My stepsister married the billionaire who was supposed to be my fiancé. As she walked past me on his arm, she gave me a smug smile. “Little sis, this incredible fortune was too much for you to handle. Your big sister had to step in and take it off your hands.” I just smiled back without saying a word. I still remember how she later ended up beaten bloody by debt collectors, kneeling and begging me for help. What a pitiful sight that was. My sister had locked me in the house. Today was the day my fiancé Jack was returning to the country. We had been betrothed since childhood, an arrangement made by my late mother and Jack’s mother when they were young. My stepmother had known about this for a long time. She had always despised me, so how could she possibly let such good fortune fall into my hands? They locked me in my room and had my stepsister take my place. Chloe gave me a vicious kick, hitting me right in the stomach. I was already hungry, and now the pain made me curl up on the floor. The next second she roughly yanked me up by the arm. Her eyes were full of mock pity as she sneered, “Little sister, I’ve stolen everything from you for twenty years. Now I’m even taking your fiancé. How does it feel? Do you hate me?” I glared at her fiercely, wanting to fight back, but the pain left me too weak to move. Seeing this, she slapped me hard across the face. “You’ve got some nerve giving me that look. Don’t even think about resisting.” The bright red handprint stung on my cheek. Chloe was very pleased with my wretched state. She taunted me cruelly: “Who can you blame for the misery of your 25 years? Your short-lived mother for leaving you all alone in this world? If you want to blame someone, blame her – you poor motherless child.” “Oh right, you don’t know this, but I’m the one who got your mom killed.” My body went rigid with shock. Everyone had always said my mother was assaulted and killed by some thugs. I had suspected my stepfamily’s involvement, but those thugs had mysteriously died afterwards. Even if I wanted to prove their guilt, I had no evidence. Chloe cackled with laughter. “That’s what you and your mother get for being so pretty. You deserved to be ruined.” I clenched my fists tightly, trembling with rage. No, now wasn’t the time to strike back. I had to wait a little longer. Chloe kicked me again before continuing: “When I was little, I was on my way to buy candy when I came across your mom. She was lying motionless on the ground. I was so scared at first.” “When I got closer, I realized she was still barely breathing. Want to know what happened next?” She crouched down and whispered in my ear: “She weakly called out to me, ‘Chloe’. She begged me to call 911. Her phone was right there next to her.” “But I didn’t. Hahaha I watched her die right in front of me. All I could think was that you were motherless now, but I still had my mom!” “I don’t know why, but seeing you in pain just made me so happy. The more you suffered, the better I felt!” I felt my blood run cold, my body frozen stiff. My stepmother’s voice came from the doorway: “Why are you telling her all this? Hurry up and go meet your fiancé!” “Coming, Mom!” Chloe called back. I stared out the window at the sunset, biting my lip hard until I tasted blood. Only then did I manage to calm myself as memories flashed through my mind. Suddenly, I smiled. Their time to be so arrogant was running out.

From the moment I was born, I had been aware that I was living in a story. I knew how everything would unfold. My so-called billionaire fiancé was actually a despicable hypocrite. He appeared refined on the surface, but was rotten to the core – an abusive gambler and womanizer who would eventually be shot dead. His wife, after enduring endless torture and humiliation, would end up jumping to her death. My stepmother would die alongside her daughter. The mother-daughter pair’s fate could be considered karmic retribution for their evil deeds. Now, if the story went according to the usual script, they would inevitably bring about their own downfall sooner or later. But I never expected there would be a twist. I suspected that the Jack Johnson in this story had been replaced by someone else.

He was lounging on the sofa as my stepmother Fiona brought him tea, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh my, what a handsome face! I like this son-in-law more and more!” She reached out to touch Jack’s face, but Chloe quickly pushed her hand away. “Mom! What are you doing?” she scolded, clearly annoyed. Fiona just chuckled. “Alright, alright. I know he’s yours. I won’t steal him, you little brat.” Sitting across from them, I smirked as I watched the scene unfold. In the original story, there was even a plot where the mother and daughter fought over the same man. However, my smile caught Jack’s attention. He asked, “And who is she?” Fiona quickly spoke up: “That’s Chloe, Abigail’s sister that I told you about.” “Is that so? For some reason, I have a feeling she’s actually the real Abigail Quinn,” Jack replied. The room went silent for a moment. Fiona panicked. “No, no, that’s impossible. You two have never met before. I already told you she’s Chloe. Why would I lie to you?” She hurriedly tried to pull me into another room to lock me away again. But Jack said, “Wait.” Fiona nervously swallowed. Jack smiled. “She is Abigail Quinn, isn’t she?” “Impersonating someone else’s identity is a crime, you know.” I could feel Fiona’s hand trembling violently as she gripped my arm. Chloe stepped forward, shielding Fiona. “It was all my idea. Don’t blame my mom!” As I listened to their conversation, I frowned in confusion. In my memories, Jack had married Chloe without any doubts, completely fooled by the deception. Could it be that he knew something? Looking into Jack’s dark, inscrutable eyes, I had an ominous feeling.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly Jack burst out laughing. It was a cruel, dangerous sound. “Why are you all so nervous? Even if she is the real Abigail, I’ve already given my heart to Chloe. Let’s just have the wedding as planned. You’re all part of the Quinn family anyway.” Hearing this, Chloe’s eyes immediately lit up with joy. She clutched Jack’s arm, asking excitedly, “Really? Do you really mean it?” Jack patted her head. “Of course I do.” Fiona happily clapped Jack on the shoulder. “You naughty boy, you nearly gave me a heart attack! As punishment, you have to have a drink with me tonight!” Chloe shot me a smug look. “Little sister, I guess you just don’t have the good fortune to enjoy all this wealth and luxury!” Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn’t want that “good fortune” even if you gave it to me. Jack’s little performance tonight made me suspicious. His tone, logic, and even appearance were completely different from the character I remembered from the story. I had a bold theory – I suspected he had been replaced by someone else. Friend or foe, I couldn’t be sure. I also couldn’t be certain if this transformation meant he was now on a path of righteousness. If that was the case, I’d have to carry out my revenge on my own. For now, I couldn’t figure it out. I turned to go back to my room, but Chloe grabbed my arm. She looked down at me haughtily and commanded, “I order you to bring me a basin of water to soak my feet.” Look at that, she’s already putting on airs before officially becoming Mrs. Johnson. Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of indulging her. I dumped an entire bucket of scalding hot water all over her body. The boiling water instantly turned her skin an angry red. She let out a piercing scream. “Ahhhh! Abigail! Are you trying to kill me?!” “Mom! Mom! Hurry up and beat her to death!” Chloe was bright red all over, like she’d just been pulled out of a boiling pot. She wailed as she ran to pour cold water on herself. As she passed by, I slapped her face hard twice. “Stop putting on an act, sis. I’ve been holding back for a long time today.” If it weren’t for wanting her to successfully marry Jack, I would have run away long ago. Did they really think they could keep me trapped with their puny brains? Fiona rushed over to hit me, but I caught her arm and flipped her whole body. Her flabby rear end hit the floor with a thud as she cried out in pain. “Owww!” I sneered, “Stepmother, are you so arrogant because you have some animal protection group looking out for you?” “Unfortunately, you’re nothing but a couple of mad dogs.” “Next time you bark at me like that, I guarantee I’ll beat you until you can’t even afford the medical bills!”

I didn’t give them a chance to react before heading back to my apartment. As soon as I opened the door, my cat Sweetie jumped into my arms, nuzzling against me. After petting her fur and feeding her, there was a knock at the door. Through the peephole, I saw it was Jack outside. I frowned, not planning to let him in. But then he spoke: “You’ve awakened, haven’t you?” My heart skipped a beat. Did he know? “Don’t be so extreme. They are family after all.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “You fake, are you here to speak up for them?” Jack: “Yes. Don’t go against your stepsister.” So he really was on their side. My clenched fists trembled violently. “And what if I don’t listen?” I challenged. Jack didn’t respond. After a long silence, I realized he had already left. It seemed he would have to be dealt with as well.

The wedding was set for three days later. Before then, I went to cash in a winning lottery ticket and used the money to hire some people. But I didn’t expect to run into Chloe on the street. She was dressed up glamorously. As soon as she saw me, her eyes blazed with fury. She charged at me, ready to attack. But Jack grabbed her arm, stopping her. “What are you doing?” “Jack, she poured boiling water on me yesterday. I have to get revenge!” She tried to lunge forward again, but Jack said in a low voice, “Enough.” Chloe didn’t dare defy him, but she still glared at me, grinding her teeth in hatred. She turned to me, “Little sister, you were quite bold yesterday!” I raised an eyebrow. “I suppose.” Chloe looked up at Jack and said, “Jack, you don’t know this, but my sister is actually a prostitute. She didn’t come home last night – who knows which man she was sleeping with.” Those kinds of insults didn’t faze me at all. But Jack’s gaze as he looked at me was very searching. “Soon I’ll be the high and mighty Mrs. Johnson. When you see me, you’ll have to kneel and beg forgiveness!” Chloe gloated. I found it amusing. “Has the water damaged your brain, sis? The nonsense coming out of your mouth is laughable.” “You-!” She sputtered in anger. “Just wait and see me walk down the aisle in three days!” I smiled and agreed. Sure, in three days you’ll be walking straight into your coffin. I didn’t expect Chloe’s revenge tactics to be so crude. That night, as I was leaving work, someone knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I found myself tied up and lying on a bed. I smirked in disgust. Using a small knife, I cut through the ropes. Opening the door, I realized I was in a hotel. Hiding behind a wall, I saw a shadowy figure sneak into the room I had just left. Soon after, I heard him cursing and making a phone call: “What the hell are you playing at?!” The person on the other end said something. The man snapped in frustration: “I don’t care! Come see for yourself!” A few minutes later, Chloe showed up at the hotel. But before she could say much, the man roughly dragged her into the room. Her shrill screams rang out. [CUT-OFF POINT]

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A devastating fire consumed everything I had when I was eighteen, including my eyesight. It was Jack, my neighbor, who rushed into the inferno to save me. He even performed the surgery himself. Unfortunately, he couldn’t save my eyes. From that day on, he voluntarily became my crutch, the starlight illuminating my dark world. He even defied everyone’s objections and married me, making me Mrs. Thompson. Later, with the help of my best friend, Anna, I successfully received a cornea transplant. I didn’t tell Jack, secretly returning home to surprise him. What I never expected was to find three voluntary cornea donation agreements on our coffee table. The donor was Emily. My hands trembled uncontrollably. Jack had always lied to me, saying there were no suitable corneas, but he had found three for Emily! The earliest agreement was signed just a month after my failed surgery! I wanted to confront Jack, but I saw him entangled with his stepsister Emily on our marital bed, their clothes disheveled. I hid behind the door, overhearing their conversation. “If she hadn’t urgently needed a cornea, why would I have saved her?” ······ “I merely stole her eyes, but I’ve compensated her with my entire life!” Hearing this, my heart stopped. I remembered when I had just been rescued. Jack personally prepared a surgery for me, but unfortunately, I still couldn’t regain my sight afterward. Could it be that my corneas weren’t actually damaged, just temporarily blind? That surgery wasn’t to help me restore my vision, but to extract my corneas for Emily! I clutched my aching heart, collapsing outside the door. Inside, Jack exhaled a smoke ring, his arm around Emily’s waist. “Emily, I can’t bear to see you suffer, not even for a moment!” “I, Jack Thompson, would rather betray the world than betray you!” Emily giggled, clinging to Jack: “Brother, I knew you cared for me the most!” “By the way, have you prepared the backup corneas for me?” “Don’t worry, I’ve prepared three sets. I’ll never let anything happen to you again!” Jack passionately kissed Emily, his eyes filled with a tenderness I had never seen before. “Emily, you’ve sacrificed so much for me. Your corneas were donated to me, causing your blindness. You even agreed to marry that old man for my sake. I’ll never let you down in this lifetime!” Emily pushed Jack away, pouting: “But brother, you already have a legal wife. You haven’t really fallen in love with her, have you? After all, you’ve wronged her too, haven’t you?” “How could I? Sarah was temporarily blinded by a cabinet falling on her, causing intracranial hemorrhage. Although it could have been cured, I sacrificed my life to get her eyes, didn’t I? I’ve already given her the title of Mrs. Thompson, enough compensation for that pair of corneas! We’re even now!” “But what I owe you can never be repaid!” I covered my chest, my hands trembling uncontrollably. Jack, can you really compensate for my life? What I lost wasn’t just a pair of corneas. I lost six years of youth that should have been the most vibrant. I lost my dream of becoming a surgeon. The acceptance letter from Johns Hopkins Medical School had already arrived in my hands, but because of this accident, I completely lost the opportunity to become a doctor! Jack, you can’t compensate for this, and I don’t want to be entangled with you anymore! I recorded the intertwined figures of the two on my phone and retreated from the room, feeling lost. I was an orphan. The fire that year burned everything, leaving only my grandmother in the countryside and me. When I woke up in the hospital then, I really thought I had been abandoned by the whole world. In the darkness, it was Jack who held my hand. He whispered tenderly in my ear: “Sarah, don’t be afraid. From now on, I’ll be your eyes.” He hugged me, tears falling on my hand, his voice still choked with sobs: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for my poor medical skills, you wouldn’t… From now on, I’ll take good care of you! I’ll never let you down, for life!” At that time, I thought that apology was remorse after trying his best in vain. Now I understand, it was all my own wishful thinking. That apology wasn’t meant for me to hear, it was for his uneasy conscience. I originally thought he was the redemption of my dark life, the starlight I held in my palm. But I never expected that he was the culprit who plunged me into eternal darkness! I left that house, wandering like a lost soul to the cemetery where my parents and grandmother were buried. Grandmother’s grave was newly built last year when I still hadn’t regained my sight. Since the accident at home, grandmother had moved to the city to take care of me personally. She was my last living relative. When grandmother passed away, I lay on her gradually cooling body, repeatedly stroking her face. How I wished I could see her one last time! But I couldn’t even see her for the last time. I cried for three days and three nights, unable to close my eyes, while Jack watched by my side. Watching me cry heartbrokenly, watching me not eat or drink, watching me become increasingly depressed behind closed doors. Watching me develop depression and repeatedly self-harm with a small knife, watching my arms covered with scars, yet never revealing the truth. He had found corneas long before grandmother passed away, but he refused to give them to me, letting me see grandmother one last time! Jack, I really want to cut open your heart to see if it’s made of stone! I knelt before the graves of my parents and grandmother, telling them the good news that I had regained my sight. Telling them that I would retake the college entrance exam and reclaim my dream of becoming a doctor. Just then, my phone rang. It was Jack, but I ignored it. He kept calling. I put my phone on silent, no longer paying attention. In an instant, there were more than a dozen missed calls on my phone. Along with a barrage of voice messages on WhatsApp. “Sarah, where are you?” “Sarah, I’m sorry I forgot the time and didn’t come to pick you up. Are you angry?” “Sarah, why aren’t you answering my calls? Are you upset?” “Sarah, are you alright? Sarah!” ······ Soon after, I heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind. It was Jack. He came over and hugged me, his eyes full of anxiety: “Sarah, where have you been? Do you know how worried I was when I couldn’t pick you up at the airport and you weren’t answering your phone? I was going crazy!” I turned my head and saw the dense hickeys on his neck, seemingly mocking me silently. Because I was blind, he didn’t even bother to pretend anymore. Performing a show of deep affection in front of me with another woman’s kiss marks. I pretended not to see and gently pushed him away: “It’s nothing, I just missed them!” At this moment, Jack flashed a smile at me, knowing I couldn’t see. He took my hand and repeatedly stroked the white chrysanthemums in front of grandmother’s grave. “I was negligent. Yesterday was grandmother’s death anniversary. I should have guessed you would come to see her when you returned home today.” “Yesterday, I had something at the hospital and couldn’t come to see grandmother personally, so I arranged for someone to send fresh flowers to grandmother early in the morning, burned some joss paper, and even left a stack of grandmother’s favorite osmanthus cakes.” He then placed my hand on the stack of osmanthus cakes: “Can you feel it? I also left a box for you at home. It’s not as good as grandmother’s cooking, but it’s about 80% similar.” I turned to look at this man, at his ingratiating expression. A wave of bitterness welled up in my heart. He was still so attentive and thoughtful. Anyone who saw would praise him for being a deeply affectionate good husband and a considerate grandson-in-law. But the hickeys on his body and that faintly sweet perfume smell were silently accusing him of the fact of his infidelity. Jack, what exactly is true and what is false! I forced a smile at the corner of my mouth: “Thank you, that’s thoughtful of you.” “Let’s go home!” As I said this, I was about to walk down the steps. At this moment, Jack steadied me: “Sarah, where’s your cane? The mountain is so high, and your family’s grave is on the hillside. How did you walk up here without a cane?” Seeing that I could no longer hide the fact that I had regained my sight, I quickly found an excuse: “I left it in the taxi on the way here. The staff here helped me up.” He nodded, gently reminding me to watch my step. He then said softly: “See? You can’t manage without your husband, can you? Next time, don’t go out alone. I really worry about you!” As he spoke, he held my hand, moving in perfect sync with me. Even if I closed my eyes now, I could easily walk down the steps. This was the tacit understanding we had developed over six years. I would raise my hand or stretch my foot, and he could predict my next move. There was no one in this world who knew me better than he did. Just as my thoughts were wandering, a phone call brought me back to reality. I clearly glimpsed the caller ID on the phone screen: “My love Emily” But he nervously explained: “It’s a call from the hospital. There’s a patient who needs emergency surgery! Sarah, I have to go now!” He left me on the steps, running towards Emily without looking back. This cemetery was built on a mountain, with good feng shui, but it was also difficult to climb. He never thought about how a blind person like me would get down the mountain? I remember when I first lost my sight, I wasn’t resigned to being useless and insisted on practicing walking alone. As a result, my knees were scraped, and Jack found me covered in blood.

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After finishing work and returning to the country, I didn’t expect the first message to come not from my wife, but from a high school classmate I hadn’t seen in years. “Ryan, tomorrow is Jack’s baby’s one-month celebration. Everyone’s going, but he specifically asked for you to come. Such an honor – you can’t disappoint!” I was surprised. I never imagined that the class bully would now have a child. “Sorry, I just got back from abroad. I still have some contracts to finalize, so I’m afraid I can’t make it.” A second after I sent that, I was pulled into a strange group chat. This was the first time I learned there was a class group. “Well, well, if it isn’t our big boss who just returned from abroad!” I estimated my assets of over 100 billion and humbly replied: “We’re all old classmates, no need to talk about that.” Unexpectedly, this triggered mockery from everyone. “Look at him putting on airs! A few years away and he doesn’t know his own place anymore?” “Yeah, if you were really a big boss, how come we’ve never seen you at any class reunions all these years?” “We all know each other’s backgrounds. No need to pretend in front of us. If you’re married, you can bring your wife to broaden her horizons. After all, following a useless guy like you, she probably can’t even afford meat, haha!” “Let me remind you – everyone who attends the one-month celebration gets a house in the school district. Jack’s wife is a real rich beauty. The houses others fight to buy are just her family’s properties!” Reading their words, I frowned but still politely declined. At this point, Jack sneered. “We invite you and you still put on airs? Is it that you’re ashamed of your wife? We’re all brothers here, don’t worry, I won’t mock you.” “After all, even if your wife is a heavenly beauty, she can’t compare to mine.” “And with your conditions, you probably can’t afford a school district house there in your lifetime. Don’t let pride ruin your child’s future.” He then sent a photo. When I opened it, I was stunned. Isn’t that my plastic surgery-loving wife Sophia? And looking at the celebration address – isn’t that the villa I’m living in right now?!

Before I could figure out what was going on, my wife sent me a message. “Honey, I’m going to a classmate’s baby’s one-month celebration tomorrow, so I might not be able to reply to messages promptly. As soon as it’s over, I’ll video call you. If only you were by my side, I wouldn’t have to go alone. I miss you so much, darling!” Reading my wife’s words on the phone screen, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. How could this be such a coincidence? After thinking for a moment, I still asked: “Which classmate?” “You probably wouldn’t know even if I told you. I see the weather’s getting colder abroad. Remember to dress warmly, don’t let yourself get sick. I’d be heartbroken!” I had gone abroad a year ago to develop overseas business. My wife and I had been married for five years, but we were still as lovey-dovey as newlyweds. Especially during my time abroad, we video called every day without fail. Her gentleness and care always surrounded me, warming my heart. So I worked day and night, and the project finally got on track. That’s why I came back early without telling my wife, wanting to go to our empty villa in the city center to prepare a surprise for her. I didn’t expect her to give me a big surprise first! Just as I was about to send a message questioning her, I heard a commotion outside. I walked out of the room and stood at the edge of the third floor, coldly observing everything below. The originally quiet first-floor hall was now filled with balloons and streamers. In the center was a huge standing photo. The happy family of three in the picture was none other than my wife, Jack, and their child! Jack wore a low-key but luxurious white sweater and casual pants, looking every bit the gentle husband. His face radiated undisguised joy as he stood at the entrance greeting guests. The faces coming and going were all familiar. “Jack really lives up to being the school heartthrob back then. Not only did he marry a wife as beautiful as an angel, even his child’s one-month celebration is so grand!” “Yeah, his wife’s father is a real estate tycoon. If it weren’t for Jack, no matter how hard we tried, our kids could never get into that elite school!” “Exactly! Look at this villa! Prime location and so magnificent. If it weren’t for Jack, we’d probably never see such a place in our lives. And the rich beauty actively pursued Jack. Our Jack is just too capable!” In the crowd, I immediately spotted our former year head teacher. Back then, he looked down on Jack’s rebellious personality and especially disliked him. Now he was bent over slightly, his face full of flattery. “Little Jack, although the teacher was strict with you back then, it was only because I saw early on that you had a bright future. Others wanted me to manage them, but I couldn’t be bothered!” “Now that you’ve made it big, the teacher is very gratified. The teacher has a relative with a child who’s about to start school…” The teacher slipped a red envelope into Jack’s arms, his meaning clear. Jack accepted it as if it was his due. He held his head high, full of pride, but still pretended to be polite: “No need for this. It’s all good, all good.” Seeing his pretentious manner, I sneered. My wife used to be obsessed with cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery, running to beauty clinics every few days. Later she even wanted to change her entire face. I was so scared that I quickly found her things to do, letting her manage the city’s real estate projects. I didn’t expect her to make money, just wanted to distract her attention. As a result, now all this glory and capital had become a demonstration of Jack’s capabilities! Someone coughed, and after an exchange of glances, everyone turned their gaze to me, full of mockery. Jack’s former lackey jumped out first, pointing at me with a sneer. “Ryan, you don’t think wearing pajamas and standing there will make us believe you’re the owner of this place, do you?” “You pretended to be rich in the group chat earlier, and now that you know Jack borrowed this place for the celebration, you immediately rented a villa here? How come you weren’t this quick when you used to run errands for Jack back then?” Others chimed in. “Someone who doesn’t even come to classmate gatherings where we split the bill, now goes to such lengths just to show off once. Don’t let your wife divorce you over this later!” “What, you think wearing nice pajamas makes this villa yours? Why don’t you say Jack’s rich beauty wife is yours too, and those billion-dollar properties are yours as well?” “Must be mentally ill. What normal person would do this? I get it – definitely jealous of Jack and angry at his own incompetence. Mental illness is showing!” Hearing their words, I calmly stated the facts. “Indeed, it’s all mine.” Piercing laughter immediately erupted from the crowd. But Jack looked furious. He pointed at me, gritting his teeth. “You really dare to claim it!” “I’ve caught you now, you must be that mistress!” “Take off those pajamas right now, they were bought by MY wife for ME!” “Looks like you still haven’t learned your lesson from school. A shameless mistress actually dares to come to my wife’s house and act big!”

Everyone downstairs was shocked into open-mouthed silence. “What does this mean? Wasn’t this place supposedly borrowed just for the celebration? This is actually Jack’s wife’s villa?” “The pajamas are Jack’s too? No wonder! I could tell at a glance those pajamas were luxury goods, and a limited global edition at that!” Jack smoothly retrieved his wife’s property deed from a room. The crowd was shocked again, their tones even tinged with sourness. “I never imagined the ugly duckling from back then could now seduce a rich beauty.” “Is the bar for gold diggers so low these days?” Jack clenched his fists, his lips curled in mockery. “No wonder you haven’t come to class reunions all these years. Turns out you were feeling guilty.” Everyone looked at me with contempt. “Even stealing and wearing someone else’s expensive pajamas. How disgusting can he be? Those clothes are probably contaminated with some dirty disease now. What a waste!” “I was wondering how he changed so much, suddenly becoming handsome and refined. Turns out money really can change a person. He must have had plastic surgery.” “Ryan, does it feel good being a kept man? Back then you were so ugly you could make children cry. Now you’ve become a pretty boy. Must feel great, huh?” “Just thinking about having been classmates with such a lowlife makes me sick!” “A shameless male mistress, not even ashamed, but daring to openly come before the real wife. Have you no sense of shame at all?” The year head teacher also pointed at me with a dark face. “Ryan, the teacher helped you back then. Is this how you repay me?” “In the future, never say you know me. I’m old now, I still want to keep some face!” Because the noise was too loud, it attracted many onlookers. With just a few words, they joined the army denouncing me, even starting to throw pebbles. Jack, unable to contain his anger, took a pebble from an onlooker and threw it directly at my face. The sharp edge grazed just below my eye, instantly drawing blood. I sneered and walked down the stairs. “You know nothing yet dare to get physical. Want to bet I can send you all to jail?” Jack scoffed: “You? Look at yourself in the mirror first!” “You’re a male mistress who ruins others’ relationships. You dare to ride on my head? Don’t you deserve a beating?” He grabbed my collar and started tearing at it. “You have no morals, no bottom line. A homewrecker dares to say this to me? Even if I beat you to death, others would only applaud!” “This is my wife’s anyway. I want to see how you’ll live here now!” Jack was so angry he lost his head. He actually found some spray paint and started vandalizing the pristine walls. “I’ll let you live here! Live here!” After he vented, the walls were covered in vicious curses and accusations against the mistress. I smirked and advised him. “You shouldn’t speak so definitively. After all, are you really sure this house belongs to your wife?” As soon as I finished speaking, Jack became even more furious. His whole being erupted like a volcano, completely losing rationality. “Fine, fine, if that’s how it is—” He spun around, surveying everything in the house. Finally, he rushed into the storage room and came out with an axe, swinging wildly. Everyone was stunned. After a while, someone reacted and started smashing things too. Jack shouted. “Well done! Whoever smashes the most today gets the biggest reward!” “This is my wife’s anyway. I want to see how you, you piece of trash, will live here now!” With one person taking the lead, the rest followed suit. Everyone joined in this frenzy, growing more and more intense. Soon the entire first and second floors had been ransacked. All kinds of smart appliances, marble countertops, imported custom furniture – everything was smashed to pieces. What couldn’t be smashed was slashed open with various sharp tools. The place was a complete mess. The worst was the wall Jack had vandalized. After being viciously attacked with the axe, the wall was breached, exposing the steel bars and cement inside. I warned them not to do this, but Jack’s face was full of mockery. “It’s just compensation, right? I have plenty of money. Besides, this is my woman’s house. Forget smashing it, even if I burned it down, she wouldn’t dare say a word!” Cheers erupted from the crowd. “Jack is awesome! This is what a real man looks like!” At this moment, the year head teacher pushed up his glasses, his eyes flashing. He slowly opened the door to the last room on the second floor. Everyone’s eyes instantly lit up. They looked at each other, then at Jack. I frowned deeply and immediately spoke up. “Jack, you should know the value. The things inside are worth several properties. I advise you not to act rashly, or you won’t know how long you’ll be in jail!” The various antiques displayed on the rosewood shelves were my carefully curated collection over many years, all priceless treasures. But Jack ignored my warning and walked right in. With a light push of his hand, a Qing dynasty vase instantly fell onto the wool carpet with a muffled thud. “I do know. Even though I’ve seen many fine things over the years, I have to admit the items in here are invaluable.” “The things are good things, but trash like you who wants to climb up by selling your body doesn’t deserve them!” He smiled and looked back at the crowd. “Brothers, in all our lives, we’ve probably never heard such an expensive sound!” “Today, let’s hear our fill!” I stepped forward, trying to stop these people’s crazy actions. “I’ve already transferred the house to Sophia. However you smash it is her business, I won’t interfere. But these antiques are what I’ve painstakingly collected from various countries. You can’t touch them!” But Jack shoved me out forcefully, looking exasperated. “Are you really sick or just pretending?” “You’re the mistress, I’m the real deal. This is my wife’s money, our joint property, protected by law. I have the right to take it back, understand?” “Ignorant, stupid, and blindly confident. Not a single redeeming quality. She must have been really desperate to eat such garbage!” I was so angry I laughed. So in these people’s eyes, I was so unworthy of my wife. But besides eating, drinking, playing, and plastic surgery, everything else relied on me to solve for her. When we got married, my wife’s family was so poor they couldn’t even come up with a thousand dollars. It was all thanks to my help. Others said I was doing poverty relief. I never imagined it would turn around like this! At Jack’s signal, a new round of frenzy began in the antique room. They complained the sound wasn’t crisp enough, so they first threw out the carpet. Then came a series of crashes. I knew there was no reasoning with these fools, so I simply gave up trying. I issued recording and alarm instructions to the camera in the corner. As soon as I finished speaking, the camera was violently knocked down. “You dog dare to call the police? What, call the police on yourself?” “These are all Jack’s things. Where do you get the nerve? If not, let’s call a mental hospital first, get you treated. Don’t worry about the medical fees, it’s pocket change. Consider it Jack’s charity to you!” Someone even took out their phone, very arrogantly. “Go ahead and call the police! Jack has strong backing anyway. I want to see who goes to jail first, you or us!” Jack gave him an approving look. “The evidence probably wasn’t enough earlier. No worries, let’s add some more.” He said, looking towards the third floor. I instantly panicked. There were important things on the third floor that absolutely couldn’t be touched!

“I can let those antiques go, but the third floor is my bottom line. Leave some room for maneuver. Don’t make things too ugly.” I suppressed my anger and lowered my voice, trying to negotiate nicely. Jack was stunned, then quickly burst into laughter. “Weren’t you so arrogant before? Keep being arrogant!” “If you had this attitude earlier, how much trouble could we have saved?” He wore a smug smile on his face, patting my face. His voice wasn’t loud, but the insult was extreme. “Since it’s so important to you, I’m not an unreasonable person.” “How about this – you kowtow to me three times, shout ‘Grandpa, I was wrong,’ and I’ll give you a chance. How’s that?” I clenched my fists, considering whether my assistant would arrive with people faster, or if they would destroy everything first. The year head teacher, ever the cunning one, saw through my attempt to stall for time in an instant. He leaned over and whispered something in Jack’s ear. Jack’s expression instantly turned vicious. “I’ll give you five seconds.” “Five—” “Four—” “Three, two, one.” “You!” In the end, faced with everyone’s smug expressions, I slowly bent my knees. Someone questioned what could be on the third floor that was even more valuable than the antiques, worth giving up a man’s dignity for. I looked towards the room in the farthest corner of the third floor. There… was my father’s memorial tablet. When I was young, there was a huge flood. In the critical moment, my father gave me the last floating ring, staying behind himself. After I was rescued and brought people back to save him, the floodwaters had long since submerged our house’s roof, turning into a vast expanse of water, leaving no trace. In the end, I couldn’t even find my father’s remains. I could only silently set up a memorial tablet for him. Years ago, when my wife set her sights on this location and asked me to transfer the house to her, I specifically told her about the situation here. This was my Achilles’ heel. I stressed it over and over again. No matter what else she did, I could forgive her, even if she cheated on me! But this one thing, I could never forgive! My head moved towards the ground, but Jack’s lackey thought I was moving too slowly. He walked up, put his hand on the back of my head, and violently pushed down. There was a loud “thud”. I clenched my jaw, desperately gripping my own fingers. After three times, my forehead was already oozing blood. “Satisfied now?” Jack clapped and laughed, nodding. But I suddenly widened my eyes. At this moment, three to five people were eyeing the third floor covetously, charging up. I couldn’t stand it anymore and threw a punch. “You bastard, you tricked me!” Jack was knocked to the ground, blood at the corner of his mouth. Seeing this, the others quickly restrained me. In the end, I was pinned down, kneeling on the ground, unable to move. “We tricked you, so what? Who told you to be just a lowly insect? Not to mention Jack here is the victim of infidelity. This is just a small lesson to make you remember – who you can mess with and who you can’t!” “As old classmates, don’t say we’re not being kind. We’re teaching you a lesson, saving you from being beaten to death the next time you seduce someone’s wife!” Jack stood up, giving me several punches, then kicked my ribs several times, finally kicking me several meters away. My back landed on various fragments. I cried out in pain, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Soon they kicked open the last room. After a series of clanging sounds, someone came out holding my father’s memorial tablet, throwing it on the ground and spitting. “Ptui! And here we thought there’d be something good. It’s just this thing. Really unlucky!” My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as I let out an anguished howl. “Stop! I’m telling you to stop!” But I was restrained, only able to watch helplessly as they insulted my father. “I will definitely make you pay for this!” I bit off a piece of flesh from the corner of my mouth, my whole mouth filled with the salty taste of fresh blood. “Oh, I’m so scared.” Jack sneered, stepping on the memorial tablet and stomping several times until it was crushed to wood chips before he was satisfied. He then stepped on my face, grinding repeatedly. “In high school, this is how I looked down on you. Even if you’ve sold yourself to look presentable now, it doesn’t change the fact that you only belong under my feet.” “Trash like you, poor bastard, will never turn your life around. Just stay in the gutter! Don’t try to get attention in front of me, or your father will be next!” Under Jack’s lead, they strung me up and started playing games. Whoever lost would take out their frustration on me by hitting me. Whoever won would hit me twice as hard. Amidst their unrestrained laughter, regular footsteps could be heard from outside, even making the ground shake. Someone pushed open the door and filed in… ———-This is the breakpoint———-

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I couldn’t believe it. My father-in-law had suffered a heart attack and urgently needed a transplant. By some miracle, the hospital had just received a matching donor heart. My mother-in-law and I were overjoyed, thinking this was a blessing from above. But as we prepared for the surgery, my husband Nathan, who had taken the donor heart, was nowhere to be found. When I finally got through to Nathan’s phone, I heard the voice of his ex-girlfriend Mia: “Nathan’s very busy preparing for my dad’s heart surgery! Don’t bother him!” My mother-in-law trembled with rage. On her way to confront Nathan, she got into a car accident and was critically injured. I begged Nathan to come back and operate on his mother, but he went into a different operating room instead. Both my in-laws passed away. Their bodies were donated for organ transplants. Later, I discovered that my in-laws’ organs had been given to Mia’s family members. “Doctor, my father-in-law is fading fast. He needs surgery immediately! Didn’t you tell us there was a matching donor heart available? What happened to it?” My mother-in-law and I pleaded desperately outside the doctor’s office, begging for news about the donor heart. The doctor looked at us helplessly for a long moment before sighing deeply. He wrote down a phone number and handed it to us. My mother-in-law and I stared at the familiar number in disbelief. It was Nathan’s phone number. My mother-in-law’s anxiety visibly eased. “I knew Nathan was reliable. He must have taken the donor heart early to make absolutely sure nothing went wrong. Don’t worry, Frank can hold on a little longer!” I hesitated. “But I just tried calling Nathan and couldn’t get through.” My mother-in-law smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure he’s just busy with something. He has a lot on his plate. Oh, I should go tell Frank the good news – his son will be here soon to save him!” She hurried off towards my father-in-law’s hospital room. But I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Nathan was the head cardiac surgeon at this hospital. If he had reserved the donor heart in advance, why wouldn’t he have told us? I tried calling Nathan again, but there was still no answer. I watched my mother-in-law chatting animatedly with my struggling father-in-law, her face full of hope. My heart grew heavier by the second. Clutching my phone, I couldn’t bring myself to enter the room. I leaned weakly against the wall outside. Suddenly, the heart monitor let out a piercing alarm. My father-in-law’s condition had worsened again. The smile froze on my mother-in-law’s face as she watched the doctors rush to resuscitate him. In a panic, I tried Nathan’s number one more time. Miraculously, this time the call connected. My mother-in-law stared at the phone expectantly. I quickly spoke into the receiver: “Nathan, your dad’s in the hospital. His condition is critical. You took the donor heart, right? Please bring it quickly! Your father can’t wait any longer!” But it was Mia’s voice that came through the line: “Nathan’s preparing for my dad’s surgery. He’s very busy! Anna, what are you playing at, calling him now? He’s working – don’t disturb him!” The call abruptly cut off. A horrible realization began to dawn on me. My mother-in-law’s voice was brittle as she asked, “What did Mia just say? Nathan is preparing for surgery…for her father? The donor heart…the heart…” Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably. I quickly grasped her hands in mine. “Mom, there must be some misunderstanding. I’ll go find Nathan and get him to bring the heart back. Don’t worry!” “Mom, please try to stay calm. Dad will be fine! You stay here with him, and I’ll go track down Nathan right away.” I grabbed my car keys and headed for the door. But my mother-in-law called out to stop me: “Anna, let me go instead. Nathan always listens to me. I’ll bring him back, don’t worry.” I was reluctant to let her go alone, but she smiled reassuringly. “Anna, you’re not as familiar with driving around the city as I am. Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I’ll bring Nathan and that donor heart back safe and sound. Frank needs me – he’s helpless without me, you know!” I still wasn’t comfortable with the idea and suggested she take a taxi instead. But my mother-in-law snatched the car keys from me, insisting she wanted to be prepared for any situation. I sighed in resignation and watched her leave. I had no idea this would become the decision I’d regret most for the rest of my life.

I stayed at the hospital and paid all the necessary fees, including for the upcoming surgery. The doctor was reluctant to process the paperwork, but I pleaded with him: “What if my mother-in-law really does bring the donor heart back? We’d need to start the surgery right away! I just want to be prepared.” The doctor relented and gave me the forms. But just as I had finished all the preparations, I received a call from the traffic police. My mother-in-law had been in a car accident. When I saw her, I broke down in tears. She had collided with a truck. A metal rod from the truck had impaled her chest, piercing her heart. The doctor explained that removing the rod would cause massive blood loss. Only Nathan had the skill to perform such a delicate operation in our city. None of the other doctors were confident they could save her if they tried to extract the rod. The doctor sighed heavily and looked at me. “I heard Dr. Song has another surgery scheduled today. We really have no way to get him back here in time.” Nathan! How could he do this? I watched in despair as my mother-in-law’s pristine white hospital gown became stained with spreading crimson. The sight filled me with utter hopelessness. My heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds. The pain was unbearable. Marrying Nathan had brought me the greatest gift – in-laws who loved and cherished me like their own daughter. They had given me the parental affection I’d been starved for since childhood. For the first time, I got to experience what it felt like to be part of a real family. And now, was fate going to cruelly snatch even this small happiness away from me? I clutched my mother-in-law’s increasingly cold hand, my mind reeling with fear and desperation. Where was Nathan? How could he abandon us like this? I tried calling him again. Once more, Mia answered: “What is wrong with you? I told you Nathan’s busy!” Before she could hang up, I choked out: “Nathan’s mom was in a car accident! Do you hear me? She was in an accident and needs Nathan to save her life!” I heard Nathan’s voice in the background: “Anna, there are other doctors besides me, you know. Why do you always have to drag me into everything? You’re being ridiculous.” “You just don’t want me operating on Mia’s dad. Why are you always so petty? This is my job, don’t you understand? Mia’s father needs me more right now. Our hospital has plenty of skilled surgeons – I trust them to handle things. Stop calling me!” “No, Nathan, listen! Your parents’ surgeries – you’re the only one who can do them! Please come back, they don’t have much time left!” Nathan scoffed. “Anna, your lying is getting worse and worse. First you said my mom was in an accident, now suddenly it’s both my parents? I’m losing patience. Don’t bother me again.” The line went dead. I stared at the blank screen, feeling like I’d been frozen solid. An icy chill spread from my fingertips holding the phone all the way to my heart, leaving me unable to breathe or move. I tried calling back, but the number was blocked. I glanced at my in-laws’ pale faces in the hospital room, wiped away my tears, and ran out of the hospital. I got the name of Mia’s father’s hospital from one of the doctors. I had to find Nathan and beg him to save his parents while there was still a chance.

“Mia, where’s Nathan?” I demanded, grabbing her arm. Mia shook me off in disgust, holding her nose. “Ugh, you reek of sweat. Get away from me!” “You’re like a bad penny, always turning up. I told you Nathan’s busy. Even if you tracked us down, you can’t take him away. Listen carefully – today is my dad’s surgery. If anything happens to him, you’ll be sorry!” “But Nathan’s parents need him too!” I shouted. “Nathan, come out here now! Your dad had a heart attack and your mom was in a car crash! You need to come with me right away!” A nurse rushed over to scold me for yelling in the hospital. I ignored her and kept calling Nathan’s name, searching frantically. Mia tried to restrain me, but I shoved her to the ground. As several nurses converged on us, I finally spotted Nathan. I grabbed his arm and tried to pull him towards the exit, but he yanked away from me. “Anna, I’m prepped for surgery! Your hands are covered in germs – you’ve ruined all my preparations! Stop making a scene. You’re embarrassing me, acting like a crazy person. How did I ever end up married to you?” His words stung, but I refused to let go. Tears streamed down my face as I pleaded, “Nathan, please come with me. Your parents are dying – they need you to save them!” The nurses tried to pry me away from Nathan. He sneered at me. “Anna, I made myself very clear on the phone. If my parents were really in critical condition, how would you have time to come all the way here? I deliberately scheduled Mia’s dad’s surgery at a different hospital to avoid your interference. I should have known you’d find a way to cause trouble anyway. When will you stop being so selfish and petty?” My chest constricted painfully, like my heart was trying to escape my body. I fell to my knees in front of Nathan, tears blurring my vision. “I swear I’m telling the truth. Nathan, please just come take a look. Your mom really was in a terrible accident. I’m begging you, come with me now before it’s too late!” Nathan’s expression softened slightly as he saw my desperation. He took a few steps towards me, his resolve wavering. I seized the opportunity and started pulling him towards the exit. “She’s lying!” Mia’s shrill voice cut through the air as she blocked our path. She thrust her phone in front of Nathan’s face. “I just checked the local news. There was a car accident in the city, but it wasn’t your mom, Nathan. And it was just a fender bender – no one was even hurt!” Nathan’s face fell as he glanced at the phone screen. He looked at me with bitter disappointment. “Anna, you lied to me again. You disgust me.” “Call security,” he told the nurses. As he turned to leave, I struggled and screamed, “Nathan, don’t go! I’m not lying, I swear! Please believe me!” Hospital security guards pinned me to the ground. I watched helplessly as Nathan walked away. Mia leaned down and whispered venomously in my ear as she ground her heel into my fingers: “How the tables have turned, Anna. If your in-laws really were in an accident, I guess it was just their time to go. That’s what you get for having a daughter-in-law like you. I’m back now, and Nathan will be mine again. You’ve lost.” The police took me to the station for disturbing the peace. Tears streaming down my face, I fell to my knees and begged the officers to let me return to the hospital. My in-laws were still there, waiting for me.

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The third time I filed for divorce, my husband broke two of my ribs in a fit of domestic violence. After spending two weeks in the hospital, I returned home. Even the neighbors came to persuade me: “Couples don’t hold grudges overnight. It’s not easy for a man to make money out there…” I smiled and agreed, “You’re right. My husband is everything. I should always support him.” I started acting like a submissive wife from the old days, serving my husband hand and foot. Within a few months, my husband made a small fortune. Those relatives and neighbors who had advised me earlier couldn’t sit still anymore. When I filed for divorce for the third time, my husband knelt down in court, begging me to reconsider. He even used our 2-year-old daughter as leverage, saying that without me, he and our daughter couldn’t survive. The judge ruled that our marriage wasn’t beyond repair and dismissed the case, even though I provided a thick stack of evidence of domestic violence. That night when we got home, my husband grabbed me by the neck like a dog and slammed me against the wall in a fit of rage. Even as I lay on the ground with blood streaming from my head, he became more excited and continued to punch and kick me. “Damn it, you bitch! Didn’t I tell you never to mention divorce again?!” he yelled. “You dare to sue me again?!” His angry shouts accompanied the dull thuds of his fists and feet hitting my body. Our two-year-old daughter was too young to understand what was happening. She could only instinctively hear my miserable moans from the bedroom. She cried and knocked on the door. “Don’t hit mommy, daddy, don’t hit mommy…” Her crying and knocking irritated my husband. He angrily dragged our daughter into the room and threw her in front of me. “Ava, if you dare to talk about divorce again, I’ll kill her in front of you first!” I endured the pain and held our daughter in my arms. The commotion in the house attracted the neighbors. Seeing that things had “escalated,” my husband started slapping himself and crying, “I’m sorry, honey. I had too much to drink… I can’t live without you and Chloe.” He alternated between “self-harm” and kneeling to apologize. The neighbors who had gathered around started saying things like, “A man’s knees are worth gold. He’s already apologized. How can you, as his wife, still not know when to stop? Are you determined to tear this family apart?” Everyone loves to join in on the drama. Almost all the residents in the community squeezed into our home. After my husband’s apology, the neighbors started comforting him instead. Meanwhile, I, the victim of domestic violence with a bleeding head, was treated as if I deserved it. It wasn’t until after the neighbors “mediated” that they thought to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital. When they learned that two of my ribs were broken, I had a mild concussion, and multiple soft tissue injuries, they only said lightly: “Oh my, Jack, how could you hit her so hard?” “Men are stronger. He didn’t mean to hurt you. He just had a bit to drink.” “Rest well and recover. Once you’re out of the hospital, live your life properly. If you don’t provoke him, how could he hit you?” Ha, how ridiculous! Being abused by my husband somehow became my own fault. After being abused so many times, even my parents couldn’t be bothered to visit me in the hospital anymore. In this battle for self-preservation in marriage, I was forced to stand against everyone. It seemed that I could only quietly endure my husband’s abuse, unable to fight back or even “escape.” Otherwise, I would be seen as inconsiderate, airing out marital problems for everyone to see.

After staying in the hospital for two weeks, I had to leave early because my husband didn’t pay the extended fees. As soon as I returned to the neighborhood, a group of gossiping older women saw me and “caringly” surrounded me. “Couples don’t hold grudges overnight. It’s not easy for a man to make money out there…” “That’s right. In our generation, which woman hasn’t been hit by her husband? We’ve lived through decades like this. For the sake of your Chloe, just endure it.” They enthusiastically advised me one after another, saying it was for the child’s sake, and that all women get hit sometimes. I didn’t get angry. I smiled and agreed, “You’re right. My husband is everything. I should always support him.” “Look, on my way back from the hospital, I even bought a few pounds of pork ribs. My husband loves eating them.” I showed them the bag in my hand. “I need to go now. I have to get home and start cooking the ribs.” “Oh… it’s good that you can think this way.” They looked at me with expressions that seemed to wonder if I had been hit stupid. I slowly walked towards the apartment building, holding my left side. My ribs hadn’t fully healed yet, and even the slightest movement caused pain. “Has Ava been beaten into submission by her husband?” “I told you she just needed some discipline. Women become obedient after a few beatings.” I heard the older women talking behind me. It was hard to imagine that women themselves would say such things so matter-of-factly about other women. The sun was shining brightly, but I felt a chill deep in my soul that couldn’t be dispelled. I grew up in a family that favored boys over girls. I thought it was because my mom had two daughters before finally having a son that she particularly favored my brother. But now I realized that the whole society favored men over women. Even women themselves valued men more than themselves. … As I carried the pork ribs upstairs, my mother-in-law saw me and immediately slapped me across the face. “You worthless woman! Let me tell you, you’re not getting a divorce until you give my family a son or two!” “You think that $20,000 bride price we paid was for nothing? We bought you for our family. So what if my son beats you when he’s in a bad mood? It’s not like it’ll kill you!” My mother-in-law unleashed a torrent of abuse. My daughter hid in the corner of the sofa, wanting to come hug me but not daring to. When my mother-in-law finally tired of yelling, I forced a smile and apologized, promising to live a good life from now on and give the Wang family a healthy baby boy soon. Only then did my mother-in-law glare at me a few more times before turning to scold my daughter, calling her a money-losing burden and other insults. “Mom, go rest. I’ll start cooking the ribs. They’ll be ready when my husband gets home from work.” I turned and went to the kitchen. I didn’t talk back like I used to, saying that the $20,000 bride price was actually money I had saved up myself from seven years of working. There was no point in saying it. Even though we all knew that $20,000 was my own money. But once I married into their family, any money became theirs. I dropped out of school at 15 to work. My parents didn’t want me to continue studying and waste time, so they sent me to work in a factory. For the first two years, I sent most of my wages back home every month. Later, as I had more contact with the outside world, I met several girls who, like me, grew up in families that favored boys over girls. We slowly became aware and started sending less and less money home. I had a natural talent for painting since childhood. Although I couldn’t continue my studies, I still paid for adult art classes. Later, I worked part-time as an artist while keeping my day job, slowly saving up money. The first time I met my husband was at a coworker’s wedding. That day I had terrible menstrual cramps. Somehow he noticed and gently offered me a cup of hot water. It was the first time I felt the strange sensation of being specially cared for by someone. After that, it seemed like fate. We kept running into each other every few days. When my husband first started pursuing me, he treated me so well, like I was the most precious thing in the world. In the first half of my life, my husband was the person who treated me the best. I gradually fell deeply in love with him. During our dating period, we were inseparable. I truly believed I would live happily ever after for the rest of my life. When it came time to discuss marriage, my parents demanded a $20,000 bride price before they would agree. My husband said his family had just bought a house and didn’t have the money. He asked me to wait a few years. I couldn’t wait, so I took out my $20,000 in savings and gave it to him. I used my own money to marry myself. It was also because of this $20,000 that my parents later found out I had secretly saved money without telling them. They called me an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. Even when I was abused later, they didn’t lift a finger to help me and instead gloated and mocked me.

Around noon, my husband came home from work. As he walked towards me, I couldn’t help but tremble when he raised his hand. I heard him sneer. Forcing myself to overcome my fear, I glanced up at him. His face wore a smug, triumphant expression at seeing me shudder in fear of him. “Hehe, I’m not going to hit you,” he said. My husband was clearly in a better mood. He patted my head like I was a dog. In his eyes, I was probably no different from a dog that could be abused at will. What did it matter if I was battered and bruised? He didn’t have to pay any price for it. The second time he abused me, I called the police. That was the first time he kicked me in the stomach. The police came, but since there was no substantial injury, they just advised us a bit, criticized my husband, and left. My husband seemed to have gotten a taste for it, knowing he could hit me without consequences. He even searched online about domestic violence and looked for posts about abuse on forums. After learning that as long as he didn’t kill or permanently injure me, domestic violence was considered a family matter that even the police wouldn’t interfere with, he began to test his limits step by step. At first, whenever he was in a slightly bad mood, or if I wasn’t paying attention, he would slap me across the face at any time. People who have never been slapped by a man may not be able to imagine how heavy their hands can be. One slap to the face makes your head buzz, the pain numbing you for several seconds before half your face swells up red. My husband’s limits escalated from slapping to choking me, kicking my stomach, twisting my arms. I fought back once. The most extreme time, when he was hitting me, our daughter came to protect me and he accidentally kicked her. I went crazy and started scratching and biting him. He knocked me out cold with one punch to the head. After that, he seemed to think my life was worthless and his beatings became more and more vicious. The natural physical difference between women and men meant I couldn’t even fight off one of his hands. “What are you thinking about? What, still want to go to the police station to report me?” Seeing my expression change, my husband immediately grabbed my hair tightly. He raised an eyebrow and taunted me contemptuously. “I’m sorry, honey. Don’t be angry. I made the pork rib soup you love.” I endured the pain and forced myself to look up with an obedient smile. My husband snorted and told me to go serve the soup. At the dinner table, I picked out the best ribs for my husband’s bowl and ladled a bowl for my mother-in-law. “Let the money-losing burden gnaw on the bones.” In front of my husband and mother-in-law, I gave my daughter a piece of bone with very little meat. My daughter’s eyes filled with tears but she didn’t dare make a sound. I ladled myself a bowl of soup with no meat, just some vegetables. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother-in-law give me an approving look. In the past, I always protected my daughter and went against her. Now she saw that I had finally “learned my place.” My husband, on the other hand, looked at me with some surprise for a while before picking up his chopsticks like a lord. I stood by like a servant, serving them dishes. … That night, my husband pressed himself on top of me. I controlled my facial expression and actively put my arms around his neck. “Mom said we should have a son soon…” My husband’s touch made me nauseous. He touched the place where he had broken my ribs and pressed down hard. “Ow!” My face contorted in pain, but my husband just laughed at my suffering expression. “It still hurts after more than two weeks? Are you faking it? Want me to feel sorry for you?” I nearly threw up. I endured the pain and kissed him to shut him up. It was like being violated by a dog – no, that’s an insult to dogs. My husband was in high spirits that night. Knowing my ribs hadn’t fully healed, he deliberately pressed on them during sex, getting more excited as I grimaced in pain. He tormented me for half the night before finishing. After showering, he came out looking at his phone and chatting with someone, an evil smile unlike a human’s on his face. I was drenched in sweat from the pain. When I came out of the bathroom after washing up, my husband was already asleep. I saw his phone on the bedside table and, on an impulse, picked it up and unlocked it with his fingerprint.

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After losing his job, my husband Ethan insisted on franchising a trendy bubble tea shop. I refused, saying our daughter Lily had leukemia and urgently needed money for treatment. To my shock, he immediately went and took out a high-interest loan, sneering at me: “I don’t believe she’ll die tomorrow.” “The bubble tea shop will make over $10,000 a day. In just two months, we can cure any disease!” A few months after opening, Ethan was raking in money. He sent countless large red envelopes to relatives who fawned over him, but wouldn’t spend a penny on our sick daughter, believing she was blocking his path to wealth. When his business was booming, he asked me for a divorce, saying, “If you hadn’t always held me back, I would have made it big five years ago. You were born to bring bad luck to your husband!” Without tears or fuss, I signed the divorce papers and left with our daughter, taking nothing else. On the day of the Consumer Protection Program, the trendy bubble tea was exposed for using a “deadly formula,” and my ex-husband was taken away for investigation on the spot. In court, he cried that he was wronged, “I was just a franchisee, I knew nothing!” But what he didn’t know was that I was the undercover reporter who took down the trendy bubble tea brand, and I had the purchase order for the “deadly ingredients” with his personal signature.

“You short-sighted woman! You’re only fit to be a coward all your life!” Jack slammed his chopsticks onto the table, pointing at me as he yelled. “Tom has made it crystal clear. An initial investment of $50,000, and we’ll break even in just three months!” “This is a guaranteed money-maker. If I wasn’t his cousin, he wouldn’t have let me in on such an amazing opportunity!” I tried to reason with him anxiously, “Jack, you’ve just lost your job. The severance pay is only $10,000, nowhere near $50,000.” “Besides, countless bubble tea shops have gone bust in recent years. How can it be a sure thing?” “Emma is still in the hospital. We need money for her treatment. I don’t agree with you joining this bubble tea franchise!” Seeing my refusal, Jack swept all the dishes off the table in a fit of rage. “When I married you, you were so down-to-earth. When did you become such a money-grubber?” “Yes, I lost my job, but that’s because the manager felt threatened by me and bribed other colleagues to give me low scores! If it wasn’t for him, I’d have been promoted by now, with my salary doubled!” “I don’t have enough money on hand, but if we mortgage the house, won’t that be enough?” Our daughter had leukemia and needed money for treatment, yet he not only called me greedy but also wanted to mortgage the house. I felt my heart sink to the bottom. “The franchise fee is $30,000, equipment costs $10,000, and rent plus renovation is another $10,000. If the bubble tea shop doesn’t do well, all this money will go down the drain!” I tried to make him see reason. “We absolutely cannot mortgage the house. If Emma’s condition worsens, this will be our last lifeline!” Jack let out a cold laugh, “My shop hasn’t even opened yet, and you’re already cursing it. You really can’t stand to see me do well, can you? Afraid I’ll earn more than you!” “She’s already cost us over a hundred grand, and she’s still not better. Isn’t that money down the drain too?” His words stabbed at my heart. After having our daughter, I became a full-time housewife. He never missed a chance to remind me that I didn’t earn a penny and only knew how to spend. But the truth was, before we got married, both the house and car were bought outright with my salary. He was the one who moved in with just his bags. Back then, he proudly boasted to all our relatives, “My Olivia is beautiful and capable. Marrying her is the greatest fortune of my life.” But since I quit my job, all his gentleness and consideration vanished, replaced by tyranny and bullying. I had endured all of this, wanting only for our daughter to have a complete family. However, I never imagined he would think the money spent on our daughter’s treatment was a waste. Jack’s face turned red with anger, “Let me tell you, Olivia, I’ve researched this brand thoroughly. It’s the newest trending franchise in our city.” “They use only pure tea and milk for their bubble tea. From 3-year-old kids to 80-year-old seniors, everyone can drink it. How can a bubble tea that appeals to all ages not be successful?” “Stop trying to stop me. Tom said he’d help me run it. I’m definitely joining this franchise!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Not long after, he posted on SnapChat: “All in!” The image was a loan contract. In our family group chat, messages kept popping up. Tom complained, “Sister-in-law, you’re just too timid. You don’t have my brother’s guts. You’ll never make money like this!” I couldn’t help but send a message, “All I know is that right now, my daughter needs money to save her life!” Jack’s reply came quickly, “I don’t believe she’ll die tomorrow.” “The bubble tea shop will make over $10,000 a day. In just two months, we can cure any disease!” The relatives in the group chat chimed in, each supporting Jack, implying between the lines that I was overbearing and didn’t know how to support my husband. My in-laws even sent a voice message, cursing our daughter as a debt collector, not only causing her father to lose his job but also draining the family’s money for treatment. Looking at my daughter lying pale-faced in the hospital room, I couldn’t bear to read these heartless words anymore and turned off my phone. Since you’d rather take out a high-interest loan to open a bubble tea shop, I won’t try to persuade you anymore!

The bubble tea shop Jack franchised opened in just a month. He deliberately chose a location near an elementary school. Every day at dismissal time, students would rush into the shop to buy bubble tea. Because of the promotional slogans plastered all over the store, parents paid without hesitation. With low prices and claims of using only pure tea and milk, the shop’s turnover reached $500,000 in just a month of operation, with Jack guaranteed to pocket at least $100,000. At the celebration dinner, Jack proudly announced to the whole family that his business venture was a success, and he planned to become the city’s largest bubble tea franchisee in the future. My mother-in-law excitedly said, “I’ve always said that Jack was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was destined to be a big boss!” My father-in-law chimed in, “That’s right, Jack was never meant to be someone’s employee!” Jack smiled smugly, then looked at me with disdain, “It’s a pity some people don’t think so!” “People can’t earn money beyond their comprehension. She’s destined to be a poor wage earner, without any vision. All she knows is to cling to her measly earnings!” The relatives present all knew who he was referring to and looked at me scornfully, their eyes full of contempt as they sized me up from head to toe. Although I had long known they didn’t like me, I couldn’t help feeling hurt. “Now that it’s open, you need to manage it well. If…” I hadn’t finished speaking when I was interrupted. “There are no ‘ifs’! I can see you’re just jealous that I can make money!” Jack glared at me fiercely, “Your mouth never has anything good to say!” Being scolded in front of so many relatives, my heart turned cold. Tom stepped in to smooth things over. He took out his phone to show Jack, “Brother, this is my bank statement for one month.” “See? I didn’t lie to you! Opening a bubble tea shop is quick money!” Jack’s eyes widened, “How is your monthly turnover four times mine?” Tom smiled smugly, “I’ve opened three more bubble tea shops, and they’re all doing just as well. Of course I’m earning more!” “Let me give you some advice as your brother, the earlier you get in, the more you earn. Once others rent out all the good locations, you’ll only have regrets!” Jack furrowed his brow, deep in thought for a while. Then his eyes grew increasingly feverish, “You’re right, the earlier in, the more we earn. I’m going to open another shop!” “That’s more like it.” Tom smiled as he poured him a drink. Jack hadn’t even recouped his initial investment, and the high-interest loan wasn’t paid off, yet he was already thinking about a second shop. I felt uneasy. “This is too risky. If business isn’t good, with compound interest, the debt will keep growing. It’s better to pay off the loan first.” “When you’ve saved up enough capital for a second shop, then open one. There’s no rush!” As soon as I finished speaking, my mother-in-law splashed her red wine all over me. She angrily said, “When men are discussing important matters, you have no right to butt in!” “Didn’t you hear what Tom said? It’s guaranteed profit!” Jack looked at my disheveled state, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “I’ve already decided, and it’s not up to you to object!” “I’m the head of this family. You rely on me to support you, so you have no right to criticize me.” “Get out now. You’re not welcome in this family!” I looked at him in disbelief. I had merely advised him to consider carefully, yet he trampled on my dignity in front of everyone. My heart ached to the point of suffocation. I resolved never to ask him another word about the bubble tea shop. Over the next few days, I watched coldly as he sweet-talked relatives into giving him more money and franchised a second shop.

The hospital told me that Emma’s chances of recovery were high if she underwent a bone marrow transplant. Hearing this news, I was overjoyed. But the bone marrow transplant surgery required a large sum of money, and I had long since exhausted my savings from earlier years, leaving me in dire financial straits. Just as I was at a loss, my phone screen kept lighting up with notifications. When I opened them, I found that Jack was sending out red envelopes in the family group chat. He sent out over a dozen red envelopes, each containing $500. In just a few minutes, he had given away $5,000 or $6,000. The relatives in the group kept complimenting him, praising his generosity. Everyone was saying how generous and kind-hearted Boss Jack was, calling him the most successful person in the Lin family of this generation. But all I knew was that he was Emma’s father, and he should have stepped up when Emma needed money for medical treatment! I returned home from the hospital to find Jack already drunk. When I told him the news that Emma could be cured after surgery, he showed not a hint of joy, his expression very irritated. “When I wanted to join the bubble tea franchise, you didn’t give me a penny. Now that I’ve earned some money, you’re after it. I won’t give you a cent!” “I’ve opened another bubble tea shop and invested a lot of money. I don’t have any cash on hand now. You figure it out yourself!” I looked at him in disbelief. Emma’s surgery would cost only $150,000, much cheaper than opening a bubble tea shop. He had money to open another shop but was unwilling to pay for his own daughter’s treatment. Did he deserve to be a father? Disappointed, I left and called my best friend to borrow money. After learning about Emma’s situation, my friend transferred $100,000 to me without hesitation. She apologized, “That’s all I have on hand. Try to borrow more from others. Don’t delay Emma’s treatment.” With a mortgage and a child to raise, it was already a big deal for her to lend me $100,000. I felt deeply touched. For the remaining $50,000, I had no choice but to borrow from my parents. They had already given me a lot of money when Emma first fell ill. Having to ask them again made me feel very awkward. But my parents didn’t hesitate for a second and transferred the money right away. They even told me not to scrimp and save, and to take care of myself. I felt both moved and guilty. With this hard-earned money, I sent Emma into the operating room. But as I waited anxiously, my best friend called me. “I saw Jack with a woman inspecting the bubble tea shop. He even had the staff address her as the boss’s wife. The woman had a big belly, looked like she was pregnant!” “Jack said he was preparing to open his sixth branch, and then he wants to open even more, to dominate the bubble tea market in our city.” “Olivia, he has enough money to open a sixth store, his liquid assets must be at least a million dollars. He definitely lied to you when he said he had no money!” I gripped my phone tightly, feeling a surge of grief and anger. Not just because of his betrayal, but also because of his disregard for our daughter. Since you’re so heartless, I won’t show you any mercy! ———-This is the breakpoint———-

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The year I turned 24, I lost my family completely. To attend a concert, my sister stole the $60,000 I had painstakingly saved and bought scalped tickets at an inflated price. She knew full well this was my life-saving money for surgery. When I confronted her, my biased mother said, “She’s your sister. What’s wrong with using some of your money? Don’t be so calculative in a family.” Later, my sister ran off with my mother’s retirement savings, beating her so badly she was hospitalized. My mother then cursed my sister for being heartless, praising me as the best, saying she would rely on me for her retirement. I coldly rejected her: “That’s your daughter. What’s wrong with using some of your money? Besides, I don’t have a mother. Don’t claim false relationships.” “Early-stage stomach cancer. With timely surgery, it can be cured. Don’t worry too much.” “Young lady, don’t just work hard. Take care of your health too. You have a long life ahead.” The doctor’s advice fell on my dazed ears. My mind was filled with “stomach cancer”, “payment”, and “surgery”. When I came to my senses, I was already drenched in cold sweat. I knew how I got this illness. One word: poverty. Because of poverty, I saved desperately, wishing I could stretch one loaf of bread into three meals. Because of poverty, I worked tirelessly, wishing I could sleep at the office and work overtime every day. After two years of grueling work since graduation, I had finally saved $60,000 with sheer determination. Now, it was about to vanish, and I’d have to start from scratch again. My heart was bitter, my mouth sour. I slapped myself hard, forcing myself to stay strong as I called my mother. Surgery was a big deal, and I should at least inform my family: “Mom, I have something to tell you.” “You ungrateful girl! Has your salary been paid this month? If so, send the money home immediately. Your sister wants to buy new clothes. As the elder sister, you should volunteer to pay!” I swallowed the acid in my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit, and said bitterly, “Mom, I have stomach cancer. I need my savings for surgery. I don’t have extra money to send home.” There was a pause on the other end for a few seconds. Just when I thought my mother might show some concern, reality slapped me hard in the face. “How unlucky! You ungrateful money-pit! Looks like you’ve saved quite a bit in two years of work, only sending $3,000 home each month. Have you no conscience?” “Let me tell you, don’t expect the family to pay for your treatment. Your sister has been nagging about going to some concert recently but couldn’t get tickets. I’m trying to pull strings everywhere to buy tickets. Don’t bother the family with your trivial matters.” Then, “click”, the call ended. I forced a bitter smile. As expected, even my cancer surgery couldn’t compare to my sister’s desire to attend a concert. What was I hoping for? After all these years, I’m still so pathetic. I dragged my exhausted body home, collapsed on the bed, and recalled the bits and pieces of all these years. Tears soaked my pillow. I grew up in a single-parent family. My father died in a car accident early on, and my mother raised my sister and me. Life was tough. I felt sorry for my mother and was always the most sensible child in the family. But sensible children aren’t loved; it’s the crying children who get the candy. My mother could never treat us equally. I was the family’s beggar, while my sister was the little princess. All these years, I struggled, but I was still suffocated more and more by the shackles of so-called family affection. As I cried, I lost consciousness, seemingly having a beautiful dream where my father was still alive… When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in the hospital with an IV drip. Beside me was my best friend, Yolanda. Seeing me awake, she burst into tears: “You scared me to death, Penny! You had a fever all night. The next day, you didn’t go to work or call in sick. Your colleagues called you, but you didn’t answer. They went to your house and found you unconscious, so they rushed you to the hospital.” Then, with a trace of reluctance in her eyes, she continued, “Your colleagues called your mom and sister. They said…” She paused, “They said as long as you’re not dead, it’s fine, and then hung up. They couldn’t be reached after that, so they had to contact me based on your contact list.” I gave a bitter smile. My mother and sister were as consistent as ever. I told Yolanda about my stomach cancer and the need for surgery. She hugged me sympathetically, cursing my mother and sister for being inhuman! I shook my head. Forget it. After so many years, I’m used to it. I stayed in the hospital for two more days. Feeling better, I set a surgery date with the doctor and planned to pay the fees. But when I went to the payment window, I was shocked to find that my bank card linked to PayPal had a zero balance! This was impossible. I clearly had $60,000 in that card. I rushed home, but as soon as I arrived, I was dumbfounded. The house looked like it had been robbed, turned upside down. The bank card I kept in the drawer was gone, and even the little cash I had was swept clean.

I was about to call the police, but looking at the front door, I suddenly calmed down. This wasn’t a break-in; someone had used a key to enter directly. And the only person who had the key to my apartment and could do such a thing was just one person. My heart sank. I tremblingly took out my phone and dialed: “Ava Song, did you come to my house? Did you take my bank card?” A careless snicker came from the other end of the phone: “Yeah, it was me. Penny Song, you’ve been such a pushover for so many years, it’s about time you were of some use. I’ve already used your $60,000 to buy scalped tickets. I’m going to see my idol’s concert this weekend, third row in the inner circle. It’s going to be awesome!” I gripped my phone tightly: “Do you know how I saved that $60,000? How hard I worked for it?” “Do you know that $60,000 is my life-saving money for surgery!” “I know, Mom told me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known you were hiding so much money, Penny Song. You’ve got some nerve.” “Also, you’re really stupid. All your passwords are Dad’s birthday. It’s like you’re afraid people won’t guess it. The old man’s been dead for so many years, you should get over it. What, are you still feeling guilty about killing Dad? You’re so dumb. Bye!” Thinking of Dad, I collapsed on the floor. Is this really karma for what happened back then? If it wasn’t for buying me a birthday cake that year, Dad wouldn’t have driven out in the heavy rain, and he wouldn’t have died in a car accident. I wouldn’t have carried this guilt for so many years, enduring the exploitation from Mom and my sister. Looking at the mess in the room, my heart felt like a sour, soggy bun. Fighting the urge to vomit, I made one last call to Mom, hoping against hope that this wasn’t real: “Mom, my $60,000 was taken by my sister to buy concert tickets. Did you tell her about it?” “You ungrateful money-grubber! Looks like you’ve saved quite a bit in two years of work. You only give the family $3,000 a month. Have you no conscience?” “Let me tell you, don’t expect the family to pay for your treatment. Your sister has been nagging about going to some concert recently and couldn’t get tickets. I’m trying to pull strings everywhere to buy tickets. Don’t bother the family with your trivial matters.” Then “click”, the call ended. I forced a bitter smile. As expected, even my cancer surgery couldn’t compare to my sister’s desire to attend a concert. What was I hoping for? After all these years, I’m still so pathetic. I dragged my exhausted body home, collapsed on the bed, and recalled the bits and pieces of all these years. Tears soaked my pillow. I grew up in a single-parent family. My father died in a car accident early on, and my mother raised my sister and me. Life was tough. I felt sorry for my mother and was always the most sensible child in the family. But sensible children aren’t loved; it’s the crying children who get the candy. My mother could never treat us equally. I was the family’s beggar, while my sister was the little princess. All these years, I struggled, but I was still suffocated more and more by the shackles of so-called family affection. As I cried, I lost consciousness, seemingly having a beautiful dream where my father was still alive… When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in the hospital with an IV drip. Beside me was my best friend, Yolanda. Seeing me awake, she burst into tears: “You scared me to death, Penny! You had a fever all night. The next day, you didn’t go to work or call in sick. Your colleagues called you, but you didn’t answer. They went to your house and found you unconscious, so they rushed you to the hospital.” Then, with a trace of reluctance in her eyes, she continued, “Your colleagues called your mom and sister. They said…” She paused, “They said as long as you’re not dead, it’s fine, and then hung up. They couldn’t be reached after that, so they had to contact me based on your contact list.” I gave a bitter smile. My mother and sister were as consistent as ever. I told Yolanda about my stomach cancer and the need for surgery. She hugged me sympathetically, cursing my mother and sister for being inhuman! I shook my head. Forget it. After so many years, I’m used to it. I stayed in the hospital for two more days. Feeling better, I set a surgery date with the doctor and planned to pay the fees. But when I went to the payment window, I was shocked to find that my bank card linked to PayPal had a zero balance! This was impossible. I clearly had $60,000 in that card. I rushed home, but as soon as I arrived, I was dumbfounded. The house looked like it had been robbed, turned upside down. The bank card I kept in the drawer was gone, and even the little cash I had was swept clean.

I was about to call the police, but looking at the front door, I suddenly calmed down. This wasn’t a break-in; someone had used a key to enter directly. And the only person who had the key to my apartment and could do such a thing was just one person. My heart sank. I tremblingly took out my phone and dialed: “Ava Song, did you come to my house? Did you take my bank card?” A careless snicker came from the other end of the phone: “Yeah, it was me. Penny Song, you’ve been such a pushover for so many years, it’s about time you were of some use. I’ve already used your $60,000 to buy scalped tickets. I’m going to see my idol’s concert this weekend, third row in the inner circle. It’s going to be awesome!” I gripped my phone tightly: “Do you know how I saved that $60,000? How hard I worked for it?” “Do you know that $60,000 is my life-saving money for surgery!” “I know, Mom told me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known you were hiding so much money, Penny Song. You’ve got some nerve.” “Also, you’re really stupid. All your passwords are Dad’s birthday. It’s like you’re afraid people won’t guess it. The old man’s been dead for so many years, you should get over it. What, are you still feeling guilty about killing Dad? You’re so dumb. Bye!” Thinking of Dad, I collapsed on the floor. Is this really karma for what happened back then? If it wasn’t for buying me a birthday cake that year, Dad wouldn’t have driven out in the heavy rain, and he wouldn’t have died in a car accident. I wouldn’t have carried this guilt for so many years, enduring the exploitation from Mom and my sister. Looking at the mess in the room, my heart felt like a sour, soggy bun. Fighting the urge to vomit, I made one last call to Mom, hoping against hope that this wasn’t real: “Mom, my $60,000 was taken by my sister to buy concert tickets. Did you tell her about it?” “You ungrateful girl, are you obsessed with money? She’s your sister. What’s wrong with using some of your money? Don’t be so calculative in a family.” “Didn’t you say it was early-stage stomach cancer? I heard early-stage won’t kill you, at least you can drag on for eight or ten years. With such a long time, you’ll definitely save enough money. What are you panicking about? So useless!” Hearing this completely unapologetic response, I finally let out a desperate cry: “Mom! Why? Why are you so biased towards my sister? Am I not your daughter? Am I not your flesh and blood? Do you have a heart?” “In the cold winter, you made me wash clothes with cold water, my hands covered in chilblains, while my sister watched cartoons and ate sweet potatoes in the heated room.” “My clothes were always hand-me-downs that others didn’t want, while my sister could buy many new, pretty clothes every month.” “My sister ate meat while sitting, I licked meat scraps while standing.” “I got into a key provincial high school, but you said $8,000 a year was too much and didn’t let me go. I ended up in a regular high school, but you spent over $100,000 for my sister to attend a private school.” … I poured out all the grievances of these years in one breath, each sentence dripping with blood, each word falling with tears. But what did I get in return? A word of comfort? An apology? What I got was a “You’re crazy, I have to pack your sister’s luggage. Don’t bother me.” I hung up the phone, silently tidied up the house, and went to the hospital to tell the doctor that the surgery would be postponed for now. The doctor sighed, telling me to reconsider, and that he would keep my surgery date open. Grief beyond measure leads to a dead heart. I bid farewell to the doctor like a walking corpse. Just as I walked out of the consultation room, I bumped into someone. “Penny, is that you!” I looked up and saw it was Aunt Zhang, my father’s former colleague. She used to be close to our family, often visiting and bringing me candy. She was one of the few people who brought joy to my childhood. However, after my father passed away, my mother moved us, and we hadn’t seen her in all these years. Aunt Zhang noticed my poor condition. Upon learning about my stomach cancer, she angrily said, “How can Gwen be a mother like this? She promised me she would take good care of you sisters, that’s why I didn’t reveal the truth about your father’s death…” She seemed to realize she had said too much and abruptly stopped mid-sentence. A thunderbolt struck in my mind. I quickly grabbed Aunt Zhang’s hand and asked, “Wasn’t my father’s car accident because he went out to buy me a birthday cake?” Aunt Zhang looked shocked: “Of course not! That wasn’t the reason for your father’s accident at all. The real reason was your mother!” In the subsequent conversation with Aunt Zhang, I finally learned the truth about my father’s death in the car accident. I had been carrying the burden of my father’s death for so many years, allowing my mother and sister to exploit me, not daring to decisively rebel. I never imagined it was all a big joke.

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I received the news that my ex-husband had been in a car accident. My son knelt before me, begging me to take care of his father. For my son’s sake, I reluctantly agreed. My ex-husband recovered and was discharged, but I suffered a debilitating illness that left me paralyzed. Afterwards, my ex-husband ignored me completely, and my son left me to fend for myself. I died alone, hungry and in pain. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day my son knelt before me. This time, I said: “Hell no!” Lying in the cramped storage room, I groaned in agony, my heart filled with regret and resentment. I regretted showing kindness to the ex-husband I had divorced twenty years ago. I resented my son for abandoning me. From outside, I heard my daughter-in-law’s voice, “Jason, I think it’s quiet now. Is she gone?” “It took longer than I expected,” my son Jason replied coldly. “Good riddance. The smell was unbearable – I couldn’t stand it anymore.” “If this went on any longer, the neighbors might have noticed,” Emily added. My five-year-old granddaughter Lily piped up innocently, “I want to play with grandma.” Emily brushed her off, “Oh honey, grandma is very dirty and sick right now. She can’t play with you.” She then instructed Jason, “Go check on her. I’ll take Lily to my mom’s place first.” The door clicked shut and silence fell. My fading consciousness was jolted back by another wave of pain. I couldn’t die yet. I needed to ask my son – had I not been a good mother to him? Why would he treat the woman who raised him this way? How could he be so cold and heartless? In the dark little room, the cold seeped into my bones as demons gnawed at my soul. What was that creaking sound? I forced my bloodshot eyes open, staring intently at the door. Whether from guilt or fear, my son hesitated for a long time before moving. Since becoming paralyzed, every day felt like an eternity. The only thing keeping me alive was my desperate need to confront my son. Suddenly, my body felt light as my consciousness plunged into endless darkness. I was not ready to go! When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to three years ago. My son was kneeling before me, pleading: “Mom, dad was in a car accident. His mistress not only abandoned him but also ran off with all his money.” “The doctors say he might not have much time left.” “Please have pity on him and go to the hospital to take care of him for a while.” I stood there stunned, then suddenly slapped him across the face. Jason held his stinging cheek in confusion. “Mom, why did you hit me?” I felt the slight numbness in my palm and flexed my limbs, delighted to find I could move everything freely! I scrutinized my son’s honest face, which seemed to have shed two or three years of age, no longer so smug and self-satisfied. A chill ran down my spine as I violently shook off his hands clinging to my legs and stumbled backwards. Jason looked at me in bewilderment. “Mom?” I snapped out of it and checked my phone. Unbelievably, it was now two years in the past. Looking again at my son kneeling on the ground, I realized this was exactly that moment. Jason kept trying to persuade me to take care of his father Robert. When I refused, he knelt and begged, playing on my sympathy while making grand promises. Robert and I had been divorced for 27 years. We split up because of his affair and emotional abuse – I simply couldn’t take it anymore. During the divorce, I worried he couldn’t properly care for our six-year-old son, so I fought hard for custody. For Jason’s sake, I didn’t tell him the real reason for the divorce. I just said his father and I weren’t getting along. After the divorce, I didn’t cut off Jason’s relationship with his father either. I have to say, while Robert wasn’t a good husband, he was a decent father. He paid child support on time and occasionally took Jason out, so they maintained a good relationship. In my past life, although very reluctant, I agreed to care for Robert when Jason knelt and begged me, given their close bond. Jason seemed unsettled by my strange gaze, but for his father’s sake in the hospital, he gathered his courage and pressed on: “Mom, dad only has us left now. We can’t abandon him!” I let out a cold laugh and slapped him hard again. “No way in hell!” Jason cupped his swollen face in shock. “Mom? Why are you hitting me again?” I grinned from ear to ear. “Because I’m happy!” Jason was even more bewildered. Without any explanation, I returned to my own room. This room became Jason’s study after I was paralyzed. How absurdly ironic! The house I bought for over $300,000 – when I became completely incapacitated, I was relegated to a storage room smaller than the kitchen. Looking back on my life, everything revolved around my son. When he was still in the womb, I quit my job to be a full-time mom. When he took his first steps, I was there to catch him. When he started school, I had to work hard to earn money while also helping with his studies. Finally, when he graduated college, I had a few years of respite before I started saving frantically for his wedding. After Jason got married, I thought I got along well with my daughter-in-law. Remembering how difficult my own pregnancy was, I took care of everything when Emily was expecting. I respected her wishes to keep working and personally delivered nutritious lunches to her office every day, attending to her every need. After Lily was born, Jason and Emily found her crying annoying. Emily didn’t want to breastfeed after her maternity leave. When my attempts to persuade them failed, knowing they both had to work every day, I simply took Lily into my room to care for her myself. Lily grew up healthy and beautiful. At three years old, she was an adorable little thing – everyone in the neighborhood would praise her when they saw her. I thought I had done more than enough as a mother, mother-in-law and grandmother. I had no regrets and owed them nothing. I let out a long sigh. In my past life, I was like a candle burning myself to light the way for my son’s family. Unexpectedly, I met such a tragic end. Now that I’ve been given a second chance at life, I believe it’s an opportunity from heaven. I’m no longer just a mother, mother-in-law, or grandmother. Although I’m 57 years old, I should still have my own life and be true to myself. As I pondered my next move in my room, Emily shuffled in. She smiled at me and sat down beside me. “Mom, Jason is being unreasonable. You and his dad have been divorced for almost 30 years. How can he expect you to take care of him now?” I kept a stern face and said nothing. Emily’s eyes darted around as she continued, “But dad is in really bad shape now. He’s 60 years old, bedridden and can’t move at all. His wounds look awful.” I didn’t respond, waiting to see how she would play this out. In my past life, Emily always had a sweet face but a bitter heart. She would coax people into doing things, taking credit while others did all the work. Seeing my silence, Emily played the sympathy card: “Dad only has Jason as his son. Now that he’s seriously injured and can’t move, Jason feels he must be by his bedside to fulfill his filial duty. Otherwise, people will talk and it won’t look good for us.” “But Jason has to work to support our whole family. He really can’t spare the time. Otherwise, I’d tell him to quit his job and take care of his dad himself.” Emily kept talking, hinting that I should volunteer to care for Robert. I rolled my eyes. “If Jason doesn’t have time, why don’t you go? You’re young and have more energy than this old lady. Besides, your salary is less than my retirement savings anyway, so it won’t make much difference if you’re not working.” Emily’s face tightened for a moment before relaxing again. “Mom, I’d love to take care of dad, but if I quit my job now, I’ll never find another one with weekends off and a $2000 monthly salary. Plus, Lily can’t be without me.” “I’ve always been the one taking care of Lily,” I said bluntly. “Enough said. I’m not going!” Emily’s lips curled up, but her eyes held no trace of a smile. “Mom, are you trying to make Jason lose his job?” I had painstakingly raised my son, helping him smoothly complete his PhD and pass the civil service exam. Now he was a mid-level manager, and according to him, he had a chance for a promotion to senior management this year. So he absolutely couldn’t have a black mark of being unfilial on his record. In my past life, I had considered his career prospects. Now I only cared about myself. Robert was his father, his responsibility. Why should I have to shoulder it? Oh right, my son’s filial piety was supposed to be demonstrated by me waiting on Robert hand and foot. But I still needed to play along for now. I couldn’t directly confront them yet. My retirement savings for this month had already gone towards household expenses. Thinking of this, I wanted to slap myself. How foolish I had been! Always assuming my son and daughter-in-law would take care of me in my old age, I had no real expenses myself, so I handed over my retirement savings as soon as it came in each month. Their salaries weren’t high – Jason made about $70,000 a year, while Emily made $2000 a month. Yet they insisted on buying a car beyond their means. Between the car payments and other expenses, the two of them were just breaking even before Lily was born. After Lily arrived, they started struggling financially. I couldn’t bear to see it, so I started contributing all of my retirement savings to help out. What a mess – not only had I used up all the money from selling my old house for Jason’s wedding expenses, I had also depleted all my savings. Now my monthly retirement income was gone too, leaving me completely broke. After a moment of silence, I suggested, “Why don’t you just hire a caregiver to look after Jason’s dad? Problem solved.” Emily didn’t even blink before replying, “That won’t work. A caregiver costs $80-100 per day. You have the most free time at home, so you can just go take care of him temporarily.” In my past life, I agreed too quickly. Look at how they’re treating me like free labor now. Emily must have realized her words sounded harsh, so she added, “Lily is about to start preschool, and we need money for everything. Dad’s savings were all taken by that shameless woman. The surgery and medical bills are a huge expense. We need to save wherever we can.” Emily tried to flatter me, “Every little bit helps, you know.” I pondered for a moment before relenting, “You have a point. I’ll go take a look.” Emily was overjoyed. She stood up and patted my shoulder, “You’re so kind and understanding, mom. You always see the big picture.” I silently scoffed to myself. She was good at sweet talk, but I hadn’t agreed to wait on my annoying ex-husband – I was just going to check on the situation. I held out my hand to Emily, who pretended not to understand my meaning and completely ignored me. I was truly fed up. “Emily dear, I’ll need some money to go to the hospital, won’t I?” Emily smiled brightly, “Mom, I’ll SnapChat you $100 later.” That’s right, my daughter-in-law controlled the finances for our family of four, being extremely generous only to herself. She bought new skincare products, makeup, clothes, shoes and bags every month. For the rest of us, especially me, she was incredibly stingy. In my past life, I was somewhat prepared for her refusal to pay for my medical treatment. What I never expected was that my son would also listen to her and not give me a single cent. I glared at her coldly, “$300. Send it now!” Emily tried to say some nice words to gloss it over. I stared her down, enunciating each word: “Send. It. Now.” Emily reluctantly took out her phone and sent me $300. After the transfer, she looked at me hopefully, “Mom, I’ll pack your things now.” I retorted, “Pack what? I’m going to ask the doctor what’s needed and how to provide care first.” Emily plastered on a smile, “Right, you’re always so thoughtful, mom.” I left the house with my phone and headed to the neighborhood activity center. A group of ladies I often babysat with surrounded me, eagerly fishing for gossip. “Lily’s grandma, we heard your ex-husband was in a car accident!” “Is it serious?” “What does your son plan to do?” “You should still go visit him, it’s the right thing to do.” These bored, retired ladies loved to spread rumors and had big mouths. In my past life, to build up my son’s image, I told them Jason wanted to quit his job to care for Robert, but I stopped him and volunteered to go myself. Thanks to their efficient gossip network, the news spread quickly, and my son was soon promoted to a senior management position. He even received an award from his department. Later, I worked with the doctors to help Robert recover enough to get up and speak. So I discussed with Jason about hiring a professional caregiver to look after Robert. First, I was exhausted from the constant night shifts. Second, a caregiver would be stronger and more skilled than me. Jason looked troubled and said his department promoted him specifically because I was personally caring for Robert. If I suddenly stopped, his superiors might think we were putting on an act and could revoke his position. He asked me to hang on a bit longer, until his position was secure, then he would immediately hire a caregiver. I was repeatedly manipulated by my son and daughter-in-law, along with the constant praise from these ladies. I was pushed onto a pedestal I couldn’t get down from. I gritted my teeth and cared for my ex-husband for two whole years until he recovered. Thinking of this, I casually dropped some information: “It’s pretty serious. He hasn’t woken up yet.” “My son and daughter-in-law want me to go take care of him.” “I’m almost 60 years old. Where would I get that kind of energy?” “I’m going to check on him now and plan to hire a caregiver. My son and daughter-in-law have never dealt with anything major before – they don’t think things through.” “A caregiver is both professional and strong. Is this really a place to try to save money?” One old lady chimed in, “I heard your daughter-in-law say you paid for all the surgery and medical expenses. There’s not much money left now. Where would you get the money for a caregiver?” I laid it all out, “Yes, my ex-husband’s mistress wasn’t legally married to him. When she saw how serious the accident was, she disappeared with all his savings.” The group was shocked by my sudden revelation, their eyes lighting up with excitement. I continued, “I paid for everything. I’ve spent all my retirement savings from the past few years on this.”

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Jack is my husband. I met him during my freshman year of college. He was the one who pursued me first. Four years of college, four years after graduation, a total of eight years. Before we got married, he said he would love me for a lifetime, and only me. After we got married, I heard he went to a nightclub while I was still heavily pregnant. I slapped him hard outside the operating room while supporting my pregnant belly. I even questioned whether the child inside was his. Jack said it wasn’t, he had just met her for the first time. I laughed coldly, “Oh, so you slept with her the first time you met? Well done, Jack.” His face darkened instantly. The doctor said the girl’s heavy bleeding was due to her pregnancy, but told us not to worry. The girl was fine, just the baby couldn’t be saved. Late at night, Jack and I stood outside the girl’s hospital room. I had calmed down by then. I watched him chain-smoking and frowned, saying, “Jack, what do you plan to do?” Before he could answer, I continued, “I told you before we got married, if you ever cheated, the house would be mine, the car yours, and I’d get all our assets after marriage. You’d be left with almost nothing.” I added, “The baby can’t stay with you.” The baby in my belly, almost ten months along now. Jack took a deep drag of his cigarette, looking very impatient. After a long while, he said, “Ava, the child can’t be born without a father.” I laughed, “With a father like you? Better off without one.” Jack seemed very sensitive to my sarcasm. He looked at me coldly, “Ava, watch your words.” I sneered, “Why don’t you watch yourself?” Jack refused to divorce me. He even called his mother from their hometown to persuade me. As soon as his mother arrived, she grabbed my hands and said all men cheat, even if I divorced Jack and married someone else, the next guy might cheat too. She went on about how excellent her son was, already making a six-figure salary. If I really divorced him, where would I find another man making that much, especially in my pregnant state? Listening to her made me sick to my stomach, strengthening my resolve to divorce. Back when Jack’s career was struggling, I supported him for years. When he wanted to start a business, I even used all my savings, including mortgaging the house my parents bought for me. Now that Jack was making good money, with our child about to be born, he didn’t mention redeeming that house or any of those things. It seemed he had forgotten who helped him get where he was today. Later, when I brought up divorce again, Jack argued with me due to disagreement and pushed me to the ground with one hand. I felt a dull pain in my abdomen. I went into premature labor. Due to fetal displacement, I stayed in the operating room for two days and two nights. I saw blood-soaked medical gauze changed again and again. I heard Jack and his mother shouting outside the operating room, “Save the baby! You must save the baby!” I felt more exhausted than ever before, like I had struggled to swim to shore, only to be pushed back into the water just as I was about to climb out. Extreme suffocation.

Perhaps God wanted to spare my life. Both the baby and I survived. The day I left the operating room, I saw my mother-in-law’s face fall when she heard it was a girl, muttering “money-losing burden.” Jack didn’t even glance at the baby, just lit a cigarette and left. I stared blankly at the hospital ceiling, constantly comforting myself. It’s okay, I still have my daughter. I slept in the ward for a day. When I woke up, my parents had rushed over from out of town. Seeing them, I felt a sense of relief. But tears kept flowing. I said I wanted to divorce Jack. My parents had already heard what happened. Seeing my haggard state, they supported my decision to divorce. When I called a nurse to take my parents to see the baby, the nurse looked surprised and said, “Your mother-in-law just took the baby out.” My face turned pale. I called Jack. He told me his mother was worried I’d be too tired caring for the baby, so she took her back to their hometown. My whole body shook as I tried to steady my trembling voice, “Jack, the baby is only two days old and very fragile. She can’t be exposed to wind. Please bring her back…” I heard his mother snort on the other end of the phone, saying sarcastically, “What’s there to be delicate about a money-losing burden? It’s not a boy. She’ll be married off sooner or later anyway. If she dies, she dies. Just have another one.” I had the call on speaker. Hearing my mother-in-law say such things, my parents were furious and wanted to drive over to confront them. But Jack on the phone didn’t panic. Instead, he laughed and said to me, “Ava, I still have feelings for you. Are you sure you still want to divorce me?” I didn’t understand why he was asking such an obvious question. Things had come to this point, how could I not divorce him? Suddenly, a loud “bang” came from downstairs. Soon after, I heard nurses shouting, “There’s been a car accident! We need help!” A chill ran down my spine, my heart turning ice cold. Based on the timing, my parents should have been in the car by now. I bit my lip hard, holding back tears as I said word by word, “Jack, if anything happens to my parents, I will never let you off!” Jack actually had the audacity to laugh. Fortunately, my parents were fine. The car had just started moving when the gas pedal was too loose and the brakes failed, crashing into the hospital wall. No one was hurt, except my dad’s leg got stuck and he’ll need a cane for the rest of his life. I didn’t tell my parents about this accident being related to Jack. They didn’t suspect anything either. I stopped mentioning divorce to Jack. Our baby was still with his mother in their hometown. Every day, I would receive videos of the baby from his mother. But my hatred for Jack only grew. I knew he was using our baby to threaten me, to prevent me from divorcing him. I hated him every day, hated how he pushed me to this point, hated that I had wasted eight years of my youth on this scumbag. Because of this, I learned that Jack didn’t want to divorce me because his company was competing for a partnership with a big corporation. His married status would help him stand out among other candidates. I didn’t want him to get this project at all. Especially when I found out the big corporation was hosting a banquet and invited us as a couple to attend, I wanted to sabotage it. But Jack seemed to know what I was thinking. As we got in the car, he casually said to me, “Ava, if you want to see our baby’s corpse tomorrow, go ahead and do whatever you’re planning.” He always knew how to hit my weak spots. He always knew. At the banquet, I naturally didn’t do anything rash. But I learned a lesson. If I didn’t get rid of this psychopath, he would control me for the rest of my life, and my child would always be in danger. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. Jack’s career was thriving, while I had become a tool he used to maintain his image in business circles. Looking at his increasingly smug face, I felt utterly disgusted. On one hand, I was looking for an opportunity to bring him down, on the other, I carefully avoided any resistance. After a while, I really found a breakthrough. Jack liked women. After I caught him, he became even more reckless. Few women could stay around him for long, but there were always exceptions. And this exception was a woman named Fiona. I didn’t know Fiona, but someone among my friends did. When I intentionally posted a photo of scenery from a shopping trip, someone recognized the woman in the photo as Fiona. My friend asked me, “Ava, how do you know Fiona?” Without waiting for my answer, she continued, “She’s the mistress of the CEO of Saint Corp. Any chance you could introduce us sometime?” Saint Corp? I remembered, that was the big corporation Jack had partnered with through my efforts earlier. I just didn’t expect Jack to be so bold as to get involved with the wife of his business partner. I casually replied to my friend that I didn’t know her well, but inside I was overjoyed. Because I had finally found a chance to deal with Jack. Jack was very cautious. I couldn’t gather much information from his side, so I started following Fiona. Fiona was a rich housewife. Every day, besides playing mahjong and getting beauty treatments, she would meet Jack at various hotels to have fun. Jack met her quite often, at least three times a week. I captured all those moments – hand-holding, kissing. While holding back my disgust, I carefully took more evidence, hoping for some other juicy details to emerge. Perhaps heaven heard my call. One day, I noticed something odd about Fiona. She didn’t go play mahjong or get beauty treatments. Instead, she went to a psychiatric hospital. That psychiatric hospital was famous in our city, specializing in patients with mental illnesses or confusion. I didn’t enter the hospital, just waited outside, timing how long she stayed. A full hour. Fiona stayed inside for a whole hour. I didn’t want to give up any leads and wanted to investigate further. But facing this heavily guarded psychiatric hospital, I knew that even if I barged in, I wouldn’t be able to find out anything. So I needed someone to help me, and that person had to be a professional. So I asked a friend to contact the most reliable private investigator in the city. A few days later, my friend introduced me to someone. He was expensive, but guaranteed results if he took the job. Jack controlled all my credit card transactions to keep tabs on me. Luckily, I had saved some secret funds. Though not a huge amount, it was enough to buy this information. So I said, “As long as your results satisfy me, I’ll pay whatever it costs.” My instincts told me that once I knew this secret, things would completely turn in my favor. Not long after, the investigator arranged to meet me. We met at a coffee shop. When we met, I was surprised by how young and handsome he was. He handed me a manila envelope and said, “The person Fiona visited at the psychiatric hospital is named Lily, a 21-year-old performing arts student. She was often with Fiona recently, and Fiona took very good care of her. Last month, she went to a nightclub and had an accident, then went to the hospital…” I already knew the latter part of what he was saying, because this Lily was the girl Jack had made bleed heavily that night. I glanced at Lily’s photo in the envelope and saw another piece of paper. Then I heard him say, “The CEO of Saint Corp has never had a son. A fortune teller read his birth chart and said he’d have a better chance with a young woman whose birth chart matched his. But Mr. Saint is old now and can’t perform, so they could only use IVF. The baby in Lily’s belly was actually Mr. Saint’s…” I didn’t need to hear the rest to know what happened. Lily lost the baby at the nightclub and no longer had any value to them, so Fiona put her in the psychiatric hospital.

I asked, “Is Lily really sick now or…?” The investigator shook his head, sounding regretful, “She’s already lost her mind.” Looking at Lily’s young, beautiful face on the table, I felt sorry for her. At such a good age, she should have had a bright future ahead, but now she could only stay in a psychiatric hospital. After getting this information, I went home, planning to use it to force Jack to return our child and divorce me. The CEO of Saint Corp was already in his sixties and had never had a son. The baby in Lily’s belly could be said to be his last hope. Jack had caused the loss of that child, so Mr. Saint must hate him. So I wanted to use this point to make Jack compromise. However, I didn’t expect that when I went to negotiate with Jack, Fiona was there too. When I laid out the evidence on the table, Fiona’s presence made me realize something was off. Since when had Jack and Fiona become so close that he’d bring her to our home? Just as I thought this, I saw Fiona pick up the evidence from the table and smile meaningfully, “So you really found out, huh.” I immediately sensed something was wrong. Fiona had already torn up the evidence I had worked so hard to gather. As she tore it up, she looked at Jack, “She already knows everything. Is there any point in keeping her around? If she goes to the old man and exposes us, what chance will we have?” My heart sank as I suddenly realized what was happening. Could it be that Jack and Fiona were in cahoots, and they had deliberately caused Lily to lose the baby?! If Lily’s child was really born, it would indeed be a threat to Fiona. Lily was young and beautiful, and she was carrying a son. With that, she could easily take Fiona’s place. But I never imagined they would intentionally scheme to make Lily lose the baby! These two monsters! Weren’t they afraid of karma?! I was furious at their actions, but Jack said, “You think Saint Corp’s deal was really closed because of you? The only reason I’ve kept you around until now is because of that insurance policy!” Jack and I had signed a contract before marriage stating that if one party died accidentally, the other would receive a huge accidental death payout. So that was his plan all along! I suddenly started shaking all over and turned to run! But Jack had anticipated this and worked with Fiona to knock me out! When I woke up, I found myself in a sealed wooden crate. It was tightly sealed on all sides, with only a tiny gap at the top where I could see outside. It was pitch black outside, with occasional shadows of leaves making me realize we were in some remote wilderness. Before I could fully react, the crate containing me was heavily set down, and someone knocked on the side. It was Fiona. She seemed to know I was awake and said to me, “You might as well reincarnate soon. Your husband doesn’t love you, your child isn’t with you, and you don’t even have any money to your name. What’s the point of living like this?” After saying that, she put me into a large pit. The sound of sand and dust hitting the crate told me she was trying to bury me alive. I struggled and cried out, wanting to see Jack. I couldn’t believe that after so many years together, our relationship meant nothing to him. How could he be so heartless as to want me dead? But I heard Jack’s voice outside saying, “Ava, rest in peace. In a few days, I’ll let our child come join you.” At that moment, my heart completely shattered. I kept kicking at the crate, trying to save myself, to escape. I desperately hoped that if I could get out, I would protect my child and make this evil couple pay for what they’d done! But the sand kept piling up thicker, and the air in the crate was getting thinner. I felt like I was about to die. But after who knows how long, suddenly someone tapped on the crate and pried open the lock. ———-This is the cutoff point———-

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The Third Year After My Death Three years after my death, my blind ex-boyfriend returned from abroad. He brought back the luxury car and million-dollar engagement ring I had once dreamed of. But he said he never loved me. He just wanted to see the regret on my face, thinking I was a gold digger. What he didn’t know was that the corneas he received three years ago were my final gift to him after I died from breast cancer. I saw James Foster again three years after my death. His limited edition Bentley was parked in front of my old, rundown apartment, nearly blocking the entire street. He stepped out of the car in an expensive suit, his eyes filled with arrogance as he looked down on my younger sister, who was still in college. “Where’s Lily Adams? Tell her to come out and see me,” he demanded. When he mentioned my name, a clear hatred flashed in James’s eyes. My sister, feeling indignant on my behalf, angrily replied, “Why are you back? My sister is already dead…” As he was an ex-boyfriend, she had expected James to be saddened by the news of my death. But James just let out a cold laugh. “That gold digger, is she regretting abandoning me and faking her death to trick me?” With that, James snapped his fingers, and a group of men in black suits swarmed into our cramped yard. Each of them carried a briefcase, which they opened in unison, revealing stacks of crisp bills. A rough estimate put it at about ten million dollars. Neighbors gathered at our door to watch the spectacle, murmuring in astonishment. “Back then, Lily rejected me because I couldn’t afford an engagement ring, and she cruelly abandoned me when I went blind. Now that my eyesight is restored, let her come out and see if she’s worthy of this ten-million-dollar ring!” James declared, arms crossed and chin held high as he stared at my sister. He continued, “Tell Lily, I will never forgive her for what she did, unless…” James’s threat was obvious. “She kneels down and begs me.” The onlookers began to whisper among themselves. “Ten million dollars for an engagement ring? That’s insane! She always seemed like such a nice girl, who would have thought…” “Come to think of it, we haven’t seen that girl in about three years. Did she run off with some rich guy?” These hurtful comments reached my ears, and I saw my sister’s expression darken. “I told you, my sister is dead. Now get out of here, I don’t want to see you,” she snapped. When I died, my family had spent almost all their money on my treatment. To leave something for my sister’s education, my funeral had been a simple affair. So most people didn’t know about my death. It was understandable that James didn’t believe it. I had said some hurtful things to leave him, but I loved him. I would rather have the man I loved hate me than spend his life in sorrow! Clearly, James enjoyed seeing me subjected to public criticism. After hearing those comments, he left, satisfied. The commotion quickly died down. I was relieved… If James had walked in a bit further, he would have seen the memorial tablet my sister had set up for me. My sister was still shaking with anger over those nasty comments. After everyone left, she went back inside, muttering to herself. “Sis, was this man really worth it?”

James’s blindness wasn’t congenital. He lost his sight as a child after being kidnapped. As the illegitimate son of the Foster family, with his mother long gone and his father always away, no one really cared about him, which delayed his treatment. Our meeting wasn’t exactly a fairytale. I was running a small flower shop at the time. He got lost and stumbled into my shop asking for directions. I guess you could call it love at first sight. In the sea of flowers, the handsome boy’s face was half-hidden by petals. Though his eyes were vacant, they couldn’t hide his noble air. I remember thinking what a shame it was that such a good-looking boy couldn’t see. Later, I was the one who pursued him. I figured there was nothing wrong with a girl making the first move. They say it’s easy for a girl to catch a boy, and James quickly surrendered to my advances. I found a sense of home with James, while James experienced being truly loved for the first time. The unexpected happened three years ago when I was suddenly diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer. Afraid that James couldn’t handle it, I made up an excuse to break up with him. I still remember the day we broke up. It was snowing heavily. James stood across from me. When I said, “I don’t want to be with a useless illegitimate son anymore. I want to find someone rich,” James bit his lower lip hard. “So all those promises about staying together forever were lies?” he asked. “Of course. I just thought you were good-looking and wanted to play around. Did you really think I liked you?” Those words were like a knife carving out his heart, and they hurt me just as much. The cold wind crept under my clothes. I gritted my teeth, clutching the medical report in my pocket, trying to keep my voice steady, but it still trembled. “Lily, I’ll talk to my dad about working at the company. Even though I can’t see, I’ll work hard to learn. Trust me, I’ll give you a future, please don’t leave me.” “A future? You’re blind, with no money or connections. How can you compete with your brothers and sisters? How can you give me a future?” “Let’s just end this on good terms,” I said, unable to look at James’s face. I was afraid I’d break down crying the next second, so I turned and walked away. But I couldn’t help worrying about James, so I secretly followed him. That day, James fell several times on the path that usually took only ten minutes to walk. It took him a full hour to get home. Each time James fell, my heart ached. I hated myself for not being able to tell James the truth, but I couldn’t selfishly let him suffer for the rest of his life. Now, as I floated above, watching James achieve success and fame, I felt a mix of emotions. My soul followed James. To my surprise, the second place James visited after returning to the country was the flower shop I used to run. The door hit the wind chimes, making a crisp sound. A young girl turned around to greet James warmly. It felt like a lifetime ago. That girl looked a lot like me when I was younger – pure and innocent. A wave of bitterness washed over me. This flower shop held all my beautiful memories; it meant so much to me. James carefully looked around. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but I saw James’s eyes turn red. “Can I help you with anything, sir?” the girl asked as she approached. James snapped out of his thoughts and apologized. “I’m sorry, we don’t sell irises here.” The girl noticed some irises in the corner and pointed at them. “Aren’t those irises over there?” “Those… are reserved for someone I love,” James replied. His cold and cruel tone sent chills through me. “But the business here looks pretty good…” his assistant remarked, surprised. James’s face showed annoyance. “This place is my shame. It must be destroyed!” My heart clenched. So James hated me this much.

In just a week, James bought the flower shop. He came in person to watch as bulldozers razed it to the ground. I stood at the shop’s entrance, stretching out my arms to try and block them, screaming desperately. “No! Please, don’t…” My voice grew fainter. I had almost forgotten – they couldn’t see or hear me. But James used to cherish this flower shop as much as I did. He cared for it no less than I did. Once, when some thugs came to collect protection money and I couldn’t afford it, they threatened to wreck the shop. Although James couldn’t see, he still stood at the door, vowing to protect our little shop that felt like home. The thugs beat him mercilessly. Even when he could barely stand, covered in bruises, he still shielded me and wouldn’t let them come near the shop. If the police hadn’t arrived in time, he might have been beaten to death. That night, as I tended to his wounds with tears in my eyes, I asked him why he was so foolish. James said, “This is where we met. I can’t bear to lose it.” I think at that time, James must have loved me deeply, protecting our memories with his life. How many times had others tried to destroy this place, and James had desperately protected it? But now, it was he who personally ordered it to be razed to the ground. I looked back at what was once called home, now just a pile of rubble. I collapsed to the ground. James’s face was hidden in the dust, his eyes cold as ice. A woman stepped out of the car, thoughtfully draping her coat over James’s shoulders. The woman was beautiful and elegant, dressed in designer clothes from head to toe. Standing next to James, they looked like a perfect match. “It’s just an old flower shop. Why did you have to come here in person?” she asked. I recognized her. She was Vanessa Thompson, James’s high school classmate, known as a social butterfly. How did they end up together? James seemed to rely on Vanessa quite a bit. I was shocked. Even though I was dead, I worried about James being deceived by such a manipulative woman. I hurried to follow them. In the car, James held Vanessa’s hand, looking somewhat tired. “Thank goodness I have you. You helped me find the cornea donor.” These words hit me like a thunderbolt, making my ears ring. Vanessa snuggled into James’s arms, smiling. “Silly, it’s because I love you. I’m not like Lily, who abandoned you when you needed her most.” At her words, a crack appeared in James’s previously calm expression. “Don’t mention that gold digger. She doesn’t deserve to be compared to you. She makes me sick.” The disgust in James’s eyes was obvious, sending a sharp pain through my heart. No, the corneas were donated by me. I clenched my fists tightly, my shoulders shaking. Vanessa chuckled softly. “Alright, we’re getting married soon. You’d better give me a romantic wedding.” Vanessa rested her head on James’s chest again. My mind went blank. James was getting married? To such a liar? I felt suffocated, staring at James in disbelief. Only then did I notice the diamond ring on his finger. A heartbreaking pain spread through my entire being. If I had known that the corneas I donated to James would be claimed by an imposter, I wouldn’t have died so quietly. But it was too late now. James absent-mindedly looked out the car window, gripping his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white. I could see that the phone displayed the last message I had sent him. [I wish you happiness.] That was the message I sent to James with my last moments of sight before donating my corneas. I had been following James for a long time now, so long that I had lost track of time. It seemed that after death, my sense of time had become vague. “Still haven’t found her?” James looked up at his assistant from his desk in the office, his eyes full of impatience. “I’m sorry, Mr. Foster. We’ve been searching for a week, but there’s no trace of Lily Adams,” the assistant said, hanging his head. “Useless! All of you are useless! How hard is it to find one woman? I refuse to believe she’s vanished into thin air! Keep looking! Even if she’s dead, dig her up from the grave!”

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