In eighteen years, this was the first time my mother had ever celebrated my birthday. To prove that I didn’t look down on the cake my sister made, I ate it. Even though it was covered in peanut butter, which I was deadly allergic to. Suffocation hit me instantly. I clutched my throat, collapsing to the floor in agony, but my mother didn’t even spare me a glance. “What are you acting for? Chloe was nice enough to bake this for you. Who are you trying to get sympathy from?” She grabbed Chloe’s hand, her face filled with disgust. “Let’s go, Chloe. I’ll take you out to get some fresh air. Ignore this ungrateful brat.” The heavy front door slammed shut, cutting off my last, faint cry for help. I lay on the cold hardwood floor, my airway swelling shut, millimeter by millimeter. As my soul slowly drifted upward, I looked at the direction my mother had left, my heart filled with a strange guilt. I’m sorry, Mom. I ruined the very first birthday you ever gave me. “Audrey, try some! Your sister spent the whole night learning how to bake this just for you.” Chloe pushed a neat slice of cake in front of me. The cake looked exquisite, radiating a rich, heavy scent of roasted peanuts. I stared at the plate, my palms breaking into a cold sweat. I had a severe peanut allergy. Just one tiny bite could trigger acute laryngeal edema, or even anaphylactic shock. But this was the first time in eighteen years that anyone had celebrated my birthday. Growing up, every single birthday party in this house was for Chloe. Today, my mother had unexpectedly announced she wanted to celebrate mine. I had even put on my favorite white dress for the occasion. I foolishly thought that, finally, my mother was seeing me. “I… I can’t eat this.” I gently pushed the plate away, my voice trembling. The smile on Chloe’s face froze. Her eyes welled with tears instantly, looking incredibly hurt. “Audrey, are you still blaming me?” “Do you hate me because you think I stole Mom’s love? Is that why you won’t even touch the cake I made with my own hands?” She sniffled, reaching out to take the plate back. “It’s fine. Since you hate it so much, I’ll just throw it away. It’s my fault for being useless.” “Bang!” My mother slammed her hand onto the dining table. The forks and knives on the plates rattled loudly. “Audrey! That is enough!” My mother glared at me, her eyes filled with disappointment and disgust. “Your sister burned her fingers on the oven just to make you a birthday cake!” “Who do you think you are, putting on airs like this?” I shook my head frantically, tears of panic stinging my eyes. “Mom, no, that’s not it. I really can’t eat peanuts…” “Don’t talk back to me!” My mother cut me off instantly. “Everyone else can eat them. Why are you so special? Why are you so delicate?” “When are you going to stop this pathetic habit of faking illnesses just to get attention?” I froze. It felt as if a needle had been driven straight into my heart. To her, whenever my body failed me, I was just “acting for attention.” “You are eating this cake today, whether you like it or not!” My mother pointed a finger toward the front door, her voice freezing cold. “If you dare trample on your sister’s kindness like this…” “Then pack your things and get out of my house!” “And don’t ever call me your mother again!” Cutting ties. Those words felt like a mountain crushing down on my chest. I looked at my mother’s angry face, then at the fleeting smirk at the corner of Chloe’s lips. I was so desperate for maternal love. Even if it was just a tiny, pitying crumb of it. With trembling fingers, I picked up the fork. I scooped up a large piece of cake and shoved it into my mouth. “I’ll eat it.” I forced down the rising nausea in my throat and swallowed. It was so sweet. So sweet it tasted bitter.

The moment I swallowed the second bite, the reaction hit. My throat began to itch violently, followed by a burning, searing pain. It felt as if an invisible pair of hands was choking my windpipe. Breathing became a luxury. “Cough… ‘gasp’…” I dropped the fork, clawing at my neck with both hands. I fell from the chair, my knees crashing heavily onto the cold floor. I opened my mouth wide, gasping like a fish out of water, desperately trying to get some oxygen. But it was useless. No air could reach my lungs. “Oh, look at her. She’s starting her little show again.” My mother sat in her chair, looking down at me. There wasn’t a shred of worry on her face. “Audrey, you really are something.” “Just to ruin your sister’s night, you even rehearsed a whole seizing-on-the-floor act?” Chloe covered her mouth, gasping in mock horror. “Audrey, don’t scare me like this.” “I only added a tiny bit of peanut butter for flavor. It can’t be this bad, right?” She turned to my mother, looking terribly victimized. “Mom, I think she’s doing this on purpose to protest.” My mother snorted. “She’s just being dramatic! Hasn’t she been like this since she was a kid?” “When she was five, she didn’t want to go to kindergarten, so she rolled on the floor faking a stomach ache.” “When she was ten, she wanted the new clothes I bought for you, so she stood in the rain to get a cold just to look pitiful.” “Now she’s eighteen, and she’s still pulling the same cheap tricks!” I curled into a tight ball on the floor, weeping in agony. My fingernails scratched deep, bloody welts into my neck. “No, Mom.” “When I was five, it was acute appendicitis.” “When I was ten, Chloe locked me out of the house in a storm all night.” “And now… I am actually dying.” With a final surge of strength, I reached out, trying to grab the hem of my mother’s pants. “Help… please…” The broken words wheezed out of my throat. “Take me to the hospital… please…” My mother took a disgusted step back, avoiding my hand. “Don’t touch me!” “You’re really committed to the act, aren’t you? You even squeezed out real tears.” She grabbed her car keys from her purse, not sparing me another glance. “Chloe, let’s go.” “What a buzzkill. She completely ruined a perfectly good evening.” Chloe sighed, sweetly wrapping her arm around our mother’s. “Mom, don’t be mad. It’s not worth ruining your health over.” “If Audrey wants to lie on the floor, just let her lie there for a while.” My mother nodded, pulling Chloe toward the door. “Come on. I’ll take you shopping to cheer you up. We’ll buy that designer bag you’ve been eyeing.” “Let her stay home and think about what she’s done!” At the door, my mother turned back to give me one last warning. “Audrey, if you’re still lying there when we get back…” “Don’t even think about getting dinner!” “Slam.” The heavy security door shut. The apartment fell into a dead, suffocating silence. My vision began to blur. The world before me was stained with a dark, bloody red. My chest felt like it was exploding. My mouth hung open, but I couldn’t make a single sound. So, this was what it felt like to suffocate to death. Hopeless, agonizing, and endless. My hand fell limply onto the floor. My consciousness slowly drifted away. I don’t know how much time passed, but suddenly, my body felt incredibly light. I floated up to the ceiling. Looking down, I saw the corpse lying on the floor, her eyes staring wide and lifeless. Her neck was covered in raw scratches, her skin pale and blue, her lips turning a dark, bruised purple. That was my body. I was dead. I died on the very first birthday my mother had ever celebrated for me.

Eight o’clock in the evening. The sound of the key turning in the lock echoed. My mother and Chloe walked in, carrying shopping bags, laughing and chatting. “Mom, I love this bag so much! Thank you!” “As long as you like it, sweetie, I’ll buy you anything.” My mother changed her shoes and tossed the shopping bags onto the couch. The living room lights were off. But with the dim light coming from the hallway, she instantly spotted me still lying on the dining room floor. Her smile vanished, her brows furrowing into a tight, angry knot. “Audrey! You’re still lying on the floor?!” She marched over. “What did I tell you before we left?” “Do you just live to make my life miserable?” She stopped beside me, raising her foot and using the toe of her shoe to kick my shoulder. “Get up! Stop pretending to be dead!” My body rolled slightly under her kick. Limp and heavy, it flipped over. My face turned upward, staring blankly at the ceiling. My mother gasped, taking a half-step back in fright. “You brat! Who are you trying to scare with those wide eyes?!” “Do you think wearing dead-person makeup is going to fool me?” I floated in the air, quietly watching her. “Mom, I’m not wearing makeup.” “This is just what a dead body looks like.” Chloe walked over too. When she saw my face, a flash of panic crossed her eyes. But quickly, she put back on her innocent, harmless mask. “Mom, is Audrey mad because we didn’t take her shopping?” “The floor is so cold. She might catch a fever.” My mother sneered, her anger flaring even hotter. “If she wants to freeze, let her!” “Does she really think I’m going to feel sorry for her?” “Audrey, I’m going to count to three. If you don’t get up right now, you won’t get a single penny for your allowance ever again!” “One!” My mother’s voice echoed through the empty living room. I didn’t move. “Two!” My mother’s face grew darker. “Wow, you really think you’re tough now, don’t you?” “Fine, keep lying there. Let’s see if you can lie there for the rest of your life!” “Three!” Still, there was no response. Only the cold night breeze blowing through the open window, making the curtains rustle softly. My mother let out a bitter, angry laugh. “Fine. Great.” “Chloe, let’s have dinner. Let’s ignore this ungrateful leech.” She pulled Chloe to the table and began clearing the leftover mess from earlier. The plate with the cake I had taken a bite of was still sitting there. Chloe picked it up, hesitating. “Mom, should we save this piece for Audrey?” “Save it? Throw it in the trash!” My mother snatched the plate and dumped the cake into the garbage can without a second thought. “She doesn’t deserve it!” I hovered nearby, watching the cake get buried under trash. Strangely, I didn’t feel sad anymore. After all, I was already dead. Dead people don’t feel pain, right? After cleaning up, my mother made two bowls of pasta in the kitchen. She and Chloe sat at the table, eating happily. Meanwhile, my corpse lay less than two yards away from them. “Mom, this pasta is amazing.” “Eat more if you like it, sweetie. You’ve gotten so thin lately.” My mother looked at Chloe with eyes full of warmth and adoration. That was a look I had never once received in my eighteen years of life. After dinner, they went back to their respective rooms. When passing my body, my mother didn’t even look down. It was as if she were simply walking past a bag of smelly trash.

The morning sun pierced through the curtains, casting sharp, fragmented shadows across the floor. I was completely, utterly dead. My body was cold and rigid, like a lifeless block of wood. The master bedroom door clicked open. “Audrey! What time is it?! Why isn’t breakfast ready? Are you trying to starve your sister and me?!” My mother walked out in her silk pajamas, wearing slippers, marching angrily into the living room. Seeing me lying on the floor in the exact same position as last night, her face turned pale with rage. “Are you seriously addicted to this act?!” She strode over and kicked my thigh hard. “Get the hell up!” The corpse made a dull, heavy sound as it rocked, but there was no sound of pain. “Fine, playing hardball, are we?” With a cold, contemptuous sneer, my mother turned and walked into the bathroom. “Splash!” A basin of ice-cold water was dumped directly over my head. Water splashed everywhere, soaking the white dress I had specifically worn for my birthday. Yet, I still didn’t move. Chloe was woken up by the noise. She rubbed her eyes as she walked out of her room. “Mom, why are you screaming so early in the morning?” She glanced at me on the floor and gasped, covering her mouth. “Oh my gosh, why is Audrey completely soaked?” “Don’t worry about this ungrateful brat!” My mother threw the basin aside, her chest heaving violently. “Just to get attention, she’s actually willing to sleep on the cold floor all night!” “If she loves lying there so much, let her!” Chloe stepped forward, kneeling beside my corpse, her voice dripping with sweet concern. “Audrey, stop throwing a tantrum. Just get up and apologize to Mom.” “Yesterday was your fault anyway. Even if you didn’t want to eat my cake, you shouldn’t have faked an illness to scare us.” “Damaging your own body like this… do you know how much it breaks Mom’s heart?” “Breaks her heart?” I hovered in the air, watching her perfect acting with mock amusement. My mother snorted. “Break my heart? I wish I had never given birth to her!” “Faking death over a peanut. She can’t even let people enjoy a single birthday!” “Audrey, this is my final warning.” “Today is the day of your sister’s big movie audition. Don’t you dare bring bad luck into this house!” “Get up this instant and clean up this wet floor!” I remained completely still. My mother’s patience finally snapped. “Fine! You want to play the silent treatment with me?” “Do you really think I’m stupid enough to believe you’d die over a single peanut?” “I’m telling you, even if you are dead, I will drag your corpse out of my house myself!” She lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of my hair. “Get up!” “Thud!” Because she pulled too hard, my head hit the tile floor with a sickening, heavy thud. But my eyes remained closed. No cry of pain came out. My mother froze. The strange, unnatural texture of my hair and skin made her frown. “Why is she so cold?” Chloe chimed in carelessly from the side. “Well, she slept on the floor all night and got drenched in cold water. Of course she’s cold.” “Mom, Audrey’s getting weirder and weirder. Just ignore her.” “Ignore her? She’s trying to rebel!” Grit teeth, my mother grabbed my arm, attempting to forcefully drag me up. “Audrey! If you keep pretending to be dead, I swear to God I’ll slap the nonsense out of you!” But the moment her fingers gripped my skin, she recoiled as if she had been electrocuted. Something was wrong. It was too stiff. When a person is asleep or passed out, their muscles are limp. But right now, I was as rigid as a stone. My joints wouldn’t even bend. My mother’s breathing grew shallow and rapid. She swallowed hard, her trembling hand reaching out to grab my shoulder again. She pulled hard, flipping me over. My corpse rolled over with a heavy thud, face up. My blue, swollen, and horribly distorted face was fully exposed to the light.

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I always thought my boyfriend’s phone passcode was my birthday. Until today, on my actual birthday. I unlocked his phone to open Amazon, wanting to sneak a peek at the surprise he had ordered for me. There was indeed an order—a beautiful cake—but the delivery address wasn’t mine. Before I could process it, a Snapchat notification popped up on the screen. “I got the cake and the gift. Thank you for always remembering.” The sender’s name was Chloe. Chloe Miller. His first love. In that single second, my mind went completely blank. It turned out his passcode had never been set for me. I quietly handed the phone back to him, my throat feeling like it was clogged with ash. “You got a message.” Ethan took the phone. He casually flipped it over and placed it face down on the table. “It’s not important.” He walked over to me, placing his hands on the back of the sofa, trapping me gently in his arms. “Today is your birthday, babe. Nothing is going to ruin this for us.” He leaned down, his lips inches from mine. But just before he could kiss me, I turned my head. His lips brushed against the stray hairs near my ear. The air in the room froze for a long, silent second. “It was from a girl named Chloe,” I said, my voice eerily calm. “She said thank you for remembering her birthday.” Ethan’s arms went stiff. He slowly straightened up, his mouth opening slightly, but no sound came out. I just stared at him. “You saw it?” he finally asked. “Your passcode is my birthday. Of course I could open it.” I paused, correcting myself. “No, wait. It’s your ex’s birthday. We just happen to share the same day, don’t we?” The color drained from Ethan’s face. He took a step back. “Elena, it’s not what you think. Chloe and I are ancient history. It was just her birthday, and I happened to—” “Happened to order a cake to her doorstep? Happened to pick out a thoughtful gift?” I stood up. My knees felt weak, but I gripped the armrest of the sofa to steady myself. “Ethan, do you even hear yourself right now?” He fell silent for a few seconds. When he looked up at me again, his eyes held that familiar, desperate look he always got whenever we had a fight. “We were together for six years. Some habits are just hard to break overnight. I admit, I still check up on her occasionally, but we’re just normal friends—” “Do normal friends remember exact birthdays and pre-order cakes and gifts?” That shut him up. “Since you never actually let her go,” I looked directly into his eyes, “why did you even ask me out?” Ethan frowned, looking slightly offended by the question. “I truly wanted to build a life with you.” “Truly?” I repeated the word, tasting the bitter irony. “Your version of ‘truly’ is secretly sending birthday gifts to your ex behind my back?” He ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. “Can you not be so stubborn? It’s just a birthday gift. It’s not like I cheated on you.” Staring at him, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion hit me. “Just leave,” I said. “What?” “I said, leave.” Ethan stared at me, dumbfounded. He probably thought this was just another one of our typical arguments. He thought he would make a soft apology, I would back down, and we’d make up like we always did. “Elena,” he said, softening his voice. “It’s your birthday. Stop making a scene.” “I’m not making a scene.” I walked to the front door, grabbed his brown loafers from the shoe rack, and placed them on the floor. I had bought those shoes for him. They were our anniversary gift from last year. He stood frozen in the living room. “Just because of this? You’re kicking me out?” “Yes. Just because of this.” “Elena, be reasonable! Nothing happened between Chloe and me. If it makes you that unhappy, I won’t contact her again. Is that enough?”

I stood up straight and looked at him. “Do you really think the problem is just whether you contact her or not?” “Then what else is it?” My mouth opened, a thousand words rushing to the tip of my tongue, but in the end, only one sentence came out. “Just go. I don’t want to talk to you right now.” He took a deep breath. “Fine. Maybe you need some space to cool down. I’ll come back when you’re feeling better.” I didn’t answer. He opened the door and walked out. I leaned against the closed door for a long time. Then, I heard a faint sound from the hallway. Thinking he had left, I peered through the peephole. Ethan was sitting on the floor, leaning against the hallway wall, one leg bent, staring intensely at the phone on his lap. I turned away and walked back into the living room. I went into the bedroom and pulled open his closet. One by one, I took his shirts off the hangers, folded them neatly, and packed them into a storage bin. When I reached the bottom drawer of the nightstand, my hand froze. There was a photo album inside. I recognized it. It had been at the very bottom of his suitcase when he first moved in. I had stumbled upon it while helping him unpack, and he had nervously snatched it away, claiming it was just some old, boring photos. I hadn’t pushed him. Everyone has a past. So do I. I figured he would share it with me when he was ready. Clearly, he never planned to. I sat on the hardwood floor and opened the album. On the first page was a photo of Ethan and Chloe, smiling radiantly. On the second page, they were at the beach. On the third page, they were laughing in a restaurant. I flipped through it, page by page. Every single photo was of them. Vacations, dates, quiet everyday moments. The album was meticulously preserved. Every photo was slid into a protective plastic sleeve, without a single crease on the corners. At the very end, tucked behind the last sleeve, was a ring. A delicate, simple silver band. I slid it out and held it up to the light. Engraved on the inside were five letters: “CHLOE”. I put the ring back and shut the album. It was only when my hand touched the cover that I realized I was shaking. Ethan and I had been together for five years. In all that time, we had taken fewer than ten photos together. Every time I raised my phone for a selfie, he would always turn his head or block the camera with his hand. “I just don’t like taking pictures,” he’d say. He had said it for five years, and for five years, I believed him. It wasn’t that he hated pictures. He just hated taking them with me. I threw the album into the storage bin. The lid closed with a heavy, hollow thud. I stood up. My knees ached, probably from sitting on the cold floor for too long. I dragged the heavy bin to the front door and threw it open. Ethan was still sitting there. Hearing the door open, he scrambled to his feet, a flicker of hope crossing his face. He probably thought I was letting him back in. Then, his eyes fell on the storage bin. “You…” “Take your things and leave.” His hopeful expression shattered. “Elena, please, just calm down—” “I am incredibly calm.” “Then where am I supposed to go?” “That’s your problem.” I leaned against the doorframe, looking at him coldly. “Oh, by the way, I saw the album. You kept it in perfect condition. The ring is beautiful, too.”

Ethan’s face went dead white. “You went through my things?” his voice was raspy. “I found it while packing up your stuff. In my apartment. Do you really want to argue about privacy right now?” He fell silent. “I admit… I haven’t completely forgotten her,” he whispered. “But I truly wanted to build a real future with you, Elena. Just give me some time—” “You want to build a future, but I don’t.” Ethan stood frozen. His hands hung limp at his sides, his fingers twitching slightly. “You…” “I’m closing the door now.” I took a step back and shut the door in his face. He knocked softly from the other side. “Elena, I’m sorry.” I didn’t say a word. “I know I’m a jerk. Everything you said is true. I shouldn’t have hidden those gifts from you, and I shouldn’t have kept those photos. But I do love you. I really do.” I slid down and leaned against the door, staring blankly at the ceiling. “You can kick me out, but can you at least listen to me for one minute?” “Go ahead,” I said, my voice hollow. “Chloe and I were together for six years. She was the one who broke it off. It took me a long, long time to get over it—or at least, I thought I was over it.” “Then I met you. You felt like the right person. You were different from her. You were mature, sensible, and you never made unnecessary drama—” “So you thought I was easy to fool.” “No! I mean, being with you felt comfortable and safe. I thought time would heal everything. I thought as long as I built a quiet, good life with you, I would eventually let her go completely.” “But did you ever stop to think,” my voice cracked, “that I am a human being too? Why do I have to be the collateral damage while you try to heal?” “Elena…” “Just go. It’s late.” The hallway went dead quiet. I checked my phone’s smart-lock camera feed. He was dragging his storage bin into the elevator. I walked over to the sofa and lay down. Five years. I still remembered the night we met at a friend’s birthday party. He was wearing a simple white tee, sitting in the corner with a drink, barely talking. A friend introduced him as an architect who had just wrapped up a massive project and was running on pure exhaustion. I was working as an acquisitions editor at a publishing house back then, living in my own world of words. He added me on Snapchat. The next day, he asked me out for dinner. On the third day, he gifted me a hard-to-find book I had been wanting for months but couldn’t bring myself to buy. At the time, I thought he was the most thoughtful man on earth. Falling into a relationship with him felt natural, like water flowing downstream. He had told me his last breakup was messy and that he might need some time to adjust. I told him it was fine. I said I’d wait. Over the five years, we had our share of petty arguments. But every single time, he was the one who apologized first. He would buy my favorite pastries, or take care of the dishes without being asked. I used to think, “well, no relationship is perfect.” I had even started looking at wedding rings, thinking we were finally ready for the next step. I guess I didn’t need to worry about that anymore. I rolled over, facing the back of the couch. Draped over the cushions was his gray hoodie—the one he had casually thrown there yesterday. I had planned to wash it, but I had returned home too exhausted from overtime and forgot. I grabbed the hoodie, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it hard onto the floor. I unlocked my phone, opened our chat, and took a deep breath. “Ethan, let’s end this. Don’t contact me again.”

I hit send. Then, I held down his profile picture and blocked him. The next morning, my alarm woke me up at 7:15 AM, just like any other day. I shut it off and sat up on the sofa. It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened the night before. The apartment felt visibly emptier. His slippers were gone from the entryway. I took a shower, got dressed, and headed out for work. The subway was packed. I was squeezed against the glass door, my face practically pressed against it. My phone buzzed. It was my colleague, Lily Porter. “Happy belated birthday, Elena! Yesterday was crazy busy and I totally forgot. Let me make it up to you! Dinner tonight?” I replied with a quick “Sure!” and added a smiley face. When I got to the office, I booted up my laptop. There were over thirty unread emails in my inbox—mostly manuscript submissions and editorial feedback. I went through them one by one, replying and setting priorities. Work is a wonderful distraction. It keeps your brain too busy to ache. By the time I left the office, the sky was pitch black. I walked out of the high-rise building, wrapping my scarf tighter against the biting wind. And then, I saw him. Ethan was sitting on the concrete steps outside, cradling a massive bouquet of red roses wrapped in elegant white paper. It looked expensive. The moment he saw me, he stood up. “Elena.” I stopped in my tracks but didn’t walk any closer. He stepped toward me, holding out the flowers. Tucked inside the bouquet was a pink card that read “Happy Birthday”. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “I’ve been thinking about us all day. We can’t just end things like this.” “I made myself very clear last night.” “You did, but I wasn’t ready to listen.” He nudged the flowers closer to me. “Just take them first.” “I don’t want them.” His hands froze in mid-air. “Can we go somewhere and talk?” he pleaded. “No. I already have dinner plans.” “With who?” “None of your business.” His face darkened slightly, but he quickly forced that pleading look back onto his face. “Elena, I know you don’t want to see me right now. But at least give me a chance to explain.” “You explained everything last night.” “No, I didn’t. My mind was a mess last night, I was just talking nonsense. I’ve had time to think today, and I know exactly where I went wrong.” I stared at him. “The problem is that you love someone else. You admitted that yesterday. What else is there to say?” He choked on his words. I walked right past him, heading toward the subway station. He scrambled to catch up, walking alongside me. “Where are you having dinner? Let me drive you.” “No.” “At least take the flowers. I went to three different florists to get these.” I stopped and turned to face him. “Ethan, yesterday you sent a cake and a gift to Chloe. Today, you’re trying to give me flowers. Do you really not see how pathetic this is?” His face flushed red. “I talked to her. I told her we can’t contact each other anymore.” “You told her that?” “Yes. I texted her this morning and made it clear. We are done. For good.” I looked at him, and suddenly, a bitter laugh escaped my throat. The cold wind carried the sound away. “So you think just because you cut her off, everything can magically go back to the way it was?” “I know it’s not that simple, but I will do whatever it takes—” “You say you love me,” I interrupted. “What exactly do you love about me?” His mouth opened, but no words came out immediately. I waited for a few seconds. “What do you love about me, Ethan?” I asked again. “You’re amazing,” he said quickly. “You’re sensible, you know how to run a home, and being with you makes me feel grounded. You’re always understanding about my crazy work hours, and you never throw tantrums. Your cooking is incredible, and you keep our place so clean. You…” He went on and on. It was eye-opening. In his eyes, I was just a great domestic partner—someone who cooked, cleaned, and didn’t make a fuss. I was the perfect “wife material.” It wasn’t about passion. It wasn’t about love. It was about convenience. “So, because I was understanding and tried to save money, I deserved to be lied to?” He stopped talking. “Because my cooking is good, I’m supposed to be your personal chef? Because I kept the place clean, I’m supposed to be your free housekeeper?” “Ethan, did you want a girlfriend, or did you just want free domestic labor?”

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The day I discovered my husband had a three-year-old son with another woman, I rigged our mansion with explosives, planning to end us both. But that night, Carter didn’t come home. Instead, for the very first time, I felt a flutter in my stomach. It was the baby moving. In that split second, the urge to end it all vanished. I went down to the garage, drove out the most expensive sports car Carter owned, and pressed the detonator. As the mansion went up in flames behind me, I drove straight to the airport. From that night on, the disgraced Mrs. Carter, once the biggest joke in New York’s elite society, disappeared without a trace. It wasn’t until five years later that we crossed paths again in a small, sleepy town hotel. I was standing behind the reception desk, politely handing over a room key. He stared at me, completely frozen. “Audrey… you look different.” I didn’t answer. I just smiled professionally and wished his family of three a wonderful stay. I held out the keycard for what felt like an eternity, but Carter made no move to take it. My arm began to ache. I cleared my throat and spoke again. “Mr. Carter, your keycard.” “I’ll take it.” A soft voice broke the silence from behind him. It was Rachel, his wife. My eyes briefly swept over the diamond ring on her finger. Carter turned to her, his voice soft but scolding. “Didn’t I tell you to wait on the sofa? You never listen. You make me worry.” Almost instinctively, Carter took the designer bag from her shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist. He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, speaking with a tenderness I had never once heard during our marriage. “Good, your fever is gone.” “You must be exhausted. Take our son upstairs to rest first. I’ll go out and grab us some dinner.” Rachel leaned into his chest, her eyes scanning me with a cold, calculating look before she smiled. “Okay. I’ll be waiting for you.” I quickly looked away from the happy couple. Just then, a delivery guy walked in, carrying a heavy box of cat litter. While I was checking the delivery code, Carter had already walked over and lifted the heavy box. “Let me help. Where does this go?” “No need to trouble yourself.” I reached out to take it, making sure our fingers didn’t touch, keeping my distance. Seeing a smudge of dust on his expensive designer suit, I walked back to the counter, pulled out two fifty-dollar bills, and handed them to him. “For the dry cleaning. Consider it on me.” “No need. I wanted to help.” Carter reached out to push the money back. The moment his fingers almost brushed my wrist, I flinched and pulled my hand back. His hand froze in midair. His voice carried a faint, pathetic tightness. “Seriously, it’s fine. I have to go anyway.” As he turned, he almost knocked over Lily, our junior receptionist, who was walking in with a hot dog. Lily watched his hurried departure, her eyes wide with excitement as she grabbed my arm. “Audrey! Oh my god! Was that Carter from the New York Carter Group? He is insanely hot! “I saw his interview online. He’s a self-made billionaire, and he talks about his wife in every single sentence! “Rich, powerful, and so devoted. He is literally the perfect man!” A few guests nearby chimed in. “I know, right! But I heard his ex-wife was a total psycho. She actually stabbed someone and was supposed to go to prison. “He was too kind, paid her a massive divorce settlement, and only divorced her because he couldn’t take her craziness anymore.” Hearing those lies again, my heart was as still as dead water. Only the ugly scar on my hand throbbed with a faint, phantom pain.

I rubbed my thumb over the jagged, centipede-like scar on my hand, and the past rushed back like a flood. Carter was never some self-made billionaire prodigy. When I met him, he was just a poor, bullied high school kid. On a freezing winter day, a group of rich heirs had cornered him in an alley. His forehead was bleeding, staining his faded school uniform red. I was the one who passed by, grabbed a thick wooden plank, and fought them off to save him. In the chaos, my hand was sliced open by broken glass. The cut was so deep I could see the bone. It took eight stitches to close. Carter tried to sneak out of the hospital back then. I ran after him, only to realize he didn’t even have enough money in his pockets to pay for my stitches. He had an alcoholic father and a mentally unstable mother. After that day, I always protected him. He remained quiet and stoic, but he would spend hours tutoring me in math after class. He got accepted into the best prep school in New York, but he couldn’t afford the tuition. I begged my father to sponsor him, paying for his education until he could get a part-time job in college. When we were seniors in college, those rich heirs tried to blackball him from getting internships. It was my father who broke the rules, brought him into our family firm, and taught him the business step-by-step. Carter was a genius. He could understand complex financial reports after looking at them just once. I used to sit next to him, resting my chin on my hands, looking at his handsome profile with pure adoration. My father saw right through me. Even though he knew Carter only felt gratitude toward me, he still gave Carter the startup capital to launch his own company after graduation. Within a year, Carter had secured his footing in New York. Then, my mother became terminally ill. My father, desperate to make quick money for her treatment, made a massive investment mistake. When our family company was on the brink of bankruptcy, it was Carter who saved it. My father always said Carter was our savior. He told Carter that the debt of gratitude was paid off, and that Carter should live his own life. But Carter got down on his knees in front of my father, his eyes dead serious as he swore. “Arthur, I can never repay what you’ve done for me. Please, let me take care of Audrey. I will cherish her for the rest of my life. I won’t let her suffer a single day.” The old scar on my hand throbbed again. I looked down at the ugly mark, suddenly wanting to laugh. How could I have been so naive to mistake his gratitude for love? After we got together, I didn’t even care that we didn’t have an official wedding. I proudly called myself Mrs. Carter. I made my presence known at his company, silently marking my territory. Carter never complained. He even let me hire his personal assistant, saying, “Just pick a smart guy.” But on the day of the interviews, my eyes locked onto Rachel’s resume. It wasn’t because her resume was impressive. It was because her eyes looked exactly like Carter’s late mother’s eyes. Carter’s mother was only sane occasionally, but when she was, she was the only warmth in his dark childhood. So, without asking questions, I hired Rachel on the spot. The moment Carter saw Rachel, his eyes went red. That night at home, he held me and cried, shaking as he thanked me over and over again. I felt so sorry for his past. I constantly invited Rachel to our home, trying to create opportunities for them to bond as boss and assistant. I thought I was helping him. I didn’t know I was digging my own grave.

The gossiping guests eventually dispersed. I shook off the memories and picked up the photo frame of my daughter, gently wiping the dust off it. Lily walked over, chewing on a piece of fried chicken. “Audrey, fried chicken is literally the best thing on earth. Why do you never eat it?” My hand froze. The agonizing memories hit me like a physical blow. My mother and I used to love fried chicken. Every time my dad came home from work, he would bring a warm bag of crispy fried chicken. But the year my mom was dying, during her final hours of clarity, she whispered that she wanted fried chicken. My dad rushed out to get it. On his way back, he got a call saying my mom was crashing. In his panic, he sped, crashed into an oncoming semi-truck, and died instantly. That bag of fresh fried chicken was soaked in my father’s blood, scattered all over the cold asphalt. In that freezing winter, on the same day, I lost both of my parents. Lily’s eyes welled up with tears. She quickly set the chicken aside, her voice turning soft and careful. “Audrey, I’m so sorry. Don’t be sad. Lucy and I will always be here for you.” “Lucy is almost done with preschool. How about we go shopping tonight…” She stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes locked onto my daughter’s face in the photo frame. Her mouth fell open in shock. “Audrey… Lucy’s mystery dad… it’s not him, is it?” I nodded slowly. Lily was speechless for a long moment before she whispered, her eyes full of pity. “Then… those rumors… Audrey, how much did you suffer back then?” I blinked, my throat tightening at her genuine concern. I forced a small smile. Actually, we did have a few sweet years. The day my parents died, Carter proposed to me. He had a notary public transfer all his company shares to my name for free. He got down on one knee and swore he would give me a new family, that he would protect me forever, and begged me to stop crying because it was breaking his heart. He even handled my parents’ entire funeral because I was too weak and kept fainting from grief. Once the dust settled, we signed the marriage papers. There was no grand wedding. Our rings were just the cheap matching bands we bought back in college. But I was content. I thought I was the luckiest woman alive. I poured all my love into Carter. I knew he was busy building his empire, so I never demanded his time. If he worked late, I would leave the living room lamp on and wait up for him. If he went on business trips, I would pack my bags and travel with him to take care of him. And he didn’t disappoint me. For the first few years, Carter’s world revolved entirely around me. His public displays of affection were the talk of New York. He bought billboards across Times Square just to write, “I love you, Audrey.” But right when I was drowning in his love, finally healing from the grief of losing my parents, the news of his affair with Rachel trended on Instagram. The woman I had treated like a sister was caught hugging and kissing my husband in the garden of a rooftop restaurant. That day was my birthday. I had cooked a table full of Carter’s favorite dishes, wearing the beautiful dress he had bought me, waiting for him all night. I called him repeatedly. He answered every single time, his voice as smooth and comforting as always. “I’m at a business dinner, baby. Be good. I’ll be home soon.” Rachel had even sent me a luxury jewelry set, using her entire annual bonus, with a note. “Happy birthday to my best friend.” On that night, surrounded by illusions of love and friendship, I thought I had everything. I had no idea that the two people I cherished most were ripping my heart out.

The moment I saw the photos on Instagram, I lost my mind. I hopped into my car and drove like a maniac. Tears blinded my eyes, and I almost crashed twice. But I didn’t care. I just wanted to look them in the eyes and ask them why. When I arrived at the restaurant, I saw Carter opening the passenger door for Rachel, his movements incredibly chivalrous. I threw my car door open and ran over. Carter immediately stepped in front of Rachel, his eyes cold and completely devoid of guilt as he glared at me. “Audrey, what is wrong with you? Stop making a scene.” Rachel peeked out from behind him, still offering me that sweet, innocent smile. Around her neck was the ruby necklace I had wanted for years but could never bring myself to buy. And right next to that ruby, a dark red hickey burned into my eyes. I snapped. I lunged at her like a wild animal, ripping at her hair, slapping her face over and over. “I treated you like a sister! I shared my home with you! Why did you do this to me?!” I screamed. Rachel cried hysterically, shrinking into Carter’s arms, but her eyes held nothing but smug triumph. Carter shoved me away with immense force. He didn’t care about me at all; he just held a sobbing Rachel, comforting her. I fell hard onto the concrete. A sharp, agonizing pain shot through my lower abdomen. I clutched my stomach, looking at the two of them, unable to breathe from the pain. Carter turned around, furious, ready to yell at me, but he froze when he saw the dark red blood pooling beneath me. I miscarried. Our first child was killed by his own father’s hand. He rushed me to the hospital. He stayed by my bedside, looking just as devastated and worried as he used to. He kept crying and apologizing. “Audrey, I’m sorry. I made a mistake. I swear I’ll never hurt you again.” I slapped him across the face, kicking and punching him, calling him a monster, cursing him to burn in hell. Carter took the beating silently, his eyes red. “Calm down, Audrey. Think of your health.” I wasn’t satisfied. I screamed like a lunatic, demanding that Rachel pay for what she did. For the first time in his life, Carter slapped me. His voice was freezing cold as he warned me. “If you dare touch Rachel, Audrey, I will make your life a living hell.” Seeing him protect his mistress like that, the hatred in my veins turned into a raging fire. After that day, Carter never visited me again. He began flaunting Rachel openly. My Snapchat was flooded with photos of them in bed, sent by anonymous accounts mocking me. I smashed our marital home, shredded everything that belonged to him, and burned our wedding albums to ashes. Once I discharged myself from the hospital, I used my late father’s old connections to blackball Rachel from every industry in New York. I leaked the entire story of her affair with Carter online. Overnight, Rachel became a despised homewrecker, and Carter lost several massive business mergers. In retaliation, Carter went mad. He locked me in a hotel room for months. He tied me to the bed, took his pleasure by force, and recorded the entire thing. He blurred his own face in the videos, leaving only my humiliated, crying face, and leaked it on the internet. The public’s anger shifted from Rachel to me. I became New York’s favorite joke. The people who used to flatter me blocked my number overnight. My father’s already struggling company lost its very last client because of the scandal and went completely bankrupt. The day my reputation was entirely ruined, Carter finally let me go. With years of built-up hatred, I grabbed a kitchen knife and ran into Carter’s corporate office. I slashed Rachel’s arm and cut Carter’s shoulder. As I stood there screaming like a maniac, Carter calmly sat at his desk and signed the papers to sell my father’s company’s remaining shares for pennies. My father’s life’s work was destroyed in a second. I fell to my knees, sobbing, begging him to stop, bringing up my father’s kindness to him, trying to find a shred of his humanity. But Carter just looked down at me, his eyes full of pure disgust. “Audrey, whatever debt of gratitude I owed your family, I paid it off the day I saved your father’s sinking company years ago. “You dared to hurt Rachel. Now, I’m going to take my time destroying you.” It was also on that day that I saw their three-year-old son, Leo. Only then did I realize that their affair had started the very day I hired Rachel. I had no wedding, no diamond ring, all because Carter didn’t want Rachel to feel like a second choice. Even those public love letters on Times Square were suggested by Rachel to keep me blinded while they built their secret family. I was a clown, played by the two of them for years. My heart didn’t even hurt anymore. It was just filled with a dark, toxic desire for revenge. That night, I rigged our mansion with explosives, planning to drag Carter to hell with me. But that was also the night I realized I was pregnant again. A flicker of hope appeared in my dark world. I detonated the mansion, faked my death, and vanished from New York forever. Lily was crying so hard her shoulders shook. I wiped her tears and went to the front door to wait for the preschool bus. Lily followed me, her voice hoarse from crying as she cursed Carter. But the moment I took my daughter’s little hand, I froze. I came face to face with a familiar pair of eyes. The thermos of fish soup Carter was holding crashed to the ground. His eyes widened as he stared at my daughter. “Whose… whose child is this?”

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Ever since my brother was born, the mother who used to cherish me changed completely. She abused me daily, both physically and verbally. Even when my brother set me up to be assaulted, she blamed me. I thought she was just playing favorites. I believed that if I worked hard to please her, she would love me as much as she loved my brother. It wasn’t until a near-fatal car accident that I discovered the truth. She wasn’t my real mother—she was the mistress who had stolen my mother’s place. And my biological mother? She was murdered, her death plotted by this woman and my father. Yet, for eighteen years, I had called my mother’s killer “Mom.” I was at an abandoned construction site on the outskirts of town, swinging a hoe into the frozen earth. I didn’t know how long I had been digging, or how many spots I had tried. My hands were covered in bloody blisters. Finally, as the New Year’s Eve fireworks lit up the night sky, their brilliant colors reflecting on the snow, I saw it—a small piece of human bone. It belonged to my biological mother. She was a tragic woman, murdered and dismembered eighteen years ago by her own husband and her twin sister. I dropped the hoe, terrified of breaking her bones. I began clawing at the dirt with my bare hands. I was afraid of breaking or damaging her. As I dug, I whispered, “I told you I’d find you.” I pulled the bone out and cradled it in my chest, then kept digging around it. I lost track of time. The snow was freezing, but all I wanted was to piece my mother back together. As morning broke, a crowd started to gather around me. Some tried to pull me away, but they shrank back when they saw the manic, bloodshot look in my eyes. “What is that girl digging for? Why is she holding bones?” “Is she crazy? It’s New Year’s Day. Where is her family? How tragic.” “Wait, call the cops! Those are human bones!” “No way, human bones don’t look like—” Before the woman could finish her sentence, I unearthed a skull. I pulled it close and gently rubbed my forehead against it. “Ahhhh!” “A dead body! There’s a dead body!”

Soon, police cruisers surrounded me, sirens blaring and red-and-blue lights flashing. The noise irritated me. When the officers questioned me, I answered calmly, “I just want to find all of my mother.” I tried to move to the next spot, but several female officers pinned me down. During the struggle, my mother’s bones scattered across the snow. My mind snapped. Tears poured down my face, and I screamed like a wild animal. “Let me go!” “Let me go!” They didn’t let go. Instead, they held me tighter. “Trust us! We are the police! We will help you!” I stopped fighting. Just as they sighed in relief, I burst into hysterical laughter. “Trust you? I told you guys years ago that my mother was buried here!” “But you didn’t believe me! None of you believed me!” My voice cracked, and my head felt like it was tearing apart. I lost all grip on reality. I was like a rabid dog, wanting to bite anyone who stood in my way. It wasn’t until the paramedics arrived and injected me with a sedative that the world finally went black.

I woke up in a hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. A few detectives walked in, wanting to ask some questions. I didn’t object. I nodded and sat up. The lead investigator was an older man. I recognized him—Detective Miller. He pulled up a chair and sat next to my bed, his tone surprisingly gentle. “How did you know that was your mother?” I replied flatly, “The killers told me. They said I would never find her. They said they chopped her into pieces and scattered them around the abandoned site.” He asked, “Who are the killers?” I replied, “My biological father and my stepmother.” He froze. “Where are they now?” I smiled. “Probably up in the mountains. But you won’t be able to find them anymore.” He frowned, a dark look crossing his face. “Why?” My smile widened. “They went for a trip to our mountain cabin a few days ago and ran into a pack of wolves.” “By now, they’ve probably been turned into wolf droppings.” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I said it. Honestly, even that was too good for those monsters. They didn’t deserve to be even animal waste. Detective Miller’s expression hardened. He leaned in, his eyes sharp. “You set them up, didn’t you?” I feigned panic for a brief moment, letting him think his suspicion was correct. Then, my expression shifted into a cold sneer. “What are you talking about, Detective? The local sheriff already ruled it a tragic accident.” “You need evidence to accuse me of a crime.” No matter how hard he pressed, I just kept smiling and giving the same answer: “I don’t know.” Frustrated, Detective Miller stood up. “Justice always catches up. Don’t think you can get away with this.” He left with his team. I found his words hilarious. If justice really existed, why did I have to call my mother’s killer “Mom” for eighteen years? Honestly, I had my dear brother to thank for all of this. If he hadn’t tried to have me assaulted, I would have been kept in the dark forever.

It happened about six months ago. I had just finished my part-time shift. To save a few bucks, I decided to walk home. I thought it would be a quiet night, like any other. But as I neared our house, a group of thugs intercepted me. They covered my mouth and dragged me deep into a dark alley. “This is Chloe,” a familiar voice said. “Can I use her to pay off my debt?” “As long as you wipe out the two thousand dollars I owe you, you can do whatever you want with her!” It was my brother, Luke. He was bowing and scraping before the thugs, his face twisted in a pathetic, sycophantic grin. His words made my blood run cold. He had set this up. One of the thugs, a guy with green hair, stared at my body with filthy greed. He looked at Luke and smirked. “You sure about this, Luke? You’ll have to take the fall if things go sideways.” I huddled in the corner, clutching my chest, too terrified to speak. I kept shaking my head at Luke, hoping against hope. Even at that moment, I foolishly thought he might change his mind and save me. But he barely glanced at me. He just nodded eagerly to the thugs and even reassured them: “Don’t worry. Even if you kill her, my parents won’t care.” With that, my last shred of hope shattered. The thugs closed in on me. Panic broke through my silence, and I screamed. “No! Stay back!” “I’ll pay his debt! Just give me some time, please!” But the men just laughed mockingly. “Who cares about a lousy two grand? Besides, we’ve never had a girl this pretty.” “Blame your brother. He’s the one who traded you.” Luke had already sneaked away. These men were big and strong, and I was small and powerless. I fell to my knees, begging them, banging my forehead against the concrete. “Please, don’t do this! This is illegal!” But beasts have no mercy. My begging only made them more excited. In desperation, I grabbed a handful of gravel from the ground and threw it straight into their eyes. While they screamed in pain, I scrambled to my feet and ran out of the alley. I was lucky. As soon as I burst onto the main street, I ran into a kind, middle-aged couple. They shielded me, called the police, and kept the thugs away until help arrived. Later, at the police station, I saw my parents rushing through the door. All the trauma and tears welled up again. I thought my mother, Cassandra, would hold me and tell me everything was going to be okay. But she didn’t. Instead, she marched up and slapped me hard across the face. Then, she grabbed my hair and screamed: “You little slut! You’re out running wild and then you try to frame your brother?” “I’ll teach you a lesson!” She swung her heavy designer purse at me, hitting me over and over. She didn’t look like a mother protecting her child. She looked like she was trying to kill an enemy. My mind went blank. I couldn’t even fight back. I just stared at her in utter disbelief. The police officers had to pull her off me and helped wipe the blood from my nose. “Ma’am, calm down! Your daughter is the victim here!” But Cassandra only got hysterical. She sat on the floor, fake-crying. “She always stays out late! Who knows what cheap things she’s doing out there?” “She’s always hated Luke. She probably set up this whole thing to ruin his life! My poor Luke was crying his eyes out!” “What did I do to deserve such an evil child?” Bystanders gathered, whispering and giving me dirty looks. They probably believed her—that I was a bad girl who had set up her own brother. I looked at them and felt a cold, bitter amusement. Outside, it was pouring. Driven by some wild impulse, I bolted out of the station into the rainy night. I ran without a destination. Rain mixed with my tears. The freezing cold numbed the pain in my heart. Suddenly, a blinding flash of headlights hit my eyes, followed by the screech of brakes.

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I worked as a live-in maid in a billionaire’s mansion. I thought my job was just cleaning and dusting. But to my surprise— I ended up cleaning up his dirtiest, darkest secrets. It started with a few strands of hair. Then, a pair of bloody scissors and torn clothes. Later, it was severed fingers, a rolled-out eyeball, and… A corpse. 0 When the police walked into the villa, everyone was whispering in panic. Only I stood there, calmly watching their every move. I knew. My chance had finally come. Late at night, I took off my maid uniform. I changed into a sheer, black lace slip dress and walked up to the master bedroom on the top floor. *Knock, knock, knock—* “Come in.” The man’s eyes flashed with a sickening, lustful look. He stared at my body greedily, then waved his hand to beckon me over. I walked over, and he pulled me tightly into his lap. “Lana, you smell so good…” “Mr. Harrison, please… don’t be like this.” He grabbed my hand. “Call me Richard.” Richard Harrison. The oldest son of the Harrison Group. He owned three major tech companies and was the master of this massive, luxurious villa. “Mr. Harrison, this isn’t right… I’m just a maid.” He sniffed my neck like an addict. His hot, heavy breath made my stomach turn. “So what if you’re a maid? I love maids.” He chuckled, his hand sliding down toward the hem of my dress. I stopped him immediately, holding my hand up and staying silent. Richard let out a cold laugh. He pulled a thick stack of cash out of his drawer and threw it onto the desk. “You know what to do, right?” I smiled. Slowly, I leaned down, bringing my face close to his. Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit up the sky outside. As the light flashed across my face, Richard suddenly pushed me away. “You!” I blinked innocently. “What’s wrong?” He stared at me blankly, shook his head, and then rubbed his temples with a sigh. Sensing something was off, I leaned in closer. “Are you not feeling well? Got something on your mind?” “Lana, if only you could help me,” Richard said, his eyes filled with panic. “But I’m afraid nobody has the guts for this.” I traced his jawline with my fingernail. “As long as the price is right, I have all the guts you need.” Richard grabbed my wrist, his gaze turning deadly serious. I felt the shift in the room. The air grew heavy and suffocating. The next second, he leaned into my ear and whispered five words in a voice only I could hear. “I killed someone.” For a second, my face froze. Seeing my reaction, Richard burst into a wild laugh. “Hahaha!” His devilish laughter echoed in the bedroom. My face went from pale to flushed. “Don’t be scared,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. “You’ll help me, won’t you?” I forced myself to calm down. I forced a smile. “How do you want me to help?” “Shh.” Richard’s eyes looked like two dark, bottomless pits. “Before the cops find anything, I need you to wipe out every single piece of evidence.” I raised an eyebrow and looked at the stack of cash on the table. “$100,000.” He reached out and pinched my nose playfully. “You greedy little thing. What do you even need all this money for?” “$100,000. Not a penny less,” I repeated. He nodded. “Alright, alright. We’re in the same boat now anyway.” 0

“A month ago, my daughter said her college required a summer internship. So she brought her roommates to intern at my company…” Richard lit a cigarette with one hand while his other hand rubbed my thigh. His mind drifted back to the events of a month ago. A month ago, Chloe, Richard’s daughter, brought a few roommates to the company for their internship. “Dad, these are my roommates, Maya, Brooke, and… Lily.” The girl named Lily had delicate features and a sweet, innocent look. She spoke in a soft, gentle voice that instantly captured Richard’s attention. “Nice to meet you all,” Richard had said politely, but his eyes never left Lily. His creepy, intense gaze made Lily visibly uncomfortable. Chloe noticed something was off and coughed loudly. Only then did Richard look away. Lily… My heart felt like it was pierced by a sharp needle, but I quickly snapped out of it. “You liked her?” I asked. Richard pinched my chin. “Why? Are you jealous?” I playfully punched his chest. He grinned and pulled me closer. “That little girl wasn’t nearly as obedient as you.” During her internship, Lily was always timid and quiet. This gave Richard the courage to call her into his office alone. “Lily, how much are they paying you for this internship?” Lily was nervous. “Four… four thousand a month…” “Geez, that’s way too low.” Richard smirked, staring at her. “I’ll bump it up to ten thousand a month.” Hearing this, Lily was shocked. But she had no idea what Richard really wanted. She just kept thanking him. Richard took her gratitude as consent. He stepped forward, grabbed her, and forced a kiss on her. Terrified, Lily struggled and screamed, “No! Mr. Harrison, stop! Please!” Richard covered her mouth. “Shut up! Keep screaming and I’ll take you right here, right now!” Lily’s face was covered in tears. Suddenly, the office door was kicked open. Chloe stood at the door, her face red with rage. The next second, she rushed in and slapped Lily hard across the face. “You slut! How dare you seduce my father!” Seeing things go south, Richard quickly pulled them apart. “Chloe, Chloe, you got it all wrong. Lily and I were just discussing work.” Richard tried to smooth things over, then raised his voice and yelled at Lily, “You’re just an intern and you can’t even handle a simple task! Useless piece of trash!” To protect his own reputation, Richard humiliated Lily in front of the entire office. But that night, Richard still felt unsatisfied. After hours, he used the excuse of “explaining and apologizing” to call Lily back to his office. What happened next was pure horror. Richard turned into an absolute beast the moment she walked in. “You’re a monster,” I said, looking at Richard as he recalled the memory. He curled his lips. “So what? The girl didn’t know her place. She got what she deserved.” “And then?” “She kept fighting back. But she was just a weak little girl. She couldn’t beat me. I took her.” “And she just took it?” Richard stood up and walked over to his bookshelf. He pulled out a small wooden box and handed it to me. “Get rid of this.” I opened it. Inside was a lock of hair. Richard smiled. “What else could she do? Just in case she tried to sue me, I saved the security footage from my office. The hair… was just a warning to keep her quiet.” “Add another $50,000.” I stood up and walked over to him. A flash of anger appeared in his eyes. “Lana, what is that supposed to mean?” “Richard, you raped her! Helping you destroy evidence makes me an accomplice. I could go to prison for this!” I yelled, staring him down. He quickly covered my mouth. “Keep your voice down! Fine, another $50,000.” I smiled with satisfaction. “Where is the security footage?” “It’s on a USB drive. I’ll handle that myself.” I leaned in and wrapped my arms around his neck, whispering softly, “What’s wrong? Don’t trust me?” He sighed, reached back into the bookshelf, and tossed a USB drive into the box. “The video is password-protected anyway. Don’t bother watching it. Just burn it all.” I stared at the lock of hair. Richard, you think $150,000 can cover up this horror? Ha. You wish. 0

The next day, right in front of Richard, I burned the box containing Lily’s hair and the USB drive in the kitchen fireplace. He let out a huge sigh of relief. Just when I thought my job was done, he walked up behind me and whispered, “Come to my room tonight.” Late at night. Richard stood by the window holding a glass of red wine. When he heard me come in, he smiled and hugged me from behind. “I feel so safe with you around.” I didn’t love Richard. If he wasn’t filthy rich, I wouldn’t even look at him, let alone work as his maid. Suppressing the disgust in my chest, I forced a fake smile. “Last night you said you killed someone. It wasn’t… Lily, was it?” The moment I mentioned her name, Richard’s face went completely stiff. “Once you get a taste, you want more.” Richard started touching me, but I stepped aside. “Let’s talk about business first.” Rumors had started spreading at the company about Lily. But they didn’t mention Richard. Instead, the rumors claimed Lily was a homewrecker who slept around with married men for money. The rumor spread from the company Slack channels to TikTok and Twitter. Angry netizens quickly doxxed Lily. They demanded the company fire this “easy girl.” To save the company’s face and get rid of the headache, Richard planned to fire her. But then he changed his mind. Lily was too unpredictable. He needed to keep her under his thumb. So, he called her into his office again. But Lily was already on the verge of a mental breakdown from the cyberbullying. When she heard Richard wanted to fire her and keep her as his secret mistress, she completely snapped. She grabbed a pair of desk scissors and held them against her own neck. “Mr. Harrison, what did I ever do to deserve this? Why are you destroying my life!” Lily screamed in pure despair. Blood was already dripping down the scissors. “So you’re saying… Lily committed suicide?” I looked straight into Richard’s eyes. He pulled out a pair of scissors from his drawer. “Yeah. These scissors. Who knew they would actually end her life.” I took the scissors. They were polished clean, without a single speck of dust. “You cleaned them?” Richard nodded. “I washed the blood off. But even if it was suicide, the scandal would ruin me. So I kept it quiet and hired some people to clean up the mess.” I stared at the scissors for a long time. I ran my finger gently over the blade. It didn’t even feel that sharp. Suicide? Ha. My Lily would never be that foolish. I pretended to believe him. “If she committed suicide, then you’re innocent. Why are you so desperate to destroy this evidence?” “No, no, no,” Richard said, panic written all over his face. “I’m… I’m just worried the cops might get the wrong idea.” The wrong idea? A clear conscience fears no knock at the door. “Richard, if you don’t tell me the whole truth, I can’t help you.” I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my body against his. I kissed his cheek gently. Richard couldn’t resist. “Lana, you are a thousand times better than that little brat.” Under my temptation, Richard quickly pulled out a torn, blood-stained white shirt. “Look at this. That girl was so stubborn!” 0

I took the shirt. It was a simple white cotton blouse, ripped to shreds and stained with dark, dried blood. “What is this?” “I have a cabin out in the suburbs. I tied her up and kept her there.” My heart stopped. I could picture it so clearly. Lily wearing this shirt, feeling completely helpless and terrified as she was abused over and over again. Richard Harrison was a monster. An absolute beast. Yet, he said it with pride. “Keeping her locked up actually made her a lot more obedient.” His eyes looked crazed. “Lana, you have no idea. In her final days, Lily lived like a dog.” My stomach churned. I felt like throwing up. Why? Why did they do this to her? My hands clenched the bloody white shirt so hard my knuckles turned white. Just as I was about to lose my mind, *BAM!* The door was kicked open. “You cheap whore!” Someone grabbed my hair and dragged me down. Vile insults rained down on me. “Chloe, stop! Stop it!” Richard yelled anxiously. I looked up. The person who had broken in was Chloe, Richard’s daughter. “How dare you try to seduce my dad too!” Chloe kicked me hard in the stomach. I gasped in pain and fell to the floor. In that brief second of physical pain, I felt a fraction of what Lily must have gone through. Chloe looked completely insane. Her eyes were filled with pure, murderous rage. During my month working here as a maid, I had learned about this family’s toxic dynamics. Richard had divorced his ex-wife because of his constant cheating. Chloe stayed with him and lived a luxurious life. But Chloe had a terrible, violent temper. Whenever she saw her father messing around with other women, she would completely lose her mind. I pretended to be terrified and cowered behind Richard. As I did, I noticed his laptop was open on the desk. The desktop wallpaper was a happy family photo of Richard, his ex-wife, and Chloe. How ironic. A disgusting, lustful predator who still pretended to care about family. “What is that in your hand?!” Chloe shrieked, her eyes locked on me. I looked at Richard. Before I could react, Chloe snatched Lily’s bloody shirt from my hands. The moment she saw it, she froze. “Why… why is this here? Why do you have this?” Chloe opened her mouth to say something else, but Richard snatched the shirt away from her. “Chloe!” he snapped, his voice sharp and warning. “Shut up and go to your room!” With that, Richard shoved the shirt back into my hands and hissed, “Go. Dispose of it now.” I ran back to my room. Holding the bloody shirt, I pulled out a box hidden deep under my bed. Inside the box was the lock of hair and the USB drive. I hadn’t destroyed them. How could I? Richard had no idea that every single sin he committed was being recorded, piece by piece. And Lily… my sweet daughter. Mommy is going to get you justice.

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I love money more than life itself. I would do absolutely anything for it. When I was ten, my foster mother, Fiona, accused me of stealing. I decided to play along and make it official. I emptied her purse, stuffing every single dollar into my pockets. “You want to call me a thief? Fine. I’d hate to let Fiona’s accusation go to waste.” When she realized her money was actually gone, she went completely ballistic. She whipped me with a cane, forced me to kneel on broken glass, and screamed at me to hand over the cash. “You little trash! You’re born rotten! How dare you steal Victor’s college tuition!” Trash? I listened to her in silence. That night, I snuck into Victor’s room, tore his graduation project into confetti, and stole his phone. I had paid for that phone myself by selling wild herbs I picked in the woods. “Now,” I whispered to myself, “we’re both rotten.” When Fiona tried to sell me to a human trafficker, I beat her to the punch. In the middle of the night, I led the town’s creepy old bachelor into her bedroom. “She’s your new wife. Just give me ten grand in cash, and she’s yours!” Fiona went wild, chasing the old man out of the house with a butcher knife. The day my billionaire biological family finally found me, Fiona’s eyes practically bled with jealousy. “She’s a thief! She can’t be your daughter! You must have the wrong girl!” My biological father didn’t even blink. He gently guided me into the back of his Rolls-Royce. Once inside, he handed me a black card. “Spend whatever you want.” I twirled the card between my fingers and looked up at him. “Christian, can you buy Fiona’s pigpen?” “I want to live in it for a few days. I’ve never lived in such a big place before.”

Christian’s eyes welled with tears, but he remained silent. When we arrived at the Williams estate, my eyes were immediately drawn to the majestic statue at the entrance. That thing looked like it was worth a dozen pigpens. My biological sister, Barbara, ran up to me, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Maia, welcome home.” “I heard you didn’t have much before. If you need anything, just ask me. Don’t go taking things on your own.” I walked right past her, straight to the statue, and pointed. “Christian! This is mine.” Christian froze for a second, then smiled. “You like this, sweetie? I’ll buy you a better one…” “No, I want this one!” I interrupted, jamming my fingers into the statue’s carved mouth. “Right now.” Barbara couldn’t help but shriek. “Are you insane? That’s a priceless antique! It guards the house!” “Guard the house?” I sneered. “I’m more useful than this rock. With me here, the Williams family will be printing money.” Eleanor quickly stepped in to keep the peace, handing me a black card. “Maia, take this. Spend whatever you want. Consider it a makeup gift…” I didn’t take the card. My eyes were still locked on the statue. “How much cash can this thing be worth?” Barbara, as if finally catching me red-handed, lunged forward and grabbed Eleanor’s hand. “Mom! You can’t! She only cares about money! We should treat money like garbage!” She slapped her own card—loaded with half a million dollars—onto the statue’s head. “Look! I’m donating my entire monthly allowance to the stray cat shelter!” “We’ll donate Maia’s share too, to wash the scent of greed off her!” She reached out again, trying to snatch the black card meant for me. Just before her fingers touched it, I snatched her card off the statue’s head and shoved it into my back pocket. Then, I grabbed a heavy decorative brass candlestick nearby and smashed it right into the statue’s head! Crash! A piece of marble chipped off. The entire courtyard fell into a dead silence. “You… you…” Barbara’s finger shook violently. I weighed the candlestick in my hand and looked at her. “I’ll accept the donation.” “As for my money…” I turned my head, my gaze sweeping past my pale parents before landing squarely on Barbara. “If you ever reach for my things again…” I raised the candlestick and smashed the statue again! Crash! “I will smash this statue, and then I will smash you, just to hear the sound it makes.” I tossed the candlestick aside, slipped the black card from Eleanor’s frozen hand, and patted both cards in my pocket. “Money is my life,” I told Barbara, pronouncing every word clearly. “Touch my life, and I’ll take yours.” Without looking back, I picked up the chipped statue and walked upstairs through the stunned silence. “Put the guardian statue by my door.” “From now on, I’m the one protecting the Williams fortune.”

At dinner, Barbara’s eyes were still red from crying. She picked at her food with her fork. Christian set down his spoon and looked at me. “Maia, do you have Barbara’s card?” I poked a piece of steak. “Yeah.” “That’s Barbara’s allowance,” Christian said, his voice firm. “Give it back.” I put down my fork, pulled out the $500,000 card, and slid it to the middle of the table. Barbara’s eyes lit up, and she reached for it. I pinned the card down with my finger. “Are we donating it?” I looked at Christian. “For the stray cats?” Christian frowned. “What?” “This half a million,” I tapped the card. “Barbara said she wanted to donate it to cleanse my soul.” I looked at Barbara. “Are we donating, or should I just keep it?” Barbara’s face drained of color, and her lips trembled. Christian’s face darkened. “Enough! What donation? Allowance is for you girls to spend!” “Oh,” I said, sliding the card back into my pocket. “Then I’ll spend it for her.” “Maia!” Christian raised his voice. “That is Barbara’s money!” “It’s mine now,” I met his gaze. “She said it herself—we’re family, so her stuff is my stuff. You didn’t object then.” Christian choked on his words, his chest heaving. Barbara burst into tears, pointing at me and screaming. “Dad! She stole my money! She’s robbing me!” Eleanor immediately hugged Barbara, comforting her while looking at me with disapproval. “Maia, you went too far.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin and looked at the sobbing Barbara. “She can try to take my card, and that’s fine. But when I take hers, it’s too far?” “Your logic is pretty warped.” I stood up to go upstairs. “Stop right there!” Christian’s angry voice boomed from behind me. I paused at the stairs and turned. Christian was glaring at me. “Tomorrow morning, nine o’clock. You’re coming to the office with me.” Barbara’s sobbing stopped instantly. She looked up, tears still on her face, but her eyes flashed with disbelief and jealousy. “What?” Eleanor was surprised too. “Maia just got back. Isn’t that too sudden?” “She needs to see how Williams money is made!” Christian interrupted her, his eyes still locked on me. “She needs to see that wealth is built through hard work!” “Not through extortion and bullying her sister!” I nodded. “Fine.” Back in my room, I locked the door. The walk-in closet alone was larger than my entire old room. Actually, it wasn’t even a room. I used to live in a run-down shack in the backyard used for storing junk. I had never even dreamed of a life this luxurious. When I was eight, Fiona locked up all the food. “This is all for Victor! Don’t you dare touch it!” I was so starved that I was nothing but skin and bones, without even the energy to talk back. My only friend back then, Karl, wasn’t doing any better. He lived with his elderly grandmother. One day, she gave him their very last bowl of oatmeal. But Karl gave it to me. “Maia, I’m not hungry. You eat.” Starving, I didn’t think twice. I devoured the whole bowl. The next day, when I went to return the bowl, I found Karl and his grandmother had both starved to death in their beds. I didn’t cry. I just stood by Karl’s body for a very, very long time. That was the moment I realized the absolute power of money. Without money, you die. I would tear through anyone and anything before I ever let myself go back to that life. At 5 AM, I woke up in a panic, about to run outside because I thought I’d be beaten for feeding the pigs late. Once I realized where I was, I lay back down on the memory foam mattress, but sleep was gone. I got up and went downstairs to grab a glass of water. As I passed Barbara’s room, the door was cracked open. Her whispered, sharp voice drifted out. “…I don’t care! Dad is taking her to the office tomorrow! Why her?” “The bitch will probably make a fool of herself, but what if Dad softens up?” “Mary, you need to do something for me…” The voices faded into hushed whispers. I stood in the shadows, finished my water, and smiled. Barbara, you’re right. I love money because I know what real poverty feels like. When you have nothing left to lose, you’ll do anything. Even if I have to destroy my own sister.

Early the next morning, I rode to the office with Christian. The moment Christian stepped out of the car, his phone rang. His face turned grim instantly. “When did this happen? Are you sure?” He hung up and snapped his head toward me. “Were you in my study last night?” I blinked. “No.” He turned and strode toward the elevator. “Come with me!” Outside the CEO’s office, the secretary and assistants stood in silence, barely daring to breathe. Christian threw the door open. The study was a total disaster. Drawers were pulled out, and documents were scattered all over the floor. Most noticeably, an empty luxury watch box lay discarded on the desk. Barbara and Eleanor were already there. Barbara looked at me with red eyes, shaking her head in fake disappointment. “Maia… I know you love money, but stealing from family? How could you…” Eleanor looked worried. “Maia, if you needed money, you should have just asked. Why would you…” “I’m asking you one last time,” Christian pointed at the empty box, glaring at me. “Did you come in here last night and take what was inside?” “No.” “Don’t lie to me!” Christian slammed his fist on the desk. “Mary saw you sneaking out of the study in the middle of the night!” Mary stepped in, her head lowered, avoiding my eyes. “Sir… I got up to use the bathroom last night, and I saw Maia coming out of the study… she looked really frantic…” Barbara gasped, covering her mouth. “Maia! That limited-edition Patek Philippe pocket watch was Dad’s favorite piece! How could you…” “I didn’t take it,” I repeated coldly. “Search her!” Christian ordered the female assistant. “Search her bag and her pockets!” The assistant stepped up, grabbed my bag, and searched it thoroughly. There was nothing inside. Christian’s brow relaxed slightly, and he was about to speak. Barbara’s eyes flashed, and she pointed at my simple black coat. “Maia, what’s in that inner pocket of your coat? It looks bulky.” The assistant took the hint and reached into my inside coat pocket. Her hand paused, and she pulled out an exquisite gold pocket watch. Christian looked at the watch, the last bit of warmth draining from his eyes. “Caught red-handed. What do you have to say now?” I looked at the watch, then glanced at Barbara. “I was framed.” “Framed? By Mary? She’s been with us for fifteen years!” Christian pointed at the watch, trembling with rage. “Did the watch sprout legs and crawl into your pocket?!” I suppressed my anger and spoke slowly. “I have no motive to steal a watch that I can’t easily liquidate.” “How do you know it can’t be liquidated?” Barbara shrieked immediately. “You did your research! You came here for the money! You didn’t even care that it was Dad’s favorite keepsake!” Eleanor looked at me with deep disappointment. “Maia, you’ve broken our hearts…” “Call the police,” Christian waved his hand, closing his eyes in exhaustion. “Take her away.” “Take back every cent of allowance I gave her. We don’t keep thieves in this family.” The assistant picked up the phone. Beside her, the corner of Barbara’s mouth twitched upward in a smirk. Looking at her triumphant face, I didn’t feel angry. Instead, I burst out laughing. They want me to take the fall? Fine. But trying to take my money? No way. Since they wanted to play dirty, I didn’t need to show mercy anymore.

The assistant froze with the phone in her hand. Everyone was stunned by my laughter. “What are you laughing at?” Christian’s voice was full of disgust. I stopped laughing and stared at Barbara. “Barbara, you said I steal from family?” Barbara’s eyes flickered, but she forced herself to stay calm. “Isn’t it true?” “Sure,” I nodded. “So I’m curious, how much have you stolen from this family?” I turned to Christian. “Christian, I’ll admit defeat on the watch.” Christian sneered but didn’t speak. “I’ll return the allowance,” I said slowly. Hearing this, Barbara’s smirk widened. “However,” I pivoted. “Before I return a dime, there’s an account I want to settle with Barbara in front of everyone.” Barbara gasped, then yelled, “What lies are you trying to tell now!” “Last month, the 15th, at 3 PM,” I paused. “The VIP room at Chase Bank downtown.” Barbara’s face drained of color instantly. Christian looked confused. “What was she doing there?” “It doesn’t matter if I was there,” I stared at Barbara. “What matters is, Barbara, what did you do with Mom’s ID and her private signature stamp?” Eleanor was stunned. “Barbara? My stamp is locked in…” “You opened a joint account in Mom’s name,” I interrupted, my voice steady. “And you transferred the five million dollars—the money meant to be saved for your trust—straight into it.” “You’re lying!” Barbara shrieked in panic. “Dad! She’s making things up! I didn’t!” “Do you want me to call Manager Johnson right now to check the security footage and wire records?” I smirked at her. “The same Manager Johnson you always have high tea with?” Barbara looked like she was being choked. Eleanor looked at her in disbelief. “Barbara… that money was for your future! How could you…” Christian glared at Barbara, his eyes sharp. “Is this true?” Barbara collapsed to her knees, grabbing Eleanor’s legs, sobbing hysterically. “Mom! I didn’t mean to!” “I just… I found an investment project and wanted to try it on my own…” “I wanted to prove myself to you and Dad!” She looked up with a tear-stained face. “I just wanted to prove that I’m not worse than Maia! I can make money too!” Eleanor softened, hugging her, and looked at Christian. “Barbara just wanted to prove herself…” Christian’s expression softened too. “So that was it… I thought…” “Oh, a great investment,” I interrupted, walking over to Barbara. “Is that why you wired three million from that joint account to your boyfriend Chris’s shell company? What project is that?” The crying stopped instantly. Barbara looked up, complete terror on her face. “Boyfriend?” Christian’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Chris?” Eleanor’s voice was shaking. “The same Chris Monroe whose family drove your grandparents to their graves?” The office fell into a dead silence, save for Barbara’s frantic breathing. Barbara shook violently, stammering. “No… I didn’t… Dad, let me explain…” “Explain what?” I looked at her. “Explain how he took that three million and lost every penny at a Las Vegas blackjack table?” I took a step forward, looking down at her. “Or explain the two-month-old baby in your stomach?”

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Just because my childhood best friend, Anthony, casually mentioned how jealous he was of guys whose girlfriends made them giant handmade gift towers, I spent days and nights doing manual labor. I assembled every single piece by hand, finally finishing it right before graduation. But on Christmas Day, while I was out, he took my gift tower and gave it to Chloe, the prettiest girl in our class. Outside the restaurant booth, I heard Chloe asking him hesitantly, “Sofia put so much effort into making this. Is it really okay to just give it to me?” Anthony let out a soft laugh and replied carelessly, “It’s not like I begged her to make it. Besides, I never actually accepted her confession back then.” “I just thought it was fun having her follow me around like a puppy, so I never explicitly rejected her.” Hearing his reply, I froze in place. I looked down at my fingers, which were covered in band-aids. Tears welled up in my eyes. Mortified, I ran out of the restaurant and threw myself into a cab by the curb. On the ride home, the harsh truth finally hit me. He wasn’t some emotionally unavailable guy. He was just never going to bloom for me.

Ding— My phone screen lit up. It was a Snapchat message from Anthony. “Sofia, where are you?” I stared at the screen for a long time before slowly typing back: “Something came up at home. I had to leave early.” “Merry Christmas.” It took forever for him to reply with a simple, “K.” I stared at that single letter, feeling a huge lump in my throat. Suddenly, I had nothing left to say. When I got home, my phone kept buzzing non-stop. I opened it and saw the group chat was blowing up. “Anthony, you got Chloe a gift but made Sofia do the actual work? That’s so insincere!” “Are you two planning to apply to the same college to keep your romance going?” Watching everyone tease them, my heart sank. Just as I was about to leave the group chat, Chloe sent a message. “Sofia, thank you so much for the handmade gift tower! I absolutely love it!” “I didn’t expect Anthony to remember when I casually mentioned it.” To my surprise, Anthony, who barely ever posted in the group, replied instantly. “Chloe, don’t worry about it. Sofia is family.” “Chloe and I have similar SAT scores. Even if we don’t get into the same college, we’ll definitely end up in the same city.” Just then, someone brought me up. “Is Sofia coming with you guys too? She’s been following you around since we were kids.” Seeing that message, a wave of anxiety hit me. I gripped my phone so hard my hands started to shake. A second later, Anthony’s reply popped up. “Whatever she wants. Why should I care? I’m not her parent.” Looking at his answer, my breath caught in my throat. My heart plunged into a bottomless icy abyss. I slowly closed my eyes, and tears finally broke free, spilling down my cheeks and landing right on my burned fingers. I thought back to my memories with Anthony. From learning to walk together to him riding his bike to take me to school every day, we were practically inseparable. This crush had lasted over a decade. I was the only girl by his side. I had always believed we would end up together eventually. It was just a matter of time. Until Chloe showed up and threw me off. She was a transfer student. Her family wasn’t well-off, but she was gorgeous, and tons of guys sent her love letters. Once, when Anthony was bringing me some books, he happened to find Chloe cornered by a few girls who were accusing her of stealing. Chloe denied it, panic-stricken, and stumbled right into Anthony’s arms. Their eyes locked. From that moment on, Chloe became a constant presence next to Anthony, and I became the one trailing behind them. In the beginning, I casually asked him how he felt about Chloe. Every time, he would roll his eyes at me and say impatiently, “What could I possibly feel for her? I just think she’s pitiful.” “Instead of overthinking, you should study harder. Otherwise, how are you going to keep up with me in college?” But now, in front of everyone, he said I had nothing to do with him. I took a deep breath, forced my eyes open, wiped my tears away, and quickly typed a reply: “Anthony, since you gave it to Chloe, you owe me for the materials and labor. Venmo me $1,200.” “And as for college, I’ll apply wherever I want. It has nothing to do with you.” Right after sending that, I left the group chat. I walked out of my room and told my parents firmly, “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to college in Europe after this summer.” Anthony, I’m done forcing myself for you. And I’m definitely done chasing after you.

After I left the group chat, several classmates DM’ed me, asking what happened between Anthony and me. “Sofia, right after you left the group, Chloe told Anthony she wanted to return the gift.” “She sent voice notes of her sobbing, and then she left the group chat too.” I frowned, feeling completely indifferent. “So what? Anthony just needs to Venmo me. I’m not taking a loss on this.” Just then, my doorbell rang. Looking through the peephole, I saw Anthony standing outside with a dark, angry face. I took a deep breath, opened the door, and said coldly, “What do you want?” “Sofia, what the hell was that in the group chat?” “Chloe already has low self-esteem, and you had to say that in front of everyone? Do you know how hurt she is?” I looked down and quietly listened to him yell. My nose stung, but I forced the bitterness back down. After a long pause, I looked up and asked in a raspy voice, “So, what do you want me to do?” Anthony rubbed his temples in frustration, his voice filled with impatience. “Sofia, normally I don’t care how you treat me, but you have to apologize to Chloe this time.” “She’s insisting on returning the gift tower now, and she won’t even see me.” He paused, a look of genuine worry crossing his face as he continued, “If Chloe doesn’t go to the same college or city as me, what if she gets bullied? Who’s going to protect her?” “So Sofia, stop being childish. Come with me to apologize.” With that, Anthony grabbed my wrist—the one with the fresh burns—and tried to drag me outside. The pain was so sharp I gasped. “Ouch! Let go of me!” He let go immediately, but it was too late. My newly healed skin had ripped open again. “What’s wrong with your hand? Come on, I’m taking you to the hospital.” He reached out to grab my wrist again, but I stepped back, shook my head, and said softly, “No need. I can handle it myself. But I am not apologizing.” I rarely went against Anthony’s wishes, so my refusal caught him off guard. His face darkened, and his eyes turned cold. “No wonder Chloe said you didn’t seem to like her and were always targeting her. I’m so disappointed in you, Sofia.” Hearing that, I actually laughed. I waved my hand dismissively and said with complete indifference, “Think whatever you want. It has nothing to do with me anymore.” “Now, I don’t want to see you. Get out of my house.” Anthony stood there in silence, staring at me coldly for a long moment before turning on his heel and leaving without looking back. I shut the door, slid down against the wall, and collapsed onto the floor. My chest felt so heavy, like a giant rock was crushing my lungs. It was hard to breathe. Ding— Anthony had Venmoed me the money. The note read: “Consider the gift tower bought. We’re even now.” Looking at the notification, I let out a self-deprecating laugh and replied without hesitation: “Thanks. So generous of you.” Anthony didn’t reply, and I didn’t bother keeping the chat open. Only the throbbing pain in my hand reminded me of what had just happened. That very night, Anthony and Chloe went Instagram official. In the photo, they were hugging intimately with my gift tower in the center. The comments were flooded with congratulations. “So sweet! Congrats!” “I thought you guys would fight because of what Sofia said, but it actually got you two together faster!” A few minutes later, Chloe left a general reply in the comments: “I misunderstood Anthony. He explained to me later that he bought it specifically for me. Maybe Sofia just got confused at first.” “Sofia, I’m really sorry for causing a fight between you and Anthony. I hope you aren’t mad at me.” I curled my lips into a sarcastic smile and commented back: “Why would I be mad? You’re the most important person to Anthony now. Best wishes.” Not long after I posted that, Anthony sent me a DM. “Chloe and I want to treat everyone to dinner tomorrow night. You should come.” “Chloe wants to clear things up with you in person so there are no misunderstandings.” I stared at the message blankly for a long time before slowly typing, “Okay.”

By the time I pushed open the door to the restaurant booth, almost everyone had arrived. Chloe was clinging to Anthony’s arm, laughing and chatting with the others. I took a deep breath, digging my nails into my palms to calm myself down. Forcing a smile, I walked over. “Anthony, Chloe, congratulations!” Hearing my voice, Chloe walked over with a bright smile, took my hands, and said sweetly, “Sofia, I thought you wouldn’t show up. I was so worried.” She paused, then turned to Anthony with a playful pout. “Anthony, come over and apologize to Sofia. You were so mean to her yesterday.” Anthony sighed with mock helplessness, nodding, his eyes filled with indulgence. “Alright, alright.” He reached out, trying to ruffle my hair like he used to, and said casually, “I was just stressed yesterday. Don’t take it to heart, okay?” His sudden gesture caught me off guard. I quickly took two steps back, my voice turning stiff. “You’re overthinking. I didn’t take it to heart. I only came today to congratulate you guys.” He froze, his hand hanging awkwardly in the air. He opened his mouth but didn’t say anything. Seeing this, Chloe quickly grabbed his hand, locking her fingers with his. She laughed it off, saying, “It’s great that Sofia isn’t mad. I was so worried you’d be unhappy about us being together.” She leaned into Anthony’s chest, her cheeks flushing slightly. My lips curved into a faint smile. I looked at the expressionless Anthony and said sincerely, “Why would I be? Anthony is like a brother to me. I’m genuinely happy he found such a pretty girlfriend.” Anthony narrowed his eyes at me. A flash of disdain crossed his face as he sneered, “A brother? Sofia, since when did you start looking at me like a brother?” “Well, you better start getting used to it, brother.” I smiled, meeting his gaze head-on, before making an excuse to go to the restroom. With no one else around, I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time. I let out a quiet sigh and whispered, “Sofia, it’s time to lock these feelings away. A crush that never even started is officially over.” After collecting myself, I walked out of the restroom, only to find Anthony standing by the door with a deep frown. Seeing me, he pulled me to the side and said coldly, “Sofia, what the hell was that back there? Were you trying to provoke Chloe on purpose?” I pursed my lips and said softly, “No. I meant what I said.” “You meant it? Sofia, do you really think I’m that stupid?” “As if I don’t know how you feel about me!” At those words, I snapped my head up and stared at him. The years of bottled-up pain rushed to the surface, and my voice trembled. “Anthony, if you’ve always known how I felt, why did you pretend you didn’t? How could you comfortably enjoy everything I did for you without feeling guilty?” He sighed, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, and said flatly, “I didn’t understand before. But once I met Chloe, I finally learned what chemistry feels like.” “Sofia, I just don’t feel that spark with you.” “If I did things in the past that led you on, I apologize. But I don’t want you being hostile to Chloe.” I bit my lip so hard I could taste copper before slowly letting go. My voice was incredibly hoarse. “Fine. I got the wrong idea. I wish you two a lifetime of happiness.” With that, I brushed past him and walked straight back to the booth. For the rest of the night, I sat in the corner, quietly watching Anthony and Chloe whisper to each other, acting like the perfect, lovestruck couple. Eventually, I pulled out my phone and hit submit on my study abroad enrollment form. With that done, I downed my glass of red wine and left the restaurant without looking back.

Over the next few days, Chloe posted tons of photos. They were kissing under the Disneyland castle, watching the sunrise on a mountain top, and walking hand-in-hand on the beach. Their happiness practically leaped off the screen. I felt absolutely nothing. I liked every single post with a blank face, then spent my time discussing my relocation details with the study abroad agency. The university I applied to was in the UK. The school and the major were things I genuinely chose for myself. It had nothing to do with anyone else. A few days later, Anthony and Chloe returned from their trip. They came to my house with shopping bags. “Sofia, Anthony told me you love this franchise, so we bought you a bunch of merch. Do you like it?” My lips curved into a polite smile as I took the bags. “I love it. Thanks for thinking of me while you were away.” Anthony let out a mocking laugh and said sarcastically, “Well, we had to. Someone was liking every single one of Chloe’s posts. The hint was pretty obvious.” I rolled my eyes, too exhausted to argue with him. Just then, Anthony noticed my SAT prep books on the desk. He picked one up and flipped through it. “Sofia, why are you studying this now?” I didn’t want to tell him I was moving to the UK, so I just went along with it. “It doesn’t hurt to learn more.” Anthony didn’t say anything, but he raised an eyebrow and casually grabbed Chloe’s hand. “Well, college decisions are coming out soon. Chloe and I are planning to go to NYU. What about you?” I smiled and said honestly, “I’m not going to NYU. I don’t want to get in your way.” “Then where are you going? Other colleges are just average. You don’t need to avoid NYU just to stay away from us.” “Sofia, neither Chloe nor I feel like you’re in the way.” Anthony’s brow furrowed, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Chloe’s face stiffened a bit. She let out an awkward laugh and tried to intervene. “Anthony, Sofia isn’t a kid. She has her own plans.” “What plans could she possibly have? She can barely take care of herself.” “If something happens to her, I won’t even be there to help.” “Sofia, if you really don’t want to go to NYU, then apply to another college in New York.” Anthony’s automatic dismissal of her words made Chloe’s face turn pale. She looked extremely uncomfortable. “Anthony, Sofia…” “Alright,” I interrupted. “You two just got back from your trip. You should go home and get some rest.” “You don’t need to worry about my business. Chloe, thanks again for the gifts.” Seeing my attitude, Anthony sneered. “Fine, do whatever you want. Just don’t come crying to me later.” “Chloe, let’s go. I’ll drive you home.” He took Chloe’s hand and walked out. I watched their retreating figures, sighed, and threw the gift bags into the corner of my room. Truth was, I didn’t even like that franchise. Anthony was the one who liked it when we were kids because he thought the characters looked cool. He didn’t even remember. We didn’t contact each other after that night. It wasn’t until the night before my flight to London that Anthony sent me a text. “Move-in day is coming up. Are you finally going to tell me which college in New York you’re going to?” “If you’re not at NYU, Chloe and I will come visit you.” I hesitated for a moment, then finally sent the text I had been holding back. “Anthony, you always knew I liked you, right?” It took a long time for his reply to come. “Sofia, Chloe and I are together now. Saying this is completely pointless.” “You just need to know that we are still important to each other.” I stared at the message, let out a peaceful laugh, and replied with a simple “Okay.” I blocked his number right after. The next day, Anthony was attending a family gala. By the time he tried calling me, I was already sitting on the plane to England. Looking at the missed calls, my heart remained completely still. I took a photo of the view outside the window and posted it on Instagram. “Goodbye, New York! Off to the UK to chase my dreams!” After posting, I blocked Anthony on all social media platforms and whispered, “Goodbye, Anthony.”

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I died on the operating table. My only sister, Chloe, was kneeling on the cold floor, sobbing and begging the doctors to save me. But she didn’t have any money. In a fit of desperation, Chloe declared she would sell our late parents’ house. But her boyfriend, Joel, stepped forward to stop her. “Chloe! We agreed to sell that house to fund my startup! What about my company?” Chloe hesitated, torn between her dying sister and her boyfriend’s future. Seeing her struggle, I made the choice for her—I let go of my final breath and died. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the exact day we were preparing to sell the house. This time, I would never let that scumbag boyfriend get his hands on our parents’ legacy. But later, I found out… The one who had stolen my life-saving money wasn’t the boyfriend at all. It was Chloe herself, who had planned every single detail from the very beginning! “Elena, Joel says his company is just $500,000 short of its final funding round. Once that money is in, we’ll get huge dividends by the end of the year.” “I swear, I’ll pay you back the very second we get our return.” Chloe held my hand, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice dripping with desperation. I stared at her, feeling dazed as I looked around the familiar living room. Wait. Didn’t I die in the hospital from a severe post-accident infection because I couldn’t afford the surgery? That sudden car crash had left me with severe internal bleeding. I needed immediate, expensive surgery. But the medical bills totaled half a million dollars. And all the money I had saved over years of hard work had been handed over to Chloe just weeks prior. While lying on that hospital bed, I could hear Chloe crying hysterically outside the ICU. She claimed she had sold our parents’ house and invested every penny into Joel’s startup. But Joel turned out to be a scammer who took the cash and vanished. She wept, saying she was sorry, saying she was the one who killed me. Looking at Chloe—the little sister I had pampered and protected since she was a baby—I couldn’t bring myself to blame her. My only fear before dying was leaving her all alone in this world to be bullied. In the end, swallowed by endless regret and worry, I took my last breath. Yet now… not only was I alive and well, but our house hadn’t even been sold yet. And Chloe still had that same innocent, naive look on her face from two years ago. “Elena? Elena? What are you thinking about?” Seeing my silence, Chloe anxiously shook my arm. “Elena, you can’t just turn your back on Joel. This money is life or death for him.” “We promised each other that as soon as his company goes public, we’ll get married.” Selling the house. The investment. The marriage. My mind cleared instantly. This was two years ago, the exact day Chloe begged me to sell our parents’ house to support Joel’s startup. So… I was reborn? I was back before the tragedy even started? “Elena, say something.” Chloe’s lips curved into a pout when she noticed my cold expression. “Do you… not trust Joel?” I suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace. Thank God. It wasn’t too late. God had given me a second chance to see through that scumbag’s lies. This time, I would protect Chloe no matter what. “Elena? What’s wrong with you?” Chloe was taken aback by my sudden hug, her hands freezing in mid-air. I let her go and shook my head. “Nothing. I just think… investing everything our parents left us is too risky.” “If the business fails, we won’t even have a place to live.” Chloe leaned against my shoulder, whining like a spoiled child. “I have you, Elena. I’m not scared.” “Besides, Joel is so talented. There’s no way he’ll fail.” I nodded, keeping my voice gentle. “I know.” “But people change. For your own future, we have to be smart about this.” The moment those words left my mouth, the smile on Chloe’s face vanished. “Elena, what is that supposed to mean?” “Joel isn’t some stranger. He’s going to be family!” “Chloe, listen to me,” I said, holding her hand firmly. “We can’t rush into this investment. Let’s observe Joel a little longer, okay?” Just as I finished speaking, Chloe reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She snapped. She yanked her hand away, her eyes flashing red with anger. “Observe? What is there to observe? We’ve been together for three years!” “Elena, is this because our parents died early and you’re still single? Are you just jealous that I’m happy?”

I stared at her in utter shock. I couldn’t believe these venomous words were coming from the sweet, gentle sister I thought I knew. “Chloe, do you even hear yourself right now?” “Did I say something wrong?” She threw her chin up, tears trembling in her eyes. “Joel and I genuinely love each other. Now that he’s struggling, he needs my support.” “You’re just stingy about that $500,000. To you, money is more important than my happiness!” “I never thought you’d think of me that way,” I said, my heart aching. “Did Joel put these ideas in your head? He’s trying to drive a wedge between us!” Chloe froze for a second, then became even more hysterical. “What he said was right! You have the money, but you refuse to help us. You’re just selfish!” “If you hate seeing me happy so much, I might as well just die!” With that, she spun around and made a wild dash toward the open balcony, threatening to jump. Terrified, I ran and grabbed her, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Are you insane?! Threatening to kill yourself over this? Is this how you repay our dead parents?” “You don’t love me anyway! What’s the point of living?” Chloe thrashed in my arms, screaming at the top of her lungs. “I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world to have a sister who loved me. But it was all a lie.” Looking at her dramatic breakdown, my heart felt like it was being shredded. Just to calm her down, I had to play along. I feigned defeat. “Okay, okay! I’ll do it! I promise you, we’ll sell the house. I’ll give you the money, alright?” The moment the promise left my lips, Chloe’s crying stopped instantly. She lifted her tear-stained face, squinting to make sure I was serious. “Elena, really? You actually agree?” I gave a weary nod. “When have I ever lied to you?” She instantly beamed, throwing her arms around me. “I knew you loved me the most! I’m going to call Joel right now and tell him the good news!” Watching her skip happily back to her bedroom, my heart turned to ice. With a sister so utterly blinded by “love,” if I didn’t keep my guard up, she’d get us both ruined and thank the devil for it. My eyes darkened. I changed my clothes and immediately headed out. In my past life, I had never dealt with Joel directly. Everything I knew about him came from Chloe’s mouth. She told me he was from a poor family but was incredibly brilliant and ambitious. Because I loved Chloe, I loved him by extension and never doubted a single word. But now that I thought about it, maybe I had been wrong from the very beginning. I drove straight to Joel’s office. He was in a meeting, so I waited for him at the reception desk.

“Elena?” When Joel saw me, the shock on his face was genuine, mixed with a visible layer of awkwardness and anxiety. It seemed he never expected me to show up at his workplace. I sneered inwardly but kept my face perfectly neutral. “I’m here about the $500,000 Chloe mentioned.” The moment the words left my mouth, Joel’s face went completely pale. He rubbed his hands together nervously, stammering, “Elena… please don’t be mad. This… this is all a misunderstanding on Chloe’s part.” “A misunderstanding?” I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “I… I do need some short-term capital, but only $200,000 is enough,” he explained rapidly, sweat dripping down his forehead. “I told Chloe I would find a way myself, even if it meant selling my own parents’ cottage.” “But she insisted I shouldn’t. She said if I sold it, where would my parents live?” “She said… she said you had already set aside $500,000 for her wedding fund anyway, and that we should just use that first.” “She said you really believed in me and thought I’d make it big, so this money would be your angel investment in my future.” Joel’s voice grew quieter and quieter, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I know it’s not right, but Chloe was so certain about it.” “She said you spoiled her, and whatever she wanted, you’d give her.” “She even said… you raised her like your own daughter, so this $500,000 was practically hers anyway.” I froze. $200,000? A wedding fund? His version of the story was the exact opposite of what Chloe had told me. Looking at Joel’s red, embarrassed face and the sheer sincerity in his eyes, a ridiculous and terrifying suspicion began to form in my mind. In my last life, if he had really stolen the money, why would he let Chloe drag his name through the dirt without a fight? And if he hadn’t stolen the money… where did the cash from the house sale actually go?

When I left Joel’s office, my mind was a chaotic mess. As soon as I got home, I walked toward Chloe’s room. The door was slightly cracked. From inside, I heard her hushed but clearly triumphant voice. “Don’t worry, babe, the cash will hit my account tomorrow.” “Elena folded the second I threatened to hurt myself.” She was on the phone, her tone incredibly flirty. But I knew for a fact she wasn’t talking to Joel. She continued, “Joel is such an idiot. He actually thinks I’m head over heels for him. He only asked for $200,000 like a coward.” “I demanded $500,000 from Elena, told Joel she was giving it to us as a gift, so he’d treat me like a queen.” “When the wire goes through, $200,000 goes to his company, and the other $300,000 is ours.” “Once the cash is in hand, I’ll buy that sports car you wanted.” “Joel? He’s just a stepping stone.” “Elena? She’s just a human ATM.” “She’s single and lonely anyway. If she doesn’t spend her money on me, what is she going to do with it? Take it to her grave?” “Besides, half of that house belonged to me anyway.” “I’m just taking what’s mine a little early.” I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, but Chloe’s giggling sounded like a poisoned blade tearing through my chest. I had never imagined that Chloe—the girl I cherished more than my own life—was calculating against me like this. To her, family was a bargaining chip. Her lover was a stepping stone. And I was nothing but a brainless ATM. I recalled my past life, lying on that freezing hospital bed, watching my life slip away. Chloe had cried by my bedside, sobbing about how she had been scammed and left with nothing. At the time, I only felt pity for her, worrying about her safety even in my final moments. Now, I wondered: how much of those tears were real, and how much was pure acting? I didn’t storm in to confront her. Instead, I quietly retreated back to my own room. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe. But at the same time, a cold wash of clarity settled over me. Perfect. Since you love playing a part, Chloe, I’ll gladly play along. Let’s see who gets the last laugh when the curtain falls on this little drama.

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After I slapped my husband Ethan Vance’s mistress, Chloe, he had my entire family sent to a private psychiatric sanitarium. Since then, I never dared to cross him again. When Chloe had cramps, I warmed her milk. When Chloe went into labor, I stayed up all night to serve her. Only after her baby with Ethan was born did I finally dare to beg him, with bated breath, to release my family. But Ethan only let out a mocking laugh, tossing a casual sentence my way: “Aria, do you know how I met Chloe in the first place?” “Your dear brother and father personally put her in my bed.” “Aria, she’s your half-sister.” He looked at my increasingly pale face with a sneer, unlocked his phone, and pushed it in front of me. “Your father and Julian were never locked away in that sanitarium. For the past three years, they’ve been right by Chloe’s side.” On the screen, my father and Julian were doting on Chloe and her baby, their faces filled with a pure joy I had never once seen directed at me. In an instant, my eyes welled with tears. My heart felt as if it were being slowly ripped apart, inch by inch. Ethan continued in his self-satisfied tone. “Aria, you’ve been very obedient these past three years. Keep it up. Tell me what kind of compensation you want, and I’ll give it to you.” “Though…” He smiled mysteriously, “Even if I offer it, you probably won’t want it, will you?” I wiped my tears, lifted my chin, and forced a smile: “Ethan, I’m afraid you won’t be able to afford the compensation I want.”

Ethan scoffed. “Name it. I’ll do my best to satisfy you.” I looked him straight in the eye. “Since you want to compensate me, give me cash.” “I want a hundred million dollars. Not a single penny less.” Ethan’s eyes turned cold. He suddenly sneered and spoke to the phone on the desk. “Chloe, looks like neither of us guessed right.” I hadn’t noticed when the screen had switched to a FaceTime call. Chloe was smiling, looking at me with pure mockery. “Aria, we had a bet on what you would ask Ethan for once you found out the truth.” “I bet you would reject any compensation and go crazy, throwing a tantrum in his office. Ethan bet you would use this to blackmail him into never divorcing you.” “As for Dad and Julian, one guessed you would demand Ethan send me away, and the other guessed you would self-harm to force him to compromise.” She turned the camera to the side. My father was holding Chloe’s baby with a beaming smile, but the moment he saw me on screen, his warmth vanished. “Aria, I really didn’t expect you to open your mouth and demand money from Ethan!” “Has our family ever let you go hungry or cold all these years? How did you become so materialistic? What makes you any different from those greedy gold-diggers out there!” Julian patted Chloe’s head, his eyes full of affection and helplessness, but when he looked back at the camera, his expression iced over. “Aria, I know you’re angry.” “If you’re short on cash, I can wire you some. But you shouldn’t have demanded it from Ethan.” “Chloe and Ethan love each other. They don’t owe you anything.” “Is that so?” With bloodshot eyes, I cut him off. “Stealing my husband, stealing my father and my brother, destroying my marriage and my home.” “Playing me like a fool for three years, tricking me into being her maid for three years.” “And you say they don’t owe me anything?” Julian frowned. “Aria, watch your mouth.” “We didn’t mean to lie to you. You’ve just been stubborn since you were a kid. If we hadn’t done this, how could you have ever accepted Chloe?” “Chloe has been depressed since giving birth. We were worried about her postpartum depression, so we came up with this bet just to cheer her up. Don’t take it to heart.” The corners of my lips twisted into a dry laugh. “In that case, just give me the money.” “Dad, give me fifty million. Julian, give me thirty million. I can keep acting for you guys and play maid for Chloe. How does that sound?” Julian’s face turned livid. “Aria Montgomery, when are you going to stop throwing this tantrum?” I sneered. “It’s just a little bit of pocket money. Don’t tell me the wealthy Vance and Montgomery families of New York can’t even afford this much?” “Enough.” “Since you love money so much, you can have it.” Ethan glanced at me, pulling a document from his drawer. “Chloe has already given birth. My child cannot be a bastard. Sign these divorce papers, and a hundred million will be wired to your account immediately.” Looking at those few thin sheets of paper, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I grabbed the pen and signed my name. The look Ethan gave me suddenly became complicated. “Do you really care about money that much? You weren’t like this before…” Suppressing the knife-like pain in my chest, I squeezed out an indifferent smile. “If I don’t take the money, what else can you give me?” He stared at me, his dark eyes deep and unreadable. “Maybe you could beg me not to divorce you.” “Aria, if you just beg me, I’ll tear this agreement up right now.”

Beg him? I bit my lip so hard it almost bled, remembering the first few months after I discovered his affair with Chloe. I had begged him countless times. I had even slit my wrists just to force him to come home. But my blood pooling on the floor only earned me a cold sentence from him: “Don’t do this next time. Chloe can’t stand the sight of blood.” “And then what?” I looked at him calmly, my voice dripping with irony. “And then you’ll tell me this is just another one of your bets, designed to make me a laughingstock?” I let out a bitter laugh, my throat tight. “Ethan, stop testing me.” “Haven’t you played me enough these past three years?” Something cold rolled down my cheek. The tears I had held back for so long finally spilled over. Ethan instinctively reached out to wipe them away. For a brief second, a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. He sighed. “Chloe had my baby, after all. She’s still young and a bit spoiled. Just let her have her way this once.” “Don’t worry. I’ll keep the position of Mrs. Vance open for you. Marrying Chloe is just to get the baby registered under my name.” He paused, then added as if to reassure himself. “I’ll give you the hundred million. Take the money and travel for a while. Once I handle everything, we’ll remarry.” “You should be satisfied with that, right?” I tilted my face up, smiled, and gave a soft hum. “Then book me a ticket to Switzerland. We promised we would go see the Alpine lakes together.” He let out a sigh of relief and pulled me into a tight embrace. “Okay.” “Go by yourself first. Once things are settled here, I’ll join you.” “Aria, wait for me.” Leaning against his shoulder, I didn’t say another word. But in my heart, I knew I would never wait for him again. Seeing that I had complied, Ethan finally spoke up. “Give me the keys to the villa. You need to move out for a while.” “Chloe is moving in. You know she’s been in a bad mood since the delivery. Pack your things thoroughly. Don’t leave anything behind that might ruin her mood.” “Besides, we’ve lived in that villa for years. It’s getting old anyway. Don’t hold a grudge against her.” He cleared his throat, taking out a set of keys and a property deed from his drawer. “I’ve bought you a new villa in the south of the city. Move your things there first.” I remained silent, but my mind drifted back to when we first bought our old villa. We had designed the layout together, chose the color of the curtains, and picked the paintings for the foyer. We even agreed to reserve two nursery rooms—one in pink, one in blue. He said it was our love nest. He had personally carved a wooden sign to hang at the entrance, naming it Aria’s Haven. But later, he stayed up all night with Chloe in his office while I lost my baby all alone in that empty villa. I smiled, taking the keys and placing them in his hand. “It’s fine.” “New is good.” From now on, everything I owned would be new. Not just the house. After leaving the Vance Group headquarters, I drove to the private sanitarium alone. Over the past three years, I had pushed open the ward doors countless times, crying hysterically as I watched my father and Julian pretend to be patients. But none of them knew that I had met someone else here. I pushed open the door to a quiet room. Sunlight spilled across the windowsill where a young man sat, gazing into the distance. His features were sharp, radiating a cold, rebellious aura. His messy hair fell over his forehead, gilded by the sunlight. If any reporter were here, they would recognize him instantly—the youngest son of the French shipping tycoon, who had been secretly sent to this sanitarium years ago. I spoke softly. “I have the money now. I’m taking you out of here.”

Ethan had no idea that my real destination wasn’t Switzerland. It was France. When I went back to the villa to pack my bags, the maid looked at me with a strange, hesitant expression. I frowned, walked into the living room, and instantly understood why. My belongings were strewn all over the floor in a messy pile. And Chloe was walking down the stairs, wearing a snow-white wedding dress. I bit my lip, staring at her. She lifted the hem of the dress and smirked. “Aria, this is the main gown Ethan personally designed for you back then, right?” “Well, Ethan already promised to give it to me.” “He said that since you’re out of shape now anyway, you can’t fit into it. It’s the dress’s good fortune that I like it.” She spun around, letting the skirt flare out. “Aria, do you think I look good in your dress? Does it fit?” The pristine white gown looked magical under the crystal chandelier. Chloe looked radiant, her face flushed with happiness and arrogance. Years ago, Ethan had stayed up for several nights just to draw the blueprints for this dress. The first time I tried it on, he told me: “Aria, this is a one-of-a-kind gown for the one-of-a-kind girl in my life.” The words were still echoing in my ears, but the man had already changed. Chloe didn’t realize that since I didn’t even want Ethan anymore, why would I care about a meaningless piece of fabric? I gave a calm smile, slowly releasing my clenched fists. “Chloe, did no one ever teach you that you have to pay for taking other people’s things?” “This gown is worth thirty million dollars. I expect that amount wired to my account as soon as possible.” Chloe’s face instantly twisted in anger. “You bitch! You’ve monopolized Ethan and stolen my family for so many years! How dare you demand money!” With that, she raised her hand and lunged forward to slap me. But the gown’s train was far too heavy. I simply stepped aside, and Chloe tripped over the lace, crashing heavily onto the floor. My father and Julian came rushing down the stairs. “Chloe! What happened?” Julian glared at me with pure rage. “Aria! Did you push Chloe again?!” Before I could speak, a heavy slap landed squarely on my face. A burning pain erupted across my cheek. I looked at my father in absolute disbelief. His face was flushed with anger as he barked: “I knew you were bitter and never truly accepted Chloe! But she just gave birth and she’s still weak! How could you lay a hand on her!” Chloe sobbed, playing the victim. “Dad, don’t be mad at Aria. It’s not her fault. Aria said this dress costs thirty million, and I have no right to wear it if I don’t pay her. But I don’t have that kind of money… she didn’t mean to push me.” She looked up with tearful, pitiful eyes. “It’s my fault for not having the money to give her. Dad, Julian… if we give her the money, will she stop being mad at me?” My father let out a harsh scoff, completely enraged. “Chloe, you are too kind! Give money to this ungrateful wretch? In her dreams! I should have known she’d turn out just like her mother—a greedy, money-grubbing bitch!” A sharp pang hit my chest. I clutched my cheek, staring at him. His face was contorted with hatred, spitting insults. The mask of fatherly love he had worn for years was cracking completely. Julian quickly stepped in to hold him back. “Dad, don’t.” A tiny spark of hope flared in my chest. But in the next second, Julian spoke coldly. “If we push her too hard, she might show up and ruin Chloe’s wedding.” “Since she loves money so much, just give it to her. Consider it charity for a beggar.”

He pulled out a black card and threw it at my face with utter disgust. “There’s over thirty million in there. Is that enough?” “Take it and get out. Don’t ever show your face in front of Chloe again.” I stared down at the black card belonging to the Montgomery family. The last thread of connection in my heart snapped. I bent down slowly, picked up the card, and let out a careless laugh. Looking at my scattered, messy luggage, I didn’t even feel like packing anymore. “Since you can afford the price, I’m selling all of this to you.” I stared at him mockingly. “Since you’ve already accepted your new sister and your new family, I won’t stay to eyesore you. From this day forward, I have nothing to do with the Montgomery family!” I grabbed my legal documents from my bag and turned to leave. “Wait—” Chloe called out, her face cold. “Since you said you’re selling everything for thirty million, shouldn’t you leave one more thing behind?” I frowned, not understanding. She sneered. “You’re divorcing Ethan. You shouldn’t be wearing that wedding ring anymore, right?” I looked down at the gold band on my ring finger, suddenly realizing what she meant. This gold ring was the first gift Ethan gave me when we started dating. He had hand-forged the matching couple rings himself, engraving our names inside. He once told me that gold was the most stable element in the world. Just like our love. But we both forgot that gold is also the softest metal. A little bit of external force, and it becomes completely deformed. After ten years of entanglement, the ring had practically grown into my skin. It wouldn’t budge. I tugged at it twice but couldn’t get it off. Frustrated, I grabbed a pair of heavy scissors from the desk and aimed them straight at the metal band. The moment the blades snapped the ring, a sharp shout came from the doorway. “Aria, what are you doing!” The scissors were violently wrenched from my hand, and Ethan pulled me into a desperate embrace. “You’re trying to hurt yourself again, aren’t you—” His voice died in his throat as his eyes fell on the severed ring. He looked completely devastated. “You… you actually cut the ring? Why?” “Ethan, I wanted that ring.” Only then did Ethan notice Chloe standing nearby. Chloe’s expression was incredibly tense, her fingers tightly gripping her skirt. “Aria already sold all her belongings to me for thirty million. Ethan, you made that ring with your own hands. I want to keep it. You don’t mind, do you?” Ethan quickly let go of me, turning to Chloe with a doting smile. “Chloe, that design is outdated. If you like gold, I’ll forge a brand new set for us.” Tears welled in Chloe’s eyes. “But I want you to melt this one down and use it to make my new one.” “You promised me that once our baby was born, you’d give me whatever I wanted.” Ethan fell silent for a long moment before nodding helplessly. “Okay.” I let out a mocking laugh, pulled the broken ring off my finger, threw it onto the floor, and turned to walk away. But Chloe called out to me yet again. “Aria, you just said you want nothing to do with the Montgomery family. In that case, there’s one more thing you need to surrender.” She looked at the men with red, watery eyes. “Dad, Julian, Ethan… I am a daughter of the Montgomery family. I want to legally change my name and return to the family registry.” My father nodded eagerly. “Of course! It’s a joyous occasion. I’ll hire the best consultant to find you a beautiful new name—” But Chloe cut him off. “Dad, I’ve already decided on my future name.” A malicious smile spread across her lips. “I want to be called Aria Montgomery.” “So, Aria, I’m going to need you to legally change your name.” “Ethan, this is my very last request. You’ll make sure it happens, won’t you?” Aria… was the name my late mother gave me. It was her final blessing of love. Ethan knew that. But after a brief struggle, he still opened his mouth. “Aria, just change your name. I’ll compensate you with more money.” I smirked, nodding without hesitation. “Sure. As long as the price is right.” Ethan let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll have my assistant wire you another fifty million immediately.” Very soon, Ethan’s legal team escorted me to the government office to process the name change. Holding my brand new ID, I looked up at the sky and smiled. My name, my identity, my marriage… I had shed everything from my past. From now on, I was truly free. When I arrived at the airport, Ethan called me. “Aria… now that you’ve changed your name, go to the villa in the south of the city. I’ve already had people move your stuff there.” “Chloe is just throwing a childish tantrum. I’ll make her change it back in a few months. Don’t take it personally.” I gave a faint “mm-hmm” and hung up. A message from a real estate agent popped up on my Snapchat. “Aria, the villa has been sold according to your terms. The buyer was thrilled with the low price and paid in full. Check your account to confirm the wire.” I replied to confirm, verified the transfer, popped my SIM card out, and tossed it into the airport trash can. Then, I turned to the young man standing beside me with a smile. “Let’s go. Our gate is boarding.”

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My ex-girlfriend broke up with me but refused to move out right away. She asked to crash at my apartment for a few days until she could find a new place. Thinking about our three years together, I soft-hearted and gave her a temporary smart-lock passcode. But when I got back from my business trip tonight, I couldn’t get in. The screen on the smart lock read: Access Denied. Incorrect Passcode. I pressed the doorbell. Inside, I heard the rustle of slippers, followed by a man’s annoyed voice. “Who the hell is it at this hour? So annoying.” The door opened just a crack, held by the security chain. A strange man was standing there, wearing my bathrobe and my slippers, looking at me with pure disgust. “Oh, so you’re Chloe’s clingy ex?” “Chloe told me about you. You guys broke up already. Isn’t it a bit pathetic to show up here?” For a second, I thought I was hearing things. I had been on a business trip for three days. Now, returning to my own home, a total stranger was blocking my door and calling me pathetic. I pushed the door. He immediately blocked it with his shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing? This is breaking and entering!” I looked him dead in the eye. “Get out of my way.” From inside, Chloe’s voice rang out. “Tyler, who is it?” She walked over to the entryway. The moment she saw me, her face froze. But she quickly masked her guilt. “Ethan? Why are you back so suddenly?” I laughed. “Do I need to RSVP to come back to my own home?” Chloe frowned. “Can you not talk like that? I just haven’t found a suitable apartment yet. Tyler only came over to help me pack.” I looked at the men’s shoes in the hallway, the men’s coat thrown over the sofa, and the unwashed dishes on the table. “He’s helping you pack, so he needed to change my smart lock passcode?” Tyler jumped in immediately. “Your lock? Chloe lives here, and I’m her boyfriend. What’s wrong with me being here?” I ignored him and looked straight at Chloe. “I let you stay because you promised it would be five days max. The rules were clear: no guests, no lock changes, and don’t touch my study.” She avoided my gaze. “Tyler is only staying for one night.” “Then why is he wearing my slippers?” Tyler’s face darkened. “Alright, that’s enough. You’re a grown man. Being this petty over slippers after a breakup? No wonder Chloe dumped you.” I pulled out my phone and called the building manager. “Marcus, someone changed the lock on my apartment. Please come up with security right now.” Tyler sneered. “Stop pretending you own this place.” Chloe whispered, “Ethan, stop making a scene. You’re only making me lose what little respect I had left for you.” Those words were colder than the draft coming from the hallway. Four years of relationship, and in the end, she stood beside a guy she barely knew, painting me as a bitter stalker. The building security and local police arrived almost at the same time. Since I didn’t have the physical deed on me, I showed them my ID and the digital ownership registration on my building’s resident app. But Chloe lied straight to their faces, claiming this was a post-breakup property dispute and that Tyler was just here to help her. Tyler was an even better actor. “Officer, I don’t want to be rude. But he just can’t let her go. He showed up tonight completely out of his mind.” The officers looked at us, then at the time. It was already past 10 PM. They ordered both sides to bring full legal documentation to the precinct the next morning to verify ownership and warned us not to escalate the conflict tonight. Before leaving, I looked at Chloe. “Tomorrow at 10 AM, I’m coming back with the building management. You both better be packed and gone.” Chloe said nothing. Tyler stood inside the doorway, giving me a smug, arrogant smile. “Sure. See you tomorrow.” I turned and stepped into the elevator. Before the doors closed, I saw Chloe shut the door, and Tyler’s hand naturally slid around her waist. At that moment, I didn’t feel sad. I just felt sick. Not long after I checked into a hotel, my phone buzzed. A notification from my smart lock app popped up: Admin permissions updated. New Admin Name: Mr. Tyler.

I didn’t storm back right away. Instead, I got a text from Chloe. She said: “I really just need a few days to transition.” I replied: “Fine, five days max. No guests, no lock changes, and stay out of my study.” She had replied: “Deal.” Every single word now felt like a joke. At 9:50 AM, I stood outside my door with Marcus, the building manager. This time, the door opened quickly. It was Chloe. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she was wearing a black lounge cardigan I had bought for her. Seeing Marcus and the security guard behind me, her expression soured. “Was it really necessary to bring a whole crowd?” I pushed past her and walked inside. Three people were sitting in the dining room. Tyler was leaning back in a chair, casually sipping coffee like he owned the place. An older woman sat at the head of the table, drinking the last bottle of organic milk I had left in the fridge. An older man sat on the sofa watching TV, with two large suitcases resting near his feet. The master bedroom door was wide open, with their clothes scattered all over my bed. The older woman looked up and frowned at me. “So you’re the ex?” Before I could speak, she slammed her fork onto the table. “Young man, have some self-respect. Chloe is about to marry my son. Showing up here to harass her? Aren’t you embarrassed?” I turned to Chloe. “So this is what you meant by Tyler staying for ‘one night’?” Her lips trembled. “His parents… they just came to see the place.” I repeated, “See the place?” Tyler wiped his mouth and slowly stood up. “Yeah. To inspect our future home.” Chloe looked at me, keeping her voice low but loud enough for everyone to hear. “Ethan, please don’t lose your mind in front of Tyler’s parents.” Tyler’s mother chimed in immediately. “My son bought this place for their marriage. Who gave you the right to come in here and throw a tantrum?” Marcus couldn’t hold back anymore. “Ma’am, the building registry lists Mr. Ethan as the sole owner of this condo, not Mr. Tyler.” Tyler’s mother blinked, then let out a harsh laugh. “Your system must be outdated. My son is too busy with work to update the paperwork.” Tyler added, “The title transfer is still processing. You guys from management should mind your own business.” I almost laughed out loud. “Title transfer?” I pulled out my phone and started recording. Chloe immediately reached out to block the camera. “Ethan, what are you doing? There are elders here. Have some manners!” I lowered my phone and stared at her. “Chloe, did you show me any respect when you let them in here?” Her face turned pale. Tyler’s mother kept nagging. “You’re a grown man. Getting dumped and refusing to let go? It’s pathetic.” Tyler’s father hadn’t said a word, but he glared at me with hostile eyes. I didn’t want to waste my breath on them. I turned toward my study to grab the paper copy of my deed from the drawer. But after two steps, I froze. On Tyler’s left wrist was a vintage mechanical watch. It had a silver dial with a tiny scratch on the bezel. It was the watch my dad left me before he passed away. I always kept it in the deepest corner of my study drawer. Now, it was on Tyler’s wrist. My voice went entirely cold. “Take that watch off.”

Tyler looked down at his wrist. He grinned. “This?” He intentionally waved his hand. “It’s my watch. Why should I take it off?” I walked up to him. “The back is engraved with ‘Arthur.’ That’s my dad’s name.” Tyler’s eyes flickered with panic for a split second. But he quickly recovered. “What a coincidence. I bought this vintage watch used, and it already had an engraving. You can’t just claim everything that looks like yours is yours.” Tyler’s mother jumped up. “Are you trying to scam us now? My son can buy whatever he wants. Why would he take your cheap trash?” I looked at Chloe. She knew. She had seen me polish that watch. She knew how much my dad meant to me. I asked her, “Are you going to tell the truth?” Chloe bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears. But when she spoke, she said, “Ethan, don’t drag your dead dad into this. You’re being really toxic right now.” I went numb for a second. Then, a bitter laugh escaped my throat. “My dad’s heirloom is on his wrist, and I’m being toxic?” Tyler stepped in front of me, lowering his voice. “Have you had enough?” I reached out to grab the watch. He grabbed my wrist instantly. His grip was tight and aggressive. “Are you trying to rob me?” I twisted my arm and grabbed him back. “Give it back to me!” Tyler’s mother screamed and lunged forward. “Get your hands off my son!” She shoved me hard. My back slammed into the edge of the dining table. A sharp pain shot up my arm as my elbow cracked against the wood, making my entire left side go numb. Chloe yelled instantly, “Ethan, stop fighting!” I looked up at her. She was standing right behind Tyler, looking at me as if I was the maniac who had broken into their home. Marcus quickly stepped between us. “No violence! There are cameras in this building! We can talk this out!” Tyler shook off my hand and pulled out his phone to call the cops. He was faster than me. “Yes, 911? There’s a man who broke into my apartment. He’s trying to rob me. Yes, it’s my girlfriend’s crazy ex.” Listening to him twist the truth so effortlessly felt surreal. He was using my address to report me for breaking into my own home. I used my backup phone to dial 911 as well. Tyler’s mother was still screaming. “What a nightmare to deal with this loser first thing in the morning. No wonder he has no future.” Tyler’s father finally spoke. “Young man, don’t make this ugly. Leave now, and you can still save some face.” I ignored the pain in my arm and turned on my phone camera again. “Keep talking.” Tyler sneered. “Without proof, stop claiming this is your place. We can sue you for harassment.” I said nothing. The police arrived quickly. It was the same two officers from last night. Tyler immediately greeted them, looking like the perfect, humble victim. “Officers, he barged in with building security today and tried to rob my watch. My elderly parents are terrified.” Tyler’s mother wiped her eyes on cue. “Yes, Officers. We just came to visit our son’s new home, and this man rushed in and started attacking us.” The officer turned to Chloe. “What’s your story?” Chloe kept her head down. After a few tense seconds, she said, “The condo belongs to Tyler. Ethan is my ex. He just… couldn’t accept the breakup.”

The officer demanded both sides provide proof. I said my documents were in the study and on my cloud drive, and that I could log in to show them. But Tyler blocked the study door. “Who knows what he’ll do in there? What if he steals something from my house and blames me?” Tyler’s mother backed him up. “Exactly! Don’t let him in. This is my son’s house. He can’t just rifle through our things!” I stared at the study door. Inside that room were my physical contract, my dad’s photos, and the maintenance receipt for that watch. Now, a stranger was blocking it. I said, “Move.” Tyler crossed his arms. “No.” The officer frowned. “Mr. Tyler, if we need to verify property ownership, blocking access is not helpful.” Tyler immediately played dumb. “Officer, I’m not blocking. I’m just worried he’ll get violent. You saw how he tried to steal my watch.” Tyler’s mother sniffed. “A grown man using his dead father to get sympathy. Who knows what kind of sick mind he has.” My vision went blurry with rage. I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles turned white. Chloe saw this and whispered, “Ethan, just stop.” “Stop what?” I turned to her. “Four years, Chloe. You know who bought this condo. You know whose watch that is. Are you really going to lie with them today?” Her eyes turned red. “I just want to start a new life! Why do you have to make things so difficult for me?” I was completely dumbfounded. “You want to start a new life by taking my apartment?” She went quiet. Tyler pulled a piece of paper from under the table. It was clearly prepared beforehand. He slid it over to me. “Sign this.” I glanced at it. It read: I, Ethan, confirm that I only came here today to retrieve personal items. I acknowledge that I have no claim over this property and promise never to contact or harass Chloe or Tyler again. I felt a wave of nausea. “You guys have some serious nerve.” Tyler shoved a pen into my hand. “Sign it, and we can all move on. You’re a guy. Do you really want to drag this to the precinct and your company? It won’t look good for you.” As he spoke, he grabbed my wrist, trying to force my fingers around the pen. My arm was already bruised from the collision. When he yanked it, a sharp pain shot up, making me break into a cold sweat. “Let go.” Tyler leaned in close to my ear. “Ethan, don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Chloe is mine now. Do you really want her to look down on you forever?” Tyler’s mother urged, “Sign it! Sign it and get out! We’re trying to have breakfast.” Tyler’s father watched silently, not stopping him. Chloe stood beside Tyler, keeping her mouth shut. They surrounded me in the middle of my own living room like a pack of wolves. For the first time, I realized this wasn’t a misunderstanding. They had planned this together. Just as Tyler tried to force my hand down onto the paper, the doorbell rang. A cold, sharp voice came from the door. “Who told him he had to sign that?”

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