During my shift, a woman suddenly burst in, insisting on having an abortion.
I looked at her medical history and frowned.
Nora Yuvette, 42 years old, 6 abortions in the past 6 months.
“Have you really thought this through? Your body has been severely damaged. If you go through with this, it’ll be very difficult for you to conceive again in the future.”
The woman didn’t hesitate for a second. She was even smiling.
“I don’t like children, and I never planned to have any. It’s just that my boyfriend has such a high sex drive and refuses to wear condoms. Since he knows how to please me in bed, I guess I’ll put up with it.”
This was a patient’s private matter. I didn’t push further.
I only reminded her after the surgery to stay in the hospital for observation for a while.
But she quickly threw on her coat.
“I need to get back to my boyfriend. He just won first place in the annual Teacher of the Year award today. I should reward him properly.”
At those words, I froze completely.
My boyfriend’s message was still sitting unread on my phone.
“Honey, I won first place today! My colleagues are insisting on celebrating together, so I won’t be coming home tonight. Don’t wait up for me.”
In that instant, my mind went completely blank.
I couldn’t process what was happening.
Nora kept chattering away.
It sounded like complaining.
But her face couldn’t hide her smile.
“He has severe sleep disorder. He needs to hold me every time to fall asleep. Says my scent calms him down, especially down there.”
“Just now he texted me, told me not to shower. He likes me all natural.”
When our eyes met, I could only smile awkwardly.
Kieran Smith also had severe insomnia.
I couldn’t accept this for a moment.
Before my brain could catch up, my hand reached for the bracelet Nora had left on the desk.
While she wasn’t paying attention, I slipped it into my pocket.
An hour later, I called her.
“Miss Yuvette, you left your bracelet in my office.”
“I just got off work. If you give me your address, I can drop it off for you.”
My voice trembled as I spoke.
One hand gripped the phone while the other dug into my arm, trying to keep myself calm.
Nora agreed without thinking twice and sent me her address.
I gasped.
A luxury villa in the city center, less than 2 kilometers from Kieran Smith’s school.
As I walked, my heart felt like someone was squeezing it. Even breathing became difficult.
I kept reassuring myself.
Maybe it was just someone with the same name.
Kieran wasn’t the only one who won first place.
But an uneasy feeling kept gnawing at me.
Even standing at the door, I couldn’t find the courage to knock.
Then voices drifted from inside the room.
“Nora, what took you so long to come back? I’ve been missing you.”
“You can’t leave early today. You have to keep me company.”
Instantly, I froze completely.
That was Kieran Smith’s voice.
But it sounded nothing like what I usually heard from him.
It was so sweet it could drip honey.
I couldn’t imagine Kieran acting cute.
In an instant, my stomach churned violently.
Bitterness surged up my throat.
My legs went weak. I could only lean against the wall and slide to the ground.
Before long, disgusting moans reached my ears.
“Stop it, someone’s coming over soon.”
“Oh, doesn’t that make it more exciting?”
Kieran’s voice was like invisible hands tearing my heart into pieces.
Kieran and I had met through a blind date.
The first time we met, he wore a white shirt. He was well-spoken and never crossed any boundaries.
My first impression of him was that he was clean.
Later, he proved to be just that.
His bag always held tissues, an umbrella, and hair ties.
When I worked overtime, he’d bring me a hot meal.
He’d wait 6 hours without a single complaint.
He had boundaries.
Six months into our relationship, we shared our first kiss. He was so careful, like he was holding a piece of jade.
After 2 years together, we had our first time.
His movements were gentle. When he saw me frown, he’d stop and ask if it hurt.
My friends all thought I’d found a normal person and was in a healthy relationship.
I thought so too.
He was a teacher, I was a doctor.
Everything seemed perfect.
A month ago, on our 6th anniversary, we got engaged.
But now, my fiancé was on the other side of this wall.
Holding another woman.
They were being rough. They knocked over a vase.
“Another new position? Do you ever think about how old I am?”
Kieran was breathing heavily, showing no signs of stopping.
“But it feels so good like this.”
In my memory, Kieran only ever used one position.
Back then, I had even asked him about it.
He just smiled.
Said he didn’t like all those new tricks.
Thinking about this, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
So it wasn’t that he didn’t like them. He just didn’t want to with me.
Inside, they continued.
My phone rang at that moment.
“Dr. Johnson, how much longer until you arrive?”
I stared at my phone for a long time, typing and deleting messages.
Tears dripped onto my phone screen. Everything blurred.
6 years of feelings turned to nothing.
I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t bear it.
Listening to the sounds from inside, I finally made up my mind.
I dialed a number.
“I want to report something.”
I left in a daze.
I almost got into a car accident on the way.
Even that couldn’t pull me back to reality.
Not until I returned home, to the wedding home that belonged to Kieran Smith and me.
I had designed this room myself, taking time out of my schedule.
I’d put thought into every detail.
I deliberately kept the room with the best sunlight for Kieran’s study.
Just because he once said he loved watching sunlight fall on book pages.
The wall directly across was empty.
It was meant for our wedding photo.
I’d been torn between 2 wedding dresses.
Kieran just said to follow my heart.
But soon after, he booked both styles.
“Do you like it? I specially prepared a surprise for you.”
“I know you’ve been torn. We can afford it. If you like them, we can do 10 more sets!”
To look good in the wedding photos, I’d started dieting early.
But he disagreed.
He thought dieting was too unhealthy.
So he started making me healthy homemade meals that were both delicious and healthy.
No matter how busy Kieran was, he never half-assed things for me.
Even today was no exception.
The food on the table was still warm.
A note lay beside it.
“Just reheat it yourself if it gets cold.”
“Be good, I’ll be back soon.”
Kieran’s love for me was always obvious.
I only had to reach out to feel it.
Didn’t he love me? Didn’t he want to marry me?
Then why was he with Nora Yuvette?
What did that make me?
I couldn’t figure it out.
In my mind, memories of Kieran and Nora’s face all tangled together.
For a moment, my head throbbed painfully.
I collapsed completely, slumping to the floor.
Tears broke through the dam. I couldn’t hold back anymore.
Until my phone rang.
It was from the report hotline I’d called that afternoon.
I immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
I didn’t dare face it, but still instinctively answered.
The voice on the other end was cold, even carrying a hint of anger.
“Ms. Johnson, we’ve sent people to investigate. There was no illegal activity.”
“Mr. Kieran Smith and Ms. Nora Yuvette are legally married.”
Instantly, my mind buzzed.
The next second, my phone crashed to the floor.
How could this be?
My whole body began trembling uncontrollably.
I replayed that person’s words in my mind over and over.
Each time I recalled it, it was like pouring salt on a wound.
It hurt so much.
Everything spun before my eyes.
In the empty room, only my heavy breathing remained.
Just then, the door was pushed open.
I turned around and met Kieran Smith’s cold gaze.
He looked down at me.
Seeing me collapsed on the floor, there wasn’t a trace of pity in his eyes.
“It hurts, doesn’t it?”
“Then don’t do things like that again.”
It was as if nothing had happened.
He took off his coat and changed into slippers.
Kieran calmly walked into the bathroom to wash his hands.
After tidying up, he walked over to me.
“Actually, I’ve wanted to tell you for a while. I just couldn’t find the right opportunity.”
“Nora and I have been together for 4 years. We got married last year.”
He spoke lightly.
Like he was talking about something completely ordinary.
We’d been together for 6 years, and he’d been cheating for 4 of them.
I had so much to say.
But it all stuck in my throat.
They were married. Protected by law.
Did that make me the mistress?
I started vomiting uncontrollably.
Kieran smelled exactly like Nora.
The flush on his cheeks hadn’t completely faded.
I stared at him, forcing myself to stay calm.
“Then what am I? You fell in love with someone else, so why didn’t you say anything?”
With every word I spoke, my heart bled.
But Kieran’s face showed no emotion.
He even seemed to be reminiscing.
“Gianna Johnson, you don’t need to talk to me like that.”
“You think that necklace around your neck and those designer bags in your closet fell from the sky? I’m just an ordinary person who wants a better life. What’s wrong with that?”
“Even if I cheated, I never treated you poorly, did I? I took you on trips abroad. I served you like a princess every day. Isn’t that enough?”
As he spoke, he suddenly bent down and helped me up.
A playful glint appeared in his eyes.
His hand gently brushed across my forehead, straightening my messy hair.
“Gianna, actually, I’ve already prepared a parting gift for you.”
“Nora’s family is really wealthy, and they treat their employees well. Her driver, Wade Davis, makes over 10,000 a month.”
“I’ve arranged everything. In a couple of days, you’ll marry Wade. At least you’ll have a good life from now on.”
Kieran’s voice was especially gentle.
Just listening to his tone, you’d really think he had my best interests at heart.
How ridiculous.
I wasn’t his property. Why should I follow his arrangements?
“Kieran Smith, you’re truly despicable.”
Those words completely killed any desire I had to argue with him.
He had become a completely different person.
The good man in my memory gradually blurred.
Or rather, this was who he’d always been.
He’d just hidden it too well.
6 years, wasted on a jerk.
Looking at his shameless face, my blood boiled.
I spat right in his face.
The next second, Kieran’s expression changed completely.
When he turned back, his face had turned vicious.
“Who are you trying to act pure for?”
“When you were with Wade Davis, weren’t you moaning loud enough?”
As he spoke, he actually pulled out surveillance footage.
He laughed wildly.
“I knew you’d say that.”
“So on our engagement day, the person in bed with you wasn’t me at all.”
I didn’t listen to the rest of Kieran’s words.
I ran out just before throwing up again.
Scenes from our engagement day kept flashing through my mind.
Kieran had been especially excited.
He drank glass after glass and kept pouring wine into my cup.
I couldn’t stop him.
I drank until I was completely out of it.
The last thing I remembered before passing out was Kieran carrying me into the room.
Turns out, he personally delivered me to another man’s bed.
Realizing I’d spent an entire night with a stranger, I threw up.
My whole body shook uncontrollably.
I leaned against a flower bed, crying until I couldn’t breathe.
Too absorbed in my pain, I didn’t even notice someone quietly approaching from behind.
Not until that shrill laugh reached my ears.
I turned around and met Nora Yuvette’s eyes.
She was covering her mouth, laughing. Her eyes couldn’t hide her smugness.
“So you’re his little girlfriend. What a coincidence.”
“No wonder your face looked so awful this afternoon when you heard me talking. Kieran’s never treated you that way, has he!”
I figured she’d come to pick a fight too.
But the anger on her face completely disappeared when she saw me.
I didn’t want her to see me like this.
So I forced myself to stand up and face her.
My brain told me I should curse her out, vent properly.
But when the words reached my lips, I couldn’t say them.
“When you got together with him, did you know he had a girlfriend?”
I tried to appear strong, but my voice trembled as soon as I spoke.
Even in this moment, I still wanted to find excuses for this relationship.
But seeing Nora’s arrogant face, I understood.
“Of course I knew. So what?”
“Young guys throw themselves at me every day. They don’t care about their girlfriends, so why should I care?”
“I suggest you stop dwelling on this. He and I are already married anyway.”
“Just go along with Wade. He’s a bit older, sure, but he’s more than good enough for you.”
She laughed wildly.
Her tone carried an undeniable authority.
As soon as she finished speaking, she actually reached out and grabbed me.
Without another word, she tried to shove me into the car.
“The first time you didn’t even see his face. How boring.”
“I’m calling Wade right now. Let you two lovebirds enjoy yourselves properly.”
In that moment, I completely snapped out of it.
Seeing her raise her phone, I actually laughed.
Did she really think I was some pushover?
Dream on.
I grabbed a wooden stick from the bushes and swung it at her face with all my strength.
The stick even had thorns on it.
In an instant, it left a mark on her cheek.
Blood fell, staining the wild grass.
“Are you crazy? Believe it or not, one phone call and I’ll make sure you never work again!”
Nora didn’t even have time to cry out in pain before dialing a number.
“Mr. Johnson, someone bullied me!”
🌟 Continue the story here
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I was diagnosed with breast cancer during my premarital checkup.
My fiancé Daniel tried to persuade me:
“Elliot, just get it removed. I won’t think less of you.
Georgina specially applied for this surgery slot for you. She’s been interning in oncology for a year now, and it wasn’t easy for her to get this practical opportunity.”
So he was pushing me to accept the surgery just so his childhood friend could practice on me.
I endured the churning pain in my chest and firmly refused: “No!”
“But Georgina needs this surgery!” he said angrily.
I looked at him in disbelief.
Daniel realized his tone was too harsh and softened his attitude:
“If something’s broken, it has to be removed. Worst case… you can just get implants later. If you don’t have the surgery, how can we still get married?”
Then let’s not get married!
He didn’t know I’d already booked my flight abroad.
I had a childhood friend who happened to be a world-renowned oncology expert.
Seeing me silent, Daniel took advantage of the red light to grab my hand and persuade me.
“Would I really harm you?”
“Georgina already analyzed the pros and cons with me. If you don’t get this surgery soon, it could be life-threatening!”
“Who do you think I’m doing this for?”
The more he spoke, the more panicked he became.
I coldly pulled my hand away from Daniel’s. “Daniel, don’t treat people like fools.”
“You know perfectly well who you’re doing this for!”
The atmosphere in the car dropped several degrees.
Daniel’s proud jawline tensed. He glanced back at me with a glare. “Here you go again, getting jealous and making a scene over Georgina, right?”
“I’ve told you hundreds of times—Georgina and I are completely innocent. It’s not as dirty as you think!”
“If you really think that way, I guess there’s really no need for us to get married.”
Whenever Georgina was mentioned, Daniel would use marriage to pressure me.
Whenever it concerned Georgina, it was always me overthinking, me being petty.
“Fine. Let’s not get married then.”
The car suddenly screeched to a halt by the roadside.
Daniel hadn’t expected me to agree. Disbelief flickered in his eyes.
“Elliot, you really don’t know what’s good for you.”
“Do you know how long Georgina fought with the hospital for this surgery slot for you? Do you know how many times I’ve gone to the hospital for your condition?”
I let out a cold laugh. “Well, thank you both so much for your hard work.”
“But I already said—I’m not doing this surgery.”
“Whether as family or as a doctor, shouldn’t you respect the patient’s own wishes?”
It had been a month since the premarital checkup diagnosed my breast cancer.
During this month, Daniel had indeed been running back and forth to the hospital.
But it wasn’t for my condition—it was to pick up and drop off Georgina from work.
Daniel and I had been together for eight years. Forget picking me up from work—he didn’t even know which direction my office door faced.
But Georgina had only been back for six months, and he’d already become a hospital regular.
“Elliot, this isn’t up to you.”
“I’ve already filled out the admission form for you, and I’ll sign the surgery consent form as your spouse when the time comes.”
“This surgery is important for both you and Georgina!”
Not important for me. Important for Georgina.
Who didn’t know that Georgina, despite being back for six months, kept making mistakes in the operating room and might get fired?
She needed my surgery to prove her abilities.
“No way…”
My unfinished words were interrupted by urgent ringing. Georgina’s name flashed on the screen.
I stared at the custom sticker on the passenger side dashboard—”Georgina’s Seat Only”—the words burning into my eyes.
I’d fought with him countless times over this sticker, but Daniel always said the same thing:
“She’s younger than you, more immature than you. Can’t you just be understanding?”
“It’s just a sticker. What’s the big deal?”
Whenever it concerned Georgina, in Daniel’s eyes I was being unreasonable and jealous.
Over the past six months, I’d swallowed more grievances than I could count.
I rolled my eyes and said nothing, watching him answer the call.
“What’s wrong, Georgina?”
Completely different from his confrontational tone with me moments ago, his voice was immediately gentle and concerned.
Whatever she sobbed about on the other end, Daniel tensed up nervously.
“Okay, I’ll be right there.”
After hanging up, Daniel unlocked the doors.
“Georgina’s apartment is flooding. I need to get over there.”
“Take a cab home yourself.”
Daniel turned the steering wheel and made a U-turn. “The surgery is decided. Stop putting on a show.”
“That thing—once it’s gone, it’s gone. Let’s be real, women’s breasts are basically just there for men anyway, right?”
“I’m not even bothered that you won’t have them. Why are you making such a fuss?”
My mind exploded with a buzzing sound.
Before I could respond, Daniel unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed me out of the car.
The car drove off in a cloud of dust, leaving me standing there in a daze for a long time.
Eight years—it felt like I was seeing Daniel clearly for the first time.
Even the heavens seemed to be mocking me. I’d only walked a few steps when the rain began pouring down.
Daniel’s car was still at the traffic light. One second, two seconds, three seconds—the car started up and sped away without a moment’s hesitation.
He claimed to be worried about my illness, yet he could still abandon his sick fiancée in the rain for a single word from Georgina.
When he left, he didn’t even think to leave me an umbrella.
The journey home felt endless.
I don’t know how I made it back. All I knew was that Daniel and I were truly over.
When I reached the door of what was supposed to be our marital home, I heard a man and woman laughing inside through the half-open door.
As I pushed the door open, Daniel and Georgina both turned around simultaneously.
Daniel said nothing, just frowned at my drenched appearance.
Georgina exclaimed, “Elliot, what happened to you?”
“You can’t get caught in the rain with your condition! If you get a fever, you won’t be able to have the surgery the day after tomorrow…”
So the surgery was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
Coincidentally, my flight was also the day after tomorrow.
Hearing this, Daniel panicked.
He hurriedly grabbed a towel and hairdryer, pulled me over, and pressed me down onto the sofa.
“What are you doing!”
“Didn’t I tell you to take a cab home?”
“If you delay Georgina’s surgery, I’m telling you—I won’t marry you!”
The hairdryer roared. Daniel’s words pierced my heart like needles.
It hurt.
My health wasn’t important. What mattered was Georgina’s surgery.
In Daniel’s eyes, my breast was Georgina’s ticket to stay at State Hospital, her only chance.
“Go take a hot shower quickly. Don’t catch a cold.”
“These next few days, take care of yourself. No colds, no fevers.”
Daniel gave me a push. Georgina smiled beside him, adding quite a few pre-surgery precautions.
“Daniel, I’m hungry…”
“I want to eat your red wine steak.”
Georgina’s coquettish voice came from behind me, along with Daniel’s indulgent response.
My feet felt like they were filled with lead.
In our eight years together, I’d only learned that Daniel could cook after Georgina came back.
The day Georgina returned to the country, Daniel brought her to our home.
I’d thoughtfully made restaurant reservations, but Georgina said she wanted to eat Daniel’s home cooking, so he immediately went into the kitchen.
He spent three hours making eight dishes. The last dish was red wine steak.
“I’ve missed your cooking all these years abroad.”
“Daniel, you haven’t forgotten what you promised me, have you?”
Daniel took off his apron and wiped his hands.
“How would I dare forget what the princess said? I’ve never cooked for anyone else. If you don’t believe me, ask Elliot—she didn’t even know I could cook!”
The two of them laughed. Daniel gently ruffled Georgina’s hair.
At the dining table, I sat across from Georgina, so embarrassed I wanted to crawl into a hole.
That day they chatted happily while I couldn’t get a word in.
When I came out after my shower, the greasy smell of food hit me.
“Elliot, come over here.”
Georgina was sitting next to Daniel, calling me over to eat.
I glanced at their shoulders pressed together and gave a slight smile.
Where was there a place for me at that table?
“No thanks. I’m not hungry.”
I turned and went back to the bedroom, only to find it filled with someone else’s belongings.
“What’s going on?”
Daniel didn’t even look up. “Oh, Georgina’s apartment flooded.”
“She’s moving in temporarily.”
“After you finish your surgery and recover, she’ll move out.”
My hand holding the towel trembled uncontrollably. When I spoke, my voice carried a hint of tears.
“Daniel, this is our marital home.” Each word was heavy with grief.
But Daniel didn’t understand. He frowned and looked over, his eyes carrying a trace of reproach.
“We’re not married yet, are we? Whether it’s a marital home is debatable! Elliot, stop making trouble out of nothing.”
Georgina didn’t say a word, keeping her head down as she ate, but her trembling shoulders showed she was laughing.
I said nothing, just took my things and went to the guest room.
Just a few more days. I could endure this.
The flight was the day after tomorrow. Once I left, I’d like to see who Georgina could practice her surgery on!
Just as I sat down, my phone rang.
It was Williams.
“My queen, don’t forget next Monday’s flight.”
Williams’s mischievous voice came through the phone. I’d always said I found him annoying, but now his voice felt like a lifeline.
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“Williams, what if my situation is really bad enough to require surgery?”
There was silence on the other end for a moment. “Elliot, don’t be scared.”
“I’ve seen the scans you sent me. It’s not as terrible as it seems. Our equipment here is more precise. Do another scan here—what if it’s a misdiagnosis?”
“Even if it is confirmed, there are many treatment options. Surgery isn’t the only one.”
Williams had always been like an unreliable kid who never grew up.
But hearing this string of comforting words, I suddenly realized the boy on the other end was no longer the Williams I remembered.
Williams’s words soothed my wounded heart.
Not long after I hung up, there was a knock on the door.
It was Georgina.
She was wearing my pajamas, her eyes carrying a hint of provocation.
“Elliot, you don’t mind me wearing your pajamas, do you?”
I glanced at her coldly. “No problem. I’ll just throw them out later.”
Georgina’s red lips curved up slightly as she smiled and walked in.
“Elliot, do you know why Daniel didn’t show up to get our marriage license last time?”
Daniel and I had scheduled our license appointment six months ago, for the third day after Georgina’s return.
On the day we were supposed to register, Daniel was late. By the time he arrived, everyone at city hall had already left.
He pulled me aside apologetically. “Elliot, I really didn’t mean to. My car got rear-ended on the way.”
“My phone broke too…”
Daniel pitifully pulled out his shattered phone from his pocket as proof it was really an accident.
I believed him.
“Because that day was the anniversary of the first time we slept together. He went with me to revisit the place where it happened.”
“Do you know where?”
“His bedroom, when I was eighteen…”
Georgina leaned close to me. The hickey at the neckline of her pajamas was very conspicuous.
This was Daniel’s “nothing’s going on with Georgina.”
No wonder after Georgina came back, Daniel never mentioned getting our license again.
The only time he brought it up was for this premarital checkup.
He mentioned it on the day of our eight-year anniversary.
“Elliot, let’s do a premarital checkup. Georgina said she’d arrange it for us.”
Daniel and I had our biggest fight ever.
“Daniel, if you don’t want to get married, just say so. No need to keep dragging this out. I’m not someone who can’t live without you!”
That wasn’t just talk.
In the six months since Georgina came back, Daniel put her first in everything.
Various dinners, picking her up and dropping her off from work—every single time we’d fight because of her.
But nothing ever got resolved. We’d make up in a muddle, then start fighting about Georgina again.
Every time we fought, Daniel would threaten not to marry me. The constant back and forth had long since exhausted all my expectations.
But people are like that—they don’t turn back until they hit a wall.
I couldn’t completely let go of my eight years with Daniel.
So I agreed to the checkup, and that’s when the breast cancer was discovered.
“Elliot, tell me—if a woman doesn’t have breasts, what’s the difference between her and a man?”
Georgina’s words interrupted my memories.
She covered her mouth as she laughed, triumph in her smiling eyes.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t even want to live… Daniel even said…”
I clenched my fists. “Get out!”
I didn’t want to hear another word from Georgina.
After pushing her out, I slid down against the door and sat on the floor.
That powerless, painful feeling spread through my chest like vines, as if someone was strangling my neck. I could barely breathe.
Eight years. I’d wasted eight years.
Perhaps because of my excessive grief, I developed a high fever that night.
I pressed ice packs to my body and head, but nothing worked.
With no other choice, I knocked on Daniel’s door.
“I think I have a fever…”
Before I could finish, I collapsed into Daniel’s arms.
Daniel panicked and tried to call for an ambulance, but Georgina stopped him.
“Don’t call!”
“If she goes to the hospital now, they’ll definitely give her an IV. Once she’s on medication, the surgery the day after tomorrow will be ruined!”
Daniel was caught in a dilemma. “Then what do we do? We can’t just let her burn up!”
Georgina took a deep breath. “Put her in the bathtub. Soaking overnight will bring down the fever.”
I struggled to maintain consciousness, begging Daniel to take me to the hospital.
“Daniel… I need… to go to the hospital… Please, take me to the hospital…”
Georgina shook her head at him. “No.”
Daniel glanced at Georgina, bit his lip, and said to her, “Okay, go run the water.”
Whatever faint hope I’d been harboring died completely in that moment.
For the sake of Georgina completing her surgery, my life meant nothing to Daniel.
Fortunately, my fever broke the next day.
Daniel seemed somewhat guilty. He specially made porridge for breakfast.
“Elliot, I made this especially for you.”
“Georgina said to eat something light today so you’ll be ready for surgery tomorrow.”
I glanced at it indifferently, then tossed it straight into the trash.
All day, I didn’t say a single word to Daniel.
Not until I got up in the middle of the night for water and heard Daniel’s voice coming through the door crack.
“I know, I know.”
“After her surgery is done, I’ll definitely talk to her about breaking up.”
“I’m only keeping her happy now so you can do the surgery, aren’t I? Okay, okay, don’t be angry…”
I wasn’t surprised by what Daniel said. Instead, I felt strangely relieved.
That night, I sat in the living room until dawn.
When Daniel discovered me, he took a surprised step back.
“Why are you up so early?”
I stood up. “Waiting for you two, to go to the hospital for surgery.”
“Didn’t you say once the surgery’s done, we can get our license?”
“Daniel, I’ve thought it through.”
Daniel seemed surprised, unable to hide his happiness.
Last night he’d been worried I’d make a scene at the hospital and the surgery couldn’t proceed smoothly. Now it seemed everything was going perfectly.
Daniel took Georgina and me to the hospital.
Georgina busied herself with pre-surgery preparations while Daniel waited outside my hospital room.
“I’m going to change clothes first.”
Daniel was very reassured and didn’t follow.
I followed the medical staff to the changing room, and taking advantage of the crowd, turned around and walked out.
Following the flow of people, I took the elevator out of the inpatient building.
“To the airport.” I got in a car and left the hospital.
Meanwhile, Daniel sat in the hospital room waiting for a long time without seeing anyone return. Worried, he got up to look.
“Where’s Elliot? Wasn’t she changing clothes?”
The medical staff frowned. “She changed and came out ages ago.”
Daniel broke out in a cold sweat. He searched the entire inpatient building without finding any trace of me.
All his calls were rejected.
Daniel completely panicked. Just then, his phone rang.
When Daniel saw who it was, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Elliot, did you get lost?”
“Where are you? I’ll come get you…”
“I’m at the airport. Daniel, let’s break up.”
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The day my mother died, I watched helplessly as my father brought his mistress and her daughter Rose into our home.
So on my wedding day with Alexander, when I saw Alexander and Rose rolling around in bed together, I wasn’t surprised.
I just thought to myself—the daughter of a homewrecker is destined to be a homewrecker too.
Then I used the Swiss Army knife Alexander gave me and slashed Rose’s face.
Alexander immediately had me thrown in prison.
After I was imprisoned, Alexander divorced me and gave Rose a grand wedding.
Three years later, I was released.
Alexander hired twenty security guards, terrified I would hurt Rose again. He even set traps, trying to send me back to prison.
But he was overthinking it.
I disappeared from his life like a drop of water merging into the ocean.
We met again at my auto repair shop.
I spat out the toothpick I’d been chewing on, lifted the hood with my grease-stained fingers, and asked calmly:
“How old is this car?”
He suddenly clenched his jaw and spoke through gritted teeth:
“Scarlett, this car was the first gift you ever gave me.”
My hand holding the wrench paused.
“Oh, then it’s got some years on it. Needs a major overhaul.”
My tone was too flat. Alexander froze slightly, opening his mouth several times but unable to speak.
I tapped each bolt with my wrench, checking them carefully and thoroughly.
As if the dazzling yellow sports car in front of me was no different from the thousands of other cars I’d repaired.
Perhaps finding the metallic clanging too grating, Alexander’s expression changed several times before he finally pulled out a mocking smile:
“Scarlett, if you need money, you can just call me.”
“There’s no need to scatter nails on the road and lure me to this godforsaken place to watch you perform.”
I smiled and made conversation, as if chatting casually with an ordinary customer:
“If I could act, I’d be a movie star.”
“You came from Route 3, right? The news this morning said a truck carrying steel nails overturned there yesterday. Better be careful.”
As I spoke, I casually grabbed a towel nearby and wiped the grease off my hands.
Alexander’s eyes fixed on that towel.
Originally pink, it had been washed until it faded to white, with frayed edges. He seemed to finally lose his patience and raised his voice:
“Scarlett, you used to be proud as a swan.”
“Claustrophobia, OCD, germaphobia—you had every spoiled rich girl ailment. You’d wipe a single speck of dust off your heels for ages, fire the maid over one grease spot on the table…”
“And now you…”
“Scarlett, take a look at my car! The AC isn’t cooling anymore!”
With a booming female voice, the shop door was pushed open again. A woman in a floral shirt walked in and shoved her car keys into my hand.
“Sure thing, Bella. Leave it here, I’ll check it out in a bit.” I took the keys. “Probably just needs a recharge. Small problem.”
“Alright, you’re busy.” Bella cheerfully patted my shoulder, then glanced at Alexander and lowered her voice.
“Got a customer? I’ll head out then. Talk later.”
After seeing Bella off, I remembered there was still a customer in the shop and gave Alexander a polite smile.
“So, Mr. Alexander, your car’s fixed. Thanks for your business. Twenty dollars.”
“You…”
Alexander stared at me blankly. It took him a long time to get out one word, but he had no strength to say the rest.
Instead, he quickly pulled out his phone and scanned the payment code.
Seeing the five hundred dollars that came through, I waved my hands repeatedly:
“Mr. Alexander, you overpaid. Let me transfer the difference back.”
As I spoke, I instinctively tried to find Alexander’s contact.
Then I suddenly remembered—after I went to prison, he’d blocked me.
Helplessly, I scratched my head. “This is awkward. Mr. Alexander, could you give me your payment code?”
“You… didn’t you say the car needed a major overhaul?” Alexander’s expression was complicated. “Check the other parts too. Is this enough?”
I was quite pleased.
“More than enough! Plenty to spare. Just wait right here then.”
I grabbed the stool nearby and pushed it toward Alexander.
Seeing his crisp suit, I found a cleaner rag to place on it for him.
Alexander was silent for a long time before sitting down somewhat stiffly, posture elegant, palms resting on his knees.
The next second, he was startled by the creaking of the glass door.
“Scarlett, still fixing cars during lunch? Business must be good. No wonder you ordered two burgers today. Turns out you’ve got a luxury car customer.”
It was the delivery guy who brought me food every day.
I chatted and joked with him for a bit, taking the takeout from his hands.
Meanwhile, Alexander seemed uncomfortable being called a “customer,” turning his face slightly and letting out a soft breath.
But there was no helping it—the whole neighborhood was like this.
Mitch from the nail salon next door came over asking if I wanted to go to the bar tonight.
The office worker from upstairs came down with a big suitcase, asking to store it and pick it up tonight.
A passing female student rushed in asking if I had a power bank she could borrow.
Their gazes—curious or appraising—lingered on Alexander more or less.
Finally, he shifted uncomfortably and crossed his legs:
“Scarlett, is this how you’ve degraded yourself, mixing with… these poor people?”
His eyes seemed a bit red, though maybe I was mistaken.
After three years in prison, my eyesight had gotten worse.
“The car doesn’t have any major problems.” I straightened up, wiping the sweat from my forehead with my elbow.
“Just some brake pad wear. Best to replace them, but this is a small shop—I don’t have original parts. You’ll need to go to a bigger place for that.”
I pointed out the location of another repair shop, then eagerly opened my takeout.
But Alexander showed no signs of leaving.
I was a bit confused. After thinking for a moment, I pushed the fries toward him:
“Are you hungry, Mr. Alexander? If you don’t mind, have some.”
Alexander’s gaze wandered, passing over the grease in my nail beds that wouldn’t wash clean, then sweeping over my burger and fries.
When he spoke again, his voice was a bit hoarse:
“That’s all fast food, unhealthy… you didn’t used to eat that.”
In his memory, I was picky, had a selective diet, loved Japanese and French cuisine.
If food was even slightly off, it could have me hugging the toilet and vomiting until I was dizzy.
I smiled:
“In prison, I wanted to eat this stuff but couldn’t. Now I do physical labor all day—it cured all my fussy habits.”
“The fries here are really good. Try some, Mr. Alexander.”
“Oh, they even gave an extra ketchup packet today! Score!”
I happily pulled out the ketchup packet and tossed it into the storage box behind me.
Inside were already quite a few complimentary condiment packets—buy one pack of bread and I could make do for a meal.
Alexander suddenly stood up, his voice thick with emotion:
“Enough!” I was startled.
The next second, he threw a black card at me.
“This is my secondary card. Take it.”
His movement was too abrupt—he not only knocked over the little stool but almost spilled my takeout.
Fortunately, my reflexes were quick. I dodged to the side, barely protecting my burger.
“Mr. Alexander,” I said somewhat helplessly, “if you’re not going to eat, I’ll start…”
“Scarlett!” Alexander couldn’t take it anymore and roared in a low voice. “I’m serious!”
“This secondary card is linked to one of my platinum cards. Five million dollar limit. Spend whatever you want.”
“Buy a better storefront, do some proper business, be your own boss. Don’t stay cooped up in this kind of place being a dirty, exhausting auto mechanic anymore!”
“You used to be a well-off ski athlete. Have you forgotten?!”
His roar was deafening, immediately dragging me into memories.
My birth family was indeed well-off—one of Utah’s largest investment firms.
I was an only child in a wealthy family until age seven, when my mom became pregnant with twin sisters.
But just as we were joyfully anticipating their arrival, Dad’s affair arrived right on schedule.
He fell for a mixed-race starlet, loved her with earth-shattering passion.
So much so that the mistress came right to my mother’s face and forced her to divorce.
My mother was a fierce woman. She quickly got into an argument with the mistress.
In the chaos, I watched with my own eyes as that woman extended her long red nails, grabbed my mother’s neck, and pushed her down the stairs.
Three lives lost in one fall. She died with her eyes open.
Afterward, to force me to change my testimony, my dad strung me up and beat me for a full day and night, finally securing the mistress’s release.
They got married. The mistress even brought her daughter from her previous marriage—my stepsister, Rose.
My nightmare began then.
Beatings, verbal abuse, false accusations, constant bullying.
To survive, I had to escape to Switzerland. I practiced desperately and became a ski athlete who made a splash.
At that time, Alexander was at a business school in Switzerland.
A fleeting glimpse during a race broadcast, and he became my passionate fan.
Every time I reached the finish line in a competition, he’d be holding up a sign with my name, shouting with all his might.
When a corrupt referee deliberately misjudged me, he led all his classmates to the streets of Switzerland just to get me justice.
He stayed with me through injuries, encouraged me through my low points.
Finally, when I steadily crossed the finish line in first place, I took off my skis and rushed toward him in the stands.
In the fluttering confetti and audience cheers, I embraced him tightly before countless witnesses.
The abnormal relationship between idol and fan ended there. He became my public boyfriend.
But I never imagined that on the night of my championship, as we strolled through the streets of Switzerland, two armed thugs rushed at us!
They wanted to rob us. Alexander immediately fought them to protect me.
I was terrified he’d get hurt. I rushed up to help him without thinking.
In my panicked rush forward, a bullet hit my chest.
This shot didn’t kill me, but it punctured my lung and grazed my heart.
From then on, I could never do strenuous exercise again. Like skiing.
But I never regretted it.
Alexander was the love of my life. His importance far exceeded any competition.
I might win a hundred championships, but I only had one Alexander.
As I lay in the hospital bed, weakly holding Alexander’s hand and telling him all this, he cried and threw himself into my arms.
“Scarlett, let’s go home. My family has connections in both politics and business. Whatever you want to do, I’ll support you all the way!”
That’s the kind of person Alexander was. He wasn’t good at sweet talk—he just did concrete things.
I returned home with him, full of joy.
At the airport, we saw Rose who’d come to pick us up.
When she saw the heir to Alexander’s family standing beside me, her pupils dilated in shock. But she quickly smiled brilliantly.
I thought of her mistress mother. When she stood beside my father, her smile had the exact same curve.
And this ominous premonition soon became reality.
I don’t know when it started, but Alexander began mentioning Rose frequently.
At first, he said she was cute and sweet. Then he said she was pitiful living under someone else’s roof. Later still, he said, “Scarlett, stop bullying Rose all the time.”
I wanted to have a good talk with Alexander, but it happened to be the anniversary of my mother and sisters’ deaths. I had to visit the cemetery first.
When I came home after laying flowers, I witnessed a scene I’d never forget.
Alexander and Rose, that pair of dogs, were lying naked on the white sheets.
“Alexander, why didn’t you go pay respects to your future mother-in-law today?” Rose asked.
“How could her mother be my mother-in-law… if I had to choose a mother-in-law, it’d be your mother…”
My ears rang. I completely lost my mind, rushed into the room like a madwoman, and struck with my knife.
The blade sliced across Rose’s beautiful face. Her scream—I still remember it. So satisfying.
Afterward, the judge considered that I was the victim in the marriage and wanted to give a light sentence with probation.
It was Alexander who hired the best legal team, even bribed witnesses to give false testimony, and finally got me sentenced to three years in prison.
I let out a breath and quietly studied Alexander standing before me.
Money is wonderful. Time hadn’t left a single trace on this handsome man.
But it had given me cracked hands, hair cut short to my ears for convenience, and nail beds that would never be clean.
I gently pushed the secondary card back.
“Not necessary, Mr. Alexander. I’m living pretty well now.”
“Food and clothing aren’t worries. I’m free and easy, don’t steal or rob, earn money with my own hands.”
But Alexander stubbornly extended his hand.
“Just consider it… compensation from me. You take the money, let go of the resentment, and we’ll be even from now on.”
I looked at him with some surprise.
The proud Alexander had actually learned to compensate others.
He never used to lower his head.
“Then it’s even less necessary. I saved you because you were my boyfriend at the time. I deliberately hurt someone and went to prison—that was as it should be. Neither of us owes the other anything.”
Alexander clenched his fists, eyes fixed on me.
As if confirming over and over that the person standing before him was indeed Scarlett herself.
Finally, he slowly lowered his head, tears seeming to glisten in the corners of his eyes.
“Scarlett… you make me feel like such a stranger.”
I looked at the clock on the wall.
“We haven’t seen each other in years. Of course we’re strangers.”
“Back then… I lost control for a moment.” He paused, his voice choking slightly.
“All these years, I’ve been thinking—if you hadn’t committed that impulsive crime, out of guilt, I definitely would have married you and treated you doubly well…”
I said nothing for a long time, letting the clock’s ticking be stretched infinitely long by the silence.
“Everyone has their own fate.” I fished a lollipop from my pocket, peeled off the wrapper and stuck it in my mouth. “Don’t regret what you did, and don’t look back.”
“You—”
Alexander was rendered speechless by this ordinary statement. After a long while, he said irritably:
“You haven’t changed in one way—you’re still a stone in the toilet, smelly and hard!”
I nodded readily. “The neighbors all say I’ve got a stubborn streak.”
“Scarlett!”
Alexander clenched his fists. After holding it in for ages, he suddenly called my nickname.
I was momentarily dazed. The tone he used for those two syllables was just like before.
Seeing my distraction, he softened his voice:
“If you won’t accept my compensation, I can act as mediator between you and your father.
You don’t know yet, do you? Your father has late-stage pancreatic cancer. He won’t live much longer.”
“If you get his forgiveness now, you can still get a share of the inheritance—enough to last you a lifetime…”
“Is that so?” I was quite pleased. “He’s finally getting what he deserves.”
After I’d deflected the conversation three or four times, Alexander lost his patience. He suddenly grabbed my arm, trying to pull me to his car.
“Scarlett, how long are you going to keep up this stubborn act!”
“Look at yourself! Just look at what you’ve become!”
“Renting a tiny, dark self-built house, doing dirty, exhausting repair work!”
“Eating junk food—do you think this appearance is cool, special, touching?”
“You’re just a bottom-tier mechanic! The very bottom!”
I looked down at myself—my work clothes covered in grease, hair carelessly tied in a ponytail, face probably smudged with dirt too.
I honestly rebutted:
“It’s not that bad, is it? At least I still have a clean face, unlike certain people…”
Alexander jumped up like someone had stepped on his foot, his face flushed:
“Rose has had surgery and is completely restored! Although there are scars, makeup can cover them!”
“And you—you smell like motor oil, your hands are rough as sandpaper. What man could stand that!”
Getting emotional, he swung his Hermès bag at me haphazardly, like someone disappointed in me for not living up to potential.
Just then, the glass door creaked and was pushed open again.
Two children, a boy and a girl, shot in like rockets…
“Mommy!”
The children competed to throw themselves into my arms, giggling nonstop.
In that bell-like laughter, the expression on Alexander’s face froze abruptly.
“Scarlett, these two children are…”
He stared wide-eyed at the children’s faces, as if trying to find something about them that didn’t resemble me.
“Did you adopt them from somewhere?”
The children didn’t like hearing that.
My son puffed out his chest:
“You’re the adopted one! Your whole family is adopted!”
My daughter pouted and hugged my neck tight:
“Mommy, who is he?”
Children speak without thinking.
The color gradually drained from Alexander’s face. Even his lips trembled.
“You… got married and had children?”
I smiled and confirmed it, smoothing back my daughter’s disheveled hair:
“Yes, twins. The twin gene my mother passed down to me.”
“The children’s father is…”
“None of your business.”
I was brief and to the point, then pulled over the two children clinging to me:
“He’s someone Mommy… used to know.”
“Hello!”
Though reluctant, the children still obediently and sweetly greeted Alexander.
Alexander instinctively reached for something on himself, probably wanting to find some kind of greeting gift.
But he discovered his perfectly tailored suit didn’t even have pockets.
Not knowing how to interact with children, he could only stare blankly as the children surrounded me, competing for attention.
“Mommy, I learned to fold my blanket by myself today! The teacher praised me!”
“I helped the teacher erase the blackboard! I’m better than my sister!”
“Mommy, what are we eating tonight?”
“Roast chicken! Daddy promised to take us for roast chicken!”
I good-naturedly agreed to each request, the fine lines at the corners of my eyes and brows smoothing out with their laughter.
Alexander lowered his eyes. His long lashes cast shadows, as if this domestic bliss hurt his eyes.
“Scarlett,” he took a deep breath, “you used to have nervous breakdowns and hated noise.”
“Remember? To keep you comfortable, I once promised you we’d never have children in our home.”
The children were competing to stuff leftover candy from their lunch into my mouth.
My cheeks bulging, I looked up blankly and thought for a moment.
“Did that happen? I don’t really remember.”
“My husband and I both love kids. If I didn’t think giving birth was too hard, he’d want a third child.”
As I spoke, I happily kissed each child on the face.
Alexander’s body swayed slightly. He seemed about to say something, but was interrupted by his phone ringing.
His phone was a foldable model, quite large.
With a quick glance, I saw the caller ID.
[Baby Wife]
On the phone, Rose’s urgent voice came through, seemingly complaining about something.
Alexander’s brow furrowed slightly, his tone showing some impatience:
“I know, I know, I’ll come back now. You’re a grown woman, how can you not handle even this…”
He said he was going home, but his feet didn’t move.
I was the one who smiled and urged him:
“Mr. Alexander, it looks like rain soon. Better head home quickly.”
“Remember to replace the brake pads on that sports car as soon as possible.”
Alexander gave a short hum, looked at me deeply once more, and finally strode quickly to his car.
I breathed a sigh of relief and was about to send the children to the back room to play with blocks.
But I discovered that Alexander had still quietly left that secondary card on the counter.
I scratched my head in distress.
No choice. I had to run to the police station after work that day with the card.
“A customer named Alexander left his card at my shop. Can you help return it? After all, I don’t have his contact information.”
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My old wrist injury flared up at the French Open finals.
But Lucas sent the medical team to Serena. She’d only sprained her ankle.
After seven years together, his constant favoritism finally killed our relationship.
He had sex with her in our bed.
Then came the acid. A thug threw it at us. He didn’t hesitate. He shoved me aside to protect her.
I was done. I posted about calling off our engagement.
My longtime rival Griffin called. “Want to switch fiancés? How about me?”
Stella’s POV
France, Roland-Garros Stadium.
On the clay court, I was drenched in sweat, my right hand trembling uncontrollably as I gripped the racket.
A Grand Slam final. Match point. My old wrist injury had flared up.
Piercing pain shot through my nerves, making it nearly impossible to hold the racket.
During the mid-match break, I looked toward the family viewing section, my face pale.
It was empty.
My boyfriend of seven years, Lucas Luton, hadn’t come.
Not only had he not come. The top-tier medical team he’d promised to accompany me hadn’t shown up either.
“Your wrist needs immediate ice and physical therapy. Where’s your medical team?”
My foreign coach asked anxiously.
I lowered my eyes, pulled out my phone, and dialed the number I knew by heart.
The phone rang for a long time before being answered. Lucas’s characteristically cold voice came through.
“Is the match over?”
“Lucas, my old wrist injury flared up.”
My voice trembled slightly.
“Why didn’t the medical team come to France?”
A pause. Then he answered, his tone almost casual.
“Serena sprained her ankle skiing the day before yesterday and has been very emotionally unstable. I wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone in the country, so I had the medical team stay to take care of her.”
I felt like I’d plunged into an ice cave.
Serena, Lucas’s mentor’s daughter.
“She just sprained her ankle, and I’m playing in a Grand Slam final!”
I bit my lip hard.
“Lucas, you promised me that if I won this championship, we’d get engaged.”
“Stella, can you not be so selfish?”
Lucas’s voice turned cold.
“Serena has been frail since childhood and can’t handle shocks. You’re in great physical condition. What’s the big deal about getting through one match without the medical team? We’ll talk about the engagement later. I need to accompany Serena for her checkup. I’m hanging up.”
The dial tone cut through me like a dull knife.
I took a deep breath, forced myself through the excruciating wrist pain, and walked back onto the court.
But no miracle occurred.
The severe injury caused me to make frequent mistakes. I ultimately lost 0-2, missing the most important championship of my professional career.
At the awards ceremony, I held the runner-up plate in silence for a long time.
Back in the locker room, my phone vibrated.
It was a message from Serena.
A photo.
In the photo, Lucas was bending down, gently putting ice on Serena’s swollen ankle.
His profile was impossibly gentle. A tenderness I’d rarely seen in seven years.
The caption read: “My ankle hurts so much, but with Lucas here, it doesn’t seem to hurt anymore.”
I stared at that photo for a long time, until my eyes felt dry and sore.
I didn’t cry.
I used to get angry. I used to argue. Every time I saw Lucas’s special care for Serena.
But now? I just felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Seven years.
I fell in love with Lucas at first sight when I was eighteen. To pursue him, I gave up the opportunity to study at a top tennis academy abroad and stayed in his city.
Lucas was famously aloof in our circle. Cold and noble.
Everyone said he had no heart, but like a little sun, I pestered him relentlessly until I finally warmed this block of ice.
I thought I was special.
Until Serena returned to the country.
With just one phone call from Serena, Lucas could abandon me when I had a high fever.
With just one word about being scared, Lucas could miss my birthday party.
Now, even the most important final of my professional career, even the medical team I desperately needed. He could strip it all away without hesitation, just to treat Serena’s sprained ankle.
I closed my eyes and turned my phone face-down on the table.
So in Lucas’s heart, my dreams, my pain, my seven years of youth. None of it compared to one cry of pain from Serena.
I stood up and carelessly stuffed the runner-up plate into my tennis bag.
The pain in my wrist continued, but what hurt more was a heart that had gone completely cold.
Stella’s POV
After more than ten hours of flying, I dragged my luggage back to the city alone.
The moment I pushed open the villa door, deafening music hit me.
The spacious living room had been transformed into a luxurious party. Champagne towers. Balloons. Streamers. A crowd of elegantly dressed guests.
At the center of the crowd, Lucas stood in a haute couture suit, holding a wine glass, looking tenderly at Serena beside him.
Serena wore a white designer gown like a proud little princess, holding a golden trophy.
It was a championship from an amateur tennis club’s friendly match.
“Lucas, thank you for throwing this party for me!”
Serena smiled radiantly.
Lucas reached out and ruffled her hair, his tone indulgent.
“You deserve it.”
Standing in the entryway, I watched this scene and found it utterly absurd.
For my Grand Slam final, he wouldn’t even provide a medical team.
For Serena’s amateur competition, he threw an extravagant party.
My appearance instantly silenced the noisy living room.
Lucas turned around. Seeing my face and the tennis bag in my hand, he instinctively frowned.
“Why did you come back early? Didn’t you say you were staying in France for rehabilitation?”
His tone held no concern, only displeasure at being disturbed.
I didn’t answer, just looked at him quietly.
Seeing this, Serena immediately walked over and spoke up.
“Stella, you’re back! I watched your match. What a shame. you were so close. Don’t be too upset. Lucas said your psychological resilience is just too weak. You’ll do better next time!”
Psychological resilience too weak?
I laughed coldly.
If not for the excruciating wrist pain without medical intervention, how would I have lost?
“My business isn’t yours to comment on.”
I gave Serena a cold glance.
Serena’s eyes immediately reddened as she shrank behind Lucas, looking aggrieved.
“Lucas, did I say something wrong and upset Stella?”
Lucas’s face darkened. He pulled Serena behind him and scolded me harshly.
“Stella, why are you taking it out on Serena? You lost the match because you weren’t good enough. Coming back here with that attitude. Who are you trying to impress?”
Not good enough.
Those four words coming from Lucas’s mouth felt like a resounding slap across my face.
I took a deep breath, suppressing the bitterness in my heart.
“Lucas, come upstairs with me.”
Without waiting for a response, I headed straight to the second floor.
A few minutes later, Lucas pushed open the bedroom door. He tugged at his tie, looking somewhat impatient.
“What are you making a fuss about now? Serena finally won a championship, and you have to spoil it at this moment?”
“When are you planning to arrange our engagement?”
I looked directly into his eyes, not beating around the bush.
Lucas’s movements paused. His eyes shifted away briefly before his face turned cold.
“Didn’t I tell you on the phone? We’ll discuss it later.”
“How much later is ‘later’?”
“Stella, can you be reasonable?”
Lucas’s voice rose several notches.
“Serena’s depression has relapsed recently. The doctor said she can’t handle any stress. If we make a big deal about getting engaged right now, she won’t be able to handle it. My mentor entrusted her to me before he died. I can’t ignore her.”
I laughed until tears nearly came.
“She can’t handle stress, so I deserve to be mistreated? Deserve to have no official status?”
“It’s just postponed, not canceled.”
Lucas frowned, seeming to find me unreasonable.
“When did you become so calculating? What happened to the understanding Stella from before?”
Looking at this man before me, I suddenly felt he was completely unfamiliar.
That understanding Stella had been killed long ago by his repeated favoritism and coldness.
“Fine. I understand.”
I looked away.
Lucas, thinking I’d yielded, nodded with satisfaction.
“Get some rest. I’m going downstairs to help Serena cut the cake.”
The door closed, shutting out the laughter and joy from downstairs.
I stood in the empty room, looking down at my slightly swollen right wrist, my heart growing cold.
Stella’s POV
The next day, I went to the downtown hospital to have my wrist checked.
The doctor looked at the scans with a grave expression.
“Stella, your wrist has severe soft tissue damage. Because it wasn’t iced and treated immediately, chronic inflammation has now formed. You need at least three months of rest, or it will affect your professional career.”
I listened silently, got my prescription, and left the hospital.
Passing by a luxury residential complex downtown, I stopped the car.
This was where Lucas had bought a large flat six months ago, saying it would be our future marital home.
At the time, Lucas gave me the keys and let me handle all the renovations.
I put a lot of thought into it, decorating the place in my favorite minimalist wood style.
I took the elevator upstairs and pulled out my key to open the door.
However, the lock made a “beep beep” error sound.
The password had been changed.
I froze for a moment, about to call property management, when the door opened from inside.
Serena stood inside wearing silk pajamas. Seeing me, she also froze, then revealed a triumphant smile.
“Stella? What are you doing here?”
I looked at the pink slippers by the entrance and the pink sofa and curtains that had replaced my carefully chosen furniture in the living room. Blood rushed to my head.
“Why are you here?”
I stared at her intently.
Serena blinked innocently.
“Lucas didn’t tell you? My old apartment had poor security. Lucas was worried about me, so he let me stay in this place. Oh my, Stella, don’t mind. I’m just staying temporarily.”
Temporary? They changed the password. They replaced all my furniture. And called it temporary?
I ignored Serena and called Lucas.
“Lucas, what’s going on with the Cloudwater Bay property?”
On the other end, Lucas’s voice carried a hint of impatience.
“Serena is all alone in the country with no one to rely on, and something happened at her previous apartment. I let her stay at Cloudwater Bay for a few days. What’s the problem?”
“That’s our marital home!”
I gripped my phone tightly.
“It’s just a property. Do you need to make such a big deal out of it?”
Lucas’s tone was self-righteous.
“Serena has trouble sleeping and prefers warm tones, so I had the soft furnishings changed a bit. If you really don’t like it, we’ll just buy another place later.”
Just a property.
With one casual phrase, he erased six months of my effort and completely crushed my last bit of hope for this relationship.
“Lucas, do you think that as long as it’s for Serena, I should yield no matter what?”
I said calmly.
“What are you making a fuss about now? I told you, I only see her as a sister!”
Lucas impatiently cut me off.
“I have a meeting soon. I don’t have time to listen to your unreasonable complaints.”
The call ended.
I looked at the screen. A sense of relief washed over me.
Seven years of obsession. Gone in an instant.
I didn’t spare Serena another glance and turned to enter the elevator.
Back in my car, I pulled out my phone, opened Ins, and edited a post.
“Engagement canceled. Seven years fed to the dogs. Now looking for a new fiancé. Any takers?”
I clicked send and blocked Lucas.
I thought this was just an emotional vent post that no one would take seriously.
However, just three minutes later, an unfamiliar yet familiar number called.
Griffin.
Seeing that name, I froze.
Griffin and I grew up together. We were also lifelong rivals.
We fought from kindergarten all the way through high school, until college when I gave up studying abroad at a top tennis academy to stay in Lucas’s city, while Griffin went overseas. That’s when we lost contact.
I’d heard he now ran the family business and had become the head of the country’s largest sports conglomerate.
I answered the call. Before I could speak, a deep, magnetic male voice came through, with a hint of barely detectable nervousness.
“Stella, if you want to switch fiancés, how about me?”
Stella’s POV
The car interior fell deathly silent.
I held the phone, taking a long time to find my voice.
“Griffin, what kind of joke is this?”
“I’m not joking.”
The voice on the other end became utterly serious.
“Stella, since Lucas doesn’t treasure you, let me. We grew up together. I absolutely won’t let you suffer even the slightest grievance.”
I lowered my eyes, looking at my bandaged wrist.
Seven years of love. I’d lost completely and utterly.
But I, Stella, was never someone who would wallow in the mud.
Since I’d decided to cut ties, I would cut them completely clean.
“Okay.”
I took a deep breath.
“Give me half a month to handle things here, then I’ll come find you.”
“You don’t need to come back.”
Griffin laughed lightly, his tone carrying unquestionable authority.
“I’m flying there tomorrow to pick you up. Your wrist needs the best doctors. I’ve already made arrangements.”
After hanging up, a long-absent warmth surged in my heart.
So this was what it felt like to be firmly chosen and properly taken care of.
The next morning, I arrived on time at the “Starshine” tennis club where I was based.
Just as I reached the manager’s office door, I heard Lucas’s voice.
“Give the US Open wildcard to Serena.”
Lucas’s tone was a command that brooked no refusal.
I froze mid-reach for the door handle.
Lucas’s Luton Corporation was Starshine Club’s biggest sponsor.
The manager looked troubled.
“Mr. Luton, this isn’t right. Stella earned that wildcard. Serena is an amateur. This…”
“Stella’s wrist is injured. She needs to rest.”
Lucas coldly interrupted him.
“Serena’s been emotionally low lately. She needs a high-profile competition to rebuild her confidence. This is decided.”
“Not only that,”
Lucas paused, then continued,
“Have Stella serve as Serena’s practice partner during this time and coach her technique.”
Standing outside the door, I was so angry I had to laugh.
Make a Grand Slam runner-up serve as practice partner for an amateur? And hand over the US Open wildcard I’d fought for with my life?
Lucas, just how shameless could you be?
I pushed open the door and walked straight in.
Seeing me, Lucas showed no embarrassment at being caught. Instead, he spoke matter-of-factly.
“Perfect timing. You heard what I just said, right? Your wrist can’t handle high-intensity matches anyway, so give the wildcard to Serena. The practice partner arrangement is for your own good too. Keep your touch.”
I looked at this well-dressed, handsome man and felt my stomach churn.
“Lucas, what makes you think I’d agree to such an absurd demand?”
I looked at him coldly.
Lucas frowned.
“Stella, can you not be so selfish? Serena needs this opportunity!”
“She needs it, so I must give it to her?”
I walked to the desk, pulled a document from my bag, and slammed it down heavily.
“This is my contract termination application.”
I looked at the manager.
“I’ll pay the penalty. Every cent.”
The manager was shocked.
“Stella, don’t be impulsive!”
Lucas’s face instantly darkened.
“Stella, you’re threatening me with termination?”
“Threaten?”
I smiled mockingly.
“Lucas, you think too highly of yourself. I just feel that staying in a club that can’t even guarantee basic athlete dignity is disgusting.”
“You!”
Lucas shot to his feet, his eyes sharp.
“Fine, very good! Stella, you’ve grown bold! Let me see which club dares sign a defective product with a ruined wrist!”
“No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Luton.”
I turned around, spine straight, and walked out of the office without a backward glance.
Lucas watched my retreating figure and laughed coldly.
I didn’t need to look back to know he must be thinking I was just throwing a tantrum and would come crying back to him within three days.
After all, he thought I loved him that much.
Stella’s POV
The termination was handled smoothly. Though the penalty was a huge sum, my prize money and endorsements over the years were enough to cover it.
That afternoon, I returned to the villa and started packing my belongings.
I packed clothes, rackets, and trophies into boxes one by one, my movements efficient and resolute.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
I opened the door to find Serena standing outside with several shopping bags, smiling innocently.
“Stella, Lucas said you were resting at home today, so I came specially to see you.”
Serena spoke while walking right in uninvited.
She placed the shopping bags on the sofa, deliberately revealing a dazzling diamond bracelet on her wrist.
“Stella, do you think this bracelet is beautiful? Lucas specially accompanied me to the mall today to pick it out. He said I wear it better than you ever could.”
I glanced at the bracelet. It was the one I’d chosen last month, planning to use as an engagement gift.
“Done showing off? Then get out.”
I couldn’t even be bothered to give her an extra glance and continued packing.
Seeing my reaction, Serena bit her lip, malice flashing in her eyes.
“Stella, actually you packing up and leaving is the right thing to do. Lucas doesn’t love you at all. He’s just used to you throwing yourself at him. Now that I’m back, you should have known to make way.”
I stopped what I was doing and looked at her coldly.
“Serena, do you think picking up garbage I threw away is something to be proud of?”
“You!”
Serena was livid.
Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the villa.
Several extreme fans wearing masks and carrying banners broke through the residential security and rushed toward the main gate.
“Stella! You match-fixing fraud! Give us back our hard-earned money!”
It turned out my loss in the French Open finals had caused some underground gambling extremists to lose money, and they’d come for revenge.
The situation instantly spiraled out of control.
At that moment, Lucas’s car pulled up at the villa entrance. He’d just gotten out when he saw the chaotic scene.
“Lucas! Help!”
Serena screamed in terror, stumbling as she ran outside.
An extreme fan holding a glass bottle filled with unknown liquid aimed viciously at Serena and me.
“Go to hell!”
In that critical moment, Lucas rushed over.
I was closer to him. I thought he’d pull me aside.
But Lucas walked right past me. He pulled Serena into his arms and shoved me out of the way.
“Serena, watch out!”
I was shoved off balance and fell hard onto the gravel driveway.
The bottle of unknown liquid splashed onto the wall beside us, releasing a pungent acidic smell and instantly corroding the paint. It was sulfuric acid!
If I hadn’t reacted quickly and rolled to the side, that sulfuric acid would have splashed directly on my face.
But my right wrist slammed hard against the sharp corner of a step when I fell.
Piercing pain instantly engulfed my entire body. I broke out in cold sweat and nearly passed out from the agony.
Security finally arrived and subdued the extreme fans.
Lucas nervously checked over Serena in his arms.
“Serena, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Serena cried, her face covered in tears.
“Lucas, I was so scared.”
After confirming Serena was unharmed, Lucas finally turned to look at me, sitting collapsed on the ground.
I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes.
“Stella, are you okay?”
Lucas walked over, looking down at me from above, his tone carrying irritated explanation.
“You react fast and have good physical conditioning. Serena’s body is weak. She couldn’t dodge. I could only protect her first.”
I raised my head, looking at this man I’d loved for seven years.
The excruciating wrist pain reminded me that my professional career might truly be finished because of that push he just gave me.
No anger. No hysteria.
“I understand.”
I steadied myself against the wall and struggled to my feet, not sparing Lucas another glance as I limped back into the villa.
In that moment, I didn’t know if panic surged in his heart.
I only knew that something was completely leaving me.
Stella’s POV
The villa was terrifyingly quiet that evening.
After Lucas calmed Serena down, he finally came home.
I didn’t need to guess to know he expected my accusations and arguments. He’d already prepared his explanations.
But the living room was empty.
He went upstairs to the bedroom and pushed open the door. I sat at the vanity, clumsily rewrapping the bandage on my right wrist with my left hand.
Lucas cleared his throat and spoke.
“Today was an accident. To make it up to you, I booked your favorite restaurant. I’ll take you for a good meal.”
I paused my movements but didn’t refuse.
“Okay.”
Half an hour later, we arrived at the restaurant.
Pushing open the private room door, my steps halted.
Serena sat inside. Seeing us, she smiled sweetly.
“Stella, Lucas said you were frightened today, so he specially brought me to apologize to you.”
I said nothing and pulled out a chair to sit down.
Lucas called over a waiter and ordered a whole table of dishes without even looking at the menu.
“Lobster, king crab, oysters…”
All seafood.
After the dishes arrived, Lucas pushed almost all the seafood in front of Serena.
“You were scared today. Eat more to recover.”
Serena thanked him shyly, then looked at me with only a glass of lemon water.
“Stella, why aren’t you eating? This seafood is expensive. You probably can’t usually afford it, right?”
I looked at the table full of seafood and smiled.
Seven years.
Lucas didn’t even know I was severely allergic to seafood.
Or maybe he knew. He just didn’t care. His mind was full of only what Serena liked to eat.
“I’m not hungry.”
I stood up.
“You two take your time. I’m heading back.”
“Stella, what’s wrong with you now?”
Lucas slammed the table, furious.
“I take you out to eat, and you give me that attitude. Who’s that supposed to be for?”
I looked at his angry expression and almost laughed.
“Enjoy your food, Lucas. Don’t let it go cold.”
With that, I walked out of the private room without looking back.
Returning to the villa, I pulled out several large black trash bags.
I swept it all into trash bags. The matching outfits Lucas bought. The necklaces. Even the matching toothbrush cups.
Then I took down our photos from the wall and fed them into the shredder without a second thought.
Finally, I took off the engagement ring I’d worn for three years.
Lucas had bought it on a whim three years ago, after my first tour championship win, just to keep me happy.
But I’d treated it like treasure.
I set the ring on the living room table, using it to hold down a sticky note.
The note had only one line.
“Lucas, we’re done. I’m going home to marry someone else.”
Then I dragged two suitcases out of the villa. The place that had trapped me for seven years.
🌟 Continue the story here
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Roman Sterling was the undisputed king of New York’s elite social circle. Drinking, women, street racing, and bar fights—he was a master of them all.
But after we started dating, he gave it all up.
He treated me like I was his entire world.
What he didn’t know was that I had already seen his texts:
“I’m honestly bored to death with her. I’ve been looking at the same face for seven years; it’s beyond stale.”
“The one I really want right now is you, my little songbird.”
01
The sun was scorching as we pulled up to the luxury bridal boutique. Roman took the umbrella from the chauffeur and held it over me himself.
He was a Sterling. In his world, people existed only to serve him.
But with me, he was the one doing the serving.
In the beginning, his friends thought I was just a new flavor he was trying out.
But as seven years passed, his devotion only grew more meticulous, leaving his inner circle in a state of perpetual shock.
The boutique assistant greeted us with a voice full of envy. “Mr. Sterling, you and Ms. Thorne are truly goals.”
Hearing this, Roman looked at me and flashed a boyish, seeking-praise smile.
My heart felt like it was being pricked by a needle.
I ignored his gaze and walked straight to the dressing room.
Roman had pre-ordered fifteen of the latest couture gowns, each one hand-picked by him based on my specific tastes.
As I went through the fitting, he leaned against the doorframe, his eyes so focused it felt like I was the only person in existence.
One dress after another.
I was losing my patience by the end, but he remained rapt, even offering the designer specific notes for alterations.
He wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfection.
The assistants gathered around me, whispering in hushed, envious tones:
“Ms. Thorne, usually when guys come in for fittings, they’re on their phones by the third dress. I’ve never seen a man stay this focused from start to finish.”
“You’re so lucky. He clearly adores you.”
Adores me?
I turned to look at Roman. When our eyes met, his expression melted into a soft, tender smile.
It was a look of pure, watery devotion.
He was a completely different person from the cold, ruthless “Prince of Wall Street” portrayed in the media.
This was his “special treatment” for me.
But if he really loved me, why was he keeping another woman in a secluded villa in the Hamptons?
He called her his “little songbird.”
What a cozy, intimate little nickname.
02
The fact that Roman Sterling was head-over-heels for me was common knowledge in Manhattan.
Before us, he was the city’s most notorious playboy—clubs, scotch, models, and brawls were his oxygen.
But the moment we got serious, he quit it all.
Simply because I once said I “hated the smell of booze,” he stopped going to clubs and became a teetotaler, even at high-stakes business galas.
He asked for my opinion before every social gathering and treated other women like they were a contagious disease.
He was terrified of making me unhappy.
Once, at a charity gala, a socialite made a snide remark about my background. Roman didn’t say a word; he simply had her and her entire family blacklisted from the city’s social register. I never saw her again.
To prove his commitment, he went to his father and agreed to give up his reckless lifestyle to study the family business. He took over Sterling Global, something he had always sworn he would never do.
For me, he made it look easy.
That was when everyone finally realized—Roman wasn’t playing.
It was me or nobody.
It wasn’t surprising that his friends were confused. He was the heir to a multi-billion dollar empire, and I was just a rising news anchor.
In terms of status, we were worlds apart.
I used to fear his parents’ reaction, but when I first met his mother, she was surprisingly gracious.
“Roman told me he’s settled on you. He said if he can’t have you, he doesn’t want anyone. He practically threatened me not to make things hard for you, or he’d never come home again.”
“Clara, honey, I should thank you. Without you, I don’t know how long it would have taken for him to grow up.”
I was shy and deeply moved.
Moved by everything Roman had done for me.
That night, he held me close and kissed my forehead, his voice deep and honeyed:
“Clara, I love you.”
I held him tight, believing I had finally captured a beam of permanent light in my life.
But seven years later, this man who claimed to love me was talking to another woman.
His tone was dripping with contempt.
“Seven years. I’m exhausted. It’s reached the point where I’m just sick of looking at her.”
“If my mother didn’t love her so much, I would have dumped her a year ago. But she’s so obsessed with me; she’d probably go insane if I broke it off. Hahaha.”
“The one I really want right now is you, my little songbird.”
Every word was a blade.
And every blade drew blood.
03
By the time the dresses were finalized, the city lights were flickering on.
Roman drove me home.
He brewed me a cup of herbal tea to settle my stomach, his voice sounding a bit distant in the quiet living room: “Clara, I have an emergency board meeting to deal with. I’ll probably be back late. Don’t wait up for me.”
I gently caught his sleeve.
“Can’t you stay? Just this once?”
He froze. I noticed him tapping his left hand—a nervous habit he had when he was calculating a lie.
But finally, he shook his head and said softly, “This meeting is crucial. I have to go.”
I stared at him for a long time, searching for even a flicker of guilt.
There was nothing.
“Baby, I’ll come straight back to you the second I’m done, okay?”
He pulled me into a hug, whispering sweet promises.
I masked the bitterness in my eyes and let a silent tear fall.
“Okay. Go ahead.”
He spent a long time soothing me. Before he left, he tried to kiss my cheek, but I turned away.
He assumed I was just being pouty and gave a doting, indulgent chuckle.
Then he turned and walked out without a hint of hesitation.
I watched him go. A few minutes later, I grabbed my keys and followed him.
The destination was a luxury villa on the outskirts of the city.
I hid around the corner and watched as he punched in the entry code. A woman flew into his arms.
She was dressed in a provocative black lace “bunny-maid” outfit, her voice purring with artificial sweetness.
“Master, you’re finally here.”
Roman’s eyes were dark with hunger. He leaned down and kissed her deeply before lifting her up and carrying her into the house.
I stood outside that villa for a long time.
Until my blood felt as cold as the night air.
04
In reality, I wasn’t surprised by Roman’s plans tonight.
Their chat history went back three years.
It started with: “Mr. Sterling, thank you for the ride home. I guess I can check ‘riding in a CEO’s passenger seat’ off my bucket list now.”
“No problem.”
And it ended yesterday:
“My little bird, I’m taking her to pick out wedding dresses tomorrow. I’ll come to you at night. Wear the outfit you bought for me.”
“Understood, Master~”
Attached was a photo of the woman on her knees in that lace outfit.
I had only been holding onto a final, pathetic shred of hope.
I thought that if I begged him to stay, he might choose me.
But he didn’t.
He didn’t even feel a second of remorse.
05
By the time Roman returned home, I was sitting on the sofa in the dark.
I wasn’t waiting for him.
I just felt so suffocated that I couldn’t sleep.
He entered the house quietly, trying not to wake me.
But when he turned the corner, he saw me staring at him, unblinking.
He was startled. Seeing my haggard face and the dark circles under my eyes, he looked devastated. “Clara? Why are you still up? I told you not to wait for me.”
He took my hands and found my fingers were ice-cold. His voice took on a sharp edge of protective anger: “Clara, why don’t you listen? Your hands are freezing, and the AC is up too high. Are you trying to get sick?”
It was rare for him to snap at me.
And even then, it was out of concern for my health.
In that moment, a wave of nausea rose in my chest.
I couldn’t get it out, and I couldn’t swallow it down.
Especially the scent of her perfume clinging to his coat—a cloying, cheap floral scent that wouldn’t dissipate.
It felt like a hammer was smashing against my heart.
Over and over.
Until everything was a bloody, mangled mess.
I realized I didn’t want to play pretend anymore.
I was the victim. I was the one betrayed.
Why was I the one enduring the silence?
I looked up at him, cutting off his lecture.
“Roman, I saw them.”
“The texts between you and her.”
06
I hadn’t intentionally snooped through his phone that day.
We had been together for seven years. I believed he loved me, and I gave him my trust.
But that night, I woke up suddenly for no reason. Roman was dead to the world after pulling overtime, and I saw his phone light up on the nightstand.
I was worried it was a work emergency, so I checked it.
The first thing I saw was: “Daddy, were you satisfied with last night’s service?”
Followed by several explicit photos.
My hand shook so hard I nearly dropped the phone. My brain went white.
My first instinct was denial.
I couldn’t believe Roman would do this.
But my fingers kept scrolling through the logs. Page after page. Month after month.
They talked so frequently that it took me over an hour to reach the beginning.
It started three years ago.
“Mr. Sterling, thank you for the ride. I finally know what it feels like to be the CEO’s favorite.”
“Also, thank you for having dinner at my place.”
The timestamp was March 25th, 9:10 PM.
I remembered that day. It was my birthday.
Roman had been three hours late.
I had waited for him at home with a cold dinner.
He had told me it was a crisis at the office and apologized profusely.
Of course, I didn’t blame him. I even comforted him and told him to rest.
Now I knew.
He was driving a female employee home and staying for dinner.
That was the “crisis.”
The atmosphere must have been wonderful.
Wonderful enough to make him forget I was waiting for him.
Wonderful enough to make him abandon every promise he ever made to me.
07
Since that day, Seraphina had been promoted to his personal assistant.
Even though they spent every day together, the texting never stopped.
It evolved from professional questions to life trivialities, and finally to a full-blown affair.
Roman would drop her off before picking me up from work.
He solved her problems at the office and fired the male supervisor who gave her a hard time.
Whenever he bought a gift for me, he bought an identical one for her.
When Seraphina complained about the commute, Roman bought her a condo right next to the office.
She was so “grateful” she offered him “thanks.”
That was the first time they slept together.
“Daddy, I’m waiting for you.”
“On my way.”
The location was a hotel just a few blocks from our penthouse.
What was I doing at that moment?
I remembered.
I was packing Roman’s suitcase.
He told me he had to fly to London for a week.
When he didn’t come home that evening, I called him.
He told me he’d be home soon.
His voice was slightly out of breath.
He was probably in bed with her right then.
And I had no clue.
I was such a fool.
Fool enough to notice nothing.
Fool enough to keep believing in him.
That night, I don’t know how long I sat there. I read those logs over and over.
Finally, I replied to Seraphina’s message with three words:
“I was satisfied.”
Then I deleted the message.
I pretended nothing had happened.
But I knew Seraphina saw it.
And she knew it was me.
That’s why she started texting me their meeting times anonymously.
And I went.
I saw with my own eyes how this man, who constantly whispered “I love you,” looked when he was desperate to get his hands on another woman.
08
The dim light of the living room cast long shadows across Roman’s face.
He looked genuinely confused.
“Clara? What texts?”
I repeated them for him, my voice flat and clinical:
“Seven years. I’m bored to death.”
“The one I want is you.”
“She’d probably go insane if I left.”
With every word, the color drained from his face.
By the end, he was gripping my wrist so hard he was shaking. He begged me:
“Clara, stop. Please, stop.”
I looked down at him, my tears finally breaking free.
“Roman, when you were with her, did you think about me even once?”
“If you were really tired of me, you could have just said so. Did you think I would beg you to stay?”
“Seven years. We were about to get married. How could you do this to me? How could you lie to me for three years?”
My questions, my sobbing, my heartbreak—none of it could match the agony in my soul.
It felt like my heart was being roasted over an open flame.
Half charred, half raw.
It hurt.
It hurt so much I could barely breathe.
09
In truth, I hadn’t cried when I first saw the logs. Or the photos. Or even when I saw them together.
I couldn’t cry then. I didn’t know what I was crying for.
But now, seeing Roman act like he still cared…
I knew him.
His concern for me was real.
And that was what made it so disgusting.
My sobs echoed through the quiet penthouse.
Over and over.
Roman panicked and pulled me into a fierce embrace, his voice cracking: “Clara, I’m sorry. I was possessed. I swear I only love you. She was just a distraction, a mistake. Please, I’ll make it right—”
In the past, whenever he messed up, he’d put on this pitiful act, and I would always cave.
But not this time.
I pushed him away, slowly and firmly.
“Roman, it’s over.”
His eyes went red instantly. He looked like he was about to collapse.
“Clara, I don’t accept that—”
“Don’t touch me. You’re filthy.”
That one word made Roman turn as white as a sheet. He instinctively pulled his hands back.
I looked at him for a long time, then gave a cold, hollow smile.
“Give this back to your little songbird.”
“I don’t want it anymore.”
I slid the 5-carat engagement ring off my finger and dropped it into his palm.
My fingertips were like ice.
He instinctively tried to close his hand, but he was too slow.
I stood up, walked into the bedroom, grabbed the suitcase I had packed days ago, and walked toward the door without looking back.
I heard his frantic footsteps behind me, but he stopped six inches away.
His voice was a broken rasp.
“Clara, can’t you forgive me just this once?”
I paused.
But I didn’t turn around.
“Goodbye, Roman.”
10
After leaving, I moved into my own apartment.
My father passed away in an accident when I was young. My mother remarried when I was ten and had my half-sister, who is now seventeen.
The apartment I moved into was an inheritance from my father that my mother transferred to me when I turned eighteen.
She loves me, of course, but she loves my little sister more.
That’s just how it is. I understand it.
I’ve always made it a point not to disturb her new life.
Our relationship could be described in four words: Civil, but distant.
Breaking up with Roman and canceling a high-society wedding was a major event.
I made an appointment with her and went over to tell her a few days later.
On my way out, I accidentally bumped into a shelf and broke a ceramic figurine.
I took one look at the shattered pieces and closed the door.
I told her exactly why we broke up. I didn’t hide a thing.
She was silent for a long time before she spoke: “Clara, you spent seven years with him. You turned him from a bratty playboy into the CEO he is today. Are you really just going to hand all that over to another woman? Does that feel right to you?”
I was stunned.
She continued, “You have leverage now. He’ll never dare to cheat again. And Roman hasn’t announced the breakup yet, which means he still wants you. That other girl is just a toy.”
“Everything is still salvageable as long as the news doesn’t get out.”
She was analyzing the situation with the cold precision of a computer.
But she didn’t sound like a mother.
I looked at her and suddenly asked, “Mom, if my sister’s boyfriend cheated on her, would you tell her the same thing? Would you tell her to swallow the betrayal for the sake of ‘leverage’?”
“Of course not—”
She stopped abruptly, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face.
“Clara, that’s not what I meant—”
I knew.
I knew she wasn’t trying to hurt me.
She just… didn’t love me enough to be angry for me.
Because she didn’t care as much, she could be “rational.”
If it were my sister, she would have been screaming for blood.
I should have known this by now.
But it still stung.
I gave a faint smile. “I get it, Mom.”
Before I left, she looked at my haggard face, and a flicker of genuine pity appeared in her eyes:
“Clara, you need to take care of yourself.”
I hadn’t even responded when a girl’s voice called out from the other room:
“Mom! I’m hungry!”
My mother’s face lit up instantly. She closed the door and headed back inside.
“Coming, princess! Dinner’s already on the table—”
Her voice was pure sugar.
She didn’t look at me again.
I blinked my dry eyes and walked away.
11
When I got home, the ceramic figurine was still lying on the floor.
Shattered.
I picked up a piece. On the bottom, there was an inscription:
“Roman loves Clara. Forever.”
It was a gift from our first date.
It was Father’s Day, and Roman had crowded into a “paint-your-own-pottery” shop with a bunch of kids. He looked ridiculous and adorable.
Someone had even recognized him and posted a video online.
At the time, his reputation was trash. He changed girlfriends as often as he changed shirts.
I was immediately labeled “The Sterling Heir’s Newest Toy.”
I didn’t care about the labels.
But he did. He immediately contacted the media to have the video removed and created his first public social media account to announce our relationship:
“Clara is the boss. I’m her toy.”
The internet went wild.
I went to him and told him he didn’t need to demean himself for me, that I didn’t care about the gossip.
“Clara, this is about respect.”
“I don’t even let myself hurt you; why would I let anyone else? I want you to stand in front of the cameras with your head held high. I won’t let anyone stain your reputation.”
I still remember his expression then.
Focused. Sincere. Devoted.
Even though everything was a mess now, I couldn’t deny that in that moment, he really did love me.
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After my parents’ divorce, my mom had a whirlwind romance and married the richest man in the city.
The court awarded custody of my sister to my mom, but my sister had a total meltdown in the courtroom. She screamed that our mom was a gold-digging whore and refused to go with her.
Seeing her bloodshot eyes and stubborn defiance, I immediately rushed forward and threw my arms around my mom.
“Mom! I don’t want to be separated from you! Can you please take me instead?”
And just like that, without a second thought, I changed my last name and became the pampered daughter of the ultra-wealthy Sterling family.
From that high vantage point, I watched as the father and daughter who had caused my gruesome death in my previous life slowly plummeted from their pedestals into absolute ruin.
1
My mother was incredibly beautiful. Even compared to the actresses on TV, she didn’t pale in the slightest.
Because of that, I always believed it was only a matter of time before she left my father.
Sure enough, she filed for divorce.
She was preparing to marry into the Sterling family—the absolute apex of high society—and become Mrs. Sterling.
In the courtroom, the judge initially awarded custody of my sister to my mom. But my sister had a complete meltdown right there in front of everyone. She screamed that our mom was a gold-digging whore and swore she would rather die than go with her.
Seeing her bloodshot eyes and that familiar, stubborn defiance on her face, I immediately rushed forward and threw my arms around my mom.
“Mom! I don’t want to be separated from you! Can you please take me instead?”
I cried until my face was a mess, looking absolutely pitiful. Huge teardrops smashed onto the floor. I looked so devastated that even the judge probably wanted to slap himself for trying to separate us.
After that dramatic performance, my mom and the judge decisively changed the custody ruling.
I forced down the overwhelming joy bubbling up inside me. With swollen eyes, I followed my mom into the black Rolls-Royce.
As the car drove away, I let out a long, heavy exhale.
I clenched my fists. This time, I absolutely refuse to live the miserable, tragic life I lived before. Since I was given a second chance at life, I was going to do everything in my power to shine as brightly as possible.
2
Looking back at the two figures slowly fading into the distance, an indescribable sense of satisfaction washed over me.
Even if I hadn’t completely rid myself of those two lunatics yet, at least I wasn’t trapped in that hellish household anymore.
In this life, I refused to be driven insane by those two hypocritical psychopaths, and I absolutely refused to be their stepping stone again.
Just recalling my memories from my past life made me sick to my stomach.
That father and daughter loved to put on a show of high-minded intellectual superiority in front of others. They loved acting like they were above worldly desires.
But behind closed doors, they were rotten to the core.
Especially my “good sister.” She loved nothing more than playing the role of the resilient, independent martyr who defied authority.
So, in my previous life, just like in this one, my sister, Mia, refused to go with my mom.
She hysterically accused my mom of abandoning the family for money. After all, in her eyes, our professor father was practically a god.
She wanted to fall into ruin alongside her god, but she refused to let me go.
She had planned it all out from the start.
“Dad, you and Mom are really over, aren’t you?”
“Chloe secretly told me she doesn’t want to go with Mom. Dad, please don’t let Chloe and me down.”
And just as she planned, in the courtroom, the father who had always disliked me actively asked the judge for custody of me.
I wasn’t surprised at all.
The moment he spoke, I saw the faint smirk tugging at the corners of Mia’s mouth. She hid it well, but as someone who had lived through this once before, I saw it plain as day.
Then, she turned around and started her hysterical tirade against my mom.
“I don’t want you! You don’t even want Dad anymore! Why couldn’t you just give me a complete family?!”
“You’ll never be respected marrying into that family! I don’t want a mother who abandoned her biological daughters just to be a stepmother to someone else’s kid! We don’t need you!”
I have to admit, Mia’s acting was phenomenal. Even experiencing it a second time, her explosive outburst startled me for a second.
But I recovered quickly. I threw myself into my mom’s arms—she was already sobbing quietly.
Honestly, my heart ached a little for this woman.
With a trembling voice, I delivered my lines: “Mom, I don’t want to be separated from you! Can you please take me instead?”
I cried until my face was a mess, looking absolutely pitiful. Huge teardrops smashed onto the floor, making even the judge look like he regretted his initial decision.
After that dramatic performance, my mom and the judge decisively changed the custody ruling.
In that exact moment, I clearly saw the panic flash across Mia’s face. It was quickly replaced by a mask of grievance and betrayal, as if the entire world had turned its back on her.
My dad rushed forward to hug her, comforting her in a soft voice, just like he always did.
Since their father-daughter bond was so deep, I hoped they would stay locked together for the rest of this life.
3
I wouldn’t feel bad for her, because I knew Mia had always been incredibly smart and fiercely ambitious.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I died in my last life that I saw her true colors clearly.
I knew she didn’t actually hate money. On the contrary, she loved money more than anyone else.
But she was greedy. She wanted both the money and the flawless reputation.
So, just like in my previous life, she put on a show of rejecting my mom’s departure, causing a scene in court. But behind the scenes, she intentionally made sure my mom saw her looking disheveled and miserable over and over again. My mom felt guilty and compensated by treating her even better, constantly trying to bring her into the Sterling family so she could live like a wealthy heiress.
But Mia knew exactly how to play the game. She would reject the offers again and again, playing hard to get.
Meanwhile, she continued to build her “resilient scholar” persona alongside our hypocritical father, networking with heavyweights in the academic world.
Eventually, by the second semester of her junior year of college, she published three major research papers back-to-back. By her senior year, she secured a full-ride to Harvard and was hailed by everyone as a genius.
And then? She swiftly and decisively kicked our dad and me to the curb, officially becoming the Eldest Miss of the Sterling family.
And what about me in my past life? I was so devastated by our parents’ separation that I couldn’t snap out of it, foolishly following Mia back to my dad’s house.
As a result, I spent the rest of my life working myself to the bone to support those two hypocritical academics, eventually collapsing from exhaustion and severe illness.
When I finally woke up, I discovered that they had drugged me and sent me to the bed of an absolute monster—all just so they could secure a $100,000 research grant.
How laughable is that?
Two people who constantly claimed to despise the “stench of money” traded me for their food, their clothes, their lifestyle, and their grants.
It was nauseating beyond belief.
4
Living a second time, my goals were incredibly clear.
Escape that subhuman father-daughter duo, and maybe exact a little revenge along the way.
And of course, I wasn’t going to let the title of “Sterling Family Heiress” slip away this time.
So, after following my mom back to the Sterling estate…
I immediately changed my last name. The world no longer had a Chloe Miller; there was only Chloe Sterling.
When I proposed the idea, my mom was actually a bit surprised. In contrast, my stepdad, Mr. Sterling, was deeply moved. He turned around and handed me a dazzling, jet-black Amex Centurion card.
“Thank you, Uncle Sterling.” I accepted it sweetly. Unlike Mia, I wasn’t fake. I wanted it, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Then, I calmly walked over to my mom and patted her arm. “Good eye this time.”
With that, I slowly walked upstairs to pick out my room.
I have to admit, having money is fantastic. Looking at the opulent, palatial mansion, my mood soared.
Even a random trash can in this house probably cost more than I made in three months of working in my past life.
While I was still lost in my joy, I accidentally bumped into a chest that smelled faintly of a clean, fresh cologne. The warmth radiating from it perked me up instantly.
I looked up, meeting a pair of deep, disdainful eyes.
This was straight out of a cheesy romance drama. I was just getting ready to swallow hard…
When the next second, a massive force shoved me away.
“I—”
“Hello, sister,” a voice as cold as ice echoed from the bottom of the stairs.
When I groggily looked back, the person only left me with an aloof, distant silhouette.
I awkwardly rubbed my nose.
I guessed who it was. Uncle Sterling’s only son, Julian Sterling. He was the future head of the Sterling empire.
A quintessential, domineering CEO. I didn’t have many memories of him from my past life.
So I didn’t overthink it.
For the next few days, nothing major happened. My mom and Uncle Sterling were gross and lovey-dovey every day, acting out a cheesy romance novel right in front of me and Julian.
My fragile heart took a beating every day.
In contrast, Julian was completely unfazed.
I don’t know if he had facial paralysis, but from the first time I saw him until now, I had never seen him make any other expression.
Always freezing cold. I didn’t dare provoke him, keeping as much distance between us as possible.
After all, I had a lot of work to do.
5
Not long after entering the Sterling household, I basically adapted to the life of a wealthy heiress.
Using the black card Uncle Sterling gave me, I went on a massive shopping spree at the mall and bought the newest iPhone.
Then, I relentlessly began sending verification messages to my “good sister.”
For an entire week, I bombarded her:
“Mia, the Sterling family is seriously so rich. Uncle Sterling gave me a watch yesterday that costs enough to buy the nicest house on our old street.”
“Mia, what should I do? Uncle Sterling is making me attend a high-society gala in Beverly Hills tomorrow. Am I going to embarrass myself? Wuwuwu~”
“Mia, Uncle Sterling transferred me to the best private high school in Beverly Hills. It’s called Oakridge Academy. I think that’s the one you originally tested into, right?”
“Mia, when are you free? Let me take you out for a fancy steak dinner.”
And then, she deleted me.
Undeterred, every few days, I would send my “good sister” another verification request, putting my most pretentious humble-brags in the message box.
And then, I was blocked.
I didn’t care at all, because my only goal was to make her miserable.
Two weeks later, I officially transferred into Class A at Oakridge Academy. Of course, all of this was thanks to Uncle Sterling’s immense wealth.
“Hello everyone, my name is Chloe Sterling.”
I stood at the podium introducing myself, but waves of mocking whispers echoed from the students below.
“So this is the new fake phoenix of the Sterling family. Her mom is shameless enough, but this daughter… tsk tsk. Changing her last name the second she moves in. Afraid people won’t know she’s a gold digger?”
“True, but you can’t deny she’s actually really pretty.”
“Who cares if she’s pretty? She’s still just a fake heiress.”
Listening to the chatter and gossip below, my heart remained perfectly calm. I had experienced plenty of this in my past life.
I had a very thick skin.
Of course, I knew my “good sister” definitely had a hand in spreading these rumors.
In my past life, my grades were never as good as hers. She relied on her stellar academic record to test into this elite private school, making my dad proud for a very long time.
Now, watching the sister who had always lived in her shadow suddenly stand at the same height—maybe even shining brighter—of course she would be furious.
I cast a brief, indifferent glance at Mia, who was sitting at her desk, pretending to focus intently on a worksheet. I didn’t say hello.
It was as if my harassment from the past few weeks had never happened.
When I slung my limited-edition designer backpack over my shoulder and walked to the back of the room, I noticed there was only one empty seat left in the entire class.
Everyone was watching, waiting for a show. I actually smiled.
Well, if it isn’t my “good brother.”
I sat down next to him, completely unfazed. Julian didn’t even lift his eyes. Excellent. As freezing cold as ever. I like it.
After a few minutes, seeing that Julian had no intention of kicking me out, the students who wanted to see me humiliated were shocked.
In the crowd, I saw Mia turn her head and give me a long, deep look.
I pretended not to see it and focused on the lesson.
After all, getting a second chance at life meant I understood a lot of things better now. Like the fact that getting into a top university was crucial.
So, I immersed myself in studying, unable to pull myself away. This resulted in many students who wanted to pick a fight giving up, since I just sat next to Julian, behaving perfectly and doing practice problems.
Additionally, Uncle Sterling hosted a massive banquet specifically for me, officially announcing me as the Eldest Miss of the Sterling family. Many shrewd players in the business world realized that Uncle Sterling genuinely valued me.
These elite private school kids all came from wealthy families and ran in the same circles, so they caught on quickly.
They didn’t dare provoke me anymore; some even started trying to suck up to me.
But there are always people who lack basic observation skills.
Mia’s desk-mate, Sarah, was one of them.
After I broke into the top 200 on the midterms, she stood up in front of the whole class and accused me of cheating.
“I knew it! She used to go to a public school in a terrible district. If she didn’t latch onto the Sterling family, there’s no way she could be here. There’s no way she could keep up with the curriculum.”
What she said wasn’t entirely wrong. But she didn’t know that even though my grades couldn’t match Mia’s in my past life, I was still ranked first in my old public school. This time around, since I planned to focus on studying, Uncle Sterling had specifically hired top-tier private tutors for me.
So, I calmly walked up to Sarah and grabbed her by the collar.
“I cheated? You saw it?”
Perhaps feeling humiliated by being manhandled, Sarah’s face turned bright red. “Let go of me! You cheated, aren’t people allowed to say it?!”
“Oh really? Let’s go then.”
Her bravado faltered a bit. She tried to pull my hand away but couldn’t, so she gritted her teeth. “Let go of me! Where are we going?!”
“To the Dean’s office to check the security footage.” My tone was flat, completely unhurried.
“If there’s no proof, just wait for me to sue you for defamation. I’m sure you’re aware of the Sterling family’s legal team.” Saying that, I started dragging her toward the door.
She screamed in panic, but still cursed at me.
At that moment, exactly as I expected, my “Saint” of a sister, Mia, walked over.
“Chloe, let go of Sarah. She was just making a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“But I’m a very petty person, you know that.” I tilted my head and looked at her, smiling faintly.
“By the way, my last name is Sterling now. I’m not your sister.”
As we were arguing and pulling, our homeroom teacher, Mr. Davis, walked over.
The thirty-something man looked kindly at us and asked, “What’s going on here?”
Sarah didn’t speak. Mia, perfectly maintaining her poised demeanor, spoke up. “It’s nothing, Mr. Davis. Sarah was just joking with my sister, saying she cheated on the exam. After all, her grades used to be really poor, and she just transferred here not long ago, but she already broke into the top 200. My sister has always had a bad temper, so she got upset and started arguing with Sarah.”
What a masterful white lotus. She seemed to be explaining the situation for me, but she was actually trying to solidify the cheating accusations while reminding everyone that I have a “bad temper.”
If this were my past life, I wouldn’t have noticed all the underlying malice.
Watching her stand there with a slight frown, while Mr. Davis’s eyes remained fixed on her, fully believing her words and preparing to scold me…
I shoved Sarah. “Sarah, were you just joking with me?”
Without waiting for Sarah to answer, I continued, “Oh, I just remembered. Mia, I always see you coming out of Mr. Davis’s office after school, and you’re always bringing him breakfast. You don’t have a crush on Mr. Davis, do you?”
As soon as the words left my mouth, Mia’s face went deathly pale. She stood there, completely panicked. Mr. Davis’s expression shifted from awkwardness to visible distress.
“Chloe Sterling, what are you talking about? Spread rumors like that, and I’ll give you a disciplinary infraction.”
“Don’t take it so seriously, I was just making a joke.” I tossed the words back casually, nearly making Mia pass out from anger.
To resolve the situation, we ended up in the Dean’s office. Because Uncle Sterling had just donated a massive sum of money the previous month, the school’s security cameras had been upgraded. The footage clearly showed I didn’t cheat.
But because I spread a rumor about a student and a teacher, both Sarah and I ended up getting a formal warning.
Walking back into the classroom, I purposefully walked past Mia’s desk. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “My good sister, it looks like Mr. Davis really does like you.”
Mia’s body violently flinched. I happily returned to my seat.
After all, having memories from my past life, I knew all about Mr. Davis.
Because she couldn’t afford private tutors, Mia struggled to maintain her top-ten ranking. Discovering that Mr. Davis had a soft spot for her “poor but hardworking” persona, she started approaching him to ask questions. It escalated from asking questions during passing periods to him tutoring her alone after school.
I have to admit, she was very smart and very charming. Because, judging by Mr. Davis’s reaction today, he probably really did have feelings for her.
So, I had just secured my first piece of leverage against her.
However, if she stopped there, I wouldn’t have been able to do much. It all depended on how she chose to play her cards moving forward.
For a while after that, Mia didn’t dare incite anyone to mess with me. And, to avoid suspicion, she didn’t dare go to Mr. Davis for help either. Unsurprisingly, her grades dropped significantly by finals.
Seeing her sitting in her usual seat, crushing her exam paper in her hands, put me in a fantastic mood.
Lately, Julian’s attitude toward me had improved a lot. He wasn’t as freezing cold as he was at the beginning.
I started calling him “Brother” constantly. I knew his connections were powerful, so clinging to him would solidify my position as the Sterling family’s Miss.
Under my relentless harassment, he finally, reluctantly agreed to let me ask him for help with questions I didn’t understand.
But he set a strict rule: “A maximum of thirty minutes a day. Do not bother me outside of that time.”
“You got it!”
So, my final exams showed a lot of progress. I was almost catching up to Mia.
6
When summer break hit, I saw Mia in our gated community.
Sure enough, the plotline from my past life was playing out.
That night at dinner, I casually mentioned, “Mom, didn’t you tell me the other day that you wanted to go to the Maldives for the summer? You said it was your lifelong dream. When are we going? I want to go with you.”
“Oh, that was just a silly dream from when I was young. You silly child, your Uncle Sterling is so busy, I need to stay here and take care of him.” My mom said it with a blush on her face.
I secretly glanced at my stepdad. He was listening very intently.
The next morning, when I came downstairs for breakfast, I saw Julian sitting alone at the dining table.
“Where are Uncle Sterling and my mom?”
The housekeeper replied, “Mr. and Mrs. Sterling went to the Maldives for a vacation. They probably won’t be back for half a month.”
Yes! I couldn’t help but feel giddy.
Julian sat across from me, his arms crossed, watching me with a knowing look. I quickly reeled in my excitement.
Seeing him still staring at me, I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Brother, since it’s just the two of us at home now, you have to be nice to me. Otherwise, I’ll tattle on you.”
The corners of Julian’s mouth ticked up slightly. “Oh? How should I be nice to you?” He pushed a glass of milk toward me.
I was instantly speechless.
This guy never used to engage with me. His sudden response really caught me off guard.
I quickly buried my head in my food, inhaling three large meat buns to ease the awkwardness.
Across from me, Julian elegantly sipped his oatmeal, watching me the entire time.
It felt like he was trying to burn a hole through me. I hastily finished my food and ran off.
For the next few days, I saw Mia wandering around our gated community. Because she intentionally dressed very plainly, almost shabbily, the security guards chased her away several times.
After a week of not running into my mom, Mia finally slinked away in defeat.
7
One day, I put on an elegant sundress and was just getting ready to leave the house.
“Where are you going?” A familiar voice sounded behind me.
I instinctively shrank my neck back and froze in place.
While I was trying to come up with an excuse, Julian considerately opened the front door for me and grabbed his car keys.
“Let’s go. I’ll give you a ride.”
I turned around stiffly, stammering, “I… I’m just going shopping with my girlfriends. We can just take an Uber. It’s too much trouble for you.”
Julian’s voice left no room for argument. “Didn’t you say we were the only ones home and I should take care of you?”
I was still trying to talk my way out of it.
Julian acted like he didn’t hear me. He gave me a gentle push. By the time I stepped over the threshold, the door was already closed behind me.
And then, inexplicably, I found myself standing in front of Julian’s red sports car.
Looking at the flashy two-seater, I felt a surge of excitement, but still weakly said, “Brother, I’m meeting my friends.”
“Annoying.” I heard him mutter impatiently.
We ended up taking a Bentley. Just as I opened the back door to get in…
Julian’s voice rang out again: “Sit in the front.”
It was an absolute command. I cursed in my head, thinking this guy had definitely read too many cheesy romance novels featuring domineering CEOs.
“Hurry up.” He spoke again, and I quickly climbed into the passenger seat.
After picking up my new best friend, Lily, we nervously headed to the mall. Julian followed us with his arms crossed, looking completely aloof.
“Chloe, your brother is so hot. Can I get his Instagram?” Lily asked me, completely love-struck, constantly sneaking glances in his direction.
I covertly glanced at Julian. His eyebrows were knit so tightly they could probably crush a mosquito.
I pulled Lily close and whispered in her ear, “Don’t even think about it. He likes guys.”
Lily’s mouth fell open in sheer disbelief.
As expected, after the initial shock, her looks toward Julian were filled with nothing but curiosity.
Then, she enthusiastically dragged me through various luxury boutiques, buying everything in sight.
When we were almost done shopping, I purposely led Lily past a specific coffee shop.
Having memories of my past life, I knew Mia worked here part-time. Today was the day the school’s bad boy, Ethan, would fall in love with her at first sight in this very shop.
It all started because she accidentally spilled coffee on his shirt, and Ethan noticed this “hardworking” girl.
After that, they would run into each other multiple times, and Ethan would relentlessly pursue her.
I vividly remembered from my past life how desperately Ethan loved Mia. The plot was basically “handsome bad boy falls for the hardworking good girl.”
With Ethan’s backing, Mia navigated the elite private school flawlessly. Not only did she not get bullied by the rich kids, but she eventually secured early admission to Harvard.
I had originally planned to use my own charm to win Ethan over first, but after sending him harassing texts for a week straight without a single reply, I had no choice but to come here and ruin their meet-cute.
So, Lily and I swaggered into the coffee shop, fully playing the part of arrogant rich girls.
As I carefully orchestrated it, when Lily walked past Ethan’s table, the coffee that was supposed to spill on Ethan’s clothes ended up splashing all over Lily’s limited-edition dress.
Accompanied by Lily’s shriek of “Ah!”, Mia took a step back. Seeing that she was about to fall into Ethan’s arms, I stepped forward, yanked her back, and then lost my own balance, falling forward. I secretly rejoiced, thinking I was going to bump into Ethan. Instead, a pair of strong hands yanked me back.
A chilling aura washed over me from above.
Julian glared down at me with a face as cold as ice. I shrank back, trying to slip away, but he held me firmly in place.
While I was still struggling, a loud SMACK rang out.
Mia had a bright red handprint on her face.
Her eyes instantly turned red, and she looked at Lily with a mix of grievance and defiance. It was a truly pitiful sight.
“What are you looking at? Let me tell you, you’re finished.
“Do you have any idea how much this dress cost? You’re going to pay for it.”
I had to admit, a pampered heiress like Lily was far better at this than I was. Every gesture exuded arrogance. I almost wanted to applaud, but thinking of Julian behind me, I held back.
“I didn’t do it on purpose. You don’t have to look down on people like that.”
Mia finally spoke up, still maintaining her defiant persona. Lily only demanded she pay for the dress, but Mia interpreted it as Lily looking down on her, while completely ignoring the demand for compensation.
To an outsider, it looked exactly like we were bullying a poor, hardworking girl.
Seeing her stoic expression, even I almost wanted to step in and help.
Sure enough, many people turned to look, and someone even advised: “Miss, she’s just a student working a part-time job. It was an accident. Let it go.”
I took my time and said, “I don’t know if it was intentional or not. But I do know that the dress my friend is wearing was a birthday gift from her dad. It’s a global limited edition. You might not even be able to buy it for a hundred thousand dollars. I wonder if it were you, would you just ‘let it go’?”
Lily’s eyes were red with anger. “I don’t care. If you don’t pay for this today, I’m going to tear you apart.”
Mia, perhaps just noticing me, turned her head and saw Julian standing behind me. Her face went pale. Hearing the price tag, she looked even more unsteady, incredibly pitiful.
She looked pleadingly at Ethan. I then noticed that Ethan was just sitting there with a smirk, watching the drama unfold without the slightest intention of helping.
Mia’s action made things a bit awkward.
Finally, she turned to me with difficulty: “Sister, you know—”
This was the prelude to making me the scapegoat.
I quickly took a big step back. This time, Julian didn’t restrain me.
“Hey, don’t call me that. My last name is Sterling. I barely know you.”
I quickly hid behind Julian again.
Mia’s pale face showed she hadn’t expected me to be so ruthless. Seeing that none of the boys nearby intended to help her, she closed her eyes and fainted.
Ethan quickly moved away, terrified of being blamed for it.
In the end, it was the coffee shop owner who came over to smooth things over. He fired Mia on the spot and told us to settle the compensation privately.
The owner pulled out his phone. Not long after, I saw my dad arrive, late to the scene.
Seeing Mia on the floor, his face was full of heartbreak. Then he looked at me, and just like he had questioned me countless times before, he demanded, “What happened to your sister? Was it because of you?”
“Your wings have grown strong now, haven’t they? She’s your biological sister, and you just let people bully her like this.”
See, my dad was always like this. Even though I was also his daughter, because my grades couldn’t match Mia’s, he was always cold to me. He constantly muttered that I was nothing like him, and wondered how the Miller family could produce such a stupid daughter.
Even when I studied incredibly hard, falling just a few points behind Mia, he couldn’t see me. He gave all his paternal love to her.
To beg for his love, I was so happy when he fought for custody of me in court in my past life.
But after being worn down by him and disappointed time and time again, I no longer had any expectations for him.
I said coldly, “You don’t have to scold me. After all, I’m not your daughter anymore. Besides, this is what your precious daughter did. What does it have to do with me?”
My dad’s eyes turned red. He was just about to reprimand me when the coffee shop owner tactfully explained the truth of the situation.
Then I saw my dad instantly change his tune: “Chloe, she’s still your biological sister. You know she’s always been obedient, working hard to support herself. Do you think you could—”
Sure enough, the emotional blackmail was starting. Just as I was about to speak, Julian beat me to it: “Mr. Miller, Chloe is currently a member of the Sterling family. She has absolutely nothing to do with you.”
With that, he pulled out his phone, ready to call the police.
My dad finally panicked.
“We’ll pay, don’t call the police! My daughter still has to go to college.” Ah, the depth of a father’s love!
I suddenly felt a twinge of pain in my heart. Julian instinctively supported me.
In the end, my dad pulled out his card to pay, looking absolutely heartbroken. After making a few phone calls, he barely managed to scrape together enough money. Then, he carried Mia on his back and left.
Watching them walk away, even though I had achieved my goal, I didn’t feel as happy as I thought I would.
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