At night, my husband Caspian wept silently under the covers. I handed him a tissue. Seeing him so distraught made me feel uneasy too. I wanted to comfort him, but I couldn’t empathize. We were still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. I quietly took out my phone and searched “How to comfort my husband after he broke up with his mistress.” At night, my husband Caspian wept silently under the covers. I handed him a tissue. Seeing him so distraught made me feel uneasy too. I wanted to comfort him, but I couldn’t empathize. We were still in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. I quietly took out my phone and searched “How to comfort my husband after a breakup.” Caspian was crying again. I didn’t know where all those tears came from. His secretary, Wren Lee, was a rich girl who had condescended to be his assistant. She was gentle and caring. Why couldn’t they just stay together instead of fighting? Seeing him cry so hard that the bedsheets were getting wet, I pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. Caspian ignored me completely, treating me like thin air as he continued to wipe his tears. His sobs grew louder. He clearly didn’t care that his lawful wife was right there. I sighed, picked up my phone, and quietly walked out. I opened Google and typed “How to comfort my husband after a breakup.” But there wasn’t a single useful answer! Just a bunch of snarky responses from trolls. I grabbed a bag of my favorite chips and munched on them noisily. At least my boyfriend Daniel was less trouble. He was still in college but spent all his savings on me, bringing me fruits and snacks every day. His emotional support was off the charts too. He was much better at cheering me up than Caspian’s stone-faced self. Early the next morning, Caspian left the house with bloodshot eyes. “I’m going to work,” he said. I wondered if he and his secretary would make up today. After Caspian left, I immediately texted my darling: [Baby, I bought you a gift. I’ll pick you up later, wait for me at the school gate, okay?] [Okay (^▽^)] Kids will be kids. A little gift is enough to make him over the moon. Plus, the feeling of using my husband’s money to spoil my boyfriend was just too good! When I arrived at Georgetown University, Daniel was already waiting for me. He waved as soon as he saw me approach. “Ottilie, I missed you so much.” I threw myself into Daniel’s arms. “I missed you too.” I took out the gift I bought for Daniel – a pair of limited edition sneakers. I remembered Daniel really liked this brand. Daniel’s eyes lit up when he saw the shoes, his face breaking into a smile. I poked his dimple. “Do you like them?” “I love them. I love anything you give me.” Kids are so sweet with their words. Unlike that stone-faced Caspian, who frowns at me every day like I owe him a million dollars. After a crazy day out with Daniel, before we parted, he handed me a big box of strawberries. “I grew these myself. You love strawberries, right? I tried many varieties, and this is the sweetest one.” Oh right, Daniel was an agriculture major, specializing in growing things. I took the box from his hands and hugged it. Daniel patted my head. “In the future, just tell me what fruit you want to eat. I can grow anything for you.” “Okay!” I returned home hugging the big box of strawberries. Caspian wasn’t back yet when I arrived. I removed the stems, washed them clean, and took them to the couch, planning to binge-watch shows while eating. The TV was playing news about Caspian and Wren’s rumored affair. The media was praising them as a perfect match, talented and beautiful. Some even directly asked if wedding bells were in their future. Wren blushed and looked at Caspian when she heard this. Looks like they made up. I grabbed the remote and changed the channel. Who wants to watch their love drama? It’s not even as good as a soap opera. The strawberries Daniel grew were really sweet. Each one was big and juicy. I’ll have to ask for more next time. Just as I was happily eating strawberries on the couch, Caspian came home. As soon as he entered, he saw the strawberries in my hand. He stared at them for a moment, then his expression darkened. Could he know these were from Daniel? But I don’t care about him and Wren anymore, so why should he care about me! I watched his gloomy face, afraid to speak. Caspian strode over, snatched the strawberries away, and smashed them on the floor, stomping them to mush in two or three steps. “What are you doing? Those are my strawberries!” “You’re not allowed to touch them!” I lunged forward to stop him but was pushed to the ground. Mrs. Wilson, our housekeeper, came out of the kitchen and restrained the frenzied Caspian. “From now on, no strawberries are allowed in this house.” “Yes, sir.” With that, he went upstairs without even looking at me. I crouched on the floor, silently crying as I looked at the ruined strawberries. I reached out to gather them into a bowl bit by bit. They were from Daniel. I didn’t want to waste them, but they really couldn’t be eaten now. I could only throw them in the trash. Damn Caspian, I don’t know what’s gotten into him. What did my strawberries ever do to him! Tomorrow I’m going to use his credit card to buy Daniel a house. That’ll show him! That night, I lay in bed fuming, still thinking about the strawberries Caspian had crushed. Caspian and I had been together since college. Back then, he was a poor orphan, but he treated me well. We got married after graduation. But after marriage, he became busier and busier, until I saw him parading around with his secretary. That night, I smashed everything in the house, questioning him like a madwoman. I wanted to know if he still loved me! What the hell was Caspian trying to do! His cold response was: “It’s just normal socializing for work. Don’t overthink it.” With just that one sentence, he shattered our six years of love. From then on, he no longer cared about my feelings. Since I’d already found out, he simply brought his secretary Wren home openly. How he used to treat me, he now treated Wren the same way. Wren’s provocative glances, Caspian’s tacit permission. They tormented me to the brink of a mental breakdown. Until I met Daniel. Daniel was really like Caspian used to be. His heart and eyes were full of only me. He was willing to comfort me, to cheer me up. Most importantly, he only loved me. I really liked him. The next day, taking advantage of Caspian being at work, I went to see Daniel again. When I arrived, Daniel was in the experimental field, pants rolled up, playing in the mud. No, that’s not right. Daniel said he was measuring soil moisture. I had Daniel change his clothes immediately, then took him to a real estate sales center. I bought a two-bedroom apartment outright. Sigh, Caspian doesn’t give me much pocket money, so this was all I could afford for now. I really feel bad for my Daniel. After I divorce that scumbag, I’ll take half his assets and buy Daniel an even bigger house. “Daniel, what do you think of this house? Do you like it?” Daniel came over and hugged me. “I love anything you give me. Once I graduate, I promise I’ll give you an even better life. Ottilie, trust me!” Hearing Daniel say this, I fell into deep thought. Caspian used to say the same things, but in the end, he still ended up with Wren. A man’s words can’t be trusted. “Daniel, I’m only giving you one chance. If you ever betray me in the future, I’ll never forgive you!” I felt Daniel’s arms tighten around me, his voice tinged with nervousness. “Ottilie, believe me, I will never betray you. You have to trust me!” I turned to look at Daniel. I could clearly see the love in his eyes, and I believed he truly loved me now. But sorry, I only believe my eyes and my heart. The moment I can’t feel your love, I’ll leave immediately. I can fall in love with the wrong person, but I’ll never be blindly obsessed. I just want my life to be stable and happy. It was already late when I got home in the evening. Caspian had come back early today. When I arrived, Caspian had already finished dinner. Mrs. Wilson was clearing the table. That housekeeper, I don’t know when it started, but she only listens to Caspian now. She treats my words like background noise. I guess she’s figured out that Caspian doesn’t care about me anymore. After all, the one who pays her salary is the real boss. Luckily, I had already eaten outside. Otherwise, I’d have to cook for myself when I got back. After showering, I lay on the bed mindlessly scrolling through news. A headline caught my eye: “Bennett Group Splurges $40 Million in Grand Romantic Gesture, All to Make Fiancée Smile.” Fiancée, huh? I guess this old maid is about to be laid off. His parents never liked me anyway. A $40 million ring – he must have bought it for Wren. I reached into the bedside drawer and took out a ring. It was a simple band with no gemstone. But it had lost its former luster. This was the ring Caspian proposed to me with. It cost $100, earned from a week of part-time work. He proposed when we were still in college. It was the best ring he could afford at the time. I casually tossed the ring back into the drawer and got up to go to the study. I wanted to talk to him about our divorce. Caspian was still working at this hour. The door was open, so I went in directly. “Caspian, when are we getting divorced?” Caspian kept looking at something in his hands, not answering my question. “Caspian, when exactly are we getting divorced? I really don’t want to be with you anymore!” “Let’s part ways amicably.” Caspian still stared at whatever was in his hands without speaking. After what seemed like an eternity, I vaguely heard him say: “Let’s get divorced first.” On the first day Caspian agreed to divorce me, Wren came knocking at our door. She waltzed right in and sat down like she owned the place, acting as if she were the real lady of the house. “So big sis has finally agreed to divorce? Should have done this earlier. Why cling to a man who doesn’t love you?” “Caspian is the CEO of Bennett Group now. Someone like you isn’t worthy of him!” Wren’s eyes gleamed with undisguised malice as she looked at me. She could barely contain her eagerness to see me kicked to the curb. I was about to retort when Caspian walked in with a lawyer. As soon as Wren saw Caspian, her demeanor changed completely. “Caspian, darling, you’re back.” This little minx sure knows how to put on an act. Why doesn’t she go learn face-changing in Bejing Opera? She could even help preserve an intangible cultural heritage.

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My boyfriend’s team won the World Robotics Championship. During the celebratory hugs with teammates, the junior girl impulsively kissed him. Flustered afterwards, she blushed and quickly kissed all the other teammates too. In an instant, the whole internet was buzzing: “Hidden love can’t be concealed” “To kiss you once, she kissed six people’s faces” It’s indeed so sweet, I’ll ship it first. “June, you’re finally back! The final match is about to start!” In the living room, my parents and Simon’s parents were all sitting on the couch, nervously staring at the TV screen. I changed my clothes and brought some washed fruit to the living room. My mom complained, “June, you’re really not taking this seriously. It’s such an important competition for your boyfriend, and you didn’t even come back early?” I hugged my mom’s arm and whined, “I made it back in time, didn’t I? I was finalizing an article with my editor, we need to go to print tonight.” My mom tapped me lightly, dissatisfied, “Quit that magazine job soon and focus on your grad school applications!” Simon’s mom chimed in, “That’s right, June. You should apply to grad school in N City soon, so you and Simon won’t have to be in a long-distance relationship anymore.” My mom nodded in agreement, “Yes, the two of you have known each other since you were seven or eight, you’ve never been apart for so long.” I smiled softly, not continuing the topic. Simon and I had known each other since we were seven or eight when our families moved into the same building. We became childhood sweethearts. After high school graduation, he confessed to me, and we became a couple. When we told our classmates about our relationship, they were all surprised, “Oh, weren’t you two already together?” Everyone thought we were destined to be together, including both our parents. Simon and I had been dating for several years, almost inseparable. It wasn’t until last year when he got into graduate school in N City, and I failed my first attempt at grad school applications and stayed in our hometown to work at a magazine, that we started our long-distance relationship. At first, we would video chat and text every day, sharing our daily lives. But at some point, all of his topics with me became about robots and his genius junior, Sophia. “June, I’ve never met a girl with such quick thinking, so proficient in programming and mechanics. I always thought girls were like you, enjoying reading and drawing!” I knew nothing about programming and mechanics, and I didn’t want to know how excellent Sophia was. I could only become more and more silent. Gradually, he talked to me less and less. I scrolled through my phone; the last message was from over ten days ago. He said he needed to focus on preparing for the competition and might not have time to chat with me. Even when it was my birthday, he didn’t send a single message. He used to be the first person to wish me happy birthday, but this time, his wishes never came. I felt like something was slipping through my fingers like sand, impossible to hold onto. I was lost in thought. “They won! They won!” Simon’s dad and my dad cheered, while my mom and Simon’s mom happily applauded. I looked up at the screen. Simon’s team had just won the championship. The crowd at the venue cheered continuously, and team members hugged each other in celebration. Simon and the girl next to him were also hugging tightly. Suddenly, the girl lightly kissed Simon on the corner of his mouth. Simon froze, his face turning red, his arms still tightly around the girl. The girl realized what she had done and blushed, looking flustered. She quickly grabbed the nearest teammate and hastily kissed him on the cheek, then proceeded to kiss all the other teammates in quick succession. The venue erupted in good-natured laughter, everyone was in high spirits. My heart felt ice-cold. This girl must be Sophia, right? After the competition ended, reporters interviewed on site, specifically asking Simon and Sophia, “Are you two a couple?” The other teammates laughed and teased them. Sophia blushed and remained silent, while Simon scratched his head and smiled, neither denying nor confirming. Simon’s dad frowned, “How could this girl behave like that? Casually kissing someone else’s boyfriend? And what’s wrong with Simon, why didn’t he deny it?” My mom gently patted my hand, “They’re probably just too excited about winning. They’re all young.” I forced a smile, “Yeah, they must be really happy.” Simon’s mom took my hand, “No matter what, we only recognize June as our daughter-in-law. Don’t worry, June. I’ll teach him a lesson when he gets back. He’s being too careless!” Simon’s dad added, “Let’s arrange the wedding for these two kids during the New Year. Getting married won’t affect his studies.” After Simon’s parents left, I went to the balcony to video call Simon. They were celebrating at the hotel restaurant. Simon seemed to have had a few drinks, his eyes looked excited. “June, did you watch my competition?” Suddenly, someone entered the frame. It was Sophia. She might have had some drinks too, her delicate face was flushed. Sophia leaned on Simon’s shoulder, her doe eyes looking at him lovingly, “Senior, they’re making me drink…” Simon carefully cupped her face and looked at her, then turned his head and called out, “Who’s making Sophia drink again? You know she can’t handle alcohol…” “Boss, who would dare to force the junior to drink with you around? She drank on her own~” “Yeah, boss, who are you video calling? Are you secretly introducing her to your parents? You say there’s nothing between you two, but you’re actually already together?” …… Simon turned back, looking a bit flustered, “Don’t talk nonsense, this is my girlfriend.” Sophia suddenly grabbed the phone, held it up and panned around, “This is sister-in-law, look how pretty she is!” I was disheveled, wearing pajamas, and was suddenly put on display for everyone’s curious gazes. Simon snatched the phone back and immediately hung up the video call. I returned to the living room. My parents were sitting on the couch, looking at me worriedly. I forced a smile, “What’s wrong?” “Did you and Simon have a fight? You’ve seemed distracted all day.” I shook my head, “We haven’t talked in a long time.” My mom anxiously said, “This long-distance relationship is bound to make feelings fade. You should apply to grad school in N City soon, everything will be fine once you two are together again.” My dad said, “I actually think their long-distance relationship isn’t a bad thing. These two kids got together too early, they haven’t seen the outside world or met other people. They should both broaden their horizons, see the world, figure out what they really want, and then make a decision.” I nodded, “I’m planning to go to N City this weekend.” My dad sighed, “Go ahead, ask Simon what he really thinks.” That night, I kept scrolling through my phone. Simon and Sophia were trending. “Hidden love can’t be concealed” “Love is the only eye contact in a chaotic crowd” “She kissed six people for you” …… The internet was going crazy with speculation. I didn’t sleep all night, but I didn’t receive any message from Simon either. On the weekend, I went to N City. When I found Simon, he was coming out of the lab building with Sophia. The autumn rain was cool, they were wearing matching scarves, walking side by side down the steps. Suddenly, Sophia slipped. Simon quickly steadied her, then simply picked up the petite Sophia by the waist, lifting her off the ground. Sophia giggled, “Senior, put me down, my waist is ticklish~” Simon smiled indulgently, “Don’t move, be careful not to fall.” I watched their smiling faces in a daze, feeling like I’d seen this scene before. Finally, I remembered. Back when we were in school, on rainy days when the steps were slippery, Simon used to carry me like this too. At the bottom of the steps, Simon put Sophia down. When he looked up, he saw me. He was stunned for a moment, “June, why are you here?” I hadn’t expected the temperature drop in N City and was dressed too lightly, shivering in the autumn wind. Simon unwrapped his scarf and put it around my neck, holding my cold hands. “June, why are you dressed so lightly? Why did you come all this way in the cold instead of staying home and focusing on your studies?” Sophia stared at his hands holding mine for a while, then looked away, asking with apparent curiosity, “Is senior applying for a PhD?” Simon explained, “She’s applying for grad school. She missed it by a few points last year.” I clearly saw a flash of contempt in Sophia’s eyes. Sophia, like Simon, had been directly admitted to grad school. She was a genius girl the school had competed to recruit, the apple of their advisor’s eye, and the darling of the whole team. I had heard Simon talk about this countless times. In comparison, I indeed had nothing to boast about. After all, I was just a failure who didn’t get into grad school, too far removed from their world of geniuses. “June, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Let’s go get something to eat.” After saying this, Simon instinctively looked at Sophia. Sophia pouted, “I’ll just eat at the cafeteria. Senior, you take your girlfriend out for something nice. Remember to come back early, we have a group meeting at 2 pm.” Simon looked at me again, “It’s almost 1 pm now…” I smiled lightly, “Don’t bother, let’s just eat at the cafeteria together.” Simon looked relieved, “Alright, I’ll show you our cafeteria then.” Sophia smiled sweetly, “Yes, our cafeteria is quite good, we can even order dishes!” Simon went to order food, while Sophia and I found a table to sit down. “Is senior studying the same major as us? Are you applying to our school again this year?” Our cafeteria, our major, our school… Her repeated use of “our” was a bit grating. I didn’t mind, just said calmly, “I study literature. Your school doesn’t have a suitable program, I’m planning to apply to N University.” Sophia nodded, the contempt in her eyes becoming more obvious, “Oh, senior studies literature?” I nodded. “Since you study literature, how did you end up with our senior who’s such a science and engineering nerd?” I didn’t respond, and she continued talking: “Senior, you don’t know, our senior is such a total nerd, I wonder how he even found a girlfriend~” “You know what? Once in class, I had really bad cramps and was in so much pain I couldn’t speak. He kept asking what was wrong, and when I told him my stomach hurt, he ran out without a word to buy medicine. Guess what he bought? He came back with diarrhea medicine! He thought I had an upset stomach!” “An upset stomach! Haha…” Sophia laughed uncontrollably. Simon came back, “What are you two laughing about? Seems like you’re having fun.” Sophia glanced at him, “I’m telling senior about your bad side~” During the meal, I couldn’t taste anything. Simon and Sophia were discussing topics I couldn’t understand, something about “collaborative robots, BCI brain-controlled robots…” The gap between different fields was like a mountain, I couldn’t join the conversation at all. After lunch, Simon took me to his rented apartment near the school, telling me to rest there and that he’d be back after the group meeting. I waited all afternoon, but even by evening, he hadn’t returned. He sent a message saying there was another group meeting in the evening that would run late, and since there were more activities in the morning, he’d just stay in his dorm on campus for the night instead of coming back and forth. I looked around the empty room. We’d been in a long-distance relationship for almost two years. He always came back home to see me whenever he had time, accumulating a stack of high-speed rail tickets. This place where he had lived for almost two years, I was visiting for the first time. The small studio apartment was kept fairly clean. The books on the desk, the water cup, the clothes in the closet, were all unfamiliar to me. It was as if the owner of these things was becoming a stranger too. While getting ready for bed, I found a bottle of conditioner in the bathroom. I couldn’t understand why Simon, with his crew cut, would need conditioner. The next morning, Simon didn’t come back until almost eleven. He smiled and handed me a paper bag, “I bought this for you.” I took out the contents – a fluffy hat and scarf set. Olive green. He held up the hat to my head, “Isn’t it nice? Sophia picked it out.” I stopped his hand, “You went shopping with Sophia just now?” He said casually, “We didn’t have time to go shopping. We had an event at the science museum this morning. On the way back, Sophia mentioned you were dressed lightly yesterday and specially reminded me to buy something for you.” I said flatly, “How thoughtful of her, busy sending me a green hat.” Simon’s face darkened, “What are you talking about? What green hat?” The questions that had been bottled up inside me made me feel irritated. I had originally planned to have a good talk with him, to ask him what he really thought, whether there were any problems between us, and what we should do. But now, I just wanted to throw the hat in his face. “Simon, don’t you owe me an explanation?” “What explanation?” “You kissed on a globally broadcasted competition, it even trended online, shouldn’t you explain that?” “What kiss? What are you talking about? It was just a celebration, right? Everyone kissed, didn’t you see?”

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At nine months pregnant, I suddenly felt my baby stop moving inside me. I rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section. When I woke up, my mother-in-law Martha happily told me I had given birth to a big, healthy boy. Meanwhile, my recently divorced sister-in-law Lily had delivered a stillborn baby on the same day. After that, Lily became extremely attached to my son. She was so good to him that before I died, I left all my inheritance to them. But they told me that the stillborn baby was actually mine. And the child I had poured my heart and soul into raising for eighteen years was actually Lily’s. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I first noticed my baby had stopped moving. I quickly adjusted to the fact that I had been reborn. Lying in bed, I placed my hand on my swollen belly, my heart heavy with grief. Hearing Martha push open the bedroom door, I quickly closed my eyes. Suddenly, Lily’s anxious voice rang out. “Mom, my stomach hurts so bad. Do you think I’m going into labor today?” Martha immediately scolded her. “Keep your voice down! Don’t let her hear you.” Lily fell silent, but soon began moaning in pain again. “Mom, it’s starting again. I can’t take it!” “Oh lord, you can’t give birth now! It has to be on the same day as her, remember?” My heart skipped a beat. So they had planned this all along. But what shocked me even more was what I heard next. “Mom, with all those drugs you’ve been giving her, is the baby really dead?” I felt like a knife had been plunged straight into my heart. Gritting my teeth, I listened to Martha’s confident reply: “If it’s not dead, it won’t survive long after birth anyway. That’s what happens when you’re carrying a girl.” No wonder. My baby had always been perfectly healthy. Just last month at my checkup, the doctor said everything looked great. I never imagined it would suddenly stop moving like this. I wanted nothing more than to kill them right then and there. “Ahh, Mom, I can’t take it anymore! The pain is unbearable – I really think I’m going into labor. Please, do something! Make her go to the hospital to give birth today too.” “Alright, I’ll give her the abortion medication now.” I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to tear them apart. Even now, I couldn’t understand why they would do this to me. I had been nothing but kind to Lily. When she got divorced while pregnant, I immediately invited her to live with us, not wanting her to be alone. Every prenatal vitamin and supplement I took, I made sure Lily had too. I even helped prepare her hospital bag and bought a set of baby clothes and diapers for her child. But I never imagined she and Martha had been plotting together all along to kill my baby and have me raise Lily’s child instead. I couldn’t fathom why. My baby was Martha’s own flesh and blood grandchild too. Why would she want to kill it just to have me raise Lily’s baby instead? In my past life, I suddenly developed cancer. Was that related to them as well? After all, Martha had prepared all my food and drinks. The more I thought about it, the more horrified I became. Just then, Martha pushed open the bedroom door, carrying a glass of milk. Her face was beaming like a chrysanthemum. “Chloe dear, wake up and have some milk.” Looking at that wrinkled old face, I wanted nothing more than to slap her hard. But I couldn’t. Not yet. I would make them pay for everything they owed me, slowly and painfully. I carried the milk into the living room. Lily’s face was deathly pale. Good. I hope the pain kills you. “Chloe, hurry and drink it before it gets cold,” Lily urged. I set the milk aside and stood up with a smile. “My stomach feels a bit off. I don’t want milk – I’m craving some steamed buns from that shop down the street.” “Absolutely not!” Martha and Lily cried in unison. Martha reached out to stop me. I shoved her hand away. I wasn’t going to the hospital today no matter what. Let’s see what they could do about it. “Mom!” Lily suddenly let out an agonized scream. Her skirt was soaked through. Her water had broken. Martha’s face turned ghostly white. Just as I was about to gloat, Martha suddenly shoved me hard. My belly slammed into the ground. Blood gushed between my legs. The pain made me black out. When I came to again, it was just like in my past life. Martha’s face was wreathed in smiles as she cradled a tiny infant. “Chloe, look! You’ve given birth to a big, healthy boy.” “He’s so adorable and chubby. You did so well, Chloe,” she cooed, placing the baby in my arms. Lily suddenly rushed over and snatched the baby from Martha. “Mom, let me hold him for a bit.” Her face was deathly pale and she staggered as she clutched the tiny infant tightly to her chest.

Martha quickly smacked Lily on the shoulder. “This is your nephew – Chloe’s baby. She hasn’t even held him yet. What are you thinking? Go lie down!” But Lily refused to let go. She gave me a pitiful look. “Chloe, my baby was stillborn. I’m heartbroken. Please, just let me hold him for a little while?” “Don’t worry about a thing, Chloe. You just rest. I have milk, so I can feed him if he gets hungry.” I stared at her coldly. She was so considerate. In my past life, I had been deeply touched by how thoughtful she was being. I even sent a delivery service to buy her lots of nutritional supplements. And gave her an expensive gold necklace as a thank you gift. Now I realized how blind I had been. The intense maternal love in her eyes as she gazed at the baby was so obvious. How did I not see it before? Even if I had noticed, I would have assumed she was just transferring the love for her lost child onto my baby. Looking back, I was such a fool. Seeing that I didn’t object to Lily holding the baby, Martha quickly chimed in with a smile. “Lily, Chloe has been so good to you. Everything you’ve eaten, worn, and used during your pregnancy was from her. You’d better take good care of your nephew from now on.” Lily nodded vigorously. “Of course, Chloe. Don’t worry about a thing. I’m happy to hold him all day long. Once you’ve recovered, you can go back to work without any worries. I’ll take care of the baby, and Mom will handle the cooking. We’ll be your support system.” Martha eagerly agreed. I dug my nails into my palms, fighting the urge to slap their shameless faces. They really had it all figured out. I wanted nothing more than to demand a paternity test right then and there to expose their lies. But when I saw the look of utter adoration on Lily’s face as she gazed at the baby, I changed my mind. I knew that this traumatic birth had left me completely infertile. In my past life, I was never able to get pregnant again. Since Lily was so willing to give me her biological child, I would raise him as my own right in front of her eyes. I would make her watch as her son became mine, until the pain was unbearable. Soon, my husband Lucas rushed back. He hugged me tightly, his face full of concern and gratitude. “Oh honey, you’ve been through so much.” I clung to him and burst into heart-wrenching sobs. In my past life, Lucas had been in a terrible car accident while rushing between business trips to provide for us. He needed an urgent heart transplant. I had scraped together $500,000 for the surgery with great difficulty, but Martha secretly took the money to buy the baby a grand piano instead. The delay in getting the surgery caused Lucas to die in the hospital. I could never understand how Martha could be so heartless towards her own son. She knew that money was meant to save his life, yet she stole it anyway! In this life, I would not let that tragedy repeat itself. I also needed to uncover whatever sinister plot was behind all this. Lucas cradled the baby, jokingly saying to me: “Honey, did you have an affair or something? This kid doesn’t look anything like me or you.” Martha and Lily’s faces instantly drained of color. I secretly rejoiced. I deliberately laughed and said to Lucas: “You’re right, he doesn’t look like either of us. Should we get a paternity test?” “Absolutely not!” Martha and Lily cried out in unison. Martha slapped Lucas hard on the back. “Lucas, you ungrateful brat! Chloe is such a wonderful daughter-in-law and you dare to doubt her? I ought to smack some sense into you!” Lily also jumped in anxiously. “Big brother, this is definitely your baby. How could you suspect Chloe like this? You’ll break her heart! Apologize to her right now!” Lucas laughed and hugged me. “I’m sorry, honey. I was just joking!” He whispered in my ear: “Wow honey, you’re amazing. You’ve got those two difficult, selfish women totally wrapped around your finger. Look how they’re defending you.” I laughed coldly to myself. A snake will always be a snake, no matter how you treat it. But with Martha and Lily taking care of the baby, I was able to enjoy a peaceful, comfortable postpartum recovery period this time around. Soon, Martha started pressuring me to go back to work. “Chloe, you see how well we’re taking care of the baby. Don’t worry about a thing. There will be so many expenses as he grows up.” Lily was nursing the baby, who had grown plump and adorable. “Chloe, Mom’s right. You should feel totally at ease going back to work. Mom and I can handle everything – the baby, the housework, you name it.” Of course I planned to return to work. But I wasn’t about to let them stay home and care for the baby full-time either.

In my past life, I had foolishly believed their words and threw myself into work. We sent the baby to an expensive private preschool, then private elementary, middle and high schools. Lucas and I were constantly traveling for business, barely able to spend any time with our son. Meanwhile, Martha and Lily were at home with him every day. The boy grew much closer to them than to us. In my past life, as I lay dying of cancer, I desperately wanted to see my son one last time. But Martha and Lily kept making excuses, saying they didn’t want to disrupt his studies. After I died, my soul lingered briefly. I saw Lily showing our son a paternity test, telling him she was his real mother. Mother and son embraced, sobbing. “I knew that woman wasn’t my mom. She never loved me. So you’re my real mother, Aunt Lily.” Martha, Lily and my son went on to live comfortably in the home Lucas and I had bought, using the inheritance we left behind. This time around, I would never let things unfold as they wished. With that in mind, I smiled and agreed. “Of course, Mom and Lily. I’ll work as hard as I can.” As soon as I left the apartment complex, I went straight to find Lucas. I showed him a video I had secretly recorded on my phone. In the video, Lily was cradling the baby, her expression tender. “Baby, I’m your real mommy, okay? You have to remember that.” “That woman isn’t your mother. You can’t drink her milk.” “Mommy doesn’t have money to raise you right now, so we have to rely on that woman. But you can’t get too close to her, understand?” Ever since I was reborn, I had installed hidden cameras in the guest room. I needed to protect myself from them. If they were capable of poisoning me during pregnancy, who knows what other evil they might do. I was just waiting for the day they would make their move. But Lucas’s face showed only sympathy for Lily. “Oh honey, my poor sister. She lost her own baby, so she must be projecting those feelings onto our son.” I knew Lucas was a kind person who had been manipulated by Martha his whole life to always take care of Lily. He would never imagine Martha and Lily could actually harm us. “Honey, I know Lily is in a sad situation. But our baby doesn’t understand any of this. If Lily keeps telling him these things, and we’re always busy working, don’t you think he might start to believe Lily is his real mother? He could end up having no bond with me at all.” Lucas thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I’ll call Lily and tell her to stop saying those things.” I quickly grabbed his phone away. “No, confronting her directly will only hurt her more.” “Then what should we do?” “Why don’t we send Mom and Lily on a nice vacation for a while? When Lily gets back, we can help her find a job. That way she can focus on other things.” “Plus, we shouldn’t treat her like some kind of live-in nanny for our child. That would be taking advantage of her.” Lucas looked uncertain. “But who will take care of the baby?” I already had a plan ready. “Honey, my friend runs a professional daycare center. I’ve checked it out – the staff are all highly trained experts. It’s really great.” Lucas finally agreed and called Lily. But when he hung up, he had a troubled expression. “Honey, Lily says they’re happy to go on a trip, but they insist on taking the baby with them.” “What if we let them take him, and give them a bit more time? We can figure something else out later, okay?” Absolutely not okay. I pinched my thigh hard and burst into loud sobs. “But honey, I can’t bear to be away from our baby either! I’m his mother!” Seeing my tears, Lucas finally took my side. “Don’t cry, honey. I won’t let them take our son away.” Soon, Lucas’s phone rang. I heard Martha’s panicked voice come through: “Lucas, come quick! When you refused to let Lily take the baby, she got so upset she slit her wrists! You have to come to the hospital right away!” We rushed to the hospital. Martha immediately slapped Lucas hard across the face. 4

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I Have a Special Mind Reading Ability: I Can Hear the Thoughts of Those Who Don’t Love Me On the eve of my wedding, I suddenly heard my fiancé’s thoughts: “If she tries to hijack the wedding tomorrow, running away in dress shoes might not be the best idea.” I kept quiet and decisively boarded a flight out of the country the next day. Later, that wedding became the talk of the town – both the bride and groom had run away. I’ve always possessed a special mind-reading ability: I can hear the thoughts of people who don’t love me. This ability allows me to easily judge whether someone’s love for me is genuine or fake. I can quickly distance myself from fake friendships and remain unmoved by confessions from long-time crushes. Even when buying durian, I can use the vendor’s thoughts to pick the one with the most flesh and sweetest taste. Because I can hear every single thought clearly. To avoid too much mental noise, I usually avoid eye contact with strangers in daily life. But when I first met Derek, the world became so quiet that I could only hear our clear dialogue: “Hello, may I get to know you?” No thoughts. When our eyes met, I couldn’t read Derek’s thoughts. “Hello.” During the time Derek pursued me, the sounds in my ears were simple and pure. I believed he truly loved me. So we fell in love, dated, and then talked about marriage. For two whole years, I never heard his thoughts. But on the eve of our wedding, I suddenly could hear Derek’s thoughts. Due to the wedding, Derek had been especially busy lately. He came from a wealthy family and had successfully taken over his father’s position, independently managing the family’s financial company. Because of the wedding itinerary, we had many things to handle in advance, especially in the last two months. I’ve always been an independent woman and respected Derek’s career as well. So we hadn’t seen each other much lately. But today, as we were finalizing the outfits, I couldn’t help feeling sweet at the thought of our rare time together. When I arrived at the studio on time, he was already there trying on shoes. After saying something to the staff, he walked out while talking on the phone, his tone very reassuring. I could understand his busyness; managing a company wasn’t easy, especially since the White family had more than one heir. We exchanged a knowing glance. But suddenly I heard Derek’s voice in my head: “Yvonne says she’s going to hijack the wedding tomorrow. I should wear sneakers to run more easily.” Yvonne? Hijack the wedding? I froze on the spot, staring at his mouth, confirming this was indeed his inner thoughts. I didn’t know how to react. Even though it was a hot summer day outside, a chill spread through my body, paralyzing me. I could hear his thoughts now, and the implications were obvious. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the staff following his instructions, placing a pair of comfortable sneakers with the wedding attire. Derek nodded at me and prepared to walk out. This was our tacit understanding; he probably had some important matter to handle. But the words I just heard in my mind were undeniable, and I never mishear thoughts. My body almost moved on its own, following him. I called out, somewhat in disbelief: “Derek?” I was eager to read more of his thoughts, to understand what this man who bore the title of my fiancé was really thinking. Why did he suddenly have a change of heart right before the wedding? My call made Derek pause just as he was about to get into the backseat, but it was only a brief pause. He turned back, hastily explaining to me before instructing the driver to speed away: “Sorry, a client suddenly has an urgent matter. I need to rush over there.” He was lying. At that moment, what he was really thinking was: “I can tell from her voice that Yvonne is angry. If I don’t go comfort her now, she probably won’t let me come home tonight.” I’ve never been one to just wallow in self-pity. Rather than overthinking things myself, it’s better to take action. I directly found an excuse to meet Derek’s secretary privately, using my mind-reading ability to gather more information. Her name was Yvonne. She was Derek’s first love. Yvonne was the illegitimate daughter of the You family. Mrs. You never acknowledged her, so her position had always been awkwardly ambiguous. Unfortunately, Derek’s family opposed their relationship. Yvonne had too much pride and left Derek, disappearing without a trace after being humiliated. Derek’s love at first sight for me was simply because I somewhat resembled Yvonne in appearance. Now that the real deal was back, he naturally didn’t need me as a substitute anymore. The timing of Yvonne’s return happened to coincide with Derek being exceptionally busy two months ago. The logic was clear and fit perfectly. This kind of story made me shake my head and laugh helplessly. I never expected such a cliché “substitute” plot could apply to me. Yvonne wanted to use hijacking the wedding as a way to declare her ownership of Derek, while also getting revenge on me for occupying the “Mrs. White” position for so long. And Derek needed this occasion to prove his unwavering love for Yvonne, placate his angry little wife, and force his family to accept Yvonne. As for me and this carefully prepared wedding, we were just props in their play. This world is just one big cliché romance novel. Honestly, it was so ridiculous I couldn’t help but curse. That night, the lights in my apartment were still on. Even though the wedding was the next day, I was busy packing my luggage without a moment’s rest. Two hours ago, I had booked a first-class flight abroad. If they want to play games, I can play too. If Derek can let Yvonne hijack the wedding, I can naturally return the favor by pulling a “vanishing act” and running away from the wedding. Fortunately, my family had already settled abroad, and we hadn’t made a big fuss inviting relatives and friends from there to this wedding. We only invited some close friends in the country. Originally, we thought since both sets of parents had met during the engagement, we could have another ceremony abroad later, saving relatives and friends the trouble of traveling back and forth with language barriers. This plan actually made it convenient for me to run away from the wedding now. I briefly told my best friend Tessa about my thoughts. She silently took the packing box from my hands, looking serious. Unable to read her thoughts, I saw her reaction was off and had to ask: “Tessa, are you going to stop me?” Tessa rolled her eyes and retorted: “Hell no. I brought you a sturdy bag for packing stuff.” Oh right, I forgot Tessa’s family was in the agricultural business. On the wedding day, dressed in a greeting gown, I stood with Derek welcoming guests from afar. This time, Derek’s thoughts were so loud they gave me a headache: “Has Yvonne arrived yet?” “I can finally be with Yvonne. It’s been three years, I’ve waited for Yvonne for three years. She’s finally going to become Mrs. White.” “With this wedding hijacking, Yvonne will believe my heart has never changed, right?” … I couldn’t help but shudder and frown at Derek several times. But he didn’t show it on his face, still caring for me in his usual gentle manner: “Aria, you don’t look well. Why don’t you go rest in the lounge for a bit? I can greet the guests outside, and you can make your entrance when the ceremony starts.” That works. Actually, I should find an excuse to slip away soon anyway. I agreed, and just as I was about to change out of my little reception dress into casual clothes, I happened to run into Yvonne at the door. Thanks to our similar looks and my mind-reading ability, I recognized her at a glance. I held back Tessa’s arm as she was about to lunge at the mistress in her bridesmaid dress, pretending to be oblivious: “You must be Derek’s friend, right? Hurry inside, our wedding ceremony starts in a few hours.” Yvonne’s smile froze, seemingly displeased by my intimate way of addressing Derek. Her words had a sarcastic tone: “Miss Wood, I’m so sorry, but we seem to be wearing similar dresses today. If people who don’t know better see us, won’t they think I’m the bride?” Yvonne’s arrogant thoughts rang out in sync: “Go ahead and smile. In three hours, your groom will run away with me. Let’s see if you can still smile then.” I maintained my smile, shaking my head indifferently. I instructed a nearby waiter to show her to her seat: “Idiot, I’ve made it this obvious and she still doesn’t realize I’m here to cause trouble?” As we passed each other, Tessa couldn’t help but complain to me: “Did you see how arrogant she looked? I can’t stand it.” I nodded noncommittally: “She sees me as a joke now, after all Derek is prepared to let her hijack the wedding. Not only can the lovers finally be together, but she can also force the White family to acknowledge her status in front of me. ” The wedding venue wasn’t far from the airport. I sat in the waiting lounge, staring at the time on my phone, waiting for the farce to begin. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! My phone vibrated continuously as Tessa excitedly spammed me with live updates: “Aria, it’s really happening! It’s really happening!” “Damn, they’re making their affair look like some epic love story. So shameless.” The official ceremony had only started five minutes ago when Tessa sent me a video of the wedding scene. According to the program, after Derek went on stage and the host gave a sappy, emotional speech about their love story, the bride was supposed to make her entrance. And Yvonne planned to hijack the wedding at this crucial moment. Yvonne deliberately wore the same greeting dress as the bride, quickly went up on stage and snatched the microphone from the host. Despite the murmurs from the audience below, she poured out her love in an endless stream. Her bold and blatant words brought tears to Derek’s eyes. “Derek, will you come with me?” The guest seats erupted in an uproar. Taking away the groom on his wedding day – wasn’t this blatant wedding hijacking? The worst part was that Derek nodded in agreement with a moved expression, walking to Yvonne’s side and interlocking their fingers: “I will.” Yvonne’s vanity was fully satisfied at this moment. She even had the mood to give an “acceptance speech” to the bride separated by a large door, basically saying she knew I really liked Derek, but Derek loved her the most, and she hoped I would give them my blessing. In the video, Derek was wearing a pair of sneakers that clashed horribly with his formal suit. Yvonne could barely contain the smugness in her expression as she held the microphone. Yvonne was probably eager to see my devastated reaction. She had even prepared comforting words in her mind: “I hope Miss Wood can give her blessing to this beautiful love story between me and Derek.” “Miss Wood?” The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward at this point. After all, the person being humiliated wasn’t there, so this triumphant scene just became a clownish farce. “Miss Wood?” “Miss Wood?” … Yvonne called out several times with no response, until the etiquette officer opened the large doors. Behind them was an empty space, with only the carelessly discarded white veil symbolizing the bride’s unknown whereabouts. The crowd suddenly became noisy, and someone shouted: “Holy crap, did the bride run away from the wedding too?”

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Chapter 1: A Second Chance To save on rent, my sister-in-law Jessica teamed up with my mom and sweet-talked their way into moving into my newly renovated house. Later, when my nephew Ryan died of leukemia, Jessica blamed me for it. “It’s you! You deliberately used the cheapest materials, which killed my son!” she screamed, her eyes wild with grief and anger. She lunged at me with a kitchen knife, stabbing at my swollen belly. “Since my son is dead, you don’t get to have your brat either!” Eighteen stabs. Neither my baby nor I survived. Perhaps Heaven took pity on me and granted me a chance to be reborn. … I was reborn five years in the past. Still reeling from the pain of being stabbed to death in my previous life, I overheard my sister-in-law Jessica and my brother Jack’s scheming voices outside my room. “Nora’s house is newly renovated. Why don’t you talk to Mom and see if we can stay there with Ryan for a year?” Jessica suggested. “Will she agree?” Jack still had a shred of conscience, saying it was my new house for when I got married, and it might not be appropriate for them to live there with a child. Jessica glared at him. “We’re family. What’s the big deal? Besides, it’s a three-bedroom apartment. We won’t be using her master bedroom.” Hah! They said they wouldn’t use the master bedroom now, but after moving in, the whole family slept in my king-sized bed in the master bedroom. They had the audacity to say the bed was bigger and more suitable for sleeping with a child, plus it had an en-suite bathroom which was more convenient. My nephew frequently wet the bed, soiling my expensive mattress with urine stains. What’s more infuriating was that they lived in my house without paying for utilities or property management fees. When I mentioned this to my mom, she sided with my brother and sister-in-law, saying, “It’s just a few hundred dollars for utilities and fees. As a sister, isn’t it your duty to help your brother?” At the time, I thought they would keep their word and move out when my nephew started first grade. Little did I know that getting rid of them would be harder than inviting them in. They stayed for four or five years, refusing to leave. Until one day, my nephew was diagnosed with leukemia, and they blamed his illness on me. After my nephew passed away, Jessica smashed everything in my new house. “It’s you… you did it on purpose. You deliberately used the cheapest materials for renovation, intentionally killing my son.” She grabbed a knife and stabbed viciously at my belly. I instinctively tried to run, but six months pregnant and already wounded by her first strike, I couldn’t outpace her. I barely made it two steps before she dragged me back. “Nora, you bitch, die!” Jessica screamed. Blood gushed from my body, staining the new carpet red. I felt like a broken sack, holes everywhere, bleeding profusely. Jessica’s face twisted and distorted before my eyes, her screams and curses echoing in my ears, but I was powerless to respond. I never imagined she would be so brutal. I had softened my heart and let them live in my new home, never asking for a penny in rent. I even paid for their utilities and property fees. In the end, she killed me and my child, stab by stab. By the time I breathed my last, Jessica came to her senses. As my soul left my body, I watched my brother and mother frantically help Jessica dispose of my corpse. They initially planned to hide my body to protect Jessica. To quote a popular internet saying: Those who kill often know that while murder is easy, hiding a body is hard. The truth came out. My mother knelt before my husband Iker, begging for his forgiveness and pleading for a letter of understanding. That woman who gave birth to me and raised me was now kneeling for the murderer who killed me. “My grandson was killed by Nora, and Jessica just lost her mind for a moment. Iker, please forgive her… Even if you kill Jessica, it won’t bring Nora and the baby back,” my mother pleaded, tears streaming down her face. Seeing my mother’s tear-stained face, my heart turned cold. I was her daughter, after all… I could understand my brother protecting his wife, but why was my mother like this? Talking about a momentary lapse, begging my husband not to press charges. Hah, a momentary lapse that ignored my desperate pleas and stabbed me 18 times? I closed my eyes, and everything that happened in my previous life flashed before me. Chapter 2: A New Beginning I composed myself and pushed open the door. Jessica greeted me with a bowl of freshly washed fruit. “Nora, you’re up from your nap? I washed some fruit for you, have some.” Jessica’s fake smile overlapped with her twisted face when she killed me in my previous life. I mustered all my strength to hide the overwhelming hatred in my heart and replied coolly, “No need, I’m heading out.” I saw Jessica nudge my brother with her elbow. Jack quickly asked, “Will you be back for dinner? Mom said she’s roasting a chicken tonight.” I vaguely remembered that in my previous life, it was on this very night that they sweet-talked their way into moving into my newly renovated house. They said my nephew needed a place to stay for school. My newly renovated house was empty, so they asked to stay for a year, promising to move to the city next year when they bought their own place. I softened and agreed, and the result was… “I won’t be back. I have plans to go shopping and have dinner with friends,” I replied. They must be racking their brains now, trying to get me to agree to let them stay in my new house when my nephew starts school. Especially my sister-in-law Jessica. Jessica was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In my previous life, to get me to agree to let them live in my new house, she sucked up to me for days. Usually stingy, she went out of her way to buy cherries, my favorite fruit, and even gave me a set of skincare products. Later, I found out that the skincare set was a return from a customer at her shop who had an allergic reaction to it. In my previous life, after they lived there for a year, I saw no signs of them moving out. I hinted both subtly and directly that they should move out, saying I wanted to move back in. My mother cried and yelled, calling me ungrateful for wanting to kick my own mother out of my house. Not wanting to cause a big rift, I endured it. The consequence of my endurance was being killed by them, losing two lives. In this life, I won’t endure it anymore! Not only will I not endure it, but I’ll also make them pay for what they did in my previous life. I planned to keep them on edge for a few days, then refuse when they’re desperate… That day after going out, I didn’t return to my old home. Instead, I stayed at my new apartment in town for a few days. Regarding my nephew’s leukemia, I expressed confusion. Worried that there might really be an issue with my renovation materials, I secretly called a professional formaldehyde testing company to check. After a week of continuous testing, the conclusion was that the formaldehyde levels were within the normal range. This house was renovated last October, more than half a year ago, and it had good ventilation and lighting. So Ryan’s leukemia had little to do with my house. It must have been due to his own constitution and other factors. As long as it wasn’t my house’s problem, I felt relieved. I stayed in my new house until the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, not long before school was set to start. They couldn’t sit still anymore. My mom called me several times, asking me to return to the old house. I made excuses about some unfinished work in the new house and didn’t go back. Early on the eleventh day, my mom brought my brother’s family of three to my door. “Why are you here?” I asked. Jessica smiled and said, “Well, the New Year just passed, so we brought Mom down for a look around. Ryan was also bored at home.” My brother’s family came uninvited, making themselves completely at home. My brother and sister-in-law used to work out of town, always renting places to live. Jessica lost money on her store last year and transferred the business. Now she planned to work in our small town. That’s why they set their sights on my new house. “Ryan, isn’t your aunt’s new house beautiful?” Jessica asked her son. My nephew nodded repeatedly, “It’s beautiful.” They used to rent in old, run-down neighborhoods to save money. My new house had a great environment, and I had put a lot of effort into decorating it nicely. My nephew’s eyes lit up when he entered. At five or six years old, he was curious about everything. Before I knew it, he had run from the living room to the bedroom. “Ryan Sullivan, don’t go into my room!” I called out. Suddenly remembering that in my previous life, the first time he came to my house, he also curiously went to play in my bedroom and broke my expensive floor lamp. Fortunately, this time I stopped him in time. I pulled him out and firmly closed the door. Seeing his innocent expression, remembering how pitiful his death was in my previous life, my voice softened a bit. “Go play somewhere else. The bedroom is for sleeping.” Jessica was very displeased when she saw me stop her son from entering the bedroom. She pulled him into her arms and said unhappily, “Son, your aunt’s new house is too precious. We don’t have such luck to live here. Let’s go.” Her sarcastic tone made me feel sick. In the past, I would have immediately comforted my nephew: “That’s not what I meant. We’re family, of course you can stay. How could you not be worthy?” But now, I let her angrily pull her son away without saying a word or trying to stop them. “Jessica, what’s wrong? Don’t leave,” my brother immediately pulled his wife and son back. Chapter 3: Family Tensions My mom glared at me and played peacemaker, “Nora, Ryan is your own nephew. He’s so young, why are you scolding him? What’s wrong with him being curious and wanting to look at your bedroom?” “What kind of guest goes into someone’s bedroom without permission? Mom, I’m not just saying this to you. It’s fine since it’s my house, but if this happened at someone else’s place, wouldn’t people say you have poor manners? He’s five or six years old, just starting to understand things. You need to teach him properly.” As soon as I said this, my brother, sister-in-law, and mom’s faces fell. “Nora, what do you mean?” My brother, always quick-tempered despite his lack of ability, said, “You think you’re so great because you bought a house? You’re putting on airs now?” “What airs? Can’t you tell right from wrong? I’m trying to reason with you, but you won’t listen. Forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything.” In my previous life, I was too weak and easily manipulated. Whenever my brother yelled at me, I would get so nervous I couldn’t speak, letting him have his way. Living this life again, I understood that my brother was a bully who only preyed on the weak. If he was fierce, I just needed to be fiercer. Seeing my impatience, he and my sister-in-law looked surprised. They exchanged a glance, and finally, my mom spoke up: “We’re all family, what’s there to argue about? Nora is also saying this for Ryan’s good, and she’s not wrong.” My mom patted my brother, clearly meaning that they were the ones asking for a favor from me, so they should hold their tempers. My mom was always like this, always taking my brother’s side. Although I already knew their true colors from my previous life, at this moment, I still felt hurt. After all, she was the mother who gave birth to me and raised me. Blood is thicker than water, as they say. I originally thought that if I was good to them, they would be good to me and treat me like family. But some people are born selfish and will never treat you as family. “It’s getting late. Nora, you haven’t been home for days. I brought half a chicken and bought some pork tripe. I’ll make some chicken soup with tripe, your favorite.” I did love chicken soup with tripe, but every time the soup was ready, my mom would take out the tripe and give almost all of it to my brother and grandson, along with the chicken legs… She would always tell me: “Nora, drink more soup. The soup is the most nutritious.” Bull***t, the meat is the most nutritious. As she spoke, my mom headed towards the kitchen with the groceries. “Mom, don’t bother. My kitchen can’t be used for cooking right now. The range hood isn’t installed properly and leaks smoke. The repairman said he won’t have time to fix it until after the Lantern Festival.” This was true, though in my previous life, they only discovered it after cooking for a while. By the time they noticed, my cabinets had already been blackened by smoke. Afraid they wouldn’t believe me, I opened the cabinet and shook the loose range hood, saying, “See? If we don’t fix this, it could fall and kill someone while cooking.” “Oh?” My mom clearly hadn’t expected this problem. “Then what about this chicken and tripe? They’re fresh.” “You can take them back tonight.” By saying this, I made it clear I didn’t want them staying at my place. Jessica’s face darkened even more. “Mom, are you going back tonight? I’m not planning to. I have dinner plans with my girlfriends tonight.” My brother chimed in, “I’m not going back either. I have plans to play cards tonight.” Seeing the situation, my mom immediately said, “If you both have plans tonight, then I have to stay and look after Ryan. Who else will take care of him if you go out?” It was obvious they had already planned to sleep at my place. Jessica pouted, all her previous anger gone, looking at me with a hint of pleading in her eyes. “Nora, your new house is newly renovated, and we haven’t stayed here before. You don’t mind if we sleep here for one night, right?” After saying this, Jessica brought in the things from the doorway. “Although we’re family, we can’t come empty-handed the first time we stay at your place. I bought you some cherries, your favorite.” “Oh, and this set of skincare products. I saved it for you when I transferred my shop. The set costs several thousand dollars.” My mom patted my hand and said, “See how good your sister-in-law is to you.” How good to me… I closed my eyes, the pain of losing two lives in my previous life still sharp and stinging. “Since we can’t cook at home, why don’t we go out for lunch? Nora, what do you want to eat? It’s my treat,” my brother offered. “Dad, I want to eat steak,” Ryan chimed in. “Alright, let’s have steak then.” “Yay! We get to eat steak today and stay at Aunt Nora’s new house.” I opened my eyes, looking at their happy faces, and said coldly, “Who said I agreed to let you stay?”

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The day Sean Parker and I agreed to move to the same city, I failed to show up on time. He probably couldn’t understand why I suddenly went incommunicado after just going back home to pack my luggage. A few days later, I called Sean. As soon as he picked up, I heard his furious questioning: “Thea Brown, are you trying to break up with me out of the blue?” I looked around at the cold, steel bars surrounding me and forced myself to say something I didn’t mean. “Yeah, I’m about to go abroad and live the good life.” “Let’s not keep in touch anymore.” Five years later, I was making a living by setting up a small booth in a night market tourist area. I did manicures for tourists while selling some handmade trinkets on the side. That night, it started drizzling. The lady at the neighboring stall called out to me as she was packing up: “Thea, why don’t you head home? It’s raining!” I shook my head bitterly. The truth was, I hadn’t made a single sale all day and didn’t want to leave empty-handed. The lady tried to persuade me: “Honey, that’s not how you make money. You’ve barely eaten anything all day. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Just as she finished speaking, two people suddenly stopped in front of my booth – a picture-perfect couple. “Hey, how much for a manicure?” The girl’s voice was sweet as she casually browsed the designs. I habitually lowered my head, wiped the customer’s chair clean, and eagerly introduced my services: “Basic designs are 50 , m o r e c o m p l e x o n e s a r e 50,morecomplexonesare100. If you’d like, I can also throw in a free plush toy – I make them myself.” The girl didn’t even look at the toys. She randomly pointed at a trendy design. “I’ll take this one. Skip the plush toy – I’m not interested in unlicensed products.” The man beside her opened an umbrella and held it over her head, his tone full of affection. “I can’t believe you still want to get dolled up in this rain.” My hand froze as I was reaching for my tools. Though I hadn’t heard that voice in years, I would recognize it anywhere till the day I died. It was Sean Parker. I snuck a glance and finally got a clear look at him now. He had lost weight but become even more handsome. In that moment, my heart felt like a fallen leaf tossed about by a gale, drifting aimlessly with no place to settle. I mechanically reached out to gently hold the girl’s hand. I lowered my head to steady myself and slowly began painting her nails. From the corner of my eye, I saw Sean pull up a chair and sit down, his hand holding the umbrella never wavering. It suddenly reminded me of our college days when he would always wait for me outside the dorm building whenever it rained. He always tilted the umbrella more towards my side. But that favoritism no longer belonged to me. Now, he stood beside another girl, shielding her from the wind and rain, giving her his undivided attention. “Wait, take off everything you just did,” the girl suddenly pulled her hand back and held it up to her face, blowing on it gently. My thoughts were abruptly pulled back to reality as I asked anxiously, “Miss, do you… not like it?” She frowned and shook her head. “Your hands feel like they have thorns, it’s uncomfortable.” “How can you do manicures for others with hands like that? Don’t you understand customer service?” Only then did I notice how dry and cracked my own hands were. Years of sewing and manual labor had left my fingertips covered in tiny, rough calluses. In that moment, I felt my face burn with embarrassment, my chest tightening. Sean suddenly laughed and ruffled the girl’s hair, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “Please help remove the polish for her. Keep the money.” He finally looked at me. That glance made his hand freeze mid-motion as he was taking out cash. I watched as his expression gradually hardened, the muscles in his face twitching subtly. Those eyes that were once gentle and mesmerizing slowly filled with hatred. The girl took out some sanitizing wipes from her purse and started wiping her fingers one by one. She turned to ask, “What’s wrong? Do you know her?” He suddenly smiled. He pulled out a few more bills from his wallet and tossed them all at me unceremoniously. “No, I don’t. She just looks pitiful.” “Consider it charity for a beggar. Let’s go.” Those two sentences were like sharp hooks, digging into my heart one by one. He had recognized me. At my most wretched state.

Sean Parker didn’t know that my lowest point wasn’t now. The year we graduated, we had agreed to move to the same city to start our careers. I was supposed to go back home briefly to pack my things before we left. But as soon as I walked through the door, I witnessed a nightmarish scene. My stepfather had pinned my mother to the ground, one hand pressing her head down, the other viciously swinging his fist. Seeing me enter, he not only didn’t stop, but hit even harder. “You worthless bitch! You’re just as cheap as that daughter of yours. You eat my food, drink my booze, but when it’s time to serve me you’re not willing? I’ll beat you to death!” For a moment, my mother’s wails and my stepfather’s curses blended together, assaulting every nerve in my body. I couldn’t take it anymore and rushed over to push him off. But I was no match for him. Within seconds he got back up and slapped me hard across the face. My mother struggled to her feet and clung to his leg. “Please, stop hitting her. The child will make money in the future.” The mention of money only made the beast angrier. He shook off my mother and lunged at me, grabbing me by the throat. In that moment, I felt like I was going to die. On the brink of despair, my hand found a fruit knife on the table. Without thinking, I plunged it into his heart. Just like that, at barely over 20 years old, I became a murderer. The day I was waiting for my sentencing, I made a call to Sean Parker. As soon as he picked up, he demanded to know why I had been so cold-hearted. I wiped away the tears that had long since covered my face and spoke scornfully to him for the first time. “Sean Parker, I’ll tell you the truth. In a couple days, I’m going abroad to live the good life.” “Only an idiot would stay with a poor nobody like you.” Those heartless words were enough to crush Sean Parker, who was penniless at the time. His voice trembled as he warned me not to regret it. After that, we never contacted each other again. Later, I was sentenced to five years for manslaughter. My mother hanged herself a week after my sentencing. From that day on, I not only lost my mother, but also my freedom. I regretted it, but it was too late. Sean Parker was wonderful, so wonderful that no one else in the world could replace him. As for me, the castle I had spent over 20 years building in my heart had already crumbled. I was no longer worthy of him. I would never be worthy again. For a while after getting out of prison, no company was willing to hire me. I finally managed to find a job as a food delivery driver. But when my criminal record was discovered, even the boss who had been kind to me suddenly turned cold: “You little brat, do you know how much trouble it would cause the company if this got out? Get lost, and stay far away!” Who could have imagined that me, a graduate from a top university, would now be unqualified even to be a delivery driver? Later, I could only rely on the skills I had learned in prison to do some small business, working from dawn to dusk just to barely make ends meet. The money Sean Parker threw at me today was almost equivalent to a month’s income for me. But I didn’t want to accept it. That money hitting my body hurt more than a slap to the face. Before bed, I got a call from my college roommate Claire White. She was the only friend I had contacted after getting out of prison. “Thea, I invited Sean Parker to my wedding next month too. My dad is working with him now, so I really had no choice.” “But you have to come, we promised each other back in college.” I tidied up the money I hadn’t had a chance to refuse earlier and calmly replied: “It’s fine, I have something to return to him anyway.” Once I returned it, I could let go too.

Claire’s wedding was held at her father’s hotel. This was my first time back in this city after more than five years. Even though I had been back in society for half a year now, I still felt uneasy in crowded places. “Thea, don’t be so tense.” Claire patted my shoulder to help me relax. I gave a dry smile and gestured for her to go ahead and stay busy. Soon people started taking their seats. I realized this whole table was filled with my college classmates, but no one recognized me. Sean Parker arrived with that pretty girl from the other day, causing a stir before they even sat down. “Well well, looks like Mr. Parker is about to tie the knot soon, eh?” He didn’t try to hide it, openly holding hands with the girl. Then he glanced in my direction and smiled, nodding: “That’s right, when Sophie and I get married, you all have to come drink to our happiness.” So her name was Sophie. I lowered my head, wanting to bury myself in the dust. All I could do was try my best to minimize my presence. But Sophie noticed me. “Hey~ Aren’t you the girl who did my nails the other day?” Her words drew countless gazes. Finally someone recognized me. “Are you… Thea Brown? Is that really you?” I nodded slightly, still not raising my face. That person slapped their thigh. “It really is you! But how did you end up like this? I remember you used to be so beautiful. Now you look malnourished!” I forced a smile, not knowing how to respond. Some of those close to Sean Parker started taking potshots: “Well well, Miss Lin, looks like karma caught up with you, huh? We hadn’t heard a peep from you in years – we thought you died in the pandemic or something.” The words were unpleasant, but I could tolerate them. After all, compared to the abuse I endured in prison, what was this? Besides, this was Claire’s wedding. I couldn’t let her face any embarrassment. During the meal, I just focused on eating the food in front of me. Sean Parker sneered, serving Sophie some dishes while taking a dig at me: “Is Miss Lin not used to Chinese food after being abroad for so long?” I numbly finished my last bite and gently set down my chopsticks. “Please, enjoy your meal everyone. I have to leave early.” As I said this, my gaze floated in the air. There was a whole table of people, yet I couldn’t find a single pair of eyes to meet. I left in a hurry, not getting a chance to say goodbye to Claire or find an opportunity to return Sean Parker’s money. But as soon as I walked out of the hotel, someone stopped me. Sean Parker had somehow taken a shortcut and arrived at the entrance before me. Without a word, he dragged me to a secluded corner. His face was dark, like storm clouds before heavy rain. “Thea Brown, what’s your game? Didn’t you say you were going abroad to live the good life? Why are you back now?” I was at a loss for words, staring at him helplessly. “They’re right, this is karma for abandoning me.” “Are you jealous? I’m rich and successful now, with a beautiful and loving girlfriend.” “Most importantly, she loves me. She won’t casually abandon me! You’re the one who’s been abandoned!” He hurled years of pent-up anger at me like an avalanche, crushing the air out of my lungs. At the critical moment, Claire came running out, panting as she stood in front of me. “Sean Parker, what, what are you doing? Do you know that Thea…” “Claire!” I hurriedly cut her off. I shoved the money I had prepared into Sean Parker’s hands and pulled Claire away, turning to leave. I didn’t want him to know. It was better if it stayed buried in my gut forever.

That night, Claire made time to give me a call. “Thea, don’t stay cooped up in that little tourist area anymore. Come work at my dad’s hotel.” I felt both dazed and uneasy. “Is that… appropriate? Won’t I cause trouble for you?” Claire brushed it off: “It’s fine, just be a temporary room service staff. You won’t have to be out in public much, and it’ll pay better than selling plush toys.” This time, I suddenly wanted to give it a try. On my third day of work, someone was holding a birthday party in the main hall. It originally had nothing to do with me, but the manager suddenly called me down to help serve drinks. When I got to the hall, I realized it was Sean Parker’s birthday. I had completely forgotten. Not only were many college classmates there, but also friends he had made in the city over the past few years. I looked around, hoping to find Claire in the crowd. I didn’t want to show my face at this party. “What are you looking at? I didn’t call you down here to gawk!” The supervisor impatiently placed a tray of drinks in my hands, filling several glasses in seconds. She pointed ahead: “Go on, hurry up! The main table is waiting for drinks!” I had no chance to refuse before she gave me a push, sending me wandering through the crowd like a zombie with the tray of drinks. Just as I reached the main table, Sophie suddenly turned and bumped my arm. I lost my grip for a moment, and the tray toppled to the ground. With a loud crash, glasses shattered and alcohol splashed everywhere, splattering Sophie’s high heels and the hem of her dress. “Ah! What’s wrong with you? Are you blind?” “I’m sorry.” I apologized woodenly, frantically trying to clean up the glass shards on the floor. Sophie was furious. “What good is apologizing? Do you know how much these shoes cost? Get down and clean them properly!” I instinctively glanced at Sean Parker. He frowned slightly but remained silent. I understood. He had no intention of intervening. “Hurry up! What are you thinking about? Is this how your hotel staff handle mistakes?” Forget it. I took out the handkerchief I always carried and crouched down to wipe her shoes. In that moment, I was the focus of everyone’s stares. Before I finished, I heard Sophie’s cold laughter from above. “Ladies and gentlemen, many of you know this person, right? Do you all know where she’s been these past few years?” My mind went blank. She was… doing this on purpose? She used a playful tone to ask me: “It’s Thea Brown, right? Why don’t I help you tell everyone where you disappeared to?” I suddenly understood. Sophie had investigated all my information. Though I didn’t know why, she was determined to expose me. The crowd immediately began to stir, like a swarm of annoying flies. I looked up, meeting Sophie’s smug gaze. She looked down at me, smiling maliciously. In that moment, I felt like a cornered animal. And they were all executioners waiting for me to surrender. If I was going to die either way, I’d rather jump off the cliff myself than be toyed with by them. I stood up and looked at her, at Sean Parker, at the countless eyes fixed on me. No more hiding. “No need for your help. I’ll tell everyone myself.” “A few years ago, I accidentally killed someone. I disappeared because I was serving time in prison.” This moment of honesty wasn’t for anyone else, but for myself. I just wanted to live a decent life. “What did you say?” Sean Parker shot to his feet, staring at me in disbelief, his eyes blazing.

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On the eve of the piano competition, my right hand was accidentally scalded. The championship slipped through my fingers. As soon as Gideon heard about it, he rushed back from out of town overnight. Everyone said he was madly in love with me. Only I knew the truth. Gideon had someone scald my hand to please Lily, his long-time crush. At the hospital, the man carelessly glanced at my grotesque wound. He said lightly, “Does it really hurt that much? Stop pretending.” “I only told them to splash half a cup of water.” Hearing the man’s nonchalant tone, I didn’t make a fuss. Instead, I silently planned my escape for a month later, on our wedding day. In the quiet hospital room, Gideon lit up his phone screen once again. His eyes frequently darted to the screen, as if waiting for a message from someone. I noticed the blood starting to flow back into the IV tube. The man still looked distracted. I finally couldn’t help but remind him: “Gideon, the IV bag is empty.” Gideon responded perfunctorily, without even sparing me a glance. Just then, a message notification sounded. A smile immediately appeared on Gideon’s lips, his eyes softening noticeably. His fingers flew quickly across the phone screen. I looked away, no longer watching him. There was no need to guess – Gideon was replying to Lily’s message. Only she could make the usually cold Gideon treat her so tenderly. “Oh, by the way, go home by yourself after the IV is done,” Gideon instructed me without looking up. I turned to look out the window. A light rain was falling, but the wind was strong. Just then, Lily posted on her social media. It was a screenshot of a large bank transfer. [Thanks to CEO Gideon for the $52,000~] I suddenly remembered. On Valentine’s Day, Gideon had sent me a $52 red envelope. Only after I pestered him for a long time did Gideon agree, with an impatient look on his face. The man’s words still echoed in my ears: “Holly, when did you become so vain?” “It’s just an unimportant holiday, do you need to be so petty about it?” But to please Lily, he was willing to spend $52,000 without batting an eye. I curled my fingers awkwardly, as if that could ease the stabbing pain in my heart. Just then, Lily walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers. As soon as he saw Lily, Gideon jumped to his feet, his eyes filled with undisguised delight. He walked over and took the flowers from her hands. Lily pulled out a trophy from behind her back, acting as if I wasn’t there. “The championship is mine!” she said proudly. Gideon seemed even happier than her. He hugged Lily right in front of me. Watching this scene, I felt nothing but irony. In the previous two preliminary rounds, I had won first place each time, pulling far ahead of Lily who came in second. Even the competition judges couldn’t help but congratulate me in advance. “Miss Holly, no one here is a match for you.” At that time, almost everyone was certain. The championship would be mine. But Lily went to Gideon. She cried pitifully, clutching the man’s sleeve. Lily didn’t even have to say anything. Gideon couldn’t bear it. He felt extremely sorry for her. He immediately had someone scald my right hand. God knows how heartbroken I was when I called the staff to withdraw. “Miss Holly, are you voluntarily forfeiting?” the staff asked in disbelief. I let the tears flow into my mouth, suppressing wave after wave of heartache. “Yes, I’m voluntarily forfeiting.” Looking at the trophy that should have been mine, I slowly averted my gaze. I could lose to anyone, but I especially couldn’t lose to Lily. Gideon still didn’t know that Lily was the culprit behind my father’s death. Ten years ago, to save Lily who had fallen into the lake, my father jumped in without hesitation, ignoring all warnings. He rescued Lily. But the first thing Lily did when she got to shore wasn’t to thank my father. Instead, she insisted: “He touched my pants while we were underwater!” “He’s a pervert!” As a teacher, my father couldn’t bear the humiliation. Amid the public condemnation, he chose to take his own life. After the two finished their intimate moment, Lily finally noticed me. She offered me her trophy, smiling as she consoled me: “Holly, don’t be too sad.” “The championship, well, it’s not something just anyone can win if they want to.” “You touched the trophy, so that counts as being the champion too.” Looking at the woman’s seemingly kind face, I could no longer suppress the anger in my heart. I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “You can be so at ease with something you stole.” As soon as I said that, Gideon frowned and pulled Lily behind him protectively. His face darkened frighteningly. Seeing this, Lily’s eyes filled with even more tears. They teetered on the edge of falling, looking utterly pitiful. “Holly, did getting an IV mess up your brain?” Gideon snapped. “Lily came to comfort you.” “She’s not here to be your punching bag.” Lily sniffled softly, tugging at the man’s sleeve. “Don’t say that,” she pleaded. “If Holly hadn’t injured her hand…” But Gideon wasn’t having it. He glanced at me, his eyes full of annoyance. “You don’t need to speak up for her.” “No skill is no skill.” “Just because she won a few awards, she really thinks she’s better than you.” The man’s particularly harsh words left me momentarily stunned. When Gideon and I first got together, he wasn’t the wealthy Gideon he is now. He saw how much I loved the piano and used all his savings to buy me one. I’ll always remember that day. Gideon stood in our tiny rented apartment, with a piano that looked completely out of place behind him. He hid his hands behind his back, which were covered in chilblains from working day and night. He said to me: “Congratulations, Miss Holly, on getting your first piano.” I cried so hard I could barely speak. “But I… I don’t really have any talent in this area.” Gideon hugged me gently and whispered in my ear: “No, Holly.” “In my heart, you’re the most amazing pianist.” Thanks to Gideon’s encouragement time and time again, I never gave up on my dream. But people always change. Like 31-year-old Gideon. He would never be like 22-year-old Gideon anymore. Always putting me first, loving me unconditionally. When Gideon left the hospital room, he slammed the door thunderously. He even threw some harsh words at me: “Holly, this is my last warning.” “If you make Lily unhappy one more time, I won’t go through with the wedding next month!” Gideon was used to threatening me with marriage. He always believed I couldn’t leave him. Maybe that used to be true. But now, I opened my phone and bought a plane ticket abroad for a month later. And that day happened to be Gideon and I’s wedding day. After the IV finished, the clock struck 4 AM. I didn’t bring my phone, so I had to walk home alone. When I opened the door as dawn was breaking, Gideon was in the kitchen cooking, wearing an apron. The once cold house finally had some warmth to it. Gideon looked up at me. He seemed to notice my wet hair and disheveled clothes. A rare flash of guilt crossed the man’s eyes. He rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache and walked over to me. “It was wrong of me to leave you behind this time.” “I ordered takeout, have some.” As if trying to break the ice, Gideon’s tone softened considerably. I glanced at the simple takeout on the table, feeling no appetite whatsoever. There was even a fried egg in the box. After all these years, Gideon couldn’t even remember I was allergic to eggs. Inadvertently, I noticed several lunchboxes on the kitchen counter. Vegetables, meat dishes, and even freshly cut fruit. There was even a pot of pork rib soup simmering on the stove. Gideon must have noticed my gaze. He shifted awkwardly, trying to block my view. He explained, “You know how it is.” “Lily gets really tired from practicing piano.” “I can’t just not take care of her.” Gideon spread his hands, as if he really had no choice in the matter. In the past, I would have made a fuss. But now, a sense of helplessness gradually spread through me. A year ago, when Gideon was on a business trip in another province, he accidentally lost his wallet. Lily helped him out. Since then, Gideon always had one phrase on his lips: “If it weren’t for Lily, I don’t know what I would have done.” No matter what trouble Lily got into, Gideon would always stand behind her without hesitation. Whenever I expressed my dissatisfaction with this, Gideon would get very impatient. “Holly, Lily isn’t just anyone. I already treat her like my own sister.” Thinking of this, I gently pushed the man away and said, “She does need to eat well.” Hearing this, Gideon looked at me in surprise. As if my current demeanor was utterly foreign to him. But he didn’t ask further. Instead, he pulled out a small, exquisite jewelry box from his pocket. I recognized it immediately. It was the diamond necklace I had asked Gideon for months ago. Even though I had mentioned it more than once, Gideon still hadn’t gotten it for me. Yet this time, Gideon wanted to give it to me. I watched as Gideon opened the box. The diamond necklace was just as dazzling as when I saw it in the jewelry store. But I couldn’t feel happy at all. Because I had seen an identical necklace around Lily’s neck before. I still remember her smug expression. “This necklace? I just mentioned it to Gideon once, and the next day it was in my hands.” What I had longed for, Lily could obtain effortlessly. In an instant, I felt nauseated and pushed Gideon away, walking towards the bedroom. This action angered him. The man snapped the box shut with a loud click, his brows furrowed in rage. “Holly, what do you mean by this?” “The food is right in front of you, and you won’t eat it.” “You won’t even look at the necklace I bought you.” “Are you still throwing a tantrum over that incident?” As for “that incident”, Gideon and I both knew what it was. Seeing my apparently unconcerned attitude, Gideon became visibly angrier. His chest heaved violently, like an enraged lion. He grabbed a nearby photo frame and smashed it on the ground. The glass frame instantly shattered into pieces. “Holly, you’ve really gone too far now!” I said nothing, just looking at the photo on the ground. It was the first photo Gideon and I had taken together. To show how precious it was, I had specially framed it. I still remember what Gideon said to me that time. “Holly, I won’t change my heart.” “So you’re not allowed to leave me either. We have to be together forever.” Back then, I was too naive and easily believed his words. So I teased him: “What if you do change your heart?” Gideon heard this and actually thought seriously for a moment. Finally, he said firmly: “Then you should never forgive me.” “No matter how pitifully I beg you to come back.” “Holly, you have to remember.” “Never look back.” The faces of young Gideon and adult Gideon gradually overlapped. My nose stung, and I struggled to resist the urge to pick up the photo frame. In the end, Gideon and I parted on bad terms. The reason this argument ended was that it was almost time to bring food to Lily. After Gideon slammed the door and hurried away, the room fell silent again. I looked at that old piano and didn’t hesitate any longer. I picked up a hammer and smashed it violently. After the piano was completely destroyed, I called a junk collector. The worker was shocked by the smashed piano. He asked me, “Are you sure you want to sell it?” I nodded calmly: “It’s just a pile of useless junk.” Two weeks passed. The wedding day was getting closer and closer. But Gideon seemed to have forgotten about me, not even willing to step foot in our home anymore. The man who used to always complain to me about being too busy with work was now willing to travel the world with Lily. I learned all this from Lily’s social media posts. During this time, she updated very frequently. Mostly photos with Gideon. Seeing the man’s smiling face, I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. You should know, it had been a long time since I had seen Gideon smile. In front of me, he always had a stern face, devoid of any warmth. Many friends found out about this and asked me: “What’s the relationship between Gideon and that woman?” I was silent for a moment, then said: “Just ordinary friends.” “Are you still getting married?” I smiled. “Of course. You all must come to the wedding.” Hearing my seemingly normal tone, almost everyone believed that I was madly in love with Gideon. That’s why I chose to marry him even after finding out about his affair. Finally, three days before the wedding, Gideon came back. He brought back all kinds of gifts. Big and small, they almost filled the entire house. Gideon rubbed my head, saying with satisfaction: “If only you could always be this obedient.” I barely managed to suppress my nausea and not dodge the man’s touch. It was this very hand that had held Lily’s countless times. I found it disgusting. He handed me a card, saying in a patronizing tone: “You can pick out the wedding rings.” “Lily’s busy with a competition lately, I need to accompany her.” As if afraid I would throw another tantrum, Gideon warned me first: “This competition is very important to Lily.” “Don’t make trouble.” Contrary to the man’s expectations, I just nodded lightly. Gideon didn’t pay much attention to my unusual behavior. He just thought I had become more obedient, and left in a very good mood. So Gideon accompanied Lily for another three days without worry. On the day of the wedding, just before going on stage, the makeup artist was giving me a final touch-up. I listened to the host’s voice from the hall. Until I heard: “Let’s welcome the bride…” The rest of the words were interrupted by an urgent phone call. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Gideon answered the phone with a panicked look. Lily’s tearful voice came through the speaker: “Gideon, the goldfish you bought me turned belly up.” “Is it going to die…” The phone was on speaker, so almost everyone could hear. Gideon’s face showed a conflicted, hesitant expression. I watched him from afar behind the curtain. Finally, Gideon raised his hand decisively. “I’m sorry, the wedding will be paused.” “We’ll resume in about 30 minutes.” There was an uproar among the audience. But Gideon pushed the door open and left without hesitation. This time, I didn’t hesitate either. I tore off my veil, took off my wedding dress. Under everyone’s shocked gazes, I got in a taxi and left.

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On my birthday, Luke, the university student my wife was sponsoring, posted on Twitter: “Celebrating my 22nd birthday! Even though no one else remembered, my big celebrity sister did!” The location was tagged at a restaurant known for catering to couples. The attached photo showed him and my wife in a selfie, their faces almost touching. The top comment was: “You’re spending your birthday with the famous Nadia! Looking at this restaurant, are you two together?” Luke only replied to this one comment: “Hehe, we’re almost there.” I liked this comment with my main account, but a few minutes later, Nadia called to yell at me: “What’s wrong with me celebrating Luke’s birthday? Did you have to like that comment with your main account? Don’t be so petty, quickly say it was a misclick, fans are asking questions.” I could faintly hear Luke saying in the background: “If getting cyberbullied makes Sean happy, I’m okay with it. After all, he used to be a big star.” I hung up the phone immediately. But today is also my birthday. I’ve supported Nadia for three years, given up my career for her for three years, and we’ve been secretly married for two years. In the eighth year of loving Nadia, I decided to give up on her and make a comeback. …

When Nadia came back, I was playing with my new kitten. Ever since we started dating, she said she didn’t like cats and dogs. After she secretly got rid of the cat I had for five years, I never got close to a kitten again. “Sean, what do you mean? Don’t you know I hate cats?” Nadia’s sharp voice came through. I glanced at her indifferently and continued petting the cat. “Alright, alright, you’re just jealous, aren’t you? Luke just graduated, he needs me right now. Why are you competing with him? I’ll spend more time with you in the future,” Nadia said, pinching her nose, in a tone of condescension. Seeing that I was still ignoring her, Nadia lost her temper. She picked up the cat I had just bought and threw it aside roughly, then pushed me: “Go apologize to him quickly. You’re such a big man, why are you competing with a university student?” The kitten let out a loud cry when it was thrown to the ground, then crawled back to my side and hissed at Nadia. I didn’t expect Nadia to be so strong. My stomach hit the corner of the table, and I felt a spasm in my gut. My face gradually turned pale. My stomach ulcer was acting up again. I originally didn’t eat dinner because I was waiting for Nadia to come back and celebrate my birthday with me. After seeing that Twitter post, I couldn’t eat at all. Now with this external stimulation to my stomach, I was in so much pain I couldn’t speak. I used to be very healthy, but because Nadia said she didn’t like her man being watched and admired by so many women, I gave up my career and focused on getting resources for Nadia. I accompanied various bosses and directors for drinks, and gradually developed a serious stomach problem. Seeing that something was wrong with me, Nadia panicked for a moment: “Where… where’s your medicine? I’ll get it for you.” I clutched my stomach and coldly watched her search around the living room. “I remember it was right here, how…” Nadia’s words stopped abruptly, and an unnatural expression flashed across her face. My medicine box had been taken by her to give to Luke yesterday. I remember yesterday when Nadia rushed back home in a hurry, as soon as she opened the door she asked: “Luke got hurt in a car race! Where’s our medicine?” Without waiting for my answer, Nadia took the box containing my stomach medicine on her own: “Never mind, I’ll take it first.” If it were usual, I would definitely have jealously questioned her, asking if she had taken my medicine to give to Luke, but today, I was tired. Not just physically, but in this relationship, I was tired too. “I… I’ll go downstairs to buy some for you, hold on.” Nadia’s face showed some guilt. She wanted to come closer to help me to the sofa, but was scared away by the kitten. “I don’t know why you bought this damn cat.” Nadia muttered, picking up her keys to go downstairs and buy medicine for me, but just as she was about to leave, she received a phone call. “Sister Nadia… those debt collectors have come to my house again. They said if I don’t pay today, they’ll cut off one of my hands. Sister Nadia, save me.” As soon as Nadia answered, Luke’s tearful voice came through from the other end. “What?! They dare to touch my people!” Nadia’s delicate face showed a panic I had never seen for me. “It’s just some money, I’ll come right away.” “But it’s so late now, won’t Sean be angry if you come over…” Luke continued on the phone. “He wouldn’t dare!” As if hearing these words, Nadia, who was about to step out of the house, suddenly remembered that I was still in the house with a stomach ulcer attack. Nadia gave me a warning look, then hurriedly left. Just before she closed the door, I called out: “Nadia.” “What? Didn’t you hear that Luke is in danger right now? I’ll buy you medicine when I come back.” Nadia replied impatiently, then quickly closed the door. I wanted to say, I want a divorce. I looked at the business card of the international director that Nadia had admired for a long time, which I was clutching in my hand, and tore it to pieces. I had originally planned to give Nadia a surprise on her birthday, but now it seems unnecessary.

I held my stomach until midnight, but Nadia still hadn’t come back. The kitten was licking my hand worriedly, curled up beside me. I knew Nadia wouldn’t come back, but I still couldn’t help but have some expectations. Time passed bit by bit, and I really couldn’t bear it anymore. I called for delivery to bring the medicine over. At this moment, Twitter suddenly popped up with a message. It was another post from Luke. I clicked in to look, driven by some inexplicable force. It was a photo posted by Luke, showing Nadia’s back view. Nadia was confronting the debt collectors, with her arms spread out to protect Luke behind her. Luke said that the debt collectors had already left under Nadia’s threats and money. Luke had suffered some minor injuries and was on the way to the hospital with Nadia. Someone asked in the comments: “Looking at this back view, is it Nadia again? The big star and the young university student are so shippable!” Luke immediately replied: “Thank you for your concern, ship away, there’s plenty of sugar!” My heart ached. Nadia and I had never gone public. She said she didn’t want to affect her career, and I respected her wishes. But now she was appearing in public with Luke again and again, in such an ambiguous relationship. Doesn’t this affect her career? Luke was so concerned about a minor injury, but do you remember a month ago, at the Hundred Flowers Awards ceremony, Nadia won the Best Supporting Actress award through my resource investments and daily humble pleading. When Nadia was accepting the award, I was surrounded by a group of people. “An actor who has already retired dares to compete for resources with the people our boss wants to support?!” The leader kicked me. I knew it was probably because Nadia had been elevated step by step by me, affecting too many other people’s interests. One of them had sent these people to cause trouble for me. “All of you, go up and beat him! Just don’t beat him to death!” As soon as the leader gave the order, more than a dozen people surrounded me and started punching and kicking. Faced with the attack of more than a dozen people, I was powerless to fight back. I could only cover my head and silently endure. Just as I was being beaten, I saw Nadia, who had just received the award, walking past with Luke’s hand in hers, surrounded by stars. “Nadia! Save me!” I shouted. Nadia clearly saw me, but she only glanced at me, then fearfully quickened her pace, pulling Luke’s hand. Because more and more people were gathering, the leader was afraid of making a big scene and withdrew his men. Late at night, I went to the hospital before returning home covered in wounds. “Why are you back so late?” Nadia glanced at me, then was shocked by my appearance, her lips trembling. “Nadia, why didn’t you save me, why didn’t you call the police?” I rushed up to question her. “I… I didn’t know it would be so serious.” Nadia shrank back, her eyes avoiding mine. “You were afraid those people would hurt Luke, right!” My eyes gradually reddened. Nadia was exposed by me and couldn’t speak. Because she knew that as long as these people were causing trouble for me, they wouldn’t bother Luke. “Come with me to report to the police! That place is a blind spot for surveillance, you and Luke clearly saw it, come and testify for me!” I stared at Nadia intently. “Enough! Why report to the police for such a small matter!” Nadia yelled angrily, “Aren’t you fine now? Other than some superficial injuries, what’s wrong with you? You’re not dead or disabled, why is a grown man being so dramatic!” I sneered and nodded. As the night deepened, my disappointment in Nadia also deepened. After Nadia finished speaking, she went back to her room as if nothing had happened, while I sat in the living room, enduring the pain of my injuries, unable to sleep all night. Afterwards, Nadia acted coquettishly towards me again, coaxing me with a few words. She’s always like this, thinking that acting coquettish and saying a few nice words would make everything okay. I also thought it had passed, but seeing Luke’s Twitter post, I clearly remembered everything that happened that day. I closed my eyes tiredly, and when I opened them again, my eyes were clear. I called my former agent: “Hello, I want to make a comeback. Are there any roles available recently?”

When I woke up, Nadia was back, sitting in the living room playing with her phone. Seeing me come out, she imperiously said to me: “I bought you medicine, it’s on the table. Looks like you could sleep without medicine, why pretend to be in so much pain?” I smiled faintly: “Because I had already bought some.” Nadia seemed relieved, then said matter-of-factly: “Since you’re fine now, drive me to the set. My new drama starts filming today. By the way, did you fail to connect with that international director I asked you about last time? I knew you were becoming more and more useless.” I always drove Nadia to her new drama sets because, after all, I was a senior in the entertainment industry. Although I had retired, people would still give me some face. People in the circle also knew about my relationship with Nadia, so they would take extra care of her. Thinking of the international director’s business card I tore up last night, I suddenly felt quite happy. On the way to send Nadia to the set, Nadia complained about wanting to drink ice water. When I went to the back seat to get it for her, I found a pair of men’s underwear on the back seat. Nadia took a sharp breath, looking at me nervously. After all, if it were before, I would definitely have questioned whose underwear this was and asked Nadia to keep her distance from Luke. But now, I just smiled faintly and said nothing. “Luke got caught in the rain once and didn’t bring an umbrella. I went to pick him up, and he changed clothes directly in the car. I didn’t know he even changed his underwear…” Nadia explained, her face a bit embarrassed. “Nadia,” I interrupted her, calling softly, “Did you know that the day of Luke’s birthday was also my birthday?” Nadia was stunned for a moment, her eyes flickering with some guilt: “I… I forgot. I’ll make it up to you next time.” I said nothing, just nodded, handed the water to Nadia, and continued driving. She didn’t know, we had no next time. After arriving at the set, the staff kept looking at me and Nadia, with a look of wanting to say something but holding back. Ouch, it hurts so much, my stomach started hurting again. I took a deep breath, holding back the pain. An actress who was close to Nadia couldn’t hold back anymore. She ran to Nadia’s side and asked: “What’s your relationship with that university student? What about Sean?” Nadia glanced at me cautiously, then said: “One at home, one outside, you know. Besides, young guys are so tender, of course I like them.” The actress looked at me in shock, as if saying she didn’t expect me to be so open-minded, then looked at Nadia admiringly before leaving. After the actress left, Nadia immediately grabbed my hand and explained to me: “You know, Luke just graduated and also wants to enter the entertainment industry. It’s good for him to have you and me to protect him.” I nodded perfunctorily, noncommittal. Watching Nadia act boringly, her acting skills used to be very poor, but I taught her step by step, so that now Nadia can finish a scene without making mistakes. Nadia’s reputation used to be very bad, and I built her image and reputation bit by bit. It wouldn’t be wrong to say she was a rose I personally cultivated. But now this rose is pricking me all over. When Nadia’s most important scene of the day came, Luke suddenly called. Nadia hurriedly went to answer the phone, and the whole crew paused for her. “Sister Nadia, I went to audition for the third male lead role in the TV series you recommended to me, but the people there look down on me and don’t want me to play the third male lead. Can you come over and support me?” Luke’s pitiful voice rang out in the quiet set. “How dare they! Wait for me, I’ll be right there!” Nadia frowned, picked up her bag and prepared to leave. “Miss Nadia, but we haven’t finished here yet…” the director persuaded. You should know that Nadia’s image in the entertainment industry was originally not good, and I had worked hard to correct it bit by bit. If she left like this, there would inevitably be many people saying she was playing diva, one person delaying the progress of the entire crew. Although all of this was true. Nadia rushed out as if she couldn’t hear what the director was saying. I grabbed Nadia: “Don’t forget, if you leave today, your reputation will be completely ruined.” Nadia’s face darkened: “Are you threatening me? Didn’t you hear that Luke needs me?” Luke, Luke, it’s Luke again. “If you dare to walk out of this set, let’s get divorced!” There was uncontrollable disappointment in my eyes. “Threatening me with divorce? Sean, you’re something else! Wait until I come back to talk to you.” Nadia looked at me in shock, but still couldn’t resist her steps to see Luke. Nadia pushed my hand away heavily and turned to run out. My stomach was already hurting, and I couldn’t stand steady. When she pushed me, I fell to the ground, and my stomach hurt even more uncontrollably. “Mr. Sean, are you okay?” The people on the set gathered around and helped me up. Nadia, you see, even some strangers treat me better than you do. So why should I still stay with you? I took out my stomach medicine and ate it, then looked at the director and said: “This drama just started filming, not much has been shot yet, right?” The director nodded. “Then replace all of Nadia’s scenes, I’ll act in them. I can invest a lot of money in you.” I looked at the director seriously and said.

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I never thought my dad, the leader of our local search and rescue team, would find my bones buried in the snow during a training exercise. He immediately called my adopted sister Natalie to cancel her upcoming hiking trip, citing safety concerns. One of his team members reminded him, “Hey Trevor, shouldn’t you call your younger daughter Hazel too? I heard she was planning a hike as well.” But my dad’s face darkened as he snapped, “Why bring up that good-for-nothing? I hope that murderer dies out there!” Little did he know, I was already dead. Those broken bones they just uncovered? They were my remains. Yet my own father couldn’t even recognize his daughter’s bones. “The bones show signs of blunt force trauma and are incomplete,” observed one of the experienced officers at the scene. “This doesn’t look like an accident. It appears to be a homicide.” My dad nodded gravely, promising to search for any remaining bones. Before they began, he pulled out his phone to call Natalie, my adopted sister. “Sweetie, there’s been a murder on the mountain. Cancel your hiking plans and don’t go out for a few days, okay? Stay safe.” “Okay, Dad. I’ll be careful,” Natalie replied sweetly. My dad fussed over her for several more minutes until she playfully complained her ears were getting sore from all his warnings. After he hung up, one of his team members spoke up. “Hey Trevor, didn’t your younger daughter Hazel mention going on a hike soon too? Maybe give her a call as well?” My dad’s face instantly darkened. “Why bring up that monster?” he spat. “That girl killed her own mother. I hope she dies out there!” Though I was already dead, I felt an icy chill run through my non-existent body. So this was how much my father hated me. But if he hated me so much, how could he not recognize these pitiful bones as belonging to the daughter he despised? The search continued for a full day and night. The rescue team combed every inch of the mountain. My dad worked for 48 hours straight without sleep. But they found very few remains. When the police came to question my dad, his expression was even grimmer than before. “We’ve searched the entire mountain and only found one leg bone,” he reported. “I suspect the victim was dismembered and the parts scattered.” The officer looked shocked. “So the killer may have disposed of the remaining bones elsewhere?” “Not just bones,” my dad clarified. “Other body parts too. Remember, we’ve only found one leg bone so far.” “This was an extremely brutal murder. The killer is far more vicious than we initially thought.” The officer absorbed this information silently before replying, “I’ll call for more manpower and expand the search area.” Just then, a team member discovered a necklace hanging from a tree branch and brought it over. My spirits lifted at the sight of it. That necklace was a birthday gift from my dad three years ago. Surely he would remember! I eagerly awaited the moment my dad would recognize it and finally realize it was me. But his eyes barely glanced at the necklace before handing it to the officer, saying it might be a personal effect of the victim. He suggested taking photos to post online in hopes of identifying the deceased’s family. The team member who found it hesitated before speaking up. “Trevor, doesn’t this necklace look familiar? I think I’ve seen your younger daughter wearing something similar…” My dad’s brows furrowed in annoyance. “There are countless identical necklaces out there. Charlie, you’ve been acting strange today. Did that conniving Hazel put you up to this? Don’t fall for her tricks.” Uncle Charlie tried to say more, but my dad was called away. As I watched his busy figure retreat, my hopes sank to rock bottom. My dad didn’t used to be like this. He once loved me too. But ten years ago, his high school sweetheart died in a domestic violence incident, leaving behind a young daughter. My dad took her in against my mom’s wishes, treating her like his own child. My mom couldn’t accept it and wanted a divorce. After a huge fight, she took me to a high bridge, intending to jump with me. The wind was so strong and I was terrified. I begged her to put me down. In the end, my mom’s body was found in the icy river. But I survived. When my dad got the call from the recovery team, he slapped me twice without hesitation, calling me a murderer who killed my own mother. He declared Natalie was his only daughter now. I was even forced to change my last name. I could no longer be called Hazel Turner, only Hazel Hayes. I knew my dad hated me with every fiber of his being. Now that I was finally dead, was he happy? The search continued. My teacher called my dad, reporting that I was missing. “Hazel hasn’t been seen at school since yesterday evening. Her roommate said she wasn’t there all day yesterday either,” the teacher explained anxiously. “Mr. Turner, can you reach Hazel? If not, we should file a missing persons report.” My dad’s face showed nothing but irritation. “Ms. Sanders, Hazel has always been a liar. She often lies to skip class. Don’t worry about her. Once she’s done playing around, she’ll come back on her own.” “But…” the teacher tried to protest, but my dad had already hung up. Because Natalie was calling him. “Dad, I’m not feeling well. When will you be done with work?” she asked in a sweet voice. My dad’s furrowed brow instantly smoothed out as he patiently replied, “Daddy still needs some more time, sweetie. What’s wrong? Are you okay? Do you need me to take time off to stay with you?” His gentle tone and concerned questions made my heart ache. Since Mom died, Dad had never spoken to me so kindly again. He always called me a murderer, saying I was the reason our family fell apart. But Dad, I’m your real daughter. I want your care and concern too. Even if it’s just one sentence. That evening, my dad still took time off to go home. He gazed at Natalie lying in bed, surrounded by 24/7 caregivers and on-call doctors, his eyes brimming with worry. “How are you feeling, sweetie?” he asked softly. “Daddy!” Natalie’s face lit up with joy as she threw her arms around him in a big hug. Watching their affectionate scene, even my bodiless spirit felt a lump in my non-existent throat. But I had no tears to shed. I could only watch as my dad fussed over Natalie in bed. After a long while, Natalie looked up from my dad’s embrace, her eyes darting around as she cautiously asked, “Dad, didn’t you say the search would take several days? Did you find all the dismembered remains already?” My dad froze for a moment before reflexively asking, “How did you know the body was dismembered?” My dejected spirits suddenly perked up as I stared at my dad expectantly. Even though he didn’t recognize the necklace he gave me, surely he wouldn’t miss such an obvious clue? But Natalie easily defused the situation with one sentence: “I saw it on the news.” “Oh Dad, that poor person. I wonder how devastated their family must be to hear the news.” “It is tragic,” my dad agreed. “But we haven’t identified the victim yet, so their family… probably doesn’t know yet.” He echoed Natalie’s words, completely missing the flash of triumph in her eyes. The tiny spark of hope in my heart was snuffed out again. Dad, it’s me! You’ve already noticed something’s off. How can you still not recognize me? My dad stayed home with Natalie all day. It wasn’t until midnight that the rescue team called, saying they made a major discovery at the supply station at the base of the mountain. They needed him to come back immediately. My dad hurriedly got dressed to leave, but Natalie suddenly appeared clutching the doll he’d given her when she first came to live with us. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “Dad, there’s thunder outside. I’m scared…” she whimpered. My dad hesitated. Just as it seemed Natalie would successfully keep him from leaving, Uncle Charlie frantically sent over a dozen photos from the scene. My dad’s pupils constricted as he glanced at them. He quickly reassured Natalie, “Be good, sweetheart. Let the nanny stay with you. Daddy will be back soon.” Then he raced downstairs and sped to the scene. When my dad arrived at the supply station, Uncle Charlie tried to stop him from entering. “Trevor, I really don’t think you should go in there…” But my dad brushed him off. “I’ve been doing search and rescue for years. What haven’t I seen? Move aside!” The next second, he charged into the scene. But as soon as he saw the well cordoned off by police tape, he ran to the side and started violently retching. The stench of decay filled the air around the well. Bloated body parts had been fished out, now unrecognizable. Nearby sat a pile of sealed evidence bags containing various weapons: hammers, axes, saws. Even a grindstone. The police explained these were all tools the killer had used on the victim. And not just for dismemberment. “The victim was still alive when these tools were used on her,” an officer reported grimly. “We found multiple blood stains and tissue residue on nearby rocks, likely from the victim’s desperate attempts to resist the pain.” “She was tortured to death.” “We’ve also roughly determined the victim’s profile: female, tall build, with an old fracture on the left leg bone, likely from a dog bite. The victim probably had limited mobility…” With each word, my dad’s eyes grew darker and more haunted. Dad, are you finally feeling sad for me? The next second, Uncle Charlie suddenly spoke up. “Trevor, didn’t your younger daughter have a limp in her left leg? And her build… I remember it was similar to this child’s.” “Charlie!” The sympathy vanished from my dad’s eyes, replaced by anger and resentment. “What has that little bitch been telling you? You’ve been bringing her up way too often lately!” “I’ve told you, even if that bitch died out there, it has nothing to do with me!” “Besides, someone as vile as her who could watch her own mother die – how could she possibly be dead?” Uncle Charlie tried to say more, but my dad had already walked away. Just then, a nearby officer received a call from my teacher reporting me missing. “Boss, your daughter Hazel’s teacher filed a missing persons report. Says Hazel has been gone for days.” But my dad grabbed his phone and smashed it to the ground. “Enough! When will this end?” he roared. “The victim has already suffered such a horrible fate, yet you’re all still playing along with that little monster’s game of make-believe!” “If she wants to play at being missing, then let her! Solving this case is what’s important!” The officer tried to say more, but my dad’s phone suddenly rang. Natalie’s voice came through. “Dad, the thunder is so loud. I’m really scared…” Hearing Natalie’s whimpers, my dad immediately started soothing her. “It’s okay, sweetie. Daddy’s coming home right now.” But he had barely taken a few steps when the officer called him back. “Mr. Turner! Come back!” My dad was forced to stop. It turned out Ms. Sanders had braved the heavy rain to come in person. She brought the security footage of me leaving school that day. The red jacket I was wearing matched the victim’s exactly!

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The National Day holiday coincided with my fifth wedding anniversary with my wife Saylor. We had planned to spend the vacation together in Santorini, but on the morning of our departure, Saylor hurriedly packed her luggage and told me, “The company needs me for an urgent business trip.” I believed her, until late that night when I saw a post from Ryan, Saylor’s first love, on Instagram. In the photo, they were intimately close together, fingers intertwined, with matching couple bracelets shining brightly. I smiled bitterly. She had gone to Santorini after all, just not with the person she had promised. I didn’t call to confront her. I calmly liked the post. A minute later, Saylor called me in a panic: “It’s just a misunderstanding, we ran into each other on the business trip. I’ll make it up to you next year’s holiday, I promise.” I sneered, “It’s fine. Have a good time.” Saylor asked in surprise, “Why aren’t you jealous this time?” … When Saylor returned a week later, I didn’t rush to greet her at the door as I used to, taking her luggage and helping her change shoes. Saylor leaned against the doorway, frowning as she looked at me. “Yannick, where are my slippers?” In the past, I would always have her slippers neatly arranged to welcome her home, but not this time. Seeing me sitting motionless on the couch, watching TV, I said: “In the shoe cabinet. Find them yourself.” Saylor’s frown deepened when she heard my words, but after a moment’s hesitation, she relaxed her expression. She took out her slippers from the shoe cabinet and put them on. Walking up to me, she looked at the empty dining table and pouted, “I’m a bit hungry. Can you make me some dumplings?” In the past, whenever she said she was hungry, I would get up to cook for her even at 3 AM. But today I just coldly replied, “I’m busy. Order takeout yourself.” Saylor sighed with a flash of annoyance on her face, then immediately snuggled up to me and softened her tone, “Honey, I know you’re upset about my sudden business trip. I apologize. It won’t happen again. I brought you a special gift, can you forgive me this once?” I still stared straight ahead, my tone even. “You’re overthinking it. I’m not upset.” Saylor paused for a moment, frowning slightly. She took out a simply wrapped gift from her suitcase. After unwrapping it, it was a tie. Saylor looked at me expectantly and said, “Do you like it? I picked it out especially for you.” I remembered Ryan’s Instagram post from three days ago: A mall opening promotion, spend $1000 and get a free tie. That blue-green striped tie was now being presented to me by Saylor as a carefully selected gift. I didn’t show any dissatisfaction on my face, accepting the gift and saying flatly, “Thanks. You’re thoughtful.” Seeing that I had nothing else to say, Saylor was a bit taken aback. “That’s all you have to say?” I just gave a noncommittal “Mm” and asked, “What else do you want to hear?” Saylor frowned slightly and explained while holding my arm. “Are you still upset? I already explained that day, Ryan and I really just ran into each other at the airport and had a meal together during the business trip.” I just nodded, “I know. I’m not upset.” My reaction seemed to surprise her. She looked at me in disbelief: “Why aren’t you jealous this time?” “No reason. I’ve come to terms with it.” I stood up, grabbing my coat to leave. Saylor stepped forward to block my way and demanded: “Where are you going? Where’s my anniversary gift?” A month ago, I had bought a blue sapphire bracelet at an auction, and Saylor had seen the news. To her surprise, I took out my phone and transferred her $3000, saying: “I forgot to prepare anything. I’ve sent you some money, buy whatever you like.” Saylor fell silent. In our five years of marriage, I had always carefully prepared gifts for her on every holiday, without fail. She was stunned for a few seconds, then angrily grabbed my hand and asked, “What about the bracelet?!” I laughed coldly, pointing at her hand. “What bracelet? Aren’t you wearing the couple bracelet with Ryan?” Saylor immediately became very uncomfortable. “This… it’s just a friendship gift from him, don’t overthink it. I’ll take it off right now.” Having lived together for five years, I was familiar with her micro-expressions. From the way she clutched the hem of her shirt, I could see her panic. Since I had already given up, I really didn’t want to say more to her. I pinched the bridge of my nose, turning away with an exhausted look.

In the five years since our marriage, I had always put Saylor first in everything, and it had been a long time since I’d seen my old friends. I immediately bought a plane ticket to Hong Kong to meet up with my buddies. My friend Kevin immediately arranged a dinner when he received my call. After a few drinks, everyone looked at me and said almost in unison: “We thought you forgot about us after getting married. Does Saylor know you’re here?” I took a couple sips of wine and smiled, replying: “You can call me anytime from now on. I don’t need her permission anymore.” My phone screen kept flashing, with Saylor calling me over a dozen times. After Ryan returned to the country, there were many times when Saylor didn’t come home at night and I anxiously called her like this. A few times when I angrily questioned why I could never reach her by phone, she impatiently replied, “Is the sky falling? It makes me sick every time I see you calling me repeatedly.” Now, she had become the one making me sick. We partied until late at night. As we were about to leave, Saylor burst in, looking disheveled. She pulled out a chair and sat down naturally beside me, snatching my wine glass and saying, “Even if you’re in a bad mood, you shouldn’t drown your sorrows in alcohol. Don’t you know about your stomach problems?” For a moment, I was dazed. Her sudden show of concern made me very uncomfortable. I raised my eyes to glance at her coldly. “What are you doing here?” My friends politely greeted her. She smiled in response and then tightly gripped my hand, saying softly, “You weren’t answering my calls, so I had to come find you.” I shook her off with obvious displeasure and said coldly, “Saylor, I’ve already told you we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Please don’t do these out-of-line things.” Seeing my resolute attitude, Saylor stared at me in shock. I directly pulled my friends away, walking past her. Saylor ran out after us, shouting at my back, “Yannick, I’ve already come to make up with you. What more do you want me to do?” “We’re almost thirty years old. Can’t you be more rational than disappearing over a marital spat?” Saylor got straight into the car, following me back to Kevin’s place. In the car, she tried to talk to me again. I directly rejected her. She became somewhat exasperated: “You’ve had enough of your tantrum and enough to drink. Will you come home with me?” “I know you’re jealous, but Ryan and I really are just friends. Why do you have to hurt yourself like this?” I smiled and replied, “You misunderstand. I’m drinking because I’m happy to see my friends. It has nothing to do with anything else.” With that, I pushed Saylor away and went inside with Kevin. No matter how much she knocked, I ignored her. That night, I slept very soundly.

The next morning, Kevin knocked on my door to tell me Saylor was here. After getting dressed, I went downstairs to see Saylor sitting silently at the dining table with a gloomy face. I knew she was angry. In the past, even a slight frown from her would have sent me rushing to cheer her up. But this time, I walked away without looking back, hailing a taxi on the street. At the airport, I ran into Saylor again. She walked up to me, her tone full of anger. “Yannick, we’re married. There’s really no need to avoid me over some small matter.” I didn’t even look up, tapping on my keyboard as I replied, “You’re overthinking it. I have no intention of avoiding you.” Just as I finished speaking, Saylor’s phone rang with a special ringtone for priority contacts. After answering, I heard Ryan say through the screen: “Where are you? Don’t forget tonight’s party. Whether we can close this deal depends on today.” Ever since Ryan returned to the country after his divorce three years ago, Saylor had been secretly helping him using my name. I had originally planned to turn a blind eye. But seeing Saylor’s upturned lips, I felt mocked. She had never used such a gentle tone with me. Many times when she spoke to me, it was in a businesslike manner. I had suggested before that I hoped she could be gentler with me. Each time she impatiently replied, “Work is already giving me a headache. Can you not have so many demands of me?” Thinking of this, I immediately sent two messages to my secretary, telling him to inform our business partners that Saylor and I were in the process of divorcing. After hanging up, when she turned to look at me, she instantly put away her sweet smile. “The company still has some issues to deal with. There are no more tickets for the nearest flight. Can you give me your ticket? You can wait for the next one…” Seeing me motionless, Saylor repeated what she had just said. But I coldly responded. “I didn’t buy a ticket back to River City.” As soon as I finished speaking, Saylor exploded in anger. “Yannick, so from the beginning, you came to the airport just to put on a show, to tell me you’re jealous, right?” “You’re really childish!” With that, Saylor stormed off without looking back. I watched Saylor’s retreating figure with a surge of bitterness in my heart. No matter when, as long as Ryan called, Saylor would drop everything to rush to his side. Just like that New Year’s post Ryan had made: True love means that no matter when, you’re always her first choice.

I hadn’t bought a ticket back to River City because my destination was Singapore. After taking over the family business, what I wanted most was to enter the supermarket industry, and that plot of land in the west suburbs was the most suitable location at the moment. Kevin recommended a mentor to me, saying he was his father’s close friend. As long as I had a meal with him, I could learn a lot. We hit it off immediately. During the meal, the mentor helped me solve many of my current doubts. He liked me very much and suggested that I stay and study in his company for half a year, saying that after half a year I would definitely be able to successfully enter the supermarket industry and make a name for myself. With such an opportunity presented, I had no reason to refuse. After dinner, before I could send the mentor back to his residence, Saylor’s calls kept coming in. I impatiently hung up several times until the mentor spoke up: “Do you need to inform your family about coming to Singapore?” The mentor must have seen my affectionate contact name for Saylor. I shook my head and explained: “That’s my ex-family now. I’ve already decided to divorce.” After dropping the mentor off, I finally called Saylor back. As soon as the call connected, Saylor directly questioned me: “Yannick, what do you mean? Why are the business partners telling me today that they will only discuss cooperation matters with you face-to-face?” “What exactly happened? Haven’t I been in charge of all company affairs big and small for the past few years? Do you know how important tonight’s cooperation is to me?” Hearing her usual imperious tone, I couldn’t help but laugh. “So what?” Just as I finished speaking, Ryan’s voice came through the phone: “Saylor, you have to help me with this. I only have you now.” Saylor reassured him softly, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Hearing this, I clenched my fist and struck the steering wheel hard twice, a surge of hatred rising in my heart. Saylor kept insisting to me that there was nothing between her and Ryan, yet she was comforting him tenderly right in front of me. I don’t know when Saylor started wearing this mask of false emotions when facing me. It’s truly disgusting. I coldly refused and then hung up the phone and turned it off.

I stayed in Singapore for two days. Besides having tea and chatting with the mentor and handling the onboarding procedures, I also found a place to live near the company. I had my assistant inform several business partners in advance about my plans to go abroad, and thanked them for their support over the years. There were no signs of Saylor having returned home. Everything was as usual, so I took the opportunity to change the passcode on the front door. After resting for a day, the business partners called me one after another saying they wanted to arrange a farewell dinner. I couldn’t refuse, so I had to attend. The private room door was ajar, and I heard Ryan chatting happily with the business partners. I was a bit puzzled, not expecting that a simple farewell dinner would invite Saylor and Ryan. I paused for a few seconds, but still pushed the door open and went in. Ryan was sitting in the main seat, leaning against Saylor. Saylor glanced at me and said, “Everyone here today is a friend, so just sit wherever.” “There was some confusion at the banquet that night. Now that everyone’s here, let’s have an open discussion.” The business partners’ gazes all fell on me. Seeing my gloomy face and silence, they didn’t say anything either. Ryan’s eyes were full of smugness as he smirked at me. I didn’t want to sit near them anyway, so I casually pulled out a chair and sat down. During the meal, Ryan kept toasting the business partners, loudly discussing the bright prospects after signing the cooperation. He was clearly very happy tonight. My phone also kept flashing. Saylor sent me several messages. “I’m going to announce something later, please give me some face. If you have any questions, we can discuss them when we get home.” “You should be able to see today that there’s nothing between Ryan and me. I have nothing to hide from you.” I kept reading until the last message popped up. “Ryan will probably drink too much today. I might have to send him home first after we’re done.” I raised an eyebrow and briefly replied “Whatever.” After a few rounds of drinks, Saylor saw the atmosphere was right and stood up with Ryan to make a toast and announce: “From today on, Ryan will be our company’s newly cultivated person in charge. He’ll be responsible for liaising with you all in the future. Please take care of him.” At this point, the business partner closest to me asked in confusion: “Liaising? What liaising? Frost Corporation has already decided to withdraw from River City, and we’re all prepared to withdraw our investments too. Who are you going to liaise with?” “What?! Withdraw from River City? Yannick, you…” Saylor was shocked, suddenly turning to look at me. I nodded calmly: “Yes, I plan to move Frost Corporation overseas.” Saylor’s eyes widened in disbelief: “You want to take Frost Corporation overseas? What about me?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295082”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #惊悚Thriller #校园School #重生Reborn #魔幻Magic #励志Inspiring