When I found my fiancé, who had been missing for six months, he was wearing an apron, helping a woman hold down a squealing pig. His movements were clumsy, and a second later, the pig kicked him so hard he went flying. The woman grabbed his sleeve and hauled him up: “How can you be this useless? Go out to the garden and pick some greens.” He gave her a goofy smile, turned around, and that’s when he saw me standing there. He froze for a second, then walked over and asked, “What are you doing here?” I didn’t know what to say for a moment. Right then, the woman noticed me too. She tilted her chin at me: “Here to take him home? Stay for the barbecue before you go.” 1 While swiftly bleeding the pig, the woman asked me, “Are you his older sister or younger sister?” As soon as I got word on Arthur Sterling’s whereabouts, I rushed over immediately. I didn’t even change out of my work clothes; I was still wearing my stilettos. Now, those stilettos were sinking deep into the mud. Only after I yanked my shoe free did I answer her: “Fiancée.” Hearing my answer, the hand holding the knife visibly paused. She didn’t say anything, but Arthur, standing nearby, chimed in. “Luna, do you still want me to pick those greens?” Without even looking up, the woman instinctively snapped at him: “If you don’t pick the greens, what are you going to do? You can’t even hold down a pig. What kind of man is as useless as you?” Arthur looked panicked and quickly appeased her: “Don’t be mad, don’t be mad, I’m going right now.” I had never seen Arthur like this. In my memory, he handled everything with a cool, effortless detachment. Even if the sky were falling, his first reaction would be to find a solution, not to panic like an ordinary person and ask, “What do we do if the sky falls?” Since we were kids, I had modeled myself after his stoic, unreadable demeanor, until people started calling me the “Second CEO Sterling.” But now, over a single sentence, he was frantically trying to comfort that woman. Six months can change a lot of things. I had to admit, the Arthur standing before me was a completely different person from the one in my memory. Arthur turned to leave, but the woman suddenly called out to him again. “Arthur Sterling.” “Don’t call me Luna anymore. I have a full name. It’s Luna Hayes.” With that, she tossed the knife into a large basin, washed her hands with some clean water from a bucket nearby, stood up, and started walking forward. Halfway there, she turned back to look at me. “Let’s go. It’s a bit of a walk to my house from here.” I started to follow her, but stopped after two steps, the words spilling out instinctively: “What about Arthur?” I regretted it the moment I said it. The tip I got said Arthur had been living here for six months; how could he not know the way back? 2 The woman waved her hand dismissively: “Don’t worry about him. He’s got a mouth to ask for directions; it’s not like he can’t find his way home…” She stopped mid-sentence. I hadn’t noticed her emotional shift; my mind was entirely focused on the fact that my heels were sinking into the mud again. Sensing that she had suddenly stopped, I looked up and met a pair of watery eyes, blinking rapidly as if tears were about to fall. She reached out, and I gripped her hand tightly. Her hand was rough, but warm. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. The road is rough, hold onto me.” For that short stretch of road, she really did hold onto me tightly. Along the way, we ran into people she knew, most of whom teased her about Arthur. Right in front of me, she clarified: “Stop talking nonsense. This is Arthur’s fiancée.” After she said that, people looked at us with gossipy stares. She didn’t shy away from it, but the scrutiny made me uncomfortable. She whispered to me, “It’s fine, they don’t mean any harm. I’ll walk a bit faster; we just need to get home.” Once we got to her house, she found a pair of cotton-padded slippers and placed them in front of me. Fearing I might find them gross, she quickly added, “They’ve been washed. Put these on for now.” Seeing me change into them, she stopped bustling around—pouring hot water, turning on the heater. Only when there was truly nothing left to do did she sit down next to me and bring up Arthur. “I didn’t know he had a fiancée.” The tears she’d been holding back the whole walk finally fell. She sat beside me, head bowed, her hair falling forward, and all I could see were large teardrops smashing onto the floor. But I was Arthur’s fiancée. I was the one who had been wronged. I should be the one crying. Yet, perhaps because the hand that held mine was so warm, I found myself at a loss for what to do. I gently patted her back and comforted her: “Don’t cry.” She wiped her tears, turned her head, and said to me with red eyes: “But don’t worry, I’m not some shameless person, and I won’t pester you guys.” “You two should go. I swear, I will never appear in front of you again.” Seeing her resolve, I finally asked about Arthur. “How did you two meet?” 3 The story was as cliché as it gets. Arthur got caught in a massive blizzard while skiing, and she saved him. She nursed him back to health, and they lived together for six months. But there were holes in this story big enough to drive a truck through. Once Arthur had recovered, why didn’t he leave? Both our families had utilized every resource available to search for him for half a year; why was there absolutely no trace of him? It was only because my best friend’s boyfriend came here, said he saw someone who looked a lot like Arthur, and I came on a whim, that I finally found him. Luna didn’t speak. She got up and brought out a pile of things from an inner room. I recognized them. They were Arthur’s belongings, including a watch I had given him. She shoved them into my hands: “They’re not cheap, are they? I’m not an idiot, I can tell. Honestly, the only reason I saved him in the first place was for the money.” At first it was for the money, but what about later? Neither of us voiced that question. I didn’t blame her. She was kept in the dark too, so who was there to blame? “Luna, praise me! Uncle said the greens I picked were excellent.” Arthur was back. Looking at his sparkling eyes, I really didn’t want to blame him either. But I also had to admit, this was all because of him. Why didn’t he leave when he was healed? Because he didn’t want to. Why was there no news despite everyone looking for him? Because he cut off all contact. Hearing his words, Luna repeated herself: “I told you, I have a full name. Call me Luna Hayes.” After she said that, she snatched the basin from Arthur’s hands, turned, and walked out the door. Suddenly, it was just Arthur and me in the room, and an awkward silence fell over us. Growing up, he was usually the quiet one between us, so eventually, he spoke first. “What are you doing here?” Should I not have come? My fiancé goes skiing to relax, gets caught in an avalanche, is missing for six months, and when there’s finally a lead, shouldn’t I come? That’s what I thought, and that’s exactly what I asked him. Furthermore, the marriage between us concerned the interests of both our families. Every day delayed was a risk. I didn’t understand how he could live here with such peace of mind. He untied his apron but offered no explanation. For the past six months, I had held everything together on my own, even keeping his company running. Luna is a good girl, she’s reasonable, so I can let it go with her. I asked Arthur: “When are we leaving? Do you even want your company anymore?” I just didn’t expect Arthur to freeze, ultimately saying absolutely nothing. Luna was the one who answered that question for me. Her hands were wet; she must have just finished washing those greens. “Leave after dinner. It doesn’t look right for you to stay at my house forever.” “You should have told me where you were from sooner. I would have done everything in my power to send you back.” Arthur stared blankly at Luna standing in the doorway, and I looked at Arthur. “After dinner tonight, I’ll have Vivian come pick us up?” Luna smiled: “That sounds good. Just in time to be home for the holidays.” I waited for Arthur’s answer. When he didn’t respond immediately, I asked again, my tone taking on a harder edge: “Arthur, tonight I’ll have Vivian pick us up and take us back.” He finally turned his gaze to me: “Okay.” 4 Luna is a very efficient girl. It was just her and her father at home. She must have spoken to him beforehand, because at the dinner table, the old man just sighed heavily, breath after breath, without saying a single inappropriate word. Eventually, Arthur managed to produce a bottle of liquor from somewhere. He filled his glass and looked at the old man. “These past six months, I’ve truly seen you as my own father.” Luna cut him off: “Arthur, you’re drunk. Don’t say things like that.” After she spoke, she poured me a glass too, and asked quietly: “Can you drink?” I nodded. She pressed the glass into my hand, then lightly clinked her own glass against the rim of my full one, and downed it in one gulp. The old man, having had too much to drink, started spilling words he shouldn’t have: “I originally wanted to entrust Luna to you, I…” Arthur grasped his hand: “I know, I know.” Clutching my glass, my throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. I proactively spoke up to change the subject: “Arthur, let’s not be so heavy. Talk about something happy.” Luna smiled and went along with me, maintaining the atmosphere at the table. The next second, Vivian’s call came in: “When are you leaving? We’re here.” That call saved everyone’s life in that room. I smiled and looked at everyone present: “The car is here. We’re getting ready to leave.” Hearing that we were leaving, Luna helped her father into the bedroom. When she came out, she said: “I won’t walk you out.” I took out my phone and transferred some money to her. She didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted it crisply. Looking at the generous amount, she smiled broadly: “Wishing you a long and happy marriage.” I helped Arthur into the car. Vivian asked me: “How did you end up drinking so much?” I didn’t answer, just urged her: “Let’s go, time to go home.” I had bought out this relationship with money. Once we got back, Arthur would still be the Arthur from my memory. But just half an hour into the drive, Arthur looked at me intensely: “I want to go home.” Vivian said, confused: “This is the way home.” Arthur replied with certainty: “No, it’s not.” Vivian didn’t know what to say. She looked at me helplessly, then eventually pulled over at a rest stop and got out, leaving just the two of us in the car. The emotions I had suppressed for so long finally erupted. I demanded of Arthur: “What exactly do you mean?” Moonlight spilled in through the car window. The wind was strong, whipping my hair across my face, allowing me to secretly wipe away my tears under the guise of fixing my hair. I don’t know if Arthur saw my tears. After a long silence, he said: “I’m sorry.” But what good is an apology to me? I asked him again: “Do you really want to go back?” He couldn’t answer. The moonlight shone through the window onto his face, illuminating the deep conflict in his eyes. He remained silent for a long time. The weather forecast predicted snow for the next few days, which is why I troubled Vivian to drive through the night on the highway. But there were no signs of snow at this rest stop. I simply rolled the window all the way down and said to Arthur. “Since you can’t make a choice, let’s make a bet. If it snows within two hours, you go back. If it doesn’t, you obediently return to New York and go back to being CEO Sterling.” Arthur didn’t expect me to use such a method to decide. He also knew it doesn’t just snow on command, yet he continued to wait. Two hours passed. Not only was there no snow, but even the wind had died down a bit. I looked at Arthur. He frowned and said: “Wait a little longer.” We waited another half hour, and still, there was no sign of a single snowflake. Arthur didn’t say a word, just kept waiting. I let out a laugh, raised my hand, and slapped him cleanly across the face. I told him: “Get out, Arthur.” He got out of the car, took two steps, then turned back and said to me: “I’ll return to New York in half a month…” I cut him off: “Get out.” When Vivian returned and saw Arthur was gone, she probably understood what had happened. Without another word, she started the car and drove me away. She cursed the whole time she drove, only stopping when she heard my muffled sobs. When I finished crying, she said: “Stella, it’s okay. Tomorrow is a brand new day.” 5 When I got home, my parents were still awake. My mom draped a blanket over my shoulders and said: “Well, at least you can relax now that Arthur has been found…” “Mom, he didn’t come back.” I clutched the blanket tightly. The arranged marriage couldn’t be changed. Arthur had made his choice, and now it was my turn to make mine. “Mom, let’s not wait for Arthur anymore. Let’s see who else is a good match. I’ll get married this month.” She tried to persuade me: “There’s no need to rush. I want you to find someone you truly like. Your dad and I aren’t going to force you.” But I didn’t see it that way. I flatly refused: “The outcome will be the same regardless. It’s better to find someone of equal social standing.” Before, my relationship with Arthur was half affection, half business strategy. I knew I couldn’t escape the fate of an arranged marriage, so I might as well maximize the benefits. My parents have always respected my decisions, and they immediately agreed. I lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. That’s when I finally saw the texts on my phone. One was from Arthur: “Stella, I’ll be back in half a month.” The other two were from Luna. She was even more anxious than Arthur. “Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not that kind of disgusting woman. I have absolutely no intention of coming between you two. I don’t know why he came back. I’ve already left to stay at my sister’s place. I promise I won’t see him during this time.” “I don’t want to ruin your relationship.” Her every word was an open and honest clarification. The Sterling family is large, and the environment Arthur grew up in was full of scheming and backstabbing. It’s not surprising he was drawn to someone like her, nor is it surprising he wavered. It’s just that I had no desire to be one of the options Arthur had to choose between. I decided to bow out first. Luna’s tears earlier today were genuine. I replied to her message: “No need. I’m calling off the engagement. We have nothing to do with each other anymore.” Luna called me immediately. After hesitating for a long time, she finally just asked: “Are you really calling off the engagement? I mean, he’s a bit dense, but his personality isn’t bad…” I interrupted her: “I really am.” Silence stretched over the line. Finally, she spoke: “Then can I pursue him? I really do like him.” Her tone held a hint of apprehension, but she stated it straightforwardly. “Go for it. I’ll probably be married within the month.” “That fast?” She started telling me about the young people in her town who rushed into lightning marriages, the consequences they faced, and urged me to wait a bit longer. Before we knew it, we had been talking for two hours. Her concern was completely unfiltered. She didn’t hold any animosity towards me because of who I was. If I had met her first, I probably would have been drawn to her too. When she told a story about being chased by geese as a kid, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She said sheepishly: “Sorry, I get really talkative when I’m excited.” After hanging up, I actually slept incredibly well. My parents moved fast. The very next morning, the guy’s information and the location for our blind date were already sent to my phone. I followed the address to the restaurant. The man politely stood up: “Hello, I’m Harrison Thorne.” During the meal, he smoothly picked up on everything I said, handling every detail flawlessly. As we were leaving, I asked one extra question: “Do you know my parents?” He didn’t hide it: “I do. When your father was sick, I was the one who took care of him.” Then I knew who he was. My dad had mentioned to me once that a subordinate of his had a crush on me for a long time. When my dad was ill abroad, that subordinate handled everything perfectly. My dad was so impressed with him that, even knowing Arthur and I were childhood sweethearts, he still insisted I meet him. But back then, I only had eyes for Arthur and couldn’t care less about anyone else. I kept putting it off and eventually never met him. I didn’t expect that we would end up meeting now anyway. Just looking at him, you wouldn’t be able to tell he had a crush on me at all. It was too cold outside. As I adjusted my scarf, I asked him: “So, you have a crush on me?” “Yes. For eight years.” My hands froze on my scarf. He stated the number so nonchalantly. Realizing my awkwardness, he chuckled: “A crush is my own business; it has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to feel awkward.” As he spoke, he casually handed me the hot coffee he was holding. I was still reeling from that number. If he hadn’t admitted it himself, I never would have guessed he’d been harboring a crush on me for eight years. It was freezing, so he offered to drive me home. When we arrived, my dad saw him and immediately tried to pull him inside to chat. He looked at me, and when I didn’t say anything, he politely declined. As I was walking him to his car, he asked if I wanted to take a walk nearby and pick up some groceries. I laughed: “Stalling for time?” He looked a bit embarrassed, but ultimately admitted it: “Yes.” I didn’t refuse and walked with him. On the way, I got a call from my best friend. She excitedly told me: “Stella, did you know? Arthur is back!” That was way too fast. I thought Arthur would stay there for a while longer. But that wasn’t what my friend really cared about. It was what came next: “That woman came back with Arthur too. Some friends went to pick Arthur up, and do you know what she said?” “She said she’s currently pursuing Arthur.”

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When the billionaire who kept me as his sugar baby was exposed as a “fake heir,” he was driven to slit his wrists in a dingy basement by the real heir. I stole the sugar baby contract we had signed years ago, planning to tear it up and make a run for it. Suddenly, countless glowing comments started scrolling across my vision like a holographic live-stream. [The side character is a gold-digger after all. Her running away perfectly clears the path for our female lead!] [If she knew that leaving him means she’ll find a psycho sugar daddy who tortures her to death, while the male lead bounces back in just six months to become the youngest tech billionaire in the country and lives happily ever after with the female lead, she’d probably die of regret!] My hand trembled. I completely ripped the agreement in half. Without a second thought, I rushed into the bathroom and saw Elijah Montgomery already bleeding from a deep cut on his wrist. I threw myself at him, grabbing his arm, crying without caring about how I looked. “Baby, don’t die! Without you, who’s going to pay my bills? I still want to renew our contract!” His gloomy gaze fell on the shredded agreement on the floor. He spoke softly. “Is that so?” 【Chapter 1】 1. “You were only with me for my money, and now you see the reality.” His eyes shifted mechanically across the dark, damp basement apartment. His usually flush lips were deathly pale. I pressed my hands hard over his bleeding wrist, but the crimson drops still splattered onto the floor tiles. “I was kicked out of the Montgomery family. I have to hide in this cheap underground studio. I can’t even afford to feed myself, let alone you. So just go. I don’t blame you.” The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I couldn’t stop a shudder from ripping through me. I had been with Elijah for eight years. To outsiders, he was the gentle, refined heir apparent. But I was the only one who knew he was a venomous snake wearing human skin, a man who sought vengeance for the smallest slight. He easily said he didn’t blame me, but his hidden hand was clenched so tight his knuckles were white. I was skeptical of the floating text that had magically appeared before my eyes, but my survival instincts kicked in, and I made a split-second decision. I absolutely could not leave. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even have to wait for some psycho to torture me to death—Elijah would destroy me first. I leaned forward decisively and crashed my lips against his pale ones. Elijah instantly took control, kissing me so fiercely I could barely breathe. When I finally managed to push him away, I was panting. I picked up the shredded pieces of our sugar baby contract from the floor, and under his stunned gaze, tore them into even smaller pieces. I cupped his face and looked at him seriously. “Elijah, I don’t want to be your sugar baby anymore.” A flash of ruthless, desperate killing intent crossed Elijah’s eyes. The floating comments filled my vision again, mocking me. [I thought the side character actually changed her mind! Turns out she’s just here to twist the knife. Just wait. You abandon the male lead now, and when you’re being tortured later and beg him for help, he won’t even look at you.] [Once she leaves, the female lead will rush in and save him. From then on, he starts his epic comeback and revenge arc!] I ignored their filthy words. My voice was soft and gentle, carrying a barely detectable hint of nervousness. “I know you might get mad at me for saying this now… but since we’re finally on the same level, will you be my boyfriend?” Elijah’s eyes widened slightly. Before I could hear his answer, my vision went completely black. Right before I lost consciousness, I saw one last glowing sentence. [So what if she changes her mind? Anyone who deviates from the plot will only suffer!] A surge of pure rage boiled in my chest. Follow the plot? The plot was literally telling me to go die! Why the hell should I? In the darkness, it felt like a fire was constantly burning me. I ran and ran until I finally snapped my eyes open. I sat up violently. I was lying in a hospital bed, drenched in cold sweat, my internal organs throbbing with a piercing pain. A groan escaped my lips. An ice-cold hand pressed against my forehead, and Elijah’s voice, thick with lingering terror, rang out. “Aria, are you feeling better?” The pain was torturing me every second. Having been with Elijah for eight years, he had always given me whatever I wanted and never let me suffer a single scratch. I had long been spoiled by him, and I couldn’t help but cry out, “It hurts… it hurts so much.” He stood up, utterly helpless, and ran out to find a doctor. The ER doctor shot me an impatient look. “If you don’t have the cash for the scans, discharge her. Don’t take up a bed here. What can I do if she’s uncomfortable? No money, no treatment.” Elijah let out a furious, low growl. “Give her the best full-body scan! I have—” His voice cut off abruptly. His usually straight spine bent, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at me. The doctor scoffed sarcastically. “Just leave. If you stay any longer, you literally won’t have a single thing left on your body to pawn off.” It was only then that I noticed the platinum signet ring was missing from his pinky finger. Fighting through the agonizing pain, I forced myself out of bed, grabbed Elijah’s hand, and dragged him out of the room, comforting him endlessly as we walked. “Honestly, the pain goes away as long as I’m with you. You’re my painkiller, baby. You really can’t ever leave me.” A scalding tear dropped onto our intertwined hands. Elijah’s voice was hoarse. “I won’t.” I let out a tiny smile. I wasn’t lying. 2. [The male lead chose to take her to the hospital and completely missed his encounter with the female lead! The plot isn’t progressing at all!] [The plot’s punishment mechanism has weakened too. No wonder the side character can still walk. With the original punishment intensity, defying the plot would have left her begging for death!] [Honestly, I kind of ship them. The ruined billionaire and the spoiled canary who refuses to leave his side? It’s kind of rare and sweet.] I hid the dark gleam in my eyes, piecing together a survival strategy from their fragmented words. Even though I’d be punished for breaking the plot, as long as Elijah chose me without hesitation, the plot would stall, and the punishment would weaken—or maybe even disappear? The key was Elijah’s love. I turned my head and looked at the once arrogant, untouchable golden boy following closely behind me, carefully holding my hand. I smiled until my eyes formed crescents. “Elijah, now that you’re my boyfriend, you’re going to work super hard and make sure I can live the luxurious life I used to, right?” “I absolutely will.” He spoke with absolute certainty, making a solemn vow. [Why does it feel like the male lead went from a sugar daddy to her loyal dog?] [Just wait until he goes out looking for work and gets humiliated and degraded. The female lead will swoop in to save him from hell, and their feelings will skyrocket. THAT is the most important plot point!] [Missing their first encounter means nothing. True love cannot be stopped. Don’t get cocky, side character. Go find your next sugar daddy already!] I didn’t stop Elijah from going out to work. The phantom pain tortured me constantly, and sleeping was my only relief. He came back exhausted every single day. His clothes, which used to be impeccably tailored and spotless, were now covered in dust at the knees. Through the floating comments, I learned he had gone to his former high-society friend, Derrick Clayton. Derrick completely looked down on his “fake heir” status but was insanely jealous of his natural genius for business. So, Derrick resorted to torturing him with petty humiliations. The once-proud man was forced to kneel on one knee and shine other people’s designer shoes. He carried heavy five-gallon water jugs up twenty-six flights of stairs to stock every office. He stood in the breakroom for three hours, brewing coffee for the entire corporate floor. Derrick even made him scrub the executive bathrooms. I could smell the harsh bleach on his clothes when he came home. But even through all of that, the very first look he gave me when he walked through the door was always a smile. He set down the cheap groceries he bought and immediately pulled me into a hug. “Are you feeling any better today?” I groggily opened my eyes and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. “I feel so much better after you hug me.” “I’m so hungry. Let’s eat.” Elijah took the groceries and skillfully began to cook. I propped my head up, thoroughly enjoying the complete meltdown happening in the floating comments. [He used to shower three times if he even smelled a hint of grease, and now he’s spending three meals a day sweating in a tiny kitchen just to cook for her!] [She compliments him once and he loses his mind with happiness. This girl really knows how to act spoiled. ‘You’re my painkiller’—ugh, it gives me goosebumps!] I rolled over on the bed. Oh, there was much more than that. After we ate, Elijah would do my laundry, clean the entire apartment, and then give me a full-body massage. Only after I fell asleep would he start working on the files he brought home. As long as he was home, even the slightest noise I made was treated like a national emergency. Just like right now. Elijah knelt beside me wearing an apron. “Does it hurt when you roll over? Do you need me to do anything?” I put on a sweet, whiny voice. “I need my boyfriend to kiss me.” He laughed, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. His hands, which used to sign billion-dollar acquisition deals, gently massaged my temples with perfect pressure. The restless pain throbbing in my body eased significantly. I narrowed my eyes comfortably and directed him to massage my shoulders. A harsh ringtone shattered the peace. Elijah paused before answering the call. He frowned, looking at me apologetically. “There’s an issue at work. Aria, I have to go out for a bit. After you finish eating, just leave the dishes on the table. I’ll wash them when I get back.” I watched him leave. The floating comments exploded like fireworks. [Derrick has been waiting for this! He didn’t call him out for work—he’s setting a trap! He’s going to break the male lead’s pride and sexually assault him! Thank god the female lead is there to save him. The scene I’ve been waiting for is finally here! My ultimate OTP is about to rise!] [After tonight, the side character will be kicked to the curb. I’ve been sick of this manipulative bitch for so long!] 3. My mind snapped to attention. Forcing myself through the waves of pain, I climbed out of bed and chased after Elijah to intercept his destined romantic night with the female lead. Following the hints from the comments, I stood outside a pulsing VIP nightclub. Slipping past the bouncers when they weren’t looking, I snuck inside. The deafening bass made my phantom pain flare up wildly. The center of the club was packed. Pushing through the rings of people, I finally spotted Elijah, pinned to the floor under someone’s foot. Derrick ground the toe of his leather shoe hard into Elijah’s face, crushing him against the floor. The ground was covered in shattered glass that dug deep into Elijah’s body. Blood mixed with spilled liquor, blooming across the floor and creating a sickening metallic stench that made my stomach churn. “Do you still think you’re the golden boy? You’re just a counterfeit piece of trash! Getting kicked out of your mansion means you’re nothing. If I didn’t throw you a bone, you’d be begging on the streets right now!” “I just asked you to do a little striptease for us. You had no problem kneeling to shine my shoes, so why are you acting so high and mighty now?” Derrick wore a disgusting, perverted grin, pinching Elijah’s face until it turned red. He was notorious in their circle for swinging both ways, but no one expected him to target Elijah. “You must be exhausted from slumming it lately. As long as you drop the attitude and let me have some fun with you, I can give you all the money and power you want.” Elijah’s chest heaved violently. He stared at Derrick with lethal intensity. “Spit.” He spat a mouthful of blood right into Derrick’s face. The response was a brutal rain of kicks and punches. Derrick furiously wiped his face, jumping up and down in a psychotic rage. “Break his arms and legs! Strip him naked and hang him from the ceiling! Let’s see how long he lasts without food or water!” A bodyguard raised a heavy barstool, slamming it down viciously. Elijah let out a muffled groan, swallowing the scream in his throat. My eyes went entirely red. I forgot about the plot, the pain, everything. I grabbed a sharp fruit knife from a nearby VIP table and charged in, swinging wildly. “Let us go! Or none of you are walking out of here alive!” I had never been this close to real danger. My voice was shaking uncontrollably. Derrick stepped back, startled by my crazed appearance. Then, he narrowed his eyes and burst into a realization-filled laugh. “Oh, it’s Elijah’s little pet canary, Aria Kensington. You’re still with him even though he’s dead broke? What a loyal little whore.” His wicked eyes darted between us. “I’ve played with men and women, but I’ve never played with a tragic pair of lovers at the same time. Looks like I’ve found a fun new toy tonight.” “Come be my mistress. You’ll get way more out of me than you ever will from him.” The second those words left his mouth, the veins on Elijah’s forehead bulged. Moving with explosive, terrifying speed, the exhausted man lying on the floor ripped the knife from my hand and drove it directly into Derrick’s eye socket. “Don’t you dare touch her!” But Derrick had numbers on his side. Bodyguard after bodyguard swarmed forward, pinning Elijah down and beating him relentlessly. Derrick rolled on the floor in absolute agony, screaming at the top of his lungs. “A doctor! Get a fucking doctor! Skin Elijah alive! I want him to wish he was dead!” I tried uselessly to throw myself in front of Elijah, but someone kicked me hard in the chest. I flew backward, crashing into a heavy glass table, and vomited a mouthful of blood. The fists raining down on Elijah were brutal and heavy, but he acted as if he couldn’t feel the pain. It was only when he saw me throw up blood that he began thrashing violently under their grip. His bloodshot eyes locked onto me, and he mouthed silently: Run. [Even though I knew this scene was coming, it’s still so hard to watch. This event leaves him with permanent, severe trauma. It takes the female lead’s pure love to finally pull him out of the darkness.] [Derrick is the psycho who tortures the side character to death later. He’s such scum, I wish I could jump through the screen and kill him myself!] I read that sentence in a daze. Unwillingness and pure, unfiltered rage flooded my brain. Why the hell should I die at the hands of a scumbag like him? Why does he get to torture Elijah like this?! I grabbed a jagged shard of broken glass from the floor and lunged at the unprotected Derrick. Amidst his crazed screaming, I drove the glass deep into his neck. The arterial spray soaked my hair and face in hot crimson. A sharp, feminine voice cut through the chaos. “Stop! If anyone dares to hurt Elijah again, I will make them pay the ultimate price!” Sparks seemed to explode behind my eyes. The floating comments cheered wildly. [The male and female leads finally meet! The plot is finally back on track!] An all-consuming, apocalyptic pain swept through my entire body, draining every ounce of my strength. I collapsed softly to the floor. Using the very last bit of my energy, I turned my head to look at Elijah. Only to see a fleeting flash of absolute awe in his eyes as he looked toward the door. 【Chapter 2】 4. That sharp, feminine voice pierced my skin like a needle. I lay paralyzed on the sticky, alcohol-soaked floor. Through my blurred vision, I saw a woman in a pristine white designer dress walking briskly toward us. Her hem brushed against the shattered glass, yet didn’t pick up a single speck of dirt. She was followed by a dozen men in black suits, who instantly pinned Elijah’s attackers to the ground. “Elijah, are you alright?” The woman knelt down, her voice so gentle it could melt ice. She reached out her hand to help him up. I recognized her. It was Serena Waldorf, the female lead whose name the comments chanted endlessly—Elijah’s destined “epic romance.” But Elijah violently jerked his head away, dodging her hand, and desperately dragged himself across the floor toward me. Before he could push himself halfway up, Serena’s bodyguards clamped down on his shoulders. “This young woman is severely injured. Treat her first.” Serena’s tone brooked no argument, but her eyes were locked obsessively onto Elijah. “Don’t worry. I will handle everything.” [The female lead is finally shining! This is a true goddess—beautiful, powerful, and kindhearted!] [The male lead is definitely moved. Look, he’s stunned! The side character can finally get lost.] The ecstatic cheering in the comments felt like needles driving into my pupils. I saw Elijah’s Adam’s apple bob. The look in his eyes as he stared at Serena truly held that “awe” the comments predicted—the instinctual yearning for a “savior,” a desperate reaching for light when you are trapped in the abyss. My heart plummeted into an icy canyon. My hand, still clutching the bloody shard of glass, began to tremble uncontrollably. “Don’t touch her,” Elijah suddenly rasped out. His voice was raw, like crushed gravel, but undeniably resolute. “Help Aria first.” The gentle smile on Serena’s face froze for a fraction of a second before melting back into perfect warmth. “She’s lost a lot of blood, and I’ve already called for an ambulance. But your injuries are worse. We have to treat you immediately.” She reached out again to physically lift him, but Elijah shoved her away violently. “I said, help her.” He forced himself forward, ignoring his own gaping wounds, and carefully pulled me into his arms. The broken glass on the floor dug deep gashes into his palms, but he acted as if he couldn’t feel it. He just used his sleeve to obsessively wipe the blood from my face. “Don’t be scared, Aria. I’m right here.” Just then, a mob of men burst through the club’s back doors, led by Derrick’s cousin, Brad Clayton. Seeing Derrick’s lifeless body on the floor, Brad’s eyes went completely red. “Elijah! Aria! You killed my cousin! None of you are leaving here alive today!” Serena’s bodyguards instantly formed a wall, but Brad’s men were heavily armed with steel pipes. This was a premeditated ambush. “Miss Waldorf, this has nothing to do with you. If you know what’s good for you, get the hell out of the way!” Brad spat on the floor, his eyes darting maliciously between Elijah and me. “My cousin gave an order. I’m going to make this bitch and her dog wish they were never born!” Serena frowned and stood her ground. Her bodyguards shielded her, but they didn’t make a move to attack. I instantly understood. That “saving him from hell” the comments raved about was never a charity act. She was waiting. Waiting for Elijah to drop his pride and beg her for help. Elijah tightened his arms around me. He pressed his forehead against mine, his breathing shallow but unwavering. “Aria, hide behind me.” He tried to stand up, but I grabbed the hem of his ruined shirt in a death grip. “Don’t…” I forced the words out with the last of my strength. “Don’t leave me.” [The side character is so annoying! The male lead could easily team up with the female lead and handle this, but she insists on holding him back!] [Brad Clayton is a notorious psychopath in the underground scene. The side character is going to get the male lead killed!]

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After washing dishes overseas for five years, I finally paid off all the debts my husband had left behind. I was ready to return home and give him the surprise of a lifetime. But when I arrived at our old apartment with our child, I found the door padlocked and a thick layer of dust on the windows. A neighbor passing by looked at me in astonishment. “Didn’t you and Ethan break up? What are you doing back here?” I rushed straight to my husband’s workplace, only to be stopped by the receptionist. “Looking for Mr. Sterling? The CEO isn’t in today. He’s hosting his baby’s one-month celebration.” My phone buzzed. A news notification popped up on my screen: “Sterling Group CEO Ethan Sterling Spends Millions on Extravagant One-Month Celebration for Heir! The Happy Couple is the Picture of Devotion!” At the exact same moment, a voice message from Ethan came through: “Hey honey, I managed to snag a few baby clothes online for cheap. Just a couple of bucks. Don’t forget to pick up the package.” In the background of his message, a woman’s voice could be heard, teasing with a light laugh: “The bet is already over. How much longer are you going to keep using that fake marriage certificate to trick Stella? Playing poor all these years… aren’t you tired?” It turned out I was the only one who was actually poor. It turned out that after all this time, I was the real mistress. … Ethan’s best friend rushed over, pulling me aside with a panicked look on his face. “How dare a mistress who can’t even see the light of day show her face here? Aren’t you afraid Ethan will find out and cut off your child support?” Seeing me stare silently at my phone, he seemed to realize something. He suddenly slapped a hand over his mouth, his tone laced with shock when he finally spoke again: “You don’t… you really don’t know anything, do you?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. His panic intensified as he stammered, “Uh, look, I was just talking nonsense just now. I have things to do, I gotta go.” Watching the man practically run away, my daughter tugged at my hand. She looked up at me, her little face full of confusion. “Mommy, what’s a mistress who can’t see the light of day?” I forced the corners of my mouth up into a bitter smile and said softly, “I suppose… that would be me.” Perhaps because it was the first time I hadn’t replied to Ethan’s message immediately, my phone suddenly rang. It was him calling. The background noise on the line was deafening—the clinking of glasses and overlapping voices offering congratulations. “What’s going on? Didn’t you see my message?” I ignored his interrogation, instead asking softly: “Ethan, where are you right now?” “Where else would I be? I’m at work, obviously. Look, I can’t talk right now. Remember to get the package.” Click. He didn’t even wait for me to say another word before hanging up. Looking at the disconnected call, I curled my lips, but the smile didn’t reach my eyes. I never knew. I never knew Ethan could lie with such effortless calm. As if remembering something, I unlocked my phone and tapped an app hidden in a folder on the last page of my home screen. It was a location-sharing app. Seven years ago, before I left for the States, Ethan had handed me his phone, his eyes red. “I installed a tracking app on both our phones. This way, we’ll always know where the other person is.” “Take good care of yourself over there. Once you pay off the debt, we can finally live a good life together.” But I had been working so hard to pay off his debts that I never once had the time to check the app. I opened it and located Ethan’s current position. He was at the most luxurious country club in the city. When I arrived at the entrance with my daughter, Ethan was standing a short distance away. He was holding a baby in his arms, gently rocking and cooing at it, trying to make it laugh. Seeing this scene, I froze in place. Mia is five years old now. In my memory, Ethan has never held her. When Mia was just born, she ran a high fever and cried inconsolably. The doctor said a father’s embrace could help soothe the baby. At the time, Mia had been crying for three days straight, refusing to sleep. Yet even then, Ethan just rolled over in bed, showing no reaction other than muttering, “I don’t like kids.” Looking at the man whose face was now overflowing with love, I finally understood. It wasn’t that he didn’t like kids. He just didn’t like my kid. A harsh scolding nearby snapped me back to reality. I looked beside me—my daughter was gone. I instinctively looked up. At this very moment, my daughter was standing right in front of Ethan. She tilted her head up, calling him “Daddy” over and over, her small face filled with eager anticipation. “Daddy, look! I made this for you myself!” But the next second. Ethan looked down at the little girl with utter bewilderment. He raised his hand and swatted away the red braided bracelet Mia was holding out to him. “Is this some kind of new scam?” “I only have one child. I don’t know you.” Chapter 2 After saying that, Ethan impatiently swatted away Mia’s hand as she tried to reach out again. He tightened his grip on the baby he was holding and turned to leave. I stepped forward quickly. I grabbed Mia and pulled her into a tight hug, then took another step to block Ethan’s path. “Ethan, what is the meaning of this?” Perhaps he didn’t expect to see me here today, or maybe he didn’t expect that I had returned to the country without telling him. For a moment, he froze, staring at me with eyes full of utter disbelief. After a long pause, he hugged the baby in his arms tighter and spoke softly, though his tone betrayed a rare hint of guilt: “Why… why are you back?” As he spoke, he seemed to realize something. He suddenly looked down at Mia, who was wiping away tears next to me. “Is she… Mia?” Hearing this, I twitched the corners of my mouth. The light in my eyes dimmed, and a bitter smile failed to reach my eyes. Mia is already five years old. Yet to this day, he couldn’t even recognize his own biological daughter. “Ethan, aren’t you going to explain?” “You…” But before I could even finish my sentence, a fleet of luxury cars pulled up to the entrance of the country club, and a group of people stepped out. When I saw the woman leading the group, I froze, my eyes filling with pain. “Sister, long time no see.” It was Chloe Hayes. My half-sister. Back then, it was her and her mother who destroyed my once-happy family, drove my mother to her death, and had me committed to a psychiatric hospital. Meeting Chloe’s provocative gaze, scenes from the past flashed before my eyes, and my body began to tremble uncontrollably. “Why are you standing out here? It’s freezing.” Chloe smoothly looped her arm through Ethan’s, her tone intimate. Without even giving me a chance to speak, Chloe took the lead, speaking loudly enough for everyone present to hear: “Sister, Ethan told me everything.” “You insisted on being with him, even willingly accepting the role of the other woman. But Ethan and I have a baby now. Please stop harassing him.” “Ethan and I are married. Are you really going to be like your mother and become a stumbling block in someone else’s path to happiness?” Instantly, the surrounding crowd turned their eyes on me, whispering amongst themselves, their words filled with insults and slurs directed at me. I clenched my fists tightly, turned my head to look at the man standing beside Chloe, and asked softly: “Ethan, is this true?” But before Ethan could even open his mouth, my daughter suddenly broke free from my grasp. She snatched the marriage certificate from my pocket. Mia ran up, grabbed Ethan’s hand, and choked out: “Daddy, didn’t you and Mommy already get married? Why do you have a baby with someone else? Is Mia making you angry?” “Daddy, look, this is your and Mommy’s marriage certificate. Mommy keeps it in her pocket every single day.” Chloe stepped forward, ignoring my daughter’s struggles, and snatched the marriage certificate away to examine it. The next second, she held it up, waving it at me, her tone dripping with mockery: “Sister, you really have no shame, do you?” “This marriage certificate is obviously a fake. How much longer are you going to lie to yourself? Look, it doesn’t even have an official seal.” With that, Chloe pulled a marriage certificate from her own designer bag and handed it to me with a smile: “Here, let me show you what a real marriage certificate looks like.” “Oh, by the way, when Ethan and I went to City Hall to get our license, I even recorded a video to document it. Please, enjoy.” She handed her phone to me. It was playing a video of the two of them getting their license. In the video, Ethan was smiling, looking blissfully happy. The sight stung my eyes so badly I almost cried. Chapter 3 “Don’t pay any attention to her. Let’s go inside.” Ethan finally spoke. But when he said it, he didn’t even spare me a single glance. Seeing Ethan turning to leave, Mia rushed forward and threw her arms around him: “Daddy, please don’t ignore Mia…” The next second, the man frowned impatiently, forcefully shoving Mia away. His tone was ice-cold: “I am not your father.” With that, Ethan stepped toward the entrance of the country club, never looking back. I don’t remember how I left the club. All I remember is rushing forward to hug my daughter tightly, while Chloe stood before me, looking down at me and saying: “You will be beneath my heel for the rest of your life.” I had just managed to coax Mia to sleep when I received a text from Ethan. “Things were chaotic today. Don’t overthink it.” Looking at the message, an indescribable bitterness surged from the depths of my heart, rising all the way up to my throat. Ethan always seemed to operate like this. A harsh slap to the face, followed by a half-hearted pat on the back. My phone chimed again. It was a message from Chloe: “Since you’re back in the country, come to the office tomorrow. It’s time to finally settle who inherits the company.” Looking at my sleeping daughter, I dialed my best friend’s number. “Well, look who finally remembered I exist!” “Are you free tomorrow? Can you watch my daughter for the day?” “Daughter? Since when do you have a daughter? Whose is it?” I froze for a moment. “Ethan’s.” The sound of my friend’s utter shock erupted from the phone: “Ethan Sterling? Didn’t you guys break up seven years ago? How do you have a kid?” “And if I remember correctly, Ethan has been married for a while now.” She paused, as if suddenly realizing something: “Girl… don’t tell me you loved Ethan so much you willingly became his mistress…” Hearing this, I forced a smile, but my eyes were filled with nothing but desolation. “It turns out I was the only one kept in the dark.” After hanging up, I stared at the endless stream of notifications popping up on my phone, lost in thought. They were all from Ethan. He sent an address. “I’m busy lately. You and Mia can stay at this apartment for now.” “Starting tomorrow, bring me three meals a day at the office. I’m still used to your cooking.” “Oh, and the day after tomorrow is Chloe’s birthday. As her older sister, make sure you get her a gift.” The moment I saw those messages. I felt a surge of inexplicable rage rise within me, rushing straight to my head. Even now. Ethan offered no explanation whatsoever. Instead, he just continued to issue orders and commands like always. He even forgot that today was Mia’s birthday. With trembling fingers, I slowly typed on the screen: “Ethan, do you even remember what day today is?” The other side went dead quiet. I was probably just too exhausted; in my daze, I actually fell asleep. When I groggily woke up early the next morning, my daughter Mia was sitting on the bed, holding my phone, grinning at me excitedly: “Mommy, Daddy sent you money!” I instinctively grabbed the phone to look. Sometime in the early hours of the morning, Ethan had replied to my message: “What day is it?” “Are you out of money again? If you need cash, there’s no need to make up excuses. Just accept the transfer.” Right now, the transfer had already been accepted by my daughter. It was two dollars and fifty cents. Not even enough to buy a cup of coffee. Chapter 4 When I pushed open the conference room doors with my documents in hand, everyone had already arrived. At this moment, Chloe was sitting in the CEO’s chair. Seeing me, Chloe smiled: “Since everyone is here, let’s begin.” “Does everyone remember? Ten years ago, when my father passed away, his will explicitly stated that only the person who successfully develops the High-Sensitivity AI Robot would inherit the company.” “Today, I have successfully developed that robot.” “I couldn’t have done it without the help of my husband. I’d like to invite my husband, Ethan Sterling, to present the details of this robot to you all.” With that, Ethan walked in, wearing a sharp white suit. He opened the PowerPoint presentation and flawlessly explained the robot to the board. But the densely packed slides were entirely my hard work, accumulated drop by drop over the years. I couldn’t hold back any longer. I stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and with bloodshot eyes, roared at him: “Ethan, what the hell are you doing?!” But the next second, he forcefully shook off my hand. He turned, faced the room, and spoke in a cool, measured tone: “Everyone, I need to confess something to you all today.” “A year ago, Chloe and I successfully developed the High-Sensitivity Robot. Stella somehow found out about it and wanted me to steal the core technology and give it to her.” “But I know this is Chloe’s life’s work. I also know that only her dedication and capability make her worthy of the CEO position at Hayes Corporation.” Instantly, my ears were filled with insults and accusations directed at me. Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, there was nothing but validation and praise for Chloe. From amidst the crowd, I looked up at Ethan. Our eyes met for just a second before he hurriedly looked down and averted his gaze. For years, I had immersed myself in researching the High-Sensitivity Robot. I never hid anything about it from Ethan. He knew better than anyone what successfully developing it meant to me, and he knew exactly how much I had suffered and sacrificed for it over the years. I never expected that my trust would ultimately be so casually trampled by him, and even used as a weapon by him and another woman to smear my name. I opened my mouth, about to speak, but the next second, my phone in my pocket suddenly rang. It was my best friend. She said Mia was missing. I couldn’t care less about the meeting. I jumped up and sprinted toward the door. Ethan stepped forward and grabbed me from behind: “Stella, you owe Chloe an apology.” “Ethan, your child is missing!” I roared at the man in front of me, my eyes red. The next second, panic flashed across his face: “Lily? What happened to Lily?” Chloe stood up, took his hand, and gently reassured him: “Lily is fine. The nanny just told me she’s sleeping at home.” Instantly, Ethan let out a sigh of relief, his entire demeanor relaxing. Looking at the drastic change in the man before me, I clenched my fists, turned, and ran outside, leaving only one sentence behind: “Ethan, you don’t deserve to be a father!” As soon as I exited the building, I spotted Mia across the street. She was a complete mess, covered in dark bruises. I ran over and pulled her into a tight embrace. Through her sobs, she told me what had happened: “Mommy, Auntie took me to the amusement park. I saw the baby Daddy was holding yesterday, and I just wanted to go over and look. But while Auntie was buying me ice cream, they took me away and beat me up…” “They said I shouldn’t have been born. They said… I deserve to die.” I was just about to comfort her when a massive force yanked me up and violently pulled Mia and me apart. When I regained my senses, Mia and I were being held back by bodyguards. Ethan stood in front of me, raised his hand, and delivered a heavy slap to my daughter’s face. “Why did I ever let a disaster like you live? And now you’re trying to hurt my son? If I had known, I should have strangled you the moment you were born!” I struggled violently, desperately trying to break free from the bodyguards’ grip. When I finally broke free, a large delivery truck came speeding out of nowhere, heading straight for Ethan. And my daughter ran directly toward him. I don’t know how a five-year-old child had that much strength, but she shoved Ethan completely out of the way. “Mia!” In an instant, Mia was lying in a pool of blood. I sprinted toward her and scooped her into my arms, tears streaming down my face. Mia smiled at Ethan, who was standing frozen nearby, and whispered softly: “Daddy, if you didn’t love me, why did you have me?” Ethan stumbled forward. With red eyes, he reached out, wanting to touch Mia’s face, but I viciously slapped his hand away. Holding my daughter tightly, tears pouring down my face, I screamed at him: “Don’t touch her!” “Ethan, it’s been five years! Mia hasn’t seen you once since the day she was born!” “Yesterday was her fifth birthday. Even though it was her birthday, she prepared a gift just to meet you!” Under his stunned gaze, I took a deep breath, tilted my head back, closed my eyes, and said softly: “Ethan, from this moment on, you are dead to us. I hope we never see you again in this life.” Chapter 5 As soon as the words left my mouth, a torrential downpour began. Standing in the pouring rain, Ethan suddenly felt a profound sense of panic. The day he found out he and Stella were having a baby, it had been a stormy night exactly like this one. But back then, Stella was far away in the States, and his company was going through a massive upheaval. He just felt like everything was falling apart. He started finding fault with everything, getting sick constantly. He even entertained the thought of breaking up with Stella. And that was when Chloe Hayes appeared before him. That day, he had just gotten into a huge fight with Stella because she hadn’t replied to his message immediately. Right after he hung up the phone, Chloe showed up. After that night with Chloe, he began to despise his previously dull and flavorless life, even wishing that Stella’s child would simply never be born. But the child was innocent. What had she done wrong? These thoughts suddenly began flashing repeatedly in Ethan’s mind, and a flood of memories rushed back. Mia crying incessantly, reaching her little arms out, wanting him to hold her. And what did he do? He just turned his back, annoyed. When he video-called Stella, Mia would always lean in, calling him “Daddy” over and over. And what did he do? He didn’t even acknowledge her. Mia stumbling toward him, offering the red braided bracelet she had made herself. And what did he do? He casually swatted it away without a second thought. Thinking of this, Ethan stepped forward. Looking at me holding our daughter tightly, he spoke, his voice choking with tears: “Let me… let me hold Mia. I… I am her father.” I ignored him. I just stumbled to my feet, holding my daughter, turned around, and walked away, murmuring softly: “Mia, Mommy is taking you home.” Chloe, standing nearby, stepped forward, gently took Ethan’s hand, and said softly: “Let’s go. Let’s go home.” For the first time, Ethan shook off Chloe’s hand and followed silently behind me.

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At the start of the year, our CEO, Mr. Mercer, patted my shoulder heavily. “If we hit $5 million in profit, the core team is splitting 10% of it!” I went home and told my husband, Mark, that I’d be bringing in around $80,000. He was ecstatic, talking about how we could finally make a massive dent in our mortgage. On December 23rd, just before the holidays, my phone buzzed with a direct deposit notification: $2,800.00. I stared at that number for a long time, convinced it was a typo. When Mark asked how much I got, I told him $2,800. The spatula in his hand slipped and clattered onto the kitchen floor. I went straight to Finance to demand the ledger. Linda, our lead accountant, didn’t even look up from her monitors. “The financial reports aren’t for your eyes just because you want to see them. You aren’t a shareholder.” Fine. If that’s how it is, we’ll settle this debt in three months. 1 December 23rd. 3:10 PM. The year-end bonuses just dropped. “Your salary account has received a deposit of $2,800.00.” The open-plan office was dead silent. Everyone had their heads down, staring at their phones. No one said a word. I gripped my phone, my knuckles turning white. That afternoon at the start of the year was still vivid in my mind. Mr. Mercer had slapped the conference table, his voice booming. “Our profit target this year is $5 million! The core team splits a 10% bonus pool. Let’s crush it, everyone!” We had all clapped. Dave, sitting right next to me, had excitedly whispered that we’d be taking home high five-figures easily. We crushed the target. The company pulled in $5.2 million in profit. We over-delivered. And my cut was $2,800. Dave leaned over, keeping his voice low. “Chloe, what did you get?” “$2,800,” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “You?” His expression shifted uncomfortably. His lips twitched. “Yeah… about the same.” He immediately spun back to his monitors, refusing to meet my gaze again. I stood up and marched straight to the Finance department. Linda was at her desk, typing furiously. “Linda.” She didn’t look up. “Need something?” “I want to see the bonus distribution reports.” Her typing stopped. She finally looked up, her eyes evasive. “Take it up with HR.” I turned on my heel, my heart hammering against my ribs. HR was at the end of the hall. Sarah, the HR Manager, was halfway through applying her lipstick. Seeing me march in, she smiled pleasantly and set her mirror down. “Chloe! What’s up?” “The bonus,” I said. “Earlier this year, we were promised 10%…” Sarah cut me off, her tone instantly cooling. “That 10% is based on net profit.” “Net profit?” I stared at her. “Our operating profit was $5.2 million.” Sarah capped her lipstick. “Chloe, do you have a degree in finance?” I didn’t answer. “Net profit is calculated after audits. Executive bonuses are factored into operating costs. The math is flawless.” She picked up her coffee mug, taking a casual sip. “It’s all written clearly in the company bylaws.” I took a deep breath. “Then I want to see the financial reports.” Sarah laughed. It was the kind of laugh that physically grated on my nerves. “The reports aren’t for your eyes just because you want to see them. You aren’t an accountant, and you aren’t a shareholder.” I stared at her for ten full seconds. I couldn’t force a single word out of my throat. Finally, I turned and walked out. The heavy office door clicked shut behind me, sounding like a vault locking. The drive home was suffocatingly quiet. The traffic lights blurred in front of me. Only one number looped in my brain. $2,800. This time last year, I promised Mark we’d be getting $80,000. He had smiled so brightly, talking about finally getting ahead of our suffocating mortgage. Now, it was $2,800. I pushed the front door open. Mark was in the kitchen stirring a pot of pasta. He glanced over his shoulder. “Did the deposit hit?” I nodded. “It hit.” “And?” I shrugged off my coat. My voice felt like sandpaper. “$2,800.” The spatula slipped from Mark’s hand and smacked against the counter. “What did you just say?” “$2,800.” I slumped onto the sofa. “The company claims the pool is based on net profit.” Mark’s face drained of color. He quickly set the spatula down, turned off the stove, and walked into the living room. “You said $80,000! How are we supposed to cover the mortgage gap?” “I’ll figure something out.” “Figure what out?!” Mark’s voice cracked. “Did you fight back? Did you say anything to them?!” “I tried. They said it’s corporate policy.” Mark stared at me, his eyes brimming with a toxic mix of disappointment and rage. “Chloe, why are you such a doormat? For three years, all you’ve done is bury your head in your code. What else do you even do?” “When people steal your credit, you stay quiet. When the company literally robs you, you stay quiet.” His voice broke. “Even a corporate drone deserves better than this!” I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. Mark turned around, walked into the bedroom, and slammed the door shut. I sat alone in the living room, staring blankly at the cold, unserved dinner on the counter. 2 My phone vibrated a few times. It was a couple of empty, corporate-speak texts from my coworkers. “Keep your head up, Chloe. Let’s push hard next year.” “Sucks about the bonuses, but the company is growing!” I didn’t reply to a single one. I placed the phone face-down on the coffee table. From the bedroom, I could hear Mark crying. It was muffled, but in the dead quiet of the apartment, it was deafening. I stood up, walked out onto the balcony, and lit a cigarette. The smoke dissipated quickly in the freezing winter wind, just like my sacrifices over the past three years. That all-nighter in June, where I wrote 3,000 lines of code by myself to land the $1.5 million Apex Dynamics contract. The massive server crash in September, where I dragged myself out of bed at 3:00 AM and coded for four straight hours to fix it. Every single time, Dave took the microphone in the morning meetings to claim the glory, while I sat quietly in the back with a coffee. Every single time, it was, “Oh, and Chloe helped a bit too.” I crushed the cigarette out and went back inside. The bedroom door was still shut. I didn’t knock. I just lay down on the sofa. I barely slept. My mind was a chaotic loop of spreadsheets and Mark’s bitter words. The next day was Christmas Eve. As per tradition, we were driving to my parents’ house. Mark woke up early to pack the car. He didn’t speak a single word to me the entire morning. The drive to my hometown was suffocating. Several times I opened my mouth to break the ice, but one look at his icy profile made me swallow my words. We arrived mid-afternoon. My mom had a massive holiday spread waiting, her face lighting up when we walked in. “You’re here! You must be exhausted. Sit, sit!” My dad walked out of the den and patted my shoulder. “End-of-year bonus come through?” I froze, shooting a quick glance at Mark. “Yeah. It did.” “Well?” My mom walked over, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. My throat tightened. “$2,800.” My dad’s hand stopped mid-air. My mom’s smile shattered. “How much did you say?” my dad asked, his brow furrowing deeply. “$2,800.” The living room went dead quiet. The only sound was the faint bubbling of a stew from the kitchen. Mark dropped his duffel bag. He let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Her company played her.” My mom looked heartbroken, but she forced a weak smile. “It’s… it’s okay. Next year will be better.” My dad just sighed heavily, turned around, and walked into the kitchen without a word. Christmas Eve dinner was incredibly depressing. The holiday specials playing cheerfully on the TV felt like a mockery. Mark barely ate, just stared down at his phone the entire time. I picked at my food. Everything tasted like ash. Eventually, I put my fork down and said I was full. My mom looked at me, hesitating, before softly saying, “Eat a little more, honey. Don’t starve yourself.” Later that night, as we sat by the fireplace, my dad lit a cigar and sat next to me. “Chloe, you aren’t a kid anymore. You need to learn how the real world works.” “What do you mean?” “Office politics.” He blew out a puff of smoke. “Just keeping your head down and doing the work gets you nowhere.” “Look at that coworker of yours, Dave. He knows how to play the game, right? You need to learn from him.” I didn’t answer. I just stared at the glowing embers in the fireplace. “I know you think it’s unfair, but that’s reality.” He patted my knee. “Accept it. That’s just how people are.” I turned to look at him. I wanted to scream that I refused to accept it. But in the end, I swallowed my pride and just nodded. 3 When we drove to Mark’s family’s house for Christmas Day, his mood was even worse. He scrolled through his phone the entire drive, sighing heavily at least a dozen times. Parked in his parents’ driveway was a brand-new, silver Audi. It gleamed perfectly in the winter sun. Mark’s younger brother, Kevin, was standing on the porch. When he saw us pull up, he grinned from ear to ear. “Chloe! Mark! Merry Christmas! I heard you got a massive payout this year, Chloe!” I forced a stiff smile. “It was okay.” “I pulled $15,000 this year.” Kevin patted the hood of the Audi. “Just enough for the down payment on this beauty.” He walked over, practically radiating arrogance. “What about you, Chloe? You must’ve gotten way more than me, right?” Mark answered coldly from behind me. “$2,800.” Kevin’s grin froze. A flash of genuine shock crossed his face, quickly replaced by a sickening look of pity. “Oh… well… that’s not terrible.” His tone instantly became polite and distant. The sudden shift was almost laughable. Inside, my mother-in-law was bustling in the kitchen. She greeted us enthusiastically. “Chloe! Sit down, dinner is almost ready.” Kevin’s wife, Jessica, was sitting on the couch holding their newborn. She smiled warmly. “Hey guys, Merry Christmas.” At the dinner table, my father-in-law poured me a glass of wine, chuckling. “Chloe worked so hard this year.” “Just doing my job,” I said, picking up the glass. “I heard your company had a killer year?” he probed gently. “It was good. $5.2 million in profit.” My mother-in-law’s eyes lit up. “Then your bonus must have been incredible!” Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Kevin put his fork down. Jessica held her baby a little tighter. Even the extended relatives visiting for the holidays paused, waiting for my answer. I set my wine glass down. “$2,800.” The air in the room evaporated. My mother-in-law’s smile vanished. My father-in-law’s hand hovered mid-air, unsure whether to drink his wine or put it down. Kevin actually snorted a laugh before quickly covering it up with a fake cough. Jessica whispered entirely too loudly, “I told you, tech is a dead-end if you aren’t management.” “You gotta pivot to sales or leadership,” Kevin said smugly. “What’s the point of just being a code monkey?” My mother-in-law looked deeply uncomfortable. She forced a smile. “Chloe… maybe it’s time to start looking for a new job?” “If they’re making that much profit and tossing you pennies, they’re just playing you for a fool.” “Exactly,” my father-in-law nodded. “You have to show some ambition. You can’t just let people walk all over you.” Mark slammed his fork down. His voice was ice. “I lost my appetite.” He stood up and stormed into the guest bedroom. I kept eating. Bite by bite. Very slowly. Everything tasted like cardboard, but I kept chewing and swallowing mechanically. Kevin looked at me with a mix of pity and sheer superiority. “Chloe, do you want me to put a good word in for you at my firm? We need IT support.” “The pay won’t be anywhere near what you’re making now, but you know how the market is.” I looked up at him and smiled softly. “I appreciate it, but no thanks.” “Then what’s your plan?” Jessica asked. “You can’t just keep doing this.” I put my fork down and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “I already have a plan.” My mother-in-law breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. It’s time you started looking out for yourself.” 4 After dinner, I went into the guest room to find Mark. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out the window. When I walked in, he turned his head away. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Who are you apologizing to?” he asked the window. “You should be apologizing to yourself.” “Three years, Chloe. Three years. Besides writing code, what do you actually know how to do?” His voice trembled. “When someone takes credit for your work, you say nothing.” “When your company steals your money, you say nothing.” “And now, my parents and my little brother look down on you.” “Do you have any idea how humiliating this is for me?” I stood behind him. I opened my mouth, wanting to explain. But the words stayed stuck in my throat. Mark stood up. “I need some space. Get out.” I turned and left. The hallway was freezing. I leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette. Outside, I could hear kids playing and families laughing. Every house was filled with joy, and I was standing here feeling like a punchline. The smoke blurred my vision. I thought back to the day I signed my profit-sharing contract. Mr. Mercer had clapped me on the back. “Keep up the great work, Chloe. The company takes care of its own.” Looking back, his definition of ‘taking care of its own’ was vastly different from mine. I crushed the cigarette out and walked back to the living room. Kevin was still bragging to his dad about his new car—the interest rate, the maintenance package. My mother-in-law was washing dishes, looking at me with pity she couldn’t hide. I sat in the corner of the sofa, pulled out my phone, and scrolled aimlessly. My thumb swiped past holiday greetings and cheerful photos, but my brain didn’t process a single word. All I could hear were those voices. “Why are you such a doormat?” “What’s the point of just being a code monkey?” “You have to show some ambition.” I locked my phone, leaned my head back, and closed my eyes. Something was quietly fermenting inside my chest. A spark, catching fire, burning hotter and brighter by the second. 5 It was late when we finally got back to our apartment. Mark hadn’t spoken a word the entire drive. The second we walked in, he went straight to the bedroom, leaving me alone in the living room. I didn’t turn on the lights. The streetlamps outside cast long, fractured shadows across the hardwood floor. My phone buzzed. It was a message in the company group chat. Dave had posted a photo: A sunny beach in Cabo, a margarita, and a girl in a bikini. His caption: “This is how you spend the holidays.” A barrage of thumbs-up and jealous emojis followed. I stared at that photo for a long time. Then, I closed the app. I walked into my home office and booted up my laptop. My system administrator privileges were still active. I had full backend access to the financial reporting system. I opened the dashboard. The numbers loaded onto the screen, so blindingly bright they made my eyes water. Operating Profit: $5.2 million. Administrative Expenses: $3.5 million. Net Profit: $1.7 million. My mouse hovered over “Administrative Expenses” for a long time. Then, I clicked on the itemized breakdown. Executive Bonuses: $1.5 million. Consulting Fees: $1.1 million. Team Building: $700,000. Miscellaneous: $200,000. I dug deeper. The recipient of the $1.1 million consulting fee was an LLC named “Summit Management Consulting.” The registered CEO? Emily Mercer. Mr. Mercer’s wife. I took a screenshot and kept scrolling. Under “Team Building,” there was a $700,000 expense for an “Overseas Market Research Retreat.” The location? The Maldives. The attendees: Mr. Mercer, the VP, and the CFO. The date was last November. I remember November. I spent three straight weeks pulling all-nighters in the office, single-handedly patching the security vulnerabilities for the Apex Dynamics launch. While they were “researching” in the Maldives. I leaned back in my chair, staring at the screen. I scrolled down from the $1.5 million executive bonus pool and found Dave’s name. $80,000. He got $80,000. I kept scrolling, page by page. My hands grew colder by the second. The $1.5 million executive pool was split among 12 people. The remaining $1.7 million “Net Profit” was the pool they used to calculate our 10% dividend. 10% of $1.7 million is $170,000. And there were 73 “core employees.” I did the math. $170,000 ÷ 73 people ≈ $2,328. With some minor performance adjustments, that’s exactly how my $2,800 was born. They artificially crushed the profit down to $1.7 million, funneled millions into their own pockets through shell companies and vacations, and then tossed the leftover crumbs to us as “charity.” Legalized embezzlement. Beautiful, bulletproof accounting. Money that was rightfully mine. Wiped out by the magical phrase “Net Profit.” I closed the financial portal and opened a different folder. Three years of system logs. Every single line of code I had ever committed. Every timestamped optimization. The “Dynamic Auto-Balancing Algorithm”—the beating heart of our entire software architecture. I was the only person who understood its core logic. I stared at the code for a long time. Then, I opened a blank document and started working. I carefully stripped the core algorithm out of the main system architecture, repackaging it as an independent, proprietary module, completely rewriting the dependency logic. The clacking of my mechanical keyboard echoed loudly in the silent apartment. The winter wind howled against the glass.

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When Ethan slipped that pink diamond ring onto my finger, it was too small and got forcefully stuck at my knuckle. He just laughed carelessly. “Looks like Chloe’s fingers are thinner after all. It fit her perfectly, dangling so cutely.” He casually twisted the ring on my reddened finger. He told me that this custom engagement ring, originally meant for me, had been worn by his intern, flaunted all over her Instagram for an entire week. “The poor girl hasn’t worked a hard day in her life, so her hands are soft. Her knuckles aren’t as thick as yours.” “She said she wanted to know what it felt like to be proposed to and started crying her eyes out. I couldn’t say no.” Feeling the cold, hard diamond digging into my skin, I looked up at him stiffly. “You let her wear our engagement ring?” His eyes swept coldly over my hands, no longer delicate after years of hard work. “It’s not a big deal. I just thought the delicate pink suited a young girl her age much better.” “If you’re disgusted that someone else wore the ring, you can throw it away. If you’re disgusted by a man someone else slept with…” The corner of his mouth twitched, his tone icy. “…you don’t have to marry me.” “It’s up to you.” Standing in the empty jewelry store, the dazzling diamond on my finger suddenly felt like a needle piercing my flesh, the pain excruciating. “Take it off.” My voice was hoarse as I stared at the ring lodged in my skin. Ethan looked at me as if he’d just heard a joke, raising an eyebrow. “Stella, stop throwing a tantrum. The sales associates are watching.” “It’s your own fault for gaining weight lately, even your fingers got thicker. Who else can you blame?” He didn’t even bother to look at me, staring down at his phone, replying to messages. The screen’s glow reflected on his face, revealing a tender expression he had never shown me. I yanked at the ring with all my might. The skin on my knuckle tore, and blood seeped out. A piercing pain. But I couldn’t feel it. Because the place where my heart was hurt far worse than my finger. “You know this is my engagement ring.” I stared at him intently. “If it’s mine, why did you let Chloe wear it?” Ethan clicked his tongue in annoyance and finally put his phone away. “She’s just an intern, fresh out of college. She’s completely innocent.” “She saw a pretty ring, got curious, and wanted to try it on. What’s the big deal?” “Why are you being so petty, holding a grudge against a girl who just graduated?” He spoke so self-righteously, as if I was the one being unreasonable. “Innocent?” I let out a cold laugh, pulled out my phone, and opened Chloe’s Instagram. In the photo, a pale, delicate hand wore my engagement ring, striking various poses in the sunlight. The caption read: [The boss says only clean hands like mine are worthy of this shade of pink. Some washed-up housewives are only good for scrubbing pots and pans.] Ethan glanced at it, his expression shifting slightly, but he quickly returned to his careless demeanor. “She was just joking. Are you seriously taking that to heart?” “Alright, I have things to do at the company. Take an Uber home.” “Since the ring is on, just leave it on, so you don’t lose it.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away without a second glance. He didn’t even bother to ask if my hand hurt. Watching his resolute back, I suddenly found it somewhat hilarious. Seven years. I stood by his side as he went from having nothing to being worth over a hundred million. To save money for his startup, I washed our clothes in freezing water during the dead of winter, my hands covered in chilblains. To help him secure investments, I drank with clients until my stomach bled, landing me in the hospital for three days. Whose fault was it that my hands were now rough? Whose fault was it that my knuckles were deformed? And now, he despised these very hands, deeming them unworthy of the engagement ring that symbolized our commitment. He even indulged another woman as she publicly trampled on my dignity. I gave a violent yank. “Hiss—” The ring was forcefully ripped off, taking a chunk of flesh with it. The pink diamond flashed with an eerie light under the store lamps, stained with my blood and the cheap perfume Chloe had left behind. So dirty. I raised my hand and threw the million-dollar diamond ring into the nearby trash can without a shred of hesitation. “You’re right.” “A man someone else slept with is just like a ring someone else wore.” “They’re both trash.” By the time I got home, it was already 10 PM. I pushed open the door to a pitch-black apartment. Ethan wasn’t home yet. Normally, no matter how late it was, I would always leave a light on, waiting for him. But tonight, I didn’t turn on a single light. By the moonlight streaming through the window, I saw a thermos sitting on the dining table. It held the fish soup I had spent four hours simmering that afternoon. Ethan’s stomach had been acting up lately, so I specifically went to the market to buy wild-caught carp, boiling it down until the broth was thick, white, and fragrant. Before I left the house, I texted him, reminding him to drink it. Now, the lid of the thermos was off. Half the soup was gone. I walked over, picked up a spoon, and stirred it. Suddenly, my hand froze. Floating in the soup was a long strand of hair. Chestnut brown, with loose waves. My hair is straight and black. Chloe has chestnut brown hair with loose waves. A wave of intense nausea hit my stomach. Just then, the sound of the key turning in the lock came from the entryway. The lights flicked on, and Ethan walked in. He jumped when he saw me standing in the dark, then frowned deeply. “What are you doing creeping around in the dark without turning the lights on?” He loosened his tie as he kicked off his shoes, reeking of alcohol. On his collar, a faint lipstick smudge was barely visible. I recognized that shade. It was the exact same color Chloe was wearing in her selfie today. “Did you drink the soup?” I pointed at the thermos on the table, my tone frighteningly calm. Ethan paused, his eyes darting away for a second. “Yeah, it was good.” “Just a little bland. Add more salt next time.” He gave a dismissive answer and started heading for the bathroom. “Is that so?” I let out a soft laugh. “Did Chloe think it was bland too?” Ethan stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, his face dark. “Stella, are you ever going to drop this?” “I was just dropping Chloe off on my way back. She was hungry, so I let her have a few sips.” “It’s just a bowl of soup. Do you have to interrogate me like a criminal?” “You never used to be like this.” “You used to be so gentle and understanding. You never picked fights over trivial things.” He looked at me with disappointment, as if I had turned into an unreasonable shrew. Used to be? I used to think you were worth it. Looking at the man in front of me, I felt a sudden, profound sense of unfamiliarity. Where did the Ethan who swore to give me a good life disappear to? “Ethan.” “I spent four hours making that soup.” “I washed my hands until they wrinkled just to get the fish smell out.” “You gave it to another woman, and you have the nerve to complain it’s bland?” Ethan rubbed his temples in annoyance. “Alright, it’s just soup. I’ll have the maid make you ten bowls tomorrow.” “Chloe had an emergency. Her blood sugar dropped, and she almost fainted.” “Saving a life is a good deed. Can’t you show a little compassion?” Low blood sugar? More like a low IQ. “Ding—” Ethan’s phone chimed. He glanced at the screen, and his dark expression instantly softened. It even held a trace of doting fondness. Although he quickly turned off the screen, I still saw it. Sender: Unforgettable Chloe. Message: [Mr. Sterling, thank you for the loving fish soup. My body is warm, and my heart is warm too~] Followed by a shy emoji. I felt nothing but pure irony. My hard work had become a tool for their flirtation. “Who was that?” I asked, knowing the answer. “A work group chat.” Ethan lied without missing a beat. “Something urgent came up at the company. I need to go handle it in the study.” With that, he grabbed his phone, hurried into the study, and locked the door behind him. Leaving me alone with half a thermos of fish soup tainted with another woman’s saliva. I picked up the thermos, walked over to the toilet. And dumped the soup, fish and all, straight in. I flushed. Whoosh— Trash belongs where trash goes. The next day was scheduled for my wedding dress fitting. We had booked this six months in advance. A custom-made piece by a renowned French designer, the only one of its kind in the world. I flew to Paris three times just for this dress, having my measurements taken over and over. It was my dream. Ethan was an hour late. When he finally arrived, Chloe was trailing right behind him. “Chloe said she’s never seen a haute couture wedding dress, so she wanted to come open her eyes.” Ethan explained, his tone so natural, as if bringing your mistress to your wedding dress fitting was the most normal thing in the world. Chloe, wearing a pink cocktail dress and clinging to Ethan’s arm, smiled with absolute, innocent naivety. “Stella, you don’t mind, do you?” “I’m just curious. I’ll just look and leave, I promise I won’t bother you.” She blinked her big eyes, looking entirely harmless. I stared at her arm looped through Ethan’s and said coldly, “I do mind.” “Get out.” The air instantly froze. The sales associates exchanged panicked glances, not daring to breathe. Chloe’s eyes instantly welled up, tears falling on command. “Stella, why are you being so mean…” “I was just envious of your relationship with Mr. Sterling and wanted to soak up some of the good vibes…” “If I made you unhappy, I’ll leave right now…” She turned to go, but Ethan grabbed her arm. “Stella! Are you out of your mind?!” He glared at me furiously. “Chloe is practically a child! Why are you picking on her?” “I brought her here. If anyone’s getting out, it’s me!” What a protective knight in shining armor. I laughed out loud, fueled by pure anger. “Fine. Then take her and get out.” “I’m not trying on this dress.” I turned to leave. “Stop right there!” Ethan lunged forward and grabbed my wrist. “I already paid for it. You will try it on!” “Stop embarrassing me in public!” Without another word, he shoved me into the fitting room. The terrified associates brought the dress in. I took a deep breath, forcing down the rage bubbling inside me. One last time. If this dress still fit, I’d give him one more chance. After all, seven years of history couldn’t be erased in an instant. However, the moment I put the dress on, my heart went completely cold. The zipper wouldn’t close. The waist was a full size too small. The bust was so tight I could barely breathe. This wasn’t my size at all. “What is the meaning of this?” I frowned at the associate. She stammered, avoiding my gaze. “Um… Mr. Sterling called a couple of days ago and said you had lost weight, so he asked us to take it in a bit…” Lost weight? I had actually gained five pounds recently because Ethan was forcing me to take supplements to prepare for pregnancy! “He also said…” The associate glanced nervously at Chloe waiting outside, her voice dropping to a whisper. “He said he wanted to change the design… make it a bit more… youthful.” I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The originally elegant, sophisticated mermaid gown had been transformed into a poofy ballgown. The bodice was now plastered with cheap-looking bows. How was this my wedding dress? This was clearly Chloe’s style! I violently yanked the curtain open. Ethan was sitting on the sofa, feeding Chloe grapes. When he saw me, he froze, then his brow furrowed. “Why are you dressed like that?” “You look like a stuffed sausage.” Chloe covered her mouth, giggling. “Oh my, Stella, did you gain weight?” “Look how tight it is on you, you’re spilling out.” “Mr. Sterling, it seems my taste really doesn’t suit Stella after all.” “I told you, this youthful, girly style only looks good on petite girls.” She stood up, walked over to me, and reached out to touch a bow on the dress. “But the fabric is gorgeous. If I were wearing it…” She shot Ethan a loaded look. And Ethan actually nodded. “True. This style definitely suits Chloe better.” “Stella, you’re older now. You really can’t pull off these pale pink colors.” “Why don’t we just give this to Chloe to use as a bridesmaid dress, and you can pick out a new one.” Boom— The final string holding my sanity together snapped. Give it to her as a bridesmaid dress? My main wedding gown, as her bridesmaid dress? Ethan, just how low are you going to trample on me? I looked at the disgusting pair standing before me, and a wave of pure revulsion washed over me. I ripped the veil off my head and threw it hard onto the floor. “No need.” “I’m not wearing this dress.” “And I’m not going through with this wedding.” Ethan thought I was just throwing a tantrum. “Acting out again?” “Stella, is your menopause starting early?” “Always threatening to break up or cancel the wedding over every little thing. Is it fun for you?” “Hurry up and change. Stop making a fool of yourself in front of outsiders.” He picked up the veil, dusted it off, and tossed it to the sales associate. “Box it up and have it delivered to Ms. Hayes’ apartment.” I didn’t say a word. I turned back into the fitting room and changed back into my own clothes. When I came out, Ethan was already waiting in the car. Chloe was sitting in the passenger seat. That was my designated seat. “Stella, I get carsick easily, so I’m more comfortable up front. You don’t mind, do you?” Chloe poked her head out the window, looking the picture of innocence. I opened the back door and slid in. “I don’t mind.” “I don’t fight over seats reserved for the dead.” Chloe’s face went white, and she immediately turned to Ethan to complain. “Mr. Sterling, listen to Stella…” Ethan glared at me through the rearview mirror. “Stella, watch your mouth.” “Show some class!” I closed my eyes, entirely done with him. The car sped along, arriving at the Sterling family estate. Today was the monthly Sterling family dinner. Both of Ethan’s parents were there. When they saw Chloe walking in behind Ethan, their expressions soured. “Ethan, who is this?” His mother asked. “A new intern at the company, Chloe Hayes.” Ethan introduced her. “She’s working hard all alone in a new city; it’s not easy for her. I brought her over for a home-cooked meal.” “Hello Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, I’m Chloe.” Chloe bowed politely, presenting the gifts she had prepared in advance. “I bought these supplements specifically for you. They aren’t expensive, but it’s the thought that counts.” You can’t slap a smiling face. Even though his parents were displeased, they didn’t say anything and let her sit down. During the meal, Chloe went out of her way to flatter them. She poured wine for Ethan’s father, served food to his mother, her mouth as sweet as honey. She had the older couple beaming with delight. Meanwhile, I sat in silence, my mood plummeting. “Stella, don’t just sit there eating. Learn a thing or two from Chloe.” His mother scolded me. “Look at this young girl, so thoughtful and attentive.” “You’re about to marry into the Sterling family, and you’re still so wooden. How are you going to manage a household and raise children?” My grip on my chopsticks tightened. Manage a household and raise children? The Sterling family is a pedestal I have no interest in worshiping at. “Oh, Mrs. Sterling, please don’t be hard on Stella.” Chloe spoke in her sickly-sweet voice. “Stella is a woman of great importance. Unlike me, who only knows how to serve people.” “Oh, Mr. Sterling, I really want some of that shrimp, but I can’t peel it…” She looked at Ethan with puppy-dog eyes, pointing at the plate of braised prawns. Without a second thought, Ethan picked up a prawn, ready to peel it. But Chloe stopped him. “Mr. Sterling, your hands are meant for signing multi-million dollar contracts, not peeling shrimp.” She turned to me, smiling brightly. “Stella, I heard you’re incredibly fast at peeling shrimp. Could you help me out?” Everyone’s eyes fell on me. Ethan looked at me too, issuing a command as if it were the most natural thing in the world: “Stella, peel a few for Chloe.” “She got her nails done and can’t do it.” I looked at Chloe’s fingers, adorned with dazzling, diamond-encrusted acrylics, and then down at my own bare nails. While preparing for pregnancy, I gave up manicures, stopped dyeing my hair, and even switched all my skincare to pregnancy-safe brands. And now, he wanted me to use these hands—hands that had grown rough for his sake—to serve his mistress? “Hurry up, what are you staring at?” Ethan urged. “Don’t be so petty, it’s just peeling a shrimp.” His mother chimed in: “Yes, Stella, you’re the older sister here. What’s wrong with taking care of the younger one?” I took a deep breath and picked up a shrimp. Slowly, I peeled off the shell. The red shrimp oil stained my fingertips. Chloe looked at me smugly, opened her mouth, and waited to be fed. “Thank you, Stella. Ahhh—” Looking at her gaping maw, I suddenly burst out laughing. I laughed so hard tears almost sprang to my eyes. This was the man I had loved for seven years. This was the family I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. This was the love I was willing to sacrifice everything for. What an absolute, total joke!

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On the eve of Valentine’s Day, my fiancé, who works for a classified military intelligence unit, sent me a text. [Babe, I’m so sorry. The team got hit with an emergency deployment. My wedding leave was just canceled.] The moment I received that message, I was standing less than thirty feet from the security gates of his agency. I watched with my own eyes as he wrapped his “bro,” Riley Brooks, tightly inside his heavy tactical coat. “Just to satisfy this sick fetish of yours, I’ve bailed on Chloe six times already.” “This is the last time. Next year, no matter what, I am marrying her.” Riley laughed, lifting her half-empty iced coffee to his lips. “Didn’t you just buy the new mattress for the bridal suite? I’m gonna go help my future sister-in-law break it in.” “You don’t even have to thank me. Consider it an early wedding gift.” Hearing this, I dug my fingernails so hard into my palms that they almost bled. I pulled out my phone and dialed his parents. [Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, let’s gather everyone tonight and decorate the new house early.] [Yes, exactly. I want to give Liam a massive surprise.] Since he didn’t care about his dignity. Then he couldn’t blame me for burning everything to the ground. …… [Let’s keep the fact that we’re all in Virginia a secret from Liam for now.] [Okay, I’ll wait for you guys downstairs by the apartment lobby.] After hanging up the phone, I opened the app for the hidden security cameras I had installed just yesterday. On the screen, I watched them stumble through the entryway, aggressively making out all the way into the master bedroom. I saw the silver St. Michael’s medal—the one I had spent hours on my knees praying over at the cathedral to keep him safe on his deployments. Right now, it was lying completely abandoned amidst a filthy pile of discarded clothes. My body went completely rigid, letting the freezing winter wind bite through my coat. It didn’t take long before both our families and closest friends arrived. Before they even reached me, my parents hurried over, their faces full of concern. “How is it, Chloe? Did you see that idiot Liam?” “Don’t worry,” my dad sneered. “Your Grandpa already made a call to his commanding officer at the Pentagon.” “Even if the sky was falling tomorrow, his unit wouldn’t be calling him in for an emergency deployment.” I forced down the devastating urge to break down and scream. I squeezed out the most convincing smile I could muster. “Okay.” “Chloe, didn’t you say you wanted to give Liam a surprise?” “What are we standing around for? Let’s go up and start decorating!” Looking at the bright red balloons and wedding ribbons in my family’s hands, my nose stung fiercely. I let the tears spill silently over my eyelashes. I had known Liam for ten years. We had been dating for eight. We had been engaged for six. Six years ago, exactly one month before our wedding. He said he was applying for a highly competitive Captain’s slot, so I agreed to postpone the wedding for a year. Three years ago, exactly one week before our wedding. He said he was selected for a black-ops mission, and I agreed to postpone the wedding once again. Until this year, when both sets of parents finally lost their patience. Three days ago, we brought all our relatives and friends to the city where his base was located, arriving early to prep the final wedding details. But I never, in my wildest nightmares, could have imagined this. The bridal home I had spent six years meticulously designing and furnishing… Every piece of furniture, every inch of the hardwood floors… Had already been defiled and claimed by his “tomboy bro,” Riley. Thinking about it made my stomach violently churn. I rushed to a nearby trash can and dry-heaved for a long time. I wanted so badly to tell them. To tell everyone. That just half an hour ago. Liam had personally texted me to announce that our wedding—scheduled for tomorrow morning—was being delayed for another year. I wanted to tell my parents that Liam had betrayed me. That over the last six years, every single time he claimed his leave was canceled due to national security. He was actually just screwing his “bro,” Riley Brooks. But I realized my throat felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t squeeze out a single word or make a sound. As we walked into the apartment building, I chugged a bottle of ice-cold water. Liam. It’s time for you to taste exactly what it feels like to be played for a clown. The moment everyone stepped off the elevator. We immediately saw the tactical boots and a woman’s lace top scattered in the hallway. Seeing my face flush with “embarrassment” as I quickly kicked the clothes against the wall, Liam’s mother covered her mouth to hide a knowing smirk. Assuming Liam was inside prepping a romantic surprise, she excitedly unlocked the front door. At the exact same moment, unspeakable, filthy moans echoed loudly from the master bedroom. “Damn, your bed is comfy…” “If you do it with Chloe here later, are you gonna think about your bro?” “You should swap the sofa for leather though. This fabric is chafing my skin.” Hearing this, everyone’s expressions froze. It was as if a freezing spell had been cast over the entire group. No one stepped closer to see what was happening. No one dared to make a sound. I forced my legs—which felt like they weighed a thousand pounds—to move forward. I reached down into the pile of discarded bras and shirts and picked up the St. Michael’s medal. It had been stepped on and cracked. Even though I had mentally prepared myself for this. Actually standing in the room, I felt as terrified and cowardly as a child who had done something terribly wrong. I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted copper, letting the blood fill my throat. “Liam Hayes! Get your ass out here right now!” “Liam, do you hear me?!” “You actually dared to betray my daughter?! You must have a death wish!” My dad lost his mind and charged toward the master bedroom. He pounded his heavy fists against the solid wood door. Just as he was blinded by rage, raising his leg to kick the door off its hinges… Liam slipped out through a crack in the door, hastily wrapped in a towel. “Mr. Vance, Dad, Mom, cousin…” “Why… why are you all here?” “Why didn’t anyone tell me…” Before he could finish his sentence, my dad delivered a brutal right hook to his jaw. “You soulless piece of trash! You have the nerve to ask us that?!” “Our Chloe waited for you for six agonizing years!” “Did she wait just to see how creatively you could betray her?!” Before Liam could even recover from the shock of the punch. My mom had already stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a heavy cast-iron skillet. “Where is that little bitch?! How dare she ruin my daughter’s marriage!” “I’m going to kill her! I’m going to smash that homewrecker’s face in!” Just as she raised the skillet to storm the master bedroom, Liam lunged forward, desperately grabbing the pan and tossing it to the floor. “Mr. and Mrs. Vance, you’re misunderstanding!” “My original plan was to leave the base tomorrow morning at 0700 to go home.” “But I wanted to give Chloe a massive surprise! That’s why I came back early.” “I was just taking a shower and changing clothes, and suddenly you’re all here!” While he was speaking, my cousin had already kicked the bedroom door wide open. “Liam, if you really cheated on my sister, I will literally end you.” But the moment the door swung open… The bridal bed was immaculately made. Scanning the entire room, there was absolutely no sign of a second person. Seeing this, Liam’s mother immediately jumped in to control the narrative. “See? I told you! There’s no way our Liam would do something like that.” “Looks like we all just completely misunderstood him.” “Chloe, really, you should have just waited upstairs with him.” “What, were you afraid we’d get lost finding the apartment with this many people?” She rolled her eyes, picking up Liam’s tactical jacket from the floor and tossing it at him. “And you! If you’re going to take a shower, take a shower! Why the hell are you blasting cheap porn on your phone?!” “Now look what happened. You made everyone misunderstand!” Liam’s cousin quickly chimed in from the side. “Honestly man, did you and Chloe already go at it before we got here?” “You didn’t even clean up the battlefield before making everyone come decorate your bridal suite.” “Seriously, way to treat us like we aren’t even guests.” Having quickly thrown on a t-shirt and sweatpants, Liam seized the perfect excuse and ran with it. “Talk about terrible luck.” “Who gets caught ‘cheating’ by their entire family just for watching a little video in their own house?” He faked an awkward, embarrassed cough. “Since everyone is already here, why don’t we all go out to a nice steakhouse?” “Chloe, what do you think?” Seeing that I was standing there completely motionless, he walked straight up and pulled me into his arms. “Weren’t you just cuddling in my arms a few minutes ago?” “Why are you acting so shy now that everyone is watching?” As he said this, he lowered his head, pressing his lips to my ear to whisper. “Let’s just take everyone out to dinner first. I’ll explain the video to you later.” “It’s not what you think. Trust me.” “Say something quickly. Everyone is waiting.” Heh. Was he afraid that everyone was waiting? Or was he terrified of keeping the person hiding in the master bedroom waiting? Having been together for ten years, Liam knew exactly how to manipulate me. He knew that every time he and Riley crossed the line using the excuse of being “bros,” I would always painstakingly swallow his excuses and believe him. But what he didn’t know was that the moment I found out he had been faking canceled military deployments for six years just to be with this so-called “tomboy bro”… I had absolutely zero desire to marry him anymore. But I didn’t want to just rip the band-aid off and let them walk away easily. I wanted to watch with my own eyes as they choked on the consequences of their own filthy actions. I let out a cold laugh, slipping smoothly out of his embrace. “What just happened really was a huge misunderstanding.” “It’s our fault for not being more careful. Sorry for making a joke out of ourselves.” “Mom, Dad, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes… since it took so much effort to get everyone together tonight, why don’t we just order a massive spread of food here? It’s the perfect way to warm up the new house.” “No!” The moment the words left my mouth, the three members of the Hayes family objected simultaneously. Seeing my feigned look of confusion, Liam’s mother was the first to explain. “There are no groceries in the new house! If we just order cheap takeout here, wouldn’t we be disrespecting our guests?” “Plus, it’s getting late. We don’t have time to wait for a delivery.” “Liam’s mom is right. Let’s just all go out to a nice restaurant,” my mom agreed. “Yeah, Chloe, Mr. Vance, Mrs. Vance, let’s just go out to eat,” Liam quickly added. In the entire room. Only I and the three members of the Hayes family knew the truth. Behind the hidden bookshelf door in the master bedroom was a private en-suite bathroom. They wanted to use dinner as an excuse to get me and the rest of the family out of the apartment. So Riley could sneak out undetected? Keep dreaming! I completely ignored the forced, panicky looks in the Hayes family’s eyes. I grabbed my parents and dragged them onto the plush living room sofa. “Oh, come on! Everyone is exhausted from traveling all day. Let’s not drag everyone back out into the cold.” “I just put in a massive DoorDash order from that high-end Italian place down the street. It’ll be here in twenty minutes.” “Garlic bread and extra parmesan for everyone, right? Cousin, you don’t like spicy marinara, right?” “Perfect. It’s already paid for.” Though their faces were twisted with immense reluctance, the Hayes family had no choice but to bite the bullet and sit down. While I was in the kitchen brewing a large pot of tea for everyone, Liam cornered me, looking incredibly distressed. “Chloe, did you get my text earlier? I was originally trying to surprise you with the deployment thing, but I guess I totally screwed it up.” I pretended nothing was wrong, looking at him casually. “What text? Did you text me?” “Sorry, I was so focused on decorating the bridal suite I haven’t even looked at my phone.” I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone, but he immediately grabbed my hand to stop me. “It’s better you didn’t see it! The wedding is proceeding exactly as planned. After tomorrow, you will officially be my legal wife.” I smirked coldly and pushed past him. I walked back into the living room, warmly entertaining our family. While we waited for the food to arrive. Everyone got to work. Some were taping up wedding decorations. Others were inflating balloons. And the task of decorating the master bedroom… Fell to the two of us—the bride and groom. I walked up to the bridal bed, fully intending to pull back the duvet to scatter the traditional red dates and peanuts. But Liam instantly grabbed the duvet and the fitted sheet, violently ripping them off the mattress and throwing them onto the floor. Seeing my suspicious glare, he explained with a deeply awkward expression. “It’s been empty for so long, I was worried it was dusty.” He scrambled to the closet and pulled out a brand-new set of luxury sheets. “You just sit down and rest. I’ll change them.” “Chloe, I know how incredibly hard you’ve worked organizing this wedding by yourself all these years.” “Don’t worry. Once I get my Major’s leaf next month, I’m putting in my papers to transfer to a civilian desk job.” “Then, we can finally live that normal, nine-to-five, peaceful life you’ve always wanted.” I was too disgusted to listen to his lies. I raised my hand to push open the hidden door leading to the en-suite bathroom. Instantly, he lunged from behind and wrapped his arms around my waist in a death grip. “Wait!”

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Six years into our marriage, I saw a woman on my husband’s phone. He didn’t show it to me on purpose. He was taking a shower when an unknown number texted him an intimate photo. A woman in pajamas, resting her head against his chest, throwing up a peace sign at the camera. I picked it up and tapped it open. I scrolled up. The chat history was completely wiped. The entire conversation window contained only this single photo. The contact name was just a letter: L. He hadn’t saved her full name, or any other identifying information. But it was glaringly obvious. He was cheating on me. 1 I placed the phone back on the coffee table, screen facing down. The water in the bathroom stopped running. He came out, drying his hair with a towel, and picked up his phone just like he always did. He swiped the screen a couple of times; his expression didn’t change at all. I stared at his profile. From college to now, eleven years. I could trace the lines of his face with my eyes closed. He suddenly turned to me. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” He smiled and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingertips brushed my earlobe. They were cool and smelled of his grapefruit body wash. “You must be exhausted today,” he said. “Go to sleep early.” I nodded, but I lay awake with my eyes open until dawn. The next morning, I called in sick to work. After his car pulled out of the driveway, I went back inside and opened his backup phone. There was no ‘L’ in the contacts, but the photo was still in the cache folder. And it wasn’t just the one from last night. There were photos from two years ago, a year ago, six months ago… different locations, but the same woman. In front of a hotel’s floor-to-ceiling window, wrapped in a bathrobe, holding a glass of red wine. On a boardwalk by the beach, her arm linked through his, a sunset in the background. At an expensive sushi restaurant, feeding him a piece of salmon with her chopsticks. The last photo was recent. Her stomach was slightly rounded. Her hand rested on it, and he was looking down, kissing her forehead. The timestamp was from two months ago. My phone buzzed. A text from him. [Things are slow at the institute today. I’ll be home for dinner. Let me know what you want to eat, I’ll pick it up.] I locked my screen. I didn’t reply. I dialed the number of the sushi restaurant from the photo. “Hi, I’d like to check a reservation record from about three months ago. For a table by the window. The reservation would be under the name Davis.” “Please hold for a moment… Mr. Davis, correct? Yes, we have that. A table for two. The lady accompanying him was a Ms. Lin.” I hung up the phone. He never took me to sushi restaurants. He always said he hated raw fish. Turns out, he didn’t hate raw fish. He just didn’t want to eat it with me. It took me a week to figure out who she was. Lily Lin, thirty-one years old, a cellist for the city symphony orchestra. She wasn’t some college sweetheart he was having a nostalgic affair with, nor a random, meaningless fling. She entered his life much earlier than I could have ever imagined. Eight years ago, he gave a guest lecture at the symphony hall. She was in the front row of the audience. Seven years ago, he was invited to the New Year’s concert. She performed a solo; he presented her with flowers. Six years ago, we got our marriage license. That was also the year a “Mr. Davis” started appearing frequently on her social media. Never showing his face, only his hands. A hand helping her out of a car, a hand carrying her cello case, a hand holding a wine glass on her birthday. I scrolled through five years of her posts, one by one. She posted a picture of sheet music with the caption: The seventh year since he taught me how to read music. She posted a picture of a Ragdoll cat with the caption: When you’re not here, he keeps me company for you. She posted a blurry photo of a view from a window with the caption: He said he’ll bring me here again next time. 2 I started living like a private investigator. When he showered, I went through his briefcase. When he was at meetings, I checked his dashcam. Late at night, when he was fast asleep, I used his fingerprint to unlock his phone. The passcode was our wedding anniversary. That discovery made me sick to my stomach for three whole days. He was using a passcode that tied him to me, while living an entirely separate life with another woman. ‘L’ was hidden in a contact group labeled “Work Contacts.” Her profile picture was a close-up of piano keys. He cleared their chat history every day, but occasionally, something slipped through the cracks. On the 10th of last month, he was on a business trip to Boston. She texted that she wanted to eat at a specific private kitchen near the harbor. He replied: Okay, I’ll take you. That same day, he texted me: Meetings are back-to-back. Just grabbing takeout. On March 17th, she said her music room was too cold. He replied: Bought you a space heater. It arrives tomorrow. That same day, I asked him if he was coming home for dinner over the weekend. He said he had to stay late at the lab supervising his grad students. On April 2nd, at 2 AM, she sent a selfie, her eyes red from crying. He replied instantly: Why are you still awake? She said: Had a dream about you. He replied: Silly girl. I’m always here. I stared at that message. I stared until the screen went dark, then tapped it to light it up again. I waited for the tears to come. But my eyes were dry. Not a single tear fell. The next day was Saturday. For once, he wasn’t working overtime. “We haven’t watched a movie together in a while,” he said, standing in the entryway putting on his shoes. “There’s a new one out with great reviews.” I looked at him. I had ironed his shirt last week. He had polished his dress shoes himself yesterday. He’d gotten a haircut recently, making him look sharp. He said we hadn’t watched a movie together in a while. He sounded like he actually meant it. “I can’t today,” I said. “I’m meeting Joanne to look at building materials.” He paused. “For the renovation?” “Yeah. I want to replace the bookshelves in the study.” “Thanks for handling all that.” He walked over and, just like always, put his arm around my shoulders. “I’m no help at all with these things.” His hand was warm, resting on my shoulder through my thin sweater. I used to crave that warmth. Now, it just felt heavy. I went to see Joanne. We weren’t looking at building materials. It was an asset evaluation. Joanne was a woman in her forties with short hair and sharp eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. “Mrs. Davis, what exactly are you looking for?” “The flow of marital assets post-wedding.” I pushed the bank account numbers and property deeds across the desk. “Specifically, any large expenditures over the past five years, or any transfers with an unknown destination.” She flipped through the paperwork, then looked up at me. “Are you prepared for this?” “What do you mean?” “A lot of wives come in here wanting an audit, but halfway through, they get too scared to keep digging.” She closed the folder. “It’s not that they can’t find anything; it’s that they can’t handle the truth.” I didn’t say anything. She studied me for two seconds, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll have a preliminary report for you in three days.” When I left her office, it was raining outside. I hadn’t brought an umbrella. I stood under the awning, staring blankly into the distance. My phone buzzed. It was him. [Made sweet and sour ribs for dinner. Left a portion for you on the second shelf of the fridge.] I stared at the text. Three years, and he still remembered that sweet and sour ribs were my favorite. He remembered that I hate cilantro. He remembered that I’m allergic to cats. He remembered everything he was supposed to remember. So how did we end up here? The rain fell harder. I didn’t text him back. 3 Three days later, Joanne emailed me the report. The moment I opened the attachment, my hand shook on the mouse. Item 1: March, four years ago. Wire transfer of $35,000. Memo: “Renovation.” Joanne’s annotation: Recipient Lily Lin. No contractor license. Purpose of funds unknown. Item 2: August, three years ago. Payment of $68,000. Memo: “Car Purchase.” Joanne’s annotation: Vehicle registered under the name Lily Lin. Item 3: November, two years ago. Credit card charge of $18,000. Location: Paris. Joanne’s annotation: Mr. Davis has no record of international travel during this period. Item 4, Item 5, Item 6. Five years. Over two hundred thousand dollars. A hundred thousand of that came directly from our joint savings account. The account was in my name, and I set the PIN. He had never once mentioned touching that money. I pulled out the bank statements. The last time I checked was a year ago, and the balance hadn’t changed. Did he transfer the money out and secretly deposit cash back in to cover his tracks? Or had he been keeping two sets of books from the very beginning? I called the bank. The customer service rep checked for five minutes. “Mrs. Davis, there are no records of large withdrawals from this account over the past five years.” “That’s impossible.” “The system shows that all transfers were replenished with cash deposits on the exact same day.” I hung up. He had a secret bank account I knew nothing about. He used that account to wire money out, then used cash to refill our joint account. Clean and flawless. I went to his workplace. Not to confront him, but to see Brenda. Brenda was the Deputy Director of Finance. She sat at the head table at our wedding; she was a former subordinate of his late father. I didn’t beat around the bush. I just said I wanted to see his payroll records. Brenda didn’t ask questions. Half an hour later, she slid a piece of paper across her desk to me. Nathan Davis. Monthly salary: $8,500. Annual performance bonus: $15,000 to $25,000. Total income over the past five years: roughly $600,000. Account balance: $12,000. I stared at it for a long time. “Where is the rest of the money?” Brenda shook her head. “It’s not my place to ask.” She paused. “Nathan… I watched that boy grow up. His parents passed away early. When Old Mr. Davis entrusted him to me, he said Nathan was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, that he didn’t know how to navigate the world. He asked me to look out for him.” She looked at me. “Stella, did you find something?” I folded the paper and put it in my pocket. “Brenda,” I said. “His father asked you to look out for him. If my dad were still alive, I doubt he’d let me suffer like this.” I didn’t wait for her to respond. I got up and left. I was alone in the elevator. My face in the mirror was calm, as if nothing had happened. But my fingers were gripping that piece of paper so tightly my palms were sweating. He came home early that night. I was in the kitchen serving soup, and he leaned against the doorframe watching me. “Joanne mentioned you guys went looking at floor tiles today?” “Yeah.” “Did you decide on anything?” “Still looking.” He walked over and took the soup bowl from my hands. “I’m heading to Seattle tomorrow for a business trip. Three days.” “Okay.” He hesitated. “Stella, has something been bothering you lately?” I looked up. He was looking at me, his brow slightly furrowed. I knew that expression intimately. He looked like that when work was stressful, when his students caused trouble, when he was worried about his tenure review. In the past, I would have pressed him, tried to comfort him, done everything I could to make him smile. Now, I just offered a faint smile. “No. Just exhausted from the renovation stuff.” He nodded and didn’t push it. He slept deeply that night. I lay on my side, using the sliver of light from the streetlamp outside the window to trace his profile. His eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, his lips. Eleven years. I had looked at this face countless times. The first time was during freshman orientation. He was standing in the front row of the formation, sweat dripping down his forehead without him wiping it away, his jaw clenched, stubborn and unyielding. I remember thinking back then, This guy is interesting. Later, when he was pursuing me, he stuttered three times while asking me out. My roommate told me, “For a block of wood like Nathan to gather that kind of courage isn’t easy. Don’t make it too hard on him.” I nodded and said, “Okay.” Then he pulled me into his arms, our chests pressed together, his heart beating heavy and fast against mine. The leaves on the sycamore trees fell and grew back, grew back and fell, eleven times. I pulled my hand back from his face. I rolled over and closed my eyes. A small patch on my pillow was wet. I don’t know what time I finally fell asleep. 4 During the three days he was in Seattle, I did two things. First, I found out Lily Lin’s address. I asked a friend in real estate to check the property records for her complex over the past three years. The purchase date was one month after she bought her car. The total price was $1.2 million. Second, I met with someone. A former colleague of Lily’s who had left the symphony six months ago and now ran a private violin studio. I paid $3,000 for a package of adult lessons. She taught me for twenty minutes, took the money, and was in a great mood. I took her out for coffee. We talked about the orchestra, the concertmaster, the cellists. “Lily Lin,” she said, stirring her latte. “Pretty face, plays decently enough. But man, she’s lucky.” “How so?” “She’s got a sugar daddy.” She lowered her voice. “Claims he’s her boyfriend, some science guy. Every year during the orchestra’s fundraising drive, this guy makes an anonymous donation of a hundred grand. It’s been going on for three years. And guess what? The money is earmarked specifically for the cello section, with the stipulation that Lily be made the principal cellist.” She set her coffee cup down with a clatter. “That position was supposed to go to our associate principal. She’d put in ten years of hard work, but I guess ten years doesn’t compare to having a rich boyfriend.” I didn’t say anything. My coffee went cold. That afternoon, I drove past the Oceanview Residences and parked outside the gate for ten minutes. It was a high-security complex; you needed a keycard to get in or out. But I saw her. She looked a bit thinner than in the photos, wearing a loose knit dress and flat shoes. She was walking a Corgi on a leash, strolling leisurely out of the complex to the convenience store across the street to buy water. When she came out, she opened the bottle and crouched down to water the dog first. The Corgi clearly adored her, constantly nuzzling the palm of her hand. She laughed and leaned down to kiss the dog’s forehead. I started the car and drove away. He came back that night, bringing a box of specialties from Seattle. I opened it. It was a box of artisanal salted egg yolk pastries. “You mentioned you wanted to try these,” he said, sitting on the sofa looking at his phone. “I happened to be passing by the bakery, so I picked some up.” Mentioned. Back in my sophomore year of college, his roommate went to Seattle for an internship and posted on Facebook about how good these pastries were. I had casually commented that they looked good. He remembered that. I picked one up and took a bite. The red bean paste was sweet, the salted egg yolk savory. He asked, “Are they good?” “They’re good.” He put his phone down and looked at me. “Stella, I actually took care of something else while I was in Seattle.” I didn’t look up. “What is it?” “I looked at a condo,” he said. “In Bellevue, really close to the water. We have enough for the down payment. I want to put it in your name.” I put the pastry down. “Why buy a place there all of a sudden?” He paused. “I wanted to surprise you.” He smiled. “You’ve always said you wanted a place near the ocean.” I wanted a place near the ocean. He gave another woman the sunset on a beach boardwalk. I wanted to buy a house. He paid entirely in cash for a two-bedroom condo for another woman. I closed the box of pastries. “It’s too expensive,” I said. “We don’t have that kind of money.” “We can scrape together the down payment.” He hesitated. “We can also dip into our retirement funds.” “We can’t afford it.” He was silent for a few seconds. “Are you… worried about money?” I turned to look at him. His eyes were so sincere. So sincere that I almost believed those bank transfers, the property deeds, the orchestra donations were all figments of my imagination. “Nathan,” I said. “Are you hiding something from me?” He froze. “Why would you ask that?” “No reason.” I put the pastries in the fridge. “We’re not buying a condo right now. The renovations are costing too much as it is.” He didn’t push the issue. I went to bed early that night. Thinking I was tired, he dimmed the bedroom lights and quietly pulled the door shut. I lay there with my eyes open, listening until his breathing became long and steady. At 2 AM, I got up. His phone was charging on the nightstand. The passcode was still those same six digits. I unlocked it. He had wiped the chat with ‘L’ completely clean. But in his Notes app, there was a draft saved. The title was just one word: Chloe. I tapped it open. It was a letter. Written to his unborn child.

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1 After my boss left for a business trip overseas, our new female intern suddenly claimed she was pregnant with his child. Using the unborn baby as leverage, she made herself comfortable in his luxurious corner office and started laying down the law, acting like she already owned the place. “First, no one is allowed to eat their lunch in the office. The smell of any grease makes me nauseous.” “Second, every single one of you must serve me. When I give an order, it has to be completed immediately.” “Third, the AC is staying off. The hum of the condenser outside the window is giving me a headache and ruining my sleep.” “If you can’t handle these rules, you can all pack up and leave.” We walked on eggshells, terrified of angering her, yet she found ways to make our lives miserable at every turn. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I called my boss. I was ready to quit my job and scream at him, “Can you please come collect your pregnant girlfriend?! She’s running the company into the ground!” But my boss, sitting halfway across the globe, was absolutely furious. “Pregnant?! I’m a virgin, for crying out loud! What the hell are you talking about?!” …… I had just dropped my boss off at LAX and was planning to treat myself to a huge meal when my phone rang. It was a coworker. He lowered his voice, sounding frantic. “Assistant Taylor, when are you getting back?” I stuffed a piece of sourdough into my mouth. “Probably in half an hour. What’s up?” “You need to get back here ASAP! Chloe just announced she’s pregnant with Mr. Vance’s baby!” “And now she’s calling a meeting to set some new ground rules!” I was so shocked the bread fell right out of my hand onto the pavement. “Chloe?!” The intern who literally started yesterday?! I sprinted back to my car. “Don’t panic. I’m on my way.” I had to hand it to him—Mr. Vance really knew how to keep a secret. As his executive assistant, I hadn’t seen a single clue that he even had a girlfriend. Initially, I had wondered how Chloe even got hired. Based on her resume and experience, she was nowhere near qualified for our firm. Now, it all made sense. But still, he could have given me a heads-up! Ten minutes later, I walked into the office. Instead of working at their desks, the entire staff was gathered in Mr. Vance’s executive suite. They were standing in a semi-circle, hunched over, listening to a woman shouting orders. She was acting more arrogant than the CEO himself. I quickly pushed through the crowd. Chloe was lounging on the leather sofa, one hand resting dramatically on her stomach. When she saw me, her frown deepened. “Finally decided to show up? Do you realize the entire company has been waiting for you?” “You really think you’re a big shot, don’t you?” I quickly lowered my head and forced an apologetic smile. “Traffic on the 405 was terrible.” She cut me off before I could finish. “Your performance bonus for this month is gone.” I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth, but ultimately swallowed my pride and apologized. Just yesterday, she had been politely calling me “Ms. Taylor.” Now, her status had completely shifted. If I crossed her, losing my bonus would be the least of my problems. I could lose my job. Even though I could easily find another position, jobs with benefits this good were rare. I really didn’t want to lose it. Seeing that I had corrected my attitude, Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Since everyone is finally here, I’m going to lay down the new rules.” My coworkers stiffened, their faces turning pale. As I stood there confused, Sarah tugged at my sleeve. She leaned in and whispered, “Her rules are completely insane.” “Listen up, all of you,” Chloe announced. “I am pregnant. And I am carrying your boss’s heir.” She absentmindedly stroked her flat stomach. “Rule number one: lunch hours in the office are canceled. No one is allowed to eat anywhere in this building.” A collective gasp echoed through the room. I couldn’t help but speak up. “Chloe, everyone works really hard here. If they can’t eat lunch…” Before I could finish, she threw a cup of scalding hot water right at me. “Who do you think you are, calling me by my first name?!” “From now on, when you see me, you refer to me as Mrs. Vance!” My face contorted in pain from the burning water, and my body began to tremble involuntarily. Chloe let out a cold scoff and pointed a manicured finger at me. “Let that be a lesson to all of you. This is what happens when you disobey me.” Seeing this, my coworkers were so terrified they barely dared to breathe. “Rule number two!” She raised her voice, looking incredibly smug. “Every single one of you works for me. If I tell you to jump, you ask how high.” “Rule number three! Turn off all the AC units. The condensers outside are giving me a migraine.” This time, no one dared to argue. Not even me. The skin on my arm where the boiling water had hit was already turning red and swelling. “Did you all hear me?!” “If you can’t handle it, pack your boxes and get out!” With that, she shot me a deadly glare. The staff nodded frantically, respectfully assuring her they understood. After dismissing everyone else, she made me stay behind. Chapter 2 2 “I hear you’re my husband’s executive assistant?” I forced an awkward smile. “I mostly just handle his schedule and organize his documents.” She clearly didn’t buy my answer. “Massage my shoulders first.” I walked behind the sofa. “Is this pressure okay?” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “Look, I’m not trying to make your lives difficult on purpose, but my husband said so himself.” “He said if I don’t establish dominance over you worker bees now, I’ll never have any authority later.” “But I imagine you don’t really have a choice, right? You need this job to survive.” “Besides, my demands aren’t exactly unreasonable.” She snapped her eyes open. “Are they?” I quickly shook my head, plastering a fake smile on my face. “Not at all! Not at all.” Looking at her tyrannical behavior, I couldn’t help but question my boss’s taste in women. Was he getting so old and desperate that he’d settle for just anyone? For the entire morning, she ordered me around like a personal maid. She took one look at the coffee I made her and threw the entire mug across the room in disgust. “How did you even get this job?!” “I asked for lukewarm! Do you not understand English?!” But I wasn’t listening to her screaming. My heart stopped because the coffee had spilled all over Mr. Vance’s desk. Right on top of the contracts he had just signed. I looked at the mess in sheer panic. “Mrs. Vance, we need those contracts in two days!” Even though I grabbed some napkins instantly, massive brown coffee stains had already soaked through the thick paper. Chloe glanced at me, her tone completely indifferent. “So they got dirty. Big deal. A stack of paper is nothing compared to the baby in my belly.” She suddenly barked at me, “Your sole focus right now is serving me! Do you understand?!” “You can’t even do the job of a basic servant right!” I swallowed my burning rage, my voice trembling slightly. “Mrs. Vance, these contracts are incredibly important.” “Can I take them outside and try to clean them up?” Thankfully, she nodded in agreement. But just as my hand touched the doorknob, she called out again. “Send two girls in here. My feet need a massage.” I bit my lip hard. “Okay.” The moment I stepped out of the office, I realized something was very wrong. It was hot. Unbearably hot! The entire floor of employees, who should have been buried in their work, were all doing the exact same thing. Fanning their faces with whatever folders or papers they could find. I stood there in shock and looked up at the central AC vents. It wasn’t just turned off. Someone had literally unplugged the main control panels. Everyone looked miserable, shooting me desperate pleas for help. Just as I was about to say something, Chloe walked out, holding her stomach. “Stop that right now!” Her sharp eyes swept across the room. “The whole reason I turned off the AC was to stop the noise from the machines outside!” “And look at you! You’re out here making a massive racket with all that flapping!” “Are you doing this just to piss me off?!” Instantly, everyone dropped their makeshift fans. Looking embarrassed and terrified, they quickly shook their heads and muttered apologies. “But you’ve already pissed me off!” Chapter 3 3 Chloe glared at me resentfully. “How are you even an executive assistant? You have zero management skills.” Before I could defend myself, she pointed her finger, randomly selecting several employees like a dictator choosing targets. “You. You. And you. Stand up.” “Start doing squats. Two hundred of them!” “What?!” The selected employees looked visibly angry, but tried to reason with her politely. “Mrs. Vance, we—” “Three hundred!” Seeing Chloe relentlessly raise the stakes, they didn’t dare speak again. They immediately started doing squats. She clapped her hands and turned to look at me. “The reason they are being punished is because they were fanning themselves too aggressively and making too much noise.” I followed her gaze. The punished employees were dripping with sweat. They were panting heavily, looking utterly miserable. “Now, you need to do five hundred squats!” I pointed at myself in pure disbelief. “Me?!” She smirked mockingly. “You failed to manage your subordinates. You bear the most responsibility.” Suddenly, her face darkened. “Are you going to start or not?!” I didn’t dare hesitate. I put my hands behind my head and squatted down. She leisurely addressed the rest of the sweaty office. “Is it hot? Are you guys hot?” “I don’t feel hot at all.” Hearing that, I wanted to curse her entire bloodline to hell. Of course she wasn’t hot! She had a personal AC unit running at 65 degrees in the executive suite, wrapped in Mr. Vance’s silk blanket! Why would she feel hot?! But I only dared to scream those words in my head. Chloe pulled up a chair and sat down comfortably. “The baby in my belly—your boss’s heir—is hungry!” She tapped her manicured nails rhythmically against the armrest. “What should we eat?” “I know. I want the bird’s nest soup from that place in Pasadena.” “And the shrimp noodles from that spot in Santa Monica.” Having delivered her demands, she patted my shoulder. “Thanks for your hard work, Assistant Taylor.” “It’s mostly because the baby is craving it…” With that, she slowly sauntered back into the executive suite. The second the door clicked shut, the entire staff let out a collective sigh of relief. But a moment later, the door yanked open again, and she poked her head out. “Send two women in to massage my legs.” “Actually, make it four. They need to do my feet too.” Slam. She shut the door again. Everyone turned to look at me, their faces twisted in agony. “Assistant Taylor… what do we do now?” One of the girls doing squats burst into tears. “I have a contract I need to send to a client this afternoon!” “What am I going to do?!” I was panting heavily, checking the time. Mr. Vance was currently mid-flight. Calling him was impossible. “Just hold on a little longer, guys. The boss lands at 4:00 PM.” “I’ll report everything to him as soon as he lands.” After all, I was the biggest victim here! Chapter 4 4 By the time I finished the squats, I felt like I had lost half my life. If I hadn’t grabbed onto a nearby desk, I would have collapsed onto the floor. But remembering Chloe’s threats, I didn’t dare waste a second. I practically crawled to my car in my sweat-soaked clothes to go buy her food. During the drive, I cursed the entire way. I cursed Chloe, and I cursed my boss right alongside her. When I finally got back with the food, I noticed the employees massaging her legs had been swapped out for a fresh batch. I carefully placed the takeout containers in front of her. She pouted, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Running around all morning must have been exhausting.” She patted the sofa next to her. “Why don’t you sit down?” Seeing her sickeningly sweet smile, a wave of dread washed over me. The exact second I sat down, Chloe grabbed the container of scalding soup and dumped it directly over my head. Before I could even react, she dumped the container of noodles right on top of it. I jumped up violently. “What the hell are you doing?!” She glared at me with pure venom. “And you call yourself my husband’s assistant?!” “Didn’t anyone teach you to be incredibly careful when serving a pregnant woman?!” “This food is ice cold! I wouldn’t even feed this to a stray dog!” She grabbed the empty containers and threw them at me. “Go back and buy it again!” At this point, I smelled like a horrifying concoction of things. Body odor, seafood soup, and garlic noodles all mixed together. Seeing that I wasn’t moving, she scowled. “Did you hear what I said?!” “Do you want me to fire you right now?!” I clenched my fists, wiping the greasy broth out of my eyes. Then, I bent down, scooped up a massive handful of the noodles from the floor, and smashed them directly into her face. I pried her jaw open with my fingers. “I fucking quit!” Having finally snapped, I felt an incredible wave of relief. Chloe choked on the noodles, her face turning bright red. She leaned heavily against the sofa, clutching her throat. A few noodles were literally hanging out of her nose. “You!” “Just you wait! I’m going to make my husband fire you!” I smoothed down my messy hair. “I’ll be waiting.” With that, I spun on my heel and marched out of the office. Sarah saw my disastrous state and looked heartbroken. As she helped pick the noodles out of my hair… She pointed a trembling finger toward Emily. “Emily’s ulcer flared up, and she actually threw up blood earlier.” I was horrified. “Why didn’t anyone take her to the hospital?!” Sarah burst into tears. “Chloe wouldn’t let us! She said being short-staffed would hurt the company’s productivity!” I rushed over to Emily. She was deathly pale, her hair matted with sweat, curled into a tight ball on the floor. “Assistant Taylor, I…” “We’re going to the hospital!” Sarah and I immediately lifted Emily up. Several other coworkers rushed over to help us carry her. After getting Emily safely admitted to the ER, I drove back to the company. By the time I arrived, the office was in utter chaos. The breakroom had been completely trashed. The microwave was smashed into several pieces. Sarah told me that Chloe was currently taking a shower in the CEO’s private bathroom. And she was planning to ‘deal with me’ the second she got out. I pulled out my phone. It was 4:30 PM. The boss had just landed. She wants to fire me?! I already quit! Furious, I dialed Mr. Vance’s personal number. “What kind of psycho girlfriend did you find?! Are you going blind in your old age?!” “Can you please come collect your psychotic fiancé?!” “Someone like Chloe is going to run your company into the ground!” “Just wait for bankruptcy! Oh, and by the way, I quit!” There was dead silence on the other end of the line. For a second, I thought the call had dropped. Finally, Liam Vance roared into the receiver. “Taylor, are you out of your mind?!” “What kind of garbage are you spouting?!” “I am a complete, untouched virgin! What the hell do you mean I have a girlfriend?!”

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Chapter 1 My mother took out a $50,000 high-interest loan, governed by the rules of the “KinKeeper” app, which stipulated that the child with the lowest “Devotion Score” had to pay it back. And because I missed her calls while working overtime, because I was too awkward to sweet-talk her… my score was always dead last. The weight of her debt was suffocating me. To fill this bottomless pit, I had to work three jobs a day. Eventually, the exhaustion broke me. I collapsed at a construction site. When I woke up, a nurse was speaking frantically: “Acute bleeding gastric ulcer. You need surgery immediately! Call your family to sign the consent form!” I struggled to dial my mother’s number. To my shock, a cold sneer came through the receiver. “KinKeeper’s rules are crystal clear. It costs 1,000 Devotion Points for a parent to authorize a medical procedure for a child. Do you even have that?!” “I only have 20 points…” I whispered, my entire body trembling from the agonizing pain. “Then you have the nerve to call me?! Have you ever done a single thing to make me happy since the day you were born? Raising a dog would be better than raising you!” “Rules are rules! If you don’t have the points, suffer through it yourself!” From the background, my younger sister Mia’s sugary voice drifted over: “Mom, we’re just waiting for you to take the family portrait!” The call was abruptly hung up. My phone screen lit up. It was an Instagram notification from my mom. The photo showed the two of them, smiling brilliantly and hugging tightly. The caption: “Happy Engagement! My most devoted, perfect baby girl deserves the absolute best!” The next second, I opened the app and clicked “Unbind Family Connection.” I didn’t care about points anymore. I didn’t want this family anymore. … A pop-up appeared on the app: [Upon unbinding from your family, all privileges will be terminated, and your score will be reset to zero. Confirm?] Privileges? Staring at that word, I felt an overwhelming sense of irony. The scoring rules for this app were entirely dictated by my mother. Growing up, if Mia ran up and gave her a kiss, the system instantly updated: +500 points. If I just wanted to talk to her about my day after school, she would shove me away impatiently. The next second, the system would rule that I was “harassing the parent” and dock me 500 points. When Mia threw a tantrum in the kitchen and brought out a charred, inedible mess, my mom would gleefully input: “A meal made with love by my precious daughter! +500 points!” When I scrimped and saved for three months to throw her a lavish birthday dinner, all I got was a scowl: “Wasteful and extravagant! -500 points!” I was like a blindfolded mule walking in circles; no matter which direction I turned, the whip would always strike my back. Because of this, my score was perpetually in the negatives, and that $300,000 total family debt was naturally squeezed out of my blood and sweat. With a self-deprecating smirk, I hit [Confirm] without a second thought. [Application submitted. Awaiting processing by other family members.] “Has your family arrived yet?!” The nurse pushed the door open, her tone urgent. “Your vitals are dropping. If we delay any longer, you’re going to die!” I stared at the ceiling, my voice completely calm. “I’m the only family I have. I’ll sign the papers myself, and I’ll take full responsibility.” The nurse looked at me, her eyes filled with a complex mix of pity and gravity, before giving a solemn nod. A few minutes later, I was wheeled into the operating room. I don’t know how much time passed before I regained consciousness to a dull, throbbing ache. The anesthesia was wearing off, and the surgical wound hurt like hell. Suddenly, my phone rang piercingly loud. It was my mom. “Hailey! Where the hell are you?! You’re ignoring my calls and texts? Have you lost your damn mind?!” Before I could explain, she exploded. “How dare you apply to unbind from KinKeeper?! Who gave you the nerve?! Revoke it immediately!” The wound flared with pain, causing me to suck in a sharp breath. But I didn’t tell her I had just gotten out of surgery. “From now on, Mia is your only child. Go ask her to pay your $300,000 debt!” “Bullshit!” my mom shrieked. “I knew you were an ungrateful little sociopath! Pulling a dirty trick like this just to dodge your debts?!” “Let me tell you something, you owe me this money! You owed me the minute you were born! Don’t think you can just unbind and walk away! You just wait!” Before she could keep screaming, I hung up. The pain intensified. I curled into a ball, trying to brace myself against the waves of agony. Suddenly, the door to my hospital room was kicked open. A burly man with a scarred, aggressive face stormed in and viciously dragged me right off the bed! I screamed as I hit the cold, hard floor. Agony instantly swallowed my entire body. The man towered over me, delivering a brutal kick to my side. “Playing dead, huh? Think you don’t have to pay just because you’re hiding in a hospital?! Susan’s debt for this month is a thousand bucks, principal and interest!” “If you don’t cough up the cash today, I’m going to make your life a living hell!” I used every ounce of my strength to prop myself up. “The agreement was that the child with the lowest score pays. I’ve already unbound from the app. You need to go find Mia…” “Unbind? Unbind my ass!” The man spat on the floor and shoved his phone right into my face. “Look closely! The first kid bound to your mother’s account is you! And she just docked you fifty thousand Devotion Points!” “Your score is off the charts in the red! If I don’t get the money from you, who else am I gonna get it from?!” What?! Fighting through the excruciating pain, I forced myself to look. On the member list, my name was still glaringly present, and my score had plummeted to a horrifying -50,000. Under the unbinding application, the latest status read: [Unbinding Failed. Reason: Primary Account Holder successfully appealed.] [Appeal Rationale: This daughter is grossly unfilial. Attempting to maliciously unbind to evade family debt and eldercare responsibilities is an abomination!] Chapter 2 I couldn’t believe my eyes. My entire body shook. The man snatched my purse off the nightstand, pulling out the few crumpled bills I had inside. “This is all you have, isn’t it?!” he glared at me. “Give it here!” “No!” I lunged forward, desperately hugging his leg, breaking down into hysterical tears. “That’s my medical money! If you take that, I’m literally going to die! Please!” “Die?” The man kicked me away so hard my surgical wound instantly tore open, soaking my gown in fresh blood. “Take that up with your mother! Why does your sister have hundreds of thousands of points while you’re sitting at negative fifty grand? Don’t you know why?!” “Ungrateful brat, you deserve to get struck by lightning! If you don’t have a thousand bucks for me by tomorrow, I’ll break your arm!” With that, he stormed out without looking back. I slumped on the floor, my vision going black in waves, and completely lost consciousness. I was eventually found by a nurse during her rounds. I had lost so much blood I almost died. She woke me up, her brow furrowed tightly. “You’re finally awake. We re-dressed your wound, but…” she handed me a slip of paper. “The room and treatment cost a thousand dollars a day. Your account is overdrawn. You need to pay the balance.” “I don’t have any money.” Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. The nurse looked sympathetic, but her tone was strictly business. “Hospital policy states we have to stop medication if the account is in arrears. You have three days to pay the balance, or we’ll have to discharge you.” “You need to figure out a way to contact your family, quickly!” Family? I shook my head with a bitter smile, only shedding more tears. When the room went quiet, I started making phone calls, trying to get an advance on my paychecks. I called the foremen from my two side gigs. For the first one, as soon as I said my name, the guy muttered “Bad luck,” and hung up. The second one listened to my plea, then coldly dropped a single sentence: “Our operation is too small to afford an unfilial monster like you!” When I tried to call back, I was blocked. Finally, I had no choice but to call Mr. Harrison, the boss at my day job. To my surprise, before I could even ask, he cut me off. “Hailey, don’t bother coming back to work.” My brain buzzed as if it had been struck. “Why? Mr. Harrison, I’m just sick in the hospital, I’ll be back as soon as…” “It’s not about that.” Mr. Harrison coughed awkwardly. “Hailey, you’ve worked here a long time, and I always thought you were an honest, hardworking girl. But how could you treat your own family like that?” “Like what?” My voice trembled uncontrollably. “Mr. Harrison, please tell me, why are you firing me?” Mr. Harrison was silent for a few seconds before speaking slowly. “Your mother printed hundreds of flyers with your KinKeeper score and plastered them all over the lobby of our office building. It spells out everything—evading family debts, driving your own mother to an early grave, neglecting your parents, constantly begging them for money…” “Your point deduction history is sickening to look at!” My blood ran cold. I could barely grip the phone. “Hailey, in this society, devotion to your family is everything. With a reputation like this, what company would ever dare hire you? Take care of yourself.” The line went dead. I lay paralyzed on the hospital bed, devoid of even the energy to cry. Right then, my phone rang again. It was my mom. “Oh, you’re awake?” Her voice dripped with the smugness of absolute victory. “You threw your little tantrum, but in the end, you still have to obediently pay up, don’t you?!” “Let me tell you something, Hailey. Even if you die, you have to pay off every last cent of that debt before you hit the grave! Otherwise, this is never over!!” Chapter 3 Tears fell like rain as I choked on my sobs. “Can’t you just let me go? I don’t even have money to save my own life anymore. I’m your daughter too…” “That’s a ‘you’ problem!” my mom snapped, her voice suddenly turning venomous. “If you dare let those debt collectors bother your sister, I’ll instantly drop your score to negative one million! I’ll make sure you can’t turn your life around in this lifetime or the next!!” The phone was slammed down once again. Driven to absolute despair, I opened the KinKeeper app and vented all my rage at the cold, lifeless AI customer service bot. “Why am I the one paying the debt?! Why doesn’t Mia have to pay a dime?! What kind of bullshit rule is this?!” I didn’t expect the digital idiot to actually respond. But the keywords triggered an automated reply. [Hello. According to our records, your associated family debt has been enrolled in the Joint Family Repayment Plan. This plan stipulates: Debt is allocated based on the Devotion Scores of family members. The member with the lowest score assumes the repayment obligation.] [Records indicate that Mia has made significant contributions to the family, placing her score at the top tier. Therefore, she is exempt from repayment obligations.] I laughed out of sheer fury, my fingers shaking. “Significant contributions?! She’s a parasite who hasn’t worked a single day since graduating three years ago, begging for thousands of dollars in allowance every month! What the hell kind of contribution could she possibly make?!” The AI replied swiftly: [System log: Last year, Mia invested $200,000 to found the flagship ‘Lumina Coffee Roasters.’ Primary Account Holder Susan rated this event: ‘My baby’s first business venture is Mom’s greatest pride.’] [This contribution has been verified and awarded Mia 2,000,000 Devotion Points.] Two hundred thousand dollars? Lumina Coffee? The blood in my veins flash-froze, a bone-chilling cold shooting straight to my skull. How could someone who spent her days partying and relying entirely on my paycheck possibly have two hundred thousand dollars?! A suffocating premonition gripped my heart. I closed the app and opened the State Business Registry database. Quickly, I found “Lumina Coffee Roasters.” The LLC registration stated it clearly: Owner: Mia. There were even articles online praising her as a shining example of a young, independent female entrepreneur. The opening date was exactly the same time last year when my mother had started frantically demanding money from me. When I couldn’t give it to her, she called me a useless animal and went to a loan shark. Instinct drove me to find the customer service number for that predatory lending company. I took a deep breath, mimicking my mother’s tone. “Hi, this is Susan. I’m calling about the loan I took out last year for my daughter’s business. How much principal and interest is left? Yes, for Lumina Coffee Roasters.” The few seconds of waiting felt like centuries. I bit my lower lip hard, praying frantically: Please don’t let it be what I think it is. Please! But the rep’s voice utterly pulverized my last shred of hope. “Ma’am, looking at the $200,000 loan you took out for a business startup last year… the contractual interest is $100,000. Currently, the remaining principal and interest total $250,000…” I didn’t hear whatever came next. I hung up the phone. And then, I laughed. I laughed until the metallic taste of blood coated my throat. So that was it. Family investments? Promoting filial piety? It was all absolute bullshit! The truth was that my mother had taken out a massive $200,000 high-interest loan to open a trendy coffee shop for her golden child, Mia. And then, utilizing the skewed rules of the KinKeeper app, she “rightfully” shifted the crushing $300,000 total debt straight onto my shoulders! Chapter 4 All hope had turned to ash. I opened KinKeeper again, attempting to apply to unbind from the family. A pop-up instantly blocked me, the bright red exclamation mark blinding. [REJECTED! Due to a history of maliciously evading family debt, your unbinding privileges have been restricted.] [To unbind, the request must be initiated by the Primary Account Holder, Susan. Please fulfill your filial duties and strive to improve your score.] Looking at those two lines of text, another wave of coppery blood rushed up my throat. Was I really going to be chained to this $300,000 debt until the day I died?! Just then, a nurse came in for her routine rounds. As she was leaving, a stack of medical charts slipped from her hands, the top one sliding near my bed. I instinctively leaned over to pick it up and saw the pathology report for the patient in the next room: Stage IV Gastric Adenocarcinoma. Stomach cancer. As I opened my mouth to call the nurse back, a sudden thought struck my brain like a bolt of lightning. The next second, I opened my camera, snapped a picture of the pathology report, and photoshopped my own name onto it. Then, I reopened KinKeeper. This time, I didn’t click unbind. I went to the “Family Mutual Aid” section, which featured a “Critical Illness Relief” option. I uploaded the fake medical report and added a message: “Mom, the hospital just diagnosed me with stage IV cancer. The doctor says I need to be admitted for chemo immediately, and it’s going to be incredibly expensive! I have no other options, please, I’m begging the family to help me…” I attached a photo of the hospital’s overdue payment notice. Next, came the waiting. Minutes ticked by. Finally, a familiar, booming voice echoed from outside the room, thick with undisguised fury. “Hailey! Get your ass out here! Begging for cancer money during the holidays?! What kind of sick game are you playing?!” “Your sister just got engaged, and you’re intentionally bringing bad luck to ruin our mood, aren’t you?!” The hospital door was kicked open, and my mother stormed in, breathing fire. Behind her trailed Mia, dressed to the nines, a look of pure disgust on her face. I coughed weakly, my voice barely a whisper. “Mom, I didn’t want this either, but the doctor said if I don’t get treatment, I might only have two months left…” Mia crossed her arms and let out a scoff. “Sis, where exactly is this family supposed to get the money for you to burn through? Mom needs to save up for me, to give her real grandchild the best of everything! Isn’t that right, Mom?” Hearing this, my mom glared at me with pure venom. “Let me tell you something, Hailey. This family isn’t giving you a single dime! Give up that pipe dream!” Mia immediately chimed in, her voice sickeningly sweet yet brutally cruel. “Yeah, Sis, can’t you just be a little understanding? Your score is already so far in the negatives anyway, keeping you alive is just an embarrassment to this family!” Watching them play off each other, my heart sank into an icy abyss, but my face displayed an even more profound sorrow. “Mom, I’m your daughter too. How can you be so heartless…” “Bullshit! I only have one daughter!” Susan snapped. “Hurry up and unbind! Whether you live or die has nothing to do with us from now on!” I struggled to speak. “Mom, my app restricted my unbinding feature. I need you to do it from your end…” Hearing this, Susan grew even more impatient. She quickly pulled up her app and navigated to “Remove Family Member.” A confirmation prompt popped up on her screen: [Upon removal, all of this member’s points will be reset to zero, they will no longer enjoy any family privileges, and they will automatically be absolved of all family debts. Confirm removal?] “Mom, are you really throwing me away?” I looked up through teary eyes, my voice trembling. “Shut up!” Susan’s finger slammed down on the screen without a millisecond of hesitation. [Removal Confirmed.] [Success! Member “Hailey” has been removed from the family group.] In that exact same second, the blood-red KinKeeper app on my phone turned gray. It displayed: Not bound to a family. The invisible shackles that had bound me for so long were finally broken. My tense nerves relaxed, and the corners of my lips curled into a slight smile. That expression didn’t escape Mia’s notice. She shrieked, “What are you smiling at?! You’re about to die, and you’re smiling?!” Before I could answer, the hospital door was violently slammed open once again. The vicious loan shark from yesterday was back. “Hailey! Did you think what I said yesterday was a joke?!” “I meant what I said! I’m breaking your arm right now!” I lay back against the pillows, facing the man’s murderous glare, and smiled radiantly. “Hey man, you’ve got the wrong person. My mom just officially removed me from the family app!” “Right now, the person who owes you money…” I raised my hand and pointed straight at Mia, whose face had instantly drained of all color. “Is her.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394931”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Ever since I got engaged to Liam Sterling, my entire family has died in a series of bizarre accidents. My little sister went hiking and was stung to death by a swarm of hornets, her body covered in swollen, venomous holes. My dad slipped at his construction site and fell into an industrial stone grinder. He was ground into hamburger meat; there was barely enough tissue left to identify him. My mom suffered a massive, fatal heart attack while playing bingo. In just one short month, my entire family was wiped off the face of the earth. It wasn’t until the day of their joint funeral that I overheard a conversation between my fiancé and his ex-wife. “Three dead bodies isn’t enough for you? I’m begging you, can we just let Chloe go?” “What, are you falling in love with her?” His ex-wife’s voice was venomous. “Don’t you forget, you are the sole beneficiary of all those life insurance policies. That Rolex on your wrist was bought with her family’s blood!” My fiancé’s voice wavered. “It’s not that. Sometimes, leaving someone alive to suffer the grief of losing their whole family is a worse punishment. Let her live.” “On our wedding night, I’ll pay a few homeless junkies off the street to violate her. That should be enough.” It turned out my entire fairytale romance was nothing but a horrifying, calculated murder plot. Since he had such a special “gift” planned for our wedding night, it was only fair that I return the favor. I needed to prepare a massive gift of my own. 1 “You make a good point. Letting her live the rest of her life utterly alone, waking up to nightmares of her dead family… that does seem like better torture.” Audrey finally compromised. Hearing that Audrey was willing to spare my life, Liam’s eyes lit up. “Good. I’ll reach out to some thugs from the narrows and buy some roofies right now. I’ll get your revenge.” But before he could even unlock his phone, Audrey pushed his hand down. “I want them to watch us. I want her dead parents to see how much fun we’re having!” Audrey actually reached out and shoved the lid of my father’s casket open. She wasn’t even going to let the dead rest in peace! But as the casket swung open, it was completely empty. It wasn’t just Audrey who was shocked. Hiding in the shadows, I was stunned too. After my family died, I refused to let the morticians touch them. I had personally dressed them in their Sunday best and done their makeup. I watched them get placed into those caskets. How could they be gone? Liam quickly let out a lazy, arrogant laugh to explain. “I know how much you hate them, babe. So, a few days ago, I had their bodies secretly pulled, cremated off-the-books, and flushed the ashes down the sewer drain.” “Come on, every second of our time is precious. Let’s not waste it on dead people.” How dare he! I bit down on the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood. My insides were boiling with a rage so violent I almost lost control and leaped out to kill them both with my bare hands. But I knew I had to endure this. Otherwise, the grand stage I was setting would collapse. For the entire night, I hid silently beneath the memorial tables, my heart feeling like a gaping, freezing hole in my chest. It wasn’t until they finally left that I crawled out. I used my bare hands to clean the disgusting fluids they had left on my family’s memorial portraits. I dropped to my knees and pressed my forehead hard against the floor. “Mom, Dad, Lily… I’m so sorry. I’m so useless I couldn’t even protect your rest. But it’s okay. I promise I will avenge you.” When I returned to our shared apartment, the unhinged monster from the funeral parlor had vanished. Liam was back to playing the perfect, grieving fiancé. Seeing me walk in, he handed me a heavy stack of accidental death and dismemberment insurance paperwork. “Chloe, paying for your family’s medical bills and the funeral was incredibly expensive. I’m completely tapped out. You’ve had such a tragic streak of bad luck lately, what if you have an accident too? If we get you insured, at least we’ll have money to cover your hospital bills.” Is that right? My eyes drifted down to the gleaming Rolex on his wrist, and then to the massive Tiffany sapphire sparkling on Audrey’s neck across the room. All of that was bought with my family’s lives. Noticing my gaze, Liam quickly tried to cover his tracks. “Oh, this watch is just a cheap knockoff.” “And Chloe, I didn’t mean it like that. I just want us to have peace of mind. You aren’t going to die! The worst that could happen is you end up paralyzed from the waist down and can’t have kids.” My family’s deaths were premeditated murders. The only reason he was so confident I would “only” be paralyzed was because he had already planned for a gang of men to destroy me on my wedding night. Looking at his shifting, expectant eyes, I let out a soft laugh, easing his tension. “You’re right. You’ve spent so much money helping my family lately. I’m clearly cursed. It’s smart of you to be prepared.” I happily signed my name on the dotted line. But as he excitedly examined the insurance policy, a dark, hidden smile curled on my lips. I had already planned everything for our wedding night. A few hours ago, I finalized a partnership with a man of terrifying wealth and power. He would help me strip away every ounce of wealth and glory Liam had stolen over my family’s dead bodies. And in return, I would marry him. 2 Audrey Hayes was a live-in housekeeper Liam had hired. It was only very recently that I discovered she was actually his ex-wife. That night at the funeral, Audrey had only pretended to agree to spare my life. In reality, she was deeply jealous of how much Liam seemed to care about my survival. Since the funeral, she had orchestrated several covert assassination attempts against me. Like the time I was walking out of my apartment building, and a heavy ceramic potted plant plummeted from the roof, aiming straight for my skull. Even though she ran away quickly, I caught a glimpse of her signature dyed red hair leaning over the ledge. Or the time I was driving on the highway, and a massive semi-truck suddenly swerved into my lane. The brakes had mysteriously failed, and the driver was in a total panic. But from a distance, parked on an overpass, I saw Audrey watching the chaos unfold. She even tried to repeat her old tricks, secretly shoving a live hornet’s nest into the backseat of my car. Three murder attempts. Three failures. I walked away without a single scratch. Because that powerful man was guarding me from the shadows. “My future wife is brilliant. Faking your signature on the policy to make her jealous and force her hand. We’ve collected all the evidence of her attempted murders.” Reading his text, the corners of my lips turned up. Failing to kill me out in the open made Audrey’s glares grow increasingly unhinged. She couldn’t take it anymore. She stopped hiding and decided to kill me right inside the house. She pushed me down the stairs, fracturing my leg. Then, taking advantage of my broken cast, she offered to help me bathe. She secretly sealed the bathtub drain with industrial glue and turned the water on full blast. She walked out, intending to let the water rise over my head and drown me. Outside the house, my protector could shield me. But inside, he had no idea what was happening. Watching the water level rise higher and higher, my heavy cast pinning my leg down, I thrashed wildly, desperately trying to pry the stopper out of the drain. But no matter how hard I pulled, it wouldn’t budge. Just as the water crested over my nose and I began to suffocate, Liam suddenly burst through the bathroom door. 3 He pulled me out and rushed me to the hospital. I was genuinely surprised he saved me. But when I woke up, he immediately made excuses. “Chloe, Audrey has terrible memory. She’s so clumsy, she didn’t do it on purpose. Please don’t be mad at her, she gets scared easily.” He had used those exact same words when she pushed me down the stairs. I turned my face away and didn’t say a word. Sensing my coldness, Liam awkwardly tucked the blankets around me, told me to rest, and left the room. But Audrey wasn’t going to give up that easily. A few days after I was discharged and resting at home, she laced my bowl of soup with liquid pesticide. I had barely swallowed a spoonful before Liam noticed the smell, slapped the bowl out of my hands, and carried me to the car, speeding to the ER. Even though it was only one bite, Audrey wanted me dead so badly she had dumped two entire bottles of poison into the broth. I went into shock. My organs began shutting down. While doctors fought to stabilize me, Liam paced frantically outside the ICU. Maybe God was trying to make up for my suffering, or maybe my sheer, burning desire for revenge was keeping my heart beating. I narrowly escaped death and woke up. When I opened my eyes, Liam wasn’t by my bed. I unhooked my IV and walked weakly down the hall. Turning the corner near the stairwell, I spotted Liam and Audrey. Liam was gripping Audrey’s wrist so hard his knuckles were white, looking like a brewing storm. “Didn’t you promise me you wouldn’t touch Chloe?! I already told you I was going to let her be destroyed on the wedding night!” Audrey let out a cold laugh and wrenched her hand free. “Liam, you really are falling in love with her, aren’t you?! Did you forget how my father died?!” A little over a year ago, my dad, a construction foreman, organized a strike. He brought a banner to the wealthy developer’s mansion, demanding the millions in unpaid wages owed to his crew. The protest made the local news. Crushed by the media pressure, the developer liquidated his assets and paid the workers. The very next day, the developer jumped off the roof of his corporate high-rise. My mind spun. That developer’s name was Arthur Hayes. But my dad was doing the right thing! He was fighting for his starving crew! Arthur Hayes chose to kill himself—what did that have to do with my dad? What did that have to do with my innocent family?! “My father was your mentor! He pulled you out of the gutter! When we got divorced so you could go undercover, you swore to me you would make her entire family pay in blood!” Audrey’s bitter, venomous voice shook Liam to his core, leaving him in a daze. Every time she brought up his debt to her father, Liam caved. A second later, he pulled Audrey into a fierce embrace. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I raised my voice and didn’t consider your feelings.” “I was just angry! I’m angry that you divorced me and pushed me into the arms of another woman. In this entire world, no woman can ever compare to you.” As he spoke, Liam pressed his lips passionately against Audrey’s. “Let me handle everything, okay? Your hands need to stay clean. I have the wedding night perfectly planned. There will be thugs, and I tipped off the tabloid media. I will completely destroy her reputation. I’ll make her kneel at your feet and beg for mercy.” Liam’s sweet, intoxicating promises finally melted Audrey’s anger. She compromised. “Fine.” Then, they began to passionately make out against the stairwell wall. I had heard enough. I turned around and walked away, completely disgusted by their live show. 4 Perhaps because Audrey actually listened to Liam, she stopped trying to murder me. A few days later, Liam sat by my bed and tried to explain away the poison. “Chloe, Audrey really didn’t mean it. She thought the pesticide bottle was a new brand of liquid seasoning.” Even he must have realized how utterly ridiculous that sounded. But Liam truly believed I was a naive idiot, delivering the lie with absolute sincerity. He smelled heavily of whiskey, drunkenly gripping my hand. If it were the old me, I would have sarcastically ripped him to shreds. But this time, I softened my voice, making it sound sweet and vulnerable. “This is the third time she’s almost killed me. And you’re still defending her? Are you my fiancé, or hers?!” I was never the submissive type, so my sudden display of soft, jealous vulnerability caught Liam completely off guard. He loved it. Acting like a spoiled, jealous little woman made my stomach physically churn, but I knew it was only temporary. Liam’s heart melted completely. He pulled me into his arms by my waist, coaxing me gently. “I promise, I’ll punish her severely for you this time. I’ll make her stay up all night doing chores, how about that?” Heh. What a brutal punishment. But I didn’t care. I kept playing weak. “Is that really it?” I was deliberately leading him on. He was thoroughly drunk, and he started spilling secrets he never should have voiced. “Chloe, I’m so sorry, but I have no choice. Her father made me the man I am today. I have to avenge him.” “Audrey really isn’t a bad person. She’s just blinded by grief. She killed your three family members, but she let me keep all the insurance money.” … As he babbled on, his hands started wandering, clumsily trying to unbutton my hospital gown. My eyes went dark. I raised my hand and delivered a sharp, precise chop to the back of his neck. He instantly blacked out, slumping heavily onto the floor. I had learned that little trick from the man guarding me. Unconscious on the floor, Liam started mumbling in his sleep. I leaned in closer and heard him whisper: “Chloe… just endure the wedding night. It’s the last thing I owe Audrey. Once your reputation is destroyed… I’ll take care of you. We’ll live a good life together. No more lies.” He actually seemed to be falling in love with me. But my heart was already an icy tomb. Staring at the blinking red light of the digital recorder in my hand, my resolve was like stone. He wanted to start over and live a good life? Too damn late! I stepped out onto the hospital balcony and received a text message. “The wedding dress and the venue are completely prepped. Just waiting for your word.” I replied without a second of hesitation. “I just secured the final piece of audio evidence. Get ready to be my groom.” Time flew by. Soon, it was our wedding day. Liam’s eyes were darting nervously around the venue. He wouldn’t look me in the eye. He was feeling guilty. But my smile was radiant and genuine. What he didn’t know was that the water he had spiked with heavy sedatives for me… I had swapped with Audrey’s glass. He wanted me destroyed? Not in a million years! Right before the grand banquet was supposed to start, Liam led a horde of tabloid reporters to the bridal suite, ready to catch me “cheating.” They burst through the doors, aiming their cameras at the tangled, naked bodies writhing under the blankets. He opened his mouth, ready to shout his rehearsed lines of betrayal, and aggressively whipped the blankets back. But he froze. The woman groaning underneath the hired thugs wasn’t me. It was Audrey. At that exact moment, the traditional wedding march began blaring from the grand ballroom outside. If he was standing in the suite, who was I marrying? Panic seized Liam’s face. He turned to run, but Audrey weakly grabbed his ankle. “I’m ruined… and you’re just going to leave me?!” But Liam’s mind was entirely consumed by me. Without a second thought, he violently kicked Audrey away. He sprinted into the grand ballroom, only to see his beautiful bride walking down the aisle, her arm looped through another man’s. He screamed in terror, sprinting down the aisle to stop the ceremony. He grabbed my veil, ripping it back, and yelled frantically. “Chloe! Look at the man standing next to you! That’s not me!” He expected me to be shocked. He expected me to be terrified. But he was sorely disappointed. My face was completely calm. “I know exactly who I’m looking at. This man is my groom. He’s about to be my husband.” I tightened my grip on Carter Grayson’s muscular arm. Liam panicked, desperately trying to pry our intertwined fingers apart. “No! You can’t do this! Chloe, did he drug you?! You’re supposed to be marrying me! You designed this entire venue specifically for us!” “Just look at the banners outside! And look at—” Liam’s voice abruptly died in his throat. He followed his own pointing finger and stared. Nothing in this room belonged to him. The massive silk banners hanging from the ceiling boldly displayed the names of the Bride and Groom. But the Groom’s name was Carter Grayson. Liam’s eyes flooded with bloodshot panic. He charged at the nearest pillar, desperately trying to tear the banner down. “The event staff screwed up! Didn’t anyone notice they printed the wrong name?!” He was lying to himself, completely unable to accept reality. He thrashed wildly, but he couldn’t do any real damage to the immaculate setup. There were hundreds of custom banners and signs. He could tear at them for a day and a night and still wouldn’t make a dent. I knew Carter had done this on purpose. He wanted to announce to the entire world that I was his. But watching Liam act like a rabid dog was making me bored. I lazily clapped my hands. Instantly, dozens of heavily built security guards swarmed the aisle, pinning the thrashing Liam to the marble floor. No matter how hard Liam fought, he was no match for a dozen trained guards. He was pressed flat against the ground. I walked slowly down the steps of the altar, looking down at him from above. I shattered his delusions. “Liam, I wasn’t drugged, and the staff didn’t make a mistake. You’re right, I did design this entire venue. But from the very beginning, the groom I had in mind was never you.” Those words hit Liam like a bullet to the chest. “Why are you doing this?! So you never loved me at all?! You were just acting this whole time?! I loved you so much, I treated you so well! Why are you doing this to me?!” I genuinely couldn’t comprehend how Liam had the absolute sheer audacity to say those words. How he had the nerve to act like the victim. “Once upon a time, I really did love you. I loved you so much I wanted to introduce you to everyone I knew, my friends, my parents. But my love for you is exactly what got them killed!” “Do you have any idea? Ever since they died, I’ve laid awake every single night, disgusted with myself, wondering why my love was so filthy. It was toxic.” “I hate myself. I hate that I was so blind that I fell in love with a monster like you.” Hearing my words, Liam finally understood everything. All the color drained from his lips. “Since when did you know?” “Since when?” I pretended to think for a moment, then spoke slowly. “Did you really think I could ever forget? I will remember that day for the rest of my life. The day of my father, my mother, and my little sister’s joint funeral. I heard your conversation with Audrey.” “You and Audrey couldn’t wait to screw each other right in front of their caskets. It was their memorial, and you just had to defile it!” Liam didn’t say a single word in his defense. He knew it was all true. “But Chloe, I was forced! Audrey’s dad was my mentor! When she demanded revenge, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing!” “But I deeply repented! I promised myself that after the wedding day, I would never lie to you again. I genuinely wanted to spend the rest of my life making it up to you!” Hearing his pathetic excuses, I let out a cold sneer. “Spend the rest of your life with me? You slaughtered my entire family, and you expected me to play house with you?!” “Audrey isn’t a bad person! There’s a reason she killed your family! The developer your dad drove to suicide was Audrey’s father!” Hearing him bring that up only stoked the raging fire in my chest. “My dad didn’t kill her father! Stop spewing your delusional garbage! My dad worked in construction his whole life. He treated his crew like brothers. He was a foreman, but he never looked down on anyone.” “When those millionaire developers withheld wages and his guys couldn’t feed their kids, my dad would empty his own savings to buy them groceries! Arthur Hayes withheld paychecks for an entire year! He owed them millions!” “That wasn’t a few bucks! It was millions of dollars! The workers’ families were starving! Men were committing suicide because they couldn’t pay rent! Do you think my dad wanted to go protest?! He was fighting for justice for his dead friends!” “Arthur Hayes didn’t have to jump off that roof! He was a coward who couldn’t handle the public pressure of his own crimes! You don’t get to blame my family for that!” By the time I finished screaming, Liam’s face was completely ashen. “I’m sorry.” At the very end of the line, that was the only useless, pathetic phrase he could muster. But it didn’t matter. I was going to make sure he paid the ultimate price. Yet, Liam still wouldn’t give up. He violently slammed his forehead against the marble floor, over and over, the sickening thuds echoing through the silent ballroom. “I know I was wrong! But I didn’t kill your parents or your sister! Audrey did!” “Chloe, I was wrong! Please, can you just give me one more chance? I swear I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll never hurt you again!” I was just about to tell him to rot in hell when Audrey suddenly appeared at the ballroom doors.

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