At the engagement party, my fiancé Mario promised my father he would love me forever. After the party ended, I stumbled upon a cheating photo on Instagram. In the picture, a man with a body shape similar to Mario’s was holding hands with a woman, fingers interlaced. I stiffly turned my head to look at Mario. The ring on his hand was identical to the one on the man in the photo. My fingertip pressed against my phone screen, repeatedly zooming in on the ring on the man’s hand in the photo. The width of the band, the matte texture of the face, the minimalist lines on the side—every detail matched the one I’d custom-made for Mario perfectly. Back then, Mario had even laughed at me, saying no one would notice such details. I looked up toward the main table. My dad was patting Mario’s shoulder with satisfaction. “Timothy’s in your hands from now on.” Mario stood up, his gaze landing on me with tender affection. “Dad, rest assured. I won’t let Timothy suffer even a little.” His voice was as sincere and pleasant as always. For three years, he’d been exactly like this. Gentle, considerate, taking care of me with meticulous attention. Everyone said I’d found a treasure, and I’d believed it wholeheartedly myself. But now, this photo was like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. The light from my phone screen reflected my pale face. Still, I didn’t dare believe it. Maybe it was just a similar style? Plenty of people wore the same ring design. I desperately made excuses for myself, but my heart pounded uncontrollably. Mario walked to my side and wrapped his arm around my waist, his palm gently rubbing my back. “You heard what I just told your dad, right? I’ll always treat you well.” I looked up and met Mario’s eyes. They held a smile. But unlike usual, I didn’t feel happy. Lowering my head, my voice came out muffled: “I heard.” Mario’s brows furrowed slightly. He took my hand with concern. “What’s wrong, honey? Your hand is so cold.” My peripheral vision caught his ring, and I quickly covered my mouth. Remembering the image from the photo, a wave of nausea hit me. “I’m fine. Maybe… maybe I had too much to drink.” My mom saw and teased me with a laugh: “That’s hardly anything! You really can’t hold your liquor.” The relatives all laughed, and Mario laughed too. “Are you just too excited?” He took my hand again, his grip light but not allowing me to pull away. “We’re getting our marriage license tomorrow. Tomorrow you’ll be my wife!” Mario bent slightly, staring into my eyes with a sincere expression, his tone full of anticipation. He seemed like a completely different person from the man in the photo who’d been leaning sideways, fingers tightly interlaced with a strange woman. Looking at Mario’s affectionate eyes, my stomach churned violently. I needed to confirm this. I had to confirm it right now. I took a deep breath and forced myself to squeeze out a smile. “Mario, do you like the couple’s rings I designed?”

“Honey, why are you suddenly asking this?” Mario’s expression froze for a moment as he looked at me with confusion. “Mario, I just thought of us back then when I saw the ring. Look, your ring’s gotten a bit dirty.” I pointed at his hand. “Let me clean it for you.” As I spoke, I reached to remove the ring from his hand. Mario’s body stiffened for a split second, but he quickly relaxed and extended his hand with a smile. “Sure, I want your personal service.” My hand trembling, I removed the ring. But no matter how I looked at it, it seemed identical to the one in the photo. I couldn’t fool my own eyes. My world completely collapsed in that moment. The joyful chatter around me became grating noise. Holding that ring, it felt scorching hot in my hand. Mario looked at me searchingly. “What’s wrong, Timothy? Is there something wrong with the ring?” I snapped back to attention and shoved the ring back into his hand. “No, nothing wrong.” My voice shook slightly: “I just think that, well, today it looks especially beautiful.” Lowering my eyes, I didn’t dare look at him anymore. Mario laughed and put the ring back on, then took my hand. “I’ll wear it every day from now on, so you can look at it as much as you want.” His tone remained doting, making me instinctively doubt myself. What if? What if it was just the same model? My parents and relatives looked at us, their faces full of gratified smiles. In their eyes, we were a loving couple about to enter the hall of marriage. No one knew what kind of storm was raging inside my heart. When the dinner ended, Mario drove me home. The car played my favorite music. While driving, he chatted with me about tomorrow’s marriage license arrangements and honeymoon travel plans. Everything seemed normal, but I only felt suffocated. How could this man so calmly plan our future with me while holding hands with another woman? And that woman was someone else’s wife. In the photo, her husband and child were sitting right beside her. “Mario.” I opened a bottle of water and handed it to him. “Last Wednesday night, didn’t you say you were working overtime at the company? That the project was urgent?” Mario unscrewed the cap and took a sip. “Yeah, we were rushing the project. Worked all night—nearly killed me.” My fingertip picked at the seam of my skirt as my gaze fell on the ring on his hand. “Really? I thought you went to see a movie.” Mario’s drinking motion suddenly stopped. He choked on the water, and it went down the wrong pipe. He frantically hit the brakes, his face turning red. “Honey, what are you talking about?” “I was so busy those days I barely touched the ground. I practically lived at the office. Where would I have time to see a movie?” “Oh, that’s good then.” I lowered my head and said nothing more, but those comments from the trending topic kept echoing in my ears. My heart sank bit by bit. When we reached my building, Mario got out of the car as usual to open my door and planted a goodnight kiss on my forehead. “Get some rest. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, and we’ll become a legal married couple.” I grabbed the corner of his jacket, pretending to act drunk and clingy: “Mario, we’re getting our marriage license first thing tomorrow morning.” “Park your car in my building’s garage. That way you won’t have to make an extra trip to pick me up tomorrow. Just take a cab home and come straight here tomorrow.” Mario smiled and patted my head. “So clingy! Then I won’t leave tonight.” My heart jumped, and I quickly pushed him away. “No, Mario!” “We’re getting married tomorrow. We can’t stay together tonight. Hurry home!” Only then did Mario shake his head helplessly and leave in a cab. After his taillights disappeared around the corner, I turned and walked back to my own car. We’d exchanged spare keys in case of emergencies. I used to think this proved the trust between us. Now it just felt ironic. I took out the spare key and opened Mario’s car door.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, I began searching. His phone—Mario never left it behind, and I knew the password. I’d checked it before. It was clean as a new phone. Social media—no suspicious chat records. I opened the glove box. Besides documents and some miscellaneous items, there was nothing. Had I really been overthinking? Just as I was about to give up, I noticed the dash cam in the center console. This car was one he’d just gotten last month. He’d complained to me that the functions were too complicated and he couldn’t figure many of them out. I pressed the play button, and the recorder began playing recent driving footage. I fast-forwarded, looking for last Wednesday night’s recording. The footage showed Mario’s car leaving the company garage, but the direction wasn’t toward his home. Mario drove to a mall in the west part of the city. On the top floor of that mall was a movie theater. My heart rose to my throat. In the recording, he parked the car and turned off the engine. The screen went black, but the audio continued. The car door opened, then closed. A few seconds later, a woman’s voice sounded, carrying laughter: “You’re really punctual.” Then came Mario’s voice: “Of course. For you, I’d brave fire and flood.” My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, nausea rising in waves. The woman’s voice sounded again, with an affected tone of coyness: “Stop it, you smooth talker.” “Mario, when can we come here again?” Mario’s voice replied tenderly: “Once I take care of the engagement party, I’ll take you out to play, okay?” He’d used this same tone when confiding in me. I turned off the audio and sat in the dark car, my whole body cold, my fingertips squeezing my phone so hard it felt hot. Mario, is the love you claimed to have for me real or fake? I don’t know how long I sat there until my phone rang. It was Mario calling. “Honey, are you asleep? Why haven’t you replied to my messages?” Ignoring the call, I put my phone on silent. I needed to stay calm. This evidence wasn’t nearly enough. The photo was from online, without a clear face shot. In the audio, they hadn’t mentioned what they were specifically going to do. With Mario’s cunning, he could easily claim he was just meeting an ordinary friend. I needed to leave him with no room for excuses. Back home, I opened my computer and found that movie theater’s official website, checking last Wednesday night’s screening schedule. In the trending photo, the background showed a vague corner of a movie poster for a newly released sci-fi film. But I remembered Mario saying he hated sci-fi movies, finding them childish and boring. Back then, when I wanted to drag him to see one, he’d refused. Turned out, he just wouldn’t watch them with me. I cross-checked the time—the 7:30 PM showing. Then I logged into Mario’s banking app. He’d given me all his passwords, cupping my face and saying seriously: “What’s mine is yours. I’m completely open with you.” I’d been so moved by that trust I’d been a mess. Now, thinking back, it was just his extreme confidence in controlling me. In the transaction records, I found a payment around 7 PM last Wednesday night. It was at a Japanese restaurant, and the address was right next to that movie theater. I opened that restaurant’s app and went to the reviews section, scrolling through reviews from last Wednesday night page by page. Finally, I saw an account with a gray cartoon character avatar that had posted a photo review at 9:30 PM that night. “Great movie, and the Japanese food was delicious as always. Thank you, darling.” The post included nine photos—pictures of Japanese food, two movie tickets, and a photo of a man’s hand. That hand had distinct knuckles and was pouring tea. On the ring finger was a ring. That ring—I couldn’t be more familiar with it.

I clicked into that account’s profile. Most posts were about her child and food, with occasional selfies, all heavily blurred. I couldn’t see her face clearly. But in one photo of her and the child at an amusement park, I saw a man’s silhouette. That silhouette wasn’t Mario. So she really did have a family. I saved screenshots of everything, feeling my hands shake. Anger and the sense of betrayal almost swallowed me whole. I used to think I was the happiest woman in the world. Now I knew—I was just a fool living in lies. Mario, good for you. You deceived me so thoroughly. Looking at the pitch-black night outside my window, a plan had already formed in my mind. Picking up my phone, I sent Mario a message. “Mario, I can’t sleep. Tomorrow I’ll become your legal wife. I’m so nervous.” He replied almost instantly: “Silly girl, don’t be nervous. I’m here.” “Get some sleep. Tomorrow you’ll be the most beautiful bride.” Looking at his reply, I continued typing. “Let’s see a movie before we get our license tomorrow?” “At the theater on top of that mall in the west. I want to see that sci-fi film.” The phone went silent for a long time—so long I thought he wouldn’t reply. Just as I was losing patience, a notification sounded. “Okay, whatever you want.” Followed by a kissing emoji. I turned off my phone and lay in bed, sleepless all night. The next day, I deliberately did elaborate makeup—red lips, black dress. The me in the mirror looked nothing like my usual gentle image. My mom saw me and froze. “Timothy, why are you… dressed so formally today?” I smiled. “Mom, today’s an important day for me. Of course it should be different.” When Mario came to pick me up, he was clearly stunned too. The amazement in his eyes flashed by, then he smiled. “Honey, you look beautiful today.” Mario tried to take my hand, but I subtly avoided it. “Let’s go. Aren’t we seeing a movie? Don’t be late.” On the way to the theater, the atmosphere in the car felt strange. I didn’t speak, just looked out the window. Mario seemed to want to find topics to discuss, but I deflected them all coldly. As we neared the theater, I suddenly spoke. “By the way, Mario.” “A friend of mine said she thought she saw you around here a few days ago.” Mario’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Really? She probably saw wrong.” “She said you were with a woman, laughing and chatting.” I continued, staring at him intently. “I told her she must have been mistaken. You were so busy those days working overtime with clients.” Mario’s expression became unnatural for a moment. He laughed dryly. “Your friend’s eyesight must be terrible. I didn’t even leave the office those days.” “Really?” I drew out the syllable. “Then she probably really did see wrong.” At the theater, I went to the self-service kiosk to get the tickets. When the two tickets emerged from the machine, I saw the seat numbers. Row 7, Seats 11 and 12. I remembered comments under that trending photo—some tech expert had analyzed that the couple in the photo sat in Row 7, Seats 12 and 13. And their husband and child sat in Seat 11. Holding the tickets, I walked over to Mario. He was looking down at his phone, seemingly replying to a message. “Got the tickets.” I handed the tickets to Mario. He took them, his gaze falling on the seat numbers. Mario’s expression changed instantly. He jerked his head up to look at me. I calmly met his gaze, then slowly took out my phone. I opened the “theater cheating photo” saved in my album, zoomed in, and held it in front of him. “Take a look. Does this look familiar?” The infrared camera image was so clear it left nowhere to hide. In the photo, the ring on the man’s hand was identical to the one Mario wore. Mario’s breathing became rapid. His lips moved, but he couldn’t say a word. I put away my phone and pointed at the woman in the photo who was twisted in her seat, fingers interlaced with his. My voice was light: “Now, can you tell me who she is?” Mario’s face turned deathly pale in an instant. He looked at the photo on my phone, his lips trembling, his eyes full of panic. “Timothy, let me explain. This isn’t what you think.” Mario’s voice was hoarse, carrying a tremor. I crossed my arms and looked at him coldly. “Oh? Then what is it?” Mario explained frantically: “She… she’s just a client of mine. That day after we finished talking business, she said she wanted to see a movie. Her husband and kid were there, so I just went along to watch with them.” I laughed. “A client? One who requires you to abandon your fiancée who’s preparing for an engagement party to accompany her to a late-night movie?” “As for holding hands… that was a misunderstanding! The theater was too dark. When she passed me popcorn, we accidentally touched!” The more Mario spoke, the more fluent he became, as if he believed his own story. He even started playing the victim, his face showing the pain and disappointment of being wronged. “Timothy, we’ve been together for three years. Is this how you see me?” “One photo from who knows where, and you interrogate me like this?” “We’re about to get married, and you’re still investigating me at this time?” “In your heart, I can’t even get basic trust?” Mario’s voice rose, carrying an angry tremor, as if I were the unreasonable criminal. Watching his brilliant acting, my heart turned to ice. “Really?” I nodded, then pressed play on my phone.

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My mother tried to jump off a building three times because of me. The first time was after my SAT exam. I clearly qualified for an Ivy League university, but she stood on a rooftop and forced me to apply to a local school. I gave in and ended up choosing an ordinary local university. The second time was after college graduation. When I went to work in New York, she stood on top of my company building and forced me to quit. I went back to our hometown with her and worked at a gas station for three thousand dollars a month. The third time, she climbed up to a rooftop again, forcing me to marry a woman I’d only met once—a woman she was very satisfied with. I obediently married her. After the wedding, that woman cheated on me and stole all my money. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and jumped off a rooftop. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn. I went back to the day when my mother first used jumping off a building to force me to obey her. “If you dare apply to an out-of-state university today, I’ll jump from here!” She climbed onto the rooftop. I glanced at her, then turned and walked away. “Go ahead and jump. Don’t waste my time.”

My mother’s expression froze. That mixture of rage and disbelief on her face reminded me of my past life. In my past life, after all my savings were stolen and I discovered my wife’s affair, the first thing my mother said when she came to see me was: “Who told you not to listen to me? You can’t even control a woman. You’re useless!” In that moment, I suddenly understood that my repeated compromises back then had already ruined my entire life. “You… what did you say?” Her voice trembled. I turned toward the stairwell. “I said if you’re going to jump, hurry up. I’m in a rush—I need to go apply to universities.” “Julian!” Her voice turned shrill. “Stop right there! You heartless boy, are you really trying to drive me to my death?” I stopped and looked back at her. “Mom, you’re the one who voluntarily climbed onto the rooftop to threaten suicide. What does that have to do with me?” With that, I walked down from the rooftop without looking back. When I got home, I locked myself directly in the study and opened the college application system. My fingertips were trembling. This time, I wouldn’t attend some ordinary university. From memory, I filled in the Ivy League universities I’d been thinking about for three years, one by one. The moment I clicked submit, my nose stung and I almost cried. This was the first time I’d made a choice for my own life. I had just logged out of the system when the study door was suddenly pushed open. My mother stood in the doorway, her eyes red and swollen, her hair disheveled. She must have run down. Her chest was still heaving violently. “You…” She gasped for breath, her gaze falling on my computer screen. “Did you finish submitting?” I nodded and closed the laptop. “Let me see!” She rushed over, trying to grab the computer. I turned to shield it. “Mom, I already submitted it.” “I said let me see!” Her voice rose, carrying a sharp edge of losing control. When she saw I wouldn’t move, she reached out and pressed the computer’s power button. The screen lit up, showing a login page that required a password. She stared at me. “What’s the password?” “I’m not telling you.” I said, “The application is already submitted. It can’t be changed.” “Where did you apply?” Her voice began to tremble. “Is it out of state? Is it?” I said nothing. Silence was the answer. She suddenly screamed and grabbed my keyboard, smashing it violently on the floor. Plastic fragments flew everywhere. Several keys popped off and rolled into the corner. “Julian! Are you trying to drive me to death?” She cried out, tears flooding down her face. “I told you to apply locally! Don’t you understand human speech?” “I raised you all by myself through so much hardship! Was it easy for me?” “Now you’ve grown up and want to fly away!” “First it’s going to college out of state, then what? Working out of state! Getting married out of state!” “You’ll never care about your mother again. You’re just like your father—you both want to abandon me!” She collapsed on the floor, pounding the ground, her cries piercing. This scene had happened countless times in my past life. Every time I showed the slightest resistance, she would cry about how hard she had it and how unfilial I was. I used to truly believe I was wrong, that I had failed her—until the moment I jumped off that rooftop… “Mom,” I interrupted her. “I never said I wouldn’t take care of you.” She lifted her tear-filled eyes, as if grasping at a thread of hope: “Then change your college application! You can still change it! You have three days to change it!” “How great would it be if you applied to a local university! Mom could see you often…” “I won’t change it.” My voice was soft but firm. “Don’t try to interfere with my college application.” She froze, as if she hadn’t expected me to refuse so directly. I picked up the computer, walked around her collapsed body on the floor, and headed to my bedroom, locking the door. Outside, her crying continued. Before long, I heard her making phone calls. She was sobbing to relatives, crying about how much trouble I was causing and how hard she had it. I didn’t bother listening. I opened the password settings on my computer and changed it. I leaned against the headboard and silently repeated to myself: This time, I won’t compromise my life for anyone.

Maybe the pain of jumping off the building in my past life was too real—I slept deeply. My dreams were filled with fragments from that past life. My fingers cracking from the cold while pumping gas at the station in winter. The despair when I discovered my wife had stolen all my savings and run off with another man. My mother standing in my empty house saying, “When the money’s gone, just earn more. Listen to me, I’ll help you find another woman next time, definitely better than this one.” I woke up with a start, my forehead covered in cold sweat. The bedroom light was off, only the computer screen glowing faintly. I heard the soft tapping of keyboard keys. Someone was sitting at my desk, trying to guess my computer password. Hearing me wake up, the next second, the bedroom light snapped on, making me squint. Before I could react, my mother had already thrown the computer violently onto my bed. Her face was iron-gray, filled with the fury of being defied. She pointed at me and cursed: “You changed the password? What do you mean by that? You’re guarding against me like I’m a thief?” A fire blazed up inside me, but when our eyes met, I suddenly felt only powerless. I had already anticipated this scene. For over a decade, she’d entered my room whenever she wanted. She looked at my phone whenever she wanted. I even had to tell her when I set a password. I sat up, pulled the computer toward me, and said calmly: “I told you, I’m making my own decisions about college applications. This is my computer. You have no right to look through it.” “I’m your mother! What can’t I see that belongs to you?” Her face flushed red, her voice shrill. “Would I hurt you? I just want to see what schools you applied to. I’m doing this for your own good!” “Why do you need to go so far away?” “If you study locally, after graduation I’ll find you a stable job. Isn’t that better than being out there?” I’d heard these words my entire life. In my past life, it was all this “for your own good” that dragged me into hell. “Enough!” My voice wasn’t loud, but it made her stop abruptly. I walked to the desk and picked up the fruit knife lying there. I wasn’t pointing it at her, just holding it. “Mom, you said if I don’t apply to local schools, I’m driving you to death. But have you ever considered me?” She opened her mouth but said nothing. “My grades can get me into the best schools in America, studying the major I most want to study.” “But you insist I stay local and attend an ordinary school I don’t even respect. Mom, that’s not for my own good—that’s ruining the rest of my life.” “I think you’re the one trying to drive me to death.” The moment those words left my mouth, my mother’s expression went blank. She seemed to truly see me for the first time. For the first time, she realized that her always-obedient son harbored such deep resentment. Then she exploded. “I’m driving you to death? Julian, do you have no conscience? I provided food and clothes for you! I sacrificed everything for you!” “And now you’re telling me I’m forcing you? Fine! I’ll die right now and let you see! You’ll be satisfied when I’m dead!” She cried and rushed toward the balcony, her movements exaggerated, but I knew she wouldn’t jump. This was just her most effective method to make me compromise. Seeing I hadn’t moved, Mom cried even louder. Soon, impatient banging came from next door, followed by the neighbor across the way opening their window and roaring angrily: “What’s all this wailing in the middle of the night? Are you going to let people sleep? Keep it up and I’m calling the police!” My mother’s cries caught in her throat. She froze at the balcony edge, unable to advance or retreat, her face alternating between red and white. Finally, she glared at me fiercely, quickly walked back to her own room, and slammed the door heavily. The world was finally quiet. But I knew it wasn’t over yet. The next morning when I woke up, my mother was already gone. I didn’t think much of it. After washing up and changing clothes, I went out to look for part-time work. College would cost money. Although I had a scholarship, I didn’t want to rely on her for living expenses anymore. More importantly, I needed to start saving myself an escape route. After running around all afternoon, I got home around five-thirty. I walked to my bedroom door, grabbed the handle, pushed it open—my computer was gone. “Where’s my computer?” “Oh, that.” She put vegetables into a basin, her tone casual. “I accidentally knocked over my water cup today and spilled water on the computer.” “So I took it to a repair shop. The technician said it needs to be examined, might take a few days.” Something felt wrong.

I didn’t argue with her. I turned and went back to my bedroom. Then immediately took out my phone and opened the college application system. I entered the password. A line of bright red text appeared on the screen: Password incorrect, please re-enter. I tried three times in a row. All wrong. My hands were shaking. Struggling to maintain my composure, I walked out of the bedroom again. Phone in hand, I walked up to her and held the screen in front of her eyes, suppressing my anger as I asked: “What’s going on? What did you really do with the computer today?” The faucet was turned off. My mother shook off the water, turned around, wiped her hands on her apron, then looked at me, completely self-righteous: “College applications are such a big deal, I had to help you check.” “You’re young, you don’t understand. What’s the use of just looking at the school’s reputation? You need to look at the major, the employment prospects!” “Today Mom pulled some strings, spent thirty thousand dollars, and hired an experienced consultant to review your schools and choose majors for you.” “They’re all local. After graduation you can become a high school teacher—so stable, so good!” “I already changed your college application for you. You don’t need to worry about it.” Thirty thousand dollars. She was really willing to spend. I was so angry my voice shook. “Who gave you the right to change my college application? Did I ask you to apply for me?” “Change it back right now! Tell me the password!” Hearing this, she immediately put on that life-or-death act again, pointing at me and shouting: “Tell you? You’ll definitely change it back to those out-of-state schools, won’t you?” “Let me tell you, no way! If you dare change the application, don’t recognize me as your mother! I’ll act like I never gave birth to a son like you!” She’d said this line many times. In my past life, every time she said it, I would cry, beg her, compromise. This time, I looked at her, watched for a few seconds, then turned, pulled open the door, and ran out. “Julian! Where are you going? Come back!” Her shouts were shut inside. After running out of the apartment complex, my phone rang. It was my mother’s sister, Martha. I hung up without expression. It rang again quickly. This time it was my mother’s brother, Brandon. Twitter also started going crazy with notifications. [Julian, how can you treat your mother this way? Raising you alone wasn’t easy for her!] [I heard you want to apply to out-of-state universities? Going so far isn’t good. Be obedient and stay with your mother.] One message after another, all urging me to be sensible and obedient. Looking at those words, I found them absurdly laughable, but I knew I couldn’t fight head-on right now. The college application deadline was in three days. Even if I found a way to reset the password and change it back, my mother would definitely cause more trouble. I sat in a pavilion, scrolling through Twitter in frustration. I came across a photo posted by a senior one year ahead of me showing his computer programming competition award. My spirits lifted—I had an idea. Just after I finished messaging the senior, my phone rang again. This time it was Aunt Michelle. I answered. “Julian! Where are you?” Michelle’s voice was urgent. “Get to the hospital quick! Your mother collapsed!” When I arrived at the hospital, my mother was already awake. She was leaning against the hospital bed, pale-faced, receiving an IV drip. Seeing me enter, she snorted coldly and turned her head away: “What are you doing here? I don’t have a son like you.” “What are you saying!” Michelle tried to smooth things over, pulling me to sit down. “Julian rushed over as soon as he heard you were sick.” “Julian, I’m not criticizing you, but your mother didn’t eat all day because of you, running around everywhere. She collapsed from stress and anger. Can’t you be a little more understanding?” I’d heard these words too many times. Every time, I would compromise under the weight of family obligation. I knew that this time, I could only compromise too. For my future, to make my mother lower her guard, I had to compromise. I lowered my head, my fingertips digging into my palm, and said hoarsely: “I understand.”

The hospital room fell silent for a few seconds. My mother turned her head and looked at me suspiciously. “I know I shouldn’t have made you angry.” I continued, my voice carrying exhaustion and helplessness. “The college application… wherever you want me to apply, I’ll apply there.” My mother’s eyes lit up instantly: “Really? You’re willing to stay local?” I smiled bitterly. “What else can I do? You’re already hospitalized from anger, you changed the password. What can I do?” “Oh! Now that’s right!” Michelle clapped happily. “Julian, that’s right! Would your mother hurt you? She’s doing everything for your own good!” My mother’s face immediately brightened. She reached out to pat the back of my hand, her tone rarely gentle: “Now that’s my good son. You’re still young, all you think about is going out to explore. In a few years you’ll understand your mother’s good intentions.” “Staying local is so much better. Mom can still cook and do laundry for you. If you go out of state, who’ll take care of you?” Her hand was warm, gripping mine tightly. In my past life, she also held my hand like this, saying “I’m doing this for your own good.” Then at the gas station, exposed to wind and sun, my hands cracked from the cold, earning only three thousand dollars a month. I discovered that woman had stolen all my savings and run off with another man, without even a word of explanation. I let her hold my hand without pulling away, only saying softly: “Mm.” Over the next two days, I became unusually obedient. My mother logged into the college application system at least twice a day to confirm I hadn’t changed anything. I didn’t say much, even actively leaned over to look, saying “the major you chose is actually pretty good.” Every day I accompanied her shopping and cooking, helped massage her shoulders and back. Whatever she asked me to do, I did, without any resistance. She finally relaxed, laughing cheerfully when talking to relatives on the phone. Saying I’d finally become sensible, that I understood her devotion. On the evening the college application deadline closed, after dinner, I proactively told her: “My classmate said there’s a meteor shower on the mountain in the suburbs tonight. I want to go see it.” “If you’re worried about me, you can hold my phone or come with me.” She paused, probably not expecting me to actively make a request. She took my phone and scrolled through it for a long time, finding nothing suspicious. Seeing my expectant expression, she nodded: “Alright, I’ll go with you. Better than letting you run around.” When we climbed the mountain it was just past nine. There were already quite a few people waiting. I sat quietly beside her, chatting with her, showing no sign of anything unusual. At eleven-forty, I tugged her sleeve and said: “Mom, I need to use the restroom.” My mother, afraid I’d pull something, followed me and stood outside the men’s room waiting. I walked into the innermost stall, locked it, then pulled out an old phone from a hidden pocket in my jeans. It was an old phone from high school, long since deactivated, but it could still connect to Wi-Fi. I quickly powered it on, connected to the observation deck’s public network, then logged into a cloud note app. Inside was a complex password string and a phone number. I dialed the number. It rang three times, then connected. “Hello?” A young male voice answered. “It’s me,” I lowered my voice. “You can do it now. Right now.” The call ended. I heard my own heart pounding like a drum. My palms were already soaked with sweat. I took several deep breaths, stuffed the phone back in the hidden pocket, flushed, and walked out of the stall. My mother was waiting at the door. Seeing me come out, she looked me up and down: “Why so long?” “My stomach felt a little uncomfortable.” I touched my stomach. She didn’t ask more, just urged me to hurry back. When we returned to our seats, it was exactly midnight. My mother let out a long sigh of relief, a victorious smile on her face: “Good. Now the college application system is closed. Everything’s settled.” “Just wait for the acceptance letter from the local university.” I turned to look at my mother. Her face in the distant firelight appeared blurry and soft, filled with the relief of a mission accomplished. I smiled too. “Yes, Mom.” My voice scattered in the night wind, very light but very clear. “Everything’s settled. I’m definitely going to that out-of-state school.”

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Five years after I left Giovanni, everyone in our class received his and Michelle’s engagement invitation—everyone except me. The hotel where he was getting engaged was the same place where I worked as a server. A classmate recognized me and shouted loudly, “Gerard, you dumped Giovanni just to work as a server here?” All eyes turned toward me. Giovanni let go of his fiancée’s hand and strode toward me. He stared at me, his voice dripping with mockery. “Didn’t you say back then that staying with a sickly guy like me had no future? Do you regret it now?” I gripped my serving tray tighter and forced a smile. “Yes, I regret it.” Giovanni looked me up and down with a sneer. “Do you think you’re worthy of me now?” I didn’t argue. I just turned away, clutching my chest. I had no time to get tangled up in the past with him, arguing about who was right or wrong. After all, my artificial heart wouldn’t make it past this winter. I made an excuse about needing to get back to work and turned to leave. Giovanni quickly stepped forward, blocking my path. “Gerard, didn’t you say it yourself? That you’d definitely be at my wedding.” I lowered my gaze, bitterness welling up inside. That was because back then, I thought I would be the one marrying Giovanni. After we broke up, I avoided him at all costs. I never expected to run into him again, especially not at his engagement party. Whispers erupted around us. “Is that really Giovanni’s ex-girlfriend? I heard she took his family’s financial support to finish school, then turned around and dumped him!” A classmate who knew our history cursed. “She’s a total asshole. Giovanni’s heart condition was serious back then—he needed a transplant. She was afraid of being dragged down, so she just broke up with him.” “No wonder she ended up like this. She deserves it. She might as well be dead.” Those insults and curses fell into my ears, word for word. A dull ache spread through my chest, making it hard to breathe. When I looked up, I saw Michelle linking arms intimately with Giovanni. “Giovanni, don’t be so petty. We’re all old classmates.” She turned to me, feigning magnanimity. “Gerard, just sit down and have a few drinks with us. Let’s celebrate.” “No need. I still have work to do.” I politely declined. I picked up my tray, wanting nothing more than to escape this suffocating place. But the moment I turned around, I heard Giovanni call out in a deep voice, “Manager Anderson.” My supervisor came running over, bowing and scraping before Giovanni. “Mr. Giovanni, what can I do for you?” Giovanni didn’t even look at him. He kept his eyes fixed on me as he spoke slowly and deliberately. “This server will exclusively serve us tonight. Triple her wages. If she’s absent or if I’m dissatisfied, dock all her pay.” Manager Anderson didn’t even ask if I was willing. He agreed immediately. I felt trapped by invisible ropes, unable to move. Without my wages, I wouldn’t be able to afford next month’s medication. I had no choice but to follow orders, trailing behind Giovanni and Michelle as they made their rounds, table by table. Whatever Giovanni handed me, I had to drink. My stomach churned, and my chest tightened with wave after wave of dull pain. Someone asked curiously, “Who’s this?” Giovanni wrapped his arm around Michelle’s waist and glanced back at me. “Just a short-sighted ex-girlfriend.” The table erupted in laughter. I clenched my fists, feeling desolate. Giovanni gestured for me to stand beside Michelle and ordered, “Michelle likes salmon. Cut it for her.” Then, as if remembering something, he leaned closer to me. In a voice only the two of us could hear, laced with alcohol and mockery, he said, “Gerard, if you hadn’t abandoned me back then, you’d be the one sitting here now. Too bad you don’t have that fate.” I numbly cut the salmon and placed it on Michelle’s plate. She ate delicately, taking small bites, then suddenly acted coquettish. “Giovanni, I want shrimp.” Giovanni paused. A memory surged to the front of my mind. I used to playfully feed him shrimp. He’d laugh and dodge. “You eat it. I’m allergic. If I even touch shrimp, my hands get itchy.” So he never peeled a single shrimp for me. Yet now, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Giovanni skillfully peeled shrimp and gently placed them in Michelle’s bowl. Michelle smiled sweetly. “Giovanni’s always like this. Every time we eat shrimp, he insists on peeling them for me himself. He says he doesn’t trust anyone else to do it.” Giovanni said nothing. He just picked up another shrimp, continued peeling it, and placed it on an empty plate. Antoine, who used to receive financial aid like me, raised his glass with his now-protruding belly and fawned over Giovanni. “Mr. Giovanni is truly devoted to Miss Michelle! Unlike some people—both of them were poor students, but Miss Michelle is kind and excellent, grateful and loyal, and ultimately a perfect match for Giovanni.” “But some people? They were practically ready to sell themselves when accepting aid, but the moment they saw Giovanni’s health was poor, they turned cold and heartless. Truly despicable character.” Every word felt like a needle stabbing into me. The long hours of work, combined with the alcohol I’d just consumed, made my face turn pale. My body trembled, and my vision started to darken. I had to lean on the table to stay upright. Giovanni seemed to notice. He looked up, frowning at me, as if he wanted to say something. But Michelle’s friend glanced at me with contempt. “Giovanni, some people are just naturally dramatic. They pretend to be pitiful to win sympathy. Otherwise, how could they abandon a seriously ill boyfriend?”

The air fell silent for a moment. Giovanni leaned back in his chair, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth. “Gerard, after all these years, do you think I’d still fall for your act?” The tightness in my chest intensified sharply. I forced myself to stand upright. “Sorry, I need to use the restroom.” Without waiting for anyone to respond, I stumbled and turned away. Behind me, I heard Michelle’s anxious voice trying to stop him. “Giovanni, don’t chase after her. She probably doesn’t want to see you right now. Let me go talk to her. After all, we used to be friends.” Friends? The nausea in my stomach grew worse. I clutched my chest and staggered into the emergency stairwell. Michelle followed me. “Gerard.” I stopped but didn’t turn around. “Michelle, there’s no one else here. You don’t need to act.” She stepped in front of me, looking at my disheveled state with mockery. “Act? I’m just here to remind you to know your place. Giovanni is my fiancé now. You’re just a server. You’d better stay away from him.” I looked at her, unable to reconcile this ugly face with the innocent girl I once knew. Michelle and I were both orphans, raised together in the same orphanage. I was adopted by kind people and made it through high school. At school, I ran into Michelle again. She was about to drop out because she couldn’t afford tuition. Giovanni was my sponsor at the time, so I asked him to sponsor Michelle too. To thank Giovanni and me, she became our “relationship guardian.” Later, Giovanni’s heart condition left him on the brink of death in a hospital bed. I didn’t want him to die, so I secretly went to get tested for heart compatibility without telling Michelle. The results showed I was a match. I could donate my heart, but afterward, I could only survive with an artificial heart. When Michelle heard I’d decided to donate my heart, she froze. “Gerard… I was just talking. Are you really going to donate your heart?” When she couldn’t persuade me otherwise, she gripped my hand tightly and cried until she couldn’t breathe. “I swear, while he’s unconscious and recovering, I’ll watch over him for you! You don’t want him to feel guilty, so I won’t tell him the truth.” I looked at Michelle’s triumphant face now and suddenly felt utterly absurd. My voice trembled. “Michelle, why are you the one marrying him?” I treated her like a friend, like family. Why did she betray me? “Why?” Michelle’s face twisted with jealousy and satisfaction. “Gerard, what gives you the right to always be so naive and lucky? Yes, we’re both orphans. But why do you get everything so easily that I can never obtain no matter how hard I try? The favor of Giovanni’s family. Giovanni’s unconditional love. Even after you abandoned him, even when he hates you to death, he still loves you deep down.” She stepped closer. “You told me to take care of him, and I did. When he woke up at his most vulnerable, when he hated you the most, I told him you left. Watching him suffer, watching him depend on me, watching him finally look at me… that feeling was so wonderful. Finally, it was my turn to be lucky.” “And you? You won’t live past ten years with that artificial heart.” Michelle’s expression grew more excited. “Besides that broken body, what do you have left to compete with me?” A bone-deep chill wrapped around me. I looked at her, suddenly losing all desire to argue. I tugged at the corner of my mouth and walked past her. “You’re right.” “So please, both of you stay away from me.” I find you disgusting. Giovanni kept his word. The next day, Manager Anderson found every excuse to fire me. Over the following week, every résumé I sent out sank without a trace. I knew whose doing this was. He wanted to force me to bow my head, to beg him. Fine. Hatred is easier than love. Hatred would keep him alive—alive with a healthy body and a bright future. Still, my heart sometimes ached in dense, stabbing waves. So this was it. He really could leave not a shred of old feelings behind. Ruthless to the end. I clutched the medical report I’d just received. The doctor only said, “For your remaining time, enjoy your life.” I might not see the next spring. A wave of dizziness hit me, and my body swayed. At that moment, the last voice I wanted to hear sounded from behind me. “Gerard?” I froze instantly. Before I could hide the report, Giovanni was already striding toward me. “Why are you at the hospital? Are you not feeling well?” His brows furrowed tightly as he reached out to take the report. Instinctively, I hid it behind my back and stepped away, helpless and cornered. Seeing this, Michelle, afraid Giovanni would learn the truth, grabbed his arm. “Giovanni, don’t do this…” Giovanni’s tone grew heavier, carrying an undeniable command, as if he were still the boy from years ago who could take whatever he wanted from me. Just as he was about to seize the report, an arm suddenly blocked his path. “Mr. Giovanni, it’s not very appropriate to get physical with a lady, is it?”

I looked up in surprise. It was Robinson. My neighbor, and also a heart patient. Robinson shielded me behind him. “Gerard came to accompany me for a follow-up. My heart isn’t in great shape. She was kind enough to help me out.” Giovanni’s gaze swept back and forth between Robinson and me. Jealousy instantly shattered his composure. “Accompany you?” He let out a laugh filled with both hatred and panic. “You’d better be careful. After all, staying with a sickly guy has no future. Those are someone’s words of wisdom.” Giovanni paused, each word landing like a blow. “Don’t end up like me—casually abandoned by her.” With that, he abruptly turned away and strode off without looking back, his retreating figure resolute. That night at two in the morning, Giovanni pounded on my door. He was drunk, leaning against the doorframe with bloodshot eyes, staring at me. “Gerard, don’t you have any conscience at all?” “You abandoned me when I was sick and walked away without a word. Then you show up again acting like you don’t know me. Don’t you feel even a shred of guilt toward me?” “Why do you get to accompany someone else to see a heart specialist when you left me all alone back then? Why!” I looked at him, my chest tightening with pain. I thought about the doctor’s warnings, my empty wallet, and the orphanage director’s dying words that people need a good coffin after death so they can have their wishes fulfilled in the next life. I asked, “Mr. Giovanni, what will it take for you to let me go?” He stared at me, speaking each word deliberately. “Do three things with me.” “Fine.” The first thing was to take care of him for a day at his apartment. Giovanni lay in bed like a real patient. He deliberately knocked over the borscht I’d made, complaining it was too hot, then too cold. He demanded I adjust his pillow angle every half hour. He made me read love letters he’d written. None of the letters had a name at the beginning. If I read a single word wrong, I had to start over from the top. He watched my pale face and sneered. “Can’t handle it already? Back then, I suffered far worse than this!” I bent down to pick up pieces of yet another shattered bowl, cutting my hand. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. I steadied myself against the table, trying to regulate my breathing. Giovanni suddenly sat up. “You—!” I quickly interrupted. “I’m fine. Does Mr. Giovanni have any other instructions?” He stared at me for a long time, then finally lay back down heavily, turning his back to me. “No.” The second thing was to accompany him to pick out a birthday gift for Michelle. Giovanni pointed at the most expensive necklaces in the jewelry store. “Bring all of these for her to try.” He gestured to me. “You put them on.” “This is a gift for Miss Michelle. It’s not appropriate for me to try them.” His tone was firm. “I said try them on.” I complied. “Ugly.” When I was trying on the fifth one, I raised my hand to adjust the clasp. My sleeve slipped down, revealing new and old scars crisscrossing my wrist. Giovanni suddenly grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight I cried out in pain. His hand was trembling. “What is this?” I yanked my hand back and pulled down my sleeve. “Old scars.” “When did you get them?” I looked away. “I don’t remember. Should I keep trying? Miss Michelle would probably like the sapphire one.” Giovanni’s chest heaved violently. He suddenly grabbed my chin viciously, forcing me to look at him. “Gerard, do you think this will make me soften? This is what you owe me. You deserve to suffer.” In the end, he bought every necklace I’d tried on. The third thing was to accompany him to a hospital follow-up. Outside the cardiology consultation room, Giovanni greeted the doctor with practiced ease. After completing a series of tests, the doctor looked at the report and said with relief, “Mr. Giovanni, the recovery is excellent. This heart is very compatible with you.” I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Giovanni reflexively glanced at me. I turned my head to stare out the window. The doctor looked at me a few more times, his brow furrowing. When the consultation ended and I got up to collect medication, the doctor said to me quietly, “Miss Gerard, you need to take care of your own health too.” I froze. Giovanni had already walked back in, sneering. “Doctor, you’re worrying too much. Someone as cold-hearted as her, who abandoned her seriously ill boyfriend without a second thought—what could possibly be wrong with her? She values her own life more than anyone.”

The doctor hesitated, then finally just sighed. Outside the hospital, Giovanni’s driver was waiting by the door. He opened the car door but didn’t get in immediately. I asked softly, “The three things are done. Will Mr. Giovanni let me go now?” He had his back to me, his shoulders tense. After a long silence, a single word came out. “Get lost.” Dead leaves were swept up by the cold wind. My heart died completely, with nothing left to hold onto. This winter was truly cold. Giovanni returned to the hospital for another follow-up half a month later. The doctor pushed up his glasses, his expression grave. “Mr. Giovanni, although I shouldn’t meddle in patients’ personal affairs, that Miss Gerard who came with you last time—you need to cherish her while you still have time!” Giovanni paused while adjusting his cuffs. “What do you mean, ‘while I still have time’?” The doctor looked surprised, realizing he’d said something he shouldn’t have. He tried to brush it off. But Giovanni kept pressing him, even threatening his career. “Five years ago, when you were critical, the only suitable donor was Miss Gerard. She volunteered to donate and requested using an artificial heart as a replacement, even though the technology was still unstable at the time. The surgical risk was extremely high, and the possibility of post-operative rejection and artificial heart failure were both very real.” The doctor’s words cut into Giovanni like knives, one after another. His face turned deathly pale. “What did you say?” “After the surgery, she asked how you were. When she heard the operation was very successful, she didn’t ask anything more.” “But an artificial heart ultimately… Miss Gerard doesn’t have much time left.” Giovanni thought about all those harsh acts of revenge, those humiliating words filled with hatred. Those necklaces he’d made her try on under false pretenses. Those moments when she looked pale but he assumed she was just playing the victim. In an instant, regret mixed with pain spread through his entire body. The car sped along, running through countless red lights. Giovanni’s hands shook so badly he could barely grip the steering wheel. He frantically rushed to the building and looked up. With his own eyes, he saw a familiar, frail figure leap from the rooftop.

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After my husband’s unexpected death, I stayed to care for his parents. I served my paralyzed father-in-law for five years and accompanied my mother-in-law Lillian through the rest of her life. But when I went to handle the inheritance, my husband who had been dead for eighteen years suddenly appeared. He had his arm around a strange woman’s waist, with a twenty-year-old kid beside him: “Valerie, what right do you have to inherit my parents’ house and money!” That’s when I learned the accidental death all those years ago was just a lie he made up so he could run off with another woman! To fight for the family assets, he spread rumors everywhere, saying I’d abused the elderly and had long been scheming for the family fortune. Online trolls who didn’t know the truth began cyberbullying me. The judge also ruled in his favor as the “first-order heir,” awarding him all the house and money my in-laws left behind. At my most desperate moment, I chose to end my life. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn to the day Lillian blushed and said someone was pursuing her. I grabbed her hand. “Lillian, is that man in good health? Can he still have children?”

Lillian froze, then her face turned even redder. “We haven’t even started anything yet, how can you already be talking about having children?” I was almost crying tears of joy. Joy that the rebirth was real. Tears that this time, I could rewrite my own fate with my own hands. I gripped Lillian’s hand even tighter: “What do you mean we haven’t started? If this works out in the end, having kids is just a matter of time, right?” Lillian looked uneasy. “But… I can understand remarrying at my age, but getting pregnant again… won’t people laugh at me?” I immediately objected: “Lillian, you’re only in your forties. You’re completely capable of having children.” Lillian could hardly believe it. “Valerie, you really support me having another baby?” I lowered my eyes as memories from my past life flooded back. After Ethan Collins faked his death, Lillian had wanted to have another child. But at that time, my father-in-law was bedridden and paralyzed, and her health wasn’t great either. Later, after my father-in-law died, she was barely fifty and had thoughts of remarrying again. But the man pursuing her at that time already had a son and daughter. I analyzed the pros and cons for her, saying remarriage was fine but having kids was off the table. In the end, after much consideration, plus seeing her best friend’s unhappy remarriage, she gave up on the idea. But this time, I nodded vigorously. “Of course! You lost your son and then your husband in middle age. Pursuing your own happiness is your right. I have no reason to object.” “But you need to find someone with good character who won’t take advantage of you.” Lillian hesitated: “He’s a good man, just has a slight defect…” My heart sank. Could he not have children after all? The next second, I heard Lillian say: “He has a slight limp. You know him actually—it’s Charles from downstairs…” My heart leapt with joy. “Charles is great! Sure, his leg isn’t perfect, but he has no children and he’s a few years younger than you, right?” “You two could have your own child together.” Though I had selfish motives, I’d gotten along well with Lillian in my past life. Even if remarriage served my purposes, I hoped she’d find a good man. Besides, when I was at my most desperate in my past life, Charles was the only one who extended a helping hand to me. More importantly, I’d heard he used to be well-connected in both legitimate and underground circles. That way, even if Ethan came back later to make trouble, he wouldn’t be able to cause much of a stir. Lillian’s eyes welled up with tears: “Valerie, I was so afraid you wouldn’t agree at first… I’m so glad you understand…” I held her hand as warmth flooded through my heart. As for Ethan… He liked playing dead to avoid responsibility, wanting to swoop in at the end and reap all the benefits? I’d like to see his reaction when Lillian remarried and had a second child. When he came back from his fake death, he’d find: No home, no house, his mom remarried, and all the family assets belonged to his stepfather and half-brother! He and his illegitimate child wouldn’t get a single penny!

With my support, things between Lillian and Charles took off like a rocket. A week later, Charles showed up at our door with bags of gifts. He looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m here to… discuss engagement details.” Lillian brought tea out from the kitchen, her face red as an apple. I couldn’t help but smile and invited Charles to sit down. “Charles, I won’t beat around the bush. She may be Lillian, but I’ve always treated her like my own mother all these years. I have no problem with her marrying you, but I need to ask you a few things.” He sat up straight. “Go ahead.” “Are your feelings for Lillian genuine?” “Absolutely genuine.” When he said this, his eyes never left Lillian. That kind of gaze couldn’t lie. I nodded and asked my second question. “You have no children. If Lillian wants to have one in the future, can you support the child?” At this, Lillian nearly dropped her teacup and glared at me with a red face. “Valerie! What are you saying!” But Charles laughed—a big, hearty laugh. “Valerie, I can’t promise much else, but supporting a child is absolutely no problem.” That’s when I learned Charles owned an entire building unit in the North District. With the rental income alone, he could support not just one child, but ten. Though I’d known Charles was a catch and many people had tried to set him up before, but he’d never been interested, hearing him state his assets firsthand still shocked me. In that area of the North District, a two-bedroom apartment rented for at least three thousand a month. Twenty-four units would bring in several hundred thousand a year. With that settled, I didn’t need to ask any more questions. I squeezed Lillian’s hand. “Charles, I’m entrusting her to you. If you treat her badly, I won’t forgive you.” He immediately pulled a card from his pocket and pushed it across the coffee table to me. “Valerie, this is eighty thousand—consider it a wedding gift.” I gave the card to Lillian. “Charles, I’m not after your money. I just want you to treat my mom well. This money is for her.” Lillian’s eyes instantly reddened as she tried to push the card back into my hands. “That won’t do. Charles gave it to you, you should keep it. Actually, I needs to discuss something with you.” “These years haven’t been easy for you. Without you, this family would have fallen apart long ago. I’m planning to transfer the furniture factory to your name, and leave the house and savings to you too.” I was stunned. Originally, I only wanted to take back what was rightfully mine. But I never expected her to give me everything. I was about to speak when Lillian raised her hand to stop me. “Valerie, let me finish first.” She wiped away tears. “All these years, the hardships you’ve endured in this family—caring for your father-in-law for five years without complaint—I’ve seen it all.” “Now I’m remarrying. These things originally belonged to you and Ethan. Since Ethan is gone, they should be yours. I can’t let you walk away with nothing.” My heart churned with indescribable emotions. Ethan was a bastard. He’d wronged me. But Lillian had genuinely treated me well. I couldn’t let her suffer a loss either. In the end, I only took the factory and savings, leaving the house to Lillian. I also added another twenty thousand to Charles’s card, making it an even hundred thousand as Lillian’s wedding gift. As for whether Ethan could eventually get his hands on any of Lillian’s money, that would depend on whether she could accept her son rising from the dead. After handling these matters, Lillian and Charles officially registered their marriage. I suggested they have a travel wedding, booking international flights and a five-star hotel for a month-long honeymoon trip. I had a vague sense that Ethan had planted informants around us. Otherwise, in my past life, he wouldn’t have appeared so quickly to fight for the inheritance right after Lillian died. If we held a big wedding ceremony or if news got out about Lillian moving to Charles’s place, who knew what trouble might arise. Before sending them off to the airport, I even slipped some intimate aids into Lillian’s suitcase. I hoped this month and a half trip would help them conceive.

When I got home, I suddenly felt completely unburdened. The shackles that had weighed on me in my past life—responsibility, morality, obligation… In this moment, they all fell away. I was no longer a daughter-in-law of the Collins family, no longer the free caretaker dealing with bedpans, no longer the fool paying off someone else’s debts. I had my own factory, my own savings, my own life. This lightness lasted only a few days. One day, just as I reached the apartment building entrance, Mrs. Wilson from the next building stopped me. “Oh, Valerie! You’re back!” “I haven’t seen Lillian out dancing these past few days. Is she not feeling well?” Looking at her eager face, my heart tightened, but I still smiled. “No, she went on a trip.” Monica Wilson leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “Who did she go with?” “I saw her getting pretty friendly with Charles from downstairs the other day. They were laughing and chatting together. Don’t tell me they’re an item?” As her words fell, my suspicions crystallized. I’d wondered before whether Ethan might have planted informants around us. Now it seemed my guess was right. This Monica Wilson always found ways to ask about our family affairs. Today she’d ask how Lillian’s health was, tomorrow whether anyone had visited, the day after how business was at the furniture factory. I used to think it was just sisterly concern between dancing buddies. Now, connecting all the dots, her son apparently worked at the crematorium. No wonder I’d watched with my own eyes as Ethan was pushed into the cremation furnace, only to have him suddenly come back to life. This Monica Wilson must be the informant Ethan had planted. Seeing my silence, Monica Wilson’s brow furrowed slightly. I suppressed the hatred churning in my heart and put on a helpless expression. “Mrs. Wilson, don’t say that. Charles is ten years younger than my mom. He just wanted to replace some furniture recently, so when Lillian had time, she took him to the factory to look around.” Monica Wilson breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, I see. I was going to say, with such a filial daughter-in-law like you, your mother-in-law should just enjoy her golden years. She definitely shouldn’t go find another man to serve.” Then she put on a concerned expression. “Look at you—your father-in-law was paralyzed for years, and you handled everything at home. If your mother-in-law remarried, there’s no telling who’d end up with the family assets, right?” I nodded with an “I think so too” expression. After chatting a bit more, Monica Wilson said she needed to go cook dinner and left. I watched her figure disappear around the corner, my smile fading bit by bit, then followed her. She found a secluded corner, pulled out her phone, looked around, and made a call. “Mr. Collins, I’ve found out about your family situation.” My heart clenched. It really was Ethan. “Your mom went on a trip. She probably doesn’t have plans to remarry. I also gave Valerie a little warning, so she should…” I didn’t keep listening. I turned and went home. Ethan, you like spying? Then I’ll let you spy to your heart’s content. In the following days, Monica Wilson kept coming around like before. I played along, acting obedient while feeding her false information. A month later, I got a call from Lillian. She said she didn’t know if it was the change in climate or menopause, but her period was a week late and she felt tired. She wanted to come home early. My heart leapt and I nearly jumped off the sofa. “Lillian, could you be pregnant? Have you tested?”

Lillian kept saying it was impossible, but that same day she went to the hospital and confirmed she was pregnant. The doctor said the pregnancy was still unstable. I suggested they not rush back. I don’t know what Charles managed to arrange, but they ended up staying over three months. During that time, Monica Wilson asked several times. Each time I smiled and said: “Still traveling and relaxing. They’re having such a good time they don’t want to come back.” When Lillian returned, her belly was already about four months along. Since it was winter, people just thought she’d gained a little weight. But over time, Monica Wilson would eventually find out. Lillian also worried that being seen by others would lead to questions that might affect her mood. I booked a suite at the best prenatal care center in the province, with the reservation running until Lillian’s due date. Five months later, Lillian safely delivered a healthy baby boy at the hospital. On the baby’s celebration, I went door to door delivering gifts and sharing the good news. Monica Wilson took the gift, her eyes wide as saucers: “Valerie, when did you have a baby?” I smiled without answering her question, just pushing the gift into her hands. “Mrs. Wilson, remember to come visit!” As soon as she closed the door, I heard her making a phone call. “Mr. Collins, we have a problem…” I smiled with satisfaction and turned to leave. After all, Lillian was at that age—her body hadn’t fully recovered by the Sip-and-See Party. I had her rest in the back room while Charles and I greeted guests at the entrance with the baby. Just as the guests were settling in and the atmosphere was getting lively, a figure strode in through the hall entrance. “Valerie!” After all this planning, Ethan finally appeared. He walked right up to me. “How dare you! Going behind my back to have a bastard child, thinking you can take over the Collins family assets?” Charles obviously hadn’t processed what was happening—his face showed only shock at seeing the supposedly dead Ethan. The woman beside Ethan sneered. “Valerie, I understand you’ve been lonely too long and wanted a man, but couldn’t you have found someone better? This man is old and crippled…” Before Sarah could finish, my palm struck her face: “Watch your filthy mouth!” Ethan immediately jumped to her defense, his voice rising eight octaves. “Valerie, have you no shame! Acting like a whore and then daring to hit people?!” I looked at him with cold eyes. “If you can fake your death and run off to live it up, why wouldn’t I dare hit someone?” Ethan froze, as if unable to understand how I knew about his faked death. But after the shock, he grew even angrier: “I don’t care what you say today or who you’re with!” “But the Collins family house and factory—you and this bastard child won’t get a penny!” Charles finally snapped out of it, his expression darkening. He was about to speak when I stopped him. Then I smiled slowly. “Who told you this is my son?” He froze, then sneered. “You’re carrying a baby around delivering gifts to everyone. If he’s not yours, whose is he?” “You think you can use this bastard to claim a share of the Collins family assets? Dream on!” He rambled on, spittle flying, his face full of a victor’s smugness. I looked down at the baby in my arms who’d been woken by the noise and gently patted him. Once he quieted down, I raised my head to look at Ethan. “You got one thing wrong. He’s not a bastard. He’s your biological little brother.”

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My husband, Ethan Smith, is a major internet influencer with tens of millions of followers across all platforms. Online users ship him with another female influencer named River Johnson. During their joint live streams, they create physical contact and openly flirt with each other. Netizens call them the “streaming couple.” For all these years, their fans have been attacking me relentlessly. They say I’m a homewrecker who got between him and River. They’ve even exposed my personal information and harassed my family and child. I’ve fought with Ethan about this, cried about it, and even attempted suicide during my most vulnerable moment. But all I got in return was one sentence from Ethan. “Vivian, can you stop making a scene? We’re just business partners. Can you not be so petty?” So from that day on, I stopped making scenes. Until Ethan told me— “Vivian, I want to hold a wedding with River.” He said this while I was in the kitchen pan-searing a steak for him. Seeing I had no reaction, Ethan continued talking to himself. “Don’t overthink it. It’s just to fulfill the fans’ dream and sell some products along the way. My traffic’s been terrible lately. I need to create some buzz.” He was about to continue when I answered him straightforwardly. “Fine. You don’t need to consult me about this kind of thing. As long as it helps your career, I have no objections.” Ethan froze, clearly not expecting this reaction from me. I brought the pan-seared steak to him and asked softly. “Is there anything you need me to prepare for the wedding? Are the venue and wedding dress already booked?” Only then did he snap out of it, his tone carrying a hint of surprise. “Oh, no need. We’ve already chosen everything. Just letting you know.” I nodded obediently and said nothing more. Ethan looked at me with some puzzlement. “Why are you so compliant today? Not making a scene?” “I was immature before. Now I’ve come to terms with it.” I said this while serving him the steak. Ethan was very satisfied with my response. “If you’d been this compliant earlier, we wouldn’t have fought so much.” He lowered his head to eat the steak. I quietly took out my phone. Opening TikTok, my DMs were filled with the familiar abuse. “You bitch, can’t you just disappear? Must you seek attention?” “Ethan marrying you is the worst luck. He and River are the real couple! You’re the mistress!” “Why haven’t you divorced Ethan yet? Haven’t you milked him enough over these years?” I’d been reading these messages for a full eight years. Exiting the DMs, their names were prominently displayed on the trending searches. “Heaven and River Unite — Wedding Stream Coming with Fan Giveaways!” All the comments below were filled with anticipation and blessings. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that Ethan was a married man. In the past, I would have cursed back at every single DM and tried to stop Ethan from doing such ridiculous things. But now, I’m tired. I’ve finally seen clearly that Ethan has never had me in his heart. He only cares about his own future. No matter how much humiliation and abuse I suffer, he only tells me to endure it. Since that’s the case, I’ll just pretend not to see it. After all, he hasn’t mistreated me materially, and we can’t get divorced anyway. When we got married, because he was an influencer, we signed an agreement. Only he can initiate divorce, not me — otherwise it would damage his image. What’s more, we have a daughter. She’s my everything now. After dinner, River came to our house, saying she wanted to discuss the wedding live stream sales pitch with Ethan. I smiled at her politely, then left to pick up our daughter from school, proactively giving them space.

River was very surprised by my transformation. Ethan boasted to her proudly. “I’ve trained Vivian to be very obedient now. Don’t worry, she won’t give you attitude anymore.” When he said this, his tone was like someone showing off an obedient dog. When I arrived at the school gate, I saw a group of people wearing masks surrounding the school so tightly that not even water could pass through. An ominous premonition instantly rose in my heart. I desperately pushed my way in. Surrounded in the middle was my daughter, Sophie. My daughter was already crying in fear, her body trembling nonstop. Several young girls in front of her were hurling vicious words at her. “You’re that bitch Vivian’s child — just like your mom, a little bitch!” “Do you know your dad doesn’t even like your mom? You’re a mistress’s kid!” “Ethan is only staying married because of the child. Let’s throw her somewhere remote and Ethan can divorce Vivian!” Seeing this scene, my blood pressure instantly shot through the roof. I immediately rushed forward and shielded my daughter behind me. “Who are you people? Stay away from my daughter!” The leading girl’s eyes lit up when she saw me. “Vivian, perfect timing! Ethan’s about to hold a wedding with River. Now you finally know your place, right? Hurry up and divorce him and get lost!” I ignored her, crouched down to pick up my daughter and tried to leave. When the girl saw me trying to leave, she immediately reached out and viciously grabbed my hair. “You dare leave? Did you hear me? Stop clinging to Ethan!” A sharp pain shot through my scalp. I could no longer suppress the fury in my heart. “Let go of me! Are you all insane? Ethan and I are legally married. Whether we divorce or not has nothing to do with you!” The moment those words left my mouth, the group exploded. Everyone surged forward, punching and kicking me. I immediately crouched on the ground, using my body to shield my daughter, terrified she might get hurt. The beating lasted a full five minutes until passersby called the police and they scattered. I collapsed on the ground, not knowing how many kicks I’d taken. I only felt like the bones in my back were broken, the pain causing unstoppable tears to flow. But in front of my daughter, I still forced myself to stay composed. “Sophie, are you okay? Were you scared?” My daughter looked at me with hollow eyes. Ignoring the severe pain in my back, I immediately got up and took her to the hospital. After examining her, the doctor told me my daughter was just frightened — nothing serious. With some psychological counseling, she would gradually forget. Hearing this, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor then examined my back. The result was a spinal fracture requiring immediate surgery. Before entering the operating room, I received a call from Ethan. “Hello? Where are you right now?” “The hospital. What’s wrong?” Ethan’s voice suddenly rose. “You have the nerve to ask me what’s wrong? Did you fight with my fans again today? Do you know I lost twenty thousand followers because of you? They’re all telling me to divorce you now!” I couldn’t hold it in anymore and spoke calmly. “Oh, then let’s divorce. Having a father like you is Sophie’s tragedy.” With that, I hung up directly. Ethan must have seen the video of me being beaten, but his first concern wasn’t the safety of me and our daughter — it was his precious followers. Men like this are truly disgusting. After the surgery, I stayed in the hospital for a few days. Once my body recovered somewhat, I took my daughter home.

As soon as I entered, I saw River wearing my pajamas, sitting on the living room sofa like the lady of the house watching TV. Ethan was right beside her. Seeing me return, Ethan immediately stood up and questioned me. “Where the hell have you been these past few days? I’ve been waiting for you to record an apology video. My fans are asking me every day to give them an explanation!” I handed my daughter to the nanny. After she went upstairs, I turned to look at Ethan. “Why should I apologize to your fans? Do you know they blocked Sophie’s school gate and cursed at her?” Ethan’s eyes flickered. “How could they curse at Sophie? Besides, even if they did, couldn’t you just tell the child to endure it? Fans are my bread and butter!” That phrase again. Every time his and River’s fans bullied me, he told me to endure it. “Ethan, Sophie was so frightened she developed psychological issues, and I was beaten by your fans until my spine fractured. Not only will I not apologize, I’m going to hold them accountable!” Ethan suddenly stood up. “Vivian, what crazy talk is this? If you dare sue my fans, I’ll cut off your mother’s medical expenses!” This sentence instantly extinguished all my emotions. Right. My mother is still lying in the hospital. Every month’s medical expenses all depend on Ethan. I smiled bitterly. “You’re threatening me with this? But you’ve forgotten why my mother became like this, haven’t you?” Back then, it was Ethan’s fanatical fans who exposed our home address. Several people secretly broke into our house wanting to teach me a lesson but accidentally encountered my mother. My mother bore this senseless disaster in my place. She had a heart attack, and because rescue came too late, she became a vegetable. Afterward, I cried until my eyes nearly went blind, clutching Ethan’s hand and begging him to find the culprits and send them to prison to get justice for my mother. But just like now, he only told me to endure it and not make things difficult for him. Now, he’s actually using my mother’s life to threaten me. Ethan frowned, too guilty to speak. River spoke up from the side, her words twisting the knife. “Vivian, you can’t blame Ethan for this. It was your mother who couldn’t withstand the shock. Our fans didn’t know she had a heart condition. Besides, Ethan works so hard to earn money — isn’t it all for your family?” This sentence immediately gave Ethan an out. “Right, I’m doing all this for you, aren’t I?” I didn’t respond. Step by step, I walked to River and slapped her across the face. “You leaked my daughter’s school address to those fans, didn’t you?” River covered her face, staring at me blankly. After recovering, she immediately denied it. “Of course it wasn’t me!” Ethan immediately rushed over to shield her. “Vivian, what are you doing? How can you hit people?” My gaze moved past him to River behind him. “If not you, then who? Only Ethan and I know Sophie’s school address. We didn’t even tell the nanny.” River defended herself guiltily. “Maybe the fans found out themselves, or you accidentally exposed it. Don’t frame me!” Ethan warned me again. “Vivian, stop causing trouble, or I’ll cut off your mother’s medical expenses right now!” Thinking of my mother in the hospital bed, I took a deep breath and stepped back. Seeing me yield, Ethan quickly struck while the iron was hot. “Wait here. I’ll get the phone stand. You’re recording the apology video right now.” With that, he turned and went upstairs.

Seeing Ethan leave, River immediately dropped her pretense and showed her true colors. “So what if I did it? Ethan won’t believe you anyway.” She walked up to me, her tone contemptuous. “Besides, even if you’re his legal wife, so what? The one who gets to stand by his side is me. Do you really think he’d give up his influencer status and me for you?” I stared at her face, my fists clenching tightly. “Those fans only hate me so much because you’ve been manipulating them behind the scenes, right?” River smiled disdainfully. “Manipulated? They all just think River and Ethan are perfect for each other.” I raised my hand to hit her again, but she grabbed my wrist. “I let you hit me just now as an act for Ethan. Now that he’s not here, don’t even think about touching me again. Let me give you some advice — stop making trouble. In the end, you’ll only humiliate yourself.” Just as she finished speaking, Ethan came downstairs. River immediately let go of my hand. “Vivian, come apologize.” “No need.” I refused coldly. Ethan’s face darkened. I continued. “Aren’t you two holding a wedding? I’ll apologize then. It’ll add some heat to your live stream.” River’s eyes lit up, thinking this would humiliate me more. She immediately persuaded Ethan. “Ethan, I think that’s a good idea. We can sell products first, then have her apologize at the end to keep the viewers. The effect will definitely be better.” Ethan was convinced and nodded. “Fine. Memorize your lines. Don’t mess up on the day.” He handed me a piece of paper. I took it, nodded, and turned to go upstairs. Of course I wasn’t actually compromising. I agreed to apologize because I’d just received a friend request. The requester was River’s boyfriend. He sent me a bunch of materials along with a message. “I saw the video of you being mobbed by those fans. I think you need this. Let’s work together.” Those materials both shocked and delighted me. I’d finally found a way to utterly destroy Ethan and River’s reputations. That’s why I agreed to apologize during the live stream — just to give them a huge surprise that day. Over the next few days, I stayed home quietly. Ethan went out early and came back late every day, busy preparing for his and River’s wedding, more devoted than when we got married. Soon, the day of the live stream arrived. Ethan and River held a grand online wedding in the live stream. The public screen was densely filled with the same phrase. “Dream come true.” After the ceremony, they started selling products with perfect coordination and constant small gestures. When Ethan introduced hand cream, he deliberately touched River’s hand. When River introduced a belt, she slyly mentioned she knew Ethan’s waist size. The live stream viewers were charmed and started ordering frantically. All products quickly sold out. Ethan was so happy he got carried away. In front of millions of viewers, he directly kissed River. “River is my bride for the day. One kiss isn’t too much, haha.” The live stream’s popularity instantly peaked. Ethan struck while the iron was hot and immediately called me out to apologize. I straightened my clothes and slowly walked into the live stream. As soon as I appeared, the public screen was once again flooded with abuse. Ethan urged me to speak. I smiled slightly at the camera and slowly began. “Hello everyone, I’m Vivian. I have a question for you all.” “Ethan just said River is his bride for the day. Does that mean they can also sleep together?”

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The day the TV drama wrapped, I was once again thrust onto trending topics by paparazzi photos. But the person in the photos wasn’t me. It was my husband, Gideon, the Best Actor, kissing Lillian Ross, the second female lead who played my rival in the show. Along with the trending post came this caption: “Shocking Revelation: After Actress Serena Winters Wraps Her Drama, Best Actor Gideon’s Ninth Secret Rendezvous with Different Lovers Exposed!” The story’s popularity continued to climb. Gideon himself appeared in the comments section, posting an intimate photo with Lillian Ross. “With you, for the rest of my life.” Everyone thought I would make a scene and fight with Gideon like I always did, throwing away all my dignity. But this time, I simply removed my diamond ring with composure. I posted it on my blog along with that photo of Gideon’s secret rendezvous and kiss. With the caption: “I wish you both the best in your acting careers and your relationship. May both continue endlessly, without limit.”

After confirming the post was published successfully, I finally put down my phone. Just last night, the paparazzi had sent the photos to my email first, using the photos as blackmail, demanding five million from me. If this had been before, I would have run to Gideon like a madwoman and made a scene. In front of everyone, abandoning all my pride and dignity. Without caring about my image, I would have thrown myself at them both, scratching and hitting them wildly. Crying and fighting until Gideon chose between me and that woman. Every time I shed tears, Gideon would decisively cut things off with those women. Then he’d pull me into his arms, kissing my forehead over and over. “Serena, I get bored after a while. They’re just toys to pass the time when I’m idle.” “Your place in my heart—no one can shake it even a fraction. Be good.” “You’re an obedient wife. You’ll handle those reports for me, won’t you?” For the past five years, to raise money for my mother’s surgery, I’d practically lived on set without a moment’s rest. One drama after another that I starred in became hits. One mistress after another appeared by Gideon’s side. The money I earned, aside from keeping my mother alive, all went to cleaning up Gideon’s scandals. I naively thought that one day, Gideon would remember how good I’d been to him and return to me. But when public opinion reached its peak and everyone was waiting to see me humiliated, he appeared in the comments section himself. That intimate photo he personally posted felt like a vicious slap across my face. My heart plummeted to rock bottom in that moment. I suddenly realized that everything I’d done to win Gideon back was utterly pointless. My phone kept buzzing nonstop. In less than an hour, my post had been viewed and shared over a hundred million times. My blog completely crashed. I’d just closed the comments section when Gideon kicked the door open, his face dark with rage. He grabbed my wrist so hard I nearly cried out in pain. “Serena Winters, have you lost your mind?! Delete your post right now and issue an apology to Lillian Ross!” “Do you know that because of what you said, she’s being harassed everywhere as a homewrecker!” “Even the brands that were ready to work with her have terminated their agreements. Are you trying to destroy her?!” My face went pale. I pressed down the bitterness in my heart, trying to force out a dignified smile. But seeing Gideon defend the woman who’d destroyed our marriage, the tears I’d been holding back finally fell. How ridiculous. I was clearly Gideon’s legal wife, yet I had to apologize to the mistress who’d deliberately destroyed my marriage. Seeing my tears, Gideon’s tone softened somewhat. Like always, he pulled me into his arms, gently wiping away the tears at the corners of my eyes. “Serena, Lillian Ross is just a minor celebrity. She’s nowhere near as famous as you.” “What you’re doing will ruin her.” “Be good, don’t make a scene. Don’t take your anger out on an innocent person.” “Just delete the post now and hold a press conference to apologize to Lillian Ross…” In Gideon’s eyes, this homewrecker who destroyed someone else’s marriage was the innocent party. And I, the wife seeking justice for myself, was making an unreasonable scene. How utterly ironic! “No!” I broke free from Gideon’s embrace and cut off his unfinished sentence sharply. “Gideon, you’re the one who’s lost his mind!” “I’m clearly the victim here. What gives you the right to tell me to apologize to a mistress who seduced my husband and destroyed my marriage?” At that, Gideon’s voice rose sharply, and the distress on his face vanished completely. “Serena Winters, have I spoiled you too much?! Do you know Lillian Ross nearly committed suicide two days ago because of this?!” “When did you become so vicious?!” I closed my eyes and raised my voice involuntarily. “You spoil me? You call cheating on me again and again ‘spoiling’? You call letting others humiliate me at will ‘spoiling’?” “I’m vicious?! Gideon, aren’t you two the vicious ones?!” “You’re the ones who pushed me to this point! Why should I apologize to you adulterous pair—” “Slap—” A vicious slap struck my face, and in an instant, all the arguing stopped. The blow knocked my head to the side. Warm, metallic liquid trickled down from the corner of my mouth. Pain shot straight to my head. Just moving my lips slightly pulled at the muscles in my nasal cavity, making even breathing hurt. Gideon stared at his own hand in disbelief, frozen in place. “Serena…” He took a trembling step forward, wanting to wipe the blood from my lips. The next second, I swatted his hand away decisively. 2. Gideon froze in place after I pushed his hand away. When his gaze fell on the bright red handprint on my face, his eyes slowly filled with regret and distress. “Serena, I’m sorry…” “I didn’t mean to. Come here and let me see…” I’d just retreated two steps, covering my face, when Lillian Ross appeared in the doorway, pale-faced and crying. She ran up to me and dropped straight to her knees. “Serena, none of this is Gideon’s fault. It’s all my fault…” “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I’ll accept whatever punishment you give me. But why did you incite online users to cyberbully me?” “During this time, I nearly lost the will to live because of this…” Gideon stood between us, but he quickly made his choice. Turning his back to me, he lifted Lillian Ross from the ground with tender care, gently wiping away the tears falling from her eyes. His movements were so gentle, as if he were handling some priceless treasure. The look in his eyes when he gazed at Lillian Ross—filled with such distress—felt like thousands of fine needles piercing my heart. The pain made it almost impossible to breathe. Once upon a time, that same look had been directed at me. When I was eighteen, Gideon would charge alone at street thugs harassing me, his eyes red with rage. All to defend me and seek justice. The golden glow of the setting sun fell upon the young Gideon. That’s when I noticed a ten-centimeter knife wound across his chest, streaming with blood. The doctor who treated him said if it had been an inch deeper, even a miracle worker couldn’t have saved him. When I tearfully rushed him to the hospital, Gideon—standing just one step away from death’s door—showed no fear of dying in his eyes. Only endless distress at my tears. In the final moment before the emergency room doors closed, he was still gently comforting me. “As long as I’m alive, I’ll protect you.” “No one in this world can bully my Serena!” “And if they do, I’ll make them pay a thousand times over, even if it costs me my life!” In that moment, my heart thundered in my chest, and my tears flowed even more freely. For his reckless, devoted love, and for my own hopeless infatuation. Later, God took pity on that brave young man. The scar on his chest became his get-out-of-jail-free card with me, used again and again. Now, watching the two of them in front of me looking so in sync, images involuntarily flashed through my mind of Gideon being intimate with one mistress after another. Finally freezing on the moment when I knelt on the ground begging him to come back, while people around me pointed and mocked. I suddenly understood—for these past five years, from beginning to end, I hadn’t been begging for him to change his heart. What I’d really been begging for was to see through it all myself. To finally give up hope. At this realization, my emotions shifted from grief and fury to complete calm in an instant. I instinctively touched my slightly burning eye sockets. They were completely dry. Looking up again, meeting Lillian Ross’s provocative gaze, I said, “I’ll let you have him.” The moment those words left my mouth, I turned to leave, but Gideon suddenly grabbed my arm. His eyes were red, a flash of imperceptible panic crossing his face. His voice even carried a barely detectable tremor. “Serena Winters, stop right there!” “If you dare take one step away from here, I swear I’ll—” Before he could finish, I pulled my arm free. “Then as you wish. Let’s get divorced.” Gideon anxiously tried to follow, but Lillian Ross’s tears held him back. By the time he’d comforted her, I was already long gone from his sight. 3. To raise money for my mother’s next surgery, I quickly threw myself into a new production. But just after I’d finished makeup and shot my scene in the water, I discovered the entire set was eerily empty and silent. Looking up, I saw Lillian Ross standing there with a smug expression on her face. She stood on the shore, reached out, and grabbed my hair hard. Then she shoved me back down underwater. The earthy smell from the water rushed into my nose. The suffocating sensation quickly spread through my entire body. I tried to struggle, only to realize with horror that my hands were tied and twisted behind my back. The slightest movement produced a muffled crack. “Don’t move,” Lillian Ross’s cunning voice came from above, even carrying a laugh. “If you move around anymore, the ties in back will come loose. Tomorrow the whole world will be flooded with topless photos of our top actress! Hahaha!” A chill shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head. Underwater, all I could hear was my pounding heartbeat mixed with my cries for help. The next second, someone yanked me up from the water. The thin fabric covering my chest was sliding down from the force of gravity. I instinctively tried to bend my arms to cover myself. But my wrists were still locked in place, unable to move. “Serena, smile! Let’s take a photo together!” Lillian Ross quickly pressed the shutter. The screen reflected my face—pale, helpless, lips trembling non-stop. Rage and humiliation nearly consumed my entire mind. I struggled desperately against the restraints behind me. “Slap—” I used all my strength to deliver a vicious slap across Lillian Ross’s face. Her right cheek quickly swelled with a large bump. Her eyes went wide with instant fury. But just as she was about to grab my hair, she suddenly fell backward with tears streaming down her face. “Serena… I just came to try out for the second female lead position…” “I never intended to steal your leading role. Please, stop…” Lillian Ross’s sudden change caught me completely off guard. “What are you talking about?” “Serena Winters! What are you doing?!” An angry shout came from behind me. Gideon had already crossed to stand in front of me and slapped me hard across the face. Intense pain exploded, spreading rapidly from my cheek through my entire skull. My vision darkened. The world spun. Lillian Ross’s aggrieved crying reached my ears. “Gideon, Serena saw me and immediately…” “Maybe she thought I was trying to steal her leading role, so in her panic she…” Her voice was thin, carrying a timid caution. After speaking, she deliberately revealed the bruised half of her face. Lillian Ross’s complete distortion of the truth hammered heavily at my heart. Gideon’s expression grew darker and darker. His gaze toward me was cold as ice. “You’re lying! Lillian Ross, you’re completely twisting the truth!” “You—” “What is she lying about! I saw it with my own eyes!” “Serena Winters, I thought your quiet behavior these past few days meant you’d recognized your mistakes. I didn’t expect you to remain so unrepentant.” Gideon’s chest heaved with anger. Even the finger he pointed at me was shaking. “Lillian Ross didn’t even press the issue about what happened before, and you still can’t tolerate her?!” I just stared at Gideon’s eyes, red from anger. Somewhere in my heart, it felt like a huge hole had been torn open. Cold wind passed straight through, leaving only the whistling sound of wind. “It’s like this again, Gideon. Your eyes are wasted on you…” “You’ve never believed me…” I murmured repeatedly, and without realizing it, I was laughing through my tears. “Gideon, are you truly blind in both heart and eyes? You’re supposed to be a Best Actor, yet you can’t even see through such poor acting.” “Serena Winters, you’re being completely unreasonable!” “You love acting so much, don’t you? Let’s see how you perform without any roles!” My heart sank suddenly, plunging into an icy abyss. Sure enough, the next second, Gideon called over the director. He gave all my scenes to Lillian Ross. Lying in Gideon’s arms, Lillian Ross shot me a victor’s smile when he wasn’t looking. “No, Gideon, you can’t do this!” “This production is very important to me. I can’t lose it…!” I closed my eyes. My mind filled with images of the hospital’s payment reminders and my mother lying alone in her hospital bed. “Serena Winters, you only have yourself to blame.” “This is what you owe Lillian Ross. Consider this role your compensation to her!” My mind went blank. The terror of losing my mother consumed my entire consciousness. Lillian Ross’s triumphant, provocative gaze pierced through my heart like madness. I lost control and charged forward. But a massive force grabbed my arm. Gideon threw me hard to the ground. He held Lillian Ross tightly in his arms, his eyes full of rage. “Serena Winters, have you gone insane?!” I screamed hoarsely through my tears. “Gideon, can you really not see the truth?! You know how much I need this—” “Slap—!” All sound stopped abruptly with Gideon’s slap. Through my blurred vision, I saw countless curious and horrified eyes staring in our direction. I could no longer feel the burning pain on my face—only overwhelming humiliation scorching my skin at every moment. “Serena Winters, I can’t let you run wild anymore!” “From start to finish, all I see is your viciousness! Someone, throw her in the water to reflect on her actions!” Someone held me down and shoved me into the water. Murky river water poured into my nose and mouth. That cold, deadly sensation washed over me again. Tears mixed with river water, drowning out my cries for help. 4. I don’t know how much time passed. Just when I thought I would die there, someone pulled me from the water. I vomited up water weeds mixed with mud all over the ground. They tossed me aside in a corner like a drowned dog. Gideon grabbed my jaw, forcing me to lift my head. “Serena Winters, when will you finally understand?” “Life only gets better when you learn to behave.” I struggled to open my eyes and saw clearly the endless disappointment and disgust hidden in Gideon’s gaze. After speaking, he didn’t spare me another glance. He picked up Lillian Ross and strode away. The cold wind lifted the thin fabric on my body. I knelt on the ground, trembling violently. But colder than this wind was the inescapable sense of humiliation from being publicly exposed. I didn’t understand why, even after I’d chosen to withdraw, they still wouldn’t let me go. Why use my life and my mother’s as fuel for their love story? My phone on the ground kept vibrating with a buzzing sound. Following my gaze downward, I saw it was the hospital calling. Ignoring the pain in my body, I hurriedly picked up the phone. “I’m sorry, I might need to pay this time’s fees a bit lat—” “Ms. Winters, because you’ve been delaying payment for the imported equipment for too long and the surgery couldn’t be scheduled in time, your mother…” “Please accept our condolences.” “What…?” Tears and phone both fell to the ground at once. The voice on the other end was still notifying me about funeral arrangements. Tears blurred my vision. I slowly crouched down. With trembling hands, I fumbled on the ground for a long time before finally touching my phone. Using all my strength and suppressing the pain in my throat, I responded with a simple, “Okay.” Then, ignoring the shouts behind me and the strange looks from passersby, I ran barefoot straight toward the hospital. The howling wind roared constantly in my ears. Tears mixed with sweat soaked through my clothes. The hospital was eerily quiet. The empty ward contained only my mother’s bed. A large white sheet covered her body. She’d been lying here alone like this for so long. I stopped in my tracks. All the strength drained from my body in an instant. I crawled trembling to my mother’s bedside, reaching out to touch her pale but kind face. The moment I felt her cold skin, I truly realized it. Mother was really dead. I collapsed desperately on the floor. Surging pain nearly drowned me completely. I’m sorry, Mom. I came too late. I left you sleeping alone in this awful place for so long. I’m a terrible daughter, aren’t I? Wind from outside blew in. The curtains lifted with a rustling sound. I leaned against the wall, slowly propping up a body that no longer seemed to belong to me. My hands hurt. My face hurt. My heart was numb with pain. But my head felt light and airy. As the wind blew past, it felt like my head had been freed from some heavy shackle. As if possessed, I climbed to the window. I saw Gideon downstairs, carefully applying medicine to Lillian Ross’s cheek. But at this moment, my heart could no longer stir up any waves. Golden sunlight poured in. I suddenly remembered how my mother loved freedom most when she was alive. In that instant, I seemed to understand something. I reached for the lighter on the ground. I threw the lit flame toward the bed curtains. Mom, I’m coming to join you.

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The night I slept with drunk Mabel, I had just broken up with my ex-girlfriend. Out of responsibility, I married her. Our marriage was peaceful and stable. I once thought this would last forever. Until my ex-girlfriend passed away from illness. When I went to pay my respects, I learned that she had left back then because she discovered what happened between us that night, and her heart had completely died. And my secret diary was discovered by him at exactly that moment. He was convinced I had deliberately sabotaged their relationship, and he hated me to the bone. He divorced me, made me leave with nothing, and suppressed me at every turn. On the verge of death, all I heard was his cold voice: “Your love truly disgusts me.” When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn to the day he broke up with his ex-girlfriend. I grabbed my jacket and rushed out of my room, knocking on his ex-girlfriend’s door. Seeing me, Lily froze for a moment. Her eyes were red and swollen—she’d clearly just been crying. “Mabel? How did you…” “Lily.” I tried to keep my voice calm. “Can I come in and talk?” The living room was a mess, with a half-eaten cake on the table. I smiled and got straight to the point: “I’m here to apologize on behalf of Mason. He forgot your birthday—that’s his fault.” Lily pressed her lips together without speaking. “It’s not that he doesn’t love you. He’s never been good at expressing himself since childhood. You mentioned breaking up, and now he’s at a bar drinking alone.” I paused. “Lily, go find him.” In my previous life, after he married me, every year on Lily’s birthday he would drink alone at a bar. He had never let her go. Lily looked at me, then suddenly smiled, though her tears flowed even harder. “With Mason’s cold personality, how did he end up with such a thoughtful sister like you?” “I’ll go right now.” “Thank you, Mabel.” After telling Lily which bar Mason was at, she changed clothes and left. I watched her figure disappear, letting out a long breath. In this life, that night would never happen. Back home, I dug out the diary hidden deep in my closet. When I was ten years old and wandering the streets, eighteen-year-old Mason found me. He was cold to outsiders, but gentle with me. When I first awakened to love, I knew—I had fallen for him. But this was a crush I could never voice. I took it out and tore it apart, page by page. The torn pieces fell into the toilet, and I flushed them away with my own hands. About two hours later, the door opened. Lily helped the drunk Mason inside. Mason held her tightly, mumbling: “Lily… don’t break up… I was wrong… I was really wrong…” Lily looked helpless, agreeing repeatedly: “Okay, okay, we won’t break up.” Seeing me, she breathed a sigh of relief: “Mabel, could you heat up some milk? I’ll help him to his room first.” “Sure.” Lily helped him into the bedroom. I stood in the kitchen waiting for the water to boil, listening to the sounds coming from the bedroom. He was acting cute, she was laughing. When Mason first introduced me to Lily in my previous life, I knew immediately—they were perfect for each other. Lily was bright and generous, from a good family, well-mannered, and treated me, his sister, very well. She was a good person. If not for me, she wouldn’t have died, and they would have been happy. In this life, I would make amends.

Lily stayed in Mason’s room taking care of him all night. The next morning, when I came downstairs, I saw Mason busy in the kitchen. He fried eggs, heated milk, and arranged toast triangles on a plate. Then he brought it to Lily, his voice gentle: “Eat it while it’s hot.” Lily smiled and poked him: “When did you learn to take care of people so well?” His gaze settled on Lily’s face. He didn’t speak, but the corners of his mouth curved upward. In my previous life after we married, he would also cook for me. When I had my period, he would clumsily make warm milk. I stood at the bottom of the stairs, my footsteps pausing. “Mabel, come have breakfast.” Lily called to me. Mason looked up at me, his gaze indifferent. No extra words, no extra expression. I sat down at the table, and he stood up, keeping one seat between us. The way he looked at me was like looking at a stranger. It reminded me of the ruthlessness in his eyes when he forced me to leave with nothing in my previous life. After forcing down a piece of bread, I stood up: “I’m full. I have class at school, I’ll head out first.” Lily said: “So soon? You haven’t had your milk yet…” “I’m running late.” I grabbed my bag and escaped out the door. All day, I searched for study abroad information in the library and filled out applications. In my previous life, I gave up my chance to study abroad to stay by Mason’s side. This time, I would go far, far away and live for myself. That evening, I planned to stay in the dorms, but Lily called. “Mabel, come home for dinner, I have big news!” When I got home, Mason opened the door. Seeing me, he frowned: “Why did you come back?” Clearly, he wasn’t the one who wanted me back. “Lily said there was something.” I said quietly. Lily poked her head out from the kitchen: “Mabel’s back!” She pressed me down on the sofa and handed me the remote: “You watch TV, dinner will be ready soon!” Mason helped her in the kitchen. Through the glass door, I watched him lower his head listening to Lily talk, his lips curved in a slight arc, his eyes so tender they could overflow. He had also cooked for me before. When I had a fever, he stayed up all night and made me porridge in the morning. On my birthday, he canceled his business dinners and came home to cook a whole table of dishes. “What are you spacing out about?” Seeing me lost in thought, Lily pushed Mason out of the kitchen. “You go keep Mabel company. I can handle the last soup myself.” Mason reluctantly wiped his hands and sat down on the single sofa across from me. The distance was far. Silence spread between us. The TV played some boring variety show, the laughter sounding particularly harsh. “Mabel.” Mason suddenly spoke. I looked at him. He looked at me, his eyes heavy: “Study hard, be more grounded, don’t think about things you shouldn’t.” My heart felt like it was being squeezed tight. Things I shouldn’t think about. In his eyes, my feelings for him were things I shouldn’t think about. In my previous life when he discovered my diary, he said: “Mabel Parker, you truly disgust me.” He thought I deliberately sabotaged them, thought I was greedy and ungrateful. But I just liked him. I never said anything to Lily to damage their relationship. He didn’t believe me. “I understand.” I heard my own calm voice. “I won’t.” During dinner, Lily announced with flushed cheeks: “Mason proposed to me today!” She extended her left hand, the diamond ring on her ring finger sparkling under the lights. “Congratulations.” I showed a genuinely happy smile. “Mason, Lily, I wish you both happiness.” Mason’s hand holding the knife and fork paused, and he looked up at me. I lowered my head to eat, pretending not to notice. After dinner, I volunteered to clean up the dishes. Vague laughter came from the living room. Lily was talking about her vision for the wedding, and Mason responded in a low voice, his tone indulgent. After washing the dishes, I dried my hands and was about to go out and tell them I had things to do at school. Just as I reached the living room doorway, I heard Mason’s voice: “…After she graduates, let’s have her move out. I’ll buy her an apartment near school. It’s not convenient for a young woman to keep living with us.” Lily disagreed: “But isn’t it unsafe for Mabel to live alone?” “Besides, you two are siblings, what’s wrong with living together?” Mason’s voice was flat: “She’s grown up, she should have her own life. We also need our own space.” I stood in place, not listening any further. I turned around, quietly went upstairs, grabbed my bag, and left. After getting far enough away, I sent Lily a message: 「Lily, something came up at school suddenly, I’m heading back. Good night.」 I took a deep breath. Moving out was for the best. The farther away, the safer.

Three days later, while researching materials in the library, I suddenly remembered something. In my previous life, Lily died from bone cancer. By the time it was discovered, it was already late stage. Which meant that right now, cancer cells might already be in Lily’s body. I suddenly stood up, knocking over my chair and drawing sidelong glances from those around me. Without bothering to apologize, I rushed out of the library, calling Lily while running. “Lily, are you free this afternoon? I’d like to treat you to afternoon tea.” At the café, when I told Lily I wanted her to go for a health checkup with me, she couldn’t help laughing: “Mabel, why do you suddenly want a checkup? Are you not feeling well?” I made up an excuse: “The school organized it. Lily, I’m scared to go alone, can you come with me?” Lily looked at me suspiciously: “Really?” I tried to look as sincere as possible: “Really. And I also want you to get checked. Consider it… a pre-wedding checkup? After all, you’re going to marry Mason.” Lily’s face flushed red, and she chided: “You…” Just then, her phone rang. It was Mason. “Where are you?” “Having afternoon tea with Mabel.” There was silence on the other end: “Come home early.” After hanging up, Lily smiled at him: “Clingy.” I forced a smile, made an excuse about having class, and arranged to meet her on the weekend. Just as I reached the school gate, I saw Mason’s car parked there. He got out of the car, grabbed my wrist, and dragged me to a corner. Before I could react, he shoved me away. I stumbled and fell to the ground. My knees and elbows burned with pain. Looking down, I saw the skin was scraped and blood was seeping out. He looked down at me from above, his eyes cold as ice. “Mabel Parker, I’m warning you, stay away from Lily.” “Don’t say things you shouldn’t say, don’t do things you shouldn’t do.” I braced myself with my arms and stood up, my voice shaking: “I didn’t.” “I just wanted her to go for a checkup with me.” He paused: “Are you sick?” The words came out almost reflexively. I froze, then shook my head: “No, the school requires it.” He stared at me for a long time, his expression slowly changing. As if remembering something, or confirming something. After a moment, he crouched down and looked at the wound on my knee. “Get in the car.” He took me to a pharmacy to buy iodine and gauze, then crouched by the roadside to treat my wound. His movements weren’t exactly gentle, but they were careful. His voice was low: “This weekend, I’ll take you both for the checkup.” I lowered my head, staring at my toes, everything blurry. The day the test results came out, Lily cried until her whole body shook. Early-stage bone cancer. The doctor said: “It was discovered very timely. The cure rate is very high.” Mason held Lily, his hands trembling with fear. Lily looked at me with red eyes: “Mabel, thank you… really, thank you.” I shook my head and patted her back. Mason’s gaze moved past Lily’s shoulder and landed on me. Deep and heavy. I remembered the day Lily died in my previous life—it was raining heavily. After Mason learned that she left back then because she discovered what happened between us that night, he stood in front of her grave all day, soaked through. When he came home, he smashed everything he could, then found my diary hidden at the bottom of a drawer. So he was convinced I had deliberately told Lily. I explained. He didn’t believe me. He divorced me, made me leave with nothing, and prevented me from finding any work. In the end, I died of illness in a rental apartment with no one by my side. Now, there was still time to fix everything. Lily would live. Mason wouldn’t blame me in the future. And I would leave. A huge weight finally lifted from my heart. Leaving the hospital, the sun was setting. Mason went to handle the admission procedures while Lily and I sat in the lobby waiting. Lily leaned on my shoulder and said softly: “Mabel, I’m scared.” I patted her hand: “Don’t be afraid. Mason will always be with you.”

Lily was hospitalized. The surgery was very successful, followed by chemotherapy. Mason pushed aside all his work to stay at the hospital with her every day. I ran back and forth between school and the hospital while also preparing materials to study abroad, so busy my feet barely touched the ground. That day when I came home from the hospital, Mason called out to me. “Mabel.” I stopped and turned to look at him. He handed me a key: “I bought an apartment near your school, two bedrooms and a living room, already furnished. You should… move there soon.” I froze for a moment, then took it and nodded: “Okay.” No questioning, no hesitation. Mason looked at me, seeming to want to read something from my face. But I simply calmly pocketed the key, turned, and went upstairs. The next day, I started packing. Most of my things I planned to donate or throw away. In the new apartment, I would buy all new things and start a completely new life. I came home later and later, barely appearing at the dinner table. The things in my room decreased day by day. The bookshelf emptied, the closet emptied, only a lonely jewelry box remained on the dresser. That evening, I didn’t get home until after ten. Mason sat on the living room sofa without turning on the lights. In the darkness, the cigarette tip flickered on and off. “So late.” He spoke, his voice cold. “Where were you?” My movement of changing shoes paused: “I had things at school.” After changing shoes, I headed straight for my room. Behind me came the sound of a cup knocking against the table. Lily’s chemotherapy went smoothly. Three months later, the doctor said she was recovering well and could go home to recuperate with regular checkups. On the day of discharge, I went too. Lily had lost quite a bit of weight, but she was in good spirits. Mason went to handle the discharge paperwork while Lily and I waited in the ward. “Mabel.” Lily suddenly said, “Did you and Mason… have a fight?” I froze. Lily sighed: “He’s been in a terrible mood lately.” “Everyone at the company avoids him when they see him coming.” I didn’t speak. Lily gripped my hand: “I know about him making you move out.” “I scolded him for it. Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, that place will always be your home.” I held her hand back and said very seriously: “Lily. I’ve grown up, I should have my own life. Besides, I’m already processing paperwork to study abroad. I’ll probably leave next year.” Lily’s eyes widened: “Study abroad? Where? For how long?” “England, for graduate school. Probably two or three years.” Lily’s eyes reddened again: “Then… you have to take good care of yourself when you’re there alone. If anything happens, you must tell us, okay?” “Mm.” Lily wiped her eyes, then suddenly smiled: “Mabel, let me introduce you to a friend. He’s my schoolmate, works in architectural design, a really great person.” I shook my head: “No need.” “Why not? You’ll be so lonely by yourself.” I hesitated, then told the truth: “Actually… I’m already seeing someone.” “What?” Lily’s eyes widened. “I met him while processing study abroad paperwork. We’re planning to apply to the same school together.” Lily’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands: “That’s wonderful! I have to tell Mason! We need to check him out first, can’t let you be deceived!” “No need…” I tried to stop her, but she had already picked up her phone. “Oh, he’s back.” Lily put down her phone and looked toward the door. Mason pushed the door open, holding the discharge documents. Seeing our hands clasped together, his eyes darkened. “What are you two so happy about?” He walked over and naturally put his arm around Lily’s shoulder. Lily looked up at him, her eyes bright: “I just said I wanted to introduce Mabel to someone, guess what?” He glanced at me, his tone certain: “She definitely refused.” “That’s right, she didn’t agree.” He gave a light “mm”: “She’s been attached to me since childhood, didn’t even want to live in dorms for college. Do you think she’d be willing to date?” Lily continued with a smile: “But she said she has a boy she likes, and she’s going abroad with him!”

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It was my twentieth birthday. My friends and I were celebrating at a busy interactive restaurant—think melting pot, loud music, and staff that made a big deal out of birthdays. I had brought a small, artisanal four-inch cake to share after dinner. Before we’d even ordered, a little girl started staring. She wanted a piece, bad. When I refused, she threw a full-blown tantrum right on the floor. But I don’t negotiate with terrorists, no matter how small. I just smiled and said, “Aww, you poor thing. Your parents can’t afford to buy you your own cake?” My roommate, Piper, instantly jumped on my case for not having a heart. In a dramatic display of virtue-signaling, she gave the girl her own slice of my cake. That very night, I received a frantic text from our RA. The girl’s mother had shown up at campus security with a doctor’s report. It said: Food Poisoning. 1 To celebrate my twentieth birthday, I treated my roommates to dinner at a lively interactive fondue place downtown. Since we planned on getting the dessert fondue, I only bought a small, gourmet four-inch cake just for the tradition of blowing out the candles. We had barely sat down when I noticed a little girl at the next table staring intently at the cake box. “Happy Birthday, Miss!” she said, walking over. “When are you guys going to eat that?” Before I could answer, she reached out, trying to open the intricate box. She was too short and almost pushed it off the table. I caught her hand just in time. “Sweetie, where are your parents?” She pointed to the table behind us. There was a woman sitting there alone. Looking closer, that must have been her mom. Hearing the commotion, the woman looked up, glanced at us indifferently, and immediately went back to scrolling through her phone. It was obvious she had zero intention of coming to get her child. The girl continued, “I want some cake. Can I have a piece, please?” She looked about four or five years old. That is the prime age for eating something random and getting sick. If something happened, I’d be held liable. I wasn’t willing to gamble on that. Besides, I didn’t know this kid. So, I ignored her question. Since she didn’t get an answer, she just stood right next to our table, staring at the four of us. It made the entire atmosphere incredibly awkward. Finally, a server walked over. “Hey guys, are we saving the cake for later, or do you want me to bring out plates now?” “Could you keep it in the back for us? We’ll have it after dinner.” Children have zero ability to hide their emotions. As soon as she heard “after dinner,” her face completely dropped. “But can I just have one little bite now? My mommy is almost done eating.” This was the first time I’d ever met someone demanding a piece of someone else’s birthday cake before dinner. But I was having a good day, and I didn’t want to argue. I forced a polite, friendly smile. “I’m sorry, sweetie, we can’t do that.” 2 She made a small, annoyed sound. It was quiet, but I definitely heard it. She tried to keep up her polite act. “Okay, I’ll just come back later, then.” The entire time, her mother never once tried to pull her back to their table. If I were a kidnapper, she’d be in deep trouble. Once the girl left, Piper turned to me. “Maya, that was kind of mean. Why were you so cold to a little kid?” “Kids that age just love sweets. We should definitely give her a piece later.” My relationship with Piper was purely professional roommates. We weren’t friends, but we didn’t hate each other. I only invited her because we lived in the same quad, and it would have been awkward to leave one person out. But who was she to call me mean? Especially on my birthday. I was visibly annoyed, but I tried to explain patiently. “I don’t know that kid. Walking up to our table and demanding cake is incredibly rude. Her mom is sitting right there ignoring her. And if she gets sick eating my cake, do you guarantee her mom won’t sue me?” “Also, it’s my birthday. Could you maybe not criticize me today?” Piper was defensive. “Maya, I totally disagree. You shouldn’t assume everyone is a bad person. She’s just a kid who wants a treat.” “I’m just a blunt person, don’t take it personally. I don’t have any malicious intent.” I rolled my eyes. Calling rudeness “bluntness” is just an excuse to be an asshole. Piper always did this passive-aggressive, high-ground act. My other two roommates, sensing the tension, quickly jumped in. “Alright guys, let’s keep it fun. Happy birthday, Maya! Let’s eat, the food is here.” I was in such a good mood before. My dad had sent me a $300 Venmo this morning, and now this was ruining it. 3 The little girl, whose name I found out later was Lily, was incredibly sharp. She knew Piper was on her side. While we ate, Lily stood right next to Piper. “You’re so pretty,” Lily told her. Piper beamed, blushing slightly. “Aww, thank you, Lily. You are too sweet.” “I think you’re the prettiest girl at this table.” Piper was practically floating. She gave Lily a thumbs-up. “Great eye for style.” I made eye contact with my other two roommates, Chloe and Harper. We all shared a look of pure exasperation. If I had known this was going to happen, I never would have invited her. It was my birthday, and she was having a whole talent show with this kid. Lily looked at us with big, innocent eyes. “Is it your birthday today?” “No,” Piper said, pointing at me. “It’s hers.” Lily pouted, sticking out her lip. “Oh.” I noticed her mom asking for the check. I let out a massive sigh of relief. Finally, they were leaving. But Lily made zero move to go. I couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you going with your mommy?” “Mommy is getting her nails done at the spa next door. I’m not in a rush. I’ll just play with you guys for a bit.” Unbelievable. She was determined to get that cake. The whole time we were eating, she kept pestering us. “You guys eat so slow. Can you please eat faster?” “When is it going to be cake time?” I looked at her. “Lily, you should always chew your food thoroughly. Eating too fast isn’t good for your tummy.” “But how much longer?!” “I have no idea. Why don’t you go check on your mom and see if she’s done, then go home with her?” With bratty kids, sometimes you just have to give them a taste of their own annoying medicine. Of course, Piper had to enable her. “Maya, stop it. She’s just a child. Can’t you have a better attitude?” “Really? I’m just being blunt, no malicious intent here. Honestly, people might think you’re her mother with how protective you’re being.” “I… you…” Chloe and Harper both hid their faces in their hands, trying not to laugh at Piper getting roasted. 4 We continued eating slowly for another half hour. Once we were done, I asked the server to bring the cake back out. The girl’s mother had finished her spa treatment and walked over to our table. For a split second, I thought she was going to take her kid and leave. A split second later, I knew I was wrong. Lily told her mom, “I want cake.” The mom smiled at her daughter. “Okay, then make sure you sing ‘Happy Birthday’ super loud, and the pretty ladies might share.” So, my hours of “no” meant absolutely nothing. Lily started singing “Happy Birthday,” but she never once looked at me. Her eyes were fixed on the cake. As soon as I started cutting, she pushed to the very front. She started making demands. “I want the first piece. Make sure you get that strawberry on it, and I want the chocolate bear decoration too.” I finished cutting the first piece and set it right in front of myself. “I’m sorry, sweetie. It’s my birthday. Doesn’t the birthday girl get the first piece?” “But I’m just a kid! Big sisters are supposed to let kids have things first!” Ah, a lecture on manners from a preschooler. “I’m a kid too,” I said. “Just a twenty-year-old one.” Lily glared at me and huffed. Seeing me slice the rest of the cake without making any move to give her a piece, she realized I wasn’t joking. As I handed the final slice to Piper, Lily finally snapped. She threw herself on the floor and started screaming. “She lied to me! I said ‘Happy Birthday’ and I sang the loudest, and she won’t give me any!” “Mean sister! Mean! Mean! Mean!” Her mother just stood there, watching her daughter have a tantrum without doing a single thing. Piper looked at me with that judgmental look again. “Why are you fighting with a child?” “Lily, come here. You can have my piece.” I spoke up. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You are giving her your piece. If she gets sick, do not blame me.” “It’s just one piece of cake. What could happen? I’ll take responsibility.” “Great. I’m recording this conversation.” Piper rolled her eyes. “Maya, you are so petty. I can’t believe you’re recording over something so small.” She handed her slice to Lily. “Here you go, Lily. Have mine.” Unbelievably, Lily wasn’t satisfied. “I don’t want that one! I want the first one! I want that one!” Piper’s slice was from the side and didn’t have the big strawberry or the chocolate bear. Lily wanted mine. Right in front of Lily, I bit the head off the chocolate bear and ate the strawberry in one go. Lily went ballistic. She lay spread-eagled in the middle of the main walkway, screaming her lungs out, blocking other customers. “Who does this kid belong to? Doesn’t anyone manage her?” customers were muttering. Someone asked me, “Is she your sister?” I looked at Piper. “Is she your sister?” Piper was too embarrassed to own up to it now. She just turned away and ignored the question. I looked at the screaming child. “Well, she is clearly some trashy parents’ bad kid.” I made sure I said it loud enough for Lily’s mom to hear. Lily’s screaming was echoing through the entire restaurant. 5 Finally, a manager walked over. “Whose child is this? Where are the parents?” It was a weekend, and the place was packed. They hadn’t noticed the disturbance until it blocked the walkway. “She’s mine,” the mother finally admitted, acting as if she just noticed. I looked at them both and said, “Aww, you poor thing. Lily, it’s so sad that your own mommy won’t buy you a cake, so you have to scream at strangers.” The mother’s face twisted in rage. “You stuck-up brat! She’s just a little girl. She wanted to wish you a happy birthday, and you couldn’t even share a bite of cake. You are so incredibly selfish.” Finally, the mask was off. Now I knew where Lily got it from. It was all parenting. “I bought the cake,” I said calmly. “It is my property, and I decide who eats it.” “Sharing is kindness, not an obligation. And I don’t know you. Why should I share my birthday cake with strangers?” “And frankly, ‘Ma’am,’ if she wanted cake so badly, why didn’t you go buy her one from the millions of bakeries around here? You let her stand here begging like a street urchin for hours.” The woman lost it. “Who are you calling ‘Ma’am’? I’m twenty-seven!” “Stop fighting, stop fighting!” Piper jumped back into her superhero role. “Maya, you’re being way too mean to a mother and her child.” “Lily, please, just take this piece.” Piper crouched down and stroked Lily’s head. “Go on, take it. It’s better than nothing, or that mean witch over there will just laugh at you again.” I needed to make this absolutely clear to the mother-daughter duo. “I am stating this for the record: This cake belongs to me, but I did not give it to the child. Piper is the one giving it to her.” Lily’s mom waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. What could possibly go wrong?” Under the watchful eye of the manager, they finally left. Lily turned back, smirked at me, and made a face. “Old witch!” 6 Even after they were gone, Piper didn’t stop. “Maya, I can’t believe you. If you had just given her a bite of your cake in the first place, none of this would have happened. We wouldn’t have annoyed the other customers.” My other roommate, Chloe, couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Are you serious right now, Piper?” “Stop gaslighting Maya. You act like you’re some moral authority.” “We weren’t even going to invite you. If Maya wasn’t nice enough to invite her roommate, Harper and I would have been happy to leave you at home.” Harper added, “We’re going to that new karaoke place now. You are not invited. Bye, Piper.” “Let’s go, Maya.” Piper was clenching her teeth in fury. “You guys are unbelievable. I was just being a good person and helping a kid.” Seeing us actually walk away, she stamped her feet in frustration. “I’m telling Ms. Vance that you guys are bullying me!” I turned back to Piper. “We aren’t bullying you. We just don’t like you. There’s a difference.” And we left. It was my birthday, and despite the drama, I was determined to have a good time and not let people who aren’t worth my energy ruin my mood. When we got back to the quad at 10:00 PM, my phone rang. It was Ms. Vance, our RA. “Maya, I just had a woman call campus security. She claims her five-year-old child is in the emergency room right now with food poisoning, and she is holding you responsible for the hospital bill because of the cake you gave her.” I guess I was right. Trouble was bound to find us. I wished I hadn’t had my ID card out on the table. She must have caught my name on it. I handed the phone to Piper, putting it on speaker so she couldn’t lie. “RA needs to talk to you.” Piper was ecstatic. “The RA? Why is she calling you? Did my scholarship application get approved?!” The next second, her face went utterly pale. “Ms. Vance, I had nothing to do with this. It was Maya’s birthday, she bought the cake.” “You guys need to figure out who is responsible. The child is at the city hospital right now. We need a resolution immediately.” She hung up. Piper looked completely lost. I couldn’t believe she still tried to push the blame on me. It was a quiet night in our dorm room. Ms. Vance woke me up with another call at 7:00 AM the next morning. “Have you guys resolved this? The mother called the Dean’s office. This is going to be a huge issue for the school if it escalates.” “Ms. Vance, I have a recording of the entire conversation. Piper insisted on giving her the cake. Chloe and Harper can testify that I tried to stop her.” “So you guys didn’t talk at all last night?” “I am not responsible for this. Call Piper directly.” I wasn’t a candidate for any scholarships or leadership awards, so I didn’t need to treat Ms. Vance like she was royalty. Besides, I hadn’t done anything wrong. 7 I had just closed my eyes again when the phone rang again. Ms. Vance sighed. “I can’t get through to Piper. Is she in the room?” I looked at the top bunk across from me. I could hear snoring. “She’s sleeping.” “She is sleeping? After this?!” “Maya, please wake her up. The mom is threatening to file a police report for assault.” Now Piper was in deep trouble. I knew that mother-daughter pair was trouble the second I saw them. A normal person, seeing their child begging like a homeless person for cake, would manage their kid. She did nothing. I kicked the bottom of Piper’s bunk. “Are you crazy? Why are you waking me up?!” she screamed. “Maya, stop screaming at me while I’m on the phone!” Seriously? She was screaming at me. She loved playing the good guy, and now that it blew up, she was trying to dodge responsibility. She rolled over, ready to go back to sleep. Ms. Vance’s voice came through. “Is she awake? Let me talk to her.” I climbed out of bed and ripped open her bunk curtains. “Seriously, what is wrong with you?” I handed her the phone. “RA needs to talk to you.” She covered her ears and pretended not to hear. “Piper, don’t be a coward. Deal with the mess you made.” Ms. Vance was losing patience. “Piper, get out of bed now. If this goes on social media, you can kiss your scholarship goodbye.” Hearing her scholarship mentioned, Piper bolted upright. She grabbed my phone out of my hand. “Good morning, Ms. Vance, sorry. I’m up. I’ll deal with it.” 8 While Piper was getting ready, Ms. Vance sent me a text. “The three of you need to go to the hospital. I’m on my way now to talk to the mother.” Reading that text made me see red. I woke Chloe and Harper. “I heard the RA call you,” Chloe muttered, getting dressed. “This is ridiculous. Piper literally pushed us aside to give that kid the cake, and now we all have to suffer.” “Why didn’t some so-called good person just tell Ms. Vance that she was the one who gave the cake?” Harper glared at Piper. Piper said nothing. Before we even got downstairs, we heard screaming outside. I looked out the window. It was Lily’s mom. I have no idea how she found out where we lived. She was arguing with campus security at the entrance to our hall. “Let me in! Tell Elena Blake to get down here right now! My daughter is lying in a hospital bed!” “She’s only five! She was maliciously poisoned by one of your students!” “And now they won’t even pay the hospital bill, and they’re denying everything!” She started sobbing dramatically. I closed my eyes in frustration. I am never leaving my ID card on the table again! A crowd of students was gathering to watch the drama. “Poisoned? Oh my god, that’s terrible!” “Who would do that to a kid?” “I know Elena Blake. She’s in the legal studies program. She’s usually really nice. I doubt she’d poison a kid, there must be some mistake.” … Campus security was easily managing the woman, preventing her from getting in, but the woman, desperate, grabbed the security guard’s arm and bit him. “Holy cow! Are you a dog?” the guard yelled. “You Sterling Academy trash are trying to protect a criminal!” Ms. Vance finally ran over. “Ma’am, please calm down. We can talk about this.” Ms. Vance frantically called us. “Are you guys coming or not?! I rushed to the hospital, and they told me the mom had left, so I had to rush back here!” “Piper is still doing her hair.” “What?! In the middle of this, she’s doing her hair? It’s her fault, and she’s treating it like a spa day? Does she want to get expelled?” “Five minutes, Elena. If you guys aren’t down here in five minutes, I am not protecting you.” 9 Piper finally came downstairs. As soon as Lily’s mom saw her, she marched over and slapped Piper right in the face. “Elena Blake, why did you give my daughter a poisoned cake?! How could you be so evil?!” Everyone, including Ms. Vance and security, was shocked. Harper spoke up from behind me. “She’s not Elena. That’s Piper.” Finally! The truth was out! I wasn’t going to get blamed for Piper’s mistakes. Ms. Vance and security quickly pulled the woman off Piper. The woman glared at Ms. Vance. “Are you these girls’ dean?” Ms. Vance nodded, clearly intimidated. I have never seen her look so small. “Looks like your school’s moral education has failed. Your students are out here poisoning five-year-olds.” Piper, now nursing a red cheek, was not about to take this. “Your daughter was staring like she was starving to death. I gave her my piece out of kindness! Did I do something wrong?” “Besides, I didn’t buy the cake. Elena over there bought it. If you want someone to blame, blame her.” Piper pointed at me. “It was her birthday yesterday, and she bought it. Everyone knows she hates me. Maybe she poisoned it for me, and your daughter just accidentally ate it. So this is not my fault.” Piper’s ability to lie was terrifying. I simply hit “play” on my phone recording. Everyone heard the entire argument from last night. The crowd went silent. Even Ms. Vance looked shocked. “Ms. Vance, Ma’am, you both heard the recording. I begged Piper not to give Lily the cake. We all know kids have sensitive stomachs, and it was a cold cake. I told Piper not to give it to her, but she ignored me.” “It was my birthday yesterday. Why on earth would I poison my own cake? And my other two roommates ate it, and they are perfectly fine.” Piper glared at me, disbelief on her face. “I can’t believe you actually recorded that. You are so petty.” “If I hadn’t, I’d be the one getting slapped and accused of poisoning a child right now.” Most of the original crowd had gone to class, but a new group of onlookers had gathered. “Wow, it was Piper. I heard she was an honors student, I guess grades don’t mean you’re a good person.” “Grades and morals are two completely different things.” I really hoped people would start sharing the real story, otherwise I’d be known as the girl who poisoned a kid forever. Seeing she wasn’t getting anywhere with me, Piper turned to Lily’s mom. “And again, your daughter demanded it. I was just trying to be nice.” “You think talking now is going to help? My daughter is lying in a hospital bed because of you. The doctor said she needs to stay for at least a week.” “Lily is lying there crying, asking why the ‘pretty sister’ tried to hurt her.” Lily’s mom started crying. It was heart-wrenching, honestly. As much as I disliked her, I couldn’t imagine how a mother felt seeing her child suffer in a hospital bed. Even the security guard she had bitten was starting to console her. “Ma’am, it’s going to be okay. Kids are resilient. When I was a kid, I ate bad food all the time, and I turned out fine.” “Yeah, definitely,” we all chimed in, supporting the guard. Ms. Vance immediately said, “Piper, apologize to her right now.” With the RA and the Dean of Students pressuring her, Piper had to apologize, whether she wanted to or not. Through clenched teeth, she forced out the words, “I’m sorry.”

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I had a reputation for talking so much I could cure three cases of autism just by chatting. As a result, the aloof and reclusive Cole Hayes was essentially gifted to me as an arranged, live-in boyfriend. I used to hit him with terrible pickup lines: “Did you just fart? Because you blew me away. But not as much as I think about you.” He would snap his head up: “I did not.” Mr. and Mrs. Hayes’ eyes lit up with hope. From then on, I kept him company for four years. Until he met another girl. He talked with her all night about the Riemann Hypothesis. In the early hours of the morning, he turned to me and said for the very first time: “You’re very loud. “Can you shut up?” That night, he received a text message: [Take one of these pills, and Maya Evans will stay five hundred feet away from you.] Cole swallowed the entire bottle of pills. But what he didn’t know was that the bottle only contained calcium vitamins I had swapped in. 01 I was born with the gift of gab. I talked so much that cats and dogs found me annoying. In an attempt to mold me into a “proper young lady,” my mom forbade everyone in our house from talking to me. As a result, my masochistic tendencies skyrocketed. Silenced at home, I would go outside and strike up conversations with stray dogs. My crowning achievement was using just my mouth to “cure” three kids with autism. Unsurprisingly, my mom got called into the principal’s office. The teacher spoke earnestly: “Since she loves to talk so much, keep her home until she’s talked enough, then send her back. She’s disrupting the other students.” My mom immediately abandoned me and the whole mess: “Are you doing this on purpose to make me look bad? “I can’t control you. Do whatever you want, but once you step out of this door, don’t expect me to come to school and clean up your messes.” Also called to the office that day was the top student in our class—Cole Hayes. “Your son, Cole, has excellent grades. He’s clearly Ivy League material. “It’s just his personality… he’s too isolated. When teachers or classmates ask him something, he ignores them completely.” Mrs. Hayes sighed helplessly and explained to the female teacher: “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Davis. Our son was born with a touch of autism.” Suddenly, the math teacher at the next desk had a flash of inspiration: “Mrs. Evans, Maya Evans can strike up a conversation with a dog on campus! Whenever we sit her next to an autistic kid, she manages to talk them into a milder point on the spectrum. “How about we sit her next to Cole Hayes!” Mrs. Hayes’ eyes lit up. 02 My mom didn’t want to deal with a problem child. But Mrs. Hayes did. Not only did she beg the teacher to let me sit next to Cole, but she also had me stay at the Hayes’ house to accompany Cole to and from school. But Cole wasn’t autistic. He just had Asperger’s syndrome, often called the “genius disease,” and possessed extraordinary talent in math and computer science. He just felt that his peers were too immature and therefore found it beneath him to communicate with us. Under Mrs. Hayes’ expectant gaze, I felt the task was incredibly daunting. I babbled at Cole: “Bro, who do you think is a better cook, Gordon Ramsay or Bobby Flay?” “Which chicken makes the best fried chicken?” Cole turned a deaf ear, lowering his eyes to quietly solve math problems. I leaned in close, staring blankly, trying to count exactly how many lower eyelashes he had. I was counting so intently that my warm breath puffed entirely onto his eye. Cole’s eyelashes fluttered, and then he shot me a cold glare. His mouth was sealed tighter than a vault. I didn’t want to disappoint Mrs. Hayes, so I frantically fired off terrible pickup lines: “Did you just fart? Because you blew me away. But not as much as I think about you.” Three seconds later, he snapped his head up: “I did not.” Huh, I think I figured out the access code to get Cole to speak. 03 I lived at the Hayes’ house for four years. In Cole’s world, besides vibrant and complex mathematics, there was now a shadow who scored a solid 30% in math. While I was furiously scribbling down his homework, he would coldly interject: “That’s an integral sign, not a giant parenthesis. Also, the density of water is not equal to 5.” I would immediately bow and scrape: “You’re absolutely right, bro. This problem is too advanced for me. I won’t copy it.” Occasionally, he would chime in on my random ramblings: “Yeah, Professor Snape hated Harry Potter because James Potter bullied him in school.” “Hamilton was Jefferson’s biggest rival. They disagreed on almost everything. Left leg.” I gnawed on my popsicle and obediently propped my left leg on Cole’s lap. Watching him tie my shoelaces. His brow was furrowed deep, as if contemplating the mysteries of the universe. Only I knew that his OCD gave him an inexplicable urge to perfectly control the bows on my shoes. After high school graduation, he started preparing for his college applications. He supervised me every day as I memorized vocabulary for the SATs. At that time, I felt my life revolved entirely around the 26 letters of the alphabet. And it also revolved entirely around Cole. It couldn’t be helped; Cole couldn’t do without me. 04 Until Cole went to Boston to attend a mathematics salon. He met a girl, Chloe Zhou. White dress, low ponytail; you could tell at a glance she was smarter than me. They sat together, chatting all evening about the Riemann Hypothesis. I just felt a bit stuffed from the lobster roll I had for dinner. Cole was exceptionally talkative that day, but I couldn’t understand a single word of what they were discussing. I couldn’t even get a word in edgewise. In the past, during such awkward moments, Cole would always lower his intellectual level to say a few words to me. So I wouldn’t sit there looking like an idiot. But today he seemed to be enjoying the conversation too much and forgot about me. Luckily, a chatterbox can fit in anywhere. I met another guy whose math score was probably also hovering around 30%. Julian lowered his voice: “Does it feel like listening to a foreign language?” I nodded: “Tell me about it! Especially those two over there,” I jutted my chin toward Cole’s direction, “I feel like they’re going to ascend to a higher plane of existence any second.” Julian burst out laughing: “I get it. I was dragged here by my dad for ‘exposure’. What about you?” I blanked for a second: “I’m here accompanying my tutoring client. My job is to teach him how to talk to people more.” Julian suddenly looked toward Cole and said, “Then I’d say you’ve over-delivered on your assignment?” His good-natured teasing felt like a tiny thorn, pricking me ever so slightly. I instinctively looked over at Cole again. He had his head turned slightly, focused intently on whatever Chloe was saying, a very faint smile even playing on his lips. That was an expression I had spent four years, countless terrible pickup lines, and meaningless chatter to earn on rare occasions. And in this moment, Chloe had easily achieved it with a bunch of symbols I couldn’t understand. Somewhere in my chest, it felt like that lobster roll was making me even more uncomfortably full. “Yeah, over-delivered. Looks like I can retire early.” I retracted my gaze. “What about you? Has the ‘exposure’ yielded any results?” 05 “I discovered the cake here is pretty good,” Julian shrugged, pointing to the half-empty fruit wine I had been drinking. “The wine is good too.” We steered clear of the unfathomable math discussions and started chatting about everything under the sun. “I think the sweet and sour ribs at Dining Hall Two are the best!” “I vote for Dining Hall One!” “Is the male lead in that newly popular anime a jerk or what?” “I think so. He goes off to conquer the world with the second female lead and leaves the main girl at home. Pfft.” “Our school just introduced a bizarre new rule—boys and girls aren’t allowed to have physical contact for more than ten seconds.” “So, is the dean going to patrol with a stopwatch? Hahaha.” … Our laughter wasn’t loud, but in a salon so quiet you could hear a pin drop—save for the math jargon—it seemed a bit out of place. Until I felt a gaze land on me. I instinctively turned my head. At some point, Cole had stopped his discussion with Chloe. His brow was slightly furrowed. Those aloof eyes, usually immersed in their own world, were looking at me. More precisely, they were looking at me laughing hysterically, and at Julian beside me, who was laughing just as unreservedly. The smile on my face froze a bit, and that uncomfortable fullness in my chest sharply morphed into a stinging sourness. “What’s wrong?” Julian noticed something was off. “Nothing.” I shook my head. 06 After the salon ended, Mrs. Hayes happened to swing by to pick us up. I didn’t expect the fruit wine to have such a kick. I was feeling incredibly dizzy. “Bro, why are there two of you? When did you learn to clone yourself?” I squinted, trying hard to figure out which one was real. Cole, caught between laughing and crying, pinched my cheek to stop me from leaning in closer: “Maya Evans, you’re drunk.” I thought, Cole really is cured. I don’t even have to use pickup lines, and he can say this many words. But I had memorized quite a few lines today; I had to use them. “Bro, I might not be able to fawn over you for a while. Do you know why?” He asked, “Why?” I giggled: “I’ve been running a fever lately, and I’m afraid I’ll burn you if I get too close.” “Bro, if you cheat once, I’ll let you off the hook. If you cheat twice, I’ll let you off the hook. If you cheat three times, I’ll let you off the hook.” “But bro, remember this: I’m a forgiving goddess, not your wife.” After I finished, I cracked myself up, bending over with laughter. Cole was acting very out of character today. He nudged me and asked: “What else?” I instinctively replied: “I say ten sentences and you only reply with one…” Before I could finish, my arm was grabbed, and I was hauled up from the sofa like a carrot being pulled from the dirt. I hadn’t fully processed it as I slowly spat out the second half of the sentence: “…Then fine, from now on, for every ten times you thrust, I’ll only moan once.” The other Cole—the one with the deadpan face—was as cold as ice. He gripped me with one hand and covered my mouth with the other: “Shut up.” “We’re going home.” Mrs. Hayes was standing behind him, instinctively reaching out to take me from him, but Cole dodged her. It turned out I had mistaken someone else for him. I clamped my mouth shut tight. Chloe looked surprised: “Oh, you came with someone.” Mrs. Hayes smiled: “Yes, Cole and Maya are always inseparable. He’s basically her arranged husband.” Cole’s face turned instantly grim. He looked at Chloe and said seriously: “No, I’m not.” “I have nothing to do with her.” “I hate stupidity.” 07 I was remarkably well-behaved even when drunk; no screaming or yelling, just extremely chatty. With my face wedged in the gap of the car seats, I could even chat with Mrs. Hayes. Mrs. Hayes said: “You seemed to be having a great time chatting with that boy today.” I nodded: “Auntie Hayes, you don’t even know. He goes to the same school as Cole! We hit it off so well.” Mrs. Hayes smiled: “He seems good at making you laugh?” I instinctively replied: “My sense of humor is just broken, I laugh at everything. Not everyone can be like Cole, walking around with a scowl every day like someone owes him money.” “Auntie Hayes, you don’t even know. He told me the spicy stir-fry at the East Dining Hall is the best. It’s a shame I’ve graduated and never got to try it.” “He said the city youth chess tournament is happening at the rec center the day after tomorrow and asked if I wanted to go watch. I told him the only game I know how to play is Connect Four…” Cole suddenly whipped his head around, snapping, his voice cold and distant: “You’re very loud.” “Can you shut up?” A suffocating silence fell over the car. Only the sound of the traffic outside, flowing like a silent river, separated us. Mrs. Hayes was the first to speak: “Cole, what nonsense are you talking about?” “Maya, don’t take it to heart. You know him, his EQ is terrible. He doesn’t know how to talk.” I nodded, but didn’t know what to say. I felt inexplicably terrible. I figured it must have been because I was drunk. The next day, Cole received a text message on his phone: [Take one of these pills, and Maya Evans will stay five hundred feet away from you.] Without a moment’s hesitation, Cole swallowed the entire bottle of pills.

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It was crawfish season again. I pulled up my ex’s contact and texted him: “Get back together?” He replied: “No, I’m seeing someone new.” “Stop using these childish tricks to try and win me back. It’s stupid.” I slowly typed back: “Oh.” “Then do you and your new girl want some crawfish?” 01 “I’m downstairs at your apartment.” I spoke quietly into the phone. “I brought fifteen pounds of crawfish.” The sound on the other end of the line abruptly stopped. Caleb seemed to be in disbelief, or maybe he just thought the whole thing was absurd. Then I heard him take a deep breath. Lowering his voice, he asked through gritted teeth, “What did you just say?” “Repeat what you just said to me!” I hadn’t realized Caleb was already going deaf at such a young age. I paused, then quietly repeated myself: “That crawfish place we always go to is running a special. Buy five pounds, get two free.” “And so you bought ten pounds?!” Caleb’s voice suddenly spiked. Even through the phone, I could hear him losing his mind. “Maya, are you crazy?!” I silently pulled the phone a little further away from my ear. I waited a good while. After Caleb seemed to have calmed down slightly on his end, I brought the phone back and carefully asked, “So, do you and your new girl want to eat some crawfish?” “Get lost!” Caleb roared his final sentence into the receiver and hung up cleanly. I stood downstairs outside his apartment complex, holding the massive bags of crawfish. I looked up at the floor where he lived and let out a deep sigh. Well, this was a disaster. I’d calculated everything, but I hadn’t calculated that Caleb would have a new girlfriend. I had no idea how long it would take me to peel these fifteen pounds of crawfish by myself. I sat on the planter outside Caleb’s building for a while, feeling a bit lost. For a moment, I didn’t know what to do. I opened my contact list, wondering who I could ask to help me polish off this mountain of food. But at this hour, everyone had just finished dinner. They wouldn’t have the stomach space. I sighed again, stood up, and grabbed the four huge bags, preparing to head to the complex entrance to call an Uber. I hadn’t walked far when I bumped into Caleb. His face was ashen. I had no idea when he’d come downstairs. He stood stiffly in front of me. He didn’t speak; he just stared at me coldly, staring inexplicably for a long time. I blinked, hoisted the bags of crawfish, and asked, “Fresh out of the pot. Want some?” Caleb’s face was dark. He took two bags from my hands and turned to leave without saying a single word. “Wait a second!” I couldn’t help but call out to stop him. Caleb turned sideways to look at me. His lips were pressed tightly together, but his eyebrows raised slightly. Caleb and I had been together for four years. I knew all his little habits intimately. You could say I knew him too well. He didn’t even need to speak for me to know what he was trying to convey. Just like right now. He wanted to say, “Spit it out, I don’t have all night.” But he was too lazy to open his mouth. A cold stare and a raised eyebrow were enough for me to understand. I paused for a moment, then quietly said, “Five pounds of crawfish is thirty-five dollars.” Caleb’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. I met his gaze in silence. After a long moment, I heard Caleb let out a cold laugh. “Fine! Fine!” “Maya, you really are something else!” “If I ever pay any attention to you again, I’m a dog!” After Caleb Venmo’d me the money, he didn’t look at me again and quickly walked away. Before he left, I saw him angrily kick a trash can on the street. The trash can sustained minor injuries; Caleb sustained major ones. He curled in on himself for a second in pain. But he insisted on acting like nothing happened, limping away into the distance. 02 That night, Caleb, who rarely posted on Instagram, suddenly uploaded a story. In the video, he was meticulously peeling an entire bowl full of crawfish meat. Then, he pushed the bowl in front of a pretty girl wearing a breezy top and light-ash-brown hair. The moment the girl smiled, puckered her lips, and leaned in, the video abruptly ended. I silently liked the video, then turned off my phone screen and stared blankly at the crawfish in my hands. Actually, I had thought about Caleb getting a new girlfriend. I just didn’t expect that day to come so quickly. When we broke up, Caleb’s eyes had been red. He’d bitten his lip hard and said to me through clenched teeth, “Maya, if you dare find another man, I will haunt you even as a ghost!” Caleb said he would wait for me forever. I believed him. But six months later, he had a new girlfriend. I silently ate a piece of the crawfish I’d peeled by hand. It tasted a bit sour and bitter. It used to be so delicious. Caleb and I would go eat it so many times every summer. But eating it today, I felt the taste was off. Something was always missing. I silently opened my chat with Caleb, wanting to ask him if the crawfish tasted different this time. But just as I finished typing the message, I realized something. Caleb seemed to have a new girlfriend. It probably wasn’t a good idea for an ex like me to keep bothering him. I slowly deleted the text in the chat box, letter by letter. Just as I deleted the last word, I saw that Caleb’s profile picture, which hadn’t changed in years, had updated. It was now a picture of that girl with the light-ash-brown hair. The next second, I saw a message from Caleb pop up: “Let’s just delete each other.” “I’m worried my girlfriend will get upset.” I didn’t reply. I stared at those two sentences for a long time. I wanted to reply “Okay,” but I was afraid I’d get the red exclamation mark showing I’d been blocked. I thought about it for a long time. I didn’t reply, nor did I block or delete Caleb. Whatever. He had definitely already deleted me anyway. Whether I deleted him or not didn’t really matter. I silently spat out the crawfish meat in my mouth, losing my appetite for the remaining six pounds. I went to the kitchen to wash my hands. When I came out, a text message popped up on my phone screen. I glanced at it casually and saw it was from Caleb. It just said: “Test.” It was a random, out-of-context message, and it was immediately “unsent” with blazing speed. I was confused and sent a question mark back. The next second, a red exclamation mark popped up in the chat box. Message Not Delivered. This time, Caleb had truly blocked me. I held my phone in silence for a long time. Ten minutes later, after some thought, I sent a message to the account that had blocked me: “Well, I guess I can move on too.” I hit send, and it went through successfully. There was no red exclamation mark in front of the sentence. I froze for a moment, then belatedly realized what had happened. Caleb hadn’t deleted me. He had just blocked me, then unblocked me a moment later. Caleb’s status showed “typing…” for a long time. He typed for ages before I finally saw him send: “Oh.” “Suit yourself.” I looked at those words, my eyelashes trembling slightly. I tapped on his profile picture and stared at it for a while, then pursed my lips and deleted him from my contacts. It was just like eating too much crawfish; it’s bad for your body. Caleb had a girlfriend now. It was time for me to look forward, too. 03 I was thinking very clearly. So, at work, when the nice lady from accounting asked again if she could introduce her younger brother to me, I didn’t smile and change the subject to decline like I usually did. Instead, I smiled and said, “Sure! Give me his number!” “We can get to know each other first.” That same day, I added Julian—no, wait, I can’t use that name. I added Liam’s contact info and sent a simple greeting. The other party didn’t seem to have much interest in chatting. I’m not the type to force a conversation on someone who’s giving me the cold shoulder, either. After two or three awkward exchanges, the conversation died. I figured Liam probably wouldn’t initiate contact again. I didn’t expect his sister to like me so much! That day after work, she asked her brother to pick her up. Then she found an excuse to treat me to dinner. She brought me and Liam to a restaurant, and then immediately claimed she had to use the restroom and disappeared, leaving Liam and me staring at each other awkwardly. It was our first time meeting, and we were both a bit embarrassed, unsure of what to say. “I’m actually not that hungry,” I hesitated for a moment, then suggested quietly, “How about we just leave?” Liam nodded hastily, agreeing completely. But just as Liam and I were about to get up and leave, the waiter started bringing out food. That’s when I realized that before his sister left, she hadn’t just thoughtfully ordered for us—she had also paid the bill! Now it felt really rude not to eat. Liam sat back down, rubbing his temples, and looked at me helplessly. “Sorry about this. My sister’s antics are sometimes so frustrating.” I burst out laughing and said, “It’s fine. I actually think she’s a great person with a great personality.” Liam looked at me in disbelief. After a long silence, he replied, “I finally know why she likes you so much.” “No wonder she’s always going on and on in my ear about how great you are.” “She’s talked about it so much my ears are bleeding.” I blinked, intrigued, wanting to know what his sister had said about me. Once that topic came up, Liam wasn’t tired or awkward anymore. He perked up, determined to spill some tea about his sister. I listened and laughed, and the two of us slowly started getting along really well. Just as Liam and I were hitting it off, a cold laugh came from above our heads. “Heh.” I looked up and met Caleb’s mocking expression. “What a coincidence. Your new boyfriend?” I paused, momentarily unsure of how to explain. But Caleb didn’t seem to need my explanation. He just stared at me fixedly, gritting his teeth as he enunciated every word: “This restaurant is full.” “Mind if my girlfriend and I sit with you guys?” 04 Without waiting for me or Liam to decline, Caleb had already brought his girlfriend over and sat down at our table as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I had been afraid Caleb was here to start trouble, but it turned out he really did just want to share the table. After sitting down, he didn’t look at me again. Instead, he leaned his head close to the girl beside him and started ordering food on his phone. When he saw an interesting dish, Caleb would lean into her ear and whisper something, quickly eliciting low giggles from her. She leaned into Caleb’s chest, laughing non-stop. The two of them looked exceptionally intimate and sweet, making Liam and me look a bit awkward in comparison. Especially when Caleb occasionally looked up and his gaze swept over Liam sitting next to me. His eyes were not exactly friendly. Liam, sitting beside me, was given several hard looks by Caleb. Feeling a bit awkward, he couldn’t help but send me a text: “Are these your friends?” I had no intention of hiding anything, so I replied concisely: “Yeah, the guy is my ex.” “The girl next to him should be his current girlfriend.” Talk about a showdown between the ex and the current! Liam looked down at the message, and for a moment, he couldn’t hold it back. He almost choked on the lemon water in his mouth, nearly spraying it everywhere. Caleb didn’t hesitate at all; he immediately shielded his girlfriend. I quickly grabbed some napkins and handed them to Liam, terrified he was actually going to spit water everywhere. “I’m fine.” Liam clumsily tried to take the napkins I offered, but accidentally grabbed my hand instead. The next second, as if my hand had burned him, he hastily let go, his face flushing bright red. “Sorry.” Liam turned his head and apologized somewhat bashfully near my ear. I turned my head, intending to say something to him as well, but as soon as I looked up, I caught sight of the tips of his ears, which were tinged with red. Because we were so close, I could even clearly see the lingering blush on Liam’s cheeks and the fine peach fuzz on his face. I had meant to say it was fine, but what came out of my mouth was: “I didn’t expect you to be so shy.” “Have you never dated before?” Otherwise, why would he blush so furiously just from simply brushing a girl’s hand? Liam suddenly started coughing violently again, his entire face turning beet red. I quickly handed him some water and patted his back to help him catch his breath. After fussing for a good while, Liam finally recovered. He gave me a somewhat resentful look, and I couldn’t help but let out a muffled laugh. At the exact second I laughed, there was a sudden, loud CRASH of glass shattering on the floor nearby, startling Liam and me. I instinctively turned to look and saw only shards of glass scattered across the floor, along with Caleb’s expressionless face. Meeting the gazes of Liam and me, Caleb pulled his hand back, lowered his eyes, and said in a completely flat voice: “Sorry, my hand slipped.” 05 “Sorry about that. Scared you guys, huh?” Caleb gave Liam a long, hard look and said with a fake smile: “Let me order you a steak to make up for it.” “No need, no need. We’re both full.” Liam hastily and politely declined. But Caleb completely ignored him. He stubbornly called the waiter over and added a steak and four desserts to our order, managing everything for us without asking. Liam watched his actions, raised an eyebrow, and turned his head as if he wanted to say something to me. But before he could speak, he was interrupted by Caleb next to him. “You two don’t look very compatible,” Caleb said, staring at Liam with that fake smile. “How did you guys end up together?” “Mind telling me?” Three sentences, every single one laced with thorns. It also carried a heavy air of condescension. It was incredibly uncomfortable to hear. Even someone with a good temper like Liam couldn’t help but frown. I sighed, patted Liam’s arm to signal him to stay calm, turned around, and calmly said to Caleb, “Our business doesn’t seem to have anything to do with you.” “We don’t need the steak. We’re full, so we’re going to leave.” I stood up, taking Liam with me, gave Caleb’s girlfriend a slow smile, and said softly, “Enjoy your meal.” With that, I pulled Liam to leave, but Caleb’s face darkened, and he yelled coldly, “Did I say you could leave?” I ignored him, but halfway there, Liam’s arm was suddenly grabbed hard by Caleb, freezing him in place. “You running away the second there’s trouble? You run pretty fast for a guy. Are you even a man?” Liam’s brow furrowed tightly. He was clearly angered by Caleb’s words. But Liam could also see that I didn’t want to stay here any longer. He suppressed his anger, forcefully shook off Caleb’s hand, and strode to catch up with me. Neither of us paid Caleb any attention, which made his face grow darker and darker, looking like a thundercloud about to burst. To the point that, when Liam and I were almost out of the restaurant, Caleb suddenly slammed his hand hard on the table. After drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant, he gritted his teeth and yelled at Liam: “Hey, Carter!” (Wait, the instructions said no Chinese surnames. I’ll use a placeholder). “Hey, Liam!” “You’re with Maya, right? Did she ever tell you that she was sexually assaulted?” Liam’s body went stiff, and my footsteps abruptly halted. I froze in place. In that instant, the gazes of everyone in the restaurant seemed to land on me. I closed my eyes tightly, hearing the sound of whispers behind me. My fingertips trembled, and I pinched my palms as hard as I could, trying to ignore the suffocating feeling spreading from my heart. “She didn’t dare tell you, did she?” Caleb let out a mocking smile and walked toward us step by step, until he stood right in front of me. “If she won’t tell you, how about I give you the details?” “After all, you guys are together now.” Caleb stood firm in front of me, his gaze fixed on Liam, full of provocation. “I just wonder, will you still like her after hearing this!” “Shut your filthy mouth!” Liam was tense all over. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes locked onto Caleb in a death stare, as if he would punch him in the face if Caleb said one more word. Caleb wasn’t afraid; he laughed instead, raising his voice again: “We’re both men here. Everyone knows how it is. What are you pretending for?” “Then tell me. I want to hear it.” A sudden sentence interrupted Caleb’s mockery and stopped Liam from throwing a punch. When Caleb heard the voice clearly, he violently turned his head to look at me. The moment he saw the calm expression on my face, a flash of panic crossed his eyes. He couldn’t maintain his expression, but he still asked me: “What did you just say?!” “I said, I’ve almost forgotten about it. Since you remember it so clearly, why don’t you say it out loud so I can hear it too?” I repeated it expressionlessly. As my words fell, the ridiculous expression on Caleb’s face instantly froze. At this moment, he seemed to finally realize that while he was using these words to sting Liam, I, the person it actually happened to, was standing right in front of them. “Maya!” Caleb couldn’t say anything else. After holding it in for a long time, he only managed to choke out my name. He panicked and reached out to grab me. I watched him in silence until Caleb’s hand stopped stiffly just inches from my skin. “No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Caleb, his face pale white, tried to explain. I didn’t want to hear explanations. I just asked: “Aren’t you going to say it?” “I won’t say it!” Caleb answered loudly without hesitation. His voice was sharp, as if he were swearing an oath. He hurriedly added, “How could I possibly say it? You know me!” “I could never hurt you! I didn’t mean it like that!” The more Caleb explained, the more panicked he became. He was frantically scratching his head and ears, so panicked he looked like he was about to cry. I watched him go crazy in silence. Before turning to leave, I gave him a long, deep look, parted my lips slightly, and left him with only one word: “Coward.” He dared to do it but didn’t dare to own up to it. If Caleb wasn’t a coward, what was he? I spoke calmly, turned, and walked away. As I stepped out of the restaurant doors, I heard a heavy, muffled thud of something being thrown to the floor inside. 06 After coming out of the restaurant, I stared blankly up at the sky. Only then did I realize that it had started drizzling at some point. The rain wasn’t heavy, just a fine mist hitting my face, bringing a bit of a chill. I hadn’t brought an umbrella. I sighed and prepared to run to the subway station in the rain. But just as I was about to dash out, my arm was suddenly grabbed. I looked back and met Liam’s face, who was trying hard to stay calm. “Where are you going?” “It’s dangerous walking in the rain right now. Don’t walk around alone. Where do you want to go? I’ll go with you.” “It’s not dangerous in this weather,” I replied silently. It was just a light drizzle. There wasn’t even any wind or lightning. But Liam refused to let go, still gripping my arm tightly. I frowned and was about to explain further, but I paused when I saw the panicked expression on Liam’s face and how his fingertips were trembling slightly as he held me. I suddenly, belatedly realized. Liam seemed to be worried that something would happen to me. After realizing this, the emotions I had barely managed to calm down suddenly began to surge wildly. My heart gave a heavy thud, bringing with it a hint of sourness that spread through my whole body. “I’m fine,” I tried to smile and explain to him. “I just want to run to the subway station and take the train home.” Liam frowned, his suspicious gaze falling on my face, looking completely unconvinced. “I’m really fine!” I gently pried his fingers off my arm, gave him a reassuring smile, and explained with a normal expression, “What he said is a fact. I have nothing to be angry about.” I couldn’t deny the fact that I had been sexually assaulted when I was a teenager. Just as I couldn’t deny that Caleb and I had truly had an unforgettable relationship. It just ended up as a chaotic mess, leaving behind nothing but a floor covered in feathers. “Think on the bright side,” I patted his shoulder and said with a smile. “At least I was only assaulted, not murdered. That’s a silver lining, isn’t it?” Liam was so shocked by my words that he was almost struck dumb. He probably never expected that I seemed to have no trauma from this tragic past, and could even calmly bring it up to comfort someone else. “When I was eighteen, I might have been so ashamed I’d want to die if he ripped off my scars in public like that.” “But I’m twenty-eight now.” I explained: “I know very well that what happened wasn’t my fault.” “The person who should really be so ashamed they want to die shouldn’t be me.” Actually, I was just a little confused. I paused for a moment. Caleb’s face inexplicably popped into my mind, and I clenched my fists tightly. I just didn’t understand why Caleb had turned out like this. Before, when I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, Caleb had gripped my hand tightly and told me firmly, over and over again: “Maya, it’s not your fault. We aren’t going to cry!” But in the blink of an eye, he had morphed into that mocking face, yelling loudly in front of everyone: “Did you know Maya was sexually assaulted?” I lowered my eyes, unconsciously pressing my hand against my aching heart, trying to make myself feel less miserable. Liam looked at me deeply for a long time, his expression complex. After a long while, I finally felt the hand holding mine slowly let go. “You’re right!” Liam’s voice was hoarse, but he spoke firmly. “It wasn’t your fault! The person who truly deserves to die is someone else!” I snapped out of my daze and blinked at him. Liam stared at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, then said to me with a hoarse voice, “I left something in the restaurant. I need to go back and get it. Wait here for a second, okay?” 07 I paused, not having had time to react before Liam had already taken off running back inside. A few minutes later, his hair and clothes were a bit messy, and he came out panting, holding an umbrella. He flashed me a huge smile and said, “Let’s go! I’ll take you home!” I thought it would have been fine for him to just walk me to the subway, no need to take me all the way back. Because I remembered his house was in the opposite direction of mine. Liam was unexpectedly insistent. When I said it wasn’t necessary, he just murmured his agreement. But in reality, he just stood right behind me, not moving an inch. I couldn’t talk him out of it, and I had no choice but to let him walk me all the way to my front door. Since he was already at my door, I felt it would be a bit rude not to invite him in for a glass of water. As soon as I asked him, Liam seemed to think of something. His face instantly turned red. He scratched his head and stuttered, “Uh, maybe next time. Coming in empty-handed now doesn’t seem right.” “Huh? But I live alone,” I silently explained, not understanding his train of thought. But my explanation made things worse. As soon as I said it, Liam’s face turned even redder. No matter how I invited him, he stubbornly stood at the door talking to me, not daring to come in, and his gaze didn’t even dare to dart inside. I really had no choice but to go inside, pour a glass of water, and let him drink it at the door. Liam didn’t stay long. After he left, I closed the door, preparing to take the glass back to the kitchen. But after I’d taken just two steps, there was a sudden knock on the door again. “Did you forget something?” I asked as I opened the door. The next second, I heard a familiar mocking voice from above my head. “Who forgot something? Your new lover?” “What, you’ve only known him for how long, and you’re already bringing him home?” Caleb gritted his teeth. His voice was flippant, carrying a thick undertone of humiliation. “Maya, how come I never noticed before? Are you that desperate for a man? You can’t stand it for a few days without one?” I looked up. The second I met Caleb’s eyes, I violently swung my arm and slapped him across the face with all my might! Caleb’s head whipped to the side from the force. He kept his head lowered, pushed his tongue against his numb cheek, and let out an inexplicable laugh.

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