My wife cheated on me, and my son wasn’t mine. She confessed this bluntly on our wedding night. But then, by some bizarre twist of fate, I discovered that my son shared my extremely rare blood type: Rh-negative. Behind my wife’s back, I secretly took a paternity test. The results floored me: a 99.99% DNA match. Andrew was related to me, without a doubt. But if he wasn’t my son, who was his “real” father? My mind raced, my stomach twisted. Could it be… A horrible thought crept into my mind, leaving me sickened. “Is this Simon Swift, Andrew Swift’s father?” The call came in abruptly, shattering my morning peace. “This is Children’s Hospital. Your son had an accident at school. He fell, hit his head, and lost a lot of blood. He urgently needs a transfusion. “Please come immediately.” I glanced at the clock. It was 10 AM, and annoyance quickly overtook concern. It wasn’t worry or even anger, but irritation. “You should call his mother,” I said coldly. “Besides, I’m Rh-negative. What good is calling me? Doesn’t your hospital have a blood bank?” I was ready to end the call when I noticed Roger, my driver, shooting me a stunned, judgmental glance. I could read his thoughts clearly. What kind of father would respond so callously to news that his son was hurt? Yet the truth was simple. Andrew wasn’t my son. Beatrice Moore, my wife, had been three months pregnant when we met. She married me carrying another man’s child, and I accepted it. I was nothing but a pathetic stand-in. “What kind of father are you?” The doctor’s voice on the line grew sharper, thick with frustration. “If our blood bank had his type, why would we call you? “We’ve already tested Andrew. He’s Rh-negative, exactly like you. Get here now!” The call ended abruptly, leaving me frozen in disbelief. Andrew had Rh-negative blood too? How could that possibly be just a coincidence? Roger cleared his throat gently. “Simon, he’s just a kid. Kids get hurt. It’s part of growing up. “Maybe you’ve been a bit strict with him, but right now, you really should focus on his health.” “I’m not his father!” I blurted out, louder than intended. Immediately regretting it, I lowered my voice. “Sorry, Roger. I didn’t mean to snap. Let’s just… get to the hospital.” After the transfusion, Andrew drifted into sleep. For the first time, I found myself truly studying his face, startled by the striking resemblance I saw there. Roger stepped beside me quietly, his voice low but sincere. “Simon, you can’t deny it. Andrew looks exactly like you.” A sudden panic surged through me. I turned to the doctor urgently. “Can you perform a paternity test here?” The doctor gave me a puzzled look. “Isn’t your shared blood type enough proof?” “That’s not enough. Just tell me, can you do it or not?” “We can’t run it here,” he replied slowly, still eyeing me skeptically. “But we can send the samples to the central hospital downtown. Results take three days.” Without hesitation, I rolled up my sleeve. “Do you need blood or hair? Let’s do this right now.” I watched intently as they took our samples and sealed them away. Only then did Beatrice arrive, eyes swollen and red, her cheeks still streaked from recent tears. Teachers and school officials immediately crowded around her, apologizing and comforting. I merely shot her an icy glare, turned to Roger, and said, “Let’s go.” It was lunchtime when we left the hospital. Feeling restless and needing something stronger than cafeteria food, I asked Roger to join me at a restaurant. The moment the alcohol arrived, I poured myself a glass and knocked it back. Anyone could tell that I was trying to drown my confusion. “Simon, slow down,” Roger said cautiously. “You’re going to hurt yourself drinking like that.” He paused, carefully selecting his next words. “Are you absolutely sure Andrew isn’t yours? Because this blood thing… it’s awfully strange.”

But it wasn’t just the blood type. Today, as I truly studied Andrew’s face for the first time, an unsettling feeling took root deep inside me. Panic crept through my veins, making my skin crawl. Beatrice and I had been set up by our families. At first, I liked her well enough. Everything moved fast; our families agreed, and my mother didn’t hesitate to hand over the dowry. The wedding was arranged hastily, just two weeks after our initial meeting. It was a classic shotgun wedding scenario. Then, just days before the ceremony, Beatrice confessed that she was already three months pregnant. The news hit me like a thunderclap, turning my world upside down. For days before the wedding, I drank myself into oblivion, tortured by indecision. In the end, I decided to bury the truth and marry her anyway. It was not out of love, but because my mother had just been diagnosed with cervical cancer. I couldn’t risk breaking her heart. From then on, I treated Beatrice with cold indifference. After Andrew was born, I never held him or played with him. His existence mocked my pride as a man. Hearing him call me “Daddy” only sharpened the blade twisting in my chest. Now he was three years old, already attending preschool, and yet I had never taken him to a playground or tossed a ball with him. Whenever he approached me, especially if I’d been drinking, I’d snap at him harshly, sending him running away in fear. Andrew grew up wary and distant, a child who didn’t know his own father. And I never felt a shred of remorse. He wasn’t mine, so he wasn’t my burden. Frankly, I often considered myself generous just to tolerate his presence. Andrew was a permanent stain on my life, a humiliating reminder of my cowardice. The fact that I hadn’t mistreated him physically felt like kindness enough. But today, all my comfortable lies were collapsing around me. Anxiety gnawed at my thoughts. If Andrew wasn’t mine, why did he share my blood type? Why did he look so unmistakably like me? Three days flew by quickly. Andrew was already discharged; it was just a small injury after all, needing only three stitches. During these three days, I didn’t once inquire about his recovery, nor did Beatrice bother updating me. This was our life and normality, coexisting like tenants in the same house, separate lives carefully never intersecting. The moment I left work, I went straight to the hospital to pick up the test results. I brought Roger along. Among all my coworkers, Roger knew me best since he drove me around every day. Besides, he knew about the test. I brought him also because I panicked and didn’t dare to face the result alone. When the nurse handed me the sealed envelope, I didn’t open it immediately. Instead, Roger and I headed to a nearby diner. Only once we’d ordered and sat down did I break the seal, hands shaking slightly from nerves. Roger leaned over eagerly as I unfolded the paper. The moment he saw the result, his face split into a wide, congratulatory grin. But my reaction was the opposite. My heart jolted in my chest, cold dread surging up my spine. I stared in stunned disbelief at the unmistakable words: Probability of paternity: Greater than 99.99%. Andrew was absolutely, undeniably, my biological son. Yet, that result, rather than bringing comfort, slammed into me with sickening force. It was impossible and unacceptable. My head spun violently, leaving me disoriented, breathless, and dazed. My voice shook as I muttered numbly, “No… no, this can’t be right. Where…where the hell did things go wrong?”

“See? Clear as day. There’s no mistake.” Roger grinned widely, practically glowing as though he were the proud father himself. “Simon, stop torturing yourself. Andrew looks exactly like you. Same blood type, and now even a DNA test. What more proof do you need?” “I told you, he’s not mine. He can’t possibly be mine,” I insisted firmly, my expression hardening. “Beatrice and I met through a blind date arranged by our families. We got married two weeks later, and we barely knew each other. “Just a few days before our wedding, she admitted to me that she was already three months pregnant.” “And the timeline proves it,” I continued bitterly. “Andrew was born only seven months after our wedding. “We told everyone he was premature, but he was full-term.” Roger’s jaw dropped open, eyes widening. It was clear his brain was spinning as fast as mine had been earlier. Several long, awkward minutes passed before he finally gathered the nerve to speak again, his voice hesitant. “Simon, are you absolutely sure you didn’t know her…from before?” “You mean, could I have dated her earlier, gotten her pregnant, and forgotten about it?” I shot Roger a sharp look. “Tell me honestly, would you completely forget someone you were involved with just three months earlier?” Without waiting for a response, I stood up abruptly. “There’s got to be a mistake. I’m getting another test.” “Hold on,” Roger grabbed my sleeve. “Simon, please don’t get mad at what I’m about to say.” “Look,” he added cautiously, lowering his voice as if delivering a hard truth. “Is it possible the issue isn’t the test itself? Think about it: Andrew looks just like you, and you share the same rare blood type. You personally watched them seal the samples. The chance of error here is practically zero. “And since you’re positive Beatrice was already pregnant before meeting you… Is there any chance Andrew might be your brother’s child?” I understood immediately what he was implying, but that was also impossible. Putting aside the scientific fact that a nephew and his uncle would never match at a near-perfect 99.99%, there was a much simpler reason. “I don’t have any brothers,” I said flatly. “Only a sister.” Roger blinked in surprise, quickly shifting gears. “Oh…no brothers. Then what about your d…” He caught himself mid-sentence, his face reddening in embarrassment. He’d clearly crossed a line. “My dad passed away eight years ago,” I said, shooting him a pointed look. “I’m so sorry, Simon. I-I didn’t mean it that way,” Roger stammered, waving his hands frantically in apology. After a tense silence, he awkwardly cleared his throat. “Well, in that case, I can only think of one other explanation. “Simon, have you ever heard of the multiverse theory? You know, alternate dimensions, parallel universes… “Maybe Andrew isn’t your kid… But maybe another Simon from some parallel universe crossed over and…” I stared at him, speechless. Was he serious? Clearly, he’d spent too many late nights reading ridiculous sci-fi novels. I turned my head slightly, noticing the diners at the next table quietly picking up their plates and moving to seats further away. The looks they cast our way spoke volumes: they clearly thought we’d both lost our minds.

I didn’t respond, choosing instead to frown deeply and bury my frustrations in the bottom of my glass. Roger, however, was still riding the high of his bizarre theories, each new speculation wilder than the last. “Simon, uh…in the months before the wedding, did you ever visit any…questionable establishments? You know, sometimes mistakes happen…” He coughed awkwardly. “Protection is always key. If you slipped up, maybe one of those girls could’ve ended up pregnant, and then…” He quickly raised his hands in surrender as my glare hardened. “Okay, fine, let’s try another angle. “Have you watched any romance dramas? I’m sure you had more than one girlfriend before getting married, right? “Maybe you had an ex who wasn’t over you, went abroad, got plastic surgery, and reinvented herself as Beatrice? “Or… wait, wait! Simon, have you ever donated…um, DNA samples?” I could only stare at him, utterly speechless. Roger’s imagination was truly astounding, absurd to the point of exhaustion. He finally got the hint from my murderous expression and shut his mouth. But as ridiculous as his ideas sounded, he wasn’t entirely wrong to grasp at straws. Still, none of these scenarios applied to me. I might not have been some paragon of virtue, but I’d never been one to sleep around. As for past relationships, sure, I had dated three women seriously before marriage. But none had mysteriously vanished or undergone surgery to reemerge as Beatrice. And donating DNA? My thinking had never been that progressive. The truth was, no matter how hard I racked my brain, nothing made sense. If I couldn’t find the answers, Roger’s random guessing certainly wouldn’t help. In short, the situation had me completely baffled. Since I couldn’t unravel this myself, I decided the only way forward was to confront Beatrice directly. When I returned home, she was busy putting Andrew to bed. Only after he was asleep did I emerge from the study. Beatrice seemed to sense something was up and joined me quietly on the sofa. I looked at her, my voice cold and direct. “Who is Andrew’s real father? You’ve never once mentioned him.” She raised an eyebrow. “Since when have you ever cared about Andrew? Nearly four years married, and suddenly, you’re interested?” I couldn’t shake the feeling she was mocking me, enjoying some private joke at my expense. Her voice hardened, a bitter edge creeping in. “His father’s a worthless scumbag who deserves every awful thing coming to him.” In the past, hearing that would have offered me a twisted comfort. Now, with that DNA test burning a hole in my pocket, it felt like a deliberate insult, like she was throwing those words directly at me. “You’re not answering my question,” I snapped impatiently. “I want a straight answer. At the hospital the other day, I gave him blood. Maybe you don’t know this, but I’m Rh-negative. And guess what? Andrew has the exact same rare blood type. “And lately, everyone’s been saying how much Andrew looks like me, as if he’s practically my clone.” As I spoke, understanding flickered in her eyes. She looked at me strangely for a moment before breaking into a self-mocking chuckle. “Wait…you don’t actually think Andrew’s yours, do you? Didn’t I clearly tell you before our wedding that I was already three months pregnant?” “Then explain this!” My patience snapped completely. I pulled out the DNA test results, slamming them onto the table between us. “Simon, you secretly ran a paternity test on Andrew without even telling me? What the hell were you thinking?” Beatrice snatched the test results off the table, her expression instantly shifting.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295939”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy #后宫Harem

During a meeting, I whispered to my colleague if she had a tampon because I felt my period had started. To my surprise, my colleague, Vivian Myers, erupted in anger. “Is menstruation something to be ashamed of? Why are you whispering about it? Here you are!” She slapped the tampon on the table, drawing the attention of everyone in the meeting room. Over twenty people turned to look at us. I noticed the boss’ cold face and tugged at her sleeve, trying to calm her down. Seeing that she had drawn attention, Vivian became more impassioned. “Menstruation has never been anything to be ashamed of. Thanks to it, new life can be born, and human civilization can continue. We should resist period shaming and instead take pride in menstruation.” She looked around with her chin slightly raised. “I’m on my period, with a healthy flow and bright color, and I never get cramps.” I didn’t want to influence others in the meeting, yet in her view, I was ashamed of my period. With a smile, I said, “Alright, let’s give a round of applause for Vivian, who ranks last in the company’s performance evaluations but claims greatness because she’s on her period!”

A smattering of applause rang out in the meeting room, but many people had looks of mockery. Since Linda, the last manager of the logistics department, resigned, this department had ranked at the bottom in the company’s performance evaluations, and the satisfaction from other departments had been declining. Vivian, the acting manager of the logistics department, had been unable to be confirmed in her position partly due to this. She glared at me. “So what, Aurora White? Someone has to be there. You guys think I’m an easy target as I’m a woman. Anyway, no matter how well I do in logistics, I can’t fully exert my capabilities.” I looked around. The proportion of women in middle management was nearly equal to that of men. I retorted, “Are you implying someone is deliberately targeting you? Vivian, when Linda was here, the evaluations were always near the top.” Vivian rolled her eyes at me. “I didn’t say that. You are doing business, impacting the company’s future. I can’t compare with you.” Seeing the meeting veer further off course, the boss, Adrian Hill, intervened. He cleared his throat. “Vivian, my cup is empty. Could you please refill it for me?” He pushed the coffee cup toward her and turned back to continue the meeting. However, Vivian just sat there, making no move. Adrian’s face became even colder. “Vivian, I asked you to refill my cup. Didn’t you hear?” Vivian showed no fear, instead giving a cold snort. “I heard you, but I refuse.” Everyone in the meeting room looked at her, forgetting about the proposals and reports. Vivian pushed the cup away and said calmly, “My job is logistics support, not being your secretary. Making coffee isn’t part of my duties. With so many people here, why single me out to do it? Can’t men do it? It’s unfair.” Adrian seemed speechless by Vivian’s impassioned speech. I noticed the cup was still more than half full. The request was merely to give Vivian a moment to cool down. To ease the awkward situation, I stood up. “Well, I’ll do it.” Unexpectedly, Vivian grabbed my arm. “Sit down. I’m fighting for women’s rights. Don’t feign being a reasonable one.”

Hearing this, I couldn’t help but doubt myself. I thought, “Am I just trying to smooth things over, or had I become insensitive?” But looking at Adrian’s gray hair and Ryan’s dark circles under his eyes, I felt it was necessary to speak up. I said, “Vivian, you can fight for our rights, but you shouldn’t have indiscriminately accused every man here. When you messed up the event and offended the clients, Mr. Hill apologized to them on your behalf. But he never blamed you. “Look at them. Ryan stayed up until dawn yesterday working on this report. Bruce has a high fever, yet he is still working. John returned to work just two months after a car accident, and he still needed crutches to walk. But you only see your so-called unfair treatment but ignore their efforts.” I sneered. “Maybe you should reflect on how to improve satisfaction instead of pointing fingers.” Ignoring her fierce glare, I picked up the cup from the table and strode out of the meeting room. Behind me, Vivian scoffed. “Save it, Aurora. You have no right to criticize me.” Then, she muttered disdainfully, “Ugh, you stained the chair. I still have to clean it. Damn.” I suddenly felt uneasy. I wore white pants today. When I checked in the restroom, there was already a stain. Annoyed, I thought, “If I hadn’t argued with Vivian, I might have had time to avoid this. What could I do now? I have to meet a client for dinner tonight.” Just then, my colleague, Bella Cox, came out of a stall. Seeing her, I felt very awkward. We used to be close colleagues and friends, but since I became deputy manager, she had been distant. I instinctively covered my backside with both hands, trying to avoid another embarrassing scene. But Bella said calmly, “Wait, I’ll get you another pants.” Soon, she brought me a new pair of pants and a paper bag, solving my embarrassment. Holding the bag tightly, I called out as Bella turned to leave, “Don’t you hate me? Why are you helping me?” Without turning around, she replied, “Does this conflict? The pants cost 200 dollars. Remember to transfer the money.” Embarrassed, I scratched my nose. “Oh, okay.” Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Seeing Adrian’s message, I realized I had been out for too long. When I returned, the meeting was nearly over. Everyone showed a mix of expressions, and Adrian looked at me awkwardly. “Aurora, Vivian just proposed transferring to the marketing department for some experience. What do you think?” I hesitated, and Vivian shot me a challenging look. “The position of head of the marketing department has been vacant since Lily resigned. Mr. Hill said we need a fair competition, so let’s do it.” Seeing my silence, Ivy Green, the HR supervisor, said, “Your ranks are equivalent. Vivian is the acting supervisor, and you’re the deputy manager. It makes sense.” No one stood up to support me. Adrian and Ivy were being evasive, and the rest remained silent. Refusing would seem like I was afraid. I smiled. “If Mr. Hill agrees, I have no objections.” Vivian transferred to the marketing department, becoming my equal as deputy manager. After the meeting, Ivy patted me on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Her personality is like a double-edged sword. If she really stands up for women and tackles the business dinner culture, it could be beneficial to us.” I nodded, not bothering to argue. The following days in the marketing department were going to get much more interesting.

Vivian’s desk is right across from mine. While I was busy scheduling meetings with clients, she was touching up her makeup in a mirror. As I worked on revising my presentation slides, she was laughing out loud while watching a variety show. Seeing her like this, I understood why the logistics department had been consistently underperforming over the past few quarters. When I tried to rest for a while due to menstrual cramps, Vivian finally opened a document. “Aurora, add me to the marketing department group chat. How did you calculate the quote for the client? Isn’t it a bit low? Did you hear me?” Exhausted and in pain, I pointed to the stack of files on her desk. “The information is in the documents I gave you. Just look it up yourself.” She immediately flipped out. “What do you mean? You hide everything from me. Are you treating me as a competitor? You promised fair competition in front of Adrian.” Glancing at myself in the mirror on my desk, I found my lips had lost their color from the pain. Sweat broke out on my forehead, and my voice trembled uncontrollably. “Just wait a moment, okay? I’m in a lot of pain now.” Vivian rolled her eyes at me and muttered something under her breath. I couldn’t make out what she was saying as I rummaged through my drawer for medicine. Thankfully, I found a painkiller. I struggled to keep my hands steady as I tried to take the pill. But before I could take my glass, Vivian suddenly snatched the pill from my hand and sneered. “It’s just menstrual cramps. Do you really need to take medicine?” She held the pill, laughing contemptuously. “I hate delicate women like you. Can’t you even bear a little pain? You want to rest and take medicine. Humph, why not just ask for a leave and go home?” With that, she tossed the last remaining pill into the trash can. I hurried over to the trash can to retrieve it, but inside was an old instant noodle container. The pill dissolved instantly in the residual soup. Vivian continued her tirade, “It’s because of people like you that women struggle in the workplace.” I was in so much pain that I couldn’t retort. Glaring at her, I collapsed on my desk. Vivian took out her phone and started snapping pictures of me, muttering, “You can rest. I’ll send these photos to Ivy and let her post them in the main chat group to curb this kind of behavior.”

The argument here drew the attention of everyone in the office, but no one dared to offend the newly appointed leader. Only Bella approached my desk with a serious expression. “Aurora, you never had painful periods before. Why is it so severe this time?” Vivian burst into laughter. “Look, even your friend is questioning you. You are still acting, huh?” I was upset, thinking, “Is Bella here to laugh at me? But she helped me just now.” I stared at Bella, wanting to know her answer. “Do you really think that?” Bella didn’t speak. Instead, she swiped the phone out of Vivian’s hand. The phone fell, and Bella caught it smoothly. Vivian erupted in anger, shouting, “Bella!” Bella sneered. “You said I doubted her. Huh, why are you so sure she’s acting? If she’s not acting, what then? Apologize to everyone? With your twisted logic, you’ll only defame our department in the group chat. Will you pay for the damages?” With that, she tapped on the screen and deleted the photos. Vivian wasn’t about to back down. The two stared at each other, neither willing to yield, looking like they were about to come to blows. I struggled to stand up to intervene, but suddenly, I collapsed straight onto the floor. Vivian gloated over my embarrassment. “Since you’re sick, I’ll take your dinner appointment tonight.” I fainted. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. It was dark and quiet outside. My colleagues must have brought me here and left. The loneliness of making a living alone in a big city hit me hard. Vivian sent me a photo of the private room I had reserved. The client opposite her was the one I had been working with for a long time. “Damn it!” I muttered. “That’s because you’re not strong enough.” Just then, a cold voice echoed in the ward. Simultaneously, the sudden bright light made it hard for me to open my eyes. Adjusting my vision, I saw it was Bella. I hesitated. “Bella? Have you been here all along?” Bella snorted. “No, I passed by the hospital after work. I was worried you might be in pain and no one would know, so I came to check on you.” I felt warm. Why hadn’t I realized how sharp-tongued Bella was? I winked at her. “You’ve been so sweet. Could you accompany me to do something? I’ll treat you to dinner.” She saw right through my intentions and immediately agreed. “You want to get the deal back, right? Let’s go. I’ve been annoyed with Vivian for a while. Just be careful not to drink too much. I don’t want to be an accomplice.” I playfully punched her. “Wish me well for once, okay?” Vivian said she wanted to compete fairly with me, but behind my back, she was trying to steal my clients while I was sick. She even used the dishes I had ordered in advance. However, I noticed there were only a few bottles of non-alcoholic beverages on the table.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295938”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy #后宫Harem

I Was So Furious That My Water Broke, and Yet My Husband Told Me to Fend for Myself. As a Result, My Child and I Died… On the day my husband, Jaxon Rivers, married his childhood friend, Ruby Wells, I, Olivia Stone, was so upset that my water broke. My husband quickly called off the wedding. I thought he was going to take me to the hospital, but instead, he turned the car around and drove to Maplewood Residences, locking me inside a house and leaving me to fend for myself. He then turned around and went back to continue the wedding with Ruby. Some guests asked if he was being too harsh, but he coldly replied. “I only married Ruby for the show to please her family. Olivia won’t let it go and deliberately ruined the wedding by peeing herself. She’s only six months pregnant. How could her water have broken? “I’ll let her out after Ruby and I finish our honeymoon. There’s enough food in the house, so she won’t starve, and maybe this will teach her a lesson!” But he didn’t know that, to avoid affecting his career, I had lied about being two months along. A week later, my husband came back, satisfied and ready to take me home. When he saw my deflated belly and the decayed body, he completely lost his mind.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself at Jaxon and his childhood friend Ruby’s wedding. Ruby was wearing the pure white wedding gown that Jaxon had custom-made for me, a gown worth millions of dollars. She held his hand tightly, smiling sweetly at him. She smiled, her eyes full of smug satisfaction. At this, my eyes filled with tears, and anger bubbled up inside me. I rushed forward to stop them, only to realize I passed right through their bodies. It hit me then. I was already dead. What was left of me was just a lingering spirit. Before I could feel the despair, the guests around us started chanting. “Kiss her, kiss her!” Most of these people were mutual friends of Jaxon and me. Not long ago, they had all pitied me. They had sworn that even if Jaxon and Ruby got married, they would never support them. But now, they betrayed me and chose to back Jaxon and Ruby. I couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly. Their previous kindness had all been about getting close to Jaxon. Now that they could please him directly, why would they care about me? Yet, there was still one person who couldn’t take it. They weakly spoke up. “Jaxon, isn’t this too much for Olivia? What if something happens to her?” Jaxon casually swirled his wine glass, his voice indifferent. “It’s Olivia’s own fault. After the wedding, I’ll let her go. “The food in there is enough to keep her from starving. She’s spoiled by me. It’s good for her to suffer a little.” He didn’t know. I was already dead. He had killed me with his own hands. A week ago, Jaxon had proposed a fake marriage with Ruby, who was pregnant out of wedlock, just to appease her family and deal with rumors. I had refused. “If you really want to play pretend, she could find someone else. Why does she need to involve you, a married man? She’s up to something!” Jaxon scolded me for being petty, and we argued fiercely. If this had happened before, I would’ve humbled myself and agreed to his absurd request, making up with him. But this time, I stood firm. I even threatened divorce to make him abandon the idea. I never imagined he would secretly marry Ruby behind my back. When I saw their wedding, it made me so angry that my baby kicked, and my water broke. Jaxon immediately stopped the ceremony and rushed to carry me to the car. I thought he was taking me to the hospital, but instead, he turned around and headed straight for Maplewood Residences, locking me in a room to reflect. It was him. He personally led me to my dead end. When I came to my senses, Jaxon, as if struck by a thought, called Henry Bennett over. “Henry, go check on Olivia. If she’s willing to apologize, maybe we can let her out early.” I could only smile bitterly. But I didn’t do anything wrong. I had never lied. At that time, I had truly gone into labor. But under Ruby’s provocation, Jaxon believed I had intentionally ruined the wedding by wetting myself, making him lose face. He trusted Ruby more than me. Seeing Jaxon hesitate, Ruby immediately placed a hand on her belly and said with a pitiful look. “Jaxon, although Olivia lost control of her emotions and pushed me earlier, she’s still pregnant. It wouldn’t be good if something happened to her. You should let her out. “This time, I’ll be careful with my belly. Olivia can hurt me, but she mustn’t harm my baby…” Earlier, when I had barged in on their wedding, Ruby had used her mouth to mock and provoke me. Pregnancy hormones were already unstable, and with her taunts, I couldn’t control myself and rushed forward. Before I could even reach her, she fell to the ground, clutching her belly and screaming in pain. That was why Jaxon later locked me up in Maplewood Residences to vent his anger for Ruby. Now, hearing Ruby say this, Jaxon looked at her with concern and patted her hand. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, no one will hurt you or the baby.” He turned to Henry and coldly commanded, “Tell Olivia that when she’s ready to apologize to Ruby, then we’ll let her out.” Ruby shyly leaned against Jaxon’s shoulder. “Jaxon, you’re so good to me and the baby.” Everyone around them started teasing. “Jaxon, why don’t you two just make it official? You’ve been childhood sweethearts. Your bond is way deeper than with Olivia!” Ruby gave a bashful smile and tugged at Jaxon’s sleeve. I couldn’t help but think that Jaxon would surely agree. But he frowned and coldly interrupted. “Don’t say that again. Ruby and I are just in a fake marriage. It’s all for the show. “Olivia’s quite possessive. If she finds out, she’ll be mad.” A bitter taste filled my mouth, and a wave of sorrow washed over me. But this time, I wouldn’t get angry because I was already dead. If he truly cared, he wouldn’t marry Ruby. Since they were already married, what was the point of saying such hollow words? Hearing Jaxon’s words, the group fell silent, and Ruby’s expression grew dark. Just when the atmosphere became awkward, Jaxon’s phone suddenly rang. He instinctively thought it was me calling to apologize, so he picked up the phone and immediately spoke. “Olivia, you…” Before he could finish his sentence, the person on the other end interrupted him. “Hello, are you Ms. Stone’s husband? I’m a doctor at Silverbrook Hospital. We’ve been unable to reach Ms. Stone. Could you bring her in for her check-up on her due date?” Jaxon looked confused. “Isn’t she only six months pregnant? What do you mean by due date?” The doctor paused for a moment before answering slowly, “Six months? She’s already eight months along, almost ready to give birth! And you, as her husband, didn’t know?”

Jaxon froze, his fingers gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned pale. Seeing his shocked expression, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. It was a crucial moment for the company’s stock market listing, and I had kept my pregnancy a secret for two months to avoid distracting him. I told him I was only six months pregnant. But if Jaxon had paid more attention, he would’ve noticed the check-up report in my drawer, showing the true due date. If he cared enough, how could I have hidden it? It all came down to the fact that he simply didn’t care enough about me. At that moment, someone couldn’t help but voice their thoughts. “So Olivia didn’t just wet herself earlier? Her water broke?” As soon as the words left their mouth, Jaxon shot Henry a death glare. “Henry, you went with Olivia to her check-ups. Didn’t you say she was only six months pregnant? What’s going on here?” Henry avoided Jaxon’s gaze, looking guilty. He felt guilty. After all, he was indirectly responsible for my death. After my water broke, I immediately called Jaxon for help. But then, his assistant, who knew the truth, stepped in and claimed I was only six months pregnant. Ruby, ever the troublemaker, fueled the situation by saying I wet myself to embarrass Jaxon. With their words echoing in his head, Jaxon believed I was lying and locked me away in the abandoned Maplewood Residences. As soon as he left, I started bleeding heavily from the shock. I begged Henry, crying, to save me and the baby. But he pushed me aside, stomped on my hand, and ruthlessly kicked my stomach again and again. Then, with a cold look on his face, he shut the door and walked away. The pain was suffocating, and soon, warm liquid began to flow from me, staining the ground. The baby I had carried for months was reduced to a pool of blood and flesh. Despair consumed me. My life was slipping away, and my breaths grew weaker. In the end, I succumbed to the agony, unwillingly taking my last breath. Now, when I think back, I can still feel that unbearable pain as if it happened just moments ago. When Henry didn’t know how to speak up, Ruby deliberately mocked him, saying, “Jaxon, I didn’t expect Olivia to be so petty. Just to spite you, she even pretended to be sick and went to see a doctor. “If it were me, no matter how angry I was, I would never embarrass you or make things worse…” Ruby’s words provoked Jaxon, and his gaze turned cold. He replied to the doctor, “Tell Olivia to stop with these childish tricks. I don’t have time to play her games!” With that, Jaxon hung up the phone decisively. Ruby smiled smugly, a glint of triumph in her eyes. After the wedding, once the guests had left, Jaxon was about to take Ruby home. But Ruby suddenly suggested she go back with him. “Jaxon, if we’re going to act, we might as well go all the way. At least on our wedding night, I should stay with you. Otherwise, how will people not gossip?” Jaxon hesitated, his brow furrowing deeply. He had promised me he wouldn’t let anyone but me step into our new home. But now, it seemed like he was about to break that promise. When she saw Jaxon waver, Ruby’s eyes reddened, and she grabbed his sleeve, shaking it. “Jaxon, please, for the sake of the baby… help me, okay? “If people find out I’m pregnant and unmarried, how will I live with the shame? Do you want to see me ruined?” In the end, Jaxon reluctantly agreed. Jaxon was worried about Ruby’s reputation, but he didn’t realize how much harm this would cause me… Lost in thought, Jaxon had already brought Ruby into our newlywed home. As soon as they entered, the housekeeper, Laura Hall, greeted them. “Mr. and Mrs. Rivers, welcome home!” But upon seeing Ruby, she quickly corrected herself. “Oh, I mean… Ms. Wells.” Ruby’s smile froze, and she subtly nudged Jaxon’s elbow, whispering, “Jaxon, don’t let it slip.” Jaxon’s expression turned icy, and he ordered the housekeeper, “Call Ruby Mrs. Rivers.’” I was taken aback. But he had promised I would be his one and only Mrs. Rivers. Now, it seemed he was willing to share the title… The housekeeper, confused, spoke up on my behalf. “Mr. Rivers, I think Mrs. Rivers will be upset…” Jaxon paused for a moment before responding, “Once Olivia returns, we’ll change it back. Until then, call Ruby Mrs. Rivers.’” Ruby, pleased with the arrangement, raised her chin proudly. She walked into the bedroom, wearing my clothes, my jewelry, and even using my lipstick, acting like the lady of the house. Jaxon simply glanced at her without saying a word, silently tolerating her behavior. The housekeeper, Laura Hall, seemed ready to protest, but Jaxon stopped her. “Laura, can you make some barbecue ribs and tomato-baked chicken legs? Ruby loves those. “Oh, and don’t add thyme or chili. She doesn’t like them…” Jaxon was attentive, giving detailed instructions about Ruby’s preferences. My heart ached. He had lived with me for so long and didn’t even know I was allergic to seafood, but he knew Ruby’s every liking. I had always thought he was careless, but now I realized how thoughtful and gentle he could be. At that moment, Ruby noticed a scarf in the wardrobe. It was a scarf I had spent weeks knitting for Jaxon, with the letters LJR embroidered on it, short for [Love Jaxon Rivers.] Ruby ripped the scarf off the shelf, her expression darkening. “Olivia, you’re dead and still can’t let go! “You’re just a replacement, and you dare to covet my things? You don’t deserve it!” I froze. How did she know I was dead? Was Henry working with her? Before I could react, Ruby grabbed the scarf and tore it to shreds, then threw it on the floor and stomped on it several times. At that moment, Jaxon suddenly burst into the room. When he saw the ruined scarf on the floor, his face turned cold.

“Ruby, what are you doing?” I froze for a moment. I thought, “Jaxon cared so much about the scarf I gave him. Does that mean he has feelings for me too?” But before I could figure it out, Ruby’s eyes reddened, and tears started to sparkle in them. “Jaxon, I… I just thought the scarf was so beautiful. I wanted to try it on, but I didn’t expect it to tear. “This scarf has your name embroidered on it. I’m guessing Olivia gave it to you, right? I’m sorry. I ruined it…” The scarf clearly looked like it had been cut. Ruby’s lie was full of holes, but Jaxon believed it. He didn’t blame her. Instead, he took her hand with concern. “It’s just a scarf. Are you okay? Did you hurt your hand? “If you like it, I’ll have Olivia make another one for you.” At this, my heart slowly turned cold. Jaxon wasn’t panicking because of my scarf. He was worried about Ruby getting hurt. I thought, “And he even wanted me to have Olivia make another one for Ruby? Was my sincerity so cheap in his eyes? In the end, I was just fooling myself.” I didn’t want to watch them being so close, so I tried to escape mentally, but my soul could only linger around Jaxon. Helpless, I turned my head away, hoping not to see. Seeing that Jaxon wasn’t angry, Ruby grew even bolder, asking if she could sleep with him tonight. To my surprise, Jaxon avoided her touch, pulling away and coldly saying, “Ruby, this is just an act for others. Don’t push it.” Ruby reluctantly went to the guest room, her eyes flashing with bitterness as she left. After she left, Jaxon lay on the bed, tossing and turning. After a while, he took out his phone and repeatedly read through our chat history. But the messages were still stuck at the ones from the morning. This made Jaxon a little puzzled, even when I was angry. I would never go this long without replying. Conflicted, he still sent me a message. [Still, sulking? If you just apologize, I can let you out anytime. You’re just too stubborn…] But there was still no reply. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to reply, but that I couldn’t. After all, how could a dead person reply to messages? Jaxon scratched his head in frustration, deciding not to bother with me anymore, and turned off his screen to sleep. But he, who usually slept well, couldn’t fall asleep for the first time. The next day, Jaxon woke up with dark circles under his eyes and immediately grabbed his phone to send me a message. [I’ve punished you long enough. I’ll come to get you in a bit.] He was about to leave to find me when Ruby stopped him. “Jaxon, my relatives back home already know about our marriage. They really want to meet you. “Can you please help me out one more time?”

With Ruby’s big, teary eyes, Jaxon couldn’t bring himself to say no and reluctantly agreed. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to send me a message. [Sorry, Olivia, something came up. I’ll be a few days late picking you up.] I thought, “Jaxon was… informing me?” This took me by surprise. After all, he had always been the kind of person who acted on his own, ditching me without a second thought, never considering how I felt. Now, he was explaining things to me. If I were still alive, I might have been glad to see his change. But I was already dead, and whether he changed or not didn’t matter to me anymore. My soul followed Jaxon back to Ruby’s hometown. As soon as we got out of the car, Ruby’s relatives surrounded Jaxon, showering him with praise. “So this is Jaxon? You’ve really made it! You’re like a totally different person from when you were younger!” “No wonder Ruby’s so lucky. You two were childhood sweethearts, and now you’re together. It’s truly fate!” At the dinner table, Ruby’s aunts and uncles kept piling food onto Jaxon’s plate. Ruby’s dad was crazily clinking glasses with Jaxon, drinking so much that his face turned red. “Jaxon, I’ve always believed in you. Now that Ruby’s married to you, we can finally relax. “But Ruby’s pregnant with your child. How about transferring some of your company shares to her unborn child just to secure their future? Ruby’s family clearly had plans to get their hands on Jaxon’s wealth. I had warned Jaxon more than once that Ruby was only getting close to him for a reason, but he said I was being petty and jealous, spreading rumors about Ruby. He trusted Ruby completely and was always on guard around me. But I was his wife, not her. Jaxon stayed silent, his face darkening. Ruby quickly tried to smooth things over. “Dad, it’s too early to talk about this. We can always transfer the shares after the baby is born.” With that, she picked up a piece of fish and tried to calm him down. What she didn’t know was that Jaxon had a sensitive stomach and couldn’t handle spicy food. Normally, I was the one who carefully removed all the bones before serving him fish. Now, Jaxon just stared at the plate of fish in silence, lost in thought. Seeing that Jaxon wasn’t responding, Ruby’s aunts and uncles broke the silence. “By the way, Jaxon, now that you and Ruby are married, when are you going to register your marriage?” “Yeah, you can’t just let Ruby follow you around without any proper status.” Ruby took the chance to hook her arm through Jaxon’s, her cheeks flushing. “Jaxon, why don’t we…” I thought for sure Jaxon would agree since he had already shown he’d give up his wife and child for Ruby. But instead, Jaxon slammed his hand on the table, pushed Ruby away, and said coldly. “Ruby, I already made it clear before, we’re just pretending. It was never going to be real. “I have something else to do, so I’m leaving.” Ruby’s face stiffened for a moment before she rushed to grab him. “Jaxon, you know how I feel about you. Why won’t you give me a chance? “I know you have feelings for me, too, or why would you help me so much?” Jaxon furrowed his brow, his face darkening. “Ruby, looks like I gave you the wrong impression. “I don’t love you. The one I love is Olivia.” Without another word, he turned and left, heading straight for Maplewood Residences. Before getting into his car, he sent me a message. “Olivia, wait for me. I’m coming to pick you up!” Jaxon arrived at the villa soon after. His unexpected arrival startled Henry, the assistant standing at the door. “Mr. Rivers, what are you doing here?” “I came to see Olivia. Call her out.” Henry broke into a cold sweat, stammering. “Mr. Rivers, maybe you can come back another day? Mrs. Rivers… she…” Jaxon felt a sudden unease in his chest. Without waiting for Henry to finish, he pushed past him and stormed inside. As soon as the door opened, a terrible stench and the sharp scent of blood hit him. In the center of the villa lay a decaying corpse!

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295937”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy #后宫Harem

At the company’s year-end party, the CEO’s wife’s male assistant quietly revealed that she was planning to publicly announce our relationship. As I walked towards my wife in my suit, holding a bouquet of flowers, the scheming male assistant suddenly knocked the flowers onto my head, crying uncontrollably: “Jack, I only told you about my relationship with Olivia, but I never thought you’d steal her from me. Even if you’re the core project manager, you can’t do this!” My wife not only didn’t refute his claim, but she also took away my year-end bonus and even arranged for the male assistant to join my project team to gain experience. Everyone in the company reacted, applauding to congratulate my wife and the male assistant on their fairy-tale romance. My team members even advised me: “Boss, I know you’ve had a crush on CEO Olivia for ten years, but now that the company is about to go public, just bear with it and say something nice.” I just smiled faintly and handed the project manager appointment letter to the male assistant: “How could I let the company’s new man work under me? I think only you are qualified to be the project manager and lead the company to greater success.” After all, I was the only one who knew the key formula for the project. I was curious to see how my wife would come up with that million-dollar breach of contract penalty.

Seeing me take out the appointment letter, everyone was stunned for a moment. My team members immediately helped me out, applauding and saying loudly: “Looks like our boss has really realized his mistake. CEO Olivia, please forgive him!” “Yeah, Jack is being so generous, there must have been a misunderstanding. He truly wishes you and Ryan the best.” Everyone was stirring up the atmosphere. Ryan tightly clutched the appointment letter, but his eyes were fixed on my designer suit. He said pitifully: “But Jack dressed up so nicely, isn’t it just to steal the spotlight…” Everyone was taken aback, not expecting Ryan to be so persistent. They all turned to look at me. In response to his provocation, my wife Olivia’s expression was unclear, and she didn’t say anything. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. Ten years ago, I had received an offer from a major foreign company with an annual salary of millions. But because of Olivia’s plea for me to stay, I chose to start from scratch with her, living on a shoestring budget. She cried and said she would never forget my sacrifice. Once the company went public, she would officially announce our relationship, make me the vice president, and give me shares. But now, as the company was about to go public, all her favoritism went to a newcomer who had only joined six months ago. I took a deep breath and started unbuttoning my jacket. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” I would never have any expectations of Olivia again. After saying that, I walked out of the meeting room wearing only a thin shirt. Outside the company, the cold wind blew, stinging my skin. I coughed softly. The doctor had told me that my lungs were damaged from doing experiments, and I couldn’t continue working such long hours. Olivia didn’t know yet that the key formula for this project was the result of my sleepless nights and tireless work. In three days, the project would be delivered. If there were no results by then, Olivia would face a million-dollar penalty. Perhaps it was time for me to live my own life. Instead of pouring my heart and soul out for someone who didn’t love me. Bang! While I was lost in thought, something hit the back of my head hard. I turned around to see Ryan looking at me maliciously. The project manager appointment letter was scattered on the ground. “Jack, how can you be so stupid? I pretended to tell you that Olivia was going to announce your relationship, and you actually believed it!” My heart trembled. Because I had always dreamed of Olivia announcing our relationship. So I was overjoyed and couldn’t help but believe it. I remained silent, but Ryan became even more arrogant. “Too bad, it seems Olivia prefers me. Not just a small position like project manager, if I cry a little, she might even kick you out of the company.” Ryan had always been two-faced. Because I didn’t like him during his interview, but Olivia specially recruited him into the company, he always came to cause trouble for me. After repeatedly provoking me, he would shed tears and act pitiful in front of others, causing Olivia to argue with me, saying I was jealous. Now, I just felt that my past self was naive. To actually compete with such a despicable person for Olivia’s affection. I turned to leave. Ryan’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly slapped himself hard, his thin cheek instantly turning red. Before I could understand what was happening, he was already in tears, bending down humbly to pick up the appointment letter from the ground, and handed it to me with trembling hands: “Jack, I know you don’t like me. You can hit me or scold me, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re willing to stay in the company, take this appointment letter back. I’ll voluntarily resign and talk to Olivia about it.” The next second, I heard Olivia’s angry shout. “Jack, are you crazy?!” She threw the coat she was carrying on her arm to the ground and raised her hand to slap me: “Ryan was just joking around, and you decided to go on strike? Now you’re hitting people just to get back the position of project manager? When did you become so violent?” She looked like a mother beast protecting her cub. I licked my bleeding lip, laughing coldly in my heart. Whenever Ryan and I had a conflict, Olivia would blindly believe that I was bullying him, without asking for the truth. In the past, I would have argued until my lips were parched, feeling wronged. Now, I was truly tired of it all. I smiled, saying rather dejectedly: “Thank you.” Olivia’s anger suddenly subsided, and she asked in bewilderment: “Thank me for what?” I spoke in a flat tone: “Thank you for letting me know that in your heart, I’m just a jealous, unscrupulous person.” With that, I turned to leave. Olivia’s body trembled. She took a step, instinctively grabbing my arm, feeling how cold it was. In the dead of winter, the tip of my nose was already red from the cold. She picked up the coat from the ground in a somewhat panicked manner and stuffed it into my hands: “You… it’s so cold, put on your coat first. As for the project manager position, I’ll consider it carefully…” As soon as Olivia mentioned reconsidering the project manager position, Ryan immediately became anxious. He said indignantly, as if he couldn’t bear the insult: “Olivia, I know Jack is a veteran of the company, and I can never compare to your years of friendship. Please don’t argue because of me, I’ll go to HR and apply for resignation right now!” With that, he tightly clutched the appointment letter and ran back into the company. As he was going up the stairs, he deliberately stumbled, pretending to fall. His knee hit the steps, and he hugged his knee, crying out in pain. Olivia’s eyes widened as she looked at Ryan crying in pain, then back at me who was about to leave. After hesitating for a moment, she hurriedly said to me: “Jack, you go home first. I’ll talk to you later.” Then, without hesitation, she rushed towards Ryan.

At the bottom of the company building, Olivia reached out to help Ryan, her movements careful as if protecting a fragile piece of porcelain. Ryan, however, pushed away her hand with a stubborn look on his face, trying to stand up on his own. The next second, he fell into Olivia’s soft embrace. It was just after work hours, and there were many people on the street. Their public display immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers. I couldn’t help but curl my lips in a sarcastic smile. In public, Olivia never let me get within three steps of her, only allowing me to call her “CEO Olivia.” Once, after an argument, I just wanted to make up with her. I walked closer and held her hand. She jerked away as if electrocuted and flew into a rage. She accused me of breaking our agreement to keep our marriage a secret and avoid public displays of affection. She said she wasn’t a monkey in a zoo, with no desire to show affection in front of strangers. But now, the whole company was shipping her with Ryan, and strangers were stopping to watch them, yet she showed no restraint. I swallowed the sourness rising in my throat and hailed a taxi to go home. After returning home, the warm air made me finally feel the stinging pain on my face. In the mirror, I saw my face reddened by the rose thorns, with streaks of blood. How ridiculous, like a pathetic clown. On my phone placed by the sink, a message suddenly popped up: “Jack, have you really not considered our company? We’re a Fortune 500 company with great benefits, including four days off every week. You could even be our representative in the country!” The person contacting me was the HR from the foreign company, who had repeatedly extended olive branches to me. If we weren’t collaborating, I would have blocked them long ago. In the past, I would politely say I had no such plans for now. This time, I replied: “Alright, I’ll buy a ticket for tomorrow.” Instantly, the HR kept typing: “Great! Jack, I’ll transfer you $5,000 for travel expenses right away. You must come!” Looking at the $5,000 credited to my bank account. And the glaring bank balance: $5,000.13. I covered my face and laughed out loud. Five thousand dollars. Olivia, afraid that I would slack off if I had money in hand, only paid me $500 a month. I couldn’t earn this much in a year. She also said that even married couples should keep clear accounts. The rent was $200 a month, I paid for utilities and did all the housework. If I even used a roll of her toilet paper, she would charge me $10. Yet she never mentioned how to account for the money I spent on groceries, cooking, and daily necessities. After all these years, I found myself penniless. Adjusting my mood, I walked out of the bathroom, ready to pack my luggage for the flight. When I opened the drawer, I found an old digital camera in the corner. It was a product from ten years ago. I hadn’t used it in a long time, but surprisingly, it still turned on. I imported the data into my computer and started looking through the photos one by one. This camera was bought by Olivia specially for me when we first started our business. She said she knew I liked photography and promised to buy me a better one once the company went public. During those difficult times, because we were both orphans and couldn’t get help from our parents, we only had each other to rely on and keep warm. The photos included us sharing a bowl of instant noodles, dating on the subway to enjoy the warmth, and on New Year’s Eve with fireworks outside the window, when we fought over a piece of meat that ended up falling on the floor, and she ran to the bathroom crying in frustration. All these memories seemed like they happened yesterday, yet also felt like a lifetime ago. But as time went on, there were fewer and fewer photos. The last one was from six months ago. In the photo, Olivia, wearing a professional suit, looked mature and charming, frowning as she raised her hand to block the camera. That day, our project had achieved unprecedented success, and Olivia was already planning to take the company public. As usual, I took out the camera to take a photo. But she sneered and blocked the lens: “Jack, no wonder your experiment progress has been so slow lately. You’re not focused on work, but on taking my embarrassing photos. You’re still using this trash camera? If it were me, I would have smashed it long ago.” But when Ryan took out his phone to take a selfie with Olivia, she softened her expression and posed for quite a few pictures. From that day on, this camera, which once symbolized our love, was thrown into the depths of my drawer. As my thoughts returned to the present, I moved my fingers. I permanently deleted the entire photo album, then threw the camera into the trash can. Some things were meant to be thrown away. After doing this, I printed out a divorce agreement. I sat crookedly on the sofa, waiting until 10 pm, but Olivia still hadn’t returned. Just as I was about to get up and go to my room, I felt my whole body burning hot, and I couldn’t stop coughing. Looking at the thermometer showing 102°F, I realized I probably had pneumonia. Feeling that I might need to be hospitalized, I directly took my luggage with me, saving the trouble of coming back home to pack. During the consultation, I answered the doctor’s questions in a daze. Until a clear, worried female voice sounded: “Doctor, is he alright? Please check him carefully!”

My whole body trembled, and my consciousness instantly became clearer. It was Olivia’s voice. I turned my head to look. At the door of the consultation room, Olivia was holding a CT scan in one hand and supporting Ryan with the other. Ryan, a grown man, was leaning on Olivia pathetically, whining: “Olivia, you’ve been with me all night, you must be so tired. Why don’t you rest at my place like before…” Turning his head and seeing me, Ryan looked a bit surprised. The next second, he trembled and lowered his head, hiding behind Olivia. “Jack, did you see my social media post and come here on purpose to find me? Please don’t take revenge on me…” Ryan loved to provoke me by posting on social media. On a rainy day, he would use the excuse of forgetting his umbrella to let Olivia send him home, then praise the boss for being beautiful and kind-hearted on social media. When I made achievements and Olivia wanted to reward me, he would pretend to be sick or faint, interrupting and making Olivia take him to the hospital to care for him all night. Then he’d post on social media about how caring the boss was, saying he was in love. This happened several times, to the point where I felt desperate and heartbroken. No need to guess, today, Ryan must have posted something provocative on social media again. But now, I didn’t have any desire to see that post at all. Olivia frowned and gave me a deep look. Her chest heaved violently as she turned to ask the doctor: “Doctor, the young man says he’s having trouble breathing. Can you please check him?” The doctor immediately frowned in displeasure: “Patients need to queue up too.” Olivia pointed at me with a contemptuous expression: “Doctor, you don’t know, this man is just pretending to be sick. He’s deliberately wasting medical resources!” Just as the doctor was about to speak, I stood up and said calmly: “It’s fine, let them go first.” Only then did Olivia look satisfied, eagerly handing over the CT scan. The doctor sighed helplessly, looked at it and shook his head: “Your boyfriend is fine, he just needs some rest.” Olivia asked suspiciously: “Really? But he keeps saying he can’t breathe properly and needs someone to stay with him to feel better. Plus, he hurt his knee today!” Seeing her worried expression. I knew she was just overly concerned. All the family members in the hospital were caring attentively for their loved ones. But all these years, I always came to the hospital alone, and would even be scolded by Olivia for being lazy. Feeling a tightness in my chest, I walked out of the consultation room. Soon after, Olivia came out and said gently to Ryan: “Let’s go get an X-ray of your knee to check it out.” I was about to go back to continue my consultation when Ryan suddenly lashed out: “Jack, are you still pretending? Why don’t you stop bothering the doctor?” “I know you didn’t come here just to cause trouble for me. I’m sorry, whether it’s the year-end bonus or the manager position, I’ll give them all to you, okay…” His eyes reddened as if he had suffered a great injustice. Olivia immediately frowned and grabbed my clothes, saying sternly: “Jack, Ryan has been bullied by you like this, aren’t you ashamed? Apologize to him right now!” My steps were unsteady, and I couldn’t shake off her hand, so I could only silently endure her scolding. It wasn’t until Ryan went for his examination that I sat down on a bench and let out a sigh, coughing: “CEO Olivia, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.” But Olivia grabbed my hand. Noticing the temperature was off, her fingertips trembled. Then she stepped forward and, surprisingly, stood on her tiptoes to measure my temperature with her forehead. Seeing her face getting closer, I pushed her away in shock. She clenched her fingertips and said mockingly: “What are you pretending for? You came to the hospital because you’re jealous, right? Ryan wasn’t feeling well today, so I stayed with him a bit later. Didn’t I tell you before, he’s very similar to how we used to be? I’m just making up for our past selves.” After a pause, she added coyly: “You deliberately made yourself sick to get my attention. Fine, I’ll secretly give you the year-end bonus. Just don’t make a fuss about announcing our relationship again next time.” I shook my head. What I wanted was never about the year-end bonus. Before I could say anything, Ryan came out, instantly drawing Olivia’s attention away. Watching their figures supporting each other as they walked away, they looked like a loving couple. I suddenly remembered that I had brought something important with me. Taking out that stack of papers, I called out to Olivia: “CEO Olivia, please sign this first.” Olivia frowned in displeasure: “At a time like this, you still want me to handle work matters? We’ll talk about it at the office tomorrow!” I shook my head and handed it to her again: “Just sign it, it won’t take long.” Olivia looked at Ryan waiting pitifully for her, and impatiently took the papers and pen. Just as she was about to sign, she felt something was off. She frowned and flipped to the beginning, instantly losing her voice: “Divorce—”

Feeling Ryan’s gaze, she cut off her words and became annoyed. She slapped the divorce agreement against my chest, gritting her teeth: “Jack, what more do you want? Haven’t you caused enough trouble?” Her slap made me cough even harder, but I still insisted: “CEO Olivia, please sign it. It’ll be hard to explain to Ryan later.” My words only made Olivia frown even more, and she stamped her foot. She lowered her voice and said sternly: “Explain? Explain what? I just care for him like a brother. Jack, can you stop being so unreasonably jealous? That’s enough, go home! I’m sick of seeing you.” With that, she didn’t even give me a glance and left supporting Ryan. Ryan looked at me smugly, secretly giving me a thumbs down. I didn’t say anything and returned to the consultation room. The doctor told me that I indeed had pneumonia and needed an IV drip. As the cold liquid flowed through my veins, my whole body cooled down. But my mind was clearer than ever before. If a normal divorce wouldn’t work, then I’d go for litigation. Also, I left in such a hurry today that I forgot to resign. Thinking about this, I took out my phone and directly applied for resignation through the system. Logically, since I was now just nominally a small team leader without any projects, I should be able to resign in a minute. But unexpectedly, the application was instantly rejected by Olivia. With an additional message: “Want to resign? Fine, if you have the guts, make a scene at the company tomorrow.” I couldn’t help but cough again. Early the next morning, my condition had improved significantly, and I went directly to the company. My workstation was a mess. My team members were carrying Ryan’s things, their eyes avoiding mine. Ryan smiled innocently: “I’m sorry, Jack. We knocked your things to the floor while moving. You’re not angry, are you?” Olivia was supervising and gave me a look, smiling insincerely: “Company property, certain people who want to resign have no right to be angry.” The CEO’s attitude said it all. The opportunists around immediately flattered and agreed: “Mr. Ryan, you’ve just been promoted to Vice President by CEO Olivia today. You’re Jack’s superior now. He should be apologizing to you for getting in your way!” “That’s right. Jack left work early yesterday and was late today. I think people like this should just get lost!” Ryan puffed out his chest, showing off his brand new Vice President badge. He looked me up and down and deliberately spread rumors: “Oh, Jack, you have such dark circles under your eyes, and you look so pale. Did you go clubbing at a hotel until now? You must have had quite a good time.” Olivia’s face instantly darkened, and she sneered coldly: “Some people are really bold, staying out all night and coming to work in this state. Our company really can’t keep someone like this.” How did she know I didn’t come home last night? Did she actually come home last night? I just coughed softly and took out my resignation letter, saying calmly: “CEO Olivia, please sign this. I’m in a bit of a hurry.” Olivia’s expression became increasingly unpleasant. After a long while, she smiled mockingly and raised her hand to sign. “You’re putting on quite an act. Jack, playing hard to get won’t work. Do you think the company can’t go on without you?” Throwing the pen down forcefully, she beckoned to Ryan, raising her chin at me proudly: “Ryan is a top graduate in materials science. He improved your formula in just one evening. All your team members praised his talent.” “What took you half a year, he finished in a few hours and handed it over to our partners.” “Jack, if you know what’s good for you, apologize sincerely now and swear to work hard from now on. I might reluctantly take you back as an intern.” Ryan pretended to be shy and said: “Jack, don’t worry. I’ll include your contributions when I report our work. Now we’re just waiting for the final payment from our partners, and the company can go public. If you regret it, just apologize.” It seemed that Ryan must have copied the formula I left at my workstation. But he didn’t know that while that formula looked reasonable, it couldn’t actually be put into production. They were digging their own graves by prematurely giving the wrong formula to their partners, facing impending disaster. Just then, the secretary hurriedly reported to Olivia: “CEO Olivia, people from our partner company are here. They look very anxious!” Olivia immediately brightened up, looking smug: “Looks like they’re very satisfied with our collaboration and want to increase the payment! Jack, I’ll give you one last chance to think it over.” I laughed out loud. Olivia asked suspiciously: “What are you laughing at?” Ryan covered his mouth and giggled: “Maybe Jack is so upset about not getting credit that he’s lost his mind?” I shook my head with a smile and stepped aside: “Let them tell you.” The next second, the partner rushed in and directly threw the contract on the table, saying through gritted teeth: “CEO Olivia! The formula your company provided has directly contaminated our production line. We demand a million-dollar breach of contract penalty, plus five million dollars in compensation!” Seeing the contract thrown in front of her, Olivia’s eyes widened in shock. Before she could speak, the partner’s face darkened as he took out a lawyer’s letter and slammed it in front of her. “CEO Olivia, please transfer the amount to our company account within seven days. Otherwise, we will sue directly!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295936”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy #后宫Harem

My husband had a small family with a female celebrity outside our marriage. He took her to all the parties and introduced her to his friends. His friends even called her “sister-in-law.” The celebrity was spoiled by him. She hung on his neck and said, “I dropped my necklace in the water.” As soon as she said this, my husband looked at me. I immediately understood that he wanted me to go into the water to retrieve the necklace. My face turned pale. “No, I can’t. I’m pregnant, and it’s winter.” He looked at me coldly and said in a low voice, “So what if you’re pregnant? It’s worth it if it makes Emma smile.” “If you don’t find the necklace today, you’ll regret it.” I knew he was threatening me using my mother. I didn’t resist anymore and walked into the lake step by step. I don’t know how long I searched until my hands and feet were numb, until blood seeped out from under me… The staff pulled me ashore. As I was losing consciousness, I heard Emma’s affected voice. “Oh, she fainted.” “James, didn’t you say she was in good health? Is she faking it?” “How disgusting, she’s on her period and didn’t say anything. She smells of blood, so dirty.” Then came the sound of people inhaling sharply. I could feel everyone stepping back in disgust. I struggled to open my eyes and saw James frowning at me. “She likes to pretend, just leave her here. We don’t need to care about her.” Hearing this, the people around me scattered. As they left, they didn’t forget to criticize and mock me. I completely passed out. When I woke up again, James was sitting by the hospital bed looking at me with boredom. “Heh, finally decided to wake up? I thought you were going to die.” He yawned. I looked at James’s face, full of sarcasm and contempt, and felt only sadness. I struggled to speak: “The baby is gone, isn’t it?” James was still smiling, without a trace of pity in his eyes. “That’s right, you lost another child.” This was already the third time. My heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. The first time was because he encountered an enemy, and I took a knife for him. That knife didn’t take my life, but it took my child’s life. The second time was when I discovered he had a home outside with Emma. In that villa, the servants all called her “young madam.” Seeing me cry, James showed no sympathy. He even felt pleased. “Someone like you can cry?” “Are you crying purely for the death of that child, or because you can’t keep a child to secure your position as Mrs. Pei?” Look at this. Prejudice in the heart is like a mountain. He despised me. Even when I cried for losing a child, he thought it was because of my position as his wife. Emma walked in at this moment. She swayed her hips, full of charm, and walked gracefully to James’s side. She held his arm, with a coquettish and lovely smile on her face. But her eyes kept glancing at me, full of contempt and provocation. “James, why does she look so awful? It’s just losing a child.” “She looks like she’s dying. Is she deliberately seeking sympathy?” Emma’s voice was so sweet it could drip water. James seemed to enjoy it very much. As if deliberately putting on a show for me, he even affectionately tapped her nose. “Maybe my darling is right. Isn’t Olivia always a scheming person?” I didn’t feel as angry and intolerable as I had imagined. In the past, when he said such things about me, it was painful to breathe. Now I could even laugh out loud. People always change. Just as James, who once cared for me so much, had changed beyond recognition. I knew why he hated me. It wasn’t just him hating me; I hated myself too. Emma was still smiling sweetly. “James, let’s go. Weren’t you going to accompany me to the auction?” But unexpectedly, James didn’t move. Under Emma’s puzzled gaze, James kissed her forehead. “Be good, go by yourself. I need to stay with her.” “Why!” Emma was dissatisfied and glared at me. But I was already numb, lying on the hospital bed without any reaction. James quickly comforted her. “Because there are reporters outside. For the sake of the company, I have to put on a show.” Getting this answer, Emma broke into a smile. “Alright then.” They were still chatting and being affectionate, but I was lost in memories. Five years ago, I encountered a medical dispute at the hospital.

I was a doctor. Because I failed to save a child during surgery, as the chief surgeon, I was resented by the patient’s family. On my way home from work, the patient’s family went crazy and stabbed me with a knife. I was supposed to die. But James’s mother saved me. She took the knife for me. Before she died, she asked me to live a good life with James and to take care of him for her. After James’s mother died, James seemed to become a different person. He said he loved me in public and wanted to marry me, but on our wedding night, he almost strangled me to death. At that time, I realized that James hated me. He married me only to torture me. Before I was about to die, I seemed to see James’s mother. In a daze, I remembered her words before she died, asking me to take good care of James and never leave him. I agreed. I owed the Pei family. My life was exchanged for James’s mother’s life. So for these years, I allowed James to torture me. It was as if only in this way could I alleviate some of my guilt. Living with the burden of someone’s life was too painful. I struggled to sit up and looked at James. “Let’s talk.” James impatiently looked at me. Then he said to Emma, “Darling, go to the auction by yourself. If you see anything you like, just tell my assistant. I’ll chat with her for a bit.” James’s assistant had always looked down on me and was always imperious towards me. But he was very respectful to Emma. Emma reluctantly agreed. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to tell James not to stay with me for too long, saying she would be jealous. That look seemed to say that I was the mistress. After Emma left, only James and I were left in the hospital room. I was really tired. I felt that if I continued like this, I would die. Even if James wouldn’t let me go, I wouldn’t let myself go either. So I wanted to save myself. I understood. I couldn’t be tortured by James for a lifetime just because his mother lost her life for me. Moreover, three years ago, I also took a knife for James, and I lost a child because of it. At that time, I even thought, why not just let me die? That way I wouldn’t owe James anymore. These years, I’ve been tortured by James to the point of wishing for death. I’ve lost three children in a row. It’s enough. “James, let’s divorce. Let’s get a divorce.” James was stunned. Then he laughed out loud. He seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. “Divorce? You? You think you can leave me?” “You’ve already had your medical license revoked. If you leave the Pei family, you won’t even be able to support yourself.” I swallowed hard, trying hard to suppress the bitterness welling up inside. Back then, the patient’s family made a big fuss. The hospital fired me to settle the matter. In the end, I even lost my medical license. At that time, I thought the medical license issue was done by the patient’s family. Later I found out it was James. To better control me, he personally ruined my career. “I have hands and feet. I won’t starve to death,” I tried to squeeze out a smile. “Is that so? What about your mother’s medical expenses? Without the Pei family’s help, can you afford the medical expenses?” James stood by with his arms folded, sneering. My heart twisted in pain. Mother was indeed my biggest weakness. In the past, I really didn’t dare. But a few days ago, the hospital notified me that my mother’s condition had improved and she could be transferred to a regular ward. With my savings from these years, if I took on a few more jobs, I could still manage. But James didn’t know. After all, he never cared about anything related to me. Perhaps in his eyes, my mother was still critically ill.

Thinking of my mother, my tone carried a hint of lightness. “It’s okay, I’ll take on a few more jobs. I’ll manage somehow.” But James’s eyes grew colder. He wasn’t happy inside. Especially seeing that I could still smile. Was divorcing him making me so happy? Finally, he dropped a sentence, “Don’t dream. I haven’t tortured you enough yet. I won’t let you go.” Then he left. The door slammed shut with a thunderous bang. I stayed in the hospital for a few days. During these days, James didn’t come to see me again. As soon as I was discharged, James’s father sent a message. He asked me to return to the Pei family’s old house. I couldn’t refuse. I immediately hailed a car and went. Before I even walked through the gate of the Pei house, the servants who saw me all showed contemptuous looks. They gathered together and whispered. “Why is she so thick-skinned? After being treated like that by the Pei family, how can she still shamelessly come back?” “For what? Of course for money.” “If you ask me, Miss Emma is the most suitable to be Mrs. Pei. She’s beautiful and kind-hearted.” One of the newly arrived young maids was confused. “But no matter what, the madam is still the legal wife. Even if Miss Emma is true love, she’s still the third party.” The maids were still discussing, but I had no intention of listening. Butler Wang, who never changed his expression when facing things, led me to the back garden of the villa. This was my second time here. The first time was when James and I were getting married, he took me to the Pei family ancestral hall. And the Pei family ancestral hall was in the depths of the back garden. I was a bit surprised. Just as I was about to ask, I saw three people sitting in the pavilion. James’s father, James, and Emma. As soon as he saw me, James’s father put on a stern face. “Why aren’t you kneeling in the ancestral hall yet?” I clenched my hands. James’s father had always hated me. Because he deeply loved James’s mother. He hated me for causing James’s mother’s death. I understood him, so I never refused James’s father’s unreasonable demands. Even if he got angry and made me kneel down, or humiliated me in front of others… I endured it all. I nodded and turned around, walking towards the direction of the ancestral hall. Behind me, I faintly heard Emma’s coquettish laughter and James’s father’s harsh curses. James, on the other hand, hadn’t spoken from beginning to end. Walking into the ancestral hall, I knelt down. I looked at James’s mother’s memorial tablet, exhausted and helpless. James’s mother actually didn’t like me very much before. But she was also the kindest person to me besides James. She once said to me, “You and James are not the same kind of people. Your family backgrounds are too different. It’s not feudalism, but your worldviews and ways of dealing with the world are different. You’ll live a very tiring life together.” At that time, I was very stubborn and naive. I believed that love could overcome all difficulties. But she just shook her head, looking at me with pity and pain. I never imagined that James’s mother would take a knife for me. “Auntie Pei, I feel like I can’t go on anymore. I’m going to break my promise to you…” I choked out. At this time, footsteps came from behind. I didn’t need to turn around to know it was James. “What? Being such a drama queen, still pretending to be pitiful in front of my mom?” “Too bad, she can’t hear you.” His voice was cold and sarcastic. “James, let’s not torture each other anymore. Let’s get divorced.” “Olivia, you want to leave me, leave the Pei family? I’m telling you, what you owe my mom, you can never repay in this lifetime!” I laughed bitterly. “How can I repay it? Do I have to pay with my life?” “No, you’re wrong. Even if you die, I’ll still grind your bones to dust!” He said hatefully, gritting his teeth. My whole body froze, tears flowing uncontrollably. Is that how much he hates me? The string of rationality suddenly snapped. I suddenly stood up and shouted at him angrily through tears. “What do I have to do for you to let me go? Three years ago I took a knife for you and almost lost my life. These years I’ve been tortured by you to lose three children. Isn’t that enough?” I pushed him away and ran out of the ancestral hall. As I passed the pavilion, I didn’t notice Emma’s meaningful look. Until half an hour later, I received a call from the hospital. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Pei, your mother… she fell from the building.”

My mind went blank for a moment. Fell from the building… With a “bang”, my phone smashed to the ground. The screen instantly shattered into pieces. The two words “fell down” kept cycling in my brain. I don’t remember how I rushed to the hospital. I just felt everything became blurry. I couldn’t hear anything, just single-mindedly ran to the morgue. In the morgue, my mother’s broken body was covered with a white cloth. “Mom!” But no matter how heartbroken my cries were, I could no longer get any response from my mother. I passed out again. When I woke up again, Emma was standing at the head of the bed looking at me. “Why are you here!” My voice was so hoarse that the words were barely recognizable. But Emma heard clearly. She smiled with great pleasure. “I heard your mom died?” I suddenly opened my eyes wide. Then I heard her continue. “Your mom really couldn’t take it. I just had someone tell her some things, and she couldn’t bear it and committed suicide.” “Emma, it was you, you did it!” I screamed, wanting to rush towards her. But because my body was weak, I fell heavily back onto the bed, gasping for breath on the hospital bed. Emma wasn’t afraid of me at all. She approached me step by step, still wearing that hypocritical smile on her face. “Want to hit me? With your half-dead appearance, you still want to lay hands on me?” “Besides, she had poor psychological endurance herself, how can you blame me?” She said while pouting. Looking innocent yet cruel. Emma continued to speak casually. “Actually, I didn’t say much. I just told her everything about you and James over these years.” “Let her know how hard you’ve been these years to pay for her treatment. I’m doing this for your own good.” Emma said, even laughing. “Who knew she couldn’t take it as soon as she heard it? Not only did she curse James as a beast, she even jumped directly from the building.” “You’ll face retribution!” I cried, staring at her, wishing I could tear her to pieces. At this time, James walked in. Seeing my hysterical appearance, he frowned. “What are you making a fuss about again? Emma came to see you out of kindness, and you’re cursing her?” “Do you know what she did to my mom…” But before I could finish, Emma interrupted me. She played a recording. It was a recording of my mom cursing the Pei family before she died. “The Pei family are all beasts, a bunch of beasts who deserve to die. How dare James torture my daughter…” James’s face grew darker as he listened. He rushed up in a few steps and grabbed my neck. He said to me through gritted teeth, “Your mom gave birth to a bitch like you, sure enough she’s no good thing either. You’re all cheap goods!” My numb and empty eyes burst with boundless hatred at this moment. I struggled to sit up, picked up the fruit knife on the bedside table, and stabbed James. But because my body was too weak, this stab didn’t go very deep. James let go of my neck. He looked at the knife stuck in his shoulder in disbelief. “Bitch, you dare to hurt me?” I had no strength left and collapsed onto the bed. Emma screamed in fright. “James, she’s crazy, she’s a lunatic!” More and more people poured in. They pinned me down on the bed and injected me with sedatives. Before my consciousness completely dissipated, I could still see James staring at me with a gloomy expression. In the middle of the night, I slowly woke up. When the nurse was about to inject me with sedatives again, I quickly turned my hand and stabbed the sedative into the nurse’s vein. The young nurse’s eyes widened in disbelief as she passed out. I then ran out of the hospital carrying my mother’s ashes. Without realizing it, I ran to the seaside. The salty smell of the sea breeze was strong. The night waves mercilessly beat against the beach, as if wailing. Looking at the endless sea, my heart was rarely calm. “Mom, I’m sorry. I’m really so tired, so tired…” I hugged the urn and cried out loud. But my voice was all drowned out by the sound of the waves. Then I walked into the sea step by step. Until the cold seawater completely submerged me. The moment seawater flooded my nose, I only felt an unprecedented sense of liberation. It’s good to die too. These years, I’ve been too tired. As my consciousness faded away, I seemed to see my mother hugging me.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295935”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy #后宫Harem

I couldn’t believe it. Just because I pointed out an intern’s mistake in a meeting that could have cost the company millions, he felt humiliated and threatened to quit to the CEO’s fiancée. Without hesitation, Samantha stormed into my office and confronted me: “Couldn’t you have told him privately? Lucas is young and sensitive. Why did you have to embarrass him in front of everyone? Don’t forget his father is a major shareholder. Now you have two choices.” “One, I promote Lucas and make you his assistant. Then I’ll agree to announce our engagement.” “Two, you continue being arrogant, and we break up.” Seeing my silence, she smirked coldly: “I knew you wouldn’t pass up the chance to go public with our relationship.” “Now clear out your office for Lucas, and—” I cut her off calmly: “I’m sorry, but I choose option two.” “However, I’ll resign voluntarily. I wish you and Lucas a happy life together!” “Zachary, do you realize what you’re saying?” Samantha rushed over from behind her desk to confront me. It was the first time I’d seen her normally cool demeanor so shaken. I repeated quietly: “I quit. We’re done.” Ignoring her, I started packing up my personal belongings. I’d been with this company since its early days and had used this office for years. There was quite a bit to pack. I put my thermos, blanket and other items into a box, then organized my work files. Many of these were projects I was currently responsible for. A lot of clients only worked with us because of me, but I wouldn’t be able to see them through now. Samantha stared intently at my actions, her tone growing cold: “Zachary, you’re 34 this year. Getting to VP wasn’t easy. You know how brutal the job market is out there. Are you really going to throw it all away over this?” I said nothing, just printed out my resignation letter and signed it. Samantha’s frown deepened. Just then, Lucas the intern walked in carefully balancing a coffee mug. He glanced at me nervously. “Ms. Reid, is Zachary resigning to pressure me into leaving? Please don’t put yourself in a difficult position. Zachary’s been with the company much longer, I’ll go, I’ll go right away.” His eyes were red and brimming with tears. The hesitation in Samantha’s eyes immediately vanished, replaced by intense displeasure directed at me. “Zachary, I’ve given you an out. Why won’t you take it? Do you really think the company can’t function without you?” “Since you’re so determined to quit, fine. I’ll approve this resignation right now!” She snatched the letter from me, hastily signed it, and threw it back at me. Then she left, pulling Lucas along with her. Watching her cold demeanor, a wave of bitterness washed over me. Samantha and I had met in college. Back then, I came from a poor family and focused solely on my studies, often mocked by our classmates. It was Samantha who repeatedly stood up for me, chose to eat with me, even pursued me romantically. Throughout our four years of college, she was always gentle with me. After graduation, we started this business together, going through the toughest times side by side. We had promised to get married once the company stabilized. But everything changed when Lucas’s father became a major shareholder and placed him as an intern. Lucas was careless in his work and made frequent mistakes. Whenever I pointed them out for correction, Samantha would personally warn me not to bully the new guy. I argued that I was just looking out for the company’s interests, but she kept undermining me to protect Lucas. Now, just because I mentioned Lucas’s mistake in a meeting, she was using our relationship to force me to step aside. I should have let go a long time ago. After leaving the company, I immediately received a call from the HR department of Skyline Corp, the industry leader. “Mr. Foster, we heard you just resigned. I hope you don’t mind us reaching out. We’d like to extend another invitation for you to join us. Please consider it.” Over the years, many top companies had tried to headhunt me privately due to my excellent work performance. But I had devoted myself completely to Samantha, rejecting all offers and working tirelessly to build her company. Now I was left with nothing. They offered a salary three times higher than my current one, hoping I would consider. I finally agreed to meet the next day. I returned to the home Samantha and I shared, intending to pack my bags and leave. But when I opened the door, I saw Samantha in the kitchen, tenderly tying an apron around Lucas’s waist. “Ms. Reid, just stand back and watch. I promise the food I cook today will be exactly to your taste.” “Oh really? I’m quite picky, you know.” The two flirted and joked as if I wasn’t there, the atmosphere warm and intimate. A moment later, Samantha noticed my presence. The smile immediately vanished from her face as she said coolly: “Lucas, just cook for the two of us. Someone’s too proud to eat at home today anyway.” I knew she was taking a dig at me. I ignored her and bent down to change my shoes. Samantha frowned slightly, then lifted her chin to look at me: “Zachary, since you’re back, I assume you’ve realized your mistake.” “What are you standing there for? Go apologize to Lucas and ask for his forgiveness. I’m willing to overlook what happened this morning. I can even keep your position open at the company.” Seeing her superior attitude, I felt only coldness. No matter how close two people once were, we had truly grown apart. I still didn’t respond, just walked past her to the balcony to collect the laundry. Samantha’s face fell at being repeatedly ignored. She was about to speak when Lucas came over with a bowl of soup. He deliberately bumped into me, then let out an exaggerated cry of pain, falling to the ground with soup spilled all over himself! “Ah! It burns! Zachary, even if you resent me, you don’t have to go this far!” He clutched his reddened hand, tears streaming down his face. This was Lucas’s usual tactic for turning Samantha against me. At work, he would pretend to stay late, claiming I was overworking him. Or he’d spill water on himself and say I yelled at him. I used to ignore his antics, but this time, I didn’t want to let him have his way. Since he liked to say I bullied him, I’d give him what he wanted. Before Lucas could get up, I grabbed a plate from the table and dumped the food he’d just cooked all over him. Oily broth dripped from his hair as Lucas shrieked, tears flying. Samantha rushed over, roughly shoving me aside as she yelled: “Zachary, have you lost your mind?! Why do you keep targeting Lucas? You’ve disappointed me so much…” I smirked: “Disappointed? Good. Then we can go our separate ways from now on.” Samantha’s face flushed red with anger, speechless for a long moment. Lucas continued to cry pitifully, so she had no choice but to take him to the hospital. The apartment finally fell silent as the front door slammed shut. I let out a long breath, feeling some deep-rooted attachment slowly dissipate. With a bitter smile, I picked up my suitcase and walked out. Samantha, it’s truly over between us.

I returned to my old bachelor apartment. I had bought and renovated it years ago but barely lived here, choosing to stay with Samantha instead. Just as I was about to call a cleaning service, Samantha’s name flashed on my phone. I expected her to berate me, but her tone was surprisingly gentle when she spoke: “Zachary, stop being childish. Lucas is kindhearted and won’t hold what you did against him.” “Take the afternoon off to rest at home. Tomorrow, you can go to the office as Lucas’s assistant and help him oversee the projects. We’ll get married in three days. Isn’t that what you wanted?” Hearing the conditions for marriage, I felt only mockery. Over the years, I had brought up getting married many times, but Samantha always found excuses to delay. Now she was finally agreeing, but only for another man’s sake. I was about to speak when Lucas’s affected, pitiful voice came through the phone: “It’s okay, Ms. Reid. If Zachary becomes my assistant, he’ll just target me even more. I… I’m scared…” “I’m no match for him. I’m too stupid…” “Don’t worry, Lucas. I won’t let Zachary bully you with me around,” Samantha quickly soothed him, her tone so patient it was as if he were her boyfriend. I frowned in disgust and cut in: “Make me his assistant? Is he even qualified?” “If you think Lucas is so capable, why does he need an assistant? Surely he can handle the projects on his own?” Samantha paused, then snapped: “Zachary, what’s your problem? I’ve agreed to marry you, what more do you want?” “I’m giving you a chance and you’re not taking it. Don’t regret this!” With that, she hung up. I ignored this little episode and continued arranging for the apartment to be cleaned. After tidying up, I was scrolling through industry news on the couch when Lucas suddenly sent me a video call request. When I answered, Lucas was lounging in Samantha’s CEO chair with a smug expression, panning the camera around the office. “Hey Zachary, guess what? Ms. Reid asked me to work in her office and even got me water herself. Ever been treated this well?” Samantha had always been obsessive about cleanliness and hated anyone touching things in her office. Even I wasn’t allowed in without permission. Clearly, Lucas was the exception. Seeing I didn’t respond, Lucas continued gloating: “Ms. Reid has transferred all your projects to me. She’s made me VP to fully replace you. Face it, you’re yesterday’s news!” I laughed coldly: “Is that so? Well, you’d better do a good job then. Try not to bankrupt your precious CEO’s company too quickly.” “You son of a—!” Lucas was about to curse when the sound of a door opening came through. The video cut off immediately! I shook my head in derision. If Samantha really trusted Lucas with all the projects, the company was doomed. The next morning, I went to Skyline for my interview and agreed to start soon. As I was leaving, I suddenly received notifications that several accounts had been unlinked. Samantha and I used to share logins for many apps, believing we were an inseparable couple. It seemed Samantha had just gotten home and discovered I’d moved out. No phone call, just silently unlinking everything. I could guess how angry she must be. But it no longer concerned me. Over the next two days, I was busy with the new job. Samantha didn’t contact me directly. She just kept updating her social media with photos of her and Lucas together. She even changed our couple profile pictures on some platforms to solid black. I knew she was waiting for me to reach out and make amends, but I no longer cared. On the third evening, I returned home to find a cardboard box outside my door labeled “For Zachary.” I brought it inside and opened it to find mementos of my relationship with Samantha. There was the first love letter she wrote confessing her feelings in college, the matching accessories she bought for us, photos from our travels, even a lip print on paper commemorating our first kiss… Looking at these items brought back many memories. But in the end, we had drifted apart. I tossed them one by one into a fire pit, lit a match, and watched the flames consume the flickering images of the past. Yet I felt strangely calm. Just then, my front door burst open. Samantha rushed in, her eyes wide with shock. She frantically grabbed the burning photos with her bare hands, frantically patting out the flames. Her voice was shrill with panic: “Zachary, what are you doing burning all this?!”

It took great effort for Samantha to extinguish the flames. Her delicate hands were covered in blisters. She glared at me through tear-filled eyes: “Zachary, have you forgotten what these things meant to us? How could you burn them?!” I calmly asked: “Didn’t you send these over for me to get rid of? They’re useless now anyway. Might as well burn them.” Samantha stared at me in disbelief, seemingly shocked by how calm I was. After a long moment, she explained reluctantly: “Zachary, enough already. I admit that when you pointed out Lucas’s mistake at work, you were looking out for the company’s interests. I only asked you to apologize because Lucas is the son of a major shareholder.” “I know I hurt you. I’m sorry, okay? Come back as VP, on the same level as Lucas. Just try not to interfere with his work in the future. Is that good enough?” I silently looked at her, finding it all rather laughable. Samantha continued: “But there’s one condition. I hope you’ll apologize to Lucas before returning to the company. You did lay hands on him after all.” “As long as you can get him to forgive you, you can come back.” Hearing this, I suddenly couldn’t help but laugh. “Samantha, you’re really overestimating yourself. Did I ever say I wanted to go back? Asking me to apologize to Lucas? Frankly, he doesn’t deserve it.” Samantha’s face fell as I said this. She stood up angrily and slammed the door on her way out. The next morning at Skyline, I ran into Samantha and Lucas chatting happily as they approached the building. “Lucas, do well on this project and I’ll arrange a promotion for you.” “You’re so good to me, Ms. Reid.” As they were talking, Samantha spotted me and her expression immediately turned cold: “Zachary, what are you doing here?!” “Isn’t it obvious, Ms. Reid? Zachary must be too embarrassed to beg you at the office, so he came to intercept you here to get his job back.” Lucas smirked at me. Samantha’s expression softened slightly as she realized this, though she still put on a cold front: “I gave you a chance yesterday and you didn’t take it. Now you’re here pestering me again? Zachary, you really don’t know when to quit!” “Since you’re here, apologize to Lucas now.” She lifted her chin haughtily, once again the imperious CEO. Lucas looked at me smugly, putting on an act of magnanimity: “Oh come on, it’s fine. As long as Zachary doesn’t make things difficult for me at work in the future, we can get along as equals.” “No, he must apologize. Using physical violence crosses a line,” Samantha said coldly, sweeping her gaze over me. “This is non-negotiable.” I stared at their little act in disbelief. “Who said I came to apologize? I have no reason to go back to your company. Now if you’ll excuse me.” “Zachary, that’s enough! I’ve agreed to make you and Lucas equal VPs. What more do you want?” Samantha looked at me with disappointment. Lucas put on a knowing expression: “Oh, I get it. Zachary must be upset that I took over all his old projects. But Ms. Reid, he quit, so someone had to do the work.” “How about this – Zachary gets first pick of future projects, and I’ll take whatever’s left. That should be fair, right?” At this, Samantha’s eyes filled with even more disgust, as if I was being greedy and unreasonable. But I was truly exasperated. How could Lucas be so confident with his limited abilities? Wasn’t Samantha worried he’d mess things up? Whatever, it was no longer my concern. I shook my head without a word and turned to leave. Samantha was about to angrily berate me when her phone suddenly rang! Even without speakerphone, I could clearly hear the panicked voice on the other end: “Ms. Reid! We have a huge problem! There were serious errors in yesterday’s proposal that caused massive losses for the client. Now they’re threatening to sue the company! The project lead was… Lucas!” In an instant, Samantha’s face drained of color. She whipped around to stare at Lucas, her eyes sharp as knives. Lucas stumbled back a step, terrified. This marks the end of the free preview

“Ms-Ms. Reid, there must be some misunderstanding.” Lucas stammered, then suddenly pointed at me: “All these projects were handed over from Zachary. He’s responsible too!” “Zachary, don’t think you can dump this mess on me just because you quit. Don’t even try it!” To prove his innocence, Lucas started playing the victim again, sniffling to Samantha: “Ms. Reid, I only took over Zachary’s projects. He must be framing me.” “Don’t you trust me at all?” Seeing his pitiful act, the suspicion in Samantha’s eyes melted into tenderness. She glanced at me with a frown, then said gently to Lucas: “Alright, let’s head back to the office and sort this out. Of course I believe you.” “If Zachary’s behind this, I’ll make sure he takes responsibility!” Before leaving, Samantha gave me a long, hard look. Lucas flashed a triumphant smirk as he left: “See that, Zachary? No matter what, Samantha will always believe me over you!” I just stared at him like he was an idiot, walking past him to the elevator. I couldn’t believe I’d witnessed such a farce on my way to work. That afternoon, I heard through the grapevine about what happened at Samantha’s company. Since I had previously handled all the projects, the clients trusted me and hadn’t questioned things too much. But this time Lucas was in charge, and he’d made a ton of mistakes causing serious losses. Now the client was threatening legal action after learning the project lead had been switched without notice. Samantha was scrambling to deal with the fallout. “Ms. Reid, I had no idea such a small issue could have such serious consequences.” “I’m so sorry, I really am.” “What do we do now? Should I go apologize to the client? Ms. Reid, please don’t ignore me. My heart is breaking.” A former coworker secretly recorded this conversation outside Samantha’s office. Upon confirming Lucas was truly responsible, and that he’d made basic, careless mistakes, Samantha exploded in anger! For the first time, she threw the rejected proposal documents in Lucas’s face in front of everyone. Lucas was completely stunned. He tried to cry and act pitiful again, but this time Samantha wasn’t moved. She stormed back to her office. Lucas chased after her, frantically apologizing. But Samantha wasn’t having any of it. In the past, whenever I caught Lucas’s mistakes and fixed them before any damage was done, Samantha always downplayed the issues and told me to be more lenient. Now that it was costing real money, she was no longer telling others to be understanding. She was furious that Lucas couldn’t handle even the simplest tasks. “Lucas, when Zachary used to point out your work problems, I defended you. I never imagined you could be this incompetent!” “I can’t stand the sight of you right now. Get out!” Lucas had never been scolded like this by Samantha before. His pride wounded, he ran out. The recording ended there. I sighed, thinking this was probably karma – you reap what you sow. I thought the incident would be over after they paid damages, but that evening, I found Samantha waiting outside my door.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295934”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy #后宫Harem

As soon as we got home, Lucas went to the balcony to answer a sudden phone call. “Little Lucas, my grandson is asking for his dad to come keep him company. Get over here quick!” “That Amber woman, just keep her company for show. The most important thing is not to let Jasmine and my grandson down.” His mother spoke without any restraint, her tone doting. Probably thinking I couldn’t hear from the living room, Lucas didn’t even bother to turn off the speakerphone. When he finished, he returned to the living room with a calm expression and tossed me the medical checkup appointment form, reminding me: “Amber, I think the kids at that orphanage in the south part of town are really good.” “Let’s go for our checkups tomorrow, and once we have the certificates ready, we’ll go adopt a child. Just imagine how happy we’ll be watching them grow up!” He spoke with a dreamy look on his face, reaching out to hug me as usual. But this time, I didn’t hug him back like I normally would. I just silently kept my distance from him. Noticing something was off, he paused slightly, about to ask what was wrong when another call came in. He fumbled to answer it, and immediately a shrill voice rang out. “You’re so slow just coming to see the kid. Don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for that Amber woman?” “You talked a big game before about doing it for my love, but now you’re two-timing!” “Eating out while keeping an eye on what’s at home. What, are you planning to have a kid with Amber tomorrow too?” The woman on the phone fired off a barrage of accusations. Lucas hurriedly hung up and tried to explain to me. “Amber, it was a wrong number. What a coincidence, someone with the same name as you…” “Quite a coincidence indeed.” Looking at his face that showed not a hint of guilt, I couldn’t help but laugh. It really was quite a coincidence – the voice even sounded exactly like Jasmine’s. I silently sent a message urging my friend to hurry up with the divorce papers. Lucas seemed to think I had bought his excuse. He came over and tried to take my hand. I dodged without a word and played along with what he had said. “Weren’t we going to adopt a child? When are we doing that?” As soon as I said it, his face lit up with excitement: “Amber, you really agree? Then can we go for the checkups tomorrow?” “Then our beautiful love will be passed down through this adopted child.” He finished speaking and eagerly handed me the checkup appointment form he had pulled out. I had just reached out to take it when Lucas rushed out the door. “Amber, take a look at the appointment form first. If there are no issues, we’ll go for the checkups tomorrow. I need to take a client call first.” I said nothing, letting him leave. Walking to the door, I could hear his complaining tone coming through. “Honey, I’m sorry for hanging up on you earlier. But you know how clingy that Amber woman is. If I’m not careful and she finds out the truth, then goes running to George, it could ruin your happiness for life!” “Victory is within reach. In a couple days I’ll go through the motions at the orphanage and bring Andy home, swapping him in.” “You can push George to come check on his ex-wife as an excuse to see Andy. Won’t that work out perfectly?” “Let me go in first and mention it to her, then go see Andy. Tomorrow we’ll smoothly get the paperwork done and take Andy to Mom’s place first.” “Then our son – she’ll have to raise him whether she likes it or not. Don’t be angry anymore, okay?” His words were full of schemes against me, not at all how a married husband should treat his wife. But for Jasmine, he was all patience and persuasion. A sudden message notification sounded on my phone. It was from Jasmine. “Amber, do you really think Lucas loves you?” “Let me tell you, all I have to do is crook my finger and he comes running like a dog, ready to do whatever I say!” “Do you know where Lucas went before coming home? You couldn’t win George from me back then, and now it’s the same with Lucas!” Along with it she sent a revealing photo of her and Lucas embracing intimately in bed.

Her words were full of smug triumph. Seeing I didn’t respond, she frantically kept asking. I simply turned off my phone screen. Jasmine didn’t know that I had long been aware of her affair with Lucas. As I sat back down on the couch, Lucas returned. He started chattering non-stop about plans for tomorrow’s checkup. “Amber, make sure to get ready early tomorrow morning. We’ll go for the checkups first thing, and once all the documents are in order, we’ll go adopt a child right away.” “Then the three of us can watch our child of love grow up every day and take care of us in our old age. Won’t that be wonderful!” His words were full of anticipation for the child’s arrival. Thinking I didn’t know about his child with Jasmine, he spoke completely naturally. I casually agreed. Soon his mother called again to urge him. “The guests have been waiting so long, you rascal still haven’t come over?” After making some excuses to me, Lucas had just left when there was a knock at the door. “You must be Aunt Amber. My dad said he’d let me move in in a few days. My mom told me to come get familiar with the place first.” “Oh right, you probably don’t know – my dad only truly loves my mom. My mom says you’re just a stand-in at best.” “All that love and devotion to you? It’s all an act my dad put on. Well? Impressed by his acting skills?” Opening the door, I saw a young boy’s face full of hostility towards me. He finished speaking and pulled out a thick stack of letters from his pocket, throwing them at my feet.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295933”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy #后宫Harem

I called my husband 199 times when our daughter was in a life-threatening car accident. On the 200th call, his secretary finally answered. “Rachel, James is with me at a fashion show. He’s too busy to take your call,” she said coyly. Panicked and stuttering, I pleaded, “Please… please tell James to transfer me some money. Lily’s been in an accident.” But all I heard was James cursing in the background: “You’re just a gold digger, always asking for money!” “You’ve really gone crazy about money, even dragging our daughter into your act.” “It’d be better if she died. You won’t get a cent from me!” I tried to explain, but the line went dead with a harsh click. To raise the money, I was humiliated like a dog by his young secretary. After our daughter died from failed emergency treatment, James finally panicked. That morning, I was accompanying my daughter to her kindergarten’s outdoor rock climbing activity. We never expected to be involved in a massive traffic accident on the way there. Lily’s injuries were severe, and she lost consciousness immediately. I rushed her to the nearest hospital in a panic, only to discover that my phone balance was insufficient to cover the medical fees. I hurriedly called my husband, begging him to transfer some life-saving money. After 199 calls, the phone was finally answered. On the other end was his secretary’s coquettish voice: “Rachel, why are you looking for James? He’s with me at a fashion show and can’t be bothered with you.” “I don’t care what he’s doing! Tell him to take the phone and send me money. It’s a matter of life and death!” I shouted in desperation. I heard James cursing in the background: “Just a gold digger, always thinking about money!” I tried to explain, but the line went dead with a harsh click. I wanted to call back, but found I had been blocked. Around me, children and adults were being rushed into emergency rooms one by one. I looked at my unconscious daughter, holding her injured leg in despair. “This child needs immediate treatment. Life is more important than money!” the doctor advised me earnestly, seeing that I was hesitating to pay the medical fees. Suddenly, Lily turned to her side and vomited. I hurried to support her. “Baby, baby, are you okay?” Lily looked at me with a weak smile. This girl had always been so understanding. James never cared about us, mother and daughter, so she always tried to be well-behaved and sensible, hoping her father would notice her more. James had always thought I was a gold digger. Although his family was wealthy, he only gave me $500 a month for living expenses. For any other expenditures, I had to write a report and go through layers of approval. I thought that if I didn’t keep any private savings and focused on taking care of everything at home, he would eventually realize he had misjudged me, and we could live happily as a family. I scrimped and saved every day to control expenses, just so my daughter could have an extra bite of meat. But I never imagined that because of this, at this critical moment when my daughter’s life was at stake, I would be so destitute that I couldn’t even pay for her medical treatment. I took out my phone and tapped on James’s profile picture on SnapChat. I sent a video call request, but it was rejected. I tried again, and it was rejected again… With no other choice, I recorded a video. Lily was lying on a hospital bed in the corridor. “Lily, call Daddy. Ask Daddy for some money to save your life.” I stared at Lily expectantly, my voice choked with tears. Surely James would help save Lily if he saw this video. After all, Lily was his own flesh and blood. Lily obediently opened her mouth with difficulty: “Daddy, I… it hurts… save… me…” After saying these few words, she fell unconscious again. I sent the video to him, and he replied with two voice messages. “You’ve really gone crazy about money, even dragging our daughter into your act.” “It’d be better if she died. You won’t get a cent from me!” When I tried to send another message, I only received a red exclamation mark. It stung my heart, and my eyes welled up with tears. He had blocked me.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295932”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy

Have you ever read those romantic fantasy novels about a CEO’s substitute wife? Well, that’s me. Actually, I can’t really call myself a wife. We weren’t married yet, so let’s just say I was the substitute girlfriend. Before I discovered this, I was the envy of everyone around me. I graduated from a prestigious university, landed a job at a well-known company, and of course, the main reason for everyone’s envy was my handsome and wealthy CEO boyfriend. Just like in those romantic fantasy novels, the CEO fell in love with me at first sight. He showed no hesitation in pursuing me, showering me with roses, expensive gifts, and heartfelt confessions. I fell for him quickly. After all, who wouldn’t like a handsome, rich boyfriend who was completely devoted to you? I certainly did. Many people warned me that he might just be playing around or had some ulterior motive. Some were jealous, while others genuinely cared about me. But he proved them all wrong with his actions. For three years, he showered me with care and affection, remembered every anniversary, always spoke to me kindly no matter what, and never neglected me because of work. Even our first time together only happened after he had asked for my consent. Everything seemed perfect and harmonious. Until I had the sudden urge to check his phone. I’ve always been a trusting girlfriend. Even though many people told me to keep an eye on my boyfriend, warning me that he was too good-looking and wealthy not to attract other women, I never took their words to heart. Because he really didn’t seem like the type to flirt around. He wouldn’t get close to any woman except me. Even his friends asked me what magic I had used to make him so devoted to me. I said, maybe it’s because he loves me enough. So when he told me he was going to attend a college reunion and might come home late, I didn’t think much of it. I even told him to have fun. Of course, I didn’t stop to wonder why someone who hated social gatherings and barely kept in touch with his college classmates would suddenly want to attend a meaningless reunion. That night, we broke many firsts. It was the first time he came home after midnight, the first time he got drunk, the first time I checked his phone, and the first time I couldn’t sleep. He had always been a good boyfriend. Even when he went out, he would never come home after midnight or get drunk. At most, he would be slightly tipsy. I used to suspect that maybe his alcohol tolerance was too high, so he never got drunk. Now I realize I was overthinking. No one can’t get drunk; it’s just that they haven’t drunk enough, or rather, there wasn’t anything that could make them drink that much. In the past, every time he came back from a social gathering, slightly tipsy, he liked to bury his face in my arms, reeking of alcohol, and whisper sweet nothings to me. I quite enjoyed it, and even wondered what he would be like if he really got drunk. Now I’ve seen it. He’s still charming, still good at sweet talk, but the name he’s calling isn’t mine. In our three years together, I had never heard this name, neither from his mouth nor from anyone else’s. He had protected this name so well that if it weren’t for his drunken state, he probably would never have let it slip. Sophia. It’s a beautiful name. That night, as I helped him, drunk and stumbling, into bed, I heard him say, “I love you.” I couldn’t help but smile. Even after three years, he was still so cheesy. Just as I was about to respond, he uttered that name. “Sophia.” “I love you, Sophia.” I’m certain it wasn’t just drunken mumbling because that night he called this name countless times. “Sophia, I miss you so much.” “Sophia, I really love you.” “Sophia… Sophia… Sophia…” Even if I were a fool, I could figure out what was going on. The reunion, the drinking, it was all for one person. And that person wasn’t me. As if possessed, I picked up his phone. You could say he was a good boyfriend in this aspect too. His phone never had a password, allowing me to check it anytime. Of course, I was also a good girlfriend. This was the first time in three years that I had opened his phone. That night, I read through thousands of chat messages. Of course, they were all one-sided. They were thousands of messages he had sent to Sophia, with no replies from the other side. Starting from five years ago. Every day, he would send Sophia a few messages, telling her about his day, about the weather, about how much he missed her. Never stopping. “Sophia, I met a girl today. She looks a lot like you.” The day I started my job. “Sophia, I’m going to pursue her.” The day he started chasing me. “Sophia, are you jealous?” The day we got together. “Sophia, I moved to a new place. It has a spacious, bright balcony, a huge smart TV, and a waterbed. All the things you like.” The day we moved in together. “Sophia, she looks so much like you in a red dress.” Six months into our relationship, he bought me a closet full of red dresses. “Sophia, we had a fight today. She looks just like you when she’s angry. You both like to say you don’t love me anymore.” Our first fight. We were both angry and ignoring each other until I said, “You don’t love me anymore.” Only then did he come to comfort me. “Sophia…” “Sophia…” “Sophia…” Just a light press on the letter ‘S’, and the keyboard would automatically suggest ‘Sophia’. Who knows how many times he had typed it? Only he knew. No wonder he always liked to back up his chat history over and over again. I thought it was because he had important documents he was afraid of losing. No wonder he liked me in red dresses, no wonder he always wanted me to wear makeup that didn’t suit me, no wonder he always wanted me to let my hair down, no wonder his eyes were always full of stars when he looked at me. All of these were Sophia’s. I was just a cuckoo in the nest. I didn’t cry. Not a single tear fell. I just threw away all the red dresses, cut my hair short, and removed everything that resembled Sophia from my surroundings. Except for my face. I found a photo of Sophia and him, carefully hidden at the bottom of his photo album. In the photo, Sophia was wearing a vibrant red dress, with cute makeup, her hair down, happily making a peace sign at the camera. And him, by her side, turning his head to look at her with eyes full of tenderness. That look I knew all too well. I have to say, he was really lucky. The Sophia in the photo really did look a lot like me. If I didn’t know for sure that my mom only had one daughter, I might have wondered if she was my twin sister. The next morning, I made hangover soup and waited for him to wake up. Everything seemed the same as before, yet everything felt different. I didn’t ask him why he got drunk last night, nor did I question him about who Sophia was. But he questioned me, asking why I had cut my hair. I touched my unevenly cut hair and said I wanted to try short hair. It was ugly, I knew. Because I had cut it myself in the bathroom last night with rusty scissors. My hair that I had been growing for seven years. He didn’t say anything more, but I could see he was angry. Angry as he was, he didn’t argue with me. He just silently suppressed that anger. But he couldn’t suppress it for long. Because he discovered that all the red dresses in the closet had disappeared. Just like in the morning, he asked me where the dresses went. “Thrown away.” He smashed many things in the house, even raised his hand, but the moment he saw my face, he put it down again. This face really was useful. Then he calmed himself down again, gently coaxing me, saying it didn’t matter if the dresses were gone, he could buy me more. It didn’t matter if my hair was cut, he could take me to get extensions, or I could grow it out again. I refused. I clearly told him that I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t grow my hair long again, nor would I wear red dresses again. He angrily shouted out the sentence he had been wanting to say. “Do you know! You look like this! You don’t look like…” He caught himself and didn’t continue, but even if he didn’t say it, I knew what the second half of the sentence was. I didn’t look like Sophia anymore. Later, he slammed the door and left, not returning home for a week. I went to work as usual, came home as usual, cooked as usual, slept as usual. It seemed that apart from having one less person by my side, there wasn’t much difference. A week later, he came back, apologized to me, not very sincerely. I could even see the suppressed anger in his eyes. I knew he would come back, because I had this face. I didn’t say anything, we continued to interact like before. Only now, I started to avoid everything that resembled Sophia. Sophia liked red dresses, so I insisted on wearing pants. Sophia had long hair, so I insisted on short hair. Sophia liked cute makeup, so I insisted on dramatic Western-style makeup. I didn’t confront him, not because I was weak, but because I wanted to give both of us a chance. If he could accept me like this, rather than as a copy of Sophia like before, I would pretend nothing had happened and continue to be with him. At first, he was indeed very angry and somewhat resistant to me. But as time went on, he seemed to slowly accept it. He started taking me to pants stores, accompanying me to regular haircuts, and the way he looked at me was no longer as deeply affectionate as before. But I was happy, because he finally wasn’t looking through me at someone else. Those deeply affectionate looks from before were never meant for me anyway. And most importantly. The frequency of his messages to Sophia started to decrease. I would still occasionally check his phone, still without a password. His messages to Sophia went from several times a day, to once a day, to once a week, to once a month, and now, he hadn’t sent a message to Sophia for three months. When I scrolled through the records, I had to scroll for a long time before I found that familiar chat box. Everything was slowly getting better. Sophia no longer appeared, and we were gradually falling in love. In the fifth year of our relationship, he proposed to me. Just like the day he confessed, the ground was covered with flowers, but instead of Sophia’s favorite roses, it was my favorite baby’s breath. Him on one knee, a dove egg-sized diamond ring, and the blessings of friends. I accepted. The diamond ring was beautiful, and I heard that men could only buy one ring from this brand in their lifetime. That night, I stared at that diamond ring and smiled foolishly for a long time. For me, this wasn’t just a diamond ring, it was my reassurance. I could almost be certain that I was no longer Sophia’s substitute. My boyfriend, no, now my fiancé, was with me because he liked me, and proposed to me because he liked me. There were ten days until the engagement party. He was tense every day, afraid of doing something wrong, pulling me to practice every procedure over and over again. I was both annoyed and amused. All my rest time was taken up by his rehearsals, but this also showed how much he valued our engagement party, so I was still happy. If it weren’t for that text message. That night, he was holding me as usual, letting me rest my head on his arm, playing with my hair. His phone rang with a message notification at an inopportune moment. He casually picked it up to look. Just for a second, just one second, I felt his body stiffen, somewhat unnaturally. I asked him curiously what was wrong. He vaguely said he wanted to go to the bathroom, slowly withdrew his arm, and took his phone to the bathroom. He wasn’t gone for long, just the normal time for a man to use the bathroom, but I didn’t hear the sound of flushing. When he came out of the bathroom, he was the same as usual, showing no change at all. Unfortunately, a woman’s sixth sense is terrifyingly accurate. That night, I struggled for a while before I managed to take his phone out from under his pillow. He had never put his phone under his pillow before. I opened his chat with Sophia, there were no new messages. As if possessed, I clicked on his text messages. At the top was a text from a girl saved as “Sophia”. Before this, I had never seen this phone number, nor had I seen this contact name. I guess they must have gotten back in touch. “Henry, I’m coming back to the country the day after tomorrow. Are you free? I’d like to talk to you.” “Is it you, Sophia?” “Yes.” “What time is your flight the day after tomorrow? I’ll come pick you up.” “No need to trouble yourself. I’ll send you the meeting address when I arrive. I’m a bit busy now, talk to you later.” He sent Sophia a few more texts, but there was no reply from the other side. I guess she must have gone to take care of something. Before this, I had always thought Sophia was someone who would never appear, either dead or unable to meet him for some special reason. That’s why I chose to stay, vainly attempting to pull him back to my side with my sincerity. After reading the texts, I closed the phone, stared at my soundly sleeping fiancé for a long time, before putting the phone back under his pillow and hugging him to continue sleeping. The night before Sophia was to return to the country, I got my period. I’ve always been physically weak, and every time it’s excruciatingly painful. I used to think that the monthly period was a torture for me, but this time was different. I dragged my pain-wracked body to take a cold shower. I decided to gamble with my own body. Sure enough, the next day I had a high fever. I wanted to see who he would choose between a fiancée with her period and a high fever, and a long-lost love about to get off a plane. In the end, he chose his long-lost love. I could endure the bone-chilling pain and the uncomfortable high fever, but his long-lost love couldn’t come out of the airport without someone to help her with her luggage. My five years of sincere love, at this moment, lost completely. Before he left, all he cared about was whether his hairstyle was messy, whether his clothes fit well, and whether his cologne smelled good. I had never seen him like this before. Cautious, yet extremely happy. So happy that he forgot there was a fiancée curled up in pain at home. I cancelled the engagement party, packed all my things with a high fever, and moved out of the house we had lived in for four years. I cleaned out everything about me in the house, as if I had never been there. What I couldn’t take with me, I threw away. I only left him a note and that ring. The ring he could only buy once in his lifetime wasn’t meant for me. Later, I went away for a month to clear my mind. After adjusting my emotions, I joined a new company. Actually, I should thank him. Being with a CEO did have its benefits. He taught me many things that ordinary employees couldn’t learn. With my qualifications and the experience he taught me, I advanced quickly. In fact, many companies had offered me positions years ago, with better treatment and salary than my original company, but I had refused them all. Because I wanted to be with him. But that doesn’t matter now. I’ve started a new life, and actually, long before I discovered Sophia’s existence, I had taken out a loan to buy a house for myself. So even after breaking up, I still had a house, savings, and a job. I was still the same enviable person I was before. “What happened next? Did he try to find you?” “He did, but how could I let him find me? Once I decided to leave, I left completely.” “What if he wanted to meet Sophia to clear things up and never contact her again? Isn’t that how it usually goes in novels?” “Novels are just novels, fairy tales are just fairy tales. From the moment he could leave me with a high fever and pain to find his long-lost love, we were destined never to meet again in this life.” “Ah~” The person in front of me sighed and pouted, “Aren’t you sad? After all, you were together for five years.” I touched my neat short hair and smiled, “I cut off seven years of long hair, what’s a five-year relationship compared to that?” The little girl in front of me still seemed unsatisfied. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but I interrupted her, “Alright, stop being nosy. Have you finished today’s work? If you don’t finish, you can’t join us for dinner tonight.” “No, no, no, I’ll go do it right away. I promise to complete the task before clocking out!” Watching Emily leave, I let out a long sigh, finally relieved. Emily is a new intern. The company assigned her to me for mentoring. This little girl has just graduated, lively and cheerful, with an endearing naivety, very much like how I used to be. Maybe because of this reason, we quickly became close. During our free time, we like to gather and chat about gossip, and eventually, we started talking about ourselves. Although she’s a bit nosy, she wouldn’t spread other people’s private matters around. Unable to resist her constant questioning, I told her my story. Looking at her retreating figure, I felt a strange sense of comfort in my heart. It’s been over half a year since Henry and I broke up. At first, I really did go through a period of feeling depressed all day, occasionally drowning my sorrows in alcohol. But after so much time has passed, now when I think of him, I feel no ripples in my heart at all. Time really is the best medicine. In the evening, during the company’s monthly dinner, everyone was drinking happily when suddenly the restaurant lost power, plunging everything into darkness. I was about to call a waiter to ask what was going on when a beam of light slowly lit up in the center of the restaurant, shining on one person. I followed the light and saw it was Andrew. Seeing it was him, I frowned instinctively. Andrew is my senior from university and also my current boss. Half a year ago when I broke up with Henry, I went traveling abroad to adjust my mood. He somehow found out about it, flew abroad personally to find me, and invited me to help out at his company. Actually, I didn’t want to come at first. Firstly, because I didn’t want to work under someone I knew, and secondly, because he had pursued me before. When I was in school, Andrew’s name was well-known. Almost everyone in the school knew about him. Not because he was exceptionally outstanding, but because he was too much of a playboy. The speed at which he changed girlfriends truly lived up to the saying, “Women are like clothes.” For ordinary people, they would wear a piece of clothing for at least a year, or at least a few months even if they didn’t like it much. But Andrew was different. He was a genuine rich second generation. He would discard clothes after wearing them once, not even bothering to wash them. It was the same with girlfriends. But even so, countless girls still wanted to be his girlfriend. The reasons were simple: Andrew was smooth-talking, good-looking, and rich. In just a short year, Andrew had gone through most of the girls in his major. Although not many girls spoke ill of Andrew after breaking up with him, the speed at which he changed girlfriends still made everyone label him as a playboy. Later, Andrew met me. To be honest, even now I don’t know what Andrew liked about me. We had only met once at the freshman welcome party, and Andrew started his crazy pursuit. I had heard of his reputation as soon as I entered school, so of course I wouldn’t accept his pursuit. I thought that such a playboy would give up after being rejected a few times, but I didn’t expect him to become more persistent with each setback. He didn’t give up for three years in college, constantly pursuing me, and even declared in school that if anyone dared to pursue me besides him, he would make their life miserable. There were indeed a few who didn’t believe him and tried to pursue me, but they all gave up soon. Later, he graduated, and I thought I could finally get rid of him, but I didn’t expect him to still wait for me at my dormitory door every day, sending me flowers and saying some cheesy love words. “What you can’t have is always alluring.” I felt that Andrew’s pursuit only proved this saying. He had never failed in pursuing girls before, and I was the first one to give him a hard time. So I don’t believe he had much true feelings. This situation only improved when I got together with Henry. After I graduated, his waiting place moved from my dormitory door to my company door. That day, he was still waiting for me at the company door as usual, but I walked out holding Henry’s hand. He stared at us blankly for a while, but still handed me the flowers in his hand. I didn’t take them. I raised my hand that was holding Henry’s and told him, “I already have a boyfriend.” At that time, we had known each other for nearly five years, but it was the first time I saw such a hurt look in his eyes. In my impression, he was always a smiling playboy. I had rejected his pursuit countless times, thrown the flowers he sent into the trash countless times, but he had never shown me such a look. He was always smiling, if rejected he would try again, if the flowers were thrown away he would buy more. In those five years, I had said harsh words to him countless times, but none of them seemed to hurt him as much as “I already have a boyfriend.” His smile froze on his face, his eyes flickered, he didn’t say anything more, took back the flowers, and left. After that, I never saw him again, until I broke up with Henry. He traveled abroad alone to find me, asking me to come to his company. Thinking of this, when I looked up at Andrew again, he was already walking towards me with a bouquet of baby’s breath. I knew what he was going to do, and my frown deepened. I said in a voice only the two of us could hear, “You said we would only talk about work.” Andrew had indeed said this, he promised me this half a year ago abroad. At that time, when he invited me to his company, I flatly refused. But he seemed to know what I was worried about and said he was only inviting me to the company because he admired my abilities. We would only talk about work, and he would treat me the same as any other employee. If I didn’t believe him, I could try working for a while first. I couldn’t resist his persistence and sincerity, and after investigating, I found that his company indeed had great potential and room for growth, so I joined his company. After staying for a while, it was indeed as he said. He never gave me any special treatment, and I would be scolded and have my salary deducted if I made mistakes. So I became more at ease and stayed. But I didn’t expect that just a week after I signed a five-year labor contract, he would fall back into his old habits. This was all his calculation. He smiled and answered me, “As compensation for not keeping my word, I’ll give myself to you.” I couldn’t help but laugh, “Brother, is this compensation?” He flipped his hair, “Isn’t it? Where else can you find such a handsome boyfriend?” We whispered for a while longer, and finally, amidst the cheering of the company crowd, I smiled and accepted the flowers from Andrew’s hand. However, at the moment I took the flowers, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure flashing by outside the restaurant. When I turned to look, the person was gone. I didn’t think much of it and sat back down, holding Andrew’s hand. Not long after the dinner party, I felt that the atmosphere in the company seemed a bit strange. The colleagues around me weren’t as enthusiastic in greeting me as before, and the way they looked at me had an indescribable feeling. Some seemed to want to say something to me but then held back. After a few days of this awkwardness, Emily suddenly burst into my office, “Sis! Someone is slandering you online!” I was organizing files and felt a bit confused, “Huh?” Emily seemed to have run in a hurry, panting heavily as she spoke, “It’s… it’s your ex-boyfriend… he… he posted something online… saying you… saying you…” “Saying what about me? Don’t rush, take your time.” I patted Emily’s back, letting her sit down. “He said you’re fickle! That you abandoned him for your career and money, and that you seduced our boss!” Emily finally finished her sentence, followed by another bout of heavy breathing. I couldn’t help but frown, feeling a bit upset. We’ve been broken up for half a year, why isn’t he living well with his Sophia? Why jump out now to slander me? Emily found the original post and sent it to me. I looked at the time, it was already a week old. When it was first posted, it caused a small stir, but it didn’t become widely known. But for some reason, the views and shares of the post suddenly increased these past few days, as if someone had given it a push behind the scenes. I only read a few lines before I knew this post must have been written by someone Henry paid a high price to write. It was full of distortions and lies, and although the post seemed to be Henry’s diary, it was constantly vilifying me, both explicitly and implicitly. The post detailed our meeting, getting to know each other, falling in love, and even some private matters after we started dating. Even the gifts and red envelopes he sent me on holidays were written about in thousands of words. In short, after reading the entire post, the public would only get two pieces of information: One, Henry loved me very much. Two, I, a fresh graduate who knew nothing, used Henry to climb the social ladder and then abandoned him, seducing another man. In other words, he loved me, loved me very much, loved me so much that he would have cut out his heart for me. And we were about to get engaged, but I abandoned him because I found someone better than him, even canceling our planned engagement party. In short, I was a bad woman who loved money and fame, while Henry was a poor, devoted good man. The post also included some of our chat records and intimate photos. Some resourceful netizens used these photos to find me, Henry, and Andrew. Of course, they mainly found me, because in their eyes, I was now the bad woman, while Henry and Andrew were just victims I had deceived. After finding out my identity, the netizens became even more excited, holding up the banner of justice to condemn me. I glanced at it for a while and found that Andrew’s company’s stock was also plummeting. As I was getting annoyed reading this, my phone suddenly rang. I answered it without thinking, but as soon as I picked up, a stream of abuse came from the other end, using all kinds of nasty and vicious words. I got annoyed and hung up. But I didn’t expect this was just the beginning. After the first call, countless calls came in one after another, all abusing me when I picked up. It seems my personal information had been dug up by those people online. Or maybe, Henry had deliberately released it. Anyway, no matter what, my phone didn’t stop all morning. Calls, texts, WhatsApp messages, all non-stop. I didn’t dare to turn off my phone, afraid of missing important client calls. By the end of the day, I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I finally made it to the end of the workday, thinking I could finally go home and rest well, but I didn’t expect a large crowd to be waiting to ambush me at the company entrance. I didn’t notice at first, until I walked out the door and heard someone shout, “That bitch is out!” Only then did I realize a large group of people had gathered at the door, each holding a phone, frantically taking photos as soon as they saw me. I couldn’t help but think of those scenes in TV dramas where prisoners are paraded through the streets, with a crowd of people throwing rotten vegetables and rotten eggs at them. In the past, the public used violence to condemn those they thought were wrong. Now, the public uses words to condemn those they think are wrong. Thinking about it, I couldn’t figure out which was more hurtful. But no matter what, this was a form of harm. The company’s security guards hadn’t expected this situation and couldn’t hold back so many people. Some people had almost pushed their phones into my face. I couldn’t dodge in time, and I don’t know who pushed me, but I fell backwards. I instinctively closed my eyes, estimating that this fall would be quite bad. The expected pain didn’t come. I fell into a reassuring embrace. I opened my eyes to look at the person in front of me. It was Andrew. Before I could say anything, he helped me up, “I’m sorry, I’m late.” After saying this, he held my hand. I followed him all the way to the underground parking lot, shaking off those persistent people. Looking at his panting appearance, I thought of the company’s stock and the crowd at the door, and couldn’t help but sigh, “I’m sorry.” He caught his breath and asked me, “Why are you apologizing?” I blinked, “It’s all because of me that the company has so much trouble…” He smiled and came closer, ruffling my hair, “It’s not your fault.” I dodged his hand, “If it weren’t for me, the company’s stock wouldn’t…” “It has nothing to do with you.” He interrupted me before I could finish my sentence. He put his hands on my shoulders, “None of this has anything to do with you. It’s all him slandering you. I know that.” I looked up, meeting his eyes, “You believe me?” He nodded, “I do.” At that moment, I suddenly felt a warmth in my heart, an indescribable feeling. “Besides,” he muttered softly, but I heard it clearly, “you haven’t agreed to be my girlfriend yet, so what’s written up there isn’t true at all.” “From what you’re saying, you believe me just because this part he wrote isn’t true?” I raised an eyebrow. “No, no, no!” He hurriedly waved his hands, “I mean I know everything he wrote is false, it’s just… it’s just that I wish the part about you being with me was true…” I couldn’t help but laugh. That day I did accept Andrew’s flowers, but I didn’t agree to be with him. I took the flowers from his hand just because I didn’t want him to be embarrassed in front of so many people. Later when he sent me home, I told him very clearly. I said I had just ended a failed relationship not even half a year ago, and I wasn’t ready to enter a new relationship. He smiled and didn’t say anything, just sent me a WhatsApp message after sending me home. — It’s okay, we have a long time ahead of us. “What are you thinking about?” Andrew snapped his fingers in front of me, pulling me back from my memories. I smiled, “Nothing.” “Then get in the car.” Andrew opened the passenger door. “Where are we going?” I sat in the car. “My place.” Hearing Andrew say this, my hand that was about to fasten the seatbelt paused, “Your place?” “Don’t overthink it,” Andrew slid into the driver’s seat, “I’m worried that your home address might have been leaked too, it could be dangerous, so I’m taking you to my place to stay for a while.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295929”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy

I’m Lucy, 23 years old. A few days ago, I told Mr. Thompson, “Let’s break up.” When I said “break up,” I felt unsure because I knew I wasn’t really his “girlfriend.” My “ex” Mr. Thompson is thirty-one years older than me. He has a family abroad, but during our three years together, I never felt mistreated. On my 23rd birthday, Mr. Thompson couldn’t accompany me. He sent me a generous cash gift. He left a voice message saying he’d be home at 10 PM. That meant I needed to be at his villa before then, showered, dressed, and ready to do whatever he liked. But that night, I was distracted. He noticed and asked if something was bothering me. I nodded and said, “I want to get married.” “Are you sure?” I nodded again and said we should break up. He fell silent. I knew he was angry. In the past, I would have cuddled up to him, softly saying, “Don’t be mad.” But this time, I didn’t. He stood up in his robe, poured half a glass of whiskey, and downed it in one gulp. “What do you have without me?” he asked, his voice soft but authoritative. It’s true. Without Mr. Thompson, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m from a single-parent family. Coming to this big city for a second-tier college was the best my mother could do for me. The day she sent me off to school was her first time riding the subway, her first time seeing skyscrapers. She said it was wonderful, that I should put down roots here and bring her over someday. I loved this place too. The luxury cars, the stores with handbags worth thousands, the haute cuisine and French restaurants you only see in movies, the wealthiest people in the country. But I couldn’t stay. Graduates from my college earned only about $500 a month, but the cheapest apartment here cost over $500 per square foot. Later, while working part-time at a bar, I met Mr. Thompson. He wore a Richard Mille watch. He was older but well-groomed, with a tailored suit and a fit physique. Even after drinking, he remained gentle and reserved. He was my perfect target. I sent Cindy, the bar manager, a big tip and told her if table 37 asked for company, it had to be me. That night, I sat next to Mr. Thompson but spent the whole time chatting and drinking with another client. This was Cindy’s strategy. She said if you want to attract someone, turn your back to them, make them want you. “The person you’re entertaining isn’t the one you’re after. Get the one you’re with drunk, then wait in the alley by the parking lot exit. Don’t wear a coat, the colder the better. Wait for the one you want to offer you a ride.” That night, it drizzled. I waited from 1 AM until 3 AM, finally seeing Mr. Thompson’s car. Later, he told me he knew I was waiting for him. He saw through everything. He said he didn’t like girls with such obvious intentions. But when it started raining and he saw I hadn’t left, he softened. I was barely 20 then, my first time riding in a Maserati, my first time staying in a villa. Mr. Thompson gave me a card with unlimited spending and a $25,000 monthly cash withdrawal limit. I calculated that if I maxed it out every month, in just over two years, I could buy a small two-bedroom apartment in this city and bring my mom over. But I wouldn’t do that. I couldn’t be so presumptuous. From then on, I accompanied Mr. Thompson on business trips, vacations, and cocktail parties. Sometimes I wouldn’t return to school for weeks at a time. Last year, I officially dropped out. The administrator who stamped my papers looked me up and down, her gaze so sharp I felt like my expensive clothes were stripped away in an instant. She smirked, saying, “I guess you don’t need this degree anymore.” I thought if I was careful, this life could continue. There was nothing bad about being with Mr. Thompson. I could treat him like my “boyfriend” and enjoy this “romance.” I was lost in this fantasy until two weeks ago when Mr. Thompson found a new flame. A girl even younger than me. The housekeeper told me this. He showed me her photo – taller than me, with a face like a minor, a small-time celebrity. The housekeeper said, “Mr. Thompson started a film company this year. There will be plenty of girls like her from now on.” “I see.” “Also, Mr. Thompson is going abroad for about a week. He’s not taking you this time.” As he said this, his tone became increasingly mocking. “You can still stay here during that time.” That night, lying alone in Mr. Thompson’s master bedroom, I couldn’t sleep. Of course, Mr. Thompson wasn’t my “boyfriend.” Mr. Thompson was my sugar daddy. We had an employer-employee relationship. He could hire another, hire many more, or fire me at any time without reason. I went into the bathroom, turned the shower on full blast, and started crying. It was then that I understood Cindy’s words. “For people like us, 23 is a turning point.” I’m 23 this year. “College graduates are 23. After 23, you’re not standard anymore. No matter how well you take care of yourself, no matter how carefree you act, you lose that quality. Age can’t be fooled.” “But the bosses always like them young.” [Cutoff point] 0

“Is it because I found another girl?” He took a sip of his drink and smiled. “So you’ve learned to be jealous?” Just one drink. With just one drink, he regained his composure. I guess I didn’t matter much to him at all. “You’re right, you’re 23 now. You’ve been sensible these past few years. Not like those girls who always dream of marrying me.” “Thank you, Mr. Thompson.” He sat down beside me, his large hand resting on my leg. “What are your plans now?” “I want… to travel.” “Alright. Since you’ve decided to leave, go to the housekeeper tomorrow for some money. I’ll treat you to dinner in the evening.” I nodded. Indeed, I needed this “severance pay” from him. He thought for a moment. “Do you need me to arrange a job for you?” I shook my head. “So… you’ll stay in New York?” Seeing I didn’t answer, he added, “I don’t mean anything by it. Just thought we might get together sometime in the future.” Of course, I didn’t misunderstand his intention. Get together anytime, for what? Just to book a room? What else was there between us? I remained silent, neither refusing nor agreeing directly. “Let’s not talk about this. Get some sleep. I have a meeting early tomorrow. Don’t forget to make me breakfast.” The next day, I moved out of Mr. Thompson’s villa. He gave me a generous severance package. Combined with what I’d saved over the years, I had about $250,000 – enough to live in this city for over a decade. But not enough to settle down. I guess that’s why those “girls” Mr. Thompson mentioned wanted to marry him. After being a mistress for years, I still couldn’t stay. I called Cindy and talked for a long time. She said, “Did you really think being a mistress for a few years would let you settle down in a big city? Don’t dream, girl. Our bodies and faces combined aren’t worth as much as those plots of land. You’ve got to keep hustling.” “But don’t worry, you don’t have to hustle yourself. The urgent task is to find someone who can hustle for you. Get married.” 03 Cindy was the bar owner where I worked part-time. She always looked out for me. She said I didn’t look like the type of girl who’d work in such a place. “Seeing you dressed like them makes me a bit sad.” She said she used to do this too, and was even more popular than me. In the era when internet images loaded slowly, bosses had few channels to find beautiful women, so someone like Cindy was especially precious. Bosses bought her jewelry and bags, took her traveling around the world. But no one married her. “You must get out of this life, as soon as possible,” she told me after I broke up with Mr. Thompson. “Youth is the biggest capital for people like us. Every day you delay marriage, you lose a day of your worth.” “But getting married isn’t hard, especially for us. So stop drinking at my place every day. You won’t find good men here. You need to go out and fish.” Cindy suggested I travel abroad, to America or Europe, because the expensive flights and high living costs would at least filter out the poorest men. Later, I set my sights on a small island called Tasmania in Australia. A heart-shaped island. Not just for the romance, but because it was far away. The farther, the more I felt I could escape my past with Mr. Thompson. In Tasmania, I met Jack. 04 – Jack Lucy was the most perfect girlfriend I’d ever had. I met her during my graduation trip to Australia. The day we met was like a fairy tale. There’s an island in Australia called Tasmania, shaped like a heart. It’s considered the holy grail of Australian tourist destinations. I had been studying for my master’s in Australia for over a year, too busy with coursework to date. So I was hoping for a bit of romance during the trip. Luckily, Lucy was in the Chinese tour group I joined. I was sitting in the back of the bus when I saw her board and take a seat in the third row by the aisle. Just those few steps from the door to her seat were enough to make my heart skip a beat. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, she wore a light camisole top and tight jeans, with a sliver of ankle visible between the jeans and her sneakers, so delicate it looked like you could encircle it with one hand. Her face was pure, with eyes reminiscent of the actress in that old TV series “Chinese Paladin” from over a decade ago. I’m not a shy person. While the bus wasn’t full yet, I counted down in my head – three, two, one – then got up and sat next to her. We talked for the entire bus ride around the island. Not just talking, of course. While making her laugh, I also casually probed for her basic information, and she seemed to play along. A girl from the South, 22 years old, graduated from an Ivy League school, Gemini, likes Japanese hot pot, works in administration in New York. Recently single. Romance happens quickly when traveling. That evening, on this heart-shaped island of Tasmania, we – two people who had known each other for less than 5 hours – stood barefoot where the sea met the sand and held hands. She had changed into a white dress, wearing a cute straw hat and small white flip-flops. The sea breeze lifted her skirt, outlining her slender, beautiful figure in the moonlight, like the final frame of a Japanese anime ending. She seemed too good to be just 20 years old. After Tasmania, we traveled to many places in Australia together. Lucy always arranged all the itineraries in advance, researching every attraction, booking flights, hotels, or Airbnbs. She considered whether we’d get enough sleep each day, if we were eating enough vegetables, scolded me for wearing my jacket to bed, and ordered me to sleep early. She always woke up before me. The sight of her making breakfast in her nightgown was incredibly alluring. I thought she was the girl I liked, someone I could spend my life with. I thought, if our relationship could stabilize, even for just half a year, I wouldn’t be able to resist proposing to her. But the day before we were to return home, she suddenly said to me: “Let’s get married.” I was stunned, feeling a mix of happiness and panic. “Marriage?” Lucy nodded, “Marry me.” “Are you serious? We’ve only known each other for 20 days.” “17 days and 7 hours, but I think it’s enough. I can marry you. I’ll give you two months to think about it. If you agree, bring me to meet your parents.” The next day, Lucy returned home alone. Since she had booked all the tickets and itineraries, I didn’t have a return ticket. For the next two months, Lucy didn’t let me see her again. But the less I saw her, the more I remembered all the good things she did for me. Every moment of our time together was vivid in my memory. We watched the sunrise together at the easternmost point of Australia, posed like in the “Titanic” poster, went diving at the Great Barrier Reef where she took off her oxygen mask 20 meters underwater to kiss me, visited the glow worm caves where she made me sing surrounded by tens of thousands of “stars” in the enclosed cave. “What should I sing? ‘Fireflies’?” I asked her. She pointed, “Look at their country’s glow worms, not a single one flying. That song doesn’t fit the scene.” “Then what should I sing?” She thought for a while, “Let’s go with ‘Fireflies’ after all.” “Didn’t you say it doesn’t fit?” “I suddenly want to hear you sing it.” I thought, I’d never find a girl more wonderful than her. After waiting anxiously for two months, we met again at the agreed place. I bought a $25,000 diamond ring, got down on one knee and said: “Marry me.” She started crying, suddenly kneeling down too and hugging me so tight I could barely breathe. She said to sell the ring, she didn’t need it. “As long as you love me, that’s enough. I have someone who loves me now, I have someone who loves me.” 05 It was just around Christmas time. I brought Lucy to my family home up north for the holiday dinner. Everyone loved her. She was beautiful, had a lovely voice, and carried herself with grace in everything she did. She helped my mom make dumplings, rolling out the wrappers more skillfully than my mom. At the dinner table, she didn’t drink but kept smiling and listening to everyone’s drunken ramblings, then cleaned up afterwards, washing dishes and doing all the chores as if she were already the woman of the house. My mom said, “Such a beautiful girl who can do all this, what more could you ask for, son?” My aunt said, “Where are you two settling down? If you need help buying a house, let your uncle chip in!” My uncle said, “Hurry up and find a job to support your family. With such a good wife, you better be able to provide for her.” And my brothers and sisters, while their words were full of jealousy and resentment, I’m sure in their hearts they all adored Lucy. It was the happiest Christmas I’d ever had. “But I feel like I’ve seen your girlfriend somewhere before,” my cousin, the oldest of us younger folks, said. “Where does she work?” “In New York,” I answered for Lucy. “I work in New York too, as an executive assistant. What do you do?” Lucy hesitated for a moment, “Oh, I work in administration.” “Carrying that kind of bag, you must earn quite a bit.” My cousin took a sip of her drink. “Thompson Group, Mr. Thompson, do you know him?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295927”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #校园School #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #擦边Steamy