Mrs. Sterling saw something in me. She hired me to be a stand-in for her son, Julian Sterling’s first love. It was all because I looked so much like her. Mrs. Sterling said I bore a striking resemblance to Julian’s first love. Ever since his first love left, he’d become cold, ruthless, and utterly dejected. My job was to keep him company, to make him happy again. The mission went surprisingly smoothly. He didn’t just smile; he even started creating small romantic gestures for me. Until three years later, his first love, Serena, returned, fresh from a divorce. That’s when he lied to me for the first time. I cried to Mrs. Sterling, pouring out my heart, detailing my sorrow and the crushing unfairness of it all. My goal was simple: get a bigger payout and then vanish. But then Julian’s voice, dark and cold, cut through the air from just outside the door: “Stop the act. I’m renewing the contract.” I was grabbing my usual coffee downstairs at the company when Serena Vance, without a word of warning, slid into the seat opposite me. Her voice was soft, gentle. “How much did Julian pay you to hire you?” I looked at her. Eight years. She hadn’t changed much from the photo I’d seen. Still the same long, straight black hair, a simple, solid-colored dress, and the lightest touch of makeup. Only now, a subtle maturity etched itself between her brows. Her voice softened even more. “I know, it hasn’t been easy, accompanying Julian and taking care of him for three years. But this isn’t fair to you. No girl wants to be anything less than true love.” As she spoke, she lightly traced my cheek. “And no girl wants to be a stand-in.” A stand-in… she didn’t need to keep reminding me. I hadn’t forgotten it for a single moment. Three years ago, I was a fresh college graduate, just about to step into the working world. As I hustled around, résumé in hand, Mrs. Sterling herself sought me out. All because I looked seventy percent like Julian Sterling’s first love. She handed me a blank check. She promised that if I could get Julian back to his old self, I could fill in any amount I wanted on that check. And on top of that, a million dollars would be deposited into my account, right on time, every month. I got it. This was the classic stand-in trope. The deal was incredibly lucrative. No one could refuse it. Not even me. That was Julian Sterling—a legend in Sterling City. I didn’t hesitate for a second. I accepted. Under Mrs. Sterling’s guidance, I styled myself after Serena. I straightened my hair, swapped out my wardrobe for simple, solid-colored dresses. And smoothly became Julian Sterling’s personal assistant. The first time Julian saw me, he seemed to frown, but he didn’t say anything. To mold a perfect stand-in, Mrs. Sterling also gave me a thick stack of files. They meticulously detailed Julian Sterling’s preferences. From his morning coffee to his evening routine, his wardrobe, even his travel habits—every single thing. I was getting paid, so I followed every instruction without question. At first, I thought someone like Julian Sterling would be incredibly difficult to deal with. Julian was decisive, detail-oriented, and hated idle chatter. So, I focused on efficiency and precision, ensuring every detail was flawless. My proposals, often drafted overnight, had almost zero errors. My reactions and patience were sharp enough to handle any sudden emergency. My phone was always on, twenty-four hours a day, ready to answer his calls, never a word of complaint. Everyone said I was the best assistant he’d ever had. Slowly, he began to accept my presence. He’d eat the meals I cooked. He’d drink the coffee I brewed. Sometimes, when I personally prepared his lunch, he’d comment, expressionless, “It’s awful.” Then he’d eat every last bite. Our relationship grew closer with each passing day. After a perfectly ordinary banquet, I drove him home as usual. Without warning, he pulled me closer and kissed me. That night, our silhouettes intertwined against the windowpane… The next day, Julian had all my belongings moved to his mansion in the West Hills. When a black card was placed in front of me, I automatically unlocked a new identity: mistress. Besides the money from Mrs. Sterling and my assistant’s salary, I was now receiving a third income. This arrangement was overly lucrative. At least from my perspective, we were like any other couple. We went to work together, cooked together. During intimate moments, I followed my instincts and responded with passion. Yet, in my heart, I remained perfectly clear. I was Chloe, not Serena. This play, it would end one day. I just didn’t expect that day to come so soon.

I lost all interest in my coffee, getting up to leave. Behind me, Serena dropped the act, her tone laced with a hint of disdain. “I’m back. You didn’t actually think that little bit of affection you got, just because you look like me, would be enough to get you through the Sterling family’s front door, did you?” I turned and looked at her, countering, “And you think you can?” She and Julian were from families of equal standing. But she had abandoned everything to go abroad when Sterling Corp faced a crisis. She married, then divorced. And now she was back. At least, from what I knew of Mrs. Sterling, it was almost impossible for Serena to get into the Sterling family home. Unless, of course, Julian insisted. That evening, I accompanied Julian as he worked in his study. I sat in front of my computer. But my eyes kept drifting to him. Sterling City was teeming with talent. A fresh graduate like me, with no background. Without this face as my ticket in, I would never have had the chance to enter Sterling Corp. No chance to earn wealth most people could only dream of in a lifetime. And no chance to be by his side for so long. Looking at it that way, if his true love returned, I should be happy for him. Clinging on would only make me look clingy and ungrateful. “Come here.” Julian’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I obediently walked over to him. Naturally, he pulled me onto his lap. “What’s wrong?” I asked him. He looked at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Nothing. I just thought, this way you can see better.” Caught staring, my face flushed hot instantly, and I even held my breath for a moment. When did he start getting so charming? I hadn’t explicitly told him about Serena’s return. But that didn’t mean it could be kept secret for long. She quickly appeared at a business banquet, champagne in hand, heading straight for Julian and me. Her voice was still so soft it sounded like it could melt, “Julian, you’re here.” Many people present knew about their past, and whispers began to spread. I glanced at Julian. Even with his first love, whom he hadn’t seen in years, standing before him. His face showed absolutely no reaction. The murmurs around us grew louder. “When did Serena Vance get back? Didn’t she get married?” “You’re way behind on the news. She just divorced, probably rushed back before the ink on her divorce papers was even dry.” “Look at the woman by Mr. Sterling’s side, doesn’t she look a lot like Ms. Vance?” “I’ve thought so for ages. Mr. Sterling found a stand-in for his first love, huh?” “How devoted.” “Now that the real deal is back, shouldn’t the stand-in step aside?” Julian’s sharp gaze swept to where the voices came from. Those few people instantly clamped their mouths shut. Others wisely dispersed to different areas. I figured he was upset that his beloved was being criticized.

In an instant, only the three of us remained within a ten-meter radius. When someone had mentioned her divorce earlier, Serena had lowered her head slightly, a touch of embarrassment on her face. Now, as she looked at Julian again, her eyes were brimming with tears. Her voice, laced with a hint of grievance, trembled slightly. “Julian, please don’t misunderstand. I just wanted to come back and see how you were doing.” In such a dramatic scene, my presence felt incredibly awkward. After all, no one ever considered the feelings of the stand-in. I excused myself to the restroom, but in reality, I slipped out to the balcony to hide. Then I went online to find a resignation letter template. Preferably one that highlighted my dedication. After finding one, I made some quick edits and sent it to Mrs. Sterling. Her reply came swiftly: [Stay put for now.] “Looks like the little assistant got dumped, huh?” A lazy, teasing tone wrapped around a hint of mockery. Without even turning around, I knew it was Blake, the young master of the Blake family. I turned sideways, directly facing his leaning-in face. “There are plenty of beauties in the ballroom tonight, Blake. How can you bear to miss such a good opportunity and come bothering me?” He leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Isn’t the most beautiful one right in front of me?” I raised an eyebrow. Blake’s eyes twinkled with even greater amusement, his fingertip lightly tracing the rim of his glass. “Want to consider switching jobs? I’m much easier to please than Julian Sterling.” Julian’s voice cut in before I could reply. “Chloe.” Not far away, he stood under the lights, clearly showing a hint of anger. I suddenly felt a little guilty. I wondered if his anger was because he knew I hadn’t told him about Serena’s return right away. On the way home, he didn’t say a word. I remembered my mission. My eyes misted over, and I said sweetly, “Julian, I didn’t mean not to tell you about Ms. Vance’s return.” “I just…” My voice was so choked with emotion it was almost a sob. “I was just afraid you’d leave me once you knew Ms. Vance was back.” “I just wanted to stay by your side a little longer, even if it was just one more day, one more hour, one more minute.” After saying all that, I didn’t dare breathe. Julian remained silent, offering no response. My mind raced. My golden ticket was definitely gone. How could I negotiate a larger severance package from Mrs. Sterling? Once we got home, Julian hoisted me up and tossed me onto the bed. He didn’t say a single word throughout. But his actions were rougher than usual. I interpreted it as deliberate retaliation. At the height of our passion, on a whim, I asked him, “Julian Sterling, do you know who I am?” The words were barely out of my mouth when I regretted them. He seemed to freeze for a moment but didn’t answer. Then he gripped my chin, kissing me back with a retaliatory intensity. In that moment, I got my answer. Just before I drifted off into an exhausted sleep, I thought I heard him whisper something in my ear. The next day, he uncharacteristically didn’t go to work. First, he took me to get my waist-length hair curled. Then he took me shopping for clothes at the mall. As I stood in front of the changing room mirror, in a red dress with chestnut-colored loose waves. It felt like a strange twist of fate had brought me back to how I looked three years ago, when Mrs. Sterling first found me. Julian wrapped an arm around me, approvingly murmuring, “Beautiful.” The first love returned, and the copycat was sent back to her original form.

A few days later, Serena Vance arrived at the office, clutching a bouquet of lilies. Seeing my new look, she first scrutinized me from head to toe, then sneered. “Ms. Chloe, have you finally given up trying to imitate me?” I ignored her comment and asked, as a matter of routine, “Ms. Vance, do you have an appointment?” She looked like she’d heard the funniest joke imaginable. “I never need an appointment to see Julian. His rules are for outsiders.” I nodded, saying, “Please wait a moment. I’ll call and confirm if Mr. Sterling is available right now.” She pressed her hand down on mine, stopping me from dialing the CEO’s internal line. “Chloe, are you genuinely clueless or just pretending? Don’t you know, if it weren’t for your face looking like mine, you wouldn’t even have a chance to get close to Julian?” I reminded her, “Ms. Vance, Mr. Sterling isn’t 22 anymore; he’s 30. He doesn’t have the energy for your games.” The next second, the blooming bouquet of lilies in her hand brutally slammed into my face. I raised a hand to wipe away the pollen from my face. And swiftly delivered a slap. I hit her so hard my hand went numb. Serena froze, her face a mask of disbelief. “You dare hit me?” I shook my hand, my tone flat. “Ms. Vance, I was merely acting in self-defense.” Being a stand-in was one thing; getting hit required separate compensation. She trembled with rage, raising her hand to slap me back. Just as her wrist was about to descend— A cold, deep male voice abruptly rang out. “Stop.” Julian Sterling had appeared at the doorway, drawn by the commotion outside. His gaze first fell on my face, which was stained with shattered petals and pollen, and faintly reddened. Then he looked at Serena’s hand, still raised in mid-air, poised to strike. I discreetly lowered my eyelashes, my voice laced with just the right amount of grievance and timidity. “Mr. Sterling, Ms. Vance insisted on coming in without an appointment, and I merely tried to remind her, and then she…” Serena quickly interjected, “Julian, it’s not what you think. She hit me first, see?” She turned her left cheek, revealing a clear palm print. I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, pretending to be invisible. After a brief silence, Julian told me to go to the restroom to clean up. He then led Serena into his office. A sharp pang pierced my chest, making my eyes sting. It must have been the lily bouquet hitting me so hard. The eight-figure number in my mobile banking app made me feel incredibly secure. That was my true purpose for being here. Everything else was irrelevant. I shouldn’t get caught up in their messy romance, fighting tooth and nail with his first love. With that thought, I decided to act first and apologize later. I would resign and leave Julian Sterling.

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The year Liam Smith was at his lowest, I left him for three hundred thousand. Years later, at a class reunion, he was a roaring success, proposing with three million. Everyone said Liam was madly in love with me. But then, he treated me like a prize, delivering me straight to his rival’s bed. And I? I just took it. No tears, no fuss. He completely lost it, his eyes blazing crimson. “Elara, are you just naturally trashy? Will anyone with money get to fuck you?!” I just smiled. For someone dying of stomach cancer, none of that really mattered anymore. Five years after breaking up with Liam, I saw him again at a class reunion. I was a down-on-my-luck stripper, and he was a powerful CEO, a titan in the business world. They all whispered that Liam was still head over heels for me. He’d just returned to the country, flaunting his immense wealth, and married me. Making me the envy of every woman in our social circle—Mrs. Smith. But on our wedding night, he brought a stunningly beautiful woman into our bridal suite. I recognized her instantly. She was Chloe, my once-best friend. Liam doted on her, giving her everything she asked for. For two years, Liam brought her back almost every night, to sleep in our marital bed. He’d grip my chin, a chilling warning in his eyes: “Elara, I didn’t spend all that money to marry you just so you could live a life of luxury as Mrs. Smith. Mark my words: from the day we got married, you’re nothing but a servant in this house.” He shattered my heart, turning me into a nationwide joke. Everyone knew I was just a maid Liam had married. But I didn’t divorce him. There was a clause in our marriage agreement: if I divorced, I’d owe him three million. I’d hide in my room, silently planning how to use that money. A few days before, I’d been to the hospital. The doctor said I only had about three months left. It’s only when you’re facing death that you realize how fiercely you cling to life. The day I came back from the hospital, I got news. My dad’s case had new developments. If I could find someone to help, he might clear his name and get out early. Right now, Liam was the only one powerful enough to help my dad appeal his case. No matter what, I had to save my dad. I baked Liam’s favorite cookies and took them to his company. His employees pointed and whispered. “Dressed so shabbily, looking pale as a ghost. How did she end up marrying Mr. Smith?” “I heard she was Mr. Smith’s first love. Men always have a soft spot for their firsts, I guess.” “I think Ms. Chloe is a better match for Mr. Smith. She’s the heiress of the Chloe Group, after all…” I waited outside the company for ages, only to learn Liam wasn’t even there. He’d gone to a party with Chloe. I found their party. The place was buzzing, mostly with Liam’s friends. The moment I stepped in, the room fell silent. Chloe walked up to me, a sickly sweet smile on her face. “Elara, what are you doing here? Bored, looking to get back to stripping?” I didn’t get angry. “You don’t need to mock me. Being the other woman isn’t exactly more noble than being a stripper.” No sooner had the words left my mouth than Chloe splashed a glass of wine on me. “Elara, I’m not the other woman! You’re the one who dumped Liam for three hundred thousand back then! If you hadn’t come back, Liam would have married me! Your father is a murderer, you don’t deserve Liam at all! And your mom…” Before she could finish, I shoved her away. “Chloe, shut up!” My dad isn’t a murderer! My dad was framed!

Chloe stumbled, falling to the ground. Her palm scraped against glass shards. The people in the private room panicked, rushing to kick me out. Caught off guard, I fell too, my own palm getting cut by the glass. I watched as Liam immediately rushed to Chloe’s side, scooping her up and placing her gently on the couch. His face was etched with pain. “Don’t be scared, I’m here.” It was clear he cared about her deeply. Just like he used to care about me. Everyone else was fussing over her, showering her with concern. And I? I was the punchline of their cruel joke. Only after Chloe’s wound was tended to did they turn their venomous gazes on me. I didn’t care about their insults or their disgust. I clenched my bleeding palm, looking up at Liam. “My dad’s case has new developments. Help him with the lawsuit.” Liam wasn’t just a brilliant businessman; he was an exceptional lawyer too. Every case he’d ever handled, he’d won. If he just agreed to help, my dad would be cleared. Liam looked at me, a mocking glint in his eyes. “Elara, do you really think I’m still that poor kid who’d do anything for you?” My face went white, my heart freezing in my chest. He refused. But I couldn’t give up. Chloe peered out from his embrace, her voice soft and fragile. “Liam, you don’t have to be mad at Elara just because I got hurt. I know she hates me, she hates that I was always by your side after you two broke up.” “But Liam, my heart broke for you too. You were so desperate back then, and I just wanted to stay with you, even if you never loved me, I wouldn’t have left.” Liam reached up, gently wiping away her tears, soothing her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Seeing Chloe crying because I’d supposedly bullied her, his friends quickly jumped to her defense. “It’s just a lawsuit, right? All you have to do is get on your knees and apologize to Chloe, and everything will be fine. Right, Liam?” After a few silent seconds, Liam spoke, his voice slow and deliberate. “Elara, apologize.” I squeezed my fists tight, then let out a soft laugh. “Fine. I’ll apologize to her.” With that, I knelt directly in front of Chloe. “Chloe, I’m sorry.” Then I glared at Liam. “Are you satisfied now?” Turns out, they weren’t. Liam’s friend said I’d ruined the party atmosphere and “punished” me by making me drink a whole bottle of liquor. “I’m sick, I can’t drink alcohol.” As soon as I said it, his friends burst into laughter. “A stripper, saying she can’t drink? That’s hilarious!” Finally, Liam spoke. “Elara, drink this bottle, and I’ll help your dad with the lawsuit.” I looked at him calmly. “I’m not lying. I really am sick. This bottle could kill me.” He seemed furious, his smile chillingly cold. “Do you still think you’re that delicate, privileged girl you once were? A little alcohol is going to kill you?” He forced me to chug that whole bottle. Then, dragging my aching body, I hailed a taxi home. I was scared I wouldn’t make it through the night. So, while my mind was still clear, I had to do something. After closing the notebook in my hands, I shakily pulled out my phone and sent a message. If I was still alive tomorrow, I could finally leave this place.

A noise from the living room broke my train of thought. Liam was back. I stayed quietly in the staff quarters on the first floor. In two years of marriage, I was only allowed upstairs when he brought Chloe back. Even then, they’d be in their room, and I was expected to guard the door. After Chloe left, I would replace her as Liam’s convenience for the night. I stared down at the cuts on my arm for a long time, my eyes downcast. At some point, he appeared behind me, frowning as he looked at me. “Why are you so pale? Did you catch a chill?” He reached out to touch my forehead, but I flinched away. “Why my face looks like this? Don’t you know? Are you here to make me watch your romance again? Give me a minute, I’ll be right there.” I stood up, walked past him, but he grabbed my arm. Something was pressed into my hand. I looked down. It was a jewelry box. “I bought this for you. Dress yourself up properly from now on; don’t embarrass me.” I stared at the jewelry box for a few seconds, then without hesitation, threw it out the window. Just like I had done years ago, throwing the necklace he gave me into the river right in front of him. As expected, Liam’s face instantly turned ashen, and he glared at me, his eyes filled with fury. “Elara!” I tilted my head back, my smile bright. “I’m helping you. If your ‘other woman’ finds out you bought me a necklace, she’ll fight with you.” He suddenly laughed. He pressed me onto the bed, kissing my face repeatedly, his eyes bloodshot. “Elara, are you jealous? Don’t you know I’ve been waiting for you to come back all these years? I waited for you to give me an explanation. Don’t you know that if you just played nice, if you just apologized and acted a little spoiled, we could go back to how we were?” A wave of nausea hit me, and the pain in my body made me want to cry. Liam, I’ve seen how you loved me. The way you pretend to love me now, when you clearly don’t, is truly sickening. I looked up. “Liam, we can go back to how we were, but you have to promise me one thing. Ruin the Chloe family, and throw Chloe in jail. Then, I’ll give you a reasonable explanation. How about it?” Liam reached out and touched my forehead. It was a tender gesture, but his expression was utterly cold and distant. “You can ask for anything else, but you can’t bully her anymore.” I pushed his hand away with force, countering, “If you truly love her, then let’s get a divorce soon, so I can make room for her.” His expression changed, his gaze instantly turning savage. “Elara, I forbid you from mentioning divorce again! Don’t forget, you owe me this!” Yes, I owed him. But I was tired of this pain. “So, between Chloe and me, who do you choose?” I didn’t get his answer. Because his phone rang. It was his best friend calling. “Liam, Chloe’s in trouble…” I could clearly feel Liam’s body stiffen, and a flicker of panic in his eyes. But he merely hung up, his voice cold. “Alright, I know.” In that moment, I felt my wrist squeezed so hard it hurt. I turned to look at Liam. His eyes were distant, his tightly furrowed brows betraying his worry. The next second, he stood up. I instinctively grabbed his sleeve, my voice firm. “Don’t go!” He stared at me for a few seconds, moving his lips as if to say something. But I spoke first. “If you walk out that door today, we’re over for good.” Liam didn’t hesitate. “I’m sorry, it’s a matter of life and death. I have to go. I’ll explain when I get back.”

Just as my 25th birthday was ending, I felt a searing pain in my stomach. Before I could even call 911, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in a hospital room, with only a nurse present. “Who brought me here?” Seeing me awake, the nurse quickly explained, “Professor Asher brought you in. He saved you.” “Your condition was very serious last night, and we needed a family signature. We called your emergency contact numerous times using your phone, but no one answered. In the end, Professor Asher took the risk and signed for you.” I scrolled through my phone. All the calls were to Liam. Dozens of calls, and he hadn’t picked up a single one. When I was in critical condition, needing a family signature, he was with another woman. Lying on the cold hospital bed, a wave of sadness washed over me. In my moment of crisis, it wasn’t my husband who saved me, but my childhood rival. The hospital room door opened, pulling me back to reality. “How are you feeling now?” Seeing Asher after so many years, I felt a little disoriented. He had changed so much since we were kids. If the nurse hadn’t called him Professor Asher, I might have thought I’d mistaken him for someone else. A soft chuckle came from above me. “Elara, my dear, you ungrateful wretch, you haven’t forgotten me, have you?” Yes, this was the annoying, irritating Asher I remembered. My physical condition was dire. Especially after drinking so much alcohol yesterday. If Asher hadn’t saved me, I’d be dead already. I also just learned that Asher had been abroad for years and was now a renowned Professor in the medical field. He was now my attending physician. “Elara, my dear, if you want my help, you have to be a good girl and cooperate with my treatment.” I couldn’t die yet; I still had so much left to do. I was comfortable in the hospital, but that comfort was soon shattered. Because I ran into Chloe. She looked me up and down, her eyes full of triumph. “Elara, I’m so sorry, really. It was your 25th birthday that day, but because of my troubles, Liam had to abandon you to take care of me.” There weren’t many people around, and Liam wasn’t with her, so she dropped the act. I sneered, then slapped her. “What’s there to be sorry about when you’re the other woman? I think you quite enjoy the role.” Chloe hadn’t expected me to hit her; her face instantly hardened. She walked closer, whispering, “Elara, do you really think you’re still the pampered heiress you used to be? What if you’re married to Liam now? It doesn’t change the fact that your dad is a murderer and your mom is in a vegetative state! Seeing you so miserable, pathetic like a dog, that’s all the satisfaction I need.” I glared at her furiously. “Chloe, are my parents’ troubles connected to you?” She didn’t answer, but her triumphant smile, that challenging look in her eyes, was all the confirmation I needed. It was her, indeed! I raised my hand, wanting to tear this woman apart. But before I could, I felt a sharp pain in my wrist. Liam’s voice came from behind me. “Elara! Why do you always target her? Take your anger out on me; she’s innocent!” She’s innocent? What about my family? What about us?! “Liam, let go! You’re hurting my hand.” I cried out dramatically, and as he instinctively loosened his grip, I slapped him hard across the face. “You’re pathetic!” Liam stared at me, dumbfounded, his eyes filling with rage. I didn’t bother with them anymore, just ran out. I glanced back. He didn’t follow. Chloe was sobbing uncontrollably. “Liam, I truly love you… I’d die without you.” I saw his face soften with immense pity. “I won’t leave you.” Then he leaned down and kissed Chloe, fiercely, desperately.

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On the company’s annual bonus day, my husband Derek cooked up a lie, accusing me of slacking off. He ordered me to hand over the massive, nearly completed project I’d been working on to his first love, Brianna. I didn’t get angry. Instead, a cold laugh escaped me. I even offered Brianna my partnership stake in the company. “Constant business trips every single day? Total burnout! Here, why don’t you take my partnership too while you’re at it!” For a moment, all my colleagues stared, convinced I’d lost my mind. But no one realized I still held the critical evidence for the project. Without me, that project would turn into a disaster. Derek would face massive blowback from the client for botching it, leaving him drowning in debt! “Brianna, this company owes its success to you. You’re our most valuable asset.” “This bonus pool? It’s all yours!” In the conference room, our CEO Derek wore a self-satisfied grin as he gently squeezed Brianna’s shoulder and handed her a thick stack of cash. Instantly, my coworkers swarmed around them, cheering and clapping: “With talent like Brianna on board, our company’s future is endless!” “Derek really knows how to spot talent! He and Brianna make the perfect team!” Watching the cozy scene in the conference room, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle, silently clutching the project files in my hand. Today was supposed to be the company’s quarterly bonus payout. But as I pulled into the company parking lot, Derek took a call and suddenly ordered me to run out and finalize a different project’s closing paperwork. After being his wife for years, I trusted Derek completely. Figuring it was an urgent client matter, I didn’t hesitate to turn around. I spent the whole day sweating through errands in the sweltering heat. But watching Derek hand over the entire bonus to Brianna—a new hire who’d barely been here two months—everything suddenly made sense. That “urgent client” was just Derek’s excuse to get me out of the way. He wanted to hand the achievement of my year-long work to his long-lost first love—the one he’d never really gotten over. Brianna turned and spotted me, feigning surprise: “Ava, you’re finally here? What kept you?” “I thought you had the day off, so Derek started the meeting early. My mistake.” Brianna’s tone was polite, but there was an unmistakable challenge in her eyes. She even waved the cash stack right in front of me, a blatant victory lap. Derek didn’t look the least bit sorry. Instead, he shot me an impatient glare, his voice icy: “Ava, what’s with the attitude? You expect everyone to wait around for you?” “No wonder you’re always dragging your feet on projects—you’re holding this company back.” “Since you’re here, just hand over that project you’re working on to Brianna. Save us from more mistakes on your watch.” Listening to Derek’s order, I clenched my fists as coldness spread through my chest. The project he was talking about? I’d slaved over it for a year—real blood, sweat, and tears. The client was a major regional player, and the retainer alone was a whopping five million dollars. But the case involved tangled international financial disputes. I’d logged countless miles, bouncing between time zones, my body breaking down from stress-related illnesses. Now, with the project almost wrapped up, Derek was trying to hand over a year of my hard work to Brianna with just a few dismissive words. I felt completely unappreciated. I still remember when Derek said he wanted to start a company. I didn’t hesitate—gave up my thriving career, emptied my savings, and built this business from the ground up with him. But he had zero experience in this field and honestly lacked the skills to run a business, let alone keep it going. So for years, I’ve carried this company on my back. I worked myself to the bone without a single complaint, and that’s why we’re successful today. Yet Brianna tags along on a few business trips, and suddenly she’s taking all the credit? Derek was really something—completely heartless. Ten years of marriage, and I’m worth less than the woman who dumped him years ago. He’d finally burned every bridge in our relationship. After a long pause, I nodded numbly, staring at the floor, and spoke in a monotone: “Fine. Whatever you want.” Triumph flashed in Brianna’s eyes, but she still played humble: “Ava, I’m just the new girl. How could someone like me handle a big case like yours?” “I just heard Derek say you’d been working on this for almost a year without closing it. I thought maybe I could help out, that’s all.” Derek patted Brianna’s shoulder affectionately, his voice turning encouraging: “Brianna, you’re an overseas-educated talent! If you can’t handle it, no one here can!” That almost made me laugh out loud. Brianna’s degree was totally fake—she couldn’t even recite basic legal terms during her interview. Only Derek, treating her like some prize, would pay her that ridiculous salary. After reassuring Brianna, Derek turned to me with a sneer: “Ava, you’d be nothing without me. You think you earned your spot here?” “Gotten too comfortable, forgot your role? Complaining about one project? If Brianna hadn’t stuck up for you, I’d fire you right now!” I rolled my eyes internally. Derek conveniently forgot he used to beg me to handle every deal detail when we started the company. I taught him everything, ruined my health, tapped my connections to land contracts for him. Now that we’re stable, he acts like I’m dead weight—insulting me to boot. With that, I walked straight toward Brianna. Coworkers’ eyes bounced between us, clearly expecting a showdown. But instead, I smiled calmly, pulled a partnership transfer agreement from my bag, and slid it across the table to her. “Constant business trips? Total burnout. Here—why not just take my partnership directly!”

The room went silent. Everyone stared, wide-eyed, clearly shocked. They thought I’d snapped—saying crazy things out of anger. “Ava, you’re a key partner here! It’s just one project! You’ve worked too hard to throw this away—think carefully, don’t act on impulse!” Derek, clearly thinking I was blackmailing him, immediately blew up: “Ava, are you done with this drama?!” “I say a few things and you throw a fit? Who do you think you are, disrupting everything? I’m the CEO here!” That was actually funny. I was practically handing Brianna a golden opportunity on a platter—he should be thrilled! Having his little favorite replace me completely—wasn’t that exactly what Derek wanted? Brianna clutched the agreement, greed flashing in her eyes, but she put on a reluctant act: “Ava, are you upset? Is that why you’re giving me your partnership?” “Please don’t misunderstand. Derek just wanted me to help you out for the company’s sake.” “I never meant to replace you. You’re a company veteran—how could a new hire like me become a partner?” “Everyone knows your hard work and sacrifices. Only you deserve this position, Ava.” With that, Brianna reached out like she was going to return the agreement. But her hand froze, clearly unwilling to let go of her prize. I smiled faintly and clarified: “Of course not! Why would I be upset?” “You’re an overseas talent. Fresh blood for the company? I’m thrilled!” “With you as partner, I couldn’t be more relieved.” Derek gave me a suspicious look, then scoffed: “Brianna, if Ava’s offering, take it. No need to be modest.” “Besides, with your skills, you’d make partner eventually. This isn’t about ‘deserving’—it’s a given.” “Everyone here can witness this.” Brianna stopped pretending. She gripped the agreement tightly, barely hiding her excitement. Watching her, I laughed coldly to myself. Derek, too busy fawning over Brianna, had no clue this project was way more complicated than they thought. I’d worked on it for over a year, and only I had the critical evidence needed to seal the deal. But they didn’t know that evidence hadn’t been submitted yet—it was still in my possession. Without me, that “golden opportunity” they thought they had would turn into a ticking time bomb. And Brianna clearly had no idea being partner meant real responsibility. Partners aren’t just title—they’re on the hook for everything that goes wrong. The client did pay a $5 million retainer, that’s true. But if we lost, we’d have to refund every cent plus massive damages. With how cutthroat this industry is, one failure would sink Brianna and the whole company. Since I’m such a “burden” to them, why bother warning them? Judgment day was coming for Derek, and I couldn’t wait. Derek, seeing I’d given up both the big case and partnership without argument, actually looked a little guilty. He cleared his throat, still sounding arrogant: “Ava, don’t just stand there.” “That case is practically done anyway. Today’s Brianna’s celebration—since you’re being reasonable, you can join.” Derek gestured with his chin like he was doing me a huge favor. I almost laughed out loud. This case alone had agency fees in the millions. He cut me out of the bonus entirely, then expects me to be grateful for a free meal? Besides, sitting across from Brianna would make me lose my appetite. I was about to say no when Brianna’s sickly sweet voice piped up: “Ava, we ordered before you arrived, and I forgot to save you a seat.” “My mistake entirely! You take my chair, Ava. I twisted my ankle earlier, but that’s no excuse for my carelessness.” “I’ll just grab a stool in the corner. Anyone want drinks? I’ll go get them.” Classic Brianna—playing victim to test Derek’s loyalty. Predictably, Derek panicked when he heard about her injury, immediately ordering her to sit: “Brianna, you’ve done enough for this company!” “You just landed this huge case. Someone with your talent shouldn’t be fetching drinks.” He turned to me, voice dripping with contempt: “What are you standing around for? No common sense after all these years here.” “Go get the drinks, or don’t bother coming to dinner.” Derek’s double standards were laughable. Derek always did this—yell first, then pretend to be generous. I’d worked nonstop for years, and company dinners were never for me. Like I was dying to crash their little party. Brianna looked even more smug, barely hiding her smile. She tried to sound polite, but it was pure gloating: “Ava, I’m so sorry—my ankle’s really bothering me. Thanks for grabbing the drinks.” “I’ll make sure to toast you properly later…” Before she could finish, I laughed coldly and kicked the chair out from under her.

Brianna yelped, scrambling to stand, knocking over a drink that soaked her dress. I smirked at her mortified face: “I thought you twisted your ankle?” “Seemed pretty quick on your feet just now.” Derek froze, clearly shocked. It took him a second to process. He frowned, checking Brianna over while snapping at me: “Ava, have you lost your mind?!” “What if Brianna had gotten hurt?” “I knew something was wrong with you today! You’re just jealous of Brianna’s skills—trying to hurt her on purpose!” I just stared at him, unimpressed. “Jealous? Of an empty pretty face?” “And…” “And I quit. So save the attitude—I don’t care anymore.” Derek’s jaw tightened with anger, but I didn’t let him speak. I turned and walked straight out of the office. Before I knew it, I’d wandered to the street Derek and I used to frequent. The shop owner recognized me immediately and pressed two iced drinks into my hands. “Ava! Perfect timing—just pulled these from the freezer. On the house, beat the heat!” Staring at the drinks, memories hit me like a truck. Derek and I weren’t always like this—at each other’s throats. Seven years ago, my startup crashed. I was broke, sweating through my clothes, standing outside this very shop. Derek bought me that iced drink, wiped my forehead with his big hand, and told me not to quit. We started dating, and he used his savings to launch our company—even fought his family for it. No matter how hard it got, he never complained—just stayed by my side, pushing me forward. To make him feel secure, I gave him majority shares. I was happy just being his partner. I really thought we’d be happy forever. Guess I underestimated how dangerous first loves can be. Then he hired Brianna a few years back. I knew she was his first love, but I ignored it—figured it was harmless. Turns out I was dead wrong. Derek started playing favorites, icing me out. We fought constantly—all because of her. I sighed, shaking my head. I should’ve seen it coming—Derek never really got over Brianna. He never made space in his heart for me. Just as I was leaving, Derek’s voice boomed behind me. “Big talk back there, huh Ava?” “If you’re so tough, why’re you waiting here for me to apologize?” I turned to find Derek and Brianna with the whole team in tow. Brianna tugged his sleeve, putting on her sweet act: “Derek, Ava must feel bad. She’s waiting to say sorry.” “Look—she even got your favorite drink!” Derek hesitated, then sneered: “Nice try with the drink, but it won’t work.” “I’m only cutting you slack because of Brianna…” He reached for the drink, but I cut him off. I frowned and tossed the drink straight into the trash. “Please.” “Who said that was for you? Don’t flatter yourself.”

Before Derek could respond, I hailed a cab and went straight home. I started packing—ready to cut ties with Derek for good. But I hadn’t even finished when the door slammed open. Derek stormed in, chest heaving, and started yelling: “What’s your problem today?!” “You’re deliberately making me look like an idiot in front of everyone!” Brianna followed, playing mediator: “Ava, I hate to say this, but today was a bit much.” “Is this about me and Derek? Are you upset we’re close?” “We’re just friends, I swear. If you can’t see that… maybe I should leave. I don’t want to come between you two.” She shuffled toward the door—obviously not leaving. Derek grabbed her wrist, voice softening: “Brianna, you did nothing wrong. Why would you leave?” He turned to me, eyes icy: “I’m so disappointed in you.” “You’ve changed. You’re not the woman I married.” “Apologize to Brianna right now, or we’re done.” I clenched my fists. This wasn’t the first time he’d threatened divorce. Ever since Brianna showed up, every fight ended with him using divorce as a weapon. But back then, I still loved him enough to keep forgiving him. I kept waiting for him to come to his senses. Now I see how delusional I was. He’s not worth fighting for. Derek assumed I’d back down like always. He straightened his collar, smirking: “I don’t want a divorce. Just apologize to Brianna…” I cut him off mid-sentence: “Save it. I want the divorce.” Derek’s eyes went wide. He gaped at me, speechless. Brianna jumped in: “Ava, you can’t mean that! Divorce isn’t something to joke about!” I pulled out a divorce agreement and set it on the table: “I’m dead serious.” “Sign here. Let’s make this clean.” Derek finally realized I meant it. He pointed at me, livid: “Fine!” “We’ll divorce! But don’t come crawling back!” Brianna could barely hide her excitement, but still played concerned: “Ava, think about your future. Without Derek, what will you do?” “Derek’s a CEO now. One word from him could ruin your career.” I saw right through her game. She was trying to break me down—make me think I owed everything to Derek.” Then I’d keep slaving away for them at the company. Derek joined in, sneering: “Exactly. Some people have way too high an opinion of themselves.” “Who’d want a washed-up woman like you without me?” “Brianna wrapped up that case you couldn’t finish in days. Verdict’s coming soon, and then we’ll be rolling in client money!” “You really think we need you?” I laughed out loud. Money? More like disaster’s coming. Without my evidence, their case was full of holes. They didn’t stand a chance. The other side had major connections. Messing with them wouldn’t just tank the deal—it’d drag the whole company down. Derek would be buried in debt for life. And right on cue— Derek’s phone rang before he could finish his rant. It was the court. He glanced at the screen and smirked at me: “See? All wrapped up!” “Once we win and get paid, Bri and I are taking a world tour. You’ll be stuck in your crummy apartment, seething with jealousy!” Derek answered, already daydreaming about his victory lap. But his face went white the second he heard the news. He gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. “What?!” “We… lost?!”

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At the restaurant, Serena’s friend asked her in Spanish. “So you’re really planning to have a baby with that side piece of yours, and Liam still hasn’t a clue?” Serena gently shook her head, her expression calm as ever: “Liam says he can’t stand emotional betrayal. If he finds out, he’ll walk right out of my life for good. That’s why I’ve been so careful.” What she didn’t realize was that I not only understood every word of Spanish, but I was already plotting my exit from her life. In a month’s time, I’d use an overseas business trip as my ticket to disappear for good and start fresh. Serena chatted fluently with her friend in Spanish, all the while feeding me pieces of fruit like nothing was wrong. She never noticed the faint redness around my eyes. She figured I didn’t understand Spanish, so she felt free to talk about this stuff right in front of me. What she didn’t know was that over the years, I’d taught myself multiple languages—five, to be exact—just to connect with her better. Even her private chats with her lover, the ones she intentionally had in Spanish? I caught every single word. She’d been hiding so much from me for so long, and turns out I had a secret of my own. In a month, I’d erase all my personal info and leave the country with a brand-new identity. By then, no matter how many resources Serena poured into finding me, I’d be gone for good. I watched the woman I’d loved for a decade in silence. Same eyes, same smile—but she felt like a total stranger now. Suddenly, exhaustion hit me like a wave. I couldn’t keep up this charade anymore. I made an excuse about being tired and needing to head back to rest. The second I stood up, Serena got up too, telling her friends in English: “You guys keep having fun, I’ll take Liam home first.” Her friends groaned playfully: “We barely get to hang out, and you’re bailing already? Party pooper.” I gently pulled my hand from Serena’s grip and said calmly, “The driver can take me home. You should stay and enjoy your friends.” Without waiting for her response, I turned and walked out of the restaurant.

Outside, the driver had been waiting for a while. Once I got in the car, I realized I’d left my jacket with Serena. I asked the driver to circle back. As we pulled up, a familiar face came into view. It was Leo—the guy Serena had been seeing for the past six months. He was dressed in a sharp dark suit, tall and good-looking, striding confidently into the restaurant. I caught my breath, my chest tightening like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart. He walked into the private room and slid right into the seat next to Serena, his arm casually draped over the back of her chair as he spoke with that clingy tone: “You called, so I dropped everything. I’ve been missing you like crazy.” As he spoke, he leaned in and gave Serena a soft, quick kiss on the lips. Serena grinned, her eyes lighting up. She reached up to the back of his neck and kissed him back, their affection on full display. Their friends wolf-whistled and teased them. “Serena’s living her best life—who wouldn’t fall for a guy like Leo?” I stood outside the door, watching it all unfold calmly as my heart slowly sank into numbness. So they all knew. They were all in on it, helping her keep it from me. And there I was, trying so hard to fit into their group, desperate to belong. Now I just felt like a pathetic joke. By the time I snapped out of it, Leo had already taken his seat. He raised his mocktail and toasted the table. One friend joked, “Serena, you’ve got it made.” “Thought you’d be the loyal type, sticking with Liam. Guess our ‘Monogamy Queen’ finally came down from her pedestal.” At the sound of my name, Serena’s smile faded. Her eyes darkened a little, and there was a warning in her voice: “I expect everyone to keep this under wraps. If Liam finds out, don’t even think about staying on my good side.” The mood instantly soured. One friend patted his chest reassuringly: “Relax, our lips are zipped. Liam’ll never find out.” “Exactly—play your cards right, and he’ll never suspect a thing. Guys are so oblivious, they only see what’s right in front of ’em.” A few others chimed in, and Serena’s expression softened a bit. To lighten things up, Leo suggested a game of Truth or Dare. They spun a bottle—whoever it landed on had to answer a question. After a few rounds, the bottle pointed to Leo. A friend grinned mischievously and asked, “When was the last time you two hooked up alone?” Leo laughed, his tone dripping with innuendo: “Yesterday. In her office.”

That got a chorus of suggestive whoops and laughter from the group. Outside the door, I gripped the hem of my shirt so tight my knuckles turned white. Yesterday. That was our fifth wedding anniversary. I’d cooked her favorite meal myself, from scratch. I sat at the dining table all night waiting, only to get a text saying she was stuck in late meetings. To keep me from getting suspicious, she even had her secretary lie for her. I remembered the day five years ago when I proposed to her. She held my hand up high, eyes teary, and announced to everyone, “I’m marrying Liam Anderson!” That day, she laughed and cried like she’d just had her biggest dream come true. But in just five years, the woman who once made me feel like I owned the world had completely broken me. I couldn’t watch anymore. I turned to leave. As I did, I ran into a waiter bringing in food. I put a finger to my lips: “Don’t tell anyone in there I was here.” To make sure he kept quiet, I slipped him some cash before walking away like nothing happened. I wiped my eyes, pulled myself together, and walked out. The driver looked confused when he saw me in just a thin shirt. “Mr. Anderson, didn’t you see Ms. Maxwell? Why don’t you wait in the car? It’s freezing out, and you don’t look so hot.” I waved him off as I got in the passenger seat: “No need. Let her keep it. Take another car back for now—I’ll need this one later.” I slid into the driver’s seat, started the car, and headed to our old business school—the place where Serena and I spent our best college years. In a haze, I could almost see her again—the bright, lively girl who used to cup my face and swear she’d love me forever. “I’ll only ever love Liam Anderson,” she’d said. “Liam, I can’t live without you,” she’d whispered. Serena, people who break promises always pay the price. So here’s my sentence: In one month, you’ll never see me again.

I sat alone on a bench by the lake for hours, lost in thought, until night finally pulled me back to reality. Five years dating, five years married—ten years of my life. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. But right now, my heart felt weirdly calm—like the storm had passed. Time heals all wounds, I guess. I stood up to leave, but a motorcycle came out of nowhere. The impact sent me sprawling, and everything went black. When I came to, I was in a hospital room. There was an IV in my hand, and the pain had dulled to a throbbing ache. The nurse changing my bandages smiled when she saw me awake: “Mr. Anderson, you got hit pretty good, but it’s just scrapes and bruises. You’ll be back on your feet in no time.” “Ms. Maxwell’s right outside. Want me to get her? She was beside herself when she heard—voice shaking and everything. That woman really cares about you.” She started toward the door, but I stopped her: “No, thanks. Let her wrap up whatever she’s doing.” The nurse nodded and left without another word. The hospital room was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat. Even with Serena whispering outside, I caught snippets: “Really? I’ll be right there.” Her footsteps faded as she walked away. I gritted through the pain, pulled out the IV, and quietly followed her out. She walked fast, heading straight for the fertility clinic floor. Leo stood there grinning, holding some papers, and they leaned in to whisper—both looking way too excited. Back in year two of our marriage, I’d brought up kids, but Serena shot me down. She said she wasn’t ready yet—afraid pregnancy would change her body, and I wouldn’t love her anymore. She said she didn’t want anyone splitting my attention—wanted all my love to herself. But right now? Her face was lit up like a Christmas tree. She did want a baby—just not with me. I didn’t get this messed-up version of love. Honestly, I was relieved we never had kids.

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The Christmas Eve before, Julian wasn’t busy stuffing gifts into our kids’ stockings. No, he was too preoccupied, lavishing cash on a dancer’s sheer stockings. He’d turned to me, offering a hollow comfort: “Serena was making her stage debut, and it was all just a publicity stunt, she needed the buzz. I was just playing along.” Everyone laughed at me, but I didn’t make a scene. I didn’t scream, I didn’t shout. They had no idea. I had made a pact with Death himself. For every time Julian cheated, a year of his life would transfer to me. By my count, Julian, who was supposed to live to eighty, had barely a year left. Just get through New Year’s Eve, and he’d breathe his last. And I? I’d take our three children and inherit the Sterling family’s multi-billion dollar fortune. Soon enough, news of billionaire Julian Sterling stuffing two hundred thousand dollars into a dancer named Serena’s stockings exploded on social media. I put down my phone, my heart oddly calm, and took a sip of the black tea on the table. The doorbell chimed. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling stormed in, their faces alight with fury. Mr. Sterling’s face was beet red with fury, and he let out a heavy sigh. “Eleanor, Julian is an absolute bastard! I’ll send a yacht your way, go clear your head if you feel uncomfortable.” Mrs. Sterling gently patted my shoulder. “Eleanor, don’t you worry. I won’t let those… bitches… darken our doorstep!” I replied calmly: “Thank you, Mom and Dad. I understand.” Why would I make a fuss? After all, this was already Julian’s forty-third mistress. Seven more days. Then, everything would be over. The next day, the Director of Public Relations for Sterling Corp personally visited. “Mrs. Sterling, this is the draft statement. We need you to go out and clear Mr. Sterling’s name regarding the scandal.” “No problem!” I agreed readily. I looked at Serena’s photo. She was indeed different from the previous kept women. She was a ballet dancer, bore a striking resemblance to Julian’s deceased first love, and had a very pure look about her. After I issued the statement, my friends found it unbelievable. “You’re truly so forgiving. If my husband ever pulled a stunt like that, I’d break his legs!” The thinly veiled jabs? I was sick of them. I closed the group chat and went into my study. At the bottom of the drawer, hidden beneath some papers, was a small, leather-bound notebook. Julian’s first infidelity was ten years ago. “Chloe, 23, unknown actress. Dated three months, Julian bought her an apartment.” “Vivian, 25, influencer. Dated four months, Julian helped her open a clothing boutique.” “Serena, 24, ballet dancer.” What she would ultimately gain, I didn’t yet know. But I had a creeping suspicion that her intentions were far from simple. I closed the ledger. Outside, fine snow began to fall. The Christmas tree in the garden sparkled with colorful lights. My three children were building a snowman, their laughter drifting through the glass. Forty-three times. That meant forty-three years of his life gone. Julian was supposed to live to eighty. Now, he had only seven days left. The thought brought a profound sense of liberation. My phone buzzed. It was Julian. “Not coming home for dinner tonight.” I didn’t reply. He didn’t press the issue. It was our unspoken understanding, built over years. “Eleanor, you’re so understanding. I’m just having a bit of fun, blowing off steam. Don’t worry, you’re the only Mrs. Sterling.” I let out a cold laugh and called the children inside for dinner. Christmas bells chimed faintly in the distance. Seven more days. On New Year’s Eve, seven days from now, fireworks would bloom across the entire sky. And my ledger, finally, would turn to its very last page.

The next day, Julian didn’t come home alone. His hand was intertwined with Serena’s. “Eleanor, we need to talk.” I looked up at him, a flicker of unease stirring within me. He never brought women home, and certainly never introduced them to me. “Serena’s grandfather is gravely ill, and his only wish is to see her married.” I raised an eyebrow slightly. “So?” Julian hesitated, then finally spoke. “So… we need to get a divorce.” The air instantly froze. Divorce? I had endured for ten years, just when I was about to reap the rewards, at the eleventh hour, he wanted to kick me out? Seeing my prolonged silence, a hint of discomfort flashed in Julian’s eyes. “Just for a month. Once her grandfather passes peacefully, we’ll remarry immediately.” Serena, ever so timely, shed a tear. “Eleanor, please.” I didn’t move, my mind racing. If I wasn’t Mrs. Sterling when Julian died, how much money would I lose out on? The thought of Serena fighting my three children for the inheritance sent a pang through my heart. No, I couldn’t let that happen. For Eleanor, for my children, for myself, I had to keep my title as Mrs. Sterling. I looked Julian directly in the eye. “New Year’s is almost here. The family will have a gathering. Let’s not make a spectacle for everyone. Let’s wait until after the holidays. Then you two can put on whatever show you like.” “No!” Serena shrieked, tears instantly welling up. “I’m afraid Grandpa won’t make it!” She actually knelt down, her fingers clutching at my pants, her eyes brimming with tears. “Please, Eleanor, Grandpa is the only family I have left…” “If Grandpa doesn’t see me married, he won’t rest in peace. I… I won’t want to live either…” Julian’s eyes were full of anguish, and he looked at me with frustration. “Eleanor, just do me this favor. It’s not too much to ask of a young woman.” I let out a bitter laugh. “Julian, I’ve been doing you favors for ten years.” “You found forty-three kept women. I never once lost my temper with you, nor did I ever badmouth you outside the house.” “This home, your parents, our three children – I’ve taken care of everything perfectly.” “And now, you want me to give up my position as Mrs. Sterling…” Julian quickly interjected, a hint of desperation in his voice. “Just for a month!” “No!” I stood up, my stance more assertive than ever before. “This is what you promised me. You have to keep your word!” Julian remembered his promise, and he looked torn. Serena covered her face and sobbed. “Forget it, forget it. I’ll just go with Grandpa…” She tried to get up, but then, feigning weakness, collapsed back to the floor, trembling all over. Julian’s heart ached for her. He scooped Serena into his arms. He looked at me, his eyes turning cold. “Eleanor, I’m not asking for your opinion.” “Before, you listened to me. It’s the same now.” I scoffed, a plan already forming in my mind. Even if he forced a divorce through court, it would take at least two months. I just wouldn’t sign. Six days later, on New Year’s Eve, everything would be over. Seeing that I was about to leave, Julian grabbed my wrist. “Where are you going?” I gave him a cold glance. “I don’t want to see you two. I’m leaving.” Julian sneered, giving me a knowing, condescending smirk. “You think running away will stop the divorce? You’re going to my parents to spill the beans, aren’t you?” He dragged me towards the door. “We’re going to the courthouse right now. We’re getting this done today.”

On the way to the courthouse, Julian held my hand tightly, as if afraid I’d jump out of the car. “Eleanor, just one month, I promise.” I didn’t speak, simply pulling my hand gently from his grasp. Julian forcibly took my hand again. “Serena and I won’t go public, we won’t have a wedding. No one outside will know. You’ll still be Mrs. Sterling.” I silently strategized how to blow this whole thing up. If it became a huge scandal, could he still force me? I slipped my hand into my pocket and discreetly sent a message. In my contacts, there was a name: “Mr. Thompson, Reporter.” Three years ago, he’d exposed a scandal involving Julian and almost faced retaliation from the Sterling family, but I’d managed to smooth things over. He harbored a lot of resentment towards Julian and owed me a favor. Finally, we arrived at the courthouse. Just as we were about to get out of the car, several reporters swarmed us. “Mr. Sterling, are you here at the courthouse to file for divorce?” “Mrs. Sterling, what do you have to say about your husband’s infidelity? You’ve tolerated it for so long, why the sudden breakdown now?” Julian froze, clearly not expecting to be exposed. For a moment, he didn’t know how to react. I took his arm, offering a dignified smile. “You’ve misunderstood. We’re not here to get divorced.” “Today is our tenth wedding anniversary. We’re just here to revisit old memories…” Julian’s arm stiffened abruptly. After a few seconds, he finally caught on, managing a faint, composed smile. “That’s right.” The reporters were stunned but continued their questioning. “Then Miss Serena…” “Serena is a new artist signed to Julian’s company,” I said, my smile strained. “The official announcement… is just to build buzz for her new show. Right, Julian?” Julian gritted his teeth and nodded. “Right.” I took the opportunity to pull him back into the car, intending to leave. Just then, a shriek pierced the air. “Ah! Someone’s going to jump!” Across from the courthouse, on the rooftop of an office building, stood a figure in white. The wind was strong, making her sway precariously. It was Serena. My heart sank. Damn it, this wasn’t going to be easy now. Sure enough, Julian couldn’t help but shout. “Serena, don’t do anything foolish!” Serena looked down at Julian, tears streaming down her face, her voice choked with sobs. “Julian, I can’t live without you…” Julian frantically ran his hands through his hair. “Get down! I’ll divorce! I’ll do it right now!” Julian turned back to me, his eyes desperate. “Eleanor, go inside. Get the divorce done!” The reporters’ cameras instantly swung over, zeroing in on my ashen face. I clenched my fist, my fingernails digging into my palm.

“Is this divorce voluntary?” The clerk behind the counter looked up, her eyes wary. I wanted to say “no.” Julian’s fingers dug into the web of my hand, and the pain made me speechless. The clerk asked again. Julian pressed his other hand against the back of my neck, forcing my head down. Once, twice. The clerk stood up, clearly annoyed. “Sir, this is coercion!” Julian sneered. “Fine, you ask her if it’s voluntary.” He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. “Think about your three children, Eleanor. If you don’t sign, tomorrow they won’t be Sterlings anymore.” My whole body stiffened, and I looked up at him in disbelief. “Julian, they’re your children!” “And so what?” His eyes were ice cold. “The Sterlings don’t lack heirs, Eleanor. I can always have more. Can you afford to gamble?” I couldn’t afford to gamble. Ten years of endurance, forty-three betrayals. I had poured my heart and soul into this, enduring countless betrayals. I wasn’t just waiting for Julian’s demise; I was securing a future where our three children would rightfully inherit everything. To protect my children, I could only speak with bitter resignation. “I voluntarily consent to the divorce.” The clerk stared at me for a few seconds, then finally sat down, pushing the forms across. As the last stroke of the pen fell, my wrist trembled. Not from sadness, but from resentment. Julian snatched the divorce certificate and practically sprinted out. Outside, Serena had already come down from the rooftop. She was wrapped in Julian’s coat, her face pale, but her eyes sparkled. Julian rushed over and embraced her. “Serena, I’m free.” He took Serena’s hand and pulled her into a deep hug. They kissed publicly, deeply, passionately. The reporters swarmed them. “Mrs. Sterling… no, Miss Eleanor, how are you feeling now?” “Will you fight for custody?” “Regarding the division of assets…” I didn’t answer. I watched Julian, hand-in-hand with Serena, walk back into the courthouse. This time, it was the marriage registration window. They sat close together, filling out forms, signing, taking photos. When the camera’s flash went off, Serena smiled brilliantly. Serena couldn’t wait to take a photo and posted it on Ins. Caption: “To many more years with you, @Julian Sterling” In one minute, comments soared past ten thousand. I returned to the Sterling mansion. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling had received the news; they were waiting for us at home. Mr. Sterling was so furious he threw his teacup. “That bastard! That absolute bastard!” Mrs. Sterling clutched her chest, her face pale. “Eleanor, don’t you worry, Mom will never acknowledge that gold-digger! Once that old man dies, we’ll make Julian divorce her for sure!” I lowered my head, saying nothing. I couldn’t afford to wait. Five more days. A thought struck me, and a new plan began to form in my mind. I dialed a number, contacting a company called “Aura Tech Corp.” This company specialized in legally extracting memory fragments from the terminally ill, for use in medical, legal, and inheritance disputes. Now, I was going to change my strategy.

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Julian’s ex, Cassandra, drove a knife into me when I was eight months pregnant. That ended everything. Reborn, I vowed to stay a world away from him. What I never expected was that Cassandra had been reborn too. She was beyond unhinged. She hired men to kidnap me. “Who said you could love Julian?! I’ll kill you!” It was the perfect chance to stage my own death and claim my birthright as the lost heiress to a fortune. But then Julian stood over my “corpse.” He lost his mind completely. Audrey POV Three years into my marriage to Julian Thorne, and I remained the collateral damage in his endless, brutal war with Cassandra Vance, his ex. Cassandra had turned our wedding into a funeral pyre, setting my gown ablaze. Julian retaliated by crashing her father’s funeral and dissolving the casket with acid. Cassandra had once tied me to her sports car and dragged me for two miles. Julian had responded by digging up her father’s remains that very night, chopping them to pieces, and feeding them to strays. They knew each other’s breaking points intimately, and each blow was precise, devastating, aimed straight for the jugular. But every blade they meant for each other somehow found its way, twisting, into me. After Cassandra tossed me into a dog cage, leaving my body a mangled mess with not an inch of skin untouched, I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I clung desperately to Julian, who was about to seek revenge, tears streaming down my face. “Julian… please, stop this… I’m begging you…” Julian’s body stiffened, but his voice was as cold and hard as steel. “Audrey, after what she did to you, how can I just let it go?!” “But I’m terrified…Julian, I’m so terrified…” I pleaded, my voice raw with despair. I knew the true depth of their generational hatred. Five years ago, the night before Julian’s wedding to Cassandra, he’d walked in on his mother, disoriented, being violated by Cassandra’s father. The trauma had been too much. Julian’s mother, shattered by the violation, had thrown herself from their penthouse balcony, dying instantly. Julian himself had ensured Cassandra’s father would never walk again. From that moment, lovers became sworn enemies, consumed by their mutual loathing. But the thought of Cassandra’s twisted schemes, her venomous cruelty, sent a tidal wave of fear crashing over me. “We can’t beat a psychopath… She’s going to kill me… She’ll tear me apart, piece by bloody piece…” Julian fell silent for a moment, then slowly, painstakingly, peeled my fingers from his arm. His voice was filled with bitter resolve. “I’ll never forgive her! I’ll fight her to the death!” Watching his determined back walk away, my hands dropped, powerless. That night, he didn’t return, but his actions had an effect. Cassandra didn’t appear before me again. I thought my suffering was finally over, until a year later. Cassandra, wielding a sharpened knife, plunged it into my eight-month pregnant belly, not once, but seven brutal times! It happened so suddenly. Julian instantly tackled the assailant, his face contorted with rage. “Cassandra! What the hell are you doing?!” I lay in a pool of blood, the searing pain in my abdomen tearing me apart. My hand trembled as I reached out. “Julian! Save… the baby… she’s trying to kill us…” Julian rushed to my side, but the next second, Cassandra let out a chilling, maniacal laugh and plunged the bloodied knife savagely into her own chest! Blood welled at the corners of her mouth, but her eyes gleamed with a terrifying light. “Julian, take one more step, and I’ll gut myself! Let’s see who drains faster, you or me!” Julian actually froze. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe my eyes! “Julian! What are you hesitating for?! Isn’t she your mortal enemy?!” Blood rushed to my head, and I screamed with all my might. “You said you’d never let her go when she trapped me in that burning car wreck for hours! You vowed to make her pay a hundredfold when she left me for dead at the bottom of that ravine! Now, she’s trying to kill me!” Julian’s gaze flickered wildly between me, bleeding out on the floor, and the deranged Cassandra. More and more blood gushed from beneath me. I could feel our baby’s life fading away, and I could only beg. “Julian… you promised to protect me for a lifetime…” At my words, he turned towards me. A flicker of hope ignited in my eyes, only to be extinguished by Cassandra’s piercing shriek- “Julian! I’m pregnant!” “It’s your baby!” What?!! My pupils dilated. They… they actually… Then, I watched in horror as Julian turned, scooped Cassandra into his arms, and rushed out the door without a backward glance! In that instant, shock, fury, despair… all emotions crashed over me. A metallic taste filled my mouth, and I let out a wretched laugh. “Hahahahaha…” How ironic! Two people who, at every encounter, seemed hell-bent on tearing each other apart, had secretly been entwined in the shadows, sharing the same bed. And even conceived a child! So, the burning hatred, the endless struggle to the death, had all been a lie. Beneath the towering animosity and the tormenting entanglement lay Julian’s deepest, most unspeakable love for Cassandra! My laughter turned to tears. Years ago, I’d rescued an amnesiac Julian. For a year, we’d lived on a secluded island, growing close, falling in love. Later, when his memory returned, and he wanted to take me away from the island, his eyes were still full of tender affection. “Audrey, come with me. From now on, I will protect you with my life, forever.” But because of that promise, I was dragged into a vortex of hatred again and again, repeatedly enduring and compromising for him. Even when injured, I only dared to lick my wounds in secret, terrified that my pain would further fuel their conflict. But now, the truth was brutally clear, his promises shattered with his own hands. Our baby and I were nothing but pawns in their twisted game! Despair and bone-deep regret swallowed me whole. My consciousness completely faded into darkness. The next second, my eyes snapped open! The searing pain in my body was back, but not in my abdomen. My trembling hand fumbled for my phone. The date on the screen made my entire body jolt. I had been reborn, back to ten days before my wedding! I was in the hospital now because Cassandra, upon hearing of the wedding, had suddenly gone berserk and deliberately rammed her car into me, sending me flying thirty feet. The thought jolted me awake. Cassandra’s retaliation… always seemed to follow Julian’s declarations of love for me. One masked their unrequited longing with hatred, the other vented their love-hate entanglement with violence. Every one of their battles was, in truth, an unspoken declaration of love hidden beneath a blood-soaked feud. Two psychopaths! A shiver ran down my spine. Without hesitation, I typed a message to the number etched into my very soul. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m coming home.” His reply was instantaneous. “Good. The Gateway will open in half a month. I’ll come for you myself.” Looking at the short message on the screen, my eyes immediately welled up. I was Annelise Sterling, the long-lost heiress of the powerful Sterling family from Aethelred. In my previous life, my family had frantically searched for me before the Aethelred Gateway closed. But I had chosen Julian, sacrificing my chance to return home, and died tragically without seeing my family again. The connection to Aethelred, the Gateway, only opened once every ten years. This life, I’d seize this chance to escape these two psychopaths, once and for all! “Audrey! You’re awake?” Julian burst into the hospital room, grasping my hand. “It’s all my fault… I didn’t protect you! I swear I won’t let Cassandra get away with this!”

Audrey POV His familiar warmth instantly made my skin prickle with dread. Years ago, when my chronic cold hands and feet would act up, he’d press my icy hands and feet firmly against his warm stomach. If I tried to pull away even slightly, he’d press them back forcefully. “Why are you hiding? This spot, it’s just for warming you up, isn’t it?” But that warmth I’d once craved to my very bones had also hurled me into the abyss! I couldn’t forget the helplessness of feeling life drain from my womb in my past life, couldn’t forget his resolute back as he carried Cassandra away, and certainly couldn’t forget the despair of being betrayed and abandoned just before death! Thinking of all this, a bitter, mocking smile twisted my lips. “Not let her get away with it? What’s your plan? Run her over with a car too?” Just like in my previous life, Julian’s so-called acts of revenge were always grand, dramatic displays. But had Cassandra ever truly suffered a single scratch? Julian visibly flinched, clearly not expecting my sarcastic retort. I watched his subtle tells. His gaze flickered, and he quickly changed the subject. “Audrey, don’t worry about it. I’ll go pay your hospital bills first.” Watching his retreating back, my chest ached with an unbearable bitterness. I curled deeper into the blankets. When I heard footsteps, I assumed it was a nurse and mumbled, my voice muffled, “I need to rest. No more check-ups…” However, the next second, a sharp, searing pain shot through my arm! My eyes snapped open, meeting a pair of crazed, smiling eyes. Cassandra! “I finally got rid of you,” Cassandra hissed, pressing an acupuncture needle savagely into my shoulder blade. “This life, you still dare to marry him?!” This life? Already? My entire body jolted. She had been reborn too?! Before I could think, an even more intense pain hit me. I mustered all my strength to block her with my arm. I barely opened my mouth to scream, but Cassandra, quick as a flash, pulled out another needle and plunged it into a pressure point in my throat. “Ugh!” The excruciating pain was accompanied by an inability to speak. I horrifyingly realized I couldn’t even open my mouth properly. I could only watch, terrified, as long, thick needles repeatedly sank into my flesh, a searing, agonizing pain spreading like wildfire through my entire body. I don’t know how long it lasted before Julian finally pushed the door open. “Cassandra! What are you doing!” She calmly withdrew the needles, a light laugh on her lips. “What, scared I’d hurt her while you were gone?” Julian immediately looked at me, his voice urgent. “Did she do anything to you?” I instinctively shook my head, trying to signal that I couldn’t speak, but only to manage a muffled “Mmmph.” Julian visibly relaxed, then turned to confront Cassandra. “Why are you here?” She arched an eyebrow, slapping an invitation card onto his chest. “Welcome to my wedding.” “What did you say?!” Julian’s fists clenched so hard I saw his knuckles whiten, his hands were actually trembling. But I was beyond processing what I felt. Cassandra had stabbed deeply and viciously. I was in excruciating pain. “You’re getting married, and I’m getting married too, you know…” Cassandra giggled, turning to leave. “Don’t you dare leave!” It hurt… Julian… I was in so much pain… I was so wracked with pain I could barely stand. I weakly reached out, trying to grab a piece of Julian’s jacket. But the enraged man simply shoved me aside without a second thought- I slammed to the floor, the needles in my back plunging even deeper! Pain, like a tidal wave, crashed over me, making my vision blur with stars. Yet, I watched in horror as Julian chased after Cassandra, not even bothering to glance back. It seemed that whenever Cassandra was involved, his vaunted self-control crumbled to dust. Hearing she was getting married, he didn’t even bother to hide it anymore. If that wasn’t love, then what was it? The bitter, stinging ache in my chest, though, made me feel more truly alive. I gritted my teeth, gathering all my strength, and slammed my head against the bedside table. The vase shattered with a crash. Watching the frantic nurses and doctors rush in, I finally closed my eyes weakly- This life, I would never repeat my mistakes, never be a lamb to their slaughter!

Audrey POV The moment I’d managed to pull all the needles from my body, I’d called the police. Even though the Aethelred Gateway wouldn’t open for another eight days, I wasn’t taking any chances against a psychopath who’d lived two lives. Only by getting her behind bars could I safely make it through the remaining days. However, that very night, Julian walked in, holding a document, and placed it on my bedside table. “Audrey, sign this letter of understanding.” My eyes landed on the name written there: Cassandra! I froze for a second, then violently swatted the document away. “She almost killed me! And you want me to forgive her?!” Julian grasped my shoulders, his voice gentle, almost coaxing. “The charges for assault are too light. I want her to pay a far more brutal price.” “A price?” My voice spiked. “What price? A price I’ll only know after she’s killed me?!” “Audrey, don’t say such things!” Julian forcibly pulled my trembling body into his embrace. “Don’t curse yourself.” Perhaps sensing my rising panic, he sighed, his voice softening. “Okay, no letter of understanding then. The wedding is soon, don’t get upset. I want you to be happy and beautiful as my bride.” Hearing him back down, my taut nerves still refused to ease. I didn’t relax until I’d torn the letter of understanding into tiny pieces. I had died once. How could Julian ever understand my fear? Julian held me tightly, continuing to soothe me. The next morning, I went for a follow-up examination at the hospital. As I reached the base of the hospital building, a heavy flowerpot exploded by my feet. CRASH. Still reeling from shock, I was helped by a nurse to a room. But as soon as the IV drip was hung, a sharp, burning pain flared in my arm. I curled up, the pain was so intense, and my arm quickly swelled and turned red. The nurse frantically pulled out the needle, sniffed at it, and her face instantly turned pale. “It’s disinfectant!” Emergency stomach pumping, wound treatment, even a complete blood transfusion… After a series of torturous procedures, I felt like I’d been disassembled and put back together. Weak, I was wheeled back to my room on a gurney. In my hazy consciousness, I heard the head nurse reprimanding someone sharply. A timid voice spoke. “…It-it was Cassandra. She put a bounty on her on the dark web! She wants her dead…” My entire body jolted. Cassandra?! But hadn’t she been arrested?! The junior nurse whispered, “Does Audrey Reed not know? Mr. Thorne left with the letter of understanding late last night. Cassandra was released on bail less than an hour after they brought her in…” Letter of understanding… late last night… handprint… My face went ashen. I suddenly remembered the unnaturally deep sleep I’d fallen into last night. Julian had given me sleeping pills, then forced my handprint onto that damn letter of understanding while I was unconscious! The betrayal was absolute. Brazen. It felt like my heart had been torn clean out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe. The room tilted, my vision tunneling into darkness as consciousness slipped away, and I collapsed into a coma. … In the suffocating silence, Julian’s frantic voice, like a needle, pierced the darkness, dragging me back to reality. I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids. The concern in his eyes seemed genuine. But I only felt a searing irony. The pent-up fear and betrayal exploded. I gathered every ounce of strength and slapped him, hard. Julian’s head whipped to the side from the blow. He was about to speak when his gaze locked onto my trembling hand, holding up my phone screen- It clearly displayed a dark web bounty page, explicitly targeting me! “Julian… maybe you should just wait for me to die before showing up?” Julian’s pupils constricted. He instantly understood that I knew everything. “Audrey, listen to me!” His voice was urgent. “I only got her out because I wanted her to pay a more brutal price! I didn’t think she’d actually dare…!” His eyes churned with towering fury. “This time! I swear I’ll make her pay a hundredfold!” Always the same! A wave of helplessness washed over me, and my hot tears finally broke free. “Always the same… a hundredfold? Julian, I’m sick and tired of hearing it! She trapped me in a coffin, buried alive. She left me hanging from a cliff. She threw me into a cage of hunting dogs to be torn apart. And now, she’s had me poisoned, forcing me to undergo a full blood transfusion just to barely survive!” The terror and despair of both my past and present lives exploded in that moment, transforming into a towering inferno of hatred. “But what about her? She commits evil after evil, yet always escapes unscathed! She can’t even stay in jail for more than an hour before my own husband personally bails her out! Julian, your feelings for her…” “This time is different!” Julian’s eyes were frantic. He pulled me into a fierce embrace, his voice resolute. “This time is really different! This time she dared to hurt you so badly! I swear I’ll make her wish she was never born!” As if to prove himself, he turned and left. Watching his reaper-lethal back, a sharp curiosity cut through me: what would he do this time?

Audrey POV I pushed past the pain and quietly followed him. Julian’s car sped off, and it took me hours of searching to find his license plate in an alleyway. The moment I got closer, my pupils dilated- The sports car was rocking violently, and indistinct figures were intertwined within the windows. What they were doing was self-evident. So… they were already at it, even at this point… ! I remembered my own near-death experience just moments ago, and Julian’s solemn promises. Rage instantly consumed me. I slammed my foot on the accelerator and crashed into them, hard! CRASH. The impact shook the air. Julian’s head whipped back. And in that shattered second, his eyes locked onto mine through the windshield-met by a gaze of pure ice. “Julian! What are you doing!” His face, still flushed with lust, flickered with a trace of panic. “Audrey, listen to me!” “Listen? Didn’t you swear you’d get revenge on her?! Is this how you make her wish she was never born?! Huh?!” “Audrey, she drugged me! I just… I didn’t want to hurt you!” Julian’s breathing was heavy, and he was still involuntarily thrusting. “This way… I can make her wish she was never born too!” Wish she was never born? Hearing that shameless logic, I laughed, utterly disgusted. Cassandra’s face was flushed with passion, her eyes hazy. Wish she was never born? She was clearly enjoying herself! I couldn’t stand another second of that nauseating scene. I turned to leave, only to hear Julian roar- “Cassandra! You goddamn dare!” I spun back. Blinding headlights flared, and a black Bentley, out of control, barreled straight towards me! “Ah!” As my body was thrown into the air by the immense impact, time seemed to stretch infinitely. Countless images flashed before my eyes- I remembered Julian, on that secluded island, clumsily weaving a ring from grass. The sea breeze ruffled his flushed ears as he said, “Audrey, it’s not pretty, but one day, I promise I’ll give you the most beautiful one.” I remembered after he brought me home, at a grand banquet, he held my hand tightly, declaring to the world, “This is Audrey Reed, the only woman I, Julian, will ever love.” His devotion then made me believe I was the happiest woman in the world, willingly immersing myself in the future he painted for me. Until that warmth and sweetness abruptly shattered, and the final image burned into my mind was him, in my past life, carrying Cassandra away from my blood-soaked body, his back resolute… I looked at Julian, who was frantically running towards me, and forced a bitter, wretched laugh. Julian, your promised “hundredfold repayment,” your sworn “wishing she was never born”-how had all of it… once again landed on me? My heart sank into the boundless darkness even before my body did. My last sliver of hope, crushed under the weight of those memories.

Audrey POV When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I saw was Julian’s bloodshot eyes. “Audrey!” He frantically gripped my hand, his voice hoarse and broken. “I’m so sorry… It’s all my fault…” I didn’t cry, didn’t scream. I didn’t even ask about the culprit. I simply pulled my hand back, my voice calm. “How many days have I been asleep?” “Three… a full three days.” Good. Four more days until I can go home. I lowered my gaze, silently counting down the days. “Audrey…” Julian’s fingers brushed mine. “Don’t you have anything you want to ask?” I merely glanced at him, my gaze distant. “What do you think I should ask?” Julian fell silent, completely at a loss for words. After a long pause, Julian’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Our wedding will be held on the island where we first met. I’ll take you to see it when you have time, okay?” The island… My gaze softened slightly. In a haze, the image of Julian, holding a vibrant seashell like a treasure, presenting it to me, became clear again. His eyes then had shone brighter than the stars, saying, “The old fishermen say making a wish on it really works. I just wished for us to be together forever.” In my previous life, I’d clung to these warm fragments, repeatedly telling myself, “Julian loves me.” My phone buzzed, interrupting my thoughts. A concise message flashed across the screen. “All arrangements completed.” Julian instantly clamped onto my wrist. “What arrangements?” At the same time, his phone vibrated wildly. Julian abruptly hung up, but it rang three more times, the caller insistent. “Answer it,” I said, gently pulling my hand away. “Don’t keep them waiting.” He hesitated for a moment, then finally got up. Watching his frantic departure, a mocking smile touched my lips. We had both silently agreed not to mention it, but I knew. The person who wouldn’t stop calling, who wouldn’t rest until she got her way, could only be Cassandra. I looked down at my Aethelred travel documents, arranged by my brother, displayed on my phone. I whispered to myself. “What arrangements?” “Of course… the arrangements that will let me escape you completely.” Julian appeared to take my safety seriously now. Two bodyguards stood constant watch outside my door. Every move I made was shadowed. But I knew the truth. He wasn’t protecting me. He was pacifying his own guilt. The next evening, under the guise of a walk, I led my escorts to the hospital’s secluded back garden. When the bodyguards’ view was blocked, I reached up and unclasped the blue diamond necklace from my throat. Julian had fastened it there himself. “Audrey, this has a GPS tracker. Wherever you are, if you’re ever in danger, I’ll come for you. Immediately.” But hadn’t every storm and every danger in my life come from him? I calmly broke the chain and tossed the necklace into the fountain. The diamond caused a tiny ripple on the water’s surface, just like the last bit of sincerity in my heart for this love, sinking silently. Suddenly, footsteps rushed behind me. Before I could turn around, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck- When I opened my eyes again, I was somewhere else. Somewhere ruined. I was tied up, unable to move. A man with a scar across his cheek gripped my chin, his smile a cold slit. “Mrs. Thorne. You’ve been difficult to catch.”

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On my birthday, I married Damien Thorne, a billionaire thirteen years my senior. “Why did you marry me?” I once asked. His eyes would soften as he pulled me close, like I was something fragile and rare. “Because you’re Eleanor.” My heart would begin to lift, but his next words froze my blood. “Because you’re the daughter of the woman who abandoned me ten years ago. Your mother owes me a debt. And you will repay it.” That sentence became a chain, locking me inside his marriage. On our anniversary, he made me watch him making out with other women. When I was hospitalized, weak and fevered, he rolled dice to decide how many spoonfuls of food I was allowed each day. Finally, broken in body and spirit, I slid into a bathtub and opened my wrists. As the world dimmed, I pushed out one last, ragged breath of a question. “My mother died twelve years ago. So who was it you really loved ten years ago?” Damien’s answer never reached me. I died before the words could take shape. But when I opened my eyes, I was ten years in the past. The moment I woke, I saw Damien, young and desperate, being beaten by a pack of men over unpaid wages. Without thinking, I lunged to shield him and took the blow meant for his chest. The impact stole my breath; blood rose in my throat and spilled from my lips. His eyes widened in shock. He carried me straight to a hospital. “My name is Damien Thorne. What’s yours?” I did not dare give my real name. He chuckled. “Feisty little thing, aren’t you?” The casual nickname stung, sharp as a needle. Instantly, I remembered his future secretary, Chloe, in his bed. I snapped, a desperate lie ripping from my throat. “I’m not little! I’m older than you!” But I had nothing. No ID, no proof. I could not find Vicky, my future adoptive mother. I could not even call the police. When he realized I had nowhere to go, he took me to his apartment. The 25-year-old Damien, his eyes held none of the ruthless glint I knew from the future, only endless, pure tenderness. “You can stay. It’s old, but it’s safe here.” He turned his face, a slight flush rising. “Don’t worry about me. I have other places to stay.” He was lying. I’d secretly followed him. A man over six feet tall, curled up in a cramped storage room where he couldn’t even stretch his legs. Damien didn’t push me to find a job, never once questioned my past. He’d grown up in an orphanage, under the cold, disdainful gaze of others, becoming a solitary, guarded soul. Before 25, he’d always licked his wounds in silence, alone, until I burst into his world. For the first time, he tasted protection, a sensation utterly new. My constant presence and reliance, my refusal to leave the house, made him feel desperately needed. He thought this was love. He gave me everything he had. He worked two grueling jobs to support me, accumulating more and more injuries, his frame growing alarmingly thin. He broke a bone doing manual labor, skipped the hospital to save money, yet still managed to bring home flowers every single day. The kinder he was to me, the deeper the thorn in my heart dug in, a constant, agonizing reminder. I couldn’t stop thinking about how cruelly he would treat me in the future. The future’s chilling cruelty and the present’s overwhelming tenderness tore at my very soul, leaving me breathless, suffocating. Days bled into weeks, and I still didn’t know who he truly loved. Until that day, when he found me, his face alight with excitement. “I know your name!” My heart lurched. “My colleague saw your picture and said you were his old neighbor, the older girl who moved away years ago. He said you’d blossomed, almost didn’t recognize you.” Someone here knew me? He ruffled my hair. “So you really are older than me, huh? Sarah?” Sarah. That was my mother’s name. My name was Eleanor. In that shattering instant, everything clicked into place. I hadn’t just gone back in time; I had become history. I was living out the past. The person he fell in love with, the one he thought was my mother, was actually me-the time-traveling me. So all the torment I endured, all the pain… what was it for? This cruel, twisted joke of fate made bile rise in my throat, a wave of sickening disgust. Hot, heavy tears streamed down, each one a hammer blow against my chest. I fell ill for days, and he nursed me tirelessly, never leaving my side. In a haze of fever, I felt him slip a ring into my hand. “I saved for three years to get this.” “Sarah, when you got better, will you marry me?” Yes. But I couldn’t wait. An invisible force seized me and dragged me back through time. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the night I tried to kill myself. This time, Damien wasn’t beside me. Blood choked my throat, burning as I gasped. I thrashed, desperate to claw my way out of the tub, but the door was locked, bolted from the outside. Sounds came from beyond the door. A sliver of hope ignited in me, then died as I heard Damien and a woman, their muffled moans and gasps echoing through the thin walls. I was plunged back into that icy despair. I remembered. Last time, when I learned I was just a stand-in for my mother, every tender memory, every ounce of sweetness, turned to dust in my hands. After the ninety-ninth time I found him with someone else, I demanded a divorce. He locked me up instead. Broken, I chose to end it all. But now, knowing the truth, the bitterness wasn’t cold ash-it was a raw, living wound, screaming to be spoken. I couldn’t die. I had to tell him the truth. I screamed his name, the sound tearing my throat, as the darkness began to pull me under… The door finally opened. When I woke in the hospital, my eyes immediately found Damien. I tried my best to ignore the fresh hickeys on his neck, desperate to speak. But he grabbed me, his hand closing around my throat. “You want to die? I told you, Eleanor. Until you repay what your mother stole from me, I’ll make sure you crave death but can never reach it.” “If you want to hate, hate her-your mother, who stole my heart and my money, then just vanished.” The stark disgust in his eyes made my own burn, blurring with unshed tears. He scoffed, a chilling sound. “What are you playing at? Don’t think for a second that your resemblance to her will soften me.” I tried to speak, but no sound came out. He sneered. “Who told you to try and take your own life? Enjoy being speechless now, do you?” I’d choked on my own blood during the suicide attempt, screamed until my throat was raw and useless. He leaned closer, his voice a cruel whisper. “I knew you were throwing a little tantrum in the bathroom earlier. Too bad she was so… insistent. I couldn’t resist. We went for another round.” I bit down hard on my lip, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. The memory of 25-year-old Damien’s tenderness still lingered in my mind. The harsh reality slapped me across the face, a brutal awakening. Stubbornly, I reached for my phone, desperate to type out the truth, but Damien, impatient, just turned his back and walked away. “Don’t bother me with these dramatics again, Eleanor. Do it too often, and I’ll get bored.”

After I was discharged, I found Damien had blocked me everywhere, every single way I could reach him. When I went to find him, Damien was playfully feeding a cherry from his lips to Chloe’s. He said impatiently, “Last time, you kept blowing up my phone with texts while I was on a date. It was annoying, so I just blocked you.” I plastered on a weak smile, trying to convince myself. He was like this because I’d left without a word. I believed that if I just told him the truth, the man who once had eyes only for me would return. But watching him and Chloe, their intimacy like a cruel dance, my chest felt like a gaping wound, cold air rushing in, freezing me from the inside out. Only in dreams could I find the phantom warmth that lingered from the past. As the sounds of their pleasure seeped through the walls from next door, I dreamed of my first encounter with the 35-year-old Damien. My friend and I were hiking when a sudden hailstorm hit. She complained I was too slow and just abandoned me. I walked, crying, until I encountered Damien, who was also hiking. His eyes locked on mine, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. Then he chuckled, amused by my pathetic, tear-streaked face. He gave me all his supplies, every last bit, leaving himself vulnerable. He suffered severe frostbite, leaving him with permanent damage. Before we married, he was everything gentle and attentive. I just had to wish for something, and he’d make it happen. Even when work was hectic, he’d make time to celebrate every holiday with me. He said, “Eleanor, I’m thirteen years older than you. I’ll wait for you to come around at your own pace.” He said, “Eleanor, I know you lost your parents. From now on, I’m your family. You’ll never be alone; you’ll have everything with me.” My parents died in a car crash when I was ten. I was adopted by Vicky. When I was in college, Vicky and her family moved abroad, leaving me alone. Having never been in love before, his sincerity shattered my defenses. Feeling utterly unworthy of him, I could only express my love in my own clumsy ways. I wrote him letters, folded paper cranes, even bought him a tie with two months of summer job earnings. I poured my entire being into him, gave him everything I had. He’d rent out all the major billboards across the city to wish me a happy birthday. He’d even jet off to the Southern Hemisphere to buy a limited-edition collectible, all because I’d casually mentioned liking it. Even though our age difference drew whispers and gossip, when we were together, when I was truly in love, I felt like the happiest woman alive. But after we were married, that beautiful dream… it shattered into a million painful pieces. On my birthday, simply because Chloe was in a bad mood, he left me stranded on the highway. I walked ten kilometers in a torrential downpour, then came home with a raging fever that lasted three days. While I was suffering from a bleeding ulcer with no money for treatment, he bought Chloe an $880,000 designer bag and tossed me a scratch-off lottery ticket. “Whatever you scratch, that’s what you get. If it’s not enough, figure it out yourself.” Dreaming this, my tears streamed down. In the fuzzy space between sleep and waking, I felt arms wrap around me. I looked up, my gaze locking with Damien’s bloodshot, raw eyes. His voice was thick with unshed tears, a guttural choke. “Eleanor,” he choked out, “I searched for her for ten agonizing years. How could she be so heartless? She left no trace, no clue. She even hid the fact that she was married when we were together.” “So, all these years… did she ever mention me? Did she ever once say she was sorry?” His cold tears trickled onto my neck, chilling me. But it was a burn, a shiver that ran through me. I couldn’t hold back anymore. A torrent of tears burst forth. The raw bitterness that had festered within me for days seemed to wash away with each sob, each tear. I wrapped my arms around his waist, clinging to that long-lost warmth, desperate for it. The next second, his breath, laced with hatred, ghosted across my ear. “You hate her too, don’t you?” “Hate her for abandoning you, hate her for tearing your family apart.” When I froze, unable to respond, he let out a bitter laugh. “Forget it. Asking you is useless.” His voice sharpened, cutting through the air. “Because you’re just as pathetic as your mother! I’ve treated you like this, and you still won’t leave.” He spat, “No one in this world loves you. Not your mother, not me. You’re nothing but your father’s mistake.” His kiss was brutal, crushing. I gasped, a sharp stab of pain. He sneered. “Didn’t you used to beg me to touch you? What are you pretending now?” My stomach churned, a knot of revulsion tightening in my throat. My nails dug deep into my palms, leaving crescent marks. All the pain, the suffocating suppression, the unspeakable emotions… they wrapped around me, a thick, impenetrable cocoon. Leaving me utterly drained, even of the strength to cry out. The next day, when I saw him again, I averted my gaze. But then he pulled out a letter, holding it carefully, and gently, unbelievably, wrapped his arms around me. I shivered, staring at him in disbelief. After losing my voice, I’d tried desperately to write down the details of what had happened ten years ago, hoping to tell him the truth. But he’d been too busy sleeping with other women, never even glancing at what I’d written. But now, his tears, hot and heavy, landed on my shoulder. “I’m sorry. All of it… it’s all my fault.”

Today was my birthday, and our wedding anniversary. He said he’d make it up to me, that he had a surprise planned. I pushed open the private room door at the karaoke bar, and the lights flickered on. Balloons, streamers, and a magnificent three-tier cake burst into view. His gaze was earnest, unwavering. “Eleanor, I truly, truly know I was wrong.” “Please, just let me make it up to you. Please?” “I’m a bastard, I know. You can hit me, scream at me, curse me to hell-just don’t ignore me, Eleanor. I can’t bear it.” His words, laced with what sounded like genuine remorse, seemed to temporarily soothe the raw sting of yesterday’s pain. As I leaned in to blow out the candles, the lights abruptly flickered off. His lips claimed mine, a rough kiss, and his hand roamed possessively along my waist. But when he tried to go further, I frowned, a gut instinct screaming, and pushed him away. He wiped his mouth, a smirk playing on his lips, a hint of frustration in his eyes. “It’s fine, that’s enough for now.” Chloe pushed the door open and sauntered in, settling herself immediately onto his lap. And then I saw the photos she held in her hand, neatly arranged. The tender affection on his face vanished like smoke, replaced by a cruel, mocking smirk. “Eleanor, I call you pathetic, and you truly are. A single cake is all it takes to buy your forgiveness?” “You truly didn’t inherit an ounce of Sarah’s cunning.” “If you had half of her ruthless decisiveness when she abandoned me back then, you wouldn’t have been played for such a fool.” He held up the letter, the one I’d poured my heart into. “This kind of pathetic love letter… did you honestly think I’d even bother to open it?” “Sarah would never have stooped to such childish displays. If you were even a fraction like her, perhaps I wouldn’t have to be so cruel.” He waved the photos menacingly. “You haven’t graduated college yet, have you? Imagine if these photos found their way to your university…” “Tell me, if your precious mother saw how I treated you, would she be so enraged she’d claw her way out of her grave just to strike me down?” As he spoke, his eyes welled up, his voice cracking with a raw, ugly sob. “Then let her come back to life! What good is she doing, dead, leaving me to suffer alone!” In his twisted, broken mind, it seemed that the more cruelly he tortured me, the more he could soothe that raw, consuming hatred he couldn’t place. And then, in front of my very eyes, he started making out with Chloe, right there on the couch. I stood frozen, a statue carved from ice, watching in numb horror. It wasn’t until Damien’s final thrust-and the moment Chloe let go, letting the photographs of me, disheveled and exposed, flutter to the floor-that the scream finally ripped its way out of my throat. A raw, electric shriek of pure revulsion. Disgusting. Filthy. After the scream, I stumbled to the nearest trash can, convulsing with violent dry heaves. Tears streamed down, mixing with my humiliation, and I wretched everything, my soul included, into the filth. I wanted to purge every last vestige of feeling I ever had for him, to cleanse myself completely. My calves trembled uncontrollably, my stomach twisting with agonizing cramps. Under Damien’s stunned gaze, a defiant spark ignited within me for the very first time. I slapped him. Hard. The sharp crack of my hand against his cheek seemed to echo in the room, shattering every last illusion, every fragile bond we had. I turned and walked away, not looking back. But before I could even make it out the door, his men blocked my path. His eyes blazed with a terrifying fury as he glared at me. “This woman is insane. Get her to a mental institution. Make sure she never sees the light of day again.”

I was forcibly dragged and shoved into the waiting car, destined for the psychiatric hospital. My phone was confiscated. Vicky’s name flashed frantically on the screen, but I couldn’t answer. Gritting my teeth, I lunged, slamming my body into the driver’s seat. The world spun, a violent kaleidoscope of metal and glass. I could almost taste death. He rushed to the hospital, only to see my bloodied, battered form being wheeled into the operating room. The letter I had once poured my heart into, the one he’d sneered at, was clutched in his shaking hand, almost crumpled beyond recognition. He turned, and saw a familiar face. Damien let out a cold, hollow laugh. “What are you doing here? This is between me and your sister. It’s about a debt Sarah owes me.” Vicky’s face was a mask of icy fury. “I’m here to see Sarah.” Damien went utterly still. “What the hell are you talking about? Sarah died in a car crash twelve years ago.” Vicky raised a shaking hand, her finger aimed like a blade at the ominous red light above the operating room doors. Her voice sliced through the silence, cold and absolute. “The woman fighting for her life in there…is your Sarah.”

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On our wedding day, desperate to pay for my mom’s emergency surgery, I made a demand to my fiancé: “Give me $500,000, or this wedding is off!” Caleb froze for a moment, but then quickly wired the $500,000 to me. That same night, drunk, he pinned me beneath him: ” gold-digger!” After we were married, he constantly cheated, cycling through countless lovers. When I tearfully confronted him, he just said: “What makes you any different from those bitches? Oh, I forgot, you’re more expensive! It cost me $500,000 just to get you into bed!” Later, when I proposed divorce, he sneered: “Name your price. How much do you want this time?” “Fifty thousand dollars?” “A hundred thousand?” “Or maybe one hundred fifty thousand?” His indifferent sneer echoed in my ears. I hadn’t even said anything. A young woman’s voice came through the phone: “Caleb, you casually donated five thousand dollars to a beggar on the street yesterday. Why are you so stingy with your own wife?” Caleb said with contempt, “Because some people only deserve that much.” Ever since I asked him for $500,000 on our wedding day. The love in Caleb’s eyes for me had vanished completely. I knew I was in the wrong and wanted to make things right. But. I cooked for him myself. His face was full of mockery: “How much do you want? Name your fee before I even take a bite. Let’s see if I can afford it.” Even during sex at night, he’d casually say, “How much for tonight? Give me a number.” Countless times, I tried to explain that I needed the money before our wedding because my mom had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage on our wedding day and needed emergency surgery. But he wouldn’t believe me. “You’d lie about your mom’s life for money. Skylar, I never knew you could be so twisted.” I endured a sharp stomach pain and said calmly: “I don’t want your money. I just want a divorce.” He didn’t know I was suffering from a gastroenteritis flare-up today, and I didn’t even have $200 for medical fees. Caleb still didn’t believe a word I said. A fresh wave of biting contempt washed over me. “Skylar, if you want to prove you’re not a gold-digger, pay me back the $500,000.” With that, he hung up the phone. His words kept swirling in my mind. Everyone thought I’d become a wealthy socialite after marrying him. But no one knew Caleb hadn’t given me a single dime since our wedding day. My old company couldn’t keep me because of my status as ‘Mrs. Hayes.’ After being let go, I tried interviewing elsewhere, but was subtly turned down for the same reason. In these three years. Every cent I used was money I’d saved from my previous job. And it had all gone to my mom’s medical bills and living expenses. Now I didn’t even have a hundred dollars on me. Where was I supposed to get $500,000 to pay Caleb back? I stood frozen in place, the medical bill clutched in my icy hands.

Caleb and I were a real-life fairytale. He was from the prominent Hayes family, the sole heir to their empire. My background was ordinary. And I had a chronically ill mother who needed constant care. Not long after Caleb and I started dating, I confided in him about my family situation. I thought he’d be like everyone else, backing away once he heard about my bedridden mom. But he didn’t. He just held my hand, his eyes filled with tenderness, and whispered, his voice trembling: “You must have been so tired all these years, right? I’ll be by your side from now on.” He told me: “Skylar, no matter where you go or what you do, don’t forget I’m always behind you.” Back then, many people said that meeting Caleb was the greatest fortune of my life. I thought so too. No one imagined then that a wedding I’d looked forward to with all my heart would not only brand me with an unshakeable ‘gold-digger’ label, but also shatter all his love for me. To this day, I still remember. After I got the money, I rushed to pay for my mom’s surgery. But my mom’s doctor, no longer looking urgent, told me gravely: “Ms. Miller, your mother is perfectly fine. Everything you just witnessed was a test from Mrs. Hayes. She wanted to see if you were truly worthy of being Mrs. Hayes.” “She asked me to tell you that she’s not entirely satisfied with your performance. If you want to secure your place as Mrs. Hayes, you have more work to do.” “Also, Mrs. Hayes will arrange a better medical team for your mother, but on one condition: she expects your absolute silence on this matter.” Because of Mrs. Hayes’s subtle and not-so-subtle threats, I couldn’t risk my mom’s life. No matter how much Caleb misunderstood me, I never told him the truth about what happened. But when I found out he was cheating, and there was a new, bright, beautiful girl by his side, I still went crazy and fought with him. I clutched his clothes, sobbing uncontrollably. Again and again, I humbly begged him: “Caleb, please, I’m begging you, stop treating me like this!” Facing my plea, his cold face showed not a flicker of emotion. He harshly pried my hands away, and said, word by word: “Skylar, the day you demanded money at our wedding, trampling on my family’s reputation, you died in my heart.” “Now, you’re just a woman I bought with money. What right do you have to make demands of me?” After that. He became even more brazen. The women by his side changed constantly. The sleeping pills in my nightstand. Bottle after bottle, they emptied during my sleepless nights. Now, I had no money for refills. I could only turn and head home. But when I reached the front door of the villa, I found it tightly shut, with no lights inside. I clutched my still aching stomach and struggled to press the doorbell. “Maria, are you there? Could you please open the door for me?” I gritted my teeth, shouting inside. The next moment. The butler’s cold, impersonal voice came through the intercom: “Mr. Hayes just set a curfew. No one is allowed in or out after 10 PM. That includes you, Mrs. Hayes.” “It’s 10:01 PM now, past curfew. Mrs. Hayes, please don’t make things difficult for us.”

I felt the meager seven dollars left in my pocket. A wave of sorrow washed over me. I slowly sat down on the steps of the main entrance, clutching my stomach. I hugged myself tightly, trying to find some warmth. Just then. I suddenly remembered my junior year of college. I missed my dorm’s curfew trying to rush back from my off-campus part-time job. Just when I felt helpless and didn’t know what to do, Caleb appeared before me like an angel, seemingly out of nowhere. He brought me back to this very mansion and gently told me: “Skylar, these doors are always open for you. This is your home, your place.” And now. I looked at the place that was once called home. But it felt incredibly strange. I sat outside the villa all night. When Maria, the housekeeper, woke up and opened the door, my limbs were already stiff and numb. “Mrs. Hayes, why didn’t you find somewhere to stay? Come in quickly before you catch a cold.” She anxiously took my hand. When she touched my icy palm, her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes held a hint of pity and sympathy. She didn’t say anything more. She hurried to the kitchen to make me ginger tea. In these three years. When I was despised and insulted by others, only Maria steadfastly believed in me. She told me: “You’re not a materialistic person. You must have had an unavoidable reason for what you did, I believe you.” Back then, the time we spent together was only a few visits before my wedding. But even she chose to believe me. While Caleb, who constantly proclaimed his love for me, still refused to believe me. It was truly laughable. I had Maria’s ginger tea and breakfast. Then I went to my room to wash up. Just as I was about to rest, I heard a woman’s clear, pleasant voice outside, sweetly flirting. “It’s all your fault, you wouldn’t stop last night, kept bothering me. My back is so sore now. My fault? Should I rub it for you?” Caleb’s familiar, deep voice drifted through the bedroom door. His slightly hoarse tone carried a distinct note of joyful laughter. Hearing his laughter, my mind felt a bit hazy. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him smile. Suddenly, I spotted the divorce papers I’d prepared on the nightstand. I sat up, grabbed them, and walked out the door. Only to run straight into Caleb and his new fling, Brittany, passionately kissing in the hallway. His hand was already on her thigh. I moved my dry lips and whispered: “Sorry to interrupt you for a few minutes.” Caleb’s gaze, which had just been filled with tenderness, instantly turned piercingly cold when it landed on me. Brittany stood beside him, her back arrogantly straight, revealing the pale skin of her neck covered in suggestive red marks. “Mrs. Hayes, you’re actually home? I thought you missed curfew last night and had to find somewhere else to stay.” I didn’t pay attention to her provocation and cold mockery. I walked toward Caleb. “Here are the divorce papers I prepared. I’ll pay back the money I owe you, every last cent.” “You don’t even have a job. How do you plan to pay it back?” Caleb’s lips curled into a faint smile, but no genuine amusement reached his eyes. He knew. He knew I hadn’t had a job or income for three years. I suppressed the turmoil inside me. “How I pay it back is my business. You don’t need to worry about it.” Before Caleb could say anything, Brittany snatched the papers from my hand and scanned them. Then she burst into laughter. “Oh my God, Mrs. Hayes, there are so many typos! Where did you find such an unprofessional lawyer?”

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After coming to college, I realized I was the only virgin in my class. I grew up in a conservative Christian family. Before I left home, my mother warned me: “A woman’s first time must be with her husband on their wedding night.” So, even though the girls around me mocked me, and even though I craved freedom, I couldn’t break free from those chains. That is, until Adam stormed into my life like a wild beast. He’s my neighbor—eight-pack abs, tousled curly hair. Damn it… and he’s packing 8.5 inches! It had only been two months since I left home for college, but it felt like a lifetime of changes had hit me all at once. All my new friends had boyfriends. They loved sharing their sex stories. One of them smirked, “He teases with his fingers, circling slow, barely brushing your clit until you’re trembling and gasping for more. Then he pins your wrists above your head, pushes in deep and hard, each thrust hitting just right…” “God, the way he claims you with that huge, powerful cock… “The climax hits like a wave breaking over you, pulling you under in the most beautiful way.” The room filled with their soft laughs and knowing smiles. I sat curled in the armchair, knees hugged to my chest, listening without a word. Heat pooled low in my belly, a secret ache that throbbed with every detail they shared. I bit my lip hard. I’d never been touched like that. Never felt a guy’s weight pressing me down, never known the slide of bare skin or that breathless surrender. I was still a virgin, untouched, unsure— but my body betrayed me, craving hands that weren’t there, lips I’d never tasted. The thought scared me and thrilled me in equal measure. I wanted it. I wanted to feel that unraveling, to be wanted that fiercely. Then one night at a party, everything shifted. I’d been hovering on the edges, unsure how to fit in, when I met Brad. He was gorgeous, charming, and this was his house. We talked for a while. Then he offered to give me a tour. The look in his eyes told me the tour wasn’t the point. My heart raced. Part of me wanted to stay safe in the crowd. But I pushed that voice down. This was the first step toward what I secretly craved. “Sure,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. He took my hand the second we left the main room and led me upstairs. His touch sent sparks across my skin. My whole body hummed with anticipation. No tour. He brought me straight to his bedroom. The door clicked shut. Before I could catch my breath, his mouth was on mine—hot, hungry, certain. My eyes widened, but then I melted into it. God, it felt so good. He guided me to the bed. I lay back. He followed, covering me with his warmth. His kisses deepened. His hand slipped under my top, palm flat against my bare stomach. Everything was happening fast. Too fast. My pulse thundered. Then his hand slid higher, cupping my breast through my bra. Pleasure shot through me, sharp and dizzying. Panic followed right after. I sat up quickly. “What’s wrong?” he asked, voice gentle. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “It’s just… moving a little fast for me. Can we slow down?” “Of course,” he said, and I felt a rush of gratitude. He kissed me again, softer this time. But soon his body pressed closer, his thigh sliding between mine. I felt his hard, insistent thing pushing against me. Heat flooded me. Desire and fear twisted tight in my chest. I froze again.

This time, he wasn’t as patient. The mood shattered. I could feel it slip away like smoke. Disappointment stung, but something else woke up inside me, something hungry. That night, alone in the dark, I kept replaying it. What if I’d swallowed the fear and just let go? I pictured him slowly peeling my clothes away. I’d be shy no matter how hard I tried to hide it. I imagined his eyes drinking me in, my body trembling under his gaze, desperate for that look that says I’m beautiful, I’m wanted. Then he’d strip off his own shirt. God, I wanted to see him bare. When we kissed, I’d felt the hard lines of his chest under my palms. I wondered how perfect he’d look completely naked—every muscle, every inch of skin. I imagined his mouth trailing down my body, hot and slow, kissing every sensitive place until I felt like I was blooming open, coming alive under his lips. I thought about his tongue on me, lower, softer, teasing the most secret parts until I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to taste him too. Wanted to wrap my hand around him, feel how thick and warm he’d be, how he’d pulse against my palm. I wondered how it would feel when he finally pushed inside, slow at first, then deep, filling me completely. That night, frustration burned through me. I slid my hand between my thighs for the first time ever. They always said it was wrong. Dirty. Forbidden. But the second my fingers brushed over that slick heat, I understood why people break rules. It felt incredible. The naughtiness only made it hotter. I bit my lip to keep the moans inside as I circled, then slipped a finger in. So good, but I knew it would be a thousand times better when it wasn’t just me. That was the night everything changed. The night I discovered pleasure I’d only dreamed about. After that, I got bolder. Guys started noticing. I kissed a few, let hands wander, waited for the spark that felt right. None of them quite did. So two months in, I was still a virgin. But I wasn’t scared anymore. I was ready. I just needed the right moment. When it came, it was going to be electric. One Saturday the weather turned gorgeous, with warm sun, blue sky. I felt alive. There was a party that night. I kept whispering to myself: Maybe tonight. Maybe this is the night. Even if it wasn’t, I’d still have fun. I wandered the city, loving how every street could surprise me. I crossed the park and ended up in a new neighborhood—artsy, alive. Murals splashed across brick walls. Cute little boutiques I couldn’t afford. I told myself to keep walking. Then I turned a corner and stopped dead. A mural—half-finished, vibrant, wild. And the artist was still up there on the scaffold. I couldn’t look away. The way he moved, confident, focused, brush in hand—it was mesmerizing. Then—clatter. A paintbrush slipped from his fingers. I flinched. It missed me, hit the ground, and a few drops of blue splashed onto my calf. He glanced down. Our eyes locked. “Oh shit,” he called. “I’m so sorry! Did I get you?” “No, you missed me,” I laughed, heart tripping. “Just a little splash on my leg.” “Hang on, I’m coming down.” He moved fast, sure-footed on the ladder. When he hit the pavement, I finally saw him properly. Tall. Athletic. Deep tan that screamed time in the sun. Sandy-blonde hair brushing his ears, a few silver threads catching the light. Dark green eyes that pinned me in place. Damn. “Hi,” he said, gaze sliding over me. I felt my cheeks heat. “I’m really sorry. I’m George.” “Ella.” “Ella.” He smiled slow and warm. “Let’s see the damage.” It took me a second. Then I turned, showing him the streak of blue on my leg. He made a low sound. “What a shame, ruining legs like that. You can’t walk around covered in paint. Come on—let me clean you up.” “Oh, you don’t have to—” “It’s no trouble. This is my house.” He nodded toward the door behind the mural. I blinked. “Really?” “Really. I don’t usually paint other people’s walls.” His grin was teasing. I smiled back. “Okay. Why not?” He led me inside. The place was pure artist—every surface covered in beautiful chaos. Canvases stacked against walls, shelves crammed with odd treasures, sunlight pouring through big windows. I could’ve spent hours just staring. And the whole time, I felt his eyes on me. Warm. Curious. Wanting.

“Come on,” George said. “Let’s go through to the kitchen.” I followed him and sat on the chair he pulled out for me. “This is a nice place,” I said, glancing around the big, bright kitchen. “Must be pretty expensive.” “It is,” he admitted. “But I don’t live here alone. I have a housemate. He’s out right now, but he’ll be back later.” “Ah, got it.” He grabbed a wet rag from beside the sink and ran it under the tap. I started to reach for it, thinking I’d clean my leg myself, but then he dropped to his knees in front of me. I looked down at him, my pulse already quickening. He wrapped his fingers around my ankle. The touch felt electric, intimate in a way I hadn’t expected. No one had ever held me there before. Did he know that? Of course not. But he did it so easily, like it was the most natural thing in the world. He smiled up at me. Then the cool cloth touched my skin, and I shivered. His pressure was gentle, careful. Having him on his knees like this, tending to me, felt dangerously close. I couldn’t look away. “There you go,” he murmured. “All done.” He stayed down there. Our eyes locked. The air between us thickened, charged. He took my ankle again and lifted my leg just a little. “All clean now,” he whispered. Then he leaned in and brushed his lips against the spot he’d just wiped. My heart stumbled. I stared at him, breathless. He wasn’t like the others. He wasn’t rushing. He seemed to know exactly how to touch me, how to make me want more without saying a word. Another kiss, higher, at my knee. My dress had slipped, baring more skin. Then one soft press of his mouth to the outside of my thigh. A voice in my head whispered I should stop him. I told it to shut up. He let go of my ankle and stood. For a second I thought the moment had slipped away. Disappointment hit me hard. But then he took both my hands and pulled me up. “What do you say?” he asked, voice low. I couldn’t speak. I just looked at him, waiting. He cupped my chin, tilting my face to his. My heart pounded. He leaned down slowly. His lips brushed mine, teasing, finding the perfect fit. Then his tongue slipped past my parted lips, meeting mine in a slow, hungry dance. One hand stayed on my face, thumb stroking my cheek. The other settled at my waist, pulling me closer. I reached up. My fingers grazed the stubble on his jaw. My other hand pressed against his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath his shirt. The kiss deepened, heat building like a slow fire. His hand on my waist guided me back until the edge of the table pressed into me. No escape. I didn’t want one. I pushed into him. Our bodies fit together perfectly—his strength against my softness. He felt solid, powerful. Every shift of his muscles sent sparks through me. Then he eased back, just enough to look at me. He took my hands again, squeezed them, and smiled. I smiled back, suddenly shy. I glanced away, then back, biting my lip. This was different. No alarms going off in my head. No urge to pull away. All those old fears were gone. I felt free. Alive. A little scared—and that only made it better. We both wanted this. I was ready to fall into whatever came next.

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I’d activated a Sickness Transmigration System. I woke up in the body of Kai Stone, the biological son of the affluent Stone family, who’d only been found and brought home half a year ago. Everyone adored Brandon, the adopted son of the family. My three sisters were terrified I’d try to take what they believed belonged to Brandon, so they constantly threw sarcastic jabs my way. My biological parents were scared my presence would upset Brandon, so they bent over backward, desperately trying to make it up to him. But they never once considered my feelings. Then, I was dying. Later, they found the diary I’d hidden beneath my pillow. They shattered. 0I’d activated a Sickness Transmigration System. On my very first day here, I was drenched in hot soup. The freshly made, steaming soup ran down my cheeks, over my neck, the vegetables rolling off my shirt and onto the floor. It burned. I stared at the girl in front of me, my face devoid of emotion. My dark eyes held not a single flicker. Everyone else was startled by her outburst too. Eleanor gasped, “Chloe, what are you doing?!” Chloe’s face showed a hint of regret, but the words that burst out were full of blame. “Well, he’s always got that lifeless expression! Brandon tried to talk to him, didn’t he hear?” Brandon, hearing this, looked guilt-ridden. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was because of me that…” He looked at me with an apologetic expression. “Chloe didn’t mean it. Kai, can I apologize to you for her?” Chloe immediately bristled. “Who does he think he is? He doesn’t deserve an apology from you! Brandon, why are you even bothering with him?” I let out a faint, cynical smile. I wondered what the original occupant of this body was to them, really. I watched Brandon, surrounded by my three sisters, impeccably dressed in a pristine white shirt, his hair perfectly styled. Meanwhile, I was stained yellow with hot soup, the greasy smell clinging to me, even without looking down. I ignored Brandon. I picked up the last carrot piece that had landed on my lap, swallowed it with the soup clinging to my lips. It didn’t taste like anything I’d ever eaten before. I stood up to leave. “I’m full. I’ll head back to my room now. Thank you.” Turning, I met Maria, the housekeeper’s, worried gaze and offered her a small smile. The dining table fell into a tense silence. Richard and Eleanor’s expressions were strained. Isabelle, the eldest sister, finally spoke, her voice low. “Chloe, you really went too far this time. Kai didn’t do anything.” In my original world, I was already dead. Late-stage stomach cancer, I died at eighteen. I was tortured to death by the pain. Completely alone. Aside from that carrot, I hadn’t eaten anything solid for almost three months. Perhaps the System pitied my wretchedness, so it brought me to this world. This body also has stomach cancer. But it hasn’t reached the terminal stage yet. The System told me the original boy had taken sleeping pills and ended his life today. Frequent abdominal pain coupled with coughing up blood had alerted him that something was terribly wrong with his body. But he was scared to speak up, afraid of bothering the Stone family, of making the relatives who already disliked him hate him even more, so he chose to simply leave this world. He was such a fool. The Stone family was ridiculously wealthy; with proper treatment, he could’ve had a chance. This family is truly ironic. My own flesh and blood, home for half a year, and they hadn’t even noticed I was sick. Perhaps he was luckier than me. At sixteen, he was brought back home by his biological parents. Perhaps he was even unluckier than me. He left before ever experiencing a single ounce of unconditional love. The System fell silent. “My arrival seems to have worsened the body’s symptoms?” Feeling the metallic taste of blood in my throat, I asked the System. The System replied, “Yes. Just like your original body, you might… by 18.” “But if you cooperate with treatment…” I cut in, my voice flat. “No treatment.” It doesn’t matter. I’m going to die anyway. Besides, I don’t want to live. 0

In the middle of the night, the abdominal pain became unbearable, and I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It felt like I was back in my previous life. Curled up, eyes wide open, waiting for dawn, night after night. There was nothing in my room. Parched, I stumbled downstairs in the dark, desperate for water. Only to find Jocelyn, my second sister, in the living room. Jocelyn was a professional e-sports player, so it wasn’t unusual for her to be awake at two or three in the morning. Clearly, Jocelyn noticed me too. She glared at me, her expression grim. Jocelyn was the most quiet and reserved person in the Stone family. The original Kai had been home for half a year and never once seen her look at him kindly. I ignored her. It was probably just my presence that annoyed her. I hunched over and made my way to the kitchen. Unbeknownst to me, Jocelyn was startled by my appearance. Under the dim night light of the living room, she clearly saw me, drenched in sweat from the pain, my lips deathly pale. Except for the abnormal redness of my scalded cheek, the rest of my face was frighteningly white. But I was already accustomed to the unnatural paleness caused by constant pain, so I didn’t pay it any mind. I leaned on the sink, trying to rest, but the next second, a metallic taste flooded my mouth, and I vomited blood. “Ugh.” I choked back tears from the sheer misery. Movement came from the kitchen doorway. Jocelyn had followed me in. I quickly turned on the faucet to rinse the blood from the sink, then cupped my hands under the tap and drank a few gulps of cold water. Then Jocelyn’s deep voice cut through the silence: “If you’re going to drink water, drink warm water. Cold water can upset your stomach.” I mumbled a soft “mm-hmm,” keeping my head down, trying to get past her. The original Kai had barely exchanged a few words with Jocelyn, and I had no desire to get entangled with this family either. But then Jocelyn grabbed my wrist. I turned my head to look at her, my voice hoarse. “Jocelyn, is there something wrong?” Up close, Jocelyn could see the burns on my face even more clearly. She frowned, silent for a moment. “Why haven’t you treated that burn on your face?” I watched her, detecting what seemed like impatience on her face. I figured she just thought it was some pathetic ploy for attention. I pulled my wrist free, nodded vaguely. “Yeah, I’m heading back now.” Too close for comfort, Jocelyn flipped on the light, then frowned and stepped closer to the sink. Though the bloodstains had been diluted, she still keenly spotted the faint reddish streaks that the water hadn’t completely washed away… The next morning, as I went downstairs, I bumped into Chloe right at the bottom of the staircase. She was the one who held the most animosity towards the original Kai. She and Brandon were similar in age and shared the deepest bond. Perhaps she was just too young, only understanding that the brother she’d doted on and protected since childhood had suddenly been replaced. That this ‘new’ person, who had just been found, was here to steal everything from Brandon. She took all her resentment out on her biological brother. She resented him for disrupting their original life, unaware that the original Kai was the most innocent one of all. Chloe glanced at the obvious scald on my face, her eyes darting away. She deliberately didn’t speak to me, waiting for me to greet her first. But I didn’t even spare her a glance, simply walked around her and left. Richard said, his face cold, “You’re old enough to treat a minor burn yourself, aren’t you? What kind of image does this present when you go out?” Richard was a traditional patriarch, more concerned with business interests than family bonds. He was probably just worried that I’d embarrass him if I went out looking like this. After all, the original Kai had only been home for half a year, had average grades, and offered no ‘utility’ to the family. Eleanor wore a disapproving expression too. I scoffed inwardly. If it had been Brandon, he’d probably have been rushed to the hospital the moment it happened. Yet last night, not a single person bothered to ask if I was burned. Or if I was still hungry after eating so little. Their favoritism truly knew no bounds. “There’s no first-aid kit in my room.” Now it was the Stone family’s turn to fall silent. Of course, the master bedrooms in the Stone family mansion were fully equipped with everything. But after bringing the original Kai home, they’d put their biological son in a guest room. Guest rooms naturally had very few amenities. The original Kai even had to use a shared bathroom. Not one person had ever suggested moving him to a proper room. Eleanor looked at her son’s flushed face, so similar to her own, and a flicker of panic crossed her heart. If it were Brandon, even a tiny injury would have the whole family doting on him. But when it came to me, I suffered in silence. I was just not as ‘lovable’ as Brandon. Chloe stubbornly said, “If you don’t say anything, how are we supposed to know it’s serious?” A throbbing pain started in my upper abdomen, and I involuntarily hunched over. A metallic taste of blood flooded my throat again. I tugged on my backpack strap, my voice hoarse. “I’m going to school now.” Chloe frowned. It felt like a trick of her mind, but Kai’s posture seemed…off… 0

After the original Kai was found, he transferred to Chloe and Brandon’s school. But Brandon didn’t want the original Kai to share a ride with him, terrified that someone would discover he wasn’t a biological Stone. The original Kai always went to school alone. Over the past six months, thanks to Brandon’s subtle hints, he’d endured no small amount of bullying. But that poor kid endured it all in silence. He probably knew that even if he spoke up, no one would care. And his family would never believe Brandon had incited it. The moment I pulled my textbook from my desk, I saw a fake cockroach taped to the cover. The group waiting to see me squirm were already secretly covering their smirking mouths. If it were the original Kai, he would have definitely suffered in silence. But for me, dealing with these kinds of issues was routine. I just wanted to quietly wait for death here, but if they insisted on provoking me, I wasn’t some pushover they could walk all over. I snatched up the textbook with the cockroach and walked towards the girl who was closest and enjoying the show. I slammed the textbook against her face. Before she could even shriek, I dumped out all the books from her desk and found an identical textbook. The original Kai’s image in class had always been quiet and unassuming, never speaking up. Today, with my flushed face, I drew the silent attention of many classmates. Now, with my usual lack of presence, I was causing such a commotion. The classroom instantly fell silent. The girl recovered from her shock and lunged at me like a madwoman. I grabbed her hair, my voice ice-cold. “What happened before, I’ll let it go. But don’t you dare mess with me again.” With that, I shoved her away and returned to my seat, slumping over my desk. Not only was my stomach burning, but I also felt a faint nausea, like I was about to throw up. My forehead remained furrowed in pain, unable to relax. This isn’t right. It shouldn’t have progressed this quickly. This was already the advanced stage. The next moment, a warm hand firmly grasped my arm. Harper was suddenly by my desk, her brow furrowed, her voice low but laced with an undeniable authority. “Get up. I’ll help you to the infirmary.” I tried to pull away, but realized I didn’t even have the strength to stand. My body uncontrollably slumped against her. “Don’t try to be tough,” she whispered, her breath warm against my ear. Just as we stumbled out of the classroom, Chloe rushed forward, blocking our path, her face twisted in fury. She saw me, tightly supported by Harper, almost leaning on her, and her face grew even colder. Her words were like daggers. “Kai Stone, what are you doing? Class is about to start, and you’re out here messing around with a girl!” “See? No class, no class at all. You’ll never be anything like Brandon.” My heart suddenly twisted in a sharp pain. Emotions that weren’t mine flooded my chest, dense and overwhelming. The pain intensified. A metallic taste filled my mouth. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I quickly bowed my head. Harper felt my sudden intensified trembling and the increased weight against her. She lifted her head, her gaze sharp as daggers, piercing Chloe. Her voice was ice-cold: “Are your eyes just for show? Can’t you see he can barely stand? Get out of the way!” She didn’t bother with Chloe anymore, moving one slow step at a time towards the infirmary. Each step was accompanied by a suppressed groan in my throat and the excruciating, tearing pain in my stomach. She turned her head slightly, quickly glancing at my paper-white, sweat-drenched face. A rare tension laced her voice: “Hang in there. We’re almost there.” Just as we reached the infirmary door, I finally couldn’t hold it in. I shoved her away violently and lunged for a corner trash can. “Ugh—” I hadn’t eaten anything all morning, so all that came out was acidic fluid mixed with blood from my stomach. Some of it splashed onto Harper’s clean shoes. I clung to the edge of the trash can, so weak I almost collapsed, but I watched Harper step forward without hesitation, firmly supporting my arm again, as if the stark filth didn’t exist. She didn’t say a word. Instead, with her free hand, she very naturally, with just her fingertips, gently wiped away the lingering traces of blood and water from my mouth. The movement was so quick it almost felt like an illusion, yet the touch was searingly clear. The school nurse rushed over, hearing the commotion. Harper quickly and concisely explained, “He suddenly has severe abdominal pain, can’t stand, just threw up, and there’s blood.” She helped me onto the infirmary bed, watched me lie down, then took half a step back. Through my blurry vision, I saw her silhouette standing by the bed, slightly out of breath. 0

The school nurse put ointment on my face and hooked me up to an IV drip of glucose. “Young man, why are you throwing up blood? Do you have any medical history?” The school nurse advised me to get a thorough check-up at the hospital, just to be safe. I thanked him, explaining it was just because I hadn’t eaten breakfast. I didn’t need a check-up; I already knew this body’s condition. In my mind, I asked the System why this was happening. The System’s mechanical voice quietly responded. “Because the original host’s consciousness is fading faster.” Meaning he wants to leave this world quickly, right? The System was silent. I gave a knowing, bitter smile. The original host was adopted by his grandmother. When his grandmother found him as an infant, he was stiff with cold in the ice and snow, his tiny body purple. She thought he was already frozen to death, but then saw a tiny finger twitch. When he was five, his grandmother passed away. The original host was sent to an orphanage by the neighbors. Later, he was taken in by the Stone family, but he never received proper care. So now, the original host wanted to go find his grandmother, the only one who ever loved him… Perhaps it was the pain, or perhaps it was for the original host. My eyes grew moist, and I stared blankly at the ceiling. In that moment, I wanted to hold him tightly, the him deep within this soul. I realized Harper was still there and hastily wiped my eyes. I pressed my lips together. “Thank you for bringing me here.” In my last life, facing so much malice, I always fought alone. Now, faced with Harper, who had helped me, I felt a little lost. And I’d just thrown up on her… Harper raised an eyebrow. “Well, as repayment, how about you bring me breakfast from now on?” I hesitated. I didn’t want to get too involved with anyone. Harper looked at my faded canvas shoes, then quickly added. “What? Your gratitude isn’t just empty words, is it?” I sighed, having no choice but to nod in agreement. After school, I planned to go to the hospital. My body’s condition would only worsen. I needed to get some painkillers. The original host had a card, given to him by Isabelle as compensation when he first came home. If regular painkillers worked, I wouldn’t even bother going to the hospital. Gastroenterology department at the hospital. Dr. Alex Liu was young. Perhaps seeing me as a younger brother, he gently asked what was bothering me. In that instant, I actually felt like crying. Such genuine concern—I’d never known it in either of my lives. I managed a weak smile. “Could you please prescribe some morphine?” The doctor froze, unable to believe his ears. The young man in front of him was barely of school age, yet he was asking for morphine. I continued, “If not, OxyContin, Fentanyl—anything strong will do.” Dr. Alex Liu choked, his face etched with reproach. “What kind of illness do you have, young man? Have you been examined? You can’t just take random medication.” “Stomach cancer, advanced stage,” I answered, my tone light, but serious. His expression instantly froze, and he even seemed a little agitated. “How is that possible? You’re so young! Which hospital? Which quack doctor diagnosed you?! Do you want me to report them?” The doctor’s expression was so amusing, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “I’ve already been diagnosed. It’s just been getting more painful lately. Could you please prescribe some painkillers?” Dr. Alex Liu looked at the young man’s genuine expression, his heart sinking. “Do your family know?” “You’re so young, why aren’t you fighting for treatment?” I sighed. This was one of the reasons I didn’t want to come to the hospital. I resorted to playing the victim card. “My family knows. It’s just… we don’t have the money. And I have several older sisters, so… no treatment.” Dr. Alex Liu looked as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he remained silent. I left the hospital with my medication. Unaware that Harper had followed me the whole way. 0

Harper hid behind the door, a chill running through her body. After school, Harper watched Kai stumble out of the school gates, worried he might collapse halfway. After all, they’d been sharing homework for half a year. On a strange impulse, she followed him. Before she knew it, she’d followed him to the hospital. She was actually about to leave, but a powerful wave of emotion stopped her. Only to hear that Kai had stomach cancer. No wonder… he was coughing up blood. Harper felt a pang of guilt, even wanting to slap herself. She’d bullied him for half a year. She was a terrible person! Beyond that, there was a dense, overwhelming ache in her heart… When I got home, I planned to pack a few simple outfits and move into the school dorms. But I found my things had already been moved. Maria said, “Kai, Eleanor has moved you to a different room.” “It’s on the same floor as Brandon, the one on the far east side. She said it was so you and Brandon could build a stronger bond.” Maria looked at me with pity. The Stone family’s favoritism truly knew no bounds. Brandon had practically the entire third floor to himself, yet they’d given me just one room, the farthest east one. Hah. I found it laughable, for the original host. Was this arrangement meant to warn me that my status in this family would never measure up to Brandon’s? But it didn’t matter anymore. Anyway, I was moving into the dorms. At most, I’d only be in this world for another six months. The daily, unrelenting pain reminded me. The original host’s desire to escape this family, to escape this world, was overwhelmingly powerful. At the dinner table, I informed Richard and Eleanor that I intended to live in the dorms. The family, who had just been chatting and laughing, instantly fell silent. Eleanor frowned. “Why on earth would you want to live in the dorms? Don’t you like the room I arranged for you today?” She then had a sudden realization, assuming Kai had complained to Maria, and said impatiently: “Don’t be so envious. Brandon has lived in his room for sixteen years.” “You’ve only been here a short while, don’t compare yourself to Brandon about everything. If you really want, we can get a decorator to renovate your room in a bit.” Richard’s face was even more sour. “Why can’t you be half as considerate as Brandon? What will people say if they find out that my prestigious Stone family sends its son to live in the dorms? It would make us a laughingstock!” Chloe, remembering the girl who had helped him today, suddenly felt annoyed and spoke without thinking. “Could it be so you can sneak off and date some girl?”

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