Everyone said that Mrs. Ashford from the elite circles was notorious for her vindictive nature. When her husband cheated, she found lovers too. Today a sweet young thing, tomorrow a college boy. After breaking up with her thirty-sixth boy toy, I asked Asher for a divorce. The man leaned lazily against the sofa, looking at me with a mocking smile. “What? Didn’t like last night’s guy?” “Then get a new one. Money is the one thing your husband has plenty of.” Looking at his indifferent expression, I suddenly smiled. “I’m serious. Let’s stop torturing each other.” “Once we’re divorced, you can make room for her, right?” Hearing my words, the amusement in his eyes faded, and his tone turned cold. “You went to see her?” In all the years since our marriage, countless starlets and models had been linked to Asher in tabloid rumors. But only I knew the truth. I knew those women were just a smokescreen to protect that girl. Her name was pretty—Lily. She hadn’t even graduated from college yet. Asher kept her hidden away, protected so well that the paparazzi hadn’t caught a single photo of her to this day. I had seen her before. Once, when I went to his company to find Asher. The girl had a round doll-like face and eyes like black grapes. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents. For a moment, I was transported back to seeing my eighteen-year-old self at the debate competition. An angelic appearance, but a domineering and willful personality. Outside rumors said Asher’s new favorite, whom he doted on endlessly these days, was kneeling on the floor putting on her shoes and socks, even cupping her hands to receive the chewing gum Lily had already chewed. The girl had a butler drive her to and from class back to the estate. When she wanted to go shopping, one phone call was all it took. Asher would pause meetings to accompany her. Even if he truly couldn’t get away, he’d keep a video call running—more clingy than college sweethearts. Whatever she wanted to eat, she just told the private chef. She even had a personal doctor and bodyguards by her side. Back when Asher wanted to marry me, he knelt all night in the Ashford family shrine. Even when threatened with being disowned, he didn’t back down. Later, under the full pressure of the Ashford family, he relied on ruthless methods and talent to rapidly build his own network in the business world, establishing his foothold. He also made quite a few enemies in the process. I was kidnapped. That experience was truly agonizing. There wasn’t a single patch of skin on my body that wasn’t bruised or bleeding. It hurt so much. Our first child was also lost during that incident. But when I saw the man’s bloodshot eyes, I comforted him: “Hey, maybe God just wants us to enjoy a few more years as a couple!” After that incident, he became even more vigilant. How ridiculous—using the lesson learned from my suffering to protect someone else. He couldn’t bear to let the girl suffer even a little. Everything had to be the very best for her. All the things I had or didn’t have over the years, Lily now had them all. Seeing my silence, his brow furrowed deeper. “She’s timid. She can’t handle being frightened.” I didn’t answer. I just calmly gestured toward the divorce agreement already signed on the table. “The cooling-off period is over. Come with me to the courthouse, and I’ll tell you where she is.” Over all these years, I had signed a thick stack of divorce agreements with him. But they always ended up going nowhere. Either he suddenly had a meeting, or he had to accompany Lily. But I didn’t want to keep dragging this out with him anymore. This marriage—I was cutting my losses. I couldn’t be like him. Watching him nervously make phone calls, I dug my nails into my palms. Good. No one answered on the other end. I was about to urge him on when my breath was suddenly stolen away. He pinned me to the floor, his hand around my throat. “Jade, she hasn’t bothered you at all. Why can’t you tolerate her?” We were so engrossed in our struggle that we didn’t notice the sound of someone entering the passcode at the door. “Are you deaf? Didn’t I say I want to make room for her?” He inexplicably grew angrier. “What right do you have to make room? Who do you think you are?” Psycho. In the chaos, my hand found a chair leg. I struggled to lift it and brought it down hard on his head. Blood trickled down the man’s black hair onto my neck. The blow made him stagger back a few steps before he steadied himself. I collapsed to the floor, exhausted, gasping for breath. “Try choking me one more time.”

That was the scene the girl walked in on. She screamed, then carefully helped the man up. “Baby, does it hurt…” Lily was heartbroken, tears welling up in her eyes, making the man tenderly wipe them away for her. He coughed lightly. “I’m fine.” The girl grew even more upset and tried to rush at me to scratch my face. “You crazy woman—” “I’ll bash you too if you come at me.” I quickly grabbed the bloody chair again to warn her, my tone mocking. “Don’t you know you’re the mistress? And now you dare to come to my door?” She hesitated slightly, realizing I might actually follow through. She retreated into the man’s arms, aggrieved. “Baby, she’s calling me a mistress!” “Why won’t you divorce her!” “Everyone says she’s so disgusting, sleeping with so many men.” Asher coaxed her while mocking me coldly. “Didn’t you want a divorce?” “Let’s go then, Mrs. Ashford.” On the way there, the driver said nothing. I sat in the passenger seat. For some reason, I thought of our wedding night. I had pressed the golden hairpin from my updo against his chest. “Let’s get this straight first.” “I’ve always been vindictive. If you dare to change your heart or cheat, I’ll find plenty of boy toys too.” “You’d better hide that little lover of yours well, or if I find her, I won’t spare her either!” He had laughed softly and kissed me. “I won’t give my wife that opportunity.” Now, he and his lover were all lovey-dovey. I quietly watched the scenery flying past the window. I didn’t hear clearly what they were saying. Nor did I notice Asher’s occasional glances my way. There weren’t many people at the courthouse, just one couple ahead of us. The woman pointed to the bruises on her arm, accusing: “He’s beaten me like this and we still can’t divorce?” The staff member was still trying to mediate: “Ma’am, this really can’t be used as evidence of a broken relationship…” As soon as they saw Asher, they immediately stood up to greet him. Money really can solve a lot of problems. See, even divorce has an express lane. No one dared say anything. The process went very quickly. “Satisfied?” The divorce certificate was tossed into my lap. Asher shoved past my shoulder and drove off with his girl in his arms. “Did you see that? That woman played around so much outside. I’ve been disgusted by her in the news for ages. Finally divorced.” “Sigh, married to someone so rich and still couldn’t stay faithful.” “I think she’s crying.” “Of course she regrets it. She ruined such a good life with her own behavior.” Everyone said I was shameless, finding lover after lover. Still clinging to the position of Mrs. Ashford, refusing to let go. Actually, I had thought about divorce a long time ago. The first time I found ultra-thin 0.01 condoms on Asher’s coat after a business dinner, I smashed everything in the house. He didn’t even glance at the divorce agreement. He just burned it. Then he bandaged my wounds and said with amusement: “I didn’t bring her in front of you. What are you angry about?” “Your grandmother’s condition isn’t looking good right now.” Later, he didn’t even bother coaxing me anymore. He just found men for me directly. I looked at him in disbelief. Seeing my reaction only made him laugh harder. He patted those men casually. “Don’t worry, they’re clean.” “Serve Mrs. Ashford well. If she’s not satisfied, I’ll hold you accountable.” One second we were divorced, the next second the news dominated the headlines. 【Finally divorced. I’d say she never had the fortune to enjoy such a life. Living in a mansion, eating bird’s nest, and still making trouble all the time.】 【She’s honestly the first person I’ve seen who finds lovers for herself just because her husband has a few mistresses. Such a vengeful personality.】 【Who knows if she’s riddled with diseases now hahaha.】 The comment section was filled with unanimous celebration. After seeing these comments so many times, they somehow didn’t hurt as much anymore. As I was about to scroll away, I accidentally clicked on a video Lily had sent me a couple days ago. The man sitting in the main seat was leaning lazily on the sofa, a girl in his arms. His temple wasn’t injured yet. It must have been from before. The girl was questioning him: “Why won’t you divorce her!” “I don’t want to be a mistress in the shadows forever!” He smiled and pulled her back to coax her. “Alright, alright, let me explain, okay?” “Jade has been an orphan since childhood. The only person she cares about is her grandmother. She’s not unreasonable. As long as you don’t go in front of her, she won’t be mean to you.” “At most she’ll hit me. She won’t lay a hand on you.” “Jade is traditional. She can’t accept an open relationship.” “Plus I understand her. She has clear loves and hates. She won’t do anything to you.” The man explained earnestly to her. “Look.” The screen showed my chat records with those men. From the first one to the thirty-sixth. Every single detail. So he knew all along. He knew I could never really be like him. My personality clearly wasn’t like this. Why did I become this way after marriage? Why, when I looked at those men sent to my bed, was my first reaction to run to the bathroom and vomit? Why couldn’t I, like Asher, naturally accept the deterioration of our marriage? Later I finally realized. Because I was faithful in relationships, and I couldn’t separate love from sex. I crouched on the floor, watching my tears fall drop by drop onto the bright red divorce certificate. Perhaps Jade, who had agreed to that young man’s proposal three years ago, never imagined they would end up in such a situation. Forget it. It’s all in the past. I supported myself against the wall and slowly stood up. At least I had saved enough money to leave with my grandmother.

A message popped up on my phone. “Jade, I almost forgot. Let me give you one more divorce gift.” She seemed to know I wouldn’t respond to her, so she directly made a video call. On the other end, Asher’s friends were discussing. “Asher, so you and Jade—” The man lazily lifted his eyelids to look at the speaker. Someone immediately elbowed him, and he urgently corrected himself: “You and your wife really got divorced?” The man in the main seat seemed to be thinking about something. After a long while, he finally curved his lips. “We won’t divorce.” The others immediately chimed in: “Right, everything is under our Asher’s control.” “Besides, where could she go without Asher?” Lily’s face paled slightly, but she still smiled and asked: “What do you mean?” “Little Lily, you don’t know yet. That medicine is addictive. Once you start using it, you can never stop for the rest of your life.” “It’s imported from abroad. Without Asher, she won’t last long.” Hearing this, the girl blinked. “Does Jade know?” “Of course she doesn’t know.” Everyone burst into laughter. My whole body felt like it had fallen into an ice cave, my brain buzzing. Everyone knew my weak spot was my grandmother. Although I was an orphan, I received just as much love as anyone else. Pretty schoolbags, pretty dresses—all sewn stitch by stitch by my grandmother. All these years, my tolerance of Asher was because he could provide my grandmother with the best treatment. I wiped away my tears, turned the car around, and headed to Cloud Nine. That was a club under Asher’s name. I had to get to the bottom of this. “Miss, you can’t go in without a reservation.” “Get out of my way!” My momentum was too fierce. For a moment, they didn’t dare stop me. “Isn’t that Mrs. Ashford?” “Seems like it, but didn’t they get divorced?” “The news broke this morning. Didn’t you see?” “She probably regrets it now. Went too far with her tantrums.” … “Jade? I’m over here.” “What did you mean in that video?” She leaned close to my ear and smiled. “Guess?” My emotions at their breaking point, I struggled to control my voice to sound normal. “Fine. I won’t ask you. Where’s Asher?” “You already hit Asher. Are you going to hit me too?” I didn’t immediately understand what she meant by that. Very quickly, I found out. She grabbed my hand and slapped herself across the face with it. In my moment of shock, someone grabbed my wrist and flung it away forcefully, without holding back at all. “Mrs. Ashford, even your tantrums should have limits.” I stumbled backward, my lower back slamming hard into the edge of a table. The pain was piercing. So he had been holding back when he fought with me before. The person I was looking for finally appeared. Asher suddenly scoffed mockingly. “Oh, not anymore, actually.” “What, having regrets?” His friends, hearing the commotion, also came out to mediate. “Ma’am, why make this so ugly?”

Before I could question him, the hospital called. “Is this Miss Rivers?” I sniffled and quickly answered: “What’s wrong?” “The patient has spontaneous pneumothorax. We’re preparing emergency treatment. Please come over.” “Wasn’t she fine before?” My heart sank. “I’ll be right there.” Someone gripped my wrist. I said urgently: “My grandmother is in trouble!” He lowered his eyes, his gaze indifferent. “That excuse won’t work.” “Apologize.” I didn’t have time to argue with him. I just wanted to leave… “Fine. I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Can I go now?” The grip on my wrist didn’t loosen one bit. He laughed softly. “Just ‘I’m sorry’?” I looked at him in disbelief. Asher’s eyes were actually quite beautiful—slender phoenix eyes. I had looked at them for so many years, but this was the first time they felt so unfamiliar. All these years of love and hate seemed to condense into one word: fool. I was so stupid, to have loved him for so many years. More and more people gathered around. People from other private rooms also came out to watch the spectacle. “What’s going on?” “Seems like they got divorced and she’s not willing to accept it, so she hit that girl.” “Ah, she cheated on him herself and still has the nerve to get physical? How disgusting.” I didn’t. That’s not true. I wanted to say something, but when I moved my lips, only a choked sob came out. “Fine. I’ll apologize.” The next second, the dull sound of knees hitting marble floor echoed as I slapped myself hard across the face. “I’m sorry.” “From now on, I won’t appear in front of you two again.” No one expected me to kneel directly in front of Lily. Even Lily was stunned for a moment. My action was too quick. No one had time to react. After speaking, I supported myself against the wall, stood up, and turned to leave. I didn’t give anyone another glance. Everyone present could barely breathe. The atmosphere was oppressively terrible. No one dared look at that man’s expression. I drove toward the hospital. Because I was in such a hurry, the car even crashed into a railing. Warm blood slid down from my temple. I couldn’t wait for the elevator. I ran all the way up. Pedestrians hurriedly avoided me in fright. I couldn’t care about any of that. My high heels twisted my ankle. I just took them off and ran to the tenth floor carrying them. I ran straight into the attending physician coming out of the hospital room. Before I could catch my breath, I grabbed the doctor and asked: “My grandmother—” A nurse pushed out a hospital bed reflecting cold light. A withered hand hung down from under the white sheet, a very familiar red string bracelet around the wrist. I blinked slowly. The doctor removed his mask and sighed, lowering his eyes. “We were just about to notify you. We couldn’t save the patient.” I didn’t immediately understand what the doctor meant. My ears were ringing. I couldn’t believe it as I lifted the white sheet. My hands were shaking so much that it took several attempts. Those eyes that had always looked at me with a smile were now peacefully closed. I wanted to say something… My throat felt like it was filled with razor blades. Before I could even open my mouth, tears fell like blood. One after another in a continuous stream, drop after drop landing on the yellowed, sagging skin. “Grandma, does it look good! I made it for you!” “My Jade has such skillful hands. Grandma loves it.” Later, when I had some money, I bought her a big gold bracelet. The little old lady didn’t wear it: “Grandma likes what Jade made by hand better. It’s like Jade is always with Grandma…” “Grandma, I got into North Ivy University!” “I knew my Jade was the smartest! Got into the best university in the whole country!” Past moments of acting spoiled and playing around flashed through my mind like a film reel. “Miss Rivers!” “Miss Rivers, are you alright…” In the last moment before losing consciousness, an anxious figure ran toward me and caught me steadily in their arms. When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling in a daze. From now on, I don’t have a grandmother anymore. Tears slid down from the corners of my eyes, tear tracks drying on my cheeks.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “398768”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

The day I personally caught Tristan cheating in bed, Harbor City was hit by heavy rain. Nora was sitting on his lap, and he had his arms around her waist, smiling exactly the way he did when he was pursuing me all those years ago. After that, everyone said I’d lost my mind. I hired people to monitor him. If he came home five minutes late, I’d call the police. If he replied to work messages in the middle of the night, I’d grab scissors and threaten to castrate him. At first, Tristan would try to placate me. He knelt before me saying he was sorry, that it was a moment of weakness, that I was the only one he’d ever love in this lifetime. Until Nora fell down the stairs, her dress covered in blood. He signed that disciplinary agreement, his eyes cold and venomous. “Susie, you’re being very naughty. Nora is researching behavioral correction programs. Since you enjoy tormenting people so much, go there and learn to control that temper of yours.” “Learn how to be a proper, sensible Mrs. Kingsley.” Five years passed in the blink of an eye. The day Tristan came to the academy to pick me up, Harbor City was hit by another rainstorm. We hadn’t seen each other in years. When he looked at me, his eyes held scrutiny and a subtle satisfaction. The instructor beside me smiled and said, “Mr. Kingsley, you can rest assured. Miss Reed has learned how to be the most exemplary wife of an elite family.” I kept my eyes lowered, knees slightly bent. This was the standard posture the academy taught—never looking people in the eye, never standing with a straight back, always ready to assume a submissive stance. Tristan scoffed. “She’s certainly learned to put on a good show.” He wasn’t wrong. I really had learned well.

During the first month after being locked up, I hadn’t learned yet. Back then, I would cry, curse, bang my head against the wall, and scream Tristan’s name in the isolation room until my throat bled. Later, I stopped screaming. Not because I’d come to terms with it, but because electrical currents passed through my temples and I forgot why I was screaming in the first place. The instructor called it “behavioral cognitive correction.” It took me a long time to understand what that meant— It meant turning someone who could cry, make a fuss, and love into someone who couldn’t cry, couldn’t make a fuss, and couldn’t love. Actually, it wasn’t that difficult. After enough pain, you learn everything. In the car on the way back, Nora sat on Tristan’s lap. She looked at me, her eyes carrying that familiar concern—light and airy, like a cat appraising a mouse with its claws pulled out. “Susie, how were these past five years for you inside?” I stared straight ahead, hands resting flat on my knees. When I didn’t answer, Nora waited a moment, then her voice became even softer. “If you hadn’t hurt me back then, Tristan wouldn’t have gotten angry and sent you there. Don’t blame him.” Five years ago, I would have lunged at her and torn that mouth apart. But now I just sat there. Tristan glanced at me sideways, his tone turning cold. “Nora is talking to you. Did all that etiquette training go straight down the drain?” I still didn’t speak. Suddenly my chin was gripped, the force making my bones ache. Tristan forced me to look at him, familiar irritation in his eyes. “I told you to speak.” It hurt, but compared to having my mouth sewn shut at the academy, it was nothing. My mouth had been sewn shut three times. The first time was for talking back to an instructor. The second time was for crying out loud. The third time was for calling Tristan’s name in the isolation room. When the needle pierced through my lips, I trembled all over from the pain, but couldn’t make a sound. After they removed the stitches, I learned not to open my mouth carelessly. “Mr. Kingsley, you haven’t given me permission to speak.” I looked into his eyes, my voice soft. But Tristan froze. He stared at me for a long time, so long that even Nora’s smile grew stiff. Then he released his grip and laughed coldly. “Fine. Now you can answer Nora.” I turned my head and smiled at Nora—a standard smile, showing exactly eight teeth. “Miss Parker, I won’t be angry. You’re the only person Mr. Kingsley truly cares about.” I meant every word of that statement. At the academy, the instructors showed me photos of Tristan and Nora together every single day. In the photos they looked so happy, like a perfect couple. At first, when I saw them, I would feel heartbroken, tremble, want to tear the photos to shreds. Then electrical currents would pass through my temples, and I’d briefly lose all emotion. Over time, I stopped crying. The instructor called it “desensitization therapy.” I thought she was right. After seeing something enough times, it stops hurting. But for some reason, his expression grew even darker. He furrowed his brow, speaking through gritted teeth. “Susie, is this passive-aggressive tone your way of resisting?” “I’m not.” I lowered my head further. “I only learned… how to be a proper Mrs. Kingsley.” Tristan froze for a moment. Nora watched this scene from the side, her voice gentle. “Tristan, as long as Susie knows she was wrong, don’t be so harsh with her.” He stared at me for a long time, then suddenly laughed coldly. “Fine. I’d like to see just how long you can keep up this act!”

When we arrived at the Kingsley residence, a four or five-year-old child ran over. He hugged Tristan’s leg and looked at me with his head tilted. “Daddy, who’s this lady?” Tristan’s body stiffened. His Adam’s apple bobbed, his tone carrying a hint of nervousness. “Susie, this is the child you pushed back then. His name is Andy. He’s four years old now. Don’t be angry.” He was waiting for my reaction. Five years ago, I would have been angry. Nora had stood at the top of the stairs with her pregnant belly, smiling as she told me, “Susie, the one who isn’t loved is the real mistress.” I pushed her. Later, Tristan said I’d gone crazy and sent me to the academy. At the academy, the walls of the isolation room were covered with photos of Nora and that child. The instructor said those were the people I’d harmed, and I had to look at them every day until I learned to repent. I looked at photos of that child for five years. Now he was right in front of me, alive and real, able to run and jump, calling Tristan “Daddy.” I crouched down and touched his head. Hatred was too much of a luxury. It required too much energy, and I didn’t have that kind of energy anymore. “I’m not angry.” I looked up at Tristan, my voice calm. Tristan stared at me, his brow furrowing. He suddenly pulled Andy away, his tone stiff. “Since you’re not angry, let’s go inside for dinner!” I didn’t know what he was unhappy about. This was exactly what he’d wanted me to learn. During dinner, Nora placed a piece of fish on my plate. “Susie, the kitchen specially made this steamed fish. Eat more to nourish your body.” I looked at the snow-white piece of fish in my bowl. I was allergic to fish. When Tristan and I had just gotten married, I accidentally ate some fish sauce and had an immediate breathing difficulty. They had to resuscitate me for a full day and night. After that, fish never appeared on the Kingsley family’s dinner table again. Nora blinked. “Oh my, did I remember wrong? I thought Tristan said Susie loved eating this.” Tristan didn’t look up, busy peeling shrimp for Andy. “Just eat what she gives you.” I picked up my chopsticks. At the academy, I’d also resisted eating due to allergies. Until the instructor mixed various types of fish together into a paste and force-fed it into my mouth. I’d vomit and eat again, eat and vomit again, until I had a high fever and convulsions before they stopped. They said they were helping me desensitize. “Miss Reed, a perfect wife can’t make her husband accommodate her allergies.” I picked up the fish and put it in my mouth, chewing slowly. Physiological nausea surged up, but I suppressed it. One piece, two pieces. By the time Tristan noticed something was wrong, I’d already eaten more than half. He snatched away my chopsticks, his voice rising. “What are you doing? Susie, have you forgotten you’re allergic to fish?” I looked up. Red welts had already appeared on my face, and my breathing was becoming labored. “Are you insane?” He was both anxious and angry, speaking without thinking. “Even if you want to frame Nora, you don’t have to make it this obvious!” I looked at Tristan’s furious eyes, somewhat bewildered. “I wasn’t trying to frame her. I just thought… doing this would make you happy.” Tristan froze. His expression looked as if someone had slapped him hard across the face. On the way to the hospital, my consciousness was fuzzy. I vaguely felt myself being held tightly. That person’s heartbeat was racing, his voice trembling slightly. I remembered the first time I had an allergic reaction and needed resuscitation—Tristan had held me like this too. His eyes had been red then, and he’d said, “You scared me to death, you know that?” Back then, I believed him. I believed he truly loved me. Later, when I was kneeling at the academy, convulsing from electric shocks, I would occasionally remember that red-eyed Tristan. But after thinking about it for a while, I’d stop. Because the electrical currents would still pass through my body. The pain was still pain.

Half asleep and half awake, I heard Tristan confirming the emergency treatment plan with the doctor. I also heard him make a phone call to the academy. With obvious anxiety, he demanded, “Why has she become like this? What exactly did you do to her?” The voice on the other end was polite yet cautious. “Mr. Kingsley, this is normal. All of Mrs. Kingsley’s current behaviors might be an act. After all, just last month, she was still saying she wanted to kill Miss Parker…” I heard Tristan’s breathing hitch. I felt wronged. If this was all an act, then I’d be quite the impressive actress. The next evening, I was out of danger and Tristan took me back home. Due to the allergies and long-term malnutrition, I’d become extremely thin. The red welts on my neck still hadn’t faded. I must have looked quite pathetic. I’d just entered the living room when Andy ran over. He stared at the wounds on my neck, extending his chubby little hand to point at them. “Lady, does it hurt?” I looked at his innocent eyes and shook my head. “It doesn’t hurt.” At the academy, I’d had injuries a hundred times more painful, and I still had to smile and say they didn’t hurt. Andy took the opportunity to burrow into my arms, his warm little face pressed against my ear. “I know who you are.” His voice was so soft that only I could hear it. “After you came back, Mommy became very unhappy. Last night she even cried while holding me.” “You’re like those evil mistresses in TV shows, trying to steal Daddy from my mommy. Why don’t you just die?” “If you died, Daddy would belong only to Mommy.” I froze, feeling something like a tiny needle prick my heart. Not sharp, but lingering. Before I could react, Andy suddenly hugged my waist tightly and threw his body backward. We tumbled down the stairs together. In that moment of weightlessness, I instinctively held him in my arms, using my body as his cushion. When my body hit the floor, I felt like every bone in my body had shattered. “Susie, what are you doing!” An angry shout came from upstairs. It was Tristan. He rushed downstairs, pushed aside my injured body, and carefully picked up Andy from the floor. Andy burst into tears, trembling as he burrowed into Tristan’s arms. “Daddy, that lady pushed me! She said she hates me and Mommy!” Tristan’s movements stopped. He slowly turned to look at me, his eyes filled with the familiar disappointment and disgust. I tried to stand up using the floor for support, my back drenched in cold sweat from the pain. “I didn’t…” “Shut up!” He stood up, looking down at me. “Andy is only four years old. Would he lie?” “I thought you’d reformed over these years. Turns out it was all an act. Do you want to go back to the academy again?” I froze, my body trembling uncontrollably. Those mocking voices, the pain of being stripped naked and made to crawl like a dog—it all seemed to resurface. “No, don’t send me back.” I immediately dropped to my knees, pressing my head deep against the floor, begging him. “Don’t send me back there. It was my fault. I pushed him. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” If he said it was my fault, then it was. Five years had been enough to teach me how to apologize. As long as I admitted my mistakes, the punishment would always be lighter. Tristan remained silent for a long time—so long I thought I’d be dragged back and locked in that windowless isolation room again. Finally, he only said, “Lock her in the basement. Let her reflect properly. For the next three days, no one is allowed to let her out!”

I was shoved into the basement. The room was pitch black. I sat against the wall, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around my legs. At first, I was actually relieved by this punishment. I even leaned against the wall and dozed off for a while. Until, half asleep and half awake, it seemed like countless hands were reaching out through the darkness. They pulled at my clothes, pinched my chin, laughing as they said: “She’s so pale. Such delicate skin. How could Mr. Kingsley bear to send her to a place like this?” “What’s she shouting? For her husband to come save her? What a pipe dream.” The man’s breathing was heavy as he leaned close to my ear, laughing. “Face reality. Your husband sent you here to teach you obedience. Don’t you think he knows what you’re going through here? He just doesn’t care at all!” I buried my face in my knees. That wasn’t true. Tristan did care. He just… he just wanted me to become better. But had I become better? No. Andy said I was a bad woman, that I wanted to steal his daddy from his mommy. I hadn’t won the favor of my husband’s child. I hadn’t become a proper, sensible Mrs. Kingsley. I immediately knelt up, positioning my knees shoulder-width apart, assuming the repentance posture from the academy. Then I raised my right hand and slapped myself across the face. Hard. Once, then again, slapping until my mouth bled, my cheek swelled, and my palm went numb. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I didn’t protect the child properly.” “I upset Andy. I shouldn’t have put my husband in a difficult position.” For three days, whenever I woke up, I’d kneel and slap myself. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, dripping onto my knees. It was warm. When the basement door finally opened, I instinctively straightened my kneeling posture and lowered my eyes. Tristan saw the blood covering my face, his pupils contracting sharply. He stepped forward. “You…” Before he could finish, a servant carrying a basin of hot oil hurried past. She slipped, and that bucket of scalding oil poured straight toward Nora. Without time to think, I threw myself over Nora almost desperately, shielding her tightly beneath me. The hot oil splashed all over me. It hurt terribly. But I couldn’t care about the pain. I anxiously searched for Tristan’s eyes, hoping to see satisfaction in them. But there was none. He looked at me, his whole body trembling, his eyes reddening. I lowered my eyes in disappointment. Hadn’t I done well enough? But I didn’t have time to think anymore, didn’t have time to apologize to him and Nora. I passed out. Before losing consciousness, the last thing I heard was Tristan calling my name with a trembling voice. “Susie, Susie…” When I woke up again, Tristan was asleep leaning against the hospital chair, his brow furrowed, still holding my hand. His features were rarely this gentle—just like when he was pursuing me all those years ago. I was eighteen that year, still frying rice at the night market. To pursue me, he came every day to help me pack up. The day we got together, there was a drizzling rain. When we pushed the cart to the alley entrance, the rain intensified. We hid under the eaves, shoulders touching. “Susie.” He suddenly called my name, his eyes shining. “Will you be my girlfriend?” I was stunned. “Have you eaten so much fried rice you’ve gone stupid?” He laughed, his eyes crinkling, then lowered his head and kissed me. The sound of the rain was loud, his lips were soft, and he kissed me until I forgot to breathe. The smell of cooking oil mixed with rain-soaked earth became the entire fragrance of my eighteenth summer. Later, to marry me, his father punished him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall and take a beating. His back was lashed until the skin split open. I went to see him. He was lying on the bed, his shirt stuck to his wounds. When it was pulled off, it brought blood with it. I cried until I couldn’t breathe. He comforted me instead. “Don’t cry. It doesn’t hurt.” “You’re lying.” “It really doesn’t hurt.” He gripped my hand, his fingers burning hot—he had a fever. “My father asked if I’d change my mind. I said no. He asked if I loved you. I said yes.” He looked at me, his eyes red. “Susie, you’re the only person I’ve ever loved in this lifetime.” I believed him. Back then, I really believed him. The curtains were blown by the wind. I moved my fingers, wanting to close the window. As soon as I moved, he woke up. He looked at me, opened his mouth as if to say something, but finally only said, “Let’s go home.” Go home. Was the Kingsley residence home? I didn’t know. But I nodded and said, “Okay.” Perhaps as a reward for saving Nora, Tristan treated me much better over the next few days. He had Nora thank me. When she stood before me and bowed, the smile on her face was stiff. I was flustered and quickly told her there was no need to thank me. Tristan watched all of this from the side, his brow relaxing somewhat. That night, he opened my bedroom door.

When the kiss fell, I accepted it docilely throughout, without dodging. He looked at my face, pale from pain, and laughed softly. “Looks like the academy really did tame that temper of yours. In the past, if I’d hurt you like this, you would have jumped up and kicked me.” He buried his head in the crook of my neck, his voice soft. “After all these years, you’ve finally learned to behave.” “Susie, as long as you stay obedient like this, the position of Mrs. Kingsley will always be yours.” “Later on, I’ll have Andy registered under your name. The three of us will be a proper family. Sounds good, right?” I looked at the ceiling. “Okay.” Whatever he said was fine. When the knocking sounded at the door, Tristan’s movements stopped. Andy stood in the doorway holding his pillow, crying hysterically. “Daddy, Andy had a nightmare. I want Daddy to sleep with me.” Tristan looked at me, but ultimately put on his clothes and stood up. “You sleep first. I’ll go check on the child.” The door closed. I sat up and simply cleaned up the blood between my legs. I encountered Nora when I went downstairs to get medicine. She stood at the top of the stairs, as if she’d been waiting specifically for me. Her gaze slowly moved from the marks on my neck to my face, lingering there for a long time. “You know, during the years you were gone, Tristan treated me very well.” Her voice was soft. “So why did you have to come back?” I didn’t have time to answer. She suddenly pressed a knife into my hand, then gripped my hand and stabbed it viciously into her own forearm. Blood spurted out, warm, splashing onto the back of my hand. “Tristan, save me…” When Tristan rushed out of the children’s room, I was still holding that knife. Nora lay in a pool of blood. Andy ran out barefoot, crying and calling for his mommy. “Susie, what are you doing!” Nora’s eyes filled with tears. “Susie, why do you want to kill me? Can you really not tolerate my existence?” It wasn’t me. She was the one who gripped my hand and stabbed herself. I opened my mouth. “It wasn’t me… She did it herself…” When the slap came, I turned my face away. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth. I tasted rust. Tristan looked down at me, his eyes filled with familiar anger and disappointment. “You want to say she gripped your hand and hurt herself?” “Susie, even your lies should have limits.” He crouched down, gently lifting Nora, tearing off his shirt to stanch her bleeding. When he looked at me again, only coldness remained in his eyes. “Last time you saved Nora, I thought you’d really changed. I suspected the academy had treated you poorly, that you’d suffered wrongs. I sent people to investigate. I even regretted sending you there.” “But you—” He turned his face away, as if he couldn’t bear to look at me any longer. “Either go back to the academy, or just die! Susie, don’t force me to choose for you.” I froze, my body trembling with fear. I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want to return to the academy. I didn’t want to choose. I looked at Tristan’s face anxiously and carefully—from his brow bone, eyes, to his tightly pressed lips—trying to find any sign of relenting. But there was none. He was serious. Seeing that I still hadn’t moved, he lost patience, his eyes cold as he ordered, “Take the lady away. Send her back to the academy. Tell them to discipline her properly! If they still can’t teach her—” Before the bodyguards could forcibly drag me away, my head was spinning and I stumbled toward the exit in a panic. All the rules and propriety I’d learned these past years seemed to vanish in that moment. In my panic, I seemed to trip over something. My knee split open and bled, but I didn’t care. I had only one thought: I absolutely could not go back there. Even if it meant death, I didn’t want to return to that place where even breathing had to be calculated. I didn’t want to be scrutinized like livestock again. And I didn’t want… to love Tristan anymore. Behind me, Nora groaned, as if the pain was unbearable. I only heard Tristan urgently call her name, soothing her. “Nora, hang in there. The ambulance will be here soon!” Andy stood barefoot on the floor, also crying out, “Mommy, Mommy!” Everyone was surrounding Nora. No one was looking at me. Outside was Harbor City’s night. Traffic was sparse. I walked along the road to the river’s edge. Below the bridge, the river water rushed violently. I climbed over the railing and took a step forward. Then I leaped!

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Two hours before the wedding ceremony, I watched my fiancé pin another woman down on the bed and kiss her. That woman was wearing my wedding dress. Three years ago, my ex-fiancé fled on our wedding day. It was Grayson Jones who charged into the banquet hall and took me away. He said he would never let me stand alone at a wedding again. I waited three years for this public ceremony. But just as I was about to deliver the vow card to him, I heard Sylvia Sterling’s voice through the crack in the door. “Do I look like today’s bride?” Grayson’s phone was lit up. He was sending me a message: I’m upstairs going over the program details. Don’t come up yet. He was kissing her while telling me to wait for him patiently. I stood outside the door and tore the vow card in my hands to shreds. This wedding. I’m not going through with it. Claire Carter POV Grayson and I got married three years ago, but today was finally my public wedding ceremony. Two hours before the ceremony began, I saw Grayson pin another woman down on the bed and kiss her. That woman was wearing my gown. This morning, the hotel’s top floor was filled with white roses. The sign outside the banquet hall was already set up, displaying both Grayson’s and my names. The makeup artist stood behind me, arranging the ends of my hair. My main wedding dress hung on the rack beside us. I’d tried it on seven times before finally choosing it. I sat before the mirror, looking at my reflection. The ring box rested beside my hand. Beneath it was a vow card I’d finished writing at two in the morning. I’d been waiting for this wedding for three years. Three years ago, Grayson and I decided to marry. But his family refused to hold a ceremony. They said my family had no power or influence, that a woman who’d been publicly rejected by her ex-fiancé didn’t deserve a grand wedding. Back then, Grayson had held my hand and said, “Claire, wait for me. Once we have the wedding, no one will ever be able to humiliate you again.” Last night, he’d sent me a message. “After tomorrow, you’ll be my wife. No one will ever be able to make you unhappy again.” I’d read that line over and over. I believed him. Three years ago, my ex-fiancé fled on our wedding day. All the guests laughed at me. Then Grayson charged into the banquet hall. He pulled me away from the cameras and the gossip. He’d said he would never let me stand alone at a wedding again. So today, I wanted to hand him the vow card personally. When the makeup artist went to get my earrings, I picked up the ring box and slipped out of the makeup room, avoiding my bridesmaids. Grayson’s groom lounge was on the same floor as the makeup room, just down the hallway from mine. When I reached the door, I heard a woman’s suppressed laughter inside. “Grayson, do I look good like this?” My steps stopped. The door wasn’t fully closed. There was a gap. Standing outside, I first saw a high heel lying on the floor, then saw the veil on the vanity table, and finally saw the wrinkled corner of the bedding. Sylvia was wearing my gown, the shoulder straps hanging loosely on her arms. That gown was one I’d personally selected. My initials were even embroidered on it. But now, Grayson stood behind Sylvia, lowering his head to adjust her shoulder straps upward. Sylvia tilted her face up to look at him. Her eyes were wet, as if she’d been crying, or as if she was seducing him. “Do I look like today’s bride?” Grayson didn’t answer. He simply lowered his head and kissed her. My hand gripping the ring box suddenly clenched tight. The corner of the box dug into my palm, the pain shooting numbness through my fingertips. My phone lit up at that moment. It was a message from Grayson. “I’m upstairs going over the program with the host. Don’t come up yet. Wait for me to come get you.” He was kissing Sylvia while telling me to wait obediently for him. Through the gap in the door, Sylvia seemed to hear something. Her eyes suddenly shifted toward the doorway. She saw me. But she didn’t hide. Instead, she smiled softly and reached out to touch the veil on the vanity table. The veil I was supposed to wear as I walked down the aisle. “Grayson, if she finds out, will she be angry?” Grayson’s voice dropped. “Don’t make trouble. Nothing can go wrong with the wedding today.” “What if she refuses to marry you?” Silence for a few seconds. Then I heard Grayson say, “She’s very sensible. All the guests have arrived. She won’t embarrass everyone.” That sentence felt like a hand pressing me back into that failed wedding from three years ago. I stared at the vow card in my hand. The first line read: Thank you for not leaving me standing alone at a wedding again. How pathetic. The sincerity I’d written with my own hand felt like it had been torn open and trampled on the ground. A staff member hurried up from downstairs. “Miss Carter, we still need to take your solo portraits. The coordinator is asking for you.” I didn’t push the door open. I didn’t charge inside. I didn’t ask Grayson why. I simply refolded the vow card, tucked it back at the very bottom of the ring box, then turned and walked back to the makeup room. The moment the makeup artist saw me, she smiled and said, “Miss Carter, you look wonderful. You’ll photograph beautifully.” I sat back down before the mirror. In the reflection, I wore a white wedding dress, my makeup clean, the diamond drop by my ear swaying slightly. Nothing about me had changed. Yet suddenly I felt like this wedding dress was something someone else had worn and discarded, making me feel dirty. The makeup artist picked up the veil, about to place it on my head. I raised my hand to stop her. My voice was soft. “Can we use a new one?”

Claire Carter POV When I asked to change the veil, everyone in the makeup room froze. That veil had been personally selected by Grayson. All the styling, all the photos, even the backdrop on the big screen had been designed around it. Changing it at the last minute wouldn’t just look bad. It would create unnecessary extra work. The makeup artist carefully tried to persuade me. “Miss Carter, Mr. Jones ordered this veil six months in advance. Today’s main dress can only be paired with this one.” I looked at that layer of white gauze. I thought of how Sylvia’s fingers had just slowly slid across its edge, touching it like a trophy. I felt sick. “I’m not wearing it.” The makeup artist didn’t dare try to convince me further and hurried to find the coordinator. As I adjusted my earring, I noticed a pearl hairpin missing from the jewelry tray on the vanity. That hairpin was supposed to match the veil. The day I’d tried on the dress, Grayson had personally placed it in my hair. He’d even said pearls suited me better than diamonds. Now the hairpin was gone. The coordinator rushed over, her expression even worse than the makeup artist’s. “Miss Carter, the backup veil and hairpin were sent upstairs earlier to test the effect. They haven’t been brought back yet.” I looked up at her. “Who was testing them?” The coordinator’s lips moved. “Mr. Jones’s side arranged it.” That told me nothing. A young assistant beside her blurted out, “That lady earlier looked really good in them. I thought we were doing two bridal looks today.” The makeup room instantly went dead silent. The coordinator’s face changed immediately as she turned to scold her. “What are you talking about!” The young assistant shrank back in fear. But I laughed. The laugh was light and faint. “Two brides?” The coordinator immediately tried to placate me. “No, no, it must be a misunderstanding, Miss Carter. I’ll have someone bring everything back right away.” I didn’t pursue it further. I just took the wedding program tablet. I’d only meant to check how many more procedures we had to go through. But the moment I opened the video materials, I saw a short clip from last night. In the video, Sylvia stood at the center of the ceremony platform, wearing my backup veil and holding my bouquet. Grayson stood below the platform, looking up at her. Sylvia smiled and asked, “If I hadn’t taken the fall for you back then, would I be the one standing here today?” Grayson didn’t deny it. He only said, “Come down quickly. Don’t let anyone see you.” Don’t let anyone see. After hearing that sentence, my fingertips grew colder bit by bit. So from last night, Sylvia had already been standing in my place. The platform, the bouquet, the veil. Even my room had been used by her. When Grayson came in, he happened to see the tablet in my hand. His steps clearly paused. I didn’t make a scene or throw anything. I just turned the screen toward him. In the video, Sylvia still wore the veil, smiling like a real bride. Grayson was silent for a few seconds before speaking, his voice deliberately low. “Sylvia was emotional last night. She just wanted to experience what a wedding felt like.” I looked up at him. “So my veil, my bouquet, my platform, my room. She can try them all?” Grayson’s brows furrowed. “Claire, she was rejected because of me years ago. People mocked her for years. Don’t use these words to provoke her today.” I looked at him, suddenly losing the energy to ask anything more. My wedding was being stolen. And Grayson was worried my words would upset Sylvia. He was always like this. Whenever Sylvia cried, he immediately made excuses for her. As for whether I was hurt, whether I felt wronged, whether I had to swallow things that had been stained. He never considered any of that. A light knock came from the doorway. Sylvia personally brought the backup veil back. She had the white gauze draped over her arm, her face full of apology, her eyes reddening the moment she entered. “Claire, I’m sorry. I just envied you too much and couldn’t resist trying it on. Don’t blame Grayson. It’s my fault.” She sounded so humble, as if I’d really bullied her. Before I could speak, she’d already turned to look at Grayson, tears falling. “I should just leave. Today is your wedding. I don’t want Claire to misunderstand us, and I don’t want to put you in a difficult position.” Grayson spoke up as expected. “Since you’re already here, stay for the ceremony.” Sylvia bit her lip and nodded. As she passed me, she turned her face slightly and said in a voice only the two of us could hear, “Claire, at least this morning, I was the one he held first.” The words were soft, but they pierced my heart like a knife. Outside, the wedding music had already started playing. My bridesmaids came in to urge me to change into the main dress. I looked at the returned backup veil but didn’t touch it. I picked up the pearl hairpin that had been returned with it. The hairpin still carried a perfume scent that wasn’t mine. I opened the drawer and threw the hairpin inside. Grayson stood at the door. Seeing I wasn’t making a fuss anymore, he visibly relaxed. He walked over and reached out to adjust my shoulder strap. “Claire, the ceremony is about to start. Don’t keep the guests waiting too long.” I looked at his hand in the mirror. That hand had been on Sylvia’s waist not long ago. I stepped back half a step to avoid him. Grayson’s hand froze in midair.

Claire Carter POV When Grayson’s mother, Helen, entered the makeup room, there wasn’t a trace of a smile on her face. She first glanced at me, then looked at Grayson, her voice deliberately low. “Everyone’s waiting for you outside. Why hasn’t the ceremony started yet?” The wedding coordinator’s forehead was covered in sweat. “Helen, the bride is still adjusting her veil.” Helen’s expression immediately darkened. “Stop wasting time on these trivial matters! The ceremony is about to start. All of the Jones family’s guests are here today. Claire, don’t keep everyone waiting!” I sat before the mirror, my shoulders still bare above the wedding dress. That gown had been worn by Sylvia. That veil had been touched by Sylvia. The pearl hairpin still carried her perfume. And Helen said I was the one wasting everyone’s time. I looked up at Grayson. Grayson didn’t speak up for me. He only said to Helen, “Mom, please go outside. I’ll handle this.” The door closed again. Only the two of us remained in the room. Grayson stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Claire, there can’t be any problems today. I’ll explain what happened this morning after the wedding ends.” I looked at him. “You want me to put on the dress and go out there smiling, even though I know what happened in that room?” Grayson’s brow furrowed tightly. “You’re already my wife. There’s no need to fight with Sylvia over these small things.” Wife. That word coming from his mouth felt like a dull blade slowly pressing against my heart. Three years ago, when my ex-fiancé left me standing at the wedding, everyone told me to just endure it. It was Grayson who took me away. He’d said, why should an innocent person bear the consequences of someone else’s mistake? Now he was the one pushing me back into that position. I opened the ring box and took out the vow card, holding it in front of him. “Read the first line.” Grayson glanced at me, then took the card. When he opened it and saw that line, his throat seemed to catch on something. I asked, “Can you still read it out loud now?” Grayson closed the card, avoiding my eyes. “Now isn’t the time to talk about this.” I took the vow card back from his hand. I tore the paper down the middle. The sound was soft, but it made Grayson’s face change color. I didn’t hit him. I didn’t cry. I simply pressed the torn card back to the bottom of the ring box, then handed the box to my bridesmaid. “Hold onto this. Don’t give it to the host.” The bridesmaid froze, instinctively looking at Grayson. I repeated, “Don’t give it to the host.” Outside, the host had begun speaking. Applause filtered through the door. The makeup artist placed the new veil on my head. This time, the veil hadn’t been touched by anyone else. But looking at myself in the mirror, I still felt like this wedding dress was suffocating me. Grayson stood behind me. Seeing I was finally cooperating, he visibly sighed with relief. He probably thought I would still endure it. He thought that, just like the past three years, I would swallow all my grievances for him, for the Jones family, for the perfect completion of the ceremony. When the banquet hall doors opened, the lights fell on me. The guests turned to look. Applause erupted instantly. Grayson stood at the end of the red carpet in his tidy suit, looking like a groom truly waiting for his bride. I walked forward step by step. My gaze moved past Grayson to the front row. Sylvia sat there. She’d changed into a different dress. The missing pearl hairpin was now pinned to her chest. That was my hairpin. Sylvia looked up and smiled at me, her fingers lightly touching the hairpin, as if reminding me. Even something this small, she could take. I reached Grayson. The host smiled and said, “The groom has finally waited for his bride.” Applause erupted again. Grayson extended his hand toward me. That hand had touched Sylvia’s waist this morning. Now it reached toward me, wanting me to continue performing in this wedding. I looked down at it for a moment but didn’t place my hand in his. I looked up at Grayson, my voice not loud but clear enough for the nearest rows to hear. “Are you sure the person you’ve been waiting for today is me?”

Claire Carter POV The host’s smile froze on her face. The applause on both sides of the red carpet gradually stopped. In the guest seating, it became so quiet only the music remained. Grayson’s extended hand hung in midair. His expression changed as he said in a suppressed voice, “Claire, don’t make a scene right now.” I didn’t look at anyone else. “I just need one answer from you. Is the person you’ve been waiting for today me?” Grayson’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He didn’t answer. He only said, “The ceremony has already begun. Let’s complete it first.” That phrase again. Complete the ceremony first, let the guests watch us perform first, let me continue being the sensible bride first. Helen walked over from the side, still smiling on her face but her voice cold and hard. “Claire, if you have something to say, say it at home. So many guests are here today. Don’t make everyone uncomfortable.” I looked at her. “Another woman was in my room, and I’m still supposed to smile through this ceremony?” Helen’s smile stiffened for a moment. Quickly, she lowered her voice again. “A truly sensible bride doesn’t put her husband on trial at their wedding.” Murmurs were already rising from the guest seating. “What’s going on?” “Does the bride not want to marry the groom?” “I think there’s something wrong with that woman in the front row.” Those voices drilled into my ears. The failed wedding three years ago had been just like this. No one asked if I was hurt. They only wanted to see if I would cry, if I would lose control, if I would become an even bigger joke. Grayson suddenly grabbed my wrist, trying to place my hand in the crook of his arm. His movement looked gentle, but the force was strong. It hurt so much I frowned, yet still I didn’t cooperate. Grayson said in a low voice, “After the wedding ends, you can ask me whatever you want. Not now.” I looked at him. “After the wedding ends, am I supposed to thank you for being willing to explain?” Grayson’s expression darkened, and he gripped my wrist even tighter. At that moment, a harsh scraping of a chair came from the front row. Sylvia stood up supporting herself on the chair back, her face very pale. The pearl hairpin on her chest swayed. She looked at Grayson, her voice trembling. “Grayson, I didn’t mean to sit here. I didn’t mean to make Claire misunderstand. If I’m causing problems for your wedding, I’ll leave right now.” After speaking, her body swayed as if she might collapse at any moment. Grayson barely hesitated. He released me and walked straight toward Sylvia. The force controlling me disappeared. My wrist hurt badly, but Grayson had already reached Sylvia’s side. “Where does it hurt?” His voice was urgent. Much more urgent than when he’d been coaxing me to complete the wedding. The entire venue fell completely silent. The lights still fell on me. But the groom was no longer by my side. Helen’s face looked terrible, but her first reaction was to have the host pause and have staff turn off the big screen. Someone said quietly, “Who the groom really loves is pretty obvious, isn’t it?” I stood in place. The veil on my head suddenly felt as heavy as a shroud. The host tried to salvage the awkward situation. “This guest isn’t feeling well. The groom is just helping to look after her.” Guest. I looked at the hairpin on Sylvia’s chest. A guest who had worn my gown, touched my veil, was wearing my hairpin, and could make Grayson publicly leave me at my own wedding. I raised my hand and slowly removed the veil. Grayson looked back and saw my movement. His expression immediately changed. “Claire, don’t!” I ignored him. I handed the veil to my bridesmaid, my voice calm. “I’m a bit tired. I’m going back to my room to rest.” The bridesmaid’s eyes were red with anxiety. “Miss Carter…” I’d already turned around. I didn’t make a scene. I didn’t rush over to hit Sylvia. I simply walked step by step away from the wedding venue. Behind me, Grayson was supporting Sylvia. I knew he wanted to chase after me. But then I heard Sylvia say, “Grayson, I’m so dizzy… Don’t leave me.”

Claire Carter POV I returned backstage, closed the door, and finally shut out the lights from the banquet hall and all those mocking eyes. I didn’t cry. I just placed the veil on the vanity. The backstage screen was still connected to the wedding video system. The image was frozen on the moment when the ceremony had paused. I stood alone under the lights. Grayson was in the front row supporting Sylvia. The image was sickening. I watched it for a few seconds, then reached out and unplugged the connection cable. The screen went black. But at that moment, the door was pushed open. Sylvia walked in. The weakness from earlier had vanished from her face. The pearl hairpin was still pinned to her chest. She glanced at the darkened screen and laughed softly. “Unplugging the cable won’t help. Everyone already saw it.” I didn’t turn around. “Get out.” Sylvia walked to the vanity, her fingers trailing across the veil before touching the ring box beside it. “Claire, what’s the point of guarding these things? Can you stop Grayson from giving them to whoever he wants?” I pressed my hand down on the ring box. “Don’t touch it.” Sylvia’s eyes immediately reddened, and her voice rose slightly. “I was just trying to help you take the rings out so the wedding could continue. Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid the wedding can’t go on?” As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed my wrist and reached for the ring box with her other hand. She gripped hard, hurting me. I shook her hand off. Sylvia seemed to have been waiting for this exact moment. She stumbled backward and knocked into the video equipment rack beside her. The rack fell, the screen crashed to the floor with a sharp sound. Sylvia clutched her arm, tears flowing immediately. “Claire, even if you’re angry, you can’t push me… The wedding video is ruined. What is Grayson supposed to do?” Footsteps rushed in from outside. Grayson and Helen arrived almost simultaneously. Grayson saw Sylvia clutching her arm with the shattered screen at her feet. His expression immediately darkened. Sylvia was crying so hard she could barely stand. “I just wanted to take the ring box out to let the wedding continue. Claire refused, and she pushed me…” I looked at Grayson. “She grabbed for the ring box. She knocked the equipment over herself.” Grayson didn’t ask me why Sylvia had been touching the ring box, nor did he ask why the equipment rack had fallen. He only stared at me, his voice frighteningly cold. “Are you determined to ruin today?” I was stung by that sentence into laughing. “Who exactly ruined today?” Grayson clenched his teeth. “Stop saying such ugly things.” I looked at him and asked coldly, “Am I supposed to put the dress back on, take the ring she tried to steal, go outside and smile at the guests. Is that what counts as being sensible?” Grayson didn’t respond. Helen was already trembling with anger. “Claire, have you lost your mind? After what you just did out there, you’re going to hurt people backstage too?” Sylvia cried even harder. “Grayson, I should just leave. I really don’t want to make things difficult for you…” Grayson seemed crushed by that sentence. The next second, he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. The slap was heavy. My face jerked to the side. My ear rang. Soon I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth. Backstage fell silent. Grayson froze after the slap as well. His hand remained suspended in midair. His first words weren’t an apology. “Calm down.” I slowly raised my head. I saw the panic in his eyes, and also saw the anger. Three years ago, when I was left standing at the wedding, Grayson had shielded me from the cameras, saying no one had the right to see me in that state. Now my humiliation had been delivered by his own hand. I didn’t cry. I raised my hand to wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth and closed the ring box. Grayson’s voice finally dropped. “I didn’t mean to. Too much is happening today. Don’t push me.” I looked at him. “Are you going to wait until after the wedding to explain this slap too?” Grayson’s face went pale. I handed the ring box to my bridesmaid. “Keep this safe for me.” Then I turned and went into the backstage restroom. The moment the door closed, I slowly slid down to sit on the floor, my back against the door. Outside, people were still calling my name. I pressed my hand against the side of my face where I’d been hit. My fingertips wouldn’t stop shaking.

Claire Carter POV I stayed in the restroom for a long time. The people knocking on the door were first the bridesmaids, then the makeup artist, and finally Grayson. His voice came through the door, much lower than before. “Claire, come out first. We can cover the injury on your face with makeup, and we can simplify the ceremony. The guests have already been settled.” Hearing these words, I suddenly found it laughable. He didn’t ask if I was in pain. He didn’t say the slap was wrong. He was only considering whether this wedding could still continue. I opened the door. Grayson saw my swollen cheek, and something flickered in his eyes. He reached out to touch me. I turned my head away. His hand stopped in midair. “I was too rushed earlier. Sylvia injured her arm, and Mom kept pushing me. I lost control for a moment.” I asked him, “So if I say I lost control, can I hit you now?” Grayson’s expression darkened. “Don’t let this spiral out of control.” Helen had someone bring ice packs and concealer, her tone like she was dealing with a soiled wedding dress. “No one outside knows what happened backstage. Go out and interact with the guests, then complete the ceremony.” I looked at her. “As long as the guests can’t see the injury, we can pretend it never happened?” Helen sneered coldly. “Since you’ve already married Grayson, you should know when to endure.” Grayson stood beside her and didn’t contradict her. Watching his silence, the last of my resolve crumbled. The wedding program was changed. The host told everyone I wasn’t feeling well, so the program would be simplified. Staff quickly removed the vow platform. The big screen that was supposed to display our handwritten vows was replaced with a generic congratulations image. I stood backstage, watching that screen go dark. After a while, Sylvia came again. Her arm was wrapped in gauze, her face pale, yet she still had to stand next to Grayson. “I should really leave. Claire isn’t in a good mood today. If she gets angry again in a bit, everyone will be uncomfortable.” After hearing this, Grayson turned to look at me. “Don’t say anything you shouldn’t during the ceremony.” I didn’t agree. I picked up my bag. “This wedding ends here.” Grayson’s expression changed drastically. He reached out and grabbed my wrist. I already had an injury there. When he pressed on the wound, the pain shot numbness through my fingertips. “All the guests are outside. You can’t leave now.” I couldn’t break free. I could only look up at him. “I’m not your toy, and I’m not this wedding’s toy either.” That sentence completely provoked Grayson. He dragged me toward the banquet hall. My knees were already weak, and the wedding dress train was so long. I stumbled and fell. My knee hit the ground first. The edge of a step scraped my calf open. Blood quickly seeped through the gauze skirt. All the staff around us paled. My vision went black. I braced my hands on the floor, unable to stand for a long time. Grayson also froze, instinctively bending down to help me up. But at that moment, Sylvia called out softly, “Grayson, my arm hurts so much…” Grayson’s movement paused. He looked back at her first. His action made me completely lose hope. I supported myself on the steps and stood up on my own, not accepting his belated hand. The white wedding dress dragged across the floor, stained with blood. I pulled the train down from the steps, my voice very soft. “The wedding has nothing to do with me anymore.” I turned and walked outside. Grayson tried to follow, but Helen stopped him. “The guests are still outside, and Sylvia is injured too. She’s emotionally unstable right now. Let her cool down.” Grayson stood in place and ultimately didn’t chase after me. He only told an assistant, “Follow her. Don’t let anything happen to her.” I reached the end of the hallway and heard that sentence. I paused. Even now, he still thought I was the one who would cause trouble. I turned my head and saw a videographer walking by with his gear. I spoke directly. “The wedding video backup. Give me a copy.” The videographer froze. I raised my still-swollen face. “Now.” Half an hour later, I sat in a car outside the hotel. My knee hurt so badly I was trembling. My face hurt too. The lawyer on the other end of the phone said the divorce agreement could be drafted tonight, and the joint account Grayson and I shared could be processed simultaneously. I looked at the wedding sign outside the car window. The sign still displayed both Grayson’s and my names. I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, my voice was steady. “Take me to the villa.” After hanging up the call, I opened Grayson’s chat. I archived it. I changed his name from “My Love” back to just Grayson Jones.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “398766”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Three years ago, I went to the old building site for Xavier. I pushed his brother out of the way and got trapped under the rubble myself. My left leg was ruined, my lumbar spine injured, and my career destroyed. But in these three years, all Xavier remembers is Mandy trembling whenever it rains. How she cried about nearly dying in that old building. Meanwhile, dragging my injured leg, I became the “villain who torments people with the past.” She took my heating blanket, occupied my rehabilitation room, and even ruined the restoration plan I’d spent three years working on with a single glass of water. I finally realized. There was no place for me in his heart anymore. So I stopped waiting. I put my wedding ring and house keys in an envelope. I slipped the family risk waiver among a pile of compensation documents and placed them in front of Xavier. He signed. Three days later, a car from the Rescue Research Bureau picked me up at 3 AM. This time, I’m the one outside the rubble, watching him fail to catch up.

Charlotte’s POV Three years ago, Xavier was supposed to go to the old building site for final inspection. Mandy called him, crying that the debts from her family were suffocating her, begging him to come over. Xavier changed course at the last minute and called me, asking me to go to the old building in his place for one last check. I went. That building had been abandoned too long. Old materials were still stuck in the walls, and several workers were inside moving things. I’d just noticed cracks in the west load-bearing wall when I ordered everyone to evacuate immediately. But it was too late. When the building collapsed a second time, Adrian was trapped near the most dangerous wall. I rushed over and pushed him out of the way. I was the one who got crushed underneath. When they pulled me out, my left leg was covered in blood and my lumbar spine was injured. The doctors saved my life, but they couldn’t save my future. After that, I couldn’t stand for long, couldn’t run, couldn’t go back to fieldwork. When the weather turned rainy, my old injury felt like someone was hammering nails into my bones. Mandy had only been on the outer perimeter that day, getting her arm scratched by debris. But in these three years, what Xavier remembered was that Mandy trembles whenever it rains, that she cries about nearly dying in that old building. Meanwhile, dragging my injured leg, I became the one who handled things improperly and traumatized people. Another rainy day. I sat on the single sofa in the living room, my left leg stiff and aching. My support brace lay at my feet. I bent down to fasten the buckle, my fingers trembling with pain. There was movement at the door. The driver brought Mandy inside. She wore my heating blanket draped over her shoulders and had on the soft slippers I kept by the entrance, leaning against Xavier’s side. “The rain outside is too heavy.” Mandy’s voice was soft. “Whenever I hear rain, I think of the sound of the old building collapsing.” Xavier immediately helped her sit down. He turned and saw me still fastening my brace, his brow furrowing. “Stop fussing with that leg of yours.” He said. “Get Mandy some water.” I braced myself against the sofa to stand up. The moment my left leg took weight, my knee buckled. I fell back onto the sofa, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. Xavier’s expression darkened immediately. “The doctor said long ago that you can live normally.” He stared at me. “Don’t use your leg as an excuse every time I need you to do something.” Mandy quickly grabbed his sleeve. “Xavier, don’t talk to Charlotte like that.” Her eyes reddened slightly. “She was injured that day too. Maybe she’s really in pain.” Injured too. Those four words from her mouth were as light as a speck of dust. Three years of not being able to walk normally, reduced in her mouth to just “injured too.” I didn’t argue. I braced myself against the armrest and stood up again, not letting myself fall this time. Xavier reached out as if to help me, but Mandy suddenly clutched her chest and drew in a sharp breath. “I feel a bit suffocated… probably still afraid of the rain.” Xavier withdrew his hand. He turned to help Mandy, his tone softening. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” I bent down to pick up the brace myself. The strap scraped against my old injury and my vision went black with pain. When Xavier looked back, he only saw me bowing my head, slowly tidying up. His voice grew colder. “Mandy hasn’t been able to sleep well whenever it rains these past few years. You should know that.” I looked up at him. After a moment, I asked, “What temperature for the water?” Xavier seemed blocked by my calm question and paused. “Whatever. Just don’t make a mess.” Mandy followed behind, wearing that heating blanket, softly reminding me. “Charlotte, don’t make it too cold. I can’t drink cold water.” I walked toward the kitchen step by step. My left leg dragged on the floor, each step heavy. Steam quickly filled the kitchen. I leaned against the counter for a long time, waiting for the shooting pain in my leg to pass before continuing. Mandy stood in the doorway watching the water, then suddenly spoke. “I still dream about that day three years ago.” I didn’t turn around, just adjusted the temperature lower. Mandy took a step forward, lowering her voice. “I dream about the wall collapsing, dream about you not listening to advice and insisting on going in to show off.” My hand paused. Mandy spoke again. “Have you ever thought these past years that if you’d been more careful that day, I wouldn’t have ended up like this.” Footsteps sounded outside the door. Mandy immediately lowered her eyes, her fingers gripping the doorframe, looking like she’d just been bullied. Xavier came in, first checking her expression, then looking at me. He didn’t ask what Mandy had said, only saying. “Hurry up. Don’t keep the patient waiting.” I turned off the heat and poured the water into a cup. The cup was too hot. My wrist trembled and water splashed onto the back of my hand. My skin immediately turned red. Xavier saw it and only frowned. “You can even make a scene out of pouring water.” I pushed the cup onto the tray without touching the burn. That night, I returned to my room, my leg hurting too much to sleep. The brace lay beside the bed, the strap still stained with water from the kitchen. My computer screen glowed with an email at the top. A preliminary approval notice from the Rescue Research Bureau, sent three minutes ago. They approved my post-accident field assessment report and required me to submit supplementary materials within three days. Subsequent procedures involved long-term overseas deployment, communication restrictions, and family risk confirmation. After reading the email, I took the heating blanket that Mandy had worn during the day from the chair back and placed it at the bottom of a cardboard box. Then I dragged out the file folder from the old building accident three years ago and placed it on my desk. Rain still hadn’t stopped outside the window. I filled in the first line in the supplementary materials section. Outside the door, Xavier’s footsteps as he walked Mandy upstairs gradually grew closer.

Charlotte’s POV Early the next morning, I went to the hospital alone. My left leg had been hurting since last night, and I couldn’t straighten my back. Someone passed by outside the examination room pushing a wheelchair. The sound of wheels rolling over the floor made me briefly lose focus. The doctor looked at the scan and pushed the report in front of me. “The old injury hasn’t worsened, but there’s no room for improvement either.” I looked up. The doctor continued. “Normal daily life is fine. But standing for long periods, running, entering dangerous sites, or high-load walking. None of that is suitable.” He paused, then added. “If the Rescue Research Bureau wants you doing rear analysis and route assessment, you can manage. But if you want to return to fieldwork, this leg won’t allow it.” I picked up the report, my fingers pressing against the paper’s edge. “If I persist with rehabilitation, is there any chance of recovering enough to enter field sites?” The doctor didn’t respond immediately. He rehung the scan on the light board, the white light illuminating the bone shadows clearly. “Miss Charlotte, don’t gamble with this leg.” I folded the report and stuffed it into my bag. As I left the examination room, I steadied myself against the wall, but quickly stood on my own. When I returned to the house, no one was in the living room. I wanted to put the report back in my room first. Passing the walk-in closet, I found the door open. My usual robe was gone. The braces in the drawer had been rifled through, spare support bands tossed on the floor. I bent down to pick them up, a sharp pain shooting through my side. Mandy’s laughter came from upstairs. I held the stair rail and went up. The bedroom door was half open. Mandy stood in front of the mirror wearing my robe, the sleeves casually rolled up. My brace sat on a chair beside her, pushed aside like some eyesore. Mandy saw me and looked surprised at first, then said softly. “Charlotte, you’re back? I couldn’t sleep last night and grabbed a robe without realizing it was yours.” I walked over and reached for the brace. Mandy immediately clutched her chest and stepped back half a step. “Don’t come in so suddenly. I just calmed down and you’re scaring me.” Xavier came from the other end of the hallway, first steadying Mandy. “What’s wrong?” Mandy shook her head. “It’s nothing. I took the wrong robe and Charlotte might be upset.” I held the brace in my hand. “This is my rehabilitation equipment. It can’t be touched carelessly.” Xavier glanced at the brace, his face already showing impatience. “The house is so big. Mandy just moved in and isn’t familiar yet. It’s normal to take the wrong thing.” His voice turned cold. “You don’t need to corner her in the room over something so trivial.” I said. “The support band is deformed. It’ll affect my walking.” Xavier’s eyes swept over my leg. “You’re not going out to run projects anymore anyway. Going one day without it won’t hurt.” One sentence, reducing my three years of rehabilitation to useless struggling. Mandy lowered her head to unbutton the robe, her eyes reddening first. “Then I’ll take it off right now and give it back to Charlotte.” She moved slowly, as if being forced to humiliate herself in public. Xavier pressed down on her hand. “Keep wearing it.” After speaking, he turned to look at me. “You wear something else.” I looked at that robe. It was what I often wore when my old injury flared up, fabric that had pressed against my numb leg countless times. Now on Mandy’s body, it was as if even my last trace in this house had been tried on by someone else. I said nothing more and went downstairs with the brace. There were already two suitcases outside the rehabilitation room door. I pushed the door open. The handrails were still inside, along with the equipment I used every day to practice walking. Documents from the old building accident were scattered on the desk. Supplementary materials I’d been organizing last night. I put the brace back in place and opened my computer to continue writing. The Rescue Research Bureau required me to supplement details of my on-site assessment from three years ago. When I wrote “before the second collapse, cracks had appeared in the west load-bearing wall,” my hand paused. That day before I pushed Adrian away, I did hear Mandy screaming on the outer perimeter. But Mandy was far from the collapse point. Footsteps sounded at the door. Mandy had already changed back into her own clothes and stood at the doorway. She saw the words “old building accident” on the screen and her expression immediately changed. “Why are you still digging through these things?” I closed the computer. “My materials.” Mandy stepped back, her voice trembling. “Are you determined to drag everyone back to that day? You know I feel terrible when I see these things.” Xavier was quickly called over by her. Mandy leaned against him, her hands still shaking. “I just came to apologize to Charlotte, but I didn’t expect to see these old building materials. When I saw them, I thought of the wall collapsing that day, thought about how I almost died.” I stood by the desk, the computer already closed. I looked at Xavier. “She was on the outer perimeter at the time.” Xavier’s expression darkened. “Are you still distinguishing who was inside and who was outside?” I said nothing. Xavier took a step forward, his voice heavier. “No wonder Mandy hasn’t been able to move on these years. You were injured too. You should know better than anyone how terrifying that day was.” Mandy tugged at his sleeve, saying softly. “Xavier, stop it. I don’t mind being wronged a little.” Xavier didn’t stop. “She just took the wrong robe and touched your brace, and you put on this attitude.” He stared at me, saying word by word. “You owe Mandy for what happened at the old building.” I stood leaning against the desk edge without responding. The computer screen went black, reflecting my left leg hanging at my side.

Charlotte’s POV I’d been working on an old building restoration plan for three years. After the accident at that old building, the barriers were never removed. The cracks in the walls remained, and families of injured workers never truly dispersed. Some moved away, some demanded compensation, and some still brought flowers to the ruins every year. Unable to return to fieldwork, I sat in the rehabilitation room, bit by bit organizing old blueprints, lists of injured people, compensation gaps, and subsequent renovation plans. I wanted to convert that ruin into a rehabilitation center. Xavier didn’t know about this. Whenever he saw the words “old building,” he would frown and say I was dredging up old accounts to provoke Mandy. That morning, I printed out the plan, preparing to mail it to the head of the Rescue Research Bureau. I went to the kitchen to heat some water. When I returned, the rehabilitation room door was open. Mandy stood at the desk, her water glass tipped over beside her. My printed plan was completely soaked. The pages stuck together in a clump, ink bleeding out. The injured persons list and renovation diagrams were blurred beyond recognition. I stopped in the doorway. Mandy frantically grabbed tissues to wipe it up, her voice trembling first. “Charlotte, I was just trying to tidy your desk. I didn’t expect the glass to tip over… I start shaking whenever I see anything about the old building.” I walked over and picked up the top page. The paper had gone soft, the logo in the bottom left corner completely ruined. Tears quickly fell from Mandy’s eyes. “I really didn’t do it on purpose. You know I’m most afraid of the old building, yet you spread these things all over the house.” I looked at her. “Why did you come into the rehabilitation room?” Mandy’s crying paused for a moment, then became even more aggrieved. “I just wanted to get the shawl I left here last night.” The shawl was on a chair by the door, far from the desk. When Xavier came in, I was peeling apart the soaked plan page by page. The pages were stuck too tightly. The slightest touch would tear them. Mandy went to him first. “Xavier, I’ve caused trouble… I saw the old building materials and my hand slipped, knocking over the water glass. Charlotte seems really angry.” Xavier swept his eyes over the desk full of wet papers, his brow furrowed. He didn’t ask what those papers were, only asking me. “Why did you take out old building materials again?” I said. “The restoration plan. I’ve been working on it for three years.” “Three years?” Xavier’s expression grew worse. “Instead of properly resting your leg these three years, you’ve been clinging to that accident every day. No wonder there’s no peace in this house.” I set aside the torn diagram. “That ruin can’t just sit there rotting, and the people injured that year still haven’t been properly settled.” Xavier cut me off directly. “Don’t use those words to pressure people.” He shielded Mandy behind him, his voice cold and hard. “Mandy gets scared just seeing old building materials. You spread this stuff around the house, frighten her like this, and still want to lecture people?” Mandy said quietly. “Xavier, I can’t repay Charlotte for three years of hard work.” Hearing this, Xavier became even more impatient. “It’s just some worthless papers. You don’t need to repay her.” I looked up at him. “Do you know how many injured families are in this plan?” Xavier paused, then quickly looked away. “If you really want to compensate those people, first learn not to keep provoking the living person in front of you.” My hand still pressed on the wet paper, my fingertips covered in spreading ink. I didn’t ask anything more. Xavier said. “Apologize to Mandy.” Mandy immediately tugged his sleeve. “Forget it, Xavier, I’m fine…” Xavier looked at me. “She just moved in. Her physical and emotional state are both unstable. You can’t keep scaring her with old matters.” I looked down at that pile of ruined plan. “I’m sorry.” My tone was flat. Mandy froze, as if she hadn’t expected me to back down so quickly. Xavier also frowned, the reprimand he’d prepared stuck in his throat. I turned to get a garbage bag and loaded the soaked papers in stack by stack. Xavier stood in the doorway without leaving. Mandy tugged his sleeve, saying she felt dizzy. Only then did he help her leave. After the door closed, the rehabilitation room grew quiet. I sat back at the desk and opened my computer. There was still a backup in the cloud. I redownloaded it and checked the attachments. Then I packaged everything. The injured persons list, renovation diagrams, risk assessment tables, and field assessment notes. The director had sent an email this morning urging me to submit supplementary materials. I uploaded the compressed file and wrote in the notes: The old building restoration plan can serve as proof of on-site assessment capability and may also be referenced for future assignments. After sending successfully, a receipt quickly appeared in my inbox. I picked up the last small piece of wet paper from the desk and threw it in the garbage bag. Only half a line remained on the paper: Rehabilitation Center Preliminary Plan. Upstairs came the sound of Xavier coaxing Mandy to rest. I closed the rehabilitation room door and began organizing the remaining materials in the cabinet.

Charlotte’s POV At breakfast, Mandy cradled a mug of hot water, dark circles under her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep all night. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the old building collapsing.” Xavier had the servants change her to a guest room. But Mandy shook her head. “The guest room is too dark. That room at the end of the hall has good lighting and handrails by the door. I’d feel safer there.” That was my rehabilitation room. I put down my knife and fork. “There’s rehabilitation equipment and old building materials inside. It can’t be used as a bedroom.” Mandy immediately lowered her head. “I was just making a suggestion. I don’t want to make things difficult for you.” Xavier looked at me and said directly. “Move your things out.” I reminded him. “That room is where I practice with my leg every day.” Xavier set down his chopsticks. “You’ve been practicing with that leg for three years and this is all it amounts to. Going without the room for a few days won’t make it worse.” I got up and went to the rehabilitation room. I dismantled the wall-mounted handrails. When I bent over, my side hurt so badly I had to lean against the desk edge to recover. Mandy stood in the doorway, softly saying she could stay elsewhere, but her words never strayed from how this room had good lighting, was close to Xavier at night, and how someone could hear her if she got scared. Xavier walked in and saw me moving slowly, frowning. “Don’t dawdle.” I put the braces into a cardboard box. “These can’t be touched carelessly.” Xavier didn’t even look closely. “Mandy won’t touch your junk.” Mandy immediately said quietly. “I’m afraid of breaking Charlotte’s things and having her blame me again.” Xavier immediately said to me. “Take the important materials too, so there won’t be problems later that get blamed on Mandy.” I loaded the old building materials into boxes stack by stack without responding. Adrian came upstairs from below, holding a package. He saw me holding old building materials and stopped. “Organizing that accident from three years ago again?” Before I could answer, Mandy stiffened. Adrian looked down and saw the old building floor plan peeking out of the file folder, his brow furrowing. “I keep dreaming about that wall lately.” Xavier’s movements stopped. Adrian clutched the package, his voice hesitant. “I dream about someone pushing me out from underneath.” The hallway suddenly went quiet. Xavier looked at him. Adrian continued. “That person seemed to be…” Mandy’s cup knocked against the doorframe with a sound. Her face went pale as she held onto the doorframe saying. “Xavier, I’m dizzy.” Xavier immediately went to help her. Adrian wanted to continue but was interrupted by Mandy’s gasping. Xavier looked back, his tone dropping. “Don’t bring up old matters here. Go back to your room and rest.” Adrian looked at him, then at me, and finally went downstairs clutching his package. I pressed the floor plan back into the file folder and continued packing boxes. The rehabilitation room quickly emptied. After the handrails were removed, only a row of screw holes remained on the wall. Braces, support bands, old building materials, and my computer were packed into two boxes that I pushed to the end of the hallway. Mandy sat by the window wearing that heating blanket, saying softly. “This room really is more comfortable than the guest room.” Xavier had the servants move a bed in and told me. “Don’t stand blocking the doorway.” I leaned on the boxes to drag them out, my left leg lagging several steps behind. Xavier watched me, seeming like he wanted to say something, but finally only reminded me. “Don’t dirty the stairs.” I dragged the boxes back to the bedroom and opened the Rescue Research Bureau email page. The official notice had arrived. Supplementary materials approved. The next step required my current spouse to sign the family risk waiver. After confirmation, I could enter closed review. I sat on the floor and separated the two boxes of materials again. Old building accident materials, rehabilitation records, and restoration plan backups on one side. Marital property documents, old building compensation details, and family risk waiver on the other. I tucked the risk waiver into the middle of the property settlement materials, then folded the pages so only the signature line showed. Downstairs, Xavier had the servants change Mandy’s bedding. Mandy asked in the rehabilitation room. “Can the curtains be changed to a lighter color? I’m afraid of darkness.” Xavier said. “Change them.” I heard it. I sealed the document envelope and put it in my bag. Then I placed the rehabilitation room key on the desk.

Charlotte’s POV That night, I received a call from the Bureau director. He said my old building restoration plan and field assessment materials had passed preliminary review. Especially my assessment of changes in the west load-bearing wall before the second collapse. It was very useful for the dangerous building early warning model. I glanced at the door and lowered my voice. “What else is needed going forward?” The director explained the process clearly. After entering the Rescue Research Bureau, I would be deployed overseas long-term. Mission sites would mostly be in collapse zones, post-disaster buildings, and overseas dangerous building sites. Communications would be managed uniformly by the Bureau. Family members couldn’t contact freely. Once review began, personal itinerary and files would be protected. I gripped the phone and asked. “Will my leg be grounds for rejection?” The other end paused for a few seconds. “The Bureau doesn’t only need people who can run into sites.” The director said, “We also need people who can assess before an accident happens. Where will collapse, how to evacuate, which routes to use for entry and exit.” My hand moved to my left leg. That leg had hurt for three years. Finally someone was saying I wasn’t useless. The director continued. “The next step requires your current spouse to sign the family risk waiver. After signing, family members have no authority to interfere with deployment during missions, nor can they demand termination of closed management based on marital status.” “How long?” “Three days. After that the slot moves to the next candidate.” I said. “I’ll handle it.” As soon as I hung up, the door was pushed open. Xavier stood in the doorway. “Who were you talking to?” I minimized the email window. “About the old building compensation.” Xavier’s expression immediately turned cold. “Mandy just moved in. The house should avoid mentioning the old building.” I put down my phone. “I’ll handle it all cleanly as soon as possible.” Xavier walked to the desk and flipped through the stack of old building compensation details. “Planning to use money to make a point again?” I didn’t deny it. “Some old debts need settling.” Xavier sneered. “You’re best at playing the victim these years. If you really want to settle things, Mandy should get a share too.” I followed his lead. “That’s fine. The compensation can be divided with her, she can keep using the rehabilitation room. As long as the documents get signed clearly afterward.” Xavier had been about to lose his temper, but hearing this he stopped instead. He stared at me, as if trying to see whether I was making trouble again. I handed him an ordinary settlement form. “No rush. When all the materials are ready, we’ll sign together.” Xavier glanced at it without looking closely and tossed the paper back on the desk. “If you’d been like this earlier, there’d be a lot less trouble in this house.” After he left, I reorganized the documents. On top I placed the old building compensation division form. In the middle I tucked the rehabilitation room usage confirmation, personal property transfer list, and family risk waiver. At the bottom I placed a draft commitment to no longer pursue the matter with the family after the old building accident. Every page was real. Xavier would just see the pages he wanted to see first. I attached sticky note tabs to each signature line. Downstairs, Mandy called Xavier, saying the rehabilitation room was missing a bedside lamp. Xavier had the servants buy a new one. I tucked the last risk waiver back into the envelope. In the early morning hours, the Bureau sent supplementary mission details. It listed several collapse zones about to be assessed, plus a risk sample for overseas old city renovation. I read through it line by line, opened my field assessment notes, and marked several similar structures. My left leg still ached, everything below the knee going numb in waves. I didn’t take painkillers. I scanned my notes into the computer and put them in the same folder as the electronic copy of the risk waiver. I renamed the folder: Materials Before Leaving. Near dawn, the rehabilitation room door at the other end of the hall opened. Mandy asked Xavier to watch the sunrise with her. I closed the computer. The document envelope was already in my bag.

Charlotte’s POV On the third day, the rain fell even harder. My leg started hurting early in the morning, and I couldn’t straighten my back. I’d planned to give Xavier the documents before he left for work, but Mandy was calling from the rehabilitation room early saying she was cold. Xavier didn’t go to the office and stayed in the room to keep her company at breakfast. I stood at the top of the stairs and watched him cool Mandy’s milk for her, then separate her pills one by one onto a tissue. That desk used to hold my rehabilitation records. Now it held Mandy’s aromatherapy diffuser, cups, and snack boxes. I didn’t go in. I put the envelope back in my bag and turned to go downstairs. The painkillers were in the living room table drawer, still several steps from the sofa. I held the stair railing and went down. When I reached the table, my left leg suddenly gave out. I braced myself against the sofa and bent down to pull the drawer, only to find it locked. The key used to be right on the table. Now it was gone. I looked up and called to Xavier. “Help me get the spare key.” Xavier leaned out from upstairs, his face full of impatience. “What now?” “The painkillers are in the drawer. My leg hurts badly.” In the rehabilitation room, Mandy coughed softly. Xavier glanced back, then turned around again. “Find it yourself. Mandy just took her medicine. Don’t disturb her.” I said. “The key is missing.” Xavier’s voice turned cold. “With so many people in this house, your medicine is the most troublesome.” I leaned against the table for a while, then went to the entrance cabinet to find the spare key myself. Halfway there, my left leg suddenly seized up. I crashed into the corner of the cabinet, my knee hitting the floor hard. A dull thud sounded in the entryway. Xavier finally came down from upstairs. His first glance went toward the rehabilitation room. “Did Mandy get scared?” Mandy stood at the doorway wearing a cardigan, saying. “I’m fine… Charlotte seems to have fallen.” Only then did Xavier see me kneeling on the floor. He walked over, frowning. “You can even fall looking for a key?” I said. “Leg cramp.” Xavier didn’t help me up. “Stop making yourself look like this, as if the whole family owes you.” I braced myself against the cabinet door and slowly stood up. My knee was scraped, a bit of blood seeping through my pant leg. I reached for the spare key. Xavier saw the blood and his expression shifted slightly. Mandy suddenly held onto the doorframe, her voice weakening. “Xavier, I heard that sound just now and thought of the old building that day. My heart is racing.” Xavier immediately went to help her. “Go back and sit down.”I got the keys and opened the drawer myself, taking out the painkillers. My hand wasn’t steady when pouring water. The pills dropped onto the floor. Xavier passed through the living room helping Mandy and saw me crouching on the floor picking up pills. He only said. “Don’t dirty the floor.” I picked up the pills into a tissue but didn’t take them. After the living room grew quiet again, I threw those pills in the trash. I didn’t treat the wound or look for new medicine. I returned to my room and took out the envelope I’d prepared long ago. The old building compensation division form was on top, the rehabilitation room usage confirmation and personal property transfer list pressed in the middle, and the family risk waiver tucked in the back half of the stack. I rechecked each signature line, then placed the page showing Mandy could receive compensation in the most prominent position. Upstairs, Xavier was coaxing Mandy. “I won’t let you hear that kind of noise again.” I fastened the envelope and placed it by the door. When Xavier came downstairs, I would hand him this envelope of documents. I could leave him soon.

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Growing up in New York, I decided to move to Texas for Ashley, and my parents completely cut me off. “That girl is an orphan, what could she possibly offer you? You’re just setting yourself up for a lifetime of misery! If you leave now, don’t you dare come back!” Five years. I watched Ashley steadily climb to become one of Texas’s top psychologists, and she eventually gave me the home she promised. As Christmas approached, I planned to take her back to meet my parents. But right before boarding, she abandoned me again for a male patient suffering from severe depression. She let go of my hand, her eyes fractured. “Jackson, he’s just like I was back then… helpless and alone. If I don’t go, he really will kill himself! I’m so sorry, just this once. I’ll take the very next flight to find you…” She turned and ran towards the exit, without a second thought. I stood there, staring at the two tickets to New York in my hand. It turned out she saved everyone who needed saving, but time and again, she left me behind. Slowly, I tore up her ticket. Then, I walked towards security alone, switching off my phone. Ashley didn’t know that some journeys home, once missed, are gone forever.

I returned to my New York home alone. Mom opened the door. The moment her gaze fell on the empty space behind me, her eyes filled with a flicker of heartache. Dad sat on the sofa, his back ramrod straight, yet radiating a profound weariness. I couldn’t help but recall Mom and Dad’s words from five years ago. Now, I was back, like a defeated soldier. I turned my phone on and off; Ashley’s unread messages and missed calls practically blew up my phone. “Jackson, I’m so sorry! Wait for me!” “His condition is stable, I’m buying a ticket right now!” “Please answer, I beg you, let me explain!” I didn’t reply to a single one. My heart felt frozen, cold and hard. I remembered three years ago, when she snuggled into my arms, sweet-talking me: “Jackson, I, Ashley, will never let you down in this lifetime.” Now, those vows had melted away like snow. Ashley arrived late the next evening. Gone was her usual elegance, her eyes sunken, stubbornly waiting below my building. “Jackson… just five minutes, please, five minutes…” Her voice was hoarse, almost broken. My parents, their faces stern, didn’t let her in. She held up her phone, the screen’s light illuminating her pale face. “Look! The referral agreement! I’ve officially transferred Lucas to Dr. Pete! All his contact info, deleted, blocked!” She swiped the screen, her fingers trembling violently. “I was an idiot! I lost my mind! I shouldn’t have left you! Jackson, I can’t live without you…” She brought up the year we lived in the basement, when the heating broke down in winter, and she held me, warming me with her body heat. She spoke of working herself to the bone, just to give me a decent home sooner, so I could hold my head high in front of my parents. “Jackson, all my efforts were for you, for our future…” Suddenly, mid-sentence, her face changed. She covered her mouth and rushed to the nearby green space, dry-heaving. When she came back, her face even paler, I looked at her flat stomach, and a thought flashed through my mind like lightning. “You…” My voice was dry. She looked up, her eyes tear-filled, and nodded, her hand instinctively protecting her abdomen. “Almost two months… Jackson, we’re having a baby.” Looking at her bloodshot eyes and the hand protecting her stomach, my heart was intensely squeezed. For these past five years, and for this unexpectedly arriving child. I heard my own voice, utterly exhausted. “Ashley, this is the last time.” Under the profoundly disappointed gaze of my parents, I returned to Texas with her. On the plane, she clutched my hand tightly, as if holding a treasure she’d thought lost forever. But as I looked at the sea of clouds outside the window, my heart felt empty. This forgiveness, I realized, was a gamble on my last shreds of hope, and an innocent life.

In the half-month after returning from New York, Ashley became incredibly cautious. She took care of all the housework, came home on time, and reported every little detail. She bought pregnancy guides and prenatal education books, and in the evenings, leaning against the headboard, she’d caress her still-flat stomach and read stories in the gentle voice she used as a psychologist. “Our baby will definitely be the happiest child in the world.” Her eyes sparkled, just like they used to. But shadows, they always followed. Her phone started receiving missed calls from unknown numbers. She’d glance at it, annoyed, then hang up and block the number. “It’s probably him, using different numbers. He’s like a persistent shadow.” She explained, but a flicker of something imperceptible crossed her eyes. Then came burner account requests on social media, validation messages pouring out his heart: “Dr. Ashley, I know I shouldn’t disturb your happiness, but without you, my world is bleak; I can’t even pick up a paintbrush…” She rejected the request right in front of me, but her fingertip lingered on the message for a moment. That day, after her prenatal check-up, the baby was healthy, its heartbeat strong. I tried to immerse myself in the slight joy of becoming a father, walking out of the hospital arm-in-arm with her. Her phone rang again. It was Dr. Pete, Lucas’s new attending physician. “Dr. Ashley, sorry to bother you. Lucas is severely resistant to treatment. He mentioned some… details about his childhood abuse that only you know, which are crucial for diagnosis. Could you perhaps…” Ashley walked aside, speaking in a low voice for a long time. When she returned, her forehead was deeply furrowed, and her face looked troubled. “Work stuff?” I asked, that flicker of joy in my heart shrouded in a thin mist. “Yeah, just a minor issue.” She tried to put her arm around me, but her arm felt stiff. That night, I woke up thirsty, and the space beside me was empty. A faint light came from the living room. Ashley sat on the sofa, staring at her phone screen, her fingers gently caressing her stomach, her face pale in the glow of the screen. It was Lucas’s Ins burner account, updated just ten minutes ago: “If the care was fake, what was the warmth before? This world might as well plunge into complete darkness.” She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice me approach. In that moment, I suddenly remembered my junior year of college when I had acute gastroenteritis, vomiting and diarrhea. She had watched over me then, staying up all night. But now, she was watching over another man’s sorrowful ramblings. A strong sense of unease settled in my heart.

Lucas’s condition unfolded like a meticulously orchestrated play. One scene after another, constantly pushing my limits of endurance. Ashley’s phone became an alarm bell that only rang for him. And each ring, it seemed, drained her physically. Late at night, Lucas suffered drug side effects, struggling to breathe. Ashley answered the phone, soothing him in a low voice for nearly an hour. After hanging up, her face was pale, and a dull ache pulsed in her lower abdomen. I was terrified and wanted to call an ambulance, but she forced a smile and said she just needed rest, stubbornly refusing to go to the hospital. In the early hours, Lucas experienced paranoid delusions and panic attacks. Ashley grabbed her car keys, ready to leave, but I blocked the doorway. “Have you forgotten the doctor said you need bed rest? You can’t be stressing yourself out in your current condition!” She looked at me, her eyes full of struggle. “Jackson, he’s a high-risk patient… I can’t just stand by and do nothing. Just this once, I’ll be back soon.” When she returned, her face was drawn with exhaustion, and there were faint red stains on her pants. She weakly explained that she was just tired, telling me not to worry. My doubts and unease were interpreted by her as a lack of empathy and a misunderstanding of her profession. “Jackson, you used to be so kind, why can’t you be understanding now? This is my responsibility.” She looked at me, her eyes filled with weariness and a hint of disappointment. Because I was kind, I deserved to watch her repeatedly put herself and our child in danger for others. Finally, she offered to accompany me to a long-awaited art exhibition as a form of compensation. As soon as we reached the exhibition hall entrance, her phone rang again. She glanced at it, hung up immediately, but her face instantly turned grim, and her hand instinctively covered her abdomen. “Him again?” My heart sank further, my gaze fixed on her hand protecting her stomach. “…Telemarketer,” she said, her eyes darting away. The phone kept vibrating, so insistent it made my heart race. She finally gave in, walking to a corner to answer. “Lucas! Calm down! Don’t do anything foolish! …Okay, wait there, I’m on my way!” She returned, her face etched with anxiety, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. “Jackson, the exhibition’s off. He’s on the edge of the rooftop… He said if I don’t go, he’ll jump!” I looked at her pale face and the hand instinctively protecting her stomach, my voice so cold it felt foreign even to myself. “So, our date, our baby, once again, less important than his little show? Ashley, just look at your own face!” She painfully clutched at her hair, her body trembling slightly. “Just this once! I swear it’s the last time! To completely resolve this! Otherwise, if he really dies, I’ll live with that shadow forever, and our baby won’t be happy either!” She turned and ran towards the parking lot, her steps a bit unsteady, but her back showed no hesitation. I stood alone on the bustling street, surrounded by people coming and going. A cold dread settled in my chest. When she returned that night, her condition was even worse. Abdominal pain intensified, and the bleeding was noticeably heavier. Rushed to the emergency room, the doctor diagnosed “threatened miscarriage” and ordered bed rest. On the hospital bed, she held my hand, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry, Jackson, I’m so sorry, baby… I never thought it would come to this.” My heart twisted in agony, but all I could say was, “Let’s just focus on saving the baby for now.”

Ashley’s hospital was celebrating its anniversary. She insisted I accompany her. “Let everyone see how wonderful my husband is.” She gently caressed her slightly rounded abdomen, her face showing a fragile hope. I looked at the weariness in her eyes and her forced smile, and eventually nodded. I chose a suitable suit, trying my best to hide the exhaustion of the past few days. The hall was filled with glamorous guests, their conversations a soft hum. Her colleagues came to toast, offering congratulations and blessings. Ashley smiled and responded, her hand gently resting on the back of my chair, her other hand occasionally protecting her stomach. This carefully maintained calm only lasted until Lucas appeared. He wore a stark white suit, his face pale and gaunt, like a ghost, his gaze piercing through the crowd, locking onto Ashley. Then, in full view of everyone, he rushed over and grabbed Ashley’s arm. Tears streamed down his face, his voice quiet but every word clear, laced with a broken tremor: “Dr. Ashley! You said I was the most understood person you’d ever met! Why are you abandoning me now? Is it because you have a family, a child, so I’ve become an extra burden? Is it because Mr. Jackson… can’t tolerate me?” The entire room fell silent. All eyes, like spotlights, swiveled to me, a mix of shock, scrutiny, and unspoken pity. Ashley was completely frozen. The next second, she even instinctively switched into professional mode, saying in a gentle, soothing voice: “Lucas, don’t do this, calm down, this isn’t appropriate, let’s just…” I stood there, stripped bare of all pretense, my dignity trampled into the dust by the two of them. Finally, the hospital director’s face was dark with anger, and he motioned for security to escort Lucas away. He struggled, turning back to stare fixedly at Ashley, and shrieked desperately: “Ashley! I’ll really die without you! You promised you wouldn’t give up on me!” The drive home was a deathly silence. Only the low hum of the engine, and the pounding of my own blood rushing to my head. Ashley’s face was ashen, her hand tightly covering her stomach, her lips trembling, trying to say something, but no sound came out. Suddenly, she let out a stifled groan, her body curling up. “Ashley?” My heart tightened sharply. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her voice trembling: “My stomach… it hurts a little…” I looked down and saw a small, stark patch of bright red visibly spreading on her light-colored skirt. “To the hospital!” In the emergency room, the doctor’s expression was grave after the examination. “We must admit her immediately for bed rest to prevent miscarriage! The pregnant woman’s emotions absolutely cannot be stimulated any further!” Ashley was wheeled into the ward, lying on the stark white bed, her face utterly bloodless. Standing by the bed, looking at her tightly closed eyes and the hand protecting her stomach, my heart felt utterly cold. What did I, and this family, even mean to her?

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At the company dinner, I snatched my unconscious male colleague back from death’s door. But the first words out of his mouth when he woke up were accusations that I’d taken advantage of him. He even posted online demanding I make it up to him by becoming his girlfriend. I thought that was the peak of shamelessness — until today’s meeting, when he collapsed at my feet clutching his chest again, and the entire company pressured me to save him. I let out a cold laugh, took half a step back, and dialed 91 “I wouldn’t dare touch him this time. What if he wakes up and demands I pay with my life?” 1 The moment those words left my mouth, the conference room — previously noisy with panic — fell into a deathly silence. Dozens of pairs of eyes swept back and forth between me and Trevor, who was convulsing on the floor, filled with shock, confusion, and veiled accusation. The air seemed to freeze. Trevor’s number one lackey, Harvey — always quick to read the room — turned beet red with fury, jabbing his finger at my nose as he launched into a tirade. “Clara! How can you be so vicious? This is a matter of life and death, and you’re throwing a tantrum? If anything happens to Trevor, can you handle the legal consequences?!” “No, I can’t,” I shot back, meeting his gaze without backing down, my eyes cold as ice. “At last month’s company dinner, he had an allergic reaction to seafood that caused acute shock. He couldn’t even breathe. I was the one who used my certified first aid training to perform the Heimlich maneuver and CPR, literally dragging him back from death’s door!” I took a deep breath, my voice echoing through the spacious conference room. “And what happened? When he woke up, he said I ripped his shirt. Said I groped his chest while he was unconscious. Even claimed I forced a kiss on him under the guise of rescue breathing! Not only did he demand ten thousand dollars for emotional distress, he posted a sob story in the company group chat pressuring me to become his girlfriend to ‘restore his reputation’!” “This time, if I touch him again and he wakes up claiming I deliberately hurt him, demanding I transfer my house to him and support his parents in their old age — Harvey, are you going to pay for all that?” Harvey was struck speechless by my rapid-fire questions, his face turning the color of liver, unable to squeeze out a single word. Quinn from the administrative department, always one to smooth things over, stomped his feet anxiously and rushed over to grab my arm, his voice trembling. “Clara! Please, I’m begging you — stop being stubborn! Save him first! Whatever the misunderstanding is, we can mediate it internally after Trevor wakes up, okay?” I forcefully shook off Quinn’s hand and cast a cold glance at Trevor lying on the floor, his chest still heaving violently. I held up my phone, the screen showing an active 911 call. “I’ve already called an ambulance. City Central Hospital is only two blocks away. Professional medical personnel are a thousand times more reliable than a half-baked certified amateur like me.” I scanned the circle of colleagues around me — all looking anxious but not one stepping forward — and my lips curved into a mocking smile. “And let’s be honest — if I have a sudden burst of compassion today and he stops breathing halfway through the rescue, won’t his family turn around and sue me for practicing medicine without a license? For manslaughter?” “Besides, all of you who usually call him your buddy and are so concerned about him now — how come not one of you is stepping up to give him mouth-to-mouth?” “Go ahead! Maybe when Trevor wakes up, he’ll look at you all starry-eyed and say you’re secretly in love with him, and you’ll have to take responsibility for his entire future!” The moment those words left my mouth, several colleagues who had been itching to persuade me suddenly shut up as if electrocuted. Everyone looked at each other, then uniformly took two large steps backward, as if afraid of being contaminated by something dirty. Just then, Trevor — lying “at death’s door” on the floor — suddenly twitched his fingers in an extremely unnatural way. Immediately after, he let out a weak but extraordinarily clear voice. “Clara… please… save me… if you save me, I won’t… blame you for what happened at the dinner… isn’t that enough?” I almost laughed out loud from sheer anger. I took another step back, completely withdrawing from the circle surrounding me, crossing my arms and looking down at his pathetic performance. “Don’t, Trevor. Please don’t be so generous. After you catch your breath, who knows — you might say I’m lusting after your body and demand I bear your child as penance. Someone like you? I could never aspire so high.” Just as I finished speaking, the wail of an approaching ambulance siren came from outside the window. The piercing alarm cut through the quiet office building. A miracle occurred. The instant he heard the siren, Trevor — who had seemed on the verge of death just seconds ago — suddenly opened his eyes wide. He planted his hands on the ground and sprang upright from the floor in one smooth motion! Not only was his complexion rosy, even his breathing had become perfectly smooth. “Clara! Do you have to be this difficult?” Trevor brushed the dust off his suit, looking at me with an expression of wounded disappointment. “I know you’ve secretly had a crush on me, and that day at the dinner you were just trying to make a move. You’re shy and embarrassed to admit it — I get it, I understand all that.” “But how can you say such vicious things just to spite me because I called you out? Don’t you know how much that hurts my feelings?” The colleagues who moments ago had been panicking, thinking someone might die, now stood frozen in place. Then the shock on their faces rapidly transformed into the excitement of watching drama unfold. “Oh? So you’re not dead after all?” I said with a cold laugh, my gaze sharp as a knife. “Since you’re so full of life, you can go downstairs and pay the ambulance dispatch fee yourself.” “Oh, and since you just claimed I’m spitefully trying to hurt you — want me to play the recording of you cornering me in the break room yesterday, forcing me to transfer you ten thousand dollars as a ‘relationship sincerity fund’ for everyone to hear?” Trevor’s face instantly went from red to white, then from white to green, his eyes beginning to dart around anxiously. “You… what are you talking about! What ten thousand dollars! That… that was me testing your feelings for me! That was our future relationship fund!” The surrounding colleagues finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter. The way everyone looked at him now was like watching a complete clown. I didn’t even spare him another glance, turning and striding back to my workstation. Saving him at last month’s dinner was the stupidest, most disgusting thing I’d ever done in my life. If I softened today, I’d be completely brain-dead. I thought that publicly exposing his true colors would finally put an end to this farce. But I underestimated how shameless people could be, and how dark the workplace really was. That evening at ten o’clock, I was at home applying a face mask when my phone suddenly vibrated. It was a voice call from Quinn. “Clara, you don’t need to come in to clock in tomorrow.” 2 I thought I’d misheard. I pulled off my face mask and turned my phone volume to maximum. “Quinn, what exactly do you mean by that?” On the other end, Quinn’s voice carried the coldness of official business and obvious impatience. “Trevor just submitted a sick leave note from City Hospital to the company, along with a diagnosis of severe depressive tendencies from the chief psychologist.” “He’s filed a formal complaint with upper management, claiming you publicly subjected him to verbal abuse and psychological harassment in the conference room today, causing him extremely serious psychological trauma.” “Management held a meeting to discuss it. The leadership’s decision is that for the greater good, you should voluntarily submit your resignation tomorrow. This looks better on your resume and minimizes the impact on the company.” I laughed in fury, anger surging to the top of my head. “He faked illness to extort people — the whole company saw it! Instead of firing that troublemaker, you’re firing me, the victim?” “Clara, don’t be so naive!” Quinn’s voice shot up an octave. “The company isn’t a court — the company wants stability and profits! The company doesn’t want to get dragged into your messy romantic drama!” “Last month’s dinner incident caused such an uproar that even several major clients came asking about the gossip. Do you know how much negative impact that had on the company’s corporate image?” “You young people dating, breaking up, getting back together — normally the company doesn’t interfere. But Trevor’s medical records clearly show he has a history of allergies and arrhythmia. If something had really happened to him in the company today, who would take responsibility for the workplace injury? Could you handle that?” Quinn paused, his tone taking on a naked threat. “I’ll only say this once. If you don’t agree to resign voluntarily, the company will issue a formal termination notice tomorrow.” “When that happens, your resignation letter will clearly state ‘terminated for suspected workplace sexual harassment and malicious bullying of colleagues.’ You’re still young — you don’t want to carry that kind of stain to job interviews at other companies, do you?” I gripped my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white. I didn’t waste another word on this sycophantic manager, directly pressing the hang-up button. After taking several deep breaths to force myself to calm down, I opened the company SnapChat group. The group had completely exploded. Trevor had posted an extremely affected selfie. In the photo, he was lying in a hospital bed with an IV needle in his hand, connected to a drip, his chest wrapped with heart rate monitoring bands, his expression melancholic and broken. The caption was even more nauseating: [I always thought that if I was understanding enough, I could soften a stubborn heart. I never imagined that just because I rejected an irrational confession, I’d be publicly humiliated and denied life-saving help in front of the entire company. My chest still hurts. The doctor says I’m at risk for severe depression. I really don’t know what to do anymore. Do men in the workplace really deserve to be bullied like this?] What made it even more chilling was the long string of supportive, partisan comments below. Harvey was the first to jump in: [Hang in there, Trevor! Clara really went too far this time! No matter how bitter you are about rejection, you can’t joke around with someone’s life! This is basically attempted murder!] Another female colleague who was close to Trevor joined the pile-on: [Exactly! About last month’s dinner — maybe Clara really did force herself on Trevor while drunk. Trevor is usually so nice, always buying us afternoon tea. How could he possibly extort anyone?] Someone even made a snide remark: [I could tell ages ago that Clara had designs on Trevor. At the last team building event, she deliberately wore the same color outfit as Trevor. The way she looked at him — like she wanted to devour him whole.] Looking at these comments that twisted the truth, I rolled my eyes dramatically. The bigger the forest, the more kinds of birds you find. What a time to be alive! Trying to use these underhanded tactics to force me to resign voluntarily and whitewash your fake peace? Dream on! The next morning at nine o’clock, I put on a full face of makeup, clicked my heels, and clocked in right on time at the company entrance. As soon as I reached my workstation, I saw Trevor leaning against my desk holding a cup of coffee. Seeing me appear, surprise flashed across his face first, then that disgusting smile of “I knew you couldn’t stay away from me” spread across his features. “Clara, you still came. I knew it — those heartless things you said in the conference room yesterday were just to get my attention. You were just being contrary.” I looked at him coldly, as if looking at a pile of non-combustible garbage. “Move. You’re blocking me from breathing fresh air.” Not only did he not move, he actually leaned in closer, lowering his voice in what he probably thought was a charming tone: “Alright, stop pretending. I know you’re proud and would rather suffer than lose face. Yesterday you deliberately didn’t save me because you wanted to test whether I care about you, right?” “Let me tell you the truth — I already talked to Quinn. I told him we’re just a couple having a little spat, that I’m not pressing charges, and the company won’t fire you.” He raised an eyebrow with a magnanimous expression. “How about that? So moved you could cry? As long as you be my girlfriend right now, I’ll protect you at the company from now on.” I was genuinely shocked by this delusional man’s mental gymnastics. Did he really think he was some kind of domineering CEO? I laughed mockingly, loud enough for colleagues at several nearby workstations to hear clearly. “Trevor, do you not only have heart problems, but brain stem atrophy as well?” “Thanks so much to your whole family! Save your ‘touching gestures’ for when you’re visiting your own grave.” “And stay away from me. That scumbag stench on you is too suffocating. Bad luck!” Several colleagues who had been eavesdropping couldn’t help but snicker out loud. Trevor’s face instantly flushed red, completely unable to save face. He slammed the coffee cup on the desk and jabbed his finger at my nose, hissing viciously: “Clara! Don’t be so ungrateful! I’m telling you — if you don’t agree to be with me now, even if you strip naked and beg me on your knees later, I’ll think you’re too dirty!” I didn’t even lift an eyelid, simply pulled out a disinfectant wipe and vigorously cleaned the desk surface he’d just touched. Just then, the internal messaging software on my computer started flashing. Quinn sent a message: “Clara, come to my office. Now.” 3 I pushed open the manager’s office door. Quinn was sitting in his executive chair with a dark expression. “Clara, wasn’t I clear enough on the phone last night? The company asked you to voluntarily resign. Why did you still come in to clock in today?” I pulled out a chair and sat down calmly. “Quinn, I follow company rules and regulations. I’m never late or leave early, and my performance reviews are all excellent. I haven’t done anything wrong — why should I resign?” Quinn slammed his hand on the desk. “You haven’t done anything wrong? Your scandal with Trevor has the entire building gossiping about our company! Do you know that even the property management was asking me this morning which one of you harassed the other?” “You believe whatever Trevor says? He says I harassed him, but I say he’s extorting me! I have recordings of him forcing me to give him money yesterday. Why don’t you believe that?” Quinn was momentarily speechless from my retort, irritably loosening his tie. “Why are you being so stubborn with him? He has a depression diagnosis from the hospital. If he really does something extreme at the company — jumps off a building, cuts his wrists — the company will be held jointly liable!” “Having you resign voluntarily now is completely to protect you! If it really comes to the company issuing a termination notice, your file will be completely ruined. How will you survive in this industry after that?” Looking at Quinn’s sanctimonious face, I felt it was utterly ironic. “Thank you for your ‘good intentions,’ Quinn, but you needn’t worry about my future.” I pulled out my phone, brought up a photo of my advanced first aid certification, and shoved it right in his face. “At last month’s dinner, my emergency response for Trevor fully complied with international standard operating procedures. Not only is he ungrateful, he fabricated facts to slander me and damage my reputation. I haven’t even sued him in court yet, and your company is rushing to sweep the victim out the door?” “You want me to leave? Fine. If the company insists on terminating me, please issue a formal notice of contract termination according to labor law and pay N+1 compensation.” “Short me one cent, and we’ll see each other in labor arbitration. When that happens, I’ll not only sue the company for illegal termination, I’ll use Trevor’s statements in the company group as evidence and sue the company for harboring and enabling workplace sexual harassment. We’ll see whose face looks worse then!” Quinn trembled with rage, pointing at the office door, barely squeezing out one word: “Get out! Get out of my office!” I clicked my heels and walked out of the office with my head held high. As soon as I returned to my workstation, Piper — an intern I usually got along well with — came over with red-rimmed eyes, her voice very low. “Clara, stop fighting with the company. Look at Twitter and the local forum — Trevor posted about this online last night and bought a troll army. The whole internet is cyberbullying you now!” My heart sank. I immediately opened my phone to search. Sure enough, at the tail end of the local trending topics was a glaring hashtag: #ManipulativeWomanTriesToMurderMaleColleagueAfterRejection Clicking in, I found a long post by Trevor, accompanied by a carefully edited video. The video was only about ten seconds long, starting from yesterday’s conference room scene. In the footage, Trevor collapsed in pain, colleagues called for help anxiously, while I coldly stepped back, saying: “I wouldn’t dare touch him. What if he wakes up and demands I pay with my life?” All context had been cleanly edited out, leaving only my “cold-blooded and heartless” moment. In the long post, he portrayed himself as a clean-living, hardworking, sunny young man, while I was a psychologically twisted woman who took advantage of him at the dinner, then held a grudge after being rejected and attempted to let him die in the conference room. The comment section had completely fallen, with unbearable abuse flooding in like a tide. [Holy crap! This woman is so vicious! If you can’t have him, you’ll destroy him? This is like a real-life Fatal Attraction!] [She looks so normal on the outside, but her heart is this black! Women like this should be arrested and sentenced!] [Men need to protect themselves in the workplace too! This woman is obviously a psycho!] [Someone expose this woman’s workplace and home address! She needs to be socially destroyed!] [I know her! She works at our company. She’s always been promiscuous at work, hitting on male colleagues everywhere!] I scrolled down several pages, looking at those vicious curses. Even my parents had been dragged into it. My hands trembled uncontrollably with rage. Piper tugged at my sleeve beside me, almost crying with anxiety. “Clara, a lot of netizens are doxxing your personal information now. Even your phone number has been posted. You should just apologize and resign to lie low for a while. We ordinary people can’t afford to mess with scum like this.” I took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury in my chest. Can’t afford to mess with him? I’m going to mess with him anyway! Just then, Trevor sauntered over with his hands in his pockets. Looking at my pale face, he couldn’t hide the smugness on his face. “How about it, Clara? Now you know what happens when you cross me, right?” He leaned down, using a voice only the two of us could hear, whispering viciously: “Let me tell you — internet mobs have no reason. If I add a little more fuel to the fire, tomorrow your photo will be made into a funeral portrait and sent to your parents’ phones.” “You want to calm this down? Sure.” A lecherous gleam flashed in his eyes. “As long as you kneel down in front of the entire company right now and apologize to me, admit that you seduced me. Then tonight, come to my place and keep me company. I’ll be magnanimous, delete the post, and say it was all a misunderstanding.” “Otherwise, I’ll make sure you can never hold your head up for the rest of your life!”

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Rumors spread throughout the company that the Chairman’s chief secretary had worked her way up and was about to become his wife. I carried a stack of files and strolled to the Chairman’s office, wanting to see what kind of person this secretary was. The woman wore luxury designer pieces from head to toe, her figure alluring. She was indeed quite attractive. Before I could leave, she strutted straight toward me on her high heels. “Are you that intern who keeps going to see the Chairman? Seducing the Chairman during work hours—college girls these days are truly shameless.” Before I could snap back, she suddenly grabbed my hand and slammed it hard against the desk corner! The face of her Patek Philippe watch shattered instantly. She fell to the floor in one smooth motion, tears streaming down on cue: “This watch was a birthday gift the Chairman personally flew to London to buy me!” “Even if you’re jealous of me, you can’t destroy the Chairman’s heartfelt gift…” In an instant, everyone in the office pointed and whispered about me, calling me shameless. My brain completely froze. Wait, what seduction? I’m the Chairman’s actual daughter!

Violet collapsed to the floor, holding up the shattered watch, crying pitifully. She pointed her finger at my nose. “Yesterday I saw you sneaking out of the Chairman’s office, and today you deliberately broke the birthday gift he gave me!” “How can an intern be so vicious!” I glanced at the watch on her wrist. The so-called Patek Philippe was an obvious knockoff. Setting aside how fake it looked, my dad Roger didn’t even like the Patek Philippe brand. I laughed coldly. “Are you out of your mind? The Chairman is my…” Before I could say “dad,” Violet suddenly raised her voice to interrupt me. “You’re still trying to make excuses?” “Are you going to say the Chairman has feelings for you? Why don’t you take a good look at yourself first!” As she shouted, she deliberately rubbed her wrist hard against the rough carpet. Her fair skin instantly scraped raw, with tiny traces of blood seeping out. She had the victim act down perfectly. The entire executive office fell into dead silence, then erupted into buzzing whispers. “College girls these days really have no shame.” “Exactly, desperate to climb the social ladder!” “Violet is so beautiful and kind-hearted. What’s there to be jealous of?” The sycophantic colleagues in the executive office immediately found their chance to perform. Correll, the HR manager who rushed over after hearing the commotion, pushed through the crowd. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to show loyalty to the future Chairman’s wife. “You broke Violet’s multi-million dollar watch—you couldn’t pay for it even if you sold yourself!” “Fire her immediately! Call security to detain her and report to the police for compensation!” I watched this farce unfold, feeling only absurdity. Flew to London last month? Roger clearly went to attend my Oxford graduation ceremony. He followed me around carrying my bags the whole time. When would he have time to buy you a watch? This was all Roger’s fault—insisting on putting me at the bottom as an intern. He claimed it was to help me understand the company’s real internal situation, and kept calling me to his office for questioning every few days. Now look—a huge misunderstanding. Listening to the increasingly ridiculous whispers around me, I spoke again. “Call the police? Fine.” “Let them bring Roger down here so he can personally identify me as his—” “Enough!” Violet interrupted me again. She put on a generous yet wronged expression, raising her hand to stop Manager Correll. “Forget it. She’s just a poor student. Calling the police would ruin her whole life.” Tears still hung in her eyes, but her voice carried a condescending charity. “As long as she kneels before me and apologizes right now, then gets out of this company herself.” “This multi-million dollar watch… I’ll bear the cost myself.” As soon as she finished speaking, waves of admiration erupted around us. “Violet is such a good person…” “If it were me, I could never be so generous.” “Worthy of being the future Chairman’s wife—such grace, such magnanimity!” After praising Violet, everyone’s hostility turned back to me in unison. “What are you standing there for? Violet isn’t even holding it against you—why aren’t you kneeling?” “That’s right! If you know what’s good for you, kowtow quickly, or once the police are called you’re finished!” I almost laughed in anger. Make me kneel? Roger doesn’t even dare speak a harsh word to me normally—who do you think you are to receive my bow? I coldly scanned the room, my voice not loud but full of authority. “Make me kneel? I’m afraid there’s no one in this company worthy of it.” Seeing me so arrogant, Violet felt humiliated. She suddenly stood up and reached to grab my hair, wanting to force me down. “You bitch—” “SLAP!” An extremely crisp sound echoed through the executive office. I backhanded her with a slap that sent her tumbling back to the floor. Everyone was stunned. After a brief moment of shock, Manager Correll shrieked for security. “This is outrageous! Grab this crazy woman!” Several security guards rushed in and surrounded me. At that moment, a cold, authoritative male voice rang out. “What’s going on here!”

The newcomer was none other than Gabriel, the company’s Executive Vice President. A second ago, Violet had been like a tiger ready to tear me apart. The moment she saw Gabriel, she instantly transformed into a delicate, clinging flower. “Mr. Gabriel, you’re finally here!” Violet covered her swollen cheek, tears streaming endlessly. “This new intern not only seduced the Chairman during work hours but is also jealous of me!” “She deliberately smashed the multi-million dollar watch the Chairman gave me!” “I kindly advised her to apologize, but she actually hit me…” As Violet sobbed, she pressed her swollen face against Gabriel’s chest. “Look at my face—look what she did to me!” Gabriel held the soft woman in his arms, his gaze shooting toward me with sinister intensity. He looked me up and down in my plain business attire, his contempt unconcealed. “Where did this wild girl come from, with no manners whatsoever.” “Dressed in such shabby clothes, yet dares to cause trouble in the executive office?” He snorted coldly and squeezed Violet’s shoulder in reassurance. “I’ve seen plenty of cheap college girls like you who’ll do anything to climb up.” “Today, if I don’t teach you a lesson, you won’t know who really runs this company!” I looked at the two clinging tightly together and nearly burst out laughing. Well, well—turns out this secretary’s real lover is Mr. Gabriel. Looks like I’ve caught a big fish this time. Seeing Gabriel personally taking charge, Manager Correll jumped out like he’d been injected with adrenaline. “Mr. Gabriel is absolutely right! This cancer must be fired immediately!” The sycophantic colleagues around also chimed in, afraid they’d be too late to show loyalty. “Make her pay! Pay until she’s bankrupt!” “Offending Violet and Mr. Gabriel—she’ll never work in this industry again!” “She even dared to hit someone, thinking that fox face gives her the right to do whatever she wants?” Vicious mockery flooded in like a tide. In their eyes, an intern with no connections like me was finished today. To vent for Violet, Gabriel’s face showed malice. He turned directly to the security captain and ordered: “Lock the doors!” “Until this matter is resolved, no one lets her out!” The executive office doors closed. Several security guards advanced on me in a semi-circle. Watching me surrounded, Violet poked her head out from Gabriel’s arms. She affected a condescending tone, full of false charity. “Mr. Gabriel, don’t really hurt her. She is a girl, after all.” “How about this—as long as she kneels and kowtows an apology to me right now, then signs a three million dollar IOU, we’ll call it even.” She paused, calculation flashing in her eyes. “Besides… the Chairman will be back in ten minutes. We shouldn’t disturb him.” Hearing this, a cold smile curved my lips. Ten more minutes? Perfect timing. Roger, you’d better hurry up and see your toxic company and your “excellent secretary.” I walked straight through the security cordon to the center of the executive office. I pulled out the chair usually reserved only for the Chairman and sat down directly, casually crossing my legs. Everyone was dumbfounded. Gabriel’s face instantly turned iron-blue—this move was like grinding his face into the ground. I leaned back in the chair, my fingers lightly tapping the desk. My gaze coldly fixed on Violet and Gabriel. “Make me sign a three million dollar IOU?” “Sure.” “But Violet, even if I dare to sign it, do you dare to take it?” Before she could react, I turned to Gabriel. “By the way Gabriel, have you cleared up that mess from when you embezzled company funds last month?” The moment “embezzled company funds” left my mouth. Gabriel’s previously arrogant face instantly went pale. The panic in his eyes was impossible to hide—he completely broke. “What nonsense are you spouting!” Humiliated and furious, he shoved Violet aside. His eyes bloodshot, he grabbed the heavy crystal ashtray from the desk and, face twisted, hurled it viciously at me. “Grab this bitch who’s spreading lies!” “If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility!”

The heavy glass ashtray came whistling through the air. My eyes sharpened as I jerked my head to the side. With a tremendous crash. The ashtray grazed past my ear and smashed into the mahogany bookshelf behind me, shattering into pieces. Several female colleagues screamed and covered their mouths. I planted my hands on the desk and stood up. Looking down at Gabriel with authority, my voice carried the oppressive force of someone in power. “Gabriel, you dare touch me?” “Who gave you that courage!” Gabriel was stunned by my presence. Even the security guards instinctively stepped back half a pace. Seeing this, Violet panicked, afraid Gabriel would back down. She rushed forward on her high heels. “Mr. Gabriel, don’t listen to her bluffing!” “She’s just a broke student with no connections. She’s still trying to act tough when she’s about to die!” She turned to the security guards, her eyes full of venom. “Hold her down!” “Strip her clothes off!” “I want the whole company to see what this vixen who dares seduce the Chairman really looks like!” Not a single person around spoke up to stop it. I grabbed the teacup from the desk, flicked my wrist, and splashed it directly in Violet’s face. “Ahh—” Violet screamed, covering her face as tea dripped down from her hair. She looked utterly pathetic. I scoffed coldly. “Acting tough with me?” “Looking at someone like you makes me sick.” “This tea is for you to wash that filthy mouth of yours.” She trembled with rage, pointing at me for a long time without managing a word. I couldn’t be bothered with her and turned to Gabriel. “Gabriel, embezzling company funds in especially large amounts carries a sentence of over ten years.” “Add illegal detention, picking quarrels, and intentional injury.” “Are you trying to spend the rest of your life in prison?” Gabriel’s eyelid twitched, his expression shifting uncertainly. He stared at me hard, probably realizing I really held evidence that could destroy him. But a old fox like him wouldn’t admit defeat publicly. He suddenly laughed coldly and turned the tables. “Good!” “I’ve long suspected there was a corporate spy inside the company. So it was you!” He turned and shouted at the security guards. “She stole the company’s core secrets!” “Search her phone and belongings immediately!” “Detain her in the security room and wait for the police!” Gabriel did have some skill—no wonder he’d embezzled under Roger’s nose for so many years. Hearing they were catching a corporate spy, the security guards pounced like wolves. I struggled hard, but the strength difference between men and women was insurmountable. Two security guards roughly twisted my arms and pressed me hard against the desk. In the scuffle, the top button of my shirt was torn off. My hair fell loose, and my wrists were twisted until they showed glaring red marks. I gritted my teeth without making a sound. Not only did no colleague intervene, they all showed contemptuous expressions. “So she’s a thief.” “I knew she seemed sneaky.” “Looks decent on the outside but does such shameless things.” This humiliation of being publicly framed and roughly handled was truly infuriating. Gabriel walked up to me and bent down slightly. In a voice only we could hear, he said viciously: “Once we get to the security room with no cameras.” “I’ll make you cough up all the evidence.” “Then I’ll send you to prison to rot for the rest of your life.” With that, he straightened up and waved his hand with false righteousness. “Gag her! Take her away!”

Two security guards pulled me up with my hands pinned behind my back. I raised my head and stared hard at Violet and Gabriel. “Turn off the cameras?” “You really think you run this company, Gabriel?” “The more you jump around now, the worse you’ll die later.” Violet felt stung by my gaze and stepped forward to slap me in frustration. I spoke mockingly: “Violet, does the Chairman know about your little affair with Gabriel?” Violet’s hand froze in mid-air. Gabriel also froze. Watching their reactions, I sneered inwardly. Just as I suspected. A murderous glint flashed in Gabriel’s eyes. He realized he couldn’t let me speak anymore. “This bitch has lost her mind!” he roared. “Violet, get tape and seal her mouth!” Violet immediately grabbed the wide tape from the desk and viciously approached me. Every muscle in my body tensed. Just as she lunged with the tape, I suddenly exerted force. Risking dislocating my wrist, I kicked forward hard, landing precisely on Violet’s kneecap. “Ahh—” Violet screamed and fell flat on her face in a ridiculous position. I used the momentum to ram my shoulder hard into the security guard on my left. The security captain was enraged by my resistance. He felt humiliated by a young woman. “Fucking bitch!” He cursed and raised the black rubber baton high. With fierce force, he swung it mercilessly toward my head. My pupils contracted sharply. This blow would leave me dead or disabled. “What are you doing! Are you rebelling?” At this critical moment, the closed doors of the executive office were kicked open from outside. A deep male voice exploded at the entrance. Everyone’s movements froze instantly. I raised my head and saw who stood at the door. Roger stood there with several executives and personal bodyguards. The moment Violet saw Roger, she acted like she’d found her savior. Ignoring the pain in her knee, she crawled over frantically, crying pathetically. “Chairman, you’re finally back!” “The company has a corporate spy!” She rushed to accuse me first. “This new intern not only stole company secrets but also injured me!” “Mr. Gabriel was having security restrain her to protect company property!” Hearing Violet’s words, I was speechless. This woman’s acting was really quite good. To nail me completely, Violet continued embellishing. “Chairman, this shameless woman has been spreading rumors everywhere that she has close ties with you!” “I got angry and confronted her, so she attacked me!” “Look what she did to me!” She raised her face, pointing to the fingerprints. “You absolutely cannot let her off!” Manager Correll and the sycophantic colleagues also chimed in. “That’s right, Chairman! Mr. Gabriel and Violet have worked so hard for the company!” “This shameless college girl should be sent straight to the police!” Everyone used the most vicious language to condemn me. Expecting the high and mighty Chairman to bring down thunderous wrath. I stood in the middle of the crowd, coldly watching these clowns’ crude performance. Roger frowned deeply, his face dark as he pushed through the crowd. “Move aside!” “Let me see who has such audacity!” The security guards immediately scattered in fear. I was finally free. I slowly straightened my body. Though my hair was disheveled, my shirt torn, and I looked utterly wretched. My spine remained perfectly straight. I ignored the others’ mockery. Instead, I looked directly at that imposing middle-aged man. I raised both hands, showing my bruised wrists. “Roger, this is the company you insisted I come to?” My voice was clear but full of mockery. “If you’d been one minute later, I would’ve been beaten to death by these loyal dogs of yours!” Hearing me call him by name, everyone gasped. They thought I’d gone mad. However, the moment that man saw my face clearly, his pupils dilated in shock, and his entire body froze. The authority on his face crumbled inch by inch, transforming into extreme anger and heartache…

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The holiday was approaching. I had just booked the hotel and plane tickets for the whole family. I couldn’t wait to call my father, only to discover that the video call connected to my dad five years in the future. I said happily to the camera: “Dad, this time I’m taking you guys to Hawaii to stay in an ocean-view room. You can watch the beach and the bikinis.” There was no answer on the other end. Instead, I heard heart-wrenching coughing. I asked with concern: “Dad, isn’t Sophia taking care of you? Five years from now, did I marry far away and can’t take care of you?” Father turned the camera around to face the hospital bed. In the frame, a child was stepping on his oxygen tube, laughing gleefully. Seeing this scene, I said angrily: “That must be my child with Jasper! Tell him to discipline this kid properly.” Under my shocked gaze, he trembled as he turned the camera back to himself: “Actually, five years ago, I gave the house you bought for us to Sophia. This child is Jasper and Sophia’s kid.”

“Rayne, can you upgrade the hotel to a suite? I want to take photos for Ins. This small room is too shabby.” Sophia’s message popped up, followed by a pouting emoji. I stared at the screen. My fingers were still trembling. The image of my father’s face from that video call was still burned into my mind. That child was Jasper and Sophia’s? I didn’t reply to her. Instead, I turned and dialed Jasper’s number. He answered instantly, his tone gentle: “Baby, what’s wrong? Missing me?” I was about to speak when I heard a laugh in the background. Very soft, but I knew it too well. Sophia’s laugh, with that coquettish lilt at the end. “Who are you with?” “Oh, Sophia came to pick up the sunscreen you bought for her. She just stopped by.” His tone was casual. “What’s wrong, baby?” Stopped by? His company was in the east side of the city, Sophia lived on the west side. Forty minutes apart by car. “Nothing, just asking.” I hung up. I opened my notes app, deleted the Hawaii itinerary I’d written, and typed a line: Not going to Hawaii. At dinner time, I went back to my parents’ house. When I pushed open the door, the spicy wings hit me. All dishes Sophia loved. I had a bad stomach. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with superficial gastritis and couldn’t eat spicy food. Mom poked her head out from the kitchen: “Rayne’s here? Come sit. Sophia rarely comes home for dinner, so just make do, okay.” Sophia rolled her eyes: “If you don’t like it, just eat less. It’s not like this every day.” I sat down. There wasn’t a single dish in front of me that I could eat. I took a bite of fried chicken. When I swallowed, my stomach burned with acid. After dinner, Jasper came to pick me up. He greeted my parents first, his smile appropriate. Then he walked to the sofa and naturally picked up the shopping bag Sophia had left there, handing it to her. “This is pretty heavy. Let me carry it down for you.” Their fingertips touched. Neither pulled away. Sophia looked up at him. Her ears were flushed red. Jasper turned to me with a smile: “Let’s go, baby. Time to go home.” I saw it all but said nothing. In the car, he gripped the steering wheel with one hand and covered the back of my hand with the other. “Rayne, is everything arranged for Hawaii? Do you need my help?” “All booked.” “That’s good.” He glanced at me. “When we get there, I’ll take you diving. You’ve always wanted to try, right?” I said okay. Back home, I closed the bedroom door and sat on the edge of the bed. I replayed that future video call in my mind over and over again. The house given to Sophia. The child belonging to Jasper and Sophia. You decide for yourself. I picked up my phone and saw that Sophia had sent a message in the family group chat: “So excited! The hotel Rayne booked must be amazing! Love you, Rayne!” Followed by a row of hearts. Mom replied: “Rayne worked hard.” Dad sent a thumbs-up emoji. I exited the group chat and opened my conversation with Jasper. The most recent message was his goodnight text with a kissing emoji. I scrolled up to three days ago. He had recalled a message. The recall time was 2:17 PM. That afternoon at 2 PM, Sophia posted on social media saying she was shopping at the mall. Location: A shopping district in the east side. The one downstairs from Jasper’s company. I put my phone face-down on the nightstand and closed my eyes. My future father’s voice echoed again: “You decide for yourself.”

“Rayne, Mochi only eats this brand of food. Anything else makes her sick. Thanks!” Three days before departure, Sophia brought her corgi to my house. She walked in, dumped three bags of dog food on the kitchen floor, and turned to leave without even bringing a dog bed. I stopped her: “Where’s the bed? Where will she sleep at night?” “Just find some cushion. Mochi’s not picky.” She had already changed her shoes and waved at me: “You’re the best, Rayne! I’ll treat you to dinner when I get back!” The door closed. I looked down at the label on the dog food bag. Imported. $360 per bag. Last month, Sophia asked to borrow money from me: “Rayne, my salary is only three grand a month. I really can’t make it to the end of the month.” I transferred her two thousand dollars. But today, the shoes on her feet—I’d seen them at the mall. Four thousand eight hundred dollars. The corgi circled around my feet, wagging its tail happily. I crouched down and patted its head: “Come on, let’s take you to the park to see the world.” The park had lots of large dogs. The corgi’s short legs couldn’t run fast. I loosened the leash and watched it frolic on the grass, squealing as a golden retriever chased it. At noon, Mom called. “Rayne, transfer two thousand dollars to Sophia. She wants to buy some clothes for the trip.” “Mom, doesn’t she have her own salary?” Her tone immediately changed: “Sophia doesn’t make much, you know that. Can’t you be more generous? She’s been frail since childhood. What’s wrong with you helping her?” Frail since childhood. I’d heard this line for twenty-five years. Sophia had pneumonia as a kid and was hospitalized for half a month. Since then, she became the family’s porcelain doll. But now she could party at clubs until 3 AM. Frail? “I’ll transfer it to her later.” I hung up. I didn’t transfer it. In the afternoon, I went to Jasper’s company to deliver his charger that he’d left at home. The receptionist said: “Jasper is out. Would you like to wait?” I called him. “Baby, I’m meeting a client. I’ll call you back later.” I said okay and turned toward the parking lot. His car was still there. The black Audi was parked in its usual spot. I walked closer and looked inside. The passenger seat had been lowered. The rearview mirror angle was wrong too. Someone much shorter than me had sat there. I’m five-foot-eight. Sophia is five-foot-two. That evening at home, I deliberately leaned on Jasper’s shoulder and said: “I might not be able to go to Hawaii. The company has a last-minute project.” He froze for a second. Just one second. Then he cupped my face with both hands, his brow furrowed: “That’s such a shame, baby. How about I don’t go either and stay with you?” His tone was sincere, his eyes gentle. “No, you go. Help me take care of my parents.” “Alright, then I’ll be filial for you.” He agreed too quickly. Not even a second of hesitation. Before bed, I scrolled through the family group’s new messages. Sophia had posted: “So excited for the holiday! Jasper said he’ll take me diving when we get there!” Mom replied with a string of happy emojis. Dad said: “Jasper’s a reliable guy.” I turned off my phone and lay in the darkness with my eyes open. That future scene floated up again—Father paralyzed in bed, a child stepping on his oxygen tube and laughing. I told myself: Just hang on a few more days.

“Yes, transfer it to Sophia’s name. How can a girl get married without a house? Rayne has Jasper. No need to worry about her.” The day before departure, I went to my parents’ house to get something. As I passed the study, I heard Dad on the phone. His voice wasn’t loud, but every word was crystal clear. Exactly the same as what my future father had said. He was already processing it. That house—the down payment of $800,000 was three years of my savings. The monthly mortgage of twelve thousand dollars, I’d been paying for three years. I put it in his name because he patted his chest and said: “Put it in Dad’s name. In the future, it’ll belong to both you sisters.” Now “both you sisters” had become Sophia alone. I stood outside the study door, taking deep breaths. I pushed the door open, pretending I hadn’t heard anything. Dad hung up the phone and smiled: “Rayne’s here? You’re really not coming with us tomorrow?” “Can’t get away from work.” He nodded without asking more and turned to open the closet to pack Sophia’s suitcase. Sophia came back from outside carrying a bag. She rushed into the study and acted cute toward Dad: “Dad, look! Isn’t it pretty?” She pulled a bikini out of the bag. The tag was still attached. Dad smiled: “Pretty, pretty. My daughter looks good in anything.” I stood beside them. He didn’t even glance at me. That evening, Jasper came to the house for dinner. During the meal, Sophia dropped her fork and bent down to pick it up. Jasper bent down at almost the same time. The two of them stayed under the table for two seconds before coming back up. Sophia’s ears were red, her eyes darting around. Jasper nonchalantly served me some food with his fork: “Baby, eat more. You’ll have to take care of yourself these next few days.” I smiled and said okay. After dinner, Mom pulled me into the kitchen and lowered her voice: “Sophia told me she wants a new phone. Can you transfer her five thousand this month? She’s too embarrassed to ask you herself.” “Mom, I just gave her three thousand last month.” Mom’s face darkened: “You make so much money. What’s wrong with spending some on Sophia? You’re getting stingier.” I made eighteen thousand a month after taxes. Mortgage: twelve thousand. Sophia’s living expenses: three thousand. Year-end for my parents: twenty thousand. “I’ll transfer it to her later.” I said that line again. Back at my own place, Sophia’s dog had torn up my couch cushion. Cotton was scattered all over the floor. I crouched down to clean it up. My phone buzzed with Sophia’s message: “Rayne, Mochi’s nails need trimming. Can you take her to the pet store? My usual place charges $280 per visit.” I didn’t reply. I opened my photo album and recorded an audio memo of the property transfer call I’d overheard today. Then I dialed my future father’s video call. The call rang three times before connecting. Weak breathing came from the other end. “Rayne, you called again.” “Dad, when exactly was the property transfer processed?” He was silent for a long time. “Right before your Hawaii trip during the holiday. I signed the papers.”

“When did Jasper and Sophia get together?” I asked, keeping my voice down, my fingers gripping the phone case tightly. Father coughed a few times, his voice weak: “Not long after you all came back from the trip, Sophia got pregnant. Jasper said the child was his and he wanted to marry her.” He paused, then added: “That’s when you found out.” I closed my eyes. Not long after the trip. That meant during the Hawaii trip, they were already together. If I didn’t go, I’d be making room for them. The next morning, I drove them to the airport. Sophia walked ahead, arm-in-arm with Jasper, chatting and laughing. Mom was beside them helping Sophia push her suitcase. Dad patted my shoulder and told me to work hard at home, then hurried to catch up with the three of them. Jasper turned back and blew me a kiss: “Wait for me to come back and take you out for good food.” Sophia covered her mouth and giggled beside him. I stood at the departure hall entrance, watching the four of them disappear into the security checkpoint. They were a family. I was the outsider left behind. In the afternoon, the family group chat started blowing up. Sophia posted a video of the ocean-view room. Jasper had filmed it for her. In the frame, she wore that bikini, twirling on the balcony with the azure sea behind her. Mom replied: “Sophia is so beautiful.” Jasper posted a photo of himself with Sophia, captioned: “Helping Rayne take care of her little sister.” They were standing very close. His hand rested on her shoulder. Dad liked it. No one tagged me. No one said “too bad Rayne couldn’t come.” I muted the group chat notifications. At 11 PM, Jasper sent me a private video message. The text read: “Baby, look at the ocean view.” I clicked it open. The video showed the hotel room with the lights on. Sophia came out of the bathroom wearing a white bathrobe, her hair wet. When she saw he was recording, she screamed and lunged to grab the phone. The two of them laughed as they tumbled onto the bed. The video cut off there. Immediately after, he sent a message: “Sorry, sent that to the wrong person. Meant to send it to my buddy. Sophia coming out of the shower startled me.” Sent to the wrong person. In the hotel room, Sophia in a bathrobe, him recording. I stared at that video three times. The first time, my hands shook. The second time, my eyes stung. The third time, I felt nothing at all. I opened the hotel booking page and clicked cancel. I opened the airline app and refunded all the return tickets. Finally, I logged into the banking app and found Jasper’s supplementary card. It was linked to my primary card with a fifty-thousand-dollar limit. I changed the limit to zero. Twenty minutes later, my phone vibrated frantically. Caller ID: Dad. I watched the name flashing on the screen. I didn’t answer. It rang once, twice, three times. On the fourth ring, a text came in. “Rayne, have you lost your mind! Why can’t my credit card be used! Call me back!” Sender: Jasper. I flipped the phone over, screen-down on the table. Then I took a shower, dried my hair, and got into bed. Before sleeping, I glanced at my phone one last time. Twenty-three missed calls, over forty messages. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.

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For three years, I lived under the title of Luna of the Shadow Phantom Pack. But everyone knew I was nothing more than Sophia’s replacement—a blood bag she needed to survive. Alpha Zane guarded her, my parents favored her, and even the Silver Moon Necklace that should have been mine was casually dismissed by him as “returning it to its rightful owner.” I once thought that if I was obedient enough, humble enough, someday they would see me and feel sorry for me. But now, I’ve finally woken up. I’m going to dissolve the mate bond, leave the pack, and from now on, live only for myself. Mira POV When the cold needle pierced my skin, I was already used to not crying out in pain. I lay numbly on the hospital bed, watching my blood flow through the tube, drop by drop, into that glaring blood bag. Zane stood not far away. The high and mighty Alpha of the Shadow Phantom Pack. My mate. At this moment, he was staring intently at that blood bag, his eyes filled with a heartache I had never received. “Draw it faster.” He coldly ordered the doctor, not even sparing me a glance as I lay there, deathly pale. “Sophia is still waiting.” Hearing that name, my heart couldn’t help but throb with pain. Sophia, the true precious daughter of the Silver Moon Pack. She was the one who was supposed to wear the wedding dress and marry Zane in the arranged union. But after an attack by a rogue wolf, the wolfsbane poison completely destroyed her blood and completely ruined my life. I was sent to Zane’s territory as a cheap replacement, packaged and delivered. Everyone in the territory respectfully called me Luna. But only I knew it was nothing more than a pathetic joke. Because Zane’s heart had always belonged to Sophia. Vial after vial of fresh blood was drawn from me. I watched Zane carefully protect those blood bags as he turned and left, then closed my eyes in despair. After a long time, I slowly opened them again. What greeted me was the pure white ceiling of the hospital. My wrist was wrapped in thick gauze. The wolf within me felt like it had fallen into a death-like slumber. The door to the hospital room was suddenly shoved open, and a middle-aged couple strode in, their faces showing undisguised impatience. They were my biological parents, the Alpha and Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. “Mira, you’d better take care of that body of yours. Listen carefully—your life exists to save Sophia.” His voice was cold as ice, cruelly crushing the last bit of hope in my heart. Yes, in their eyes, I had never been their daughter. My mother’s voice was even more cutting. “Drop that pitiful look! Don’t forget, the Luna position you’re occupying belongs to Sophia! If Sophia hadn’t been poisoned, it would never have been your turn!” “Enough, don’t bother with her. Sophia still needs us.” My father snorted coldly. They turned and left, never once looking at me again from start to finish. I lowered my head and touched the blood-soaked gauze on my wrist, letting out a self-mocking laugh. Zane returned, and I thought he was going to have them draw my blood again. He walked straight to my hospital bed, impatiently furrowing his brow, lowering his voice as if granting me charity. “As long as you continue obediently giving blood to Sophia, I promise that in a few days, I’ll officially mark you.” I looked at him, the corner of my lips curving into a cold smile. “Really? What a generous compensation.” He froze for a moment, seeming to find my reaction somewhat unusual today, but Sophia left him no time to care. In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave. The next day, after the blood draw, my face was as white as paper, so weak I could barely stand. I believed this would be the last time I gave blood to Sophia. Through the glass window, I clearly saw Zane walk to Sophia’s bedside and gently tuck in her blanket. The whispered gossip of a few nurses nearby reached my ears clearly. “Luna Mira is so pitiful. They’re both Alpha’s daughters…” “Who told Alpha Zane to only have eyes for Miss Sophia? She’s nothing but a walking blood bank. How pathetic.” So this was the life I had been living all along—without love, and without dignity. My nails dug deep into my palms, yet I felt no pain. I supported myself against the wall and slowly walked to Zane. “Are you coming back to the main house tonight? I’ve prepared a gift for you.” “A gift?” His expression instantly darkened, his eyes full of disgust. “Sophia is still suffering in that hospital bed, and you still have the mood for these pleasing tricks? Do you even have a heart?” “If you’re not coming back, forget it.” My tone remained calm. “It wasn’t anything important anyway.” “Stop with your ridiculous schemes. I don’t need them.” He coldly cut me off, turned, and quickly walked back to Sophia’s hospital room. Don’t need them? You’ll need this “gift” soon enough. Walking out of the hospital doors, I mind-linked my exclusive pack lawyer. “Prepare a mate dissolution agreement for me.”

Mira POV The next day, I discharged myself from the hospital alone. As I walked out of the hospital building, I passed by Sophia’s VIP room. Through the half-open door, I saw Sophia leaning against the headboard. Though her face was pale, her smile was radiant and endearing. My parents surrounded her bed, asking after her health with concern. And Zane sat on the edge of the bed holding a bowl of herbal medicine, patiently feeding it to her spoonful by spoonful. They looked like a complete, happy family. I withdrew my gaze and turned to leave. I returned to the house Zane had assigned to me. This wasn’t the main house, because he had never officially marked me, nor did he allow me to set foot in his true territory. I walked into the bedroom and began packing my pitifully few belongings. When I pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand, I discovered an old phone with a cracked screen. As if possessed, I turned it on. The phone had no password. I clicked on a memo titled “Secret.” Inside were densely written records of every detail from the past three years. 【Today was my mating ceremony with Zane, but he didn’t kiss me or mark me. In the evening, Sophia suddenly coughed up blood. He left me alone in the bridal chamber and never returned all night.】 【Today they drew 400cc of blood. My head is so dizzy. Mom came to see Sophia and brought her favorite desserts. I asked Mom if I could have a piece too. She said it was specially made for Sophia and there was none for me.】 【Zane smiled at me today. Although it was only because I voluntarily offered to draw an extra vial of blood for Sophia as backup. As long as he’s happy, I’m willing to give any amount of blood.】 【It hurts so much… Why won’t they love me no matter how hard I try? What do I have to do for them to just look at me?】 … Line after line, word after word—all evidence of how that girl named Mira had endured endless neglect and torment. She had humbled herself into the dust, trying to please those who would never love her with her own blood. Looking at those words, I couldn’t stop my eyes from stinging. Tears fell onto the cracked screen. I felt sorrow for that foolish version of myself. I took a deep breath, raised my hand, and forcefully wiped the tears from my face. I stood and walked to the full-length mirror. The woman in the mirror was pale and thin, her wrists still wrapped in glaring bandages, like a withering rose. I stared at myself in the mirror, my eyes gradually becoming clear and resolute. I threw that old phone into the trash. “It’s okay if no one loves you, Mira.” I said softly but firmly to myself in the mirror. “From now on, you need to love yourself.” To hell with being a walking blood bank. To hell with Zane. I was no longer that pitiful creature begging humbly for love. I was going to take back my own life.

Mira POV A mind-link forcibly cut into my mind, carrying my mother’s blunt accusation. “You’re not even planning to show up at Sophia’s birthday party tonight?” Birthday? The wolf within me paced back and forth irritably. She had already issued an impatient command: “Whatever your excuse is, seven o’clock tonight—be there on time!” As soon as she finished speaking, the mind-link was forcibly cut off. I didn’t want to go. But thinking it over, I was leaving soon anyway. There was no need to cause trouble at the last moment. So I picked out a black dress and had the driver take me to the birthday party venue. The entire Silver Moon Pack banquet hall was brilliantly lit. When I arrived, the party was at its liveliest. The center of attention was Zane and Sophia standing in the middle. Sophia wore a white gown, like a carefully tended rose. Although the attack years ago had left her poisoned with wolfsbane, causing severe blood disease, sustained by regularly drawing my blood, her face now glowed especially rosy with joy. And Zane—my mate in name only—his gaze never left her from start to finish. “I heard Alpha Zane personally supervised the wolf guards for three days and nights to prepare a surprise for Sophia.” Amid the guests’ chatter, I watched Zane kneel down and willingly adjust Sophia’s hem for her. The smile on his face held a tenderness I had never seen. That scene had once been like a silent knife. Suddenly, the lights converged on the stage. My father, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, announced radiantly, “I’ve decided that Sophia will soon inherit the entire Silver Moon Pack, including all the pack’s wealth and trust funds—everything will be inherited by my daughter Sophia alone!” The entire hall erupted in shocked murmurs. As his other daughter, I received nothing—not even a mention of my name? Probing, pitying, and schadenfreude-filled gazes shot toward me in the corner. But the most shocking part was yet to come. Zane led Sophia onto the stage and opened a velvet box. Inside was the Silver Moon Necklace, symbolizing the Luna identity of the Shadow Phantom Pack. “Isn’t it said that only successive Lunas can wear it?” a pack member exclaimed. Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, Zane personally placed that necklace around Sophia’s neck. “Zane, this is too precious,” Sophia covered her mouth, looking down at the audience timidly. “This should be Mira’s.” My mother immediately chimed in. “Mira is already Alpha Zane’s mate—she doesn’t lack these things. You’re weak and need her blood to sustain you. This compensation is only right and proper.” Zane’s gaze swept across the audience below, cold as ice. “If not for that accident years ago, the one standing by my side today, becoming Luna, should have been Sophia all along. This necklace is merely returning to its rightful owner.” The words “rightful owner” felt like a slap across my face. The pack guests’ snickering was like ants, gnawing away at my last shred of dignity. I looked at the happy family of several people on stage, at Sophia’s triumphant eyes and Zane’s heartless face. At this moment, I felt no turmoil in my heart whatsoever. No heartache, no sadness, not even anger. I turned and silently walked toward the exit. “Look, Luna Mira is crying,” whispers came from behind me. I didn’t stop walking and entered the restroom. In the mirror, that face had not a single tear—calm as a deep sea. So after your heart dies, it really doesn’t hurt anymore. These people, these things—to me, they were already an irrelevant past. I pulled at the corners of my mouth in the mirror. Just endure a little longer. Once the mate dissolution agreement is ready, I can leave completely.

Mira POV I came out of the restroom and turned into a secluded balcony off the main house to get some air. The moment I stepped in, I froze in place. In the shadows, Zane was pinning Sophia against the wall, kissing her intensely. The thick Alpha scent in the air made the wolf within me instinctively tremble. “Zane… will Mira be upset…” Sophia whimpered. “I saw her—she seemed to be crying…” Zane released her, his thumb rubbing her swollen lips. “Whether she’s upset or not has nothing to do with me.” He looked at her, enunciating each word. “Sophia, the only Luna candidate in my heart has always been you and you alone.” My face felt itchy. I reached up to touch it and found tears. “Maybe it’s my past self mourning,” I thought. I left expressionlessly. Not long after returning to the banquet hall, Sophia rushed over excitedly. “Mira, the necklace Zane gave me is missing! Did you take it?” Her eyes reddened. “A wolf guard saw you—you were the only one who went near my seat!” My father and mother immediately rushed over. “Mira, did you steal the necklace?” my father demanded harshly, his Alpha pressure bearing down directly. My mother slapped me hard across the face. “You’ve made the Silver Moon Pack lose all face! Hand it over now!” My cheek burned with pain. I looked at my so-called biological parents, watched them trample me like this for a sister who had been drinking my blood for years, and felt only absurdity. “I didn’t take it.” I defended myself. “Still lying!” My mother commanded the wolf guards. “Search her! Even if you have to strip her clothes off, find that necklace!” Two burly wolf guards roughly grabbed me. During the struggle, my dress tore, exposing my pale shoulder. The surrounding guests let out mocking laughter. Just then, a wolf guard suddenly pulled the necklace out of my handbag. “Found it!” Sophia took it back with tears in her eyes, looking wounded. “Mira, I know you’re upset. If you really wanted it, you only had to ask and I would have given it to you. Why did you have to steal it?” With one sentence, she sealed my guilt. Zane slowly approached. He didn’t look at anyone else. His gaze fell only on me, his voice icy. “Why steal it?” A supremely mocking curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. “I’ve never considered you my mate. Don’t you know that?” “Things that don’t belong to you will never belong to you, even if you steal them.” The ultimate humiliation engulfed me. Just when everyone thought I would break down, I suddenly laughed. The laugh was soft, but it made Zane’s expression change. I raised my head and met his cold gaze. “I didn’t steal it.” I looked at him, enunciating each word as if using all my strength: “Alpha Zane, I, Mira Glace, reject you as my mate.” Watching his pupils suddenly contract, I added coldly: “Since I’m rejecting you now, you’re nothing to me. Why would I steal that necklace?”

Mira POV My rejection declaration plunged the entire hall into deathly silence. On Zane’s handsome face, the mocking expression froze for an instant, then transformed into an even deeper sneer. He released suffocating Alpha pressure, looking down at me from above. “Don’t want to be my Luna anymore?” He laughed scornfully. “Mira Glace, you’ve played this playing-hard-to-get trick no less than a hundred times. Give it a rest. I don’t love you and never will.” The surrounding pack members immediately echoed, not hiding their mockery. “Using this method to attract the Alpha’s attention again. Truly disgusting.” “Who does she think she is? She hasn’t even been marked by the Alpha. Everyone knows Sophia is the Luna Alpha Zane chose. If not for the wolfsbane poisoning, how could Zane possibly look at Mira, this walking blood bag?” Contemptuous gazes and harsh comments wrapped around me like a net. My father’s face turned iron-blue. To show loyalty to Zane and for the pack’s interests, he barked an order to the wolf guards: “Guards! Throw Mira Glace into the dungeon!” The dungeon—that was where the Silver Moon Pack imprisoned rogue wolves and traitors. Cold and damp. My pupils contracted sharply. I couldn’t be locked up. My escape plan had just begun! “Let me go! You can’t do this to me!” I struggled hoarsely. But from prolonged blood draws for Sophia, my body was already extremely weak. My resistance was useless. I turned my desperate gaze to Zane. “Zane, you can’t let them do this to me!” “Why can’t I?” A cruel sneer curved Zane’s lips. I wanted to say, because I’m still your mate in name, the Luna of the Shadow Phantom Pack. But before I could speak, a wolf guard impatiently raised his hand and struck hard at the back of my neck. Sharp pain hit me, my body went limp, and my consciousness plunged into complete darkness. … The bone-chilling cold woke me. I lay on the icy stone floor, surrounded by darkness, permeated with heavy smells of blood and mold. This was the dungeon. I couldn’t die here. A strong survival instinct supported me. I dragged my drained body toward where I remembered the iron door to be. “Open the door… is anyone there…” I hoarsely pounded on the heavy iron bars. Outside the door—no response. Just as I was about to despair, the sound of high heels approached from far to near. “Mira, are you in there?” Sophia’s voice came through the iron door, carrying a strange pity. “How pitiful. You’re the legitimate Luna, aren’t you?” My heart was stabbed hard. Sophia looked down at me condescendingly and continued mockingly. “But what good is a Luna in name only? The one who isn’t loved is the most pitiful. From beginning to end, you’ve been nothing but my blood bag.” She let out a light laugh. Just then, a phone rang. Sophia took out her phone. Seeing the caller ID, she smiled with satisfaction. She pressed speakerphone, and Zane’s deep voice came through. “Sophia? Where are you?” Sophia immediately switched to a soft, pitying tone. “I… I wanted to come to the dungeon to check on Mira.” Zane’s nervous and heartbroken voice instantly came through. “That place is cold and dark. What are you doing there? Come up quickly. Your body can’t handle the cold.” “Mm, I’m coming out now.” Sophia gave me a triumphant look and hung up. I felt my breathing begin to freeze. He knew the dungeon was cold and dark, yet he didn’t care at all that I, his “Luna” who had just had blood drawn, had been locked in here for a full day. Just like countless times before, I thought my compromise and sacrifice could earn a shred of his mercy, but in his eyes, I was just using tired old tricks again. But this time, I wasn’t using tricks. Because I could finally stop loving him completely. The last bit of strength in my body was drained. I slowly closed my eyes, allowing myself to sink into endless darkness.

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To appease his assistant Yvonne, my husband Sebastian demoted me to cleaning toilets. From that day on, I avoided him completely. When he woke up in the morning, I no longer helped him with his tie. When he worked late into the night, I no longer prepared his reports. Even when I caught him leaving a love hotel with Yvonne, I didn’t say a word. I just quietly left. One day, Sebastian swallowed his pride and came to find me, watching as I knelt on the floor scraping off chewing gum. “River, you don’t actually have to degrade yourself like this. Putting you on janitorial duty was just for show. Once Yvonne calms down, I’ll move you back to your VP position.” I braced myself on my aching legs and stood up, carrying the dirty water bucket in silence. Today marked the thousandth day I’d spent chasing after Sebastian, and it would be my last. He had no idea I’d already accepted a job offer worth millions a year. Seeing my silence, Sebastian pressed his lips together tightly. He seemed to be trying to pacify a sulking child—giving a slap followed by candy, thinking everything could just be smoothed over. “It’s your birthday today, so stop being mad at me. I’ve prepared a surprise for you tonight.” In seven years together, Sebastian had never once remembered my birthday. Every time I bought a cake, he would look surprised and ask what special occasion it was. But Yvonne had only been working here for two weeks, and Sebastian could clearly remember her cycle, her birthday, and exactly how many days she’d been on staff. Now that I’d stopped loving him, he suddenly cared. Sebastian raised his hand to pat my head, but when he heard a cough, he pulled his hand back in panic. Yvonne walked up to me, pulled out a bottle of alcohol spray from her bag with disgust, and sprayed it right in my face. “River, you work in sanitation now. You’re absolutely filthy.” “Mr. Harrison is a gentleman. Please disinfect yourself before getting close to him.” She moved too quickly for me to dodge. The alcohol spray got in my eyes, and the pain made me instinctively rub them. The water bucket fell to the ground with a crash, accompanied by Yvonne’s hysterical screaming. “Call security to disinfect this area! The dirty water splashed on Mr. Harrison’s pants. What if he gets infected and falls ill?” Sebastian smiled indulgently and teased Yvonne. “I’m not as delicate as you.” Yvonne pouted in protest, standing on her tiptoes to cup Sebastian’s face. “Who says I’m delicate? Last time you ate spicy noodles and got gastroenteritis, I was the one who carried you to the hospital.” The two of them flirted, completely oblivious to the fact that I’d been tripped by the water bucket. I sat slumped in the cold, dirty water, remembering the slap I’d given Yvonne. That day, I’d helped Sebastian secure an international contract. He’d gotten a stomachache from drinking. I went to the nearest pharmacy to buy medicine. When I rushed back to the restaurant with the medication, gasping for breath, he was already gone. The news had just reported that a murderer was on the loose in that area. I panicked and called the police, crying as I searched every street for Sebastian, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Until the hospital called me. I ran to the hospital, thinking that if something had really happened to Sebastian, I would die with him. But when I pushed open the hospital room door, I saw Sebastian holding Yvonne and comforting her. Yvonne was crying her eyes out, blaming herself for taking Sebastian to eat spicy noodles. I lost my mind and slapped Yvonne hard across the face. Sebastian’s expression turned frighteningly cold. He immediately contacted HR to transfer me to janitorial services. At that moment, I demanded like a madwoman whether Sebastian had fallen for someone else. He was too busy comforting Yvonne to answer. But I already knew the answer.

Security guards arrived carrying high-concentration disinfectant sprayers on their backs. Under Yvonne’s direction, they aimed the nozzles directly at me. Sebastian frowned and grabbed Yvonne’s hand. “River is allergic to disinfectant. Just have them spray the floor.” Yvonne blinked playfully. “Don’t worry, I’m using all-natural, non-irritating disinfectant.” “Even if River accidentally gets some on her, she won’t have an allergic reaction.” She pressed the switch, and a stream of liquid reeking of disinfectant soaked my collar. “See? Nothing happened.” Sebastian glanced at me, confirming there was no rash on my neck, then affectionately tapped Yvonne’s forehead. “Clever girl.” I swayed as I stood up, struggling to suppress the urge to scratch my skin raw to stop the itching. From an angle Sebastian couldn’t see, Yvonne smugly made a face at me. She was certain I wouldn’t ask Sebastian for help—or rather, she firmly believed that even if Sebastian knew, he would choose to stand by her side. After all, last time, Yvonne had accidentally shredded an important data file. She’d cried and thrown herself into Sebastian’s arms, saying I’d told her to do it. All the employees glared at me with resentment, watching months of their hard work go down the drain. I couldn’t defend myself. I asked Sebastian to check the security footage to prove my innocence. Instead, he covered Yvonne’s ears and called me an idiot who couldn’t even keep data safe. The smell of disinfectant stung my nerves. My throat felt like an invisible hand was choking it, leaving me unable to breathe. I placed my hand over my belly, praying the baby inside would hang on a little longer. Sebastian didn’t notice anything wrong with me. But when Yvonne started coughing from the fumes, he quickly led her away. The security guards watched them leave, then leered at my partially visible clothes. “Sleep with Mr. Harrison a few times and you think you can be the boss’s wife? You’re just a used shoe he kicked aside.” “Ms. Sullivan specifically instructed us that you smell like a vixen and need to be thoroughly washed with disinfectant!” Seeing their malicious expressions, I backed away cautiously. “What are you trying to do?” They roughly dragged me toward the stairwell, tearing my clothes. My lower abdomen felt like hands were viciously twisting inside, filling me with dread. I bit down hard on the ear of the person closest to me and struggled desperately to break free. “Ah! You bitch, let go!” My cheek stung with searing pain as someone kicked me down hard. I didn’t care about the pain and crawled toward the exit using both hands and feet. “Help! Someone’s trying to rape me!” My screams echoed through the stairwell, loud enough to hurt eardrums. Seeing things spiral out of control, the guards cursed and kicked me a few more times before fleeing in panic. I endured the sharp pain in my lower back and slowly climbed up from the floor. Before I could catch my breath, someone grabbed my wrist forcefully. Thinking the guards had returned, I reflexively shook off their hand. “Get away!” A cold laugh came from above my head. I looked up to meet Sebastian’s icy gaze. “River, I never thought you could do something so vicious.” I frowned in confusion. Before I could ask, Sebastian dragged me quickly toward the elevator. Yvonne’s aggrieved sobbing came from the executive office. Sebastian threw me against the wall and pointed at the bloody dead rat in the coffee machine, roaring. “Stop playing dumb! Apologize to Yvonne right now.”

The rat’s eyes bulged grotesquely. When I saw the blood, my head started spinning. After my parents died, the community sent me to an orphanage. The girl in the bed across from mine wanted the hairpin in my hair. It was the only thing my parents had left me. I refused to give it to her no matter what. She got some thugs from outside to threaten me, saying if I didn’t give it to her, they’d kill me. I trembled with fear, clutching the hairpin tightly to my chest. Furious, they lunged at me with a knife. Sebastian rushed out and took the blow for me. Warm blood stained my dress, just like when my parents shielded me during the explosion, coughing up blood. I screamed and collapsed on top of Sebastian, passing out. After that, I developed severe hemophobia. I slid weakly down the wall, images of my parents lying in pools of blood flooding my mind. “It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have wanted to go to the amusement park…” Sebastian noticed something was wrong and rushed to my side in panic. But when Yvonne cried out in pain, he immediately returned to her, holding her and gently patting her back. “Sebastian, I’m scared…” “Why is River deliberately trying to scare me? Does she resent me for taking her position?” Yvonne pulled off her work badge, tears streaming down her face pitifully. “I’ll give you back the position by your side. I won’t compete with her anymore…” Sebastian tenderly wiped away Yvonne’s tears, his eyes looking like he wanted to tear me to pieces. He roared at me. “River Hayes, apologize to Yvonne right now.” I curled up in the corner, forcing out a smile that looked worse than crying. Sebastian really didn’t believe me. His heart had truly shifted to Yvonne’s side. My nails dug painfully into my palm as I closed my eyes in despair. I’d said I would let go. I’d sworn not to love Sebastian anymore, not to shed another tear for him. But why couldn’t I stop the tears from flowing? Sebastian’s patience ran out. He roughly grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard it felt like he’d crush my bones. He dragged me to Yvonne’s feet and pulled out a property deed from the drawer, throwing it in my face. “I bought back your parents’ house at a high price. I was planning to give it to you as a birthday gift.” “But since you refuse to apologize to Yvonne, I guess there’s no need for that.” Sebastian lifted his foot and stepped on the deed. The clean document got dirty footprints on it. My breathing stopped as I lunged forward to protect the deed. “I’m willing to buy it back at equal value! You promised me that when we made money, you’d help me get my parents’ house back.” “Sebastian, I want you to keep that promise right now!” Sebastian froze for a second. Yvonne seized the opportunity to snatch the deed from my arms. The crisp sound of tearing filled the air as the deed became a pile of scraps. Yvonne’s eyes were red as she vindictively scattered the pieces out the window. The taut string in my brain snapped. I stared blankly at the paper scraps dancing in the air. Sebastian rubbed his temples wearily and was about to scold her, but he looked into Yvonne’s moist doe eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to blame her and looked at me in compromise. “You put a dead rat in the coffee machine to scare her, and she tore up your house deed. Consider it even.” Tears streamed down my face as I laughed bitterly. Sebastian thought Yvonne had only torn up a deed. No. She hadn’t just torn up a deed. She’d torn up Sebastian’s promise to me and the last bit of feeling I had for him. A metallic taste rose in my throat. I said very, very softly. “Sebastian, I don’t love you anymore.” He stepped closer and leaned down. “What did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly.”

Seeing Sebastian’s attention drawn back to me, Yvonne clutched her chest and whined that it hurt. “I’m still dizzy. How am I supposed to receive our important guest later?” A malicious smile played at the corners of her mouth, as if disaster was about to befall me. The next second, someone knocked on the office door. “Mr. Harrison, Ms. Linda has arrived in the VIP room.” A chill ran down my spine. When I heard the visitor’s name, I couldn’t help trembling. Linda was the only daughter of the company’s largest partner and Sebastian’s most obsessive pursuer. Every time she visited, she’d have her wolfhound sniff Sebastian to track down any woman who’d been near him. Once, she had the dog bite off the leg of a female employee who’d run into Sebastian in the break room. Sebastian still needed her father’s influence, so he could only swallow his anger. To keep me safe, whenever Linda visited, he’d give me the day off to stay home. The click-clack of high heels approached. The glass door reflected the shadow of a woman and a dog. The office rest room could only fit one person. Sebastian looked between me and Yvonne hesitantly, unable to choose. Yvonne suddenly gasped for air and collapsed weakly into Sebastian’s arms. “Mr. Harrison, let me receive the guest.” “I’m your assistant now. Even if the wolfhound tears me to pieces, that’s my duty.” Sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. I clutched the desk, my phone clattering to the floor. The screen lit up, showing my wallpaper—a photo of Sebastian and me smiling while hugging a Samoyed. Sebastian’s eyes lit up as he gripped my shoulders tightly. “River, didn’t we used to have a dog?” “The dog always liked you better. Maybe Linda’s dog will like you too.” My pupils constricted. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Wolfhounds were extremely aggressive. Our Samoyed had been mauled to death by a wolfhound while protecting me. I’d suffered severe psychological trauma from it. Even now, I still had nightmares every night. Sebastian carefully carried Yvonne into the rest room. There was extra space inside—barely enough to squeeze in one more person. I slowly approached, but Sebastian blocked the doorway with a cold expression. “She needs enough room to breathe. If you force your way in, you’ll kill her.” The knocking grew more urgent. I could barely stand from the pain as I frantically searched for somewhere to hide. But then came a loud crash behind me. Linda kicked the door open furiously, leading a wolfhound with a mouthful of fangs toward me. I instinctively hid behind Sebastian, protecting my belly. Murderous intent flashed in Linda’s eyes as she patted the wolfhound’s head. “Precious, tear apart this bitch who’s seducing Sebastian!” The wolfhound opened its gaping maw and charged at me viciously. I ran, but the dog still clawed several bloody gashes in my calf. Sebastian looked worried, but when I approached the rest room, his expression instantly changed. He grabbed the glass from the desk and threw it precisely at my feet, blocking my path forward. Yvonne cracked the door open slightly, smirking triumphantly. The wolfhound cornered me. My hands trembled as I clenched them into fists. The office descended into chaos as Linda’s phone suddenly rang. She stamped her foot in frustration and called Precious back to her side. “You’re lucky today. Next time I catch you shamelessly clinging to Sebastian, I’ll have Precious bite you to death!” Watching Linda’s retreating figure, my taut nerves slowly relaxed. Sebastian stepped past my blood-covered body and urgently pulled open the rest room door. After confirming Yvonne was unharmed, he spared me a glance. “Go treat your wounds first. I’ll come home tonight to celebrate your birthday with you.” I limped out of the office and rushed to the hospital as fast as I could. The doctor gave me medication to prevent miscarriage and told me I absolutely had to rest well. I went home to pack my things. Without a second of hesitation, I headed straight to the airport. Near the end of the workday, Sebastian called HR. “Starting tomorrow, restore River Hayes to her VP position.” The person on the other end made a confused sound. “Mr. Harrison, River submitted her resignation after the employee health check revealed she was pregnant.” Sebastian’s temple throbbed. He grabbed his car keys in panic and rushed home. But when he opened the door, the bed was empty except for a dull diamond ring.

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