In this new life, I avoided Caelus like a plague. When he descended to the mortal realm to temper his soul, I sealed my sanctum to forge my own. When he vowed to repay a debt to a mortal woman, Lois, and settled her in my own aerie for me to tend to, I entered a deep seclusion. When he needed a sacred herb to break through to the next tier of power, I found it first and consumed it myself, without a second thought. In my past life, my mentor and I became bonded partners. But just as I reached for Divinity, he siphoned my very essence, leaving me an empty husk. All so that Lois could form her own Crystalline Core, extending her mortal life so she could remain by his side… 1. After the final ordeal of bone-tempering, I emerged as the first Aegis practitioner to reach the Crystal Tier. When I reported the news to the Grand Master, he was overcome with emotion. “When you abandoned the Blade-Path after mastering only the third form, I thought it was a jest,” he mused. “I never imagined that you, like Caelus, were a prodigy born once a millennium.” Caelus was my senior, my mentor. When I was ten, a Savage Tide consumed my homeland. I was the sole survivor, found amidst the carnage by Caelus, who had come to slay the beasts. From that day on, he became the singular star in my desolate sky. He was elegant and serene, a spirit of profound grace. When he formed his own Core, the heavens themselves took notice. He was a peerless genius in the eyes of all. And I was merely the untalented stray he’d brought back to the mountain out of pity. I offered a faint smile, my voice even. “You flatter me, Grand Master. Caelus is the true prodigy. A common soul like myself could never compare.” I bowed my head slightly. “My only desire is to repay the Empyrean Order and our Master for their grace. My heart has room only for my training.” The Grand Master, pleased by my devotion, gifted me a robe woven from phoenix feathers and dismissed me. 2. In my past life, Caelus and I were bound as partners. But he was always in seclusion for ten days, then on a quest for five. In over five hundred years, the number of times we met could be counted on one hand. I wasted countless hours of my own training managing the Order’s affairs for him, and I gave him all my resources without question. My own talent was limited, so my progress crawled compared to his. By the time I had just formed my Core, he was already on the cusp of the Aetherial Soul tier. Within the Order, he was the golden child, our greatest pride. Beyond it, he was the youngest Soul-tier Blade-Master in history, his reputation soaring toward legend. They all said I wasn’t worthy of him, that snagging a man of his stature was the blessing of a dozen lifetimes. I wanted to prove I deserved to stand by his side. I wanted to help him. So I trained, pushing myself to the breaking point. When the moment of my ascension to Divinity finally arrived, he stole my power, draining my very aether to forge a Crystalline Core for Lois. “Elara,” he had said, his voice calm, “you will only fall back to the Adept tier. You can train again.” “Lois’s mortal life is nearing its end. If she cannot form a Core, she will perish.” “Lyra cannot be without a mother. This is a debt I owe her. I am sorry.” Caelus, was I not good enough to you? When you needed a beast’s core, I fought a creature tiers above me and was nearly crushed to a pulp. When you were ambushed by demonkin, I threw myself before you as your shield, my left arm crippled in the process. When you lay dying from your wounds, I used my own blood as the catalyst for your elixirs, nearly dying myself time and again. You saved my life, but I saved yours, too! How much did I have to repay before the slate was clean? Why was her debt a price I had to pay? Lois’s child could not be without a mother. Then what of the child I carried for you? I clutched my stomach. The bitterness, the rage… it was all useless. As my life force dissipated and the divine lightning struck me down, I saw Lois successfully form her Core. Caelus held her and their child in his arms, a perfect family. In that final moment, a single thought consumed me. The debt is paid. If I were granted another life, our paths would never cross again. Thank the heavens, in this life, we were not yet bound. There was still time. 3. Because Caelus had brought me to the Order, my first sanctum had been assigned to the Azure Aerie, the peak closest to his. I followed the map of my memories, calculating the days. On the stone wall, I carved a tally mark for each day that passed, a single line, grouped in fives. The day of our wedding in my past life would be the day of my departure in this one. This time, I had to reach the Aetherial Soul tier as soon as possible. 4. I prepared a feast for one, a small ritual to remember the taste of the mortal world. Before I could take a single bite, Caelus returned. He was holding Lois’s hand, with their daughter, Lyra, in his other arm. They looked like a picture-perfect family. Lois was lovely, with crimson lips and a delicate face framed by large, soulful eyes that were both innocent and alluring. Three years ago, Caelus had descended to the mortal realm for a trial and met with disaster. The story was that Lois and her husband had saved him, but her husband had died in the process. Vowing to repay his debt, Caelus brought the mother and daughter back to the Order. But he was often away, leaving them in my care. If they so much as sneezed, Caelus would accuse me of not being attentive enough. But the Order was not the mortal world; the mere difference in day and night temperatures was enough to make them ill. How could they not fall sick? Once we reached the Crystal tier, we could go months without eating. The only reason I had cooked daily in his sanctum was for them. Lois, showing no restraint in my presence, took my seat and filled two bowls with rice. One for Lyra, one for Caelus. “Brother Caelus,” she said softly, “I know you Ascendants can go without food, but Lyra misses you so much. Won’t you eat with her, just this once?” A warm smile graced Caelus’s face as he sat. “Elara, the soup.” He ordered me around as he always did. I didn’t look up, my gaze remaining fixed on them. When I didn’t move, his brow furrowed, and he was about to scold me when Lyra suddenly burst into tears. “It’s spicy! Mommy, it’s so spicy!” Lyra couldn’t handle spicy food. She stuck out her tongue, her small face turning beet red. Lois quickly poured her some water. But Lyra spat it out. “It’s so bitter!” Only then did they notice that every dish was laden with hot peppers, and the tea was a bitter medicinal brew. Lois’s eyes instantly welled with tears. “Sister, you knew Lyra can’t eat spicy food and hates bitter things. Are you trying to tell us we’re not welcome? Did you do this on purpose?” Caelus’s face darkened. I scoffed. “You may not like it, but I do. Did I invite you?” I added coolly, “Besides, you’re her mother, so concerned with your own meal you don’t even check your daughter’s. I’m an outsider; I wouldn’t dare meddle.” Lois eventually left in a storm of sobs. When Caelus returned after settling her down, night had already fallen. I was in meditation, circulating my aether, and ignored him. An hour later, I realized he was still there. Annoyed, I opened my eyes. “Do you require something, Senior?” “Elara, you’ve changed.” He sounded displeased as he explained, yet again, “Lois’s family sacrificed so much to save me. Before her husband died, he made me promise to look after them. I cannot be a man who breaks his word.” I said nothing. He continued, “The Order’s dining hall is crowded and the food is… coarse. The meals you prepare are the only thing I trust.” Crowded and coarse was just an excuse. He was afraid of being accused of favoritism, and he was afraid of wounding Lois’s fragile pride. To spare her feelings, he had turned me into his servant. When he was here, I served all three of them. When he was away, I cooked for them alone. I remained silent, overcome with shame. The me from my past life was truly pathetic. Caelus continued, taking my silence for agreement. “I’m leaving for a trial in ten days. It will be inconvenient for Lois to travel back and forth with a child. I plan to settle them here with you. It will be easier for you to care for them.” I smiled. Lois had been here for three years, consuming countless resources, yet she was still stuck at the first level of the Foundation stage. She couldn’t even command a blade-flight. Of course it was inconvenient. I didn’t respond. Caelus, mistaking my silence for assent, actually smiled. “Then it’s settled. Tidy up tomorrow and let them move in.” I neither agreed nor disagreed. Because I knew that even if I objected, they would come anyway. Out of sight, out of mind. By dawn, the doors to my training chamber were sealed. I would not be disturbed. 5. When I next emerged from seclusion, I heard movement outside my sanctum. I recognized Caelus’s presence. “Senior, it is hardly appropriate for you to be lurking outside my door so late at night.” There was a moment of silence before Caelus pushed the door open. A flicker of astonishment crossed his face. “You’ve broken through again?” “A minor stage. It’s nothing to speak of.” I was still a long way from the Aetherial Soul tier. I couldn’t afford to relax for a second. Only at that tier would I be permitted to leave the Order for good. Caelus was silent for a moment before speaking. “You abandoned the Blade-Path for the Path of the Aegis without a word. I suppose I can’t fault you for it. But you promised to care for Lois, and then you suddenly went into seclusion. What is she to think?” His voice rose, losing its usual composure. “Anyone can see you did it to avoid caring for her! Do you have any idea how much you’ve hurt her? She’s done nothing but weep for days.” He rarely lost control of his emotions. Once was when he brought Lois back and knelt before the Grand Master, begging for her to be allowed to join the Order. The other time was now. Both times, it was because of Lois. My voice was utterly devoid of emotion. “Then what would you have me do, Senior?” “Apologize to her, and we’ll let the matter drop.” I couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. “We of the Order should be concerned with the fate of the world, with our own ascension. If Mistress Lois desires the treatment of a lady of the house, you can spend your spirit stones to hire attendants. I’m sure many would be willing to serve her tea. But I am not one of them.” My voice hardened. “Nothing, and no one, will stand in the way of my training.” “You—!” Caelus started to rebuke me, but the words died on his lips. He fell silent for a long moment before saying, “Once I obtain the Voidbloom, we will be wed. We can set a date then.” He left without another word. He’d said the same thing in my past life. To be with him, I had stormed the lair of a Void Serpent, barely escaping with my life to pluck the Voidbloom that allowed him to survive his tribulation. I never knew if it was intentional or not. Every time, he would mention something he needed. And every time I returned, battered and bleeding, with the item in hand, he would say, “If your cultivation is lacking, then train. Who asked you to do these useless things?” He would scold me, but he always used what I brought him. Pushing the memories aside, I thought of the wedding. Ever since he’d found me, I had followed him like a shadow. A century ago, our Master, the foremost Blade-Master of his generation, left to guard the Wyrmgate Pass, entrusting the Order’s affairs to Caelus. He had even said that he would return for our wedding. Even those in the Order who disapproved could only acquiesce. But now, there was no chance I would marry him. This life was my own. 7. The next day, I journeyed alone to the Void Serpent’s lair. In my past life, I had come here before forming my Core. The serpent, a full tier of power above me, had torn my hand to ribbons and shattered my leg. I nearly died in its belly. Only by unleashing a sliver of blade-intent left to me by our Master did I survive. This time, I was its equal in power, and with the phoenix robe to aid me, I dispatched the beast quickly. After taking its core and the Voidbloom, I set up a protective ward around the cave and consumed the sacred herb. The Aetherial Soul tier was getting closer.

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Reborn into a horror game as a bride-to-be, I faced two stunning gothic suitors. I pointed at the black-clad youth. 【OMG! Not him! He dismembers brides!】 Switching to the white-robed one: 【Worse! Vampire who drains you in one night!】 The chat scrolled: 【Look outside! That stable boy’s your real soulmate!】 I smiled at the ordinary boy. Did they really think I’d fall for this again? 1. A few years ago, the Haunting descended upon the world. Every youth, upon their eighteenth birthday, was forcibly dragged into a horror game. Today happened to be my adoptive sister’s eighteenth birthday. To ensure Lila survived, my family had spared no expense. They’d spent a fortune on priceless artifacts and even joined her in the game instance to protect her. They dragged me along, too. Under the guise of “helping” her with my “experience.” What a fucking joke. On my eighteenth birthday, my family had conveniently booked a last-minute vacation, leaving me to fend for myself. In my last life, I saw those same comments in the chat. I believed them. I chose the unremarkable stable boy outside the window. But he wasn’t the main character. He was just a random NPC. My choice sent the final boss into an uncontrollable rage. The game switched to Nightmare Mode, allowing the boss to kill without restriction. When the rage peaked, the entire instance would collapse. The mission objective updated: Calm the enraged boss to prevent the instance from collapsing. I don’t need to tell you how horrifically I died. The cause of death listed more than a dozen different things. Meanwhile, Lila, armed with her family-funded artifacts, stepped forward and offered to marry the boss in my place. After burning through a trove of priceless items, she successfully calmed the enraged boss. My family cleared the instance without a scratch. Lila, as the hero of the hour, received an SSS+ rating and the instance’s special reward. Only then did I understand. Why was I the bride-to-be? It was all a setup, a stepping stone for Lila. She had deliberately used an artifact to post fake comments, tricking me into making the wrong choice and enraging the boss. Her goal was to get her hands on the instance’s unique special reward: 【The Instance’s Blessing – Oh dear, are players feeling dizzy, panicky, and terrified the moment they enter an instance? With my blessing, your next run will be nothing but a pleasant trip~ All damage (physical and mental) is completely nullified. You will be the ghouls’ most precious god; you’ll be so untouchable, you could ride them like ponies and… well, you get the idea. Tee-hee, being mean isn’t nice~ PS: This is a single-use consumable item.】 To get their precious adoptive daughter this game-breaking artifact, my family didn’t hesitate to sacrifice me, their actual, biological daughter. The irony was laughable. 2. Seeing me stand frozen, Lila gave me a subtle nudge. “Sera, why haven’t you chosen yet? The timer’s running out!” she whispered urgently. “Oh, by the way, I heard some intel before we came in. This is a death trap. You can’t pick either of them.” She glanced around theatrically, her eyes finally landing on the stable boy. “Sera, do you think… maybe it’s one of those guys outside? They don’t look like normal NPCs. Maybe one of them is the right choice.” The chat feed erupted in agreement with Lila. 【Yes, yes! The heroine’s sister is so smart!】 【Haha, the main character just has that charm. You can spot him even when he’s disguised as an NPC.】 【Why isn’t the heroine moving? Is she stupid? Listen to your sister!】 【He’s your true love! He’ll carry you through all the future instances!】 I curled my lip, fanning myself languidly with a black lace fan. “Dearest sister, I’m not so sure you’re right. The system very clearly told me to choose between these two handsome gentlemen.” I paused, my gaze sweeping over the boy outside. “That stable boy… he seems rather plain to me, from every angle.” I made a show of pointing toward the youth in white. Lila nearly jumped out of her skin, rushing to my ear to dissuade me. I then shifted my finger toward the youth in black. This time, she almost screamed, breaking into a cold sweat. Her voice, no longer a whisper, grew loud with panic. “No! That NPC is a demented serial killer!” Ah. So, picking the one in black was the better option. He was most likely the boss. I hid my face behind my fan, offering a shy smile. “I choose you… to be my husband.” The black-clad youth’s lips curved into a smile. He took my hand, pressing a gentle kiss to my knuckles. His silver hair drifted in the night breeze. “Tonight, at midnight, my carriage will come for you. We will celebrate our union then, my lady.” The youth in white lowered his gaze, his long lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. “It seems she prefers you after all, brother.” And with that, he vanished in a flicker of movement. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I had survived. Lila was furious, stomping her foot. “Seraphina, are you insane?! Do you have a death wish? Tell the system you want to change your husband! Now!” The chat was also exploding with insults, calling me an idiot. I looked at Lila, a slow, predatory smile spreading across my face. This was a role-playing instance. I was the bride-to-be, and Lila was my handmaiden, ‘Lia.’ One of the dozen causes of my death last time was: Severe OOC (Out of Character). Role-play failed. My current identity was the most beloved daughter of a powerful Lord, coddled and spoiled since birth. How could a lady of my station marry a stable boy? And more importantly, how could she ever allow her personal handmaiden to order her around? I raised my hand and brought it down, hard, across Lila’s face. “Insolence! How dare a common servant speak to me with such disrespect?” I snapped, my voice dripping with disdain. “It seems my leniency has made you forget your place!” Lila stared at me, stunned. “Seraphina! You… you hit me?!” she shrieked. “Just wait until I tell Mom and Dad!” SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! A few more sharp slaps, and Lila’s face swelled up like a pufferfish. “You dare defy your mistress? Kneel!” Lila gritted her teeth, her eyes burning with hatred. “Seraphina!” SLAP! “Se—” SLAP! “You worthless thing. Guards!” Two seconds later, two matrons appeared in the doorway. Their faces were polished, grinning skulls. “Oh, dear heavens, Lia, did you upset the Young Mistress again?” one rasped. “The Head Steward warned us. If you stepped out of line again, he would have to teach you a lesson himself,” the other added, her jaw clacking. The moment they entered, the color drained from Lila’s face. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor with a thud. “No, please…” The matrons paid her no mind, grabbing her arms and dragging her out. The door swung open. The Head Steward stood silently at the end of the hall. As Lila was dragged closer, his grin stretched wider and wider. “Mi-Mistress, I was wrong! Please, spare me!” Lila cried, her voice trembling. I waved a dismissive hand. “Let her go. We’ll let it slide this time.” The skeletal matron chuckled. “Young Mistress, you mustn’t be so soft on this wench. She must be punished.” Panic flashed in Lila’s eyes. She bit her lip and, through her tears, used one of her artifact cards. The matrons froze in place, only returning to their senses a moment later. “See that you remember your place, Lia! The next time you transgress, it won’t be a simple punishment!” I clicked my tongue. Tsk, tsk. Lila’s artifacts really were top-notch. After the matrons left, she glared at me, seething with a rage she didn’t dare voice. A few minutes later, the system’s voice echoed from the sky. 【Act One: Complete! Players will now have a fifteen-minute rest period.】 【During this time, players cannot harm one another. Violators will be terminated.】 A summary screen appeared before me. 【Act One – Seraphina’s Role-Playing Score: 30 Points. Rank: A.】 【A very good score! An A-rank unlocks a small character bio. Keep up the good work!】 【You are the cherished firstborn daughter of the Lord of the Manor. Raised in the lap of luxury, you are known for your proud and domineering personality, but beneath it all, you have a soft heart. You and the young heir, Kaelan (the youth in black), are childhood sweethearts who secretly harbor deep feelings for one another. He has sworn to marry you. PS: You are never proud or domineering in front of him.】 【Tee-hee, good thing you didn’t pick the youth in white! You wouldn’t have died, but the instance’s difficulty would have increased~】 I patted my chest in relief. So, picking the white-clad youth wouldn’t have caused a total collapse. Good to know. 3. Lila and I were transported to the Nexus, the central player hub. My parents and my brother, Damian, rushed over to Lila, hugging her tightly. When they saw her swollen face, they looked as if their hearts were breaking. Damian immediately rounded on me. “How could you let this happen to Lila? And you call yourself her sister!” he snarled. “Did you think this was a fucking vacation? Useless.” At his words, Lila burst into tears. “Mom, Dad, brother… sniff… it was Sera… she’s the one who hit me!” “Seraphina! How dare you!” Damian raised his hand to strike me. I stepped back, my voice cold. “Don’t forget what the system said.” I leveled a glare at him. “Besides, this is a role-playing instance. Lila was my handmaiden, and she was screaming orders at me. Is that my fault?” I let out a bitter laugh. “It’s clear the only daughter you care about is Lila. In that case, you don’t have to acknowledge me at all.” Damian reluctantly lowered his hand, his jaw tight with fury. My parents exchanged a look before turning to me with forced smiles. “It was our fault, Sera. We didn’t ask for the full story. But you still shouldn’t have hit your sister.” They fussed over Lila, their concern palpable, and quickly used a high-grade healing card on her face. I held out my hand to them. “And what about me? You all screamed at me, and Damian nearly hit me. Where’s my compensation?” Damian looked like he was about to explode again, but my mother held him back, shaking her head slightly. She then handed me two of the lowest-grade pain-numbing cards. “Sera, dear, we don’t have many cards left. This is all we have. Take them.” … Besides the five of us, there were seven other players in the Nexus. A 12-person instance. The difficulty wasn’t too high, which made sense for a first-timer’s run. When the others heard I was the bride-to-be, their eyes filled with envy. “Wow, you’re so lucky. As long as you don’t do anything stupid, you’re basically guaranteed to survive.” “The bride-to-be… that’s like a one-in-a-million role to draw.” “Right? Not like me. I’m a fucking brothel madam. I have to deal with clients and the girls. It’s exhausting.” “Heh, you think that’s bad? I’m a beggar… my first mission was to eat garbage to gain a noble’s pity. I fucking puked my guts out!” Damn. That was truly awful. My parents, it turned out, were the parents of the youth in white—another role that was safe as long as they didn’t court death. Hearing this made me even more relieved I hadn’t chosen him; I can only imagine how those two would have tormented me. Damian was my brother. That’s right, the bastard son of my father, the Lord of the Manor. My half-brother. The more the other players heard, the more jealous they became. “Your family is incredibly lucky. Those are all such difficult roles to get.” I scoffed. This wasn’t luck. This was a superpower bought with money. Only Lila was biting her lip in frustration, probably regretting her decision to give the bride-to-be role to me. The system announced two minutes of rest time remaining. After a quick exchange of information, the other players dispersed. Only the five of us remained. My family surrounded me, their faces etched with concern. My father grabbed my hand. “Sera, you chose the youth in black?” “Oh, honey, that was the wrong choice! Why didn’t you listen to Lila? It’s a trap!” my mother chimed in. “This instance might seem simple, but it’s full of pitfalls. And that choice is the biggest one!” “Listen to us. When you see the heir again, you tell him you made a mistake. Tell him you want to marry the stable boy outside.” “The heir loves you so much, he’ll surely agree,” my mother cooed, wiping away a non-existent tear. “You’re both my precious babies. I can’t bear to lose you.” A crocodile feigning grief. I gave them a few noncommittal answers and returned to the Manor. The matrons were waiting to help me with my hair and makeup. My game-mother, the Lady of the Manor, was the one to style my hair herself. As she worked, she wept. “Oh, Sera… if that Kaelan boy dares to bully you, you tell me! I’ll go and teach him a lesson!” she sobbed. “You’re my only daughter… boohoo…” Her tears fell like rain. I sighed. My game-mother was a better parent than my real ones. I turned and hugged her, my tone light. “Don’t worry, Mother. You’ve watched Kaelan grow up. He loves me too much to ever hurt me.” She slipped a magnificent emerald green bracelet from her wrist and slid it onto mine. The moment I touched it, I almost laughed out loud. Forget its monetary value; just from the feel of it, I could tell it was an instance artifact. Brilliant. This was a damn good role to have. Once I was ready, all that was left was to wait for the carriage. But I hadn’t expected Damian to be so impatient. He came directly to my courtyard. Smarter than Lila, he at least paid his respects to the Lady of the Manor first. My game-mother’s face darkened the moment she saw him. “Are you here to give your sister a wedding gift?” Damian paused, then bowed. “Mother, could you grant me a moment? I wish to speak with my sister alone.” Her eyebrows shot up. “Insolence! Your sister is getting married today. Not only do you come empty-handed, but you wish to be alone with her? What do you have to discuss?” Her voice turned to ice. “Get out. I won’t repeat myself.” Damian gritted his teeth and pulled a small box from his sleeve. “Sister, this is a wedding gift for you. It’s not much, but please accept it.” I took the box and opened it a crack. A wide smile spread across my face. It was an artifact card. A high-tier defensive one, capable of creating a protective shield. He was really willing to pay a high price just to speak with me. The Lady’s expression softened. She sat back in her chair and picked up her teacup. “If you have something to say, say it. Don’t dawdle.” After waiting a moment, Damian realized she had no intention of leaving. He closed his eyes, leaned in, and whispered, “Sera, I’m your real brother. I would never hurt you. Mom and Dad used an artifact to learn some of the plot. You have to tell Kaelan when he comes to get you.” I tilted my head. “Tell him what?” “That you’re not marrying him! That you’re marrying the stable boy!” I admired my freshly painted nails, a small smile playing on my lips. “Brother, are you suggesting that I, the daughter of a Lord, should marry a common servant who cleans the stables?” My voice wasn’t particularly quiet. It carried perfectly to my game-mother’s ears. 4. Before I could even blink, a gust of wind tore through the room. With a deafening BOOM, Damian was sent flying dozens of meters away. If it weren’t for the protective artifacts he was wearing, he would have been a dead man. My game-mother’s hair whipped around her, her entire body radiating a terrifying black aura. “Damian! What you just said… SAY! IT! AGAIN!” Damian, completely stunned, lay on the ground, twitching and coughing up blood. “Mother… I didn’t… I was just telling my sister to… to marry him without worry.” In an instant, she was beside him, her foot raised to stomp down. The sheer force behind the impending blow was immense; Damian’s protective artifacts probably wouldn’t have been enough to save him. I remembered my character’s description. Proud and domineering, but with a soft heart. Judging by the Lady’s reaction, her relationship with Damian in the game wasn’t entirely hostile. At the critical moment, I rose slowly and spoke, my voice calm. “Mother, let it go. My brother didn’t mean any harm.” I forced a smile. “Today is my wedding day. We should be happy.” The Lady snorted. When she turned back to me, her expression had softened back to its usual maternal warmth. “Damian, there will not be a next time.” “Yes, yes, Mother,” he stammered, scrambling to his feet and scurrying away like a frightened rat. A few minutes later, a soft, clear ringing of bells filled the air. A phantom fragrance of night-blooming flowers accompanied the sound, and then, Kaelan’s figure materialized from the shadows. A carriage, black as polished jet and etched with dark gold filigree, floated silently behind him. He had come for his bride. He slowly extended his hand to me, his dark eyes intense. “My lady, I’ve come for you.” The moment I stepped into the carriage, the system issued a new mission. 【Since this is a role-playing instance, you must commit to your role.~】 【Spend the wedding night with your new husband.~】 Wait, what? Spend the night? Was this the kind of ‘spending the night’ I was thinking of? I swallowed hard. Not because I was lusting after him, of course. I was just… a little thirsty. He was that handsome. Would it really be a loss to sleep with him? Not only would it not be a loss, but I could even brag about it when I got out. I, Seraphina, have slept with a ghoul from a horror game. Have you? Heh. Just as my mind was drifting into fantasy, the system continued. 【Player, please be advised! This role-playing segment is extremely important and will determine your life or death.】 【Shhh, don’t let Kaelan find out you’re an imposter Seraphina.】 【PS: ‘Spending the night together’ doesn’t necessarily mean… well, you know. Please choose the action that best fits your character’s personality. (But then again, maybe it does! Tee-hee~)】 Hold on! Didn’t it say my role was safe as long as I didn’t do anything stupid? What was this about a life-or-death choice?! I pulled up the character bio for the Lord’s daughter, reading it over and over. Besides the tidbit I’d unlocked in Act One, there was nothing. Not a single detail about their daily interactions. How the hell was I supposed to choose? System, are you messing with me?! The pink bubbles in my brain popped, one by one. All I could do was hope this act would end soon and give me more clues. After about fifteen minutes, the carriage came to a halt. Kaelan reached in and helped me out. I held my fan high, my steps graceful, every movement exuding an air of noble dignity. But something was wrong. The courtyard, which had been bustling with noise just moments before, fell silent the instant I set foot inside. A chilling aura seemed to press in on me from all sides. I couldn’t resist a peek from behind my fan. What I saw nearly made my heart stop. The guests seated at the tables weren’t people. They were mannequins… no, more like life-sized puppets. They all turned their heads in unison to face me. With every step I took, their heads stretched forward on impossibly long necks. The puppet closest to me was nearly touching my face, even though its body was still seated firmly at its table! My vision went black, my legs turned to jelly. A low chuckle echoed in my ear, and I fell into a warm, strong embrace. The next instant, the puppet in front of me shattered into a thousand splinters with a deafening CRACK. “Continue, if you wish to die,” a cold voice promised. In a heartbeat, the courtyard was filled with noise and life again. I looked again, and the puppets were gone, replaced by living, breathing people. “Congratulations to the Young Lord on marrying his true love!” they cheered.

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On my eighteenth birthday, my mother trekked over two mountains just to buy me a cake. It was the first time I had ever seen a birthday cake. I fought back the urge to drool and, in the flickering candlelight, silently made a wish. I wished that, when I woke up, I would have a life free from worry about food or shelter, a life where I could focus solely on my studies, get into a top university like Harvard or Yale, and finally make something of myself. That night, I slept more soundly than I ever had before. When I awoke, I discovered I was thirty-two years old. My husband was handsome and charming, my son clever and adorable. Except, neither of them loved me. When I realized this, I didn’t even feel a pang of sadness. After all, the eighteen-year-old me was relentlessly ambitious. How could I possibly love them? 1 After finding my ID and phone, and confirming in the shortest time possible that I had indeed woken up on the day after my thirty-second birthday, I fell apart. Wait a minute. Wasn’t my eighteenth-birthday wish for a life where I could study without distractions and get into an Ivy League school? Thirty-two… I was well past my prime for college applications! Just as this reality sent my brain into a tailspin, a voice came from the doorway. “I bet Mom’s going to say I can’t go to Aunt Corinne’s again today. Dad, I really don’t want to do my homework at home. Can you make up an excuse and take me out? I want to do my homework at Starbucks with Aunt Corinne!” The child’s voice was dripping with disdain. The “Mom” he was talking about… was that me? I took a minute to absorb the shock, but I quickly regained my composure. Right. I was thirty-two, after all. Having a son was normal. Having a husband was normal. At least I got to have a kid without the pain of childbirth. That was a plus. Just as I was trying to accept all of this, a boy suddenly burst into the room. His handsome face, a carbon copy of his father’s, twisted into a look of disgust the moment he saw me. “Didn’t you say you were sick? Looks like you were lying to Dad and me again!” My mouth fell open, about to offer an explanation. But then, Paul, his face a dark cloud, followed him in. “Yesterday, you said it was your birthday, so our son skipped his group project to come home early. And what did you do? Complained of a headache and nausea, sulking all night. Was it because Corinne Jensen was his project advisor? I told you, she’s just his teacher. Why are you always so paranoid?” It sounded like I’d thrown a tantrum yesterday. Because of a teacher named Corinne Jensen? I had no idea why my thirty-two-year-old self would do that, but right now, I was speechless. All things considered, I decided on the path of least resistance. “I’m sorry. No matter what, yesterday was my fault.” My son’s eyes widened. Paul stared at me, his face a mixture of surprise that quickly curdled into disgust and suspicion. “What new game are you playing now?” “Forget it, Dad,” my son, Evan, said, tugging on Paul’s hand. “Ms. Jensen is already waiting for us. Let’s just go.” It was clear that, compared to an apology from his mother, he was far more interested in this so-called Ms. Jensen. But thankfully, I had no memory of him, so I didn’t feel hurt. 2 My appearance may have aged, but inside, I was still eighteen. I went online and looked up my academic records. To my delight, I discovered I had a bachelor’s degree, but there were still plenty of options if I wanted to continue my education. With enough self-study, I could even apply for a master’s program at Harvard or Yale. The thought thrilled me. Who said high school was your only chance to change your life? Thirty-two was a perfectly good age to go to grad school! More importantly, when I went to the bank to check my account balance, I was so happy I could have cried. The eighteen-year-old me had never seen so much money! My checking account alone had over a hundred thousand dollars. That didn’t even include the three hundred thousand in investments, half a million in stocks, and over eight hundred thousand in options and funds. I did a quick mental calculation and felt so blissful I nearly fainted. I couldn’t imagine what my thirty-two-year-old self had to be unhappy about. If there was one thing, it had to be this: my education wasn’t high enough, and I didn’t have enough money! “I told you, Paul is a total scumbag! He’s not worth you dying over! Do you get it?” The moment I stepped out of the bank, I was ambushed by my best and only friend. She dragged me to a nearby café and launched into a lecture. Only then did I learn that I hadn’t been “faking sick” yesterday. “That Corinne Jensen is a total witch. She gives Evan special treatment, brings him snacks and toys every day to bribe him. Evan used to be in the top three of his class, and now he’s dropped to thirtieth.” “You’re always pushing him to study hard. He used to just swallow his anger, but now, with Paul encouraging him and Corinne leading him astray, he’ll be lucky to even get into a state college next year.” “You’ve been losing sleep over this, and what do they do? The two of them take Ms. Jensen night-fishing. That’s what sent you to the hospital! You came home last night after getting an IV, hoping to celebrate your birthday with them, and they just tore into you… You didn’t reply to my texts all night. I thought you’d done something stupid… You scared me to death.” “Night-fishing? My ass! She was fishing for a man in the woods!” Pfft— I couldn’t help it. I nearly sprayed the coffee I’d just sipped. “Maybe… they really were just fishing.” My friend stared at me, her eyes wide, and reached out to feel my forehead. “Girl, what is wrong with you? Do you have a fever? Have you forgotten all those disgusting texts and pictures she sent you?” I froze. Following her instructions, I found the vile messages on my phone. I was stunned. But I didn’t feel a shred of sadness. My reaction was so detached that my friend insisted on taking me to a doctor. Finally, I had no choice but to come clean. “Um… actually… I…” “What? You’ve forgotten everything after you turned eighteen?” I had just learned that my best friend’s name was Stella Luna, and that we’d met in college and had been inseparable ever since. She was even my maid of honor. I felt terrible for having forgotten her. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to forget you. But I feel so comfortable with you, like I can tell you anything. You feel closer than my own husband.” Perhaps that soothed her, because she took a breath and sat back down. “That’s more like it. And considering that besides meeting me, nothing good has happened to you in the last fourteen years, forgetting it all is probably for the best. Nothing important was lost.” I nodded vigorously. “And I just looked at some graduate school practice exams online, and it feels like all my college knowledge is still in my head… It’s like my brain is full of nothing but knowledge now. Stella, I want to take this chance to go to grad school, right now!” “But… Corinne Jensen is circling Paul like a vulture. If you go off to study now, aren’t you just handing him and Evan over to her on a silver platter?” Stella watched my face, worried this was just a fleeting whim. But I just smiled. “Right now, Paul and Evan are just two strangers to me. I don’t care who they’re with or what they do. Honestly, Stella, all I can think about is one thing: I want to go to grad school. I want to go to an Ivy League school on the East Coast. And I just checked my bank account. If I’m careful with my money, I can buy a small place in Boston or New Haven and live comfortably for the rest of my life. Why would I waste it here?” Stella looked like she was about to cry. She gripped my hand, her voice thick with emotion. “Oh, my god… you really… I’m so happy for you! I have to say, this amnesia is the best thing that’s ever happened to you!” 3 After coffee, Stella went with me to a law firm to draft a divorce agreement. I had no idea if Paul would sign it, but I figured there was no harm in trying. Then, we went shopping for a couple of new outfits before I headed home. As I reached the front door, I heard laughter from inside. “Aunt Corinne, you’re amazing!” “Evan, this game is super easy. I’ll teach you. If you use your special move right here, no one can hit you!” “Whoa! That’s awesome! Aunt Corinne, you should just stay and be my mom. I want to play games with you every day!” Evan’s voice reached my ears, and even though I had no memory of him, my heart gave a sharp, painful twist. It was a visceral, instinctual reaction. It seemed I couldn’t completely sever the bond with the child who had come from my own body. But thankfully, I had lost all my memories. The pang of pain was fleeting. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The laughter in the room died instantly. “What are you doing back?” Evan glared at me, his eyes not those of a son looking at his mother, but of someone looking at an enemy. I smiled. “This is my house. Why shouldn’t I be here?” Corinne Jensen quickly stood up, trying to smooth things over. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. White. Evan just asked me to come over and play with him for a little while. I’ll leave right now.” She grabbed her bag and made to leave, but she’d only taken a few steps when a voice came from behind me. “Corinne? What are you doing with your bag?” Paul walked in, carrying a high-end takeout container from a Japanese restaurant. “I got that sashimi you love from that place downtown. Let’s all have dinner together.” Paul’s voice and expression were so gentle, a world away from the man in our wedding photos. It seemed I was the one who was out of place. I picked up my own shopping bags and turned to go upstairs, but Corinne suddenly rushed forward, grabbed my hand, and dropped to her knees in front of me with a thud. “Mrs. White, I don’t mean anything by it, please don’t misunderstand. I was just playing a game with Evan… Please don’t report me. I already transferred you the money you asked for last time. I’ve taken out all the payday loans I can. I really don’t have any more money… If you don’t like me, I’ll disappear right now. I promise… I’ll never appear in front of Paul or Evan again.” 4 “Mia Matlin! What did you do to Corinne?” Paul’s voice was practically a growl. He set the sashimi container aside, but before he could say another word, there was another thud. Evan had charged at me, knocking me to the ground. “Bad mommy! Why are you trying to kick Aunt Corinne out? And you took money from her? You’re a bad person! I don’t want you to be my mommy anymore! I want Aunt Corinne to be my mommy!” If I hadn’t lost my memory, this would probably be a heart-wrenching moment. Thankfully, I had. I didn’t even know if what Corinne had said was true or not, but as Evan knocked me over, the smile I saw on her face was very, very real. My gut told me her story was a complete fabrication. But it was clear this father-son duo had no interest in hearing my side of the story. Not that I had a side to tell, with my memory gone. So I might as well… play along. I calmly got to my feet, picked up the new handbag I’d just bought, and brushed the invisible dust from my clothes. I walked over to Corinne. “I don’t care how many loans you’ve taken out. The pathetic amount you gave me last time was barely enough to cover a snack. Since you’re telling everyone I took your money, you might as well prepare a bit more this time. How does two hundred thousand sound? My husband is willing to pay for you, after all. You two love playing happy family? Go ahead. As long as the money’s right, I can turn a blind eye. Otherwise, a teacher with no morals, destroying a student’s family… if word of that gets out, your reputation…” I reached out and gently brushed a finger across Corinne’s perfectly made-up face, letting out a soft laugh. “…might be ruined forever!” With that, I turned on my six-centimeter heels and, humming a little tune, walked up the stairs, leaving Paul and Evan staring in disbelief, and a pale, stunned Corinne kneeling on the floor, unable to process what had just happened. 5 After a shower, I settled in to work on the practice exams I’d downloaded. I was from a remote mountain village, and since I wasn’t a natural genius, I had to make up for it with hard work. I’d chosen liberal arts and majored in foreign languages in college. According to my records, I had majored in English and minored in Spanish. For four years, I’d done nothing but memorize vocabulary, do internships, and get certifications. Fortunately, I still recognized most of the words on the practice exams. Otherwise, grad school would have been an impossible dream. Tonight, I printed out three full practice tests to get a baseline. Just as I finished the first one and reached for my phone to check the time, I saw a message from Paul, whose notifications I had muted. [Transfer: $200,000.00] If you dare to spread rumors, I won’t let you off the hook! There’s nothing between me and Corinne. We’re just friends. I looked at the transfer notification, remembered what my lawyer had told me today, and immediately declined it. Paul instantly replied with: ??? I was still typing my response when another message from him came through. Even if you want to apologize now, I won’t forgive you, Mia Matlin! You’re a complete lunatic! I furrowed my brow, struggling to find the letters on the keyboard. After a moment, I finally finished typing. Please specify in the transfer notes: ‘Voluntary Gift’. Otherwise, I will not accept. After I sent that, there was no reply from Paul for over ten minutes. I didn’t bother waiting and went on to the next practice test. After finishing the second test, I checked my phone. There was another transfer from Paul. Voluntary Gift to Mia Matlin. Transfer: $200,000.00. I smiled in satisfaction and tapped “Accept.”

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On our third wedding anniversary, my husband of convenience sent me our divorce papers, disguised as a home purchase contract for his little mistress. His friend teased him. “Aren’t you afraid she’ll actually sign it?” “You’ve been in love with her for seven years. Are you really willing to throw it all away over a joke?” Adam Gibbs exhaled a slow stream of smoke, a smug arrogance dancing in his eyes. “You don’t know Rachel Rae. She’s completely in love with me now. More obsessed than I ever was with her.” “When she sees that house is for Mia, she’ll be so jealous she’ll lose her mind. There’s no way she’ll sign.” I never pushed open the door to the private room. Instead, I turned around, went to my office, and signed my name on the disguised contract. He didn’t know. The love I once had for him had long since turned to ash. 1 I stood there, stunned, trying to process Adam’s words. When he’d begged me for this marriage of convenience, he’d sworn up and down he’d rather die than divorce me. “Rachel, I swear to you, the only way you’ll ever leave me is as a widow, never a divorcée.” The echoes of that thunderous vow hadn’t even faded. And now, just to amuse his little mistress, he was turning our marriage—something I held sacred—into a sick joke. Inside the room, his friends were laughing. “Careful you don’t play yourself, Gibbs. What if she doesn’t look closely?” “Or what if you’ve broken her heart so badly she signs it out of pure spite…” Adam just shook his head, the picture of a spoiled playboy. “When it comes to me, she’s meticulous about everything. Last time, I just asked her to drop off a coat for Mia in the middle of the night, and she was so mad she wouldn’t let me touch her for days. This is a house.” He looked even more pleased with himself. “I’m telling you, the second Rachel sees that email, she’ll come storming in here ready to fight. What can I say? The ladies love me. It’s a curse.” One friend wasn’t buying it. “Stop bragging. Everyone knows Rachel’s dad cheated on her mom. She’s got a complex about it. She needs a perfect marriage. You keep pulling stunts like this, you’re going to end up crying.” Adam stubbed out his cigarette with a sneer. “You don’t believe me? Let’s make a bet. One million dollars. Three days.” “You’re on.” Another friend finally spoke up, his voice laced with disapproval. “Come on, man, that’s enough. Rachel’s our friend too. Betting on this is a scumbag move.” He nudged Adam. “And you’re being a real asshole. You finally marry the woman you’ve been chasing for years, and you’re still messing around with someone else. Just retract the damn email.” Adam paused for a second, then lit another cigarette in frustration. “No. I already made a bet with Mia.” “Besides,” he added, “the email isn’t just a joke. I want her to learn from Mia. When Mia gets jealous, she acts like a proper woman—all teary-eyed and fragile. When Rachel gets jealous, she just screams like a lunatic. It’s so damn annoying.” The friend sighed, exasperated. “Keep it up. You’re going to destroy a perfectly good thing.” “Who are you cursing? It’s not like we haven’t fought before. And which time did Rachel not come crawling back?” “Just have my million ready when I win.” … Adam’s voice droned on, but I couldn’t hear it anymore. My knuckles were white as I clutched the thermos of chicken soup I’d made for him. A part of me wanted to storm in there and dump the entire thing over his perfectly styled hair. But that would go viral. Powerful CEO and Husband Clash Publicly. The humiliation… The fight drained out of me in an instant. I turned and walked out of the club. 2 I returned home in a daze. The warm, cozy decor of our apartment, once a comfort, now felt like a suffocating net, squeezing my heart until it ached. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Adam’s smiling face. I just couldn’t understand. How could the man whose world once revolved entirely around me have become this ugly, unrecognizable stranger? Just three years ago, in front of all our family and friends, he had wept as he said marrying me was the happiest moment of his life. Before I overheard that conversation, I had been seriously considering having a baby, just to make him happy. But it turned out the marriage I was fighting so hard to preserve… was nothing more than a gambling chip to him. I stood up and threw the cake I’d baked and the carefully chosen gift I’d bought for him straight into the trash. Adam and I met when we were young. He was a whirlwind of confidence, bursting into my life in a pristine white basketball jersey. My parents had just divorced, and the shock had turned me into a quiet, withdrawn girl. No one knew how to talk to me, so they kept their distance. But not Adam. He followed me around all day, filling the silence with his endless chatter. Later, when his family’s business hit a rough patch, he came to me, his eyes red-rimmed, and asked if I would consider a marriage of convenience. My mother warned me to be careful, but I didn’t hesitate. I said yes. I believed in his sincerity. But sincerity, I was learning, could vanish in a heartbeat. I sat down at the computer, opened the email, and signed my name. Really, I should have seen it long ago. After three years of endless tabloid rumors and whispered scandals, even the most passionate love would have burned out. 3 Done with my obsession over this toxic marriage, I turned my attention to my work emails, not looking up until the early hours of the morning. I was about to head for a shower when my phone rang. It was Adam. I ignored it. He called again. And again. And again, until I finally blocked his number. But the peace was short-lived. The smart screen in our living room flickered to life with an incoming video call. “Rachel, what are you still doing at home?” “I drank too much, my stomach’s killing me. Where’s the soup? You said you made it. Bring it over.” He was lounging on the club sofa, his tone arrogant and demanding, as if I weren’t his wife but a servant he could summon at will. The soup? I glanced over at my dog, who was licking his lips, full and satisfied. “I fed it to the dog,” I said flatly. “If you want some, order takeout.” Before I could finish, a fragile, trembling voice piped up from the video feed. “Adam, is she feeding the soup to a dog instead of bringing it to you because of me? Is she angry that I’m here?” One of his friends snorted. “You know the answer to that, so why are you still hanging around? Who’s the damsel-in-distress act for?” “What did you say?!” Adam snapped, his face darkening. “Mia is my guest.” “Rachel is just a petty, jealous shrew. I can’t even talk to another woman without her throwing a fit for three days. It’s exhausting.” “Mia, don’t listen to him.” Mia deliberately moved closer to the camera, her eyes welling with tears, her lip trembling as if she were about to cry. “Adam, please don’t fight with your wife because of me. It’s all my fault. I… I won’t come looking for you anymore.” Adam’s expression softened instantly. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “What are you apologizing for? It’s not your fault.” “Rachel’s just having one of her crazy episodes. Ignore her. We’ll keep having fun.” Someone in the background couldn’t take it anymore. “Adam! Do you have any idea what day it is?!” Adam frowned, as if trying to remember. I had no desire to watch their little performance any longer. I reached over and unplugged the smart screen. Then, I blocked him on every platform. This was it. The final break. And yet, before today, I never would have imagined I’d leave Adam over another woman. Especially not Mia. 4 She was a top student from a small town. She’d been rejected from our company after showing up late for her interview, but she’d crashed our lunch at a restaurant, sobbing and begging for another chance. “Ms. Rae, please, just give me one more chance,” she’d pleaded. The entire restaurant was staring, the silent pressure mounting. I reviewed her resume again. Seeing she’d graduated from a top university, I made an exception and hired her. But once she started, she constantly misplaced files and mixed up data. She didn’t even make it through her probationary period. I was about to give her one last chance, feeling sorry for her as a new graduate, when I found out she was already working for Adam. After catching them being overly familiar several times, I admit I lost my composure and we had a huge fight. I even asked him if he had feelings for Mia, telling him I would grant him a divorce if he did. But Adam would just pull me into a gentle embrace, a teasing smile on his face. “Still so jealous,” he’d murmur. “I just feel sorry for the girl. She’s just office decoration, a flower vase. I have no other intentions. We’ve known each other for so long. Don’t you trust me?” “My type has always been strong, career-driven women like you. What’s so great about a little crybaby?” And I believed him. Mia cried easily and fell apart when she made a mistake. It seemed plausible she would turn to Adam for help. Plus, Adam’s pursuit of me had been the stuff of legends. He had sworn he loved only me. In the heat of that love, I couldn’t bring myself to doubt him. But later, while I was busy expanding his family’s business empire, Adam was taking her to see the Northern Lights, to chase penguins in Antarctica, to make New Year’s wishes in the deep snow of the Swiss Alps. And now. Now, for her, he was turning our carefully guarded marriage into a joke. Thinking back, I really was a clown. A prop in their flirtatious games, still believing that love was immutable. Well, it wasn’t too late to wake up. Adam didn’t come home that night. He had the housekeeper pass on a message. “Rachel, I was wrong not to be with you on our anniversary. I’ll make it up to you, okay?” I ignored it. After finishing up at the office, I changed into an evening gown and went to a charity gala. Major corporations held these events periodically, partly to network and partly to burnish their public image. I was originally supposed to attend on behalf of the Gibbs family, but just before leaving, I changed my registration to the Rae family. I just hadn’t expected to run into Adam and Mia there. In these circles, it was an unwritten rule that married couples sat together. But there was Mia, sitting comfortably in my seat, staring up at me with wide, innocent eyes. “Oh, Rachel, can’t you find your seat? Should I go talk to the organizers for you?” Adam glanced at me, a smirk playing on his lips as he lounged in his chair. He was waiting for me to explode. Waiting for me to start a fight with Mia. The old me would have given him exactly what he wanted. But I wasn’t going to lower myself to that level anymore. I held up my invitation, and an attendant quickly and respectfully escorted me to a seat in the front row. “Next, we’ll be introducing the projects available for sponsorship…” The host began his presentation. I looked down at my tablet, scrolling through the options. The gala was hosted by the Fourier Group, and the projects focused on medical research, education in underserved areas, and aid for special needs children. I submitted my donations through the tablet and then slipped out of the main hall. The outer ballroom was for mingling and conversation. I had just found a quiet corner when Adam appeared. “Rachel, what’s your problem now?” I looked up, meeting his simmering anger with an amused expression. Was he here to question me because I didn’t donate under the Gibbs family name? I couldn’t be bothered. I stood up to leave. Adam grabbed my arm, causing the wine in his glass to spill all over the floor. “So I didn’t spend our anniversary with you. Is that any reason to throw a tantrum like this?” “If anyone sees this, they’ll think I’m cheating on you, that’s why you’re donating under your own name. How is that supposed to make me look?” My brand-new gown was stained. Furious, I flung the contents of my own glass back at him. “Isn’t it a fact that you’re cheating? If you want a good reputation, go buy one with your own money.” He stared at me, his disbelief turning to impatience. “Fine. You’ve grown some claws.” “This better not be an act. Don’t talk tough now and then go home crying over my picture.” I shook him off and went to the restroom to clean the wine stain. When I came out, Adam was blocking the doorway. He grabbed my hand, his expression meaningful. “I sent you an email. You need to look at it when you get home. The contents are very important. It’s about…” He didn’t finish. Mia materialized from behind me, linking her arm affectionately with his. “Adam, my period started, and I… I stained my dress. Can you help me find a new one?” Adam, the notorious germaphobe, didn’t hesitate. He whipped off his own jacket and draped it over her, his voice softening with concern. “You silly girl, you have to be more careful. Does your stomach hurt?” Mia shook her head shyly. The sight made me nauseous. I turned to leave. Behind me, Adam’s voice followed. “Remember to check your email! It’s about a major life event.” “Don’t just sign it without looking.” 5 Right. A major life event worth a mere one-million-dollar bet. Adam surely thought I’d pick up on his “hint,” go home, inspect the “purchase contract,” and then have a hysterical screaming match with him. That way, he’d save face with his friends, get to call me jealous, and continue his little affair with Mia guilt-free. But I was done playing his game. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. It was dark by the time I finished at the office. I was about to go out for dinner when our housekeeper messaged me. The dog was missing. I had no choice but to drive home. The moment I pushed open the door, confetti exploded around me, accompanied by a chorus of cheers. “Surprise!” His friends explained that Adam had roped them into throwing me a make-up anniversary party. My eyes landed on Mia, and I laughed coldly to myself. Whose anniversary party includes a pack of friends and the husband’s mistress? It didn’t take a genius to figure out Adam’s game. Sure enough, after I excused myself on the pretext of getting some celebratory wine, I overheard his friends trying to talk some sense into him. “I’m telling you, man, just stop. I’ll give you the million, okay? Just retract the email and go apologize to Rachel.” Adam waved a dismissive hand. “It’s not about the money. I brought you all here to witness my charm.” “I told her multiple times to check the email carefully. Just wait. You’ll get to see her lose her temper. It’s hilarious when she gets all pouty and scowls.” … The party wound down, and it was time for everyone to leave. I stood up to call for drivers, but Adam grabbed my hand, pulling me back. “Rachel, are you happy?” I frowned at him, genuinely confused. He brings a crowd of people to my house without asking, disrupting my work and my peace. What was there to be happy about? Our eyes met, and he broke into a wide grin, pressing his palm to my forehead. “Stop frowning. I know you’re thrilled deep down. The only reason I missed our anniversary was because Mia drank too much and I had to take her home.” “You were just putting on a show at the gala because you were jealous. You should be over it by now.” “Oh, right. Did you see the email? I’m still waiting to hear from you.” I swatted his hand away, my face a blank mask. Mia chose that moment to chime in. “Adam, I think I drank too much. Can you take me home?” She swayed, then added with a little gasp, “Oh, wait, you’ve been drinking too, Adam. I guess I should stay here and take care of you…” I stared at her, wondering if I’d misread her resume. Was her major in management or professional acting? She was like an NPC, constantly spawning next to us to deliver another poorly staged act. I turned to leave, but this time, Mia blocked my path. 6 “Rachel, are you still angry? There’s really nothing between Adam and me. Please don’t fight with him because of me anymore. I don’t want to see him unhappy.” I looked at her coldly and uttered two words. “Get lost.” The girl’s eyes instantly reddened, and fat tears began to roll down her cheeks. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have been concerned about Adam. I shouldn’t have made you angry.” “I’ll do anything, anything at all, if you’ll just stop giving him the silent treatment.” With that, she dropped to her knees with a thud. The sound was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. Adam, instantly sobered, flew into a rage. He pulled her to her feet and shielded her behind him, roaring at me. “Rachel, are you insane?!” “If you have a problem, take it up with me! Why are you always bullying a young girl like this?!” “Making her kneel to you? Aren’t you afraid of shortening your own lifespan? Apologize to her right now, or get the hell out of this house!” I suppressed my own fury. “This is my house. You’re the ones who need to get out.” Adam’s face flushed with anger. “Fine! I’ll go! And from now on, you could be on your knees begging me, and I would never come back!” Seeing things escalate, his friends rushed to intervene. “Adam, what are you saying? Just apologize to her.” “Yeah, man, it’s not worth blowing things up over an outsider.” Hearing this, Mia clutched her knee and began to limp dramatically toward the door. “I’m the one causing trouble. I should be the one to leave. Adam, please don’t fight with your wife.” But Adam was determined to be her knight in shining armor. In front of everyone, he wrapped a protective arm around her. “You did nothing wrong. She’s the one being unreasonable.” “Let’s go. We’ll stay somewhere else tonight. I’m not coming back until she apologizes.” With that final declaration, he swept Mia up into his arms and walked out.

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The first day of college, I fell for the campus tyrant at first sight. But I never dared to get close. After all, he was the son of the university’s biggest donor. And I was just a scholarship kid who would starve without financial aid. I thought it would be a quiet, four-year crush, a secret I’d carry alone. Then, the most popular girl in our class, Melinda, accused me of stealing her lipstick. The campus tyrant, Robert, looked at me with disgust. “So your parents are poor. Does that mean they never taught you not to steal?” He was right. My parents had never taught me that. They died when I was very young. Because of that incident, I was forced to drop out. Years later, I heard a rumor. That same campus tyrant, in his senior year, had to take a leave of absence due to severe depression. A depression that lasted for ten years. 1 Everyone was convinced I had used Melinda’s lipstick. It was during gym class, and I was the only one who had stayed behind in the classroom. They twisted the tube, revealing the lipstick bullet, which had been worn down into a strange, curved shape. “Never used lipstick before, have you? What kind of pig mouth do you have to ruin it like this?” one of them sneered. Melinda tossed it aside in disgust. “It’s so gross.” Robert, who was standing with her, frowned, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt. Suddenly, someone piped up. “Melinda, you should check the rest of your stuff. If she’d steal your lipstick, who knows what else she took.” “Yeah! I mean, you need a full face of makeup to go with the lipstick, right?” The group erupted in laughter. But Robert stopped Melinda as she reached for her bag. “Don’t bother. Just check her bag. She probably has other people’s stuff in there, too.” Before I could react, someone grabbed my backpack and dumped everything out onto the floor. A pile of worn-out secondhand books and a crumpled stack of one-dollar bills spilled out. My face burned with shame as I knelt to gather my things. Suddenly, a pair of expensive leather shoes stepped on a small, red notebook. “What’s this?” “Don’t touch that!” I screamed at Melinda. But my shout only made her grip the notebook tighter. 2 “Dear Robert,” she began to read aloud, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “Today is the eighteenth day of my secret crush on you. I saw you had a stomachache, so I tucked some medicine into your textbook. I hope you find it.” “Dear Robert, today is your birthday, and it’s also been six months since I started crushing on you. I just paid my rent and only have seventeen dollars left, so I couldn’t buy you those limited-edition sneakers, but I got you a pair of socks. I hope you like them.” … Melinda read on, one entry after another. My face felt like it was on fire. The only person more mortified than me was Robert. His face was as dark as thunder. “Deaaar Robert,” someone mimicked. “Rooobert,” another jeered. The room filled with snickering. Someone pointed at Robert’s feet. “Dude, I was wondering why your style took a nosedive lately. Don’t tell me those are the socks she gave you.” “Look, there are even initials embroidered on them! Oh my god, I’m dying.” Robert’s irritation was palpable. He kicked off his shoes, ripped the socks off his feet, and shoved them back into my bag. “Don’t ever give me crap like this again.” Tears instantly stung my eyes. He slipped his shoes back on his bare feet and stormed out of the classroom, his face a furious mask. A few steps later, he came back, tore the pages about him from my notebook right in front of everyone, and threw the shredded paper in my face. “And don’t ever like me again,” he spat. “It’s embarrassing.” Through the blur of my tears, I saw him frantically wiping his hands, as if touching the paper had contaminated him. I just wanted to disappear, to escape this nightmare. But as I tried to leave, Melinda stuck her foot out and tripped me. “You think you can just steal my lipstick and get away with it?” “It really wasn’t me.” Before Melinda could respond, Robert shot back, his voice sharp. “So your parents don’t give you money. Does that mean they never taught you not to take what isn’t yours?” The tears I’d been holding back finally fell. He was right. My parents had never taught me that. Because they were long dead. 3 “Stealing and now you’re playing the victim? If your parents won’t teach you how to behave, society will.” Melinda stood up, grabbing the lipstick and advancing toward me. I scrambled backward, but her friends grabbed me and held me down. The lipstick moved across my face, cold and waxy. When she was done, four words were scrawled across my cheeks. 【I AM A THIEF.】 As she drew the last stroke, the classroom erupted in cheers. A few people even took out their phones to take pictures from every angle. Melinda’s eyes were dark and wide. I’d seen it in movies before—the way a villain’s pupils dilate when they’re doing something evil. “Don’t think this is over,” she said, her voice low. “This lipstick cost eighty dollars. I expect a new one from you in three days.” Eighty dollars?! That was my entire living allowance for half a year. Seeing the tears welling in my eyes, her smile grew wider. I scrambled toward her, my voice trembling. “It wasn’t me… it really wasn’t…” Her patience wore thin. She shoved me away. “Then why didn’t you go to gym class? Funny how that worked out, huh?” “Yeah! Who else could it have been?” “Tell us!” I clenched my fists, the thought of that eighty dollars burning in my mind. “Because… because my shoes are broken.” The classroom fell silent. Every eye in the room fell to my feet. The sole of my worn-out canvas shoe was peeling away, hanging on by a thread, as if it was about to detach completely. A snort of laughter broke the silence. And then everyone was laughing. The bell rang, and the nightmare finally ended. As Robert returned to his seat, he bumped my shoulder. It was the second time he had ever touched me. 4 Robert wasn’t a bad person. At least, I didn’t think so before. At the beginning of the semester, a few students had bullied me for being poor. They’d post passive-aggressive things online, saying the classroom stank of my poverty. I was heartbroken back then. I spent a whole afternoon with my head on my desk, crying. Robert had walked over. He gently patted my head and said softly, “It’s not your fault.” My eyelashes fluttered. He immediately pulled his hand back and walked away. When did things change? It must have been when I offended Melinda, the social queen of our year. I don’t know what she did, but soon, the entire class turned against me. At first, Robert would still message me: “Are you okay?” Then, he started sending messages and immediately unsending them. Finally, the messages stopped altogether. Around that time, I heard a rumor that Robert was trying to win Melinda over. Suddenly, it all made sense. Love me, love my dog. Hate me, hate my dog. I thought if I just explained myself, they would leave me alone. But the very next day, they started demanding the money. They threatened to blow the whole thing up, to tell the school administration, using Robert’s powerful family name to intimidate me. I had no choice but to ask for time off from my professors and find part-time work off campus. I looked everywhere, but even a manual labor job at a construction site only paid twenty dollars a day. Desperate, I asked some friends from the orphanage, and they got me a job as a waitress at a karaoke bar. I never thought I would run into them there. When I walked into their private room, the students, who had been singing and dancing wildly, fell silent. Robert, holding a glass of whiskey, froze. The disgust in his eyes was so clear it could cut through the darkness of the room. “Well, well, well, look who it is!” “I didn’t know our little Ivy was a thief by day and a hostess by night!” My face flushed. I put down the drinks and tried to run out. “Stop.” Something hard hit the back of my head. Melinda had thrown the remote control at me. “Did the customer say you could leave?” I took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Is there anything else I can get for you, ma’am?” She smirked. “You’re here to make money, right? I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll help you out.” “One bottle of liquor, one thousand dollars. How about it?” A thousand dollars. It was a number I couldn’t even comprehend. In my budget for all four years of college, my total expenses didn’t even add up to that. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t tempted. But I had never had a drop of alcohol in my life. “What are you waiting for? Don’t want it? Well, then—” “I’ll do it.” I looked her straight in the eye. Robert snorted, shooting me a look of pure disdain. The room erupted with excitement. “Come on, come on, our little escort for the evening, have a seat!” I knew they were mocking me. But I was used to it. Elementary school, middle school, now college—I’d been through this too many times to count. As I sat down, Robert shifted two inches away, as if I was something filthy. I swallowed the lump of bitterness in my throat and opened the first bottle. The strong smell of alcohol made me cough for what felt like an eternity. That night, I had my first drink. And I also learned, for the first time, that I was allergic to alcohol. Half a bottle in, red welts started to break out all over my skin. Suddenly, I was being pushed into someone’s warm body. The room was spinning. I mumbled, “Robert, I feel so sick. Can you get me some water…?” “Whoa!” “This is getting spicy!” “Robert, dude, this girl is really into you! She’s in another guy’s arms and still calling out your name!” 5 Robert’s brow furrowed. His eyes fell on my hand, which was wrapped around another guy’s neck, and a wave of irritation washed over him. Finally, he looked away in disgust. “Pathetic.” And so, I became their plaything for the night. Melinda would push me from one guy to the next. None of them refused. Their hands roamed freely over my body. All except one. Robert. The moment someone tried to push me toward him, he stood up abruptly. “You guys have your fun. Leave me out of it.” He threw his glass down and walked out. The others looked at each other, confused. “What’s up with Robert?” “Oh, right, I forgot he hates her. Maybe the bitch just ruined his mood.” Melinda didn’t say anything. She stared silently in the direction Robert had gone, then put down her glass. She smiled at the group. “Well, since Robert’s gone, I guess we should call it a night.” They grabbed their jackets and headed for the door. Suddenly, one of the girls turned and pointed at me. “What about her?” Melinda smiled sweetly. “Just leave her here. Someone will pick her up.” My head was splitting. Through the haze, I saw several large, pot-bellied middle-aged men walking toward me. The sight shocked me into a state of partial sobriety. I fumbled for my phone and typed in the number I had memorized, the number I had repeated to myself thousands of times. 【Are you far? I’m still in the private room.】 【Can you please help me… a bunch of strangers just came in.】 But there was no reply. Just as I was about to dial 911, my phone was knocked from my hand, flying across the room. A stinging slap landed on my cheek. “You fucking bitch! You dare call the cops!” That night was the most unforgettable night of my life. Three men. Pinning me down. The sharp pain, the screaming, and then, finally, darkness. When I woke up, my body was covered in a sticky film, and there was blood between my legs. And a new message on my phone. From Robert. 【Get lost.】 6 I didn’t go to school for a week. But it seemed like a lot of people were looking for me. Someone had uploaded a video of that night to the campus online forum. The men’s faces were blurred. Mine wasn’t. There wasn’t a single person at school who didn’t recognize me. I was too scared to go back. Several times, I stood on the bridge I had to cross to get to school, thinking about just jumping. I regretted it so much. Why did I waste my one precious chance for help on Robert? He was the last person in the world who would have helped me. Wasn’t he? I spent another night in my cockroach-infested room in the city’s slum. I took three showers. I wanted to hide forever, but then my academic advisor called. “If you miss one more class, the university will expel you.” “Ivy,” she said, her voice kind, “I know you’re not that kind of girl. Come back to school. You worked so hard to get here.” She was right. I had worked so hard. I had collected bottles and cans for six years to save up for tuition. I had spent over two thousand nights hunched by other people’s windows, studying by the moonlight. At that moment, I thought, maybe there were other people at school like my advisor, people who would stand by me. So I went back. But I was wrong. Everyone was standing on the other side. The moment I walked into the classroom, someone started making crowing noises like a rooster. I kept my head down and walked to my seat. My palms were bleeding from how tightly I’d been clenching my fists. “Well, well, look who it is. Our little celebrity is awfully quiet today.” “Lost your virginity at eighteen. Ivy, you’re the first girl in our class to become a woman.” The room erupted in laughter. “Is that enough?!” Robert shot up from his seat and slammed his hand on the desk. The classroom fell into a dead silence. He was panting, his chest heaving. He stormed out of the room, skipping a class for the first time in his life. “What’s with him? Isn’t he the one who hates Ivy the most?” “It is weird. Ever since that night at the karaoke bar, he’s been getting quieter and quieter.” Melinda was looking down, lost in thought. Suddenly, she walked over to me and pulled a thick wad of cash from her purse. “Oh, I almost forgot to pay you. You drank three bottles that night, so I’ll give you four thousand. The extra thousand is for your hard work.” I stared at the red bills. I stared at them through the entire class, and long after, until I was the only one left in the room. Finally, I reached out, took the money, and gently tucked it into my bag. Then I covered my face with my hands. My palms were instantly wet with tears. I hugged my tattered old backpack and sobbed until I couldn’t breathe. Didn’t you want the money so badly? But now, all I could think about were my parents, who had died so long ago.

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Two days before our engagement party, Charles traced the tip of my finger with his thumb and suddenly brought it to his lips for a kiss. “Nora,” he murmured, “don’t all you girls love getting your nails done? How come you never do?” I was ironing the dress I planned to wear, and I smiled without looking up. “I’m on a computer all day. It’s a pain to type with long nails.” “You should get them done. A French almond manicure would look beautiful on you.” He brushed his thumb over the edge of my nail. “You know, with a sheer pink base and a little blooming effect. It would really suit your skin tone.” A hiss of steam from the iron scalded my hand. I flinched, looking up at him. “Since when do you know so much about manicures?” 1 The air hung still for a few seconds. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes before he forced a smile. “Oh, I just saw it online somewhere.” We’d known each other for fifteen years, been in love for ten. I knew him better than I knew myself. When he lied, he would look away and then flash that stiff, unnatural smile. Then, he’d change the subject. “I just remembered, I have a package downstairs I forgot to pick up. I’ll be right back.” He patted my head out of habit and walked out the door, not even bothering to change out of his slippers. His phone was sitting right there on the couch. I stared at it for a long moment before picking it up, my fingers typing in his passcode. After all this time together, it was the first time I had ever looked through his phone. There was nothing. It was pristine. I was his only pinned chat, my contact name saved as “The Wife.” The rest of his chat history was just family, our mutual friends, and colleagues. I should have been relieved. But the knot of dread in my stomach only tightened. On a dark impulse, I opened his contacts and checked the “recently added” list in his messaging app. There was only one person from the last three months. The profile picture was of Kyrie Irving in his jersey—Charles’s favorite basketball player. I tapped on the profile. It was a girl. Her username was Skylar. The chat history was gone. Even the initial “friend request accepted” notification had been deleted. I backed out and typed her username into the search bar. A group chat popped up: “The Drinking Crew.” Charles had archived the group, but the chat history was all there. Five people: Charles, Skylar, and Charles’s three childhood friends—Sean, Mike, and Ben. And just like that, I learned the truth. All those nights over the last three months when Charles was “suddenly called into work for overtime,” he was actually at a bar. Skylar was the bartender. The four of them were regulars. On July 6th, Sean had sent a photo. Skylar was nestled against Charles, her eyes hazy from drink, her arm wrapped around his as she laughed. I saw them instantly—her long, slender fingers, tipped with perfect French almond nails. 【Pic of the year!】 a message from Sean read. 【Charles, man, if Nora wasn’t in the picture, I’d totally set you two up.】 Charles’s reply: 【If Nora wasn’t in the picture, I wouldn’t need your help.】 July 15th, a message from Charles: 【Hey, don’t send that video of me and Skylar from last night to anyone. It was just an accident.】 Sean: 【Got you, bro. No worries.】 Skylar: 【It was just a drunken kiss. Don’t sweat it.】 【Your girlfriend isn’t that petty, is she?】 Followed by a string of laughing emojis. July 25th, a message from Mike: 【What the hell happened? Skylar, you’re a legend. You left a hickey on Charles’s neck!】 Ben: 【Charles, you’re a dead man. If Nora sees that, she’ll kill you!】 Charles: 【Haven’t been home for a couple of days. Been crashing at Skylar’s.】 I finally understood. The “sudden business trip” he’d taken was just an excuse to hide the mark on his neck from me. I kept scrolling. August 1st. The day Charles proposed to me. That night, he’d left me to “hang out with the guys” and didn’t come home. The next day, he showed up with a cut on his face. He said one of the guys got drunk and they’d gotten into a stupid fight. That wasn’t it at all. Sean: 【Charles, my man! Saving the damsel in distress!】 Charles: 【That bastard dared to hit on Skylar. I’m letting him off easy by not breaking his hands.】 Skylar: 【Thanks for last night. When you get married, who’s going to protect me like this?】 Charles: 【You’re my girl. Married or not, I’ll protect you forever.】 It felt like a giant hand was squeezing my heart, cutting off my air. As I finished reading, so many things from the past few months finally clicked into place. Charles’s suspiciously frequent overtime, the stray cat hairs on his clothes, the unfamiliar playlists that kept appearing on his Spotify. All of it. It was all connected to Skylar. It took me a full minute to absorb the reality. In the year we were supposed to get married, my fiancé’s heart had wandered. 2 I clicked on his payment history. A week ago, Charles had spent over a hundred dollars at a high-end nail salon downtown. The manicure… it finally all made sense. I heard a noise at the door and quickly placed his phone back on the couch. He returned with a pile of packages, all for me. “Here, this is that mille-crepe cake you’ve been wanting.” “And that phone case you liked. I bought it in all three colors.” “And this—your new Labubu blind box. I managed to snag it for you.” He laid everything out, then smiled at me. When he smiled, his eyes would curve into crescents. It was beautiful. “You’re so good to me.” “You’re my wife. Who else would I be good to?” I watched him, my heart feeling like it was being sliced apart. The next morning, I went to that nail salon. “Could you please pull up the security footage from this day?” In the video, he and Skylar walked in, arm in arm. Charles was even carrying her blue canvas tote bag. He sat on the sofa for the entire four-hour appointment, just waiting for her. Every now and then, Skylar would turn and say something to him. Even through the grainy footage, the adoration on his face was unmistakable. When her nails were done, she bounced over to him, holding out her hands for him to see. Charles smiled, leaned down, and gently squeezed her fingertips. I watched in silence until the salon employee handed me a tissue. Only then did I realize I was crying. I remember that day vividly. I was swamped with work and my stomach was killing me. After pulling an all-nighter, I had to force myself to go out and buy flowers and party favors for our engagement party. He had told me a major problem came up with his project and he couldn’t help. He even gave me a detailed, dramatic account of his boss throwing a fit. It had all been a lie. He’d spent those four hours in a nail salon with Skylar. “Have they been here before?” I asked the employee. She hesitated. “Miss Skylar is one of our regulars. She comes in about twice a month. For the past month, this gentleman has always come with her.” I nodded slowly. “I’d like the same thing she got. A French almond manicure. Sheer pink base, with a blooming effect.” When I got home that evening, Charles saw my new nails. The color drained from his face. “Do you like them?” I asked, waving my hand at him. He took an involuntary step back. “I got them done just like you suggested. Don’t you like them?” “They’re… beautiful.” I looked him straight in the eye. “Is there anything you want to say to me?” A storm of emotions churned in his eyes. Desperate panic he was trying to hide, hesitation, guilt. In the end, he just shook his head. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders in that familiar, intimate way. “Nora, let’s get some rest. Tomorrow is our big day.” “I suddenly remembered, Jenna needed me for something. I have to go over to her place for a bit,” I said, pulling away. He frowned slightly. “Your best friend has the worst timing. Why didn’t she say something earlier? It’s almost ten. Let me drive you.” I shook my head, slipped my hand from his grasp, and walked out of the apartment. Maybe I just wanted to rip the band-aid off, to make my heart break completely and get it over with. I went to Skylar’s bar—a place called “Serendipity.” 3 The lighting was dim and intimate, a lazy jazz tune drifting through the air. I spotted her immediately—the girl behind the bar, mixing a drink. She wore flawless makeup and had a head of rebellious pink hair. She was carefully tucking a slice of lemon against the inside of a glass. I never thought Charles would fall for someone so flashy, so vibrant. He always said he loved how quiet and gentle I was, how I was so understanding, like a flower that bloomed just for him. I walked up to the bar. “A Long Island Iced Tea, please.” Skylar glanced at me and offered a small, sad smile. “Coming right up. Just a moment.” “You don’t look very happy,” I observed. “…Is it that obvious?” She rubbed the corner of her eye. “The man I love is getting engaged tomorrow.” “Did you try to stop him?” She shook her head, her expression stubborn. “What right do I have? Our whole relationship was a mistake from the start.” I took the drink she offered, my voice trembling. “Make me another one. This one’s for you.” Maybe she was just desperate to unload the weight on her chest. All it took was one drink, and she started treating me like her personal diary, telling me every last detail about her and Charles. “I knew he had a girlfriend, but I fell for him anyway.” “I tried my clumsy little ways of flirting, of showing him I was interested. He knew what I was doing, but he never once pushed me away.” “One night, I got drunk and kissed him. I think we were both just waiting for it to happen. He pinned me against the bathroom stall… that was our first time.” “After we sobered up, he said he couldn’t betray his fiancée. But when I told him I was scared to be alone, he still came over.” “I know he doesn’t love his girlfriend anymore. That thirty-year-old hag, she’s so frumpy and old-fashioned, doesn’t even know how to put on makeup. I have no idea how he stood her for so many years.” “He told me he was getting engaged. I cried for hours, and he just held me and comforted me until I fell asleep. Then he left.” “I think I went crazy. I actually went to their apartment, his and his fiancée’s. He told me I was crazy, too. We ended up in their bedroom, on her bed. We didn’t even use a condom.” “I didn’t take a pill that time. I just kept thinking, if I got pregnant, maybe he would choose me.” “When he holds me, I can really feel that he loves me. If I had just met him first, there’s no way he would have chosen that old woman, right?” Her eyes were red and swollen. She gave me an embarrassed smile. “You don’t think I’m pathetic, do you?” In that moment, my heart felt like it had been hollowed out. The pain of betrayal and the sting of humiliation twisted together until it all went numb. A phone rang. She pulled it out, and a smile broke through her tears. “See? I told you he can’t let me go.” She put it on speaker. Charles’s voice drifted through the bar. “Babe, you at the bar? Can I come see you?” “You’re getting engaged tomorrow—” “I’m already outside. Just one last time. I want to hold you again.” By the time Charles walked in, I was already gone. Standing on the street corner, I watched as Skylar flew into his arms. The kiss was fierce and desperate. I clutched my chest, turned, and walked away without doing a thing.

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The Game descended. To save their own skins, my adoptive parents threw me into the trial in their place. 【Who the hell tossed a three-year-old in here? I’ll bet she doesn’t last the night.】 【I’ll give her half an hour, tops.】 On the first night, the security guard who’d been boiled alive in the heat opened his bloody maw to devour me. I blew a tiny puff of air toward him. “A little breeze to cool you down, Grandpa~” On the second night, the dripping phantom of a girl wrapped her icy hands around my throat. I used my sleeve to wipe the water from her face. “Be careful, big sister, or you’ll catch a cold!” … On the final day, the last remaining players kidnapped me, trying to steal the protective relics I carried. That’s when every single Boss in the realm went berserk. “HAS ANYONE SEEN MY BABY?!” 1 【Welcome to the Evergreen Estates Realm.】 【Survive for one week to clear this trial.】 【Initial Players: 7—】 The system’s eerie voice hitched for a second. 【Initial Players: 6.5. The kid counts as half. Have a nice, quick death.】 “You’ve got to be kidding me, a kid?” “She won’t make it through the night.” A cold glint flashed in a middle-aged man’s eyes. “Well, if you’re going to die anyway, you can scout ahead for us!” With that, he shoved me, hard, into the sprawling, desolate suburban complex. I tumbled head over heels, the rough gravel tearing open the half-healed cuts on my knees. A sharp gasp of pain escaped my lips. I pushed myself up, patting the dust from my worn-out clothes. “It doesn’t hurt, Cici. It doesn’t hurt.” I sniffled, forcing back the tears that burned my eyes. Crying was not an option. The last time I cried, my adoptive mother slapped me until my head rang. “Useless brat, crying all our good luck away!” she’d shrieked. “A psychic told us adopting a girl would bring our son good fortune. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have wasted a dime on you!” I shoved the memory down, scrubbing at my damp eyes with the back of my hand. Limping, I made my way to the security booth at the entrance. 【That’s the room of the S-Class Boss, Arthur! No one who enters ever comes out alive!】 【God, that poor kid. I can’t even watch.】 【You can’t blame the other players. It’s survival of the fittest in here. Everyone’s just trying to live.】 I knocked on the door of the security booth. The moment I did, the sky plunged into a sudden, deep twilight. The door creaked open. An old man emerged, his skin a terrifying, purplish-red. Sweat poured from him, drenching his uniform, and his eyes bulged from their sockets as if they were about to pop out. Nine cats swirled around his ankles. “Hot… so hot…” he rasped, his voice like a skipping record. The comments in the live feed flew by. 【Arthur will throw you into a high-temperature steamer and cook you alive… That kid is done for.】 【And those cats aren’t normal. They’ll strip you to the bone.】 【I’m out. Switching to another stream.】 But in the next second, one of the cats began to rub against my leg. I froze, stunned by the soft, unfamiliar feeling. I stared down, wide-eyed. “Grandpa,” I whispered, my voice trembling slightly, “the kitty… it keeps bumping its head on me!” 【LOL, I’m dead. The cat’s trying to be all spooky and seductive, and she’s just like, ‘Help, it’s ramming me!’】 【Aww, sweetie, you’re too cute for this world.】 【That cat ghost is thinking, ‘I’m throwing my best moves at a brick wall here.’】 【Wait, isn’t it supposed to eat her? Why is it cuddling?】 The cat heard me and paused, its furry body stiffening. It opened its mouth in an annoyed hiss, fangs glinting, ready to bite. But I knelt, stroking its head gently, then scratching under its chin. A deep, rumbling “purrrrr” vibrated from its chest. I’d never been allowed to touch a cat before. My adoptive parents made me sleep in the cold corner of the basement with the family dog, and that dog would lunge at any cat it saw. I’d tried to stop it a few times and gotten bitten for my trouble. This was the first time a cat had ever nudged me. The other eight cats crowded around, pushing their heads against my hands, all demanding to be petted. I went from one to the next, scratching and stroking until my forehead was beaded with sweat. 【Is this for real? She’s turned a horror game into a cat café!】 【So… we’re supposed to pet the ghost cats? Last time I tried that, one bit my hand off. I’m typing this with my foot.】 【Ew, dude.】 The lead cat meowed at Arthur a few times. He was silent for a long moment, then said in a strange, gravelly tone, “You can come in.” Cradling one of the smaller cats in my arms, I followed Arthur inside. The tiny security booth was suffocatingly hot and airless. It felt like an oven. But the cats had their own dedicated fan, and every single one looked sleek and well-cared-for. The moment Arthur stepped inside, sweat began to pour down his face like rain. Carefully, I turned the fan so it pointed toward him. Instantly, Arthur’s eyes blazed crimson, and blood began to trickle from the corners. “WHO TOLD YOU-YOU COULD TOUCH MY FAN?!” he roared. 【Okay, now she’s really dead… Arthur hates anyone touching his fan.】 【RIP, little one.】 He snatched me up, his mouth stretching impossibly wide, lined with teeth as sharp as needles. It was big enough to swallow me whole. “Whoosh,” I whispered, blowing a gentle puff of air at his face. I reached out my small hand and wiped the sweat from his temple. “I’ll blow on it to make it better, Grandpa. Then you won’t be so hot~” 2 Arthur was sweating so much; he must have been miserable. I focused on my task, blowing little puffs of air as earnestly as I could. I was so concentrated that I didn’t see the flicker of astonishment in his eyes. His jaw snapped shut with a click, just before a line of drool could escape. He carefully set me back on the floor. That was a close one. His gaze fell to the scrapes on my legs and lingered there for a long moment. Finally, he tossed a small box at my feet. Inside were antiseptic wipes and clean bandages. I’d never used things like this before. At home, even if I was beaten until I could barely breathe, my adoptive parents wouldn’t have even given me a single band-aid. But if my brother, Kevin, got so much as a paper cut, they’d rush him to the doctor in a panic. This was the first time anyone had ever shown me this kind of small, warm concern. I sniffled, wrapping my arms around his leg and looking up at him with all the sincerity in my small heart. “Thank you for taking care of Cici, Grandpa. Cici is so happy!” The fierce, terrifying expression on Arthur’s face softened. The old ghost let out a strange, weary sigh. He lifted me onto a chair, knelt, and began to clean and bandage my wounds with a gentle touch, like a real grandfather caring for his granddaughter. The live feed chat was just a stream of question marks. 【?】 【My brain has short-circuited. Is this happening?】 【Did I accidentally switch to a family channel? Where’s the horror? Bro, you’re supposed to be eating people! It’s work time!】 【The only person who could say no to Cici is this [thumbs up]. I am this [thumbs down].】 Night fell. The players who had been waiting outside the community gates grew restless. Mark, the man who’d thrown me in, scowled. “Why haven’t we heard the system announce that little brat’s death yet?” Arthur had to feed once every night. If he was satisfied, the rest of them would be safe to enter the complex. Just as he finished speaking, the system’s voice echoed through the darkness. 【Night has fallen. All players must now choose a residence.】 【Anyone not inside the Estates in ten minutes will be eliminated.】 【Current Survivors: 6.5.】 “Damn it, that kid is still alive!” “I’m gonna find out what kind of relic she’s hiding!” By the time Mark reached the security booth, I was already fast asleep. Arthur had made a small cot for me and was humming a quiet lullaby. I was used to sleeping on a pile of rags in the basement. This was the first time I’d ever had a soft bed of my own. A bed where I didn’t have to worry about the rain leaking in or being startled awake in the middle of the night. “Thank you, Grandpa,” I’d murmured before drifting off. “You’re so nice.” Inside the booth, everything was peaceful. Outside, Mark was completely bewildered. He couldn’t stop a small, confused “Huh?” from escaping his lips. The sound made me stir and frown in my sleep. Arthur glanced at me, then immediately stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him. He loomed over Mark, his voice a low, vicious snarl. “Who gave you permission to make a sound?!” Mark’s eyes widened in terror. He opened his mouth to scream, but in the next second… CRACK. Mark was quietly eliminated. 【Serves him right! Trying to use Cici as a scapegoat.】 【Arthur is so protective! I’ve never seen a ghost look so… paternal. I think I might be going crazy.】 The system announced that there were now 4.5 players left. I woke up and rubbed my eyes as my stomach let out a loud, gurgling growl. I clapped my hands over it, embarrassed, and glanced around. I hope no one heard that… At home, I was always hungry. I’d never had a full meal in my life, so I was used to the feeling. I pushed the hunger down and smiled up at Arthur. “Good morning, Grandpa!” He glanced at my flat tummy, then at the food sitting on his counter—a bowl of what looked like stew with strange, misshapen chunks of meat in it. He paused for a moment, then took the bowl away. “Wait here,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. And with that, he vanished. Arthur reappeared in front of the remaining players, holding the bowl of stew in one hand while his other hand closed around their throats. “Give. Me. Food.” The players, pale with terror, stammered, “W-what food?” 【Player’s internal monologue: What food? Aren’t WE the food?!】 3 【Why is Arthur out during the day?】 【Dude, I think he’s getting food for Cici… Humans can’t eat ghost food.】 In the next moment, Arthur held the bowl of stew out to one of the players. “You took something of mine. Now give me your food in return!” In the realm, everyone survived on dry rations that barely kept the hunger at bay. The sight of the steaming, fragrant stew with its huge chunks of meat made the players swallow hard. Two of them exchanged a look and quickly pulled out their own meager supplies. Arthur didn’t torment them further. He took their offerings and disappeared. Whether they dared to eat his stew was their choice. When Arthur returned to the security booth, the system announced that two more players were gone. “Grandpa, where did you go?” I asked, blinking up at him as I quickly hid something behind my back. Arthur saw my movement but didn’t call me out on it. “I was making breakfast,” he said. “You can play by yourself for a little while.” I let out a sigh of relief. I took out the piece of cardstock I’d been hiding and carefully drew on it before folding it into a fan. Grandpa was always so hot. I wanted to make him a gift before I had to leave. 【Aww, Cici and her grandpa are so sweet, always thinking of each other.】 【Cici is such a good kid. Never cries, never complains even when she’s starving. God, I wonder what her life was like before this.】 Soon, the delicious smell of cooking filled the small room. Arthur placed a plate of fluffy pancakes in front of me. And five sausage links. And a big bowl of oatmeal. “You’re hungry, aren’t you? Eat up.” 【This is giving me ‘My grandpa thinks I’m starving’ energy.】 I had never seen so much food for breakfast. Each plate was piled high. At home, I only ever ate Kevin’s leftovers—a few grains of rice, gnawed-on bones, and wilted, slimy vegetables. No one ever cared if I was hungry or not. My heart felt like it was soaking in warm water, aching with a sweet, unfamiliar feeling. I couldn’t stop my eyes from welling up. I hugged Arthur’s leg tightly. “Thank you, Grandpa. I hope you live for a hundred years…” Arthur froze for a second, then said with a helpless sigh, “Silly girl, I’m already—” I cut him off by pulling the paper fan I’d secretly made from my pocket. “Grandpa, when I’m gone, there won’t be anyone to blow cool air for you. You can use this instead.” He stared at it, stunned. His cloudy, old eyes grew misty. His weathered hand trembled as he took the simple gift. “Child, I’m the one who should be thanking you.” His voice was thick with emotion. “Before you came, I’d almost forgotten who I used to be. But now… now I remember everything.” As he fed me, Arthur told me the story of his life. He had been a security guard at a high school. When a brutal heatwave hit, the school refused to install air conditioning and withheld his pay. He couldn’t even afford a fan for himself. He had also taken in nine stray cats. He spent his last few dollars on a fan for them, while he himself boiled to death in his tiny dorm room. The moment he finished his story, the system’s AI voice trembled. 【Congratulations. You have completed the hidden task: The Cause of Arthur’s Death. Reward: 2000 points, redeemable for items.】 The live feed exploded. 【Whoa, I’ve never heard that story before.】 【Not even the top S-rank players from the major guilds ever figured out how he died.】 【Damn, that’s so tragic… I actually feel bad for the ghost now.】 【Cici is the GOAT!! The leaders of all the big guilds are here. Are they trying to recruit her?】 I knew nothing about any of that. All I did was hug Arthur and plant a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek. I grinned up at him. “Cici will grow up big and strong and become an awesome adult who can protect you, Grandpa!” 【My heart is melting… my baby.】 【Cici’s dimples are so cute I could die! I just wanna poke them!!】 Arthur turned away to quickly wipe his eyes. He handed me his own electric fan. “Tonight, you have to go to another room. This will protect you.” 【Haunted Relic Acquired: Arthur’s Fan. Ghosts below S-Class will flee at the sight of you.】 As Arthur walked me out of the security booth, I kept looking back over my shoulder. “I’ll come back to visit, Grandpa!” I clutched the hard-boiled eggs and biscuits he’d packed for me to eat on my journey. He smiled, a fond, grandfatherly expression on his face, and waved. “Be a good girl now, and don’t you trip!” 【This is literally me and my grandpa.】 【I miss my grandpa…】 【What is this, a wholesome family documentary? Meanwhile, another top player just got wasted next door.】 【Don’t call her Cici anymore. That’s my Queen.】 I walked on until I reached the door of Room 101 and knocked. A blast of frigid, damp air washed over me. The room was covered in water stains, overwhelmingly humid and cold. A stunningly beautiful woman in a slinky red dress stood there. Her hair was soaking wet, dripping constantly onto the floor. The moment she saw me, her face twisted into a grotesque mask of rage. Her crimson eyes began to ooze blood, which streamed down her cheeks. 【That’s Elara… she drowns people in a cistern.】 【The high-ranked player from earlier died in here!】 【There’s no problem my Queen Cici can’t handle.】 【You guys are hilarious. What’s a kid gonna do?】 I had never seen a dress so vibrant and beautiful. I didn’t even notice the horrifying change in Elara’s face. I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Big sister, you’re so pretty!” “That dress looks amazing on you!” At the word “dress,” her hand shot out and clamped around my neck. Her lovely features contorted with fury. “You’re here to tell me my clothes are indecent, too? Is that it?” she hissed, her voice a venomous whisper. “Indecent… slut… tramp.” “I’ll kill you all. I’ll kill every last one of you.” 【Oh no, this is her trigger. Elara was slut-shamed and humiliated before being drowned in a pool. She’s extremely sensitive about her clothes.】 【I think this is it for Cici…】

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I was scrolling through a popular social media channel when I came across a street interview. “What would you say to yourself from five years ago?” In the video, Christian Frost had his arm around his new girlfriend. His voice was calm, laced with affection. “I’d tell the Christian from five years ago to find Lily Lin sooner.” The girl in his arms blushed, covering her mouth as she agreed. “Me too.” Online comments exploded with adoration, followers showering them with blessings. No one knew that five years ago was the day Christian and I got married. Even he had forgotten. Until a week later. The same channel posted another street interview. In this one, I looked directly into the camera and said, seriously, “If I could, I’d tell her: Claire Kingsley, don’t marry Christian Frost. You’ll regret it.” This time, Christian saw it. 1 The day I agreed to the divorce was a perfectly ordinary afternoon. I called Christian’s number, but it was Lily who answered. “Hello?” “I’m looking for Christian.” “He’s in the shower. Is there something I can help you with?” Her voice was as bright and fearless as ever, tinged with a possessive, almost triumphant, undertone. The old me would have screamed, would have hysterically demanded she get lost, that I needed to speak to Christian. But now, I knew all too well that Lily was the only one who could get him on the phone. I couldn’t let her hang up on me like she always did, leaving me to rage like a madwoman. “He mentioned a divorce before. I agree to it,” I said calmly, getting straight to the point. There was a second of silence on the other end, then she repeated, disbelieving, “You’re agreeing to a divorce?” “Yes.” The word had barely left my lips when I heard a rustling sound. Christian must have taken the phone. Soon, his deep, indifferent voice was in my ear. “It’s me.” I know. Hearing his voice, I felt a strange sense of detachment. It had been six months since he’d moved out of our villa to be with Lily. We hadn’t spoken since. The last thing he’d said to me was: “Claire, let’s get a divorce. If you don’t agree, I’ll file for legal separation and then sue.” Now, half a year later, I had finally caved. “Lily said you want to divorce me?” he asked when I didn’t speak. He must have been frowning as he said it, his tone laced with a hint of confusion. I couldn’t understand where his confusion was coming from. He was the one who had brought it up. But I no longer had the energy to argue with him about who initiated it. I just hummed in agreement. “If you have time, let’s meet and sign the papers.” Then, I hung up. 2 It was the first time I had ever hung up on him since discovering his affair. Before, I was the one bombarding his phone with calls and texts. I’d used the most vicious words to curse him and the most heartbroken sobs to beg him. But every time, Christian would say, annoyed, “Can you stop acting like a lunatic? Talk to me when you’ve calmed down.” Then he would mercilessly end the call, ignoring my frantic attempts to reach him again. I wanted to be calm, but whenever I thought about our years together ending like this, I couldn’t control myself. I wanted to demand answers, to know why he had betrayed me. I wanted to beg him to come back, promising I would forgive him. But all my pleading and waiting had led to nothing. Christian remained unchanged. And I, slowly, became the insecure, unhinged person he accused me of being. A real lunatic. I floated through a long period in a haze, drowning in the agony of our relationship. Until three days ago. I stumbled upon a street interview video by a content creator called “Time Capsule.” The question was: “What would you say to yourself from five years ago?” Some said they’d study harder. Others wished they’d spent more time with their families. One person proudly declared that their future self was amazing, having lived up to all their expectations. And then, amidst the stream of answers, I saw him. Christian, with his new girlfriend, Lily. That’s how I knew it wasn’t scripted. Given Christian’s current status, even the most famous creators had to book appointments to see him. This interviewer had truly just caught him on the street, like any other random passerby. At first, Christian seemed annoyed by the interruption. But Lily, beside him, was beaming with excitement. “Oh, this looks fun, Christian! Let’s do it, please?” she begged, shaking his arm playfully. Christian’s expression softened into one of resigned indulgence. The interviewer explained the concept and then posed the question. Lily paused to think, and Christian, seeing her struggle, answered for her. “If I could, I’d tell the Christian from five years ago to find Lily Lin sooner.” He said it with his arm wrapped around her. His voice was cool, but the protective affection he had for her was unmistakable. Lily looked up at him in surprise, then shyly covered her mouth and whispered, “Me too.” 3 By the time I saw the video, it already had tens of thousands of likes. The comments were a flood of adoration. 【OMG! They’re so gorgeous! I ship it!】 【My heart! A true love story! There’s hope for us all!】 【So sweet! You two have to be happy forever! Wishing you all the best!】 I stared at the video, stunned. Did Christian really love her that much? Had he forgotten? Five years ago, we had just gotten married. We were at the peak of our love. We were poor, but we were deliriously happy. And now, here he was, on camera, saying he wished he had met her five years earlier. I expected to feel the usual surge of rage, the uncontrollable fury. I expected to grab my phone and unleash a torrent of angry calls and texts. If he didn’t answer, I would have smashed everything in the villa to pieces, screaming my frustration into the void. But strangely, this time, I just sat there, perfectly still. The comments that should have stung, that should have provoked me, just scrolled past my eyes like lines of code. Then, something inside my head seemed to loosen and drift away. And I was shocked to find… I felt nothing. Obsession can be born in an instant, and clarity, it turns out, can arrive just as quickly. And that’s what led to my phone call. 4 Christian sent me a message. Amidst a sea of red exclamation marks from my blocked messages, his new text stood out in its simple black and white box. Looks like he’d unblocked me, I thought with a self-deprecating smirk. He told me to come to his office on Monday. His lawyer would have the agreement ready. If we both agreed on the terms, we could sign and then just wait for the mandatory cooling-off period to pass. 【Okay.】 On Monday, I went to Christian’s company as planned. Since I didn’t have an appointment, the receptionist had to call upstairs for clearance. “Yes, a Ms. Kingsley is here.” After hanging up, she told me to go up to the executive floor, where a secretary would meet me. I thanked her and headed up. The young woman who greeted me was a stranger. I didn’t recognize her. But then again, it had been six months since I’d last set foot in this place. She was probably a new hire. “Ms. Kingsley, please wait here. Mr. Frost is in a meeting.” She didn’t know me either. She called me Ms. Kingsley and led me to a waiting area. I used to go straight to Christian’s office. His meetings always lasted at least an hour, and I hated waiting. He knew this, so he’d filled his office with books and movies to keep me from getting bored. “You can read or watch a movie. If you get tired, you can wait for me in the break room,” he’d told me back then. The last time I was here, all my things had been removed from his office. The person with free access to his private lounge was someone else. Now, to see him, I had to wait in a generic reception area. But I didn’t have the energy to fight over such a small thing anymore. So I waited quietly. I had plenty of time. I didn’t expect to wait for two hours. Still, no one came to get me. “Excuse me, is Mr. Frost’s meeting over yet?” I finally asked the young woman who had shown me in. She fidgeted. “Mr. Frost is… still in the meeting…” I frowned, about to say something, when I heard laughter down the hall. “Let’s go to that new restaurant for lunch, then.” “Okay!” 5 The voices were painfully familiar. I had just heard them on the phone the night before. There was Lily, clutching a folder, skipping alongside Christian. The young, beautiful girl was a vibrant splash of color, bright and confident. Christian was leaning in, listening to her, a small smile playing on his lips. I don’t know what she said, but the smile on his face deepened. “Miss…” The young secretary tried to stop me as I walked directly towards them, but it was too late. “Christian.” Hearing my voice, they both turned. I clearly saw the flicker of surprise and astonishment on Christian’s face. I asked him if his meeting was over. If it was, it was time to discuss our business. “I got here at ten. I’ve been waiting for two hours.” “Who told you I was in a meeting?” he asked, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. I was taken aback. I looked at him, and the puzzlement in his eyes seemed real. We both realized what had happened at the same time. I didn’t say anything. Christian’s gaze swept across the office, cold and serious. The employees all bowed their heads, not daring to speak. The young woman who had led me to the waiting room shrank back, her head bowed. But just before she did, her eyes darted towards Lily. Of course. In this entire office, the only person who could pull a stunt like this was Lily. “I forgot to tell everyone the meeting was canceled. I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sorry, Mr. Frost,” Lily said, biting her lip and looking up at Christian with wide, innocent eyes. He had always been lenient with her. This time was no different. He didn’t say a word of reprimand. “Come in,” he said, looking at me, dismissing the incident. As I walked past Lily, I saw the pride and defiance in her eyes. 6 “Have a seat.” Inside his office, Christian treated me like a guest. I glanced at the sofa. It was piled with cute, fluffy stuffed animals. The bookshelf that once held my favorite novels was now a snack rack. The door to the private lounge was ajar. Through the crack, I could see a woman’s clothes casually thrown on the end of the bed. Christian looked at me, his expression unreadable. I felt a pang of awkwardness and quickly looked away. “Where’s the agreement?” He handed me the divorce papers from his desk. As I reviewed them, his eyes never left my face. “We’ve been together for so many years. I won’t be stingy. You can have your pick of the cars and houses. If you have any other demands, you can make them now.” Was this supposed to be compensation? The thought flickered through my mind, but it didn’t slow me down. The assets Christian was giving me in the agreement were more than I could spend in several lifetimes. He had always been generous. “This is fine. I’ll just take the villa we’re living in now,” I said. I signed my name cleanly and handed the papers back to him. Christian seemed to have more to say. I saw his lips part, then close again as I acted. He stared at the papers in my hand, as if he couldn’t believe the entire process had taken less than five minutes. I stood up. “The cooling-off period is a month. I’ll contact you then.” I turned to leave. “Claire.” “Is there something else?” “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” Christian’s brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with disbelief, his tone a questioning probe. I looked at him, confused. Seeing that he was serious, I thought for a moment and then asked, genuinely, “At this point, you don’t actually expect me to wish you and Lily a lifetime of happiness and a house full of kids, do you?” I may have moved on, but I wasn’t that generous. “…” He was speechless. Christian’s gaze was like a deep, dark pool, his emotions impossible to read. As I reached for the doorknob, I heard his voice again. “Claire, in the end, I’m the one who wronged you. I’ll continue to cover your mother’s medical expenses.”

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1 Sebastian and I were a merger waiting to happen—a dynastic agreement inked before we could walk. But he wanted out. And to force my hand, he’d orchestrated a cliché: his best friend was waiting in the wings to play the hero. After my family’s assets were frozen, Sebastian forced me into a high-stakes poker game with the flavor of the month, a starlet named Tessa. Tessa sat nestled in the crook of Sebastian’s arm, her smile sharp enough to cut glass. “If you lose, darling, you owe me three favors. Anything I ask.” I hesitated, my eyes flickering to the tablet on the table where the charity livestream chat was scrolling at hyperspeed. @DramaLlama: Sienna! Don’t do it! It’s a trap set by the ML. He wants the rival to humiliate you so his buddy can swoop in and ‘save’ you! @TruthTea: Yeah, and once you break the engagement, the buddy is gonna ghost you hard. @RomanceReader99: Then Sebastian goes after his ‘One That Got Away’ guilt-free. @DarkTimeline: And you lose the marriage protection. Your dad will lose it, and your mom gets sold down the river to pay the debts! Reading that, the corner of my lip quirked upward. I looked Tessa dead in the eye. “Deal.” Sebastian didn’t know two things. One: I was the “One That Got Away” he’d been pining for online for years. Two: when I eventually collapsed, sobbing, into his best friend Chase’s arms, Sebastian’s composure was going to shatter into a million jagged pieces. 2 When the bankruptcy hit, my father made it clear: if the Sebastian merger failed, my mother was the collateral. Sebastian once mentioned he liked “good girls.” So, for ten years, I played the part. I wore the pearls, I lowered my voice, I folded my hands in my lap. It didn’t matter. I could have set myself on fire and he wouldn’t have looked up from his phone. The only reason we were still engaged was his refusal to be the bad guy who broke a family pact. Then came Tessa. She hung off his arm like a designer accessory, laying out the terms of the bet. Three favors. I agreed without blinking. They didn’t know that my online alter ego, Vesper, was a legend in the underground gambling circuit. I never lost when it came to probability and cards. But as my hand hovered over the final discard, the livestream chat exploded with spoilers about Chase’s scripted rescue and the trap to induce a breakup. I froze. I looked at Sebastian, whose cool eyes held a flicker of tension, and at Chase, who looked like he was rehearsing lines in his head. I swapped the King of Hearts for a Three of Diamonds. “I fold,” I said, my voice steady. “I lose.” Tessa’s grin widened as the chat went nuclear. @CardShark: How did she lose? Is the actress actually good? @PlotTwist: No way. Tessa’s playing the ‘Vesper’ role to trick Sebastian. It’s tragic he doesn’t know Sienna is the real deal. @GalaxyBrain: Wait… did Sienna lose on purpose? Ignoring the digital noise, I fixed my gaze on Sebastian. For years, I’d been taking high-level freelance contracts under the alias Vesper to buy my mother’s freedom. I’d just closed the final deal. We were almost out. And all this time, I hadn’t realized that King of Spades—my online rival, the cold, calculating strategist I’d battled across servers—was Sebastian. The chat said he was in love with Vesper, and Tessa had convinced him she was her. I watched them. Sebastian’s hand rested lightly, possessively, on Tessa’s waist. “I won,” Tessa purred, leaning into him. “Three favors, right? You won’t let her back out, will you, Seb?” A rare, indulgent smile touched Sebastian’s lips. “Don’t worry. I won’t let Sienna welch on a bet.” “Great. First favor,” Tessa said, arching a perfectly sculpted brow at me. “I want Miss Sienna to join us for the polo match this weekend.” Before I could answer, Chase slid into the space beside me, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t worry, Si. If Seb is too busy with Tessa, I’ll look out for you.” I almost laughed. They were really committing to the bit. Fine, I thought. I’ll watch your little play. I forced my eyes to rim with red, turning slightly toward Chase. “Okay.” 3 The polo grounds in the Hamptons smelled of cut grass and old money. I played the role of the novice, gripping my mallet so hard my knuckles turned white. Tessa trotted past on a gleaming chestnut mare, a cloud of expensive oud and leather trailing behind her—Sebastian’s signature scent. “Oops, sorry,” she called out, pulling up. “I assumed a debutante like you knew how to ride. First time?” She smirked. “Need a lesson?” A ripple of laughter went through the spectator stands. “Tessa and Seb are the power couple we deserve,” someone whispered loud enough to hear. “Fire and Ice.” “Why is Sienna still clinging to him? It’s pathetic.” They all assumed that after my family’s fall, I’d been cut off from this world. They didn’t know I’d worked late shifts exercising ponies at these very stables and cleaning locker rooms to pay off interest rates. I could hit a ball through a needle’s eye at full gallop. Sebastian’s eyes were glued to Tessa. Chase stepped in front of me, blocking my view. “It’s okay,” he said, voice low and sturdy. “Just remember what I told you. I’ve got you.” I nodded, widening my eyes to look up at him. “I only have you, Chase.” The whistle blew. As I squeezed my horse’s flanks, I felt the stirrup give way. @InsiderInfo: Seb is ruthless. He let his crew sabotage the stirrup. There’s talc in her glove too. @SafetyFirst: Are they trying to kill her?! I felt the leather strap loosen. I looked upfield. Sebastian and Tessa were a synchronized unit, turning the match into a duet. I ignored the stirrup and kicked into a gallop. I thundered up beside Tessa. I shifted my weight. She glanced at me, a sneer forming. Just as I mimed losing my balance, looking like I was about to tumble, I locked my core, corrected my seat, and swung my mallet. Crack. The ball screamed through the air, grazing her horse’s shin guard. The mare spooked and reared. Tessa went down in a heap of white denim and indignity. If you want to play dirty, make sure you can stay in the saddle. Sebastian was there in a heartbeat, abandoning the play. I dismounted quickly, feigning panic. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I—” Sebastian didn’t even look at me. He shoved me aside with enough force that I stumbled back onto the turf. He scooped Tessa up, his face etched with a panic I’d never seen directed at me. “Get the medic!” he roared, carrying her off the field. My chest gave a painful, involuntary throb. Ten years. Even if he didn’t love me, we grew up together. And he pushed me into the dirt without a second thought. Chase was there instantly, helping me up. I faked a limp. Without asking, he swept me into a bridal carry. I had to hand it to him. Even if it was a setup, Chase was a hell of an actor. 4 In the infirmary, I cried with practiced elegance, making sure my best angle was facing Chase. He knelt, massaging my “injured” ankle. I watched him through wet lashes. “Thank you,” I whispered. “I’ve always known Sebastian and I were… different. I only stayed because of the families.” Chase looked suitably pained. “Seb’s just… cold. You know everyone else loves you. My mom talks about you constantly.” I gave him a brave, watery smile. He blushed. Later, at the dinner, I sat quietly while Chase fussed over my water glass. Sebastian was busy acting as a human shield for Tessa’s wine intake. Tessa, recovering miraculously fast, leaned forward. “I won’t hold the accident against you, Sienna. But since we’re here…” She slid a glass of deep crimson wine toward me. “Try this. Grand Cru Pinot Noir. It’s exquisite.” I flinched, twisting the fabric of my dress. Sebastian, from the head of the table, shot me a look of impatience. “I… I don’t really drink,” I stammered. Everyone knew Sienna, the Good Girl, was a teetotaler. Tessa pouted at Sebastian. He turned to me, his eyes devoid of warmth. “Consider it an apology. And your second favor to her.” I bit my lip, took the glass, and downed it in one go. It burned, but I kept my face blank. One glass. Two. Three. Sebastian didn’t intervene. Chase hovered, looking nervous. But the more I drank, the sharper my eyes became. Tessa’s smile began to falter. I hid a smirk behind the crystal rim. They didn’t know I’d spent years bartending in dive bars to make rent. I could drink a sailor under the table. When I reached for another, Tessa panicked. “That’s enough.” She stared at me, waiting for the sedative she’d spiked the decanter with to hit. I just smiled. Suddenly, a small designer dog—one of the guests’ purse pets—scuttled out from under the table and began enthusiastically humping Sebastian’s Italian leather shoe. Sebastian’s face went stiff. Tessa looked horrified. “Since Tessa said stop, I assume the second favor is done,” I said, standing up smoothly. “Only one left.” I turned to leave. @Sherlock: Did she switch the glasses? Is the dog drugged?! @CinemaSins: LMAO. Sienna is a magician. Sebastian looks like he wants to die. Sebastian stared at my retreating back, a frown creasing his forehead as if he sensed a glitch in the matrix. I swayed, letting myself fall naturally against Chase. I put a hand to my forehead. “I think… the wine is hitting me.” 5 Chase looked like a deer in headlights, trying to shepherd me toward the guest rooms, but Tessa’s voice stopped him cold. “Sienna,” she slurred, her cheeks flushed with victory and wine. She draped herself over Sebastian. “I’m calling in the third favor right now.” The table went silent. “The third favor,” she announced, “is that you let me have Sebastian.” You could hear a pin drop. Guests at nearby tables stopped chewing. Sebastian said nothing. He didn’t push her away. I stayed silent for a long beat, looking down at my phone. A text from my mother had just come through: Debt cleared. Divorce finalized. I’m free. The shackles were off. I took a breath, letting my shoulders drop. “Okay.” It’s over. Sebastian’s head snapped up. The relief he expected to feel was visibly absent, replaced by confusion. He needed to reassert control. “I’m sorry, Sienna,” he said, his voice loud enough for the room. “But tonight is full of eligible bachelors. Why don’t we play a game? I’ve assigned everyone a card. You draw. Whoever you pick, you date. I’ll make sure they treat you right.” @FeministRage: This is disgusting. He’s auctioning her off? @RomanceLogic: He thinks she’s boring. He wants a firecracker like ‘Vesper.’ He has no idea. I ignored him and checked my messages. A notification from my handler: New contract. Vesper, someone wants the dirt on the Sterling family empire. Interested? I looked at a gloating Tessa. I looked at an oblivious Sebastian. Yes, I typed back. Sebastian fanned the deck of cards. Twelve times I drew. Twelve times, without looking, I pulled the Jack of Clubs. Chase’s card. Chase’s jaw was on the floor. Sebastian stared at the cards, his brow furrowing as he calculated the statistical impossibility. Before he could do the math, I threw myself into Chase’s arms, letting a sob escape. “Chase… you’re my destiny. You won’t leave me, right?” Chase hugged me back, tight. And for the first time in ten years, Sebastian’s face went completely, utterly pale. 6 The day after the engagement was transferred to Chase, I sent my mother to Europe. Chase followed me. My father blew up my phone. The Chase family is garbage compared to the Sterlings! Get back here! I blocked him. He still thought he had leverage. I reactivated the Vesper account and forwarded the contract about the Sterling family corruption directly to Sebastian’s King of Spades handle. We had a history. He was the only person who could keep up with me. I used to think he was cool, until I realized he enjoyed the cruelty of giving targets false hope before crushing them. He replied instantly. [Thought you retired?] I tapped the screen. [Changed my mind. Too many big fish swimming in international waters. Also, do you want this Sterling job or not? You always steal my contracts, I’m gifting you this one.] He typed for a long time. @Observer: He’s panicking. He knows something’s up. Ten minutes later: [Why are you abroad?] I smirked. [Honeymooning with my new fiancé.] Chase had been keeping his distance from Sebastian, terrified his friend would realize he’d actually fallen for the girl he was supposed to trick. Sebastian switched to his personal number. Sienna, I heard about your family. We grew up together. Where are you? My mother wants to send a gift. He hadn’t texted me this much in a decade. Europe, I replied. With Chase. We’re very happy. He called. I let it ring. He texted again: Did you get married? I didn’t reply. I walked into the bedroom where Chase was passed out, snapped a photo of his sleeping face, filtered it to look soft and intimate, and posted it to my stories. Then I went out. The club in Ibiza was a sensory overload of bass and strobe lights. I moved to the rhythm, a circle of appreciative strangers forming around me. I felt a gaze. I turned. A phone camera was pointed at me. It was a mutual friend of Sebastian’s. I didn’t hide. I threw my head back, ran my hands through my hair, and dropped into a body roll—a signature move Vesper had once performed on a dare in a Macau casino. @DramaAlert: She’s off the leash! Sebastian is going to lose his mind when he sees that video. @FlightTracker: Pretty sure his private jet just filed a flight plan. I smiled. Finally. The iceberg was melting.

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The moment I succeeded in winning over the brooding male lead, I chose to exit the world. I didn’t hesitate for a second, not even when he begged me, broken and humbled, to stay. Later, back in the real world, my life fell apart. The System found me again. It offered me five million dollars to go back into the book and win him over one more time. Just as I was about to agree, a stream of comments flashed across my vision: “Holy crap, the ex who ditched Aidan is back.” “LOL, does she seriously think he’s still in love with her?” “The second ‘Tasker’ not only got his Darkness Value down to negative one hundred, but she also chose to stay, giving him the family he always wanted.” “The happy couple is about to get married. Can the ex-wife please have some self-respect and not bother them?” 1 It took me a long moment to process it. The “ex-wife” they were talking about… was me. Beside me, the System was still buzzing in my ear, trying to sell me on the deal. “All you have to do is make Aidan Sterling fall for you again, and you’ll get five million dollars. Even if you fail, you’ll get fifty thousand for your trouble. How about it? It’s a bargain, right?” It was a bargain. And right now, I desperately needed the money. But the comments echoed in my head. I stayed silent for a moment, then said I needed to think about it. So, the System decided to send me back into the book first. To be precise, it sent me back to the home Aidan and I once shared. The tiny apartment, old but filled with a familiar warmth, was exactly as I’d left it three years ago. Aidan hadn’t moved a single thing. Even the dress I’d accidentally stained just before I left was now hanging in the closet, clean and pristine, as if waiting for me. I remembered that dress. It was from a famous designer, all the rage at the time. When Aidan had secretly bought it for me, I’d chewed him out for spending so much money. He didn’t argue, just lowered his gaze, his long lashes shadowing his cheeks, and waited for my anger to fade. Then, he’d coaxed me, in that soft, gentle voice of his, to try it on. I looked down, the silky fabric cool against my fingers. I took a deep breath. If Aidan had truly forgotten me… then why was this apartment still here? I looked up again, my eyes scanning the small room. My gaze was suddenly caught by a white piece of paper taped to the window. A few large, scrawled words were visible through the glass. FOR SALE. PRICE NEGOTIABLE. URGENT. The sharp, decisive strokes were unmistakably Aidan’s. 2 A fresh wave of tiny text flooded my vision: “Hahaha, look at her face. The ex-wife is stunned. He wasn’t holding onto their past; he just hadn’t gotten around to selling the place.” “She really thought he still loved her like before. Plot twist: now that he has our sweet Sophie, he won’t even give his ex a second glance.” “The only reason the System brought her back is to create some drama for Aidan and Sophie. Get ready for some prime humiliation, folks.” I pressed my lips together. So that was it. The System was willing to offer five million because it was certain I would fail. Its real goal was to cast me as the villain, the obstacle in the main couple’s love story. He was getting my labor for a mere fifty thousand dollars. Fifty thousand. I laughed, a bitter, self-mocking sound. To play the fool for fifty grand… it wasn’t a small amount. It was enough to cover a week of treatment in the ICU. I summoned the System and coolly accepted the deal. The System was thrilled. It deposited a large sum of money into my account for expenses, though it could only be used within the book’s world. Since Aidan was so eager to sell this place, I might as well be the one to buy it. I clutched my phone, my fingers dialing a number I knew by heart. It rang for half a minute before someone picked up. A bright, clear female voice came through the line. “Hello? Who is this…?” I froze for a second, then glanced down to confirm the number. It was definitely Aidan’s. “Hi, I was passing by and saw the ‘For Sale’ sign in the window…” “You want to buy the apartment?” the person on the other end exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. “That’s wonderful! Finally, someone wants it.” I asked cautiously, “Are you the owner?” “I’m the owner’s girlfriend. You can just call me Sophie.” So, this was the second Tasker. As my mind went blank, a brief murmur of voices came from the other end of the line, like two people whispering. It felt like an eternity passed before someone picked up the phone again. Aidan’s cold, detached voice came through, sharp and clear. “Hello. Is it convenient to meet and discuss this in person?” 3 I waited in the coffee shop, a bundle of nerves. Finally, a sleek, understated luxury car pulled up to the curb. A picture-perfect couple stepped out. I hadn’t seen Aidan in three years, but he was just as striking as ever. The last traces of youthful uncertainty in his features had been replaced by the quiet confidence that comes with power and wealth. He leaned casually against the car door. Sophie said something that made him smile, and he reached out to gently ruffle her hair. From across the distance, his gaze drifted in my direction. It rested on me for a fraction of a second before moving on, as placid and undisturbed as a still lake. I was still lost in a daze when Sophie sat down in front of me. She offered me an apologetic smile. “My boyfriend had to run, he could only drop me off. I’ll be handling the details in his place.” I nodded, my voice genuine. “I can tell you two are very happy together.” Sophie’s smile deepened. “He runs a tech company. The net profit is in the nine-figure range every year. It’s not about the money from the apartment, you know? We just… don’t want to keep it around anymore.” Her tone was laced with a faint, unmissable sense of superiority. I nodded again and, following procedure, asked to see the apartment. Sophie paused, a flicker of awkwardness in her eyes. “I don’t have the keys. If you want to see it, my boyfriend will have to take you himself.” I blinked, confused. “He didn’t give you the keys before you came?” Logically, any property sale involved a viewing. Aidan couldn’t possibly be unaware of that. Sophie sighed, a hint of frustration in her smile. “I asked, but he wouldn’t give them to me. He’s never even taken me there.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “To be honest with you, this is the place he lived in with his ex-wife when he was just starting out. It just… gives me the creeps. That’s why I want it gone, and fast.” “Oh,” I said. “In that case, I don’t need to see it. We can just sign the contract.” Sophie’s face lit up. Afraid I’d change my mind, she immediately pulled out the sales agreement. But she didn’t have the deed, so we couldn’t transfer the title just yet. We’d still have to wait for Aidan. With time to kill, I looked at this woman, a fellow Tasker, just like me. My curiosity got the better of me. “How did you and he get together?” What I really wanted to know was how she had managed to win him over. The System had told me that after I left, Aidan had briefly relapsed into a second darkness. He’d attempted suicide, slit his wrists… his Darkness Value had skyrocketed to a level that threatened the stability of the entire world. Sophie had appeared at his side during that critical time. She not only lowered his Darkness Value but completely replaced me in his heart. Aidan was not an easy man to win over. She must have gone through hell. But Sophie just smiled brightly. “He had just been abandoned by his ex-wife and was completely heartbroken. I was just there for him, comforting him. It didn’t take long for us to make it official.” Was it really that simple? I could hardly believe it. Once again, the screen of my vision was flooded with mockery: “Hahaha, the ex-wife is having a meltdown. Aidan has zero resistance when it comes to our girl Sophie.” “Don’t forget, it took the ex ten whole years to win him over. She threw herself at him countless times before he finally, reluctantly, agreed to be with her.” “Sophie just had a few conversations with him, and all of the ex’s years of work went down the drain. That’s the power of true love, baby.” … I silently watched the jeering words scroll by. They were right. My journey with Aidan had been incredibly difficult. So difficult that I never wanted to live through it again. 4 Aidan’s parents never loved him. At a young age, they abandoned him in a psychiatric hospital, leaving him to the mercy of abusive orderlies. The place was filled with violent, unhinged patients, a veritable prison guarded like a fortress. Even with the System’s help, I nearly died getting him out of there. I took Aidan to a new city where no one knew us. I made sure he went to school, got an education, stayed on the right path. I even arranged for expensive therapy sessions every week. I did all of it hoping he would finally, completely, trust me. But Aidan was too smart. He effortlessly saw through the façade of this world, including my identity and my mission. After graduation, Aidan was the state’s top scholar. I threw a party to celebrate, overjoyed for him. But he quietly pulled me aside, his expression cold, a flicker of self-deprecation in his eyes. “You’re doing all this to win me over for your mission, aren’t you?” After the initial shock, I sighed, my voice catching. “I’m in love with you. That’s my mission.” Aidan scoffed, clearly unconvinced. My heart hammered in my chest. I pressed my head against his chest, my voice a small murmur. “Aidan, please, don’t get hung up on all that. These last few years… they’ve been so hard. You have to hurry up and make my life easier.” My voice broke. “I really, really love you. Please don’t question me like this again. It hurts too much.” … After college, Aidan started his own company. We moved into that tiny, rundown apartment. It had no heating in the winter. I was always cold, and my feet would get so numb they ached. Every night, Aidan would massage them for me, his eyes red with unshed tears, silent but full of pain for me. By then, we were married. His life goal had shifted from building a tech empire to destroy the world to the mundane task of making enough money to buy his wife a house. We hustled during the day and held each other in that small bed at night. I remember being harassed by an investor I was trying to win over; I didn’t dare tell Aidan, so I just walked the streets alone, crying. Another time, when a rival company came after us, I stood in front of Aidan without a second thought, taking the blow that sent me to the operating room. I don’t know how many times I went through things like that before Aidan slowly, painstakingly, fell in love with me. And compared to my decade-long effort, Sophie had done it in just three short weeks. She’d brought his Darkness Value down to negative one hundred and pushed his Affection Meter all the way to one hundred percent. 5 Sophie was still chattering on about the sweet little moments she shared with Aidan. She said it was love at first sight for him. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a sip of my milkshake. “Has he… ever mentioned his ex-wife to you?” Sophie thought for a moment, then a triumphant smile spread across her face. “Never. I think he’s completely over her.” I nodded. It was better this way. I didn’t actually want to ruin their relationship. When Aidan showed up, I’d just act like I was full of regret, pathetically throwing myself at him. Given his personality, he’d probably be disgusted and push me away. Once he rejected me, I’d take my fifty thousand dollars and happily exit this world. As I was plotting, Sophie’s phone rang. Her face lit up. “My boyfriend’s meeting is over! He’s coming to pick me up. We have a date tonight, so let’s deal with the apartment tomorrow, okay?” I froze for a second, then forced a smile and a nod. “Okay, I’ll just be going then…” “Where do you live?” Sophie asked, grabbing my arm affectionately. “I’ll have my boyfriend give you a ride.” The smile on my face froze solid. Sophie was just too insistent. Before I knew it, the car door had clicked shut, and I was inside. The cool, clean scent of pine wood hung in the air. I could hear Sophie’s sweet, playful voice as she showed Aidan her new manicure. Aidan was sitting right in front of me. From my angle, I could see his hands on the steering wheel, his knuckles sharp and defined. He kept his eyes on the road, but he responded to her every word. I glanced at the rearview mirror, at the handsome lines of his face, and felt a wave of disorientation. Aidan had never been this patient with me. When we were together, he was always so insecure, so full of dread. He knew about my mission and was terrified I would leave at any moment. He’d wake up in the middle of the night, startled, his hand frantically searching for me on the other side of the bed. I would have to soothe him, again and again, exhausted. “I won’t leave you alone. I love you, and it has nothing to do with the mission.” I kept telling him that lie, right up until the moment I left. He had cried then, clutching my hand, begging me not to go. Begging me to stay just a little longer, just a few more years. I had sighed and refused every plea. His face had gone pale, his eyes swirling with a storm of pain and madness. “Why? Don’t you love me? How can you just leave me like this? You said you’d never leave me alone!” I gave him a bitter smile. “I have someone I love in the real world.” … Aidan’s eyes flickered up, catching my gaze in the mirror. He frowned. The car lurched forward with a sudden, violent screech of brakes. Caught off guard, my forehead slammed against the window with a dull thud, leaving a blooming bruise. “Sorry,” Aidan’s voice was raspy. He turned his head slightly. “We’re here.” It took me a moment to register. “Oh,” I said, managing a “thank you.” When I’d gotten in the car, Sophie had asked for my address, and I’d just blurted out the name of a random apartment complex. I arranged to meet Sophie next time and got out of the car. Aidan kept his eyes down, never once looking back at me. He didn’t linger for a moment; the car’s taillights vanished around the corner almost instantly. At the busy entrance to the complex, I wrapped my arms around myself and slowly sank to the ground. I don’t know how much time passed. Then, the familiar luxury car pulled up again, silent and imposing, right in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing the sharp, defined profile of his face. Aidan stared at me, his expression unreadable. “Get in.” 6 I’d expected Aidan to find a way to see me alone. I just hadn’t expected it to be so soon. Too soon for me to prepare myself to face him. As we were locked in a stalemate, Aidan lifted a hand and lit a cigarette. I frowned instinctively. I hated it when he smoked. In the past, I would have snatched it from him without a word and stamped it out. And the Aidan back then was always so obedient. When I told him to quit, he never touched another one. He would never have been like this. He would never have sat there, shrouded in a pale haze of smoke, studying me so brazenly. I bit back my words, about to speak. The comments flooded my vision again: “What’s she hesitating for? Does she actually think he wants something from her?” “He’s known she was back for a while. He just didn’t say anything in the car because he didn’t want Sophie to get the wrong idea.” “The only reason he’s seeing her alone is to warn her not to run her mouth in front of Sophie. He couldn’t care less about her.” I stood rooted to the spot, the silence heavy around me. It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head. The impulsive flicker of emotion I’d felt a moment ago was extinguished completely. I had no right to tell him what to do anymore. The hand resting on the car window, pale and elegant, dropped lazily. Aidan expressionlessly averted his gaze. As if remembering something, he crushed the cigarette with a flicker of derision. “You want to buy the apartment, don’t you? Get in. I’ll take you to see it.” 7 The ride was silent. Aidan showed no intention of speaking. But my mind was a chaotic mess of scrolling text. “Well, at least she knows her place. She took the back seat, knowing the passenger seat is for the girlfriend.” “He’s supposed to be warning her, so why is he taking her to their old place?” “Don’t worry, guys. He doesn’t know her real plan yet. Once she shows her true colors, he’ll be even more disgusted with her.” … When we arrived at the door, I couldn’t help but speak. “Don’t you have anything… to ask me?” Aidan’s hand, holding the key, paused. He glanced down at me, a brow raised, silently waiting for me to continue. I mustered my courage. “Like why I came back. How long I’m staying. Or… why I want to buy this apartment.” “Not interested.” Aidan looked away, his tone flat. “I don’t care who buys it. I’m erasing everything that has to do with you. As for why you’re back…” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and let out what sounded like a humorless chuckle. “You’re not planning to try and win me over again, are you?” I was silent for a beat. “What if I am?”

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