I saw a text message on my husband Preston’s phone. He had booked a luxurious ten-day European getaway for the Thanksgiving holidays. I smiled. He had always loved surprising me like this. But when the holidays finally arrived, that surprise never came to me. Instead, he told me he had to go on an urgent business trip out of the country. Then, I saw a post on his secretary’s Instagram Story: [A kiss of true love under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. You kissed my lips, but you captured my heart.] Attached was a photo of her and Preston locked in a passionate kiss. I saved the photo and sent it to the Vance family group chat with the caption: Congratulations. Looks like you’re all getting a new daughter-in-law. 01 The Vance family group chat immediately exploded. Everyone started popping up. My mother-in-law: “Harper, is this some kind of misunderstanding?” Preston’s cousin: “Damn, Preston knows how to play.” His aunt quickly tagged the cousin: “Keep your mouth shut, kids.” My sister-in-law: “Why does that woman look so familiar?” Preston’s other cousin: “That’s his secretary, Chloe.” The chat fell dead silent. A moment later, Preston finally sent a message: “Chloe lost a game of Truth or Dare and had to post a kissing photo. She’s my employee, and I didn’t want to see the poor girl humiliated, so I helped her out. Everyone, calm down.” My phone rang immediately. It was Preston. “Harper, stop acting like a child, okay? How could you post a photo like that to the family chat? You know the Vance family is a major traditional household. The elders are very conservative. Delete it right now.” I kept my voice perfectly flat. “Is there something wrong with the photo? I think the lighting is great, and the caption is very poetic.” Preston’s tone grew impatient. “I told you, she lost a game of Truth or Dare. Why are you being so petty with a young girl?” I sat up straight, my tone turning deadly serious. “She’s kissing my husband. Of course I’m going to be petty. If you didn’t have feelings for her, you would never have entertained something like this. Preston, I hope you don’t make a mistake.” His voice softened. “Okay, I promise I’ll be careful next time. I’ll bring you back a nice gift from my trip.” I checked the calendar and asked, “How many more days until you’re back?” The timeline he gave me matched the ten-day European tour itinerary perfectly. Preston Vance had ultimately chosen to betray our marriage. A few days later, Preston returned. I went to the airport to pick him up. It wasn’t because I was clingy; the Vance family was hosting a large family gathering today, and we had to make an appearance as a couple. Preston walked out pushing a luggage cart. Trailing closely behind him, looking like a timid little bird, was Chloe. When she saw me, Chloe shrank back slightly in fear. “Mrs. Vance.” Preston gently put an arm around me and kissed my cheek. “Thanks for coming, honey.” His breath smelled faintly of women’s perfume. They had probably just finished kissing. I turned my head away and noticed a faint red smudge on his shirt collar. I didn’t say a word. Preston looked completely unbothered. “Honey, let’s drop Chloe off first, then head home together.” He naturally pulled open the passenger door, explaining that Chloe got motion sickness in the back. Chloe sat in the passenger seat and peeked at me cautiously. “Mr. Vance, maybe I should just call a cab.” Preston grabbed my hand, his tone shifting into overbearing mode. “It’s dangerous for a young girl like you to be out at night. Besides, dropping you off is on our way.” On our way? It was a ten-mile detour, but if he said it was on the way, fine. My eyes met Chloe’s in the rearview mirror. It was a silent clash of swords—we both knew exactly what the other was thinking, filled with a woman’s intuition. I lowered my eyes and asked softly, “Was it just the two of you on this trip?” Preston answered casually, “No, the other colleagues took a different flight.” Before getting out of the car, Chloe handed me a gift box, tilting her head. “Mrs. Vance, this is a gift for you. Mr. Vance said you love shawls. I hope you like it, though I wasn’t sure if the color would be suitable.” Preston chuckled. “Harper is a bit older, she doesn’t like bright, playful colors like you young girls do. It’s perfect.” A lump formed in my throat upon hearing that. I let out a quiet sigh. 02 The moment her car door shut, I sat up straight and shifted away from Preston. He frowned. “What’s wrong?” I handed him a mirror and told him to look at himself. He quickly spotted the lipstick stain. He frowned slightly, but immediately launched into an explanation to me. “When we got off the plane, Chloe tripped. I caught her, and it must have brushed against me then.” I took a deep breath, turning to look at him. My eyes carried a mix of heartbreak and a look that was hard to read. “Preston, we’ve been married for seven years. Before this, you never had secretaries who were so unsteady on their feet that they rubbed lipstick on your collar. Since when did female secretaries start accidentally spraying perfume on you and leaving lipstick marks?” He stayed silent for a moment before saying apologetically, “Alright. I’ll be more careful from now on.” I swallowed the heavy feeling in my chest. Even though ours was a marriage built on corporate alliances, we had legitimately dated for two years before tying the knot. It wasn’t a loveless marriage. But after seven years, it felt like we had reached the end. Before we stepped out to face his family, he grabbed my arm, looking serious. “Are you mad? Why? Because I didn’t spend the holidays with you and went on a business trip with my secretary?” “When did you become so unreasonable? You’re acting as immature as a little girl.” “You know the company is going through a crucial transition. I really don’t have the time to guess what’s going through your head. I flew out of the country and worked for ten days straight. I’m truly exhausted.” “If you want to be a proper Mrs. Vance, you shouldn’t be wearing your emotions on your face right now.” I suddenly lost all patience to play this game with him. I ripped my arm out of his grasp. “A ten-day luxury European tour? A business trip? Preston, do you really think I’m the only idiot in the whole world? “Was the kiss under the Bridge of Sighs sweet? Did you capture her heart?” I pushed the car door open, not looking back. “Let’s get through tonight’s perfect couple performance, and then we need to separate and cool off for a while.” By the time the family gathering ended, I was practically on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Faking being the perfect couple hurts the body and the soul. When we got home, I drew a bath. I had just put on my pajamas and was applying body lotion when Preston gently wrapped his arms around me from behind, coaxing me softly. “Honey, I was wrong. I’ll never bring her up again. If you don’t like it, I’ll transfer her to a branch office, okay?” I wriggled out of his embrace. “Preston, don’t hug me when you smell like another woman’s perfume and lipstick.” He grabbed me again the second I broke free. “I’m sorry. Come wash up with me again, okay? You can literally peel my skin off.” He leaned in to kiss me. Just as I was about to slap him, his phone rang. I glanced at the screen. The caller ID was: Little Clumsy. Through the speaker, I heard Chloe’s delicate, tear-laced voice. “Mr. Vance, what do I do? I messed up the data in the files we brought back, and I don’t know how to fix it! The contract signing is tomorrow. What should I do?” Her voice was laced with panic, carrying a young girl’s reliance on a man in power. Preston frowned and replied, “What’s wrong with you? How could you be so careless? Stay at home and wait, I’ll be right there.” He hung up the phone, turned around, and put on his coat, telling me, “This contract is crucial. I have to oversee it personally. You go to sleep, don’t wait up for me.” After speaking, he braved the freezing wind, completely forgetting to even wear a scarf, and hurried out the door. I sat quietly on the sofa and listened to the notification chime on my phone. I tapped it open. It was Chloe’s newly posted Instagram Story: A serious man is the most handsome, no matter what he’s doing. The photo showed Preston sitting under a lamp, painting Chloe’s fingernails. My suspended heart finally died. I locked the bedroom door, put on my earplugs and eye mask. There was no way he was coming back tonight anyway. The next morning, as I ate breakfast, the maid asked me, “Is Mr. Vance not eating breakfast?” I put down my utensils and thought for a moment. “You probably won’t need to make breakfast for him anymore. I imagine he won’t have much time to eat at home from now on.” I picked up my phone and opened it. Sure enough, Chloe had posted another story, this one filled with the “simple joys of life.” Preston was sitting at a street food cart. On the table sat soy milk and steamed buns. The rising steam blurred his face slightly. There were two sets of chopsticks and two bowls on the table. The caption read: The simple joys of life are just being with you. The endless flaunting of their affection was relentless. How picky was Preston with his food? He was allergic to dairy, allergic to peanuts, and if he ate anything remotely unsanitary, he would immediately get severe gastroenteritis. The chef in our house was held to higher standards than a five-star hotel. Ignoring a five-star breakfast to eat at a street cart—seeing this, I realized he truly was blinded by love, completely losing his mind. My fingers finally couldn’t resist the itch, and I hit the “Like” button. Very quickly, the post was deleted. 03 My prediction came true very quickly. Preston was rushed to the hospital with severe vomiting and diarrhea. When I arrived at the hospital, Preston was pale and hooked up to an IV, his eyes half-closed. His secretary was crying next to him, her eyes swollen red. She looked a hundred times more heartbroken than I, the actual wife, did. Preston was still asleep. When Chloe saw me, she immediately stood up and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Vance. It’s all my fault.” I held out a hand to stop her. “Of course it’s your fault. You’re definitely the reason he’s hospitalized. Have you figured out how you’re going to explain to the Vance family how you single-handedly put Preston in the hospital?” “Harper, it doesn’t involve Chloe,” Preston said weakly, waking up at that moment. Chloe rushed over and stood by the bed, her eyes as red as a little rabbit’s. “I really didn’t know you couldn’t eat street food. I’ll cook for you myself next time, okay?” Preston stopped her from saying more. “You go back first. I don’t need you to take care of me here.” I stood up from the sofa and stopped Chloe from leaving. “No, you should take care of him. There’s probably no one who can take care of him better than you. I have things to deal with at my company. I don’t have time to stay at the hospital.” Preston hurriedly explained, “I was up all night fixing data last night. Chloe felt bad this morning and treated me to breakfast. Please don’t misunderstand.” I grabbed my purse to leave, shaking my head to stop his explanation. “Whether your secretary is completely incompetent is Vance Corp’s business. It has nothing to do with me. But my husband spent the entire night with a young girl fixing data, and then hospitalized himself over the ‘simple joys of life’ this morning. It’s inevitable that I’d be unhappy. So, I don’t want to see you today.” Behind me, I heard Chloe’s anxious voice: “It’s all my fault. Let me go explain to Mrs. Vance so she won’t be angry.” Preston comforted her with a hoarse voice. “Stop crying. If you cry any more, you really will turn into a little rabbit.” That evening, succumbing to my mother-in-law’s various worries and explicit and implicit hints—being a wealthy family’s daughter-in-law is hard. Fortunately, I wouldn’t be one for much longer. Ultimately, I still carried the recovery soup and went to the hospital. The door to the VIP ward was slightly ajar. I walked to the door, just about to push it open, when I heard voices inside. “Preston, I kissed you because I truly love you. I don’t care that you’re married, and I’m not asking you to marry me. I just want to be by your side. Please don’t transfer me away, okay?” “Please, don’t reject me.” It was a delicate, heartbreaking cry. Peering through the crack in the door, I saw Chloe’s tear-streaked face resting against Preston’s body. She looked up at him like a god, her face full of admiration and worship. She gently tilted her face up and pressed her tender lips against his. “I’m begging you.” Finally getting a response, it went from a gentle, probing touch to a deep kiss. The long, intoxicating deep kiss made the two of them sink into it, unable to pull away. Clatter! The thermos in my hand dropped straight to the floor, making a massive noise that startled the two kissing people inside, causing them to break apart immediately. Seeing me standing at the door, Preston froze, and Chloe, her face flushed, shrank behind him. Preston ripped out his IV needle, jumping out of bed to grab me and explain. I threw a hard slap, striking his face and forcing his head to the side. “Get away from me.” Chloe rushed over, blocking him. “Mrs. Vance, how could you hit someone? It’s all my fault. If you want to hit someone, just hit me.” Looking at the two of them, a wave of nausea washed over me. I didn’t want to say another word. I turned around to leave. “Harper, it’s not what you saw.” I spun around fiercely. “It’s not what I saw, then what is it? Making out for five minutes, what are you going to tell me? You have a good working relationship? Or you were comforting a scared little girl?” “Don’t touch me, Preston. You make me sick.” “I’ll have the Sterling family lawyers contact you. Preston, I want a divorce.” 04 Preston chased me all the way into the elevator. I used my purse to smash him out of it fiercely. “Get out, I am not staying in the same elevator as you. Even sharing the same space as you, I find your breathing disgusting.” Preston’s face was deathly pale. He stood dumbly at the elevator doors, watching them slowly close, looking at my disappointed eyes that wished I could kill him. My elevator reached the first floor. Preston, in his hospital gown, was panting heavily having run all the way down the stairs. He blocked my path at the hospital entrance. “Honey, I’m not divorcing you. Don’t speak out of anger. We can’t get divorced. Listen to my explanation.” I shook him off. “A misunderstanding? You want my forgiveness? Which sentence do you think you have the nerve to say out loud? Preston, I am so disappointed in you.” Preston grabbed my hand, refusing to let go. “No, I admit I made a mistake, I lost my mind. I just felt a little bored, and she was young, fresh, and I had a momentary lapse in judgment and got distracted. But Harper, don’t cry. When I saw you just now, I completely realized that the person I love the most is only you. What I have with her is just playing a game.” I glared at him coldly. “Playing a game? Your games are endless. Preston, are you an actor? Why don’t you go into acting? The next Best Actor award would be yours.” “What did you say? You were just playing a game with me?” Chloe had taken the elevator down and chased after us. When the elevator doors opened, she perfectly caught Preston’s words. Her tears fell like beads, staring straight at Preston. “Everything you said last night was a lie? When you were in bed saying you loved me, that was fake? When you said she was boring, that was fake? When you said you would divorce her and marry me, that was fake too?” “Then what am I supposed to do? I love you so much. I really will die without you.” She cried beautifully like a rain-soaked blossom. Before Preston could comfort her, he saw me leaving and immediately tried to chase after me. A gasp came from behind, and Chloe collapsed softly to the ground. “Chloe!” Preston rushed over, gathering her into his arms. When he frantically looked back for me, he found that I had already opened my car door and sped away. “Harper!” Preston shouted loudly, but there was no one left to answer him. My fiery temper was inherited from my father, swift and decisive. When I got back to the home I shared with Preston, I called a professional moving company and began packing and clearing out everything I owned in the Vance house. The senior maids in the Vance household were running around in a panic. They called Preston, but his phone was off, so they called my mother-in-law and father-in-law. I didn’t answer their calls. I just uploaded a video to the Vance family group chat. This time, no one came out to speak. It was the high-definition video of Preston and Chloe’s five-minute passionate kiss. Both the emotions and the body language were perfectly captured—spicy, passionate, and full of desire. I posted a single sentence: “Doesn’t a love like this deserve my blessing?” Then, I clicked ‘Leave Group Chat’. From today on, I was no longer a member of the Vance family, and I had absolutely nothing to do with them. Preston’s phone was off, leaving him completely unaware of this. He didn’t know that outside his little universe of love, the whole world had exploded. When I returned to my family home, my dad jumped up, wanting to go to the hospital and break Preston’s legs. My brother coldly called our corporate partners, declaring that whoever did business with the Vance family would hereafter be an enemy of the Sterling family. The Sterling legal team worked overnight, calculating our pre-marital assets, marital assets, and drafting the divorce agreement. Meanwhile, Chloe innocently and romantically posted on her Instagram: I love watching the way you wake up next to me in the morning. The photo featured Preston’s sleeping face. It was clear the two of them had slept quite contentedly. I loved seeing it. I saved the picture with a quick screenshot and sent it along to the lawyers. I loved how direct young girls were about love, how much they loved to show off, and how they posted everything on social media. Finding evidence couldn’t be any easier. Preston didn’t want to divorce, but now it was out of his hands. The division of partnerships between our two families was underway. My father and my father-in-law were negotiating the terms. Disentangling the partnerships of two major conglomerates was no small matter. 05 After Preston was discharged from the hospital, he came to my family home every day to see me. Every time, he was kicked out by my brother, sometimes not even allowed through the door. But he insisted on coming, rain or shine. My mom couldn’t bear it anymore. With a disappointed face, she told him, “You say you love Harper, but you go and fool around with someone else, cheating and betraying her. If you say you don’t like Harper, then why are you putting on this act now? What’s the point of this?” He knelt in front of my mom, begging her. “Mom, let me see Harper. I am sincere about her. I really lost my mind, making mistake after mistake. Please, let me see Harper.” “She won’t even give me a chance to make one mistake. I will explain everything to her properly.” My mom sighed and shook her head. “Go back. Harper said she won’t see you again unless you sign the divorce papers.” It was useless for him to kneel at my house until he died. I wasn’t even home. I had started an impromptu trip with my best friend. My best friend tilted her head, her eyes sparkling, and smiled. “You just got dumb staying at home after you got married. You don’t know how wonderful the outside world is.” We went to the snow mountains, visited Shangri-La, and went to Qinghai Lake. I was won over by the beautiful scenery. The gloom in my heart was swept away, leaving only a good mood. The answers are always on the road, and freedom is in the wind. I resolutely refused to be a fool for love. During this period, Chloe frequently appeared as Preston’s girlfriend. In the social media posts my friends sent me, I could often spot Preston and Chloe together. I found it a bit funny. Preston’s brain must have been eaten by a dog. On one hand, he refused to divorce, and on the other, he was wandering around with his affair partner. Was he afraid people wouldn’t know he cheated? By the time I returned to the city, two months had passed. When I arrived at the airport, I actually saw Preston. He was holding a bouquet of flowers, waiting for me at the airport. He stepped forward, a gentle look on his face. “Honey.” I took a step back, looking at him coldly. “We don’t need to do this, Preston. Why hasn’t the divorce agreement been signed after two months? Haven’t you been having a great time playing around with your little mistress every day? Why are you dragging me down? Can’t we just let each other live?” Preston’s eyes darted away, looking a bit guilty. “We’ve been married for so many years. Do you really not care about our old feelings at all? I really need you.” I smiled. “You don’t need me. You just need a presentable wife who can earn you face. And I am tired of playing that role.” He only wanted my status as the eldest daughter of the Sterling family to give him prestige in the Vance family and make him look good at social events. Where else would he find a wife like that? If I hadn’t looked at his face back then, I wouldn’t have fallen for such a massive trap. Now he had found all these other women. Besides playing around, what use did he have for them? I pushed my luggage past him, leaving without turning back. I didn’t care how ugly his face looked. The second day after I returned home, Chloe came looking for me, asking to meet. I didn’t even need to guess to know that this kind of meeting was just the classic plot of persuading me to hurry up and divorce him so they could be together. But I still went. Before she could speak, I raised a hand to stop her. “I want to divorce Preston even more than you do. So, you’d better find a way to convince him to sign.” “Otherwise, how are you going to become Mrs. Vance?” Taking the words right out of her mouth left Chloe speechless for a long time. She lowered her head, pursed her lips, and twisted her fingers together. After a long while, she gathered the courage to say, “I know you won’t get back together with him and that you want a divorce. I didn’t come to you because of that, but because… Preston has another woman.” Ah?? I was stunned. After thinking for a moment, I started laughing out loud. “And then? Why are you telling me this? Expecting me to help you fight the mistress? Don’t worry, I never even considered you a threat, let alone mistresses number four and five. In my eyes, you’re all the same type, and I simply don’t care.” “Let me tell you the truth. In his eyes, you are worthless. You don’t understand the lives of the wealthy. They only marry their equals. Did you think a Cinderella story would fall into your lap? Stop dreaming. Little girl, being too naive will only make you look stupid.” “A wealthy family will never accept a daughter-in-law like you. No background, a homewrecker, and completely useless.” Chloe broke down and screamed loudly, “But I have Preston’s child!” “But I haven’t seen him for a week. I snooped on his phone and found out he has someone else outside. The person he likes now is another woman.” After she finished, she covered her face and cried, full of grievances. “What should I do? I can’t find him anywhere. I have nothing now. I only have him.” She saw my gloating face and suddenly looked at me suspiciously. “Did you send that little tramp to deliberately seduce Preston? How can you be so vicious? Since you couldn’t win him back yourself, you found someone else to disgust me?!” I looked at the unwillingness in her eyes and said coldly, “Is there something seriously wrong with your brain?” Seeing my expression, she became even more convinced of her guessed truth. Pointing at me, she said angrily, “Alright, Harper Sterling, let me tell you. If I don’t have a good life, neither you nor that little tramp will have a good life either.” As if she herself wasn’t a tramp. I lost patience to keep listening. I stood up. “I have zero interest in your affairs with Preston, and I am not as bored as you are. Please do not bother me again in the future.” After saying that, I turned and left. 06 It turned out I underestimated Chloe. She hired someone to follow and secretly photograph Preston and that girl, discovering that the girl was actually a university student. She tracked down the student’s major and university, and posted all the intimate photos of the girl and Preston onto the university’s official forum, demanding the school give her an explanation. A female university student seducing a married man—such behavior was deeply despised. The girl was called in by the university administration, demanding she immediately stop this immoral behavior and issue a public apology. The student refused. She had finally latched onto a big tree like Preston, how could she give up? Later, to quell the scandal, the university expelled her. Preston called my house. He sighed on the phone. “Harper, I said that as long as you were willing to give me a chance and we started over, I would cut off all ties. Since you refuse to give me a chance, why did you step in to suppress a little student? Mia is only 20 years old, she doesn’t understand anything.” I felt blood rushing to my head. I was so angry I wanted to curse him out. “Preston, get this straight. When I say you disgust me, it means even hearing your name makes me nauseous. Do you think I would care about your business? Do you think I would step in to manage your mistresses? You flatter yourself.” “Also, the lawyers have gathered all the evidence of your affairs. If you still refuse to sign the divorce papers, don’t blame me when I add even more conditions later. Do you want to walk away with nothing?” Eventually, Preston signed the divorce agreement. A month later, we officially divorced. Preston looked at me, showing some regret and an indescribable emotion. He finally just smiled and said, “Let me drive you home one more time, just like when we were dating, okay?” I took a step back and shook my head. “Preston, I used to really like you, and I thought we would grow old together. But we still ended up here. Since we are divorced, let it be. There is no need to entangle anymore. From now on, take care of yourself.” I didn’t know if he understood what I meant. He had a bunch of rotten peach blossoms (bad romances), and he thought he could play the field without any consequences. But he didn’t know that some pretty flowers are poisonous. Sure enough, as soon as Chloe found out Preston was divorced, she started pressuring him to marry her. How could Preston marry her? He could play around, but the position of Mrs. Vance had to go to a lady from a prominent family. Chloe finally understood what my words meant. So, she appeared at the Vance Corporation’s 30th Anniversary Press Conference, rubbing her visibly pregnant belly. She stood in front of the reporters, grabbed a microphone from one of them, and asked, “I want to ask CEO Vance, are you prepared to take responsibility for the child in your girlfriend’s stomach?” As soon as that question came out, everyone in the room turned their eyes, and all the camera lenses focused on her face and belly. Preston’s father’s face turned black, and Preston froze, speechless. A crowd of reporters immediately rushed forward to interview. “Mr. Vance, what is your relationship with this lady?” “I heard she was your former secretary. Did you develop feelings only after your divorce?” “Ms. Chloe, are you the other woman?” “Ms. Chloe, how many months pregnant are you?” A female reporter who was a mother herself asked sharply, “Ms. Chloe, your belly looks four or five months along, right? Mr. Vance has been divorced for less than a month. Did you have an extramarital affair?” “Mr. Vance, did you get a divorce because of her?” The Vance Corporation’s PR department quickly stepped in to calm the storm. Preston finally regained his senses and said, “Of course I will take responsibility. I was just waiting for an opportunity to plan a proposal. When there is good news, I will certainly notify everyone.”

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Liam Was Famous in Our Circle as the Ultimate Wife-Guy He refused to marry for family connections and spent three years spoiling me like crazy. But at the bachelor party just before our wedding. His “first love” asked: “If I crashed your wedding, would you leave with me?” He answered seriously: “Yes.” Holding back tears, I texted my filthy-rich best friend. [Can you pick me up right now?] Seven minutes later, she arrived, tires practically smoking. “I told you from the start, with your looks and personality, you should marry into real wealth! “My brother is gorgeous, my dad is a silver fox, take your pick!” 01 With the wedding approaching, Liam’s buddies threw him a wild bachelor party. His inner circle knew how much Liam pampered me. If he didn’t bring me along, he’d always be home by ten. Regardless of whether the others were done partying or not. So this time, they enthusiastically invited me too. But as soon as I walked in, the vibe felt off. People greeted me warmly, but kept shooting covert glances at Liam. I didn’t get it. Once everyone sat down, a girl with short hair arrived late. “Sorry, traffic was a nightmare. I’m late!” Tall and slender, her voice was crisp and bright. Beside me, Liam instantly froze. That was the first time I saw such a blatant, heart-skipping-a-beat expression on his face. She reached out a hand enthusiastically: “You must be the bride-to-be. Nice to meet you, I’m Emma!” Hearing that name, everything clicked. This was the girl Liam had desperately loved for five years. The one that got away. Back then, Liam wasn’t as composed as he is now. He chased her relentlessly. Thousands of roses arranged beneath her dorm window. A massive fireworks display set off on the beach just for her. His entire youth was consumed by her. But three years ago, she decidedly followed another boy to study in London. That was around the time I met Liam. At a party, he walked toward me through the hazy lights. I’d only had half a glass of wine, but I was completely intoxicated. I hurriedly asked my friends about him. When they shoved me toward him, I was so nervous I stuttered. “I-I’m Chloe. What’s your name?” The crowd burst into laughter. The frown Liam had worn for months finally smoothed out in that moment. After we got together, Liam poured all his gentleness into me. He memorized my favorite and least favorite foods. No matter how late I worked, he insisted on picking me up. Every holiday, he prepared thoughtful gifts. He posted me all over his Instagram, introducing me to all his friends and family. Even his friends got jealous. “Chloe, you really caught him at the right time. He spent years leveling up his emotional intelligence chasing the hardest girl to get, and now you reap all the benefits.” Those words never bothered me. Because they also said we were complete opposites in both looks and personality. I wasn’t anyone’s replacement. More importantly, I could feel that Liam truly loved me. After three years of passionate dating, he firmly proposed. I thought our love was finally blooming into a happy ending. But reality delivered a heavy blow. 02 Emma casually sat down next to me. She pulled a bottle of perfume from her bag and handed it to me. “A wedding gift. This scent is super elegant. I’ve used it for years.” She smiled, her eyes crinkling. I had to admit, she was poised and charming. Even the wedding gift was specifically for me, not Liam. I accepted it and thanked her. Then she pulled out her phone to add me on Instagram. “If he ever bullies you, remember to complain to me. “Even though Liam and I grew up together, I’m not taking his side. I’ll always have your back!” The friends around us applauded. “That’s our girl, always so badass!” Emma paused, looked past me, and locked eyes with Liam, who was sitting on my other side. “Hey, what’s with you? Haven’t seen you in three years and suddenly you’re mute?” The people around us sipped their drinks, watching the drama unfold. Their eyes were glued to the three of us. Terrified of missing a single second. Liam’s ears visibly turned red. He didn’t even dare turn his head to look at her. He just gripped his glass, trying to joke: “I’m not mute, I’m just out of practice with you. Don’t know what to say.” Emma laughed: “Blaming me for not keeping in touch these past three years?” She raised her glass to him, “Then we should keep in touch more often from now on?” Liam glanced at me and said, “I’m a whipped man. Texting you requires a whole approval process. I gotta report to the wife first.” Sharing a smile of buried hatchets, they clinked their glasses. Everything seemed out in the open. No hidden agendas, totally transparent. But sitting between them, my chest felt suffocatingly tight. Maybe because, after three years, I knew Liam’s body language too well. Tonight, he was way too tense. Drinks were downed, songs were sung, drinking games were played. As the night wound down, everyone was a bit buzzed. Liam lost a game of Truth or Dare to Emma and chose Truth. Emma, who had been perfectly composed all night, suddenly got reckless. Tilting her head, slightly tipsy and bold, she asked Liam: “If I crashed your wedding… would you leave with me?” The moment the question dropped, the already hyped crowd started hooting. “Ooooh, finally dropping the act!” “Yeah, this is the drama we’re here for!” “Come on, answer! Would you?” Liam’s eyes were a little red from the alcohol. He looked at her, emotions churning in his gaze. And answered seriously: “Yes.” The whole room exploded. “Holy shit! I knew it!” “Crash it! Crash it!” The cheering drew the attention of everyone in the bar. Sitting between them, I found it harder and harder to breathe. My hands started trembling slightly. I didn’t know how to face this humiliating situation. Using the restroom as an excuse, I fled the scene. Holding back tears, I texted my best friend, Riley: [Can you pick me up right now?] Riley called immediately. “What happened? Did those assholes do something?” “No, please just don’t ask. Can you come get me?” I felt like I was going to break down. Hearing my voice, Riley got frantic, yelling like a drill sergeant. “Stay right there, I’m on my way! Ten minutes! No, seven!” “It’s not that urgent, drive safe.” “Don’t tell me what to do!!” 03 Seven minutes later, Riley pulled up in her Bugatti like a hurricane. The tires were practically throwing sparks. The moment I saw her, I broke down, my eyes welling up. Riley grabbed my hand, furious: “How did they mess with you?! “Liam, are you blind? Can’t you see she’s crying?!” Riley was a billionaire heiress, fiercely protective and incredibly intimidating. Her mere presence immediately silenced the rowdy crowd. Spotting Emma, Riley’s gaze turned sharp as a knife. “Oh, so you’re here.” Emma stood up and tried to grab my arm, looking overly friendly. “We were just playing a game, why get so worked up? “I’m just naturally blunt. I’m not used to hanging out with such delicate girls, I guess I crossed a line. My bad.” Riley yanked me behind her. “Who said you could touch her? “You’re not blunt, you’re just playing dumb!” At this point, Liam sobered up. Rubbing his temples, he stood up. “Chloe’s tired. I should take her home.” Riley scoffed. “I’m already here. Who needs you? You can go back to playing dead.” The crowd stood awkwardly, watching Riley help me gather my things. She scolded me while she packed. “I told you from the start. With your looks and personality, you should’ve married into old money. But no, you insisted on suffering with this new-money trash. “This kind of circle, full of fake bitches and mind games—is it really a place for someone as pure as you?” Liam’s family was worth nine figures. A nine-figure “new money trash”… quite the niche insult. But coming from her, nobody dared to argue. Finished packing, Riley picked up my bag. Seeing the beautifully packaged perfume inside, she didn’t even ask, just pulled it out and tossed it on the floor. “What kind of expired garbage is this? The audacity to give this as a gift.” The bottle rolled across the floor, stopping right at Emma’s feet. Emma’s face went rigid. Riley pulled me away. Liam chased us to the door, grabbing my arm. “Chloe, don’t be mad. With the atmosphere like that, she suddenly asked that question, and my mind just went blank.” Looking into his deeply affectionate eyes, I suddenly lost all my energy. “Are you saying your instinct, your true desire, was to leave with her?” “Of course not. Chloe, it was just a game. If I said no, she would’ve lost face in front of all her friends.” “So to protect her pride, you trampled all over mine?” “I just gave her a polite answer! I’m giving you a marriage!” I shook him off, laughing out of sheer anger. “So I should consider myself lucky? “Liam, we’ve been together for three years, and I never realized you were such a master people-pleaser.” Right then, Riley pulled the car around, honking the horn aggressively. Liam tried to grab me again. “Let me take you home. We can talk in the car.” Riley frowned. “If you have so much free time, why don’t you take that basic-ass Tesla of yours and drive for Uber to clear your head?” Liam choked on his words. For the first time, his custom Bentley made him feel humiliated. I opened the passenger door and got in. Looking back at Liam, I said: “The wedding is off. “We both need to seriously rethink everything.” 04 On the way back, I scrolled through Instagram. I saw Emma had posted two stories. The first one: [She really doesn’t look like me at all. But don’t you think that just makes it more obvious you’re trying to prove a point?] The second one: [If you wanted to use these three years to prove that I made a mistake leaving you… congratulations, you succeeded.] The emotions I had been holding back all night finally shattered. I broke down sobbing. Crying for the three years of genuine love I had wasted. I always thought Liam’s obsessive pampering came from love. I never expected it was just a show put on for her. I was just a prop in their high-stakes emotional tug-of-war. Riley was painfully straightforward. She didn’t know how to offer sweet comfort. She just liked to solve problems. “Stop crying. There are plenty of men in the world. Just get a new one! “My brother is gorgeous, my dad is a silver fox, take your pick!” I cried until I laughed at her absurdity. “Riley, am I just useless? At a time like this, I still need you to stand up for me.” Riley patted my head. “Don’t be stupid, everyone’s wired differently. “My mom died when I was young, and left just the three of us. None of us are exactly normal, and we suck at showing affection. I was a rebellious nightmare growing up, so I don’t exactly get to be the hero often. “But you are naturally kind-hearted. Every day with you is like a breath of fresh air. “You’re still the gentlest nurse in the city. When I was hospitalized, if you hadn’t been there with me every day, patiently calming me down, I never would’ve made it through.” Those words helped. My shattered self-esteem slowly started to piece itself back together. Riley added, “Seriously though, won’t you consider marrying into my family?” She had said this many times. I met Riley when she was admitted to the hospital. The Chief of Surgery was her attending physician, and I was a nurse. But because I had a soft voice and a gentle touch with IVs, Riley threw a fit and demanded I be her primary care nurse. From then on, we built a deep, revolutionary friendship. At the time, I was already dating Liam, and Riley regretted it every day. “Why couldn’t I have gotten sick a few months earlier! “You were single then, I could’ve totally dragged you home to be my sister-in-law!” The innocent bystander in all this—Carter, her brother. Who had flown back from studying in London specifically to visit her. His face went dark every time she brought it up. Because of her relentless nagging, my relationship with Carter started below freezing. Whenever we bumped into each other, I’d awkwardly look down. He’d awkwardly look away. We pretended we were invisible. Recently, Carter had returned from abroad and joined our hospital as a surgeon. Right down the hall from me, actually. The arrival of this brilliant, icy-hot doctor sent the whole hospital into a frenzy. Nurses would find excuses to walk past his office twice a day. Sick leave plummeted. Meanwhile, I’d hold my bladder all shift just to avoid running into him in the hallway. Seeing me stay silent, Riley got excited. “You’re quiet… are you actually considering it? “Have you decided? My brother or my dad?” My mouth twitched. “If those are the only two options, I’d rather pick your dad.” Riley practically vibrated with excitement. “Hell yes! Honestly, I’d prefer that too! “My dad is old, he’ll kick the bucket soon. You inherit his fortune early, and we can hire pool boys every day! “My brother is no good. He has a perfect routine, he works out, he’s annoyingly healthy. I’m afraid you wouldn’t outlive him.” Me: “…” 05 The next afternoon, Riley arrived precisely on time to pick me up from work. Passing Carter’s office, she dragged me inside. “Bro, are you working late today?” Carter looked up from his monitors. He was 6’3″, with sharp features and a perfectly straight nose. His eyes were dark, cold, and captivating. The kind of absurdly good looks that made you complain about God playing favorites. Carter glanced at me, his gaze freezing cold. “No.” As soon as the word left his mouth, Dr. Bennett, who sat across from him, looked up in shock. “Dr. Harrington, aren’t you…” Carter shot him a glare that could melt steel. Dr. Bennett gulped and swallowed the rest of his sentence. Riley asked, “Then are you eating out tonight?” Carter paused, looking slightly aristocratic. “I suppose I could.” With that, he decisively stood up and gathered his files. Riley cheered, “Perfect! Since you’re eating out, I’m taking Chloe home for dinner. That way she won’t feel awkward with you there.” Carter froze. He slowly raised his head to look at Riley. His eyes suddenly carried an inexplicable murderous intent. “Then why don’t you just take her to a restaurant? Our chef’s food isn’t even that good,” Carter said, looking thoroughly pissed off. Their housekeeper, Maria, was originally hired to tend the gardens. But as she got older and couldn’t dig dirt anymore, she asked to be the chef. Her food was… well, extremely healthy. Riley went up on her tiptoes and whispered loudly in his ear: “I’m taking her home to introduce her to Dad. “Hehe, I’m getting a new stepmom! Are you excited? Surprised?” Carter slowly straightened up. Looking at Riley as if looking at a corpse. A few seconds later, he grabbed Riley by the collar and dragged her toward the imaging wing. “Come on, let’s get you an MRI. I want to see if they accidentally removed your brain during your last hospital stay.” Riley’s struggles echoed down the hallway. “My brain is fine! Bro, let me list the top three benefits of having a young stepmom. “One, Dad gets married, so he stops nagging us to get married. “Two, I’ll have her whisper in his ear to leave the company to me. You get to be Dr. Harrington in peace, I become CEO, everyone wins! “Three, stepmom is young and hot. Barring accidents, we’ll have a baby brother by next year, the family legacy is secure, and you don’t even have to have kids! You could even get a vasectomy—Ouch! Why are you pinching me?! It hurts!” 06 As we drove out of the hospital, a familiar car flashed by. I looked back. “Was that Liam?” Riley was perfectly calm. “Nope, you’re seeing things. He’s probably curled up in some bed right now pouring his heart out to his ‘first love’. He’s not worried about you.” I’m usually a very emotionally stable person. I figured even a breakup should be handled with dignity. But hearing her say that, I suddenly felt that dignity was overrated. I blocked Liam on every single platform. Out of sight, out of mind. Carter and us arrived at the house right around the same time. As soon as he walked in, he disappeared into his room to change. He had been glaring the whole ride. It wasn’t until Maria brought the food to the table that Carter finally emerged. When Riley saw him, she jumped. “Are you insane? Why are you dressed like that at home?” Carter sat perfectly straight at the dining table. Wearing a sharply tailored suit, not a single hair out of place. Looking like a cold-blooded Wall Street CEO. “I always dress like this,” Carter said through gritted teeth. Riley’s mouth twitched, but she stayed quiet. Right then, Mr. Harrington came home. He greeted me warmly and sat down at the table. Carter stared at his dad’s three-piece suit. “You’re not changing? Don’t you normally rush to put on your ratty undershirt the second you get home complaining suits are uncomfortable?” Mr. Harrington looked at me, then at the fully decked-out Carter, and said cheerfully, “It’s a rare occasion you kids bring a friend home. I had to look presentable.” Carter’s mouth twitched this time. Dinner officially began. Carter held a small bowl of rice, looking incredibly posh. “Move the pork roast and ribs to the other end. Too greasy.” Maria obliged. Carter elegantly chewed a single leaf of spinach. Mr. Harrington looked bewildered. “Aren’t you a total carnivore? Since when do you touch vegetables?” Carter froze. He looked at his father, who was systematically cutting his steak. “Don’t you usually eat steak with chopsticks?” Mr. Harrington choked. I quickly intervened. “Knives and forks can be a hassle. I use chopsticks for steak sometimes too.” The tension eased slightly. Carter continued: “My dad usually loves spicy fish heads and spits the bones right onto the table.” “Okay, you’re definitely sick today!” Mr. Harrington snapped, throwing down his fork and storming off. “You guys eat. I’ve lost my appetite.” He had now effectively been irritated out of two meals. Riley kept her head down, shoveling rice into her mouth. Too scared to speak, too scared to ask. It was Maria who broke the awkward silence. “There’s a car that’s been parked outside our gates for a long time. Not sure who they’re waiting for. Looks like a… Tesla?” Hearing that, Carter immediately stood up. “Keep eating. I’ll go check.” A moment later, Carter’s voice drifted up from the driveway. “Security, go chase away that EV. Tell him nobody here called an Uber and he has the wrong address. “Give him a fifty-dollar bill and tell him to go buy a burger. Waiting all night for nothing must be tough.” I whispered to Riley. “Your brother might be a bit unhinged, but he’s actually kind of nice to strangers.” Riley: “…” 07 Worried that Liam would harass me at my apartment, Riley insisted I stay at her place for a few days. Carter didn’t object. He even offered me his own master bedroom, claiming it had the best sunlight. He moved into the guest room next to his dad’s. Riley was astounded. “My brother never lets me bring girls home, let alone let them touch his stuff. I half suspected he was a raging misogynist. “But he’s being so accommodating to you! Do you know what this means?” “What does it mean?” I asked. Carter’s footsteps on the stairs suddenly slowed down. “It means those two cheating bastards went way too far! Even a cold-blooded reptile like my brother has awakened an ounce of sympathy!” Riley declared indignantly. “If you don’t know how to speak, just shut your mouth,” Carter grumbled venomously. Then he loudly stomped down the rest of the stairs. Carter’s room was immaculate, smelling faintly of cedar. I opened the window to let some air in. The breeze knocked a few papers off the bookshelf. I bent down to pick them up. One by one, they were medical charts I had written for Riley three years ago. At the very bottom was a note written by Carter. In very sharp, elegant handwriting. [Chloe, Central City Hospital.] It seemed completely devoid of emotion. Yet simultaneously looked like it was written with intense, suppressed feeling. I felt like I had stumbled upon a massive secret. My hands trembled as I neatly stacked everything back where I found it. I crawled back into his bed, terrified, lying stiff as a board. I kept telling myself not to overthink it, do not overthink it. But his scent was everywhere in the room. Whenever I closed my eyes, Carter’s face played like a movie reel in my head. Pathetically, I couldn’t sleep a wink. 08 The next morning, we gathered at the dining table. I sported massive dark circles. So did Carter. Mr. Harrington looked ten years older, completely exhausted. Riley was shocked: “What happened to you guys? Did nobody sleep?” I stammered: “I think it’s just… sleeping in a new bed. I’m not used to it.” Carter: “I also slept in a new bed. Not used to it.” Mr. Harrington glared weakly at Carter. “If you can’t sleep in a new bed, why do you have to torture your father? I don’t know what kind of manic episode he was having, but every time I came out to use the bathroom, he ran out to stare at me. Startling me all night, I barely slept a wink.” Carter looked completely justified. “What kind of normal person gets up to pee eight times a night?” Mr. Harrington’s lip quivered. “I’m old, my bladder is weak! Fine, I’m not normal!” With that, he slammed down his coffee mug and left in a huff of humiliation. He had now effectively stormed off from breakfast too. No wonder he never gained weight. Riley chewed on her bagel: “Have my brother drop you off at work later, I’m not driving you today.” I quickly declined. “I don’t want to inconvenience Dr. Harrington. I can just get an Uber.” Carter stood up and said, “It’s on the way anyway. I’ll just drive you these next few days.” Then he grabbed his phone, the tips of his ears turning bright red. “Let’s add each other’s contacts.” I was trying to figure out how to politely refuse. Riley chimed in, “Seriously bro? You’re driving a colleague to work and you want her number so you can Venmo request her for gas money?” I suddenly understood. So that was why. I had totally overthought things. I quickly pulled out my phone and added his number. And immediately Zelled him fifty bucks. “Is this enough?” Carter didn’t say a word. He just stared blankly at Riley. Looking like a man who had lost the will to live. 09 On the way to work. Carter drove, still sporting his signature icy glare. To break the awkward silence, I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through Instagram. One swipe, and my world collapsed. I realized that last night, the highly-aloof Dr. Harrington had posted a story. [Today, we added an extra plate at the table. 😊] The photo was of the massive mountain of rice in front of me. He also managed to catch my right hand holding the fork. Even with Instagram’s photo compression, it was painfully obvious… That bowl of rice was packed tight. I have a big appetite, but didn’t want to be rude and ask for seconds at a stranger’s house. So I had just aggressively packed down the rice to fit more into the bowl. I wanted the earth to swallow me whole. What was worse was the comment section. I could see comments from mutual friends. Emma had commented almost instantly: [Who is that?! Who is that!] Liam had clearly recognized my bracelet and left several frantic comments. [She’s at your house? No way, what are you trying to pull??] [Tell her I’m outside your house to pick her up.] [You’re playing dirty! Just you wait!!] I slowly turned to Carter. “Dr. Harrington, why on earth would you post something like this?” Carter looked unfazed. “People usually think I’m antisocial and cold. I wanted to show my hospitable side.” I was speechless. “Dr. Harrington, how do you even know Emma and… Liam?” “Emma was a friend of a classmate. Three years ago, when I was studying in London, she moved there too. One day, this guy Liam adds me on social media, says a bunch of weird stuff, and tells me to ‘take good care of her’.” Suddenly, I remembered. They said Emma had moved abroad chasing another guy. The realization hit me like a truck. “The guy Emma chased abroad was you?” Carter suddenly turned his head and looked at me, his eyes dead serious. “I have absolutely no relationship with her. We aren’t even friends.” I quickly processed this web of connections. “So, for the past three years, you could see every single thing Liam posted?” “Yes.” I remembered how, when we first officially “met”, Carter had stared at me in a daze for a long time. Until Riley screamed like a banshee, snapping him out of it. “So, back at the hospital… when we supposedly met for the first time, did you recognize me?” I asked. “No. The timeline is reversed,” Carter said, keeping his eyes on the road. Word by word, it pierced straight into my heart. “I met you in the hospital first. Only later did I get Liam’s friend request, and on his feed, I saw you again. “If it wasn’t because I saw you in his photos… I never would have had the patience to listen to his nonsense, and I definitely wouldn’t have kept his contact on my phone until now.” This information exploded in my brain. Ultimately, I only latched onto one main point. Which meant, even when Liam was already dating me, he still couldn’t let go of his ‘first love’. He had pathetically reached out to her supposed crush to send those bizarre messages. My eyes burned, and I stayed silent for a long time. Carter quietly handed me a tissue. “Don’t be sad. There are plenty of men out there. Just get a new one.” I sniffled. “Those messages he sent you… is it convenient for me to see them?” Carter turned to stone for three full seconds. Then stated firmly: “No. It is. Not. Convenient.” Fine, whatever. Why was he acting like I just asked to see his underwear? 10 For the next little while, I slept at Riley’s house and commuted with Carter in the mornings. With all the constant chaos, the agonizing post-breakup phase flew by. Carter was like a caveman slowly discovering civilization. Not only did he learn how to care for others, he even started trying to cook. This terrified Maria, who thought she was about to be fired. The other victim was Dr. Bennett, who shared Carter’s office. Carter suddenly stopped working overtime. Dr. Bennett was left to hold the fort alone, his hairline visibly receding day by day. Riley marveled: “The most abnormal person in our family is becoming more normal every day.” But I still thought he was a little weird. For example, right before bed, he would check on me with the same bedside manner he used on terminal patients: “How are you feeling these past two days? Are you getting used to the bed?” I nodded: “I’m used to it.” He’d immediately turn around and post an Instagram story. [She’s finally getting used to my bed. 😊] The picture was of my jacket hanging on his bedpost. The comment section must have been brutally toxic. Because by the time I saw it, it was just a uniform row of: [Comment deleted] [Comment deleted] My jaw dropped. “Dr. Harrington, is this also to show off your hospitality?” Carter, peeling an orange for me, looked completely calm: “No, this one was to flex on the haters.” The first hater to be flexed on was Emma. Perhaps the flex kept her up all night. At the crack of dawn, she was waiting outside Carter’s house, peeking through the gates. She wanted to see with her own eyes who this “she” was that was driving her insane with jealousy. But she picked the wrong day. Riley, who notoriously slept in, miraculously woke up early that day. When the two made eye contact, Riley smiled like a demon. “You could have stayed in heaven, but you just had to come knock on hell’s door!” She had been wanting to punch someone for days. But living in a civilized society, she couldn’t exactly throw hands in broad daylight. Riley slowly rolled up her sleeves. Took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs: “INTRUDER! THIEF!” Then she charged out, fists flying in an absolute beatdown. Hearing the screams, Maria stumbled out of bed, grabbed a broom, and joined the fray. As Emma’s shrieks grew sharper and sharper, Maria regained a sliver of reason. “Are we hitting her too hard?” Riley: “If we don’t hit hard, how will the thief learn? Maria, your cooking is terrible, you gotta show you’re useful for something!” Hearing that, Maria instantly remembered her impending unemployment. To prove her indispensable value, Maria rolled up her sleeves and swung the broom with feral intensity. When security finally arrived, it took three guys to pull Maria off. Emma was left bruised and battered, her face swollen like a balloon, gasping for air between sobs.

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When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, the doctor said it was highly treatable, but the out-of-pocket costs would be astronomical. I immediately called my mom to borrow the money. She agreed over the phone, but behind my back, she secretly texted my husband, tricking him into thinking I was the one who had been diagnosed with cancer. I understood what she was doing. I blamed her for not trusting my husband, but she just looked at me seriously and said, “If your husband is willing to do the same for you, then I will gladly lend you the money.” Just as I was about to argue with her, my phone buzzed. It was a text from my husband: “Let’s get a divorce.” Staring at the screen, the slap in the face came so fast my cheeks practically burned. I had always cared so much about him. The only reason this cancer was even caught was because I forced him to go get a comprehensive physical exam. He just showed up; I was the one who booked the appointments, handled the insurance, and ran all the errands. If I hadn’t dragged him there, his cancer wouldn’t have been caught early enough to treat. I thought my absolute devotion would buy me a lifetime of companionship. Who knew I had married such a cold-blooded snake? Before I could even figure out how to reply, my mother-in-law started bombarding me with texts: “Come home right now. We need to talk. I told you to stop eating so much takeout and cook your own meals, but you never listen. Look what happened, now you have cancer.” Reading her rapid-fire messages, I felt like I was suffocating. When I finally dragged my heavy, exhausted body back to our house, his entire family was already sitting around the dining table, looking dead serious. My father-in-law, Arthur, cleared his throat and looked at me. “Come sit. We are having a family meeting.” My mother-in-law, Brenda, impatiently cut him off. “What’s there to meet about? Just hurry up and sign the divorce papers. My son is still young, what is he supposed to do, be dragged down by a sick person for the rest of his life?” Under the crushing weight of the room, I looked at my husband, Kevin. “Is this how your family treats me?” He sighed, putting on an incredibly innocent face. “Don’t get mad right off the bat. Let’s just be reasonable, okay?” I let out a cold laugh. Reasonable? When I found out he had cancer, my first instinct was to run to my mother and beg for a massive loan to save his life. When he thought I had cancer, his first instinct was to drop me. What reason was left to discuss? Noticing my expression, Kevin leaned forward, looking entirely serious. “Do you know? I watched a documentary once. The lives of families fighting cancer are miserable. They try so hard for years, and in the end, the patient still dies, and the family is left completely bankrupt.” “What’s your point?” I asked. He seemed to struggle to find a way to make it sound pretty. Finally, he choked out, “Isn’t it better to leave the living with a little hope and financial security? We are all trying so hard just to survive.” I inhaled sharply. As his wife, I had seen him at his worst, but to hear him try to sound poetic while actively asking me to lay down and die was a new low. “Did you even consider letting me try treatment?” I asked. “You don’t even know what the medical bills will look like.” He didn’t, but I did. The doctor said conservative estimates out-of-pocket would be around $200,000. I had just gone to my mom to borrow $100,000. And this was the ending I got in return. Kevin didn’t know how to answer, so Brenda quickly jumped in. “Oh, please, do we need to know the exact numbers? Western hospitals are all scams! The minute you walk in, they run a million useless tests and drain your bank accounts. Listen to me, you should see a holistic naturopath. If you don’t want a divorce, I can take you to this amazing alternative herbalist I found on Facebook.” Arthur nodded along. “Right. You’ve been with our family for years. You’ve worked hard. We wouldn’t just abandon you. So, we have two options: either we divorce, or you skip the scammer hospitals and let the herbalist treat you.” I wasn’t an idiot. I knew exactly what they meant. They didn’t care about alternative medicine. They just wanted to avoid paying for real scans and chemo, buy me some cheap herbal teas, and call it a day. And in their minds, this was an act of profound mercy. I slumped back in my chair. “The doctor already said it was caught early. We can start with targeted therapy, then see if we need surgical resection. If all else fails, we can wait for an organ transplant. We have plenty of time and treatment options.” Kevin suddenly interrupted, “But do you know about transplant rejection?” I froze. “We are nowhere near that step yet. Why would you bring that up?” “I just want you to know the facts,” he said. “People who get organ transplants usually don’t live that many years anyway. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just to buy themselves a few extra years, and then they need another transplant. Can I be honest? I think that kind of person is selfish.” I sucked in a breath of cold air. He was usually such a careless guy, always acting before he thought. But at this moment, he had skipped right past the targeted therapy and surgery, zooming straight to the worst-case scenario. “We are husband and wife,” I said quietly. “Are you sure you want to use the word ‘selfish’?” He nodded. “Yes, selfish. I know for a fact that if I were the one who got sick today, I wouldn’t even tell you. I would just quietly find a place to swallow a bottle of sleeping pills. I wouldn’t want to drag anyone down. That is the awareness I have as the provider of this family.” Looking at his self-righteous face, I finally understood. He was actually incredibly smart. He just used his intelligence to be horribly cruel. I forced a bitter smile. “So, what do you want me to do?” Kevin couldn’t wait. He practically lunged backward to grab a document folder and shoved it toward me. At that moment, my heart turned to absolute ice. Whatever was in that folder, I knew that while I was on my way home, they had been sitting in the living room treating me like an enemy, plotting how to trap me. I opened it. It was a post-nuptial agreement they had drafted together. First: I must choose alternative holistic medicine or only use drugs strictly covered by our basic insurance plan. No out-of-network or experimental treatments. Second: The husband has the right to terminate my treatment. If I pass away from the illness, considering the husband’s “efforts,” all my assets go to him. My parents get nothing. Third: I am strictly forbidden from secretly borrowing money to fund my own treatment. If I do, the husband has the right to divorce me immediately, I leave with zero assets, and I assume all the debt alone. I expected them to be harsh, but I didn’t expect them to try and pick my bones clean. “I’ve been married into this family for years,” I said softly. “And at the hardest moment of my life, this is how you treat me?” “Love goes both ways,” Kevin said defensively. “If I were the one who was sick today, I’d have already swallowed the pills and written my will. You just don’t have that level of sacrifice in you.” “Would you really swallow them?” I asked. Kevin looked at me dead in the eye. “Of course. You shouldn’t doubt my sense of responsibility to this family. If you care about us, sign the agreement. It’s actually good for you.” “Good for me? How?” It was a predatory, borderline illegal contract, and he had the nerve to say it benefited me. “Think about it,” Kevin reasoned. “You have cancer now. I’m willing to help take care of you. But if you can’t be saved… you’re an only child. Your parents will need someone to look after them, right? I promise you, I will take care of your parents in the future.” I stared at him with pure disgust. He was ready to throw his own wife in the trash, and he expected me to believe he’d care for my parents? He was already drooling over my parents’ estate! Brenda chimed in quickly. “Exactly! Stop being so self-centered. When a person is nearing the end, they should be generous. You should prioritize us and your parents. Stop being so selfish.” Honestly, I used to respect my mother-in-law. But at this point, the masks were completely off, so I didn’t bother saving her face. “Is a person simply wanting to live considered selfish now?” I asked. Kevin grew agitated. “Yes, it is! If you just blindly treat this illness and drain all our money, I’ll be saddled with a lifetime of debt because of you. When you die, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my life? I’m still young!” I cast a cold glance at him. I finally realized that when you no longer love someone, everything they do just looks pathetic. He always had a habit of yelling when he got emotional. I used to think he was just impulsive but had a good heart. I was so wrong. Now, he just made me nauseous. “Forget the post-nup,” I said evenly. “Let’s just get a divorce.” He nodded eagerly and immediately pulled out a pre-prepared divorce agreement. I wasn’t even surprised he had it ready. Who knows how long they had been scheming? The divorce agreement was much simpler. He keeps the house, we split the cash savings 50/50, and we take our own personal belongings. “This is the most fair way,” he explained. “My parents gave me the down payment for this house. Even though your name is on the deed, the law says whoever paid for it owns it.” “You bought the house, yes,” I said. “But you bought a bare-bones fixer-upper. I paid $50,000 out of my own pocket for the full gut renovation. Return my $50,000 renovation costs.” “How is it $50,000?” Kevin scoffed. “You aren’t even accounting for depreciation…” Before he could finish, Brenda shoved his arm, cutting him off. She shrugged and looked at me smugly. “Then go ahead and rip the renovations out and take them with you! I never liked your taste anyway.” I took a deep breath. I couldn’t believe how venomous they had become. To actually suggest I demolish the interior like a slumlord—it was shameless! Arthur, being a bit slower than his wife, didn’t understand her play. “Why are you telling her to tear it out?” he protested. “We live here comfortably!” Brenda rolled her eyes. “Let her tear it out! She has cancer. She needs to stretch every single penny. If she hires a demo crew, it’s going to cost her at least five grand. Do you really think she’s willing to waste that kind of cash right now?” Arthur’s eyes lit up with realization. He nodded at me confidently. “Go ahead. Tear it out and take it. If you can stomach the cost.” I slowly turned my head to look at Kevin. “This is your family’s final answer, right?” Kevin hesitated for a split second before saying, “I listen to my mom. My parents paid for the house anyway.” I let out a broken laugh. “Marrying you was the biggest regret of my entire life.” “The feeling is mutual,” he snapped back. “You’re no saint either. All you can think about is making us sacrifice everything for your illness! In the end, you’ll either drag out a miserable existence for a few years, or die early, leaving us scarred and broke.” “Do you know,” I said softly, “if you were the one who was sick, I would have gone into massive debt just to save you.” “Stop dealing in hypotheticals!” he yelled defensively. “My parents worked hard for their money. They raised me. Why should I drag them down for you? Am I supposed to just abandon my duty to my parents?” I looked at him coldly, finding the whole thing almost funny. At this point, I didn’t believe a single word that came out of his mouth. I knew that if a man could abandon his innocent wife so easily, he would absolutely abandon his parents when push came to shove. I sighed, pulled out my phone, and called my general contractor, Mike. Because I was the one who funded and managed the entire remodel, I still had his contact info saved. When he picked up, I said, “Mike, I need you to come over. Bring your crew and tear out every single piece of the renovation you did in my house. Rip it all to the studs.” In that instant, the color drained from all three of their faces. Arthur jumped up. “Are you really calling someone to destroy the house?! Are you out of your mind?!” Brenda quickly pulled him back. “Don’t panic! She’s bluffing.” But Arthur was terrified. He grabbed Kevin’s arm. “Talk to her! If she actually tears it out, where are we supposed to live?!” Kevin looked at me with profound disappointment. “Are you… are you really unwilling to leave me even this last gift?” That single, pathetic sentence almost made me throw up. “I’ll give it to you if I want to,” I said. “If I don’t want to, you get nothing.” He sighed heavily. “You’re still like this. Always acting on emotion. This is the time you need money the most, yet just to spite me, you’d rather we both suffer. If you didn’t have this selfish flaw, I wouldn’t even be divorcing you.” I shook my head. “We’re past this point. Stop gaslighting me. You’re just trying to find a scapegoat for your own shamelessness. My back hurts, I’m not carrying your guilt for you.” Brenda gritted her teeth. “I know exactly what you’re doing! You spent fifty grand on this, and calling the demo crew is just a show. You’re trying to scare us into paying you more! When the crew gets here, you’re going to say we can buy the remodel off you!” Kevin gasped. “Mom, is she really doing that?” “Can’t you tell?” Brenda sneered. “I always knew you married a calculating woman. She’s using all her little schemes on us!” At that moment, Kevin lost his temper. He yelled at me frantically, “How can you be so vicious?! We loved each other! I don’t want to abandon you, I just want a normal, happy life! What is so wrong about that?!” Brenda slapped her chest dramatically. “Stop talking to her about love! This woman has no heart. She only thinks of herself. Just say it! How much do you want for the house? Everything’s used anyway. We’ll give you fifteen thousand, max.” I shook my head. “It’s not for sale. You said I could tear it out and take it, so I’m tearing it out.” “What do you mean not for sale?!” Brenda shrieked. “You just think it’s not enough money! How much do you want?!” I pretended to think. “Since you want a price… fifty thousand. Exactly what I paid.” Arthur exploded. “Bullshit! You paid fifty grand brand new, now it’s heavily depreciated and you still want fifty?! Do you think we’re idiots?!” Kevin looked aghast. “I actually felt a little guilty before, but now I know divorcing you is the right choice. We haven’t even filed the papers and you’re already trying to extort us. If we stayed together, you’d drain my family dry.” “I just don’t think your family deserves a single dime of my money,” I said coldly. “Whatever I spent on this house, I’m taking it all back.” Arthur pulled Brenda aside, panicking. “What do we do? Do we really give her fifty thousand? If she tears it down, we have nowhere to sleep tonight.” Brenda’s face twisted with pure malice. She pointed a finger right at my nose. “Tear it down! Go ahead and tear it down! You think I won’t call your bluff?! I’m putting this on the record right now—the second a hammer hits my wall, you’re not getting a single cent from us!” I completely ignored her threat, packed my overnight bag, and told Kevin to get ready to head to the county courthouse to file the paperwork. Brenda kept chattering behind me, convinced I was trying to scare her. She deliberately slammed the dishes into the sink, making a massive racket, and spat out bitterly, “I think you deserve this cancer! It’s because you’re a terrible person. God gave you exactly the karma you deserve!” “However terrible I am, I’m better than you,” I replied flatly. “At least I don’t abandon my spouse the second they get sick.” She sneered. “Then why did karma hit you? My son is going to live a long, healthy life, and you’re about to drop dead.” I let out a long sigh. Her son definitely wasn’t going to live a long, healthy life. If Kevin wasn’t all talk, he’d be swallowing a bottle of sleeping pills very soon. Honestly, if he actually did swallow the pills like he promised, I’d believe he was telling the truth and admit I misjudged him. I’d respect him as a man of his word. But if he didn’t, then he was the ultimate hypocrite! Full of righteous morality, but rotten to the core! Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Mike and his demo crew. Mike, looking a bit confused, stepped inside. “Hey Emily. Are you unhappy with the work we did? It still looks brand new. Why are we tearing it out?” “I’m perfectly happy with the work,” I said casually. “I just want it gone.” Brenda sat at the dining table, laughing sarcastically. “Still putting on a show. Go ahead, tear it down. I’m begging you to tear it down.” Mike walked in, bewildered, while Brenda smugly poured herself a cup of tea. Mike turned to me and whispered, “Emily, to strip this whole place down to the studs… it’s gonna cost you about five grand in labor and disposal.” Brenda took a loud sip of her tea and mocked, “Oh wow, five thousand dollars! That’s enough to pay for a whole round of medical scans! Are you really willing to throw five grand in the trash right now?” Kevin and Arthur hid behind Brenda, letting her handle the negotiations, even giving her a secret thumbs-up. She spat a tea leaf back into her cup and drawled, “How about this. We’ve lived together for years, let’s both take a step back. I’ll make you an offer…” Before she could finish her sentence, I turned to Mike. “Tear it down. Right now. I have to get to the courthouse.” Mike hesitated. “Emily, are you sure? I brought the work order. Once you sign it, we’re taking the sledgehammers to it.” I immediately took his pen and signed the contract. Brenda clucked her tongue. “Look at her, so committed to the bit. Keep acting. I’ll give you a final offer. Fifteen grand. That’s our bottom line. Just take it and stop the performance…” I glanced at Mike. “Why aren’t you moving?” Hearing my tone, Mike immediately signaled his guys. One of them picked up a heavy sledgehammer. Brenda finally panicked. She jumped up and screamed, “I’m warning you! The second that hammer hits the wall, I am not giving you a single penny!” In that moment, I had two choices. One: take the fifteen grand, admit I was blind to marry him, and cut my losses. Two: kick my husband while he was down, ensuring that the man who had cancer wouldn’t even have a roof over his head. I chose option two. Money can always be earned back. But if I swallowed this anger, I wouldn’t find peace for the rest of my life. “Smash it,” I said calmly. The worker swung the massive sledgehammer, slamming it brutally into the custom drywall. With a deafening CRASH, a massive hole exploded in the wall. Brenda shrieked in absolute terror. She threw herself toward the wall, crying and screaming, “Stop hitting it! This woman is insane! You’re dying anyway, why won’t you let us live in peace?! Are you trying to drag us to hell with you?!” Her arrogant, smug demeanor was completely gone. Staring at the gaping hole in her pristine living room, she beat her chest in despair. Mike looked at me nervously. “Emily, what now?” “There are six of you,” I said. “Are you really going to let one old lady stop you?” Mike instantly understood. He knew I was the one who had paid him to build this place. He waved his hand, and his crew unleashed absolute chaos. The hardwood floors, the custom cabinets, the drywall, the luxury bathroom tiles—all smashed to unrecognizable pieces. Kevin stood frozen in the middle of the room, shell-shocked by the violence of the demolition. He stared blankly and muttered, “You crazy bitch. Even if you beg me on your knees to remarry you, I will never take you back!” Arthur and Brenda were running around frantically, trying to physically block the workers. But there were too many guys. They’d block the kitchen, and the bathroom would get smashed. They could only stand there and watch their beautiful home be reduced to concrete and dust. I smiled at Kevin. “Well, now our divorce agreement is perfectly balanced. Let’s go to the courthouse.” Brenda sobbed hysterically. “Divorce her! Divorce her right now! I don’t want to spend another second with this psycho!” Kevin took a deep breath, grinding his teeth. “Let’s go. We’re filing it right now. I just hope that when you are on your deathbed, you don’t come crawling back to beg me for help!” I glanced at him. I knew that if I told him the truth about his cancer diagnosis right then, it would be incredibly satisfying. But I wasn’t stupid. I saw right through his mother. In our state, there’s a mandatory 30-day waiting period before a judge finalizes a divorce decree. If I told them he had cancer now, she would absolutely force him to use his status as my legal husband to take out massive medical loans. Under the law, marital debt incurred during a medical emergency could make me liable for half of it. As long as I held onto the truth until the divorce was finalized, they couldn’t latch onto me like leeches and force me to subsidize his healthcare. I married the wrong man, but that didn’t mean I had to be an idiot. I was going to let this piece of trash walk straight into hell on his own two feet. Kevin and I went to the county clerk, filed the petition, and the 30-day waiting period officially began. As we walked out of the courthouse doors, Kevin glared at me fiercely. “I can’t wait to see the day you drop to your knees and beg me to save you. When that day comes, I’m going to kick you to the curb and tell you to rot!” I gave him a placid look. “I’m looking forward to that day, too.” Honestly, I was a little worried that during the next 30 days, Kevin might log into his patient portal, see his results, and immediately withdraw the divorce petition. But to my absolute shock, Brenda made an unexpected move. She actually made Kevin quit his job and took the whole family on a month-long vacation out of state. I heard through mutual friends that she was terrified I would withdraw the divorce to trap him, so she made him run away until the waiting period was up. She even bragged that if I tried to stall the divorce, they would just live out of state permanently, dodge the summons, and drag it out until I died of cancer. Because of Brenda’s brilliant plan, Kevin never checked his medical records or went back to the hospital for his follow-up. Finally, the 30-day waiting period was over. That day, the judge signed the final decree. Holding his copy of the divorce papers, Kevin waved it in my face with a cold sneer. “From today on, even if you die in a ditch, it has nothing to do with me.” He turned to leave, but I spoke up. “Hold on. I have a parting gift for you.” Brenda, standing right next to him, spat venomously, “What kind of gift? You’re already divorced, are you still trying to win him back? Thank God I took him away for a month, otherwise you really might have trapped us.” I calmly pulled up the hospital’s patient portal on my phone and handed it to him. Kevin frowned. “What is this? Are you giving me your phone?” I shook my head. “This is your electronic medical record. Your physical results came out a month ago, but you ran out of state and never checked them.” Kevin scoffed. “Oh, so now you care about my health? Don’t act like a loving wife in front of me, it just makes me sick.” “Just read it,” I insisted. He took the phone and glanced at the screen. Slowly, the arrogant smirk melted off his face, replaced by absolute horror. Brenda, who couldn’t understand the medical jargon, leaned in curiously. “What does it say?” Kevin dropped his arms, staring into space. “How is this possible? Why do I have cancer?” “They found your cancer a month ago,” I said honestly. “I went home to borrow money from my mom to pay for your treatments. But my mom was worried you were a scumbag, so she lied to test you. Looks like she won the bet.” Brenda panicked. She snatched the phone and read the screen frantically. “This is wrong! Weren’t you the one with cancer?! How did it suddenly become my son?!” “You guys hid out of state for a month partying,” I said evenly. “I’m guessing the cancer has gotten much worse. We were married once, so consider this a friendly heads-up.” Kevin was terrified. He lunged forward and grabbed my arm. “No, you can’t leave! Why didn’t you tell me clearly back then?! I’m not divorcing you! You can’t go!” I yanked my arm out of his grip. “The judge already signed the decree. Don’t touch me.” Brenda started hyperventilating. “How could you divorce my son when he’s sick?! You have a duty to take care of him!” She desperately grabbed the divorce decree and tried to shove it back at the court clerk behind the glass. “They aren’t getting divorced! Invalidate this right now!” The clerk, who had heard the whole exchange, rolled his eyes aggressively. “Where were you during the 30-day waiting period? Do you think the legal system is a game?” I put my copy of the papers in my purse and turned to walk away. Brenda threw herself in front of me, blocking the exit. She was sobbing hysterically. “My son is dying, and you hid the truth from us! You made him waste a whole month of precious time!” Kevin stood frozen in place, his face ashen white with fear. “Those were his test results,” I said coldly. “He chose not to check his own portal. How is that my fault? And where were you guys for the past month? Oh right, you were terrified my illness would drag him down, so you made him hide out of state.” Brenda wailed at the top of her lungs, “How can there be such a vicious woman in the world?! You abandoned your own husband when he got sick!” She screamed as loudly as she could, trying to draw the attention of everyone in the lobby to shame me publicly. But we hadn’t exactly been whispering. Everyone in the courthouse lobby had heard exactly what happened.

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The day Everett Sterling’s plane crashed into the ocean, I nearly went mad, plunging into the waves to end my own life and follow him. It wasn’t until I was rescued that I realized it was all just a cruel, malicious April Fool’s joke. Right before I lost consciousness, I heard his little canary say in that sickeningly sweet, mocking tone: “Everett, your wife really loves you to death. If she knew you were just testing her, she’d probably go crazy, right?” He chuckled, his voice devoid of any warmth: “Crazy? After Serena had the baby, she’s been as docile as a caged rabbit. As long as you guys keep your mouths shut, this is the last time I’ll test her loyalty.” The crowd burst into laughter, everyone promising to keep the secret. Laying on the stretcher, I couldn’t shed a single tear anymore. Everett didn’t know, but that was also the last opportunity I would ever give him. From then on, my love for him dropped to zero. Chapter 1 When I woke up, I was in a private hospital in Manhattan. A peeled apple sat on the nightstand. In the past, whenever I was sick, Everett never showed up. He would only have his assistant send over a pile of flashy, expensive supplements. Seeing my calm expression, he picked up a slice of apple and held it to my lips. “Happy to see I’m not dead?” I turned my head away, avoiding the apple. I caught a glimpse of a faint purple hickey just below his collar. My voice was as calm as a pool of dead water. “Everett, let’s get a divorce.” His hand paused. Then, he simply popped the apple slice into his own mouth, chewing it loudly. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes. He made a phone call right in front of me. Soon, his assistant brought Leo in. I hadn’t seen him in a few months. Five-year-old Leo had grown a bit taller. However, the look in his eyes when he saw me was still full of distance and disgust. Shortly after Leo was born, he was taken to the Sterling estate in Long Island to be raised by his grandfather. I only got to see him during holidays. I knew exactly why Everett brought the child to the hospital. In the past, whenever he partied too hard outside and I gave him the silent treatment, he would use our son as a shield. I had lost count of how many times he had used this exact same trick. But this time, this trump card was no longer my weakness. Looking at Leo, who had gained some weight, I didn’t smile. Leo frowned in displeasure. He was simply a miniature version of Everett, even speaking with the exact same tone: “Serena, you’re still so boring and strict. Daddy, I don’t want to stay here. I want to go back and have Mommy Lila play Legos with me…” Mommy Lila? No wonder he refused to call me Mom. He had already acknowledged someone else as his mother long ago. Everett’s gaze instantly turned sharp. Leo obediently shut his mouth, but voluntarily buried himself in my arms, muttering: “Daddy yelled at me!” Usually, I would hold him tightly, but this time, I pushed him away. “Go complain to your Mommy Lila.” Those two identical faces froze at the same time. I stared straight into Everett’s eyes, speaking word by word: “Everett, I’m serious about the divorce. I’m not joking.” A flash of anger crossed his eyes, quickly morphing into mockery. “Serena, playing hard to get is only fun up to a point. If you really piss me off, you’ll never see your son again for the rest of your life.” So he thought I was just taking a step back to gain an advantage. I remembered last year, when he got into a scandal with a starlet that ended up with her in the ER. I asked for a divorce. He locked me in our penthouse for six months and refused to let me see Leo. I gave in back then. But it was also that time I realized I couldn’t bring myself to love him anymore. “Everett, I’m moving out as soon as I’m discharged.” I looked right at him, my gaze unwavering. Realizing I wasn’t throwing a tantrum, his face turned serious. “You want a divorce? We’ll see if you actually have what it takes.” After he led Leo away, I picked up my phone and sent a message to an unknown number: “I’ve thought about it. I’ll leave as soon as the National Dance Championship is over next week.” Chapter 2 After being discharged, I returned to the Sterling estate, packed a few things, and headed to the dance studio. Since I had decided to leave, I didn’t want any more entanglements with Everett. However, as soon as I walked in, my colleagues’ looks were complex and subtle. A colleague I was usually close to pulled me into a corner and asked worriedly: “Serena, how did you offend ‘Mrs. Sterling’? Not only did she steal your competition spot, but she also made the boss fire you.” Mrs. Sterling? Following her gaze, I looked toward the center of the stage. Lila Rose was wearing a haute couture dance outfit, exuding the aura of someone entirely spoiled. I almost forgot, she had always paraded around outside calling herself “Mrs. Sterling.” At that moment, she was arrogantly soaking in everyone’s envy, until she spotted me in the shadows. “Serena, I’m so sorry. The boss felt my style was better suited for the championship, so the only spot went to me.” Before, she used to hide her claws around me. Now, she dared to walk all over me. “Lila, what exactly is your style? A stripper’s style? Do you dare tell everyone your real identity?” She used to be a cam girl famous for pushing boundaries, and only got into this high-end studio because of Everett’s connections. Lila’s face flushed bright red, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes. Just then, an arm wrapped around her waist. Everett appeared in front of me, his gaze overwhelmingly oppressive. “And what exactly do you think your identity is?” I opened my mouth, but a wave of bitterness rose in my throat. His mother died saving me. Nine years of marriage, even giving him a child, couldn’t offset the weight of that life. When he was drunk, he would grab me by the throat and roar: “Serena, you married into the Sterling family to atone for your sins, not to play the rich wife! Don’t forget your place!” Seeing me zone out, Everett leaned in close and lowered his voice: “Serena, if you want to keep this job, crawl back to the estate like a good girl.” I finally understood. He was the “boss” Lila mentioned. He gave the spot to Lila and forced the studio to fire me, all to make me bow my head, admit my mistake, and take back the word ‘divorce’. Seeing I remained unmoved, he sneered: “Gotten tough now, huh? Want to escape my control? Then I’ll break your wings and see how you try to fly.” He made a phone call. Less than five minutes later, my best friend texted me: “Serena, I think I pissed someone off. I just got promoted, and my boss called me in and said he has to let me go…” I pressed my lips tightly together and began packing my belongings. As I left, I heard Lila mocking me from behind: “Serena, in the end, don’t you still have to rely on a man? I thought you had a spine.” My hand trembled on the handle of my suitcase. I turned around and fired back: “Did you forget? Legally, I’m not divorced yet. He is still my husband…” Suddenly, Everett grabbed my wrist. “Serena, who gave you the nerve to bully Lila in public? Did you treat my warnings like garbage?” My heart felt like it was pricked by a needle. Married for so many years, he never publicly announced my identity. The outside world only knew he was married, but he was never short of beautiful women by his side. Since I couldn’t participate in the competition anymore, I didn’t need to wait a week. Thinking of this, I actually felt relieved. Before returning to the estate, I went to a law firm. After printing out the divorce papers, I texted that number: “Not waiting a week. I’m leaving in two days.” Chapter 3 Back at the estate, I sat on the living room sofa, dazed. It was rare for Everett to come home this early. He stood in the entryway, looking at me against the light. In that moment, I seemed to see my past self. Sitting in the living room every day after work, waiting until late at night just for a husband to return. I used to greet him with a smile and considerately help him take off his coat. “Honey, are you tired today? I learned a new massage technique…” All these years, aside from dancing, I spent the rest of my time revolving around him. Day after day, cycle after cycle, yet it never earned me a single kind look. Looking back now, I felt I was an absolute fool. Seeing I didn’t react, Everett frowned: “What are you thinking about? Running away?” I found it a bit funny. “If I wanted to run away, what would you do?” He walked toward me, roughly pushing me onto the sofa, cleverly shifting the topic: “If you don’t like Leo, we’ll just have a daughter. Daughters are obedient. She can keep you company later, and you’ll have an easier time in this house.” When I married into the Sterling family, the staff saw he didn’t care for me, and because of my mild temper, they never respected me, dumping all the heavy chores on me. Those years, I loved him deeply and never complained. He saw it all but always stood by coldly. My thoughts snapped back as he tore off my nightgown. His kisses landed on my body, fierce and overbearing, carrying an obvious sense of punishment. No matter what he did, I was like a piece of wood, completely unresponsive. It turns out that when you no longer love someone, your body genuinely puts up defenses. Everett found it boring and got off me. “Serena, I know your body. You shouldn’t be reacting like this.” He pinched my chin, staring at me intently: “Tell me, do you have a man on the outside?” Everett loved to play around, but he was incredibly possessive and a germaphobe. A security guard at the studio once looked at me a second too long; he was fired that day and Everett found an excuse to throw him in jail. I bit my lip tight, laughing out loud in humiliation: “Yes, just like the ocean you died in, I’ve been filthy for a long time. Are you going to arrest all those men too?” Everett narrowed his eyes, his voice raspy: “Is that so?” Suddenly, he scooped me up into his arms and walked toward the bathroom. He actually doubted me! “Since you’re dirty, let’s wash you clean.” He threw me into the bathtub, aimed the showerhead at my face, and turned on the freezing water. Goosebumps covered my body. Stimulated by the cold water, my PTSD was instantly triggered. My mind flashed back to when I was thirteen, the scene of my parents’ plane crashing into the ocean surface. I trembled uncontrollably, curling up in the corner. But Everett thought I was faking it. “Serena, don’t forget the purpose of you marrying into this family. You are here to atone!” That phrase again. This was almost our only mode of interaction. Out of ten sentences, nine were laced with malice. Chapter 4 Seeing my eyes lose focus to the point where I was about to bash my head against the wall, Everett finally panicked and carried me back to bed. “What’s wrong with you? Where does it hurt…” “Everett, you’ve tortured me enough all these years. Let’s let each other go!” I used every ounce of strength I had to throw the divorce papers at his face. He stared at the signature line and sneered: “In such a rush to divorce, the guy on the outside can’t wait?” I closed my eyes and stopped talking. He slammed the door and left. After tomorrow, I could escape this nightmare forever. The next day, Everett texted me: “If you want my signature, come to the Hilton, VIP Room 708. I had the maids prepare your clothes.” It was a modified cheongsam that made my waist look incredibly slender. When I pushed open the door, a group of rich heirs were jeering and looking at me. Lila sat next to Everett, her smile blinding. “Serena, Mr. Thorne wants to see a dance. I sprained my ankle, so I have to trouble you.” The gazes of these men landed on me like they wanted to eat me alive. This was Everett’s goal—to make his legal wife entertain his mistress and business partners. “Serena, didn’t you want a divorce?” Everett leaned into my ear, his breath hot against my neck, but making me feel like I was plunging into an ice cave. “As long as you dance until he’s satisfied, I’ll sign.” He pushed me right in front of Mr. Thorne. The man wrapped his arm around my waist, his eyes blurry with lust: “They say dancers have the softest waists. I see it today. Don’t worry, I promised Sterling I’d just feel around, I won’t actually do anything to you. As long as I enjoy myself, Sterling gets the contracts for the second half of the year.” I looked at Everett in disbelief. Everyone in our circle knew Thorne was a creep with a fetish for dancers’ waists, and someone had even been sent to the hospital with a broken rib because of him. I struggled to run, but Everett yanked me back. “Serena, don’t be such a prude. It’s just a touch, you won’t lose a piece of flesh. This is your bargaining chip for the divorce.” So, this was the price of divorce. The moment the door closed, I plunged into despair. An aphrodisiac incense burned in the room, making my consciousness blur. I grabbed a wine bottle from the table and swung it at Thorne, but he caught my wrist. The bottle smashed against my forehead. I fell to the floor, blood blurring my vision. I wanted to bite my tongue and end it, but the silhouettes of my parents appeared before me. “Serena, you have to keep living.” Like seeing a beam of light in the dark, I bit down hard on Thorne’s fingers. While he screamed, I yanked the door open and ran out. Passing another slightly open door down the hall, I saw Everett. He had Lila pinned against the wall, kissing her. “Everett, shouldn’t you really go check on Serena? I’m worried Thorne might…” “What is there to worry about? I warned Thorne, he won’t go too far. I just want to use this to punish her. She’s been too disobedient lately.” Just as I was about to push the door open, Thorne’s bodyguards caught up and dragged me back. My heart died completely. Right before losing consciousness entirely, I slammed my head forcefully into the corner of the wall. Mom, Dad, Serena is coming to find you. An hour later, Everett pushed open the door to Room 708. He thought he would see me crying and begging for forgiveness. But all he saw was shattered glass and a pool of bright red blood on the floor. A cleaner was whispering nearby: “That girl earlier was so tragic. Her clothes were torn to shreds. She refused to submit and just smashed her head against the wall and died…” Chapter 5 Everett didn’t believe I was dead. He rushed to Thorne’s private estate. Thorne was having his forehead treated by a private doctor. Seeing Everett, Thorne looked a little scared: “I swear I didn’t do anything! She hit the wall herself! You can’t pin this on me.” Everett’s face was terrifyingly dark: “Say that to me one more time!” Thorne waved his hand impatiently: “Worst comes to worst, I’ll sign another year’s contract! Consider it compensation for your wife’s life! I even had her body sent back to the Sterling estate. I’ve done more than enough.” Everett completely lost control and beat Thorne mercilessly. “Who told you to touch her! I’ll kill you!” He beat Thorne into the ICU. Soon after, Thorne was reported for multiple sexual assault charges and went straight to prison after being discharged. In the days that followed, Everett kept running away from the reality of my death. Eventually, Mr. Sterling Sr. stepped in to handle the funeral. My name became a taboo in the Sterling household. On the day of the burial, Everett got blackout drunk. When he got home, Leo hugged his leg: “Daddy, I don’t want Serena to die. Can you bring her back?” The word “die” triggered Everett. He picked Leo up with one hand, his voice hoarse: “Who told you she’s dead? She’s not dead!” “And why didn’t you ever call her Mom?!” Leo burst into tears and was eventually taken away by the maids. On the seventh day after my death, Everett hid in our bedroom, crumpling the divorce papers in his hand. He stared blankly at the wedding photo on the wall. In the photo, I was wearing the cheapest wedding dress, yet smiling brightly. And he was as cold as ice. He only married me for revenge. Even though I wholeheartedly played the role of a wife, he couldn’t forget that his mother drowned trying to save me. In a daze, he thought he saw me walking toward him. He greedily hugged the silhouette: “Serena, is it you? You came back?” He inhaled the scent on her body. It wasn’t my usual gardenia, but a strong, pungent perfume. He snapped awake. The person in his arms was Lila. “Everett, let me be your wife, okay? Whatever she could do, I can do too.” She pressed closely against him. “Get out!” He pushed her away in a rage. Lila gritted her teeth, her eyes full of resentment. She touched her stomach and sneered: “I’m pregnant. It’s yours.” Everett looked quietly at her stomach, a cruel curve forming on his lips: “Are you sure?” He forced Lila to the hospital. An hour later, the paternity test was slapped onto her face. “The kid isn’t mine. During your ovulation window last time, I got a vasectomy. Did you forget?” Lila froze, then laughed like a maniac: “Everyone says you’re a playboy, but it turns out you’re a hopeless romantic. Too bad Serena will never know. She’s dead! Hahaha!” That same day, Lila was blacklisted from the entire industry and sued for fraud. Everett’s life became a blurry mess. Waking up thirsty in the middle of the night, he would subconsciously call out: “Serena, get me a glass of water.” Touching the cold empty space beside him in bed, he’d feel a suffocating pain. Until one day, outside the study, he heard his parents arguing. Chapter 6 “Old man, that corpse was obviously a fake. Everett is ruining his life over that woman. Shouldn’t we tell him the truth? Besides, what happened with Serena’s parents’ plane crash… Everett’s mother went to save her because of our families’ friendship. It was an accident! He’s blamed her all these years…” “Shut up! Let it be! I never liked Serena anyway. Married and still dancing outside all day, disgraceful. As long as Leo is still with us, that’s all that matters!” The Sterlings and my family used to be close. Everett and I were childhood sweethearts. When I was thirteen, my parents’ private jet crashed into the ocean. I witnessed everything and developed severe PTSD. On the anniversary of their death, I had an episode and jumped into the ocean. Mrs. Sterling thought it was Everett who jumped, so she dove in to save him without thinking. I was saved, but she drowned. Fourteen-year-old Everett came home from school to see me crying while holding his mother’s body. He decided I killed his only support system. From then on, he developed avoidant personality disorder, constantly seeking a sense of security by tormenting me and testing my love. Over our nine-year marriage, he played around with models and actresses, even flirting right in front of me. Only when he saw me suffering but unable to leave could he feel needed. On April Fool’s Day, he even faked a news report of his plane crashing into the ocean. He knew perfectly well the ocean was a shadow I could never overcome. He watched me run madly into the water while he and his awful friends laughed and took bets on the shore. The moment he learned the truth, Everett smashed his fist into the wall. “What… what have I been doing all these years?” He rushed to the cemetery, only to find a familiar figure standing in front of the tombstone. Chapter 7 My best friend held daisies, smiling at the headstone: “Serena, this is all I could do. You have to be fiercely happy for the rest of your life.” Everett rushed forward and grabbed her: “Where is Serena?! Tell me!” My best friend was startled, then furiously shook him off: “You bastard! Serena was killed by you, what else do you want?!” But under Everett’s relentless interrogation, she finally revealed the truth. The day I hit the wall and passed out, I met the man who had been helping me in secret—Grant Harrison. He was my sponsor when I danced, and the one I kept in contact with. Sensing my dangerous situation, he bribed the doctors and the funeral home in advance to fake my death. I was now living under a new name in California. He owned a top-tier dance theater there. A year later, I won the National Dance Championship in Los Angeles. On the podium, Grant walked toward me with a bouquet. He got down on one knee and pulled out a blue diamond ring. The crowd went wild. “Serena, if that marriage brought you pain, let me be your safe harbor for the next stop.” Just as I was about to nod, a man rushed the stage and swatted the ring away. “Serena! You can’t marry him!” Everett looked at me with bloodshot eyes: “You are my wife, how can you marry someone else?” I looked at him coldly: “Sir, you have the wrong person. I don’t know you.” “I’m sorry, I misunderstood you. But I love you. Decades of feelings shouldn’t end like this.” Grant tactfully stepped aside and dismissed the crowd. I figured there was no need to pretend anymore and said coldly: “Forgiveness? Everett, I told you the truth countless times, but you never believed me.”

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A bottle of water costs $15, and a sandwich is $40. People say we’re dead for sure. Little do they know, I’m a hardened “broke girl,” and this game falls right into my wheelhouse. I will be the only “broke” survivor to walk out of this hell. My 99 attempts to fight back couldn’t stop me from being sucked into this game world. The system’s electronic voice sounded: [Welcome, 100 players, to the Broke Survival Game!] [Initial funds: $50. Objective: Survive in the game area for 7 days.] [The winner gets a $1 million prize!] [Overspending, death, or leaving the game area will result in elimination—you will be burdened with a $1 million debt!] The voice paused, carrying a hint of cunning: [Now, do any cowards want to quit?] “Quit? Are you kidding me?” A punk with dyed blond hair and a lip ring sneered. “Seven days? I can survive just drinking tap water!” A chubby guy next to him in a cheap t-shirt wiped his sweat. “Yeah, exactly! $50 is plenty for hot dogs and pretzels if we budget right!” “Risk it all, turn a bicycle into a sports car!” “Only an idiot would quit!” The crowd buzzed with blind excitement. Not a single one of the 100 players quit. System voice: [Game rules activated. Players may no longer quit. 100 players have been deployed—Welcome to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Labyrinth. Good luck staying alive!] With a flash of white light, I found myself in a massive, modern airport. It was huge, stretching out endlessly. Crowds of people bustled back and forth. It was impossible to tell who was a player and who was an NPC. My game account quietly showed my initial $50. Three metrics appeared on my interface: Hunger, Thirst, and Energy. All three were currently full. I saw a 24-hour convenience store across the way and walked over to check the prices. Just as I reached the refrigerators, a tearful exclamation exploded. “Shit!” It was the chubby guy from earlier. He was staring intensely at the cooler. “$15 for a bottle of water?! Is this a robbery?!” I walked over, my eyes scanning the shelves, and my heart sank. A cupcake was $50, a sandwich $40, a bagel $10, and even the cheapest bag of soda crackers was $18! A daily budget of $7.14? That wouldn’t even buy half a bottle of water. The chubby guy looked at me, his face written with despair. “Sister 66, we’re screwed! This money is only enough for three bottles of water! People are going to die in a week!” I sighed. “The system isn’t running a charity. I knew it wouldn’t be this simple.” Other players flooded into the convenience store, their faces reflecting the same shock and panic. The chubby guy pulled me aside. “Sister, I’m Player 44, Davis. Let’s form an alliance. It’s good to have a partner in the game. If someone bullies you, I can fight them.” He threw a few boxing jabs, looking reasonably agile. Before I fully understood the game’s rules, I didn’t want to ally with anyone, so I politely declined. I left the convenience store alone. First things first: find water. Free water. Outside the restrooms, I found a drinking water fountain. I found two discarded empty water bottles nearby, washed them thoroughly, and filled them to the brim. Water sorted. Cost: $0. Next, I needed to secure a massive amount of calories. I spotted a Starbucks. On the condiment bar, packets of white sugar, creamer, and raw sugar were neatly stacked. Sugar is a crucial energy source. The packets could be used in emergencies to prevent hypoglycemia. I walked over expressionless, my movements as natural and smooth as picking up something at home. Over a dozen sugar packets and a few creamers instantly slid into my pockets. The whole process took less than two seconds. Then, I calmly walked out of the Starbucks. Finding a secluded corner, I tore open two sugar packets and poured them into my mouth. The intense sweetness exploded, bringing a false sense of satisfaction. Calories sorted. Cost: $0. The airport’s AC was blasting like an icebox. Maybe the system did this on purpose; the colder it was, the faster you burned calories. My thin clothes couldn’t block the chill. I had to keep moving to stay warm. I found an airline blanket in a trash bin, discarded by a passenger getting off a flight. As time passed, my hunger grew stronger. At 8 PM, I wandered into a bakery. In the glass display, unsold baguettes and cheese breads gave off an enticing wheat aroma. My stomach let out a loud rumble. Relying on my acute “broke” intuition, I guessed the bread should be on sale by now. Sliced toast, originally $30, was now $15. But it wasn’t enough. Right before closing, the discount would be even lower, maybe even free. Every dollar saved was a chance to survive. I sat on a chair across from the bakery, resting with my eyes half-closed. Suddenly, an anonymous player broadcasted in the game’s global chat: [Hurry to the bakery in Zone A on L3! The bread here is half price!] “Half-price bread!” “Zone A! Hurry!” “Don’t grab it! It’s mine!” Twenty or thirty figures surged from all directions, frantically rushing the bakery. The small entrance instantly became a mob. In the chaos, I saw people waving cash, and others reaching directly for the bread on the shelves. The clerk shouted in panic, “Line up! Line up!” but it was completely useless. In just a few minutes, all the discounted bread on the shelves, including the toast I had my eye on, was swept clean! Those who managed to buy something looked relieved, as if they had survived a disaster. Those who didn’t beat their chests in frustration, their eyes full of despair. The air was filled with curses, complaints, and desperate sighs from other players. My Hunger level had already dropped by 70%. I took a deep breath, suppressing my stomach cramps, and shifted my gaze from the chaotic crowd up to the giant flight information display high above. Red flight statuses were continuously scrolling. It was time to show my real skills! In this airport, players could move anywhere. Even without a ticket, we could go to the departure gates. I quickly scanned the massive screen and precisely locked onto a few bold, red delayed flights. Only flights delayed for over 6 hours were my targets. Dragging my weakening legs, I walked toward one of the gates. A small crowd had already gathered there, the air thick with anxiety and sweat. Gate 102 had been delayed for 8 hours. Stranded passengers surrounded the gate agent. The agent was a young woman, her face flushed red, as the passengers’ spit practically flew into her face. “Is your airline completely useless?!” “My child is crying from hunger! Are you going to do anything?!” “Compensation! We demand compensation! Give us our money right now!” The scene was pure chaos. The agent’s voice drowned in the noise, and she looked like she was about to cry. This was the chance! I forcefully pushed my way to the center of the crowd. Not to break up the fight, but to stand directly in front of the gate agent. “Quiet!” I roared with all my might. The sudden outburst stunned the crowd into silence. I pointed at the mother holding a crying child, then addressed all the passengers, raising my voice to be as inflammatory as possible: “Look! Look how much the baby is crying! If we tear the roof down yelling here, is the plane going to fly? The airline made a huge mistake, and they must be held accountable! But what do we need most right now? Food! A place to rest! We need to save our energy to fight them to the end!” I turned to the overwhelmed agent, speaking rapidly: “Everyone is highly emotional. The priority is to calm the passengers down. Issue meal vouchers and hotel vouchers immediately! Let everyone eat and settle down first. Otherwise, if this blows up, can you take the responsibility?” “I’ve been telling them that meal vouchers and hotel vouchers can be issued, but they don’t want them,” the agent said, sounding wronged. “Everyone needs to line up and get them according to their boarding passes.” “You’re still talking about procedures at a time like this?” I interrupted her, pointing to the mom with the baby. “Look how tired this mother is. Can she really stand in line for your meal vouchers after holding a child for 8 hours?” I turned to the mom. “Ma’am, give me your boarding pass! I’ll get it for you.” I held out my hand with undeniable authority. The mom, grasping at straws, immediately shoved her boarding pass into my hand. Once someone took the lead, the effect was instant. Several other passengers—those with elderly family members, kids, or just looking extremely exhausted—started shoving their passes into my hands too. “Help me get one too!” “And mine!” In an instant, I was clutching over a dozen boarding passes. I turned to the agent, thrust the passes at her, and lowered my voice. “Hurry up. Let’s solve the most urgent ones first. Better than ending up on the news, right? Give me two extra meal vouchers, and I’ll help you pacify these people with kids. It gives everyone an out.” The agent looked at me gratefully and typed furiously on her computer. She pulled out a stack of meal vouchers, counted out the ones matching my passes, then quickly grabbed two more, shoving them all into my hands together with a thankful look in her eyes. Done! My heart hammered, but my face remained calm. “Ma’am, here you go! Take the baby and go eat!” “Sir, here’s yours!” I quickly distributed the corresponding vouchers and boarding passes back with practiced efficiency. Finally, I pinched the two extra vouchers, stuffed them into my innermost pocket, and shouted to the crowd: “Everyone go get your vouchers, eat, and rest! Save your strength! We’ll settle the score with them later!” While the crowd’s attention shifted to claiming their vouchers, I slipped away like an eel, disappearing into the bustling terminal concourse. To survive this game, you had to be better at finding loopholes than the average person. Just outside the lounge, I ran into Davis again. He smiled good-naturedly. “Sister, I saw what you did. You were negotiating like a mob boss in a movie. Are you sure you won’t ally with us? We might need each other’s help later on.” In just one day, he had gathered four other players around him. I still declined his invitation. After stuffing myself with a burger combo using the voucher, my Hunger level temporarily filled back up, but exhaustion washed over me like a tide. My Energy level had fallen below 50%. It was now 11 PM. The airport foot traffic had noticeably thinned out, most stores were closing, and the lights dimmed. An indescribable, eerie atmosphere began to settle in. The seats in the terminal all had armrests to prevent people from lying down. A young player, likely unable to hold on any longer, wrapped himself in a thin jacket and curled up on the floor, trying to sleep. Barely two minutes passed before a bright flashlight beamed directly onto his face. “Get up! No lying down here!” the security guard’s voice was robotic and devoid of emotion. The young player ignored the NPC, rolled over, and kept sleeping. Suddenly, a squad of guards armed with batons rushed out from a corner. Without a word, they forcefully hauled him up and threw him out the main doors of the airport. The global chat broadcasted: [Player 13 eliminated for leaving the game area. Debt: $1 million.] Right after, players in other zones were eliminated in the exact same way. The system was forcing our hand, using exhaustion and the cold to squeeze out the players’ last drop of sanity. By this time, my Energy level was critically low. To avoid elimination, I pulled the ragged blanket over myself and fell asleep sitting up in a terminal chair. The sun rising the next day informed us that only one day of the game had passed. My Energy barely crawled back to 75%, but my Hunger had dropped back down to 50%. With one meal voucher left, I wasn’t too panicked. I drank some cold water, ate two sugar packets, and headed toward the departure hall to hunt. Suddenly, a player sprinted past me, snatching a hot dog right out of a child’s hand. He brushed past me, nearly knocking me over. The child burst into tears. Security rushed over, surrounded the player, and tossed him into a police cruiser outside the airport. System broadcast: [Player 25 snatched NPC food, thrown out of the airport by security. Eliminated. Debt: $1 million.] I realized something: whatever you do in this airport, do not alert security. The airport was strange today. Not a single flight was delayed. I guessed the system had patched the loophole I exploited. All day, I wandered the hall like a normal passenger, popping into every duty-free and specialty store that offered free samples. Of course, I only ate and never bought anything. I watched the clerks’ faces while sampling, and as soon as I noticed them glaring at my freeloading, I’d quickly slip away. I managed to scrap by until the evening. I used my last voucher for dinner, topping up my Hunger again. My Energy dropped even lower today. This time, I chose not to make do with a terminal seat. I slipped into a dim side corridor. At the end of it was a golden real estate spot I’d discovered during the day: an abandoned equipment room with a cracked-open door. It was full of junk, but once the door closed, it was a private sanctuary. I had just stepped inside, before I even had time to shut the door properly, when—Bang!—a loud crash echoed as someone kicked the door wide open. A tall white guy stormed in, followed by two young punks. Scared, I shrank further back into the room. “Get out, this place is ours!” the tall guy yelled at me. I recognized him. Yesterday at the bakery, he was the one fighting the hardest. He had even snatched bread straight from the hands of two other players. Knowing I couldn’t mess with him, I decided to surrender my prime real estate. Just as I reached the door, the tall guy suddenly pulled out a switchblade and pressed it against my neck. “Hand over the rest of your cash and any food you have! Right fucking now! Or I’ll slice you open.” The madness and cruelty in their eyes told me they would absolutely do it! My brain raced. Fight back? I had zero chance of winning. Hand over the money? That meant being eliminated and bearing a $1 million debt. What do I do? What do I do? I swallowed hard. “Bro, let’s talk this out. You know robbery will get you eliminated by the system.” “Cut the crap! Hurry up, I’m out of patience.” The blade pressed deeper into my neck. I gave up resisting and decisively transferred my $50 balance to him. I could only earn a million if I stayed alive in the game. The tall guy got the money and shoved me out the door. As they closed the door, I heard a smug voice from inside: “Direct robbery works perfectly. Good thing he told us robbing wouldn’t get us eliminated. Now we don’t have to worry about running out of cash.” Who was “he”? Robbing NPCs was forbidden, but robbing—even killing—players was allowed. Who knew the rules this thoroughly? It was only day two, and I had lost my only $50. No money, no food. Was I just supposed to wait for death? Not long after, another anonymous broadcast echoed across the global chat: [The soda crackers at the Zone B 24-hour convenience store on the departure level are on sale.] The equipment room door opened. The tall guy and his lackeys walked out. I quickly hid to the side and tailed them toward the convenience store. The three of them used all their stolen money to buy soda crackers. Following the electronic chime of a successful transaction, the system broadcasted: [Players 5, 49, and 61 eliminated due to overspending. Debt: $1 million.] The tall guy wailed, “This is money I stole! How does that count as overspending?!” Before he could finish, he vanished into thin air like a beam of light. His two sidekicks disappeared like lightning strikes right after him. Dozens of bags of soda crackers and four or five bags of bread clattered onto the floor. I rushed over, stripped off my jacket, and wrapped the crackers and bread tightly inside. I guessed right. The system said from the start that overspending meant elimination, but everyone only had $50. How could anyone overspend? There was only one way: if you robbed another player’s money and spent more than $50, it counted as overspending. But when the tall guy robbed bread from players at the bakery, he wasn’t eliminated. That meant stealing food didn’t trigger the penalty. It was highly predictable that in the coming days, more people who figured this out would start brawling over food. So, the food had to be hidden perfectly. With this stash, I could absolutely survive until the end. I found five spots I deemed safe and scattered the crackers, intending to unlock one location each day to get through the final five days. By the time I finished, my Energy level was critically low again, hitting the red warning zone. I sat back down in the terminal chairs and fell asleep. Day three. A fit of violent, lung-tearing coughing erupted nearby, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. It was Player 47, Emily, a girl who looked very frail to begin with. She was curled up on a cold metal bench, her body shaking violently. Her face was flushed from coughing, bordering on purple. Her boyfriend, Brad, also a player, looked at her in disgust. “What’s wrong with you? A fever? Don’t tell me you can’t make it to day seven!” Emily’s voice was hoarse and weak, thick with phlegm. “I just… I feel so cold, so sick. Brad, can you hold me, please?” “No way. What if you infect me?” Brad refused. A piercing siren rang out across the entire terminal without warning. Heavy, synchronized footsteps approached from a distant corridor. Hazmat-suited quarantine personnel easily hoisted Emily up. “Let me go! I can’t be eliminated!” Emily screamed in terror, yelling at her boyfriend: “Brad, help me! Help me!” But Brad didn’t even look at her; he turned and bolted. The hazmat team ignored Emily’s cries. Under the horrified gazes of the other players, they threw her onto a stretcher cart and quickly disappeared down the corridor. A few seconds later, the system broadcast: [Player 47 severely endangered public health and safety. She has been forcibly removed from the game area for quarantine. Eliminated! Debt: $1 million!] [Player 87 severely endangered public health and safety. He has been forcibly removed from the game area for quarantine. Eliminated! Debt: $1 million!] Players looked at each other, their eyes brimming with suspicion. “87 ate food from the trash yesterday and had severe diarrhea today.” “You can’t catch a cold, and you can’t get diarrhea either.” Who would be next? Just the sound of a cough, even someone clearing their throat, was enough to make hearts pound. I had learned another rule: you cannot get sick. Even a minor cold or an upset stomach would get you dragged out of the game area. I survived the day relying on my scavenged bread and crackers. The airport was even colder today, literal freezing temperatures. I found a foil emergency space blanket in a trash can, discarded by a hiker. Wrapping it around myself kept me much warmer than that tiny, ragged airline blanket. By day four, more and more people were being eliminated. Waking up early, I decided to go grab my bread and crackers for the day. Avoiding the crowds, I headed to the first stash spot: a gap between a massive planter and the wall behind a remote restroom. Approaching it, I crouched down and reached into the familiar crevice. Empty! There was absolutely nothing inside. My heart plummeted. Unwilling to give up, I felt around carefully again. Not even a shred of the wrapper was left. Panicking, I sprinted to the next location. Nothing. Still nothing. All four locations where I hid the crackers had been robbed. Dozens of life-saving bags of soda crackers and bread had vanished overnight without a trace. My guaranteed victory had been completely overturned in an instant. To accurately locate every spot and silently clear them out in a single night—this wasn’t something an ordinary player could do. Who was it? Who had been watching me this whole time? My mood hit absolute rock bottom. I shamelessly went back to hunting for free samples, but the number of players doing the same had surged. The vendors were on high alert and had hidden all their sample trays. Even the Starbucks condiment bar was barren. The baristas had removed all the sugar packets. Trash cans became a battlefield. Many players still risked diarrhea to dig for scraps. By the time I checked them, not even a crumb was left. I dragged myself to 10 PM. All my stats were flashing red warnings. I walked toward a row of luxury boutiques. A player nearby whispered, “That girl’s probably getting eliminated soon. What’s she doing near the luxury stores?” In a trash can near the boutiques, I found several discarded designer bags and boxes. Travelers often threw away the packaging before departing to dodge customs taxes. I carefully stuffed the boxes into the most pristine Hermès paper bag, carrying it as I headed down to the departures level. During my earlier scouting, I noticed a high-end steakhouse there. Now, I was going to leverage it for a free resting spot and some complimentary appetizers. Pushing open the heavy glass doors, the warmth and aroma of roasted meat rushed over me. A server with a sweet smile jogged over to greet me. “Welcome! A table for how many, miss?” “Two.” I casually placed the eye-catching luxury shopping bag on the chair next to me, my voice carrying a trace of barely noticeable hoarseness. “Find me a quiet booth. I’m waiting for someone.” The server’s eyes swept over the bag, and her smile deepened. “Right away, miss. Right this way, please!”

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Before summer break, I flew to Caleb’s university to surprise him. Instead, I found his sophomore lab mate clinging to him, asking who was prettier—her or me. Caleb gave a careless, distracted laugh: “Maya, of course. She’s way prettier than you.” The girl’s face immediately fell. I pushed the door open, just in time to see Caleb resting his hand affectionately on top of her head. “Are you going to cry over that? Maya isn’t just pretty, she’s fiercely independent,” he smiled. “Not like you. Without me, you’re just a helpless little mess.” 01 The girl’s whiny voice drifted from the lab: “You’re always bullying me! I’m not a helpless mess!” Caleb chuckled softly. But as he looked up, he froze, seeing me standing in the doorway. “Maya?” His hand was still resting on her hair as he called my name. He quickly walked over to me. “What are you doing here? Are your finals over?” “So I shouldn’t have come?” I asked. He laughed. “What are you talking about?” He waved toward the room. “I’m heading out, Harper. You finish the rest of the project yourself. My girl is here.” No sound came from inside. Caleb wrapped his arm around my shoulder and led me out into the hall. “Who was that?” “Harper Hayes. Just a sophomore in my department.” I stopped in my tracks. I knew that name. For the past year, that name had been coming up a lot. Even though I had never met her. “Do you like her?” He looked completely baffled and laughed. “What? How is that possible? She’s just a kid.” He looked at me, amused. “You’re getting jealous over this? My Maya is such a jealousy jar.” “Caleb…” “The guys and I planned a get-together tonight. It’ll be a welcome party for you,” he interrupted, looking down to text his friends before looking back up. “Let me look at you. Did you lose weight? Are you secretly dieting again? I told you, one hundred and twenty pounds is perfect. Are you trying to turn into a walking stick so I can use you as a cane?” I took a deep breath. “Right now, I’d like to take a cane and beat you to death with it.” He laughed, pulling me in for a kiss. Just then, a delicate voice called out from behind us: “Caleb.” 02 Caleb and I turned our heads at the same time. Harper was holding a jacket in her hands. “You left your windbreaker at my place again,” she pouted. “You’re always so forgetful.” “Oh,” Caleb took it. “And who is this?” She turned to me, blinking innocently as she looked me up and down. “You see your senior’s girlfriend and you don’t even say hi?” Caleb chuckled, lightly tapping her head with a rolled-up notebook. “Ouch! Why do you keep hitting me?! You’re so violent! I thought she was one of the older girls from our campus. Isn’t this lab building restricted to authorized students only? Did you secretly copy a key for her, Caleb? I’m telling Professor Miller!” Caleb finally realized the situation and asked me, “Wait, how did you get into the building?” “I tailgated some guy,” I said flatly. I looked at him. “Half an hour ago, I texted asking where you were. You didn’t reply, and you didn’t answer my calls.” Caleb frowned. “Huh?” “I’m so sorry,” Harper smiled apologetically. “Caleb and I were right in the middle of a critical derivation for our project, so he probably didn’t see it. Please don’t be mad at him over this. The pressure Professor Miller has been putting on us lately is just too much…” “That’s weird,” Caleb pulled out his phone. “Hey? Why is it on Do Not Disturb?” He muttered while adjusting the settings: “Must have bumped it in my pocket.” “Whatever. Let’s go.” I turned around. But the moment I turned, I heard Harper’s tiny voice from behind. “She looks so plain… it’s obviously all makeup…” 03 I stopped walking and turned back. Caleb looked confused. “What’s wrong?” I looked directly at Harper. “I’m not deaf. First, whether I look plain or not, you have zero right to gossip about it behind my back. Second, any woman with a shred of self-respect wouldn’t try to compare her looks to another guy’s girlfriend when she knows he’s taken.” Harper froze. Her eyes instantly turned red, and she looked at Caleb with extreme grievance. Caleb sighed. “Maya, what are you doing? I didn’t see your message. If you want to fight, fight with me. Don’t bully the younger girl.” I turned to him. “Oh, you’re defending her pretty fast. It makes me look like an unreasonable villain. I’m no forgiving saint. I cannot tolerate my boyfriend ignoring his phone for thirty minutes to keep another woman company, leaving me standing in ninety-degree heat on campus. I don’t care about the precious doors of your lab, and I won’t ever step foot in here again. And ‘Do Not Disturb’ requires actual swiping to activate; you don’t just bump it.” Caleb’s face stiffened. “What do you mean by that? I seriously don’t know how it got turned on. Why would I intentionally silence your notifications?” “Are you misunderstanding something…” Harper looked pitiful. I said coldly, “Don’t put on that tragic act for me. Whether I misunderstood or not, you know exactly what you’re doing in your heart.” The air was quiet for a moment. “Come on, why are we getting so serious?” Caleb pulled me into his arms, laughing like a peacemaker. “Harper couldn’t solve a problem earlier and used my phone to listen to Spotify, but how could she possibly mute you? You can be paranoid, but you can’t blame her. I probably just shoved it in my pocket and the screen was unlocked…” “Caleb, let’s break up.” I heard my own voice. Caleb froze. “Wait, you flew all the way across the country, and just because I missed your text, you want to break up with me?” He sounded almost amused by his own anger. “You also touched her head.” “That’s it?” His eyes widened. “Yeah.” I said flatly, “I find it disgusting. Is that not enough?” 04 I didn’t go to the welcome dinner that night. After telling Caleb we were done, I turned and walked away. He didn’t chase after me. Because Harper started crying. She was sobbing, gasping for air, looking incredibly fragile. Caleb was actually very good at handling people. Very good at coaxing them. When he wanted to be. My best friend from high school, Riley, went to the same university as him. I dropped my luggage at her dorm first. Hearing I hadn’t eaten, she insisted on taking me to a newly opened, viral restaurant. When we got to the mall, Riley went to the restroom first. I sat by the restaurant entrance, looking at the menu while waiting for a table. As fate would have it, Caleb had booked the exact same place. A loud group of guys walked right past me. “Caleb, didn’t you say your girl was coming? Where is she?” “Throwing a tantrum. She’s not coming,” Caleb’s tone was helpless. “What happened?” “Mad that I didn’t text back fast enough.” “That’s it?” The guy laughed. “Women are such a hassle. Thank God you’re doing long-distance. If you had to deal with that every day, who could survive?” “Women are all like this. They just want to be coaxed,” another guy joked. “Just get on your knees and beg a little, you’ll be fine.” “Beg? Why don’t you go beg?” Caleb used his folded umbrella to swat the guy. “Giving her the cold shoulder is good for her. These past three years, her temper has only gotten worse.” I looked up. The umbrella was pink and compact. It was definitely not a style a guy would use. Trailing right behind him, empty-handed, was Harper: “Honestly, I don’t think you did anything wrong, Caleb. If you’re not wrong, why should you apologize first? It’s not about who gets mad, it’s about logic…” I stood up. Riley came back just in time: “Is it our turn?” I shook my head. “Almost. Caleb is inside.” “Huh?” Riley hesitated. “Should we go somewhere else?” “No need.” The restaurant is open to the public. There’s no rule saying I can’t eat here just because he is. Five minutes later, our table was ready. Riley and I walked in, but right by the self-serve beverage station, someone suddenly rushed at us, screaming. “Oh no, I can’t hold it, move, move…” Before I could react. I was splashed head to toe by Harper, who was carrying two massive glasses of craft beer. 05 The commotion alerted the people in the private booths. By the time Caleb came out, Harper’s tears were falling one by one. “I really didn’t mean to. The floor by the drinks station is slippery, I couldn’t stop myself. I already said I’m sorry…” “You didn’t mean it?” Riley was furious. “In a place this big, you carry two huge glasses of beer and walk straight into Maya? Maya couldn’t even dodge. Do you think we’re blind?” “What happened?” Caleb stepped out. He paused when he saw me. “Why are you here?” I was soaked, covered in sticky beer, and completely out of patience. “Why? Did Mr. Sterling buy this whole property? Am I banned from anywhere you go?” He frowned. “Why are you firing off like a machine gun? Who said you couldn’t be here?” He stepped closer. “Why are you all wet?” Riley sneered. “Why don’t you ask your precious junior?” “Caleb, I swear I didn’t do it on purpose! My foot slipped!” Harper cried. “I didn’t expect anyone to be standing there. Why did she suddenly pop out of nowhere…” Caleb sighed. “I told you that you couldn’t handle the heavy lifting, but you insisted. Why were you carrying two massive glasses anyway? You should’ve just let me do it.” “Have you no shame?!” Riley erupted. “What do you mean she popped out of nowhere? We were walking perfectly fine. She clearly rammed into her on purpose!” “Riley, watch your mouth,” Caleb said coldly. “What’s your problem?” My temper flared. “Riley is defending me. Whether she did it on purpose or not, she knows it in her heart. You didn’t even ask what happened and you’re immediately taking her side? Are we not using logic anymore?” “How am I taking her side? I’m trying to be reasonable here.” His tone was exasperated. “Maya, take your anger out on me all you want, but she didn’t do it on purpose. Can you stop nitpicking and making things difficult for her?” I quietly stared at the man in front of me. We met in high school, knew each other for six years, and survived three years of long distance. In just one more year, I was supposed to get early admission to his university’s grad program. We had dreamed about marriage, painted pictures of our future, even talked about what our kids would look like. Yet now, after I was splashed with beer, with my dress literally dripping onto the floor, he was telling me to stop making things difficult for another woman. “I’m not making things difficult,” I said flatly. “My dress is ruined. It wasn’t expensive, maybe two hundred bucks. If she pays me back, we can call it even.” Harper froze. “Two hundred dollars is half my monthly grocery budget…” She looked at Caleb with red eyes. “Caleb, my dad will kill me…” “Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine.” One of the guys backed her up. “Don’t be scared, we can all chip in to cover it. It’s just two hundred bucks!” “Yeah, if we all pitch in twenty bucks, we’ve got it. Don’t cry, okay?” Caleb frowned. “Maya, Harper doesn’t come from a wealthy family. Two hundred dollars is a big deal to her. It’s just a dress. Let it go, okay? I’ll buy you a new one.” I sneered. “If she knows it’s a big deal, she should have been more careful. It’s my dress, and I have the right to demand compensation.” “It’s not really your dress, though,” Caleb suddenly said. I froze. “Maya, if I remember correctly, I bought that dress for you.” His voice was light, but every single word felt like a knife plunging into my chest. “Gifts given during a relationship can be legally taken back. “So let’s drop this. If you insist on pursuing it…” He paused, seemingly giving me a final chance to repent. “Then give the dress back to me.” 06 I quietly met his gaze. A second later, I turned, grabbed Riley—who was about to start screaming at him—and walked out of the restaurant. “Maya, how could you just walk away?!” Riley was fuming the whole way. “Did Caleb get kicked in the head by a donkey? He doesn’t care about you at all! How could he say something so disgusting to you?!” My footsteps halted. “Maya?” Riley looked at me with concern. “If you want to cry, just cry…” I shook my head. “I’m fine.” Afterward, I went to Riley’s dorm, took a shower, changed my clothes, and dropped the dirty dress off at the front desk of Caleb’s dorm building. Then, I went straight to the bus station. It was too late to book a flight or an express train, so my only option was an overnight Greyhound bus to get home. The overnight bus was loud. Babies crying, people arguing, mixed with the smell of cheap fast food. Caleb’s messages came through right then. “What kind of temper tantrum is this? Did you really think I’d make you return the clothes?” “I just felt you shouldn’t have been so aggressive. There were so many people from my department there. I can’t just throw all logic out the window and blindly side with my girlfriend.” “I ordered the exact same dress online and had it delivered to Riley’s dorm. Go downstairs and get it.” He sent more messages, but the screen was covered in water. My eyes were covered in water. I couldn’t see clearly. And I didn’t want to. I tapped the screen and blocked his number. When I woke up, it was 2 AM. My eyes hurt. My head hurt. The lights outside flickered, and the bus had quieted down. I suddenly remembered another time I took an overnight trip like this. It was also with Caleb. It was our sophomore year of high school. We went out of state for an English debate tournament. Tickets back were hard to get. The chaperone talked to our parents and let Caleb and me take an earlier bus back together. That night, I dozed off. When I woke up, I realized I had somehow ended up resting my head on his shoulder. I was mortified and quickly apologized. He just looked at me, smiled, and asked, “Having a good dream?” I shook my head. “Well, I was,” he smiled. “It was a great dream. You should keep leaning on me, so I can go back to it.” After that, we slowly grew closer. He was handsome, outgoing, and every time he played basketball, a crowd of girls would bring him water and cheer for him. Sometimes I would go watch for a bit, always standing in the back. Until one day, as I was leaving, I heard someone calling me from the court. “Maya Vance!” I froze, turned around, and saw Caleb jumping over the crowded bleachers, smiling at me. “Watch me!” A clean dribble, a fake-out, a perfect three-pointer. The crowd went wild. After the game, he asked me why I never stayed until the end. “Too many people. I can’t squeeze to the front.” “That’s easy. Next time, I’ll have them save you a seat.” The next time I went, I was indeed escorted to a seat in the very front row. “Caleb specifically saved this for you,” the guy who brought me there winked. At halftime, a bunch of girls rushed the court to hand him water. He waved them off and walked straight to me. “Where’s my water?” Me: “Huh?” He rolled his eyes playfully, placing a hand on my head: “Ms. Vance, there is no free lunch in this world. You admired my heroic posture all game, and you don’t even have a bottle of water for me? I’m heartbroken.” Eventually, the water delivery evolved, and he requested to change seats so he could sit right in front of me in class. The day we submitted our college applications, he cornered me at the classroom door. “What are you thinking about?” “Thinking about what?” He looked like he was laughing out of frustration. “Do you think I just love twisting my neck to look backward, or that I’m just bored? Maya, even the ants on the ground know how I feel about you.” My face burned hot. “But we didn’t get into the same college…” “Wow, you can actually say something so irresponsible?” He pulled me into a hug, staring at me. “Distance isn’t the problem. I’m just asking you one thing: Do you like me?” The setting sun spilled into the classroom, illuminating our faces. I blushed and nodded. That day, when a very light, gentle kiss landed, I felt like I was the luckiest person in the world.

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We got together when I was 18. At 22, I followed him all the way to New York City. But in the end, all I got for my devotion was a casual, “I never planned to marry her, don’t make a big deal out of it.” Eight years of love led to absolutely nothing, so I chose to walk away. I was gone for three years. The day I returned to the city, his friends asked me: “It’s been three years. You guys must have made up by now, right?” They all thought I came back to beg for a reconciliation. Little did they know, I came back to get married to someone else. 01 “You’re getting married?” I was organizing the guest list and replied, “Yeah. The wedding is next week.” My friend paused on the other end of the line before asking, “Then… what about Ethan?” Hearing Ethan’s name after three long years gave me a momentary sense of whiplash. But Ethan and I had ended three years ago. I was the one who initiated the breakup. It was his birthday. I had come back from a business trip a day early, planning to give him a surprise, but I accidentally overheard him talking to his friends. A friend asked him, “You’re 26, man. When are you planning to propose to Chloe?” Ethan’s posture was lazy, a half-smile playing on his lips. “I never planned to marry her. Don’t make a big deal out of nothing.” His friend was stunned. “You guys have been together for years. If you don’t marry her, who are you going to marry?” Ethan scoffed. “You said it yourself. We’ve been together for years. Do you really think there’s any spark left?” To be honest, in that split second, I couldn’t believe my own ears. We had just been on the phone half an hour prior. On that call, his voice had been incredibly soft, playfully begging me to hurry back so we could celebrate his birthday together. It had only been thirty minutes, yet I could no longer associate that man with the gentle, considerate boyfriend I thought I knew. The thought of breaking up materialized in that exact moment. That night, I didn’t push open the door to confront him. Instead, I calmly turned around, went back to our apartment, and packed my bags. Ethan came home at 2 AM. The moment he walked through the door, he bumped right into me holding my suitcase. He froze for barely a second before quickly stepping forward, pulling me into his arms, and affectionately nuzzling the crook of my neck. “Is this a surprise? I love it.” I pushed him away. “Ethan.” “Yeah?” “Let’s break up.” It wasn’t that we had never threatened to break up before, but every single time, I was the one who lowered my head and begged for peace. Our mutual friends always said, “Ethan is insecure. He needs someone who loves him enough to never leave. If you really want to be with him long-term, you need to be more accommodating.” Back then, I really, truly loved him. So I was willing to coax him, putting his emotions above everything else. From 18 to 26, I loved him fiercely and without reservation. But in the end, all it earned me was: “I’m never going to marry her.” 02 “What are you talking about? Are you breaking up with me just because I didn’t spend my birthday with you?” Ethan’s voice pulled me back to reality. He looped his arms around me again. “Alright, I’m not mad. We’re not breaking up.” Actually, his friends weren’t entirely right. Ethan wasn’t an awkward lover. On the contrary, when he wanted to be, he was incredibly good at coaxing people. On the surface, every time we “broke up,” he was the one who initiated it, and I was the one who patched things up. But no one knew that in the dead of night, behind closed doors, he was the one who would use every trick in the book—soft words and hard demands—to win me back. He knew exactly how to poke at the softest parts of my heart. He made me willingly forgive him. Just like now. He was playing his old tricks again. Just as he leaned in to kiss me, I shoved him away hard. Caught off guard, he stumbled back a few steps. Barely steadying himself, he heard me say, “I’m serious. I’m not joking with you.” In an instant, his tone turned icy, his eyes dark and terrifying. “Say that again?” It wasn’t surprising he was angry. After eight years together, this was the very first time I had initiated a breakup. Everyone thought it was impossible for me to leave him. Even Ethan believed that. But this time, I was truly exhausted. My gaze lingered on his handsome profile for a few seconds before I pulled away without hesitation, grabbing my suitcase and walking toward the door. I hadn’t taken more than a few steps when the suitcase suddenly wouldn’t budge. Ethan gripped the handle of my luggage, staring daggers at me. “Why?” He had beautiful eyes. When those deep, reserved eyes looked at you, it always gave you the illusion of being stared at with profound love. I avoided his gaze. “If we don’t break up, will you marry me?” Over these eight years, he was rational, ambitious, and had long since planned out his perfect future. He just never included me in it. The silence in the room was terrifying. I don’t know how long that dead silence lasted before he finally asked: “Do we have to get married? Can’t we just date forever?” I met his gaze head-on. The man’s dark eyes instantly grew even more unfathomable. It was the same look that had made me fall for him the very first time we met. But no matter how hard it was to let go of eight years of history, continuing a dead-end relationship was pointless. I looked into those bottomless eyes and let out a small, bitter laugh. “Dating for too long gets boring.” The veins on his hand gripping the suitcase handle popped. He practically ground the words out through his teeth: “You’re bored?” “Yes.” Ethan said “Okay” three times in a row. By the third time, his eyes were bloodshot. I didn’t dare look at him anymore, terrified I’d look even more pathetic than he did. I turned around, yanked my suitcase free, and kept walking. In the quiet night, the only sound was the heavy rolling of my suitcase wheels against the hardwood floor. As I reached the entryway, a freezing voice came from behind me: “If you walk out that door today, don’t you ever come back!” I paused, my throat suddenly dry. After a long moment, I left him with a single word—”Okay”—and walked out without looking back. 03 After that day, we saw each other one last time. It was the night before I left New York. I realized I had left a crucial document in his study. I texted him to let him know before I went over. The living room was empty, so I headed straight for the study. Passing by the master bedroom, I heard voices. I instinctively looked inside and saw Ethan lying on the bed, while a woman carefully wiped his face with a warm cloth. I recognized her. Olivia Bennett. The daughter of his father’s close friend. She was also the fiancée his family had arranged for him. Noticing me, Olivia blushed and quickly explained: “Chloe, please don’t misunderstand. Ethan had too much to drink. We… nothing happened between us.” I nodded, having no desire to chat, and went to the study. When I came back out, the bedroom door had been shut. Even so, I could clearly hear Ethan call out, “Wifey~” His voice was affectionate, gentle, and intimate. Even though we had already broken up, in that moment, an uncontrollable sourness still spread through my chest. I didn’t dare listen anymore and quickened my pace to leave. As I reached the entryway, Ethan called out to me. “Don’t come over anymore after this. Olivia will mind.” He leaned against the bedroom doorframe, looking lethargic. His shirt was unbuttoned down to the third button, revealing a lipstick mark right on his collarbone. My eyes lingered on his collar for a few seconds before I nodded. “Okay.” The moment I stepped out the door, the sound of a shattering vase echoed from behind me. Followed by Olivia’s gasp: “You’re bleeding!” I didn’t turn back. I walked away as fast as I could. That was the last time we saw each other. Over the next three years, we never contacted each other once. So, to this day, he still didn’t know I was getting married. 04 When the news of my wedding got out, the first person to call me was Mason Cole. He was a mutual friend of mine and Ethan’s. “Chloe, I heard you’re getting married?” I didn’t hide it. “The wedding is next week. I won’t be sending you guys invitations.” My fiancé had already sent out invitations to his own circle; it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to send separate ones to my old crowd. As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard the mocking laughter of other people in the background. “See, I told you! If she was really getting married, why wouldn’t she invite you? It’s obviously just an excuse to come back to the city.” “She’s out of options, right? Ethan is getting officially engaged at the end of the month. She has to make one last desperate play.” “Exactly! After eight years together, how could she just stand by and watch Ethan marry someone else?” I froze, quickly realizing that all of Ethan’s friends were gathered together. They were waiting to see how I would beg Ethan to take me back. This was their usual MO. In the past, whenever Ethan and I fought, they would place bets on how many days it would take me to cave and beg for forgiveness. They were absolutely certain I couldn’t bear to let Ethan go. Setting aside how wealthy his family was, just based on those eight years of emotional investment, no one believed I could just drop it all and walk away. They clearly thought this time was no different. Just as the thought crossed my mind, someone yelled into the phone: “E! If she begs to get back together, are you gonna take your ex back?” After a long pause, Ethan’s voice finally drifted over the line, cool and slow: “I’m getting engaged. Why are you even bringing this up?” Someone laughed and joked: “You think Ethan is an idiot? Giving up the Bennett family heiress to marry a girl with zero background… If it were you, would you?” Amidst their roaring laughter, an old memory surfaced in my mind. When I first moved to the city, Ethan’s friends treated me with respect. I thought they had accepted me. That was until Mason’s birthday party, when Olivia lost a priceless diamond necklace. Her friends surrounded me, demanding I hand it over. By the time Ethan arrived, I had been shoved around and looked like a total mess. Olivia looked at Ethan and said: “Ethan, please don’t be mad. They just really wanted to help me find it, so they resorted to extreme measures…” “Once we find it, I’ll apologize to Chloe, okay?” Ethan smiled, walked up to me, and affectionately patted the top of my head. “Alright. It’s not a big deal.” I gripped the hem of his shirt. In the moment he appeared, all my grievances and feelings of being wronged rushed up at once. Just as I was about to defend myself, I heard him say: “If you wanted it, you should have just told me. Why do something like this?” In that split second, my brain completely short-circuited. I looked at the man in front of me in utter disbelief. “You don’t believe me?” Ethan looked at me and didn’t say a single word, but his mocking gaze said it all. I couldn’t stop shaking. My hands and feet went ice cold. After being together for so long, I thought he knew exactly what kind of person I was. I never expected that, in a situation like that, without even asking me a single question, he would immediately stand on the opposing side. In that moment, everyone was looking at me. With contempt. With mockery. With indifference. Not a single person trusted me. For some reason, it made me think of what my grandfather had told me before I moved: “Kid, I won’t stop you from doing what you want to do. But you have to remember, social classes aren’t that easy to cross.” “Even if he holds you in his heart, will his family and his friends ever truly accept you?” I had patted my chest and promised my grandpa, “Don’t worry, Grandpa! Ethan won’t let us down.” I was young and arrogant. I didn’t understand what ‘unsurpassable social classes’ meant. It was only when I was pushed into the storm, isolated and helpless, that I profoundly realized there was an invisible, insurmountable chasm between Ethan and me. 05 The laughter on the other end of the phone continued for a long time. I don’t know who shouted: “Mason, ask her where she’s holding the wedding. We used to be friends, the least we can do is drop by and give her a wedding gift.” After a moment, Mason’s voice came through: “Chloe, which church are you having the wedding at?” “The Grand Cathedral in Manhattan.” As soon as the words left my mouth, someone immediately chimed in: “Listen to her! I told you she’s delusional. The Vance family heir’s wedding is next week, and it’s also at the Grand Cathedral. Let me guess, her husband is Liam Vance?” The crowd laughed even harder. Even Mason couldn’t help but gently warn me: “You remember Liam Vance, right? He’s getting married next week too…” “Mason,” I cut him off. “That day is my wedding with Liam.” The other end of the line went dead silent. I don’t know how much time passed before an explosive roar of laughter erupted. “She must have lost her damn mind! Now she’s dragging Liam Vance into her delusions.” “She really will say anything to make Ethan jealous.” “Ethan, just take pity on her and go see her. After all, she went crazy because you broke up with her…” I didn’t listen to the rest. I hung up. A text message from an unknown number immediately popped up: [Add me back.] The familiar tone, the familiar phrasing—I instantly knew it was Ethan. Expressionless, I deleted the text, turned off my phone, and went to sleep. When I woke up and turned my phone back on the next morning, I received a video from Mason. It was a recording of what happened after I hung up last night. Ethan was sitting on a single sofa, lighting a cigarette, the glowing red ash illuminating his callous features. He let out a low, raspy laugh. “Plenty of people have broken up with me. Do I have to go see every single one of them?” “Hell yeah, E! But if you don’t go see Chloe, are we just gonna let her walk away empty-handed?” Someone else retorted: “It’s her own fault for wanting a breakup! Now she regrets it and wants to get back together—three years later! She’s too spoiled!” “Exactly. Look at her making up ridiculous lies about marrying Liam Vance. Ethan was way too good to her.” Ethan didn’t speak. He just looked down, playing with his phone, lost in thought. Then, Mason spoke up: “Chloe isn’t a liar. Maybe she’s telling the truth.” “Come on, Mason. Are you defending her because she gave you something on the side? Or do you have a thing for her?” Mason glared deeply at the guy. “Have you all forgotten about the time she was framed for stealing that necklace? It was because of your prejudice that she had to suffer all those dirty looks for nothing.” There was a brief silence in the private room. Suddenly, someone said: “It’s easy to prove if Chloe is lying. You guys all got the Vance family invitation, right?” “I’ll call home and have someone take a picture of the invite and send it to me.” About a minute later, the guy laughed. “I knew it. Why would Liam Vance marry Chloe Miller? The bride’s last name is Miller, but her first name is Harper.” “Ethan, you can relax. She definitely came back to beg for a reconciliation.” … The video ended there. They were right. Liam’s bride was named Harper. But what they didn’t know was that Harper was me. Three years ago, my grandfather consulted an astrologer who said I had been carrying a lot of bad energy in recent years, and legally changing my first name would ward off the bad luck. So, my grandfather gave me a new name. Harper. 06 I knew that coming back to the city meant I would inevitably run into Ethan. But I never expected to run into him this fast. On the day of my wedding dress fitting, Liam had a last-minute emergency at work and said he’d be late. When I arrived at the bridal boutique, Ethan was sitting in the VIP area. Our eyes met. I gave a polite nod of acknowledgment and followed the attendant into the dressing room. While I was waiting for the makeup artist, Ethan walked in and locked the door behind him. By the time I registered what was happening, he was already standing right behind me. The vanity mirror reflected his handsome face. “Why did you block me?” His tone was casual, as if we had never been apart. Actually, he was the one who deleted and blocked me first. Three years ago, on the day I left the city, he removed me from his contacts and blocked my number. How did I know? I didn’t, initially. Mason accidentally let it slip. Three years ago, Mason passed a message for Ethan, asking me for a specific photo of him. I told Mason I’d just send it directly to Ethan. But Mason said, “You won’t be able to. Just send it to me.” I was stunned. No one knew this, but Ethan and I had an unspoken rule— Even if we fought and broke up, we were never allowed to delete or block each other. That was the first time. And Ethan was the one who broke the rule. That day, after sending the photo to Mason, I opened my camera roll and deleted every single photo and file related to Ethan. At the same time, I deleted and blocked him on every single platform. And now, the instigator was here questioning me. I cautiously backed away, putting distance between us. “Ethan, we’re broken up. Besides, we’re both getting married soon. There’s no reason for us to contact each other anymore.” He slowly curved his lips into a meaningful smirk. “There’s no one else here. You don’t have to pretend.” I frowned. “Pretend what?” “Saying you’re getting married—isn’t it just to provoke me? To make me come back to you?” To be honest, I never expected that even after three years, Ethan would still be so absolutely certain I would go back to him. And I finally understood. During those eight years, I had tolerated his toxic behavior time and time again, which gave him this unshakable, arrogant confidence. “Ethan,” I said. “Whatever you want to think, I came back this time to hold my wedding. Once the wedding is over, I’m leaving.” “If I did anything that gave you the illusion I want to get back together, I apologize.” Ethan didn’t say a word. He silently scrutinized me. After a long time, he suddenly spoke: “Is it because I’m in an arranged marriage?” “It has nothing to do with that, Ethan. I’m marrying someone else—” He cut me off. “Okay, okay, I get it. You’re still mad.” He completely ignored the second half of my sentence and softened his tone. “It’s been three years. You’re really still holding a grudge?” Saying that, he raised his hand, wanting to pat my head like he used to. I dodged his hand, my brow furrowing deeply. “Do you not understand English? I said I came back this time to marry Liam Vance. It has nothing to do with you.” His hand just froze in mid-air. His eyes went cold, inch by inch, and his voice turned incredibly dark: “Chloe, if you wanted to find someone to piss me off, why did you have to pick Liam? You can’t even touch the threshold of the Vance family.” Just like before, Ethan still didn’t believe me. Those prejudices were etched into his very bones. He was convinced I couldn’t even get close to Liam, let alone marry into his family. For some reason, I suddenly laughed. “In your heart, am I really that pathetic?” His brow knitted tightly. “What are you talking about?” He paused, then let out a sigh. “Alright. If you want to come back to me, then come back.” “Come back where? To your marital home? What identity do you expect me to have when I go back?” His face darkened slightly. “Chloe, I’m already making concessions. What more do you want?” “I don’t need them.” Not wanting to waste any more time in this pointless argument, I tried to step around him and leave. As soon as I turned, he grabbed my wrist. Ethan’s voice was low: “If you really want to get married that badly, I can marry you.” I looked back at him, a mocking smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Marry me? Didn’t you say you never planned to marry me from the very start?” His face went stark white. “You… who told you that?” “You said it yourself.” I looked at him deeply. “That day, I was standing right outside the door.” Ethan’s eyes went from confused, to shocked, to a sudden, crushing realization. “So the reason you broke up with me… was because you heard that?” “Yes!” If I hadn’t acted on a whim to go back and celebrate his birthday that day, I might still be completely in the dark. I might still be desperately holding onto a relationship that was never going to lead anywhere. The atmosphere in the cramped dressing room instantly shifted. The man’s thin lips pressed into a cold, hard line. “Why didn’t you come in and ask me?” his voice was hoarse. “If I asked, wouldn’t the answer have been the same?” He wanted to say something else, but a knock on the door interrupted him. It was the boutique attendant. “Ms. Miller, do you need any help?” “No, I’m coming out.” Catching Ethan off guard, I ripped my hand away and walked out briskly. But when I saw who was outside the door, my footsteps faltered.

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Even after marrying my childhood friend, we remained strangers. Except for our routine nightly obligations, we rarely saw each other. He had an incredibly cold personality. Even when I asked for a divorce, he only spaced out for a second before pushing himself up from my body. “Alright. Got it.” I said, “I don’t want custody of the kid either. He’s going to be your problem from now on.” “It’s fine.” I insisted, “You’ve worked hard these past few years. Thank you.” I had very little luggage. A single suitcase held everything I owned. Before leaving, I turned back to close the door. Carter, shirtless and covered in the scratch marks I’d just left on his back, stood silently on the balcony smoking a cigarette. 01 My sister Chloe Miller’s return to the States was trending everywhere on Twitter. After all, she was a dance prodigy who found fame young. In the interview video, she wore a red dress, looking as vibrant and fiercely dazzling as ever. But my attention was drawn to the final photo attached to the article. Through a half-lowered car window, Chloe’s head perfectly blocked the side profile of the man waiting inside. Though you couldn’t see his full face, the superior curve of the man’s brow, nose, and jawline was unmistakable. Not to mention, the angle of their bodies made it look exactly like they were kissing. Chloe’s fans were going crazy, digging everywhere to find out who owned the car. I recognized the owner at first glance. It was my husband, Carter Hayes. After all, a globally limited-edition Rolls-Royce Phantom was hard to mistake. It looked like Carter wouldn’t be coming home tonight. So, I comfortably took over our massive king-sized bed. Late in the night, a pair of ice-cold arms woke me up. “Are you awake?” The newcomer was very polite. “Sorry to bother you.” My mind was still a bit foggy. It took me a moment to gather the strength to sit up. He had already wrapped his arms around my body, making room for himself on his half of the bed. “Sorry,” I said. “I thought you weren’t coming home tonight.” The lamp clicked on. Carter turned his back to me and took off his bathrobe. The warm light painted his broad back and neck with a pale golden hue, like an oil painting, full of raw power and aesthetics. A minute later, that neck leaned in close to me. “Can we kiss?” He asked politely enough. But in reality, he didn’t wait for my consent at all. As our lips and teeth tangled, I could clearly feel the sweat slowly seeping through his skin beneath my palms. Carter propped himself up, extended his long arm, and opened the nightstand drawer on his side. Then, he frowned. “Why are we out?” “Sorry… I forgot to buy more,” I said slowly. Carter looked down at me for a moment, then lay back down beside me. He spoke in what sounded like a very considerate tone: “It’s fine. I’ll pick up a box on my way home from work tomorrow.” A box… If I had known, I would have hidden them. I braced myself and replied, “Thanks for the trouble.” “Don’t mention it.” 02 When I woke up the next day, the other half of the bed was already empty. I casually scrolled through my phone, and before I knew it, it was noon. The man I shared a bed with last night was in the news again. Carter Hayes, CEO of Hayes Corporation, was invited to watch Chloe Miller’s first stage performance since her return to the country. This time, the internet sleuths not only figured out that Carter was the owner of the car from last night, but they also used magnifying glasses to analyze the photos and concluded that the two definitely spent the night together. Because even though Carter was wearing a high-necked black shirt, it didn’t hide the hickey on his neck. And Chloe’s lip, coincidentally, was slightly bruised. You didn’t need much imagination to guess how intense they were last night. The hype was so massive that an insider soon leaked the backstory: Years ago, to ask for Chloe’s hand in marriage, Carter had threatened to voluntarily give up his inheritance rights to the Hayes empire. But at the critical moment, Chloe turned him down. She didn’t want to become a wealthy socialite wife and end her dancing career. Reuniting years later, the teenage lovers who missed their chance had both reached the absolute pinnacle of their respective fields. Every look, every gesture between them seemed to steep in their lingering past love. … The comments section was flooded, basically all praising how perfect they were for each other. Only one anonymous burner account posted a few consecutive comments: [Fake news. He has a wife.] Very quickly, that account was chased down and flamed by a mob: [So what if he has a wife? No one can replace the first love of his youth!] [Then he’ll just get a divorce and pursue Chloe again. Duh.] I was just about to hit ‘like’ on their comments when the trending page was flooded with a new picture. It was backstage after the dance performance. Carter was handing Chloe a bouquet. Chloe held the flowers, smiling like a little girl. And Carter, who never showed emotion to anyone, was looking at her, seemingly infected by her joy, with a smile on his own face. Though faint, it held a very rare kind of tenderness. My heart suddenly skipped a beat. A complex knot of emotions surged in my chest. We had known each other for decades. We had been married for five years. I had never seen Carter smile at me like that. And he had never, ever given me flowers. 03 If Chloe was Carter’s lingering regret from his youth, then I was the obligation forced upon him by the Hayes family. Chloe, Carter, and I all grew up in the same wealthy neighborhood and attended the same prep school. But they took calligraphy classes together under the same tutor since childhood; their bond was much closer. I only got Carter’s personal cell phone number half a month after our wedding. Right after we got married, Carter worked overtime and didn’t come back to the bridal estate for half a month. When my mother-in-law found out, she visited specifically to lecture me about not taking the initiative to care for my husband’s health. I sent him my first text message: [Sorry to bother you. Are you coming home for dinner tonight?] Half an hour later, he replied: [Who is this?] [Maya.] [Thank you. No need to wait for me.] It wasn’t until three months later that Carter sent me his first initiated text. [Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow.] Me: [Is there an occasion?] [We need to go back to the main estate.] [Okay. Do I need to bring anything?] A moment later, my phone chimed with the pleasant sound of a deposit: [Chase Bank: Your account ending in 730 has received a wire transfer of $100,000.00. Available balance: $100,123.00.] Carter replied: [You decide. Just buy whatever.] From that moment on, I knew Carter would never love me. He treated me like an employee of his company. He dismissed me with money. But I was very open-minded about it. An arranged marriage was exactly like this. It didn’t matter if he came home or not. I could just spend his money like crazy by myself. Our relationship only improved slightly after we spent a night at the Hayes estate. To fool the elders, he was forced to sleep in the same bed with me. I thought he wouldn’t touch me. But my mother-in-law had spiked the soup she served that night with a lot of “herbal supplements.” Carter spoke first: “I’m sorry.” Then he asked: “Can we?” And finally: “If you’re uncomfortable, tell me to stop.” I endured it for a long time before I finally let out a sound. “…I’m sorry, I think this is a bit too much for me.” “I’m sorry.” He apologized quickly. “It’s okay,” was all I could say. … A long time later, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why haven’t you stopped yet?” Carter finally lifted his head and looked at me. Under the dim yellow light, he seemed hesitant, but he still leaned down and kissed me. It was much later when I found out why he lost control that night. Chloe had started dating a guy abroad. That night was the day she went public with the relationship. 04 After finding out I was pregnant, I sent Carter a message. It was a photo of the obstetric ultrasound report. He was busy for a long time before replying: [Congratulations.] Five hours later, he finally realized something else was required. [Chase Bank: Your account ending in 730 has received a wire transfer of $5,000,000.00. Available balance: $6,000,123.00.] [Thanks for your hard work.] Six months later, our child, Leo Hayes, was born. Carter was very good to Leo. He set up a massive trust fund that covered his education, medical, and living expenses for a lifetime. The days passed slowly. Many people knew Carter Hayes was married, but they had no idea what his wife looked like. Except for our routine nightly obligations, we rarely saw each other. Except for discussing Leo, we never made small talk. In these five years, we never had a single fight over anything. You could even say we respected each other like polite guests. We were simply still strangers. At 3 PM, I picked up Leo from his private kindergarten. Pushing open the door, Chloe was lounging on our living room sofa, holding my little dog and waving at me. “You’re back?” Leo, who always kept a straight, serious face, let out a scream of joy: “Auntie Chloe!” He was Chloe’s biggest fan. Ever since he saw a video of her dancing, he had been obsessed. Chloe ruffled his hair and looked up at me with a beaming smile. “Maya, your son seems to like me more.” Leo, usually an old soul in a kid’s body, looked at her with sparkling eyes. “Auntie Chloe, you should live at our house from now on. Don’t leave, okay?” I carried the groceries I bought on the way home into the kitchen. From far away, I could hear Chloe’s giggles. “If I live at your house, where is your mommy going to live?” “She can leave,” Leo said. “She’s useless around here anyway.” … The water from the faucet rushed down into the sink. The kitchen door was suddenly pushed open. Carter stood in the doorway, looking a bit tired. “Can I come in?” “You can. What is it?” He pointed at the pot on the stove. “The soup smells really good. Can I have some?” “Sure.” I nodded. I had originally simmered it for him anyway. I ladled a bowl and handed it to him. Carter took it. “Thanks for your hard work. Thank you.” Walking out of the kitchen, I saw Chloe suddenly flash a smile at me. She said, “Maya, your soup is as delicious as always.” I froze, realizing the bowl I had just handed him was now in Chloe’s hands. She sighed comfortably as she sipped it. “I’m so jealous you know how to cook. Unlike me, I’ve never even stepped foot in a kitchen.” Leo chimed in, “Auntie Chloe, you’re so amazing at dancing. It doesn’t matter if you can’t cook. My mommy can just cook for you.” Since birth, Leo had been spoiled rotten by the Hayes family. I was the only person who was strict with him, refusing to let him act entitled or use his family’s wealth to bully other kids. As a result, Leo had always disliked me. He was like his father; he only valued the things, or people, he actually liked. Chloe wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t just my husband. My son, and even my dog, liked her better. The thought of divorce was finalized in that exact moment. 05 I asked Carter for a divorce on a night one week later. We had just finished. He suddenly said he had a work emergency and needed to leave. I interrupted him and said I had something to say too. As expected, he had no reaction after I said it. He just spaced out for a second, pushed himself off me, his face devoid of emotion. “Alright. Got it.” Like he was receiving a memo from his secretary. I said, “I don’t want custody of the kid either. He’s going to be your problem from now on.” “It’s fine.” I insisted, “You’ve worked hard these past few years. Thank you.” Even though there were no feelings, he did sleep with me for all these years. It was hard work for him, too. I had very little luggage. A single suitcase held everything I owned. The divorce papers were left on the living room coffee table. I had already signed them. Before leaving, I turned back to close the door. Carter, shirtless and covered in scratch marks, stood silently on the balcony smoking a cigarette. I didn’t tell anyone about the divorce. Leo was asleep in his room. Further away at the Miller estate, my parents were celebrating Chloe’s birthday. When Carter finished his cigarette, he would probably go find Chloe, too. Bringing along the gift he had prepared in his study— A custom-made red dance dress. The first time I saw it, I loved it too. But just like this marriage, it wasn’t something that belonged to me. No one remembered that when I was young, I had also won the National Youth Dance Championship trophy. My instructors used to say my physical gifts were one in a thousand. But after accidentally falling from a high stage, I could never dance again. After that, I locked myself in my room and cried every day. It was the most agonizing memory of my life. My parents grieved for a brief period, then turned around and sent Chloe to the exact same instructor. “If the older sister had talent, the younger sister’s might be even higher.” From that moment on, I couldn’t bear to look at anything related to dance. Tonight, like countless nights before it, was a very ordinary night. The wind was light. The moon was bright. From the moment I decided to leave, right up until I boarded the plane, I never looked back. Once I was on the flight, a beautiful flight attendant brought over a small slice of cake. “Dear Miss, thank you for choosing our airline. Our entire flight crew wishes you a very happy birthday.” I paused for a second. Then I smiled at her. “Thank you so much.” 06 The destination I chose was my grandmother’s house in the countryside. After getting off the plane, I had to catch a regional train, and then a dedicated tourist bus. In recent years, the mountain town where my grandmother lived had been developed into a tourist heritage site by the state. After enduring five or six hours of travel, the bus wound its way up the mountain roads of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Looking out the old glass windows, the white clouds seemed to grow right out of the earth. The wind rushed in, carrying a wave of summer heat. I took a few pictures and happily posted them on Instagram. A sudden phone ring broke my relaxed mood. It was Carter. “What is it?” “Leo has a fever. Do you know where the medical kit is?” “Second-floor storage room.” “Okay.” After a moment of silence, Carter added, “Found it. Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” I was just about to hang up when Carter continued, “Say hello to Grandma for me. Come back when you’ve had enough fun. Leo keeps asking for you.” I gripped the phone. “Then you need to tell him we’re already divorced.” Click. It sounded like Carter had lit a lighter. His tone was unnervingly calm. “Is this because of Noah Brooks?” “Noah Brooks?” It took me a long time to pull that name from the depths of my memory. I was baffled. “What does he have to do with this?” “He returned to the States,” Carter said. “Your IPs are currently in the exact same location.” “Carter,” I rubbed my temples. “You don’t seem very clear-headed right now. I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t want to know.” “From now on, if you can’t find something, ask the housekeeper. If the kid is sick, take him to a doctor.” “I want our relationship from here on out to be completely undisturbed by one another.” Carter was silent for a moment. “Fine. As you wish.” 07 When I reached Grandma’s doorstep, I was thrilled. The once-rustic mountain town had become modernized, but it still retained its indigenous folk charm. The familiar front yard, the grape trellis, the creek… But— There was an unfamiliar person standing at the door. He was very young, wearing a black T-shirt and a silver bone chain. He seemed to have just washed his hair, carrying a cool, damp aura. I wheeled my suitcase up, looking at him hesitantly. He stared back at me. As we got closer, we both exclaimed in sudden realization: “Noah Brooks?” “Maya?” I couldn’t believe the coincidence. Returning to my hometown, I actually bumped into a former teammate from my competition days. During the years I gave up dancing due to my injury, Noah had kept going. After graduating from an arts conservatory, he, like Chloe, went abroad for further training. I had seen his promotional posters many times. The fact that Carter knew his itinerary so well was also because of Chloe. They were in the same dance company. Noah explained that since returning to the US, he had wanted to choreograph a unique piece inspired by Appalachian folk mythology. Since my grandmother’s village was famous for its heritage culture, he had come specifically to sketch out ideas and find inspiration. After a brief catch-up, Noah suddenly asked me tentatively, “Maya, after… back then, did you ever try to dance again?” I fell silent. Noah pressed on, “When I was in Europe, I met a doctor involved in sports medicine. His clinic specializes in this exact kind of rehabilitation. Maya… if you still want to dance, do you want to give it a try?” “The success rate might not be 100%,” he continued. “And the treatment costs can be quite high. But if you need it, I can… lend you the money.” Looking nervous, as if afraid he had said the wrong thing, he watched me carefully. “Of course, if you don’t want to, just pretend I never brought it up.” In the first few years after the accident, I never gave up on rehab. But those treatments ultimately yielded no results. Facing exorbitant rehab fees, I was filled with hope time and time again, only to face despair. Combined with my family’s subsequent business failures, we couldn’t afford the extra money, and I slowly gave up. Marrying Carter, hiding in a loveless marriage to drift through the years, I had long lost my former spirit. I wanted to reject Noah, but when the words reached my lips, they changed into: “I want to.” “Even if it’s only a 10% chance, I want to try.” After I said it, I stood frozen in place. My arms hung by my sides, trembling uncontrollably. My body… was still unwilling to give up. Plans changed immediately. After staying in the village to have dinner with Grandma, I contacted the professor Noah mentioned. Professor Ross asked me a lot of questions, mentioned he had successfully treated similar cases before, told me not to worry, and had his assistant book an appointment for next month. Hanging up the phone, I felt like I was dreaming. Noah seemed even more excited than I was. “This is amazing, Maya!” “Thank you.” My heart started racing, my entire body engulfed in a surreal feeling. He just shook his head. “Honestly, I’m doing this for myself too. Maya, if the treatment goes well, I want to ask you for a favor.” “Okay.” I didn’t even ask what the favor was. I just agreed instantly.

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She stole my identity to become a wealthy heiress. As I lay bleeding out and dying, she took my family heirloom, looking down at me with a solemn promise: “I will live a good life for you.” But just as she reached the absolute peak of her glamorous new life, I came back from the dead. 1. The Sterling family was gathered in the living room, their expressions a mix of shock and complex emotions. A manila folder of DNA results sat on the coffee table. I sat casually on the sofa, my expression calm, waiting for the final verdict to drop. No one could have ever imagined that the current darling of high society, the beloved Sterling heiress, was nothing but a fraud. A cheap knockoff. Right as the atmosphere peaked in its awkwardness, the door was pushed open. The other main character of this little drama had arrived. The bright smile on her face hadn’t yet faded; she was clearly in a fantastic mood. Turning her head and seeing the entire family gathered together, she froze for a second before cheerfully greeting everyone one by one. That is, until her gaze landed on my back. Sensing her stare, the corners of my lips curled up. “Who is this?” she asked, a hint of confusion in her voice. Her question snapped everyone out of their daze. But no one answered her. Or rather, they didn’t know how to answer her. They looked at her with complicated expressions, a flash of deep disgust hidden in their eyes. Even her “parents,” who had doted on her unconditionally, no longer had any warmth in their gaze. Their expressions were freezing cold as they stared straight at her face. Just as she started to shift uncomfortably, I stood up from the sofa, turned around, and smiled. “Long time no see, Ms. Davis.” Before she could even process it, I met her terrified, shrinking gaze and let my smile widen. Chloe Davis instinctively tightened her grip on her designer handbag. She probably never thought she would see me alive again. 2. Five years ago, on my way to reunite with my biological family, I was caught in a horrific car crash and left on the brink of death. She ignored my pleas for help. Instead, she pried the heirloom necklace from my hand and whispered that she would “live a good life for me.” But the sickest part? That car crash only happened because I got dragged into her mess. I refused to die like that. My overwhelming will to live caught the attention of a system, which bound itself to me. As long as I completed world-hopping missions, I could earn my resurrection. It was then I learned the truth. Chloe Davis was the female lead of a dark, twisted romance novel. That day, I had accidentally saved her as she was running away from the obsessive, psychotic male lead. But because of her “protagonist halo,” she survived the resulting car crash without a scratch, while I—a mere cannon fodder—was left to bleed out. When I reached out for help, she just took my necklace and promised to live my life. She never even thought about calling an ambulance… Later, she altered her appearance just enough, took my heirloom, and claimed my identity, returning to the Sterling family to become the apple of their eye. Yet, she still couldn’t escape the psychotic male lead, Damon Vance. She kept telling herself she was “avenging me,” but in reality, she was constantly entangled with Damon, deliberately using her doting adoptive youngest uncle to make Damon jealous. Damon was a lunatic. Once the youngest uncle became his target, he was subjected to endless sabotage, eventually having both his legs broken. A proud, brilliant man was dragged straight into the mud. And because the Sterling family refused to let Chloe be with Damon, he destroyed their entire empire, leaving the family ruined and dead. But what happened to Chloe and Damon? Absolutely nothing. Instead, after going through a series of “hardships” and realizing their toxic love for each other, they got their happily ever after. The Sterling family and my life were just stepping stones for their epic romance. 3. But now, right at the beginning of it all, I was back. Without the Sterling family’s backing, she was nothing more than a caged bird meant for Damon’s twisted games. Staring at my face, Chloe couldn’t make a sound for a long time. She had zero defense, because she never factored in the possibility that I could still be breathing. “It’s been a few years. I never expected Ms. Davis to actually take my name. You even made your face look a bit like mine…” I took a slow step toward her, feigning surprise. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Smack! A sharp, ringing slap cut off Chloe’s pathetic defense, sending her face jerking to the side. “For saving your life, one slap is a bargain, Ms. Davis,” I said, rubbing my wrist with a scoff. I saved her out of the goodness of my heart, only to save an ungrateful snake. Chloe closed her eyes in humiliation, her voice turning hoarse. “This slap… I’ll count it as what I owe you. Luna Sterling, from now on, we are even.” “Mom, Dad, Grandpa… I’m sorry.” Chloe bowed deeply to the elders of the family, but they physically stepped back to avoid her. She stiffened. “We only have one child, Luna. We can’t accept such a grand gesture from you, Ms. Davis,” Mrs. Sterling said, her eyes burning with hatred now that the truth had fully sunk in. The precious daughter she had painstakingly searched for was a fake—and the indirect murderer of her real flesh and blood. “I know whatever I say, you won’t forgive me. But these past few years, I truly saw you as my real parents…” Chloe looked at Mrs. Sterling with a wounded expression, desperately trying to find a shred of pity or reluctance. She was disappointed. Aside from disgust and hatred, there was nothing. Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the front door. Someone barged in. “You actually dared to lay a hand on her?!” The furious male voice belonged to Damon Vance. He hadn’t left the perimeter. His dark, venomous eyes swept over everyone in the room. 4. “Damon, I’m fine,” Chloe said. The second Damon stepped in to shield her, tears welled up in her eyes, as if she finally had someone to pour all her grievances out to. “Did you do this?” Damon immediately locked his suspicious, murderous glare on me, the stranger in the room. I gave him a fearless, easy smile. “So what if I did? Ms. Davis accepted it willingly.” My words made Chloe’s face go rigid. “You have a death wish!” Damon was enraged. He reached out to choke me. But before anyone in the room could even react, a blur flashed before their eyes. I kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying backward onto the marble floor. You think I did all those system missions for nothing? I had faced psychos way crazier and stronger than Damon. I had learned martial arts, cultivated magic, and killed monsters. Thinking he could bully me just by being a little unhinged? He was dreaming. Damon curled up on the floor, groaning in pain. Chloe rushed to help him, her face full of concern. “Damon, are you okay? Don’t scare me!” she cried. Then she pointed her venom at me: “Luna! Don’t go too far! I already gave everything in the Sterling family back to you. Why did you have to hurt Damon?!” The resentment in her eyes was practically spilling over. She conveniently ignored the fact that Damon tried to attack me first. “Don’t make me laugh, Ms. Davis. The clothes on your back, the jewelry you’re wearing, even the ground you’re standing on—which of it doesn’t belong to the Sterling family?” I sneered, looking down at her. Chloe’s face drained of color. She bit her lip, looking down at her designer dress. All her dark, pathetic little thoughts were completely exposed in front of me. “Don’t act all high and mighty after leeching off us for years,” I said, ignoring her mental gymnastics, and took a step closer. “What are you doing?!” Chloe was on high alert, her shoulders shrinking back involuntarily. By this time, Damon had recovered slightly. He glared at me with pure hatred and cursed, “You bitch!” I laughed coldly and slammed my heel down directly onto his wrist. He broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. 5. “If you can’t speak properly, then keep your mouth shut,” I said, grinding the toe of my shoe into his wrist. “Ah! Luna Sterling, you bitch! I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you!” Damon’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression utterly deranged. Without changing my expression, I applied more pressure. “Stop! Luna, stop! You’re going to break his wrist!” Chloe panicked. She could only scream at me to stop, not daring to physically pull me away. She was terrified I would kick her across the room just like I did him. “Mom, please! Please make her stop. I promise Damon and I will never appear in front of you again. Please, Mom…” Unable to stop me, Chloe turned to beg my mother. But Mrs. Sterling simply gave her a cold, flat look before turning away. Chloe’s heart went cold. She then threw pleading looks at my father, my older brother, my grandfather, and everyone else in the room. Not a single person stepped up to help her. Just as Chloe fell into total despair, the main doors opened again. A clear, youthful voice, tinged with confusion, rang out. “Do we have guests? Why is it so loud?” Everyone turned to look at the entryway. A teenager walked in, freezing when he saw the chaotic scene. He looked completely lost. To Chloe, he was her saving grace. “Liam! Save me!” she cried beautifully, treating Liam Sterling as her last lifeline. Liam quickly sensed the tension in the room. But this was the “sister” he had lived with for years, so his expression softened. 6. “Sister, what’s wrong?” “Liam, she is not your sister.” Mrs. Sterling stepped forward and pulled him aside. Liam was stunned. “Your only sister is Luna. This fraud, this ungrateful snake, doesn’t deserve to be called your sister.” The more Mrs. Sterling thought about it, the more she hated Chloe. Her biological daughter had done a good deed, only to have her identity stolen and be left for dead. If I hadn’t come back today, who knows how long they would have been kept in the dark? The faint smile on Liam’s face vanished completely. “No, it’s not like that… Liam, I just… I just thought…” Chloe’s defense was incredibly weak. She didn’t know what excuse would sound best. She took my identity because she “feared my family would be sad over my death”? Or because she wanted to “fulfill my dying wish of reuniting with them”? No matter how she spun it, it wasn’t exactly a noble act. “Chloe, you don’t need to explain anything to him. I’ll remember this humiliation. The Sterling family… I won’t let a single one of you off!” Damon couldn’t stand seeing Chloe beg. He arrogantly threatened everyone in the room. “Are you still tangling with this mad dog?” Liam frowned deeply. He knew Damon. Because Chloe had, on countless occasions, tearfully begged their youngest uncle to protect her so she could escape Damon. Yet, after other people went through hell to help her, she would turn right around and get back together with him. Faced with Liam’s questioning, Chloe guiltily looked away. She didn’t want to, but in her eyes, Damon was the only person in the world who truly loved her. It was just that his methods were a bit extreme… Looking at her face, I could guess exactly what kind of delusional garbage she was thinking. “You don’t even find him repulsive,” Liam clicked his tongue in disgust, having zero intention of getting involved. “Liam…” Chloe couldn’t believe the younger brother who used to be so close to her could turn on her so quickly. 7. Crack. Everyone’s attention was drawn back to the sharp sound. I touched my nose awkwardly. “Sorry, misjudged my strength.” Damon’s wrist was bent at a horrifying angle. Chloe was paralyzed with fear. I kindly offered some advice: “If you go to the ER now, they can still save it. But if you insist on staying here to throw around threats, I can’t guarantee his other hand will be okay.” Trespassing in a private residence? I call this justifiable self-defense. Damon and Chloe fled the house looking incredibly pathetic. After they left, the Sterling family held a massive internal meeting. Aside from my youngest uncle who was still overseas on a business trip, everyone attended. My identity was officially confirmed. What surprised me the most was that they didn’t act like a stereotypical soap-opera rich family, treating the “wrong daughter” scandal as a humiliation to be swept under the rug. Instead, they threw a massive, glamorous banquet to introduce me to everyone. They proudly announced that I was the real Luna, the sole heiress of the Sterling family. The elite circles accepted it far easier than I imagined. Then again, the guests were all families closely allied with the Sterlings. They wouldn’t dare cause drama. At the banquet, I finally met the man I had heard so much about—my youngest uncle, Arthur Sterling. Dressed in a sharp black tuxedo, an elegant smile playing on his lips, he stood out effortlessly in the crowd. Suddenly, someone whispered something in his ear. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, then his gaze shot straight across the room, locking onto me. 8. The moment our eyes met, an unspoken, dark energy passed between us. Intrigued, I smirked and downed the rest of my red wine. I have no idea how Chloe snuck into the banquet. Was it her protagonist halo at work? The moment Grandpa took the stage to officially announce my identity, she was hiding in a corner, her eyes red with tears. I noticed a lingering gaze and casually scanned the room, spotting her instantly. In the original plot, when she returned to the Sterling family as me, there was never a grand, public introduction like this. Maybe it was blood intuition, but Grandpa always had doubts about her identity. But a secret paternity test proved she was a Sterling. Of course, that was all secretly manipulated by Damon. Because of that, when the Sterling family eventually fell, Grandpa was the first loose end Damon eliminated. “Is Ms. Davis here to spectate today?” Since she was here, there was no need to let her hide in the shadows. My voice drew everyone’s attention. The crowd instinctively parted, exposing Chloe. “How does she have the nerve to show up?” “Is the Sterling family just letting her off the hook?” “I heard she’s still hooking up with that psycho, Damon Vance.” “Did she come to crash the party?” The younger guests whispered loudly. Chloe was fully exposed to the public eye. She lacked the radiant, confident aura she had when she was the “Sterling heiress.” Dressed in a flimsy white gown, she looked frail and delicate. Standing there quietly, she looked like a wilting white lily. Hearing my words, she bit her lip in humiliation, her eyes red, looking incredibly pitiful. But no one in this room was crazy enough to be Damon Vance. No one was going to step up and play white knight just because she squeezed out a few tears.

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On the day I was packing to leave the Sterling house, Julian leaned against the doorframe. He watched me gather my things, a half-smile playing on his lips: “What?” “Realized that having a kid didn’t force me to marry you?” “So now you think he’s useless, and you’re not even planning on taking him with you?” Before I could even open my mouth to respond. Oliver, who had been eavesdropping outside the door for a while, walked in. He carefully tipped his piggy bank, pouring all his saved coins into my hands. “Mommy, you have to take good care of yourself, okay?” “Also, can you promise me one thing? Promise me you’ll absolutely never come back.” “Aunt Chloe said that only if you leave completely, will she be willing to be my new mommy.” 1 After Oliver finished those few sentences. He blinked his big, dark eyes at me, his anticipation practically overflowing. Julian lowered his voice, carrying a hidden warning. “Oliver Sterling.” “Is this how school taught you to speak to your mother?” Oliver lowered his head, pouting. “But last time Aunt Chloe asked if Daddy liked Mommy, you said you didn’t.” “And I don’t really like her that much either…” “So if she wants to leave, just let her leave…” I had long since stopped feeling sad over these kinds of words from him. A week ago, for his sixth birthday. He threw a tantrum, insisting on celebrating it with Julian and Chloe. I suddenly felt like I wasn’t so afraid of losing them anymore. I didn’t have the slightest desire to stop him. Even when I walked past that restaurant that evening. I heard him introducing Chloe to the violinist as his mother, and my heart didn’t even skip a beat. 2 Because I was packing my suitcase, I was squatting down. My line of sight was perfectly level with little Oliver. I accepted his money and gave a slight nod. “Okay, I promise you.” I didn’t refer to myself as ‘Mommy’ anymore. I just said quietly: “I won’t come back to this house.” “And I won’t be your mother anymore. Oliver, you’re free.” He seemed surprised that I agreed so easily. He stared at me for two seconds. Then he started laughing, “Yay!” “Aunt Chloe is going to be my mommy from now on!!” He ran out the door, yelling that he was going to call Chloe with the good news. I packed my last piece of clothing. Zipped up the suitcase and stood up. Julian had been silent this whole time. But as I passed by him, he grabbed my arm. His eyes were half-closed, his expression unreadable. “Maya, not liking doesn’t mean hating.” “These past few years, I’ve gotten used to having you around.” “What exactly are you trying to prove by insisting on leaving?” By the end, his voice carried a faint trace of irritation. I wanted to say something, but felt it would be redundant and overly dramatic. So I just pulled my arm free and simply advised: “Take good care of Oliver.” I dragged my suitcase out of the Sterling house. Leaving the gated community required a long walk. The weather wasn’t great either. The cold wind whipped up fallen leaves from the roadside and threw them against me. It seemed very easy to end up looking pathetic. But still, I didn’t look back. Not even once. 3 I had rented an apartment in advance and also found a job. Based on my previous major, I applied for a position as an art teacher at a children’s art academy. My first day of work. Walking into the office, I saw several female teachers squatting in front of a little girl. “Zoey, does your uncle like desserts?” “Also, also, what type of girls does he like?” “Zoey, sweetie, is he coming to pick you up tonight?” The girl was expressionless. “Teachers, you called me over, didn’t you say you had issues with my drawing style that you wanted to discuss?” The teachers looked at each other awkwardly. “Since there’s no issue, I’m going back to class.” The girl turned around and saw me. She gave a faint greeting, “Hello, teacher.” Then she walked away without looking back. 4 The teachers were very friendly to me, the newcomer. After introducing the work process, they started chatting about the girl again. “You don’t know, right? That kid’s uncle is Carter Hayes.” “Along with Julian Sterling, they are known as the most eligible bachelors in Seattle.” “Oh wait, that’s not right. I heard Julian is already back together with his first love, Chloe, who just returned from abroad.” “Now there’s only Carter left.” Hearing Julian’s name again, I was so calm it was as if I didn’t know him. But Carter Hayes… I sighed silently. He was Julian’s mortal enemy. He had always hated me. Every time we crossed paths, without exception, he would mock me. “You’re pathetic. Photos of Julian and Chloe kissing are trending online, and you don’t even dare to breathe a word.” “What do you actually get by staying with Julian? A title or status?” “Maya, do you not know how to look at other men for once?” It was better to stay far away from the girl named Zoey. If Carter found out I was here, he might use his connections to get the academy to fire me. 5 Julian called me while I was squeezing onto the subway after work. “Hello?” The noisy background on my end made him pause. A few seconds later, he asked: “Where are you?” “On the subway.” He let out a barely audible scoff. “Taking the subway?” “Maya, you brought this on yourself.” I held onto the handrail and just asked: “Do you need something?” The sound of the man’s footsteps, even distorted by the connection, remained measured and unhurried. Just like him. I could even picture him walking from his desk to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Oliver has a fever.” He said: “Give me your address, I’ll go pick you up.” “No need.” I lowered my eyes: “The Sterlings will take good care of him.” “He doesn’t need me.” Julian’s voice deepened slightly. “Are you really planning on abandoning him?” “Maya.” He sounded as if he found it absurd: “Just because he said he liked Chloe more?” Julian seemed to have never understood my feelings for Oliver. Even though I had explained it countless times. After the accident that night, I took emergency contraceptives, but he still didn’t believe me. Because I had liked him for years. So he was convinced I got pregnant with Oliver on purpose to force him into marriage. In his eyes, my feelings for Oliver weren’t deep. He thought I just saw him as a tool, or a bargaining chip. Which meant he didn’t know that because I was terrified Oliver would grow to like Chloe more and more… I had endured countless nights of breakdowns, agonizing over every little gain and loss. The subway arrived at the transfer station. The train car instantly emptied out significantly. “It’s not that, Julian.” I found a seat and sat down, my aching legs finally getting some relief. I said softly: “It’s because he does genuinely like Chloe more.” “And I don’t want to force myself anymore, racking my brain trying to please him.” Julian wanted to say something else. But the next second, Oliver’s voice came through the receiver, proving my point. “Daddy! My fever is gone!” “Can I go play with Aunt Chloe tomorrow?!” Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed: “Maya, listen to me…” I hung up the phone. Got off at the next stop. And pushed that phone call out of my mind. 6 When Oliver heard his mother’s name, he paused. He didn’t keep insisting on Chloe. Instead, he tugged at Julian’s pant leg and asked: “Daddy, was it Mommy calling?” Julian gave a slight nod. “Oh, did you tell Mommy I’m sick? Is she coming back to see me?” Julian met those adorable, round eyes. Eventually, he hummed an agreement. Oliver had long expected Maya would be worried about him and wouldn’t be able to resist coming home. “Then I’ll go put on a mask so I don’t get Mommy sick.” “I’ll go play with Aunt Chloe later.” They hadn’t seen each other in a week. He didn’t seem as averse to seeing his mother anymore. Julian pressed his lips tightly together, “Mommy is working overtime.” “I didn’t ask her to come back.” Oliver still had a cooling patch on his forehead. Hearing this, he blinked. “Then, then I guess it’s fine to go find Aunt Chloe first…” He didn’t feel much disappointment. Anyway, Mommy would definitely come back to see him. Since he was little, whenever he was sick, Mommy was always the most anxious. He was just a little surprised. After all, in the past, even if Mommy was abroad, if she heard he was sick, she would fly back overnight. 7 I had been working for a week and basically adapted to the routine. Although Carter Hayes hadn’t shown up once. Just in case, every time parents came to the academy entrance to pick up their kids, I preferred to hide in the office and grade drawings. Only once, Zoey took a day off and didn’t come. I followed a colleague out to dismiss the students. Usually, I tried to treat all the students equally. But she still noticed a difference. 8 That day, Zoey was visibly feeling down. During the break, she rested her chin on her hands, staring out the window in the hallway. A few boys were chasing each other and accidentally knocked her over. They ran away without even apologizing. I immediately went over and squatted in front of her, “Are you okay, Zoey?” “Are you hurt? Let teacher take a look.” The girl covered her knee, refusing to let me see, and turned her head away. “I won’t trouble you.” “I’ll ask another teacher for a band-aid.” I was stunned for a moment, then said gently: “Ms. Vance has some too.” “I don’t want yours.” The back of her head was round, exuding a stubborn vibe. “I know you don’t like me. You don’t have to pretend to be nice to me.” I was surprised: “Teacher doesn’t dislike you at all.” “You’re well-behaved, polite, and very talented at drawing.” “Why wouldn’t teacher like you?” Zoey shot a quick glance at me. Then turned her head away again, humming softly. “That day when Ms. Lee asked you to walk me out, you heard it was me and you didn’t want to.” “And a few days ago, at noon, I didn’t want to eat with those other teachers, so I held my bowl and sat next to you. But you finished your food in one bite and ran away.” Having said that, she seemed to recall the scenes again. Her cheeks puffed out in anger as she turned back to accuse me: “No one has ever hated me this much!” “If you don’t like me, I won’t like you either.” I felt a bit awkward… That day at noon in the cafeteria, I thought I was being very subtle. Zoey had brought her bowl and sat across from me. Without looking at me, she just muttered: “They’re too loud. All they do is ask about my uncle.” I had shifted my tray to give her space. But not even half a minute later, Zoey’s smartwatch rang. It was Carter Hayes calling. I instinctively panicked, shoveled the rest of the food into my mouth, and practically ran. I couldn’t explain this, so I just looked at her earnestly. And said, word by word: “Then teacher was wrong. From now on, I will definitely wait to eat with you, and, and I’ll walk you out after class…” “But I really don’t dislike Zoey.” The girl turned half her face back. Her chubby profile looked a bit like a cartoon character. “Really?” Princess Zoey asked haughtily. “Really,” I promised. She held out both her arms to me, keeping a straight face, and said: “Then I need a hug…” “Zoey’s leg hurts.” The scrape on her knee was exposed. I picked her up and went to the office first to disinfect and apply medicine. Then back to the classroom, to make the boy who knocked her down apologize. Zoey blinked at me and offered a tiny smile. It was a signal that she was willing to reconcile. 9 During the lunch break, I reviewed Zoey’s file again. My eyes suddenly fixed on her birthdate. Today… was her birthday. Her unhappiness today was most likely related to this. I remembered the little bunny pattern on her pencil case, and the bunny plushie on her backpack. Rushing before school ended, I speed-crocheted a miniature lop-eared bunny doll. The dress it wore was similar to the one Zoey was wearing today. She finished the in-class assignment ten minutes earlier than the other students. I called her out and gave her the doll. “Happy birthday, Zoey.” She stared blankly for two seconds. “Is this bunny for me?” I smiled, my eyes curving, and nodded. “As cute as you.” “Thank you, Ms. Vance. I love it.” The little girl accepted it reservedly, her expression not showing much fluctuation. “You’re welcome. Go back to class.” She took two steps, then turned back. “Squat down.” She waved me over. I crouched down as instructed. “What’s wrong? Did you have something else to tell teacher?” The next second, the girl’s soft lips pressed against my cheek. “This is the first gift Zoey received today.” “And my favorite.” She clung to my side, her eyes shining with unconcealable delight. “Ms. Vance, do you think my uncle is handsome?” “I can give you his phone number, as a thank you for the bunny!” The warmth that had just risen in my heart instantly froze. “…No, no need.” 10 After finding out Carter Hayes wasn’t picking her up tonight. I promised Zoey I would walk her out. But when we reached the academy entrance and I saw the man leaning against the Maybach, I felt like I had been struck by lightning. “Uncle Carter, why did you come pick me up today?” The man’s gaze slowly shifted from my face. He glanced at Zoey, “Taking you out for your birthday, you little brat.” “Yay!” The girl hopped up and down. I braced myself and spoke: “Hello, Zoey’s guardian, I…” “What a surprise.” He interrupted me, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Julian Sterling actually let his woman come out and work.” To prevent him from mentioning me if he ran into Julian next time and causing a misunderstanding. I volunteered an explanation: “I’ve already left the Sterling house.” “My working here has nothing to do with Mr. Sterling.” Carter’s gaze sharpened slightly. “Because of Chloe?” “Did they bully you?” I didn’t want to discuss this with Carter, so I pretended not to hear. “Mr. Hayes, if you don’t have any questions regarding Zoey, I’ll be heading back to the office.” Zoey innocently waved her little hand. “Bye, teacher.” I waved back, “Bye-bye.” I turned and walked away, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of an intense gaze burning into my back. 11 I got off work 20 minutes later. When I stepped out of the academy, that Maybach was still parked by the entrance. The car window rolled down. Carter had his arm resting on the steering wheel. He turned his head and said lightly: “The little girl threw a fit and insisted you celebrate her birthday with us.” I looked at Zoey in the back seat. She let out a confused “Huh?” and tilted her head, asking: “Uncle Carter, didn’t you say…” Carter clicked his tongue, cutting her off. “No parking allowed here.” “Get in first, we’ll talk later.” Afraid that my hesitation would get him a parking ticket, I hurriedly got in. But it wasn’t until I saw Carter’s lips curving up through the rearview mirror that I realized. The car had been parked here for a long time. If he was going to get a ticket, he would have gotten one already…

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