For twenty years, they refused to acknowledge my existence. But today, they all showed up. The living room was packed. My biological father, my mother, my younger brother, an uncle, an aunt, and several distant relatives I couldn’t even put a name to. My mother wore a stark black dress, her eyes rimmed with red, clutching a crumpled tissue. When I walked in, she stood up, her lips trembling. “Ethan…” It had been twenty years. It was the first time she had ever said my name with that much emotion. I just looked at her. I didn’t say a word. The estate attorney opened his briefcase. 1 When I was six years old, I was dropped off at my grandfather’s house. It wasn’t a “fun summer at Grandpa’s” situation. I stood on his porch with a single duffel bag containing two changes of clothes and a pair of worn-out sneakers, watching my mother’s back get smaller as she walked away. I didn’t cry. At six, you don’t really grasp the concept of “abandonment.” I only remember that she was holding my brother’s hand when she left. My brother was four then. He was wearing a brand-new, bright blue Gap hoodie, holding a massive caramel apple. He looked back at me once. Then he turned around and kept licking his candy. My mother never looked back. Grandpa stood behind me. After a long time, he let out a heavy sigh. “Come on, kid. Let’s get inside.” He took my hand. “I’ll make you some chicken noodle soup.” I ate a whole bowl that night. Grandpa asked me, “Do you miss your mom?” I said, “Yes.” He didn’t say anything, just put another scoop in my bowl. Later, I learned what my mother told Grandpa before she dropped me off. “Dad, you have to take Ethan. We honestly can’t afford to raise two.” Can’t afford two. Then why was I the one who had to leave, not my brother? I spent twenty years asking myself that question. The answer was actually very simple. My brother was the favorite. I was not. Grandpa lived in a modest suburb. Small house, a big oak tree in the yard. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean. Grandpa was sixty-two then, still strong. He got up at five every morning, hit the grocery store, came back to make me breakfast, and drove me to school. He was always there at the pickup line in the afternoon. Rain or shine. He took care of me through everything. When I had a high fever, he carried me into the ER and sat in the hard plastic chairs of the waiting room until three in the morning while I got an IV. Everything my mother should have done, Grandpa did. But I knew Grandpa wasn’t Mom. Because every time I had to fill out parent information at school, the teachers would give me a funny look when I wrote “Grandfather.” “Where are your parents, Ethan?” “They live in the city.” “Why don’t you live with them?” I never knew how to answer that. Later, I learned a standard lie. “My parents are really busy with work.” Busy. So busy they barely visited me a handful of times in twenty years. I remember in first grade, the school had a drawing contest. The theme was “My Family.” Other kids drew a mommy, a daddy, and themselves—a perfect family, holding hands. I drew Grandpa and me. Two people. One big oak tree. The teacher looked at it for a long time and said, “You draw beautifully.” She didn’t ask, “Why are there only two people in your family?” But I saw her eyes tear up. I kept that drawing for a long time. I lost it when I moved out for college. 2 When Christmas came around that year, I thought I’d be allowed home. Grandpa made the call. I stood right there. I heard my mother on the other end say, “It’s just not a good time this year, Dad. The apartment is small, and Lucas just got a brand-new bed. There’s really nowhere for him to sleep.” Nowhere to sleep. Lucas got a brand-new bed. I didn’t even have an old cot. Grandpa hung up and rubbed my head. “We’re having Christmas just the two of us, kid. I’ll make a huge roast turkey.” That Christmas, Grandpa made a massive dinner. He ate a few slices and gave the rest to me. I ate so much I got a stomachache. Grandpa just smiled. “Slow down. No one’s going to take it from you.” Later, I found out that during that same Christmas, my parents threw a huge party at their place in the city. Two full tables of food. Every dish was Lucas’s favorite. Family photos were mailed out to the rest of the relatives. My dad, my mom, and Lucas were in the picture. I was not. My Uncle Gary later told someone, “Richard’s got that one boy, Lucas. They absolutely treasure him.” Someone asked, “Doesn’t he have an older son, too?” Uncle Gary said, “Oh, yeah. That one. He lives out in the suburbs. The old man is raising him.” “That one.” He didn’t say “Ethan.” I was “that one.” In the narrative of this family, I didn’t even deserve a name. When I was nine, Grandpa took me into the city to see a doctor. We stopped by my parents’ apartment on the way. I stood in the doorway and saw my brother’s room—one whole wall covered in toys, a new gaming PC on his desk, and a framed picture on his nightstand of him and my parents at an amusement park. In the living room hung a massive family portrait. Dad, Mom, Lucas. Three people. I counted twice. Three people. Lucas ran out, looked at me, and frowned. “Mom, who is he?” He didn’t recognize me. My own biological brother didn’t know who I was. My mom poked her head out of the kitchen and glanced at me. “He’s from your grandpa’s house. Call him your brother.” “From grandpa’s house.” Not, “He’s your brother.” It was “From grandpa’s house.” Lucas just said, “Oh,” turned around, and went back to his room to play video games. He didn’t speak another word to me the entire visit. On the car ride back, Grandpa didn’t say anything. When we were almost home, he suddenly stopped walking. “Ethan.” “Yeah?” He crouched down and looked me right in the eye. “Remember this. You are Grandpa’s Ethan. If nobody else wants you, Grandpa wants you.” His eyes got red. “As long as Grandpa is alive, I will take care of you.” I nodded. That year I was nine, and I learned a hard truth. Some people are family. Some people are just strangers you happen to share blood with. 3 Twelve years old. Middle school. I ranked number one in the whole district on the standardized tests. Grandpa called my mom. It was on speakerphone. I was right there, and I heard it perfectly. “Brenda, Ethan ranked number one in the district!” Silence on the other end for two seconds. “Oh. Okay.” “Ethan wants to go to the magnet school in the city. The tuition—” “Dad, money is tight right now. Lucas needs to enroll in prep classes next semester, and we have to pay for his travel soccer team.” Grandpa didn’t say another word. He hung up. That year, my brother ranked 138th in his grade. My parents paid for three different tutoring programs for him, costing twenty-four thousand dollars a year. I ranked number one in the district. Zero. Not a single penny of tutoring money for me. I went to the local public middle school. Lucas went to a private academy in the city. Later, I discovered that Grandpa had been wiring my parents three hundred dollars a month. For twelve years. The memo always read: “Ethan’s Fund.” Three hundred times twelve months, times twelve years. Forty-three thousand two hundred dollars. I never saw a single cent of it. The summer I turned fifteen, Grandpa took me to get new glasses. We ran into Uncle Gary on the bus. Uncle Gary looked me up and down, then said to Grandpa, “Wow, Ethan’s getting big.” Then he lowered his voice. “Richard and Brenda are really something. Originally they said they’d let Ethan stay with you for a couple of years, and it’s been almost ten.” Grandpa didn’t respond. Uncle Gary continued, “You shouldn’t spoil him too much, Dad. He’s a boy; ‘good enough’ is fine for him. In the future—” “Uncle Gary.” I spoke up. He stopped and looked at me. “I’m not a ‘good enough’ kind of person.” I looked him right in the eye. “In the future, please call me by my name. Ethan.” Uncle Gary’s face went stiff. Grandpa patted my hand and didn’t say anything. But I saw a hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth. Eighteen years old. College applications. I ranked 23rd in the entire city on my SATs. Got into the State University’s Honors Law program. Grandpa was so excited he couldn’t sleep all night. First thing the next morning, he called my mom. “Brenda! Ethan got in! The Honors program!” Again, silence on the other end. “Dad… that’s great.” “About the tuition—” “Dad, Lucas is getting his driver’s license this year, and we need to—” “I’ll pay,” Grandpa said. His voice was dead calm. “I will pay for Ethan’s tuition.” After he hung up, Grandpa sat in the backyard, looking at that oak tree. For a long time. I walked over. “Grandpa, I can apply for student loans, you don’t have to—” “No.” He looked at me. “Grandpa can afford to send you.” He smiled. “The proudest achievement of my entire life is raising you.” I couldn’t hold it back. That was the first time in twenty years I had ever cried in front of Grandpa. That same fall, my brother was rejected from every four-year college. He took a gap year, then got into a local community college. My parents spent eighteen thousand dollars and bought him a car. To celebrate him “getting into college.” An eighteen-thousand-dollar car. For my four years of tuition and living expenses, Grandpa spent a total of seven thousand two hundred dollars. They didn’t contribute a single dime. But they told all the relatives: “We worry just as much about both our boys.” As much. An eighteen-thousand-dollar car versus zero. That’s what they called “as much.” 4 During my four years of college, I went back to Grandpa’s house for every winter and summer break. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go to my parents’ “home.” It was that no one ever invited me. One Thanksgiving, I tried calling my mom. “Mom, can I come home for a couple of days over the break?” Hesitation on the other end. “Ethan… you know, the house is being remodeled right now. There’s dust everywhere. You should probably just go to Grandpa’s.” Remodeling. Later, I saw the photo my brother posted on Instagram. On Thanksgiving Day, the three of them took a family photo in their newly remodeled living room. New sofa, new TV, new curtains. My brother’s caption was: “New house vibe. Love it.” My mom left a comment: “As long as you like it, sweetie.” As long as he liked it. A new home for the three of them. There was no place for me. After I graduated, I stayed in the state capital. Got a job at a law firm. My starting salary was three thousand five hundred a month. I never asked my family for a single dime. Because I knew that even if I asked, they wouldn’t give it to me. And because I had known one thing since I was six years old— Depend on yourself. In this life, besides Grandpa, the only person I could rely on was myself. In my third year, I passed the bar and became a full associate. My salary jumped to twelve thousand a month. Fourth year, I was promoted again. Eighteen thousand. Fifth year, I was leading my own cases. During those five years, my mom called me exactly four times. The first time: “Ethan, your brother is looking for a job. Can you see if there are any openings in the city?” The second time: “Ethan, your brother has a girlfriend. They’re buying a house and are a little short on cash—” The third time: “Ethan, your brother—” The fourth time: “Ethan, your brother—” Every single time, it was “your brother.” Not once was it: “Ethan, how are you doing lately?” Did I give them money? Yes. The first time I lent them two thousand, supposed to be paid back in six months. Three years passed, and they never mentioned it. The second time was three thousand. This time she didn’t even use the word “borrow.” My mom just said, “Wire three thousand to Lucas.” Wire. Not borrow, wire. As if my money was naturally meant to be spent on my brother. Five thousand dollars total. To this day, they have never paid it back. But I didn’t care about the five grand. What I cared about was— When they wanted money, I was “family.” When they didn’t need money, I was “the one from Grandpa’s house.” I am twenty-six this year. It’s been twenty years. I gave up expecting them to call me their son a long, long time ago. Until Grandpa got sick. Last October, Grandpa was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. When the call came, my hands were shaking. I took an extended leave of absence and drove from the city back to the suburbs. Grandpa had lost so much weight. His hair was completely white. Lying in the hospital bed, he smiled when he saw me walk in. “Ethan is here.” “Grandpa, I’m here.” I held his hand. So thin. The bones felt sharp against my palm. “I’m here to take care of you.” Grandpa shook his head: “No need, your job—” “My job isn’t important.” I looked at him. “You are important.” Grandpa’s eyes got red. He didn’t speak. He just squeezed my hand tightly. For the next forty-seven days, I stayed in the hospital. During the day, I fed him, bathed him, and accompanied him to his scans. At night, I slept on a folding cot right next to his bed. Forty-seven days. My dad came twice. The first time, he stayed for thirty minutes, took a phone call in the hallway, and left. The second time, he brought a bag of fruit, dropped it off, and left. My mom came once. She sat for fifteen minutes. Looked at the IV drip, looked out the window. Said to Grandpa, “Dad, make sure you get plenty of rest.” Then she left. My brother never came. Not even once. Forty-seven days. Just me. The attending doctor pulled me aside once and asked, “Where are your grandfather’s other children?” I said, “It’s just me.” He looked at me. “And you are?” “His grandson.” He was silent for a moment. “His children really should come visit.” I smiled faintly. “They’re busy.” During Grandpa’s last week in the hospital, he couldn’t speak much anymore. One night, he suddenly grabbed my hand. “Ethan.” “Grandpa, I’m right here.” “In my dresser… there’s a metal box.” His voice was very weak. “There are some things inside… you need to take them.” “Grandpa—” “Take them.” He looked at me. “They belong to you.” He said one more thing. His voice was incredibly soft, but I heard it perfectly clearly. “Ethan, in this life, the person I failed the most is you. I never should have let you suffer those injustices.” Ten days later. Grandpa was gone.

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I was on my way to deliver lunch to my brother when I was scrolling through Reddit and saw a post: “What should I do if I’m falling for my coworker’s wife?” I casually dropped a comment: Don’t be a homewrecker. The Original Poster (OP) replied almost instantly: “The woman I love just happened to marry the wrong guy before she met me. How does that make me a homewrecker?” “My coworker doesn’t appreciate her at all. Look, this is the lunch his wife brought him. He waited until she left, then tossed it aside. He didn’t even take a bite.” “A guy who doesn’t appreciate her doesn’t deserve her.” I clicked on the attached photo. Wait a minute… aren’t those the barbecue ribs I just dropped off for my brother? 1 My heart started pounding. I quickly scrolled back to the top of his post, analyzing every single detail. The OP wrote that his coworker had just gotten married two months ago. Usually, he didn’t pay attention to his employees’ personal lives, but this guy was just too much. “It’s bad enough he makes his wife drive all the way across town every day to bring him lunch, but he acts like he’s royalty. He eats, pushes the containers away, and expects her to clean it all up. He doesn’t care about her at all.” The more I read, the more familiar it sounded. Coincidentally, my brother had also just gotten married two months ago. Before the wedding, my brother and I made a bet. If he actually managed to win over his dream girl and marry her, I’d deliver his lunch to the office every day for two months. To my shock, the idiot actually pulled it off. I had to honor the bet and essentially became his personal Uber Eats driver. The OP continued: “I couldn’t stand watching it, so I privately hinted to my coworker that making his wife clean up after him wasn’t a good look, and that she was working hard too. He just brushed it off and said, ‘It’s her job, don’t worry about it.’” The OP was getting increasingly worked up: “He’s an absolute jerk. Sometimes I watch her carrying that heavy insulated lunchbox, sitting quietly while he eats, and then silently packing up to leave. She looks so lonely and mistreated. It breaks my heart.” The comment section was flooded with people agreeing: “Guys like that are the worst. They manipulate their wives but put in zero actual effort.” “I need to know who this is! The poor girl is too blinded by love. Tell her to run!” The OP sighed in the comments: “Exactly. She’s so kind, beautiful, gentle, and understanding. My coworker doesn’t deserve her at all.” He added: “And he complains about her cooking! She works so hard to make those meals, and he critiques them! If she were my wife, I wouldn’t care what it tasted like, I’d eat every last bite! She treats him so well, and he just bosses her around. I genuinely can’t stand it.” Okay, so… to mess with my brother, I occasionally dumped extra salt in his food. Naturally, he’d complain and refuse to eat it. I never imagined his coworker would misinterpret that as an abusive husband terrorizing his wife. Someone in the comments asked the OP what he planned to do. He responded bluntly: “What exactly do I need to do to make them get a divorce?” Redditors were telling him to calm down and not do anything crazy, but he was clearly obsessing over it. His replies were dripping with fixation: “I just can’t take it anymore. If this keeps up, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back.” “It was pouring rain a few days ago. He chose to play Call of Duty on his lunch break instead of driving his wife home. He has a car! He could have at least let her take it! Instead, he made her stand in the freezing rain waiting for a ride. He’s a monster!” Reading that, my memory instantly flashed back to that rainy afternoon. My brother had scarfed down his food because he was rushing to log onto a multiplayer lobby. He didn’t even look at me, just Venmo’d me a hundred bucks and told me to get an Uber. While I was standing on the curb waiting for my ride, I got soaked. My hair and shoulders were drenched. Apparently, this guy had watched the entire scene unfold. Also, the reason I don’t drive his car is that I don’t have my license yet… The further I scrolled, the more the pieces clicked together. The coworker who showed off his wife, left her in the rain, and didn’t appreciate her… was undeniably my brother, Mason. And the “mistreated wife” this OP was fiercely defending, obsessing over, and deemed too good for this world… was me. I stood on the sidewalk for a solid five minutes, completely stunned. My brain rapidly flipped through the faces of Mason’s coworkers I had seen recently. Who the hell was it? 2 Whenever I dropped off food for Mason, I never really paid attention to anyone else around. Now that I was trying to remember, my mind was blank. I couldn’t grasp a single clue. Unable to figure it out, I made a silent vow: tomorrow, I was going to investigate. Normally, I ignored his coworkers, but today I kept my eyes peeled. Just as I handed Mason his lunch, a guy named Kevin walked out of the crowd and approached me. He chatted me up with a friendly smile and casually found an excuse to get my Instagram. My stomach dropped. Could… could it be him? But the moment I walked out of the office building, the Reddit post updated. The OP’s tone was so sour you could practically smell the jealousy: “I realized today that my coworker truly doesn’t give a damn about his wife. Another guy from our department went out of his way to flirt with her today, smiling like an idiot, and her husband didn’t even try to stop it. If you truly love someone, how could you let them freely exchange numbers with other men?” The commenters saw right through him: “I’m just sensing a deeply, deeply jealous soul here.” “Let’s be real, OP. You’re just mad you weren’t the one getting her Instagram.” The OP’s reply popped up almost instantly, practically seething: “I’ve never even spoken a word to her! And they just openly exchanged socials right in front of me.” “I don’t care anymore. I’m making everyone in that department work mandatory overtime tonight.” Staring at the screen, a chill ran down my spine. I instantly caught the most important detail. This guy had some serious authority in the company. He might even be top management. Otherwise, how could he force an entire department to work overtime with a single sentence? But I remembered Mason telling me his direct manager was a balding guy with a massive beer belly… Honestly, I had considered clearing up the misunderstanding quietly, worried that this might hurt Mason’s reputation at work. But seeing how unhinged and extreme the OP was getting, I abandoned that idea immediately. If he found out the truth while in this manic state, God knows what he might do. Right now, my only priority was avoiding the radar of this creepy, obsessed boss. 3 For the next few days, I continued my lunch deliveries, but I treaded incredibly carefully. I kept my head down, secretly observing everyone, but I still couldn’t lock onto the guy hiding in the shadows. One afternoon, just as I got on the bus heading home, my sister-in-law, Emma, called me. “Harper, are you on the bus yet?” “Mason said he has to leave for a sudden, out-of-state business trip this afternoon. He needs you to swing by and bring his ID to the office.” But the bus doors had already closed, and it was a hassle to get off and turn around. “Never mind, I’ll just make the trip myself,” Emma sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on. Mason has been insanely busy lately. The mandatory overtime was bad enough, but now a sudden deployment out of state?” Hearing that, I felt a twinge of guilt. The mastermind behind this brutal overtime was almost certainly the Reddit poster trying to punish Mason. When I got off the bus near the office, I saw Emma standing across the street with the lunchbox. Suddenly, my idiot, hopeless-romantic brother dashed out of the building like a golden retriever, pulled Emma into a tight hug, and started kissing the top of her head, completely oblivious to the public setting. I stood on the opposite sidewalk, rolling my eyes so hard I practically saw my own brain. Come on, guys. It’s broad daylight. But right at that moment. From behind me, a low, suppressed, and faintly dangerous voice drifted over my shoulder. “He acts like that with another woman right in front of you, and you aren’t even angry?” My heart leaped into my throat. I instinctively spun around. Standing before me was a tall, incredibly handsome man with a sharp, tailored suit and deep, striking eyes. He stood out effortlessly against the bustling street. I stared at that familiar, dazzling face, and the words tumbled out before I could stop them: “Caleb? Caleb Sterling?” Caleb clearly froze. A flicker of shock crossed his eyes, and his tone carried a trace of confusion. “You know me?” I looked at him, my heart inexplicably skipping a beat, but I put on my best innocent, sweet smile. “Of course I do! I graduated from Lincoln High too. My name is Harper. You were basically a legend there. When you were a senior, I was a freshman. You were the ultimate crush for half the girls in my grade.” I paused, deliberately pretending I hadn’t heard his opening line. I tilted my head, blinking innocently. “Oh, by the way, what were you just saying? A bus drove by, I couldn’t hear you…” The dark intensity in Caleb’s eyes faded slightly. The corners of his lips curved into a faint, soft smile. “Nothing.” His gaze dropped to the insulated lunchbox in my hands. “What are you doing here?” “I’m dropping off lunch for my family,” I answered honestly. “Family?” he repeated softly, his eyes darkening a fraction. “Mhm.” I nodded, tossing the question back. “But what are you doing here, Caleb?” He pointed a long finger toward the imposing corporate skyscraper across the street. “I work here.” I was about to say more when my phone buzzed. It was Emma, asking if I was close. I quickly answered, “Be right there,” and hung up. I looked up at Caleb and offered an apologetic smile. “Caleb, I have to run, it’s urgent. Want to exchange numbers? Let’s catch up sometime.” A barely perceptible light flashed in his eyes. He pulled out his phone without a second of hesitation. After swapping contacts, I waved goodbye and jogged toward the building, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs. Based on what he had just said, I was 99% sure Caleb was the Reddit poster. So the guy who was losing his mind online, pining over a “mistreated wife,” and torturing my brother with overtime… wasn’t some balding middle manager. It was my untouchable, legendary high school crush. 4 After Emma handed off the ID, she had some errands to run and left. I looked at my brother, who was grinning like an idiot, glued to his phone texting his wife, and almost laughed out loud. I casually interrogated him and confirmed that Caleb Sterling was the undisputed CEO and heir apparent of the company. I genuinely never expected that the cool, distant senior from high school was secretly this possessive and unhinged in private. Thinking about his Reddit posts—She’s so pitiful, my coworker doesn’t deserve her, I want them to divorce—and contrasting it with my reality of being Mason’s unpaid delivery girl for the last two months… my mischievous streak ignited like a wildfire. Fate had literally handed me the ultimate prank script. It would be a tragedy not to play along. I deliberately lingered in the office a few minutes longer than usual, wandering over to the breakroom to get water. Sure enough, Caleb quietly appeared. It was strange. I’d been coming here for months; how had I never noticed him before? I pretended not to see him. I gently traced the edge of my thermos, keeping my eyes cast downward, exposing the delicate curve of my neck. I made myself look incredibly quiet, submissive, and like a woman silently enduring a world of grievances. A moment later, he actually approached me. The air around him felt heavy, making my pulse quicken. “Your family… makes you clean all this up by yourself?” He spoke in a low voice, heavy with undeniable heartache. “Does he treat you like this every time?” I looked up at him. I let a perfectly calibrated layer of sorrow and vulnerability wash over my eyes, then quickly forced it down, shaking my head gently. “It’s fine. He’s been busy with work lately. Doing a little extra doesn’t hurt.” With one sentence, I completely cemented the image of the long-suffering, neglected, overly-understanding wife in his head. Caleb’s eyes darkened instantly, his Adam’s apple bobbing hard. “Being busy is not an excuse to neglect you. Harper, you really don’t need to put yourself through this.” My heart did a violent flip. I don’t know why, but hearing my name roll off his tongue sounded incredibly rich and magnetic. It made my ears burn. I lowered my head, hiding a victorious smirk. When I looked back up, my eyes were shining with a glassy, unshed tear. My voice was light as a feather, soft and helpless. “But I don’t have a choice.” As soon as I left the building and hopped on the bus, my phone buzzed with a Reddit notification. The OP had posted a new update, and the words were practically bleeding with longing and bitterness: “I finally gathered the courage to talk to her today. Turns out we went to the same high school. We could have known each other so much sooner, but fate is a cruel joke. That bastard husband of hers was hugging another woman right in front of the building. I don’t know if she saw it, but it broke my heart. If I could, I would take her far away from a guy like that.” Reading that, I felt a twinge of guilt. Was taking this prank too far? But right then, a notification popped up in my family group chat. It was Mason, wailing in despair: “SOMEONE SAVE ME! Our boss has lost his damn mind! He just assigned me to a six-month deployment out of state!! I JUST GOT MARRIED!!” Seeing Mason suffering so spectacularly, I burst out laughing. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was the jealous CEO’s retaliation. Whatever, I’ll let the game run a little longer. If Caleb was fully prepared to be a homewrecker, his moral high ground wasn’t exactly pristine anyway. Even if the truth came out later, he’d probably forgive me, right? 5 After exchanging numbers, Caleb and I started texting occasionally. It started with polite small talk, but we quickly realized we had a ridiculous amount in common. We loved the same obscure indie films, drank the exact same niche coffee order, and shared identical tastes in music and books. With every new shared interest, his texts grew warmer and more eager. I could practically picture his eyes lighting up on the other side of the screen. One night, we were texting late, and he sent: “It’s crazy how similar we are… I wish I had met you earlier.” I stared at the message, smiled, and didn’t reply. A few minutes later, the Reddit post updated. The frustration was palpable: “We have so many shared interests. We click perfectly. We’re obviously meant for each other. What right does her husband have? He just got lucky and met her first. How is he worthy of her? I just can’t accept this.” My inner demon took over. I switched to my burner account and replied to him as a “concerned netizen”: “Thinking about it won’t change anything, bro. You need to show her your masculinity. Remind her who the better man actually is.” Caleb apparently took that advice straight to heart. Early the next morning, my Instagram feed refreshed with a new post from him. It was a gym mirror selfie. He was wearing a tight black tank top. His shoulders were broad, his waist narrow, and his abs were sharply defined. It was the epitome of lean, functional muscle. The sheer testosterone practically shattered my phone screen. I stared at those abs, silently nodding in approval. Damn. You could do laundry on those. I smirked and obediently hit the ‘Like’ button. On his end, he was probably losing his mind. That afternoon, the Reddit post updated again. The tone was completely panicked and confused: “I posted a gym photo, and I set the privacy so only she could see it. She liked it. What does this mean? Does she have feelings for me, or is she just mindlessly liking posts?” The commenters were merciless: “Are you an idiot? She’s stringing you along!” “A married woman liking a thirst trap? Neither of you are innocent. One’s a tease, the other’s a simp!” Caleb immediately jumped to my defense, fighting the commenters: “No, you’re wrong. She’s a wonderful person. She’s just very polite and likes to support people’s posts.” The internet went feral: “Bro, you are down HORRENDOUS!!” I read through the comments, laughing so hard I almost rolled off my bed. Caleb was too entertaining. But Caleb was genuinely getting desperate. He was falling too deep. Unable to hold back anymore, he posted a fierce update: “I can’t wait any longer. Her husband is blatantly physical with another girl. I’m going to make sure she sees the truth.” Caleb moved faster than I anticipated. The next afternoon, just as I arrived downstairs at the office, I “coincidentally” bumped into him. His face was stormy. He handed me a photograph, his voice tight with suppressed rage. “Harper, look at this.” In the photo, Mason was holding Emma on the sidewalk, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. The angle made it look incredibly illicit and scandalous. Those two hopeless romantics couldn’t keep their hands off each other for five minutes. Caleb watched me staring at the photo and gently called out to me. “Are you okay?” I snapped back into character. I let my eyes immediately well up with tears. My fingers trembled slightly, like I had just been stabbed. My voice was breathless and hoarse. “…Who is she?” The anger in Caleb’s eyes was replaced by raw heartache. “I’ve seen them together several times. He hasn’t told you.” I gripped my phone, my knuckles turning white. I lowered my head, letting my shoulders shake just twice—the perfect picture of a woman utterly shattered but fighting not to cry. “He’s been ‘working late’ a lot recently. So… this is why.” Caleb reached out, lightly touching my arm before quickly pulling back, as if afraid of breaking me. “Harper, he is not worth putting yourself through this.” I bit my lip, staying silent for a long time before slowly, painfully shaking my head. “No, we… we can’t separate.” Can’t separate? Caleb froze completely. The shock, confusion, and agony in his eyes merged into something close to devastation. “He treats you like this, and you still refuse to leave him?” I looked up, my eyes red, my voice thick with unshed tears, but fiercely stubborn. “When you’re in a marriage… you can’t just walk away that easily. I can’t do it.” Caleb stared at me. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. He looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown. He didn’t push me. He just let out a soft sigh, a sound filled with helpless, agonizing pity. That night, the Reddit post blew up. You could feel the OP’s absolute despair through the screen: [She knows. She saw the proof with her own eyes, but she still refuses to get a divorce. How can she be so foolish? After everything he’s done to her, what is she holding onto? I’m so terrified she’s going to spiral. I’m afraid she’s suffering all alone in the dark.] [I can’t do anything right now except watch over her and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.] Reading the post, my heart felt soft and strange. I had only meant to tease him, but over the past few weeks, his sincerity, his intense protectiveness, and his careful devotion had hit me right in the chest. I had to admit, it was working. I think I was actually falling for him. After debating with myself for a long time, I sent him a text: “Caleb, my head is a mess. I can’t say this to anyone else, I only want to talk to you… Can I buy you a drink? I hope I’m not bothering you.” He replied instantly: “You’re not. I’ll be right there.” When we met, his eyes were full of undisguised worry. As soon as he sat down, he asked softly, “Have you eaten? Don’t drink on an empty stomach.” I kept my head down, my voice muffled. “I don’t have an appetite.” He didn’t push it. He just poured me a glass of warm water and quietly kept me company while I sipped my drink. I deliberately drank a little too fast. Soon, my eyes were hazy, my cheeks were flushed, and I leaned against the table, acting thoroughly intoxicated. “Caleb… I’m just so sad.” “I’ve been so good to him. Why doesn’t he appreciate me…” His voice was incredibly gentle. “It’s because he’s blind. It’s not your fault.” I swayed my head, looking up at him through hazy eyes. I reached out and weakly grabbed the cuff of his shirt. “You’re so good to me…” His breath hitched. Riding the wave of liquid courage, I leaned forward. My gaze drifted from his intense eyes to his slightly parted lips. Acting on pure impulse, I leaned in and kissed him. It was just a brief touch, and I tried to pull back. But the next second, his hand cupped the back of my neck, holding me in place, and he deepened the kiss. It started with restraint, but quickly escalated into an explosion of repressed emotion, a desperate, careful plundering. My heart was beating so fast I thought I was going to explode. Only when we were both gasping for air did he abruptly stop. He rested his forehead against mine, his breath scorching hot, his voice dangerously raspy. “Harper, don’t do this… I’m terrified you’ll wake up tomorrow and regret it.” I didn’t say anything. I just buried my face in his chest. Letting the alcohol take over, I completely passed out. Unable to wake me to get my address, he had no choice but to take me back to his place. He carefully laid me on his bed and tried to wipe my face with a warm towel. I kept my eyes half-closed, acting delirious, gripping his shirt tight and refusing to let go. I was woken up the next morning by the sunlight. The space next to me was empty, and faint noises were coming from the kitchen. I was instantly wide awake. Oh god. I had played way too hard last night. The sheer embarrassment was enough to make me want to dig a hole and live in it. I couldn’t face him. I quietly slipped out of bed, grabbed my purse, and bolted. The second I got home, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Caleb: “Where did you go? Last night… I didn’t cross any lines, so please don’t be scared. It’s just that I really, really like you, and I want to take care of you.” My mind was a chaotic mess. I stared at the screen, unable to type a reply. Not long after, the Reddit post updated. The OP’s words were a mix of inner turmoil and ironclad resolve: “Last night, she asked me out for a drink to vent. I couldn’t hold back, and I kissed her. I know it’s wrong. I know I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t control myself. That guy doesn’t deserve someone as incredible as her. I’ve made my decision. I am going to steal her away from him, completely and permanently. I’m going to make them divorce.” “Step one: Remove him from her sight.” My heart dropped. The next second, the family group chat exploded with Mason’s frantic messages: “HELP ME! The boss has completely lost his mind! He just personally ordered me to oversee the out-of-state project! For SIX MONTHS!!” “I LITERALLY JUST GOT MARRIED!!” I stared at my phone, completely paralyzed. The prank… had officially gone way too far.

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On New Year’s Eve, the night I decided to move across the country to Seattle to marry him, my mom was so furious she chased me out of the house with a broom. “That broke kid has nothing! You’ll just suffer if you marry him. If you dare go, you are no longer my daughter!” For six years in Seattle, Liam bore all the hardships alone. With his frostbitten, calloused hands, he built a happy home for us. On New Year’s Eve, I was searching through a batch of dumplings for the marked one, the one containing the custom engagement ring I bought, when I got a call from the police. They said my boyfriend had gotten into a vicious fight and I needed to come down to the precinct. I rushed over in the snow, bowing and apologizing to get him released. When I signed him out, Liam was reeking of alcohol, his face bruised. A young woman was pulling at his coat, crying her eyes out. [Liam, thank you for standing up for me. My ex-husband is abusive and has a terrible temper; he’ll definitely keep harassing me. My son and I really can’t hold on much longer.] [Leo loves the dumplings you make. Every day he waits for ‘Daddy Liam’ to come keep him company. Liam… give us a home.] I lost my mind in an instant. I smashed my phone right there in the police station, and Liam and I had the most explosive argument we’d ever had. I questioned him hysterically; he called me heartless. Finally, he gave in and promised to have his female coworker transferred to another team and never contact her again. After that, Liam never brought up Olivia again. Their chat history was reduced to purely work-related exchanges. Until I discovered Liam had a dual-system set up on his phone. They hadn’t cut contact at all. They just moved from out in the open to the shadows where I couldn’t see. He switched from his main account to an alternate account full of relatives and friends. Every photo he posted with her and her son received genuine blessings. I scrolled back to their chat history from New Year’s Eve. [Olivia: I found a ring in the dumplings. Was your girlfriend planning to propose? I’ll bring it back to you.] [Liam: No need, just pretend you didn’t see it. I don’t want to get married right now anyway.] Fine. Since that’s what he wants. I’ve been away from home for six years. It’s time I went back. Chapter 1 Liam was busy in the kitchen. “Maya, I’ve reheated the food a few times now. It probably doesn’t taste that great anymore.” “What do you want to eat? I can order delivery, or we can go out. That sushi place down the street is still…” He turned his head and met my reddened eyes. Liam’s expression instantly softened. “Alright, stop throwing a tantrum.” “My baby is the most understanding, right?” I dodged his touch and said coldly: “Get the dumplings back.” Liam’s smile froze. He untied his apron, balled it up, and threw it hard at my feet. He pointed a finger at my face, shaking it a few times, before gritting his teeth and forcing out an “Okay.” The call connected. Olivia said her son had eaten the dumplings. “I’m so sorry. How much were they? I’ll pay you back.” Liam’s face was losing its composure. A plate of dumplings had turned into an endless farce. “It’s fine, Maya is just acting like a child. I’ll buy her more…” “Liam, it’s not the same,” I interrupted him. Liam suddenly smashed his phone. It shattered into pieces, several shards bouncing off my arm and drawing blood. His volume suddenly spiked: “What the hell do you want from me today!” “It’s just a fucking plate of dumplings! Maya, your targeting of Olivia is too obvious.” I was stunned. Liam pulled a thick stack of cash from his wallet and threw it at my face. The bills scattered, and mixed in with them were three ticket stubs from an amusement park. “Is this enough?” He pulled out his credit card. And threw it hard. “Is this enough?!” “I’m paying you back for her!” My eardrums throbbed. This was the first time in six years Liam had lost his temper with me so viciously, like he wanted to eat me alive. My chest felt tight, a dull ache spreading. I was so sad I couldn’t speak. I could only fumble through the photo gallery on my phone, trying to find the evidence from five years ago when he said he would marry me today. But he had clearly forgotten. “Enough. Let’s both cool off for the night.” Liam pushed my phone away. “Maya, you really need to reflect on your own jealousy.” The door slammed shut. I started dry heaving uncontrollably. I clutched the fabric over my chest tightly. It felt like only by doing this could I ease the suffocating feeling. When I was tired of crying and gasping for air, I climbed up from the floor and started packing my meager belongings. Six years ago, I came here with nothing but reckless courage. Six years later, I’m leaving completely alone. Olivia made a post on Facebook. The caption read: [The happiest New Year’s Eve.] The background was a high-end restaurant. Liam was holding the kid, and Olivia was leaning against his side. While I was leaving, they had gone out for a feast. The table was filled with food. What Liam had been reheating in the kitchen earlier were their leftovers. It included Olivia’s favorite dish, shrimp—which I am deathly allergic to. When he was reheating the food, he didn’t even think to pick them out for me. Liam’s assistant left a comment: “Wow, that was fast. Olivia’s charm is no joke.” “Liam’s been saying at the office every day that he’s never getting married, but he still ended up falling for Olivia.” The screen went dark, reflecting my pale face. My hands were shaking as I finished packing. At the very bottom of my luggage, pressed flat, was my economy train ticket to Seattle from six years ago. Thirty-two hours. But my six years were never taken seriously by Liam. 2 It’s actually laughable. After living in Seattle for so many years, I had no friends, no job, and the only money I had left was what Liam threw at me last night. All I learned to do was revolve around him. Learned to cook and make soup for him, learned to put him first, learned to empty my savings just to buy a twenty-thousand-dollar watch to make him happy. I was such an idiot. Stupid enough to hand my heart over with no reservations, letting him trample all over it. “One ticket back to New York, please.” The ticketing agent suddenly spoke up: “Hey? Are you that girl from six years ago?” I looked up, a bit of color finally returning to my pale face: “You remember me?” The lady smiled: “Who wouldn’t remember you two?” “Back then, your boyfriend waited for you outside the station for a day and a night. The snow piled up on his shoulders, he looked like an ice sculpture, but he refused to leave, terrified he’d miss you.” “We told him to go to the break room to grab a cup of tea and warm up. The kid smiled awkwardly and said he was starting a business, spent all his money buying you a gift, and couldn’t even afford a bus ride. He walked five hours in the cold just to get to the station.” I listened, completely lost in thought. My chest felt tight and bitter. From an abandoned building, to a tiny rental, to the luxury penthouse we lived in now. The boy swallowed all the hardships alone. With his frostbitten, calloused hands, he picked up every brick and tile to build happiness, to build a home. He said: “We won’t have to be afraid of the winter anymore.” “Maya, to be honest, I was afraid you’d come looking for me, but I was also afraid you wouldn’t.” “I was afraid you’d suffer with me.” “But I was also terrified that you didn’t love me.” He cried that day. He held me so tight it felt like he was trying to merge our bodies. My tears fell with his. It was supposed to be happy, so why did it feel so incredibly painful and unbearable now? “Miss, your ticket.” My fingertips trembled slightly. It felt like I wasn’t taking a ticket, but a knife to sever the past. “Don’t cry.” The ticket agent glanced at the expensive jade bracelet on my wrist and seemed to relax a little: “When you support a man from nothing, don’t talk about feelings, talk about money. Talk about whether he’s willing to spend it on you.” I nodded. The ticket was crumpled in my tight grip. Before I could board, Liam caught up. He sprinted toward me just like he did six years ago, pulling me into a tight embrace. I could clearly hear his chaotic breathing, his rapid heartbeat, and his voice shaking uncontrollably: “Don’t go…” “Maya, I was just angry, I didn’t mean to drive you away…” Liam tore up my ticket, scooped me up in his arms, and shoved me into the passenger seat of his car. “Aren’t you bothered by me hanging out with Olivia?” “I transferred her to another team. I’ll keep my distance from now on.” I stayed silent. I stared blankly at the ornament swaying with the car—a gift from Olivia. The cabin smelled entirely of citrus—Olivia’s perfume. The glove compartment, which should have been filled with my things, was now stuffed with kid’s snacks and a few lipsticks that weren’t mine. I blinked, my eyes feeling incredibly dry. Liam didn’t notice anything wrong with me, still rambling on about taking me to Hokkaido for winter vacation. I let out a soft sigh. I didn’t even have the energy to nod anymore. 3 Liam never mentioned Olivia again. Their chat history was strictly work-related. A clean break. “Maya, I’m running for VP. Work is going to be crazy busy for a while.” His voice came through the phone receiver. It didn’t sound quite real. “I wired some money to your card. Go out, walk around, buy something you like. Don’t focus all your energy on me.” Every day when he got home, I was already asleep. When he left in the morning, I was still dreaming. There was breakfast he’d warmed up in the microwave; the dirty clothes I’d worn would be washed and hung on the balcony. Every corner of the house had traces of Liam. I could see them. But I could no longer grasp him. I could feel that we were drifting further and further apart. Our relationship was rusting. Even if we aggressively polished away the rust, it seemed no different than before. But it had lost a lot of its weight. Floating in the air, swaying uncontrollably with the slightest breeze. I originally wanted to take the money and leave, but the biggest variable was that I was pregnant. At first, I was lethargic, had no appetite, and threw up constantly. I told Liam. The next day, he bought a huge bag of medicine and told me to take it. He didn’t even leave instructions before rushing off again. It wasn’t until I felt so sick from the pills that I went to the hospital and found out I was pregnant. “We have to wait for further tests to see if we can keep the baby,” the doctor frowned. “Taking so many antibiotics… I’m afraid the baby might be born with defects.” In the end, two nurses had to carry me out. Outside the examination room, I spent the most agonizing six hours of my life. The back of my hands were covered in bruises from me pinching myself. My eyes were wide open, leaking moisture and guilt. I blamed myself for not realizing I was pregnant sooner. Why wasn’t I more careful when taking the medicine? Why did I just shove everything into my mouth without a second thought the moment Liam handed it to me? “Everything looks fine for now. Come back for a check-up next month.” I felt a wave of relief. My mood improved, and I even ate an extra bowl of rice for dinner. Liam didn’t get home until midnight. Reeking of alcohol, with a cut on his cheek bleeding and a black eye. “Did you get into a fight?” He mumbled something vague and went straight into the bathroom. His work phone, tossed on the bed, pinged. [Olivia: Liam, thank you so much for standing up for me today. Otherwise, my ex-husband would have kept harassing me.] [Olivia: I felt so helpless. If it wasn’t for you being there lately, Leo and I really wouldn’t have made it. Leo really likes you. He waits for ‘Daddy Liam’ every day. Liam, give us a home.] The words repeatedly battered my nerves. It hurt so much. My insides felt like they were going to explode. Daddy Liam… Then what was my baby supposed to call him? Give them a home. What about my home? The home I’ve longed for since I was a child, a place to shelter me from the storm, was gone. Torn to shreds by Liam’s own hands. I bit the tip of my tongue, using the pain to force myself to stay awake as I scrolled through their entire chat history. They hadn’t cut contact. They had merely moved from the open to the shadows where I couldn’t see. From Liam’s main account, to an alternate account filled with relatives and friends. Every photo he posted with her and her son received genuine blessings. I had been left behind again. [Olivia: I found a ring in the dumplings. Was your girlfriend planning to propose? I’ll bring it back to you.] [Liam: No need, just pretend you didn’t see it. I don’t want to get married right now anyway.] I could no longer maintain any semblance of dignity. With trembling hands, I sent a message back: [You love being the other woman that much? Keep my trash, it’s a gift.] “Maya, what are you doing with my phone!” 4 Liam’s gentleness and consideration always vanished completely the moment his boundaries were crossed. He yanked me, making me stumble. I fell beside the bed, ignoring the dull ache in my lower abdomen, scrambled up, and slapped him. Liam’s face swelled even more. He stared dead at the phone in my hand. “Give it to me.” I didn’t move. He lunged for it. Pinching my hand, prying my fingers open one by one. My knuckles made horrifying cracking sounds, completely contorted. Amidst my screams of pain, he snatched the phone back. “You can’t unsend it, Liam. It’s too late.” I started laughing loudly. Like I was gloating, or like I’d completely lost my mind. “I just called her that. A homewrecker, a homewrecker. Does your heart ache for her?” “Olivia is a homewrecker…” Smack— I was thrown onto the bed. All the words were slapped back into my stomach. They churned around, turning into pain, into nausea, into vines covered in thorns. Then they tore me apart from the inside out. My eyeball throbbed with pain. I even suspected it had burst; otherwise, how could so much warmth be flowing out? Besides blood, could it be tears? “Do you realize you’re poking right at Olivia’s wound!” Liam roared. “Maya, you’re driving her to her death!” “Will you only be satisfied when she’s dead?!” My voice was incredibly hoarse. “Yes.” “Go to hell. Both of you, go to hell.” Liam went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, forced it into my hand, and held it to his own neck. It felt like a mutually assured destruction. “Come on, kill me.” “Kill me if you have the fucking guts!” “Maya, I never said I wouldn’t marry you. Olivia’s situation hasn’t been resolved yet, and I don’t want to divert my attention to you right now.” “You waited six years, are you really lacking this tiny bit of time! Are you lacking this tiny bit of love!” Yes. I am lacking. I’m pregnant. I don’t want my child to follow in my footsteps; I don’t want them to be born into a broken home. He said I was poking at Olivia’s pain. Wasn’t he doing the exact same to me? And he was doing it by tearing the wound open with his hands and violently twisting inside. His phone rang. A child cried: “Mommy ran out crying. I’m so scared something will happen to her… boohoo, Daddy, go find her…” Liam hauled me up from the bed. “Let’s go. Come with me. Let’s see what you’ve driven Olivia to!” “Maya, there needs to be a limit to your selfishness!” The car sped down the highway. Soon, Olivia came into view. Liam dragged me over to her, forcing me to apologize. He pressed down on my shoulders, forcing me to kneel in the snow. My knees, separated only by a thin layer of clothing, stung with the cold. “Maya, I can tolerate all your little tantrums, but this time is different.” “Olivia has depression from the divorce; she can’t handle any stimulation.” The snow fell heavier. The more I shivered, the heavier the pressure on my shoulders grew. People walked by. I suddenly felt very envious of them. Without cracks, snow falling on them is just snow, not fine salt rubbed into a wound. “Liam, I’m pregnant…” I offered a despairing smile. A warm flow spread beneath me, slowly dyeing the snow red. “I can’t handle any stimulation either…” 5 At first, Liam didn’t notice the blood at his feet. All his attention was on Olivia. It wasn’t until the woman showed a terrified expression that he realized I couldn’t hold myself up. I was swaying, about to pass out. “Maya, why are you bleeding so much…” Blood soaked my nightgown. And it soaked his pant leg too. I was so exhausted I couldn’t utter a single word, collapsing softly into his arms, barely breathing. Ironically, it was Olivia who repeated the words he hadn’t heard clearly. “Maya said she’s pregnant…” She had been there. Of course she knew what this much blood meant. “Hurry, get her to the hospital.” Pedal to the metal, blowing through countless red lights. At the hospital, Liam just carried me and charged inside. The more panicked he was, the more bumpy the ride, and the more blood flowed out. The metallic smell was so strong that people around us couldn’t help but cover their faces. I was so cold, and in so much pain. Shivering against Liam’s back, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. I don’t want it anymore. Money, love, or a home—I don’t want any of it anymore. I just want to run far away, to a place where I can never be hurt again. As far away from Liam as possible. Away from him, away from my pain. When the doctors wheeled me into the emergency room, Liam tried to follow. They argued at the door, and it finally took several nurses to hold him back as he went crazy. The moment before the doors closed, our eyes met. Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds. His face slowly contorted, morphing into a look I didn’t recognize. Bang— Completely separated into two different worlds. The anesthesia was cold, flowing through my veins into my bones. I grabbed the doctor’s white coat, using all my strength to plead: “Don’t save the baby…” “Get rid of it…” Being born would only mean falling into endless pain. I had no confidence I could give the child the life they deserved. So it’s better they don’t come. The doctors in the ER were silent, seemingly infected by my despair, all showing looks of pity. As my consciousness blurred, I felt like I was back in the past. We didn’t have a house, but we had a small home. The home held me and Liam. “When we have a baby, we’ll decorate a beautiful nursery for them.” “We’ll watch them grow, and when they’re older, we’ll move to a more spacious place.” “The kid goes to school and plays, I’ll make the money to support the family, and you just focus on loving the two of us.” Liam used to mutter these things constantly. “Our family of three will be happy forever.” He looked so serious, as if the things he was saying would happen tomorrow. Tomorrow came. Liam, but the happiness won’t.

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My husband gave me two snakes as pets. The creepy part is, whenever they notice me watching, they start furiously mating. It’s enough to make anyone blush. That’s when the floating text suddenly appeared in my vision. [The female lead is so smart! I can’t believe she thought of having the system turn them into snakes so they can flaunt their love right in front of the side character!] [Hahaha, they are going full speed ahead, and the side character is just standing there looking dumb! Little does she know the male lead is going to strangle her with his tail soon!] [As soon as the side character is dead, the male lead can inherit her multi-million dollar fortune and take the female lead home!] A chill ran down my spine. I immediately dialed the number of the snake catcher next door. “Hi, I have two incredibly fat snakes here. They’d make a great stew!” 1 I was woken up by a rustling, wet, slapping sound. I opened my eyes to see two six-foot-long, brightly colored snakes hanging upside down from my chandelier. They were coiled together like a DNA double helix, their heads raised excitedly, their tongues flicking and touching. Their eyes looked intoxicated, almost as if they were smiling like humans. A few drops of murky white fluid seeped from the tails, dripping down right onto the crotch of my nightgown. Not again. This was the eighteenth time they had gone at it in my bedroom. Frustrated, I sat up and tried calling my husband, Cole. Still no answer. I had no choice but to leave another voicemail. “Where on earth did you buy these two exhibitionists? They have no shame, constantly doing it in my house.” “Honestly, I’m starting to doubt they’re even snakes. They don’t act like reptiles at all. They aren’t even bothered by the AC set to sixty degrees.” Suddenly, my vision blurred. A block of floating text materialized in front of my eyes. [Hahahahaha… congratulations, you guessed right! They really aren’t snakes. It’s your husband and your best friend, you idiot!] [They are going at it full throttle, and you’re just standing there clueless, thinking you’re raising pets! They’re here to take you out!] [My female lead baby is a literal genius. To think she managed to hustle the system for two shape-shifting pills right before terminating their contract!] [Hahaha, they are deliberately doing it over the side character’s underwear for the thrill of it, and then making her bathe them afterward. Watching this is so satisfying!] [They’ve been at it for so long, the female lead baby must be pregnant by now! It’s time to send the side character packing! Otherwise, the female lead will show, and she won’t look good in a wedding dress!] [Don’t worry, after tonight, the male lead will strangle the side character with his tail. Then he’ll shift back to human form, inherit her millions, and happily marry our female lead baby!] Reading these words made my blood run cold. Staring at the female snake glaring at me with a smug, vicious light in her eyes, I actually started to see the resemblance to my best friend, Chloe. According to the floating text—the “comments.” Chloe was the “Main Character” of this world. She was supposed to follow a “System” to complete missions and build her career. But instead, she unexpectedly set her sights on my husband, Cole, deciding she wanted to steal him from me. Because of this, the System broke her contract, dropping two shape-shifting pills before vanishing. They planned to use the pills to get their kicks, while also finding a foolproof way to murder me! A bone-deep chill permeated every fiber of my being. In a daze, I actually heard Chloe’s voice. “Hubby, look. That idiot is staring at us again. I’m so shy.” The male snake’s tail wrapped around her, and Cole’s voice immediately followed. “I want her to watch. That’s what makes it exciting. Come here, let your husband give you another baby.” I bit my lip hard, using the pain to force myself to stay calm. The next second, I made a phone call. “Hey, Uncle Earl. Didn’t you say these two snakes of mine were fat enough to make a killer stew? I’m selling them to you!” 2 Earl was probably stunned; he didn’t say a word for a long time. The whole neighborhood knew he and I were mortal enemies. I loved keeping snakes as pets. He ate two pounds of snake meat almost every day. And before he ate them, he always made a point of torturing them. The day these two snakes arrived, he had followed the scent right to my door, slapping two thousand dollars down and demanding to buy them. Not only did I refuse, but I cursed him out. Hearing me say this now, he hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Harper, what kind of trick are you playing? Setting a trap for me?” “If you don’t want them, I’ll sell them to someone else!” I made to hang up. He hastily stopped me. “No, no, no! You’ve fattened those things up so well, I can’t let anyone else have them. I absolutely want them! Save them for me! I’m heading back right now, you have to save them for me!” After hanging up, I noticed the two snakes had fallen from the chandelier and were slithering frantically across the king-size bed in a panic. Chloe’s shrill voice pierced the air. “Is she crazy?! Why is she suddenly selling us?!” Cole analyzed the situation hesitantly. “Don’t panic. You and I both know how much she loves snakes. The way she’s taken meticulous care of us for the past two months proves that!” “Then what the hell is she doing right now?” “My guess is, she’s setting a trap for that guy Earl. She hates him. She’s badmouthed him to me more than once.” “That’s true, she told me she was looking for a chance to teach that Earl guy a lesson too.” Chloe sighed in relief, her tail wrapping around him again. The two snakes shamelessly began getting intimate right in front of me again. The female snake’s head was a few inches lower than the male’s, looking up at him like a concubine begging for favor from a king. “Hubby, the System’s antidotes will be deposited in the next two days. Shouldn’t we hurry up and get rid of her before we turn back into humans?” Cole’s snake eyes darted toward me. His dark, forked tongue hissed in my direction. For a moment, he didn’t speak. Chloe hissed at him. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you getting soft? You still love her, don’t you?! I knew it! You love her to death! You’re just playing with me!” The female snake swung her head and slithered onto my dresser, coiling around a framed object. She stared at Cole with teary, reptilian eyes. “You kept your token of love! You can’t bear to kill her!” To my surprise, before she even finished her sentence, the male snake’s tail violently smashed the picture frame! The glass shards pierced right through the two pieces of paper inside. It felt like they had pierced my heart a thousand times, too! Years ago, everyone knew that to win me over, Cole went from a failing student to a top-tier scholar. Our final SAT scores were only ten points apart. We went to the same university hand-in-hand. Those two score reports became our token of love, kept safe all these years. Now, his tail slammed down on my score report with a vengeance. A dark, ghostly voice drifted over. “She’s terrified of water. I’m going to wrap my beautiful snake body around her neck, drag her underwater, and watch her slowly suffocate to death!” I was shocked by his cold-bloodedness, momentarily stunned into silence. Honestly, I treated him better than I treated myself. I had never done a single thing to betray him. When he wanted to start a business, I supported him financially and emotionally. When his business failed, I let him rest at home, or paid for him to go on luxury vacations. I covered every single expense. Why did he hate me so much? I looked blankly at the comments floating in the air. [I knew the male lead hated the side character! The harder he loved her before, the more he hates her now! After all, no Alpha male can stand a woman being better than him!] [The side character scoring higher on the SATs already pissed him off, and then she constantly flaunted her money! Every dime the male lead spent of hers felt like a slap in the face. Even if there was love, it burned out a long time ago!] [Hahaha, the side character deserves it! What good is a woman having so much money? Our female lead baby is smart. She knows how to submit and be soft in front of a man. A woman who knows how to act cute gets the best life~] I gave a self-deprecating laugh. To think my understanding and generosity had become the reason he wanted me dead. Biting the hand that feeds you, indeed. I walked straight toward the two snakes. They thought I was going to wipe them down and were completely off guard as I chucked them straight into a burlap sack. But just as I was about to tie the bag shut, the male snake lunged out, wrapping tightly around my neck with terrifying speed. 3 A freezing, scaly sensation pressed against my neck and shoulders. His head was raised high, his beady eyes glaring at me, his dark tongue flicking right against the tip of my nose. His tail was coiled tightly around my wrist. I was prepared to go down fighting. However, right at that moment, his eyes changed. “Hubby, what are you waiting for? Do it!” Chloe urged him on. Instead, Cole wrapped himself around my waist and abdomen twice, like he was protecting something. “She’s pregnant.” Those three words hit me like a thunderbolt. I looked down at my flat stomach. Impossible. He was the only man I’d ever been with, and he hadn’t been home in ages. I hadn’t had any kind of intimate life; how could I be pregnant? Chloe slithered over quickly, furious. “Ha! She always acts so loyal to you, but she’s been screwing around with some random guy this whole time!” “The baby is mine.” Those few words sent another shockwave through me. In my confusion, I suddenly remembered a dream I had two months ago. In the dream, a massive snake had wrapped itself around me. When I woke up, the bedsheets were soaked. Looking back now, it wasn’t a dream. It was Cole! “So that’s how it is.” Chloe curled up into a pathetic little ball. “Since she’s pregnant, I’ll just bow out. I know you could never bear to hurt your own child. I’ll step aside for your happy little family of three. I’ll just treat the beautiful time we spent together as a dream.” Cole hastily hooked his tail around her. “Why are you being so accommodating? When did I ever say I didn’t want you? I only want the child you give me. Her kid is just an ant I can crush whenever I want.” His snake head turned to look at me. “Let’s send them both to hell together then. At least they’ll have company on the way down.” I clenched my fists. Just then, the doorbell rang. Earl’s raspy voice came through the door. “Harper, open up! I’m here!” 4 The two snakes exchanged a look, then intertwined like usual and slithered up to a high shelf, coiling together. I opened the door and let Earl in. “Catch them yourself. However you deal with them, I won’t ask any questions.” With that, I slammed the door shut behind me. The comments went crazy. [Why did the side character leave? Is she really selling the male and female leads? No way, right?] [The leads are panicking. They were planning to kill the side character after Earl left, but now that she’s gone, how are they supposed to do it?] [Oh crap! Earl has a knife!] [Thank God the antidotes arrived just in time! Chloe baby, hurry up and eat it!] [Once he shifts back to a human, Earl won’t be able to do anything to them!] [Eat it quickly! There are only two antidotes! If you don’t eat them, you’ll slowly turn into real snakes permanently!] Antidotes? My nerves pulled taut. If I let them change back, wouldn’t all this be for nothing? I turned right back around, and the moment I opened the door, I was stunned. Chapter 2 Earl was single-handedly battling two massive snakes. He had grabbed both their tails to stop them from escaping, using every muscle in his body, his teeth gritted with effort. Both snake heads were stretching in the same direction, jaws wide open, biting frantically at the air. I followed their gaze and immediately spotted two black pills sitting on the table. Those had to be the antidotes the comments were talking about! Just as the snake heads were about to reach the pills, I snatched them up with lightning speed. Earl let out a muffled groan. Cole had somehow broken free from his grip and was lunging toward me. I didn’t have time to think. I spun around, sprinted into the bathroom, tossed the pills into the toilet, and slammed the flush handle. With a loud whoosh, the two pills vanished in the swirling vortex of water. I heard Cole cursing loudly. He had slithered right up to my feet, his snake head dipping uselessly into the toilet bowl, looking like he wanted to cry. “Harper, I’m going to kill you!” I stepped out of the way just in time. Earl’s snake hook perfectly snagged Cole’s head and yanked him backward. I breathed a sigh of relief. Looking over, I saw that Chloe had already been shoved into a burlap sack and was frantically writhing around inside. “These two monsters of yours are vicious. Thank God they aren’t venomous, or I really might have died here today!” As he spoke, he clamped down hard on Cole’s head and expertly shoved him into a second sack. “What are you going to do with them?” Earl clamped a cigar in his mouth and let out a dark chuckle. “None of your business what I do with them. We made a deal, cash for goods. I’m not giving them back.” “I’m just curious.” He squinted, blew out a puff of smoke, and kicked the burlap sack with his muddy work boot before answering. “Things this feisty, it’d be a waste to just chop their heads off. You’ve had sashimi, but have you ever had snake sashimi? Cool, thin slices… one bite, and it’s way crunchier than fish!” His smile turned sinister. “A creature this long… I plan on starting from the tail and eating about four inches a meal.” I dry-heaved. He just threw his head back and laughed. Chloe was screaming non-stop, begging for her System. Since the System wasn’t answering, her despair was palpable. “What do we do, what do we do?! I don’t want to die like this! Cole, think of something, please!” Cole’s voice sounded even more terrified than hers. “The antidotes are the only thing that matters! Tell your System to send another batch!” Chloe shrieked, crying, “It’s useless! I broke the contract with it! I used all my remaining points for those two pills! We’re out of chances!” “We’re going to turn into real snakes soon. But at least I have you. We’ll be a snake couple forever.” “Shut up! I am absolutely not turning into an animal! And I am definitely not having a litter of snake babies with you! This is all your fault, you psycho! If you hadn’t brainwashed me into turning into a snake, I wouldn’t be in this mess! I had Harper as my personal ATM, but you kept whispering in my ear, making me hate her! This is all your fault!” Chloe was dumbfounded. For the first time, the comments turned against Cole. [That piece of trash! Before, he was saying he’d love Chloe forever, that she was sweet and understanding, and he’d only ever marry her. Now that things went wrong, he instantly turned on her! Ahhh, I want to slap him to death!] I finally felt a release of the anger building in my chest. “Venmo QR code,” Earl’s voice snapped me back to reality. I pulled up my code and held out my phone. Just then, a figure rushed in and snatched my phone away. “You’re not selling them!” 5 I froze for a second before realizing the person standing in front of me was my own mother. She immediately blasted Earl in the face with pepper spray. Caught completely off guard, he shrieked in agony. “Mom, what are you doing?! I called him here!” The next second, my mom slapped me hard across the face. “I heard everything! You were going to sell these two snakes, weren’t you?!” I was stunned. “Why did you hit me?!” “If I don’t hit you, will you wake up?! My son-in-law bought these two snakes specifically for us to keep! He made me promise to take good care of them until he gets back! He isn’t even home yet, and you’re selling them! Do you have water for brains?!” As she spoke, she quickly untied the snake bags, shaking out the one containing Cole. “Big Red, run, hurry!” Cole slithered incredibly fast, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye. Seeing my mom reaching to release Chloe too, I desperately tried to stop her. “Cole cheated on me! I don’t want anything of his!” My mom froze, then suddenly shook her head. “Impossible! Cole is such a good, respectful boy. How could he betray you? You just want to dump him and made up an excuse, didn’t you?” I was utterly speechless. “Are you even my real mother? What kind of mother doubts her own daughter like this?” She sneered. “You’re my biological daughter, alright. But you have your father’s genes. You’re both treacherous! Cole is innocent, just like me. He can’t play your twisted games. I have to protect him!” I felt utterly helpless. My parents divorced a long time ago. When my dad passed away, he left all his assets solely to me, not giving my mom a single dime. Ever since then, she found fault with everything I did. On top of that, Cole always played the perfect, filial son-in-law around her, constantly flattering her with “Mom is the best.” Over time, their relationship became stronger than hers and mine. Earl stumbled into the room, cursing, and grabbed Chloe. “I’ll come back to settle the score for the other one another day!” “Earl, you bastard! This is robbery!” My mom rushed out after him. Less than five minutes later, footsteps slowly approached the door. I sighed and said, “You’re no match for Earl. Why did you chase him? Besides, I already agreed to sell…” I stopped mid-sentence, stunned by the person standing in front of me. It wasn’t my mom. It was Cole. 6 I doubted my own eyes and blinked hard. It really was the human Cole I remembered, not that massive snake. He was soaking wet and reeked of sewage. Seeing me, he flashed his signature smile. “Honey, I’m home.” “Ran into some trouble, look a bit of a mess. I’ll explain everything later.” With that, he headed straight for the bathroom to shower. My legs felt weak; I could barely stand. I looked up and saw the comments cheering. [I’ll forgive the male lead for yelling at the female lead earlier, considering he was brave enough to eat actual shit.] So that was it. Cole had followed the pills down the toilet drain and actually managed to eat them. My hands and feet turned ice cold, and I lost my balance, collapsing onto the sofa. Right then, my mom returned. She was sweating profusely, but wore a satisfied smile on her face. “Trying to mess with me? He’s got a lot to learn!” I shot up. “You got the snake back?” “It belongs to my son-in-law, of course I got it back! You, on the other hand… I’ve never seen anyone so greedy! Your husband buys you a pet out of the goodness of his heart, and you try to sell it behind his back. You have no conscience!” She carefully placed Chloe into a terrarium and turned to look for the other one. Cole walked out, a towel draped over his shoulders. “Mom, no need to look. Thanks for your hard work. You should head home and rest.” My mom was ecstatic. “Oh, it’s so good you’re back! This brat said you cheated on her! Tell me, what’s going on?” Cole met my gaze, a smile playing on his lips. “How could I? I’ve been out of town on business all this time. I haven’t even seen another woman. Besides, in my eyes, no woman in the world is better than Harper.” Lying without batting an eye! I was furious. But in that moment, I had no proof. I couldn’t exactly tell people he turned into a snake and cheated on me with another woman. In the eyes of the world, he was just a devoted husband who went on a long business trip and still sent gifts home every month. Flawless. Instead, he could use the baby in my stomach as leverage to force a divorce and take half my assets. Sure enough, the next second I heard Cole say: “I rushed back because I heard Harper got involved with another man and is pregnant with his child. I really didn’t want to believe it. Mom, could you take a look?” “What?!” My mom turned pale with shock. She whipped her head around and glared at me. “You dared betray your husband?! I’ll beat you to death, you shameless tramp!”

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When I gained consciousness, realizing I was trapped in the plot of a trashy romance novel destined to be the “evil rich girl,” it was too late. I had already hired thugs to kidnap the beautiful, innocent main character, Sophie. According to the script, she was about to be assaulted, beaten, and left with nothing. In retaliation, Elias—my wealthy childhood best friend who was obsessed with her—would undergo a dark transformation. He would destroy my father’s hedge fund, strip me of my wealth, and have me sold into human trafficking overseas. Ultimately, I would die alone in a foreign gutter, riddled with disease and missing a kidney. When reality hit me, I practically pissed myself. Shaking uncontrollably, I called the lead kidnapper: “Bring her back right now! I’ll pay you double—no, triple what we agreed!” The kidnapper just laughed on the other end of the line. “Sister, she’s already outside the client’s hotel room. The train has left the station. Catch my drift?” I panicked. Desperate to save my own skin, I blurts out the only available option: “Take me instead! I’m hotter, curvaceous, and I look like a temptress. I’m way better than that flat, boring college girl! Please, brother… Mr. Kidnapper, please?” Say what you want, but I know how to handle crisis PR. Chapter 1 1 The hotel room was pitch black, the blackout curtains drawn tight. I stood in the corner, shaking like a leaf on a vine. I had managed to talk the thugs into letting Sophie go, but now my knees were about to buckle under the weight of my reality. Am I really about to let myself get used to save her? I wanted to cry. Should I call the police? No, that would expose the fact that I hired them to kidnap her in the first place. I couldn’t catch my breath. Talk about being hoisting by your own petard. Just as I was spiral into panic, a man staggered out of the bedroom. He was tall. Even with his face flushed red, there was no hiding how devastatingly handsome he was. His white dress shirt was completely unbuttoned, revealing a sweaty, rock-hard chest and perfect six-pack abs. Normally, I’d take a mental picture, appreciate the view, and maybe even offer a low whistle. But right now, he was supposed to “do” me. I was not in the mood. 2 Based on the storyline I had awakened to, this man was Silas Sterling, the second son of the powerful Sterling family. He was notorious in high society for being stoic, almost celibate, and completely uninterested in marriage. His older brother, apparently tired of Silas’s lack of a love life, had drugged him to drag him out of his shell. The plan was for him to have a one-night stand with a “pure and innocent” college girl. As fate—or a lazy writer—would have it, I had kidnapped the main character, Sophie, and the thugs decided on their own to deliver her to Silas’s bed as the perfect candidate. Because Silas was out of his mind from the drug, when Sophie violently resisted, she not only lost her virginity but ended up beaten and broken, her spirit crushed. That led to Elias, my childhood best friend, hating me with a burning passion and vowing to destroy me. Now, I was here to fix it. Sophie was safe. If I played my cards right from now on, minded my own business, and stopped trying to win Elias over, maybe—just maybe—he wouldn’t ruin my life later. I just had to get through this one night. 3 Before I could come up with a plan to escape, Silas charged at me. His eyes were burning red, his mind gone. He was running on pure, primal instinct. In an instant, his powerful arms scooped me up. His muscles felt tight and scorching hot against my skin. I couldn’t breathe. He slammed me onto the table, flipping me so I was on top, and kissed me with brute force. Total chaos. Our breaths tangled. I couldn’t stop shaking. Desperate to keep him from getting violent like the original plot, I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to guide him gently. I was completely overwhelmed by the rich, masculine scent of pine and cedarwood coming off him. Within seconds, both our heart rates were through the roof. I was terrified, but I had to placate the beast. “Slow down, okay?” I whispered, feeling the intense shame of the situation. “I’ll… take them off myself…” But the next second: Rrip! My silk top and skirt were torn to shreds. The man was a total savage. I had seen Silas Sterling at exclusive galas before. He always looked like the definition of a suave, sophisticated gentleman. Nothing like this monster. I cursed his brother mentally. Who drugs their own sibling?! I closed my eyes, shivering as I pressed against him, trying to keep it from being a fight. “Please, just… go easy. It’s my first time.” I always had romantic ideas about my first time. This was not part of the plan. Life really doesn’t care about your plans. 4 Eventually, Silas seemed to regain a tiny shred of rationality. While his actions were still intense, he stopped attacking and started adjusting to my pace, even taking a moment to wipe the sweat from my forehead. I could only try to relax and let him have his way. In my blurred state of mind, I tried to rationalize: Look on the bright side. Silas Sterling is notorious for being celibate. He’s definitely clean. And he’s gorgeous. The guy is literally walking perfection. Looking at the red rimming his eyes, watching his body move over me with total obsession, I gritted my teeth. I’ll just pretend I ordered a top-tier male model. And this one was “free.” 5 By the time everything finally quieted down, I felt like I was half dead. Silas was exhausted. He had fallen fast asleep on me. I shivered uncontrollably as I extracted myself, moving like a ghost to put on whatever remnants of clothing I could find. My legs were shaking so hard I could barely walk. I was just stumbling out of the hotel when Elias called my cell. “What did you do to Sophie? Why did she almost miss the school’s musical showcase?” “Is this your doing? Answer me.” The rapid-fire interrogation made me feel incredibly guilty. The original reason for the kidnapping was, in fact, to stop Sophie from performing. I was supposed to be the lead dancer. But Elias had used his connections to steal the role for Sophie. I had been forced to step down. I couldn’t understand why the billionaire CEO of a massive company was meddling in college theater. Elias had argued that Sophie came from nothing and needed the showcase to secure a scholarship. He told me that a rich girl like me didn’t need to “fight the poor for food.” But dance was my passion. I had worked for ten years for that role. I had earned it fair and square. Why should I have to give it up just because she’s poor? That frustration, fueled by jealousy and hatred, had driven me over the edge. I paid those thugs to grab her. But I never wanted to hurt her. I just wanted her to not show up. How could one mistake put me and my family on the path to total destruction? 6 Before Sophie appeared, Elias and I were inseparable. We were the stereotypical wealthy childhood best friends. He was the protective older brother type. I never doubted for a second that we would get married one day and have the perfect suburban life. Then Sophie arrived. And Elias couldn’t look away from her. I hated how she always acted like the tragic, innocent victim, always hanging around him. So I targetted her. I mocked her. I made her life miserable. I went crazy, I was obsessed, and I fought with Elias constantly. It was my own stupid behavior that destroyed whatever fondness Elias had left for me. But now, I was truly terrified. I was never doing that again. I gently touched my abdomen. My kidneys were still there. A little overused right now, but still there. Surviving was what mattered! I quickly said, “Elias, I swear, I didn’t do anything. You have it all wrong.” Sophie had returned to the theatre totally unharmed. None of this had anything to do with me. Elias let out a cold laugh over the phone. “If I find even a hint that you were involved, Sera, I will destroy you.” If he had said that to me before I awakened to the plot, my heart would have broken into a million pieces. But now, I knew where I stood. “Don’t worry,” I said firmly. “I guarantee you, I will never fight Sophie for you again. In fact, you won’t have to see my face at all.” He was clearly taken aback by how fast I admitted defeat. After a long pause, he said coldly, “Good. Keep it that way.” I hung up and finally let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Stage one of damage control: Complete. 7 When I got home, I made three resolutions: Forget Elias. Forget Sophie. Forget everything that happened in that hotel room. Elias Fairchild could be the sexiest, most charming man on the planet, but he wasn’t worth losing a kidney over. He certainly wasn’t worth sacrificing my dad for. Our childhood promises of marriage were just kids playing make-believe. I needed to grow the hell up. Honestly, I thought about running away. Maybe move to Europe for grad school and not come back until Elias and Sophie were happily married with kids. But whenever I thought about that path in the storyline—the sickness, the human trafficking—my stomach churned. I was safer in the US than anywhere else in the world. So, I decided to become a hermit. For the next three days… I didn’t leave my house. I skipped my classes. My dad thought I was sick. I was too embarrassed to tell him the truth, but I did manage to give him a subtle warning. I practically begged him to stop engaging in any new business ventures with the Fairchild family. In the storyline, Elias was only able to take over my dad’s company so easily because my dad trusted him completely. Given my dramatic shift in attitude toward Elias, my dad was confused. “Did you and Elias have another fight? It’s okay to fight, Sera, but don’t hold a grudge.” I rolled my eyes. “We are over, Dad. He likes someone else. We are not a thing.” I finally spilled the truth, telling him everything Elias had done to me for Sophie’s sake. I used to be too proud to tell him, always making excuses for Elias. But now, my dad needed to know the reality. “Whatever was between us ended a long time ago. He’s going his way, and I’m going mine.” My dad looked at me for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “Okay. I understand.”

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Part 1 There were only two low-income students in our class: Lily and me. My family was struggling financially, but my grades were excellent, which qualified me for a significant scholarship. Because of this, I gave up my spot for the need-based grant, letting Lily have it. I never imagined that at the financial aid assembly, she would publicly accuse me of discriminating against her, claiming I used the grant to insult her dignity. Almost immediately, a post attacking me went viral on the school forum. Everyone was calling me a bully who picked on poor students. She demanded compensation for “emotional distress.” The school revoked my scholarship eligibility, and my family was forced to drain all our savings to pay her off. To make up for the lost money, my mother had to take on grueling shifts at a construction site day and night. She eventually collapsed from sheer exhaustion and passed out. After falling into a deep depression, I dropped out of school. Desperate to make ends meet, I worked night shifts. One rainy night, I was cornered and killed by a group of street thugs. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn. My teacher’s voice snapped me back to reality: “Class President, this application form…” I didn’t wait for her to finish. I snatched the form from her hand and quickly signed my name. … Ms. Lee froze for a second, clearly not expecting this reaction. “Chloe, what are you doing…?” I looked up. The suffocating despair from my past life had crystallized into absolute, cold clarity. “Ms. Lee, my family’s financial situation meets the criteria for this grant. I’m submitting this application.” The classroom instantly fell silent. Several pairs of surprised eyes turned toward me. I could distinctly feel a piercing gaze burning into the back of my head from the left. It was Lily. The same girl I had yielded the grant to in my past life, the one who eventually pushed me into the abyss. Her eyes flashed with a barely concealed irritation, as if I had just stolen something that rightfully belonged to her. Ms. Lee gave a relieved nod. “Alright, Chloe. I’m glad you decided to step up and apply. Get your documentation together and bring it to me.” In my past life, Ms. Lee had urged me to sign this exact form. But back then, I thought my scholarship was enough. Overflowing with misplaced empathy, I stepped aside for Lily. That decision ultimately left me drowning in debt and cost me my entire family. When the bell rang, Lily walked over to my desk. Her eyes were red-rimmed, playing the part of someone who had suffered a massive injustice but was bravely holding back tears. “But Class President, you promised you were going to let me have the grant this time…” She spoke with such pathetic fragility, perfectly positioning herself as the helpless victim. I cut her off immediately. “Lily, I did ask you privately if you wanted me to help you apply for the grant.” I paused deliberately. “But when I asked you, didn’t you shake your head and firmly reject my offer?” “I respected your choice at the time. I assumed you genuinely didn’t need it. It was only after you explicitly turned it down that I decided to apply for it myself.” Lily clearly hadn’t anticipated that I would so accurately recall her moment of “fake pride.” “No, that’s not true! You knew I was just too embarrassed to accept it directly. How can you back out now and make me look bad?” I stared at her frantic, crumbling facade. “Lily, let me reiterate. I simply asked if you needed help, and you explicitly said no.” But almost immediately, Lily’s tears began to fall. As expected, a few classmates who were friendly with her couldn’t stand by and watch. “Chloe, that’s kind of messed up, don’t you think?” one girl spoke up first. “We all know a bit about Lily’s situation. She has a younger brother, and her family is really struggling. Didn’t you say you were going to let her have it?” “Yeah,” a guy chimed in, shooting me a condemning look. “Besides, you’re the Class President. You’re supposed to look out for your classmates. Snatching the spot and then cornering her like this… that’s really uncalled for.” “Exactly. Chloe, you’re in the wrong here. Lily just cares about her pride, that’s why she wears knockoff brands. We all know her family is broke.” A chorus of agreement echoed around the room. Suddenly, all the arrows were pointing at me. Lily stood to the side, her head bowed, looking even more small and defenseless. Facing these accusations, I didn’t panic and scramble to defend myself like I did in my past life. I just watched them quietly. I waited until the chatter died down slightly before speaking again: “To be honest, I don’t even recognize the brands Lily wears. Growing up, I’ve never had the opportunity to be around authentic designer items.” My voice was calm. I was merely stating a fact. “You all know her family is struggling. You all know she might be wearing knockoffs. But I didn’t. To me, the things she uses look expensive, and I don’t even understand the topics she talks about.” The classmates who had just been defending Lily were suddenly speechless. Lily was rendered completely mute by my response. Suddenly, she jerked up from her seat and wildly swept her arm across her desk. Crash! Her textbooks and pencil case scattered all over the floor. The next second, she threw herself onto her desk and began sobbing loudly, acting as if she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world. “Lily, please don’t cry.” “Quick, help her pick her stuff up.” The group that had been defending her immediately swarmed her, crouching down in a flurry to gather her scattered belongings. And naturally, I became the villain in their eyes. The bell rang for the next class. Just as the math teacher stepped through the door, Lily abruptly stood up. Without a word, she covered her face and bolted out of the classroom without looking back. “Hey, what’s going on with Lily?” The math teacher was taken aback by the sudden drama, looking confusedly at the class. A few students shot me subtle, accusatory glances. “What do you think? The Class President stole her financial aid spot, so she ran off crying…” The math teacher’s gaze immediately fell on me. I stood up. “Mr. Harris, I didn’t steal anything from anyone. If she wants the grant, she can go to the homeroom teacher and apply for it herself. Does being the Class President mean I lose my right to apply for financial aid?” Mr. Harris paused, clearly not wanting to get dragged into classroom drama. He waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, alright, settle down. Your homeroom teacher will handle this. If you want the grant, apply through her. Now, let’s start the lesson!” However, halfway through the class, Ms. Lee, our homeroom teacher, appeared at the door and signaled me. “Chloe, come to my office.” I knew exactly what this was about. Lily was pulling another stunt. As soon as I walked into the office, the atmosphere was suffocating. Lily was there, as expected, her eyes red and swollen from crying. But her carefully applied “no-makeup” makeup was gone, and the delicate necklaces and bracelets she constantly swapped out were nowhere to be seen. She was shrinking behind her parents, looking utterly victimized. Her parents—a middle-aged couple wearing plain clothes who genuinely looked worn down by life—exploded the second they saw me. Her mother, in particular, lunged forward: “So you’re the Class President? You vicious little bitch, what gives you the right to steal our Lily’s grant? Do you have any idea how hard our lives are?” Ms. Lee quickly stood up and blocked her path, her voice stern: “Mrs. Smith, please watch your language! This is a school office!” Facing the barrage of insults, I didn’t back down. Instead, I met the woman’s furious glare and let out a soft laugh. “Ma’am, my family is poor too.” My voice was quiet but firm. “This money doesn’t go to whoever yells the loudest or cries the hardest. If your family wants the grant, you need to submit the proper paperwork to the school. What’s the point of yelling at me?” I paused, then deliberately raised my voice in feigned surprise: “Oh, wow, Lily, what happened to those pretty necklaces and bracelets you usually wear every day?” At my words, Lily’s head snapped up, a flash of panic in her eyes. Her parents clearly froze as well. Ms. Lee took the opportunity to speak up again, her tone serious: “Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I hope you heard that. The grant requires verifiable documentation. It’s not awarded just because someone throws a fit.” “Chloe met all the requirements to apply. There is absolutely no issue with her application.” Seeing Ms. Lee try so hard to protect me, my heart felt warm, but also ached with a bittersweet pang. In my past life, she had tried just as hard to defend me. But eventually, the relentless pressure from the school administration and the online mob forced her to resign from the teaching career she loved. The moment Ms. Lee finished speaking, Lily’s mother’s face contorted in anger. “Don’t give us that bureaucratic garbage. We don’t understand your ‘paperwork.’ All we know is that this money belongs to our Lily, and now you’ve stolen it!” “If you don’t cough up that grant money today, then you can keep it! Keep it to buy your own medicine! With a heart as rotten as yours, karma will catch up to you!” Ms. Lee turned pale with fury. She slammed her hand on her desk. “You… how dare you speak to a student like that!” And me? Hearing that specific curse, my body gave an almost imperceptible flinch. It wasn’t fear. It was the sickening overlap of my past trauma bleeding into the present. The bitter taste of the medication my mother needed after working herself to the bone, the pills I swallowed when the depression consumed me… those memories flooded back, choking me. But I quickly steadied myself. “Ma’am, you’re cursing me to need medicine? How ironic. My mother worked herself into a hospital bed precisely because we couldn’t afford medicine.” “You keep screaming about how poor you are and how you need to fight for this money. Yet you can afford to let your daughter wear expensive-looking jewelry and full makeup to school every day?” My gaze shifted back to her parents. For the first time, I saw genuine hesitation on their faces. Lily jerked her head up, staring at me in terror, then looked frantically at her parents. Her lips trembled, but no words came out. Her mother’s aggressive posture finally deflated. Seizing the moment, Ms. Lee stepped forward. “I think you’ve heard enough. This isn’t about the grant anymore; this is about how you are raising your daughter.” “Now, please leave my office immediately. The grant applications will be processed according to school policy. If you continue this unreasonable behavior, or if you ever insult one of my students again, I will report this directly to campus security!” This time, the parents didn’t try to charge forward. As Lily’s mother shot me a final, resentful glare, a desperate, frantic voice rang out from the office door: “Chloe!” I whipped around and saw my mother’s slightly hunched figure standing in the doorway. She had clearly rushed over the second she got the call from Ms. Lee. “Mom,” I called out instinctively. My mother hurried into the room, not even pausing to greet the teacher. She immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me with her body. “We are not giving up that money. My daughter applied based on our actual financial situation. Why should she give it up?” Her gaze swept over the furious couple opposite us. “Buying medicine? We poor folks have tough skin. If we need it, we take it. But you two? Two grown adults ganging up to bully my daughter? Have you no shame?” Lily’s parents might have been able to throw a tantrum in front of a student, but faced with a mother fiercely protecting her cub, their bullying tactics seemed to vanish. Ms. Lee stepped forward again. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith, please leave immediately, or I will call security right now!” Lily’s father, losing face, grabbed his wife’s arm and pulled her toward the door, muttering curses under his breath. “Fine. You play dirty. We’ll see who karma hits first!” Finally, in a deeply uncomfortable silence, Ms. Lee escorted them out of the office. My mother immediately turned to me, looking me up and down anxiously. “Chloe, did they hit you? Did they say anything mean? Are you scared?” I looked at my mother’s worried face, at those eyes that had grown cloudy too early from years of grueling labor. I forced a reassuring smile. “Mom, I’m fine.” Ms. Lee walked over as well. “Mrs. Evans, please don’t worry. Chloe is an incredibly mature girl. She’s the best student in my class.” Hearing the teacher’s praise, my mother’s tense expression finally relaxed a bit. “Thank you, Ms. Lee. Thank you for protecting my Chloe…” Watching my mother and Ms. Lee talking quietly, a rush of bittersweet warmth completely overwhelmed me. Thank God. Thank God I was reborn. This time, I swear I won’t let anyone hurt her again. When the final list of grant recipients was posted, there were no surprises. My name was right there on it. That afternoon, the entire school gathered on the football field for a brief assembly to announce the financial aid awards. I stood in line with my class, waiting to be called up to the podium. I could clearly hear the whispering from a group of girls just behind me—Lily’s clique. “Ugh, I bet some people are feeling pretty smug right now. Stepping on others to get ahead, and she actually has the nerve to go up there.” “I know, right? Acting all high and mighty, who knows what kind of dirty tricks she pulled behind the scenes.” “Lily, you’re just too nice. That’s why she walks all over you…”

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After a company janitor found an abandoned infant in the restroom, she took me and my daughter to court. In court, she beat her chest and screamed herself hoarse: “Evelyn Hayes’s daughter is a total slut!” “She played my son like a backup plan, got pregnant, refused to admit it, and just tossed the baby in the toilet! That was a human life!” “This mother and daughter are cold-blooded, heartless monsters!!” Her son’s eyes were also red, playing the part of the deeply devoted but betrayed lover: “Lily was always sleeping around, and I turned a blind eye, thinking she would eventually settle down.” “Who knew she could be so ruthless as to kill her own flesh and blood? She’s barely human!” The live stream of the trial instantly exploded: [These wealthy elites are absolutely disgusting! Giving birth and throwing the baby in a toilet!] [This is criminal abandonment. I fully support a heavy sentence!] Curses flooded the screen like a tidal wave. The next second, I pulled out my daughter’s medical examination certificate. Everyone was completely dumbfounded. Right after the New Year holidays, my car had just pulled into the underground garage when I received a call from my assistant: “Ms. Hayes, the janitor found an abandoned infant in the women’s restroom. It’s already… gone.” My heart sank. I hung up and rushed up to the office. When I arrived at the scene, the police told me: “The security cameras on this floor are all broken. It’s going to be very difficult to find the person who dumped the baby.” “We can only take the body back first and run a DNA database comparison.” I nodded, indicating we would fully cooperate with the investigation. But I felt a lingering unease: Who would give birth in a company restroom? I had barely sat down in my office when the janitor, Martha Jenkins, pushed the door open and walked in. Her face was pale, but her eyes were gleaming with an eerie light. I thought she was traumatized and offered proactively: “Take two days off to rest and recover. You’ll be fully paid.” She didn’t react to that. Instead, she stared straight at me: “Ms. Hayes, I know where that baby came from.” I looked up, gesturing for her to continue. She took a deep breath and enunciated every word: “It’s my premature grandson…” She added: “And your grandson, too.” I froze for a second, a sense of absurdity rising in my chest: “If you’ve been traumatized into a mental breakdown, the company can pay for you to see a therapist.” She didn’t get angry. Instead, she stepped closer and lowered her voice: “Don’t worry, I don’t want to blow this out of proportion either.” “But your daughter, Lily, strung my son Caleb along for two years. This time she got pregnant, secretly gave birth, and tossed the baby in the toilet to freeze to death!” Her eyes grew red, but her tone became increasingly vicious: “My son gave her his whole heart, and she played our family like animals! A human life, just snuffed out by her!” I stood there, listening to her curse my daughter word by word, feeling it was utterly ridiculous. Martha saw that I wasn’t speaking and assumed I was feeling guilty. She caught her breath and shifted her tone: “Let’s not beat around the bush. Two million dollars, and we write this off.” She took another step closer, her spit almost flying into my face: “If I expose this and let the whole internet see what kind of trash a wealthy heiress really is!” “How do you think the netizens will curse you? How much will your company’s stock be worth then?” “You’re a businesswoman. You know how to do the math, right?” It was too absurd. So absurd I almost wanted to laugh. I slowly stood up, walked to the door, and pulled it open: “If you want money, I have none. If you want to sue, go ahead.” “Now, please get out!” Martha’s face turned ashen. She glared at me fiercely, bumped past my shoulder, and stormed out. I had anticipated that Martha would resort to anything for money, but I didn’t expect her to move so fast. That afternoon, Martha brought her son, Caleb, and stormed into the company lobby. “You black-hearted boss! Condoning your daughter’s murder! Give me back my grandson’s life—!” She sat on the floor of the office area, slapping her thighs, emotionally recounting her tale: “My son is such a fool! He was tricked out of his feelings and his body by that little slut Lily!” “After Lily got pregnant, he catered to her every whim. Who knew this venomous snake would just give birth and throw the baby in the toilet!” Her son, Caleb, stood beside her, his head hanging low, looking exactly like the picture of a devoted man who had been terribly wronged. Hearing the commotion, I walked out and caught snippets of the employees’ gossip: “So the dead baby in the restroom was born to Ms. Hayes’s daughter!” “She always looks so elegant and educated; how did she raise a daughter like that?” Seeing me, Martha pointed right at me: “Look, everyone, the murderer’s mother is out!” I didn’t bother engaging with her. I turned directly to the security guards who had rushed over: “These two are disrupting the workplace. Please escort them out.” The security guards stepped forward, forcefully dragged Martha off the floor, and shoved them both out of the building. I thought that would be the end of it, but that evening, my assistant called again: “Ms. Hayes, the video of Martha and her son causing a scene at the office this afternoon was posted online, and it’s gone viral!” I quickly logged onto the social media platform. The incident was already trending at number one in local news. The headline was glaring: [Exposed: Executive of Horizon Group Condones Daughter Giving Birth in Restroom and Abandoning Infant!] Overnight, my daughter and I became the internet’s public enemies. Abandoning an infant is a crime to begin with, let alone throwing a baby in a restroom to freeze to death. The social backlash was catastrophic. Because of the extreme public attention, a criminal case was swiftly opened. The court decided to hold a public trial and live-stream the entire process. When I walked into the courtroom, the viewer count in the live stream was skyrocketing. The live chat was scrolling frantically: [So heartless. She carried the baby for nine months just to throw it in a toilet!] [Even leaving it at an orphanage would have been better! Throwing a baby directly into a toilet is purely evil. She must be severely punished!] The judge banged his gavel, and the trial began. The plaintiff’s lawyer was the first to stand up: “First, I would like my client to state the course of events.” Martha put on a look of utter heartbreak: “Lily relied on her mother’s money to treat my son like a dog. She tricked him, played with him, and when she got bored, she wanted to kick him to the curb!” “Later, when we found out she was pregnant, we thought she would finally settle down and live a proper life.” “Who knew this snake of a woman was wicked to the core? She gave birth to the baby, threw it in the toilet, and let it freeze to death!” At this point, her tears fell uncontrollably: “That was my Jenkins family’s flesh and blood! A living, breathing human life!” In the live chat, curses rained down on my daughter: [Listen to that! Is she even human?! Lily belongs in the deepest circle of hell!] [Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. This Lily is worse than an animal!] [Her mother is no saint either. To raise a daughter like that, she must be trash herself!] Seeing this, Caleb also joined in with low sobs: “I always treated Lily with true sincerity. No matter how spoiled and promiscuous she was, I put up with it.” “She could treat me however she wanted, but how could she… how could she kill our child!” He raised his teary eyes, looking like a deeply devoted but betrayed man: “She can treat me however she wants, but the baby was innocent!” I stood at the defense stand, my ears ringing. Watching this mother and son put on a duet, dumping buckets of dirty water onto my daughter’s head, I felt it was both absurd and chilling to the bone: “This is blatant slander!” “My daughter could never do such a thing.” The plaintiff’s lawyer, seeing my tough stance, gave a dismissive smirk: “Your Honor, please allow us to present our first piece of evidence!” After receiving permission, he cast a surveillance video onto the large screen. It was a recording from the elevator on the morning the abandoned infant was found at the company, featuring Martha and a young woman. In the video, Martha looked at the girl with a concerned tone: “Lily, why didn’t you tell me beforehand that you were coming to the office?” The girl, heavily pregnant, had an arrogant attitude: “I’m coming to my mother’s company. Do I need to report to a janitor like you?” Martha gave an awkward laugh: “That’s not what I meant. You’re far along in your pregnancy now. If you told me in advance, I could have Caleb accompany you, right?” The girl didn’t bother responding. She just stepped out of the elevator on her own. The video ended there. The live chat instantly felt they knew what was going on, and the cursing intensified: [Like mother, like daughter. What kind of attitude is that towards an elder?!] [She dresses like a decent human but acts worse than a pig or a dog!] [This is rock-solid proof. Let’s see how this venomous mother and daughter try to talk their way out of this!] Martha spoke up right on cue: “That day, I just thought she was stopping by for a walk. After she got out of the elevator, I went to do my own chores.” “If I had known she was there to throw away my grandson, I would have followed her no matter what!” Looking at the screen full of curses, I clenched my fists: “On what grounds are you certain that is my daughter, based on a video whose authenticity hasn’t even been verified?” The plaintiff’s lawyer seemed to be waiting for this exact sentence: “Of course, it’s not just this!” “Through facial recognition technology, the woman in the video has an 80% similarity match with Lily!” A comparison photo was displayed on the screen. That face… at first glance, it really did look like my daughter. But I knew my daughter too well. “Impossible! This person is absolutely not my daughter!” “Furthermore, it’s completely impossible for my daughter to be pregnant with Caleb’s child!” The plaintiff’s lawyer furrowed his brows: “It seems you won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin!” He turned to the judge: “Please allow us to present our second piece of evidence.” On the large screen, a PowerPoint presentation slid through its pages. It contained videos and photos of Caleb accompanying a young woman to prenatal checkups over the past eight or nine months. On the medical reports, the patient’s name was glaringly printed: Lily Hayes. When the presentation reached the end, Martha was in tears: “As everyone can see, every time Lily went for a checkup, my son accompanied her, catering to her every need, more attentive to her than to his own mother!” “And the result? The baby was born and thrown into a toilet to freeze to death!” She pointed her finger at my nose, spit flying: “Yet Evelyn Hayes still denies it! This wicked old woman has a heart of stone, and the daughter she raised is even more venomous!” Her son Caleb wiped his tears alongside her: “Ms. Hayes, I know you look down on me, think I’m poor and a failure.” “But the baby was innocent! How could you be so cruel…” The live chat launched a new round of bombardment: [Are this mother and daughter even human?! Lily should be locked up and have the key thrown away!] [A tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. This woman is ten times worse than an animal! I suggest the death penalty!] [Evelyn, how do you even have the nerve to stand there? Raising a murderer like that, you should be sentenced right alongside her!] The filthy insults stabbed at me like knives. I stood at the defense stand, my ears ringing, my chest feeling like a red-hot iron was pressing down on it. My daughter, a kind-hearted girl who would squat down to feed stray cats since she was a little kid, was currently being subjected to a death by a thousand cuts with the most vicious words from millions of people. “You all keep saying my daughter toyed with feelings and treated human life like dirt. I want to ask, have any of you actually met my daughter in person?” “If you had really met her, you would absolutely not be saying these things!” Martha stiffened her neck: “She was pregnant with my son’s seed. How could we not have met her?!” The live chat unleashed another barrage: [What, is her daughter a man or something? Saying ‘if you met her you wouldn’t say this’, she really has no defense left!] [What good can come from a bad seed’s mother? She’s just another bad seed!] I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white: “I said, it’s impossible for my daughter to abandon an infant!” Martha raised her volume: “Fine! Since you still won’t admit it, I’ll show you the third piece of evidence!” “I want to see how long you can keep up this stubborn act!” The lawyer immediately presented the third piece of evidence. “This is the DNA test report between the infant, Lily, and Caleb!” The plaintiff’s lawyer’s voice rang loud and clear: “The report shows that a biological parent-child relationship exists between the fetus and both individuals.” This single report was like a thunderclap. The live chat went completely insane: [The DNA is rock-solid proof. Let’s see how you keep pretending now!] Martha looked at me, her eyes red: “Evelyn! What do you have to say for yourself now?!” “The evidence is irrefutable. You still want to deny it?!” I took a deep breath, my voice so calm it surprised even myself: “I do not recognize this DNA report either!” “There is absolutely no possibility of a parent-child relationship between my daughter and that dead infant!” The chat scrolled wildly: [Is this woman crazy? Denying DNA?] [She’s still putting up a dying struggle. It’s so disgusting!] [What touching mother-daughter bond. I suggest they spend the rest of their lives together in prison!] Martha shrieked and lunged forward, but was held back by the bailiffs: “You bitch! This is scientific proof in black and white! You still want to deny it?!” “The hair sample sent for testing was personally plucked from your daughter’s head by my son!” Her son Caleb immediately nodded: “Yes! The baby Lily was carrying was mine! Even when she went out and got hotel rooms with other men, I endured it, thinking she would settle down once she had the baby…” “Who knew she was a venomous snake, throwing it in the toilet right after birth! I must make her pay the price!” “This test report was done with the police accompanying us. There cannot be any issues with it!” Seeing this, the live chat boiled over: [Did the pregnancy hormones go to her mother’s brain? Pretending when the evidence is ironclad, this mother and daughter are beyond saving!] [This old woman won’t shed a tear until she sees the coffin. I suggest charging her with harboring a criminal and locking her up with her daughter!] The tide of public opinion was completely one-sided. Martha looked at me, a hint of smugness creeping into her bloodshot eyes. She probably felt that victory was already in her grasp, so she simply let her lawyer continue. The plaintiff’s lawyer cleared his throat: “The defendant’s crimes of infant abandonment and harboring a criminal are obvious facts and should be punished by law!” “At the same time, my clients also demand that the defendant pay two million dollars as compensation for emotional distress.” The chat was in full agreement: [The auntie and her son are still too kind, only asking for two million.] [If you ask me, a life for a life. Sending these two women to hell to apologize to the little baby is the only fair thing!] The corners of Martha’s mouth curled up imperceptibly as she looked at me: “Evelyn, do you see? The eyes of the masses are clear. You venomous mother and daughter will eventually be punished!” I ignored her and just looked firmly at the judge: “Your Honor, regarding all the accusations made by the plaintiffs against me and my daughter, I deny them all!” “It is impossible for my daughter to have been with Caleb, and even more impossible for her to have gotten pregnant and abandoned an infant!” The courtroom was in an uproar. Martha was so angry she tried to charge at me. After being restrained, she screamed hoarsely: “The evidence is right in your face! Your daughter was pregnant with my son’s seed!” “How much longer are you going to keep making excuses?!” I didn’t answer. I just shot a look at my lawyer, who had just rushed in. He nodded and subsequently pulled a document from his folder and handed it to me. I looked at the judge: “With the court’s permission, I would like to make my daughter’s medical examination certificate public.” The judge nodded. I held the medical certificate up to the camera. When the entire internet saw the results of the medical checkup. Everyone gasped collectively. On that medical report, it clearly stated in bold letters: [Lily Hayes, Female, Age 9. No history of menarche.] The live chat exploded: [How old? 9 years old?! Are my eyes deceiving me?!] [She hasn’t even had her first period, so getting pregnant and giving birth is biologically impossible!] [Does that mean Martha and her son have been making false accusations from the very beginning?!] Martha’s face twisted, her eyes glued to the medical report: “Impossible! That’s impossible!” “It’s a fake! This medical report must be a fake!” She then turned to me: “Evelyn, you have such a malicious heart! To get your daughter off the hook, you’d even forge a medical report!” “You are showing contempt for the court!” Caleb also hastily yelled: “Right! This is a fake! How could Lily possibly be only 9 years old?!” “They definitely bought off the hospital to make this report!” I gave the mother and son a cold, sweeping glance, then said to the judge: “Your Honor, this medical report is from the City General Hospital.” “All examination procedures were legal and compliant. I also have the complete medical records and hospital surveillance footage.” “I am willing to undergo any verification. If it is fake, I am willing to bear all legal consequences!” The live chat was almost entirely one-sided now: [That kind of confidence doesn’t look like a fake.] [Right, a report from a top-tier public hospital isn’t that easy to forge.] [I always thought it was weird. What mother would be so calm and strongly deny it after her daughter abandoned a baby? This is the root of it all!] The plaintiff’s lawyer clearly hadn’t anticipated this either. He stood up, his momentum noticeably weakened: “Your Honor, the evidence presented by the defense fundamentally contradicts all evidence previously presented by my clients.” “We request a temporary recess to verify its authenticity.” The judge pondered for a moment, then struck the gavel: “The court grants the plaintiff’s request. We will temporarily recess.” The gavel fell, and the trial live stream was interrupted. But the storm on the internet was just beginning. During the two-day recess, public opinion underwent an earth-shattering shift. More and more people began to look for loopholes in the evidence provided by Martha’s side. Various speculations and deductions emerged endlessly. When the court reconvened, the number of viewers in the live stream reached a new high. Everyone was curious about the truth. The judge first announced: “After court verification, the medical report of Lily Hayes submitted by the defendant, Evelyn Hayes, is authentic and valid.” A final, decisive conclusion. The plaintiff’s lawyer still bit the bullet and stood up: “Your Honor, we believe this does not directly overturn the connection between the abandoned infant and the defendants.” “The abandoned infant appearing at the defendant’s company is exactly what proves this is related to the defendant!” At this point, he raised his volume: “Our new evidence shows that the woman romantically involved with Caleb, while not Lily Hayes herself, has a very close relationship with the defendant, Ms. Evelyn Hayes!” As his words fell, he looked down, operated his laptop, and played a surveillance video. The footage showed Caleb walking in and out of a hotel lobby with his arm around a young woman. He infinitely zoomed in on the woman’s face and froze the frame. “This woman’s name is Harper Collins, currently 21 years old, a student at Southern State University.” “According to our investigation, she is an underprivileged student who has been sponsored long-term by the defendant!” [A sponsored student? Oh my god, the plot thickens!] [So they got the wrong person? They mistook the girl she sponsors for her daughter?] [Even so, why would she use Lily’s name to get prenatal checkups? That doesn’t make sense!] The judge looked at me: “Defendant, what is your explanation for this?” I remained calm: “Harper Collins is indeed a student I sponsor.” “But during the sponsorship period, aside from sending money, my interactions with her have been extremely rare.” “As for the matters between her and Caleb, I am even more completely unaware.” Just then, Harper Collins, escorted by bailiffs, walked in. As soon as she took her seat, her tears instantly flowed. The look she gave me was filled with deep resentment. A few seconds later, she pointed at me and cried out with a sobbing voice: “My child was killed by Evelyn!” “She sponsored me just to use me as a social tool, to send me to the beds of those old men she knows!” “When I refused, she suppressed me in every way, threatened me, and caused me to develop severe depression!” I looked at her and slightly raised an eyebrow. They were ganging up to scheme against me. She continued: “After finding out Caleb and I were dating, she constantly tried to break us up!” “I originally wanted to keep this child and live an ordinary, quiet life.” “But Evelyn forced me to drink a potion and murdered my child!” She looked at the camera, her voice hoarse from screaming: “I hate her! I hate her for ruining my life, ruining my love, and killing my baby!” “Just because she had a few dirty bucks and gave me a little sponsorship!” “I’m going to ruin her reputation!” This accusation was filled with genuine emotion and directed all the spears at me. The live chat turned into a chaotic mess: [This girl is crying so pitifully. If what she says is true, Evelyn is terrifying!] [This is terrifying to think about. Sponsoring poor female students and then giving them away to others, isn’t this just a modern version of grooming girls for trafficking?] [My brain is a mess. Who exactly is lying?] Martha and her son finally showed a look of relief on their faces. The judge looked serious and turned to me:

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I was a widow to Carter Hayes for thirty years. He was a national hero, a titan of scientific research, honored endlessly after his death. Everyone praised my devotion, calling me the great woman behind the great man. I believed them. That was, until I was sorting through his belongings and found a yellowed, faded acceptance letter locked inside his personal diary. The name printed on it was mine. In his diary, he wrote about his overwhelming guilt toward Olivia Bennett. He wrote that her family had saved his, that he owed her his life, and the only way to repay that debt was to steal my acceptance letter and give it to her. I was meant to be a scholar at the top university in the country, but instead, I was trapped by my husband in a kitchen built on lies for thirty years! My heart felt like it was being crushed into dust. My vision went black. When I opened my eyes again, the youthful face of Carter Hayes was hovering over me, filled with concern. “Chloe, what’s wrong? You’re so pale.” I was back. I had returned to exactly seven days before college orientation. Chapter 1 I stared at him. His eyes were full of worry, and he reached out a hand to check my forehead for a fever. I swatted it away. “I’m fine. Just a nightmare.” He froze for a second, then chuckled. “Silly girl. Dreams are the opposite of reality.” He placed a bowl of warm oatmeal on my desk. “Eat up. When you’re done, I’ll walk with you to the post office to ask about your acceptance letter.” In my previous life, he said the exact same thing. He wasn’t walking with me to ask; he was going to confirm the mail carrier’s route so he could intercept my letter halfway. I took a bite of the oatmeal and asked, “Carter, do you still have my birth certificate and Social Security card?” “Yeah,” he nodded. “Your parents trust me, so they had me hold onto our important documents together. Why?” “I want them back. I’m practically an adult now. I can’t rely on you forever.” Carter’s hand paused. He looked up, studying me closely. In the past, I used to cling to him like a shadow. “Chloe,” his voice sounded a bit hurt, “Don’t you trust me?” “I do.” I looked him dead in the eye. “But I want to learn how to manage my own life.” He scrutinized me for a long moment before finally nodding. “Alright. I’ll give them to you after breakfast.” After we ate, he brought over a manila envelope. I took it and pulled out my documents. In thirty years, these exact papers would be sitting in the dusty safe in his study. “Thanks.” I gripped the envelope, walked back into my room, and locked it in the very bottom of my trunk. Carter’s voice followed me from the hallway. “Chloe, you’re acting a little different today.” I didn’t even turn my head. “I grew up.” That evening, as soon as my parents walked through the door, I placed the envelope on the dining table. “Mom, Dad, these are our family’s documents. From now on, we keep them ourselves.” My parents exchanged a look but didn’t ask questions. They just smiled and said, “Alright, our little girl is growing up.” Late that night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, wide awake. Through the thin walls, I could hear rustling noises from next door. It was Carter, digging through his things. I let out a cold smirk, too lazy to care what he was plotting. In this lifetime, no one was going to touch my MIT acceptance letter. 2 At the crack of dawn, Carter knocked on my front door. “Chloe, Olivia is here.” Olivia Bennett. In my past life, she was the one who stole my spot at the university. Carter and I grew up in the same neighborhood cul-de-sac. Olivia lived on the other side of town, not particularly close, but she was always finding excuses to hang around our street. I pulled the front door open. She stood on the porch, giving me a timid, fragile smile. She was always sickly, always playing the fragile victim. In my past life, Carter exhausted every avenue to get her into college, while I became an uneducated housewife. “Morning,” I said flatly, stepping aside to let her in. In the living room, Carter handed Olivia a cup of hot tea. He had specifically stirred in extra honey. His voice carried a tenderness I had never heard him use with me: “What brings you by so early today?” Olivia held the mug with both hands, her voice soft and wispy. “My parents wanted me to ask… about the acceptance letters…” “Soon,” Carter reassured her gently. “With your scores, getting into college is a sure thing.” When he said that, his eyes never left Olivia’s face. I was far too familiar with that look. In my past life, whenever he looked at me like that, I thought it was love. Now I knew better. It was nothing but guilt and a desperate need to compensate. My mom walked out of the kitchen. Seeing Olivia, she immediately put on a warm smile. “Olivia, sweetie! Have you had breakfast?” “I ate, Mrs. Evans.” “Carter,” my mom signaled him with her eyes, “Give Olivia the bacon from your plate. She needs her strength.” Without a word of protest, Carter transferred his food onto her plate. “Eat up.” Olivia quickly shot me a sidelong glance. “I couldn’t possibly…” “It’s fine, eat it,” Carter waved his hand. “I’m a guy, I don’t need much.” I watched them in silence. It was the same in my past life. Everyone thought Olivia was pathetic. Everyone thought I should yield to her. “I’m full.” I put down my fork, walked into my room, and shut the door. Outside, I heard my mom lower her voice. “What’s gotten into her?” Carter’s voice was soft. “She might just be in a bad mood, Mrs. Evans. I’ll go check on her.” He knocked on my door. “Chloe, open up.” I ignored him. “Don’t be mad. I’ll make you more bacon later.” I still ignored him. He stood outside my door for a long time before finally walking away. I walked over to my window and watched him and Olivia leave the neighborhood together. He tilted his head down to speak to her, and she kept her head bowed, a faint blush on her cheeks. They looked like a perfect couple. I was the one who looked like the third wheel. 3 Carter didn’t come back all day. He walked in at dusk, looking exhausted. “Where were you?” I asked. “There was an accident at Olivia’s house. Her dad broke his leg at the factory. I had to help get him to the hospital.” “Oh.” He looked at me. “Are you still mad about this morning?” “No.” “Olivia’s health is already so fragile, and now with Mr. Bennett’s accident… sigh.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We should help them out as much as we can.” In my past life, he said the exact same thing. The Bennett family used that exact excuse to chain him down for a lifetime, which in turn chained me down. “Carter,” I looked at him, “Do you have feelings for Olivia?” He stiffened. “Chloe, what kind of nonsense is that?” “Then why do you treat her better than you treat me?” I cut him off. “You give her your food, you cater to her, and the second her family has an issue, you run faster than anyone else. Carter, you can’t lie to me.” He fell silent. After a long time, he finally spoke, his voice gravelly. “It’s not what you think. Our families… we have a deep history. My dad told me that the Bennetts saved our lives.” “Saved your lives?” “Yeah. My dad said the Hayes family owes the Bennetts a debt in this lifetime, and we absolutely must repay it.” I stared at him. There was no trace of deception on his face. “So, how are you going to repay it?” I asked. He avoided my gaze. “I’ll figure something out.” I sneered inwardly. Your ‘something’ is stealing my college acceptance letter to give to her? “Carter,” I said, emphasizing every syllable. “You can never pay off a debt by stealing someone else’s life.” The color drained from his face. “What exactly are you trying to say?” “Nothing. I’m tired.” A life-saving debt. What a heavy, noble excuse. Carter Hayes, you thought you were a hero, but you were just a cowardly thief. The next day, I went to the local public library. In the microfiche archives of the County Gazette, buried in a corner from over a decade ago, I found a tiny article: [Accident at Local Steel Mill: Gas leak in worker housing. Neighbor, Mr. Bennett, assists Hayes family in evacuating. Minor injuries reported.] The timeline, location, and last names all matched perfectly. The so-called “life-saving debt” was just a neighbor helping them walk out of a building during a minor gas leak. I printed a copy of the article. On my way home, I saw Carter standing outside his house talking to Olivia. Her eyes were red, and she was crying while he comforted her incessantly. I walked past them without any expression. “Chloe!” Carter called out, stopping me. I halted. “Where did you go?” “The library.” Seeing me, Olivia immediately wiped her tears and took a few steps back. “Chloe, please don’t misunderstand…” “What exactly am I misunderstanding?” She was stunned by my bluntness. Carter frowned. “Chloe, Olivia’s family is going through a crisis. She’s upset.” “What does her family’s crisis have to do with me? Because she’s sad, the whole world is supposed to coddle her?” “Chloe Evans!” Carter raised his voice. It was the first time he had ever used my full name in anger. “When did you become so cold?” “I used to be an idiot who believed everything you said. Now I’m not, and you can’t handle it?” Carter’s lips parted, but no words came out. “Carter, it’s all my fault…” Olivia’s tears spilled over again, and she turned and ran. But the very next day, she was back. This time, she ran straight into our cul-de-sac and threw herself at Carter’s feet, sobbing hysterically. She cried that her father’s leg was shattered, the factory refused to cover the medical bills, and her family didn’t have a single dime left. Carter was heartbroken. He wanted to give her money right then and there. But he was just a student; he didn’t have a penny to his name. He paced around frantically. Then, his eyes landed on my wrist. Resting there was a vintage gold locket bracelet, an heirloom my mother had given me. “Chloe,” he started, his voice dry. “Your bracelet… can we pawn it just for an emergency? I swear I’ll buy it back for you!” Olivia’s sobbing paused for a fraction of a second, her eyes darting toward my wrist. “No. It’s a family heirloom from my mother.” I rejected him without a second thought. Carter grew desperate. He took a step toward me. “Chloe, this is a matter of life and death! Just consider it a loan!” “That is my property!” “Chloe Evans!” he roared, reaching out to grab my wrist. His grip was incredibly strong. “Just give it to me first, I’ll pay you back, I swear!” He didn’t even look me in the eye. His other hand violently yanked at the bracelet. The gold scraped painfully against my wrist bone. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free. He forcefully stripped the bracelet off my arm. A bright red, bruising mark was left behind on my skin. He snatched the jewelry, didn’t even glance back at me, and shoved it into Olivia’s hands. “Hurry, go to the hospital!” Olivia muttered “I shouldn’t…” but her eyes were glittering with greedy satisfaction. I knew exactly how her mind worked. She had envied me since we were kids. She was jealous that I was healthier, jealous that my grades were better, jealous that I had everything she didn’t. To her, the world was inherently unfair. She believed she was entitled to a share of everything I possessed. And she used that tiny favor her father did for the Hayes family as her ultimate bargaining chip. When Carter returned from seeing her off, he actively avoided my gaze. I looked down at the angry red mark on my wrist. The skin was burning, but my heart felt like it was encased in ice. 4 A few days later, the acceptance letters finally arrived. The mail carrier was shouting from the end of the street, “Carter Hayes! Chloe Evans! Certified mail!” Carter was the first one to sprint out of his house. By the time I walked outside, his back was to me. He was gripping two envelopes, his shoulders trembling slightly. He tore his open. State College. The other envelope had the Massachusetts Institute of Technology crest stamped in bold letters. Without even looking at it, he shoved it deep into his jacket pocket. He only turned around when he heard my footsteps, forcing a strained smile. “Chloe, my letter came. I got into State.” I stared right at him. “Where’s mine?” His eyes darted away. “Yours? It probably hasn’t arrived yet. We’ll just have to wait.” The way he looked when he lied was exactly the same as in my past life. “Okay,” I said. I didn’t expose him right then and there. Instead, I went inside and called my parents to come home immediately. Five minutes later, my parents and Carter’s parents all hurried into the cul-de-sac. I had also called Officer Miller from the local precinct, and a few of the neighborhood elders had gathered around, sensing the commotion. Everyone was present. I knocked hard on Carter’s door. “Carter, come out here. Everyone is waiting.” The door opened. Carter saw the yard full of people and froze. “What is…” My dad stepped forward, his face like thunder. “Carter, is Chloe’s acceptance letter in your pocket?” Carter’s face drained of color instantly. “Mr. Evans, what are you talking about?” “Drop the act,” I said coldly. “Take it out.” Every eye in the yard zeroed in on him. He instinctively clutched his jacket pocket. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Officer Miller stepped forward, his tone severe. “Carter, think very carefully. Stealing and withholding someone’s federal mail—especially a university acceptance letter—is a felony. If Chloe presses charges, you will go to federal prison.” Carter’s body began to shake violently. “Carter! What the hell is going on?!” his father roared. Just then, Olivia came sprinting into the yard. “Carter!” She saw the crowd and gasped in shock. “I heard you say the letters arrived, and I…” I laughed. “Olivia, your timing is impeccable. Running all the way over here… were you worried your dear Carter might have misplaced that stolen letter before he could hand it to you?” Chapter 2 Olivia’s face turned ashen. Carter looked at her, then at me, and finally at the deeply disappointed faces of the elders surrounding him. He completely collapsed inward. His hand reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out the pristine MIT acceptance letter with my name on it. The moment the letter was revealed, a deathly silence fell over the yard. My dad, shaking with uncontrollable rage, lunged forward and delivered a brutal backhand across Carter’s face. “You animal!” Blood trickled from the corner of Carter’s mouth, but he didn’t even flinch. “Arthur,” my dad pointed a shaking finger at Carter’s father, “This is the son you raised! Stealing my daughter’s future! Is this how the Hayes family repays kindness?!” Arthur Hayes’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t form a word. “No!” Carter screamed, his voice cracking. “It’s because our family owes the Bennetts!” My dad let out a dark, freezing laugh. “Oh, is that so? What life-saving debt?!” He glared at Arthur. “Arthur Hayes, did you forget? When your family was evicted and had nowhere to go, it was my father who took you in! When your wife was deathly ill, it was my mother who emptied our savings to pay her hospital bills! Did you conveniently forget all of that?!” “Just because John Bennett turned off a leaky gas valve, you think you owe them a life? And you decided to use my daughter’s entire future to pay for it?!” Both Carter and his father were stunned into absolute silence. “I…” Arthur’s face turned a deep, humiliating purple. “I don’t care about your family drama,” I interjected, my voice cutting through the tension. “I only have one question for Carter.” I looked at him with pure disgust. “Is the acceptance letter I earned through years of hard work your property? Do you get to just give it away like a cheap gift?” Carter’s lips moved, but not a single sound came out. I stepped past him and stood directly in front of Olivia. “You knew all along, didn’t you? You just sat there, waiting comfortably for him to hand you a stolen future.” Olivia stumbled backward, babbling incoherently. “No… I didn’t know…” “You didn’t know?” I pulled the copied newspaper article from my pocket and threw it directly at her face. “What about this? You took a minor neighborhood incident and spun it into a tragic, heroic fairy tale to manipulate Carter for over a decade!” Seeing the newspaper clipping, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the dirt. Carter picked up the paper, read it, and his expression shattered completely. “This is…” “A newspaper from over ten years ago,” I said flatly. “It states very clearly: a minor gas leak, resolved by a neighbor. Carter, is this your grand ‘life-saving debt’?” Carter’s face went from flushed red to a sickly white. Officer Miller cleared his throat, stepping in to mediate. “Chloe… look at this situation. Do you want to handle this legally, or settle it privately?” Before I could even answer, Carter’s mother rushed forward and dropped heavily to her knees right in front of me. “Chloe! I’m begging you! Can we please settle this between families? Carter just made a stupid, temporary mistake! Please, let him off the hook!” Carter stared at me, his eyes filled with desperate, agonizing pleading. But in my past life, who ever showed me mercy? “I won’t press charges.” As soon as the words left my mouth, the collective tension in the Hayes family evaporated. I didn’t give them time to breathe. “But I have two conditions.” “First, Carter, you will write a letter of confession right now. You will admit that you stole my university acceptance letter. Once it’s written, it gets pinned to the community bulletin board for everyone to see.” “Second, from this day forward, our families have absolutely no relationship. Carter Hayes, never show your face to me again!” The last drop of color drained from his face. He stared at me for a long, agonizing moment before a pathetic, broken smile formed on his lips. He nodded. “Fine. I’ll write it.” That confession hung on the community bulletin board for three days. Everyone in town knew that the golden boy of the Hayes family was a common thief. Carter didn’t step out of his house once. I didn’t care. I packed my bags and headed to the train station. On the platform, both my parents were crying. Carter never showed up. Good. The train lurched forward, the platform slowly receding into the distance. From this day forward, I, Chloe Evans, would only live for myself.

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The day my cousin reported me to the IRS, the whole family applauded him. My aunt sent a voice text to the family group chat: “Brian did the right thing! It’s time we find out just how much dirty money Chloe has really been making!” A row of thumbs-up emojis followed below. My mom didn’t hit “like,” but she didn’t say anything to defend me, either. I stared at the chat, then put my phone face down on the table. I opened my laptop and typed a quick message to my accountant: “Sarah, that audit report we discussed? Let’s finalize it now. I’m going to need it.” Chapter 1 My name is Chloe Vance. I’m thirty-two years old. I own a food trading company specializing in sourcing regional specialty goods for online distribution. It’s not a massive empire. But I employ twelve people, and I consistently pay around half a million dollars in taxes every year. In our modest suburban town, I’m doing pretty well for myself. But within my family, my business was never worth mentioning. The only one worth talking about was my cousin. Brian Walsh. My aunt Brenda’s only son. Three years older than me. Growing up, every good thing in our family revolved around him. During Christmas, my grandma would slip us cash. Fifty bucks for me and my sister. Two hundred for Brian. “Brian’s a boy,” Grandma would say. “He’s going to carry the family name.” In school, I ranked third in the entire district. No one mentioned it at Sunday dinner. Brian barely scraped through a two-year community college program, and my aunt threw a massive party for the whole family. “Our Brian is a college man now!” My mom sat there, smiling and nodding. “Yes, Brian is really making something of himself.” I kept my head down and ate, saying nothing. Things like this happened too often for me to find them strange. In our family, Brian was the sun. The rest of us were just background noise. After college, I didn’t take a dime from my parents. I worked three jobs in the city for three years, saved up fifteen thousand dollars, came back home, and started my first online store. I went from packing boxes by myself to registering a corporation, renting a warehouse, and hiring staff. In five years, I built it up to three million in annual revenue. No one helped me. No one invested in me. My parents didn’t even really know what my company actually did. But they did know one thing—I was making money. And once I was making money, I was useful. “Chloe, your cousin wants to start a business. You should lend him some cash.” That was the first time my mom ever proactively called me to talk about money. “How much?” “Fifty thousand.” I was silent for five seconds. “Mom, fifty thousand is not a small amount of money.” “We’re family. Your cousin isn’t going to stiff you. Your aunt said he’d pay it back in six months.” I didn’t say anything. “You make so much every month; fifty thousand shouldn’t be a big deal to you, right?” That last sentence is what made me agree. Not because fifty thousand wasn’t a big deal. But because my mom had never “needed” me like that before. Fifty thousand. Transferred. No promissory note. Because my mom said, “Why write a note? It ruins the family dynamic.” That was two years ago. He hasn’t paid back a single cent. I brought it up once. My aunt snapped over the phone, “Brian just started his business; cash flow is tight. You’re a big CEO. Pressing family for this kind of money? How embarrassing would it be if people found out?” I never brought it up again. But I remembered it. Every year, my accountant, Sarah, does a full internal audit. Sarah was my college roommate, a certified public accountant with her own firm now. She has handled my books since the day I incorporated. “Chloe, your tax compliance is tighter than many major corporations,” she tells me every year. “I don’t dare let it be otherwise,” I’d laugh. “I’m a small business owner. I can’t afford an audit.” That phrase eventually became my ace in the hole. What I didn’t know was that I would be forced to play that ace very soon. Chapter 2 My cousin’s “entrepreneurial journey” lasted eighteen months. He opened a bubble tea shop. Closed in three months. Then he started a food truck. Closed in five. Later, he claimed he wanted to get into e-commerce. “Learning from Chloe! If she can do it, so can I!” My aunt slammed her hand on the table at Sunday dinner when she said that, her face full of pride. I just smiled and didn’t reply. I didn’t want to discourage him. But e-commerce isn’t something you can do just by reading a couple of articles online. Brian’s e-commerce venture failed, too. He put thirty thousand dollars into it. Lost it. All of it. My aunt came to me again. “Chloe, you have to help Brian.” “Aunt Brenda, he still hasn’t paid back the fifty thousand from last time.” My aunt’s expression shifted. “You child, how can you talk like that? Is your cousin a stranger?” “He’s not a stranger, but fifty thousand dollars is fifty thousand dollars.” My aunt looked at my mom. My mom coughed. “Chloe, don’t speak to your aunt that way.” I kept quiet. That dinner was very silent. On the drive back, my mom finally spoke. “Your cousin is still your aunt’s son, after all. Whether you help or not is one thing, but you can’t have that kind of attitude.” “Mom, fifty thousand wasn’t repaid.” “We’ll talk about money later. You made your aunt lose face. How are relatives supposed to interact after that?” I gripped the steering wheel, saying nothing. In our family, “face” was more important than fifty thousand dollars. My aunt’s pride was more important than my money. A few months later, the family dynamic began to shift. I don’t know who started it, but the relatives began whispering behind my back. “Chloe made some money, and she’s changed.” “Won’t even help her own cousin. Too cold-blooded.” “I heard her company is doing pretty well. What’s the harm in helping a little?” These words reached my ears through my aunt Sarah—my dad’s younger sister, the only one who actually treated me with genuine kindness. “Chloe, don’t take it to heart,” Aunt Sarah said over the phone. “But be careful. Your cousin… he’s saying some nasty things lately.” “What’s he saying?” Aunt Sarah hesitated. “He’s saying your company’s books are dirty. Claiming you’re guilty of tax fraud.” I was stunned. “He says he has proof.” “What proof?” “I’m not sure. But he’s said it in front of several relatives.” I hung up. I sat in my office, staring out the window. My cousin had been this way since we were kids. If he couldn’t have something, he wanted to destroy it. I called my accountant. “Sarah, I need you to do a full internal tax audit for me. Check everything.” “What’s wrong?” “Someone might be trying to screw me over.” Sarah was silent for two seconds. “Okay. I’ll start this week.” After hanging up, I did one more thing. I had my company’s IT guy restrict the access permissions for the security cameras in the main office and the accounting room. Now, I was the only one who could view them. My gut told me my cousin wouldn’t just stop at talking. Chapter 3 The family Easter dinner was hosted by my aunt Brenda. Over thirty people, three large tables. I arrived last. The moment I walked in, my aunt’s smile was forced. “Chloe’s here.” “Hi, Aunt Brenda.” “Busy, I assume? Being the big CEO and all.” She said it with a nasty edge, but everyone in the room laughed. I recognized that laugh. A little bit of brown-nosed brown-nosing, a little bit of jealousy, a little bit of schadenfreude. I found a seat and sat down. Brian was sitting at the main table, drinking, his voice loud. “Let me tell you, what’s the most important thing in business?” No one answered. “Connections! Without connections, you can’t do anything!” He glanced at me. “Some people just get lucky and ride a wave. But luck doesn’t last forever.” I kept my head down and ate. My aunt chimed in. “Exactly. Could Chloe have built her business without our family’s connections? The year she came back, who helped her get her first batch of customers?” I put down my fork. “Aunt Brenda, I found my first batch of customers on my own by sourcing suppliers online. No one introduced me to anyone.” The table went silent for a second. My aunt’s face twisted. “What I meant was—” “Aunt Brenda, I know what you meant.” I smiled. “But facts are facts. My customer list is right there; you can ask them yourself.” No one said anything. Brian picked up his glass and snorted. “Fine, fine. My dear cousin is successful, and the rest of us are losers, alright?” I ignored him. But I noticed one thing. Brian’s phone screen lit up. A text notification popped up. I caught four words. “Materials received.” I couldn’t see the sender’s name. But my heart did a little flip. What materials? Chapter 4 The week after Easter. I was at the office, taking inventory of orders. My phone rang. An unknown number. “Hello, is this Ms. Chloe Vance?” “Yes.” “This is Agent Miller from the IRS. We received a report regarding your company that needs verification. Would you be available for a meeting?” My hand stopped. “What is the nature of the report?” “Allegations that your company has evaded approximately fifty thousand dollars in taxes.” Fifty thousand. Not a penny more, not a penny less. Fifty thousand. “Certainly. When would you like to come in?” “The day after tomorrow, in the morning.” “Sounds good. I’ll have all the documents ready.” I hung up the phone and leaned back against my chair. It was here. It really was here. I opened the family group text. I scrolled up a bit. My aunt had sent a message yesterday: “Some people are being dishonest in business lately. It’s only a matter of time before they get caught.” Four likes below. I took a screenshot. Then I opened my security system and pulled up the footage from the week before Easter. The picture was crystal clear. The Tuesday before Easter, 8:30 PM. My cousin used the spare key my uncle gave him to enter the office. He didn’t know I had upgraded the cameras. He opened the filing cabinet in the accounting room. He rummaged through it for fifteen minutes. He took three documents. Sales contracts. Purchase invoices. Partial bank statements. Then he left the same way he came in. I watched the security footage. I watched it three times. Fifty thousand lent and never repaid. Talking trash behind my back. Stealing company documents. Reporting me for tax evasion. Okay. Good. Very good. I picked up the phone and called Sarah. “Is the audit report finalized?” “It’s done. Total compliance. You paid three million and twelve thousand in taxes last year, which is actually an overpayment of forty-six hundred dollars—the overpayment was due to a return in the third quarter that wasn’t adjusted in time.” “An overpayment of forty-six hundred?” “Yes. The IRS actually owes you money.” I laughed. “Sarah, print out two extra copies of that report.” “What for?” “A gift.”

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In the seventh year of our relationship, I found Ethan’s finsta. Every single post was a diary of his romantic life. 【My girl wore a pink sweater today. So cute! I just wanted to hold her and kiss her to death!】 【Sang my new song for her, and she actually praised me! I’m over the moon! Bursting with happiness!】 【Bought her a pink diamond. The way she smiled, oh my god. Yes, yes, yes! I’ll buy my baby whatever she wants!】 【Second day of the tour. Missing my girl so much. No motivation without her. My sweet, soft girl.】 The comment section was full of people gaggling over the romance. 【Omg, Ethan looks so badass and aloof on the outside, but he’s low-key whipped privately.】 【Lol, some people act like they don’t care about their girl in public, but inside they’re thinking: I am her loyal dog!】 A friend forwarded the post to me, teasing. “Wow, you guys are living a romance novel privately, huh?” I slowly scrolled through every single message he had posted. After a long moment, I replied to my friend. 【I don’t own a pink sweater.】 Chapter 1 Actually, I had worn one once. During those years I was chasing Ethan, I heard from somewhere that he liked the “soft girl” aesthetic. I never liked pink. But that one time, I deliberately wore a pink sweater and ran across campus in the dead of winter to bring him lunch. To look pretty, I hadn’t worn a coat. I was pale from the cold. Ethan came out of the practice room half an hour late. He lazily looked me up and down, from head to toe. He crossed his arms and let out a snicker. “Maya Thorne, you look like a pink pig.” Amidst the burst of laughter from the people around him, I fled. I never wore pink again after that day. On my phone, my friend’s messages arrived, an awkward attempt to smooth things over. 【Maya, don’t overthink it.】 【Maybe he hated it exteriorly but loved it interiorly.】 【We all know what Ethan is like.】 True. Back in college, Ethan was famous for being a jerk with an attitude. As my roommate put it, “He’s a total ten, but it’s a shame he’s not mute.” Almost every girl who tried to pursue him was brutally shut down. Only I was different. He criticized my outfits, he criticized my home-cooked meals, and he criticized me for clinging to him all day long. Yet, during college parties, he would still call out to me with a cold face as I sat in the corner. “Hey, come sit over here.” Later, he became a superstar. At his first arena concert, with ten thousand people watching. He sang an entire love song while looking directly in my direction. Then the camera panned to me. The young man looked exquisite and serious. “I’d like to introduce everyone.” “The leading lady of my life.” The spotlights were so bright I could barely open my eyes. I only remember that amidst the deafening screams, he was smiling at me. As soon as he got off stage, his manager chewed him out. “Do you even want your fans? Do you want a career?” He leaned against the wall, smiling carelessly. “You don’t understand. My girl is high-maintenance and sensitive. If I don’t make it clear publicly, there will be hell to pay later.” Ethan’s career did stall for a few years because of that. It didn’t pick up again until last year when his new song won a major award. However, the person presenting the award to him was a junior colleague who used to be far less successful than him. That guy had broken up with his girlfriend of ten years for his career and then soared to stardom. So, a reporter asked Ethan if he regretted that public disclosure years ago. “I don’t regret it.” Ethan showed the necklace on his collarbone to the camera. It was a birthday gift I had bought him after working as a food delivery driver for five months. He had once said this necklace was more precious than any trophy. But… In his latest mirror selfie, where his face was hidden. The necklace around his neck had been replaced with a Hello Kitty cartoon pendant. He had once said such things were too effeminate and childish. Yet now. He was practically bouncing with joy online. 【Bought matching couple necklaces with my girl!】 2 I sat in the living room all night. Scrolling through his finsta over and over. He said the desserts she made were delicious. But the cake I spent an entire morning baking for him, he had only glanced at before throwing it into the trash right in front of my face. He praised her for being lively, outgoing, and good at socializing. But when I barely spoke two sentences to someone else, he would sneer, “Feeling the need to show off again?” He meticulously prepared gifts for her—for the first day they met, the first week, the first month. The man who usually had no patience would sit at a crafting table for an entire day. 【I’m so happy just thinking about my girl getting this gift! Her eyes will light up, she’s too cute!】 And today was my thirtieth birthday. Ethan didn’t even come home. I waited for him until midnight, then couldn’t help but call him. It took a long time before he picked up. The music over there was deafening, a mix of men’s and women’s laughter clashing together. “I told you I’m busy, stop annoying me!” “Huh? Your birthday is today?” “…I forgot.” I remained silent, clicking open his finsta. Ten minutes ago, he had posted: 【I don’t want to go home.】 3 Ethan didn’t get home until almost dawn. The sound of the door opening echoed. The smell of alcohol mixed with heavy perfume rushed over me. Then I saw him leaning against the doorframe. He was typing on his phone. Noticing the light in the living room, he glanced at me, then looked back down at his phone. “Still awake?” “Yeah.” Ethan gave an indifferent “Oh,” still looking down at his screen. I don’t know what the person on the other end said, but he involuntarily let out a helpless smile. I just sat on the sofa, quietly watching him. After probably three to five minutes, Ethan realized I hadn’t left yet. He put away his phone, rubbed his nose, frowned, and looked up at me. “Still not going to sleep?” “I…” “Good timing, actually.” He interrupted me, sitting down right beside me, issuing a natural command. “Go make me a cup of tea.” To protect Ethan’s voice, I had specifically learned to make many types of herbal wellness teas. Ethan always said they tasted terrible, but he would frown and drink them anyway. Except for this time. I brought the tea over. He took a sip, turned around, and poured the entire cup into a planter. “Tsk. You’re getting worse and worse at this.” The burn on my finger where the hot water had splashed throbbed with stinging pain. I kept my head down and didn’t speak. I thought again about the words I had seen on his finsta. 【My girl burned dinner today, but I ate every single bite!】 I suddenly felt that all of this was a bit pointless. “I’m going to the bedroom.” “Hey!” Ethan called out to me from behind. I turned around. A palm-sized box was thrown at my chest. I instinctively winced from the impact. He frowned with a bit of annoyance, then turned his head away. “Happy birthday.” Inside the box was a matching cartoon pendant to his. A stupid-looking plush bear was grinning widely. 4 “See? I told you the person on the finsta was you.” My friend came to see me the next day. She saw the pendant and comforted me with absolute certainty. “Ethan is just like that—harsh mouth, soft heart.” “If he really didn’t like you, how could he stay with you for all these years?” “Look at his performance a couple of days ago. Because he was worried you’d be upset, he kept an ocean of space between him and his female co-performer.” “And look at the staff around him. Is there even a single woman?” “People outside say he’s a sexist. His manager told him to hire a few women to calm the public outrage, and he absolutely refused to do it.” “You, sweetie, are just overthinking it.” I couldn’t say anything to refute her. But a woman’s intuition always told me something was wrong. Like how a childish, exaggerated cartoon pendant hung against silk pajamas. It looked completely out of place no matter how you looked at it. My friend sighed, looking at me. “How about this? You check up on him right now.” “That’s probably not a good idea.” I refused almost instinctively. Ethan absolutely despised me checking up on him. I had made a few calls when I was worried before. Every single time, it ended in a massive screaming match. He said I didn’t trust him, that I was disrupting his work. Once, he had even smashed a glass in front of a room full of people, screaming that I was a lunatic. “Maya Thorne! Can you just get out!” “It’s not like that anymore.” My friend held her phone up to my face. On the screen was a finsta post from Ethan. 【My girl is checking up on me again!】 【She’s such a little idiot, she has zero faith in how much I love her.】 【But I really love how she gets all worked up over me.】 【Praying that my girl checks up on me every single day.】 The comment section was full of “I’m dying of cuteness” emojis. I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, I took the phone and dialed Ethan’s number. It rang once and was picked up. Ethan’s tone wasn’t exactly warm, but hearing me ask what he was doing, he didn’t hang up on the spot. “Playing tennis with my assistant.” The sound of a tennis ball hitting the court came through the phone line. Ethan loved sports. He always made time to play two or three days a week. His assistant, Leo, was someone I knew. A college kid who had recently graduated, good family background, straight. I gave a slightly embarrassed “Oh.” I heard Ethan’s sneer on the other end. “Worried again?” “Why don’t you come down and see for yourself?” I quickly declined. “No, that’s okay.” I wasn’t good at sports, and Ethan didn’t play fair when it came to tennis. I had been brutally slammed by his shots on the court a few times. So I wasn’t willing to go put myself through that. Ethan let out a cold laugh over the phone. “By the way, I’m going on a business trip tonight. I won’t be home.” I showed my concern almost instinctively. “Is Leo going with you?” Ethan hesitated for a second. “Then tell Leo to pay attention. Your throat needs that tea you drink…” “Alright, alright.” “I’m playing tennis now.” Ethan got impatient before I could finish and hung up the phone. My friend looked at me with an amused expression. “You reassured now?” “Even if Ethan were to actually cheat, he wouldn’t do it with Leo, right?” I smiled embarrassedly, but my heart always felt like something wasn’t right. I attributed this to worry about Ethan’s trip. After all, Master Ethan was always focused on his art and ignored mundane daily tasks. All the housework fell to me. I washed his underwear and socks. I made him three meals a day. During the toughest times, I worked two part-time jobs and came home to clean up the takeout boxes he had left on the dining table. My friends all joked that I was practically being his mother. But when you love someone, it’s inevitable that you have to give a bit more. I wrote a long list of things to keep in mind and sent it to Leo. Thinking he was busy playing tennis with Ethan, I specifically added a sentence. “No rush, you can look at this after you finish playing.” However, Leo called me back the very next second. “Hey, Maya.” “Didn’t Ethan tell you?” “I resigned two years ago.” 5 Ethan had never told me about this. On the contrary, he frequently mentioned his assistant to me. A tie clip appeared in the jewelry box. A gift from the assistant. Pictures of beautiful meals posted on social media. Eaten with the assistant. Movie tickets found in his pocket. Watched with the assistant. He was even out all night, claiming… “I have to work overtime with my assistant.” “Don’t disturb me.” So even if I had a high fever in the middle of the night, shivering and on the verge of fainting, I wouldn’t dare send a single message to him. What was he doing at that time? When I rushed to the tennis court, only Ethan was there. He looked shocked to see me at first, then immediately knit his brows in annoyance. “What are you doing here? Got paranoiac again? Maya Thorne, can you go one day without…” “Where is Leo?” Ethan’s words came to a dead halt. He clearly hadn’t expected me to ask this and muttered a few evasive words, stammering. “Changing clothes…” I didn’t say another word and headed straight for the locker room. “Maya Thorne!” Ethan violently grabbed my wrist. “What the hell is wrong with you now!” His collar was pulled open slightly by the movement. The love bite on his collarbone was intimate and searingly obvious. I was almost screaming as I struggled. “Let go of me!” The staff around us started looking in our direction. Ethan’s face grew even darker. He gripped my wrist with a death grip, dragging me outside. “I told you they’re changing clothes!” “If you want to make a scene, wait until we get home!” The long-term suspicion and insecurity finally boiled over. I crouched on the ground like a madwoman as he dragged me. “I don’t believe you! I don’t believe you!” “Let me see them!” Someone recognized Ethan’s identity and started pulling out their phones. “Security!” Ethan roared. People ran over and grabbed my shoulders. I screamed and struggled. The people around me were pointing and whispering. The world was a chaotic mess. Then everything fell quiet, cut through by a soft voice. “Ethan?”

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