. I watched the man I’d loved for ten years speak the cruelest words in that familiar voice. “How can she compare to you? Only you are worthy of bearing my child.”

Claire’s POV I stood outside the hospital room door, my face deathly pale at those words. So the child I couldn’t keep wasn’t an accident after all. That was half a year ago. I’d looked at the two lines on the pregnancy test with pure joy, thinking we were finally welcoming the fruit of our love. But then the maid knocked me down the stairs. When I woke up, Ethan looked at me with regret and told me the baby couldn’t be saved. I grieved for so long, crying every day. It was Ethan who held me through the nights, softly comforting me. He said, “Don’t cry, honey. We’ll have more children in the future.” But I still felt it was my own carelessness that cost us the baby. I’d felt guilty about it ever since. It turned out everything was arranged by him. Simply because he thought I wasn’t worthy of bearing his child… But I’d told him that the one-year marriage was only on paper. I never lived with that man. He said he believed me. He knew better than anyone how desperately I longed for a family. Thinking of my pain back then, and Ethan’s false tears. I suddenly felt nauseated. I covered my mouth and staggered into the restroom, collapsing over the toilet and dry heaving. Nothing came up. Just my stomach convulsing and tears streaming down my face. The sound drew the two people out of the hospital room. Ethan stood in the doorway. Seeing my state, he froze for a moment. “What’s wrong?” He was about to step forward to help me when a scream suddenly came from behind him. Rachel ran off crying. Ethan immediately withdrew his hand and chased after her. By the time I left the hospital, it was already deep into the night. The night wind blew against me, making me ice-cold all over. I hadn’t walked more than a few steps when a dull thud rang out. Pain shot through the back of my head and I instantly lost consciousness. When I came to, I found myself inside a burlap sack. My limbs were bound and my mouth was sealed with tape so I couldn’t speak. Suddenly someone viciously kicked my stomach. The pain made cold sweat instantly break out on my forehead. But the beating was far from over. Several people began savagely punching and kicking me. I had nowhere to hide. I could only curl up helplessly on the ground and endure it all. It wasn’t until the inside of my cheek was bitten through and bleeding, and my insides felt like they’d been ground to pieces, that the violence finally stopped. The thugs’ words sounded like they were talking to someone. “She took such a heavy beating and there’s no bleeding from down there. Looks like she really isn’t pregnant.” After a few seconds of silence, a familiar voice drilled clearly into my ears. It was Ethan. “Did you hear that, Rachel? Now you can relax.” Rachel answered obediently, “Mm-hmm. You’re so good to me, Ethan.” The two of them walked away laughing. The surroundings fell silent. I lay on the cold ground, tears and blood mixing together and falling. But suddenly I let out a low laugh. That teenage boy who once said he’d protect me forever when I confessed. That lover whose eyes would redden with heartache if I even frowned. That man I’d loved for ten years. He died three years ago. … After barely enduring that wave of severe pain, I struggled to untie the ropes. But even after my wrists were rubbed raw and bleeding, I still couldn’t get the ropes loose. Just then, Ethan rushed over. He undid my restraints in a few moves and said urgently, “I just found out you were kidnapped and came to rescue you right away. Honey, are you okay?” I forced a smile at him, but didn’t have the strength to expose his lies. Seeing me like this, Ethan suddenly grew flustered. He quickly looked away from my gaze. “Alright, it’s over now. I’m taking you home.” Perhaps out of guilt, he stayed in my room for the next two days, feeding me medicine and bringing me water. Until the third day, when Rachel insisted he accompany her on a trip. Ethan looked conflicted, but I said understandingly. “I’m fine. You two go.” He paused. “You mean it? I knew you were the most considerate. Rest well at home while you recover. I’ll be back soon.” After seeing him off, I put on the pendant I’d secretly taken from him when he wasn’t paying attention. I made up an excuse to send the housekeeper away, then threw off the covers and got out of bed. The training program’s departure time was this afternoon. I couldn’t be late. After packing my documents and essentials, I dragged my body to the door with difficulty. The moment I gripped the doorknob, I breathed a sigh of relief. All of this was finally ending. I took one last look at this home, then reached out and turned the knob. Clang! My suitcase fell to the floor. I stared straight ahead, my eyes trembling violently, all color draining from my face. Outside the door stood a crowd of people! At the front, Ethan wore a black suit, his expression twisted. “Claire, you didn’t actually think you could leave me, did you?”

Claire’s POV He walked up to me and gripped my chin, forcing me to lift my head. His voice was ice-cold. “You actually wanted to leave me. How dare you? If your father hadn’t told me in time, you really would’ve gotten away.” I froze completely. The news of my departure. My own father had told Ethan?! Just then, my father’s figure emerged from the back of the crowd, his expression a mixture of flattery and guilt. “Claire,” he began, unable to meet my eyes. “I’m doing this for your own good. Instead of living well with Ethan, what are you throwing a tantrum for?” “Just think about it. You’re a woman who’s been divorced. What else can you do? Ethan is so capable. He can take care of you, take care of us. What more could you want?” I closed my eyes in utter disappointment. I understood everything now. In the past, to pave the way for his son, my father had come to me more than once asking me to appeal to Ethan. Now it seemed he’d achieved his goal. Even if the price was selling out his own daughter. “Dad… he lied to me… betrayed me, threw away years of our relationship, even brought another woman into our home… hurt and humiliated me at will. And you think I’m ungrateful?” My throat felt like it was choked with razor blades. Those two short sentences left my heart unbearably bitter. Seeing my grief, my father turned his face away as if unable to bear it. Ethan’s brow furrowed too. Finally, a phone ringtone broke the deadlock. It was Rachel calling to hurry him along. That brought Ethan back to his senses. “I have to go. Rachel’s waiting for me. Anyway, you should calm down first. We’ll talk about whatever it is when I get back.” For some reason, his eyes looked somewhat panicked. He gestured to the bodyguards to confiscate my bag and phone. “I’ll keep these for you to prevent you from running around.” Ethan turned and walked out, then suddenly paused. “Oh, right,” he said as if remembering something. “I already handled your resignation at the hospital. You won’t have to work so hard anymore. Just rest well at home from now on.” My head snapped up. “No, you can’t do this… You have no right to make decisions for me.” Hearing that only made him walk faster. Everyone assumed he was rushing off to meet his mistress. After Ethan left, my father quickly ran off too. A bodyguard opened the villa door. “Please, Mrs. Moore.” I looked at this house that once held my happiness, then witnessed all my suffering. The thought of being imprisoned here made it impossible to breathe. But now I had no documents, no phone, no money. I couldn’t go anywhere. I walked through the door in despair, only to be pinned to the sofa by two bodyguards the moment the door closed. “What are you doing? Let me go!” But my struggles and shouts. They ignored everything. When I scratched one of their faces, he actually slapped me hard. Smack! The blow sent my face to the side, my vision going dark in waves. Just then, I heard their conversation. “Miss Connors only told us to film her. Hitting her isn’t good, right?” The one who’d struck me sneered. “What are you afraid of? Miss Connors said once Mr. Moore sees the video, he’ll definitely never be with her again. By that time, do you think anyone will speak up for her?” After hearing that, the previously worried man laughed. “You’re right. Let’s have some fun with her tonight.” He busied himself setting up the camera while the other started undressing. I seized the chance and jumped up, running out desperately. My clothes were disheveled. I didn’t dare look back, afraid danger would catch me at any moment. I could only run forward with all my might. Just when I was most desperate, a car suddenly pulled up and stopped in front of me. The rear window rolled down. I saw a familiar face and was filled with immense surprise. Adrian Sinclair. The man I’d once had a brief marriage with. My ex-husband.

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My husband Leon is the Alpha heir of Stonehowl Pack. While I was in labor, he was on a private island with his mistress Aisling. On the third day, he finally came home to see the baby. “The kid’s pretty tough. By the way, I heard you were in so much pain during delivery you almost had a miscarriage?” “That’s because Aisling and I specifically chose the time you were giving birth to have sex.” I stared at him in disbelief as he continued. “Don’t be mad. The baby was born healthy, wasn’t he? Aisling won’t change the fact that you’re my wife.” Watching his retreating figure, I didn’t cry or make a scene. I’d already received fifty-two million dollars in compensation. I could divorce him with peace of mind now. Leon pushed his phone toward me with a restrained smile. The photo on the screen captured my shocked expression from moments ago when I’d heard how he nearly caused my miscarriage during delivery. My swollen eyes and sallow face were magnified countless times in the landscape orientation. I instinctively reached to grab his phone and delete the photo. He easily dodged away. “I finally got that candid shot. I told her I’d capture your expression when you heard this news.” “She’s been sulking for three days since you gave birth to a son and won’t let me touch her. No choice but to use you to cheer her up.” His smug expression was like a knife slowly stripping away my dignity. He talked about his affair so casually, like he was planning what to eat tomorrow. Like he’d never loved me at all. Leon and I were fated mates. We fell for each other at first sight and quickly fell in love. On our wedding day, he told all the guests he would only love me for the rest of his life. Until Aisling became his new secretary. Then he became madly infatuated with her and began betraying me again and again. The man who said he’d only love me for life ultimately broke his vows. A chime sounded. His special notification tone. Aisling saw me and looked horrified. “Why does Clara look so awful? Women really do get ugly after having babies. I never want to have children!” “I’m ordering you to always use protection with me from now on! I refuse to let my body go to hell and look all haggard!” His eyes crinkled with amusement. Gone was the anger he’d shown the first time he heard Aisling taunt that I was too plain to deserve him. “Of course. Clara’s job is having babies. As my mistress, you just need to keep me satisfied.” “Not mad anymore, right? Practice that position from last time more. In a bit, wash up and put on that transparent lingerie and wait for me!” The voice message ended. He turned off his phone, savoring the moment. Seeing my reddening eyes, he chuckled and pinched my cheek. “It is a bit loose. All right, it’s not the first time you’ve heard me flirt with her. Why be upset? She’s just a diversion. Once the novelty wears off, I’ll replace her. We have a child now. No one can shake your position. Look on the bright side.” With that, he put his hands in his pockets and left casually. He made it sound easy, but over these two years, his “novelty” never seemed to run out. The position no one could shake was an identity anyone could provoke. Ten minutes later, my phone showed a charge notification from the pharmacy. The purchased items were three boxes of strawberry-flavored ultra-thin condoms. Immediately after, he sent me a message. “The pharmacy account is almost empty. We’ve been using a lot of condoms lately. Remember to add more funds.” Looking at this nearly provocative message. I no longer felt the anger and impulse that made me storm his affair scene with righteous fury the first time I received a contraceptive purchase notification. I simply ordered five more boxes to Aisling’s address. Half an hour later, my account received two million dollars as a “reward.” The total was now exactly fifty-two million. I calmly took a screenshot of the transfer records and sent it to Leon’s father, Alpha James. “That’s enough money. Please process my divorce and find a witch to break the mate bond between Leon and me.”

The first time I received Leon’s “compensation” transfer was the first time I experienced his infidelity. I was three months pregnant then. Leon said he was busy with work and told me to do my prenatal checkup and go home alone. On my way home alone, I was attacked by Rogues. My body and mind suddenly transmitted immense pain. By the time Leon heard the news and rushed to find me, the Rogues had left. They’d beaten me until I didn’t have a single patch of unmarked skin, and I’d lost the baby. My first child was lost because of Leon’s infidelity. That night, he transferred all his assets to me and knelt before me, begging for another chance. I didn’t take it. I just told him: “From now on, transfer me two million dollars every time you wrong me. When it reaches fifty-two million, I’ll leave you completely!” He thought I was joking out of spite. I never told him that Alpha James had asked me not to divorce before Leon did. Back when Leon married me, he’d paid off tens of millions in gambling debts for my dying, gambling-addicted father. Alpha James said that when I paid back the debt money, he’d agree to our divorce. I knew he wasn’t deliberately making things difficult or demanding repayment. It was because I was Leon’s fated mate. Leon maintaining his marriage with his fated mate would consolidate his position as Alpha heir. After the first child’s accidental miscarriage, when I found out I was pregnant again, I was devastated. I didn’t want this child born into a broken family, a family where the father only cheated with mistresses. But Leon suddenly returned to family life, caring for me attentively like during our courtship, saying he wanted a family. Until my fifth month of pregnancy, while Leon was giving me a massage at home, Aisling suddenly showed up in the pouring rain. Drenched, Aisling wore only a dress. Her curvy figure was perfectly displayed by the dress clinging to her body. Aisling clung to the villa’s doorframe, looking pitiful, saying she missed Leon and accusing him of abandoning her. Leon’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He told me, “I’ll go talk to her. I’ll be right back.” But Leon never came back that night. After that, naturally, the two of them returned to their old ways and continued their affair. A message notification pulled me from my memories. Alpha James sent me a draft of the electronic divorce agreement. I breathed a sigh of relief. During my hospital nights, I’d felt physical and emotional pain again, knowing Leon was having sex with Aisling. The pain made me clutch my pillow, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. I could only hope in my heart that Alpha James would quickly find a witch to break the mate bond between Leon and me. On discharge day, Leon came to pick us up. The nurse held the baby and a pile of infant supplies in the back seat. I sat in the passenger seat I hadn’t occupied in a long time. The seat was adjusted wide. When I reached to touch the knob, I pulled out a pair of torn pearl lace panties. “Aisling’s too wild. She wants to try it everywhere.” He raised an eyebrow at me. Expecting to see the uncontrolled madness in my eyes. But I just released my grip expressionlessly, leaving the thing where it was. He froze for a moment, then sneered. “Your composure is pretty good lately. You’ve become much more generous too. Good thing you sent those five extra boxes of condoms last time, or with how clingy she is, we wouldn’t have had enough.” “If you’d been this sensible earlier, we might’ve had a second child by now.” I didn’t respond, just closed my eyes to rest. After a while, that familiar ringtone sounded. I had an ominous feeling. Sure enough, he hit the brakes and stopped the car on a shortcut road. “You guys wait here. Aisling’s not feeling well. I’m taking her to the hospital first. I’ll come back for you soon.” He opened the car door and dumped everything by the roadside, pulling me out in two or three moves. With a whoosh, the car sped away. Meeting the nurse’s confused and angry expression, I pointed to the car turning the corner behind us. “Take that one. My father-in-law’s car.” She looked at me in surprise. I smiled. A year ago when he abandoned me halfway, I’d believed his words to wait. I’d encountered several drunk werewolves who beat people. In the end, those drunk werewolf thugs injured me. When I was sent to the hospital, he complained that I was inflexible and that the police call had disturbed him while he was comforting Aisling. After that, I avoided riding in his car whenever possible. Even when I did, I had to be prepared to be abandoned at any moment. I’d grown used to these accidents. That evening, Leon came back panting after returning to the original route and not finding us. “Why didn’t you tell me you got a cab? I went back to look for you for ages.” “I sent you a message. You didn’t see it.” He flared up immediately. “Don’t you know how to call? I thought something happened to you.” I paused, then quickly recovered. “Didn’t you say not to disturb you when you’re with Aisling?”

At my last prenatal checkup, the baby was misdiagnosed with Down syndrome. I was so scared I could barely walk. When I called him, Aisling switched to video mode. She wore a tight nurse costume, laughing seductively. “Leon says if you’re sick, get treatment. Calling him won’t help.” “We’re role-playing. We don’t have time for you.” “He also said to stop using these excuses to find him. If you like hearing sounds so much, he’ll record one for you as a prenatal lullaby.” Shortly after she hung up, Leon sent me a message. “Text me if you need anything. If I don’t reply, I’m with someone else. Stop calling to interrupt us.” He froze for a moment, looking somewhat satisfied. “You finally listened. Good, worth praising. But I really didn’t know about Kael that time. I wouldn’t have let her talk nonsense otherwise.” He pulled out two necklaces from his pocket. One pure gold necklace for our son Kael. Unfortunately, Kael cried the moment Leon touched him, as if thoroughly disgusted. Rebuffed, Leon gave me the other necklace with crushed diamonds. “Here, I was with Aisling at an auction yesterday and saw this necklace. Should look good on you.” It was true he’d gotten it at the auction. But I’d seen on Aisling’s social media yesterday that this was a free add-on gift with that two-million-dollar pink diamond. It wasn’t worth much at all. As he spoke, he moved to put the necklace around my neck. I flinched and dodged. He frowned, displeasure in his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean? I praise you twice and you’re already playing hard to get?” A trace of mockery rose in my heart. He always thought he could appease me with his occasional gestures. “You misunderstood. I’ve always been allergic to this material.” His expression stiffened. He seemed to have forgotten how he once spent tens of millions just to create a non-allergenic gold diamond ring for me. Back when I most hoped he’d change his heart, I accepted whatever he gave me, even if I was allergic, even if it was uncomfortable. As long as he showed me a pleasant face, I absolutely wouldn’t reject him. For that bit of lingering love, I made myself a complete mess. In the end, the result was what it was. After that day, he seemed to find a suitable excuse and stopped visiting us. I was happy with the peace, focusing on recovery, postpartum rehabilitation, and playing with the baby. But on social media, I could often see him riding the Ferris wheel with Aisling today. Tomorrow shooting a commercial with her. Cooking for her in the morning, accompanying her to trendy restaurants in the afternoon. Sometimes there were even rich, exciting nightlife activities in the early morning hours. People in the pack all said this was the mistress who’d stayed with him the longest. They all speculated when he’d kick me, his devoted wife, out for her. Actually, from my fifth month of pregnancy until before delivery, I’d mentioned divorce countless times, breaking the mate bond countless times. But Leon refused. He didn’t want to give up his happy family. If he’d really agree, I wouldn’t be opposed to being kicked out. The day before receiving the divorce decree was Kael’s Sip-and-See Party. Leon showed up with Aisling in a high-profile entrance. He even arranged her seat next to his. The hostess’s position. He played with Kael for a long time. Aisling leaned in, looking at the baby with him. “Hello, I’m your mother.” At those words, everyone’s expression changed. But before anyone could speak, Leon smiled at me. “Forgot to tell you, Aisling prepared a recognition gift. She’ll be Kael’s godmother from now on.” Aisling put a gold bracelet on his hand. Smiling brightly at me. “From now on, Clara and I will take care of the baby together.” Hearing her provocative statement, I smiled faintly and took Kael from their hands. “Perfect timing. A few days ago I met a witch who said Kael might face misfortune soon and needs a godmother to share his burden.” “Aisling really is a great philanthropist, solving so many problems for me. I’ll accept the gift. Thank you.” Both their faces instantly turned ugly. Aisling’s eyes reddened, her voice choked. “It’s okay. Being able to do something for Leon’s child is my good fortune. Sharing his misfortune is nothing. I’d even be willing to die.” “Someone who carries misfortune like me should leave early, so I don’t spread bad luck to everyone.” She spoke while looking at Leon pitifully and taking her bag to leave. Leon looked at me with displeasure, preparing to chase after her. Alpha James looked at him with sharp eyes. “Today is your son’s Sip-and-See Party. In front of so many people, you’re chasing after a mistress? Where does that put your family?” He paused, about to speak. I smiled at Alpha James. “Let him go. Kael is today’s main character.” He paused and sighed. “Get lost. If you bring these shameful things here again, don’t bother coming home!” Leon’s gaze was probing, as if trying to see in my eyes the same entanglement and bitterness that used to reassure him. But I had none. I withdrew my gaze. This Sip-and-See Party wasn’t too dignified, but fortunately Kael was still young and wouldn’t feel hurt. I wasn’t hurt either. Tomorrow I’d receive the divorce decree. Alpha James also said a witch could help break the mate bond tomorrow. After that, everything would be over.

Alpha James brought us to the old mansion to spend one last night with him. Kael fell asleep on the sofa. Alpha James went to get a handmade cotton blanket for him. Suddenly, the mansion’s front door banged open. Leon stormed in furiously, carrying Aisling. “Clara! I really underestimated you. Where’s that bracelet? Give it back now. Do you know Aisling had a mysterious headache this afternoon and got into a car accident on the way to the hospital?” “I thought it was too coincidental at first, until I met a witch and learned you tampered with the bracelet and cursed her! How can you be so vicious?” I sneered. “Just some offhand remarks to provoke you. You actually believed them? Where’s this witch who so conveniently let you meet them? Ask them which witch I hired to curse Aisling.” He was speechless, about to speak. Aisling sobbed and walked over to Kael. “It’s okay, maybe it really is my poor health and I just happened to encounter these things. I just want my gold bracelet back.” I stepped to block her. “I’ll return the bracelet tomorrow. Kael is already asleep. Please leave now.” Leon glared at me. “Why can’t you give it now? What else do you need it for?” I frowned, about to speak, when Leon instantly picked up the sleeping child. “What are you doing! Don’t touch him!” Aisling grabbed Kael’s arm and forcibly removed the bracelet. “Clara, this is for your own good. No matter how much you hate me, you can’t use the child. You used the gold bracelet I gave the baby to curse me. What if… what if the curse backfires on the child? What will you do then?” “Better to take it off now.” Kael was hurt and his crying made my heart clench. I rushed forward and slapped her to the ground. “What nonsense are you talking! I told you there’s nothing. Don’t you dare touch my child!” She looked at Leon tearfully. The next second, his eyes reddened. He pushed me down hard and casually tossed the baby onto the sofa. He helped Aisling up tenderly. “We’re reducing your and Kael’s karma, and look at you acting crazy!” He used too much force. My lower back hit the corner of the coffee table, and excruciating pain spread throughout my body. But what chilled my heart more was how callous he was toward his own flesh and blood. Alpha James, who’d rushed over at the sound, helped me up. He picked up Kael, whose face was red from crying. He slapped Leon across the face. “You animal! Abusing your own son for a mistress!” “You’ll regret this one day! Get out! Get out of my sight!” “She started it…” Leon’s originally dark gaze suddenly froze. He paused. “What do you mean, what ‘last’…” But before he could finish, Aisling collapsed on the ground and fainted. He instantly panicked and quickly picked her up. But as he was leaving, he suddenly looked back at me. Unease flashed in his eyes. “I’ll come back for the bracelet tomorrow. Don’t try anything!” Alpha James slammed the door shut. Early the next morning, the butler brought back the freshly stamped divorce decree. The witch also severed the mate bond between Leon and me. I didn’t disturb Alpha James. I placed the divorce decree under the gold bracelet, put it in the large box that once held the ring Leon gave me years ago. I set it in a prominent position on the coffee table. Looking at Kael in his swaddling clothes, my tone was more relaxed than ever before. “Baby, let’s start a new life together.” He suddenly broke into a smile, his eyes curved like crescent moons. In his innocent, unknowing laughter, we boarded the plane to a new world.

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The day my wife Austin gave birth, Anderson said the child was his. Seeing my mother and me frozen in shock, Austin sighed: “James, the child really is Anderson’s. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you wouldn’t agree.” Perhaps overcome by shock and rage, my mother’s hand slipped weakly, and the baby she was holding instantly fell. Anderson punched my mother in the face, and I immediately swung back at him. Our relatives all secretly mocked me. My mother grew more and more furious as she listened, and died of a sudden heart attack. As I lay crying over my mother’s body with swollen eyes, Austin called me: “How could your mother be so heartless, trying to kill my child?” I said angrily: “Austin, my mother has been killed by your actions. I’ll make you all pay!” Austin froze instantly. Even through the phone, I could sense her trembling. “James, what are you saying? Your mother is dead?” Austin’s breathing grew more and more rapid, guilt consuming her entire heart. I thought she would rush to the hospital to see my mother one last time, but then Anderson spoke while holding the child. “Dying now of all times, right when I was about to call the police and charge her with child abuse. Think I don’t know what scheme you two are plotting?” “You just want to use Austin’s guilt to trick her into coming back so my child has no milk to drink.” “Absolutely inhumane. Hurting my son and then cutting off his food supply. You better watch out for karma.” Anderson’s roar made me lose control. I gripped my phone and shouted back: “You already slept with my wife and had a child with her, and you still have the nerve to call me vicious.” “My mother isn’t—” “Enough, James. I just gave birth and I’m still very weak. If you really love me, you should be making soup for me, not hiding away making up lies about your mother dying.” “The reason I had a child with Anderson is because he has problems in that area. This pregnancy was through artificial insemination, not as dirty as you think.” Before I could speak, the phone line went dead with beeping sounds. I looked at my mother’s body, tears flooding my eyes again. I didn’t know what emotions to use to describe the grief and rage I felt in that moment. From the day I learned she was pregnant, I rejected my superior’s invitation to become an executive at a branch office. Because I was going to be a father, I had to think of this family. I couldn’t leave home for even a moment. When my mother found out, she was overjoyed and agreed to all of Austin’s unreasonable demands. I never imagined that the woman my mother and I spoiled day after day was carrying not my child, but the child of Anderson—the man I hated most. Just because this scumbag worked at the same company as me and constantly made things difficult for me. If it weren’t for Austin’s sake, I would have castrated him long ago. Now she had a child with the man I hated most. How could I bear this? My mother even died in the hospital because of this. This humiliation was like being stripped naked and judged by the whole world. As I picked up my phone to message my boss requesting leave, I saw that Anderson had updated his Twitter. He was holding Austin on his lap, and Austin was holding the baby. The family of three had their heads together in an intimate photo. “I’m finally a father. After living for decades, this is my happiest and most joyful moment.” The comments below weren’t congratulations, but questions. “This… this is so dramatic??” “The woman you’re holding looks like James’s wife!” “Don’t say that, maybe she’s a twin.” “But I remember James saying his wife was an only child, not a twin.” I smiled bitterly and left a comment: “You guessed right, he’s holding my wife.”

Right after I posted the comment, the woman who had hung up on me called again. “James, why did you leave that comment on Anderson’s Twitter? Couldn’t you say I was your wife’s twin sister?” “Do you really enjoy announcing to everyone that your wife cheated?” “Aren’t you afraid they’ll mock you?” “Because of your comment, Anderson is being criticized by his colleagues now. Are you happy?” Every word was in defense of Anderson. Not a single word of guilt or apology to me. In that instant, my heart, wrapped in sorrow, became as calm as stagnant water. My mother’s death had shown me clearly. My tone was light with sarcasm: “So you are afraid that acquaintances will know you’re morally corrupt, having a child for someone else without even divorcing first.” Austin’s volume instantly shot up: “James, how am I morally corrupt?” “Anderson injured himself down there trying to save me. Shouldn’t I give him a child in return?” “After hearing your heartless words, I think you and your mother are the ones without morals.” “If you mind that I had a child for someone else, then let’s get divorced!” In front of my mother’s cold corpse, I smiled coldly and nodded: “Then let’s divorce!” Austin froze for a long time. She couldn’t believe that I, who had always loved her like life itself, would agree to divorce. Suddenly, Anderson’s voice came from nearby. “Austin, help me apply some medicine. I can’t reach my back.” This was how Austin was. Whenever it concerned Anderson, she would leave me in the cold and forget we were even on a call. “There, done. Does it still hurt?” “That doesn’t hurt anymore, but I have somewhere else that hurts. You look so sexy in this nightgown.” “Anderson, don’t. I’m still in postpartum recovery.” I heard both of them breathing heavily. The ambiguous atmosphere was palpable even without being there in person. “Austin, I really miss the time we spent together. I can’t forget your body either.” “Now that we have a child, won’t you divorce him for the child’s sake…” “Anderson, I won’t divorce James.” “There won’t be a second man in this world who loves me like he does.” “I know he’s still angry right now and won’t accept it for a while, but after I finish postpartum recovery, I’ll go home.” I said nothing and just hung up the phone. She said it was artificial insemination, but that was another lie. She was running off to have sex with Anderson every night under the excuse of working overtime. I prepared to stand up when my phone received a message from Anderson. “Did you hear that just now?” “Pathetic loser, do you know how I slept with her?” “While you were working overtime outside, I held her and kissed her in the bathroom.” “We’ve left our marks in the office, in your bed, even in your car.” “Remember that day at the supermarket buying condoms? There was only one box left and you let me have it. I used it that very night to sleep with your wife.” I was so angry I turned off my phone, both hands clenched into fists. Just as I was about to break down, I remembered I couldn’t lose control in front of my mother. If her soul was beside me, how heartbroken would she be? Fighting through the unbearable pain, I sent my mother’s body to the crematorium. I took her ashes back to our hometown and chose an auspicious day to bury my mother. After finishing these matters, I stayed in my hometown for a month. When I returned to the city, I found the house still looked exactly as it had when I left. She hadn’t come back even once, nor had she called. Her heart and her person were with Anderson and his son. I contacted a lawyer and asked him to help me draft divorce papers. When she came back, I would file for divorce. After putting down my phone, I sighed. Going back to the company tomorrow, there would surely be plenty of gossip about me.

Just as I stepped into the company, my colleagues saw me and enthusiastically greeted me at first, then all bowed their heads in hushed discussion about me. I knew I couldn’t escape the mockery behind my back, so I walked in expressionlessly. “Ugh! If I were James, I’d definitely beat up that pair of cheaters.” “He doesn’t dare. The company is owned by Anderson’s uncle. Jobs are hard to find now. If he really hit Anderson, he’d lose his job too.” “Does that mean he has to just take this humiliation, watching his wife get screwed by someone else and raising another man’s child?” “What else can he do? Poor people have no right to oppose rich people.” Various embarrassing voices reached my ears, making them ache. The entire company knew that my sworn enemy had slept with my wife and had a child with her. Suddenly, the discussion stopped. Because across the hallway, Anderson stood there holding a coffee. The moment our eyes met, he saw intense hatred in mine. All my colleagues held their breath, staring intently at the two of us. “Are they going to fight?” “Quick, call security up here.” Afraid I would retaliate, Anderson pulled out a small fruit knife from his pocket. I stared at him impassively and walked forward. As I passed alongside him, he smirked coldly: “Right after her postpartum recovery ended, she played with me for a day and night.” I stopped walking. Anderson raised the fruit knife a bit higher. I knew he was trying to provoke me into attacking first, so he could claim self-defense while stabbing me, then rightfully have me arrested. The security guards rushed in too. Such a big fuss—they really underestimated me. “James, you took a month off, causing your group’s performance to decline.” “If you still want to work here, come to my office later to get the files and complete them.” I had thought about resigning, but the people in my group were all my good friends. My month-long absence had caused them to be constantly criticized. Even if I was leaving, I had to help them achieve results and get promoted first. Seeing I had no intention of fighting back, Anderson relaxed and sneered mockingly: “What an obedient dog. Knowing those colleagues are indebted to you, you’ll stay here feeling wronged.” The implication was that if I quit, he would fire my colleagues. They had elderly parents and young children to support. I couldn’t bear that responsibility. Back at my desk, my colleagues gathered around. “James, let’s all just resign together! We don’t need to take his humiliation.” “Right, don’t be sad. A woman like that isn’t worth keeping anyway.” I stopped what I was doing and looked at them calmly: “I’m single now, I’m not afraid. But you’re different from me.” “Before I leave, I’ll help you out.” Putting on my work badge, Anderson’s person came over to urge me: “James, Director Anderson is urging you to hurry up and get the documents to process.” When I arrived outside Anderson’s office, through the half-open door, I saw with my own eyes Austin sitting on the desk, her legs wrapped around his waist. In that moment, my mind went completely blank. I realized Anderson had deliberately lured me over to witness how he was having sex with my wife. I kicked the door open with one foot and walked in coldly.

Austin, still lost in passion, roared furiously: “Who is it!” “Not even knocking before—” The rest of her words went unfinished as her eyes widened larger than lanterns. They were still entangled together in an ambiguous, explicit position. What they were doing was self-evident. “James?” She hurriedly jumped away from Anderson’s body and out of his embrace. Frantically pulling down her skirt, scrambling to pick up the stockings Anderson had torn to shreds. As she picked them up, she suddenly stopped her frantic movements, breathing rapidly as she stood up straight, her eyes darting away as she looked at me. “James, let me explain.” “It’s not what you think.” “I told him that after my postpartum recovery ended, I wouldn’t see him anymore. I was going back to my family.” “Anderson asked me for one last—” “Director Anderson, I’m here to collect the documents.” I didn’t look at the flustered woman, but coldly at Anderson, whose face was smeared with lipstick. He stood up with a contemptuous, disdainful smile, zipped up his pants, and then handed me a stack of documents. I took the documents and left without saying a single word to Austin the entire time. Because shouting was useless, and talking to her would only exhaust my emotions. A dirty woman should just be discarded. Austin watched my back, a feeling of unease creeping up in her heart. At lunch, she came to find me to eat, and I treated her like she was invisible. Wherever I went, she followed. Unable to bear my cold treatment any longer, she broke down. “James, can we talk?” “Fine. I’ll send you the divorce papers later, and we should sit down and have a proper talk then.” Everyone in the company looked at us with strange eyes. I didn’t care anymore. Austin, however, lost control. Just then, our supervisor notified us of an emergency meeting. “Whoever can close the deal with FLY Company will receive a two hundred thousand dollar bonus.” “Plus a promotion and raise.” The supervisor looked at me: “James, especially your group. Because you took a month off, your group’s performance tanked.” “Upper management said they’re planning to fire you all.” “So take this opportunity to make up for it!” I was alone now and not afraid of losing my job, but those colleagues absolutely couldn’t lose their jobs because of me. From then on, I threw myself into work frantically, working overtime until late at night, drinking coffee until my stomach hurt. Outside, thousands of lights illuminated the night, but not a single one was lit for me. Austin had gone home. She couldn’t stand my cold treatment anymore. I worked overtime partly for my colleagues, and partly to avoid her. Finally, after completing a project proposal I was satisfied with, I arranged to meet with the potential partners. They deliberately made things difficult for me, forcing me to drink until I nearly died in the private room. “James, why are you working so hard you’d risk your life? I’m really impressed.” “I’m very satisfied with the project plan. We’ll come over to discuss the rest.” However, the next day when I woke up and returned to the company, I heard the supervisor praising Anderson. “Not bad, the partners are very satisfied with this proposal. I didn’t expect you to be smarter than James.” Smarter than me? Anderson hadn’t participated at all! When I walked closer to look, the content on that proposal was identical to mine. My brain exploded. Anderson had stolen my proposal and claimed it as his own. But the only person who knew my computer password was Austin. I glared at her with bloodshot eyes. She guiltily looked away. I couldn’t hold back anymore and rushed forward: “This proposal was done by me. When did it become his?” “Austin, why are you doing this to me?” To them, my rage was just a madman venting emotions. “James, you can’t produce results and still have the nerve to make a scene? Your whole group just wait to be fired!” No one believed me. Had I once again helped him get promoted and a raise? After the supervisor left, Anderson had his assistant bring cake and wine to celebrate. The anger in my heart kept burning, but Anderson smirked and handed me the wine. “The proposal was indeed yours. Austin helped me steal it.” “This kind of thing has happened plenty of times before.” “Every solution you came up with—didn’t Austin reject it? She deliberately rejected them to stop you from implementing them, then told me the solutions so I could implement them and get promoted and raises.” “Your former boss knew this, which is why she wanted to transfer you to a branch office in a high position, away from me. But you were stupid and stayed to work for me for Austin’s sake.” “Your group is in big trouble now.” I was so angry my face turned red, the rage in my chest wouldn’t dissipate. Before I could strike, Anderson smashed the cake in my face and poured red wine from my head down to my feet. “Pathetic loser, you dare try to hit me…” In that moment, I lost control of my emotions. I found a fruit knife on the table and stabbed it toward Anderson…

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Reborn on the day of my engagement to the prestigious Wilson family. In my past life, I was brought home as an illegitimate daughter to become my sister Chloe’s substitute. I replaced her at every event she didn’t want to attend, including spending time with that Los Angeles rich heir, Robinson Wilson. In the end, to ensure Chloe could smoothly marry into the Wilson family, they didn’t hesitate to kill me in a plane crash. This time, when my parents handed me that white dress again, I refused. “This is Chloe’s engagement. I can’t be her substitute anymore.” But my parents locked the door, smiling as they said this would be the last time. I was forcibly dressed in the gown and made to wear a mask, becoming the substitute. Until Robinson walked through the crowd, and when everyone expected him to put the engagement ring on his fiancée’s finger, the mask on my face was torn off instead. He grabbed my chin, mockery in his eyes. “So that’s where you’ve been hiding. Playing Chloe’s substitute? Jennifer, you really know how to degrade yourself.” I instinctively looked up. He was wrong. In this life, the one who would be degraded wasn’t me.

The moment the mask was torn off, the entire ballroom fell silent. Camera flashes went off continuously, capturing my panicked expression with perfect clarity. I instinctively tried to cover my face, but Robinson gripped my wrist tightly. His strength was terrifying, as if he wanted to crush my bones. “What’s wrong? Can do it but can’t own up to it?” His low voice carried mockery, echoing through the quiet hall. I looked at his face so close to mine, those eyes churning with anger and disappointment I couldn’t understand. The entire venue erupted in discussion. The guests’ whispers pierced my ears like needles. “Oh my God, that’s not Chloe Franklin, the eldest daughter!” “Who is this? Why does she look exactly like Chloe?” “Twins? No, I remember hearing at the hospital back then that they had one daughter.” “A substitute? Using a substitute at an engagement party? Has the Franklin family lost their minds?” My father Johnson’s face turned iron-blue. He rushed over first, raising his hand to slap me. But his hand stopped mid-swing, halted by Robinson’s sharp gaze. Johnson could only resort to cursing instead. “You wretched girl! Who told you to come out here and embarrass us!” “Apologize to Mr. Wilson right now!” Johnson’s wife Bella rushed over next, squeezing out a few tears as she complained to Robinson. “Mr. Wilson, please don’t misunderstand. It’s all because of Jennifer! She’s jealous of Chloe!” “She’s been twisted since childhood. She must have deliberately come to ruin Chloe’s engagement party!” “We’ll take her away immediately. We won’t let her offend your eyes any longer!” I watched them frantically trying to distance themselves, my heart growing colder bit by bit. Of course it was like this again. Chloe arrived late, her face covered in tears as she looked at me. “Jennifer, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?” In my past life, it was the same. Whenever I finished cleaning up Chloe’s messes, they would immediately hide me away. As if I were a rat in the gutter, something that couldn’t see the light of day. This time, I didn’t want to endure it anymore. Just as I was about to speak, Robinson beat me to it. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to lift my head. His thumb rubbed against my cheek, the motion hardly gentle, even carrying a hint of punishment. “Your face is much easier on the eyes than Chloe’s plastic surgery face.” His words made all three members of the Franklin family turn deathly pale. Chloe bit her lip hard, the jealousy in her eyes practically overflowing. Robinson completely ignored them, releasing my chin and pulling me into his arms instead. His warm chest collided with me, leaving me somewhat dazed. The man’s crisp woody scent enveloped me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and announced to the entire venue. “The engagement is canceled.” Everyone gasped. Johnson’s legs went weak, nearly collapsing to the ground. Robinson paused, then dropped an even bigger bombshell. “From today on, she—Jennifer—is mine.” With that, under the shocked gazes of my parents, Chloe, and all the guests. Robinson tightened his arm and lifted me up horizontally. Not a princess carry—he hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. My head hung down, my stomach pressed painfully against his shoulder. All I could see were swaying figures and crystal chandeliers. “Robinson! Put me down!” He completely ignored me, striding with long steps through the crowd toward the ballroom exit. Behind us came my parents’ frantic shouting. “Mr. Wilson! Mr. Wilson, please let us explain!” “The marriage alliance was supposed to be with Chloe! You must have made a mistake!” Robinson’s footsteps didn’t pause for even a moment. I was thrown into the back seat of his sports car, the soft leather seat unable to cushion my impact. The car door slammed shut with a bang, cutting off the chaos outside. The next second, the man leaned over me, pinning me beneath him. In the cramped space, all I could smell was his scent. His scorching breath hit my ear, his voice low and hoarse. “Jennifer, did you think you could escape?” “You should have been mine three years ago.”

He pressed me firmly against the seat, his hands pinning my wrists. “The person who saved me three years ago was clearly you. Why did you let Chloe take your place!” My whole body trembled. How did he know about three years ago? That winter, he was being chased and escaped into a back alley. I used money I’d saved from part-time work to buy him medicine and watched over him all night. Later, the Franklin family discovered what happened. They stole the token Robinson left behind and gave it to Chloe, forcing me to swear I would never reveal the truth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turned my face away, not daring to meet his eyes. Robinson grabbed my chin and forced me to turn back. His eyes were terrifyingly red. “In the past life, when they put you on that plane, were you still celebrating that you were finally free?” My heartbeat skipped a beat. He was reborn too. “You’re so stupid.” “Did you think they’d let you go after you died?” “They didn’t even bother collecting your body!” Tears fell from my eyes without warning. The despair from before the crash in my past life surged through me again. Robinson released my wrists and sat up straight. “Be my woman. I’ll help you destroy them.” I wiped my tears roughly. “I don’t need anyone’s help.” “Mr. Wilson should mind his own business.” I pushed open the car door and stumbled into the night. I didn’t want to get involved in any wealthy family disputes anymore. I just wanted to escape far away. When I got back to that damp, cramped rental apartment and took out my key, the door was pulled open from inside. Johnson kicked me in the stomach. I flew backward and slammed into the opposite wall, excruciating pain hitting me as if all my internal organs had shifted. Bella walked over in her high heels. She grabbed my hair and dragged me into the room. “Getting bold, aren’t you? Actually daring to seduce Mr. Wilson!” “Do you know how long Chloe has been preparing for this marriage alliance!” Chloe sat on the sofa, leisurely drinking tea. “Mom, don’t hit her face.” “I still need to take her to the gallery tomorrow to meet clients.” “If her face gets messed up, who’s going to drink for me?” I spat out a mouthful of blood. “I won’t be your substitute anymore.” Johnson grabbed the ashtray from the table and smashed it against my forehead. Blood instantly blurred my vision. “You don’t get a choice!” “We still have your mother’s ashes!” “If you dare disobey, I’ll scatter them right now!” I bit my lip hard, tasting blood. This was my family. They not only wanted to suck my blood dry, they wouldn’t even let my biological mother go. The next morning. I was woken by urgent phone ringing. The wound on my forehead still throbbed with pain. It was a colleague from the company calling. “Jennifer, check Twitter now!” “Chloe posted about you and started a cyber-mob!” I opened Twitter. The number one trending topic prominently displayed Chloe’s name. #Genius Painter Chloe Betrayed by Illegitimate Sister# Clicking in revealed an essay over a thousand words long. She portrayed herself as a kind sister who tolerated everything. While I was a vicious illegitimate daughter who had stolen from her since childhood, stolen her boyfriend, and even drugged people at the engagement party trying to climb the social ladder. The accompanying images were surveillance screenshots taken out of context. Plus embarrassing photos of me when Robinson tore off my mask at the party. The comments section had completely fallen. “Illegitimate daughters deserve to die!” “Feel so bad for Chloe. Jennifer’s mother wasn’t any good either! All trash!” “Jennifer get out of Los Angeles!” I stared coldly at the manipulated narrative on the screen. Chloe was as impatient as ever.

I put on a hat and mask to go to the pharmacy to buy gauze. The moment I walked out of the apartment complex gate, an egg smashed into my forehead. Egg liquid mixed with blood flowed into my eyes, stinging sharply. “That’s her! That shameless homewrecker!” Several young girls rushed up. They held rotten vegetable leaves and garbage they’d just pulled from trash cans, frantically throwing them at me. “Die, you bitch!” “How dare you steal Chloe’s fiancé!” I was pushed to the ground, my knees scraping against the pavement and losing a large patch of skin. I was utterly disheveled. More and more onlookers gathered around. No one came forward to help. They all held up their phones, taking photos and videos. I struggled to my feet and pushed through the crowd to move forward. With every step, garbage pelted my back. When I got back to the rental, my whole body reeked. As soon as I took off my filthy clothes, my phone rang. It was Johnson calling. “Enjoying getting beaten?” “This is what happens when you offend Chloe.” His voice dripped with smug superiority. “Record an apology video right now and post it online.” “Admit that you were just jealous of Chloe and that you seduced Robinson.” “Otherwise, I’ll flush your mother’s ashes down the toilet right now!” The hand holding my phone trembled uncontrollably. “Johnson, you wouldn’t dare!” He laughed coldly. “Listen to this.” The sound of a toilet flushing came through the phone. My rationality completely collapsed in that moment. “Don’t touch her!” “I agree! I’ll agree to anything!” I collapsed to my knees on the floor, shouting into the phone. Johnson hung up with satisfaction. I looked at myself in the mirror, covered in filth. The wound on my forehead still seeped blood, my eyes full of bloodshot veins. I picked up my phone and dialed another number. The phone only rang once before it was answered. Robinson’s voice was low and calm. “Made up your mind?” My voice was hoarse beyond recognition. “Help me get my mother’s ashes back.” “Okay.” Half an hour later, Robinson brought over a dozen people and kicked down the door of the Franklin family villa. Johnson and Bella were in the living room drinking champagne in celebration. Seeing Robinson storm in with people, they were so scared their glasses fell to the floor. “Mr. Wilson, what are you doing?” Robinson kicked over the coffee table in front of him. Glass shattered everywhere. “Looking for something.” The people he brought immediately spread out and began ransacking the villa. Chloe ran downstairs screaming to stop them. “What are you doing! This is trespassing!” Robinson walked over and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her entire body up. “Where are the ashes?” Chloe’s face turned red, her hands frantically beating against Robinson’s arm. Johnson was so frightened his legs went weak. He fell to his knees with a thud. “In the basement! In the storage room in the basement!” A few minutes later, a bodyguard came out carrying a dusty urn. Robinson released his grip. Chloe fell to the ground, coughing violently. He took the urn and turned to stride away.

When Robinson placed the urn in my hands. My whole body shook as I clutched that cold box tightly, tears falling heavily onto it. Robinson stood beside me, handing me a tissue. “Now, can we talk about cooperation?” I looked up and met his eyes. “Okay.” “I want them completely ruined and left with nothing.” I was settled by Robinson in a penthouse apartment in the city center. The security here was tight. The Franklin family couldn’t get in at all. I had just showered and changed into clean clothes. The doorbell rang. Robinson was in the study having a video conference. I walked over to answer the door. Outside stood an impeccably maintained middle-aged woman. It was Robinson’s mother, Mrs. Wilson. She looked me up and down, her eyes full of disgust. “You’re that illegitimate daughter from the Franklin family?” She walked into the living room in her high heels. She pulled out a checkbook from her bag, scribbled down a string of numbers, and threw it on the coffee table. “Here’s ten million.” “Take the money and leave Robinson immediately.” “Our family can’t afford this kind of disgrace.” I walked over and picked up the check. Right in front of her, I tore it into pieces. The scraps fluttered down onto the carpet. Mrs. Wilson’s face turned livid with rage. “Don’t be ungrateful!” “You think Robinson will really marry you? He’s just interested in something new!” “Chloe is the daughter-in-law our family has chosen!” I looked at her coldly. “Then you should go discipline your son instead of coming here to yell at me.” Mrs. Wilson raised her hand to hit me. Robinson pushed open the study door and walked out. Seeing this scene, he said coldly, “Mom, what are you doing.” Mrs. Wilson immediately pulled back her hand. Feeling humiliated, she pointed at me and cursed. “You’re throwing away the family’s reputation for her?” “The Franklin family has already told me everything!” “She’s just a bitch who’ll stop at nothing to climb the social ladder!” Robinson walked over and stood in front of me. “When did my affairs become yours to interfere with.” “Show her out.” Mrs. Wilson was escorted out by security. As she left, she looked at me as if she wanted to swallow me alive. The next day Robinson went to the company for meetings. I was alone in the apartment researching information about Chloe’s art exhibition. The door lock suddenly turned. I thought Robinson had returned, but it was Mrs. Wilson and Chloe who walked in. Chloe wore a smug smile on her face. In her hand was the apartment’s spare key. “Jennifer, aren’t you scared living in such a big place all alone?”

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Everyone in high society knew that the cold-hearted billionaire Jackson had given up on his childhood friend he’d waited seven years for and started dating. More importantly, his new girlfriend was disabled, with only one eye. When Jackson brought me to my first charity gala, everyone was startled by my purple cosmetic prosthetic eye. But Jackson pulled me into his arms. “She became like this to save me. If any of you say one more word, you’re making an enemy of me.” I looked up at him with complete dependence while others retreated awkwardly. Then suddenly, a gentle female voice came from behind me. “Is that Jackson? Long time no see.” The body holding me instantly tensed up, and even his heartbeat accelerated. I suddenly understood—this was his childhood friend, the one he loved but couldn’t have. Jackson’s arms around me recoiled as if shocked, and the usually cold man actually started stuttering. “You—you’re not in Australia?” The woman paused, then smiled. “I missed you, so I came back.” My heart trembled and clenched tightly. Fortunately, Jackson frowned. “Aren’t you in a relationship? What are you talking about?” The woman laughed. “We have twenty years of history. Fate brought us together before we were even born. Between friends, can’t I miss you?” Jackson seemed to remember something, his expression shifting slightly as he took half a step forward, creating distance between us. “Violet, you’ve been gone so many years, I thought you—” Violet tilted her head, interrupting him. “Jackson, is this your girlfriend? Her eye—” Jackson snapped back to attention and grabbed my arm, yanking me behind him. Pulled by the sudden force, I lost my balance and ended up kneeling solidly behind him. Laughter erupted around us. Jackson didn’t notice my reaction at all, only explaining on his own. “Don’t misunderstand. She’s disabled. I’m only taking responsibility because her parents entrusted her to me—I pity her!” I sat collapsed on the ground, looking up at him helplessly. Just a responsibility? What about the man who felt sorry for my altitude sickness on the snowy mountain and gave me his only oxygen canister despite his own pale face? What about the man who proposed to me on one knee at sunset, who rented a luxury cruise ship on the ocean to celebrate my birthday? What about the man who loved everything about me, who once took care of all the work for my parents and friends? Was I really just a responsibility to him? Violet ruffled his hair like she used to. “I understand. Our Jackson has always had the softest heart.” “The auction is about to start. I’ll head over first. You bring your… girlfriend and come sit down too.” Violet, wearing a gilded gown, walked away with extraordinary grace. Only then did Jackson remember I was still sitting on the ground. He reached out and pulled me up, full of apology. “Amy, let me explain…” I nodded. “Go ahead, explain.” Jackson opened and closed his mouth. “I’ve known Violet for so many years. She found a boyfriend who’s an heir to a multinational corporation, but I… Amy, you understand, right?” His cautious manner was completely different from when he held me in his arms earlier, telling everyone “don’t mock me.” I couldn’t help wondering if coming here with him today was the right choice. People surged around us, but I couldn’t hear a word. Jackson’s mouth opened and closed, finally turning into a sigh. Violet’s voice came again. “Jackson, the auction is starting. Come sit.” Jackson squeezed my wrist. “Be good. She’s an outsider, you’re family. When we get home tonight, I’ll apologize.” “I did my research before coming. I promised you that jade piece that can be used as an eye massager. You need to take care of your eye more so it doesn’t atrophy.”

Jackson pulled me into the venue, but looking left and right, there was no seat for me. Jackson’s expression soured as he raised his hand, about to call a waiter, when Violet’s pale hand pressed down on his and pulled it back. Violet smiled gently. “Jackson, I switched the seats. We haven’t seen each other in so many years—I have so much I want to say to you. My seat is over there. Could this young lady sit there instead?” I keenly noticed Jackson’s gaze fixed on their intertwined hands, his eyes filled with deep joy. Having been with him this long, I’d heard about their history. Simply put, Violet kept Jackson as a backup. When she had a boyfriend, she wouldn’t say a word to him for a year or two. When she didn’t have a boyfriend, she’d occasionally have physical contact with him but never cross that line. And now, this was just a woman’s sense of crisis. After all, her former lapdog was dating someone—how could she feel good about that? So little favors like holding hands, getting close, hugging—Violet was now giving these to Jackson. Violet shook his hand twice, and Jackson immediately came back to his senses, looking at me apologetically. “Amy, go sit over there. We don’t get to see each other often, okay?” I remained unmoved, my feet rooted to the spot. Jackson shook off my hand, tightening his grip on Violet’s hand. “Amy, are my words meaningless now? Don’t make me say it twice!” He pulled Violet toward the front row. Violet looked back at me with an apologetic smile, her eyes full of smugness. Only when the waiter impatiently reminded me to take my seat did I react, slowly walking to the corner seat. I didn’t know if it was psychological or what, but my prosthetic eye hurt terribly, sore and swollen. In the darkness, I secretly removed it, leaving only one eye to watch them. Throughout the entire auction, the two of them had their heads together, whispering about who knows what. Jackson didn’t give me a single glance. Not until that jade piece appeared did the atmosphere reach a small climax. This thing wasn’t rare, just natural, polished by a master, and hyped up by these people, so naturally its value soared. After several rounds of bidding, it had been driven up to 3 million. Jackson lightly raised his hand. “Ten million. Stop bidding, I’ll take it.” Everyone was shocked by his big gesture. The thing was valuable, but not worth ten million. The waiter was thrilled and immediately handed the jade to him. Under everyone’s gaze, Jackson held the velvet box and slowly walked toward me. The camera followed Jackson’s steps, projecting onto the big screen. The spotlight timely shone on me. Jackson knelt on one knee, holding up the jade. “Amy, I—” His words didn’t finish, but his smile froze on his face.

I was somewhat bewildered. Not until gasps arose around me did I realize I’d forgotten to put in my prosthetic eye. I immediately lowered my head, even though the bright light made me tear up. But my body was bumped by someone, and the purple prosthetic eye in my hand rolled to the ground. Violet, who had rushed over, screamed and threw herself into Jackson’s arms in fright. “Jackson, the eyeball, the eyeball!” Jackson immediately stuffed the jade into his pocket, scooped Violet up in a princess carry, and walked away. Everyone whispered. “My God, did you see that? She actually has a fake eye!” “So terrifying, her eyelid is tightly shut. I’ve never seen someone like this before—I’ll definitely have nightmares tonight!” “Didn’t Mr. Jackson say she saved him? I think she’s just exploiting his gratitude! She probably figured she couldn’t get married in the future so she latched onto Mr. Jackson!” Mocking voices filled the auction hall. Those with small courage didn’t dare look at me, while the bold ones kicked my prosthetic eye around like a football. Not until the waiter who had told me to find my seat roughly yanked me up from my chair, yelling at me to get lost, did I come to my senses. My face burned as if I’d been slapped. I didn’t even grab my shawl before turning and running. The auction was held in a villa on a mountaintop in the suburbs. Without a car, I couldn’t get back at all. After running two miles, because I couldn’t see on one side, my heel accidentally got stuck in the mud and I fell into a mud pit. Holding back tears, I dialed Jackson’s number. The phone rang for dozens of seconds before being answered just as I was about to hang up. His lazy voice came through. “What is it?” I choked out. “Please, come pick me up. Everyone mocked me, I fell…” Jackson’s voice tightened. “You fell? Where are you?” But Violet’s voice came through the phone. “Jackson, I drank too much at the party and my head hurts terribly. My dad told you to take care of me—you wouldn’t abandon me for a woman, would you?” Jackson was silent for a moment. “I’ll transfer you money. Take a cab home. I’ll come see you first thing tomorrow morning.” “Amy, you went too far. How could you take out your eye at such an important occasion?” “Do you know that Violet is timid? She’s even afraid of walking at night. Now she stepped on your eyeball—you really scared her to death!” With that, he hung up and transferred me 100 dollars. But he didn’t think about the fact that this was a villa area halfway up the mountain. Apart from people specifically coming to the gala, where would I find a cab? Cold and in pain, I tried to curl myself into a ball, leaning against a tree trunk and falling asleep. The night dew was heavy. I was woken by the cold several times. But each time I checked my phone, there was no call from Jackson. Not until the next morning, when I saw a taxi that had just dropped off passengers at the villa area, did I rush out from the darkness and block the car. My hair covered my face, and only the mottled stains on my clothes could be seen. The taxi driver was startled. “Damn, are you trying to die?” I said carefully. “I’m sorry, I got lost and slept outside all night. Please take me home. I’ll pay you double, okay…” The taxi driver looked at me and counted on his fingers. “Fare is 300, car wash fee 500, emotional distress fee 200. If that works, let’s go.” I nodded and pulled open the car door to get in. The car sped all the way to the home Jackson and I shared. I paid 1,000 before getting out of the car. The moment my finger touched the handle, the fingerprint recognition opened the door. What greeted me was a pair of familiar golden high heels, and Jackson’s shoes beside them.

I trembled as I pushed open the bedroom door. Violet was wearing my camisole nightgown, her white back exposed as she slept on her stomach on the bed. Although Jackson was sleeping beside her in pajamas, his hand rested on her hair, unconsciously stroking it. I was furious. “You cheaters!” The two woke with a start, shocked to see me like this. Especially Violet—she screamed. “A ghost!” Jackson got out of bed barefoot and ran to my side. “Amy, what—how are you just getting back now? What happened last night? Didn’t I tell you to take a cab home?” He anxiously turned me left and right. When his gaze landed on my swollen ankle and angry eyes, he looked away. “You—you misunderstood. We just lay down together, like when we were kids. We didn’t do anything!” I laughed coldly. “A man and woman alone in one bed, and she’s wearing my clothes—you’re saying nothing happened? Violet, don’t you have a boyfriend? Why are you here disrupting our lives! You homewrecker…” Before I finished, a crisp slap landed on my face. Jackson stared at his palm in horror. “I’m sorry Amy, I didn’t mean to—I just can’t stand—” Violet smiled. “I didn’t expect it, Jackson. After all these years, you’re still the same—when you hear someone insult me, you automatically step in to defend me. I didn’t care about you for nothing!” “One-eyed lady, I think you misunderstood. Jackson and I have known each other for twenty years. If I had any designs on him, would it be your turn?” I covered my face as scalding tears poured out. “Jackson, we’re breaking up! I want to break up with you!” Jackson grabbed me tightly. “No! I already apologized—what more do you want! How about you hit me back!” As he spoke, he grabbed my hand and swung it toward his face. Before it could touch his face, Violet spoke. “Jackson, I don’t have time to watch you two lovebirds. Smith called me—I need to go. You two take care!” With that, she took off her nightgown right in front of us, naked, and bent down to pick up her underwear from the side. Jackson and I froze on the spot. I could clearly feel Jackson’s body tense, his lower body hard as iron. The body holding me was burning hot, but I was ice cold inch by inch. How ridiculous. My boyfriend got physically aroused looking at another woman. As Violet passed us, she smiled at Jackson’s lower body. “I didn’t realize, Jackson—you really don’t show it! You’re not inferior to foreign men at all.” Jackson’s face turned bright red. I chased after her, only to see her pick up the jade Jackson had bought at a high price last night and put it in her bag. I shouted. “Put it down—that’s mine!” Violet raised an eyebrow. “Yours? What’s yours? To be blunt, even your man is mine.” “Oh, I forgot to tell you—my Maltese’s birthday is next month. The collar is missing a piece of jade exactly this size, so Jackson gave it to me.” With that, she opened the door and left. I’d just finished processing her words, trembling all over. “Didn’t you say that was for me?” Jackson looked away. “I have money. I can buy you another one like that. Violet begged me for half the night saying she wanted it. Amy, you’re the most sensible, right?” I curved my lips. “Begged you? How did she beg? On her knees? Or with her body?” Jackson’s face darkened. “Amy, you can’t talk about Violet like that. We’re innocent.” Looking at him, I suddenly felt very tired. “Jackson, I’m serious. Let’s break up.” “Before yesterday, I always thought you loved me. But not anymore. You love yourself, you love Violet, you love face—you just don’t love me.” “I saved you that year simply because you were you, not because of your family background. I didn’t expect anything from you—you were the one who said you wanted to be with me.” “Jackson, go explain to them that I didn’t exploit your gratitude, that I didn’t latch onto you, that I’m not desperate for you.” “Jackson, I’m really tired.”

Seeing my serious expression, Jackson’s breathing hitched. He threw down a black card and rushed out the door. “Amy, we both need to calm down. I’m leaving first. I’ll come find you in a couple days.” The door slammed shut. I lost all strength, slowly sliding down against the door frame, crying my heart out. After crying myself out, I started packing. Though this was supposedly Jackson’s and my home, there really wasn’t much that belonged to me. Barely one suitcase was enough to hold everything. He’d bought me a lot of clothes, food, and daily necessities. But I always felt they weren’t mine, that using them made me uneasy, so they were all sealed in a small cabinet, untouched. After washing up, I sat at the vanity, staring at the woman in the mirror for a long time. My left eyelid was tightly shut, my right eye was swollen red like a walnut from crying, and a bright red handprint marked my face. Anyone who saw this would call it a ghost. I took a deep breath and opened the vanity drawer. It was full of various prosthetic eyes Jackson had bought me, 108 of them in total. When he bought them, he looked at me with a smile full of tenderness. “My wife, so what if you can’t see with one eye? That’s your badge of love for me, and I cherish it.” “From now on, I’ll buy you all kinds of colors and styles. Your eye deserves to hold the sun, moon, and stars—it shouldn’t be confined to plain black.” I reached out to touch the red one—the first eye he bought me, red, with a bit of straight-guy aesthetic. Then I touched the green one—back then he smiled and told me we’d cosplay Hatsune Miku someday. Then the gem purple one, the same as the one I lost yesterday. I loved purple, so he bought me a dozen. The person who used to stroke my hair and praise my left eye like a rainbow. Now he looked at me with disgust, finding my tightly shut eyelid revolting, blaming me for embarrassing him. I took one last look at those prosthetic eyes and closed the drawer. Before leaving, I exported the bedroom surveillance footage, captured screenshots of Violet walking around my house naked with a light mosaic, and posted it online. [My boyfriend Jackson’s childhood friend Violet used being drunk as an excuse to wear my nightgown and sleep in my bed in my house, then said I was overthinking it. Is this my fault?] After posting, I logged out of the account and turned off the computer. The post named names and showed faces. I didn’t believe they could suppress it completely. Perhaps even Jackson himself didn’t remember. The surveillance he installed so I could see clearly with my bad eye had become the final straw that broke them. I bought a ticket on the next flight to Miami. I left the organized keys, bank cards, and a guarantee letter Jackson had personally written to show his loyalty on the entrance table. I left without looking back, without a trace of attachment. The moment I closed the door, the landline behind me suddenly rang with Jackson’s voice. “Amy, answer the phone!!” Only he knew the home phone number. Anyone could guess who was calling. I curved my lips and forcefully shut the door. Jackson, we’ll never meet again.

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The day my billionaire parents came to take me home, everyone in the village reluctantly saw me off. But as soon as I arrived at their house, they forced me to donate bone marrow to my sister, Claire. I yanked out Claire’s oxygen tube in response. Seeing this, my parents locked me in a room to “reflect.” That night, while they slept, I climbed out the window and turned on the gas before leaving. Unfortunately, I was caught red-handed. Unable to tolerate me any longer, they blindfolded me, packaged me up, and dumped me in the infamous Outlaw Village. As soon as we arrived at the village entrance, my dad immediately threatened me: “Everyone here is a criminal. A kid like you won’t even have bones left after three days.” My mom pretended to persuade me: “Vivian, if you donate the bone marrow, you’ll still be our precious daughter. But in a place like this, you’ll die here.” I stubbornly shook my head. My mom’s fury peaked. She ripped off my blindfold and shoved me to the ground. I looked at everything familiar before my eyes. Why didn’t anyone tell me that the village I’d lived in for twenty years was called Outlaw Village?

I looked up at Uncle Sam, the village chief not far away, my eyes lighting up. I wanted to speak but couldn’t make a sound. I only felt my cheeks burning with pain. My mom leaned against the car door with a satisfied smile. “A new product from the company. It’ll keep you quiet for a while.” My dad added his threats from the side: “Behave yourself sooner rather than later, or you’ll regret it.” I curled my lip in a cold smile. Hmph! It was only because they couldn’t force me. Every time they tried to drug me or drag me to the hospital, I turned the tables on them. Plus, they were important people who cared about their reputation. I was different. If they dared to touch a hair on my head, I’d kill them. Seeing my silence, my dad pulled out a video and shoved it in my face. He gripped my chin, forcing me to watch the content. “Think carefully. If you don’t agree, you’ll have a spot in there.” Looking at a group of people lying in a pigsty, stuffing rotten fish and shrimp into their mouths from the manure pit, I rolled my eyes. Idiots. The one person I’d never fear was Uncle Sam. When did he develop a hobby of keeping people like pigs though? Uncle Sam dealt with human traffickers like these every year. At first, I thought I’d been abducted by them too. Day and night, I prayed for God to tell my biological parents to come take me home. But gradually, I realized the uncles and aunts in the village were all very kind to me. Slowly, I let go of that hope. But when news came from my biological parents, my heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. Mom and Dad should be different from the uncles and aunts, right? So I caught the earliest train before dawn to meet them. But now it seemed these parents were better off dead. I pressed my lips together, butted my head forward, and knocked the phone away. I struggled to my feet and ran toward Uncle Sam. My dad’s last bit of composure vanished. He grabbed my hair and yanked me back. Furious, he raised his hand and slapped my face several times. “I see you won’t cry until you see your coffin.” I was beaten until I saw stars, collapsing limply to the ground. Blood trickled down from my nose. He immediately let go in disgust, hurriedly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands. Seeing this, my mom raised her hand to check her watch. She tugged at his sleeve. Not to plead for me, but to tell my dad to hurry up. “Claire needs to take her medicine soon. If we’re not there, she’ll throw a tantrum.” My dad glared at me, the muscles on his face taut. “Claire can’t stand the smell of blood, and this disaster deliberately got it on me.” “If she wasn’t still useful, I’d really want to lock her in this village forever.” Watching their careful, anxious manner, and the natural tenderness in their eyes when they mentioned Claire—if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought that in my memories, Mom and Dad would treat me the same way. That they’d see me as precious, worry about me being sick and not taking my medicine properly. My mom stared at the tears flowing from the corners of my eyes and paused. Then she frowned: “So ugly. If it weren’t for the paternity test, I’d really doubt whether I gave birth to her.” “Darling, hurry up and deal with her. I really don’t want to stay in this godforsaken place for even one more second.” My dad nodded and pulled out an iron rod from the back seat. He grabbed my collar and dragged me dozens of meters, tossing me aside like garbage. Then he aimed at my right leg and smashed down. As he prepared to strike a second time, I whimpered and cried, crawling toward Uncle Sam who had walked over. He stared at me, a trace of reluctance showing in his eyes. “This must be the person sent here to learn obedience.” “That’s enough. Leave her to me to handle.”

My dad dropped the iron rod and pulled a bag of cash from the car, tossing it on the ground. He glanced at me dragging my broken leg, desperately trying to escape. With a fake smile, he said: “This time is different. We’ll stay to supervise personally.” My mom, who had been about to leave, paused at these words. But when it involved Claire, she nodded without hesitation. “That’s right. Claire’s bone marrow bank can’t have any mistakes.” Ha, bone marrow bank. In the end, in her eyes, I wasn’t even human. I no longer held any hope for them. My hand tightly gripped Uncle Sam’s pant leg as I hummed the lullaby he’d sung to me since childhood. But the burning pain in my throat made even breathing difficult. Uncle Sam looked at me questioningly. As he was about to crouch down to examine my disfigured face more closely, my dad spoke up. “I remember there’s a butcher in the village, a dissection expert who personally killed and dismembered his own wife?” “Call him over. I’ve got merchandise.” “The feeling of slicing off flesh bit by bit without killing someone must be quite something.” As he spoke, his gaze fell on me. He smiled cruelly. As if certain I’d be scared into obediently going back. I gave him a look like he was an idiot. The Mr. Baker he mentioned did indeed have good knife skills, but he was also extremely protective of his own. When I was little and lost a fight with kids from the neighboring village, he went straight to their house and dealt with the whole family. If he recognized me here, they’d suffer worse than death. Seeing I was unmoved, my dad stepped forward and stomped on my injured leg, constantly applying pressure, his face twisted. “I want to see just how stubborn you are.” My mom beside him held up her phone, signaling to keep the noise down. “Claire wants you to answer the phone. Don’t let her know…” My dad picked up a dirty cloth nearby and stuffed it in my mouth, then answered the phone with a face full of affection. “Sweetheart, have you been good and taken your medicine like the doctor said?” “I’m taking your sister on an overseas trip right now. It’s not convenient for her to answer the phone.” “Don’t worry, you’re the child Daddy and Mommy love most…” Crying could be faintly heard from the other end of the phone. My parents immediately panicked, coaxing her as they walked outside. Taking advantage of the dim light, I gritted my teeth. I pressed the exposed bone fragment back into the flesh, rolling on the ground in pain. Uncle Sam looked at me with heartache and brought over crushed herbal medicine. He applied it to the wound and reluctantly opened his mouth. “Child, don’t blame me. The children in the village need money for school.” Tears streamed down my face as I whimpered and raised my hand to point at myself. Vivian, I’m Vivian! Uncle Sam froze. “Child, what are you trying to say?” I dipped my finger in the herbal juice, preparing to write on the wall. But the cellar door was suddenly pulled open. My parents walked in holding their phone, all smiles. They were discussing taking Claire for Japanese food on the weekend. “Claire loves king crab. You’d better perform well then.” My dad smiled from ear to ear. “Don’t worry, honey, I already made a reservation.” “After we eat, we’ll take Claire to see the new movie.” Claire’s bell-like laughter came through the phone. The family of three’s atmosphere was incomparably warm.

I hadn’t eaten in a day and a night and was now ravenous. Noticing my small movements of swallowing and covering my stomach, my mom’s smile remained, but her eyes gradually turned cold. She scooped out a ladle of slop from the swill bucket in the corner and poured it in front of me. “Eat. You were born to be lowly.” “Can’t let you actually starve to death. What would happen to Claire then?” The foul smell rushed straight into my nostrils. My vision darkened as I lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. Uncle Sam murmured: “How is this food for humans?” My mom looked down at him imperiously and glanced at him coldly. “Mind your own business.” I don’t know how much time passed before the door was pulled open. Mr. Baker walked in, his whole body reeking of blood from years of butchering pigs. He habitually stroked his beard and looked at me coldly. He coldly rebuked my parents behind him: “A girl like this isn’t worth my effort. Too embarrassing. I’m not doing it.” With that, he picked up his boning knife and was about to leave. But after just a few steps, my mom stopped him. “Don’t want the money anymore?” Mr. Baker’s face turned ashen. He glared at my mom. Muttering curses under his breath, he roughly drove everyone out of the cellar. “I don’t like people watching when I work. Get out, get out, get out.” He took a puff of his pipe and looked at me earnestly: “Child, I don’t want to hurt you.” “You look about the same age as a child who left our village. Just agree to whatever they’re asking you to do.” I shook my head desperately with my hoarse voice, tears streaming down my face. Mr. Baker had always been good to me since I was little. Though he was a butcher, he loved reading and writing. I learned to read and write from him. Thinking of this, I slowly moved my blood-stained fingertip across the ground. But under the severe pain, my whole body trembled and my hand spasmed, turning each stroke into illegible scribbles. Mr. Baker sighed: “Girl, I can’t understand what you’re writing.” “Can you speak?” I shook my head, gasping nervously. If I missed this opportunity, it would truly be over. What else could prove my identity? I wracked my brain. Right, the birthmark! I had a crescent-shaped birthmark on my forearm that everyone in the village knew about. I was ecstatic and struggled to bite and tear at the cloth binding my hands. As long as he saw the birthmark, Mr. Baker would recognize my identity immediately. Perceiving my intention, Mr. Baker put down his pipe and walked over. Just as I was about to roll up my sleeve, my dad pushed the door open and entered. His gaze fell on my untied hands. His face darkened. “What’s the meaning of this?” I whimpered desperately, growling to get Mr. Baker to look at me. My mom immediately spotted the crooked bloody writing on the ground. Her face changed dramatically as she drove him out. I watched helplessly as Uncle Sam left with Mr. Baker, then a slap came flying. The scratch from her long nails burned painfully on my cheek. My mom snorted coldly: “This damn girl is trying to send messages to others.” My dad said nothing. He took down a hammer from the wall. He pressed me down forcefully and smashed my fingers one by one right in front of me. “This is what happens when you don’t behave.”

I screamed and bit down hard on his hand. I was determined to tear off a piece of flesh. My dad cried out in pain and struck my head heavily on the spot. Seeing me bleeding from the head, collapsed on the ground, my mom panicked and rushed forward to check my condition. She glanced at my dad with displeasure. “Honey, you’ve beaten her to death! What about Claire!” My dad took the opportunity to kick me several times. He pulled out a handkerchief to press on his bleeding wound and cursed: “Don’t worry, a disaster like her won’t die.” I bloodthirstily curved my lips. With blood all over my face, I stared straight at him, grinding my teeth like a wolf in challenge. So yeah, don’t let me catch an opportunity. Otherwise, you won’t even know how you died. This action clearly infuriated my dad. “Looks like you still haven’t learned.” He sneered, picked up the rope from the ground, and looped it around my neck. He knocked out my entire right molar. Just as he was about to knock out the second one, the door was pushed open. A delicate figure emerged from behind Uncle Sam. Seeing who it was, my dad hurriedly released me. He blocked me behind him, afraid the blood would dirty Claire’s eyes. My mom was both surprised and delighted, stepping forward to pull her outside. “Claire, how did you get here?” “Come out with Mom. It’s too dirty here, bad for your condition.” Claire had a smile on her pale face. She shook her head and released my mom’s hand. She walked up to me, tears rolling down in large drops. “Vivian, it must hurt a lot.” “If you just behave, you won’t have to suffer. Mom and Dad really do like you.” “Once I get better, we can study together, go to school together…” My gaze grew cold. Looking at her face barely concealing a smile, I spat a mouthful of bloody saliva on Claire’s face. Hmph, in your dreams. Going through all this trouble to send me here and torture me in every way—it was nothing more than to make me voluntarily become Claire’s mobile organ bank. Everyone knew she had a rare disease and needed organ replacements periodically as they failed. She wiped her face while screaming and falling to the ground. My dad kicked me over with one foot. My mom picked up scissors, about to cut off my mouth. Seeing this, Claire quickly grabbed them both. A flash of viciousness crossed her angelic face. “Mom, Dad, don’t blame Vivian. I can understand if she’s unwilling.” “Maybe if we change methods, Vivian will agree.” Hearing this, joy spread across my mom’s face. She quickly grabbed her. “Claire, really?” Claire nodded, her gaze falling on my lower abdomen. A meaningful smile appeared. “The attending physician said that as long as it’s direct bloodline, it can save me.” I froze in place. The next second, my dad called over Uncle Sam. Pointing at me on the ground, he said coldly: “Call all the men in your village, regardless of age. As long as she gets pregnant within a year, that money still counts.” Uncle Sam looked at me gasping on the ground. He looked away and nodded. Soon, I was married off by lottery to the village watchman. A lame man with Down syndrome. The night before I was sent to the old house, Uncle Sam came in. Looking at me tied up like a dumpling, he silently rolled up my sleeve. Seeing the scalded wound where the birthmark had been, he shook his head: “I was so confused. How could it possibly be Vivian?” I watched his retreating figure in despair. Claire walked in, arms crossed, looking at me with a cold laugh. “You didn’t really think you could escape, did you?” “Still wanting to use the birthmark to get someone to pass on a message.” “Don’t worry. For the rest of your life, even in death, you can only die here.” Early the next morning, I was carried to the groom’s home with my face veiled. Claire suggested removing my veil and having me kiss the groom publicly. The moment it was removed, the foolish groom before me paused, clapping his thick, stubby hands. Drooling, he looked at me and laughed happily: “Vivian, the bride is Vivian.”

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My husband, Ethan Hayes, was diagnosed with cancer. I decided to sell my premarital property to raise money for his medical expenses, but my mom stopped me. “Don’t tell him the truth yet,” my mom said. “Tell him you’re the one with cancer and see what he says.” I thought my mom was being petty, but she insisted: “If he’s willing to stand by you and sell the house to help with your treatment, then I’ll agree to let you sell your property.” I did as she said. But the very first day after I told him, Ethan’s face turned cold. “You have cancer and you still want me to sell the house to pay for your treatment? You’re just dragging me down!” “I’m not being selfish, but cancer is like a bottomless pit. In the end, you won’t get better, and I’ll be bankrupted.” Without another word, he took our bank cards. “I’m telling you to just give up on treatment. At least you can enjoy the last few days of your life. If you keep trying to treat it, we’re getting divorced.” I stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment, then gave a cold laugh. “Fine. I won’t get treatment then.” After all, I’m not the one with cancer.

When Ethan heard me say this, his expression immediately softened considerably. He sighed and stepped forward to comfort me. “Sophia, don’t blame me for being heartless.” “Getting cancer out of nowhere—no one can predict these things. It’s not that I don’t want to treat you, but cancer is a bottomless pit.” “Think about me, think about your parents. If something happens to you and you’re gone, someone still needs to take care of them, right?” Ethan spoke with such apparent sincerity that he almost moved himself to tears. But inside, I was laughing coldly. Sure enough, when something really happens, that’s when you see someone’s true colors. Normally, Ethan was thoughtful about everything. After five years of marriage, I thought we were one of those rare loving couples. He always blow-dried my hair for me after I washed it. Every night, he personally prepared my footbath water, making sure it was the perfect temperature—not too hot, not too cold. I was touched by these little details. I believed that when facing hardship together, we should give our all for each other. But now, thinking I had cancer, Ethan directly told me to give up treatment while putting on this affectionate act. It was truly disgusting. I remained silent as Ethan’s voice continued in my ear. “Sophia, I know you’re upset about having cancer, but put yourself in my shoes.” He gently held my hand, looking so devoted. “If I were the one with cancer,” “Even if you wanted to spend all our savings on my treatment, I wouldn’t agree, because I wouldn’t burden you even a little bit.” I looked at him silently. “But I have cancer. Wouldn’t you even consider selling a house to help raise some medical expenses for me?” “What if treatment could give me a fighting chance?” Ethan’s brow furrowed tightly. “Sell the house for treatment? Sophia, you’re being too naive.” “Do you know how much those targeted cancer drugs cost?” “Our house would probably be like throwing a stone into a well—you wouldn’t even hear a splash. We’d probably end up completely broke.” “Besides, my mom still needs to live in this house. If we really sell it, where would our whole family sleep? Under a bridge?” My mother-in-law, who had been eavesdropping in her room, couldn’t help but come out. “Sophia White, you’ve been married for five years and haven’t even produced an egg, and now you want my son to sell the house to pay for your treatment? Dream on!” “Everyone has their fate. If you’re short-lived, blame yourself. You can’t blame anyone else!” “Mom!” Ethan frowned and interrupted his mother. “Sophia is sick after all. Don’t talk like that.” He gave her a look. “Go to the market and buy a chicken. Make some chicken soup for Sophia to nourish her body.” His mother looked reluctant and muttered under her breath. “She’s about to die anyway. What’s the point of chicken soup? Pure waste!” The door slammed shut. Ethan pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a while. I snapped back to reality and glanced at it. “What are you buying?” “Painkillers for you, of course.” Ethan didn’t even look up, seemingly clicking to pay. “I bought you six months’ worth of painkillers. If the pain gets unbearable, just take some.” “After all, having cancer is basically a death sentence. There’s no need for you to keep going to the hospital.” Ethan’s voice sounded so gentle, But to me at that moment, it was like a death-beckoning demon. I was so angry I laughed. “Ethan, are you now even taking away my right to go to the hospital?” Is this the love you’ve been claiming all along? Is this the man I trusted for five years? “Sophia,” Ethan frowned and stood up. “Don’t make it sound so harsh.” “I’m not stopping you from going to the hospital. I’m just trying to be considerate, in case you can’t bear the pain.” “After all, you’ve already given up on treatment. Going to the hospital would just waste more money.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. “Where are you going?” Ethan’s voice called after me. “Remember to come back early tonight. I’ll make chicken soup for you.” I took a cab to my mom’s house. The moment I opened the door, my mom looked somewhat startled. “Sophia, why did you come back?” “Mom, you were right. I lied and said I had cancer, and forget about selling the house for treatment—Ethan wouldn’t even spend a penny on me. He told me to just give up on treatment.” And here I was, ready to sell my premarital property to pay for his treatment. My mom’s expression also turned cold as she held my hand with concern. “Sophia, since your husband said to give up, then give up.” “Didn’t you buy Ethan a lot of insurance policies recently? Just wait.”

I stayed at my mom’s house for three nights straight. Ethan, who usually checked in on me every day, Didn’t send me a single message for three whole days. It wasn’t until the fourth day that Ethan’s message finally arrived. “Why aren’t you back yet? Sophia, you didn’t ignore my advice and go to the hospital, did you? I told you it’s useless.” “That bank card is linked to my transaction alerts. If you buy medicine or anything, I can see it clear as day.” My stomach churned violently, a strong wave of nausea rushing up. Looking at these two messages, I felt chilled to the bone. This was the man I’d loved for five years, the person I thought I could live and die with. Yet he was this petty and mean. Knowing I was dying, he was still worried about me spending a single penny of his money. “I’m coming back today.” I typed my reply. After all, I’d paid half the down payment on the house we were living in and had been paying the mortgage together. Since Ethan wronged me first, I couldn’t let myself lose both the person and the property. I had just pushed open the front door when the sound of a man and woman laughing in the living room completely threw me. At some point, Ethan had brought a strange woman home. The woman was wearing a miniskirt, curled up on the sofa in Ethan’s arms, the two of them intimately entangled, talking and laughing. They were sharing a grape. When it dropped, Ethan grabbed the woman’s chin and kissed her. “Ethan, I’m not dead yet.” Seeing me standing in the doorway with a dark expression, Ethan not only didn’t panic, but instead kept his arm around the woman’s waist and spoke matter-of-factly. “Sophia, you don’t have much time left anyway. You can’t expect me to spend the rest of my life lonely, can you?” “I’m finding a companion in advance. When you’re underground, you’ll be at peace too, right?” His words nearly made me sick to my stomach. My mother-in-law chimed in from the side. “Exactly. My son has such good prospects—what kind of woman can’t he find?” She glared at me coldly with a sarcastic tone. “If you weren’t such a short-lived burden dragging him down, would my son have to go through all this trouble finding another woman?” With that, she carried a fruit plate over to the strange woman with a smile plastered on her face. “Chloe, I just washed these cherries. Try some.” “When you marry into our family, you can eat as much expensive fruit as you want.” Chloe Brooks smiled sweetly and accepted them. “Thank you, Auntie.” My expression grew even colder. Those were cherries I’d bought just recently. I hadn’t even eaten any yet, and they’d already finished them all. I clenched my fists tightly. At that moment, my heart was colder than ice. Five years in this family, and I’d given my all to these people. But they couldn’t wait for me to die. “Sophia, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m Chloe Brooks, just good friends with Ethan.” Chloe flashed a provocative smile and shoved a photo in my face. “This was taken when we were at the cycling club.” I coldly glanced at it from the corner of my eye. In the photo, Ethan and Chloe in short shorts had their arms around each other, looking very close. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard Chloe’s name. The first time was when Ethan was gaming with his teammates in his study. “Do you know that Chloe Brooks?” “The one with the outgoing personality. Her body is just… wow. If I could ever… ahem, forget it. That’s not something we should be thinking about.” Standing outside the door at the time, my heart flared with anger when I heard this. But since he didn’t finish the sentence and nothing actually happened, I pretended I hadn’t heard it. But now, he’d brought her home. “Sophia.” Chloe reached out and smacked Ethan’s butt, teasing. “Last time I just wore a bikini and Ethan couldn’t control himself. He pulled me into his tent to sleep.” “I was just helping him with his physical needs. Don’t take it to heart.”

I clenched my fists, my whole body trembling. So it wasn’t just a mental betrayal— He’d physically betrayed me too. “Enough, Ethan. Even if I really only have a few days left, it’s not your place to humiliate me like this.” Ethan frowned slightly. “Sophia, how is this humiliating you?” “You said before that you loved me so much that if you left before me, you wouldn’t want to see me lonely for the rest of my life.” “Don’t worry. If Chloe and I really end up together, we’ll definitely bring flowers to visit you every year on holidays.” I was already furious, but inside I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. We’d see who’d be bringing flowers to whom. I had no time for this nonsense. I turned and headed for the bedroom. “Stop.” Ethan suddenly called out, then tossed me a comforter and pillow. “Sophia, I’ve thought it over. Since you’re not feeling well, you might be uncomfortable at night. Why don’t you move to the guest room for now?” My mother-in-law chimed in from the side. “That’s right. You have cancer now—it’s so unlucky. Don’t pass your sickness on to my son.” I was so angry I laughed. “So this is what you’ve been planning while I was gone these past few days.” “Fine. I’ll make you happy.” That afternoon, I pushed open the study door. Ethan quickly pushed Chloe under the desk. Chloe deliberately made trouble. I pretended not to notice Ethan’s barely controlled expression. “Sign this.” I expressionlessly dropped a document on the desk. Ethan’s eyes were glazed, trying to stay composed as he glanced at me. “What… is this?” His words came out in a strange tone. Only in bed did Ethan make that kind of hoarse sound. What they were doing was self-evident. “Sophia, you’re not asking for a divorce, are you?” “Of course not.” I glanced at Chloe crouched under the desk and let out a sneer. “It’s a cancer treatment waiver.” “Sign this.” “Then I won’t get treatment.” This suggestion clearly suited him perfectly. Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t even read it, just signed the last page directly. “Sophia, go rest.” “Didn’t the doctor say that even if you give up treatment, you still have a month to live?” “You always wanted to see the Northern Lights. In a while, I’ll take time off work and take you…” Ethan’s subsequent words became increasingly fragmented. I checked the waiver to make sure the signature was fine, gave a cold laugh, and as I left, kindly reminded him: “Use the bed.” “The bed is so big. Why squeeze in here so awkwardly and secretively?” With those words, I ignored Ethan’s shocked and stunned expression and slammed the door shut. That night, Chloe clearly had no intention of leaving and stayed directly in our marital home. She refused to sleep on the sofa and, wearing my pajamas, headed straight for the master bedroom. Seeing my dark expression, she covered her mouth and laughed. “Sophia, you don’t have many days left anyway.” “Why fuss over so much? These silk pajamas are really comfortable. Why don’t you just give them to me?” “Take them off.” I stared at her coldly. “You’d even bully a dying person?” “Even if I die, I’m burning these and taking them with me. I won’t let some homewrecker have them.” “And I’m not dead yet. You’re a guest. You should sleep on the sofa.” Chloe leaned close to my ear and lowered her voice. “The sofa is too hard. I can’t sleep comfortably on it. Plus I need a familiar environment—I need to hold a man to fall asleep.” As Chloe said this, she winked at Ethan. Ethan impatiently spoke to me. “Enough, Sophia.” “Instead of making things difficult for Chloe, you should be doing everything you want to do. After all, you only have a month left to live.” “Especially at night—won’t your stomach hurt terribly?” Ethan let out a light scoff and pointed to the nightstand in the guest room. “See that? I’ve already prepared painkillers for you.” I gritted my teeth. “How thoughtful of you.” I voluntarily gave up the master bedroom. Ethan smiled with satisfaction and patted my shoulder. “Sophia, you’re much more sensible than before.” “I’ve already bought tickets to see the Northern Lights. In the last stretch of your life, I promise you’ll spend it happily.” With that, Ethan pulled Chloe’s slender waist and disappeared into the master bedroom. That night, listening to them rolling around in the master bedroom, laughing and playing. Yes, he still has a month to live. I told myself. It won’t be much longer.

When I came out early the next morning, Chloe was already sitting at the dining table like the lady of the house. She’d finished an entire bowl of chicken soup and smiled with satisfaction. “Auntie, your chicken soup is delicious. I want more.” After saying this, Chloe belatedly covered her mouth. “Sophia, I’m so sorry. I heard that was chicken soup Auntie made for you, and I drank it all…” “You haven’t even had breakfast yet. It’s all my fault!” Watching Chloe’s self-reproachful expression, Ethan affectionately ruffled her hair. “It’s just a bowl of chicken soup. We can make more.” “Sophia isn’t feeling well. She can’t digest such nutritious food anyway.” I really couldn’t watch this. My stomach was full just from anger. “I’m not eating.” I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. Ethan’s expression suddenly changed as he clutched his stomach and ran to the bathroom. When he came out, his mother asked worriedly, “Son, what’s wrong? Why has your stomach been hurting more and more frequently lately?” Ethan sighed but didn’t think much of it. “Probably ate something bad recently.” Only I looked down, my expression dark and inscrutable. How could it be food poisoning? After all, stomach cancer couldn’t be symptomless. His mother’s expression flickered strangely. “How odd. Sophia has stomach cancer but doesn’t seem uncomfortable. How is it that you…” Ethan laughed and interrupted. “Mom, what are you worried about? Your son’s physical exam results came back. I’m perfectly healthy.” That day, after shopping with my best friend, I was eating an ice cream cone as we went upstairs. Before I could finish half the ice cream, Someone coming toward me violently knocked it out of my hand. Ethan stared at me coldly. “Sophia, are you crazy?” “You know you have stomach cancer and you still dare eat ice cream? Are you trying to die faster?” For a moment I was startled, as if I saw worry and heartache in Ethan’s eyes, but I quickly realized it was just an illusion. Ethan didn’t even care about my life. Why would he care if eating ice cream would make my stomach hurt? “What do you want?” Ethan rambled on about many things before finally getting to the point. It turned out he’d come to find me, even waiting downstairs without complaint, just to force me to transfer my premarital property to Chloe. “Since we’ve both decided to be together, Sophia, we were married after all. Just give the house to Chloe as a wedding gift.” I could hardly believe my ears. “Why should I give her my house as a dowry?” Ethan looked displeased. “What kind of talk is that?” “You don’t have many days left anyway. After you die, won’t your premarital property be inherited by me as your legacy? Chloe is an orphan. You won’t even give her a wedding gift?” Ethan pulled out a property transfer agreement. “If you sign obediently now, I’ll still consider taking you to see the Northern Lights so you won’t have regrets.” “Otherwise, just wait to regret it.” I coldly scanned those unfair terms, completely motionless. “I’ll never sign.” Ethan laughed in anger. “Sophia, you’re so confused.” “You’re about to die. What use is holding onto this property? Don’t forget, we’re married. After you die, all the money will be mine…” I took a deep breath. “Ethan, do you know that actually it’s you who…” Before I could finish, Ethan’s phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID, frowning. “City Hospital? Why are they calling now?” He remembered he’d been feeling off these past few days and went for a physical exam. This must be the doctor calling about the results. Ethan didn’t hesitate to answer, his tone casual. “Hello?” “Is this Mr. Ethan Hayes? Your test results are in. You’ve been diagnosed with late-stage cancer…”

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Eight months pregnant, and the housekeeper’s daughter suddenly created a “pregnancy wellness plan” for me. She required me to spend six hours every day in the scorching 108°F outdoor heat, sunbathing. I was roasted until I nearly lost the baby. I begged her to open the door and let me inside. But she just sat there eating chilled watermelon, smiling sweetly. “Ma’am, pregnant women need plenty of sunshine. It’s good for you. I’m only doing this for your own good.” The door stayed locked. No one dared open it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed a flowerpot and smashed through the balcony window. An hour later, Sebastian hurried home from his meeting and immediately unleashed on me. “Vivian, how can you be so vicious! Do you realize that because you threw your tantrum and smashed that window, Sophie got heatstroke and ended up in the ICU?” “Sebastian, you have time to worry about the housekeeper’s daughter, but you can’t spare a thought for your own wife and child? If I’d stayed out there any longer, the baby would’ve died!” Sebastian stared at me for a moment with an unreadable expression, said nothing, and left. But that night, someone dragged me out of bed and locked me inside a metal baking chamber. Outside, dozens of the housekeeper’s relatives had gathered. Sebastian stood there with his arm around Sophie’s waist, watching me coldly. “Vivian, you’re utterly malicious and show no remorse. Today I’m going to make you pay for what you did to Sophie!” My heart kept sinking. I was completely disappointed in him. I decisively pulled out my phone and called my brother, Marcus. “Marcus, don’t leave a single one of them alive. Not the Hayes family, not the Walsh family. Kill them all.”

The moment those words left my lips, all those relatives outside turned deathly pale. Only Sebastian let out a cold sneer. Following his disdainful laugh, everyone else belatedly burst into hysterical laughter. “Miss Vivian, do you still think you’re some mob princess? Marcus is long dead. Who are you trying to scare?” “Exactly! If Mr. Hayes hadn’t been kind enough to take you in, you wouldn’t even be worthy of shining Sophie’s shoes!” Hearing these outsiders insult me, Sebastian just smiled faintly, not defending me at all. He pulled Sophie’s slender waist closer and slowly walked to the small window, casually tapping on the glass in front of me. “Vivian, feeling hot? Do you understand what you did wrong?” The red thermometer on the metal wall showed the baking chamber had been set to 122°F. The room was suffocatingly hot, like being in hell. My skin had turned bright red from the heat. No matter how deeply I breathed, my chest felt like it was being pierced with needles, so stifling I could barely breathe. Sweat poured off me like rain. My voice was hoarse. “Sebastian, what did I do wrong by escaping the sun to go into an air-conditioned room? If I hadn’t forced my way in, your child would already be dead in my belly!” I was about to continue when suddenly, under the intense heat, a violent cramping pain shot through my lower abdomen. Accompanied by frequent fetal movement, I crouched down and curled up, screaming. “Sebastian, let me out! It’s too hot in here—the baby can’t take it! Aren’t you the one who’s been so desperate for him to be born?!” Sebastian’s gaze dropped to my belly, his eyes dark and unreadable. Watching his reaction, my heart grew colder and colder. I had a weak constitution. Before this, I’d been pregnant five times, but every single one ended in miscarriage. Each time I lost a baby, Sebastian was so devastated he looked ready to kill someone. This time we’d been so careful with the pregnancy, finally making it to eight months. Once, when I was making him noodles and my belly was exposed to heat from the stove, causing frequent fetal movement, he’d been both angry and heartbroken, staying by my side all night. And now, because of Sophie’s ridiculous heatstroke, he’d personally locked me in a baking chamber. My heart ached with bitter pain. I was about to speak through gritted teeth when Sophie clutched her head and swayed unsteadily, her voice unbearably weak. “Sebastian, let her out. She’s been pampered all her life—how can she endure this suffering? She didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all my fault. I’m just a housekeeper’s daughter. Even if I die of heatstroke in this hundred-degree weather, it’s only what I deserve…” My blood boiled with rage. Just minutes after I smashed the window, she’d turned around and gone back to the bedroom, having a servant bring her half a chilled watermelon. The one who’d been roasting outside for hours, nearly suffering heatstroke—that was me! My eyes turned bloodshot as I glared at her. Just as I was about to speak, Sebastian slammed his fist against the glass window. His voice turned ice-cold. “Go turn up the temperature 9°F. She’s pampered and afraid of heat? Today I’ll make sure she gets back every bit of grievance Sophie suffered!” He affectionately ruffled Sophie’s hair, his eyes practically overflowing with tenderness. “I know you’ve been wronged. You were kind enough to help with her pregnancy care, and she nearly killed you for it. Go on, Sophie, adjust it yourself. I dare her to say one word against it!” When Sophie walked back, the red thermometer on the metal wall showed 140°F. She’d raised it a full 18°F! The baking chamber instantly became like hell itself. My entire body felt like it was being deep-fried in oil. My dress had long been soaked through with sweat, clinging wetly to my swollen belly. The frequent fetal movement was practically my baby’s desperate cry for help. For the sake of my child, I dragged out my smoke-damaged voice, hoarse beyond recognition, and admitted fault. “I was wrong, Sebastian. I know I was wrong…”

The instant I spoke, Sophie’s father suddenly interrupted, his booming voice drowning out my plea. “Mr. Hayes, your wife has such a great figure. Even with that pregnant belly, she’s so sexy. Just looking at her makes a man unable to resist…” My hoarse voice was swallowed up. The man’s excited, undisguised gaze fixed directly on me. That look was utterly disgusting. I clutched my body and shrank back toward the corner. But after prolonged exposure to the scorching heat, as soon as I lifted my foot, a layer of skin on my sole separated instantly from the flesh, torn open with bright red blood flowing out. The piercing pain made it nearly impossible to stand on one foot. I staggered and stepped down, the skinless sole pressing against the burning metal floor. In that instant, the stabbing pain shooting to my scalp made me scream shrilly. Sebastian clearly heard my scream. He frowned slightly and shot Sophie’s father a warning look before standing and walking to the small window. Seeing the complete footprint of skin and the bright red blood on the metal floor, his heart clenched. Just as he was about to speak, Sophie bit her lip and walked over weakly. “Just give Sebastian a simple apology. It doesn’t even have to be sincere. You know his temper—if you don’t apologize, how could he possibly let you out…” My internal organs were churning. I was nearly cooked through by the high temperature. I opened my mouth but could barely make a sound. Watching me, Sophie’s lips curved up. She suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself twice, then cried out that she wanted to open the door and be punished alongside me. “Sebastian, since she won’t apologize, just let me go in there and be punished with her. I really can’t bear to see her suffer like this. I’ll just take all the blame—it’s my fault for getting heatstroke, my fault for going to the ICU!” Seeing Sophie’s apparent kindness, whatever softness Sebastian had felt vanished instantly. He glared at me viciously, his voice full of disappointment. “Vivian, you’ve truly disappointed me. You used to have at least some sense of shame, but now you’re completely shameless. You hurt Sophie and don’t feel even a shred of remorse. Sophie is kind enough to want to accompany you, but you’re not worthy!” “Fine. Since that’s how it is, today I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your dead father!” With that, he waved his hand and ordered, “Go raise the temperature another 9°F. I don’t believe her mouth can stay this hard at 140°F! If she won’t apologize, she’s not coming out!” As soon as he finished speaking, the other maids in the house rushed over, pleading on my behalf. “Sir, please forgive her this once. She’s eight months pregnant after all. The temperature in there is so high—it could be fatal for the baby.” Sebastian frowned and glanced at me through the small window. After a few seconds of silence, just as he was about to nod, Sophie suddenly cried out and collapsed. Sebastian immediately gathered her into his arms. “Sophie, where does it hurt? I’ll take you to the hospital.” Sophie shook her head, tears brimming. “I got sick and ended up in the ICU because of my own weak constitution. It has nothing to do with her. Since everyone’s pleading for her, Sebastian, just let her go. I’m fine…” Before she could finish, she curled up in apparent agony, gasping heavily as if about to go into shock. The “okay” stuck in Sebastian’s throat never came out. His voice turned sharp and cold. “Those who do wrong must be punished. Do as I said!” The maids glanced at the horrific scene inside the baking chamber and tried to continue pleading, but Sebastian’s cold stare shut them down. “Sophie only made her sunbathe because she was helping with pregnancy care. Not only is she ungrateful, she even smashed windows and hurt people. Even now she shows no remorse—she deserves to suffer! If any of you plead for her again, pack your things and leave immediately.” He paused, then ordered, “Go adjust the temperature! And have an ambulance wait outside.” Hearing this, the maids didn’t dare say anything more. Sophie’s mother and Sophie exchanged a glance, then hurried to adjust the temperature. When she returned, the temperature inside the baking chamber had changed to 158°F. She’d raised it another full 18°F.

The instant intense heat struck, I could no longer stand. My whole body trembling, I collapsed onto the scorching metal floor. The moment my feet left the ground, one foot had a layer of skin and flesh torn off by the metal plate, while the other had a layer of scab ripped away. As my body hit the floor, a “sizzle” sounded where my skin touched the metal plate. The contact area instantly swelled and oozed blood, as if being pan-fried. Piercing, bone-deep pain shot through my entire body. Blood kept seeping out from various places. To protect the baby in my belly, I ignored the pain and struggled to adjust my position to lie on my back. Every movement tore away the layer of skin and flesh pressed against the scalding metal. By the time I’d adjusted my position, there was hardly any intact flesh left on my body. And the baby in my belly had also gone completely still. The people outside who’d been jeering and laughing gradually fell silent as they watched the bloody scene inside. Feeling my child’s life slipping away, I screamed with all my strength. “Sebastian! My baby is dead—you killed him with your own hands! When I get out, I’ll have Marcus kill all of you. You all deserve to die!” Sebastian’s expression changed drastically. In the sudden silence, he walked to the small window, seemingly wanting to check on my condition. When he saw me covered in blood without a single patch of healthy skin, his pupils contracted sharply. He was about to order someone to get the key when Sophie suddenly stepped forward and grabbed his hand. “Ma’am, how can you say such things? You know how much Marcus made Sebastian suffer, how much he was held back. Now he’s long dead, yet you still use him to pressure Sebastian. Aren’t you just stabbing him in the heart?” She turned to look at Sebastian, her voice gentle. “Sebastian, I know about all the grievances you suffered back then. Don’t be sad. I’ll always stand by your side. As for her, you should still let her out. She’s speaking recklessly—she can even say things like killing us. Who knows what she might do if this continues, just like that Marcus of hers…” Sophie’s words stirred up Sebastian’s humiliating memories. He flew into a rage, slamming his fist against the metal wall. “Go raise the temperature another 9°F. Let’s see just how stubborn she can be!” Seeing Sebastian’s anger, no one behind him dared persuade him further. They obediently went to raise the temperature by 9°F. Instantly, piercing burning heat struck from below. My entire body felt like it was being grilled on a hot plate. My internal organs felt like they were being cooked through by the penetrating heat. I couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed onto my side. The moment my belly touched the metal plate, a gush of fresh blood poured from my lower abdomen. The blood flowed along the metal plate and out through the door crack. Even outside, it still steamed with heat. Realizing my child had completely left me, I screamed like I was coughing blood. Many people outside cried out, “Someone’s going to die!” Sebastian had been furious, but hearing this cry, he turned back and was also frightened by the seeping blood. He frantically grabbed the person next to him and roared, “The key! Go get the key!” Sophie volunteered eagerly. “Sebastian, I know where the key is. I’ll get it!” As she left, she glanced at me through the small window. That look contained undisguised malicious glee and triumph.

After she left, Sebastian frowned tightly, occasionally glancing at me, already barely alive in the baking chamber. After waiting for what seemed like forever without Sophie returning, he exploded. “Where is she! Go see why the key isn’t here yet!” “You few—go cut the power! Get the ambulance over here now!” Watching people scatter in panic, a flash of pain crossed Sebastian’s eyes. Shortly after the power was cut, Sophie came running back in a panic, tears falling. “Sebastian, the key… the key is gone…” Sebastian’s face turned deathly pale. He staggered toward Sophie, his voice laced with cold fury. “Why would the key be gone? You’d better not be lying to me!” Sophie dropped to her knees with a “thud.” “This baking chamber was custom-made and only came with one key. The servants were cleaning up earlier and accidentally threw it away with the trash…” I looked weakly at Sebastian. Ridiculously, he actually believed such a clumsy excuse. He had people go make a duplicate key while looking at me through the window. “Vivian, just wait a little longer. I’ll let you out soon. Just hold on a bit more.” Seeing the worry in his eyes, Sophie suddenly said, “Sebastian, you gathered all my family’s relatives here, saying you wanted them to witness her apology to me. They’re all still here…” “Anyway, the power’s already off. Just give everyone an explanation. Just have her say she’s sorry. It doesn’t even have to be sincere…” Sebastian looked at me, then at the wronged and obedient Sophie. Finally, he tapped on the small window. “Vivian, no matter what, today’s incident was your fault. Just give a simple apology and I won’t pursue this matter anymore, okay?” Seeing I didn’t respond, his tone softened. “Be good. Everyone’s waiting for your apology. Once you apologize, I’ll let you out. Sophie will take good care of you from now on, and I’ll love you properly too.” The physical burning and massive blood loss had already made me barely conscious. I crawled up from the pool of blood with all my strength, instinctively using blood to write on the metal plate, word by word: “Marcus… will kill… you all…” Sophie’s eyes were full of contempt, but her words came out as wronged sobs. “Ma’am, I know you’ve always been domineering. I just want an apology to give my family an explanation. Is that really too much to ask?” “Besides, Marcus was already turned into a human swine long ago. You’re the only one left in your family. What’s the point of this? If you don’t apologize, even if I want to let you out, my family won’t agree…” As soon as she finished speaking, Sophie’s relatives outside started chattering. “Miss Vivian, stop dreaming. Everyone knows your entire family was wiped out three years ago. If Mr. Hayes weren’t protecting you, you’d have died countless times by now. And you want to kill us? What a joke.” “Mr. Hayes, I think she’s just pretending. She nearly killed Sophie this time. If you don’t teach her a proper lesson, who knows how she’ll bully people in the future.” “Exactly, Mr. Hayes. She’s bullying people like this—you can’t let her off so easily.” Sebastian irritably pressed his temples, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness when he spoke again. “Vivian, Marcus is long dead. You’re not some mob princess anymore. Without my protection these years, you’d have struggled just to survive. Right now, I’m your only support. Just apologize once and I’ll let you out immediately, okay?” The temperature in the baking chamber hadn’t dissipated, but the heartbeat of the baby in my belly had completely stopped. That little life that had accompanied me for eight months—I ultimately couldn’t keep him. Tears blurred my vision. I was consumed with grief. I had no strength to answer him. I just hung my head and resolutely wrote two words on the floor in blood: “Never.” Sebastian’s expression shifted. “Vivian, think carefully. Besides me, no one can save you!” The moment Sebastian finished speaking, a “bang” echoed as a bullet grazed past his scalp. Accompanied by a massive sharp ringing sound, a team of gang members wielding assault rifles burst in. A cold, stern voice rang out from behind him. “Who says no one can save her?”

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On my wedding day, the makeup artist saw that the venue was booked at a high-end hotel. She suddenly changed everything from the look we had originally agreed upon. My fiancé looked at her with amusement and asked, “What, you want me to marry Crayon Shin-chan?” Turns out the expensive makeup artist I’d booked was my fiancé’s ex-girlfriend. Watching how familiar they were with each other, I removed my makeup on the spot and called off the wedding. As Ethan tried to stop me, Mandy suddenly stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips. That’s when I noticed—beneath her mask, she’d already done her makeup perfectly. So this was her plan all along. To steal my wedding. I raised an eyebrow. Stealing a wedding means taking on more than just the man. The final payment for that $700,000 sky-high banquet was to be paid in full by the bride’s family. I hoped she could handle that too. Last night, I’d stayed up late discussing wedding details with both sets of parents. I didn’t get to bed until very late. And this morning I had to get up at the crack of dawn. So when the makeup artist greeted me, I was still half-asleep. As soon as she walked in, she started looking around the hotel room. When she saw the expensive jewelry laid out on the table, her hands paused slightly as she unpacked her makeup kit. “Ha, Miss Olivia, does your husband treat you that well? Booking such a fancy hotel for the wedding, preparing such elegant jewelry—it’s enough to make anyone jealous!” “This must have cost a fortune, right? I really envy you, finding such a generous man.” At her words, I felt a surge of distaste. All the expenses for today’s wedding were being covered by my family. She hadn’t bothered to learn anything about the situation, yet she automatically assumed it was the groom’s family paying. But I didn’t need to explain myself to a stranger. I nodded and didn’t take it to heart. But she suddenly yanked her makeup kit open forcefully and looked at me with a half-smile. “Miss Olivia, why do you think women these days love stealing other people’s things so much?” “Are they just born shameless?” Honestly, hearing this nonsensical talk, I was getting angry. But there was no time now to find a replacement makeup artist. After she applied my foundation, I dozed off. I kept my eyes closed the whole time, pretending to rest. She was from a well-known brand’s shop after all—I wasn’t worried about her stealing anything. I figured if she needed me to open my eyes, she’d ask. But when I finally opened my eyes again, I was startled by the stranger in the mirror. I was about to ask the makeup artist what the hell she was doing, frowning. My mind was already racing, thinking about how to claim compensation. This was a massive professional failure on her part. But when I looked over at her, she was looking down, trying to suppress her laughter. Her shoulders were shaking nonstop, as if she’d seen something hilarious. I gradually realized something was wrong. This was clearly intentional. To be fair, I didn’t think I’d done anything to offend her. I frowned, thinking through the possibilities. When our eyes met, the girl couldn’t hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing. “Hahaha—” Laughing, she ran behind Ethan, who’d just opened the door and walked in. Her small hands clutched at the back of Ethan’s suit. “I… I’m sorry, Ethan! I didn’t mean to laugh!” “I just never imagined Miss Olivia’s face would be so… suited to this kind of makeup!” She covered her face again, trying to stifle her laughter. Seeing my ridiculous appearance, she hid behind Ethan, her malice obvious. Hearing her call out Ethan’s name, my sense of unease grew stronger. My intuition was usually accurate. This girl knew Ethan. And they were quite familiar with each other. I didn’t want to think the worst. I frowned and looked at Ethan. “What’s the meaning of this?” “You two already knew each other? What kind of stunt are you pulling? Is today a wedding or a theatrical performance?” When Ethan saw my face, he froze too. He looked down helplessly at the girl behind him, but he didn’t scold her. My originally irritated mood suddenly felt like it had been doused with cold water. Ethan leaned casually against a chair, looking at the girl with a familiar tone. “The trial runs went fine before. Why are you dropping the ball today?” “What, you want me to marry Crayon Shin-chan?” He looked at her with amusement. The girl shrank her neck, stuck out her tongue, and made a sound. “You’re asking me to do makeup for your bride. I can’t be that magnanimous.” She looked at my face with a half-smile, clearly enjoying my humiliation. I pulled out my phone and found the contact information for a backup makeup artist. “Make her apologize to me.” “I’ll call someone else to come redo my makeup. I’ll go downstairs whenever they’re done.” “We can talk about compensation later.” Right now, I didn’t care how the two of them knew each other. Today was my wedding day. The guests my parents invited were all business partners. I didn’t want any last-minute problems. Ethan and I met through matchmaking. I came from an upper-middle-class family. Ethan’s family wasn’t well off. He came from a single-parent household—his mother had raised him alone. Ethan himself was fairly capable, with good career prospects. But here, he had no house, no car. Even with a decent annual salary, he wasn’t exactly a hot commodity in this first-tier city’s matchmaking market. I’d chosen Ethan because I valued his personal abilities and his looks, which is why I’d agreed to date and marry him. But I didn’t expect that hearing my words, Ethan would actually frown. He pressed down on my hand as I was about to make the call. “Is that really necessary?” “You look like this anyway.” I was so angry I laughed.

Hearing this, the girl also let out a delicate laugh. “Ethan, is that any way to talk to a girl?” “After all this time, you’re still such a typical guy!” Even if I were an idiot, I could guess that this girl and Ethan had an unusual relationship. They might even be exes. But even if I couldn’t recognize his ex, couldn’t Ethan? From selecting the makeup artist to the trial runs to the final booking, Ethan had been with me the whole time. And he’d never mentioned this. Was he trying to give his ex a job opportunity, or were old feelings still lingering? I didn’t want to dig deeper and upset myself needlessly. I grabbed my makeup remover, went straight into the bathroom, and washed my face clean. Then I called my parents and told them I needed to reconsider the wedding. If I went through with today, I’d regret it. We hadn’t registered our marriage anyway. I didn’t avoid the two of them when making the call. Ethan heard everything loud and clear. His face darkened almost instantly. His previously calm expression turned stormy. He was about to speak when a pair of soft hands pulled him back. The girl wrapped her arms gently around Ethan’s waist from behind. “Ethan! If Miss Olivia doesn’t want to marry you, I will!” “Propose to me!” “You promised before that you’d only marry me~” Then, right in front of me, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ethan on the lips. But I didn’t miss the greedy look in her eyes when she stared at the expensive jewelry on the table. At her words, Ethan froze. He turned his head slightly, his eyes conflicted. When he spoke again, there was a hint of guilt and excitement in his voice that even he didn’t seem to notice. He looked at me. “Let Mandy take your place at the wedding today and clean up your mess.” “You’ll still be my wife. You can rest assured about that.” “Go downstairs and tell your parents. Don’t make a scene that would embarrass everyone.” “Of course, you’re also free to make a scene.” Ethan was confident I’d swallow my anger for my parents’ sake. He also knew that today’s wedding had many of my parents’ important business partners in attendance. With that, he pulled Mandy toward the door. I finally remembered her name. Mandy. Mandy looked at me with triumph in her eyes. She stared directly at me, silently curling her lips into a provocative smile. As if she’d won the lottery. Only then did I notice—beneath her mask, she’d already applied exquisite makeup. Compared to the makeup on my face, it was night and day. Even her hair was already styled in the design I’d chosen. Oh, so this was all premeditated! “Sorry, Miss Olivia, I don’t want to leave myself with regrets!” “If you want to report me to the shop, go ahead!” Seeing her completely unbothered attitude made my anger spike.

I won’t deny it—Mandy had gotten under my skin. But I knew that being angry wouldn’t solve anything. After I told my parents what had happened, they looked shocked. They hurriedly apologized to the guests and came upstairs. Seeing that I’d truly decided not to marry Ethan, my parents sighed, feeling somewhat guilty. “Sweetheart, we had no idea the kid from the Hayes family was so unreliable!” “We originally thought he was decent, worth investing in. Looks like that’s no longer necessary!” “Forget it. My daughter doesn’t need to chase after Ethan Hayes!” I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d been worried my parents wouldn’t agree. After all, the guests were all important people. I was also concerned that my sudden decision to call off the wedding would burden my parents. Originally, my parents had planned to use the wedding as an opportunity to introduce Ethan to some connections. Looks like that wouldn’t be necessary anymore. This hotel handled mid-to-high-end banquets. The deposit was paid in advance, but the balance was due after the wedding. When our families discussed it, they’d decided the groom’s family would pay the deposit. The bride’s family would pay the balance—$700,000. Deposit: $30,000. Balance: $700,000. For appearances, Ethan’s mother had insisted that Ethan sign the contract with the hotel. Though the contract noted that the bride’s family would cover the balance, my name wasn’t specified. So now that the bride had become Mandy, Ethan’s mother could only ask Mandy for the money. Ethan called me, telling me to send the jewelry over to Mandy. After all, Mandy’s hair was already styled—she was just waiting for those accessories. Hearing Mandy’s triumphant laughter on the other end of the line, I hung up and blocked him. Was he joking? My family paid for all this. Why would I let Mandy wear it? When no one came to deliver the items, Ethan got somewhat angry with me. He decided to teach me a lesson. He had people take down the posters that were originally of us. He had them rush to replace them with photos of him and Mandy. The bride’s name was also changed to Mandy. He originally hadn’t planned to change any of this—he’d just wanted Mandy to substitute for me at the wedding. Now, this was his warning to me. But he didn’t know—this played right into my hands. Now the bride had completely and officially become Mandy. The debt collectors couldn’t come after me. I’d always been rational, so I chose to cut my losses. Even though I’d admittedly developed some feelings for Ethan. But sunk costs don’t factor into major decisions.

Seeing the screen display photos of her and Ethan, Mandy was over the moon. She posted multiple updates on social media and videos. Showing off her high-end wedding. Mandy put on the wedding dress my parents had paid a premium to custom-make for me. Even though it didn’t fit her perfectly, she couldn’t resist coming to glaunt it to me. Every word dripped with veiled sarcasm. “Miss Olivia, this dress seems to fit me better than you!” “Ethan’s so silly… ordering a wedding dress without getting your measurements right. I’ll have to talk to him about this! He has no idea how to take care of people. Such a typical guy!” She smiled smugly. Seeing that I remained unmoved, she wasn’t bothered. “Oh, by the way, Ethan just called in a highly experienced professional makeup artist. The kind that charges ten thousand dollars an hour.” “He said how could a bride do her own makeup?” “He’s still the same as before! Never listens to advice.” “Not frugal at all. Don’t take it personally, Miss Olivia! Today really has cost you quite a bit~” “If he keeps being like this in the future, call me and I’ll talk to him!” “Miss Olivia, thank you for being so gracious today and making mine and Ethan’s old dream come true.” Mandy covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes full of provocation as she looked at me. Deliberately disgusting me, and not even trying to hide it. I laughed coldly. Looks like Ethan wasn’t completely clueless—he just didn’t want to care! When I was wearing makeup that obviously didn’t suit me, he said I just looked like that and even the most expensive makeup artist couldn’t help. But when it came to Mandy, he thought of everything. Even hired a professional makeup artist. But did he have the money?

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