Reborn as the true heiress to a powerful family, my mind is haunted by splinters of a past I can’t quite grasp. In these fractured memories, I was the class “science freak,” an outcast. Once, when a classmate wouldn’t leave me alone, I gave him a so-called “smart drug” just to get him off my back. His IQ skyrocketed to 300. It didn’t last. The next day, he was abducted by a shadowy corporation, his skull cracked open for research. There are darker visions, too. A father, obsessed with having a son, forcing my mother into another pregnancy. She died giving birth to my brother. Drowned in grief, I tried to stitch her back together, to graft her life force onto my father’s. The grotesque chimera I created lost control. In its rage, it swatted me out of existence with a single, monstrous blow. Now, I am the long-lost daughter, and the blood-soaked memories of that other life cling to me like a nightmare. 1 Melody, the fragile girl who took my place, sniffled, her eyes welling with tears. “You can have my room, sister.” I shrugged. “The lab is fine.” At that, she burst into tears, ready to flee the mansion. “You don’t have to be so cruel! I’ll leave, I’ll just leave!” My father, Richard, instantly pulled her behind him, a human shield. “Melody has a fragile heart, Nova. Try to be considerate. Don’t fight her over a room.” A fragile heart? I thought. An interesting hypothesis. Perhaps I could help her with that. I was already mentally mixing a formula, a subtle concoction that would slowly, literally, turn her heart to glass. But what I saw as a scientific problem, my new mother, Isabelle, saw as stubbornness. She rushed to Melody’s side. “Why can’t you just let her have it!” she snapped. “We gave you life, nothing more! We didn’t raise you. Don’t you dare think you can replace Melody in our hearts.” I froze, a flash of irritation piercing my calm. In that other life, my father hadn’t cared for me, but my mother… my mother had loved me. This time, it seemed, her affection belonged to someone else, too. I watched them, a perfect family portrait. Richard with his arm around Melody, Isabelle clasping her hand, my brother, Spencer, handing her a tissue to blot her tears. They looked so… complete. My fingers twitched, itching for the scalpel in my pocket. Maybe I should just sew you all together. But the memory of my last attempt was a bitter lesson. Brute force was messy. Finesse was required. I took a deep breath, trying a different approach. “Father, from a biological standpoint, Melody shares no genetic material with you.” He frowned. “What are you trying to say?” “You’re defending her so passionately. Are you sleeping with her? Planning on making her my new stepmother?” Richard slammed his hand on the table. “What the hell are you talking about!” Isabelle’s voice was sharp. “Apologize to Melody this instant!” I turned to her. “And you’re so protective of her, Mother. Are you planning on sharing him? I’ve noticed you have trouble getting around. Melody looks strong enough to help you service him.” My mother, confined to her wheelchair, turned a sickly shade of green. “Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Spencer shot to his feet. “How can you say that about Melody! We’re a family!” I looked him straight in the eye. “You’re not related to her by blood, either. Are you in love with her? Planning to marry her? It seems like a neat solution. She wouldn’t have to leave, and we could all keep living together.” Spencer trembled with rage. “You… you’re impossible!” Melody was now sobbing, gasping for air. “You don’t have to spread such disgusting rumors about me! What do you gain by humiliating me? I was already going to give everything back to you!” She clutched her chest, a vision of tragic beauty. Richard hugged her tighter. “Shh, Melody, don’t cry. Dad’s here.” Isabelle glared at me. “Look what you’ve done to your sister!” Spencer pointed a shaking finger at me. “Apologize!” This was all so tedious. Family drama was a chaotic variable I couldn’t control, unlike experimental data, where one was always one, and two was always two. My attempt at a logical solution had somehow become slander. In the end, because I refused to apologize, they gave me a storage room filled with new, unassembled lab equipment to serve as my temporary bedroom. “You’ll make do with this for now,” Richard said coldly. “When you decide to apologize, I’ll have the maid prepare a proper room for you.” I said nothing, happily moving my things in. The equipment was top-of-the-line, just a little dusty. It took me a while to set everything up. While I was at it, I synthesized the potion for Melody’s “fragile heart.” It was colorless and odorless. The reagents I had on hand weren’t ideal, so it would take seven days to fully activate. Finally, I went downstairs for dinner. The dining table was a picture of domestic bliss. Melody sat between Richard and Isabelle. Spencer was placing choice cuts of steak on her plate. I was at the far end of the table, alone. “Pour Melody some juice,” Isabelle commanded. Richard picked up the pitcher and glanced at me. “You do it.” I took the pitcher. And added my little concoction. When I handed the glass to Melody, she wiped the rim with a napkin, a look of disgust on her face. I smiled. Seeing my apparent obedience, Richard cleared his throat. “Since you’re making an effort to behave,” he announced, “I’ll arrange a welcome banquet tomorrow to officially introduce you to society.” Before I could respond, Melody’s smile froze. Tears plopped into her bowl of soup. “My heart… it hurts so much. I feel like it’s going to shatter.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Am I being too sensitive? It’s just… the thought of everyone knowing I’m not your real daughter… it’s agony.” She clutched her chest, her face pale. Your heart hurts because it’s slowly turning to glass, I thought. Not because of some trivial social drama. The potion was working faster than expected. But my parents saw only her tears and panicked. Isabelle wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t cry, sweetie, we won’t do it! No announcement!” Richard nodded emphatically. “She’s right, no announcement. We’ll just tell everyone you’re a scholarship student we’re sponsoring.” Spencer turned to glare at me. “You hear that? Don’t get any ideas about telling people who you are. If Melody gets hurt because of you, I swear I will make you regret it.” I sliced into my filet mignon, looking up at him. “Fine by me. Being a charity case sounds great. Will you actually be funding me?” My parents exchanged a look. Richard coughed. “As compensation for not announcing your identity, we’ll give you the same allowance as Melody.” Isabelle added, “Fifty thousand dollars a month. You should thank your father.” “Thanks,” I mumbled, my mind elsewhere as I continued cutting my steak. This was pathetic. Even in my last life, my allowance started at two hundred thousand. How else was I supposed to fund my experiments? I needed to find a way to get more capital. As if on cue, Melody wiped her tears, a faint smirk playing on her lips. She let out a sharp whistle. “Come here, baby!” A massive, muscular bulldog charged into the room, its jaws aiming straight for my leg. I raised the scalpel I’d been using for my steak. A blur of flashing steel. In seconds, the dog’s internal organs were arranged on the floor in neat, anatomical order. Its skeleton was perfectly stripped of flesh, and its hide was laid out flat beside it. I wiped the blade clean. “Why would you keep such a vicious animal in the house? I’ve taken care of it for you. It makes for a pretty good specimen, don’t you think?” Dead silence. Melody’s eyes were wide, her mouth agape. She looked down, then doubled over and vomited. Richard clapped a hand over his mouth and ran for the bathroom. Isabelle threw up all over her wheelchair. Spencer’s legs gave out, and he collapsed, retching onto the Persian rug. I placed my scalpel on my plate and stood up. “I’m full. I’m going to go pack for school.” By the time I came back downstairs, they had recovered. Spencer was dangling his car keys, smiling dotingly at Melody. “Melody, those legs and feet were made for ballet, not for walking to school. Come on, I’ll drive you.” Melody giggled sweetly. As she reached the door, she glanced back at me. “Sorry, sister. There’s no room in the car.” The door clicked shut. I slammed the frog I’d planned to dissect at school onto the ground in frustration. Why couldn’t they just give me a ride? I despise walking. I hate all forms of physical exertion! When I finally arrived at school, I saw Melody surrounded by a crowd of admirers, gliding toward her classroom. I’d forgotten she was the school’s queen bee, immensely popular. I was just a nerd in glasses, a ghost in the hallways. I pushed my glasses up my nose as I passed her classroom. “Well, look what we have here,” Melody called out, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “It’s my family’s little charity case!” She immediately turned to the girls around her. “You know, this morning she dissected my dog. Right in front of me,” she whispered conspiratorially. “No expression on her face, just slice after slice. It was terrifying. She has to be mentally ill, right?” Melody sighed dramatically. “I can’t imagine anyone would actually want to sit next to her.” I stared at her, unable to argue. I was a science freak. Sighing, I turned to leave, but she grabbed my wrist. Her grip was surprisingly strong. “Where are you going? You want everyone to think I’m bullying you? That I won’t let you in the classroom?” I yanked my hand free. “Did you even look at my transfer exam scores?” Melody blinked, confused. I pressed on. “Your classes are mostly for arts and humanities majors. I’m in the advanced science track.” I adjusted my glasses again. “I may be a science freak, but I’m a very smart science freak. Don’t drag me into your angsty high school drama.” Her face went pale. I turned and walked to the advanced science classroom. Pushing the door open, I found a room of students hunched over their desks, scribbling furiously. No one looked up. I found an empty seat in the back and, after setting up my textbooks, discreetly began cross-referencing my latest experimental data. This was perfect. I just wanted to be left alone to be a freak. Data doesn’t bully. Data doesn’t play games. I had no intention of attending the school’s talent show. It was a waste of time I could have spent ignoring my professors and focusing on my own projects. But Isabelle insisted I go watch Melody dance. I was dragged along against my will. The auditorium was dazzling, the stage lights brilliant. Melody’s ballet performance was breathtaking, earning a thunderous applause. I glanced at my mother. Her usually stern face was soft with pride and nostalgia. She had once been a prima ballerina herself. Nerve damage from childbirth had put her in the wheelchair. Then, Isabelle turned and looked at me. Her expression soured. Disgust. Loathing. And a flicker of something that looked like hatred. Because Melody was living her dream. And I was merely the sinner who had crippled her. This was pointless. I stood up to leave. “And now, please welcome a very special performer!” the host’s voice boomed through the speakers. A spotlight hit me. Melody, still catching her breath at the side of the stage, was clutching her heart. She took a microphone from a stagehand and smiled. “Mother always says to be fair, so I couldn’t be the only one to perform. I signed you up too, sister.” She tilted her head. “You wouldn’t say no, would you?” Every eye in the auditorium was on me. Isabelle frowned. “Well, you’re signed up. Go on, give it a try. You are my daughter, after all. You must have some talent.” Melody, pressing a hand to her chest like a tragic heroine, smiled. “Break a leg, sister.” I watched her clutching her heart. That organ was crystallizing, and she was still finding time to plot against me. I wasn’t going to engage, but if you insist on poking the bear… Fine. Don’t blame me for what happens next. “Alright,” I said with a smile. I walked onto the stage. The music started. I had no idea how to dance. I was stiff, clumsy, a marionette with tangled strings. The audience fell silent. Then came the whispers. A few people snickered. My mother covered her face with her hands. In the wings, Melody covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. When it was over, I stood on the stage, my face a blank mask. The host tried to salvage the moment. “Ha, that was very… creative.” Isabelle was frowning at me. “You may be my child, but you certainly didn’t inherit my gift.” She looked at Melody with pure adoration. “It must have been fate that sent Melody to take your place.” Melody nestled against her. “Oh, Mother, I’ll dance for you forever.” I stood beside them and scoffed. “Watching someone else dance can’t be as satisfying as dancing yourself.” Isabelle looked up. “What do you mean by that?” I pointed at Melody’s legs. “I mean, I can graft Melody’s legs onto you.” Both of them stared at me, stunned. “Wh-what?” “I said, I can give you her legs.” I pulled out a small case containing two frogs I’d prepared, one green with yellow legs, one yellow with green legs. “I am proficient in lower-body grafting procedures. I can attach Melody’s legs to your torso, allowing you to walk again. My technique is so precise, you’ll even be able to dance with them.” Isabelle’s breathing grew ragged. Melody stumbled back. “No! I won’t do it!” Isabelle’s gaze fixed on her, hot and intense. “Aren’t you my devoted daughter? Didn’t you say you’d do anything for me?” Melody’s face was ashen. My mother’s eyes turned to ice. “To think I’ve spoiled you for all these years, and you’re not willing to make one small sacrifice for me! In that case, you might as well go back to the gutter where you belong!” In the end, terrified of losing her mother’s affection, Melody reluctantly agreed. After the surgery, I smiled down at my mother. “How does it feel to stand again?” “It’s wonderful! I want to start practicing, to dance again immediately!” “Good.” I turned to Melody. “Is the wheelchair comfortable?” She said nothing, her glare sharp enough to kill. I just smiled. “Don’t be upset. You can always take up wheelchair dancing.” When Richard and Spencer found out, they had a massive fight with Isabelle. But Melody, crying, said that no sacrifice was too great for her beloved mother, father, and brother. The incident only made the three of them dote on her even more. Especially after Richard was diagnosed with a sudden, terminal illness. Melody, from her wheelchair, was a constant presence at his side, catering to his every need. She became famous throughout the city for her filial piety. I, meanwhile, was buried in work, shuttling between my home lab and the one at school, with no time for such sentimental displays. After finally cracking a difficult experimental problem, I stepped outside for a bit of sun. The hospital was nearby, so I decided to drop in. I didn’t expect to overhear my father dictating his final wishes to his lawyer. “I’ve decided on the distribution of assets. Spencer will take over my pharmaceutical company. Melody has taken such good care of me, she’ll receive a hundred-million-dollar trust fund.” He paused. “As for the one we found… leave her a million.” A million? I blinked. That wasn’t enough to fund a minor experiment. This wouldn’t do at all. It seemed I needed a new plan. When I got home, Spencer and Melody were already there, standing at the door of my lab. Spencer was holding a vial of my latest formula. “Well, look at you, working so hard,” he sneered. “Hoping to take over Dad’s company?” Melody rolled up beside him in her wheelchair. “You’re so ambitious, sister. Not like me. All I want is to live under the protection of my loving family.” As she finished, she clutched her chest, her brow furrowing in pain. Spencer immediately rushed to her side. “What’s wrong, Melody?” “It’s nothing, just a little stabbing pain in my chest.” I let out a cold laugh. A classic symptom of cardiac vitrification. Spencer slapped me across the face. “What are you laughing at? You’re the one who upset her, and you have the nerve to laugh! I knew you were a conniving bitch from the start. We were lucky you got switched at birth. Otherwise, you’d be fighting Melody for affection and me for the inheritance.” He stepped closer, his voice low and menacing. “But you’re too late. Even if you have the genius to make the company bigger and better, you’ve run out of time. Dad’s on his way out, and he’s leaving the company to me. This family, this fortune, it will all belong to me and Melody. I’ll protect her, and you won’t get a single cent of research funding from me.” I frowned. That was unacceptable. A life without research was a life not worth living. Just then, Melody wheeled herself into the lab and spotted the vials on my workbench. “What’s this?” she asked, picking one up. Spencer leaned in. “Something new you cooked up? Let’s have a look.” I held out my hand. “Give it back.” Spencer dodged me. “You want it back? Bark like a dog, and I’ll give it to you.” Melody giggled. “Yeah, go on, let’s hear it.” I looked at them. Forget it. The data was all in my head. They could have the physical sample. I turned to leave, but they dragged me to the industrial freezer and locked me inside. “It’s nice and cool in here. You should be comfortable,” Melody’s voice called through the door. “Go on, sister. Beg us. If you beg, we’ll let you out. Come on, give us a little bark.” I sat down inside the freezer. The thermometer read -20 degrees Celsius. To prevent reagent degradation, I’d spent more time in this freezer over the years than in my own bedroom. This temperature was nothing. But for daring to do this to me, they would face my retribution. I don’t know how much time passed before the door opened. My mother stood there. “What are you doing in here? Come out, you must be frozen.” I stepped out. “I’m fine.” “Mom, I’m going to the hospital.” “Now?” “Yes.” In the hospital room, my father lay against the pillows, his face a ghastly grey. The last will and testament sat on his bedside table. Spencer saw me first. “Well, well, the great scientist decided to grace us with her presence? The will is finalized tomorrow. You’re a little late.” Melody, from her wheelchair, clutched her chest, a triumphant smile on her face. “The inheritance is all settled, sister. How many lab rats can you buy with a million dollars?” Richard didn’t even want to look at me. “You finally show up? Too late.” He met my gaze. “I gave you life, nothing more. I’ll ensure you don’t starve, but you won’t get a penny more from me.” I looked at him, disappointed. It seemed that no matter which life I lived, my father was incapable of loving me. But it didn’t matter. I knew that for men like him, love was just a trinket, a little something they bestowed upon those who served their interests. Power and profit were the only things that truly moved them. I spoke. “Dad, I haven’t been here because I’ve been developing a cure for you.” “I can heal you. But it’s going to require a little sacrifice from Spencer and Melody.”

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Seven years ago, at the drawing that decided our fate, I privately told Alistair that the name chosen would be Sabrina’s, the woman he adored. But fate played a cruel joke. In the end, it was my name on that slip of paper. From that day on, Alistair was convinced I had used some despicable trick. For seven years of marriage, his gaze never once lingered on me. He told the world that my twin sister, Sabrina, was the one true love of his life. He even paid the tabloids to paint me as a shameless harlot who had seduced her own sister’s fiancé. The daily humiliation and torment had long since drained all my strength. So when Sabrina raised a knife to my face for the ninth time, I didn’t even think to move. I just stood there, empty. Seeing this, Alistair immediately swept her into a protective embrace, his voice a venomous hiss directed at me. “Didn’t I warn you to wear a mask at all times?” The raw, ulcerated skin behind my ears throbbed with pain from the mask’s elastic bands. But it was Sabrina who sobbed in his arms as if she were the one who had suffered some great injustice. It was always this way. Every time she hurt me, no matter how I tried to explain, Alistair would accuse me of deliberately provoking her. This time, I was finally done. 1 A searing pain flared across my cheek. A drop of blood hit the marble floor with a soft pat. Alistair didn’t spare me a single glance, his attention focused entirely on cooing over Sabrina, whose hand was now smeared with my blood. I didn’t miss the flash of triumph in her eyes. She threw herself into Alistair’s arms, frantically tearing at her own hair. “Alistair, darling, why do I have to have her face? She stole you from me! Looking at her makes me sick.” Without another word, she snatched the knife and aimed it at her own cheek. Alistair didn’t hesitate for a second, his hand closing around the sharp blade. A sharp pang went through my own chest. The Vaughn and Ashworth families had a marriage pact. The problem was, the Ashworths had twin daughters, and the Vaughns had only one son. My quiet nature made me far less charming than Sabrina. Everyone simply assumed that she would be the future Mrs. Vaughn. When Sabrina bullied me, our peers were more than happy to be her loyal sycophants. They ripped my dresses, threw mud on me, even shaved my head… The worst was when they held my head under the water in the estate fountain. Just as I thought I would drown, Alistair appeared like an avenging angel. He pulled me out and sent the boy holding me down sprawling with a single punch. “If anyone dares to touch Seraphina Ashworth again,” he had snarled, “I’ll feed them to my dogs.” After that, no one bullied me openly anymore. Alistair promised he would always protect me. But for the last seven years, he was the one enabling Sabrina to hurt me. Time and time again. Even when she wanted me dead. A shadow fell over me. Alistair nodded to one of his bodyguards. “Hold her.” Before I could react, I heard the sickening crack of bone. The bodyguard twisted my arm into a grotesque angle, ensuring I couldn’t fight back. Alistair gently took Sabrina’s hand, then swung it, slapping me hard across the right cheek. The taste of blood filled my mouth. I tried to turn away from the pain, but his fingers clamped onto my jaw, forcing my head back into position. A storm of slaps rained down on me, the pain so intense I could hardly breathe. He only stopped when Sabrina whimpered, “My hand hurts.” Alistair released me with a look of disgust, blowing softly on her reddened palm. I collapsed to the floor, a bitter smile on my lips. “You think I want to look like you?” Sabrina was a tyrant. I couldn’t count the number of beautiful dresses she’d destroyed, or the times she’d poisoned my makeup. When I asked her why, she looked at me with murder in her eyes. “You stole my face! Without you, I would have been the brightest star in our circle!” After that, she made it her mission to take everything that was mine. Hearing my words now, she flew into a rage, smashing everything within reach. She grabbed the knife again, pressing it to her own throat as tears streamed down her face. “I’m sorry, Alistair. I just can’t take it anymore.” Alistair snatched the knife away, his gaze sweeping over my face with utter revulsion. “Sabrina, my love, I promise you. After tonight, she will never look like you again.” 2 I was shoved violently into the back of the car. Alistair’s voice was a shard of ice. “To the Avalon Clinic.” The rough rope bit into my wrists, chafing them raw. I screamed, my voice hoarse. “Alistair, you can’t do this to me! On what grounds are you forcing me into plastic surgery?” He ignored me, focused on soothing Sabrina. He had one of his men stuff a rag in my mouth. Biting back the pain, I fumbled for the phone in my pocket, trying to call for help. It rang for barely a second before it was slapped from my hand, skittering across the floor. Alistair’s eyes were cold as death. He spoke to the bodyguard. “Dislocate her arm.” A sound like a hammer shattering bone erupted from my shoulder. Tears streamed down my face. At the clinic, I was dragged into an examination room. A thick needle pierced my vein, and a cold sensation spread through my body. The doctor looked at a report, then stood up abruptly, a strange look on his face as he went to find Alistair. Lying on the cold operating table, I could hear their conversation through the crack in the door. “Mr. Vaughn, she’s pregnant. The procedure is far too risky. I can’t perform this surgery.” My heart stopped. I looked down at my flat stomach in disbelief. There was a life inside me. Sabrina’s choked sobs came from the hallway. “Alistair, you promised me you would never touch her. If you’ve fallen in love with her, I’ll just disappear. I’ll never bother you again.” She made a show of running away, heartbroken. Alistair caught her, his voice shaking with rage as he kicked open the operating room door. “Seraphina! So that night wasn’t a dream! You drugged me. You actually dared to drug me!” My mind went blank. My throat was tight with pain. A month ago, Alistair had come to my room, blind drunk. He gave me no chance to resist, his kisses rough and desperate all over my body. All night long, he had called out my name. Twenty-three times. A foolish joy had bloomed in my chest. I thought maybe, just maybe, he cared for me a little. The next morning, worried about his restless sleep, I’d gone to the kitchen to make him a hangover remedy. But when I returned with the warm soup, the bed was empty. Seeing the blood drain from my face now, Alistair sneered. “Did you really think you were worthy of carrying my child? Not unless you drugged me to get it.” A crowd had gathered outside the room. Their disdainful stares and vile words were needles piercing my eardrums. “So shameless, drugging a man to get pregnant.” “Even the cheapest bar girl trying to climb into a rich man’s bed has more class than her.” My voice trembled as I tried to defend myself. “I didn’t drug him…” Sabrina’s eyes filled with tears as she turned away from Alistair, pouting. “It’s me or the child, Alistair. You can only choose one.” They were going to take my baby? Panic seized me. I reached out, my fingers clenching his sleeve. “You can’t take him from me! We can get a divorce. I won’t ask for anything. Just please, let me keep the baby.” For a moment, Alistair’s expression softened. But in the next second, Sabrina let out a wail and sank her teeth into my arm. “You just want to use the baby as a bargaining chip! Just like you bribed the butler to rig the drawing so you could marry Alistair! Now you want to use his child to control him forever!” I shook my head desperately, trying to explain. “No…” But Alistair’s eyes had turned to stone. He saw my plea as just another calculation. “Get rid of that bastard thing. Now. Then proceed with the facial surgery.” The doctor gave me a look of pity as the nurses held me down. The anesthetic entered my bloodstream, and my consciousness began to fade. Tears of anguish streamed from my eyes. I couldn’t understand. Why, after he had regained his sight, had he become so cruel? Had he forgotten? It was he who had taken my hand, he who had confessed his love, he who had promised me a lifetime. 3 When I opened my eyes again, my face was wrapped in thick gauze. A dull ache spread from my lower abdomen. I remembered the surgery, the floor slick with my blood. That tiny life, snuffed out by its own father. Tears welled up. A young nurse rushed over. “You’ve just had extensive facial reconstruction. You can’t get emotional. What if your face heals crooked?” My sanity shattered. I clawed at the bandages on my face. My fingernails filled with blood, and a searing pain shot through my skin, but I didn’t stop. The door opened. I saw Sabrina’s sickeningly perfect face. She watched my breakdown with a smug satisfaction, even taking out her phone to record it. I ripped the IV from my hand and stumbled towards her, grabbing her shoulders. “Why? Why are you doing this to me? I already agreed to give up being his wife, I don’t want anything! Why couldn’t you just leave my child alone?” Sabrina looked at my bloodied face and laughed. She held up her wrist, dangling a bracelet I had lost long ago. “Sister, aren’t you curious why Alistair is suddenly so madly in love with me?” My heart hammered against my ribs. I stared at her, frozen. She smiled, a perfectly innocent, harmless smile. “It’s because I told Alistair that I was the one by his side when he was blind after his accident. I switched the names in the drawing. I didn’t just want to steal the man you love, Seraphina. I wanted him to hate you for the rest of his life. I wanted the very mention of your name to make him sick!” A roar filled my ears. Two streams of tears traced paths through the blood on my cheeks. Sabrina had taken my place. She had made Alistair believe that she was the one who had stayed with him, who had never given up on him. I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood and dragged my broken body towards the door. I had to tell Alistair. Now. The person who sat by his bed day and night, who told him stories to help him sleep… that person was me! But Sabrina blocked my path, her hand clamping down on mine. She smiled maliciously. “Sister, let’s make a little bet, shall we? Let’s see who Alistair really cares about.” A sharp pain shot through my wrist, and I instinctively pulled my hand back. Sabrina closed her eyes and fell backwards stiffly. “Ouch… you hurt me…” A blur of motion, and Alistair was there, scooping her into his arms. “Doctor! Get every doctor in this hospital in here now!” I rushed forward and grabbed his arm, my heart pounding. “When you were blind after the accident, the one who took care of you was me! Sabrina stole my bracelet…” “Enough!” Alistair shoved me away, his eyes filled with pure hatred. “I was blind in my eyes, not in my heart! I know who was with me! If a single hair on Sabrina’s head is harmed, I will make you pay a thousand times over!” Doctors and nurses scurried after him. The bodyguard at the door kicked me hard in the chest, then grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the wall. A series of gruesome, bloody imprints stained the pristine white paint. “I’ve never seen a woman as shameless as you,” he spat. “Stealing Miss Sabrina’s marriage, and now trying to steal the credit for saving Mr. Vaughn’s life. I’m going to teach you a lesson on her behalf.” A sweet, metallic taste filled my throat as I choked, spitting up mouthfuls of blood. The gauze on my face began to unravel. Catching a glimpse of my reflection in the window, my breath hitched. 4 I screamed, a raw, primal sound, and threw the bodyguard off me with all my strength. Blood from my forehead streamed into my eyes, turning the world red. But I could still see it. The face in the reflection. It was monstrous, unfamiliar, the face of a hardened criminal. I stumbled out of the room, my voice tearing from my throat. “Give me back my face! Give it back!” Patients in the hallway stopped and stared. It wasn’t until I heard a terrified shriek that I instinctively covered my face. “It’s her! The fugitive! The one who killed her whole family!” My nails dug into my palms. “I’m not a killer!” I shrieked, losing control. “This isn’t my face!” I had thought the worst-case scenario was that Alistair would give me a plain, unremarkable face. I never imagined he would have me surgically altered to look like a wanted murderer. Did he hate me that much? He had killed our child, and now he was trying to utterly destroy my life. I collapsed, sobbing, clutching my head. Someone threw something. Scalding soup splashed across my face, followed by a plate of greasy food. My vision blurred, and I fell. “Call the police! Get her before she hurts someone!” Fists and feet rained down on me. Someone stomped on my stomach. My fingers were crushed under a heavy boot. I curled into a ball, a warm liquid spreading between my legs. The scent of my own blood filled the air, followed by the wail of sirens. An officer pulled me to my feet, the cold metal of handcuffs snapping around my wrists. I coughed up more blood, shaking my head. “I’m not a murderer… I’m Seraphina Ashworth… they changed my face…” The officer frowned, looking around. No one stepped forward to defend me. Despair was a spider’s web, thick and suffocating. I used my last ounce of strength to scream in the direction Alistair had gone. “Alistair, it was me who was with you! You promised you would protect me! You promised to make me the happiest bride in the world…” People looked at me like I was insane. Everyone in the city knew that Alistair Vaughn loved the younger Ashworth twin but had been forced to marry the elder. Two identical faces, yet his heart belonged only to one. The officer pushed me forward, studying my new face intently. “Save it. You’re the woman on the wanted poster. You can tell your story down at the station.” As we reached the hospital entrance, I saw Alistair helping Sabrina into his car. Like a drowning woman grasping at a straw, I broke free and lunged towards him. “Tell them! Tell them I’m Seraphina Ashworth! I’m not a killer!” Alistair gave me a fleeting, indifferent glance before addressing the officer behind me. “I’m sorry. I don’t know her.” A murderer gets the death penalty. Was my life really worth so little to him? A bloody laugh tore from my lips. My heart shattered into dust. “Alistair Vaughn, I hope you live to regret this.” Sabrina trembled in his arms, her eyes red, the picture of a frightened rabbit. I closed my eyes, all the fight gone out of me. I let the officers lead me away. As Alistair settled Sabrina into the car, he felt a strange, sharp pain in his chest, as if he’d been stabbed. He looked down to check on Sabrina, but his eyes were drawn to the bracelet on her wrist. To a tiny, almost invisible ‘S’ engraved on the charm. At the same moment, his phone buzzed violently. A new message popped onto the screen. Mr. Vaughn… the one who was with you when you were blind… it was your wife…

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It was International Women’s Day, and HR delivered flowers to every woman in the company, except me. Confused, I went to look for the HR manager, but stopped when I heard her talking with colleagues in the stairwell. “Isn’t it too much to exclude Aurora? She is the Head of Tech,” one whispered. Another answered, “It’s her own fault. She keeps going to the CEO and upsetting his girlfriend. The budget for her flower was used for Jenna’s huge bouquet. That was the only way to calm the girlfriend down.” “Liam is clearly avoiding her, but she still shamelessly chases him, trying to break them up.” Their words stung. I remembered the enormous bouquet that caused a stir in the office this morning, given to Jenna, the new intern. My husband, Liam Vaughn, had not given me flowers since we founded the company. He did not even have time for dinner on our anniversary. Lately, even when we were together, he felt distant, always preoccupied with work, worried our competitor Apex Dynamics would beat us to the market. I knew how hard he had worked to build this company. I felt his struggle so deeply that I turned down a generous offer from Apex and brought my core technology to his startup instead. I became a workaholic, working through the night, pushing myself to the limit. I even agreed to keep our marriage a secret to avoid office politics. And what did I get? While colleagues spread rumors about me, he stayed silent, yet never hid his favoritism toward an intern. I looked at the hard drive in my hand, which held my latest breakthrough. I took a deep breath, picked up my phone, and called Donovan Pierce, CEO of Apex Dynamics. “I accept your offer,” I said calmly. “I will join as a partner, with my technology as my stake.” 1 There was a beat of silence on the other end. Then, Donovan Pierce, a man known as the “Stone-Faced Godfather of the tech world,” couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice. “Aurora, you won’t regret this. I will make sure this is the best decision you’ve ever made. With your tech, the Titan Corp bid tomorrow is ours for the taking!” The second I agreed, the phone was snatched from my hand. I turned to see Liam’s icy glare. A crowd of smirking employees stood behind him. He hung up without even looking at the screen, his tone frigid. “It’s just a flower. You’re the Head of Technology, and you’re going to cause a scene in the administrative department over it? What will people think? It’ll look like Jenna is bullying you. Have you thought about her position?” A bitter smile touched my lips. I hadn’t even found the HR manager, and he was already this worried about Jenna. Yet for the past year, as I was branded the desperate older woman trying to ruin his relationship, as the rumors flew, he had been conveniently deaf. Seeing their boss angry, the others eagerly piled on. “An old hag like Ms. Vale has probably never gotten flowers in her life. That’s why she’s making such a big deal out of it.” “Are all homewreckers this shameless? Liam is obviously trying to keep his distance by not giving you a flower, and you’re still forcing the issue!” “It’s Women’s Day. It’s for young, beautiful women like Jenna and us. What makes a washed-up, old mistress think she deserves anything?” Every word was a dagger to the heart, but Liam’s expression remained unchanged. I understood then. They were just saying what he was already thinking. I trembled with rage, my eyes fixed on the man I’d been married to for seven years. “I am also a female employee of this company. Is there a problem with me fighting for a benefit I’m entitled to?” Seeing the tears welling in my eyes, a flicker of emotion crossed his face. He sighed. “If you really want one…” Just then, Jenna appeared, clutching her enormous bouquet, her eyes brimming with tears. “Aurora, it’s my fault! I’m just an intern, I don’t deserve this! If you want them, you can have them, just please don’t use your position to bully me! I’m so scared!” A few of her friends in the office chimed in with saccharine-laced accusations. “Liam, as soon as Jenna got the flowers this morning, Aurora made her print hundreds of pages of pure gibberish, and she only gave her an hour to do it. Jenna’s back is killing her from standing by the printer, and for what? A stack of useless paper no one will ever read. It’s blatant workplace harassment!” Liam’s gaze fell on the half-printed stack of paper on the desk. The flicker of sympathy vanished. He grabbed a handful of pages, the contents looking like nonsense to him, and in a fit of rage, ripped them to shreds, showering me with the pieces. “And to think I was about to compensate you! Vertex Innovations prides itself on its supportive company culture. A toxic shrew like you who bullies her subordinates is a disgrace!” Behind the fluttering confetti of my hard work, I could see Jenna and her friends smiling triumphantly. What Liam didn’t know was that those pages contained the technical report I had spent five sleepless nights perfecting. I’d asked the intern to print them this morning so I could get them to Titan Corp, the biggest client in the industry, before their bidding process was locked down. It would have secured us the project without a fight. He grabbed another stack of paper and slapped me across the face with them. “Apologize to Jenna. Now!” The sharp edge of the A4 paper left a stinging cut on my cheek, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the desolation in my soul. I bent down and began to gather the scattered pages, my voice as cold as my heart. “She was too busy showing off her flowers this morning to complete the task I gave her within the one-hour deadline. She’s the one who should be apologizing.” Liam’s face darkened. He lunged forward and grabbed me by the collar. “Aurora, when did you become so manipulative and cruel? You’re the one in the wrong, and you’re so consumed by jealousy you’ve lost all sense of shame? Get on your knees and apologize to Jenna, and I… I might still let you stay on the team.” The sycophants erupted. “You pathetic homewrecker, abusing your power to bully the real girlfriend! How dare you demand an apology?” “Wasting company resources on a pile of garbage and disrupting our work. Why should a selfish bitch like you be a department head?” “You’ve always known your place, working without a salary, throwing yourself at Liam. I guess a single flower was enough to make you finally drop the act, huh?” I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. When Liam and I first married, he had nothing. But he knew I loved flowers and would often pick wildflowers for me. We were poor, but our hearts were full. Then he decided to start his own company. Every penny was pinched, and there was certainly no money or time for flowers. As a renowned expert in my field, I poured my own money and talent into supporting him. Last year, the company finally started to turn a profit. We expanded, hired new staff, and aimed to conquer the market. I had been with him every step of the way, so I understood the struggle. That’s why I joined his company without a salary, letting all my benefits go to the new hires. Even when the rumors about him and Jenna started, even when I found out that as an intern, Jenna had an unlimited, no-receipts-required expense account, even when I saw that after a year of not even being able to operate a printer correctly, her annual bonus was a brand-new sports car, I believed him. “It’s about showing appreciation for our junior staff, building team morale,” he’d said. And I had believed him. But today, this one small benefit, I thought he would remember my love for flowers. I thought he wouldn’t leave me out. Instead, all my years of silent support had earned me was the consensus that I was unworthy. I pointed to the data on the shredded papers, my heart aching as I looked at him. “This is the technical data I poured my soul into. If it had been delivered on time today, we would have won the Titan bid without even competing. Now it’s all ruined. Shouldn’t she be the one to leave?” At the mention of her name, Jenna’s eyes darted around, and fresh tears began to fall. “Aurora, just because Liam favors me, you have to set such a vicious trap? No wonder you gave me an impossible printing task. You couldn’t deliver the software Liam needed, and you were afraid of failing at the bid tomorrow, so you decided to make me the scapegoat! Is this how far you’ll go just to keep clinging to him?” The others rushed to her defense. “I heard Liam was already pissed that the tech department hasn’t had a breakthrough in a year. This old witch is just trying to use Jenna to save her own skin!” “That’s why it didn’t matter if the documents were gibberish! She just needed to give Jenna an impossible task so she could shift the blame!” “She’s pure evil. No wonder she’s trying to sleep her way to the top. She knows she’s incompetent!” Liam’s eyes were like daggers. He shoved me, and I fell into the pile of my ruined work. “You really went to great lengths to frame Jenna, didn’t you? I wondered why your so-called ‘breakthrough’ was taking so long. You were too busy plotting against her! Apologize to Jenna right now, or you’re out of this company!” He’d forgotten that in the early days, when we couldn’t afford employees, I often filled every role, including printing hundreds of documents in an hour. It was his own standard operating procedure. But when applied to Jenna, it became an act of deliberate cruelty. A sad smile touched my lips. I stood up, brushed the paper from my clothes, and took off my employee badge, tossing it on the floor. I started gathering my personal belongings. “No need for threats. I quit.” I printed out a single document, signed it, and handed it to him. “Sign this. I’ll send you a mailing address.” The words “Divorce Agreement” made him freeze. He instinctively reached for me as I turned to leave. The others, assuming it was a resignation letter, began to cheer. Only Jenna, seeing him grab me, scowled and pulled his arm away. “Liam, are you trying to make her apologize to me? If she’s resigning as an apology, I suppose I could accept…” Liam snapped back to reality. Ever conscious of his image, he went along with her. “Exactly. We can’t let this toxic woman off so easily.” He yanked me back, pinning me against the wall. “Tomorrow’s bid will make me a legend in this industry! How dare you try to walk out on me now?” The desperation and fury in his eyes made it impossible to tell if he was trying to save the bid or the hollowed-out shell of our marriage. But I no longer cared to guess. I looked him straight in the eye, my heart a dead weight in my chest. “You think I’m incompetent. You think I’m getting in the way of your love life. Why are you stopping me?” He flinched, glancing at Jenna over his shoulder. “You’re derelict in your duties and you’re a bully. Don’t try to drag me into this!” he said, before leaning in and hissing in my ear, “Is this because I’ve been busy with work and haven’t paid you enough attention in bed? Is that why you’re making a federal case out of a damn flower?” I shook my head, speechless, and shoved him away. The box of my belongings in my arms fell, scattering its contents across the floor. Jenna immediately snatched the most prominent item, a photo album. She flipped it open and sneered. “No wonder she’s in such a hurry to leave. Looks like she’s already found a new target!” The others crowded around, laughing. “She saw she wasn’t getting anywhere with Liam, so she started lining up her next sugar daddy. What a slut! She must have spent a lot of time in his car trying to seduce him.” But as Liam looked at the contents of the album, the color drained from his face. There were no photos inside. Only a thick stack of train tickets. They were from college. I was a rising star in the national programming competition circuit, a recognized genius. He was just a logistics volunteer from another school who had fallen for me at first sight. He, a notorious slacker who barely passed his classes, and I, a prodigy. We were worlds apart. I had politely turned him down. But after the competition, he had relentlessly pursued me, taking the train for hours, often standing the whole way, just to see me. On our wedding day, he had presented me with this album, filled with every single one of those tickets, and held me in his arms, tears streaming down his face. “It took me ten thousand miles to finally win you over,” he’d whispered. “How could I not cherish you?” Now, the album was a cruel joke. Seeing my silence, the employees assumed their suspicions were correct. They took out their phones and started a livestream, shoving the cameras in my face. “You’ve never seen a homewrecker this desperate! When one man doesn’t work out, she moves on to the next! Everyone, watch out for this one!” Instantly, my bruised face, under the headline “The Hardest Working Old Mistress,” went viral. The internet trolls descended. “An old hag like that still trying to be a mistress? Is money earned on your back that good?” “She’s got no talent, so she has to use her body!” A few people were skeptical. “She looks familiar. I think she’s won a bunch of tech awards. She should be able to make good money on her own. Why would she need to be a mistress?” I was livid. I grabbed Liam’s shirt. “You know the truth! Tell them!” A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He was about to speak when my phone buzzed with a notification. Jenna saw it and snatched it, holding it up like a trophy. It was a message from Donovan Pierce. “I’ll pick you up at your place tomorrow morning. I’ll bring breakfast.” He had messaged me from a personal account they didn’t recognize. Their imaginations ran wild. “See? The old mistress is already scheduling her next hookup! No wonder she was in such a hurry to quit!” The few netizens who had defended me turned. “So she really is a shameless, desperate slut. Disgusting!” Before I could explain, Liam’s eyes were blazing. He slapped me so hard I fell to the floor. “Aurora, and to think I was about to defend you! You really are this pathetic! No wonder you were so determined to leave. You were just eager to climb into another man’s bed! This company has no place for a whore like you!” The others swarmed me. “You’re a disgrace to this company, with your depraved lifestyle and your bullying! You’ll apologize to all of us on your knees before you leave this building!” Before I could react, someone kicked the back of my knees, and I collapsed. Another grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the floor. Blood streamed from the wound. Jenna knelt, pinching my chin, her voice a triumphant whisper. “You really thought you could compete with me for him? This is what you get, you old bitch.” Seeing the blood, Liam finally seemed to regain some semblance of sanity. He hauled me to my feet, threw me into the elevator, and snarled, “Go home and wait for me. If you mention divorce again, you’ll see what I do to you when I get back.” But as the doors were closing, I heard Jenna’s sweet voice. “Liam, you promised you’d spend tonight with me! You can’t go back on your word!” Liam’s tone instantly softened. “Of course not, my dear. When have I ever missed a special day with you?” I thought of all the important days he had missed over the last year and smiled a bitter, bloody smile. He didn’t come home that night. Neither did I. The next morning, at the Titan Corp bidding presentation, Liam saw me, my wounds bandaged, a satisfied look on his face. He had a faint hickey on his neck. “I knew it. You must have stayed up all night working on a new proposal to win me back.” He leaned in closer. “Look, I had to calm Jenna down last night. That’s why I didn’t come home. But you’ve been good today. I’ll come home tonight. Consider it your company benefit. Happy now?” Jenna, however, was furious when she saw me. “So you still can’t let him go? Have some self-respect, you’re not young anymore.” The media, who had all seen yesterday’s livestream, swarmed me with hostile questions. “You’ve been branded a whore by the entire industry. Do you have no dignity?” “Did your new sugar daddy see the stream and dump you? Are you here looking for a new man?” “Or are you here to win Liam back? Are you really that pathetic?” I walked right through them and handed my proposal to the Titan Corp executives. “Everything you’re looking for is in here. You don’t need to see anyone else’s.” The head of Titan Corp looked shocked. He flipped through a few pages, then grabbed my hand, his face alight with excitement. “We knew it! Whichever company has Ms. Vale is the one with the Midas touch!” Liam beamed, turning to the media and bowing. He preened for the cameras. “Taming a woman is as simple as training a dog. That’s how you unlock her true potential…” He then shot a smug look at his biggest rival, Donovan Pierce. “Next time, don’t even bother showing up! Today, you’ll learn who the king of this industry is!” Donovan just smiled faintly and gestured to the stage. “Perhaps you should listen a little more closely.” The next moment, the Titan Corp executive made the official announcement, and Liam’s world fell apart. “This year’s winning bid… is Apex Dynamics, the new home of a tech titan like Ms. Aurora Vale!”

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Marcus Thorne, the serial killer responsible for nineteen deaths, was finally caught. A reporter asked him, “Which victim left the deepest impression on you?” He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly chuckled. “The fifteenth one. I hadn’t intended to kill her.” “But someone paid two million dollars for her life. And that money, it came straight from her husband’s account.” “The person who hired me was his former student. That woman later married her husband, and she’s now pregnant.” As he spoke, eight hundred thousand viewers flooded the livestream. The comments section exploded. Meanwhile, my husband, Ethan Vance, a university professor of criminal psychology and a special consultant for the City Police Department, was completely oblivious. He sat in his office, on a FaceTime call with his new wife, seven months pregnant. On the screen, Seraphina Hayes was proudly showing off her baby bump, laboriously displaying a newly purchased crib. “Honey, don’t you think this color is beautiful?” Seraphina smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Anything you choose is beautiful.” Ethan’s voice was unbelievably gentle. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze full of affection. “Seraphina, don’t overdo it. I’ll put it together when I get home after work.” “But I want our baby to feel daddy’s presence sooner!” Seraphina pouted, her voice sickeningly sweet. I floated behind Ethan, quietly watching the scene unfold. I had been dead for three years. In these three years, I had watched Ethan go from anguish to numbness, then to a comfortable acceptance of Seraphina. He had even forgotten that three years ago today was the day I disappeared. The intercom on his desk suddenly rang. Ethan frowned, making a shushing gesture to Seraphina. “Professor Vance, Marcus specifically asked to see you.” Chief Miller’s voice on the other end sounded urgent. “He said he won’t reveal the location of the fifteenth body unless it’s to you.” Ethan’s expression instantly turned serious. “I’ll be right there.” He hung up, gave Seraphina a few hurried instructions, then grabbed his jacket and headed out. Seraphina seemed a little uneasy on the video call. “Honey, Marcus… is he the serial killer?” “Yes. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” Ethan ended the call, his footsteps quick. I followed him into the interrogation room. In the dim room, Marcus sat on an iron chair, his face covered in stubble. Seeing Ethan enter, he flashed a strange smile. “Professor Vance, I’ve heard a lot about you.” “I watched your public lectures on criminal psychology. They were excellent.” Ethan didn’t look up. “Marcus, male, forty-one years old. From 2019 to 2024, operated in six states, committed nineteen cases—” “You don’t need to recite it.” The chains rattled. “I want to talk about the fifteenth one.” “Speak.” “Aren’t you curious why I asked for you specifically?” “Not at all. Criminals try to seize control by creating conversation during high-pressure interrogations. It’s basic psychological profiling. Doesn’t work on me.” Marcus suddenly burst into laughter, the chains clanking loudly. “Professor Vance, you’ve spent your life studying criminal psychology, yet you can’t even tell who your own partner truly is. How ironic.” Ethan closed the file, his eyes contemptuous. “That kind of juvenile psychological tactic won’t work on me.” “Oh really?” Marcus leaned closer, lowering his voice. “What if I told you the fifteenth person was named Elara Reed?” Ethan’s body instantly stiffened. His fingers clenched, knuckles turning white. “See? The moment I mentioned that name, you clearly lost your composure while going through those files.” “I haven’t changed at all.” Ethan closed the file, crossed his hands neatly on the table, and sat up straight. “She was consumed by jealousy, sensitive and overly suspicious.” “She’d complain when I didn’t answer my phone, complain when I came home late, complain when I was nice to my students.” “If we argued, she’d run off and wouldn’t come back unless I went to get her.” “A thirty-year-old acting like a child.” After saying all this, Ethan’s fingers tried to twist the cap onto his pen. It didn’t catch the first two times, only sealing on the third. “So the last time she left, I didn’t go looking. No need. I was tired, too. She could go wherever she wanted.” “What, did she run out of money? Does she want to come back?” “Tell me, how much did she pay you to play this game?” Marcus chuckled. “Professor Vance, I’m a killer, not a con artist. I buried her with my own hands.” “You’re making this up.” Ethan’s tone was resolute. “Your victims fit a fixed selection standard — living alone, remote location, high-risk profession.” “Elara Reed fits none of those criteria. You wouldn’t have chosen her.” I stood behind him, a sharp pain in my chest. Even though I no longer had a heart. But I still felt that heartbreaking sorrow. “To frame Seraphina, she actually managed to bribe you into saying all those things. She’s really gotten quite skilled.” He opened SnapChat and sent a voice message. “Elara, stop playing dead.” “I let it go when you spread rumors about Seraphina on the forum back then.” “Now that we’re finally happy, you’re trying to sicken me again. Is this your new trick?” “Even if a manipulative woman like you truly died, I’d only feel relieved.” I watched the voice message send successfully. Ethan, do you really think I’d joke about my own life with you? Marcus stopped laughing, his eyes softening with pity. “But Professor Vance, someone paid me two million dollars to kill her.” “A full two million, transferred from her husband’s bank account.” “Doesn’t that number sound familiar to you, Professor Vance?” The chair legs scraped across the floor with a harsh sound. Ethan stood up, his face dark. “The interrogation ends here.” “I have no interest in your nonsense.” “Go to Westwood.” Marcus suddenly spoke. “Under that old oak tree. You know the place.” Ethan’s footsteps halted. That was where we first met.

Ethan didn’t go home. He went straight from the interrogation room and called the Criminal Technology Division. “Marcus has confessed to a suspected burial site.” “Westwood Forest, by the oak trees.” “Deploy the tech team and forensic unit. Depart now.” His voice was all business, betraying no emotion. I floated behind him, watching him get into his car. He didn’t start the engine immediately. Instead, he pulled out his phone and opened the pinned chat. “Elara, what do you want?” “To think I actually believed you’d bribe a killer to put on this act with you.” “I don’t know if you’re crazy, or if I am…” The message sent successfully. He stared at the screen for a long time. Her profile picture was their wedding photo from three years ago, never changed. Just like his. I stood outside the car window, looking at that chat window. In three years, he had sent me over two hundred messages. I hadn’t replied to a single one. Not because I didn’t want to. But because I couldn’t. He took a deep breath and started the car. The convoy sped through the city in the dead of night, red and blue police lights flashing silently. Their destination was Westwood. I sat in the passenger seat, watching his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel, and his jaw clenched tight. I wanted to reach out and touch his face. But my hand passed right through his body. The cars drove onto the Westwood road, high beams illuminating the abandoned oak grove ahead. Ethan’s breathing hitched. He remembered Marcus’s last words. “You know the place.” He knew. Of course, he knew. Under that tree, he had kissed me, and he had also betrayed me. The convoy arrived at the oak grove. Several high-powered floodlights illuminated the old oak tree, making it look ghostly pale. Ethan stood outside the crime scene tape, hands in his pockets, his expression cold. Detective Dawson, his deputy, quietly asked, “Professor Vance, this… can it be true?” “If they dig and find nothing, I’ll personally interrogate Marcus and make him regret wasting my time.” Ethan’s tone even carried a hint of disdain. But I noticed that his position never strayed more than three steps from that tree. The tech team began to dig. He smoked cigarette after cigarette. He hadn’t smoked before. He only started after I disappeared. I remembered, when I was alive, he wouldn’t even touch a lighter. Half an hour later, a young Officer Kim shouted. “We found something!” Ethan’s shoulders tensed suddenly. Instead of moving closer, he actually took half a step back. From the mud, tweezers pulled out a broken metal watch strap. Then, a shattered watch face. The technician carefully flipped it over. On the back of the watch face, two letters were engraved. “E.R.” It was the twenty-fifth birthday gift he had given me. He had spent two hours picking it out at the counter, his hands trembling when they engraved the letters. Ethan’s pupils constricted violently. He turned his head away, not letting anyone see his expression. Without a word, he turned and walked to his car. He opened the door, got in, and closed it. Cutting off all outside sounds. I followed him into the car. His hands were on the steering wheel, all ten fingers trembling. “Impossible.” He mumbled to himself, his voice so faint that only I, a ghost, could hear it. Three seconds later. He slammed his fist onto the steering wheel. The harsh blare of the horn pierced the stillness of the desolate night. Then a second punch. A third. He stopped, gasping for air. A memory suddenly flashed through his mind. The night I disappeared three years ago, Seraphina Hayes came to him, her eyes red-rimmed. She carefully, casually mentioned. “Professor Vance, I think I saw Elara with a man getting into a car today…” “It might have been a mistake, but she seemed to be wearing that watch you gave her.” At the time, he believed her.

Ethan sat motionless in the car, his body rigid like a statue. I sat in the passenger seat, watching him. The tide of memories surged, without warning. Our first meeting was under that same old oak tree. I was crouching on the ground, searching for a rare book I’d bought from a used book stall. The wind was too strong, blowing the pages away. He walked past and stepped on the book. When he handed it to me, he adjusted his glasses, wearing a detached, academic air. “History major? I have the original edition of this book. You can come get it if you want.” Only later did I learn. For that casually delivered line, he had secretly borrowed the book from the university library three days in advance. His way of pursuing me was also precisely in line with “criminal psychology.” He knew I went to the library every day at three in the afternoon. So he would arrive at two fifty. He knew I liked the window seat. He would occupy the seat next to mine in advance. I later asked him, “How long did you follow me to know me so well?” He maintained a straight face and stubbornly said, “That’s called target subject behavior pattern analysis.” I laughed, my eyes crinkling. “I love sunflowers because they always face the sun.” He didn’t say anything then. Two months later, a vast field of golden flowers had bloomed on the barren land behind the university. He stood by the flower field, waiting for me, his face peeling from the sun. When he saw me, he turned his head away, his words still just as stubborn. “Just saw it passing by. Nothing to do with me.” The day he proposed. He rented out the entire top-floor restaurant and memorized his lines for three days. But the moment he stood before me, he forgot everything. Stuttering, his face bright red, he finally managed to blurt out: “Elara… let me… take care of you.” I smiled and said yes. Blushing, he put the ring on my finger. He put it on the wrong way. Then, fumbling, he took it off and put it on again. His hands trembled uncontrollably. I thought of the clumsy, stubborn Ethan from my memories, the one who was clearly terrified but insisted on acting nonchalant. A smile touched my lips, then slowly faded. The Ethan in my memories was so wonderful. So wonderful that I couldn’t understand how he had changed later. One day, in the second year of our marriage. The doorbell rang. Seraphina Hayes stood at the door, her hair in a ponytail, carrying a thick stack of research papers. She shyly said, “Professor Vance, I’m your new graduate student, Seraphina Hayes.” Her gaze swept past Ethan’s shoulder and landed on me. I still remember that look. It wasn’t shyness, nor was it admiration. It was an assessment. It was like she was examining something that belonged to someone else, calculating how to make it her own. From that day on, my marriage began to crack, little by little. And what I didn’t know then was this: The very night Seraphina first came to our house, she posted an update on her Ins. The accompanying picture was a corner of Ethan’s study. She wrote: “New semester, new beginning.” Someone in the comments asked, “Where is this?” She replied: “My future home.”

Seraphina frequently entered and exited Ethan’s study, using the excuse of “discussing research topics.” Sometimes I’d come home late from work and find her sitting in the living room, waiting for Ethan. I had reminded Ethan to be mindful of boundaries. He impatiently cut me off. “She’s just my student, can you stop being so suspicious?” “Why are you so neurotic all of a sudden?” I spent half a year compiling a collection of extremely valuable annotations for a rare historical manuscript. I planned to give it to Ethan as a surprise on his birthday. I knew he was writing a new textbook, and this material was the final piece he needed. However, on Ethan’s birthday. Seraphina Hayes got ahead of me, put her name on this material, and presented it to Ethan as a “research report.” Ethan was greatly surprised. In front of me, he praised Seraphina for “possessing rare academic talent.” I immediately pulled out my manuscript and confronted her. Seraphina’s eyes instantly welled up, her voice trembling. “Elara, I didn’t know you were working on this too…” “I just wanted to help the professor so badly…” “I’m sorry, it’s my fault…” As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. Ethan looked at his weeping student on one side and me, angry, on the other. He frowned and said something I remember to this day. Something I will never forget, even in death. “Elara, you’re regressing. You can’t even tolerate a student?” “How much effort did she put into organizing this material, and you just claim it as yours?” “Aren’t you ashamed of how jealous you are of her? Your jealousy has made you unrecognizable.” I froze, the hand holding my manuscript trembling. After that, I didn’t say another word. I placed the manuscript on the table, turned, walked into the bedroom, and packed a suitcase. Ethan stood in the doorway, watching me, his face livid. “If you leave, don’t come back.” “Every time we argue, you pull this ‘running away’ stunt. You’re thirty years old, isn’t it annoying?” I dragged my suitcase to the front door and looked back at him. I wanted to say so many things. In the end, I only managed. “You owe me an apology.” “Ethan, when you understand what you’ve done, then come find me.” He didn’t follow. I waited for half a month, but I never got his apology. What I got instead was a text message, sent by Seraphina pretending to be him. And that address led to an abandoned factory. My burial ground. When I came to, it was already dawn. Ethan hadn’t gone home; he had sat in his car all night. Suddenly, the car window was tapped forcefully by an Officer Kim. “Professor Vance! Detective Dawson!” His face was ecstatic, holding up a transparent evidence bag. “We found it! We found crucial evidence!”

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I spent seven years teaching Eric, this emotionally unavailable creature, what love was. But once he learned it, he gave all that love to another woman. I thought if I was patient enough, he would eventually come back. Until Eric believed her lies and had people rip my clothes off, all while the blood of our second child flowed beneath me. In that moment, I finally understood. My love was worthless in his eyes. I signed the divorce papers and moved far away. Years later, successful in my career, standing at my own art exhibition, I saw Eric kneel before me, begging for my forgiveness. But I simply linked my arm with the man beside me. “Eric, you’re not even fit to be a security guard outside my studio.” Sophia POV In the spacious bedroom on the top floor of the mansion, the headboard thumped against the wall, making a rapid, erratic sound. I exhaled heavily, feeling Eric’s sweat on me. “I’m too tired. I want to sleep.” “Don’t you want a baby? Let’s try tonight.” My heart pounded faster at Eric’s words. “But you don’t like kids.” “But I like you.” His kisses landed on my cheek and neck, making me incredibly excited. I hugged Eric tightly. But when I saw the tattoo on his inner thigh, my smile suddenly vanished. When did this tattoo appear? It was a butterfly. Looking at it, my restless heart suddenly grew quiet. A name flashed through my mind: Maya. She loved butterflies. The woman who almost ruined my marriage. Was she out of prison? Counting the days, she should have been released three months ago. “Sophia, why aren’t you focused?” “My stomach feels a bit upset. I want to shower and go to bed first.” Eric stopped. He picked me up and carried me to the bathroom, just like he always did. But this time, I didn’t let him help me wash. Three years ago, Eric knelt and swore he wouldn’t cheat again, promising to cherish only me. For three years, he canceled all evening work, came home on time every day to cook for me, prepared surprises even when there were no holidays, and planned a romantic trip every month. He was so good to me, so good that I almost forgot he had cheated once, even throwing divorce papers at me with such a decisive attitude. The sound of the shower stopped, and I dragged my body, feeling deflated, back to bed. Closing my eyes, I told myself I must be overthinking things. It was just a tattoo, and I hadn’t actually seen Eric cheat. But I couldn’t sleep. At 3 AM, there was a sudden rustling by the pillow. Eric, who never got up in the middle of the night, took his phone and went outside the bedroom. Wrapped in a shawl, I stood by the bedroom door. Through the thin wall, I heard everything clearly. “Sophia’s asleep. Was I too rough yesterday? Are you still sore?” “We haven’t seen each other in so long. I miss you so much…” “Of course I love you, but we can’t be together, at least not now. My family really admires Sophia. She did help me with my condition, after all. I want to protect you, but only in this private way. I don’t want you to be hurt again.” Eric’s voice was tearful, filled with an affection I had never felt from him. I leaned against the cold wall, my chest aching and raw. I felt like a hateful old witch breaking up true love. I didn’t want to hear any more of their conversation. I returned to bed and lay there. Maya was really back. Eric still loved her. What did my pain from three years ago mean then? What did all my efforts to save this marriage mean? I was so foolish, foolish enough to think that a man who’d once strayed could truly love me forever. Eric and Maya chatted on the phone for a long time before he returned to bed. I could feel him watching my face for a while, making sure I was really asleep before he relaxed. The next morning, Eric woke up as usual, preparing for work. He was as energetic as ever. I met his gaze at the dining table. Eric stroked my head. “Want me to bring you a cupcake tonight? What flavor do you want?” “The usual.” “Okay.” Eric kissed my forehead before he left. I stared numbly into his eyes, realizing that love truly could be faked After the door closed, I made a call. “Anything new lately?” “I’m divorcing Eric.” “Because Maya’s back?” “You knew about them too?” “Sophia, I don’t know what to say. Three years ago, most of Eric’s assets were transferred to your name. You know how to enjoy the life of a wealthy woman, don’t you? Three years have passed. Why are you still caught up in emotional matters?” “I chose to marry Eric because I loved him. Nothing more.” “Then I won’t interfere with your decision. I’ll have the lawyer arrange your divorce.” “As soon as possible.” “A week.” 2. Sophia POV After hanging up, I suddenly noticed a photo frame on the table. In the picture, I looked naive but smiled happily. Next to me was a serious-looking Eric, standing quite far away. It was our first photo together. Back then, Eric still had his emotional disorder. I became interested in Eric on my first day of college. I loved handsome guys, and Eric perfectly fit my aesthetic. To get to know him better, I tried to have chance encounters with him. Eric liked to read in the library, always sitting in a corner. I’d sit opposite him, holding the same book. He wasn’t good at socializing and always ate alone, so I’d always sit next to him and talk his ear off. After a semester, Eric still showed no reaction. He rejected every invitation and didn’t even give me his contact info. Some people told me to leave this emotionally unavailable monster alone, but I refused to listen. Until I received a call that my grandma had passed away. I ran to the station through the heavy rain, and Eric actually handed me an umbrella. I thought he had finally learned to care about me. But Eric spoke with a cold expression. “What’s there to cry about over something like this?” Eric left the umbrella with me and turned to walk away. From that day on, I decided to ignore him. Later, Eric told me it was the first time he’d experienced the feeling of “loss.” Unlike when his longest-serving nanny left, my deliberate distancing caused him pain. He wanted to understand this feeling, so he begged me to teach him how to distinguish emotions. When my hand touched his chest, he said it was the first time he heard his heart race. He asked me why he felt this way. I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.” So he started pursuing me. He mimicked my old ways, appearing everywhere I went, inviting me to eat, offering to go shopping with me, giving me gifts, and telling me what had happened recently. Over time, I gradually discovered how interesting he was. The once dull Eric actually brought me a heat pack during my period. “I read a book about periods. Women need to keep their lower back warm; it makes it more comfortable.” Eric even actively criticized negative comments about me on social media. “This is Eric. All the negative rumors about Sophia at school are false. She wasn’t chasing me; I’m the one pursuing her.” His words shocked many. They all said I had turned this emotionally unavailable monster into a deeply affectionate man. “My chest feels tight when I see you, my heart is pounding, and it hurts. Why is that?” I looked at his serious expression and playfully kissed his cheek. “And now?” “I feel like I’m suffocating.” “That’s because you like me.” We started dating. I taught him how to love, how to express affection, gradually transforming him into a normal boyfriend, even a more considerate one. Eric prepared romantic surprises for me, each one more delightful than the last. The day he proposed, Eric bought a plot of land in the most expensive district, covered a thousand square meters with a sea of flowers, and ordered a one-of-a-kind oversized diamond ring. Everyone said Eric didn’t know what love was, only how to give me the best. I also thought he would be my eternal love. Until our third year of marriage, an intern named Maya joined the secretarial office at Sterling Group. After meeting this girl, Eric completely changed. He’d forget our anniversaries and stopped preparing surprises for me. He also frequently worked late, traveled for business alone with Maya, and even drove his luxury car to Maya’s dorm building to pick her up and drop her off. I spent seven years teaching Eric how to love, but once he learned, he fell in love with someone else. That was the first time I yelled at him, demanding to know whose lipstick was in his pocket. He admitted it frankly. “I fell in love with someone else. My heart races when I see her, my mind buzzes when I’m near her, and I get anxious when she leaves. I don’t feel that way about you anymore.” He handed me divorce papers and walked away. My head throbbed. I lay on the sofa, my tears almost dry, my throat sore and parched. I couldn’t believe he had fallen for someone else. I started frequenting Eric’s office, insisting on eating lunch with him every day and attending all his evening functions. But it was useless. I saw Eric and Maya kissing in the office. That completely enraged me. I yanked Maya’s hair, slapped both of them, blew up the situation, ruined Maya’s job, and made sure everyone at her school knew she was a mistress breaking up a family. I went to complain to Eric’s mother, Eleanor. Eleanor sternly reprimanded Eric, and he finally promised me he wouldn’t divorce. The day I learned Maya had completely vanished from my life, I happily went out shopping, only to be hit by a car at an intersection. The car was going very fast and ran over my stomach. When I was rushed to the hospital, the doctor told me I’d lost the baby. It was our first child, mine and Eric’s. We didn’t even know it was coming. I kept it a secret because Eric had said he didn’t want children yet. The person who caused the accident was Maya. She was drunk, but the car was Eric’s. I lay in the hospital bed, watching Eric kneel before me, weeping. “She’s so young. If she went to prison, it would ruin her future. I’m begging you, please, let her off. I promise I’ll only be good to you from now on, and I’ll never cheat again.” I had my lawyer reduce Maya’s penalty to the minimum. All I wanted was a stable marriage. I thought this compromise would bring Eric back to his old self. Maya went to prison, vanishing from our world, but her traces were everywhere. There was a butterfly charm on Eric’s desk. His car played Maya’s favorite music. He’d wake up in the middle of the night calling Maya. I often wiped away tears, telling myself that at least I was by his side. But three years passed, and he saw Maya again, and his heart strayed once more. Bang! I slammed the photo frame face down. I was done with these two scumbags. 3. Sophia POV I rested at home for most of the day. In the evening, I received a call from my mother-in-law, Eleanor. She invited me over to talk. As soon as I arrived at the underground garage, I noticed something was off. My car, which I hadn’t driven in ages, had been moved. I opened the car door. There wasn’t a speck of dust inside, but I could smell perfume. I hadn’t driven this car in a year. Eric had used my car. I tapped on the car’s navigation, about to enter my destination, when I saw a notification. In the past three months, this car had traveled to one specific location hundreds of times, almost every day, sometimes even three times a day, mostly on weekdays. I clicked on it, and the system automatically routed me to a familiar address: the plot of land Eric bought me before we got married. A villa was built there in our second year of marriage, but I hadn’t been there in six months. What was Eric doing there? A bad feeling washed over me. I drove there without hesitation. The car stopped at the villa entrance. I skillfully entered the code and pushed the door open. By the entrance, there was a photo frame holding a couple’s photo of Eric and Maya. Walking into the living room, I saw several cute throw pillows on the sofa, and the floor lamp I had carefully chosen had been replaced. In the kitchen, there were some leftover dishes: pan-fried steak, Caesar salad, wine… all the meals Eric used to make for me. No wonder he had to try each dish so many times; he was perfecting the taste for Maya. I felt like a thief spying on someone else’s happiness. I scanned every corner of the room, as if I had intruded into a sweet couple’s domain. Suddenly, a scream came from upstairs. I followed the stairs up. The bedroom door was open, and a dress and a suit were scattered outside. I immediately recognized Eric’s clothes, followed by another scream from inside… I looked up. Eric’s face showed a greed and lust I hadn’t seen in a long time, and the bed continued to thump against the wall. I saw Eric’s name tattooed on Maya’s thigh. “Did you do this in this room with Sophia…?” “I don’t want to hear her name right now.” “Do you like her or me more?” “Of course, you.” The sheets beneath them were custom-made by me, with a pattern I designed myself. Thinking back to when the house was first renovated, Eric and I lived here for over six months, lying on this very bed every day. A wave of nausea suddenly washed over me. I went downstairs, holding onto the railing. The nausea eased slightly, but I still felt unwell. My phone suddenly buzzed with a message. It was Eleanor asking where I was. I quickly pushed the door open and got into the car. Just as I was about to start the car, I glanced in the rearview mirror. I realized I was crying, though I hadn’t even felt the tears falling. I pulled open the car’s glove compartment, looking for tissues, but found an unopened box of condoms and a torn dress in the corner. My stomach started to churn again. I gripped the steering wheel, trying to drive home as fast as I could. I kept the windows down the whole way, but Eric and Maya’s images replayed in my mind. I thought deciding to divorce meant I was free, but my tears didn’t lie. My vision blurred with tears, and I could barely see the road. When I tried to hit the brakes, there was a sudden loud noise. Crash! My car crashed into the barrier and was forced to stop. My eyelids felt so heavy. I couldn’t even manage to speak. I regained consciousness after being rushed to the hospital. The first words I heard made me even more alert. “Madam, I’m so sorry, we couldn’t save your baby.” I thought I had gone back three years in time. I forced my eyes open and saw the date on the clock. When I felt the intense pain radiating through my body, I finally accepted the truth. “Your condition is unstable right now and you need surgery. Please call a family member.” I instinctively called Eric. It took a long time for him to answer, his voice hoarse. “What is it, Sophia?” “I was just in a car accident. Do you have time to come to the hospital for my surgery?” Eric was silent for a long time. I heard a woman’s voice beside him chuckle, “The steps for your recipe are too complicated. I can’t learn it. Can you teach me again?” The phone was suddenly muffled, and I heard a quieter voice say, “You don’t need to learn how to cook when you’re with me.” I lay numbly on the hospital bed, my heart feeling hollowed out, a chill constantly invading me. I was about to hang up, but Eric spoke again. “Sophia, my assistant just called me to an urgent meeting. I’ll come see you later, okay?” I was silent for a moment, then hung up. “Can I proceed without a family member?” The nurse gave an awkward smile. “Under normal circumstances…” Suddenly, my phone rang again. It was Eleanor. I answered and told her to come to the hospital. At least someone cared if I lived or died. When I was wheeled out of the operating room, Eleanor was the first person I saw. She handed me divorce papers. “Eric already signed them at the office. He didn’t know they were divorce agreements.” I forced a smile. I tucked the papers into my bag and finally felt a sense of relief; even my wounds didn’t seem to hurt as much. “I heard you had a miscarriage. Didn’t you two say you didn’t want kids?” “Recently, Eric suddenly wanted a child. Maybe he felt he owed me for cheating, but it’s gone now.” “Eric isn’t coming for your car accident?” “He said he had something urgent, and he’d come later. I don’t want him to know about the baby; after all, we’re over.” Eleanor sighed. “I’m not getting involved in your affairs.” 4. Sophia POV I slept for a while in bed. When I opened my eyes, Eric was there. He stroked my head, staring at the stitches on my leg with a pained expression. He was such a good actor. If I hadn’t found the evidence, how much longer would he have kept lying to me? “Sophia, why didn’t you have the driver take you out?” “I just wanted to go home. I didn’t want to trouble the driver.” “The car was badly damaged, already sent to the junkyard. We’ll order a new one tomorrow.” I had been at the accident scene. Though serious, the car wasn’t totaled. Eric was so anxious, probably afraid I’d find traces of his affair with Maya in the car. But I had already found them. I nodded, pretending to know nothing. After I was admitted, Eric seemed more relaxed. He didn’t have to hide from Maya so carefully anymore and had plenty of time to spend with her every day. He pretended to have meetings, pretended his car broke down on the road and he’d be late visiting me at the hospital. Eric didn’t even want to pretend anymore. He repeatedly put off visiting me, and I even handled my own discharge papers. Only two days remained until the divorce agreement became effective. I had planned to go home to pack, but when I pushed open the front door, I saw a familiar sight: a suit, a nightgown, thrown on the floor. I hadn’t come to the wrong house; they were bold enough to come to our home. The sound of keys falling to the ground startled the couple on the sofa. Eric instantly stood up, hiding Maya behind him as he walked toward me. “Sophia, let me explain…” He was afraid I’d snap, so he tightly gripped my hand. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t forget Maya, so I went to her. Everything is my fault…” I couldn’t suppress my rage. The cramping in my lower abdomen shot up to my head and then sank to my feet. I scanned the room, then forced myself to act calm and went upstairs. I pushed open the walk-in closet door. I couldn’t wait another minute. Since Maya was already in my house, I’d just give her my place. Eric followed me upstairs, stopping me from packing. “Sophia, don’t be angry. I swear I won’t cheat again. This is the last time. I won’t contact Maya anymore…” At this point, what good were lies? Why was he still deceiving me? I raised my hand and slapped Eric across the face. “Get out! Stay away from me!” I thought the slap would shame him, but the next second, Eric wiped away my tears. He lunged forward and kissed me. “I swear, I truly swear I won’t cheat again.” A sickening taste entered my mouth. I could smell Maya on him; it was utterly revolting. I pushed Eric away and immediately rushed to the bathroom to rinse my mouth, only to realize, staring at my reflection, that I was crying again. I suddenly understood why Eric had kissed me. He was just trying to appease me. He thought my slap was just me being petulant, like three years ago when I begged him to love me, and only me. How could I be so pathetic! Even my anger wasn’t taken seriously! I splashed water on my face and went out. Eric was still standing there. “Let’s have a baby. I’ll give you a child. I promise, I won’t cheat again. From now on, I’ll focus on our family.” Eric forcefully wrapped his arms around my waist. He leaned in again, pinning me to the bed. Though I liked children, I wanted a child conceived out of love with my partner, not with this lying beast. “No! Let go of me!” “Don’t be angry with me anymore. I’ll listen to you from now on, okay?” I slapped Eric again. He tried to lean in again, and I slapped him again. He finally understood; I wasn’t being petulant. I pushed him out and then locked the door. I wanted to pack my bags and leave as soon as Eric was gone. That night, Eric knocked on the door, but I ignored him. He called me, and I hung up every time. The next day, I woke up very early. After confirming Eric had left the house, I planned to leave. Just as I dragged my suitcase into the living room, the front door was suddenly pushed open. I instinctively flinched from Eric’s gaze, but then I heard a furious roar. “Sophia, are you even human? I never thought you’d do something so disgusting!” I felt confused. By the time I reacted, Eric had already grabbed me by the throat. “You actually hired people to assault Maya? If you can’t have my heart, you want to destroy the woman I love? How vicious can you be!” His grip made my cheeks red and my neck bruised. I struggled, unable to utter a single word of explanation. Suddenly, several men entered through the doorway. I stared at Eric’s eyes in shock, desperately pounding on his chest. “Maya is suffering from trauma now, refusing to eat, sleep, or see me. You can experience her pain too!” I was suffocating. Eric suddenly released his grip, and I collapsed onto the sofa, gasping for air. Eric motioned for the men to come over, and they dragged me to the floor, starting to tear at my clothes. “Eric… I didn’t…” Any explanation was useless. The door was already closed. Eric stood outside, smoked a cigarette, and then quickly left, leaving me with only those beastly eyes. My clothes were ripped off. I struggled to crawl onto the sofa, only to hear the sound of fabric tearing. I stared at the ceiling in despair; my strength was no match for these men… My lower abdomen was throbbing. I had just lost a baby. I saw blood continuously flowing down my inner thighs. “Stop, she’s bleeding. Eric only told us to scare her, not to be too rough…” My tears had long run dry, my throat was hoarse, and my whole body ached. After hearing the men leave, I finally had the strength to get up. I hid in the bathroom and showered for over two hours, leaning against the wall, my body trembling. I changed clothes, placed the divorce papers on the table, dragged my luggage, and finally left this painful place.

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My husband Giovanni and his first love, Christine, died in a car accident, leaving me with a pair of illegitimate sons. Eighteen years flew by. I painstakingly raised those boys, even sending them to Harvard. But the day they got into Harvard, Giovanni and Christine, who had supposedly died years ago, returned. Christine, holding Giovanni’s arm, smiled sweetly. “Thanks to your careful upbringing, my sons got into Harvard.” “Without you, we couldn’t have enjoyed ourselves for so long…” Later, Giovanni asked for a divorce, wanting to marry Christine and reunite their family of four. I didn’t cry or make a scene. I just smiled faintly: “Fine by me!” “Mom! Mom! We got in! We got in!!” I was preparing dinner when I heard my two sons shouting loudly from the study. “Mom! Gabriel and I both got into Harvard!” They ran out of the study and hugged me tightly. I looked at my sons, who were a head taller than me, with pride. “You two are amazing; you’re my pride and joy.” Giovanni had died many years ago. As a single mom, I had raised two children alone for eighteen years. Now, seeing them get into a top-tier university, I couldn’t have been happier. Back then, Giovanni and his first love, Christine, both supposedly died, leaving me with a pair of twins. Against everyone’s objections, I insisted on raising Giovanni and Christine’s illegitimate sons. Eighteen years passed in a blink, and the two boys grew into young men. With my painstaking nurturing, they even got into Harvard. Now that I’d raised them into successful young men, I was overjoyed. “Mom, thank you for all your hard work raising us these past years…” “Yeah, if it weren’t for your careful guidance, we wouldn’t be where we are today…” My sons were always thoughtful, feeling for the struggles I’d endured raising them. They promised that once they graduated and found good jobs, they’d make sure I could live comfortably in my old age. Watching them, I remembered that their birthday was in two days. I decided to throw them a grand birthday party, a good excuse for a celebration. I booked a banquet hall at the city’s best restaurant. Meanwhile, I posted the news about my sons getting into Harvard in our family SnapChat group. As soon as the message went out, the group instantly flooded with replies. “Eric and Gabriel really made us proud…” “If Giovanni knew, he’d be thrilled in heaven.” I quickly scrolled through the messages, then sent the location of the banquet hall to the group. After doing all that, I muted my phone notifications. I quietly awaited the birthday party…

The birthday party was scheduled for 10 AM two days later. Early that morning, I arrived at the restaurant. I double-checked the menu and the event schedule, making sure nothing was overlooked. Most of the attendees today were Giovanni’s relatives. My own parents hadn’t come. Years ago, I’d gone against their wishes to adopt these illegitimate sons, and my parents had nearly had heart attacks when they found out. Even after all these years, they still didn’t understand why I chose to jump into a burning pit, raising someone else’s children, instead of living a normal life. Ivan and Ruth arrived in the hall, supported by others. They headed straight for the head table and sat down. Simon, Giovanni’s brother, and Julia, his sister, with their families, sat on either side. They crowded around my sons, leaving no room for me. “Elliotte, what are you waiting for? Pour drinks for Mom and Dad.” Julia grabbed some nuts from the table and glanced at me. She hadn’t married well, not only suffering domestic abuse but also being scorned for not having sons. Now, at the ripe old age of 40, she’d tried for a third child and finally had a son. Of course, she started acting all high and mighty, walking with a newfound confidence. My two sons, sitting in the middle, tried to stand up and help. But Ivan and Ruth immediately pressed them back down. “Eric, Gabriel, come on, chat with me.” “Look at these two handsome young men, so much like Giovanni.” “I think they look more like Christine,” Simon interjected. Ivan and Ruth shot him a fierce glare, and he quickly shrank back into his seat, not daring to speak. I circled the main table, serving tea one moment, pouring drinks the next. My sons couldn’t bear to watch any longer, so they pulled up a chair between them and pressed me into it. “Mom, our birthday is your day of sacrifice. Please sit down and rest.” At these words, everyone at the table had varied expressions. Julia even let out a mocking smile. “If Giovanni knew Elliotte raised his sons so well, he’d be thrilled.” “Ahem, ahem.” Ivan cleared his throat twice, and Julia closed her mouth. “Elliotte, on such a wonderful day, I have something I want to talk to you about,” Ruth said, her eyes darting, looking at me with a smile. “Please tell me.” “You see, Eric and Gabriel are going off to college soon. It must be so empty living in a three-bedroom house all by yourself.” “Once they start school, your dad and I will move in. I’ll cook for you while you’re at work.” So that was Ruth’s plan. My parents had paid for the house I lived in. It was originally supposed to be in Giovanni’s name. But six months into our marriage, he drove off with his first love and got into a car accident. Both of them died. The next time I saw him, he was just a handful of ashes. My parents saw how hard it was for me and helped me with the mortgage, so the house was only in my name. Now that the kids were grown, they were eyeing my house. “Mom, it’s not that I won’t let you stay. Eric and Gabriel will be studying abroad in the future. So I’ve already sold the house and plan to move into a one-bedroom apartment, using the remaining money to fund their education.” Ivan’s face turned ashen, and he slammed his hand on the table. “You’re Giovanni’s daughter-in-law! Why didn’t you discuss such a big matter with the family?” I looked surprised. “Isn’t everything I’m doing for Giovanni’s children?” “What about the money from the sale? Put it with me; I’ll save it for you. I don’t trust you with money; you’re too careless,” Ruth said. Normally, if I framed everything as being for the children’s good, they usually wouldn’t object. But today, Ivan and Ruth were acting unusually, as if now that their sons were in college, I was no longer needed. Thinking about this, I calmly said, “I’ve entrusted the money to a lawyer and put it into a growth fund. Every month, Eric and Gabriel will receive $10,000 until they turn 40.” When Ivan heard this, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed. “At least you have some foresight, knowing to save the money for my grandsons. And don’t buy another house; just rent one. Don’t waste money.”

Just as they were still going on and on, the restaurant manager walked over and handed me a microphone. “Today is a birthday party and a celebration of their college acceptance. As their mother, please say a few words and share some parenting wisdom.” I took the microphone. “Thank you all for attending the college acceptance celebration for my sons, Gabriel and Eric. Today…” “Today, my two sons got into Harvard. On such a wonderful day, what kind of celebration is it without their biological parents here…” I was halfway through my speech when I was interrupted. A man and a woman, holding hands, walked in. I looked up. Even after eighteen years, I still recognized them: One was Giovanni, supposedly dead for many years, and the other was Christine, Giovanni’s first love. The hall immediately erupted in gasps, followed by murmurs of discussion. Ivan and Ruth, seated at the head table, didn’t seem excited to see their son, supposedly returned from the dead; instead, they were unsettlingly calm. They even pulled Christine to their side and had her sit down. Giovanni, who had been dead for 18 years, came over to me. “Elliotte, you might not have been a great wife, but you were a damn good mother.” At this point, my two sons finally snapped out of their daze, watching the scene unfold. “What’s going on?” Giovanni pointed at Christine. “She’s your real mother. This woman is nothing but a barren old hen.” “If she hadn’t threatened to die if I left her, our family wouldn’t have been separated for eighteen years!” Before I could say anything, Giovanni’s family members started talking over each other to my two sons: “That’s right, Elliotte dragged her feet and refused to divorce Giovanni back then, which is why you were separated from your biological parents for eighteen years…” “Don’t let Elliotte fool you; she might have raised you well, but she’s got a wicked heart.” “Now it’s all good. You two are grown and got into Harvard, and our family can finally be reunited.” My sons were confused, standing there bewildered, unsure what to do. Christine pulled her sons’ hands, crying softly, and then pulled out her phone: “I’m your biological mother! I’d send you gifts every year. I even secretly watched you after school.” As she spoke, she turned to me. “Elliotte, thank you for raising my two sons so well.” Giovanni put his arm around her shoulders, and his eyes held a flicker of mockery as he looked at me. “Come with me to file for divorce. It’s been eighteen years. I’m going to marry Christine and give her what she deserves.” Everyone expected me to disagree, even to throw a fit. But facing the dozens of Giovanni’s relatives gossiping and the onlookers’ staring eyes, I just smiled faintly. “Fine! I agree. We’ll go get divorced tomorrow, so your family of four can be reunited.” My words stunned everyone in the hall. All eyes were on me, dumbfounded. Would I really just hand over the sons I’d painstakingly raised for 18 years? Even Giovanni and Christine stared at me in disbelief. They thought I’d rant and rave, crying dramatically, but they never expected me to agree so readily. Giovanni looked at me incredulously, asking, “What the hell is wrong with your head?” Facing his accusation, I simply said, “What? Not happy about it?” Christine immediately tugged Giovanni’s arm. Giovanni understood. He quickly pulled out an agreement from his bag, afraid I’d change my mind. “Then sign the divorce agreement. From now on, the two sons have nothing to do with you, and you are not to see them again.” I didn’t even read the agreement, simply signing my name at the bottom. “Mom? Mom, you don’t want us anymore?” My sons looked at me sadly, not understanding why I’d signed so easily. Christine carefully put away the agreement. “Elliotte, thank you for making us complete.” “If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to live it up so freely all this time.” Looking at my two sons, Christine grinned, a triumphant smile on her face. “Alright, you’re done here. You can leave now,” Ivan said impatiently, waving his hand to dismiss me. “Wait,” I began. “Now that the agreement is signed, it’s time for you all to know the truth.” “What do you mean?” Christine asked, confused. I sighed in relief. I had waited eighteen years for this moment. It was time for it all to end. Then I clapped my hands and spoke towards the main entrance: “Come in.” A few seconds later, two figures appeared in the hall…

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On my way home from work, a luxury car hit me, fracturing my arm. The driver then falsely accused me of trying to extort money. Halfway through my emergency surgery, the male driver forcefully dragged me to court. “Do you know how much the car My wife bought me cost? Five million! My wife is the best lawyer in the entire country; you’ll be bankrupt by the time this is over!” From the defendant’s stand, my vision kept blurring. The pain was beyond anything I had ever felt. The next second, a female lawyer rushed in, shielding the man behind her: “Your Honor, my husband would never intentionally hit someone. This must be an attempt at fraud, and it deserves severe punishment.” Watching that familiar back, the blood in my veins turned to ice. The elite lawyer, impeccably dressed in a suit, was none other than Lester, my wife, who had told me she was on a business trip in Europe. With her soothing words, the man, Cedric, looked even more aggrieved as he pointed behind her. “It’s him! He got blood all over the new car you gave me. It’s disgusting!” Lester turned her head in the direction he pointed. One glance, and the anger in her eyes turned to shock. But three seconds later, she quickly composed herself, her expression so cold it made her a stranger to me. “I am Mr. Cedric’s defense attorney. Please direct all your questions to me.” My wife, with whom I had shared a bed for five years, was suddenly speaking with such detachment. All my questions instantly choked in my throat, leaving me unable to breathe. A while ago, she called to say her company had transferred her to a neighboring city for a business trip, with a doubled salary. My calls often went unanswered, and my messages unreturned. Even when I was sick, I went to the hospital alone, running up and down the floors five or six times. It turned out she was building a family with another man. The thought sent a sharp pang through my wound, and I couldn’t help but hunch over. Lester finally noticed my horrific injury. “This is…” Cedric abruptly cut her off. “Anyway, a good-for-nothing like him wouldn’t be affected by a broken arm.” “But my car cost five million, Lester. He has to pay for the damages!” I clenched my fists, my heart pounding painfully against my ribs. Lester had told me her family was deep in debt and had lost everything, and that I’d have to make sacrifices for a while. I had been frugal, and the thought of having children in the future made me so anxious I relied on medication to cope. Now, it seemed my efforts were nothing short of a clown act compared to that five-million-dollar luxury car. “Lester, I want him to compensate me and apologize.” The man confidently wrapped his arm around Lester’s waist. And I stood by, my heart in my throat. Lester looked conflicted, as if she wanted to stop him, but seeing his insistence, she forced a doting yet helpless smile. Lester looked at me, her eyes filled with a warning. “Just apologize.” I froze, my limbs turning cold. I had lost an arm, yet she was telling me to apologize to the person who had maimed me. At the judge’s urging, I stiffly bowed. “Mr. Cedric, I’m sorry.” The man ignored me, instead affectionately wrapping his arm around Lester’s slender waist. “You couldn’t pay for the car repairs even if you gave your life. Three hundred thousand. Consider it a lesson learned.” Hearing the exorbitant sum, my heart froze completely. Lester watched him dotingly, not sparing me another glance. She seemed to have forgotten that I once sold off all my assets to gather medical funds for my mother, and even then, I couldn’t come up with three hundred thousand. Clutching the fine, I walked out of the courtroom alone. It wasn’t until a Maybach sped past me that I snapped back to reality. A SnapChat message popped up from Lester: “We’ll talk properly when I get home. Don’t let him find out.” Tears silently streamed down my face. The endless nights working overtime until dawn, the five years of tirelessly nurturing our home, had all become a cruel joke.

As I entered the hallway, I saw movers carelessly throwing my luggage out. I rushed forward to stop them. “What are you doing? Stop it!” Just then, Lester, dressed in a haute couture suit, calmly walked out of the house. “You should move out for a while. It’s for your own good.” I trembled, my voice hoarse. “Was five years of lying not enough? Are you trying to drive me to ruin? Do you have a heart at all?!” Lester briefly closed her eyes, exhaling helplessly. “Can you stop making a scene?” “Cedric and I are bound by a family arrangement. I hid you away for your own good, you understand, right?” “As for this entire building, I actually bought it for Cedric, but now that he knows about you, you’ll eventually be discovered if you stay here.” My eyes blurred with tears, but her words became even clearer. Every word pierced my heart, leaving me raw and bleeding. The house that held five years of beautiful memories had never truly been mine. As she left, Lester tossed a set of keys at me. “My assistant will take you. You can stay in the suburbs for now. Don’t be difficult.” Watching her retreating figure, I picked up the keys and powerlessly threw them at her. I never imagined my wife, my partner through thick and thin, could become so hateful. Lester’s assistant took me to a lavish villa. The moment I stepped inside, the assistant locked the door behind me. My eyes landed on a huge family photo of three people. Lester and Cedric were smiling brightly, holding a three-year-old child. No wonder every time I brought up having children, she would look resistant and quickly change the subject. It turned out she already had a son. Seeing the date on the photo, my heart sank to rock bottom. That day, my father had died of a sudden heart attack, and I desperately called Lester from the hospital corridor. I cried until my voice was hoarse, but her tone was dismissive. “I’m sorry, my boss sent me on another business trip. I won’t be home for another week.” She hung up quickly, without even a proper word of condolence. It turned out that while I was at my most heartbroken, she was taking family photos with Cedric and their child. I uncontrollably smashed the photo frame and knelt on the floor, weeping silently. After my tears dried, I pulled out my phone to contact a lawyer. “Please draft a divorce agreement for me.” I stared at it self-torturingly for a long time before realizing that fresh blood was gushing from my unhealed wound. I instinctively dialed Lester’s number. The first call was hung up; the second went straight to voicemail. The pain was so intense I passed out. Just then, two or three bodyguards burst in, forcibly dragging me into a car. The car sped all the way to the hospital. In the ward, they tied me up. Until an alarming needle appeared before my eyes, I struggled desperately. “What do you want from me?!” The next second, Lester’s fierce face entered my vision. “I warned you not to upset Cedric, but you insisted on taking risks.” “Now Cedric knows about you and just tried to slit his wrists. I know you have a rare blood type. We need to draw your blood to save him immediately!”

“Doctor, do it now!” I barely managed to open my eyes, only to see her face was deathly pale, her lips trembling as she spoke. I had never seen her so frantic. Before I could struggle, a thick needle pierced my vein, and pain spread from my arm to my entire body. Due to excessive blood loss, I quickly lost consciousness. I don’t know how long passed, but I woke up to a sharp, severe pain in my lower body. “What… what happened to me?” Seeing the bloody mess below me, a terrible premonition crept into my heart. After my persistent questioning, the doctor finally spoke with difficulty. “Mr. Cedric was very angry after learning about your identity and insisted you undergo a vasectomy. Ms. Lester signed the consent form.” In that instant, I felt the world spin. Simply because of a petulant remark from Cedric, Lester would go to such an extreme. I violently vomited a mouthful of blood. Just then, my phone vibrated frantically. I opened it and saw an overwhelming torrent of insults. “Rub yourself with steel wool if you’re so desperate. Is another man’s wife really that great?” “These days, affairs are so blatant. Just a few days ago, he was trying to extort money!” Words like “homewrecker” and “scum” flashed across the screen. I couldn’t believe it. I was Lester’s legally recognized husband. Why should I bear such infamy? I painfully posted my marriage certificate online, detailing the timeline of my relationship with Lester. To my surprise, someone online circled the seal on my marriage certificate. “This is clearly fake! What a cunning homewrecker!” I was too shocked to speak, zooming in to confirm. The next second, Cedric publicly posted hismarriage certificate online, specifically highlighting its embossed seal. At the same time, Lester called. My question blurted out. “Lester, is his marriage certificate the real one?” Back then, my mother was gravely ill, and her greatest wish was to see us get married. We went to City Hall together. She held my hand, solemnly swore, and promised to be with me for life. Now, she cruelly said: “I have to give him an explanation. I can’t just let him follow me without any status.” “You’re different. You’ll stay by my side no matter what. Let’s not dwell on these things right now.” From her end, I heard the sound of things being smashed. “Cedric is very unstable right now. Quickly apologize to him and admit you’re the homewrecker.” Hearing those words, I was so shocked I was almost breathless. “I’m the one who’s been deceived for five years! Why do you think I would apologize?!” Lester suddenly sneered on the phone. “Because your mother is barely alive thanks to my money and medical resources. Think about it!” The call ended, and I collapsed powerlessly beside the bed. My mother’s illness had recurred repeatedly, with each hospital visit costing tens of thousands. Lester had covered all her medical expenses, even making time to visit her at the hospital, no matter how busy she was. “Ethan, don’t stress too much. Your mother will get better.” But now, she was using my only living relative to threaten me. With injuries all over my body, I checked out of the hospital and desperately searched for work. When people saw me, they furiously threw trash and vegetable scraps at me. “Who would hire someone so morally corrupt? Get out!” “He’s promiscuous! Who knows what dirty diseases he might have!” I had become a rat scurrying across the street, despised by everyone. The news reached my mother’s ears. She called me, her voice weak. “Don’t beg her for my sake again…” The piercing sound of medical equipment grated on my nerves. I held back my tears. “Mom, don’t worry about me. I have to go now!” Finally, I found Lester. Seeing my compromise, the woman smiled with satisfaction and handed me a written statement. “After you confess to being the homewrecker live, I’ll compensate you.” As soon as she finished speaking, reporters aimed their cameras at me, frantically snapping photos. I couldn’t believe it. “How is this any different from a public execution?!” Lester’s voice suddenly dropped very low, gentle yet cruel enough. “If you don’t want to go live, that’s fine. Then go admit to your mother that you’re the homewrecker. Didn’t she always hate homewreckers the most?”

In an instant, my heart clenched violently. She knew full well that my mother’s illness had stemmed from finding out about my father’s affair. If she knew my “identity” now, it would be tantamount to killing her! My mother was the only family I had left in this world. I couldn’t stand by and watch her die. I swallowed the metallic taste of blood in my throat, shuffled my steps, and knelt before Cedric for the cameras. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cedric. I ruined your family. I am shameless.” “I… am… sorry.” I felt like a dog with no dignity. After it was over, I looked up, glaring at Cedric’s smug face, then at Lester. “Is this apology… sufficient?” Lester’s chest visibly rose and fell. She cleared her throat and tossed a bank card at my feet. “Three million should be enough. Take it to save your mother.” I snatched the bank card and raced to the hospital. Seeing my mother’s pale face on the bed, I trembled like a leaf. I frantically handed the bank card to the doctor. “Doctor, please, you have to save her!” A few minutes later, the doctor returned with the bank card. “I’m sorry, sir, but I’ve tried several times, and it’s not working. This card has been frozen.” I didn’t have time to think. I pinned my hopes on the gold ring on my wrist. “This ring must be worth a lot. It’s pure gold!” But the doctor just glanced at it and looked at me with pity. “Sir, you’ve been scammed, haven’t you? This is clearly fake.” The crisp sound of the ring hitting the floor struck my heart. Three months ago, for my birthday, Lester had bought me this ring after I pestered her. Even after publicly admitting I was a homewrecker, I hadn’t brought myself to sell it for my mother’s medical expenses. It turned out that in Lester’s eyes, I was utterly worthless. The next second, the monitoring equipment emitted a piercing alarm. My mother closed her eyes, and my grief-stricken cries spread from between my teeth. I held the urn, my expression numb, and walked toward the rooftop. A SnapChat message popped up from Lester: [Sorry, I’m at the hospital with Cedric for his IV. I’ll go see Mom once he falls asleep and tell her not to worry.] [I’ve bought you a new house. You can tell me anything you want.] [Cedric said he can compromise. I’ll make more time for you in the future.] I didn’t reply. The cold wind on the hospital rooftop ruffled my hair as I took step after step toward the edge. “Lester, there’s truly no future for us anymore.” With those words, I smiled and jumped from the hospital rooftop. At the same time, inside a hospital room. Lester inadvertently looked out the window. Just a glance, and her pupils suddenly constricted.

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For the sake of avoiding any appearance of favoritism, or perhaps just to avoid my “dirty” touch, Dr. Eleanor Vance, my mom, left me, severely injured from a car accident, in her office. She turned to check on the other students, who only had minor scrapes but kept crying about how much it hurt. The other doctors were urging her to check on me. With my blood-soaked hand, I grabbed her arm, almost begging. “Eleanor, I’m in so much pain. Please, don’t go, okay?” But Eleanor didn’t even glance at me. She just flung my hand away. “Lily Vance, don’t touch me with your dirty hands. Don’t you know I’m a germophobe?” “Don’t think you’re getting special treatment just because you’re my daughter!” “Besides a little blood on your hand, you look fine. The others need me more than you do. Stop being dramatic and wait here!” I watched Eleanor’s retreating back in despair. Suddenly, my throat tightened, my vision went black, and I spat out a pool of dark, clotted blood into the trash can. Was I… dying? I’m so sorry, Eleanor. I don’t think I can wait for you.

I floated out of my body and drifted towards Eleanor. The piercing pain, like a truck had just run over my insides, was completely gone. Before I could even feel relieved, I heard the voice of a little boy who had been on the school bus with me. “Dr. Vance, if Lily says she’s in pain, don’t believe her. She’s the biggest liar!” Recognizing the boy’s face, I immediately knew something was wrong. After all, at school, he always bullied me and spread rumors about me. Eleanor’s expression grew serious. She crouched down, asking patiently. “Little one, what do you mean by that? Has Lily been misbehaving at school, doing something bad?” “Dr. Vance, she likes my best friend, but she lied to the teacher, saying my best friend bullied her! Oh, and she cheated on her tests!” Eleanor’s frown deepened. “Lily Vance, you’ve really grown some nerve! Not only are you chasing after boys, but you dare to cheat and slander others!” “I worked so hard raising you all these years, only to raise such an ungrateful wretch!” No. Eleanor, I didn’t! I never did any of those things. Eleanor, please don’t believe him! He’s the one who’s always bullying me! I panicked instantly, rushing over, trying to grab Eleanor’s hand to explain. But I forgot I was dead. My hand just passed through empty air. Eleanor looked furious. She quickly checked on the other students. After seeing they had no major issues, she angrily took off her examination tools and stormed towards her office. “You guys take care of these kids’ injuries. I’m going to personally teach that disrespectful, ungrateful wretch a lesson. All she does is embarrass me!” Leo’s eyes lit up when he heard that. He immediately jumped off the hospital bed, yelling, and followed Eleanor. “Time to watch the clown girl cry again! Clown girl, clown girl!” The other kids heard him and, ignoring the nurses’ protests, also jumped off their beds to join the commotion. “Wait for us, I want to see too… I want to see the clown girl too!” I’d been hearing “clown girl” for almost two years. On my first day of elementary school, Eleanor had publicly announced her position as the hospital director. She even left her private number so people could contact her directly for appointments. And to avoid any appearance of favoritism, no matter what illness I had, she made me buy medicine myself. Only when I was very seriously ill would she take me to the hospital. All the kids in class knew that my mom didn’t seem to love me. Because even though I had a director for a mother, I was always sick, looking frail and sickly all the time. “Clown girl” was the nickname Leo gave me. He started bullying me every day after that.

Eleanor stormed into the office shortly after, kicking the door open with her foot. Her face was dark as she shouted my name. “Lily Vance! Get over here!” “I’ve been busy saving lives, and I forgot to discipline you. Now you’ve really become bold!” But I, who was always timid and obedient in front of Eleanor, surprisingly didn’t respond. I was still sitting on that cold chair, my head tilted to one side, my whole body hanging precariously, as if about to fall. When Eleanor saw me like this, the anger in her eyes intensified. She rushed over and shoved me hard. My body, from the inertia, slammed onto the nearby desk like a rag doll. “Lily Vance, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?!” “You just bled a few drops, don’t pretend to be dead here! Get up right now!” Crying, I quickly floated to Eleanor, shedding non-existent tears, desperately waving my ghostly hands at her. “Eleanor, I’m here, look at me…” “That’s my body. I’m already dead…” Just then, Leo rushed in. Seeing my blood-covered hands, he shouted. “Dr. Vance, Lily’s blood must be fake! We didn’t bleed at all, why is she the only one?” “She must have put it on herself!” “No, Eleanor, don’t believe him!” “That’s all the blood I coughed up…” But Eleanor believed him. She glared at me fiercely. “Lily Vance, do you think doing this will make me give you special treatment?!” “How can your mind be so twisted? Do you know how much effort I put in to stand in this position?” “Are you trying to ruin me? Are you? Answer me! Are you mute?!” “No! Eleanor, I never thought that!” “I really wanted to talk to you!” “But I was too useless…” “I couldn’t hold on until you came.” “Fine! Lily Vance, you’re just great!” “I see you’re determined to…” Eleanor’s words were cut short by Nurse Chloe, who rushed over. “Dr. Vance, your daughter’s complexion doesn’t look right. You can discipline your child anytime, but why don’t you check on her first? What if something serious happened…” “Check what? She has perfectly good arms and legs. Did you see her bump or bruise anywhere?” “She’s just throwing a tantrum because I didn’t see her first. That’s why she’s deliberately ignoring me!” “Even a child can see through it, why can’t you?” Nurse Chloe took half a step back after Eleanor yelled at her and didn’t say anything more. “Lily Vance, someone just stood up for you. Are you happy? Go ahead and smile! Why are you still pretending to be dead?” Eleanor, I’m not happy at all. I want to cry so badly. But I’m already dead. I don’t even have the right to shed tears. Eleanor’s patience quickly ran out. She lunged forward and grabbed my collar, only to find my body soft like a sheet of paper. She paused for a moment, then sneered. “Heh. You’re quite good at pretending. You love to act, don’t you? Then I’ll beat you until you stop!” Eleanor said, raising her hand and giving me a harsh slap. She let go. My body fell straight onto the cold floor like a dead fish. *Thud*, the sound was not small. I lay face down on the ground, still motionless. “Hahahaha… Look everyone, the clown girl looks so ugly like this!” “Ugh, even her mom hates her! I told you I was right, she’s just a clown girl!” “That’s not true!” I rushed to them, trying to argue. “Eleanor doesn’t hate me. She just doesn’t want me to affect her work. She loves me…” But as I spoke, my voice faded. I just realized. Ever since Eleanor became the hospital director two years ago, she hadn’t taken me to the amusement park in a long time, nor did she tell me bedtime stories anymore. Every time I held her hand, wanting to spend more time with her, she would find all sorts of excuses to refuse me. “I said we need to avoid favoritism, so we have to be thorough. It’s the same at home; don’t let anyone see!” “I told you not to call me Mom at the hospital. I’m not your mom here; I’m the hospital director, do you understand, the director?” … Those painful memories flooded back. Even though I was dead. My heart, which no longer beat, felt like it had been brutally stabbed, bleeding with pain.

“Lily Vance, this is a hospital, not a place for your antics!” “I have many more appointments scheduled later. Can’t you be more sensible? How long are you going to keep faking death?!” Eleanor crouched down, yanked my hair, and pulled me up. But she saw dark blood mixed with my saliva flowing from my mouth. It dripped onto her clean hand. During the car accident, I was thrown out of the window, my body caught under the vehicle and actually run over by the wheels. My internal organs were severely damaged. I had been spitting blood the entire way to the hospital. Eleanor had germophobia, and I was afraid she would say I was dirty if she saw it, so I caught it all with my hands. Even though I was dead now, after such a huge impact, the blood accumulated in my chest still slowly flowed out of my mouth. “Ah—so gross, Lily Vance is so big, how is she still drooling? So shameful!” “She looks so ugly, so scary, like a monster!” Many children who saw me like this ran away in fright. Some family members passing by outside the door squeezed in to take a look. “Oh my God, what happened to this kid? She looks like she’s dying. What are these doctors even doing…” “What kind of shady hospital is this? Who just stands there and abuses someone who’s spitting blood instead of rushing to save them?” “I heard that woman is the director of this hospital. I can’t believe how she got the job.” “Shut up, all of you, shut up!” “She’s clearly faking it! Don’t spread rumors before you know the facts!” Eleanor listened to those voices, so angry she shoved me again. She didn’t notice at all that I had no breath left. “Lily Vance, are you happy now? You’ve ruined my reputation, are you satisfied?!” “Don’t think I don’t know you had a blood packet in your mouth!” “Besides, there were 18 people in that car, all of you riding together. Everyone else is fine, so why are you the only one looking half-dead?!” “Eleanor, I didn’t…” “Look at me carefully again, Eleanor, I’m dead! I’m really dead!” I never wanted to affect your work. These past few years, I’ve quietly persevered, even when my throat hurt so much I couldn’t speak, even when I was so dizzy I couldn’t walk. I never complained to you once. But this time, I really couldn’t hold on anymore. I was in so much pain. Even though I’m dead now, I still clearly remember. How much it hurt when those big wheels ran over me. “Lily Vance, you’re truly disgusting.” Eleanor pulled a few tissues from the desk and wiped her hands. “Why didn’t you just get run over and die like your animal of a father?” “Why do you have to keep tormenting me?” Eleanor was talking about my father, whom I had never met. He died in a car accident before I was born. Eleanor hated him so much because he had an affair with another woman while she was pregnant. Afterward, whenever she mentioned Dad, she would say it was his just deserts. But Eleanor, I really did die in this car accident. Only, unlike Dad, I never called another woman “Mom.” I didn’t betray you.

Leo still hadn’t left. Seeing that I remained unresponsive even after being hit, he approached me with curiosity. After all, every time he bullied me at school or badmouthed me, I would always stand up and fight back. Though the outcome was always the same. “Clown girl, stop faking it! I know you’re fine!” He said, reaching out to push me, but my head suddenly tilted, and all that blood smeared onto his hand. “Ah—Lily Vance, how could you be so gross? You did that on purpose!” Eleanor heard the noise and quickly turned around. “What’s wrong? What happened?” “Dr. Vance, Lily bit me! Look at my hand, she bit me until it bled!” “What?” Eleanor lunged forward again, grabbing my collar tightly, and delivered another slap. “Lily Vance, you finally couldn’t keep up the act! And you dare to bite people? I’ll beat you to death!” Eleanor, please stop hitting me. I didn’t! He’s lying! I didn’t bite him at all. I’m already dead! Half a minute later, a woman burst in. She picked up Leo, saying with concern. “Son, I finally found you! Are you okay?” “What happened? There’s so much blood on your hand!” Leo, red-eyed, choked with sobs, said. “Mom, she bullied me. She bit me just now…” The woman saw me and was instantly furious. She walked over and savagely kicked my body. My body rolled a few times inwards before stopping. After doing all this, she immediately pulled out her phone. “I’m calling the police right now! How dare you hurt my son? I’ll make sure you pay for this!” Eleanor, meanwhile, looked at me like I was trash, not saying a word. “Oh my God, this child, at such a young age, has such a malicious mind. I thought… I thought she was dead just now.” “I’ve truly lived long enough to see everything. Faking death? I’ve never seen anyone in such a hurry to die!” “I didn’t… I really didn’t…” That little boy is a liar! He’s lying! But no matter how I tried to explain, no one believed me. There were many police stations near the hospital. Within a few minutes, the police arrived. Seeing the police, the woman lifted Leo’s arm and began to accuse me of my supposed crimes. “Officer, this little monster just bit my son!” “Quickly check her! See if she has rabies or some kind of madness! What if she’s ruined my son?!” The officer understood the situation and, thinking I was a special patient, even put on gloves. He crouched down and, after finding no response from me despite calling out, his expression grew solemn. The woman behind him continued to complain. “Officer, have you confirmed it? If she really has some disease, you need to contact her family quickly and make them pay for my son’s medical expenses!” But the officer just asked coldly. “You just said, this little girl bit your son?” “Yes,” the woman grew agitated, “Just a few minutes ago! What kind of police are you? Don’t you know how to do your job?” “This is ridiculous!” “This little girl looks like she’s been dead for almost an hour! How could she possibly bite your son?!” “Don’t you know making a false report is a crime?!”

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My boyfriend Ethan makes forty thousand dollars a month, and every month he puts thirty thousand dollars into an account for me. Everyone says I found a great guy. But only I knew he never gave me the card’s PIN. He said it was for our future, but our present? I paid for everything. Dinners out, rent, even his clothes and new phone — he always asked me for money. I was a college student who hadn’t even graduated yet, working four part-time jobs, to the point my period stopped being regular. All he said was: “I’m putting thirty thousand aside for you every month, and you’re still quibbling over these small amounts?” Then came my graduation presentation. My mom had a heart attack. I rushed to the bank with that card, only for the teller to tell me— “Ma’am, this card was canceled three years ago. There was never a single cent in it.” At that moment, standing in the bank lobby, looking at that useless piece of plastic in my hand, I suddenly burst out laughing. On our third anniversary, my boyfriend Ethan updated his Ins. The post featured a retouched photo of us at a fancy restaurant, with a close-up of a bank card and a bouquet of flowers beside it. The caption read: “Three-year anniversary. The 36th deposit of $30,000 for her is in. That $30,000 I put aside for her every month is her security.” His comments section was full of praise: A friend commented: “Ethan is so good to her, thirty thousand a month? Who could resist that?” A colleague commented: “Hazel must’ve saved the galaxy in a past life.” His mom commented: “My son is so reliable. Hazel is lucky to be with him.” I looked at that beautifully crafted post and could only think that I paid $880 for that dinner, and even the flowers on the table were bought by me. Before I could even process it, Ethan sent me a few links: “Hazel, can you pay for these shoes for me? And this shirt, I need some new clothes.” I glanced at the prices: the shoes were one thousand eight hundred, the shirt one thousand two hundred. That was three thousand total. I was currently working four part-time jobs, and only making seven thousand a month altogether. A bitter feeling rose in my chest. I carefully worded my reply: “Things are a bit tight lately. Maybe next month?” Ethan replied instantly: “I put thirty thousand aside for you every month, and you can’t even buy me a pair of shoes? Hazel, you’re not going to be that stingy, are you?” “If I wasn’t putting thirty thousand aside for you every month, would I even have to ask you for clothes?” My throat tightened. I opened my banking app; my balance was only four hundred twenty dollars. “I… I don’t have enough money this month. Can I buy them for you next month?” Ethan replied instantly: “Not enough again? Hazel, I put thirty thousand aside for you as security for our future, not for you to be so wasteful!” “Where did all your money go?!” Where did my money go? Last week, he said his company was organizing an outdoor team-building event, so I bought him a full outdoor outfit, a thousand dollars. The week before, I just paid the rent, six thousand. I used to share an apartment, and it only cost me seven hundred a month. After I started dating Ethan, he said the bank’s dorms were too crowded, and he worried about me living alone as a girl. He insisted on moving in with me. My shared apartment became a full rental, and my seven hundred dollar monthly rent became two thousand dollars. In three years, Ethan hadn’t paid a single cent of rent. If I dared to question it, he’d scold me: “Hazel, if I wasn’t putting thirty thousand aside for you every month, would I be so broke? Can’t even afford rent? Don’t I have any dignity?” “You’re holding a card with over a million of my dollars, and you’re still being so cheap about buying me clothes? Do you have a heart?” “You’re just a college student; how would you understand the hardships of working life? You should do more part-time jobs and experience life!” Thinking of this, I closed my eyes, opened a job search app, and started looking for a fifth part-time job.

My roommate Lucy asked me, “Hazel, you mentioned your period hadn’t come for several months last time. Did you go get it checked?” I froze, a bitter taste in my mouth, unsure how to answer. My classmates all envied me, saying my boyfriend put thirty thousand dollars aside for me every month, the kind of boyfriend they couldn’t find even if they searched high and low. But who knew that my period hadn’t come for four months, and I couldn’t even afford a hospital visit? That so-called thirty thousand dollars every month? I hadn’t touched a single cent. The card was in my hand, but the PIN wasn’t. I asked for the PIN a few times, and Ethan would always say, “I’ll tell you the PIN later. Anyway, the card is with you; the money isn’t going anywhere.” This empty promise became Ethan’s leverage over me. I found it hard to refuse him anything he asked for. I had to buy him clothes and shoes, pay his car insurance, and even top up his phone. His phone was the latest iPhone, while mine was an old $100 phone my mom bought me before I started college. When we went out for dinner or movies, I always paid. Household essentials, groceries, utility bills — he never bothered with any of it. If I showed even a hint of hesitation, he would immediately throw out that line: “I put thirty thousand aside for you every month, and you’re quibbling over these small amounts with me?” This sentence was like a lock that cut off all my escape routes. For three out of my four years in college, I dated him. For those three years, besides classes, I was always working part-time jobs, doing four jobs, to the point my period was irregular. What was the point of this relationship? That weekend, Ethan took me to a restaurant for dinner. Soon after we sat down, we ran into two of Ethan’s colleagues. We just joined tables. Ethan was very generous, grabbing the menu and adding several dishes. We all ate happily. When we were almost done, the waiter placed the bill on the table: “Your table’s total is six hundred thirty dollars.” A colleague was about to grab his phone to pay when Ethan stopped him. He pushed the bill towards me, “This one’s on me.” He said it was on him, but I was the one who paid. His two colleagues didn’t find anything wrong with this, because all of Ethan’s colleagues knew that as soon as Ethan got paid each month, he’d transfer thirty thousand dollars to his girlfriend. But my phone balance was only four hundred twenty dollars total right now, nowhere near enough. Under the table, I tugged on Ethan’s sleeve and whispered, “I don’t have enough money…” Ethan didn’t even look up. “Stop it.” I didn’t know what to do; my face slowly began to burn. The waiter asked again, “Who will be paying?” Ethan didn’t answer. One colleague chuckled, teasing me, “Come on, Hazel! Ethan’s total salary is forty thousand, and thirty thousand goes to you. This meal is just pocket change for you, right?” Another colleague chimed in, “Exactly, Hazel! Thirty thousand dollars! We’re so envious. This meal is just pocket change for you!” Everyone was waiting for me to pay. I felt like I was being roasted alive, my face beet red. But I really had no money. I stood there, phone in hand, stiff and unsure what to do. The waiter had waited too long, and his expression started to show impatience. He directly prompted me: “Ma’am, the total is six hundred thirty. SnapChat or PayPal?” The two colleagues’ gazes turned unfriendly, and even customers at the next table started looking our way.

“Why isn’t that girl paying yet? What’s she waiting for?” “Didn’t they just say her boyfriend puts thirty thousand aside for her every month? I’m so envious.” “She’s not paying even this? Is she just being cheap?” “Maybe she spent it all.” “Oh my god, she spent thirty thousand already? She’s so extravagant! Girls these days really…” Ethan finally realized I genuinely couldn’t pay this time. He shook his head, smiling as he pulled out his phone, “Alright, alright, I’ll get it.” As he paid, he explained to his colleagues, “Girls can be a bit stingy. I put thirty thousand aside for her every month, and she’s used to spending lavishly. It’s gone before the month is out. She’s still a student, you know, a bit thoughtless.” The colleagues’ looks towards me weren’t friendly either. “Ethan, you spoil Hazel too much. Thirty thousand isn’t enough for her? That’s not right. Hazel, Ethan works hard for his money; you need to be considerate and not squander it.” Another agreed, “Exactly, girls spend without thinking; you can’t spoil them. Ethan, you really need to rein Hazel in. She’s so generous with herself but cheap when it comes to treating you.” I sat there, frozen with indignation. Again, thirty thousand! Everyone knew he put thirty thousand aside for me every month! But who knew I was now working five jobs? Who knew I couldn’t even afford to visit a hospital when I was sick? Who knew my card balance had never exceeded three digits? I swallowed back my tears, refusing to cry in public. That evening, I saw a post from Ethan’s mom on Ins: “My son bought me a new phone. I told him not to get such an expensive one, but he insisted this one was good.” The accompanying photo was of the latest iPhone, seven thousand eight hundred dollars. I stared at that picture, and tears streamed down my face. Ethan bought his mom a seven-thousand-eight-hundred-dollar phone without batting an eye, yet in three years, he had never bought me a single cup of coffee. I scrolled further back through Ethan’s mom’s Ins. Ethan gave his mom eight thousand dollars every month, either in cash or by buying things, and his mom would post about it monthly. Clothes and skincare products worth thousands of dollars were common. I clenched my phone and opened my SnapChat conversation with Ethan. Scrolling up, the screen was filled with messages from him asking me to buy things. “Pay for these shoes for me.” “Car insurance is due; can you cover it first?” “My phone needs an upgrade.” From small items like socks and underwear to big ones like phones and cameras. Over three years, the cost of these things added up to over two hundred thousand dollars, crushing my entire college life. And I, myself, had never bought clothes or skincare products costing over a hundred dollars. I stared at my phone, my heart growing colder by the second. He always said he gave me thirty thousand of his forty-thousand-dollar salary, leaving him not enough to spend. Turns out, his “not enough to spend” just meant not enough to spend on *me*. His money was always enough. But he knew exactly who it was spent on. A ringtone interrupted my thoughts. It was my mom calling. “Mom, how’s your health lately?” “Hazel, I’m fine. Just a bit of tightness in my chest, and I can’t catch my breath.” My heart clenched. “Mom, you need to go to the hospital and get checked out.” “It’s nothing major, just tired. I’ll rest for a couple of days and be fine.” “What if something serious happens?” I got anxious. “Just do it for my peace of mind.” My mom was silent for a moment before speaking. “A hospital check-up costs at least a few hundred dollars. If there’s nothing wrong, wouldn’t that be a waste?” “I’m not capable. Other people’s kids have an easy time in college, but my daughter has to work part-time to earn her living expenses. I can’t drag my daughter down anymore.” My eyes welled up, and my throat felt tight. Ethan and his mom used the latest phones and wore clothes worth thousands. Meanwhile, my mom and I couldn’t even afford a hospital visit.

On the day of my graduation presentation, I had just stepped down from the podium, pulled out my phone, and saw over a dozen missed calls. All from my mom. My heart sank, and I quickly called her back. But it wasn’t my mom who answered; it was our neighbor, Mr. Davis. “Hazel, come home quickly! Your mom fainted right downstairs after buying groceries. A few neighbors and I took her to the hospital!” My head started spinning. “The doctor said it’s a heart condition and she needs immediate surgery! They’re asking family to pay up quickly! One hundred thousand dollars!” I didn’t wait for my presentation results. I grabbed my bag and ran out. On the way, I messaged Ethan: “What’s the card PIN? Urgent.” After a while, he replied: “I’ll tell you later. You have enough from your part-time jobs; don’t spend carelessly.” My hands were shaking too much to type, so I called him directly. “Ethan, my mom is sick! Heart attack! She needs one hundred thousand dollars for surgery! Please tell me the PIN now!” The other end of the phone was silent for two seconds, then he said unhurriedly: “Hazel, you’re cursing your own mom just to trick me into giving you money? That’s going too far.” He hung up immediately, not listening to another word I had to say. My hands trembling, I scrolled through all my accounts on my phone. SnapChat balance, PayPal, bank cards—all combined, I only had just over seven hundred dollars. Not even a fraction of what was needed. I called Ethan’s number again. It was off. I sent a message, and an auto-reply popped up: “In a closed-door meeting, please do not disturb.” For four years, I had worked part-time jobs continuously, saved diligently, and most of the money I earned went to Ethan. I hadn’t saved a single cent for myself. He claimed every month he put thirty thousand aside for me, over a million dollars in three years, yet I couldn’t even afford my mom’s one-hundred-thousand-dollar surgery fee. My tears streamed down uncontrollably. With no other choice, I rushed into the nearest bank, went straight to the counter, and handed the bank card to the teller. “Hi, I need to withdraw money, but I forgot the PIN. Can I use my ID?” The teller took the card and checked it: “Ma’am, this card is in a canceled state.” My heart lurched violently. “How is that possible? My boyfriend deposits thirty thousand every month; there should be over a million dollars in it now!” The teller looked at me with some pity: “This card was canceled three years ago. From its opening to its cancellation, there was never a single deposit recorded.” I stood there, completely frozen, feeling like my world crashed down. Three years, and not a single deposit. What about his monthly Ins posts then? What about the transfer screenshots of that bank card? What about that line, “That $30,000 I put aside for her every month is her security”? All of it was fake. He had been lying to me from beginning to end! My phone rang again. It was Mr. Davis. “Hazel, the doctor is pressing for the payment again! Your mom can’t wait; you need to hurry!” I looked down at the card in my hand and suddenly burst out laughing. I was a college student, working four jobs to support him, scrimping and saving, only to pour it all into him. And he used a fake card to trick me for three years, making me willingly be his ATM. Fine. Ethan, you’re really something else. I fiercely rubbed my face, hailed a cab back to our rental apartment, and dug out all of Ethan’s documents: his ID, vehicle registration, bank professional qualification, fund manager license, academic certificates, etc. I photographed each one. Ethan worked at the bank and was well-connected. He always appeared outwardly generous, and his Ins posts monthly boasted about putting thirty thousand aside for his girlfriend. Everyone thought he had a legitimate job, stable income, and was a reliable good guy. Well, perfect. I started calling Ethan’s classmates, friends, colleagues, and clients, one by one. “Hi, I’m Ethan’s girlfriend. He’s having some cash flow issues lately. Could you lend him fifty thousand? You can use his documents as collateral.” “Ethan urgently needs some money; would it be okay to lend him one hundred thousand?” In two hours, I made almost a hundred calls. The ‘money received’ notifications on my bank app chimed non-stop. I checked my account: seven hundred eighty thousand dollars had arrived.

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My fiancé, Ethan, won a raffle for a couple’s trip to an island resort. The host asked, “Dr. Ethan, who will you be taking?” Everyone’s gaze turned to me, and murmurs of my name filled the room: “Chloe! Chloe!” My heart pounded faster. I looked at him with a smile. But he pointed to Mia, his assistant, who was sitting below: “Give it to her. She’s been working incredibly hard lately.” Mia’s face flushed instantly. My best friend, Cassie, leaned into my ear, fuming. “Didn’t we all agree to have our weddings on the island this year? How could your fiancé do this?” I smiled, forcing back the sting in my eyes. “Don’t worry. The plan’s still on.” I would wear my wedding dress and get married on that island. If Ethan didn’t want to go, then he wouldn’t. Ethan walked down from the stage with an unhurried grace. As he passed his assistant’s seat, he naturally paused. He handed over the envelope containing the travel voucher, a hint of indulgence in his smile: “Here.” Mia’s eyes instantly lit up, a mix of surprise and delight. She pressed her pretty lips together, taking the envelope with both hands. As if she wasn’t just receiving a raffle ticket, but a weighty, significant honor. The next second, she stood up gracefully, her voice clear, her tone cheerful and rather loud: “Thank you for always thinking of me! I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you!” With that, she even performed a lively, playful curtsy towards Ethan. Straightening up, she paused, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she glanced at Ethan, a mix of youthful playfulness and subtle testing. “But… I don’t really have anyone to travel with. Why don’t you come with me?” The air around us seemed to freeze for a moment, then broke into a few suggestive snickers. Cassie, beside me, shot up, ready to confront him. I gripped her wrist tightly, pulling her back into her seat, forcing a deliberately casual smile. “Why are you still so impulsive? Ethan won’t agree.” No sooner had I spoken than I heard Ethan’s voice, laced with amusement. “Well, that depends on your work performance.” “Yes, sir!” Mia exaggeratedly stood at attention and saluted, drawing laughter from the crowd. Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle. He patted her shoulder and walked towards me. “What the hell is going on?!” Cassie was barely held back by me, gritting her teeth as she whispered fiercely in my ear. “Is she playing innocent because she’s young? Is she genuinely clueless, or is this deliberate?” “We’ve been together, the four of us, for eight years! Back in college, we made a pact to have a double wedding on the island!” “Liam and I have already set everything! Is Ethan truly clueless, or did he just forget?” “This raffle was practically set up for him! Why else would he even be here? And to top it off, he brought his assistant!” She grew angrier as she spoke, her chest heaving. I placed my hand over hers, patting it gently. “Sit still. Don’t get worked up.” She didn’t say anything more, but the sheen of tears in her eyes refused to dry, and she huffily turned her head away. Ethan sat back down beside me. He seemed to sense something, glancing at my face and Cassie’s, then smiled. It was that familiar, gentle charm that always made it impossible to stay angry at him. He took my hand, his thumb caressing my knuckles, and said in a low voice: “The beach isn’t that fun anyway; it’s always packed with people. When I take my annual leave at the end of the year, I’ll take you for a quiet getaway in the mountains.” I gently withdrew my hand, my gaze not meeting his. “No need. You just focus on your work.” He paused, then smiled and withdrew his hand. To my left, Cassie, not giving up, pulled out her phone and quickly typed a few words, then leaned over: “Liam’s giving a speech soon; I’ll get him to help us out.” I offered her a grateful smile, not objecting.

Cassie, Liam, and Ethan, and I. The four of us were the best of friends in college. Liam and Cassie started this company together, and they really busted their butts getting it off the ground during the early days. Once the company was finally on track, Cassie relentlessly convinced me to join as the VP of Public Relations. It was a perfect fit for my major, and we could hang out all the time, just like in college. Not long after, Liam, as a founder, was invited onto the stage. Then the host asked about his personal plans for the second half of the year. Liam played coy, stroking his chin and pausing for a few seconds before grinning. “Next month! I’m getting married on the island!” The audience erupted in cheers and playful jeers. He turned and looked at our table, his gaze settling on Cassie, his voice suddenly softening: “I hope to spend my life with my wife. Even with all the playful bickering we’re bound to have!” Laughter and applause blended enthusiastically. Cassie’s eyes welled up, but she muttered, “You’re crazy.” Liam’s tone shifted, and his gaze moved to Ethan. He sincerely and expectantly extended a hand, asking loudly and with full vigor: “Brother, want to join us?!” My eyes suddenly welled up. All the spotlights seemed to be focused on our table. Everyone’s eyes were on Ethan. Our friends had their hands clasped in front of them, ready to erupt in applause. The sound tech quietly flipped a switch, ready to cue the music. Perhaps the atmosphere was truly moving, as I turned to look at Ethan, a faint, fragile hope flickering in my heart once more. But Ethan, under everyone’s watchful eyes, just smiled, waved his hand, and replied with a playful tone: “You go first. I’m not really into crowded weddings.” We were all adults; Liam didn’t press the issue, just awkwardly rubbed his nose and continued his speech. The surging tide in my heart finally receded, leaving behind only a dead calm and an endless, salty emptiness. Nicole, from not far away, turned her head, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips. Her gaze slid past Ethan and quietly assessed me. Her eyes held curiosity, triumph, and a hint of indefinable pity. I calmly nodded at her, curving my lips into a polite, distant smile. That entire day, Cassie didn’t speak another word to Ethan. Whenever their eyes met, she looked at him as if he were her worst enemy. In the end, Liam awkwardly saw us out by himself. Ethan and I emerged from the parking lot, and from a distance, we saw Mia standing alone at the company entrance. The night breeze pressed her skirt against her calves as she hugged her arms, looking around expectantly. Ethan’s car window rolled down. Mia’s eyes lit up, and she scurried over, calling out Ethan’s name with a pitiful whimper: “Ethan—” “Why haven’t you left yet?” “Can’t get a ride-share… it’s impossible to book one this late,” she said, her voice laced with a hint of grievance. Ethan glanced at the backseat, then at me, his tone neutral: “I can give you a lift.” “Oh, I don’t know… Chloe’s here,” Mia said, pressing her lips together, though her feet remained firmly planted. “It’s on the way,” Ethan said, then turned to me. “Our place is on the way. I’ll drop you off first, then take her home.” I nodded. There was nothing more to say. All the way, Mia chattered like a magpie, rattling off amusing anecdotes from the hospital. Listening to those unfamiliar names, I suddenly felt like an awkward outsider. After I got out, Ethan leaned out the window, his voice soft as he cautioned: “You go on up. I’ll be back as soon as I drop her off.” I acknowledged him and turned to leave. As I reached the building, my steps involuntarily slowed. Driven by an inexplicable impulse, I couldn’t help but glance back. Under the streetlamp, the black sedan hadn’t turned off its engine. Through the windshield, I saw that Mia had, at some point, moved to the passenger seat. She was leaning slightly forward, excitedly tugging on Ethan’s arm, pointing at the road ahead and saying something. Ethan had his head turned, seemingly listening to her, his profile, bathed in the play of light and shadow, looked exceptionally gentle. The next second, the car did a U-turn and drove off in the opposite direction.

Back home, I started packing. There wasn’t much to pack, really. I just mechanically folded clothes from my closet, one by one, and put them into a box. Until my fingers brushed against the velvet box hidden deep in the closet. I opened it. Inside lay a silver bracelet, with a small, irregularly shaped starfish charm. Ethan had given it to me during our junior year, when he confessed his feelings. That day, he was so nervous his forehead was slick with sweat, and he could barely string a sentence together. As he pressed the box into my hand, he said: “Chloe, I don’t have much money now, but I want to give you this piece of the ocean first.” “I promise you, very soon, I’ll take you to see the real thing.” In his eyes, I saw my own reflection shimmering, like a constellation filling the entire sea. I ran my fingers over the starfish, which had already oxidized a bit. A cold touch spread through my fingertips. At the very bottom of the drawer was a photograph. It was a group photo of the four of us, with a Gothic cathedral from a college trip in the background. In the picture, Cassie and Liam were laughing carefree, Ethan had his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned into his embrace. All four of us, in the prime of our youth. I remembered that day, sunlight streaming through the cathedral’s tall stained-glass windows, falling on us. Liam had exclaimed, “This church is so sacred; I’m going to get married here someday, how grand!” But I had frowned, murmuring softly: “It’s too ornate and oppressive. I don’t like it.” “If I get married, I’d still prefer it by the sea.” “Blue skies, white clouds, and the sound of waves as the best background music.” Ethan had then squeezed my cheek, smiling indulgently: “Okay, whatever you want.” “Later, the four of us will have a wedding on the island together. You and I as one couple, Liam and Cassie as the other, how about it?” “It’s a deal!” “Pinky promise!” Four pinky fingers hooked together, making that vow. It seems laughable now, but to preserve that sense of sacredness, I had yearned for the ocean countless times, yet never once gone. I stubbornly held onto the hope that the first time I saw the sea, it would be with him. Dressed in a white wedding gown, embarking on the next chapter of my life. But now, he casually said the beach was full of people and not much fun. The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the living room. Ethan was back. I quickly wiped my eyes, stuffing the bracelet and photo back into their places. I walked to the living room sofa and sat down, starting to flip through the bridal boutique brochures on the coffee table. As he changed his shoes, he said in a relaxed tone: “What happened with Mia today was an accident. There was an emergency patient who needed surgery at noon, and she stood with me in the operating room for five or six hours. Plus, she had some family issues and didn’t want to go back to face them, so I brought her along to lighten her mood.” His explanation was perfectly logical, completely watertight. I calmly nodded: “Mmm, I understand.” Ethan seemed to relax, then turned with a satisfied expression to take a shower. My phone rang. It was the bridal boutique consultant. “Ms. Chloe, hello. The wedding gowns you and Mrs. King liked yesterday have arrived in your sizes.” “When would be a good time for you to come for a fitting? Will Mr. Ethan be able to join you?”

Her voice was loud, exceptionally clear in the quiet living room. The bathroom door opened, and Ethan walked out, wrapped in a towel, water still dripping from his hair. He had clearly heard the phone call. The smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by suppressed anger. He frowned, walking over to me. “Chloe, why are you always so immature?” I hung up the phone and looked up at him. “Is getting married something one person can decide? Have you ever considered my feelings?” I said softly, “But I don’t want to break our promise.” Ethan stared at me, seemingly unable to believe I could be so stubborn. He shook his head, finally speaking harsh words: “Unreasonable.” “I’ve indulged you for so many years; I’ve spoiled you rotten.” “I don’t have time to go to the island. If you don’t want to make a fool of yourself, go return that dress tomorrow!” The next day. Ethan told me he was attending a month-long medical symposium in New York and would be performing a few consulting surgeries while he was there. I knew in my heart he was avoiding me. A month later would be Liam and Cassie’s wedding on the island. By the time he returned, the wedding would already be a done deal. This outcome, in fact, had long been anticipated. But I never imagined that, to avoid marrying me, he would even choose to skip his best friend’s wedding. I silently saw him off at the airport. At the security checkpoint, Mia was already waiting, hauling two enormous suitcases. Seeing me, a brilliant smile bloomed on her face, and she said to me with a knowing look: “Don’t worry, Chloe. Ethan’s all mine this month. I promise to take good care of him, make sure he’s well-fed and taken care of.” I smiled and nodded: “Then I’ll leave him in your capable hands.” Watching Ethan turn to enter the security lane, driven by an inexplicable impulse, I couldn’t help but call out to him: “Ethan!” He stopped, looking at me across the bustling crowd. Sunlight streamed through the airport’s massive glass atrium, dappling his face with light and shadow. It was still his face, but when did the boy I loved truly leave me? Tears welled in my eyes. I tried to force a smile and softly said: “Goodbye forever.” The air was thick with the din of people, the drone of announcements, the rumble of suitcase wheels, and the cries of children—a massive, interwoven cacophony. He didn’t hear me clearly. He waved a confused hand and called out, “What?” I didn’t answer again, just waved vigorously at him. He frowned, seeming to sense something, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, as he wavered, wanting to turn back. Mia tugged his arm from behind, her voice a playful whine: “Ethan, hurry up! We’re going to miss it!” He followed her, walking on. He kept turning back to look at me as he walked. I smiled, watching them, until they were completely out of sight. Leaving the airport, I went to the amusement park alone. The carousel spun on, tirelessly. The first time Ethan took me out, we rode the carousel. It was one of the few rides that didn’t require an extra ticket, but we were ecstatic. He picked two horses side-by-side, one white, one brown. The music started, and the carousel began to turn. “Chloe. I love the feeling of riding side-by-side.” He reached out, and in the rhythm of the rising and falling horses, he took my hand. “On our path forward, all I’d have to do is turn my head to see you.” “That’s my ultimate happiness.” Ding-dong—the music stopped. The carousel slowly ground to a halt. I sat alone on the white horse, the brown one beside me empty. I stepped out of the railing. I looked back. Only seven or eight rotations, and I was back at the starting point. My phone vibrated in my pocket. A message from Cassie: “Tomorrow we’re going to the island to finalize the venue and arrangements. Are you really sure about this?” I looked up. A seam split open in the overcast sky, revealing a sliver of clean blue. Tomorrow, I was going to see the ocean.

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